#gn for a while tl

[chososdiscordkitten]

life update:

im still in a rut, recently there's been a lot of construction in mai house so I haven't been getting that much sleep :( added with the horrid smokers/tuburculosis cough I had, and still having to go to work, I have been completely drained of my energy, inspiration, and money.

it has been a week since Ive last posted, and I have no fucking clue when ill post again (im so so so sorry)

it also doesn't help that people have been very mean in my inbox, and I put my life on hold to maintain this account- only to not see much progress in growth (im such an attention whore, I know) and to get back such negative marks on my writing.

by no means am I saying I am leaving this account- no. I just need a lil sabbatical where I have the opportunity to go outside on my days off, and not stay home for the sheer reason of, "I have to write." because I felt guilty for spending my free time not writing.

and I think that's why I have been so drained- ive spent allll my weekends since November saying, "no I cant go out today- I have to finish this piece before tommorrow."

people have taken advantage of my eagerness to please- being so demanding of free content and not giving me feedback on it- why spend days in my inbox asking for a req and when I finally post it- not even a reblog or a comment? whatever.

this has turned into a rant I didn't mean for it to, SORRRRYYY

anyway. I am grateful for the people who are active in my inbox and my comments, I see y'all and I love y'all for making me feel like my writing isnt some lower quality version of another author on here.

because, yes ive been told that, that I am a less talented version of a popular author on here.

and me thinks, from how much effort ive put into my fics, time, sleep, ignoring my physical needs just because I didn't wanna disappoint strangers on the internet, isnt worth it if im just gonna be compared to others on here.

I chose this- I know I did. and I will continue to choose it. I love the lil community ive built with people who I fucking appreciate sooooo very much for how much they've offered to me.

I will be back, I promise I will. my brain just hasn't been braining recently.

ive said it before- I will never fully leave this acc because I love it sooooo much, so I wont. but just for a lil bit.

if u wanna keep interacting w/ me, I have a twt where I spam shit, here it is :D

if you've read this far- KISS ME. ty for supporting me nd reading my 'lesser' writing lmaoooo

from a sad cowboy who misses choso,

Ten.

(p.s) I hate my new shower head :(

[deus-ex-mona]

nagisa mv next week t r u s t

[lancermylove]

What Gets Him Going? (HC)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland

Pairing: Leaders x gn!Reader

Warning: N.SFW

Prompt: What you do that he can't resist. Assume older (event TL) because some people can’t do math.

———————————————

Malleus

Anything you do with your lips. Touch them with your fingers, running your tongue along your lips, biting one corner, pressing them together often - just anything that draws his attention to your lips.

Wearing anything that is low cut. Being a giant, he can look down at your top, even though he tries not to. You can't blame him, can you? The dragon is head over heels for you.

Looking at him with a seductive gaze. His pants get tighter even before he actively registers your gaze.

If you really want to get to him, call him while you are pleasing yourself and moan his name. The prince will reach your room in a heartbeat.

Lastly, touch his horns, especially the area close to his head. His horns are far more sensitive than anyone realizes. Before you know it, he will have you pinned on the bed and claim you as his.

Leona

When you bend down and have your butt in the air. Leona can't resist himself. Wear something short and bend down, and Leona will take you right then and there.

Leona also can't resist when he sees you in revealing clothes. He has the urge to throw you on his bed and tear your clothes to shreds.

Slide your hand inside your underwear, get your fingers coated with your essence, and bring it to his nose. Leona will growl and devour you until you can't take it.

When you act or look at him submissively. The prince will have a hard time controlling his urges to take you right then and there, regardless of where you are.

Whispering seductive words in his ears. At times, he may pretend it is annoying, but one look at his pants and you will see how it affects him.

Azul

He is one of the easier ones to turn on. Do anything sexy, and Azul will be a blushing mess, even if he denies the effects you are having on him.

Say dirty or seductive words and Azul's pants will get tight enough for the zipper to nearly burst open.

Dress sexily or just stand naked, and Azul won't be able to resist his urge to lay you on his desk and make you moan his name.

Run your hand down his chest, abs, and over his pants, and you will have his undivided attention.

Get on your knees and kiss his tent, and Azul will be claiming your mouth like there is no tomorrow.

The octopus is too enamored with you and finds you irresistible, so anything and everything you do is like a charm spell to him.

Idia

It takes him a while to get warmed up to you, but once Idia is comfortable around you, he will quickly get aroused.

Cosplaying as video game characters, especially the ones he likes. Add a revealing outfit to the concoction, and Idia will be a blushing and drooling mess.

Lay on his bed, touch yourself, and moan his name. Even if he is in the middle of a daily or dungeon run, he will drop his controller and make his way to you.

Whisper sexily directly in his ear, shivers will run through his spine, and Idia's pants will tighten in no time.

Eating anything long and somewhat thick while making eye contact with him. Idia won't be able to meet your eyes, but he won't be able to ignore you either. Add in a little licking action, and he will be touching himself.

Riddle

Much like Azul, he is easy to turn on, but Riddle will try his best to fight his urges. He is a private man, so Riddle doesn't like it when you get cozy with him in public.

When you two are alone, though, Riddle will become a blushing mess even if you caress his cheek.

Speak seductive words, touch his arms or chest, kiss him anywhere but his lips, and stare at him sexy, and Riddle will melt into a puddle.

Kiss his lips, touch his thighs or manhood, lick him anywhere, dress sexily, or appear in front of him naked, and Riddle will be making love to you in no time.

While he enjoys seeing you masturbate, the quickest way to turn him on is by pulling his pants down and sucking him. Riddle can't get enough of the sight of your lips around his length.

Vil

He prefers keeping your intimate moments private, so don't try to get cozy with him in public. Vil will not like it in the slightest.

But you can tease him by 'harmlessly' caressing his arm or chest and giving him a seductive gaze. He won't do anything then, but once the two of you are alone, Vil will make you pay.

Sit on his lap and rub against his tent, and Vil won't be able to resist you.

Tease him. While Vil prefers to take things slow and be romantic, if you tease him enough, he will make you scream his name.

Lace or sheer lingerie. Anything revealing in lace gets him aroused, and add sheerness in there, and Vil will unwrap you like a present.

Brushing your lips against his neck and collarbones, Vil will get turned on, and he will be all yours for the rest of the day/night.

Kalim

Unfortunately, it takes a lot to get him going. Kalim will not register that you are trying to get him hard unless you are blatantly obvious. Like...

If you lay in bed naked, and as soon as he walks into the bedroom, you part your hole for him.

Or when he catches you pleasuring yourself and moaning his name.

Or when you guide his hand to your nether region and moan at the touch.

Or when you caress his tent through his pants, or the times when you are feeling adventurous and slide your hand inside his pants and stroke his length directly.

Kalim will be a puddle for you. Take the lead, and he will be a moaning mess in no time.

———————————————

➣  Please visit my website for the full masterlist!

[nothingelsematterswrites]

why logan isn't getting replaced at imola, a breakdown

(aka a breakdown so my fellow logan girlies (gn) don't break down)

I've seen this getting around, with a little traction and some people panicking a bit so let's discuss.

Joe Saward has not been a reliable source of transfer news for some time. Let's be real. A lot of this is gaining traction because Saward is "a 35 year accredited F1 journalist". And this is true, he has long experience in F1 and is accredited in the paddock. But it has been many, many years since he was accurate about driver market predictions.

You have to be eighteen to get a superlicence (thanks, Max!). Antonelli does not turn 18 until August. For him to be granted a superlicence in time for Imola, the FIA would have to issue an exemption. If Antonelli was carving up F2 it'd be one thing. But he's been far from convincing so far, and it hasn't just all been Prema. He is an F2 rookie - and he looks like it.

James Vowles has already said that Antonelli to Williams next year is not a given, because Williams has its own juniors - of which Logan is one. Now I know James has been in the bad books with plenty of us since the whole chassis debacle in Melbourne but I do believe him on this. He is quite keen to establish that Williams is not a feeder team for Mercedes and that has been the board's position for some time too (remember their angry denunciation when the rumour was that Oscar was going to replace Latifi at Silverstone?).

James Vowles still believes in Logan. Now I know some of you will be claiming this is doubtful, but I do believe it to be true. In the Japan Vowles Verdict he was warm in his praise for Logan's race pace and early stint - to the point his voice literally changed tone while answering the question. He was absolutely effusive in his praise for Logan after the Melbourne debacle. I do genuinely think that James wants to keep him.

Bringing in a driver change mid-season is incredibly disruptive - you don't do it unless you are certain you're getting a better deal out of it. Last year Alpha Tauri brought in Daniel halfway through the year. The main reason for this was because he was a fairly immediate upgrade to de Vries. But even if you're scornful of Daniel's pace, the other reason they wanted him was for his feedback and car development ability, which AT were pretty vocal that they found invaluable. Bringing in an extremely green, unprepared rookie who has barely worked with the team would be a recipe for instability, morale issues, and more broken bits, which is the absolute last thing Williams needs.

Toto Wolff can't offer James Vowles a big enough incentive to take his junior. Let's cut to the chase on this: to insinuate that James would take Antonelli just because Wolff asked is a pretty big insult to James. He's not Wolff's lapdog. They clearly respect one another and have a personal relationship outside of the sport, but that doesn't mean he'll just do whatever Toto wants - he didn't get to be team principal that way. So Toto would need to offer James an incentive. But what can he offer that James actually needs? Williams aren't broke any more, so money isn't going to cut it. And Williams already run the Mercedes engine, so Toto can't convince him with that. What Williams actually needs - the cultural and procedural overhaul that James has begun - Toto cannot help with.

tl;dr keep cool and keep the faith, logan fans. there's still plenty of time left in our ride.

[torialefay]

🗝️ Sun in Scorpio ♠️

minho as your boyfriend!!! (pt. 1)

(based on astrology) 🔞

✨minho x reader (f); possessive fluff, slightly suggestive at the end

✨take a look into lee know’s natal chart to see what type of boyfriend he would be! in this post, i will be talking about his sun in scorpio. this is a series!!! so follow up later if u want more <3

✨i will give a brief synopsis of what each chart placement means (for all my non-astrology friends out there <3) and how that would affect minho in a relationship :)

✨word count: ~2k

✨ author’s notes:

★★ (1) i do do brief astrological compatibility readings if anyone wants one! if you’re interested, message me your birth date, time, and location OR lmk your placements. i’m gonna limit the reading to include you x 1 skz member only! just specify who you’d like.

(2) i am wanting to get better at using neutral-gendered pronouns so more people can feel included in my posts. i’m really struggling since i use phrases like “my girl” a lot. anyone who has some good alternatives or tips, please message and lmk! i really want to be able to start cranking out more gn options!

(3) the aspects in this reading are based solely on my opinions and interpretations! nothing about a person is set in stone simply because of astrology. please don’t use anything i say as canon :)

(4) i will not be going into ascendant or house placements because lee know’s birth time has not been confirmed for AM or PM

✨warnings: some explicit language

✨ tl/dr: minho as your boyfriend will spoil the shit out of you and charm you until you can’t help but live and breathe him. he’s got to keep a grasp on you at all times- literally AND figuratively.

Sun in Scorpio: Sun signs are all about personality- the face you show the world! It is also the lens through which you usually see yourself and how friends would describe you.

• Scorpio has two planetary rulers- Mars and Pluto. Mars is the ruler of action and aggression, while Pluto is the ruler of transformation and rebirth. Scorpio is an amazing mixture of the two, as it embodies strong desires, innate control, and deep mental and supraphysical understanding.

• Scorpios encapsulate passion. They tend to have a deep understanding of others and can utilize this power to their advantage. They are able to influence others to do as they wish. Scorpios have a deep understanding of beauty and admire things that could be seen as dark, different, or strange to others.

• Scorpios have a tendency to become obsessive, controlling even, if not careful. They get fully engrossed into who other people are and want others to fully engross themselves in them as well.

• Scorpios are known for their creative and expressive nature- something that comes naturally to them. Because of this, they can really shine in areas such as art or drama, historian or detective, intuitive research or psychology, and are amazing for dabbling in the occult.

As your boyfriend:

• He is super protective over you. He’s always watching behind you as you do something to make sure you’re okay and no one is bothering you… And to be honest, I don’t think many people WOULD bother you, knowing you were the person with a psycho boyfriend (in a good way <3).

• He would bring you lunch any chance he got. If you were at work/school and he knew you hadn’t brought lunch or hadn’t had lunch that day, he’d definitely bring you something- whether he picked it up or made it himself. It also gives him an excuse to see you and check on you during the day.

• He knows when you are having a bad day. And he knows exactly how you need him to act in order to help you deal with it. When he senses something is wrong, he will pull you onto his lap in a hug and tell you to talk to him about it.

• Other people think he’s cold, but he’s definitely not with you. He loves you and nurtures you. He takes pride in knowing every part of you. He loves that there is a side of him that is specifically for you and not for the rest of the world. He’d like it if you were the same.

• He loves when the both of you have a chance to get dressed up. To look good for one another and just enjoy the other’s company.

• He loves nice dates, ones where he can make a grand gesture to make you feel loved and special.

• That’s why it was no surprise when he’d texted you earlier to dress up pretty for him and he’d be at your apartment to pick you up at 8.

• This was a monthly occurrence. Him surprising you with a nice date- and when I say nice, I mean NICE.

• Yes, you went on smaller dates a lot too, but he made it a priority to spoil you with something bigger at least once a month.

• So here you were, all dressed up in your favorite dark blue satin dress. It looked absolutely enchanting with it’s spaghetti strap and cowl neck top with a deep slit running up the side.

• You made sure to do your hair his favorite way- loose curls all brought to one side.

• You gave yourself one final look in the mirror, swiping on a glossy coat over your lip stain before heading out the door. Minho was already waiting on you downstairs.

• When he saw you like this, he always smirked.

• ‘Looking so beautiful all for me,’ he thought.

• Once you got to him, he just smiled at you, taking your hand in his.

• “Now, are you going to tell me where we’re off to?” you asked.

• “Shhh, you’ll see,” he kissed your hand, leading you out to the car.

• He always made sure to open the car door for you and make sure you were buckled before you took off.

• And of course he always had to rest one hand in his favorite spot- gripping onto one of your thighs. It was harder when you had a dress on, but he’d never let that stop him. He needed to always have a hold on you.

• Arriving at your destination, it was a quaint building you didn’t recognize. You’d never been here before, but it seemed to be a small restaurant with only a few (very nice) cars in the parking lot.

• The valet rushed to the car to speak with Minho and grab the keys.

• You smiled up at your boyfriend as he walked around to your side of the car, opening the door for you and taking your hand in his to help you stand.

• As you made your way toward the restaurant, he made sure to hold tightly to the one hand, while the other stabilized on your hip, making sure you were safe while ascending the few steps in front of you.

• “Hello, can I get your name please?” the host of the restaurant asked as you stepped inside. It was a beautiful restaurant- dark and sensual. There was very minimal lighting, but what they did have gave a beautiful warm glow. The sleek bar to the right shined bright from the sparkly crystal bottles aligning each of the shelves- luxury liquor only.

• “Lee,” he said, matter of factly, only taking a brief moment to look at the host. Tonight, his eyes were only on you.

• The host presented a big smile before stepping to the side and motioning for you to follow him. “Great, Mr. Lee. Right this way.”

• Minho let you walk just slightly in front of him, always watching your back to make sure he had a full view of you. One hand continued to rest on your hip. It was like it was glued there. He never wanted to lose contact with you.

• The host led you down one of the dimly-lit aisles and to the back of the building. Off to itself, he rounded a corner to lead to a beautiful, private, screened-in room in the back. It sat adjacent to a huge lake, which could be seen through the mesh netting of the “walls” that enclosed you. With the moon shining bright over the water and the stars on full display, it was a captivating view.

• Minho pulled your seat out for you to sit before pushing you in towards the table. You allowed yourself this moment to look around the beautiful secluded room. It was still dark like the interior of the building, with the nice, warm lighting. But there was an even more bewitching feeling to it through the beautiful scenery and soft music that was emanating from afar. It was absolutely breathtaking.

• If there was anything Minho knew how to do, it was how to wine and dine you. He made sure to start the evening with ordering a full bottle of your favorite reserve red wine. He loved the way you looked and smiled at him after a glass or two- how lovey dovey you got for him and how you began to try and charm him, getting all giggly, before the night was over with.

• He encouraged you to get whatever you wanted off the menu- even if it was the most expensive thing by far, he wanted you to have it. He was never going to let you pay anyways.

• Once you decided what you wanted, he always wanted you to tell him so that he could order for you. It wasn’t that he thought you were incapable of ordering for yourself, but he wanted you to know that you would always be taken care of when he was there. He didn’t want you to have to take your attention off of him for one second.

• Your heart always swelled as you watched him order- for some odd reason. And he never ordered just what the two of you wanted. No way. He made sure to always order at least 3 or so dishes so that you could share with each other and sample everything. He would make sure to have something on the table that his baby loved.

• Even if you were absolutely stuffed, if he noticed there was still wine in your glass, he would always order a dessert for the two of you to share. And although he wouldn’t admit it, this was also a way to extend his time out with you.

• He’d make sure to do all the gross romantic stuff with you, like feeding you a bite of the crème brulèe straight from his spoon. He definitely didn’t want to overdo it though and would NOT do it unless you two were in private.

• At the end of the evening, after your head felt light and bubbly from the wine and your stomach was full, he made sure to tip the waiter very generously. You loved that about him. That’s why the restaurant owners and workers always loved to see the two of you back.

• Taking the last sip of your whine, you leaned in with a smile, half-whispering “thank you for dinner, jagi.”

• “Thank you for being here with me, love,” he said back. Slowly, he stood from his chair, so naturally you waited in yours as he always requested, so that he could again pull your chair out before you stood.

• He made his way over as usual, standing behind you, but this time he didn’t put his hands on the chair.

• Instead, he placed one hand on the nape of your neck, bending down to plant a soft kiss to your shoulder and then to the side of you neck.

• You let out a giggle as you started to blush. “Stop itttt, you know we can’t do that here.”

• “I know, but I had to at least get a little bit out,” he smiled smugly.

• Suddenly, you saw his hands both in front of you and a cold sensation on your chest. You looked down to see a beautiful silver pendant resting just between your collar bones.

• “What’s this?” you asked, as you felt his hands secure the latch at the back of your neck.

• He walked to your side so that he could see your face and bent down, resting one knee on the ground.

• “Why don’t you look at it and tell me?”

• You picked the small-ish pendant up to examine it. On the front, in dainty cursive font read “LMH”. Lee Min Ho.

• The back had a single, small diamond implanted in it. Around it’s edges, it had a Latin phrase inscription. You read it aloud. “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam?” You tried to make the words out, looking to your boyfriend for confirmation.

• “That’s right jagi. ‘I will either find a way or make one’. For you.” He smiled up at you, as your looked at him with eyes of endearment. The love you had for this man was unbearable. You could hardly stand the emotions that he made you feel.

• He gently reached out for your hand, planting a gentle kiss to it, before standing up and motioning for you to do the same.

• Once you were upright on your feet, he leaned in next to your ear. “It looks beautiful on you, by the way,” he whispered seductively.

• You smirked, the boldness of the wine starting to manifest out of you. “I’ll keep it on for you later. Everything else is coming off,” you winked.

• His eyes grew large for a split second before turning himself so that he body was right up against yours. He swiftly let his hands wonder to your waist, then hips, then grab lightly at your ass.

• “That sounds perfect,” he planted a small, sweet kiss to your lips. “But that necklace is never coming off of you. Promise me. Promise me you’ll wear it at all times, and I’ll always be with you.” He looked at you, his face full of sincerity and genuine lust.

• “Anything for you,” you gave in to him before leaning in for another slow kiss.

• You knew that’s exactly what he wanted. For you to give yourself fully to him. You’d play around with him later, but for now, you would give yourself up. He knew you were his.

———————————————————————————————————

✨ author’s note: lowkey thinking this man put a tracker in the necklace lol. he just wants to know you’re safe and also wants to be able to know where you are at all times. but it’s up to you what you want to think 🤷‍♀️

✨ if you enjoyed, please consider liking, commenting, or re-blogging <3

[hongcherry]

rating svt from husband, boyfriend, bestie material

pairing/genres: svt x reader (gn); fluff

warnings: lots of nana tour (NT) and in the soop (ITS) references, as well as others but wanted to give specific warnings for those two shows bc spoilers

author's note: for 🍉 anon. THIS WAS TOUGH LMAO. I’d also like to say this is kinda biased!!! I tried to be objective despite having strong feelings toward certain members 🥲 But just a general disclaimer: I do not know them personally, so I'm going off of what they've shown to the public. I know there will be people who disagree because we all have different ideas/preferences in a partner/best friend. So, please, keep that in mind! Each member can mean something different depending on the person 💞

seventeen masterlist | main masterlist

Husband Material

1. Mingyu — This man can cook, clean, is intelligent, handsome, funny, etc etc etc~. I believe he’s also one of the first members to comfort others. And his sister has mentioned she wants a partner like Mingyu. Enough said lol.

2. Seungcheol — He’s caring, loyal, reliable, and dependable (cough that one jeongcheol clip cough). He’s not afraid to stand up for those he cares about (i.e., members > company). He’ll be the protector type (wbk). I sense the relationship would feel stable and secure.

3. Joshua — This man has always screamed husband material. He truly IS a gentleman. He has a good balance of playfulness and seriousness, which would make the relationship fun. He’s also very caring (flashback to ITS with Seungkwan (even NT as well)) and has a great heart.

4. Chan — In his Weverse interview, he mentioned how he wants to be there for his members no matter what. He’s also very passionate about his craft, and I think that attribute would cross into his love life. And did you see the video of him with that carat and holding their purse while they got in the car?!?!

5. Minghao — I’m reminded of that video of him saying he’s always dreamed of getting married and having kids (ironically saw this again on my tl recently). And watching NT, it’s so easy to imagine him with his family in an artsy town. Also, he’d be loyal (I recall all the anti-delulu fancalls and lives LOL; this doesn't necessarily show loyalty but yk... it can *wink wonk*) and caring (as seen with Vernon).

Boyfriend Material

6. Seokmin — He’s so precious and sweet. Definitely someone you would want to take home to your family. He’s so full of love and happiness. I think he’ll care for his partner a lot and shower them with love. The relationship with him would be so wholesome.

7. Wonwoo — Have you seen the way he treats Chan?! Imagine him with his partner *sobs* I get the sense (one of) his love language(s) is acts of service, so he’d treat his partner sweetly and tenderly. He’ll be a soft and supportive lover.

8. Jun — I recall how he made breakfast for SVT during predebut because he couldn’t speak Korean well at the time but wanted to do something nice/show his love for his members. I also saw a recent video of him making sure one of the members didn’t fall when they stumbled. So, I think he’d be very attentive to his partner’s needs. Also, imagine bf!Jun cooking you hot pot. Yes, please.

9. Jeonghan — I think he teeters on the boyfriend and bestie line (his face also gives off fwb vibes lmao), but since Jeonghan is one of my biases, he gets put in this category (semi-sorry). This man said, “You’re supposed to wait endlessly for people you like” in NT. He has said he wants to be an island to people in ITS. He’s also supportive of others as we’ve seen when he co-parents with Cheol lol. I think he wouldn’t be afraid to do something for his partner if they needed him to as well (i.e., that live when Seungkwan wanted to sing but it was late, so Jeonghan said he’ll ask for others to understand. It may have been a joke, but it was still kind to say).

Bestie Material

10. Soonyoung — He’s the person I would swap with Jeonghan since he also is on the borderline. He’s very energetic with people he’s comfortable with so his friends get to see that side a lot. He’s also cuddly as we’ve seen in several clips of him snuggling his members lol. I get the “you’re so comfortable around each other it’s almost like you’re dating” vibes LOL.

11. Seungkwan — He’d be so fun to be around. A lot of fun memories will be created with him. He’s the life of the party, and I just imagine him popping around here and there at an event lol (I think I’m overprojecting slightly, but he would still be well-known to others!). I think Seungkwan just needs/likes to be around people regardless of whether they’re a partner or a friend.

12. Vernon — He feels like a free spirit. I believe he’s mentioned before that he’s more of a personality person, so he’s not focused on looks in his partner. He’s very chill and already is confident in his own skin. I get the sense he’s content being alone (or w a friend) but also having a partner if the right one comes around.

13. Jihoon — It’s not impossible to have a relationship when he’s busy, but it def would be harder to balance. Even though he’s quiet, he cares. This is evident in the songs he’s made for certain members. I think he wouldn’t mind a partner, but they’d need to be understanding of his lifestyle (and accept he’s not big on showing affection directly). I think his partner would be someone who is similar to him but also would be able to introduce him to things he doesn’t do (like go outside lol. I say this bc he was loving the NT experience).

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[wonbokkies]

lipstick trend ! - zb1 makane line 💋✩ ˛˚.

pairing: maknae line x gn! reader

syn: their reactions before doing the trend!

warnings: fluff! mentions making out in ricky's (woops)

perm tl: open!

shen quanrui !

“are you serious.” was all you heard from the blonde haired boy, causing you to shrug. was he  that much against the idea?

“what, i think it’s cute.” you chirped, a sweet grin etched on your face, ricky raising his eyebrows at your reply. 

“why would you want to film a video when we could just make out?” he said, earning himself a glare and a light, harmless slap on the chest, with you watching the way his lips curled into a smirk in the mere corner of your eye. is this guy fr? yes.

“as if you don’t try to every chance you get,” you said, rolling your eyes yet smiling playfully afterwards. “isn’t that right my lovelicky?” 

suddenly getting flustered at the nickname, that smirk of his disappeared in a flash, ricky’s ears giving away his reaction the moment they turned a deep shade of red and his defined cheekbones were coloured pink. poking his right cheek, you laughed when his face went blank. 

“so, do you still wanna do it?” you questioned, standing up and getting ready to flee your spot, but your boyfriend was quick to pull you back down, tugging you right into his lap, your hands automatically flying to his shoulders, steadying itself. 

“the tiktok or the makeout part?” he questioned, a smirk making its way back on his lips as he held your waist in place, tilting his face closer to yours.

“both.” 

the tiktok was long forgotten after that.

«────── « ⋅ʚ💋ɞ⋅ » ──────»

kim gyuvin !

“gyuvin, stop!” you squeaked, fumbling and grabbing on your boyfriends forearms, while trying to jump and retrieve your lipstick tucked away in his large hands. after showing him the tiktok that magically made it’s way onto your for you page, you asked if you both could hop on the trend. he agreed right away- but under one condition. 

to let him apply the lipstick on you.

“let me put it on you!” he insisted, hastily moving his hands out of your range, turning his back towards you, shielding himself.

“no! you’re gonna overline them and make me look funny!” you yelped, gyuvin trying to stifle a laugh. you continued to clutch, poke, and tug on him, but he didn’t budge, whining once he used his height to his advantage and lifted his hand above your smaller height, a teasing grin plastered on his lips. 

“damn you for being so tall.” you mumbled under your breath, stretching your arms and jumping, attempting to reclaim your poor liptint, failing completely. gyuvin’s smile only widened as he held the bottle by the brim, tauntingly dangling it above your head, making you want to slap him. 

“what was that?” he replied, leaning his face down to level with your height, while cupping his left ear and pretending to be unable to hear you.

using this chance of close proximity to your benefit, you abruptly placed a sweet, chaste kiss straight on his lips, the sudden move making gyuvin freeze in his tracks, eyes widening and mouth drooping open. the moment he unconsciously lowered his arm, you snatched the product out of his hand and scurried away while giggling, your boyfriend still in his frozen state. 

finally snapping out of it, he shook his head, his dark locks bouncing through the motion, and he glared at you with his wide eyes. “yah!” 

don’t worry, you soon both safely filmed the video, after he got back at you for tricking him. with a kiss of course.

«────── « ⋅ʚ💋ɞ⋅ » ──────»

 park gunwook !

“how does this go again?” your boyfriend asked you for the nth time, his body sprawled against your queen-sized bed- which was obviously too small for him. 

“unlock my phone baby. the video should still be open,” you replied from the corner of your room where your vanity was located. rummaging through the drawers, you have yet to find your favourite lip tint, the one that he likes so much. 

gunwook whined, reluctantly reaching his arm towards the nightstand, retrieving your phone easily with his large hand. inputting the special day you two started dating into the keypad (yes, that was your password), he was met with the sight of a couple holding each others faces, all covered in bright red lipstick. but what shocked him the most was who was in the video. 

“what the- junhyeon has a girlfriend?!” he exclaimed in surprise, face morphing into some sort of confused, yet disgusted expression. the video continued to play over and over again, and gunwook could only stare at it in shock, the overplayed sound clouding his ears.

after finally finding your desired liptint that was weirdly shoved away at the bottom of gunwook’s schoolbag, you ignored it and made your way over to your bed, watching the way your boyfriend threw random insults to your phone screen while scrolling through junhyeon's tiktok account. 

“since when could he pull?” he asked, eyes still locked with your device, sitting up when he felt you take a seat next to him, the bed dipping due to the added weight.

“for a while baby.” you replied, unfazed at the competitiveness between gunwook and his best friend. you gently slipped your phone out of his hands, and turned it off, putting it beside you as you settled down in the space in front of him. suddenly, he pulled you closer, making you shriek in surprise. he grabbed the lip tint from your hands and kissed your cheek sweetly.

“our video is gonna be much better.” 

«────── « ⋅ʚ💋ɞ⋅ » ──────»

han yujin !

yujin must be the shyest boy you’ve ever met, despite how tall he is. he could barely watch the full tiktok without wanting to turn away and cover his eyes.

but of course, he wasn’t gonna deny your request. 

“so...you’re just gonna kiss me?” he asked warily as you nodded at him, the both of you seated on the floor against your bed. 

“but more than once? all over my face?”

“yes silly.” you replied, playing with his dark hair gently, his larger frame leaning against your smaller one. he melted into your touch, heartbeat quickening each time you gently combed your fingers through his scalp. “it that okay with you?” 

“yes, yes! yes, it’s very much okay..” he murmured, his peachy nose turning pink, making you want to kiss it. 

“no need to be shy lovely. is the beige rose one okay?” you tilted your head so you could look up in his direction, loving the way his doe eyes sparkled, although they shifted away from your gaze.

“okay…” he replied softly, unconsciously fiddling with the sleeves of his jacket, causing you to smile at how endearing he was. finally bringing himself to look you in the eyes, he bit his lip. “can i atleast apply the lipstick on you before you kiss me?” 

“of course you can sweetheart.” and you caressed his cheek, placing a delicate kiss on his nose, turning your peachy boy into an actual peach. an extra ripe one.

© wonbokkies on tumblr. please do not copy, repost, or plagiarize any of our works. likes and reblogs are appreciated !

send an ask if you'd like to be added to our permanent taglist!

[jeonride]

two kittens

SUMMARY; you are also a kitten to wonwoo

FEATURING; wonwoo x gn!reader

TAGS; fluff, established relationship, non-idol au, gamer boyfriend!wonwoo x gamer gn!reader, wonwoo as a dad cat <3 and reader is also a cat lover !

WORD COUNT; 1.7 K

WARNINGS; mentions of being killed by a knife (because wonwoo and reader are playing horror game here), use of pet names (baby, kitten), some kisses on the cheek !

NOTES FROM KALA; write this after i just watched his latest gaming live yesterday and found these two clips on my tl > click ! another click ! he has that black cat bf energy AGFSWSSSKLD ㅠㅠ and also because i've been playing the texas chainsaw massacre lol

jeonride's masterlist / join the taglist here !

Wonwoo looks excited to play his game, his eyes glued to the computer screen. He's playing a horror game called "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" which is adapted from a movie. Wonwoo has wanted to play it for a long time and he feels lucky that you invited him to play together. Small things like inviting him to play a game can make Wonwoo feel happy because it means he can spend time with you, while doing his hobby.

"Baby, be careful! The grandfather has dangerous skills!" says Wonwoo. So on this game, there are survivors and there is a family. This family consists a grandfather and his two grandchildren, and then the leatherface as villain. Well, they're all villains actually, murderers. And the grandfather has special skill— every time he screams, the survivors who are hiding will be detected and his two grandchildren and the leatherface are in charge of killing them.

But don't worry, you really don't have to because Wonwoo says, as long as you stay still and don't move when the grandfather screams, you won't be detected. Except in the final level. Ugh, the final level is really hard and you always lose. Luckily Wonwoo is always there to help you. Protecting you and giving you directions on what to do, and telling you where to hide.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Wonwoo says as you scream between excitement and fear as leatherface chases you, wanting to kill the character you're playing.

"Please please please I don't want to die! I want to end this game with my boyfriend!" you ramble while your hands aggressively clicking your mouse and the keyboard.

Wonwoo chuckles while adjusting his glasses. He turns his head to take a look at your face. You are so expressive and it warms Wonwoo's heart. Adorable.

"Hide at the basement, baby. I will open the back door first so you can run easily, yeah?"

You nod, eyes staring at the screen like it's your last chance to live. You're getting scared even though it's just a game but Wonwoo strokes your shoulder softly. "We can finish this together. Just keep running, baby. I got your back. I'm right behind you."

Unfortunately, while you're running, the killer is right in front of the door. Your character is immediately caught, killed with a knife. You scream, "AAAA NO! WE ALMOST MADE IT, WON!"

Wonwoo laughs, his laugh sounds so endearing and it makes your anger doesn't stay longer, though. "That's okay. You did very well at surviving. I'm proud, tho. Good game!"

You just exhale heavily. Then you remove your headphones from your ears. Wonwoo glances over, "Don't want to play anymore?"

"I'm tired." You grin. "I'll just watch you play games." You turn off your computer again, now moving closer to Wonwoo's computer. You and Wonwoo's computer desks are placed side by side because you both like to play games. To make it easier to strategize while playing games and of course because playing games next to your boyfriend is so much fun!

"If you're tired, just rest your body on the bed." Wonwoo massages his fingers for a moment, feeling sore from playing three rounds with you. It's been an hour and you guys haven't had lunch yet. "I'll continue a bit more and we'll have lunch together, okay?"

"Okay!" you reply enthusiastically, smiling cheerfully. Wonwoo smiles too, he ruffles your hair gently then kisses your cheek. Then the new game starts, and he's back to looking seriously at his computer screen.

You walk over to the bed, laying your body down because of the soreness in your back. Your eyes look around your shared bedroom. Looking for something. "Princess?" you call. "Princess, where are you?"

"Look under our bed, she likes to sleep there." Wonwoo responses to your call looking for his kitten.

Wonwoo has a kitten, a white furred kitten that he named Princess because he didn't know what to name her at that time right after he adopted her. Wonwoo said, "It's okay. Princess is what she looks like." Indeed, that kitten acts like a total princess who loves to be pampered and doesn't want to be told to play outside. Her fur is so soft, and well-groomed. The way she walks is also graceful, just like a princess!

You get up from the bed and peek underneath. Sure enough, you can see a white blob of fur, Princess is asleep, curled up until her body looks like a snowball. You smile, Princess is so adorable and lovable. When you first meet her, you immediately love her as if she were your own cat. Wonwoo even used Princess as an excuse to meet you because your boyfriend knows that you love his cat so much.

"Come here, furball!" you reach for the white feline's body. She doesn't react, just wriggles a little in your arms. Then you lay back down on the bed, half leaning on the headboard while Princess rests on your chest.

"Aw, so cute. Won, look at your baby!"

Wonwoo smiles, and he tries to reciprocate your words by turning to you briefly even though his game character is in crisis, being chased by the leatherface. "She's adorable, like you."

"How can there's such a cute creature like this?" you start talking to yourself, telling Wonwoo's cat the fairy tales of your childhood like Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty, as if she understands what you're saying and even if she doesn't, just having Princess being comfortable in your arms is enough.

On the other side, Wonwoo is playing the game seriously, his fingers moving so fast to avoid the killer. But his ears are focused on listening to your ramblings, making his face continue to display a sincere smile even though it looks like he's about to lose. "A-ah, no!"

And sure enough, it isn't long before Wonwoo lost because he is no longer focused on playing the game. His character is killed by leatherface. He starts to feel tired and wants to have lunch with you, then cuddle together with Princess in the middle of the two of you.

"Baby, what do you wanna have for—" Wonwoo's words is cut short because when he looks back at you, you are already asleep with Princess in your arms. Your mouth opened slightly, letting out a soft exhale. The sight of you sleeping with the kitten makes Wonwoo's smile grows wider. He had no idea that your interaction with his kitten can make him fall so deeply in love. Making his heart melt like honey.

Wonwoo takes off his headphones, ends his gaming agenda and slowly walking towards you. His big hand gently strokes the top of your head, as if you're a fragile creature that he must treat with care.

"Kitten," he whispers as he gazes at your peacefully sleeping face. You look so peaceful and sound, even though you were just playing a game with Wonwoo a few minutes ago. He takes his phone out of his pants pocket and quietly snap a picture of you sleeping while hugging Princess.

He giggles while looking at the photo. "My kittens taking a nap together. How cute,"

© jeonride 2023. all rights reserved. please do not copy, translate, plagiarize, or repost any of my writing anywhere!

[thebottomfromhell]

hello!! I enjoy your stuff!! I was wondering if request are open could you headcanons of the upper moons having a goth s/o ?

like imagine their partner having platforms, chokers, black lipstick, the dark clothing and tattoos uwu

I would really love to see how they would react to them 🫰

Requests open, don't worry. It's a lovely ask, I hope you like it. I am writting considering the context, most are demons in the XX century that have lived at least 100 years, all of them from JAPAN. If it wasn't because most of this guys are freaks, none of them would approve.

How does the Uppermoons feel about your asthetic? Goth GN Reader.

Warnings: Kokushibou being a grampa 😂, Referenced sexual content, Sekido being emotional again, and Akaza has his implied angst (why almost everything in him has at least some hidden angst?).

Gyutaro:

Gyutaro loves your asthetic, it's almost the opposite of the traditional japanese beauty standards and he's all for it. He thinks it suits you a lot and he is not bothered when you want to show off a inked skin or too much skin. (He specially loves tattoos, thinks it's genial that marks on the body can be artistic, he is always nervious to touch them but you can see he wants to).

If you want to share a t-shirt, lend him some jewelry, put a choker in his neck, paint his nails or make him a fake tattoo (his regeneration would ruin a real one), then he is reasy for you to dress him up. (Even the lipstick, he is all for messy kisses and the more the merrier) With you as a partner he would start to incorporate some of this things to his everyday style (and Daki would loath you for it.)

Gyokko:

Gyokko is conflicted, he likes the gothic style, adores it even. The themes, the dark colors, the uniqueness, it's a great asthetic. But it's not his asthetic. He likes colors, soft patterns, brightness. And of course Gyokko can't have it if it's not about himself, not that he minds. "Some things must be loved from afar. It's like art, you are not supposed to interact or be part of it if you are not the artist. You are just supposed to appreciate it."

He fully supports the way you look, the way you dress, and he might try to wear dark make up every once in a while with you doing it as a bonding experience, if you have something really nice then jewelry is a must, specially the choker (he feels sexy with it)... but besides that, he would barely touch it. Also, you better keep your mouth away with that lipstick.

Hantengu:

It suits you, he doesn't have any strong opinion about it besides that. If that is what you want to wear, please do. But he got to admit there are things he is rather intimidated by in your style, the dark colors everywhere and memento mori themes are one of those.

He would not let you near with any of your things, not even the nail painting. Still, he would be plainty supportive of you expressing yourself. He is ok with the lipstick, though, it causes no harm.

Sekido:

Sekido is ok with it, it's the way you express yourself and dress is none of his business. He doesn't really like it but still thinks it's much better than dressing like Karaku or Urogi. He doesn't mind anything you do tl yourself as long as you like it.

And if you ever think of lending him something... don't, at best he will not use it, at worst he will give it to Urogi or Karaku and you will never see that piece of clothing/jewelry again. And try to put any make up on him he will literally have you shocked untill you pass out. Also, please clean the lipstick off if you want a kiss, he doesn't like them that messy.

Karaku:

Karaku thinks it's beautiful and sexy, he loves it a lot and is unafraid to say it. The second he saw you he said "Damn, you're looking good, hot-stuff. Suits you so much I'm almost envy it." He falls in love with you again evertime you expose a tattoo (he will trail the drawing with his index as he whispers how much he loves it in yoour skin by your ear) or wear tight and black clothes.

Don't mind him matching your style every once in a while, when he gets the mood to fix himself. But now that you gave him the idea he is forever using a choker, best thing ever. Also, he loves the black lipstick, he is enamored with kissing you with both having some and creating a mess, also he likes it since is extremely visible in his unlike bitemarks (they heal), so he is all for you kissing anywhere you like with it.

Urogi:

Urogi adores it, he thinks it's unique. Really, he gets all over you and asks you things like "What is that?" "How did you get it?" "Is it uncomfortable?" He also comments how it looks good in you. This includes the tattos, he loves then, even licks them at times lnly to see if it rubs off and is always amazed when it doesn't, even if he ever licked that same spot a million times.

After a while you realize he started to steal your stuff, specially the jewelry. He doesn't even wears them, he just likes them a lot so he keeps them. You can't get him to wear anything at all, he will run away at the sight of you wanting to dress him up (like a dog realizing it's bath-day, maybe he does think you will force him into a shower cuz he stinks a bit and you would not want to wear a shirt that he just used).

Aizetsu:

Aizetsu likes it, he thinks you look nice in it, you look like yourself. Dark clothes fit anyone, he thinks, and damn him if he isn't attracted to the themes, specially the memento mori. The thing he loves the most are the tattoos, the fact that they are part of you. He asks about their meaning, of why did you choose certain design, of the experience, he uses them as a way to know you.

Now, he wouldn't actually wear that. While he also likes dark clothes, he uses only things that are comfortable for his skin and to do the katas with his spear. But... a little bullying and he will be willing to match with you for a while. Oh, and he looks adorable after a messy kiss with the lipstick. He loves it and hates it at the same time, since it's awful but he likes that you can leave a mark that won't heal so he doesm't want to clean it off.

Nakime:

Nakime is in love with your style, she doesn't understand it as much as she feels she should, since he also wears black. She likes the themes, adores the tattoos (even if she would die before letting a needle basically embroider ink into her skin), dies for the make up and jewelry, also the fact she literally fell in love with you when she saw you like that... she still hasn't managed to integrate herself fully into it. She adores it, yearns it, but it's not hers.

Still, Nakime does like when you lend her something, and she would use them from time to time as long as you guide her through the style. And she likes a lot to kiss if you are both wearing lipstick, even if she doesn't like to deal with the mess it leaves in the skin.

Akaza:

Akaza doesn't share the taste, but he is very supportive. He likes to see you dress up the way it makes you comfortable and happy, and he is not above gifting you a gothic piece of jewelry or cloth if that will make you happy. His biggest issue are the tattoos, for some reason they make him feel on edge (you are used to him being paranoid of you being hurt, but fearing it out of a tattoo?)

He would not wear none of those, never. Akaza loves you, but he is not comfortable with the idea of so much black in him. It's actually funny because he wears white and pink, so you give the Jade (you) and Kat (him) vibe from Victorious at first glance. Also, he is not going to stop you from kissing hin if you wear lipstick, but he is cleaning his mouth the second your lips leave his.

Douma:

Douma literally doesn't care. You could both dress in the most expensive suit or a trash bag and the same reaction. "You look lovely in that!" But he says it mostly because it's the correct thing to say, since he doesn't have feelings on the matter. The only think he is curious about are the tattoos, but once he made some questions like "Did it hurt?" "Why this drawing?" "What if one day you don't like it anymore?" He starts losing interest.

He also doesn't care lf you put anything on him, you could give him a tattoo if you ever wanted. He doesn't care if the kisses might get messy with the lipstick or even if you want to put make up in him, at best he will think having his face "painted" is funny and at worst he will clean it off. Douma just doesn't care.

Kokushibou:

Kokushibou hates it, if he wasn't a demon he would have died from a heart attack everytime he saw you using a choker with black lipstick, visible tattoos, clothes too tight in your skin and/or too revealing (he thinks too revealing is showing your shoulders, thighs, any tiny bit of chest, waist, back and so) and way too many accesories for his liking. And don't get him starting with the memento mori themes (he's terrified by it).

This is a japanese traditional man, and what your style is almost the exact opposite of it. Still, he barely comments on it, he's a very quiet man, and he's so horrified he doesn't know how to approach because... you really like to be like that??? [Go to sleep gramps 😂] If you ever put anything gothic on him, no matter what, even if it's just the figure of your lips with the black lipstick, forget the canon timeline, he will die then and there. [Poor grampa, your youth is too much for him 🤣]

[yuusishi]

Could I request Kaveh's s/o getting lots of love and attention from animals? Like, remember those foxes that followed Kaveh? As soon as they see s/o, they immediately run to her. Even if she's asleep, they'll lay beside her.

. . . BELOVED BY ALL

pairings : Kaveh x gn!reader

genre : fluff

cws/tws : none

a/n : nawt the Silver coded reader

Kaveh !!

Kaveh's really glad that you get along with animals as well as he does and he can't help but find it the most adorable thing when you're so focused that you didn't even notice the bird that's silently perched on your shoulder.

With your matching affinity for animals, you both tend to go to the outskirts of the city or even to the desert or rainforest just to get away from work for a while and relax around nature.

But he has to admit...he can't help but feel jealous sometimes when animals get a tad bit too close to you, particularly when you're napping around your workstation.

Like it's supposed to be him sitting next to you putting a blanket on you to lessen the chances of a cold, but the animals got to you before he can using their own soft fur and body heat as a makeshift blanket for you.

Majority of pictures in your little couple album (yes, Kaveh definitely has one of those) has either you or Kaveh holding a fox or a bird on your finger, sometimes even a whole snake around your neck!

(Tighnari knows that you would be the last thing animals would harm but he's still very adamant about both of you being careful around dangerous desert animals).

The funniest picture in the album has to be a whole rishboland tiger acting like a giant cat after you managed to give it a piece of meat as a peace offering while you wandered around the rainforest.

Of course, you have to have a little pet companion with you all the time whether it's just sitting in your house waiting for you to come back home, wandering the city in its spare time, or even going on adventures with you!

Whatever the pet is, whether it's a tiny birdie or even a whole boar, it's going to get along with Kaveh after it senses that you're close with him and love him.

tl;dr : both of you are disney princesses

[thepringlesofblood]

bonus content for those who read the taz: the 11th hour graphic novel and haven’t listened to the podcast arc

disclaimer: so. I lost my book about 1/4 of the way into this post. so the rest of it is just from memory (I did finish reading it several times, I just no longer have it to refer to). I wanted to post this before the next one comes out though, so here we are. If I find my book, I will attempt to finish up the details for the rest of the book. I cover some basic big things from memory, but nowhere near as detailed as the stuff I wrote down when I had the book to refer to. but in the meantime...let’s go!

by god they’ve done it again. 11th hr is a Lot and definitely the most plot-heavy book so far, PLUS they had to include the first lunar interlude where the boys had individual scenes. the result is frankly beautiful. we’re really hitting critical mass now.

as a result a lot more stuff got compressed, cut, changed, or skipped. i’m going to try to at least point out each difference, though there’s no way I could summarize EVERYTHING that got cut in one post. I’m going to be linking relevant episodes (& transcripts thank u tazscripts) instead, for things that are Just Too Much to include.

as always, this post is intended to be Fun and Cool Bonus Content for people who haven’t listened to the podcast, not a manifesto of stuff they “should have” included or a list of flaws. they had 11+ hours of content to squish into one graphic novel, that happened over a period of months. of course stuff got cut. and it’s stuff that was recorded in 2016. that’s eight years ago. of course some things are going to change.

tl;dr - I liked the dang book. you can be sad something wasn’t in the novel while still understanding why it isn’t. here is a list of the stuff that was changed, skipped, compressed, or cut, presented as cool facts & extra info for gn fans who haven’t listened to the podcast.

spoilers ahoy for the 11th hour, but I’ll try to keep spoilers for the rest of the series to a minimum or at least mark them clearly. At the very end I’m going to put a section of series-spoiler theories and observations, very clearly marked

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, there are a few MAJOR changes from the podcast I want to get out of the way first. This list also includes “stuff I remember but don’t have the book to refer back to on”

Several characters and a whole section of the map were cut.

I think this is the first time that any named, plot-relevant characters have been completely cut. The closest we’ve come so far was the bugbears, but they at least had a cameo in the photo in Lucas’ quarters. Luca, Redmond, and Stonefruit Farms fully don’t exist in the GN series.

the boys meet Redmond in ep 46, pt 6 of the 11th hr arc, having met his brother Luca at the end of the previous episode.

long story short, Redmond was the leader of the purple-kerchiefed ruffians and the brains behind the bank robbery, which The Boys had to go through with so that Redmond would help his lowkey-estranged brother Luca raise the temple of Istus from its decrepit state, as they were both devout priests of Istus. The whole key being in the vault thing is GN-only.

Also, Luca is a skeleton bc he was in the temple when it got rapidly old-ified, but dw he’s fine he’s just a skeleton. he gets better.

Redmond’s motivation for robbing the bank is that as a priest of Istus, lady of fate, he follows his gut feelings and intuition, and he had a strong feeling that whatever was in the vault would be the key to taking down the bubble.

they basically took all of the plot-necessary elements from Luca & Redmond and gave them to Ren. In the podcast, Ren actually blasts some of the purple-kerchiefed ruffians out of her bar after they get too rowdy. She isn’t involved with the robbery in the slightest.

Merle’s Temporal Chalice scene

in the podcast, it’s his arm being chopped off. or more specifically, grabbing a crystal that exploded and made him have to get his arm chopped off. 

Him running out on his kids is played kind of for laughs at first in the podcast. Merle is a heel for a lot longer there, bc the funniest improv is usually not the most ethical improv. They do talk about his life and the fact that he has a family, but the offer made by the chalice is for him to have his arm back

frankly, I think they made the right move in the GN. We get very little of Hecuba in the podcast, and I really liked seeing more of that conflict.

Roswell, my beloved

so, in 2016 when they did the podcast, the McElroys were at, let’s say a different place in their journey of learning about the queer community. which is to say that in the podcast Roswell’s pronouns were wildly inconsistent, in part due to them being a clay construct, in part due to them not being introduced with any pronoun in particular [though Griffin clarifies that he intends for Roswell to use they/them a little later on in the arc], and in part bc the boys just weren’t really familiar with the singular they. they tended vacillate between they/them, it/its, and he/him. we all learn and grow. 

in the book, thankfully, Roswell is 100% they/them. fuck yeah. related. The Boys are significantly worse people to Roswell in the podcast. like, significantly. we’ll get into it as it comes up more, I just want to signpost it here. 

e.g. Taako giving Roswell control of themselves and their command word is a GN original, in the podcast The Boys kind of “junebug” them around for large swaths of the last few episodes. also, a significant number of earlier loops involve them basically negging Roswell into believing that Isaak hired outside help (The Boys) with security bc they weren’t cutting it anymore (rude). I much prefer the geologists gambit they go with in the GN.

Diamonds

Paloma’s prophecies cost money in the podcast, so a lot of The Boys’ shenanigans (and a significant number of loops) are in pursuit of getting cash. which, in Refuge, is diamonds. Some examples: 

Before figuring out that you can’t take objects with you, the boys do straight up take some diamonds from the bank post-robbery. 

Taako gets Ren and a patron of her bar, Ash, to sign up and pay for a seminar/magic lesson he’ll be giving tomorrow (one of my all-time fav scenes). This leads to a touching scene at the end when the bubble finally comes down where Taako gives Ren a little certificate that says “first graduate of Taako’s Amazing School of Magic.”

Magnus tries to armwrestle a guy for cash (Merle’s idea), and though he rolls a 27 Strength check, the Goliath barbarian he’s rolling against gets a 28.

Paloma offers 1 diamond for a small prophecy, 10 for a big one. in the GN they aren’t differentiated, and one small prophecy just doesn’t show up as it’s not needed.

the taz fandom wiki has a handy list of all the prophecies she gives in the podcast

ok! let’s go!

Prologue (the bit before ch 1)

this isn’t in the 11th hour podcast.

the information we get about The Visitor in the 11th hour (from The Boys asking various Refuge residents) is that

Jack and June brought them to Refuge

or, they brought Jack and June to Refuge. We hear both things at different times.

they’re depicted in the statue as having a Red Robe and being kinda broad-shouldered.

Roswell never met them. At first they refer to The Visitor with he/him pronouns, but then mention “I say ‘he’, I didn’t know them”

they tended to keep their face hidden (maybe?)

that’s pretty much it

we learn about this interaction much much much much much later in the podcast, not as a scene that is played out, but abstractly as an event that happened, after we find out who The Visitor is. 

that said, I LOVE this scene’s inclusion and expansion. it makes total sense to me.

Jack is never described as having a sketchbook or being an artist. this will come back later. 

the final scene of the arc in the podcast is instead June giving Magnus some previous designs for the statue of Jack, June, & a Red Robe/The Visitor in the middle of town, with a version where the hood of the robe is down and the face of the Red Robe/The Visitor is visible.

Ch. 1

this is where the podcast starts at episode 1 of the 11th hr. 

boyland’s funeral is very accurate. his comically large family of 400 sons (mentioned in CK podcast) is why the Voidfish lights up like that.

the only real differences I could find were:

in the podcast what is erased is basically boyland’s personnel file. like, a report or write-up of who he is and his work for the BoB. johann writing songs about boyland’s life is new.

the only pronouns ever used for the voidfish in the podcast are they/them, it/its, and occasionally he/him. past taz graphic novels have used they/them. on pg 13 of 11th hr, both Johann and Merle use she/her for the voidfish.

I do not like this, but I have a suspicion as to why, and I don’t like that either. see spoiler-y observations at the end for more.

they merged this scene with a scene from the skipped lunar interlude before CK, where The Boys take cpt. cpt. bane’s “file” to the voidfish to be eaten.

 I described this in my other posts, but the two things relevant here are Magnus putting his hand up on the glass and vibing w the voidfish, and this exhange b/w Johann and The Boys:

Johann: When I, um, can I ask you guys a question?

Magnus: Sure.

Taako: Of course, Johann.

Johann: Are you guys really okay with, with this part of the deal?

Magnus: That we get forgot?

Taako: Which part?

Johann: Yeah, are you cool with like, if you beef it down there, the world just forgets about you?

Magnus: Well, I’m not planning on ever dying.

in the podcast, bc Avi isn’t there, Angus operates the cannons (Avi showed him how before he left). he is extremely nervous about it and about killing them on accident. once they’re in the orb taako casts stoneskin on himself “just in case”, but everything works out totally fine, though avi mentions when The Boys land that the stoneskin should’ve thrown off the trajectory.

the gn keeps the spirit of taako trusting no one without the angus psychological damage by having him just cast a better version of the spell angus cast, and I am a fan.

the leveling up stats aren’t right in the book, as I’m sure every dnd 5e nerd has already tweeted about.

they’re all level 10, so magnus should be a level 8 fighter and a level 2 rogue bc 2+8=10, while the other two boys are still just a level 10 cleric and a level 10 wizard bc they didn’t multiclass.

fantasy costco-wise: aside from the stuff they have in the book (all things they do own in the podcast, though hole-thrower and the feather-weight cuirass were from the fantasy gachapon), merle picks up matthias the living grimoire, magnus gets the magnetic charge and the tarantula bracelet, and taako gets the arcane trickster’s glove (no wiki page rip it just gives you some arcane trickster powers) and mockingbird gum.

they beat up the baby worms more before letting them go, it’s a full battle

Ch. 2

in the podcast, when they go through the barrier, they find themselves in an empty white space where they see an old woman holding the cup. she says “It’s you!” with recognition upon seeing them, and then says “find me” before they wake up.

important: every time the boys die in the podcast, they go back to this space briefly before waking up.

sometimes the woman gives a cryptic message, sometimes not, and in their later loops, the woman collapses, breathing heavily.

we find out in the end that this woman is June - she has a whole extended de-aging sequence later that they probably cut so poor Carey didn’t have to do a bajillion character models for June at different ages just for a few panels of dramatic effect.

pg 36 - to head off any dnd 5e nitpickers, Magnus does not have proficiency in rustic hospitality, since that’s not a skill. Magnus does have a character feat called “Rustic Hospitality” that he chose at level 1.

claiming to have proficiency in things you can’t possibly have proficiency in is a longstanding goof both in taz and among people who play dnd 5e in general, because it’s funny.

in the book, they intercut each loop with a scene from lunar interlude 3, and it works really really well. we’ll get to those scenes as they come up.

Is this the first time someone uses he/him for The Red Robe in the gn series? (Roswell says ‘his’)

in the podcast Roswell mentions having never met the visitor, and comments “I say “he”, but I don’t know.”

in the GN, when The Boys tell the director about The Red Robe in CK they use they/them pronouns and so does the director, but after this, even @ the end of the book after Taako guesses that The Red Robe they’ve been talking to isn’t the same Red Robe from Refuge, he and the other boys continue to use he/him for The Red Robe.

“Mystic Analysis”

he just did an arcana check in the podcast, I don’t think Taako had Identify as a spell, which is what the DND equivalent would be. 

they also don’t figure out that Roswell has a command word until much later, during the Diary Of Sheriff Isaak scene.

Griffin basically says “[they’re] an earth elemental, with a bird on [them], and earth elementals don’t generally have birds on them, so maybe it was just nearby when the spell was cast and got caught up in it”

Cassidy

in the podcast, she’s in jail for blowing up the temple of Istus, which she didn’t do.

GN Ren mentions later on that the temple got “un-built” which references how in the podcast the temple suddenly aged a matter of centuries in seconds, so from the outside it looked kind of explode-y. and cassidy is known for blowing shit up, so she was blamed. she also theorizes that it might be racism due to her half-orc heritage.

in the GN, cassidy’s arrested for trespassing on the closed mines, which she absolutely has done. it makes more sense, and eliminates a major plot point they cut from the book

she is otherwise pretty much the same, I love her very much

Paloma pretty much stays in her cottage in the podcast rather than sneaking around.

the fantastic exchange of “you guys have been here 45 minutes, what the fuck did you bring with you?!” “you should see what we can do in an hour!” is 100% verbatim from the podcast.

in the podcast, Ren is dead the first bank fire (and in most subsequent bank fires). she also wasn’t one of the bandits, or involved with the bank robbery at all

in fact, in the loop where The Boys were doing the bank robbery, she unexpectedly came in, recognized Taako, and almost blew their cover.

With so little time left on the clock, Taako cast Banishment on her to keep her safe and out of the way, but she made her saving throw - so it didn’t work, but she knew Taako tried to cast some spell on her, and there was a somber moment of her falling backwards trying to get away from him, tears in her eyes.

look it’s a good lil character moment

I can’t emphasize enough how brutal the first description of the bank fire and subsequent world-ending is. Griffin pulled 0 punches.

Magnus rushes in and he describes the scene like “you see a guy, who looks like this. they’re dead. you see two guards. they’re dead. you see a woman holding a tray of diamonds. she’s dead. you see this person, also dead. you see a dwarven bank teller. she might be alive, but it’s hard to tell, and if she was she is on the brink of death”

I think the boys, brogden, and maybe one of the purple-kerchief ruffians (which is how they are described in the podcast) survived the first one, and everyone else died in that bank. it felt so brutal listening to it the first time because you (and the boys) didn’t know about the loop yet, so it was just. horrifying.

I love how they pulled in off in the GN!!! the clock hands are just *chef kiss*

just before Griffin describes the destruction of Refuge, Travis interjects, “Ditto, did you base this on Majora’s Mask?”

while Griffin does not respond in the moment, he later confirms that Travis is correct.

Griffin’s description of the fiery deaths of The Boys: “And you’re being crushed by the shattered earth as it compresses down into the ground. And you hear an anguished scream come from something massive and furious, and all three of you have died…And there’s something about the dying that feels familiar.”

“and then you wake up.” hardcut to end of episode music. v epic.

Ch. 3 (i s2g they’re not all going to be this detailed the major plot differences are mostly out of the way now)

as mentioned, the scenes between each loop in the gn happen in Lunar Interlude III (transcript) (episode) - each of The Boys got to choose a scene to have in between arcs and Justin chose to have Taako give Angus magic lessons.

they’re all more abstract in the eps (Taako establishes a recurring time and place to give Angus lessons, and we get scenes from earlier vs later lessons, various shenanigans, etc.) but the major points are actually pretty much the same, just condensed into one scene in the book.

also taako giving magic lessons in his quarters makes 100% sense, but in the podcast they did it in the cafeteria, and that’s where the LUP is burned into the wall. significant? potentially.

in the podcast angus had made some macarons for taako but forgot to flavor them (he nailed the texture though which is hard to do in a macaron) so he asked taako to prestidigitate them better and then scorching ray happened and blasted em to shreds.

LUP. dude. I thought it was an acronym when I first heard it, bc in the podcast, Griffin says “So your staff, you lost control of it and you blasted the letters “L-U-P” into the wall.” Seeing it in cursive, all gorgeous and capitalized like a proper noun? knocked me the fuck out.

another dnd 5e tiny detail: in the gn, the description for Angus’ first wand says “wonderful stocking stuffer for the young sorcerer in your life”

i could have a whole conspiracy board about this.

skip this if you’re not super into dnd 5e mechanics

the difference (in dnd 5e) b/w a wizard, a warlock, and a sorcerer is:

wizard: gets magic from study and practice - taako is a wizard bc he studied spellcraft and learned how to do it.

warlock: gets magic from making a deal with something/someone far more magical than themselves - garfield is a warlock, so his magic stems from a deal he made with something (the devil??)

sorcerer: has innate magic within them.

this could come from a myriad of places, but usually from heritage or bloodline - maybe your great-grandfather was a god or a dragon or a demon or a djinn or something, or maybe your mom touched a weird rock as a kid and got magic powers that she passed onto you when she had you.

in the podcast, angus is only ever referred to as a wizard. makes sense - regular boy + magic training from taako = wizard boy.

but if he’s a sorcerer, the magic really was in him all along. is taako teaching him to channel it? does he know?

this also fits with a weirdly popular headcanon the taz community had for a while about angus secretly being a silver dragon (in dnd, color = different abilities, diff personality, etc, and silver ones like to shapeshift and pretend to be humans sometimes).

“draconic bloodline” is one of the most common sorcerer backgrounds - it basically just means ‘a dragon got involved at some point in this family tree, so now you can cast ray of frost’.

hmmmmmmm

end conspiracy theory

It is at this point that I lost my damn book. so. I’m just gonna post this bc the next graphic novel is coming out soon and I want to post it before then. If i find my book I’ll finish it up. If you have post-chapter 3 differences you noticed that aren’t already covered, feel free to reply/reblog with them!

Spoiler-y Observations Below!

CAUTION: contains spoilers for the rest of taz balance!

*voidfish speculation: my suspicion is that they’re using ‘she’ for the voidfish to foreshadow that they have a baby, so that makes them a “mother”? i call bullshit, but i’ve heard it used before as a justification for misgendering an enby who gives birth. obvs the voidfish is not a human being, people can have multiple pronouns, it’s not a 1:1 comparison, but i for one (as an enby myself) really liked the voidfish using they/them and feel oddly betrayed at them suddenly changing the pronouns. fingers crossed that there’s a different reason.

"what am statue” is low-key foreshadowing since magnus says it

merle knowing what relativistic time dilation is

LUP was burnt into the wall in the cafeteria in the podcast - lucretia would’ve seen it for sure. so they put it in taako’s room this time...

aw no ‘sorry about the cookies little man’

In 5 or however many years when gn series ends, someone should do a poll of people who only read the graphic novels and see if any of them pronounce “Lup” weird since they’ve only ever seen it written down.

hero wreathed in flames 0.0 I hope Joaquin is still there in the finale but I like the duality here

BATTLEAXEPROFICIENCYEASTEREGG

SNEAK PEEK AT THE HUNGER SNEAK PEEK AT THE STARBLASTER AAAAAAAA

257 - ‘I know him better than you could ever imagine’ because he created you? Oof ouch ow my bones. also....the magnus that made the cup was a very different person from magnus now. it’s not what Julia would want - the cup never met julia, obvs, and does not know the ways she changed him for the better.

Bottom of 327 - sweet Angus boy are you drawing something on that orb?

Istus is like you’ve been serving me your whole lives without knowing it in the podcast - maybe a bit too much foreshadowing for the GN

[deus-ex-mona]

me when it seems to be confirmed that hitsuyou fukaketsu is an aiyuu love song

[rrxaiky]

𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃, 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐓

GENSHIN: Kamisato Ayato x GN! reader.

WARNINGS/ TAGS: Near death experience (?), angst if you squint, mostly fluff, mentions of death, first half of the story- Reader & Ayato are both children, Friends to lovers, Chinju forest has season changes here, not beta read [ 1.3K WC ]

── WHAT IF reader was a cursed human who only appeared in winter at a certain location? What if the only way to break their curse was for them to finally find love... In a place where not many dare visit in winter?

A/N: Just a quick writing exercise, don't come at me because I know this isn't my best work, I literally just word vomited this. Tl;dr - Working on separate Ayato series, have this thing while I write.

Ayato remembers that day as clear as day, years ago when he met you in the depths of Chinju forest. What he doesn’t remember is why he wandered into the forest in the midst of winter. Ayato could remember himself shivering from the cold, only noticing that he was lost once he was too deep in. 

Ayato was slumped against a tree, the coldness invading his senses, and his eyes heavy. He could hear footsteps going towards him, stopping just when they got in front of him. You placed your hand on his cheek, and Ayato looked up. All he could do was see your blurry figure as you lightly scolded him, though most of it had become white noise to him.

Once you realised all your scoldings fell on deaf ears, you pulled him up and slung one of his arms over your shoulders. Ayato can’t remember much about that part, except for a warning. Something along the lines of not going into Chinju forest alone in winter next time. The next thing he knew, he woke up surrounded by attendants, and his head hurting. 

The attendants had stated that they found him just outside of the forest with a burning fever. Though, Ayato wanted to get out of bed. He wanted to know who you were. You scolded him about going into such a dangerous place alone. What about you? 

Though… It was probably best not to go back alone. He didn’t want to relive the possible feeling of death by sending himself back, so maybe it’d be best to ask around Inazuma city about you first. 

He walked around the city days later, asking around about you. Your face was blurry when you approached him, so he had to try his best to recall what you as a person looked like. He didn’t realise evening would fall so soon. Since it was winter, most of the stores had closed early, but he had only gotten one response.

“I’m sorry, I have not seen this person before.” 

Maybe it was better to wait for spring. 

The cold days and nights of winter faded as quickly as it came, bringing forth a new season. Ayato stood outside of the forest’s entrance, hoping that he’d be able to find you inside. He spent hours roaming around, only to be met with no results, and Ayato went back to the estate once again with it weighing on his mind. He felt guilty that he wasn’t able to give you thanks for saving him.

He tried to look for you after, a few times a week from spring to summer… It’s late autumn now. Ayato’s already long lost count of the failed attempts he’s had at finding you. Another day he walks out of the forest with an attendant with him. Was this unhealthy? “It’s okay,” he told himself. 

He was just a child. He had plenty of time ahead to look for you.

It’s winter now. The first day had just passed, and Ayato had finally finished training. He asked one of his attendants to accompany him to Chinju forest once more, even though night would fall soon.

The attendant kneeled down to Ayato’s height, checking if he was dressed before he stood up again. “Be careful, young master.” Ayato nodded before heading into the forest for the nth time. 

This time, he saw someone by the river. You. 

“Excuse me!” Ayato’s voice rang through your ears, alerting you to look at him. “You again..? I thought I told you to not enter here alone during winter,” you said to him. You eyed him up and down before continuing, “I’m taking you back. Come on, it’s not safe to be here.” You grabbed his hand as you finished, heading towards the opening of the forest. 

Ayato, on the other hand, tried his best to resist. “Wait,” he began, pulling his hand away. “I came here to say thank you!” 

Thank you? Thank… you?” 

Those words were foreign to you. He wasn’t the first person you’ve spoken to, but of all the people who you’ve met before, he was the first to say those words to you. You could recall everyone who you’ve seen before. They didn’t like speaking, they didn’t like moving. They liked laying in the snow, they liked catching snowflakes in their dry mouths. 

“Oh.” You didn’t know how to respond to him. “Uhm, what’s your name?” you asked instead. “Kamisato Ayato, pleased to meet you.” You blinked once, twice, then said, “(Name).” Ayato’s face beamed when you finally told him your name. “Your name is very pretty! Let’s be friends, (Name)!” 

Oh, you didn’t know how to respond to that either. You could only silently nod, earning a small cheer from the child. 

“Young master? It’s time to go!” A voice rang out from beyond the entrance. The both of you turned your heads to the source of the sound. “I have to leave… Will you be here tomorrow? We can talk more then!” He said, turning back to face you. “Yes, I will,” you answered. He smiled at you again before waving goodbye and leaving the forest.

For the rest of winter, Ayato would keep visiting you, sometimes bringing you gifts from the estate. The rest of winter went by quickly, even quicker than usual. Maybe time flowed faster when you were with him. 

The day before spring, you found yourself sitting in silence beside him. “You know I’m not going to be here tomorrow, right?” Ayato looked at you as you spoke. He seemed disappointed. “When are you coming back?” 

Next winter.

Ayato had a frown on his face now. He still wanted to spend more time with you. “Promise me you’ll be here?” For the first time in the life you’ve lived, you flashed a small smile to someone else. “I promise.”

One, two, three years… Ayato’s been to that forest countless times now. 

One day, Ayato ran into the forest, a devastated look on his face. You could only awkwardly hug him when he hugged you. He told you that his parents had passed, and that he wouldn’t be able to visit you much anymore because he was to immediately take over the duties as the head of the Kamisato clan.

And then, years passed. Nearing the end of his visit on New Year’s Eve, he said that he loved you. He then asked you if you wanted to watch the fireworks together, but you couldn’t. You could remember the look in his eyes when you responded with a “No, thank you,” 

“I really want to bring you to see the sakura blossoms that bloom in spring,” Ayato said. You smiled. “Promise to bring me there if I can leave one day?” 

“I promise.” Ayato looked at the time after making his promise, then stood up, preparing to leave. “I need to go now, (Name). See you next winter?” “Yes, see you, Ayato.” You stood up and walked towards him, grabbing one of his hands to capture his attention. “I forgot to mention this earlier,” you began, leaning in to give him a peck on his cheek. “I love you too.” Your voice was covered up by the loud sounds of the fireworks, and Ayato could only stare at the way your lips moved as you mouthed those words. 

-

“My lord, there is someone outside the estate looking for you.” 

Thoma’s voice interrupted Ayato’s train of thoughts as he worked. Ayato stood up from his seat upon hearing him. “Who is it?” Thoma smiled at the head of the clan. “You’ll see when you get outside. Now, excuse me,” he responded, excusing himself. 

The moment Ayato walked out, he was dumbstruck. You, standing in front of him. 

You were just as ethereal as when he first saw you when you were both children.

“I believe you said you wanted to show me the flowers that blossomed during this time of the year?” You asked, giving Ayato a small smile afterwards. He couldn’t help but walk forwards and wrap his arms around you. 

“And here I thought you’d leave me to live the first days of spring alone again. How cruel you are, my love.”

Reblogs + Follows highly appreciated. <3

[khalixvitae]

★ Birds of a Feather ★

The Wanderer x Reader | ~ 4k words

Warnings: The Wanderer is… the way he is- he’s just generally very antagonizing. Has absolutely no grasp on how to healthily interpret or express his own feelings; TL;DR he’s emotionally messy but it’s mostly internal. Gets very introspective, brief mentions of body horror (not intensely descriptive but it’s there). Gets a little suggestive at the end bc apparently I’m nothing if not existential and vaguely homoerotic. Vague worship??? Idk you can tell I have religious trauma.

Info: GN Reader who is also in Vahumana (specialty of study is not specified) has been recruited by Nahida to collaborate with the Wanderer. The reader knows Kaveh and is stated to be around his age. No physical descriptors used. Heavily inspired by his birthday letter from last year where he mentions his inability to connect with his peers but how he is admittedly kind of lonely/doesn’t believe he’s capable of connection.

——————————————————————————

Sumeru was a strange nation; nearly as strange as its archon. At least that’s what The Wanderer had decided over the course of his self imposed imprisonment. But in a competition of peculiarity, you’d always take the cake.

In all his years of traversing Teyvat, he’d amassed quite the collection of experiences and stories he liked to chew on until they lost their bite. Much like the bitter tea leaves he enjoyed so much, he’d sit and mull over whatever memory struck his fancy until it started to come apart at the seams. He’d steep in it over and over until it lost its taste- then he’d give that one a break and move on to the next, only to inevitably repeat the process again some other time. He knew it wasn’t productive, of course. But it was a not so guilty pleasure of his, one he intended to indulge in as long as it kept his interest. Nahida would have none of it though, much to his chagrin. She’d given him some shpiel about not spending all his time in his head, something or another about a “self affirming echo chamber leading to stagnation”. A valid criticism, sure, but he thought he deserved a little stagnation every once in a while! If anyone had experienced periods of dynamic and continuous change it was him. He had three iterations already, and he most certainly was not aiming for a fourth any time soon. He figured she’d let it go and let him continue on with his innocuous hobby, lest he be unleashed onto her citizens in any greater capacity than his academic pursuits.

Of course he should’ve known better than that.

When she called for him a few days later, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that she wasn’t alone. There you were, standing at her side as if it was the most natural thing for you to do. Immediately he had a sinking feeling.

When you introduced yourself it only worsened- great, you were going to be around enough for him to need to know your name? What was Nahida planning? You weren’t entirely unfamiliar- he was pretty sure you were also in the Vahumana Darshan. At the very least you were bright enough for him to vaguely recognize; that was more than could be said for most of his peers.

“They’re going to be accompanying you for a while,” Nahida told him simply, as if that one sentence didn’t obliterate his established day to day routine.

He cut his eyes at you, then the Dendro Archon. “Goodness, well. I had no idea my social performance was so abysmal that you’d try hiring friends for me.”

The tiny god just shook her head, hands on her hips. “Now don’t be like that. I just want you to get a different perspective on things. That includes Sumeru and its people at large.”

“Ah, so you’ve booked me a tour guide then.” He bit back, clearly uneasy with this direction Nahida’s lessons were taking.

He certainly wasn’t expecting to hear you laugh at his attempt to retaliate. As much as he wanted to snarl, he didn’t detect an ounce of pity or mockery in your tone. “I’m maybe the worst person you could’ve picked if that’s the case.” The way you met his gaze so easily was enough to make him nauseous.

“It’s not that either. I just think you two would get along well, that’s all.” Nahida still had the same soft expression, one he still couldn’t read but knew it meant trouble.

And so his new routine began. At first he tried to ignore you, but Nahida would have none of that. It didn’t take long before his avoidant tactics were worn down by her valid criticisms and patient lecturing, and soon he found himself in your company whether he wanted to be or not. His new problem, however, was that he was beginning to not mind the arrangement. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but as weeks turned into months of awkward conversation and biting sarcasm, he grew used to your presence. He had to admit that Nahida’s plan worked far too well. He hardly had the time or need for his little hobby.

There were logical reasons as to why he didn’t mind your presence, of course. You were wickedly smart (for a mortal, he told himself) and observant to a fault, and your brutal honesty was oddly refreshing. There was no pity or malice in the way you talked to him- he was just like everyone else for once, something he didn’t know he’d find so thrilling until you were lazily telling him to fuck off like anyone else who dared to disturb your work. You listened to him- even though you didn’t agree with his personal philosophy, he felt strangely validated by the way you’d think about it before refuting his arguments. And the way you made note of the things he liked and responded accordingly, like bringing him teas or research papers that you’d thought he’d enjoy, made him keenly aware of the fact that you did acknowledge him outside of your allotted time together. He didn’t cease to exist to you once he was out of sight- something he couldn’t quite wrap his head around. And yet there was something else that he enjoyed about you even more than any of those logical, reasonable attributes.

It was the way you handled him.

When he got mouthy, or went just a little too low, you had a way of putting him right back in his place. Whether it was an equally sharp remark back or a silent stare that made his spine tingle, you seemed to have no qualms with biting back. It was strangely exhilarating, and each time he found himself wanting you to do it again. Frequently he’d wind up intentionally pushing your buttons in the hopes that you’d respond. At times it was a destructive self defense mechanism, as if to try and push you away when you got just a little too under his skin, but sometimes it was something else. Something he’d never admit to a solitary soul, himself or otherwise. Sometimes, he did it to see if you’d get tired of him. He was sure you had an end to your patience, your companionship archon appointed or not. There was something that made his chest tighten when you’d return fire without fail. Not only that, but sometimes it felt like he needed you to handle him because he couldn’t handle himself.

You couldn’t physically overpower him if you tried, neither could anyone else really, but it wasn’t about that. It was the way you’d laugh at him when he said something meant to rub you the wrong way, as if it was so stupid it didn’t deserve a reaction. Or how you’d respond with something equally pointed, as if it was all one big game- and it was. It had become a conspiratory back and forth that put everyone around you on edge. Even Nahida would sometimes appear put off by your complicated dynamic- if there was one time she truly felt that she didn’t understand humans, it would be while watching you two go at each other as you combed through the respective materials you’d brought to exchange. Despite being downright verbally aggressive towards one another, your actions were the complete opposite. You’d show up with two drinks any time you expected to meet, even if he always undercut the gesture with some comment about transactions and ‘owing you’. He’d edit your work without warning, handing over a copy of your most recent piece with a vague wave of his hand as if he hadn’t stayed up all night reviewing it. It was a dance of sorts- neither of you could sufficiently say you trusted the other. How could you when you rarely made it a point to get personal? Even if you were to try, he wasn’t exactly keen on explaining a lifetime's worth of unbelievable events without proof. Besides, he was a wanderer, destined to pass through and eventually leave Sumeru. What point was there in cementing a bond that was already too sturdy for its own good? You saw him, or perhaps saw through him, and shouldn’t that be enough? Despite that, he sometimes found himself testing the waters. It was sort of an experiment- he wanted to see how far he could push it, how much you could really handle him for all he was worth.

When you invited him into your home for the first time, he knew you were just as curious.

Sitting there side by side in your living room, surrounded by research materials of all kinds, he felt that familiar itch to pester you overcome him. The way you’d methodically skimmed the same page for the past half hour was beginning to make him feel weirdly exposed.

“You’ve been reading that passage for a while,” he began, leaning in to get a better look at your face as you hunched over the manuscript.

“Mhm.”

“Ah, a response. I was beginning to think I’d finally bored you to death. But it looks like I’m not that lucky.”

“Mhm.”

“What’s got you so focused? I thought this passage was relatively straightforward. Maybe I just overestimated you,” he sighed rather dramatically.

You didn’t reply that time, his insult falling on deaf ears.

“If something like this is your limit, then perhaps I should find someone else to edit my work.”

Silence.

“Or I’ll just do it myself- it’s not like anyone else in Vahumana could do any better. I’d had hope for you, but I-“

You finally tore your gaze away from the papers in front of you, instead locking onto him. When you hissed his name- not his title but his name, the one he’d only recently acquired- he knew he’d finally get what he was so desperately seeking.

“You wanna know what has me so focused? Trying to make this publishable,” you snipped back.

When he laughed at your outburst you pressed forward. “The information is solid, but it’s full of jargon that most people would find hard to stomach. Syntactically you could do well with having the comma taken away from you until you learned to use it appropriately. It’s not used incorrectly per se, but archons, I’m begging you to use any other form of punctuation. A semicolon, even a dash, anything to create variation. When your sentences are all structured the same way, it makes for a dry read and wastes otherwise good writing. But the biggest problem is that all of this,” you took up your pen and bracketed roughly half the page. “This is purely conjecture, no matter how sound it may look. And while I personally enjoy your theoreticals about Inazuman political history, I cannot think of a single source to back some of these arguments. A hypothesis is not publishable unless presented as such, but the framework of your thesis hinges on these claims as proven fact. I could maybe swing it if it were possible to prove them in the future, but half of these don’t even meet that criteria. So yes, I’m stuck. I’ve been racking my brain for sources I could offer you for citations. And if you could give me just fifteen minutes of silence that do not involve you staring at me like there’s a countdown until you vivisect me on my coffee table, I might be able to get somewhere.”

He took a second to recover- he often needed to when you’d sink your teeth into him like that- before cocking his head at you with an absolutely infuriating grin. “Well I’ve published papers before with my so-called conjecture. Why is it a problem now? Last time I checked my ‘hypotheticals’ were called groundbreaking.”

“There’s a fine line between groundbreaking and unfounded. Look, if I had to believe anyone on this subject it’d be you. I can’t think of anybody else who could put together work like this. But if I’m editing, I want to actually fine tune it. Even if it’s passable at this stage, I know it can be better. Something this interesting should be perfected.”

“How flattering, I had no idea you were such a fan of my work. Even if it is a ‘dry read’. But fine, if you’re so inclined then go ahead. I don’t really care either way. At least give me something to do in the meantime.” He leaned in again to ensure he had your full and undivided attention. “And by the way, I wouldn’t vivisect you. That’s excessive even for me. I’d at least have the decency to kill you first before I went prodding around.”

When you met his gaze without hesitation, he felt that familiar prickle run along his spine.

“How sweet of you. Anyway, I don’t really have much for you to do. You’ve already finished editing my most recent arguments. If you want to go home I’m fine with that. I can give this to you tomorrow if so. If not, I’m happy to have company. I mean you could help yourself to my bookshelf, but other than that your options are limited.” You returned to the task at hand, combing over the text just as thoroughly as before.

Now it was his turn to look perplexed.

“Well that’s stupid. Then you’d be doing this for free.”

“I already do it for free,” you sighed, knowing exactly where he was going.

“You do it as a part of an exchange. If I didn’t do the same for you, it would be for free. And right now, your labor isn’t being reciprocated. So what exactly do you get out of this?”

“I don’t want anything in return. I’m doing this because I like your work, and because you’re you. I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”

“What, because Lesser Lord Kusanali says you have to?” He sat with his arms crossed firmly over his chest, far too motionless to resemble anything human. “More than that, you could get anybody to edit your work. You’re established enough. So why do you still agree to this?”

“Oh don’t be dense. You’re the only person I’d ever let near my research aside from the Dendro Archon herself. Anybody else would try to rip off my work or make a quick buck as a ‘ghost contributor’ or some other bullshit.” You still didn’t look up from his writing despite how candidly you spoke. “You see my work for what it is, and criticize it accordingly. You don’t want anything else from me, and I don’t want anything else from you. That’s what I get out of this. And yes I know that’s paradoxical, but you’re smart enough to know what I’m getting at.”

When you finally did look back at him he noticed just how exhausted you looked. He almost felt bad for pushing your buttons. Almost. Your answer had been… strangely enlightening. He’d never believed a net zero transaction between two people was possible, and yet if he took your words at face value that’s what he had. And so he needed to push it further.

“And what if I do want something from you? What then?” He half expected you to burst into tears, or at least kick him out. But you simply pinched the bridge of your nose, letting out a long sigh.

“Well, then I’ve got no idea what it is. It seems like the only thing you want is to drive me fucking insane.” There was no bite to your remark, only a kind of resignation. “Or maybe you just want me to talk to you. It’s gotta be lonely, being the most pompous asshole around.” You paused, leaning back against the cushions of your couch to stare at the ceiling tiles. “Maybe you’ve got a little crush on me or something.”

Now it was his turn to sigh. You’d never gone that direction with your taunting before. He figured he’d take the safest route out of whatever web you were building. “I could say the same for you, you know. Of course we both know better than that, so don’t trouble yourself with that train of thought. That pretty little head of yours is already at capacity as it is.” He tapped a finger on the manuscript you’d ceased editing.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He realized you were looking right at him once more, clearly tired of his never ending vague statements.

“I mean it’s obvious you’d have eyes for somebody else.” He decided to drive his point home- he wanted to embarrass you away from the subject because now he felt quite exposed. You were right, of course. But that was unthinkable. All those years spent without genuine connection and now that he’d found it, something inside of him wanted to squander it for a chance at more? For a creature born without a heart, he sure was greedy. He wasn’t equipped to admit that to himself, much less to you. No way, he’d have to end the conversation and never let it resurface.

“You’re awfully close with that blonde from Kshahrewar. It wouldn’t surprise me if you two were… involved with one another. He’s a bit of a mess but- well, that makes it even more fitting.”

“Kaveh? Nah. I mean we’re close, but not like that. He’s got a lot going on that he needs to sort out before he tries dating anybody, especially me. It would never work.” You didn’t seem flustered, which made him even more uncomfortable than he was before.

“Oh? Too much baggage? I see.” Why did he feel a little wounded by that? He’d ignore it for the moment.

“No, I don’t think there’s such a thing. It’s more so how he chooses to deal with his problems- or really how he refuses to. We work through things differently. He makes a great friend, but we’re fundamentally different people when you get down to brass tacks.”

Why did you have to be so reasonable? It was getting on his nerves. “Really now? But don’t opposites attract? And he’s easy on the eyes, I’ll give him that. And he’s your age, right?”

“Gods, why don’t you date him then? Sounds like you’ve got a whole lot to say about him. I can even set you two up, my treat. And back up, what do you mean he’s ‘around my age’? So are you, I don’t see how that’s a differentiating factor. Unless you aren’t- how old are you anyway?” You fully faced him then, illuminated in the orangey glow of your desk lamp.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Older than the two of you, for certain.” He smiled placidly. “Anyway, he’s not my type. He’s too… kind. Being around him would make anybody feel awful. But again, you two-“

“Drop it already,” you cut him off decidedly. “It feels like you’re deflecting. If you’re going to fish for something, at least be direct.”

“I’m only pointing out the obvious. What, you think I’d tell him? I mean-“

“I said drop it. You’ve already beaten the subject to death and back, can you please just let it-“

“Make me.” The phrase had escaped him before he registered it. Something about seeing you so irritated with him made his pulse quicken. The look on your face was one he was well acquainted with- you were ready to bite back. There was a moment of pause, the two of you locked in a tense silence that filled every corner of the room.

“So that’s what you want. Huh.” He watched something in your eyes change as you mulled over your thoughts. In a second you were even closer- the image of a rishboland tiger crossed his mind for a moment. He began to wonder if he really had messed up this time, if he’d completely ruined your net zero relationship with such a silly little outburst, if you’d finally tell Nahida you were done and-

Your hands were so warm against his skin. How you murmured his name carried the same heat. “May I?” It was an odd question, but the way your fingers brushed any loose strands of hair away from his face had him nodding without a thought to the contrary. He wasn’t used to someone asking him for permission for anything- hell, he didn’t know what you were asking for. All the same, he knew he lwanted whatever you were offering.

The kiss that ensued was bruising. While he was accustomed to others being rough with him, something about this was different. When you brushed your thumbs over his cheekbones soothingly before carding through his choppy bangs, he felt nothing short of delight. You were handling him as you always did. For someone who didn’t need to breathe, he seemed to have the wind knocked out of him. After a short while he realized he’d grabbed onto your shoulders so tightly his fingertips ached- he had no idea when he’d taken hold of you, but you made no effort to pull away from his harsh grasp. His efforts at reciprocating were very clearly unpracticed, but by the gods did he ever have enthusiasm. He was all teeth and nails; he had no idea if he was even capable of gentleness after so many years. Even so he tried desperately, pulling at you, pushing you into him, doing everything in his power to convey just how badly he wanted whatever this was.

“Hey, hey. Relax. I’m right here. I’ve got you,” your words nearly made him keel over, each one spoken against his skin as you worked your way down the column of his throat. You treated him like he was something to be revered by virtue of his very existence. Is this what it felt like to be worshiped as a god? No, he knew better than that nowadays. This was something sweeter, even more devout- and he would’ve died right that second had you asked him to. “Is this alright?” Once again he nodded without hesitation, afraid that his voice might betray just how badly he needed you to keep going. He wanted to scream, to maintain his composure enough to insult you and save face, but any attempts at that were a lost cause.

When you sank your teeth into his skin he thought maybe he’d died already. Physical pain was an old acquaintance of his, a familiar companion he took a sort of sick comfort in. This time though the sensation had him teetering on an edge he’d never conceived of. You’d made quick work of his hat already, and with nothing left to hide behind he knew he had to look so pathetic. But you didn’t laugh at him; for all your previous sharp words and pointed jabs, in that moment you were so good to him it made him ache. It was humiliating. He wanted to hide, to crawl back into his own skin and recompose himself. Simultaneously he could only think of chasing after you for more.

You took your time marking along his neck, glancing up at him for silent permission before beginning each new bruise. He figured you had to be some variety of insane to want him this way (or in any way for that matter), but he couldn’t find the strength to tell you so. He felt weak, and for that he loathed you. At the same time he wished he could crack open his ribs and house you in the hollow space where his heart should’ve been. The way he ceaselessly pulled at you only made that more and more apparent. He wasn’t alone in his desire, though. Your methodical pace and mumbled string of praises told him that you may even agree to be enshrined within him- of course he’d never say so, instead resigning himself to breathless sighs and noises he’d only ever describe as pitiful.

When you finally backed off he attempted to chase after your touch. He was a mess and he knew it; with mussed hair and bruised lips, he looked every bit as weak as he felt but he couldn’t be bothered to care. He’d endure the humiliation of being perceived so long as you’d show him you wanted him.

“I have to finish editing your paper,” you murmured, brushing down the mess you’d made of his bangs.

“Wha- who cares about the paper?” It wasn’t as much of a quip as he’d intended, but it would have to suffice.

“I care about it. I want your work to do well. You deserve it.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but no sound escaped.

“Give me that fifteen minutes, that’s all. Deal?”

For once, he couldn’t bring himself to argue with you.

——————————————————————————

So uh. Idk what happened here. I am unwell over him I will not lie. I’m currently stoned out of my mind enjoy this tho

Tag list: @v-anrouge @vtoriacore @phoneymedic @gum-gum-time @heatofmyexoheart (DM to be added or to be removed ! <3)

[umbraastaff]

I'd love to hear your general thoughts on the new gn! I personally think Wonderland was a little rushed, but I loved reunion tour.

was fun in some ways and fell short in others! i overall i agree with you on that as well. more specific thoughts, in no particular order:

some really really cool visuals in this book. lucretia in the hourglass at the start, some awesome panels with space and the hunger and stuff... barry regaining his memories on page 212 is probably my favorite page in the whole book

the choice to make the Chug & Squeeze be painting instead of pottery is baffling to me. the title of the place made sense with the original… the choice to change it so that it doesn't fit, and then also make fun of that, feels a bit like i am being made fun of as a fan/audience member, regardless of whatever the original intent was

(compounded with the total loss of the original depth in this scene… no vulnerability from taako, just a good 'ol fanservice kiss…)

similarly bizarre, the choice to make lucretia lose 30 years instead of 20...? 20 not bad enough? she needed to be 60 instead of 50? what's happening lol

i feel vindicated on a spiritual level for being the only person i can remember drawing mullet ponytail barry - like 95% of fanart i see draws him either short haired or with long hair free n out like in HTBG graphic novel... never ponytails. im winning

more bafflement with magnus even THINKING on the question of forgetting julia... the kalen thing is a much more interesting conflict to me given (a) it makes sense to be uncertain about and (b) relates directly back to his love for julia. and they established AND NAMED kalen in eleventh hour, why not use that...

feels like they swing back and forth on how much they trust the audience to pick up subtext... being hit over the head with magnus continuing the "id hate it shut the fuck up" thing to rly look at the camera and wink and tell us how much he loves julia, but then the comic version of the "love barry trust barry" was VERY dependent on picking up cues and seeing taako's attitude change

speaking of, i did really love the "love barry trust barry" scene. and both times lup jumps into barry's arms is so cute ugh

i know it's a product of how rushed everything has to be putting 10+ hours of audio into a singular COMIC book, but for fuck's sake, removing KEATS..........?????? so now lydia & edward have no depth??? & no parallel/foreshadowing for the way liches work??? OKAY???

mannequin magnus design and the way they enabled him to do expressions was preddy good. enjoyed it. also the whole possession + wonderland final fight action is cool and fun

while i am disappointed the bell is all fancy and weird instead of being a very plain and small thing as it was described in canon (which felt more in character for barry), i DO really really really like the flower on top... the wither-and-bloom motif... tasty

oh yeah griffin disappearing is such a great way to foreshadow a thing beyond planes coming down to consume... ahh i love playing with meta stuff

so so much good barry content man. so much. thank god we got so much good fun reunion tour stuff. hes so dumb as rocks i love him

actually pretty cool they more explicitly canonized the explanation for barry physically attacking davenport. also barry/lucretia interaction so so so so good

as cute as the original scene is with them planning and writing the note for magnus' body, i think the way they split the party in this version was smart

i dont need to contribute more to the pool on fan feelings on blue twins, BUT given there was no choice but to have her be blue, lup is very cute

taako falling to his knees instead of like pointing the staff at lucretia... :/ eh

given how much literally this entire series has suffered from being so scrunched up, i'm also not SUPER looking forward to stolen century and S&S being condensed into one book, but ohhhh wellllll

TL;DR i don't really read these books because i have a lot of faith in the way they Tell The Story, but it still had a lot of fun moments and scenes and visuals that got my heart! fun to see thorough visual takes on my fave podcast.

[frequentlysecondo]

Mia Arancia || Fluff || Primo x gn!Reader

Tl;dr: Sharing fruit as a love language and Primo deserves a break from gardening in the summer.

This is my first time posting writing on tumblr, I apologize if my formatting is a little clumsy <3

In the enchanting nature of the Ministry’s garden, the rows of greenery were bathed in the golden hues of the rapidly approaching end of the day and appeared as otherworldly as ever. Primo could be seen standing in the middle of his growing vegetables, looking reminiscent of a scarecrow as he marveled over what must’ve been long hours of work, remaining motionless as he stood exactly where you had hoped to find him.

Primo simply observed your leisure stroll as you made your way closer and arched an eyebrow curiously. His gaze flickered between your approaching figure and the horizon, questioning the unexpected visit. Nonetheless, the sight of you beckoning him from the other side of the garden with an eager wave only piqued his interest further. Knowing your penchant for mischief and mystery, a smile tugged at his face when you approached.

Drawing closer to Primo, you tilted your head, studying his countenance intently. His voice, though calm and composed, carried a note of playful suspicion.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" He inquired with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "You're up to something, aren't you, mio dolcezzo?"

You shook your head, your faux serious expression suddenly shifting into a wide grin. "No, no," you responded, your voice laden with a faux sense of urgency. "This is a matter of very serious business, my dear. C’mere." With a playful flourish, you waggled your fingers and extended a hand in a hopeful invitation.

Once your fingers had interlaced together, the two of you ventured further into the back corners of the garden. Eventually, your steps came to a halt, leading you to a secluded alcove adorned by a magnificent orange tree. Its branches gracefully bowed under the weight of growing fruit imbued with the warm hues of a setting sun. Primo’s eyes sparkled with delight as his gaze swept over the nearly picturesque scene before him, his eyes moving from the lush emerald leaves to your face. A smile played upon his lips as he clasped your hands in his own, your fingers entwined like an unbreakable bond.

“Ah, you’ve led me to the orange tree,” he whispered, a blend of curiosity and surprise clearly evident in his words. A confused chuckle escaped him.

“I had planned on harvesting these in a few days time.” he admitted with a hint of amusement.

Before he could continue, you drew his attention to a particularly low-hanging branch which bent under the weight of a perfectly ripe orange. Excitement brimmed in your voice as you pointed it out, the already wrinkled sleeve of his shirt crumpled further in your fist in attempt to pull his body closer to the branch in question.

“But look! This one is ripe today.”

Leaning over your shoulder, Papa reached up to gracefully pluck the orange from its branch. A glimmer of admiration danced in your eyes as you watched his movements, amazed by the confidence held in the simple swing of his arm as he brought it back down to open his palm in a proposal.

“Are you suggesting we share our first orange of the harvest?” He gently turned the fruit in his hand, inspecting the dip where the gentle curve of a leather peel met the wooden stem. The time spent considering what he had asked was closer to a day dream rather than a debate on your actual answer, artificial hesitation induced by an overactive imagination. After a few moments your distraction was cut short by the feel of firm, pitted rind being pressed into your palm. “We must eat it together, of course," His expression beamed with a sense of pride as he spoke, eagerly presenting you with the literal fruit of his labor as a treasure to be cherished, shared.

“I’ve always thought oranges are best when split with someone else.” It was hard to resist a smile while agreeing and holding the orange up to the light to study it for yourself. Sitting down in the grass under the tree, there’s a comforting wave of tranquility as you lean back against the textured bark before pushing a fingernail against the rough skin of the fruit and slowly beginning to pull it apart. Primo slowly sits down next to you with a soft sigh as his muscles stretch, your shoulders bumping together sending a rush of electricity through your veins even after all the time you’d spent together.

"You know, you're quite good at peeling these things," he mentions quietly as he studies your movements. "How do you do it so effortlessly?" He asks curiously, raising a brow. You laugh in response, the sound twinkling like wind chimes in the light breeze as you held out a slice of the orange to Primo.

“Lots of practice. Oranges are my favorite.”

"Orange peeling is a rather unique skill to practice," The grin that shines on his face could easily beat out the brilliance of the sun when he reaches out to take the section of fruit.

“You can peel it so easily and swiftly," He continues with a hint of admiration in his voice.

“You always make the simplest of things most interesting. Thank you for offering your skills to me, mia arancia." His attempts to butter you up make you laugh, scooting closer to him in order to duck under his arm despite the summer heat that still lingered in the air.

"We'll have to share one each day, sì?" He suggests while biting into the orange slice, the sweet juice dribbling on his chin and smearing along the black lines of his face paint that was already distorted by the sweat of the day.

“I would like that very much. It’ll remind you to take a break, too.” You tease Primo playfully. Despite being retired, he still insists upon spending long days tending to his plants, rare to take a rest without being prompted. The thought of meeting every day for something so small simmered in your mind, the tender domesticity of being near one another for no real reason other than to exist. Together.

“Did you know there’s a lot of poetry about sharing oranges with your loved ones?” You ask suddenly as you pop a slice of the juicy fruit into your mouth and continue to peel the opposite side.

"I didn't know that," he admits. "About the poetry." He pauses for a moment. "What does it say?" He asks quietly while he lays his head atop yours, content to watch your fingers move swiftly to continue separating the sections.

“It’s all symbolic of sharing your life and love in a gentle way. A simple act of service can carry great meaning, you see?”

Pure contentment bubbles in your chest as you feel Papa shift closer to you and the feather light flutter of his lips pressing a kiss against your shoulder is enough to make you wonder if you have ever truly felt this peaceful before. You hold up another piece of the fruit close to his face in offering as you explain further.

“To love someone enough to cherish the mundane. I’ll read you some.”

And so you sat together until long after the horizon imitated the color of the fruit passed between between your hands, repeating lines of prose while sharing an orange or three with the sweet nectar sticky between your fingers and lips.

“[..] They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange, it made me so happy,

As ordinary things often do

Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.

This is peace and contentment. It's new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.

I did all the jobs on my list

And enjoyed them and had some time over.

I love you. I'm glad I exist.”

-The Orange, Wendy Cope, 1992