#his boots in 5 though??? chefs kiss

[silverselfshippingchaos]

tumblr really has it out for me huh?

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Monday lovely fandom. Lots to love about this one. Their opening scene is *chefs kiss* Some good Metro Tim. Really good Tim SL in general. Love this episode it’s fantastic for a lot of reasons. Let us begin shall we?

5x19 A Hole in the World.

We start off with some domestic Chenford and I’m here for it. Gimme. Lucy is studying in what looks to be one of Tim’s shirts. *squee* Pen in her bun looking all kinds of adorable. Tim stumbles out of her bedroom looking dead on his feet. Lucy having coffee ready for her sleepy boyfriend is everything. Her soft voice and excited features when she sees him is so precious. Gah she loves this man.

Ecstatic she gets to see him before work. Spend a little time together. She asks when he got in? Tim replying depends on what day it is? Ha Poor tired Tim. Lucy shooting back 'That bad huh?' Tim saying he’s eighty percent sure it’s Thursday LOL Lucy crushing his dreams telling him it’s Tuesday….His face is too funny. Poor man needs a day off in bed and snuggle time with his wife.

Lucy asks him what he was working on last night? I just love the whole feel in this scene. Him waking up all sleepy. Lucy is there happy to greet him. Little banter. Asking about what he’s working on. Married vibes in this moment. Lucy saying she stayed up incase she would catch him. Hoping the guy would turn himself in. Risking losing sleep to see her man. My Heart.

Tim says he did show up though. Showing her his battle scar. I saw a great parallel about this moment. That in past she had to ask if he was ok. Now he just shares it with her. She doesn't have to wonder. *happy sigh* Then we get the most glorious thing of all she calls him ‘Babe.’ Which I absolutely love. I think it’s so fitting for her to call him this. Unpopular opinion alert. I hate ‘baby.’ I legit cringe when I see it in a fic. Will straight bounce if it’s used to death as well. Just doesn’t seem like them IMO.

Babe seems much more fitting. Until I hear that word come out of either of their mouths. (Not counting Dim/Juicy) I can’t accept it as canon in my brain. Anyways that rant is over ha I love the concern and the way she softly touches his wound. Wanting to fix it for him. Can we talk about the tight fitting tank top and scruff? My god this man is trying to kill me. Sleepy scruffy Tim in his jams is welcome anytime. Give me more tank top Tim as well while we're at it. Loving that he has a hoodie there when he wakes up.

Which lends credence to my drawer theory. Man is keeping clothes there. I’m melting from all of these things at once. This is a fantastic opening scene for them. I love the way he shows her his wound first thing. Wanting her to make it better. The softest of humans around his girl. The way she gently touches it has me reeling. You know part of him showed her so she’d love on him a bit. Lucy jumped all over that and a sweet pet name to boot. I’m in heaven.

Lucy mentioning it was confident of this guy to try and take on 5 metro officers. I'm losing my mind over how once Tim is seated he’s not close enough for her. So Lucy pulls him even closer. Personal space wasn’t a word they knew before they were together. It’s non existent now that they are. Lucy lights up like a Christmas tree once he’s in front of her. Look at her above. Best thing to happen to her morning is him being there.

That line from 2x05 'They look so happy. I want that.' Now she has it and it looks good on her. Tim’s content ‘Mmm' and head tilt has me melting after she pulls him closer. His sweet gone for her smile and rubbing her arm. I'm a puddle. He is just as happy to be near her. Literally so content to share a quiet morning with his girl *internal screaming* They’re so adorable they might kill me. I’ll be writing the remaining reviews from the great beyond. So damn soft I’m on a cloud.

Once Tim is able to tear himself from her loving gaze he sees she’s studying. Genuinely confused asking what this is all is? I love her playful hit. Thinking he's pulling her leg. Tim is so baffled by this. She reminds him she’s studying for the detectives exam. Then questioning if she told him. I mean she might’ve but the man is sleep deprived and doesn’t know what day it is so...LOL

Tim replying he doesn’t think so? Lucy explaining why she’s going for it. Tim asking if she got the tap? Lucy is beaming when she tells him Harper and Lopez are backing her. (Of course they are. They know what a BAMF she is) Lucy looks so excited to share this news with him. Look at how proud he is of her. Exuding from that sexy smile of his. These are the moments where he’s that big softy for her.

Look at this love struck man. So proud of her he can’t stand it. Lucy starting with a little bit of self doubt. Saying with skepticism all she has to do is score in the top 12. Tim cuts her off before she can doubt herself any further. Saying she will. He knows how good of a test taker she is. Also how incredibly intelligent she is. He is her biggest fan and makes my heart so happy. Something that hasn’t changed from friends to more. Tim’s unwavering faith she will be amazing. No doubt in his mind about her crushing this.

From day one all he’s wanted is for her to succeed. To have an amazing career. Such the supportive husband not letting her doubt herself at all. I love her ‘Mmm’ as she leans in for their kiss. Heart eyes galore for him. Knowing that’s what he’s doing fo her. Her smile before she goes in for their kiss. *dreamy sigh* Always needing more than one kiss so they sneak in a second one. Forever love that. Such a great shot of a really cute morning kiss.

I adore the look on his face when he pulls back. That whole she fell first he fell harder resonating here in that look. The sweet rubbing of her arm getting me in feels as well. Can't keep his hands off her. Tim saying they better get used to not seeing each other then. Lucy adding in sadly yes. Between his hours and detective hours it'll be harder. Can see the sadness wash over her. Just as devastated by this idea as she was at the end of 5x12. Hating the idea of being apart from him so much. I do love Tim’s confidence it’ll be ok though.

Reminds me of Lucy’s in 5x12 and her talk with Tamara. Saying how they’d figure it out and they did. Little rocky but they did. This is a new obstacle for them to overcome is all. I love his wink at her when he tells her they’ll figure it out. It is fun to see their dynamic shift a little bit. Lucy being worried they’ll see less of each other. The worry is etched on her face. Tim being the positive one blows me away. Knowing they got this. Now that doesn’t mean they don’t need to have a deeper convo about this.

They for sure do. But I adore the depth of change in this man. With Lucy by his side there isn’t much he isn’t willing to do to figure it out. What happens when you are truly and unconditionally loved. Lucy has brought out this entirely new side of him and I love it so very much. Also it’s good for them to have these issues to work through. It’ll be productive for them even if it hurts a little along the way. Why productive angst is the best. Hurts so good and all that.

Nothing I love more than watching Tim in Metro mode. Hot damn. Fair warning he makes me very feral in this section. I have no regrets. Grey has looped in Tim and his team to watch Joel. Surveil him since he is a huge person of interest. Something about the the way he commands his team. Does things to me. Watching how he has plans in place.

Communicates everything so seamlessly. Just the complete control he has over this OP got me all hot and bothered not gonna lie. This case is serious but I can’t ignore how much I love watching him in the field. Especially with Metro. Phew lord. So much certainty in his commands and decisions. Crossed my legs couple times watching him in action not gonna lie LOL

We haven’t really gotten to see him on a mission yet. Be apart of patrol's mission's yes. But run his own OP that is exclusively Metro that we get to see? Haven't gotten that. I loved being able to watch him in his new element. Making calls on the fly as the situation develops. Then we get to see how he reacts under massive pressure running a team. He is watching Joel and it's obvious he is trying to split his team up. Tim can see his play from a mile away. Tim decides last minute to split them up in case. His seasoned gut coming into play in this decision. He's such a damn boss in this portion. Fanning myself as I watch him run this OP.

If you can watch him in this portion and not be turned on by his boss leadership I'm shocked.... and you're probably lying to yourself. LMAO Man is making me very thirsty in this scene. Just watching him have absolute control over everything around him is incredibly attractive. I need some water. *phew* We watch the hard choices he has to make during this OP. Joel has taken a motorcycle and they’re chasing him.

It’s getting more dangerous the faster he goes to get away. One of his guys is in pursuit and says he can keep up with him. The issue is he's in a car and Joel is not. Tim lets him pursue Joel till it gets too risky. Joel is going 130 entering the free way on that motorcycle. Tim makes the call to pull the plug despite some protest from his guy. He does as Tim tells him to and backs off.

He can't ensure no collateral damage due to the pursuit. Can't have an innocent family possibly get hurt to do it. Having to let him go despite wanting to pursue him. We can see how having to make this call frustrates Tim. It was the right call but damn it sucks. Once again love watching him in the field. Imma need more Metro Tim OP's in s6 writers just an FYI.

We return to Lucy at the station. They were able to locate Joel at an abandoned house. The kid was saved and removed thankfully. Sadly Tim had to shoot Joel once they entered and located him. He died on the scene. Didn’t leave him any choice in the matter. The shakiness in Lucy’s voice kills me as she approaches Nyla. Needing her guidance in this moment. Very stressed Tim still isn't back from IA yet.

She’s so worried about Tim and her anxiety is coming off her in waves. Harper being the amazing human can see this. She is tells her it’s ok. Harper can see how unsettled Lucy is. So she tries to calm her with some logic. Telling her that these types of interviews with IA are very through. They take awhile. That Tim will be fine. Lucy still looks like she hasn’t taken a breath though. That she can't do that till he's in her sights.

Tim makes his way into the bullpen and Lucy looks on verge of tears for him. That pull to go towards him is innate. Harper stops her when she sees Lucy move towards him. Telling her to let him talk to Grey first. She loves him so much. The look in her eyes when she sees him and her eyes follow him across the room. Ugh. My heart. Worried girlfriend mode has been activated and she can’t turn it off. There is just so much love in her expression and intense worry. A deep need to automatically make this better for him.

We can see how much she is longing to be near him. Wants to wrap him up in her arms and erase his pain. You can feel the anxiety coursing through her as she watches him make his way to Grey’s office. No one worries and cares for Tim like Lucy does that’s for sure. Plus her empathy is absorbing it all as well. She’s hurting because he is and it’s killing her to be away from him. But she is good and heeds Nylas advice to let him go for now….

The scene in Grey’s office has me crying. Gah Eric damn you and your amazing acting. He is WRECKED. Absolutely wrecked. Barely keeping it together in front of Wade. You can see the tears brimming in his eyes. He’s so emotional right now and trying so very hard to keep it in check. I'm so glad that they had this scene. Touched on how traumatic this was for Tim. Wasn’t glossed over. This scene showing the impact it had on him. Not only did he take a life but it was another cop's. One who KNEW Tim would have to pull the trigger if he forced his hand. Joel took the cowards way out. Made Tim pay the price for his exit.

Grey can see how distraught he is. The tears in this man’s eyes are breaking me. If Lucy could see this he would be in her arms so quickly. But she isn’t. I'm so glad he saw Wade first he needed this. Was important for Grey to absolve him in this moment. To hear it from someone who was his mentor and superior at one time. Not that Lucy’s opinion or help isn’t valid or wouldn’t help him. It will. He just needed to hear it from Grey first. That what he did was the right thing.

It’s why Harper suggested he see him first. Before she does. Logically Tim knows all the things he’s telling him. But he’s an emotional time bomb right now. So Grey reminds him that he had no choice. That he was dangerous. Tim repeating ‘I know’ because he does. Doesn’t change how he’s feeling though. I love Wade asking if there’s anything he can do? Tim gives his longest answer telling him to let him get back to him. Such a good scene. Broke my heart but damn good.

We return to our lovely couple catching up in the hallway. What a glow up this is I have to say. Going from hiding to Lucy being on his arm in front of the whole bullpen. The PDA in front of the station got me all in my feels. My heart may implode from how happy this makes me. Love her linking arms with one hand and touching his arm with the other. His reply to her question is such growth for him.

Before when he was keyed up he would just be angry. Lash out at those around him or push his feelings down and pretend he was ok. The fact that he can say he’ll be okay is huge. Tells her this calmly too. What a change in him. I remember seeing good parallel for this. His answer to Nell in 1x12 deflecting 'Yeah' and his reply to Angela in 2x11 when he was upset raging out. That he was fine just needed to blow off steam. With Lucy he's honest and doesn't deflect or explode. How far we've come.

Makes a massive difference when you’re loved by the right person. Lucy tries to be super soft in her approach. It’s why she’s does the soft touch first. It disarms him and she can speak her anxiety. Let out all the advice she’s been dying to say since he got back. Wanting so badly to soothe his raging emotions. Tim cuts her off and says it’s not the first time for him. Being bristly at first because it is still a default mode for him. Grown a lot but still getting used to the love and support of this woman next to him.

Lucy doesn’t let it stop her from being extra soft with him. She looks like she just wants absorb all his pain. Her eyes screaming as much as she touches her hand to his heart. Telling him she just wants to be helpful. Desperate to absolve him of this. He immediately melts at her touch and reverts back to soft Tim. Especially with her motives being so damn pure and in favor of helping him heal. Two episodes in a row she soothes him with just a simple touch. God I love them.

Tim thanks her eternally grateful for this woman in front of him. That she loves him and cares enough to do so. Put him first even when he’s slightly bristly still. Just like before they were together she doesn’t care if he is. Her main objective is to take care of him. He rubs her arm in the same affectionate manner as he did in their morning scene. This sweet touch speaking volumes for him. He’s so used to doing this stuff alone. To not have someone to be there in the aftermath.

But having her there for him changes everything. That realization melting his bristly reply from earlier. Heart eyes for days the two of them. In front of the entire station and I can’t get over it. Lucy giving him massive ones in reply to his thank you. Wanting so much to just make it better for him. Feeling like she isn't doing enough to help him though this. It's the way her body sags in that third gif. Wishing there was more she could do for him.

Tim needing the distraction from his emotions asking if she needs help? We watch Lucy melt like a puddle in front of him in the second gif. Loving him asking her if she needs it. Because despite the distraction it provides he genuinely wants to help her. Then we get a glorious call back to 2x02. Him basically recognizing all she did for him then in this moment. Knowing he wouldn’t be a sergeant without her. Without the books she recorded for him. Helping him study etc. Getting verbal recognition all these years later from him.

I too am a puddle Lucy. Not only recognizing her for what she did but telling her he wouldn’t have gotten score he did without her. (He really wouldn't have...) It’s here we see the scene go from serious to flirty as hell. Lucy touching his chest once again with her finger. Saying that’s true he owes her. Lucy seems so excited by this idea. Ready to cash in this long owed debt of his. Tim is smiling when she pokes him. Not an agitated bone in that man's body over this.

Tim is sassy af in his reply. Telling her he doesn’t owe her. Even though he was just a marshmallow and admitted as such moments ago... The flirty way she grabs his jacket. Oh my lord. The look in her eye as she walks away. Eyeing his lips and pulling on his jacket. Sweet lord this man is powerless before her. He knows it. Doesn’t fight her very long just says ‘Okay’ and goes after his girl. Never seen a man be so happy to be whipped in my life.

He is so ok that she runs this relationship for most part. We all know he actually loves this. Assertive Lucy is one of his favorites. Look at Lucy giving the orders and Tim following her lead no question. How times have changed folks. Broke his brain once again and all he can do is be in awe and follow after her. Such a goner for her and he’s very happy with this setup.

Follows her like a lost puppy out the door. Only Lucy could bring him back from the brink like this. Go from being upset and in his head to chasing after her. I love the amount of flirty sex talk these to have without ever really saying so. It’s amazing. Lucy definitely is owed a debt my god. He’s the one who passed the test but not without her help. Just like in 4x18 a debt is owed sir LOL Damn I love these two so very much it’s insane. S5 was a glorious gift. Kept on giving. Also if you’re needing a post 5x19 fic. D wrote an excellent one I highly recommend.

~~~~

Side notes -non Chenford

Lucy is so excited when she runs up to Harper at the station. Ready to sign up for the detectives exams. Telling Nyla she’s ready for this test. Harper is beaming saying she has no doubt. Then Smitty comes up and ruins everything. Saying one of the defective have out it out for her. We knew the 5 player trade could bite her… and it looks like it has Primm found out and isn’t happy about it. Be interesting to see how this will develop on s6.

Aaron’s face when Lucy calls herself one of the cool kids LOL hey man she is... haha

This Ep is Sooo good reminds me why I love this show as a whole. So emotional with Celina’s SL. Makes me cry thinking about my niece and nephew. There would be scorched earth for whoever got between me and them. This was the ep really made me love Celina. I wasn’t sure at first but this changed that. Her forgiving her mom is huge. Makes me cry.

I love Lucy being a BAMF with that offender. Putting him right in his own place when he gets defensive about it being harassment. Never be over how she's come into her own as a cop.

Angela looking up air tagging her kids LOL love her I really do haha

Thank you to my amazing readers who like, comment (love these) and reblogs. You are the reason I do what I do. I shall see you all in 5x20 :)

[redinkscrawl]

Redd Reviews: THE MASQUERADE by Seth Dickinson

Genre: SciFi/Fantasy

Major Tropes: Hero corruption arc, slow burn, enemies to lovers, enemies to friends, morally gray characters, women's wrongs, righteous rebellion, bury your gays*, unreliable narrator

Representation Rating: A

(brown lesbian mc, mostly LGBT and nonwhite characters, written by a queer?** author. Some disability rep but could be better/have more imo.)

*On the subject of bury your gays, there's nothing I can say that @canmom hasn't said better. But rest assured, while gays are buried, other gays survive and may even thrive.

**The only reference I can find to Seth Dickinson being queer is in that same blogpost by canmom, which states that Dickinson was questioning his pronouns on Twitter at that point in time. I can't find his Twitter, found no note of queerness on his website, and have only seen him referred to as he/him. That said, this is a wonderfully queer book, and it sure seems like a queer author wrote it.

Young and brilliant Baru Cormorant's home has been slowly invaded, slowly and insidiously taken over by the Empire of the Mask. So she vows her revenge. But what extremes will she have to go to to take down the empire from the inside?

Full of political and economic intrigue, ship battles and sword fights, and twists and turns, these books are the book series I've always wanted to write.

My Thoughts

Overall

"This is the truth. You will know because it hurts."

These books are fucking fascinating. The worldbuilding is strong, beautifully done, and incredibly interesting to boot. The characters are AMAZING and extremely rich. The fictional cultures are complex and gorgeous. The plot becomes increasingly more unhinged, beginning with accounting and political intrigue and ending with cancer cults. And the plot is so smart. So are the rest of the books. (Keep a dictionary handy!) Beauty and brutality in equal measure, these books may make you cry or laugh or both, but they'll definitely keep you turning pages.

My verdict: READ THESE BOOKS.

Book 1: The Traitor Baru Cormorant

This book is one I'll never forget. The highs are high, and the lows are low. If Dickinson has one gift, it's making you care about the accounting and minutiae of this damn rebellion. This book has so much heart it can hardly contain it, and a deep reverence for the common people, despite being about a savant in a powerful position acting against other individuals in powerful positions.

Baru as a character is just... chef's kiss. You root for her when she does good, you root for her when she does evil. It's all but impossible to not want her to succeed.

Fascinatingly, The Traitor Baru Cormorant works as a standalone novel, which makes sense since it originated as a short story. But this is a rare quality amongst firsts in fantasy series, I've found. To me this just demonstrates Dickinson's skill at storytelling.

The names of characters and places are frequently very difficult. I love them. Most characters have distinctly ethnic names, though not necessarily from real ethnicities. Many are difficult for my English-addled brain to pronounce, but they are beautiful and distinct. The world is exceptionally immersive.

If you didn't like the political intrigue and minutiae of A Song of Ice and Fire, you won't like this book. If you did, this is 100% the book for you.

The twists are delicious and the ending is ultra emotional, and expertly executed. I was sobbing. I wanted to throw the book, but I had to keep reading.

Rating: 👛👛👛👛👛/5

Book 2: The Monster Baru Cormorant

This book falters, just slightly, for me. It's still a fascinating, somehow quick read, but it just didn't hit me the way the other two books did. Baru spends a lot of time seemingly achieving nothing, and while every plot point is vital to Baru's character later on... they don't always seem worthwhile at the time. I just can't give The Monster Baru Cormorant a perfect score.

I don't like the switch to first person for Xate Yawa's POV. I found it jarring and out-of-place in a novel that is otherwise third person, and where Yawa is not the main character. This bothered me less and less as the novel went on (and into the next,) but still. The choice doesn't make sense to me, since we already get character's thoughts through the third person limited POV. I'd like to pick the author's brain about this.

I do love how much we learn about the world of The Masquerade in this book. The world expands exponentially, as evidenced by the expanded map. I'm kind of obsessed with the concept of trim; the concept that all things are connected to all things, and one should live accordingly, to put it simply. The Oriati culture is fascinating and just so, so beautiful.

Rating: 🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️.5/5

Book 3: The Tyrant Baru Cormorant

This book is INSANE. And gods, Seth Dickinson really keeps you reading! The tension is off the charts and the cliffhangers hit where it hurts. Some might call some of the cliffhangers cheap, but since the characters believe in the tension, I believe in the tension. That makes all the difference for me.

This book shines in the logistics. Clearly Dickinson did his research on, like, everything. Economics of course, but also ship parts and naval strategy and brain injury and every other detail I can't remember but that made the story feel so, so real.

The horrors released in this book shook me, and the hopes birthed in this book are delightfully optimistic in comparison. The end of this book is a relatively triumphant, happy ending...which is kind of crushing when you remember that there's going to at least be a fourth book.

I can't state enough that this book is crazy, but I can't tell you much more without spoilers. A definite page-turner. If you liked the first two books, you'll love this one.

Rating: 🗺️🗺️🗺️🗺️🗺️/5

Book 4: Upcoming

And I can't wait.

Rating: 🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭/5

Check out waffalet's elf girl maker here.

[hannah-deactivated20220725]

The Kissing Booth, Intro: All Character Starts

This is a rewrite of an old WIP of mine, called The Kissing Booth. It is kind of an otome game-esque dating simulator game thingy I'm making the "script" for, only instead of being in the format of a script, it's in story format.

Anyway, here is the beginning/intro of the game.

--

To start, there are 5 characters you can play for. There's Chef Geoff, who anyone can play to try to win over. There's Belinda, who only females can play to win over. There's Clarissa, who anyone can play to win over. There's Luka, who anyone can play to win over and there's Glorie, who only men can play to try to win over.

Pick the top 3 characters you'd like to try to go for. Now, you start with 3 points. Points are what make or break your relationship with the character. Put 1 point toward your top 3 characters you'd like to win over.

Have you picked them? You have your points down? Alright, click Read More and let's get to playing!

You sigh as you better organize the stock at your flower shop and tilt your head to the side a bit.

"It looks perfect," a voice announces from behind you, making you start. You hadn't even heard the door open or the bell ring. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Just startled me," you correct, shaking your head as you finish what you were doing before turning to face the person speaking to you. "What are you doing here so early? You don't work for another hour."

"Oh... I fucked up big with the missus. I need flowers." You roll your eyes.

"What did you do now?" You ask, expertly arranging the bouquet that he always gets when he gets makeup flowers for his woman. He puts a hand up to stop you and shakes his head.

"No, those aren't enough." Your eyes widen slightly. Not enough? He must have done something serious.

"What do you want then?" You ask. He glances over at a bouquet next to the register. Your eyes widen further. "You sure? That bouquet is-"

"I know how much it is... I also know she knows how much it is and knows that it isn't just some cheap bouquet." You nod your understanding and move to grab the bouquet and get it ready for purchase. He slams down a wad of bills on the counter between the bouquet you're handling and the register.

"You must have done something really stupid," you say simply. He doesn't offer a reply this time, only looks away, clearly upset with himself. You hesitate. "I'm sure it'll be fine," you try to reassure him. "You've done some stupid shit and she always understands. Eventually. It just might take a bit of extra time."

His lip quivers slightly and you shift uncomfortably.

"It's not fine," he simply says, voice heavy with emotion. "Now please get the flowers ready and I'll be on my way."

You want to say something more but when he turns to walk out of the room and into the bathroom, you sigh, finishing the wrapping and placing the flowers in your most expensive vase. You hope everything will be okay.

Partly because it's weird to see him so emotional, but also you love them as a couple.

What did he do?

You heave another sigh and glance up just as your first customer of the day arrives.

It's...

Select Your Crush:

Belinda (females only; difficulty: hard): a woman with a mysterious aura. Long brown hair that almost seems black and a dark personality to boot. She's almost always drunk when she comes in, but my god is she striking to look at.

Clarissa: Beautiful young woman with long pink hair and pink eyes, oddly enough. You're pretty sure she uses colored contacts though she insists it's her real eye color. She's really outgoing and flirty and comes in frequently, always asking about you.

Glorie (males only): a young woman with deep green eyes and greenish-bluish hair. She has a love of water and a beautiful sing-song voice. There is something that pulls her to you, but you can't quite explain it. Whatever it is, you really like her.

Luka: a young man with a heart of gold. He has actually come into the store and bought large bouquets and you watched as he's given out flowers from them to random passersby on the street, confirming they were random when the people came into the store asking about him. He was clearly an athlete in school, but he's just such a sweet man, it's hard to imagine he was the kind of popular guy that was a bully too. Everyone loves him. And much to your dismay, you're not exception.

Chef Geoff (difficulty: hard): a beautiful chef with a passion for his craft. He loves to cook and is always talking about experiments he wants to make. He's actually fairly friendly, inviting people to his restaurant to try his food, though he seems not to really ever want to talk about anything else. His smile draws you in, with his eyes smiling along with his mouth... you want to feel what that mouth would feel like pressed against yours. You find yourself feeling quite dreamy any time he walks into the room.

Who would you like to try to woo? Links will be added as each character's start is written.

Belinda // Clarissa // Glorie // Luka // Chef Geoff

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Like the answers! :D

1: if they were able to paint their faces, what would they paint? When I was little I got my face painted to look like Batman with the blue cowl 😂

2: do they do nostalgic kid stuff, like making noises in front of those plug in fans or play with those door stopper thingies?

3: are the duo the type to slide down a railing/stair banister? For slapstick comedy, I can see them accidentally fall sideways off of it or hitting the end piece crotch first XD

4: has there been a time where they accidentally spilt their pants or taking a energy beam blast, leaving them in their underwear? (Don’t know if this question is ok to answer, message me if this is ok)

5: what was their first cuss word? Either accidentally or purposely.

6: what’s your opinion on the tv show Superman & Lois? I have a few rewriting ideas that you might love ;)

1: the “twins” are much younger, like 8-10

2: the twins aren’t twins XD

3: the Jordan character is superboy Jon Kent who is a year younger. The Jonathan character is Chris Kent who pretty much a little of your version: blue heat vision, gets powers from moon, from the phantom zone (if it exists don’t remember)

4: the first season is about gangs somehow having kryptonian weapons, later it’s revealed it was brought from a wormhole from space similar to Chris’s arrival. The season finale reveals that Chris is a sleeper agent anytime he hears words similar to portals ( portal, dimension, phantom zone itself) for his father Zod.

5: the second season is about Zods invasion & at the end, Chris breaks free of the program due to his superfamily loves & for drama, snaps his neck like in man of steel, due to his “warrior blood”

@pin-crusher2000 Glad you do, now here’s some more of them lol

1) For Jake, I can see the aforementioned Batcowl around his eyes and forehead while for Chris on the other hand, he’d probably would get two matching blue dragons on each side of his cheeks and a House of El S logo on the space between his eyebrows, just being a bit experimental

2) I can see the Duo probably jump on the couch if they’re especially bored (though remembering to put it back together after they’re done), be a little silly and wacky with their Lego sets, have some soda drinking contests and maybe as established before roleplay as warriors from their planet’s past akin to say tag or hide and seek in a way.

3) Mostly likely Jake alone would be doing that since Chris can conversely can float down the stairs for funsies instead. As for comedic mishaps, Jake on his try did indeed accidentally fall off sideways upon making it to the bottom, thankfully he wasn’t badly hurt but now he knows to adjust his balance better afterwards.

4) Actually if they do sustain damage to their outfits, I envision it being for more dramatic and painful reasons than comedic ones, mainly a result of bad beat downs the Duo would get from supervillains on their similar power level. It’s actually more common for them to have their boots shredded off by massive energy blasts and explosions or missing one of two gloves after saving the day. So yeah, nothing too comedic on this case

5) Chris: “Oh hell”; accidentally when he was six and after hearing Lois say it so many times when things went wrong for her. He said it out loud during a time the family were watching Clark trying to fight back against Solaris The Tyrant Sun and it was going badly

Jake: “Son of a Dick!”; On purpose when he’s about five when trying to float of the ground because his powers hadn’t kicked in yet.

6) Oh I like it for what it is just fine but I’ll freely admit those rewrite ideas are REALLY something that they should go for one day. Especially the one of Chris being an unintentional sleep agent for Zod and later fighting back as a season finale. (Chefs Kiss)

I love that SO much XD

[kindlystrawberry]

top 5 rune factory character designs :)

Hi anon THANK YOU FOR THIS QUESTION omg this is wonderful and I have so many opinions. I’ve played various amounts of the 5 main games but I’ve mostly played 1 & 4 so pls note that my opinions will probably be biased. Ok let’s go:

Runner-ups (forgive me, there are SO many good designs I had to include this section):

-I ADORE the butler outfits in rf4. They make so little sense practically, but they are so fun and communicate their design style so well. I also am obsessed with the color scheme.

- FORTE!! She nearly made it to this list but got bumped out my the other rf4 bachelorette designs here. I adore her armor and how it’s relatively practical as far as anime style armor goes (I’m looking at you, armor bikinis), I love the cohesive color palette, and I love all the details of the fabrics.

- literally just. All the rf1 bachelorette. They are so underrated and their shit is SO COOL. Melody?? Adorable. Mist?? Iconic. Lynette?? The eye patch?? The Heterochromia?? Serving. They are all fantastic.

- Karina. Her outfit is cute as hell, and feels pretty unique for rf while still being very much of the series’ style. I love that little bandanna, and as you’re gonna see in this list I’m a sucker for the silver/white/blue palette.

- Beatrice !! She nearly made it on here, but alas. I love her cool regal design, I love her color palette (blue/white anyone?) and I love the shape of her silhouette, but imo her design gets a bit muddled/overcrowded which takes her off the list.

Now for the main list! I’ll include pics at the bottom because I’m on mobile and it won’t let me insert them where I want (I’m at work, maybe I’ll fix this later lol.)

5. Sharon - RF1: my icon, my queen, my first girl, literally instrumental to my queer awakening when I was 10. I love her extremely limited color palette and simplistic design when compared to other RF designs. It makes her look so elegant and ethereal, which really communicates her vibes. I’m also obsessed with her jewelry, and which RF would use that more frequently as centerpieces of designs. She’s number 5 bc her design is a tiny bit TOO on the simple side, as much as I also love that about her. I would have loved if they had added just a bit more to her dress, like maybe some subtle lace so it’s not just long shapes of pure white.

4. Alicia - RF2: ok. Right off the bat let me say: yes, her design gets points deducted for the boobs. As a big-breasted woman myself, it always annoys me when I see impractical bra/bust designs with big old anime tiddies. As a queer woman though? I am looking respectfully. Onto the positive: the color palette is SO STRONG, with few colors but the colors they do have are bold and eye-catching. She arguably has the best silhouette of the entire list too, with the big defined shapes of her cape and hat contrasted with her wavy soft hair. I also love her bracelet dangles? She’s an icon.

3. Micah - RF3: he is the PARAGON of RF protagonist design to me. The fluff trim, the boots, the stripy fabrics, the spiky but soft-looking anime hair, the earth-gone palette… he is everything. I also am obsessed with his bare shoulders, those absolutely sell the design for me. Not to mention his wooly design. Mwah. Chef’s kiss. The only reason he’s at 3 is that his design is just a little muddled for me. Fixing up some of the trimmings and adding a tiny bit more cohesion to the color palette (like why black and orange pants??) would fix it for me.

2. Dolce - RF4: At number 2 is Dolce, ghost queen herself. I’m obsessed with her design. She was nearly number 1, but her color scheme and shape design is just a tiiiiny but less interesting to me than number 1. That being said i overall ADORE her red/pink centered palette, I love the overall dark but vibrant colors, and I love how solidly they stick to her design premise. I think the extra details on her dress and the use of jewelry on her, which are attention-catching enough to be so interesting and fun but not so much to totally be distracting.

1. Xiao Pai - RF4: Xiao Pai my BELOVED!!!! I don’t think her design gets nearly enough love. The color scheme is GORGEOUS and fun while still being so coherent, the shapes are a delight, and the details are perfectly balanced to keep her design interesting and unified! I also find her hair adorable, and I LOVE THAT SHE WEARS PANTS. I know that’s kind of silly but I just don’t think enough rf women get to wear pants and they just look SO cute on her. My favorite part of her outfit is either the shoulder pads(??) or the fluff waistcoat (??). Does her design make complete sense? No. But that’s what makes it rune factory, baby!!!!

Anyway, anon thank you so much for asking me this I had such a good (and difficult) time coming up with this list!! I hope this is what you were looking for!

[wildwoof]

For Funsies I'm redoing this entire ask game I was sent for the new year

( @bigtopveggie / @kuruparlayan )

1 - Who do you currently produce?

I mainly produce Koga!! With Jun following behind Koga by not much. I also focus on UNDEAD as well as Eve, as UNDEAD matters significantly to Koga with his unitmates & Eve specifically over the entire Eden. When it comes to producing fan numbers, it's definitely Koga #1.

2 - Who did you first produce?

When I booted up Ensemble Stars!! around the time the localized app first launched, I picked Hinata's leader card. When it came to actually paying attention to, it was first Subaru. I stopped playing from like BIGBANG at the end of June until mid-August when CONQUEST was halfway through. But when I picked back up the game & got hooked, who I produced quickly changed.

3 - do you have a producersona?

I do not!!! Even though I use my nickname in place of Anzu's name, I dissociate myself from Anzu. I am not actually Producer-chan in my mind. Though, Mao has jokingly called me Anzu due to how I am, so I will jokingly say that I am Anzu & Anzu is me, but truly Anzu is her own character in my mind completely. There's no way I could truthfully produce all these idol units the way Anzu does. I'd get overwhelmed quickly & panic lol.

4 - what got you into enstars?

So this answer hasn't changed since my original answering of this game! Quote-on-quote: "I was just chatting with a friend, ya know who, Jay about enstars when the localization of the game dropped for pre-registration. I'd been itching for a rhythm game to play, so it fit the bill. I downloaded the game & played for a lil bit, but it hadn't quite caught me yet. Then another friend decided to play as well for a collab & at that point I finally got hooked on it completely. Seeing the boys I pick dancing around on the stage??? I was sold officially, especially since I was getting more cards of the boys."

5 - what's your favorite headcanon about the character you produce?

Jazz hands excessively over the entirety of my blog. It's hard for me to choose. Admittedly, I still love my personal agenda on Koga having a little squish to his belly. He's still very fit & highly flexible, but he's not overly muscular, so when he's sitting down he has that little extra squish of a tummy. This is from my original post too, but I do additionally want to add that I am a HUGE sucker now for Koga finding comfort in having a piece of clothing that smells like his partner, so that when he's sleeping in his dorm room, he's able to have their scent around him & comfort him into sleep. It's cute. I live by it. Give him your shirts & hoodies.

6 - how long have you been in the enstars fandom?

Since August of 2022. Again, I DID have my account in June when the localization first dropped, but I was not actually INTO enstars until I picked it back up again in August. So it's been over a year now. Going on 2 years this year.

7 - what is your favorite unit?

UNDEAD my beloveds. What matters most to Koga matters the most to me too.

8 - what is your favorite song?

SWEATS.... This is still such an absolutely difficult choice for me to make overall. While my original answer said Fight for Judge, that was during the time that I kept putting that song on repeat when it's MV dropped in engstars, prior to me listening to other songs either without MVs or not released in engstars yet. Ultimately, it's truthfully a tie between Darkness 4 & Paradise Banishment -Faith Conquest-. I love love love Darkness 4, please listen to it & hear Ono Yuki's note runs. tHEY ARE SO PLEASING ON THE EARS. But no matter how many Eden songs I've heard that I've come to love, NOTHING tops Faith Conquest. I just mmmm chef's kiss that one so much. Plus, Jun says GODDAMN in the song. It's perfect.

9 - which unit do you think is underrated?

OOF. I still cannot give what I feel to be a proper answer to this, but it's also worded in a way that's CLEARLY to let everyone know it's an opinionated question. It does still feel like Switch is a pretty underrated unit from my standpoint. I mean, personally I still don't have any FULL care for them, but I have come to enjoy a few of their songs honestly. I do not truthfully see much of Switch, but there's a chance since I don't really care I'm just missing it.

10 - which character do you feel is most underrated?

Quote-on-quote: "Considering I hardly pay attention to any character that isn't a boy that I like, I don't think I have any room to be thinking about who could be underrated. I can literally say right here & now that I think Koga is underrated since there's not often anything new in his tag on tumblr, but I find stuff for him everywhere else often. I could also say Chiaki is underrated because of how his personality is shaped, that he wants to be cool & dote on those under him, but his thoughts are very much to tokusatsu, hero stuff, & he has a very typical masculine MALE way of thinking, but he also hasn't taken any time to himself to work on himself, so he can be rather misjudged at times for this. But are they truly underrated?? I can't say, but it's possible. Also very very possible they are not, which is more likely. But I can say that Koga is underrated when compared with both Kaoru & Rei, Adonis even more so. Adonis might be the most underrated of the UNDEAD boys, tbh. I could base it off boys I hardly see, but again - I rarely look for them, so of course I'm not going to see anything." My stance on this question truthfully hasn't changed.

11 - do you have a least favorite character?

Ahahaha.... yes, of course. I don't HATE any of the boys, honestly. Even Eichi I do not straight up HATE. He acted on his lack-of morals to achieve his ultimate goal. Could I strangle him??? Yeah, probably. Kick him?? For sure. Kick him in the knees. But if it comes to a personal attention of hearing them grinds me the wrong way & I want them to shut up??? It's honestly Tori & Hajime. As I said before, I am NOT a fan of girly-shota boys. Now, Tori has had his moments where I was like 'alright, he's ok right now', but I tend to skip past a lot of Hajime's moments. Again, I don't actually HATE them. They've vibing there & absolutely enjoying themselves to their fullest. I'm just not a fan. Admittedly, I've also lost some interest in Mika as well. I used to be alright with Mika, but it's slowly fallen away from him more & more. It doesn't have to do with his constant chatting about Shu. If that were so, I'd have lost interest in Jun by this point too who constantly talks about Hiyori, but I dunno how to put my finger on it... The substance that keeps there isn't showing itself to me.

12 - what was your favorite event?

It's definitely a tie at the moment between Nightless City & Sandstorm. They both have their different impacts on Koga that live within my brain still. Koga is an emotionally driven boy. It's these ups & downs that he goes through with those around him that drive him forward in different manners. If I answer this ask game again say like next year this question might change for all I know.

13 - what server are you on?

Almost all servers by this point. My MAIN account is indeed on the localized EN server!! You can add me at UID 7954078923 !! I also have JP server accounts too!! Which my music ID is noftekdr & my basic ID is dmckrw8p !! You can add me if you'd like! I also have a baby KR server account too! My UID there is 7189565575 !

14 - what card are you currently saving for?

What is saving dia? I have no idea what that means at all. fdjhgdkjdfhglkjhdfg. Anyways, the next card I'm aiming for is Rei's La Mort card that's coming up here real soon! I do have dia tickets saved up to hopefully alleviate some of the dia crying I'm gonna end up doing because getting Rei to come home at any point is a trial & a half.

15 - what is your favorite ship?

As a personal sucker for shipping, my favorite ship is Hiyori & Jun. They were the first two that I can say that officially put my attention onto. While I did ship Rei & Koga at the time, I hadn't delved deep into them at the time. There's far more for them than there is for Hiyori & Jun, which started all thanks to me reading CONQUEST when I first returned to playing enstars. But as Koga slowly took over my entire brain & I began reading more from ! era, I have far more brainrot over Rei & Koga than I do Hiyori & Jun, but I still always absolutely adore the banter & dedication Hiyori & Jun have with each other. I'm not gonna dive deep into Rei & Koga here... Just read all my rambles on my blog, I assure you, you'll see it clear as day. But I do still actively stand by Koga has 2 hands for Rei & Adonis.

16 - what is your favorite underrated ship?

I think that falls into my rarepair that I do see a lot of for a multitude of reasons. Do I know the reasons? Oh yes. They are clear as day, but I am not a fan of the ship -- ok, I'm getting off topic here. I do actually ship Kuro & Shu!! Do I know the problems with them as a ship?? Oh yes. 100%. But childhood friends is one of my weaknesses. Admittedly I do not ship them as strongly as I used to. My interests have of course shifted, but out of all the ships that I have, I'd still say that they are more underrated. Another would most likely be Kaname & Jun. I do not mean MERU ofc, but Kaname & Jun has its potential there.

17 - what non-problematic ship do you dislike?

What non-problematic ships ??? They ALL are problematic in some way, shape, or form. There's not a single ship in this godforsaken game that isn't problematic. Don't try to pull anything on me that says otherwise. Look at these boys. If you say it's not problematic in some way, then you aren't properly looking at these boys. There's some flaw in there that's sure to arise, whether from past experiences or present personalities. I can list ships I dislike but they have the biggest red flags to me, personally. Maybe not everyone, but to me. Even my biggest ships I love are also problematic. HiyoJun??? Problematic. ReiKoga??? Problematic. MidoChia??? Problematic. & NO I do not mean in a sense of their age gaps. C'mon, a two-year age gap for some of them IS NOT BAD. Even if one is still in high school while the other is graduated. I am married to someone who is FOUR YEARS older than me. Don't give me this shit.

18 - what is your favorite shuffle unit?

I still say BLEND+ Koga in his lil barista outfit is my favorite. The song, Heart aid Cafeteria, is very sweet, but I wouldn't say it's honestly my favorite SONG. It's cute. They're all adorable in it. But my favorite shuffle unit song actually has to be Noir Neige. If you hadn't heard it. I just. Chef's kiss.

19 - what are your favorite 5* and 4* cards?

I have too many, so I am purposely going to choose FEWER for the next question bc omfg... this is too many images.

20 - what are your favorite 3* cards?

I AM GOING TO TRY TO LIMIT MYSELF TO ALL TIME FAVORITE. JUST ONE FOR EACH OF MY BOYS & THAT IS IT. edit: I lied. I couldn't pick just one 3 star card for Koga.

21 - do you have a favorite story?

22 - do you have any enstars ocs?

No lmao. Bye. I don't. Don't see the point in it. MAYBE producers. But Anzu is basically the producer for all these boys as is. No one else produces them. I MEAN, are there adults who give job offers, but it's Anzu's decision. Or honestly Ibara's decision when it comes to Eden. If I were making enstars OCs, I might as well just make them regular idol OCs at that point. They can be worked into enstars for that purpose but no point in making it so specific.

23 - do you interact with the enstars community often?

I do not interact with the community at all. I vibe & enjoy my time with the game than getting involved in fandom communities. The CLOSEST I get is the few people who write enstars characters here on tumblr. You guys are my community. The rest of the community? Doesn't exist in my mind. Well it sort of does. In the sense that we just send gifts to each other in game every day.

[kittttycakes]

It’s been mostly the bad/deadline kinda busy, and still is, but I’m actively ignoring that now to procrastinate and revel in the world that you’ve created.

I love Hob the enabler, and the idea of him having this petty revenge side of him that he doesn’t want Grace to see.

And I do love that Morpheus has the ‘I’m not human so can’t be held to human standards of morality’ card to play (within reason).

I alllmost feel sorry for Dr Ward if that’s the nightmare he’s getting though. That is one of the worst!

Omg thank you for indulging the brain rot and expanding on that scenario so much more!

I have many thoughts!!! (Sorry!).

1. Grace’s ring…

- what does it look like?

- Is she engaged or married here?

- Is it her ring from Hob?

- Does she have one from Morpheus? If so what does that look like and does she wear both?

- If not, is it a ring from both Hob and Morpheus?

- Do they have rings? What do they look like?

2. How does that convo go down when the thugs ask for her ring? Who swings the first punch?

3. Morpheus’ arrival. When I was daydreaming about this I was trying to figure out which would be hotter or more terrifying:

A) the looming, shadowy slightly inhuman version of Morpheus, pale and starry eyed.

B) the icy cold rage of his human form (as in the Calliope episode. Picturing the thugs seeing Morpheus, thinking he’s just a skinny goth and no threat, then seeing shadows coming from him one by one and their co-thugs go down writhing in unconscious terror.

4. Even though Morpheus can’t hurt mortals in the waking world, do you think he’ be above asking Hob to lay the boot in a bit, or letting Hob do a bit of violence on his behalf?

5. *knocks on trash dumpster lid* Yesss, the fussing over bleeding knuckles. Little kisses on each knuckle. The super possessive, don’t touch what’s mine sex. *chef kiss* perfection!

Also, on an unrelated note, I loved the comic you posted of Matthew and Crawley in the cones of shame!

Glad to hear you’re doing well! Sending you all of the ‘you can do it!’ vibes!

Oh, I feel you, I am the worst procrastinator until I panic and finish everything in one very stressed out burst!

I am always happy to receive more thoughts!! I’m jumping to 2 because I’m going to put 1 under the cut (is it spoilers if it’s for a fic? I love spoilers myself but I know not everyone does so that one will be hidden, just in case).

Hob absolutely swings first. He wants the element of surprise and he’s got it. He doesn’t look like the kind of guy who doesn’t have any problem holding his own in a fight. Sure, he’s in good shape, but nothing about him screams “scrapper” in 2023. He’s wearing a nice jacket for their date night and he probably has his very professorial glasses on because Grace likes them, so him throwing the first punch? Very much unexpected, and to his advantage.

Both are such good options! There’s this cold emanating rage that Morpheus can give off that’s just SO highly effective in any form, but I’m just such a sucker for ever so slightly inhuman Morpheus. He’s human shaped…mostly, but when they look right at him, it’s like the edges of him forgot what a human looks like, and his shadow just keeps growing and writhing on the pavement, extending out in all directions until it covers the entire alleyway in something darker than night before the screaming starts. And he doesn’t even have to lay a finger on them!

Morpheus is not above it at all, not when it makes Hob so very happy to be useful for him. Hob wants to be loyal and he wants to prove that loyalty, and if he can do that by the laying on of hands? Sign him right up. He would fight for Morpheus in a heartbeat. Human enemies, challengers to his realm, the hoards of Hell, Hob wants to get his hands dirty where Morpheus can’t, and Morpheus will gladly watch.

Yes yes yes! Kissing each knuckle and the little bit of blood that lingers on the lips after? Immediately yes. Bandaging up after? Perfection. The physical reminder for a few days afterwards? So good. In a completely alternate scenario, I have so many thoughts about Hob bare-knuckle boxing, historically.

It was so cute!! I love Matthew so much, he’s so much fun, and so indignant about the cone of shame (which was very much deserved).

Thank you for the vibes!!! We’re chugging along!

Now, for possible spoilers:

This is great, because there will be instances of the rings in the two epilogue chapters, but to avoid over burdening the fic with too much ring description (which may already be happening, I can talk about it here!

By the time I envision this scenario happening (post fic), they’re all married. Grace has three rings, Hob has two, and Morpheus has one.

Grace has:

- her engagement ring from Hob, an antique gold fede ring, worn on her left hand

- her wedding band, also gold, worn on her left hand and stacked with her engagement ring

- her ring from Morpheus, gold with an oval cut (non dreamstone) ruby, worn on her right hand

Hob has:

- his wedding band, gold, worn on his left hand

- his ring from Morpheus, fairly simple, gold band with an inlaid very slender square cut (non dreamstone) ruby, worn on his right hand

Morpheus has:

- his wedding band which he probably ends up manifesting more often than not, also gold

Hob would have absolutely gotten Morpheus an additional ring, but it’s so hard to find something for a being who can manifest anything he wants. All of their wedding rings match, though, they’re part of a nice matched set of three.

[figkeele]

2022 in books

So finally, I take the time and make a little top list of the best books I've read this year.

Note: These were not all released this year, I can't keep up with fresh releases, so without further ado:

10. Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer (thriller, sci-fi): I've tried to like Annihilation by VanderMeer but it was just a hit-and-miss for me but this book is where I finally clicked with the author. I love his writing style, it's a very straightforward thriller but in the time of our extinction.

9. Skein Island by Aliya Whiteley (weird fiction): Whiteley is shaping up to be one of my favorite authors, she uses the weird elements to explore the role of women in society. This particular book takes a closer look at the roles women play in stories and literature with a dash of weird horror.

8. The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley (weird fiction, thriller): In this book Whiteley uses the idea of every 7 years we change completely, so here people literally are different, with shedding their skin, they shed their love, and memories too. It's an interesting exploration of love and relationships and how relationships shift with how we change. Haunting and beautiful.

7. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (ecofiction, sci-fi): Barely a novel but I consumed it in almost one sitting (even though it's a big brick of a book), an idea about how we might save the Earth from climate change and from ourselves. Kinda hopeful.

6. Finlay Donovan Knocks 'em Dead by Elle Cosimano (humorous mystery crime - 2nd book in series): So I was not sold on the basic premise of this book: a single mother/novelist behind deadlines gets mistaken for a hitman, so she has to deal with that. But it's a perfect cross between Bridget Jones and Desperate Housewives - a nice comfort read. Surprise of the year, this series!

5. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (humorous mystery crime - 1st book in series): see above.

4. A Stranger in Town by Kelley Armstrong (mystery crime - 6th book in series): so yeah, my absolute favorite writer is still Armstrong, she writes to my soul. Is there like an author soulmate? Because if yes, she is it. I'm still behind with this series - there are 7th books out, but it's a fast-paced crime with a dash of romance.

3. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong (time travel, romance, mystery crime - 1st in series): Armstrong's new series is about a modern-time detective going back in time (with a serial killer to boot) and doing some sleuthing. The romance set-up is already my favorite, the romantic tension is *chef's kiss* Also, I'm in my time travel romance phase, so Armstrong is keeping me fed. See the next point:

2. A Turn of the Tide by Kelley Armstrong (time travel, historical romance, 3rd in series but a stand-alone novel): So admittedly, I didn't really like the first two books in the series - the first was a second chance romance, and I hate those, but it's Armstrong so I've read it. That was an okay book. The second book - I think - is sadly Armstrong's weakest book, again a second chance romance but also the story was weirdly paced. BUT THIS ONE! It's Robin Hood-inspired, swashbuckling romance, though I have to say, it's not the usual mutual pining fare, more like mutual horny and very open about it, ha.

1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (sci-fi): I know, I know, I live under a rock because I haven't read anything from Weir before this, and I didn't even see the Martian movie, but it's really a good comfort book. I ♥ Rocky.

[ilopisara]

08.12. 21:19 | Ilo Pisara vs Czesko a mozna Slovensko 6 - 5

Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round for the tale of Ilo Pisara's latest clash on ice—a nail-biting spectacle that ended in a 6-5 victory over Czesko a mozna Slovensko. It was like watching gladiators with sticks, only less ancient Rome and more modern-day mayhem. First off, let’s talk about Konsta Terde—what a maestro! With three goals and two assists, he was slicing through the defense like it was butter on his breakfast toast. A powerplay goal to boot? Chef's kiss! Yuri Tarde wasn't far behind; dishing out passes sweeter than grandma's apple pie and netting two himself. His shots were so precise they'd make Cupid envious this Valentine’s Day. Macho Fantastico—you lumbering tower of strength—managed to rack up an impressive number of giveaways (18!), but redeemed yourself by contributing one goal plus two assists. Let's aim for fewer gifts next time unless it’s Christmas again already? Teppo Winnipeg played as if his skates were laced with determination; solid team play there! And Sami Noddy... oh dear Sami—with ten giveaways you might want to consider opening your own charity foundation. Overall though, our shot count soared higher than my blood pressure during those final minutes—22 compared to their measly 14—and we capitalized on our powerplays better than opportunists at stock market dips. Remember folks: We're building momentum here faster than rumors spread in high school hallways—but consistency is key or else we'll be fluctuating more wildly than my aunt Marge's mood swings before her morning coffee. Keep grinding or start shining those golf clubs—it could go either way!

[shiplessoceans]

I absolute love episode 5 "The best revenge is dressing well" because it could literally have been named "The unwitting seduction of Edward Teach by Stede Bonnet".

At the beginning of the episode, Blackbeard intends to kill this fancy man, disfigure him, take his ship and assume his identity. He sees Stede as a means to an end at that point, and he's desperate to stop living the life he is.

And then over the course of the episode, Stede does the following:

Pays attention to and shows an interest in Blackbeard's life and skills

Takes time to teach him etiquette while never being judgemental

Encourages him not to let himself be angered by a racist bully and mocks said bully in a language he understands (not a single tureen, honestly).

Makes an effort to check in with Ed to gently inquire about how he's feeling because he paid attention and noticed that Ed was hurt.

Explained the type of bullying and empathized with Ed that it IS diabolical and he is justified in feeling upset.

Agrees to go to a fancy party he's not interested in simply because Ed wants to.

Lends Ed clothes and finery so that he may blend in.

Escorts Ed into the party, making sure to check in with him and that he's comfortable and doesn't want to leave or isn't too overwhelmed. Warns Ed not to put too much stock in this crowds opinion of him.

Excuses himself as he is just not comfortable in the party situation, especially after being laughed at, but stays close by so that Ed doesn't have to leave and has backup if he needs it.

Is outraged on Ed's behalf when the rich people hurt his feelings, never once saying 'I told you so.'

Though we have never seen Stede stand up to or defend himself against the upper crust society types, he tells Ed to stand down (probably to prevent further humiliation) and instead gets intel on and destroys the lives and reputations of the people who hurt Ed by exposing how unworthy of admiration they are. They could have just left the ship. But no. They hurt his friend and Stede's not gonna stand for that.

Approaches Ed again to check in on how he's feeling and APOLOGISES TO HIM for the way the evening turned out. This gets glossed over but keep in mind Stede didn't even want to go to this. And yet he's apologising for those awful people's behaviour. Because he wants to make it clear that it's NOT ED'S FAULT.

Makes sure to tell Ed that he's very sophisticated. Coming from Stede that means a lot.

At this point Ed is handling his red silk and earlier in the episode we saw him quickly hide it away when he heard Stede approaching. But not now. Stede has been nothing if not kind, considerate, caring and accommodating all episode and he defended Ed's honour. Subconsciously Ed doesn't feel the need to hide this secret thing from Stede anymore, the metaphor for his heart/hopes/weaknesses.

Then Stede compliments the silk.

Ed, defensively mocks it, saying that it's old and tatty. Unworthy of admiration.

Stede disagrees and asks respectfully to handle it, fashioning it into something Ed can be proud of and wear.

"You wear fine things well" is brilliant because it's a double compliment.

Stede is telling Ed: "Your heart, who you are, what you secretly want and hope to be is a fine thing. And I think it looks good on you."

No-one in all of Ed's life has ever told him that. Not even his own mother. For someone to accept Ed, not only as Blackbeard, but the quiet, private part of his heart that longs for softer, gentler things and yearns for connection and a life without violence.

It's the quickest and most thorough seduction and Ed is head over boot heels from that moment forward, so much so that he goes for the kiss.

And the best part is that Stede did this completely by accident and has absolutely no idea.

Poetic cinema. Chef's kiss.

[here-but-forgotten]

stu: babe I love you :)

le babé: aww thank you dear I love you too :)

stu: look I got Billy to carve your initials into me :)

le babé: what the fuck.

rambles | j.d. , stu , Billy , Poly!ghostface | pt. 5

my darkest rambles so far

content warnings/notes: murder, mentions of noncon, j.d. being halfway decent and more sane than Billy and stu, mention of rape/rapist, boot kink whoops, mentions of chloroform, knives + blood, dark content- be warned. But also some oddly domestic moments?? Some fluff somehow.

poly!ghostface. stu macher. billy loomis. jason dean.

YA EVER THINK ABOUT IF BILLY N STU FINGERED YOU WITH THEIR GLOVES ON THEIR FINGERS WOULD BE THICKER YEAH OKAY HAND GLOVE KINK OUT BYE-

Stu would probably enjoy chasing you and tell you to keep struggling against him and get off on your rp fear and squirms. Cumming whenever you start begging.

I always write stu as the more sadistic one for some reason. On that note- if they could, they would plan a kill with you present, but this one would be much more leaning into torture. Can be planned with you knowing and just acting, or this is how they claim you (noncon). Choosing a house with a central, lockable room; no windows, maybe a basement. Getting everyone down there and restrained in some way; binding you nice and tight to where stu can be wicked with you. Holding you in front of the group, making you cry, making you lick his boot- all while Billy is circling like a shark and cutting anyone who’s trying to get up and out of their restraints. Stu teasing you until it’s genuinely uncomfortable to not cum, forcing you to grind against his boot until you cum- claiming you with your orgasm as Billy finally starts killing them. “Leaving you for last”, but never killing you; if it was consensual, they take you to clean you up, sneaking you out of the house with them. If not, they (lovingly and gently) chloroform you and leave you for the cops to find. Billy and stu start talking to you a lot more at school after that incident. What good friends.

I feel like j.d. wouldn’t mind darker roleplay; agreeing to acting as though he’s kidnapping you, as though he’s chloroforming you- maybe even actually doing so-, binding you up in your room, but he would only do it with your explicit consent at some point. Early on- yeah, he’s claiming you. But later on, when you’re his and he’s yours and there’s no doubt or change to that- explicit, roleplay consent we stan

stu gets very giddy if you’re content with what they do. like he gets more affectionate and closer to you without much thought only because he can let his mask slip around you because he doesn’t have to wear one. Billy is Billy he’s going through some shit but he’s in a similar boat of closeness without a mask.

they’ll buy you a ghostface costume if you want. if you’re considerably shorter than them cough cough me they will coo over you. dress you up in it and talk about how much smaller you are. they will give you a knife. BUT IF YOU THROW HEELED/PLATFORM COMBAT BOOTS INTO THE MIX chefs kiss they’re fucking you right then and there.

Ride stu in your ghostface costume :)

Billy can and will fuck you in his costume and make a day of it.

on that note of knives, Billy has a bit of paranoia of you getting injured or attacked when he or stu is not around, so, he’ll give you a hunting knife. give a crash course as to where and what to cut to be the most effective.

if they ever restrain a victim and have sensed some darkness in you kingdom hearts looking headass description, they’ll bring you to a kill and one of them will hold your hand and slit their throat with you.

stu is sadistic but also likes praising you!! so naturally he praises you whenever you let him guide you to slit a throat- breathing against your ear, lips curling, getting overly excited once it’s done and kissing you all over with blood all over his hands.

inspired by a @slasherscream murder rapist post what a fucking comment !!!

your rapist living among your community after everything that happened; living as though nothing happened. watching you at school. bring back the memories you’ve worked to move past. making your skin burn and crawl.

stu and Billy noticing; opening themselves up to you a little bit more to encourage you to open yourself up to them. listening silently when you tell them. stu instantly comforting and Billy silently planning as he places a kiss on your forehead.

asking you if you’re okay with blood. if you’re okay watching them die. nodding yes and solidifying the plan. hell, it worked better in Billy’s favor; killing someone who wasn’t even on their radar.

taking you with the one who comes in second; stu going in first; toying. cold. uncharacteristically calculated. stu was always secretly calculating, but even this was more than that. Billy pulling you behind him, the victim laying on the ground- restrained with a rope around their neck, stu silently tightening it every time they fought back too much.

billy leading you to the pinned down bastard, holding your hand as he leads the knife along, slowly cutting and relishing with their screams. stu getting too riled up, pulling off his mask and cupping your face, kissing you with a gentleness uncharacteristic for the current situation. stu taking your hand from Billy’s to mimic his actions. Billy kissing and sucking on your neck as he watches the two of you- some sort of domestic feeling in all of this.

just the three of you; that’s all it has to be.

[jinxthejubilee]

Judging/Rating Demon Forms: Part 2

I really wanted to follow up by rating Diavolo's and Barbatos' demon forms, but then I decided that it wouldn't be enough, so I added in Simeon and Luke since they're always in their angelic forms anyway, minus the wings. I also added Solomon because, honestly he might as well be a demon with how long he's lived. Enjoy!

- Warning: I want NO real slander towards the Obey Me devs for their outfits. These are just my opinions for the fun of it, I have grown used to each of their forms.

- ALSO, their demon forms look much better in their in-game cards and fan art. I'm making my judgements based on their in-game models.

1) Diavolo: His Majesty The Human Kidnapper

I really like how grand and bold his form is!

I don't really get the sense of regalness, though. Not sure why, maybe it's the lack of a shirt. But I DO sense the powerful aura he has.

So much gold. Mammon wishes he could dress like this.

Speaking of which, I don't know who on the card design team has such a problem deciding Mammon's and Diavolo's skin tones, but can ya'll make up your mind?? Or at least use an eyedroper?? Please???

Anyway, I'm not sure what the deal is with his skin once he's in his demon form, but eh, it is what it is.

His hair color and wings compliment the gold perfectly. ✨️

I like the cuffs, his arms would look too bare without them.

The fluff attached to his...medallion? In the middle, looks great and creates a "fuller look," if you get what I mean.

I think his symbolic animal is supposed to be a dragon. Which, yeah. They sure got that part down. What represents a dragon more than putting wings all over his outfit?

Which begs the question, does he have a tail?

The boots are cool, not much to say there.

I love the golden tips of his wings and horns. They look better than Mammon or Asmo's tips, which look like they've been spray painted on (I'm so sorry my boys 😞).

10/10. Very bold, love the gold, and I love dragons so he gets all the points from me. All hail the king! 👑

2) Barbatos: Mr. Barbietoes

Ah, we love...um...lizards? It doesn't say what his symbolic animal is, so I haven't got a clue. But I like his tail!

His horns are so cool! They look like skeletal wings or hands.

His outfit overall is very simple, and it really fits with his personality. Dresses nice but low key so everyone's attention is on Diavolo.

Not too sure what the buttons on each side are all about. But then again, I can say that for almost all of them.

I'm a fan of puffiness on outfits, so his sleeves and whatever that is on his shoulder (I'm assuming it's a jabot) get a plus from me.

9/10. Not a whole lot to say for this one. Barbie's is just one of nicest ones to look at.

3) Luke: My Son! My Big Little Boy! My ferocious little puppy!

Our angelic marshmallow! 💖

The blue and gold! Chef's kiss 💋

His cute little jabot and whatever that top part is over his shirt.

I'm kinda disappointed that they just put regular shorts on him instead of those puffy shorts we see squires wear.

Not a huge fan of the boots, I still don't understand why they went with those.

His hat is cute! His head looks too bare without it on.

It looks like he's dragging his robes on the floor, and that's adorable

8/10. He's the one angel who's outfit doesn't look like it'll fall down every 10 seconds (hint hint), so he gets bonus points just for that. Plus, he just looks like a little kid. What else am I gonna say?

5) Simeon: Mr. Nice Shoulders, A.K.A: The 2nd Shadiest Dude in the Game.

Honestly, his outfit is just fascinating.

It both baffles, yet intrigues me.

His robes are attached by one golden chain, yet the robes stay perfectly in tact.

The cutouts on both sides of his waist.

The black and white belt, which looks like a sheet of paper wrapped around him. I didn't notice how much it stood out before I looked at it a couple of times.

His gloves are long, and now I wonder if he had them purposefully cut like that.

The fact that he looks like he jingles when he moves thanks to those gold ✨️ on the end if his robes.

6/10. His outfit is the perfect representation of impossible outfits to wear in real life, yet somehow makes sense in the world of anime.

5) Solomon: King Solomon: The Magic Man! 🎩

Okay, I know what you're thinking.

"Why is Solomon last place?"

And no, it's not because his outfit is worse than Simeon's. Quite the contrary.

But Simeon's angel form is such a hot mess that I needed to put it higher than Solomon.

Sorry my liege. 🤣

Anyway. Onto the judging.

I love the dark blue transitioning to lighter blues on the end of his coat.

I also love the sparkles, reminds me of a starry sky.

The gold embroidery is pretty too.

The main thing that bothers me about his outfit: for the longest time, I thought his coat was a robe. Meaning that he's doing the whole "I'm not gonna wear my coat the right way like a decent human being," thing that Lucifer and Satan do.

Guys, I promise you. It's not that bad to wear both sleeves!

Also, Solmare. Don't be afraid. Give us a robe for our resident troll over here.

Not much else to say, he's kinda boring in comparison to Simeon.

5/10. It really should be higher, but I can't get over the sleeve situation, nor Simeon's ENTIRE wardrobe situation.

[thefreakishmuffin]

Rating Hunter’s outfits (so far) from TOH

Did this once going over the different outfits of Jareth from Labyrinth and I’m gonna be doing so for Hunter because... Why not??

The Golden Guard (8/10)

His first outfit honestly looks really good. I like the design, the colors, the staff, the mask, and especially that one piece of shoulder armor. It gives it a bit of an asymmetrical look and I’m kinda digging it. Not much else to say. It just looks pretty good.

Gender Envy (7/10)

It’s a pretty good design and one of the big reasons I’m ranking it so high is because this is when we first get to see his awesome hairstyle and I am loving the blue and gold color scheme/contrast! Not to mention complimented by the red eyes? *chefs kiss* This triadic color scheme is bomb. the reason it’s only at a seven though? That vest looks way too uncomfortable to me. 

A ‘Bad but sad boy’ (3/10)

Let’s be honest with ourselves here. This bland, boring outfit isn’t doing our boy any favors. He looks fine here, but certainly not like the golden boy he is. Even Flapjack can’t seem to believe the fashion disaster he’s seeing. With all the gray and black it looks like he’s dressed for a funeral... Oh wait...

What a child solider right here... (9/10)

This is just another version of his Golden Guard uniform that is also missing the cape. He looks really good with the tunic just slightly more fitted and with the dark black pants and alternate collar to his shirt. He looks very princely here. And not the ‘I’m gonna sit in a castle all day’ kinda of princely, but a, ‘I am going to go out and fight a battle’ kind of princely. You go king! Or prince, I guess.

Feels like a full on Hexside AU here ngl  (5/10)

The outfit is a very standard Hexside uniform, but that doesn’t mean it looks bad. It looks very much like a few of the AUs I’ve seen out there where Hunter is a Hexside student. Won’t lie, as someone who can’t use magic naturally, the potion track would suit him quite well.

A fun episode for Hunter before he is irreversibly traumatized for life by Hollow Mind (6/10)

JUST LET HIM HAVE FUN DANGIT LET HIM HAVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But aside from that, he looks okay. But that smile he’s wearing makes it all the more wonderful. 

Homeless Hunter (1/10)

I know he’s wearing this outfit because he’s hiding out at the school to escape Belos but... LOOK AT HOW THEY HAVE MASSACRED OUR BOY!!!!!!!!! Even Gus is judging him here!!!!!!!

Rebel Hunter (10/10)

What can I say about this outfit that hasn’t been said already? He looks amazing! He straight up looks like someone right out of the pages of an young adult adventure/fantasy story you’d find in your local library, and he is rocking it. And I won’t lie, I am a sucker for boots and the sideways belt with a little bag on the side. He looks like an anti-hero getting ready to take on evil and kick his uncle in the face!!

Grom AU Brown Suit (0/10) and Black Suit (11/10)

(Art by Dana Terrace)

Alright, I won’t even comment on the brown suit because that’ll take me all day. But the black suit? PERFECTION INCARNATE!!!! Our boy is slaying in those threads and I sincerely want another dance episode where we finally get to see him rocking this outfit in animation.

Let me know if I should do this for other characters!

[deerestapologies]

5 times you called him by a pet name + one time he called you by a pet name

(Diluc + Zhongli x GN!Reader)

Diluc

1. "Oh, hey hon." You greet mildly.

The candles have begun burning a bit low, the long shadows making his pout even more obvious.

"I apologize, I was held up for longer than anticipated."

He produces a small bouquet from his coat, a cluster of wildflowers, and approaches like he's about to give an offering instead of a gift. He kneels by your chair, face stoic as usual, but you can see the worry and shame in his eyes.

You twirl the stems to absorb their delicate scent, and then carefully drop them in your water glass. You cup his face in your hands, and press a kiss to his brow.

"It's okay." You kiss his brow again, "I am not mad." You kiss his nose. "I am hungry though."

You laugh lightly at his rush to sit across from you. An evening eating cold roast was worth being able to spend it with him.

-

2. "I understand your frustration, but perhaps we had best move on." You place a hand on his crossed arms.

"Their behavior was unacceptable, especially for those who would call themselves knights."

The stubborn clench of his jaw tells you just how angry he is. The idiots were lucky to have only gotten the verbal bludgeoning earlier instead of the literal one he wanted to dish out.

"Yes, but you've already made them apologize, and they do seem repentant," the fool knights in training nod frantically, "so why not leave this mess for Kaeya, darling?"

He sighs, but loosens his posture to wrap a protective arm around you. The hell the Knights were going to catch for this was still to come, but at least no one lost any limbs. Yet.

-

3. Tucked into your pile of pillows, book in hand, you waited as you do most nights. Diluc had a late meeting scheduled after dinner, but he promised it was truly to do with the winery and not of the vigilante variety.

So you bide your time, until you hear his heavy boots come up the stairs.

"I'm home." He calls softly.

"Welcome back." You say just as softly.

He goes through the motions of undressing, refreshing himself, and redressing without missing a beat, but his posture seems wilted. You mark your page, and turn over the blanket for him.

"How did it go?"

He heaves a deep sigh, and crawls over to you. Pulling you close, he lays his head on your chest but doesn't say another word.

"Oh, sweetness." You embrace him, one hand holding his face and the other in his hair. "It's okay. I've got you."

-

4. You lengthen your steps, but the increased pace doesn't seem to deter the boy following you. He isn't dangerous per se, but his persistence is damned annoying.

"But, if you'll just listen," he jogs back up to your side, "I just need your help for a little while!"

"I am neither a Knight nor an Adventurer," you cut him off with a sharp wave of your hand, "And you have nothing I want. Now leave me be."

He sputters, "M-master Diluc said-"

As if he's had his tongue plucked out, he suddenly stops talking.

You turn around only to find Diluc himself, a stifling hand on the kid's shoulder. His face is a stoic mask as always, but his energy is thunderous.

"I agreed to help you out of deference to your mother, but you," You see the boy wince as the hand tightens, "failed to listen to a word I said. Harassing my staff and my partner has only earned you banishment from all of my properties. Now go, before I report you to the Knights as well."

You both stand stock still as the boy sprints from the winery back to Mondstadt proper.

"Your going to report him anyways, right?" You mumble, after he is just a speck on the horizon.

"Of course," He finally relaxes his stance to look at you, "Though I doubt Jean will be happy about it."

Your chuckle, already imagining her face when the letter reaches her desk. Heaving a sigh, just grateful for the problem to have moved on, you grab Diluc's hand.

"Thank you," You pull him into a tight hug, "for protecting me as always, angel."

-

5. You gently rap on the door frame to his office. He looks up from his work just long enough to give you a soft smile.

"I was wondering," You lean against the frame, avoiding actually entering lest you get sucked in as well, "If my dear husband was going to come to bed tonight?"

The bright lamp on his desk means you see his blush even from across the room. He huffs an embarrassed laugh, but starts shuffling paperwork into orderly piles.

"I hadn't realized the time, my apologies."

You hum, "It is understandable. But I cannot rest if you are not in bed with me."

You watch as he tucks away his tools, pulls his gloves off, and undoes the tie in his hair, all with a much to pleased smirk on his face.

He pulls you into a delicate, lingering kiss with a hand on your neck. The warmth of his skin makes you shiver. You lean into him, letting him wrap you in his arms.

He chuckles, "Well, I would hate to neglect my husbandly duties."

+

1. The lingering warmth from your bath and the softness of the sheets has you dozing in minutes. You toss a hand onto Diluc's side of the bed, wanting to be present when he comes to bed as well but the ache of a long day is catching up to you.

After several moments you feel a calloused hand grasp your own. You are too tired to properly see, but feel the dip as he climbs into bed.

Still holding your hand in a delicate grip, he presses a kiss to your palm, and then your cheek.

"Sleep, my love, I am here."

Zhongli

1. Zhongli re-enters the house not even ten minutes after leaving. He is patting down his jacket and looking about the entryway in wonder, and you can't help but chuckle.

"Forget something?"

"Yes," he plants his hands on his hips, "I can't seem to find my wallet. I could have sworn I remembered it this time."

You get up from where you were leisurely awaiting his return, and snag the 'disappearing' wallet from where he left it on the table.

"Not quite, old man." You wave it, teasing.

"Ah, of course."

Tucking it into the pocket of his jacket, you tug him closer to plant a kiss on his flushed cheek.

"My apologies, it seems I was a bit distracted this morning."

He tucks a piece of hair away from your face, gaze so blatantly loving you can't help but crash your lips against his. Damn whatever appointment he may have, he shouldn't be so handsome in your direction.

-

2. It is not every day you wake up before him, so you try to make the most of it. You prepare his clothes for the day, just so you can pick out your favorite of his shirts. You start a light breakfast, and brew an energizing blend of tea for both of your sake.

You spend some time simply waiting at the table, content to sip your tea and watch the morning birds.

When the soft shuffle of feet brings Zhongli into the kitchen, you stand up. He is mostly dressed, minus his tie and shoes, jacket loose around his shoulders.

You steer him to the table, and press a kiss to his cheek when seated.

He hums contentedly, still a bit sleepy, "Good morning."

You pour him a cup of tea as well, and his smile grows a bit wider. He tilts his head up, "Thank you."

You meet him half way, pressing a firm kiss to his mouth, "Of course dearest. Do you have anything pressing today?"

A hand comes to rest on your hip, preventing you from moving back to your seat.

"No, nothing more important than this."

-

3. Squished between the mattress and the press of his body, you couldn't imagine being more content. The warmth, the scent, the feel of his breath ghosting across your skin.

You run a reverent hand through his hair, spread loose over his back. It seems impossible for you to be this happy, like you would only read about in unrealistic fantasies.

Amber eyes are already watching you, when you open yours. His gaze is soft, unbearably so, so you look at the ceiling.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He answers it so easily, as if it is among the many universal truths that exist in his head.

"You must understand," You wet your nervous mouth, "I mean it. Truly, I love you."

You feel his head tilt in confusion, but power on, emotions spilling.

"You are my starlight. My life would be unimaginably dark without you. I am scared constantly by the sway you have over me, but I cannot stand the idea of living without you. I want be here with you, forever, no matter the cost."

You squeeze your eyes shut against the flood of tears that threaten to spill, waiting for his polite retreat. His body lifts off yours and you pull a shuddering breath in, unused to laying yourself bare in this way. He could end you now, destroy you by just walking away.

But you feel tremoring hands grasp your face, almost too tightly. He doesn't say a word, can't, but presses his forehead to yours.

-

4. "Zhongli?" You call into the empty hum of the parlor, hoping it will carry to his office. It's not far, but he gets absorbed in his work easily.

You lean out the door a bit, and try to project your voice more, "Hey, honey?"

The door to his office clicks open, and his head pokes out. "Do you need assistance?"

"Yes, please," you adjust the pile of books in your arms, "Would you mind grabbing this other pile? A client requested reference material from just about every era, and I don't think I have the wing span to carry all of it."

He presses a quick kiss to your head, and scoops up the remaining books with no problem.

"Of course, would you like me to relieve you of those as well?"

"Not a chance, show off, you're gonna have to deal with the doors."

As if to prove your point, he balances the stack in one hand to hold the front door open for you, smile only slightly smug.

-

5. Given how busy your lives were, and his propensity for letting time fly, you figured he would forget again. It would not be the first anniversary he forgot, and you imagine it wouldn't be the last.

It's not like you could hold it against him, especially not when he was so earnest and loving all year round.

So your surprise was genuine when he led you, dressed in his best, to a private booth at Liuli Pavilion.

The food was made by the head chef, as a show of gratitude for Zhongli's long patronage (you send a quiet thank you to Childe), and the service superb. The evening is relatively quiet, you converse as normal but with the additional soppiness that comes from acknowledging romance.

You are especially glad for the privacy when you cannot help but practically ravish the man over the table, his face being too handsome to bear just looking at.

Shortly after, he looks at you with burning eyes, and finally says, "I am quite full. Perhaps we should head home."

"That sounds perfect."

You continue to stare, sappy and sated, as he blindly pats at his pockets, equally unwilling to look away.

After several moments, it dawns on you, and then immediately on him.

You can't help it. You laugh. Hysterically, because no matter what Zhongli is Zhongli.

He's standing now, flustered like you've never seen, pacing the room as if his wallet would be anywhere but the table at home.

"This was not my intent." He huffs, "I had planned the evening meticulously."

"And it was lovely," You choke back another laugh, "But, sugar, you are not living this down for the rest of our lives!"

You are laughing as you pull out your own wallet, giggling uncontrollably as you hand over all the money on your person, and can barely walk you're so light headed when he leads you out the door.

He doesn't once let you go, from the pavilion's steps to your front door. Indulgent to the end, your man.

+

1. It is always a pleasant surprise when your errands overlap. Working nearly in conjunction makes it happen quite often, but still, it makes your day brighter.

You have just finishing bartering your lunch into existence when you spot Zhongli headed your way. Quickly, you slip the chef a few more mora to add another dish.

He is at your side in an instant, bringing your hand to his lips in that coquettish way he has.

"There you are," he lowers your hand but does not drop it, "I've been looking for you, treasure."

You twine your fingers together, relishing the warmth. You snug up to his side, taking the liberty of placing his hand on your hip just to see him blush.

"Have you now?"

"Always."

[bbrandy2002]

Little Shit:

Part 1: Wrapped Around A Finger

This is for week 96 of @wackydrabbles prompt: I can't -- I have a deadline. Prompt will be in bold.

Okay, so I couldnt fit all of this into the 2000 word limit and had to break it up and didn't have the heart to cut.

@kingliam2019​ you made a request for a Little Shit story on New Year’s Eve and it only took 5 months to come up with something, so this one is for you.

If you're unfamiliar with the Little Shit series (because it has been over a year since I wrote anything for it) Nikolas is Liam and Riley's 5 year old mischievous son who just can't help from wreaking havoc, especially toward Drake. He enjoys getting a rise out of him even if he does love his Uncle ... for the most part.

Warning: Crude Language. Mention of Covid and vaccinations.

Word count: 1928

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

Returning from the stables one afternoon, Drake was stopped at the palace door by security -- again -- for not wearing the required mask to enter.

“Mr. Walker, I’m afraid you need to have a mask on before I can allow you inside. I have to tell you this every day.”

“That because I fucking live here,” Drake grumbled as he snagged the offered surgical mask from the guard. 

“Not in the common areas, Mr. Walker.”

“You know this whole virus thing is just a conspiracy and Liam is using it to control all of us, right? He’s gone mad. This shit’s never gonna end.”

“I understand, sir.” The guard waited patiently as Drake begrudgingly slipped the mask over his face. “Perhaps, though, there is an alternative, one where you wouldn’t have to wear one anymore. They’re offering free vaccines in room 105 today. If you get the shot, you won’t need to wear a mask when you come inside,” the guard cajoled.

Drake let out a humorless laugh.“I’m sure that’s exactly what Liam wants: make a guinea pig out of me. Pump me full of that radioactive shit and in five years I’ll have a tail growing out of my face. No thanks.” Drake disregarded the information and moved past the man.

“But, sir .. .they’re giving away bottles of whiskey to the first 100 recipients. Last I heard, they were close to reaching that number. Top of the line stuff too.”

Drake turned on the heel of his work boots, glaring back, before asking skeptically. “Whiskey? They’re giving away alcohol to get this damn shot?” The guard nodded in response.

“Glenfiddich -- 1955, I believe. The King paid for it himself.”

Drake’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s a $90,000 bottle! And they’re just giving them away if you get this shot?”

“I … um … yes. His Majesty wants to reward those who are doing their part to create a healthier and safer Cordonia. He won’t rest until every last citizen is vaccinated from this dreaded virus. We can all fight this … together. What do you say, Mr. Walker? Will you help stop the spread?”

“For a $90,000 bottle of whiskey? Hell yeah! I’ll grow two tails out my heads for -- hold on a damn minute …” Drake burrowed his eyes into the guard who was sweating bullets, desperate for him to leave. “Where the hell is Nikolas at? This whole thing reeks of him..” Drake’s eyes began darting around the perimeter in a feverish search for the little prince’s battery operated car. “That little shit is blackmailing you, isn’t he? I should have known.”

The guard straightened and answered in a solemn tone, “I’m a serious professional, Mr. Walker. And I take your accusations of being anything but, demeaning to the loyalty and oath I’ve given to the Crown. How dare you stand there --”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise.” Drake ran a hand down his weary face in frustration. “It’s just that kid is the bane of my existence. I’ve had a long, hard day at work and I’m in no mood for his fucking stunts.”

The guard waved him off. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ve heard all about the stuff he’s pulled on you.” He leaned in closer and spoke in a hushed tone, “Between you and me, he’s a little pain in my ass too; always coming down here acting like he runs this place. If you ever need help teaching that kid a lesson, I’d be happy to help.”

Drake arched a brow. “Loyalty to the crown, huh?” The man regarded that retort with an awkward shrug. “Yeah, he needs his ass busted, that’s for sure. Liam thinks he just needs a little more love. I’d like to show him the Bianca F. Walker way of love.” He slammed his hands together.

The guard chuckled. “I’m with you on that. He needs something done; he’s out of control … Anyway, you should probably head on up there and get your shot -- and whiskey -- before they’re all out. I wish I’d have waited to get mine until today.”

Twisting his face in doubt, Drake walked around the corner and leaned up against the wall as he pulled out his phone. Something just didn’t feel right, and he determined the safest thing to do was shoot off a quick text to his best friend.

Drake: Liam, are you really giving away Glenfiddich, 1955, to get the Covid vaccine?

He waited a brief moment until a response came through; he looked down at his phone and read:

Liam: Yes.

Drake: Is that all you have to say about that?

Liam: Yes.

Liam: I am in meeting for Cordonia.

Drake tilted his head to the side and scratched at it as he stared at the odd message. He typed out another response.

Drake: What kind of meeting for Cordonia? And with who?

Liam: Top secret. Can't tell you.

Drake: Uh-huh. Where’s Nikolas?

Liam: With Riley and baby in Vallteria

Liam: Shit. Valtoria

Drake: What’s the capital of the United States?

Liam: Damn it Drake I’m in a meeting!

Drake: Then hurry up and answer

Liam: Washington D.C.

Drake: Who shot me at the costume ball?

Liam: You son of a bitch. IM IN A MEETING!

Drake let out a heavy groan and decided to just call Riley. He knew without a doubt Nikolas took Liam’s phone again. If he called Riley, though, there was no way the boy could pretend he was her.

Picking up almost instantly, Riley answered cheerfully, “Hello. Queen Riley speaking.”

“Riley, it’s Drake. I was just wondering if you and Liam were really giving away whiskey for getting this shot? Sounds a little fishy to me.”

There was a moment of silence, then a clicking noise, followed by a long beep, before Riley replied. “Yes. We. Are. Giving. Away …. Whiskey. Get.The.Shot.Drake.”

“The hell is wrong with your voice?”

“I.Am.In.Valtoria.”

“Riley, why the fuck are you enunciating every word?”

“I. Have. A. Cold. And. Must.Talk.Slow. Nikolas.Is.With.Me. And. I. Must. Get ... Going. Bye. Drake ...You. Ass. Hole.” 

Drake rolled his eyes and slipped the phone in his back pocket. “He’s got her phone, too. Damn that evil-ass kid.” He hesitantly made his way down to room 105; it wouldn’t hurt anything just to open the door and see if there was anything legit about this. As he approached, a lovely lady he knew from the kitchen exited with a big smile on her aging face and a bottle she cradled in her arms; he recognized it almost instantly as the Glenfiddich.

“Miss Milly,” Drake greeting kindly and held the door open for her. “You’re looking as lovely as ever.”

“Oh, you.” She laughed bashfully in her grandmotherly voice as she stepped into the corridor. “You’re always flirting with me, Drake. One of these days, I’m going to make you take me out on a date, buy me dinner, and give me a peck on the cheek at the end of the night.” 

Drake smiled back fondly at her. “You just tell me when, Miss Milly, and I’m there.” He motioned to the bottle in her hand. “Say … couldn’t help but notice that bottle of whiskey you’re carrying around; where’d you get that at? That brand doesn’t come cheap.”

“Ohhh, I know. But I heard they were giving shots in that room right there.” She pointed with a crooked finger. “And they said I was the 99th person to stop by, and gave this to me after getting my shot. I couldn’t believe my luck. And they only have one bottle left. I can finally put my grandson through college.” 

“That’s great! And you said there is still one more bottle left?”

She nodded her head. “Yes. But you better hurry. One of the chefs is on his way here for a shot as well.”

Drake hurriedly kissed her on the cheek and opened the door. Thank you, Miss Milly!” He stepped inside, then stopped and whipped his head back out the door. “Milly, wait. Have you seen Prince Nikolas today?”

“Yes, he left with the Queen after breakfast this morning. I believe they mentioned going to Valtoria.”

Drake rubbed his hands together anxiously and thanked her. He’d known the cook for years, she’s the sweetest person he knew. There was no way she would cover for Nikolas, and Drake couldn’t imagine the boy would have any dirt to hold over her head.

When the door shut, Nikolas grinned mischievously from a dark alcove where he was parked in his black 12V Mercedes Benz S63. “This is the day I’ve been waiting for.”

He set his laptop and both parents' phones in the passenger seat and slowly pulled out. He paid $100 to Milly and asked her to put the bottle back in his father’s liquor cabinet and rolled a few paces to room 105.

======

After filling out medical forms, the palace doctor ushered Drake behind a curtain where a long rectangular table and folding chair sat. Taking the seat, Drake watched the doctor slip on a pair of gloves and pull a small tube of lube out of his lab coat pocket. Drake furrowed his brows in confusion. “Heh. What’s the lube for?” he chuckled lightly. “I’m just here for a shot, man. Nothing else is going in me.”

“Just relax, Mr. Walker. It’s all part of the process.” A squirt of clear liquid was squeezed onto the doctor's two gloved fingers as he held them up. “On your medical forms you denied having a physical exam in the past year. I just need to do a quick exam and check for rectal polyps.”

Drake started laughing in amusement, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve got to be shittin' me. So let me get this straight. I can’t get a shot until you stick your fingers in my ass to check for ‘polyps?’ Yeah, that’s happening. What a bunch of horse malarky.”

The doctor let out an annoyed huff. “I see you didn’t read over the information forms. They never do,’ he mumbled. “Look, if you want me to wait here all day while you figure out what to do, I can’t -- I have a deadline to finish here. Now if you’ll move along, I have another patient waiting; you’re free to go.”

And Drake knew he was. But that expensive bottle of Glenfiddich was calling his name. He glanced over to that one last beautiful bottle sitting atop a desk on the far side of the room, calling his name. Selling it for even half of what it was worth would afford him enough to move the hell out of the palace and get the freedom from Nik he desired. Rubbing a hand over the scruff on his chin, Drake's timid gaze turned from the bottle to the doctor. He could handle a finger or two in ass for a few seconds if t made him $90,000 richer. 

“Okay. What do I need to do?”

Nikolas quietly typed on the keyboard of his laptop from the opposite side of the curtain. The images from the hidden cameras plastered on the wall where Drake was seated popped into view on his screen. Feeding a link to, and overriding the broadcast feed at the CBC, Nik crouched down low and waited with little beady eyes for the exam to begin. “Perfect ...Okay, Doc, let’s see if you can get a hole in one.”

----------

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