#also the behind the scene material in there is just *CHEF KISS* i love seeing behind the curtain

[batsydoodle]

i need to be able to word my appreciation for stuff in a normal way for fucking real bc why the fuck did i just think ''if the batman year one deluxe edition was a dude i'd suck him sloppy style'' like what is that. i wont ask what does it means bc i know, but what was that

[jennathearcher]

Thirteen horror movies that scared tf out of me

Thank you so much for tagging me @talesfromthecrypts!! I wanted to do this so bad and put entirely too much thought into it XD

Rules: list thirteen horror movies that at one point in time terrified the hell out of you

Skinamarink - probably goes without saying at this point; not everyone is gonna vibe with the visual style, and it actually helped a great deal that I watched it with someone who was bored out of their mind by it while I was ready to start climbing the walls from pure fear XD A+, 10/10, hate thinking about this so much :P

Hereditary - also a very obvious choice but COME ON. This is THE horror movie for me. Literally rewired my brain chemistry; totally changed the way I think about not only horror, but film IN GENERAL, just there is SO MUCH MORE YOU CAN DO??? Also points for connection to irl trauma of mine AND being the only movie to date that has made me curl up in the fetal position on a theatre seat 8D that moment when you feel so viscerally in danger you want nothing more than to flee the theatre but you also NEED TO KNOW HOW THIS FUCKING ENDS (you're not gonna sleep for a while and you're gonna LIKE IT DAMMIT) also extra points for being able to traumatize people without them actually having to watch it :P

Jennifer's Body - yes, believe it or not, I watched this movie as a teenager and it actually gave me nightmares XD seeing Megan Fox fully unhinge her jaw with like a gajillion teeth just did something to my brain, man :P and in retrospect I don't think it was a bad thing

Saint Maud - excellent movie, highly recommend it. Had to include it on the list because even though it didn't necessarily scare me as I was actively watching it, it was the sheer impact it left behind with me that has me like, cool cool cool, I can never watch that again :P seriously, I didn't touch another horror movie for six months after I watched this one

A Cure for Wellness - WE STAN THIS MOVIE IN THIS HOUSE however it has to make the list purely because I actively had an anxiety attack while watching it :P

Sleepy Hollow - another one from my teen years; I absolutely love it, and it's one of the first movies I can remember genuinely scaring the shit out of me while still remaining fun to watch?? Like, first time I was scared while watching a movie and didn't immediately have the desire to shut it off XD

Suspiria (2018) - god damn you Luca you gotta stop making adaptations that leave the source material so far behind in the dust that I never want to bother with them ever XD this one makes the cut because I watched it for the first time at home, and it's the only time where I had to actually pause the movie three-quarters of the way through and just. PROCESS. love this movie so much, will be salty forever that it financially flopped

The Conjuring - THE FUCKING HIDE AND CLAP SCENE. LEGIT ONE OF THE SCARIEST SCENES IN ALL OF CINEMA. MWAH. CHEF KISS. AMAZING. I physically GASPED the first time I saw it and I think you could actually pinpoint the moment I sold my soul to James Wan forever and ever :P

The Night House - sometimes you watch a movie and you think, "holy shit that was good," and then a year and a bit later you have to come back to it just to see if it is, in fact, as good as you thought it was, AND THEN IT I S. There is a stretch in this movie where even on the second watch I don't think I took a single breath during it. Just UGH. CINEMA.

Smile - I literally almost blocked this movie entirely out of my memory, that's how bad it fucked me up. You know shit is fucked when you had planned for this movie to be part of a whole evening of horror movies, only after watching it you're so fucked up all you can do is watch a couple episodes of anime and then go straight to bed. Is it perfect? No, but it scared the absolute fuck out of me so on the list it goes

Speak No Evil (2022) - oh my god I can't even. jdskdlsfdsf. I watched this on a WHIM and had to walk around my house in circles after for the better part of an hour. There's an American remake coming out this year with James McAvoy and if they do this right OH MAN. OHHHHH MAN.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - listen to me okay LISTEN. I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH. This was my first real slasher movie I ever watched when I was a teenager just getting into actual horror movies and IT TOTALLY SCARED ME!!!! AND I LOVED IT!!!! feel free to judge me because I hate the original while still loving this one LISTEN IT JUST DIDN'T AGE WELL OKAY :P

The Lodge (2020): hooooooo fuck. I don't even know what I can SAY about this movie other than WATCH IT. It's underrated as hell and made me feel emotions hitherto only experienced by shrimp. Major content warning for pet death though, like BIG time, worst case I've ever seen in that regard

tagging: @afoxnamedmulder @thebarefootking and anyone else who wants to do the thing!! <3

[the-kr8tor]

*slams your fics on the desk* YOU DONT SAY...HUH???? Daily Hobie HC! What if I just left this as the final one of reversed bdas..how would you feel? One moment, Hobie was looking out at the rippling waves, daydreaming about how he and you would be together. The next? His grip tightened on his sword, watching as the fight began to stir. The moment the loud clash of your sword was heard against the rivalling captain's, the docks erupted into chaos, with some members of your ship placing themselves towards the materials to defend. No doubt, you were a fierce fighter. Every strike, slice, clash, was fueled by fire. You panted heavily, locked in battle with the rival captain. Hobie had your back as one of the opposing members attempted to cut you from behind, stepping in and cutting the person off with a quick slash of his sword. Blood was quick to spill on deck as the fight got more intense and crazed. For someone who hasn't been on the ship for long, Hobie fought like he was one of the original members, unwilling to give anything up. You felt the coolness of the sea breeze brush against an open wound on your upper leg, blood trickling down as you continued to lunge, block and strike. Hobie quickly came to aid in Pavitr's fight, the two going back to back to fight on both sides. Hobie felt one of the blades nick his cheek, just on the cheek bone, blood bubbling and dripping down his face. You sustained a similar cut, on the cheekbone on your right, while Hobie's was on his left. Eventually, the opposing captain surprisingly fled after your sword left a large wound across the other's chest, blood staining the opposing captain's clothes. The other ship's members quickly retreated, leaving everyone puzzled, but alive and prideful that they managed to protect their goods. As for the wounds, you ordered all to get checked up below deck, cutting off a bit of your sleeve and wrapping it firmly around your upper leg where you were bleeding, just to prolong needing to go check on it. Hobie walked up to you after you had tightened the cloth around your leg, his hand cupping your cheek where you had been cut, wiping away the blood dripping down, meeting your gaze with a fondly unfamiliar look that almost made your heart stop. Unable to help yourself, you mirror his actions, before suggesting that he go get his injuries checked out and treated with the rest. After the rest had patched themselves up, you go to fix yourself up, grabbing some of the necessary materials and stitching yourself up, gritting your teeth in pain. Hobie, having been looking all over the ship for you, stumbles on you alone in your room, stitching up your injuries by yourself. After some teasing quips about how it would be better to have some 'Prince Charming' to it for you, Hobie took the materials out of your hands and began to patch you up himself. His warm, calloused hands granted you some slight reprieve from the pain, now having you focused on the way he's so gently holding you as he stitches and bandages you up. He had to hold himself from chuckling at how you wrapped your fingers around his wrist, ready to throw his hands off you if his touches lingered. However, many of his touches lingered, and yet you paid no mind to it. Perhaps this was your way of holding his hand discreetly? -🐦‍⬛

Hehehehe 🤭

Daily Hobie HC!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Nooooo b-but Hobie beating the crap out of mathias tho :(

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT BLOOD BLOOD GORE GORE!!!!

Oh I love a good fight scene!!!! You wrote it so well!

Agswokskws matching scars!!!!!!!! 🥴🥴🥴 Oh the poetic imagery of it all

Ahhhhh I love that captain r mirrors bdas hobie in a way that they don't want to be treated right away opting to let their crew get healed first 😍😍

Also the mirror scene where bdas r sees Hobie's festering wound only to take care of it herself vs captain r letting hobie fix their wound up is *chef's kiss* (Stitching yourself up? So badass!)

"many of his touches lingered and yet you paid bo mind to it" R JUST WANTS TO HOLD HIS HAND DAMNIT! They're so in love like their bdas counterparts 🥺🥺🥺

[m1ckeyb3rry]

No because the character design >>>> I also LOVE KIJA SHSHSJSHS man I miss yotd….

Also OMG CHERRY TREE PT 2 commentary after I finish replying

OOOOH omg a long series for bllk…(we all chant KARASU TABITO in the background…) but omg yeah I can only imagine the amount of research needed for hollyhock’s setting shsgshsb

Omg waittt zantetsu switch up?? Ok but I mean if you still want to write for Karasu…I’m always ready for a brainstorming thought dump session….only if you want though LOL

HOLELDHDS SHIT THE BAROU ONE??? Ok im ngl the chokehold that edits to that song have on me….idk why something about the beat and “melody” ushsjshsj also LMAOO THE WOMANIZER ONE classic Otoya edit…ok but the nagi ones are fire and I can also see why you were converted by that rin one…

Ok but if you have any especially fire Karasu ones don’t be shy…I almost never see edits of him it’s so sad

LMAOOO if you ever write that you NEED to add that line in there it’s so perfect (Karasu and Yukimiya trying to protect the girl at first is so real and so cute I can only imagine the rollercoaster ride of mishaps that would happen in this story LMAO)

LMAOOO BAROUISM SO REAL THOUGH?? Yes fortunately he’s basically locked in for the rest of the series!! Excited to see him again soon after the PxG match!! Also curious by what role he’ll play in the current epinagi match too! But omg wait nagi Barou and Karasu all together epinagi said welcome to the miraverse

Ok COMMENTARY: RAGAHHDH THAT WAS SO GOOD lowk you do a really good job of like developing stories and plots that when I read it I didn’t even feel like it was “short” or shorter than fwtkac…like just perfectly paced *chefs kiss*

Also 1) SEABIRD Y/N MENTION LMAOOOOOOO 2) omg stalker Rin was lowk so funny he really said “yeah idk what to say so I’ll just follow you silently like a creep” DHHSSHSH I also love how the roles kinda flip and Rin now has to wait for y/n…also the trees THE TREES >>>>> tree imagery and hidden messages my fav I also love awk but mature Rin like it’s still clumsy soccer nerd Rin but the development is there!!!

Another Mira banger excited for whatever’s next!!

- Karasu anon

i wouldn’t say kija is a top fav (shinah and hak are my beloveds) but i’ve seen some GORG fanart of him so i def see the vision there ☝🏻

cherry tree part two 🥹 i wanted it to be a surprise because i never mentioned working on it but LMAOO it was so funny i saw that rin edit WHILE WRITING WILLOW TREE so it was like a double whammy dose of itoshi broism that made it even worse 😭

tbh as much as there’s so many characters i want to write a long fic for it’s only the ones i DON’T like as much that i get ideas for 😭 like i got the idea for hollyhock while trying to come up with something for NAGI so we’ll see what happens and who ends up inspiring me but it’ll definitely be a surprise…honestly i think i need to pick the au first and THEN decide which character feels natural in it instead of vice versa if that makes sense

LMAO i will hold off for now but if that changes i will let you know!! i’m sure i’ll come up w something because i lowkey have no zantetsu ideas sooo…dumb characters as much as i love them are not my favs to write as love interests because i would simply never fall for a dumb guy irl so it breaks my immersion while writing somehow 😭

THE BAROU ONEEEEE it fits him so well too somehow!! hehe nagi edits are always so good because he has so many scenes in season one plus soooo many fire manga panels that editors have a LOT of material to work with!! and otoya LMAOAO he’s so goofy i love him (surprisingly not aiku though…idk why i can get behind eita but not aiku even though both are cheaters?? like looks aside ofc 😭 maybe it’s because we actively see aiku being weird in the manga whereas it’s only referenced in the egoist bible for otoya so it doesn’t feel as in your face)

OKAYYY tbh there’s not a lot of variety in karasu/otoya edits because they don’t really have any anime scenes yet but here are some i have saved!! fair warning you might’ve already seen these because like you said there’s not much out there for them…

karasu + otoya

karasu

karasu + barou 🤩🤤

you didn’t ask for him but YUKIMIYA

otoya edit using his 0.02 seconds of anime screentime

EASILY the most famous barou edit it has over one million likes and almost twelve million views so you’ve almost definitely seen it but i’m including it anyways because barou…lowkey flash warning though LOL

NO BECAUSE IT’S SO GOOD like the worst man she’s met (oliver aiku) taking her under his wing and teaching her how to be a player meanwhile karasu and yukimiya are yelling at otoya to leave this poor innocent girl alone and otoya is just like “wow…y/n has beautiful eyes…” too chaotic fr

BAROUISM FOR LIFE i’ve liked him since i first watched the show but he was typically overshadowed by me loving nagi and then later karasu so it’s only fair he gets his chance in the spotlight 🤩 omg but also the way nagi is the only hair gel free man in the miraverse top three LMAOAOA he’s holding down the fort fr 😩🙏🏻 needs to impart some wisdom to karasu and barou af

OMG YAYYY I WAS WORRIED IT WOULD BE TOO SHORT although tbh i don’t worry too much abt word count with sequels because like the main story is long enough…okay lowkey secret fact i hope i don’t keep getting a ton of pt2 requests because i love leaving stories open ended and doing a pt2 takes away from that 😩 like that’s why i don’t want to write a pt2 for white butterfly even though multiple people have hinted at wanting one LMAOAAO i just think it ended in a place where expanding it would feel like i was mansplaining to my readers almost 😭 i def think that’s a personal preference too a bit because i personally love reading open endings like they’re so good at making you think and leaving the story on your mind…tbh the impact of an open ending is UNMATCHED it doesn’t have the same vibe when the ending is like fully written out idk if that makes sense ANYWAYS rant over back to commentary!!

LMAOOOO SEABIRD Y/N MENTION FR sae finally put a ring on it ‼️ yk that was the most chaotic proposal ever too 😭 i just thought it would be funny to connect the two stories since there’s nothing rlly saying they CAN’T be connected plus since bllk did kinda vaguely and probably exist in cherry tree (y/n doesn’t go to japan until her freshman year of college so like 18 years old?? and rin would’ve just turned 19 because september birthday so it’s three years after bllk began which is why he isn’t on lockdown) it’s hilarious to imagine like rin being all emo and needing to destroy sae or he’ll die and giving these long ass dramatic monologues abt how sae is his ultimate goal meanwhile sae is just eating sandwiches on the beach with his gf

STALKER RIN MY KING i wanted to show that no matter how much more mature he is it’s still the same awkward fumbling soccer loser rin we all know and many love 😭 like bro has no clue what he’s doing he left his country with a university name, nagi’s sweatshirts, and a dream 😩🙏🏻 and somehow it worked out for him but like imagine y/n transferred or graduated early or smth HAHAA he would’ve been cooked 😰

i’m glad you liked it 😄 hehe i had fun writing it this was def one where i didn’t mind the part two it was very cutesy and enjoyable to do 😫 i have nine requests on my list that i need to finish up so it’ll be something from there ig!! not sure which req i’m going to do first 🤔 there’s a couple that are the same vibe as the isagi ones where i could def finish them in 1-2k words so i might try to get those out of the way first just so they’re out there and i feel productive!!

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Mortal Kombat (Anderson, 1995)

I wouldn’t call this a childhood favourite by any means, but it was certainly one I saw a bunch of times as a kid and not since, so that fact that was on Tubi and threatening to leave in a few days was good enough reason to give it a rewatch after all these years. One scene that I more or less remembered was the one where Johnny Cage punches Goro in the… you know… and the chase and fight that ensues. And the reason I remembered this was not just the scene itself but that, seeing it as a child on a CRT television of not extravagant size and likely at the mercy of poor reception, I’d imagined at the time that I’d actually seen Goro’s … you know… flailing about during the chase scene. And that after seeing the movie, when I drew a little doodle of Goro, I sketched out his… you know… And I don’t remember if I drew this doodle at school or at home, but let me tell ya, whoever saw it was NOT happy! Anyway, that’s my little trip down memory lane.

As for the movie, I suspect a lot of this comes from the source material, which I’m only vaguely familiar with (I’ve played some of the games at arcades and family friends’ houses, but never owned any myself), but the tournament plot and trio of heroes with an Asian lead seem greatly indebted to Enter the Dragon. There’s some logic behind this calculation, as Enter the Dragon was tasked with selling the concept of martial arts cinema to American audiences, so it would make some sense to use its template when trying to sell the concept of video game movies, which had only been around for a few years prior. I will say that I appreciated that, unlike some of the movies that followed where Hong Kong stars tried to cross over, the movie actually lets Robin Shou be charismatic and funny. I suspect because he wasn’t a big star and didn’t have any major baggage, there was no need to try to package him into anything specific. I also appreciate that the other heroes, Linden Ashby (the aforementioned puncher of Goro in the… you know…) and Bridgette Wilson actually hold their own in the action sequences, which was not true of at least one of the heroes in Enter the Dragon (John Saxon, I love ya, but c’mon), and that Ashby gets to be a doofus in exactly the right measure to allow for self deprecation and humour but not undermine the movie with self awareness. There is a baseline of respect you ought to pay the material here and I think this movie pulls it off. And you round out the cast with Christopher Lambert, who kinda nails the subtly exotic qualities of his character, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who plays the role with a good deal of menace. Also, for some reason I got real excited when I recognized Peter Jason, despite the fact that the movies I remembered him most clearly from, Trick or Treats and Texas Lightning, are not good. Sometimes “hey, it’s that guy” provides a certain frisson.

I will say that while I liked looking at the outdoor scenes, because there are temples and vines and greenery and sand and sun and what have you, I did not like looking at the indoor scenes, which are lit in strong, kind of dark colours calibrated to a level I found unpleasant on the eyes. For some reason, there’s a lot of maroon in this movie, which did not make for a pleasurable viewing experience. That being said, despite the wonky CGI, this is shot on film and there are actual sets so maybe I shouldn’t complain so much. I will also note that unlike pretty much every other Paul W. S. Anderson movie I’ve seen, the action scenes here actually work as action and not inert, self contained exercises in framing and movement. Sure, you can feel that some of the scenes feel like Shou is moving at half speed so the American stuntmen can keep up (or at least it does if you’ve seen Tiger Cage II… what a movie *chef’s kiss*). But unlike Anderson’s other movies, where ridiculously overpowered heroes engage in totally arbitrary back and forths before the confrontation is resolved in the lamest possible way, the action scenes here evoke a sense of actual struggle for the heroes and as a result, some semblance of progression. The movie on the whole plays like slick, energetic hackwork (take a shot every time a variation of the awesome techno theme comes on the soundtrack), but Anderson, like Zack Snyder, seemingly turned out his most enjoyable movie before he really developed a distinct style.

[howlingday]

The Circus - Great flashback, though it felt less like an S2E1 and more of an S1E7.5

Seeing Stars - Loved seeing Octavia again, and I'm glad to see Loona really open up

Exes & Oohs - Definitely in the top three for this season so far. Got solid Moxxie flashbacks AND a look at the Greed Ring

Western Energy - Kinda blah, to be honest. Between Loona struggling for her vaccination, Striker attempting banter at being a local celebrity, and Stella being an even worse villain than she already is, this episode had little, if any remarkable scenes

Unhappy Campers - is what I was after watching it. Moxxie was a massive tool in this episode and Barbie's appearance didn't add anything. Worst episode of the season

Oops - This was a great episode! Loved seeing the banter between Blitzø and Fizz, as well as Stolas stepping in to help Oz. Of course, the best part of the episode is how in love Fizz and Oz are. Definitely top three material

MMMM-SS(f.F) - Solid musical episode. Glad to see Fizz taking the spotlight. The creepy stalker dude kinda dragged things, but he's dead now, so who cares? Also, Mammon was easily the most hilarious character of this one

The Full Moon - This... Ugh... Obviously, there's gonna be different biases based on this one episode, but looking at it as a whole, it... It just wasn't good. It was like Blitzø was getting ready for the date and everything else just... happened. Then came the end which only made this tragically boring episode just tragic

Apology Tour - Good to see Verosika make a comeback this season. And, not only that, but we also see her taking a more active role behind the scenes. And unlike The Full Moon, this tragedy was actually done well. Funny how these cartoon demons can seem so human when you actually try to put effort into writing them

Ghostfuckers - Top three! Top three! Top three! The horror! The trauma! The hilarity! All of it was just- Mwah! Chef's kiss! No notes

[comm-caribou]

"tucking a strand of hair behind your partner's ear" for Juliette and Fang?

Sorry it took sooooooooooo long to answer this one!

Been missing writing fluffy scenes, and also missing Fang. My sweet baby, I know I’m a monster! 😭😭

Prompt from here

————

While Fang never took himself as a smart man, he likes to believe he knew a thing or two about the people he loves. Although that list was pretty small as he only felt he loved two people truly.

One was his brother, Coyote. Coyote was smart but would get overwhelmed with work. Compassionate and clever, but also self sacrificing and overly empathetic. Some days, Fang felt he was the only person keeping him going since the Pack died, and if he couldn’t put that caretaking energy towards Fang, Coyote would combust with nervous energy,

The other was his girlfriend, Juliette. In ways, she reminded him of Coyote, but only in having to much heart and not knowing how to show she cared. She was bright and fun, but would sacrifice her own smile for the sake of others. She was perfect, even if Coyote reminded him not to put her on that pedestal.

Entering the kitchen, Fang followed his nose to the burning smell that burned in his nostrils and made his eyes tear up. If he hadn’t just passed Mirage in the hall, he would’ve assumed the ARC was attempting to cook.

He covered his nose, unable to take it as he neared the stove area. He didn’t need to recipe to know it had been butchered by this wannabe chef, and they were going to need a lot of help if they wanted to even be taken seriously as a cook.

“That does not look right…” a girl softly mumbled to herself.

Fang dropped his hand, and put on his best unbothered face. Only one girl was on this vessel, and that was his girl. He wasn’t going to let her see him disgusted by her cooking, especially when she must’ve been trying hard.

He rounded the corner, revealing himself to the chaos and her, “hi!”

Juliette barely looked up from her recipe sheet, “hi, Fang. What does this abbreviation mean?”

Fang smiled, happily coming closer to his messy, ingredient covered girlfriend. He placed his chin on her shoulder that had flour residue, reading the words.

Internally, he was screaming.

Printed in bold on top was the recipe’s name, and it was simply pancakes. How she messed it up, he couldn’t wrap his head around.

Then he followed her finger to the abbreviation, “that, my dear, is tablespoon.”

“Oh,” she picked up the teaspoon. “I knew that.”

Fang stepped away, chuckling, “sweetheart, that’s a teaspoon.”

Juliette looked at it, then him, “are you sure?”

Fang smiled, “well, I do know a thing or two around the kitchen.”

“Right,” she looked at her recipe again. “I think I did this wrong then.”

Fang brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, admiring her beautiful face with flour on her delicate nose and flushed cheek.

“May I take a crack at it?”

He moved in closer, holding her in his arms and leaning in. The tip of his nose brushed her’s, daring her to close the space between their lips.

Her eyelids fluttered shut, “please.”

Her lips brushed his, soft and tender before pulling away.

Fang released her, kissing her forehead before turning to the mixing bowl. He was certain he could salvage her mistakes, until he saw the brown covered sludge that recked heavily of vanilla extract and had eggshells inside.

“I messed it up bad, didn’t I?” She asked.

“It’s not your fault,” he dumped the materials in the trash. “You’re still perfect to me.”

[fireflyoflight]

MCU Rankings: Iron Man (2008)

My Original Post

TL/DR: I’m re-watching the MCU and reviewing them film by film and giving them a score based on a list of criteria, then ranking them. I’m hoping that I fall back in love with a franchise I once adored until late last year.  With that out of the way, let’s get started with the movie that started it all, my personal favorite, Iron Man. 

Iron Man is my favorite MCU movie. Back when I fancied the idea of doing this while providing backstories to each movie, I did a lot of research on this movie and the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. Like, did you know that Marvel had given away rights to so many of their famous properties (Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four) that they had a very small amount of notable heroes to make movies on. They gathered a bunch of kids into a room with pictures of each hero and asked who would they rather play with as a toy. To many Marvel executives’ surprise, it was Iron Man. Keep in mind this is post-Civil War where Tony...wasn’t exactly portrayed in the best light. But, toy sales. And here we are 14 years later. So, needless to say, it was a real treat to jump into this movie.

So, here are the categories I will be ranking each film on: entertainment value (how much I enjoyed the movie), story, acting/cast, Visuals/CGI, Characters, Pacing, World-Building, Humor (if applicable), Technical Aspects (cinematography, editing, costumes, etc.), Action (I mean, this is the MCU, come on), the beginning, the ending, music, and finally, execution.

One last warning: This is 100% my opinion. Movies will be ranked differently than what you would, but I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts as well.

Entertainment Value: 5/5

Like I said before, this is my favorite MCU movie. I could watch it once a week for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. It is a fun ride from beginning to end and while it isn’t the perfect movie, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Story: 4/5

Marvel wasn’t in the best place when they started working on this movie so they couldn’t exactly re-invent the wheel. It’s your average super-hero origin story that we have seen over and over again (although it wasn’t too overdone by 2008). I appreciated the updating in some sections, with Vietnam in the original source material being replaced with Afghanistan since America was still in the middle of the Afghanistan war (2001-2014). Tony’s arc was simple, but believable and powerful. He saw the effects of his company (and his father’s legacy) destroy the lives of innocents and promises the turn it around, first by making the Iron Man suit and then vows to use it to protect the weak. 

Acting/Cast: 3.5/5

I’m gonna get some hate for this but over the years I have really grown to dislike Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance as Pepper. She and Robert Downey Jr. have very little chemistry and her acting is wooden. She just seems bored the entire time she’s on screen. So that gave this category a pretty big hit. Also, unpopular opinion, Terrence Howard is okay in this. Just okay. Maybe it’s that I’m so used to Don Cheadle’s version of Rhodey who isn’t such a stick in the mud, but he seems so severe. 

Jeff Bridges made a great mentor character and an even more surprising antagonist. I remember being floored by finding out that he was behind Tony’s kidnapping. And of course, Robert Downey Jr. was amazing. He is Iron Man. You can still see in the comics today where his performance has influenced how Tony Stark is written to this day. 

Plus, RDJ is apparently behind the famous “I am Iron Man” line. This movie saved his career and you can tell he gives 100% the entire time the camera is on him. 

(Also, I couldn’t award too many points since he only appeared in an after-credits scene but Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury? *chef’s kiss* Perfection. He was my first introduction to Nick Fury and I can’t imagine another actor portraying him.)

Visuals: 4/5

This movie is stunning, especially considering the budget they were given...well, for 2008. It’s a bit dated now. However, you cannot argue that Tony’s suits look sleek and almost realistic. 

Characters: 4/5

Again, have to deduct because Pepper just wasn’t enjoyable to me. Rhodey was okay. I loved his relationship with Tony, especially when they are reunited after Tony escaped from the Ten Rings. You can tell that Tony is his best friend something that is carried out until Tony’s death in Endgame. Stane is a wonderful villain, always keeping his cards close to his chest until the opportune moment and letting Tony underestimate him due to his history as his father’s partner and friend. Stane’s biggest mistake is underestimating people himself. He thought he could cheap out on the assassination by not telling Raza that the target was Tony Stark, which lead to Tony’s capture and the birth of Iron Man. Then, he made the biggest mistake in horror movies by leaving without making sure his opponent was actually dead, which led to Tony managing to make it down to his lab and getting the Mk I Arc Reactor and saving Pepper. Big points had to go to Tony, again because of Robert Downey Jr.’s performance. He is a lovely step up from clumsy adorkable Peter Parker from the Raimi Spider-Man movies and gruff Logan from X-Men and he’s more charming that Reed Richards of the FF duology. Tony Stark knows how to walk into a room and own it--sometimes literally. The guy has chemistry with a disembodied voice and a robot for crying out loud!

Pacing: 4/5

The pacing is good, there are some parts where it is a bit rushed and where it drags a bit but overall, it works well. 

World-Building: 4/5

This was the movie that started it all and, like I said in the story section, they didn’t remake the wheel. We got introductions to several characters that will stay with us for the next ten years. My one big complaint is that it just seemed like they killed off the Ten Rings and they weren’t brought up again for 5 years (and even then the less we say about the “Mandarin” in that movie the better). We are also given an introduction to S.H.I.E.L.D (though why it took Phil Coulson an entire movie to use the acronym that they surely had to have used before then, no clue). Speaking of Phil, he was a fun original addition to the cast with Tony and Pepper constantly blowing him off only for him to come in and help save the day at the end.

Humor: 4.5/5

While some of the jokes didn’t land, most did. 

Technical Aspects: 4.5/5

This movie is stunning both behind the camera and in front of it. Honestly, my one complaint is the costume department letting Gwyneth Paltrow run around that facility in high heels seven years before we gave Bryce Dallas Howard shit for it in Jurassic World. 

Action: 4.5/5

The action in this movie is pretty solid, especially considering all the work they had to do with adding CGI in afterwards. 

Beginning: 5/5

This is one of the most iconic opening scenes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I can quote it all the way until they hit the ambush. It keeps you interested all the way until it cuts back to the award ceremony and you are glued to the screen wondering how the hell Tony got into that mess to begin with since there’s no way in hell he was a soldier. 

Ending: 5/5

Likewise, iconic. Extra points for “I am Iron Man”. This scene alone shows just how far Tony has come in such a short time and gave birth to the juggernaut that is the MCU.

Music: 5/5

My dad raised me on classic rock. This soundtrack hits all the best spots. As soon as “Back in Black” starts playing, I know I’m in for a good time, especially with “Iron Man” playing just as the credits begin to roll. No complaints whatsoever. 

Execution: 5/5

The movie sets out to give a good origin story to Tony Stark and it does it. It’s filled with quotes I can still recite to this day with an awesome soundtrack. It even managed to make a star out of one of Marvel’s most disliked B-Listers and saved RDJ’s career. 

Bonus: Stan Lee Cameo: 4/5 It made me chuckle. 

Overall Score: 4.4/5

I wasn’t surprised that it scored this high (I’m also biased but you knew that going into this).

[help-i-need-a-cool-username]

My fam had a KFP marathon last weekend and im having some late night thoughts about it

[thought one] [thought two] [thought three]

The reoccurring pattern of families through adoption and choice is so good. Shifu adopted Tai Lung, Shifu fostered Tigress, Mr. Ping adopted Po, Po choosing to make room in his heart for two fathers, Mr. Ping and Li putting aside their differences to be there for Po as his family. Just *chef's kiss*. And even with the estranged parent-child relationships its always made clear the parents still love the child so much. Shifu never stopped loving Tai Lung ("i was always proud of you. I never stopped being proud of you. It was my love that blinded me from seeing what you were becoming."), the soothsayer makes sure to remind Lord Shen exactly how much his parents loved him ("no, they loved you...sending you away broke their hearts. Its what killed them."), Li never stopped loving Po despite not knowing if Po was alive.

Im not actually sure if we see any explicitly stated in-movie (i know about the behind the scenes material) blood related families outside of Lord Shen, and he looks so unlike his parents you could probably argue that he isnt. I think thats also the only in-movie family that had two parents actively raising a child (Po's birth mom died, Mantis' dad died, Po's adoptive father seemingly never married, and Shifu raised Tai Lung and Tigress without a partner)

And the quiet friendships between Po and the Five. Its so clear and i wanna know more

Just, these movies are so aspec friendly i love it. Familial love being a secondary-focus in all three films (Shifu and Tai Lung, Po and Mr. Ping and arguably Shen and his parents, Po and Li). Platonic love being quiet but there (Oogway and Shifu, Po and Tigress). And no romance at all. Closest you get is Po's bio parents, Mantis mentioning wanting to die married, and Mei Mei's crush on Po. Thats it.

[theawkwardanglophile]

TheAwkwardAnglophile’s Year in TV Shows: 2021

I had so much fun putting this together in 2020 that I decided to do it again, although I’m a little late in actually posting it. Oh well! This only includes shows that aired new content in 2021, or content that was new to me. Be warned: SPOILERS ABOUND! Here is the list in alphabetical order:

Behind the Attraction: I’m a Disney World fanatic, and was delighted to find this gem on Disney+ that went into the history and development of some of the most iconic rides ever.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: I MISS IT ALREADY. Their final season was so good, especially seeing Peraltiago as parents to adorable little Mac. But the series finale?? *chef’s kiss* I don’t think I’ve ever watched anything with THAT many callbacks crammed in. It was insane and chaotic and ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. One of the best finales ever! NINE NINE!

Call Me Kat: I’m going to go ahead and say this first: this show is nowhere near as good as Miranda, its British predecessor. But I have enjoyed it so far. I love Mayim Bialik’s quirky energy, which I’d missed since Big Bang Theory ended. All the characters are fun and interesting, and once they stopped trying to copy all of Miranda’s plots and came up with more original material, that’s when they really found their footing.

Derry Girls: An absolutely fascinating, hilarious surprise! I was so swept up in the culture and uniqueness of this show. I’ve never set foot in Ireland (although I would LOVE to), but I did go to high school in the ‘90s, so I appreciated the nostalgia.

Emily in Paris: Ok, I know. I KNOW. But it’s fun, colorful escapism for me, and I just really don’t care that’s it’s hated. Luc and Mindy are such fun characters, and Gabriel is GORGEOUS. Season 2 flowed really well, and I absolutely fell for Alfie.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: I enjoyed this so much more than I originally thought. I didn’t have much connection to Sam or Bucky from the movies, but through the medium of TV and the time for character development, I began to care for them. Probably my favorite scenes were when Sam and Bucky tossed around Cap’s shield outside the house, and our new Cap’s speech in the last episode. Oh, and of course, dancing Zemo!

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous: I really cannot say enough good things about this show! The animation is great, and the characters are fantastic. There is all the suspense, adventure, and feels you would expect from the movies. I hope there are more episodes to come!

Loki: Amazing, simply amazing. I loved Loki’s journey, and his dynamic with Mobius was pure gold. He Who Remains absolutely came in and stole the show in the last episode. Incredible performance. But I think my fave character is the TVA itself. What a brilliant aesthetic. I just wanted to roam around the TVA and explore, learning their systems. And, I’m also a little partial to it since I’ve been in its real-life location many times (the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta).

Lost in Space: STRESS. This show is pure stress, one high-stakes disaster after another, which obviously makes it interesting to watch. But STRESS. Their final season was probably not my favorite of the three, but they ended it well, and that’s all I can ask for.

Monsters At Work: Absolute marvelous perfection. Not kidding. You can tell how much care they put into crafting this. Wonderful callbacks, and I loved how they continued the Monsters Inc. story without having the focus completely on the main characters. We got to see a completely fresh perspective with wonderful new characters. Ben Feldman voicing our protagonist? Yes, please! I’ve hardly seen any buzz about this show, even when it first came out, and it’s SO worth the watch.

Motel Makeover: Don’t waste your time on this. It piqued my interest, this idea of renovating an entire retro motel, but the two designers are so obnoxious and their voices are nearly unbearable. That being said, I still ended up watching the whole dang thing, because I had to see the finished product.

Never Have I Ever: I really fell in love with this show! It was heartfelt and hilarious, and nearly every scene with Devi’s dad made me cry. I’m also 100% Team Ben.

Only Murders in the Building: Wow, this was so incredibly done. Steve Martin and Martin Short, are you kidding me? Obviously it was hilarious. I was completely sucked in. I should have been able to figure it out sooner than I did, but it’s not my strength. LOL I really love the opening title music and animation, too.

The Rookie: MY CHENFORD LOVING HEART!! They are my current top ship, and while I love all of the characters, Tim and Lucy are the main reasons I watch. I love them dearly, and it’s led me to writing more fanfic again and interacting with the wonderful fandom on here. Season 3 had some wonderful moments, and although season 4 hasn’t been the best, I’m still hopeful for more good content to come!

Star Trek: DIscovery: I feel like season 4 has been truly delivering. They have touched on grief, identity, belonging, mental health, in addition to all the action and adventure they normally have. There have been so many beautifully written lines that I lost count. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the season!

Star Trek: Lower Decks: So much fun. Just ridiculous amounts of fun. I love the core four, and my boy Tom Paris got to make an appearance, which was a delight!

Star Trek: Prodigy: I have been a Voyager fan literally since day one, and always loved the powerhouse that is Janeway, so having her back is wonderful. These new characters are intriguing, and the animation is GORGEOUS. Each episode just leaves me with loads more questions!

Supermarket Sweep: Always a fun, easy watch. I still have such a soft spot for the original, but Leslie Jones has grown on me a lot. Plus, there seem to be way more bonuses nowadays.

Superstore: They also had one of the best series finales ever! SIMMOSA! They got back together, and married, and it makes me happy even thinking about it now! Garrett’s final announcements over that montage was just perfection.

This Is Pop: A really interesting documentary diving into different topics in the music industry. Very enjoyable.

WandaVision: My FAVORITE Marvel thing EVER. It was a glorious TV viewing experience. I don’t even know how to fully put it into words. Everything about it was excellent. EXCELLENT. Plus, it gave us one of the beautiful lines I’ve ever heard uttered on TV, which I now have on a necklace, “What is grief, if not love persevering?”

What If...?: Out of the 4 Marvel shows I watched, this was my least favorite. But there were some good moments. The Captain Carter, Black Panther, and Thor episodes all stand out. But the Doctor Strange one? GEEZ, that was so heavy. That sat on me long after it aired.

Young Sheldon: Still overall, I love this show. However, it’s clearly starting to shift into the reality we were told about many times on TBBT, and I’m not sure exactly how I feel about it, or how they will actually play this out without losing some of the show’s best qualities. I’m also curious what happens with puberty hitting Sheldon and Missy, and the actors that play them. I did really like them bringing Howard back!

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: My heart! Season 2 took a lot of different turns, but I loved that! There were so many good episodes, and I was devastated when it was cancelled. Max hearing heart songs?! And as much as I love Simon, I was thrilled about Zomax getting back together. And then thankfully, we got Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas, which was pure joy (and tears, a lot of tears). I guess that is the final ZEP (is it??), but it was a perfect way to close out a show that means so much to me, and was cancelled WAY too soon.

And that’s it. But I’m always around to discuss and yell about these shows some more! Feel free to send an ask or message!

[redmeet]

IBLBM, Chapter 4 live slug (me) reaction

idk how you did it, but you've so easy for me to relate to jake, it's insane

"it's not a french press morning" lmaooo

jake. baby. love of my life. of all the bradley memories you have to choose from, you chose THAT ONE to remember in the middle of your medical???

"you don't need it" AH WTF WTF WTF

why mango though, is it bc he's hot?

willingness to leave people behind.. DUDE. they way i projected

okay brief but relevant parenthesis: i think it's amazing the way you've built jake from the scraps that the movie gave us on him. the material is close to nothing AND YET, you've managed to perfectly encapsulate jake's barely-there essence and make it something real and palpable and layered. also i think what's truly remarkable is that every single thing he says or does or thinks, feels in sync with movie!jake. there is not one thing i've read where i say "hmm not sure jake seresin would say that", quite the contrary, really

ngl i feel kinda weird that he didn't sit with fanboy and payback right away, BUT i'll attribute this to this widely-accepted fanon's idea that somehow all the daggers became like siblings in 2 weeks (which btw reminds me of the dark times in the mcu fandom when all fics post-avengers (2012) took place in the stark tower with them living together) lmaooo

fanboy my love i want a hug from you

oh man. my boy is down bad

i'll be a good former catholic and keep to myself my thoughts while readings jake's thoughts on bradley's body

ANOTHER RELEVANT PARENTHESIS: i also love the way you've built bradley. obviously the movie gave us a lot more material than with jake, but still, it feels (read: i feel) like you might've taken some of miles' personality (or at least what he and kaleigh let us on) and attached it to the character? am i correct? did you intend to? in any case, let me tell you this: YOUR BRADLEY IS AMAZING. he is, in my very not-so-humble opinion, The Perfect Man (haha i just remembered jake says this in Like What Up) because, again, he feels very real and in character with what the movie presented us with

you really should get an award for you E scenes

PHOENIX MY LOVE

god the pet names

THE PHILLIES. I KNEW IT. miles' traits bleeding into bradley YESSS GIMME MORE

ah this progressive camaraderie between everyone does feel natural!

OH MY GOD. OH GODDD. I'M-

teagan, you'll be hearing from my lawyer AND my therapist

no, for real, i LOVE angst, i love complicated and kinda self-sabotaging characters so that last part with jake and what we get to see of his past and the way he reacts to everyone, but particularly bradley is just *chef's kiss*. everything felt like a natural progression. it hurts in the best way

i've said this before but it bears repeating: you are an incredibly talented writer and i cannot wait to see where this goes <3

the way I love you!!!!!!! a live slug reaction so epic deserves it's own appropriate under the cut (with spoilers) response:

yes thinking of THAT while in medical... well it wasn't Jake's best plan was it

honestly any callsign I give a student I can guarantee I've given zero thought to 😂 it's usually the first word that comes into my head. you are absolutely welcome to picture mango as being hot <3 (if you're even referring to his callsign)

your first parentheses has me like 😭 thank you!!!!!! Jake is so precious to me and I try so hard to both keep my version of him true to the movie while also adding depth where I can... ah. thank you <3

re Jake not sitting with Payback and Fanboy straight away... yeah. I don't really believe that they'd go from the open animosity at the beginning of the movie to Super Besties by the end of it/after the mission, personally! gotta build that friendship first imo

re your second parentheses... thank you ahhh!!! I haven't necessarily consciously taken aspects of Miles' personality and applied it to Bradley! I just think that outside of a high stakes, stressful mission he'd be very confident and cool and collected and cocky because in their line of work you sort of have to be, I feel?

'you really should get an award for you E scenes' hehehehe 😈

'ah this progressive camaraderie between everyone does feel natural!' I'm so glad!!!

'teagan, you'll be hearing from my lawyer AND my therapist' I tried to warn people!!!!!! good to know that the angst lands well 🫣

'i've said this before but it bears repeating: you are an incredibly talented writer and i cannot wait to see where this goes <3' we are holding hands right now 🫶🏻

[moaserendipity]

My top 10 BL couples of 2020💜

It’s almost the end of 2020 and i thought it was time to reveal my top 10 BL couples. This year was packed with dramas and they did not disappoint at all. I think there were only a couple of dramas that I didn’t like but overall I enjoyed a lot of them. I also stumbled upon PH bldramas, which I am loving. The thing that also changed this year, is that I am no longer watching the dramas alone and I actually made a good friend by watching bl dramas!! anyway with no further ado, here is my top 10.

1. Tharn & Type

This was a very close one with #2 but It’s safe to say I am a TharnType addict. I am just in love with their chemistry. I never saw a couple that was so well matched in everything. It just draws me in to be completely honest and they never fail to make me feel all kind of emotions and now that we are in Season 2 I just know that they will always be my #1

2. Teh & Oh-Aew

This couple was amazing. The chemistry between the two, just WOW, everytime they came close, i sat on the edge of my chair and felt like punching something when they walked away from each other. They way Oh-Aew loved Teh was amazing and pure and heartbreaking at the same time. The way Teh struggled with his feeling, he made me cry so hard at one point. I love that we could see him fall for Oh-Aew, it was so well done. I just really loved everything about them, I loved how Oh-Aew expressed himself through his eyes and the way Teh acted when he wanted to say something but couldn’t, it was just perfect.

3. Sarawat & Tine

This couple was probably the couple of 2020 in a lot of ways. I loved everything about them, the way Sarawat first resisted Tine, while he was already deeply in love with him or the way Tine did everything to get with him just to get green of his back and then falling deeply in love as well. The way they built up to Tine finally admitting his feelings for Sarawat was amazing because you saw their love grow even when they weren’t exactly together yet. I know a lot of people complained about that awkward hug at the end of season 1 but I didn’t really mind it and lets be honest they made up royally for that in season 2. I loved the chemistry of them because it was so easygoing, fell in love with them and I am kind of sad (still)2gether series ended already🥺💜

4. Fighter & Tutor

THIS COUPLE!! PHEWWWW! HOT HOT AND HOT 🥵 but also very soft and at times really sad. Fighter made me cry my eyes out when he was heartbroken (and can I say something but the way Zee’s eyes tell every emotion he feel just wow 😳) the CHEMISTRY THOUGH!! Like wow!! I never saw a couple (besides maxtul) that went for it like they did. I screamed so many times and hid behind my Chimmy plushie and I checked the genre multiple times because it was so intense! The storyline was a bit lost in everything but I did not mind! I loved watching them and yeah definitely one of the power couples of 2020 for me! (Also kind of wished I was tutor in a lot of scenes like damn I am totally in love with Zee)

5. Tin & Can

The couple everyone was looking out for the most! I mean let’s be honest here. They did not disappoint! I love watching them bicker and comfort each other and who knew Can was so crazy about sex👀 I love everything about them just wished Can would improve the kissing because well just lying there with your mouth shut is a bit like he is being forced to kiss. But Tin is delivering every scene and I am loving it. The way they are possessive of each other and protect each other just makes me smile. To be honest they make me smile all the time.

6. Mark & Vee

This couple I read about firstly and well their first sex scene in the novel is something that should not have happened. But I can’t help but feel intrigued by them and that’s why they are one of my favorite couples. Also the acting between the two, I just love it. I love Mark being sassy and rude most of the times and Vee who is trying to figure out what he wants, which obviously is Mark. They just suit each other and I am so happy they will have their own series!!

7. Solo & Guitar

Ah the peaceful couple. If you are stressed out just go watch them because your stress will just vanish for a couple of minutes. They suit each other so much and it’s so nice to see. There is not much of drama between them because they genuinely love each other and I am so happy that Guitar is fighting for Solo and that Solo is there for him in hard times. They are just wholesome!

8. King & Ram

The couple that isn’t quite yet a couple. Lol I love to watch them because they act like a couple but aren’t one. I mean it’s clear as day that Ram loves King but King isn’t that far yet, he is still confused by his feelings, which makes it even more adorable and that scene it that tent was “chefs kiss” also the way he hoped Ram had forgotten about it and then it ending with a text that he remembers everything, brilliant 👌💜

9. Cairo & Gavreel

This year I stumbled upon PH dramas and boy did I love them. This couple made me feel so many emotions that it was like an actual rollercoaster. Struggling with covid restrictions they meet online and from there on out they fall into a relationship but Cairo faces a lot of hardships during that period and usually it’s Gavreel who has to be there for him but with that being said, some people try to mess with their relationship but without them getting to meet its kind of hard but when they finally meet, it’s amazing and I couldn’t help but watch them with a goofy smile but then Cairo drops a bomb and things turn bad but the way they fight for each other and love each other no matter how hard things became, just amazing and yeah they just were great together!

10. Tae Joo & Gang Gook

My Korean BL couple. I loved this so much. Because it was obvious from the beginning that Tae Joo had feelings for Gang Gook even though he didn’t admit it to himself for quite some time, I mean he even tried to get Gang Gook date another woman which made him realize and Gang Gook also had feelings but didn’t want to admit them until it was too late but the way he fought to get to Tae Joo was amazing and the tension between the two was also of the charts. So definitely top 10 material! 😍

[what-the-witch-stuff]

Allright. Elliott thread that nobody asked for. Part 4

The words you read seem to be some alien gibberish? Try these first:

Part 1   |    Part 2     |   Part 3      

Don’t worry guys. It will be over soon, I promise.

Bevore we start: This happened yesterday.

And I basically turned into that iCarly gif, where she’s on the Computer, sippin’ her drink and goes: interesting.

Because look who we have here. Our future husband acting all self-aware? Right after I assumed in my last post that he never talks about the possibility of his failure...

Elliott, do you know that I talk shit about you on Tumblr?

Please stop breaking the 4th wall...

To safe at least some of my ‘credibility’, he followed this up with something along the lines of:

“No, no...I am not fishing for compliments. Which does not mean I don't appreciate them ;) “.

Sure. Whatever.

In comparison to that:

A few in-game days previously, I had a cut-scene with Leah, where the player can suggest that she should organise an art show. And there, Leah openly communicated her fears of ppl not liking her art. I was surprised about how open she was, given that it was probably her 2nd heart event or something (?). It's interesting, how Leah (who I perceived to be more reserved than Elliott), was so willing to let us know about her insecurities. Meanwhile, Elliot seems to brush these thoughts aside rather quickly and returns to his nonchalant, graceful self.

I always thought that from the two of them, it might be Elliott who is more vocal about his emotions. But now, Elliott doesn't seem to wear his heart on his sleeves as much as I thought he would. Which changed the way I think about him quite a bit. Maybe he is more likely to hide behind platitudes and a self-assuring smile, after all.

And what can we take from this, when we would want to write, let’s say a scene with Leah/Elliott friendship dynamic?

What do you guys think?

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

Anyways, before I was so disgracefully exposed, I was roasting Elliott’s life choices. To which I now gladly return to.

You see, the "issue" I see with Elliott is, that he plays into a trope:

The brooding hermitic author, who turned his back onto society in favour of finding inspiration in nature.

While this might sound thrilling and "romantic", we know that Elliott is not the best candidate to conform to this lifestyle. Just compare, how we as the player, manage to form quite strong relationships with everyone in Pelikan Town just by talking to them regularly.

We see Elliott outside the beach-area quite often. But aside from Leah, he does not seem to interact with anyone much. I don't know if there are statements about Elliott made by other characters, to have some inkling on how they feel about him. But its quite remarkable, how all other friendships outside to his connection with Leah, are not explicitly known as canon (?).

After a whole year living in this town, previous to our arrival, I would suggest, that Elliott might still be very much an outsider. He even remarks how, with our arrival, it will be nice, to no longer be "the new guy" in town.

But the problem with that might have been Elliott's reservedness, to begin with. Polite, but yet, maybe, quite impersonal. All pleasantries and platitudes as mentioned above. It all plays into Elliott's refusal to experience the comforts of a normal lifestyle in favour of pursuing his art.

And I love how Elliott just brushes that aside as if its nothing. I'd really love to know: what would have been his plan b, if his debut failed?

Worst case cenario: What would he'd done, if he ended up stranded in Pelikan Town, penniless and unsuccessful?

Where would he go? Is there a place he can return to? A previous home, previous friends?

I don't think so.

But, dedicated, impuslive, sweet, dumb Elliott just thought to himself:

“I can do that. How bad can it be???, it will be fi~ne.It will be marvellous!

Authentic, truly!

It will be superb pictouresque and that is all I need to write my novel....”

Thanks Yoba. You’ll keep doing that please.

And then we also have interactions of the likes of:

“People have scaped a living off the sea for thousands of years....

I just go to the grocery store.”

A different thought I had on Elliott kind of plays into what I already said previously. But I will adress it as its own topic.

The downside of Elliott’s ego.

As much as we explored the rather whacky / chaotic elements of his character and how he does stupid shit for prestige itself, it is interesting to see what happens when the player challenges his self-dramatisation.

I keep re-thinking if and to what degree Elliott can laugh about himself.

He is not one for self-deprecating humour, I think.

I can imagine that to be more Shane’s thing.

We see different scenarios, in which Elliott reacts differently to things not going his way. One of the positives is the whole “A tiny crab made a home inside his coat pocket”- story. I have seen two interpretations of this scene. And both are dependent on the tone, in which you read his dialogue. One group thinks he is just complaining yet again.

On the other hand, you could read it more like:

“My, look what we have here. Can you believe that [y/name]?!“.

I think that Elliott does not appear to be angry or annoyed at all in that scenario, too. He could have vented to the player, how he needs a new coat, now.  But he simply leaves it at that. And you know what?

But, there are other times, where Elliott reacts negatively to the player not doing what he wants you to do. Meaning:  your reaction to him or your behaviour in a specific situation. Let's look at his 2nd (?) heart event at the Stardrop Saloon. He comes up to the bar, finds himself in the mood for company, and orders wine for you and ale for himself. 

New Headcanon:

That little crab still lives there! It will probably live there long after you two get married. And he will feed it scraps from the dinner table even though you ask him not to.

Whatever...Sounds Cute. 

My first reaction to that was: “aw, wHaT a GeNtLemAn!!!”. My second reaction was my inner feminist having a temper tantrum because: “how dare a man, to assume what I want to drink!” 

New Headcanon on Elliott and gender roles, anyone? Or is it given, that with him being a good old fashioned lover boy, his expectation on any relationship dynamic might be more traditional?

As much as I find Elliott charming and all, this could be a great red flag and, again, beautiful material for character-conflict. Maybe Elliott needs to learn to not take everything at face value. Maybe he needs to learn, how to take a joke. Especially those made at his expense.

However, when the question arises, what the two of you should drink on, he will not laugh if you say “your doom”.

This is not something he sees as sarcasm or as a joke. In fact, you lose 50 friendship points! Like holy shit. That in itself is not much, but its a game-penalty. He is actively reacting negatively toward you. This is one of the few times, where your decision actively has an impact on the friendship-metre. Of course, that statement could be delivered in a non-joking matter. Which then justifies his reaction.... sure.

But even the fact that Elliott chooses, to not downplay or gloss-over your comment, leaves me with the following interpretation:

He hoped for a charming, flirtatious interaction. All you had to do, was to play along. But you ruined it.

Just imagine a situation with a little bit of miss-communication and a version of Elliott that is a little too proud for his own good and *chef's kiss* we have drama.

Me to Elliott and Farmer-OC: fight! fight! fight! fight! :D

All of you reading right now:

omg can't you just chill??? We are here for the fluff :(((

Also: depending on how it's written, that could be one of Elliott's major character flaws. The one that is not cute at all!

__________________________

I wanted to take some jabs at Elliott's likes and dislikes. But as it turned out: Yes, you can turn Duck feathers into quills. I had this funny headcanon that Elliott wanted to be extra special by choosing duck feathers as his preferred writing instrument. And I was all like: “use a pen!!”.

But then I found out about the Unobtainable Weapons-List and Elliott’s pen is one of them. Okay, whatever. 

And then I asked google how to make quills. And while duck feathers are not the preferred or most popular option, there is also nothing that would speak against it, as long as the feather’s shaft is durable enough. So that theory has flown out of the window pretty quickly as well.

The only thing that comes to my mind instead is, how Elliott would still need a digital manuscript for publishing. But me screaming: “Where is your Laptop Elliott??? You need a computer! Its the 21 century!!!” is not half that funny anymore.

I guess I’ll end it here.

I hope you enjoyed this completely useless stream of consciousness.

I will now continue playing Stardew Valley and indulge in all my other quarantine-born obsessions.

I wish you a wonderful day and happy farming.

[kyber-crystal]

fluff alphabet || poe dameron

a/n: for @jangohshit​!! sorry this was so late—i thought it was queued already but oh welp ,.,.,., thank u for being literally one of the best mutuals anyone could ever ask for <3 also leia is peak mom material in this friendly warning :) angst to fluff thrown in, as well

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

we all know he’s the most affectionate person ever despite his seemingly intimidating persona—he loves giving you forehead kisses, back hugs, and picking you up and spinning you around when he gets the chance. 

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

the friendship started because leia had introduced you to him. you ended up clicking right away and spent nearly every waking moment you had together to the point that the entire black squadron would joke about how you and poe shared one functional braincell (i mean, they weren’t entirely wrong). he’s very overprotective—one time you tripped and fell off a ladder while helping rey fix something and he was freaking out about it more than you were. and you were completely fine, asides from a few scratches. again, the squadron loves teasing him about his ‘mama bear’ persona that he develops when he’s around you

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

YES. poe absolutely loves cuddling. he’ll take any chance he gets to hug you—whether that’s hugging you from behind during meetings, running into your arms when reuniting after a mission, or wrapping his arms around you as you relaxed with him and the others by the campfire several nights. you rarely ever slept alone, it was always you sleeping together in yours or his room, and jessika or finn would have to run in and wake you up several times in a row because you got too comfortable and nearly overslept. in short, you and him are attached at the hip

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

it was a mutual agreement between you two that you’d settle down and get married once the war was finally over. you hadn’t had many opportunities to actually sit and talk about it so the conversation was often brought up late at night when nobody else was awake.

poe isn’t the greatest ever at being tidy, but he isn’t bad at cleaning up stuff when he needs to—and any messiness is made up for with his beyond amazing cooking skills. he’s constantly pressured week after week to cook for everyone because the first time he’d made something it was love at first taste. now he’s dubbed the ultimate pilot and sous chef of the resistance

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

if you had to break it off with each other, it would be because of the war. getting into a relationship while trying to fight for your lives could put you into a compromising position and poe hated knowing that he could lose you at any point. this ultimately led to a huge argument—coincidentally, right before you left for an eight week-long mission. there were many tears involved.

you wouldn’t get together right after you claimed victory, but instead, took time building your relationship back up again before finally doing so. there were no real hard feelings involved—it was just a matter of reconstruction :3

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

once poe is committed to something, he’s committed—he’s in it for the long run. of course, he wants to make sure you’re comfortable first before anything else—and in terms of marriage, he’ll probably wait about a year or two. nothing too fancy. 

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

even though poe knows that you’re one hell of a fighter and can take practically anything that’s thrown at you, he’s very very gentle with you—same goes emotionally. he knows you’ve also been through a lot and makes sure to constantly remind you that you’re not alone and that if you ever needed someone to turn to, he’d always be here. 

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

alright, this man NEVER misses an opportunity to hug you. hugs from behind, picking you up and spinning you around until both of you got dizzy, surprising you and then hugging you, holding you in his arms to help you fall asleep after a nightmare, you name it. you joke around about how you don’t need therapy when you have his arms within reach :)

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

he says it first. you recalled it being after you returned from a quick little recon with a few other pilots and ran straight into his arms (as always, because mans loves getting hugs from you yk). 

“I love you.”

“I know,” you responded.

“I taught her that!” -han, shouting as he approached. “You really didn’t think to say hi to me first?”

“Dad.”

poe only laughs and kisses you again.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

ooooof so when poe’s jealous, he doesn’t like to show it but you can tell when he is. it’ll be little death stares from across the room or tightening his arm around your waist, even if it’s another squadron member jokingly flirting with you

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

poe’s kisses are either very gentle or very passionate—it depends. he likes kissing you on the lips but he loves forehead kisses the most. it gives him a sense of protection over you and he loves knowing you’re his special person :3

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

the kids absolutely LOVE him. you always get this warm & fuzzy feeling inside whenever you see him interacting with the younger ones on base; sometimes he’ll catch you staring and just winks at you in response (this little shit KNOWS how he makes you feel and loves it)

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

it’s pretty relaxed most of the time (that is, if it’s the weekend or you’re on break) and poe likes to stay in and cuddle for a little bit before you actually get out of bed. if not, both of you are up at the crack of dawn LOL. you often start off the day with a relaxing morning walk around the base before settling down to eat :)

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

on nights that neither of you can fall asleep, you’ll go outside and stargaze. it’s a very soothing habit you’ve learned to develop and 9/10 times it has one of you (it’s usually you) nearly knocked out cold after just an hour or two. (poe also sees this as an excuse to carry you back inside in his arms)

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

poe’s naturally a very open person but there are some things he prefers to keep to himself. but once he fully trusts you he tells you everything—though this takes maybe a couple months or so. 

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

both of you are aware he’s the more impatient of the pair, although when it comes to you he doesn’t mind waiting. when putting that aside, his patience runs a little bit more thin.

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

alright mans knows you like the back of his hand. literally. like. the back. of your hand. everyone on base knows it, too—he remembers the smallest of things about you that even you don’t remember sometimes. this was the biggest giveaway for him that told everyone he was most certainly in love with you. you can guess who hosted your surprise birthday that one night after exegol : ‘)

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

your first kiss—not just because it was a first, but because of how it happened. it started pouring heavily as soon as you returned from a mission and everyone ended staying outside and having a giant water fight. while high on adrenaline, you jumped straight into his arms and before either of you had the chance to think, his lips were on yours and you were kissing underneath the stormy sky. everyone stopped what they were doing halfway and noticed, lowkey it looked like some scene from the notebook (arguably more romantic)

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

even though the two of you claim to share one braincell, poe is very very protective over you no matter how much you protest and claim you were capable of taking care of yourself. usually he’s the one who’s more freaked out about any injuries you get. other than you understood that you had to look out for each other and stick by each other no matter the cost—a promise you two intended to keep for as long as you possibly could.

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

a lot. he’s very, very extra. very. han pokes fun at him sometimes for it but he too, was initially like that with leia so he can’t really argue—so instead, whenever poe’s in need of help with planning stuff he’s off to the rescue : ‘) fam rlly went from “no, you are NOT dating my daughter” to “why haven’t you guys gotten married yet?” one time for your birthday, with the help of your parents and the entire black squadron, he put on an entire air show for you complete with firework displays, and needless to say you were head over heels that night. 

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

he doesn’t sleep. poe has a very fucked up sleep schedule and often counts on you to remind him to get some rest—you found him working on his x wing one night and he told you he hadn’t slept in the past thirty-six hours—after which you scolded him and dragged him to bed. he ended up dozing off until noon 0_0

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

he’s not very concerned. though when he notices you staring or whenever you compliment him about his looks it does boost his ego :)

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

oh definitely. so much to the point that it has also become a joke among fellow rebels, even your parents (leia often tells you that she’s worried he won’t function properly unless you’re around and tbh she isn’t wrong lol). you’re his soulmate and other half whom he wouldn’t trade for the world

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

poe has the best taste in music. straight up. nobody argues nor complains when he’s in charge of music for the day, they’re always satisfied with whatever tunes he’s playing throughout the base and it puts everyone into a good mood

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

lack of respect. being inconsiderate. coldhearted. you’re thankfully none of these and for that very reason he’d chosen you—you’re everything he could ever ask for in a person

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

poe doesn’t snore, but he has a SOLID iron grip when fast asleep. “best friends always sleep in each other’s beds!” he’d claim as he crawled in next to you many nights and fell asleep hugging you very tightly. everyone knew it was again, an excuse to get closer to you. but you didn’t mind : ‘)

[sunmaylight]

TGCF Book 3 Reaction pt. 6 - We are going to Mt. Tonglu!

hahaha. So, funny thing. I got impatient and just breezed though the last two books and consumed all of the post-canon content I could find. But, even though I have finished TGCF, that doesn’t mean I didn’t leave notes that I want in big chunks like this. So I will continue working on this

Even though I read the novel, I will stay true to my notes to the best of my abilities.

Ch 138: Xie Lian remembering that he threw his meatballs like bullets without any spiritual strength, like how he went about the past 800 years

- Me: Why do people not realize that Xie Lian is buff. Buff Xie Lian art, where?

Qi Rong turns out to be a better chef than Xie Lian. Like possible House Husband material

- Me: Yo. WTF. I call hack! How did- *remembering Qi Rong’s backstory*... Okay, but how did he learn and hone his skills?

Heaven’s Eye cultivator group about to chow down on some hair when Xie Lian steps in with the pebble toss

- Me: Xie Lian saving cultivators from committing c*nn*bal*sm

Ch 139: Hua Cheng builds a little golden palace outside and then kicks it. The shady inn illusion crashes as well.

- Me: Can this get animated? 

Feng Xin mentioning of an ascension acceleration method with dead babies

- Me: Wait! What if Feng Xin’s ascension is the suspicious one instead of Mu Qing

Ch 140: Xie Lian finds Guzi to be sick and dehydrated. 

Mama Bear Xie Lian - Awaken

- Me: Oh shit. Xie Lian is pissed at his cousin.

Ch 141: Learning about who the father to the fetus spirit is. Learning that the fetus spirit is named Cuo Cuo. Secrets around Cuo Cuo’s birth abundant

- Me: WAIT! HE HAD S*X WITH LAN CHANG. HE F*KED?!

Xie Lian reassuring Hua Cheng, but Hua Cheng turning it around to saying that his actions are up to him. Xie Lian feels something.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had a moment when suddenly they see someone sitting at the table making tea

- Me: No! Is it Jun Wu?

Jun Wu is pouring three cups of tea

- Me: He saw the intimate scene between the two

Red flower that slips on the edge of the flower pot is about to fall when Xie Lian caught it like it’s the most precious thing in the world

- Me: Foreshadowing???

Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven will fall if the Heavenly Emperor is dead. Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven is floating in the sky because of the Heavenly Emperor

- Me: Man, I really hope that the Heavenly Emperor doesn’t die and make Heaven crash onto the ground, only to be upheld by the power of Xie Lian and then create a parallel of that scene in book 2, or Atlus holding up the world.

Ch 143: Heaven and the Ghost Kings have a mutual beneficial relationship

Hua Cheng using this fact to exploit Heaven singing him praises for a year.

- Me: Cunning bastard. I would have asked for praises sung to me and Xie Lian if I was in his shoes

Mt. Tonglu has the Klin and both places is that one poisonous jar where the last poisonous creature that is alive after x amount of time is emerged as the victor. 

- Me: Battle Royale to the death.

Xie Lian sneaks with Ghost as a Puppet Master

- Me: Oh, nice disguise

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade says he can find if a ghost is suspicious

- Me: Okay, but what if you are the suspicious one?

Xie Lian crouches down to hid behind the 8-12 year old looking Hua Cheng

Hua Cheng as the “Puppet Master” disguise: “No one shall touch what I love except for me”

- Me: Impressive acting there

There is a cloaked figure that Hua Cheng says they are wearing a fake face

- Me: Is it Pei Ming?

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade dies from one slash. Xie Lian making an observation that sounds like a joke 

- Me: lol

Ch 14-Mt. Tonglu gate

Some ghost ladies get hurt and the cloaked stranger immediately asks: “Are my ladies alright?”

- Me: I was right. It was Pei Ming

Pei Ming about to tease Hua Cheng when Ruoye whips out to hit Pei Ming

- Me: I don’t know if that was all Ruoye or influence from Mt. Tonglue, but go Ruoye. 

Pei Ming’s mysterious candy he got to disguise his spiritual powers is revealed to be shady candy made form Ghost City. Consuming the candy is the equivalent to rubbing skunk spray all over yourself.

- lol

E-Ming has been affected like Hua Cheng. It is now a small sword

- me: Cute

Pei Ming can sense the atmosphere around Hua Cheng and Xie Lian

The Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade turns out to be alive still. Both halves are moving freely

- Me: It’s still alive. how?!

Pei Ming is revealed to be the “General Who Snapped His Sword”

- Me: *Four Tales of Heaven Background Understanding Update*

Wine: 100% Understanding & Truth of Creation

Flower Crown: 100 50% Understanding of Creation & History -Second Ascension & Third Ascension are Unknown-

Princess: 15% Understanding of Identity & History

Sword: 25% & Growing...Processing backstory now

A giant savage, dark skinned burly man in broken armour appears

- Me: Wait. Do I know this character?

It is revealed to be Ke-Mo

Xie Lian pulls a trick on Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade/Ming’Guang and Pei Ming saw it work. The trick was actually the most vile swear word of the Banyue kingdom that is the most disrespectful insult ever.

- Me: What did the army teach you Xie Lian?

Xie Lian calls out for Banyue & Pei Su knowing that they are not at Mt. Tonglu as a tactic to distract Ke Mo

- Me: lol. What if they actually come after Xie Lian called them.

When things start to look good, Xie Lian calls out on it. It is immediately changes into a bad thing

Tiny E-Ming grows with praises from Xie Lian.

Pei Ming does a big brain and smashes E-Ming’s hit to Xie Lian’s lips. E-Ming grows to a very long scimar 

- Me: Pei Ming caught on what Xie Lian didn’t. Also E-Ming reflect’s Hua Cheng, so, affection makes E-Ming grow. Hua Cheng

As Ke Mo and Ming’Guang are abotu to beat Xie Lian and Pei Ming, Banyu and Pei Su do that badass entry of jumping down a cliff and kicking the opponents.

- Me: lol, Banyue and Pei Su actually appeared. 

Banyue throws a scorpion-snake at Ke Mo fully knowing what she is doing and the 200 years of mutual dislike is behind it.

- Me: Ultimate betrayal.

Banyue: We came here with Rain Master

- Me: Wait. Rain Master is here?

Ch 148: Xie Lian thinks that if he does the same things he did to E-Ming to help him grow, it will help Hua Cheng grow

- Me: Awe. So cute.

Ke Mo vs. Banyue & Pei Su - Round 2: Banyue is too embarrassed to throw her snakes again at Ke Mo. Pei Su swoops in and yeets a basket full at Ke Mo who screams at them

- Me: For some reason I find this scene really funny.\

Xie Lian: Moves into kiss Hua Cheng. He kisses the forehead and is sad about it. 

Pei Ming learns that Banyue is that Banyue while she backs away from Banyue as Pei Ming comes close to her

- Me: Oh wait. Does Pei Ming still smell of those Ghost Candies?

It is revealed that Banyue is weary of Pei Ming because of the candy scent

- Me: Lol, it was the candy

Rain Master is brought up

- Me: *random thought* Does Rain Master & Pei Ming have some history together?

Rain Master is at Mt. Tonglu because Qi Rong stole some of her farmers.

Pei Ming is revealed to be the opposing General of the Rain Master

- Me: Oh, they do have some history together.

Xie Lian & Readers learn about the ‘Tale of the General Who Snapped His Sword’

- Me: LORE! 

Sword: 75% Understanding

Ch 149: Pei Ming insults Banyue for not knowing how to cook like other females

- Me: General Pei, I understand that in your time that might have been a norm. But modern times that is different.

Xie Lian says he will teach Banyue how to cook

- Me: Oh no. Someone please stop them.

Banyue is holding a pot of food

- Me: Oh shoit. Did Banyue?

Ch 150: Banyue’s chicken meal is a black mass of questionable origins

- Me: *sob* it’s over. Banyue is now added to the list. But at least she took up her cooking skills after her adopted dad.

Pei Su takes the dubious food and eats it after watching Hua Cheng try some.

- Me: RIP Pei Su

Hua Cheng telling Xie Lian about the history of Mt. Tonglu while Pei Su is dying in the background. Banyue’s cooking somehow turned into a spirit or eldrich horror

- Me: *sob* please. You two are so adorable together, but someone (Pei Su) is literally dying from food poisoning. You are like that one pool meme

Pei Ming has given up on Pei Su to hang with the oblivious couple

Xie Lian has heard of Wuyoung before from his past while training to Ascension.

- Me: Oh. Interesting. 

Little Xie Lian learned how to recite the Ethic Sutras like nothing because he was a curious child about a forgotten kingdom and the Guoshi made him shut up through sutras.

- Guoshi, how are you real?

Xie Lian: Pei Su is talking weird. Is it because of the Scorpion-Snake?

Banyue: Pei Su has immunity from them

-Me: God you two are so oblivious.

Ch 151: What if Jun Wu is from Wuyoung? Nah. He has a 500 year difference from then.

- Me: *Remembers Qi Rong calling Jun Wu a faker and thinks there is some truth in those words* What if he became an immortal 500 years before his ascension and just loitered around for 500 years until he achieved ascension status.?

The group is Scooby-Doo investigation with Ace Attorney observation skills on the temples. of the Kingdom of Wuyoung to learn why it fell

- Me: intersting. I hope they find something interesting.

-----

Alright. Going to stop there cause the actual journey to the Klin starts and it is a long journey where there is actually more than what I commented on. Man, I just really picked and choose what to highlight while reading

[jenmyeons]

Fine Dining | M

Pairing: chanyeol x fem reader Summary: Chanyeol shows you his own version of Fine Dining Warnings: explicit sex, unprotected sex, slightly inappropriate touching in a public setting, mild choking, dirty talk, swearing, park chanyeol himself

Word count: 3,4k

Author’s note: can be read as a sequel to tender love but is perfectly fine reading as a stand-alone fic

Also tagging @chogi-wae​ 

The buzz of conversation vibrating through the restaurant feels soothing as you sip on the glass of red held firmly in your hand. Over the rim of the glass you notice your boyfriend trying to take a not-so-sneaky picture of you from his side of the table. Thankful for the more secluded spot in the restaurant granted by the waiter graceful enough to understand your need for at least a little bit of privacy, you indulge him. Giving him a few smiles and not so modelesque poses.You imagine there are more than a few glances cast your way but don’t bother confirming your suspicion. Curious glances and whispers comes with the territory of dating an idol. Plus, your relationship has been public for long enough that you’ve grown somewhat accustomed to the attention. They aren’t necessarily looking at you anyways but rather observing the man in front of you living out all of his Instagram husband dreams.

”If you wanted to take a photo of me you could just ask, you know?”

Chanyeol looks up at you with a wide eyed gaze, flustered by being caught. Not that he was subtle in the first place. ”I was trying to get a good candid,” he shrugs. ”Besides, I wanted to document you actually wearing that ridiculously expensive dress for once.”

The smug smile he shoots your way, accompanied by a greasy wink, is not appreciated and you give him a light kick under the table.

”You were the one who picked it out dumbass, now give me the phone I wanna see the pictures,” you tell him and stretch your arm across the table, impatiently wiggling your fingers until he lends you the device. ”Maybe I’ll post one or two when we get home.”

You spend a minute or two flipping through the surprisingly many pictures he’d managed to sneak of you to decide which ones are good enough for keeping and another few seconds go to sending them to yourself just before your dinner arrive. Sliding the phone across the table back to its owner while the plates are placed in front of you, you vaguely hear the waiter reciting all the ingredients of your respective meals. Something you will never understand about the luxury restaurant culture. Not intending to be rude, you make sure to give her a hopefully encouraging smile and thank her before she struts away to tend to the other guests.

As it turns out, Kyungsoo’s recommendation was a good one. Although, over the years of knowing him, you’ve learned not to question the impeccable taste of the culinary enthusiast turned military chef. The food tastes heavenly but you’re not sure you want to look at the price point of the most certainly expensive steak kissing your tastebuds with the way it seemingly melts in your mouth. Not exchanging this heavenly meal for a quickie then ramen and some more sexy time was definitely a good call, however turned on you had been in the car ride over to the restaurant. Your handsy boyfriend keeping a steady hand on your thigh had not been helpful either.

Feeling a sudden surge of confidence by the mix of alcohol in combination with the not very innocent recollection of what had played out no more than an hour earlier, you slowly move your right foot forward and nudge Chanyeol’s left foot slightly. His questioning look turning into a playful smile as you knock your black pump off and slide said foot up over his ankle then move further upwards to stroke his calf. There’s an audible gasp heard from Chanyeol’s side of the table and he fixes you with a hard glare as he reaches for the water carafe to refill his water glass. Desperate to quench his sudden thirst. Thankful for the thick white cloth covering the table, he feels the smallest sense of comfort in knowing that at least other guests won’t be able to see his lover’s attempt at seduction. At the back of his mind, he knows that he brought this upon himself when he couldn’t keep his hands to himself during the car ride here. He lets you continue, however flustered by the whole ordeal, knowing that working him up is exactly what you have in mind. You continue your ministrations while receiving the occasional nudge of his own foot against yours. A silent invite for you to keep playing. Conversation flows rather effortlessly between the two of you despite what is going on beneath the table.

You can imagine the headlines if people were to find out that a member of EXO was caught playing footsies at one of Seoul’s most critically acclaimed restaurants.

At one point during dinner you find yourself placing your foot on top of Chanyeol’s thigh and him, having eaten up, reaches down and starts caressing your ankle. He gives a firm squeeze and the message is clear; this game of yours is not funny or cute anymore. You try moving the foot closer towards his crotch but Chanyeol makes it very clear that he is done with your games when he shoves your foot off his leg. Having learned quite early on in your relationship when not to push boundaries. However, you can’t help but put one last nail in the coffin of his patience and send him a wink while nicely retreating your foot and slipping your heel back on. Much like the last grains of sand in an hourglass, you can see the exact moment his restraint wears thin and you know that he is no longer playing by your rules.

”That’s enough baby, I’m taking you home,” he tells you, the tick in his jaw signaling that there is no room for negotiation. Not that you feel any need to object.

After waving the waiter over and asking her for the tab while rushing to decline her offer of dessert, you watch in amusement as Chanyeol all but rips his wallet apart while attempting to retrieve his credit card. You pipe up to let him know that sharing the tab is more than okay but the unamused daggers more or less shooting from his eyes stop you mid sentence and you let him continue in peace. The poor waiter watches in amused confusion at the scene playing out in front of you and you let out a laugh as well. Your boyfriend is certainly a man full of passion.

The car ride home is a mess of grabby hands and making out in the back of the taxi, making the excitement and anticipation of what’s to come that much higher. You’re surprised you even manage to punch in the familiar code of your apartment correctly at the first try what with your needy boyfriend planting kisses along your neck from his position behind you. The house slippers go long forgotten as the pair of you make quick work at kicking off your shoes before making a beeline for the bedroom. In the morning, you will come to laugh fondly at the mess made up of his suit jacket carelessly thrown over the chair in the hallway and your purse on the floor outside your bedroom door accompanied by Chanyeol’s suit vest.

You’re unable to stop the shiver running down your spine as Chanyeol carefully unzips your dress. Gentle hands leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. The dress straps are soon enough pushed off your shoulders, accompanied by kisses going down your neck and you make quick work of stepping out of the piece of clothing as it pools around your feet. Leaving you in only your underwear. Turning you around, he admires you for a few long seconds that drag on for an eternity before finally pulling you close and letting you get to work on unbuttoning his slacks. With both your hands busy, Chanyeol starts loosening his tie then moves on to his shirt buttons where you meet him halfway then haphazardly rid him of the material, desperate to get your hands on his warm skin. If you thought Chanyeol had been handsy earlier, it was nothing compared to the way your hands are touching him everywhere at the same time when given free rein over the muscular planes of his upper body. He nudges you in the direction of your shared bed with a soft push and gently tells you to lay down. The low burn in your stomach turns into a small fire as he hooks his long fingers around the waistband of your panties and slowly drags them down your legs. His features get taken over by a sly smirk when he then rids himself of his boxers, the only piece of clothing left on his body. The smirk grows wider as a small gasp leaves your lips and you take him all in.

You watch as he climbs onto the bed and settle yourself up on your elbows but you are quickly pushed into the mattress once again by a steady hand on your right shoulder making you lose balance. Said hand then takes one of your breasts in and squeezes lightly. He releases his grip and instead opts for leaning in to take your nipple into his mouth and sucks, once again making you hiss loudly under your breath. Another gasp leaves you when one of his hands finds its way down between your legs, pushing them apart in order to have access to your most private area. Chanyeol takes his sweet time. Relishing in the sound of your breathing picking up slightly as he caresses your inner thigh then lets his fingers barely touch your sensitive pussy.

”Please baby, more. It feels so good,” you beg him and his own neediness and arousal fogging his eyes makes it easy to give in and finally make proper contact with your clit. Starting at an agonizingly slow pace.

”You’re so beautiful,” he tells you, his voice filled with adoration. ”I can’t believe you’re all mine. Want to keep you in my arms forever, if you’ll let me.” Hearing these words, you snake your arms around his neck and pull him in for a passionate kiss. Telling him that you’re his for as long as he’ll have you. His tongue pushes ever so gently against the seam of your lips, asking for permission to be let in and you of course relent. Then a finger is pushing against your entrance and he breaks away from your kiss. ”This wet already baby?” You nod at his question. As a matter of fact, you had been steadily soaking your panties ever since he let you know how he wished you unravel you tonight while watching you get ready. Your moaning mixed with the obscene squelching of his finger moving in and out of you makes for a sinful melody which fills the room.

The one finger is then accompanied by a second and you can feel your climax approaching but Chanyeol has other plans and pulls away completely, leaving you a whiny mess. You reach down in order to soothe the tingling feeling left by his abrupt stop but soon enough, you understand the reason for breaking the contact was in order to move down the bed and settle in-between your legs.

This is going to be a long night, you decide, when wet lips come in contact with your inner thigh and start a trail to where you want him the most.

”Oh fuck,” you sigh as your boyfriend’s mouth finally connects with your wetness, setting a deliciously unpredictable pace. Tongue flicking your clit. He stops for a second and looks up at you underneath thick eyelashes.

”We’ll get there baby,” he cheekily lets you know with that smug smile of his. You don’t stop yourself from rolling your eyes at his confidence and tell him to get back to work. He answers you with a ’yes ma’am!’ and you huff out a breathy laugh which molds into a whine as he continues his ministrations. Letting his fingers join and curl inside you, your hips involuntarily buck against him with fingers bunching the bedsheets between them. You can feel the orgasm once again start to build the moment his fingers pick up their pace, your walls flutter and the feeling of a rubber band pulled taut snapping together is the last push you need to fall over the edge. Chanyeol slows his pace to ease you down from your high before withdrawing completely. He sits back up and rests against his heels so you have a moment to catch your breath for a moment. Although the sight of you lazily touching your breasts only serves to feed the need to devour you again right away.

Chest heaving and cheeks flushed from arousal is a wonderful look on you. Chanyeol thinks he might not even have vocabulary enough to properly do you justice. Fuck, you might be the most beautiful being he’s ever laid eyes on and trying to water that down into simple compliment would be shameful. But this doesn’t mean he won’t spend his life reminding you of how utterly breathtaking you are. He notices that you have once again pushed yourself up by the elbows and gently places his hand on your cheek. The one with his Loey tattoo. The one that just moments ago had worked you into your first climax of the evening. His thumb brushes against your reddened cheek. A motion that makes your eyes flutter close.

”You’re doing good baby. So, so good.” His praise alone has you feeling like a goddess in your own right and you feel yourself craving more. If only you could feel like this every day. But the world is cruel at times and the beauty standards you try to be on par with often do more harm than good. There is no telling who you would be without the man looking at you like you personally hung each and every star in the sky. You aren’t sure how you got lucky enough to stumble upon such a brilliant person such as Chanyeol. All you know is that you never want to let him go. That you want to make sure he knows exactly how much you love and adore him for being so unapologetically himself at all times. How thankful you are to be lucky enough to be on the receiving end of his love.

You fall back and place your hand over the one he has still covering your cheek. Chanyeol leans in and kisses you. First on your lips, moving on to the corner of your mouth, then removes your now intertwined hands to gain access to your cheek. Last but not least, you feel his hot breath against your ear and he lowers his voice to a whisper.

”Ready to keep going?” You nod frantically in affirmation. Yes. A million times yes. ”You better hold on tight then babygirl.”  

The sound of his deep voice in your ear makes your insides melt. ”Take me,” you challenge him.

He positions himself against your entrance, the blunt tip of his head bumps against your clit due to the wetness caused by his earlier preparations and both of you hiss at the stimulation. How he had managed to put his own needs to the side this long is beyond you, but then again, he had always been the giving type. Someone who revels in making you come undone over and over under his hands. When he finally pushes inside, you swear all you see is stars. His name leaves your lips in a drawn out moan and something dark and alluring takes over his gaze. He lets you adjust for a few seconds until you signal for him to start moving.

The pace Chanyeol sets starts out slow at first with his chest pressing against yours and your legs drape around him in order to bring him in even closer. Desperate lips meet in the most unsophisticated manner that is all gasps and teeth occasionally bumping together, your noses pressed against each other.

However giving a lover Chanyeol is, he is also a very impatient one and soon picks up the pace of his hips. The feeling of your nails scraping down his back only serves as fuel to his passion and he makes you into a writhing mess beneath him.

”More Chanyeol. Need more.” You’re a babbling mess but Chanyeol seems to understand what you’re after and shifts himself off of you slightly to give your hand enough room to touch your aching clit. The stimulation heavenly against your neglected bundle of nerves.

”Fucking hell baby I can’t even begin to explain how pretty you look taking me right now. Would look even prettier with my hand around your throat though,” he tells you with a devilish tone. It gives you exactly the approval he knows you get off on so much. Knows that you love this more dominant side of him. ”You want that baby?” He continues, ”you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

”Yes Yeol, please. Need it.” The whiny tone to your voice makes him throw his head back. His neck looks absolutely appetizing from your position. Not a second later, the feeling of his large hand closing around your neck is all you can think about. Gentle pressure on the side your neck has your second orgasm for the evening approaching fast, fueled by your restricted airflow.

”Good?” Chanyeol questions while slowing down for a few seconds until he gets your consent.

You nod your head firmly but Chanyeol is not having it. ”Use your words baby.”

”Yes.” The word comes out forced due to the shortage of air but clear enough for your lover to continue and pick up the speed of his hips once more.

Lightheaded by the lack of oxygen, you feel yourself start to tear up. Just as a single tear falls, you feel him release his grip while telling you how pretty you are. His hand abandons its place on your neck and making you gasp for fresh air. You’re teetering dangerously close to the edge and tell your lover this. Chanyeol in turn, leans down once again and captures your lips while making sure to increase his pace.

Your hands are everywhere yet somehow nowhere while trying to desperately find something to anchor you as he fucks into you with a newfound vigor. Finally settling on wrapping your arms around Chanyeol’s, you deepen the kiss, whimpering into your lip lock.

”Close,” you pant hastily into his mouth as he lets go for a second to breathe.

”Mm, me too.” He lets you know without letting up on his frantic movements. ”Come on baby, let go. I wanna feel you.”

His dirty words is exactly what you need to come undone in his arms. While coming down from yet another high you can tell that he’s almost there by the loss of rhythm.

”Where do you want me to come?”

Quickly coming to your senses your tell him exactly where you want it. ”Inside, want you to come inside please.” Chanyeol groans and with a few more thrusts and you clenching down around him, he comes with an even louder moan of your name before collapsing on top of you with an exhausted sigh.

Opting to instead lean over you on his forearms, Chanyeol presses one featherlight kiss on your nose and another one against your lips.

”I love you. You know that, right?”

You laugh warmheartedly. ”Mhm, how could I ever forget? You make sure to let me know several times a day, Yeol.”

”Just making sure,” he grins in return.

”And Yeol?” there’s a hum in response as he strokes your hair, eyes locked with yours. 

”For the record, I love you too.” It’s cheesy but perfect for the moment nonetheless and Chanyeol retreats from inside of you. The stickiness between your legs pulls a grimace onto your face. You let your eyes fall shut as he lays down beside you, not having enough energy to clean up just yet.

”Feeling alright?” He asks from beside you and reaches out to take your hand in his and gives it a squeeze.

You roll onto your stomach and force your tired eyes open. ”Perfect,” you let him know while trying to get into a comfortable position with your naked chest pressed against his. Your warm skin sticks to his from the remaining sweat coating your bodies. It’s a nice feeling, you think, staying in the post orgasmic haze without needing to say much.

Smiling, you look at him for a long moment, wanting memorize his features as you brush his damp hair away from his eyes and steal a kiss. ”Absolutely perfect.”