#genuinely though it's a very good show i just wish someone would have told me what i was getting into because what the fuck

[omni-scient-pan-da]

ONE OF MY INTERNET FRIENDS TOLD ME TO WATCH LINK CLICK HOW DARE THEY BETRAY ME LIKE THIS I WAS NOT GIVEN ANY WARNING ABOUT THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE (/pos) THIS SHOW INFLICTS

THEY LURE YOU IN WITH A COOL PREMISE AND TWO GUYS WHO HAVE HOMOEROTIC TENSION AND MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE SOBBING YOUR EYES OUT UNCONTROLLABLY AT 1:20 IN THE MORNING, NOT JUST CRYING BUT CHOKING BACK UGLY SOBS AND IF ANYONE ELSE WERE TO HEAR YOU THEY'D HAVE GENUINE CONCERN BECAUSE YOU'RE IN SO MUCH EMOTIONAL DAMAGE WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS SHOW

[harunayuuka2060]

Azul: Jade, did you hear something about Floyd writing an autobiography of Granny?

Jade: Why, yes.

Azul: ...

Azul: Does he have the motivation to do that?

Jade: *chuckles* I'm not sure. However, you will see him writing in the kitchen.

Azul: ...

Jamil: How's that autobiography you're doing, Floyd?

Floyd: Going well~.

Ace: Are you seriously writing it? You haven't gotten bored on it yet?

Floyd: What are you trying to say, crabby? That I don't have perseverance?

Ace: N-Not at all, but-

Jamil: Can we read it when it's done?

Floyd: Sure. Granny will read it first though. Hehe~.

Floyd: *showing to Granny the autobiography he's written of her*

Floyd: What do you think, Granny?

Grandma MC: Oh, this is beautiful. The cover and your handwriting... Did you make all of these?

Floyd: *happy nod*

Grandma MC: *genuinely happy smile* I am going to treasure this forever.

Floyd: You should, Granny. I will never make this again to anyone.

Grandma MC: *chuckles* Oh, I feel so special knowing that.

Grandma MC: What would you like as a thank you gift?

Floyd: Surprise me, Granny.

Grandma MC: I'm not really good with surprised, but I will try my best, son. *smiles*

Vil: *reading Granny's autobiography* ...

Vil: We need to make a TV series out of this.

Rook: Oui! I completely agree!

Epel: Um... No offense.

Epel: But I would rather not see anything like that...

Vil: Why not?

Epel: ...

Epel: I think no one in Twisted Wonderland can depict what Granny is like.

Vil: ...

Vil: You have a point.

Rook: You're certainly right, himeringo. How about we travel back in time instead?

Vil and Epel: ...

Malleus: I can't travel back in time, however, it is possible for me to view someone's past.

Lilia: Indeed. That would need some magic which will not be a problem for Malleus.

Sebek: Rejoice, human! Waka-sama has granted your wish!

Ace: Should we do like, a movie viewing?

Riddle: If there's a way to record the events-

Idia: I'll do it. With the help of Ortho, of course.

Ortho: Sure thing!

Vil: Have you informed this to Granny?

Deuce: Yes. She told us to enjoy and she'll cook us food while she waits for us.

Trey: *chuckles* We're all getting spoiled.

Vil: I'll be informing Leona, Azul, and Kalim about our plans.

Lilia: It would be easier if we just make an announcement.

Grandma MC: Are you not going to join them, Grim?

Grim: Hmph! It's way better to stay here and enjoy your food, Granny!

Grandma MC: *chuckles* Is that so? Or you just don't want to be jealous?

Grim: Me? Jealous? As if! *has read in the autobiography that Granny had her first-ever cat*

Grim: You know that, Granny! I can't be compared!

Grandma MC: Of course. *cuddling him* Grim is a very handsome and smart kitty. *petting him*

Grim: *giggles* Praise me more, Granny!

[mcflymemes]

PORTAL 2 PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue from the 2011 video game, adjust as necessary

when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! make life take the lemons back! get mad! i don't want your damn lemons!

best case scenario, you might get some superpowers. worst case, some tumors.

science isn't about why. it's about why not.

the next test is very dangerous.

before the wright brothers invented the airplane, anyone wanting to fly everywhere was required to eat 200 pounds of helium.

to help you remain tranquil in the face of almost certain death, smooth jazz will be deployed in three... two... one.

please disregard any undeserved compliments.

all right, i've been thinking.

what am i supposed to do with these?

do you know who i am?

oh, i like this guy.

he says what we're all thinking.

you can head on back to your desk.

well, this is the part where he kills us.

hello. this is the part where i kill you.

i know you.

no! i'm not listening! i'm not listening!

you're lying!

you're not just a regular moron. you were designed to be a moron.

i am not! a moron!

now who's a moron?

could a moron do that?

i can't see it though. maybe it fell off.

do you want to go and have a quick look?

are you alive? that's important. should have asked that first.

i'm going to work on the assumption that you're still alive.

i'm just going to wait for you up ahead.

i'll wait one hour.

brilliant! go team!

i think we can put our differences behind us.

hi. so. how are you holding up?

good, that's still working.

here are the test results.

you are a horrible person.

i'm serious. that's what it says.

we weren't even testing for that.

don't be alarmed, all right?

good work getting this far.

i wish i could take it all back. i honestly do.

i'm in space.

if i were ever to see her again, do you know what i'd say? i'd say "i'm sorry." sincerely.

i am sorry. i was bossy and monstrous... and i'm genuinely sorry.

you made it through! well done!

okay, follow me. we've still got work to do.

what's happening?

okay... don't move.

so i've got an idea, but it is bloody dangerous. here we go.

they told me that if i ever turned this flashlight on, i would die.

they told me that about everything.

i don't even know why they bother giving me this stuff if they didn't want me to use it.

look at you, soaring through the air like an eagle.

i'm different!

prometheus was punished by the gods for giving the gift of knowledge to man. he was cast to the bowels of the earth and pecked by birds.

it won't be enough. the answer lies beneath us.

oh, it's dark down here, isn't it?

i'm proud of you.

now we are a family again.

that last test was seriously disappointing.

just work with me.

some of my best friends are actually orphans.

you look ugly in that jumpsuit.

that's not my opinion.

i'll be honest. we're throwing science at the wall here to see what sticks.

no idea what it'll do.

i knew someone was alive in here!

you'll know when the test starts.

oh thank god you're all right.

i thought you were my greatest enemy, when all along you were my best friend.

the best solution to a problem is usually the easiest one.

i'll be honest. killing you? is hard.

i had a pretty good life. and then you showed up.

you know what? you win. just go.

it's been fun. don't come back.

this sentence is false.

to be honest, i might have heard that one before.

you know, i'm not stupid.

i realize you don't want to put me back in charge.

i'm being serious. i think there's something really wrong with me.

we should get our stories straight.

no, we're not stopping!

don't make eye contact, whatever you do.

i feel awful about that surprise.

oh, that's sad. but impressive.

we're running out of time.

you've probably figured it out by now, but i don't need you anymore.

i'm afraid you're about to become the immediate past president of the being alive club.

the square root of rope is string.

okay, what you're doing there is jumping.

you know what? that's close enough.

you saved my bacon.

is this a jailbreak?

the next test is very dangerous.

it's been a long time. how have you been?

i've been really busy being dead. you know, after you murdered me.

you out having yourself a little adventure?

no, don't get up. i'll be right back.

you're unqualified!

what if this hurts? what if it really hurts? oh, i didn't think about that.

get your hands off me!

i can't see a thing! what just happened?

i don't have any bullets.

did you feel that?

you were busy back there.

that's funny. i don't feel corrupt.

i've got an idea! do what it says!

look how small you are down there!

do you have any idea how good this feels?

sorry, fellas. she's married. to science.

let me answer those questions with a question. who wants to make sixty dollars?

yes, all right, okay, this is getting tiresome.

well done. good. aren't you little miss clever. little miss smashy smash.

does it actually make you feel good when you do that?

it's not impressive.

what is this, like a hobby for you now?

i'm beginning to actually take it personally.

it's like an insult to me.

oh, there goes another one.

it's vandalism! it's pure vandalism!

it's just us talking like regular people.

are you going to open this door?

where'd you go? come back!

[timmydraker]

TW: Genshin impact, I’m so sorry please forgive me for this

What Visons I think characters in Bat family might have:

Dick: Genuinely not because of his loss, I feel Dick would have Anemo due to his childhood. Being up high, feeling that risk and reward so much and making me people happy, all while constantly travelling and doing as he wishes all comes down to freedom. He got to be free to be himself in the circus, a world where anyone can be anyone.

Barbara: Geo for sure. She very clearly wants to be the best she can for her father, but more importantly she wants to protect him and earn his praise and respect. Not just him, Bruce too. I think if that wasn’t enough it would be after her spinal injury and how goddam hard she worked after that to get her life back together, to stay strong and prove to people she’s still capable and the best person for the job. Her determination is unyielding, even if she had bad days.

Jason: pretty obvious I think, Cryo. From his perspective and from what he was told my the League, he was abandoned by Bruce. It was an actually a betrayal from the one person who he could rely on constantly aside from Alfred.

Tim: Pyro, out of all the robins he’s arguable the most dedicated to his passion of heroes and Batman. Not to say he adores Bruce the most, but I feel he had the most drive when it came to being around and knowing about Batman and his meaning.

Cassandra: after being raised to be an assassin and being locked away from the world, I see her as someone with both too much understanding of the world and not enough. Electro suits her both in colour and because of how she views the world in status and weaknesses. It’s not ‘programming’, just a viewpoint that she sometimes can’t look past.

Stephanie: her desperation to be Robin only to have it taken from her and then that need and drive to make a name for herself leads me to believe she would be Geo. She’s often shown to be focused on training and being the best she can, working tirelessly to achieve her goals and not be how her father wanted her to be.

Damian: All of Damian’s life he was trained to kill and destroy, basically being groomed to want to take over the world. I think he’d have Dendro, specifically I think he would get that when he first sees how broken down Bruce is when he sees his son attempt or actually kill someone and want to be different. He’d want to learn what Bruce feels and means, he’d want to achieve the goal (dream) of being the Robin Bruce seems to have faith he can be. Electro would make sense too though.

Bruce: Hes a victim of Anemo, both because of his great loss but also because of how he wants to make the world better both because of his parents teachings and their unjust death.

Duke: I think he’s defiantly Hydro and that doesn’t even need to be because of his parents death. Him being a Meta is so important to his character and shows how he wants to be good, wants to not be like the monsters some people view Metas as. His drive to help people and be worthy of Batman’s legacy.

Bonus:

Alfred: 100% Pyro, just like Thoma he’s beyond dedicated and passionate about his job, working hard to keep both the family and manner in order. He’s not just loyal but attentive to every detail and part of his world, whether it be the organisation of the kitchen or making sure everyone of his grandchildren eat.

[bisexualiteaa]

Hello, Lover

Shadowheart x FemTav! Reader [MDNI!!]

CW: established romance, lesbian romance, slight game spoilers, brief mentions of religious trauma, fluffy themes, mentions of alc0hol, suggestive themes, talk of the female anatomy, mentions of f0replay, implied smut, slight deviance from the plot, slight OOC shadowheart, possible grammar/spelling errors, lightly proofread.

Synopsis: Shadowheart shows you a journal entry of the night after you taught her how to swim, showing her that perhaps you’d opened her eyes to more than just how to swim that night.

Words in bold are her writing. Enjoy! 🖤

It was a night like most on the road to Baldur’s Gate, one rested on the same old bedroll you’ve been using since it all started. Resting atop the dirt and cobble beside the dim light of the campfire’s hearth. It was just before you were bunking down for the night that you stopped by Shadowheart’s tent as you normally do.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes” she spoke flirtatiously as you strode up to her, delighted smile on her face to match her tone. You could only smile the same in return, offering a slight giggle in response. “Say’s you, how are you faring?” You asked, genuinely wishing to know how she was feeling after such a long, and emotionally taxing day. “The same as everyone else I’m sure. Tired, anxious, ready to get this tadpole out of my head. Although, I will miss eavesdropping on your thoughts once it’s gone” she teased, making you chuckle. “Nothing a simple detect thoughts spell couldn’t cure, and with less…tentacles for side effects. Though bold of you to assume I wouldn’t just tell you” you replied in kind, making her hum with delight at your response. “True. Speaking of reading thoughts, I have something to show you, if you have a moment?” She asked, reminding you truly of just how far along she’s come and how close you have gotten for her to voluntarily tell you such a thing. “For you? Always” you replied, despite its cliche nature, making her laugh.

You followed her into her tent, ever curious of what she was wishing to show you. For a moment you’d thought she wanted you to link minds with her via the tadpole to show you a memory, but your questions were answered upon watching her pick up a book instead. Only then did your mind begin to form other questions, ones you knew would be answered soon. As she brought out the book, she also grabbed a carafe of wine and two glasses for you to share, a nightly ritual you both have begun to indulge in together as opposed to indulging apart. “Are you wanting to read me a bed time story?” You asked teasingly, but as you watched her sit down before you, you realized maybe you had been correct in that assumption. “Actually? Yes” she replied, patting the space next to her as a gesture for you to join. One you were quick to heed.

As you sat down next to her, she poured wine into the goblet next to you before pouring some into her own. “Fancy, are we starting a book club?” You asked, making her laugh. “While that doesn’t sound unpleasant, the wine is more for me to drown out my embarrassment” she replied, making you look to her as she handed you the book. Upon closer inspection it appeared to be a journal of sorts, and that’s when you put the pieces together. She was showing you her journal. Her personal journal. “I’ve carried this with me since nearly the very beginning of our journey together. I was told by someone once that journaling could help heal, allow you to look back on yourself and see how you’ve grown” she stated. “Well, one night I’m afraid I had too much wine and fancied myself a writer. I thought you might enjoy it” she finished, making you look back down to the leather cover that has certainly seen better days before it’s time spent with you all on the road. “Are you sure? It’s a personal thing, I can understand if you’d rather keep it to yourself” You asked. “As much as I would, I think this is simply too good not to share” she said playfully, making you giggle with her as you had a sip of your wine.

As you opened it, you marveled at her handwriting. It was elegant, the ink neatly applied to the pages without so much as a smudge and smelled faintly of wine, flowers and something a little deeper. Just like her. The first handful of pages were the typical journal entries, recounting the earlier days of your travel together. As you pressed further however, you stumbled upon a few pages of something different. Poetry. It was something you wouldn’t have guessed she’d have dabbled in, but her writings were delightful and well spoken nonetheless. “I didn’t think you to be a poet” you said playfully, turning to her as she sat next to you, reading the pages over your shoulder. “I didn’t either, you’re quite the inspiration” she said, making a heat rise to your cheeks in fluster at her compliment. “Keep going, it gets better” she said, making you turn through the pages in search for the one she seemed to be pointing you in the direction of. Page after page of poetry, attempted love letters, attempted notes, you’d finally stumbled across an entry that seemed to be the one she was trying to show you.

You looked to her before reading it, almost as if asking her permission only to earn a gentle “go on” in response. You saw the date of the entry, remembering it to be the night in which you shared in one another for the first time. The night you taught her how to swim.

How lovely she is. To think she was nothing but a stranger not that long ago, and to know now that she owns my whole heart, is truly the most unexpected gift. You read, your heart feeling warm in your chest as you read it, bringing a smile to your face. Now as I gaze upon her, watching as her frame sits beside the campfire, all I can think is how I love her. How the fire emits a golden glow against her skin, how it dances in her eyes that have had me transfixed. Her gaze which sends my heart to a frenzy. She makes even the smallest things seem so simple, so easy, reminding me that nothing is impossible. you continued to read, feeling your chest swell at the thought of her finding you so inspiring, that she looked up to you. That she trusted you. It was a gift you would never take for granted.

Today, she taught me how to swim. While the others were asleep, her and I snuck off down the coast a little to the water. I could still feel the cold, dark hands of the shadowfell all over me, could still hear the vile whispers of Shar in my ears. I’d felt unclean. She apologized to me as if it were her fault, as if she hadn’t brought me to the light. As if she hadn’t seen more within me and guided me to the much happier path I now lead. There was something I knew that would help that feeling go away, and I knew more than anything that I wanted to experience it with her. So as we made it to the beach, I sprung upon her a swimming lesson, telling her to strip of her clothes to join me. If I was to do this, I most certainly wasn’t going to be going in it alone. Yet I knew I needn’t fear, despite her shocked expression, she indeed joined me. Though I will admit, I rather enjoyed watching her undress before me, a detail I’m sure hadn’t gone unnoticed. you read, making you chuckle to yourself a little. “My, you have quite the way with words, how come you never tell me such things in person?” you said, making her flush a little as she read that last line with you. “Like I said, perhaps I was a glass too many in. Besides, what fun would it be if I told you all the time? Your ego would be far too big” she replied, making you both laugh. “Trust me, it gets better” she added, so of course you turned your attention back to the book.

I watched as she turned around, her hands grasping at the bottom of her shirt before pulling it over her head. I wished she hadn’t, getting to see her in all her glory is something I’ve spent a fortnight thinking about. However, in that moment, the saying “good things come to those who wait” spoke volumes. Soon I watched her glance at me over her shoulder with a flirtatious grin, one I could only return in kind before watching her bend down to strip herself of her pants and leathers. Gods she’s marvelous. Watching her hands run down her hips as she undressed herself left me almost jealous. How I craved to touch her in that moment, to run my hands along her frame, to watch as a blush would tint her cheeks at the closeness. It was then I knew that tonight was to be the night. You you continued to read, feeling a heat rise up your neck to your cheeks. You picked up your goblet and brought it to your lips for a sip, making a sound of intrigue at the passage you’d just read. “This is good” you said, earning a chuckle from her as she rested her chin against your shoulder, taking the occasional sip from her own glass.

It was as her eyes trailed my form, standing bare before her that I’d never felt so vulnerable. She gazed upon me like I once used to look upon every statue of Shar. With worship. It send tingles beneath my skin and gooseflesh along my body. I was vulnerable, but I wasn’t alone. I remember her telling me that I looked beautiful, almost seeming to take the words from my mouth that I wished to tell her. It’s certainly a moment I will never forget. The way her gaze fell on me caused a burning ache within me I fear I may never rid of. Nor do I want to.

She led me into the water, her hand gently enveloped in mine, helping me tread deeper and deeper into the depths of the water. It was cold, bitterly cold. The sort of cold that chills you to the bone, yet I’d felt so energized. I remember when my feet no longer touched the bottom, no longer feeling the sand beneath my feet. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. Just a moment prior I doubted I’d be able to even enter, but with her there with me, I knew I could do it. All she could do was watch and smile, as if silently cheering me on. Though I could sense there was more than that in her gaze. Before I could come up with something truly witty, she splashed me with the water, making me turn and laugh before I retaliated with the same. Taking it in stride, as she does with most everything it seems, she leaned back into the water, dipping her full body into it before rising back up, leaving me to sit and admire her.

Her hair was now damp, slicked back from her face as water cascaded down her neck to her chest, trailing between her bosom. Her nipples sat hard from the frigid temperature, a symptom I no doubt shared in. It made her all the more ethereal. It was then that I could no longer keep denying myself, if she would have me, I would have her. And have me she did. you continued, enjoying her recounting of your moment together.

I beckoned her closer, watching her swim to me to close the distance between us. Her hands came to rest against my hips beneath the water, and suddenly all fear was lost. She pulled me close, her eyes searching mine, waiting perhaps for me to make the next move. So I did. The feel of her plush, soft lips against mine will always be the perfect remedy. Suddenly the water wasn’t so cold anymore, perhaps it was the heat of her skin against mine, or the warmth rising within me from the contact. I’ll never be sure, but I knew then that I didn’t want the night to end. Not just yet anyway. She taught me that I could face anything on my own, that I could do it without Shar. In that moment my heart and soul felt truly free. No longer did I need to worry of Mother Superior and her demands, or of doing all the things that would appease her, I could instead focus on my own happiness, my own life.

I hadn’t imagined she would take me on the beach that night, or how enjoyable it would be. I’d read stories of lovers intertwining upon the sand as the sun would rise or set, but this was nothing like that. It was better. There was little fear of us being out in the open, we were far from our companions back at camp, and far enough away from town to be happened across. Despite the pebble beneath me, nothing stopped us from showing each other how we really feel. Her kisses lit my skin ablaze, feeling her bare skin against mine as she sat atop of me only made me want her even more. It was heaven the way she littered them down my neck, leaving my eyes to flutter shut as she made her way to my chest. There her hand toyed with one, as her lips indulged the other, her fingers pinching and rolling my sensitive bud as her tongue circled the other. How it had been so long since I’d been touched like that, how it had been so long since anyone stoked the embers brewing within my belly. With her they rose to flames, cascading through my veins like lava.

If her lips were soft and sweet, her tongue was most certainly the most sinful indulgence I’d ever partaken in. Her gaze fell upon me as she descended, her lips pressing sweet butterfly kisses along my skin as she moved, soon her tongue was dragging along my stomach before she was resting between my thighs. Her eyes looked up at me for permission, I’ll never forget the fire in her eyes. The look of being wholly and completely desired by someone. Nothing compares to that feeling. Nothing compares to her. Her heart, her mind, her bravery, her surprisingly…dexterous nature. As I bunk down tonight, I know I will dream of the way she held me, dream of the way her hands ghosted my body, how she brought me pleasure in ways I’d never been given before. Most of all, I’ll dream of the life we will have together after this adventure comes to an end, my only hope is that she shares that same dream. You finished reading, a smile resting on your lips as you turned to her. “You’re quite the romantic when you’re wine drunk” you quipped playfully. “You pest, I’m a romantic all the time” she joked in return, making you both laugh as you set the journal to the side. “That was lovely” you said turning to her, smiling as a slight blush creeped to her cheeks. “Do you really think so?” She asked timidly, almost as if she was shocked to hear it. “I do, your writing is quite elegant. You speak of our romance in the way poets and bards dream to encapsulate in their writings. Hells, I’d go as far to say you even put Gale’s verbosity to shame” you said, making her giggle again as she rested her head against your shoulder, both of you having well cleared through the entire carafe of wine by now.

“Tell me, did you dream of me that night?” You asked, making her grin as you grabbed her empty goblet from her hand and placed it to the side with your own. “Bold of you to assume, but yes, I did. You?” She asked, curiosity in her tone. “Every night. I often think back to that night, or to the night we shared after the tiefling party when we saved them. I think of you always because I share that same dream” you answered, grabbing her hand in yours with a delighted smile. “Good, because I don’t want this to end” she replied, looking to you as she said it, making you chuckle. “I’d never dream of it” you replied truthfully. “Best not, and that’s a threat, not a warning” she quipped in response, making you laugh before you pulled her in for a soft, sweet kiss. “Shall I prove it to you like I did that night?” You asked, making her grin into it. “I thought you’d never ask” she replied, her arms wrapping around you before she pulled you down with her as she fell to her back. Neither of you got even a wink of sleep that night, but it was well worth it.

[everythingblackblack]

Hakuba always asking the criminal why instead of dehumanising them and putting words in their mouth is so important. I feel like based on that alone criminals who are in prison or have finished their sentences would be very eager to help him and care for him. I can easily imagine him helping them get good lawyers and checking up on them to ensure they aren't falling through the cracks of the rehabilitation/justice system. He might even ask for their opinion on how a crime was committed as they 'have more knowledge on the subject' when he viisits/calls. Also considering how often he just does his own thing and doesn't tell the police stuff, I feel like he takes after Holmes and is mainly involved in cases that interest him to enjoy the puzzle aspect of figuring out the mystery. He would have made friends based on doing independent investigations for free, it's not like he needs the money. Though sometimes having an official relationship with a client, like being properly hired, helps. The main reason he wants to be well known is to increase the chances of him getting fun cases and being more trusted with important ones where he can genuinely help people.

I really like this. Hakuba is not only about justice, but about real change, there are people out there who make serious mistakes, but instead of judging them, he tries to get them to change and not make those mistakes again.

Someone had told me before that it is likely that Hakuba behaved like Sherlock Holmes, who used his money for charity as he wished, it totally reminds me of what you are telling me. I like the idea that Hakuba gets along with some criminals, maybe even some of them volunteered to investigate other criminals and pass him information. I had the thought that Hakuba actually has a whole team of ex-convicts as bodyguards who stay behind him, but they only show themselves in the light if Hakuba asks them to.

[kell-eramis]

My Thoughts and Criticisms on Earthspark:

Before anyone has a knee jerk defensive reaction to this, I’m not saying anyone’s bad for watching, or that you’re not allowed to like it. I just ask that you take into consideration what I’m about to say.

While I have issue with pacing, the deus ex machina in the last batch, the way it doesn’t explain much and expects the viewer to fill in details from other continuities (IDW+Prime especially), and the way character arcs are done (especially Grimlock, Starscream, and Shockwave), I’m going to focus on one aspect that pervades through much of the show itself: the topic of xenophobia and anti-immigration.

This topic is first introduced with the main villain, Mandroid, who “wants to defend Earth from Cybertronians, no matter the cost”. If it was just this, it would not be an issue, as many villains in the past have adopted the same kind of thinking (Silas, Skywatch, Sector 7, etc). However, the second batch introduced other specific allegories: the way humans treat Cybertronians. Tarantulas alludes to the idea that “humans will never be able to cohabitate with Cybertronians” so he chooses to attempt to disguise himself as human in order to live freely.

However, it is completely introduced in the second batch finale. One of Robbie’s friends from Philadelphia (portrayed as visibly latino, might I add) is seen defending “Transformers go home” graffiti. For me, it bore a strong resemblance to the sentiment of “go back where you came from”, which is often used as an anti immigrant sentiment. This is just one detail but it entrenches the primary conflict: the Terrans defending their (and the Cybertronians) place on Earth.

This is emphasized by Mandroid’s reappearance in that same episode, once again saying that he wishes to rid Earth of Cybertronians. It is revealed he is making Cybertronians fight each other in an underground fighting ring for energon (you know, the thing Cybertronians need to survive) and dismantling the loser for his own purposes. While this is not something I can speak to, I have been told that this is also reminiscent of human trafficking, something brown immigrants are susceptible to. All of this, combined with the graffiti and the way it implied that a good amount of humans feel the same way, Mandroid’s motivation, and GHOST’s existence as an organization to police Cybertronians and lock up “bad Cybertronians” (which they even refer to the Terrans as “undocumented Transformers” that must be captured… I feel as though that needs no elaboration.)—this of course is any Cybertronian who is not GHOST that is just trying to survive (like Tarantulas, Breakdown, or Bumblebee), not just “evil” Decepticons.

Then, it is revealed that Croft and Mandroid are working together, and that Croft has a space bridge with the intention to invade Cybertron, and the both of them want to kill any energon based organism.

These anti immigration allegories were handled very badly to me. I’m someone who was affected personally by 45’s anti immigration and racist policies (I will not elaborate further and please don’t assume anything), and it genuinely did hurt seeing how it was handled in Earthspark.

Firstly, it’s a false equivalency. The Cybertronians did bring their civil war to Earth. They did cause many people to get hurt. This same argument of bringing violence to (particularly, USA and Canada) is often used to argue for anti immigration laws. However, it is (especially USian) imperialism that has led to the violence they use for that argument. By using this false equivalency to represent an “immigrant struggle”, it does more harm than good.

Secondly, they focus solely on the oppression, rather than how the Cybertronians can make a home on Earth. The immigrant experience is not just suffering and oppression, it’s something that can be beautiful. Making a new home, a new community, new friends, becoming a new person is an incredible experience! But Earthspark does not focus on any of that, which is a shame, because Transformers can be a good medium to show immigrant narratives! The most we get is what Bumblebee experiences with the Maltos, but that’s only really shown in one or two episodes, and beyond that he’s mostly just the Terrans’ instructor. It’s also less of a focus on the creation of a new home, rather just settling into a new role as instructor.

Thirdly, up until this last batch, the actions GHOST were taking were seen as justified—the ones imprisoned were “evil Decepticons”, and even though it’s brought up to Optimus a few times that it’s unjust what their options are, he does not do anything. To me, based on the evidence I’ve seen, it’s meant to be an allusion to ICE. This allusion is flawed for the reasons I stated above, but also the fact that the prisoners were only freed upon learning that Croft and Mandroid were working together against Cybertronians, and not beforehand, even though it was always an unjust thing, felt offputting.

Ultimately, you’re allowed to like it. You’re allowed to love it! I did want to inform people, however, because this kind of writing IS harmful because it appropriates a struggle that cannot be accurately depicted without nuance and without input from affected communities. It personally soured the whole show for me, as it pervades the entire theme. If you have any questions, corrections, or ideas you want to posit, I’ll be happy to listen (I’m not turning my replies back on after what happened to my Miguel post but my inbox is open), but please be respectful.

[mysticmikalla]

Stardew Valley Bachelors Reactions to you cheating on them

Harvey

Harvey was never someone who felt extremely

He was someone who navigated life pretty level-headed, at least he liked to think he did

It wasn’t until you came, long after he believed he’d never be or feel extraordinary, that he began to really feel

Your first kiss, or your wedding day, for example, he felt so extremely happy that he thought that was what his patients described a panic attack as

The elevated pulse, the shakiness, the world having a slight spin to it

But in a good way, a very good way

And when it came to your infidelity, he felt it deeper

It was funny, though, cause you didn’t think he did. He was quiet for the most part, you did most of the talking, the explaining, the crying, the begging

He never yelled, or cried, or begged, he just sat

And eventually he would get up, “I understand”, and leave

That hurt more, somehow

He didn’t even cry that night. Or the night after. Harvey was so stunned, so speechless that this had happened to him, to us, that he just did not register it at first

He would go about his days as usual, just numb, and maybe slightly nauseous

Maybe he was done feeling the extremes you introduced him to

But he was wrong, and on a random weekday it hit him

It hit him so hard he had to close his office early and just cry. He was dizzy and so sick to his stomach that he couldn’t eat for days

He would never show this side in public, however - the next day, he opened his practice as usual, checking in with George as he did on Wednesdays, and eventually even started going back to the weekly Zumba classes again

Nobody will ever know how he grieves at night, especially not you. You do not deserve to know him like that anymore

Shane

Of course

Like, of course this would happen

It’s not like Shane distrusted you or the love you claimed you felt for him, either

But something was bound to go wrong, right?

Whether it be your death, a fuckup on his part or some other tragedy that befell the two of you, there was no way he was going to stay happy

It never lasts for me

Old habits die hard, but Shane just wanted to die

Not in a dramatic sense, either, but when he started seeing the bottom of the bottle on a daily basis again, he genuinely didn’t think there was a way out of this, he would not survive it this time

I wish he wouldn’t blame himself, but of course he did

Only he would be bad enough, dirty enough or broken enough to drive someone as good as you away

It had to be his fault. He wouldn’t go back to you anyway, but it had to be his fault

Was he actually so repulsive that he drove you into someone else’s arms? Did he drag you down so much that you needed to get away that badly?

You had him believe he wasn't bad, or repulsive, but then again, you fucked someone else, so what was he supposed to believe?

It took him a while to realize that you were never as good as he thought you were. But that didn’t help. All he was left with now was resentment towards you and resentment towards himself. There were not winners here

It won’t be as dark as that first year without you was, but Shane will never be happy again, not truly

Sam

He was a blubbering mess when you told him

The mixture of disbelief and the understanding that, oh, that’s why you’ve been off lately was entirely too much to handle, too much and all at once

Sam was always self assured, and he made friends and somewhat deep connections with people pretty easily

But none of that came close to what you two had

The relationship had always been easy - from the moment you two met, it was just so easy

And friendship led to a crush, a glance or two and sweaty palms

And then he was infatuated, and while always a daydreamer, Sam would think about you so much he couldn’t sleep

The love and respect he thought blossomed from that was so deep that it was untouchable

So did something so easy, so natural and good become one of the worst things that ever happened to him?

He’d kiss you, desperate, and in between kisses he would beg, “That’s not true, is it? Tell me it’s not true. I love you.”

And when he found that you weren’t kissing back, he would back away and mumble, “It’s true, isn’t it?”

Sam would need to see you again after you broke up - he still needed to understand, or know, or just express how angry and frustrated he was, and how dare you do that to him

He had a lot of support from his family and community- everyone loves Sam, and it was hard not to take his side on this one. That's what ultimately got him through it

But like never before in his life, he will question and doubt a good thing before it gets too good next time, if there’s ever a next time

Sebastian

He would not allow himself to feel

After hearing it as a rumor, then reluctantly confirming it with you, Sebastian would do anything to not feel what you had just done to him

Whether it was keeping himself busy with work, getting so high that he would forget your name, listening to such loud music that he couldn’t hear himself think, or all three at once, he would hold onto his anger and hope that grief would not reach him

He told you to stay the fuck away, and he would do his best to avoid you. Not once did he try to reach out and express his anger, or even stalk you on social media or ask about you.

God, especially not ask about you, he could not let himself be that pathetic

Withdrew socially even more, although when he did go out to the saloon, Sam and Abby noticed a new habit, how he would have to have a drink or three

Sebastian was never much of a drinker

It wasn’t until you inevitably ran into each other again that it really hit him that you weren’t his anymore

How he wouldn’t be able to come up to you and just talk and just be him, you know? Saturday nights weren’t his to look forward with you anymore

That your skin and your hair and your scent weren’t his, and even worse, they had been someone else’s, you had been under someone else

That’s when he would grieve. Then he would cry. That’s when he would realize that grief needed to be felt in order to be healed

And he would grieve, in his own way. He would take his time until eventually he could stand being around his family again. They tended to hover nowadays.

He allowed himself to miss and to think of you until the thoughts were no longer sad, or angry, just indifferent.

And now Sebastian is over you

Elliot

They say heartbreak is the strongest muse of all

Or at least he read it once, a few years ago

Now Elliot disagrees

At first, he did not believe it when he was told. He flat out denied it, almost letting out a chuckle at how ridiculous the thought of you being unfaithful was

I mean, there was no way. Your love was that of novels and songs, the kind that was eternalized in drawings and paintings worthy of museums

It had to he a misunderstanding, he was sure, and he hardly had to spend too much energy thinking about it

But when it came time to ask you, the way your smiled faded and lips formed into an apology, Elliot’s whole world collapsed

He would be silent

There were too many words and questions he needed to ask but didn’t actually want to know

Now to render a writer speechless... That was a feat, MC

Afterwards, he would not write or compose for months, almost a year. He did not want to, he did not have an ounce of inspiration, a drop of desire to create

And then, as predicted, everything he created was molded from his heartbreak, which he despised, which he thought was ugly and undeserving and would eventually just end up scraping.

It will take him years to produce something he is finally proud of again

Alex

Like Elliot, he would not believe it at first

But unlike Elliot, the thought did start to bother him enough that he needed to confront you pretty soon after he heard the gossip, the rumors

And even after a silent nod of your head and the tears brimming in your eyes, he did not want to believe

He would come close to you, grab you gently by the shoulders, and plead with you that it was a lie, or at least a very sick joke which he could eventually forgive you for

“With who? When? How many times?” He would ask again and again, frantic, but then dismiss your answer before you could give it

You talked for a long time that night, taking turns pleading and crying and yelling and then begging

Alex then stormed off, slamming the door shut, as if he could outrun what you had just told him

At first he was confused, and he seriously considered forgiving you and going back. There was just no way he could see himself without you anymore… How could you so effortlessly discard him? Maybe it was a one time thing....

That confusion would soon turn into more anger after enough support from his grandparents and Haley talking him out of giving in

After that, no way could he ever see himself going back. He deserved better. Fuck that. And fuck you, too

[karliahs]

i'm watching season 6, jaku fight, and i must. Scream

literally i told myself i was just gonna watch a couple of eps while i had dinner and folded laundry and now it has been. multiple hours. i'm so hype i may pass away. this show RULES

people say screaming crying etc as hyperbole but i have been. whisper-screaming so as not to be a dick to my neighbours. and crying. God!!!!

there is genuinely a lot of stuff i didn't know about. most crucial of which being. SO THAT’S HOW TWICE DIES, HUH? goddamn. i'm genuinely surprised i managed to not know that until now. fucking christ hawks. this is all so insane.

me pre s5, a fool: yeah i know people enjoy the lov a lot but it's just not my bag

me an hour ago, actively crying: he was,,,, lucky,,,

briefly managed to have a coherent thought among the hype and it's that i fucking adore twice talking about how the league is a place where they haven't given up on him for making mistakes to...hawks. who it seems has never ever been in a place where he could be anything less than perfect. and has been put under insane hideous pressure from such a young age. treated as disposable. sent into the lions den over and over. it's genuinely damning. also hawks basically having to live in a different genre to everyone else. he doesn't get a fun high school superhero adventure story, he gets a fucking dark espionage thriller. and he's 22.

hawks diversion almost over but i will say i had a brief moment right after he was first introduced where i was like hm they have kind of defanged (detaloned?) the drama of his double-bluffing a little early, bc they were very quick to reveal that no the number 2 hero is not ACTUALLY working for the league or meta army. but then they put best jeanist's probably fake corpse (jorpse) in a duffle bag and I've been incredibly along for the ride since then. this slaps.

and i had absolutely 0 idea about the entire arc of the league attacking the liberation army and again was not expecting it to be my bag bc I'm generally not a villain guy but...damn,,, and while i did kind of know the bare bones of shigaraki's backstory......christ alive

okay back to jaku screaming

the stuff i DID know about is hitting me like a truck. i knew full well aizawa gets hit with the quirk-erasing bullet and i was still yelling no no no at my screen as though that would change anything

hrg. i rly need the closure of finishing out this arc but also idk how much more hype i can take rn. i wish there was someone here to scream with me so i'm screaming at all of you instead. did you know this content that has existed for literal years at this point,,, is good

also god 😭😭😭😭 the kids and aizawa. "the worst thing would be losing mr aizawa" "please, sir, stay alive" 😭😭😭😭 aizawa thinking of eri as he CUTS HIS GODDAMN LEG OFF. I KNEW BUT FUCK. HE'S SO!!!!!

i can't believe people watched this without being spoiled and knowing everything that happens. i'd have passed away. i could never face this show without the full knowledge that aizawa makes it through okay bc i still kind of worry about him dying even when i know full well it doesn't happen. i love him so so much

[inhibitionfreewriting]

Right Person, Wrong Time (pt1)

(or Wrong Person, Wrong Time, from Hasan's perspective).

this is probably the most purposefully sad thing i've written and i really love it.

edit - 12/10: part 2 / part 3

🌠🌠

People are brought together for two reasons - weddings and funerals.

Hasan was grateful it was the former, though right about now he wished that it was a funeral. His funeral, or your betrothed's if he was really being honest with himself. Once upon a time that could have been him, standing at the end of the aisle and waiting for you to walk down. Your betrothed stands tall at the end of the aisle, hands clasped nervously in front of themselves, staring towards where you are supposed to make your entrance.

Hasan stands with the rest of the crowd and with his height towers over just enough to have a perfect view of you. He can feel his own heart tighten in his chest, beating erratically against his ribcage, drowning out the wedding march out of his ears.

You are ethereal. Dressed to the nines with your hair done to suit your face the best, cheeks with a noticeable twinge of heat to them, and nothing but love radiating from your eyes.

He is happy for you, he tells himself, working on memorizing the way the light hits your face as you walk.

He is not upset that you are reaching for someone else's hand and not his.

He does not seriously contemplate standing up to object to the wedding which is why he sounds surprised as his body moves on it's own to stand say the words "I object." And you are horrified.

"What?" you gasp. How could- no, how dare he show up only to ruin everything! To ruin everything again! Your eyes lock and you are transported back to a memory that you aren't sure Hasan even remembers. (He does.)

"I'd never let you marry some douchebag," he says, tilting his water bottle back for another swig while you're talking on his stream. Neither of you pay attention to chat while you are tapping back through the video.

"Good thing I'm not planning on getting married, marriage is a scam," you keep the video paused and sit back in your spot. "Because what do you really get out of marriage? You can just get your last name changed to someone else's if you want, it just costs money instead of being 'free'. Disability benefits if you're in America get yeeted into the trash can, not that I'm on disability but the point stands." Hasan nodded along listening to you speak.

"I feel like if you get married to someone and things change, it probably wasn't a good relationship in the first place."

"Yes!" You say clapping to accentuate the word, "yes if you need to get married to continue on the relationship? Don't do it. It's a mistake, get out."

"Would you marry me if I asked?" Hasan's voice was genuine and your eyes flicked to the audio levels to see that his voice indeed going through his stream still. It was hard not to stammer and take the question into serious consideration with your eyes focusing on the very quick stream of people screaming in chat. "You're gonna leave me on read in person?"

"No! No, I. Oh my god-"

"You wouldn't marry me? Wow chat, can you believe it? I give my girlfriend a loving spot next to me for a stream and she says no in front of 10 thousand people." The smile on his face was huge, clearly enjoying that you were covering your face in embarrassment.

You hear him say it out loud, "I would never let you marry some douchebag," loud enough that you can see your mother gasp and cover her mouth in response. You cannot move - can't imagine that this is actually happening. Your betrothed looks at you with aggravation and a hint of suspicion. Before you can speak and defend yourself, they cut you off.

"What is he doing? I told you not to invite him, I knew this would happen," your betrothed is much louder than you assume they intended. Their hands come up and they wave them in front of themselves taking a step back and away from you. "For someone who has 'no feelings' for you, he sure is ruining our life right now." You tear your eyes away from them and towards Hasan, who only speaks when you're looking at him.

"You can't marry him," he moves towards the aisle and your to be marches down to meet him but Hasan has strength on him. "You've been uncertain for months, you can't do this to yourself."

"I-I," your voice comes out as a whisper with tears running down your cheeks, the officiant putting a hand gently on your shoulder. Both sides of the families start to try to break up the stalemate that stands with the distance that feels like forever between you and he. You're frantically looking at the people who don't know who to turn to and your father comes to your rescue, stepping up to the two of them, while you pick up your dress with the help of your maid of honor and walk past everything. You can't do this. Not now.

"Not now", you remember saying, standing in front of Hasan on your doorstep. You're still holding hands even if you've just broken up, staring down through tears at the connection of your fingers. "I don't understand."

"I promise it's not you, it's me," he says, smoothing his thumbs over your knuckles. He hasn't looked you in the eyes once since the conversation started, couldn't stand the idea of seeing you cry. "There's just a lot going on right now and trying to commit to someone isn't fair."

"When have-" a deep, shuddering breath, "when have I ever pressured you for more time together? Was I not asking for enough time? Did I... when did being committed to me become such a chore?" You took your hands from him and wiped away at your eyes. The places he touched stung like bees and you took a step back towards your door. "Go - just go, I don't want to be around you right now."

Before he could say anything, you disappeared beyond the barrier of your home, a place he was no longer welcome and wouldn't step inside of for 2 years.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of people getting kicked out of the wedding, your maid of honor trying to salvage whatever she could while you sobbed in the room where a few hours prior you had your makeup done. Two little words, two, and the last three years of your life could collapse like a poorly constructed bridge. You could hear your betrothed yelling and being escorted out by (you assumed) one of your larger cousins and your father.

"Hey honey," your mothers voice carried across the room quietly as she entered, closing the door behind her. She crossed the distance and wrapped you up in her arms as you started to sob again, unable to hear what she was saying as she consoled you from how loud everything else was.

More time passed and eventually you had amassed the important people in your life in the room with you. Your parents, your maid of honor, and a few of of your friends. Your betrotheds family left along with him sans a handful who felt like he was the one being a jackass. Nobody would quite call you calmed down, but you were able to speak through it now, apologizing that this had all been a waste of time. That inviting your ex to your wedding was a bad idea, but you really did feel blindsided by his outburst.

The exhaustion in your bones by the end of the day would have been enough to paralyze a horse. An uncomfortable silence, only disturbed by the phone buzzing occasionally on the bed next to you. You couldn't bring yourself to silence it entirely, convinced that it was keeping you tethered to reality.

11:19 PM

Love of my Life - 17 Missed Calls

Love of my Life - 24 unread messages

Hasanabi - 2 Missed Calls

Hasanabi - 1 unread message

... bzzzt ...

Hasanabi - 2 unread messages

Love of my Life - 18 missed calls

Another time, another day, another life. You'd give up anything to do over today, without the interruption, without letting the next few years of life plans collapse on the whim of someone who dumped you in the first place. Someone who had now broken your heart not once but twice. Twice!

A pathetic choked laugh left your throat before you rolled over, away from sight of the phone and waited for sleep to grace you with it's presence. If anyone asked you to estimate how quickly you fell asleep, you would tell them you didn't. You don't remember ever closing your eyes long enough for time to pass. Restless. Brokenhearted.

A few weeks down the road and you were at what was was supposed to be day one of your honeymoon. Instead of boarding a plane, you were making a call to Will Neff to ask him to tell Hasan to stop contacting you. He even tries to apologize for him.

"I know he fucked up but I really don't think that he..." he trailed off and you didn't have the energy to cut him off. He wants to tell you that Hasan was just doing what he thought was best, he really didn't want you to marry someone who he thought was not good enough for you. "I really don't think that he even meant to do that. I know he's talked about it before but, you always kind of think and hope that it's a joke." He tries for a laugh but it falls flat out of his mouth before he sighs. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Will."

"You can always call me if you need me."

"I know."

"I know he loves you!" Will yelled, gesturing towards the sky. You didn't know it at the time, but Will knew that Hasan had bought you a ring two weeks before breaking up with you. "He loves you because he never shuts up about you, he didn't tell me that he was thinking about any of this at all. It doesn't make any sense." It made you feel better to know that Will was on your side, but if he wasn't talking to him about it, was he talking to anyone?

"I hate him," you say before downing the liquor in your glass and sinking further into your seat. "I never wanna see him again, okay? Gonna delete his number from my phone. Teach him to... teach him to drop the best thing that ever happened to him!"

"Yeah!" Will yelled and slapped his hand against the couch. As supportive as ever, even if his best friend was an absolute dickhead.

"I know he loves you still," Will said after a long slow minute of silence. "I think after all this time he does, in his fucked up Hasan way. I'm not saying you give him another chance-"

"Oh thank you for clarifying, I was almost certain you were going to tell me to get with the man who destroyed the marriage that didn't even have a chance to start."

"I'm JUST saying... feelings make people fuuuuucking dumb." That got the softest chuckle out of you and you weren't sure if Will heard you, but he continued. "It's not an excuse, but at least it can be closure for you. Maybe. Just know he's as stupid as he's always been."

[writingmeraki]

WORTH IT ?

summary : When your best friend, Heechan, sets you up with someone who he knows is the perfect match for you, you begin to contemplate his words when said perfect match almost leaves you stranded. Definitely not the first impression Guesung had hoped for.

pairing : cho guesung x gn!reader, strangers to friends to more (?)

genre : romance, humor (attempt), fluff.

warnings : alcohol consumption, cussing.

author's note : welp pretend this is not a part of a series cause i'm scrapping that idea haha anyways ! let me know what you think ? (not entirely proofread.)

word count : 3.6K

Admittedly you were pissed.

Very pissed because you were not the type to go on blind dates because for one you didn’t believe you’d ever be able to get along with someone who you’d never met in your life, not even once, a typical stranger let alone go on a date with them in your first-time meeting.

But also secondly your paranoia was on another level and you also hated to admit it, you were very nervous. Which is normal right? Yet the thing was you were feeling a little insecure. Insecure about whether the stranger who was going to arrive anytime soon now, yes you had arrived there first, would find you well…attractive.

Then again though,  that is all you were, strangers, and you think you fuck it who cares about their opinions as you down your 2nd cup of ridiculously expensive red wine, it seemingly cooling your nerves as well as leaving a sweet aftertaste that complimented your slightly bitter insecure thoughts. Yet you had gone out tonight, even Heechan, your one and only best friend who was in fact the one who set you up (more like forced to be set up) on this blind date.

He did say the guy was a good friend of his and was the perfect match for you while all you had done was scoff at his words and roll your eyes at the finally finding your perfect match because in your 23 years of existence all men ever did to you was disappoint. [ Except Heechan though but you would never admit it to him.]

You took a deep breath calming your nerves and once again rose your hand up to look at the time on your dainty little watch you adored since you bought it with your very first paycheck.

‘8 :47’ it read and you could not help but frown a bit, unknowingly it had already been 17 minutes past the initial meet up time Kangin had told you on. You do think showing up ten minutes earlier was a bit extra but you thought it was better just in case but now you had been waiting for almost half an hour and you were getting even more bored.

You picked up your phone, ready to cuss at your best friend for setting you up with a no show, his good friend or not, it was still asshole behavior for standing you up. Feeling some inkling of embarrassment begin to creep up your mind as you also realized you did agree on this and skeptical thoughts regarding this Heechan’s so called friend initially agreeing thinking you were desperate and decided to toy with your agreement and not show up.

On the third ring, Heechan picked up and you could hear the slight surprise in his voice because he didn’t expect you to call so…soon.

“Yo Y/N- wait why are you calling me right now? Aren’t you supposed to be on your date?” He asked with genuine confusion and you could tell he had no idea.

Letting out a sarcastic chuckle “Well since you’re so eager to set me up with a self date, I thought why not just call you in hmm?”

“Self date wha- Hold on Guesung is not there?” He asked now with concern hinting in his shock “Trust me I wouldn’t have called you in if your Guesung hadn’t been a no show.”

You spat through gritted teeth in an agitated voice as you ran your free hand through your hair which had taken so much time to do. You were also beginning to feel hot in your coat as it had been a cold night in Seoul so you decided to leave on your coat even though you did feel like ditching it so you could do the cliché your date gives you his coat as you feel cold.

Now you just felt stupid as you wished instead of his coat or jacket, you wished he had been the one to show up. You felt stupid to feel a bit hurt over a fucking stranger but it was not like you didn’t have the right to. Heechan had given you some high expectations through his tales of his friend about how incredible he is and so totally your type. You felt obligated to tell Heechan he owed you a lot, maybe strawberry shortcake with some chocolate milkshakes would make up for it, but still you felt it was not enough.

“You so owe me for this seriously like what an assho-“

“Wait just a minute, Guesung should have been there, he literally left my place at 8 wanting to show up early even when I insisted for him to go like at 8:20 or something.” Heechan defended his teammate who was basically his dongsaeng as well.

“Let me do one thing I’ll call him yeah?” He said as he sat up from his lying down position, and just as you were about to respond him, the little bell on the door jiggled, indicating someone had walked in.

A rush of cool breeze swept in as the man quickly closed the restaurant door behind him, catching his breath as he swept his hand over his previously tame hair which had become slightly messy as though he had been running through the night as the wind tousled his perfectly set pulled back slick hair.

And that was not too far off, as Guesung looked at his own expensive watch that sat on his wrist, cursing mentally as he realized he was late.

Very fucking late.

His eyes lifted up as he tried to smooth down the imaginary wrinkles on his blazer of his Louis Vuitton Suit, fixing up his black tie properly and making sure his hair was once again set as to how it was before, or well tried to but a few impatient strands escaped and rested gently on his forehead.

He scanned the room, hoping you had not actually ditched him because that would imply you already had a judgement on him, which he knew was not a good one as it would also mean you thought you’d been stood up and already concluded him an asshole.

He mentally once again cursed at the paparazzi who had gone absolutely nuts once he had left Heechan’s apartment, following him while shoving their cameras in his face all while the bright lights almost blinded him. He knew to expect this already but he had underestimated his own fame once the world cup had ended, and alas faced the consequences on the worst possible days out of all.

Him being the gentleman he was and also just for the sake of you being a stranger as well, didn’t want them to intrude on his own privacy or even endanger your own privacy, so he stalled them, tried to stall them and shot quick texts to Kangin of help which the latter had been more than helpful as he distracted them so that Guesung could literally make a run for it.

It was good, he was an athlete and a fit one at that because holy fuck running almost 15 minutes continuously in a damn suit was very very impressive.

You had looked up the moment the bell had jiggled, stuck in your own star struck daze as you looked at the man who’d stepped in, and blinking to make sure you hadn’t accidentally fallen asleep and this wasn’t one a trick of your hyperactive imagination.

Your jaw dropped literally when his eyes locked with yours as a look of acknowledgement followed and he began making his way towards you.

Holy fucking shit, that- that’s Guesung ?!?

You whispered out your thoughts unknowingly and a static sound of a chuckled echoed in your ear as you pulled the phone out of your ear, slightly cringing at your words when you realized you had thought out loud, mentally wanting to hit yourself.

“So I’m guessing he has finally shown up huh? Well don’t forget the rules of a first date, no kissi-” You hang up as Heechan’s chuckle came through and before he could begin his teasing as you felt your own face heat up at the cut words and cleared your throat placing your phone down on the table and sat up straight as Guesung finally made his way over and stood next to his own seat.

“Um sorry, but are you perhaps Y/N? I am Guesung. Heechan’s friend, you know the one who uh- organized this whole thing.” He spoke with nervousness seemingly apologetic and it did make you think back a little on your judgment of him being an asshole but you couldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Frankly, the man was the definition of a fucking model, the looks, the height, and everything, you’d think he would have the ego of a typical male but the apologetic look on his face and the tone of his voice contradicted your own judgment.

You raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms, as you tried not to let your heart be biasing your angry thoughts but God it was so hard especially when his eyes twinkled with a sorriness and one of his hand raising up to fix his tie for the third time since he stepped into the restaurant (yes you kept count)

You clicked your tongue narrowing your eyes, as you leaned backwards to look into his eyes directly “Well Guesung, for your information, yes I am Y/N you know the person who you’ve kept waiting for almost an hour now.” You finished chuckling sarcastically, your last few words being laced with more spite than you intended to and you suppose it was now the hunger taking over.

You decided it was rude to keep him standing, even though you suppose he could have sat if he wanted to but you felt like he was waiting for your permission and that little thing did more to your heart than you wished it would have, you lifted one of your hands, pointing towards the seat in front of you “This table is not meant for one you know? You should take your seat since it is yours anyways.”

His eyes widened slightly, as the tip of his ears became a light shade of pink in embarrassment and you almost felt bad for being hostile towards him but it was not your fault as well because he had yet to explain as to why he was late. He sat down in front of you, even though he was nervous, he didn’t let it affect him physically as in he made sure to not let clumsiness play a part tonight, as he sat down letting his hands rest on his lap, and even when he sat down he still managed to make you look small, or maybe he was just too tall you justified your average height.

“So, why? Why were you so late?” You sat a little straighter as he cleared his own throat, running his hand through his hair once again, a habit, you noted. He let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed slightly in his seat, you eyed his frame, trying not to obliviously check him out again for the 10th time, it was just to observe his body language, you argued with yourself.

He seemed slightly out of breath which made you furrow your eyebrows, you of course could not see that when he first walked in but now you could clearly see it and wondered, unconsciously pouting slowly as you tried to think of reasons while being lost in your mind.

Guesung’s eyes moved to your lips as he scanned your face and noted the small furrow and pout, before even fully thinking of an answer, he replied “Sorry, really, I promise I did leave early but- but the media, they can’t just give me a damn break, ever since I came back to Seoul, they have been on our backs like fucking hawks, I swear I tried to come early but I had to run here and I had no other better option than that, it got really crowded and again I really am sorr-“

“Hey, hey first of all calm down.” You told as he was going to continue his ramble, placing your hand on his which were now folded on the table, fiddling clearly showing his emotions, and you placed yours on top because  you could not really think of any other reason other than hoping it would somehow calm him down.

Comfort from a supposed stranger seemed to have worked.

He stopped fidgeting and took a deep breath as he looked away, his cheeks now a shade of scarlet and you really tried not to fall then and there like a shameless person because you did have some self-respect but the man in front of you was just too…too cute.  You pulled away your hand quickly once he seemed to have calmed down and he continued, now a little more relaxed,

“The reason I got even more late was because I called up Kangin so that he could help me out of the whole mess and it did work but also- I had to make a run for it here…quite literally.”

You widened your eyes as he finished talking and now it made sense as to how disheveled he looked when he walked in, though it did not make him any less attractive, and were honestly impressed because running in a damn suit let alone running itself was a task, though you suppose him being an athlete of course benefitted him in that aspect unlike your non existent work out routine.

“That’s- that’s wow okay, I definitely was not expecting that I won’t lie, I think I forgot you guys are like famous now.” You told chuckling at the end, an indicator that you weren’t as upset anymore because his explanation did make sense and you also told the honest truth because you genuinely forgot these guys were actually famous after the whole world cup thing.

“Though are you alright now? Do you want some water or something? I didn’t order anything because I was waiting for you since I didn’t know what you’d like.” You asked him with ease and he nodded skeptically, unsure whether you were being sarcastic or not as you rolled your eyes seeing the skepticism on his face “Look it’s fine I guess, I forgive you for being late, it’snot your fault I suppose.”

Guesung looked at you surprised by your words but they did the work as he let out a sigh of relief, you understood more easily but then again you did already have a famous best friend so he guesses you have already experienced the tardiness of another showing up way late than you did,

“But! You still have a lot of making up to do.”

You finished with a cheeky tone to lift up the mood and with a tiny smirk which Guesung couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at which you also giggled a bit trying not to be swayed so easily but the way his eye became small crescents as his cheeks pulled up.

Clearing his throat, he gently spoke “Then I guess we deserve a proper introduction right?”

He leaned ahead, while he crossed his arms, taking in a casual stance, evidentially feeling more at ease now as the misunderstandings had been cleared, and you raised an eyebrow at his posture, wondering what he was thinking.

“So…you come here often?” He said in an flirtatious deep voice, which broke any resounding tension, that had you smiling as you leaned forward wanting to muse along with him.

“Never been here in my life.” You said whispery, as you continued smiling, his eyes now twinkling in delight which made you giggle as you put your hand to cover your mouth, you own eyes now squinting in laughter.

“Interesting, interesting…you come here alone often then? I see you already ordered something to drink huh?”

“Well…” You said trying to appear deep in thoughts for an answer “I hadn’t known I would have wait so long for you. And maybe I needed the liquid courage.” You shrugged at him and he laughed at your response shaking his head,

“Then I am sorry to have kept you waiting,” He spoke with sincerity again and even though you had told him it’s okay, you still replied “All’s forgiven but again you still have a lot of making up to do.”

He giggled at your words and then smirked slyly “Oh don’t worry darling, I promise I’ll give you the time of your life.”

“That’s a bold proposition.” You spoke, your eyes shimmering with mirth as one corner of your lips turned up, you bit your lip trying not to grin like an idiot again.

“Babe, you don’t know me just yet then but you’ll find out eventually.” He winked at you which made you slightly blush as you tried to cover up the fact that he was affecting you with nervous chuckles.

“Well then I’d be delighted to find more about you, Mr. Cho Guesung.”

And the rest of the evening went with the same ease, both of you flowing into an effortless conversation as he told you about his own life, which lead to eventually you telling about yours, what you did for a living, your friends and family, especially how you knew Heechan, which you told that he was a good friend of yours since your high school days and he paid attention to everything you told with an interest that had your heart fluttering.

Though he was shocked when he found out you barely knew anything about football, as you had always been more of the literature and music nerd rather than the sporty type which he of course did not mind, even though he was a football star, he knew it was not everyone’s cup of tea. He was delighted when you promised you would come to see one of his games if he was willing to teach you about the sensational sport to which he agreed more than eagerly which had had you chuckling.

Guesung and you had been in your own bubble, just talking and the apparent chemistry between you both seemed to worked well. So, when the time came to eventually end the evening, the tiny disappointment was something inevitable and to your unknown surprise Guesung felt the exact same way.

Gosh Heechan was right…for once. Why does the evening have to end so soon?

You both thought as you exited the warm restaurant now the cool Seoul breeze passing by making you rub your hands over your arms, even though your coat did sit comfortably on your arms, let us just say you felt extra sensitive to the entire winter season no matter how much you’d think you layered up.

Guesung saw your smaller form shivering while your teeth chattered, a habit you had whenever the weather got too cold even by a little, unknowingly smiling gently as he began removing his blazer. You noticed this and widened your eyes,

“Oh no Guesung, it’s totally fine, you’d be cold and anyways I already am wearing a coat-”

Before you could argue more, he had already placed his larger blazer over your shoulders, now it completely draped over you while masking you in his cologne.

It smelled…nice, just as he did of course.

You looked at him and grinned, your eyes shining under the soft moonlight and Guesung felt his heart skip as he got lost into the stars they held. And under the moonlight, he too looked like a prince, his features delicately standing out as your eyes traced his angel kisses.

“Thank you. And actually thank you for showing up as well…for a second there I thought I was stood up you know ?” You spoke jokingly as you slipped your hands through the blazer, now fully enveloped in it, letting it fall till a little below your waist. It seemed like a perfect as though it were meant for someone your size.

You continued to smile even though you now jokingly narrowed your eyes, your cheeks pulled up, indicating you were messing around with him, not meaning that you were upset now, well you were before he had his explanation but as the evening passed by, time felt unreal as you spent it more with the man who had a charming smile and an equally charming personality. The whole evening was indeed worth it when you realized the grin on your face refused to remove itself in his presence.

Guesung rolled his eyes as he clicked his tongue, trying to not smile widely at your cuteness but he failed to do so as he bowed his head in a fancy way “My deepest apologies, your majesty, is there any way to possibly earn your full forgiveness?”

You giggled gently at his accent, playfully putting your finger on your chin as you stared of seemingly in deep thought “Well, I do know one way?”

You bit your lip as you stood in front of him, trying not to burst out laughing at the way his eyes shone with curiosity and eagerness at your answer.

For a man as tall who one would think would be intimidating, he was not definitely playing the part, you thought.

And in a moment, you stood on your tip toes and placed your hands, gently on his shoulders as you raised your head and placed a soft peck on his cheek. You stood back at your place, now bursting out in laughter as Guesung looked taken aback, his face now feeling warmer despite the harsh winds, because he was, out of everything, not expecting that.

“I think all is definitely forgiven now.”

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong topri.do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2022

💗 tags : @alotofrandomfangirling

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[lurkingshan]

La Pluie and the subversion of the faen fatale

Apparently me posting about La Pluie subverting major romance tropes is now a weekly occurrence, because this show just won’t quit! In this week’s episode, the show continued to give Nara a lot of time and care and generosity, and in doing so, came full circle on another major trope subversion: that of the faen fatale.

If you’ve read or watched any romance, you know the character type I am referring to: this is the ex-girlfriend who shows up to mess with our leads, insert herself into the love story as an obstacle, and generally cause drama and wreak havoc. In romance lit we generally refer to her as the femme fatale, and for the bl genre @absolutebl coined the term faen fatale, because they are endlessly clever. There are many many many examples of this character type in bl, but perhaps no better exemplar than Plern Pleng (my nemesis) from Together With Me. 

If you’ve seen Together With Me, you know how this is supposed to go. The faen fatale, traditionally, is not a nice person and does not have good intentions. She may be acting from a place of genuine hurt and dejection, but she is here to fuck shit up and cause chaos. She is cold and calculating and ruthless in her attempts to eliminate her competition and win her ex back. She is an archetype deeply steeped in misogyny, and part of the romance and bl genres’ long history of stories steeped in sexism, patriarchy, and heteronormative nonsense that they are only recently beginning to recover from. 

So La Pluie? This show that has been subverting romance tropes at every turn? Yeah, they had some things to say with their treatment of Nara, and boy did they deliver in this episode.

Even before this week, Nara has already been set up to be a sympathetic character. She and Patts had a very good relationship. They loved each other, and they were happy. She broke up with Patts after he formed a rain connection with another hearing loss sufferer, because even though Patts and Tai never actually spoke, and even though Patts told her he was committed to her, she just couldn’t handle him having that kind of connection with someone else, and felt it was inevitable that it would come between them. She ended things with Patts to protect herself. And ultimately, she regretted it. 

As she comes back into the story, she is quite straightforward with Patts (and with Tai before she realizes who he is) about her intentions: she regrets breaking up with Patts and wants to get back together. We also see that she had reason to hope, due to a night where Patts drunkenly kissed her shortly before he met Tai. There are no tricks or schemes here - she tells Patts and anyone else who asks straight out what she wants. In her conversation with Tai when they first meet in episode 7, it is established that Tai likes her and wishes her well, a clear signal to the audience that even as she is interfering, she is not meant to be read as a villain. When Patts finally tells her he has met his soulmate and can’t be with her anymore, he does it with gentleness and care, because Nara has done nothing wrong and deserves only kindness from him. And once she realizes who Tai is, Nara backs off from Patts immediately, apologizes and confirms that she is giving up on him, and helps them all find Tai.

That was already great stuff! I felt so warmly toward Nara at the end of episode 8, and I expected that was where the story would leave her.

But La Pluie had more to say! 

This week we get what is probably the best treatment of an ex-girlfriend character I have ever seen in any drama, not just in bl. Nara does not just conveniently disappear from the narrative now that she’s no longer an obstacle to the romance. She is still here, and her story still matters. So we get to see her go to Tai, apologize to him directly for the misunderstanding between them, and start gossiping and giggling with him about Patts (what did you whisper to him about, girl, inquiring minds want to know).

We get to see her receive care and sympathy from the rest of the group and have one final closure conversation with Patts, at Tai’s behest. We get to hear Patts say out loud that their relationship mattered to him, that he still loves and respects her, and that she doesn’t have to disappear from his life just because they can’t be together anymore, all while Tai looks on fondly. She is allowed to cry and express how hard this is for her even as she handles it with absolute grace, both with Patts and then again with Dream. We even get to see her bond with Dream and affirm that she is not going to lose the friends she made through her relationship with Patts (and that Dream in particular may become even more to her in the future, oh my).

I really just have to applaud La Pluie for dedicating story time to this. Every time we think they are about to go down a more traditional dramatic path they surprise us. I continue to be so pleased and impressed with how intentional they are in their dismantling of these classic tropes.

[sallow-tales]

Strong and Sweet – Garreth Weasley x GN!Reader

Summary: Modern coffee shop AU; The ever lovely Garreth Weasley catches your eye from behind the counter of your local cafe. Pure fluff.

A/n: Once I got this idea into my head, it would not leave, so here we are. It's been edited, but only lightly. This is genuinely the longest fic I've ever written, I'm usually a sucker for short and sweet, but not in this case. I'm pretty sure this is gender neutral, but once again let me know if you catch a mistake. Also, the topic of the paper is incredibly self indulgent. With love, your friendly neighborhood anthro major <3

Word Count: 2897

You let out a sigh, fingers pressing almost painfully to your temples as you stared at the screen in front of you. You’d been trying to write this damned essay for hours, but the words didn’t seem to want to get out of your brain and onto the page. Not to mention that nearly every potential source you found was useless to you for one reason or another. 

The article currently open on your computer began to swim in front of your eyes, words blurring together as you tried to read them. As much as you wished you could take a break, you’d procrastinated this paper for far longer than you should have, and you were now to the point of questioning if you’d even be able to get it done before the due date. The due date, you realized, that was now only six hours away. Why’d your professor have to be special and make things due at 10pm on a Tuesday, instead of midnight on a Sunday like a normal person?

Dragging yourself out of your train of thought took more effort than you’d have liked as you once again tried to read through someone else’s science. You were slightly more successful this time, but once you’d gotten through the next three paragraphs, you let out a frustrated groan. There was no sense to this study–it ignored nearly all precedent and was trying to test a theory that anyone with common sense would know to be impossible. 

You slammed your computer shut in mild frustration and closed your eyes, taking a breath to calm yourself down, only for your meditation attempt to be interrupted by a familiar voice. 

“Careful now, doll. If you get much more frustrated you might start throwing things, and as much as I love having you here, I’d hate having to clean that up.” Your eyes open and you glance up to look at the redheaded boy standing over you

Your face relaxes as your gaze lands on him. You couldn’t be stressed when he was smiling at you like that.

The two of you had first met in this very coffee shop at the beginning of the term–him behind the register and you desperately needing some caffeine to get through your first week of classes.

“Give me something strong,” you’d said when you walked up, and he’d given you a playful salute in response.

“Yes ma’am, one americano coming right up.” 

His playful demeanor and charming smile had you grinning right back at him despite your exhaustion. When he’d handed you your drink, though, you couldn’t hide the grimace that crossed your face. You needed the caffeine, but boy did you hate the bitter taste that it left on your tongue.

“You should have told me you didn’t like it straight when I took your order.” You weren’t expecting to hear his voice and you looked back at him.

“I’m sorry?”

“You asked for something strong, but you didn’t have to take my first suggestion if you knew it wasn’t something you’d enjoy. Tell me what sorts of flavors you like and I can make you something you’ll actually drink.” You could tell he was eager to make you something new, though you weren’t sure if he actually wanted you to like it or if he just wanted to show off; either way, you rattled off your usual order, and some likes and dislikes, answering his questions when he asked and before you knew it you had a brand new cup in front of you.

This time when you took a sip, you practically moaned. It was spectacular. “How the hell did you do that? I don’t think I’ve ever had something this good in my life.”

His cheeky grin widened. “What can I say, I’m great at what I do. Though if you’d told me from the get-go that you like it strong and sweet, I could have just given you my number and been done with it.” His wink that followed sent flames through your cheeks and you’d turned your head to try and hide them.

Despite his flirtatious remark upon your initial meeting, nothing more had ever happened. Well, except for you developing one of the biggest crushes you think you’ve ever had in your entire life.

Against your better judgment (and to the chagrin of your wallet), you found yourself back in that cafe nearly every single day, always hoping to see his green eyes glittering at you from across the room. You knew the crush was stupid, but you didn’t blame yourself for it. How could you? It wasn’t your fault he was so ridiculously charming, and handsome, and kind. Nor was it your fault that he somehow always seemed to know exactly the drink you needed for your current mood–after that first day, you’d never had him hand you something unsavory again… well, at least that was intended to be enjoyable.

Every once in a while you’d come in during a particularly slow spell, when there was no one else around and Garreth–alongside his coworkers–were clearly extremely bored. It was days like these when you’d get to try his little experiments.

You’d see him furrow his brow, deep in thought, and then wander from place to place in the store, tossing various syrups, powders, and milks together in incredibly interesting combinations. Yes, interesting was definitely the word to describe them; sometimes they were spectacular, but other times… not so much.

“Oh my god, Gar, this is absolutely disgusting.” 

He had called you over a few moments prior, insisting you try his most recent mixture. You didn’t know what was in it, but it wasn’t good. It was almost slimy in texture, and the flavor certainly left something to be desired. Through your wince, you saw the twinkle in his eye. The bastard knew it wasn’t going to be good but he had you try it anyway.

Attempting to hide the grin that threatened to poke through, his face had twisted into a look of mock betrayal. “How could you say such a thing? I poured my heart and soul into this. You wound me, love.”

Your heart had nearly stopped at the nickname but you did your best to play it off, grinning at him. “Well, perhaps you should pour a little less of it next time, that might help with the texture issue.” He’d scoffed at you playfully, and the memory of his playful expression is still one of your favorites.

His expression was eerily similar as he stood beside your little table, eying the books you had spread about from your research. 

“Garreth! I didn’t realize you were here, I never saw you walk in.”

He chuckled. “I’ve been here for hours. I would’ve said hello earlier, but you looked focused and I didn’t want to bother you. However,” he paused, “it was about time for my break and I noticed you looked only inches away from violence, so I figured I should come intervene. Distract you with my relentless charm and all that.” His grin was contagious, and you found yourself smiling fondly at him.

“You should well know by now that I’m a pacifist,” you quipped back. “Violence would never be my first reaction. You wouldn’t have anything to worry about until after I’ve wallowed in self despair for at least 30 minutes.” He sat down in the chair opposite you and it’s not until he placed the cup and plate on the surface in front of you that you realized he’d been holding them. “What’s this?”

“A refill, and some sustenance. Figured you could use them, based on the fact that I haven’t seen you move in the entire time I’ve been here.” Your heart gives a little squeeze at the gesture as you take in the items. He had, in fact, brought you another coffee and the pastry that he by now knew to be your favorite.

“I can’t accept this, Garreth. I didn’t pay for them.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s on the house. Don’t bother resisting, you know I won’t stop pestering you until you’ve eaten.” 

You relented with a sigh, taking a bite. “Happy now?” you mumbled.

He smirked at you. “Happier. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s frustrating you so much. Maybe clearing your mind of it will help you make some progress.”

You proceeded to rant to the ginger about the articles you’d been reading, the roadblocks you’d been encountering, and the various other issues you’d been having.

“I don’t know why it’s so difficult for people to have some common sense, y’know? It’s not so hard to realize ‘Hey, perhaps if you can’t sex an individual via this bone without population specific numbers, perhaps we shouldn’t try to sex an individual of an entirely different species.’ You’d think that’d be easy!” Garreth nodded along, a small smile playing at his lips. “And this one!” you gestured to an article on your computer, which you’d reopened part-way through your rant to show him evidence of your problems, “in this one, they try and argue that grave goods can be used to accurately sex an individual, which might be fine in some populations, but it’s a know fact that gender and sex variance is a common occurrence in this population.”

You finally paused to take a breath, and you realized that you didn’t really have much more to say. “And… and yeah that’s about it actually. There you have it.” You glanced up at his face, mildly surprised by the expression he harbored. It seemed to be a combination of amusement and… fondness?

“I do hope you know I don’t know what any of that means. Do you feel better though?” He rested his chin on his hand, hair falling just slightly in front of his face.

You immediately nodded in response. “Yeah, actually. Loads. Thanks.”

“My pleasure, love. Now, I do believe my break is over, so I should get back to it, but good luck on your paper. I believe in you.” A wink was sent in your direction before he turned and walked back behind the counter, deftly tying his apron behind his back.

With that, you dove back into writing. You were almost surprised at how much easier the words came to you now that you’d gotten all the swirling irritations out of your brain–before you knew it, you’d surpassed the page minimum, wrapped up all your thoughts, and read through it a few times to make sure there weren’t any errors. Thoroughly pleased with your work, you grinned and threw your hands up. “I’m done!” You turned your head around, searching for the smile Garreth was surely throwing in your direction. You weren’t surprised to find you were correct. “And with…” you turned back to check the time, “45 minutes to spare!”

Wait a second…

45 minutes to spare… that meant that it was 9:15. You turned to glare accusingly at Garreth.

“Don’t you guys close at 9?”

He shrugged noncommittally. “Technically, yeah. I was supposed to kick you out 15 minutes ago. But you looked so focused and I could tell you were close to done. I didn’t wanna be the reason you lost your stride. Besides,” his usual cocky grin came back to his face. “I’m not sure you could rob this place if you tried.”

The boy turned back to mopping the floor, ignoring your huffed “hey” in response. You began packing up your belongings in a hurry, trying to get out of his hair as quickly as possible. Despite your efforts, though, he had still managed to finish closing before you were completely ready to go. 

“I’m so sorry Gar, I really should have been paying closer attention to the time. I didn’t mean to be an imposition.” You rushed the words out as you exited the building in front of him. His only response at first was a small huff of amusement.

His words came a minute later as he turned back to lock the door to the building behind him. “As if you could ever be an imposition. Any time spent in your presence is time well spent.” You couldn’t even begin to process what those words meant as you took in the parking lot, empty except for one single car. A string of curses swiftly left your lips. If you’d thought yourself stupid earlier when you struggled to write your paper, it was nothing compared to how stupid you’d felt in that moment.

You’d completely forgotten that you’d taken the bus today. And in your time-blindness, you’d also forgotten that the bus stopped running at 8.

You glanced over at Garreth beside you, and let out a frustrated sigh at his barely concealed laughter. He knew that you sometimes took the bus, and by the lack of car in the parking lot belonging to you, it hadn’t taken him more than a moment to figure out what was going on.

“Don’t look so down, it’s not like I’d let you walk. Get in the car.” You immediately began protesting, not wanting to burden him any more than you already had this evening. “It wasn’t a question, get in the car. It’s too far back to campus for you to walk during the day, let alone at night. I’d be the world’s biggest asshole if I let a pretty individual walk home alone after dark. Get in.”

You conceded with a sigh, walking around to the passenger side door. “You think I’m pretty?” you grinned, trying to joke away the nerves you felt at getting in his car.

Sure, you’d become pretty close throughout the term, but your interactions had always, always been limited to that building. And now here you were, getting into a car with the guy you’d been crushing on for months. 

“If you’re just now noticing, then maybe you’re dumber than I gave you credit for,” came his snarky reply. He got in the car and grinned at you over the console. You hoped he couldn’t see your cheeks turn red in the dark. His gaze held yours for a beat too long and you looked away nervously. He cleared his throat before starting the car. “Where to?”

You directed him to your place, basking comfortably in the silence of the car in between instructions. Against your better efforts, though, you also found yourself staring at him. It was such an odd thing to find attractive, you thought, but the sight of him driving made your heart do a flip. 

You were admiring how his gentle features looked under the red of a stoplight when he turned to glance at you and caught you. “See something you like?” 

“And what if I do?” You replied, lips quirking into a smile. You had no idea where this bold streak came from, but you weren’t complaining. He didn’t reply immediately, focused on turning into the parking lot of your building. He parked, and then turned to you. 

“I’m less concerned about the ‘what if you do’s and more concerned about the ‘what if you don’t’s if I’m being honest.” Your face twisted slightly in confusion as you tried to decipher his meaning.

“I- what? I don’t understand.” Stumbling over your words, it took you far longer than it should have to realize how much closer he’d gotten to you. 

“What I mean,” he said lowly, his voice barely above a whisper, “is that if you don’t, you need to tell me now because otherwise I’m about to do something really really stupid.”

Oh. Oh.

“Oh,” you said in reply. “I see.” You wet your lips nervously but didn’t move away from him, your gaze flickering between his eyes and his lips. “Well, there’s not really a good way to know if it’s stupid or not until you’ve done it.”

Apparently that was all the approval he needed, because the next thing you knew his lips were on yours and his hand was cupping the back of your neck and a low whine sounded in the back of your throat. This was happening. Oh my god this was happening.

He pulled back after a moment, panting just slightly. He was nervous, you realized. You’d almost never seen him nervous before, but right now, in this moment, you were sure that’s what the expression on his face was. 

You let out a soft giggle that apparently eased his nerves, causing him to break out into a wide smile and tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “Well, was it as stupid as I thought it was?”

“Verdict is still out,” you said with a grin. “I’ll have to let you know tomorrow. You work?” 

“Same time as usual, yeah.” He chuckled at the smile on your face as you unbuckled yourself from the car. 

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to let you know then. And maybe after you’re out, we could go get dinner or something. If the jury rules in your favor, that is.” You grin at him over your shoulder as you get out of the car.

The last thing Garreth sees as he pulls out of your lot is you pressing your fingers softly against your own lips, grinning like an idiot. And though he’d never admit it, in his head he was doing the same.

[msallurea]

Hey please don't hurt yourself. I can understand you at least a little bit. I tasted death from those around me. I even wanted to end my life myself. and I didn't. No matter what I experience, I still love myself very much and I owe myself a good life. This is my responsibility. do you understand? We are always here for you and if you want to talk you can message me. All my good wishes are with you.❤️❤️

Thank u and I understand what you're saying. I could talk but I'm at a point where talking, will not do much for me except me sharing where I'm at right now. I know you guys are here for me and I'm grateful, truly. I do feel a bit better today, however I still don't plan on changing my decision about what I said. While this blog means a lot to me as well as the people who care for me on these spaces, ima be transparent when I say the reality of it is that right now my life is fucked and I really am not happy.

Of course I've worked to both appreciate and be grateful for the good things that come and the blessings I recieve, it can only lift me up for so long. Unfourtanetly I have no interest in the happiness of little things if it's meant to be used against me in times when I am deeply hurt and threaten by those who I thought love me and in my case it's my family.

Not to even put my business out there because I hate bringing others down with the reality of my situation but someone telling u to your face they'd put ptsd in you and make you fear them while at the same time using the things that make you happy against you, as if you shouldn't even have it at all is fucking fucked up. Like I'm actually getting upset all over again, anyone who knows me personally knows how badly I suffer with anxiety and it shows a lot in my trauma responses yet I am told I can't even do that because I am "too old to act that way"

I genuinely don't want to hurt myself and I believe I answered another ask where I said this life in particular, I just don't want to live it. Even though I've manifested some things, I hadn't manifested the things I've actually wanted yet but I stuck around cuz of this strange hope that it will work. However, I am just tired. I say it a lot but I really am. Honestly I'm too young to even think that way but I am and the worst part my tiredness is invalidated by others because as I have "nothing to be tired for" and I "haven't experienced life yet"

But what I do know is, no average teenager let alone freshly young adult would ever feel the need to feel this way unless something else was going on and that's what many people fail to understand. I've done a lot of inner work over the years to finally get to a point where I could grow to become unphased by it or at least react more healthily, but also knowing that my situation hasn't changed makes it feel like it's for nothing. I haven't had a serious attempt like this since I was 11 and 13. I'm 18 now and the only thing that stopped me from succeeding was making that post to vent to yall about what's really going on with me.

[yukine-sakamoto]

I finished The Golden Compass a couple days ago, so here’s some thoughts. I enjoyed it. The world building is quite good, and there’s a lot of interesting fantasy elements that are encountered along the journey that make the world very rich. Unfortunately, I feel like there wasn’t much interaction with any one of the elements specifically, but I hope there will be in the next books. The compass itself was obviously important and the main piece of fantasy in this part. I thought it was a really fun way to write divination that I haven’t really seen before. The fact it’s a a little machine that Lyra has to click through and interpret is very satisfying to me. It felt slightly more exact than a lot of other representations of fortune telling and such.

The daemons were very fun as well. I feel like I’ve seen animal companions done before, and I don’t know if this is the first one, but it’s definitely the most well done I’ve seen. It felt fun and slightly frivolous at first, but in a way that added depth to the characters. However, as the story goes along and more about the daemons is revealed, it becomes really heartfelt. I was genuinely saddened by the scenes with Tony Markarios and afraid for Lyra and Pan when they were almost severed. It’s a really interesting concept to basically have your soul manifest outside the body. I wish there had been more exploration of what each daemon form said about the characters, like what the seagull fisherman talked to Lyra about. Some are quite obvious on their own. Asriel having a snow leopard makes a lot sense, for example. It was mentioned briefly that it was rare to have same-sex daemons, and I want to know more about that too.

I liked hearing about life at Jordan, but I felt it dragged on a little bit. Similarly with the part with Mrs. Coulter in London. Perhaps it’s because I had a hard time identifying with Lyra. I was never much for roughhousing at that age. But it also might be because I was impatient to get to the meat of the story. I do feel like Lyra is a bit of strange child though. This is somewhat true of all young fantasy protagonists I feel. They have to deal with things well beyond what’s normal, and for the sake of the story, have to be fairly comfortable with that. Lyra is younger than a normal YA protagonist, and at that age, I think, you tend to not fully understand danger, and Lyra is shown to be bolder than most kids. But even still, she watched several adults and children die and didn’t really seem phased by it. Briefly sad for Tony but she moved on pretty quickly. And she’s a little more competent than I would expect of someone who had never had a formal education. (Not that kids aren’t smart, they just haven’t been around all that long)

The story itself was a bit strangely paced at some points. It felt like a good chunk was mainly for exposition for the world and the series rather than to progress the current plot. I don’t mind a little bit of that, I mean I really like world building. However, it felt like there were a lot of scenes where Lyra would meet someone and they would infodump for a few pages. Sometimes the character would be sharing a story, but it still felt a little tell rather than show. Plus, later on in the journey, Lyra kept passing out in between scenes. It felt she would be awake for a couple hours to have a conversation and then lights out until the next plot point. I suppose you get more tired when it’s that cold but still.

I liked Iorek, but I’m little confused about what he thinks of Lyra. (It was a bit odd that she started calling him “my dear” at the end too) It’s mentioned in the book that although he seems to care for here, that’s what he ordered to do by John Faa, so perhaps he’s just doing as he’s told. Most of the time he seems completely above all the human bullshit going on around him, and honestly I respect that. It makes his tone hard to read, but maybe that’s the point. It’s mentioned that bears are difficult for humans to understand. I want to know more about their relationship to their armor as well.

I liked the gyptians too. They seemed very friendly and egalitarian. John Faa and Fader Coram were very nice, and so were the Costas. I don’t know if they’re supposed to be Egyptian or what. They never seem to leave the sea near northern Europe which is pretty far from Egypt. I did think it was funny that Lyra got so far from home to this strange Marshland with this strange people who clearly have a different way of life than she’s used to, yet their grand meeting hall was eerily similar to the great hall at Jordan. A bunch of chairs at the head of room where some import men sit and make all the decisions. Not really so foreign then, but John seemed to do a good job of listening to his people and fully addressing their concerns. It’s nice to see.

Lee Scorsby is such a plot point. He just sort of got swept away, literally, when he wasn’t needed anymore. The witches were kind of the same way. There wasn’t too much given about their lives other than a few hints and a general air of mystery. It was kind of sad to see Fader Coram pining after this ageless woman who could only know him as tiny fraction of her life.

Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are the worst parents, just the worst people really. Neither seems care about hurting anyone even kids to get what they want, or even caring about whether their ambitions are worth it. It’s my way or the highway for both of them. The description of their kiss while their daemons are fighting was very strange to me. I had a hard time deciphering the all the underlying emotions. Overall they just seem very toxic in general and especially to each other. It’s very casually mentioned that Asriel has some kind of ability to summon things which I need much more explanation of.

I thought it was odd too how much time was spent describing the Aurora but not the bridge to the other world. Asriel seems to plug a cable into… the sky(?) and then it’s just there. Or something is there, we don’t know exactly what except that you can walk through it. There’s no description of what it looks like other than the fact that you can see the other side.

Anyway, there’s lots of questions still and I’m excited to find out the answers. I’m hoping all the exposition and dangling plot hooks will come together and I’m excited to get the full picture.

[twstnettle]

HOHOHO TIS I! YOUR SECRET SANTA 🎅

Cometh here and tell me all about your OCs Lenny and Sabine!

This Santa would also appreciate it if Santa was told about these... A-yous? A-yoo? AUs??? you speak of.

Feel free to go off on a very detailed tanget about any of them as your Santa here needs to fufill the Santa duty of giving presents out to good people! And you, Nettles, have been a wonderful person this year!

Ooooh!!! What a fun message. Thank you Secret Santa :,) you are very silly and sweet. I’ve been granted permission to go on a detailed tangent about my babies? [exciting jingling] let the clownery begin

Cater and Lenny - Friends -> best friends -> roommates -> lovers

♦️ Cater wishes for a best friend at starsending and Lenny shows up the next year/she wished for the same thing on a shooting star at home. When they meet, they hit it off right away

♦️She won Beans Day by using the shrinking potion to get to the size of a bean and then Cater launched her from the bean gun straight at the harp. After that, they’ve been best friends and he started calling her Lentil as a joke, then eventually just Lenny and the nickname stuck. (I LOVE beans day, probably one of my favorite events)

♦️ Cater's arc is learning vulnerability and being honest about himself and what he wants/doing things because they make him genuinely happy, not because of a persona he's trying to create.

♦️Lenny is someone who makes herself at home everywhere she goes, comfortably eating snacks on a bus or buying a plant for an apartment she'll only live in for a few months. And that's something Cater admires, since he's always had one foot out the door.

♦️When they are together he leans into her way of doing things: getting comfortable, being in the present, and enjoying life regardless of how it will look to an outside observer. She is just looking to be understood, and finds comfort in Cater who embraces her for who she is, even tho he has a hard time doing that for himself

♦️After NRC, they get an apartment together, where Cater realizes it’s not so bad to open up to someone and want them to be there for the rest of your life. And eventually he’s ready to admit how he really feels about his best friend.

NUTCRACKER AU:

I absolutely love the nutcracker and Cater’s new playful land outfit is SO nutcracker coded. There’s not a lot of substance to this one, just the joy of the ballet aesthetics + cater’s cute little outfit and the two of them dancing together

(Gorgeous stunning jaw dropping Comm by Blueastrum on the right)

(Another Gorgeous stunning jaw dropping Comm by Blueastrum on the right)

Leona and Sabine - Bickering labmates -> study partners -> dating -> she returns to homeworld to not be a burden (and becomes a lawyer 🔥) -> Leona has to team up with malleus to visit her and tell her she's worth it and if she wants to come back, she has a home with him (in the "if she says no I'll be happy just to see her one last time" way) -> she returns to twst

---

🔸Sabine and Leona are lab partners and they do NOT get along at first, she’s always demanding more from him. She is everywhere he looks, the botanic garden as a volunteer, Spelldrive practice where she brings Grim every morning, and all over the halls. Even though he complains, Leona finds himself looking forward to seeing her more and more and starts showing up to class just to see her.

🔸Was a pre-law student in college getting ready to take the LSAT when she got isekai’d. She’s an activist and willing to break rules if she believes it’s for the greater good

🔸Besties with Malleus who tries his best to get Sabine and Leona together, but Leona is always ready to fight Malleus so Sabine has to be their mediator

🔸Sabine's arc is that she's hyper-independent and doesn't want to be a burden but Leona encourages her to lean on others, including himself.

🔸Sabine realizes she has POTS which causes her fainting spells and days where she doesn't feel great. Leona uses his lazy reputation to get her to rest more, under the guise of skipping class for his benefit

🔸Leona wants power partly because he likes to be a leader and partly because he believes it is intrinsically tied to his worth as a person Vs. Sabine is someone who wants power to help other people and wants to make the world better. She makes Leona realize his self worth outside of being a prince/lion/etc. and also makes him believe he *can* change his world for the better and he has a lot of respect for her

🔸Leona would traverse universes for Sabine and he'll make it everyone else's problem. (He'll make Ruggie carry his extra jacket around all day if he think Sabine might get cold and need it later, etc.)

PIRATE AU:

🔸Leona in his pirate fit, Sabine in the Elizabeth Swann red dress. Pirate captain Leona can’t stop bickering with Ms. Sabine Yuusef, the only one on his ship smart enough to match his wit and brave enough to call him out. Eventually, he leans on her for help outwitting the giant sea witch Azul and they start hitting it off. When Sabine gets lured away by two sirens (Floyd and Jade), Leona will go to the ends of the earth to get her back.

🔸He IS ultimately successful and the two go on to co-captain his feared pirate ship, sailing and being in love and all that

FALLEN ANGEL AU:

🔸 The second son of the kingdom of heaven, sent back to earth for re-education. He is assigned a human to guard, but he really plans to use the human as cover while he carries out his true plan to overthrow the kingdom and usurp his brother for the throne.

🔸 He’s been assigned the aspiring lawyer and activist Ms. Sabine, someone too good for this world—in Leona’s opinion. He finagles his way into her life, sleeping in her apartment and eating her food, under the guise of guarding her and she falls for his ruse—especially on account of her fainting spells. He makes the mistake of falling for his assigned human, when he finds out that she’d be denied entry to he kingdom of heaven for crimes she committed, even if they were ultimately for the greater good of humanity. And Leona decides he’d rather tear down the walls of heaven to get her in than live in that world without her, so he risks everything for her.

🔸 Every time he breaks a rule of heaven, he accumulates more blot, so he starts with lightly blackened wings and eventually his wings are pitch black and heavy and unusable. And he succeeds in getting her through the golden gates—at the cost of his own return—letting her live a life of paradise that he won’t be able to return to.

As a request, I LOVE when Cater and Leona have alternative hairstyles: ponytail, hair down, that sort of thing. Also I just love Cater/Lenny and Sabine/Leona so for the secret santa, any part of either of their stories would probably make me combust /pos

Thanks for reaching out! Ily!

There’s a lot of examples in the tags for both of my babies <3 And if I missed something or you could use more info (or, to my shock, want to hear more!?) this askbox is always open!