#and also get through this week. which has so far been super ugh and will continue to be super ugh until saturday evening

[corvid-language-library]

Finally did the two things that I've been procrastinating for days that have been causing me far too much stress and it took me all of 15 minutes, can I get a pat on the back or maybe a crisp high five please

[ourceliumnetwork]

it is not slacking off to write or create it is not slacking off to do things that are fun i am not slacking off or procrastinating right now i'm allowed to do things i enjoy doing for fun including playing games and writing and such

[sweetadonisbutbetter]

Can I have a lmk Wukong x sick!FEM reader?

OHH MY GODD YES ☹️☹️☹️ my first ever husband in LMK yes i would please taking this and grovelling at the ground like a mad man. it has been a while since I have watch LMK so i apologize if he is OOC ☹️☹️

Can you get off me? I'm dying. | Sun Wukong x Sick!Fem Reader

relationship: romantic Warnings: mentions of throw up, reader being sick

You didn’t think that you were going to get sick. From friends around you canceling plans to the strangers around you apologizing for their slowness. It seemed with the changing of the seasons, everyone was getting sick. For a while, you thought you and your boyfriend were safe, being secluded in the mountains super far away from the city made it hard for either of you to get sick. However, when MK arrived for training, sneezing a little more than usual, your hopes of not getting sick plummeted down the drain. Once you accepted that you would get sick, you made Wukong get you stuff to prepare. 

You stocked up on copious amounts of cough medicine, allergy pills, tissues, teas, soups, and anything else you thought you would need. You just wish it wasn’t this bad.

Panting over the toilet, you wipe away any throw-up that fell onto your chin using your other hand to flush it, not being able to stomach the look of it. You stand up slowly, afraid of falling since you are already feeling dizzy. At a full stand, you made your way to your sink to wash your face and hands. The cool water felt much colder against your warm face. Sighing in relief, you stand at the sink for a moment, letting the sink run as it touches your hands.

You couldn’t help but think about how shitty you feel. You felt both hot and had the shivers. You felt so lightheaded and your head was hurting so bad that you just wanted to lay down under your blankets. Your legs and arms felt like jelly from your muscles growing weak. Your nose was stuffed to all hell and you had to breathe through your mouth, leaving your lips chapped and throat dry. 

If someone walked in on you, they probably would have thought you were dying. 

You feel your knees go out under you, your body reaching its limit for the amount of standing you could handle for today, snapping you out of your thoughts. You turn off the water and go to a full stand, looking at yourself through the mirror. Even from a glance, someone can tell you felt like shit. 

Somehow your eyes look like you get 30 minutes of sleep every night, eye bags so dark and heavy. Your normally natural and done hair looks like you haven’t taken care of it in weeks. Your skin was looking paler while your nose was rosey. 

“I feel and look like shit.” You murmur to no one in particular. You bring a hand to your face, pulling down on your face a bit, opening one eye a bit more. Sighing, you dropped your hand down to your side and left the bathroom to head to your shared bedroom. Entering your room, you didn’t even think twice before collapsing on your bed. Reaching for your phone on the bedside table, having left it there after you hurriedly ran to throw up, you mindlessly scrolled on your socials. After a while you began to feel sleepy, so you put on a random video and got comfortable, promptly knocking out.

─── ⋆⋅ ☼ ⋅⋆ ───

You woke up hot and suffocating as if you were wrapped in weighted 12 blankets stuffed with rocks. You try to shift the weight off you, trying to catch your breath. However, it seemed to have other intentions as you felt arms and something else wrap around you. The feeling of something slim wrapping around your waist told you all you needed to know.

“Ugh…Wukong, please get off me.” You groan and try to push him off. He shakes his head, which was buried into your chest, and holds you tighter. You lift your head to look at him, only seeing the mess of golden fur that was on the top of his head. He also lifts his face from your chest, and smiles up at you, before his smile drops.

“How are you feeling, peach-Holy shit, you look terrible.” He states bluntly. Rolling your eyes, your head dropped to your pillow as you put a hand on your face. 

“Thanks.” You tell your boyfriend sarcastically. “I also feel it.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment as both stay where you are. You sniffle, attempting to hold back any mucus that was trying to escape,  and you feel Wukong loosen his grip. Thinking that he was listening to you, you lift your hand and notice that he was leaving the room. You take a big sigh of relief, happy now that your heavy-ass boyfriend is no longer suffocating your body. However, you were now feeling way colder with the absence of his body heat, so you grasped at your sheets and wrapped them around you. After a while, you feel yourself begin to fall asleep again.

Before Wukong burst into the room, bags of takeout in his hands. Startled by the sudden noise, you shoot up out of bed and look at your boyfriend like he is crazy (he is). He doesn’t say anything, rather making his way to his side of the bed and taking a seat.

“Did you just get that?” You ask him as he begins to unpack the food. 

“Duh.” He says, pulling out a large tub and looking at it closely before handing it to you. You take it from his hand and look at it. The warm tub had Pigsy’s restaurant logo on it. You look at him again as he hands you another thing. This looks more like a thermos, confusing you even greater. 

“What did you even get?” You ask, turning the cup to inspect it, trying to figure out what he got you. You hear him huff before he tells you.

“Pigsy was the one who made it for you. All I told him was that you were feeling ill.” You look at him with a look. 

“You didn’t ask?”

“No. He was making it free of charge.”

“Okay…What is with the other boxes?”

“Oh. These are for me. I got hungry while I was waiting.” Wukong says before smiling at you, his tail curling a bit. You roll your eyes and adjust yourself to sit upright comfortably. Placing the thermos down on the bedside table, you open the tub and see that it is filled with chicken congee. Your stomach rumbles and grumbles, causing you to realize that you are running on an empty stomach. Mentally thanking Pigsy, you began to dig in. While slightly bland, it was helping with the upset stomach and it was also warming you up along the way. You hum as you eat, the warmth of the food and it overall hitting the right spot, you didn’t realize that you finished it. You look sadly at the empty tub, wishing there was more. You hear Wukong laughing at you, causing you to look at him and see him slurping on noodles. Pouting slightly, you put the empty tub back in the plastic bag and reached for the thermos. Smelling it, it seemed like a tea of sorts with some cinnamon and jujube. Already familiar with the blend, you began to drink it slowly, being careful not to burn yourself. 

By the time you were done with your tea, Wukong was done with his numerous boxes of food and you were once again sleepy. Wukong takes the trash and thermos out of the room as you slide down and get comfortable once more. Shifting on your side, you wiggle around for a bit, before you feel like you hit the sweet spot. Tummy full, and not feeling as terrible as you did before, you kinda drift between consciousness and unconsciousness. 

You hear the floor creek, causing you to open your eyes and see Wukong standing by the door. He was looking at you as if he was asking for something. Already knowing what he was going to ask for, you rolled your eyes and lifted the blanket, inviting him. 

“Come on,” You say as he smiles and is in your arms within the same second. Wrapping his arms around you, he tangles his legs with your own as his tail wraps around you once again. You smile at his warmth and return the hug. The rest of your day was spent napping with your boyfriend, feeling way better than you did when you woke up that morning. 

[thebluestbluewords]

Dis-like-Dysentery

I have a lot of very specific headcanons about Auradon Prep, and one of them is the fact that Jay is both a Smart Guy, and also chronically incapable of turning in assignments on time. For. Reasons.

this might be about one of those reasons.

+

Carlos looks up from his plate as Jay wanders over. “Dude, where were you? We started eating without you.” 

“Talking to a teacher. I submitted an assignment wrong, or something.” 

Carlos nods. He’s got a fork dangling from one hand, and there’s a leaf stuck in his hair. Sunlit from behind, Jay’s pretty sure that he’s the prettiest boy on this side of the barrier. “Oh, man. Was it Demorra? She’s super strict about the rules, especially for the online stuff. I could’ve helped you figure it out bro, you don’t have to get through her bureaucratic shit on your own.” 

Jay sets his tray down on the opposite side of the table. “Nah. It was Williams.” 

Carlos frowns. “The international lit teacher? Really?” 

They’ve been reading through Jay’s lit assignments together. Auradon expects them to type up all of their homework, so he’s been getting by with the hacked dictation program on his laptop and locking himself in the bathroom to read his essays out loud into the program with the minimum of background noise. 

There’s a peer writing tutor who does proofreading two nights a week for free, but Jay’s not gonna take his shitty essays in to her when he’s pretty sure he’ll just get laughed right back out of the student study room for the giant default font Carlos set on his computer. 

It doesn’t exactly make reading his own assignments easier, but it doesn’t make it worse either, so they’re calling it functional for now. Auradon Prep is all about “helping students embrace their unique academic talents”, so Carlos and Evie are both being pulled for more advanced classes, which is great for them, and terrible for Jay’s essays because it’s seriously starting to cut into their free time. 

That, and the trouble they’ve been getting up to after hours. 

The assistant gym teacher still hasn’t figured out who to blame for French braiding all the climbing ropes together. 

“She couldn’t read my handwriting.” 

“Fuck.” 

That’s about the shape of it. Handwritten assignments are few and far between, but Jay can’t bullshit his way through all of them. “Haha, yeah.” 

Carlos thunks his head down onto the table. “Ugh. Fuck. I can make you a handwriting font on the computer, but that’ll make in-class assignments worse if you can’t keep it up.” 

“Yup.” 

He sits up. There’s a dent on his forehead from pressing it into the table. “Eat.” 

“Not hungry,” Jay says as cheerfully as he can manage. It’s not gonna fool Carlos, but he’s not gonna show weakness in front of the royal rabble. “Anyway, we’re not going to the honor board. She’s willing to settle it with some sorta evaluation. Have you heard of dyslexia before?” 

Carlos blinks. “Dyslexia? No. I mean. It’s gotta be dis from like, disinterested, disintegrating, some sort of anti? Or else it’s dys from like, dysentery. Some sort of illness, maybe. Lex has gotta be from lexicon, lexicography. Something to do with either anti-words or a words illness? Does she think you’re sick of words?” 

Jay shrugs. “She said it’s why I’m bad at reading. Wants me to do an assessment so she can know what’s going on.” 

Carlos already has his phone out. He’s typing with one hand, the other one curled around his plate in a defensive hunch that’s almost casual. “Huh. How’s that going for her so far?” 

Jay snorts. “Fab. Nah, she didn’t do it yet. It’s a whole special test that she’s gotta send me down to the psych for.” 

“Can you reject it?” 

“If I wanna meet with the honor board and explain why I apparently have great handwriting, but only when they can’t see me do the assignments.” 

“Fuck.” 

“Yeah. At least she was cool about it.” 

Carlos groans. “Your handwriting sucks, dude. You’re not sick of writing, you’re just— your handwriting sucks.” 

“Yeah, and my fucking reading comprehension. I—“ Jay cuts himself off abruptly as the shadow of more people falls across their lunch table. “Hey, guys.” 

Mal sets her lunch tray down on Jay’s left side, leaving Ben the spot on his right. Evie’s not eating with them today. They have other friends in theory, but between Doug’s science club buddies and Carlos’s general disinterest in socializing with other humans, they didn’t bother picking a table large enough for anyone else.  

“Sorry,” Ben apologizes, even as he’s nudging his shoulder against Jay’s. It’s nice not being the only tall one sometimes. “I couldn’t help overhearing.” 

Jay leans back into the contact. “We were talking out loud, dude. It happens. You got any hot tips for the stupid assessment I’ve gotta do later?” 

“Have you tried being better?” Mal suggests. “I find that cheating works great. I could find you a spell to let one of us borrow your hands for a few hours, and so long as you can tell us what you want to write, we can control the muscles and get better handwriting than your usual chicken scratch special.” 

“Hey.”

“Would that work if you can’t see the paper?” Ben asks curiously. 

Mal frowns. “No. Not unless I modify the spell to possess your eyes too.” 

Jay represses a shudder. “Thanks, but no thanks, M. I like my eyes in one piece.” 

Carlos is scrolling rapidly on his phone, hanging half-over the table in an attempt to get closer to the three of them. “Dude, dyslexia is a brain thing that affects how you process visual input of words— aw, shit.” 

Bad. That’s the bad-news tone. Jay’s heart drops traitorously into his stomach, which suddenly isn’t feeling the tater tots on his lunch tray. “What?” 

Carlos shakes his head. “Nothing too bad. Just, I think Williams is right. You’ve said you’re shit at reading fast cause the words all look the same, right? Like, you can’t scan to identify them, you’ve gotta sound each one out.” 

Jay smashes a tater tot with the side of his fork. The destruction doesn’t make his gut feel any better. It’s not that he’s mad, it’s just— he doesn’t want to do this. Analyzing his brain sucks. He did the whole week of required therapy that the student disciplinary council required after the stuff with Mal’s mom, and he’s so fucking done with Auradon grown-ups pretending to understand why his head’s fucked up. “Yeah, so?” 

Carlos waves the phone at him. “So that’s what this is. You’ve got a brain disorder.” 

“We can fix it, right?” 

He wiggles a hand back and forth. “Ehh. Kinda. There’s techniques to make it easier, but it’s sorta like— your brain is wired for AC power input, and words are DC. It’s a misalignment. We can make an adaptor, but we can’t rip out your brain wiring.” 

“I could,” Mal offers. “I love doing illegal magic.”

[poetry-protest-pornography]

Okay, Love Sea ep 1, finally!

This place is so pretty, I wanna go

Rak is going to this island to be a supermodel, I guess

Jfc Fort is so attractive, ugh

Did he just push that man overboard because of a pen?

Seriously, why is he so fancy?

Side note: I actually love that Rak looks expensive. It not only sells the "rich guy on vacation/fish out of water" thing, but it also places him apart from this tight knit island community and from casual tourists. It makes it clear that he's not comfortable in himself here, because he's dressing specifically to hold himself apart from the rest of them.

It also gives fun opportunities to see him relax through his wardrobe. Also, Peat is just really beautiful, and he wears it all so well

Rak is so grumpy 😆 I love rich bitch Peat already

The casual "I'm borrowing this" and Mut being zero percent fazed by Rak's bitchiness is so attractive and also immediately introduces and characterizes the setting and Mut both. Super well done

Baby those are not island shoes

I love that Mut clocked that Rak needed to be knocked down a peg and spoke so he couldn't understand him. He's establishing right off the bat that he's not intimidated or particularly impressed with Rak's attitude, and I love it. They're doing characterizations so well so far? Honestly really impressed to get this from Mame

The knocking a little tune on the window 🤣🤣🤣

Oh. I already don't like Vi. Like. A lot don't like her

JA IS HERE?!

A lovely surprise Ja!

Baby is stressed

I love that everyone who looks at Rak is like "this guy is sooo pretty". They're right and they should say it. Just look at him

This waiter is just like "oh, you know my friend? Let me tell you all his business (because you're his type, shh)"

Rak's momentary disappointment at the "women" part, and then his incredulous "that guy?!" when the waiter pointed out the guy who's staying because of Mut were incredible. Peat's acting is excellent here

I love that literally the whole island is just "that's our boy, isn't he wonderful!" about Mut. He deserves all that praise

"more like a cat, you'll know when you see him" Yep. That's like, 5 "Rak is a cat" references so far

35,000 bath is only like, $1000usd. I know money is different in Thailand than here, but idk if I'd put up with that grumpy man for a whole two weeks for that little

I was very concerned that this was going for some really gross colorism, and I'm very glad that it very quickly established that Rak is being made fun of for being an uptight rich jerk and projecting superiority all over the place

Rak: *seduction mode activated*

Mut: wow, where did all your hair go?

Thank goodness.

"don't you feel anything at all? I'm way hotter than that guy getting the bar!" Oh baby, this i didn't want you act is not fooling anybody

Rak just sent him another line, thousand dollars over breakfast. "You had me at 5k" 🤣🤣🤣

What a great fucking line

"Keep being arrogant and you'll hurt yourself". Mut is a king, actually

The caught punch and the "I can do more" while he laced their fingers was A Lot. Wow. These two do tension SO WELL

Oh I really don't like Vi

I feel like a lot of GL now is at where BL was a couple years ago. Which is to say a lot toxic. But this is a shitty way to introduce a character. Instantly unlikeable. "I'm going to be so shitty to you and use class politics to use you, but it's okay because I have a crush on you". I haaaaate it

Oh no, Fort looking at his hand and smiling softly is giving my PaiSky flashbacks and I'm gonna cry (I know someone made this side by side gif, please tag me)

What Mame book is Rak writing rn? 🤣

God Fort is so hot, how dare he (had a conversation with @hotasfahrenheit about how hot he is, and I've been informed that we get to see stretch marks at some point and that makes me feel crazy, actually? I love that he's visibly tan, I love that he has imperfections. He's so insanely attractive and it's so much hotter when he's a real person -- and not whitewashed)

Rak running around this boat like an excited puppy is adorable

And now, pouty time because he got yelled at for leaning too far over the edge 😆

Oh no

That hug and little kiss on the temple are going to haunt me. What a beautiful moment. And absolutely bonkers for two people who have known each other for five minutes

Their acting has really grown, I'm so proud of them

Are you hungry for clams or for me? Lol. The "hungry" metaphor for sex never fails in BL. Never miss an opportunity to make the joke

Ughhhh:

He's so beautiful what the fuck

Well. That was a hell of a first episode. Cannot wait for more

[duckiemimi]

Omg you so right like i cant JiJi and aria is literally super modern girlfriend with supportive goofy outgoing boyfriends

OMG I NOT DONE TALKING ABOUT THESE TOO( i havent read the mang fully but just seen the pic of them two together and it so cute 🥰 im literally waiting for the anime version of the manga 😭 because lowkey i dont want to finish the manga so early and catch up! LIKE UGH GOT ME ON A BIG CLIFFHANGER ON BOTH ENDS! and the voice acting are so freaking good that just hearing the voice is literally a spoiler😭 like there doing me dirty)

like i just know when aria get hurt JiJi would stop the goofy act and actually act serious or worried about her (and his friends) and aria be like “im fine idoit im the chosen one after all!” Jiji will always be there even for her dumb little ‘ jokes’ sighing at her words “yea i definitely know that! but your still hurt! Aria chan” 😣 like ugh i live this pair i really hope that there get together and developed more within the story and doesn’t make it seem forced.

and the alien girl and JiJi is literally sibling coded like ugh i seen the pic of them and i just can’t WAIT TO SEE THEM BOTH. but also i dont want to reaaddd it as well, like the surprise feeling its the best feeling ever. (Also can i be this 👾 anonymous?)

hi, 👾 anon!

I'VE BEEN THINKING OF THEM A LOT, TOO. i, too, am pacing myself to avoid waiting long, long weeks of being idle...i'm a little more than halfway through to catching up in the manga, but i also have a bad habit of purposefully spoiling myself, heh. i'm stuck on chapter 93 because seiko's just so fucking cool.

aira's been progressively maturing throughout the story (word is she's dropped the main character syndrome in the recent chapters, but i couldn't tell you) and i think if she develops romantic feelings for jiji, it would look a lot different than her crush for okarun. aira is comically bold with okarun, but considering jiji's class clown demeanor and their earlier clashes in choices, i think aira would have a tough time admitting her feelings to herself. which makes for a good time for readers, yes.

jiji's crush on momo, on the other hand, while heartfelt and less played for laughs than aira's on okarun, is probably something he could shake off and later make completely platonic. he's emotionally mature like that! if he develops romantic feelings for aira, he would likely treat her the same as usual, maybe with extra attention (think lingering touches, oddly affectionate glances), very subtle, something someone who doesn't know him could brush off as classic friendly jiji. i think he'd learn from his crush on momo, too, shedding some of his unserious tendencies to become braver and more sincere for a new love interest. (lord knows he would need that considering aira's way touchier than momo.)

now if aira got hurt and they have mutual feelings for each other...well. we'll get to see a lot more of assertive and protective jiji, and flustered, faux-aloof aira. in front of jiji, aira would brush off her injuries as scratches and he'd sit her back down, maybe even with a lecture. aira gets overwhelmed, flicks cold water from a nearby cup to shut jiji up by bringing evil eye out. evil eye, perhaps having matured more and having a deeper bond with jiji, would only relay the rest of jiji's lecture in verbatim to aira. big mess. big, fun mess. they'd drive each other crazy, oh my god.

anyway, if this is the direction the mangaka has in mind, then it'll probably be well-written, or at least it would make sense. he's done everything well so far! tatsu, you could literally write anything and i'd agree wholeheartedly. my trust is in your hands...

VAMOLA, OH MY GOD. i could definitely see her and jiji as sibling-coded! in my eyes, she's practically momo's little sister! i don't ship her with anyone for now, not even kinta. she's just a big ol' sweetheart to everybody :') yea!

[moaserendipity]

My Top 10 BL's of 2023

I am back with my personal top 10 of 2023. I know I've been super quiet these days but making a top 10 is always fun to do. The #1 has been decided early this past year but for the rest... It was a crazy year for BL but only a few were really top tier...🔥🔥

10. My Personal Weatherman (Taikan Yoho)

One of the Japanese BL's I really enjoyed watching. It was more grown up then the ones I've seen and that was very welcome. I love the dynamics between the main characters a lot. It was a bit of a slow one, with the lack in communication between the two but I forgive that because the chemistry was really good.

09. Wedding Plan

Oh how i looked forward to this one, the second I saw the trailer. I loved the storyline but I thought it was very short, which made them rush through it at times, which was a shame because it was actually really good and I just wanted to see more. I loved the chemistry between Sailom and Namnuea, So I really enjoyed watching them. They are very new if I'm correct but I didn't notice it at all, so hopefully they will get another BL together but a longer one. Also I love the GL in this BL, it was very natural and I in the end hoped they would be the ones that got to marry. Not to forget about the cameo;s of my babies Payu and Rain and of course Prapai and Sky.

08. Moonlight Chicken

This one I've waited for so so long and it was kind of a surprise because I love EarthMix, Like Mix is my man but my attention got taken away from them and got attached to GemFourth who played Li Ming and Heart. I just loved everything about them! I loved how they incorporated Sign language because Heart was deaf and just the overall chemistry between them, was everything. They made me smile so much. Jim and Wen, you know were amazing as well but I sometimes felt frustrated by their interaction. The close moments they had were amazing of course but it was not what I expected from EarthMix but overall this drama was definitely worth the wait!

07. Kiseki: Dear to Me

I absolutely loved this one. I couldn't get enough of it. I am a sucker for the Hate to Love trope and this had exactly that and in a gangster way. Like I loved it. ZeRui and Bangyi were made for each other and you can't tell me otherwise how he went to prison for ZeRui and even got hurt but he still decided to dedicate his bakery to him with his Strawberry cakes, ugh too cute. The second couple made me want even more. The sassiness of Ai Di and the coldness of Chen Yi, they were really something. The way Chen Yi didn't realize that Ai Di loved him until he went to prison or that one hot night made me slap my forehead because nothing was more obvious, so I can not explain how happy I was they finally got together in the end!!

06. My School President

This really was a GemFourth year because this was their first leading BL and boy how they won us over with their cuteness. The OST was also seriously top tier. I think I loved all the songs. This entire Cast was amazing! To think I almost skipped this one...That would've been a mistake for sure, so I'm happy that I decided to give it another try because I fell in love with them and bingewatched it in one go. I can't wait to see the next project from them.!

5. Our Dating Sim

this Korean BL was a welcome one. I loved the office setting of this BL and the fact that the episodes were short as usual, didn't disturb me that much. Their chemistry made up for that! I will never forget how my heart sank when Ki Tae thought Wan had disappeared again, this poor man but I loved how Wan immediately comforted him the second he saw him. I should really rewatch this again.

4. Last Twilight

I know it's still running but I can not leave it out of my top10 for 2023. I am impressed with Jimmy and Sea. These two are everything to me at this moment. Their chemistry is crazy and I am happy they have this BL to show their talents again. I am impatiently waiting every week for the next episode and so far no episode has disappointed me, which is rare tbh.

3. Sing my Crush

Sing my crush was not even on my radar but the second I came across it, I bingewatched it. I am a sucker for music BL's, where the actors can ACTUALLY sing and play instruments.. I loved it so much. from start to finish. I really think this BL was very underrated. I did not hear a lot of people about it but it definitely deserves more!

2. I feel you linger in the Air

Ever since I saw the trailer, I wanted to see this one badly and boy did it not disappoint! I was in awe every episode. I don't think I've ever seen a Thai Bl that was staged in the past. Also this way of time traveling is one I actually like. As long as no bodies get switched I am loving it. Their chemistry was top notch and those intimate scenes. That kiss in the rain, Art I am telling you and that massage scene, HELLO!! I literally forgot to breathe at that point and my face was almost stuck to the screen, crazy!! So yeah this was a true masterpiece!

01. The Eighth Sense

Let's all act surprised by this one...... what can I say? This one touched my intire being. It touched my soul, My heart everything. I cried, laughed and even cursed at 2 people in particular.. This is the biggest masterpiece of 2023 and nothing can change my mind about this. The way I anticipated every week and felt sad when it ended, ugh!! I just want to praise Oh Jun Taek for the way he acted, because if I'm correct this was his first acting job or at least he is very new but he pulled it of perfectly and Ji sub, I am applauding him for the way he portrayed Jae Won. All I need now is a season 2 or an special episode where we see them do the things Jihyun wanted... like just please!! In al seriousness everything was amazing about this one and that's why it's my number 1

I really do think that the Korean BL's won this round. I feel like they are finally stepping up their game. It's still not as Explicit as Thai or Taiwanese but that's not what I am expecting. I don't always have to have NC scenes because without a story, it's not worth a lot. Overal the Bl's were powerful this year and Top tier. Hopefully next year will bring us even better ones!! <3

[ros3ybabe]

Weekly Check In - November 12th, 2023 🎀

ugh I feel like I’ve been neglecting my blogs, and that’s not what I want to be doing!!!

I have finals coming up so soon, including exams and final papers (looking at you, psychology research paper). Not to mention I’m still working 5 days a week, classes 4 days a week, working out 3-5 days a week on top of all my adulting duties. It’s safe to safe I have been a little stressed lately, no doubt about that. It really got me bad because it was impacting my relationship with my boyfriend and the last thing I want to do is cause unnecessary stress and anxiety for him. I know I let my stress and anxieties get the best of me when I realized I was the one causing 98% of all of our arguments and issues this last few weeks. Luckily I was able to come to the realization that it had been my fault, so him and I talked it through and worked it out and I missed him that I would work both on myself more as well as work with my therapist and develop better coping strategies for times of high stress.

🩷 let’s recap this last week with some highlights! And then I will tal about my goals for the upcoming week!

I had to go talk to my PSYC TA about how far I’d fallen behind in the class and she was able to give me some encouragement and a lot of help and really set me on the path in the right direction, so I definitely have hope that I’ll pass this class with a B at worst, which is still an awesome grade!

I finally made it back to my cooking class and the professor was so kind, he told me it always upset his days when I’d miss class for the week and he asked me if was doing okay and how things were going. I think he’s in his 50s or 60s, and he’s just a very kind man, reminds me of my own dad. Has that typical old man dad humor and his cooking class has actually help me become more comfortable with my own cooking skills as of this semester. Definitely one of my favorite classes, and my classmates were the best too.

I registered for the next semester and I am sooo looking forward to the course load. Well, for the most part anyways. I have to retake Chemistry 2 as well as the lab but luckily the college offers a supplemental type of course to help with the actual class so that’s gonna be awesome. I’m also taking a sports medicine focused medical terminology course online, another once a week food focused course about food production, a psychology of emotion course (super super excited for this class), and I registered for a yoga class for the semester! I feel like having yoga twice a week will definitely help with stress and relaxation and just overall keep me on the right track health wise for the semester! I think I’m taking a total of almost 18 credit hours but other yoga class itself is 2 credits so it’s definitely gonna be an easier semester at least schedule and course load wise.

My work bestie had her baby shower! I can’t believe she’s 8 months pregnant with a little boy, he’s already so lucky to have her and her man as parents. She was absolutely glowing at her baby shower and I’m so happy that I got to go and support her. I’ve known her for going on three years already so it made my day to both be invited and get to see how excited she got when I went.

I bought matcha powder! (Amongst other health stuff, including some new gym gear for my lower body days) I have a mini traditional matcha set so I thought I’d finally use it no bought some matcha powder online! I’m super excited to try my hand at making myself matcha lattes. I even bought a milk frother so I’m a little excited.

I changed up my fitness goals and routine a bit. I’m still going to the gym 3 days a week for weight lifting, but now two of those are lower body days and the other is an upper body day. I’m also going to continue with my two days of cardio but on those two days I am also going to do some at home mat Pilates to help with my overall fitness, appearance, and health goals. I’ve heard that some lower intensity workouts are pretty good for women with PCOS so I thought incorporating that would be a good idea.

I’m Vitamin D deficient and I had no idea! I used to take vitamin D supplements at my old doctors request when I was a teenager but I stopped when I can rot college because I was no longer being advised to take it nor were my blood levels being check regularly so I figured ehh not a big deal but I recently got lab work done and yep, I am semi severely vitamin d deficient. So now I gotta look into different foods I can incorporate as well as a vitamin d supplement and more time in the sun!

I’ve been keeping up a decent skincare routine with a bunch of new products I bought and can I just say, the Anua Heartleaf Oil Cleanser is an absolute god send. I’m obsessed with Asian/Korean skincare. It’s done so much for my skin, I can’t recommend it enough!

overall, not a bad week this last week. this recap is for only (mainly) November 4th through yesterday, November 11th.

🩷 my upcoming goals and things for this week! (November 12th thru 18th)

Keep up with all my homework and turning assignments in completed and on time. I’m trying to finish the semester off strong, or at least as strong as I can. That just means it’s grind time and I gotta buckle down and get my school stuff done.

Insurance. I need to purchase insurance because the state I live in says I make too much to qualify for full coverage insurance which is an issue with the meds I take and the doctors I currently see, as well as my therapist. Adulting, yay!

Complete at least a draft and/or reel for my dietetics mentor by Saturday/next Sunday as the deadline was to have something sent to her by Monday at noon. So my goal is to have some drafts of content for her as soon as possible.

Work out at least three days this week. I’ve been consistent with going every week for the last four weeks but I haven’t been as consistent with how many days within the week that I’ve been going. So that’s definitely a goal of mine.

Look into a Pilates class/studio I can join by the beginning of next semester. I definitely want to take some classes to help with form and proper technique, but I think I want to give myself some time to build more confidence so that way I can give it my all in the future classes I take. Plus, my finances don’t exactly permit me taking Pilates classes at the moment. So my goal is to do some research now and then make a decision by mid January.

My boyfriend and I are hitting a year and a half together this week! Ahh I love him so much, I’m so excited for yet another milestone. Pretty soon we’ll be coming up on two years and I just couldn’t be happier. My man is my best friend, I’m so lucky and grateful that I have him in my life, especially as my partner <3

Attempt to make a matcha latte! My matcha powder comes in this week so I’m gonna try my hand at making my own matcha now!

Keep consistent with my skin care and self care. Also pick up journaling again this week as I think it’ll help me sort out my stressors and anxieties without harming my relationship with my man or my relationship with myself. Self care and working on my own well being benefit me in so many ways, I just need to keep consistent with it.

Restart my Duolingo and Busuu streaks as an attempt to get back into learning the Japanese language! Also begin to pick up Spanish again! Spanish is not too difficult for me to understand as a lot of people I’m around speak the language and I also took classes in high school and some in college. So I think splitting my time between Spanish and Japanese will be good and keep me from being bored and dropping my language studies altogether. I’m going to start with Spanish Duolingo and just go from there with it! once I get more comfortable with the languages I will start making small posts in those languages! Spanish will definitely come easier than Japanese tho, that’s for sure.

that’s all for this upcoming week! It feels like it’s going to be busy but next week is our break for thanksgiving so that’s one week of rest and relaxation and recovery for me. I won’t be spending the holiday with anyone but I don’t mind, it gives me a day to be mindful and grateful and just give me some time to myself that day, and for the whole week. Everyone who knows me in person knows I definitely need the time for myself. I think it’ll be very restorative for sure.

for those of you who follow my side blogs for my fitness, I’ll be posting to it here soon as well! I think I might update you on my current split and routine more in depth then what I mentioned here. And I’m going to drop a review of some of the new skincare products I’ve recently bought and tried as well! I’ll try to do a mid week update this week on this blog too!

til next time, lovelies 🩷🤍

[cinnamonbunpuff]

december 2024 project pan update

last month of the year! super swamped with studying for my ochem final this wednesday (manifesting an average/decent score 🙏🏽🙏🏽) but i didn't forget abt this! also it's been hard to get good pictures bc 1. i wake up after the sun rises and 2. by the time i get back from classes/clubs the sun has already set (chat why does it set at 4.15??? diabolical)

see below for picture progress vvv as usual, thanks to everyone who's been reading and keeping up!! really appreciate that <33 see you in the new years! (that's actually crazy 2025 already??)

1. morphe 2, hint hint skin tint (hint of honey)

still getting through this! a little more progress, and it seems to be pretty consistent with the past months, so i'm really happy with that! it's taking so longggg but SELF CONTROL!!

i'm leaving for winter break this week which means bedrotting and couchrotting so i'm predicting almost little progress over the next month unfortunately </3

2. flower by drew, petal pout lip mask (berry-more)

she's almost finished!!!!! one more month (but bc of winter break prolly until februaryy). lowkey actually loved using this, it works so well with a brown lip liner! we're in the final push to finsih this off!

my mom has the same one and over thanksgiving break she mentioned giving hers to me but i was like "noo pls i'm barely done with mine" and i showed her so hopefully i don't get it but i dont think i would be mad if she gave me her copy

3. maybelline, the nudes eyeshadow

again a slow going :( i think there's been super slight progress? i've been using bits of the top right as a mock-eyeliner pencil in my waterline kinda thing. i think it looks cute! ive also been using a bit more of all of the colours rather than focusing on a certain few, so maybe that's why. i included a side-angle pic to see that they are being used! (might do this more in the future, looks so cool!) (peep the rainy seattle view in the background,, UGH LOVE LOVE LOVE)

4. lakmé, absolute gloss artist eyeliner (black)

still figuring out the best way to track its progress lol, so any suggestions would be much appreciated!!

to be honest i used this eyeliner like, once after adding it to my project pan list last month. idk it's not something that i've been actively turning to. when i did use it, the brush (felt tip, which i much prefer over the brush tip of my current eyeliner) kept catching in my eyelashes and made drawing my eyeliner on take SO MUCH LONGER. but then i used this same eyeliner in the past so idk?? maybe i'll try incorporating its use slowly. but for now, prolly not as much lol

reflection and 2025 plan

revisiting my goals for this project - i had hoped to finish the burt's bees lip balm and the drew barrymore lip gloss. i'd say there was mild success? i ended up throwing out the lip balm cause it was a little old, and i'm almost through with the lip gloss! despite not exactly completing those goals, i'm still proud of how far i've come, and i still intend to continue through with my project pan! i'm going to keep my panning list small and just kinda go through my collection and just being more conscious of what i already have before buying anything new!

also on a similar note - this wasn't in my project pan but i've finished my first major project! this is the tarte shape tape ultra creamy concealer travel size. i got it as a replacement to my older one and have loved it! i use 53N and it's a smidge dark + orange but i lighten it a lil and use a blue colour corrector and i think it's fine. i tried taking out the stopper today but not quite successfully lol. despite that i'm considering this as an empty!! yayyyY!!!!!

[friendlyloner]

I missed the last couple wipwednesday's because well, The Horrors I suppose. I think enough is being said about the American election results by people much smarter and less Canadian than I, so I will leave it at this: I'm so so very sorry to everyone who voted Democrat hoping for a better future than the one they've been given. My heart goes out to every person who will suffer due the casual dismissal of their humanity by the people who should have been their peers. Please do everything you can to survive and thrive in spite of, and to spite them fuckers. I love you and good luck to us all.

I definitely was self soothing by starting even more new WIPs in the last couple weeks. I also may have done some Etsy pattern retail therapy including browsing through my saved patterns and finding this floral X-box remote, which I am now making for my husband for Christmas. I can only work on it when he's not around but it's still coming along quickly.

I don't have any particular reason for making this cats as phases of the moon project other than I thought it would look cool on the space fabric. I started out just using 2 strands since that worked fine on the Space Cat and Space Girl stitches respectively but the coverage just looked patchy and untidy with just the black and white floss. It's not super evident in this picture but on the second of the two incomplete sets I switched over to 3 strands and realized I liked it better enough that I would want to unpick and redo the rest of it that way. The cats are now in a time out till the holiday hiatus at the soonest.

I still managed to get some progress in on the Lisa Frank Fuck though it's slowed way down as I'm prioritizing intended gifts. Still love how bright and colorful it is and am looking forward to getting it back underway.

Speaking of intended gifts. This motherfucker right here! All the cross stitches are done and now it's just down to the back stitching. I don't think I've ever disliked a project as much as this one and still maintained my commitment to actually finishing it so in a twisted way I'm also a little proud of the damn thing. Ugh. Terrible. Cannot wait to get it out of my life.

And lastly a new start and finish, because I paid for lifetime site access to Daily Cross Stitch a decade ago and every now and then it comes in clutch. They posted two patterns recently that were the exact kind of soft sweet coziness vibes that I needed so badly it practically yanked the stitches out of my body. This fox has a companion squirrel that I don't have a picture of yet because it's barely more than 4 rows of grey but I expect it will be done soon.

I'm honestly so tired and want to make this post and go to bed asap so I'm bailing on linking all the pattern sources. If you stumbled on this post and managed to actually read this far and are interested, let me know and I'll happily update with links etc. Except for the Autobot.

Fuckin Autobot

Be good to one another

[xfancyuu]

bestie, I was actually going to ask what you thought about 'the rise of pink ladies' because I want to watch it after finishing 'ted lasso' (I need to convince myself to watch the latest episode, ugh) as a huge fan of 'grease'.

so, I am glad I got your blessings, because the songs/edits I saw WERE FREAKING COOL!

only the first four episodes are out in the uk unfortunately so i have to wait until tomorrow to get episode five :( i love grease so much from the movie to the sequel to the theatre production (i've been lucky enough to see dirty dancing and hairspray since the pandemic too, i'm still waiting out on six to tour again and i'm getting wicked tickets for my bday because they're touring near my city on my actual bday) so as someone who is a massive musical lover i can say this tv show has my approval (or rather the episodes which have aired so far). i personally love the character nancy. it also has amazing representation along with the storyline consisting of the struggles they go through along with being teenagers. i think? there's a queer storyline between cynthia and another girl from what i've read but i can't be 100% sure. as for the music, it's catchy and the songs stay STUCK in my head for that week. if you like grease 2 you'll love this tv show (i say that because i think you'll know what you're in for because grease 2 wasn't well received but i actually prefer it to the first — is that a hot take?)

i haven't watched ted lasso but i've been told it's super good and it's on my list but right now i don't have apple tv :( *i'm sure i can find totally legal ways to watch this tv show wink wink.

[jwittekchatter]

I’ll catch you up: His life is just becoming more of a mess. They went to Fashion Week again. They were front row at two fashion shows; there’s clips on his IG and his tagged. They looked like assholes eating candy while in the front row of the first show and they and a lot of their audiences found it to be so funny. 🙄 then he put the deodorant on her and was aggressively acting like he wanted to kiss her also. It actually looked like he was going too far until someone posted the entire clip and it showed them laughing at the end. He posted his vlog from the trip and it’s just him sucking up to Tana. She calls him Mike’s bitch in the Vlog but he definitely has become Tana’s bitch. She did a live on her OF and he was there. They talked about wanting to move to NY and maybe he roommates. Then they talked about wanting to have a baby together through IVF. They recorded a pod after her live and that was a main topic. I was too embarrassed to even watch it but from what I’ve heard Jeff seemed completely insane in the “Jeff and Tana are having a baby” pod episode. Like he’s actually lost his mind. He went on Trisha’s podcast with Tana and they filmed one for him that is supposed to come out today. I guess they admitted at the start that the baby stuff is just a joke. He also went on Sofia Franklin’s pod last week (filmed a few weeks ago during fashion week though). She asks him a lot of questions about sex and dating. He overshared a lot which surprised me because he didn’t share anything when he was with Tana. And he has with her before. He doesn’t know Sofia well but shared A LOT. He said the last girl he kissed was two weeks ago and the last time he had sex was a month ago. People are guessing it was with Mike’s friend Darcy Williams. She’s some 22 year old British IG model that is apparently an escort. They went out to dinner with Mike and some people after Mike’s friend Taav’s birthday and that was about a month before this interview so it’s likely her. They met at fashion week last year and have hung out a few times; Mike likes to post when Jeff is with her like a weirdo.

Also Mike and Jeff haven’t publicly interacted since a dinner during fashion week which was about three weeks ago. In Jeff’s vlog he takes Mike’s phone and texts Lana (his crazy ex) that he wants to get back together. He lied in the car with Mike and his new girlfriend Sara (who is super young, maybe 25, yikes) and said he didn’t text her but the previous scene literally shows that he did. Sara was pissed. Lana texted Mike that she wants to throw Sara in a wood chipper. They don’t like each other so for Jeff to be meddling in Mike’s new relationship is wrong. Maybe he’s jealous again like he was when Cody had a girlfriend. Jeff was supposed to go with Mike to Puerto Rico to film with Jake Paul but he just stayed in NY with Tana.

He was in NY for almost two weeks. His apartment had a bad pipe break and it leaked in a lot of his pod studio. There’s black mold so he can’t be at his apartment for 30 days. He’s at a hotel for the time being. People are saying it’s a sign from the universe for him to get his life together. He seems surprisingly calm when he posted about it in Patreon. Maybe he sees it as a sign to move to NY? I hope not but who knows. Also we haven’t seen Cody around in a long time. They have been in LA and NY at the same times and they haven’t posted anything together. Someone asked him on IG when he’ll be back in Jeff FM and he said he resigned from the show because he’s too busy. A lot of us think they had a fight. So unfortunately he’s been clinging to Tana more. He went to dinners with her and her weirdo friend Chris Miles. He’s gone to dinner in LA too, for some 19 year old that’s Tana’s friend. He’s unfortunately getting worse the more he hangs with Tana and doesn’t get his brain injury treated. Lots of fans are leaving or have left.

Ugh, I couldn't stomach to watch the pod with the baby talk, just reading about it made cringe enough.

He desperately needs to seek a good therapist before he implodes his life.

[always-andromeda]

hey meda! i know it’s been a minute but i’ve been super busy with studying and exams. they’re over now though and i’m so relieved, especially since I’ve gotten my grades back & i did pretty well! i saw your post about it being finals season for you so i wish you all the luck in the world! do you have anything fun planned for the summer?

since I finished exams I’ve just been reading and making friendship bracelets, it’s been so lovely. I finished catching fire and mockingjay and oh my god. the books hit so much harder at some points, it made me fall in love with the story and the characters even harder than the movies did. and I just finished the prequel, the ballad of songbirds and snakes, which was really good also! it’s so cool to have all that insight into snow’s character. have you read it?

also, have you seen jake’s new movie, the covenant? I can’t watch it until it comes out on prime in june cause it’s not playing in canadian theatres :/ and I was so looking forward to seeing it too. if you’ve seen it what’d you think?? it seems pretty interesting and he looked soGOOD in the trailers ughhh

anyway, sorry this was such a long ask!! i hope you’re being kind to yourself & have lots of rest & relaxation after your finals <333

ps i saw this pilot edit the other day & it made me think of you

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYwSCqGt/

-🤹

Hello, E!!!! Sorry this took me a hot second to answer. I've been in exam mode and not had many chances to be super online this past week. I'm about halfway through everything and I'm hoping to get the rest of my work done early on at the start of the week so I can properly relax for a bit. Thank you for the well wishes!! Here's to hoping that despite the fact that I've been depressed all semester and struggling to get everything done, I will pass these damn classes. 😤👍🏻 As for summer plans, I don't have anything concrete planned yet, but my dad keeps talking about taking some sort of vacation and one of my friend has been talking about wanting to bring me to some clubs and local music events this summer? So we'll see how all that turns out!!

Now, about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, when the book first dropped, I was 100% set on never reading it (because I can be very snobby sometimes lol) but now that the trailer for the movie is out...I'm genuinely considering picking up a copy one of the next times I go out. I'm slowly getting more interested in seeing what it's all about!! That's another thing I'm hoping I'll have more time to do once summer hits.

I've actually been trying to talk my mom and her boyfriend into seeing The Covenant with me lol. Partially because it really seems like the kind of movie that her boyfriend would like. But I think they're both so sick of me fixating on little male celebrities that it probably won't be until it comes out on prime for me either. So at least you're not alone in that one!! But yes, I am so weak for Jake with that fluffy beard I am so– 🥴

Yeah, that's all I got. Lovely to hear from you, dear, and I'm glad that summer seems to be treating you well so far!! 💞✨

(p.s. that edit is so fucking good ugh the audio choice is literally perfect and it makes me so soft that it reminded you of me 🥺 thank you for sharing it!!)

[callsignspark]

thank you 💕 they really have come so far since that day in the grocery store, haven't they? Mary's was so much fun to write, to dig into the other side of that day. I could have done ten million words on their facetime calls that week! the first day was a bit awkward but over the days they got more comfortable and it's just them spending time together, it's so sweet. (1) the most important member of the Florida crew is inbound, wonder who that could be?? 👀👀 (2) we'll get to see one of their interactions while he's gone!! it's so cute!!

this is so sweet ☺️ and i can totally picture him with his arm behind his head looking all handsome and pretty and just like watching mary in awe - he's just so relaxed and comfortable! happy to spend time with his girl while she does her makeup!

BRADLEY!!!! he’s so cute and nervous around her which i just find so endearing? and then how flustered he gets while she’s getting ready? god he is so gone for her and i wish she could see the depths to which it goes? like she knows, but she doesn’t Know? - he is so gone for her (which she is slowly starting to realize) and it's so sweet!! him getting flustered over his own daydreams is my favorite, like, you did that to yourself sweetie!

okay first this is so sweet? but second this is so realistic when he tells her there’s some mascara on her eyelid? because i can’t tell you how many times it seems like an empty compliment and they don’t actually check? like he’s seeing and looking? and him picking the red dress!!!! without hesitation!!! the night they met dress!!! bradley!! - yes! that's the whole reason I had him say that! to show that he's actually paying attention to her!! HE SEES HER. also I'm not sure if anyone has noticed it yet, but Bradley loves her in red. (her clothes are usually red/in the red family) it's his favorite color and he loves the way she looks in it.

S T O P!?!? just friends my ass! - like seriously, who are they trying to fool ? themselves?

i died like honestly and truly died the first time she said this to him!!! and the fact that he eventually looks it up - Bradley hearing "dolcezza" and not knowing what it means but his stomach gets all fuzzy and he swoons hearing it so he has to look it up

ugh i just know his voice sounds super rough and gravely - YUP. baby boy was asleep (after tossing and turning thinking about her in her red dress) so he's all croaky and deep

i know exactly how she said “you remember my birthday?” like i can hear it ringing in my ears and bradley is like ofc i remembered your birthday?!? and he wants to cook!?! for her!?! let her be the one to relax during a meal for once??? swoon - he just wants to take care of her!! do something special for her!! make her happy!! and he's able to do that by remembering the smallest details but it means SOOOOO much to her.

they’re both so nervous! but i like that we get to see this part from mary’s pov? i can picture her double checking her hair and makeup and outfit before she goes to bradley’s and i don’t remember but is this the first time we’ve seen her there? she could’ve gone “of camera,” but normally they’re at her house yeah? - I would love to show both of their POVs but this is a bigger moment emotionally for Mar so I wanted us to be in her head. she's so nervous! she goes through four different outfits, takes an hour to lightly curl her hair, she just wants it to be perfect! she's been at Bradley's apartment a few times off-camera but it was never a solo trip like this is, so it's their first time alone at his place!

government naming her with the flushed cheeks!!! and she’s so taken aback by his hug?!? like miss mary what did you think he was gonna do? shake your hand?! - she's just not used to affection from men that isn't given with the expectation of her giving something back! there's always been a cost/exchange of "services" associated!

stop!!!! she’s never been more comfortable with a man!!!! this is so soft and easy and domestic! like the dialogue just flows so easily and is so realistic, it’s all the subtle little moments between them - I said it to Alexa, but now that they've discussed things and set up expectations it's so easy for them to just relax and enjoy each other

honestly all i’ve ever wanted since you posted that one shot was this scene from mary’s pov because i knew it would be Devastating and you more than delivered? like her face falling? and knowing this is the first time she’s met amelia and the outpouring of support she later shows amelia and amelia shows her the next time they see each other? it’s so sweet // i don’t have anything clever to say this just broke my heart knowing this is what she was thinking during that scene - once that idea was born, I just knew I had to incorporate her POV, it feels like that one shot isn't totally complete without it. and thank you, I tried so hard to make it sad and heartbreaking but not so bad that her feelings toward Bradley would completely change. she needed to be sad and mostly upset with herself for getting her hopes up. not mad at him.

i know this was partly my evil idea, but like???? what you’ve done with that little throwaway idea is so so good and it breaks my heart every time i think about it, but it also makes me so happy knowing that the woman bradley Did make it for was mary? and that it was always going to be mary? and she’s no longer a “you’re on your own kid” girl she’s a “lover” girl now - she is a lover girlie now <3 and this part was 100% you. I literally stared at this screenshot the entire time I wrote this section:

stop! stop!! this is so perfect, he’s so sweet and understanding and doesn’t get upset or impatient that she’s so nervous and worried (waiting for bradley to be like the guys before him stop!!!) - he's actually perfect for her!! he knows he gets her when he's back so he's not worried about trying to be perfect beforehand, he's just trying to make everything enjoyable for her! (and if he happens to make her fall in love with him during the rocess - that's just a bonus)

this just shows how well they know each other because he got her a gift that works for Her. like this is the perfect gift for mary and honestly probably the only one she’d accept from him at this point being so timid almost right now? like mary is always cooking for everyone and taking care of dinner and dessert and organizing everything and running around that bradley gives her the perfect gift of just letting her enjoy it? - she absolutely would not have done well if he tried to give her a physical gift (she fought him about bringing food to her own party could you imagine her reaction to a wrapped box?) so him doing everything and taking the physical and emotional load off her was the best thing he could have possibly done! and the meaning and thought behind it is everything to her.

HIM!!! HIM turning this around on mary!!! she’s his dolcezza!!! so now she knows he looked it up ahhhhh - she doesn't think about it at the time, but later when she realizes he used the petname (and correctly) she loses it and has to lay face down on her bed for like 15 minutes. same.

Mar[r]y Me - part seven

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.

series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, discussions of body image, conversations on what it’s like to be a fat woman trying to date in today’s society, extreme fluff, if you read these be warned that the last little bit will probably make you want to yell at me, ignore the fact that the mentioned tswift song wasn't out in 2021, warnings to be added as needed

word count: 4.8k

previous part | series masterlist | main masterlist

note: happy Friday!! it’s here! part seven!! I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks, I hope you all have an amazing weekend!! (side note: this chapter means we've almost hit 50,000 words on this story??? what!!! thanks for all your support!)

part seven - pasta e piselli

C’mon, pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.

Bradley repeats the plea over and over again in his head, staring at his own stressed expression on the Facetime call screen. He’s not sure why he’s worried; she’s picked up every other time he’s called.

Which has been every day this week, so far.

He’s just about to give up, figuring she’s still busy at work, when Mary answers.

“Happy Thurs-” Bradley stops when he realizes she’s on the phone, holding a finger up.

“Just hang on one second, Zia! No! I-” She speaks rapidly in another language, surprising Bradley, before pulling the phone away and bending closer to her iPad. “Sorry, I just need like ten minutes to get her off the phone, and then I’m all yours. I can call you back?”

“Nah, that’s okay. I’ll just be here.” He returns her smile, only slightly distracted by the brief flash of lace he gets where her work shirt is unbuttoned.

Bradley watches her bustle around her hotel room, tidying up and throwing things in her suitcase as she talks on the phone. He gets comfortable on his couch, propping himself up on a mountain of pillows and letting the sweet sound of Mary’s voice wash over him. He’s pretty sure she’s talking to her aunt in Italian, based on the googling he did of the bits and pieces he was able to understand.

It’s sexy, he thinks, imagining what it would be like to have her whisper in his ear in Italian, even if he would have no idea what was being said.

“You would think the fact that she’s closing in on 100 would mean she would have less energy to talk, but somehow, she’s only gained strength over the years.”

His focus comes back to the screen, drifting away from the fantasy he was building in his head to find Mary smiling sweetly at him, her chin resting in her hand. “Hi.”

“Hi, Bradley.”

“You speak Italian.” She nods, saying something to him and laughing when he just looks confused. “What?”

“I said that you must have had a stressful day because your hair looks like your call sign, Mr. Rooster.”

“It’s not that bad!” A glance at his Facetime window tells him that his hair is sticking straight up. Of course, he can’t admit that it’s from running his hands through it during his minor panic that she wouldn’t pick up and then while dreaming about having her on his lap. “Okay. I’ve had better hair days. But back to you, Italian?”

“Yeah, my whole family speaks it to varying degrees. The first few generations - on both sides - spoke very little English, if any at all. My parents and their siblings are the first generation that you could consider fully fluent in English. I had older relatives that only spoke Italian live with my family growing up, so I was a bilingual baby.”

“Was it hard to learn English?”

“Not really? Our house was English first, Italian second whenever possible, so I picked both up pretty quick.”

“That’s so cool! I took Spanish in high school, but I really only remember how to ask about the library. Donde está la biblioteca?” They laugh at his poor pronunciation. “So, how was your day?”

“It was good! Very productive; with all the meetings today, I finally had enough time to finish my program review slides! So tomorrow, I can fully focus on outfitting the last three jets. The team up here understood the upgrade really quickly, which is encouraging. It means the training pipeline that Dave put in place is working.”

“That’s good. What uh- what are you doing now?” Bradley’s mouth goes dry as he watches Mary unbutton her shirt, slipping it off to reveal a white camisole that clings to her in all the right places.

“Some of the people I worked with in Florida are here for training and program review prep! And we finally all have a free evening, so we’re going to dinner! I want to wear that shirt tomorrow morning, and I don’t want to get makeup on it while I’m retouching.”

“That sounds fun.” He can hear how rough his voice is, heart thumping when he watches her eyes dart to his, a light pink appearing on the apples of her round cheeks.

“How was your day?”

He tucks an arm behind his head, watching her freshen her makeup and telling her about the antics the Dagger Squad had gotten up to without her. It had been a light day; everyone got grounded due to rain, so Cyclone had them act as guinea pigs for a new training regiment the Navy is considering. They had, of course, gotten too competitive about it and completely over-performed the expected standards. Admiral Simpson was so frustrated that he let them go early, banning them from his sight for the rest of the day.

“He really swore at you guys?!” Mary laughs, swiping something shiny over her lips.

“He did! And he did that thing where he gets so mad his face turns red, and it looks like that vein in his neck is going to rupture!”

“You guys are going to kill that man.”

“It’s Mav’s fault. He taught us the right buttons to push.” Bradley shrugs when Mary raises a doubtful eyebrow at him, a laugh threatening to break through.

“I only half believe that some of you are quite annoying all on your own.”

“Wow, hurtful.”

She giggles at his dramatic chest grab. “I didn’t name names; if you took offense, that’s your own fault. Does my makeup look okay? Any places need fixing?”

Mary holds the tablet up to her face, closing her eyes to show off her makeup. Bradley takes the quiet moment to admire her. She’s never really been one to wear much makeup, but every time she does, it just enhances her beauty.

“You look great.” He holds back all the compliments and praise he wants to shower her with, reminding himself they’re not quite there yet, choosing to add some helpful feedback instead. “You do have some mascara on your right eyelid, though.”

“Oh, thank you! I’ll clean that up when I change.” She walks over to the closet, pulling out two dresses. “Which one for dinner?”

“The red one.” He answers with zero hesitation. He loves red on her; the color always looks so good against her tanned skin.

She hums, holding the dress against herself and looking in the mirror. “Yeah, good choice. I’m gonna ch-”

Mary shrieks as a door flies open, and Harvard comes bursting in. “Are you ready yet?”

“Brigham! You’re only supposed to use that for emergencies!”

“I’m hungry, and I want to get going.”

“That is not an emergency! What if I was naked?!”

“I could hear Rooster’s big mouth; I knew you weren’t naked. C’mon! Get changed. I want to eat!”

Bradley sits there baffled as Mary throws the dress he didn’t pick at Harvard’s head, snapping at him to hang it up before slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Harvard does and then takes Mary’s seat, waving at Bradley with a big grin on his face, completely unaware of how Bradley is reeling inside. “Hey, man! What’s up? How’re you?”

He doesn’t break to let Rooster answer, rambling on about his week and the mentoring program Cyclone had sent him to work on. Bradley can only let it go on so long before he bursts. “How did you get in?”

At that exact moment, Mary reappears, the red fabric highlighting her tan and accentuating her curves, even better than he remembered it from the night they met. “We ended up with adjoining rooms.”

“We’re keeping them unlocked for emergency purposes, aka so I can make sure she actually has some fun while we’re here.” Harvard proudly announces.

“I was swindled; he’s got very convincing puppy dog eyes.” She ushers him out of her chair so she can slip her shoes on. “It’s like the little brother I never wanted.”

“You’re so mean to me.”

Mary looks at Bradley and rolls her eyes. “And yet he refuses to leave. Go grab your wallet and the keys so we can get going.”

They both ignore Brigham’s muttered complaints as he heads to his room, focusing on each other.

“You look beautiful, honey.” Bradley says lowly once their friend is gone, like if he’s quiet enough with his compliments, then their just friends for now promise won’t be broken.

She looks at him through her lashes, putting her earring on and answering just as lowly. “Thank you. You look handsome.”

“Even with my hair sticking up?”

“Even then, dolcezza.” She hums. A yell from next door interrupts them before he can ask what she called him. “I gotta go, or we’ll be late for dinner. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Have fun, be safe.”

“Hello?” Bradley grumbles into the receiver, not appreciating being woken up after it took almost an hour to fall asleep.

“I can’t see you, Bradley; turn the light on.”

He pulls the phone back, pleasantly surprised to find Mary staring back at him. She’s showered and propped her phone against something, her brown eyes looking sleepy as she snuggles under the covers. A wave of longing hits him; she looks so soft and sweet. He wants nothing more than to be there with her.

“Sorry I woke you up.” She apologizes as he flips the light on and stands his phone on his bedside table.

“S’okay. Did you have a good time with your friends?”

“Yeah…” She sighs, a lazy smile spreading across her face. “It was great! I haven’t seen them since I left last year. We drank so much wine, which happens every time we let Ron pick the restaurant.”

“You tipsy, honey?”

“Think so.” She giggles, burying her face in her pillow for a second. “But it’s okay. Brigham drove, and he made sure I didn’t twist my ankle in those sandals.”

“Did he complain about it?”

“The whole time, he’s a good guy.” She blinks at his annoyed grumble. “Are you jealous? It’s okay if you are, but you don’t have to be. He really is like a brother. Besides, you’re the only sexy Dagger. Like, you’re all ridiculously attractive - statistically, only one or two of you should be hot, and somehow you all are; someone should study the probability of that - but you’re the only one I think is sexy.”

Bradley feels his jaw drop at her admission. He wants to stop her and talk about the fact that she thinks he’s sexy, but she’s steamrolling ahead on a different topic.

“I’m so excited to get home! It’s Annie’s birthday on Saturday, so I get to watch her run around with all her little friends from preschool. It’s gonna be so cute!” She coos, her smile wide.

“You’re gonna need a few Advil after listening to all that screaming.”

“Probably, but it’ll be nice to see her have fun on her birthday.”

“Hey, speaking of birthdays. I was thinking we should do something for your birthday on Sunday since I’ll be gone on the actual day.”

“You remember my birthday?”

“Of course I do, March 14th - Pi Day. And if I did my math correctly, you’re going to be 34.”

“That’s right.” Her answer is just above a whisper.

He can’t describe the way Mary is looking at him; her eyes are big and glassy, and there’s something in her expression he just can’t quite recognize.

“I was thinking we’d spend an evening together - just the two of us - and I’ll make dinner for you.”

“That’s so sweet, Bradley, but I don’t know if I can accept. That’s a lot of work.”

“No, it’s not. Not if I’m doing it for you.”

“Bradley… that plan isn’t very just friends.” Her voice is quiet, shy.

“I know. But I promise, this is completely different than the dinner I promised you after I get back in May. It’s not a date like that’s going to be. So whatdya say? Gonna let me make you dinner?”

“Only if I’m bringing dessert.”

“Nope, it’s your birthday. You’re not bringing dessert.”

Mary’s eyebrows scrunch as she sits up to get closer to the camera, the covers slipping down to reveal her nightgown. Bradley swallows hard. He knows she’s not doing it on purpose - doesn’t think she is anyway - but the pink fabric drapes across her skin in the most tantalizing way. He watches the strap slip down her shoulder, feeling weaker with every millimeter it moves. It makes him want to give in to her, but he stays strong, insisting that she’s not allowed to bring food to her own birthday dinner.

“Fine. Am I allowed to bring wine?”

He thinks for a second. “That’s okay, as long as that’s all you bring.”

“Scout’s honor.”

“Alright, smartass. Time for bed.” He lays back down, watching as she gets comfortable.

Mary hums, fighting against her eyes that are trying to slip close. “Talk tomorrow?”

“Course. Good night, honey.”

The last thing he sees before she hangs up is her pretty face, a sleepy smile on her lush lips, and her dark hair spread out on the white hotel pillows. “Night, dolcezza. Sleep well.”

The screen goes dark, and Bradley smiles back at his own reflection. It had taken some trial and error, but he had looked up what dolcezza meant while she was at dinner.

Dolcezza: Sweetheart or Honey (literally: sweetness; considered old-fashioned)

Mary’s anxiety has been eating away at her all day. From the moment she woke up, to getting ready two hours early because she was worried about being late, to this very second. The combination of nerves and excitement has her entire body vibrating. Her hand even shook a little when she lifted it to knock, thankful that she had tucked the wine safely into her canvas bag.

It’s just dinner with Bradley. There’s nothing to be nervous about.

She’s been telling herself that since accepting his invitation, but she can’t fool her own heart. Bradley inviting her over so he can make a birthday dinner for her because he’s going to be gone on her actual birthday? She knows this means more for them than just dinner.

More than just friends.

She’s beginning to regret asking that they wait to go on a date until he gets back from this deployment. He was so kind and understanding when she explained and had been taking everything at the pace she requested. But an itch is starting to form, one she can’t scratch by herself.

An itch that can only soothed by Bradley’s lips pressed to hers. By his big hands cradling her face. By his strong body pinning hers to the bed. By the two of them sharing a bed at night. Now that she’s had a slice what it would be like to be with him, she’s desperate for more. Just the thought of how he might taste-

You have got to calm down. Deep breath. Deep breath. Deep breath.

Mary follows her own instructions, trying to practice the Lamaze breathing she learned at Danielle’s birthing classes, the ones she attended when they weren’t sure what Reuben’s schedule would look like. She’s smoothing nonexistent wrinkles out of her shirt when the door opens.

Why the fuck did I say we should be just friends for now?

Bradley looks gorgeous. There’s no other word to describe it. The sleeves of his sweater are pushed up and hugging his arms, the soft fabric stretched across his broad shoulders. He’s wearing her favorite pair of jeans, the light-wash ones that cup his ass just right. And he’s gotten a trim, his curls slightly shorter than the last time she saw him in person.

As a familiar aroma wafts past his tall frame, his flushed cheeks make her wonder if it’s because he’s been cooking or because of her. She hopes it’s because of her.

“Hi. Happy birthday, Mariella.”

She loves it when Bradley says her full name. His pink lips curving around the letters, the syllables effortlessly dripping from his mouth. He even develops the tiniest Italian accent, an unconscious effect of her name. Her heart pounds with the care he always uses with her name, the respect.

“Thanks, Bradley.” She’s momentarily taken off guard when he pulls her into his strong chest but is reluctant to pull back from his warm hug. “Whatever you’re making smells good.”

“Thank you! I think you’re gonna like it.”

Mary’s smile widens as he takes her bag while she slips her shoes off. “Yeah? What are we having?”

“Oh, that’s a surprise - you’ll just have to wait a little bit and see. Have a seat at the table, and I’ll pour you a glass of this wine you brought.”

She slips into a dining room chair and watches as he opens the wine, bobbing his head to the music coming from the record player across the room. He dramatically sniffs the cork, and the cheeky smile he shoots over his shoulder makes her laugh.

“Something funny, Miss Mary?” Bradley saunters around the counter peninsula, handing over a stemless wine glass.

“Nothing, just unaware I was in the presence of a sommelier. Did you taste the peach the label talked about?”

“I did; I also picked up on notes of lime. Very delicious pinot grigio you selected for tonight.”

“The Navy’s amazing reading skills in action.” She smirks at the confused tilt of his head. “It’s a sauvignon blanc, Bradley.”

He throws his head back as he laughs. “Shit! They all taste the same to me.”

“Me too.” She admits as he checks on the food, warmth blooming in her chest at the domesticity of the scene. All the anxiety from earlier suddenly seems ridiculous; she’s never felt more comfortable with a man. “Which drives Dani insane because apparently there’s a lot of differences.”

“Wine is wine! You know, like Mr. Incredible when he tries to do the math homework?” Bradley jokes as he sets salad and bread on the table. “Could you dish out the salad while I serve the pasta?”

Mary is slicing the loaf of sourdough when Bradley sets a bowl of pasta at seat. His chest brushes her back, and he squeezes her hip as he moves to his seat, murmuring a low thanks when she puts bread on his plate. She loses her breath as she sits back down, her heart racing when she sees what he’s made.

“Pasta e piselli?”

“It’s your favorite.”

“You remember that?”

“What’s your favorite?”

Mary perks up at the question, happy that Bradley is so interested in what she has to say. “Pasta e piselli, which is just pasta and peas. But it’s so good and filling and comforting.”

“Do you make it a lot?”

“I don’t actually, Amelia, even though it’s very easy to make.” She sends a conspiratory wink to her, getting a big smile in return. “It’s one of those recipes I break out for a special dinner or when I need a pick-me-up meal.”

“Special dinner? You ever make it for a date?”

The question stops her cold. She knows Amelia catches the way her face drops, a shocked expression she can’t quite control. One of her worst qualities, according to her mother. She can feel pity radiating from the young girl standing on the end of the cart, feeling sad for the pathetic thirty-three-year-old woman who can’t understand when a man just thinks of her as a friend.

Her throat feels acidic, swallowing the tears that threaten to show themselves. She feels so stupid, because up until that question, she would have sworn Bradley was flirting with her. She should know better by now. She’s not someone that men find desirable. She’s fat and awkward and bad at flirting.

Mary stutters out an answer, some bullshit about commitment, before focusing on Amelia, who interrupts to talk about cupcakes. She takes advantage of the distraction, using it to move them toward the cashiers and taking the first chance to get away from the siblings. She can’t help but feel even more heartbroken when Bradley offers to carry her groceries. He’s such a good guy. It’s not his fault she’s so pathetic and convinced herself a man like Bradley could want someone like her.

“That’s sweet, but I’ve got it. Been doing this all by myself for years now! Enjoy your pizza, guys!” She gives a poor excuse of a wave, her smile sad as she thinks about how true her statement is.

She has been doing it by herself for years. All alone - no partner, no roommate, no help - since she graduated college. Her best friends usually thousands of miles away, limited contact with her family in New York, only a few friends in Missouri. And then, in Florida, just when she had started to get friendly with people besides the admiral she worked with, she had gotten the job in San Diego and moved, leaving that budding life behind.

She should probably be thankful that Bradley didn’t press more after Amelia interrupted. That he didn’t ask her to help him make the recipe for whatever lucky woman he had in mind when he asked about making it for a date. Because she would have said yes, desperate to spend time with the man she had a crush on.

Well, that’s gonna stop now righ now,  she decides as she sends one last small smile to Bradley and Amelia, trudging out to her Jeep and letting herself cry for a few seconds once the groceries are loaded. Driving home with tears leaking down her cheeks as her favorite sad Taylor Swift song plays on repeat.

“Of course I do.” His socked feet brush her own, and he reaches over to grab her hand.” You said you would only make it for someone who was committed to you.”

Her heart races at the implication of his words.

I’m committed to you.

“You asked if I would make this for a date.” Bradley nods. “This isn’t a date.”

“It’s not a date.” He confirms, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.

“It’s only been a week, I’m not-”

“I know, Mary.” He gently cuts her off. “It’s not a date; I just wanted to make something special for your birthday.”

She tries to swallow around the lump in her throat, overwhelmed by the sweet and thoughtful man sitting beside her. Compared to her previous relationship attempts, Bradley keeps surpassing her expectations by leaps and bounds. She knows it’s not fair to compare them, to keep waiting for him to act like them. He’s not them.

He is so much better.

Bradley is kind and caring. He listens to her, really takes in what she’s saying, doesn’t just nod as the words come out of her mouth. The slightest brush of his skin against hers sets her on fire. He makes her feel safe; she’s never once questioned his intentions or felt uneasy while in the car with him.

Logically, Mary knows the beautiful man in front of her really does care about her, but it’s still hard to believe they’ve gotten here. That they’re here, having this not-date that is so clearly a date. That they’ve confessed their feelings.

“Try some.”

Her stare lingers on his face for another minute, committing his soft expression to memory, before looking down at her bowl.

“It really does look great.” She doesn’t let go of his hand, scooping a bite with her right hand and blowing to cool it down. Bradley’s eyes twinkle as she takes the first bite, his pupils dilating at the involuntary sound that escapes as the flavors melt in her mouth.

No one had made this meal for her since her grandmother passed away twenty years ago. It's like a taste of childhood between the fresh peas and the sharp pecorino cheese.

“Is it good?”

“Well, it’s not Nonna Romano's pasta e piselli, but you did a great job, Bradley. It’s delicious.” She smiles as his face drops in relief, a wide smile replacing his nervous one.

They spend dinner talking and laughing, their legs constantly brushing together as they discuss which post-program review happy hour mixers they should attend. Then, after the leftovers are packed up, Bradley ushers her onto his balcony and plops the two of them on his wicker loveseat, ignoring her protests that she could do the dishes.

“I’ll do them later. Just sit here and relax with me, would ya?”

“Fine.” Mary huffs, shuffling closer until she’s tucked into his side, warm and content under the blanket he grabbed.

The two sit in comfortable silence, cuddled together as they listen to the sounds of the street below and watch the last rays of the sunset slip away. It’s not until the few stars that are actually visible through San Diego’s light pollution appear in the sky that one of them moves.

“I’ll be right back.” He says, chuckling at her tiny, displeased whine when he pulls away. She watches him walk into his apartment, appreciating the long lines of his body.

When the door slides shut, she takes a second to just breathe, the crisp evening air filling her lungs and cooling her warm cheeks as she tries to calm herself down. The butterflies in her storm are waging a war against her, but not in a bad way. It’s not nerves or anxiety that’s making her stomach flip.

It’s happiness.

It’s Bradley.

An involuntary laugh escapes at the realization. Mary presses the blanket against her face, muffling the excited giggles she can’t control. Giddy like a schoolgirl with her first real crush. She brings the blanket down at the sound of the door opening; her cheeks are sore from smiling so big but they stretch even more at the sight in front of her.

Bradley walking towards her, singing Happy Birthday with a slice of cheesecake in one hand and his phone in the other. He carefully sits back down, handing over the plate to light the candle.

“Happy birthday to you!”

Mary can’t look away from the man sitting next to her. Her heart is so full she could cry. She’s never been one to make a big fuss about birthdays. Usually spends the day working and enjoying her colleagues' happiness at the treats she brought to share. Treating herself to dinner out and maybe some dessert before calling her best friends to chat and catch up, laughing through their awful rendition of Happy Birthday.

The effort Bradley has put in has her on the brink of happy tears. Not only did he remember her favorite dinner months after she mentioned it once, but he put in the time to actually make it. He’s done all the work himself and hasn’t let her lift a finger. Something she appreciates more than he could ever imagine. Growing up, there was never a day where she was allowed to not help. Every special day of her - birthday, graduation - ended with her in the kitchen, putting leftovers away and washing dishes while her brothers got to have fun. And on top of all that, she knows he asked Dani or Reuben for help because he’s stuck a candle in a slice of chocolate raspberry swirl cheesecake - her favorite.

His soft voice interrupts her thoughts. “Make a wish, honey.”

I hope we never get tired of each other. I hope we grow old together. I hope we love each other forever.

She keeps eye contact with him as she blows the candle out, hoping he understands she’s wishing for him.

For them.

Bradley stops recording and drops his phone on the table without looking, scooting closer to her with a hungry look in his eyes. It’s clear as day how much he wants her, even in the low light of the balcony, and it sends shivers up her spine.

“What did you wish for?” His voice is rough compared to a few seconds ago, like there’s gravel in his throat.

Mary’s eyes flicker between his lips and his eyes, unable to decide which one she wants to look at more. “I can’t say, or it might not come true.” His mouth wins the battle when his tongue peeks out to wet his lips.

“Well, we wouldn’t want that. Would we?” Her heart kicks into overdrive as he leans closer, his right hand pushing hair out of her face while the other slips around her back, tugging her closer.

“Thank you for this, it was perfect.”

Mary leans in, her breath hitching when the tips of their noses brush. Her free hand runs up his chest, appreciating the soft sweater before dipping into his curls. Bradley presses in even further, the small dessert plate between them the only thing keeping them apart.

“Of course. Happy Birthday, dolcezza.”

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fic tag | credit for dividers here

[moreaujeans]

i think this is genuinely the most worried i’ve ever been abt not getting out of a class with an a

[bigskydreaming]

Okay, so you know “Justice League meets Batman’s kids, who they’d previously been unaware existed” AUs?

So picture that.....but this time, instead of them just having no knowledge of any of these other Gotham vigilantes at all....the Batkids all migrate to various cities as they get older and become known as their protectors - Dick in Bludhaven, Tim in San Francisco, Cass in Hong Kong, etc....

Meaning they’re all established figures, the Justice League are aware of them as solo local heroes who stick to their cities and so they just don’t interact with them much if at all, or else some are members of team lineups but are particularly vague about their histories or life outside of the team’s adventures....

So the big reveal isn’t that they become aware of all these other Gotham vigilantes all at once....its that some big conflict or whatever requires a huge team up of all available heroes, and in the aftermath, they figure out that like.....despite being known as solo heroes who work alone or loners outside of their team settings, 80% of these heroes all not only seem to already know each other, they seem to be related.

And so naturally they all turn to Batman, who has profiles on every known hero and they thus figure had researched these individuals too and just never mentioned this little detail, and they’re like, “Did you know about this?”

And then Nightwing turns to him too, arms crossed and is like, “Yeah Dad, did you know about this?”

And the infamous Red Hood is all: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have never met any of these people before in my life. Lives? Whatever.”

And then Red Robin moodily grates out “I have no siblings.” Since he’s nursing a grudge since Dick and Jason broke into his apartment the night before and replaced all his custom Red Robin gear with Darkwing Duck merchandise and his vengeance will be swift and also totally disproportionate because things escalate quickly in this family, that’s true in every universe.

Cass meanwhile has deftly skewered Jason’s lie by walking over to him and brazenly patting down the man with many many guns with no fear whatsoever. He squawks and futilely attempts to bat her hands away as she riffles through his many pockets, but he doesn’t seem shocked, just annoyed. Eventually, she pulls away and triumphantly reveals a box of Hello Kitty themed band-aids.

“So these are yours then? Just for you?” Black Bat asks smugly. Red Hood squints at the box.

“What the fuck? How long have those been in my jacket? Why are those in my jacket? Did you freaking plant them in my jacket just on the offchance you could at some point in the distant future use them at my expense?”

Black Bat frowns, puzzled. “Yes?”

“Oh come on, Dead Hood,” Spoiler says with an exaggerated toss of her head meant to convey she’s rolling her eyes beneath her own mask. She skips her way across the room to Black Bat and then drapes herself languidly all over the smaller woman. Who in turn doesn’t so much as twitch beneath the sudden added mass as Spoiler holds out her hand towards the box of band-aids. 

“One please. I have a boo-boo,” she says with easy familiarity straight into the intimidating cowl of Black Bat. Only then does she deign to finish her train of thought with Red Hood.

“I mean seriously, are you saying you don’t have potential blackmail set-ups, pre-rigged releases of incriminating material, and a random assortment of traps, pratfalls and mortifying scenarios in place for the express purpose of being able to humiliate any and all of your siblings at any given moment, without any need for additional prep time?”

“Is this true, Little Wing?” Nightwing whirls on the larger Red Hood with a faux-scandalized gasp. The founder and leader of the Titans, formerly the Teen Titans, renowned for his stratagems and calm competence when directing squads of supers in the heat of battle while he keeps pace with nothing more than naturally acquired acrobatics and a utility belt that apparently uses the same technology as Wonder Woman’s invisible jet....now appears to be....staggering with the back of his hand pressed to his forehead, moaning about how he felt....faint? 

What is happening right now, several dozen superheroes want to know. Is this a drill? Are they supposed to be checking for signs of a mental ambush from undetected psychic saboteurs? Did they all hit their heads at the exact same time and are now experiencing some kind of shared mass concussion?

Look, that wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to ever happen on the Watchtower. 

“Have I failed you so utterly?” The veteran child hero bemoans with a dramatic twirl - that when contrasted with his stern demeanor of a mere ten minutes ago - makes the fears of telepathic infiltration seem less paranoia and more....concerningly probable. “Did you learn nothing from me? Did you learn nothing from B?”

He stops and jabs a finger up at the sky. “Quick, everyone! What is the very first rule of Living While Batty?”

As if by rote, over a half a dozen voices chime in from all over the room, causing various heroes to jump. Spooked by yet more and more vigilantes joining in some kind of mass recitation like they and they alone have some kind of clue what the hell is going on and everyone else just hadn’t been invited to the party. Which is just rude, honestly. Nobody likes feeling like they weren’t invited to the party. Not even superheroes. 

“If you’re not going to bother preparing for every possible contingency and at least six impossible ones, you might as well just stay in bed.”

Even the Red Hood joins in the Illuminati chant or Cub Scout pledge or demonic ritual or whatever the fuck that just was, though his slumped and exasperated posture gives away every hint of sulkiness his headgear otherwise would have kept safely hidden. He’s surprisingly more...expressive, than most who’d only known of him by reputation had expected him to be. The day continues to yield surprises.

“Of fucking course I do,” he growls out, snatching the box from Black Bat. She doesn’t even fight to hold onto it, just lets it go with a knowing smirk. “I wasn’t surprised by the idea of it, I was just surprised she bothered with such a weak effort. Like yeah whatever, actually those could be mine. I use those all the time at home. So what?”

He aggressively yanks one of the band-aids out of the box, fumbles with the peel-off strips with one hand and he roughly rolls up the sleeve of his jacket with the other. Then just slaps it on his forearm and raises said appendage high, showing it off this way and that. “See?”

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Signal drawls from the other side of the room, nodding his head approvingly. “Totally convincing. Nice job walking that one back, you really showed them.”

Red Hood’s head snaps in his direction with ominous intent. “Watch it, Day-Glo.”

Signal just snorts.

“Yeah, like I’m gonna take constructive criticism on my name and costume from a dude who’s spent the last several years calling himself Red HOOD while running around in a freaking HELMET.”

“Its not meant to be literal, you fucking pedant.”

“So wait, its not literally a helmet? Huh, does it at least protect your head literally, or just like...symbolically? Like if Bane were to clock you across the head, would your concussion just be a metaphor? What’s the treatment protocol for a metaphorical concussion? Fluids, bedrest and a philosophical prescription of two chapters of Chicken Soup for the Soul as needed?”

“Laugh it up, KC and the Sunshine Band,” Red Hood bats back. “You just got yourself disinvited from Thursday night’s poker game.”

Signal just grins and folds his arms over his chest cockily. “Please. You’ve been looking for an excuse to ban me for weeks, cuz you know until you can prove I’m using my ghost vision to cheat, you can’t actually bring suit against me for it in Family Court.”

“That, and also Family Court isn’t a real thing, you toddler. Stop validating Wing-a-ding-ding’s obsession with Shitty TV Nostalgia and just call it that thing where Oracle traps us all in a room until we settle our latest fight without anyone getting stabbed.”

“Yeah, but like, say that five times fast,” Spoiler pipes up. “Its just not practical. Family Court’s way easier.”

“Says the one who’s not even in our fucking family.”

“And yet I grace you all with my sublime presence anyway,” she blows a kiss at him, beatifically unbothered. “You’re welcome.”

The Red Hood scoffs and rounds on his heel, zeroing in on Batwoman in the far corner.

“Hey Auntie B, my siblings are all dead to me and I just helped stop an alien invasion so I deserve nice things like a fun Saturday night. Can you get me into Dad’s fundraiser so I can crash it? He won’t put me back on the list until I promise not to bring any C-4 with me and I won’t promise not to bring any C-4 because he should just trust me that I won’t when I say I’m not gonna and he won’t trust me that I won’t until I admit I shouldn’t have brought any to that sting last month where three tiny little yachts blew up through barely any fault of my own, and I’m just not gonna do that ever because I have convictions and I feel I shouldn’t have to be punished for that. Y’know?”

Batwoman blinks at him. “Kid, I’m not gonna lie to you. You’re my nephew and I love you, but I stopped listening three seconds into all that.”

“Ugh, fine. Can you help me crash Dad’s event tonight so I can teach him a lesson about why he should just trust me not to make a scene so I don’t have to always make a scene to make a point.”

“Tempting as you make that sound,” she says wryly, “I have a strict policy for dealing with you lot and your......everything. I only worry about tolerating one of you at a time, and there’s seven of you, and seven days in the week. You each get your own. You know perfectly well its Robin’s day today. You get me on Tuesday, just like always.”

“Auntie B, we’re not like other families, are we?” Red Robin’s delivery is sarcastically childish and his question clearly rhetorical. Most of his attention is fixated on whatever it is he’s doing with his wrist-mounted computer. 

“No sweetie, we’re all severely fucked in the head and a little bit too comfortable with that.”

“Just checking. Oh hey, Hood, I just emailed you a patch for the hole in your firewall I exploited when replacing all my shit using your accounts just now.”

“You did what?”

“Used your accounts to pay to replace all my stuff that you fucked with last night?” Red Robin says slowly. “Did you not realize that I’ve been sticking within ten feet of you for the past five minutes just so I could clone your devices and do all that while BB and Spoiler kept you distracted? I gotta say, bro, I feel like that’s on you then.”

Red Hood swivels his helmeted head in the direction of the aforementioned two. Black Bat waves. Spoiler shoots him an utterly unrepentant thumbs up.

“You’d side with your ex over me? That’s what its come to?”

“My only allegiance is to chaos,” Spoiler says brightly. Black Bat shrugs.

“Plus he bribes better.”

“Hateful,” Red Hood points at Black Bat, moving on to level the same finger at Spoiler, who curtsies in acknowledgment: “Hateful-er.”

Then the finger rounds the bases to aim judgmentally at Red Robin. “Hateful-est. And that was all Nightwing’s idea anyway, not mine.”

“Oh, I assumed as much,” he says casually. “Your idea of a prank tends to have more of a Carrie vibe. Or be a literal literary reenactment.”

“Its called an homage, 4chan.”

“Whatever, plagiarist. And anyway, I couldn’t go after ‘Wing for payback on this one. He used an Immunity card. If you didn’t want me getting back at you, you should have used one too."

Red Hood looms aggressively. Red Robin ignores willfully. Round and round they go. Superheroes who can survive excessive G-Forces are getting dizzy just watching them have a largely motionless stand-off. That shouldn’t be how that works, but whatever. All the most infamously reclusive and isolated heroes in all hero-dom are apparently part of the same one big reclusive and isolated family of fucked up weirdos and they’re all officially bonkers. Nothing makes sense anymore. Reality broke. Try another stall.

“Okay, but see, in order to have an Immunity card, I would have to participate in one of you losers’ stupid Immunity challenges,” the Red Hood drags out with exaggerated patience. “And I’m just not going to do that, on account of those all being fucking stupid. You see the problem there?”

Red Robin just shrugs. “I don’t know what to tell you, bro. You can have principles or you can have an Immunity card. You can’t have both.”

Meanwhile, on another side of....the same room.....look, its like, an octagonal room, probably. It has a lot of sides. Robin fends off questions from an aggrieved looking Superboy.

“You never told me you had a bajillion brothers and sisters!”

“Yes but I never said I didn’t either.”

Superboy rolls his eyes. “Oh yeah, so I should just assume everyone I meet has a bajillion secret brothers and sisters?”

“Well clearly it would have worked out in your favor in this instance if you had, now wouldn’t it?”

“Assuming of course that you can trust what has been said or implied here today and I am actually related to any of those numbskulls. Which I am not actually admitting to,” Robin tacks on hastily.

Superboy eyes him dubiously. “You joined in the same creepy chant all the others did and then got super self-conscious and looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Which uh. I did.”

“First off, your interpretation of body language is abyssmal. I do not get self-conscious,” Robin says with a delivery that probably could have benefited from being a little less self-conscious. “And second....that proves nothing. I guessed what they were going to say.”

“Word for word,” Superboy says super-skeptically.

“I’m very good at guessing things. You know this.”

“Okay. Guess how much I believe you right now then.”

Robin glares and folds his arms grumpily across his chest. 

“And what was that anyway? Was that like....you guys’ family motto or something like that?”

“Oh no,” Spoiler pipes up. “That’s much shorter.”

Superboy balks at that. “Wait, you guys actually have one of those for real?”

“Yup,” Steph says, counting out the words with her fingers. “He who laughs last....probably works for the Joker. So tranq him just to be safe. See? Only sixteen words. The first rule of Living While Batty is way longer, and what we said was just the abridged version. You should hear the original, before Black Bat put her foot down and refused to memorize it unless sizable edits were made.”

Superboy hovers between her and Robin now, both in mid-air and on the verge of taking Spoiler’s words as an invitation to hear just that. A low growl arises from Robin’s direction.

“Must you?” He asks the older vigilante, with a most put upon expression.

She looks at him pityingly. “Do you actually need me to answer that? Like, we’ve met, right? Hi, I’m Spoiler.”

“Wait, so Robin said that I just never specifically asked him if he had a bajillion brothers and sisters, and that’s why he didn’t tell me, so that means he wouldn’t have just lied and there’s not some code of secrecy that flat out forbids telling other people stuff, right?” Superboy realizes excitedly.

“Yes, excellent direction. Go on,” Spoiler says, steepling her fingers. Robin buries his face in the palm of one hand.

“Soooo, what other stuff could you tell me about Robin’s super top secret family that I wouldn’t think to ask about but that he would tell me about if I knew what questions to ask?”

She claps once, lightly but with emphasis. “Well done. You’ve passed the first barrier. Untold secrets await you behind just a few more.”

“I’ll get you for this,” Robin vows calmly. She waves a hand at him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you do it before January 1st, remember? You’ve promised retribution like ten times already this year and those don’t roll over, y’know. Rules are rules.”

“Enough!” Thunders a voice then, from the front of the room. Well one of the fronts anyway. Like sides, it has a lot of them, but this is the one where Batman’s standing. All eyes snap to him. Which is kinda just what eyes do when Batman says stuff like that. Its like his superpower, except he doesn’t actually have superpowers, which is what makes it scary. But where the snapping of the eyes (directional) is usually followed by Batman saying something else besides just “hey look at me,” here he pauses in the wake of his own call to attention’s waning reverberations. Uncharacteristically silent.

Not that, y’know, he’s normally Mr. Talkity Talk, but usually his silences feel like he has the words to fill them, he’s just withholding them. This though, this feels more like he doesn’t have any words at all. And he’s as confused by it as any of them, and most everyone else is confused by Batman being confused, and its this whole trickle down economy of confusion and its wrecking havoc on the value of the golden silence standard.

Of course, not everyone present is rendered spellbound with confusion.

“C’mon B,” Nightwing cajoles, leaning forward and practically radiating delight. “I think you know what you have to do now. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Its not likely to come around again.”

Red Hood snickers beneath his helmet and chimes in. “Yeah Pops, go ahead. You do this and you’ll actually have my respect for a whole twenty four hours. No, wait. Sixteen. No! Eight. Yeah, eight. Still a good deal.”

“Carpe diem, B,” Red Robin grins, leaning back as if to enjoy the show.

“Hey! Infringe on my trademark one more time, dude,” Signal throws a faux-glare at the former. Red Robin just quirks an eyebrow.

“And what, you’ll start saying Yum every time you eat a burger? Oh no. I’m hoist by my own petard.”

Signal flips him off with a grin and then redirects his attention back to Batman. “Yeah seriously though B, you kinda gotta do it now. Because if you don’t do it, then you’ll forever be the guy who didn’t do it, and you don’t want to be that guy, do you?”

“Yeah you really don’t want to be that guy,” Spoiler shouts out. “Nobody likes that guy. He’s the worst.”

“Do it, do it,” Black Bat starts chanting beside her, steadily picking up speed and volume. Several others start joining in. Even Robin appears to be slightly anticipatory, albeit trying very hard to hide it.

Batman sighs, and somehow everyone manages to hear it. Stills. Waits for....something? Nobody but them seems to have any clue what, but the air is thick and heavy with portentiousness. Something is about to happen, and all most of the heroes present could say for sure is it was something they never would have in a million years seen coming.

Finally, Batman straightens with the resigned air of a man about to have oh so many regrets. He crosses his arms, shakes his head, and in an absolute deadpan monotone, says:

“You are awful children. You know you’re killing me. You’re killing your father.”