#but you’re just there feeling bad for your friend who got pied

[kingkatsuki]

Can you imagine how pissed off love island!Bakugou would be if another guy chose you to kiss during one of the challenges?

[munson-blurbs]

Everybody Talks (Best Friend!Eddie x Fem!Reader)

Summary: You've worked hard to keep your crush on your best friend a secret, since he doesn't feel the same way. But when the Hellfire Club members open their big mouths, it threatens everything you've tried to hold together.

Warnings: some angst, fluff, mentions of financial insecurity

WC: 1.5k

--

“Pizza’s here!” you call out, carrying a stack of pies into the Wheeler house. “I got one pepperoni, one mushroom, and one plain for all the boring people,” you tease, looking directly at Eddie as you say it.

“I prefer classic,” he retorts, taking the boxes from your hands and setting them on the table. The rest of the guys start to crowd around him, paper plates in hand, practically drooling at just the sight of food. “Hey, hey,” he chastises, pushing them out of the way, “ladies first.” He offers you a plate and you take a slice, quickly moving aside before you’re trampled by the herd of hungry teenage boys.

“So,” Gareth says to Eddie between bites, “your last Hellfire campaign is over and done with. How’s it feel?”

“You wish,” Eddie scoffs, plopping down next to you on the sofa. “Just because I’m graduating doesn’t mean I’m done kicking your asses in D&D.” He chugs his plastic cup filled with Mountain Dew and wipes his lips with the back of his hand. “Anyone else want a refill?” he asks, shaking his empty cup before looking over at you. “Oh, shit; you don’t have anything to drink. Diet Coke, right?” Before you can protest that you can get it yourself, he’s up and pouring you a glass.

“Thanks,” you smile, taking a sip. The bubbles fizz on your tongue as you lean back, careful not to get too close to Eddie. Not that you don’t want to; the mere thought of him draping his tattooed arm around your shoulders makes you giddy. 

Just a few more months, you think to yourself, and I’ll be off at college, meeting new people, and I won’t have to worry about my embarrassing crush on my best friend.

“You guys ready for prom tomorrow?” Mike asks, interrupting your pity party.

Jeff nods. “Just gotta pick up a corsage for Barb, and she’s getting me a, um, a…”

“Boutonniere?” you fill in helpfully, and he snaps his fingers and replies, “yeah, that thing.”

“What about you?” Lucas pipes up, turning to Eddie. “You ever decide who to ask?”

“Oh, he decided,” Jeff laughs, earning a scowl from his friend. “Too bad she decided to go with Jason Carver.”

Dustin throws his hands up in exasperation. “Dude, you’re still hung up on Chrissy Cunningham?” He rolls his eyes. “I told you; she’s sweet, but she’s not your type. You need someone who’s as nerdy as you are.” His eyes scan the room. “You know, like Y/N.”

You feel your cheeks burn with humiliation, not at Dustin calling you a nerd; you know he means that with utmost affection. It’s not even the idea of Eddie asking you out that has you nervous; it’s the prospect of him laughing at the thought. You’ve done a great job hiding your puppy love a secret from him, and you’d like to keep it that way.

“Ha!” Gareth barks out. “She wishes!”

No. No no no.

Tears spring to your eyes, and you can’t think of a decent excuse to leave before you’re dashing through the door, letting the screen slam behind you. There’s no lie in what Gareth said; you do wish Eddie had asked you to prom. Every time that the subject of the dance came up, you’d waited with baited breath to see if he’d say something to you. But he’d always ignore it, eager to move on to the next topic. And now you knew why: he wanted to take Chrissy, but she was in love with someone else. How ironic.

You’re almost at your car when you hear the squeak of the front door opening. “Sweetheart, wait!” Eddie shouts, probably a bit too loud for the short distance between you two. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” you tell him softly as he jogs over to where you’re leaning against the passenger side door. “‘S not your fault.”

“Kinda is,” he shrugs, bringing you to the front steps and motioning for you to sit next to him. “I mean, I was the one who went to a freshman for romantic advice. That’s the last time I do that; I don’t care how nauseatingly cute he and his singing girlfriend are.” He gives a small chuckle, but neither of you meet the other’s gaze.

Hold on. Freshman? Singing girlfriend? “Eddie, what are you talking about?”

Eddie stops gnawing on his lower lip long enough to answer you. “I’m talking about you being embarrassed by Henderson’s painfully obvious last-ditch effort to get me to man up and finally ask you out.” His brows furrow when he sees your similarly confused expression. “That’s not…what are you upset about?”

“Um, Gareth blabbing to everyone that I wanted you to ask me to prom?” You finally allow yourself to look at him, noticing the dejected look on his face. 

“I couldn’t do that,” he mutters, resting his palm sideways over his mouth and shifting his body away from yours. His words come out all muffled, but you can still make out what they are.

“I wouldn’t have said no to you,” you reassure him, mustering up all of your courage to place your hand on his bouncing knee. He relaxes almost immediately, but he still seems sad. “Eds, what’s wrong?”

His eyes are misty when he turns back to you. “I couldn’t ask you to prom because…because I couldn’t afford it,” he confesses, twisting his skull ring around his finger anxiously. “The tickets, a tux, those fancy wrist things…best I could do is steal some flowers from Mrs. Wheeler’s garden.” He hums out a sad laugh. “‘M sorry, sweetheart. I wanted to take you, but I knew I’d just be letting you down.”

“But Jeff said you were going to ask Chrissy,” you point out.

Eddie shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong; Chrissy’s nice and everything, but I just said that so he’d get off my back. Because if I told him the truth, he wouldn’t shut up until I made a move.” He sighs. “His dad’s a lawyer, and his mom runs her own business. He doesn’t understand what it’s like to worry about having enough food in the house, let alone all the extra shit like prom.”

You’re quiet for a beat, letting everything sink in. You knew Eddie lived in Forest Hills Trailer Park, and you knew money was often tight. Wayne worked hard to keep a roof over their heads, but the plant didn’t pay nearly enough. There were many occasions where you’d spotted Eddie eyeing something in the grocery store and instinctively thrown it in your cart for him, but for some reason, it hadn’t even occurred to you that finances was the reason he’d avoided talking about the prom.

“I wish you’d told me,” you finally say. “I would’ve understood.”

“Yeah, I know.” Eddie rubs his nose against his hand, another nervous tic of his. “That was never the problem. You’re the most understanding fuckin’ person I know. You just…I dunno. You deserve the whole ‘prom’ experience, not whatever half-ass version I could offer you.”

At that, you can’t help but giggle. “Eddie,” you begin, “do you really think I wanted to go to prom so I could wear a fancy dress and uncomfortable shoes in a stuffy gym? I just wanted to dance with you, and then spend the night on your couch watching stupid movies and eating junk food and talking shit about everyone who was there.” You look deep into his chocolate brown eyes, nearly losing yourself in their beauty. “I just wanted to be with you.”

Eddie stares at you, gaze traveling down to your lips. “Can I kiss you?” he asks, voice barely above a whisper.

“If you don’t, I’ll kiss you.” 

Your mouths crash together clumsily, but you’re too happy to care. You soak in every part of it: Eddie’s stubble rubbing against your chin, the way he tastes like stale cigarettes and marinara sauce, his curls brushing your cheeks. He only breaks the kiss to take a breath, and then he’s back, more purposeful in his movements the second time around. He brings his hand to your jawline, caressing it gingerly with his thumb as he parts your lips with his.

“Can’t believe I just did that,” he muses, smiling at you shyly. “Been wanting to kiss you for too goddamn long.” He leans in, frowning when you place your hand on his chest to stop him. “What?”

“You gotta take me on a date before you kiss me again,” you inform him, lacing your fingers through his. “When are you free?”

“Uh, right now? We can grab ice cream at Scoops. Lemme just get my keys.” He stands up quickly to head back towards the house.

“Wait, Eddie,” you call out to him, “what about the guys? And pizza night?”

“Who cares? I have a date with the most beautiful girl in Hawkins.”

--

[timetoletmyimaginationfly]

Straight Into Your Arms

Nanami Kento x Reader

(Song Inspiration: Straight into Your Arms by Vance Joy)

Nanami Kento is a composed man. He is analytical and rational. He remains calm, making him appear stoic and aloof. So, it is always entertaining to watch him become the opposite of who he usually is.

“How long this time?” Shoko asked Gojo.

“Almost two weeks I think,” Gojo answered.

“Eh?! That’s so long! When did she leave?” Gojo chuckled while watching Nanami pace back and forth in the library.

“I think at like 2am? Oi! Nanamin! What time did she leave to America?”

“1am. Her flight left at 3. I think she’s almost there,” Nanami answered. He looked outside the window. The door opened. Geto and Haibara entered the room.

“Business trip again?” Geto asked as he took a seat next to Gojo.

“Yeah,” Gojo and Shoko answered. Haibara took his seat next to Shoko and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Is she coming back soon?” Haibara asked.

“She’s just about to arrive to America,” Shoko answered.

“And how long is she gone for?” Geto asked.

“Two weeks.”

The four of them continued to watch Nanami pace. To them, it was just like watching an interesting reel over and over again. Gojo checked the time on the wall. It was only a matter of time that Nanami’s cell phone will ring.

Nanami was too focused on you. He hoped that you arrived safely to your destination. He hoped that you will be okay without him. He couldn’t imagine if something dangerous happened to you while you were gone. It’s been almost a day and he can feel himself go crazy. He could care less that his friends were watching him. His pacing stopped. He reached for his ringing cell phone.

“Darling?” he answered, trying to remain as calm as possible. You giggled on the other line. You could hear the slight shakiness to his voice. You were used to it. It was how he would answer your first phone call whenever you arrived to where your business trips were.

“Kento-kun! I’m finally here,” you said. “I’m just waiting for my luggage.” He sighed with relief.

“Okay, I’m glad you got there safely,” he said. “Are you tired? Will you be okay today?” You lightly laughed.

“Kento-kun, will you be okay?” you asked. You were a little worried. He is always protective of you.

“No,” he said, a slight poutines evident in his voice. You blushed. You always found him cute like that. Those around Nanami either awed (Haibara and Shoko) or snickered (Gojo and Geto). Nanami turned to them with a glare, but the four were unfazed.

“I’m going to power through today,” you said. “I’ll buy a bunch of caffeine today.”

“I’ll send you money soon,” he said.

“Kento-kun…” You always told him that you’ll be okay. He even gave you cash for the trip.

“I’ll still do it even if you say no,” he said. “Besides, it’s the only way I could take care of you since you’re the opposite side of the world.” You couldn’t help but smile at his sweet gesture.

“Thank you, love,” you said. “I’ll call you back okay? I think I see my suitcase and then I have to catch a ride to the hotel.”

“Okay, my dear. I love you. Be safe.”

“I love you too, Kento-kun!”

Nanami hung up and finally relaxed. He looked over at his friends who stared at him with wide and curious eyes. It was like that every time you left for a business trip. He becomes out of character and his friends couldn’t help but watch.

“She landed safely,” he informed and sat down to read his paper.

He was pacing again. Nanami wouldn’t let go of his phone. The weather by you was bad with continuous rain and wind due to a tropical storm that was approaching. You called him right before your flight was about to leave. And he was distracted all night and day.

“She’s going to be okay,” Haibara said when he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Nanami nodded, slowing his pace. “She got to leave a little earlier right?”

“Yeah, but…”

“They could’ve delayed the flight if it was bad,” he said. “She’ll be okay.” Nanami sighed and nodded.

“Wanna go out? I want to buy her some things before I pick her up,” Nanami asked. Haibara smiled.

“Of course!”

Nanami waited patiently inside the airport. He watched people rush to their destination, hug friends and family, and look up and down at their ticket and to where their gate was located. Nanami held a bouquet of flowers in hand and inside the car was your favorite takeout meal and he couldn’t help but buy you a new necklace.

“Kento-kun!!” Nanami looked around for you. He knew he heard your voice. “Over here!” He heard you squeal when he picked you up from the ground and spun you around in his arms. You laughed and hugged him tightly. Almost two weeks without him felt like torture. Torture for the both of you.

“I missed you so much,” he said softly in your ear. Both of your arms tightened around each other.

“I missed you so much too,” you said. He gently put you back on the floor before he cupped your face and kissed you. The kiss was long and passionate. You didn’t want to pull away from his lips and neither did he. But you two had to eventually pull away to breathe.

��Let’s go home. I bought your favorite take out food, we need to put your flowers in a vase, and I bought you a necklace.” You giggled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss.

“Thank you, Kento. Being back with you is the best gift ever.”

“I think I’ll come with you next time,” he said when he took your suitcase. You held the bouquet of flowers in one hand and the two of you held hands out of the airport.

[colourstreakgryffin]

Nifty x applejack!reader headcanons

Hahaha! Lol! The contrast here is hilarious. You gotta hyper delicate clean-freak lady than rowdy southern gal that doesn’t care about being dirty! I like it! Hmmm… which means what is remaining is Angel and Twilight. A interesting contrast but maybe it works? I don’t know! But anyway, let’s try this out!

Niffty- Cinnamon Spice

Niffty… well. She is an entirely different creature and honestly, you are too. Which is why you two ended up befriending one another but that doesn’t mean your dynamic isn’t full of just a bit of drama and rules…

You’re a tough rootin-tootin’ fun cowgirl that doesn’t mind getting dirty and Niffty absolutely despises disorder and mess so she is regularly brushing you and dusting you and mopping you of your filth whilst asking if you can simmer it down

Niffty is basically like your Rarity. She gets soooo fussy over your cleanliness level and she does openly clean you off and she doesn’t mind expressing just how much she dislikes how disgusting you are but you always brush it off since it’s just you

Otherwise, you two actually do bond well. Surprisingly, you take care of her like a big sister and you’re a protective strong figure so you won’t let anybody talk shit to the already ‘no-nonsense’ maid and cook of the Hotel

Niffty, you can’t really tell how she feels about anything but she does tell you her thoughts and/or opinions, whilst she is either cleaning you or cooking with the food supplies you carried over so effortlessly in a heavy big crate. She tells you about the ‘bad boys’ she likes and appreciates how you listen to her then give her advice back

Niffty is all about the rules so you can’t really interact with her much but the times you do. She is quite skittering and heads to you and talks to you. She’s getting better with her socialising skills and you merely listen to her

You’re the big sister of the Hotel, honest and hard-working and fearless and caring so you do mesh well with this tiny cyclopian woman who doesn’t really express herself much, helping her whilst she helps you, even if subtly

Niffty does like to ask you to help with her duties and since you’re so selfless yet so determined, you take up as much tasks for her as you can to help around, whilst you’re not a employee… yet of the Hotel, Charlie does consider you like a volunteer, for how much you help despite the fact you don’t get paid for it

Even if Niffty can annoy you with how much she nags and insists you take baths after such a long day of harvesting apples and caring for your family at your home barn, you do consider her a close friend and you don’t want anything happening to her so you definitely join Angel and Cherri’s night drinking to watch Niffty

Niffty kinda likes this southern cowgirl style you got, she thinks it’s cool and she makes a silly little dare where you two trade styles for a day at times. You… you feel weird in a pretty frilly maid dress whilst Niffty struts her stuff as a cowgirl and plays with the precious hat you let her have. It’s cute

Niffty has grown use to baking apple pies since apples is your favourite food and you do enjoy apple pies. She knows the exact recipe you like and sometimes, she’ll just bake one for the fun of it. She knows you won’t say no, she knows how much you love apples. It’s your thing

Niffty just found a odd but pretty orangish-red apple-shaped gemstone in the mess of the Hotel when sweeping one day and she decided to give it to you since nobody else could need it… and she is flattered when she sees how you’ve turned it into a part of your snazzy cowgirl aesthetic

Niffty does consider you a good friend. Yeah, you don’t or can’t talk to her a lot but when you do. She does open up to you, you’re a good ear and you’re quite loyal so you don’t even judge her. She is glad she can show off her knife collection to somebody else than her father figure, Alastor

She sometimes wonder if you even have emotions. Everybody else will be openly upset over a tragedy and you’re just silent… she doesn’t know that you’re crying on the inside

“Ah. Dirty. Dirty. Hey. You need to stop rolling around in mud. You’re ruining my carpet! Ah! Stop! Stop! I’ll get you a apple pie, just go outside and wash off”

[adorejungkook]

Baby Got Back!!

CHAPTER 6

Synopsis; Jeon Jungkook has the fattest fucking crush on you meanwhile Jimin and Taehyung don’t find you too hard to look at either. Now Jungkook has to find a way to confess his feelings, maybe even show you,  before the other two find their ways into your pants during your “staycation”. 

Warnings; this story is getting a bit longer than I thought, do you guys mind that? no warnings, just cute stuff

word count; 1.01k

chapter. 1 , 2, 3, 4 , 5 , 6, 7

Jungkook could barely feel his stomach growling with the way his nose was being attacked right now. 

If he shifted his head to the left he was being pulled into your sweet scent, if he went to the right the smell of fresh pies and crumbly cobblers were so strong he could taste it. 

He thought about how mad the guys were going to be about having missed out on this, the homey feeling this place gave off was definitely Taehyung’s vibe. 

It made Jungkook feel like 2% worse about what he was about to do. 

“Oh, Jimin just texted me!”

You looked at him with your head cocked to the side, waiting for him to continue. The smile on his face fell a bit as he looked over your face. He was looking for any sign that you suspected what he was planning but got a little distracted by the eyelash resting on your cheek. 

“ Hey, you’ve got…” Jungkook trails off, eyes jumping across your face as he reaches to cup your face, just barely ghosting the frame of your cheek and swiping a thumb across it. 

Heart beating a mile a minute, his mouth is slightly agape when he realizes how close you’ve become. His eyes bulge out of his head and he practically throws himself the few inches away that the line you’re in will allow. 

“Uhm, a-an eyelash. That’s why…I just did that.” 

“Oh,” You say, squinting at him, “Thank you, I couldn’t even feel it,” 

Okay, you were definitely starting to notice how weird he was being. If this was going to be the closest thing he’d get to a date with you, then he was going to have to tone down all of his, as Jimin liked to call it, “anime school-girl behavior”.

“Come on up y’all, what can I get for you?” Says the man behind the counter, who can’t be much older than Jungkook himself. The t-shirt he’s wearing catches his eye, it looks like the indigo merch that Jungkook had pre-ordered about a month ago.

He lists off his order quickly, making sure to ask for an extra helping of mac n’ cheese and a slice of sweet potato pie. He was tempted to ask for two, but he didn’t want to splurge on himself before you got to order.

“And for your girlfriend?”

Silence. 

…

…

…

Coughing sounds. 

Choking sounds. 

Jungkook is kinda dying!

You’re already telling Jungkook’s almost-murderer what you want for your own meal and sliding your card before he has time to recover. The cashier sends him a smirk as you’re pushing him towards a booth.

As soon as he sits down on his side of the table, you’re shoving his sweet tea into his hands. 

“ Don’t die on me, Kookie,” You begged in a teasing manner, “That was such a dramatic way to get me to pay, that guy wanted to laugh so bad,” You whispered to your doe-eyed friend who was gulping down his drink.

“Why did you pay,” Jungkook whined, staring down at the table with a pout taking over his features.  You paying was the second-worst thing that could’ve happened right then and the first was Jungkook jumping over the table and kissing you for saving him from floundering in front of that counter for a good ten minutes. 

“Well, I thought you were having a heatstroke, so…” You shrugged, sipping on your lemonade. 

Jungkook knew it was way too sour from the way your lips puckered every time you took them off the straw. 

“By the way, what did Jimin text you earlier?”

Oh, yeah.

Jungkook totally forgot to finish his lie earlier! 

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and shoots a quick text to Taehyung, telling him to order some food for himself and Jimin before turning off his location  and opening his chatlog with Jimin.

“Yeah, he said we took too long to get food and they doordashed some chipotle! Mhm, so we don’t have to rush or anything,” Jungkook mumbled through his bottom lip that he was gnawing at. Talking to you was hard enough, let alone lying! 

This needed to happen in order for you two to get closer, he rationalized to himself.

 The guys don’t need any more time with you anyways. Jungkook was sharing a room with you and yet the thought of being that close to you was far more familiar to Jimin or Taehyung than him. 

He’d be sure to change that.

“ For real?” You smiled, jumping a bit in your seat, “So I get to be your girlfriend for a little longer, huh? You gonna get your girlfriend to get some ice cream?”

Jungkook put his face in his palms before he got to see your smirk and before you could catch the blush spreading across his cheeks.

The rest of the “date” goes as smoothly as it can go with you and Jungkook being left alone. He hardly stutters and you never noticed the way his lips twitched when took a bite of his pie off his fork. 

He considered keeping it as a keepsake, but settled for the picture you took of him shoving an entire piece of cornbread in his mouth, before sneaking a cute pic of you chewing the ice from your cup. 

He had to stop himself from making it his home screen, you’d definitely notice.

“We should get back soon, they probably think we got kidnapped or something,” Jungkook sighed, waiting for you to buckle your seatbelt before heading back to the house. 

“Kook, how would anyone kidnap you? I think we’re safe.”

Jungkook knew you were joking, but the thought of you feeling so safe with him around made his pride swell. That’s all he wanted right now, was to be someone you could rely on and even though he couldn’t pay for your lunch, your giggles made him feel like you didn’t mind.

God, it was gonna be really hard for him to take you back and have to share you again.

.

.

.

.

@yourbobaeyestell @coralmusicblaze @koikooky @jjkrinvgs @distinguisheddestiny @theladyblue @yopjm @jungkooksseuphoria @hollowtree10 @livorna @slutforwwh @hopewxride @namjoonimtheman2 @kooscameras @treethatswithpetra @canarystwin @idkreallys-blog @daisies-and-dandelionpuffs @jalexd @emeraldjade23 @jaehyunsbreadbasket @thatfatbussy01 @bigbootyjoonie @jiimtaee @boys0verflowers @kooklovesu @petalsofink @tornparts @telepathytae @jkjeon9709 @uarmyhopelover @multilingual-kpop @swga-recs @straybangtan @taeisbae13 @such-a-wh0re @m00li55a @foulempathpsychicherring @tearyjjeon @www-interludeshadow-com @Sugaluvmyg @pamzn @sunghoonswh0re 

[superblysubpar]

Leather & Lace: Ch. 01

Leather and Lace Masterlist

A/N: I’m so happy you’re here. I’ve been holding this close to my heart & finally decided it was time to share it. Please see the masterlist for overall series warning, but this chapter is slow and simple - a touch angsty. Let me know what you think! And to my lovely ladies (you know who you are), I’m not sure what I did to deserve you all, but I’m so grateful for you. Thanks for making me laugh harder than I have in a long time & for talking me into sharing this (& more). Special thanks to @boomhauer for taking on the role of putting up with my excessive use of the word and, bad grammar, and tendency to over italicize - I owe you big time friend.

2.4k words

Side A | Track 01: “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

There’s a reason there are so many songs about young love, lost innocence, fleeting moments, and growing up.

A reason those songs usually involved leaving someone behind or being the one who was left. 

Several reasons that hundreds of people are able to connect to a lyric about watching that person or that town disappear in your rearview mirror as you vowed to never look back again. 

The reasons, the songs, the people who relate to them, all center around one thing - small towns.

And small towns fucking suck.

The songs, the movies, the people - they want you to believe in small town America. They want you to think it’s peaceful, that it’s bliss. Not a single soul is unhappy - the town and all within it are thriving. You’re supposed to feel safe, enjoy knowing your neighbors, and learn how to bake pies to submit to county fairs like your mom did and her mom did. It’s all shoved down your throat from the minute you’re born in that ‘too big’ city hospital. Barely a day old and you’re already being told it’s better this way as you're shuffled back home to where you’re supposed to belong.

When you’re younger, you don’t understand it all yet. You like that everyone in your class knows each other and everyone gets invited to every birthday party. You like waving to your mailman at the grocery store and seeing your teacher at the movie theater. You love that all of the moms know each other and gossip, because that means when yours picks you up to go home after a sleepover you have at least another hour together while they all talk.

But as the years go by, it all starts to change. Suddenly, your class doesn’t like each other, you’re not all invited to the parties, people stop dressing up for Halloween because it’s not “cool” anymore. Your best friends start talking about boys, clothes aren’t just clothes - they’re a status, and liking certain music or movies makes you either a freak or a god. 

Someone snaps their fingers and it’s a bloodbath to rise up in social status. There’s a hierarchy, a food chain, and it’s every man for himself. You start to see that it was all an illusion. The moms who you swore were the best of friends are the first to let you in on the secret of the false happiness of the town and its people. 

Their long winded doorway and grocery store gossip filled conversations you once tuned out, now ring in your ears too loud. They fake smiles and pleasantries until one leaves the herd, the pack descending on them with nasty remarks and the first of many rumor fueled flames is lit. No longer the close friendships you once dreamed of having yourself, but relationships formed from gossip and jealousy and hate that their offspring seemed doomed to inherit.

Like a movie playing on the big screen, you watch it happen right before your eyes. Your once tight knit group of friends turning on each other for something as simple as eating a slice of pizza at lunch instead of a salad. They’re glossing lips and curling eyelashes, and talking about basketball player boyfriends. Plans for their futures suddenly centered around boys you’d grown up with, dreams of weddings, kids, and staying in that same town repeating it all over again with a new generation. 

They've got to be shitting you, right? 

You’re not an idiot though. You see how the people you once called friends are suddenly freaks - shunned by the kings and queens of the school. And you’re not proud of it, but you play along. You wear the outfits, the bright blue eyeshadow, you make fun of people who are slightly different from the status quo. 

High School is a balance beam, a high wire, a jump out of an airplane but you don’t all have the parachute or net to catch you. It’s all a bunch of bullshit, a massive and giant labyrinth of contradictions and riddles designed to make you sink or swim. Lean or turn the wrong way one time, and it’s game over.

You can’t answer too many questions in class and look like a nerd, but obviously you have to keep up your grades because you can’t be seen as a slacker or dropout - what would people think? You can’t like art or band or theater too much, you can be an athlete but they’d prefer it if you just cheered for them. Be a good girl, get good grades, and dote on whatever king of Hawkins belongs to the letterman jacket you currently have slung around your shoulders. 

And the school stuff isn’t even the worst part. The extracurriculars are where things started to get really complicated. Only the freaks, losers, and dropouts smoke weed and drink. Oh, but you’re not gonna have even a sip or one hit at the party? Who are you, Mother Theresea? You go to church, so you’re a saint, right? Only on her knees for Jesus? Boys will be lining up to see if they can make the angel dip into her sinful ways. Trapped on the receiving end of a double edged sword - a prude if you don’t do anything and a slut if you do. 

You walk the line for four years, sticking to the status quo and you coast. Never in the background and never in the spotlight, miraculously making it through what’s supposedly the best years of your life fairly unscathed. It’s not all rainbows and perfectly pressed pleated skirts though, and you need out. You pack up what little you can consider truly your own possessions two days after graduation, ready to head towards the city. You’re going to watch that shitty little town disappear in your rearview mirror and you’re not going to look back, not even for a second. 

Your “friends” think you've lost it. Your parents worry and remind you you can always come back. You hope your little brother is proud of you - he’s the only reason you do risk a glance in the rearview mirror. You see him standing in the driveway, waving a sad arm in the air, his misfit friends all standing by him. He'll be okay. He'll see how good you do outside of that town and maybe he'll be inspired and get out too. 

Chicago is dirty, loud, fast and wonderful. It’s nothing like you thought it’d be and everything you dreamed about. You’re poor and surviving off of Seven-Eleven slurpees, but you’re living.

People are different in the city. Unique and vibrant and filled with life. They’re not settling for normalcy. They’re pushing themselves and boundaries. Told to be different and stand out - speak up instead of being seen and not heard. 

School is completely different too. No one to tell you that you can’t like both an art class and a science class. A gift from the universe, you’re sure, when your assigned lab partner offers you a joint one day, where he casually offers up the information that his cousin is his dealer and his mom runs a local Sunday school - like that’s normal everywhere. And maybe it is, maybe the awful small town is ancient history. You embrace the new normal and you ask if his cousin can hook you up too and if the church has a choir you can join. 

The next four years are long, and not at all perfect, but they’re your years and no one else’s. You’re writing your own story and figuring things out for yourself. Your parents and brother call and visit frequently and you manage to avoid returning home as much as possible - visits only extending for no more than two days, and staying put inside your childhood home. The happenstance lab partner talk ends you up in a job teaching at a local church when you’re not in class. Falling in love with the kids, you pursue a career in teaching, dreaming of a future where you’re helping to shape the minds of the next generations. 

Graduation, your own apartment, a job teaching art to middle school - the dreams, the life you couldn’t have even imagined, unfolding before you like you’re living the best part of a movie. It all seems too good to be true.

And maybe it was. 

Maybe it was some sort of childhood naivety clinging to you. Hopes and dreams were just that - and somehow you had gotten caught up in yours. You should have realized that life is not always a happy ending. It is filled with an immeasurable amount of curve balls, running uphill both ways, grief, and unexpected life altering moments. It’s unpredictable and unfair and ready to blindside you at a moment’s notice. 

"Fuck!"

The loaf of bread you’ve been carrying falls into an icy puddle at the curb. You jump to grab it, but it's too late. A car rolls right over it, honking like it's your fault and you flip them off.

You know it’s stupid to cry over a loaf of bread, over a stranger honking at you, and besides, your tears will only freeze to your eyelashes. So you try to keep them at bay as you quickly walk the remaining block to your apartment, arms pulling your coat closer to ward off any harsh wind that manages to sneak through and chill your body.

You rip the pink past due notice from your door as you rush inside, dumping your bags on the floor and kick the excuse of a coffee table that's just a sheet over two cardboard boxes as you pass it. You don’t even bother turning on the lights because you know you couldn’t afford last month’s electricity bill, which means you certainly can’t afford this month’s. 

You knew you weren't going to make it much longer and the tears you had managed to hold in now wet your lashes as they threatened to finally fall.

The shrill ring of your phone pulls you out of your self pity and wallowing. You knew it was your little brother, calling you at this time every Sunday night. You had managed to keep it all to yourself for almost six months, not having it in you to tell them all, to tell him that you had failed. That you needed to return home. 

You knew it was time though and you picked it up on the last ring, "Hello?"

Your brother is screaming into the line and you start to panic, "What? What's going on?" Your mind starts racing back to a few years ago when all the crazy shit went down with the mall and the earthquake - your family luckily safe with you in Chicago for both events. Why they insisted on returning to that shitty town even after all of that was beyond you.  

"I got into NYU!"

You fall back against your wall, the tears falling down your still thawing cheeks. A mixture of grieving the loss of your own innocence and celebration of his still thriving one. You clutch the phone tighter and wish you could hug him through it, wrapping the cord around your fingers you choke out, “I’m so proud of you buddy. That’s amazing. Congrats.”

He's breathless and laughing, "Will you come home to celebrate? Longer than the two days you had planned for Christmas? Please?"

You cradle the phone between your ear and neck and grab a spoon to get your dinner of peanut butter started.

You look up at the ceiling and try not to cry harder. You can’t tell him, but you have to. You take a deep breath as his voice falls to that wobble that only little brothers know. The one they perfect before their first words so they can hit you right where it hurts and make you swear to yourself to never let the sound leave their mouth again if you can help it.

"Y/N? Please?" he asks quietly.

You sniffle and form some sort of courage to tell him you’re a failure, "How ‘bout I do you one better and I come home for the rest of your senior year?"

"What?" 

You rip it off like a bandaid that’s been left on too long, wincing through it as you blurt out, "I got laid off at the end of last year."

"But you're the art teacher! How can they just-"

You interrupt him before you start crying harder and he can go off on a rant, “Buddy, I know, listen, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it over some pizza while we watch The Breakfast Club, okay?”

He’s silent for what feels like forever when he finally asks, “Can we get pineapple on the pizza?”

You laugh through the remaining tears and nod, leaning your forehead against the wall, “You bet. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

When you hang up, you look around your dark apartment. The place that once was your oasis, your dream, now an expensive responsibility and weight on your shoulders. You’d sold most of your furniture already, and so you start packing your few remaining belongings that same night. 

In the next two days you sell what you can, enough to barely make your final rent payment and you hand your landlord your key as the first snow of the year drifts down lazily around you. You turn and take one final polaroid of the city - wanting to remember it this way, before climbing into your rusting and falling apart car and closing your door on it all. 

As you make the drive out of the city, your eyes fill with tears in the rearview mirror. It was never supposed to be like this. This wasn’t the town that was supposed to disappear in the mirror. These weren’t the people you were supposed to be leaving. As the wheels of the car take you further and further away, you turn the volume of your mixtape up as loud as it can go, drowning out the thoughts of your failures, your disappointments, your crushed dreams. You wipe the tears from your cheeks as you sing along loudly.

“...I got no plans, I ain’t going nowhere. So take your fast car and keep on driving. So I remember when we were driving, driving in your car - speed so fast I felt like I was drunk. City lights lay out before us and your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulders. And I, I had a feeling that I belonged. I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone…”

🖤 Thanks again for being here - any interaction is so appreciated & I’d love to know what you thought about it! If you’re able, please consider reblogging to help get my work seen.  tag list: @christalcake @loveshotzz @myobmaya @sweetsweetjellybean

[film-in-my-soul]

maybe it's time | 1,512 | gurlsrool

Summary: “I think I…” he bites his bottom lip and looks at Maple and the leftover blueberry pie on the counter and the quilt thrown over the couch and Lardo’s painting on the wall and says, “I think I’m going to marry him someday.”

The One With the Blackout | 1,693 | orphan_account

Summary: There's a power outage in Providence, and Bitty is trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jack freakin' Zimmermann. Who, as it turns out, is not there to mug him.

Stripped Down, Unplugged | 1,912 | orphan_account

Summary: The bylaws stood strong for eight years before Jack Zimmermann and his crew got Cute.

(see more recommendations below!)

I just smile, I go ahead and smile | 2,013 | Mizzy

Summary: Jack has no game when it comes to Bittle. It's a good thing Bad Bob's around to give his son a helpful shove in the right direction.

Four Times Jack Failed at Flirting With Bittle (And One Time He Wasn't Terrible At It) | 2,167 | somehowunbroken / @somehowunbroken

Summary: Jack's got this flirting thing down. Or, no, wait. No, he totally doesn't.

Perpetual Motion | 2,332 | annundriel / @annundriel

Summary: Bittle thinks he’s joking at first, when Jack offers to take a selfie with him.

Every Now and Then | 2,432 | sunfair / @northerndownpour

Summary: Eric Bittle is a successful pop-country recording artist. Jack is an NHL player and a big fan.

Dares You to Change | 2,763 | PorcupineGirl

Summary: Jack has imagined this moment so many times. The reality is so much harder. "Zimmboni, you have friend here to visit! Out in hall." Tater exclaims as he comes into the locker room. "He says is from college?"

make this house a home | 2,805 | bleep0bleep / @bleep0bleep

Summary: With the prospect of an empty Haus for Thanksgiving, Jack invites Bitty over to his new place in Providence. As friends, of course.

brought to you by | 2,971 | HalfFizzbin / @halffizzbin

Summary: Jack Zimmermann is the new face of the franchise. Unfortunately.

All the Love in the World | 3,005 | alocalband / @alocalband

Summary: Bitty’s hands are shaking. He has five missed calls from Jack, two from Chowder, one from Lardo, and an astronomical number of yet to be viewed text messages. It’s not that he hasn’t been checking his phone, it’s that every time he’s picked it up at an alert, all he’s been able to do is stare at it. Which is what he’s doing now, as he waits for his mother to finish speaking with the doctor at Coach’s bedside.

Passing Notes | 4,189 | marswithghosts

Summary: Jack Zimmermann is charming, and Bitty enjoys the way he writes the B in Bittle. He knows he’s being stupid, but his life consists of seventh graders and baking pies; he’s allowed to have a little bit of a fantasy.

the slow pace of geologic time | 4,258 | westernredcedar / @thewesternredcedar

Summary: Jack looks at her and then puts her luggage down and leans in, grabs her into a full-body hug, right there on the sidewalk, holding her so close. She can’t remember when he last hugged her this hard. “He told his parents. About being gay. About us,” he says into her shoulder. “They were awful.”

through the crowd | 4,488 | kirkaut / @kirkaut

Summary: The notification sound isn’t the one that he’s got assigned to Jack, which is why he doesn’t feel any panic when Holster hums an agreement and leans over to peer at Bitty’s phone screen. At least, not until Holster says his name in the tone of a person with a slowly growing suspicion. “Bitty,” he says, very expectantly. “Who is ‘Good Robert’, and why is he blowing up your phone?”

Maple-Flavored Pie Hearts | 4,842 | ofherlionheart / @theonesyouthinkyoulove

Summary: “Well, if you’re making people breakfast now, I’m more than happy to accept,” Shitty says brightly, hoping to cajole a smile out of Jack. Jack smacks away Shitty’s hand when he tries to steal some bacon. “I’m not,” Jack says, scowling. “I’m teaching that freshman how to get protein into his diet.” “Which one?” Shitty asks, already knowing the answer.

november | 5,046 | antoineroussel / @bostonbruiins

Summary: Jack was ready, so ready. He'd never been more ready for anything, except maybe an NHL contract. He was so totally not ready at all.

Man of Honor | 5,301 | esterbrook

Summary: Bitty has to live the rest of his life with the knowledge that yes, Jack Zimmermann cries at weddings, and looks good doing it.

is it too late now to say sorry | 5,330 | magneticwave

Summary: I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS, Eric types furiously into Twitter. THIS IS LIKE RENAMING LAKE WOEBEGONE “LAKE SCOTT WALKER.” // Or, the only person in the entirety of Canada who is upset about Jack Zimmermann’s first Stanley Cup is Eric Bittle, and by God is every single one of Eric’s 160,000 Twitter followers going to hear about it.

To Even Fall | 5,636 | perihelionic

Summary: Sometimes Bitty sleeps in Jack's bed. It's not a thing, until it is.

and so all yours | 5,858 | orphan_account

Summary: It’s not exactly taboo to let other people see your soulmate’s first thought about you, but now, standing two feet away from the guy who spent the last five hours making him feel inadequate and small, he doesn’t really want to remind anyone that even his own soulmate doesn’t believe in him.

better than I know myself | 5,876 | Mizzy

Summary: Jack's not very good at noticing common threads. So it takes him the longest time, over a year, before he realizes what's been different in the Haus. It's not something that's present, so much as something that's missing. And it's this: that Bittle calls everyone pet names. Everyone but Jack.

Duffle Bag Guy | 7,643 | cablesscutie / @cablesscutie

Summary: ‘You keep dragging suspicious sacks up to and down from your apartment and I don’t know what your deal is or why I still wanna bone you’ AU

the road leads back to you | 9,160 | nightswatch / @zimmermaenner

Summary: Bitty meets Jack Zimmermann on 5 AM on a Sunday morning after someone set their grilled cheese on fire in his dorm. He doesn't really expect that they'll become friends. Or that he'll become friends with an entire hockey team.

a tale of love and how it finds you | 10,587 | nightswatch / @zimmermaenn

Summary: Bitty sees Jack Zimmermann almost every morning, but he’s never said a single word to him. Honestly, Jack Zimmermann probably doesn’t even know that he exists.

Catfishing for Dummies | 12,001 | andquitefrankly / @andquitefrankly

Summary: Eric Bittle hadn't planned on signing up for online dating. It was just something that had happened after a drunken night with his friends. He also hadn't planned on messaging the super obvious catfish masquerading as Jack Zimmermann. And he definitely hadn't planned on possibly falling in love with him.

One More | 1,596 | facewithoutheart / @facewithoutheart

Summary: “That’s… uh. That’s my phone. I should–” “One more,” Bitty whispers into Jack’s open mouth, his hands turned to fists in Jack’s open graduation robe, asking a question Jack aches to answer. “One more, please.”

i'd never want from the cherry tree | 2,535 | milominderbinder / @milominderbindered

Summary: Bitty's been sent flowers. His friends think this means the guy who serves macaroni in the cafeteria is in love with him. Bitty thinks this might mean he's dating Jack Zimmermann. Unfortunately, he's not sure. Jack is very hard to read, okay?

A Tolerance for Pain | 3,782 | uniqueinalltheworld

Summary: It makes sense, his mother tells him when he's nine: Jack's such a physical person, of course his indicator would be his soulmate's pain. Jack doesn't have anything to say about it, really, he just scowls and winces as his soulmate falls down again. Alicia Zimmermann, whose heterochromia reversed itself upon laying eyes on Bob for the first time, because she’s more passionate about visual media, pats him on the shoulder with a completely insufficient amount of sympathy. Jack's backside is sore for months as the falls keep happening, and he can only think that somewhere, his soulmate must be learning how to skate.

almond croissants and strawberry pie | 4,633 | thewalrus_said / @thewalrus-said

Summary: Bitty first hears the hammering on his shop door at precisely 5:17 in the morning on an already-warm Thursday in July. He’s content to ignore it—the dough he’s kneading won’t shape itself into sandwich rolls, after all—but it proves to be remarkably persistent. Precisely six minutes of knocking later, he hears someone yell, “Come on, I know you start baking at four in the morning! Let us in!”

Cornucopia | 5,201 | Sakon76 / @sakon76

Summary: Bitty's kitchen skills aren't just preternatural. They're downright divine.

By the Light of the Moon | 7,507 | ereshai / @ereshai

Summary: Something is stalking the students of Samwell University. Nothing bad happens - until a member of the hockey team turns up dead. Freshman Eric Bittle starts using the campus Safe Walk number to make sure he gets safely back to his dorm at night and gets drawn into the Samwell Men's Hockey team's quest to find their murdered teammate's killer. He understands why they're doing it, but why are they so weird?

Got Your Pack | 9,030 | MapleleafCameo / @MapleleafCameo

Summary: In hindsight, Eric should’ve figured it out sooner. The signs are all there. When he decides to go to Samwell, he assumes the ‘one in four; maybe more’ means something significantly different. At least it's not a cult. He hopes.

2024 Reclists · INBOX · Blog Updates

[ezzydean]

steter into stetopher fluff I wrote for @cattatonically my teen wolf partner-in-crime 1100ish words, rated T for language (as usual with me) fluffy floofy fluff

If there was one thing that Stiles has learned in all his years on this earth it’s that he doesn’t know everything.  He likes to pretend he does.  He likes to have his fingers in enough pies and whatnot that he at least sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.  He has books and podcasts and social media accounts.  Contacts and clients.  

He knows things.  He knows a lot of things.

He doesn’t know how to handle this, though.

He’s just finally understanding how to handle the whole being in a committed relationship with someone who doesn’t think that Doritos and frozen pizza is a home cooked meal.  Not that his other relationships were bad.  This is just his first one since college, really.  It’s a good relationship.  A solid one.  One he doesn’t want to mess up.

So the fact that he’s sharing a home cooked meal with someone who isn’t technically part of the relationship feels a little weird.  Mostly because it’s not just a ‘hey I happened to be cooking tonight and you stopped by’ meal.  Or even a ‘hey thanks for helping with that thing’ meal.  No.  This was Chris inviting him over with the purpose of making a meal for him.

Oh sure it was originally supposed to be for Stiles and Peter both.  Which changed the odd factor a tiny bit considering Peter and Chris are basically best friends.  But then Peter got stuck on a call with Sweden of all places — and Stiles would call bullshit considering Sweden is something like nine hours ahead of them but he knows how Emelie is and a 2AM call isn’t actually that out of character for her — and so Stiles is here.  In Chris’ apartment.  Eating a ridiculously good meal simply because Chris had wanted to make a meal for Stiles and Peter.

They laugh about how much Peter is going to hate the fact he has to eat leftovers if he wants any.  They sip wine that Stiles enjoys but he knows Chris bought mostly for Peter.  They eat ice cream that Peter would have enjoyed but Stiles knows Chris bought specifically for him.  They clear the table together and Stiles argues his way into getting Chris to let him help with dishes.

Stiles falls asleep on the couch halfway through the movie they start after dinner and wakes up to the sound of Peter in the kitchen grumbling about how subpar leftovers are when compared to the original meal.  Chris grumbles something in reply and shuffles out of the kitchen back to his bedroom.  A few minutes later Peter settles on the couch and pulls Stiles’ feet into his lap before restarting the movie.  He makes it about as far this time as he did the first before he falls asleep.

—

“I have a question for you.”

Stiles looks up at Peter for a second and then goes back to the book he’s reading.

“Okay.  Go for it.”

“Do you think Christopher would like this?”

Stiles looks up again and squints at Peter’s phone, eyes darting between the screen and Peter’s face a few times.

“Kittens,” he says, turning back to his book again.

“Kit- what?”  Peter twists his hand to look at his phone.  “That’s not a kitten, Stiles.”

“I never said I was going to answer your question, Peter.  Besides.  He’s your best friend.  How the hell would I know better than you if he would like something?”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately.  I thought you might have some insight.”

Stiles rolls his eyes.  “Don’t take your weird misplaced jealousy out on me.”

“What are you even talking about?”  Peter scowls at him.  “I am not jealous.”

“And cows don’t shit in the pasture.”

“Excuse me?”

Stiles shuts his book and drops it on the couch.

“You’re jealous,” he says.  “You’re jealous and you can’t figure out which one of us you’re jealous of.  If you’re jealous that I’m spending more time with Chris or that he’s getting to spend time with me.”

“That’s preposterous.”

Stiles shrugs.  “That’s just the way the cookie is crumbling, love.”

Peter stares at him for a few seconds before looking down at his phone again.  “I’m not fond of these cookies, Stiles.  Not at all.”

He watches Peter scrolls angrily for a few minutes before he sighs softly and pushes himself off the couch.  Peter grumbles and grouches when Stiles flops into his lap and wriggles around until Peter wraps his arm around him and settles him in place.

“We can always make other cookies,” Stiles offers as he runs his fingers up and down Peter’s arm.  “Together.”

Stiles reaches down and types something into the search bar.

Peter hums contemplatively.  “Together then.”

—

The door to Chris’ apartment swings open and Stiles grins.

“Hey, Chris.”

“Hi, Stiles.”  Chris looks past his shoulder.  “Hello, Peter.”

“Christopher,” Peter greets politely.

“I’m going in,” Stiles whispers loudly as he ducks under Chris’ arm and toes off his shoes before making a beeline to the kitchen.  “We’re clear, Peter,” he shouts back.

“Do I even want to know?” Chris asks as he steps back and waves Peter inside.

“It was mostly Stiles’ idea.  So.  Probably not.”

Chris shakes his head, holding his hand out for Peter’s coat and hanging it in the closet as Peter slips out of his own shoes.

Stiles isn’t in the kitchen when they get there.  They find him out on the balcony in Chris’ chair looking up at the sky.  Peter steps out and kisses Stiles’ forehead and then slips past Chris and back inside.  Chris watches Stiles, listening to Peter puttering around inside, until Stiles looks over his shoulder and smiles.

“Go on,” Stiles says.  “He misses you.  Spend some time with your bestie.  Bake a cake.  Make out.  Stare longingly into each other’s eyes for a bit.  Whatever.  Just pay him some attention.”

Chris holds his gaze until Stiles looks back up to the sky.

“Pay him some attention, huh?”

“Yeah,” Stiles laughs softly.  “Then when you’ve had your fill of him let me know and I’ll come in.”

“Could be awhile.  I’ve been dealing  with him for years.  I’ve built up a pretty good immunity for time spent in Peter’s company.”

“I’ll be waiting.”  Stiles reaches out for Chris and tangles their fingers together when Chris reaches out in return.  “I’m not in any hurry.”

Chris bends down to press a kiss to Stiles’ knuckles.

“I won’t keep you waiting too long.”  Chris kisses Stiles’ knuckles again and straightens.  “Promise.”

Stiles still isn’t entirely sure where they’re all going with this.  But that’s okay with him.  Because he knows he has both of them with him for the journey.

[fyodoro]

-> 𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐛𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮?

You’ve always been fascinated by all kinds of art, especially visual arts. Deciding you should pick it up as a hobby, a certain friend comes to mind when you think of getting tutored…

Ena Shinonome x gn! Reader | Requested by anon, reposted cause it flopped

Cw - idiots in love but no established relationship Genre - fluff, mutual pining

It was evident in your search history you had no idea what you were doing. Not even a toddler would search up “How to start sketches.” But you wanted to start off strong and only continue to improve, so what other way to do it then tutorials?

It sounded silly, and you knew in the back of your mind it was ridiculous. But this has been something you’ve been interested in for forever now… wouldn’t starting off poorly only disappoint your younger self?

You sighed, putting the pencil down to massage your temples. ‘Think (Name)… what’s the best way to start…’

A familiar face comes to mind, a very familiar face at that. Of course! How did you not think of that before? Ena’s an artist, and she just got back from teaching younger kids how to paint the other day. She’s experienced in teaching and art… she could be a great help!

Hopefully…

Getting a hold of the brunette wasn’t easy, Ena was always sleeping in the morning, only waking up in the late afternoon to go to night classes. After her night classes, she’s secretive about what she does later in the night. You’d be lucky if you caught her at the right time no matter what.

Besides, what would you even say exactly? “Hey Ena I know you draw and I’m drawing now so you should help me draw”? That just sounded dumb! Plus, there was a subtle fear of embarrassing yourself in front of the girl, though you’re not sure why. It’s not like she’s too judgmental, and it’s something she loves that you’re bringing up.

Right, nothing to be embarrassed about… just stay calm.

Just stay calm and it’ll all work out…

You pick up the phone, dialing Ena’s number and crossing your fingers she’ll answer this time. ‘Please pick up please pick up please pi-‘

“Hello?”

“Ena! I thought you wouldn’t answer, thank god. I wanted to ask you for something, if you don’t mind..”

There was a pause on the other end, you could hear some shuffling and moving on what sounded like a bed. ‘Did she just wake up or something?’ Oh god, did you just wake Ena up?

“Ah sorry, I had to sit up so I can hear you better. What do you need, (name)?”

“You know how I’ve always been interested in the arts? Especially visual arts, especially your art…”

The girl was glad you couldn’t see her right now, otherwise you’d have just seen the way her face flushed. And if you were right in front of her right now, she probably wouldn’t be capable of holding back a squeak of happiness.

Compliments always meant a lot to Ena, as she always sought out others praise and validation. But something about that praise coming from you made her heart swell.

“Yeah I’ve noticed, what’s up? Did you get a job at a museum or something? I don’t see how I’d be able to help with that.”

“No, not that. Uh… I kinda started drawing…”

‘Why was this so embarrassing?’ Maybe it’s the fact you feel like a grown child learning your abc’s. Everyone starts drawing in pre-school, only some people take it seriously later on. ‘I could have phrased that better oh no no no…’

The silence didn’t help at all, was she holding back a laugh? Ena wouldn’t laugh at that though, would she? This entire ordeal is making you realize how bad you are at confrontation…

While you worried, so did Ena. She saw a glimpse of her old art classes, that girl who was always praised despite being a beginner… Even if isn’t your fault, she worries that she’ll be out through that same situation again.

“Sorry, I was just thinking of something. You started drawing you said? Well that’s great! How’s it going so far…?”

There was something in her voice that made you reconsider asking. That hint of sadness… it sounded off. While she seemed genuinely happy for you, she seemed to have another thought in mind.

“It’s going… average? I just started, so I’m not the best but-“

“Don’t say that!”

You pulled your ear away from the phone for a moment, Ena’s yell echoing into your room. Ouch. Maybe you shouldn’t have insulted yourself like that to her, especially about your art.

You knew about her Junior High experience in art classes, but you didn’t think she’d take offense to you insulting yourself. It had to go deeper than you thought, but now wasn’t the time to pry.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to tell like that.. but I can’t stand hearing you put yourself down like that. Everyone starts somewhere- no matter how good or bad you start out, you’ll get better and better overtime. It just takes practice. And… I can help you learn.”

“Actually that’s why I called you- I wanted your help learning how to draw! I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather tutor me.”

Once again, Ena was glad you couldn’t see her face right now. If only you knew how easy it is for you to make her heart melt.

“Great. I’ll be over in ten!”

“Wait, right now?”

Ena ended the call before she could hear you. Rushing to get out of bed and get ready. After all, she’d hate it if you saw her in her “unpresentable” state the way she does.

Meanwhile, you sat there stunned. Processing Ena’s words from moments ago, she had a point. You’ve only just started… you can’t be too hard on yourself just yet. Even Ena started somewhere before, and you wondered if she began strong or not.

If her drawings were bad before, you’d still admire them in awe simply because it was her that drew them. She could scribble graphite on paper and you’d think it was a masterpiece, you were really down bad for this girl, huh?

She said she’ll be over in just a bit, and you haven’t even cleaned your room! If you knew that the phone call would go so well- or even that Ena picked up the phone- you would have cleaned beforehand.

But remembering what you thought earlier, you kept it in mind while you cleaned and awaited Ena’s arrival.

‘Just stay calm.’

Besides, you have a feeling her visit would go better than either of you ever expected.

[kindheart525]

There was a cave on the rock farm playfully dubbed the “Crying Cave” by the sisters when they were young, a nickname which ended up sticking well into their adulthoods. It was a place where any of the Pies could go, in moments of strife, to cry, scream in anger, or simply think. The crystals were like friends to listen to your problems; they would always be there.

Limestone Pie had avoided lingering here after her father passed, only entering its secluded walls to mine whatever resources she needed and then leave. Even when her other family members took their time in there to mourn, she didn’t need to. Or she just…didn’t have the time for it.

But it was exactly where she knew she’d find her son, who had a lot to think about as of late. And now…so did she.

“Mountain Peak!”

The mare called out in her usual harsh tone, but then attempted to soften her voice.

“You in here?”

“Agh! I mean, yep! I’m here!”

Mounty appeared over a wall of crystals, his eyes widened in surprise. Lime couldn’t quite tell if he flew up there or jumped out of fear.

The colt’s expression shifted to vague disappointment once he saw who it was. He landed on the other side of the wall, now looking guilty.

“I wasn’t gonna be in here for long, I promise! Pinkie Promise! I’ll get back ta work now, what did ya want me to do?”

“Sit down.”

Limestone ordered with the same authority as her own mother, though not as gently. 

“Uh…please. I want to talk. We’ll work later.”

It was like Holder’s Bolder had cracked open in broad daylight. Limestone Pie remembering to say please and thank you!? Postponing work for even a minute!? He jested to himself…but she wanted to talk to him? Honest to Gaia? 

At this point Mounty had almost resigned himself to never having a real conversation with her, but maybe Ma AJ had gotten through to her after all.

“What’s goin’ on?”

He asked, though both of them knew the answer.

Limestone stood in silence for a moment, moving her mouth like she was about to say something but then stopping to reconsider. She wasn’t so good with feelings.

“I…uh…”

Limestone cleared her throat, deciding she wasn’t going to dance around this and drag it out more than she needed to. The colt could handle a straightforward explanation.

“Your Ma talked to me today, while we were out running errands. About how you’ve been behaving and how you’re feeling. You talked to her, right?”

“Yes?”

What are you gettin’ at here?

Mounty was confused as he wondered if he was in for a scolding or a real conversation.

“I know it’s been hard for you since your grandpa, ahem, passed on. And if your Ma’s right, I guess I’ve made it worse. A lot worse.”

A new pang of guilt shot through her as she said this, thinking of how she’d treated him. 

Mounty, the unabashedly good-natured colt he was, opened his mouth like he was about to stop her, say, no, you didn’t, it’s okay. But that would have been a lie.

“Taking apart that machine you built is probably the worst thing.”

Limestone started going through the list in her head of things to apologize for,  one by one, without fooling around.

“You didn’t take time off from work to build that thing. It even got you your cutie mark. It showed a lot of craftponyship and planning, and you should be proud. Even though I didn’t agree with the purpose, I shouldn’t have gotten all pissed off like that. I wouldn’t like it if somepony destroyed my hard days’ work like that.”

“It ain’t about the slide.”

Mounty frowned.

“I could build a new one o’ those no problem. It’s all those nasty things you said, ‘bout how I wasn’t doin’ anythin’ useful with mah cutie mark. An’ how I was disrespectin’ not only Grandpa but the whole family. Don’t you remember? That hurt somethin’ awful.”

“Yeah…”

Limestone cringed at herself, not just for what she said but how she was trying to talk her way around these more deeply-cutting actions of hers.

“That was bad, even for me. And it isn’t even true. Look—“

She sat up straighter to look him squarely in the eye.

“It took me a long time to realize this but I was wrong. About a lot of things. Like what your Grandpa would have wanted. If your Grandma and Great Aunt Morganite know anything, it’s that he would have liked that slide of yours. And…I’m sorry I tried making you think otherwise.”

Apologizing was extremely hard for Limestone, so she broke her gaze and turned away, hardly wanting to look at the colt she’d wronged.

“Thank you.”

Mounty said.

“An’ even though I had my doubts sometimes, I reckon I always knew he woulda liked it. Y’see, the Hearth’s Warmin’ before he passed, Grandpa an’ I had a bit of time together, and we talked a bit. He said I had a mighty important role ta fill on the farm, that I’d help it flourish an’ be an asset the the family.”

“Did he?”

Limestone uttered.

“Yeah. I reckon I took that ta heart, tryin’ ta fill that role an’ make him proud ever since. Even when uh…some ponies said I wasn’t doin’ it right.”

Mounty didn’t want to be confrontational and say that it was really only Limestone who said this, but she knew what he meant.

“Damn. I spent this whole time trying to make him proud too. When all I’ve really been…”

Her voice choked up.

“Is an insult to his memory.”

She slammed her hat down on the ground, throwing it almost like it was something foreign, something that didn’t belong to her.

“He…I talked to him too. Did you know that? He told me to take care of our family and protect what we stand for. And…and I did anything but that!”

Mounty wasn’t sure what she was doing at first, with her face concealed behind the smooth silver curtain of her mane. Perhaps scolding herself in the anger that was typical of her. But no…she was crying.

This was a long time coming, yet it was so unusual that he didn’t know what to do. He’d never seen his Mom even shed a tear before now. After a few moments of letting her sit there and let it out, he whispered,

“You really do miss yer Pa, don’t you?”

“He…he taught me everything I know.”

Limestone sniffled, wiping her eyes.

“At least, he tried to. I don’t know how much I learned. I wish he were still here, to teach me all this again. I’d actually listen this time. I swear to Gaia.”

She turned to look at her son.

“Maybe then I’d figure out how to actually support my foals so they don’t keep having to run off to this stupid Crying Cave.”

“Well…there ain’t nopony sayin’ ya can’t start now.”

Mounty tried to reassure her.

“I’m sure he’ll be proud seein’ ya try. I’m sure he did appreciate you always thinkin’ of him even if you…didn’t always get it right.”

He smiled.

“But we’re both in this cave now. I reckon we both need it?”

Normally Lime would have scolded him about talking back to her, for suggesting she wasn’t doing her job right. For a split second she did think of it, but he was right. She had just admitted it herself. She had a lot of work to do.

And she had to be the adult and be there for him.

“I’ll try to figure it out myself, but don’t be scared to tell me when there’s a better way to do things if I don’t get it. Even if I’m all rocky and jagged about it.”

She chuckled at the pun.

“You’ll have to be able to take charge if you’re going to run this farm one day.”

Mounty gasped.

“Really? Me?”

“If Grandpa wills it, it will be so.”

She affirmed.

“Give me that.”

She gestured towards his bow tie, which he took off after a brief look of questioning.

And to his surprise, the mare who wouldn’t dare alter her father’s belongings tied the pink ribbon around his hat for a whole new look.

“Your Grandpa would be so proud of you, Mounty. You have all the creativity and care I now know was always in him. He was right, you’re one of the best things to ever happen to this farm and this family.”

At this point she was crying again and so was Mounty, with happiness this time. They could both feel their love for their respective Pa and Grandpa reflected in each other, more strongly than ever.

Mounty moved in for a hug, one that was much needed, with his wings and forelegs wrapped fully around his mother who finally returned the gesture.

After a good long moment, Limestone’s quivering lips turned up into a playful smirk.

“Now…what do you say we go rebuild that slide?”

She pushed the hat down on his head, prompting a fit of laughter.

“Haha! You think we can do it as good?”

“We might even make it better. Just lead the way, farmer.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: High Quality Crystal

[imsammyclaflin]

Love, Actually || Self Para

Who: Sam Claflin and his Mother, Sue

When: June 26th, 2024

Where: His parent's home in London, England

Notes: Sam's mom planned to throw him a surprise birthday party but as the pair talk, some relevations come to light...

“Mum you don’t have to keep whispering, I know you’re planning to throw me a surprise party tomorrow.” Sam said, rolling his eyes playfully as his mother came into the living room. Sam had escaped to London after his and Lucy’s joint party because the idea of possibly running into Chris again after their awkward encounter was too great for him to risk. And if he was expecting to get over his silly little crush, he couldn’t be around him. He just needed time to get over whatever feelings he had and then it would be back to friends, if Chris still wanted to be friends. Avoidance was never the answer, as Lucy had so clearly pointed out, but for him, it made sense. You can’t have feelings for someone that you never see right?

Except, being away from him, not texting him daily, or at least every other day as was their norm, was gnawing at him. He missed his friend and no matter how much he tried to rationalize what he was doing, telling himself that it would all work out in the end, he knew it wouldn’t. Feelings like his didn’t just disappear by simply disappearing,no all they had done was make them stronger, so strong that he’d run away to England.

His mother scoffed, gently tapping him on the knee. “I don’t know what you’re talk ing about, Sammy, I’m not throwing…”

“The extra baking, the cooking ahead of time? You only do that when you have plans to entertain and since its not a holiday, I put it together. I’m sure Joe would have told me as well, we all know he can’t keep a secret.” He said, chuckling softly before letting out a sigh. “I should be happy but I’m just not in a celebratory mood this year and the last thing I want to do is act the part. I just want to sleep through tomorrow.”

“Oh pis posh, you don’t mean that dear. You love celebrating your birthday.”

“Not this year mum, I’m sorry.” He said, laying down on the couch, resting his head in his mom’s lap like he used to do when he was a child. It was comforting for him and it always signified that a deep meaningful conversation was soon about to start.

“What’s wrong, Sammy? Talk to me.” She inquired, sitting back herself. She could tell something was wrong but she wasn’t going to make him talk if he didn’t want too.

“When you met dad, did you fancy him instantly? Like how did you know that what you were feeling was real and not just excitement at finally having an excuse to leave the house?”

She laughed and shook her head. “I loved your father the moment I met him. No other man before him had ever made my heart thump as wildly or my knees as weak as when he smiled at me. I had a boyfriend at the time and the only thing he made me feel was bad about myself but when I saw your father, I just knew we were going to be together forever.”

“Huh, you never told me that story.” He said, looking up at her.

“You never asked.” She smirked, playing with his hair. “Why do you ask?” Her face taking on a look of curiosity, even though she already had an idea. Sam was never one for subtlety.

“Oh, I…” He trailed, off, biting his lip before sitting up. “I’ve met someone and, and the feelings I get when they’re around, they’re indescribable and I just… they make me so unbelievably happy. When we’re together, its like nothing else matters. I get the sweaty palms, the weak knees, my heart beats so loud, its embarrassing.” He chuckled, shaking his head. "I even got on a Ferris Wheel because of them."

“But?”

“But I can’t… can’t get out of my own goddamn head. Every time I have a brief moment of clarity, my mind takes me back to my failed divorce and messy breakups and it… it won’t allow me to be happy. Laura was supposed to be my soulmate and we didn’t even make it 10 years. What chance do I have going forward?”

“Relationships take effort, my boy, and you have to realize that. You and Laura didn’t work because you were both so busy and rarely saw one another, distance broke you two up. As for you and Cassie, well, I’ll hold my waggler on that one. But the point is, neither of them were who you were meant to be with. Fate has a plan for us all. We don’t all meet our soulmate on the first try. You have to work at it.”

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Can I… can I tell you something?”

“Anything.” She grabbed his hand, a concerning smile enveloping her face as she looked into his eyes. “Take your time.”

“I… I’m bisexual. And the person that I mentioned earlier. It’s… it’s a guy.” He paused, feeling a little lighter now that he had confessed. He still wasn't sure how his mom would handle the news of her son being part of the LGBTQIA+ community but he knew it wouldn't be negatively.

“Honey I know. I’ve always known.” She said, offering him a kind smile.

Sam looked up at her quizzically. “You have?”

“Its our job to recognize these things and you weren’t so subtle in your glances at your soccer mates. I wasn't completely sure until I saw you arse checking Tommy but hey, I don't judge.” She smirked, giving him a wink.

“Mum!” He laughed, shoving her shoulder playfully. He felt free for the first time in a really long time. It felt nice to be able to joke about this now that the weight was off his shoulders.

“You’re still my Samuel and nothing will change that. We love you, the world loves you and you’re going to be alright, kiddo. You just have to tell yourself that you want to be. Tell those intrusive thoughts to fuck off and be your true self finally. Stop listening to the negative thoughts because at the end of the day, that's all they are. Thoughts. You are the one that is giving them power by choosing to believe them, by not giving yourself a chance at true happiness. You deserve everything you want in life, including this boy, and you need to stop choosing the negative and focus on all the good. Kids these days need people like you to guide them, to show them that it’s okay to be their authentic selves.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.” He said, a look of worry on his face.

“But you’re not alone in the fight. You have allies. And you'll have your partner by your side if you so choose.” She said, smirking. “Now, I’m going to go make us some tea and you can tell me all about this boy you like.”

“Love, actually. I… I love him.” He said, finally admitting it out loud to himself. Saying those words, it was like he was slapped in the face with all of their interactions from the very beginning, it came rushing back to him in a moment of pure clarity. “I’m so sorry mum, I can’t stay for tea. I have… I have to go.”

She smiled, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek before handing him his coat. “Happy Birthday, my love. Call me when you land.”

“I love you too. And thank you. For everything.”

END

[gennianydots]

Hi, what's your 30 favorite Asian BL characters from dramas or series you've watched? (unless you don't have that many)

Thanks.

30?!

Nonnie? Are you okay? Reblog if you’re okay. 30 is a lot! Alright. I’m going to try my best. Just for YOU. And because I love you so much, I have also given you my reasons WHY.

I also created parameters for myself, so this is the MEN. If you want to find out my top 30 WOMEN from Asian BL's/QL's, just ask!

1. Pran from Bad Buddy

He’s my son, my baby, the absolute love of my life. I would marry this man in a heartbeat, if he were not already betrothed to Pat.

2. Pat from Bad Buddy

He’s such a green flags guy, my clueless baby with horny-for-Pran-only/would-kill/die-for-him vibes. Don’t forget the man got shot!

3. Tinn from My School President

Need I say more? No. Tinn is goofy and cheesy and literally the best. He loves Gun so much he is willing to risk his school presidency just to get the chance to date Gun. I love him!

4. Gun from My School President

Is he smart? No. Is he clueless? Yes. Does he have a heart of gold and strong ambition? YES. He’s my full heart, empty-mind, music-loving, can’t-lose dork and he’s a close contender for #3 behind Tinn, an even bigger dork.

5. Tiw from My School President/Our Skyy 2

Oh boy. Mark Pakin is him, he is Mark Pakin- I loved him so much. I love his willingness to stay by his friend through high school crushes and that we got to see him dating Por in Our Skyy 2. Big feels. 😍

6. Heart and LiMing from Moonlight Chicken

You cannot make me choose. These two stole the whole show and gave zero fucks about it.

7. Kurosawa Yuichi from Cherry Magic JP

This man stole my heart in the first several minutes of the show. Love his attentive nature and softness.

8. Jang Jae Young from Semantic Error

This chaos gremlin motherfucker is my favorite. He pined HARD for his underclassmen and I adore him for it.

9. Wei Wuxian from Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed

I haven’t seen the Untamed but have watched the animated series and read the story for Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. I don’t think I’d be here if I hadn’t first fallen in love with this Bisexual Disaster. A true KING.

10. King from Bed Friend

Speaking of KINGS, King is the ultimate Green-Flags Doe-Eyes Fabio of my dreams.

11. Tinn’s Dad from My School President

The most Dad to ever Dad - ever.

12. Pi from Fish Upon the Sky

An autistic son of mine. Phuwin made me laugh when I needed it the most. This show was a disaster but I loved this character!

13. Yok from Not Me

First crushed it in this role and he made Yok incredibly sexy the amazing, diverse character we see on screen.

14. Porsche from KinnPorsche

I joined the BL fandom with the KP group! I love when Porsche throws himself off the boat to get away from Kinn, peeing in the Koi pond, the sacrifices he made to protect Chay and every moment before and after.

15. Kinn from KinnPorsche

Daddy. I don’t think I need to say anything else. 😈

16. Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi from We Best Love

Holy hell, these men can act! They both really won me over in season 2, but I rooted for these boyfriends throughout the whole thing.

17. Akk and Ayan from The Eclipse

I can’t separate these two, either. I really loved First/Khaotung in these roles too. I can't picture anyone else who would have done them justice.

18. Team from Between Us

I just realized recently how much I enjoyed Between Us, and Team is so cute in this - I can't explain, I just like him a lot.

19. Win from Between Us

Team's boyfriend was also a highlight of Between Us for me.

20. Tsuge Masato from Cherry Magic JP

He made me laugh a lot. I loved him as the neurotic friend.

21. Gun from A Boss and a Babe

I love Force, Actually? He did a good job with playing an older role, even though he is younger than Book IRL.

22. Longtae from Tale of Thousand Stars

It was so CUTE seeing baby Khaotung in this role, and I cheered every time he was on screen. (I enjoyed Longtae more than Tian or Phupha - though I do think Mix did an excellent job as Tian the teacher).

23. Jedi from The Warp Effect

Does this count? It’s a very gay show. I say it counts. Again, a Mark Pakin role that he crushed.

24. Bosston from Until We Meet Again/Between Us

We are sticking with Green Flags only guys here. It was a tiny role but I loved it.

25. Klabkluen from Star and Sky: Star in My Mind

Have you seen Joong PINE over Dunk? He's the best PINER I've ever seen. This was mostly a fluff watch but I enjoyed Joong's performance.

26. Dew from 609 Bedtime Story

Well, this show was all over the place. I thoroughly enjoy time shenanigans in my shows so I stuck with it to the end, even if it ultimately made no sense. I have always thought Fluke Natouch was very talented though, and I found his performance here better than in Until We Meet Again, or Between Us. (He just "P'Dean"-ed all over the place and was too much of a blushing maiden for me).

27. Khondiao from Cutie Pie

I liked him better than the mains. 🤷‍♀️

28. Kim from KinnPorsche

My sad little meow-meow who ghosts a child. Also it's Jeff.

29. Ki Tae from Our Dating Sim

This show was so cute. I am a big fan of characters who pine for a long time before their crush finds out.

30. Payu from Love in the Air

Lots of controversy here as many folks didn't enjoy this show. I say credit where credit is due, Payu is the bisexual hottie I was looking for. The chemistry between Payu and Rain was also off the charts.

Thanks for reading!! Again, if you want my top 30 females you will have to ask me! Thank you to all the gif-makers who made the gifs I stole for this post. You are the true heroes of my heart. Muah Muah!

[dawnseternallight]

And Windward We Will Go

I know we just got a bunch of Venti and Zhongli content in Lantern Rite, but I love these two old grandpas and I've been picking away at this fic for a while now, so please enjoy!

Summary:

When Venti convinces Aether to accompany him to Liyue to congratulate Morax on deciding to live life as a mortal he doesn't realize he's surprising his old friend in more ways than one.

Or What if instead of Venti thinking Morax had died, it was the other way around?

AO3 Link

Aether had hardly been in Mondstadt’s borders, let alone the city itself, for more than a few minutes before the wind was fluttering around him almost like a cloak. Thankfully, few Mondstadt citizens seemed to notice the semi-constant air current surrounding the traveler, counting it as one of their city’s little quirks, or being too busy to care. 

With his world travel temporarily stalled by trying to find a suitable way over to Inazuma, he thought he might check back in on Mondstadt and see if they had any leads. And, just to see old friends again. First things first though, he wanted a bite at Good Hunter. Yes he was a good cook, but sometimes it was nice to have someone else to do the cooking for you. 

As he and Paimon stepped up to the counter the breeze fluttered around him, playing with the banners, and picked at a paper sign detailing the daily specials. Aether had to put a hand on it to keep the poor thing from being torn off and carried away to who knew where. 

It wasn’t a bad breeze, and if not for one thing Aether would have simply counted it as a welcome back from his friend. However a question rested on the breeze. Words he couldn’t hear, but could feel all the same. It was a light pressure, a nudging, almost a shove at some points of curiosity. 

“Sara, can you make up a picnic basket for me?” Aether asked.

“Of course! It’s such a nice day for one, isn’t it?” 

He smiled, “It is. How about we go with fisherman’s toast for the main dish, three servings of it, a large salad, some apples, and–.” he glanced at the specials, “three sunsettia hand pies please.”  

“Got it, give us a little time and I’ll have it right out for you.” Sarah said. 

“Three servings?” Paimon asked as they stepped back to wait, “Are you that hungry?” 

“You never know who might join us, you know.” Aether told her, “I’m just trying to be prepared.”

His friend hummed thoughtfully, “Paimon’s not sure if that means you’re actually expecting someone or just really hungry and trying to hide it.”

Aether chuckled, “Don’t fret too much over it, besides if no one else comes you can have all the extras.” 

Soon, they had a large basket packed to the brim with lunch. Aether led Paimon out of the city and out to Windrise. As they grew closer, the breeze that had been fluttering around him, took off, sprinting for the tree. He could see the rustle first of windwheel asters, then the leaves and branches of the tree as it soared upwards and away. 

“Sara was right, it is a great day for a picnic. The sky is clear, the breeze perfect, and–” Paimon stopped as soothing music drifted down towards them. 

Both she and Aether looked up to find one of the lowest branches occupied. Venti sat, kicking his legs and strumming his lyre, looking as if he hadn’t a care in all the world. 

“Hello, Traveler, Paimon.” he said, fingers still plucking the strings, leading the song towards its end. 

When the last note finished, he hopped down, a breeze carrying him from the high branch to land before them. He bowed with a flourish, his voice still sing-song light, “What a pleasure it is to run into you two. Might I join you for lunch?”

“Tone Deaf Bard! What are you doing here?” Paimon asked, then spun on Aether, “Did you know he’d be here?” 

Aether shrugged, and glanced at Venti, “I had a hunch.” 

The bard did little more than give a mischievous, “He-he.” 

“Paimon feels like she’s missed something, but we did get extra food today, so everything should be fine.” 

“Excellent! Then I won’t be an imposition on your party.” Venti declared.

“As if you’d really be bothered by it either way.” Paimon huffed.

Aether waved her off, “Come on, Paimon. We have enough, and it’s always good to spend time with a friend.” 

With that, he put their basket down and set about laying out a blanket Sara had packed for them. The group settled on it, and there was little noise but the breeze rustling the leaves overhead as food was passed around. 

“So.” Aether said, after a while, “You have a question for me?” he asked Venti. 

His friend blinked, surprised for just a moment before smiling, “Why would you think that? Can’t we just meet as friends and catch up? You just returned from Liyue did you not?” 

“We did, and boy do we have so much to tell you!” Paimon declared. 

“Oh? It was exciting then?” 

“For sure. There was a Fatui plot, and we met so many Adeptus, and the Traveler here helped defeat an ancient sea god! And we got to eat so much good food there, at Liyue Pavilion and Third Round Knockout and–” Paimon gestured, fluttering this way and that as she spoke, “It was incredible!”

“And what of the Geo Archon? Did you manage to arrive in time to meet him?” Venti pressed, looking now to Aether. 

This was the unspoken question on the wind, or close enough to it, Aether knew. There was a moment of silence between them as he tried to read Venti’s face, to see if he’d heard of Morax’s death, or if those rumors had yet to find their way to Mondstadt’s peaceful borders. He had thought long and hard about telling Venti the truth behind Zhongli. He had, after all, chosen to live life as a human from here on, stepping down from his role as Archon leading Liyue. 

But he also remembered how Zhongli spoke of Venti when they’d traveled to Mondstadt  to test the jade, and of Venti’s own admittance that he and Morax were the last of the original seven. He had a feeling it wouldn’t hurt to let the bard know the truth. Besides, Venti would probably want to know how the gnosis situation was faring. 

He nodded, “We did.” 

Briefly he detailed the interrupted Rite, and apparent death of Morax. He gave more details than Paimon regarding their interactions with Childe, including Zhongli, and the adepti. Then told him how everything had resolved between Zhongli and Signora. 

Through his tale, Venti had asked few questions, and was for the most part content to listen. He was a bard soaking in a tale, ready to remake it into legend. When Aether finished, he leaned back, food all but forgotten as he watched his friend take in the news. Venti looked contemplative for a moment before smiling. 

“So, he goes by Zhongli now? And he wants to live as a normal man?” he chuckled, “That must be quite the change for that old block-head.” 

Paimon snorted, “He certainly doesn’t seem interested in trying to act any different.” 

Aether smiled as well, relaxing. There was something behind Venti’s eyes he couldn’t quite place, but perhaps it wasn’t his right to read the bard’s thoughts on his oldest friend. There were things he was sure he’d never know about the two of them, but he was glad Venti seemed content with the idea of Morax having taken human form. 

Venti stood, abrupt, “I should go see him. Why don’t you join me? I have a wonderful vintage hidden away here somewhere–” he rushed off, voice trailing on the wind as he spoke, “I want to share it with him as a condolence gift if I could just–ah ha! There.” 

He returned at a skip, cradling an old bottle in his arms. It was dusty from where he’d dug it up. Aether was surprised he even still had the thing, but perhaps it held special meaning. Saved for a specific time. 

He looked proud of his discovery, beaming at them both, “I’m sure he’ll love to see me again. It’s been ages since we spoke last. Oh–ah,” the smile fell for a moment, “Did he still seem strong when you were with him?”

“Paimon thinks so. Even if he mostly just wandered around and got us to pay for things.” 

Venti looked to Aether, “How strong? Am I likely to get blown away if he’s in a bad mood?” 

He shrugged, “I can’t say. He held his own well enough the few times he fought beside us.”

“No matter.” Venti waved him off, “It won’t be a problem. And if it is, I’ll just direct his wrath elsewhere. You’ll be my shield right?” 

Aether rolled his eyes, “If you get him mad, it’s on you.” 

“Come on, Traveler! That’s not kind! Am I your friend or not?” 

His whining, for all he did, brushed off Aether easily. Both knew there wasn’t any real worry in Venti’s claims, and that if for some unknown reason the two archons did begin to squabble, Aether would do his best to quell the chaos. 

So instead of answering, he too stood, and started packing up the remains of their lunch. Paimon protested the abrupt end to the meal and Aether handed her his uneaten pie to placate any further requests to stop. 

“I guess you want to go now, right?” he asked Venti. 

“Of course, there’s no better time than the present to start a new adventure!” 

He smiled, “And if I needed to stay in Mondstadt a few days?” 

“We both know your answers do not lie here, but in Liyue. Her ships are all that can take you to Inazuma .” Venti said.

It wasn’t surprising that Venti knew Aether was headed for Inazuma , or that he was having trouble finding a way over there. He did wonder if the bard knew about the Vision Hunt Decree or the closed borders to the land. Certainly he would have at least heard about it, in an attempt to keep track of the other Archon’s movements. 

“Oh, and do you happen to know a captain that can take me?” 

Venti put a hand to his chest in mock hurt, “I’ve traveled far and wide across Teyvat, I know someone everywhere. And if I don’t, we’ll simply bully Zhongli into helping. When it comes to travel and merchants, that man knows everyone.” 

The plan was to make their way straight to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, bypassing trying to find Zhongli anywhere else. And Aether tried to make his way straight there, but Venti insisted on stopping at every storyteller, musician, and food vendor in the city to talk, share, and browse. 

When Aether complained Venti just winked and told him, “That is the joy of traveling with a bard, we must see and hear everything as a sign we view a place with regard.”

“I thought you were in a hurry to see your old friend.” Aether tried again after Venti had quite literally pulled him up a flight of stairs to listen to Liu Su in the middle of a tale about Baidou and her adventures. 

His friend was already seated, chin cupped in his palms, “Yes, but when would I get to hear tales like these?” 

“Tomorrow, at about the same time.” Aether deadpanned, “He always seems to be telling the same stories.” 

Still, they sat through the rest of his story. Only then could Aether pull Venti away. He was like a child given a handful of sweets, excitable and intent on seeing everything. No wonder he’d claimed to know someone everywhere. He seemed to thrive off interactions with people, especially those inclined to pass him a little wine while they talked. 

At last they found their way to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Aether practically hanging on to Venti’s cape to keep him from fluttering away after another attraction. It was almost like he didn’t want to meet Zhongli. 

Oh. 

He must be nervous, Aether realized. He’d said it had been ages since they’d met, and Aether now assumed that was quite literal. Especially since Venti had indicated it was only just before Aether himself had arrived in Mondstadt that he’d woken from a long slumber. There was no telling how long it really had been since the old friends had spoken. Nerves in that case made sense. Even for –no especially for– friends as old as the two of them. 

“It’ll be fine.” he said and knocked on the door to the building, without giving Venti time to argue or fly away. 

“Good afternoon dear–ah hello again, Traveler.” The Ferrylady did not seem surprised at Aether’s presence, nor at the fact that he’d brought someone with him, “Are you here for Director Hu or Mr. Zhongli?” 

“We’re here to see Zhongli, and we brought a friend with us!” Paimon answered. 

“Of course, unfortunately Mr. Zhongli is currently out right now on an errand for Director Hu. He should be back soon if you’d like to wait.”

“Oh, what a shame. We shouldn’t impose. Traveler why don’t we–” Venti was already turning to leave, voice just a tad bit too cheerful.

Aether grabbed the back of the bard’s cape and smiled at the Ferrylady, “Would you mind directing us to his current location?” 

“I believe he’s at Jade Mystery discussing a contract with Shitou.”

“Thank you so much, let Hu Tao know we said hello.” Aether said.

He shifted his hold from Venti’s cape to loop his arm through that of his friend and tugged him away. When the bard tried to set off in a different direction Aether tightened his hold just a tad.

“I didn’t think archons got cold feet.” Aether said, pleasantly, “Or the world’s best bards for that matter.” 

The bard in question gasped, “I do not . I simply don’t wish to bother him if he is busy. We can always try again tomorrow.” 

They were further down the street now and Aether loosened his hold on Venti’s arm, but kept them looped together, “It’s okay to be nervous you know.” 

Venti stilled, and Aether stopped with him. The flood of Liyue’s people parted around them, used to people pausing for conversations on the busy street. His expression was complicated, pensive. 

Aether looked to the horizon, unable to lock eyes with his friend, “When I think of finally being reunited with my sister, my chest hurts, and my heart races. She is my other half, and I’m desperate to see her again.” 

He tugged Venti a little closer to him, the bard’s warmth radiating into his own skin, “I’m sure your friend feels much the same.”

~

“Zhongli, hello! We’ve brought a friend to see you!” 

Paimon’s voice cut through Zhongli’s focus and he blinked at the gemstones on the table one last time. He had determined their quality long before, and had simply been lingering because it lended more credibility to his decision, at least to regular mortals. They did not have the experience he did, nor the innate sense of geo and would take an immediate decision as either foolhardy or a reason to attempt to sell him a lesser quality item. 

He straightened, casting a patient smile at Shitou who looked put out by the distraction. Always  hoping to make a sale, and only upset when a customer was interrupted. 

“We will take the discussed amount in this quality.” Zhongli said, pointing at a single stone, “Lesser stones will be rejected as per the contract.” 

“Of course.” Shitou was saying, but Zhongli felt something at the back of his head. 

A twinge of power he hadn’t imagined he’d ever feel again was tickling at his senses. He had some sense of it when he’d first met Aether. The traveler had the power of anemo wafting around his shoulders and form like a cloak. It was muted under the newly bubbling power of geo he’d obtained at Morax’s own statue, but it was there. 

It had not simply been anemo however, but Barbatos’ power. At the time Zhongli had assumed it was leftover from the archon. Power that had seeped into Mondstadt from Barbatos’ time as its guardian, all that remained of him after Khaenri'ah. But easy enough for someone like the traveler to reach out and grasp. 

He had not allowed his thoughts to linger beyond that. Had not wished to face grief he’d since buried deep within himself. Morax had lost too many friends over the years, too many still to Khaenri’ah’s fall. To dig up old wounds when he was in the middle of extracting himself from his role of archon would be disastrous. 

So he’d smiled instead at Aether and moved on with his own plans, only generally referencing his old friend when they’d entered Mondstadt. 

Even there, Morax had been unwilling to reach out and search for Barbatos’ power. He hadn’t wanted to feel the lack of power. The Mondstadt in his memory was brimming with traces of Barbaros and he wanted to keep that memory alive. 

Only to himself would he admit that he’d closed himself off against it out of cowardice. 

And yet here it brushed at him. Wind clung to the back of his neck. Fluttered around his hair lifting stray strands to tickle his cheek. It was more than Aether. Different. The same. 

“Excuse me.” Was all that he allowed himself to say. Not daring more words than those few perfectly controlled, polite noises. It was still not as polite as he liked to be when exiting a business transaction, but there was something more pressing than manners at play now. 

He turned, heart in his throat, face as impassive as ever.

The Traveler stood, Paimon hovering ever by his side, and waved lightly. He looked pleased, happy to be back after some time away, and happier to have a friend along. 

He had no idea that he brought with him reality altering news. For beside him stood Barbatos. Clothed as he preferred to be in the fluttering green outfit of a bard.

His old friend—his dead—no, not dead friend was giving him a look Zhongli had rarely seen, one of concern and uncertainty. 

The careful neutral look on Morax’s face shattered. 

“Barbatos?” The question was a breath, but one carried to his dearest friend’s ears on his winds. 

Before he even allowed Barbatos to answer, Morax was closing the distance between them with a few long strides. All his careful composure felt long gone behind one desire: the need to know that the figure before him was real. Solid. Alive. 

He lifted the bard who never weighed more than a dandelion seed and always smelled of them and swept him into a tight embrace. That fresh scent felt more real even than his weight or the warmth of his breath as he yelped in surprise. 

“Mo-Zhongli is this really necessary?” For one who was never embarrassed Barbatos sounded absolutely flustered. 

Still his arms looped around Morax’s neck to return the embrace. 

Yes. Morax thought. 

“Yes.” He said, firm as stone, face buried in the bard’s neck, “Yes.”

After a moment both too long to be had in public, but not nearly long enough to release Morax’s grief of five hundred years, he let Barbatos flutter back to the ground. 

The bard had the gall to look pleased as punch. Hands clasped behind his back he rocked on his heels, “I see you missed me.” 

The self satisfied look faded for a moment as he added, “I missed you too.”

“I’m glad the reunion seems to be going well!” Paimon said, most likely to Aether alone but it seemed to color Venti’s cheeks. 

In that moment Morax’s brain caught up with his emotions and he cleared his throat. 

“Barba—”

“Venti!” His friend chirped, a little too fast, “Three time winner of best bard in Mondstadt! If you’d ever cared to ask.”

“Venti.” Morax corrected. 

The first time he’d heard the name Venti —then one time winner of his inane best bard role— had been when the bard had snuck into Liyue to get a lay of the land and attempt to figure out just what kind of archon Morax was. The disguise had been even worse then than now. His eyes and even freckles had been glowing with newly gained power running through his veins, and he’d been far more obnoxiously flamboyant then.  

The archon in disguise had been reported to Morax mere moments after he’d set foot in the city proper, his excitement overflowing through bursts of wind racing through stalls and Liyue’s trees rustling the way they only did when a storm blew through. 

And what a storm his dear friend turned out to be. 

“Just where have you been?” He asked, tone careful. They were in the middle of the city after all. And he had displayed a very out of character burst of emotion. 

“That is quite the tale. Why don’t we discuss it over some wine? I’ve brought a lovely vintage from Mondstadt.”

~

Venti settled into the chair offered to him at Xinyue Kiosk and glanced around the room. It was private, and probably the best place they could speak on delicate subjects while still being out in public. Though, Venti guessed few people would actually care let alone really get the full context of their conversation. Especially in a private dining room of a restaurant. 

Paimon had initially suggested an outdoor restaurant she and apparently Zhongli favored, but the Geo Archon had insisted on this more upscale restaurant. Paimon had been easily been convinced by the simple promise of food of a higher quality. The traveler seemed deep in thought, and less engaged that he’d been prior to their meeting with Zhongli. 

And who could blame him? The old Blockhead had practically yelled “look everyone the Geo Archon is here and surprised” when he’d seen Venti. He was no longer Zhongli, but Morax himself standing there. Even his eyes had glowed momentarily. 

It was unlike him to be so flagrant with his display of his powers, and even with the fake Geo Vision on his person —a gift from Venti himself long ago— he’d pushed past simply appearing graced by the gods and into something different. Thankfully Liyue was a land filled with Adepti as well as its archon, and the people were not unfamiliar with some degree of infrequent oddness. 

Still. Venti had been shocked to see his friend act in such a way. He had been worried Morax would be upset by his appearance. Angered that Venti had stayed away so long and even pouty he’d been forced to wait for a reunion. 

Not that the delay had been under Venti’s control. There were some wounds that nothing but time could heal. 

Only once the food was laid out and the staff out of the room did Morax speak. 

“I’ll ask again, where have you been, Barbatos?”

The question was as controlled as it had been last time, yet now it carried an undercurrent of tempered fury. As if in the short time between their reunion and now he’d had time to remember a particularly terrible slight on Venti’s part. 

It confused Venti further, what had he done to cause such a maelstrom of emotion in the usually unmoving Morax?

“I was asleep.” He said, testing the waters. 

The floor beneath his feet rumbled. 

“You were asleep?” 

Venti knew this feeling well. It was the silence a moment before the skies broke open and rained torrents upon the land. Before thunder split the horizon in two and wind whipped up a gale that could lift a building if it wished to. 

He knew it well. But had never felt it from his oldest friend before. 

“Morax—” He started. 

“You. Were. Asleep.” Boulders could have crashed against Venti’s chest for all the weight of each word that hit him. 

“Zhongli—” Aether interjected. 

Venti shook his head. This was something they would need to work out between the two of them. They probably should have left the others out of the meeting, but both Barbatos and Morax had been striving for some sense of normalcy. Trying to prove they were not two forces set on a collision course. 

His old friend stood, “You were away for five hundred years with no word because you needed a nap? ”

Barbatos rose to his feet as well, “It’s not like I had any say in it.” He shot back, “Or would you rather I died?” 

“I did think you died!” 

Oh. 

Venti blinked at him, “She didn’t tell you then?”

He scowled, of course she hadn’t. Her last revenge on him, even after saving him. How vindictive of her. Not that he blamed her. None of them could bear another loss, but to be kind enough to let his friends know the truth? She didn’t have enough kindness left in her heart for such small mercies. 

“Morax, I apologize. Had I known you weren’t aware of my status you would have been my first stop, even before dealing with Mondstadt.” 

He laid his hand over his heart, a promise. For added measure he sent a whisper of wind to weave its way to his friend and kiss him with warmth. 

The Venti of a thousand years ago would have paid all the dandelion wine in Mondstadt to see Morax shocked twice in as many hours, but now he just felt upset. 

His old friend fell back into his seat, face buried in his palms.

“Explain.” It was muffled but relieved. 

Venti was lighter into his chair, “You know as well as I do what happened.”

A frustrated glare met his earnest gaze but Morax also took note of the Traveler and his companion. He sighed. 

“I do.” 

And that was that. At least for the time being.

They slipped into lighter conversation, Venti easing them past the awkwardness of two old friends almost coming to blows by tucking into the food and reminding Paimon that everything was getting cold. 

They sipped tea and osmanthus wine and gradually the tension eased out of the room. Both were convinced that Aether and Paimon were at least modified by their peace. And comforted in the fact that they wouldn’t be mediating a battle between Archons over dinner. 

It was later that night that Venti found Zhongli. When the moon had crept high into the sky, and the stars were twinkling above them. His old friend was seated comfortably atop one of the cliffs facing the city. Far enough away that they wouldn’t be interrupted, but so close the bustling nature of the city, even late into the evening, was easily visible. 

“I know you prefer osmanthus, but I thought we could share a taste of Mondstadt.” Venti said, settling beside Zhongli, “I had planned to bring it out at dinner, but now seems like a much better time.” 

He proffered the bottle at Zhongli, who took it, shifting his gaze down to the bottle. While his friend examined it, Venit retrieved two small cups, settling them between the two of them, “When Aether told me your story, I had thought we could celebrate.” 

Venti kicked his legs out, over the edge. The soles of his shoes scraped against stone, but he didn’t mind. Grass bent under his palms as he leaned back, enjoying the gentle breeze spinning it’s way down to the harbor. 

“You get to celebrate two things today, I guess.” Venti continued, shooting Zhongli a playful smile, “A life spent incognito, and free from responsibilities. And the return of an old friend.”

He let a beat pass before adding, “Even if said friend should be chided for neglecting him.” 

The second apology rested between them for a long moment before Zhongli sighed, and uncorked the bottle. 

“Tell me what happened, and I will decide how severe your reprimand should be.” he poured out wine into both cups, before settling the bottle between them. 

Venti lifted his own, the fragrance of dandelion wafting up to him, “You are aware that a dragon named Durin attacked Mondstadt during the battle at Khaenri’ah, right?” 

Zhongli hummed an acknowledgment. 

“The fight went about as well as you could expect a fight between two dragons and the wind could.” Venti tapped a finger against the side of his cup, listening to the melodic sound of nail against china, “We won, but both Davalin and I needed much rest after. He’d been poisoned by Durin’s blood, and I by the abyss running through the creature’s veins.” 

The memory of that event, of his attempt to save Durin flashed back in Venti’s mind. His chest stung, a ghost of pain running through it. 

His next words were so quiet he wasn’t sure Zhongli would hear them, but he couldn’t get his voice to raise above a whisper, “I almost died.”  

“I would have too.” he swallowed, finding more strength in moving past the worst of it, “But the Tsaritsa found me.” he laughed, hollow and cracked, “I have no idea why she was even there. Probably followed me to tear into me one more time about how–” his voice broke again. 

He missed her. Missed the woman she’d been before Khaenri’ah had ruined so many lives. Missed their friendship. 

But there were some wounds even time couldn’t seem to heal. 

“She got me off the mountain. I don’t remember much beyond her face, and the ghost of frost as she left, but I know it’s because of her I found myself back at Windrise.” 

“She did not tell me any of that.” Zhongli confirmed, “Though I saw her briefly after the fighting faded.” 

“To be honest?” Venti ventured, “I don’t think anyone thought I’d be down as long as I was. I certainly didn’t.” 

He sipped at his wine at last, swallowing down bitter shame at his own weakness. Five hundred years to recover was far too long. It was irresponsible. Unreasonable to leave Mondstadt for so long. 

Zhongli sighed, “I am afraid I cannot reprimand you at all then. Seeing as you’ve so neatly done it to yourself.” 

He refilled both their glasses, “A celebration then. To new life, and lives once thought lost.” 

Venti glanced up at his old friend, cup balanced in his palm, “I am sorry.” he said again. 

“Do stop apologizing.” Zhongi sighed, “I would have known sooner if I’d bothered to look.”

A smile played on Venti’s lips, “Ah but when would you have had time, between setting up an elaborate death and changing your identity? I must say, I am quite honored you know, choosing to retire and live like a human as I do.”

Zhongli made an affronted noise, “If you are insinuating I copied you, then you are more a fool than I thought. You are well aware I’ve spent time as a human before.” 

Venti downed his cup, reaching again for the bottle, “Not in hundreds of years, and never well.” 

“And you would know being gone for said hundreds of years.”

He waved the accusation off, “Thousands of years of friendship between us say I’m the expert. No you spent the last five hundred happily ruling over Liyue without even an attempt at blending in. I’m sure you’ll need someone to show you the ropes for a while.”

“No.” 

“And as I am most experienced pretending to be human, I am your best shot fitting in.” he kicked his feet again.

“I am already quite settled as Zhongli.” he argued.

Venti went on, completely ignoring his friend’s protests, “Yes, I think I’ll stay in Liyue a while. You will be hopeless without me, and Lantern Rite is almost upon us again. It is ever so important to have a good friend by your side when starting a new journey.”

Now he spared a glance at his friend. Zhongli held his eyes for a moment, split between rumbling anger and amusement. With a laugh he settled on humoring Venti. 

“I would be happy to catch up with you for a while.” He said, “It is always good to start a new journey with a friend by your side.”

[sincerelyaudri]

— FRIENDS

bambi ( @pixieshallowed ) — oh bambam! i love her! i always go to her bakery on my way home from pilates class, she makes the best custard pies! and her donuts are to die for! you have to let me take you there sometime. she’s just a soft and nice as her pastries are!

dori ( @xoxodori ) — oh me and dori go waaayyy back. we’re good friends, even though we might fight sometimes. i think of her like a little sister! just…do me a favor? yeah, don’t leave your dogs unattended around her…yeah, long story. don’t ask.

eliza ( @elizahoney ) — sweetest soul on planet earth! as patient as a saint considering the job she has. i’m supposed to make her some cookies..i should stop by eventually..

isla ( @twislajade ) — ume’s handler. she’s the one you can expect to be around on the rare occasion that guy has too much moonshine and can’t find his phone. selfless and sweet. feel free to say hi!

lily ( @luvlils ) — i know i say everyone’s sweet but listen. everyone is! lil reminds me of strawberry filled donuts. you ever had one of those? they’re lovely. that’s lils. just lovely.

chika ( @holychika ) — terrifying. i avoid him like the plague. the way he looks at people is unnerving. some people are into it but…i usually go through his publicist if i have to speak to him. much better experience.

hajime ( @twumemiya ) — umeme! i love him! he’s sick at air hockey, i’m due a rematch with him actually. if you’re looking for a good friend i’d say shoot your shot with him!

hayato ( @hsuos ) — …i just don’t know anything about him, you know? it’s nuts! i gotta figure out something…starting with what’s the story behind that stupid eyepatch.

jo ( @fromtogame ) — oh jo? he’s nice…ah, you think he’s cute too, huh? yeah, he is. shoot your shot! the guy needs to get out more and i think you might strike gold with him. me? nah, not my type. we’re pretty good friends though. he comes to the studio sometimes!

kanon ( @kanonb ) — huh? who? banjo? who’s banj— you mean kanon? ugh. pass. what? he’s a dickhead! egotistical asshole who thinks he’s some big shot just because he can play guitar. and he’s hot or whatever. listen, stay away from that guy. he’s bad news.

kyotaro ( @sugiiis ) — kyota? ...u-uhm, well, h-he's, uh..s-stop looking at me like that. he's a friend! he's, a really good friend of mine. that's, uh, it. i swear. i promise. you- what? scared? no! no no, absolutely not. he really is a friend of mine! i know he looks scary but he's not. couldn't hurt a fly! hehe...huh? fights a lot? ...okay, well maybe he can hurt a fly..

mitsuki ( @kiryucutie ) — mitsuki? u-uhm, well…he’s cute. he’s so…cute..huh? no i’m not daydreaming again! neither am i blushing! e-even if i was, you wouldn’t be able to tell either! ugh, just shut up! moving on!

rindou ( @thebetterhaitani ) - he’s not so bad! he’s a little…intimidating, yes, but he’s a good guy once you get to know him. plus…he’s really pretty to look at. if i’m honest? it’s hard not to be a little shy around him. you feel it too? yeah…the feeling’s hard to shake. he’s gorgeous.

seishu ( @seishuinc ) — he’s pretty, sure, but he gets on my nerves. 🙄 could do with a little bit of humbling…or shoving something in his mouth. like a tongue. or a foot. no i don’t like him, what are you talking abo— ..my cheeks? shut up! shut up!!

takashi ( @saintsuya ) — what a gorgeous man…huh? what? daydreaming? no! a-anyway, he’s swell! super easy to talk to and super sweet too. you should say hi! …blushing? i’m not— are you gonna keep pointing that out? ugh, moving on!

toma ( @renegadetoma ) — toma! he’s such a sweetie pie. he acts like such a grandpa sometimes, i love it. i call him peepaw. gets under his skin though and unless you want his ulcers to flare, my advice is to not do that. he’s got such a delicate tummy. i’ve been trying to get him on a vegan diet, it might help his stomach. speaking of, i’ve gotta drop off some bbq jackfruit sometime today..

yamato ( @endoffcl ) — oh boy. i’d say to stay away but no one ever listens to me…so instead i’ll say good luck. you’re gonna need it.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Animal House (1978)

National Lampoon’s Animal House is an important movie. You can see its influence in the many raunchy and gross-out comedies that attempted to ride on its coattails after its release. Countless films have either imitated its style or attempted to one-up its hijinks. It’s unapologetically vulgar and crass, memorable and often hilarious. It’s also horribly dated - we’re talking Breakfast at Tiffany’s dated - which makes it hard to recommend unless you’re from a certain era, or watching it for academic reasons.

In 1962, Faber College’s Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon) is fed up with the Delta Tau Chi "Animal House" Fraternity. It isn’t hard to see why. Its members are nothing but hard-partying, womanizing delinquents with low grade point averages and a knack for disobedience - unlike the prestigious, snooty, elitist Omega Theta Pi house, who hate them just as much as the Dean does.

Animal House doesn't have much of a plot. For 109 minutes, we follow various members of the fraternity as they go wild. New pledges Larry Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent Dorfman (Stephen Furst), the legendary John "Bluto" Blutarsky, motorcyclist/mechanic Daniel Simpson "D-Day" Day (Bruce McGill), chapter president Robert Hoover (James Widdoes), ladies’ man Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson), and the only one with a steady girlfriend, Donald "Boon" Schoenstein (Peter Riegert) all go on the kind of adventures that you can’t believe someone committed to film in 1978. It’s essentially a series of sketches, many of which you see once and never forget. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I just need to say “the horse” and you start to crack up.

While the film doesn’t contain the kind of rampant misogyny many of its imitators attempted to mine for comedy (such as Porky’s)… it’s still got a problematic attitude towards women. If it were just one scene of Bluto peeking through a window to see ladies changing, it might be ok. The college students we see are all parading in their underwear while having a pillow fight, which is so outlandish it's funny. The problem is how many moments of this nature we see. Animal House has a scene in which a character has to seriously consider why having sex with an unconscious woman is a bad idea. It’s one rape joke too many but then there's another not too far away. Yikes.

I can’t blame anyone who gets offended at the homophobic jokes - all I can say is that’s just the way things were back then - or the racist jokes - times were different but things have changed, I swear. Even if you overlook them, the picture’s general attitude just doesn’t sit well today. You might not like the snobs in Omega Theta Pi but at least they’re good students. Animal House is filled with cheaters who take nothing seriously and then complain when the administration holds them accountable. Maybe fraternities mean a different thing in the United States than they do in Canada, or they were a bigger deal back in the day but it's hard to figure out why you should like the hooligans from Animal House at the end of the day.

If you’re curious and undeterred by the dated humor, there are plenty of funny gags and several of them produce big laughs. I just don’t know who this movie is for anymore. You’d have a difficult time looking at your female friends in the face after watching this film with them. With your kids? They’d be appalled. Even among your buddies, I suspect you’d find a larger-than-expected number of them who’d go “Hey man, this isn’t cool”. I'm glad I saw Animal House. Now that I have, I understand why the film was as influential as it was but I doubt I'll feel the need to revisit it. This makes me unsure if I recommend it or not. I suppose I do, if you know what you're getting into, at least so you can "get it" too. (On Blu-ray, July 23, 2021)

[asahicore]

sorry this is a rather small than my usual ones. work has drained me too much (atleast im gettting that bag)

the way you described in the first paragraphs make him sound a like a psych major

sorry BUT HEE SOUNDS LIKE A CUTE LOSER RIGHT NOW (in a good way ??)

Sigma Sigma Pi Made me laugh sm.

Even though he hadn’t seen you in months, you were still on his mind all the time. To say he missed you would be an understatement, and it was a weird feeling, considering you were barely friends. But he missed taking the bus with you and hearing you laugh, even if it was at him, even when you were teasing him. He missed getting a glimpse of you in the hallways or seeing your shoes at the entrance of his house when he came home from school. He daydreamed about those hours you had spent together working on a puzzle together more often than he’d like to admit.

hes so me frr i even acted like that over my crush ( i miss seeing them in the school hallway and going home together <\3)

its so CUTE AND THIS BEING IN HEESEUNGS POV IS SO AHAHSBISJSKS CUTE AHHH IM SO EXCITED LIKE ITS MY FRIEND HITTING ON THE CRUSH. FRR

Since that fateful party, you’ve unconsciously started seeing your life as pre-Heeseung incident and post-Heeseung incident. 

vERY REAL 🗣🗣🗣🗣

tmi ; now i read this while i go shopping for some stuff. and tey to keep my cool update there's police there?? a ROBBERY??? im ok and good. moving on...

“What’s serious is this crush you’ve been harboring on him all these years, and that now that something has finally happened and you might be going somewhere with him, you’re running the other way.”

me 🤝 yn

running away from our problems fr

Your friend’s doubt only makes you feel even worse, and you drop your head into your palms with a groan. “I hate everything about this.”

omg yes also no ?? i feel like im on both sides for this trope. On fiction yes its 💯💯 but irl its ?? really IDK DEPENDS ON THE PERSON. one of my old friend dated our frienfs brother they didn't really end on good terms (friend A and the brother) so it got awkward at one point for her. Since we usually to friends B s house mostly. idk friend B has told us pls don't date your friends older brother or just sibling in general. but i also lnow ithers who are in great relationships too. yeah OKAT OFF TOPIC BACK TO THIS

“So that’s it then! Let’s not think about any of the possible bad outcomes for now, and just focus on getting you and him together.”

EXACTLY FOCUS ON YOU BOTH YES.

“Girl! He somehow manages to make it even more obvious than you. Also, Jake told me that Heeseung told him that he likes you. Can’t get much more reassurance than that.”

we love idots (affectionate) in love

“Really. And you, I’ve noticed how you pay more attention when his name is mentioned. And you were always a bit cheerier on the days you came back from school after riding the bus with him. Don’t even get me started on the way you’ve been this summer. You couldn’t get more obvious. It screams ‘I can’t handle being around this man for more than a minute so I’ll just run away,’ and I mean that in a good way.”

shes so :(( 🥺🥺🥺 <\3 i love them too. love this friendship wtf im going cry over this too

“I’m not completely sure. Maybe because you and Heeseung were both such losers, I thought that even if I told you I knew, nothing would happen.” You scoff, slightly offended, but more because you know she’s right than anything. “And I don’t know, you two were just so cute with your crush on each other. I wanted to let you figure it out on your own, but now it’s taken so long and it’s right in your face but you’re still doing nothing about it, so I got fed up.”

me too man me too. they are bunch of losers sm in love. need a little push (to a private space they can talk it out)

Your favorite movie is on the list, and you can’t help but wonder whether it’s a coincidence or whether it’s something you’d talked about during high school and that he’d somehow remembered.

STOP THATS SO AHHH IM GOING TO CRYDVDIJSSB AHHH

“O-oh, hey, Y/N,”

my cute little loser (love him and literally rooting for him)

Neither of you says anything more, letting the silence do its job. You look back up at him as he sighs deeply, almost contentedly, it seems. He smiles at the glasses as if they told him the right thing to say. He looks at you, smiles wider, looks away, looks back, looks away again, scratches the back of his head. You watch the whole time, small giggles bubbling up your throat and out of your lips. 

fiNALLY FUXKING FINALLY WVERYONE CHEERED 🗣🗣💯💯😌😌

He’s taken a comfortable seat indeed - he’s shamelessly manspreading, thighs almost taking up the whole space as if inviting you to find your own seat there.

HAHAHAHAH YEAH HE WOULD

You mumble at him to scooch then sit down next to him, knees bent close to your chest so your legs don’t touch his too much, but that plan is quickly thrown out of the window when you feel his hand sneaking behind your back until it reaches your waist, settling there. Even with a layer of fabric between his hand and your skin, the contact sends a shiver down your spine, and you have to keep yourself from audibly gasping. Conscious of the drink in your hand, Heeseung pulls you gently towards him, making your bent knees fall to the side and rest on his thigh. So much for keeping your distance.

SCREMAIBG THROWING UP AHHH YESS FUCKING FINALLY YES. THANK YOU.

Feeling bolder, you squeeze Heeseung’s hand once then bring it to rest on your knee. You sense his gaze on your face once again, but you avoid it and keep your eyes fixated on the TV screen, unable to keep yourself from smiling even though one of the side characters is getting brutally murdered. Your smile only gets bigger when he squeezes your hand back.

they are so cute. Ill eat them.

“But I’m more scared of letting you go now that I finally have you,” you say to the ground.

yeS FUCKING YESS BABE YES.

stop ITS HAPPENIVG LET THAT SEXUAL TENSION OUT (in thatvmoment)

“You finally did it, man! I’m so proud of you,” he exclaims, and actually sounds really excited.

me too, I FEEL YOU HOON A PROUD MOM

the practice part HAHAHAH VERY REAL HAHAHAHA IM

“Okay, if you say so,” she says, not sounding fully convinced. “But, you know, if there was, I wouldn’t- I wouldn’t be mad. A little weirded out, maybe, but not mad.” She’s looking at you so intently as she says this that you think she must know, otherwise she wouldn’t be saying all this. It’s like she’s asking you to just tell her, but still, you can’t bring yourself to do it. As if you’ve dug your own grave and have to lie in it.

OMG. BRO PMG. DHE KNOWS SHE FUCKING KNOWS PLS TELL SHE KNOWS

All he knows about sex, he’s gathered from porn, conversations with his guy friends, and Yunjin’s “spicy” romance novels. He has enough critical thinking skills to know that none of these are a hundred percent reliable sources, but he figured that the novels would be the closest to what women actually like.

HAHAHAHA I LAUGHED 4TH WALL WHERE ME TOO HAHAHA. THIS IS SO FUNNY.

FUCK THEY ARE SO CUTE ILL JUST LOSE IT URGH AHHHH

“Heeseung? Y/N?”

no NO NO i mesn i saw it coming so....

“I have to talk to her,” you whisper as you wrench your wrist away from Heeseung’s hold. 

OH GOD WISHING YOU THE BEST

update; stop i just realized i never said i came back from shopping lmao

i think this became longer than i said at the beginning. Take a shot everytime I say real.

one and only 🍓anon 😌💪

strawb anon are u okay .. an armed robbery happening right next to you while you were reading my fic? 😭 congrats on getting ur bag though !! get lots of rest and dw about whether ur ask is long or not im happy receiving anything at all so ty for sending this <33

sigma sigma pi i have no idea what fraternities are actually called i just went with my imagination 😭

i miss having hs crushes sm omg !! and yeah the bfb trope irl is not ideal.. i dont think i'd mind one of my friends dating one of my brothers but if they break up it'd be so awkward 😭 but if they don't and they get like married or something then it'd be fun to have my friend become my sister-in-law ig lol

seeing u react to heeseung is fo funny lmaoo calling him a loser one second and then screaming about him the next 😭😭 im the same though... also the huge skip in the quotes ur commenting on is taking me out and yeah seeun x yn in shambles 😣 tysm for ur ask strawb !!!!!! hope u had a good time shopping