#credits to crab for doing this first whoops!

[zirafail]

the average monkees listening experience

[whentheleahvesfall]

So I’ve been playing Hollow Knight for over 50 hours now and I’ve just now finally beaten the true Dream No More ending of the game as my first and only ending, and holy shit, I think it’s the hardest game I’ve ever played for my Autistic brain 😭😭 Although I’ve also beaten Another Crab’s Treasure (another really hard game and my only Soulslike I’ve beaten lol), Hollow Knight takes the cake as the most punishing, most frustrating and overall most rage-filled game I have beaten. Some of the bosses absolutely whooped my ass (fuck the Collector, I absolutely despise that boss with a passion lmao), but after however many deaths and attempts I had against the Radiance, I’ve finally beaten her and rolled credits before Silksong even exists, wooooooo!

Without a doubt though, the artwork for the game, the music and the feeling of finally beating some of the hardest platforming challenges (the White Palace - I’m looking at you) and bosses makes this game a 10/10 from me and for only less than £20, it makes it an absolute steal! Now I guess I’m on the hype train for Silksong (haha clown nose go honk), and may do some funny Ghost drawings (rather call them that than just “The Knight” lmao) to seal the deal (maybe).

[the-paris-of-people]

For the fic requests? I just love Ben and Devi when they're bantering! Maybe something with that? I need something light and happy until season 3 lol

“Boom! I finished my homework in record time, suck on that, Gross!”

“You’re kidding yourself, Devi,” Ben smirked. “I already finished my homework thirty minutes ago.”

“Joke’s on you,” Devi folded her arms and leaned back onto his headboard. “I finished my English extra credit assignment too.”

“Damnit,” Ben curses under his breath, then exhales to calm himself down. Not to brag, but he learned mindfulness techniques from an exclusive Zoom workshop by… Oh, wait. This was his narration. He didn’t need to brag. “Well whatever, I beat you in the debate tournament today so technically, I was just letting you catch up.”

“You’re just jealous because you know I’m more efficient than you.” Devi turns up her cute little nose triumphantly, and Ben’s heart bursts in his chest.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch a few episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to reward myself for a job well done.”

“Again, Devi?” Ben groans. He usually found her reality TV obsession and colorful commentary endearing, but this was her fourth rewatch of the week. Vanderpump Rules was way better, but she refused to watch it because of how much he mentioned he’d been to her restaurant. (Whoops, here he was mentioning it again. Maybe he did bring it up too much) “You know, Khloe’s not that great. She ate way too many crab puffs at my dad’s holiday party for his clients.”

“You housed two double doubles right after school today.”

“Hey, I need that protein to stay jacked!”

“Whatever, dude. Anyway, can I watch here on my laptop while you scroll Rick and Morty theories?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Ben blinks. Why didn’t Devi want to watch with him? Coming up with Rick and Morty theories was something he did when he got lonely, and well… he wasn’t alone right now. He didn’t want peruse Reddit by himself when he could have been hanging out with her, babbling about how Kris Jenner was the ideal businesswoman. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you wanted to watch alone, I can get out of your hair if you need…” He turns over to get his laptop and leave when Devi senses his hurt and rests her hand on his arm.

“Ben, you don’t have to leave,” Devi softens a bit as she sits up in bed. Her eyes widen as she speaks, her voice fluctuating up and down. As annoying as she could be, Ben loved listening to her talk. Whether she was angry, sad, happy, or annoyed, she was always vibrant and lively. Ben, a quiet, lonely kid most of the time, loved being around that energy. “I just thought you wouldn’t want to watch because you don’t like it.”

“I’ll still watch with you, Devi,” A wave of affection comes over him as he watches her blush. He seizes onto his emotions, weaves his hands in Devi’s hair and presses a deep kiss into her forehead. She stutters after, and he’s happy and embarrassed at the same time. He doesn’t know what’s gotten into him. He’d never been so affectionate with Shira, but then again, he didn’t have the same level of feelings he held for Devi. He’d known her all his life and he never expected to like her the way he’d started to in the past couple months, even though she made some, dare we say, questionable decisions. Now even with all her shenanigans, he couldn’t even imagine life with her when she left for India in a couple weeks. “Who else will I go to for colorful commentary on Kim’s social media presence when you move at the end of the semester?”

“Why are you so nice to me?” Devi’s voice cracks as she plays with the corner of his silk pillowcase. Ben conceals his surprise as tears gush out her eyes. It’s okay, he rationalized, calming his initial worry down. She was probably going through a lot, with spreading her dad’s ashes and moving to India and leaving everything she knew behind. Ben wouldn’t be handling it the news well if he was her, too. “All I do is trash your In N Out order and rub my homework efficiency skills in your face.”

“Devi, you deserve someone who’s nice to you.” He assures, and he really means it. She could be difficult and capricious, but she was kind, caring, and felt deeply, just like he did. She deserved to be with someone who treated her well. Ben couldn’t wait to be that person, even as she moved across the world. He was already ordering going away gifts for things she couldn’t get in India and learned how to make the Meat Lover’s Omelet for her and had Patty set up care packages he could send her the first week she was there. He wanted to be a good boyfriend to her. “And honestly… I like that we challenge each other the way we do. Remember how many trash bags we filled up yesterday?”

“Honestly we turned that damn park into Walden Pond,” Devi sniffled and wiped her tears with her sweater sleeve. Ben pats away the rest as more come and smiles softly at her. “But I definitely filled up more than you.”

“Eh, I’ll let you have it. Although there’s no way all those headshots could’ve filled up an entire trash bag.”

“Shut up, Ben you know I beat you,” Devi laughs hoarsely through her snot and punches him in the arm. She calms down for a moment, then leans forward and kisses him again through her damp eyes. Ben holds her closely to him and gives her another kiss on the forehead . Devi lets out a little noise of happiness and pulls up the Kardashians on her laptop. He loved holding her like this, and wanted to cherish every moment of their time before she left- that is, until he sees he’s trying to convert her to a Kardashian lover.

“Seriously, Devi? We’re going back to season one?”

“You need to understand their origin stories!”

[gemstone-roses]

Beach

Sam Wilson x Reader

Summary: you hate the beach.

Gif not mine credit to the owner!

Warnings: swearing, fear of the ocean , Steve Rogers in terrible swim wear. Threats of violence.

"Its settled then, our next trip out as a whole team is to the beach!"

cheers and whoops erupted around the room as tony gathered up his papers.

You sighed and placed your elbows on the table and gave a small defeated smile to your excited teammates.

"Bad luck y/n, you were outvoted, besides who doesn't like the beach anyway, there's so much to do and it's so nice and vibrant and the sea is so lovely and you can swim and see all the fish and ooh do you think there will be crabs there Mr stark,I hope there will be crabs, and maybe jellyfish too"

"Peter if you don't shut up right now I'm going to stick you to the corner of this very own ceiling with your own damn web fluid" you glared at him, only half joking.

Peter looked overly concerned at your threat, and left to go pack for tomorrow. 

" I find it hard to believe you hate the beach y/n, everyone loves the beach! Tony looked shocked at the very thought.

" No tony,not everyone does,and I do hate it,and everything that comes along with it, and please can I just sit this one out I'll do ALLL your paperwork for a month! wait where's.. Where's pepper she'll say yes to me she won't turn down a month off of paperwork PEPPER??!

" You know what your problem is y/n? You've forgotten how to have fun, we've all had a tough last few missions,especially you,which is the exact reason for this trip, you need to relax a little , we've hardly left the compound other than for missions and that's not good for you,it will be fun I promise, and pepper is under instructions to completely ignore any and all bribery and promises from you, the jet leaves at 7am"

You sucked your teeth at the hypocrisy of Tony telling YOU to relax and gave him the finger as his back turned to leave. 

"Hey, hey Sharon! 

"No!

"Wha.. I didn't even start you don't even know what I was going to say!!

" This is the first time in months me and Steve have had the opportunity to spend a day together so we're using tomorrow as a date so no i won't help you get out of this one,I'm really looking forward to it, I love the feeling of sand underneath my feet"

You rolled your eyes. 

" That's not what I was going to ask actually

"Oh? 

"Yeah is it true Steve has a pair of captain America swim shorts with his own face on them and if so how much do I have to pay for you to convince him to wear them tomorrow" you giggled, she playfully hit you with her file and walked away. 

"That's not an answer!!!"

The conversation with Sharon gave you an idea.

"Hi clint" you plopped down next to him on the couch 

He raised his eyebrow at you 

"When was the last time you and Laura went on a date? Do you want me to watch the kids tomorrow for you? 

"Nah it's alright thanks, they're gonna meet us there,they love the beach, thanks though"

You heard laughter from behind a set of cards. 

"You know I admire your efforts,truly, I'm impressed,tell me y/n what's the first thing your going to do when we get to the beach tomorrow? I have an extra bucket and spad so I'll bring it along tomorrow for you"

" You know what Loki, fuck you" you fumed, you knew he could see inside your head and he knew the real reason you didn't like the beach. He was just winding you up. 

Friday woke you up at 5am, you begrudgingly got out of bed and got ready.

 Sam  brushed past you on the way to the kitchen

"Sorry y/n ,just got back from my morning run, it's hot out there today even at this time!" 

Its five o clock in the fucking morning, you mumbled to yourself. 

You grabbed a coffee and sat down and promptly placed your head on the table.

"Aren't you going to eat y/n, you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day" Peter was munching on some toast. 

"As much as I appreciate your concern Peter I'd rather you save it until after I've had my coffee. Please" you muttered. 

"Right guys,everyone fed? Properly caffinated? Bags ready? Let's go" Sam clapped his hands, he had a towel slung over his shoulder. 

"It should be illegal to have this much energy this early in the morning"

You sat opposite Sam on the jet , everyone was smiley and energetic , even bucky had replaced his usual sombre stare. 

You tried to keep your thoughts occupied, tony looks ridiculous in a hawain shirt, Peter was the embodiment of a five year old, I wonder if loki will take off that helmet in the water.

 You felt a nudge on your leg

"You good y/n"? Sam looked genuinely concerned, you just nodded your head and continued to clench your jaw. 

Peter and Clint were the first off the jet, carrying various inflatables. Quickly followed by natasha, who had already made everyone aware of her plans to just sunbathe and had,with the threat of violence told everyone not to disturb her.

It had landed on a secluded patch of beach out of the way, you reluctantly made your way to the ramp and looked down at the yellow grainy ground. You sighed as you stepped off the plane.

Sam was ahead of you walking with bucky, he kept looking back at you and eventually stopped until you caught up.

" Sweetheart, you look a little terrified, are you okay? his voice was laced with worry and love and you couldn't help but smile a little.

"I, I don't like the water, sam I'm terrified of the ocean and everything in it,and uh well also I can't swim…" you looked down at the floor kicking your foot in the sand.

"Oh honey come here" he wrapped his arm around you and held you tight, 

" You..don't think I'm stupid..or silly?

" No of course not, its not stupid or silly!" He chuckled.

"Come on, tony will throw a tantrum if we stay here, let's go see what crazy shit Peters up to"

 Sam walked on the side closest to the sea,it was just a little thing , but it meant a lot to you. 

"Finally, you two lovebirds decided to join us" tony chuckled

"Oh we weren't ,were not…."

"Yeah yeah whatever,get over here before Clint takes all the soda."

You sat down on a towel next to Tony and his huge stash of drinks. Something tickled the back of your neck 

"Well,not yet" sam whispered

Your head snapped up 

"What?..

"I'm going to go in the water for a bit with Steve, Sharon and bucky,I'll be back in a bit " he smirked and winked at you,jogging towards the water.

"Sam Wilson did you just ask me out and run away?" You shouted, but with a smile.

A little while later

A shadow blocked your sunlight, opening your eyes you were met with Steve standing over you with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Um Steve what are you…"

He whipped off his towel grinning widely to show the ugliest Captain America shorts you'd ever seen. 

AN: I wrote this instead of studying so comments are muchly appreciated🥺

[bokuaka-4510]

Bokuaka: Weakness

hi guys!! I thought I would start posting my Bokuaka dabbles on here. I just started writing, so any feedback/support would be much appreciated :) also most of my stories are multi-chapter (just a heads up!!)

Chapter 1: Flashing Lights

(Here’s the image that inspired the first chapter! Obviously all credits to the crazy talented artist @songrnim on Twitter)

The flashing lights were like a second home to Bokuto- the way they would always blind him when he was at the apex of his spike before slamming down on the ball and being rewarded with that satisfying crunch and throbbing in his hand.

Okay, so maybe he was a little bit of a masochist, but then again weren't all spikers?

"Bokuto-san!" a low voice shouts to him.

He knows that voice better than his own. How many times had he heard it, calling his name with the same pitch, same urgency, same tone, over the last few years?

Akaashi.

As long as it feels good. We'll be sure to clear a path for you.

Sure enough, even Bokuto could see the path in front of him, clear as light. Akaashi's perfect toss, spiraling higher and higher. His legs move on instinct now, tensing before catapulting him into a flying jump, powerful and natural.

The blinding lights.

He squints against them, golden eyes stalking the ball as if there's nothing else important in this world. For a split second it's just him and the volley, his oldest companion.

Then the towering wall appears- three giant blockers seeking to return his spike.

As if.

He glances at his destination- the spot tethering on the sideline, between in and out, on the opposite side of him and the blockers. Arm slinging back, building power and momentum, he waits until the ball is at its peak before smashing it down. Time frozen, Akaashi finds himself captivated once again at the sight known as Bokuto Koutarou in front of him: toned arms, lean body defying physics, attractive face set in determination.

Magnetic.

Tempting.

Enthralling.

Bokuto looks otherworldly, and Akaashi loves the view that leaves him feeling like he's stolen a glimpse of something belonging to paradise, something not meant for human eyes.

Crack.

The ball hurls towards the exact spot Bokuto wanted. A perfect cross-court shot.

Bokuto thinks it should be illegal for something to be so beautiful.

He falls back toward the hard wooden floors, back to reality, where complete and utter silence greet him.

Then, the room erupts into cheers, so loud, so deafening he can't even hear his own heartbeat, but fuck if this isn't what he lives for. Yes, yes, yes!

The crowd is chanting his name, as if he's some divine savior, " Bokuto. Bokuto. Bokuto," and he can hear the reporters struggling to grab his attention from the sidelines.

Cameras on him, fans chanting his name, the dull throbbing in his right hand, well, he's never felt happier.

"Bokuto-san!" he hears the familiar voice boom at him, and Bokuto spins around searching for Akaashi's eyes, always stormy green like an angry sea after a victory.

Instead, he's greeted by tackling hugs from his team mates, who jump up and down with the joy from the victory, riding out the high from their win. He glances up from their hurdle, only to find Akaashi's startling eyes, sure enough sea green, locked on his own. The pretty setter smiles softly at Bokuto, and the spiker finds himself reinvigorated. Untangling his body from the embrace of his team and offering them a light pat on the back as he passes them, Bokuto strides to his best friend.

No, not best friend. They were...?

He didn't know, only knew that best friend was too insignificant a term to describe what they had built the last 5 years together.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto exclaims as he draws near the other boy, a grin splitting his face.

Akaashi holds up a hand for him to high-five, but the spiker just grabs it before engulfing the shorter boy into a bone-crushing hug. Immediately, Akaashi is enveloped in Bokuto's familiar scent- mandarin, pine, and citrus.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Akaashi sends a silent prayer to the Gods, please don't let Bokuto-san notice.

"Akaashi," Bokuto whooped in that typical, loud voice of his, "we won! We won! That toss was fucking awesome! You're awesome, wow!"

Akaashi carefully detracts himself away from the embrace. Smiling at Bokuto with a light blush dusting his fair cheeks, Akaashi congratulates him, "Bokuto-san, you're the ace. You gave us that winning shot,".

Well, Bokuto didn't think so. He sucked at tossing and his receives were decent at best, but if Akaashi, who was the smartest guy on the whole wide world- no scratch that- galaxy, was saying that, then it had to be true. Right?

Roaring with laughter, Bokuto smugly grins at him before pointing to chest, which proudly bore the number 1 in a light blue color, " Aha! I guess you're right, Akaashi. I'm the best ace, aren't I?"

Akaashi nods solemnly, now ignoring their ace's words as he focuses more on catching his breath.

"... best setter," Bokuto finishes.

Akaashi eyeballs the spiker, unsure if he heard him correctly.

"What," he pants out, hands resting on his knees, "did you say Bokuto-san?"

"I said if I'm the best ace, then you have to be the best setter, right? Right? Because a good spiker is only as good as his setter?" the star beams at him as he tilts his head side to side, reminding Akaashi of an owl. He almost wants to shield his eyes from the brightness.

Except Bokuto's smile and praise speed up Akaashi's already racing heart. Akaashi tells himself it's from the intense match they just played, but even he scoffs at the blatant lie.

Akaashi can't help the genuine smile, the one only Bokuto can only lure out, that graces his face, "Huh, I guess so Bokuto. Maybe we're just a good team in general,"

Before Bokuto can even respond, the coach calls their names. Bokuto and Akaashi. They're the only ones left standing on the court. They head over to the sidelines where the coach and the rest of the team sit before coach congratulates them for winning the first game of the season.

Which is followed right by Coach ordering them to go do 5 minutes of suicides and 3 laps of dives for every mistake they made, which was, according to Akaashi's calculations, a lot. He stopped counting at 16. Of course, most of them were made by Bokuto, but as Akaashi steals a glance at the star ace congratulating the rest of the team, arguing with Kuroo on who stole the spotlight, ruffling the freshmen's heads in genuine affection, he discovered he didn't care the slightest about Bokuto's contribution to their punishments.

They won.

Bokuto was happy.

To Akaashi, those were the only two things that really ever mattered, though not in that particular order.

"Ah, Bokuto-chan," the Coach cuts in his gruff voice, "I think the reporters wanted to talk to you. Go head over to where Hoshiumi-chan and Ushijima-chan are. They should be almost done,".

Bokuto suddenly stands erect and offers the coach a mock salute, a crazy grin on his face. With a roll of his eyes, Coach pushes his player away, but Akaashi catches the ghost of a smile on Coach's face as he turns around.

"Try not to embarrass us too much, ok horned bastard?" Kuroo calls out behind Bokuto with his signature shit-eating grin that typically put anyone on edge.

But Akaashi has known the dark-haired boy for just as long as he's known Bokuto, so Kuroo scares him about as much as a kitten does. Bokuto must feel the same because he just sticks out his tongue at the seemingly menacing man. Akaashi's eyes trail Bokuto's disappearing figure, watching him high-five the two other celebrity spikers as they pass each other. Ushijima and Hoshiumi return to their team, taking a seat right behind Akaashi.

After a rather long (and bad, the Coach was not particularly adept at expressing positive emotions, Akaashi noted) inspiring speech by their sensei, the team heads out of the gym, talking and laughing amongst themselves, all of them in high spirits, especially after Ushijima quietly announces he would be attending post-game drinks with the team, courtesy of Heishi-san.

Apparently, miracles do happen.

In the middle of Hoshiumi's monologue (something along the lines of "Take that Hinata, you orange piece of crap! I scored 7 points in the second set. I hope you get sand between your ********* and spend all your ******* days getting **** by crabs. Akaashi started tuning him out after he learned four new expletives), Akaashi picks up on Bokuto's voice amongst the cacophony of noises in the auditorium.

It's not like he was diligently looking for the spiker. That would be ridiculous, right?

"-but my team rocks! Akaashi, he's my setter, and Kuroo and Ushijima-kun and Hoshiumi-kun and Heiwajima-kun and everyone else is crazy talented! They all make me want to be a better wing spiker," Bokuto raves. The reporter in front of him looks a bit star-dazed, pupils dilated and mouth parted open, as she continues her interview with the attractive rising star.

Akaashi briefly wonders if she's even paying attention to the conversation, but he honestly can't blame her. Akaashi spent five years accustoming himself to the glory of Bokuto, and he still has to remind himself not to drool when he sees him. Six feet of pure muscle, striking golden eyes, and sharp, handsome features make up the man known as Bokuto Koutarou. The elite spiker stands proudly as he converses with the pretty woman in front of him, completely oblivious to the effect he has on her. He's loved by all of Japan, and probably soon the whole world. Even the court adores him as it seems like the bright gym lights spotlight his lean, muscular figure, emphasizing the number 1 on his back.

Akaashi stares at his back, noticing the way the white jersey hugs his muscular frame a little too snugly, back muscles tensing and relaxing every time Bokuto moved or laughed.

Yeah, Akaashi thought, Bokuto definitely looks good in white.

It's the last he sees of Bokuto before they part ways.