#hes a freaking NERD. a farmer whos a NERD

[frozenhi-chews]

I don't mind projection onto fictional characters that much, heck I do it myself. (Aspec characters my beloved.) But sometimes peojection just turns into overly sanded projections of the canonical characters themselves.

Heck not even projection, sometimes they'll just do whatever to the character to the point they're barely recognizable. Making them sanded and flat to put in the most bare bones stuff for like, memes and other forms of projection. Thinking it's cool or funny to have them be that way when it very clearly goes against canon.

Idk I'm just tired of seeing characters dulled down for whatever headcanons and ships and whatnot just because people can't handle nuance and think of them deeper than a surface level interpretation. PLEASE go back and look at the characters in canon and study them for a bit. Build headcanons off of that. Sometimes they'll do things that you won't do and that's fine. Not everything is for personal projection. (Though there's nothing wrong in being a self indulgent a little)

[rosyfingered-moon]

2023 drama roundup

Unchained Love: I still hum the unhinged flute intro on a regular basis, easily my fave intro of 2023! I didn't actually finish the show due to dwindling interest, but for the first 14 episodes or so I took a keen pleasure in it (and it made me go on a eunuch webnovel spree, expertly curated by @mercipourleslivres). I love it when heroines are allowed to be truly funny, rather than just quirky or ditzy. Also appreciate the goofy Lamp Prince turning into a brutal incel tyrant the moment he got power.

Six Flying Dragons: I don't think I can write anything succinct enough for the roundup format so I direct you to my "my sfd tag" if you want to access my enthused livetweeting. Show of all times, lives were changed.

Tree with Deep Roots: I literally can't think of a better topic for a tv show than Sejong the Great constructing hangul together with his band of nerds, one of whom he has a weirdly intense, vaguely erotic relationship with. Han Suk-kyu carried this entire show on his trembling shoulders. What an actor! What range!!! It was such a treat to watch him smugly debate his ministers, roleplay a farmer, and hiss half-mad soliloquies to himself in the dark. It took nuance and depth to portray the kind of inner conflicts and generational trauma that Sejong battles in the background of this drama. To be honest I didn't always enjoy the Milbon subplot which I felt got repetitive, and often found myself wanting to fast-forward the wuxia scenes. In a better world the show would have centered the whip-smart palace maids and their alphabet workshops. But I will definitely rewatch this soon. And maybe also write a fix-it where Sejong and Soo-yi fuck idk.

Quartet: Cute little murder mystery about a found family of freaks, liked it a lot.

My Country: The New Age: As entertaining as ever. Very fun to rewatch this back to back with Tree with Deep Roots, since Jang Hyuk plays diametrically opposite characters with the same vigor and commitment.

Gone with the Rain: Sometimes you watch something which you understand is technically a masterpiece but it doesn't do anything for you, and sometimes you watch a piece of campy silly fun and it makes you tingle with joy. This was the latter category for me. I liked the first and middle parts enough to make up for the lukewarm fizzle of an ending.

The Autumn Ballad: Has some fucked up elements that are difficult to stomach, but the parts that are good are really good.

Not Others: Bingeable! But imo they could have cut out the stalker/murder cases and just focused on the excellent family drama.

The Matchmakers: This surprisingly swooped in towards the end of the year as my favorite comedy of 2023, all thanks to a rec by @haraxvati. I adore Cho Yi-hyun in this role!!! She is so hot as a shrewd matchmaker with a fake mole and a twinkle in her eye. Love the virgin prince with his yearning-induced panic attacks (Rowoon didn't work for me in The King's Affection in a quite similar role, but he's so much weirder and lamer here, which is something I like in a man). I am obsessed with the side plot of the crossdressing romance novelist and the solemn police officer who is trying to capture her and ends up giving her free home renovations and smouldering looks instead. Also, Park Ji-Young and Lee Hae-Young are two of my favorite villain actors on their own, and here they are married!! Still have a few episodes to go, but I intend to binge them as soon as I post this.

Dramas I dropped or paused:

Our Blossoming Youth: I shipped the heroine and her cute maidservant a little too much to bear the dull prince they stuck her with. But I might rewatch it some day bc I want to write a Sherlock Holmes fic for the girls.

Little Women: A real disappointment, because I love Louisa May Alcott and I love Jeong Seo-kyeong. Once again, letting the women kiss might have solved much of it.

Island: Casting Kim Nam-gil as an expressionless cool-guy action hero offends me personally. (Yes Song of the Bandits I'm giving you the stinky eye also.) But Lee Da-hee and Cha Eun-woo were delightful!

See you in my 19th life: I couldn't, even for my most darling Shin Hye-sun, go beyond episode 1. There's something about a kid dating another kid even though she's a literal adult inside her brain that I can't really vibe with.

My Dearest: I do intend to finish this, but I lost the thread after the first half. It got a little too dark for me I think.

[silence-between-seconds]

OK NOW YOUR TURN

pls pls ramble abt any niche interest you have

HELLO THANK YOU

*invokes inner history nerd* so. listen here colonizer and listen good. i will subject you to my random knowledge cuz due to youtube, undiagnosed neurodivergency and most importantly- bad jokes. i have a vari-tea of niche interests but the first thing that came to my mind was my knowledge of the history of how Indians became one of The Top Consumers of Tea.

how did this wonder-drug make its way into our masala covered hearts? what led to the fact that everyday at 4pm the word at the tip of most indians' tongues is "chai"?this is my thesis as a pro desi tea obsessed freak.

This story, like most in our history, starts with the arrival of the British. i would like to insert this picture i found in a video that i laughed at for a solid five minutes:

anyway

technically tea was invented in china, and for a very long time it was exclusively grown there. it was a very high class commodi-tea. it was considered so precious that in 1662 when king charles the second married the Portuguese princess catherine of braganza: her dowry was a chest of tea and THE ENTIRE ISLAND OF MUMBAI (then, bombay) for an annual lease of 10 pounds. let me make that clearer. THE PLACE WHERE A 1BHK HOUSE IS SO EXPENSIVE MOST PPL CANT AFFORD WAS EQUIVALENT TO THIS:

needless to say the brits was so freaking addicted man. they wanted this. so bad.

By the 18th centuary there was a war between the english and the dutch and the brit resources were down the toilet so they couldnt afford to spend all that silver on the trade of tea leaves with china. and china was uninterested in anything the white boys were offering.

UNTIL they discovered something china wanted.

✨Drugs✨

the white boys wanted that tea. and they would do anything. so they started growing opium in india (by that time they had colonized us bruh. they came into our backyard and were like "bro we're such good friends pretty please let me use ur backyard" "ok what do you want to do w it?" "i wanna grow drugs bro" "....ok" "you'll work for me no bro?" "why would i do that" "bro its ur backyard bro" "what-" *england pulls out slavery* "SHUT UP AND DO IT") (dont come at me lmao this is a very rough simplification of what happened)(imma get blocked for this?)

anyway, brits grew opium and smuggled it to china in return for TEA. FOR TEA. 40.

now after the charter act of 1833 (idk what that is exactly but basically brits lost its trade monopoly with china and so now china said we should see other people and it was an open relationship and britian got very pissed but they signed the act anyway i think)

to deal with this they established the Tea Committee (this isnt the first government board specifically for tea. there were plen-tea of others like the Tea Board Of India) which dealt w the extraction of techniques, tea seads and resources from the chinese. this was highly unsuccessful and china was not impressed. this is an example of british desperation they'll do anything at this point. (took everything in me to not insert pictures of how they treated indian farmers. it was *inhales, lets go of anger for my ancestors treatment* bad)

but in the end this qoute i found (undoubtedly by a white man) "fortune favours the white men" came tru and they got their way.

oh you thought i was done? haha babygurl i am not

in 1843 robert fortune, who was a scottish horticulturist, went on a solo trip to china to study (read as: steal) tea plantations. no actually apparently he did study cuz he published a book(i forgot the name).(yes. HIS NAME WAS ROB. FORTUNE. talk about being born for a job)

lemme insert a quick meme here:

(they actually hired him on the spot and gave the amazed man 500 pounds per annum and sent him off to china)

he was to perform what we call The Great British Tea Heist the brits had found their vigilan-tea

my guy was committed to his role and shaved his head and pretended to be a monk and after 3 months wrote a letter to his company saying "bro i got the goodssss"

lmao no this it what the letter said- "l have much pleasure in informing you," he wrote, "that I have procured a large supply of seeds and young plants which l trust will get safely to India."

NOW they finally had the greens and started planting it in india. over the years indian tea topped the market in britian as the best tea. mostly cuz the white boyz HYPED it up. they even started doing diss tracks for chinese tea. this is something read right out of an advertisment- "indian teas are more wholesome, purer, cheaper and better than chinese teas in every single way". white boyz started saying stuff like they got out of a toxic realtionship with china and a healthy one with india (but they were the toxic ones)

now brits tried to globalize indian tea to get the moneyyy~ from indians.

their first experiment with (another) government body for tea- Indian Tea Association began on the indian railways. these railways were the ancestor of the IRC-tea-C. basically they started making tea on the railway platforms. this started the trend of tea being the signature experience on every indian train journey, from the first class to economy, everyone was having it (cuz trains were introduced and quickly became popular in use). train tea was said to be better than the quality of tea in 5 star hotels. and this converted us from a nation of tea-totalers to teach addcits.

now i just have one thing to say in the end. HOW did the quality decline so badly my desi brothers and sisters? nowadays the tea on trains is basically water but brown. milk is a lie.

anyway. on the end we got it right. we took tea from the chinese and brits and we added milk and we added sugar and we got:

✨chai✨

you have reached the end. congrats.

[relax-and-read-on]

(Mortarion asker) welp a good few of those are now in my pile of Write this Fic

Hehehe, I'm about to give you a few extra anon >:D

Mortarion, and how he could be shipped with everyone: Loyalist edition!

Sanguinius: while it might seem like a weird combo at first, there are ways to make it work awfully well! Sang is a kind soul, and favored by the Emperor. Mort was stuck over a decade on Terra. They could have become close then, with Sang wanting to "save" his brother. In a complete role reversal, maybe instead Sang approached him and his apothecary, to help cure his sons of their flaw? My favorite scenario, however, is much darker. I imagine Emp interest toward Sang becoming quite... Impure, and Mortarion discovering it. He know how awful fathers can be. So he try to protect and help him, as much as he can.

Ferrus: Ferrus is really not that complicated to pair up with Mort, as they both have friends in common. Konrad and Fulgrim are very close, so it make sense that, at some point, they might run into one another. And I think that Ferrus would HIGHLY respect Mort's wish to keep his planet a toxic hellscape. They seem opposite, but their philosophie are actually quite close! I think they could enjoy a few good spare together, and Ferrus would *never* be bothered by Mort's scars.

Leman: the wolf king does not get credit for how much he actually care and love about his siblings. He just... Adore them. It's quite easy to pair them together, really, you just have to have them meet when Mort is recovering on Terra. Leman might ping him as some kind of packmate who need help, and just... Aggressively become his friend. Mortarion does not get a say about this. And Mort, sweet Mort, he doesn't know how to cope with the kind of highly affectionate friendship that Leman provide, of course he would get a crush!

Corvus: That one is just so easy! Two broody nerds, who like science, hate slavers, hate big E and the Imperium at large, with those dark aesthetic? Oh, they were in *love*. I especially love the concept of transfem Corvus and intersex Morty together, as it give them a jumping point and they can then slowly discover each others. They would be so sweet together!

Jaghatai: Probably my third fav Mort ship, behind my OTP and Konrad. Jagh, in CANON, is fascinated by Mort. He find him so intriguing. Opposite attract, and he see the slow, powerful warrior and he is tickled pink. It's so fun, to think of someone being into Mortarion first, you know? Jaghatai, just wanting his affection and trying to impress him, and being fucking DELIGHTED when it turns out that Mort is a farmer.... He would gift him horses, don't @ me.

Rogal: This is the one pairing I can't seem to make work. I love Rogal, so very much, but his brand of neurodivergent just clash so horribly with Mort!! I think they could maybe learn to be friends, they could learn to respect one another, but they would need freaking manual, and in a shippy way... No. Especially if it comes down to sexuality. They are just too different.

Lion: Oh what a bad, BAD scenario that could be. I can actually imagine a few way this could happen, bit none of them would be happy, or even very consensual. Maybe Mort is "gisted" to Lion by emp. Maybe they have a joint compliance and Lion get weirdly obsessive for some reason. Maybe Mort discover the secrets of the Watchers and start a weird blackmail with him... In all case, it end up probably in tears and violence. They truly cannot be healthy. Why yes, my Lion Hating Agenda is showing.

Roboute: FARM. F A R M. everyone keep yelling about how Roboute should get his dram of a farm and tradwife Yvraine, when Mortarion, the CANONICAL FARMER, is RIGHT THERE. I have an entire au on how it would happen (check the tag "let roboute pet a cow 2k22"). Mort would just show up, criticize his crops skills, and take over that part of the farm. Together, they would actually slowly fall in love. Heck, you want a tradwife this badly? Make it so that Mort realise that she's a transwoman and slowly transition with the support of Rob!!

... and Vulkan: I am. So. SO. Normal about them. They definitely aren't my warhammer OTP, I absolutely didn't write a 20k+ soulmate au about them hahahaha.... But, more seriously, they are perfect for each others: Both are, at their core, simple people. Mort is a farmer, Vulkan is a smit. Both value resilience and independence. Both are fiercely loyal and come from an unique culture. Both have a strong hatred of Xenos. Both have theme of overcoming hardship and natures. Both actually really loved the humans population of their planets. And that is just the things they have in common! Because, imo, together they can bloom. Mortarion can finally allow himself to trust, to accept affection, he get to meet someone that is as resistant as him and that will *not* give up after a few of his grouchy blow up. Similarly, Vulkan get a strong partner. Someone that is not entirely dependant on him, that he can see as an equal, and yet can still use his dotting instinct over. Someone who might enjoy a more traditional, simple lifestyle. Who doesn't want to run an empire. They would get each others, and love one another in way that frankly make me stupidly emotional. I just.... I love them, ok? I love that they can *grow* together.

[bokettochild]

NEW AU IDEA THAT I PROBABLY WON’T WRITE!!!

Forgive my stupid-ass self guys, but I just had thought because was listening to musical soundtracks Count of Monte Cristo AU And because I lack self-control, I’m gonna torture Time some more (because I never let him catch a break ever) Betrayed and Hurt by the Goddesses, the Hero of Time, once a common farmer who lived with his wife on their ranch, is now a Traveling Warrior, fiercesom to behold with a gaggle of boys that he has aquired in his travels after escaping the torment that the goddesses locked him in. His quest? To bring justice to the goddesses in all of their power.

In rough, Time is Edmond Dantes

The boys collectively serve as fill ins for Haydee (but without the romantic aspect, only the parental/caring protector and young charges way

The three Golden Goddesses are Dantes' three betrayers: Fernand Mondego, Baron Danglers and Gerard de Villefort

Maybe the Fierce Deity would be Caderousse? who initially meant the best for Dantes/Time, but became lost in himself and resorted to using/hurting him for his own gain

I'm seeing Hylia/Zelda as Mercedes, not the romantic aspect of their relationship of course. She'd be someone he was dedicated to, and whose service drew him into the attention of the Golden Three. Maybe his closeness with her was considered a distraction from Hylia's duties so the Golden Three tried to do away with him Hylia's betrayal, instead of being Mercede's marrying Fernand, would be her choosing not to help/save him and going on to hurt others by forcing duty on their shoulders

And maybe Sky would beMercede’s son? I forgot his freaking name? Oh right! Albert! (right?)

Just some thoughts from my nerd brain.

[enbies-and-felonies]

fjdkfjdafd ok you asked for it--

so. there's the main character, Emerin (em-er-in) of the Dark Forests, and xe lives in with her mentor, Melissa, who is a chemist!! Melissa has been training xem to be a chemist as well, and they live in a hut in the woods!! in a world of ~magic~ and ~monarchies~ because ~i am a fantasy nerd~

anyways one day while at the market she hears about how a farmer and a third of his staff have just,,,, disappeared. xe's really freaked out n' stuff bc she's like twelve at the time, but Melissa reassures her that they are probably fine, but xe doesn't really believe this.

anyways, whenever she goes into town, she starts to catch wind of rumors of people disappearing. and one day, xe hears a rumor that the disappearances are being caused by the "Narrator" who is like some old goddess.

so she devotes the next seven years of xyr life to finding this "Narrator"

anyways there's a lot of magic/science stuff in those years but!! finally!! she opens a portal to the realm where the narrator is supposed to be hanging out!!

it's ours lol.

and xe's portal ends up dropping her in a fckin starbucks bathroom--

so she starts to explore the place she's ended up-- Earth, or to be more specific, New York City.

with help from xyr friend (the barista at the Starbucks) Ahmed, she eventually hears about "The Lily"-- if she shows up near you, you'll be dead in a weak, and she's usually characterized by the Lily residing in her hair, which will always be fresh.

Xe tries to hunt her down, and does-- she sees a woman with a lily in her hair while exploring some old building with a friend of Ahmed's, and almost dies.

So she approaches the woman on xyr way out of the building, and interrogates her a bit, and the woman's like "uh i am not magic??? n' stuff??" but gets very quiet when she mentions that xe's from the Forests.

and then the woman

disappears.

so a few days later, the woman approaches her while xe's at her job at whatever version of Publix new yorkers have because ~xyr money doesn't work here and she needed some USD~

and the woman pulls her aside

and explains that yes. she is the narrator, and the lily. but she isn't the one causing the bad stuff.

the "author" is. and unfortunately, the author has chosen emerin to be his main character this time

the narrator just narrates, and has often been trying her best to stop the author from killing everyone he writes about

and it's getting out of hand. so emerin's all "wait fuck am i going to die???" and the narrator (who explains her name is lily) is like "honestly idk" and nOW they are going to work together to defeat the author.

and some other stuff happens but i haven't really figured it out yet, the whole idea is kinda new.

*heavy breathing* I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT

(neopronounssssss :D)

[vasiktomis]

1,7,8,16 for the OTP asks. Your choice who!

( ♥ ͜ʖ ♥) As if I wouldn’t take the first opportunity to talk about past-John and Cora. Thank you my love!

1. What was their first impression of each other? - It’s part of John’s job to keep tabs on anyone coming in and out of Holland Valley, so he was well-aware that a new park ranger had taken a contract in his region before they officially met. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when Jacob pointed her out to him on the street in Fall’s End, but it hadn’t been a young, 5ft tall blonde; nor had he expected the woman to cut young Staci Pratt off when the then-Junior Deputy attempted to welcome her to the neighbourhood with, quote: “Pick your fucking cigarette butt off the ground and drop the expectation that I’m going to have a conversation with you.” John had never been one for thinking out loud. He wished he was, but with his position in the Project, and the way he was raised - even with all the power he’d accumulated over the years - he still found it hard to say directly what was on his mind. This tiny little woman on the other hand, hardly a week into her contract in a strange rural town, immediately picking a fight with one of the County’s more combative cops? John was impressed. She’d make a fine addition to the Project. - Cora’s very first impression of John was through word of mouth at the Ranger Station in Silver Lake. A warning to keep her head down and steer clear of any disputes involving him and his brother’s church.  Naturally, their first meeting was at Seed Ranch, when she’d shown up to 100% settle a dispute involving him claiming the entire road that passed by the ranch belonged to Eden’s Gate.  He was already waiting for her when she arrived, expecting her despite no prior warning. She disliked him immediately. He was overly friendly. He tried to distract from her task by insisting on showing her around the property, jumping between harping on about the Project and asking her about herself; if there were favours he could offer her, if she needed a place to stay or simply a new friend so as to not feel so alienated out here in the countryside. Cora learned quickly that he didn’t take no for an answer, and by the time he’d attempted to touch his hand to her back to lead her to the courtyard, she’d branded him her enemy.  Eventually, she managed to pressure him into scouring through the permits she’d demanded to prove the validity of his ownership claims, and after the first hour of fact-checking and cross-referencing, John was no longer so charming. When it became clear that he couldn’t conjure up any persuasion for her to drop the dispute, he asked her if she enjoyed being so universally unlikeable. She’d been warned to keep her head down. To steer clear. But she could already tell she was going to enjoy making his life hell.

7. What do they have in common? - John and Cora are both for lack of a better term, gigantic nerds. They enjoy learning and working, and each have a habit of fixating on a task of interest for as long as it takes to complete.  - They’re both fairly similar in their political and social standpoints, and have very little patience with conservatives. - Both are openly bisexual. Neither has been in an established romantic relationship before. - Inferiority complexes masked as superiority complexes, and a violently competitive spirit are shared between them. - They a couple of control freaks and gain the more validation from positions of leadership, where they can ensure everything goes their way.  - Despite valuing hard work, both enjoy a good nap. - Hair care, for God’s sake.

8. What are some differences between them? - Highly charismatic versus loner cryptid. - John’s experienced both lower and upper class living in his life. Cora’s always been middle-working class.  - Cora’s family are for the most part not bad, yet she places zero stock in the idea of having one. John’s experience with family has always been turbulent, but he couldn’t imagine not having a clan to call his own.  - Cora’s highly independent. John is the opposite.  - John’s highly prone to freckles and moles from sun exposure. Cora will brown easily and is plagued by farmer tan.  - One is a creationist and a leading member of their church. The other is an evolutionist and a scientist.

And 16 can be found answered here!

[alkae]

They Were Roommates

Chapter Two

There was a small cafe in the middle of campus that everyone flocked to like a murder of crows. One could be expected to find it full and bustling every day of the week. And of course, that’s where Hugo decided to take Varian as recompense.

Hugo was wearing his jacket again and Varian kept catching a whiff of espresso everytime the wind changed direction. He shouldn’t judge, though. Despite all the scrubbing he did in the bathroom, there was just a hint of coffee on him that he could smell whenever he sat down. He cringed as he took a seat with Hugo at a table near the window. What did they put in that coffee that made the scent so strong? And permanent?

Hugo must’ve caught onto his thoughts because he smirked. Varian was starting to hate that stupid smirk. “I get coffee every morning,” he said with no preamble. Varian felt a sigh building up in his chest. “Same place, same order. The workers know my name and my face.” He winks. “Makes me a shoe-in for dates.”

Varian released the sigh. “You get a lot of those?”

His roommate looked at him, face serious. “Isn’t that what this is?”

Varian threw a straw wrapper at him. Hugo laughed.

“Okay, okay, Hairstripe. We’ll get there eventually.”

“Sure sure,” Varian said offhandedly. “Is the food ready?”

Hugo leaned back in his chair. “We just ordered. Calm yourself.”

How could he? He was starving. Hugo had his coffee, Varian had his ham sandwiches.

“So.” Hugo put his hands palm down on the table, slamming it just enough for it to make noise. “You’re my roomie.”

Varian crossed his arms. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Tell me about yourself.”

“What is this, a job interview?”

That smirk was back. Varian refused to let it affect him. “Humor me, Ruddiger.”

Varian rolled his eyes yet a small smile creeped on his lips. He told Hugo about his dad, a good, hardworking farmer and war veteran who was admittedly surprised when Varian got a scholarship to CU. He told Hugo about Ruddiger (he wasn’t good at names when he was 10), his small gray terrier who he loved more than anything in the world.

Hugo in turn told him about his pet mouse Olivia (“Interesting pet and name choice,” Varian had remarked. Hugo gave him a shut up look) and how he wanted to go to CU because of his mother. “What major was she?” Varian asked.

Hugo shrugged. “Marketing or something. I don’t know.” And that was that.

Soon, the food arrived and Varian’s mind blanked. He snarfed down his food as Hugo watched in amusement. “How can you eat so much,” he mused, “yet still be so small?”

Instead of responding with words, Varian simply shoved a sandwich in his mouth and flipped him off. Hugo laughed loudly. “I like you, Hairstripe.”

“Varian,” Varian said around a mouthful of food.

Hugo ignored him. “So, look, we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together. I mean, we’re roommates, right?”

A thought popped into Varian’s mind as he swallowed. “You’re right. Therefore, I’ll lay down ground rules.”

“Therefore?” Hugo asked. “How old are you?”

Varian plowed forward, using the hand not clutching his napkin to tick off his fingers. “No bringing anyone to our room on a school night. If you do bring someone, tell me so I can be prepared to leave the room. Also, I don’t want you walking into our room drunk on school nights either. I don’t want to deal with vomit or hangovers.”

Hugo rolled his eyes. “Okay Dad.” He slouched in his seat and took a bite of his sandwich. Turkey and cheese. On a lower tier than ham and cheese but still up there. “I’m guessing that means no fun either? Your way or the highway?”

Varian huffed. “No. On weekends, I could care less about what you do. But it’s not just your space. It’s ours. If we have to share a room for a year, we need to learn how to share.”

“Fair point,” Hugo said. “But question: you’re fine with me wandering into our room late at night on Saturday drunk and then vomiting on our floor?”

A feeling of unease settled onto Varian. “That sounds too specific.” His eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”

Hugo took a sip of his drink and stared out the window. Varian put his head in his hands. He did notice a stain but figured that it had always been there and he just didn’t notice. However, he gave Hugo credit for being able to sufficiently cover up his mess. “You’re exhausting,” Varian said into his hands, “and I’ve only known you for an hour.”

“It’s a gift.” Hugo set his drink down, leveling Varian with a serious face. Varian couldn’t tell if he was trying to be serious or not. “If you’re laying down ground rules, I’m joining in on this party. No staying up all night studying.”

Varian gasped, offended. “I do not stay up all night studying.” He paused. The memory of him downing 2 5 hour energy drinks and 3 cups of coffee resurfaced in his mind. But that was senior year of high school. “And even if I did, it’s for a good cause.”

“Hairstripe,” Hugo drawled, “all that studying will go to waste if you’re tired to function the next morning and you can hardly even see the test in front of you.”

Varian could feel himself pout. Dammit, he was right. “Fine. I’ll stay up until 1 then.”

“12.”

“12:30.”

“Deal.” Hugo stuck his hand out to Varian and he reluctantly took it. Hugo’s hands were surprisingly soft and Varian jerked his hand back quickly. Hugo raised a brow but said nothing. He picked his drink back up and took a sip. “Look at us, working through our problems like good roomies.”

Varian took the other half of his sandwich and munched on it. “Don’t call us roomies.”

“What else should I call us? Dorm buddies? Cell mates?” From the top of his cup, Hugo smirked at him. “Boyfriends?”

Varian threw a crumb at Hugo. “In your dreams.”

Hugo just chuckled into his cup. “You know what they say, Hairstripe. Dream big.”

Varian shook his head at him and took another bite of his sandwich. Soon, the two were on their way back to their dorms to get their stuff for their next class. Varian was fiddling with his shirt as Hugo slouched at his side, hands in his pockets. Out of the corner of his eye, Varian examined him. He couldn’t figure him out. Was he a nerd or a douche? A genius or a dumbass?

A cool flirt or a desperate freak?

He used to pride himself on being able to read people. He could tell someone’s personality just by being around them for a few hours. This led to others asking why he didn’t have more friends. He responded with, “I understand people but I don’t always enjoy being around them.” That got them to shut up and go away.

But with Hugo, Varian couldn’t piece him together. He was a bundle of contradictions and that frustrated Varian to no end. He seemed serious about college yet he was out partying on school nights. He seemed chivalrous when he gave Varian his coat but he also made fun of Varian’s height. Varian couldn’t tell who he was or what he wanted. He was determined to figure it out.

They stopped in front of their dorm room door and Hugo turned to Varian. “You know,” he said slowly, instantly making Varian suspicious, “despite all of our quarreling, I did enjoy our little date.”

For some ridiculous reason, Varian felt himself start to warm. “It wasn’t a date,” Varian said at once. “It was recompense.”

“Sure sure,” Hugo said flippantly. “Does that mean there’s no chance we can do it again?”

Varian took his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He pushed his way in and started gathering his books. Hugo watched him, leaning against his desk. “Is that a no, Ruddiger?”

He couldn’t believe he was even slightly agreeing with Hugo but he did kind of enjoy having lunch with him. He slid his textbook into his bag and turned. “I’ll consider it,” he said. He tried sounding cool but he probably just sounded anxious.

Hugo’s face broke into a grin. “I’ll count that as a yes.” He pointed at Varian, who shifted uncomfortably. “I’ll win you over yet, Hairstripe.”

Varian huffed a laugh. “Don’t get cocky, McCoy. You’re still annoying.” With that, Varian marched out of the room and he prayed that he seemed cool instead of rude. But as he walked to his inorganic chemistry class, he couldn’t help the smile that broke out on his face and consumed him. Fuck.

Previous Next

[thiswasinevitableid]

For the meet ugly prompts: #27? I feel like it has a lot of potential to be really funny for the OT4 :)

27: we have one night stands with roommates and sneak out of the house at the same time.

I interpreted “sneak out” kinda broadly. This is right on the line between SFW and NSFW: No sex, but it gets hot and heavy at the end.

Duck wakes up under moth-patterned covers, rubs his forehead as he grabs his phone from his pants on the floor. Shit, he didn’t mean to sleep this late, that could make things awkward if the guy from last night wanted him gone.

The bedroom door open and closes and Indrid, his hookup, enters in a yellow and pink bathrobe, holding a silver packet. 

“Good morning.”

“Mornin’. Uh, sorry, guess I was real tired.”

“We did do rather a lot last night.” Indrid grins, sitting down on the bed next to him, “here, my roommate is making breakfast sandwiches. I had him make you one. Do not take the pack as a sign you must leave, I just asked him to wrap it in case you were in a hurry.”

“Thanks. I should be gettin goin’, Winnie’s probably missin’ breakfast.” 

“One musn’t keep such a noble creature waiting.” Indrid hands him the sandwich. He’d shown the taller man photos of his cat last night both because he dotes on the flufflball and because it got Indrid to scoot closer to him. 

“Yeah, she can get in a mood....uh, you seen my underwear?”

Indrid scans the room, red glasses sitting on his forehead and giving Duck a perfect look at his brown eyes. 

“Ah, here we are.” He reaches under the small desk covered in art supplies, “my, those got some distance.”

“You were naked, I was in a hurry.” Duck mumbles, making Indrid bark a laugh as he brings him the rest of his clothes. 

When he steps out of the bedroom, he spots a tall man with a short, coppery beard standing at the kitchen stove. That must be the roommate, but Duck’s eye is drawn to the man exiting the other bedroom. His short black hair is mussed, there’s a pillowmark beneath his high cheekbone on one side, and his dress shirt is rumpled. 

The other man does not seem pleased to be seeing three people in front of him instead of one.

“Oh hey babe, you’re up.” The roommate turns, beaming, “made you breakfast, do you want some coffee? I can put it in a to-go up if, uh, if you need to leave.”

“Yes, thank you. I, um, I should be going.” 

The roommate smiles, quickly puts together a sandwich and coffee cup, complete with cream and sugar. The other man sips it and sighs, “you remembered.”

“‘How do you like your coffee’ isn’t just a cheesy line for me, babe. Gotta make sure you enjoy yourself start to finish.”

“Damn, that was smooth” Duck whispers as Indrid walks him to the door.

“Agreed. Though I rather enjoyed your one about pollination last night. By far the most creative response to these I’ve received” he points to the tattooed moth just visible on his shoulder. His wide grin goes shy, “I did really have a wonderful time, Duck.”

“Me too. Lemme, uh, lemme know if you wanna meet up again?”

Indrid nods, waves goodbye as Duck heads off the porch and down onto the sidewalk. He eats as he walks, decides Indrid has good taste in roommates because that one makes a mean breakfast sandwich. 

He gets to the bus stop, late September morning still crisp with the coming fall. Pulling out his phone, he discovers it’s dead. He did use it a lot last night, on their date, but only because Indrid was so clearly interested in what he had to show him. Why a guy who does tattoos for a living thinks a fella who’s a nerd for plants is interesting, Duck will never know. He’s just glad he does. 

Music out of reach, he sits and listens to the cardinals and kinglets calling in the trees. Someone sits down next to him, aluminum foil reflecting the sun off their hand and into his face. 

It’s the guy. The one from Indrid’s apartment. 

Should Duck tell him he has a big bruise on his neck? He probably knows, right? Then again, he was in a hurry?

“Hey, uh, don’t mean to be weird or nothin’, but you got a little uh-” He taps his neck and the man whacks his hand over the mark. 

“Shit” 

“Someone you’re worried’ll notice?”

“What exactly are you implying?” The man glares at him, blues eyes going from charmingly flustered to suspicious in an instant.

“Nothin, just seem real worried for somethin that happens to almost everyone some time or another.”

“I like keeping my private life private. I don’t want random people knowing what I like in bed.” He snaps

“Okay, okay, jeez man, sorry I mentioned it.”

They fall silent as Duck’s bus approaches, and both stand to board it. Just his luck, this is route to the capitol square with the massive farmer’s market, so he and the mister touchy end up squished in next to each other. 

Two stops in, the man murmurs, “ I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so rude. I’m, uh, I don’t usually do things like, well, like hooking up with someone I meet on Grindr.”

Something about the way he says it, like he’s afraid he’ll get in trouble, brushes away Duck’s annoyance.

“No shame in havin a good time with someone. Wait, shit, was it a good time? Did somethin happen?”

“Oh no, nono,” the man hurriedly shakes his head, “it was just what I needed. Barclay is a great guy. I just feel like it was too easy, that getting that lucky on my first try is a sign something will go wrong.” He gives Duck a resigned smile, “in case you havent noticed, I’m an overthinker. Are you, damn it what’s his name, Indrid’s boyfriend?”

“Nah. He comes to draw in the arboretum where I work, we been kinda flirtin the last few weeks, and yesterday I finally said fuck it and asked if he wanted to get a drink later.”

“He’s certainly...distinct looking. In a good way, I mean.”

“Yeah, he is.” Duck smiles, thoughts drifting off to the memory kissing him gently as they finally fell asleep, his face captivating in the dim of the room, “probably see him again. Assumin’ he wants to see me, I guess.”

-------------------------------------

“I am supposed to wait until he arrives home to text him, correct?” Indrid pushes his phone as far away as possible to remove temptation.

“Maybe? I dunno man, all those rules about texting and shit are designed to sell books and bad youtube channels.”

“But I don’t want to come off as possessive or clingy.”

“Believe me bud, I know.” Barclay turns his phone around so Indrid can see the two lines sitting in the “draft” section, “I’ve been writing and re-writing this for five minutes because I want Joseph to know I’d for sure be down to see him again but there’s no pressure.” He sets Indrid’s refilled coffee down on the table. They trade a look, then burst out laughing. 

“Fuck, guess we both had a good time last night huh?”

“Very. Duck remains as wonderful as I hoped and I have not enjoyed sex that much since, hmmm, well, since the last time you and I were together.”

“That poor desk.”

“May it rest in peace.” Indrid sips from his mug, “Joseph is quite charming. You have excellent taste in men.”

“That a compliment to him or to you?” Barclay fluffs Indrid’s hair as he passes by him. 

“Mostly him.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, little moth.” A kiss on the head this time before Barclay heads to the shower. Indrid gets his sketchbook, turns on some mindless cooking show and settles on the couch.

Eventually Barclay calls from his room, “Indrid? Been about forty-five minutes, bet he’s home by now.” 

Indrid springs up, grinning, and grabs his phone. 

-------------------------------

Duck was out downtown when the rain started, which is why he’s now hunkered down in the cafe by the capitol in hopes of waiting out the storm. He’s not the only one with this idea, and he’s made sure to make the chair across from him obviously empty in case someone needs a spot. 

“Hello again. Do you mind?” It’s the blued-eyed guy again, dressed for work in a suit and dress shoes. Duck hasn’t seen him since that first morning, in spite of going back to Indrid’s place multiple times over the last three weeks. 

“Go for it.” Duck scoots his coffee to the side so the man can set his mug down. He pulls out his phone, but can’t quite focus; he keeps wanting to look across the table. 

“How are things going with Indrid?”

“Real good--wait, how did you know he an I were still-”

“Barclay’s mentioned you once or twice. And your name is pretty memorable.”

‘It’s a nickname.” 

“That makes a bit more sense. Mines on the other end of things; there are a lot of Josephs in the world.” He sips his cinnamon-scented drink, sets it down again, “so, what do you do?”

“I’m a ranger over in the arboretum. You?”

“I work for an organization that checks up on businesses to be sure they’re meeting worker health and safety laws.”

Duck watches the rain out the windows, wondering if Joseph wants to keep talking or is just being polite. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Did Indrid tell you about him and Barclay?”

“Yeah, ‘bout a week ago. He said he was hopin’ he and I could get more serious, but that he wanted me to know the two of them had a sorta, uh, fuckbuddies thing goin’ so I could make an informed choice.”

“That’s more or less where Barclay and I are at. Um, how do you feel about it?”

“I’m okay with it. I ain’t interested in anyone else right now, but when I thought about it, Indrid havin a thing with Barclay ain’t stopped him from bein’ amazin’ to me and I’m fallin’ hard for him. I don’t feel like some kind of side piece or whatever. I just feel like I’m headin for somethin good with a guy who has a casual partner. Did it bug you?”

“No” Joseph shakes his head, “which confuses me. I, um, I have trouble releasing control in much of my life. I assumed it would freak me out to learn I wasn’t the only partner in someone’s life. But when Barclay told me it didn’t really bother me. He even offered to talk to Indrid about being only friends if that was what I needed. It’s been awhile since someone was so quick to think about my wants and feelings when dropping unexpected news on me. Plus, I’ve spent a little time with Indrid when we’ve been over there, and I like him. He clearly cares about Barclay, just like I do, and in some way that makes me happy. Is that weird?”

“Not really an expert on weird. But I think you’re overthinkin’ things again.”

A small laugh, “True. Help me think about something else. Tell me...tell me what your favorite part of work is.”

Duck’s surprised at the interest, but gets glimpse of pleading hope, og someone a little hungrier for connection than he’s letting on, and finds no desire to refuse.

“Prairie restoration, it’s fascinatin….”

-------------------------------

Duck’s not surprised to see Joe’s name come up on screen; the two of them have been hanging out more, both as friends and on double dates with Barclay and Indrid. He’s learned that his friend is a stealth-nerd beneath his professional veneer, that he likes game nights as much as Duck does, and that he makes a certain sound when he cums (that last one he learned on accident; he was snuggled up with an under-the-weather Indrid in the living room when Joe and Barclay got home from a date).

Joe: Are you busy tonight?

Duck: Nope. 

Joe: Do you want to go to the “Adult Swim” at the children’s science museum? I got tickets a week ago, but Barclay got called in to work tonight.

Duck: Sure, sounds lie a good time. 

Joe: See you at the museum at 7?

Duck replies in the affirmative, goes to pick out something less grubby than his crossfit clothes to wear. Maybe the short-sleeve button up with the whales; Joe mentioned he like it. 

His phone buzzes.

Sugar: Busy tonight?

Duck: Yeah, going to the museum with Joe since Barclay has to work. 

He realizes how this might sound, begins rapidly typing several explanations or offers to not if Indrid doesn’t want him too, but his boyfriend beats him to it. 

Sugar: Oh yes, I remember him mentioning that. Good, I’m glad the tickets won’t go to waste. Have fun, my sweet, please take picture of any interesting bugs for me if there is an entomology section <3

Duck: Will do, sugar.

He signs with a kissy face, gets two black hearts and a kissy face back. 

The Adult Swim is wonderful; the museum is artfully lit, there’s snacks everywhere, and even a fancy cocktail included with admission. He and Joe clink glasses, wander through the exhibits, laughing and playing with the interactive exhibits. There are no bugs, but Duck takes pictures of the light exhibit, which feature interesting color patterns he might like for tattoo inspiration. 

They’ve just finished fucking around in the paleontology exhibit, and Joe is looking through a viewfinder that shows him how a triceratops saw the world. Duck sneaks up behind him, growls in his ear, “didn’t spot the t-rex in time.” 

“If you plan on eating me, we should at least head into the bathroom.” Joe winks as he turns, heading out onto the balcony to look out on the city. Duck knows that if he follows him out there right now, he’ll kiss him. 

“Be right out, gonna go grab some more of those mini-pies.”

Joe nods to show he heard him as he pushes open the door. Duck hopes he doesn’t see him take several deep breaths to get his imagination under control before he goes off in search of an edible distraction. 

-------------------------------

“Doors open!”

“Oh, hey man, Indrid home yet?”

“No, it’s Thursday the 12th, so the studio is prepping like crazy for tomorrow.”

“Shit, that’s right.”

“Cookie? I just made them.”

“Thanks--holy shit that’s good.”

“Thanks, I’ve been trying to nail the chocolate chip and potatoe chip recipe.”

“Think you might--aw fuck, ‘Drid just texted, he’s gonna be another hour.”

“You can chill here if you want. Uh, I’ve got Super-Smash Bros, if you wanna play.”

“Aw hell yeah.”

-------------------------------------

“Good morning, Joseph.”

“Gahoh, hi Indrid. I’ll be out of your way in a few minutes.”

“There’s no rush. I certainly don’t mind your company. I believe there are left over cinnamon rolls in the fridge, if you would like.”

Joseph gathers a coffee cup and a roll on a plate, sits down on the couch, and finds his pocket buzzing. 

“Here” Indrid takes the plate.

“Thank you. Looks like it’s my sister...oh, she got a new dog, do you want..” He stops as Indrid holds out a piece of the cinnamon roll on the fork. Hesitates, then opens his mouth and lets Indrid feed him. He starts showing him pictures as he does, Indrid commenting and laughing and, every so often, murmuring, “good boy” when he takes a bite.

--------------------------------------

“Ohfuck, shit, sorry!” Duck covers his eyes as Indrid quickly closes the front door. 

“Nono, fuck, sorry, that’s on us, thought you guys weren’t home until later.” Barclay’s apology is underscored by the sound of a zipper closing. 

“It’s quite alright, no harm done, Joseph you look very nice like that, carry on.” Indrid pulls Duck into his room, both of them snickering and blushing as Duck pushes him down onto the bed.

“My my, someone’s wound up.”

“Makes two of us.” Duck grinds down on him, Indrid gasping and grinning as he arches his back. 

“Indeed. Now get that handsome face down here. I have some things I wish to do to it.”

---------------------------------

The giant stop motion monster continues rampaging on the screen as Duck loops his arm over Indrid’s shoulder. The first snowstorm of the year has come early, so they opted to switch their double date to a monster movie double feature (curated by Joe) in the apartment. Beneath their shared blanket, Indrid’s hand strokes his belly, skating down to the front of his jeans in teasing bursts. 

On the other side of the couch, Barclay has started kissing Joe’s cheek, the blue-eyed man sighing and turning to kiss him back. 

This is not a new situation for them. The last few weeks they’ve gotten more comfortable cuddling and making out in the same space as each other. Duck’s not complaining; hearing both Indrid and Joe gasping and sighing near him makes him hotter than a July afternoon. 

Indrid bumps his cheek with his nose, and Duck turns for a kiss. He gets one, but he also gets a firmer stroke down his cock, making him moan. Indrid smirks into the kiss, does it again, then a third time, Duck gripping the front of his white tank top with a groan. 

“Maybe we, uh, should dip out on the movie.” He murmurs. 

“We can” Indrid purrs, kissing him again, “but Joseph seems to be enjoying the show.”

Duck whips his head around; Joe is looking at the two of them as he leans against Barclay’s chest, between his legs, expression moving from desire to surprise to hope over and over again. Barclay, unbothered, continues kissing his neck and murmuring in his ear, the blush on his cheeks rising each time the larger man does so. 

“Or perhaps he’s envious?” Indrid cocks his head, “would you like your hand to be here instead of mine, Joseph?”

Joe’s normal eloquence is nowhere to be found, his eyes flicking between the three other men so quickly Duck worries he’ll sprain something. 

“I asked you a question, pet.” Indrid sharpens his tone on the last word and Joe whimpers. Duck has zero interest in Indrid ever calling him that name; but hearing it in his lilting, gently demanding tone directed at Joe sends desire zinging through him. 

“C’mon, babe, be a good boy and answer.” Barclay nips his boyfriend’s ear.

“Yes. Or, or, more accurately, I’d trade places with either of you. If that’s, would it be, do either of you?” He looks back at Barclay, who smiles tenderly and runs a thumb up his cheek. 

“Okay with me if it’s okay with them.”

“Do you want it as well, my sweet?” Indrid tilts up his glasses so he can look Duck in the eye. The affection in those brown eyes makes the T.V, the moon, the stars look dim. 

“Hell yeah.”

Indrid crooks his finger and Joe clambers the short distance on the couch to kneel by Duck.

“How shouldMMmmmmm!”

Duck gets a whiff of aftershave as Indrid yanks Joe forward by his shirt, kissing him and squishing Duck between them. The angle is awful but he doesn’t give fuck, buries his face into Joe’s neck, kissing the point where he feels his pulse moving like mothwings, mouthing and nipping at the skin as he slides one hand up the front of his shirt and the other down the back of his pants. When he squeezes his ass Joe squeaks and Indrid breaks the kissing, laughing. 

“I didn’t know you had such noises in you, pet. It’s quite endearing.”

“Indrid, Duck, please, I want, I want to, oh fuck it.” He pulls back just enough to not jab his knee into Duck’s belly as he falls on him, kissing him so hard and so long Duck’s chest tightens and his vision narrows. The taller pulls away long enough to breathily moan his name before feasting on his mouth again. 

“Yes, he does elicit such feelings, oh, hello.” Indrid giggles, and Duck can just see that Barclay is now on the floor, kneeling before the pale-haired man, kissing the skin exposed by his shirt before rubbing his beard across it, making Indrid laugh harder. 

“Can’t let you have all the fun, little moth.” Barclay rumbles

“I can think of many things you can let me haveAH, oh, oh goodness, I forgot how much you like to bite.” 

Barclay growls, reminding Duck of something important. He pushes Joe backwards, clambering atop him and pulling his shirt up as he does, stuffing the hem of it between those perfect lips. 

“Christ lookit you” he runs his palms up Joe’s body, the man arching and writhing beneath him, “you look like a goddamn fuckin centerfold, you’re so fuckin perfect.”

Joe’s moan is loud even through the shirt, and much needier than before. He grins, crawling onto him , “guess I ain’t the only one who likes praise in bed.”

Joe shakes his head, whining eagerly through the make-shift gag. Duck growls again, attacks his chest with bites, leaving an especially hard one when Indrid grabs his ass without warning. 

While Joe clearly enjoys the increase in pain, his responding thrash is sudden enough to send him and Duck rolling off the couch in a jumble. Someone’s foot catches Barclay in the shoulder, knocking him back onto the rug. 

“Whoops.” Duck says to the ceiling, laugh bubbling up from his chest and bounding about the room. 

“Sorry.” Joe says to the floor, chuckling as he sits up.

“That was very graceful.” Indrid teases from his spot on the couch, only for Barclay to rear up and pull him down on top of him, the thinner man squawking indignantly. As they all disentangle and sit up, Duck looks around their little circle of flushed skin and mussed clothes.

“So, uh, that happened.”

“Indeed.” Indrid scoots next to him, resting his head on his shoulder. 

“Is everyone, like, okay that it did? I mean, we seemed okay and said yes and shit but is okay in like a bigger sense?” Barclay holds out his hand and Joe takes it. 

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Yep.”

“Do we, uh, wanna talk about what this is gonna look like?”

They all nod, and spend the next two hours hashing out the details of their newly forming polycule. Duck and Barclay agree they’d rather be metamours, everyone else will be partners, and that everyone should probably get some sleep before diving into the do’s and don’ts of what they each want from sex. 

Barclay and Indrid build a makeshift bed on the floor by the T.V, Joe and Duck on the inside with Barclay and Indrid on the outside. 

Duck drifts off to sleep with his head on Joe’s chest and Indrid’s arms around him. He knows they still have things to work out, that there will be hiccups. But for now, he’s happy to lay here, safe and loved, with his boyfriends. 

[petalbrooke]

::hugs:: Sorry for the rough time, my dear. I shall provide a hc as requested. ^.^ So I have a weird hc that my farmer receives a suitcase full of vintage sheet music and of course Harvey, being the fan of jazz music he is, starts geeking out about it. He takes this over to show Elliott (who of course also freaks out) and Elliott sits at his piano and plays it while the two freak out together like total vintage music nerds. 😍I love thinking of Harvey and Elliott becoming good friends.

Ahhh this is so wholesome!!! I love it 😍 imagine harvey learning the saxophone so they can have a jam session 🥺

And thank you!! I feel bad that I haven’t been posting much content and everything’s been... sad lately. But this community and sdv in general always cheers me up so I appreciate it 🥰

[darling-daydreaming]

Haikyuu captains as the obey me brothers

Because I’m basic af and I got inspired by a SMAU. Might make a list about the undateables

Lucifer- Daichi

-Older brother/father-type figure of the group who do their best to handle things maturely. Except for the fact that both of them have terrible tempers and will resort to violence/scolding a lot of the time. Both also give off that sexy dom energy that bitches seem to like (it’s me, I’m bitches but I don’t like Lucifer-)

Mammon-Oikawa

-Now this could just be because they’re both my favs from their respective series, but listen I have a type and apparently that type is “Boys that have a high status but are actually just kind of dumb and rlly cute dorks”. Now Mammon is definitely fluffier than Oikawa in some aspects but both have that underlying theme that despite their statuses and power, they both seem to have a sense of self hatred. I also just think Oikawa would look good in Mammon’s outfit (Oh god Mammon in Oikawa’s plaid shirt outfit tho-)

Leviathan-Bokuto

-At first I only put Bokuto here because this is literally the only space left but the more I think about it, it actually kinda makes sense??? In like the weirdest way possible???? So both have their moods, obviously, Bokuto’s whole emo thing and Leviathan with his thing about normies. They also both have their relative obsessions (Levi w anime and Bokuto w volleyball) and their whole life just kinda centers around it. In retrospect, Bokuto w a long ass tail also sounds rlly freaking cool.

Asmodeus- Terushima

-Both are characterized by being pretty and horny but that’s about it. There’s more to them than that though and there’s other aspects of their personalities that should be explored. They’re both also very flirty and I feel like Terushima pays as much attention to his hair as Asmodeus does to painting his nails

Satan-Kuroo

-Hear me out, these two are fucking N E R D S. NERDS I TELL YOU. Kuroo’s rivalry w Daichi and Satan’s hatred for Lucifer are also v cool dynamics that I wanted to play w here. They both thirst for that juicy knowledge and are pretty at the same time like fuck you guys. Also cats. That whole thing. And it turns out that Satan and Levi actually have a pretty good relationship and dynamic? They’re the more introverted brothers so it makes sense that it’s something they’d bond over. Whereas Kuroo and Bokuto are the more social ones so that could be why they get along so well. Also pls give me Kuroo literally being birthed by Daichi that would be the funniest shit ever-

Beelzebub-Ushijima

-I have a second type and that type is “hella himbos w big bara tiddies that are also massive dorks” while part of me did want to put Ushijima as Lucifer, I feel like him as Beelzebub is more fitting given that both have a general demeanor of being quiet but also having the presence of someone extremely powerful.

Belphegor- Kita

-sleepy sleepy sleepy boy. Now I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know much about Kita other than he loves his grandma, he’s a rice farmer, he’s a responsible captain, and that Osamu’s scared shitless of him. But I could also see him as the type to be really cold to someone (especially if that someone just kinda barges into his space) until he warms up to them, then he just gets kinda clingy and never goes away. Also Ushikita twitter art is cute and I would love to see more of this dynamic.

[bookgeekgrrl]

Sunday reading recap (22-Nov-2020)

(y’all i did a gif search for ‘tired kitten’ and one of the results was sam winchester, looking emotional, driving baby and i just...😂😂😂)

THINGS I WATCHED

Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical (Roundabout Theatre, 2017)

Song Exploder: Alicia Keys - "3 Hour Drive" (ft. Sampha)

Netflix’s Fireplace For Your Home: Birchwood

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Bill & Ted Face The Music

ATLA: S1, e15-16

Song Exploder: REM - "Losing My Religion"

THINGS I READ

Trio for Blunt Instruments (Nero Wolfe #39) (Rex Stout)

👂 Hollywood Dead (Sandman Slim #10) (Richard Kadrey (author), MacLeod Andrews (narrator)) - oh, jimmy stark. you’re a monster-killing monster dumbass that i love

💜 Taking Stock (A.L. Lester) - i really enjoyed this short-but-sweet (recent) historical about a (possibly disgraced) stockbroker and a farmer who’s recovering from a stroke. short but with good emotional resonance; not depressing but realistic about recovery

👂💜 Supermanny (story by rainbow_nerds; podfic by ransomdrysdale; art by velvetjinx) - 68K, Stucky modern AU - "Steve Rogers was a single dad, perpetually tired and ready to break out of the rut he was living in. Bucky Barnes was a successful small-business owner, living alone with his cat and ignoring the empty space in his life." - great story & great art; the podfic was OUTSTANDING - well read, incredible attention to small sound effects, just a great production that elevated a solid story

Thanksgiving, 1947 (A Nick & Carter Holiday #20) (Frank W. Butterfield)

💜 Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Grad Students (for They Are Caffeinated and Quick to Nerd Out) (story by theemdash; art by deisderium and softestbuck) - 46K, grad student AU - an absolutely incredible LOTR/Middle Earth-laden endeavor - I adored everythinng in this: characterizations, every single joke/reference/allusion, amazing art, fantastic appendices. I had so much fun reading this!

plus 262K of shorter fic so shorter work shout out  💜💜💜

we freak on the cam (howdoyousleep; PrettierAndYounger) - 21K, Stucky - a delicious camboy/pornstar AU (with a sprinkling of daddy kink) that is 🔥🔥🔥

wild at heart series (spacebuck) - 15K - a shrunkyclunks soulmate AU featuring cheetahs as supporting characters!

Deep Sea Diving and Deep Sea Diving II: Desperate and Devouring  (AidaRonan) - 12K combined - a reread of one of my all-time faves - shrunkyclunks featuring fat thirst trap bucky - i come back to this series at least once every few months. can’t get enough

[detectivejigsawpines]

A Pinesmas Carol-part 8 (Have Nagila)

The family sat around the kitchen table (Xander had to curl up on his mother’s lap, since one of the chairs had been smashed; Stan said he could pay for it, but neither Shermie nor Rebecca really seemed to hear him) as Stan and Ford did their best to explain in a way that wouldn’t freak them out more.

“...So let me get this straight,” Shermie said at last.  “Gravity Falls is full of magic and monsters and stuff-”

“And maybe aliens; Ford thinks he found a crash site,” Stan added (not) helpfully.

“-and you guys have been studying them, and learning about things like-like spells that can change people into-that.”  He pointed to the baby formerly known as Archer, who had been set in Xander’s old carrier on the floor nearby (Rebecca had even bothered to put him in a cloth diaper and a onesie), and the puppy who was sitting on Stan’s lap and playfully gnawing his fingers (the weasel had long been shooed outside, and the remains of his dinner properly disposed of).

Ford nodded.  “...Well, I’ve been doing most of the actual research, but that’s basically the facts, yes.”

Xander’s eyes were wide with awe.  “You guys are like wizards.”  He climbed off Rebecca’s lap; before she could grab him back he scurried over to Stan and began petting the puppy, who wagged his tail and tried to climb into his arms.

Stan smiled.  “Yeah, I guess we kinda are.  Or at least Ford is; I’m just the guy who tricks ‘em into giving me money.”

The boy shrugged.  “Same thing.”

“This is...definitely not what we were expecting,” Shermie said at last.  “It’s...kind of a lot to take in.”

“Yeah, we know,” Ford admitted.  “That’s why we didn’t tell you at first.  We didn’t want to freak you out.”

“Too late,” their brother said dryly.  But at least he seemed to have calmed down a little.

The three of them looked to Rebecca, who had been silent all this time.  Her eyes were large and troubled, and her hands were nervously twisting together inside her sleeves.

At last she spoke, in tones that were sharp and clipped.

“The mother in me partly wants to accuse you of being reckless, dangerous men who are tampering with forces you don’t understand and demand that you stay the h_ll away from my child.”

Ford hadn’t been expecting how much that would hurt; it was a little like a sucker punch to the gut.  Judging from Stan’s expression, it was just as bad for him: his mouth hung limply open for a second or two, before it widened like he was about to start protesting.

“On the other hand,” Rebecca cut him off, “she does recognize that you used those forces to save his life-to save all our lives.  So-” she got up, and enveloped first Stan and then Ford in a warm, genuine hug, touching it up with a light kiss on the cheek- “thank you.”

Stan reddened, and let out a relieved-sounding laugh.  “Eh, it was all Ford. I just got in a few lucky punches.”

****

Next day

“Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b-mitzvotav, v-tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah,” Shermie sang as he lit the first candle of the menorah.  The rest of the family watched, enjoying the surprisingly cheerful glow. Even Stan, who was more than a little cynical towards the whole concept of religion, was smiling softly from his spot on the sofa.

Much to Ford’s relief, Rebecca’s overprotective mother side had not resurfaced with the light of day.  Instead, she asked him more questions about beard cubs, and scampfires, and fairies (apparently many of her childhood fantasies had involved them, with the same fervor that other girls applied to unicorns), and her previous uneasiness about this side of the world being revealed to her seemed to dissipate as she learned more about them.  She marveled over Ford’s illustrations in his (nearly full) journal, and said with a laugh that Gravity Falls sounded like his dream come true, since he was so attracted to the weird things in life.

“You have no idea,” he told her solemnly, which for some reason made her laugh again.

They ended up putting Archer in a basket purchased from the store, which was then dropped off at the local police station with only a warm blanket and the note “Please take care of my baby” included; Ford suspected his memories were probably rewound along with his body, so perhaps this would be a chance for him to have a fresh start at life.

The puppy, however, was another matter altogether.  Xander had quickly latched on to him as his new best friend, despite Rebecca’s admonishments, and in no time at all they were tussling with Stan on the living room floor like it was meant to be.

“... ‘Tis the season?” Shermie said sheepishly when she gave him a look asking him to put a stop to this.  “Lots of kids get puppies during Christmastime. Besides, can you really say no to that face?” He indicated their son, who was laughing and squirming in a futile effort to stop the puppy’s enthusiastic licking of his chin.

“And do you know how many of those puppies get sent back or abandoned because the kids decide they’re too much of a responsibility to handle?  Besides, last night that puppy was a human being with a gun!”

“And now he’s a friendly dog who likes our son.”

She grumbled...but it was clear she’d lost the fight.  And when the puppy tilted his head and looked up at her with big, innocent brown eyes, she grudgingly admitted that he was pretty cute, and went back to making potato latkes.

****

By the time Filbrick and Caryn Pines arrived at Shermie’s house, a few weeks later, there was no indication that their other children had ever been there-save for a package that Caryn was secretly handed by Shermie while Filbrick was upstairs putting the luggage in their room.  It contained a packet of fancy-looking tarot cards, with a note: To: my favorite psychic.  From: your favorite son.

Caryn smiled, a little tearily, and hid the packet in her purse before Filbrick came back, complaining that there was a dog on their bed, and when exactly had they decided to get a dog?

****

About an hour away, a bright red car pulled up in front of a small house.  Stan leaned over and tapped Ford on the knee.

“We’re here, nerd.  Wakey wakey.”

Ford groggily blinked his eyes open, and sat up-and froze when he realized that they were not, in fact, in Gravity Falls.

“Stanley, this isn’t home-”

The front door opened, and a head wearing a pair of round spectacles peered out in confusion.  The eyes behind them widened.

“Stanford Pines, is that you?!”  And the lanky man came strolling down the walk towards the car.

Stan grinned at his brother’s expression, which was somewhere between surprise, exasperation, and maybe just a tiny amount of happiness that he was trying his hardest to suppress.

“Stanley, I told you I didn’t want to-”

Fiddleford crouched down on Ford’s side of the car-then he saw Stan, and did a double-take.

“What the heck-?!  You got a twin and you never told me?!”

“...It’s a long story, Fiddleford.”

“Well, Emma May and I love a good story-come on in!”

“I-you’re probably busy celebrating, I don’t-”

“It’s no trouble, really!”

Stan’s grin widened.

“Merry Christmas, Sixer.”

********

Fiddleford is naturally fascinated-and saddened-by Stan and Ford's tragic backstory, but glad to hear that they've become friends again. He's also interested to hear about all the things Ford's been studying in Gravity Falls, and like Shermie, says he'll have to bring his family up to visit sometime. He and Ford lose hours talking about nerd stuff, while Stan makes awkward small talk with a heavily pregnant Emma-May and tries not to snarf all the delicious Christmas cookies.

Despite Ford's protests about not wanting to impose, they're persuaded to stay for Christmas, and they get to hear Christmas carols Tennessee hog farmer style (hint: there is a lot of banjo playing involved).

And all in all, it's an enjoyable holiday for the boys.

[knightofquail]

Tall Girl, on Netflix

Okay so this movie has been rocking my world for like a good few hours. Mainly over the idea is being a tall woman a subordinate identity?

I do think that it can be a lot of contexts. Obviously there's the whole thing about society just not being made for people over six foot. For example, seating on public transportation (or even private sometimes, like I can barely drive my grandmothers little, yellow Volkswagen bug), doorways being too short or even just door handles not a comfortable height to open doors, beds not being long enough, the list is endless. That is generally stuff that can be applied to tall people in general regardless of other identities.

However with the tall identity it can be seen as the dominant identity in other contexts. When it comes to jobs, those who are taller are more likely to be remembered, when it comes to crowds it is easier to see over people, and when grocery shopping you can always reach the top shelf (I have been asked so many times to grab stuff for people). There is a stereotype that tall people are generally more athletic or have a higher chance to succeed in certain sports like running, volleyball and of course- basketball, but also there's a beauty component to it. There is also that whole idea that tall people are thin, beautiful, athletic people who are ripe for modeling. Which like any stereotype there are some truths to them but there are obviously people who don't fit into those ideas of tall people. For example, me. I'm not athletic or elegantly thin and my own insecurities tell me I am not beautiful but that's a whole other conversation.

However, when adding the identity of being a woman the whole situation changes. Men have the dominant identity when it comes to gender, we know, but also the whole height situation changes as well. Men are celebrated for being tall, in many social situations, like highschool (ugh) it can add to their social status and power. I'll never forget this one guy in high school who was remarkably similar to me in a lot of aspects. We were both tall, white, somewhat attractive, good at school, active in theater and sports (although him a lot more than me), and had similar tastes in media (okay we were both nerds and loved a lot of the same shows). However, in theater he was always chosen for lead male roles while I never had a chance at lead female roles because I was tall (I'm 6'3" for instance, and he is now 6'6"). He also had so much more power than me because he was accepted by our community immediately while I had to fight for my acceptance. In the movie, it showcases this with Stig being able to quickly soar to popularity, while Jodi has to march up on stage and declare her humanity.

The beginning of the movie also portrayed a frustration that many of us tall girls understand well, clothing. The clothing that is available to us darling tall people widely varies on location and our economic status. My tall friend from high school is able to express his gender identity a lot easier than I was able to because stores, even the rural area I lived in had clothing more available to him than to me. Meanwhile I felt as though I had to embrace a 'tom boy' identity because of the clothing that was available to me, which was athletic wear or farm attire- carharts, jeans and a T-shirt. I thought that the movie did embrace that at the beginning, having the main character Jodi wear pants that were short and a lot of athletic wear. However I thought what the movie didn't address was that clothing options for the main character seemed to be easier than most. For example, she was able to find clothing in a store that she could actually put herself into, and that it wasn't too expensive for her family to buy for her. In my experience and because of my rural location I could never walk into a store (that wasn't hours away) and try on clothing and have it fit the way it was meant to fit and reflect the way I wanted to present myself. The closest I ever got was the whole Maxi Dress movement which allowed for a dress that for a lot of tall girls meant actually having cloth near my ankles. But unfortunately that was not for me because I was still too tall for maxi dresses and because of what was available before I had fully shunned feminine clothing at the time. Dunkers was able to buy Jodi high heels that fit her because they were in a urban enough location to have a store dedicated to drag queens- something that couldn't be found in the very small, farmer populated rural area from which I was raised.

What was available to me was the internet, for which I am very lucky to have now, and came at a crucial time for me- again highschool. Through the internet I was able to buy clothing meant for tall women. However what isn't said a lot of the time is how expensive that stuff is. The question came to be, am I going to wait however many weeks it takes for my long pants to get here that I paid $70 dollars for, or I am going to go to the Walmart 30 mins away spend $60 dollars on three pairs of jeans that are too short and limit my wardrobe to figuring out what looks acceptable with rolled up jeans to hide the fact that they are too short for me? As someone who is now scraping every penny to go to college I was going to use the rolled up jeans look and have my ankles freeze in -30 degree weather so that I at least had three pairs of pants to wear not just one. Also, a lot of those websites who cater to tall women specifically cater to tall thin women, something that tall men would probably have less trouble because of 'big and tall' stores (although let's admit they still have trouble). But at least I can wear men's shoes and no one gives me sass for it!

Also speaking of sass about wearing shoes, I found it almost refreshing that when Jodi eventually did wear heels in the movie- no one gave her any sass for it. I have distinct memories about the few, rare, times I would wear heels everyone in my school would tell me, 'why are you wearing heels? you don't need them'. I don't think they should be necessary for anyone and I cry for anyone who they are necessary for because damn they're uncomfortable but unfortunately because of my height I was forbidden from partaking in a feminine practice of wearing heels.

Then there is just the identity of being the tall girl. I think the movie put it well when Jodi commented on how that's what people see when they look at her. They don't see that she more than just her height, only her friends do. The rest of the school sees her as an amazon, a giant etc. And yes, that's something that's never going to change. When people talk about me, they're going to say, "Oh yeah, she's that really tall girl, right?". Yes, it's a physical descriptor, but depending on the person's attitude about their height it can suck. If a person who views their height as negative, then every time that happens, every look a stranger gives to make sure you're not wearing heels or standing on something, or every comment whether it be about your perceived talent for basketball, the weather, or just 'whoa you're tall' can hurt like hell. Especially if all you want is to fit in which is a very common need/want in high school, which is exactly what the show tells us. If you had a big nose, would you like it if people checked all the time to make sure it was real? Or say 'whoa what a big nose?' I dont think you would.

I think the movie also did a good job of portraying the process of acceptance that a lot of tall girls have to go through. There was a moment where I had to accept that I will never wear a size medium t-shirt. I cannot change my height, or the effects that it has had on me. The scene where Jodi looked up how much it would cost to have height reduction surgery hit home for me. I believe that a good portion of us have been there. As I said earlier our mental attitude about the subject can drastically change our experience. By accepting that part of yourself and 'letting your freak flag fly', your entire experience of the world changes. By accepting and owning that I am tall, I am able to keep those comments about how tall I am assure me instead of making me miserable. Jodi is able to do the same thing. I believe that there is something to be said about that because unfortunately there is no other choice. I can't make everyone I encounter to not mention or think about my height, not without making a huge stink about it in a public sphere that won't really make a difference anyway because let's face it. There aren't that many of us. There's a reason that many tall girls aren't portrayed in media because there is less of a demand for it. But unfortunately, we stick out like sore thumbs.

I had a friend that I made in a music festival text me weeks after to tell me that in her highschool statistics class they were discussing heights and she mentioned me and my height. The teacher took it as an opportunity to calculate how many standard deviations I was from a 'normal U.S. female height'. 2.5 standard deviations. 2.5 standard deviations away from 'normal'. I am an outlier, and a lot of women on this page are also probably outliers. After watching that movie, even though it's catered to teens and not my specific genre type I was just so happy to actually have a movie about people like me. People who are deemed outliers. It was the first time I had seen a film of any kind that a extraordinarily tall woman wasn't the butt of a joke or just a comedic factor.

Sorry this turned into a freaking essay.

TL;DR this movie, despite some of it's flaws was an amazing step forward in representation of tall girls

[kathuichithouda-archives]

What if there was a zombie apocalypse au? How do you think kuzusoudam would deal there? Or any other pairings :0?

zombie apocalypse aus are so boring imo hOWEVER I will humor you.

Fuyuhiko either is very lucky or very fucking unlucky. He's got a whole yakuza. If they turn, he's kinda fucked when it comes to protection.

He doesn't exactly want to be protected, he can handle things on his own. But more than likely he will lose a lot of people due to them protecting him (including Peko, ngl. That will hit him hard.) Other members would probably ditch and leave him for dead too.

Fuyuhiko's goal, instead of being protected, is that he wants to protect. He's especially clinged to keeping Kazuichi safe.

Gundham, bless him, would probably have to say goodbye to the looooot of his companions both in fear of what this outbreak started from and fear of how it spreads. He's pretty damn sure experimentation on animals started it to begin with, which breaks his heart and pisses him off.

He may even eventually lose his devas, sadly, but who knows! They may stay close and remain strong. (For Gundham's sanity, let's fuckin hope. He's lost enough already.)

Kazuichi is just kinda. Freaking the fuck out the whole time. Which who isn't?? Who wouldn't be panicking in this situation?? It's completely justified.

He fears being useless, dead weight. But he's actually quite helpful!

Fuyuhiko knows what certain wounds and infections look like. He doesn't fully know how to treat them but he does know what to do to stop bleeding or make the irritation/pain subside a bit. (At Farmer's Insurance, we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two--) He also knows specific tactics and routes to stay safe.

Gundham, although he's not a vet or doctor of any kind nor does he claim to be, is probably more helpful at bandages and caring for wounds due to his experience with animals. (Again, he doesn't claim to be a vet or anything; but again, insert Farmer's Insurance joke--) He would probably be the most level headed about this situation, determined and rather serious. So serious that his Overlord persona kinda drops a bit. (Not completely tho)

Kazuichi is goooood at repairing and restoring things. Like damn good. More than likely, junk is EVERYWHERE. He's used to that. There's tons of things he could do, if he's in the right mindset. He can more than likely fix vehicles too.

He's also (by my hc) a huge nerd, most likely knowing everything for a theoretical apocalypse. Rambling about it in fantasy and discussing what they should have done. (It probably annoys the hell outta Fuyu but Gundham acknowledges the information.)

Kazuichi is the more likely to panic about everything. He's paranoid and anxious, not trusting the environment around him one bit. He sometimes even loses trust in Fuyuhiko and Gundham, out of plain fear.

This will likely cause him to be a victim too. He's loud. They're attracted to noise. He probably couldn't keep quiet for the life of him. And if he were attacked, if he didn't die instantly in a random situation where he was alone. He would be very quiet. And secretive. He'd probably try and run away, not having the heart to tell them. But at the same time, he knows if he stays, they could take care of it immediately.

Which is the last thing they wanna do.

But, yknow, you gotta do what you gotta do.. sadly.

Fuyu would stop everything to give him a proper burial.

Gundham probably would go mute after that. Not really talking much... Not that Fuyu would say much either, but he'd kinda remain the "leader" time.

Fuyu and Gundham would have to stick it out together now. And they know what to do if the other gets infected. They swore that they wouldn't allow each other to suffer if that happened... But they also promised to survive for Kaz's sake.

Gundham really isn't the same. At all. He's quiet. He's drained. No more extravagantly long spoken monologues. No more prideful remarks about himself. No more subtle and playful demeaning of others. No more devas.

Just. A defeated Gundham, that can only grunt and groan now...

Fuyu tries his best to stay the same. But he understands they've both lost so much. He lets things get to his head a lot. He blames himself for a lot. He has dark thoughts, but he doesn't pursue them.

It's just those two. Against the world. And they can't even look at each other without feeling regret, fear of loss, fear of everything... They're supposed to bring each other up, and merely still being there when the other wakes up is enough motivation for the both of them.

Who knows what could happen to them.

[hazel2468]

New Plant!

Okay so... I wasn’t intending to buy any more plants for my home. Just office plants for the forseeable future- I really want a silver pothos, but that’s another story. ANYWAY. 

I got off the train the other day and walked through the Farmer’s Market, as there is one twice a week right by my apartment. And I saw, out of the corner of my eye... A plant stall. And at that plant stall...

Was THIS GUY. This is a Hoya Bilobata, and I fucking LOVE HIM. He’s very long and trail-y, he has these beautiful leaves that can be tinged with red if they get enough sun and, get this, his leaves are FUZZY. They feel like velvet! I can’t stop touching them. 

So, new Hoya variety is enough of a reason for me freak out. Very exciting. But then I got home and I started giving this little fellow a closer look. The usual- close inspection for insects, any leaves or stems that need a trim, find out what kind of soil it’s in (spoiler- it’s NOT in a good hoya mix). But then... Then I saw something. Something exciting. Something I have NEVER seen on my Hoyas before...

THIS. 

For those of you who are not raging plant nerds, this little thing is called a flower spur. It, as the name implies... Is where fucking FLOWERS come from. Hoyas are KNOWN for their flowers and, thus far, none of mine have developed the capacity to bloom. I’m hopeful, but so far, zilch. Until this guy came along, already with a spur! By the looks of it, this guy has bloomed once before, and I am hopeful that he will bloom again!

I’ll have to be super careful repotting him, and I have no idea where and how this stem is attached. But, hopefully, with lots of humidity, good light, watering, and a whole fuck ton of luck, I will see this Bilobata bloom for me next year!