#did you really spend years trying or did you spend years *thinking* about trying

[just-an-enby-lemon]

I'll try to be nice and polite about it because I really think you are coming from a good place: but the thing is you are just wrong.

At least based on my perspective as part of the Latam, all the factors you mentioned were struggles for you and others from the US to learn foreing languages happened here. The difference is that the average brazilian with no classes till maybe high school, the idea learning english is hard and boring and no incitive whastover still needs to know english to get okay-ish jobs, to study in certain academic fields, even to just deal with rude turists in some places. English is more and more becaming a skill that is unacessible but we still HAVE to get.

And this is by design. Is a way to keep us in our place, if we don't understand your language the oportunities created by the US egemony are closed to us and that makes less likely for people from Latin America, specially poor and native people, to get even remotedly close to an even playing field.

The problem isn't simply that you guys don't know our languages is that not knowing our languages means nothing. Doors aren't closed to you the same way they are to us. In that way the biggest problem is that we are forced to know yours.

In Brazil in theory we learn english starting at middle school. When I went to school it was starting when we were eleven. If you ever went to an english class in most public schools or even rural private schools you know that's not really how it works. We spend ten years on the "to be" verb. English was the grade people did because it was easy since we didn't actually had to do shit. The very marjority of people I know don't know english and all the ones I know that do did not learn it from school. But all of them feel like they have to.

In a more personal level I love english, I always loved languages and I would have loved to have learned english at school for fun.

But I learned english because my parents begged from relatives and took extra hours at work to give me some classes and the classes didn't even work as much as I noticed how hard it was for them and had to find ways to make it work for me. And my parents did all that because my cousin failed a bunch of job interviews for not knowing english. They did that because according to them "knowing english was becaming less a skill that helped someone in getting a great job and more a skill you needed to have to get most jobs." Neither of my parents speak english. But they did their best so me and my brother could (mostly via making me teach my brother cause they couldn't pay lessons for the both of us).

I had none of that to help me learn spanish nor italian nor any language I would love to learn for fun if I had the time.

I didn't learn english because it was fun. My brother hates languages. He still learned english after painfull horrible lessons that made me give up on my dreams of ever being a teacher.

The problems are way deeper than your shitty educacional system and it angers people like us because we had all the same problems and were forced to learn your language anyway only to see someone go "well we never had the chance" when neither did we. And I understand that not being incentivized to learn sucks, we didn't either, but the problem is way deeper. They don't want us to learn your language. They want us to have to but fail so that can be used as a justification to deny us oportunities. Is why imigrant characthers with broken english are still a joke on your media.

And this is what this post and this conversation is about. Not knowing other languages might be a result of bad education, might even be by design. But not HAVING to DESPITE the lack of everything is a privilege. And this is the point.

I rarely bring this up because it feels like fairly silly and low-stakes compared to all the other effects of american imperialism, but one of the funniest things when Americans deny that living in the imperial core and the center of global cultural hegemony confers them any sort of privilege over people from the imperial periphery is that like. In order for this conversation where you tell me you have no privilege over me to even be able to take place one of us had to learn the other's language, and it wasn't you.

I think the fact that by default the onus of learning the other's language to enable communication is always put on the other side is a pretty significant privilege on the cultural front.

[venmondiese]

KEEPING NEW YEAR'S TRADITIONS

PART TWO OF A NEW YEAR'S TRADITION

-ˋˏ| summary: As a new year comes by, you make sure your tradition of eating grapes keeps going. And Aemond's tradition as well.

✧ | Pairing: Modern!Aemond Targaryen x reader

✧ | word count: 3.8k

✧ | Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, Masturbation, Submissive Aemond..., Sending nudes and stuff.

✧ | notes: happy new year!! this comes as an unexpected part 2 (?) i know it's late but atp, i always post everything late ;(

Aemond was in a bad mood. He liked holidays, when he had the chance to be alone with you. And on this occasion, he was ‘forced’ to spend it with his family.  

New Year last year was something he enjoyed very much. He was alone with you, Vhagar and the fireworks that the Blackwater bay throwed every year. You went to bed fairly early and of course… your little traditions.

You’d eat grapes, he’d fuck you. To him, it was an amazing tradition. All over the year he was teasing you about it, how this year he’ll try another position, how he’ll rent a private yet to see the fireworks firsthand, how he’ll do so many things for…

Nothing.

Nothing, because he was stuck with his family. And that pissed him off. 

‘It might be the last year we spend the New Year with your father, you know how delicate his health is…’ his mother and his half sister would say over the phone, and he would roll his eye. Still, you were softer, kinder and more open to the idea. 

“We should go” You said one time, as he had come home late from his work and you served him tea and some leftovers of the lunch you prepared for yourself. 

“I see they contacted you…” he murmurs, drinking his tea. “I think that us spending the New Year here is perfect as it was…” 

“I know that it isn’t your favourite thing to spend Christmas with your family, but everyone is going to your father’s home. Your mother and her husband, your siblings… even Aegon” You add with a raise of eyebrows “And your half-sister too”

“You are just listing reasons not to go” 

“If it is your dad’s last year, I think we should go, Aemond…” you say, looking at him with those wide eyes of yours, you walk closer to him, standing by his side as you press a hand on his shoulder “He is really excited about the baby…” 

His eyes go to your pregnant belly, as he sighs, one of his hands going to rub his forehead, thinking about it. “All we will do is fight, you know” he mutters. “That’s all this damned family can do nowadays”

He presses his forehead on your belly, sighing slightly as he feels your hand moving to caress the back of his head. Aemond likes to speak with your belly, or resting close to it, or anything that has to do with the baby. You were all day, every day with the baby, but he wasn’t, so he tried to do everything he could to help and feel the baby before the arrival. 

“Fine” he murmurs, begrudgingly. “But we’ll leave early… and, and don’t fall for their excuses…” 

After all, he was a weak man for you. More so when you carried his baby, anything you desired for, he tried to make it happen. As crazy as your cravings were, he cooked them all. When you complained about the clock, he had to take it to Aegon’s apartment for the meantime.  When your body ached, he massaged it. And if you wanted to be with his father’s family for the New Year… he could manage, if you were with him.

That’s how he finds himself now. Sitting at the end of the large feast table of his father’s house, hearing his cough and the small talk the rest of his family did to each other. He was leaning back, one leg atop of the other as his arm rested on your chair by his side. You didn’t turn down good food such as this, and ate happily all of it.

“A toast” His father says, as he takes his glass.

As his father talked and talked, Aemond looked at you, holding your orange juice. He saw his glass, also with orange juice, in some kind of sympathy for your inability to drink. He wasn’t the greatest fan of drinking, sure, he would often drink whiskey, maybe some fancy wine from the reach, but never to the level of drunkenness (unlike Aegon) 

He caressed your back gently, eating his food little by little. 22:50. Seven gods, this would be eternal. He wanted to go home already, he chatted with his mum, with his father, and even exchanged a dry ‘hello and happy new year’ to his half-sister. It was enough. He ignored his nephews and chatted with you, and his siblings. 

He rubs his forehead as he hears Aegon talk about how it is a shame not to be able to drink, and whatever Aegon talked about, Aemond never listened long enough to know. 

“Well, I have developed a craving for orange juice” You say to Aegon. “Next to the apartment there is an old house, and it has a lemon tree, an apple tree and an orange tree. The old lady that lives there is lovely, and she always gives me natural fruit, more so since she saw my belly, she used to deliver all the babies in the street back in her age, so she always looks after me…. Doesn’t she, my love?”

Another thing he realised was that you were so chatty when pregnant. You tease him like hell, and talk about every little adventure of the day. Vhagar fell into the pool in her cat walking time, the food you made was extra delicious, you talked to the people of the store, anything. He didn’t complain, he was used to getting home and serving dinner as you chatted about your day.

“Yes, love. She does” he agrees eating his plate. 

“Not as good as you do…” you say in a teasing tone, and he has a slight smirk.

“Aye, true…” He says proud, kissing your cheek.

“Cheesy” Aegon says making a face, but he was slightly amused. 

“Shut up” Aemond mutters to him. 

Even if his family tries to stretch the dinner as long as possible until midnight, his father was already dozing up, probably due to his high doses of medication he had to take every day, and left him sleeping like a log. 

He gets annoyed since his mother is the one tending to him, even when she was his ex wife for at least one year now. It is ridiculous, and it bothers him for no reason at all. 

Sometimes he’d visit his father, with you always. You’ll go with a sweet treat and chat for a bit, and then you’ll go. He was content with that much, his father had good conversations when he was lucid and out of medication.

“Did you bring the grapes?” He asks softly, looking at you. You raise an eyebrow, amused as he remembers that, and he rolls his eye playfully. “We do have traditions”

“I did” you assure him, a playful smirk on your lips as well. “Grapes, not a condom” you add playfully.

“Luckily for us, you are already knocked up” he whispers, kissing your cheek. 

“Uncle Aemond” the little tug on his arm, let him know it was Maelor, trying to gain his attention, which meant he wanted to be holded on his arms. 

He spent half an hour entertaining his nephews, Jaehaera and Jaehaerys were making a play with their dolls for him to see, and you were so happy to entertain them that he kept making stories to impress both of you. Maelor was quick to fall asleep on Aemond’s arms, and by 23:40 the kids were already whiny and sleepy. 

You used to chat with Helaena about maternity tips, things she would have liked to know when she was a first time mother, and that you took note of it carefully. 

He is happy with his resolutions from last year. He proposed, and you were pregnant. It was bad timing of course, since you refused to have a wedding in your third trimester, so you waited. If it was for him, eloping was good enough, and he’ll have a great honeymoon with you. 

“Did your… wishes from last year were granted by your magical grapes?” Aemond asks as Helaena takes Maelor to cradle him in her arms. 

“Not like I intended, and certainly not all of ‘em, but the most important ones I’d say… yes” You say softly. “I wanted a new cat” you say playfully, and he roll his eye. 

“Isn’t Vhagar enough?”

“I think some cute fluffy company would make her less… grumpy” 

“A baby would be enough” Aemond says with a nod as he sees the time. 23:53. 

“A human baby is not the same as a baby kitten” You state with a nod. 

“We are not taking care of two babies at once, my love” he shakes his head. 

“I’ll eat two grapes for the baby cat then” you say stubbornly, moving to grab the bowl with the twelve grapes. 

His mother sits curiously by your side, and she looks at the grapes. 

“Oh, you eat grapes for the new year?”

“Yes, ma’am.” you say with a kind smile. 

“I see… it is really against the Gods…”

“Mum” Aemond says in a stern tone, not wanting her usual lecture. 

“It’s fine” You say, trying to calm everyone. 

“I am merely saying that it is superstitious” Alicent says, not taking an aggressive tone as she holds your hand. “Not trying to be mean”

“I know how…” Aemond starts saying, but you cut him, placing a hand on his thigh.

“It’s fine. I don’t take it that seriously anyways” You say.

“You have done it for three years” He reminds you, as he knew you did everything to please his mother, since she was a bit adamant about having kids out of wedlock. As if they were living in ancient times, he sighs and rolls his eye. “Can’t we speak of something more… cheerful?” 

You had no issues with being cheerful, talking about the baby, which delighted his mother as well. 

“Luke, Jace!” Rhaenyra calls for her eldest, as the clock strikes 23:58. Aemond also stands up and helps you do so, as his stepfather calls for his mother and everyone gathers around their little family. 

“You have to give me a kiss before swallowing those grapes” he says petulantly, his hand moving to hold your hip. 

“Fine” you say, rolling your eyes amused. 

He was still slightly annoyed by the fact that he couldn’t repeat the same shenanigans of last year, his new and very own ‘tradition’ with you. You teased him endlessly, but at the end gave him a consolation prize; you could leave early to the apartment and have all the sex he’d like there. 

“One last kiss before the year ends” Aemond says smugly, waiting for his kiss. 

“I thought you didn’t believe in superstitions–” 

“We have gone through this, give me the kiss”

You comply with his request for a last kiss, nothing too passionate and inappropriate as he would like, but it is one full of tenderness. He grew more tender and careful with you these last months, as your belly grew more and more. You often groaned and complained about how unnecessarily careful he was, but he still did it. 

“I love you” he murmurs against your lips.

“I do too” you answer him “And next year, we’ll be a family of three”

He nods, and then he smirks “Of four, with Vhagar.”

You were always quick with your comebacks “Five if you count the baby kitten”

“You are unbelie–”

He was cut with the greetings of ‘happy new year’, and he leans to steal a kiss from you, which has you giggling between the kisses. 

He has gotten into the swing of eating grapes by each second, even if they were a bit sour to his taste. He daren’t to ask when you had bought them, because they tasted a bit weird. Still, you ate the grapes in time and smiled proudly when finished. 

“Fourth year in a row” you say proudly, and lean to kiss him on the cheek as he swallows the remains of the grape.

“And happy New Year to you too”

You greeted his family by a kiss on the cheek, and a hug. He was less enthusiastic, but followed you around as if he was forced to do so. 

“Mum, the fireworks are starting soon?” Little Viserys asked Rhaenyra, to which she nodded. “Can we go?”

Aemond made sure to bring a chair along with him, and he placed it on the yard to make sure you were comfortable. He brings a fluffy blanket and something to drink if you need so. You roll your eyes as you walk to him, your hand on your belly. 

“Don’t you think it is too much…?” You murmur to him, yet you still sit there.

“Hey, this is the bare minimum. It’s freezing cold in here” he says looking around to where his family was forming. 

He goes to help his father walk, along with Jacaerys. Aemond doesn’t talk about it, as he simply quietly helps his father to sit in one of the other seats to see the fireworks.

You see his mother talk to him, telling something that Aemond doesn’t answer. He comes back to you after a while. To your questioning face, he murmurs.

“Wanted me to be nicer to him” he murmurs in your ear. 

“Asking for the impossible” you playfully say, to which he rolls his eyes. 

The fireworks are absolutely pretty. You always liked to see them explode in the sky. You wondered how Vhagar was doing; thankfully these were soundless with the explosion, so you imagine Vhagar must be sleeping in the baby’s crib as if she was the newborn. 

Aemond drinks his orange juice as if he was swallowing whisky, and you could see his grumpiness. You held his hand, pressing little kisses as he smiled faintly.

You understood him, even if he didn’t tell you a word about his true feelings. And thankfully, he understands you too.

The fireworks were nice, yet after ten minutes it grew boring. You stood up and held a hand to your belly.

“My belly aches” you say to Aemond, which has him in a hurry. 

“What? What?” He asks, a bit stressed. “Is the—”

“No, it is just a tummy ache” you stop him. 

“It was the grapes,” he says, realizing it. “They were sour and…”

“I’ll just go to bed” you say to him, and your mother in law walks to you. 

“I could make you tea, darling; the fireworks aren’t over and…” 

“I’m fine. I’ll go lay down” you say not wanting to worry anyone “In Aemond’s old room…” you say with a smirk to him.

“Ah, yes, my sanctuary” he says, rolling his eye, but holding your arm to help you walk. He was paler and worried, but your chuckle soothed him.

As he helped you upstairs, you can still hear the sounds of fireworks, as you enter his room. It was obviously cleaned so it could be used tonight, but it still looks rather empty.

“You don’t want to throw up, do you?” He asks to help you sit.

“No.” you say calmly. “I don’t feel that bad, come on. Sit” you say instead.

“What are you–” he says, not understanding, sitting by your side. 

“Oh. Come on. Your tradition?” You ask with a smile. 

He raises his eyebrows as he blinks a bit unsure what this all means.

“Would you please lay back?” You ask sweetly, helping him to lay with a pillow on his head. 

“Unbelievable” he murmurs amused, his lips curling into a smirk. “And what will you do to me, eh?”

“I believe we promised some riding” you say moving your hair to the side as you smile, your hands going to his trousers to unzip them and pulling his cock, that was hardening with interest to your every word. 

His hand caresses your shoulder and then falls to your arm, cherishing your skin as he looks at you lying. “You are dirty” he accuses

“And you love it” you defend yourself sticking your tongue out to him. 

The way your dress clings to your body, accentuating the swell of your belly, ignites a hunger within him. He picked this one too, it was large and of colour cream. It was a simple, flexible fabric and you grew to love the clothes that could stretch. 

You lean to kiss him, and he makes sure to prove himself to be tender with you. He holds the small of your back as he kisses you softly.

“You are perfect” he murmurs, smiling. “How did you know I wanted–?”

“I know you like the palm of my hand” you say, caressing his cock up and down, as you talk gently to him “and I know when you are pissed. We can’t have you exploding with your family, can we?” You ask smiling “I need to keep my man in line”

Aemond chuckles, as you pull your dress up and kick your flat shoes away. 

“Ah, and you will do so by… riding me?” He is amused, and really, really, really interested. “Might as well spend all my days grumpy” he says smirking as you move your legs to straddle him carefully. Your huge belly was an obstacle after all. 

“Just shush. This year is my turn” 

He is painfully hard, as he lies back, enjoying the sight and he has that smirk that nothing will wipe it off. For a moment, he prays that no one in his family comes in to check on them. He doesn’t find the strength to stand up and lock the door, not when you are on his lap with your happy smile. 

Aemond moves his hand to caress your naked thighs, and he has a happy smile. 

“I told you, I like this new tradition” 

“Well, it is a tradition. It must be done” you say as if you were resigned to that fate. 

“Who are we to question that?” He asks, smiling. 

As you move slightly to pull off your panties, he sees the small reflection of the fireworks on the wall. 

“I thought that had finished” you say softly. 

“The neighbours throw their own for at least half an hour.” Aemond says with a lightened mood, since he would have rolled his eyes before.

You two kiss for some more, as he holds you still. Lately, since you weren’t exactly flexible as before, you did less exotic and risqué sexual positions and more casual ones. And Aemond spent hours and hours with his lips pressed against yours, kissing you, and murmuring sweet nothings.  

As you try your best to lower yourself onto his cock, he is patient. He is horny as hell, but he lets you take your time. 

“To be clear we are never fucking in your family’s houses anymore” you say and he has to let a little laugh out. 

“Alright” he says. 

You lower yourself in his cock, not minding a rubber since you didn’t need one, a fact that he loves. He hisses slightly in pleasure, his hands going to grip your hips as he tries his best not to moan loudly. 

“Fuck, my love, you always feel great” Aemond growls, as you move your hips forwards and back, grinding on his cock naturally. The sensation is exquisite, and he thinks he is going insane. 

You ride him at your rhythm, he could (and definitely) wants to buck his hips in synchronizing your small jumps on his cock, which feels like a delicious grip that he never tires of. The obscene sound of skin slapping against the skin is faint, but not less obscene. 

He hated to be intimate in other houses, much when other people were around. Growing around Aegon made it impossible for him to find any attractiveness to it, and much more, he finds it a lack of respect. But tonight he was indulging into something he always criticized about Aegon, and he obviously plans to put the fault on you. 

“Mhm, I love it” you murmur as you grind your hips against him, making sure to get that delicious feeling of his cock.

He grips on your thighs, wanting to pull you closer and have some hold as he tries to move his hips to the rhythm. He always loves how your hips wiggles as you take his cock, when you still adjust to his size as you take it. 

He never thought he’d love your pregnant body that much, seeing your stomach full with the baby. He doesn’t even think he wants to see your stomach empty from now on.

He hears your little moans, trying to hold yourself and your sounds. He wishes you had stayed home, in your apartment and in your bed, being as loud as you wanted. He hated to see you reprieve yourself. 

“You look so beautiful” he praises you, he couldn’t even reprieve his own thrust ups, as his hips insistently. 

“A-Ah, fuck, fuck, fuck” you mutter, the word rolling from your lips naturally. You had banned any bad words in the house, for the baby. Not even damn. Nothing. But now you were chanting a big one as you jumped on his cock.

He grunts, his hips bucking up as he leans his head back. Thankfully his bed doesn’t creak, because someone could walk in and he would be caught left handed.

“You feel exquisite, sweet thing” he mutters, biting his lip. 

He would love to sit up, kiss your clavicle and kiss your breasts. But your belly was in between them, but he won’t complain. 

Your little whimpers, as hurried as you two were, helped him in his pleasure. He needed to come so bad, and he wants you to come first as his fingers go to rub your clit, making you moan loud as he feels your walls clench around his cock. 

As you cum, he groans back, trying not to be loud as he mutters curses, his eyes rolling back as he leans back on the bed, his head falling on the mattress as he fills you up. 

You lay on his side, opening his window slightly and accommodating your clothes. You pant, looking at the ceiling with worn out stickers of stars giving dim shining in the dark from his childhood. It is quite cute.

“Pregnant or not, you are still insatiable” he mutters somewhat amused, getting himself together to go down and pretend everything is well. His mother probably would be worried and come to care for you once his father goes to bed, if she only knew there was no ache at all. 

“Next year we’ll do some casual missionary, I swear” you say playfully. 

“If the baby lets us sleep” he jokes, smirking to you, nuzzling your neck and pressing a kiss on your cheek.

You smile at the prospect of next year, having your baby in your and Aemond by your side. And hopefully, a second kitten.

[rainbowsky]

In all my years of being a GGDD fan, I don't think any year has ever been better than this last one.

In the past I have watched them struggle and face incredibly difficult situations, be forced to spend almost all of their time apart, and deal with scandals and setbacks.

2024 was a year I could never have dreamed of for both of them. Watching them both thrive so well, take charge of their careers and their lives to a degree never before seen, and to have so much time for their personal lives - it's all I've ever wanted for them.

And you can see how well they are thriving, how much happier they are, how much healthier they are, and how much of themselves is stamped on every single thing they do.

I frequently see fans spinning negative fantasies about them, and it makes me sad. As if there isn't enough pain in the world, why generate more in your own mind?

A lot of turtles tend to overly romanticize 2018 and 2019 because they were the years that The Untamed was filmed, promoted and aired, and that's where a lot of our favorite GGDD content was born. I think that's rather self-centered and shortsighted. If we take five seconds to remove our rose-colored glasses, surely we can see how difficult those years were for them.

Yes, they got to work together for a few months, they got to spend some fun time together promoting The Untamed and even got to be somewhat open about their affection for each other in front of a crowd, but outside of that summer dream, they were both in pretty precarious positions in their careers, and both of them faced a lot of really gruesome anti attacks. Neither of them had very much control over their careers or their choices, and their management situations were atrocious.

We don't even have to talk about 2020. That was an incredibly difficult year. GG was the focus of one of the worst cyberbullying and nearly career-ending scandals that's been seen in that industry. He was being threatened, the people connected to him and the brands that he dealt with were being threatened.

Any time he tried to do anything in his career, whether it was an appearance or an endorsement, antis would come out in droves and protest until it was shut down. There were active organized hate campaigns whose entire purpose was to destroy his life and his career. People were trying to infect him with COVID, and there were other threats upon his life. Multiple times online hate campaigns tried to spread the rumor that he had died.

He couldn't go anywhere without people following him and chanting hateful slogans at him and trying to infiltrate the hotels he was staying at. It was terrifying.

DD was constantly overworked, exhausted, always on the move with barely any time to come up for air.

They had to spend most of their time apart, including some of the quarantine time, when DD was isolated so that he could begin filming LOF, right when the worst of the scandal broke. GG's grandfather died, and he faced so many personal burdens.

They did get some fun times together of course, and there were some huge successes for both of them, including GG's spectacular comeback at the end of the year with his sea of red for Tencent All Star Night. Even turtles worked to help ensure he had his red sea.

And GG and DD got to clown around and be silly as well, and they made a real effort to show us that they were getting through fine, they would be okay and that they were still the same people, still able to be happy. We got so much candy that year, and so many great LRLG messages as well.

But that was just a sign of their character and strength. Make no mistake about it, that was a difficult year.

The intervening years between then and now have been a bit of a mixed bag. There were a lot of COVID frustrations (scheduling issues, Kafkaesque hoops to jump through, inability to travel outside the country, risk of ending up in a prolonged lockdown, inevitable health stress), they had to spend a lot of time apart and there were more and more crackdowns on the entertainment industry, on the queer community and on fandom culture, which made things feel positively dismal and oppressive - at times even scary.

However, it's undeniable that things have been gradually improving for them. They've both been building more and more autonomy and control in their careers, and building more respect from audiences and within the industry. They've both been prioritizing their personal lives more and more. And yes - they've BOTH been looking happier, more relaxed, more balanced.

I've talked about that a fair bit over the past couple of years. Most recently in this post.

Looking at 2024, they have had so much more free time in their lives, have been able to spend so much more time together in the same city, have spent time with each other wherever they were filming, and even got to travel and spend some fun downtime outside of China.

They are in such powerful positions compared to even a couple years ago. They have made great connections and worked on some amazing projects.

GG has been working with some of the top directors on some of the most anticipated projects in C-ent. He recorded an entire solo album and several music videos, and did all of that on his own time and on his own dime, and released it to critical acclaim and massive success with audiences.

He has been the talk of the globe in fashion circles and entertainment circles, and has been the face behind some of the most successful and exciting campaigns for some of the most prestigious brands in the world.

He got to travel a lot outside of China, and build on some of the great connections he's made over the years. He got to spend time with his parents traveling Europe!

He's given us so much incredible content with his vlogs and photo sets. It's just mind-boggling how much he's given us over the past couple of years.

DD took initiative to propose and participate in a documentary series where he got to explore interesting locations and engage in some of the most extreme outdoor activities. What could possibly be more exciting for someone like him?

He got to work with a team of conservationists who are fighting to save pangolins, and filmed a documentary there as well. Knowing him, that has to be one of the most rewarding things he's ever done in his life.

Both documentaries were highly acclaimed and award-winning.

Speaking of awards, he debuted as a film star and has been nominated for all of the top awards in China both for his film work and his drama work!

He has signed a new contract with his management company that will certainly have put him in a very powerful position in the company as their top breadwinner. He has been exceptionally successful with endorsements, holding more endorsements than anyone else in C-ent.

He got to play tennis on the top of The Great Wall with one of the top players in the world (regardless of how much I despise Djokovic).

He got to be an Olympic torch bearer! He is the ambassador for multiple high profile organizations and projects.

He earned his auto racing license, joined a racing team and finished in first place in his first ever auto race!

Make no mistake about it, they are both now solidly calling the shots in their own lives and careers, they are living their best lives, and they are both happier than I have ever seen them in all of these years.

And much more healthy! Just take one look at them and you can see how much healthier they both are. They've been playing a lot of sports and doing a lot of active outdoor activities together, and it shows in how much happier and healthier they are.

Frankly anyone who can't see that has their head stuffed firmly in a moist dark place.

I urge everyone to center GG and DD in all of our fandom explorations, theories and interpretations. The reality is that the more that they get to focus on their own lives and careers and personal freedoms, the less candy and CPN we're likely to see. We should be happy for them rather than try to spin sad tales about it.

[nachrosas]

SURPRISE DINNER | a.hotchner x reader

summary: in which you surprise aaron at the fbi headquarters with a nice dinner.

pairing: aaron hotchner x reader

content warnings: none, just pure fluff!

word count: 880

a/n: trying one more time writing for aaron! i hope you guys like it! feedback is always appreciated! also, my inbox is always open to chat! till the next one!

The silence of the BAU office at that time always gave it a graveyard feel. The only sound came from the keys being pressed and the occasional rustle of papers. The cold white light of the fluorescent lamps reflected off the piles of reports that had accumulated on Aaron's desk. He rubbed his eyes, tired of staring at the computer screen, and stretched his stiff shoulders. The clock on the screen read 9:30 pm, but for him, it could have been any time — since he'd been sitting in that chair since 8:30 am.

The bullpen door opened with a slight creak, but he ignored it, as he was used to the sporadic movements of agents at that time. However, it wasn't until he smelled a familiar and inviting aroma that he decided to raise his head, completely intrigued.

And there you were, walking calmly towards his office with a cooler bag in one hand and a determined smile on your face. You were dressed casually, wearing your favorite sweatshirt, making you look a little out of place in that formal FBI environment, but that didn't stop your illustrious presence from brightening up the office.

Aaron frowned, surprised and a little alert. He stood up slowly, came around the desk, and smiled in her direction.

“What are you doing here?”

“Duh, rescuing you, of course,” you replied with a laugh, placing the bag on the table. “I think a special agent deserves a real dinner once in a while too.”

He looked around, as if worried about someone watching the scene, but the few agents still on the floor didn't seem to care what was going on in the boss's office. Still, his lips tightened into a line.

“Honey, you didn't have to…”

“Aaron.” you interrupted him gently, leaning a little towards him and resting your hand on his shoulder. Your eyes met his, and your tone was firm but gentle. “Do I really need to remind you that even the toughest agents need a moment's respite?”

He sighed, the resistance visible on his face diminishing little by little. “I'm not going to be able to convince you to leave without doing this, am I?”

You just smiled as you started taking the pots and plates out of the bag. “Not a chance.”

The brief smile that threatened to appear on his face made it clear to you that all your efforts had paid off.

Aaron watched as you organized everything in the small free space on the table, opening the containers and separating the cutlery with calm movements. The tension in his shoulders gradually eased. The aroma of home-cooked food began to spread throughout the office.

“You did all this?” he asked quietly, with a hint of incredulity.

“Of course!” you replied with a simple smile. ”Someone had to make sure you didn't spend the night eating nothing but junk food.”

He let out an almost imperceptible sigh and took the fork you offered. The first bite was accompanied by a brief closing of his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was something different about his expression. A small smile — shy but genuine — appeared at the corner of his lips.

“Is it good?” you asked, already knowing what the answer would be, but you wanted to hear it come out of his mouth.

“It's… perfect.” he admitted, almost hesitantly, as if he wasn't used to receiving this kind of affection from you. He looked down at his plate for a few seconds before continuing. “I don't know when I last had a meal like this… made by someone who really cares.”

The words were simple, but they carried something deeper underneath. He didn't need to explain. You knew the weight he carried on a daily basis, trying to balance his responsibilities as head of an FBI unit and father of a 7-year-old boy, without letting either slip through his fingers.

“You deserve this, Aaron, and much more,” you said, sincerely, as you sat down next to him on the small office sofa.

The conversation flowed lightly, breaking the usual silence of the office. For a few minutes, the weight of the piles of papers and pending reports seemed to disappear. He even made a joking comment about how it had perhaps taken the fun out of the quick meals he usually had.

You realized that the clock had gone forward more than you would have liked, and stood up to start packing the empty containers back into the bag. Aaron stood there, looking at you with a mixture of gratitude and something you couldn't quite identify.

“Thanks for that.” he said, holding your hand briefly before you could leave. The sincerity in his voice softened the firmness in his touch. “You don't know how much this means to me.”

You smiled, squeezing his hand lightly in response, before letting go and starting your walk towards the elevators. As you turned to look at him once more, you saw that he had already returned to work, but this time his posture was less rigid and his countenance lighter.

As you left, you were sure that he could still taste dinner, and your presence, like a small flame in the midst of the chaos that always surrounded him.

[x-necromantic-x]

(reblogging w/ my comments under op’s post to have it on one of my blogs)

hi!! this was my post that you're talking about! and wow haha i did not think it would strike this much of a nerve with some people, but it's always a good thing to see other people passionate about things i'm passionate about also.

a few things–

the post overall was meant to be lighthearted in nature, as someone who enjoys both the musical and the poem it wasn't really an us vs them thing. moreso a playful jab at people who made assumptions about the myth based off the musical (which, in my comments there were a lot of) and if you don't do that, the post doesn't apply to you!

in the pinned comment under the post i talk about how a conversation can definitely happen over the ethics of the situation, i'm all for interpretations of the story and enjoyed the people discussing the myth from the perspective of actually having read the myth or of being aware of it. whenever i corrected people in the comments, it was about things they got wrong about the material specifically, such as people saying circe used her magic to force him to bed or arguing about things a simple google search could tell you whether it did or didn't happen. If you interpret the text as being non-consensual, it was never the point of the post to say that your interpretation is incorrect! me personally though, i don't like the optics of circe being turned into a supporting/positive character if she was a rapist in the original.

I wasn't defending hamilton lmao!!! it was a joke!!! it was a bit!!!!

i also never said homer!odysseus was a horrible person! i very much don't think he is! to me, the point of the story is it's exploration of the human condition, and that even if he had faltered in his resolve to get home, that he still wouldn't have been a horrible person because any normal person in his shoes would have done similarly! i dunno where you got this bit but yk, js for the record.

your interpretation of book 10 in the odyssey is fine, if not a little lost on me. odysseus was certainly not initiative in the task of going home. of course, you can read and take away from it whatever you like, but– and i'm not trying to sound pretentious here– in my analysis class for the odyssey specifically we talked about how this section of the odyssey goes into the nature of human temptation when faced with luxury or an easier way out. Odysseus intentionally spends longer than he has to, a full year, and doesn't make the decision to leave until his crew bugs him and calls his delays “madness”. That doesn't read to me as them being like let's leave and he's like alr bet, it reads as odysseus finding reasons to remain on the island even after his crew is ready to go. you can find all of this in the text.

i never mentioned being fixated on the telegony either, all of my rebuttals have been centered around text and examples found in the odyssey itself. it wasn't really a gotcha moment with circe either, there's no debate that odysseus’ is one of history's great morally ambiguous figures in fiction, with or without her.

lastly, i think the odyssey is sooo romantic! a lot of your post seems to have misunderstood the point of mine fundamentally, and that's ok, i probably could have phrased it better! i think epic is romantic, i think the odyssey is romantic, the point i was trying to get at when seriously debating the storytelling of epic is that i think a lot of people miss the nuance that went into the storytelling of the odyssey in favor of a more sanitized, more easy to swallow protagonist. again, how i studied it, and how i believe the odyssey was meant to be read, is as a critical analysis of the human condition. Myths are reflective of the societies they come from, and i want people to be aware that the myths we read are a glimpse into what sorts of things people back then valued and strove for, how they're different from us, and how they're not. you mentioned having wished you’d studied the literature, and i think if you had, you would have come to a similar conclusion.

while i don’t think op misinterpreted my points intentionally in bad faith, calling me an asshole or saying i’m illiterate definitely made me raise an eyebrow. i tried my best to keep the conversations in my own comments respectful and productive, and hostility was definitely not the tone of my original shitpost. i think most people were able to talk about their perspectives and interpretations of the odyssey without going there. i’m attaching my pinned comments below for more context about the post itself

Some assholes on Instagram saying that Epic fans are "gaslighting" themselves about Odysseus being faithful to Penelope because of the Circe part and being pretentious about it and how we are stupid for considering The Odyssey romantic

Motherfucker

1. The Odyssey is an epic poem we all fucking know that? That it's a tragedy, technically comedy (comedy in ancient literature used to mean "happy ending", not funny stuff)

2. The Circe bit can be interpreted in different ways, as if it was fully consensual or not or just a transaction. There was still a difference in power dynamics, which was 100% mentioned by Calypso in the beginning, but if you choose to ignore that part if the same as saying some of Zeus' kids were ok to be conceived because the women agreeded to what A GOD wanted.

3. Obviously Epic!Odysseus is differente from Homer!Odysseus, but trying to say Homer! Odysseus is a horrible person that fully wanted to cheat on Penelope just because you want to defend ALEXANDER HAMILTON, i have bad news about you.

4. "The crew had to beg to go back!" I read the Odyssey too. As a child and a few days ago. They stayed on Circe's island to rest so Odysseus job as a captain was literally wait until his crew told him they were ready to leave, specially after what they have lived. Odysseus didnt force anyone to stay in that island, when the crew went "oh, sir, we miss our families, please lets go back now, yes?" Odysseus immediately said "ok". It literally felt like a father waiting for the kids to stop playing in the playground.

5. Homer!Odysseus is not perfect, at all (man killed his disloyal maids because he didnt want to deal with shit anymore, even if they also were coerced/raped by the suitors), but come with a better gotcha than Circe. You are just fixiated on the Telegony and it shows.

6. Idk what to tell you, but if you think renouncing a life with two inmortal godesses (one of whom offered you immortality), traveling for 10 years defying a God's rage, killing 108 men who wanted to marry your wife (and ruined your house), almost killed yourself when said wife rejected you only for her to go "haha i was just testing you, silly :)", have your literally marriage have a word created for you two specifically is not romantic... Idk go read Bridgerton

[interstellarlyinlove]

First Date (January 5th)

word count: 486

@wolfstarmicrofic

“You know what I realized the other night,” Sirius says absentmindedly, biting his lower lip. The wall he just finished painting is way too streaky for his liking and he’s not sure he knows any spells to fix a streaky wall. 

“What did you realize?” Remus asks. Sirius can’t see Remus as he’s staring at the honestly worst paint job he’s seen in his life. Remus’ job is to build baby Harry’s crib and Sirius hopes Remus’ building skills are better than his painting ones. If only to avoid Lily murdering the both of them.

“Do you think we can fix this?” Sirius asks, finally turning around to look at Remus for the directions of properly painting a stupid wall. Remus is on the floor surrounded by all the small crib parts and screws and the sight of him makes Sirius feel better about his shitty wall. 

Remus looks at Sirius. “Fix what?”

“I realized that I don’t really know what to consider as our first date,” Sirius says, remembering to finish his first sentence. 

“What?” Remus blinks. “Why is that wall so ugly?”

Sirius scoffs. “As if. Why is there no standing crib yet?”

Remus looks thoughtful. “I’ve always considered the time we spent doing homework on top of the Astronomy Tower as dates. In their own special and awkward way. So I guess our first date was during, what was it, third year?”

“No way those were dates,” Sirius says. “We barely spoke and were actually doing homework.”

“There is no standing crib because these instructions are so stupid.” Remus huffs, crumpling what Sirius assumes is the instructions manual. 

Sirius grins. He gives up on his wall for now and sits cross-legged in front of Remus. “Do you think it’s a smart idea to get rid of that?”

Remus throws the crumpled piece of paper in Sirius’ direction. He’s also smiling. “Work on fixing that horrendous wall, my love.”

“I think our first date was when we spent that winter break at Hogwarts in fifth year and you taught me how to crochet.”

Remus cocks his head to the side. “I forgot we did that. That was fun.”

Sirius nods. “Yeah.”

“Why not consider our first date that new year’s eve party we ditched then snuck into Hogsmeade and you showed me how to recognize all those constellations.”

“Because we weren’t dating yet in fourth year,” Sirius says, then laughs. “Though stargazing is pretty damn romantic. How weren’t we dating then?”

Remus smiles. He kisses Sirius’ cheek and gets up. “Here’s the plan: I go get some cute wallpaper and you try and have something resembling a built crib before James and Lily come back.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Sirius says, uncrumpling the crib instructions. He pauses. “You know, I did spend those Astronomy Tower nights thinking about your cool scars and dreamy eyes so they might as well be considered dates.”

Remus laughs. “Sure.”

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Wait you wrote some of the Dragon Prince's Reflections short stories? That's awesome, congratulations! What was that like and how much lore did the showrunners give you access to, or were you allowed to make your own additions to canon? 😃 Which ones did you work on if I can ask? Thanks!

Oop, this question came in while I was answering another one! I just went over which Reflections stories were my work here! tldr, most of the first volume and one in the second volume.

I worked with Devon on ideas to pitch, and then on crafting and polishing the ones that got approval. I only needed to know a little bit of lore from upcoming seasons in order to write the stories, but with the timeskip between S3 and S4, I necessarily had to know a few things, like "so it's been two years."

I did get a couple of references to look at, such as the design of the soul candle for "The Queen's Soul," since that was an asset they'd already created for the show. And I did get to watch an early version of the first episode of S4, for character/design/location/etc reasons. A picture is worth 1000 words, etc. But most of my stories were just little bubbles stuck on the side of the main plot bubble - as the Reflections series was originally pitched to be! It's full of treats and foreshadowy lil clues, but in the end it's just fun supplemental material for the extra nerdy to indulge in! So there was some freedom in pitching and writing, as long as it held to theme, and we had a lot of fun bringing these little moments to life.

Crackledrake is my favorite short story because I got to add the cute little ritual to Sunfire canon and created the lore behind it. It's inspired by the real-world tradition of snapdragon, so you can see I was super inventive with its TDP name there! I gave Janai and Amaya their own Xadian fruits and nuts, though, as they deserve. I can't say I did so with a straight face, though. My face was extremely gay about it, actually.

Rise Again was another of my pitches that got accepted, and writing it really helped me connect with Claudia in a way I hadn't before. I've felt differently about her ever since, and that wouldn't've happened if I hadn't gotten to spend time with her and give her Burnt Biscuit.

I think Changing of the Guard was already in the pitch lineup, but I was really excited to get to write for Soren and Corvus. I always enjoy when opposite personalities try to come together! I tried my best to add some angst into Corvus' backstory, but I had to trim it for length so he remains mysterious. But King Ezran's Belly Full of Jelly tart-eating contest is a thing I've put into the world, and I'm genuinely pleased with that. And then there's all the *waves Sorvus flag*. I just think they're neat! (and you're welcome)

[liondrakes]

To add on with personal insight: I first awakened when I was in middle school, but shied away from embracing who I am out of fear. I didn’t come around to embracing myself until I turned twenty.

I don’t think it’s a matter of the experience being too “deep” or “serious” for children. Hell, some adults (therian or otherwise) don’t even see their identity as an overly profound experience. It’s their life. End of.

It’s a matter of belonging that needs to be taken into account. People can experience that at any age. Children spend a lot of time contemplating about who they are and where they belong, so it makes sense why such a vast influx of them flock to this community through a very popular outlet… even if said outlet tends to spread a lot of contradicting, and sometimes incorrect, information.

I would know because I did the same thing years ago. If I were to apply any of this to myself, I wouldn’t be considered a “real” therian, or alterhuman in general, back then because I learned about the otherkin community through Vine when I was thirteen. From there, I sat with the possibility of having this experience. I ruled out that I likely did, but I didn’t announce myself as a member of either community as mentioned before. I shut it out for a while. This decision was made out of concern of being judged by the spaces I already found myself in.

On one hand, can I understand the frustration with young, misinformed therians on TikTok? Yes, especially when they try to recirculate outdated definitions and discourses. Nobody is obligated to educate them, though I personally encourage it if you want rampant misinformation to cease.

On the other hand, I don’t think their behavior disproves their therianthropy. They still have a lot to learn about themselves and their community. Even if they’re the kind who insists that they’re not an animal, they should at least be directed to terms in the community that help describe what they experience (ex: synpath, otherhearted, otherpaw). They’re trailing behind, but they’ll find their way.

Furthermore, some of what they say (such as claiming therianthropy “isn’t” identifying as an animal) is likely a means to prevent the judgement and lack of belonging that they fret over. The “Oh, well, I’m not really…” response reads as a defense to me. I’m aware that there’s kids who genuinely don’t know therianthropy inherently means being an animal, but this is also the same generation with unfettered access to the internet. If they wanted to know beyond TikTok, they’d know. These kids could be putting up walls to turn away folks who’ll subject them to harassment for even daring to step outside of what they consider “normal”.

By no means am I saying they’re allowed to dilute the label because of this. No one would should go out of their way in making themselves palatable to assholes. I say this to shed light on how they might be feeling and why they assert these claims, despite said claims about therianthropy being wrong.

Children, especially teenagers, are very cautious about how they are perceived. It’s not that they can’t comprehend having an identity like this. It could be a huge thing for them to understand, but I don’t think we should blanket it as that alone. That has never worked out for any community, regardless of the label and its context (as discussed by Paleo).

Many of these children are clinging onto the belonging they feel amongst us. Despite having to brace for anti-therian/kin bullying, and doing so in a very backwards way, they still conduct themselves as members of this community.

Some of them may not continue to identify as therians in the future. This happens with adults too. It’s not a child-exclusive circumstance. Even if it was, then so be it. Life happens. You explore. You make discoveries. Whether or not those experiences remain a part of you is something that only time can tell.

Some of them also have the possibility of staying within this community. They have the capacity to keep learning from and engaging with their peers. I embraced my alterhumanity as an adult, but I still had much to learn. I wasn’t thirteen anymore. The community I familiarized myself with had long changed, so I had to catch up with everything.

I just don’t think the original post is a fair approach to younger members of our community. They have ample room to grow. I’m not saying older members should hand-hold them through everything, but we as adults have the experience to know that kids aren’t devoid of their own complexities when it comes to identity. We were all kids once. Our circumstances may not be the same, but we must ask ourselves: “Would l say the same thing about myself when I was fourteen?”

Better yet: “Would I say this about anyone who was misinformed about our community but still felt like they belong here?”

You can feel however you wish about their lack of understanding, but that lack of understanding doesn’t define them as people. If that were the case, anyone who questioned an identity and didn’t figure out all the details would be put in the hot seat.

Don't bash me in for saying this..but I don't consider anyone 14 or under who especially has tiktok to really be a therian.

They're more than likley gonna grow out of it. I'm not hating them for saying they are a therian but most people that young don't even know the meaning and seriousness of the identity.

[malk1ns]

january 3 @ panthers, 3-2 S/O loss

sidney out here doing sidney things.

geno...is not so much doing geno things right now. he's still drawing up plays that make goals happen, because that tying goal doesn't happen without his vision and hockey IQ, but he's in a slump right now. i think i have the answer as to why!

previous soulbond installments: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

As the season wears on, Zhenya makes a decision when it comes to the bond.

The specialists dragging them into meetings every other day, the added scrutiny in a season where they’re already being watched, is fraying Sid at the seams. He still comes to Zhenya’s house in his spare time, but he’s distracted, spending too much time on his phone and spacing out on their conversations.

Zhenya knows why. Neither of them are scoring, and the only time they’re allowed on the ice together is when Sid ignores the call for a change on the power play and stays out for the full two minutes.

The strategy they’ve been forced to adopt isn’t working. Sid’s slowly losing his mind.

So Zhenya changes tacks, all on his own.

Normally when he’s not on the ice he’s only half-paying attention, especially if his line isn’t due out for a shift for a while. He’s always done better when he has time to check out from gameplay and center himself for a few seconds. Now, though, he leans forward and watches when the first line is out, tracking Sid on the ice and watching plays develop.

And he pushes.

It’s not cheating, Zhenya’s pretty sure. Even if it is, he’d like to see someone try and prove it.

Sid was always going to rebound. He’s too good to have a down-stretch that lasts more than a few weeks. Even now, in his 20th year in the league, he has more talent in one hand than the majority of players could ever hope to have. 

If Zhenya helps out a little…well, that’s just being a good teammate.

He wasn’t quite prepared for the effect helping Sid out would have on his own play. It’s helping the team win though, or at least stay competitive in games where a few weeks ago they would have folded and gotten blown out. Zhenya can accept his own production suffering, can weather the media criticism and the whispers that he’s washed, if it helps Sid and the team.

He misses scoring real goals, though. Maybe he’ll get the balance figured out with more time; it would be nice to be able to help the top line and get a few goals of his own.

Slowly, Sid calms down. He settles into the team again, laughing with the guys and teasing the kids and getting his swagger back. Zhenya knows he made the right decision when Sid passes Mario for the franchise lead in assists, and Sid drags him into bed that night and proceeds to take him apart so thoroughly that Zhenya cried at one point.

Zhenya thinks he can go through a season like this, even if he doesn’t quite crack 20 goals, if it means he has Sid, and he has the team, and the team starts winning more.

He should have known Sid would figure it out.

He’s not sure what tipped Sid off against Florida. There was that shot on the wide-open net Zhenya missed, and there was the mess in overtime, where he almost had the game-winner and couldn’t even get off the ice.

Sid lets Zhenya linger after he changes, saying hi to his friends who drove up from Miami to watch the game, but once they’re back at the hotel, he follows Zhenya back to his room. Zhenya can feel how irritated he is.

“Before you start, let me put on pajamas,” Zhenya says as Sid shuts the door behind them, interrupting whatever Sid was about to start in with.

Sid deflates, but he nods, crossing his arms and watching as Zhenya digs in his bag for his sweatpants.

He smirks a little when he pulls his pants down and Sid’s interest spikes. He can’t be that mad, then.

“Oh, I am,” Sid answers out loud, and Zhenya sighs gustily as he tosses his suit into his bag and slouches to the bed. “G, what are you thinking? Did you really think I’d never notice that you’re…I don’t know, sacrificing yourself for my play? Did you think I’d want this?”

“No,” Zhenya snaps, rolling his eyes. “Of course I’m not think you’re want me play like shit, like, obviously. But it’s help, yes? We’re win more now, specialists leave us alone when you’re scoring, like, it’s good for team.” He stares Sid down. “I’m wrong? You can’t say, I know I’m right.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Sid explodes, pushing off from the wall and stalking towards the bed. “You’re fucking up your game to…I don’t even know what you’re doing. How the hell are you so good at playing with the bond, first there was that goal you grabbed from me a few months ago now this, and I can’t even…” He takes a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t do this, G, you have to stop.”

“Hmm, no,” Zhenya says, smiling when Sid’s eyes practically bug out of his head. “My choice, Sid. Okay, yes, it’s not so good for my game right now, but I practice, it gets better. It’s more important for your line to be best right now.” He holds up his hand before Sid can interrupt. “No, it’s true. You’re captain, like, guys look to you the most. When you’re play best, do crazy things like perfect pass, edgework, it’s make everyone want to try harder for you. Whole team gets…lift? Not sure how to say, but you’re example. It’s not the same if it’s me.”

Sid opens his mouth, but Zhenya can feel when he accepts what Zhenya’s saying as truth. “I still don’t like it,” he mutters, turning to his own bag and tugging out his sweatpants with an unnecessary amount of force. “This wouldn’t be happening if they’d just let us do what feels right. It’s stupid.”

“Yes,” Zhenya agrees, opening his arms so Sid can crawl into his embrace. “They very stupid, we’re say this many times. Can’t change it though, they’re here, they watch. Maybe soon they’re think we adjust like they want, they leave and we do our way, see what happens. But for now, we do this.”

Sid sighs. His thoughts are too fast for Zhenya to pick anything specific out, just a general feeling of unhappiness. “I still don’t like it,” he mutters. “It’s not fair to you. I hear what they’re saying.”

Zhenya shrugs. “They always say about me, every year. What’s new? Maybe you’re give me goal next game, like, shut them up for a while. Maybe I keep not doing media so much and they’re forget if they have fun goals to talk about with you. It doesn’t matter, though. More important that team comes together, like, try hardest every night.”

“I don’t like when you’re this reasonable,” Sid says, turning his head so he can wrinkle his nose up at Zhenya. “And, hey, if you’re so self-sacrificing, why didn’t you do anything during the shootout? We could have used a win tonight.”

Zhenya shakes his head solemnly, pulling a mournful face. “Can’t help your shootout, Sid,” he says. “It’s too late, like, you’re too far gone. So boring, don’t even try, I push and push and nothing. Hey!” He squawks, trying to twist away from where Sid’s digging his fingers into Zhenya’s side.

Their play-wrestling must be loud, because Kris in the room next door bangs on their shared wall after just a few minutes, before it even had a chance to turn into something a little more fun.

[douxkise]

This short piece of Mammon fluff is a gift for @anonymouse-is-here and although she has seen it already, I thought it would be nice to share it with everyone too. No Mammon content is ever too much Mammon content, right? 🌹

Note: MY ENGLISH IS CURRENTLY RUSTY, GIVE ME A BREAK

The greatest winter with the Great Mammon

Mammon was cold. That's it. So cold he could barely move. He felt a wave of cramps coming all the way to his toes and couldn't help but shiver. The demon took in his surroundings and everything he saw was the white, thick snow that extended for miles and piled up to his thighs and only added to his already freezing body.

He cried out for help and there was no answer. Of course no one would come to his rescue; he didn't even remember how he got there in the first place.

Mammon managed to take a couple of steps before his body gave up, sending him straight to the snow. Oh God, he was going to die for good this time. The freezing cold caught up to him in an instant and he felt himself getting sleepy. Weird, huh? Suddenly, the gelid snow on his cheek didn't bother him so much anymore.

"HELL NAH!" he yelled, sitting up and throwing all the pillows on the floor while trying to regain consciousness.

His eyes darted around in a haste, scared he would end up as a giant ice cube in the middle of nowhere. It was only a nightmare, thank Diavolo. He exhaled and saw his breath in the air. Oh... So that's why it hurt to breathe. His own room was cold as hell.

Only then he remembered something. Mammon turned to your side of the bed and, just as he thought, it was empty and the blanket was gone as well. Although the sheets were already cold, your scent still lingered, engraved in his mind and invading his nose. He missed you already, why did you have to disappear like that?!

"It's too early to be stealing Mammon's blanket, ___...." Rubbing his eyes, the white haired demon got up and decided to look for you; there was no way he was going back to sleep without you on his side.

It took Mammon a couple of minutes to notice the silence at Serenity Manor; the sun had barely risen, after all, no sane demon should be awake, but there he was. He walked all the way through the mansion and hadn't heard anything from any of his brothers — or you, for that matter — which led him to start getting a tad bit antsy.

The common room remained the same, though, its gigantic windows hiding nothing from the outside and, as he expected, the backyard was covered in snow. He took in the scenery before him; the chilly atmosphere wasn't enough to hurt him the way it did in his dream and the snow-covered trees were kind of pretty, he admitted. Mammon almost felt peace at the moment. That is, until he saw you.

There you were, standing outside in the snow. What were you thinking? Getting out of the mansion — without winter boots, nonetheless —, were you trying to freeze to death?!

"Oi! Ya ain't gettin' sick on my watch! Get back inside, ____!" He called through the door that led to the yard, waving frantically to get your attention.

You turned around with a smile that never failed to melt his heart. That childlike glint in your eyes that he only ever saw whenever the first snow of December started falling. You beckoned to him and, certainly, watched as he took a deep breath before facing the snow.

"It's snowing, Mammon! It's officially winter!" You told him, opening your arms in an obvious invitation for a hug.

"Tsk, talk about being childish," he grumbled, wrapping his arms around your waist in a bear hug.

You two just stayed this way, your bodies rocking slowly from side to side while you admired the beautiful winter scenery.

"Hey... You know what?" You pulled away just enough to look into his blue eyes. "Thank you for being with me, Mammon. I'm really glad we're spending winter in the human realm this year."

"Of course, the Great Mammon will always be here for ya, babe." You could hear the embarrassment in each of his words even though he tried to hide the deep blush on his face with an overconfident demeanor.

After a few moments, the winter breeze started to be too much for you. You couldn't help but shiver a bit, and it didn't go unnoticed by him; he scoffed and took both your bare hands in his. To say your skin was cold was an understatement. Honestly, he was expecting it already, you did this every year and it never got old; the first time was during the Devildom winter. However, this year he was braver, bolder even, and decided to be a gentleman and kiss your hands.

Mammon started by kissing your fingers, one by one, pretending he hadn't seen the pinkish tint on your cheeks.

"Mammon... What are you-"

"Don't speak," his voice went low in a soft command, although it sounded almost like a plea. Oh, to be that confident all the time... His life would have been so much easier.

The sudden change in the atmosphere caught you off guard; you weren't expecting him to get affectionate out of the blue, neither were you ready for it this early in the morning. You kept watching him as he kissed every inch of your hand, until he got to kiss your palm. You pulled both hands back abruptly and now it was Mammon's turn to be surprised. He stared at your flushed face and smirked to what could only mean one thing: he found out you were ticklish.

"Oh... That's good to know." His smirk only grew as well as his confidence.

"Don't you dare, Mammon." You warned with a mischievous smirk matching his, already backing away from him when he started following you.

And just like that, you were play fighting in the snow. Mammon had that familiar hungry look in his eyes, his laugh echoing through all of the backyard of the mansion as he tried to tickle you over and over. Truth be told, you had no chance against him to begin with. You only got away with running from him for as long as he allowed, but even so you ended up tripping and falling on your stomach.

"Looks like the Great Mammon won again, huh?" He chuckled as he turned you around and trapped you underneath his body.

"You're ridiculous." There was your smile again, making his heart speed up without his consent. Your entire face held the expression of pure happiness while you stared fondly at him.

As you two laid down on the snow, you noticed just how beautiful this demon was. You already knew it, of course, but it was always a welcome surprise when you got to be so close to him as you were. His eyes as deep as the most beautiful starry night, his lips just as inviting; you started to think Mammon could have been sculpted by God himself and the laugh that followed was inevitable. How could you forget that God himself took his time to create an ethereal being such as the Great Mammon?

He didn't even have the time to ask what you were laughing at when he felt your cold hands pulling his face down until your lips barely brushed against his. Mammon's hand trembled in anticipation, his fingers making their way to your hair as he made sure to remember every tiny detail of you in that moment.

"Hey! Get away from them!" Asmodeus' loud voice echoed through the backyard and both you and Mammon jumped out of your skins, unable to move fast enough to even start thinking of a believable excuse for the position you were in.

You dreaded looking in the avatar of Lust's direction and you weren't actually surprised to see all of the brothers' enraged expressions glaring at Mammon.

"Here we come, I guess, Mammon," you sighed as he helped you up with the biggest blush you had ever seen.

"Gimme a break! I ain't doin' anything!" It was the only thing he managed to yell back; you knew too well he was, indeed, doing something.

"Stop this buffoonery at once and come to the dining room. Breakfast is ready." Lucifer announced and left the rest of the brothers to follow after him.

"They will never let you live this down." You chuckled, patting the remaining snow off your clothes.

"Hah?! What if they don't? Joke's on 'em, you belong to me!" Mammon answered with a new wave of confidence.

"That's right, Mammon. I'm yours."

In a bold move, you grabbed him by the shoulders and filled his entire face with loving pecks. No space was left forgotten; you kissed his cheeks, his nose, his eyes, the eyebrows as well, his forehead and ended with a peck on his lips. You watched him squirm under your touch and laughed again; how could the avatar of Greed himself be so unbelievably cute? You loved him so much.

"Now let's go have some breakfast, Mammon," You called, not waiting for him to make up his mind. You took his hand in yours and pulled Mammon inside, excited to finally spend with him what promised to be the best winter holiday so far.

[twst-aceofhearts]

Chocolate

a/n: the bonus fic I was talking abt in my post - more as an apology for not posting a fic in so long - do i realize that the ratio of words in ace fics to other characters' is significantly more? yes. will i make it equal and tone down my ace fics? absolutely not. ;)

I TOTALLY DON'T HAVE AN IMPENDING HYPERFIXATION ON ACE PSHHH WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

slow burn(?)

@ai-kan1 peace offering plz accept me TT

not proofread sorry

tw: very cheesy and very cringe-worthy kissing scenes

pairing: Ace x Fem!Yuu (has a nut allergy and gets motion sickness for the sake of plot)

words: 6234 (hoo boy..)

taglist: @luxaryllis @thegoldencontracts @waterthatsmoe @ai-kan1

“You’re pretty popular these days, huh,” Ace says, his words lacking the teasing lilt he’d hoped to achieve upon seeing the piles of chocolates on Yuu’s table that morning.

Though—he inspects the stacks of cheap gifts he could easily discern were from Sam’s Shop. Do these people really think they can win Yuu over with shallow and thoughtless offerings like these? Did they even try?

Now, he’s no critic, but if Ace was given the chance to take part in this annual wooing fest, he’d go out of his way to take Yuu to an amusement park (everyone loves those) and impress her by winning all those crappy games for you (he’s street-smart, he’d know what he’s doing). Not only would Yuu end up utterly smitten with him, he’d also earn brownie points he can show off to Deuce. It’s an entirely win-win situation…or something. He wouldn’t know. It’s not like Ace spends his time thinking about this in minute detail. Haha, nope. Yuu was his best friend, and best friends don’t do that to each other.

…Probably.

“I guess,” Yuu hummed, rummaging through the mountain of chocolates, hoping for at least one decent piece without nuts.

“You guess?” Ace echoed in what almost sounded like a scoff. He leaned over her, arms crossed on the tabletop so that he could glance at the boxes in Yuu’s hands. “I counted twenty-three boxes. That’s basically the whole of the first years and half the second years at this school. What’s with all these chocolates for you, huh?”

With an amused smirk, he snatched a box out of her hands, inspecting the package.

“That’s some great hyperbole use, Ace. I didn’t realize your range of grammar was so wide,” Yuu deadpanned, “I’d appreciate it if you gave that back. It’s the only one without nuts and I want to satisfy my sweet tooth.”

“My grammar is amazing, you know. I’m the whole package,” Ace teased, tossing the box between his hands. His smirk was only growing bigger, seeming thoroughly entertained by her irritation. “But you didn’t answer the question: Why are you getting so many chocolates, hm?”

“Zero times a number is still zero,” Yuu countered back with a small smirk of her own. “And how would I know why so many people like me that way?”

“Ouch,” he deadpanned back in response. He put a hand to his chest in mock-despair. “Your cold words wound me. Here, a poor boy was just trying to give you a hard time, and you go ahead and say that.”

Ace was clearly just messing around with you, having the cheekiest damn smile on his face to show it.

“And you should have some idea, right? People like you because you’re cute. That’s it. Pretty simple reasoning.”

“You and your theatrics,” Yuu lightly shook her head. “But, I wasn’t expecting you to admit that. Are you one of the many people that like me or something?”

“Huh- hey, I do not have theatrics!” Ace protested with a huff. Although there was a hint of indignance in his voice, it quickly faded away to his usual carefree tone. He chose to ignore the second part of her question, but he couldn’t quite stop the flush that began to bloom over his cheeks. “I’m just being sarcastic with you! You ought to know that I’m just giving you a hard time, since I always give you a hard time.”

“Theater boy,” Yuu smiled, teasing him. She stood up, suddenly taking the box of chocolates back.

“Oh, come on!” Ace whined, following Yuu as she moved. “Don’t just take it back after that!”

For a moment, it seemed like he was about to make a grab for the box again, but he quickly aborted the motion with a huff and crossed his arms.

“So you still didn’t answer my question. Why the heck are you getting so many chocolates, anyway? Did you accidetally charm the entirety of our class or something?!”

“Look, I don’t know! This is what happens when you put a girl in an all boys school full of hormonal guys!” Yuu huffed, popping a piece of chocolate into her mouth.

“Oh- that’s why-”

Ace bit back a bark of laughter, instead covering his mouth and muffling his giggles behind his hand. After a moment, he got his amusement relatively under control, clearing his throat and shaking his head.

“Hormonal guys. Yeah, that seems about right. So you’re really not like, secretly flirting with half the school like I thought? I actually have a shot after all?”

Yuu raised an eyebrow. “I’m starting to think you are a part of the guys that like me.”

“Me? You think I like you too?” Ace exclaimed, laughing in a poor, failed attempt to hide the nervous blush that was quickly overtaking his face.

“Well, I mean-” He looked away, suddenly unable to meet her Yuu’s eyes. His voice lowered as he continued. “So what if I… I mean, hypothetically…”

“So you do?” Yuu grinned, playing with the chocolate wrapper.

“Oh come on, don’t sound so smug about it,” Ace mumbled, stuffing his hands into the pockets on his uniform pants, hunching his shoulders. He couldn’t manage to look at her, but that didn’t stop him from speaking again in a quiet voice. 

“...Maybe I do. Hypothetically. You know, whatever, it’s not a big deal, alright?” 

“Uh huh,” Yuu raised her eyebrows, her grin widening. 

“Hush, you,” Ace shot back quickly, looking up to glare at her. “Don’t look so— so smug!”

His ears were definitely turning pink; a fact that was only made more obvious with some strands of fiery hair falling over them. “I can’t believe out of the two of us, you’re the one making me feel flustered.”

“Sure, pretty boy,” Yuu chuckled, placing the box of chocolate down.

“You—”

Ace choked on the rest of his sentence as he was called that. Heat flared up his neck into his face, turning his skin absolutely scarlet. How the hell did she say these things so easily?

“God, you’re the worst, you know that?” He turned away, facing the opposite wall and stubbornly refusing to look at Yuu. No one deserved to see how utterly embarrassed he was right now.

Yuu let out a small giggle, standing up and popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth. 

“Hey, what—”

Ace was in the middle of protesting before the chocolate was suddenly in his mouth. He spluttered for a moment, though finally giving in because hey, free chocolate.

“Damn it- stop giggling like that. You’re enjoying this too much,” he grumbled through a mouthful of chocolate. He still wasn’t looking at her.

“Never. Would you rather me feed it to you mouth to mouth, then?”

Ace sputtered and choked on the piece of chocolate he had in his mouth. He coughed to try and regain his ability to speak, but all he managed to do was turn bright red, sputter some more, and look absolutely flabbergasted.

“Actually—since you’re so judgemental about my mountain of chocolates I can’t even eat, what would you do? What kind of date would you plan? I might actually agree depending on how much I like that idea—who knows.” Yuu grinned, giving him a small wink.

The sheer confidence and sass in her voice stunned Ace all over again. He couldn’t help but just stand there, gaping at Yuu in surprise. Though, eventually he managed to pull himself together, a sly smile overtaking his face.

“Is that a challenge, sweetheart? I’ll have you falling to my feet by the end of that date. Just wait.”

“...sweetheart?” Yuu blinked twice, her smirk completely wiped off. Her turn to be flustered, I guess.

A sense of triumph flared up in Ace’s chest upon seeing her suddenly-dumbfounded expression. “What’s that look for? Got flustered, didn’t you? Didn’t think you’d get all shy.”

A sly smirk was still splayed across his face, taking a step closer to Yuu to admire her face more.

“Shut it. What do you have planned for this date, anyway?” Yuu huffed, scooting back with her chair, trying to change the subject. 

“I thought you wanted to know how much you’d like it after I suggested a date, hm?” Ace teased, taking note of how Yuu were suddenly avoiding eye contact, and that sweet, flustered look on her face. He chuckled, resting his hands by her chair, caging Yuu in and effectively keeping her from scooting away.

“...whatever…j-just—tell me what you have planned, Ace.”

He’s got her trapped and flustered. Ace’s smirk widened, reaching out to grab one of her hands.

“Alright, I’ll tell you,” Ace leaned down and lowered his voice into a murmur. “But before I do, can I ask you something?”

“Sure…”

He moved his free hand to gently grab her chin, tilting her head up to look into her eyes. “You’d be willing to go on a date with me, even if it’s going to be really, really cheesy?”

Yuu shrugged. “Why not? Sounds fun.”

Ace studied Yuu’s face for a moment, a fond look in his eyes. Eventually, that smirk returned, releasing your chin. “Alright. I guess I shouldn’t be asking. Of course you’d be up for a sappy cheesy date.”

He stood up straight and let go of her hand in favor of crossing his arms. “My plan? I’m taking you to an amusement park.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ace was practically bouncing with excitement by the time the two of them got there. Like a little kid, if anything. As he walked beside Yuu, he pointed at different parts of the park they both passed by.

“I’m gonna win you the biggest plushie they have. Then I’m gonna buy you a bunch of shitty snacks from all the vendors. And to top it all off, I’m gonna make you try all the rides here, even if you’re scared of heights.”

“Ah shit, I knew I forgot something…”

Ace stopped in his tracks, spinning around to give Yuu a questioning look. “Huh? Forgot something? What are you talking about?”

Yuu swallowed. “...my motion sickness medicine.”

Ace stared at her for a moment, a bewildered look on his face. He let out a low groan and facepalmed. “You’re kidding, right? You’re seriously telling me you forgot to take your motion sickness medicine to an amusement park?”

Yuu looked down guiltily, her head hanging low as she fiddled with her thumbs. “...I’m sorry,” she bit her lip, her voice quiet as she murmured an apology.

If it weren’t for the fact that she looked like a pitiful baby animal, he’d be very pissed off right now. Ace was prepared to be annoyed at her forgetfulness, he really was. But the moment he laid eyes on Yuu and saw that dejected, kicked-puppy-like look on her face, all of that annoyance melted away. 

“Damn it, why’d you have to look so pathetic? You're making it hard to be made at you, you know that?” He sighed loudly.

“...excuse me?” Yuu looked up, meeting his eyes—her own narrowing.

Ace chuckled nervously. Looks like he had to backtrack after that one. 

“Hold on, hold on, that didn’t come out right…” He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “I meant ‘pathetic’ in an endearing way. You know, like when a puppy makes a mess and they stare up at you looking all sad and guilty? You’re looking at me just like that.”

“Oh good,” Yuu pushed her hands into her own pockets. “Well…what now?”

Ace paused for a moment, looking pensive as he thought of something through. “Hmm…Well, I guess the question is, how bad is your motion sickness? Like, can you even handle the small rides, or is it like, as soon as you walk into a park it all goes downhill?”

“I mean, I haven’t thrown up yet from the sight of a roller coaster. So, I think I can do small or calm rides.”

Ace nodded and exhaled a small sigh of relief. “Alright, that’s good. That means you can still somewhat enjoy the park.”

He leaned forward to sling an arm around Yuu’s shoulders, drawing her closer. “C’mon, I know what we should do first.”

“Oh?”

Ace flashed Yuu a smile before pulling her along. “First, we win you a plushie. I’m good at these carnival games, so it shouldn’t take too long to win a decent prize.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the two of them approached the first little game area, Ace stopped and pointed up at the hanging prizes. 

“Pick which one you want. And don’t say you don’t care, just choose one. I’m gonna win it for you.”

“That one,” Yuu smiled, pointing up at a plush of a mix of some duck-fish hybrid thing. “It looks incredibly stupid, but I want it.”

Ace followed where she was pointing, letting out a laugh at the sight of the plushie she’d chosen. That thing was an absolute abomination.

“You’ve got a weird taste in plushes. But fine. You want the stupid fish-duck? I’ll win it for you.”

She let out a happy squeak, watching Ace pay for a chance to play. He accepted the game equipment from the person running the game, immediately getting to work. From the start, his eyes were laser-focused. He was incredibly determined to win Yuu the ugliest plush the park had, by God.

He worked through the game with impressive skill. His accuracy was excellent, his aim never once deviating far from the intended target. A small crowd even started to form as he continued to play, a few kids gathered around, marveling at how many points he was getting. 

As he finally finished and set the equipment aside, he raked in an impressive amount of points. Almost more than any other player. The person running the game smiled and picked up one of the largest prizes, holding it out to him. 

“Not bad, kid. You sure you don’t want to pick something bigger?” 

Ace shook his head. “Nah, I’ve only got my eye set on one thing,” he replied, holding out his arms in a ‘gimme’ gesture. The person shrugged, handing over the fish-duck plush. It was absolutely hideous, just like Yuu had wanted.

Yuu smiled, squeaking happily as she took the plush when he offered. “Thanks, Ace,” she giggled, hugging the stupid looking plush tightly close to her chest.

Ace’s heart almost melted at the cute sound Yuu made. It was completely unfair that she could be so adorable and not even realize it. He gave an amused huff, smiling down at Yuu as she squeezed that ugly plush.

“You know, I don’t know whether to be upset or just accept that you’ve got a really weird taste.”

Yuu shrugged. “I’m stupid looking and I love it.”

Ace chuckled, shaking his head as he watched her practically coo over the plushie in her arms. 

“Yeah, you’ve definitely got a weird taste,” He reached over to ruffle her hair fondly. “You’re a really strange girl, you know that?”

“Well, you’re the one that took this ‘strange girl’ out on this date in the first place.” Yuu tilted her head, squeezing the duck-fish plush once more.

Ace smirked, crossing his arms and leaning closer. “Hey, I never said I was opposed to it. If I was, we wouldn’t be here,” He flicked the corner of the plush’s wing.

“Though this thing is a testament to your weird taste in stuff. Like seriously, if that’s the most hideous thing you’ve chosen, then there’s no telling how more of your life choices could be just as weird…but I guess that’s part of your charm.” He commented, his gaze softening. That smirk slid into a smile, taking a moment to just look at her.

“Anyway—” Yuu tucked the plush under her arm. “---I wanna go on the ferris wheel.”

Ace had been admiring how she looked while holding her plush just now. Yuu was just way too cute to be legal. At her words, he jerked out of his mini-trance, clearing his throat and putting on another playful smirk.

“Oh, you want the ‘romantic cliche ride’, huh?”

“Well, actually I was going for rides that won’t make me throw up, but that works too.”

Ace barked out a laugh at her response, amused and a little bit incredulous. This girl just didn’t miss a beat, did she? 

“I see. So a slow ride that goes in circles is the only thing you can really stand to tolerate. I think that qualifies as ‘boring’.”

“Look, either ‘boring’ or get covered in my own vomit. Pick your poison,” Yuu stuck her tongue out for a moment, giving the head of the duck-fish plush a gentle pat.

“Alright, alright, fine, you win,” Ace rolled his eyes, a fond smirk on his face. This girl never failed to amuse him, that was for sure. “Come on. Let’s go to the ferris wheel.”

He reached out and grabbed Yuu’s free hand, intertwining his fingers with hers as he began walking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ace sat next to Yuu, watching the sun gradually set over the horizon. His hand was still holding onto hers, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. This was surprisingly nice. He’d have to admit, going on dates like this usually wasn’t his cup of tea…but he could get used to it when it was with Yuu.

“This is really nice…” Yuu looked down at the park in awe. Seeing people down there, enjoying themselves made her smile. 

“Pretty too,” She added, watching the lights of the park turn on, somehow making the place look more picturesque. Yuu squeezed the ugly ass plush, feeling content as they began to descend.

Ace nodded in agreement. The view really was quite pretty up here. He leaned against Yuu a bit, looking down over the railing at the people below. He could just barely make out what they looked like in the growing darkness. 

“Yeah. This really isn’t too boring after all.” 

He smirked and lifted his free hand to tap the weird plushie under your arm. “See? That thing’s not too bad after all. It makes an excellent armrest.” 

Yuu gasped dramatically. “Okay, for one, you were the one calling this duck-fish plush ugly. And two—how dare you use Jeremy as an armrest!”

Ace let out a laugh at her reaction. He couldn’t help it, that was just way too funny. 

“‘Jeremy’?!” He repeated, his eyes shining with amusement. “You gave it a name?!”

Yuu failed to hold back a smile. “Of course I did. For the record, his pronouns are he/him, not it. Jeremy is my child now.”

Ace snorted as she started talking like the plush was actually a real creature. He reached out to pat the top of the plush’s head once, more for the humor of it than anything else.

“Alright, alright…I apologize. I’ll make sure to address this little guy properly. He is quite hideous, and is the fruit of your strange tastes.”

Yuu rolled her eyes, but there was no real malice intent to it. “Stop insulting my baby, Ace.” 

Ace chuckled, shaking his head and raising his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, fine, I’ll stop. You’re right, your baby is perfect in every way.”

He reached out to pat the top of the stupid thing’s head again, this time in a more genuine manner. He was doing his best to keep his tone serious, but the corner of his mouth was twitching with the effort of keeping back a smirk.

“Better,” Yuu smiled, kissing Ace’s cheek as a reward for being nicer to the abomination of a plush.

Ace’s face turned a bit red as Yuu kissed his cheek. Now that was just unfair. She’d flustered him in one move. He averted his gaze and cleared his throat, hoping that she didn’t notice. Of all the times to lose his composure, it had to be right now. 

“R-right, yeah,” he replied, his response coming out a bit more stilted than usual. He quickly recovered his composure, fixing you with a smirk to cover up his momentary lapse in confidence. “Whatever you say, babe.”

Yuu smiled at the pet name, going back to playing with the stupid duck-fish thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they walked from the ride, Ace watched as Yuu continued playing with her new weird plushie. He was starting to think that thing might get more attention than he did, if this went o n any longer. 

He shoved his hands in his pockets, giving Yuu a side-glance. He didn’t even really think about it before the words came out of his mouth. “...Hey, you’re not gonna end up replacing me with that thing, are you?”

Yuu raised an eyebrow and titled her head. “Are you jealous of Jeremy?” She chuckled with a small grin.

“I’m not jealous of that hideous thing,” Ace sputtered, his cheeks turning slightly pink. He crossed his arms over his chest, fixing Yuu with a half-hearted glare. “It’s just you’ve been giving it more attention than you’ve been giving me.”

That, and the fact she’d called it her ‘baby’ and given it a name—but he left that part unsaid.

Yuu giggled, using her free hand to reach out and grab one of his, squeezing it gently. “It’s okay, Ace. You’re irreplaceable.”

Ace huffed, but her words and the way she squeezed his hand helped to ease the uneasy feeling in his chest. He grumbled in slight embarrassment as he replied, a bit of a half-hearted pout on his face. “...You’d better remember that. You’re stuck with me,” He grumbled, giving Yuu’s hand a small squeeze back.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Ace stopped walking momentarily, making Yuu stop along with him. He used this opportunity to pull her in, wrapping his arms around her waist and trapping her against his chest.

He leaned down to bury his face in the crook of her neck, his voice coming out in a low, somewhat muffled grumble. “You’re mine.”

Ace had zero shame when it came to stuff like this. If he wanted to hold Yuu, he was going to hold her. And if she happened to be standing in the middle of the park, so be it. He just wrapped his arms around her tighter, letting himself get lost in her presence for a moment. He lifted his head up so he could speak, his voice a low murmur. “...promise me you won’t forget that, ‘kay?”

Yuu chuckled, tucking the plush under her arm and hugging him back—just as tightly. “I promise.”

Ace hummed in approval, squeezing you a little bit tighter again—not that he really needed to. At this point, this was just him being clingy, but he couldn’t really help it at this point. He was still feeling a bit…jealous, as ridiculous as it sounded. 

“...Good,” he mumbled, hiding his face in the crook of Yuu’s neck again in an attempt to hide his expression from view. He was just being a little bit more clingy than usual tonight, was all. It just couldn’t be helped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ace and Yuu stood side by side, watching the fireworks go off in the night sky. He had one arm wrapped around her, his hand lightly holding onto her waist. He was leaning ever so slightly against her, his gaze fixated on the sky. He had a small smile on his face, the colors of the fireworks lighting up his face.

He had to admit, he wasn’t one for sappy, romantic things like these. But tonight, he found himself enjoying these kind of things a bit more than usual.

“...Hey, Ace?” Yuu looked up at him.

Ace shifted his gaze, away from the night sky and over to Yuu. “Yeah? What is it, babe?”

“...I love you.”

Ace’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at her sudden confession. He hadn’t been expecting that. In fact, it almost seemed like his heart had skipped a beat.

For a brief moment, the ever-cocky boy was stunned speechless. He quickly shook himself out of it, wrapping his arms around Yuu. He pulled her flush against his chest, and returned the declaration. “...Yeah, yeah, I love you too, dork.”

“...and, if you’re going to love me, you know who else you have to love?” Yuu snickered, unable to hold back a grin.

Ace blinked, having an odd suspicion about what she was going to say. He shifted his gaze down at the hideous blue thing tucked under her arm, responding with a flat, deadpan tone. 

“Please don’t say the plushie.”

“Your new son,” Yuu laughed, holding up the duck-fish plushie.

Ace huffed, a deadpan expression on his face. He was sorely tempted to roll his eyes, but he managed to restrain himself. He let out a small grumble of protest, before replying in a flat tone. “We are not reffering to that hideous, ugly ass thing as my ‘son’.”

“Too bad,” Yuu grinned, patting it on the head.

Ace gumbled again, narrowing his eyes at the ugly plushie that Yuu adored for some odd reason. 

“...I hate that thing,” He mumbled, his words carrying equal parts annoyance and jealousy.

Yuu shrugged, leaning her head on his chest and looking back up at the fireworks. “Even if you hate it, I’m glad you won it for me.”

Ace grumbled again, begrudgingly wrapping his arms around you once more. Even if he’d never admit it, he liked having her close to him like this. He buried his face into her hair, continuing to steal the occasional glance at the stupid, hideous plushies that he’d gotten for Yuu. Even if it was ugly as hell, it was the cause of the stupidly happy expression on her face, and that was good enough for him.

“...Whatever.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ace was walking alongside Yuu, one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders. He was taking his time when she suddenly stopped and pointed at a candy shop.

He raised an eyebrow, following the path of her finger to where she was pointing. A candy store. Figures.

“What, do you need even more sugar after all that cotton candy you ate earlier?”

“No, I just want to get quality chocolate. Not the mountain of crappy ones I can’t even eat back at Ramshackle.”

Ace let out a huff, an amused smirk on his face. “Quality chocolate, huh? Are you some kind of expert on it or something?” He teased, giving Yuu a small nudge.

“Shut up. I just want to freely enjoy chocolate that won’t potentially kill me, Ace.”

Ace let out an acknowledging hum, shrugging his shoulders. “Fair enough,” he responded, shifting his gaze to the shop Yuu was pointing at. He gave the place a quick glance, noting with mild surprise that it was a higher-end shop that the usual stores.

“Alright, let’s go,” Ace said, giving Yuu a small nudge towards the shop. He released Yuu from his hold, immediately taking her hand instead, intertwining his fingers with hers as he lead her towards the shop. Even if this was for Yuu, he had no intention of letting her wander off.

The two of them entered the store, immediately surrounded by rich smells of chocolate.

Ace had to admit, this place might be a bit above his price range, but he had a bit of money saved up, and well—he did sort of promise to pay for everything tonight. He didn’t really mind that much.

Yuu got a small, simple bag of chocolates, it being a variety of white, milk and dark—some with caramel, some without.

Ace stood by her side, watching her look through the different kinds of chocolate the store had to offer. He was admittedly surprised at the simplicity of the bag she’d picked out, having thought that she would choose the most expensive ones. But instead, she’d gone with something smaller and a bit more modest. He raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled by her voice. 

“That’s it? Just that one?”

“Yeah. I don’t want you to spend too much on me. It makes me feel bad.”

Ace raised an eyebrow once more, huffing and shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous, you know that? Don’t worry about how much stuff costs, I can handle it. I don’t mind spending money on you.”

“You sure?”

Ace rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah, of course. I just told you not to worry about it, didn’t I?” he responded, his tone a bit more exasperated. Honestly, Yuu worried about this kind of thing way too much…

“If you say so,” Yuu smiled, giving the hideous plushie a squeeze and Ace a peck on the cheek.

He huffed, but a small smile quickly came to his face nonetheless. His cheeks flushed a little when she kissed him, bringing a hand up to his cheek to make sure that wasn’t a permanent mark or something. He then shook his head, muttering as small grumble. “You’re way too troublesome, y’know that?”

“Says you,” Yuu chuckled, bringing the bag of chocolates up to the cashier.

Ace rolled his eyes, refraining from making any retort. He simply watched as Yuu placed the chocolates on the counter

Of course, he couldn’t wait too long before eventually opening his mouth once more, an amused smirk coming to his face as he was paying. “You know, if you wanted something even better than some ordinary chocolates, I could probably give you something better.”

“Oh?” Yuu took her bag of chocolates, thanking the cashier before leaving the store with him. 

Ace followed you out of the store, a cheeky grin on his face. “Yeah. I bet my kisses taste way better than chocolates.”

Yuu’s eyes widened for a moment, a faint blush dusting her cheeks before she composed herself, putting on a smile. “I bet.”

Once he saw her initial reaction, a devious smirk quickly spread across Ace’s face. Ah, so he’d caught her of guard for once… He liked seeing those sorts of reactions from her. It was cute.

He leaved in closer, his face close to hers as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “I can prove it, if you want.”

Yuu giggled. “I don’t think I would mind.”

Ace’s smirk turned into a grin, and he chuckled. “Good,” He pulled you close to him, and brought one of his hands up to her cheek. His fingers gently traced over her skin, running his thumb over her lips.

He leaned in closer, his lips a few inches away from hers. For a brief moment, he just studied her eyes and face, admiring the way she looked up at him with such anticipation.

He smirked again, finally closing the gap between them two. His hand moved to the back of Yuu’s head, tilting it slightly as he placed his lips against hers. Ace’s eyes fell shut, beginning to kiss her.

Ace’s kisses were gentle, yet confident and possessive. His hand on her cheek was firm but not rough, and he used that to pull her closer. The world around her seemed to melt away, leaving just the two of them.

Yuu pulled away, letting out a content sigh as she did so. “...we should go; it’s getting late. You wouldn’t want Riddle to collar you again, would you?”

Ace rolled his eyes at the mention of Riddle, unable to help but grimace a little at the thought of receiving another of the housewarden’s infamous disciplinary actions.

“Ugh, you’re right,” he muttered. He wasn’t too pleased about ending the night early, though he didn’t want to get collared, either.

“Come on, Jeremy is getting tired,” Yuu grinned, pulling away as she held up her plushie.

Ace grumbled again, giving the plushie another disgusted look. “You need to stop calling that thing ‘Jeremy’,” he replied, his tone flat.

“When pigs fly,” Yuu stuck out her tongue, taking his hand and walking to the exit of the amusement park.

Ace rolled his eyes again, a small grumble of protest escaping from his throat. God, how in the world did that hideous plushie end up winning him over, yet again? He really was a hopeless case…

He didn’t utter another word of protest as Yuu took hold of his hand and lead him out of the park, though. As annoying as that hideous thing was, it made her happy, and that was good enough for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually, the two made it back to Ramshackle. Ace took a quick look at the rundown dorm, wrinkling his nose slightly. 

“Man, why does it look even more pathetic at night?” he grimaced, before walking up the steps to the front door.

Yuu rolled her eyes and shook her head, opening the door and stepping inside alongside Ace.

Ace followed close behind Yuu and closed the door behind him. He looked around the familiar yet outdated interior, still not entirely fond of the appearance. Of course, he was grateful that she was at least letting him stay here, so he knew better than to be disrespectful about it.

He let go of her hand and slumped down on the couch, sprawling himself out across it.

Yuu momentarily set her plush down on the counter beside her goodie bag of chocolates. “You want one?” she offered, popping a caramel filled milk chocolate piece into her mouth before getting to work and throwing away the mountain of the crappy, nut-included chocolates from students in her class.

Ace watched her as she tossed the pile of cheap chocolates into the trash, a slightly amused smirk on his face. He shook his head as he let out a small huff of laughter, silently mocking her earlier statement that she didn’t want him spending too much money on her.

“Sure, give me one. Might as well check if they taste as horrible as they look.”

Yuu raised an eyebrow. “I meant the ones you bought me from the amusement park—not these shitty ones. I don’t want you to get food poisoning or something.”

Ace rolled his eyes and scoffed dismissively, though he was inwardly relieved that he didn’t have to sample the cheap chocolates. 

“Oh, right,” he responded, a lazy smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He then shrugged, propping himself up on his elbows. “Well go on. I paid for those, so I should at least get a taste test.”

Yuu chuckled and rolled her eyes, looking inside the bag. “Which one do you want? White, milk or dark?”

Ace thought about it for a moment, before ultimately shrugging. “Doesn’t matter too much to me. As long as it doesn’t taste like dirt,” he replied, then adding, “I’ll take dark. It always tastes the richest.”

Yuu pulled out a dark chocolate piece, unwrapping it while walking over to the couch and feeding it to him. 

Ace leaned forward, a bit to accept the chocolate into his mouth, his eyes falling shut briefly once it was fully inside. He began to chew it, unable to help but let out a small satisfied hum.

After swallowing, he looked back up at Yuu and smirked. “Tastes better than the cheap stuff, I’ll give you that.”

Yuu suddenly smirked, a light bulb going off over her head. “You want another?”

Ace’s smirk grew, his eyebrows raising up slightly. He had an inkling of where this was going, but he still played along. “Depends. Are you going to feed me this one, too?”

“Eh, sort of~”

Ace smirked again, his curiosity heightened by her response. He leaned forward a bit more, keeping his eyes on her. 

“Care to explain what else you’ve got in mind, then?”

Yuu let out a giggle, unwrapping another piece of chocolate and placinging half of it in her mouth, holding it with her front teeth.

Ace raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, but then it dawned on him what she was getting at. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, a small huff of laughter escaping them.

He was going to get a repeat of that kiss from earlier, only this time it had chocolate involved. 

He shifted a little closer to Yuu, his eyes fixed on hers. “Is this your attempt at winning me over, with fancy French chocolate kisses?”

Yuu gave a firm nod with a hum, leaning down closer to him.

Ace smirked again and reached out to grab her waist, gently tugging her down on top of him. He settled down on the couch, his back flat against the cushions, his back flat against the cushions and Yuu lying on top of him.

“You’re lucky I like this kind of bribery…” he said, his tone low but playful.

He didn’t give Yuu a chance to response. Instead, he pressed his lips against hers, kissing Yuu eagerly. His fingers gripped her waist, starting to gently guide her so that she was straddling him.

Yuu used this chance to push the piece of chocolate into his mouth with her tongue. 

Ace’s eyes were shut at first, focused on only her lips against his. Then he felt the chocolate piece being pushed into his mouth, parting his lips a little more to let it fully in.

He quickly began to chew and swallow it, all the while keeping his lips in constant contact with hers. Then he broke away for a moment, his smirk returning as he spoke. “Tastes even better that way,” he commented, before diving back in, kissing Yuu again.

credit to @cafekitsune for divider

[mylifeisfruk4ever]

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAN IS...

Lois wasn't the party type. Oh, don't get her wrong, she didn't hate Christmas, nor did she lock herself away at home plotting to ruin the holidays for others.

Simply, unlike others, she didn't decorate her house as if her life depended on it, nor did she go to the shops looking for the perfect gift.

Why stress? After so much effort, either the gift will be recycled because it wasn't liked or it will be forgotten in a corner gathering dust.

That's why she didn't waste time on it.

Too bad it wasn't like this for everyone.

“Loiss!” Clark tackled her in the cafeteria, in his best impression of a golden retriever, puppy dog ​​eyes that would make even the most hardened criminal feel remorseful. 

If Lex Luthor was still a criminal in front of those big eyes, it really meant that he wasn't human.

“What is it, Smallville? Do you have to go out early again and want someone to cover for you with Perry?” she asked as she went to sit down. By now she'd lost count of the lies s told Perry to cover up Clark's absences - not that it did much good, since Perry always knew, but it was funny to see the face he made - but hey, it helped Superman do his hero stuff , it was her community service!

“No, nothing like that…just…it's two weeks until Christmas, and Bruce and I…”

“Put on a sexy Santa suit, with a sign on the underwear that says UNWRAP ME, and you'll make him happy,” she replied, with the most serious expression she could muster. 

Clark blushed like a tomato, and his embarrassment was quite adorable. Hey, if you don't want to hear certain things, don't go to your ex and ask what your new partner would like to receive. Even though Lois was having a blast and it allowed her not to think about how the food at the Planet really sucked and made her want to become a vegetarian, much to her mother's delight. 

“I-It's not about Bruce!” he stuttered, trying to fix his glasses before they fell off. “We're going to spend Christmas together this year, and I…I want to give his kids some presents.”

Ah, the joys of dating a single parent. The anxiety of wanting to impress your partner's children and hoping that no one is a meta with death ray powers. Even though there was very little that could hurt Superman. 

Plus, Clark had the easy game: his boyfriend's kids knew who he was, and the oldest was a huge Superman fanboy. Really, he could give the kid one of his old signed t-shirt and it would make him happy. 

“Well, with three kids…”

“Five,” he corrected her, and she nearly spat out the water she was drinking.

She blurted out, “Bruce Wayne adopted two more kids and no one knows about it?!”

[candy8448]

Do you have a recs for fics based on the Apprentice arc?

Ooohohoho yesss, you've come to the right person. I have quite a lot of fics to rec (ive been obsessively consuming and hyperfixating like mad on the apprentice arc in particular):

(Also i consider haunted to be part of the overall apprentice arc so there are a few fics based on and set after that episode)

First you can look at the tag "dick grayson as slade wilson's apprentice" on ao3 and there are hundreds of fics, with every dynamic and characters you could want, these are just my favorites ive read (put very very vaguely in an order going down from my most favorites):

Never Alone

My favorite, its a masterpiece, its amazing! After haunted robin continues to have hallucinations and its a finished longfic that gives a really good look into robin's mental illness and how he is still only a human. I made a whole post about this fic and how its perfect in every way, i have not binged a longfic this long in forever but i did this one in a single reading session because i was completely and utterly gripped

More coherent and detailed but completely spoiler free rambles about what makes this fic so good here i cannot stress enough how this is a must read if you like the arc. I like, really really want you to read this one

The voice and gears of sunset

Oneshot set right after robin is rescued from slade in the apprentice arc. It hits so hard and hurts. Robin's recovery and him trying to connect again with the titans after what he had gone through, the titans being there to help every step of the way. The ending melts my heart

Emotional motion sickness

Oneshot set many years later when the batfam is fully formed and robin is nightwing. A good fic with dick and damian's brotherly relationship and discovering new ways to cope. There is an encounter with slade and that scene fills me with so much undescribable emotion

The fight and the war

Oneshot with the batfam. After an encounter with slade, dick is interogated with his family about the way he responded to slade's commands in the battle and how it could have gotten him killed. Dick is forced to admit what happened back when he was with the titans in the apprentice arc. Very good protective batsiblings in a different way to the other fics

Bedeviled

Oneshot set right after haunted. The spores have a lingering effect and robin presses an emergency distress signal to batman who is there for him

To pick at a scab

Years later with the batfam dick comes to the batcave and his younger brothers have some questions about a sound recording from his time with slade. Dick is thrown into a vivid flashback and the batfam break him out of it and help him talk through it. Oneshot

Do you think batman will give me partial custody?

Oneshot. After the apprentice arc, robin returns to gotham. Unable to figure out how he feels about the situation he goes to his parents' graves where he encounters harely who helps him start a conversation with him about the abuse they both faced

The apprentice

Unfinished longfic where the titans dont discover the nanobots and robin has to continue being slade's apprentice. He spends his time figuring out how to get a message to the titans or to batman or to anyone without slade knowing

Just the same

Robin deals with stockholm syndrome and cant help but compare how similar slade is to batman and how in some aspects he is better. The titans are there to help him figure things out. Oneshot.

Next to my robin and some matchsticks

Oneshot set after apprentice part 2 where the titans patch up robin's wounds and talk about some scars he has, some from his time before the titans and some from slade

[oceanicwriting]

souvenirs.

summary: when your boyfriend spends the whole trip buying souvenirs that seem unnecessary to you, it's hard to change your mind. or maybe you just needed a little fun?

pairing(s): non-wizard!lorenzo berkshire x non-wizard!fem!reader

a/n: short and a little funny! hope you like it, xoxo.

. . .

ㅤㅤㅤ you'd been wandering around a small local fair in town for fifteen minutes. you'd tried a ton of street food, but lorenzo had other plans to spend his money on.

ㅤㅤㅤ —do you think you need another one of those? —you ask with a laugh, putting a new fridge magnet in his shopping bag—. you've got another hundred of those in the car.

ㅤㅤㅤ lorenzo clicks his tongue and says—: of course not. these are all different.

ㅤㅤㅤ you shake your head, smiling at the amused glint in his eye.

ㅤㅤㅤ lorenzo berkshire, your boyfriend of four years, and you are on a long summer road trip to visit colleges in the country. you've been to seven different places so far, trying typical dishes, sleeping cramped in the car, and showering in hostels. it's been amazing from the start, leaving your homes behind to spend each new day together.

ㅤㅤㅤ since you started the trip and stopped the car in the first city, lorenzo has been obsessed with buying small or large souvenirs. in the first city alone, he managed to find seven different t-shirts, twenty pins, and ten magnets. you weren't worried that he was going to spend all his money, but that the car would explode with the amount of stuff he's accumulated so far.

ㅤㅤㅤ when you arrive at the park of a new university, you take a couple of photos, eat ice cream, and share a kissing session mixed with laughter on the blanket he had spread on the floor. the only thing that disturbs that serene peace is the call from your mother, which enters your cell phone with the familiar ringtone.

ㅤㅤㅤ —i'll go answer it over there, —you say, reaching for your phone and getting up from the ground with the attentive, pleading gaze of your boyfriend—. i'll be right back.

ㅤㅤㅤ your mother talks about various things that you can barely understand because she speaks too fast and many dogs walking with their owners come to receive caresses from you. minutes later, you don't know how many exactly, you say goodbye. you walk towards lorenzo, who is with his back to you, looking into the distance at the large park as if he had lost something.

ㅤㅤㅤ —what are you doing standing there?

ㅤㅤㅤ and he turns around. in his hands is a torn piece of paper, although that is not what catches your attention at all. the shirt he is wearing has written: i love my hot girlfriend. the word love is replaced by a red heart and hot has a funny font of flames.

ㅤㅤㅤ —what...? —you question in a soft murmur, mouth agape and feeling a fit of laughter rise from the tips of your toes—. enzo...

ㅤㅤㅤ —isn't it fantastic?!

ㅤㅤㅤ you don't know if it's because of the way his face can't hold back the happiness or that the shirt, although quite funny, fits him like a glove. you had to admit that he looked cute, but his excited gaze only made your laughter explode irreparably.

ㅤㅤㅤ —a man passed by here selling these.

ㅤㅤㅤ it's impossible to stop the outburst that leaves your fit of laughter, attacking you from all sides. lorenzo is not far behind, laughing softly just at your reaction. how he loved to see you laugh.

ㅤㅤㅤ —enzo —you say, erasing the tears that accumulate in your eyes with the back of your hand.

ㅤㅤㅤ —what's so funny? it's not like i'm lying.

ㅤㅤㅤ you shake your head, moving closer to him, saying—: did you really buy this?

ㅤㅤㅤ your relationship with lorenzo has always been a box of surprises. when you first saw him, you thought he was this mysterious boy who would never dare to tell his darkest secrets, but it turns out he's the most talkative boy in the world. he's funny, playful, and daring when he's looking for much more than just kissing your lips. a perfect dork.

ㅤㅤㅤ —well, i had bought flowers, —he says, holding up the torn paper you had noticed in his hand a while ago—. a dog ate them...

ㅤㅤㅤ the simple image of your boyfriend wrestling with a dog makes you laugh again with so much joy that it's adorable.

ㅤㅤㅤ —you're quite a case, aren't you?

ㅤㅤㅤ he shrugs and grabs your waist.

ㅤㅤㅤ —i'll wear this for the rest of the trip. just so you know.

ㅤㅤㅤ he brings you closer to kiss you. feeling his warm lips wrap yours with softness melting you in his arms. his touch is so delicate and affectionate that your hands can't help but wrap around his neck, pulling him a little.

ㅤㅤㅤ when you separate, there is no way that your laughter won't attack you again, looking at him between your bright eyes to laugh over and over again.

ㅤㅤㅤ —if i have to see you laugh all day, i can say that it is the best purchase of my life.

ㅤㅤㅤ finally, when looking at him doesn't bring out your laughter, you look for somewhere to have dinner before getting back in the car to continue on your route. and while he drives, you think that lorenzo's compulsive shopping spree isn't so silly, because that bouquet of flowers with five pins that will end up staying in his bag didn't displease you at all.

[artstennisracket]

Artrick hurt/comfort? I think I need art being comforted by Patrick about something so bad

this was soooo cute, I feel like Patrick would 100% be amazing at comforting Art

cw: fluff

Art never really cried often. There were exactly two times that Patrick had ever seen Art cry, once when he took a tennis ball straight to the dick during practice (it was very painful) and second when his grandma ended up in the hospital. She was still kicking but the thought of losing her struck Art to his core.

One thing Art never really cried about was tennis. He had been doing it for so long that he’s accepted that losses just come with playing the game, no one ever always wins. However, this particular match was the tipping point.

Art had been having such a shitty week. His girlfriend, Stacy, had broken up with him. She felt like he prioritized tennis (shocker they go to tennis boarding school) and Patrick, over spending time with her. Whatever. He also wasn’t doing too hot in his history class. He usually aces everything but his mind had been really cloudy the past few days, his game has been off, and so had his school work.

Now come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Patrick since last night so who even knows what he’s been up to. Overall Art was just feeling pretty down and upset so he knew he wouldn’t be on his A-game for Florida Regional Boys Final that day. This was the one year he had a real shot since him and Patrick didn’t end up versing each other in any of the qualifiers, so once Patrick lost, Art realized there was no other competitor he was worried about.

Unfortunately it was just bad timing. It was down to last set and the odds were not in his favor. He had missed too many shots and lost the final. He felt like he wanted to cry right there on the court, but he held it in until he got back to his room. There, Patrick was already waiting with open arms.

“hey it’s okay babe, you’ll get ‘em next year.” Patrick says soothingly as he takes Art into a giant bear hug.

That was enough to let the flood gates open and now Art is full on sobbing in Patrick’s arms. Patrick takes Art’s hat off and strokes his hair, his other hand moving up and down Art’s back hoping to calm him down.

“it was just a bad match is all, that happens sometimes.” Patrick says softly.

Art shakes his head no, inadvertently nuzzling into Patrick’s chest, “no i’m such a fucking idiot. i should’ve trained harder, i should’ve been better, but i’m just a fucking loser.”

Patrick pull away to look Art in the eyes. “no none of that, you’re not a loser. what loser ends up in regional finals to begin with? how many people did you have to beat to get there? and you are definitely not an idiot you get way better grades than me, if ur an idiot what does that make me?” Patrick says in all seriousness.

Art sniffles looking down, breaking their eye contact, “doesn’t matter, i lost the game that mattered.”

Patrick puts his hand under Art’s chin, forcing Art to look up at him. “but they all matter don’t they? that’s the only way to get to the final. my point is art you are an amazing tennis player, if not this year then i’m sure you’ll win next year. you did really well, i’m so proud of you babe.” Patrick responds.

Art’s sniffles start to subside and Patrick wipes the fallen tears on Art’s cheeks. “can you take a deep breath for me?” Patrick asks.

Art nods before taking a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth.

“there we go, now how’re you feeling?” Patrick questions.

Art shrugs. He’s definitely calmed down but overall he just feels meh.

“hm well we can’t have that now can we?” Patrick smirks and before Art can register what’s happening, Patrick’s hands make their way to Art’s armpits and he starts tickling him.

Art shrieks, “patrickkkk! stopppp”, he’s laughing and trying his best to wiggle out of Patrick’s grasp.

Patrick stops, letting go of Art. “i just wanted to see you smile babe, consider it payment for my services.”

Art shakes his head, faint smile on his face “yeah yeah, whatever. now i’m just exhausted and kind of hungry too.”

Patrick nods, he thinks for a second then says “well how about I go get us something from the cafeteria or better yet i’ll order some takeout and then we can take a nap, how does that sound?”

That actually sounded really nice. Art never realized just how much Patrick takes care of him, “thank you patrick.”

Patrick shrugs, he knows he’ll always take care of Art no matter what they go through or how they change throughout their life, “you don’t have to thank me, that’s what best friends are for.”

[coraniaid]

I think I can, if I try, just about persuade myself that Xander and Jesse were friends.

Partly because the ways in which Jesse behaves unpleasantly [his treatment of women who aren't attracted to him, his obvious self-hatred about being " a loser" who nobody wants to date; various lines that were presumably written as jokes but just come across as disproportionately mean-spirited insults] echo the ways Xander himself is also sometimes (to a lesser extent) unpleasant (especially in the first two seasons of the show). In both cases, I suspect the writers didn't quite realize how badly the character was coming across (doesn't Joss Whedon say in the DVD commentaries that some of the way Jesse behaves around Cordelia is based on things Whedon himself did as a teenager? which suggests a certain obliviousness about precisely how sympathetic this behaviour actually is).

Also, well, because you can maybe assume that Jesse is going through a (non-supernatural version) of what happens to Xander in The Pack (in that he's "turning into a sixteen year old boy", as Giles puts it) and that he didn't use to be quite so unbearable to be around (or so obsessed with Cordelia). And because the closest that Jesse ever comes to being sympathetic is when he tells Buffy he wants her to feel at home "unless you have a scary home", which -- if you try really, really hard -- you can maybe tie into the (later) implications we get about Xander's own home life [and hence conclude that on some level Jesse is aware of and sympathetic to the reality that some people -- people like Xander in particular -- do have "scary homes"].

But Willow? President of the "We hate Cordelia" Club Willow? Shy and soft-spoken computer loving nerd Willow? "I can spend my life waiting for Xander to go out with every other girl in the world before he notices me" Willow? Yeah, it just doesn't make sense to me at all that she and Jesse would be friends. The only thing they have in common is hanging out with Xander.

Actually, I'm not sure there is a point in either of the first two episodes in which Jesse or Willow refer to the other as a friend, is there? Or even hang out together except at school with Xander? They both get captured by vamps while at the Bronze on the same night, but they weren't there together. Willow tells Buffy in Welcome to the Hellmouth that she's in the Bronze because she "thought Xander was going to show up ... we're just friends", and in The Harvest Giles will tell Xander that, when he sees Jesse again, he won't be "looking at your friend". And vamp!Jesse will address Xander as "buddy". But Willow never calls Jesse a friend, that I can remember.

After Jesse is captured Willow talks about "wanting to help [Buffy]", but she doesn't show any real concern for Jesse himself. In fact, when Buffy goes to try to rescue him, and Xander is about to talk himself into chasing after her, Willow reassures him that "Buffy'll be okay". Not Jesse, but Buffy. And what's her immediate reaction to Buffy and Xander coming back and telling her that Jesse is something "worse than dead"? She says "at least you two are okay". And that's it, that's the whole of her reaction. Xander tells vamp!Jesse he's sorry and gets angry and talks about disliking vampires, but -- even in an episode were Jesse's death is acknowledged -- we never seen any emotional response to his death from Willow. She reacts far more to the death of Cordelia's boyfriend Kevin in Prophecy Girl, and Kevin is a character who (1) only exists for one episode and (2) Willow herself never interacts with.

So, yes, it rather beggars belief that Willow would be friends with Jesse and I don't think there's any on-screen evidence that they actually are friends in any real way. I don't think Willow would even hang out with Jesse between classes at school if he wasn't with Xander.

obviously the out-of-universe explanation for why jesse's name is never mentioned again after "the harvest" is that (a) while joss was tickled by the idea of immediately killing off a character he had set up to appear important, he had no desire to make a show with the dynamic of 'the hero and her two friends who are in mourning and traumatized over the death of their third friend who the hero failed to save', and also (b) the writers forgot he existed. but in-universe, given how many times it would have made sense and been in character for xander and/or willow to bring him up (such as in wacky stories from their childhood, or times when they are throwing buffy's failures in her face), i am forced to conclude that the reason jesse is never mentioned again is because neither of them actually liked him very much. he was just unpopular because he is unpleasant and so they let him hang out with them because they were unpopular too. but secretly they were kind of a bit relieved when he died because, well, he sucked and they didn't like him. and i'm sure they felt guilty about being relieved. but that didn't change the fact that they were. which is why neither of them ever mentions him again and never will