#but it sometimes returns. like in this scene!

[girlkisser13]

being married to satoru gojo would include

• gojo loves to tease you, constantly pushing your buttons just to see you flustered. expect cheeky comments, surprise kisses, and dramatic declarations of love in the middle of crowded places.

• if you’re shy about pda, too bad. gojo lives for dramatic public displays of affection.

• if he sees you from across the street, he sprints toward you, yelling: "MY LOVE, I HAVE FOUND YOU AT LAST!"

• he randomly dips you in the middle of the sidewalk to kiss you like you’re in a rom-com.

• gojo LIVES to be near you. he’ll drape himself over you like a human-sized blanket, rest his head on your lap whenever you’re sitting, or outright pick you up and carry you if he’s feeling extra dramatic (which is always).

• he showers you with compliments, and while some are genuine, most are ridiculous:

"wow, how does it feel to be married to the most handsome, most powerful, most incredible man alive?”

"your beauty is so radiant, i might need my blindfold back just to avoid going blind."

• he has zero concept of personal space and will kiss you at the most unexpected moments— mid-conversation, while you’re eating, or even while you’re scolding him.

• gojo is the CLINGIEST person alive.

• he follows you around the house like a puppy. cooking? he’s hovering behind you, stealing bites of food. working? he’s lying on the couch dramatically sighing about how neglected he feels.

"you know, marriage means you have to give me attention 24/7, right?"

• he refuses to call you by your actual name unless he’s being serious. instead, he cycles through completely ridiculous pet names.

• gojo is not a morning person unless it involves annoying you. if you wake up before him, he groans and pulls you back into bed. if he wakes up first, he does everything in his power to wake you up.

• blasting music at full volume.

• hovering over you whispering "wake up, my love—" in the creepiest voice imaginable.

• picking you up with infinity still on so you can’t escape his hugs.

• if you have sweets, they are his now. you once tried to hide snacks from him, but he teleported them out of your hands and smirked while eating them.

• this man is constantly stealing bites of your food, no matter how many times you scold him.

"what’s yours is mine, babe! it’s in fine print of our marriage license."

• sometimes he vanishes for an entire day and then comes back with the most ridiculous gifts.

• one time, he brought home a glow-in-the-dark matching couple’s outfit.

• another time, he returned with a 20 feet stuffed animal version of himself. you refuse to keep it in the house.

• movie nights are a nightmare– gojo never lets you watch in peace.

• he talks through the entire thing.

• he predicts the ending within five minutes.

• he insists on reenacting fight scenes mid-movie.

• and worst of all? he won’t stop quoting the movie afterward.

• his number one priority is your safety– he plays it cool, but he worries about you constantly. even if you’re not a sorcerer, he subtly keeps infinity up around you when he’s not there. if anyone so much as looks at you wrong, they disappear.

• there are times when he comes home late from missions, and instead of waking you, he just holds you close, quietly breathing in your presence.

• he has no shame in embarrassing you publicly.

• if he’s picking you up from work, expect him to arrive in the flashiest way possible. he once teleported into your office just to kiss you in front of your coworkers.

• he likes to randomly challenge you to stupid competitions.

"let’s see who can eat more candy without getting sick."

"first one to fall asleep loses!" (he never loses.)

"let’s race— but i get to teleport."

• he pranks you CONSTANTLY.

• he once hid in a closet for twenty minutes just to jump out and scare you.

• another time, he changed your phone alarm to his voice saying "GOOD MORNING, BEAUTIFUL—" over and over again.

• some of the best moments with gojo are when it’s late at night, and he’s just talking to you softly— about his childhood, his fears, and his dreams.

• if you ever have trouble sleeping, he hums softly while rubbing your back. it’s one of the rare moments where he’s completely calm.

• house chores? he pretends he doesn’t know how to do them. "oh no, my infinity won’t let me touch the dishes, guess you’ll have to do it—.” you roll your eyes and make him do them anyway.

• loves using his teleportation just to annoy you. forgot something at home? he’ll bring it— but only after making you beg (or bribing him with sweets).

• you once woke up to find him floating above the bed, just staring at you. "i was admiring my beautiful spouse—" he got a pillow to the face.

• if you ever get hurt, he loses it. he jokes a lot, but the moment you’re in danger, the world will burn.

• he constantly steals your sunglasses, claiming they look better on him.

• will not hesitate to use his powers to do the most ridiculous things— like floating the remote into his hand instead of getting up.

• if you’re cold, he’ll wrap himself around you dramatically. "don’t worry, i’ll sacrifice my body heat for you, my love."

• with you, he can drop the “satoru gojo, strongest sorcerer” mask and just be satoru. on nights when the weight of his responsibilities gets to him, he just rests his forehead against yours, whispering: "you’re the only thing keeping me sane." <33

[annalacerda17]

So, I was thinking about how it seems like a huge part of the MDZS fandom has really poor reading comprehension, and I came to the conclusion that that's true, but also, that CQL is partly to blame for rampant misinterpretation of several characters. I think people who came to this fandom through CQL and only read the book afterwards (or not at all) are more likely to have formed certain opinions that are very different from what the book says.

When it comes to CQL, I think basically the entire pre-timeskip part of it is a mess. First off, the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng is totally different. CQL insisted on inserting Jiang Cheng in places where he wasn't needed, they made up that disgusting romance between him and Wen Qing - like, book! Wen Qing wouldn't spare him a second glance. She literally saw him throwing tantrums left and right like a total toddler for a while, and she'd never consider him a potential love interest, she saw right through the pretentious prick- and to me that's made all the more horrific when we consider their actual relationship in the book: Wen Qing saved Jiang Cheng's life after Wen Ning had already taken huge risks to rescue him and she helped him hide and evade the Wens, she gave him medical care, which is already a huge favor if we don't take into account the core-transfer surgery, which Jiang Cheng didn't know Wen Qing was a the surgeon of (he did know, however, that Wei Wuxian was the one who helped him get a new golden core, so he doesn't get a pass there). But in return, Jiang Cheng refused to help her and her people after the war, and worse, he joined hands with the Jin sect in order to destroy his savior and her people. But CQL inserted a romance there????

Still on Wen Qing, CQL made her somewhat complicit - even if reluctantly so - in Wen Rouhan's evil schemes by making her go to the Cloud Recesses as a Spy. This plot didn't exist in the book at all. But what this does is to blame her for how the sects treated the Wen remnants after the war. This muddies the waters in a truly terrible way,when in the book it's very clear who is the victim and who are the perpetrators.

Then, there's the actor who played Jiang Cheng, and I don't know if he just chose how he wanted to act this character or if he was instructed to act this way, but the Jiang Cheng in CQL very strange. I think they interpreted the character as that misunderstood poor baby that his stans think he is, and that's how he is portrayed in all of the CQL-only scenes. But when he appears in a scene that's from the novel, he is portrayed as he is in the novel - a selfish, self-centered, angry, and violent man. So I can see how someone who first met this character in CQL might've come out of it confused about what this character is like, because the Jiang Cheng portrayed in CQL is inconsistent.

CQL definitely played up the "friendship" between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, which was mostly done in the beginning, before the sects' disciples were made into hostages by the Wens. Up until that point, their relationship is portrayed like a normal friendship and when Jiang Yanli is inserted, it sometimes does look like a brotherhood. Especially in the Cloud Recesses arc and later when they go chase the pieces of Yin Tiger Tally. However, that's not how their relationship is portrayed in the novel, and that whole arc of chasing the Yin Tiger Tally is non-existent, because in the novel it's Wei Wuxian who creates the Yin Tiger Tally, and it works differently from what's shown in CQL anyway. In fact, everything about Wei Wuxian's cultivation is completely different in CQL.

Then, after Lotus Pier was attacked, we stared to get a few glimpses of book Jiang Cheng. But even then it was mixed with a lot of crying and toddler like tantrums that even the book version of Jiang Cheng - who also loves to play the victim no matter how unreasonable it might be - would feel embarrassed.

Only at the first siege of the burial mounds do we get a more book like version of Jiang Cheng - a murderous asshole - and even that is framed in an ambiguous way. Like, remember that scene in CQL where Wei Wuxian falls down that cliff? A lot of people thought Jiang Cheng had hit the stone (with his sword) on purpose, and that he hadn't meant to kill Wei Wuxian. Now, I personally think it's quite obvious that Jiang Cheng was, in fact, trying to kill Wei Wuxian, and the book tells us that that's what he did during the first siege of the burial mounds, although that didn't involve a cliff, but I also think that for someone whose first contact with this character came from CQL, they might look at this and think of that first part of the story, where their "friendship" was played up a lot, and then look at the actors crying face, and reach the wrong conclusion. I think the portrayal of Jiang Cheng is awful. The actor only showed 2 expressions throughout: moderately happy or angry-crying. That can make it difficult for the audience to discern what emotion they are supposed to see there.

Then, by the end, they inserted that line where Jiang Cheng thinks of Wei Wuxian and says "live well" with a nostalgic smile on his face. Where did that come from????

Moving on, CQL is also responsible for spreading the idea that Wei Wuxian had depression or that he was suicidal. This i don't think is the fault of the actor, because he was clearly told to act this way. But CQL tried to make the story a lot more angsty in general, maybe to make up for the lack of an explicit romance. Although I have to give them credit for making sure everyone who watched it knew without a shadow of doubt that wangxian was a couple, despite censorship.

CQL also downplayed Wei Wuxian's genius. This to me was a poor choice. I understand that they had to make some changes when it came to Wei Wuxian's cultivation because of censorship, but I'm sure they could've done it ia a way that didn't take away his accomplishments.

Another thing that I blame CQL for is the abominable existence of the XiYao ship, or at least for it's popularity. First, they inserted Jin Guangyao into the Cloud Recesses arc, then they played up all of his interactions with Lan Xichen, and framed it how we would typically see a romantic couple's relationship develop in most dramas. I think this gave a lot of viewers the idea that Jin Guangyao liked Lan Xichen first, but then became corrupt as the story progressed. However, in the book, Jin Guangyao had been manipulating and using Lan Xichen from the beginning. Their relationship has much more of a sinister feel to it from the beginning in the books.

Anyway, right now I can't think of any other problem brought into the fandom by CQL, but I'm sure there's a lot more. My brain is tired now, so I'll stop here.

[alexdswfan]

Hange and Levi's first meeting in No Regrets and what it means to Levi

I'd like to talk about a scene in No Regrets that gets brought up sometimes by certain people in the fandom, which is Levi and Hange's first meeting, but I don't think fandom talks enough about the emotional impact this scene must've had on Levi, or why that first meeting is so important to him. This scene always manages to make me feel emotional no matter how many times I think about it, hence why it's my favourite part of the manga, because for the first time since Levi, Furlan and Isabel got in the Survey Corps, someone treated them with kindness and didn't look down on them.

The first thing we can notice from the way Hange approached them is how genuine and excited Hange is with what they achieved with the Titan, making sure to include them all in the achievement and not only Levi as seen here by how Isabel tells Hange that their group is amazing and Hange agreeing with her.

Hange is interested in getting to know more about Levi's strength, but it's in a way where they want to learn from him and get taught by him rather than in an idea of using his strength as a tool. By bringing the other Scouts in the conversation as seen below, Hange encourages Levi to teach them his tricks so they can all have better chances of survival and also kill Titans more efficiently from now on.

Hange wants to get to know Levi as a person first and foremost, which does impact Levi who hasn't really met anyone in the Survey Corps until that point to be interested in himself as a person and not just as a tool, and in his friends too as he's inseparable from them. Hange doesn't forget about them and even includes them in the conversation in their own easygoing way as seen in this panel.

Continuing on this idea, one of the most important parts of this scene is how Hange isn't only friendly with Levi, but they're friendly with Isabel and Furlan too, going so far as to give Isabel a treat for the start of their new friendship. It might not mean much, but for people who recently left the Underground where getting treats was probably a luxury or at best hard to come by, Hange's action will impact them far more than some people might realize. These three have constantly been called thugs or have been disrespected until they showed their technical prowess with Titans during their first expedition, so to see Hange push past that barrier by wanting a genuine friendship with them is such a contrast to the way they have been treated by the others all this time. And even when Levi is curt with Hange, they don't give up, inviting them all to a meal after the expedition is over, which shows how much Hange wants to get to know them better as people, and not only as soldiers skilled with ODM gear.

I think what impacted Levi the most out of that exchange wasn't necessarily that Hange was kind with him. It's definitely important, but when we know how much Levi cares about the ones he loves, how he values their lives much more than his own, it's that Hange was so kind with his friends that really impacted him the most, and I don't think fandom talks enough about it. How affected Levi must've been by Hange's sheer kindness without expecting anything in return from him in a world where that concept simply didn't exist. Levi was being kind with others, but this is the first time we see someone else that isn't part of his group be kind to him in return. I think what Hange did that day for him and his friends meant a lot more to Levi than we realize. Someone in the Survey Corps finally treated them as they should've always been treated, with respect and kindness and not with disdain or even coercion. And Hange isn't bothered by his refusal to communicate with them as seen by Furlan's reply here: "Anyway, Hange doesn't seem particularly bothered."

They respect his boundaries when Levi doesn't feel like answering since he doesn't want to get attached to new people (we know how that plan failed in retrospect, but he still tried), and that's because Hange doesn't try to force anything out of him. They tried and he didn't want to engage, that was fine with them, they'll still want to be his friend in the future regardless of Levi's answer. And I don't think fandom gives enough credit to Hange in this scene.

This scene will forever remain my favourite in No Regrets because it shows just how incredibly kind and friendly Hange was with Levi since the very beginning. Yes, this has to do with Hange's personality, that it's just like them to be attracted by the new outsiders or misfits and try to befriend them, but the important part is that someone at least tried. And it makes total sense how out of everyone we know, it had to be Hange to carry out that role. Someone caring as much about his friends as Levi simply cannot be hated by him. This scene actually destroys that claim even more, because by this definition, Levi would have to hate the first person in the Survey Corps to actually be friendly with his friends, the most important people in his life at that moment in time. It's again completely nonsensical to say that, and I do think the people who keep saying it either have forgotten this scene exists or they'd rather ignore it because it wasn't included in the OVA. But regardless of the reason, the fact remains this scene is part of the No Regrets manga and is important to delve even further into the relationship of Levi and Hange as it presents the blueprint of their relationship. Supportive and caring for each other until the very end.

Edit: I want to add that Levi definitely felt suspicious towards Hange's kindness at first since genuine kindness doesn't exist in his world. Coming from the Underground, he has all the reasons to be suspicious of Hange (as people have pointed it out in the reblogs). That being said, Hange's intention was to be friendly with him without wanting anything in return from that friendship, and I do think Levi was more appreciative of the whole exchange later in time when he got to learn Hange better. I struggle to say that someone who later in the story becomes one of his closest friends tried to be manipulative with him at the beginning of their relationship like the man with glasses from Bad Boy. Levi would never try to befriend such a person in my opinion. But we all know how their relationship grew instead, where their communication skills are beyond anything we've seen in the manga, so in the end, Hange's intention of becoming his friend proved to be genuine despite Levi's first suspicions. Therefore, I respectfully disagree with the interpretation brought forward in the comments that Hange might've been manipulative with Levi and his friends. Hange has no reason to manipulate them. Let's all remember Hange has no clue whatsoever about the subject Levi, Furlan and Isabel discuss beforehand. They're only interested in the group's prowess and efficiency at fighting Titans, and then later in them as people since they're open to a more meaningful friendship with them three. Someone manipulative wouldn't have cared about being friends with them afterwards.

[420technoblazeit]

I mean this 100% genuinely: will you sell me on melvik?

I want to ship them but they had criminally few interactions in the show and the interactions weren’t super positive. However, I’m a huge fan of their parallels and think if they had been allowed to have more time together maybe they could’ve gotten closer. I also like them both with Jayce and want all permutations of meljayvik to be happy, not just meljay and jayvik.

I hope this doesn’t come across as me showing up to your house and bashing your ship cause that is not my intention. I genuinely WANT to be sold on melvik. I think my eyes can be opened to it if I hear from melvik shippers

No pressure to answer this either tho. If nothing else I just want to say thank you for all you do for the jayvik and meljavik tumblr ecosystems 🙏🙏🙏 I appreciate you 🫡

ok so the important thing to note about my melvik shipping is im coming at this from a kismesis angle. and if youre not familiar with homestuck shipping dynamics the key part in those kinds of relationships is commitment in helping the other person be better. seeing their flaws and wanting to help them with those flaws in a sometimes meddlesome kind of way. it's not so much built on hatred, as most people think it is, but this sense of i can fix them and i want to commit to helping them be better

my view of mel and viktor's relationship is that mel comes from a very privileged background and in truth has turned a blind eye to injustice in the past because she was fixated on living up to the standards of a medarda. she probably could have done more to help the people of the undercity. but both because she was intent on helping piltover become a more prosperous nation and because she hadn't entirely broken from the expectations of her family, that wasn't a priority for her. and i think viktor would naturally disapprove of that to some extent as someone who grew up in zaun and felt the effects of that kind of ignorance firsthand. viktor on the other hand has adopted a very pacifist and idealistic stance of no violence at any cost. this is probably due in part to his upbringing and the violence he was exposed to when he was younger. and if you want to point to what was basically their only scene together in season 1 i think part of their relationship is that mel views that kind of ideology as a little unrealistic in the grand scheme of things. mel was raised to watch her back at every turn and expect resistance and that would maybe lead her to clash with viktor's principles

but the big thing here and what really sells me on this ship i think is that despite these differences mel and viktor seem to have a LOT of respect for each other. they are both at their core outsiders in piltover, people who never really felt at home there. mel was exiled from noxus but misses it desperately to the point of painting it and dreaming of it constantly. viktor presumably has no one left to miss in zaun but returns there when he fuses with the hexcore because he still wants to help the people he left. they've both faced hardship and seen so much conflict in their lives and because of that chosen peace because they don't want anyone else to experience what they have. they're also both incredibly committed to progress and innovation and share a passion for helping people. i don't think viktor would have accepted mel as a collaborator if he didn't genuinely think that she was better than the other council members. and in the same way mel wouldn't have funded hextech if she didn't think that technology was something worth pursuing. and i really do think their differences could help the other see a perspective that they wouldn't have otherwise. does that make sense? as you can see i am Normal about these two

[dirty-bosmer]

Sujamma Sundas

[This week Sujamma has been brushing up on his literacy. It's hard being a humble Nix-Hound. Reading doesn't come naturally to him, but he's doing his best! This week Sujamma is hoping you will help him learn to read!

Post a favorite scene, favorite sentence, favorite dialogue, favorite anything from any fic you've written! If you haven't written any fic, feel free to share your ideas. If you don't have any, recommend a friend's fic!]

Thank you for the tag @skyrim-forever <3 A nice easy prompt considering I've had very little new writing to share on Wip Wednesdays 😅

Tagging: @theoneandonlysemla @elavoria @thequeenofthewinter @ladytanithia @lillxart @unironicallytes @sheirukitriesfandom @vivifriend @bostoniangirl21 @inkysqueed @saltymaplesyrup

Chose a snip from my Oblivion fic, The Illusionist, because I'm in my Dark Brotherhood feels again (predictable). In this Snip: Lucien has decided to skip the whole "what are we?" phase of the relationship and go straight to soul-bond I guess. Little does he know...

“If something happens to me before you return from Anvil, promise that you’ll find me in the Void. Promise that you’ll come home to me if not in this life, then after.” Nim squeezed her eyes shut, shook her head, and when Lucien kissed her, she choked down the unbearable warmth that slithered through her teeth. She breathed him in as she always did, creeping tendril of smoke souring her tongue, for what choice did she have when she was strangled, suffocating, when the only air left for her to take was his? “Promise me,” Lucien said. “Is that an order?” Lucien sighed into her, murmurred, whispering words she pretended not to hear, but she couldn’t push away the breath that formed them, and it filled her chest with his pine and leather, scent of old blood and burning wood. That scent so rich yet always hollow. Warm in her lungs but fleeting. “No,” he said, “but it is a request.” And Nim felt helpless again, lost in a sea of trees, left to be devoured by the maze of the West Weald. How gentle an end it would have been had she died in her sleep at the will of that unforgiving winter when she’d fled from Kvatch as a child. And sometimes, when she looked at Lucien— the hard oak of his eyes, his smile like the dark space in between trees— she wondered if she had ever truly escaped.       

[syntheticavenger]

enamel - three

enam·​el • to beautify with a colorful surface

ransom drysdale x female reader

enamel masterlist

words: 2K

warnings: 18+ ONLY. DNI if you are a minor. Language, more world building, toxic relationship, mentions of past sex, jealousy.

summary | if your marriage to ransom drysdale was a lit match, he’s the kerosene.

The wine kicks in thirty minutes later than expected, another voicemail on your phone that you let play out, Ransom’s threats no longer thinly veiled. It’s an all out command for you to return home, to stop being childish and come to your senses.

”Selfish son of a bitch,” you mutter, taking another sip of your Cabernet. 

Being alone is a strange feeling, especially since you hadn’t planned this out in advance. It was a simple whim, a response to once again feeling like you weren’t enough. The flirting had gone on longer than you had expected, the burning jealousy propelling you to want to make a scene, to embarrass the both of you. Your self-control will never let you falter in such a way, to show that side of yourself that you only show to him when you’re alone.

Somehow, deep down, you know Ransom was betting on you to break and that unnerves you the most. He’s the balance when you’re finding yourself going too far, relegating you both to the car to argue in private, to have make up sex in private, to apologize in your own way in private.

Too close for comfort this time.

Still, you let your mind wander to the man who caught your attention. A slight boyish smile, a sense of unbridled freedom that you haven’t let yourself ever have.

”Colin,” you say out loud, testing his name on your tongue.

You’ve got to hand it to him. The small crowd of people waiting to check in and he gave you his undivided attention, even bringing up your dinner himself, something you didn’t overlook. It’s almost too easy to let your mind linger to what ifs: what if you flirted back to have a story to hang over Ransom’s head. Maybe you’d get caught up in the ego build up, bask in feeling like you’ve gotten someone’s gaze that isn’t Ransom’s.

It’s always only temporary. Ransom clouds your thoughts again, wondering if he’s pacing in the living room or upstairs, his number flashing across the screen once more.

For once, you got smart and turned off your location. Which is probably why he’s going off the rails - access to you was a given and taken for granted.

When his number lights up once more, you scoff.

Access to you is a privilege. 

He’ll learn that lesson eventually.

”Bastard,” you hiss, turning your phone over and looking out at the view of the city.

-

After his fifth message, the tension in his shoulders makes him shudder, looking at his phone and knowing deep down that you won’t respond.

At least not right now.

The brunette had been fun to lead on but there was zero chance he’d ever entertain keeping her company outside of what little attention he’d paid her. It was enough for you to get riled up, Ransom’s eyes following your own the entire time you stared, sometimes forgetting to finish your own thought when you were in the middle of a conversation.

The sheets still smell like you - faint perfume that cost a small fortune that he got you for your birthday that you’ve been obsessed with. He inhales for a moment, remembering the night prior when you were under him, fingers scoring his back and eventually leaving puncture marks when he hit a spot that made you nearly feral. There’s a sense of entitlement he enjoys, knowing that you’re aware of how he can find every single spot in and on your body to bring you to your knees.

He’d like to see that juiced personal trainer of yours to even try.

Flopping onto his back, Ransom stares at the ceiling, phone still in hand as he secretly wishes that you’d return his phone call. As it stands, he’s dodging the brunette, who can’t take a hint that he’s not interested. These little games he likes to play usually don’t last long and they can take a hint - but not her. Blocking her number, he swipes through some pictures of you and him during your winter holiday in Switzerland the year prior, your happy smile lighting up the room under the backdrop of pristine, fresh white snow.

Turning off your location is new, the picture app swiped away as he focuses on looking at your pretty face on his screen.

For a moment, he wonders if he’s gone a little too far, only to remember Jake Jensen standing in his kitchen.

”Serves you right,” he grumbles, thinking back to how Walt had gleefully told him you left.

You should be home now, next to him, poking him in the chest to make sure you relay your opinions on how he treats you. It’s a preamble to how you want him to treat you in other ways, demanding tone turning into breathy sobs when he takes you into his arms.

Your jealousy is like a powder keg, something Linda had warned him from the get go when he’d proposed. She’d cautioned him on teasing you, giving him a road map of a woman’s emotions among a reformed playboy like him.

For a while, he had listened. But under the surface, he liked to coax out your wild side, the sharp tongued insults you’d hurl at the women who dared to get close. Unafraid of your own emotions, willing to show a passionate side of yourself that you had reserved for just him.

And he had wanted more of it.

Publically was even better because he reaped the rewards at home.

For the first time, he’s rendered speechless at your distance, almost wondering if he should make a few phone calls to track you down. Oddly enough, he’s not worried - yet. With a quick view of the credit card, he smirks at the charge.

”Stubborn,” he says to the ceiling, closing his eyes. “At least you have good taste.”

-

Normally Colin Shea isn’t interested in the clientele who patronize this boutique hotel, the exorbitant rates enough to keep normal travelers away. There’s something about you, the way you’d asked for a room, credit card in hand before he even had to ask, determined to take no for an answer as Colin had furrowed his brow to wonder if there were any rooms left. The big rock on your finger meant you were probably a trophy wife, something that filled him with disgust for even thinking so until you’d rambled off your last name.

Drysdale.

He’d known that name well. Joni Thrombey had done a few seminars at the hotel across the street, opting to stay here so that people wouldn’t follow her. If you asked him, he wasn’t even sure if she was able to garner any sort of recognition by her name only. 

Knowing his luck, a simple phone call to the usual suspects that ask about the patrons who are lucky enough to get a reservation, a tip that a disgruntled wife of a rich man would be enough for someone to talk about it but Colin has never been the sort to even attempt to get involved in someone else’s business, let alone report out to the masses.

You were running from something, looking over your shoulder more than once while he processed your reservation, no bags for the bellhop to take up as you quickly muttered that you just needed to get away for a night, only to call down a few minutes later to order dinner.

He didn’t have to deliver it himself. There was that pesky sense of curiosity and the smooth talking to the server who was trying to get off a little early that he could do it himself. What Colin didn’t expect was you to answer the door, barefoot and nearly teary eyed, pulling the strap of your dress up over your shoulder. 

For a short moment, he dreamed of punching Ransom Drysdale right in his smug face for making you upset.

He had to calm himself down to thinking such a thought, stepping inside of the hotel room to place your food down, even uncorking the wine and pouring you a glass to start. 

The clock shows an ungodly time when he finally glances up from his computer, rubbing his eyes for a moment before deciding to take a break. The amount of call outs for a Celtic’s game had him pulling a double - not that he minds it, he needs to make rent this month, after all. 

There’s a little space that he can retreat to, grabbing his backpack before heading toward the elevator.

-

By the time he takes the steps up to the top of the hotel, he’s aware that he’s not alone, the door slightly ajar. His suspicion is at high alert, moving through the next set of steps to the chairs that some of the servers have left out when they need a smoke break and a view.

The last person he expects to see is you, drinking straight from the bottle of wine, your dress hiked up to your thighs while you look out at the glittering lights from the city.

“I was wondering who found my hiding spot,” Colin says, breaking the silence when you look over your shoulder at the sound of his voice.

”I used to climb rooftops when I was a teenager. Felt a little freeing,” you say with a shrug. “And if this is your hiding spot, it’s not exactly a secret. I scared two people who tried to come up here.”

Colin takes a seat next to you, rummaging through his backpack while your stare follows him. He pulls out a sandwich from the deli down the street, opening it quickly before slowing down his movements.

”You want some?” He offers, seeing you shake your head.

”Thanks but I’m good. Probably should stop drinking but,” you pause, taking another long sip. “This wine was fucking expensive. It would be a waste if I stopped.”

He wants to ask why you’re up here, not to scare you into going back down but because you don’t seem like the sort to do something spontaneous like finding yourself at the top of a hotel, drinking from a wine bottle without a care in the world.

Or maybe it’s the wine talking, he isn’t sure.

He decides to be brave and ask anyway.

”What brings you up here?”

You look up at the blanket of stars in the sky and back to him.

”I needed to breathe.”

He nods, knowing that feeling all too well.

With another sip, you cradle the bottle to your chest.

”What about you?” You counter.

”Same. World gets a little suffocating sometimes.”

”Tell me about it,” you agree, looking down at your phone, eyes narrowing at the time. “Shit, I need to sleep. Check out is at what, ten?”

”Eleven. Unless you want a later check out. Not that I would say anything.”

You waver for a moment, unlocking your phone to take a picture of the skyline and then back at him, Colin giving you a thumbs up in the picture with a smile. You laugh at the action, carefully hoisting yourself up as you teeter for a second, taking a deep breath.

”You have a goodnight, Colin, wearer of many hats.”

He watches you carefully as you go down the steps, bottle in hand. You move with such grace that he’s not even sure if you’re as drunk as you seem, possibly an act for sympathy - or you’re just conditioned to draw back any authenticity before you reach the door.

“Leave the door open!” Colin calls out, seeing the door open slightly.

You’re gone in an instant, leaving him to wonder what you’re all about as he takes a bite of his sandwich.

-

Ransom sleeps past his alarm, the sun hitting him squarely in the eyes when he finally wakes, lulled into a false sense of security by a dream he had of you.

It comes crashing down when he realizes you still aren’t home, looking at his phone to find a picture you sent. It isn’t of you but a random man, giving a thumbs up to the camera under cover of darkness. He studies the picture for a long while, a cold smile coming over his features.

It’s not the personal trainer this time but a hotel employee, judging by the name tag. Ransom expands the picture to look closer.

”Colin,” he says to himself, saving the picture to his phone. “What were you doing with my wife, hmm?”

Pulling himself out of bed, he heads to the shower, thinking just how he’ll get all the answers to his questions.

He’ll go right to the source.

[hannie-dul-set]

[is this an interrogation, or is this a blind date]. “ricky shen. shen quanrui. shim cheonye. wow. you have quite the collection of names, mr. shen. which are you most comfortable with?”

you voice echoes against the soundproofed walls of the interrogation room— painted black, dimly lit, exceedingly and uncomfortably cold. you let the police file rest atop your laptop keyboard to adjust the length of your sleeves, but it seems like your junior colleague sitting next to you isn’t all that bothered with the temperature in comparison.

“just ricky, please.”

the current…person of interest doesn’t seem all that bothered either. in fact, for someone being interrogated as a suspect for multiple criminal infractions, he looks awfully calm sitting in front of you from across the table; gaze wandering around as if he’s visiting a tourist attraction, two fingers tap, tap, tapping against the table as if he’s trying to replicate the elevator music humming through his head, and lips pursed into a curious pout as he stares straight into one of the four security cameras in the corner with sparkling eyes.

you feel a nudge from your left. assistant inspector park gunwook seems to be excited to witness his first interrogation. “all right, ricky,” you hum, smiling. “on the ninth of january, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.— do you mind walking me through what you did during that time?”

“oh!” ricky exclaims. you feel something spiritual rattle your bones. gunwook’s hands start typing. “january nine...i was at the gym from six to eight, or maybe until eight thirty? oh, and after that i stopped by at artisan— the bakery daehak-ro— and stayed there until nine, i think i’m not really sure..”

“artisan on daehak-ro,” you repeat. gunwook is typing every word exchanged. “i hear their milk bread is very popular.”

“it is! they taste very good.”

every syllable, every stutter. “the ones at boulange are better though,” you say, and you hear the typing stop for a moment. you feel your junior’s eyes on you. “soft. always fresh. served straight from the oven.”

“really?” ricky replies. “i’ve never been there before.”

your face brightens. you beam at him. “then, would you like to join me sometime this—”

a nudge from your left. you turn to see associate inspector park looking at you with a deeply confused and troubled expression. seonbae? his furrowed brows seem to ask. you assure him with a nod, a calm smile, then return your attention to the interrogatee. 

“ahem,” you clear your throat. “moving forward. after visiting the bakery, what did you do in the period between nine and ten?” ricky shen narrates the scene— that afterwards he bought a box of macarons to go then went straight home to watch some dramas. you interrupt him there, eyes scanning your records. “you say you went back to your apartment?”

gunwook copies the conversation onto his screen. “um, yes. i think so.”

“but according to a classmate of yours, miss shen xiaoting, she saw you walking along the sidewalk in hyewa-ro at around nine-forty-five, ricky.” your gaze flits back up to him. he blinks at you. he blinks at you with those sparkly, big, brown eyes. you continue to smile. “isn’t that a little too far from your address?”

“oh,” he says. “then she must be right. sorry, i can’t really remember.”

the sound of typing ceases. you feel an expectant gaze drilling into the left side of your cheekbone. you ignore gunwook’s avid enthusiasm at the opening ricky shen just made. you fold your laptop to a close. you bring your elbows to the table and let your chin rest on interlocked hands. 

“that’s okay,” you start. “we all forget things sometimes,” you continue, and this sends your younger colleague into a state of alarm.

“seonbae,” you hear him whisper, rather pressingly. you pretend that you did not.

“can you tell me what your relationship is with miss xiaoting?” you ask. ricky shen continues to sit very politely from across the table “just classmates? friends? maybe she’s your—”

“let’s— let’s take a five minute break!”

before you could even hear a response from ricky, who seemed to have no problems nor reservations in humoring your question, you’re shoveled out of the interrogation room by a very confused, very vexed, very alarmed park gunwook. “seonbae. inspector,” he exasperates. it’s a little hot outside the room. you uncross one of your arms to fan yourself in the face— not for too long because your junior starts to grab onto your shoulders. “please. please get a grip.” 

you look at him. deadpanned. he swallows. “i am getting a grip,” you reply, swatting his hands off your clothes. “getting a firm grip on this man because after years of being single thanks to this god damned job sucking the life out of me, my ideal type is finally being handed to me on a silver platter.”

“seonbae,” gunwook releases a breath. “he’s under investigation for charges of destruction of property and arson. seonbae, he might have burnt someone’s house down.”

“ah. well. i think he’s more cute than hot.” you peek into the one-sided window, showing the scene inside the interrogation room. your suspect is looking around and drumming his fingers against the table again. “there isn’t even probable cause to detain him for tonight. that’s a shame. i’m working overtime too.” 

through the window’s reflection, you could see gunwook’s expression— perplexed, confused, probably wondering how the hell did the scales of criminal justice fall into the hands of someone like you. you press your lips into a smile.

“five minutes over. time to get back to work.”

[ataleofcrowns]

Hey! I love AToC and have been following its development for a few years now. But whenever a new chapter was released, and I sat down to read it, I often found it hard to carve out time to do so. So, it got me thinking - if it’s hard for me to read it consistently, how much more difficult must it be to write it consistently? It is admirable the act of writing this takes, And while I’m sure there are slower periods in the whole process, it’s inspirational how you dedicate time to writing. I write sometimes, definitely not a lot, and I want to dabble in a few short stories. So, how do you put in that time or really cultivate that habit of writing - especially when pesky "IRL logistics" get in the way? Are there any specific rituals or routines that help overcome such circumstantial challenges? I’ve been in a bit of a rut with the pen lately, and honestly, hearing anything - whether it’s how you approach sitting down to write or just your thoughts on the process - would be incredibly helpful at best and, at the very least, really interesting to hear! Appreciate you sharing your thoughts if you’re able :p

I take an ice bath, chug 6 cans of energy drink back to back, sit down and white knuckle my desk while yelling "LOCK IN" and write 10k words in one hour-

Ok but seriously, I appreciate the ask!! 💖

And honestly it's just a matter of forming the habit, at least for me. I try to write at the same time every day. For me that's in the evenings since I'm more productive at night, but other people might feel more productive in the morning or the afternoon, it all depends! Once it becomes a habit it's much easier to switch your brain to Writing Mode around the same time every day.

When you first start trying to form the habit, don't be down on yourself if you don't get a lot of writing done at first. Try to write things that pique your interest, even if the scenes or snippets aren't in chronological order. Getting something on the page is what's most important!

Also, don't be too hard on yourself while writing, and try not to edit while you write either. This is a bad habit I used to have that I had to unlearn because of my perfectionism, but it's perfectly fine to have a bare bones first draft that you can return to filling out later. Your first draft is not supposed to be perfect, so just focus on writing it first, and evaluating it later.

And write what you feel inspired to write! Like, sometimes I can't be bothered to write out descriptions or character actions, but I get inspired to write a certain conversation between characters, so I literally skip all the descriptive words and only write out the dialogue. Other times I feel inspired by worldbuilding that I want to add, or an environment that I really want to describe, so I write snippets for that, etc.

I also like setting wordcount goals for myself because I get a dopamine boost when I hit the target and it feels like I accomplished something. If you go that route, start out small! Like 250 words every day for example, and as you get into it, bump it up little by little. It also feels good if you go over your wordcount goal, at least for me.

Some other minor things that have helped me: putting on background music (ymmv), removing all potential distractions by closing everything on my pc and fullscreening my writing program, ensuring I have a place where I can write uninterrupted, drinking my favorite tea, motivating myself with rewards for once I hit my wordcount goal (snacks/video games/watching a show).

I hope any of this is useful for you!!

[merakiui]

Meraaa!! 😍

You got any upcoming fics for the octotrio next month? Or any crumbs u can spare 🙏🙏 I've gone past the point of no return with ur fics because of how beautiful and addictive they are!! 😖 I'll accept anything I js need something to keep me going and I'm just OBSESSED with that trio please!!! 😭❤❤

-Anyways love u pooks! (sorry abt that I was js having a short ramble/desperate moment for my mannss 🥲 but dont take it too seriously i'll be as patient as u need me to be 🫶)

HII!! I think next month will most likely be the Skully fic (halloweenie), but then after that I’m going to finish a Floyd fic (the law of magnetism)!!! :D here is a snippet from the wip~

It may not be the entire Octa trio, but Jade makes a few cameo appearances like in the scene above. >:) my to-write list has an octa fic with all three of them, so the fish will come in due time hehe. <3

Thank you for enjoying all my writing!!!!! 🫶🫶 I hope the smol crumbs provided are good enough to feed the urge for the fish!! This Floyb fic is very fun and so summery. Hopefully I can have it finished and posted sometime in the early spring.

[ct-hardcase]

Listening to the beginning of the interview in Tempest Breaker after hearing the end of the story is so interesting to me. Lourna is helming her own crew and working through her issues and on healing, but dredging her story up is clearly painful and she still wants to be centered within it, especially as it unfolds at the beginning (her reticence to have her story be that of her as a Tempest Runner, to not want to talk about Marchion until their paths converged at the end, even her reticence to say Ceret, Terec, Tey, etc.'s names and her anger at both what she'd done to the twins and acknowledging them as other players exposes a raw nerve about wanting to center and acknowledge her own experiences.

I may come back to this, but I notice it changes later in the narrative, as Lourna needs to be prompted back to her own story about giving a final update on Keeve's path at the end and readily dives into her emotional exchange with Marchion, so I wonder if I can find out a narrative reason she's willing to give other people space in her story as it unfolds (maybe since she's talking about it on her own terms?).

[keferon]

Did you think I was done? Ahahahaha no, I have more.

Because chapter 70 of MOMU gave me the very dynamic between them that I missed so much, I just blacked out and started drawing uncontrollably lmao

Also. ALSO. I noticed a while ago that Prowl has the habit of..like…constantly frowning. So. I did a bit of research and made this graph.

In 70 chapters, Prowl frowns rougly 104 times. And the intensity of this gesture is very clearly correlated with the development of his relationship with Jazz, as you can see ahahahahah It might be wrong tho don’t take me seriously I’m not good with graphs

[littlefankingdom]

Tumblr: You seem to like Bruce Wayne, aka Batman.

Me: Yeah, I do.

Tumblr: Then can I recommend you these posts tagged "Anti Bruce Wayne"?

Me: Why do you hate me so much?

[annoying--moth]

Hi Miraculous fandom *drops these here and runs away like a feral cat*

[ge]

lrb thinking about that ghost mentor chung myung au again its so interesting.. chung myung becoming more cognizant and aware as he trains yu iseol and he begins learning about mount hua and how long its been since he died.. if he isnt only visible to yu iseol in this au, i think hyun jong meeting the restless spirit of his ancestor would be a really touching scene, full of shame and self guilt, chung myung and hyun jong finally seeing each other eye to eye as peers who carry similar burdens in a way that isnt so onesided like in canon..

sillier thought, since chung myung as a ghost is intangible, the kids find a work around of this by building him a little portable shrine that they take everywhere with them and whenever they eat or he wants smth to drink or snack on, they just light some incense and put some food on it, and chung myung can take it and pull out a ghostly incorporeal version of whatever food/drink was on it....

imagining a scene where no one else but the mount hua kids can see chung myung and theyre at some public event or feast like idk the meng so beast palace arc banquet scene and meng so is watching them load up this tiny ramshackle shrine w food and drink and is like 'what are you doing' and the kids are like 'feeding our ancestor' and meng so bursts into praise and song about how filial and dedicated the disciples of mount hua are TO THINK THIS IS HOW THE DISCIPLES OF THE GREAT PLUM BLOSSOM SWORD SAINT BEHAVE....! SO DEVOTED AND PIOUS

[pelcrow]

my oc Jack at one of his lowest moments. all alone and by his own hand.

[atissi]

WOW...............tf2 man. tf2...........................