#he's beginning to realize he has worth outside of his romantic relationships and that that worth was there even when miho was around

[t-u-i-t-c]

Kijino → One Gif Per Episode (41-50)

[makismei]

(18+ somewhere randomly near the end bc my pussy took over) it is currently 2:57am and while i was writing an upcoming fic, i suddenly thought of nanami, as your underclassman at jujutsu high... not proofread (possibly incoherent) i am sorry i finished at 5am

he's two years younger than you, but he's been enamoured by you since he spoke to you back when he was sixteen on your eighteenth birthday, hosted at gojo's condo.

almost everyone was drunk, courtesy of shoko managing to get her hands on bottles of tequila and vodka. you were barely tispy, finding a completely sober nanami stuck to a wall with his eyebrows pulled together. he doesn't like it here. he wants to go home. but this is what being a teenager is like... right?

through flashing lights and loud music, you told him that cherishing your youth goes beyond what he's seeing before his eyes.

with you being a third year, he rarely saw you at the school. up close, he realizes how beautiful you are and that your perfume suits you so well.

"being a child is just fine," you say, as if you aren't only two years older. "you have your whole life to experience partying."

you end up outside on the balcony, talking all night about anything and everything.

and nanami learns, at sixteen, what uncontrollably clammy hands feel like, stuttering over simple words and the desperation for more of your presence.

since that night, he looks for you on campus when you are between missions. in the beginning, he couldn't find the courage to start conversation, but slowly, it starts to come to him easy.

over the years, he's seen you introduce your older boyfriends to your friends. he's also seen you get your heartbroken because the men that you chose to love were straight up losers.

what is he to do? clearly, you have a type and it's not him. although, he is confident he can treat you far better.

you like dark hair and tattoos, "manly" looking men but they don't even hold the door for you. what the hell is wrong with you? nanami swears, if he was yours, you'd never look back.

nanami is freshly nineteen, listening to you talk to shoko and utahime about how relationships are no longer worth your time. something inside of him feels disgusting because you're pouring your heart out and god, he just thinks you're so beautiful.

when he confesses to you for the first time, he is twenty-one and it's winter. it's been three years since your last relationship and you haven't pursued another since. he knows it's a long shot, but he goes for it anyways.

you smile, hand on his arm, "you deserve better than me, kento. but thank you, truly. i'm flattered you think of me so highly."

nanami raises a brow, "who doesn't?"

you're halfway into your door, smiling sadly. "you'd be surprised."

six months later, you're in cahoots with a horrible man and nanami thinks he's going to go bald early. why do you do this to yourself????

since his confession, he's tried to be mindful so he doesn't make you uncomfortable. but in the most friendship way possible, he tries to show you there are men (meaning: him, he is best fit for you) that are willingly to love you the way you deserve (him).

you, on the other hand, are biting your nails as far as you can, you cannot be catching feelings for nanami kento? you've never seen him in a romantic light, even after he confessed, but recently there has to be something poisonous in the air.

you blocked that douchebag two days ago because talking to him makes you feel disgusting. but you think you might unblock him to save nanami.

nanami cannot be yours, sure he's younger than you and you swore you would never date a younger man because they're so "immature", but nanami is a good... mature person. he is honest and hardworking, growing into his features and in turn, becoming more handsome as the years go by.

you'd be lying if you weren't jealous thinking about the woman that he would call his one day.

you think it's for the better. nanami cannot get caught up with your antics. he's really only seen the good sides and the thought of him seeing your bad sides makes you nauseous. he'd hate you, for sure. then what would you do?

but it doesn't matter, you don't even like him like that! but he's such a good friend you can't fathom the thought of ruining your friendship.

but what if he gets a girlfriend? you're pacing back and forth in your living room, obviously you can't be close with him anymore because that is just so suspicious.

oh my god. you're spiralling.

what do you do? you call nanami.

you tell him everything and more, that you're sorry, that you might be confused but your gut is telling you otherwise. you cry on the phone to him because you're at a loss and you feel so guilty.

nanami does not say a word or make a sound.

until, you hear a knock on your door through the phone and in real life.

"will you let me see you?" he asks, desperate. "i need to see you."

"you had me waiting for so long." he mutters, hips swinging into yours. he has you in a mating press, forehead pressed against yours. "am i making you feel good, beautiful? tell me."

you nod, legs quivering at his sides. "you're so good—i.. i think i'm gonna cum again!"

he shushes you, kissing you so deeply your mind goes blank. he starts thrusting harder and your mind is so mushy you can't even kiss him back. nanami groans, this can't be real. you feel so good that he might get addicted.

he can't let you go now that he's had a taste. he's not letting you go.

you love him. you told him in a panic over the phone.

you love him.

he needs you wholeheartedly and even though he had to wait almost eight years, he would gladly wait another eight years because if it's not you, it's no one. over the years he's loved you one-sidedly, he did a lot of thinking.

a silly high school crush ended up swallowing him whole. he was searching for you in all the blind dates gojo made him go on because gojo was convinced he was cooked and that you would not like him back.

so to see gojo's jaw dropping when you kissed nanami on the lips in the jujutsu tech courtyard, made his heart swell.

he was always yours.

you think that maybe, you've loved nanami for longer than you've thought.

"thanks for waiting for me." you breathe, "i'll make you happy."

nanami smiles, "you will always make me happy."

[yanderes-galore]

Hey, man. I have a question. Can you do a Yandere Concept for Sonic the Hedgehog?

I can try, sure! Sorry for the long wait, hope it was worth it!

Yandere! Sonic The Hedgehog Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Jealousy, Clingy behavior, Denial, Paranoia, Isolation, Possessive behavior, Kidnapping, Mentioned violence, Dubious/Forced companionship/relationship.

Sonic is a hero at heart.

He's cocky, easy-going, compassionate, honest, loyal, cool, and always wants his friends to smile.

It would be rather strange if he took a dark turn, wouldn't it?

Which is probably why he can hide his obsession so well.

While usually quite honest, his obsessive behavior would start subtle and hidden.

I feel Sonic would become obsessive over a new friend he's made.

He probably doesn't even see his obsession as anything bad... or even notices it at first.

He'd probably just think his overprotective and clingy behavior is just him wanting to keep you safe.

Like any other hero... right?

Sonic's obsession definitely comes off as him being caring and protective.

But as more danger occurs... and you're always put in danger due to Eggman... his feelings towards you only get worse and worse.

Obsession no doubt corrupts this hedgehog when it comes to you.

At first Sonic just seems to want to be around you all the time.

You two are good friends and you trust him!

He isn't bad to be around, always managing to keep you in a good mood with his personality.

It's all very subtle... he just claims he checks on you because he felt a bit worried is all!

However... the longer he knows you, the more he begins to notice his darker feelings.

Soon he realizes he feels tense and uneasy when you're around others.

Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Shadow, Amy, etc...

For some reason when he sees you with the others he just gets... upset.

Which only seems to make the hedgehog stick around you more.

He can only come up with so many excuses....

Sonic is in denial when you ask him if something's wrong.

He's never been better! He just... wanted to spend more time with you!

He's been visiting you everyday.

Sonic has never been this clingy.

However... he has been through a lot.

His obsession grows as he begins to identify his feelings as jealousy.

He's jealous of you being around others.

It's unhealthy... he's self-aware enough to notice this.

But at time same time he's unsure of how to fix things.

He knows it's wrong... but the thought of keeping you to himself is tempting.

The others no doubt notice Sonic's getting twitchy about you.

Soon things just aren't subtle anymore.

But Sonic waits until Eggman attacks again before making any moves.

He's smart, he waits until Eggman captures you before saving you.

Now Sonic has an excuse to isolate you.

He'd never let Eggman or any other foe harm you, no worries.

If they did then he may lose his morals just for a moment to hurt them.

When you wake up, you're locked in a home.

Most likely your home.

In front of you sits Sonic, smiling softly when you wake up.

His normally cheerful green gaze looks darker than normal.

Sonic would then explain that Eggman captured you, but Sonic saved you once again.

He then warns you not to leave your bed... you've been injured by Eggman, best to rest!

It's unknown if Sonic truly caused your injury or not.

Sonic really hates being deceptive, he even hates confining you to one place...

But if he wants you safe, happy, and all to himself...

He has to make sacrifices.

Sonic may then try to tell you it's dangerous to go outside.

The others try to ask Sonic what he's done, yet he admits nothing.

He's keeping you out of harm's way...

You just need to listen to him...

He's the only one who can keep you safe... even if it means keeping you locked in a room with only Sonic to greet you.

Overall Yandere Type: Overprotective, Obsessive, Clingy, Manipulative, Paranoid (at times), Jealous, Possessive (at times), Caring, Sometimes is either delusional or self-aware.

[blitzobop]

Full Moon Theory

I want it to go badly. I want Blitzø to wildly misunderstand what Stolas giving him the Asmodeus Crystal really means. I want Blitzø to push him away. You want to know why? Because Blitzø isn't ready to accept Stolas' love. He first needs to unlearn his belief that he is unlovable and not good enough. If he can't do that, he cannot be with anyone, let alone Stolas. It's been proven multiple times throughout the series that his self-worth issues are what is keeping him from happy, healthy relationships.

I'm hoping there will be an instigating event that will force Blitzø to self-reflect. I think an event is important because, from what we've learned about him so far, he won't do it on his own without a VERY good reason. I think the threat of losing Stolas would be the best.

For instance, maybe Stolas gets involved with the Parrot character folks have been speculating about. This Parrot, more than likely, being a hired actor sent by Stella and Andrealphus to help them trick Stolas. The Parrot gives Stolas all of the grand romantic gestures he's been craving. At first, Stolas is completely taken by these outward expressions of affection because he's been starved of it for so long. However, these displays eventually begin to feel hollow as he realizes that he doesn't want that from anyone else but Blitzø. Suddenly, everything the Parrot does reminds him of the imp. From the outside, the relationship seems happy. Of course, as Stolas is accustomed to pretending everything is fine. In reality, though, it is empty.

But Blitzø doesn't know that. So, meanwhile, it's driving him crazy. He says he's doesn't care, but takes it really hard in secret. He comes to work, eyes red and puffy. He'll probably make a 420 joke to explain away the reason why they're red. He isn't sleeping much, so he falls asleep at his desk and can be heard mumbling "Stolas" in his sleep. His aloof facade is crumbling. There will be jokes like: he denies caring about Stolas dating someone and then is immediately proven wrong with his actions (he gives himself away). Maybe they're in the human world, on a mission, and he just starts yelling at an owl. Saying all the things he wants to say to Stolas. Eventually, it gets to the point where it's negatively affecting his life so significantly that he has no choice but to confront his feelings for Stolas. This will then lead to a confession. I'm picturing all this happening over the course of several episodes.

Anyway, that's all I got, I hope you all enjoyed!

[hibiscus-reign]

MY BUCKTOMMY PLAYLIST

SONG ONE: Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered by Ella Fitzgerald

COMMENTARY: I was very hesitant about adding this song to the playlist for many reasons. The episode Buck, Bothered and Bewildered is an obvious reference towards the song, but unlike the comedic story behind the episode of Buck pining for someone romantically, this song has a more somber side to its love story. Although it masquerades content romanticism in the start, the song shifts to someone realizing their worth by the end of their relationship, and leaving their partner who they’ve come to learn is unfit to commit to in a relationship. It’s a weird song to reference for the beginning of a relationship, but I believe the writers made good use of it. This song was used only as an instrumental for their first date, which is why the writers made good use of it if it’s seen from Tommy’s perspective, but as I said it’s too weird to use it early and to not even have it on the episode that it’s title references. Still, even though I debated on where to place it in the playlist, I think it makes a stellar opening track to show how well their relationship progresses through the season, and it kinda mirrors Stormy Weather, the song that plays in the Bathena reunion, by using a classic somber love song and twisting it back to love.

ABOUT THE EDIT: I didn’t really have any inspiration for making this first one. I haven’t made edits in a while and when I did it was never fandom related, but mostly for my own stories so please be gentle with me. I am but a man with a PicsArt account and a dream. Now, I originally went in with the plan of just throwing things together until I felt inspired, and sticking with an off white color pallet. In the end I ended up with this edit that quite literally looks like a crumpled napkin, and I was disappointed because no one wants to feel like a crumpled napkin, but the colors did charm me and so did the incompleteness of their figures. And then it had me thinking… isn’t Tommy crumpled napkin coded? Let me explain, usually we have paper towels on us in case of emergency or some type of wipe, and Tommy (as far as I know) is a character that was never really given much thought outside of showing the change in the 118. As much as we love him he wasn’t a character that many of us thought would come back, but like that secret paper towel that we keep in a purse or pocket, we’ll take them out when it’s convenient and not expected. Everything fell in place perfectly for his character to come back, even when the writers themselves didn’t expect it. Only instead of using this napkin to clean up a mess, they kinda made something beautiful out of it? It’s kinda like drawing on one when there’s nothing else to draw on, and surprisingly what you drew is really nice so you keep it. It might sound nonsensical, but it worked enough for me to keep this edit.

[microwave-core]

Sada Posting

I didn't include Sada on my scarvio headcanons because I didn't so here she gets her own post

Sada is hard to talk about because I’ve written about her in one of my general headcanons posts and I don’t want to retread old ground but I also feel the need to clarify that there are generally one of two ways that Sada posting can go.

Sada was burned in the past by Arven’s father, who left soon after his birth, so she was incredibly hesitant to reenter the dating scene. However, when she met you, having bumped into you by complete accident, she decided to take the risk in pursuing a relationship, and you saw no reason to turn her down.

And it’s great to have you around, as she loves you dearly, but you being in the picture, along with her darling son, only pushed her further over the edge, as she became even more determined to find paradise for her newly found family. All she wanted was the best for the both of you. With no one to keep her in check, she buried herself within mountains of research, never once stopping to consider the effects of that kind of behavior. To her, being away for the moment, even if it was hard on the two of you, was worth it in the long run.

It fell to you, as the person who she loved above all else, to confront her about her workaholic tendencies. You begged and pleaded with her in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, your words would get through to her, that she would realize and understand how her actions made you and, especially, her son feel. However, realistically speaking, Sada was likely already too far off the rails to listen to reason, but that’s angsty, and I’m not in too much of an angsty mood right now.

Instead, let’s focus on a Sada who actually listened to you, one that realized the amount of harm her actions caused and that it ultimately wasn’t worth it, because creating the perfect world for her family meant nothing if she was never around to begin with. And so, she begins to spend far less time in Area Zero, if not pulling out of the hell hole completely, and begins to focus on living with you and Arven in the moment.

For the most part, you’re a normal family. Just a mother, her son, her new wife, a weird prehistoric dog, and a regular dog. A perfectly average family not riddled with trauma and abandonment. Most of your days are spent looking after little Arven and his puppy, playing and taking care of him until Sada arrives home in the late evening, where she finds the two of you preparing dinner together. She always walks through the door, shouting out “I’m home!” while waiting for Arven to run up and tell her about the day the two of you had.

Her days off are always spent with the two of you. Should the weather allow it, you spend the whole day outside, roaming the wilderness. You have a picnic in a scenic locale, the two of you lounging on the blanket while Arven and Maschiff run around in the grass until he pulls you both up to come and play with him. Eventually, as all kids do, he tires himself out, signaling the end of the day. You pack up your belongings and begin the long walk home, Arven already asleep in Sada’s arms.

Every now and then, Clavell takes care of Arven for the night so the two of you can spend some time together. Sada isn’t the most romantic person in the world, but she is charismatic and incredibly bold. Due to often being recognized in public, she prefers to spend date nights inside, having a nice dinner with wine and cuddling on the couch, which quickly turns to making out as you both ignore the shitty movie playing in the background. Just normal parent things.

To most people’s surprise, Sada is a massive nerd. It should be expected, honestly, considering that she is a professor and has some massive accomplishments under her belt. She’s a huge history buff, and will effortlessly crush the expectations of others, perceiving her to be a suave individual, by rambling on about incredibly minute historical details for hours on end. She’s like Raifort in this regard, but in, like, a different flavor.

ALSO, she loves to ramble about her family. If she, for whatever reason, doesn’t feel like rambling about history to the people around her, she will instead ramble about you two, because have you seen her beautiful wife? Her incredibly talented culinary son? Oh, don’t worry, she has more than enough time to stay and chat for a while, and also has plenty of pictures to show, as well.

The above absolutely kills Arven, because Sada regularly drops by the Academy, giving her the perfect chance to talk to various staff about her family, which leads to many students overhearing these conversations. The boy already has to put up with people loudly simping over his moms, but now he has to deal with people teasing him about these conversations, as she often divulges details (and photos) from his formative years.

And I know this post is about Sada, but I can’t talk about Sada without talking about Arven. When you start dating the woman, she’ll introduce you to her son, and, at first, he’s pretty shy, hiding behind her legs and only peeking his head out occasionally to look at you. Overtime, he’ll get more comfortable around you, enough to not feel the urge to run away and hide when you look in his general direction.

Slight angst posting, when you first meet Arven, it’s when Sada’s still engrossed in Area Zero, meaning he spends most of the time on his own with Maschiff. Obviously, you can’t just leave the boy to fend for himself while Sada’s away, so you progressively spend more and more time with him, to the point that he sees you as more of a mom than his biological one. He was the reason you had to confront Sada about her behavior to begin with, as you could only take the young boy asking if it was his fault that mom was away for so long before breaking.

Anyways, just because I want to give Arven a better family life by bringing his mom back to normalcy and giving him a loving stepmom at  the same time doesn’t mean I won’t make him suffer. As stated, people simp over Sada and you, once they learn of your existence, of course. Poor thing has two milfs for parents, and he has to deal with people bringing it up constantly. Having both of your unconditional support is great, and getting to see Sada on a semi-regular basis while living at the Academy is nice and all, but he would sacrifice so much to escape simping hell, if only for a few moments.

Listen she’s just broken aND I CAN FIX HER

[ladykissingfish]

I know you probably get asked this a lot but please some SasoDei headcanons? 🥺

Here’s a few (most set in modern times):

They are each others first serious long-term relationship. They each tried dating others before, but neither ever found a connection that they felt was worth pursuing past a few weeks.

Deidara is extremely affectionate while Sasori is … not. This caused problems in the beginning of their relationship because Deidara would do something like go to hug Sasori, and Sasori would involuntarily make a face or slightly pull away. Deidara took this to mean that Sasori wasn’t interested in him romantically, and it made him very sad. But eventually Sasori realized how his reactions were affecting Deidara so he sat him down and had a talk with him, let him know that it had nothing to do with Deidara touching him specifically, Sasori just had touch/boundary issues. So they devised a system where Deidara would ASK things like “Would a hug be okay right now?” or “Do you feel up to holding hands?”, which made it easier for Sasori to accept such gestures.

Both of them identify as demisexual. No attraction whatsoever until they had formed a strong emotional bond with each other. Deidara is very sex-positive while Sasori is sex-indifferent. Sasori enjoys giving pleasure to his partner but he himself rarely feels much physical stimulation from it, and it’s rarer still for him to initiate. Deidara has a very high libido but he’s learned to adjust his desires to balance with Sasori’s. Deidara enjoys the sex itself but Sasori mostly looks forward to the quiet intimacy afterwards. It’s after sex that they’ve had some of their best talks with each other.

The first and only time Sasori has ever cried in front of Deidara: Sasori came home from a hard day at work. Was ready to just change out of his clothes and go to bed. He walked into their home and was met with the sight of Deidara, wearing one of Sasori’s old shirts and a pair of shorts, listening to music, singing along with it and dancing around while cleaning. Sasori stood in the doorway and watched him for a few moments before Deidara did a spin and realized Sasori was there. He took off his headphones and ran at Sasori, then stopped when he got to him and asked if it was ok to hug him. Sasori nodded and Deidara gave him a really gentle hug, telling him how much he missed him. And Sasori suddenly hugged Deidara HARD and burst into tears. Because it hit him full-force that after so many years of being lonely, he now had somebody to come home to. That no matter what troubles and irritations he faced outside, once he stepped inside of his door, he had peace. He had love. He had Deidara. 

Both of them are introverts with strangers. But the difference is that Deidara can be very open and warm and animated with those that he knows well/considers friends. Sasori remains polite but still stays very much closed-off to everybody, even those he knows well/considers friends.

Deidara is very comfortable with his body. He likes to wear bright, colorful clothing, and sometimes things that can be considered a little provocative. Sasori prefers to keep himself mostly covered up, even in the hottest weather. Things without sleeves don’t exist in his wardrobe, and shorts? Never heard of ‘em. Sasori can’t leave the house without making sure every hair on his head is neatly combed and in place. Deidara will just run his fingers through his locks and go — yet somehow has picture-perfect hair every day of his life. Also sometimes Deidara tends to gravitate towards wearing “women’s” clothing, in particular dresses. He stopped this for awhile in the beginning of the relationship because he thought Sasori would disapprove; but Sasori told him that he thinks he looks fantastic in everything he wears.

They express being angry at each other in different ways. Deidara yells and argues and is very vocal about when Sasori does something that rubs him the wrong way. Sasori gets quiet. Quieter than normal. He shuts himself into his den (where he works on his puppets) and just stays to himself until he’s cooled down. Unfortunately the quiet and the lack of a reaction serves to make Deidara even angrier, which means more yelling, which means their arguments last quite a while. Sasori is almost always the first one to apologize; not necessarily because he thinks he’s the one in the wrong, but because he knows Dei is stubborn and can hold a petty grudge for forever.

For dates, Sasori prefers to stay in, but Deidara likes to go out. Sasori feels very uncomfortable in environments or situations that he’s not in absolute control of, so he prefers that they do things like stay home, eat, watch movies, etc. Deidara likes trying new restaurants and going to places that they’ve never been; he thrives on the thrill of the unknown. Sasori could stay in one room all night and be perfectly content, but Deidara needs to be up and moving and doing different things or he goes crazy with boredom. They compromise on their differences by taking turns choosing what they do for dates, although each tries to alter their choice to accommodate the other. For example, Deidara will ask to go to a new restaurant but it will be a small, quiet one with food that he knows Sasori likes. Sasori will ask they stay home but he’ll pick a movie neither has seen, or sometimes invite friends over to play a new game.

Their respective mediums of art at something that they do in their spare time, apart from their normal jobs. But while Sasori’s creating puppets is purely for his own enjoyment, Deidara started to take commissions on sculptures from co-workers and friends. When creating things just for himself Deidara is very carefree and relaxed. But when making something for someone else, he’s a hardcore perfectionist and very, very hard on himself about what he makes for others. The tiniest flaw will have him destroying his work and starting over again. Sasori offers words of encouragement and support but knows that when Dei is doing commissions, it’s best not to bother him and stay out of his way.

In the beginning, the age difference bothered them both, for different reasons. Deidara was worried that the calm and intelligent Sasori would think that he was too wild and immature, and Sasori worried that the vibrant and dynamic Deidara would find him too stodgy and set in his ways. After a few months they learned to stop thinking about it and just enjoy being with each other.

Family is a touchy subject for both of them. Sasori lost his parents at a young age and never really got along well with the cold and emotionally distant grandmother who raised him. Deidara ran away from an abusive household when he was a teenager and never looked back. Their backgrounds are a big reason why they’re both hesitant to bring up the idea of having a family together; each is terrified that they wouldn’t make a good parent.

When Deidara ran away as a teen, he was homeless for a good deal of time. He’d bounce around to different shelters or sleep on park benches, in alleyways, or wherever he felt was relatively safe. Even as an adult he’d move from apartment to apartment, never feeling comfortable enough to stay in one place for too long. It took him a long time to get used to living with Sasori, and latching on to the idea that he had a permanent home, and was with somebody that he could trust and be safe with. 

Also because of Deidara’s dubious life, he doesn’t have much in the way of formal education. When Sasori first met him, Dei could just barely read, or write. Sasori got him into a program that helped young adults study for and receive their GED, and Deidara passed the course with flying colors. 

Deidara is, surprisingly, a world-class cook; but only when he’s motivated to get into the kitchen. Sasori can play the piano really well (his grandmother made him take lessons when he was a boy), and has perfect pitch. Sasori likes to have Deidara cook for him, and while he cooks Sasori plays songs for him to cook to.

Sasori does not like to drive. At all. He has his license and a car but they’re more for show than anything else. He knows every bus and train schedule in the city by heart, and would much rather take public transportation, or simply walk, than get behind the wheel. Deidara likes driving and always offers to take Sasori places, but Sasori rarely accepts because Dei’s driving makes him nervous. In Sasori’s opinion, Deidara drives way too fast, he plays music too loud, and his car is almost always so messy that it gives a neat-freak like Sasori anxiety just to look at it.

Sasori does not like when Deidara leaves the house without him. Even if it’s only for a while, even if he’s just going out with friends. It’s not because he’s jealous or controlling; it’s because he’s scared. He spent his entire childhood waiting on his parents to come back home to him, and they never did. He didn’t allow himself to feel any kind of attachment to another human being until he fell in love with Deidara. Deidara means more to him than anything, and he feels it’s his duty to always protect him. He never lets on to Deidara that he’s scared witless when the blonde voices plans to go out, because he doesn’t want Deidara to feel suffocated. But while Dei is out Sasori will send him frequent texts to check in with him. He’ll also more than likely pace the floors or stare out the window until Deidara returns.

Deidara is a big animal lover and is always pestering Sasori to get a dog, or a cat. Sasori says dogs and cats make him sneeze but in reality, he just doesn’t want a pet. Too chaotic, too messy, and can be expensive in the long run. Compromises by getting Deidara a pair of parakeets; something that always stays in a cage and doesn’t require walking or brushing is something Sasori prefers.

Both of them are big readers. Sasori likes nonfiction (especially biographies or auto-biographies of serial killers) and murder-mystery novels. Deidara is a fan of sappy romance novels and, surprisingly, children’s books. The reason being is that when he was a boy and living in such an unstable household, he didn’t have the opportunity to read the things that other kids his age had access to. As an adult it’s his goal to read every one of the books he never got to pick up as a child.

Sasori shows his love for Deidara by doing things for him. Little things like making sure he has clean clothes, or packing him a lunch to take to work, or noticing that his shampoo is running low and going to buy him more. Deidara shows his love by talking, and listening. When Sasori was a child and teen he was extremely introverted and rarely spoke unless necessary. His shyness made people think he was stuck-up and because of this he didn’t have many friends growing up. When he did find the courage to speak he was often talked-over or ignored by some of his more outgoing peers. But Deidara takes the time to talk with Sasori, to ask his opinions on things and patiently listen as Sasori gathers his thoughts and expresses them. And then to have a conversation with him where all ideas are heard and acknowledged, and nobody is ridiculed or talked over.

[shovson]

some ppl in the motorsport zone have made a playlist for their ocs so i thought i'd jump in with mines too. tbh it's a wippy but also i kiiiiiinda don't really like long playlists so it's done to me. anyways. posting it here so i can talk about each song in detail

link to the playlist

brutal - olivia rodrigo

the playlist begins with tragedy as adren's own life takes a tragic turn after the death of his brother. with no more close relatives, adren's emotions are...unstable as he navigates the paddock alone.

faster than you - reaubeau, eke

adren has momentum in his car and he shows why he deserves a spot in the grid

gasoline - halsey

to be honest it was either gasoline or drive. but i think this one fits adren better. adren learns the car. something something something.

beck and call - july talk, tanya tagaq

adren and his teammate begin to move between each other but it feels like there's something wrong with the dynamic. and yet they find each other coming back for the other.

'cause im a man - tame impala

adren takes a hateful look at himself. he's sort of unsure about who he is. and thinks he sucks as he can't figure out what the hell anyone wants from him.

chamber of reflection - mac demarco

yeah we're getting into adren's sad boy era as he tries to figure out whether the emotions his teammate shows him privately are real. he lives with the shame of being unwanted in a public space, though he can't do anything about.

bad habit - steve lacy

adren wants to know how his teammate feels. he realizes that his teammate is nothing but a coward. at this point it's manipulative, with his teammate trying to make him stay. adren hates it. and yet he still yearns for him.

blue racecar - sassy 009

unstable relationships around adren as he can't seem to let go because he just wants someone to put in the same effort back!

cage - wyatt smith

despite everything, adren wants to help, knowing that this was one of his brother's strongest traits and he wants to have it too. he would sacrifice himself for his teammate over and over again, even if it means he destroys himself in the process.

trustful hands - the do

adren is surrounded by people who love him. and he knows that. adren lives in spontaneity. and trusts he'll always get back on his feet even after everything.

alive - pearl jam

after a crazy rookie year, adren makes it to his second year with a different outlook. he's still there. he remains resilient.

this feeling - my!lane

tbh this song is included in a lot of car playlists and i like how upbeat it is. it really suits adren a lot!

so many details - toro y moi

managing a relationship remains difficult for adren. there's so much that overwhelms him. the amount of shame his teammate still goes through internally and the mixed messages....adren isn't surprised he leaves. but they're still so intertwined.

babydoll - ari abdul

adren still wants his man sooooooo bad....

find a way - vallas, philsofie

adren begins to believe that he can do this. he's finding the balance. he's got everything he needs. he just needs to push himself closer to what he truly wants.

cure for me - aurora

the playlist ramps up again. adren knows who he is and he's unashamed. each win is nothing to hide. his own queer identity is not worth hiding. he takes pride in himself.

outsider (donald durand remix) - kavinsky, donald durand

for adren, it's still uncertain. he has to keep moving. and everything's building up. the song is instrumental and meant to depict how much adren wants to be champion. he knows it won't be easy and there's still so much going on. but he needs to just push that car to the finish line.

like a rockstar - chase altlantic

this is adren's celebration song. champagne sprays and confetti. the absolute riots, the mechanic screams, everything. he reflects on the journey.

still feel. - half alive

adren's got the energy to keep going!

take me where your heart is - q

still such a painful romantic, adren wants his partner to be just as emotionally vulnerable. and also adren loves. he's just full of unconditional love.

touch the stars - french 79, sarah rebecca

adren is optimistic. both for himself and others. he sees the goals in sight for more bright events. another championship? a stable relationship? healthy grieving? he's just needs to reach for it.

[rei-caldombra]

Don't Mess With Me Nagatoro- One of the Best Romance Manga out there.

Yes, you are reading that right. There will be spoilers and I will be focusing on the manga, just briefly touching on the anime at the end.

My main focus will be their characters and romance. I’ll go into other things at the end. 

I do not have much defense for the very early parts, especially the first chapter. She is genuinely very harsh and that was legit bullying, not just teasing. I completely understand people being uncomfortable with the first few chapters. The beginning is not very indicative of the series as a whole. The tone and pacing drastically change part way in, especially starting in the second volume. For example, they make it explicitly clear that she comes to realize she was being way too harsh. A few chapters in we already see her apologize when she realizes she goes too far. Over time we get clearly shown that he comes to enjoy his interactions with her. Especially when she does get less harsh. 

There is a good amount of character development, especially for Senpai. You see how Nagatoro has done a lot to help him, primarily in making him stand up for himself and others. You could absolutely make the argument that in a relationship like theirs, especially considering the harsh foundation in which you could argue there is abuse, he feels forced to change. But I don’t feel that way. We see from the beginning that Senpai wants to stand up for himself. He wants to be more talkative and direct in communicating with people. Nagatoro helps him to go about those changes, by both being someone he needs to stand up to at times, but also how to best go about it. Their daily art room shenanigans do a lot to build towards Senpai’s growth, as well as be funny and cute. Then the moments outside of the school move away a bit from the routine shenanigans and offer nice dates between the two that generally progresses the characters. While there is a lot of content that can be seen as not dramatically progressing their relationship, I think it's important to stick to the fun casual interactions that are the basis of what makes the manga so good. Without those the very good comedy of the manga would largely be lost. These goofy interactions are core to their relationship and dynamic.

Over time their relationship blossoms into a very well-done romance. They learn to respect each other’s boundaries. They start to learn the finer things that make up each other and do things to make each other happy. They both learn to bring down the walls and move away from the routine. While Nagatoro primarily pushes the relationship in the beginning, later they are roughly on equal footing. Seeing them both pursue their passion and see how those pursuits affect their relationship. It’s very sweet seeing them learn how to support each other. This is seriously one of my favorite romances. You will see as you get further on how wholesome and endearing their relationship becomes. It consistently gets me smiling ear to ear. I am not saying people need to put aside their issues with bullying/teasing or any other content that they take issue with being portrayed in media. But if you can stomach the very beginning, I can tell you this relationship is worth getting through it for. At first their dynamic is just dom/sub but as it goes on their genuinely good chemistry together becomes apparent. And from there as they get more directly romantic, we spend a lot of time seeing how their chemistry develops and changes. At their absolute best Nagatoro and Senpai have an extremely sweet and supportive relationship. 

This will include spoilers for very late in the manga, hitting on stuff going on in the most recent chapters as of writing this. In my opinion people get too hung up over them not “officially” dating. In terms of their actual relationship with each other, they are in a romantic relationship in pretty much every sense. By where the manga is now, they have directly expressed their romantic interest in each other and have done many of the things people in relationships do. I actually really like that the writing does not get hung up on the firm status of dating and embraces them, taking things as they go and letting their relationship happen in whatever way they feel comfortable. They both end up having clear goals that they are using as part of their motivation concerning their relationship. They are waiting until the right moment to move forward, and both of them recognize that that is the state of their relationship. And that’s completely valid. They do not need to have traditional progression as they are not traditional people in a traditional relationship. It makes it more interesting as a story and promotes the idea that there is no exact way a relationship should go. I feel this aspect of their relationship fits their personalities and dynamic while also portraying a uniquely functioning relationship that is just as valid as any other. 

The amazing Nagatoro faces. If you’ve seen anything from Nagatoro without reading/watching it, its people using those faces as reaction images. That’s how I came across it. The author is great at drawing expressive faces. Many people who have never seen or read it know exactly what Nagatoro’s personality is just from seeing her expressions. 

There is quite a bit of fanservicey stuff, and obviously their dynamic is very much a dom sub intense teasing relationship. If you strongly dislike fanservice or don’t have interest in that dynamic, you will likely struggle to enjoy it. But the legit fanservice is not as common as every chapter or even every few chapters. And some scenes I genuinely do think there is some tastefulness to it and shows how their relationship has progressed (such as the nude modeling and their conversation in the hot spring). It sounds like trying to justify horny stuff, but I promise those two scenes are both incredibly important for the points I brought up previously.

I’ll briefly touch on the anime adaptation and say that it's good. Both Nagatoro and Senpai have very good voice acting and for the most part the art does a solid job mimicking the more detailed expressions. These two points are honestly the most important to me. The presentation is not great, with a lot of still shots and lower detail. Some people may also be bothered by how the studio changed for season 2 but I did not think these are major issues. The style of the manga, with how much emphasis it puts on dynamic frames, makes sense to not be adapted to be super fluid. It’s a bit of an excuse, but it kind of works. Personally, I would recommend the manga over the anime due to the art quality. I don’t think the coloring that the anime offers adds a lot in this case. 

I truly love this series. It's one of my favorite romances. I admit I started largely because the dynamic fit my tastes, but I have stayed with it for the wonderful relationship that came out of those initial interactions.

Thank you for reading! I hope reading this has encouraged someone to give the manga or anime a shot. 

[hypermania]

Do you think caryl will go canon in the spin-off? And if you could have chosen any other time for it to go canon when would it have been? 

i have no idea. the extent of my knowledge about the spinoff is pretty much just that it exists and it's french. so yeah sure maybe?

as for when i would have wanted it to go canon? that's a more difficult question to answer because i don't necessarily care if it ever does. my only real canonical wishes for caryl are that 1. their relationship, in whatever form it takes, is always central to their characters and 2. that daryl does not end up with anybody else (and really that's more about daryl as a character than it is about the ship). the flagship show grants both of those wishes, more or less, so i'm already pretty happy with caryl as is.

but if i could have made it explicitly canonically romantic at some point in time, i know for sure i wouldn't have wanted it to happen any time before the saviors. maybe not even before the time jump and carol marrying ezekiel. i love angst and i love quiet pining, but more importantly, i love the foundation of their friendship and the reasons they developed a bond in the first place.

when they met, they were two people who were in no place to begin a relationship (romantic or sexual) with anyone. they were both hurting and neither of them really knew who they were yet. carol thought she was a mousy housewife, nothing more than dead weight, too weak to leave an abusive husband and definitely too weak to save her daughter. daryl thought he was an angry and violent waste of space, with no value outside of his ability to provide (food, protection, the return of sophia, etc).

and then they changed each other. carol kissed daryl on the head and told him that his value was not in whether or not he was able to bring sophia home. his value was that he cared enough to look in the first place. that he was "every bit as good as [rick]." and daryl told carol that she was stronger than she thought she was and that she was worth saving, worth cherishing, even.

and the beauty of their friendship was that it was simple. especially in those early days when they were still trying to figure out how to be people (without merle and without ed). it's so so important to me that there was no pressure on either side to move it somewhere else. it was a safe space. carol jokingly flirted with daryl because it was safe to do so. he wasn't going to take it seriously. he wasn't going to make a move. she could try on her own sexuality again without having to give up anything to do so.

and the thing about daryl is that i read him as ace (probably more demi than flat out ace but on the ace spectrum somewhere) and from that perspective, his relationship with carol has to be such a fucking relief because she isn't expecting anything from him. she doesn't want him to make a move and so he doesn't have to. he doesn't have to feel like he's failed to live up to some imaginary idea of what masculinity is. he can be around an ~available~ woman without it being a Thing. like, i don't think he was out picking up woman regularly before all this but i think every single time he failed to do so, he heard about it from merle or his father or whoever else was around.

so they build this beautiful friendship and then somewhere along the way, it shifts. personally, i think it shifted for daryl pretty early on (sometime in s3-4) but it took awhile for carol to get there. not necessarily because she didn't feel it, but because she refused to acknowledge it. it was a boundary she didn't want to cross. i think it's part of why she agreed to marry ezekiel. that life was a role she was playing so it wouln't matter if she lost it (at least she thought it wouldn't. but she was wrong). i think she finally admitted how she feels about daryl when she realized he was mad at her over the whole alpha thing.

idk idk i know my opinions are unpopular but i just really appreciate that so much of what makes caryl special is that they are each other's safe space. putting them in a romantic relationship too early ruins that. they both had too much growing to do. i would be delighted to find out that the spinoff makes them canon though. i would also be delighted if it retroactively made them canon like "yeah we've been fucking since the jump what about it??" just because i think it would be hilarious.

[glittter-skeleton]

Okay, I’m not a big c!beeduo fan but I’ve always loved the idea of unrequited romantic c!beeduo!!!

There’s Tubbo and he kind of hates love. Not the platonic one for his friends, obviously. But the romantic kind. The one that’s about kisses and holding hands and something with screams and slapping noises he doesn’t want to know about. He’s been told there’s good ones. Phil seems to talk fondly enough of his partner even if he had never seen her. Wilbur and Sally had… something, even if it didn’t last, so the jury is still out on that one. But he has witnessed the shit kind. He couldn’t stand the tough of ending up in a situation like Big Q’s. Quackity always told him it was mutual, that he was using Shlatt too. That they were in this against him, they just have to wait a little longer. But Tubbo didn’t think the bruises were worth it. Or those days Big Q couldn’t get about of bed for a while. They were kinda endearing in the beginning, that was the scary part. It started off nice, which means you never know. If this is what romantic love is, or whatever hot girls Tommy is always on about, Tubbo wants nothing to do with it.

In enderman culture emotions like love are not really explored. In general they’re very closed off and don’t really DO emotions besides anger at outsiders obviously. But then he meets this boy. He’s fun and kind and not at all in his place. Ranboo tries to be there for him, to help him and be together. Eventually all his dreams come true, they get a house together, they adopt a child. It’s all platonic, of course, and so is their marriage but for a while now he has had this feeling in his chest. When they fall asleep together at night, when Ranboo can see his eyes shine. It’s there yet he has no name for it, he has never been taught it.

One day when him and Wilbur are working the ranvan. The older is going off about Quackity again but then he stops, looks to the side and says

“Ranboo, have you ever been in love?”

And Ranboo doesn’t know.

“Sorry, that must be a weird question. I’m… I just think… I am”

Him and Wilbur talk for a while after that. His whole thing with Big Q can’t turn out well, the relationship in question is too shaky, to many broken pieces.

“Why are you asking me this, anyways?”

“Don’t you have, like, the best relationship on the server?”

And Ranboo guesses that he does, in a way. Aside from maybe Phil and Techno. But they’re friends. Till death do them part friends, but still. And Phil has a partner. But him and Tubbo are married, they have a kid, it’s… not the same.

“I guess? Um… this is gonna sound weird… maybe. But… what does it feel like?”

“What?”

“Liking someone? Like… romantically?”

“Aren’t you married?!”

“Platonically”

“Oh”

“Yeah…”

Cuz as complicated as Wilbur’s feelings may be, he knows what they are, at least. He likes Quackity, he wants to kiss him, go on dates, maybe, do all the other stuff he does not want to think about. Wilbur knows what he wants, even if that is a short power hungry duck-hybrid that probably hates him.

And… some of Wilbur’s nervous rambles do hit home. Maybe not the stuff about the presidents famous ass but he does kinda want to kiss Tubbo. And his stomach may not fill with butterflies but maybe some ants… or particles… it’s there.

He thinks about it for a couple of days afterwards and… yeah, he’s in love. And it’s kind of wonderful and beautiful and the coolest thing to ever happen to him. The feeling may be nothing new but the realization is and it’s amazing!

But he can never have it, not with the person he wants most.

[sublimecatgalaxy]

reader and eddie where one if them yells "because I'm in love with you!" possibly while fighting or someone is going to do something dangerous?

I love this

"He's angry at you." Robin mutters, wrapping a bandage around my leg as I rest my head against the mirror behind me, looking around Nancy's bathroom, comparing it to that of her normal bathroom that's not in the Upsidedown where we're currently trapped.

"I know." I whisper, reaching up to rub the sleep from my eyes. Eddie has been ignoring me ever since I dove into the water after Nancy, Robin following quickly behind me. I know that he's new to this, that I had been lying to him for our whole friendship and the beginning of our romantic relationship.

But just like Nancy was cautious when including Steve into everything, I just didn't want Eddie to get caught up, to get hurt at my hands or because of something I did or didn't do.

"It's because he loves you. I can tell by how he looks at you." There's a small smile in her voice as she places a gentle, matronly kiss to my injured shin. "Go talk to him. I promise you that you don't want to waste a second down here, it's not worth it." She sends me a sad smile before standing, both of our eyes flickering over to the door as Eddie knocks politely on the wood.

Robin gives Eddie a simple pat on the shoulder as he enters the room, shutting the door after Robin slips down the hallway. The room is quiet for a few moments, just the noise of grumbling outside and suspicious squelching filling the small room. He steps between my knees, resting his palms on the dirtied porcelain beneath me.

"I know you're mad or disappointed in me." I whisper, my stomach churning anxiously as he takes a deep breath in, eyes finally lifting to look at me.

"You just can't do that. You can't jump in and try to save people without giving me a moment to, like, adjust." He rambles quickly, eyes fluttering shut and shortly after he shakes his head. "You have to let me try to protect you first before you run off trying to protect everyone else." He laughs bitterly, his back straightening as he looks down at me.

"Why?" My voice barely comes out, it's tone shaky and sad and he just scoffs, reaching up to cup my cheeks in his hands, forcing my eyes to meet his.

"Because I'm in love with you, you beautiful dumbass." I giggle, reaching up to wipe the stray tears that have slipped down my cheeks. "Just warn me next time, alright?" He asks, pulling me tightly to his chest as I relax into him, realizing that everything that Robin said was right. That it's not worth it to fight and argue when we're in a dangerous situation like this where either of us could be ripped from the other.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane2828 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi @crunchytoenailsyum@glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the-heart @vampviolets@haylee-e@popehaywardssecretgf @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife @smoke-and-fire @officiallyunofficialperson@heyaitsklaudia@rosepetalsparks @bluetreecloud20 @scenesofobx @double-shot-of-tequila @1dluver13xx @colbysbrocks @iamasimpingh0e @smoke-and-fire386 @loveshineslikethesky @id-3-kbro @diorsitgirl @errorfound101-allideasburnedout @neverwillknowme18 @ellyskey @taylors-folk @loversjoy @myaloveee @thyris-is @lagataprrr @aaaaslaaaan @minjix @luvrosee

[sailorblossoms-snowbaz]

There's much going on in the scene where Simon basically expresses his disinterest in labeling himself (outside of "baz-sexual" lol which sounds funny but that's Simon genuinely communicating something with the vocabulary he has available). I think the funniest thing though is that he's basically like "I don't know shit but let me tell you nothing about my relationship with Agatha can be used to say I'm bisexual, especially not sex". And by funny I mean kinda sad and a bit concerning actually.

On a more serious note, I think it's really interesting to see how Simon reacts to different labels. He never really wonders whether he's bisexual, his struggles with attempting to define identity are entirely centered on his feelings for Baz. He even finds a way to, I kid you not, make female boobs about Baz. Gay and Baz-sexual are the only labels he wrestles with, and even gay is something he considers because Baz is a man. It's also interesting that this doesn't change even when presented with the possibility that bisexuality could be a word that describes his experiences.

I think so much is encapsulated here. First of all, Simon does struggle with internalized homophobia (that hesitation before the whole man and boy exchange), and we see him trying to move past that in the third book (Baz noting he gets off with public displays of affection despite "worrying about looking gay" and how that's probably connected, the "gay at ikea" scene). But I don't think he struggles with internalized biphobia–it's just not even on his radar at all. Simon can be very quick at solving things once he has enough information, and I doubt he needed any time to realize why his boyfriend, who knows he has an ex-girlfriend, might think he's bisexual. And he's put off by the idea. Look at that No being italicized for emphasis. He has such a strong rejection of being labeled as bisexual, and I think this is all about him rejecting the idea of his past relationship with Agatha being understood as romantic love and sexual attraction, even before he finally processes and voices that "it was all just going through the motions, I'm not sure I even felt anything at all".

Worth noting that he's in agreement with Agatha on this. She was there, and in hindsight, she doesn't think the guy was ever into her (a feeling she already manifest when breaking up with him, when she's describing their relationship as feeling non-existent, and still feeling unwanted after being together for 3 years)

She equates this to the way Baz, known homosexual, was never into her either.

Worth noting too that the label conversation is at the beginning of the chapter that has Simon dragging himself kicking and screaming (literally) through the realization that he was never really into Agatha in that way, he just assumed that must be it while they were dating, ignoring anything that indicated otherwise. But Simon really had to be aware of this on some level that he just wasn't acknowledging for him to be able to reach some answers when Baz's questions make him look back. Again, the rejection of seeing his past relationship with Agatha as romantic love/attraction had to be there on a subconscious level for him to have the instinct to be put off by being labeled in this way because of it.

In comparison, he's much more nuanced and complicated about gay as a label. He's not prepared to think about it at the beginning, but it's something he keeps coming back to. He says he's not gay "immediately" here but at the end of the chapter he goes "maybe this makes me gay, or maybe this just makes me yours". And this is all because of his feelings for Baz. He's not ever like "I'm into dudes in general so I reckon that makes me gay". The questioning is always in the line of "the love of my life is a man, does that make me gay?" and he brings up the possibility of only being into Baz more than once... which takes me to Baz going "if he's not gay or bi what does that leave? straight is certainly not an option" and well! It leaves the ace spectrum, for instance, my good guy.

I also think Simon going "I never thought I was straight, I never thought about my sexuality at all" is interesting, because even though it aligns with how he lived for so long not really thinking, part of being allosexual is knowing instinctively when you're experiencing attraction too, and it's an acespec experience to need forever to decide if you're feeling attracted to strangers. And Simon really can't offer examples of him feeling attraction that doesn't involve Baz! In fact, he says it to himself: he has only ever wanted Baz, and he's thinking this in the context of thinking about sex.

In short: everything about Simon rejecting bisexuality is about him rejecting the idea that he felt romantic love/attraction for Agatha, and everything about him wrestling with the gay label is centered on his feelings for Baz.

[proud-mama-joyce]

“How could Mike be gay if he likes El?”

Well, he wouldn’t be if that were true. But maybe it’s not that simple. And since there are so many hints that Mike may be gay, I think it’s worth exploring.

I wonder how many straight viewers realize how easy it is for internalized homophobia to be encouraged by passive, circumstantial factors. People who aren’t straight grow up as part of a minority that is often invisible to themselves, until they are capable of a certain level of self-awareness. Even if they are aware that non-straight people are out there, and even if they’re not painted in a bad light by those around them, it can still be so confusing to realign your identity by realizing that you’re one of them too. Doubly so if you’re raised to have people-pleasing tendencies like I was--just going outside the norm can seem daunting. Or if you’re a self-doubter, at an age when so many things are uncertain to begin with: I’d ask myself, how do I know that I’m not feeling the way everyone else is? It takes some experience to feel confident enough to have an answer to that question. 

And what if the person you have the strongest feelings for is also your closest friend? (Been there, done that.) Of course they have special significance, of course you feel different about them--they’re your best friend. The readiness of that explanation makes it that much harder for those feelings to prompt internal reflection about your sexuality. They become a blind spot. That means that, in order to realize you’re not straight, other role models, romantic experiences, or conversations might have a bigger role to play.

So when I think of Mike, it’s incredibly easy for me to see how he could be struggling with this himself. All the people around him (Lucas, Nancy, Dustin, etc.) assumed he liked Eleven in S1. What experiences could he rely on to counter that assumption if it wasn’t true? He’s young, so maybe he doesn’t have any. To make matters worse, El also has a singular kind of relationship with him--she’s not a typical friend. He took on a much more protective role with her from the very beginning due to her circumstances, she has saved his life on more than one occasion, and her long disappearance was tied up with related memories of traumatic experiences. Now Mike has two blind spots, two people whose relationship with him has an easy-out explanation to the question of, “Why don’t I feel the same way about them as I do about my other friends?” He’s absorbed that that the way he feels about El is what he should feel about a girlfriend, and the way he feels about Will is due to their especially close friendship. On top of that, he’s growing up in an environment where being gay is seen as immoral. He doesn’t see himself as an immoral person. (I’m betting this makes it hard for him to realize that Will might be gay, too.) And so he goes on without feeling a need to question his sexuality.  And, at least drawing from my own experiences, that works...until it doesn’t. Until you’re in tune with yourself enough to understand what attraction really feels like, see your own patterns, and know when you’re NOT experiencing it. Until enough straight people around you seem to have different experiences. Maybe until you meet some other people who aren’t straight, and you realize your idea of them doesn’t match up with what you were told. (I’m hopeful that the revelation that Will isn’t straight will help Mike figure things out.) Mike, I think you’re in for a rough time. It’s not your fault. 

[aerialflight]

an even longer fic rec list (sorry about that)

I have too many fics to rec so you can see this as part 2 of my previous list. Enjoy!

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[One Piece] (just realized that I read a lot of zoro ship fics. huh)

The Many Marriages of the Straw Hat Pirates by LadyCrimsonAndBlack

Ship: Straw Hats (and Law)

There are a lot of strange traditions to be found on the Grand Line. Sometimes, the Straw Hats get caught up in them.

(Or: The Straw Hats get married to each other. Repeatedly.)

(I cried laughing, this is somehow both hilarious yet sweet! They are so Chaotic here lol)

the serpent with the empty eye by apollothyme

Ship: Kalgara/Montblanc Norland

When he is a child, the mark takes up the majority of his chest.

It’s a long winding spiral with triangles decorating its length and an empty dot in one of the ends. He spends many a moment in his youth tracing it with his chubby fingers, staring in contemplation at the black ink unique to him and him alone.

Well, not just him. His mother says there’s another person in the world with the very same mark as him. Still, as far as Noland knows, no one on his island has the same mark as him.

(SKYPIEA FIC WITH NORLAND AND KALGURA BEING SOULMATES AND BREAKING MY HEART AND MENDING IT I WANT TO SCREAM AAAHH!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! One of the most heartbreaking relationships shown in one piece and they get to be happy here damnit I am so here for this!!!)

firestarters by adietxt

Ship: Zoro/Sanji

Zoro doesn’t have a single romantic bone in him, and never once the idea of marriage crossed his mind.

At the end of the day, though, marriage is about loyalty, about devotion and faith in something outside of yourself. And that — Zoro’s good at that. Zoro’s a natural at that.

(Five times Zoro accidentally proposed to Sanji without even knowing what a proposal is, and one time he gets properly proposed to.)

(This both made me laugh so hard because Zoro is so freaking Zoro and had me swooning because Zoro is Zoro. fienwfioweafew)

Fealty by Arowen12

"Faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty," or "is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another." or Luffy was always going to be the one to who the Worst Generation would kneel.

(A really interesting character study of all the Worst Generation and how they view Luffy and the Straw Hats. That moment of realization that Luffy is a King and worth following is always *chef's kiss*)

ask a question by WhirlyBird70

Straw Hat hums, tilting his hat back, revealing piercing eyes. “I wanted to ask this on the volcano island, but there was no time, cause we had to party.” Law reminds himself that this is the man who took down Ennies Lobby and dared to punch a Celestial Dragon. He is strong. An idiot, but he is strong, and do not despair at his lack of intelligence do not– “So I can ask you now.”

The ship keeps rocking. The waves the only sound besides their soft breathing.

“Why did you save me?”

Or: Luffy asks Law a question that he doesn't quite know the answer too.

For Mishaboyd's prompt: In manga when Luffy meets Law on Punk Hazard he says that he wanted to find Law anyway to ask something. What the question was and did he ever asked it?

(WhirlyBird always hits the nail on the head when it comes to Luffy's characterization and I love them for that. And Law being introspective over his own motivations was beautifully written!)

A Split Thread by SrirachaBunny

Ship: Zoro/Luffy

The Straw Hats find it a little weird that they don’t have a first mate. Whenever they ask, Luffy just laughs and says they do. Which is weirder, because none of the crew have ever met this so-called first mate.

A time-travel au, in which a captain and his first mate go back to the very beginning, and figures they can do more good apart than together. At least for now.

(Time travel! Luffy and Zoro the only ones remembering and Luffy trying to be a captain without his first mate next to him throughout canon and breaking my heart! Continuously!! Being the best duo and trusting and being loyal to one another and and *bawls* I love them so much!!)

Cut My Feelings Off Clean by Augment

Ship: Zoro/Law

Trafalgar D. Law establishes trust through both loyalty and control, so while Roronoa Zoro's strong aspect of loyalty makes him a potential figure of trust for Law, his position on a different crew, and his independence of spirit, places him outside of Law's control. Consider the counterfactual situation where Zoro retains this unique position but is, from the first and mutatis mutandis, placed in the role of first mate on Law's crew (instead of Luffy's). In this essay I will,

(wow, WOW JUST, such a well-executed what if on what would've happened if Law had gotten to Zoro first! I am so impressed by the characterization, the divergences, the relationship development, and everything else about this fic. It's unimaginable to think of Zoro as anything other than Luffy's first mate, but this made a pretty damn good argument for another possible route that could've been taken.)

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[Naruto]

Come From the Holy Fire by JulyFlame

"Do you feel stupid and regret it yet?" A twist on the usual isekai reincarnation. It'd be less embarrassing if it was as anyone other than Sasuke. SI/OC-Insert.

Canon has fallen off a cliff entirely as of chapter 22.

Some tags from this fic: The Isekai Truck Didn't Finish the Job, Transmigration, We're starting off on track for canon but everything gets derailed pretty much immediately

Series Part 1 of Consume My Heart Away

(Not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best SI stories I've ever read, holy shit. The concept is fresh and half of me wants to laugh and cry from how the plot went so off the rails from such minuscule, small choices. It leaves me with so many questions on how this is all going to turn out, especially after CHAPTER 22. I am STILL ScREamING, oh my god. Everything flips on its head, it's INSANE! Please read!!!)

Spite, Pettiness and Stubbornness (Do Not A Relationship Make) by ThatOnePlatypus

Ship: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara

"Spite" is apparently not the conventional answer to the question "how did you two get together?" or "how do you make this relationship work?", but it's exactly the motivation that gets Tobirama and Madara together, and keeps them that way.

or:

Madara and Tobirama get into a fake relationship to avoid their Elders pestering them. Everyone decides to let them know this is a terrible idea that will end in disaster. Obviously, that sounds like a challenge - and they're not going to lose.

(Yes, this summary really is a summation of the utter hilarity and insanity that takes place in this fic. Seriously, I was crying when reading this, it's incredible. Truly the most spiteful, entertaining ship in the Naruto fandom I can't X'D)

Hiding in the Leaves by aventria, iluxia

Ships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Itachi

In another life, Orochimaru never leaves Konoha, opting to remain within the village that equally reveres and reviles him. Fighting a bitter battle against forces within the village that are more influential and well-positioned, he finds himself gifted with one last shining opportunity: three children, a team of genin, handed to him because Konoha has no better choice. Orochimaru agrees to become a jounin-sensei for the first and the last time, taking on the next generation's Team Seven: Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, and Uzumaki Naruto.

[ A gradual exploration of the author's very liberal Naruto headcanon, with a good!Orochimaru (well, sorta good) who eventually becomes the Godaime Hokage. Lots of chakra theory, cool jutsu, in-depth backstories, character development, political intrigue, and den mother Orochimaru feels! Also featuring: BAMF baby Team 7! Be prepared to suspend your disbelief; this will be another one of my long-running intense worldbuilding AUs. Let's go have fun! ]

(Re-read this recently and it's just as good as I remember it being. I will hold you at knife point until you read this fic, feiwoafnpwea. The characters, the worldbuilding, the politics, the canon divergences, the friendships, EVERYTHING'S BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT!!)

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[Merlin]

The Homecoming of Arthur Pendragon by TheSeasonOfWinter

The dragon leaned forward. "Your destiny is to protect Uther Pendragon's heir, the one who will be the Once and Future King and unite all of Albion."

Merlin blinked. "But . . . Uther doesn't have an heir."

. . .

In many Arthurian texts, Arthur is raised as a peasant by Sir Ector with no knowledge of his royal lineage. Let's bring that back, shall we?

(Honestly the BEST MERLIN AU EVER. Arthur grew up as a servant away from Camelot and goes into Camelot without knowing anything. Arthur in this AU makes me want to hug him, he DESERVES THE THRONE, he truly shows that in this fic, and nothing about how he's characterized here is out of character when in line with how he grew up in this AU. His and Merlin's friendship here honestly is Incredible, they are both trying so hard to live up to the expectations placed on them and I feel for both of them, I really do. And all the characters are fantastic and are given the spotlight many times over! This feels so much like what I wish the show was like, it makes so much more sense. I guarantee anyone who reads this will love it so give it a go! Can't wait for the sequel that's coming up!)

No Man's Land by thenerdyindividual

Ship: Merlin/Arthur

The Dragon Lords once lived and ruled happily in Camelot. That all changed after the Battle of Camelot. Now they live in the Wilds, No Man's Land, a place where clans and dragons rule. A routine errand to collect herbs for Gaius gets complicated when Merlin ends up saving the life of one of Camelot's best knights. Which begs the question; how and why would a knight from an enemy kingdom come to be in the middle of nowhere?

(Merlin has a leadership role! Arthur and Merlin are equals! A slowbuild friendship then romance that is paced well! Arthur learning to appreciate magic!!! This fic just hit all my favorite tropes and really developed the plot and their relationship well, definitely recommend!)

The double life dilemma by dragoonsbeard

When those from Camelot are reincarnated into the modern world. Only an immortal merlin and a reincarnated Uther remember the past. That's right. Uther

Aka, Ygraine thinks them old dear friends while Arthur and Morgana firmly believe their father figure had once been in the mafia.

(This is not a duo I thought I needed in my life, BUT I DO. I was cackling like a mad man by the end of the first chapter, they are so petty lol.)

All Through the Night by rubyjayne

Ship: Merlin/Arthur

The people of Camelot suddenly start acting more lovesick than usual towards Arthur. When Merlin encounters the creature behind it all, the last thing he expects is for his dreams to become inextricably linked to Arthur’s.

A canon AU in which a pining Merlin is cursed to see Arthur’s dreams every night, Gaius is of no help whatsoever, and Kilgharrah thinks it’s all rather hilarious. Little do any of them know, this minor inconvenience (though neither Merlin or Arthur would call it that) sparks a series of events far more momentous than anyone was expecting.

(The early season Merlin vibe this fic emits is IMMACULATE. It retained the light tone and fucking hilarious shenanigans these idiots get up to and just, I love this fic so much. And it's not afraid to create believable conflicts between the characters and the romance is a well-built slow burn that's growing steadier by every chapter. Everything about this fic is just *chefs kiss* so well done, I am so happy!)

Three weeks ago by Rona23

Ship: Arthur/Merlin

A sorcerer burns at the Pyre. And as always, Arthur can only watch. He had long closed his heart from such sights. What breaks his heart is seeing the people he loves hurt from such moments. Such as Merlin. But there is more to the boy than Arthur thinks. And soon he sees the entire day unfold once more. This time - from a different perspective.

EDIT: (You should totally go and check out "Two Sides by birdie7272" which was inspired by this fic! I'll put a link in the notes. Totally worth checking out!!!!!)

Series Part 33 of Merlin´s magic

(I have never read a time travel fic like this before and it's intriguing! The way it's told is so well done and the writing had me holding my breath at times, it's magical hahaha!)

Two Sides by birdie7272

Ship: Arthur/Merlin

There's two of them!

(Three words: Magical Twin Arthur. The concept is utterly fascinating and god I am almost tempted to write a full-length overblown fic that expands this.)

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[The Witcher]

The Witcher and the Lordling by Alex51324

Jaskier, prevented by political unrest at home from going to university and becoming a bard, steals a Witcher and runs away. OR, Geralt, made even more miserable and downtrodden by a series of reforms placing Witchers under human control, steals a lordling and runs away.

Series

Part 1 of The Witcher and the Lordling

(Where Geralt has an even worse time being a Witcher than canon and through choice and circumstance, Jaskier and Geralt end up escaping the paths chosen for them and run away together. I love how this explores how the two rely on one another in different ways, with Jaskier being very young and not at all experienced of the world while Geralt slowly becomes a person instead of just the Witcher, finding himself along the way. Really great worldbuilding that totally shows how fucked up this world is compared to canon and the sequel has me so excited to see more of this AU. Also! It's a rare fantastic friendship fic that explores new dynamics between the two I've never seen before! Definitely recommend!!)

In The Sky by karauna (read their other fics too, they're all neat!)

In Kerack, there's a magic-shop with a purple banner hanging over the door.

Or:

Yennefer is on vacation.

That is to say, she got tired of being in Rinde. After a solid ten or so years as mayor, she passed leadership down and then left with a flick of her wavy, luxurious hair. And now she's here, in Kerack. Selling spells. Making potions. Doing... things. Important things.

"I'm closed, can't you read?"

Very important things that this rascal is rudely interrupting.

"Nuh-uh, not a word! Say, are there dragons in here?" The boy asks, blue eyes shining like moon-discs, "are there phoenixes? Faeries? Serpents? Can you make the sun rise faster? What about winged shoes? Is it true that mages stay pretty because they have mud-baths? Can I have a pet dragon? That one's important, I really want one."

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "No. To all of the above, it's a no."

(This has such a feral, sweet, and sunshine vibe (the last one is completely Jaskier's fault lol). Where Yennefer adopts a tiny, child Jaskier who attracts monsters like a disney princess much to everyone's bewilderment.)

Forever Wanting More by stormandstarlight

Ship: Geralt/Jaskier

Geralt has always been a little afraid of losing control. And after what happened the last time, it's not an unreasonable worry, one which the Council shares. He's been watched since he left Kaer Morhen, but he's always been... perfect. Kept himself in control, never done anything to create a reason to come after him. And then he meets a girl. A girl with a grudge against a sorcerer, who asks him to give her her revenge. And he fucks it up worse than anything else in his life. --- Julian has always told himself that he doesn't mind being a Witcher. It's not like he's got another choice, after all. But when the Council asks him to take down a half-feral fugitive, he starts to think that might not be true anymore.

(The fic where both Geralt and Jaskier are Not Having A Good Time but it's a-okay since they have each other! (even if one of them doesn't know the other is a witcher that's supposed to hunt them down and kill them) Absolutely nothing can possibly go wrong! *bright smile*)

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[Crossover]

fill the mold, break the mold by Beastrage

Fandoms: One Piece, Fairy Tail

Nico Robin runs into another D, years after the fall of Ohara.

As for the D in question...Gajeel's ready to help out a kid if she needs it. It's what a Fairy Tail Mage does, after all.

Series

Part 1 of D for Dragon Slayers

(Love this whole series in general! Really great characterization and character interactions here that I never thought would happen. The Dragon Slayers are D's and it makes so much sense, I love it!)

I Could Not Stop for Death by writing_as_tracey

Fandoms: Marvel, Game of Thrones

Ships: Natasha Romanoff/Brandon Stark, Natasha/Eddard Stark

For Natasha, this story ends and begins with a fall - although, two very different kinds. After Vormir, she finds a second chance for herself in a new world - Westeros - but the game stays the same.

(Natasha is reborn as the middle child between Catelyn and Lysa and I honestly loved how all the characters are depicted here. Also, Natasha just can't catch a break can she?)

[tommybaholland]

bnha boys in love [valentine’s edition💗]

featuring: midoriya, bakugo, todoroki, kirishima, kaminari, shinso, amajiki, and dabi

for anyone who might be feeling lonely today, enjoy a lil something from ur fav bnha boy who loves u! 

midoriya is one that gets nervous but tries hard to turn it into excitement when thinking about what he’s going to do for or with you on valentine’s day. as an aspiring hero, he always wants to put a smile on others’ faces and you’re no different. actually, you could be an exception because he loves you and those feelings are different from acts of altruism. rather, he wants to give you something straight from his heart. he’s always wanted to cook dinner for someone else, even after he’s always had his mom make him anything he wanted. he receives some basic guidance for her over the phone but he still has zero clue what he’s doing until kacchan stumbles upon him in the dorm kitchen struggling to cut onions. after some threats, yelling, and lots of arguing, the two manage to make a decent meal, actually a whole spread of food for the night. you’ve never had someone put that much thought or make dinner for you so its absolutely surreal when he presents it to you. the meal itself is really good and the night ends with the you both falling into food comas on the couch, relaxing into one another. 

bakugo seems very distant leading up to the day. he didn’t seem like the type to make a big deal out of valentine’s day. then again, he had never gotten many chances to celebrate it, except reluctantly with classmates and his parents. you didn’t mind how he felt about it but it was strange that you hadn’t seen much of him the past few days. on the day, you want to not think about his absence so you decide to get some training in. not an hour passes before bakugo storms in, “there you are, IDIOT! i’ve been looking everything for you! you’re coming with me..” he doesn’t allow you time to change or shower and instructs you to close your eyes as he leads you by the hand somewhere. he voice goes soft as he stops and tells you to open your eyes. you open them to see your favorite dessert sitting in front of you and a lit candle to complete the ambience. you’re in complete awe. you knew he could cook but had no idea he could bake but he explains that sato helped him with the recipe and how he almost gave up the whole thing because he couldn’t get it right the first few times. he admits it might still not be perfect but he loves you so very much and-- he doesn’t even get to finish his sentence before you’re silencing him with a kiss. 

todoroki could give you anything you wanted on a regular basis, being the son of a pro hero and all. it’s this ceiling effect that gets him in a bind for what to do for you because naturally he’d just spoil you extra. but something tells him he shouldn’t focus on the material items but rather the gesture, the sentiment, maybe even the experience. the beginning of the day is slow and lazy, with him coming to your room early in the morning to lay with you in bed. being the sleepy boy he is, he ends up falling asleep on you and you follow close behind. luckily, he set an alarm so you wouldn’t miss what he has planned. he takes you to a hot spring in a secluded location, where you (appropriately) share one together. it’s really nice and relaxing and a different type of alone you get to spend with him. he tries to rub your feet but you won’t let him because you’re ticklish and that starts a little tickle war. you surrender by wrapping your arms tightly around his neck as your ribs ache from laughing so hard. you stare at each other while catching your breath, lips slowly drawing closer. it’s all around a beautiful moment with such a pretty and kind-hearted boy. 

kirishima would save as much as he could to be able to spoil you on this day. he figures; that’s what it’s for, right? this man would try to go above and beyond for you any day because you’re so worth it to him but valentine’s is truly his day to shine. he decides to put together a scavenger hunt which involves one long tour of your previous dates, like the buffet restaurant and the arcade. he even sneaks in little nostalgic things during your time as a couple, like at the park where he learned how you liked to lay on your stomach while he’d draw little shapes on your back. it’s crazy but so fun and cute and special. it ends in a random backside of a building at UA and it’s familiar but you’re confused as to why he brought you here. “this was the place where you first told me you were interested in me..and i was so nervous but so flattered that someone as wonderful as you could like me.” and he goes on and on but he can’t help that he feels so much love for you, which is something he didn’t really think he’d get to experience. he’s oh so grateful to have you and so are you to have the manliest, cutest, sweetest boyfriend ever. 

kaminari feels the pressure of making your first valentine’s with him the best day you’ve ever had and tries to put on a front but fails. he loves that you’re so easygoing and chill with anything but he wants to make the day special. he wants to go above and beyond for you because you deserve it so much. he really likes the idea of an private outdoor dinner because the ambience is already pretty romantic. he sets it all up and when the time comes, he’s just too excited and can’t keep it a secret. he leads you outside as he tells you that he strung up all these lights but when you get out there, it’s real dark. he goes, “this is the best part.” he uses his quirk to simultaneously light up the small bulbs dangling from the strings. unfortunately, several of them blow a fuse and shatter, diminishing the full effect. you both laugh it off like normal and he says he was prepared for that, pulling out a lighter to light the candles on the table. it’s sweet and thoughtful, but don’t think you’ve escaped the ‘are you trying to romance me’ tiktok references. it’s okay though because a denki date night wouldn’t be complete without them. 

shinso is similar to bakugo when it comes to valentine’s, except he’s more so indifferent, rather than not caring about it. he’d be the type to ask you what you want or would like to do but he realizes that was a lost cause because of course you tell him it doesn’t really matter to you and you’d be happy with whatever. you’re so lovely to him everyday, despite his insecurities and trust qualms, so he silently promises to give you a day that you deserve. he tells you he has a surprise. it’s easy to hide as he takes you to your favorite cat cafe, a place where you two are regulars. there’s one cat there, a black and white tuxedo cat, that you are particularly fond of. he enjoys watching you smile as the cat rubs up against you and lays in your lap. you’ve completely forgotten about why you were there until he tells you that the cat is yours if you want him. you’re in complete disbelief but he tells you that he had arranged it with the owner of the cafe, who had noticed that the cat was very skittish and avoidant of other people, except for you. “and i told him, ‘yeah, me too.’” 

amajiki is nervous, of course. probably more nervous than on a regular basis. he knows he shouldn’t be because you’re so wonderful and accept anything he’s done for you with your sweet smile and kisses. he doesn’t like going out to public places too often but he wants to take you to several that you’ll both enjoy and he’ll feel somewhat comfortable. every place has something to do with nature: a zoo, an aquarium, and finally, a butterfly garden which he remembered you mentioning how you had always wanted to go to one. although he knows butterflies are gentle creatures, he isn’t so big on bugs in general, especially when there’s hundreds of them flying around him. you hold his hand the entire time, relaxing him as time goes by. you giggle as they land on the tips of his ears, making him smile as their delicate legs tickle his skin. he grins at your reaction as he pulls you closer. “nothing compares to your butterfly kisses, bunny.” he leans in to blink against your skin, his lashes brushing lightly like wings. you return the gesture to him, hugging him close to you as he pets your hair. he can be shy but your own little love language made up for it.

dabi has never been into something as trivial as a day about love. to him, it’s like any other day. but he never expected that he’d be scrambling around the city to find the perfect flowers to give to you. it’s the least he could do but it could never make up for everything you’ve done for him. you’ve made him feel loved and wanted; having proven it by sticking by him this entire time, such as the fact that he’s now a wanted criminal. he has to be discrete. this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have standards and wouldn’t give you just any flower that was thrown out or forgotten. he starts to get frustrated as he stalks around in a forest and lets his quirk burn off a little steam, catching the trees and foliage into blue flames. then he sees it. you’re a little on edge when he gets home, worried that something had happened after you hadn’t seen him all day. he reminds you what day it is and then holds up what he found: a lonely flower, singed a bit on the ends of the petals but intact and tall. he explains that it reminded him of you, your relationship, what you mean to him. it’s rough around the edges and imperfect but resilient and strong.

happy valentine’s day from bnha night! any lovely requests may enter here..