#cheezy movies

[johnnykillmore]

Biker B Movies: Masters of Menace

I want to start my own little column. Part movie review, part film history, and part stroll down memory lane. The “Chopper Opera” — a slang term for the straight-to-the-drive-in-movies that define the exploitation film genre — is probably my favorite sub-genre. While it is defined by hits like “The Wild One” and “Easy Rider,” there are literally hundreds of cheezy biker movies out there. Some are…

[starryluminary]

I’m fooling myself into believing Bowser jr.s gonna be in the second Mario movie living amongst the Yoshis a la Yoshis Island

Delusion is a very powerful thing

[schlock-luster-video]

On October 25, 2005, I Drink Your Blood was released on DVD by Cheezy Flicks.

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

Make Me Believe (Sen Inandir)

It was way too cheesy. 

Instead of publishing her cover, Sahra was way to focus to fall in love with the man she hated so much. 

Some good quotes:

“- Mais Sahra a toujours le don de gâcher les bons souvenirs.” (Deniz)

“- Je ne sais même pas pourquoi tu t’excuses, cette fois. Quand tu t’excuses, il m’arrive des ennuis. Alors ne me parle plus.” (Deniz)

“- Elle est imprévisible. Elle n’a pas changé. Elle a toujours agi comme si elle avait droit à tout.” (Deniz)

“- Son histoire mérite d’être racontée. (Ahu) - De toute façon, je n’ai plus rien à perdre.” (Sahra)

“- Arrête de jouer au mec triste, dévasté et mourant.” (Ulas)

[notsunnyowo]

Iᖴ YOᑌ ᑕᗩᑎ'T ᗷEᗩT TᕼEᗰ - ᒍOIᑎ 'Eᗰ

ᑭᗩᖇT 2

Part 1

Summary: After experiencing the thrill of being flustered for the first time - Satoru Gojo decides he needs to feel it again

Content: Fluff, Flirt! Gojo, Female! Reader (AFAB), Teen! Gojo x Teen! Reader (Reader is the same age as Gojo)

Word Count: 631

Satoru Gojo was on a mission.

Get the pretty new girl in his class to flirt back with him.

Ever since getting a taste of what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the flirting game, Satoru was hooked.

He desperately needed to feel the same emotions the new girl had somehow managed to stir within him.

And he was going to get what he wanted.

He always did.

And so- That's how his 'mission' started.

After that fateful day in your classroom, Satoru stepped up his game. He was a determined young fella. One that, when he set his mind to something, did everything in his power to obtain his goal.

Yet despite Satoru's persistence, you didn't seem to be doing what he was hoping for so desperately. That, however, didn't necessarily mean that his actions weren't getting to you. You hadn't even realized it when you started to actually enjoy his flirting attempts.

"Oh? What's this?" Satoru chirped, large frame shifting as he looked down at you. "You, giving me the time of day?" He grinned. Earlier that day, Satoru had come to you with another cheezy pick-up line and you'd actually giggled at it. To say that the young sorcerer was ecstatic would be an understatement. He was on cloud nine. "What's changed?" He cooed, tone dropping an octave as he continued. "Finally admit I'm hot as hell?~" Looking back at him, you tried to hold your serious expression, you really did, but there was something about the way Satoru had you practically pinned against the wall made your expression falter. You could feel the rosy blush slowly climbing up your neck, threatening to tint your checks with its vibrant rosy color. "You wish." Your reply was short, for you feared that if you were to continue speaking Gojo might notice the falter in your voice. You mentally scolded yourself for the way your heart thumped faster with each passing moment you spent so close to him. Letting out an amused chuckle Satoru teased. "You're such a bad liar, sweetcheeks." Gently raising a hand to grab your chin, forcing you to look straight up at him he continued. "You know I've been trying to date you for how long..? -Think it's been around six months." He said referring to somewhere in the beginning of the school year. "And yet, you're still givin' me the cold shoulder." God he was so close. Way too close. "What's a guy gotta do to get a date with you huh?" His words were so smooth, rolling off his tongue with practiced ease. You'd think they were some rehearsed lines for a romance movie. As your eyes met with his, you could feel the way your body reacted to him. The way goosebumps traveled across your torso to your arms, not to mention the way heat rushed to your cheeks. Fuck it. "That's what you want?" You asked, shooing his hand away from your face. "Fine then. You can take me out on a date this weekend." Did he hear that right? Did you really just agree to go out on a date with him? And that easily?? There it was again. That familiar warm feeling in his chest. Satoru looked back at you, his checks involuntarily turning a soft shade of pink. If you only knew the things you did to him. "Pick you up at seven, sweetcheeks." Quickly composing himself the young man took a step back from you. And with that he left, mostly because Satoru wasn't sure how much longer he could hold his excitement in him and not let it show. Meanwhile you were left there staring at his retreating form, with an amused smile on your lips. "Let's see what you've got, Satoru Gojo."

Author Note:

Wrote this while I was supposed to be sleeping so it might not be the best-

Regardless I hope you had fun reading! :)

[satoruhour]

OK but gojo would overuse cheezy lines because it makes reader laugh and roll her eyes, I can see him being so cheesy it hurts

a/n: DARLA U R FEEDING THE INSANITY I HAVE IN REGARDS TO GOJO !!!!!! this is so cutee ty for requesting !!!

yes very correct!!! he likes to find jokes in EVERYTHING i swear he’s so smart relating them to mochi or farts

“did you fart? cause you blew me away.” like…. that is not a romantic pick up line gojo…

hes not ashamed to say how he picked you up with a joke back in high school and all you did was roll your eyes (because he is was pretty annoying to you back then) and walk away

he had even bought your favourite drink to confess but all you did was roll your eyes and walk off… immediately flipping open your phone to text utahime and shoko in a group chat of the three of you

poor dude 😭😭

but you started to fall for him — you’re not too sure how and when, but you’re actually the one who used a lame pick up line to start the rs and not him!!

you were tempted to use his but you thought of something you knew he’d like and you’re almost mumbling it (gojo hears it the first time, like doesn’t he have six eyes? not six ears? smh)

he asks u to repeat it (“i like you very mochi…”) and he’s soooo annoying about it but ceases your misery with a big hug

continues to use it throughout your relationship - has SO many from the top of his head it’s quite a feat ngl

a little more into your relationship he teases you about love @ first sight — “do you believe in it? or should i walk past again?”

you almost slap him with your drink

when you’re going shopping for new clothes for megumi and tsumiki he points to his shirt

“know what this is made of?”

you deadpan, “what.” and the giggles are almost so difficult to hold back on gojo’s end.

“it’s boyfriend material.”

“satoru. you ARE my boyfriend.”

HES SO GOOFY I SWEARRR and he screams excitedly and does jazz hands and says “really?” with a cute, fairly punchable face 😭😭

that was the first time it really sunk in gojo was ur bf cause u bagged the strongest sorcerer? insanity. it made you smile a little, you cant lie

another time you’re teaching history to megumi as part as one of his middle school classes, and gojo shouts from the kitchen

“im studying to become a historian.”

and you almost spit out your drink cause what the fuck was he saying??? wasn’t he 25 and a super popular sorcerer

megumi says “oh no” and you think you know what’s coming. gojo finishes it

“i’m especially interested in finding a date.”

“oh COME ON.” and megumi leaves PLEASEKRNF hes so funny, “come teach me when you two stop flirting” 💀

safe to say megumi failed his history test

he plants these little things a lot, that soon you get accustomed to it or even answer it for him and he’s like whining

“you’re so sweet, baby,” and you know there’s a catch to everything he says

“yeah cause i give you a toothache, right”

“BABEEEEE ….” he attempts to give you the silent treatment for one hour. he lasts five minutes

you think it has something to do with age, maybe, cause the longer you’re with gojo the longer you find yourself liking the stupid lame pick-up lines he uses

like sure rolling eyes and giving him the finger is fun but they make your heart flutter at times and you find that you can’t stifle a smile that well around gojo anymore lolol

one day gojo broke the door off the hinges, honestly you dont know how either, so you head to IKEA

“your eyes are like IKEA, i could get lost in them for hours.” and you’re shoving him with a loud laugh, not really rolling your eyes.

he bombards you with lines as you act as suburban couples in the showrooms, he says something about meatballs and then you two really get lost

shrek movie night: “call me shrek cause i’m head ogre heels are you”

and you’re sputtering pizza all over the living room as you laugh, giving your own line that has you two forgetting about the movie. megumi rolls his eyes and smiles when he sees you two having fun :)

gojo likes your laugh, he likes to make u laugh, and he has a thousand and one more pick up lines to use on you

that night he uses “you’re so beautiful you made me forget my pick up line” and you gush, pushing him away with a shy smile and everything. he kisses you and whispers “i mean it.”

just know you’re fated to this stupid goofy man and his stupid pick up lines for the rest of your life <3

[dragonzfanfics11]

Request - Sbg characters x reader where the reader confesses their love by handing them a love note and running away because they were to embarrassed to tell them directly

I've been so busy lol 😭 anyways I'm not dead here's something small for yall, ps this does not mean my requests are open but I hope I can return soon!!!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

《Ashlen》

Is so confused at first

Dosent know what to think when you handed her the letter and ran away

After reading it she kinda understood what was going on and takes like a day or two to just prosses

Trys her best to talk to you but she's a bit awkward about it

I mean she hasn't had friends most of her life so I can js imagine how hard it would be to figure out her feelings lol

(Js a headcanon though I could be wrong)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

《Aiden》

Js kinda stands there like "what 😃🧍‍♂️"

Watchs as you run off after handing him the paper before opening it

I feel like this maniac would laugh a bit to himself at the situation/what happened idk

Comes to find you almost immediately to talk to you

Probably gets so clingy after

Never stops teasing you about it when yall get into a relationship

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

《Ben》

Also js kinda stands there confused when you hand him the letter and runs off

Generally dosent know wht to think at first

After he reads the letter it takes him so long to gain the courage to go talk to you and confess himself

Aiden definitely pushes him into actually going to talk to you

Probably so blushy and nervous when he confesses back to you

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

《Tyler》

Is probably kinda used to people giving him love letters and running off but wasn't expecting it from you of all people

Is kinda scared to go talk to you but refuses to show it

Taylor definitely helps him confess back to you even if he dosent want her help

She probably set something up we're you guys "ran into each other" in someplace that she told you both to go to separately like in cheezy romance movies

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

《Taylor》

Also probably used to getting love letters but a bit less then tyler does

Probably gets so exited when she gets the love letter from you

Probably jumps in place or something like that 😭

Either comes to find you immediately or plans some cute thing for you

If she plans something it's probably like getting you flowers or one small gift

Keeps the letter you gave her in her room

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

《Logen》

So confused at furst cuz he's never got a love letter from somone

His face probably gets so red when he reads the letter and realize it's a love confession from you

Takes him a couple days trying to think of how to talk to you

Probably asks taylor for help cuz he has no idea what to do

Probably stutters the entire time talking to you with such a red face

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I hope you liked it!! I personally love logen and Taylor's there js cute 😭

[flashfuckingflesh]

Congratulations! You Won an All-Inclusive EVIL Trip to "Terror at Red Wolf Inn" reviewed! (Cheezy Movies / DVD)

Come for the Dinner, Stay to be Eaten at the Red Wolf Inn on a Cheezy Movies’ DVD! When riffling through her mail, Regina McKee opens a letter informing her she has won a marvelous prize, an all-expenses paid vacation at the quaint resort of Red Wolf Inn.  The young college student is escorted on a charter plane to a quiet town where the historic 1891 resort house resides and to greet her re…

[technologyvoid]

Guys I'm so normal about the fnaf movie

THAT WAS SO

[slut-for-sodo]

Random General Aether Headcanons

He's 6'6

He is a cat person

His quintessence manifests as a weak form of emotional sensing/manipulation and the ability to access one's mind

His favorite color is evening peace purple

He can't read

He's scared of the dark

and he sleeps with a little moon nightlight

Sodo makes fun of him for it

He's allergic to peanuts

He's also allergic to bees

Him and Omega work in the infirmary together after Aether leaves the band

His love language is gift giving

He likes finding things outside that remind him of his special person to give to them

He likes little walks around the surrounding area and picks out special places to bring said S/O

Also likes to stargaze

He likes to watch those cheezy hallmark movies during the holiday seasons

One year, when phantom was first summoned, aether took them trick or treating and they dressed up as bats together

He likes swimming in the lake with Rain

[spinnysocks]

TLG Outlanders Jumanji AU that i have suddenly become obsessed with :) buckle up

i'm mainly basing this off of the 2017 movie, with elements of the 2019 one too

wema, tunu, dogo and kijana are playing when they find a hidden cave, they go in and they find lots of weird paintings on the wall and the floor. ever the inquisitive one, dogo steps into a circle in the middle and they all get sucked into... Jumanji?? or maybe in the TLG universe it's called Mchezo

the adults look for them. the leaders (plus kenge and sumu) and the idiots (plus mwoga, nne, tano and neema) go in two groups to search since the kids were missing for a while. the leaders find the hidden cave first as sumu noticed it in his small size. they get sucked in, and eventually the idiots find it after them

they turn into human versions upon entering the world. yeah they're pretty freaked out lmao

the premise is that they go through trials to "prove" themselves, at the risk of their 3 lives, to get to the final task of saving the kiddos. i'm thinking each of them get a task focused on their skills but all of them are at the will of it, aka any of them could lose a life in any trial

i think the Strengths & Weaknesses bit would be funny. kiburi has no weaknesses, he says smth like "I'm too good to be weak 😏" and then 'Pride' pops up hfgdhdh. tamka's weakness would be cake because i think it'd be funny. nduli's is picking up cool rocks. i would say goigoi's would be sleeping but he'd lose all 3 in an instant. the list goes on

reirei is mad because she gets the boring map-reader job lol, despite that she saves everyone's asses so

i imagine sumu is like Milo, he gives them the information in a really deadpan tone lmao. it's like "... Oh no..." "Spit it out, will you?!" "... Mandrills. We should go" and he just continues spilling knowledge while they're running for their lives lmao

you know how in the second movie Bethany/Milo is a horse? yeah nne and tano are straight up just themselves- they're hyenas but realistic, like they didn't change 💀 they're just there doing hyena laughs and absolutely savaging people in the fights

the ostrich scene from the second movie would be funny. maybe the hyenas are the drivers 👀 NONE of them trust their lives with janja, chungu or cheezi but somefuckinghow.. they don't die

in a trial where the leaders are really trapped, guess who sneaks in and saves them? Ushari!!! that was actually all of their reactions as soon as he spoke and they knew it was him. shupavu hugs him on impulse and then gets awkward about it lol, they're happy to see him

ushari explains how he didn't actually die when scar was destroyed but he escaped the volcano and happened across the hidden cave. he's been trapped ever since and obviously presumed dead. he's been stuck with 1 life because he needed the others to complete the rest of the trials :(

there's a dance fight where kiburi has to defeat the guards without being all guns blazing about it. literally the same as the scene with Martha. it's so funny at first bc he doesn't know what the fuck to do - i hc him as demi, he can't flirt with someone he doesn't know😭 - but when a song (prolly rap?) starts playing he beats their asses easy

little did they know the exact same thing was happening on the opposite side of the building, just with the idiots. tamka, nduli and neema also get their cool moment of beating people up, dance fight style! it's mainly tamka because he actually DOES have a strength in acting :)

the leaders and the idiots enter the building at the same time and it's an "Oh Shit!" spiderman pointing meme moment lmao. from this point on they do the trials together

the vultures fly the helicopters. you can imagine how well that goes. it's just like in the movie where something immediately breaks 😭 i think it'd be cool if kenge was the one to fix the helicopter, giving him a hero moment! imagine it

"Kenge, you did it! :D"

"Guess I did"

"Um... Oops"

"What Janja?"

"I dropped the jewel 😶"

"YOU WHAT?!?!"

janja loses a life in that scene from the rhinos 😭 do i wanna traumatise mzingo that much? idk. i just feel like that is such a janja thing to happen. fridge's character is janja-coded lmfao

"YOU PUSHED ME OUT THE HELICOPTER! >:("

that scene where fridge pushes spencer off a cliff? yeah that obviously happens. i'm thinking reirei and janja squabbling. would be funny if janja pushes reirei off impulsively and he just stands there, in shock, waiting to get yelled at when she respawns 😭

there's one of those Step On The Right Pieces trials. kiburi is being all cocky, steps on the wrong one and loses a life- bro gets absolutely humbled lmao. i think the skinks would be good at that trial for some reason

some random trial ideas: a "sleeping lions" type trial for goigoi. a "follow (copy) the leader" trial for mzingo. a food temptation one for the idiots??

jasiri definitely has a trial where she helps someone or shows that the "bad guy" NPCs can be good or somethin. that's probably the last trial before the finale

at the last trial they all work together to save the kiddos! it's really wholesome at the end because they saved the kids, they actually achieved something, they worked together, AND they got ushari back! :)

bonus:

based on the second movie, i was considering a different version of this au where janja purposefully enters the game to prove himself and it's more of a lesson of how it's not just about his strength, but the strength of all of them

janja just thinks he ain't good enough, especially not being leader of his clan anymore, but it's through working together when the others come after him that he realises that ain't true. just an extra thought i had :)

might make a follow up post because i came up with this in an afternoon just for fun 😭

[vibratingskull]

Chekmate and Chaos

Part1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Tags : Reader is disabled, fluff, self-doubts, ptsd, cuddling, hurt-comfort, street fight, domestic, groceries, rescue, Thrawn is a caregiver at heart...

This is your last day together before the end of your leave. You have a present for Thrawn you hope he will like, but also some mundane tasks to take care off, like a married couple...

Thrawn x F!reader

You feel a tender caress on your hair, making you sigh, your cheek pressed against something really warm and pulsating rhythmically, sending vibrations through your skin. 

You yawn and blink. 

You are in your living room, sprawling on the couch in the arms of Thrawn. You remember the evening you spent in front of a movie, hugging each other, chuckling at the cheezy acting. You also remember you were too occupied kissing each other to care about the rest of the movie, him laying his entire body on yours, keeping you trapped under him. 

You thought it would have dissolved in a completely different situation, but he kept it to kissing, pressing you tight against himself, breathing in your scent, holding your cheek. You ended up both sleeping on the couch in each other arms. 

Your face is resting on Thrawn’s chest as he hugs you while caressing your hair. You tentatively look up to him.  

He stayed with you to embrace you and cradle you. 

He lowers his gaze to meet yours and smiles tenderly at you, his hand leaving your hair to graze your cheek with his back. 

“Good morning, Ch’acah.” He whispers like a sound too loud would make you implode. 

You smile faintly at him, hugging him tighter. 

“Hi, you.”  

You brush your cheek against his hand as a purr starts in response. The whole room smells like him, wrapping around you in a comforting embrace. You kiss his knuckles as his hand passes next to your lips. 

“Are you hungry?” He asks gently. 

“No.” You yawn. 

He tilts his head, this wasn’t the answer he expected. 

“Yes Terribly..” You try to save yourself. 

“Good try.” He retorts, “Come eat with me, please.” 

He kisses your forehead and stands up, holding your hand to guide you to your table. He lets you sit down while he rummages through your cupboards. You see him agitating himself, preparing the breakfast for the both of you.  

He seems to hesitate several times on how to proceed but intimates you sit back down each time you stand up to come help him 

‘’It is a simple recipe. I should be able to handle it.’’ He says resolutely. 

You sit back again and let him cook, silently brooding. 

Why is he cooking ? 

How long are you still going to fail him ? 

He finally turns back with avocado toast, with avocado properly mixed and toast not burnt. 

He lays a plate in front of you, two full toasts, lavishly garnished with ripe avocado. 

You are, clearly and irrepressably, not hungry enough for two full toasts. 

He sits beside you and wish you a good meal, you nod, your lips pressed in a thin line. 

You take one toast to nibble one corner and immediately regret it. He put lemon juice in the avocado and the acidic taste immediately upset you. 

You wince and put the toast back on the plate. 

Thrawn who is munching on his own piece silently observes you. He wipes the crumbs off his perfect blue lips with his thumb before taking your plate to dispose of it. 

“Thrawn...” You try before his mutism, “It’s not your fault, it’s me. Do not get angry, I just cant this morning.” 

“I am not angry in the slightest, Ch’acah.” He simply responds, back turned to you, doing... something. 

Imagine your surprise when he turns back and hands you a plate of white bread with chocolate spread, something he notoriously looks at with dissatisfaction. You open your eyes wide. 

“You hate when I eat that.” You say, incredulous. 

He sits down and takes his toast to bite into it. 

“If the only way I have to make sure you eat is serving you your favorite unhealthy food, it will do for now.” He simply responds. 

Him who’s always been a sticker to a healthy diet and manners of living... 

You take one slice and bite into it. Even the deliciously chocolaty treat isn’t enough to awaken your appetite. But you eat nonetheless not to alarm him. 

“We need to do groceries.” He announces. “We emptied the fridge yesterday.”  

“I’ll take care of it.” You say. 

“I’ll come with you.” 

You glance at him. 

“Why?” 

“The pantry is always full when I arrive, I never had to go grocery shopping in the area.” He explains. 

Of course the pantry is always full for his return: it’s your task! Make sure your man doesn’t starve to death. And a Grand Admiral as way more important things to do than groceries! 

‘But... I could get a glimpse of his tastes.’ the thought crosses your mind. 

“All right, I know a little market. We should find everything here.”  

“Good.”  

You observe Thrawn opening a pillbox to swallow protein and vitamin capsules. Your heart sinks. Since your... ‘incident’ you stopped buying meat altogether and Thrawn modifies his diet when he is at the apartment with you. 

You’re depriving him of vital nutrients for his athletic lifestyle... 

You gulp down your bite with difficulty, feeling guilty. 

He notices you fixing him and tilts his head as he swallow the capsules down. 

“A problem?” He asks 

“No... Not at all...” You lower your gaze on your slice of bread. 

You finish your plate completely to prove your point even if the knots in your stomach complain heavily and shoot him a smile. 

He slowly nods approvingly taking a fruit to bite into. You cross your arms on the table, observing his pearly white teeth biting into the juicy flesh, how his blue lips wrap around the plump of the fruit, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallows another bite. Thrawn lazily scrolls on his datapad, discovering today’s news, and keeping himself informed. You feel your lips stretch into a smile as you admire your boyfriend in the daylight through the window, the sunrays gently caressing his deep blue skin, the shades varying whether in light or in shadow, enhancing his cheekbones and forehead ridges. 

You see his brows frown slightly every time he reads political news, trying really hard to understand all the ins and outs of what he is reading, but you know he fails. At the fifth time, you take pity on him and invite him to give you the pad to give him a little rundown of the politics. 

You’re scrolling through the different news articles when an article catches your attention, stopping you in your tracks. You read the title carefully before it the article in its entirety to be absolutely certain. 

But there is no doubts possible. 

“The senate intends to harden the conditions for marriage between humans and aliens.” You announce with an empty voice. 

So many new laws of this order have been put in place lately, preventing the adoption of human children by alien couples, separating humans and aliens in school, etc... 

You read and reread the title of the article, incredulous, your blood turning cold. 

What if... You can never marry Thrawn? 

What if this option just disappears? 

“Really?” He responds casually. 

You look up to him in surprise. 

He is focused on his avocado toast, seemingly unaffected by the news. Your mind flashes you the memory of him silently observing the storefront of a wedding shop with sparkling eyes. 

But today he... simply doesn’t care.  

You gulp and swallow down your doubts and questions, you’ve only been dating for almost over a year but lived together for less than four months total. 

Marriage may be premature for your couple yet! 

But still... 

You would have liked if he appeared displeased by the news... 

“Either way it talks about economics and stock exchange prices.” You finish, disheartened but with an assured voice. 

You keep your face neutral, hiding your worries deep inside you, away from his eyes as you scroll back to the top of the news site. Every article praises the decisions of the Senate and Emperor, saying how moral and great those choices are and how they will rectify the former decadent mores of the former Republic. You sip your caff in silence, focused on your reading before laying the pad, a weird strained feeling weighing you down. 

Thrawn pats his gorgeous lips with a napkin before turning to you and taking your hand lying on the table to squeeze it. 

“This is our final day together, cheo Ch’acah. Is there anything you want to do?” 

You purse your lips for a split second. 

“What I want to- Wait!” You jump on your feet and head to your bedroom, leaving Thrawn guessing in the kitchen. 

You kneel down on the floor to look under your bed, you extend your hand and search for something under the wooden frame until the tips of your fingers touch something. You grasp it and pull it off under the bed, it is dusty by now so you blow air on it and brush dust away as you return to the kitchen. 

Thrawn silently observes you coming back and handing him the wrapped package. He considers the rectangular package with polite curiosity before taking it in his hands and looking at you as you sit back, a silent question in his eyes. 

“I have no idea when your birthday is and I realized we didn’t have one yet in the apartment.” You explain with a small smile. 

His fingers brush the edges of the package, trying to guess what is under the gift wrap, his mind searching for clues in your demeanor.  

“This is very delicate of you. Thank you.” He simply says, thankful. 

After turning the package in every angle and weighing it up he finally decides to open it. You bite your lips, not losing a crumb of the spectacle as he takes out a new black velvety box. He turns it to discover his full name engraved in it with silvery accents. He squints, putting the box down to unlock the latches and open the lid. 

He blinks as he discovers a brand new Shah-tezh game with its ivory shiny demesne and pieces. 

“Tadaaaaaaam!” You chuckle, “I thought you would like to play it again!”  

He delicately takes one of the pieces to admire it closely, how well carved and shiny they are, all the minute details drawn in the ivory, all the attention given to the finishing touches of each piece. 

You devour him with your eyes, head resting on both of your hands, awaiting his reaction to your little surprise with great impatience. It’s been months since you hid this present, never finding the right time to give it to him! It cost you a little fortune to find this artisanal game and you really hope he likes it. 

He finally replaces the piece in the box with an amused expression. 

“This brings back memories.” Thrawn notes. 

“Good memories?” You playfully insist. 

“Of course. Very good memories.” He slowly nods in approval, “Thank you for your gift, it is a delicious idea.” 

“Do you want to play now?” 

He tilts his head. 

“Already?” 

“Why not? We have nothing to do outside of the groceries. For our last day together we could play all day long!” You propose. 

“Alright. I let you choose your color.” He indicates,. 

As you do the dishes Thrawn puts the game in place and serves you both another cup of caff. 

You sit down and start playing together like you used to in the Academy a decade ago... 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“I will never beat you.” You half-complain, half-joke. 

“This type of game fuels directly in my strong suits it will be quite hard for you; But you considerably improved your strategies during those ten years, you made really good progress.” Thrawn praises. 

You walk in the street, playing with the straps of the bags, making them swirl at your hand. The sun pains to shine on this floor, managing to brighten the alley only through holes in the permabeton and broken windows and you cannot resist the childish impulse to shoot in some trash laying around with your feet.  

Thrawn follows you closely, observing this new environment in silent... displease.  

You had to go down several floors of Coruscant to join the market you had in mind and while your own neighborhood isn’t what you would call rich or especially secure, you are at ease. You are confident in your capacity to protect yourself with your training but you feel Thrawn’s arm circling your shoulders when you pass a dark street where obvious spice traffics are taking place. Each inhabitant of this floor considers Thrawn regal allure with curiosity and... hunger. You chose an old cheap coat to not clash in the environment and wear a mute grey and dark colors but Thrawn natural elegance is hard to hide and he clearly appears as an outsider here. Everyone is grey here, features drawn and tired traits, and even aliens’ colors are muted in this environment, making Thrawn’s healthy and vibrant blue skin discords even more. You feel his hand squeezing your shoulder as you walk past a group of young adults sniffing... something white and powdery on a flat surface. 

“Do you come here often?” He investigates. 

“It’s the only market in the area where I can find products from my homeworld. So yeah, pretty much.” You explain. 

He just nods, not about to start an argument about the rights and wrongs of rummaging in such a neighborhood, he trusts you to be able to protect your own person. 

That doesn’t stop him from pulling you closer to him at each black look you receive from the local punks, someone even spits in your direction... 

”The atmoshere is much lighter inside the market, you’ll see.” you reassure him. 

The arches of the covered market are finally visible and you inadvertently accelerate. You want to show certain products of your homeworld to Thrawn and you hurry. But Thrawn holds you down and forces you to slow down, pressing your two bodies together. 

You’re about to ask him what’s up when you notice the group of men at the feet of the arches, laying against the walls with their cans of beer, their blades and bats at their belts shining in the artificial crude light of the floor. They are guarding the entry of the market like Cerberus guarding hell’s gate, checking out passersby, whistling at women who hurry away, and shoving people at random. 

As you approach the entry you readjust the straps of your bags on your shoulders and Thrawn keeps you real close, not letting you escape his protective grasp.  

“Bag and pockets!” One of them barks at you when you reach the arches. 

You sniff but open your bag for him to check. That’s not your first rodeo with them. 

“In good company today, sweet thing?” He laughs crudely. 

“Maybe, what’s it to you?” You retort. 

He sniffs with disdain, caressing his blade as a warning. You hold his gaze. 

“And your knight?” He finally turns to Thrawn who didn’t release you for a second. 

Thrawn takes out his identity card and shows it between two fingers. 

“This is the only thing I have in my pockets.” He announces. 

They look into each other eyes, gauging each other in silence. 

The cerberus snarls and spits on the ground. 

“Let them pass.” He says to his colleagues blocking the entry to you, “And no funny business, we patrol inside.” 

You flip him as you pass, Thrawn’s hand protectively around your shoulders. You enter the market, squinting at the sudden brightness, and discover a place full of life and products, buzzing with activity. 

“Who are they?” Thrawn asks as you walk away from the entry. 

“The local gang. They are a little on edge lately, they conflict with other groups.”  

You start walking among the aisles. True to your words, the market is way safer than the neighborhood where it is located with bright and clean aisles and fresh and diverse products, it may be just on the cheaper side. Families are here with children running around and you feel Thrawn’s grasp on your shoulder slowly loosening as he judges the place safe. 

Something catches your gaze and you immediately pull Thrawn to it,  

“Look at that! Sweets from my homeworld!” 

You take one immediately in your mouth, savoring the rush of sugar. Thrawn takes one, making it roll between his fingers, weighting it, raising it to his nose. 

“Those ones are citrus, but they come with a lot of different tastes.” You explain, sucking on the candy in your mouth. 

Thrawn considers the treat before putting it in his mouth. 

“They are called ‘bétises’, they were my favorite candies growing up.” 

“Of course they were your favorite with such a name.” He responds deadpan. 

You chuckle as he shakes his face with a tight exhausted smile. You take out your grocery list and head toward the vegetables. You choose some green onions, some Kebroot and hesitate between some Corellian eggplants and some Anoth eggplant. One is sweeter and more fondant while the other is more acidic. 

Thrawn helps you choose the freshest ones, manipulating the vegetables and sniffing them. 

You fill your bags with goodies until Thrawn takes it from you to carry them. 

You walk among the aisles, stopping here and there for free sampling of the products. You succumb to temptation and buy a big pot of honey from your home planet, drooling at the simple idea of diving a spoon into it to taste it.  

You reach the tubers section and you feel Thrawn slowing down. You stop to observe what he saw. 

“I remember those ones.” He says, “The Ascendancy bought a lot of tubers from merchants of the Chaos to feed its population.” He takes one in his large hand, weighing it carefully.  

The tuber, an orange vegetable ribbed of purple lines has a delicate fragrance. Thrawn takes one slice that is here for free sampling and nods. You take one in your mouth and almost break down crying. 

Your mouth immediately catches fire and you pant with your tongue out. You avidly take the small glass of blue milk the market gardener hands to you amused and you gulp it down with relief, welcoming the greasy liquid in your mouth to wash down any capsaisin. 

Thrawn eyeballs you with a tight grin. 

“Spicy, is it not?” 

You let out a huge gasp as your lips part from the milk glass. 

“Yes! Yes it is!” 

His gaze lowers down to the vegetable with fondness. 

“It reminds me of my childhood. I did not expect to find some of those products here.” 

You tilt your head, squinting. 

“Because you saw several produce from the Ascendancy?” 

“Three or four.” He places the vegetable down and takes a step signaling you can move on. 

You observe him dumbfounded. 

“And it didn’t cross your mind to tell me so we could buy them?” 

He consider you like it downed on him. 

“I... Would not know how to cook them if we bought them.” He explains. 

You roll your eyes with a sigh. 

“Give me ten!” You order the market gardener. 

You seize the full bag they hand you, take Thrawn’s hand in yours, and force him to retrace the entire way, asking him if these were the products or not. 

You’ll do this market 5 times if you must, but you’ll find all the Ascendancy products and cook him a good meal like back home! Or as close as you can get. 

He obediently follows behind you, letting you pull him in silence as you question him at each and every new product. 

FINALLY! You find the four in question and buy them under his careful burning gaze. 

“You did not have to.” He finally says as you rearrange your bags to make a place for the fresh bean paste of his homeworld, squatting in the middle of one aisle. 

You sniff at his reaction. 

“And why not?” You raise your gaze to him, “Don’t you like when I take care of you?” 

His lips stretch in a thin line for a split second as he seems to realize what this entire circus is about. 

“Thank you...” He eventually lets out past his lips. 

You slow down your movement in the bag, looking up at him. Is it so foreign to him? To be taken care of? 

You stand back on your feet and on your tiptoes to reach his cheek that you kiss tenderly. 

“I’ll cook you a good meal with all of that! You will guide me to achieve a Chiss-flavored recipe.” 

You hear the faintest of purr as he seems to lean into the kiss. 

“I propose you choose the spices and chilis and I’ll head over there to retrieve some legumes, and we will finish with some dairy, okay?” 

He stops in his tracks. 

“You want me to choose ingredients while knowing my record tracks in the kitchen?” He asks squinting. 

“Well... You did not poison yourself until now, so I guess i can trust you to choose some. And you use way more chilis than me, choose the ones you prefer and I’ll cook with them!” 

“How do you know I use more chilis than you?” He tilts his head. 

You give him an all-knowing lopsided grin. 

“First : that demonstration with the tuber 20 minutes ago, Second : I always catch you adding more cayenne pepper to your plate, and third: do you remember that lentil dish you cooked when I came to the apartment to help you with furniture? You did not bat an eye while I was sweating like a pig and crying my eyes out.” 

“You finished that dish.” He frowns. 

You grimace a bit. 

“I did not want to offend you...”  

He lower his shoulders, slightly defeated. 

“Why did you not say anything? I would have cooked something else lighter.” 

You raise your tip toes to kiss his cheek again. 

“It is in the past love. Now you will be able to add as much chili as you want to your plate.” 

He considers you but relinquishes and turns toward the chilis and spices stands with sparkling eyes despite his closed and stern expression. 

You smile at him and head toward the legumes section debating in your head if you should buy canned or fresh ones. You’ll take lentils for Thrawn if you only you could remember the variety he cooked that evening...Oh! You also need to pick some cheese, you noted how he devoured the cheese cubes during your movie night. 

You should ask your mother if there is any lentil recipe with chilis from your homeworld you could cook. 

You wince. She will just berate you and demand why you do not already know that at your age... You are fully focused on your peas when you feel a body press itself against your back, looming over you. 

“Hi, hot stuff. You are a cute one you know?” 

You cringe internally before turning towards the voice. As you expected around here, this isn’t just a frotteur but one of the gang members. 

“You could make some good money with a face like yours.” He keeps going. 

“Not interested.” You respond sharply, flicking his hand off your shoulder. 

There are a lot of touts in the area selling dreams to desperate people to lock them in their clubs and brothels. You saw a lot of young men and women following those kinds of pimps with hope in their eyes that it will allow them to make some quick bucks and escape the lower floors. 

Those fuckers even hunt among teens, barely 15 yet. 

You reach for a bag of fresh Corellian peas when you see two other shadows drawing themself over you. You let out a snarl, the pimp got companies. 

“Oh come on, a fresh fit body like you could make so much cash! If you follow us, we will show you how!” 

You don’t have your rifle with you, obviously, but you received Imperial training. Getting rid of three hoods shouldn’t be that difficult. 

As long as they remain only three... 

Your eyes lower to their blades and bats hanging at their hips. If you could snatch one up... 

“Thank you for this very generous offer, dear sirs. Alas, I must pursue my travel, for I am awaited you see?” You respond with an apathetic smile. 

They let out a chuckle. 

“Even better. Clients adore it when the girls have some personality. Keep your humor and you’ll be one of the most popular of the entire establishment.” One of them says, leaning forward, trapping you between him and the stall. 

Disgusting. 

But that is what you wanted. 

“Oh really?” You smile and let the click of the blade resonate as you press it at his throat. “I will still ask you to back down gentle sir.” 

He palps his hip only to realize you took his vibroblade. His nostril flares as anger lights up in his pupils. 

“You... sneaky little bitch!” He takes a step back, letting the rest of the group realize he got divested of his weapon. 

“Is that how you talk to a possible business partner?” You taunt. 

You catch the shadow of a movement on your left and have just the time to parry with the blade. The fourth pimps take a step back as his first assault failed. 

“You are not allowed to carry weapons inside, girly.” He indicates, his own baled raised in a practiced and obviously experienced manner. 

“I merely borrowed it from your colleague who got too close.” 

“I... sorry boss.” He pathetically aplogizes. 

The blade holder gaze’s slides toward his younger colleague with a sigh. 

“Drop that blade.” He orders. 

“Drop yours first.” You retort raising the knife. 

“It doesn’t work that way, cutie.” He takes a step forward cautiously. 

You are about to say something back when a hand grips your shoulder forcefully. Without even thinking, you grab the arm and throw your leg backward, making the assailant’s body roll over your shoulder and fall to the ground with a grunt of pain. 

Like in training! 

You just have the time to raise your gaze the gangster from whom you stole the blade throws himself at you. You spin to gather momentum and kick him in the plexus, completely forgetting you now have mechanical legs, and send him fleeing in the stand, broking it to pieces in the process. 

Uh oh… You think you felt his plexus break under your hit… 

You hear gasps and hurried steps as the passersby hurry away from the scene before that debacle. 

You’re back down to three assailants, but now they are fully pissed off ! They carefully place themself around you, staring at you stonily. One of them throws themself at you in a classic two-waves attack. You spin the blade in your hand and hit the side of their skull with the end of the vibroblade. They stagger to the side, clearly confused and in pain. 

You turn to see the two last ones when you receive a prodigious punch in the face, throwing you to the ground. You groan painfully, and cough hard, feeling something warm and liquid rolling on your skin where the pimp hit you. 

You touch it in disbelief, to discover your blood, dripping to the floor. 

This warm, liquidy sensation on your skin… 

You gag, flashbacks teleporting you back in the dark cave, strapped down that dirty mattress, and the bite of the saw in your tender flesh… 

You are in shock, unable to detach your gaze from the red liquid nor stop your shivering. You lose all awareness of your surroundings and completely forget about the assault, stuck in the cave. 

You do nit even hear the pimp talking to you. 

You shudder when a sudden gunshot rings in the market and a body falls near you. You turn your gaze towards the sound to discover Thrawn, gun aimed in your direction with a cold expression, his eyebrows frowned in displeasure. 

‘’Stop.’’ He sternly orders, ‘’This is enough.’’ 

“Wha-Who the FUCK let you enter with a gun?!” The leader demands. 

Thrawn immediately aims at him, his glare full of warnings and threat. 

“Your own colleagues. I am here to collect this young lady right here.” He announces, advancing in the aisles like in conquered territories, “As for you, hands high up in the air where I can see them.” 

You do not see what the leader decided to do, whatever it was Thrawn judged it worthy to be shot at. You shiver with the gunshot and the sound of the body hitting the floor. 

Did... Did he just... 

He turns to the last one that decides to lie down, his hands on his head. Thrawn closes the gap and collects all the weapons, cuffing the last pimp before rising to the sea of curious and worried customers. He raises his Grand Admiral insignia for all to see. 

“I am a Grand Admiral of the Empire, citizens. Everything is under control and if someone could be urbane enough to notify the police about this gang so they can collect them, it would be greatly appreciated.”  

One of the vendor behind the stall nods and heads to a stationary phone immediately. 

Thrawn turns to you and put a knee to the ground to comfort you. 

“Everything is okay, Ch’acah. Can you stand?” 

You nod weakly, still a bit shocked as he helps you stand up. 

“Are they...?”  

“Unconscious. My gun is adjusted on stun mod when I am on leave.” 

“Oh... okay.” You respond not knowing if that is comforting or not. 

“You are bleeding, my beloved.” He murmurs, caressing a strand of hair behind your ear tenderly, “Come with me, they must have a pharmacy somewhere.” He lowers to grab all the bags that he passes on one shoulders and supports you with his arms. 

While the police is being called he hands his debit card to the seller who’s stall you destroyed. 

“For the damages.” He simply says before their shocked expression. 

They take the cards like they saw a ghost and slides it down the machine before getting it back. 

Thrawn keeps his gun ostensibly visible and helps you walk through the aisle. 

“We will dress your wounds and head home.” He orders. 

You are in no state to retort anything and obediently follows. 

---------------------------------------------------------------- 

You poke the large compress now adorning your temple and wince as a wave of pain spreads. 

Thrawn is in the bathroom scrubbing your top. 

“The blood comes off, do not worry.” He announces with a gentle tone like losing this shirt was your first worry right now. 

But it is not... 

No 

You cannot forget the blood... 

You still feel it trickle down your cheek and thighs, the bite of the saw... 

You shiver, curling over yourself, your heart right behind your lips. 

By all account you are still trapped deep down that cave, cuffed to that bed. 

Unable to escape. 

Satlove still has you between his hands, slowly suffocating you. 

You jolt when a hand touches your shoulder all of a sudden. 

“Ch’acah? You did not speake a word. Is everything all right?” 

But you are bound to see blood again, you are an Imperial officer. Blood is part of work. 

You cannot allow yourself to freeze in shock while lives depend on you! You have cadet under your protection, you cannot allow your weakness to put them all in danger! 

This is not what Thrawn would do! He would do whatever is necessary to protect his crew!  

You deeply inhale, bracing yourself. 

“Thrawn,” You start ready to negotiate, “I accept to go to therapy, but only at one condition.” 

@bluechiss @justanothersadperson93 @thrawnspetgoose @twilekchiss @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @obbicrystaleo @empresskrennic @davesrightshoe @Holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni @princesslunamoon19 @Janjtje @helrose8 

[yuutasdream]

Hobbies: Gaming, Drawing, Reading, Writing, Hiking

Sexuality: Pan :)

Characters I love: Megumi and Yuji

A text from Megumi lit up your phone, inviting you on a date. Excitement fluttered in your chest as you read his message. When he arrived to pick you up, he held out a bouquet of flowers, a charming smile on his face. As you got ready for hiking, Megumi waited for you. After that he walked you to the car.

At the forest, Megumi led you along winding paths, his hand occasionally finding yours in silent reassurance. He guided you to a way where he had prepared a cozy spot with a blanket spread out under the trees. With a gentle smile, he gestured for you to sit, and then he surprised you with a homemade picnic filled with your favorite snacks and treats. As the two of you enjoyed each other's company, Megumi revealed a swing he had hung from a sturdy branch, inviting you to relax together.

You spent the afternoon swinging, chatting, and reading passages from your favorite books. Eventually, as night descended, Megumi showed you the small telescope he got, and together you looked at the beauty of the stars twinkling above. At the end of the day megumi gave you a small kiss on the cheek saying goodbye.

When Yuuji first asked you out, it was like a scene from a teen romance movie. He came over to you with a coffee cup in hand and flowers in the other, the roses he bought got with petals as red as his cheeks when you said yes.

The date itself was a rollercoaster of emotions. You both chose the latest movie, and honestly, it was a bit scary for you. But Yuuji held your hand the entire time, fingers laced together like he was your personal superhero. With him, you felt safe. You felt like you'd be able to express yourself freely with him.

Afterward, Yuuji decided to let you try some arcade games, he challenged you in many games as you liked his competitive spirit. Of course he allowed you win, as he wasn't trying too hard, only to see the smile on your face. Yuuji later on collected tickets all the time to gift you a cheezy gift, later that night he handed you that heart-shaped keychain—the one that matched his—you felt like you were on cloud nine. If you would say, he was really adorable and you'd definitely go on a date again.

Thank you for joining 🤍

[karlachismylife]

Temptation When I Look At You

Oh boy this actually was a struggle... I actually don't know why, because this is like the most Gaz response ever, but the situation and setting just weren't coming to me at all? I was actually so surprised that I couldn't think of at least ONE situation where this exchange could happen. Maybe because it just seems too single-track? Anyway, I don't feel like this is good, which is a great pity, cuz I wanted to do more Gaz :( But I hope it finds its enjoyers. I still put a lot of love for the pretty trixter boy into this. Might be self-indulgent and thus annoying... and honestly there's not much Kyle here... yeah, I'm just insecure about this one, but it is what it is, definitely couldn't do a better one. Next time maybe? And it somehow ended up being longer that Ghost's... I don't know what I'm doing.

CW: gn!reader, reader is bad with social cues (author is too and it probably shows), fluffy pining and awkward flirting for the pretty boy Kyle.

(Title from "Temptaion" by The Flirts)

also no it's not horny but i gave up on searching for an Elliot gif where he's not naked and accepted my fate

Not being good at flirting and reading it has never actually been that much of a problem for you. Sure, you've had your awkward moments, some downright embarassing, some midnight realizations a week later (ah so THAT'S what they wanted from me!) - but overall, it's not that bad. You're not completely oblivious and you can flirt back and forth, you can more or less tell someone's showing interest in you - or show it back. That has always been good enough for you.

Until you saw him.

You're not sure what it is about this guy in particular - yes, he is very, very handsome, but looks alone aren't usually enough to make you feel that enigmatic pull in your chest and the need to try and talk to the person that makes you feel this way. As you watch him across the tables of this fun boardgame event you came to with your friends, you feel more and more charmed. You can't even hear his voice as he talks to his game opponents from here, so it's not that either.

He just has an aura. A cheezy romantic film protagonist aura. The one the audience can't help but fall in love with and root for - the kind, noble, attentive, caring, respectful, charismatic, funny and cheeky modern knight aura.

You relay that all to your friends and they all turn around to look at the guy - they couldn't be more synchronized if they tried, and you facepalm hard, because you didn't even want to make a big deal out of it, but now of course he'll notice.

The thing is, you're perfecrly happy just basking in this sweet, slightly dizzifying feeling of this movie-character bloke's presense. It feels good, puts you in a dreamy state, and you don't need more - after all, this is just a vibe you mostly created in your head. Trying to get closer to the person probably will only destroy it since he's most definitely not a movie character. Why even burden a man with some expectations and ruin your own fun?

"Wanna go talk to him?" Right. Your friends aren't in on your inner peace with never getting to know the stranger you were so quick to idolize. One of them even motions with their head in the direction of the man, and if he somehow missed the little swan ballet your favourite muppets were showing earlier staring at him, he definitely notices the gesture now.

Curious brown eyes snap up, immediately locking with yours, and an absolutely charming, too sweet to be just polite, smile stretches on his full lips before he seemingly goes back to explaining something about a game card his rowdy-looking playmate is holding.

Damn, he really isn't helping you to shake the heart-shaped pink glasses off, is he?

"No," you can barely tear you eyes away, but you still see one of your friends blatantly grabbing your cards and going through them. The cards that are supposed to be your closed hand. "I'll be doing movie stuff tonight. Always wanted to try."

"What do you mean, "movie stuff"? Gonna ram into him holding a stack of papers hoping he'll help you pick them up?" Another friend does you a service and yanks your cards from the thief's hand, putting them back in front of you - not before looking at them, of course. Unbearable.

"Kinda, yeah. I mean, not that, but you know... stare at him, then look away as he notices... what else is there?" You sigh and put your cards back into the deck, exchanging them for a new hand. "I just wanna see if it actually reads in real life. What, you were never interested in how they manage to realize they're attracted to each other before exchanging a single word in the movies?!"

Several pairs of eyes blink at you silently, and you realize you asked the wrong people.

"The only movies I watch are fucking nature documentaries, babe, they use their noses and mating calls to figure this shit out."

"It's movie magic, normal people talk to each other, exchange numbers and then go on three awkward dates to leave with another girl from the third one."

"Why don't you just start going out with girls already-"

"But WHAT IF I'm not into them?"

"You made us watch six Resident Evil films just because they had Milla Jovovich in them, I'm pretty sure..."

You tune out in the middle of your friends' loving banter and find yourself shuffling the deck for too long as you stare at the victim of your affections. He's laughing and you can make the sound out as he pats his big buddy with a mohawk on the shoulder.

When he catches you looking again, you shift your eyes automaticly. Huh. Looks like you started your little game already. There's really no harm in trying to see how this movie magic holds up in real life, right? You're ready for your plan to lead nowhere. You're here for fun.

That's how you quickly realize just how bad you're actually at this. Watching him and hiding your eyes with a smile that actually lifts the corners of your lips naturally is not that hard, even if it makes you irritatingly distracted during the game - and therefore the punching bag of the evening, but the rest of this social play is harder than any strategy you're trying to pull to get a comeback in this round. As you have to draw another heap of punishment cards, you catch your movie guy smiling again, and you smile back - only to realize that he's actually listening to his other mate's story. Kinda embarassing, but you remind yourself this isn't supposed to lead anywhere.

And you'll never see this guy again, so just bear through.

Next time he actually walks past you - to get some more plastic chips they need for their game, and you follow him with your eyes - actually appreciating his physique in the process, damn, he really is good-looking - and run your hand over your hair in what you feel like should be subtle flirty manner. He notices, eyes narrowing with that smile again, and maybe - you're not sure, and that's how you remember why you actually don't get those fucking movies - nods at you. Or maybe he just moved his head in a perfectly natural way navigating the passages between tables.

"Pathetic," offers your friend a helpful constructive criticism as always. "Honestly painful to watch."

"What's painful to watch?" Ah, and there's the last piece of your friend group, late as always, plopping down on the couch next to you after they've successfully obstructed the view of your movie prince's ass.

"See that hot guy? Grey Henley? He's a lab rat for our dear one's flirting experiment. They've been staring at each other for the last fourty minutes like we're stuck in a bad porn opening scene."

"Why don't you just go talk to him like always?.." Before your lovable I-Don't-Know-What-Clocks-Are friend even finishes, everyone at your table lets out very sarcastic "Hmm", "I wonder why", "Ooh, there we go" and "Why did no one come up with this idea, huh?". Shitheads shoving you under fire.

"Because that's not the point! I'm not trying to get anywhere, I just wanted to see if-" you're forced to hush your own heated retort as the Hot Guy passes your table again. He probably noticed that - if that barely noticeable glance with a curiously raised eyebrow is meant for you, of course, and you suddenly feel flustered.

Social experiments are hard, man.

"I don't get it, but you do you, I guess, as long as he keeps distracting you so we can rob your bank." With a groan, you grumble that they are the worst friends ever, and get your head back into the game.

For about fifteen minutes, then you find yourself locking eyes with the guy again, watching as he leans to whisper something into the Mohawk's ear keeping eye contact with you for some reason.

Something shifts inside you when you see that big guy turn and stare at you with zero subtlty and a comfusing, too intense look. He earns a slap upside his shaven head from the movie guy and sticks his big nose back into their game, but the insecutiry lingers, slowly wiping your smile off your face.

What if you're actually coming off as weird? No, worse - what if they think you're too persistent? Maybe the movie guy tried sending you hints he isn't interested and you missed them all? That actually sounds quite realistic with your lack of understanding what exactly you're doing. And now you're annoying him to the point he has to note that to his friend. And you're ruining what is probably just a fun game night he wanted to enjoy with his buddies. And- oh that's why you always preferred to be direct.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did he flip you off or something?" Your own friends - actual treasures, no matter how much you all are roasting each other - get quieter too, turning (thankfully, not all at the same time this time) to look at the guy.

"No, no, nothing like that. I just think maybe you're right, stupid idea." You exhale, feeling better after a supportive pat on your shoulder. "Well, at least I can say I tried that method too, right?"

"Experience," notes the Milla Jovovich fan with a finger raised in the air and absolutely mentor tone right before beating your card with a heavy-hitter. "You had fun and that's all that matters. Now gimmie your cards, it says I can take three of yours of my choice, cuz you sucked ass."

You get over your short moment of embarassement rather quickly once you fully focus on your game - and you even win some back, ending up second-to-last. How did the late one manage to win, you don't know.

"Another round?" As you agree, they start gathering and shuffling cards, and you glance around, noticing that the free snacks table just got toped up with a fresh pastry basket.

"I'll go grab cookies, you want some?" You take your friends' orders for all kinds of stuff and squeeze along the narrow passages to get to the desired snacks.

It's as you're topping off your plate with a little hill of cookies, brownies an cinnamon rolls that someone's dark skinned arms with grey sleeves rolled up nicely come into view, pouring tea in a thermos mug.

"What's gotten you so shy suddenly? I thought we were having fun."

Your pastry Tower of Babel crashes and tumbles almost off your plate, resembling something more like a volcano eruption aftermath than a proper construction. You don't need to guess who that voice belongs to - honestly, that effortlessly sultry, teasing, movie star timbre can only belong to one person - but you follow the steam raising from his mug and are greeted by the smiling amber eyes you've been staring into half of the evening.

"Sorry, I was just... sorry for staring, that was inappropriate. Hope you have a nice game, still." An apology is due, you think, and you really hope he accepts it. He seems like a chill dude, the kind you don't want to upset because they just don't deserve it.

He deserves to feel good and be surrounded by people that make it happen.

"Hardly inappropriate, but thanks for the apology," he chuckles, and you hide your eyes in the baked ruins you're trying to fix before they fall onto the floor instead of reaching your friends. "Is that why you stopped looking? Or did you lose interest and I'm being inappropriate now?"

Since when did direct approach start making you so flustered? Isn't this what you're actually used to? "This" being actually asking normal questions, not standing so close to a movie protagonist that smells even better than all the fresh pastry on the table in front of you - tastes better probably, too...

"What was that?" He leans closer and you're on fire like a match, in an instant. Did you just say some of that out loud? Is he laughing? No, better question, is he mocking you? Because what you hear next is... "Oh, nothing, Kyle, I just said I couldn't stop eyefucking you because I want to kiss you so bad. Well, then ask me nicely for a kiss, pretty. After I take you out and learn your name."

And just like that, the scene ends, with the charmer back at his table and a piece of paper with his number on top of your crumbling cookie architecture.

Handwritten. Just for you. From Kyle.

"Did you really have to flirt with him over my brownies?" You don't really remember how you got back to your friends. Your cookies getting split between everyone as a tax for you taking too long.

"Props to the guy for saving you from yourself, honestly." Thermos cap filled with tea lands into your hand, the other occupied with the phone number. Finally, you blink, glancing over to Kyle's table - he winks at you, eyes crinkling. Not so subtle.

"Guys, you know, worst part is, I still don't get how this movie shit works..."

[transformersweatpants]

Okay since I adored the graphic novel I was WAY skeptical about Netflix of all things making the Nimona movie but it was just the perfect amount of cheezy, captivating and fun! If anyone else was put off by the trailer (like me) I recommend giving the actual movie a shot! Also there were a lot of similarities to taz balance which I found very fun