#another fav activity is humouring her

[unnamednarrator]

i think calling katniss’ bluff is in peeta’s top 5 favourite activities

[taetaespeaches]

“Me? Jealous of your dance moves?”

jeongguk x reader genre: fluff word count: 1.7K

note: this piece was written by mads, @aurorassadprosee​​. This was the first piece she ever wrote and that makes me so soft :( a little bit into our friendship she told me she had written a drabble but didn’t think it was good enough to post, so I had her send it to me and this was the drabble. IMAGINE thinking this wasn’t good enough to post. Ha! Ok, Mads :) It’s still one of my favs. It’s adorable, playful, and just feels like Kookie. We both hope you all enjoy! xo

YOU were making your way around your apartment with swinging hips, beats blasting through your headphones, a hum on your lips.

You were meant to be tidying, cleaning up your small apartment, however, the boring task you started mid-morning was still not done.

You had caught yourself diverging from your set jobs more times that you could count, but no matter how many attempts you made at refocusing your attention back to clearing the clothes off the floor or wiping down surfaces, nearly every couple of minutes you involuntarily break into song and dance.

The clock that sat upon your side table had just clicked over to 3pm, but you just turned up the volume, the hum of tunes on your lips now becoming louder. With a dusting cloth in hand swinging above your head, and hips moving from side to side, you ‘grooved’ around your room, giving the empty space your all.

Although, so involved with your ‘cleaning’, the repeated knock at your door remained unnoticed, you didn’t hear it open, nor do you hear your name being called.

Jeongguk peered his head around the entryway and took one step into your apartment, dumping his bag on the polished floorboards, expecting to be met with your wide smile.

However, he found himself alone in the open space that was your lounge.

Confused at first, believing the apartment to be unoccupied, his gaze fell on clothes strewn over the couch, a plate with half eaten toast and a tea stained cup resting on your wooden coffee table, and a glowing TV, the muffled voice of a news anchor filling the room.

However, it was the hallow squawk that sounded from down the corridor that let him know you were home.

As he slowly made his way closer to the noise, a wince appeared on his face, and it stayed there.

Palms rising to protect his ears from the sound of your unrelenting, off-pitch screeching, he made his way to the doorway of your room.

There he saw you.

You with your back to him, hair half out of your high bun, violently moving to a beat he couldn’t hear.

Leaning against the arch of the entryway, he removed his palms from his ears and brought them to cross his chest.

A smile broke out across his face, an involuntary giggle coming out of his mouth.

You stayed unaware however, tunes too loud, too immersed, going hard.

It wasn’t until mid-twirl you noticed him standing there, laughing.

Frozen, you quickly snatch the headphones off your head, arms dropping limp and face immediately reddening.

“Guk!” you gasp, “what are you doing here?!”

You had not expected him for another three hours, you had plans for those three hours!

Some of those plans had been a possible shower, getting changed in something other than your pajama top and sweatpants, or hell, maybe even brushing your hair?!

“Oh! nice to see you too, baby,” he said, a smile from ear-to-ear. “Those are some real moves you’ve got there!”

Oh my god, you wanted the floor to open up and swallow you whole.

It wasn’t like Jeongguk hadn’t seen you dancing before in the two years you had been together, he has witnessed your numerous drunken shenanigans, especially when an 80s shuffle came on.

For goodness sake, you both jam out regularly together - rap battles included.

But there is something different, and completely embarrassing about being caught in the act.

“Shut up! How long have you been standi-wait, I don’t want to know how long you’ve been standing there,” you say, face still red, embarrassed to the core. “You haven’t answered my question, why are you home so early?”

“Well, we had sort of finished up for the day so I really didn’t have any reason to stay back,” he said. “Plus, I wanted to see you!” a smile still encompassing his entire face, “is that not reason enough? You’ve been busy with work and study all week, and I’ve been held up with rehearsals and recording, I just thought we could grab a bite to eat?”

You toss your phone and headphones onto your bed, and cross your arms tightly across your body, “well some prior notice would have been nice, I’ve been working all day and now I won’t have any time to get ready,” you say with a pout.

“Oh really?” he drawls, still beaming, “working hard, all day?”

“Yes really!” you say, eyes narrowing, “why is that so hard to believe?”

Still laughing, Jeongguk slowly made his way over to you, mimicking your dance moves as he went along.

Your face becomes redder, if that’s even possible, skin and ears burning.

You smack him lightly in the chest when he gets close enough, but he just continues to giggle.

Wrapping his arms around your frame, he looks down his chin at you, his warm brown eyes scrunched by his wide smile.

“Hmmm…yeah um, seems as though you have been really busy,” he said sarcastically, eyes widening in false sincereness.

He looks away, gaze roaming around the small space, pausing and pointedly looking at your unmade bed.

You cocked your head to the side, eyebrow rising.

“Excuse you! what are you insinuating?” you huff in false exasperation, “I am a hardworking individual!”

He looks back to you, eyes crinkled in humour, bangs slightly pushed to the side, skin bare.

He throws his head back with a chuckle, your eyes falling to the scattered and occasional light freckles that cover his jaw and neck, appearing like stars on a clear night.

Your heart thumps.

“I think you know exactly what I mean,” his arms squeeze tighter as he rests his forehead against yours lightly, the echo of faint music still making its way out of the headphones laying on your bed.

You’re struggling for excuses now, you’re struggling to even breathe, his gaze intensely meeting yours, waiting for your rebuttal.

“Well the thing is, not like you’d know anyway, but cleaning is a time-consuming task!” you say with the same determined tone, your eyes moving down to your fingers that were playing with the strings of his hoodie.

But your voice wavers toward the end of the sentence, fading as you look back up to him and see a smile creep back onto his face, eyes sparkling.

He scoffs.

You gulp.

“Okay whatever, shut up!” you finally cave with a whine, “hey! It’s not my fault my Spotify playlist is full of bops!”

His boyish giggle fills the room once more.

Waiting for his response you lift your gaze to meet his expecting a witty remark, you instead get his lips.

Your mind goes instantly blank.

Your senses are consumed by him.

His hands moving to your hips, sliding to the cotton waistband of your sweats, the pressure of his thumbs on your hip-bones.

He pulls away, bringing his lips close to your ear, you shiver at his breath.

“God you’re an idiot.”

You can hear the smile on his words as his lips make their way along your neck and jaw.

“You’re just jealous of my dance moves,” you mumble back, eyes half closed, one hand pulling at his cotton jumper, the other to the nape of his neck, fingers tangled in his soft hair, trying to bring him back down to your mouth once more.

“Me?” his eyes come back into line with yours quickly, eyebrow raised, “jealous of your dance moves?”

“Well, why wouldn’t you be?” you say with a cheeky grin, “I mean look at this!”

You push away from him, twirl on the spot, hand on hip as you stop abruptly, looking over your shoulder dramatically, wiggling your eyebrows.

Jeongguk almost doubles over, stumbling back and landing on your bed, clasping his stomach.

Once he catches his breath, he hoists himself back to a sitting position, shoulders curved, chin in hands.

“Oh my god, you really are an idiot!” he chuckles. “A cute idiot though! a very cute idiot!” he quickly adds in response to your furrowed brows. “Hmmm, maybe I am jealous,” he smirks, “you might have to teach me some of these moves?”

With you now further away, he is able to see you completely, shamelessly scanning up and down your body.

With a small smile and a knowing expression, you make your way back over to him, slowly taking a seat on his lap.

“Yeah maybe,” you sigh, shaking your head, “but, I’ve got to warn you, if you want to learn these moves, it’s going to take rigorous and intense training. My technique is hard to master.”

His hands clasp at the small of your back, the last of his giggles fading away.

He lifts his chin, nose brushing against yours, his lips inches away.

“Hmmm, rigorous and intense training hey?” he hums. “That’s fine with me,” he says, roughly bringing his lips to yours.

He pulls you closer, hand shifting onto your hip, the other moving to the side of your cheek, deepening the kiss with every breath.

It was a few minutes before your brain re-activated, you bring your hands to his neck, and pull away, ignoring his mewls and attempts to pull you back

“If we’re going to go for something to eat, I need to get ready,” you murmur softly, starting to detach yourself from him.

He grumbles in response, gripping you tighter, his strength immediately outweighing yours.

You land with a thump back onto his lap, face-to-face with his pout.

“No, no we can order in,” his lips making their way back to the side of your neck. “I don’t really want to go out anyway.”

“Mmmmm, fine,” you say with a false hufff, smile on your lips. “But at least let me make my bed!”

Jeongguk smirks, shifting his weight, your back now suddenly against the blankets.

Hovering over you on his forearms, Jeongguk’s eyes meet yours shining, his skin hot.

“Oh sweetheart, there will be no need to do that.”

[naralanis]

Fic Writer Review!

Thanks @mssirey for the tag! I totally didn't have a crisis with the very last question, not at all bwhahaha

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

41, soon to be 42. ASJKLDBLAHSDSD how. And also why. But mostly, how.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

565,934 EXCUSE ME WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. I was going to check my unpublished works but ya know what. Maybe I've written enough akdjsa

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

Technically speaking, I've written and published fics for five fandoms. However, I only have one story for OUAT (and I have @shadowdianne to thank for that... or do I?) and one for Captain Marvel. Mirandy was my first love, Cissamione the second, and Supercorp has burrowed in my brain and just won't let go.

I've also technically written for Xena, Legend of Korra, and Criminal Minds, but since I never published those, we're going to pretend they don't exist!

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

Only two are WIPs! YEAH! They're the top two, but WHO CARES, here they are:

1) Perhaps, aka my baby, my child, my darling, the apple of my eye. If I ever had to choose to finish only ONE of my WIPs, this would be the one. This story has grown with me, and I think you can tell when you read. Or maybe not!

2) For the Better. If the former is my baby, this one is like... my moody teenager. I love it dearly, but... it takes a lot out of me. An ode to one of the first fandoms I actively wrote for, it sits unfinished, but nearly, oh so nearly done. I will finish it, damn ittt.

3) The Date. Honestly, this one really surprised me -- it's one of my oldest one-shots, and something I definitely dashed off between lectures back in Scotland, maybe alternating with FtB chapters. It's one of my first attempts at humour, I think.

4) Bits and Pieces. AYY, I wasn't sure Supercorp would make the cut, WOOOT! This one was the second Supercorp fic I ever wrote, and I did it because Lena Is Baby and the idea just wouldn't leave my brain.

And lastly, the fabulous number 5... Perfect. AKA Nara's First (published) Explicit Fic, featuring Praise Kink and an Enchanted Dildo (for... reasons). I'm not gonna lie, I am so HAPPY this one made it, because it has a special place in my heart. It's where Soft Butch Hermione comes to life, and if you don't love Soft Butch Hermione, I'm sorry, we can't be friends. I love her.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

Eeermmm... some? I do want to respond, but I'm terrible with keeping up with comments, I really am. For whatever reason, even when I do my best, I don't really love responding directly on AO3. I also turned off all email notifications for AO3 because turns out my brain WILL be distracted by even a single one.

I'm much more responsive on Tumblr, I promise!

6. A fic you've written with the angstiest ending:

Any of my Narlily works, I guess? Like... All Flowers Wither or Carry On.

Unshackled would be another one, though it's Cissamione... but I caved and made a happy(ish) second part for that one.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Nope! Crossovers just don't do it for me, generally speaking (reading or writing).

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

EvEr rEcEIvEd hAtE-- yes. Oh, yes. I've been told my writing is terrible, I've been told my stories were a 'waste of time,' or 'overhyped,' I've had people tell me there was only One Way to write a certain pairing and my way was definitely Not The Way.

The list goes on.

It used to really, really bother me--still does, but in a much smaller way. Delete/Block buttons are my friends.

9. Do you write smut?

I write an absurd amount of smut. I just don't publish any of it because. Fear.

My pretty, pretty pens have created some filthy, filthy things.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

A couple of times -- only once or twice like, straight up attributed to someone else who acted like they were the one writing it. The other times were reposts or translations (without my permission, so still. stolen).

11. Ever had a fic translated?

I've authorized a couple of translations of a few of my DWP works. I'm usually cool with people translating my stuff IF THEY ASK ME FIRST and GIVE ME PROPER CREDIT.

9/10 it's some Brazilian who translates it to Portuguese without my permission and then gets upset when I, another Brazilian, do not endorse it and politely ask them to take the thing down. Thankfully it's been a while. ASK ME, DAMN IT.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Nothing published bwhaha!

13. All-time favourite ship?

Right now SuperCorp is definitely barking a little louder, so to speak, but I don't really have one favourite overall. It depends on the fandom, sometimes! Cissamione is very dear to my heart, because it's just so fucking out there and literally every one in this ship has some of the most fascinating headcanons for this pairing and it's just. So wonderful.

14. WIP you want to finish, but don't think you ever will?

Eeeeuuughhh.... Right now? Probably The Appraisal. I forget what I wanted to do with it, I'm not sure if I'm still feeling the premise... IDK.

I think the same could be said of For the Better, but I PROMISED to finish it, and GOD DAMN IT, I am so close I can't throw in the towel just yet.

15. Writing strengths?

You want ME to say good things about MYSELF? I'm still learning how to do that asldkjbasdn it's a work in progress. But I think I'd say... maybe world-building, at least on my longer works?

I would also like to think I do pretty OK in... IDK, some of the punchy stuff? The 'oh wait a minute' moment? IDK if that makes sense!

16. Writing weaknesses?

Organizing. Plot (HAHA IKR). Consistency. Editing (which is rich from someone who literally edits shit for a living... but go figure). Pacing. Weirdly long sentences? Commas for DAYS.

I could go on.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I am a-OK attempting it in French/Spanish/Portuguese. It may not sound natural, but it will be correct. If I'm trying another language, I'll definitely get help! But I've got no problem with it.

18. First fandom you ever wrote for?

Harry Potter, Dramione specifically, and you'll never find a shred of it. I was like 12, and almost a decade later I figured out Hermione was much better off with Draco's mother.

19. What's your fav fic you've written so far?

DON'T MAKE ME CHOOOSE asdkljasdl I CAAANNN'TTTT

I mean, obviously Perhaps is one of them -- it is my baby, that has been established. I think Little Bumps in the Road is also up there, because it was just a random writing exercise that got out of hand, and honestly? I'm here for it. Andddd.... I GUESS I'll put A Valentine's Evening up there as well, because it was the first time I didn't second guess every word I wrote when posting smut. I just... felt it, went for it, wrote it, and it felt really, really good to release some of that into the world lol

WHEW, this was a long one! I'll be tagging @intheinkpot, @shadowdianne, @delirious-comfort, and @16-pennies because I am a curious bastard. But, as always, feel free to treat this as an open tag. Go nuts!

[faunusrights]

OFFAL HUNT REMASTERED LIVEBLOG // CHAPTER 13

‘what, already?’ cry the people.  ‘yes, already,’ say kc and diesel. ‘but only for like a hot second.’

okay lets just jump right on in HOORAH

It was raining. The sky roiled saltpeter grey overhead. There were Grimm nearby. Glynda touched the cracked lens of her glasses and wiped away the fat drop of rain which had splattered against it. It was cool on her fingers. She stopped walking.

i love the transition from cinder’s POV which is all meaty slimy big wet slippery fancy words to glyndas ‘listen. words are. hard.’ look at this writing. look at it. lick it.

She stood very still, trying to remember where it was.

Her hand rose to her collar. It found waterproof fabric. She was wearing her poncho.

okay but drag me i do this all the time.

It might have bothered her, if she were the kind of Huntress to be bothered by discomfort.

this whole chapter/bit/arc/everything might have bothered her, if she were the kind of huntress, to have a braincell,

also gonna double back for JUST a moment since i’m on full 👈😎👈 neighbourhood watch and i think

The Manticore seared the sky beyond the clouds like a second sun.

I FEEL LIKE THATS A 👈😎👈. IN FACT I’M PRETTY CONVINCED OF IT, ACTUALLY. HM. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-- 

its hard to like. rly say how good this narration is in its own little way because its so. like that. you know. but its making such good use of the, like, negative space between sentences that everything feels so good and disjointed and did i mention the writing alone -- like even if we ignore literally Everything Else -- blows offal hunt v1 out of the water??? like who even is that bitch. idk her. but yeah like it feels both real fast and real slow, like yr skipping from one thought to another but yr not actually GETTING anywhere? it’s like that classic case of ‘talking a lot but not saying anything’. anyway i love this fic and u should too, is my point,

Cinder made a sound. It was the kind of sound people made when they weren’t having a good time.

you know what thats a LOADED sentence and also a MOOD. what sound is that? im not sure but i Feel It. In Fact Im Feeling It Right Now.

Cinder always seemed to be having a good time.

“I need to talk to you,” Glynda said.

Cinder said, “Read the note on your Scroll.”

i dont know WHY written instructions is SO funny to me but it IS and its probably because i. have also done this. look maybe. just maybe. we in the autistic community really DO toss the braincell around like a hot potato maybe we’re onto smthng here,

Your soul is fucking disgusting, so follow me at a distance.

wrow cinder u have SUCH  way w/ words. also have u considered that yr the gross one here,

dont trust ozpin

OUGH THAT HURTED. MX AUTHORS THAT ONE REALLY HURTED.

To be a Huntress just like her mothers.

hell yes

i am still laughing at them being like. separated like this. BECAUSE IN THE FIRST VERSION IT WAS ALL 👈😎👈 AND 👈😍👈 AND 👈😏👈 but now we gotta wait for it we gotta MUSCLE THRU this SHIT. im sorry that was all very vague but trust me i know exactly what this is running up to. the fabled 👈😳👈 bit U KNO THE ONE!!!!!!!!! anyway,

After a moment, she added her to her contacts.

is her contact name 👿😡😒💩cinder “ew” fall🤬😡🤮🙅‍♀️ or

this joke isnt even funny but finding those emojis took like five whole minutes so im sticking to it

The addition said: dont trust winter

do you ever just LAUGH because 👈😔👈 but also because 👈🤣👈 cause I SURE DO

im. I KNOW I SHOULDNT but the fact cinder has to rely on fucking phonecalls because she cant get close is just the funniest fucking thing. this is some peak humour here ngl. can you fucking imagine. ‘you stinky so im just gonna call u’. the audacity.

The Manticore felt close as flame.

👈😎👈

god do i have to do this for every reference to fire now. i mean yes. also but. why.

okays theres a bit here. theres a Bit. it ends like this

In every story, the witch and the dragon were enemies.

but this Bit is just fucking loaded to the gills with bloody 👈👈👈👈👈👈😎👈👈👈👈👈 so im just. ACKNOWLEDGING THE BIT AND MOVING ON. OKAY WE’RE MOVING ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Her Scroll made a sound like fractured glass against the wall.

me: stop talking abt how much u like the narration also me: but do the people KNOW

The smooth metal was badly cracked. She tried to remember when that had happened.

did you know the concept of her having a cracked Scroll is giving me more anxiety than anything else in this fic. please can someone replace it cracked screens STRESS ME OUT--

this bit i have to depict as a screenshot but god. GOD. its SO GOOD:

u ever read a fic and be like ‘i wanna like. do smthng like that’ ME W/ THIS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. ITS JUST THE LITTLE THINGS!!!!

“You have to stop... You’re going to kill me.”

everyone else reading this part, probably: oof ough me: SHES KILLING ME TOO BABE!!!!!!! WOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS INHUMAN SHIT HELL YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE LOOK AT THESE TWO ASSHOLES WHO ARE LIKE THE POLAR OPPOSITE OF NORMAL PEOPLE IM THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

like srsly idk what it is. but getting into all this fuckin crazy shit has me AMPED AS FUCK... i love this weird shit,,,,,,,,, like when og offal hunt kinda touched it i was like ‘nice’ but this version is just. swan-diving into it butt-first and i’m THRIVING.

“We—We’ll talk. Just stop. Please.” 

see i was thinking this when she was ignoring her msgs like. cinder are you aware you are. how they say. actively making it worse? and now she reaps what shes sown and i dont feel bad for her AT ALL ~~~~~~~~~~~

“You can’t imagine what the last three weeks have been like. I can barely sleep when you’re in the same town, did you know that? It’s like swallowing salt… I feel pickled, and I didn’t even think your soul could affect me—"

theres smthng rly poetic abt their suffering being like. directly interlinked but having the total opposite effect to the other? so glynda suffers and basically caves in and feels nothing and cinder suffers and feels Every Bad Feeling Ever Felt and i just. hm. soulmates. JHGDSFJGHKDF

“Close to her, and now you,” Cinder insisted. “It’s too much of a coincidence. I’m just reading what’s there.”

“remnant is probably flat,” says cinder. “i’m just saying what my eyes see.”

She stowed it away next to Vivienne's, in a place where she would never lose them. In a million years, she would never lose them.

hey when does cinder’s name go there too asking for a friend the friend is me

i feel like bacia’s also been name dropped early!!! which is nice because y’all know im, how the kids say, a Slut for lore. anyway im liking the stronger implications of her ties to 👈😎👈 which im also thrilled abt so theres that too

“Maybe not." It was the tone of someone who didn't care. Who didn't love her.

THATS. HM. THATS AN INTERESTING ADDITION ON THE END OF THAT LINE. HM. HELLO? HM. HM. am i reading too much into it PROBABLY do i care NO

“Yes,” Glynda said. “Goodnight, Cinder.” Glynda heard Cinder’s hesitance. The line went dead.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM--

AND WE REACH THE END. boy was that a surprisingly action-packed chapter considering they dont. do anything. A HALLMARK OF GOOD WRITING. anyway this is probably? my fav chapter so far (WILD) and i am PUMPED to see how much Weirder this whole things gonna get so with that said, im gonna sit here and WAIT FOR IT.

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

my top 10 series of 2019~

aka i gush about shiz i watched this year for waaaaaay too long lol... 

i watched a lot of stuff this yr (well... it felt like a lot? there’s a lot more i wanted to watch but i’m terrible at time management lol...) so let’ssss explore that in a ~numbered list~ lol

(spoilers - there’s a lot of gay shit here lol... what can i say, twentybiteen really pulled thru lol)

10 - Stranger Things (series 3) 

i know some people didn’t like this series, but i legit thought it was really good lol... i felt it had gone back to the style of the 1st series a lil more? (whereas series 2 had felt a lil disappointing in a way??) & i loved all the new characters introduced (robin is a personal fav, obv), & the whole splitting off into the lil groups was really effective in not just feel like it’s always the same group together, and it also allowed for some interesting character moments!

visually, stranger things always looks amazing! but i thought the whole summer/july 4th vibes really made it especially stunning tbh... as most things on this list, i’ve only seen it once, so i would like to rewatch it at some point (actually wanna do a full stranger things marathon tbh i was trying to explain what had happened in the show to my friend who stopped watching it early in series 1 & it was so difficult to remember exactly what had happened in it lool... ) 

there were obv things about it that i wasn’t as big on, like the whole evil russian-invincible guy was v cliche and kinda silly, & some of the actions scenes were a bit awkward(?) feeling... but i’m a sucker for any 80′s style media so those things just reminded me of the goonies or some shit lol

9 - Ghosts 

actually the funniest & cutest series ever tbh!!! as someone who grew up with horrible histories with the original cast, this just made me immensely happy to see the whole team together again! the humour style is v similar to horrible histories too btw, though i feel they let themselves have a lil more ‘dark humour’ than in that (since this is more a general audience, whereas hh was definitely more aimed at kids tbh... tho they still won a comedy award for it lol! actual legends lol anyway...)

only downside is that it’s only 1 series atm & it’s pretty short... but i know there’s gonna be a new series at some point so i’m v excited for that!! i feel there’s sooooo many places they can go with the concept (i.e. exploring how/when the other characters died (like kitty!!! i need to know her story lol i love her!), maybe introducing another character who can see ghosts?? like a medium/psychic or something/etc ...) but legit, please watch this if u haven’t!!! 

8 - Good Omens

this pretty much took over the internet this year lbr lol & tbh i’d def say it was worthy of the praise!! ineffable husbands aside, the main story is super engaging and enjoyable, with some really awesome side characters (& some of my fav character designs in anything ever tbh!!) but definitely the biggest draw was the ‘6000 years mutual pining’ romance which they did so well lol & it was something that was genuinely so lovely to watch tbh!! i also really loved the ending message of the show! i really hope to rewatch this next year when i think it’s gonna be aired on british tv at last????

downsides would be that the plot can be a bit confusing at times? but maybe that’s just me being dumb lol... but i imagine it’s a lot easier to understand if u’ve read the book lol?? i don’t have a problem w/ aziraphale & crowley not being “explicitly” gay or whatnot (i know i’ve seen some people annoyed with this?), since the whole idea of their relationship is so much larger than just them bonking or whatevs lol? (in general i think more media should have less focus on kissing/intimacy as an indication of love/romance... which is something i’ve already talked about lol)

oh, and the title sequence is INCREDIBLE lol i seriously loved it so much!!

7 - Killing Eve (series 2)

finally finished this the other day & it was so good!!! i really love the dark comedic tone of the show tbh & i def feel there was more of it in the 2nd series then the first! i also liked the further development of villanelle & eve’s relationship, which is obv the highlight of the show tbh! there was also a nice lot of twists tbh, though i’d say it was a lil less intense than the 1st series? (overall i’d say i prefer the 1st series, but the 2nd was a fab continuation... btw i also watched the 1st series this yr lol)

negative points are that the plot wasn’t quite as interesting as the 1st series... i think cos the focus of the murders was taken off of villanelle that we lost some of that drama from the 1st? i thought the ghost was gonna be a more integral part but she was kinda weirdly pushed aside once we learnt her identity? & the creepy son dude just annoyed me lol (but i suppose that was the point lol...)... so like yh there were lil things that didn’t engage me as much as the first, but overall i still really enjoyed it lol

this is def fulfilling the hannibal-shaped hole in my heart tbh... (another series i finished this yr...)

6 - Dark Blue Kiss the series

look, it’s no surprise this is on my list lol... i was hella hyped for this series when it was announced last yr, even though my expectations were VERY LOW after kiss me again the series (which, lbr, is a massive mess lol... like it’s My Mess tho)... but for real, this series really exceeded all my expectations... & then some! like i’m legit shook at how good it was ngl! especially morksun’s storyline, which was by far my fav in the show (as much as i’m petekao trash lol...) also, i was surprised by how genuinely pretty this show is! esp in comparison to kma (like i know i keep going on about the goddamn bruise makeup but it is so ugly in kma, but they really did a great job in dbk tbh!)

ok so there’s a lot of flaws lol... like... a lot (i’m already complained a lot so i won’t bore u with that rn lol...) but for real, the thing that i love the most about this is the discussions of coming out/homophobia/general young people struggles/etc etc which is so refreshing to see in these series! like i love that despite the cheesy tropes, it still knows when to be serious & genuine...

5 - He Is Coming To Me

another thai series, i believe this has the same director as dbk? (don’t hold me to that tho...)... legit one of the best, if not the best, thai series i’ve ever seen tbh! so adorable, so well acted, so funny & heartwarming like... legit it’s so good!! i was already excited about it from the trailer, but the way it really delivered on the emotionality, whilst keeping it lighthearted, was truly wonderful tbh! the main actors did a brill job i gotta say, and all the side characters were amazing too (there really wasn’t a character i didn’t like i’d say tbh? i need to rewatch tbh... there’s a lot i’ve forgotten since this came out p early in the year lol)... also, visually it’s so pretty!! i swear the cinematography in these thai series just keeps getting better & better & it def improves the watching experience tbh!

a down point would be that the first ep is a bit slow/awkward to get in to... & i think it def could put someone off? but i’d say to stick w/ it since it just keeps getting better & better! i’d actually say there isn’t really anything else i didn’t like about it ngl? it’s just so good guys... u really need to watch it!

4 - Russian Doll 

probs the only series on this list that i actually actively went to rewatch straight away lol (didn’t do a full rewatch btw)... it was SO good for real! i already loved the premise lol (it’s basically groundhog day, which is already such a great film, but they explored those ideas even more in this which i loveeeed) the leads are fantastic, and the story is generally so interesting!  plus the editing & song choices are really brill tbh... 

my one complaint would probs be that the series loses a lil momentum at certain points (esp later in the series), but it still keeps ur interest, and the ending is really well done too! i know there’s gonna be a 2nd series, so i’m really hoping it’ll be able to live up to this one, and also explore more of the characters/concepts/etc! i’m def hyped for it tbh!  

i feel like this series is simultaneously underrated and also v well known lol?? like i know everyone sees that ‘thursday! what a concept’ meme but i feel like i didn’t see as many people talk about it as much as other series this yr??? 

(for my top 3, i’d say i love them all equally/for different reasons... so the order they’re in is changeable lol)

3 - Gentleman Jack

one of the greatest bbc series of the year, maybe even the decade lol! actually a masterpiece of cinematography, incredible acting, gorgeous costumes, beautiful depictions of love and intimacy, hilarious characterisation & just generally a wonderful series!! like i can’t praise it enough! it’s literally everything i could ever want from a series, and more!!!!!!! like everytime i think about it i just feel like ‘!!!!!’ constantly lol... like... what did we do to deserve such a series for real?? something that i esp loved was that i vividly remember not that long ago w/ people complaining about the bbc for having minor lgbtq characters in things, so to have a actual main lesbian couple series be on prime time bbc telly is kinda mind blowing lol... like.. i know we’ve got a long way to go, but it does make me immensely proud!! 

i have no complaints lol... other than - needed to be longer (i think we’re getting a 2nd series right???? i hope so tbh!!)

2 - The Untamed 

look, i don’t make 15 piece series’ for nothing lol... this show really got to me ngl... like i knew it was gonna be amazing from seeing tonnes of mutuals start watching it & praising it.. .but ohhhhhhhh boy i wasn’t reading for the angst and heartbreak and just generally how invested i’d be in all the characters lol... like genuinely there’s so much to praise about this show! it may not be as super ‘polished’ as some of the other shows on this list, but it really has so much heart and hard work and dedication put into it which really shows in the final  product!

there’s obv issues with it, but i feel like it’s kinda unnecessary to go over them lol? there’s so much more of this series that has brought me genuine joy, the biggest being the fact they were still able to depict a really beautiful, loving and /romantic/ relationship despite the strict censor is truly incredible lol!! like w/ good omens, it just shows what you can do to depict love/romance without having to over-sexualise something...

i feel like i’m saying less for these top 3, but it’s just cos i’ve already gush to high heavens about how much i love them lol... 

1 - HIStory 3 - Trapped

you - *pretends to be shocked that this is my number 1*

yeh... no surprises that this is in my top 3 lol... what can i say that i haven’t already screamed about for months??? this series truly surpassed any expectations i could have had for a HIStory series... the story line is complex & pretty well done (it’s not perfect... but nothing is so....), the characters are wonderful & also brilliantly acted! i think the thing that i love the most is that the director wanted to create a series that wasn’t just a cheesy gay series (don’t get me wrong, i loVE cheesy gay series’ lol... ) but also would have a more interesting, well developed & more ‘mature’ story line (i think esp in comparison to other HIStory series’ which are usually school/uni based)... it’s also one of the few lgbtq series i’ve seen that isn’t just about ‘first loves’, and doesn’t place a big emphasis on a sexuality/identity crisis... it’s just so unabashedly a mystery-romance drama, which is just so refreshing to see! & i genuinely hope we can see more series like this, where gay characters don’t need to ‘prove’ themselves in order to be in a series or to be in relationships (which it often feels like, where writers need to explain /why/ characters are gay...)...  

phew... that’s a lot of text lol, just like w/ the untamed, i feel like i’ve already talked about the negative points of the series (plot holes, awkward moments, weird editing/sound choices, bad tropey plots), but the positives of this series seriously make it worthwhile, and i’m just so so SO happy this show exists lol...

all 3 of these series have a special place in my heart of inspiring lots of my own exploration of art, as well as writing, which has been really crucial in me understanding what i wanna do with my life (i know that sounds kinda weird, but at the start of the year i really didn’t know what i wanted... and i wasn’t even sure what i was good at lol... so thru these shows i was able to discover a lot more about my own style of working & thru all of them i was able to meet some wonderful new people on here which has made 2019 actually one of my most enjoyable years on tumblr! 

this has been an...... interesting year lol... but definitely these shows made it just a lil bit better!!! 

Happy new year to anyone who actually read thru this & let’s hope 2020 brings us even more brill shows ~~~

[mythicamagic]

Overcast Auras and Silver Sandwiches ~ Zutara Week 2018 fanfic: (Tea)

Summery: Zuko goes speed dating at the Jasmine Dragon and gets...mixed results.

Zutara: Romance, Humour, Modern Day AU - No Bending

Rated T Oneshot

Read it on Ao3 and Fanfiction.net

@zutaraweek

Probably my only submission for Zutara week but I wanted to contribute something for one of my fav ships x This is about 5,000 words so grab a cup of your favourite beverage. (Preferably tea)

Overcast Auras and Silver Sandwiches

"I can't believe I'm paying money to humiliate myself," Zuko stuffs his hands into his pockets, trudging down the street. An array of street lights lit the path onward, winding around various stores and houses, to where he could vaguely make out the shape of their destination in the distance. The Jasmine Dragon.

"Come on Zuko, what are you scared for? You've got the number one player on the block; Sokka-man, right by your side. Want some lady wooing tips?" An elbow jabs Zuko's side, making his lips peel back to reveal gritted teeth. He shoots his grinning friend a glare, keeping quiet.

"Sokka, I could use some of your knowledge," an amiable voice pipes up.

Sokka smirks, turning to Aang. "You're wise to seek me out as your sifu, young one." He nods gravely, causing Zuko to snort. The three make their way past the closed stores and towards the faint smell of incense. He dimly wonders why Toph was hosting such an event so late at night, as the 'ambience' of the starry sky wasn't really something she cared about. Not that he had anything to do except study tonight. His heart thuds in his chest as he stares at the familiar cafe, looming closer. Something twists in his gut and warms his hands, but he stubbornly presses forward.

Another thought occurs to Zuko as he hears Sokka prattling on. "Haven't you been single for two ye-"

"The third lesson of wooing is this; Be aloof, but not too much that you look uninterested- like Mr. Gloomy here." Sokka pokes Zuko's head.

"Its a little late to start with the pro-tips, we're almost there," the dark haired boy grunts, batting him off.

"You could use all the help you can get Mr. Gloomy," Toph speaks up next to them, causing all three boys to do a double take. She holds her hand up just as they open their mouths. "I joined you at that last street corner, don't freak out. You guys are so self involved though, not noticing a blind girl. I dunno how you're gonna manage to score tonight," she sighs with dismay, padding across the square with them.

Aang tilts his head, watching as she bites into an apple. "Why are you here if you're in charge of tonight?"

"I left the tea loving uncle at the helm. It is his cafe after all. I needed a break," she mutters, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Zuko rubs his temples, fighting the urge to pull his hood up as they approach the entrance. That twisting in his gut from before irritated him. Bad enough that he was taking part in this dumb event for Toph, but his uncle would be there to watch. Perfect.

Toph pads ahead to the tea house, which was filled with rich gold and green colours. Dark wood lined the doorways and the smells of different teas and pleasant incense wafted into the air, greeting them as they lingered in the foyer. Other boys their age, around 18-20 year olds, were waiting around, standing awkwardly in loose groups.

Punching Sokka affectionately in the arm, Toph mutters 'break a leg' as she disappears behind the double doors, where presumably girls were waiting. Sokka rubs his already bruising arm absentmindedly. "At least I get a signed autograph out of participating tonight, if nothing else."

"That's what Toph bribed you with?" Zuko snorts, souring slightly. He hadn't even been bribed, maybe he was getting soft. Toph had told him that her parents wanted her to take a more active role in hosting for their restaurant. Though nothing too strenuous for their darling daughter, of course. Toph had said she wanted to prove to them that she could manage.

"I was told this was for charity," Aang said, quieting when both Sokka and Zuko look at him. "Aaand now I'm guessing it's...not?"

Zuko sighs, awkwardly reaching to pat his shoulder before thinking better of it and retracting his hand, still not very good with the whole 'friend' thing. "Looks like she fooled all of us in some way, wouldn't worry about it." He mutters gruffly, while Aang brightens a touch.

"Wait, so I'm NOT getting the Boulders autograph?!" Sokka exclaims, just as the doors spread open fully.

As the group around him shifts their attention to Toph and his uncle in the tea-shop, Zuko glances further in at the rows of tables all assembled in a line. Girls were sitting behind them on one side, chatting or texting on their phones. He immediately regrets his decision when he sees his ex, Mai, among them. Shooting Toph a glare which she can't see, (yet seems to smirk at anyway) Zuko growls under his breath.

Toph blows on a whistle. "Alright you sad excuses for boys. I assume some pretty ladies are waiting in there, so go sit your asses down opposite them. You've got three minutes to chat each of them up before I blow the whistle and you move on. My lovely assistant is handing out clipboards-" she mutters, just as Zuko is handed one by his Uncle, along with a pen. "For you to tick the names of any girls you like. Let's go, go, go!" She yells, channelling a drill sergeant.

The boys scramble around each other to the chairs, causing a ripple of giggles among the girls clutching their own clipboards. Zuko, Sokka and Aang glance at each other, used to Toph's antics, though no less intimidated. It quickly became clear why she was hosting this event, and it was not for charity, her parents or anything like that; it was for shits and giggles.

Zuko looks behind him at the door, which Toph was already pulling shut, glancing in his general direction with sightless eyes. She then turns the lock with a sharp snap. Sweat pricks the back of his neck and Zuko quickly follows his friends, shooting his Uncle a glare, who waved happily.

Sitting down stiffly in his seat, he watches as Sokka joins him on his right, Aang sitting on the chair next to Sokka. Breathing out, Zuko doesn't even notice who was seated opposite him until the whistle blows again and he's jolting his head up- staring straight at Ty Lee.

Her warm eyes glitter as she grins, "hey there Zuko! It's great to see you again." Her perky voice washes over him, and Zuko stiffens. He hadn't just sat down in-front of his ex's best friend, nope. Mai wasn't sitting immediately on Ty-lee's left...next in line...and already glaring daggers at him.

A hand waved in front of his face, and Zuko blinks. "Hellloo in there? Your aura is all red and cloudy," Ty Lee's brows draw together, just as Zuko pushes her wrist aside.

"You still believe in that stuff, huh? Some things never change," he mutters in a gravelly voice, trying not to get hostile. It was difficult though, Ty-lee was automatically associated as a part of his sisters friend group. Anything said to her was usually passed on.

"Well of course, silly. It's easier to believe in stuff if you can see it, but I think I'd like aura's even if I couldn't, you know? They've always appealed to me, and they help people stand out from one another~" she chirps.

He supposed that made sense, seeing as how she had six identical sisters. Zuko grunts, before making an effort to be polite. "Uh...so you said mine was red?"

"Yeah! But it's so...yeesh." She looks around the outline of his form, wincing and making a face that immediately had Zuko's back up.

"What? What's wrong with my aura?" He demands. He was not ready to believe in them, but he'd be damned if someone was going to look down on his red glowy essence.

Her hands waved around in the air, "oh it's just too much. It fluctuates all the time! Sometimes it's light red, like when I saw you at the door with your friends. Just a minute ago it was murky and dark, but now it's positively sparking! So blotchy. You definitely need a blue aura to balance you out. My pink one would be overwhelmed." She nods knowingly, eyes already straying away.

Zuko blinks slowly. He didn't know how or why, but it felt like he'd just been rejected based entirely on his aura.

Irritation boiled under his skin. He hadn't even done anything! At this rate, the whole evening was looking hopeless. He glances to his right- hearing Sokka laughing with a pale haired girl. Zuko grits his teeth, hands curling into fists on his knees. His scar gave a phantom pulse, as it did sometimes when he was aware of it. He'd been trying to ignore the stares, but a few girls down the rows of tables had been glancing at the scar. It was something he was used to, but now the feeling was gradually escalating.

Just as his fists began to tremble, something enters his line of sight. Zuko looks at the steaming rim of a cup in-front of him, glancing up at wizened old eyes. "Have a drink, my nephew."

"Thank you, uncle." Zuko rasps, taking the tea into his pale hands. He felt a comforting pat on his back, before the nostalgic warmth at his side drew away.

The whistle blew sharply, and Zuko quickly rose. Ty-lee waves him off, and he grunts a goodbye, reluctantly sitting down in the next chair.

Mai folds her arms, looking at him levelly. "Hello Zuko," she greets dispassionately.

"Hey, uh...you look well," he winces, sipping his tea. It burned his tongue, but he didn't care, it was something else to focus on aside from how awkward this was.

"Nothing of note has changed about my appearance since we last saw each other," she stifles a yawn, inspecting her nails. But Zuko knew Mai. This was just how she acted when she was being guarded. That was fine, he didn't want to talk either.

"Right..." he nods, staring fixedly at the steaming cup. Contrary to what he'd initially thought, three minutes was starting to look like a very long stretch of time.

Hearing a sigh, Zuko looks up to see Mai glancing in Toph's direction. "Hey, organiser. If the person in front of you is an ex, can we skip them?" She asks tonelessly.

Toph lifts a shoulder, leaning against the wall. "If you want, figure it out among yourselves," she waves them off, showing her amazing organisation skills.

Mai looks at Zuko pointedly, who narrows his eyes, but bites back a retort. The memory of an ugly breakup rears it's head, and he's quickly rising, stepping back and awkwardly making a bee-line for Iroh, who was pouring tea for a girl.

"This is dumb," he hisses quietly, ignoring the table his uncle was serving. "I'm out of here, there's no point in staying."

A dusty chuckle escapes Iroh, "try telling that to miss Beifong, I don't think she'd be too pleased." Zuko opens his mouth, but his Uncle claps him on the shoulder. "Stay a little longer. You never know what destiny has in store in the most unexpected places."

The whistle blows again before Zuko can reply, but exasperation drops his shoulders. Stupid proverb thing. Just as he turns, Zuko glances at the girl Iroh had been serving, and stills. Blue eyes were already on him, before they widened and flew back to her 'date.'

Stunned, Zuko quickly pads away, sitting down in his seat and saying a quick apology to the girl in front of him as he grabs Sokka's arm. "You didn't tell me your sister was here," he whispers in a rush, eyes slightly wide.

Sokka blinks at him, "huh, really? She didn't say anything about coming when I mentioned it. If she's here though, I wonder if Suki joined her," he gives a lopsided grin, completely unaware of Zuko's dilemma.

Zuko drops his arm and sighs with dismay, conflicted emotions returning to him. "Great..." he trails off, remembering high school. Seemed like his past was haunting him today. He tries to push the thought of magnetic blue eyes to the back of his mind.

He finally looks at the girl before him, "sorry- your name was?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm Meng, it's nice to meet you- hey, you're friends with Aang, right?" The girl burst out in a blur of words. Zuko was sent reeling, but reluctantly nods. The girl with dark hair sighs dreamily, "Meng sounds just like Aang, doesn't it? It's like we're meant to be."

Zuko stares at her, slowly glancing towards Aang and wondering if they should switch seats. Unlike when Zuko had been talking to her however, Ty Lee was now happily engaged in conversation, animatedly waving her hands as Aang laughs and nods.

"How do you know Aang, again?" Zuko resigns himself to asking.

Meng grins and clasps her hands, "we go to the same coffee shop. He orders hot chocolate with marshmallows every time, and takes a medium size- but will sometimes order a large if he feels like splurging. Did you know our favourite colour is yellow? How crazy is that! Also, our birthdays are only two months apart!"

Zuko was sent into orbit again, his mind going blank. He clears his throat, not knowing how much time had passed- only to jump when the whistle blows again. Meng slides a piece of paper over the table to him and smiles.

"Can you hand this over? I'm too shy to give my number to him outright, thanks!"

Zuko dimly nods, picking up the folded paper and stuffing it into his pocket. He then rises, noticing Sokka giving him the thumbs up, winking with both eyes. Exhaling, Zuko trudges to the next seat, expecting the next girl to have a fixation with Sokka or something.

This girl had brunette hair in a long braid, her appearance overall sweet and polite. "Hello, I'm Song," she inclines her head.

He warily nods, "Zuko. You uh...been to one of these before?"

"Oh no, it's my first time. It's a little awkward isn't it?" She smiles, making Zuko feel slightly more at ease.

"No kidding. At least the tea isn't so bad here."

She nods happily, "I agree! It's wonderful, such a nice cafe too." Taking a moment to glance around, she gives a slight sigh. "It's a little nostalgic though, my family used to own a cafe just like this one, but it got shut down."

Zuko blinks, pausing mid sip and setting his tea down. "Really? How?"

Her hand comes up to her chin thoughtfully. "Oh I forget- something to do with the Agni Corporation, as usual. They always ruin small businesses, I'm sure that's no surprise." She gives a weak laugh, shrugging it off to minimise what must have been a large amount of distress at the time.

Zuko had stiffened the moment she'd mentioned that name. His eyes became downcast, fixated on his calloused hand around the cooling cup. His family had ruined hers. And like she said, that was no surprise. Agni Corp were infamous for dominating most of of the city businesses, and were almost impossible to escape from.

"...Right," he mumbles at length, guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"Anyway, we're in the medical field now. So how long have you-" but Zuko was barely paying attention anymore. He gave weak responses, his mind swirling. This was why he hadn't dated much. Almost everyone in the city had come into contact in some way with his family. The empire they'd amassed was vast and dominated the business world. Almost every store down the city streets was owned by them, or in some kind of deal. How could he expect to date someone when they'd reject him sooner or later, once they found out where he was from?

The whistle blew, and Zuko rose, still holding his tea like it was a passenger. He nods soberly to Song, who smiles politely, unsure what she'd said to make him so quiet.

The girls from then on passed in a blur. Zuko tried his best to keep up with them, but in the back of his mind, the niggling doubt that had opened up since speaking with Song was prevalent.

One girl commented on his eyes, and apparently the likelihood of them having a brown eyed child was 75%.

Another had stroked his hand and suggested they 'find somewhere quiet' after this.

And a particularly blunt one asked him outright how he'd gotten his scar.

"That's none of your business!" He snarls, hackles rising.

He gratefully stands the moment the whistle blew, storming away from the table and sitting down at the next in an exhausted huff. He runs a hand through his hair, looking at his long since cold tea. He just wanted to go home.

"You've done something different with your hair," a voice points out. Amber eyes snap up to meet blue, and Zuko swallows.

"Katara," he greets in a gravelly voice, glancing away. "Uh...yeah. Aang said it changes a lot, haven't really noticed though."

Katara looks him over, taking in the ridged set of his shoulders and tense appearance. She leans in slightly, "you know, that girl has been saying stuff like that all night. She asked this one guy, Haru, why he had a caterpillar on his lip." Her fingers come up to gesture to her upper lip, making Zuko's cheeks heat even as he hums.

"I mean...it does kind of look like one," he mumbles, blinking as she lets out a noise, her hand hiding her mouth as she quickly stifles it and collects herself.

Dancing blue eyes slowly sharpen, and Zuko looks at her levelly, having expected her wrath. All she said though was; "you were a jerk in high school."

He readily nods, lips thinning. She continues, brushing some of her brunette hair aside that fell in waves down her back. "I still remember when you burned my hair in science class with that Bunsen burner-"

"That was an accident! And you should have tied your hair up better!" He growls, even as guilt gnaws at him.

"It was in a braid! You weren't watching where you were holding the flame!"

Katara's cheeks colour and she waves her hands erratically in the air. "Well how about that time you thought it would be a great idea to slip an ice cube down the back of my shirt! I ended up throwing my drink in Mr. Pakku's face and getting detention for a week!"

Zuko quiets and lifts a shoulder, "I mean he kind of deserved it."

"Yeah he kind of did," Katara gave him that, muttering something about a 'sexist old goatfish' under her breath. She took a breath and glares at him, pointing a lithe finger in his direction and causing him to swallow. "Alright then. How about the name calling? Peasant, really? And undermining me in your class, just because I'd skipped a grade. It was hard enough to be there without a pompous brat ridiculing me. And your sister used to badly bully Aang- which, by the way, you're on very thin ice for."

The room was drowned out as Zuko remembers it. How he'd turned a blind eye to it once, willingly- just to try and score brownie points with Azula, in order to be seen by his father.

They both sit back after a moment, realising they'd leaned in close over the table.

Zuko resists the urge to fold his arms, instead resting his clenched hand on the edge of the table. "Look, I can't change the past but...for what it's worth, I'm sorry, for how I treated you. How I treated everyone. It was wrong."

She blinks, looking as though she hadn't expected that. Her gaze falls away from his earnest expression, resting on their friends. "I know you've been living with Sokka and Aang for a little while now."

"Yeah," he mumbles, expecting another tongue lashing.

"I also heard it's because you left your Father's company. I'm...really glad."

Zuko lifts his head with surprise. No one had really said it that way before, and for some reason, his heart thuds quicker. He tries to gauge her expression. "Thanks?"

"You're welcome. But don't think this means I'm not still mad at you," she frowns.

"I kind of figured, seeing as how you've never visited Sokka's apartment since I had to room with them."

"Surprised they took you in, honestly. But Aang's always been the forgiving type," she mutters, and Zuko wonders if that was exempting herself. She smirks after a moment, "he mentioned they didn't make it easy though," blue eyes shine with mirth.

"We don't talk about that," Zuko mumbles, shuddering with the memory of his 'initiation' into the group. Katara giggles, her shoulders shaking. Zuko's cheeks heat, eyes narrowing as he opens his mouth-

A sharp sound rings out, and disappointment washes over him like a tidal wave. He didn't know why, but he suddenly hated that whistle with an intensity that startled even him. Katara straightens, sobering instantly. Neither move as the other men rise from their seats, and Zuko had the ridiculous urge not to budge. Realising how childish that was though, he grasps the edge of the table and shifts to stand.

"Toph, can't siblings fall under the 'skip' rule? I mean no offence but I don't want to date my brother," Katara raises her voice, causing Zuko to pause. Sokka made the appropriate gagging noises as Toph tsks.

"Sure, sure. Skip gross brothers."

"Hey!" Sokka sniffs with offence, passing around Zuko and taking what would have been his seat. Suki smiles at him, and a goofy grin lights up his face.

Zuko lingers where he is, uncertain, until Katara gestures for him to sit. He retakes his seat, not commenting on anything for fear it would draw attention to the slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"So uh...what have you been up to? Still doing Tai chi?" He asks quietly.

At that, she smiles and confidently nods, leaning forward on her elbows. "Of course, and I'm studying for my medical degree."

He gives a small answering smile, her obvious enthusiasm contagious. "Yeah? How's that going?"

And Zuko couldn't really explain how or why, but as she launched into an impassioned rant about the new techniques she'd learned in Tai chi and the medical field, her eyes blazing as the words rolled off her tongue, Zuko remained in a state of...pride? Why was he even proud of this girl? He'd known her in high-school as the annoyance that would astutely call out the answers in class, and who bested him in martial arts. The peasant girl who never yielded to every harsh word he sent her way, when he'd used to lash out at the world.

She seemed more certain in her abilities now, a fuller person, and he realised that the girl he'd used to argue with in class had transformed into someone else, though parts of her still remained.

Namely the hair loopies.

He then wished they hadn't met in high school, when pain and humiliation had scarred his face. If they could have met this night, without all that other crap, would she have looked at him differently?

A terrifying desire was unearthed as he watches her, and Zuko realises that he wanted her to. He wanted to be seen differently. By her.

Katara reeled herself in and took a breath, having the grace to look apologetic. "Sorry, I'm rambling all about myself. You go, I want to know what you've been up to since you left the Agni Corporation...and maybe why you decided to leave." She trails off, in a more subdued voice.

Zuko steeles himself, looking down at his calloused hands. He takes a breath, lifting his head, and she blinks, attention fixed on him with a quiet intentness. "I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't keep living a lie, pretending that what we were doing there wasn't hurting people. I've spent so long wanting my father's approval, but even when I felt like I had it...I didn't like the person I'd become getting it."

He gives a rueful smile, chuckling. "It's like I can't be content with what I have, right?"

Zuko starts when her hand shifts across the table, her fingers resting lightly on his knuckles.

The whistle blows again. He barely notices it, tethered to the slight sensation on his hand. He hears the others standing again and that stubbornness from earlier returns. He wanted to keep talking to her.

Turning slightly in his seat, he looks at Aang as he approaches. "Hey uh...you two dated, right? Shouldn't the skip rule apply?"

Both Aang and Katara blink, slightly thrown, before Toph snorts and raises her brows. "Seriously?"

Aang chuckles and grins at Katara, "yeah that's right, I think Katara was my first girlfriend. How old were we again?”

"I think you were 12," she mumbles, shrinking slightly in her seat as Toph bursts into a laugh. "You dated a 12 year old when you were 14? Wow, brave move at school."

Aang laughs amiably and pats Zuko's shoulder as he passes, taking a seat in front of Suki.

Katara rubs her temples, cheeks heated, "how did you know about that anyway?" She mumbles, turning her suddenly curious gaze to his.

"H-huh? It was just something I happened to notice!" He burst, trying to downplay his emotions and failing miserably. He was treated to another soft giggle from her, and his heart did a funny thing in his chest.

The speed dating event eventually drew to a close, with conversations dying down around them. Iroh ushered the stragglers out, bidding them a good night. Toph would be sending the matches their contact numbers, though a few patrons had already swapped them. Aang had left, and Sokka wasn't far behind, lingering in the entrance with Suki and laughing with her at his own joke.

Zuko and Katara were still chatting at the table, and his eyes broke away for a moment to glance over his shoulder, blinking. "Wait...where did everyone go?"

"I think the event must be over? Ah- rude! Suki just left with Sokka," Katara squeaks, pointing at the now vacant doorway. She deflates in her seat, "she was supposed to walk back with me."

"I could walk you," Zuko immediately offers, before the tip of his right ear burned with heat and he looks away. "N-not in a weird date way or anything, obviously," he awkwardly amends.

"Obviously?" She raises a brow, crossing her arms while glaring daggers. "What am I not good enough for you or something?"

Zuko quickly back-peddled, his mind plunged into deep waters of confusion, "wha-no! I just didn't think you'd want...that." He trailed off lamely, his good cheek burning now.

Katara sniffs, "well maybe I should decide what I want," she stands, offering a mischievous smile as she ruffles his thick dark hair. "Relax, Mr. Floofy."

"Okay no-" Zuko growls, standing and visibly blanching. "I'm already traumatised by Azula's nicknames, 'Sifu Hot-man,' and Mr. Gloomy. No more, ever."

Her laughter reaches him, and his shoulders drop, a little defeated by the happy sound. They pad to the door together, passing his Uncle, who covertly offers him a thumbs up when Katara isn't looking. Zuko stiffens and slowly shakes his head, continuing out with her. She'd never think of him that way, Katara had just been teasing. That's all.

By the time they stepped foot outside it was ridiculously late. The sky had darkened into pitch black, stretching over their heads and only interrupted by a bright full moon. The air was crisp and clear, what with the incense having burned out long before. Zuko continued chatting with Katara, noticing she'd lightly swat his arm when he said something impudent, or how her hand had brushed his accidentally as they walked.

He couldn't help but feel like there was more he wanted to say and speak with her about, rather than just small talk. Safe conversation...

But he wasn't a part of her friend group, and he wasn't sure she'd ever want him to be. As for as she was concerned, this was probably just a way of tying up loose ends. She'd said her piece to her childhood 'oppressor' and could wipe her hands of him.

"So, do you want to go to the movies next Saturday?" Katara suggests, causing his head to snap to the side so fast he got whip-lash.

"W-what?" He asks, voice squeaking like it'd forgotten he'd undergone puberty already. He quickly clears his throat.

"I mean with everyone else, obviously," she corrects with a cheeky grin, elbowing him. "And I get to choose. Ohh there's this one out called The Puppetmaster."

Zuko waves his hand in the air, stopping with her once they reached the door of an apartment complex which he assumed to be hers. "No- that's fine," he rasps weakly, straightening and looking her in the eye. "But...are you sure you want to spend more time with me?"

"I'm spending time with you now, aren't I?" She arches her brow, and he was once again left at sea, a poor marooned man on an island called 'Katara.' He just didn't understand.

He rubs his scarred brow, frowning deeply. "Why though?"

Katara sighs, glancing away and pursing her lips. "You're being dumb," she mutters, causing his hackles to rise. Before he could growl out a response, he feels fingers wrap around his own. He looks at the dark skin and registers it as hers as she pulls his hand away from his brow slowly. Reaching up on her tip toes then- his eyes widen as her face comes closer.

He feels something vague against the scarred side of his face, like the brush of something gentle. He hears her lips make a soft noise, before it's over and she's pulling away.

Zuko's hand reaches up again to touch his scar, and he curses not being able to feel it properly. "What was that?"

"Would've thought a guy that looks like you would know what a kiss is." Katara snorts, her brows drawing together as his expression shutters. "Hey, stop that. I didn't mean it that way. You're pretty...uhh...you know...pretty!" She exclaims, cheeks heating.

He blinks, arching his good brow. "Pretty?"

"Urgh, fine. You're as sensitive to feminine sounding compliments as Sokka, you've been hanging out with him too much." She mumbles, fiddling with her keys as she takes them out of her bag, focusing on the metal in her hand and not on his intent gaze. "H-handsome then," she quietly amends.

When no trace of arrogance lights his expression, and Zuko instead looks even more perplexed, Katara sets her hands on her hips. "Look, I know you and Mai have this on and off again thing, but if you ever want to get with a girl that isn't her, you've got to have more confidence in yourself."

Zuko feels something warm his insides. How did she know what his situation with Mai was? "You're right. I didn't even want to come tonight. But how can I expect someone to be with me when I'm not...complete yet? I'm still trying to find my feet outside of my identity of Agni Corps heir. I can't ask someone to go out with me as I am, it's unrealistic."

He falls silent then. Huh, how easy it was to be honest around her and not fear any backlash.

Katara brushes her hair back from her face and fluffs it slightly, glancing at him. "Well, maybe you start by asking. Let them decide if it's unrealistic." She turns, opening the door and glancing at him over her shoulder. "And...I'm not complete either. No one is. We're all still learning, so don't beat yourself up so much. I can...see that you're really trying. We all have to start somewhere, right?"

He stares at her, remembering that his uncle had said something similar to him, after he'd told him his decision to leave Agni Corp.

'I don't have all the answers, my Nephew. I'm still learning myself, even at my age. We are all just life's humble students, and Experience is our teacher.'

Zuko nodded along with his, looking at the clouds as they drifted by. "We just have to take a bite out of the silver sandwich..."

Iroh had blinked, and then smiled broadly, "oh yeah. That works too.'

Despite how much her words resonated with him however, Zuko could only blurt: "So...you don't think my aura is red and blotchy?"

He then definitely wanted to open his mouth and insert his foot, but Katara only grins and rolls her eyes. "Ty-lee got to you too, huh? She said mine was all blue and 'too bold' for most people."

Zuko nods slowly, "I can see that," he mutters, watching her eyes flash. He shoots her a small smile, "but I bet it's a good blue. Bold is...just another word for strong."

Katara hesitates, giving him an answering smile that gentled her eyes.

After saying their goodbyes, Zuko starts back home, burying his hands in his pockets. As his hand brushes something, he stops and takes it out. It was the list of girl's names that he was supposed to put ticks against and hand back to Toph. If the chosen girls had also ticked his name, then the organiser would pass along their numbers.

Zuko stares down at it, but really, he didn't need to hesitate. He puts a tick next to Katara's name and soon places it in the blind girls hands.

"I can't read, genius." She snips, handing it to Iroh, who just chuckles knowingly.

A few days later, when Zuko was laying on his bed one lazy morning, he hears his phone make a noise. Sitting up, his eye's widen slightly at the screen.

His thumb brushes the keypad, slowly typing: "So, do you want to go out sometime?...Just us?"

She chimes back a few minutes later, with a reply that tugs his lips up into a smile.

"Obviously."

[momokiiicos]

11 questions

I was tagged by @idratherstayhufflepuff to do this !! Thanks love !! <3 

Rules are to answer 11 questions and make up another 11 questions for others to answer !!

1. If you could meet a celebrity who is already dead who would it be and why?

I don’t really wanna meet any celebrity to be honest, haha. I’d rather meet a friend but none of my friends are dead (fortunately) so

2. Favourite comfort food?

comfort food isn’t really my thing...? for comfort i’d watch a nice anime/movie or read a good fic...but my “comfort food” should be gummy bears and a nice cup of tea i think :) 

3. What movie can you watch dozen times and you’ll never get bored of it?

movie : Sucker Punch

anime : No.6 and Konohana Kitan

show : Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party

musical : A Very Potter Musical trilogy

4. Is there a book that changed your mindset/made you look at world differently?

nope, nothing has caused such a dramatic change in me yet

5. What’s your most embarrassing memory?

hmm let’s see...well when i was in primary 6, merely a baby gay (even though i didn’t know it at the time), i heard that this one girl in the same grade was rumoured to be a lesbian. so i didn’t even know what a lesbian is, had never thought about romantic relationship, and i only remember that i wanted to “seduce” her (yea embarrassing right). so i got the “chance” in this activity we were in together, and we were supposed to play “paper scissor stone”, and i distinctly remember giving her a (badly performed) wink of some sort after finishing my round. only that i didn’t realize our round was a draw, and after i had so graciously turned back after “seducing” her i was called back to re-do my round. :/ was so embarrassed

6. What was the thing you always wanted as a kid, but never got it?

um, love and appreciation from my parents ?

7. What are you looking for in a partner?

someone who accept me as who i am, meet me where i am, someone who is gentle and understand truly the love we have for each other

8. Favourite Disney sidekick?

timon and pumba

9. What are things that people say that make you furious?

it’s pretty hard to really offend me, because any ridiculous things someone say i’d just regard it as laughable ignorance, i’d only laugh at them and calmly destroy them...so i’m hardly furious (don’t insult those whom i love)

does this constitute an answer ? (don’t insult those whom i love) nothing pretty much make me furious...? (don’t insult those whom i love)

10. Least favorite character traits of a person?

close-mindedness

11. Let’s say you had the power of making a new animal/creature. You could cross two animals together or animal with human. Which animals/animal and human would you choose to cross with each other? How would IT look like?

hahahahha fox human probably. human appearance and human features, fox tails, fox ears

___________________________

and here are the 11 questions i have for @the-cellar-spiral @samandstuffworld @restlessandordinary @thatgayshitmmhmmm @asafeplanet @decanthrope sorry if i have tagged you in the same ask for like,,,98734 times before,,,but i got new set of questions...

1. if you can travel to and live in a fictional world, which one would you go to?

2. do you think unconditional love exists? do you think it would happen on you?

3. talk about your fav show/movie/anime/musical/book and why everyone who just go watch/read that already

4. what is one thing you’ve learned as truth as a kid that you know now is a wrong thing

5. what question would you ask a person you’ve just met to know about them more deeply?

6. do you like talking to a stranger? why or why not?

7. what is one activity that you could do forever without being bored of it?

8. pineapple belongs on pizza. agree? fight me on this

9. what is your humour like?

10. is there one person whom you would never forgive?

11. tell me your best birthday memory

[somanydifferentthings]

11 questions game

So, I got tagged by @slytherinvalues a couple days ago and for some reason the mail that I was tagged didn’t come through and I only just saw it. Anyways, thanks for tagging me, love!

1. if you can travel to and live in a fictional world, which one would you go to?

I think I would like to live in Wakanda (disregarding Infinity War). There are so many other places I would love to live in that would be way too dangerous and Wakanda just seems like the perfect place to do science-y stuff and learn so much and I love to learn new things.

2. do you think unconditional love exists? do you think it would happen on you?

I so think unconditional love exists. However, I don’t think love between romantic partners is unconditional. I think the only real unconditional love exists between parents and their children. And sure, it doesn’t exist for all children and their parents but I think that the only truly unconditional love is between parents and their child. Like, I know that my mum wants me to do shit and achieve things and do good in life and live my very best life and she will give me shit for not doing my best but she will always love me and that love really isn’t conditional to doing well or being successful or being good or straight or normal or whatever. The only thing I have to do/be for her to love me is to be her daughter and that will never change. And the same thing also counts for my father. I would also like to think that when I have children that I will be able to present them with the same unconditional love I got from my parents.

3. talk about your fav show/movie/anime/musical/book and why everyone who just go watch/read that already

it is really really hard for me to pick one. there are just so many good shows/movies/musicals/books that I would like to share but I’ll pick one book and two movies. The movie: The Perks of being a Wallflower I think everyone should see this movie. I think it’s beautifully made, it gives you pretty much the full spectrum of emotions over the course of the movies, it deals with mental health issues in a way that is (pretty) far from ideal but (at least that’s what I feel) is pretty realistic instead. It also has to of my top (gorgeous) actors: Emma Watson and Ezra Miller and everyone should appreciate them as well as all the other amazing actors that are part of this movie. It is literally one of my all time-favorite movies. (this movie is based on a book but I have not read that book and can therefore not comment on whether it’s good or maybe even better than the film) The book (and also the movie to it, really): Call Me By Your Name This book is so beautifully written, it makes you want to be in Italy and spend your own beautiful and exciting and emotional summer there. This also has happy and sad and exciting and sexy parts and when I read the fourth (and final part) of this book I cried so much that I couldn’t even see the pages anymore and I am not a big crier. The book, the audio book and the movie are all three amazing and pull you in, they make you want to be part of this story and they make you want to have a story like Elio (and Oliver)’s. The second movie: Honig im Kopf / Head Full Of Honey. I don’t think there is an English translation for it, but there are versions with subtitles out there. It’s a beautiful story that shows the adventures of a family where the grandfather has Alzheimers. It deals with it beautifully and, once again, makes you want to be there and have just as much fun and adventure and excitement as the characters in the movie. (here is a trailer)

4. what is one thing you’ve learned as truth as a kid that you know now is a wrong thing

I can’t really think of anything other than the Easter Bunny being real. 

5. what question would you ask a person you’ve just met to know about them more deeply?

Maybe something along the lines of “tell me about something you’re passionate about” but I’m not really sure

6. do you like talking to a stranger? why or why not?

I do sometimes enjoy a good talk with a stranger. It just gives you an outsider who doesn’t really know anything other than what you tell them and even if they were to judge you for something, it doesn’t matter as much because you’ll never see them again anyways. That makes it easier to open up about certain things that would be hard to talk about to friends or people who you’ve known for a while. It really does depend on my mood whether I am actually up for it now though. Sometimes I have severe bouts of social anxiety or mad depressive episodes and then I definitely don’t want to talk to a stranger.

7. what is one activity that you could do forever without being bored of it?

I’d say it’s a tie between reading, singing and travelling. I mean, sure, I wouldn’t want to be travelling all the time, I’d want to be home as well, but I don’t think I could ever get sick of taking time for travelling. Same with singing and reading as well. I wouldn’t want to have to do it at all times, but I don’t think I will ever get sick of singing or reading.

8. pineapple belongs on pizza. agree? fight me on this

I really don’t like pineapple on pizza and I used to feel very strongly about this but I had to find that pasta bolognese tastes good on pizza and french fries taste good on pizza and steak, asparagus and sauce hollandaise taste good on pizza and these are all things that I would have been convinced that they should never ever be on a pizza and yet, I found that I kind like them. I don’t really like most sweet things in salty food though, which is probably where my aversion of pineapple on pizza comes from but it is getting better as my taste evolves and I grow older. I am mostly a ‘never say never’ person. I have changed my mind too much over to years to properly say never for most things.

9. what is your humour like?

dark, punny, sarcastic, meme-y, bad, stupid, whatever. It is pretty much all over the place

10. is there one person whom you would never forgive?

At the moment, I really can’t think of anyone that I would NEVER forgive. There are a couple people that I will not forgive for a very long time though.

11. tell me your best birthday memory

Well, I’ve planned most of my birthdays myself which made most of them turn out pretty much exactly the way I wanted them to, but the first memory that comes to mind is actually from back when I turned 4 (I think, could be 5 though). I actually sprained my ankle (I had to go to the emergency room and get an actual thin cast on my foot) the evening before and could therefore not walk which really screwed with the party plans my mother had and with getting to kindergarten via scooter so my dad took me by car and carried me in on his shoulders which was already glorious and then (because it was by birthday) I got to sit on the big birthday throne with my foot up on another chair and everyone was singing to me and some kids drew on my cast and it was all proper exciting and then my actual birthday party was still happening in the afternoon but instead of all the activities we only did the ones I could do and then watched a movie and then we had a second, smaller one a week or two later when I got my cast off.

So, I tag @slytherinvalues @im-a-slut-for-an-accent @emilyevanston @teckmonky @teamcap4bucky to answer the following eleven questions:

1. What is something you are really passionate about?

2. (kinda copying Jimmy Kimmel here) If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, dead or alive, where would you take them and what would you eat (and, if you want who would you take)?

3. What is something you are really proud of achieving? Maybe something nobody thought you could do?

4. What do you think is something like the perfect number (and genders) of children for them to get along perfectly?

5. What is a food that totally surprised you when you first had it? Bad or good.

6. If you could speak only one language from now on (that is not English) which would you choose and why?

7. You are an amazing human. What is one things that makes you outstanding?

8. Is there one thing that you’ve always wanted to learn? What is holding you back from doing so?

9. Would you rather have one billion dollars or always have the right amount of money in your pocket for what you need to be happy in that moment?

10. If your future self were to visit you from thirty years from now were to visit you right now, what is something that you’d want them to feel like they want to tell you. 

11. Are you a dog or a cat person?

[tulpacest]

Repost, don’t reblog.

Tagged by: @ahogedetective​ , thank you so much!

Tagging: @luminaryblood​ if u haven’t! And if u have... pls link me this is my fav kind of quiz. Otherwise!! Please steal! 

Name: K/orekiyo Shing.uuji. (Sorry but,,, I’m going to be talking about some uncomfy stuff and I’d really rather it not go in the tag riuguir). 

Nicknames: Sweet/Gentle Korekiyo, Kiyo, Korey (Hagakure why...), Shitguuji, ‘shit eating worm’, ‘slug’, ‘creep show’ (I love you Miu). 

Orientation: Pansexual Panromantic (No preference.) 

Preferred pet names: I think Korekiyo would find petnames to be interesting. I... actually like that he offers the name ‘Kiyo’ on first meeting, it creates a sense of immediate familiarity between himself and his peers - exactly what he wants as an anthropologist, after all. Additionally, it means ‘Korekiyo’ is a name reserved only for his Sister - which we’ll get into later. Obviously, he doesn’t particularly like being compared to an insect or dung, and would prefer only beautiful things be associated with him. 

Relationship status: He’s currently in a fully committed romantic relationship with his own tulpa. He truly believes that his dead Sister’s spirit rests inside of him and they are continuing the loving partnership they had in life - but she does not. This is a coping mechanism born out  of impossible grief, and he does have brief moments of self-awareness. In those moments, the world feels sterile and empty. This is his reality.   

Favorite canon ship:  H E  I S  T H E  C A N O N  S H I P.   In all seriousness, I do find the relationship he has with the tulpa to be incredibly fascinating, fucked up and inherently unhealthy. The tulpa is simultaneously the only thing keeping him alive, and simultaneously destroying any development he could possibly have. He cannot overcome grief without it, he cannot overcome grief with it.  And if he just didn’t ... you know... kill people because of it, I feel that the tulpa perfectly embodies the theme of the game. A lie can sometimes be good, can sometimes even save lives - and that is what his coping mechanism is -  simply an incredibly well-fabricated lie. He’s such a fascinating and... oddly tragic character because of it. 

Favorite non-canon ships: I really like Korekiyo/Rantaro! Their interactions in the board game were incredibly sweet... Korekiyo is actually concerned with his health! He asks after him! They visit each other inbetween trips! K O R E K I Y O  H A S  A  F R I E N D ??? And I know you could read that he’s just getting close to him in order to kill his sisters... but? He was doing all of those things before he even knew Amami had sisters! 

I really... really feel like Amami is one of the very few people who would have the patience and the kindness to help Korekiyo work through the whole tulpacest situation. I... Idk, I just have this really profound image of Kiyo finally asking Rantaro if he wants to meet his Sister, and Amami is hesitant at first - like, he knows by now that... something weird is going on, but it’s okay, he trusts his friend enough to see where this is going...  And then Kiyo takes the mask down, and Amami’s heart just. Breaks as Sister says ‘hello’ to him, her lip trembling - and he finally clicks it all together and he understands. And then he rushes forwards and just wraps her in the tightest embrace, and her eyes immediately turn to glass and she just sobs because this is the first time he’s been hugged properly in years, and suddenly all that time spent hugging himself is... not enough. Bluuhhh and that’s my sickly-sweet power fantasy, eventually Amami helps Korekiyo get over the tulpa and accept death (or he supports his friend’s coping mechanism and they enter into a more complicated relationship) - either way, GOD. That’s the healthiest Kiyo ship I can think of and I Am Here For It. 

A quick note on shipping: Korekiyo is really... really difficult to ship. He firmly believes his one true love is inside of him, and he has sacrificed everything to fulfil that delusion. Unpicking it would be a long and hard process, and cheating on her is not going to be an option unless it’s like. a very very very clear one-time affair. Even then, he’s... unlikely to get completely physical with you - and falling in love is simply not an option........ at least, not right away. Any shipping I did with Kiyo would have to be delicately paced and involve a lot of plotting/threading. 

Opinion on true love: He firmly believes in it, and it is one of the only matters (asides from death) where he will suddenly start acting illogical. Anything concerning love makes him highly emotional, but he would also expose that ‘real’ love is not a physical connection, it is something that is worked on and reshaped and kneaded over time. He is extremely romantic,  to say the least, and believes that you should do anything for the one you love. 

Opinion on love at first sight: Although this is something ever present in folklore, fiction and fantasy - he believes that love takes more than a mere moment. It’s something that requires tending to - even if it begins like a hot-flash in the pan. 

How ‘romantic’ are they: Very.... Korekiyo’s appearance may imply anything but, but he is a highly romantic person. He enjoys affection, soft touches, hugs, being squeezed, giving gifts, huge gestures, romcoms, holding hands, dates... I could go on. He adores the saccharine and can be incredibly gentle when it comes to matters of love.  

Ideal physical traits: Korekiyo would struggle with this question - after all, his pet theory is that all humanity is beautiful. Beauty is alluring, and beauty is born from the soul - less so the body. However... He has an aesthetic appreciation for features similar to his own - archaic beauty, ink-brush strokes for hair, well-kept and slender. But! Tbh, radiant love overcomes any physical imperfections, his tastes bent to his heart’s desires. 

Ideal personality traits: He is particularly drawn to bright, effervescent people. Those who possess a deep, unending curiosity - who possess wit and good humour, intelligence and grace. There are many traits that he admires - just as there are many roles in this great kabuki play of life. However, above all else... A thirst for life. If your character displays a drive to survive against all odds, a ‘fuck you’ attitude to death - then his heart sings. Bravery in the face of impossible odds, an unwavering heart, hope blossoming amongst  the tangled thorns of despair... cliche, yes, but traits he finds incredibly attractive.  Additionally, he really enjoys being approached by someone else. His love hotel scene begins with Saihara taking an interest in him, after all. 

Unattractive physical traits: Hmm, again... there really aren’t many. 

Unattractive personality traits: He is not fond of people who are loud-mouthed and quick to interrupt him. He really dislikes those who shut down intelligent conversation, or think of him as boring, or refuse to pay attention. He hates promises being broken, and he will blame himself for being a poor teacher if someone shows even the slightest disinterest in what he has to say.  He also dislikes those he cannot pin down easily. If he cannot assign you a role and you baffle him with layers of inconsistencies/lies, he’s... going to lose interest, fast. If, however, he can pick up some threads of your puzzle - he’ll have... so much fun deciphering you that he’ll get lose in it.  Overall, it can be difficult to predict what traits Korekiyo is going to find unattractive since he is forever fishing for your beauty... 

Ideal date: Travelling, discussing anthropology, consuming media and analysing it afterwards... but more romantic moments are appreciated, too. If it’s an activity that allows him to revel in your beauty... he’s down, lmao. 

Do they have a type? Immensely passionate, confident & bright people!  

Average relationship length: Forever...

Preferred nonsexual intimacy: Being held/holding. I mean. The boy literally hugs himself bc no one else will... he’s honestly so desperate for this kind of physical affection that it breaks my heart on some level. Please.. someone... anyone.... hug him,,,,  Outside of this, while sexual intimacy can be incredibly loving and important in a relationship, I think he values nonsexual intimacy more. I know! This sounds! Really weird! Coming from! The self-declared rope man! But! He constantly reiterates that love does not have to be ‘a physical connection’. So... honestly - beyond cuddling, his favourite thing to do to express intimacy is probably  just to talk. Talk and talk and talk. Enjoy doing things together, be in one another’s company, revel in the beautiful connection between you both  - the real meat of a relationship, you know? 

Commitment level: He’ll literally destroy himself and give up his flesh in order to let you inhabit his body if u go and die on him. And although he indulges his curiosity  in the love hotel scene... we have to remember that that is his fantasy. In the dating sim mode, he repeatedly shies away from sexual topics/intimacy (though he expresses they are normal human behaviours and he respects/is intrigued by Saihara because of them), because it would be ‘cheating’. Then again, he does claim that he tied up a whole village of women, so....

The thing is, Korekiyo’s. Well. What counts as ‘cheating’ might be a little fluid - can he indulge in Kinbaku because he’s doing it for ‘anthropological’ reasons? How far does that card stretch? He seemed to be aware that he actions with Saihara were dodgy given how much he emphasised it was a one-time affair... so, idk. GENERALLY THO I’d argue he is more committed than most, lmao. 

Opinion of public affection: He wants it, but it makes him incredibly uncomfortable. Like. Ideally he could be physical with his partner near constantly - but he’s learned that matters of love are best kept private, and with good reason. 

Past relationships: My personal headcanon is that his Sister is around a year & a half older than him, and they have been engaging in taboo acts since he was around 13. It’s... highly uncomfortable to think about, but. Yeah, so. Considering he still thinks he is in this relationship, they’ve been ‘together’ for 4-5 years. 

[dothewrite]

Hai hai~ I requested this on another blogged and really liked it and wanted to see it in your writing style as well! Could I please get a jealous Tsukki trying to get his fem S/o away from Tendou, who has a major crush on her, but she is completely oblivious and just finds Tendou so funny and friendly until he tries to kiss her? Maybe end it with some fluff? Or even some jealous NSFW with Tsukki? (Tsukki is my ultimate fav, but Tendou is my ultimate trash husband 😭😭 I love them both so much)

I’m so sorry this took like, six years to finish, but I swear it’s here. I did it. Take my firstborn if need be. I chose to end it with fluff instead of nsfw, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! (Alternatively titled: nobody has any concept of boundaries.)

“Hey.”Tsukishima flips close his textbook and turns his head in his palm to stare athis brother. “How do you kiss a girl?”

Akiterualmost chokes to death on a misplaced gulp of air, and slaps at the tableseveral times. Tsukishima waits for him to finish dying and answer.

“Do-do you have a girlfriend?!”

Tsukishimarolls his eyes. “Who doesn’t by now?”

Hisbrother flushes violently and looks a bit mutinous at the comment, but doesn’tcomment. “I- I just can’t believe you’re finally asking me this question. Kei,I can’t get over how you’re growing so fast these days.”

“Ihave always been growing at the same speed. And who are you? Mom?”

“Doyou want me to answer you or not?!”

Tsukishimasighs a world-weary sigh and nods his head. His eyes are bored, half-lidded,but the slight tapping of his index finger against his cheek betrays what wouldotherwise be a perfect disguise of indifference.

Akiterulooks mollified, and clears his throat. “Well. First, of course, you have to besure of their consent. I think you should place your hands somewhere slightlyabove the hips-”

“That’snot what I meant,” Tsukishima interrupts, “I meant, how do you kiss.Your girlfriend. Boyfriend. Whatever.” He pauses, and peers at his brother.“You have had one, haven’t you?”

“Ohmy God.” Akiteru’s face is now several degrees hotter and he feels like hewould rather evaporate into the stratosphere than admit to being lessexperienced than his baby brother. “Yes, yes I’ve had one. I don’t have one atthis very moment, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a reliable source ofinformation!”

“Alright.”Tsukishima grins. “Go on, then.”

“I-Okay. Right. There’s the, uh, lips first. The key is to keep the rightatmosphere- make it palpable, so it doesn’t just flop like some goodnight kissfrom Mr. Teddy. Then- then you, ahem,you know. Go for it. Not too firm or anything, you don’t want to crush theirteeth-”

“Doyou move your tongue quickly, or slowly?”

“Oh my God. U-uh, it’s usually… slowly…”

“Notever in a rush, eh?”

“Howcan I rush something as intimate as a kiss?!”

Tsukishimaeyes his brother, now steaming from the top of his head, and just shakes hishead. “Guess you’ve never been in a closet in the middle of class, then.”

“TsukishimaKei. Don’t let me hear of you skipping class to make out with your girlfriend!Education is important for your future-”

“Okay.Thanks for the info.” Tsukishima spins his head the other direction and tunesout his brother’s confuddled spluttering.

Itwasn’t particularly informative, but there is definitely something that he’smissing that Akiteru’s got. Thoughtfully, he twirls his tongue slowly in hismouth in as many patterns he can think of.

He spiesher haunting a small spot behind the volleyball gym the next day. A bitcurious, he wonders if Coach Ukai would let him off lightly if he was a fewminutes late to practice, and considers jogging up to meet her.

Hiscuriousity, however, is quickly satisfied when a splash of red hair suddenlymakes an unwelcome appearance behind a medium selection of bushes and runs overmerrily to where she’s standing. It’s clearly who she’s waiting for in thebeating sunlight.

A record-breakingwave of irrational yet completely justified irritation hits him like an uppercut.

Hemoves quietly a few steps to the side, behind a metal pillar, and observes. Heresents that he’s too far to catch any of the dialogue.

Of all people, hefumes silently behind flashing glasses, ithas to be that piece-of-shit blocker.

To befair, he’s probably as much as a pain in the ass to Tendou Satori as TendouSatori is to him, but she’s Tsukishima’sgirlfriend, and he really, really hates how warmly she’s smiling at another guy.

It’sall tolerable for now. Except, they’re a polite distance from each other, andthen suddenly, they’re not. Tsukishima’s a quick, intelligent jumper, but hisknees are locked into stone pillars as he watches Tendou lean in, his fingershovering ‘somewhere above her hips’, and press a kiss against her startled lips.

Damn right she’s startled. IfTsukishima had a gun, he’d fire at least four rounds into the imbecile’s head,but he doesn’t and all movement from his neck down has temporarily suspendedservice.

Shetakes a surprised step back, anchoring her heel into the soft ground and pushesTendou off her gently. He tips back into his original space, looking a bitsheepish, and she smiles embarrassedly at him. Tsukishima watches with hawkeyes, still mildly furious at the fact that she’s still capable of smiling, andshe shakes her head whilst saying something to him that makes him shrug.

It’snot a proud shrug, it’s an apologetic, regretful shrug that good humour stillruns through that keeps it light. Tendou grins wolfishly at her, most of thebravado gone, before nodding, and heading back the way he came. He throws up acalm wave over his shoulder, and Tsukishima’s girlfriend smiles fondly.

Tsukishimacannot say he is feeling quite so fond.

Withconsiderable effort, he props his stiff joints back into their positions andmarches over with ease that he definitely doesn’t feel.

She turnswhen she hears his footsteps, and his pace falters when something in her smilesets itself in place. There’s less searing brightness as it had been before,less of an innocent cluelessness that had tickled the edges of her cheeks.Instead it softens and melds into place, fitting her sweet countenance with agentle heat that powers the way she opens herself up to welcome him.

Hissteps grow gradually slower and slower as he nears, and against his will, hisknuckles loosen their grip around his fingers.

“Hello,”she greets him almost shyly. “I thought I’d be too late to catch you before youwent in for practice.”

“Hello,”he echoes. The word falls almost alien from his lips, and his breathing mellows.She takes a step closer into his space and reaches out for his hand with herown; he laces his fingers through hers instinctively, feeling the cool padsunderneath her nails nudge into the back of his hand. “I noticed you, so I hungback.”

Hersmile flickers into an apologetic grimace.

“I’msorry that happened.”

Tsukishimawas mad, he really was. But somehow the emotion is slipping away from his mindlike liquid, and each drop drips onto dry floor, lost and forgotten.

“Iwas pretty pissed off,” he says anyway, without heat. “It’s not the greatestthing to see after school.”

Shenods, slightly ashamed. “I got a message from Tendou, so I thought why not killtwo birds with one stone, and see what he wanted whilst I waited for you tofinish changing.” She clears her throat awkwardly. “It was just amisunderstanding. I let him know I didn’t see him that way, and that I wasn’tavailable.”

“Sohe came to confess,” Tsukishima mutters. “Well, at least we know now that you’repopular when I’m otherwise occupied.”

“It’syour face. It scares them away when you’re around.”

Hescowls at her, and she laughs in return. “We’re still good friends. He was agood sport, and I was flattered.” She looks at him expectantly from underneathher fringe. “I hope you don’t mind that too much.”

Sincethis is his only chance, Tsukishima takes advantage of it and heaves the heaviestsigh he can manage.

“Hewouldn’t exactly be my choice offriend, but yeah. I don’t mind. You’ve the right to be friends with whoever youwant to be.”

“Youdon’t like him because he reminds you too much of yourself.” She grins.

Tsukishimashoots her a look that questions her sanity. “Definitely not. We’re polaropposites, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Butyou’re both so- it’s the same type of intensity, you know? But in differentways. You’re both slightly unhinged.”

“Whateven.” Tsukishima tugs his hand out from her grip and crosses it over hischest. “Are you trying to set me up with him?”

Sheshrugs, but her shoulders are shaking with laughter. “I can always call himback, you know.”

“He’snot kissing me,” Tsukishima warns.

“Itreally wasn’t much, Kei.” Her soothing voice is back, and Tsukishima lets hisarms slowly relax back to his sides. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll giveyou one. That way we’re all kissed by the end of the day.”

Forthe longest time, Tsukishima had completely forgotten the purpose for hisactively seeking her out after their final period. He’d been the one to suggestmeeting up, after all, but the business with Tendou had completely pushedanything rational out of his mind.

Now,it all comes back to him. His slightly random purpose, and his conversation thenight before with Akiteru.

“Alright,”he says. “Let’s bet on it.”

She rollsher eyes ever so slightly, but she’s smiling. “Terms.”

“Whoeverblushes first, loses. You win, I’ll skip practice and I’ll treat you to thewaffle ice-cream set. If I win, you take a picture of us kissing, and you textSatori that I’m the better kisser.”

“Kei,you really are unbelievably petty over the most insignificant things, aren’tyou?”

“Humourme,” he suggests, with a face as blank as the new moon.

“Whata big baby,” she laughs. “You’re on.”

Tsukishimatugs her by the waist, without warning, and they crash into each other chestsfirst. A gasp of air is forced out from her lungs and it leaves her slightlywinded, and that’s when Tsukishima swoops in with his upper hand.

Hestarts it off, as Akiteru advised, with the utmost patience. It’s a slow brushof lips, and he shifts them ever so softly against each other and his tonguewets the space between them with firm, slick brushes. Her face remains cool tothe touch, and he presses closer. They can no longer feel their own lips uponeach other’s, only the diagonal warm that heats the both of them from theirfaces downwards. Tsukishima taps the tip of his tongue briefly along the seamof her mouth, asking for permission, and when she weakens, he drags his handsup to cup the sides of her face as he slides his tongue against hers. Searing,slow strokes, as he had pointlessly practiced last night, in sudden circles andtwisting patterns, he pushes against her own tongue, leading her heartbeat in amerry dance around the lack of space that’s left between them both. He brusheshis fingers lightly against the arch of her cheekbones, before drawing them tothe curve of her ear. She whimpers against him, a delicious sound that he divesinto and presses it back into her mouth with a harsh lick and a sudden suck.

Hecan feel her begin to shiver against his frame, and he lets one of his handsfall against her curvature to rest gently on the small dip behind her back.

Tsukishimapresses her into him one last time, and nips her bottom lip with enoughpressure that it leaves it a bubbling red. He pulls back, and doesn’t botherhiding his satisfied and equally lascivious smirk at her red face, dazed andtrying her best to focus on his eyes again.

Hedips her slightly to the left, and soothes her bruised lips with a soft finale.

“Youblushed,” he finally manages after two attempts to clear his throat from thehoarseness. “I believe I’m still quite bloodless. I win.”

Herfollowing laugh is exasperated, and impossibly fond. She can barely stand up toher full height anymore, but Tsukishima doesn’t mind propping her up againsthis side.

“Ican’t believe you practiced that,” she remarks after catching her breath. “Youcan’t have come up with that on the spot.”

“Iwin,” Tsukishima repeats, slightly ruffled at being caught out. “Let’s take apicture, and you’re sending that message.”

“Toprove to a man I rejected that my boyfriend is a petty guy.” She nods. “Got it.”

Hemakes sure that she’s tapping the message into her chat before he finally hightails it into the gym.

WhenCoach Ukai, and possibly the rest of the team, stare at his definitelydebauched volleyball outfit, they decide that it’s safer for everyone’simagination to not ask at all.

CoachTakeda, however, sums up enough courage to tap him on the shoulder before hegets into position.

“Tsukishima,”he asks in his kindly tone, “I hope nothing was the matter. You’re half an hourlate to practice.”

“I’msorry,” Tsukishima answers, “I caught my girlfriend kissing another guy.” Hecan’t help but grin ever so slightly when Takeda falls back, shocked. “There’snothing to worry about. It turned to be quite entertaining.”

Minutesbefore he falls asleep that night, Tsukishima blinks at the sudden screenshothe receives from her at two in the morning.

It’s apicture of Tendou, sticking out his tongue with a cherry stem tied up in three separateknots.

I’d like to see him defend his title. Hisanswer reads. Three-way challenge. Youin?