#fuck I'm trash for these two tbh

[twcbelts]

* it's thinking about them ✨ hours again

[fxckinemo]

bruh i just wanna make enough money to have a recreational budget

[absolutebl]

Meet You At the Blossom - Watch Along

Maybe a trash watch? We will find out.

But first what do we know about this show?

Well, I can't for the life of me remember the title. The article placement it too weird so it will henceforth be called Blossom okay?

Here's what I learned from @renafire

Duck daddy!!!!! I bring news! China didn't kill the gays! Meet You at the Blossom is an HEA! Golden retriever XiaoBao x ice prince Huaien (who gets the shit stabbed out of him an awful lot for being a ML). A side CP of dumb, pretty bodyguard x eccentric doctor. The background plot was basically a bunch of middle age men fighting about the ML's long dead mother. Needles! So many needles! (It was practically a sickfic tbh) Flapping sleeves! Flowing hair! Poison! Politics! A villain weirdly into kites! Prisoners in chains you can easily slip your hand through! Dimples! Loyal bodyguards becoming family! It's not the best thing ever, but it ends happily! There was even a line about "true love has nothing to do with gender" which I feel like is a big deal for something associated with China?

This convinced me to watch, so I thought I'd just post it verbatim to convince you, too.

So I'd refused to watch Blossom because I assumed the leads would die or at least be torn asunder at the end, and that there would be no kisses.

So this Watch Along is going to be me eating crow.

China pretty much always does censored BL (when they do it at all) since 2017 or so. You can watch something like My E-Sports Genius Brother for the style of "happy but censored BL" that I've grown to expect from China. (Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.)

They didn't used to do this! Time once was that China was this chaotic minefield of tasty mess meets terrible tropes (like kidnapping, stepbrothers, rape, whipping boy, and dub con). I had a weird love for it at the time because it was the Wild Wild World of BL beck then and I didn't know to expect better.

I come from 90s Yaoi. Remember?

Ah the bad old days. (You can read a history of CBL here. Not updated in ages.)

Where was I?

So, what I knew about Blossom was that it was a Wuxia BL and that it was made with Thailand, or for Thailand, or something to do with Thailand (there is Thai script on the promo material) and that it wasn't being distributed inside Mainland China. (I still worry about the actors but that's kinda a natural state for me and BL outside of Japan.)

Outside of China Blossom got wide distribution showing up everywhere iQIYI (China based), Viki (Japan based), Gaga (Taiwan based) WeTV (US Based) and YouTube (Thai Channel Artop Media is serving it).

It also looks like Heavenly is involved and they are Korea based. So like, everyone had their mitts on this thing. We live in crazy times.

Okay so, here are my 20 expectations:

Pony tails with a ribbon or two

Lots of questionable older tropes, especially dub-con & kidnapping (the herb that makes you horny maybe?)

Flowing filmy robes wafting everywhere

EXTREMELY PRETTY men, costumes, make up, setting... well, everything

No consent whatsoever

Pokey pokey, but not with the right kind of swords (a naked blade will be grabbed by a naked hand, sadly also not in the preferred way)

A bodyguard hotter than he has any right to be, wearing black

Floaty fighty fighty, including but not limited to: skid backwards through puffs of dust, a leap to land + one knee down + holding sword + head bowed, a twirly protect baby from baddies

A boat in a lotus pond

Poison, probably green, glittery if I'm lucky

Circular architecture

A big fuck off fan

Puppy-cat pairing

They wander through bamboo, sit down at the edge of a lake, probubly on a log

Wound tending, of course, because there will be lots of wounds

Someone pushed onto a platform bed (also kneeling in front of it)

A jail with straw in it

Older men with sparse beards detracting from the romance

Fruit or some other food being thrown

Some serious SLEEVE action.

Li Le as Zong Zheng Huai En

Probably the reserved unhinged one. Has sword, will prod.

He has a solid track record of shows under his belt. So to speak. One wonders how they persuaded him to do BL. He sure is pretty tho.

Wang Yun Kai as Jin Xiao Bao

The son of the wealthiest man in the Jiangnan region, probably the cheerful cute one.

He's an entirely green actor.

Most of the cast is from mainland China, with the exception of Achi Sukonlaphat Sribubpha, who is Thai (obvs) and under Artop Media.

Nancy Chen is directing

She is a Taiwanese director and screenwriter, who directed HIStory 4 and HIStory 5 (neither all that great) and was behind very queer friendly Pappy & Daddy.

I wouldn't call her a stellar director. I would say I've been reserving judgement, but if you pin me down I'd call her Taiwan's New.

Pitch

Xiao Bao (cute) falls in love with icy, white-robed stunner Huai En due to an unexpected meeting. Discovers she is actually a boy (and a baddie). Hijinx ensue.

Adapted from the novel Hua Kai You Shi Tui Mi Wu Sheng 花开有时, 颓靡无声 by Shui Qian Cheng 水千丞

Co-production with China and Taiwan. But the country of origin is listed as Thailand.

12 Episodes, 40 min each (or so) for a total fresh content run time of 8 hours.

Aired: Jul 11, 2024 - Aug 15, 2024 on iQiyi, Viki, WeTV, Gaga

Shall we get started?

I had a surfeit of options since Viki, Gaga, and iQIYI all had Blossom. I like Viki's interface best, want to support Gaga the most, but in this case, I opted for iQIYI because... screen shots. So it's all your fault.

EPISODE 1: Nicknames, pretty men, dimples, twirly, stabby, floof!

I don't like the intro music, it's too slow and tinkly, but classic for the genre I suppose. Still I'm fast forwarding through all the falling cherry blossoms.

All right. Now it's about time for... YES...

Emperor Infodump

Chancellor of Extraneous Explanations

As You Know Bo

Sorry sorry. The puns must flow.

The deets: layabout emperor = chaos & suffering. New emp = strong & popular but his baby bro wants to rule. New emp exiles bro to obscurity. New emp = good ruler. Order established through patriarchal dominance. Children laughing in the street. Got it.

I will not be remembering names, FYI.

We open on kid in trouble over a kite killed(?) by baddie.

Enter pretty spangled skippy puppy McDimples. I shall call him Dimples. Dimples = spoiled rich kid having trouble finding a wife - presumably because they all know he gay.

Enter hottie evil cut-glass cheekbones McPoutypants. Haven't decided what I shall call him. It'll come to me.

Extremely pretty men. CHECK.

Ooo, a big hat on horse back!

Of course, how could I not have had that trope on my checklist? My bad.

And a bunch of assassins slow-dropping out of trees like lazy fruit. I forgot that, too.

I gotta say, fairy prince or high elf is not a bad moniker for twirly-sword cheekbones supreme.

Floaty fighty fighty! CHECK

Oh, I thought they'd go in for crossdressing at the very least but I guess they went for Dimples is an idiot instead. Interesting choice. I see we also have the "baby is a clumsy bunny" trope all set to deploy. Carry on.

Grab the sword and skid through the dirt. CHECK!

And a fainting!

Pony tail with ribbons. CHECK

Dimples might be a bit too much of a prat and an idiot for me.

[Have begun watching at 1.25 speed. Don't fault me.]

I always find the orange/yellow eye makeup that Cdramas put on characters of questionable morality fascinating. Why those colors specifically? And why eye makeup specifically?

We arrive home. It fancy. Daddy doesn't want an unknown lady for his baby (silly daddy, ladies are for ladies, boys are for boys).

Everyone acknowledging that elf prince is, in fact, The Prettiest is very pleasing to me.

Meanwhile, there is some kind of list/stuff/thingy and Prince Shen wants it and is a bad guy, maybe? I can't remember names from the beginning so I have no idea what's going on with the plot but also, it is only going to get more convoluted. Plus the weekend is coming so I'll eventually be drinking and watching this. Plot is for people who don't like BL. And don't have six bottles of sake in their fridge.

Snicker.

Where was I?

Oh yes. Judiciously NOT following the plot.

Dimples and his 2 enablers seem to share about 1/3 of a braincell between them. But they're sincere about it.

Engage secret identity trope and the expected cross dressing.

Ooo Shen is The Prettiest's uncle? Damn it I'm trying to follow the plot again. Must not get sucked into plot. This is a Cdrama therein lies madness. Ah, Prettiest is the son of the emperor's exiled younger bro? Got it.

Twirly protect baby from baddies! CHECK

And that's episode 1 in the bag. In the sheath?

My thoughts so far:

This couldn't be more exactly what I expected if it tried. I mean it is trying. And it's succeeding in being a Wuxia BL. So. Yay! Performing to the packaging. I appreciate that in a show.

I'm looking forward to more.

(On the advice of one of my spies I've switched to watching on YT when I can, YT and Gaga are supposed to have the better subs than iQIYI and Viki. That said I found iQIYI's serviceable.)

EPISODE 2: Checking a bunch of stuff off my list in rapid succession

Poisoning?

No. Sex herb? CHECK

Discovery that she is in fact he?

Dominance Tussle? Dub con? Rape? Already? CHECK

Well that came fast (presumably so did he).

There’s a lot happening all at once at the beginning of just ep 2. 

It’s an ACCOUNT BOOK that’s causing all this fuss? Hilarious. 

Enter the anticipated hottie (bodyguard? spy?) in all black wearing a hedgehog. CHECK

(I didn’t expect the hedgehog, I have to admit.)

Oh is the single brain cell society is trying to grow additional brain cells? That's not gonna work.

Cheekbones is still the prettiest.

Oh HELLO stern grabby Daddy not-older brother of yummy. We likey.

Who do you belong to?

Why do you have The Biggest Sleeves?

Do I take that as a sign of gayness?

Please? 

Ooo looks like I’m right. 

Also this is very silly.

And "I never said she was a woman."

It’s just so funny.

OH NO!

Stern prince bro is leaving already?

I only had Grabby McDaddy for a very short length of time. I already miss him. 

Meanwhile, Dimples apparently has no compunction about being in love with a man, we blew through a bisexual identity crisis while I wasn't looking, and now we exist inside the gay=okay bubble? I did not expect The Bubble(tm) to show up in a Wuxia, but I guess this is a BL universe and we all just float around in it… 

Cheekbones is a bit of an asshole. Quite apart from the, ya know, bit of rapey rape thing.

I also did not have absolutely terrible VO dubbing on my bingo card. I forgot about that one in Cdramas.

EPISODE 3: Distracted by the pretty

Some kind of dark past for dimples and his little (not blood ) sister. 

Sniff test, the greatest trope of 2024 apparently. Nice to see the execution of a modern trope in a vintage style BL.

Aa ha! Kneeling next to a platform bed. CHECK

And more poisoning and drugs.

Wound tending. CHECK

Aweeeee Dimples is worried about Cheekbones! How cute.

Also, the ice queen appears to be melting.

Ooo. More sexitimes? Consensual this time. Okay. I guess Taiwan did get its nuts all over this show. (Honestly, that was a mistype but I'm keeping it in.)

The bit with all the bodyguards was great.

And my love for Mr. All-Black Clued-in Hottie persists.

We are now in the “does he like me back?” phase of the high school narrative. We are also in the "do I like him at all?" part of the narrative. Suddenly, this is an angsty YA. 

Ice queen has melted and is now turning into jelly. (Can you tell I’m very pleased with myself and this metaphor?) 

And now, Dimples is sick?

Boy, is this fast moving! I have to say, that is something I did not expect at all. Usually Cdramas are much slower than this.

I do love how shameless D imples is. It’s kind of delightful. He’s definitely in his bisexual awakening slut phase.

Cheekbones is also a doctor, apparently. Useful man. 

In other news: I would really like to add a full length crossover wafting robe into my wardrobe. I have no idea why I feel compelled by such a thing.

EPISODE 4: Gay sleeves AT last

Not a lot happened in this episode. Mostly flirting. More backstory and plot that doesn’t really matter. Presumably this intended to be character motivation?

We do not need him to be motivated we need him to be pretty. Understand the brief please.

Why no more floaty floaty sleeves?

Oooo, because sleeves in gay! CHECK

I did like the scene of the blood being cleaned up after the assassination attempt(?). It’s kind of nice to see that depicted for a change. I always worry about all that blood on that nice stone work.

Oh the handholding it was very cute.

Ice queen has melted and now turned entirely to jelly. Very very jelly.

Dimples is so stupid proud of his tall deadly wife. It's flipping adorable in a very goofy way.

I guess Cheekbones has come around and now Dimples has officially been claimed, multiple times and in multiple ways. He can't change his mind or anything now. Trouble is afoot...

asleeve?

ahead...

ahem.

I'll stop now.

EPISODE 5 - It is a Thing I guess?

OMG Cheekbones just loves his stilly bint of a bf. It’s absolutely absurd. The ultimate puppy/cat pairing.

I love it that he’s just casually walking around with a knife sticking out of his back and only cares that baby may have gotten a splinter in his finger.

Now we are in the vows portion of the early romance. I am assuming betrayal is coming soon? 

Grabby McDaddy! I missed you! Here to perform the part of Basil Exposition I see? No grabby for me? Sad. Unfortunately, if you aren’t flirting with a man I’m going to be fast forwarding. Although your sleeves are very nice.

Uh oh, Dimples is in trouble. 

Okay that was that. No screen caps, I lazy.

EPISODE 6 - DOOOMMMM

Oh lovely. More rape. I guess Dimples went looking for that response? Is that the implication? Does Dimples have a rape kink? What is with this show? 

No brothels for a baby I guess.

It’s not gay... it’s poison? 

It’s not bisexuality... it’s the slut herb? 

The single brain cell club is now the wailing fates. 

I guess cutting off a man’s hand out of jealousy is no biggie? Well this is a BL. Jealousy is the #1 excuse!

Fighty floaty blood spatter death! This time on wooden planks. Those are impossible to get clean. 

Meanwhile, there’s a lot of backstory and stuff I don’t care about, and probably can’t follow even if I did care about it.

I don’t like the Emperor at all. But then I don’t think I meant to. I am a little shocked that there aren’t more men with sparse beards distracting from the romance. But I guess this is a BL, they go for youth even in wuxia.

EPISODE 7 - You know what they say about a man with big sleeves?

Oh, Daddy McGrabby is back and he's a good guy (?)! He’s also in love with Dimples. 

Oh no!

What is this sensation I feel being thrust upon me?

Is that…? Is that second lead syndrome?  I think it is.

Oh well, it was fated the moment I saw the length of his... sleeves in episode 2.

Meanwhile?

Dimples gets tortured by acupuncture. 

Poisonings are always so elegant and classy in Cdramas.

Blah blah captured rescued captured rescued again sort of. Cheekbones is now seriously imperiled. We swap one for the other in Grave Danger (TM).

Enter the Divine Doctor character! Who (Dr) I have been told reliably by previous witnesses is A Favorite. I do love this particular archetype (quirky healer wise beyond his years - sometimes actual immortal. ) I am prepared to be delighted.  

EPISODE 8 - Divine Doctor is Emperor of the Gays

The divine doctor and 1/3 brain cell is not a pairing I thought was going to happen. Frankly it doesn't seem like the writers thought about it much either.

But it did make me laugh out loud.

It’s fantastic. I love them. I love this for me. I love a secondary couple for this show. Carry-on.

I LOVE THE DOCTOR SO MUCH. 

Everyone was absolutely correct. He is the best character. He is my favorite. He is openly gay and a troublemaker and absolute queen. And I adore him forever. No notes.

King Emperor behavior!

The evil crown prince has a crush on Daddy McGrabby. With good reason, he does have the biggest sleeves.

(I have a crush on Daddy McGrabby.) And he clearly likes brats, so I think the crown prince is in with a chance, actually.

(Not me, sadly. Despite the rumors I am not a brat. I make no case for this.)

EPISODE 9 - The Plot Thickens like Shampoo

Oh, Cheekbones is the new crown prince? We have a whole Snape situation going on here?

And finally Cheekbone knows what is happened to his poor little tortured Dimples. (oof that acting tho. before you say "what acting" i KNOW.)

In all honesty, I’m quite engaged by the drama of the show at this point and kind of losing my snark because of it. Don't get mad at me.

It’s not a bad show. I mean it’s a melodramatic soap opera, but that’s to be expected. It's so soapy it's like one of those extra foamy soap dispenser soaps.

To be entirely fair most gay men of my acquaintances have very similar relationship trajectories. Minus some of the casual murder (aside from character assassinations of course). 

EPISODE 10 - Oh Noes All Round

Not enough of my beloved divine doctor emperor of the gays. But you can’t have everything. 

Oh noes, my babies are fighting. 

But he brought you a big thistle! Don't fight!

Oh they get to kind of make up, or something. It’s sweet. Puppy Dimples accidentally caught himself a psychopath. To be fair tho, all cats are psychopaths at heart.

Oh noes Daddy McGrabby is planning on killing Cheekbones. No Daddy. Not the Cheekbones!

The cheek kiss from Cheekbones was so romantic. Normally I’m not a huge fan of this particular smooch, but under these circumstances it was very good.

EPISODE 11 - So Many Gay Emperors no one cares about the actual emperor

I wish I could shut somebody up by a simple double tap to the collarbone. It’s like the wuxia version of a block feature on tumblr.

Meanwhile, the part where 2/3 of a brain cell are comparing how hot their respective fierce gay emperors are to each other is truly hilarious. I actually clapped.

This is so ridiculous.

Epic eye roll from the remaining 1/3 of a brain cell. And I have to say I’m on his side in this matter.

Oh noes Daddy McGrabby is not, in fact, on the side of twrew lurve after all.

How sad. 

EPISODE 12 - The Bisexual In the Bathtub & other nursery rhymes of my youth

I love this silly bint of a bisexual in the bath between two fierce gay dudes who are about to give their life force to keep him alive.

Someone definitely once drew this as Lord of the Rings fanart 20 years ago.

I guess our single brain cell has been torn asunder. And Daddy McGrabby never did get his man.

Next series?

Bing him back to me.

With EVEN BIGGER SLEEVES!

IN CONCLUSION

All cards on the table?

This was undeniably a wuxia and most definitely a BL.

Evil stunning princely Cheekbones meets and falls in love with the bisexual Disaster dimples of his dreams. There’s a lot of floaty fighting, tangled plot, and overworked emotions. From start to finish it was exactly as it claimed to be, including more than the expected amount of sexual claiming.

I’m not wild about the wuxia genre, but I will tell you what I do like:

Very pretty men in flowing robes + eye makeup + hair ribbons wafting about stabbing and kissing each other plus ridiculous soap opera machinations. I also like cheekbones and dimples. AND I love a stupid gay sleeve, okay? There was also truly epic levels of stink-eye, and that too is to be lauded.

This show left me grinning like crazy. Was it great? Not really, but it was a great experience and I enjoyed it immensely.

I’m so glad you all persuaded me to watch it in the end.

Thank you! 

I should probably give it an 9/10 because I had such a good time watching it. But I’m not going to, because it isn’t a 9/10 drama. It had a lot of flaws chewing at that pretty (boom mic riddled) scenery, not to mention all the rapey rape.

It’s a solid 8/10

(source)

[leahrintarou]

HELLO GIRL HOPE YOU'RE DOING GOOD 😊

i wanted to request for dabi x fem!villain!reader. she loves dabi but he's a brat to her just like himself, like with everyone. and after one mission reader goes somewhere and drinks fuckload of alcohol and she's super lightweight so she's out after one/two shots. and that night she gets like tons of alcohol. so she's obviously drunk and she has no idea what she's doing and she calls dabi. and he cares for her he's just acting this way (i severely believe that he's the guy who falls for someone and IMMEDIATELY had a pushing away mechanism going on because of his past and stuff). and he comes to pick reader up and she's not even able to stand straight. like she's pretty fucked AMD SHE'S A BABY WHEN DRUNK, LIKE LITERALLY WHINING CRYING AND BEING A CUTIE. and he takes her with him and she has few more bottle hidden somewhere with her, and she keeps drinking and he's concerned because she's extra lightweight. but she keeps getting those bottles so he throws one of them out of the moving car window😆 and she's like why would you do that it was a great whiskey (or whatever she can drink). but she's not sad for long because she takes out another bottle, and he does the same thing. and after that she starts crying because it was her last bottle and he's so mean. AND then at night she gets sick because of all that alcohol she has earlier so she's having a huge fever, she feels like dying, so she whines a d cries about her feelings and him rejecting her and she confesses to him and says a lot of stupid things how pretty he it and how good he looks shirtless and stuff like that. AND then next day when she wakes up he teases her about it and she's embarrassed af, but it ends up fluff with him confessing back😊😊❤️❤️❤️

I'M SORRY IT'S SO LONG BUT I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON IN MY HEAD AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SHORTEN MY THOUGHTS🤣🤣 I'M SORRY 😞 but i still hope you'll write it🥺

✩₊˚.⋆ RELUCTANT HEARTS - dabi/touya todoroki

CW: y/n is drunk, alcohol intoxication, communication issues, y/n's in love but dabi is being dabi, he doesn't know how to talk about his feelings, swearing, reader with she/her pronouns, non-detailed mentions of throwing up, fluff, some angst if u squint tbh.

Word Count: 4.6k

Author's Note: (i'm doing well, anon! :p) i hope you guys enjoy reading! it came out a bit longer than i was planning but oh well lol. leave a like or reblog to support!

the bitter warmth of alcohol lingered on y/n's tongue as she downed yet another shot. she'd long lost count after the eighth, the need for a chaser fading as the taste softened, dulled by her numbing senses. "ma'am, we'll be closing soon," one of the bartenders murmured, the same one who had filled her glass every few minutes without fail.

she nodded, her vision doubling with the motion. nausea crept up on her, and she sighed at the inevitable. a lightweight by nature, she usually capped her nights at fewer than ten shots when drinking alone, but tonight was a different story.

her solo mission had been successful, but not without needless resistance from heroes who showed no mercy. shigaraki had barely scolded her, while dabi took the opportunity to belittle her inefficiency. it wasn’t like her to slip up so badly, but dabi never missed a chance to hold her mistakes over her—so long as they bothered her, he’d never let her forget.

despite her hating the fact that she had to, y/n fumbled with her phone, squinting at the blurry screen before finally locating dabi’s number. her thumb slipped as she pressed call, the dial tone ringing painfully loud in her ear.

“what?” dabi’s voice was sharp, instantly irritated.

“touya…” she slurred, her words tumbling lazily. “i need… i need you to come get me,” she mumbled. there was a pause, then a scoff. “what the hell? you sound trashed. where are you?”

“uh… somewhere,” y/n mumbled, blinking as she tried to get her thoughts straight. “i’m just… out.”

“out? where’s ‘out,’ y/n?” his voice was flat, but she could hear the growing annoyance. “you’re not making any sense.”

“just… come get me,” she groaned, frustration bleeding into her slurred words. “i can’t… i can’t even walk straight.” she glanced down at her lap, where her free hand rested as she twisted the singular ring at the base of her index finger.

dabi snorted. “no shit, you’re drunk off your ass. what are you doing, wandering around aimlessly?”

“not wandering,” she mumbled. “i’m sitting.” a bit of annoyance crept into her voice. apparently, liquor couldn't stop dabi from pissing her off so quickly. “okay, sitting where?” he asked, now sounding both amused and irritated. “what? did you pass out in an alley or something?”

y/n rolled her eyes, which only made her dizziness worse. “ugh, no. i’m in a… bar.”

dabi paused, then let out an exaggerated sigh. “of course. a bar. you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“just come get me, touya,” she grumbled, her voice slurred but laced with irritation. “unless you want me to blow chunks on someone's shoes. your call.”

he clicked his tongue, clearly frustrated but now understanding the situation. “you’re such a mess, y/n. fine. send me the address.”

“yeah, yeah,” she muttered, fumbling to type it out. “thanks, touya.” she smiled to herself. "knew you'd come through even if you're a dick about it."

"don't push it," he snapped before hanging up. even though he'd put on an act like he didn't care, she knew he'd show up. and, despite himself, so did he.

---

it wasn’t long before the rumble of a car engine cut through the night air outside the bar. y/n groggily looked up as dabi stepped inside, his usual scowl firmly in place as his eyes swept the room. the second he spotted her slumped over in the booth, he shook his head and made his way over.

“seriously?” he grumbled as he stood in front of her, arms crossed. “this is the state you’ve gotten yourself into?”

y/n glanced up at him, her head spinning as she tried to focus. “don’t… don’t start,” she mumbled, her words slurring together. “i’m not in the mood for your shit.”

“too bad. you’re in no position to make demands,” he shot back, leaning down to help her up. he wrapped an arm around her waist, feeling her lean heavily against him. “let’s get you out of here before you make a scene.”

“hey, i can walk,” y/n protested half-heartedly, but the moment she tried to stand, her legs buckled beneath her. dabi’s grip tightened, and he half-dragged her toward the exit.

“yeah, sure you can,” he said dryly, his tone laced with sarcasm. “you’re a real lightweight, you know that?”

“shut up, touya,” she grumbled, though the annoyance in her voice was overshadowed by a hint of affection. “you’re not my dad.”

“wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, pushing open the passenger door of his car and easing her inside. “but someone has to make sure you don’t drown in your own stupidity.”

“whatever,” y/n muttered as she settled into the seat, her head resting against the window. “i could handle myself fine… if you weren’t so annoying.”

“annoying, huh?” he shot back, sliding into the driver’s seat and giving her a sideways glance. “you know, you called me. but hey, if you wanted my attention, this wasn’t the way to go about it.”

“because you’re the best at picking people up from bars,” she replied, a slight smirk on her lips. but then her expression faltered, and she turned serious. “i… i really appreciate it, you know?”

“don’t get all mushy on me,” he said, rolling his eyes. “it’s not like i’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart. i’ve got a reputation to uphold, and rescuing your drunk ass is just good PR.”

“you’re such a brat,” y/n shot back, though her heart fluttered at his teasing. “i’d like to see you handle it better.”

“please, i wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this,” he replied, his tone dripping with disdain as he pulled away from the curb. “besides, if i didn’t show up, who else would have to deal with your mess? i’ve got a reputation to uphold, remember?”

“right, because you care so much about your reputation,” she said sarcastically, turning her gaze to the window, watching the city lights blur past. “you’re just here for the free entertainment.”

“entertainment? you think this is funny?” he replied, glancing at her with an eyebrow raised. “watching you stumble around like a newborn deer isn’t exactly my idea of a good time.”

“well, at least i’m amusing,” y/n shot back, trying to hide the smile tugging at her lips. “you should thank me for keeping your life exciting.”

“exciting, huh?” he scoffed. “more like a headache. i’d rather face a horde of heroes than babysit you in a bar.”

“oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes. “you secretly love it.” y/n reached into the pocket of her hoodie, pulling out the smaller bottle of alcohol she bought earlier.

“love it? not even close,” he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “you’re lucky i have a soft spot for lost causes.”

“lost cause, huh?” she challenged, feeling a rush of emotion she couldn’t quite suppress. she lifted it to her lips, taking a singular swig before it was snatched from her hands. a bit of it dripped down her chin, and dabi rolled his window down before throwing it out. the sound of the glass shattering against the pavement echoed a second later.

"what the hell, touya!" she yelled, using her sleeve to wipe the liquor from her face. "that was mine!" she fussed.

"not anymore," he said flatly, glancing at her before his eyes returned to the road. "you're not drinking any more tonight. it's a miracle you were even able to walk back there."

"you don't get to decide that," she snapped, a flash of anger igniting in her chest as tears pricked her eyes. but deep down, a familiar wave of emotions washed over her, stirring something fragile. "you're such a-"

"a what? a what?" he challenged, cutting her off. "a responsible person? you think i want to see you hurt yourself more than you already have?"

"you don't get it," she said, her voice trembling as her frustration morphed into something more vulnerable. "i don’t want to get it, y/n. stop doing this to yourself if you don't want to paint that image for your name."

“i’m not that bad.”

“keep telling yourself that,” he said, glancing at her as they hit a red light. “but here you are, drunk and needing a ride home.”

“yeah, well…” y/n started, but the warmth of the alcohol mixed with her frustration made her voice waver. “at least you came.”

“you really think that highly of yourself, huh?” he shot back, though there was a hint of something softer in his eyes. “just be grateful i did.” he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “i am grateful, you jerk,” she said, her voice suddenly small as she looked down at her lap, fiddling with the ring on her finger. “you’re the only one who shows up when i need help.”

“yeah, well, don’t go getting all sappy on me,” he warned, trying to maintain his usual bravado, but the way his eyes softened gave him away. “it’s not like i’m doing this for the accolades.”

“sure, keep pretending you don’t care,” she replied, feeling the warmth of vulnerability creeping in. “but i see through your tough-guy act.” she shrugged.

“whatever,” he said, pulling into her driveway and turning off the engine. “let’s get you inside before you throw up in my car.”

“you just want to get rid of me,” she teased, but there was an undercurrent of something more serious beneath her words.

“you’re not wrong,” he said, smirking as he opened the door for her. “but it’s not because i don’t want you around. it’s just that your idea of a good time and mine are clearly on different planets.”

“how sweet of you, really,” she said dryly, though with a tone of sarcasm. “you’re lucky i’m feeling generous tonight.”

“generous? is that what you’re calling this?” he laughed, helping her out of the car and steadying her as she swayed slightly. “more like a recipe for disaster,” he retorted with a snarky tone. “shut up, touya,” she said, her voice softer now as they walked toward the door. “just… thanks for being here.”

“don’t mention it,” he replied, his tone lightening a bit. “but if you ever do this again, i’m leaving you to fend for yourself.”

“noted,” she said, a little too aware of how much she wished she could reach out and grab his hand, the feelings simmering beneath the surface threatening to spill over. “but you’re going to be there. i know it.”

“yeah, yeah,” he muttered, shaking his head as he watched her fumble with her keys. “just don’t go falling for me or something.”

her heart raced and she stayed silent, making dabi give her a glance that showed him trying to read her expression. she made sure to turn away from him, especially when he called her name. “gonna try to get some sleep,” she quickly said, using the guardrail to get upstairs and to her room.

y/n felt the wave of nausea wash over her as she laid on her bed, the world spinning around her. the bitter warmth of the alcohol still lingered on her tongue, a reminder of the night’s escapades. she groaned softly, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block out the throbbing in her head. as the room tilted and swayed, she pushed herself up just enough to pull the blankets over her body, seeking comfort in their warmth.

it wasn't long before she heard the familiar sound of the door creaking open. dabi stepped inside, his usual scowl firmly in place as he leaned against the doorframe. “what a sight,” he muttered, glancing around her room. “you look like you’ve been through a blender.”

“thanks for the compliment,” y/n mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. she felt a bit of embarrassment wash over her as dabi sauntered over and sat on the edge of her bed, pulling out his phone to scroll through it. a part of her wanted to feel grateful, but the way he acted—like he was doing her a favor—was hard to ignore.

---

half an hour ticked by, the silence punctuated only by the sound of his scrolling. but y/n's nausea began to build again, the urge to throw up clawing at her insides like a feral animal. she bit her lip, feeling the heat rise in her throat as she fought against it, but it was no use.

"touya," she whispered, her voice hoarse and shaky. he glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "hey, you alright?" he asked, but his tone was more sarcastic than concerned.

"not really," she muttered, clutching her stomach. before he could retort, she stumbled toward the bathroom, barely managing to reach the toilet before the contents of her stomach surged forth.

"nice going, genius," dabi called after her, his voice dripping with mockery. "you're really winning at this whole 'not throwing up' thing."

y/n heaved, feeling the world tilt precariously beneath her. the bitter taste of the alcohol mixed with the remnants of her dinner assaulted her senses, and she groaned, tears brimming in her eyes.

dabi was right behind her, his cool presence both annoying and comforting as he knelt beside her. "just breathe, y/n," he murmured, his voice low and steady. "try not to make this a regular thing, okay? i’ve got better things to do than babysit you."

as she gasped for air, she could feel his hand resting gently on her back, and despite his snark, there was a genuine concern in his touch. leaning into his hand, she felt a flicker of gratitude amid the chaos.

finally, the wave of nausea receded, leaving her breathless and trembling. dabi stayed close, waiting until she could lift her head and look at him. "feeling better?" he asked, his tone still laced with sarcasm.

"yeah," she whispered, her voice thick with sleepiness.

y/n felt like a train wreck as she sat hunched over the toilet, the remnants of her night swirling in her stomach like a storm. the bitter warmth of the alcohol lingered, and each heave felt like a betrayal to her body. just when she thought she was done, another wave hit her, and she groaned in frustration.

"seriously?" dabi’s voice cut through the haze, low and unimpressed. he leaned against the bathroom doorframe, arms crossed, his expression somewhere between annoyance and concern. "you’ve got to be the worst drunk i’ve ever seen."

"thanks for the encouragement," she managed, glaring at him with half fury, half exhaustion. "what are you doing here, anyway? i thought you didn’t want to babysit me."

"don’t flatter yourself," he shot back, but there was an undercurrent of something softer in his eyes. "i just didn’t want to deal with you throwing up in my car. that’s a real hassle."

"nice to know my well-being is your top priority," she replied sarcastically, but the dizziness made it hard to keep up her bravado. she stumbled back into her room, leaning against the wall as she caught her breath.

dabi followed, eyeing her critically. "you didn’t answer my question earlier, you know. when i said, 'don’t go falling for me,' you totally dodged that." his tone was light, but there was a seriousness in his gaze.

y/n rolled her eyes, trying to brush it off. "what do you care, anyway? you’re always so mean to me!"

crossing his arms again as he leaned against the wall "you don’t get to deflect now. just tell me, why didn’t you respond?"

"maybe i didn’t think it was worth addressing," she replied, her voice shaky, but his intensity made it hard to dismiss him. "really? because it sounded like you were trying to avoid something," he said, narrowing his gaze.

she let out a frustrated huff, flopping onto her bed. "i don’t know, touya. you make it hard to breathe sometimes. i get that you think you’re being helpful, but your sarcasm feels like a shield. and it hurts because i—"

"what is it, y/n?"

"i can’t help but feel something for you," she blurted out, exasperated. "even though you’re mean and a total brat, i… i like having you around, even when you act like you don’t care. and that just makes me feel more frustrated, like i’m some lost cause."

"y/n," he began, but she wasn’t done.

"you push me away, and i don’t understand why. you’re so pretty and infuriatingly attractive, and i hate that i’m drawn to you, but here we are." she sighed, the weight of her confession pressing heavily on her. "and i’m sorry for being a mess. i really am, but sometimes it feels like you’re the only one who sees me. even if it’s from a distance."

dabi watched her in silence, his expression shifting from annoyance to something deeper. "you think that’s what i’m doing?" he asked finally, a hint of vulnerability creeping into his voice. "pushing you away?"

"maybe," she admitted, feeling the heaviness of the alcohol wrapping around her thoughts. "i don’t know. i just… i feel like every time i try to get closer, you shut me out. it’s like you want to keep me at arm’s length."

he was quiet for a moment, and she could see the gears turning in his head. "and you think i want you to feel like shit?" he asked finally, his tone softer now. "you’re not some joke to me, y/n. you’re just… complicated."

"complicated, huh?" she snorted, her frustration bubbling back to the surface. "that’s one way to put it. you’re so busy being an asshole that you don’t see how much i wish things were different."

"different how?" dabi asked, genuinely intrigued, and for a moment, it felt like she had his full attention.

y/n fidgeted on the bed, her heart racing as she tried to gather her thoughts. "different as in… sometimes i wish you could see me for more than just a nuisance," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "i get that i can be a mess, but it feels like i’m always just… your project to fix."

dabi shifted his weight, an unreadable expression on his face. "you really think i see you that way?" he asked, his tone surprisingly soft.

"i don’t know," she replied, frustration creeping back in. "you’re always so wrapped up in your own world, and it makes me feel like i’m chasing after you for attention. i guess… i just wish you could let me in. i want to be someone you want around, not just someone you tolerate."

he remained silent, watching her with an intensity that made her heart flutter and ache all at once. "you’re not just a project, y/n." he finally said, his voice low. "but you’ve got to understand that i’m not great at this stuff. i’m not the guy who knows how to make things easy."

"yeah, i get that. but…" she sighed, struggling to find the right words. "it’s hard not to feel something more when you’re the one who shows up for me, even when i’m at my lowest. it’s like i can’t help but want you to be part of my life, in every way. and that scares me."

dabi opened his mouth as if to respond, but then fell silent again, letting the weight of her words hang between them. y/n could feel the tears pricking at her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, not wanting to show that kind of vulnerability. "i’m such a dumbass," she mumbled, forcing a laugh that didn’t reach her eyes. "i shouldn’t be pouring my heart out to you when i’m like this."

"y/n—"

"no, really, forget it," she interrupted, her voice cracking. "i just… i don’t want you to think i’m some lovesick idiot or anything. it’s just hard to ignore what i feel when you’re right here, acting like you don’t care. i’m sorry for being such a mess."

dabi let out a sigh, unable to speak, and only shook his head in frustration. y/n wasn’t the only one at a crossroads. he too knew that there was something up with the way he felt. he always felt it, but the feeling only got stronger when he was around y/n. the feelings brought him confusion, and dabi hated that feeling, hence the reason why he took it out on y/n anytime they were in the same vicinity of one another.

right now, he was failing to realize his true feelings. he failed to point out what it was exactly. he hated the feeling, and as he stared down at y/n, whose eyes were gradually heavying with sleep as stray tears dried, it only worsened.

he knew something was there, and it killed him since he didn’t know what.

---

as the morning light streamed through the curtains, y/n slowly stirred awake on her bed, the remnants of last night flooding her mind like a relentless tide. the dull ache in her head reminded her of the shots she'd had-and the impulsive confession she'd made to dabi. she sat up, rubbing her temples, and glanced around her room, half-expecting to find him sprawled beside her. but the bed was empty, and a wave of relief washed over her.

after a moment, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, the wooden floor cool against her bare feet. y/n took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing thoughts. she stood up, feeling slightly unsteady, and made her way to the bathroom to splash some water on her face and brush the taste of last night's mistakes from her mouth. the cool water helped, but did little to erase the embarrassment now gnawing at her chest.

once she felt somewhat human again, she headed downstairs, the house settling into its usual stillness. glancing into the living room, y/n was surprised to see dabi lying on the couch, still fast asleep. the sight of him made her cringe, her mind replaying fragments of last night's disaster. she sighed, scolding herself as she stepped into the kitchen and set the kettle on the stove.

the kettle's whistle was loud, painfully so, and she cringed, knowing it might wake him. grabbing two mugs from the cabinet, she placed them on the counter, her mind swirling with thoughts of how to navigate the morning ahead. she wanted to avoid him, but the temptation to face him and clear the air was stronger.

while the memories of the night were hazy, she recalled enough to feel mortified-her indirect confession, the sting of tears, and the bitter taste of regret. she felt like a mess, and her pounding headache only confirmed it.

y/n rubbed her eyes, trying to shake the weight of last night's events, but dabi's voice cut through her thoughts.

"morning."

she poured hot water over the tea bags she'd placed in the mugs, nodding in response as she turned to hand him one. his hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and the remnants of sleep lingered in his eyes. "morning," she muttered quietly.

just as she was about to leave the kitchen, his hand caught her wrist. "what are you doing?"

her gaze avoided his, her usual confidence nowhere to be found until he spoke up again. "about last night-"

"forget about last night," she interrupted, her voice wavering. "i was drunk. didn't mean to say all that bullshit. i'm sorry."

"why are you apologizing?"

"because last night was a complete shit-show. i can't handle my liquor, and i don't even know why i drank so much, but i regret it. i put us in an awkward situation, and i'm sorry for that." she spoke in one hurried breath, not giving him a chance to respond before continuing. "i'm not expecting anything from you out of pity for feelings i know can't be returned. i just... i'm sorry."

she tried to pull away from his grip, but he held her in place. "touya, it's fine. let go. keeping me here, forcing me to face you, is torture."

"you done whining?"

"i'm not whining." her brow furrowed as she finally met his gaze with a glare. he set his tea down on the counter, and before she could react, his hands were on her cheeks, pulling her in close.

"touya..." she whispered cautiously.

"don't freak out."

and with that, his lips were on hers, warm and firm, leaving no room for doubt. it was a rash decision on dabi's part, driven by a feeling he didn't fully understand. but it was real, and for once, he wasn't running from it.

there was no hesitation, no second thoughts, just the warmth of the moment. y/n's hands instinctively gripped his shirt, pulling him closer as their lips moved in sync. dabi's hand slipped to her waist, tugging her toward him until their bodies were pressed together, a sigh escaping his lips.

the kiss broke suddenly, leaving y/n breathless and dabi smirking slightly. "i think that went better than your confession. i win."

"shut up, touya. it's not a competition."

"oh yeah?" he teased, but his voice softened as he let out a deep sigh. for dabi, apologies didn't come naturally. he scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze as he leaned against the counter. "look," he began gruffly, "i'm not good at this. feelings, whatever. you already know that, so don't act surprised."

y/n remained silent, her eyes focused on him, waiting.

"i didn't mean to make you think i didn't care," he continued, clearly struggling with his words. "i just... don't do all the emotional crap. alright?"

the silence between them was palpable, her gaze heavy on him as he clenched his jaw in frustration.

"i don't know what the hell i'm supposed to say. i didn't even realize i was feeling... anything until recently. and you think i know how to handle that?" he laughed dryly, rubbing a hand over his face. "i'm not used to it. but i don't want you thinking i don't give a damn."

finally, he met her eyes, his expression more serious than usual. "i want to be with you. i don't know how to say it right, and i'll probably mess up again, but... i'm not blowing you off. this is just... new for me."

he shoved his hands in his pockets, half-turning as if he were done, but then muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for her to hear, "i care, y/n. more than i thought i could. so... there. happy now?"

it wasn't the most graceful confession, but for dabi, it was as close to vulnerability as y/n had ever seen. and she accepted it, even if she couldn't resist teasing him.

"wow, touya," she said, crossing her arms. "that was almost... cute. maybe you should write a book on feelings. 'how not to apologize 101."

"oh, fuck off, y/n."

with a sudden pull, dabi wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her toward the couch. "what are we doing?" she asked, stumbling slightly. "barely got any sleep last night because of you," he grumbled, settling back and pulling her onto his chest. "so, we're fixing that." he sighed. "what if i don't want to sleep?"

"you do realize talking to me instead of sleeping is like asking a cat to fetch, right?" he groaned, pulling her closer.

"fine."

"thanks," he muttered, closing his eyes. "and y/n?" his voice was soft now. "hmm?" she questioned.

"i'm shit at communication so i know i don't have the right to say this, but promise me it won't take you getting wasted to tell me something that important again."

"deal."

"no. say you promise."

"i promise, touya."

with a kiss on her forehead, silence fell between them-this time, it was peaceful, a welcome contrast to the chaos of the night before.

got a request? send it in and i'll write it :D

Taglist: @nemoo888 @delicatexmoonchild @flowerpjimin @tedcruzumakii @sugacor3 @selysixn @mitsuyas-version @matchaismylove @cyberrthegreat @ivydoesit23 @riririntaro @ilovechickfilasauce @sincerelyzee @daydreamteardrop @satorusluvrgirl @tired-jaz

[burningcheese-merchant]

Thoughts on the latest trailer of CRK aka "Shadow stop you're embarrassing yourself-"

Shippy answer:

Non-shippy answer:

I actually really enjoy the aesthetics of the Spire of Truth and of the Beast-Yeast chapter as whole. Might just be my brain turning off when I see the colors though lol (blue is my favorite color)

Gonna provide a controversial factoid about myself: I did not like Shadow Milk's voice when I first heard it all the way back when. It grated on my fucking nerves. But he sounds way better now for some reason (might still put the Japanese audio back on though tbh. I never cared for the English voice cast outside of a handful of characters and only turned English on for Burning Spice because godDAMN. Plus a lot of characters share voices with anime characters I love. Pitaya is Uzui Tengen/the Sound Hashira from Demon Slayer, for example)

Idk why anyone is getting their hopes up about Devsis changing the story formula up in any meaningful way lol. They most certainly will not. They said they would change things for Ovenbreak and then never did so (fuck the way Story Mode is now, fuck them for leaving it like that). You all need to start expecting less from them because they care about money (which they have been hemhorraging for ages now. They are unironically in massive debt rn. You know why Shadow is here? Because people will pay to unlock him and max him out lol) first and foremost, not the story or anything else. It's why the writing is so mediocre half the time lol

Guess everyone feels vindicated about the theorized connection between Shadow and the magic academy, huh? Haha

Did big bro have a fucking beard in that one portrait? Gandalf looking ass

Ngl I really loved that "dark" look Pure Vanilla had in that one shot. Whether that's his "corrupted" form or something else entirely, I'm not sure, but he looks cool and I hope we can have it as a skin regardless

Candy Apple is adorable, no idea what purpose she'll serve though

Hope Shadow is Magic like I predicted 1000 years ago

Not really happy White Lily and the Gingerbrave gang are there. Kind of hope they get sidelined. The latter especially. I know they're the "main" characters but they just drag down every scene they're in imo, I really do not care about them at all

Not looking forward to arena meta getting trashed again. I hate this shit so much

Seething @ Burning Spice not getting a countdown while Mystic Redditor and Walmart Bill Cipher do

Last two points don't really pertain to the trailer but uhhhhhhhhhh insert excuse here

[island-in-the-shadows]

Apparently some of all y'all hated the finale? Idk man, I had a ball!

Louis on a rampage? Iconic. 10/10 would recommend.

Louis kissing Armand in front of Lestat? Gagged. That was some reality trash TV behaviour and like Ouch Town, Population: Lestat.

The implication of Sam being a Deadmau5 type DJ? Hilarious

Daniel (with some help) taking a final fucking sledgehammer to the sham marriage? My Boomer son came, saw, won 3D chess against my blorbo.

Armand being...you know, Armand? Is that upsetting? That he knew? That he planned it? That he was directly antagonistic to Louis and Claudia? I mean...it's been nearly 50 years. My gremlin blorbo is as my gremlin blorbo does and that's why he's the feral racoon king of my alley aka Little King Trashmouth. Honestly I'm thankful to Louis that he only left him with a couple of scratches to his pretty face.

Louis really changed the locks and took the keys and was like gtfo bitch and he was so real for that. Yes, babe.

The reunion between Loustat? Random millenial being turned aside (cuz wtf was that?), it has been the ONLY moment in 2 seasons that has made me cry. The fact that they are the only two who can mourn their daughter, that they embraced in forgiveness and mourning? I couldn't, it was so lovely. And quite the open door.

Again, my boomer son....listen, this man gave zero fucks while he was still mortal. The fucks that he gives now with his (need to be more) purple eyes and fangs? THEY DO NOT EXIST. I LOVE THIS IDIOT. And lol ok yeah your maker made you out of spite, sure, let's go with that for now. Lol

Love that Daniel and Louis play telephone because tbh they both need a friend lol.

Louis removing the tree but having a portrait of Paul and Claudia's dress? 💔

Louis at them bitches: COME AT ME BITCHES

And now we know Lestat already said this was going to ruin the world tour, so...

Conclusion: It SLAPPED. Had a ball. 10/10 would recommend. I have as many complaints as Daniel has fucks to give.

[joanthangroff]

fic rec - best of 2024

I haven't done one in ages so i thought [mariah carey voice] IT'S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMEEEEEEEE. These are my fave fics from 2024 + two or three I read in 2025 already but I wanted to include them :)

Arrowverse

Once More, Mr. Queen by mybrotherharry

Olicity but turly mostly a genfic with a character study on Oliver!! The monitor makes Oliver travel to different universes to make sure the Ollies from there also become the Green Arrow. Shows different paths Oliver's life could have gone and how much he's grown. i loved it!!

Sacrifice by MaddyBaby

Genfic with a focus on Barry's and Hartley's friendship!! Set in season two when Barry travels back to the events of Hartley's first appearance. In the new timeline created by this, they're friends only that Barry doesn't know and has some trauma from the time Hartley wanted to kill him <3

Cold Storage by @sproutwings

Iris gets locked in a freezer and hallucinations of Snart help her get out of there. But maybe it's actually been him? Set Post-Oculus.

Partial Disclosure by RetroactiveCon

Hartmon bonding!!! Over queerphobia, too lmao. They're still at each other's throats but realise they have a lot more in common than they thought. Trans!cisco my beloved.

An Honest Thief by @sophiainspace

Coldwest team-up!!!! Polyamory!!!! Aromantic!Iris!!!!!! Coldflash!!!! Iconic Mick behaviour!! What more can I say????

The Memories That Hold Us Back by Cogentranting

Set after the Arrow finale where Oliver brought Tommy back to life. He's Mia's uncle and THEY'RE FAMILY. I love them.

Other DC

Perfect Paradise, Tearing at the Seams by McKat

Payneland fic with a truth spell!! Crystal buys a hexed necklace from Tragic Mick and when Charles accidentally touched it, he has to tell the truth.

heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another by @artemisadore

Catwin with SPOT-ON characterization!!! Edwin stops Thomas when he trashes his ex's car, only to find out that they have the same ex. To make him regret fucking them over (and for other reasons) they start fake-dating :)

myself and this body that they stuck me in by @misspickman

Kon has a few realizations about his gender hehehe

straight on 'til morning by @mamawasatesttube

Big brother Kon realizes that throughout his life he has been treated uhhhhh horribly?? And learns to talk about it

Other fandoms

the fubb cinematic universe by @tkffyrpntsndjckt

The most unhinged chatfic i have ever read I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!! Basically a rewrite of glee starting during ?? season 3 i think?? Blaine doesn't go to McKinley but stayed at Dalton, he and Sebastian are besties. Sebastian used to be Kurt's roommate at Dalton. so many shenanigans. someone dies. someone goes braindead. hilarity and craziness en masse. i had the time of my life reading this

white christmas by @lalalenii

you may think i'm biased but it really!!!! is that good!!!!! leni plays with formatting in the best way. like you FEEL the pauses while you read and it's so awesome. but robert please stop taking drugs

L'Chaim by sebastian2017

Erik's life and how he has been influenced by being a Jew. It's so so good and has so many gutpunches

A Book Half Unread by @jakeluppin

I still don't properly go here because i'm stuck in 911 s1 BUUUUTTTTT we love buddie in this house. and ezra put so much love into this because being a librarian is ezra's passion and you can FEEL it. it's so good. i love how dorky they are. and chris and buck's friendship is just so cute

The Line of Thought by @shotbyafool

Typical House MD episode tbh. The ducklings meddle with House's private life and he decides to play tricks on them. Unfortunately, he enlists Wilson to help him

The Live Forever Job by jessikast

Leverage/The Old Guard crossover!!!! It's so good and placed perfectly tbh.

[lowkeyrobin]

hiii so im very sick right now (allergies💔), so could you maybe do like mcyt comforting/taking care of a sick reader? thank youu -🦢

omg sameeeee eugh ; but yeah, thanks for requesting! ; hope you feel better 🦢 🫶❤️ ; cast is short bc I didn't have anymore ideas lmfaooo

MCYT ; sickly

includes ; tommyinnit, ranboo, badlinu, & maxggs

warnings ; language, mentions of throwing up, allergies/flu/fever symptoms

masterlist

TOMMYINNIT

giving you lots and lots of soup / tea & honey

he does not give two shits if he gets sick, he will be giving you love and affection

he's making sure there's a trash bin / large bowl at your disposal for any... bodily fluids /ns

he has to go get you more tissues and literally spends 15 minutes in the store debating which ones you'd want

he can't even ask cause you're asleep for once and doesn't wanna disturb you

"i got four flavors of throat lozenges because i dunno what you like"

runs you a warm bath every day you're sick

you're basically quarentining together let's be honest

2020core!-

RANBOO

again, a sweetheart

they're not getting within a 6 foot radius of you cause they don't wanna catch anything from you

"its allergies, I'm not contagious"

"you don't know that"

buys the entire pharmacy for you

straight up calls his mom because he doesn't know what to get you

in their defense, what's the difference??

makes you watch asmr videos when you're dealing with headaches cause your sinuses are fucked

they're actually really entertaining

there's a whole rainbow of medicines so they organize it in rainbow order while you're asleep

FREDDIE BADLINU

there's now a whole row of soup in your pantry

literally the only liquids you're drinking for a week are water and tea 😭

there is no shame in this game, he couldn't care less if you throw up cause like, you're sick, why would he judge?

always making jokes/saying dumb shit to make you laugh

but then you start coughing and choking on mucus and then he feels awful

tweets that your "cough sounds like a dying squirrel" 💀

not afraid to cuddle with you or anything once he realizes you aren't contagious/ remembers he has a good immune system

(he ends up sick as well)

might as well be March 2020 again cause the amount of wet wipes he has laying around is wild like calm down

MAXGGS

feels so bad that you're sick

he was blowing pollen in your face so he feels like he's to blame (it's just the seasons changing)

he'll make fun of you plenty tho

so many sick selfies 💀

"which flavor do you prefer? cherry or grape?"

"neither tbh"

"cherry it is then"

"just take a throat lozenge"

"I'd rather die"

if your hair is long enough, he's holding it back when you're throwing up

lots of just trying to physically make you feel better

and lots of joking and watching funny shit on YouTube

[whatsourmotto-whocares]

HARK, 'TIS ME DRUNK AGAIN cuz it's the holidays and we got cptsd and adhd and a fucked up family tree WITH BUCKTOMMY BRAIN ROT because what is life without some crispy disassociation hyperfixation fodder

anyway so I hate the fact that Buck as a 100% neurodivergent person is especially susceptible to internalizing outside perceptions of his experiences and behavior because we ND folks usually grow up being told we aren't actually [blank], or it isn't actually hard to [blank] you just aren't trying or aren't doing xyz, or that we shouldn't feel so strongly [blank] because it wasn't a big deal (and Buck had esp icky parental parenting, too), so you get used to accepting what you're told about your own fucking emotions and experiences (and I love Josh so this isn't on him, it's on the writers), so when Buck hears this speech about what he was supposed to think re: Tommy being a "pre-Glee" queer (and stfu because boiling everything fought for and gained and lost 1990-2020 down into pre/post a TV teen drama musical that had literally any lgbtqia+ inclusion *but happened to be popular* is so barf) HE PARROTS IT because he's USED TO THAT being what people want to hear and what the *"correct answer"* to the Adult Human Conversations and Relationships Code quiz is. BUT THEN he follow it with some of his true colors and thoughts and feelings, but the preamble has changed Tommy's perception of the rest of it and triggers all his own shit that makes Buck's apparent idolization scary AND MISCONSTRUES BUCK'S WHOLE INTENT so Buck is genuinely blindsided by Tommy's reaction and confused about what he did wrong (because God knows ND folks are constantly wondering exactly what we did wrong, especially when it results in being left after talking about our feelings).

and tbh the part I'm most mad about is that I'm so sure that you couldn't purposefully write writing this horribly trite and trash about bi or late-discovery-queer people OR neurodivergent people so directly; you have to be oversimplifying Buck in his established traits and applying prejudices so that even subconsciously this is what you come up with, OR PURPOSEFULLY creating this situation to make sure to establish a narrative about bi men/people or queerness and break these two compatible, peaceful beans up for the drama llama.

THEY BOTH DESERVED BETTER AND ND AND/OR QUEER FOLKS DESERVE BETTER REP TOO GOODNIGHT

*takes bedtime shot in gay adhd*

[crooked-wasteland]

I just saw your essay on the codependency of FizzOzzie and it cleared up a lot of things I've been thinking about this ship and to be honest, I myself thought it was the most healthiest ship in the whole show even better than the trash that Stoliz is but well... (btw, I was trying to scroll through tumblr to find it but can you just link it for me so I coud read it again)?

It also brings me to an idea of the possibility brung up in two fics each with different ideas:

#1 if Hazbin's events every leak in Helluva's since they're the same universe, there's a possibility that Lucifer would want to have precautionary heirs for the defense of Hell and outright force Ozzie and any other relationships with lowerclass apart since it's "not compatible with angelic DNA" or some thing, so Ozzie could in fact leave Fizz because of his status

#2 Ozzie getting tired of Fizz... Ozzie is the sin of Lust after all and Lust can be ever-changing and capricious in its nature as a sin. Ozzie’s character, embodying Lust, might lead to a fluctuating commitment level, influencing his interactions and relationships. In biblical lore, he did end up causing a lot of sinful things like fucking a human named Sarah or so I remember?

Again this is the same guy who humiliated Blitzø in Ozzie, S2 just rewrote him completely (btw, in my rewrite I'mma change him to be more evil and instead give the whole "lovey-dovey Sin" idea to Satan who is female and thinks Asmodeu's "fake-love" is like a slap in the fact to her idea of realistic and true romance)

I'd just feel like Fizz would be better off with Blitzø tbh or Striker or all in a threesome... the possibilities are endless, and why is the show making love seem too fairytale and unrealistic?! Like Blitzø shouldn't have to fuck Stolas just because he was his arranged playmate for just one day??? The show did the childhood friends trope dirty and would be better if Stoliz was a thing until mid-teens broke up for [insert reason] and reconnect but honestly, Stolas should've had his own seperate season/arc dedicared to himself if HB was an anthology show

Also the fact that Asmodeus couldn't just burn the contract, one-shot the lawyer and go on a rampage to save Fizz is just beyond me... the Sins are supposed to be these scary demon lords so why aren't they, hm?

Sorry for rambling and what do you think or want to add?

Absolutely here you go.

The consistent failure of Vivziepop is to commit to a mature story. She describes her own protagonists as "Deeply flawed but understandably traumatized people who just need love to fix them" while the villains of her shows are "irredeemable" (and women, but that's a tangent).

I mentioned before that trying to use the excuse of the setting being Hell and playing that out to the logical conclusion would end up exactly like Good Omens. The whole moral of said show being that imperfect humanity is worth saving, that life is worthy and beautiful for its own sake of existence. That is why the story of Good Omens uses the Bible, angels, and demons to tell it's story, to make that point.

Why is Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel set in Hell? What is being said by the plot, themes and story? So far we have that demons are better people than the Angels in Hazbin. That sacrifice is the only virtue worthy of redemption and thus reinforces backwards Christian ideals of penance.

Personally, I would have made Hell less absurd. Less a place of debauchery and chaos and more a mere continuation of life. We see in the Hazbin Pilot a character falls from the sky and says "I'm alive?" Before being hot by Travis' car. The point being that people just transition from one life to the next and in that they keep living life the way they always have.

My personal criticisms of the series' use of Hell is that it established this idea that people only behave if they have a god to fear. Once in Hell, there is no salvation, so why bother. It's like a Christian asking an atheist why they wouldn't commit murder if they don't believe in God. The answer is that people like order and security. People dying would seek to maintain their status quo from life. A lack of salvation wouldn't change that for them.

And frankly, I wouldn't have redemption be a thing. This story and its messages are actively devalued by the act of redeeming sinners when the Angels are just the same as them. By having Hell just be a warped continuation of life on Earth, it makes the message more universal: Life is Hell. Life is suffering in a way Hell can never hope to be. Physical anguish and torment for all eternity can never amount to the pain of the fleeting and the terror of change and uncertainty.

I would have made it impossible to be redeemed because the fact is, regardless what you believe happens after death, what we know we have is life. We fear death so much we have created salvation throughout history, the wish to keep living forever in some way. But, especially for young people, life is harder now than ever before. It's more terrifying and uncertain and cruel and uncaring.

So if life is Hell, how do you be happy?

That would have been my thesis for the show. The message underneath is all about finding happiness in the absence of salvation. Even the idea that maybe salvation is something we should reject to really feel what it means to be alive. Giving up on our deaths and seeking our own fulfillment, and in that finding community, love, and hope. To see true humanity as something selfish and kind at the same time.

That's how I would have taken the concept.

[nervermim]

Okay but sweet convenience store that can't stop loving you... Even if you already have a boyfriend

Yandere behavior lol? Murdering, abuse, domestic violence, shitty boyfriend, Corrupt police, probably a lot of hidden triggers and bad English because I'm lazy, writing thinking in a male reader but idc

So tbh he was even supposed to still working in the convenience store, he did as a part job only because he wanted to buy a live show ticket, he has a good part time job and some help of his parents, but since the ticked was a little expensive he decided just grab a little more money working in another part job

Then he meet you... And wow. He even lost his words, you were... Perfect. No, even better, magnificent? He didn't have words but you look like a deity had born in the earth... Right he wasn't the best with romantic poetry okay?

And what was supposed to be one month of a part job in the convenience store become almost three... All because he couldn't stop coming back to see you, he almost started doing extra hours because he need to see you more.

But ofc like any other normal person you wouldn't go to a convenience store that much, besides you definitely would go more than other people, like almost everyday day at least one time or even two...

He wasn't complaining! He was happy he could see you more and talk a little with you! But you were so shy... Always looking down and never responding his try of a small talk... Well but you still a cutie!

He started paying more attention on your purchases... You smoke? No you didn't look like, your teeth are perfect, then why would you buy a new box of cigars almost everyday? And you really like beer that much? Always buying at least six of them everytime you were here... Maybe you had a brother? Or a father...

It couldn't be you had a boyfriend right? You didn't had a ring... And...

He started following you. He need it to now. It wasn't hard, even if you look pretty aware at the streets he knew what he was doing and wasn't hard follow you.

He was actually happy of following you! He could now take a lot of pictures! Oh! And he could see what your favorites places!

But then you just enter a small house that wasn't well... Pretty, if he was trying to be kind... It was pretty... Pretty bad.

Spying through the window was a little hard now. Since he doesn't risk and fuck everything, he wait until was night, paying someone to be in his turn at the store wasn't a big problem, you were more important than any money.

Then he saw... And he saw red.

You had a boyfriend, well if you could call that trash a one. He was just sitting in the couch, drinking and smoking while watching some UFC fight, and you were at the kitchen washing and cleaning, he could see all the mess around the house and how tired you looked... He never payed attention of how tired you looked... It was his fault never realizing before.

Then the trash screaming at you asking for another beer, and you immediately throw everything you were doing to get one for him... And that... And he just screamed at you asking for dinner and calling you unless...

He wanted to enter and kill that idiot right now... But he couldn't, not yet, he need it more info.

You look pale and week, you probably was eating enough, now you were using the baggy clothes you were used outside, he could see some bandages and purples in your body... That trash was hurting you. Not only mentally but also physically...

No... Why wouldn't you leave him? Then he got all the info he need it. The police uniform in the wall. That motherfucker was a police officer. And instead of helping and protecting he was worst than any criminal in the jail.

He left that night knowing exactly what he need it to do. He was a fool, he got só distracted with your beauty and his dreams that he didn't payed attention on what really matter. But he won't make the same mistake again.

We won't anyone hurt you anymore. Not on his turn, not when he love you. He need to apologize to you, and he will do that by resolving the nightmare you were stuck in.

He started the preparations, ropes, some tape, some tools he will need too, a hammer, a baseball bat, the metal one ofc. Hmm... Maybe he will need something for you too, he wouldn't blame you for being scared when he finally do it, after all it's not your fault, you're just traumatized, but he will cure you in the future.

But just to prevent you from running, he will get some soft ropes, he wouldn't never put tape on your mouth of course so he get just cloth gag... And maybe some medicines, just for you to sleep until he finishes everything, he know how tired you are.

The next days he how you look more and more tired, and he knows he need to do it fast, but he needs to be perfect too. He can risk putting you in more problems when he finally get rid of your boyfriend.

It's a weekend when it finally happens. It was another day for you, just making him food and trying to keep the house clean, he was screaming to the tv and you prefer him screaming to a screen than screaming for you.

He got angry last night and smashed your head in the wall, still hurting but you can't stop and risk getting him angrier.

You heard a noise in the backyard, you open the back door and look at the dark yard, he never put another lamp, but there's nothing, so you close again the door and think is maybe just some kids running from home and passing through your yard.

You back in the chores when you heard another sound, but you look at the living room and it's your boyfriend just grabbing something so it's fine.

Then not so much after you started hearing the fight. You immediately run to the living room and what you see it's purely shocking.

The cashier from the convenience store you always go is putting your boyfriend in a arm lock. Your boyfriend try to fight against him but somehow the cashier look prepared and even stronger, he looks to have a advantage for getting your boyfriend with the guard down.

Your boyfriend try to scream something to you but you can't do nothing, just freeze in pure dread and fear. Your feel like you're going to faint, what is that? Why is the cashier of the store here fighting with your boyfriend?

Then you boyfriend is down, not dead you guess, just unconscious, look like he hold him like that to make him faint. He looks a little tired now when he just droops your boyfriend body in the floor.

And then he looks at you, smiling, with a gentle smile and love eyes. And it could be nice if wasn't totally creepy right now. He make your boyfriend unconscious so easily and now you are totally at his merce. And you are scared. Really scared.

But then he just talk, with the same sweet voice he used and he was saying how much your things would cost or giving your a good night.

"don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you... This must had been scary for you right? I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't want to scare you"

"always thought you are just shy... But wasn't the truth right? I'm sure he would hurt you if saw you talking to another man..." He said and he almost look angry talking about your boyfriend, he even give him a little kick.

"well, but I'm here now, and this piece of trash is never going to put his hands on you again..." He smiles at you again.

"don't worry babe, I'm going take real good care of you"

You not sure if you can trust in his words... But what choice you have?

[bleue-flora]

tbh to me c!sapnap is on the same level of betraying c!dream as c!sam. It may seem far-fetched considering what c!sam did and considering we don't have much real lore content with c!sapnap or c!dreamnap, but when you look at what we DO have, it's kind of a picture

like, he's not just some stupid or short-sighted character, as it might seem at first glance - we have a ton of evidence that he understands perfectly well that prison makes c!dream physically and mentally ill, but he agrees with it. In the dialogue with c!michael he literally says "dream fucked up, prison fucked him up in another sense, but it doesn't matter, cause dream has to get better and become *my* dream again, let him stay in prison and improve, even if it breaks him idc", like wtf is this? funny, but at the same time, c!sapnap doesn't visit dream more than once, how will he know that c!dream is making progress? In c!sapnap's head, prison is supposed to be a rehabilitation for c!dream, only no one checks his progress in stopping being a "fucked up", he either sits there completely alone or people go there to hurt him and c!sapnap understands and acknowledged it, but he doesn't give a shit. I'm sorry, but this gives off sam's "I thought I broke his will to do something like that". He obviously doesn't care about c!dream and just wants his good old *convenient* friend, and he doesn't care about the consequences.

But he's not just passively harming c!dream, he's doing it actively. If the threat could still be interpreted as an emotional outburst, something he could say and regret, then his other actions clearly say the opposite. Like, the dude literally stalked and harassed c!dream for months after he found out where he lived??

The revival book was more important to him than torture. Even in the beginning, he didn't care about c!dream's reputation, when c!wilbur and c!tommy dragged it into the dirt for no reason, and he repeatedly went against c!dream or supported things that directly harmed c!dream. For me, one of the most telling scenes is c!sapnap and c!george's meeting with mexican dream's ghost, where c!sapnap, without any reason, pins the explosion of El Rapids on c!dream, and then, when he finds out that actually c!quackity was the one who did it, c!sapnap immediately says that they urgently need to go and find out why he did it, to check if he's okay and all that. This is literally the attitude you'd expect from c!tommy, to attribute every bad event to c!dream, but no, this is his so-called best friend! And of course, he only wants to know the reasons for an action when someone else does a bad action, but not c!dream - well, of course, cause it's clear that c!dream reasons are "being evil" or smth.

So, I've been in my c!sapnap hate arc for over two years now and you all should join me lmao

I didn't think I'd write SO much, but emotions took over after reading the new chapter of your fic and some of your posts, sorry abt that :"^

[context a & b]

Honestly, in my opinion his betrayal is almost worse than Sam’s, which is saying something since he literally enabled and facilitated daily torture. But like Sam wasn’t Dream’s self proclaimed brother, and at least Sam’s delusion kinda makes sense. Sapnap is just like - the chicken tastes rubbery and overcooked, so I put it in the oven and then it tasted burnt, so I put it back in the oven to help the taste and at some point I’ll take it out of the oven and then it’ll taste good again. No idea how long that’ll take, and no don’t be ridiculous I’m not gonna check on it. I swear though if anyone touches my chicken before it tastes good again like so much as removes it from the oven or seasons it I’m gonna throw it in the trash… vs Sam who’s like - the chicken tastes rubbery but I spent money on it so I’m gonna put it in the oven and turn it to charcoal so at least then it won’t be a complete waste…

ya know? Like at least Sam was corrupted by power, financial benefit, manipulated a bit, and had the blood of a “child” on his hands. Sapnap doesn’t even have that, he has a life long best friend who he heard made a speech about not caring about anything and then later a speech about wanting to control everyone, a fish in a item frame and a letter saying “thanks for visiting”…

Well I don’t know about the “even if it breaks him” I don’t think he is thinking that directing about Dream’s suffering if that makes sense, but Sapnap is delusional no doubt. I also don’t know if he even cares that much about the book in general, he just doesn’t seem to given a damn about the torture. He seems to really just be about the fear of what Dream might do and how he needs to be stopped before that.

And you do have a point, in the beginning even as his “brother” he on many occasions went against him, down to the very first disc war where they killed him multiple times. I mean if Sapnap weren’t American, he’d have probably been right alongside clingy duo in L’manberg and stuff… oh I had no idea about the El Rapids thing but am also not surprised…

What do you even mean, I am literally an engineer of this Sapnap hate train 🚂 choo choo! I be shoveling coal to keep this engine running ya know. like literally the more lore I watch the more he actually just kills me.

but anyways, I mean you read the chapter (and presumably the one before) so you know my thoughts on Sapnap lol. ;D

[pseudowho]

hi mrs haitch i saw your post asking about explicit smut in romantasy + how it compares to your writing ( + also your comment about how you'd hate your writing to be viewed as 'lesser' bc smut)

it just reminded me of this post i saw the other day about how female fantasy smut writers get hella shamed / backlashed for their fantasy smut or it gets labelled stuff like "Dragon Porn" etc. etc. whereas male fantasy smut writers get ovations for their writing (re: GoT, probably others I can't think of rn lol) and idk if the difference is because the smut in female fantasy writer books tends to be consensual and in male fantasy writer books it is... Usually Not Consensual but

idk where i was going w this tbh it just made me think of that post. anyways as someone who's read all of the Sarah J Maas A Court of Thorns and Roses series i think your writing is a bit more explicit but it has more flavor overall so i don't think you need to worry

p.s. sorry for the long ask i kind of rambled ahaha

I just think it's an issue of literature, especially Fantasy fiction, being massively gate-kept by men. I talk about it constantly.

Nobody makes a peep about the harems, poly relationships where it's one man and god knows how many wives, age gap relationships, assault, 'she breasted boobily down the stairs', etc. that has been going on in male written Fantasy books for god knows how long.

As soon as there's a Fantasy book written 'for the female gaze'? Outrage.

Shame the female, because we're afraid of them, and angry that such authors are doing so well in the Fantasy genre right now!

And it utterly disgusts me that I'm afraid of playing this game. I think my writing is good-- very good, arguably-- but the knowledge that if I put any smut in, and it will be instantly thrown into the 'trash' pile by lots of prominent authors? Devastating.

This is what's crippling me at the moment. The Outraged, Vengeful™️ part of me wants to smash through the scene with a beautifully written fantasy book with an exceptional relationship between the two MCs, and some smut. The Shrewd™️part of me is genuinely considering withholding the smut so that I can sneak past the barriers into 'literature' and then, once I have influence and standing, smash it up from the inside.

In the end though, I know that honesty matters to me...so it will be the former, I think. And I'll have to break in from the outside with a pick-axe and a Great Big Fuck You Attitude™️.

Thank you for liking my writing, though. It means a lot.

All this fuss and I probably won't get published anyway, so...

Love,

-- Haitch xxx

[catboyloon]

HOW I MAKE MYSELF HUGE!!!!

been meaning to make this post for a while So!

since i cant really actually inflate my belly for real and i have trouble gaining weight, heres how ive made myself plump, soft, & puffed for the sake of kink

getting fat as fuck: pretty much just stuffing blankets under my clothes, feels really really nice.. pillows work too, but those imo are less reliable and are less so soft and squishable and a bit malleable like a bunch of blankets stuffed to make a fat tummy, but more puffy/returns to form. idk how to really describe it but usually i only throw in pillows if i'm feeling the need to be as big as possible (and even then for me usually 4 blankets satisfy that!)

also you can try wrapping a blanket around others or a pillow (if not multiple layered wraps) for a more managable big plush tummy, really nice to squish and while it may not fully fit under your shirt (though it might feel good to try) it's still so nice

as for stuffing yourself like that, the bigger your clothes are and the more they can stretch, the better! i know that's obvious but still. also applies to inflation as i'll describe below. in fact, when it comes to both kinda of expansion, imo the best clothing for it is something like a kigurumimi. comfy in general, pretty roomy, and can stretch a fair bit without ripping (even though mine now has an accidentally ripped hole in a pretty convenient spot, and a button came off once!)

as for inflation its all basically just "inflate something under your clothes" but i've tried a LOT of things. so here's the options i've had from best to worst:

yoga ball. easy to inflate, easy to deflate, feels good & it's pretty durable, only complaint is how they only go up to about 3ft in diameter i think? maybe 6ft but i'm not sure. not the easiest to fill with water but that's just because i have no real way to fill anything with water here, so... anyway. they're also nice and squishy when left a little underinflated, which is nice because you can have a big puff gut without it also being taut as a drum. then you can go further and make yourself taut if you really want it! solid 8/10, if only it could be bigger..

weather balloons. i have two and have used both at once before (one for my belly the other for thighs/ass, between my legs) but usually just use one. can get SUPER fucking huge, kinda squishy (but not as much as a yoga ball, also not nearly as durable; i've popped one before by accident before.. do not underestimate water i guess lmao) and honestly really good, also pretty squeaky once you get big and full enough, and i've even puffed myself to near immobility with them before. though not the easiest to set up since you'd need something to keep the balloon whatever it's called tight on the hose you're using. i just use reusable zipties tbh since it felt like the obvious solution. also kinda cheap! only like $30 for one on amazon.. another solid 8/10

a clean, unused trash bag. most difficult probably to set up for proper inflation, but honestly not the worst option. feels alright, more crinkly than squeaky though unless you get it REAL full, but the shape/form fitting of it is pretty lacking compared to a yoga ball or weather balloon. 5/10

a basketball. not really that good unless you like tightness/a feeling of pressure, mainly just used it to give myself a puffy crotch bulge & it felt good ngl? though the fact i need to use the bike pump for it sucks, plus it isn't the easiest to deflate as a result. 4/10

a normal ass party balloon. this just sucks shit i'm sorry, they're too small, they're not squishy enough to give you a comfy belly (even the basketball does that better!) and honestly you'd be better off with anything else on here. 2/10

as for pumps:

foot pump. nice long hose, pretty much hands free because i can just, well, use my feetpaws to puff up instead of having to use one (or sometimes both!) hands to operate a pump. works with the yoga ball (even though i don't have one now), weather balloons, trash bag (since anything would work) and probably other things. 9/10

aquarium pump. speed is adjustable but the hoses are tiny, and it's not even that fast at the max setting. good for a slow burn i guess, but ehhh. 5/10, only ever made it work with the weather balloons. the hoses being so thin and it being so slow makes it kinda suck for this, but it will probably be good for inflating my actual stomach someday.. carefully of course

cylindrical hand pump that came with the yoga ball. pretty alright, the motion you have to make with it to inflate something with it is a bit like jerking off so that's kinda nice. only ever worked with the yoga ball, but if i had enough time i could probably make it work with other things. 7/10

bike pump. despite what a lot of art may have you believe, these fucking suck! mainly due to how short they are. the pump itself is short so you can't do it standing up, and the hose is too short to use comfortably without just. sitting in a weird way with the pump probably between your legs. or sitting on the ground and using it but ehhhhhhh. 2/10 it sucks

this is all pretty much it. im curious how all of you do it, but also highly recommend you guys try it out and tell me how you guys feel or think about it! i also might post myself doing this sorta thing more in the future

also uh. something a bit more nsfw,

putting this under a readmore because i cant just spoil things like discord, it feels so fucking good to just hump my own belly when im huge. be that puffed (tbh yoga balls are the best for that, just not when fully inflated) or stuffed (pillows might be better but you could also just wrap them all up in a bundle so). it's like jerking off but better. go bellyfuck yourself today!

[gardening-guy]

much love to @tomorrowsgardennc for writing this out and tagging me, this is beautiful!!

fill it out and tag your garden friends, teehee!

🌱 current garden 🌱

what season is it currently? winter!! and oh dear god i want it to be overrrr, spring pls come

how's the weather been? normal or unusual? kinda both?? we've gotten more snow in the past couple of weeks than we have in years tbh, and it's so sporadic? like my state is normally pretty bipolar with weather, but this year, it's extra dramatic

what's growing the most successfully? hmmm.... most of my garden produce has gone bye bye at this point rn, but my violas? my violas are fucking thriving, they do not care how many times they get covered in snow and ice. they're champs!! the runner-up is the cilantro in the corner of most of my raised beds!

what's struggling the most? omg before everything went bye bye anyway, the broccoli HATED me, same with the chinese pink celery... i figured out that broccoli isn't exactly always great to have with others, but the more yk for the future!!

any garden animals? do stray cats count?? other than cinnabun the asshole/cute stray cat, no unfortunately. but one of my neighbors have chickens that regularly visit me!! i throw out cut fruit regularly and have lots of kitchen scraps in my compost pile, so i like to think they like me most lol

how much space are you growing in? idrk tbh?? i have no idea, but at least a decent space? it's like... the size of two decently big park sandboxes, in my head's comparison realm lol

are you happy with that space, or do you want more? i think i'm happy with the size of it, but it's honestly not the best area bc the house attached sucks ass... i am so happy with the size and parameters, but we're going to move bc the house itself sucks ass

✨️ future garden ✨️

what's next on the to-do list for the garden? i need to continue seed starting, and it is admittedly a bit tricky planning a garden when you plan on moving out in july, but we're making things work!! i want to buy more dirt and finish redoing the original flower beds i made in the back yard and front yard

new plants you want to try and grow? sunflowers, beets, more varieties of tomatoes, and marigolds!

new garden skills you want to learn? holy shit i need to expand on my carpentry and woodworking skills but those aren't new... i guess i want to learn just in general. as much as i can!!!!

new tools you need to buy? does a new knee brace count?? in addition, bird netting to make sure my neighbor's chickens don't get in my raised beds and more stakes + trellises

what needs to be built? a trellis system for the tomatoes, bird netting over the raised beds, wooden borders for my flower beds in the backyard + front yard, and a lean-upon to tuck my bike underneath to protect it from rain

what needs to be cleaned up? oh god everything agh!! but especially the front yard, people tend to dump trash out there. i think i might try to get a spare trash can to help myself and others out with!

📝 dream garden 📝

top of your wishlist? an actual greenhouse with a generator for heating mats and lights and fans aaaaaa i want it so bad (or a shed to hide all my gardening stuff in)

first plant you're buying if you win the lottery? honestly??? probably more seeds instead, but so so so many cut flower seeds!!

if you could change growing zones, which one would it be and why? honestly, i don't know enough about gardening zones to answer this one? i think i'm content where i'm at :)

what do you want to grow, but can't? why not? any berry bush or fruit tree.... maybe i can do a blueberry bush if i pot it, but it's because i'm going to move soon and can't guarantee the investment in digging a hole and the money to possibly not be able to take it with me....

👀 admit it... 👀

how many spare nursery pots you have: oh fuuuuuck soooooo manyyyyyyy i think probably around 20ish

how many plants are still in it's original container and need to be planted: i'm luckily just worrying about my houseplants rn, but most of them need a good repotting... probably around 20-30ish of my houseplants

how many seed packets do you have: too many to count but i'll count anyway!!! i'll be right back :) follow-up: i counted and it was 145 seed packets (not including the handful i have on my desk to send to friends)

how many more seeds did you buy this year anyway: thankfully, that's all i have right now!! i made my orders earlier, so nothing is coming at this time

💚 garden favorites 💚

favorite flower plant? my beloved zinnias to grow, but i love a beautiful carnation and sunflower personally

favorite vegetable plant? kale to grow!!!

favorite fruit plant? tomatoessssssss

favorite landscaping plant? bee balm, lavender, and goldenrod, do those count?

favorite pollinator? leafcutter bee :)

favorite garden noise or texture? omg i love a good whiff of cilantro smell or general dirt smell! i love the sound of the birds chirping!! i love the feel of soft petals between my fingers!!

favorite gardening book or blog or podcast? i loveddddd the urban homestead by coyne and knutzen, but i'm starting the new seed-starting handbook by nancy bubel in a moment!

@tomorrowsgardennc tagged most people i also know, but i shall tag @toadleeah and encourage anyone to fill this out as they like!!

[wakingfromthewater]

I hate having bad public transit experiences because it feels like you can't talk about them without someone being weird. Like 1) and most importantly no I don't think people who are using or having a crisis in public deserve to be killed Jesus fucking Christ, but also 2) having someone come up to you and start free-associating explicit and disgusting things about how you want to have sex with men but expect them to pay, which makes you trash, but men don't pay for trash at 8:50 AM is just extremely unpleasant (and that's before we get to the homophobia!), and also 3) I have been riding the subway in a big city by myself since I was fourteen, I'm not shocked or intimidated by homeless people, people who are having a mental health crisis, drug use, business transactions, etc. and from that perspective I can definitively say that in the last two years things have started to feel a lot more unstable out there. And obviously these are signs of wider social breakdown but TBH, I worry for the people I see because so many more of them are obviously in crisis, suffering, and unable to care for themselves than normal.

(And also yes, three close encounters in three months, two of which nearly got physical, is not normal).