#and YES that does imply that all the shit they plant is already there lol they just don’t think about it

[turtleblogatlast]

I am once again overcome by the sheer magnitude of pranks Mikey and Leo could commit on the world of archaeology through their combined abilities of time and space

With enough time for Mikey in particular to be strong enough to make a small time portal - again within Leo’s portal opened in Someplace, Somewhere - they could plant so much shit just to mess with historians.

Like - Mikey wanted to try painting Greek-style pottery and Leo is like “hey hey wait…”

And now there is newly discovered evidence of Greek depictions of humanoid turtles laying around.

[butchvamp]

i did Lucanis's inner demons quest last night and have some thoughts [everyone groans in unison]

i admit that i definitely have a bias for Lucanis, i really like the crows (or i should say the crows from previous games & the lore around them) and my Rook is a crow so i'm inclined towards him in general.

that being said i feel i'm just. missing huge bits of information about him. he exists entirely in a void. i don't really know anything about his relationships with Illario or Caterina, the game glosses over so much of his role and what exactly he does within the crows (beyond just talking about how he was the Demon and the Magekiller) i suppose it's just too icky for the game to truly acknowledge outside of a few jokes about Lucanis poisoning the gang's food...

i know from seeing people posting excerpts from his novel that Caterina did, in fact, physically abuse him; i figured this was the case considering she's a high ranking member of the crows and thus no doubt had a role in torturing recruits, even if the game pretends like this is a thing that doesn't happen. you get a bit of banter early on where Lucanis, talking about Illario's behavior, says something along the lines of "My relationship with Caterina was complicated, too, and I was her favorite." implying some level of friction between them as well as conflicting feelings about her death.

but then that's it. we get nothing else. this should be a major piece of his story, a part of why he feels the way he does, and exploring Caterina's role in his and Illario's abuse would better expand upon Illario's resentment and make his and Lucanis's relationship more compelling beyond "Illario is a big jealous meanie."

i really wanted to like the inner demons quest more than i did, because conceptually i enjoy going into the fade/Lucanis's memories with Spite, so far Lucanis's quests have felt the most Dragon Age to me (fighting a naked woman in a giant pool of blood + seeing Spite lose control, him and Illario butting heads and having a competitive relationship before this (as the crows all should...), etc. these are fun!) but just like the rest of the game it's still holding back.

when you confront the memory of Caterina all you get are these choices:

none of these are particularly satisfying if you actually know the things Caterina has done... "Your love for him" is actually vile lol

this entire questline is a linear walk through fragments of the Ossuary & Lucanis's memories, there is nothing interesting here, Rook just plays therapist for about twenty minutes and then you make a nothing choice at the end that has no affect on anything at all... and most egregiously, we have learned literally Nothing new about Lucanis that the game hasn't already made an effort to tell us repeatedly (a real problem the game has in general, constant hand-holding and repetition).

there's Quite a bold choice to compare this quest to the Fade section in origins right at the start, with Rook and Spite joking about getting past the guards: "What did you expect, to turn into a mouse or something?" like yes, actually, i did expect something a bit more! even if you want to say the warden does the exact same thing with their companions in that quest, their dialogue is FAR better-- again, Rook's is all clinical therapy-speak (where did she even learn this shit? did the crows pay for her to get a degree in psych and become a licensed counselor?) and in origins, we do actually learn something new about each companion as well as getting to see them interact with their fantasies and/or nightmares. we get nothing here...

we could have seen him and Illario training together, being competitive, the early seeds of resentment being planted between them by Caterina's goading and abuse. we could have seen the guilt Lucanis feels about this, about Caterina's favoritism and how it's affected his relationship with Illario. we could have actually seen what happened to him when he was captured and in the Ossuary, we could have seen some of the horrible things he's had done to him and that he himself has done to become the Demon of Vyrantium, we could have learned more about why the demon inside of him became spite specifically-- because if what Zara's echo said is true, it started as an Envy demon-- so it was influenced by Lucanis in some way. what makes him spiteful? why is it spite that keeps him alive in the Ossuary...? is it spite as in defiance-- defiance of the Venatori, of Caterina's expectations and abuse, in defiance of Illario's betrayal...? unfortunately, Lucanis never really feels spiteful at all. determined to survive the Ossuary, but afterwards, never has he come across as spiteful (Spite is mostly just petty and a bit bitchy).

in my opinion the Envy demon fails because Lucanis was never envious of Illario or the First Talon position, only crushed by the loss of their relationship and guilty over Caterina's favoritism. obviously Caterina's expectations weigh heavily on him, but he knows he's the favorite, and he doesn't envy Illario for not being so-- he seems very aware of the fact that it doesn't equate to Illario having it "easier." but the game barely addresses this, only in weak voice-overs, while the majority of the quest is spent convincing Lucanis that he's not actually a demon. Lucanis is wholly a good guy that only kills blood mages and loves his poor grandma and his inner demon is entirely Literal and just him feeling bad about being an abomination :(

nevermind all that yucky complicated stuff. Illario is Bad and Jealous and deserves to be punished for... doing exactly what crows have always done.

of course it's easy to make Illario look bad when all of the other crows are treated like a found family, when we know that's not the case at all. crows have been competing and scheming and killing each other since origins. this isn't meant to make light of Illario's betrayal (in fact i still think it's quite significant given their history and the two of them being the last of their family) but instead Illario is very obviously suspicious from the start, the reveal of his betrayal was not surprising, it's predictable because, again, he is presented very differently from all the other crows we've seen in this game-- he's the Bad one, and Lucanis is the Good one. no nuance!

in his short story, The Wake, Illario is actually depicted as being extremely remorseful, getting very drunk and reminiscing on old childhood memories of Lucanis while Viago has to carry him home... of course there's no way of knowing the exact intent behind this story or what changed since (published in 2020 and written by Mary Kirby, after all) but either way, we don't get anything like that here. somewhere along the way we lost the depth and complexity of both characters; we don't get to confront this big ugly thing between them because the game refuses to engage with anything ugly at all.

[queenbananya]

Thanks for the tag @bookdragonwrites!

1. Named after anyone?

No. I was going to be named after a religious figure if I was a first child or a boy. Thank god I was neither, lol.

2. Last time I cried

Over the weekend reading rote. Damn you Hobb.

3. Kids?

I have five.

(Cats).

4. Sports?

I play tennis occasionally. On the rare day we have good weather here or when I manage to wake up early on the weekends for it.

Tried a bit of soccer growing up but absolutely sucked. And I've started running recently. Slowly building my stamina.

5. Do I use sarcasm?

Resisting the urge to answer sarcastically. Yes. Yes I do.

6. The first thing I notice about people?

Their face and hair. I couldn't tell you what anyone I've just met wore but I'll remember their face. And possibly in more detail, the hair.

7. Eye color.

Brown.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. If we're talking about horror movies specifically, I've rarely come across any that I enjoyed in the last decade or so. But psychological thrillers I do enjoy.

This isn't really a fair question though. It's implying anything other than scary movies has a happy ending which is just not true. Though if you ask me if I prefer happy vs sad endings, my answer is still the same. Once upon a time I loved tragic endings but I've long since moved past that. Don't give me tragedy just for the sake of it. It has to be earned.

9. Talents?

I have a talent for collecting shit I never use. Does that count? Or how about picking up new musical instruments and dropping them before I get any good? I have a roomful of them.

My number one talent has got to be how late I am to anything. I physically can't arrive to anything on time.

10. Born where?

North America.

11. Hobbies?

Not always active in all of them but. Recently, working out (I know, amazing hobby to have. Started by going to the gym over my lunch break and getting out of the office has been an amazing motivator. I seem to be sore all the time these days and boy am I loving the results). Reading. Anime. Writing fic. Playing(?) one of the many musical instruments gathering dust somewhere. Right now it's the flute. Sometimes cello. I've also started drawing but progress is slow. Ceramics - haven't touched that one in a while. Figure skating. Collecting manga, books, action figures/statues and merch in general. I have boxes from last year I've yet to open. Which reminds me--doubtful but if any junzhe fans come access this post and are interested in free merch drop a DM I'll be happy to give that stuff away.

12. Pets?

I think I've already answered this one, lol. To some members of my family that's my whole personality.

I also have (cat-friendly) plants.

13. How tall?

About as tall as Noya from Haikyuu...

14. Favorite school subject?

Pure maths!

15. Dream job?

If I could be a decently paid full time student I would take that in a heart beat.

Essentially, a researcher. But their pay is not worth all the study it requires. I do have bills to pay.

Open tag to anyone that sees this and wants to do it.

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

The rules are: Answer the 15 questions and tag 15 of your mutuals.

ty @trvbblemaker for the tag :D

Are you named after anyone?

not that i know of

2. When was the last time you cried?

like last week after the orthodontist lmao

3. Do you have kids?

i have plants

4. What sports do you play/have played?

i did gymnastics and dance now i do nothing~

5. Do you use sarcasm?

it's somewhat of a coping mechanism

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

how they dress/their hair

7. What's your eye color?

hell if i know

8. Scary movies or Happy endings

happy endings :]

9. Any talents?

i'm rlly good at overthinking and ignoring problems (like genuinely tho ig i'm good at art)

10. Where were you born?

america 🇺🇸 (i hate it here)

11. What are your hobbies?

crocheting, watching shows, drawing

12. Do you have any pets?

cat named otis <3

13. How tall are you?

i think technically 5'4 1/2"

14. Favorite subject in school

art

15. Dream Job?

something i don't hate hopefully in an art field

no pressure tags: @newtness532 @lirdgorl @rainysaturdayafternoon @justkeepwalkingnothinghere @snek-amiga @deusetco @crayonssmellgood @arshemelsoe @lizvi @bbreaddog @noworneverphantom + open tag

[levworship]

Okay but I just read what the other anon requested and that was so good?? I didn’t think I had a thing for receiving oral but wtf 😭🤚could I maybe request smth if you got time?? Could it be a reunion between volleyball teams from miyagi and tokyo? So nekoma, fukorodani, seijoh, Johzenji (terushima’s tongue piercing PLS), karasuno, itachiyama You were the old manager of nekoma and was friends with literally everyone, during the talk kuroo somehow mentioned that in the nekoma reunion like 2 years ago it somehow ended with the main guys all taking turns eating you out and that pisses off the rest of the guys because that was their fantasy?? This ends up with you (with consent ofc) being sat down on kuroo’s lap as the guys also take turns eating you out (inspired by the other anon because 😩) I understand if you obviously can’t mention everyone, but pls mention terurshima, sakusa (who would only let you make a mess on his face) and bokuto if you could <3 ALSO the idea of two people eating you out at the same time, maybe bokuto and terushima?? IM NASTY OKAY BUT PLS DO THAT

Ty in advanceeee

i’m usually pretty fast but this took me a whole two days to write smh i’m sorry anon. hope you enjoy tho <3 i wanted it to be a lil longer but i’m so tired and i rlly wanted to get this out for you.

cw: group sex (like.. big group), hella sub reader, also fem reader, anal lol, oral (fem reviving), kuroo is the ringleader, humiliation ig, reader kinda into it doe, dirty talk, degrading + praise, squirting, overstimulation

summary: basically everyone wants to eat out/fuck y/n. explicitly written in here is kuroo, oikawa, sakusa, bokuto, and terushima. the rest is implied.

word count: about 1.9k

your face was buried into kenma’s stiff shoulder, your whole body feeling hot as your group of friends continued to talk about you as if you weren’t even there. but clearly they hadn’t forgotten about you too much considering the way their eyes burned holes into you from all around so indiscreetly that you couldn’t even sit your ass still.

you weren’t quite sure how the previous conversation had shifted so suddenly, but kuroo seemed more than happy with the subject change as his signature asshole smirk never left his features. “- yeah, ‘bout two years ago i’d say. she was a good fuck too. poor thing was so eager to make us feel good that she passed out.” kuroo continued to drag his story as if to intentionally provoke the others, and the staring at you only got worse. your nerves were shot.

you looked and felt like a precious bunny being stared down by a bunch of wolves. and honestly? it was hot as fuck.

which is why you didn’t bother to argue when you were practically dragged into the locker room of the old gym, daichi hurriedly locking the door behind all of you. you couldn’t help but feel bad for just a second. ‘didnt some of these guys have girlfriends? couldve sworn i saw terushima enter with some girl.’ but how could you possibly focus on that when your clothes were being literally ripped off of you and disregarded to who knows where?

your legs felt weak, both out of shock and nervousness from being handled so roughly. “bring her here, bo. sit her down on my lap.” bokuto (for perhaps the first time in his life) was silent as he dragged you over to the other ex-captain, setting you down in his lap on his spot on the bench just as he’d requested. kuroo snickered and raised a hand to cup your cheeks, squeezing them together like you were a little baby before releasing.

“ease up, will ya? so damn tense i can feel it from here. you know we’ll take good care of you.” he spoke so lowly and reassuringly that you couldn’t help but to nod like a fool as he turned you around in his lap to fit the others. he tapped your thigh once, twice, and you quickly picked up on the hint and opened your legs for their viewing pleasure. you tried to put your face down as you were smothered in shame from just how quickly you got wet from their rough handling, but kuroo gripped onto your face once again and forced you to look up.

“look up, baby. so many big strong men dying to make you cum so fucking hard. be a little more thankful, yeah? say it.” “thank you.” he shook his head with a small laugh before releasing your face, but not before lightly tapping your face twice with soft slaps. still, you remained out of it even as oikawa settled himself between your legs, looking up at you with the same lazy smile you frequently saw him wearing around you.

“smells so damn good. finally gonna let me get a taste, cutie?” he spoke lowly as if he were to himself before diving in and holy shit. you figured he’d be pretty experienced. the guy was a literal chick magnet. but damn, this exceeded your expectations by far. your body threatened to curl over itself if it hadn’t been for kuroo’s sturdy grip on your twitching thighs. the way he sucked vigorously at your clit while swiping his tongue along your folds to capture more of your essence had you drawing nothing but blanks up there.

“haven’t even cum yet for us and already going dumb?” kuroo teased, planting a kiss just behind your ear, a shocking contrast to the way oikawa’s tongue worked against you just right.

the air around you was so thick you felt as if it could be cut with a knife. some of the guys surrounding you couldn’t figure out what to do with themselves, nervously shuffling their feet without taking your eyes off of you. others had clearly overcome any former shame, already slowly pumping their cocks in their hands as they hoped and prayed that they would get a turn soon. the whole scene made you feel so dirty— so wanted. the desire that leaked from their looks on you had your orgasm approaching faster than ever.

oikawa seemed to have noticed this, using his thumbs to spread your folds apart to make sure you felt him deep, muttering a quick “cum on my fucking mouth, princess.” the simple phrase alone made your orgasm crash down on you finally. your fingers tangled in his soft hair, which was now messy and tossed thanks to you.

you nearly passed out right there when he continued to lick you clean even as you violently shook in kuroo’s grasp, the black haired boy having to shove the other away forcefully just to separate his mouth from you. “that’s enough of that. did he make you feel good baby?” your eyes are still shut as you cling onto the leftover bliss, only offering a quiet “mhm.” “good girl. think you can give us another?” the question was clearly rhetorical, which should’ve been clear by the was he was already gesturing someone else forward. but still, you shook your little fucked out head ‘no’ and prayed upon some god that he’d have mercy on your poor quivering cunt.

but you knew better than to expect mercy from kuroo of all people. especially when it came to your body, when he kept whispering to you about how you were such a “perfect little toy,” and his “favorite doll to use.” before you knew it sakusa was diving into your pussy quickly without giving you time to do so much as muster up the energy to open your eyes again. his mouth was quick and desperate to get you off, moving with a sense of urgency as his hands busied themselves palming at his covered dick. he wasn’t nearly as precise or experienced as oikawa was, but his eagerness made up for it as he ate you out like a starved man.

your hips threatened to buck against his face wildly, cries of “please, please, please” falling from your mouth even though you didn’t even know what you were begging for. all you knew was that you needed more than what he was giving you right now. the man above you seemed to have read you like an open book once again as he released one of your thoughts to reach a hand around to your sensitive bud, pressing down on it softly. “see this?” he murmured, only receiving a small “hm.” in acknowledgement as omi continued his assault on your little hole. greedy fuck. “try touching her here. she loves that shit.” you cried out for more again, clenching tightly at the way he spoke of your body as if you weren’t even there.

the second sakusa tore himself away from your folds to wrap his lips around your clit, you were a goner for sure. there was a distant scream that you didn’t even recognize as your own until kuroo muffled them with his hand, body twitching and jerking more than it had the previous time. the room fell to a sudden silence even as you came down from your high, causing you to let out a confused hum.

kuroo’s chuckle broke the quietness, his large hand slapping your wet overstimulated mound and making you yelp. “didn’t know you were a squirter, baby. how come you didn’t do this for us the first time hm?” another rhetorical question. his hand trailed down lower, collecting some of your juices before he began to prod a finger at your other hole. “fuck- gonna let me bury myself in here again? want both of your holes fucked out?” and you couldn’t help but cry out because fuck yes! you couldn’t think of anything you’d want more. you nodded your head and panted like a sex craved mutt, and perhaps you would’ve been as humiliated as you were before if you weren’t so damn thirsty for it. every inch of you was begging to be ravished and destroyed, and you couldn’t help but grow more and more impatient as the time passed.

kuroo didn’t take his eyes off of you as he nodded towards the crowd once again, sakusa taking the hint and reluctantly scurrying off to palm at himself through his sweatpants just as he previously had. kuroo’s command must’ve been unclear though, as both of you were pulled away from your eye contact at the sound of a comical bonk followed by two grunts of “ow.” perhaps you would’ve laughed if the two aforementioned fools weren’t kneeling in front of your drenched pussy, ready to service you eagerly just as the other two had.

a chill ran up your spine as you surveyed each of their features. while both of them shared the same underlying expressions of lust and desperation, you couldn’t help but note how bokuto’s face resembled one of an excited puppy dog that perhaps would’ve been adorable in another circumstance while terushima’s was much more primal. “look at that” kuroo’s voice in your ear dragged you back out of your own head as he slowly sunk another finger into your tight ass. just because he was going to treat you like a whore didn’t mean you didn’t deserve prep. “making a fool out of themselves, all because they’re so desperate to get a taste of that perfect pussy. doesn’t that make you feel filthy?”

kuroo couldn’t do anything but shake his head at your lack of response, finally releasing your thighs for a moment to grab at both of their napes, silently demanding for you to hold them open yourself. “well? since you’re both so impatient, think you two can work together as a team? if i hear her complain even one time, i’m not letting either of you touch again.”

the two of them nodded obediently, and your eyes nearly rolled back at how demanding kuroo was being right now. it was clear that everyone knew who was truly holding the ropes here, and yet no one was complaining about the arrangement. seemingly satisfied with their responses, kuroo released their necks and his hands smacked yours away so he could replace them and hold up your thighs himself once again. “think you’re ready to take my cock now in here, y/n?” he smirked as he lined himself up. “gonna let me fuck this ass while you let both of them eat that slutty pussy? such a dirty girl. so fuckin’ good for us” he continued to spew filth at you as he lined himself up at your entrance, allowing you to sink down slowly.

you hissed at the stretch, but of course didn’t have much time to focus on the sensation because bokuto and terushima had finally decided that they’d been waiting for long enough. they worked diligently, the cool metal of teru’s tongue piercing flicking against your bud while bokuto slurped on your juices so loudly that the sound filled the room in the most embarrassing way possible.

yeah. you were in for it tonight.

sorry for mistakes or inconsistencie. requests for bnha and haikyuu are open.

[nastyatticman]

domestic fluff with Bo <3

Wrote something Bo Sinclair x Reader - it’s tooth rotting fluff with some dirty talk... You know how Bo is lol

Content warning - talking about pregnancy. Reader is gender neutral and implied to have a uterus

You’re so caught up in the work you don’t realize your husband has entered the room until he comes up behind you and plants a kiss on your neck.

In your defense, you were focusing on making the frosting for their cake, using an electric hand mixer that was pretty damn loud. Plus, your husband was good at sneaking up on people. He had to be.

Still, it makes you jump, your neck is so sensitive and you hadn’t expected he’d be there of all places. 

“Bo!” you gasp, switching off the mixer and turning to him. You’re not mad, just playing up your reactions so he can tease you for it. He’s good at that. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he says, a smile splitting his face. “Wanted to surprise you is all. You’re doing so much work, I just want to do something nice for you. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Babe, please, it’s your birthday,” you remind him. It’s nice he seems to be remembering what you said earlier about wanting him to ask if he can lend a hand from time to time, but now is not one of those times. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Oh, if you insist,” he says, relieved. But he doesn’t make any move to leave, like you’d expected. “Can I stay here and keep you company? I promise I won’t peek at my cake.” 

“Of course!” you reply, wondering what got into him. Why isn’t he out today? Normally he’d be chasing people down to make more statues for the town, but it seems slow today.

You continue with the frosting - first warning him it’ll be loud. He’s fine with that. Once the frosting is done you get it prepared to cool in the fridge - and get an idea.

“You said no peeking, but… how about you close your eyes and I can give you a taste?”

He grins, already covering his eyes for you. “Well, I’d never object…”

“Just don't tell Vincent you got to taste it early,” you joke. You dip a clean finger into the frosting, and smear a little onto his waiting tongue. 

He licks it off, and sucks on your finger, sounding content. You didn’t expect that, but Bo was always a good tease. Then he lets your finger go with a pop. 

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“Mhm,” you answer, nodding at first. Before you remember he can’t see it. “Yes, yes you can babe. What do you think?”

“Fucking delicious,” he replies with no hesitation. “Like everything else you make. It really does taste like what we had as kids, how’d you get this recipe?”

“I have my ways,” you say, then shrug. “Internet helps.” 

He nods and when he realizes you’re moving pieces of the cake he turns away, talking to you about his day.

Mostly, you listen to him as you put the frosting in the fridge and invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely. It’s not very eventful, but you always love hearing him talk. And besides, you wanted to hear why he’d come home early.

“Wait, so there was a group that came in today,” you say, trying to understand.

“Yep, four of them,” he replies. “I just - I didn’t want to do it today. It was two couples, and one of the wives was pregnant. I don’t think Ambrose needs a figure that’s expecting, y’know?”

You chuckle, and nod, letting him continue.

“And it got me thinking… what if we had a kid of our own?” he asks slowly. You’re making the filling for the cake but you can tell he's looking at you for a reaction.

“I - I’m not sure,” you answer, turning to him. “I don’t think I’m ready right now, but I wouldn’t write it off for the future just yet. You know?”

“Makes sense,” he says, sounding disappointed and relieved in equal measure. He’d told you before he wanted a ton of kids - okay, maybe two or three - but he wanted to wait until he felt ready. He was still scared he’d become like his own father, no matter how much you reassured him.

“But,” he continues, his voice dipping lower, tantalizingly low. “Seeing you like this, I can’t help but want to put a baby in you.”

There it was.

“What’s stopping you?” you ask, coming to the table to tease him with the way you pull your apron off for him. Well, the obvious answer would be the implant in your arm, but you want to play along. 

Your boldness makes him stumble for a second. “You’re done with the cake?” 

You nod, tracing down his arm. “Yeah, it needs to cool for an hour or so…”

“Well shit, looks like both our schedules are open.”

[jisungsplatforms]

Dahlia

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x gn! reader

Genre: angst; hanahaki au, non idol au

Warning: language, mentions of cheating, tiny tiny spoilers & allusions to some of my other fics if you squint hard enough. Some elements of Felix x reader (purely platonic tho)

Note: this does NOT portray Stray Kids’ true personalities. This is all purely FICTIONAL

*this is one of my longest fics i’ve ever written so sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

(Based off of (G) i-dle’s “Dahlia)

(Page II)

Dahlia:

“Signifies a lasting bond and commitment between two people;

symbolizes elegance, inner strength , change, and dignity...”

Hwang Hyunjin is bad news.

He’s a player, he’ll leave once he gets bored of you.

Hwang is no good for you. You deserve so much better, Y/n.

That was all you heard ever since you started dating Hyunjin. Different variations of it, all with the same connotation. People warned you, left and right, whenever they saw you two together. But you didn’t care, you choose to love him anyways, despite the rumors you’ve heard about him. It was all...

...Blind love. Sure, you fall in love fast, and every single time, you’ve been cheated on; but you knew that he was different, you could feel it. You had faith in Hyunjin.

Today was your one year anniversary. You sighed at the calendar hanging on your wall, a vase with a single dahila (given by Hyunjin a few weeks ago) sat on a table beside it.

“Did you know back then, lovers used to gift their beloved dahlias as a sign of everlasting love and commitment?” Hyunjin said with a pretty smile, holding a bouquet of a dozen dahlias.

“Oh really now?” you giggled, taking the bouquet into your hands. “Are you trying to tell me something?” You tilted your head, your eyebrows raised playfully.

“Hmm. Only that I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he cheekily said. “And that I will love you, and only you, even for the our next 100 lifetimes.”

You writhed in giddiness, touched by his words. “I can’t wait then,” you said, planting a soft kiss onto his plump lips, the two of you smiling into the kiss.

That was a year ago; 3 months into your relationship, probably the happiest year you’ve ever had. Every day with Hyunjin felt magical, like it was too good to be true. He was nothing but gentle with you. He held your hand as if you were glass. His eyes stared into yours as if you had the shiniest of diamonds for eyes. His beautiful smile always made your heart flutter, but his kisses was what really did the job. You thought that you could never had enough of him. You were his princess and he’s your prince charming.

But little did you know that the magic will soon wear off...

You stared at your phone in sheer disappointment.

Sorry, I can’t make it today. Something really important came up and I can’t miss it.

-was what was written on your screen, sent by your boyfriend. Bringing the phone closer to your face, you replied.

Really? You can’t skip it? Or even do it later?

Nope. Sorry, babe. There’s nothing I can do.

Oh...okay then.

Cheer up, babe. We’ll just go on a date on another day! I’ll make it up to you. Promise! :)

‘Go on a date on another day’ For some reason, reading that message shot a pang of hurt through your chest. To you, it basically implied that today was supposed to be just ‘another date’ for you guys.

Did he...forget that it’s our one year today? you thought sadly at the possibility as you put your phone down. Shaking your head, you tried to erase the negative thoughts from your mind. No no no, Hyunjin wouldn’t have forgotten. He was the one who even arranged the date! You held your cheeks in your hands. Sighing, you stood up to leave your bedroom to get a glass of water, feeling a heaviness to your chest. A million thoughts ran through your head as you made your way to the kitchen.

Is it possible that he really did forget?

Is he lying to me?

Am I just overthinking things again?

Or did he finally get...bored of me?

Looking back, you started to think about how lately, Hyunjin has been cancelling and rescheduling your dates. Every time you text him, asking him to come over, he’d reply with something along the line of “can’t i’m busy. sorry.” Of course you felt hurt, but you always told yourself, he’s a busy man. We don’t always have to be together.

And of course, you werent oblivious to how every month, the amount of dahlias Hyunjin used to give you slowly decreased. Once a dozen dahlias became only 8. 8 slowly became half a dozen. Then 6 became only 3. But you’ve convinced yourself that you didn’t need flowers to determine how in love you were, telling yourself how expensive live flowers actually are, so it makes sense he’ll end up giving less flowers. That’s it. That’s what you’ve conditioned your mind to think.

You’ve convinced yourself that Hyunjin truly is a good guy.

You didn’t even realize you were already in your kitchen until you felt yourself holding the cup to your mouth, the cool liquid making it’s way down your esophagus. You put the cup onto the counter, mindlessly staring at it. Maybe your were just overthinking things. That’s it.

Trudging back to the bedroom, you sat on the edge of your bed, sighing heavily, trying to contain the tears that were threatening to come out. Your lit up with a notification.

—

From Lixie Ramsay 🧑‍🍳🍽

—

Hey Y/n, are you feeling well?

Seeing a text from Felix, you grabbed your phone.

Not really. How’d you know??

Idk. I guess you can call it...best friend telepathy :D

You smiled, typing in another reply.

Well thank GOD for bsf telepathy cause I feel like shit rn.

Overthinking again?

Yes :(

Aww sorry to hear that dude :((

Wait. What happened with Hyunjin? Isn’t it your anniversary today?

Your heart ached at the message, the good mood you were slowly feeling again plummeted. Luckily, Felix noticed how long you were taking to reply to him.

Ah nvm... Anyways, I’m pretty much free rn so that meeaannnsss...I’ll take you out on a date instead!

Even though you were wallowing in misery, you couldn’t help but tease him.

You? Pass

How rude. And here I am being the greatest friend anyone could ask for, and you have the audacity to be picky?

Have fun with your pity party then, best friend

You sniggered at his reply. No no. I’m sorry I’m sorry, I’ll take up your offer LOL

Good. Be ready in about 20 mins. I’m coming over so we can go to the café together!

Okayyy :D

You got up and put on a nice, but comfortable outfit to go out in with your best friend.

You were just sitting on your couch, awaiting for Felix’s arrival when you heard a knock on your door.

“Y/n! It’s meee~!” came his loud, deep voice. You chortled as you got up from your couch, making sure everything was secured before going to your door. You opened it to see Felix’s bright smile greeting you.

You giggled, opening the door wider. “‘Sup, bro,” you nodded your head. Felix returned the gesture.

“‘Sup. You ready?”

“Yup! Let’s go.” Before you could get out of your house, Felix stopped you.

“Wait wait! I have something for you!” he lightly pushed you back inside. Only then did you notice that he was holding a single sunflower in his left hand. Your eyes widened a little, confused.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“A sunflower!”

You rolled your eyes at him. “Duh, I know that, but what’s it for?”

Felix beamed. “Well, I knew that you were feeling sad today, and I heard from someone that sunflowers are known as “happy flowers”, so I thought that I should give you one! To cheer you up!”

You looked at the flower in awe, incredibly touched by his gesture. “Lix...” you trailed off, feeling happy tears beginning to prick your eyes. You took the sunflower from his hands and stared at it, already feeling the positive vibes radiating from it.

“I know, I know. I’m the bestest best friend anyone could ask for. Now let’s go! I’ve been dying to try the carrot cake in that new café a few blocks down!” Felix said, sliding his arm to yours, “I heard that they have one of the best carrot cakes in town.”

You looked up from the flower to look at him, grinning. “Thank you so much for this, dude. I really appreciate it.”

Felix shrugged with a small smile on his face. “It’s the least I could do. Really.” He waited for you as you locked your front door, arms still linked, then making your way to go to the café Felix has been dying to go to.

The two of you walked together, catching up on each other’s current events going on in your lives, seeing how you weren’t able to for the past two weeks. Right now, Felix was telling you about a certain crush he has in one of his classes.

“Ooh, so, have you tried asking them out? Or even just told them that you’re interested or something, in the very least?” you wiggled your eyebrows. In response, he sucked in his breath a little. His face contorted in a slight grimace.

“I...tried to...” He said with his teeth clenched. You looked at him in puzzled.

“What do you mean ‘tried to’, Lix?” you asked. “It’s either you did or you didn’t.”

Felix sighed in embarrassment, his mind wandering back to the memory. “I sorta might’ve accidentally revealed that I liked them but sorta might’ve got embarrassed and accidentally took it back?”

“What?” you deadpanned.

“Okay okay. It’s dumb. I know. But they were so SO cute just talking, TALKING, and it just slipped out, I guess!” he said, exasperatedly. “I really couldn’t help it! Honest! So, I just panicked and covered it up by saying ‘I’m so lucky to have a friend like you'”

You looked at him blankly, slowly unlinking your arms. “Oh no,” you sighed, slightly shaking your head. “Oh baby nooo...”

“Yeah. I’m pathetic, I know.”

You hummed in pity, patting his shoulder. “A little, yeah, but it’s okay. Things like that happen, unfortunately. Don’t worry though, it’s not like it’s the end of the world,” you grinned, “You’ll have a lot more chances to actually confess in the near future.”

Felix nodded, crooning. “You’re right, Y/n. Thanks,” he said, giving you a hug as he gave you his well-renowned sunshine-like smile that you couldn’t help but smile back.

“No problem.”

Topic after topic, the two of you were so immersed in your conversation that you guys arrived at the café.

“Finally!” you cheered. “That was a surprisingly long walk.”

Felix sighed. “For real. But on the bright side: carrot cake!”

“Is the carrot cake even that good?”

“Dunno. Only one way to find out!” Felix walked a few steps ahead of you to open the door for you when he suddenly stopped. His whole body went rigid. In a blink of an eye, he turned around, gently pushing you away from the building. “Darn. What a shame, it’s full today. Oh well,” he frantically stated.

You glanced back behind him to check the inside yourself, only to see that it was only half full.

“What’re you talking about? There’s totally enough space for us. Let’s go.”

Felix’s face was full of dread. His body was stiff, his eyes shook a little as he maintained eye contact with you. He was nervous, and you could tell.

“You’re not okay. Is there someone in there you wanna avoid?” you said in urgency.

“Uhm. You could say that,” he murmured, looking down. Looking back up to see if there were any shifty looking faces that were in desperate need of a beating, your heart dropped in horror and dispair. Through the window, you saw Hyunjin, your boyfriend, sitting with a pretty looking lady. You watched them with woeful eyes as they smiled and laugh with each other. You couldn’t believe it, you didn’t want to. You wanted to believe that this was all a misunderstanding. You only snapped out of it when you felt Felix’s small, warm hands.

“Let’s-uh- let’s just go, yeah?” he said quietly. Nodding mindlessly, you let him lead to somewhere else. Anywhere but here. Felix rubbed your back, trying to give you any kind of hug he could give you as you walked away. You tried your best to push back the cough making it’s way to your throat. Good thing Felix was guiding you the entire way, others you would’ve fallen due to your blurry eyesight.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into your ear. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

It’s okay. You have nothing to apologize for, is what you wanted to tell him. But you couldn’t, for if you do, you might end up breaking down in the middle of the streets. You breathed heavily, containing both your tears and the pressure down in your chest and throat.

You snuggled closer to your thick blankets, trying to assimilate the warm you crave for from it. Felix was by your side, rubbing soothing circle to your back. You guys never went to go to another café. Instead, he led you home, seeing how it wasn’t the right time for you two to go out. You appreciated his gesture. It makes you wonder why can’t every guy be like your best friend, your brother, your soulmate. Felix let out a long exhale.

“Man, I-I’m sorry you had to see that, especially on your anniversary,” he soft said. Felix was furious, not only at Hyunjin, but himself as well. He felt like he couldn’t protect you, like he failed as your best friend.

“It’s okay, Lix. I’m fine,” you murmured. “Actually,” you paused, “I’m not fine. But you don’t have to apologize for something like this. This had nothing to do with you.”

“I know,” he sighed. “Im just frustrated, you know. I’m mad that you’re hurting like this.”

“Yeah me too,” you said emptily. “I just hope that this was just a misunderstanding.”

“He better damn well make sure that it’s just a misunderstanding,” he grumbled. “Otherwise i’m gonna have to settle some things with him. Hope he knows that i’m a black belt in Taekwondo.”

You snorted. “Thanks, Felix.”

“I will have a ‘chat’ with him. Mark my words.”

You laughed at him. You could faintly feel the angst in your heart lessen, but not completely go away. Hearing your front door unlock, you stiffened. You tried your best to not look at it.

“Babe! I’m here!” Hyunjin’s voice rang at the entrance. You felt Felix’s hold on your form tighten. Hyunjin walked closer to you two.

“Hey, Felix,” he said flatly. “didn’t know you were coming here.”

“Hmm.” Felix nodded his head, not even trying to make eye contact with the tall brunette. Hyunjin nodded back in annoyance.

“Anyways, you can leave now,” he sneered with his jaw clenched. “Your job is done. Now it’s my turn to spend time with my beloved.”

Both you and Felix tensed at his words. He looked down to look for your approval. Seeing your unsure nod, he hesitantly let go of you, watching you as he does so.

“It’s okay,” you mouthed to him. He made a sharp breath as he stood up, still refusing to look Hyunjin in the eye.

“Goodbye,” Felix called out, more to you than the other. You felt a sense of foreboding when you heard the door shut. From your side, Hyunjin let out a harsh groan.

“Finally,” he said, sitting down as he wrapped his arm around you. You couldn’t let yourself relax in his arms like how you’d usually to. You just felt uneasy in his presence right now. “So? How was you day? Missed me?” Hyunjin asked. You couldn’t take it anymore. You couldn’t bring yourself to pretend anymore.

“Are you cheating on me?” you more declared than asked as you sat up straight. Hyunjin’s eyes widened for a millisecond, a flash of fear in his eyes, but he just played it off.

“How could you accuse me of something like that?” he said, defensively. “I’m your boyfriend. Don’t you trust me?”

You bit your lip nervously. “I saw you, Hyunjin. At the café.” His face contorted in panic but quickly masked it as disbelief.

He scoffed, “Well you saw wrong, Y/n. That was just a friend, I would NEVER cheat on you.” He shook his head disappointingly, removing his arm from you. “I can’t believe that you would ever doubt me, babe. I’m actually really hurt by this right now.”

You felt a wave of guilt rush over you.

“Oh...I’m sorry,” you muttered. “I just thought-“

“You thought what? That the rumors were true?” Hyunjin laughed sarcastically. “Man, and here I thought that you were different.”

Your eyes teared up even more as the guilt inside your chest increased. Was I really wrong? you thought. “No! I’m-I’m sorry, Hyunie! I didn’t know! I just felt hurt because today was su-”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s okay. Let me just, be alone for a while, Y/n.” Hyunjin quietly got up and walked out of your house. You walked as he slammed the door on his way out, wrapping the blanket tighter around you. You were starting to regret letting Felix leave. The air around turn colder in your empty apartment.

It was supposed to be our one year anniversary, you thought, finally letting your tears out. And yet again, you tried controlling the tickling down your throat.

“He told you WHAT?” Felix exclaimed, looking at you incredulously. You had to shush him when you noticed some of the other people in the coffe shop giving you both tiny glares.

“He told me that it was just a friend that he had to me,” you said, quietly. “And that he would never cheat on me. He also said that felt hurt that I didn’t trust him, so I felt bad cause he did looked super upset.”

Felix rolled his eyes as he let out a sardonic “ha”. “That’s rich. Coming from him?” You let out a tiny pout.

“I don’t know, Lix. He seemed like he was telling the truth though?”

“Yeah, seemed, Y/n. I don’t know if you should trust him anymore. And besides, it even sounded like he was trying to make you feel bad instead of apologizing.”

“Well yeah cause-” Felix cut you off, holding up his hand to stop you from saying anything else.

“That’s gaslighting, bud. A huge red flag if you ask me. He didn’t even remember that it was your anniversary!”

Scrunching your eyebrows, you pondered upon Felix’s words. You knew he was right, but you really wanted to give Hyunjin the benefit of a doubt. All of a sudden, you felt a pressure in your chest. In need of relief, you coughed into the juncture of your arm. Felix winced in pity.

“Ooh, sounds nasty. You good there?”

You nodded as you continued coughing, giving him a thumbs up. Once you finish with your fit, you cleared your throat a little, grabbing the water bottle beside you to drink.

“Mhmm, yeah. Just a tickle, that’s all.”

“You sure? You’ve started coughing since yesterday,” Felix stated. “Are you sure you aren’t getting sick cause of the weather or stress or something?”

“Uhh nah. I don’t think so,” you said. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Felix hummed, totally unconvinced by your reasoning. He knew deep down something was wrong; he just didn’t know what. It was quiet for a while until Felix up at the window and let out a little gasp. You raised your eyebrows at this, silently asking him what’s wrong. He glared a little at the window before turning to you.

“Hate to do this but look. Behind you, don’t make it obvious.”

You slightly turned your head to see what he was looking at. Your eyes widened. You saw Hyunjin and the same girl from 2 days ago, passing by at the other side of the window, hand in hand. You watched in disbelief as the girl tipped toed to kiss his cheek while he giggles. You quickly turned your head in the other direction to avoid him as they walked by, feeling the pressure in your chest worsen. It hurt even more when you remember the small bouquet of dahilas in her hands. You felt your eyes burning with tears, sucking in deep breaths. Turns out that that was a mistake.

You calming yourself back-fired. You ended up having a coughing fit; but it didn’t feel like any cough you’ve ever had. It felt way heavier, like you were almost suffocating. Bringing a fist to your chest, you pounded on it as if it would help. You didn’t know if the tears in your eyes was from the couch or seeing your bastard of a boyfriend. You couldn’t even open them so you opted to just keeping them shut .

“Y/n?!” Felix yelled out in alarm. You felt him come up behind you, rubbing your back. “Oh shit...” you heard him breathed out. You slowly opened your eyes and turned to him. He looked frantic, but he wasn’t staring at you, rather on the floor. You looked back to see dahlia petals on the floor.

Huh? you thought in bewilderment. Last time you checked, there wasn’t any plants in the shop, aside for the plastic Swiss Cheese plants in the corners of the place, if they even count at all.

Felix noticed your gaze on the petals. “That shit’s from you,” he pointed out. “We need to get you to a hospital. ASAP.”

You looked at him weakly. “But-“

“NOW, Y/n.”

“I- what?” you gasped in horror.

“You’ve, unfortunately, contracted the Hanahaki Disease,” the doctor announced in sympathy. Felix rushed you to the nearest hospital after your little scene. When you arrived there and told the receptionist at the entrance, she immediately paged you to the emergency room. You were scared. You didn’t know what was so urgent to rush you to an emergency room.

“Hantahapki? What the hell is that?” Felix asked, coming out rather aggressively. He was horrified; who wouldn’t be if they witnessed their best friend coughing out flower petals.

“Hanahaki,” the doctor subtly corrected, “It’s a rare disease that makes you cough out petals. Not many people gets it.”

Your heart beak was fast. If it was rare, then who knows what could happen.

“Okay, Hanahaki. So do you know how Y/n got it?”

The doctor removed her glasses and put it on the desk beside her. “Well, though it is a rare disease, we do know enough about it,” she declared. “The Hanahaki disease, fortunately, isn’t contagious and is only produced from unrequited love.”

You let out a shaky sigh. “So it is true. He doesn’t love me anymore,” you muttered. You felt the familiar pressure in your chest so you relieved yourself, petals spewing as you coughed. Felix immediately rubbed your back in alarm.”

“Is there anyway to treat it, doc?” he worriedly questioned. The doctor nodded.

“Yes actually. One option is for the patient’s love to be returned by the recipient,” your heart dropped a little hearing this “-or the other is to undergo surgery.”

“Surgery?” you both inquired at the same time.

The doctor nodded again. “Yes, surgery, our safest option. However, doing so will result in Y/n loosing all feelings of love altogether.”

“So what you’re saying is,” you said slowly. “-if I do the procedure, I won’t be able to love again?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Romantic love that is. You can still love people platonicly, like your friend over here,” she said gesturing to Felix. “Family and friends, basically. You just can’t have romantic feelings for anyone else, even if you really wanted to.”

You and Felix looked at each other in sorrow. “I,” Felix started off, “really think you should do it.”

You bit your lip as you shook your head. “I don’t know. This is a pretty big decision. Can’t I just, like, think about it for a while? Before I really decide if I want to do this?”

“Of course you can, Y/n,” the doctor said. “Just don’t take too long making a decision, okay? Because it will kill you, if you don’t decide on time.”

The two of you looked up at her in horror. “KILL?!”

She winced a little at your loud voices, prompting the two of you to apologize. “Yes, kill. Those aren’t just petals coming out of no where.” She gestured to the pile between the tree of you. “They have to produce somewhere. At first they’ll start of as a little bud, that’s why as of now, you’re only coughing out several petals each cough, eventually getting bigger and bigger until the flower in your lungs fully bloom, which could end up bursting out of your chest.”

Felix turned to you in pure terror, slightly shaking you. “I REALLY think you should do the surgery today.” You brushed him off of you.

“Okay yeah, that’s terrifying, but I won’t be able to love ever again, Lix!” you countered. He look at you like you were crazy.

“You won’t be able to feel ANYTHING if you don’t!”

You contemplated on the situation. You didn’t know what to do. The doctor interrupted your train of thoughts.

“Don’t worry, Y/n you have about a few weeks minimum to make a decision. Luckily you came to us the day you started coughing out the petals. Otherwise, if it happened earlier and you kept it to yourself, you might’ve...you know.” You shook your head in acknowledgment.

“Yeah. Okay, thank you, doc.”

It’s been 5 days since you’ve been to the hospital; 5 days you’ve been diagnosed with the Hanahaki Disease; 5 days since you’ve last seen Hyunjin.

You still weren’t sure if you wanted to undergo the procedure. Felix said that this was the best option, but you didn’t want to listen. You still had hope in your heart that maybe, just maybe, Hyunjin still loves you deep down. You heard your phone ding from the table. You picked it up and saw that is was from your “boyfriend”.

Hey! Haven’t seen each other in a while. Wanna talk?

Your heart sped up. You didn’t know if it was from excitement that he finally contacted you, or fear that you might end up finding out the whole truth. Your fingers typed out a reply.

Yeah, come over today. I’ve missed you

Liar, you thought to yourself.

Sure! See you soon!

:)

You typed out your final reply, burying your face into the throw pillows.

A knock was heard from your door, signaling Hyunjin’s arrival. You tensed buy quickly calmed yourself down. You got up to let him in. You were greeted by his big smile, which you knew now was fake.

“Hey, babe! I’ve missed you!” he cheered.

Fucking liar. Putting one a fake smile, you said a quick “miss you too” and let him in. Closing the door, you gave yourself a mental pep talk before going straight to the point. You turned around to face him

“You’re cheating on me,” you stated, emotionlessly. You didn’t even say it as if it was a question, you knew. Hyunjin looked panic before composing himself.

“Again, Y/n? I told you, it-”

“I SAW YOU, HYUNJIN!” you cried out, not even containing your emotions anymore. “I SAW YOU OUTSIDE OF THE CAFÉ. I SAW YOU HOLDING HANDS. I SAW HER KISS YOU AND YOU DIDNT PUSH HER AWAY. IN FACT, IT LOOKED LIKE YOU ENJOYED IT.” You walked quickly towards him to push his chest.

“WHAT’S WORSE WAS THAT I SAW THE DAHLIAS YOU GAVE HER, A FLOWER THAT YOU SAID WAS SPECIAL TO US!” you fell to the floor, sobbing. The jig was up, Hyunjin knew.

“I trusted you Hyunjin...I really did. I even convinced myself that you weren’t like the rumors said,” you said weakly, already too tired to scream. “I love you. How could you do this to me?”

Hyunjin watched as you broke down. He didn’t know what to say; how to comfort you. He couldn’t even lie to you anymore. He felt bad for you. But he could’nt deny that he’s lost feelings for you.

“I’m sorry...”

Hearing this made you cry even more, you cradled your chest as you sank deeper to the floor. He didn’t even deny it. He didn’t even try comforting you. You heard his heavy footsteps leave your house, closing the door behind him. Your heart lurked even more. So this is it, you thought.

It hurts.

It hurts so fucking bad.

You were used to being cheated and lied to, so why did it? You clutched your burning chest, trying to regulate your breathing. More tears spilled out of your eyes.

It was because you genuinely loved Hyunjin.

You couldn’t take it anymore, you started wheezing out the dahlia petals out of your chest. A bunch of petals flew out of your mouth. You couldn’t breathe. It was too much. You crawled to your phone to call Felix. It rang once, twice, before he finally answered.

“Y/n?”

You could’ve even speak anymore, the room started spinning, your vision started blurring.

“Lix...hospital...” you managed to let out before collapsing.

“Y/n? Y/n!”

You woke up to the sound of beeping. You looked around and noticed that you weren’t home anymore. You tried getting up, flinching when the IV bag connected to you stopped you.

Ah, I’m at the hospital.

You laid back down and relaxed, trying to relive what happened last time you were awake. All you remember were blurry images of you crying, petals, hearing Felix’s panicked voice, then nothing. You eyes shot open at the thought.

Felix?!

You looked around the room to finally see him sleeping in the corner. You could faintly distinguish the dried tear marks on his freckled face.

He must’ve been here for a while.

The door know turned to reveal the same doctor to diagnosed you a few days prior. “Hello, Y/n,” she greeted, standing by your bed. “Seems like you’re doing well now.” You nodded. You tried speaking to answer her, only to find that you couldn’t because of how dry your throat was. The doctor noticed this and shook her head.

“Don’t. Just rest, it’s okay.”

You bowed you head as a slight thank you. She walked closer to you to pat your head.

“Congratulations, the procedure was a success.”

You eyes widened at the implication. So that’s why you’re here. It all made sense now. You have her a smile as you gave a raspy “thank you.” She talked to you for a while before deciding to leave you to rest a little more. She announced you could be discharged from the hospital by tomorrow.

You felt a little disappointed that you couldn’t love anymore, but still overall glad that you’re still alive. You glanced at the papers the doctor left on the table beside you, grabbing it to read it a little just to see that is was just your information. Beside it, you saw that she also left a cup of water for you. You gulped it down, letting out a relieved “ah” went you finished.

You didn’t want to think about anything right now, and you sure as hell didn’t even want to think about your now ex-boyfriend. You closed your eyes to think about what went wrong in your life. Especially now that you have to live without loving anything the way you want to. You contemplated with an emptiness in your chest.

.

.

.

Our love is-

“...however, they do carry negative connotations;

betrayal, dishonesty, instability.”

-Dahlia

—————————————————————————

(Case #XX1-

Name: Y/n L/n

Patient: Cured; Discharged: XX,XX,XXXX at XX:XX)

——————————————————————————

(Back to Page I)

A/N: PHEW FINALLY DONE WITH THE FIRST PART OF THE SERIES. IVE BEEN EXCITED TO WRITE THIS FIC FOR A LOOONG TIME. (G) I-dle’s “Dahlia” is what inspired me to start the Hanahaki series so THANK YOU MINNIE

[gohyuck]

pairing: ceo!lee donghyuck (haechan) x cfo!reader

genre: slight angst, fluff, smut (that’s a first for this acc o.o)

word count: 3.6k

warnings: explicit heterosexual sex (slight dom!hyuck)... like, really, over 50% of this is just sex lol. not a warning but hyuck is implied to be bisexual in this, it’s hinted at once or twice

a/n: sm knew what they were doing, making the 127s play office in full business attire. also, i still think we should eat the rich. just saying. this is not meant to glorify billionaires. i just think hyuck is hot. also! cfo = chief finance officer. 

part of a series?: yes, 37.5% viewer ratings, my hyuck bday celebration

🎵 often - the weeknd

☀️ push and pull

“i already emailed you this month’s finance report and talked to the men from kim corp. - i think they’ll end up being major investors. my balance forecasts are done, and,” you pause in your report, your gaze meeting donghyuck’s across his desk before you continue speaking, one corner of your lip quirking up slightly. “and you have a hickey that’s a little too high for your collar to cover.”

“i - what?” the ceo of lee technologies, ltd. hisses out the last word, his brow furrowing as he processes what you’ve just said. you put a finger up, silently telling him to give you a moment, before you pull your purse off of the floor and onto your lap. it takes you less than a minute of rummaging to find what you’re looking for: a compact mirror. donghyuck all but snatched it out of your hand, and you see him visibly redden once he realizes that you aren’t pulling his leg.

“shit, (name), i have meetings all day today,” he groans, slumping backwards into his far-too-expensive office chair. donghyuck shuts your mirror and tosses it haphazardly onto your desk before running both his hands down his face in incredulity and embarrassment. his neck is bared as he does this, allowing you to survey the mark further: it’s a deep red and clear as day, likely having been brought into existence the night before. you wonder briefly who it’s from - the pretty secretary who always bats his eyes at the ceo, the diligent but meek girl who can’t keep her eyes off of donghyuck and works in hr on floor 14, the red-lipped and cat-eyed ceo of the company that operates out of the top floors of the highrise next to you? you doubt you’ll ever know. as your heart twinges slightly, you realize that you don’t want to know. 

donghyuck groans again, although it dissolves into a petulant whine this time. a chuckle falls from your lips without you wanting to let one out, and your boss glares at you because of this.

“don’t look at me like that,” you scoff, turning your attention back to your bag for a moment. hyuck watches as you triumphantly pull a band-aid from one of the smaller pockets. “here! it’s small enough to be covered by this.”

donghyuck narrows his eyes.

“is it professional for a company’s ceo to walk around with a highlighter yellow tweety bird band-aid on his neck?” he asks, quirking one eyebrow as he does. still, he leans forward, placing his forearms on his desk and clasping his hands together as he does.

“is it professional for a company’s ceo to walk around with evidence that he’s getting laid on his neck?” you throw back, and donghyuck stares at you for a moment before sighing, slumping his shoulders, and reaching his hand out. you drop the band-aid into your outstretched palm.

“it’ll be fine, hyuck,” you tell your boss and longtime friend as he picks your compact up again, using the mirror to place the band-aid properly. “it might even humanize you a little bit.”

“humanize me?” donghyuck asks, though the small lilt to his voice tells you that he’s just fishing for compliments. he knows what you mean. still, you have time today, so you humor him.

“your reputation is all ‘young god’, ‘untouchable billionaire’, ‘genius entrepreneur’, ‘national playboy’,” you point out, watching as donghyuck’s smirk grows, making him look a little bit like an overexcited frat boy. his expression directly contrasts his crisp gray tom ford suit and franck muller watch. “tweety bird might make you more... approachable.”

the young ceo thinks about your words for a moment before flipping his wrist towards himself to read the time. it’s 10:27 - he needs to get down to the main conference room. you stand as donghyuck does, letting him walk past you before you follow. the band-aid is even brighter underneath lights, you note, and you can’t help but smile to yourself at this. donghyuck places his hand on the door handle, though, right before he opens it, he turns back to you.

“you forgot sex icon.”

“what?” your eyes widen for a moment before you force your brows down, scowling at donghyuck’s statement.

“when you were naming off things that make me larger-than-life, you forgot to say sex icon.” he grins, his tone as matter-of-fact as its ever been.

“who says?” you throw back, determined not to let your friend’s ego inflate so easily. he grins before leaning towards you, closer and closer until his mouth is right against your ear. you do your best not to let your breath hitch at the proximity.

“cosmopolitan. they interviewed me for the cover last month, remember? came in the mail today. i’ll give you a signed copy of you want. courtesy of your favorite sex icon.” he tells you, and you swear his lips brush your earlobe before he pulls back, mirth dancing in his eyes. before you can say anything, donghyuck pulls his office door open, stepping aside as he does.

“after you.”

♕ ♕ ♕

the lee donghyuck that exists within his private office and the lee donghyuck that exists outside of it are two entirely different people. his posture is still easy, still open, still exceedingly confident, but the moment he steps out of his office his back straightens up, one hand going to adjust his tie and the other slipping into one of his dress pants’ pockets. he goes from hyuck to haechan, meaning fullsun, the name given to him by the media at some gala or the other a couple years ago. hyuck is your friend from college, a brilliant programmer and free entertainment for those close to him. haechan is a charismatic but cold leader, his eyes calculating as he surveys the empire he’s only just begun building.

he walks out after you, but immediately commands everyone’s gaze. donghyuck’s office is in the corner of the 18th floor - the highest floor of the skyscraper. all of the offices on this floor belong to executives - hell, your office is right next to his, your one wall with floor-to-ceiling windows adorned entirely with a row of potted plants both small and huge - but there’s always plenty of other people milling around on the floor: possible investors, lost interns, secretaries, and employees with questions. today is no exception: several pairs of eyes are directed to the ceo as you stroll out, him in tow. 

nobody says anything about the obvious band-aid on haechan’s neck. 

“i’ll see you after work,” donghyuck mutters discreetly into your ear, and you nod as imperceptibly as possible before giving your friend a parting smile. 

as you head back to your office, haechan’s secretary joins him in step, tablet in hand, to read him off his schedule. as you close your door behind you, ready to bask in the sunlight that’s filtering in, you can’t help but scrutinize the secretary’s slightly rosier-than-usual cheeks, nor the way haechan had straightened his shoulders while speaking to the other man. 

if you were one for betting, you’d put down money on the fact that you’ve probably just found the culprit responsible for donghyuck’s bright yellow band-aid. you shake your head sadly as you set your things down on your desk. 

the poor boy’s going to get his heartbroken soon. 

after all, if there’s one thing donghyuck and haechan have in common, it’s this: commitment is not in the cards. you know this better than anyone. 

♕ ♕ ♕

“hyuck, i-”

“shut the fuck up.” donghyuck hisses into your ear, tugging harshly at the front of your shirt as he backs you into the closed door of his office. the material rips away easily, buttons skittering onto his floor as he shoves his warm mouth against yours. your hands go up to snake around his shoulders immediately, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck as he draws whimpers from your lips. once you part for air, you watch as he studies you for a moment. his tongue darts out, wetting his lower lip, and his eyes are beautifully hooded. 

you’re already gasping for air. you’re already drowning in him. 

“this blouse was from saks, you asshole,” you manage to get out, though you sound more like a petulant child than the indignant business executive you are. he chuckles almost mockingly, simply raising an eyebrow at this before he starts shrugging his suitjacket off, placing it across the back of the chair in front of his desk. 

“it’s your fault for wearing a $300 shirt to work,” he throws at you, no bite in his voice. you can’t help but roll your eyes as you push yourself off the door, making to follow him as he settles down into his office chair. 

“you’re one to talk - your suit is, what, $4,000 at least? don’t get me started on the fact that you’re wearing a 5-digit watch.” you make your way so you’re standing directly in front of him, shirt torn open to expose your bra and part of your stomach and the top of your skirt hugging your waistline perfectly. donghyuck sticks his tongue into his cheek before leaning forward and tugging you onto his lap with ease, smirking as your skirt flies up momentarily. 

“touché.” 

his hands cup your ass, fingertips pressing into your skin as he forces them up past your safety shorts. you rise up slightly so you’re situated above hyuck, cupping his face as you look into his eyes. he grins up at you. 

“this,” he squeezes your left asscheek fondly before meeting your eyes with his own mischievous gaze. “this is why i instituted a casual dress policy.”

“one hell of a policy, considering the ceo himself doesn’t adhere to it.” 

“i don’t need to, baby,” your heart flutters at the term of endearment, and you will it to stop immediately. “after all, i’m the boss, remember?”

“you’re a pig.” you throw back, and he only chuckles before attaching his lips to the skin above your collarbone. donghyuck laves his tongue over the fresh bruises as he dots your clavicle with them, forcing you closer to him by forcefully pushing your hips down towards his. as his lips move southward, brushing over your open chest and spilling kisses onto the tops of your bra-clad breasts, you can’t help but keen loudly and grind down on him of your body’s own accord. 

“someone’s hasty to get marked up,” your friend points out, not waiting for a response as he reaches into the large hole in your shirt - a lee donghyuck creation - and around your back, popping your bra open. your mind is too hazy to respond at first, in part due to the way he slips your bra straps down your arms, chasing them with wet, open-mouthed kisses across your shoulders before pulling the article of clothing off of you entirely. you can’t help but buck slightly against him as your breasts meet the cool air, and he takes this opportunity to wrap his sinful lips against one of your nipples, one of his hands coming up to run his thumb over the other one. 

“you’re - ha - you’re one to talk. mark? really?”

“he’s a good secretary,” donghyuck pulls his mouth off of you momentarily to speak, eyes sparkling as if he knows he’s teasing you, and you can’t help but flick your own eyes upward in annoyance. suddenly, you feel the need to have his dick in you immediately, as if it’ll fill the growing hole in your heart. you adjust yourself, and donghyuck watches, his arms wrapping around your waist to keep you steady, as you pull your safety shorts off.

he immediately drops a hand to your leg, tracing a finger up the expanse of your inner thigh as his other hand reaches up to grab your chin, gently forcing you to face him so your eyes meet. your mouth goes dry just as he slips two fingers into your wet heat, and you can’t help yourself as you rut forwards, grinding on his hand. the whine you let out has donghyuck’s eyes becoming even more hooded, almost naturally smoky, and you can’t help but gasp at the sight. 

“he’s a good secretary,” donghyuck says again, and you realize he hadn’t finished his thought earlier. you hate that he’s speaking about another person when his fingers are knuckle deep inside your sopping heat, but it’s donghyuck - your hyuck, who’d held your hair back when you puked at frat parties and who let you crash on his dorm room floor whenever it was too late to walk to your own place - and you can’t say anything about it. “but if you wanted me to yourself, you could’ve just said so.” 

your heart stops, but not before he has the audacity to wink at you. 

“we need to fuck,” you choke out, finding it hard to breathe even though his hands are nowhere near your throat. “now.” 

the desperation in your voice, the way your pert nipples are right in his face, and the way you’re humping his hand like a bitch in heat all have donghyuck groaning and rolling his head back on his shoulders. he flicks his chin towards the top drawer of his desk right behind you, and you use one hand to brace yourself against his shoulder as you lean back to pull the drawer open. this unwittingly forces hyuck’s fingers to angle deeper inside you, hitting the bundle of nerves in the back of your cunt exactly in a way that has you moaning his name long and low. your grip slips off of the drawer handle without you meaning to, and you scramble, patting your hand haphazardly around in the drawer before you come across a condom. you pull it out, slamming the drawer shut triumphantly before turning back to hyuck. he pulls his fingers out of you before you come, much to your chagrin, but you realize that you’ll be coming around his cock in no time. 

“my blouse was actually about $600,” you say, your eyes meeting his as you tear open the wrapper. he lets out a chuckle before raising his fingers - covered in filmy strings of your arousal - to his mouth and wrapping his tongue around them like it’s the easier thing in the world. you feel yourself clench. he wraps one arm around you before shifting slightly, and you realize he’s unzipping his own pants.

“i’ll buy you another one.” is all donghyuck says before pulling out his thick length, and you swallow on impulse as his bulbous tip, oozing precum, comes into your view. you want it - need it, you decide as you recall his earlier statement about having him for yourself - and you need it now. you hand him the condom, and he rolls it on with a small grunt before both of his hands fly to your ass. just as you’re about to sit down properly on his cock, fill your voids the way they’re meant to be completed. donghyuck stops you with his hands on your hips. 

you look down at him, and your eyes meet his for what feels like the millionth time tonight. 

“are you sure?” he asks, and you fall deeper in love with him even though he’s doing the minimum. you’re sure, you realize, and you nod before remembering that he has to hear you say it. 

“yes, i’m sure.” your voice is uncharacteristically quiet, but donghyuck says nothing of it. he grips your thighs, spreading them as much as he can without pushing you off the chair - he’s grateful it has no handles - before pressing his tip to your entrance. you press both of your hands into your shoulders as you sink yourself onto his throbbing dick, your teeth sinking into your lower lip as you do. it takes you a moment to adjust - usually the foreplay is much longer - but once you’re ready, you start bouncing on donghyuck’s cock, setting the pace for yourself. 

it doesn’t take long for you to get to the brink of orgasm - riding hyuck has always placed the head of his dick directly against the place inside you that makes you see white behind your eyes. for his part, he shoves you down onto himself when you start tiring out, tugging on a nipple in between his teeth or running his tongue down against your skin or slapping your ass and causing you to buck against him as he sees fit. 

you’ve been friends with benefits for almost a year, now, and the sex only gets better. 

you’ve been friends with benefits for almost a year, now, and everyday, every damn day, you curse your heart more and more. you curse your feelings when donghyuck whines as he nears his high, too, and you curse yourself for spending your ability to love deeply on the one person who won’t take it as he finally takes over, anchoring you against his body while his hips snap up into yours. he’s chasing your orgasm just as much as he’s chasing his, and when donghyuck pulls you down to smash his lips against yours, forcing you to taste the red wine he’d had with dinner on his tongue, while circling your clit with one finger like a madman, you can’t help but let go completely, clenching and spasming and shaking around his length and in his arms. this is all it takes to push him over the edge, too - he spills into the condom with a beautiful, keening whine against your shoulder.

it’s only when donghyuck looks up at you after catching his breath and his face falls that you realize you’re crying. 

“(name) - sweetheart, what’s wrong? did i hurt you?”

his recognition of your state has the dam breaking, and you shake your head frantically to soothe him as your tears start falling more heavily. he wraps his arms around you immediately, pulling you into his chest as he does. donghyuck waits patiently for you to speak.

“i - i can’t do this anymore,” you start off, and you feel his arms tense around you. before he can interject or argue, you forge ahead. “i cant! i can’t fuck you and stay your friend - just your friend. i can’t sleep with you knowing that you’re the only one for me when you’re out there hunting down anyone that looks at you, i just - i can’t. i can’t...” you trail off, breaking down into sobs again while burrowing your face into his shirt. it’s expensive, you know it is, and now it’s ruined with your tearstains. you try not to think about it. 

donghyuck is silent for one, two, three beats. for a long moment, all you can hear are the sounds of your own bawling, your own quiet sniffling and hiccuping. his hand runs a soothing trek down your back.

finally, he speaks.

“i haven’t fucked anyone else in 6 months.”

that is the one thing you’d never expected him to say. 

“but... mark? the hickey?”

“that’s all it was,” he says, forcing you back slightly to be able to look at you as he speaks. hyuck raises a hand, wiping your stray tears away gently with his thumb before continuing. “for 6 months, i’ve kissed people and made out with them, but only half-heartedly. every time it’s gotten close to getting heated, i’ve had to stop. do you know why?”

you shake your head, sniffling as you do. his heart cracks at how forlorn you look, how innocent and confused you seem. he’s suddenly well-aware of the fact that he’s still sheathed inside your dripping pussy. 

“because every time i was with someone - anyone - else, all i could think of was you. you’re the only one for me, baby. i think you always have been. i didn’t say anything because i didn’t think you’d want me.”

“not want you?” your voice is strong enough to sound properly incredulous now. “you know me better than anyone else. you’ve been there for me when i’ve needed you, and you’ve asked me to be there for you when you’ve needed me. we built all of this together. you’re everything, hyuck. you’re my everything.” 

he lowers his head almost bashfully, and you know that he’s processing what you’re saying. donghyuck’s never been good at registering compliments - it’s a side-effect of always moving, always pushing forward - but you can tell that he’s savoring your words. it makes him even more endearing in your eyes. eventually, he looks up at you again, soft smile gracing his features. 

“are we good?” he asks, and you can feel your heart sewing itself together again at the genuine honesty in his eyes. he really does love you back. you nod, before leaning in to capture his lips against yours in a chaste kiss. 

“we’re good.”

bonus: 

“this is great, and i’m going to ravish you when we get home, but right now i really, really need to get this condom off and you probably really need to piss,” donghyuck says, lifting his hips to force you off of him. you swing your legs over to stand, leaning against his desk for support as you watch him tie the condom up and toss it into the bin underneath his desk. 

“when we get home?” you ask, raising an eyebrow. donghyuck stuffs his cock back into his boxers and makes sure his slacks are on properly before standing up to situate himself in front of you. he takes both of your hands in his. 

“you think i’m letting you spend a night alone when you said i’m the only one for you? not fucking likely. now hit up the bathroom and then let’s go,” he says, fishing his car keys out of his pocket. “i brought the bugatti today.”

[unseelie-bitch]

The Secret of the Lost Kingdom

[Here we go lads, we've gotten to the first film]

This opening song is highkey a bop

Oh no nononono they did this in 3D animation??? Gotta be honest, I'm already not a fan and I haven't even seen their faces

Oh yep their faces are SO CURSED

WHY WOULD YOU USE 3D YOU HAD A PERFECTLY CUTE 2D ARTSTYLE

Oh they just jumped into an abandoned castle like ninjas

See you all have new voice actors so I have NO IDEA who was just tempting fate into bringing out these big knight monsters

Not sure I'm a fan of how naked they made them in the transformations

Musa sounds way too preppy

They all have the same voice what is going on

"Are you hurt?" Bloom she is lying on the floor in pain

ABSOLUTE HATE THAT THEY'RE SAYING FLORA CAN FEEL ALL THE PAIN HER PLANTS FEEL

If you're Techna, why are you American?

Really don't like Bloom's voice actor

Ah he was the sword smith from the company of light

Is that supposed to be Faragonda

Yep it is good god

"We're all a little bored with you and your sword" LMAO

So it's been centuries since the company of light disbanded. And Sparx was destroyed 17 years ago. Which was when they FORMED the company of light. Come on lads get a timeline

Stella gagging because he flirted with Faragonda is both hilarious and on brand

Please stop talking about "shiny steel" I am embaressed FOR you

Faragonda don't just look sadly after her

DON'T TELL HER FRIENDS TO LEAVE BLOOM ALONE SHE'S CRYING WTF FARAGONDA

Oh good god WHAT did they do to Riven's hair

Sorry ONLY the Winx Club are graduating and "achieving ultimate harmony"

Oh Kiko is so fucking cursed

Why is there a cat???????????????

She called the cat Ron

WIZGIZ IS CURSED WIZGIZ IS SO CURSED

Oh they floatin'

Brandon don't laugh at Riven you bitch

Okay so they just heavily implied they are the only fairies with their powers???? Sus

WHY DOES LAYLA SOUND LIKE A SOUTHERN BELLE

Oh fuck OFF Sky

Why did you make Musa a giggly prep and Riven a dick again wtf

Sky looks like Prince Charming from Shrek

Okay so Bloom actually didn't graduate??? Why

Sky she's allowed to be sad don't be a bitch

Cue Sky ALMOST saying something important and getting cut off. Watch him not finish that sentence til the end of the film

Oh hello who's this girl... I like her

Bye Sky! Don't come back

"Bloom, you know it's not a party if you're not there" so Stella's still gay, good to know

Stella's dancing with Kiko awwwwwww

SHE DROPPED HIM NOOOOOO

It's okay Bloom caught him

Oh I do like the redesign of Alfea though

Sad Bloom montage

"She's like a wild bird in a tiny cage" at least Mike is Aware

Oh no Bloom's having a magic anxiety dream

DO NOT LIKE THE 3D WITCHES NOPE NOT AT ALL

Daphne!!

Daphne is Bloom's sister??????? They did NOT make that clear

SHE'S BEEN AT LIGHTROCK THIS WHOLE TIME?

Woah Daphne's giving Bloom her mask awww

AWW HER PARENTS INVITED ALL BLOOM'S FRIENDS FOR BLOOM'S BIRTHDAY

Oh. Yay. Sky's here. Wahoo.

I love this magic cat but is it going to be relevant

Why are the OG witches still kicking about wtf

Whom the fuck is this? Why are you here does this mean we don't get the Trix?? That's such a joke

He was gone for FOUR MONTHS without even a text? Bitch

THANK YOU TECHNA these boys are acting like CHILDREN

Aaaand Riven woke up the bird

I thought that vine was "stronger than steel" how the fuck did it break

Please don't reduce Stella to an airhead we've seen in previous seasons she's actually really intelligent

Bloom's voice actor sounds more like Musa than Musa's does

Hello Mr Scribe Man

"You knew my parents?" He JUST said he was your father's scribe

Please stop making Stella flirt with the scribe to get what she wants I hate how they're portraying her in this

Shady voice calling out to Riven wtf

We love a good prophacy

Anyone who enters Obsidian is hopeless, lost and corrupted?? Bro wtf

Mirta!!

WizGiz is being a bitch because Mirta was going to use a dark spell to stop herself GETTING MURDERED BY A MONSTER. Why are you like this WizGiz

Palladium!!

Faragonda you NEVER think it's a good time for explainations

Mandragora used to go to Alfea???

Faragonda you could help at literally ANY time

Faragonda finally did something lads

...and immediately passed out wow

They destoryed the school yikes

Ew future book please don't say Bloom and Sky will get married

The pixies!!

The school is fixed

The OG witches are pissed that the dragonfire's in a person lmao

Musa is 100% on board and I love her

Sky you had the whole flight here to talk to her if it's that important stop waiting til she's about to do something important

Techna don't be mean to Lockette

Jolly wtf

"The perfect vacation spot from people you hate" iconic

Oh whaddup Mandragora

Lads Musa did not get stabbed she just knocked his sword out the way

They're all being attacked by their own powers... apart from Stella, who's fading away because they've decided all she cares about it appearances with is BULLSHIT

Why do the witches look like those blow up thingys that stand outside... y'know, the ones that look like people and dance around

Yikes her dad's a statue

OH SHIT EVERYONE ON SPARX IS PETRIFIED

EW ONE OF THE WITCHES JUST POSSESSED STELLA

Mandragora just about to kill all the guys lmao

Is Mandragora secretly Miriyam because no one else is talking about her

Oh nice Riven's back

LMAO HE JUST DECKED HER YES RIVEN

Sky canNOT wield the sword fuck OFF

Lol he really can't it electrocuted him

Oop Mandragora's dead nvm

Ugh he can he's the king. I hate this man

Oh Sparx is back and everyone's alive NICE

Oh Miriyam was in the sword. Right. Okay

Love Bloom's dress

"Since we weren't able to be there for the first half of your life, Bloom-" sorry HALF??? SHE'S 18!! WHAT'S THE LIFE EXPECTANCY ON SPARX, 36?????? WHAT THE FUCK

Ayyyyy that pretty guard is back

The dialogue in this film is atrocious

And he's proposing. She's 18. But okay.

Aww Winx are the new company of light that's so soft

Oh shit the witches are free

I HATE THAT THEY'RE SAYING THE TRIX ARE NOW POSSESSED BY THE OG WITCHES THAT'S HORIFFIC NO NO NO NO I REFUSE

Right so I'm not ackowledging ANY of this film as canon apart from the winx being the new company of light

[atamascolily]

lily liveblogs BBC Atlantis 1x02, “A Girl By Any Other Name” (first half)

I actually watched this months ago, but I got interrupted about halfway through, and then there was a global pandemic and I lost my groove. This got super-long, so I’m gonna post it in two parts.

Thanks to @girlwhowasntthere for her help in making sure I could see it, and also for pointing out that Ariadne draws a stone in the first episode (which I totally missed!) so she's not just resting on her privilege there. Good for her!

In the pilot, we were introduced to Atlantis through the eyes of Jason, a dude from our world who has surprising connections to this city of dragons and despots that nobody *cough ORACLE cough* wants to tell him about. But he's managed to pick up two new friends - gruff-but-not-so-secretly soft Hercules, and Pythagoras (yes, that one) - as well as a love interest, an ominous enemy, and Not Die several times in exciting and dramatic ways.

Based on the teaser, it looks like the show is about to introduce another female character, which I am super-excited about, even though the name "Medusa" brings up All Kinds of Questions.

(cut for length and for lots and lots of botanical confusion)

Forest at night. Woman running through the woods while something ominous chases her. Are there forests in Atlantis? I don't remember seeing any in the surrounding wide shots when Jason first showed up from the beach. Where the hell is this supposed to be?

(Side note because I am a Certified Plant Nerd: Where was this FILMED? I'm gonna guess England because BBC and also the leaves look SUPER TEMPERATE, there are definitely maples in there.)

Woman collapses and the camera focuses on her bracelet, which I am sure will be significant later on. We don't hear anything, she starts to get up and I brace myself for a jump scare.

She's got a necklace, too, and I wonder if that's a Plot MacGuffin or if she just has good taste in jewelry.

Ok, so we see her pursuer sneaking up on her, and she turns, and we see it for the first time from her POV and... it's a cave troll! Or something very much like it. She screams, we go to credits.

None of the credits are backwards this time, and I'm so relieved because THAT WAS ANNOYING.

I like the juxtaposition of the ocean and the ruins, then the view of the city, because this show is called ATLANTIS, which implies it's really about the city as a whole (or the city as a character) rather than Jason, even though Jason is the protagonist and audience surrogate.

There are some mountains in the background that look like they COULD  have forests, and I will reserve judgement until I see the sets in the daylight, but those mountains look like they ought to be chapparral or the local equivalent, NOT the kind of forest shown in the opening. I'm just saying. I have strong opinions about flora and I will share them.

I am so curious where Atlantis is supposed to be, but I think it's Crete? I'm going with Crete for now until I get more information.

Jason is tossing rocks into a pool because... he's just that bored? Missing the Internet? He's wearing a leather tunic thing and not shirtless, but I'm sure he'll lose it by the end of the episode.

He hears something and gets up and sneaks up on the person coming in the doorway, but I already know it's either Hercules or Pythagoras, and most likely Herc, so I am not surprised when it's Herc. Herc is late AND drunk and Jason is pissed. Apparently, he and Herc are working as security guards for a rich merchant?? (So that answers my question about how they're making money and paying the rent!!)

Jason runs to the Oracle's temple because he's in dire need of Cryptic Exposition and also a Greater Purpose in Life and where better to acquire a Noble Destiny?

"You should not be here," says the Oracle, which is just a classy way of saying GTFO.

"I need answers," Jason demands.

LOL, not happening, dude. She only deals in Cryptic Sayings, not answers. (Although kinda ironic given that the Delphic Oracle’s motto was “Know Thyself”.)

Jason mentions that the minotaur dude claimed he had a great destiny and you can just see the Oracle rolling her eyes, and be all, And you believed him?? LOL.

But Jason DOES  have a destiny, even though it doesn't feel like it so the Oracle has to explain that this, too, is also a part of his destiny, and he should just lean into the suck.

Jason calls bullshit. Oracle explains she's trying to protect him, and "all will become clear", mic drop. Jason walks away bummed, but it's DESTINY for him to be confused right now, and I am sure he will have some sort of Character Development about this by the end of the episode.

Herc fell asleep on the job and wakes up to being licked by a goat, which is probably not the most undignified thing that will happen to him in this episode. Also, somebody stole his keys and robbed the thing he was supposed to be guarding, so I'm sure this will end well.

Cut to Herc trying to explain this to Pythagoras, and Pythagoras is calling bullshit. Pythagoras notes the goat slobber and does the best eyeroll to Jason, I love him.

(Hercules is like the roommate from HELL here. How did he and Pythagoras end up rooming together in the first place?)

There's a knock on the door, but it's not the angry merchant, it's the CALL TO ADVENTURE... an old man who's heard that they killed the Minotaur and wants help locating his daughter. I'm picturing an Atlantis version of Sherlock Holmes starring Pythagoras and Jason and it's awesome.

Herc does not want to touch this with a ten foot pole but Jason is bored and eager to help, and so Herc is going to get dragged into this whether he likes it or not. He tries to reject it on the grounds of money, but it doesn't work. The old man talks about his "duty as a father" to make sure his kid is safe, and that's all he needs to say to get Jason on board, because Daddy Issues.

Jason and a new female character, Corinna, are in the palace, trying to be stealthy and they run into Ariadne, which is... awkward. Jason tries to explain, and Ariadne says it's forbidden for Jason to be here... why? Because he's a man? Because he's a stranger? Because he's on Minos's personal shit list? I need some context here.

Jason quizzes Celandine, a kitchen worker, and learns that Demetria, the missing girl, went to the forest to gather herbs and was never seen again. I don't understand what Corinna's role in all this is , but she persuades Celandine to help Jason out by showing him the place where Demetria went.

Time for another marketplace chase! This time it's the merchant after Herc. Meanwhile, Celandine takes Jason to a forest that's super-arid and looks nothing like the one we saw in the opening. There's rock outcroppings in the background, too. No leaf litter at ALL. All dry ever greens... and then a wide shot showing a hill that looks like chapparral, with a series of mountains beyond THAT that look more temperate and have actual snow capped peaks and those are NOT IN THE CREDITS, NONE OF THIS GEOGRAPHY MAKES ACTUAL SENSE, BUT FINE.

Also, it makes zero sense that Minos would send kitchen servants to the forest WAY outside the city limits... wouldn't it be easier for everyone if they sent special people to do that and the kitchen just picked them up or bought them from poorer folk who did? Where are the roads? Are there any surrounding villages and encampments outside the walls? Shepherds watching their flocks? A road? How do the servants know where to go? What stops them from running away? Etc. Etc.  I HAVE QUESTIONS, OKAY?

Cut to them in a different forest - still evergreen trees, but a different kind. Looks like a plantation. Everything is too neat and open and in rows. There's greenery, but no sign of any herbs or really any kind of understory. LOL.

Are we there yet? Jason wants to know.

These woods are rich with herbs, Celandine says, and I can't tell if she's being ironic or not because I DO NOT SEE ANY, THERE IS NOTHING BUT CONIFERS HERE, CONIFERS ARE NOT HERBS (though they can have medicinal uses!). Then she adds "If you know where to look" and pulls a knife to stab an unsuspecting Jason while he's looking at the ground, so I guess that answers that question.

(For the record, Celandine is a toxic plant that is actually native to n. Africa, and the Mediterranean and western Asia, so I kinda saw that coming from the name and also the ominous music and close-ups of her face.)

Jason wises up in time to Not Get Stabbed, and Celandine runs away. Jason chases after her, and I saw some FERNS this time in the chase scene, but again NO LEAVES or much in the way of forest diversity at all. Celandine drinks something that looks like poison and dies while Jason is interrogating her. The troll-creature lurks in the woods.

Pythagoras IDs the poison as hemlock. (LOL, of course he would know!) The only reason he doesn't mention that it killed Socrates is probably because Socrates hasn't been born yet, but I am sure the writers were tempted. Jason fell asleep in World History, and also every Literature class ever, because he has no idea what a thyrsus is, or who Dionysus and the maenads are, so Pythagoras and Herc get to explain for the audience! Apparently, the satyrs kill any men who crash their clubhouse, so that's what the troll thing is, I guess?

So apparently the maenads just kidnap girls to join their cult? This is not how I remember it, but okay, fine, let's have the all-female religion be EVIL for DRAMA. Does this mean the trio's going to cross-dress?

Demetria (?) is trying to dig her way out of cell, only to get called to a Secret Evil Ceremony that involves blood, chanting, and tearing apart a dude with their bare hands. Oh, wait, no, they just toss him to the cave trolls (LITERALLY LURKING IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND), which is easier to show on network TV, I guess.

Jason breaks the news to Demetria's father, and he's... aghast. "I won't allow it!" he cries. The show has not explained why it's a bad thing to be a maenad... aside from the whole killing people bit, but I mean, the king kills people all the time in the name of the gods, what makes this any different? (I mean, Minos's evil, but still! He's in charge!) Why can't Demetria be a maenad and still work in the palace and visit her dad? Isn't that what Celandine did?? I AM SO CONFUSED.

Also: father trying to control his daughter's actions is historically accurate, but sits poorly with me, even though she WAS kidnapped in this case and doesn't want to be there. But what if she wasn't? So far the show hasn't explained to me why EVERY WOMAN wouldn't want to be a maenad. Hanging out in the woods without any men and a lot of intoxicants sounds... way better than almost anything else they could be doing.

The old man collapses in grief and Pythagoras is also a healer, because he makes an infusion of what sounds like "Magnolia remenalis" (??). Which is odd because that genus is located in the Americas and eastern Asia, and even assuming trade routes from China are a Thing here, that wouldn't likely be a part of the typical pharmacopeia, especially if Pythagoras has no money...? And I know there are a bajillion species of magnolia, but I've never heard of this... and would he call it by a Latin binomial anyway? But if it's not that, what is he TALKING about? THIS IS WHY I HATE WATCHING THINGS WITHOUT SUBTITLES.

The old man guilts Jason into going after Demetria, of course, thanks to Daddy Issues. Herc is pissed, especially when he realizes they put the old man in his bed. I love Pythagoras's little smile when he explains that Herc is in charge of their guest, since he's not going on the Mission of Certain Doom!

Herc is so predictable, lol. He brings up the prospect of faking his own death to get out of his debts, and I CANNOT HELP BUT WONDER if this is going to be relevant later on. Like... faking your death so the maenads don't find you, perhaps? And changing your name??

(dear writers, if you don't want me to guess your plot twist, please don't PUT THE WHAM LINE IN THE TEASER, kthanx.)

OH MY GOD THIS IS THE SAME FOREST WHERE THEY FILMED THE FIGHT SCENE IN THE FORCE AWAKENS ISN'T IT? I *RECOGNIZE* THIS PLACE!!

(yup, definitely England. Puzzlewood, almost for certain.)

Of course, the most appropriate way to spend the night is to make a fire, eat soup, and tell ghost stories about maenads first, right? Right. The forests rustle. There's a cave troll stalking them. (Yes, it's supposed to be a satyr, but it looks like a cave troll from LOTR, okay??) He tosses something in the food, which probably means it will only impact Hercules, lol. Hallucinations, maybe??

Why anyone would trust Herc with night watch given his track record, ESPECIALLY these two, I don't know, but PLOT.

Yep, definitely the old mine in Puzzlewood. I'd bet money on it.

Herc follows a woman who looks like an elf from LOTR, lol... but it's a satyr in drag. (Or a hallucination?) IDK why everyone is making a big deal about the maenads when they mostly just stand around and let the male satyrs handle everything.

RUN, HERC, RUN! He's rescued by... Demetria, who also wants to get away. Somehow the satyrs don't see them? *shrug*

Demetria uses Herc's knife and cuts herself and walks out with a bloody mouth, claiming the satyrs killed Herc and she drank his blood... I mean, won't the satyrs call her on it?? But the ruse works and she leaves with them.

Meanwhile, Jason and Pythagoras slept through the entire night without incident, and I just... the satyrs KNOW THERE ARE THREE OF THEM. How come they didn't just slaughter them in their sleep, or at least attack them??

Also, if the satyrs only eat human flesh, how does the ecosystem even WORK? How many of them are there?? How often do they eat? Are they omnivores or obligate carnivores? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

[isabearies]

Instability -- D:BH [07]

Pairing: Connor x Reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: violence, mega angst, some cursing, please read at own risk

Author’s Note: this one is way long, I got a little carried away lol. Super action packed, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Connor has just been assigned to the deviant case with you and Hank. You have a history with androids, but he just wants a partner. You want androids to be heard, but you’re still terrified of them.

Chapter Seven: Machine

The ride to the scene was awkward, no one had the confidence to break the looming silence. Not Connor, certainly not you. You hadn’t even thought about Hank or if he knew what was going on. You didn’t even know what was going on.

Again, there was nothing said even as you exited the car and got into the elevator. However, Connor looked preoccupied. As the elevator lifted you several floors, his eyes flickered closed and he appeared distant. It was an odd sight, but it was also weird to see his features in this way. The lighting was bare and it casted shadows onto his bone structure. His expression was calm, yet determined. You wondered what he was thinking about. The elevator halted and opened, to which both you and Hank naturally strutted out of the contraption.

Connor, however, stayed.

“Hey Connor!” Hank tried to get his attention. This was the first anyone had spoken in a while. It felt unnatural.

His eyes opened to look across at Hank.

“You run outta batteries or what?”

“I’m sorry,” he spoke, robotic and distant, “I was making a report to CyberLife.” 

You were not sure how, but his voice was…satisfying. When he spoke, it was as if it completed a sentence in the constructs of your mind with no words. Something about it implied human texture, but it was elastic and smooth like silicone.

“Do you plan on staying in the elevator?” The thought of that made you chuckle, and Connor’s reaction didn’t help.

“No, I’m coming!” He sounded offended and it made you giggle more. Things were feeling normal again. Whatever normal was, that is.

Hank and you walked into the hallway with Connor just behind you.

“So, what do we know about this guy?”

“Not much, just that a neighbor reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor.” Connor filled you in a little more.

“That doesn’t immediately say deviant though, right?” you questioned this report just subtly, since you had heard plenty of empty complaints from neighbors before.

“Nobody’s supposed to be living here, but the neighbor said he saw a man hiding a LED under his cap.” The details started to come together.

Connor had started walking a little faster to catch up to you, walking in tandem with you and Hank.

“Oh Christ, if we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we’re gonna need more cops.” Hank was distraught with annoyance, rightfully so. Connor bent down parallel to the apartment door accessing some junk on the floor. You got curious.

“Connor, were you actually writing a report in the elevator? Just…by closing your eyes?”

Connor turned back to look at you, his eyes reflecting into yours.

“Correct.”

“Wish I could do that…” Hank mumbled ruggedly as he knocked on the door.

Silence, followed by Hank shrugging as Connor turned to him. Connor knocked harder, “Anybody home?” More silence.

You got tired of this. “Open up! Detroit Police!” Finally, there was movement.

Hank drew his weapon, as did you.

“Stay behind me.” 

“Got it.”

Hank kicked down the door as the two of you entered, Connor still behind the door frame.

The hallway was decrepit, with light showing through the ceiling and paint peeling from the ghoulishly grey walls. It might have been bland in color, but definitely not in texture. The walls were also decorated with hexagonal shapes and weird pictures. Connor ducked into a room and as you cased the other.

Hank broke open a door, to which a shit ton of pigeons flew out.

“What the fuck is this!” Hank’s call beckoned you to follow him to the main room. In it, the floor was crammed with pigeons and there were more hexagonal shapes. Your hand moved to cover your nose.

“Holy shit it stinks in here!” you blurted out, noticing Connor looking around, never minding the pigeons nor the smell.

“Looks like we came for nothing, our man’s gone.” Hank’s hoarse voice echoed in the abandoned room. 

“Just look around and see if we can find where he might have went.” Hank was in a mood, probably because he was sick of the deviant business in general.

Connor turned to his right to see a UFO poster, and promptly removed its place from the wall. This action was unjust at first, but behind the wall lay a book. You could not see its contents, but seeing his face riddled with confusion made you curious as to how his brain worked. Or however androids brains worked.

His brow drawn and mouth downturned, his perplexity perplexed you in a way. How could someone sound and look so pristine, so human, and yet still reflect such robotic qualities? That was just it, really; he was a robot. An android.

A machine.

He could not feel, he could not exude the same emotions as a human. It was quite bothersome, really. It was as if talking to a wall with a face. Yes, the wall can talk and make faces and such, but all it was just a wall. Nothing more, nothing less. It was not human, and it could never act like a human. You knew this far too well.

“Found something?” You already knew the answer but the curiosity was itching.

“I don’t know, it looks like a notebook but it’s…indecipherable.”

You turned to your direct right and opened up a closet. A couple pigeons flew towards you. Nothing.

The windows were boarded up, the cabinets in disarray, which made you think. There was nothing in the cabinets to begin with, except for rat food. You opened the refrigerator.

Empty.

Connor was to your left and looked at what seemed to be a military jacket.

“R.T…probably initials.”

“He put his initials in his jacket? That’s something your mom does when you’re in the first grade…” Hank was a smart ass as always.

“That’s assuming he went to first grade.”

You walked into the bathroom, where something was smeared on the side of the sink. Connor touched it and placed his fingers to his lips.

“Connor! Don’t lick the evidence!”

“I can analyze blue blood in real time–”

You thought a moment.

“Okay, that’s really cool, but it’s still evidence. Please don’t put anything else in your mouth.”

“Got it.”

You took a look at the sink itself, to find an LED sitting on the ledge.

“So it was a deviant. Mystery solved.” You were getting sick of smelling bird feces. Finally looking around the bathroom, there were symbols everywhere. The most prevalent was “RA9,” which had no meaning to you. However, as Connor looked at the patterns, something clicked. He reached out to the paint to find it was still wet. 

You decided to speak. “Any idea what it means?”

“RA9...written 2471 times...it’s the same sign Ortiz’s android wrote on the shower wall. Why are they obsessed with this sign?” Connor’s tone was of pure confusion.

“It looks like a bunch of mazes...maybe like a map?” Connor bent down to find a wooden stool turned over on the floor. His eyes paced the scene rapidly, placing everything together it looked like. He got up and quickly walked to the cage on the floor. Again, getting up and looking towards the door. Finally, he moved towards the chair in the corner of the room to the hole in the ceiling. The room almost stood still…

You paced towards the ceiling, with some pigeons scattering about when a large black figure fell out of the hole and into you. You fell hard into the ground, feeling every splintering piece of wood stab your backside.

“Oh shit!” 

Connor helped you up, a hand on your forearm and shoulder. You stood, and Connor was gone, chasing the deviant. A crash, a boom, and a door opening. That was all you heard before silence as Connor probably left the building from the emergency exit. 

“Let’s go around!”

O

There was nothing on his mind. Complete calm in his systems. His body, however, was dashing in utter and absolute control. He jumped over a generator, never failing to make the cut. He focused on one thing and one thing only.

Catch the deviant.

The task was better read than done. A jump down the wall to a field of wheat. Again, completely calm as he did what might’ve been painful to humans. Something that would have injured your ankles in three different places.

Catch the deviant.

He crossed the field and climbed the wall parallel to the last into another field, and onto another higher building. Androids all about, growing plants. A swift right turn and a fall onto a glass ceiling. The deviant broke the glass in front of him and Connor hinged his legs to jump into the damage.

A perfect landing. However, not good enough. The deviant was making headway up the stairs, approximately 10 meters ahead of him. The door closed in front of him, to which Connor made a quick right into a lavender field. Taking a shortcut to his right, he climbed onto another generator onto a building. Two meters ahead.

Catch the deviant. 

The jump led the another glass ceiling to slide down. The deviant was already on the train as Connor jumped and landed into a perfect stance. A ladder, deviant is approximately 1.6 meters ahead. However, Connor skidded on the ladder, the deviant was already running. He was now 8 meters away. Damnit.

Catch the deviant.

Another jump onto a higher building into a greenhouse. A swift couple of jumps later and he was in a cornfield. This chase was taking too long, he needed the deviant secured as soon as possible. Connor dashed out, to find (y/n) having a fistfight with the deviant. The suspect threw you over the ledge. Analyzing the situation, he found that if not helped, you would be heavily injured. Chance of survival: 89%

CatcH the deviAnt.

The decision was not conscious. He ran toward you and pulled you up, a hand on yours and another on your forearm. This was the third time he pulled you up today. If it was a habit, it was one he didn’t mind.

^^ sOftwarE inStaBility ^^

O

Hanging over the ledge, you anticipated Connor to run after the deviant. You left Hank in a mad dash to cut him off. However, when you felt a warm, strong hand pull you up, you were left surprised and somewhat disappointed. You realized Connor did not go after him, but instead saved you. He disobeyed his orders.

“Shit! I--We had it!” The cursing was real, but you were not just cursing at the deviant getting away. Connor disobeyed his orders. That meant something, and you knew from experience. This was only the beginning.

“It’s my fault,” Connor broke your thoughts, “I should have been faster.”

You looked up at him. He was still in an action stance looking towards the deviant. The realization only became more prevalent.

“You didn’t chase after him…” Your voice was soft, but audible. It wasn’t a statement, more so a moment of disbelief. Connor looked down to you, his soft brown eyes not fully comprehending what this meant. Not disobeying orders in this moment, but the big picture. What was to come. Oh god.

His face was sad, and you felt bad that you had to be a burden to carry. You were the reason the deviant was not in custody right now.

A distant sound of footsteps were heard, a bang of a door opening, and Hank was now on the roof.

“Where the fuck did it go?” he yelled.

“I fell, Connor helped me.” It was a frustrated response.

Hank was also disappointed, but his face changed. You thought you saw the same realization hit him for a split second. He was good at hiding his emotions.

“It’s alright, we know what it looks like. We’ll get it next time.”

Hank was already down the steps. You wanted to thank him for saving you, but the words didn’t feel right. It was your fault. You let him get away.

“Connor--” He turned to look at you, his sad brown eyes looking down at yours. This was getting all too real all too quick. And you had nothing to contribute.

“Nothing...let’s just go.” You could feel his gaze on your back once again, it was a cold stab on your warm, heart-pounding, nervous body. 

Connor stood there a moment. Just a moment. He saw the sun. It looked...different.

—

Let me know what you guys think! If you want to be tagged, just ask. And if you have any suggestions, don’t be shy!

Taglist:

@veaaaaa @lisylla @shit-post-things @hookedinto-fictionalworlds @toadbones @princessleiass @dolce-clout @sm0kingcrack

[blehbleehhhh]

Prom? ft. Eremika <3

I absolutely needed to write something fluff-tastic lol. This came out during a brainstorm the other night. I hope you enjoy!

It was all supposed to go so smoothly; go to school, act like everything is completely normal like he isn't planning on asking his best friend to prom, then somehow manage to sneak away without raising her suspicions and set everything up at the park, right under her favorite Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree.

And then Jean happened...

Again.

That bastard.

He'd caught up to them when they were walking to chemistry with a single red rose in his hand, and attached to this rose, is a note that she currently has no time to read. Mikasa being herself was polite, but Eren knows her too well not to pick up on her irritation. Offering him a slight smile, she graciously accepted her gift and twiddled it with her fingers as she brought it up to her nose.

"Thank you, Jean, it's beautiful. Can I think about it?" Mikasa set the rose on her textbook, surprised to see the surprised look on his face.

"Uh yeah! Yeah, of course," He blushed slightly and looked up at Eren with a smirk on his face. "Jaeger."

"Man horse." Eren snorted and nearly gagged when Jean's eyes scanned over her body, taking in how her black tank top extenuates her petite, feminine body. Yet she still smiled sweetly at her not so secret admirer, meanwhile, all he wanted to do was clock the guy in the jaw.

"Bye, Jean." The young man nodded once and slipped his fingers through his hair before heading for his locker, just as Mikasa yanked Eren into the classroom. "Hey," she whispered, gently squeezing his bicep with her fingers. "You need to relax, okay? Jean is harmless."

"Are you implying that I'm jealous?"

"I mean," Mikasa grinned, pushing her fingers through her hair to get it out of her face. "If the shoe fits." Inside he groaned, because he knows that she's right, that there most definitely is a plethora of jealousy coursing through his veins right now. But that's mostly because a lot of the other guys, not just Jean, are almost constantly gossiping about how ridiculously attractive she is, which is also a fact.

It was a pain in the ass to pretend that nothing was going on all day while they were at school. Especially because Armin kept smiling and chuckling to himself whenever he saw them together, undoubtedly relieved his best friends will soon be together after Eren finally reveals his feelings to the girl of his dreams later that evening. The hardest part by far had to be sneaking away from the house without Mikasa hearing him, damn old house, and the chuckles from his mother just made things even worse. But he's due to meet up with Armin at the park around 6:30, which, if Eren has timed this right, when he's ready to grab her from the house, the sun should just barely begin to kiss the horizon.

"Dude, I don't think this is good enough," Eren slowly shook his head, looking down at the pattern of candles arranged in the shape of 'prom?'. "She's going to say no, Armin."

"Well, shit, negative Nellie," Armin snorted, watching his friend's reaction as he adjusts the candles. "Give her a chance to shoot you down first." Eren laughed and anxiously cracked his knuckles, giving him a thumbs up to signify that he's finally satisfied with the arrangement.

"Thanks for the confidence boost, scum bag."

"Alright, alright, but seriously. Don't be a fool. This will be the best day of her life."

"But Jean asked her today, too, and I don't know if she said yes or not! What if she said yes!? This will be a waste and I'll make a fool out of -"

"Or -" Armin held up his hand and smiled when he tried to interrupt him. "Just hear me out," He squatted down on his feet to start lighting the candles. "You finally sweep her off her feet just like she's always dreamed, and Jean really won't matter to her at that point, which he barely does to begin with. You've been the only guy she's had her eyes on since we met her, dude, so I think you're good."

"Speaking of which, I should probably go get said her," Eren pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time and immediately stuffed it back in its place. "Thanks for your help, Armin. Happy now?"

"That you're finally acting on your feelings for her without being an asshole? Extremely. I've got this covered, so, go be a romeo." His friend smiled as he continued lighting the candles, finally finished with the letter 'o'. Eren just rolled his eyes and he walked away, jogging back to the house in as timely of a fashion as possible. It wasn't long until he reached the front yard, where he could at last text her to come outside:

Eren: oi, come here for a second.

Mika: where are you?

Eren: outside

Mika: lol why?

Eren: just fucking come here

His heart skipped a beat when the front door slowly opened and she peeked her head out, flashing him her smile as she carefully closed the door behind her, attempting not to make too much noise. "What's up?"

"Let's go for a walk," Eren nodded in the direction of the park, desperately trying to disguise his amusement. "I want to show you something."

"Uh, okay," She practically hopped down the steps to get to him and felt herself grow warm as she got closer. "But where? It's getting dark."

"Trust me, you won't need any sunlight to see this." Eren smiled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. They walked together in silence, but that's never been something that bothered them because they always enjoy each other's company, for the most part, even if they're fighting for some stupid reason he usually triggers, because he's so in love with her that he can't stand it anymore. As they neared the park, Eren slowed down to get behind her and reached up, gently placing his hands over her eyes. She giggled and grasped onto his wrists. "Bear with me, we're almost there."

"Ooh, I'm so nervous!"

"Don't be," He suddenly breathed in her ear, making her shiver as they neared the array of candles. "I'm right here."

"Cherry blossoms and..." Mikasa sniffed and immediately smiled. "...Vanilla?" It suddenly registered that his chin was resting on her shoulder, and then he removed his hands, giving her a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light and chuckled quietly into her hair when she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Mikasa, will you go to prom with me?" She let out a mix between a gasp and a laugh, still awestruck at the sight that’s displayed before her; underneath the most beautiful tree in the entire park, there are several lit candles that spell out the word, prom? This can not possibly be real, this has to be a joke. At the risk of overwhelming her, he slipped his arms around her waist from behind and smirked inwardly when she turned her head to the side to meet his gaze. A grin teased her lips as she placed a hand on the side of his face, and before either of them knew it, he kissed her softly on the lips. "...and be my girlfriend?" That did it. Mikasa shed a tear and turned in his arms, crashing her lips against his, kissing him so quickly that he could barely keep up. She smiled as she slowly pulled away and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"All I can say is, it's about fucking time."

"So, yes? No? Maybe..."

"I can't say yes enough to possibly be able to imply how unbelievably excited I am..."

"I'm sorry it took me so long, but I've loved you-" Eren was silenced with a soft pair of lips on his and was quick to gently cradle her cheek in his hand to deepen their kiss, pleased to feel her press her body flush against his, both of them already high off each other when she slowly pulled away.

"Stop, stop!” Mikasa smiled and kissed him once more. “You're going to make my heart explode. I love you too, Eren.” She planted a succession of kisses on his lips just to make sure this indeed is happening and buried her face in the side of his neck, and Eren wrapped his arms around her waist, embracing his new girlfriend tightly against him.

[professor-hiddles]

Unspoken [bucky barnes]

pairing: bucky x reader (modern au??? but bucky still has the arm)

words: 2.6k 

warnings: implied smut, some violence? also maybe just a little slut shaming (not from any of our faves i promise) uhhh some angst & swearing too

a/n: this might be kinda sucky but whatevs i just wanted to post something lol. also theres a vine reference in there for some comic relief :) enjoyyyyyyy

The two of you knew what you were getting into. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, but purely sexual. Something to release the tension. There were five rules you had set in place, rules that kept both of you safe. 

Rule 1

No physical contact outside of your bedroom sessions. Since you shared a friend group, it was common to be seen out in public together, but this was your own rule. No touching. You could talk, make jokes, and even flirt, but no skin to skin contact.

Rule 2

Don’t stay away from potential relationships at the expense of the other. If an opportunity for a relationship presented itself, don’t stay away to protect feelings, and don’t try to keep the other person away from someone with potential.  

Rule 3

Keep emotions or pillow talk to a minimum. You’re not building an intimate relationship, but rather just having fun and enjoying one another physically. Only engage in emotional conversations if absolutely necessary. This was a rule broken rather often, as the both of you were usually under intense stress. 

Rule 4

No dates. No meeting for coffee, no going out to dinner. If you were gonna hang out, it would be with your friends. 

***

Something changed around two months into your agreement. Bucky was getting more sensual with you, being incredibly gentle and making sure that you were completely comfortable before he did anything. This was unusual, as he was typically a bit rough and fast. It was certainly different, but you weren’t complaining. 

“Buck, is there a reason as to why you’re being so gentle with me?” you asked, gently tugging on his hair. His mouth left your body for a moment, eyes meeting yours. 

“No reason, why? Are you uncomfortable?” he asked, his metal hand drawing circles on your thigh. He got back to work, pleasure coming over you in waves.

“No—not at all. Just wondering,” you said before arching your back off the mattress. Damn, he was talented with his mouth. 

He hummed in response, the vibration going through your whole body. His hands held your hips, keeping your body firmly planted on the bed. Your heart was racing, the euphoria coursing through you. 

Bucky crawled up next to you, laying on his back. You rolled onto your stomach to face him. Your hands met his hair, twirling it around your finger. 

“I think we should stop this, Buck,” you whispered, avoiding eye contact. His head turned toward yours, his smile dropping. 

“Why? I thought we were having fun, Y/N,” he said, his hand grabbing the one that was intertwined in his hair. 

“We are—were, but I met someone.” 

Rule 2. 

He could feel his heart break a little. All he could think of was someone else touching you in the ways that he did. 

“Oh. Do I know him?” he asked, his voice as low as yours. 

You nodded, “Brock Rumlow, I think he goes to your gym.” 

Fucking Brock, Bucky thought, Of course he would rob me of the one good thing in my life.

Bucky didn’t respond, instead just closing his eyes. You knew he heard you, and you knew he was hurt. You didn’t push the topic, so you let sleep wash over you.

You woke up to an empty bed, the sheets next to you were cold. A frown formed on your face, but you knew what this meant. 

You knocked your head back onto your pillow, letting a groan escape. A part of you felt empty, but a part of you felt enlightened, free to explore what other men have to offer. 

Bucky returned to his apartment, dreading the loneliness that was bound to ensue. He had fallen for you, hard. He hated the idea of someone else holding your heart, someone else taking part in your life. 

He knew he wasn’t supposed to fall for you, but love works in mysterious ways. He loved your laugh, how you got a bit embarrassed when it was too loud. He loved the way you said his name. He loved the way you joke with each other, more sarcasm than he’d ever experienced. He liked that you weren’t afraid of him, metal arm and all. That usually drives people off, but not you. He loved that you bear your feelings to him, your vulnerabilities. 

He longed to hold your hand. He wanted nothing more than to kiss your cheek and tell you how beautiful you are. Truly stunning. He longed to kiss you in front of your friends, call you his once and for all. He longed to be the one you come to after a long day, just for comfort. 

He felt miserable. The one thing that actually meant something to him had been taken. He knew this day would come. He just never pictured it would be so soon. 

He should have told you how he felt. He still should. 

Bucky pulled himself together, put on a happy face and made his way to the gym. He walked in, eyes scanning the area for Brock. He hoped that he wasn’t there, but nothing ever goes the way you want it to. He decided it might be good to talk to him at least.

His eyes landed on the man in question. Bucky took a deep breath and walked over to the weights he was using. 

“Need a spot, Brock?” he asked, hoping that he would say yes. Brock looked at him, realizing who was asking. 

A cocky smile grew on Brock’s face, “Hey, man. If you don’t mind, that’d be great.”

Bucky forced a smile on his face, he stepped behind the bench press. Half of him wanted to drop the barbell on the man, but the other half wanted to grill him about you. He decided on the latter.

“So, uh, you and Y/N, huh? How long has that been going on?” Bucky said, trying to casually slip questions into the light conversation. 

A smug look crossed his face, “Around two weeks or so, she’s a cool girl. Surprised one of you didn’t pick her up already.”

You and me both, buddy, Bucky thought, gritting his teeth. “Yeah, she’s the best. Treat her good, man.”

A short laugh left Brock’s mouth. “To be honest with you, I think this’ll be more of a hit it and quit it kind of thing, you know? She’s stupid hot, but not really girlfriend material. Seems like a bit of a whore. I heard she fucks every dude in your friend group.” 

Bucky scoffed. It was taking everything he had in him not to punch the man’s teeth in. 

“Who fed you that bullshit lie? You’re lucky she even considered you, dipshit,” Bucky growled. He couldn’t just stand idly by anymore, he took the bar out of the man’s hands and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt, “If you even think about hurting her, I’ll hunt you down and fucking kill you.”

Brock looked genuinely scared for a moment, before a smile appeared on his face. “My god, you’re in love with the whore! Let me guess, you’re fucking her too?” 

“Alright, thats it. You asked for it, you piece of shit!” Bucky yelled, before charging at Brock. Several punches were thrown before Bucky felt someone pulling him off of the man. 

Steve had a strong grip on the man, guiding him toward the exit. “Dude, what the hell? I know he’s a douche, but you can’t lunge at him in the middle of the gym! What was it even about?” 

Bucky’s hand curled into a fist, “He was calling Y/N a whore, and saying he was only with her for sex. I just couldn’t help myself. I hate when assholes like him get such wonderful women and then drop them like they’re nothing. She deserves someone better than that, Steve. She deserves someone who’ll listen to her, and keep her happy, and take care of her in all the best ways.”

A small smile worked its way onto Steve’s face, “Someone like you?”

Bucky nodded his head, “Yes! Wait—how did you know I meant me?” he looked at the man, clearly puzzled. You two were careful to hide your relationship, you were sure none of your friends knew.

“Dude, you think no one notices how you stare at her? You get this little sparkle in your eyes every time you talk to her, its almost sickening how cute it is,” Steve said, patting his friend on the shoulder. 

“She doesn’t feel the same, anyway, so what does it matter? I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her, Steve.” Bucky said, his eyes glued to the pavement. 

Steve sighed, “What do you mean ‘you weren’t supposed to fall in love with her,’? Why not?”

Bucky’s breath hitched in his throat, “Uh, never mind. No reason.” 

Steve didn’t look convinced, but he let the topic go. “You might not have noticed, Buck, but she definitely does. When you aren’t there, all she does is talk about you.”

His eyes flicked up to meet Steve’s, his cheeks flushed. Bucky could barely get out a coherent sentence. 

“No, I—that can't be,” he mumbled, but all evidence of doubt was erased when he saw the look on Steve’s face, “Really? But she’s so beautiful and kind and downright great; and I’m me.” 

Steve nodded, “Yeah man, but she wont like you for long if you don’t explain your side of what just happened in there. For all we know, Rumlow could be telling her that you attacked him for no reason.” 

Bucky’s eyes went wide for a moment, before running a hand through his hair. He let out a shaky breath before pulling out his phone. 

“Shit, ok, I’m gonna ask her to meet me at the bar later. Hopefully I can lay everything out and we’ll be on the same page, but if not, be prepared to nurse my broken heart.”

Steve gave a short nod before clapping him on the back, “Good luck, Buck. You’ll do great, I know it.”

After a shower and a quick bite to eat, Bucky walked down the sidewalk, trying to figure out what he would say to you. Would he apologize for putting Brock in his place? Hell no. Would he apologize for letting it get that out of hand? Possibly. Would he tell you how he felt and accept your answer, good or bad? Absolutely. 

He took a seat at the bar, ordering a whiskey, neat. His eyes darted around the bar, his nerves making him a bit jumpy. The door to the establishment opened once more with the ring of a bell, your senses taking in the familiar sights and sound that the bar has to offer. 

You heard shot glasses hit the bar counter; the sharp sound of a cue ball being hit. Your gaze almost immediately caught the glimmer of the metal arm, a smile crawling up your face. Your heels clicked on the floor below you, the sound catching Bucky’s attention. 

He stood up, arms enveloping you in a hug. Rule 1, you remembered, but maybe I can let it slide just this once. Your arms slid around his waist, returning the embrace. Bucky pulled away first, his hands resting on your shoulders. 

“Y/N, sit, please,” he said, pulling the bar chair out for you. You took the seat, still wondering what you were doing here. “I know you said you want to end things because you found someone, and I respect that decision, but please, just hear me out for a moment.”

You sighed, but stayed silent, signaling him to go on. 

“Okay, this might come out the wrong way, but please understand that I mean absolutely no disrespect to you,” your eyes widened slightly, but still you let him continue. “Brock isn’t the guy for you, you should cut things off with him.” 

A short, dry laugh left your lips, “Why? Who told you that this was your decision to make?” 

Hurt flashed across his eyes, but he stayed calm. “Y/N, he called you a whore. He also said that he’s only going out with you to get in your pants. He doesn’t want the real you, he only wants the idea of you. I know its not my decision to make,  but I really think that this is whats best for you.” 

“No, you’re lying. How do you know that? Last I checked you weren’t all buddy buddy with him,” you said, shaking your head. “How do you know whats good for me?”

He ran a hand through his hair, “Thats my opinion, Y/N. I’m sorry if it’s not what you want to hear, but it needed to be said. If I can save you from this guy, then best believe I’ll put everything on the line to do so.”

“Please, you think I need saving? I’m perfectly capable of handling this on my own, thank you very much,” you said, close to tears.

“I know you can, but I’m worried that your feelings might blind you from whats actually going on!” he yelled, but you stormed out. Bucky was quick to follow, lightly gripping your arm. 

You spun around to face him, anger clear on your face, “Why? Why do you care so damn much?”

Both of your hearts picked up, nearly beating out of your chests. Bucky’s eyes looked glassy, he didn’t mean to upset you. All he wanted was to warn you, and tell you how he felt. 

“You wanna know why? Because I‘m fucking in love with you, Y/N! I know I wasn’t supposed to, but you made it damn hard to resist. When you told me about Brock, my heart nearly cracked in two. I didn’t even want to think about him having what I hold dearest to my heart. I’m in love with you for you, not your body, or the idea of you. I love that you listen to me, and confide your feelings in me. I love how much you care for those around you, and the kindness that’s so clearly within your heart. I love the way your eyes light up when you talk about something you love, and the smile that makes my heart jump. I didn’t want to fall in love with you, but I’ll be damned if I tell you I regret it, because I absolutely don’t,” his chest was heaving now, and you couldn’t tell if the wetness on his face was the pouring rain around you or tears.

You stared at him, the weight of his words weighing on your shoulders. You wanted to cry, punch him and kiss him all in the same moment. 

He looked like he was going to speak up again, but you cut him off by pressing your lips to his. It wasn’t at all rushed like your past ones, but more passionate and loving. His arms were protectively wrapped around you, your bodies pressed close. 

You pulled away, resting your forehead on his, “Buck, we broke rule five.”

A smile was on his face, “I think we broke all of the rules, but fuck ‘em, especially rule five.”

Rule five wasn’t a rule you talked about often, because it was understood by all parties. Technically, the ‘unspoken’ rule. 

Rule 5

Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with the other. 

[kayfabejake]

WWF Survivor Series 1996 PPV Review

It’s that time of year! Get out your Thanksgiving leftovers, cause it’s time for the second longest and most boring special match type of the year (in my opinion, don’t hate me). The big match on this card for me is Stone Cold Steve Austin versus Bret “The Hitman” Hart, a prequel to their legendary double turn match at WrestleMania 13. Let’s get watching and let’s get reviewing!

Date: 11.17.1996 / Venue: Madison Square Garden - New York, NY / Attendance: 18647 / Tagline: Back To Attack

Survivor Series Elimination Match Henry Godwinn & Phineas Godwinn “The Godwinns” w/ Hillbilly Jim, Doug Furnas, and Phillip LaFon def. Leif Cassidy & Marty Jannetty “The New Rockers”, Owen Hart & The British Bulldog w/ Clarence Mason in (20:41)

The level of talent in this match is so wildly inconsistent it’s hilarious

“Phineas is gonna attempt a suplex! How stupid is that!” Good point JR

Henry Godwinn eliminates Jannetty with the “Slop Drop”, Owen Hart eliminates Henry with a spinning back kick, Bulldog then eliminates Phineas Godwinn. Good that we got the Godwinns out jesus christ

Furnas hits a vicious powerslam on Cassidy

Owen Hart with a very high dropkick

The heels are working over Doug Furnas in the corner

Bulldog hits the delayed vertical suplex on Furnas and then flips just to showboat

Vicious gutbuster onto Furnas, JR calls it a “Suzanne Somers” gutbuster lol

LaFon eliminates Cassidy

Owen Hart’s belly to belly suplexes are a thing of beauty

LaFon pins Bulldog, who retaliates with an illegal chop block

Hart comes in to work on LaFon’s legs by smashing them against the ringpost

Hart applies the sharpshooter but Furnas breaks it up

Hart catches the leg of LaFon and LAFON HITS A STEP UP REVERSE ENZIGURI

Furnas gets the hot tag, suplexes Hart and picks up the win for the faces!

My Rating [2.75*] / Daddy Meltzer’s Rating [3.25*]

The Undertaker pins Mankind w/ Paul Bearer in (14:52)

Bearer goes into a shark cage lmao

TAKER COMES DOWN FROM THE CEILING LIKE A BAT LOL

Brawling in the ring, then on the outside

The Undertaker bites the mandible claw hand!

Catches the mandible claw and stands up into some chops!

Mankind takes a huuuuuge bump holy shit

Undertaker wins with a tombstone!

My Rating [3*] / Daddy Meltzer’s Rating [2.25*]

Survivor Series Elimination Match “The Stalker” Barry Wyndham, “The Wildman” Marc Mero w/ Sable, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, & Rocky Maivia def. Goldust, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Crush, & Hunter Hurst Helmsley in (23:44)

This match is a real “shape of things to come” match, wow. The Rock’s first PPV match and HHH coming into the match with the Intercontinental Belt.

Lots of in and out heel work

The Rock fights King for a while and holy shit, Rock has already got the facial expressions and the super selling down pat

Trips and Rocky lock up

Suplex by HHH into an elbow drop by Goldust

Crush hits a backbreaker on The Rock

Sunny, on commentary, accuses Vince of wearing a toupee

Vince sweeps it under the rug verrrrry quickly 🤔

Heels work over Rocky for a while, hot tag to Roberts who cleans house

Lawler is eliminated by Roberts

Mero hits HHH with a standing headscissors, a back body drop, then after a quick break the Merosault takes out Trips

Mero and Jake The Snake are quickly eliminated, Mero sort of off screen

Rocky is alone, facing Crush & Goldust. The crowd already loves him

Crossbody onto both Crush and Goldust

Rocky pins Crush! Rock against Goldust!

BRUTAL SHOULDER BREAKE TO GOLDUST FOR THE WIN AND THE CROWD ERUPTS

My Rating [3*] / Daddy Meltzer’s Rating [2*]

Bret “The Hitman” Hart pins Stone Cold Steve Austin in (28:36)

Holy fucking shit. The prequel to Austin v. Hart at WM13. I’m so excited to watch this, and even more excited to see Austin v. Hart II.

The Hitman versus The Rattlesnake. Let’s fucking go.

There’s this look on Austin’s face as he sizes up Bret, before the jabbering and the bantering. Begrudging respect gives way to anger and a burning desire to win.

Austin working over Hart’s arm in the middle of the ring, but his knowledge of holds and human body geometry allows him to escape and put Austin into a disadvantageous position

Hart driving knees into Austin’s back

Amazing drop toe hold by Austin as Hart bounces off the ropes, but then Hart turns it into an amazing hold on Stone Cold

Austin throws Bret into the ropes, and then works him over with falling elbows and stomps

Stone Cold is continually targeting Hart’s neck and lungs

Hart and Austin trading intense blows

Reversal irish whip into a clothesline into an inverted atomic drop by Hart

Hart thrown to the outside

Hart drives Austin through the barricade and they’re brawling in the crowd

Austin is planted face first into the steel guard rail

Stone Cold rolls all the way out of the ring when he gets put back in lol

Austin catapults Hart into the Spanish desk and they get into a messy brawl on that table

JR sagely observes: “It seems like it always happens to the Spanish guys!”

Austin drops an elbow onto Hart from the apron

Vertical suplex on Hart by Austin OVER THE ROPES, DAMN

A slugfest in the middle of the ring as Hart gives it his all, holy shit

Backbreaker on Austin

Hart goes up to the top rope, and Austin goes up to the top too AND HITS A TOP ROPE SUPLEX HOLY SHIT

Bret attempts to get a sneaky pin but fails

Stone Cold Stunner buys him a two count but no more!

Austin pummeling away at Hart but hart will not give in!!!

Submission applied by Austin, but Hart manages to crawl to the ropes for a break

Bret Hart is IRISH WHIPPED INTO THE FUCKING RING POST, SLIDING INTO IT ON HIS SIDE OUCH

But Hart kicks out, again. Incredible.

HART TURNS THE BOW AND ARROW SUBMISSION INTO A SHARPSHOOTER--NO, HE PUMMELS AWAY AT AUSTIN’S FACE INSTEAD!

Just a mindblowing finish as Hart, in the middle of a sleeper hold from Austin, kicks off the second turnbuckle and backflips both himself and Austin into a pin. The Hitman wins. What a match, an absolute classic.

My Rating [4.5*] / Daddy Meltzer’s Rating [4.5*]

Survivor Series Elimination Match Farooq, Razor Ramon II, Diesel II & Vader (DDQ) Yokozuna, Savio Vega, Flash Funk, & Jimmy Snuka in (09:48)

Hell yes, Cornette is on commentary. Even if this match sucks I’m going to enjoy it.

JR takes a shot at Hulk Hogan -- “I’ve never seen red and yellow look so good in the Garden” (re: Flash’s outfit)

“You couldn’t manage a Wendy’s!” shouts Cornette at JR. “I could if you lived in town,” retorts JR 😂

Diesel II hits a brutal clothesline on Flash Funk

Diesel II eliminates Savio Vega

Snuka eliminates Razor Ramon II and then a bunch of chairs are brought into the ring and an all out brawl breaks out, leading to...a double DQ. Ok, um...what?

My Rating [.5*] / Daddy Meltzer’s Rating [1*]

WWF Heavyweight Title Match Sycho Sid pins Shawn Michaels [c] w/ Jose Lothario in (20:02)

I’m not really sure if I find Michaels hot or I just am really buying into the character and the screams of the audience.

Bret Hart gets the winner of this match for a title shpt, which, knowing about the Michaels/Hart timeline, implies that Sid’s going to win this. but we’ll see

things we know about Michaels coming into this match

he thinks he’s cute

he knows he’s sexy

he’s got the looks that drive the girls wild

he’s got the moves that really move ‘em

he sends chills up and down their spines

big punch from Sid to Michaels in the corner

awesome baseball slide between Sid’s legs into a dropkick from Michaels

chop block by Michaels on Sid and, surprisingly to me, he gets booed!

Michaels uses the ropes to get up high and drop down on Sid’s leg

Michaels in the corner, Sid “sprints” at him and comes in so goddamn slowly it’s hilarious

throughout the match Michaels is working on Sid’s left leg and knee, and continues to get heat from the crowd for doing so

Michaels clotheslined over the top

RIDICULOUS rotation on a back body drop by Sid

backbreaker by Sid gets a two count

huge punch to HBK who is out on his feet in the middle of the ring (in kayfabe)

BUT MICHAELS FIGHTS BACK!

MICHAELS JUMPS UP INTO THE AIR FOR A DOUBLE AXE HANDLE BUT SID PUTS UP HIS FOOT AND MICHAELS BOUNCES OFF, GOING VERTICAL STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR WHILE ON HIS HEAD FOR A BIT LMAO

Michaels kicks out back to back times

Sid catches the Sweet Chin Music and reverses it into a one armed chokeslam

Sid sets up the powerbomb, but Michaels reverses it into a small package pin attempt

Michaels kips up but gets immediately clotheslined by Sid

Sid grabs the camera and hits Jose with it, and the ref CLEARLY SEES IT AND DOES NOT DQ HIM IMMEDIATELY WHAT THE FUCK

Michaels goes out to attend to Lothario, but Sid throws him back into the ring

Michaels bumps the ref, which means...here we go

Sid smashes the camera onto his back

Sid hits the powerbomb. 1-2-3. Even with a slow count from Hebner, Sid gets it. I have to say, I don’t usually like Sycho Sid, but this was a decent match.

My Rating [2.75*] / Daddy Meltzer’s Rating [3.75*]

Overall PPV Rating: B

A decent show with only one bad match. I do have to say there’s one too many Survivor Series matches on this show, and it ended in a DQ anyways--so what was the point? Sycho Sid vs. Shawn Michaels was decent and a believable way for Shawn to drop the belt, and Hart vs. Austin was a fucking KAH-LASSIC that gets me even more hyped for their incoming WM13 showdown.

[fallxnprxnce]

First off, thank you for always indulging my silly questions. Second, I have a new one, lol. Blame it on too much free time on my hands. Since the Hellboy comics seem to imply a zombie apocalypse ending to the universe, how do you think Nuada would deal with the new development? Would the plague affect Fae as well? Or the general fauna and flora? Would Nuada fight the zombies, join humans in their efforts?

No problem! Your questions aren’t silly, they’re actually quite good! I think this one got buried in my AskBox though, so I’m sorry if this reply is super late. =(

So… you are kinda gonna be sorry you asked, because I am a zombie apocalypse enthusiast, haha, and this might be super long. I am a huge fan of the Resident Evil games and movies, all the Night of the Living Dead movies and their various future incarnations, the Left 4 Dead games, the 28 Days/Weeks Later movies, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, a number of viral/nuclear/magical zombie B-movies I’ve seen haha, and even non-traditional zombie-like worlds and themed media like The Crazies, The Happening, Silent Hill, [REC] and its American remake Quarantine, etc. The only popular zombie media I haven’t gotten involved in are World War Z and The Walking Dead. So I’m fairly well versed in zombies apocalypses, their causes, and how they affect various living things.

In a general sense, I think Nuada would be fine as far as surviving being attacked by zombies. He’s got plenty of weapons and plenty of skills, so I don’t see him becoming zombie dinner. He would also be very smart about where and when he sleeps and I feel like he would be able to keep himself pretty safe most of the time.

Having said that, if he is capable of becoming “infected” by whatever is causing the outbreak, then he might have a problem. Actually, two problems. First of all, he does not use ranged weapons. He uses daggers, swords, and spears. Those are… not what you want to be using against zombies. Well, I mean, use whatever you have in an emergency, haha, but ideally, you want weapons that will cause blunt force trauma to the head, or you want guns. Slicing and stabbing weapons will spread contagious blood everywhere and increase your chances of infection. Even if he doesn’t get blood splattered in his mouth and eyes while he fights (which is likely) he might accidentally infect himself while cleaning zombie blood off his weapons later on.

That’s the first issue. The second is that Nuada honestly probably does not know about or understand bacteria and viruses and microorganisms. Maaaaybe he knows of their existence? But he wouldn’t know how to protect against them as far as contagious infection. It’s not like he would practice good handwashing, use antibacterial/antiviral soap, and remember to never wipe contagious blood on his clothes when cleaning weapons. He probably also wouldn’t know to not touch infected corpses, even just to move them somewhere or check their clothes, etc., with his bare hands. So he may be exposing himself to a lot more danger of infection than the average human for that reason.

Now… the question as to whether a plague that results in human zombies would also result in zombie fae, or would affect plants and animals, is far more complicated. Let’s just break everything down and work through this, shall we? XD

Of course, if your zombie apocalypse is caused by some sort of necromancer’s spell or shady nuclear accident, haha, then only those affected by the magic/meltdown would turn into zombies. Magic and nuclear radiation aren’t “contagious,” they only affect unfortunate individuals who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the butt of a necromancer’s bad mood. But assuming we’re dealing with something contagious and microbial, let’s continue on.

Although, the original Night of the Living Dead was very sketchily defined, with some “strange phenomenon” or “radiation” potentially causing it, and yet the zombies were highly contagious. Of course, the true cause was never really defined, and it may very well have been some sort of virus anyway. Romero kindof left hings very open, which was all part of the mood of the whole thing. 

Humans vs. fae. I would think… that flesh and blood humanoids might be affected in similar manners by bacteria and viruses. So, as long as you’re not plant-based or reptilian or dragonian or anything that would have an entirely different biology than flesh and blood humans or elves, you might be susceptible to infection. I would think that this would also extend to trolls, ogres, and orcs, so long as the microbe causing everything is not very specific. If it is specific enough to only infect humans, then elves probably wouldn’t be infected. It would depend upon the nature of the microbe.

If you get something like the rage virus in 28 Days/Weeks Later, or something like kuru or mad cow disease caused by a prion, or a virus that functions similarly to rabies like in [REC] and Quarantine, then it may be very contagious yet nonspecific, affecting all living mammals equally. The symptoms of the infection, the gestation period, and the mortality may vary by species, but infection would still probably proceed, but would be limited to flesh and blood mammals. Cold-blooded organisms and plant-based organisms would not be affected.

In this case, though, the infected would not result in true undead zombies, they would just be infected humans until they die somehow. However, if you have something like the highly versatile and mutagenic T-virus from Resident Evil, now you’re in deep shit, heh. It’s highly contagious and can infect ANYTHING. Because of what it is, a DNA virus that is highly efficient in what it does and can cause uncontrollable mutation in hosts beyond their original forms, the virus can cross species and infect all living things. Granted, it seemed to only kill plants (there weren’t like… mutated sentient trees walking around hahaha), but it did kill animals like dogs and crows in addition to humans, and turn them into true undead zombies. So this is worst case scenario, right here, haha.

With something that infects everything and has the ability to keep the dead animated past their demise (and keeping their contagious nature), I would say that something like the T-virus would screw everybody over and infect elves, other fae, other non-humans, dryads, fairies, orcs, trolls, bark children, ogres, nymphs, mermaids, unicorns, and anything else that it damn well wants to infect. Pandemonium resulting from a true pandemic, heh. Extinction level pandemic, most definitely, for all species on earth.

I think Nuada would do his best to first protect his own people. But… since he is the last warrior of his kind, I think he would only be able to do so much before his people just died off. What’s interesting about this scenario is that.. he would have to guard Nuala like a freaking hawk because if she dies, he dies. So her not being a warrior at all is a serious problem for him. I think he might try to force her to become one out of necessity.

But once things got really bad… we’re talking a good 3-5 years out from initial infection where the whole world is just dying, his worst fears have already come true. Most of his people are dead, the world is irrevocably destroyed, almost all species are extinct, so… I forsee only two options for him, one of which might not be voluntary…

One is that he becomes very ill and passes away. Honestly, like… he might become so saddened by what has happened to the world and might not see what he is even supposed to be fighting for anymore, that he might slip into something like the Iron Malady and die. Assuming he can keep his spirits up enough to avoid this, let’s move on to the second option.

Yes. Eventually, long after it really mattered and long after everyone and everything (or close to it) he cared about was already gone, he would help humans if he found them. I think he would eventually get kinda lonely, heh, but beyond that, he wouldn’t see the point in being angry at them anymore. Most of them are dead too. It’s just kindof like welp… we’re all fucked so there’s no use in belly-aching. Here’s how we’re going to survive, so do what I say, haha. I can see him trying to become a leader among humans, and among any non-humans who may have survived. He may just end up wanting to band together whatever survivors he can to prevent all life from dying.

I hope I covered all aspects of what you were asking, but if I didn’t, feel free to ask more questions! This was cool, I hadn’t thought about this myself, heh. Nuada in a zombie apocalypse thing………. I would LOVE to do that with someone. XD

[ghosty-schnibibit]

taz liveshow liveblog :D

i cannot believe i downloaded an rss feed reader specifically for the purpose of knowing when taz updates only for it to not work, smh. at least i didn't see any spoilers lol. here we go! :D

i still really need to listen to commitment...

hells yeah, another liveshow on the 28th :D

HYPE HYPE HYPE

"don't naruto shame them" pfff

"i am prepared and a good good dnd boy!" ilu travis

this is just the "and ___ walks over to ___" scene from the finale all over again, poor griffin lol

the story hasn’t even started and already i’m feeling super nostalgic... i wanna do a fourth re-listen so bad, fuuuck

"the THREE OF YoOoU" griffin is so salty already this is gonna be good

i like crush already 

fantasy burt bacharach lol

"sleeveless tuxedo" MAGGIE

"tuxedo sleeves!" M E R L E

merle the beach dwarf in his swimmy trunks :')

he sounds like gundren omfg

LUP LUP LUP :D

THE BREAK IN MUSIC YEEEAH 

HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO GOOD AAAAAAAAAA

"played by al pachino" B)

"it's a little assertive" pfff

i love the idea of lup and taako both studying transmutation together as lil kids and lup just being like "nah, this can be your thing koko i'll be over here blowing shit up"

"greg FUCKIN grimauldes" ilu lup 

"my moral guide, merle highchurch" merle continuing to be the dad of ipre

"maybe?" IT'S YOUR HOME PLANE, YES IT PROBABLY COUNTS

FUCKIN CHARACTER VOICES

so we're looking at a null suit situation here, cool, cool

this raises so many questions though, like... could they visit other planes that got fucked over by the hunger? like the animal kingdom? taz knights? legato? would those planes have heard the story and song broadcast since they were inside the hunger at the time, or no? are they still super fucked up or are they just plugging along like they would have been otherwise? because the set up for this show implies time has passed in their home planar system after the hunger disappeared and jeffandrew put everything back in order, and that lup somehow knows that this has happened in their absence... has she used the belt before, and that’s how she knows? are the planes where they escaped with the light (fungsten, the beach, tessaralia, etc.) accessible too, or did they just get left behind in the multiverse after the hunger passed over them? i'm assuming lucas made the belts (or probably a combo of lucas and barry? planar studies nerd buddies), so how do they work? magic? bonds? what would happen if they broke mid-use? would they be stuck in their old plane with no way to get back? this is such a weird but good setup and it makes for a shit ton of fic possibilities

i have no idea what that means but it sounds bad

oh nooo, maggie, oh nooooo

"well... slam" griffin what is it with these names

aww, crush :(

i ship crush and slam

magnus what the fuck

i can't wait to see how that table flip works later lol

TAAKO ILU 

"NINETEEN!" aww travis i love you

ewwwww, this is worse than the beach episode :(((

TAAKO WHAT THE LITERAL FUCK

"old blue eyes...?" griffin said that with that 'are you sure?’ dm voice and that makes me super nervous

"i don't know 'cause i wasn't expecting him this early" i'm calling it know, griffin's either gonna do his super gruff gundren voice or his bad new jersey accent marvey voice

IT'S THE MARVEY VOICE, I CALLED IT

AND NOW IT'S JUSTIN DOING GRIFFIN'S MARVEY VOICE

NAT 20!!! :D

"THE REAL NICE CHOICE MOPS" I’M DEAD

they never would have thought to do that on their own lol, lup playing the part of competent woman this adventure

continuing the trend of magnus being mr. fanservice lol

"lots of beautiful scars" nice

okay i have to know tho... was the tattoo pre or post stolen century??? because i love the idea of it being something he got in his youth without realizing he'd be stuck with it for 100+ years, but i also love the idea of him and julia getting matching tattoos together at some point

MERLE WHAT THE FUCK

"I CAST PUNCH DAD" 

"WheEeEREe?"

lup and taako just chilling in the corner playing pokemon go

magnus turns himself in samus lol

clint continuing to be the worst at rolling, aww

"i had no muber prepared for... this" poor griffin lol

"it... worked?" pfff

IS THAT CATWALK BOY JERALD

okay, it's not catwalk boy jerald then :T 

good to see griffin's not defaulting straight to jerry like he always does lol

wait shit, if they're in their original plane... is terry gonna recognize them from the IPRE mission???

"GEORGE CLUVEY" 

TAAKO WHAT THE FUCK

"THE THIEVERY KID" T A A K O

this is just like jenkins with the voice lol

merle doing his accidentally insincere voice again

"oh shit we did do this in the mining one” did griffin forget his own puzzle?

oh no... this can't be good

#I'mWithTerry

are you really casting arcane eye for this taako?

T U R K E Y  B O Y

clint the pun master strikes again

i take it griffin’s been playing evil within 2 with the whole chip mechanic

"i could kill him" MERLE WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

welp, they're all dead :T

BARRY WITH FUCKIN HOT CHOCOLATE, I’M D Y I N G

LUP I FUCKIN LOVE YOU HOLY SHIT

"THAT'S MY SISTER!" TAAKO ILU

"my words are my pictures!" griffin you are precious

this is the tomb of horrors all over again with the puzzles

justin's killing it today witht the nat 20s damn

"rouge perversions" pfff

all i can imagine is magnus telling carey about his sweet chest trap diffusal later and her being proud of her bff

travis the music boy strikes again!

oh jesus this is going to take a million years

"it's not the letters" then what is it?

i’m a dipshit too than lol because i have zero idea what this is

so it's just like the scene form the bank in refuge

GO MERLE! :D

"yeah, elevators, fuck yeah" nice

so now magnus just has a workshop full of gold :/

GLASS SHARK, GLASS SHARK

“NOT SOMETHING MY DAD SHOULD KNOW ABOUT” PFFFFF

"oh fuck" my thoughts exactly travis

OH SHIT 

OH CHIRST IT'S LIKE UPSY MECH

LUUUUUP FUCK YEAH, THERE'S MY GIRL :D

i missed the ad break music :')

i can't fuckin wait til the candlenights show omg

yay, initiative time!

DELLA!!!!! :D

what would that even look like holy fuck

yikes holy shit, can't wait to see how lup reacts to her brother getting dunked on so badly 0 _ 0

MAGGIE YOU CANNOT RAILSPLITER THIS SHIT IT’S NOT AN ACTUAL TREE, THIS HAS BEEN FIRMLY ESTABLISHED

apparently he CAN railspliter that shit, nevermind :o

awww, this is so freakin cute omg ^u^

"that's taako's fire" maggie plz :T

i thought his ac went up after story and song though?

taako's gonna fucking die holy shit

YES YOU CAN TAAKO YOU DUMBASS

"but he WAS at magnus's bedside" FUCK NOW I'M SAD :’(

"WHO, LUP?" STOP ZAGGING ON PLANT DAD

"as a sentient being who want's to preserve it's own life" pfff

griffin always forgets to make enemies beefy enough for magnus and/or taako to not kill instantly lmao

everyone loves lup so much lol

SAME HAT? SAME HAT! SAME HAT...

"awww... no, no... do i have to specify?" i love the idea that merle would be tempted to heal the monster, he’s such a sweety

OH SHIT

OH FUCK MAGNUS’S IS TOAST

I T ' S  T H E  S E X  N U M B E R ! ! !

"what? chicken butt" griffin ilu

yikes trav holy fuck

YAY WORD PICTURE TIME

YEEEAH THAT'S SO FUCKIN GOOD, THAT'S SOME GOOD SHIT

"COTTON!" omg you silly boy

what are you about to do merle

ZONE OF TRUTH YEEEEEAH

clint is crushing it on the merle voice today

"i liked the ending of lost" pfff

WHAT THE FUCK MAGNUS, WHAT THE FUCK

WAIT WHAT

TERRY HOLY SHIT

OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK

GRIFFIN WHAT THE FUCK OH MY GOD

that was super feckin good omg, i loved every minute of that. that was exactly what i needed to de-stress before my world history final tomorrow, gods bless

[aprillikesthings]

the return of: rewatch

Back to the Kindergarten! I’ve been looking forward to this. :D :D :D

Do you think I’m gonna rewatch this as often as I do the other Amedot-heavy episodes?? Probably. God, even when I was a baby in this fandom I remember realizing I’d watched Too Far at least six times when I’d watched the rest only once or twice. ANYWAY, here we go!

(LOL THIS TOOK ME OVER AN HOUR BECAUSE I KEPT GOING BACK TO REWATCH STUFF and I typed SO FUCKING MUCH STUFF)

Why does Steven even set an alarm? He doesn’t go to school? Whatever.

The three things he has to do in the kitchen sink now..... like, I reallllly don’t think he actually poops in the sink, that’s just....too much. (I think he does that at the car wash’s bathroom.) I mean we see him brush his teeth and wash his face and hair and I guess the assumption is that he pees in there? Maybe it’s meant to imply taking a bath, brushing teeth, and peeing? I DON’T KNOW. WHAT THREE THINGS IS IT. (”Just go in the ocean, bro! Pssht. Like a fish.”)

The whole “Peridot’s still sad???” implies it’s been more than one night? Thought Amethyst is not known for being patient with people getting over something. Like that time she cared the shit out Steven in Catch and Release: “I'm back to kidnap you! What, it's been long enough that we can joke about it, right?” “It’s only been like an hour!”

I love that she listens to country music. Several people have suggested it’s of the ‘my wife left me and she took the truck’ variety.

I’m side-eying myself slightly for having watched those goofy videos of the VA’s in the studio last December so many times that I recognize one of Shelby’s lines of mumbling. Actually on re-watching I have context for a lot of the random stuff we overhear during those videos. 

God, Peridot’s face. I’m so glad they went for over-the-top here.

The way Amethyst mentions the other amethysts suggests she’s talked about the whole thing with both Steven and Peridot. “Now that I’ve met the neighbors” aaaah my heart!!!

Do think Amethyst forbids her from bringing her music because it’s depressing or because Amethyst dislikes country music? (I think it’s both.)

From now on I’m calling trains “clackity ships.” (Not really, but that’s funny.)

Their whole conversation about the famethyst is the best thing, especially the way it ends with “that’s pretty amazing, ‘dot!” and Peridot blushing. I’m going to rewatch it before moving on. Okay I’m going to rewatch it twice. (Okay, three times. Dang.)

I’m never over the fact that injectors look like bacteriophages (viruses that only attack bacteria). 

It’s really interesting to me that Peridot and Amethyst’s views on kindergartens have literally changed places. (I made a separate post about that.)

This bomb has some gorgeous animation. Amethyst’s expression while Peridot talks about Kindergartens, the wind in her hair--it’s fantastic. 

The line about “well, all the well-made amethysts are gone” I genuinely can’t tell if it was Peridot’s attempt at making a joke or if she’s just forgetting, in her grief, to not be mean???

“I’ve been hanging around this place for 5,000 years” okay but not full time??? I still wanna know how long she was alone there before the CG’s found her. “For a while, I guess, until I met your mom and the others” AAUGH TELL US. I know I’ve whined about how much I want an Amethyst flashback episode but COME OOOONNNNN. 

Knowing that that flower was actually a corrupted gem.....do you think them touching it tickled. 

NGL, the first time I watched this, the moment they decided to plant stuff there, I was like “there’s no fucking sunlight this is gonna be a horrible disaster.” I mean, if a place on earth is capable of sustaining any life you have to actually work at preventing it. I saw Mt. St. Helens the first time only about fifteen years after it had erupted and places that had been completely burned and covered in boiling mud and ash were already covered in small plants and shrubs and things. Even deserts and tundras have active, delicate ecosystems. 

IIRC the tractor was in the barn when she moved in, but where did she get gas for it and seeds and stuff? Do you think Peridot and Lapis had an allowance from Greg? Did they sell Morps?? Can you imagine Lapis and Peridot at a gas station? At a farm supply store? (There’s a hilarious fic in there somewhere.)

This whole flower planting montage is the best, even knowing what comes after. They’re so cute I can’t fucking stand it. And Amethyst and Peridot both do the “tongue out when making effort” thing (which I do, too; sometimes) and This Kills The Woman

Where did Amethyst get the flamingo tho 

Hhhhh the way Amethyst looks at Peridot and says “oh yeah?” to keep her talking I know this is my OTP and I have my shipping goggles on but YOU GUYS. Peridot’s doing her little “I’m explaining a thing” body language and tone of voice, and Amethyst thinks it’s adorable, and you’ll never take that away from me. 

They still took the fucking train. Do you think the conductors on that route talk about them. (True story: I used to know people (okay lbh white cis dudes) who did train-jumping. It’s illegal and people who work for train companies are not very nice when they catch you, but if you manage to hop on a freight train and not get caught it’s certainly a cheap way to travel long distances--as long as you don’t mind living outside with no source of water or place to use the bathroom other than what you bring with you, especially since nobody leaves those car doors open anymore because of train jumpers, so you’re stuck jumping onto those platform cars with no walls or roof. I think I’d rather just pay to be on a passenger train, but you do you.)

Hydrangeas change color depending on the acidity of the soil they’re in. Sometimes they’re purple and sometimes they’re pink and sometimes they’re a super pale green. I have no idea if the crewniverse was trying for some kind of symbolism or just thought it would be fun to make Amethyst say “hydrangea.”

Ugggh even knowing how heart-breaking it was to see the dead flowers it’s still hard to watch. Poor Peridot. I wonder if it was just lack of sunlight or if the soil itself is toxic--I wouldn’t be surprised. 

Peridot’s tantrum might be melodramatic but I can understand it. I think being actively angry and venting her worst feelings is still probably better for her than being flopped over in the bathtub. “We might as well just throw it in the garbage and toss ourselves in after, because it’s all just hopeless trash!” Like. Big mood, okay

The genuine regret she feels in that tiny short moment after stepping on the “flower,” though. I wanna hug her. 

THE ARM TONGUE GRABBING HER AHHHH ahaha insert a vore joke here

Smoky’s little star wink is so great. 

“I need to go to the bathroom” LOLOL (yes I know she means “so I can mope alone” but c’mon)

I just noticed the guitar music while looking at the sunflowers is an instrumental of Don’t Cost Nothing. Also plenty of other people have already talked about Peridot’s little speech here and their convo after as a metaphor for her friendship with Lapis etc. so I won’t bother. I will point out that after Steven jokes about her green thumb (does she even get the joke tho) when Peridot yells “I know that!” she has the fangy teeth. Nice. (Wait, did she have that during her tantrum in the Kindergarten? I forget.)

And then the snuggle afterwards. Yesssss.