#full fangirl mode engaged

[dehydrated-for-donghae]

[until-another-one-comes]

Your TNMN headcanons give me serotonin! 🩷

I promised myself not to engage in this fandom because of the milkman but after playing the game, he started to grow on me and so do the other residents.

I also personally agree with your headcanon of Francis being completely depressed. He’s just an average guy so he doesn’t see himself as anything special. But then again, I’d like to think he’s dead on the outside and dead on the inside. By that I mean, he’s secretly insane because whatever horrible happened to him in his childhood made him snap one day. I remember someone headcanon him as a serial killer too.

If we ever get a story mode for the game and Francis canonically turns out to be some insane yandere guy, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had more fangirls than he already has or his fans end up loving him more.

Thank you so much anon I'm happy you enjoy them! Feel free to ask me anything!

AND YES I didn't want to care about the milkman too cuz I just see him as simp bait before but now I really love him (simping wise I prefer Steven though lmao)

Not sure if this is what you're talking about but maybe you're thinking of @/pengold's au where Francis is a serial killer?

I want a story mode so bad... I NEED to know more about the neighbors, their lives, their lore, their personality, their relationships etc.

I don't think Nacho-sama would make that canon but it is hilarious how he knows full well how people simp for him and feed the fanservice. Maybe in story mode there'd be a scene where he's covered in blood from an attack and the internet goes crazy yet again

[yibocheeks]

A Completely Biased Fan’s Opinion (and Interpretation) of 无名

I’ve tried to keep my reviews online mostly neutral when it comes to my fangirling over Wang Yibo in the movie, as I really do feel that the movie is well done, the entire cast did a remarkable job, the cinematography and set details are commendable, the music compliments the scenes really well, and there are many interesting parallels and clues along the way that make each rewatch rewarding. 

@faery-snow​ requested a long post and after watching the movie three times, I will henceforth enter full fangirling mode with my thoughts on the film (there will be spoilers). I have also summarized the sequence of events, based on analyses from Chinese fans online (but again this is still open to interpretation) ↴

I’ve summarized a spoiler-free version of some historical background that is relevant to the film here and will note below when I start getting into plot spoiler content.

The opening scene begins with Tony Leung’s character (Director He) sitting on a bench. He appears to be deep in thought, and behind him we see the grid of a prison window. We are then introduced to an array of other characters, and the who/where/when are all still unknown to the audience. 

We then meet Yibo’s character (Mr. Ye), who is having what seems to be a casual breakfast with his colleague, played by Wang Chuanjun (Captain Wang). They are speaking Shanghainese, and upon first hearing Yibo’s Shanghainese I was grinning to myself from ear to ear. His Shanghainese is really very cute, and if you speak to people who are actually Shanghainese they will be able to identify immediately that he is not from Shanghai. 😂 Still, for him to be able to speak Shanghainese to this degree is not easy, considering he only just learned it for the film. And of course from watching all the behind-the-scene footage and interviews, I was already very fond of this 阿呆 and 阿瓜 pair. We see the scene where they are sitting in the car together, on their way to collect the corpses (whom we at this point do not yet know the identities of), and the moment when they both look down at their watch at the same time, which was unscripted. The conversation about every man for themselves, although discussed in the context of breakfast, can be applied to the situation of the times as well.

We are shown the bombings in Guangzhou and there is a scene here that is difficult to watch every time (this, as well as another scene later in the film are particularly difficult to watch; all I can say is that the suffering that ordinary citizens experienced during wartimes really leaves one speechless.) Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, there is a ominous sense of heaviness that is felt as the Pacific War wages. In Shanghai, the foreign concessions, which had once been free from occupation, are also taken over by the Japanese.

Cheng Er does not shy away from showing the violence and cruelty of the time, and we see that Mr. Ye’s job is a rather bloody one. It is such a delight to watch Yibo play this type of role, and although his face was splattered with blood, all I could focus on was how much the yeekies vibrated 😂 (I’m hopeless, I know.)

We see Mr. Ye observing Ms. Fang at the dancehall, and at this point it is not yet clear what their relationship is (although from the article that Cheng Er has written before in GQ, we know that they were engaged, but have grown apart over the years due to conflicting interests - Ms. Fang works together with other progressive youth to assassinate Japanese officers, while Mr. Ye is working for Wang Jingwei’s regime. Thus, in Ms. Fang’s eyes, Mr. Ye is a traitor.)

Tony Leung’s performance is also incredible. He is lauded as having eyes that can tell stories and this is so true. I think he is one of the greatest actors of his time, from every expression to every posture - and it is really amazing that Yibo is billed as co-lead in a film with him. 

Plot spoilers begin here:

After Wang Jingwei’s death in 1944 and towards the end of WWII, Minister Tang tells Director He that he will enter negotiations with the Japanese as a representative of the Kuomintang (KMT) - Minister Tang is a character who truly is a fence-sitter (in the GQ interview Da Peng reveals that he was once part of the CCP, then the KMT, before becoming Minister of the Political Security Department for the Wang Jingwei regime). This poses a potential threat to the Communists. It is at this time that Director He utilizes the list of important Japanese people living in Shanghai, which he had received from Ms. Jiang, the KMT agent whom he spared the life of back in 1941. We see Mr. Zhang deploying men to assassinate the Japanese prince. The next morning, Mr. Ye and Captain Wang go to dispose of the bodies. Officer Watanabe gets the call that the prince has died, and the peace talks between the KMT and Japan end. This series of events is part of the story that Cheng Er has written for the film, and as far as I know is not based on any actual event. Mr. Ye accompanies Officer Watanabe to the Communists’ warehouse, only for a bomb to go off. They find that the Communists have already abandoned the warehouse. At this time Officer Watanabe speaks with Mr. Ye and says that anyone who does not join you in killing immediately becomes suspicious - Captain Wang had been at home for his father’s birthday and because of his absence, Officer Watanabe begins to doubt Captain Wang’s allegiance. We see drunken shrimp being served at Captain Wang’s father’s birthday dinner, a traditional dish from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions.

Interestingly Yibo is the only one who speaks multiple languages throughout the film, and perhaps it shows his presumed allegiance to the Japanese as he is able to adapt to their food and language. Hearing Yibo’s Japanese was also such a treat.

Following the prince’s death, the Communists are under further scrutiny by the Japanese, and so it is at this time that Mr. Ye goes to the dancehall to warn Ms. Fang that the situation is dangerous and that she should suspend her activities of targeting Japanese officers. There is a moment here where Yibo drops Mr. Ye’s usual cool countenance and shows a moment of vulnerability as he looks at Ms. Fang - we see that he still cares for her, but that he can not give her any further explanation nor refute her when she calls him a traitor and tells him to go die. His babyface looks extra vulnerable in that brief moment 🥺 He lets out his suppressed anger and helplessness by beating up the Japanese officers he encounters on his way out, and I can only say that after filming that continuous-shot scene for several nights in a row, the outcome is very satisfying to watch as Yibo fully immerses himself into the character. At the end he pulls down his tie again, returning to his prim and well-dressed appearance (although still slightly rumpled 🤭).

The moment when Mr. Ye finds out about Ms. Fang’s death is a devastating moment - Ms. Fang is probably the only person left whom he cared about, and his colleague whom he had considered his friend was the perpetrator. In this moment he is now truly alone.

Officer Watanabe sends Mr. Ye to the docks to investigate the assassination, and Mr. Ye goes to sit silently at a food stall on the docks. Beside him is a member of the Communist underground network, who then goes to warn Mr. Zhang (Huang Lei), the secretary for the Communist underground network, that the docks, their liaison station, have been compromised. Mr. Zhang becomes nervous and asks Ms. Chen (Zhou Xun) to runaway with him. He says he knows someone of high ranks in Nanjing who can help them, and by so doing he becomes immediately suspicious, as at this time Nanjing is still the capital of the Wang Jingwei regime. I must say that Zhou Xun’s performance here is splendid, and this exchange between them always makes me laugh. 

Mr. Zhang calls Minister Tang and says that he knows something about the incident surrounding the Japanese prince, thus betraying the Communists. Minister Tang informs Officer Watanabe and Director He, and between the three of them it is decided that Director He will go to interrogate Mr. Zhang. It is here where the scene from the beginning of the movie takes place, when Director He meets with Mr. Zhang. After getting rid of the traitor Mr. Zhang, Director He knows that his identity as a Communist will be exposed, at the same time he had no choice but to do what he did in order to protect the Communists’ intelligence. 

Officer Watanabe then invites Minister Tang, Director He, Mr. Ye and Captain Wang to dinner. The tension created in this scene was excellent. Mr. Ye turns to Officer Watanabe to ask for permission to leave the dinner in order to get rid of the Communist in their midst, whom Officer Watanabe suspects to include Captain Wang. Here we see Yibo’s tears again as he hears the click of the gun behind him, confirming his friend’s betrayal. Interestingly Mr. Ye and Captain Wang are wearing the same ties as the ones they wore from when they shared breakfast together. Things have certainly changed between them since then.

The reunion between Mr. He and Ms. Chen is a touching moment, and here we see how Zhou Xun and Tony Leung truly shine as the veteran actors that they are, being able to convey such deep emotions in such a brief scene. We are instantly able to feel how much the two have sacrificed in the time that they’ve been apart, separated by the situation of the times and in their hopes to fight for a better future. I really wish we were able to see more from the female actresses, as their time to shine felt really limited.

Then we have the fight scene between Mr. Ye, who is on the Japanese side, and Mr. He, who has revealed his identity as a Communist. This fight scene was filmed so well. Yibo was choked many times, he got to touch Tony Leung’s face, and the music accompanying him is quite fitting for the villain role which he has taken on during this part of the film 🤭 Cheng Er alludes to this in interviews and through camera angles that there may be eyes and ears observing their fight peripherally.

Following this fight, Officer Watanabe seems to trust Mr. Ye completely as he reveals the map of Manchuria and the Kwantung Army’s operations. The scene after this is one of my favourite scenes and gives me chills every time, when Mr. Ye walks up to the office of the Director of the Political Security Department. What a glorious moment for him! 

For the classical music nerds like me, the piece that plays here is Mozart's Requiem. How very fitting.

Shortly after, Japan surrenders and Mr. He gets released. On his way out, he sees Mr. Ye being brought into prison along with Officer Watanabe. Mr. Ye gives Mr. He a taunting look, which is followed by the skirmish between them and Mr. He’s slight smile afterwards - this and the following scene were both delicious.

At the end of the movie, we see that Mr. Ye has moved to Hong Kong, where many spies fled to for safety after the war. He enters a restaurant and says thank you in Shanghainese, revealing that he is from Shanghai. The server turns to him and recognizes this, and we realize that he is at Captain Wang’s family restaurant. The family moved to Hong Kong, not knowing the fate of their son whom they believed to be still in Shanghai. Mr. Ye is served the drunken shrimp and we get a feeling of nostalgia - perhaps he wishes to pay homage to his former friend, or to the homeland from which he came from where he is no longer welcomed. The way in which he eats the shrimp while they’re still jumping, and the persistence with which he chases after the shrimp that has tried to escape - all of this is so true to character and really a memorable scene, particularly with the red from the fermented tofu brine. We get the sense that the past still haunts him, despite living in a new city. (As to the question of whether or not one should spit out the shell when eating drunken shrimp, this seems to be a question of debate. 😂)  Of course the shrimp jumping out of the bowl was not scripted, and Yibo again demonstrates an excellent understanding of his character.

We then see Mr. Ye at a temple where he is burning incense. I tear up every time when I watch this scene, at the silent tears he has shed as he grieves - perhaps he’s grieving the loss of his ex-lover, or the loss of someone whom he had thought was his friend, or the loss of his own self and who he was before 1941, or the loss of the times before the war, or all of the above. He has had to make so many sacrifices along the way as he strived to pursue what he believed in. Why is Yibo so good at expressing silent repressed sadness? 😭

In one Ningbo roadshow, they were asked the following:

When Yibo has a crying scene at the end in Hong Kong, how had CE directed Yibo?

CE: I didn't make too many requests of him in that scene, I wanted to see how he would portray it, which is what you now see

Yibo: It felt very complicated, after experiencing everything that had happened prior, when I arrived alone at Hong Kong, I think it was a very complicated feeling. 

So what we see is Yibo’s own emotional interpretation of Mr. Ye’s experience  😭

We end the film listening to Yibo’s voice singing as the ending credits roll. The song is truly such a striking song and so fitting. Many people left the theatre as soon as the movie ended, and those who remained until the end of the credits were likely fans 🤭

All in all this was a fantastic film, although it may not be for everyone as it is one that can be hard to follow. If you pay attention to the details and have a basic understanding of the different parties in play, I think it will be an enjoyable watch as there are many hints along the way for the viewer to piece together. The character of Mr. Ye has really challenged Yibo with a different role from what he has played before, and he really stepped up to it. He’s not a perfect character either - Cheng Er makes it clear that along the way Mr. Ye commits a lot of immoral acts and has a violent streak as well. Many of the characters are morally grey, which is a bit refreshing to see in a film that was funded as part of a trilogy for the CCP’s centenary. 

I can’t gush enough about Yibo in this film, so if you have more thoughts, my messages are always open!

Addendum: In interviews for GQ and 人物, Cheng Er says that the biggest compromise he has had to make for a film was Wu Ming. It sounds like there were many bumps along the way that he encountered during the film review process. The 人物 interview suggests that this may also include the choice of the ending scene, which is not in keeping with Cheng Er’s usual style of film narrative. There’s been mentions of a director’s cut potentially being released at some point in the future (perhaps with the DVD/Bluray release) and I would be so curious to know what this film looked like prior to the film review!

Addendum #2:

Some other thoughts:

There is one line that Mr. Ye says that left an impression, a line he says in Japanese that goes along the lines of, “No matter how much we strive, what’s lost is lost.” This feels like a rare moment of truth that he says casually in a scene wrapped up in deception.

In speaking to others, many people say that a scene that really disturbed them was the scene with the injured dog. In a movie where we see the torment and death of so many people as a result of war, it is still this scene that leaves an impression on people. Is it that we as an audience have become desensitized to human suffering? It is certainly a memorable scene, and perhaps this is partly why Cheng Er chose to include this in the movie.

Many of the characters remain largely unnamed, even Mr. Ye himself. The only time we see his name is when he gets the appointment letter to become the new director.

Ms. Jiang is seen wearing a ring, and later on in the movie we see Minister Tang wearing a matching ring. Ms. Jiang is thought to be based on Zheng Pingru, a well-known KMT spy who was involved in a plot to assassinate the security chief of the Wang Jingwei regime (The movie Lust, Caution is also thought to be inspired by her).

In the scene where Mr. He speaks to Mr. Ye, there's a line that Tony Leung says, "我无法继续下去了." The English subtitles translate it as, "I can't cope anymore," but a more accurate way to translate this given the context would be, "I can no longer continue." It's a subtle difference, but implies that there may also be other external reasons for why Mr. He can no longer continue what he is doing, rather than just personal.

Another minor translation error in the subtitles is in the restaurant scene in Hong Kong, when Captain Wang's mother says that their family moved over in the 1930s. She actually says that they moved over in the 30s of the Republic of China calendar, which would be the 1940s, so likely sometime after the dad's birthday dinner scene that we see. (Note that the subs in the online version are correct here)

Addendum #3:

There is a scene that was added to the international release that is not in the mainland version or the version that was released on Chinese streaming platforms. It takes place after they get the call about Pearl Harbor, after we see the invasion of the Japanese Army into the concessions. There is a conversation between Officer Watanabe and Mr. He, where Officer Watanabe discusses the politics of what occurred. He comments that Mr. He was late to their meeting and Mr. He says it is because he went to pick up pastries. Officer Watanabe asks him where the pastries are, and Mr. He says they are in the car. There is a moment of dramatic suspense as Mr. He walks slowly towards the car, brings out the pastry box, and gives it to Officer Watanabe, who opens it to see only the Napoleon cakes.

There are also many places in the movie where Cheng Er has changed the music for the international release, which is different from the mainland and online versions. He has cleaned up the timing in some parts and changed it in others to better fit the mood. Let's hope these changes get incorporated into the DVD release when it comes out! Still, I don't think that this takes away from the viewing experience of the mainland/online versions.

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 112 - The Little Redhead

Let's start the day off with a milestone for Lulu! She can sit up all by herself now.

Gemma's like "big whoop, I've been doing that for ages" and struts off with her knock-off Crocs in sport mode.

It's lunch time and Gemma is getting… better about eating her meals.

Xander: Are you going to fill up that hunger bar for Daddy? We can't go to the park on an empty stomach!

Gemma: Park!

She'll be too grouchy to play if she's not full. That's not a bribe, just a fact!

Gemma actually eats without complaining.

Ophelia: That's my girl!

Xander needs a shower and Lulu needs a bath, so Ophelia plays with her eldest daughter while they wait.

Ophelia: Hey, where'd she go?

Ophelia's mock confusion makes Gemma burst into giggles. Mommy's so silly!

Before we go, now that Lulu can sit, we need to do the traditional first smashed lemon taste test! Don't let the smile fool you, Lulu hated it!

Gemma: I wanna play with my food too!

Xander: No, muffin, we don't play with food.

Gemma: Lulu does!

Xander: She's a baby, Gem.

Ophelia: You're a big girl, you know better than Lulu.

Xander: Last time I checked, you're a big girl too and yet you still think feeding our kids food you know they'll hate is funny.

Ophelia: Aw, come on, I HAVE to!

Lulu's not amused but Gemma just wants to go to the park!

It's Lulu's first trip to the park, and Gemma's first trip as a toddler. Now she can actually do stuff! Exciting!

Obligatory shot of Xander being dad goals. It feels like just yesterday he was playing with toddler Violet Sistem at this park and now he's playing with his own little princess 😭🥹

The princess of the Lemon Legacy looks out at her royal subjects, the townies of this save file. A lot of them sure do dress goofy! Maybe if they give Gemma candy, she'll convince the Watcher to give them makeovers!

As she sets Lulu down for a nap, Ophelia tries to ignore the townies fangirling over her in the background. They're not bothering her family, or taking photos, so she considers them harmless. Then again, one of them is wearing a bag over his head. Who knows what his deal is.

Gemma jets off to play in the sandbox when she bumps into a little boy around her age. She's never spoken to another toddler before!

Gemma: Sorry. M-My name's Gemma. I like your hair. It looks like a carrot. I don't like carrots though.

Toddlers are the masters of word vomit.

Luckily toddlers don't really understand the concept of awkwardness.

Jaden: I'm Jaden! I like your piggytails!

Gemma: Thanks! My mommy braided my hair.

Jaden: My mommy and daddy don't let me do piggytails.

Gemma can't even imagine a hellish life like that!

Xander sees Gemma talking to a little red-headed boy and strikes a conversation with who he presumes is his dad.

Xander: That your little guy?

Calvin: Did the hair give it away? Calvin Huff, COO of Espo Enterprises.

Xander: Xander Lemon, guy who doesn't know what a COO is.

As Gemma and Jaden babble to each other about their favorite princesses, Ophelia starts a conversation with who she finds out is Jaden's mom, Anna.

Ophelia: Oh, I'm so glad Gemma's making a little friend. It's so hard to get out of the house with the paparazzi-

Anna: Huh?

Ophelia isn't offended or anything, but it's been rare to find someone who at least hasn't seen her on Simstagram or FlipFlop.

Ophelia: Oh, I'm the lead singer of a band, The Main Squeeze.

Anna: Ah. We don't really engage with mainstream media. It's a little too woke for us.

Ophelia: Woke? What does that mean?

Anna: Oh, you know, we try not to stray too far from The Watcher's light.

Ophelia: That does not answer my question at all but okay.

Ophelia doesn't want to ruin things with what could be Gemma's first friend, so she doesn't push further.

Gemma: My baby sister is sleepin' over there. She's stinky sometimes but she's funny. Do you got a baby sister?

Jaden: No… Daddy says I'm 'nough for him to deal with.

Gemma: Oh.

Jaden: Wanna make a sand turtle?

Jaden and Gemma get to work while their moms converse.

Anna: Look at them! So precious.

Ophelia: Yeah. That sweater vest doesn't look very comfy, though. Did you come from an event and not have any play clothes on hand?

Anna: What do you mean? Those are his play clothes.

Calvin and Xander get to the subject of Xander's new nectar-making hobby.

Calvin: You can make good money with that.

Xander: I just kind of do it to blow off steam.

Calvin: Anything to get away from your wife and kids, huh? I get you, brother.

Xander: …I don't think you do.

Ophelia: Okay, I've got your number. We can set up a playdate later. Xander and I would be more than happy to host.

Anna: Oh, that'd be wonderful. Calvin doesn't like having too many toys around the house so that works great. I'll bring funeral potatoes!

Ophelia: …Okay.

Calvin: You know, my boss is always looking for new business ventures and he's been interested in nectar. You mentioned your bar, so you've got an established name in the mixology biz.

Xander: I don't know, man, I'm just one guy.

Calvin: So was my boss and now he's a CEO!

I don't know how two toddlers managed to make something this intricate. Gemma's built different.

Gemma: We did it!

Anna coos as they hug.

Anna: Look at those two. Jaden's first girlfriend!

Ophelia: Uh, let's wait until they're not in diapers anymore before we start all that.

Anna: I must say, I'm so relieved Jaden has finally taken interest in a girl that isn't a princess. I was starting to worry he'd grow up to BE a princess, if you know what I mean!

Ophelia can't even fake a smile anymore. If Anna notices the awkward silence, she doesn't show it.

Before Ophelia can pop off on Anna for her bigoted comment, Gemma runs up to her.

Gemma: Mommy, did you see our turtle?

Ophelia: I did! Good thing it wasn't a shark, Aunt Marcie would have freaked out.

The things she and Xander do for these kids…

[sleprandomizer]

Happy birthday Framme and Clanne

"The divine dragon looked at me" This line haunting me even in my dream

Our twins the 33rd steward of divine dragon. For their birthday I want to share my experience when I used them.

I used Framme in my first playthrough (hard mode) and Clanne in my 2nd playthrough (maddening). I couldn't lie that I actually dislike Framme and Clanne before engage released. The high pitch voices and the unhinged dialogue line made me uncomfortable and felt embarrassing to hear their dialogues. Part of me want to kill them at my first playthrough. However, I tried to give them a chance. I couldn't handle the amount of embarrassment when used both of them so I pick one of the twins. At least I could handle the amount of uncomfortable fangirling if only one character.

Design wise Framme and Clanne are quite good. I actually like it that they are teens who look like teen so part of me can tolerate their behaviour when fangirling a little bit. I like the colour choices refered to christmas cav. Oh they also remind me with the colour of mario and luigi.

As unit Framme probably had more upper hand since Qi was something new compare to Clanne who was a mage. We already knew what mages do but not with Qi class. At the beginning, through Framme the game taught player that Qi class could heal, break bow and tome, and chain guard. Chain guard caught my attention and it was really cool, it taught us how to create human wall with your units. For example when enemy attack Alear and Framme already activated chain guard before, the first hit of enemy would be deflected and the damage was transfered to Framme. Very interesting mechanic that sadly not aged very well. Chain guarding only allowed when Framme in full health. After she took the damage because of chain guard, she couldn't do chain guard again because her hp was not full. The problem was frame the main healer in the first part and healing other units was more important than chain guarding. Then she just became our staff bot until we recruit jean and yunaka-micaiah. In part 2 I delayed her reclass because other new units need master seal more than healer. I reclassed her as martial master. Framme rarely engaged in combat because fist in this game used (str+mag)/2 so she never dealt meaningful damage. She also was too busy to chain guarding or healing or playing with staved. Mostly healing and using staves. In the end she never felt like so important for me. I just kept using her because it was my first playthrough. I did feel annoyed when i heard her selection dialogue.

Clanne I used him in my second playthrough. Engage is kinda whack with classes and unit. He was a mage but his personal mag growth only 10%. Because my first maddening was fixed growth it affect Clanne performance later. As our first mage clanne actually useful in part 1. He can chip or dealt a lot of damage for armour which i appreciated. In part 2 I reclassed him as mage knight and gave him forged levin sword. Levin sword helped him to keep him relevant. Oh he was quite fast so he could at least double enemies. However due to his low magic stat in the end he couldn't kill general or great knight due to their bulkiness. It was not his fault even pandreo sometimes couldn't finished those enemies however at least pandreo almost kill it while clanne still leaving like half of the hp. In the end as mage knight he just okay but other mages definitely outclassed him.

At the end of the day I still don't feel attachment to Framme and Clanne despite playing this game 5 times and part 1 forced me to use them for like the first 6-7 chapters. Their support conversation actually okay as long as it was not about Alear. I like framme x diamant support and clanne x jean support. I didn't dislike them much compare to pre-release engage but I don't think I love them. Just okay.

Framme

Character: 6.0/10

Design : 8.0/10

Unit performance : 6.5/10 (staves in general just powerful but she was not the only staff user)

Clanne

Character: 6.0/10

Design: 8.2/10

Unit performance: 6.0/10 (still okay until the end of playthrough as MK but i prefer not to use him again)

[bbytetsu]

HAIKYUU!! DYNAMIC DUOS AT THE GYM

oikawa + iwaizumi:

everybody wants to go the gym when oikawa and iwaizumi goes

but let’s be real. iwa does not wanna go to the gym with oikawa lmao

iwaizumi prefers to work out alone, but he’ll go with oikawa when he needs motivation also because oikawa begs him to go with him

oikawa literally knows everyone at the gym

he even knows the girls who work at the front desk? whenever he goes, they let him play his own playlist on the gym speakers. pretty boy privilege 😤😤

they train through free weights and calisthenics (iwa’s specialty)

OIKAWA SKIPS LEG DAY hence the flat ass (iwa would never)

oikawa simply doesn’t have the patience to grow his glutes. he does 2 squats and checks to see if he has an ass

while oikawa has his fanbase of girls, iwaizumi has MAD clout in the gym. gym bros are always checking him out and trying to figure out his routine

iwaizumi has an IG fitness account dedicated to posting his lifts, calisthenics, and personal PR. he do be a lil camera shy tho 🥺

while the two have very different physiques, they have one thing in common: washboard abs

they like to do partner ab exercises with medicine balls. it’s always a beautiful sight to see, a sight that unites gym bros and oikawa fangirls

they ALWAYS stretch properly after their gym sesh, especially since oikawa is no stranger to physical injuries

hinata + kageyama:

infamous and controversial. you either love them or hate them.

everything is a competition between these two, which is lowkey dangerous. but, together, they are always pushing their hardest, which many gymgoers admire

so fucking loud in the gym and completely unaware of it

these boys got RANGE. hit free weights, HIIT/cardio, plyometrics

they usually train separately, but they’ll go to the gym together a few times a month. or they’ll bump into each other at the gym

once the two of them are together, everything’s a competition. lowkey get the whole gym involved in their petty competitions because they’re always arguing who’s better

“KAGEYAMA! you may have done more squats than me this time, but your form SUCKED! my squats were WAY deeper than yours.”

you know how they’ve competed for the higher vertical jumps since high school volleyball? yup, they’re still at it.

KINGS OF HIIT. while others do HIIT for maybe 20 min, they can and will go for an hour out of sheer competitiveness

they NEVER wipe their equipment when they’re done. disgusting

ushijima + tendou:

poster children for any gym. they have strong lifts, practice proper gym etiquette, are smart with their workouts, and get results.

ushijima carries tendou with his extensive training/anatomy knowledge. he develops and follows his own workout routine

tendou doesn’t care that much about working out. he’s just there to spend time with his beloved wakatoshi 😌he also likes the power trip he gets from just walking into the gym next to ushijima

like everyone else, ushijima suffers from low motivation at times. but even on those days, ushijima sticks to his routine. holidays? he’s at the gym. days off from training? he’s at the gym. his own birthday? he’s at the gym

the two of them not only hit free weights, but they do a lot of cardio

super antisocial at the gym. goes to work out and just leaves after.

everyone’s terrified of them. both of them tower over most... not to mention ushijima’s stern eyes and tendou’s playfully menacing stare

if the squat racks are all taken and ushijima and tendou walk in, people will leave their squat rack to let ushijima and tendou squat.

ushijima wants to help people at the gym, though. always helps people rerack their weights, but they always run away while he does it. he genuinely does not understand why others fear him and tendou always laughs about it

while ushijima’s completely focused on his workout, tendou keeps things interesting for himself by checking people out at the gym. never hits on them though—that’s on a+ gym etiquette! 

kuroo + kenma:

kuroo: *activate MOM mode*

kuroo has to drag kenma to the gym. for obvious reasons, he’s always worried about kenma’s health and tries to get him to be more active.

antisocial. they go the gym at like 2am right before it closes, since kenma hates crowds (kuroo dislikes a crowded gym, too)

while kuroo doesn’t have an obnoxious following like oikawa does, there are a ton of girls and guys at the gym who got their eyes on him! kenma gets glared at A LOT. the two of them know how lowkey popular kuroo is, and kuroo relishes in it tbh, much to kenma’s disdain.

kenma and kuroo strength train through machines and free weights. 

unlike a lot of gymgoers, they pay attention to more than just the numbers. when training, they focus a lot on form, timing, more advanced techniques (such as supersets) and challenging themselves through properly engaging their muscles.

kuroo forces kenma to do some cardio. since kenma doesn’t want to run, he sticks to the stationary bicycle (and plays video games while on it lol)

cutest fits at the gym and u can’t convince me otherwise. both of them feel more motivated when they’re wearing something that makes them feel confident

kuroo’s a big fan of the rowing machine and always tries to set personal records. imagine his delts, his BACK when he rows though..... hello 😳

if there’s something both boys are super good at, it’s not comparing themselves to others, when it comes to their training methods and physiques. respect 😌

bokuto + akaashi:

kings of leg day, PERIOD

they go together pretty consistently! even if they’re not at the gym, the two of them try to stay active

bokuto is SO LOUD. the type of guy who grunts and yells before deadlifting just to hype himself up. akaashi has given up on asking bo to quiet down. he just has to deal with the secondhand embarrassment

even though he’s so loud, it’s hard to be annoyed at him. bo motivates everyone at the gym. so full of life and vigor, you can’t help but to want to push your hardest in your workout!

free weights only at the gym, but bokuto loves attending classes at the gym and dragging akaashi to them, too! zumba, yoga, pilates, kickboxing, you name it—they’ve tried it all. the two of them are super loved by all the soccer moms and aunties in morning zumba

catch them hitting hip thrusts, deadlifts, squats, lunges and every variation. while they’re the definition of well-rounded, they definitely hit glutes more than the average guy and are proud of it (as they should be!)

bokuto has made a ton of girl friends at the gym by doing god’s work and converting girls and guys alike to do hip thrusts. the local glute guy 🍑

the best spotters. patient, attentive, and supportive

super stranger friendly, even akaashi! he never ever judges you regardless of how advanced you are

bokuto IG lives his workouts LOL and he always takes selfies or screams to the camera when he or akaashi hits a PR

[msbluebell]

I see plenty of posts about Blue Lions eagerly waiting for the Dimileth shoe to drop. But I raise you this: Friendly Neighborhood Shipper Gatekeeper.

That’s right, our friend the Friendly Gatekeeper is the ultimate Dimileth shipper.

Gatekeeper learned early on how to read Byleth’s stoic face, and has been able to tell even the tiniest details in their mood, I’m talking “Oh no! Professor’s eyebrows are .02% lower than before! The Professor must be super upset about something!”

Gatekeeper is a Byleth savant! He speaks Byleth and is the a professional Byleth translator. He got his degree in five minutes because that’s all it took after meeting Byleth for him to decide that they’re obviously #BFFs5Ever

So OF COURSE he’s going to notice if the Professor is slowly catching feelings for anyone. He probably realizes even before Byleth and he doesn’t have even half the context. But, *gasp*, it’s forbidden. A teacher and their student? Oh noooooo, it was never meant to BE! 

Note he probably doesn’t even know WHO Byleth has feelings for because he never leaves that dumb gate. He just knows that his bestest friend is going through FORBIDDEN LOVE! (He refuses to believe they’re in love with someone in faculty because he would have heard rumors by now).

This is cause for drastic action!

Gatekeeper takes a day off.

Yes! A day off from guarding the gate!

This is a matter of life and death! His best friend needs him Goddess damn it all! He needs to do reconnaissance! For the professor! He needs to find the fiend that stole their heart and find a flaw in them so Byleth can move on!

Note that Byleth doesn’t even realize they’re catching feelings yet.

So Gatekeeper spends the whole day spying, looking for the despicable scum that wooed their best friend with their willy willy seductive ways. He’s stalking the professor the whole day and being totally obvious about it. Sorry Gatekeeper, everyone knows you’re hiding behind that bush. Byleth is just a good friend and not letting anyone call you out.

The Blue Lions all think the Gatekeeper is stalking Byleth. Felix offers to duel him. Ingrid just advises that Byleth report him to Seteth. Byleth, knowing that’s their bro, just tells the students it’s no concern and goes to see what the heck is going on. To which Gatekeeper, caught, does the only thing a man in his position can do and bursts out the whole truth through his tears. Bawling about how he knows about this seductive seducer that been trying to claim their heart with their fiendish ways, and how he was worried, and he wanted to make sure nothing happened to the professor because it’s his duty as their BFF to make sure that their heart remains unbroken.

The Blue Lions are...flabbergasted to say the least.

Then it’s full on panic mode because WHAT? What seductive seducer? Who is trying to steal Byleth’s heart?

And Gatekeeper is all like, “That’s what I was trying to find out!”

And now Gatekeeper has a class of baby lions basically spun into a panic thinking that there’s another Sylvain going around trying to seduce Byleth, only they’re a fiend out to purposely break their heart or something.

They’re pretty livid about the idea.

Gatekeeper is escorted out of the class by a mildly confused Byleth who promises to spend the day “mending their broken heart” with the Gatekeeper, leaving behind a very confused class, a Sylvain who wants to snoop because “what the fuck”, and a mildly jealous Dimitri. The incident isn’t forgotten, per se, but it’s brushed off.

Cut to five years later.

By now Gatekeeper is much more protective of their friend, what with them having gone missing for five years. But he’s still able to read them like a book, and it’s only gotten easier with time and their growing emotions. 

So it’s pretty easy to tell they’re head over heels.

He just doesn’t know with who.

But his friend is SAD.

SAD!

Who would dare make them SAD!!!!!!?!?!

It’s sin!

Be can’t take a day off to stop guarding like he used to, but he dang well keeps an eye open! He’s got them peeled, he’s watching everyone, he’s going to catch this fiendish fiend!

But whoever it is never shows up at the front gate with the professor. He just can’t seem to find them in the same room with them any other time either. And the professor is getting sadder and sadder, and even everything going well and having nothing to report is making them happy. 

So Gatekeeper does the only thing he can.

He takes it upon himself to find someone else for the professor!

Now, love doesn’t just go away. It’s going to take some time to mend a broken heart, plant some seeds of romance, but he’s going to do it! In the name of friendship!

So he goes to the one person he thinks is as much Byleth’s friend as he is.

The Prince!

The professor spends a lot of time with him! And they’re always talking about them, and...and...

Oh.

Wow.

Gatekeeper is floored. Now it all makes sense! So much sense! The prince had been grumpy for months before that whole thing where he got better! Professor was always mentioning him! And..and..

Interrogation time!

So Gatekeeper, not a strong or powerful man, but filled with enough determination to fuel a Smash Competition, marches up to the Prince of Faerghus and just stares at him.

Poor Dimitri is so confused. He’s wondering what he did to piss off this guy, and if he accidentally killed his brother or something. He’s already moving to apologize, but Gatekeeper is already on him. Demanding to know his favorite foods, and color, and what does he finds romantic, and how he feels about dogs.

Dimitri is so fucking tired.

He’s so confused, but he just rolls with it because he’s newly on the atonement train and doesn’t wanna be an asshole, and figures this is just someone’s weird way of making sure he wasn’t going to kill everyone in the room and then himself.

Wanting to know his ideal date is strange though.

The convo actually takes a surprisingly heartwarming turn soon after though, when both men end up talking about Byleth and how much they mean to the both of them. Gatekeeper goes on about how Byleth is his best friend, and makes days guarding the gate seem like the most important job in the world, and Dimitri goes on about how without Byleth he’d still be lost. And suddenly they’re bonding over small things too, like chamomile tea, and lances, and fond memories they have of Garreg Mach. And, suddenly, Dimitri and Gatekeeper both have a new friend.

And Gatekeeper, after so long of Byleth friendship, has learned to notice when people are #Feeling and not noticing, and it’s pretty easy by the way Dimitri smiles when he says the professor’s name, and how he looks when he talks about them, and that tiny tiny smile that he’s pretty head over heels himself.

Gatekeeper quickly goes from over protective friend to rabid shipping fangirl watching their OTP on the fast track to becoming canon. He might squeal a bit when he gets back to his bunk that night. Every second of his life the next day is consumed by the mighty need to watch these two get married yesterday please.

His poor shipping heart can’t take it.

His eyes are on them whenever they walk by. He has to physically refrain from dying and mentioning how much they should kiss. He’s dying. Someone help this man.

He cries when they announce their engagement. 

He gets to guard the wedding.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #283

“if teardrops could be bottled, there’d be swimming pools filled by models”

How much would you tip a waiter or waitress for good service? I honestly don’t even know the proper etiquette of tipping because I almost never ever have been in a sit-down restaurant where I’ve paid because of the whole “I don’t have an income” thing. If for whatever reason I did, I would have asked the person with me how. I do (maybe…) believe however that there should be a baseline for how much you tip, even if your experience is somewhat unpleasant. You don’t know what that person is going through that day. If it’s just pure awful, then I might not tip at all, but I think I’d honestly feel way too guilty. Who is your favorite character from the television sitcom Friends? I don’t watch it. Whose name might you have tattooed on your body? None. Well, I guess if I had hypothetical kids, I might, especially as a tribute if they died. What is something that you always need to leave plugged in? I always at least have my laptop charger plugged into the wall, but not always into my computer as to not totally kill the battery. I just need it a lot because I’m only always on it. Who might you send a selfie to? I don’t send them to anyone, really, save for specific occasions. I just take selfies once in a blue moon to change my Facebook picture, honestly. I feel weird just sending people pictures of me because I feel like I’m screaming, “HEY LOOK AND COMPLIMENT ME!!!!!!!!!”, so it makes me uncomfortable. I only did semi-recently because my friend did my makeup for a Halloween shoot and for once in my goddamn life I felt really pretty so sent it to Sara. Name an item in or on your bed every night. My phone is on the right upper corner of my bed so I can check it when I wake up; I always wake up throughout the night and wanna know what time it is. Out of your work shift, how much time do you spend doing “actual work”? Well one, define “actual work,” but odds are almost zero because I don’t have shit to do. How long do your New Years resolutions typically last? I don’t make ‘em. Who would you call first after getting engaged to tell them the news? Most likely Mom. What’s the song that reminds you of the person you like?Okay so deadass I listened to NSP’s “Wish You Were Here” cover recently and kinda cried lol. Are you good at holding back your tears? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Have you ever sacrificed something important to you for someone you love? My goddamn sanity. How many jobs do you have? None. Do you have any memories you want to erase? There’s one occasion with Jason I wish I could forget so, so badly. Do you believe in the phrase “If it’s meant to be, it will be”? No. I don’t believe in pre-determined destinies and such, and thus I don’t see anything as “meant” and “not meant” to be. Do you believe in destiny? Wow, good timing lmao. Do you believe that things will get better? I like to think so. Have you ever drunk dialed someone? No. Have you ever worn a tiara? Haha, I think on my 18th birthday maybe, my friend Summer came with us to dinner and brought me a birthday tiara. If someone offered to take you out for your birthday, where would you decide to go? I almost always go to Olive Garden for dinner. But, after trying the Cheesecake Factory for the first time… *eyes emoji* If you plan to have kids, what will you tell them about Santa Clause? I’m not having kids, but hypothetically, I’d let them believe it. It’s so magical as a kid and brings so much excitement. I’d tell them the truth when it feels appropriate, and if I know they’re not the type to go telling other kids for no reason “HEY MY MOM SAID SANTA’S NOT REAL SO UR DUMB.” I’d be damned if they ruined it for other children. If you have ever been employed, have you ever been attracted to your boss? What about a co-worker? Not that I remember. Do [would] you avoid kissing your [possibly hypothetical] significant other when you or they are ill? Look man I made out with my ex while he was recovering from bronchitis before we knew it wasn’t contagious so OOPS yeah because I am 110% the “if you’re sick, I’m sick” dumbass all the while going FULL Mom Mode taking care of the person. What was the last thing you bought, other than food? With my own money, that is a daaaamn good question. I only really use it/am given it for food. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? No. Who was the last person you Facebook messaged? Do you know what that person is doing at this moment? My mom. She’s in the living room watching TV, probably. Think back to the last time you cried, or felt like crying. Who or what helped you to feel better? My mom. Do you own any accessories with your name or initial on them? No, they don’t appeal to me. Is there someone of the opposite sex that knows everything, or almost everything, about you? I would say Jason, but we haven’t seen or spoken to each other for almost four years, and I’m a much different person by now, and I’m sure he is, too. Do you remember the last time you cried because you missed someone? A few weeks back I had a breakdown over Jason again. My PTSD was and still is being pretty rough lately. Are your eyes the same color as your sibling(s)? Just my brother. Anything in your room that you’re hiding from your parents, or someone else? No. What’s your most noticeable flaw? Thinking about it, probably my extreme aversion to conflict. I will BOLT from confrontation. And what’s your best feature? I’m extremely empathetic. Have you ever hallucinated? Yeah; I would see shadows move when I was coming off a certain med. Do you have fangirl-ish tendencies? ………………. Have you ever replied “OK” when someone confessed they liked you? Wow, no. Either admit reciprocated feelings or gently turn them down. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, or The Beatles? OHHHHHHHH BUDDY. Led Zeppelin, I think… but maybe the Stones. Idk. What would you do for immortality and infinite youth? Nothing. Would you rather have a pool or a hot tub? A pool. Is your handwriting legible? Yes. Well, some people find it slightly difficult because it’s kinda fancy. Have you ever held a baby chick? Yes! Do you think ‘everything bagels’ are disgusting? I’m not a fan. Do you live with anyone that you try to avoid at all costs? No. What did you last get upset about? How incredibly fuckin weak my body is. When is the last time you personally made someone else cry? I don’t know. How many more people do you think you’ll kiss before you die? Hopefully only one. I do NOT want to deal with anymore heartbreak, nor do I want to waste anymore time with someone I’m not going to spend the rest of my life with. Are you more spiritual or religious? Spiritual. Ever been to a rave? Nooooo, most definitely not my scene. Are you afraid to name the person you talk the most shit about? No. Song playing right now? I’m listening to “PRESIDENT X” by 3TEETH rn. Have you ever laughed at someone because they had a funny name? No, that’s incredibly rude. Speaking of names, why do celebrities always call their kids stupid ones? They’re not all “stupid”…? There are some beautiful names I’ve heard. It’s none of my business why others’ children are named what they are. Do you get car sick easily? I don’t. Do you think you’re a good conversationalist? Why is that? NO. I’m just awkward and don’t know what to talk about or what to say back to people a lot. Awhile back though my friend Ian told me I was actually a really nice one and it meant a LOT to me. Hearing someone say that reassured me a little bit. Have you ever been on a float in a parade? What were you doing on it? No. Have you ever been in a helicopter? No. Have you ever had chicken pox? No. Who is your favorite animated character? Oh boy that’s hard man, idk. Maybe Ninetales, at least aesthetically. Idk about as characters themselves. Is it easy to make you gag? Yeah. Who’s your favorite Disney character? Probably Scar. Would you rather have a pet crocodile or a pet octopus? I deadass kinda want a caiman lol. It’s something I doubt I’ll actually do, though. Do you like Ritz crackers? Yeah. Do you have any designer clothing? If so what brand? No. Were you afraid of the dark when you were little? Not very, no. What are your opinions on war in general? It’s fucking awful and could be avoided if people weren’t so goddamn hasty, selfish, and uncompromising, among many other adjectives. Do you like pretzels? Yessss, especially soft ones. Have you ever wanted to be a writer? Yeah, tons of times in my life on-and-off. Did you even vote? This is the very first year I actually did. I felt really bad for not acting, only complaining about my government, and “silence speaks” was heavy on my head. Did some research to educate myself, and I felt amazing afterwards. What is your favorite flavor of gum? Usually watermelon. Are you wearing any bandaids? If so, where and why? No. Do you currently have any bruises on you? No. Do you/did you like or dislike school? I always hated it. Are you currently wearing any lotion? No. Do you ever make recipes found online? What was the last one? I don’t cook, so… but there sure are some that look good. If you smoke weed, what do you usually do after you get high? If you don’t, what would you do if everyone around you were smoking? I never have, so I wouldn’t know. Haha, for the second half, sit there awkwardly… been there once. What’s the last thing you ordered online? The next Wings of Fire book. Starting Sunny’s story now. Tell me about your favorite dress. I had this spring dress in high school that was white with purple skulls on it in a floral design… It was really cute and just has a special memory tied to it. Have you ever slept in a waterbed? If so, what was it like? Yeah, that used to be considered “fun” as a kid. They’re not awful, but not that comfortable either, and if I remember well, it’s easy to get sweaty because of the material. How many floors does your house have? Just one. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Yes. Do you enjoy sappy love songs? Hell yeah I do. Do you ever buy the same shirt in different colors? Simple tank tops, yeah. Ever made out on a rooftop? Damn dude no I’d be paranoid of falling off lmao. One place you will never eat at? Arby’s. If someone went through your pictures, would they find a "bad" one? Nope.

[kendrixtermina]

I haven’t played all four routes yet but from spoilers I do know that Edelgard has some feelings for Byleth regardless of the route. While the shipper in me likes that detail, objectively from what I’ve seen of AM/VW so far I’m not sure why El would feel that way. I don’t want to chalk it up to waifuism right away. Any thoughts on this, since you’ve played all the routes?

Comments on the premise

(Scroll down for an answer to your actual question) 

First of all this “waifuism” thing is exceedingly cynical. 

Male antagonists in huge classical words of art are given a tragic crush or adorable little daughter/sister them all the time so  as to humanize them, give them internal conflict and expose some contradictions about them, and people get how it’s tragic and gives them dimensionality and no one ever says the only reason is so fangirls will think they’re hot. If anyone gets made fun of it’s the fangirls for “not getting the depht” as if that were mutually exclusive. Vulnerability, temptation, struggle for independence... you find that all over the best stories ever told. 

For every damself in distress there’s one dude (her boyfriend) who manages to be a full compelling non-satelite human being despite having romance as a motivator the problem isn’t romance it’s bad writing. There’s certainly a problem if almost every single female character in a setting were entirely by romance but the idea that liking someone is to degrade, flatten and cheapen yourself is just as toxic. It can coexist with other more complex motivations and in fact lampshade them.

You might perhaps call bad writing if it were one of those situations where the villainess has no other motivation than dudes, brings it up constantly or is so defined by it that it keeps her from acting in any self-consistent manner or just isn’t taken seriously as an antagonist.  Not saying she’s a villain at all but you oppose her on the other routes.

I pretty much all the characters like Byleth and express regret when they go up against them... They have a sort of heroic charisma that’s why they’re the main character. (not per se the other way around - you don’t point the camera where nothing interesting/extrordinary is happening. Few stories tell us about a sack of potatoes falling over or people sitting on chairs, and if they did they’d be about pointing out how potatoes or chairs are actually plenty interesting)

They’re described as accepting ppl just as they are with that having been an attitude impressed on them by their father who himself is cool with Byleth’s own oddities, and also described as one hell of a badass field commander.  Also you DO run around all day bringing everyone gifts, their favorite snacks lost possesions and listening to their problems/lifestories. 

It’s not like it’s super over the top in your face it’s like a handful of lines many of which you might not even hear if you’ve recruited certain characters or don#t trigger certain engage quotes, and it ties into her greater characterization as someone with consummate laserfocus dedication who has pretty much given up on anything that doesn’t further her goal even her own feelings.  - having a crush is just one example, she mentions how she’d have preferred a more peaceful life doing idle fun things and did enjoy her time at the monastery where she got to be just another classmate sand fight alongside everybody else as a comrade.

Though she enjoyed her time at the monastery, her resolve doesn’t waver... but now it hurts a bit more to go through with what she had planned all along since it means losing some of the relative normalcy she had not dared to hope for anymore

You actual question (ie what does she like about them)

Crushes, by nature, are just something that randomly shows up and can produce quite a bit of a reaction in a short time. 

Regardless of route you save her from a bandit and there’s all the explore time dialogue and basically lived in close quarters/ saw each other every other day. Even if theyd spend more time with their own class theyd still be around the place doing cool stuff. That would be explanation enough, I mean it doesn’t necessarily mean that something had to come of it, that she wouldn’t get over it or that you’re immediately soulmates or whatever, I mean you can pair her off with plenty of other peeps in her route. 

Which isn’t to say that the whole thing is just any old youthful crush. Crush or no crush she really wants them to be allies. 

First of all Edelgard has been describing as being drawn to/ sorta ‘collecting’ people she views as talented and exceptional so if you are a badass she’s gonna like you (just in general not even romantically), and if you’re a badass who’s also her ‘type’ that might manifest itself as a crush as well. 

She says pretty early on that she thinks they have similar personalities, and she clearly looks for like-mindedness in friends and allies as well, of the ones that she gets semi-friendly with even before the timeskip the only one with a significant different outlook/temperament is Dorothea, and everyone likes Dorothea, since she goes out of her way to befriend anyone who doesn’t resemble an arrogant dunce. 

Also, she probably finds the idea of having an ally who is “like her” very enticing. First because she’s used to being misunderstood and someone who is similar might “get” her and relate to her. (Conversely there’s a lot of dialogue where she’s like “I know you’re lying” or “wow you’re telling the truth”... she doesnt find them that opaque/unreadable compared to the other characters. so this also goes both ways... this occurs regularly enough that its even kinda used to hint at who the flame emperor is (”I can tell you dont actually want to join me”)) 

Byleth is just generally described in a lot of scenes dialogues and supports as someone whos pretty accepting of peolples weirdness and quirks. Leonie thinks they get it from Jeralt. That tends to be a selling point for most of their romantic options especially the house leaders

Likewise, due to various reasons relating to her natural personality, station and backstory she finds it hard to step out of business mode, and ppl tend to sort of flinch away from her because she’s uncommonly powerful and also the princess, and she doesn’t like that/tends to feel somewhat isolated because of it.  Even ppl who know Edelgard well enough to have significant insight into her (like Hubert or Ladislava) still speak of her with a kind of awe.

Due to their upbringing away from mainstream society, sorta unphased slightly flippant personality and their own considerable power/competence Byleth is one of the few who isn’t daunted to approach her like any ol regular person. They’re powerful enough for her to approach them on an even level, or even rely on them/ take pointers from them. 

You also see that to an extent with Lysithea (who is not just a fellow experiment victim but also has a similar ‘serious/focussed’ outlook and love of sugary things) with whom she also gets various “I wish you’d joined me/pity that we must fight” sort of dialogue. She’s Edelgard’s one inter-house support (suggesting a similar “I kinda can’t help wanting to get to know you even though I know we might become enemies” dynamic at play) the “free recruitee” on the CF route (whereas the other cases are in situations where they have incentives to flip - Lorenz is only with the empire out of opportunism so why wouldn’t he join the kingdom if they look to be winning? And Ashe was flat out drafted and is only with the Rowes out of obligation) and if you spare her she’ll say that Claude explicitly told her to waive the white flag if things get tough because he figured that Edelgard would be likely to spare her. 

[cromulentbookreview]

Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'!

Yes,  Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum'!  AKA Bloodleaf (also called Bloodgood). Described by Monrovia as a “ delightful small tree with gracefully branched stems that hold beautiful, palmate, red-purple leaves.” This deciduous tree is hardy to US Zones 5-8 (I have no idea what zones that’d be in the UK, Australia or New Zealand sorry guys), prefers partial-to-full sun exposure, requires regular watering, and will reach up to 18 ft (5.4 meters) in height! The beautiful red-purple foliage turns an even more brilliant red in the fall! I mean, just look at this gorgeous tree:

Fuck yeah, Japanese maples. Did you know there are over 1000 cultivars of Japanese maple? They’re gorgeous. 

This is a gardening blog, right?

No?

Shit. 

Whatever, nobody cares.

And by that, I mean: Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith!

I wasn’t kidding about how amazing Japanese maples are. Seriously, if you’re in a compatible zone (most are 5-8 on the USDA hardiness zone map, which includes the western areas of the Pacific Northwest, fuck yeah!). Anyway, the eponymous bloodleaf of Smith’s novel do not belong to a Japanese maple. It’s more like a flowering ground cover, like a little white, three-petaled Lobelia. Only super duper poisonous and the only safe part are the petals, which can save lives, but are practically impossible to harvest. Hurray?

Anyway! Book review! That’s what this blog is for. Not for recommending various plants that I like. It is for reviewing books. I’m pretty sure no one actually reads these, though, so I can include whatever the fuck I want. My favorite Japanese maple? Well, I don’t just have one, but I am partial to lace leaf Japanese maples, because the leaves are just so damn pretty...

Bloodleaf! By! Crystal! Smith! I am capable of focus!

Princess Aurelia of Renault is having a hell of a time - for one, everyone thinks she’s a witch, a crime punishable by death in her country. Even being accused of being a witch is enough to get you hanged by the neck until dead. Or burned. Seems like the preferred method in Renault is hanging, but burnings work, too.

What, did you think there weren’t going to be Monty Python gifs here? 

Everyone in Renault, even the royal family, lives in fear of the Tribunal, a shady organization that apparently has jurisdiction over witches and seems to possess absolute power. The public is on the side of the Tribunal (witches = bad), so the fact that Aurelia is rumored to be a witch isn’t exactly great.

The fact that she is, indeed, a witch, is even worse. Aurelia is a blood mage - she can see spirits of the dead and do magic with her blood. Fun! I wish I could do magic whenever I get a paper cut - if that were the case, I’d be doing magic all the time at work. Or whenever my cat springboards off me or I nearly slice my thumb off shredding Parmesan cheese. Anyway: Aurelia has to keep her witchy-ness secret re: regular hangings and burnings. Aurelia has been engaged to Prince Valentin of the neighboring kingdom of Achelva since infancy. Things look a bit better for witches in Achelva, which sounds great, but Valentin himself? Not so much. Valentin is rumored to be a weak and infirm invalid who rarely ever leaves his rooms. The current king of Achelva, Domnhall (no relation to the beautiful, red-headed Domnhall Gleeson) is the worst. He’s basically Donald Trump in everything but name. So Aurelia isn’t overly thrilled at her upcoming marriage, but she’s eager to get the hell out of Dodge before people catch on that she’s a witch, holding out to the hope that, in uniting her country with Achelva and becoming a queen, she can lessen the influence of the Tribunal and make things better for her fellow witches.

(Seriously, did you think I wasn’t going to use Monty Python gifs here?)

That’s all well and good, but just as Aurelia is getting ready to head off to Achelva, the Tribunal stages a coup - Aurelia’s mom, the Queen, is captured, while Aurelia and her little brother Conrad, the future king of Renault, just barely manage to escape.  Things get even worse when the people who helped Aurelia escape Renault turn on her. They take Conrad and head off to Achelva with an impostor posing as Aurelia, while the real Aurelia just barely manages to escape being murdered.

Now stuck in Achelva with no money, no friends, no papers, nothing, Aurelia has to do her best to survive. Then a handsome stranger called Zan steals her horse. Well, he tries to pay for it after the fact, but still. The only thing Achelva has going for it is that Aurelia can now practice her blood magic without fear of immediate hanging and/or burning. But there’s still the fact that the Tribunal still has her mother hostage back home, and Conrad is in the hands of the impostor and her Tribunal-loyal father. Plus there’s something weird happening within the walls of the city-state of Achelva. Old magical protections seem to be failing and Zan is determined not only to find out why, but also find a way to stop it. When he learns that Aurelia (now calling herself Emilie) is a blood mage, he offers to teach her how to use her power in order to save his country. Can Aurelia manage to save her family and Achelva and Renault from the grips of the Tribunal without dying a horrible death?

Good luck with that, Aurelia/Emilie!

Sometimes its hard for me to be objective about books that I enjoy. If I like a book, I’m willing to forgive most of its flaws, embrace the story and roll with it. For the most part, the books I review here on this stupid tumblr blog are books that I’ve liked. I don’t really want to waste my time slogging through a book that I don’t like. Life’s too short, if I don’t like something, I’m not going to read it. If I like a book, I’ll finish reading it, even if it takes me a while. 

And then sometimes I encounter a book like Witchmark or The Binding books which, once I started reading them, I literally could not stop and now I love them forever holy shit those books are so good you guys, you should buy copies of both right now I am not joking, Jesu Christi people, READ THEM!

Uhm. 

Bloodleaf happens to be among the latter. It’s one of those books where I started reading and then would not stop. I remained at the gym for an extra ten minutes just so I could finish a chapter. I was ready to hiss at anyone or anything that would stop me reading. For example:

Housemate: hey, we’ve got a bunch of old bananas here, would you be willing to make banana bread tonight?

Me, reading Bloodleaf:

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book a lot. It has its flaws typical to YA fantasy (mostly just some weak characterization and worldbuilding) but once I got going I really didn’t care. I went into full YA Fangirl Mode. And once I enter Fangirl Mode it’s difficult to convince me not to like or enjoy something.

Plus there’s a bunch of not-so-subtle Donald Trump references to the regent of Achleva, who is definitely a Trump-type. One of the characters even refers to him, sarcastically, as a “stable genius.” Another character tells him, very publicly: “Facts is facts. Wishin’ ’em false and declarin’ ’em fake don’t make it so.”

Heee. I see what you did there, Crystal Smith. I see what you did there! And I very much enjoy it.

So if you’re looking for a strong, female-led YA fantasy novel featuring blood magic and the occasional witch burning, Bloodleaf is the book for you. And a brilliant scarlet-leaved Acer palmatum var. atropurpureum is the tree you’ll be wanting for your garden. Don’t let it die of a fungus like mine did. RIP, Mr. Bloodgood. You were a tree that I got for free.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fans of YA fantasy with a strong female lead, magic, romance, etc.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who came here legitimately hoping to read about Japanese maples, non-YA fans, people who can’t stand the idea of a kickass female protagonist.

TRIGGER WARNING: Midway through the book there’s a scene of a very violent near-rape - be warned and prepare accordingly. If that’s really not your thing then you may want to steer clear.

RATING: 4/5

TOTALLY UNBIASED FANGIRL RATING: 500,000,000/5

RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2019

ANTICIPATION LEVEL FOR SEQUEL: Chhogori

TREE RATING: Eucalyptus regnans

[qwertzu824]

Owner’s handbook: Viktor

Congratulations, you are now the eccentric and whimsical owner of the majestic Viktor. To ensure his proper and problem-free operation, please read this manual.

 Technical Specification:

Name: Viktor Nikiforov

Manufacturer: RSU, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

Date of production: 25 December 2017

Age: 15** / 27* (please check the serial number)

Colour scheme: long** platinum hair, blue eyes

Languages: Russian, English, French, Japanese*

* Adult Viktor only ** Teenage Vitya only

 Activation:

Your Viktor comes with a Makkachin unit and a bag of dog treats. To wake Viktor up, activate the Makkachin unit first – simply fill a bowl with the dog treats, and then have Makkachin lick Viktor awake.

Alternatively you can ask a Yakov or a Chris unit to wake him up. He will get up eventually.

If you have a Yuuri unit, ask Phichit to dress him up and have him walk by Viktor’s box. Don’t be surprised if your Viktor wakes up head over heels in love with the beautiful boy from his dream.

 Accessories:

Your Viktor comes with

- a Makkachin unit, handbook on the care and feeding of Makkachin, dog treats and various dog accessories

- a pair of skates with golden blades

- a heavy box of medals and awards (you’re the one who bought the most decorated skater in history, don’t look at us like that)

- digital* album full of lovely Makkachin pictures

- a photo of him and Yakov

- a photo of him and Chris

- a heavy box of skincare products

- five suitcases of designer clothes

- a lovely Makkachin tissue box

- a stash of fanmail

- a coach badge*

- an engagement ring for Yuuri*

- Japanese electronic dictionary*

- an album of accidentally seductive Yuuri photos, courtesy of Phichit*

 Compatibility:

Makkachin – Your Viktor loves Makkachin and will grow sad if forced to spend too much time away from his Makka.

Yuuri Katsuki – Viktor and Yuuri are soulmates. Adult Viktor will want to become Yuuri’s coach (among other things).

Yakov Feltsman – Viktor has a lot of respect for his coach, even though both teenage Vitya and adult Viktor are prone to ignore his advice most of the time.

Yuri Plisetsky – Yuri and Viktor are rinkmates. Yuri is often annoyed by Viktor but recognizes him as a great skater and rival.

Georgi Popovich – Rinkmate and friend. Due to the fact that the production of Georgi units began only a day after Viktor’s, they often celebrate their birthdays together. Viktor appreciates Georgi’s penchant for drama and will offer make-up advice if asked.

Mila Babicheva – Rinkmate, friend and shopping buddy.

Christophe Giacometti – Friend, rival, drinking pal, shopping buddy, fellow diva, great butt selfie partner.

Jean-Jacques Leroy – While JJ sees Viktor as an adversary obstructing his path to the top, Viktor tends to ignore him and will often forget his name. This will make your JJ sad. We recommend keeping them apart.

Phichit Chulanont* – Phichit has Viktor’s endless gratitude for being the endless source of Yuuri trivia and adorable pictures (these may or may not include drunk pics, pictures from Yuuri’s pole dancing practice and post-workout gym photos).

 Functions:

Skater/Living Legend – Your Viktor will activate in this setting. Please note: Don’t leave this function on for too long, or else he might get depressed.

Coach* – This function will only activate after meeting adult Yuuri, though teenage Vitya will happily teach teenage Yuuri a thing or two.

Yuuri fanboy – This function will activate instantly upon seeing Yuuri skate, dance, stand around or, you know, breathe.

Dog person – Viktor’s pre-programmed setting, cannot be deactivated. Don’t be surprised if he ignores you in favour of a dog, especially if it’s a puppy or a poodle.

Son-in-law – Available even before marrying Yuuri. Son-in-law Viktor will gladly help with Yu-topia’s upkeep, including cleaning, cooking and promoting this beautiful resort.

 FAQ and troubleshooting:

My Viktor won’t skate anymore and he’s permanently melancholic!

It seems you left the Living Legend mode on for too long. Introduce your Viktor to a Yuuri Katsuki unit and ship them to a remote location of your choice. Don’t be surprised if they come back engaged.

My Viktor is crying!

Oh, my. This may have several causes:

- Check Makkachin. If your Makkachin unit is malfunctioning, repair them according to the handbook on the care and feeding of Makkachin (included in the package). Send someone to get Yuuri Katsuki.

- Yuri Plisetsky has told Viktor that he’s getting bald. Hug your Viktor while repeatedly reassuring him that it’s not true. Send someone to get Yuuri Katsuki.

- Phichit has sent him a Detroit Days photo of Yuuri. It’s okay, let him cry. Or you can also look at the photo and join him.

- Yuuri has agreed to marry him.

 My Vitya is being chased by fangirls!

Viktor usually likes the attention but if he doesn’t, get him sunglasses and a hoodie to hide his hair. Introduce him to Yuuri*/teenage Yuuri** and whisper ‘hashtag Victuuri’ into Phichit’s ear.

 My Viktor has dyed his hair black and put on Goth make-up!

Either your Viktor is trying to surprise his audience or you might have mistaken Georgi for Viktor.

 My Viktor won’t stop flirting with anything that moves!

That’s not Viktor, that’s Chris. Don’t worry, he’s mostly harmless (except for an occasional quick butt grope) and doesn’t mean anything by it. If you want, you can bring him to any ISU shop or mail him to us and we will trade him for Viktor.

[kimlisamarie]

BTS Reaction To You Shipping Them With Another Member

Rap Monster 

You would be sat cuddling on the sofa and out of context you would say 

You: ”Namjoon”

Namjoon: “Hmm?”

You: “Ever since you and I got together and I met the guys, I have always thought that you would ship with Jin.”

Namjoon: “Well y/n, he is my husband” he smiled 

You: (sit there just laughing)

Jin

You’re wandering round the house excitedly looking through your phone, exclaiming “Minnie Jin!” repeatedly.

“Jagi?” he asks “I’m not mini; why do you keep calling me mini Jin?”

“No, no, no!” you tell him “Minnie Jin; you and Jimin, n’awh!” you screech slightly, holding up one of the pictures you are looking through on some Tumblr tag of Jin and Jimin ship moments.

“You’re so weird y/n...” he says. 

“But you even said! You said you’d date Jimin!”

“Yeah, in an interview when they ask those ‘what if?’ type of questions!”

“You still said it Jinnie! Look! I’ve even come up with the most boss ship name for you two! Minnie Jin! It’s so smol and adorable, I just -- go marry Jimin!” you exaggerate, now being extremely over the top and fangirling massively.

“Oh Jagi... calm down!” he chuckles. “I know Jiminie is cute, but... not as cute as you” he smiles.

Suga

You’re having dinner with the boys and opposite to you sits Yoongi and next to him is Namjoon. Everyone is engaging in meaningful conversation, catching up, talking about old times, etc, but you’re very quiet and passive in the conversations. 

You just can’t help but sit there and admire the view, elbow resting on the table, jaw resting on your fist. To the outsider, it most likely means you’re admiring your boyfriend, taking in the view and appreciating the beauty that you see within him... but as he begins a full on conversation with the band leader, Namjoon, you begin to think to yourself how good they look together and admire the sight of the pairing.

After about half an hour of you not saying very much at the dinner table and eating your food at a much slower pace than usual, Yoongi calls you up on it: “Y/n... are you okay? You’ve barely touched your food and you’ve been rather quiet since we got here.” You manage to utter a reply of something along the lines of “I’m fine... I was just thinking...”

At this, Yoongi just shrugs, figuring he can hear about what the real reason for your change in personality is later, but after a few moments of silence, you simply say “You look good together,” thinking out loud without meaning to. Upon realizing your mistake, you blush heavily, leaving Yoongi to respond with “Huh?” 

You figure you might as well continue thinking out loud now that you’ve said this, and reply “You and Namjoon... you just look visually pleasing together I guess.”

Pretending to look shocked/offended as a joke, Yoongi exclaims “Woah! Y/n, I know Namjoon is my leader...” he begins, then briefly turning to Namjoon to say “..and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, man,” he tells him, patting him on the shoulder and then turning back to you “...but I’m just not that way inclined!” he says, shaking his head. 

J-Hope

You’re at the end of watching one of the Sope VLive streams and you’re sat there smiling like an idiot. Hobi approaches you to ask sweetly “What are you smiling so hard about y/n?”

You close your device up (laptop, tablet case, etc) and sort of shout “I SHIP IT!” To which he gets frightened and shook at the sudden movement and noise (bless him, he gets so shook at everything save his soul) “Woah, jagi! What are you on about?” he asks, backing away.

You approach him and cuddle him, looking into his eyes “You know Hobi, I’d be mad about the potential competition I have to be up against, but... ah! I’m such a fan of Sope! You guys are the best! So cute!”

He chuckles at your sudden Sope feels and pulls you in closer as you continue to cuddle “Aw, y/n! There’s no competition!...Wait, do you really think we look cute together?” he asks, pausing from the hug to look at your eyes.

“Of course!” you reply “You know what? I think you are the one true BTS ship,” you bluntly tell him.

He changes from mellow mode to hyper sunshine mode “Aw! Jagi!” He stops cuddling you to leave the room.

“Wait, Hobi, where are you going?” you ask. He seems to not have heard you, but all you hear is him shouting “Yoongi-Yoongi-Yoongi-hyung!!!”

Jimin 

You are laid in in bed asleep when you mumble in your sleep and say “Jikook” 

With this Jimin wakes up and says “Y/n why did you say ‘Jikook’?” You also wake up and look at him and say “I am sorry baby. Did I wake you by talking in my sleep? What did I say? ‘Jikook’? Ah... yeah, I ship Jikook...” 

Jimin: “Why you ship Jungkook with me? Why not Tae or someone...?”

you: “But you’re cute together!” 

Jimin: “But I was born in Busan first!” he says stomping his feet and crossing his arms 

You: “I am sorry; I can’t help who I ship you with.” 

Jimin: “I am sorry baby for being a child” he goes to you and hugs you tightly and kisses the crook of your neck.

V

The two of you have decided to have a little sing-a-long session of banging out all your favourite tunes and just having a good time. Since you have similar tastes, you agree to just put his collection of music on shuffle rather than choosing anything too specific.

It’s at that fateful moment when Cypher part 4 begins to play and Taehyung is on it: he’s straight in with the words, some moves, the lot. At first, you join in, but after so long of the song being played, you watch Taehyung sing/rap instead.

You think to yourself how cute it is that he admires his hyungs in this way, and cast your mind back to all those times he has been particularly affectionate towards them and you smile. The one moment in particular that sticks in your mind is of when Hoseok asked Taehyung to do some aegyo and the response from Tae was so adorable that it had Hobi practically dying from the cuteness.

“Jagi?” Taehyung asks, snapping you out of your daydreaming. “Why are you grinning like that? Is there something on my face?” he questions, trying to remove anything that could be on his face (mostly rubbing just above his lips as you had milkshake earlier)

“Ah, it’s nothing Tae, I’m sorry, carry on” you smile, wishing for him to continue with his little performance for you, which he does... for a few seconds until you blurt out “I was just thinking about you and Hobi...”

“Oh right?” he asks, unsure of where this is going.  “I... I think that if you weren’t dating me, you should be with Hobi.” you reply. This kind of confuses Taehyung, but he soon gives you a grin bigger than the one you just had on your face from daydreaming. “Really?” he asks. “Awesome!”

Jungkook

You are chilling out with the younger guys of the band, and during conversation and whilst watching movies, you can’t help but notice how intimate Taehyung always gets with his friends, and today, it is especially towards Jungkook; patting Jungkook on the head when he shares his popcorn, going in for a hug on the one or two occasions he gets something that sounds like a compliment from Jungkook, even resting his head on Jungkook’s lap later in the day when he gets a bit sleepy.

You’re in the middle of watching like the 5th film of the day and you see Taehyung gradually begin to fall asleep on Jungkook’s lap and you can’t help but out loud go “awh...”

Jungkook immediately turns his head to face you with an expression of confusion. “Huh? What are you saying Jagi?” he asks.

“Sorry, did I make a noise?” you asked innocently, trying to mask how you are increasingly shipping this by the minute because of how sweet Jungkook and Taehyung look together... but he’s having none of it.

“Y/n, I heard you clearly, you said ‘awh...’ like you’ve just seen a fluffy kitten... Tell me, what are you finding so cute that makes you make this sound?” he demands.

With a sigh, you admit defeat and tell him “It’s Taehyung... he looks so sweet and peaceful rested on your lap as you stroke his hair...”

Jungkook goes into defensive mode, unsure of how to react to his; are you implying that something is going on between them?; are you suggesting what he thinks you’re suggesting? “Jagi! What are you saying? I don’t like Tae-hyung if that’s what you’re implying...”

“No, Jungkookie!” you say “I just mean you look cute together... I’m not implying anything; I just think you look cute...” and then you continue with more of a mumble “...like a ship I guess.”

“Yah! Jagi!” Jungkook exclaims again, gentl hitting your shoulder, shy and defensively still. “I don’t like Taehyung like that!”

[coin-river-blog]

EthTrader has a naming challenge for the next Ethereum hard fork, Ledger Live users can now download the Tezos Wallet app, and Plasma Bears joins the lineup of cryptocollectible games.

Your daily distillation of crypto news for Wednesday, January 23, 2019:

Name That Hard Fork!

Yesterday, a contest thread was posted on the community subreddit EthTrader to name the next Ethereum hard fork. The thread will run for at least seven days, and the top seven suggestions will be posted to a separate EthTrader poll. The winning entry will be included in an EIP that outlines the Ethereum hard fork process, and will then be presented to core developers in a future meeting.

Although Istanbul has been the tentative name given to the forthcoming fork, the announcement poster opined that it was a "dull" choice. Commenters on the thread provided suggestions ranging from crystal stone types (like amber, brookite, and carnelian) to months from the Roman calendar (Martius, Aprilis, Maius, etc.).

Tezos Wallet on Ledger Live

According to information shared with ETHNews, the Tezos Wallet app is now publicly available to users of Ledger Live, which is Ledger's account-management platform. Previously, the app was only available in developer mode, which meant that individuals had to activate a certain setting within Ledger Live to install the app on their Ledger Nano S devices.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tezos to the Ledger platform," said Eric Larchevêque, CEO of Ledger. "It is exciting to see active community members and external developers adding Ledger support, and we look forward to seeing continued engagement coming from the community."

Assemble Your Squad of Plasma Bears

The cryptocollectible game Plasma Bears is live, according to a January 21 tweet. Players can buy, sell, and trade their bear-inspired digital assets, as well as adventure and quest with their furry – yet ferocious – squad. The game's EDCCs (aka smart contracts) are deployed on Loom's blockchain, with deployment to Loom's native PlasmaChain coming later.

Plasma Bears has noted that individuals "can enjoy the full game experience without ever caring that blockchain powers the backend." Indeed, the team maintains that the game's blockchain infrastructure is "just part of the invisible user experience."

The project was developed by Blockade Games, the company behind the strategy-based role-playing game Neon District.

Dani is a full-time writer for ETHNews. He received his bachelor's degree in English writing from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he also studied journalism and queer theory. In his free time, he writes poetry, plays the piano, and fangirls over fictional characters. He lives with his partner, three dogs, and two cats in the middle of nowhere, Nevada.

ETHNews is committed to its Editorial Policy

Like what you read? Follow us on Twitter @ETHNews_ to receive the latest Ethereum, hard fork or other Ethereum technology news.

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[tarisilmarwen]

I am full to bursting with rambles about the romances in my own stories so congrats Tumblr, you are now my writing dump box.

I will babble a lot.

Adventures of the Sea Siren: High fantasy, sea-faring adventures.

Fen/Maeve-- Main couple.  Captain Farrell “Fen” Armant is a newly reformed ne’er-do-well pirate.  Lady Maeve Endeleva, noblewoman of the Tarshaani court, was the one to convince the Calif to pardon him, moved by some strange pity.  He does not make that decision easy for her early in the story, being kind of a pain in the ass and slipping back into old habits.  They clash a lot initially but eventually come to have a friendship that blossoms slowly into love.  Married at end of the series.

Fisrock/Tabitha-- I think they were supposed to be my already together stable happy married couple, lol.

Evander/Cappy-- Junior member of the crew and apprentice mage Lady Maeve picks up later on their adventures.  They crush on each other.  It is cute.

Allemant/Rura-- Teased.  Ship’s scientist/inventor guy and a Mysterious Waif they found frozen in ice.  I suppose the appeal would mostly be Allemant’s utter science nerdy glee in figuring out how she worked (she’s not exactly human).

Relligon/Aisha and Relligon/Nashiko-- Teased.  Loyal bodyguard of Lady Maeve’s with either another member of the crew or a local girl they picked up with Rura.  Don’t think I had anything major planned with them, maybe just little teases here and there for both of them.

Venderick/Rowena-- Villain couple.  Hella unhealthy in the end but they seem genuinely enamored of each other at first.  It does not end well.

Artelia: Queen of Eevalond: High fantasy, kickass single mom queen rules a country and fights evil ‘n stuff.

Haegan/Artelia-- Loyal soldier/guard and the queen herself.  Artelia did genuinely love her husband and misses him terribly but has been rather lonely since he passed.  Haegan is always there and caring and supportive and has been nursing an affection for her for a while now.  The UST is real.

The DM Can’t Roll For This: Comedy.  Local D&D-type chapter finds their real life problems seeping into their campaign.

Kenji/Helena-- Main girl and dorky sword nerd newbie.  Helena awkwards all around him and he’s mostly either oblivious or hilaritized.

Bruce/Rika-- Married couple that games together.  They play as two tanks with Belligerent Sexual Tension.  IRL they are adorably smoopy.

J.C./Casey-- Perpetually shy Shrinking Violet and oversensitive drama queen.  She eventually develops the spine needed to ask him out.

Eternal Skies: Sci-Fi/Steampunk, advanced city is isolated out in the middle of a seemingly endless ocean.

Levi/Aya-- Loyal bodyguard and the Empress of the city.  The idea for the story first came out of a dream but frustrations with the outrageous injustice that was Aldnoah.Zero’s Slaine/Asseylum not being a thing reignited my deep and burning thirst for Bodyguard Crush ships so I revisited this idea and that kind of relationship dynamic fit right in with them, lol.  Levi’s family tried to leave the city once, caught themselves in a storm, they drowned, the then-princess Ayalin saved him.  He is hopelessly devoted to her and constantly worries about her safety.  As well he should, given that Aya is sometimes reckless and prone to battling bouts of crippling depression.  He doesn’t know it, but she’s loved him nearly as long as he’s loved her because he, in her own words, was “the first person who made me want to live”.

Jobei/Hiriko-- Teased.  Jobei lucks into the airship guard via a chance meeting with Aya, and Hiriko sort of becomes his trainer.  She’s intense and scary and very intimidating sometimes but he kinda likes her.  She comes to be kind of fond of him too, though she’d never admit it.  I still don’t know if I wanna make it canon or leave it up in the air yet.

Four Seasons Warriors: Magical Girl type series, themed around the four seasons.  (Duh.)

Sean/Soldad-- Stable couple that gets together early on.  Sean is in theater.  For some reason I always read his dialogue in a British accent, I should do something with that.  Soldad is bubbly cheerleader type.  They are full of playful banter and when she eventually confesses to the Masquerade he takes it rather well.

Chase/Autumn-- My Slap Slap Kiss couple.  Chase likes to flirt with her and she gets so confused and offended and “What is this thing called human flirtation my files contain no such data.” and acts prickly to him sometimes but then sometimes is like, “Two can play at this game, Mister.” and banters back.  For the most part he’ll shrug and back off when she’s in NOPE mode but when she teases back he’s like, “OKAY WAIT I’M SO CONFUSED.” and they basically bumble around accidentally being good supportive friends to each other in their low moments until they finally have to have the dreaded, “Okay what is this relationship exactly?”  Which starts as an argument but ends with kisses.  I mostly have it to add lulz. :)

Mitsuki/Lina-- Mitsuki is a shy nerdy geek type and Lina is the cool stoic big sister of the group.  So a big Geek Boy/Stoic Girl dynamic here.  They have a Meet Cute early on and Mitsuki is hopelessly crushing on her for much of the story.  Lina is oblivious to most of it but tolerates his hanging around, as it keeps the bullies off him.  She gets a temporary love interest (Sedaris) that is the polar opposite of Mitsuki--tall, charming, good with words, classically handsome, basically fangirl bait--and falls for him pretty quickly but PSYCH! turns out he’s evil and just wants to kill her.  Mitsuki is a really supportive shoulder to cry on and she warms up to him soon after that.  They get together about three-quarters through.

Adam/Elsie-- Elsie is cripplingly shy and timid and has had a crush on him forever.  He’s oblivious.  He remains oblivious until Trickster, a flirtatious villain with a thing for Elsie, involves him in a hostage situation.  They get together.  His (almost) death triggers her super-powered form.

Trickster/Elsie-- One-sided on Trickster’s side.  He likes to flirt with all the girls and annoy them but Elsie he particularly takes a shine too.  Hypnotizes her into serving him once.  It doesn’t stick.  Continues to try and get under her skin whenever he can.

Trickster/Brittney-- Brittney is actually a clingy jealous ex of Chase’s.  Through some odd events she falls in with Trickster, and they hit it off... remarkably well.  To the girls’ chagrin and disgust.

The Geek In Glass Slippers: Basically Cinderella at Comic-Con.

Chris (Leonid)/Cindy-- Like a lot of modern Cinderella retellings, I had the prince and the Cinderella equivalent meet before the ‘ball’.  They were actually friends in high school.  Then he went off and got rich and famous. :D  They’re just your basic nerd couple really.  She fights his fangirl army in the climax.  It is awesome and hilarious.

Gutter Glamour: Steampunk/Historical Romance, three brothers gotta get married before their grandpa kicks it in order to secure their fortunes.  Family drama and fiendish plots ensue.

Evander/Rita-- Main couple.  Rita was a homeless urchin Evander encountered in the streets and treated to lunch.  Having no luck finding a wife elsewhere, he returns to her the next day and proposes marriage.  They are awkward dorks together.  It is precious.

Sebastian/Vivian-- Evander’s more responsible older brother and his spacey artist girlfriend.  They just recently got engaged at the start of the story so his search for a bride is over fairly quickly, lol.  They have a baby partway through the story.

Destan/Lilian-- Lilian, a prim and proper seamstress, doesn’t think all that much of wild, trouble-making Destan when he comes to call and begs her parents for her hand at first.  But she can’t deny she’d be marrying well so she doesn’t put up much protest.  They become rather... comfortable with each other over the story.

Aidelaird/Evaline-- Happily married couple.  They are so sickeningly in love it is almost revolting.

John/Penny-- Past relationship.  Penny passed on before the beginning of the story.  She and John had a nice little Sunshiney Optimist/Grumpy Grouch thing going on.

Farraday/Tamara-- ‘nother happily married couple, mostly got a Savvy Guy/Energetic Girl dynamic.  And hella kids.  Tamara wears the pants in the relationship, and Farraday is most just constantly amused by her antics.

Donovan/Cherise-- Yet another married couple although much less happy, lol.  Both schemers and plotters, Donovan is still hung up on Evaline, who rejected him in favor of his older brother way back when, and Cherise is a crafty seductress whose womanly wiles play a big role in her manipulations.  She initially snared Donovan in an attempt to get away from her family, only to have Donovan wind up working for her family’s company out of resentment at his own family.  So their relationship is a bit, uh... frigid.  And complicated.

Devin/Tia-- Hella unhealthy.  Devin only married Tia to fulfill the requirements for Grandpa John’s will, and thus inherit the family’s fortune.  Tia tries her best to be a good wife but Devin isn’t interested in being loving or kind.  Protagonists break them up and pointedly keep her in the family and ostracize Devin.

Haegar/Ianna-- Antagonist couple.  A more stable and cooperative version of Donovan/Cherise.  Their machinations and schemes work more harmoniously with them as a cohesive team.

Nolan/Ingrid-- Semi-sleezy politician and snobby upper-class lady.  Despite said character flaws they’re rather happy together.

The Protectoress: High Fantasy/Gateway Fantasy.  Every hundred years an asteroid fragment carrying an ancient evil immortal despot comes to terrorize and destroy a magical realm.  The power to stop him reincarnates into a partner team of a Chosen One from that realm, and a Protectoress from ours.  Story is about the last partner team.

Ren/Lori-- The Chosen One and the titular Protectoress.  Mostly inspired by MeruPuri and also just because I have a thing for relationships where the older member is sortofkindofbutreallynotreally a surrogate parent/guardian to the younger member.  So Ren starts getting hot as he gets older and Lori has this moment of, “Well look at YOU!”  They have a simmering kind of slow-burn chemistry, Lori naturally feels very protective of him (and not just because her inherited magical powers make her feel that way) and comes to care about him a whole lot, but holds herself back from pushing anything until Ren is older and actively starting to pursue his own feelings for her.

Sakura Squad: Sci-Fi war drama IN SPAAAAAACE.  Protagonists become a mini propaganda shoujo heroine squad to inspire hope in the masses.

Keiji/Aiko-- Aiko is smitten at first sight and has a lot of trouble making herself coherent around him.  He mostly just thinks she’s cute at first, and brings a good vibe to the team, but unconsciously starts taking steps to protect her in combat.  His freakout when he learns about her secret Sakura Squad doings are partly motivated by his fear of her dying.  Through some close calls they quickly warm up to each other and get together towards the end.

Ryuuki/Masayo-- Ryuuki is the fangirl-bait ladies’ man who is always flirting with the girls on the team, but finds himself inexplicably flustered and awkward around shy mousy timid Wrench Wench Masayo.  She’s oblivious to his affections and her own feelings for most of the story.

Tarou/Kiyomi-- They have a supportive, friendly, playful banter kind of friendship.  Always kind of low-key flirting with each other.  Kiyomi fervently denies that they’re anything but friends but they’re caught later making out in a closet.   It is hilarious.

Shiki/Kaname-- Happy stable married couple.  Kaname wears the pants hard.  Sunk at the end when Kaname dies in battle.

Starship 227: Sci-Fi.  Elite investigative team for the galactic government fly around in their spaceship and have adventures and stuff.

Arden/Kina-- Ship captain and cute resident nurse.  Arden also has a female first mate that you’d think he might get together with in a Slap Slap Kiss fashion but nope, they just don’t like each other and are also half-siblings oops.  Arden is constantly hitting on Kina or looking for excuses to see her and she’s somewhat oblivious at first but soon grows to have feelings for him as well.

Squadron 15/Haven Academy: Your basic superhero high school.

Redbird/Firelily (Aiden/”Lily” Keliannar)-- Main couple.  Very Brooding Boy Gentle Girl.  Redbird is awkward as hell around her and she makes him go all blushy but he can be real sweet and protective and caring and she just warms up to him more and more over the story and becomes protective over him too and there’s a lot of mutual caring and concern for each other.  They get together later.

Shard/Vapor (Cliff/Shawna)-- Shawna’s dated around and actually has a boyfriend at the start of the story, whom she breaks up with because he’s a ~dramawhore~.  Shard lowkey has a bit of a crush on her the whole story and she doesn’t exactly discourage him and jokes about how she should totally date him all the time.  Eventually he realizes he really likes her and plucks up the nerve to ask her out.  He is huge and she is tiny and it is cute.

Quickster/Silkworm (Miguel/Kimiko)-- Just cute kids who like each other being cute together and going on fun dates.

Captain/Illusion (James/Janet)-- Team Dad and Team Mom.  They have a playful, comfortable sort of relationship and just like to spend time around each other away from the craziness of their “kids”.

Captain/Sketcher (James/Ellie)-- Teased.  Not emphasized much but hinted on occasion that Sketcher has a crush on him.  It never develops into much and she forgets about it quietly as the story goes on.

Crimson Ray/Silver Shield (Leonid/Alisa)-- Sweet good-natured nice boy and sweet good-natured Ill Girl.  They are lowkey and quiet and very heartwarming.  Also endlessly tragic when the ship is sunk with Alisa’s Heroic Sacrifice to save the city.  I milk the angst for all it’s worth.  It is almost mean.

Flint/Solar (Andrew/Doris)-- Happy married couple.  They kind of needle and poke each other playfully and make each other flustered.  It’s cute.

Nighteagle/Cosmar (Douglas/Zoe)-- Stoic introverted Angsty McAngsterson and the bubbliest, sunniest, most energetic ball of energy ever.  Cosmar has a massive, not-so-secret crush on him and it confuses and baffles the hell of out Nighteagle.

White Eyestones: High fantasy war drama.

Indin/Elarin-- Happy married couple.  They have their rough patches but they smooth them out quickly.  Sunk when Indin dies halfway through the story.

Elsiron/Thelnaela-- This one was almost kind of an accident?  Lol IDK I just really liked writing Thelnaela being all teasing and playful around him and their banter almost wrote itself and I was like, “Ah yes.  This should be a thing.”

Winds of Ikilia: Fantasy quest in an asian-inspired world.  To try and win a war against an evil empire a crown prince kidnaps a young tribesgirl with mysterious powers.  Her friends come after her to rescue her.  They have adventures.

Kai/Nadi-- Main couple.  Hella cute.  Been friends since childhood, get matched by the matchmaker early on in the story.  Have a very deliberate Older Girl/Younger Boy thing going on.  They spend a lot of time being worried about each other and having playful banter and saying heartwarming things to each other that make my character Tiri groan and roll her eyes.  Decide to start officially referring to each other as betrothed and fiance partway through the story.  Married in the epilogue.

Ainusan/Ta Lian-- Oh gosh this is... *giggles*  This is actually kind of a running gag.  See my protagonist Nadi once disguises herself as a noblewoman while she’s looking for her friend and Prince Ainusan comes in and basically confuses her for Princess Ta Lian and is rather impressed by her spunk, being that he thought she was more of a ditz.  Ta Lian herself hears about his poor first impression of her later, from Nadi, and is so OFFENDED and ANNOYED and “That jerk I liked him!” and from then on I basically just make cracks about how they should totally get together.  And then the payoff comes in the epilogue where I reveal that they totally did.  I did it because it was funny.

Ainusan/Kiria-- Teased.  Little bitty hints here and there that Kiria has a tiny crush on him.  Nothing major.

San/Tiri-- Teased.  Tiri likes to flirt at him and he sometimes banters back.  Doesn’t go anywhere but provides much lulz

San/Kiria-- Also another case where little hints are dropped that Kiria has a crush on him.  What can I say, she likes dem older boys.

Korda/Keyla-- Married couple.  Nadi’s parent’s.  No big.

Wings: Magical girlfriend story.  Fairy family gets stuck living with normal human family for a while.  Their kids fall in love.  Drama ensues.

Hideki/Elaina-- Main couple.  It’s pretty much love at first sight for Hideki, and he immediately wants to ask her out.  She’s thrilled at his attention and forwardness and caring and becomes super protective of him and they are basically adorable at each other.  They get married partway through, in a magic ritual that will serve to protect him from fairy machinations.

Kubo/Haruna-- Married couple.  Hideki’s parents.  Not much else to be said about them.  They’re stable and healthy and long-suffering together.

Oberon/Titania-- Their marital problems are the driving background noise behind literally every single problem the two families ever have.  They seriously need counseling.

Ronan/Amara-- Married couple.  Elaina’s parents.  Amara had a lot of bitterness in her heart from a previous first love (a human, ordered killed by Oberon when he found out because he’s hissy about fairy/human relationships because Titania’s a cheating skank with them) but Ronan managed to soften her and help her find a measure of healing and happiness.

Tallas/Elaina-- One-sided.  Tallas is a fairy noble who has a creepy interest in Elaine and has on one occasion tried to ask her father for her hand.  Ronan sensed he was bad news and vetoed that right away.  Amara was later approached with the same offer and told Tallas where to shove it.  He persists in trying to woo her himself but she’s not flattered or interested and he basically slips more and more into an adolescent hissy fit of If I Can’t Have You, outright brainwashing and threatening Hideki in one case.  Roundly thwarted in the end.

[hellomissmabel]

Catch me if you can (900 followers celebration)

MASTERLIST

Part 1: Teach me how to dance with you (800 followers celebration)

Pairing: Steve x reader

Warnings: Fluff!

Word count: 3.309

Summary: Flashback to when you met Steve for the very first time. You and Bucky discuss your pregnancy and Steve is overjoyed because he’s going to be a Dad soon.

A/N: 900 FREAKING FOLLOWERS OMG!

A/N without the caps: This is part two to a very random series of mine. It’s based on the song “Catch me if you can” by Walking On Cars.

Disclaimer: I do not own this pic, credit where credit is due.

Catch me if you can Catch me if you can I just got my head down And I’m a little bit scared tonight I need to run just far enough So I can smile again, smile again So I can smile again

You would think that meeting a superhero would take place in the midst of a heated battle, surrounded by fire and flames whilst your anxiety and arousal shoots through the roof when a certain blond and muscular super soldier with a tricolour shield and a fancy stealth suit comes to your rescue and takes you away from all the mayhem and towards a more private and secure location.

Well, I think somebody has seen one too many action movies because that’s certainly, 100% not the case.

But it’s close enough.

The first time you met Steve Rogers, you were simply reading your book on a bench in Central Park when a man with dark glasses and a baseball cap took a seat next to you. Initially you didn’t think much of it and shuffled a little further away so that your thigh would not graze against his. Completely absorbed in your book, you jumped when the stranger suddenly placed his hand on your knee and you met his baby blues with bewilderment and utter surprise.

“My name is Steve Rogers,” he spoke softly enough for only you to understand, peeking over your shoulder with a jumpy half-smile. “You might also know me as Captain America.”

Oh, you definitely knew who he was right off the bat. It was as if your entire nervous system short circuited the moment you locked eyes. There are no words to describe the exact shade of blue that held you captive during those brief seconds he held your gaze. It’s the kind of blue that you don’t find in the colour spectrum simply because it’s so unique.

“Bad men are looking for me and I need your help,” he stresses with a pertinent insistence as takes your hand in his and intertwines your fingers. “I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

Take me by the hand Take me by the hand But don’t you get too close now Cause I’m a little bit scared of life

You nod furiously with your head, adrenaline surging though your veins. Both of you get up from the bench and he guides you through a thick crowd of people strolling in the afternoon sunlight when all of a sudden you see a horde of men holding guns and making their way towards you. You wanted to panic but Steve tugged on your hand and put his arms around your waist, chaining you to his firm chest with a gentle thud.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he announces with an unabashed voice. He doesn’t even bother asking you the question anymore, his mind in full survival mode.

Steve’s cautious at first but then his lips gingerly connect with yours and he’s lost in your touch. He cradles your face in his hands as your fingers weave their way around his neck, tickling the dirty blond hair peeking from underneath his baseball cap. Somewhere deep inside of you, a fuse lights with an impeccable force. There’s no time to backpedal out of this idea so you might as well make the most of it.

I need someone to try and bring Me back to innocence, innocence Me back to innocence

He opens his mouth the slightest when your tongue brazenly caresses his bottom lip but before Steve has the sense to engage any further, you break apart. The men have walked straight past you and didn’t even blink an eye. “Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable,” Steve shrugs as he looks away shyly.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard,” you chuckle lightly, his luscious eyelashes on full display when you drink in the vicinity of his overwhelming presence as your heartbeat returns to a steady pace.

What happens next is just a series of incoherent, awkward looks shared between you and the blond super soldier, his thumb circling nonsense patterns onto the soft skin of your hand he hasn’t let go of just yet. “So…. Where do you live?,” Steve asks you to break the uneasy silence, shuffling his feet clumsily.

A little caught off guard, you’re not sure if dragging a super soldier towards your small but cosy shared apartment is a good idea. With a wary look, you decide to take your chances, not a fibre in your entire body that’s ready to wake up from this bittersweet daydream. “Not that far actually. A five minute walk.”

Steve’s eyes light up a smidge. “Do you mind if I walk you home?”

Heads up, show down Come home with me Heads up, show down Come home with me

You don’t need to think long about his offer. Not every day you get to play pretend with Steve Rogers and get him to walk you home like the perfect gentleman he is. But then again, he might have an ulterior motive for asking you and just when the coin starts to roll, a loud bang snaps you out of it. Some of the men that are after the Captain have spotted a man quite similar to Steve, same height and built, and have opened fire.

“Oh no, not at all,” you quickly tell him. “If you need a place to lay low for the time being…”

“That would be great,” he speaks in a hushed voice, throwing sideway glances in the general direction of where the gunshots came from, visibly worried for your safety and naturally, his own.

You arrive at your apartment and just as you originally anticipated, you instantly regret the decision of taking none other than Captain America to your little hideout, having forgotten about the decorations that have been adorning your apartment ever since you moved in 5 years ago.

“At least let me explain,” you try tentatively when you see him ogling your abundance of Avengers collectibles.

There’s the Iron Man poster your Dad got you for your 21st birthday that’s hanging proudly above the TV, the Black Widow one in the middle of the kitchen and not to mention the giant replica of Captain America’s shield resting next to the living room couch, right across from the life-size cardboard version of him leaning against the wall.

“My Dad is obsessed with Iron Man,” you clarify timidly. “And then you showed up out of the ice and, well, let’s just say I have a tendency to go overboard when I’m excited. My roommates are the exact same so when we bought this place a couple years ago, we decided we wanted to brighten the place up a bit with our favourite superheroes and bought all the fancy decorations we could find.

Steve shoots you a wide grin yet there’s a tinge of suspicion hiding behind those pearly whites. “And where are your roommates now?”

“Sarah has gone back home for the weekend and Eva is out shopping which, knowing her, can take up pretty much the entire day. We’re good. No fangirling, I promise,” you add with a nervous smile and he noticeably relaxes at your answer, glad he doesn’t have to deal with any overexcited female members of the Captain America fan club fawning over him every few seconds.

You motion for him to take a seat on the couch, subtly removing the cardboard Steve Rogers and repositioning it someplace else where it isn’t staring right back at him. You also attempt to casually make the shield disappear but fail miserably when it clatters to the ground, startling Steve who huffs out a breathy laugh at your silly expression. He must admit you’re quite cute when you look all flustered.

“You know,” he coughs tensely when you’re bustling about in the kitchen, trying to make him a decent cup of coffee. “I’m sorry about… I didn’t mean to blindside you like that. With the kiss, I mean.”

“You have nothing to worry about, I enjoyed it. I’m a complete sucker for 90-year-old virgins from the forties,” you say over the fumbling with the coffee machine before you finally get it to work. But just as the first drops of dark liquid start to fill the cups, the combination of Steve’s uncomfortable silence and the intensity of your honest acknowledgement hits you like a bullet to the brain.

Before you can mentally slap yourself in the face, Steve lets out a bouldering laugh that fills the entire apartment with a warm glow of comfort and ease. The sound is intoxicating and soon you find yourself offering him a radiant smile in return. “I’ll take that as a compliment then,” Steve chuckles, clutching a hand over his heart as he doubles over in laughter once more, the relief rolling off in thick waves.

A curious frown strikes your astounded features. “What that your first kiss since the forties?,” you inquire boldly, shuffling over to the couch and handing him his cup before kicking off your shoes and making yourself comfortable at a respectable distance, making an effort not to invade his personal space by sitting too close because God knows you’ve already crossed enough personal boundaries today.

The mood instantly drops and the room rapidly feels a couple degrees colder. Steve turns his eyes away from your piercing stare. His voice is lower than before when he replies with a husky “Yeah…”

“I just had to ask because you kind of ruined things for me. How am I ever going to find a guy that compares to you?”

It was meant as a joke but once the words are out there you instantly regret speaking with your heart on your sleeve because damn, did you mean every word of it. It’s not a light topic or an easy conversation and the ache in your heart grows for him because you can relate, you can relate so much.

“A beautiful dame like yourself surely has no trouble finding a fella she likes?”

It’s not as much a question as it is a statement, one of insecurity because Steve obviously isn’t used to a woman complimenting him on his kissing abilities and secondly, it’s also a statement of disbelief because in his eyes, you are such a breath-taking specimen, which is why he sat down next to you in the first place.

Deciding you’ve already embarrassed yourself enough that it simply cannot get any worse, you decide to see how much you can push your own limits, throwing something extremely personal into the conversation, one you have no idea where it will lead to.

“This was my first kiss as well,” you disclose gingerly.

Steve’s mouth opens and then closes because honestly, he has no idea how to react to your confession. Just as he had mustered up the courage to ask you if he can kiss you again, your cell phone beeps and you see you’ve just received a message from your Greek roommate, Eva, telling you she couldn’t find what she’s looking for, that’s she frustrated and hungry and on her way down.

Sighing in both disappointment and relief, you close your eyes and pinch the bridge of your nose trying to gently break it to the blond Avenger that his time is up. Steve immediately gets the message and without much further ado, he states it’s time for him to take his leave.

Heads up, show down Come home with me Cause I’m a little bit scared I’m a little bit scared tonight

“Hey,” Steve’s fingers lace around your wrist before you can open the door to let him out. “It was really nice meeting you. Under different circumstances, I would most definitely ask you out.”

To say you were shocked by his abrupt declaration is an understatement. “Under different circumstances, I don’t think we would’ve ever met.”

Steve releases a shaky breath, carding his fingers through his tousled blond locks before adjusting his baseball cap. He knows you’re probably right. “If I never see you again,” he continues with a heavy heart, “Remember that there’s someone out there thinking about you.”

“Steve…,” you whisper kindly before he pulls you in for a chaste kiss. It’s short and sweet and doesn’t last long but it’s long enough to have your heart plummet into the floor beneath your feet in disenchantment when Steve eventually breaks away.

Under different circumstances your heart would break for this man, but there never was anything between you two so there’s no reason for you to be upset. The same, however, applies to Steve. You’ve given him a taste of what it feels like to be a simple man with a girlfriend and a nice apartment. You’ve given him a feeling of the thing he wants most.

“You haven’t even told me your name yet,” Steve mutters with a shy, lopsided grin.

“Y/N. It’s Y/N.”

He caresses your cheek with his thumb, pressing a light kiss to your forehead. “Thank you, Y/N.” and with that he’s out the door and towards his next adventure.

Catch me if you can Catch me if you can A stranger walks beside you And we’re just lovers for the night

“I’m not going to deny it, we’re in a really bad place right now.” You hang your head in defeat, dropping your eyes to ground-level as you continue to toy with the tea bag in your empty cup. “I’ve still got 4 months left and I sense Steve’s anxiety is growing.”

“You’ve already made it this far. That’s a big achievement, Y/N,” Bucky guarantees you, distracting your thoughts with a quiet kiss to your temple. Whatever they may say about this man you do not care about, because all there is to know is this: Bucky Barnes is not a villain, he is your best friend and your boyfriend’s best friend. He is your support system and that’s that.

“Thanks, Buck,” you whisper into his chest, wishing to dissolve into the fabric of his red Henley.

“Y/N,” he says softly, shedding himself of his brotherly persona as his tone transforms into one of deep concern. “You do know I’m not buying it, don’t you?”

You feign innocence, plastering a fake smile on your broken façade. “I don’t know what you mean, Buck.”

 “Y/N,” he repeats your name more sternly, “Talk to someone, Y/N,” Bucky advises with a gentle look in his river blue eyes. “Please. If not for yourself, then do it for Steve and if that doesn’t work, do it for baby Steve.”

This struck a sensitive chord and you sense yourself crumbling down on the inside, your outside staying somewhat neutral by Bucky’s words of advice. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that,” you shrug.

“You might not be an Avenger in title or a Rogers in name, but you are one of us. You are brave and frankly, the most beautiful of all of us. You outmatch Tony and Bruce in wits, Wanda and Natasha in looks and you know how to scare the living shit out of Sam and Clint, which I think is the greatest accomplishment ever. There’s not a doubt that you and Steve will get through this.”

Cocking your head to the side to look into Bucky’s eyes as you speak, you can feel the anguish ebbing away. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” And with that you pull Bucky into another big bear hug.

And when the sun comes up you wake and just And leave it there, leave it there Yeah we can leave it there

You are a flawed person and life reminds you of that on a daily basis. It gets harder and harder for you to live, reality forcing you to switch to a fight or flight module as the breath is ripped from your throat every time you try to make it work. You want to be cleansed of all feelings, you just want to be in love with Steve and not have to worry about anything else, about the consequences your actions bring forth and the desire that has been burnt by the fire and drowned by the rain.

You and Steve can talk for hours on end, laying side by side in the bed. His fingers will skim the exposed length of your arm and you will smile at the tickling sensation, carding your hands through his damp, dirty blond hair and resting your lips on his temple. He closes his eyes when your soft skin connects, his breathing levelling out. The bedsheets will smell exactly like him but their scent will slowly fade like the heartbeat of your unborn baby is destined to do. Yet if there’s anything, anything at all that will prevent the inevitable, you’d go to the end of the earth to make it happen.

You will tell him how much you love him and as you blink away the tears, Steve’s heart will sing a dark, impure falsetto trying to make you understand you’re his one and only. He will try to dodge the bullet but you won’t let him, your introverted nature gaining the upper hand, talking sugar-coated lies in the sweetest of voices. Because that’s what it takes to protect yourself from more pain, another loss, another heartbreak. Another death.

But that’s not what happens.

Take me by the hand Take me by the hand But please don’t want to know me Cause I’m a little bit scared of life

The months go by slowly and you’re left dangling on a thin thread, the regular check-ups with Bruce and Tony only getting more and more frequent as your physique can no longer support the changes your body is undergoing. Not yet bed-ridden but struggling with your health, you attempt to enjoy the little cocoon Steve has constructed for the three of you. His hands are splayed out on your stomach as the baby kicks for the very first time, your giggles amplifying the teardrops spilling from his eyes and dripping onto your naked skin. Steve then leans in to rest his ear on your soft baby hump, cooing his little wonder with a silly, high-pitched voice.

“You know there’s a bet going on,” Steve chuckles quietly, returning his attention back to you as he continues rubbing circles onto your bare belly. Your fingertips wipe away the drops from his cheeks, smiling sweetly at the blond super soldier. “Sam thinks it’s going to be a boy and so does Nat and Bucky. Wanda, Tony and Clint are going for a girl. Thor is even convinced you’re harbouring twins in here,” he jokes as his lips caressing your swollen form.

Steve props himself up on his elbows next to you and as you lift your head to give him a chaste peck on the lips, he laughs tenderly into the kiss. Leaning your forehead against his, you cup Steve’s face in your hands. “I want a boy,” you confess shyly.

“I’ve always wanted a son,” Steve replies lovingly, “But I honestly don’t care whether it’s a boy or a girl. This little bundle of joy is a miracle, our miracle.”

He captivates you with his lips and you merge into his body, you and Steve and the baby becoming one entity. You let go and for one flawless minute there’s nothing else but the feeling of Steve’s loving, plump lips on yours. “You’re still one very talented kisser, mister Rogers,” you joke whilst nudging his nose with the tip of your finger.

“Practice makes perfect,” he replies with a cheeky smile. “You were my first kiss and I’m pretty sure you’ll be my last, Y/N.”

And from the bull is all you need To know, so play pretend, play pretend Oh won’t you play pretend?

Tagging: the ever-wonderful @beccaanne814-blog @avengerofyourheart @a-little-hell-to-raise @unpredictable-firecracker @marvelingatthewonder  @mrshopkirk @hardcorehippos @iiharu-kunii @knittingknerdy @winterwolf57 @winterboobaer @shamvictoria11 @thedragonblood @hymnofthevalkyries @feelmyroarrrr @justareader @ourpeachskies @austinamelio @romanovoff @4theluvofall @seeyainanotherlifebrotha @mehrmonga @themcuhasruinedme@theoneandonlysaucymo @hymnofthevalkyries @kit-kat-coffeeworld @nenyakj @amrita31199 @justareader​

[yikes-universe]

It makes me so sad that Steven Universe didn't "click" with me, even though it has everything I love! It has magical aliens, plenty of girls (or at least coded that way), diversity in shape and personality, nice art when it's on model, a potential interesting backstory, it can be funny, interesting locations. Yet I've never went full-on fangirl mode for it, just mildly engaged. As many have pointed out, it's filled with problems that just add up. I just want the show to reach full potential :(

I can’t relate ( I became OBSESSED even still all my alternating wallpapers are Steven Universe back drops and pictures of SU characters) but that makes a lot of sense, so I feel ya