#i don't talk about vacations all the time so i don't have many opportunities to just whip the pics out lol

[lucifers-horror-harem]

If you could relive any of your memories, which would it be?

Okay I had to sit on this one for a bit cause it was so hard. I still don't know if I have a better choice. But I'd want to relive my cross country road trip I had with my friends in 2019. We flew out to Denver Colorado to see Bon Iver, then drove west, stopping at places like the 4 corners, Lake Tahoe, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite, Antelope Canyon, Muir Woods, and finished off with a couple days in San Francisco. All within slightly over a week. And it was some of the most fun I ever had. I really want to go back to a lot of these places and stay for a bit longer just because we packed SO MUCH into the trip, but it was such a fun time I want to just relive it all again.

[chahnniesroom]

hoju (home)

pairing: bang chan x female reader

summary: even though chan has been living in korea for so many years, he still considers australia to be home. when he finally has the opportunity to go back and visit, he can't wait to bring you along and introduce you to the people and places that he grew up with.

word count: 4.3k

warnings: none :)

a/n: hoju (호주) is the korean word for australia.

this was a request from my sweet 🦦 anon! thank you for the inspiration, i had fun writing this and i hope that it meets your expectations. sorry that i did not write this in chan's pov 😅 as usual, please let me know if there are any typos or mistakes because i didn't have the chance to proofread 🥲

read it on ao3 | masterlist

Chan has been acting strange lately. Not enough that you're worried, just a little bit suspicious. He's never tried to hide what tabs he has open on his phone before and he's looked deep in thought quite a few times, but when you ask what he's thinking of, he changes the topic quickly. You're curious, but trust that Chan will talk to you when he's ready. Still, you can't quite ignore all of the changes in behaviour.

It's the same tonight. When you look up during dinner, Chan's just stirring around the noodles in his plate, only taking a bite every so often. You frown, trying to think of if you've done anything differently to prepare the food in a way that he doesn't like, but it tastes the same to you as usual. You rule out a lack of appetite, as he had just commented that he was starving while you were cooking.

“Is everything okay?” you ask hesitantly, after a few more minutes have passed.

“What?” Chan looks up, startled by the sound of your voice. “Oh no, everything's fine! Just… thinking.”

“Is it about work? Did something happen?” You know that Chan has been busier than usual this month, the boys have some time off in a few weeks and everybody is scrambling to get things finished in the meantime. You've also requested vacation at work, although so far you and Chan haven't planned anything. In fact, he's been a little bit cagey when you've brought up the topic. You try not to think much of it and really, it's just nice to be able to spend extra time together.

Honestly, you wouldn't be surprised if Chan has found out that his break has been cut short or even cancelled. It's rare that they’re able to have more than a few days off at a time which is why you had been so shocked when Chan had let you know that they didn't have schedules for a period of almost three weeks.

It would provide an explanation to everything that you've observed the past few days, you know that he would try his best to fix things before he had to tell you the bad news.

“Well-”

“It's okay if you found out you can't take time off,” you reassure him. “I understand that it's all up to the company and sometimes they change their mind at the last minute. I can just let my work know and take my vacation another time, I'm sure they might even be happy if I'm still around next month.”

“No!” Chan says, his eyes wide in panic. “We still have time off! Don't worry about that. It's actually- How would you feel about visiting Australia with me?”

It's your turn to stare at Chan in shock.

“Australia?”

“Yeah, it's been a while since I went back and-” Chan breaks eye contact, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I thought it'd be nice if I could introduce you to my family, in person.”

“You want me to meet your family? In Australia?” you repeat, dumbly.

“Only if you feel comfortable!” Chan says hurriedly. “I looked into tickets, but didn't book anything yet so it's totally up to you. I also wanted to check if my family was available beforehand and it's pretty good timing actually. If you don't want to, then it's totally fine, I'll probably go for either way and I think Felix is also considering it. It's just that we've been together for a while now and I've met your family and I know that my mom basically considers you to be her daughter-”

“I want to go,” you interrupt, not wanting Chan to spiral further. “I was just surprised, I guess, but of course I want to accompany you.”

Chan brightens at that, then grabs his computer, unlocking it and opening up a spreadsheet. As it loads, he reaches for his chopsticks and takes a huge bite of food. You can't help but smile fondly at the sight of his cheeks bulging with food as he chews, relieved that his appetite is back.

“I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but I was looking at flights, and I think that if we leave on a Tuesday, it might be best. It means we can enjoy the weekend here and still have time to pack everything,” he explains excitedly. “It'll be less busy at the airport too, which will be nice, and it works out well with my parents’ schedules anyway.”

You hum in acknowledgement, content to follow along and take mental notes as Chan reads out everything else that he's thought of so far. He continues planning for the rest of the evening, trailing behind you as you clean up and do your nightly routine, only stopping to help you when you do the dishes and put away the laundry. It's cute how animated he becomes, putting together a long list of all the sites and restaurants that he wants to show you.

You can tell that he's still thinking of it as the two of you curl up in bed that night, every so often you feel him jolt behind you and turn to reach for the little pad of paper and pencil that he often keeps on his nightstand.

Eventually, you turn over and squint at him. He doesn't even pretend to be asleep.

“Hi,” he whispers. “Sorry if I'm keeping you awake.”

“Sleep,” you murmur tiredly. “We have lots of time to plan, get some rest for now and we can talk more tomorrow.”

Chan starts to protest, but you just nuzzle closer, pulling his hands to wrap around you. As you drift off to sleep, you can feel that Chan has finally relaxed too.

—

The two of you spend the first day of break slowly, sleeping in and having a lazy meal of bibimbap from all the banchan taking up space in your fridge. You only venture out of the apartment for dinner, going to your favourite local restaurant that you visit so often that the owner starts making your meals the second that the two of you step through the door. The next couple of days are also easygoing, consisting of shopping, watching dramas, and eventually preparing for your trip.

Throughout the drive to the airport and making your way through security and to your gate, you can tell Chan's a bit on edge even though you and Felix try to assure him that everything will be fine. The three of you are in incognito mode, wearing hats, face masks, and plain clothes but Chan’s still scanning your surroundings the whole time. You, on the other hand, can't help but be excited, bouncing at his side so much that he loops his arm over your shoulders to try and calm you down. Felix is more relaxed and laughs at the stark contrast between the both of you, even filming parts of it since he’s getting footage for a vlog. Luckily you know that any content with you in it is likely to be edited out and don’t bother to hide your eagerness.

While Chan is used to travelling often for concerts and other overseas schedules, you've rarely visited places outside of Korea and have certainly never flown business class. You squeeze Chan's hand when you see your seats, thrilled at the idea of having so much leg room and a divider between the two of you that can also be fully lowered. It keeps you entertained for the whole time before the plane takes off, taking pictures together and reclining your seat up and down until the seatbelt sign turns on.

The flight is over 10 hours, so it doesn't take long before you move your attention to browsing the menu that's available and scrolling through all of the movies on the in-flight entertainment system. Shortly after the dinner meal is served, you start to doze off. Wanting to make the most of the experience, you insist to Chan that you'll be able to stay awake to watch another movie with him, but only make it through the first 30 minutes before you wake up to a dark screen.

You blink up blearily as a flight attendant starts making their way through the aisles, handing out customs forms for everyone to fill out. When you receive yours, you stare at it for a few seconds before realising the problem is not the fact that you're still adjusting to being awake.

“Oh no,” you whisper in horror, causing Chan to glance over at you, concerned.

“What happened?” he asks.

“I didn’t think about practising English before this trip,” you reply, distress leaking into your voice. “The last time that I wrote anything in English was when I was in secondary school… I'm not going to survive in Australia!”

“Hey, it's not an issue, I'll be with you the whole time! You don't have to worry about any of that. And you know enough conversational English to get by, I know you do,” Chan says soothingly.

You refuse to be comforted, burying your face into your hands.

“How am I going to face your parents when I barely know anything other than ‘hi, how are you?’” you moan. “I'm not even going to make it through customs! They're going to arrest me when I can't answer any of their questions!”

You know that you're exaggerating, but it makes Chan laugh so hard that tears gather in the corners of his eyes. You try to keep up your act, but end up dissolving into laughter too at the way that Chan is trying so hard to stay quiet, not wanting to bring attention to you two.

Contrary to your fears, you manage to deplane, get through customs, and collect your luggage without any major issues. You had a moment of anxiety when Chan and Felix split up from you since you have to go into the lineup for foreign passports, but you are somehow able to fumble your way through the conversation with the border officer without being detained.

Felix splits up with you shortly after, you see that his tiredness from the long flight melts away the second that he sees his family. He gives you and Chan both a quick hug to say goodbye before running out to meet them.

Chan lights up in a similar way when he finally spots his parents. They're waiting in the pick-up zone and waves the two of you over quickly. You barely get the chance to say hi before Chan’s mother is enveloping you into a hug.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she says warmly. “Come on, let’s take you home.”

The drive is fairly short and it feels like no time at all before you’re approaching the house. The second that the front door opens, you hear a distinctive scrabble of claws against hardwood before Berry shoots towards Chan, tail wagging furiously. Chan immediately kneels down to give her better access, laughing when she stands on her hind legs to lick at his face.

Once she’s finished with that, she turns to you, barking curiously before moving closer. You stick out a hand for her to get an idea of your scent and try not to jump when you feel the cool, damp press of her nose against your palm. Whatever Berry smells, she approves of, giving you a few quick licks before running back to Chan.

“She’s so cute!” you exclaim, pulling out your phone so that you can take a picture of the reunion. You don't think that Chan even hears you, caught up in talking to Berry, giving her kisses and allowing her to do the same.

“I'll help you with your bags,” Chan's father says from beside you, easily lifting them out of your hands and motioning for you to enter the house. You exchange greetings with both of Chan's siblings as you remove your shoes, familiar with them through video calls and the one time that you met Hannah when she was travelling in Korea.

Chan’s family recently moved so this was also Chan’s first time seeing the house in person, the two of you trailing behind Chan’s father as he gave you a brief tour of the first floor before leading you upstairs. When you get to the guest room that you'll be staying in, Hannah pops her head in.

“Chris doesn’t spend enough time in Australia to have his own room in this house, so you guys are in this room.” She eyes you for a moment and based on the mischievous smile that’s growing, you can guess what she’s about to say. “Y/n, if you get sick of him, then feel free to stay with me instead!”

“Hey!” Chan complains, not even looking up from where he’s unpacking his bag. He grabs onto one of his shirts and chucks it at Hannah, but she easily dodges, throwing one of her slippers at him in retaliation. It hits Chan right in the chest and he looks at her in disbelief. He abandons his task in favour of chasing her throughout the house. You don't follow after, but you hear as their yelling and laughter echoes through the halls.

It’s refreshing to see Chan at home, no matter how comfortable Chan is with the rest of the kids, he’s still the leader of the group and the oldest member and the dynamic of their relationship reflects that. Even though it has barely been a few hours, you’re relieved to find that Chan has left behind the stresses of being an idol and can instead just be a son and an older brother.

His parents are hilarious and kind, it’s easy to see how Chan’s personality is a reflection of the environment that he was raised in. During dinner, you laugh at the way Chan pouts dramatically when Chan’s father pretends to forget about Chan when serving the food and how he groans in pleasure when he finally gets to taste his mother's cooking after so long. Hannah and Lucas continually crack jokes as you eat, especially if they're at Chan's expense and he pretends that he doesn't find them funny.

—

One afternoon you find Chan fiddling with the camera that he’s brought with him. You step up behind him, resting your chin on his shoulder and wrapping your arms around his waist.

“Are you planning on filming tonight?” you ask, knowing that Chan was always careful to alert everyone in the house beforehand.

“Not today,” he replies. “Probably tomorrow, when I take out Berry for her morning walk. Did you want to join?”

“Of course!”

“I was thinking of going right after breakfast, before it gets too hot out,” he says as he pulls out the camera battery and fits it into the charger.

“Anywhere in particular you wanted to go?”

“Mmm, maybe by the water? There's a path that's not too far away. I don't want anything that's too close to the house, you know?”

“Good idea.”

“Are you planning on putting it into a vlog?” you ask curiously. "You haven't been filming much.”

"Actually…”

“What? You're making me nervous.”

“I was hoping to use it for a music video,” Chan says sheepishly.

“What?! I'm not qualified for that!! I can't- you need to find someone else-”

“No no, it's going to be fine! It's for a record, not like, an actual music video.”

“I don't know,” you say, still feeling hesitant.

“I promise, I'm going for the casual vibes and it's either you or like, my eomma, and I guarantee that you would do a better job.”

“Okay,” you say reluctantly. “But I can't guarantee it'll come out well.”

“Thank you! I know it'll be great,” Chan says, showering you with kisses in gratitude until you're squirming away.

—

The next morning, Chan’s parents are out, leaving all the kids to prepare food on their own. It's a little chaotic, but you manage to cobble together a decent meal. It's a lot of fun to see how Chan and his siblings interact without their parents around to mediate. You're amazed by how similar the three are, not only in appearance but also the way they behave.

Although much younger, Lucas shares a strong resemblance to Chan, especially once he smiles and shows off matching dimples. They quickly disappear once Chan reaches out and musses up his hair playfully as you’re all cleaning up.

“Chris, stop it,” he complains, pushing his older brother away before trying to fix the strands that are all over the place. It only encourages Chan to move closer, wrapping his arms around his brother and lifting him into the air. When trying to wiggle free doesn’t work, he turns pleading eyes to you, knowing Hannah wouldn't step in to help. “Noona! Get him to let me down!”

The two of you had been awkward the first time you had been left alone, it hadn’t helped that Lucas’ Korean could be considered conversational at best and your English was significantly worse, but you had quickly grown close through attempts to tease Chan. Now, it’s easy to treat him like the little brother you never had.

You approach quickly, trying to avoid Lucas’ flailing limbs, and reach out to poke at Chan’s waist. He twitches away from your touch and when you persist in prodding at all his ticklish spots, unwinds one of his arms to swat at your hand.

The distraction is enough for Lucas to break away and he quickly moves out of reach. Instead of chasing after him, Chan turns his focus to you. You back away nervously, but find yourself with nowhere to go. Chan grabs you and easily slings you over your shoulder, ignoring your shrieks of protest.

“Betrayed by my own girlfriend? I should have known that introducing you to my siblings would just be asking for trouble,” he growls in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

“Hey! Where are you taking me?” You look to see if his siblings are going to rescue you, but they must be trying to avoid Chan's wrath as you don't see either of them as Chan brings you up to the guest room.

“I am enlisting your help,” he says casually, as if he wasn't carrying you up a flight of stairs and dropping you on the bed. “I would like your advice on what to wear for Berry's walk.”

“Ooh,” you say. “Very important business then, I'm honoured that you would ask me.”

It doesn't actually take much time to get ready, the two of you change into clothes for the heat and you just have to convince Chan that he doesn't have to try to do his hair or makeup. The second that you mention to Berry that you're going for a walk, her tail starts wagging non-stop and she even fetches her leash and drops it in front of you.

Chan doesn't give you much direction for filming, just hands you the camera and tells you to capture whatever you want. The two of you walk hand in hand through the neighbourhood, Berry happily exploring the area. As you get further away from the house, you let go of Chan, motioning for him to continue walking as you turn on the camera and get used to it.

By the time you've reached the waterfront, you're feeling more confident and have a better idea of what you like. You try out different angles, feeling a little bit like paparazzi, and after a few minutes, even try directing Chan too. You let him keep going, wanting to see how far away he'll go before he realises that you're not following. He's almost a block away before he turns back.

“You’re smiling, did it come out okay?” Chan asks as he jogs back towards you.

“Yeah, it was great! I was just thinking that Stay are going to go crazy over this,” you tell him.

“They do really like it whenever they get to see Berry,” he says thoughtfully, picking her up and scratching her head. You burst out laughing at that and Chan frowns in response and goes as far as to cover Berry’s ears, insulted on her behalf. “What? Don’t laugh at that, it’s true! Berry is just so cute.”

“I’m not saying that they don’t like Berry, of course they do. I was more referring to the fact that the video is… domestic. Very boyfriend.”

“Ooh you think that's what Stay are interested in?” he asks. “What about this?”

He gestures for you to lift up the camera, and once you're recording, grabs your hand to pull you along behind him. You let out a small noise of surprise as he tugs on your arm, struggling slightly to keep everything steady and ensure your hand is out of frame. At your sound, Chan looks back slightly and bursts into laughter.

“So concentrated, you’re so cute,” he giggles.

“Of course,” you grumble. “I want it to turn out nice.”

“Thank you,” Chan says sincerely, no traces of laughter in his voice. “I really do appreciate it a lot that you're helping me with work even though we're on vacation.”

“Hmm,” you say, turning away from him. “You're just glad that you didn't have to ask Hannah, because she would make fun of you the whole time.”

“That's not true! I mean, it is true that Hannah would do that, but that's not the only reason.” Chan uses your connected hands and pulls you close. “I also wanted to spend time with my favourite person in the whole world.”

“You're lucky I love you so much,” you sniff, still pretending to be annoyed even though you've practically melted into Chan's hug. “Now stop getting distracted, I thought it would look nice if you walked along the sand and there's nobody there right now.”

—

The rest of your time in Sydney is a whirlwind of activities. Chan is determined to take you to all his favourite places in the city and you eat more food than you thought possible. Chan’s family, and sometimes Felix and his family, accompanies you two for a majority of the outings and your initial hesitance interacting with them is replaced by fondness, eased by the way that they treat you like one of their own.

You even have a chance to meet some of Chan’s childhood friends, ones that he kept close with despite the long distance. It feels strange to eat dinner with them. Although they do their best to make you feel welcome, they have a lot of history together and you find yourself struggling to keep up with their conversation, not just because of the language barrier but due to references to people, places, and events that you're unfamiliar with. Regardless, you're glad to finally know the people that Chan grew up with and you love seeing how happy Chan is to be reunited with them.

It’s also nice that while you're meeting so many people, you don't have to hide your relationship at all. In Korea, you and Chan are more careful in public. It’s not totally a secret that you’re dating, but you are more on the cautious side due to the popularity of Stray Kids and inevitable scrutiny from fans. In Australia, Chan has no such reservations, excitedly introducing you as his girlfriend to everyone. It never fails to make you blush, feeling shy, but secretly pleased.

Wherever you go, Chan keeps you close to his side, linking your hands or looping an arm around your shoulders. Throughout the day, he presses kisses to your head or cheek. The first time he does it, you look up at him questioningly. He just shrugs, saying that he’s happy and well, you can’t argue with that.

You don’t want your vacation to end and you know you're not the only one. You and Chan have both procrastinated packing your luggage until the last possible moment, and when you finally do begin, Berry seems to sense it. She starts hiding all of your things- Chan's family members finding them lodged in one of the couch cushions or in her dog bed- and curling up inside your suitcase, making it practically impossible to continue packing.

When Chan enters your shared room and pauses when he sees you staring into the suitcase helplessly. You wave him over so that he can look inside.

“She’s too cute! Look at that little face, how could you disturb her?” you ask.

Chan has no such reservations. He reaches in and gently lifts Berry out, cradling her against his chest so that she can’t jump back in.

“Berry, do you want to come to Korea with us?” he asks patiently. When she licks at his face in reply, he groans and pretends to lower her back into the suitcase. “Ah, I guess we have no choice but to bring you! I think we can sneak you in with the rest of the souvenirs that we’re taking with us.”

Despite Chan’s promises, Berry ends up staying behind, not even joining you on the drive to the airport. You’re lucky that you decide to leave well before your flight is expected to depart as you end up taking almost half an hour saying goodbye to everybody.

You know that you’re going to treasure these memories for a long time and you’re certain that Chan will too. It’s amazing that even though you were only in Australia for a couple weeks, it already feels like a second home.

read it on ao3 | masterlist

[ebbpup]

posting about this au cause i like it

more about it under here

timeline time!!

(This part is also like, a headcanon for the canon timeline) so wanda and cosmo leave for vacation, its pretty soon after they stop living with timmy, so maybe when peri is 9-10. they leave him in the care of Cosmo's parents, however it can be difficult for them so other fairies (probably some of the main ones we see outside of the family) would look after him. there were lots of expectations set on him due to how powerful he was at birth and his family history so he always pushed himself to do as good as he could! He even got a scholarship into a really good school!

now, here is where the timeline diverges, while for the canon timeline, Peri keeps trying, gets into a good college/university, becomes a fairy godparents, ect. ect. but not here, when he's about 16 he's tired of all the pressure put on him, he wants out, he envies the humans and wishes he could have a life like that. so why doesn't he? he packs his stuff and leaves. he's figured out how to give himself more human proportions but he has to wear a beanie and a jacket to hide his wings and crown. he manages to find a new family (he says his bio parents are dead), goes to a normal school and starts living a normal, "human" life.

eventually he is able to move out of home and into the apartment complex along with 3 roommates (will design them soon, probably). he gets into college/university and is able to do an online course (of what? idk). his life is good! he hasn't seen anything magical in years! nobody knows where he is (they are aware he is missing in fairy world but have no idea where he could be, not even Irep [or, still Foop since he doesn't know that Peri changed his name] knows where he is)! everything is good. everything is peaceful.

he has no idea that his parents have moved in a floor below him, he only finds out once he runs into the new family in town. Peri bumps into Hazel in her family, that's where the first comic takes place. They keep bumping into him and decide to invite him over for dinner since he seems like such a nice guy and has been very welcoming, Hazel suggests that they invite Wanda and Cosmo too since they've also been very welcoming and they decide, sure why not! By this point Hazel knows that Cosmo and Wanda think that Peri might be their kid since they have told her, and she's gonna give them the opportunity to talk to him! The dinner is a nightmare for Peri, dodging every single question that could reveal his identity, they can't know that he's their son, he can't go back to fairy world! luckily Hazel's parents don't really leave so they can't ask him directly, but the questions do get close. eventually the dinner ends and he can go home.

Que his parents constantly looking for him and Peri hiding, so many occasions of them just missing him. They've probably told others in Fairy World about how they've found him, even Irep finds out (who is now pissed at the name change). So eventually not only is he hiding from his parents, but sometimes others will also try to find him because like dude you went missing as a teenager of course they are looking for you.

also, Peri needs a job and gets hired as a babysitter to look after Dev. Dev and Hazel becoming friends is a nightmare for him.

[auroracalisto]

stay outta trouble, yeah?

tangerine x southern!reader, 3.7k words summary: he's taken by their southern accent, much like they're taken by his british one. color him intrigued, because why not? he'll be getting them to safety as soon as he can get away from the fight--or rather, telling them to get to safety. a/n: before you read the rest... there are a few lines i took from the movie to keep part of the plot alive. and then it goes haywire... anyway. listen i was just thinking about how incredible it would be to talk to tangerine and not actually hide my personal accent. here you go, pookies. (i'm from west virginia if that helps you). i've also never been farther than türkiye, so my knowledge of what it's like to travel to japan is very limited. pardon my inaccuracies even though i only talk about it for like... .2 seconds, at most. tw: major canon divergence, talks of blood, wounds, cursing, etc.

It'd been a long few days in Tokyo. Traveling for your own enjoyment was always an incredible thing, but good lord, was it exhausting.

The flight, which was non-stop from the Washington Dulles Airport, thank goodness, was nearly sixteen hours. No connecting flights, no dealing with confusing and unfamiliar airports. But just the flight itself was enough to send your sleeping pattern to all kinds of craziness. Don't even mention the fact that you had to drive to the airport, which took several hours just to get there...

Wasn't the first time, and certainly wouldn't be the last.

Travel was a luxury so many never had the opportunity to experience. When you had the chance to go to Japan, you took it. It was practically a dream vacation, despite how exhausting it truly was.

You'd come back to Tokyo after a few days in Nagoya, the second to last stop on this bullet train, maybe a quick day trip to Kyoto after, but time was of the essence. You may not have planned every little detail for this trip of a lifetime, but you had a good idea as to what you were going to do.

The bullet train would be at your stop in nearly two hours. That was plenty of time to take a nap and probably figure out what you'll do in Nagoya after finding your planned accommodations.

You found a seat in the "quiet" car, almost giddy to know that there was a car specifically for that. Being from the southern United States, the only actual train you could recall was the Amtrak Trains, but even then, you didn't know as much as you could have about them.

You kept your backpack close to you, trying to find your earbuds so you could have them before you actually sit down.

As you walked, absentmindedly, of course, you bump into a rather tall and, might I add, breathtaking man with one of those 80s' mustaches—like the guy from that one season of American Horror Story. It rather suited him, but that's not what you were thinking as the words quickly spilled from your mouth:

"I'm so sorry," you said, southern drawl instantaneous. "Wasn't watching where I was goin'."

The man looked down at you, blue eyes curiously catching yours. He smiled, and you could feel your heart melt within you. Or maybe your lungs. It seemed hard to breathe for a moment.

"No worries, love," he said, a very British accent joining his words. He scrunched his nose a bit and moved out of your way, while the man behind him muttered something under his breath. "No harm done."

You return his smile, although hesitantly. God, was he gorgeous. But that was beside the point. You moved around him, knowing you probably looked like a mess—you had only spent two nights in Tokyo, and they weren't very restful. Skincare could only do so much to make you look awake and not like you've risen from the dead just hours prior.

You choose a seat nearby where the British man and his two friends were sitting, putting your backpack on the table just in front of you. You grabbed your phone from your pocket, making sure you still had your charger in the pack, before you set up your earbuds and your music.

Your eyes flickered over to the British man, not saying anything as you opened your preferred playlist. He briefly glanced back at you and sent a rather cheeky smile before he looked back to the man in front of him.

"Fuckin' hell, mate," Lemon said as he looked at his brother. The man had made him move just so he could have an eye on the American who bumped into him. "Go and talk to ‘em, yeah? Leave me out of it."

Tangerine rolled his eyes. "Fuck off," he said. "We gotta job, yeah? Speakin' of." He stopped and looked towards the White Death's son, blinking slowly for a moment. "You gonna tell us much else or are you keepin' us in the dark?"

The Son mumbled something under his breath, tiredly looking out the window. He didn't know why he was here, other than the two brothers saying they were hired by his dad to get him to safety.

Right. Safety. What a joke.

"Right, so," Tangerine began. "Our job is to keep you safe and to recover the briefcase with the ransom money inside. And I plan on completin' my job and keeping..."

Tangerine looked at his brother, narrowing his eyes. "Lemon."

Lemon looked up at him. "Hmm?"

"Where's the briefcase?"

"Oh, I stashed it."

Tangerine stared at him in admonishment for a bit longer than necessary. "The case, Lemon. Go get me the fucking case."

"We got his son. That was our job."

"Our job was to come back with his son and his 10 million." Tangerine groaned softly and looked out of the window, sucking in a breath. "Three words describe our situation right now. Do you know what they are?"

"Sure do," said Lemon. He held up a hand and counted them off as he spoke: "Saved his son."

"Motherfucker," Tangerine blurted. He went on his spiel about the White Death, which seemed to be quite imperative as Lemon hadn't read the email he forwarded to him. Of course he hadn't—when did he ever? Why did he bother?

"He asked for pros who wouldn't fuck up," Tangerine said. "Three words, Lemon. We are..."

"Fucked." They say the words together, and if it had been another time, perhaps just hours prior, it would have been fun. Not this time. No, this time, they knew they were in deep shit.

They needed to get that suitcase and quick.

They returned to the Son only for him to be... well, let's put it frankly, bleeding from his eye-sockets and mouth, and so very dead.

"Well, shit," Tangerine sucked in a breath as he looked at the boy who had called him a liability only moments earlier.

The two trained assassins set to work on making it look like he was merely sleeping, even going as far as giving him Momonga glasses. You never know.

Tangerine looked at Lemon, frowning deeply. "We need t' find that briefcase," he said.

"Right," Lemon returned, staring at the Son for a moment before he looked up at Tangerine, nodding. "Right. Phone's on me. See if that American you ran into saw anything. Never know, yeah?"

Tangerine narrowed his eyes and glanced over his shoulder, seeing the object of his curiosity. "Hm. Go, Lemon. You see the case, deal with whoever has it."

"All right, how do I do that? Talk to him, or, like, talk to him?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell him about the story about how Gordon met Percy and how Percy's now bleeding from his fucking eye sockets!"

Lemon scoffed and left his side, going down the opposite side of the train.

"He means kill him. Of course he does."

Tangerine took one last look to the boy before he made his way to you, just a few seats down. He saw that you were asleep—surely, if you had been awake, you would've said something, right? Right. He's assuming, anyway. He keeps walking, knowing that he's got to find this briefcase and fast or else he and Lemon may not get a chance to even think about which arm they'd rather have cut off.

About twenty minutes into your restless nap, there's a loud noise blaring in your earbuds, and you jolt awake, grabbing onto your phone. You paused it, heart pounding in your chest.

"Damn," you cursed, knowing it was only from the song and nothing more. This song was notorious for loud noises. You take out your earbuds, a soft groan escaping you. Might as well stretch your legs and use the restroom since you're awake. It didn't seem like sleep was going to come easy on this train.

A voice came over the intercom, saying something about stopping momentarily, but you didn't catch the name of the station.

You stood and stretched, looking towards where the British man had been. He's not there, and neither is his one friend, but the other is there, sleeping. He's got the strangest glasses on, but you say nothing of it.

"Bathroom," you mutter under your breath, looking over your shoulder. You see a sign and follow it, taking your phone with you just in case.

You're quick, doing your business and washing your hands all under two minutes. Must be a record—the airplane bathrooms are so much more different than this.

You go to leave and open the door, and once again, you're not paying attention. You nearly bump into the tall, handsome British man, but this time, he is paying attention.

He grabbed you by the shoulders, a soft huff escaping him. "Watch yourself, love," he said, a playful smile on his lips (like he's not currently in one of the most stressful situations he's ever been in). "You're gonna get yourself hurt, now, aren't ya?"

Wide eyed, you looked up at him. "Shit, I'm sorry," you said. "It's—hell, I can't even give you a good excuse, but I didn't mean to."

"Nah, you're alright, love, just watch yourself for me, yeah?"

He let go of your shoulders, and you almost find yourself missing the touch.

"Go back to your seat, yeah? Keep an eye out for anyone weird for me."

You blinked slowly but nodded anyway. "Yeah, sure," you said. "You—"

But before you can continue, he sees something in the corner of his eye—either that or he hears something. You're not really sure. He flashes you a soft smile before he walked past you, clearly on a mission.

You let out a soft sigh and walk back to your seat, sitting down quietly.

As you get there, the British man's friend is back, and with another man—you don't catch their conversation, but whatever it is is rather heated. You simply put your earbuds back in and let your head fall back, unable to stop your eyes from fluttering shut. There's a few noises, but the sleep is far too good to come out of. At least, for now it is.

At some point, you feel someone shaking you awake. You quickly open your eyes, seeing the British man sitting across from you. He's got a few cuts on his face—not something he had before. You sat up and check your phone, eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you—"

You'd only been asleep for another twenty minutes.

"You're cute, love," he said, grabbing your phone from you.

"Hey—"

He held up a finger to you and quickly typed in a text message to his own phone. When he heard the buzz, he handed your phone back to you.

"Where's your stop, hm?"

"Nagoya," you answered. "Why?"

"Get off sooner, yeah?"

"What?"

He gave you a cheeky smile. "Get off sooner, love," he said. "Conductor must've missed you cuz you were sleepin', but he was sayin' that everyone needs to get off before Nagoya. Somethin' about the train needed worked on."

You blinked slowly. Were you still sleeping? You felt like you were. "Why the hell would they do that for? That don't even make sense—"

"Love, do it," he said, staring you down with those pretty blue eyes. "Get off on the next stop, yeah? I'll even give you the money for another ticket or somethin' if you need it."

You shook your head. "I can get another ticket, I just—"

There was something about the man that screamed danger, but no where did it scream liar. At least if he was a liar, maybe it was for good reason. Your gut feeling had been pretty good in the past, warning you against several things that could've gone terribly. Perhaps this was the Universe screaming at you to listen to it.

"Okay. I got the money. I'll just... I'll get off at the next stop."

He smiled softly at you. "Good. I'll be seein' you then, yeah? Keep yourself outta trouble."

He stood up, giving you a soft wink, before he left you in the quiet car.

You didn't see him again for the rest of the train ride, but you did listen to him. You got off at the next train stop and bought a new ticket, wondering if the cuts on his face had anything to do with his request.

It was a pretty nice warning, as crazy as that shit was.

Waiting for the next train, which would be there only momentarily, you pull out your phone. The only thing he had typed to his number was simple: Tangerine.

Was that codename for something? The fuck did fruit have to do with anything?

Nagoya, Japan.

A beautiful city with equally beautiful architecture (you'd be sure to visit the castle and the shrine after you finished exploring the city on your own terms).

You hadn't gotten a text from the handsome British man, but it didn't really bother you much. You didn't know him—just nearly ran into him a handful of times before he told you to get off the train.

Two days after the train ride to Nagoya, you find yourself on the streets, following your phone's GPS as best as you could to get to the castle. You should have just waved down a taxi cab, but you also wanted to experience the walk. That, in itself, was just as important as the journey over. Besides, your phone said only five minutes, but it seemed like it was re-routing and doing the exact opposite of being an accurate GPS.

You curse under your breath and go to type in another address in an attempt to see if it was just the castle address that was making your GPS wonky when you heard a familiar voice—you felt a familiar hand grab onto your shoulder.

"Be careful, love," the British man said, keeping you in your spot. You looked up—you're not even about to walk into anything, this time. You looked back at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, hell," you blurted, wide eyed. "What the hell happened to you? Are you—" You pause, mouth gaped open as you look on in surprise. His friend, and that one long haired blonde guy, stand nearby. The one leaned up against the wall of a supermarket, while the other runs a hand through his blonde locks.

You looked up at him, lips parted. "Is that why you told me to get off the train?"

He gave you a pained smile. "Smart, love," he said.

There's a few people that pass by, mumbling about the sight of the rather bloodied and injured men.

"Shit," you said. "You—did you just come to Nagoya in hopes I'd still be here? What if I had been in Kyoto?"

"Guess some luck's on my side, then," he said.

"My—hell, come on, I've got a hotel room," you said. "You lot look like you've been to hell and back."

"Somethin' like that," the British man said.

"Shit," you mumbled once more, putting your hotel name back into your GPS. You had just come from there, but just in case, you didn't want to mess anything up. Especially not now. "Shit, dude, I don't even know your name—"

"Tangerine," he interrupted.

You blinked slowly as you began to walk. His friends follow behind.

"Like the fruit?" you question.

His friend snorted from behind the two of you. "Yeah, love, like the fruit."

You shrugged. "Codename?"

"Smart," Tangerine repeated, giving you a cheeky smile.

For someone who looked like he was in an immense amount of pain, he was sure cheerful.

You led them up to your hotel room, where the blonde immediately goes to the bathroom, running water in the sink and using it and a towel to try and clean some of the blood from his face.

Tangerine and the other, whom you now know as Lemon, sit on separate sides of the room—Lemon sits at the table and groans at the action, a hand on his side, while Tangerine sits on the edge of the bed.

There goes your plans to see the Nagoya Castle, but hell, this didn't seem like it would be anything you'd wanna miss out on. How often do you get three men in your hotel room like this?

Ah, fuck, scratch that—how often do you get a hot British man looking at you like that regardless of how beat up he currently looked?

You bit your lip and sit your phone on the dresser. "I, uh, my friend gave me a little kit of medicine and things before I left," you said, going to your open suitcase and pulling out a black bag. "Has like, bandaids and ibuprofen. Tums, maybe. I didn't even look to be honest."

You hand the bag to him.

Tangerine snorted softly, taking the bag from you and opening it up. You watch, seeing the scabs on his knuckles.

"Damn, what the hell happened to y'all?"

Tangerine glanced up at you, a small smile quirking on his lips. "All in due time," he said. "Don't think it's anything I wanna drag you into just yet."

You pursed your lips.

"Fuck," Tangerine mumbled. "This whole thing has been fuckin' bullocks," he said as he pulled out a couple of things from the kit.

"You can say that again," Lemon said, scoffing softly.

Tangerine tossed him a bottle of pain killers before he, himself, picked up a small bottle of antiseptic. "Be a doll and grab me a washcloth, yeah?"

You do as you're asked, moving past the blonde in the bathroom. He looked a bit worse for wear, but he seemed like he was doing far better than the other two.

You brought back the washcloth for Tangerine. "Can I help?"

"Nah, love, I'll be fine. Not the first time."

You grimaced. "Sounds painful."

"C'est la vie," Lemon said from where he sat, taking the unopened complementary water from the table and using it to take the pain killers. "You're a life saver, love."

"Hmm," you hummed, frowning softly as you looked at Tangerine.

He glanced up at you as he cleaned his knuckles. He had plenty of other places to clean, of course, but the idea of moving from his spot on the bed sounded like hell. His abdomen was screaming at him for just breathing.

"I never got your name," Tangerine softly said.

"Yeah," Lemon interjected. "Been callin' you his little American this whole time. Don't let him lie to you."

Tangerine blanched, glaring over at Lemon, before he looked up at you. "Maybe," he said. "Don't listen to him. He's a little shit-stirrer."

You smiled a bit. He's endearing if not... unconventional in his methods. Whatever that meant. You'd learn soon enough, it seemed.

You gave him your name.

He repeated it, and it was almost like heaven pouring from his lips as he spoke.

God, you'd have a hell of a time trying to explain this back home.

Tangerine snorted softly and finished cleaning up his knuckles—just on the one hand, though. He still had so much to get through.

"Must've made quite an impression if you come to Nagoya just to find me," you blurted, taking the bottle of antiseptic and the cloth from him. He didn't protest. He simply watched as you wet the other side of the cloth and took his hand in your own to clean his knuckles.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? The accent got me."

You blinked slowly, eyes flickering to his. "The accent?"

"Oh, yeah, love," he said. "Ladybug in there is an American, but you? It's like a whole other breed of American. I don't know if I can get enough of it."

Lemon scoffed and tossed the bottle of painkillers to his brother. "Stop flirting and let them clean your hand."

Tangerine rolled his eyes, watching your hands as they moved against his wounds.

"Sorry," you mumbled.

"Sorry? For what?"

"For not having anything to really help you," you said. "I'm sure it woulda helped if I had a first aid kit or somethin'."

He raised an eyebrow. "Think you would've been insane for havin' a first aid kit when you're traveling all alone," he said. "Who woulda thought you'd run into little ol' me?"

"Little ol' you, hm?"

Tangerine's soft smile is unmistakable, but you make no mention of it. You let go of his hand and he examined it, letting out a soft hum. You did well enough, he supposed.

Tangerine let out a soft groan as a pain rippled through his abdomen. He laid back on the bed without another word, a hand resting on his body. This would be a hell of a pain to heal, but he was sure it would happen soon enough.

"Sorry for barging in on you like that, love," Lemon spoke up. He drew your attention away from Tangerine. "Tangerine over there kept quippin' on and on 'bout how he just had to see you again. Thought he was a broken record or some shit with how often he said it."

The handsome man in front of you didn't even object this time. He just went with it.

"Right, yeah, and what were you sayin'? Hope they have a nice hotel room that fits all us, yeah?"

"Absolutely not," he scoffed. "Don't be a prick."

Tangerine rolled his eyes. "Lemon—"

"—anyway," Lemon interjected. "We'll be out of your hair as soon as we possibly can. Don't want to outstay our welcome, and I'm sure you've got plans, hm?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"—we won't stay long, promise."

"No, I—I mean I do have plans, but you can stay as long as you need to."

Tangerine snorted softly and glanced at you from where he laid on his bed. "You're rather trusting, aren't you?"

You blinked slowly. "Well—"

"—be careful, love," he said, a playful glint in his eyes. "You should really watch yourself, before you get yourself into trouble."

You parted your lips, and the words escaped you before you even thought to stop them: "Think I'm a bit too late for all that."

[ghxstwrites]

October Nights

Pairing: Hyunjin x reader

Summary: You’d seen the “paint and sip” trend on tik tok, and you decided to use it as an excuse to have a cozy date with your boyfriend

WC: 819 (Short and Sweet)

AU: Established Relationship

Genre: Fluff

Warning(s): Mentions of Alcohol/Consumption, self doubt, angst if you squint I guess?

A/N: This felt a little rushed, so I hope you all like it! Thank you @bunnliix for proof reading fixing all my mistakes

Nets: @mirohs-aurora-society

Tag List: @a---shura @kpop---scenarios @potatomountain @bethelighthalazia (send me a ask if you wanna be added!)

Kinktober & Flufftober Masterlist

It was no secret your boyfriend was an artist. 

There were so many days you’d come home from work to find paint brushes from his latest masterpiece soaking in the kitchen sink making sure they didn’t dry on the brushes, or music coming from the spare bedroom as he was locked in on his next painting. 

The house was full of paintings he’d given you over the course of your relationship, or just paintings he’d created.

So when you’d been scrolling through Tik Tok one afternoon and came across something called a ‘Paint and Sip’ you needed to tell him immediately. 

He’d been out at the studio all day and you took it as an opportunity to sneak out to your local craft store and pick up the supplies.  

Wine? Check.

Canvases? Check.

Paints and Brushes? Check.

All that was left was to set it up and order dinner when he got home.

You’d gotten the easels and canvases set up as the door opened to a very exhausted Hyunjin. Just as he looks up he sees you with a grin plastered across your face.

“What's all this?” he makes his way over to you, smiling. 

“I got the idea the other day when I was waiting for you to come out of dance practice,” you smile at him, “You and your partner sit across from each other and you paint something, drink wine and show each other at the end.”

He stares at you in awe, his favorite person and his favorite pastime wrapped up into one hell of a night to start his vacation.

“Why don't you go get comfy, I'll order your favorite take out and we can get started?” Your voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

All he can do is smile at you as he rushes off toward your shared room.

 You’d just finished setting up the table as he came out of the bedroom.

“so…,“ you started as you looked at him, “I was thinking… since it’s October, we can maybe paint something fall themed?” you asked him.

“How about… a street decorated for Halloween?” he muses.

Your eyes lit up.

“Yes! I love that idea,” you exclaimed as he smiled at you. 

You’d always wanted to get involved with Hyunjins hobbies with him, in fact he actively encouraged you whenever you’d expressed interest. 

You couldn’t let yourself though… 

He was an idol and artist, so all of his hobbies he’d perfected over years.

You’d not taken art since highschool and even then it was okay at best. 

You’d never taken formal dance lessons, you’d simply learned to mimic simple choreography from older boy bands.

It’s not that you didn’t want to, you didn’t feel as good as he was and didn’t want to embarrass him, or have him think less of you. 

You’d sat down across from your boyfriend and started to paint.

You talked about a little bit of everything from your work, how the paint wasn't painting the way you’d thought, your future together. 

He seemed distracted however

You’d occasionally look over at him and you’d meet his gaze, causing you to blush and look away from him.

You weren't sure if it was the wine or just being around him making you feel like a schoolgirl.

“What is it?” you giggle at him.

“Oh nothing…,” He looks back at his canvas, swiping away at it as he smiles.

“Okay…,” you say as you paint your little signature at the bottom of your painting

“1…2…3!” 

You both flip your paintings around and to no surprise, his was gorgeous. 

A street with leaves of different colors, street lights, and adorable halloween decorations. 

This time? You didn’t feel inadequate. You smiled and laughed at how terribly adorable yours was.

Which caused him to giggle, and he looked at you fondly.

“Do you see it?” he says softly.

You look at his painting a little closer and you feel a familiar sense about his painting but can’t quite place it.

“Remember, our first date?” he looks at you. 

“How could I ever forget?” you reply, smiling fondly at him.

Then this should look really familiar because…” He trails off.

“This is the coffee shop you burned your mouth on hot chocolate in,” he points to the building  closest to him in the painting. 

“I tried painting the rest of it from memory,” he says softly, “I’ll never forget the way your face lit up at all the decorations,” he smiles softly.

You feel yourself get teary eyed, you’d never once doubted the way he felt about you or your relationship. 

This only confirmed it.

Confirmed your love for him.

“Hyunjin…You… you remember all that?” You look back at him.

“Like it was yesterday,” he looks back at you fondly.

He reaches his hand across the table, taking yours in his.

“Thank you for giving me an excuse to paint my favorite memory.”

[pinkthrone445]

Hi this is my first request ever, I’m not sure if you were planning on doing a part two on ‘we need each other in all our lives’. But if you are, I would love to see the reader say something like “I don’t think I wanna be friends anymore” and then before Melissa can react the reader says “I wanna be yours” and then Melissa’s wheels are turning in her head and then Melissa kisses her.

Anyways love your work, you never miss a beat!

-We need each other in all lives- Part 2

Part 1

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender:Fluff, love, friends to lovers

Warnings:none

Summary:Mel decides to give you the happiest night of your life by fulfilling something you loved so much.

Hi hon, thank you for your request and your kind words, thanks for giving me the honor of being your first request, I hope you like it!

Btw, I love how when Mel smiles like in the gift, her eyes shine.

-"So... How is it going?" - Barbara asked a very distracted Melissa, who looked at her confused

-"What?..."-The redhead took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes in confusion

-"How is it going with (Y/N)?" - Her friend asked again now that she had her attention again

-"Just like always, we're still just friends" - The Italian replied, unconsciously putting a hand to her chest at the thought of you as she remembered the heat your body produced when you fell asleep on her, you looked so happy and calm

-"I meant how was going her job and classes, if you helped or not... But now that you opened that path... Tell me, when are you going to stop being just friends?" -Barbara asked interestedly, and Mel feigned insanity

-"I don't know what you are talking about, we're just friends and that's it, just friends" - She whispered, avoiding her friend's gaze so she wouldn't see the truth in her eyes

-"Yeah... Friends that sleep in each other chest and go to prom together, vacations together and cook for each other and have movie night together... Come on Mel, I know you, when are you going to be brave and tell her about your big crush on her? Maybe she likes you back..." - Barbara whispered, preventing anyone else from mistakenly hearing her

-"We have a big age gap, I don't think I'm the right person for her or someone she wants to spend her future with..."-muttered the redhead, a little embarrassed to admit that

-"If you don't try, you'll never know how she truly feels about you"- The voice of reason, Barbara, answered

-"I don't want to mess things up, if I talk and she doesn't feel the same, it will be awkward and we won't go back to the way we were before, and I can't lose her...The only way I'm going to try anything else with her is if she gives me a signal or something that she likes me back"-Melissa commented a little sadly and her friend rolled her eyes

-"She practically looks at you like you're one of the 7 wonders of the world... Don't tell me that's not a sign!"-Her friend commented, raising her voice and the redhead slapped her arm to calm her down

-"Good morning to the most gorgeous women in my life!" - You commented very happily entering the teacher's room, causing the two women to stop their talk about you. The two greeted you kindly and had breakfast together with you.

The weeks started to go by, Ava went back to her old self and you started to be a little calmer, too, graduation started to get closer. Since you had never been to a graduation either as a student or as a chaperone, Mel gave you some tips on how to dress and what to do. The redhead explained to you that you had to be well dressed, the more delicate and fancy, the better, accompanied by a good hairstyle and confortable shoes. She promised to pick you up and bring you home when you're done.

When the day came, you looked in the mirror at the dress you had bought, you didn't have many opportunities to dress up, so you had decided to take advantage of it. Your hair was pulled up in an elegant ponytail and you had matching shoes and jewelry.

When it was about time and you felt a knock on your door, you opened the door excited to see your friend, but when you saw how she was dressed, your brain emptied and your heart began to jump trying to get out of your chest and run to her. She looked like a princess straight out of some fairy tale, her hair pulled up in a beautiful hairstyle that you were pretty sure she paid someone to do it, her dress looked ready for a red carpet, her shoes and bag matching, and the smile she had was the final and perfect touch to complete her look. She was a woman out of a perfect dream, your dreams. You were afraid you had stared at her for a long time, but you laughed when you realized that she had also stared at the way you were dressed

-"Hi Mel-Mel... You're gorgeous, you look like a princess..."-You commented a little nervously as you were under her intense gaze

-"Hi hon, this look will fade after 10... But you, you're breathtaking..." She whispered and pulled something out of her bag, smiling-"This is for you" - She carefully grabbed your wrist and delicately placed a corsage that matched the dress she was wearing-"Since you're my graduation date and you've never been to one before, I figured it would be nice for you to have the whole experience" - she commented, taking your hand and pointing to a large limo outside your house

-"Melissa! Are you crazy?!" -You screamed with excitement and she laughed dumbfounded, seeing your happy face-"How did you do this?! How much did you spend?" - You frowned at her and she couldn't stop laughing, gently kissing your hand as you were still intertwined. She carefully helped you walk to the car and opened the door for you

-"Don't worry, I know a guy who owed me a favor... The only thing you have to worry about tonight is enjoying yourself" - she said in a kind voice as she sat by your side on the limo-"We have juice, because we can't drink if we're going to chaperone, and I bought your favorite pizza, be careful with your dress..."-She muttered pointing to the pizza boxes and you laughed looking at her in disbelief

-"I can't believe you did all this for me... I can't believe the amazing woman you are Mel-Mel, I'm so lucky to have you in my life and I don't just mean this, I mean everything... I'm thankful for everything, for you,for this, for helping even when I'm being hard-headed, for letting me invade the personal space that you protect so much, for cooking for me, for helping me relax, for letting me pic the movie even knowing I'll pick something that probably you would not understand, like when I show you Marvel for the first time. Thank you for taking care of me, for doing things like this, for celebrating my accomplishments as if they were your own, thank you for coming into my life and staying..."-You talked until she raised a hand to stop you

-"You'll make me cry and ruin my makeup"-she muttered and you laughed, the truth was that if she kept listening to what you were saying, she couldn't take it anymore and would kiss you ruining the friendship she was trying so hard to protect

-"I'm sorry Mel-Mel, I just wanted to say thank you and let you know that I love you so much" - You muttered blushing and she kissed your hand again

-"I love you too kiddo... Now eat before it gets cold" - she whispered, trying to take the weight off the situation.

After eating and joking, the driver stopped at the school and the two of you came down smiling holding hands.

The gym was nicely decorated with the fairytale theme, delicate lights, soft music and a table with food and drinks, plus a DJ and a photo booth.

As the night began to move on and the children began to arrive, you and the other teachers began to do the work of looking after the students' behavior as you had been told, but you couldn't help but look for your friend in the crowd.

After a little bit, you and Mel exchanged glances across the room smiling, you pointed to the photo booth and she nodded walking over. The two went inside and took several pictures of yourselves making funny faces and hugging each other, after that you save each one half of the photo strip and return to work.

When the kids and the situation calmed down a bit, you decided to go to one edge of the gym watching everything.

The music sounded soft and the lights were dim, on the floor you could feel the distant vibration of the rhythm coming from the speakers. A few glasses glittered under the reflection of the soft sequence of lights hanging from the ceiling. Your body swayed gently to the rhythm of the music as you watched the children dance, your hands unconsciously caressing the flower on your wrist making you smile

-"Do you want to dance?" - Mel whispered getting close to your ear, brushing her pinky finger delicately against the back of your hand

-"I would love to"-You whispered and took her hand gently as you walked to the center of the floor, with her gaze she asked for permission to place her hands on your waist while you intertwined yours behind her neck making her shudder a little. Very close together, you both began to move to the rhythm of the soft music, her hands gently caressing your waist in circular motions while you played with the baby hairs on the back of her neck. Her eyes were on yours and you couldn't take your eyes off hers, the normal green of her eyes had transformed into a brilliant emerald, an emerald as hypnotic as the flow of a powerful river. They seemed like the door to another world, to a paradise that hid wonders. It felt like you were under a spell, like a scene form a romantic movie. Not a word was spoken, but at the same time you were having a deep conversation with each other's eyes. Your head was blank and your heart was beating harder than ever, your breathing ragged even though you tried to control it, you got teary eyes trying to contain the emotion you were feeling. What had you done well in this life to have ended up in this perfect situation? With the perfect person... How you wish you could stop time and be able to admire forever how the lights decorated the redhead's hair, how her hands generated heat in your body, how her feet moved perfectly with yours, how her eyes looked at you as if you were the most perfect thing in this world. How you wanted to hold her in your arms until the two of you were old and had shared a lifetime together. How you wish you could kiss her and be hers all night every night. Hold her in your arms until the moon says goodbye to the sky and the sun welcomes a new day. You were so close to each other and at the same time it wasn't enough. You wanted to be with her in the most intimate way possible, hearts bare, bodies intertwined and souls united, desiring the deepest of connections, those where you don't know where one ends and the other begins, moments when time has mercy and stops so that the glimmer of perfection lasts a little longer. You wanted Melissa to look at you like she was doing at that moment, but forever.

At what point did she go from being your friend to being the love of your life? At what point did your feelings for her change?

The moment was so perfect that you wanted to keep it forever like in a crystal ball so you could relive it whenever you wanted. Was fragile like the crystal goblet that your mother kept on a shelf to use on a special occasion so that it would not break, so fragile that anything could break it, that a breeze could throw it over and shatter it. You didn't want anything to break that fragile and perfect moment, but you also realized something, it was fragile and it could break at any moment, but that made it even more perfect. It was going to break at some point, what better way to take advantage of it than until the last second? You decided to act even if the moment could break, you decided to finally kiss Melissa, but before you could do that, her lips were already on yours. She only connected her lips at first without moving them, just pressed against yours, but it was enough to take your breath away. When she felt you smile softly, she began to delicately move her lips over yours, muddying her lipstick on your lips, her hands clenching hard grabbing your dress and pressing your body against her, while your hands squeezed the back of her neck to keep her close.

How had you lived so long without her kisses? You had no idea, but now that you'd tried them, you didn't want to part away anymore.

The redhead bit your lip gently causing a sigh to escape your lips, but before the kiss could escalate any further, a voice called you to reality

-"Daam, Schemmenti, (Y/N), you are the chaperones, you are here to control the children, not to teach them how to kiss" - One of the teachers commented, making you blush and quickly separate from Mel, a little bit scared. On the other hand, the redhead was a little disappointed to see the embarrassment on your face. Didn't you like it? Were you regretting it?

-"I'll go to see the children, sorry" - You commented before quickly disappearing.

For the rest of the night, Melissa didn't see you again, it wasn't until the party was over and she went to the limo that she saw you waiting for her there

-"Hey..."-You whispered, barely smiling, and she sighed, leaning on the car next to you, but turning her attention to the visible stars of the night

-"Hey hon..."-she answered, not knowing what else to say, what made you sigh and play with your hands nervously

-"What a night...right?" - You whispered and she nodded

-"Yeah... Crazy" - The redhead looked at you out of the corner of her eye and saw how your body shivered a little, you looked so fragile-"Where's the driver?" - she asked

-"He went to the bathroom..."-You responded by looking at her sideways as well-"You know? It's past twelve o'clock and you still look like a beautiful princess" - You joked and she smiled blushing-"Thank you for all this Mel, it was a magical night, and I really mean all of it... There's not a moment tonight that I wish I could have done differently..."-You barely smiled and she looked at you

-"That's why friends are for..."-she whispered and you sighed at the word friends

-"Mel-Mel... Can I ask you something?" - You inquired and she nodded-"What are we? Are we really just friends?..." - You asked avoiding her gaze with a bit of sadness, the whole situation had become so awkward when usually everything was perfect and easy with her

-"Look kid, I think it was just the magic of the moment, I really don't know what happened inside... Maybe too many teenagers hormones" - The redhead tried to joke but only an awkward laugh came out of you-"What I do know, it's that not matter what happened, we're still friends, okay?" - she murmured, rubbing her pinky with your hand. Melissa wanted to keep you from drifting away and making things awkward, she would rather pretend she just wanted to have you as a friend than lose you completely

-"I don't think I wanna be friends with you anymore..."-You muttered, moving your hand away from hers-"I can't believe you're blaming that to teen hormones... I felt something, that spark, and I don't know if you felt it too, but I can't believe you're blaming other people for your actions... I can't keep being eternal friends with you Mel-Mel, maybe in another life we're eternal friends, but I can't do it anymore in this life. I'm sorry" - You murmured and hugged yourself, you didn't know if the shivering was cold or nervous, but you wanted it to stop-"I think I'll walk home, thanks for a magical night" - You muttered starting to walk away from her

-"I love you" - Those three words escaped from the redhead's mouth faster than she could have thought, hearing them paralyzed you on the spot. There was no point in denying it anymore , the cat was out of the bag-"I love being with you... I remember that summer we spent together and the kisses we never gave each other even though all I wanted was to have my mouth on you, I remember your favorite movie, your favorite snack, what you like and what you don't, what you fear and what makes you happy, I remember how you love to sleep, I remember your favorite color, your favorite weather, I remember the funny dances you do when you eat or are happy, I remember everything you love, I remember it because I love you... Please don't go, I was afraid to admit my feelings because I was afraid to lose you, but I don't want to be eternal friends either, I want to be with you, kiss you every morning and wake up next to you. I want to see your dances every day every time I cook for you... I thought love only existed in movies until I met you, I want to be with you for the rest of my days... You know? It's funny how love finds you when you least expect it, it doesn't care if you're coming out of a breakup or don't feel ready to love, when it's coming nothing can stop it... And the love of my life came the moment I saw you... You know I'm telling the truth because such cheesy words wouldn't come out of my mouth even if I wanted to fake it..."-She murmured and you turned ln your place looking at her with teary eyes-" Are you really staying there after all I said?"-She asked with a raised eyebrow and you laughed making a little run to her

-"This are the hormones talking?"-You asked standing in front of her and she shook her head

-"No, it's my love for you..." - She murmured, hugging you carefully around your waist and you ran your hands down her neck looking into her eyes

-"Good, because I love you too and I want to kiss you again"-You murmured before kissing her again.

[cinematicgf]

Breaking the Girl~ 18+ dom!joel

Summary: as a casual photographer, you find the opportunity to go with your neglectful boyfriend to his hometown for the summer thrilling. Taking photos of his neighbors and friends whilst not blowing money on a huge vacation sounds perfect, a small job with his mum, neighborhood summer get-togethers and weekend beach trips accompanied by your trusty camera, why not?! But when a certain charming Southern man, known as your boyfriend’s old boss, enters the mix, you cant take your lens off the fine older man, and he cant seem to take it off you either.

Pairings: (no-outbreak) dom!joel miller x sub f!reader

Warnings and notes: 18+, smutty smutty smut, dom!joel and sub!f!reader, piv, dirty talk, pet names (sweetheart, doll, darling), dirty talk, drinking, swearing, oral sex (f! receiving), arguments, age gap (reader is afab! in their early 20s and Joel in in his mid-early 50s), reader in uni, bit of a praise kink ngl, boyfriend being an asshole and Joel being just as charming as ever, reader has some cunty thoughts but good for her honestly, just pure unbridled filth with a semi developed backstory<3 no use of y/n

~ 7.2k (oops)

A/N: hi all<3 I wanna thank you guys for the support of my previous Joel fic, I appreciate it so much<3 this is just a string of pure filth with limited backstory. my inbox is open for requests as usual, your feedback is always welcome and if you enjoy this fic please like, comment and reblog<3

~

She was the girl Left alone Feeling the need To make me her home

I don't know what, when or why The twilight of love had arrived

~

Summer was approaching quick and with your exams out of the way and all the stress of the last few months, the final week of university seemed kinda pointless. Yet here you were in class, daydreaming about all the things you would get up to. Perhaps you could rent a sea-side batch and spend your warm afternoons in the ocean before settling down with a book and a bottle of wine for the evenings. Or maybe, you could blow your barista allowance and go to Florida for the sweltering months. Truth is, you didn’t have any plans for the summer, and with the days counting down much too fast to comprehend, you found yourself at a loss for what to do on your break. No matter what you did, however, you know your trusty camera would be tucked to your side, film loaded in and an extra pocket in your bag to store the developed photos. Photography had been a passion of yours for as long as you could remember. You had saved up birthday and Christmas money for years in order to afford a camera for yourself and you had never gone anywhere without it. Unfortunately, the impending doom of your hobby “having no jobs”, as your father put it, meant that you had to change your uni major. Although, you had been cheeky and added in a photography paper here and there, just to satisfy yourself and to no knowledge of your father.

The sound of a backpack being thrown down next to you made you retreat from your thoughts with a jump. Your boyfriend pushed himself into a seat next to you, “So babe”, he began; god, how many times had you told him you hated being called that. “I was thinking, for the summer, you could come back home with me?” he finished. You looked at him with a frown, the last thing you wanted to do was spend another summer cooped up in a small town like the one you grew up in, the one you visited every holidays, just to be wrapped in uncomfortably tight hugs from elders commenting on, “well well, I haven’t seen you since you were this big”, making their hand level with their knees, “look at how pretty you’ve gotten, you have your mothers eyes dear, you must be so proud of her”, they would always say, giving a warm smile to your father as he too looked at you with a grin, knowing how insane you must think these strangers were. You loved seeing your father on breaks, but c’mon, sometimes you yourself needed some time to yourself.

You contemplated his offer briefly, “Hmm I don’t kno—” “Cmon!” he insisted, unwarily cutting you off, “It’ll be great, we can stay in my parents sleep out, I’ll be working for one of my neighbors who I had a job with in high school, and I’ve already asked my mom if she can find some work for you around her office. On weekends we can walk to the beach and go to the mall and whatnot, c’mon babe, it’ll be fun”. Great, a summer working in an office and hanging out with your boyfriends’ rich parents, sounds… delightful. But truth is, you didn’t have anything else to do over the summer, and maybe this would be a way to relax without spending a boatload of your hard-earned money on a shitty trip. “Hmm... fine, you’ve convinced me”, you pretend to be annoyed about it. He smiles and gives you a quick peck on the cheek which you ignore. “It’ll be great, we can go up Saturday afternoon. First day of summer, the adults in the neighborhood usually throw a barbecue at Joel’s, the guy I’m working for. Yeah, it’s a little rowdy with drunk adults and a pool thrown into the mix but I always find myself actually having fun”. At this point you felt a little excitement creep through you. You arrive and immediately there’s a party, hell yeah. Who cares about drunk middle-aged people when at least there are free drinks. “I’m sure we will have a great time”, you force a smile as he gazes at you, “as long as I’m with you”, he replies earnestly before adding repulsively, “can you bring something hot to wear, like those little shorts- I wanna impress everyone in town that you’re mine”. You cringed at the sudden ruin of the mood and his claiming you as his. It sends a nauseous feeling straight to your stomach with a hint of rage.

Six months ago, you may have laughed and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, but truth is, you had been meaning to break things off with him for a couple of weeks now. His constant unawareness to vile comments and the fact that you were always treated as an accessory to him, as if you weren’t a person at all, had just brought you to your breaking point. Not to mention your friend Em, who dated his much kinder friend, had broken the news that him and a girl in another one of his classes had been fucking on the regular. This should’ve hurt, but truth be told, you two had been distant for months now. The only reason that you hadn’t broken it off sooner was the slamming of exam period, as you spend two weeks with your head buried in books, barely seeing anyone, including him (you had kinda forgot about him over that time, if you were honest with yourself, and, you know you weren’t supposed to say it, but it felt kinda nice, not having the responsibility of constantly thinking about a significant other). Remembering all the outliers in your relationship, you cursed yourself for saying yes to the trip and not just calling it quits to spend summer alone. Well, you guessed you wouldn’t be seeing him all that much, with both of you working and you could use the excuse you wanted to check out the town to get away for a bit. God, you felt like a major bitch, but still, it was a free trip. So, fuck it. Call it compensation for how neglectful he had been of your relationship.

The trip back to his hometown was draining. You couldn’t help but wish your boyfriend would just ease up on the constant chatter so the two of you could sit in comfortable silence with the music blaring instead. He told you all about his neighbors and his parents and you couldn’t help but find yourself intrigued by this Joel Miller character he was working for. Single parent, self-made wealthy contractor with a charm about him, or so your boyfriend complimented, as he told the story of how Joel had offered him a job in high school when times were tight through his parents’ divorce. “Listen okay, literally everyone in town swoons for him but I’ve never seen him with anyone, I don’t know, maybe he’s just not looking to settle down. I personally don’t see it, he’s just an old man”, he mentions offhandedly. You were a little nervous to meet him after the string of admiration by your boyfriend.

Once you had arrived and his stepfather and mother had showered you with acclimation (“My goodness Sammy, look at this gorgeous thing, how did you manage to lock her down”). Getting ready for the much-awaited barbecue, you settled for simple, as the humid evening approaching told you that anymore layers, and you would be drenched in sweat. You added some accessories, equipping yourself with your camera and extra film as you and your boyfriend headed across the road to, supposedly, Joel’s house.

Already there was a congregation of neighbors and friends, all gathered around a pool in the backyard, beers in hands, chatting enthusiastically with others they, presumably, were all familiar with. It was utterly suburban, the sight bemusing you slightly as you force away a smirk. Making your way across the lawn and through already intoxicated neighbors you find a full cooler, preparing yourself with a beer before observing the strangers. Your boyfriend had taken off to greet friendly faces, taking the opportunity, you fixate your lens to your eye to capturing the action.

A sweep of the back garden and a few shots later your lens focuses on a tall man leaning on a porch pillar. You can’t help but stare through the disguise of your camera. The cross of his tanned broad arms stretching his t shirt against his chest, making the expanse that much more noticeable. One hand jammed into his pocket, the other superlatively cradling a beer.

His patchy beard lined his structured jaw, squinting as he laughed, dimples inverting the sides of his mouth exquisitely. All these featured crafted the most handsome man you think you had ever laid eyes on. Pressing the shutter, you snap a photo of him mid-laugh as a neighbor entertained him. His admirable laugh carried across the garden, a melody to your ears, you can’t help but smile to yourself.

“Babe!” you boyfriend calls from across the lawn, cringing once more at the pet name, you wander across the garden after being summoned. “This here is Joel”. Your eyes meet the older man finally greeting the stranger who has piqued your interest the past few hours. He had a southern charm about him, and the closer you get, you can see how broad he really is. His muscles sculpted through his shirt, the veins in his arm mimicking those of Michelangelo's David. What the hell was your boyfriend talking about “just an old man”, you couldn’t take your eyes off him, allure and all.

“Ah, so this is she”, he envelopes your hand in his, his calloused palms connect more gently than you expected with your own young, soft padding. “I’m Joel”, he introduces himself, “I noticed you snapping photos over there”, his smile softens his features, you can’t help but mirror his beaming. “Speaking of”, you say, reaching into your pocket, you hand him the photo you had taken earlier; his attractive face radiating from the Polaroid, “Here”.

Taking it, he inspects it closely, you hold your breath, faintly, always nervous of reactions to your craft, no matter how friendly the gathering. A mesmerizing smile breaks out on his feature, “Probably the best photo taken of me ever. And that’s saying something”, he adds, grinning. “Its all yours”, you offer, watching him pocket the photo with pride.

Joel and you fall into conversation seamlessly. You tell of your uni and photography endeavors as Joel starts telling you about his contracting business. How he got it off the ground with the help of his brother, Tommy, who was lounging on a pool chair beside Joel’s daughter Sarah, who he mentioned with a sparkle of joy in his eye any proud father would have. “So, after Sarah’s mom left, I decided to get my shit togeth—”

“Holy shit”, your boyfriend interrupts. Joel raises his eyebrows in confusion, and you sigh in question, as you were enjoying talking to Joel, “Listen, my old high school buddies are having a boys night at theirs”, he raises up his phone, showing the brightened notification on the screen. You don’t bother to read it. “I gotta go babe, sorry. Ill see you later on tonight, okay?”, he gives you a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving you standing there speechless before weaving through the crowd of people in the back garden and leaving. You’re shocked, frankly. Sure, he’s been neglectful of you, but this was a new low. Ditching you at his neighbor’s party to go hang out with other people… you are truly dumbstruck. Tears of humiliation and pure anger burn on your lashes, threatening to leak down your face. You turn your attention to Joel leaning next to you, the same stunned expression accessorizing his features, brow slightly furrowed. “Well,”, he sighs after a beat, “that was a bit fucking rude. Sorry about th—“

“Excuse me”, it was your turn to interrupt him, as you fled from his domineering presence, frankly, embarrassed by your bastard of a boyfriend. Tears lighting a fire behind your eyes as your blood boiled.

“Fuck”, you took a look at the bottom of your empty beer bottle, heading over to the cooler. “Fuck!!”, you repeated to yourself upon opening the now empty chiller. Adults really did drink a lot huh, you thought, glaring daggers at the once full bin before wandering across the garden and inside the house.

You navigated the modern, utterly suburban house plan until you found a garage. Damn middle-aged men and their garages, you swear every dad you knew decorated their garage better than their own rooms. Thank god Joel was no different, because you knew there would be a fridge there filled with the good stuff. Once alone with your new full beverage, you let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose in frustration. You were here, alone now, with people only he knew, did he expect you to just stand in the corner and drink by yourself, observing the party? Did he expect you to just go home? Honestly, the mere thought of it sent a rush of anger traversing up your spine. “Asshole”, you muttered to yourself, taking a swig of your stolen beer.

“Didn’t think pretty girls were thieves”, you heard a teasing voice behind you. You whipped your head around to make out Joel in the doorway of the garage, muscular arms tucked into his sides again, one supporting his almost empty beer. Had he… followed you? He uncrossed his ankles and made his way over to where you stood by the fridge.

“The door was open, arrest me officer”, you retort sarcastically, already over this whole shindig after being ditched by your boyfriend.

He chuckled lightly before noticing your peeved demeanor. “Ah”, he whispers to himself, “boyfriend troubles huh? More so, than the whole ordeal before hm, darling”. You glance at him through your lashes and roll your eyes, “You don’t know the half of it.” Sighing, he moved closer to you, his elbow caressing yours slightly, he looks down at you with an expression you cant quite make out, “All I can say is”, he begins, his voice low and gravelly, “if I had a pretty thing like you for myself, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight”.

Was he… making a move on you? You couldn’t tell. In your drunken state, you didn’t really care either, why not pursue it. Your boyfriend hadn’t touched you in months, the least Joel could say was no; so, fuck it, right?

You inch toward him, “and what would you do if you had me, Mr. Miller”, you coo, your voice tantalizing, wavering on a whisper as you gaze at him.

“Maybe one day I’ll get to show you”, he smirks. The two of you are unbelievably close, you can feel his breath fanning on your face and can smell his cologne. He is inundating your senses and you can’t get enough. You take the opportunity to weave your hands around his waist. He reaches an unbearably large hand up to your face and skims your cheekbone, his sizeable thumb halting on your bottom lip. You use the opportunity to take his finger into your mouth, suckling gently before releasing it with a soft kiss on the padding of his digit. You can feel him harden against you through his jeans.

“Fuckkkken hell”, he drawls, “temptress,” a darkness scintillates in his eyes.

A loud bang of a door close by followed by a whining, “Daddddddd”, has the both of you jumping apart as Sarah appears in view of the doorway. The young girl is rubbing her eyes, messy curls adorning her cute face. Slumping, she complains again, “Dad, I’m tired, can you tuck me in, please”. Joel gives her a warm smile, “I'll be right there baby girl, go get into bed okay, gimme a second”. She notices you for the first time, “I like your hair”, she grins, you cant help but smile at the young girl, “thank you honey, I like yours too”. With that, she disappears back through the door and up the stairs as Joel’s attention turns back to you, his former dark, eager look has returned.

“Come around tomorrow.” It’s not a question. Rather a demand. One hand engulfs your upper arm, giving it a light squeeze as he plants a soft kiss to your cheek, leaving you in the garage to comprehend the exciting conversation you had just had. Before he does, however, he stops in the doorway and turns back around to face you. “For the record, your boyfriend’s an asshole. Has been since high school.”, he gives you a grin but there’s a hint of concern behind his eyes. It was a shitty thing for your boyfriend to do and he understands that.

Your boyfriend had passed out on his parent’s couch when you left Joel’s house, so you made your way to the sleep out, thrilled to have some time alone to think about the events of the night. You couldn’t help but admit to yourself that the entire conversation with Joel felt good. Right, even; like Joel was actually trying to talk to you as any decent human being would. And maybe the bar was on the ground for your after your shitty relationship, but you didn’t feel guilty about wanting the older man. And he wanted you too. Maybe it’ll only be for a quick fuck, but it felt nice to be wanted. You thought about the conversation again before slipping a finger down through your wet folds, rubbing quick fast circles to the nub of your clit, exhaling soft moans. You imagined your hand wasn’t your own but Joel's.

The next day you woke up early. Your nerves shot as you take a shower, taking the opportunity of seeing Joel again to dress in lacy, barely there lingerie under your clothes (why you packed it… just in case, you supposed). If nothing happened between the two of you, or he admitted that perhaps he was drunk and just fucking around, then nobody would know your effort but you. However, if he did get to undress you, the choice to dress up would be an ideal one.

The door is open when you arrive, the summer entering uninvited through the hallway of the cozy home. Entering the doorway to the living room, you knock on the door frame, Joel appearing moments later behind you on the stairs. “Hi again, doll”, he greets you with a genuine smile, walking to the kitchen. Those dimples, carved by Donatello himself, you supposed. “You want something to drink?”, you nod as he leads the way past you. Handing you a dewy beer, you make your way to the couch to sit on the edge like a nervous child and admire the man in front of you. His t shirt tightening at the sleeves, barely able to fit over his muscular, slightly tanned arms. Jeans, ungodly tight around his crotch. You blush at the realization that you’re staring at him in all his glory. Your breath hitches as you focus your gaze on the skew of family photos dotted around the living me.

“Why’d you ask me over?” you come right out and question. In your drunken state last night, you didn’t care if it looked like you were coming onto him, if he said no, your intoxication dulled your embarrassment. But now, in your sober state, you needed to know, so as not to do just that. “I wanna take care of you”, he expressed nonchalantly, his focus occupied on finding a bottle opener. “And how do you presume to do that”, you continue, bemused by his confused expression lightening once he found what he was looking for, popping the cap before coming to sit next to you on the couch. He crossed his ankle over his knee, your eyes unfortunately for you, travel straight to the bulge in his jean. Perv, you curse to yourself. “Well, it just seems like your boyfriend isn’t doing a very good job, is he sweetheart?”. An exasperated sigh emits from your throat, your eyes roll unwillingly at the mention of your partner. You lean against the back of the couch, head resting on his forearm relaxing lazily behind you, as you take a sip from your bottle.

You realize you really do want him… badly. “Maybe I do need your help, Mr. Miller”, lolling your neck to look at him through your lashes, putting on a sad face whilst the hint of seduction in your breathy tone communicates everything to Joel.

He leans in and kisses you, gently at first. You deepen it, needing more of him as you moan into his mouth, giving him easy access to slide his tongue across your teeth. Tongue and teeth collide in a hot, messy kiss. His hand glides up your waist to your throat, where he cups your jaw with two giant fingers and squeezes gently. Quickly realizing you’re in the middle of the living room, gasping pulling away. “Shit, is Sarah home?”, you pant. “Friend’s house”, Joel says shortly, reconnecting your lips to his.

“Then, make me feel good Joel”, you coo, teeth running over his bottom lip. He exhales a low animistic groan, watching his eyes darken to a lust-filled gaze. “Yes ma’am”.

Next thing you know, he is walking you backwards to the spare bedroom downstairs. Both of you are so needy, you can’t even wait to make it upstairs to his own bed. The backs of your knees hit the mattress, he works at your panties, lips connecting with your throat, neck, collarbone, a symphony of needy groans accompany your pleasureful sighs quickly filling the empty space of the room. Slipping a calloused hand between your thighs, he begins working to collect your arousal, coating the tips of his fingers before slipping a digit into your cunt. You exhale a gasp, he swallows into a groan, “Fuck, doll,” he breathes softly, watching his finger pumping in and out of you, “does this pussy ever get this wet for your boyfriend?” He palms himself through his jeans, relieving some of his building tension. “No Joel”, you gasp, “not like it does for you”. Mascara gathers at your lashes as you squirm on his sheets. Joel’s touch fills you with ecstasy, but you still need more.

“Joel—” you whine, forcing yourself to meet his gaze, desire and devotion flooding his features, you follow his line of vision to the sight of his digit fucking you, then to your camera lying on his bedside table. You see the gears turning in his head, barely able to comprehend what he is up to before he grabs the camera, taking it in one large hand, positioning the base on his palm as he bends his fingers to the shutter button. You turn your head away in bliss, all you can focus on are his expert fingers rhythmically pumping in and out of you. “C'mon baby, you don’t need to be shy around me”. The camera looks miniature in his hand, the flash blinds you, snapping your pure pleasure, freezing it as a passionate moment in time. Joel holds the strap by his teeth, yanking the filthy portrait out, throwing it on the bedside table. Fuck, that just made you even wetter, if that was even possible. “Joel—ah- Joel” you continue to whimper, unworried about the physical evidence of your filthy endeavors due to your young, committed cunt clenching unwilling around his fingers by how good it feels.

“I know, sweetheart”, he whispers understandingly, “Just gotta warm you up a little longer, okay sweet girl”, he slips another digit between your walls. Your back arches against the mattress, head thrown back as a string of moans and whimpers tumble from your lips. Joel’s eyes darken into a hungry, heavy look with every squirm and curse that falls from your lips. Your eyebrows knit together in pleasure as his filthy words and his tantalizing, skillful fingers aid the coil in your stomach to release slowly. Joel, camera in hand, snaps two more of him fucking you with his fingers, discarding them on the table again. “Fuck, my own little cam girl”, he drawls in your ear, smirking, “we got four left, gotta use them wisely now”.

Joel abruptly pulls his fingers out, leaving you gasping for air, whining, as the bliss slowly fades, your arousal still hot and heavily in need of him like the air you breathe. He drags his jeans and boxers off, tossing them carelessly onto the floor by the bed. Taking in his girth, you understand why he had to warm you up first. You damn near moan at the sheer side of it as the slick from your pussy assists his thick fingers to pump himself a couple of times. He smirks at your needy expression. Cocky bastard, he knows he’s big too. Settling between your legs, his tip of his cock teases your entrance. You can feel his pre-cum mixing with your slick, creating an exquisite cocktail. Repetition falling from his lips in an unsteady gravelly tone as he coerces you to take ever inch of him inside your cunt, with a melody of “good girl” and “you’re doing so good for me, pretty baby”.

Joel slides inside you so easily, with how wet you are for him. A soft hiss, and then his features mold into a symphony of pleasure and hunger. His capable fingers tangle in your hair he glides his length in and out, painfully slow. You finally find your voice amongst the soft gasps and ah’s. “Joel— need more, please”, your voices emerges as a breathy whisper; making his features darken with craving. “I know baby, I know”, he coos, “you’re so full right now, aren’t you. That’s it sweet girl, you’re so good, taking every inch of me into that pretty little pussy”.

Your mind is whirling 100 miles per hour as he whispers filthy phrases in your ear, the promise to fuck you hard and slow being almost unbearable to comprehend. His thick cock stretches you out, rock hard, forcing your legs wide open as your ankles cross around his waist for support. It’s too much, fuck! After a few seconds of adjusting to this size, he pulls all the way out. You whine slightly at the loss of him inside you before he slams back into your cunt, filling you all the way before repeating again and again and again. The head of his thick, impressive length kisses your g spot like no other mans has before. All the while he has one large, veiny hand around your throat providing a slight bit of pressure, his thumb caresses your lips, opening them to slide a finger inside. You take the hint as a call back to last night at the party, slipping his fingers to the back of your throat and sucking on them. He groans out a string of profanities, eyes glued to you as you feel his cock twitch inside you at the image before him. You release his fingers, a string of spit still attaching you and him, he uses his thumb to spread it around your lips before dragging your chin down to open your mouth, pressing his lips to yours delicately. You can barely keep up with his kiss as he continues to slam into you at a rapid pace. You’re moaning out his name, a chorus of Joel, Joel Joel-, he smothers your whines with his lips. Rocking his hips up into you slowly, he brings his thumb down between the two of you, his calloused finger after years of contracting, makes contact with your clit, rubbing circles to your neglected nub. You push his hand away after your body jolts from the stimulation and he lets out a low chuckle. “You about to come, sweetheart?”, his voice is restrained and needy. You can feel your orgasm building inside of you, teasing you as the crescendo builds. You nod quickly. Squeezing your eyes shut, your moans begin to become rapid sighs on your tongue.

“Eyes on me, doll”, Joel demands, you open them to be met by the southern man, slamming his hips into you. Fuck he looks so good on top of you right now. A thin layer of sweat coats his forehead and chest, his hair messy, two curls decorating his forehead. You don’t think you’ve ever seen such a beautiful sight. He lifts himself up on his knees, grabbing the camera once more, he takes a selection of photos of you taking him deep into you. He thumbs lightly at your clit for a shot, before the film runs out, a satisfyingly dirty collection of photos to remember your time together by lying next to the both of you.

Your hips move together in conjunction. His hands weave around your back, pulling you into him as his lips attached to your breasts, he anchors his tantalizingly expert fingers into your hair, the plush of your ass, circling your waist— Joel holds you as close as physically possible, his muscular arms crush you, teeth grazing the nub of your breast. There’s a starving kind of desire laced into his kiss. Involuntary clenches of your cunt around his impossibly hard cock, and your fingernails digging into his shoulder blades, you slide your hands around his neck to hold yourself steady.

Then, he’s pulling away slightly, his hungry eyes watching his length pump in and out of you, as he plants a strong hand on your thigh, spreading you open to receive impossibly more of him. You are simply a toy at this point, as he dictates the sheer brutal pace of how he fucks you. “God, you look so beautiful, full of my cock, doll”. He moves his lips wetly up your throat, your head thrown back. He smiles against your mouth, you give him a shaky “mmm”, he ardently peaks your lips, releasing after each kiss to watch your cock-drunken expression, his name the only word you can attempt, like worship on the edge of your tongue. “Joel- Joel- Joel, mmm”, you stutter a praise for the captivated audience, who is relishing in the sound of your pleading gasps.

“I wanna see how appreciative you are for this cock, baby, keep your eyes on me”.

His voice is firm as his hardened hands caresses the length of your spine. You feel him flex inside you, his dominant gaze securing you as he speeds up, watching as your tits bounce with his rough strokes. “Ohmygod–Joel–”, the promise of your climax rapidly approaches, the ache undoes all the tension inside you, overtaking every inch of you, causing your thighs to squeeze him impossibly tighter.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Give it to me now, Darlin, you’re doing so good, come around me, doll”. The praise, the pet names, him inside you, all sends you over the edge. Your cunt starts to flood and shudder around him, your eyes rolling back into your head as you feel your orgasm release. You squeeze around Joel’s cock so tight; your lungs can only gasp out a mixture whines as you come around him. Joel continues to fuck you through your orgasm, its hard and fast to the point where you can feel another coil build inside you. He can feel it too, shifting your hips up slighting in a way that makes your mind blow, you nearly scream out at how good it feels. “That’s my good girl, I need another one, baby. You can give me another. That’s it, Yes, give it to me pretty girl”, his lips attach to a soft spot behind your ear, making you moan his name, your delicate hands rake through his hair. He pulls out for a brief second, flipping you onto your side as he lies behind you, sliding back inside you again. Its almost as if he never left, you’re so drunk off him fucking you that you can barely comprehend what is happening. Just that it feels so good, his hand weaves around you to play with your nipple, squeezing it slightly as his lips pepper kisses to your neck. he gently hooks your leg over his, stretching you open impossibly wider. “I wanna feel that pussy squeezeing me again, baby”. He continues lacing a string of filthy words into your ear while retreating back to his signature move when the two of you first started, pulling all the way out and slamming into you again.

“Lemme, feel you comin’ when I fill you up, good girl.”

Your second orgasm blinds you as you moan through your bliss. Joel’s gravely groans behind you sound like a melody. His warm breath in your ear and progressive sloppiness, encasing the room in leud noises, accompanied by his broken moans signals to you that he is close too. You turn you head to capture his lips as the aftershocks of your orgasm spark through you, your thighs twitching against his. He meets them brutally, and you know you’re going to be bruised inside and out when this is over. By the time he’s pumped you full of his cum and pulled out, it’s leaking down the inside of your thighs. You attempt to catch your breath, as his cock settles between the two of you on your lower back. You cant help but smile as he rubs lazy circles to your bare hip.

“Fucken hell, that was incredible”, he whispers, more so to himself than to you. “You are something else, doll”, he breathes, still catching his breath. You turn yourself around so that you’re half on top of him, throwing your leg over his so his cock is resting between your thighs. “You’re not so bad yourself”, you retort, smirking up at him.

“You know, you look so fucking pretty on top of me like that, darlin’. Next time, ill have to get a shot of you riding me”. Your heart jumps slightly at the promise of a next time, which he notices, following up his sentiment.

“Are you staying the whole summer”, he questions, his roaming hands worshiping your waist. “Sure am”, you respond hopefully. “Well then, I guess I’ll be seeing you soon”, he gives you a genuine smile, capturing your lips against lip for a delicate kiss, his patchy,lightly groomed beard scratching softly at your cupid’s bow.

You’re still unable to form a coherent sentence, as you feel his slick cocktailed with your own leaking out of your cunt. You slide off him, propping yourself up on a trembling elbow, watching Joel pull his jeans back up over his hips. “Until next time then”, he promises, gliding your panties up your still-weak legs, a wet patch already forming on the fabric. Aren’t you glad you decided to wear these. He hands you the photos and your camera as you attempt to dress yourself again, feeling weak and so empty without him already. Handing them to you, he slips one into his jean pocket with a cheeky comment. Walking you to the door, he kisses you deeply, his grey-flecked beard scratching your cheeks. After your goodbyes you can’t help but miss him. Hell, you’d only known the older man two days; still, you wanted his company more and more as the hours went by, so you reached for what he had given you to remember you by, “until next time”.

You stand in the sleep-out kitchen, admiring the Polaroid’s he had taken of you. You filter through them, blushing more at the sight of each one, dirtier than the last, too caught up to hear the door open. “Hey”, the familiar voice makes you jump. Your boyfriend, out of breath comes stalking through the door. You scramble to hide the photos, collecting them in a bundle, attempting to put them in your jean pocket. You force a smile at him as his eyes travel down to the photos in your hand. “From the party right, lemme take a look at those,” he says enthusiastically, closing the gap between the two of you as he reaches for them. “No”, you try to brush it off, “the lighting isn’t right, they didn’t turn out great, ya know, night shooting is a bitch”, you try to pull the photos further from his grasp, but he has a firm hold on them, yanking them slightly. You gasp as they flutter gracefully to the ground, face up, dropping to your knees to quickly pick them up but he’s already seen. “What the fuck”, he whispers, grabbing one and gazing it, a deep-rooted frown carved into his brow. It was you, mouth frozen in a pleasureful ‘ah’ as a peak of Joel entering you was seen at the bottom of the frame. “You wanna tell me what the fuck this is”, his voice was wavering on a yell.

You decided not to try to explain, “you wanna tell me about the girls you’ve been fucking these past few months, huh?”, you retort. “Everyone knows, everyone has told me to break up with you because of it, shit, you don’t even try to keep it a secret”. You voice is laced with venom, it was high time this discussion was happening, you just wished you had the courage to bring it up on your own, and not in this unwanted circumstance.

“Dont change the subject, who is he?”, he demands, his tone reaching shouting point. “Take a wild fucking guess. Do you need a hint? He stayed with me while you ditched my ass at your neighborhood party. While you humiliated me by just fucking leaving me there with strangers like the asshole you are.” You can feel rage-filled hot tears collecting at your lash line reminiscing about the event. “I know you’re going to try to break it off and think its your own doing but trust me, this”, you direct your finger between yourself and him, “this, has been over for a long time”. You push past him with force, grabbing your bag which you hadn’t even bothered to unpack, thank fuck, what a nice coincidence. You stomp toward the door.

“Fine”, he responds, “but as if he’s going to want you. He’s a middle-aged man with a kid, you were just a fuck”. It spirals you. You turn on your heels to look at him, he is frowning on the verge of tears (how many times had you been there before in his presence) and there’s a contortion of anger in his face, “At least he actually made me come”, you retorted hotly, walking out the door before you remember an extra detail. You pop your head back through the door to utter, “three times, actually”. And then you’re off. You ask his mother to drive you to the train station, explaining the split, briefly, and that you didn’t feel comfortable to stay. She insisted you did, kind lady, but didn’t pry into the details.

Once you had boarded and the train sped away from the dreaded events of the town, you felt relief course through you, no longer chained to that asshole. Sure, you know you should’ve done it sooner, and yeah, it wasn’t an ideal option what had happened, but this meant you could have some time to yourself this summer.

As you were back at square one, you daydreamed of the handful of friends who usually spent their summers on campus to call once you got back. Your phone screen lighting up with a ding, caught you off guard, the name causing your heart to skip a beat.

“It’s Joel. I heard the rundown from his mother, got your number in the process. Are you alright, doll?” he writes. You read it in his voice, subconsciously smiling at how his pet names aren't limited to face to face conversations.

You look at the bright screen in disbelief. He asked your exes mother for your number, meaning he wanted to stay in contact. Perhaps? One could only hope. You didn’t let your excitement get the better of you, however.

“Guess word travels fast. I’m fine, it should’ve happened sooner, honestly. I’m so sorry I got you involved”. You put your phone down, not expecting a reply after your apology. But the immediate ding had not only butterflies, but a whole zoo trampling around your stomach.

“If you’re going to be at your dorm over the summer, let me come visit sometime darling? Tommy offered to work more after your ex quit, so my plate is free”. He adds, much to your delight, “plus I think Sarah would love to see the campus.”

You smiled at the thought of showing the young girl around your college, she would be in awe of the library, you thought, remembering a glimpse of a large collection of books strewn across the table and shelf in the living room. You started to type a reply to Joel before another message comes through.

“and, for the record, those photos were hot, sweetheart”, he adds, a blush coloring your face, your gaze immediately drifting to the pocket of your bag where they lay, safe, sound, and where no one would be able to see, thank god.  

“I suppose I could work something out, for you” you reply, a smiling creeping across your features before double texting, “you know, I have extra film in my dorm... for emergency”. Discarding your phone on the table in front of you, you watch the countryside melt into a blur, feeling the most relaxed and content you had in a while.

~

if you enjoy this fic please like, comment and reblog! your feedback is always appreciated<3 thank you for reading

[dollypopup]

We need to talk about misogyny in the lukola fandom, and how it originated in the rampant misogyny in the Polin fandom and just continued to grow, because unfortunately, the two deeply intersect, and there's been such a lack of nuance in so many discussions

interestingly enough, this is actually being exhibited in a lot of Luke Newton discourse. Not toward him necessarily, but to the women around him, in comparison to him, for better or worse, including Nicola. There's been a lot of discourse especially around Luke being 'jobless' in contrast to Nicola being 'booked and busy'. and even in rejection of that discussion, the defense becomes that she is an exception, because she is exceptional, and that of course others look less ambitious in comparison. And at first, I'm sure this LOOKS like it's praising a woman for her hard work and dunking on a man for what we imagine isn't.

but has anyone ever asked why Nicola is booked and busy, especially? does she want to be? or does she *have* to be?

I want you to think about just how many women over the age of 40 are getting major roles. How many love scenes you've seen that feature more mature women. How in Queen Charlotte, the focus was on a younger actress, how Violet's and Danbury's and Portia's and QCs actresses don't even have a kiss scripted.

How much of that is by design in the entertainment industry

Nicola, in many ways, is creating a recipe for burn out, but she works alongside wonderful actresses who are incredibly talented- and do not get the opportunities they SHOULD. Roles in the entertainment industry are largely written for young women in their 20s, young, conventional women. And Nicola KNOWS this. She's a businesswoman, and her craft IS her business. The clock is, unfortunately, ticking. This is a very insidious aspect of the misogynistic entertainment machine. Yes, Nicola is booked and busy right now- she's building her brand and trying to break out of the awful cycle of female actors getting a few big roles, and then get relegated to side characters or mum number 3. Should the entertainment industry write more roles for women over 40? YES!!! They should be major roles with poignant narratives!! But it isn't the reality we live in. She is actively fighting against the sexism of the industry she is living in, she cannot take a vacation.

Luke Newton, however, *can*. He has privilege as a man to take his time. Whilst Nicola's career is in danger of a downswing, Luke's is, by most statistics? Just beginning. Men continue to get major roles deep into their 30s, 40s, 50s. In fact, I think MOST male actors only build notoriety as they age. So Luke Newton has the privilege of TIME.

And let me very clear: I'm happy he can. And I wish Nicola could, too. Grinding ourselves to dust in the pursuit of the perfect capitalistic darling is only going to breed misery. The fandom is SO caught up in saying 'oh, look at how great it is that xyz has this role!' and 'booo he's unemployed and jobless etc. etc.' that we don't take the time to ask. . .why is it NECESSARY and in fact praise worthy to lick clean the boot of grind culture? Are we not all tired? Do we not all want downtime? Holiday? Vacation?

Luke Newton is doing what is healthy: he's pushing away from Social Media, didn't spend too much time promoting, disengaged from the fandom in online spaces but is still generous with his time in person, poured himself into his craft, did a hell of a promotion tour, and in the time between fitting and costumes and learning lines for Bridgerton Season 4? He's resting.

As. He. Should.

As *Nicola* should. Because she also pushed to continue engaging with a fanbase who she hopes will act as security for her as she ages out of the roles writers are pushing into the world. Nicola SHOULD BE ALLOWED HER REST!!! She should NOT be booked and busy!! She should NOT be grinding herself to dust for the sake of keeping herself in good light to become one of the few women who continue to be big names beyond her 40s.

She, however, can't. Not because of anything Luke Newton has done, he is not, as many people want to believe, a problem. He benefits from the system ALL his male coworkers do, and does his best to uplift the women around him, likely understanding the struggles of such having been raised surrounded by so many women, but he is not perpetuating the system or creating it. Instead of directing our criticism on Luke Newton, we SHOULD be directing it to the entertainment industry. So Luke Newton is on a break from a serial successful production he has a guaranteed role for: so what? He is afforded that privilege. Having downtime is not the death knell of his career as doomsayers are insisting.

The average age of an Academy Award Winner who is an actor is almost 50. The average age of an Academy Award Winner who is an actress is 37. (source)

Should we be mad? Yes.

Is this something to be mad at Luke Newton for specifically? NO. Many male actors take breaks and time in their career trajectory, because they know they have longevity. The discussion in this fandom is misplaced, and the root of that misplacement is twofold: sexism and capitalist worship. It isn't that Luke Newton lacks ambition and should be working harder- I argue he's doing what is best for him and most people in the long term. This is self care, and it's important.

No, the discussion is that Nicola is forced to work in a pressure pot because of the industry, and the fandom continues to praise her for it, all whilst turning noses up at those who don't or do not have to, and continuing to uphold the narrative that women must be a beacon of exceptionalism in order to curry respect. They continue to uphold her grind as a virtue- look how great it is that she's constantly posting, constantly engaging with the fandom, always auditioning, booked and busy- have you not asked if she would LIKE a vacation? she deserves one, same as Luke Newton.

What you're mad at is NOT Luke himself- but the patriarchy. What you're mad at is that women must be held to standards of near unreachable excellence. But instead of working together as women and having any actual discussion about it that's meaningful, it turns into a crock of shit that then shoves everyone in the backspray, especially other women.

The slutshaming misogyny that has been directed at Luke Newton's girlfriend- *yikes*.

Oh, A is a hanger on. She's 'poptart', she's portrayed with an ant emoji, she's 'toilet twerker', she's 'controlling him' or HE should control HER, she 'should be reigned in', she's jobless, she's an infant who needs her big strong boyfriend to take her social media away, she's not been 'claimed' (like luggage, like a THING), look at him, he doesn't feel ANYTHING toward her- not like Nicola.

Our good, darling Nicola versus that awful whore Antonia/Jade/Any Woman in Luke Newton's Circle.

This sexism is deep and pervasive- being angry he's dating her 'because she's thin'. Insisting she's a villain and everything she does is to 'rile up the fandom' or 'stir up trouble' or that she 'hates Nicola'.

You all do NOT know this woman. And I don't either!!! Maybe she IS a shit stirrer, maybe she is thriving in the drama.

But aren't most of y'all, too?

Polin fandom built so much off of putting down other women to uphold Penelope: Marina is a bitch who was TRICKING Colin and Penelope was just doing what she had to do!!! Of course she kept her secret from him, she was SCARED!!! Eloise is a privileged brat breaking the rules and putting herself in danger but Penelope is a rebel who is building her own success off of taking necessary risks!!!

Our good, Darling Penelope versus that evil whore Marina/Eloise/Cressida/Any Other Woman.

This fandom is predominately female. Most of us identify as women. And a lot of us are *mean* to other women. We uphold sexism in our fandoms, uncontested, as often as we please. But we frame it in criticism of a man and so that's okay- as if that in and of itself is somehow uplifting women, being tied to a feminist cause- but putting down other women in conspiracy theories and bullying them, as occurred to Jade, under the guise of 'oh I'm just criticizing Luke!' is disingenuous. It's an excuse. 'I'm mad at him for-' not being your fantasy.

And Nicola isn't, either.

The truth is, the people in this fandom don't have respect for EITHER of them, just in different ways. A pedestal is a pedestal is a pedestal, and no matter what, any human being will fall from it eventually. And this fandom has proven that when that happens, it will NOT be met with empathy.

Now think about who that will actually hurt in the long term.

A lot of people in this fandom have soul searching to do.

[notafunkiller]

golden getaway

Summary: Director Bucky and actress reader take some time off and go on vacation, but instead of focusing on the sights, they choose to enjoy each other.

Pairing: director!Bucky Barnes x actress!reader

Warnings: 18+, age gap (r is 24, Bucky is 36), established relationship, teasing (verbal - especially about age: calling him old man and daddy), dirty talk, pet names, fingering, nipples play, clit play, quick sex, no condom (but they are both clean and the reader is on birth control), no mention of y/n

Word Count: 2.4K

story masterlist

Bucky Barnes masterlist

A/N: This vacation happens in July, so a few months have passed since the first chapter (the premiere was in February).

An extra thank you to @marvelouslizzie and @lavenderhaze967​ for the endless support.

Please, do not repost or translate without my permission!

This vacation is a first in many ways for you. You've never been to Italy with your boyfriend before (or anywhere outside the country without your family), especially not on a yacht. And you certainly have never enjoyed the sun and sea like this. You're more of a mountain person, truth be told, but the breeze is so nice, and Bucky always makes sure you're fine: helping you with the sunscreen and getting you back on the deck safely since you're not the best swimmer. And the sight? Absolutely breathtaking, just like the man that almost never leaves your side.

You didn't expect him to be so spontaneous when you first got together, knowing how organized and focused he is when it comes to his job. You saw this when you worked together, but he surprised you with this trip and many other things during the last few months.

“I can’t believe you,” you say when you feel the pat on your ass, despite not being taken aback by his gesture. He never keeps his hands to himself when you’re around. He loves to hold your hand or touch your waist, ass, boobs, or face. Whatever and whenever he can. And even though you’d have thought it would suffocate you before you two got together, it’s actually very enjoyable. Because you also have space, so you’re not suffocating each other at all.

“I missed you.” You feel the words on your skin as Bucky starts kissing you below your ear, making you shiver. 

“I was gone for two minutes, you’re a baby.” To make a short call.

His hands find your waist immediately, and his metal arm feels so good on your skin. You can’t help but close your eyes. It’s cold and comforting at the same time. You’ve never been the type of person who enjoys being out in the sun or tanning, but it’s not bad with him. Bucky makes many things and experiences overall better for you.

“I’m your baby.”

When you feel him prepping small kisses on your shoulder now, you try not to moan. Instead, you let out a fake gagging sound, before complaining. “Ugh, since when are you so clingy? Is it because of your age?”

“Age?” He repeats the word unsure with that low and raspy voice that you love.

But before you can tease him further, you feel his fingers stroking your tummy, and you start screaming with laughter. “Stop, stop. It’s too much.”

You’re almost in tears when he finally puts an end to the tickling torture, turning you around with his hands.

“Fuck, you’re so pretty when you laugh.” You smile when you feel his lips touch your forehead. “My pretty baby.” Then your nose. “My pretty doll.” And finally, the corner of your mouth, giving you the perfect opportunity to kiss him.

He opens his mouth instantly when he feels your hands wrapping around his neck, and your tongues touch. He still tastes like the chocolate ice cream you had a bit ago, and you enjoy it so much.

Breathless, you pull away but don't move, analyzing his face. He is freshly shaved, so you can't see the whites in his beard anymore. Which means you can't use them to tease him. But you can find something else, you smile as you bring your fingers to his chin, stroking.

“Did you think shaving makes you look younger, Mr. Barnes?” You bite your lip not to snort at his expression. You know how affected he is every time you call him that.

The funny thing is that it actually makes him look younger, but he doesn't need that. You love his beard, his wrinkles, and his style. “I should let you know that it doesn't change the fact you're still an old man, who is dating a girl more than a decade younger. Scandalous!”

“Old man…” He whispers to himself before squeezing your ass cheeks twice. “I guess my girl likes that.”

It’s hard to keep still when he touches you like this, but you do your best, moving your hand from his chin to his chest, then to his metal arm. “Hmmm, maybe you should remind your girl all the perks dating an older man has.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows, surprised by your change of tone and the obvious meaning of the words. He knows how dirty your mouth can get in bed, but he didn’t expect this, especially now. Good thing his hard-on shows you how he really feels about it when you let your eyes lower on his -now tight- shorts.

“How?”

You don’t answer, instead, you turn around after giving him a sly smile and slowly make your way inside. You know he’s gonna follow you, so you don’t even look back. And in less than thirty seconds -you counted- he’s in front of you, stroking his chin lazily.

“What?”

“I asked a question you deliberately chose not to answer so I could come here, so you tell me.”

You nod your head and without thinking twice, you bring his metal hand right over your covered pussy. “Is what I want clear enough for you now, old man?” And cherry on top, you bring both of your hands to your breasts to show off your hard nipples through your fingers.

He simply moans, incapable of saying anything in return for a while as he keeps staring. And staring. And staring. He wants to lick and bite your boobs so much, but it’s clear you want something else. 

“Are you trying to kill me?” He asks softly as he slips his hand under your bikini. You gasp at the feeling and have to grab him to support yourself when he parts your lips and slides his index finger inside you. Finally!

“Bucky,” you whisper against his shoulder as he starts moving slowly.

“So wet for me. What a little horny girl I have.”

You close your eyes, pressing yourself even more against him. “Faster, baby.”

He nods against your hair and does what you say, but also adds another finger, scissoring them inside you before you can even realize what’s going on. And it’s like you’re on fire all of a sudden. Because it feels so fucking good! Just like your breasts feel against his chest… absolutely heavenly.

“My wet little doll.”

“Mm…” You can barely hear him through the ringing in your ears. His fingers feel amazing even with this pace, but you really need that orgasm faster, so you cry into his shoulder. You don’t know if he can even distinguish what you say, but he gets the point, adding a third finger while bringing his flesh hand right to your clit.

“James, holy shit.” Your legs feel weak and your sight gets blurry as he slides his fingers faster while circling your clit. The contrast between the coldness and warmth of his hands… and the wet sounds, plus his whimpers drive you crazy. So crazy that you come without warning, biting into his shoulder pretty hard as you feel the pleasure getting even more intense. He hisses in pain, but also bliss because he actually enjoys it when you get so feral.

It takes you a few seconds to finally be able to pull away from Bucky. You watch him with your eyes semi-open as he brings his hands, one at a time, to his mouth and licks all the wetness, and comes without looking away from you. 

You groan. “I need to call you old man often if I get this.”

But he doesn’t like this based on his frown. “Doll, you don’t need to call me old man to get this. Do I not make you come enough?”

You snort. Not enough? You’ve never thought you can come so hard and so many times before you got together. You didn’t go past three orgasms when you masturbated, not even with your favorite vibrator. So it’s a little funny he thinks this is not enough, but you ignore it. “Daddy then?”

He chokes. “What?”

“Should I call you daddy?” You expect him to laugh or frown, but he’s pretty speechless. And when your eyes stop on his shorts again, you gasp. He’s even more aroused… “Oh my god, James, you’re so hard.”

“It’s not my fault,” he says immediately, and you don’t remember the last time you saw him so red and flustered. By a word you said. “You make everything, even that, sound hot.”

“I don’t blame you, daddy.” You smile at him, grabbing his metal hand. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, now come with me.”

You don't drag him to the bedroom as he expects. The coach is just as fine at the moment, no need for something else. Especially when you want him so badly.

You let go of his hand just to try and take off your bathing suit. You could just pull the bikini aside, but he loves your breasts and you prefer skin-to-skin contact. You love feeling him.

“Baby?” He asks when he hears you cursing the knot he made under your breath. The bottoms were so easy to take off, but you can't manage to undo your top at all.

“Can you help me, please?” You ask when your arms start to feel numb. He smirks as he unties and takes off your bikini top in seconds, using only one hand. You shiver when you feel him placing a light kiss on your shoulder before returning in front of you.

“All done, doll.”

You roll your eyes at his smug expression. He can do better things with that mouth.

But you don’t say anything, only staring at his face, then down at his trunks, so he immediately gets the idea. You smile when you see his shorts on the floor, then point to the couch behind you. “Good boy, now sit there.”

“Why?” He plays dumb because he knows how much you enjoy it.

“Because I want to make myself come with your cock. Is this what you wanted to hear?” You fight the shyness you usually feel to say these words out loud. You’re well aware he loves it when you speak like this and how crazy it drives him. “That I want to use you to get myself off and if you’re good, I would let you come inside me?” You can’t stop your cheeks from getting red, though, but he doesn’t make any remark regarding that. Instead, he lifts his eyes from your breasts to your face and nods, following your order quickly.

The moment he spreads his legs, you bite your lip. You feel physically unable to look away from his hard-on as you climb his thighs, one leg after another. You’re so wet you can’t believe it…  If you sat on him all the way down, he’d probably get just as wet.

“Want you to use me,” he barely whispers, bringing his dick to your entrance while gripping your right hip with his metal hand. You tilt your head back instinctively and begin to lower yourself on his cock. Little by little.

“Bucky.”

His fingers are on your breast all of a sudden, deliberately avoiding your nipple as he fondles it. You moan, a little sweaty and needy, enjoying every touch, but he makes no sound. And you know he is holding back on purpose. To challenge you.

And you never back off from a challenge. Especially an easy one like this because you know what to do.

Taking more of him inside you steals a whimper out of him instantly. Not a moan, but it still gives you immense satisfaction. You basically won with no effort, and he knows it. He probably wanted it this way.

“Fuck me, baby.” You hear his voice right above your ear. It’s so raspy and low. “Take what you want, I’m here for you.”

You know this isn’t gonna last long, and you don’t need it to because you’re so wet and close already. And so is he. You’ve been teasing each other all morning.

When you start moving faster, you find yourself using his shoulders as support. And it’s perfect! The thrusts are better like this since you can use more strength, and he helps a lot.

You're breathless when his metal fingers find their way to your clit, repeatedly circling and pinching it just the way you always like it. “James…” You can’t even continue because you're suddenly hit by a wave of pleasure. Then another. Then another.

He has to start thrusting back since you're so lost in your orgasm you can barely move at all, your head falling into the crook of his neck. But just for a couple of seconds since your moans and the feel of you push him over the edge quickly.

“B-baby,” he groans, still touching your clit, but you can’t bring yourself to tell him to stop. You’re not very sensitive, and he’s in his own universe right now.

“You fill me up so good, bubba.” You manage to say between deep breaths, encouraging him to keep coming.

When he finishes, his hands drop on your ass, squeezing it gently. “Fuck, baby. This was amazing.”

You nod a little sleepy against his chest and leave a kiss right there. “Ihm, it was. Maybe I should change your name.”

You don’t need to look at him to know he’s frowning, confused. “What?”

“You know… since you don’t like old man that much, maybe I should have you as my daddy.”

“Doll.” You snort at the tone he uses and raise your head to look at him while he wraps his arms around your waist.

“I meant on my phone, silly.”

His mouth opens. “You have me as ‘old man’ on your phone?!”

You bite your lip not to laugh and decide to peck his cheek. “Can you bring me some water, daddy?” You emphasize the last word just to tease him. His expressions are too funny, how can you not?

“Doll, I swear-”

You burst into giggles. “See? Totally an old man… can’t sense a joke.”

[astrojulia]

Pick a Pile:

Wheel of Life Reading

Disclaimer: These general free readings are made in good faith for entertainment purpose. Warnings:There are piles that contain more personal subjects such as sexuality.

Hello Siren, how are you?

This reading is an overview of your life, it addresses the following subjects: Relationships, Career, Finances, Spirituality, Your Physical, Your Intellectual and a General Advice. To make the reading broader, you can choose your option in each area, totaling 21 options (3 for each). I hope you like it!!

How to pick a pile

When you have different cards to choose from in pile 1,2,3… look at each of those cards. Wait until someone reminds you of a memory. Perhaps a character’s outfit resembles one of your own. It is this pile that has its message. What if they all remind me of something? Go for the one with the strongest memory, one might look like her earring but another might be the favorite candy you got from your grandma when you vacationed at her house. But what if none reminds me of something? Take a deep breath and wait a little longer, without charging yourself or creating worries. Relax, some will awaken some memory in you, I promise! .

Relationships

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Pile 1

Clover - Ship - Letter

Currently, relationships are just a desire, but not something close to you. You don't have a romantic partner or love interest in your daily life. It doesn't mean that you don't want this to happen, but it seems that lately, you haven't had any luck with that. You can't seem to find your ideal romantic partner due to several obstacles. It seems that you always have a rival, or your job takes up most of your time. When you finally find someone that you're interested in, that person is already in a relationship. Don't worry; the deck says it's your destiny to have a good relationship someday. Maybe you'll meet your ideal match at the beginning of your Saturn Return (around the age of 30), and you two will be people from far away places, but you'll communicate a lot. So depending on your age, your relationships are about to blossom or you're going to have to wait a long time.

Pile 2

Clover - Moon - Cloud

In relationships, you feel uncertain, but you are serene about the situation. It is not something that worries you, and you let it happen naturally. You know that many of our relationships are fleeting, and sometimes they are intense, while other times they simply do not exist. You are also not someone who has never been in a relationship, and you know that they can often be abusive, trapping and hurting you, just as you also have the ability to hurt others. Everything has both sides. At the moment, you're contemplating the opportunities of a relationship more than actually engaging in one. It seems like you enjoy reading novels more than living one. Changes may come in your love life, but they will come naturally over time. There's no point in forcing it.

Pile 3

Rider - Dog - Moon

You already have someone in mind when talking about love; someone you already talk to and interact with. Your insecurity now is that nothing changes. The same things are happening all the time, and you even moved away because nothing interesting is happening anymore. This person is your partner, and they certainly have feelings for you (I just can't say if they're loving; maybe they're more about friendship anyway). Well, if you just want to be friends and companions, that's great. If you want to change something, you will need to be a little more mysterious and play with this person. Make a charm. As things are now, it's great for a friendship, but for a love relationship, it will need some changes.

Career

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Pile 1

Sun - Scythe - Stars

Your career is draining more energy from you than you'd like. It takes a lot of effort, perhaps due to the repetitive movements, standing for long hours, or any other activity that, even though it's easy, stresses you out repeatedly. However, this time is about to end, but for that to happen, you need to ask for help from someone you can trust in the company. Seek advice from someone who has already been through this situation and can give you some tips that will make your work easier. Know that what you are going through now is something cyclical, and it will end sooner or later, and you will reap the fruits of your labor later.

Pile 2

Man - Garden - Child

This pile can follow two very different paths, so if it's not one, it's another. Your career involves working with people or in a company with customer service. If you are handing out resumes, look for companies that have customer service positions available. Your career today involves a lot of communication and involvement with children, games, toys, cute clothes, and everything that pleases the children's universe and kawaii. If you want to expand your business, focus on this path and steer clear of everything that is classified as masculine. To succeed in your career, you need to network in all kinds of ways, without fear of being judged or ignored. Don't be discouraged by negative experiences, renew yourself and try again. If you are secure in your career but are in doubt about quitting to take care of children, know that it may be a very risky decision because your partner may not be able to provide the necessary support. If you have a mother or grandmother who can help you in this situation, it may be safer to seek their assistance.

Pile 3

House - Fish - Whip

You are blessed in the area of your career, as the path you want to pursue will work out for you. I'm not saying it's ready and waiting for you, but rather that whatever you decide to do, it will lead to success. Your professional life is abundant with opportunities, but your fears are holding you back. You are afraid of failure and are too proud to humble yourself to achieve your goals. However, you need to realize that your potential is endless, and you can become an authority in whatever you choose. You just need to let go of your fear of the unknown and take control of your life.

Finances

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Pile 1

Clouds - Book - Lilies

It's time to study economics. Your doubts about money and how to solve your bills won't go away if you work more or do more overtime. You need to pause and examine how you got to this point, and explore your options to find logical solutions. Perhaps taking out a loan from the bank is the best option for you, instead of overworking yourself. Your current situation is causing confusion, stress, and affecting your mental health. What you need right now is peace, so seek out smart solutions. Sometimes working harder and trying harder won't solve the problem. If you have the financial means, consider investing in your education. I've noticed that many people enjoy fields like medicine and therapy.

Pile 2

Book - Whip - Mice

I'd like to put this more gently, but it seems that you are wasting your money. The good news is that everything can be sorted out, just like how Cinderella's mice helped her with everything she needed. The only problem is that you're spending too much. I do believe that you are investing your money in your studies and taking professional courses, which can be expensive. However, there are also small expenses, such as those ranging from $1 to $10, that are slowly draining your finances. I suggest that you only spend on what you really need for now. Once you finish your studies and cover the major expenses, you can start making those small purchases again. But for now, it's best to hold back a little.

Pile 3

Man - Snake - Sun

You are spending your hard-earned money on the wrong things. Perhaps you are using your money to impress someone by attending events they like, buying clothes they prefer, or trying to get closer to them. Unfortunately, this won't help if that person has no interest in you. If you are not interested in anyone, you can channel your money towards a sport or a new hobby. I'm not suggesting that you abandon your interests, but rather that you can simplify your approach and not spend so much money on them. For instance, you don't need 10 pairs of pants and t-shirts. Instead, you can have three t-shirts and two pants and still make a lot of combinations, which is much cheaper.

Spirituality

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Pile 1

Bear - Birds - Whip

You have spiritual connections that are more focused on your protection and well-being than on other matters such as love or finances. You enjoy spiritual protection, which can sometimes be overwhelming because it may seem like there aren't any good opportunities coming your way. However, the truth is that better things are being worked on for you, and you just need to be patient and wait for them. Additionally, you should practice your spiritual obligations, and prayer is the most effective way to do this. Someone who prays for their guardian spirits every day has much more power than someone who simply makes a potion during the Moon of Strawberry and expects everything to be resolved.

Pile 2

Rider - Stork - Birds

You are someone who has a hard time listening to your spirituality. They can send you a billboard saying they are there, or better yet, an SMS answering your questions, and even then, you doubt any and all messages that your spirituality tries to send you. Yes, they are close to you. They have been with you since your birth. I can even say that they have been with you in past lives. Be wiser, trust your intuition more, believe in nature and the future. This is what your spirituality wants to tell you.

Pile 3

Ring - Birds - Clouds

You have a connection with spirituality that is strongly linked to the air element. You feel drawn to clouds, birds, feathers, incense, fairies, and other symbols of the air element. Perhaps you communicate with your guides through the air or have been told that this is the best way for you to do so. However, the problem is your lack of commitment. If you want to follow a spiritual path, make sure it is something you truly believe in and want to commit to. Remember that every spiritual contract you make is eternal and cannot be undone by simply changing your mind. Therefore, it's important to know that your spirituality and your guides are always with you and ready to guide and protect you. However, they need your commitment and willingness to work with them. They will be there for you in both good times and bad, but you must be willing to help them guide you on your path.

Your Physical

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Pile 1

Stork - Child - Cross

If you do not want to have children now, it's important to take extra precautions. However, if you are ready for it, this may be a good time. I've noticed that it has been a while since you have engaged in a pleasurable physical activity. While you may be exercising and eating healthy out of responsibility and care for your health, it's also important to enjoy what you do. You are a responsible person when it comes to your health, but I want to remind you that you can be both healthy and have fun. You have been doing the same things for a while and haven't tried any new activities or dishes, and it may be beneficial for you to expand your horizons. There are many wonderful things out there for you to try and enjoy.

Pile 2

Bouquet - Crossroads - House

Stop looking for easy solutions to your physical problems, whether it's your weight, a chronic illness, or anything else that limits your choices and affects your daily life. I know you hate dealing with these issues, and no one enjoys being sick, but it's important for you to take steps that you know will work, even if it means a slower path to progress. The easier paths may seem tempting, but they often come with rebound effects that set you back to square one. So, focus on the long-term results and commit to the right approach, even if it requires more effort and patience.

Pile 3

Fox - Tower - Mountain

You see your physique as a major problem that you're not sure how to solve, but deep down you know that there is a solution out there for you (you're just not sure which one to pursue). I've noticed that many people struggle with skin problems such as dermatitis, as well as issues with their hair. If you've been dealing with these problems for years, it's understandable that you may feel discouraged and uncertain about finding a solution. While I can't personally offer a solution to your problem - that's the job of a qualified professional - I want you to know that there are experts out there who can help you. Don't be afraid to seek out other professionals and explore different treatment options. After all, you're investing your time and money in this, so it's important that you find the best possible care.

Your Intellectual

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Pile 1

Tower - Moon - Anchor

You are undoubtedly a highly intelligent person, but it's important to remember that intelligence is more than just rationality. While you excel at navigating the logical world, you struggle to manage your emotions, which often seem like a boat in a storm. To become even better, smarter, and more confident, you need to strengthen your emotional side. Fortunately, you are fully capable of doing so, despite previous difficulties. It's worth investing time and effort into studying techniques and strategies for understanding and managing your emotions.

Pile 2

Snake - Woman - Stars

You know that you are an intellectual and that you have spent most of your life being oriented towards intellectual pursuits. However, be careful not to fall into traps because of this. Even if you have studied for many years, you are not necessarily better than anyone else, just more knowledgeable about the subject. Be more humble in your approach. Remember that there will always be someone who can teach and guide you, and that there is always room for new people. If someone new arrives in your academic environment, embrace them, because you can learn a lot from them.

Pile 3

Woman - Crossroads - Child

You're already debating your own capabilities, and now I have two paths to suggest, so if one doesn't fit, try the other. The first relates to your sexuality - if you're uncertain and struggling to fit into one of the 30+ classifications society offers, remember that you don't have to conform to anyone else's idea of who you are. Instead, focus on what feels true and right for you.The second option is to embrace your femininity rather than trying to detach from it. Viewing femininity as negative or useless can be limiting and prevent you from fully embracing all aspects of yourself. Instead of trying to fit into gender norms, focus on simply doing what needs to be done without worrying about what is considered masculine or feminine.

General Advice

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Pile 1

Bouquet - Mice - Snake (Man)

It's time to stop settling for less and start striving for something better. You may be afraid of taking risks, but in reality, you have far more opportunities and possibilities than you realize. Instead of waiting for life to happen to you or for a sign from above, take control of your own journey. Remember, your path is unique and belongs to you alone. So don't be afraid to chase after what you truly want and create the life you desire.

Pile 2

Letter - Dog - Fish (Scythe

You have distanced yourself from your friends, but it's important to remember that you made that decision. It's time to have more confidence in yourself, not just in your relationships but in all aspects of your life. Not everything is about loss and conquering; sometimes good things come into our lives without any effort on our part. Instead of focusing on numbers and what you can show to others, start paying attention to what you feel inside. Trust your instincts and acknowledge what is real to you, even if you can't confirm it to others.

Pile 3

Cross - Clover - Lilies (Ship)

At my religious center, I heard a phrase that goes, "There are more secrets between heaven and earth than death itself". I think of this phrase because it seems that you are seeking a reason for what is happening in your life right now, but the truth is that there may not be a reason or a motive. Sometimes, things just happen, and it's up to us to trust in fate and move forward. Remember, you are luckier than you think, and it's important to simplify things rather than making them more complicated. Trust in the journey and have faith that things will work out in the end.

[clairedaring]

Okay, so the original post you wrote has been a while and I saw it by ghost-reading (this is when I read someone's blog without signing into Tumblr. I'm only signed in on a specific browser on my laptop to prevent mindless scrolling).

If I recall correctly, you mentioned being ready to protect a Thai actor because he's some BL actor but is married to a wife (or has a girlfriend). That reminded me of an incident my best friend told me while we were chatting.

She said there was this time when two pairs of BL actors (she coded them as Pair A + B, and Pai C +D since I don't know them and their names weren't the point) got massively flacked by fans because B kissed C on camera when the four friends were hanging out. Fans apparently saw it as a betrayal of the "BL pairing," even though all four of them were just vlogging their activities not as characters they play.

I wanna know more about this phenomenon out of curiosity!

Is it as common as my best friend put it? Or is she just unlucky enough to be caught in such a storm?

Why do fans think this way, when these are just actors and not the real characters? Is it similar to the issue of fans of Kpop, Jpop, or even Cpop artists who cannot accept their idols marrying or dating anyone?

What do the companies hiring or signing these actors do to mitigate such an issue/protect their actors?

Or... Do the companies cash in on this sort of fanatic fervor, such that they encourage fans to believe this illusion, or mandate their actors to uphold such an illusion even when they are being themselves outside of acting?

How does an incident like this usually get resolved?

What are the major stances of Thai BL fans on this issue? Not all of them support this sort of fervor, right?

Lastly: what do you think, personally, is central to this sort of incident?

Sorry if it sounds like some college assignment, but I really wanna know what you think! I'm so curious as an outsider to all of this...

Thanks!!!

Hiiiii Lyn \(￣︶￣*\))

You have no idea how happy I am to receive this ask because I've been wanting to talk about that couple incident that you're referring to since forever but I've never gotten the chance to properly collect my thoughts about it. Thank you for allowing this opportunity to ramble about this and for your very introspective questions.

So firstly to give some context to it, I think it's a bit more important to cover some background information of the two pairings that you're talking about.

OffGun and TayNew are some of the oldest pairings in GMMTV. They are known to all be good friends with each other (if not to say they're each other best friends). They've all done non-BL works with different actors but in terms of promotions, OffGun and TayNew have always been regarded to be the 'pillars' of GMMTV (their company) branded pairings.

Even though the four people are close with each other, Tay is particularly close with Gun (and this is public fact known by everyone who follows them), often teasingly calls each other pet/master and have some hangouts/vacations with just them two.

In the case of TayGun, I think their playful kiss being caught unexpectedly on livestream caused so much reactions was because it's a private moment between them. BL fans are too used with using private moments (re:clips of casual skinship between actors during work events and non-work livestream) to prove the existence of their closeness or togetherness -> so when New accidentally turned his camera to show Gun playfully kissing Tay during livestream, I think many (outraged) fans falsely equated that TayGun kissing in private like that means they're romantically involved to a certain degree.

Even though Tay has come out to explain that it isn't the case and that Gun was just playfully teasing him, there were still so much flacks thrown his way. Even with clarifications from both sides, you can basically see from the comments section of these Tiktoks (1, 2, 3, 4) that there is a considerable portion of OffGun and TayNew upset and disappointed (even though there is no reason to). I'll just translate some of the Vietnamese ones because those are the comments that show up first for me.

For those who follow [OffGun], you'll already know that Gun has been avoiding skinship from Off since 2022, fans used to think that he was shy but now we get it 🥲

10 years is just a number =)))))) (t/n: OP is insinuating that OffGun has been fooling their fans for 10 years)

What kind of 'friends' kiss each other on the lips?!

Now I can't watch OffGun series anymore 😇 Can they please give us a TayGun series 😌

Have I been blind all this time because how can everything has been so clear yet I still don't know it 🥲🥲🥲

Is it as common as my best friend put it? Or is she just unlucky enough to be caught in such a storm?

I think it's both common and not. So 'common' is in the sense that whenever one half of a branded pairing or 'koojin' is close and intimate with another person or displaying any possibilities of them being involved with said person in real life, it always trigger these reactions from shipper fans to immediately deny that possibilities or to attack the actors in the branded pairing as if they have 'deceived' their fans.

This has infinitely lessened in recent years with actors actively taking a stance against their fans harrassing their colleagues over ships but in general we still see it now and then with popular/rising/active ships or inactive ships but with astronomically huge fandoms (see: reactions of brightwin fans to bright's dating news).

I'm also saying it's uncommon for 'two halfs of two different popular BL pairings to get rumored to be together' but in 2024, it has already happened twice so who knows what's real really 😅 Aside from the case of TayNew/OffGun, there's also the case of actors Mew and Tul (who were both parts of ships with HUGE fandoms MaxTul and MewGulf) confirming their in real life relationship but their news was more well received internationally as neither of their old ships have been active in having series together for a while (i still see flacks for both of them here and there but that's because i'm vietnamese and vietnamese negative reactions are always the ones i see first to any dating news of one half of a BL pairing).

Why do fans think this way, when these are just actors and not the real characters? Is it similar to the issue of fans of Kpop, Jpop, or even Cpop artists who cannot accept their idols marrying or dating anyone?

I think there are several reasons like actors and companies contributing to the delusions of shipper fans and fans not being able to separate real life actors from the characters they play on screen, which have been extensively discussed in these Reddit threads (1, 2) so I won't delve into them. I'll just focus on a common reason i've seen from vietnamese fans being the combination of emotional and financial investment in these ships.

Similar to Kpop, Jpop or even Cpop idols as you've mentioned, there's a large degree of parasocial relationship involved between a CP/idol and their fans. Rather than the Kpop idol feeding fans the delusion of them being an attractive yet attainable, relatable, single person, these 'koojins' offer CP fans the image of a beautiful friendship/'will they/won't they'/'ambiguous more than friends, less than lovers' relationship -> so once there is a strong emotional attachment to the actors who are part of a pairing, fans will inevitably have strong feelings about their romantic life aka whether the CP is really together or not.

Even though branded pairings or 'love teams' have been an age old phenomenon since the dawn of television (not just in Southeast Asia but in Hollywood as well), I think this phenomenon has flourished particularly in Southeast Asia with many successful stories of actors having on-screen to off-screen real life romances (see: KathNiel in the Philippines, NadechYaya in Thailand...)

What do the companies hiring or signing these actors do to mitigate such an issue/protect their actors? and How does an incident like this usually get resolved?

I think one of the most interesting things about Thailand entertainment industry is that it's so easy for celebrities to sue people for online defamation. So rather than making any statements to 'save' their branded pairings or to resolve any confusion, the company doesn't do anything (which I understand because the artists are already clarifying themselves to the nosy press about any 'possible scandals that happened'). In the case that online commenters are getting too toxic, the artists can just screenshot the toxic tweets/posts, send them to the company's legal department and those defamation cases get resolved by the police.

But even then, that hasn't really stopped fandoms that are too large in size, too delusional in mind to do the crazy things they do even after a branded pairing has stopped working together, such as showing up at the fanmeeting of one actor, wearing masks of the other actor in that inactive ship. In this case, the company can't do anything since... well those people paid to attend the fanmeeting and get a photo with their idol. The most a company could do is probably to 'officially announce the ending of the ship' but... their comments section are still full of obsessed fans til this day so i doubt that announcement made any difference to the fully obsessed and delusional cp fans.

Or... Do the companies cash in on this sort of fanatic fervor, such that they encourage fans to believe this illusion, or mandate their actors to uphold such an illusion even when they are being themselves outside of acting?

Companies have always generated as much revenue from brand endorsement, brand promotions fanmeetings, concerts, selling merchs of these pairisings as they do from producing and airing these series if not more, so I've also felt a sense of these companies capitalizing upon their branded pairings and the volatileness of delusional fans.

If you're interested here and here are two interviews with P'Tha, the CEO of GMMTV company which TayNew and OffGun are under, I think his sharings in these interviews are very insightful into how the companies view these branded pairings (the main source of income for these companies basically).

I wouldn't say that the companies mandate or force their actors to act a certain to create an illusion of an ambiguous/are they aren't they ship for any branded pairings, but i DO think that being in an environment where two people (who are part of a branded pairing) are constantly being shipped or teased by co-workers and sometimes even the ceo himself... that does make shipper fans more delusional than they normally would. it's like as if you were in a class and everyone around you start shipping two people or pushing two people to be together, you'd be questioning what the others know about those two that you don't... it's 'sus' as the cp fans will say 😂

What are the major stances of Thai BL fans on this issue? Not all of them support this sort of fervor, right?

I think there's all sorts of opinions that pops up whenever there's news of someone dating surfaces, there are no consensus on it because the feelings of the fans rely largely on how emotionally invested they are in the actors/real people. There are fans who will take the news harder (feeling tricked, deceived, all that jazz) and there are also fans who will feel like 'oh that's normal' or they would rejoice in the happiness of their favorite actor having an in real life parner. Also it's probably important to note that the stance of Thai BL fans do not necessarily align with the stance of general Thai audience, for example when Thai actor Bright revealed his girlfriend Nene, basically the entire Thai netizen is supportive of him whereas his previous branded pairing fans are divided between supporting him and feeling 'betrayed' by this reveal.

Lastly: what do you think, personally, is central to this sort of incident?

Personally, I think it's fans' expectations. Similar to what Monk Dol told Dear about not holding on to things too tightly, I think fans often hold on to the romantic stories portrayed on screen more strongly than they do with non-romantic stories. Therefore, the reality of an actor having a real life partner often dispels this illusion of a 'screen-to-life' romance stories that fans may have concocted in their mind for any pairings not limited to whether they are in queer love or straight love stories.

I feel like it's just much easier for fans of straight pairings to move on since they don't get paired repeatedly as leads together every 1-2 years and they often don't have couples' work (like promoting brands togethers...) long after the ending of their series together, contrasting with branded pairings in BL/GL series who still get brands work together after the ending of their series -> allowing their "ship" fanbase to grow and the fans to have even larger expectations of the actors to have future works together.

Again it might be a lot of me to ask that these dedicated fans not to have expectations (which may eventually lead to their own suffering) because logically these fans do pour in not just emotional investment but also like HUGE financial investment so having expectations are really inevitable ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ perhaps they should watch สาธุ and learn to let go of having any expectations for a ship or an idol which will benefit all parties involved 😅

Anyhow before I end this, please let me ramble and promote my beloved actor, JJ Krissanapoom whom you've mentioned first in your ask.

JJ Krissanapoom is a prolific Thai actor whose works I've followed really early on in my journey of Thai media consumation. He's starred in works of different genres and he's had queer love-adjacent projects before like Diary of Tootsies (with Paopetch aka Monk Ekkachai in สาธุ) and Great Men Academy (with James Teeradon aka Win in สาธุ).

But JJ has been in a highly publicized long term relationship with his girlfriend Thanaerng for seven years now, so I have no fears/worries about the reception of Thai fans to his upcoming queer love work Spare Me Your Mercy.

That being said, I'm still very worried about any negative reactions from delusional shippers because even if the actors have nothing to insinuate that they're together or even if they're both actors with in real life partners, the delusional fans always have the following comment templates to bash the drama/actors

I can't see the chemistry between the actors, probably because they both have girlfriends.

Why is the actor posting pictures with his girlfriend instead of promoting his own series?!!?

Why does the actor have an event with his girlfriend rather than an event with his co-star??!?!?!?

things like these... i'm already expecting.... and praying they won't happen... also if they do... i wouldn't be very surprised... and i'm actually very parasocially attached to jj and thanaerng's irl relationship so i feel like i'm even extra protective of their relationship than i already do.

and i'm definitely going off track here... but yes i'm very much looking forward to having jj krissanapoom on my screen again, in this BL series about a cop solving a series of murders of dying patients, to which his doctor boyfriend is the no.1 suspect of.

and here's a cute recent clip of all three people jaylerr, gun and tay to end my lengthy incoherent ramble

[cinderella-ish]

Kyo, Momiji, and the beach trip that changed everything (part 4 of 5)

So, the beach arc is one of the best parts of the beautiful story that is Fruits Basket. Functionally, it's the midpoint, occurring from chapters 54-65 (out of 136) of the manga, and episodes 31-35 (out of 63) of the anime.

What is the midpoint in story structure? From author K.M. Weiland's site Helping Writers Become Authors:

As the centerpiece of the story, the Midpoint in many ways encapsulates the entire point of the story. Plot, character arc, and theme all coincide here (more obviously even than usual) to provide the protagonist with at least the opportunity to see the world in a different and potentially more functional way than previously. Depending on what the character realizes and accepts at the Midpoint, he should be able to use this new knowledge to move onward more effectively toward the plot goal.

In the article I linked above, Weiland talks about the two halves of the story's midpoint: first is the plot revelation, where something key about the external plot is revealed to the protagonist; and second is the moment of truth, where the protagonist uses that new information to change their perspective on the story.

For Tohru, the main protagonist, the plot revelation is when Akito reveals that the cursed Sohmas will all return to her and Kyo will be confined after graduation. The moment of truth is when she decides she wants to break the curse.

For Yuki, second protagonist, the plot revelation is that Tohru was the little girl he saved all those years ago, and the moment of truth is that it's time for him to "open the lid" and accept his feelings for what they are.

Even Hiro experiences his own midpoint shift. His plot revelation is that Tohru, like him, has her own feelings hidden deep in her heart, and that she covers up her pain with a smile. His moment of truth is that he wants to stop taking out his frustration on Tohru.

So, let's look at the beach arc as it pertains to Momiji and Kyo and their character arcs.

First, we have this cute little moment where Momiji comes to let Kyo know about the trip.

Momiji: Kyo! Hey, Kyo. You sick? Kyo: I'm tired. I don't have the energy to talk to you. Get out. Momiji: Got it. *inhales* We're going to the vacation house tomorrow, so get packed! Kyo: (angrily) You don't get it! (calmly) Wait, tomorrow? To the vacation house? Momiji: Yep! Kyo: Don't 'Yep' me! Momiji: Wah! Kyo hit me! But you'll come, right? You won't say no, right? Right? Kyo: Stop bugging me. Momiji: Tohru will be sad if you don't come. We'll play together! We'll swim together! Kyo: I said to stop bugging me! I never said I wouldn't go. Sheesh. I'm so tired. Momiji: You've gotten nicer. Kyo: Huh? Momiji: Nothing! Oh yeah, I'm gonna catch stag beetles! And Hercules beetles! Kyo: You're being serious?

I love that Momiji is consistently the one to invite Kyo to do things. While Yuki is helping Tohru finish her homework, Momiji tells Kyo about the trip in the most obnoxious way possible. Kyo gets annoyed, naturally, and gives Momiji a bonk on the head. Momiji pretends to cry (as usual), but then asks Kyo if he'll come.

Momiji seems genuinely worried that Kyo won't come, and goes right for Kyo's weak spot to manipulate him, saying, "Tohru will be sad if you don't come."

I also love the soft look on Momiji's face when he says to Kyo, "You've gotten nicer." Cuuuuuute.

After they arrive, there are a few cute moments in the first day or so at the beach. When Momiji points out Tohru's swimming and Kyo goes to rescue her (because he knows she's holding her breath), he asks Momiji to teach her how to breathe while swimming. Here, Kyo demonstrates a great deal of trust in Momiji. Tohru's safety is the most important thing to him, and he's trusting Momiji to look out for her safety, too.

I also love Momiji's comment when Yuki baits Kyo into staying in the water to race. "They should just swim like normal people. How childish." Yeah, okay Momiji.

Later (and this may be a change for the anime, as I couldn't find it in the manga), when they're all looking at the beetles, Momiji says Kyo is the person who taught him the sugar water trick.

But soon, Akito arrives, and everything changes.

This is a great scene for understanding how Akito operates as an abuser, but to keep the focus on Kyo, it's when Akito brings up Tohru that Kyo's entire demeanor changes. He'd been crying, begging Akito to stop, at his lowest point both literally and figuratively, when Akito shifts the conversation from Kyo's mother (and, in his mind, Kyoko) to Tohru, and her reaction to his True Form.

He immediately shifts from self-pity to fear and then anger, yelling back at Akito, defending Tohru from Akito's accusations, even when Akito is yelling at him to shut up. Suddenly, he falls quiet, and we hear his internal monologue:

She knew that if she let go of my hand, I would never return. That I might never return to anybody. She didn't take up all my pain. She didn't fill in all the brokenness. But those... those weren't important. The most important thing was that she stayed with me. Finding joy in the smallest things, being happy and smiling so cheerfully... Why? She should think of herself more. Why? Doesn't she think she's getting the short end of the stick? She thinks that she's stupid, or that there's nothing good about her.

And then we see Momiji and hear his voice.

It's a waste of time to think about loss or life getting harder. The traveler never thought about that stuff. Even if other people think that makes her an idiot, I just don't. That's all. Yuki, Kyo, What about you? What do you think when you close your eyes?

We then see Kyo with his hands over his eyes, interspersed with images of Tohru and the sound of her saying his name, as he lowers his hands and looks directly at the camera, articulating exactly how he feels about Tohru.

I love you. I love you so much. Just as you are.

It's a great callback to The Foolish Traveler, and the way Momiji closed his eyes when he was reflecting on how he interpreted the story, opening them when he realized he saw it differently than his classmates.

The sequence where Kyo finally realizes his feelings for Tohru is beautiful, possibly one of the best-done sequences in the anime. It's painful and moving and both Yuma Uchida and Jerry Jewell deliver gorgeous performances as Kyo. This is Kyo's plot revelation.

But most importantly (for the purposes of this series of posts, at least), it's Momiji whose voice Kyo hears at this crucial moment. It's Momiji whose words lead Kyo to realize he's in love with Tohru.

There's a lot that happens between Kyo's revelation that he loves Tohru and when he finds her on the beach that evening, but it's less important to the relationship between Kyo and Momiji, so I won't include it in this post.

What is important, though, is Kyo's moment of truth. The thing he decides is to spend as much time with Tohru as possible while he's still free.

I love you. I don't want to take anything else from you. I don't want to trample you ever again. At some point, I hoped we could always be together somewhere far off, but I won't hope that anymore. I won't hope that I could make you my own anymore. I won't hope that, so please, at least... at least be by my side for the time I have left. I want to be with you. Until we're separated far apart.. until the last moment.

I wonder who put that idea in his head?

In the next episode, we get this conversation between Kyo and Momiji.

Momiji: Kyo, Akito didn't call you in tomorrow, right? Kyo: Nope. Momiji: Really? If I thought, 'Good for you,' would you get mad? Kyo: I wondered why you all abandoned Tohru as you were told like good little kids. But I see. If you prioritized Tohru over Akito, Akito would get mad, huh? That would just make Tohru look bad. You guys, including Yuki, were protecting Tohru from Akito, huh? Momiji: You make it sound like we were doing such a good thing. But that's not it. We've- I've been doing it all wrong. I'm selfish for wanting to make memories with Tohru, despite everything. I'm selfish for loving Tohru so much. Kyo: I'm selfish, too. Momiji: Hmm? Kyo: Never mind. Anyway, weren't you going on about watching something on TV earlier? Tohru: Momiji-kun! Kyo-kun! Momiji: I was so scared! Kyo was trying to mug me! Tohru: What? Kyo: Seriously, you think I'm some delinquent?!

They both display a vulnerability and honesty here that they've really only shown before to Tohru. Kyo's reflecting on his anger at Yuki, and Momiji's being much more straightforward than he usually is, stating his realizations as they're coming to him, rather than using them to manipulate. I also love the detail of Momiji correcting from "We've" to "I've." It really shows the change in his maturity that occurred during this arc.

I see this as Momiji's plot revelation, that fun isn't the most important thing when you love someone.

This is also the first time Kyo verbalizes his feelings for Tohru out loud, if obliquely. When he smiles to himself and says, "I'm selfish, too," he's referencing what Momiji just said, that he's selfish for loving Tohru so much. It's notable that the first time he does this is in front of Momiji, even if he doesn't repeat it when it's clear Momiji didn't hear what he said.

I think, from this point on, Momiji and Kyo are trusted confidants for each other. This will come up more in part 5, but I really just love the way their relationship matures here.

And then, Akito returns.

This is one of the most harrowing sequences in the anime. We know Akito's already in a bad mood, we know she blames Tohru for taking away her Zodiac, and we've seen exactly how she abuses those she serves as god.

Momiji: Akito. What are you doing here so late? Akito: I came to see Honda Tohru-san. I have to return home suddenly, you see. But I haven't seen Honda Tohru-san yet. Momiji: Right now? But Tohru's most likely sleeping. Akito: Wake her. Momiji: No. Akito, you're mad right now, right? You'll take out your anger on her, huh? Akito, what's wrong? Why are you so mad? Did something happen? Akito: Something happen? What? Why do you need to know? You want to get to know me? To understand me? Why? [Akito punches Momiji] Akito: You make me sick! Understand? Understand me? You just want to belittle me! You just want to define me by your twisted logic, to paint me as a villain! Tohru: Stop, please! Momiji: T- Tohru: Sto- stop, please! Akito: Stop? You're giving me an order. Terrible. Terrible. You're not a very nice person. Momiji: Akito! Akito: But Tohru. Honda Tohru, I was kind enough to come see you. I don't care how disrespectful you are to me. There's... there's something I came to tell you. Don't be so full of it, scum. You might think you saved Yuki and Kyo. Better take that arrogance down a notch right now. Let me tell you something. I'll tell you. Kyo, you see, after high school, will be confined. Just like the previous cat, confined for life.

It's here that we see Momiji is no longer there. In the manga, we see Momiji run away. Akito and Tohru's conflict continues, but I want to focus on Momiji's actions here.

When he understands the situation, he starts gently, reasoning that Tohru is probably sleeping. When that doesn't work, he moves to defy his god in order to protect her.

When Tohru shows up and puts herself between Momiji and Akito, Momiji is clearly upset. He'd only wanted to keep her from getting hurt, and now she's trying to protect him. He feels like he's failed, but the danger is still happening. When Akito takes Tohru by the head and starts telling her about Kyo's impending confinement, he runs for help.

Momiji likely blames himself for Tohru getting hurt. It was his idea to go to the beach house, and he angered Akito before Tohru arrived. His moment of truth is that he needs to focus on protecting Tohru and consider her safety in the future.

I wonder where he got that idea.

It's worth noting that this scene happens the same night as his hallway conversation with Kyo. While Kyo was beginning to understand that fighting isn't the only way to protect someone, and that sometimes you need to keep your head down and play the role in which you've been cast in order to protect someone, Momiji was learning the opposite lesson, that sometimes, you need to acknowledge the hard truths about a situation, that fun and pleasure don't erase pain, and that some things are worth fighting for.

Akito and Tohru's conflict ends when Kureno arrives and takes Akito back to the estate. Next, Shigure and Hatori arrive, and when Tohru asks why they're there, Shigure reveals where Momiji ran off to.

Shigure: Momicchi ran to me in terror. I didn't know what was wrong. Tohru: Is Momiji-kun hurt!? Where's Momiji-kun!? Hatori: Don't worry. He's right there. Tohru: Momiji-kun! Momiji-kun, are you all right?

Momiji tries to smile, but he can't, and he breaks down instead.

We've seen Momiji fake cry dozens of times before now. We've seen real tears from him only twice: once when he told Tohru about his mother (and even then, it was only after he transformed that he let himself cry), and once on Kisa's behalf, when he was telling the others about her bullying, and that he imagined how he'd feel if people laughed every time he spoke.

But this is the first time we've seen him break down.

Again, Momiji is blaming himself for what happened. He sees the mark on Tohru's face, and he knows she got hurt even worse after he left. He's upset that she ended up protecting him instead. He believes he's failed in every way. It's a feeling Kyo's incredibly familiar with.

But even though Momiji thinks he's responsible for Tohru getting hurt, everyone acknowledges he did something very difficult and brave.

Shigure: Well, Momicchi really hung in there. Compared to him, look at the other young folk. Hatori: Compared to him, look at us... right?

It's then revealed that Yuki, Kyo, and Haru were watching from just inside, and Haru was physically holding Kyo back from intervening.

Haru: See, Akito left. I told you Momiji would get the older ones. Kyo: I'm so pathetic I could puke.

Kyo is ashamed that he didn't act, even though he knows it wouldn't have helped, and might have gotten Tohru hurt worse.

Momiji and Kyo both feel responsible, but by thinking themselves responsible, they belie the fact that they don't hold the other person responsible. Kyo sees that Momiji actually did something, that he stood up to Akito, while he stood back and let Tohru get hurt. Momiji isn't upset that no one else stood up to Akito beside him. He's not even sure that was the right thing to have done.

But they're both wrong, of course. The only person who's actually responsible for Tohru getting hurt is Akito.

Thankfully, the arc ends with a nice moment of everyone enjoying fireworks together. They've all changed, but some things will always be the same.

Momiji: Let's do some sparklers together! Tohru: Okay! Momiji: Kyo! Come do them with us, Kyo! Kyo: So annoying. Just do them without me!

Yuki then baits Kyo into joining them, and the four sit together and do fireworks.

Even after everything that's happened, Momiji's still the one who invites Kyo to join in the fun.

Momiji and Kyo: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 5

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 56 analyze + brief shima study // spoilers

summer vacation is over, which means we’re all coming back to tokyo. for some, it’s time to bask in the memories they created, however for others, the harsh reality comes creeping in again.

one thing that i absolutely love about takamatsu’s way of constructing a chapter is how she easily mixes the youth of the characters (the girls talking about crushes) with the obscure subplot she has been creating up to now (shima’s backstory). the change between subjects isn’t harsh or out of place: everything happens in a simple flow, ending in a calm scene to tie it all together.

so, let’s start from the youth: it’s amazing to see how mitsumi was the step that the other three girls needed to finally be free enough to be a teenage girl, something they prevented themselves from being before. she’s the one who manages to ease their worries and let them be free to talk about things teenage girls should be talking about — and they decided to choose one of the cutest subjects ever: crushes!! makoto being the one to bring this subject up just shows how she grew and how much she trusts the girls, since she was always apprehensive to touch on certain subjects. and this talk was the perfect opportunity for mitsumi to get a little more courage to talk about her relationship with shima with the girls, and choosing to do that in tokyo shows how much she cares about shima, since she doesn’t want the girls to think badly about him at any point.

ok, now let’s jump to the subplot, the one that i love to analyze so much. well, we all know that i had a gut feeling that shima didn’t say anything about the trip to his mother — first because we saw nao-chan talking to all the parents, minus shima’s, and second because, by the little we know about shima’s mom, it’s easy to say that she would never allow shima to go there empty handed. so i can’t say that i was surprised by the outcome of the confrontation. 

i think first i have to focus a lot on shima's reaction towards his mother. the scene opens with shima entering his room and noticing that things were not the way that he left before the trip, showing from the beginning a breach of trust. even if his mother had the best of intentions (like, for example, keeping her son's room tidy), it is difficult for shima to understand this act as something affectionate and not as a way of showing that she doesn't trust him.

after that, we have the big showdown. there is no way to defend shima in anyway with the way he acted and what he did. he traveled miles from his mother, without her having any idea about it. this is extremely dangerous, any parent would be desperate to receive news like this after days. i don't blame her, on the contrary: i think she’s more than correct in confronting him about this.

but for shima, this concern doesn't come from a loving side, from a worried mother. shima still sees his mother as that manipulative and controlling person he grew up with and had so many conflicts with, so hearing all of this only a desperate need to get out of this situation as fast as possible. she already broke her son's trust as soon as he entered the house, so it's very easy for him to assume that this is another one of her controlling attitudes.

but there is an interesting point in all this. after the fight, shima begins to reflect on her mother's changes and asks a very important question: am i still mad at her or am i just being stubborn, like a child who expects something in return?

this shows a maturity in his character, as it is the first time he stops to analyze what all this means inside his chest. would it be rebellion? love? distrust? a cry for help?

shima's relationship with his mother is still something that requires a lot of growth and development for it to make a significant change. in my opinion, it won't happen now or in 5 chapters, but much later, something like an ending to shima's arc, a way to embrace all of his growth. it’s as if she represents the beginning and end of his journey.

aside from his mother, now we have two new pieces to this puzzle: the unknown man and a very new image of shima (the image of him walking with other boys, on the panel where he thinks about his feelings towards his mother). what we have left is to have an idea of how many pieces we still need to assemble the final image. what happened? who was responsible? is this the man who ruined it all? or he was just another victim of the circumstances?

(something that is not related to these questions but that made me think was the fact that ririka sent him the photo. could this be a form of provocation or just a way of finding comfort?).

crabs are no longer shima's only concern at the moment. his harsh and difficult reality came back to the surface with full force. and i, who thought we were close to the climax of his arc, am shocked to realize that we are nowhere near halfway there.

to finish: mitsumi's speech about how tokyo is finally being a new home for her. this is something that makes me so happy, that brings me so much peace, especially with nao-chan's happy and relaxed face next to her. tokyo is finally mitsumi's second home, and she's happy to be able to return to it.

another month and another amazing chapter, another reason to be so excited for what's to come. this is takamatsu-sensei's power. thank you for reading me rambling and for all the nice messages you guys have been sending me 💛 it means the world!!

[wonderfull-star]

I want to write this post just to feel nostalgic and remember what the game used to be like for me. I’ll say right away that I won’t describe past updates, but will simply share my thoughts and later what I’m NOT happy with in the game now.

Is there anyone here who, like me, started playing in December 2021? Remember how the game used to be simple without any unnecessary donations? Do you remember how before it was impossible to change the background music and in winter the special music was always turned on? Do you remember how before there was only a dragon in the guild? Do you remember when the first special story with Creme Republic just came out and before we all in the fandom thought that Clotted Cream Cookie was a villain? Do you remember in the game was given a special item for achieving a master in the arena? Do you remember when there wasn’t even Alliance? Do you remember when the update with the Black Pearl just came out and for many it became the best update in the game due to many unique mechanics? Remember how in the game, as a bonus for the new update, cookie cutters were given for promoting cookies? Remember the old mileage system? Remember before there were no special stories, only the main and tropical soda island? Remember how before the max level was only 60? Remember when there used to be only story and dark mods? Do you remember when there were no souldrops in the game? Do you remember how before the game only had common, rare, epic, legendary and ancient? Remember how everyone used to love the Tower of Sweet Chaos? Do you remember Cookies of Darkness? I haven't seen them for a long time.. This is really annoying. Like, we've already been seen the main story of the Dark Cacao kingdom. Is it really so difficult to reveal other tribes at least a little? For example, many people likes Licorice cookie. I'm sure everyone was looking forward to the update with him(

Now there is nothing left of this former feeling. Devsisters add everything to the game and add innovations that are not really necessary. The plot became completely incomprehensible. The character wanders aimlessly here and there, with no clear intentions. Although before, the entire goal of the main team was very clear - to stop Dark Enchantress Cookie. And knowing Gingerbrave, he logically would have done this a long time ago, knowing how reckless and brave he can be. Nothing is clear about the villains at all. It's like they decided to take a vacation. Well, or they were already eaten by that strange substance from the dough. This would explain the reason for their absence. Seriously, they had so many chances to attack the main team. And don't even talk about retreat. Because this “retreat” seems to have been going on for them for 3 years already.

The most important problem right now is donation. There's too much of it. At every corner you are forced to pay. The last time I played, it was difficult to even get into Master II. And that would be okay. Devsisters haven't even optimized the game yet. Even Genshin with an open world and high graphics works several times better for me. If they get so much money from whales, then they definitely have the opportunity to optimize the game. But 3 years have passed and there is still no optimization. Disappointment..

Finally, I want to say thanks to the game itself - for all the warm memories it gave me back then. I can't believe it's been 3 whole years since I started playing this game. It seems like it’s not that many, but at the same time it seems like an eternity. Most of all I remember those carefree summer days. I still remember how I was riding on a tour bus while listening to Sorbet Shark theme song 🥺

[callsign-dexter]

Traveling Adventures

Summary: The Seresin-Bradshaw family takes a trip to Disney World.

Pairings: Jake Seresin x Daughter!Reader, Bradley Bradshaw x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Fluff, Little Y/N crying (if that is a warning)

Masterlist

Our Little Girl

A/N: Little Y/N is 3 yrs old

A/N Pt. 2: Yes Jake's name, later on, is turned to Pops but for now it's 'Daddy', I figured it would be an easier name for her to say since she is 3 and it rolled off the tongue for this fic.

Little Y/N was now 3 years old and her parents and grandparents thought it would be a good idea to take her on a trip that she could remember. Where to you ask? Well, none other than Disney World. From an early age, she made it very clear that she liked Disney movies and characters. So Bradley and Jake took some time off of work and bought tickets to Disney World. They headed to Florida in a week, leaving on early Friday morning and staying for at least a week. They decided to do it during the summer because she was out of school, and they had several days of vacation racked up over the years and months plus they had some higher-ups in the family so nobody batted an eye.

Jake and Bradley being Jake and Bradley decided to wait until the last minute, more like a day before, Thursday, to start getting ready and pack. Some clothes they wanted to take needed to be washed so they were up all night washing them and Little Y/N would not go to sleep for anything too excited about their trip, until about 3 AM and she crashed hard. They had to be up at 7 AM and Y/N up at 8 AM to be at the airport at 9 AM and catch their plane which started boarding at 11 AM. They figured to get there early since they had a 3-year-old with them. They were going to drive and leave their car but talked through it, Bradley didn't want anyone near his precious Bronco and Jake didn't want anywhere his precious blacked-out Ford F-150 so, Maverick and Ice said they would take them since Carole and Goose had plans already.

Being a typical 3 year old she was not any help, taking clothes out of the suitcase causing them to have to put them back in, and at one point sat in the suitcase, which they got pictures of and sent them out. They truly loved their little girl. Only two suitcases were going and one backpack. After everything was packed of theirs they started on hers, which was an adventure.

It started with her not wanting to cooperate and pick the outfits she wanted to wear and then she did what she was doing to her daddies, throwing clothes out of the suitcase and making them repack it. She then wanted to take multiple toys but after some convening from Jake, she agreed with taking 2 toys and her tablet. The conversation went a little something like this.

"Sweets, you don't need that many toys. You won't have time to play with them." Jake said trying to convince her but she wasn't having it. He was trying to stay calm.

"Nu-uh, Daddy." She said in a matter-in-fact tone "I'll have time." She finished and Jake sighed closed his eyes and his head went down. Why did she have to be like them? They knew she was stubborn but didn't think it would be this bad. Jake so badly wanted to say 'yea-huh' but even though he wanted to, someone had to be the adult in this situation, there would be enough opportunities to sass off to each other. She looked at him waiting for an answer.

"Sweets, how about you take two toys and your tablet?" He asked her hoping she would say yes. She paused and scrunched her face up into a thinking position, much like Bradley, and then smiled.

"Ok, Daddy. I do that." She finally agreed and Jake sighed in relief.

Jake got stuck with packing the rest of her clothes and two toys and placing her tablet in the kitchen to charge next to the backpack that snacks will be added to later.

Meanwhile, Bradley chased Little Y/N down to try and start getting her ready for bed since it was past 9 PM. Bradley finally caught her and put her in bed after several breaking outs she went down at 3 AM much to her parent's relief but dreading the next day.

7 AM rolled around much faster than the parents would have liked, only had gotten about 4 hrs of sleep by the time they got clothes done and washed and everything packed. Jake was the first one up and got ready with Bradley following right behind him. Jake went to check on Little Y/N while Bradley went on to the kitchen to start making coffee and packing the backpack.

"How is she?" Jake asked while handing Bradley a cup of coffee.

"Sleeping like a rock." Bradley said and shook his head feeling a little bit jealous that she could sleep in. Then again she was just like them and could fall asleep anywhere at any time.

"Must be nice." Jake said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"We're going to pay for it later though." Bradley said as a smile graced his face and chuckled.

"Yes, but it's going to be worth it." Jake said and Bradley nodded in agreement.

A little after 7 AM Maverick and Ice rolled in and walked in greeting both the males in the kitchen. Bradley and Jake greeted them with a hug and then when 8 AM rolled around it was time to wake Little Y/N up.

"It's 8 AM time to go wake up Sleeping Beauty." Bradley said and before either parent could jump on it Ice was already headed to the little girl's room and stopped before getting to the stairs.

"I'll get her. You'll have to deal with her all day at the airport." Ice said turned and walked toward the stairs, Maverick was not having that and rushed to where Ice was at the foot of the stairs.

"No, I'll go get her." He said and started to push Ice out of the way. Ice had this look on his face and it was game one.

"Don't think so Mitchell. I'm her favorite." Ice said and started up the stairs with Maverick close behind him.

"I don't think so Kazansky." Maverick responded competitive side coming out. This is how it went as they started to climb the stairs to the little girl's room. Bradley and Jake just stood back drinking coffee and watched the whole scene. It was hilarious seeing two Navy Admirals fight to see who would wake up their granddaughter. Don't think that Bradley didn't take a video because he sure did and sent it to the group chat. The first message was from Goose: "Takes me back to our days at Top Gun. They've always been competitive." Oh, how Goose wished could've been there but to be honest he would be fighting to go wake her up too.

Let's just say both of them got to wake her up, dress her, and make her brush her teeth. Bradley and Jake were just glad they could have some peace even if it were just for a minute.

Once they got her ready and the backpack packed they were heading to the car to start the drive to the airport like planned they got there at 9 AM. Now they have to get through security and find their plane.

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The car ride to the airport was pretty much uneventful. The road was clear due to it being early morning and morning rush hour was already done for. Ice pulled up to the curb where the departure sign was and parked. Bradley worked on getting Y/N out while Maverick, Jake, and Ice got their luggage out of the back including her car seat. Bradley was standing there with Y/N waiting for everything to be unloaded. They all hugged each other and promised that they would be sending updates.

The little family walked into the airport and headed towards security, they already had their tickets pulled up on their phones and I.Ds at their ready. Since they're military they have TSA precheck and they can skip the long line at security. Security was a breeze and Y/N behaved much to their dismay but they knew she was ready to be mischievous.

Once they got through Jake got through first, Y/N, went and he picked her up, then Bradley, they gathered their luggage and walked to an area away from people. Jake sat her down and Bradley got down to her level.

"Now Y/N. When we are not carrying you, you need to be holding one of our hands at all times. You also can't leave mine or Daddy’s sight. Ok?" Bradley said to her seriously and she could sense that.

"Ok, Dada." She replied. Bradley nodded glad she understood and stood up and they headed to their gate. They got there around 10 AM and now they had to wait. They sat near the window so she could see the planes take off and being taxied in, she was in awe.

It was getting close to her snack time and they knew that, so Jake got a packet of Goldfish out of the backpack and opened them. When she came to them saying "I hungry." All he had to do was hand her the opened packet. They were tucked in the corner so they could keep an eye on her and talk as well. Bradley and Jake talked about work and other plans to be made. Every now and then she would come back to them for either a drink or to hand them her Goldfish.

10:30 AM rolled around and they both decided to have a bathroom break. They decided that Jake would go first and then Bradley who would take Y/N with him. Everything went without a hitch. 10 minutes later they started to board. Active military, parents with children 3 and under, and ones that needed assistance boarded first. For it to be quicker Jake swooped her up which made her giggle and older couples, women, and parents smile, and they all three boarded the plane.

They found their seats, which were together. They put Y/N in the middle of the two and waited for them to taxi and take off. They would have to have a layover in Oklahoma. They figured it would be better to have a layover that way they could get Y/N off and let her stretch her legs. Bradley took the window seat and got Y/N settled while Jake stowed the luggage and car seat, which was thankfully collapsible and the flight wasn't very full. Once everything was stowed above he sat down and put the backpack between his legs and would put it under the seat in front of him. The flight would be 2 hr 27 min long and a 3 hr layover and their next flight would be 2 hr 42 minutes.

They were close to the front so they got to see everyone walk by. Y/N was fascinated by them. When the line got held up by an older couple they smiled at her when she looked at them. The older woman spoke up.

"Hello dear." She said and Y/N smiled and waved.

"Hi!" She said excitedly, Bradley and Jake were listening just in case they needed to jump in. "We're going to Disney!" She said the couple smiled they loved seeing kids have fun.

"Oh, that sounds fun. I love Disney." The older woman said and Y/N's eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Me too!" She said, "My daddies fly planes." She said she was proud of her daddies and she loved the jets.

"Oh, they do?" The older gentleman spoke up for the first time said Y/N nodded and Bradley cut in.

"Sorry about her. She's just a little excited. Jake and I are Naval aviators." Bradley said apologizing for their hyper 3-year-old.

"Oh, you don't have to apologize! We love seeing kids happy. Also thank you both for your service." The older gentleman said and the woman nodded. The line started to move and they bid their goodbyes. The plane was boarded and it was getting shut. They started to get pushed back and Little Y/N watched in awe out the window. The flight attendants went through their required stuff and so did the captain. They got to the runway.

"Chick do you remember what this is called?" Bradley asked calling her by the nickname Goose gave her. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Runway." She said and Jake and Bradley smiled.

"That's right Sweets. Now sit back. We're going to go really fast and be up in the air in no time." Jake said and she sat back taking him seriously and true to his word they were given the all-clear and sped down the runway and lifted off. She was in awe of it all.

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Once in the air and electronics can be used Jake got out Y/N's tablet and put it on a kid-friendly show while Bradley and Jake got their phones out and messed around with them. There was some turbulence here and there but they handled it like pros and they reassured their little girl that it was normal. Once the seatbelt sign was turned off she was climbing onto Bradley's lap and looking out the window and watching her tablet.

15 minutes into the flight and she and Bradley were out like a light Y/N was laying on Bradley, Jake got pictures and sent them to the group chat and even though they didn't send right away he knew they would once they land. Flight attendants were in awe at the two, and Jake couldn't help but smile. They came with drinks and snacks and Jake got both but declined for Y/N and Bradley since they were fast asleep. Turbulence was hit and woke Bradley and he made sure she was still asleep and he stayed up for the rest of the flight.

It was nearing the flight and Bradley carefully put her back in her seat and she cuddled up next to Jake. They both got their electronics switched onto airplane mode. They landed and taxied to their gate and were getting ready to begin their 3 hr layover. They didn't have the heart to wake up so Jake carried her out of the plane with the backpack over his should while Bradley grabbed the luggage.

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Layovers are not fun to deal with. Once they hit the door that led off the plane Little Y/N woke up and groggy. "Daddy?" She asked.

"Yea, Sweets?" Jake replied. Bradley was right behind them and smiled.

"Disney?" She said keeping her answers and questions short due to tiredness and Jake smiled and shook his head while looking at her.

"Not yet, Honey." Bradley said and she seemed to accept that answer and buried her face into Jake's neck.

They went to their next terminal where they had to ride the airport train which fascinated the little girl. "DADA! DADDY! LOOK!" She shrieked out pointing to the artwork on the walls inside the tunnels. Luckily the train was kind of empty.

"Yea, Sweets. It's nice isn't it?" Jake asked and she nodded excitedly. She was standing on the seat hands pressed on the glass with Jake right behind her since the train had enough force to throw her off balance. The train announced their arrival at their terminal, Jake picked her up she protested because she wanted to see more artwork.

They headed toward their gate to find it and then once they knew where it was they were going to get something to eat, or at least one of them was, and bring it back to the other two.

Once they had their gate they set up near the corner and the window again and this one had a table with charging ports. They got comfortable and started their wait for the 3 hr layover.

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An hour into their wait Little Y/N toddled her way over to her daddies. She put a hand on each other knees and they automatically looked down.

"Food?" She asked knowing that she knew they understood. Jake looked at his watch and looked back at her.

"I guess it is time for lunch isn't it?" Jake said and Little Y/N put her hands on her hips and cooked her head to the side.

"Yea, Daddy." She replied with so much sass. Oh how she was so much like them was scary.

"Ok little miss sass. Dada will go and get food and we'll stay here." Jake said and turned to look at Bradley who was already getting up.

"What do you want to eat?" Bradley asked already knowing his daughter’s answer.

"McDonald's!" She yelled and they both laughed of course, they should've never allowed Slider to take her there now it's all she wants.

"McDonald's is fine. If you want something else I'll eat whatever." Jake said looking at his husband and letting his daughter play with his hand. Bradley nodded and headed off.

Jake and Y/N were both content until she started to get a little rowdy. She wasn't watching where she was going and bumped into the luggage several times. "Sweets. Be careful." Jake said in a warning tone and she made the stance she did early.

"You be careful." She said sassing her Pops. Obviously, she didn't listen to him and continued to run around. Jake was keeping an eye on her and his phone updating the group when he heard a crash. He looked up and saw her on the floor and she looked at him and started to cry. He was up in an instant and scooping her up and cooing her.

"Oh, Sweets. It's ok. You're ok. Shhh." He said and bouncing her up and down. She continued to cry. "What hurts?" He asked and she mumbled something incoherently "Hmm what was that Sweets?" He asked her and she stopped long enough to answer him.

"My knee." She said all pouty looking at him. He looked down at her knee and only saw a rug burn. A woman walked up to him.

"Is she ok? I saw her fall." The woman asked and Jake turned to her.

"She's ok. Aren't you, Sweets?" He asked her and she nodded. The woman awed.

"Are you traveling alone with her?" She asked starting to flirt.

"No, my husband is getting us food." He said just as Bradley was walking up.

"Jake, I-" Bradley began but stopped himself seeing the woman.

"Oh, there he is. Hi, babe." Jake said and kissed him and turned back to the woman who was smiling.

"The cute ones are always taken. You two have an adorable daughter." The woman said both men smiled and Jake hugged their daughter tighter.

"Thank you. She's the light of our life." Bradley said and the smiled. She turned around and left.

Bradley turned to Jake with a raised eyebrow. He then noticed the tear tracks. Jake sighed. "I told her to be careful and she sassed back and then she tripped. She said she hurt her knee and I only saw a rug burn. The lady saw and came over to ask if she was ok then started to flirt." Bradley nodded he trusted his husband.

"As I was saying beforehand. I got her McDonald's and us Subway." Bradley said showing the food. Y/N perked up at food. Jake sat her down on the chair at the table. Bradley walked over with her food and got it all out of her Happy Meal box. They plugged in their electronics and put a movie on for her as she ate. Bradley and Jake sat down where they can see her and started to eat their food. She got done after they got done and started to rub her eyes. A tall tale sign of her getting sleepy. Jake got up and went to her and picked up and instantly she curled into him. Jake walked back over to Bradley and sat down and she was asleep in an instant. Her slow breathing was putting him to sleep and before he knew it he was closing his eyes.

Bradley looked over and saw them asleep and quickly and quietly got his phone and took a picture and sent it to the group. He started to clean up and throw away trash and shut electronics off.

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Finally, the layover was over and he was waking both of them up gently. They made quick bathroom breaks and when they got back it was time to board. They got boarded the same as last time. They took off at 3 PM. Bradley took over holding Y/N so Jake could get some feeling back in his arms. Jake updated the group and they were on their way.

Once everyone boarded it was the same process as last time and before Little Y/N knew it they were up in the air. She decided that she liked flying, no scratch that loved it if only she knew that she would be flying jets when she was old enough.

2 hrs 42 mins flew by and they were landing in Flordia at 6:42 PM. She stayed awake most of the flight. When they landed she got excited. They got off the plane and went down to the rental car. Bradley entertained her while Jake got the car. He got the keys but wouldn't let Bradley see it or know what it was. They picked up their luggage and Bradley picked up Y/N and they headed out to their car that was pulled out front. Bradley stopped in his tracks in his sight, a newer version of a Ford Bronco, just a little bit darker in color. "Jake you did not." Bradley said surprised.

"But Bradley, I did." Jake said with a smirk. Bradley was just smiling as Jake loaded the car and put in the car seat. They buckled her in and headed to their hotel for the night.

Once Y/N got into the car she was out like a light. When they arrived at their hotel Bradley got Y/N out and carried the sleeping toddler in to get the room keys why Jake got the luggage.

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Bradley walked in and to the front desk, a pretty young lady by the name of Alice was working. She looked up ready to deal with another customer when she saw Bradley and his little girl. She smiled.

"What can I do for you, sir?" Alice smiled.

"Hi, I need a room with two beds." He said and she nodded.

"Just the two of you?" Alice asked and Bradley smiled but shook his.

"No, there is three of us." He said

"Oh wife or girlfriend?" Alice asked making small talk while she processed getting a room and taking his information down and the credit card that he had dug out one handed.

"No husband." He replied and smiled at the shock on her face everyone had the same reaction every time. Jake walked in right as she gave his card back. He kissed Bradley's cheek and she smiled.

"Have a nice night guys." Alice said and they smiled and walked to the elevator and rode it to their room they got into their room. They got her ready and changed into pajamas while she still slept they got ready and got into bed ready for the next day.

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The next morning Little Y/N was up bright and early, meaning 6 AM. She got out her tablet and put on a show while her daddies slept. She knew to be quiet. Around 7 AM both men woke up they said good morning to each other and looked over to where their little girl was supposed to be sleeping but instead were looking at them smiling.

"Y/N, honey. How long have you been up?" Bradley asked and she held up 6 fingers and she went back to watching her show. Both of the men's eyes widened and looked at each other.

They went through their routine then they headed out the door with the key essentials ready for the day, including an extra pair of clothing in case they got wet or something spilled on one of them. By the time they were done, it was 7:30 AM. They went down to the rental Bronco and headed to Disney World. It was only a 30-minute drive to the park. Each time Little Y/N saw a sign for Disney she got more excited and talked a mile a minute.

They pulled into the parking lot and she squealed. Bradley and Jake smiled. They got out and Jake got her out while Bradley grabbed the bag. Jake sat her down and got down to her level.

"Ground rules. You don't run off no matter who or what you see, you keep us in your sights at all times, you hold our hands the entire time when you're not in our arms or on our shoulders, and you be polite and respectful. Understood?" Jake said in a serious tone, a tone that he would use with his Top Gun students.

"Yes, Dada." She replied and he nodded and stood up.

"Let's go have some fun." He added and Bradley scooped her up and they walked to the front gate. They waited in line they got to the front and showed their tickets and their bag was searched and into the park they went.

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They started with the kid's rides so that she could get the feel of it and she loved the thrill of it. Everything was either caught on video or in pictures and shared with the group. The grandparents were eating it up.

She got to meet so many characters from her favorite movies, especially Elsa because "She reminds me of Grandpa Ice." Of course, pictures were taken and sugary food was eaten causing her to have a sugar rush. Some couples offered to take the whole family's picture and of course, they took their offer.

They kept to the kid's rides that didn't require height requirements and were safe enough for toddlers. They rode 17 rides in total, her favorite ride was the Haunted Mansion ride since that is also her favorite movie apart from Frozen. There were more she wanted to ride but her daddies told her they can be saved for another day as they sat and ate and got hydrated. They had all week but she wasn't buying it.

"Sweets, we can ride those rides tomorrow. It's getting late." Jake said tired but having a good day.

"Nu-uh. It not late." She sassed putting her hands on her hips an action she had seen them both and her Grandma do several times.

"Yea-huh." Jake sassed back and Bradley just shook his head and sat back enjoying the show.

"Nu-uh, Daddy." She sassed right back "We stay and ride." She continued getting agitated another sign she tired.

"We can come back tomorrow." Jake said she paused to think putting a finger on her chin and then stopped and climbed into his lap. It was now 8 PM and the Magic Kingdom was going to be putting on fireworks, which they were close to.

"Fine. We stay for fireworks." She said no room for arguments and Jake sighed and Bradley laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" He turned to look at Bradley.

"She's just like you. Always bargains and usually gets what you want." Bradley said and it was true.

"She gets it from you too, husband." Jake said defending himself.

"I'm not saying she doesn't. You're the one to deny it." Bradley said and Y/N stayed quiet listening to them go back and forth getting comfortable in Jake's lap. This went on until 8:30 PM. They decided to walk to the Magic Kingdom and watch the show at 9 PM. Jake carried their daughter and held her the entire time.

9:18 PM rolled around and the light show and fireworks were done. They started to walk back to the gates with everyone else and as they were walking back Little Y/N fell asleep on Jake's shoulder. They arrived at the Bronco and carefully put her in and put the backpack in the back and got in and fought the traffic out of the park. When they got back to the hotel they did the same routine the night before. Both smiling this trip was so worth it.

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Each day of the week while they were there they rode different rides and ate different foods. The Seresin-Bradshaw family was having a blast! Many souvenirs were bought and photos were taken. Bradley and Jake agreed that the trip was well worth it and they should do it again when she gets older.

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[azems-familiar]

my thoughts on dawntrail

alright, now that it's been a couple days since i finished the 7.0 MSQ, and i've had time to get my thoughts in order, i wanted to write up my overall thoughts and impressions on the expansion. beneath the cut there WILL BE MAJOR SPOILERS for plot points, zones, and dungeons/trials through the whole expansion, so be warned.

so i'll start with the positives.

first of all, i obviously can't stress enough how much i love the graphics update and how beautiful everything looks now. i really appreciate several of the QoL things they added in, like dual dye channels and the adjustment to the follow missions that make it easier to see when you might fail. i loved the first 4 zones - the designs, the cultures in them, the way they were developed. i think my favorite group was the Yok Huy. the dungeons and trials are also all REALLY fun, for the most part, although a couple of the fights suck balls on caster - Vanguard's second boss is aoe hell taken to a new extreme. i did have some troubles with seeing mechanics on the final trial, but i managed it, at least.

i overall liked the rite of succession. i liked Wuk Lamat's character arc, and i liked Koana's as well, and i wasn't too bothered by how much of a back seat in the story the WoL took, although i was disappointed we didn't get many chances to bond with the Scions or Erenville and the WoL's relationship with Wuk Lamat was centered over everything else (and sorry, but Lelesu is not going to think of her as family that quickly), especially with Erenville being the expansion's narrator. it did a little bit annoy me that it mostly felt like we were there to be a camera from which to let the player watch the story, but it wasn't too egregious. i wanted more of the rivalry between the Scions that we were teased, but overall it was an enjoyable little vacation with some really beautiful worldbuilding.

that said.

to me the second half of the story felt like someone trying to emulate shb without really understanding what made shb so good, while also trying to shoehorn Wuk Lamat in as the protagonist when by all rights she should no longer have been. the WoL was given no agency despite the fact that we were dealing with another reflection and a star-wide threat; frankly, the idea that Lelesu would have sat back and been perfectly content to wait for Wuk Lamat to challenge Zoraal Ja to single combat and whatnot is kind of ridiculous, considering the harm he could cause to not only the Source but the other reflections as well. i disliked that there were hardly any mentions whatsoever of past worldbuilding - we have no opportunity to talk to Sphene about how her shard's shift towards lightning was definitely intentional and caused by Ascian manipulation, we don't get to interject that we can cure the levin sickness (something that genuinely bothered me, since that was a MASSIVE PLOT POINT in the shb patches). our accomplishments are almost never brought up at all.

moreover, this expansion was supposed to be character development for Krile. i would not have minded the WoL remaining in the background so much if during the second half of the story, Krile took the fore, especially since her parents are from this unknown shard - but as it was, we barely got anything from her at all, except a couple cutscenes in Living Memory. the Scions also weren't particularly centered - they were all present, but all the emotional moments and connections were focused on Wuk Lamat and on Sphene, even Erenville fading into the background most of the time, and the WoL is constantly made to follow Wuk Lamat around to let the players watch what she's doing instead of working with their own team of people to ascertain what's going on and put a stop to it.

(this is very much a personal thing, but i also did not like Sphene; she gave me the utter creeps the moment she showed up onscreen, which would have been great if they'd been trying to play into that, but it felt like we were genuinely meant to Like Her and personally she made me want to claw my skin off every time she opened her mouth or did an animation, lol.)

despite my interest in another reflection, all of those issues above definitely soured me on the second half of the plot quite a bit. i also really did not like Living Memory - it felt somehow directly antithetical to the themes of endwalker, while trying to copy, again, the end of shb. like the opposite of Ultima Thule, which was incredibly cathartic even though it was very heavy. Living Memory just honestly was a bit triggering to me and left me upset in a bad way, and i had to force myself through the end of the msq there. especially considering that no one living remembers these people, since they all had their minds mass-wiped constantly...it did not feel very good. though i did like that we got some focus on Erenville there, finally.

the cutscene prior to the final trial i honestly did really love though - getting to pull out the Azem crystal and do what we do best made me HAPPY, since we'd gotten so little of that this expansion. so you can imagine i felt incredibly frustrated and...cheapened when Wuk Lamat burst through the literal fourth wall to trigger the boss's phase change. also the fact that no one is bringing up dynamis when "the power of emotion" is repeatedly mentioned is ANNOYING, because come on, we just had a whole arc about this, i guarantee you it's still fresh in everyone's minds. we also didn't get called the Warrior of Light at all this expansion, which just made me kinda go :/ because that's our title, even if Hydaelyn is gone. i am very interested in why the Key has Azem's symbol on it though, and looking forward to what kind of arc this might kickstart. i also liked the final scene in which Erenville asked the WoL what drives them - the answers we were given to choose from felt like a really good indicator of the growth our characters have gone through since we were first asked why we became an adventurer to begin with.

another little thing that does irritate me is - why does no one in Tural seem to have any familiarity with the global events in the past? such as the Final Days, primals, the Echo, the concept of a Warrior of Light - Hydaelyn spoke to everyone and since the Echo is a manifestation of an ancient soul, it makes no sense that only people in Eorzea would have it. it also makes no sense that the Ascians would just completely ignore one of the major continents, especially since Emet-Selch has clearly been to Tural before. i definitely didn't expect them to recognize us, but idk, it was kinda weird that there was just no mention of this stuff.

my overall impressions is that i will probably enjoy doing sidequests and things in the new zones, and running the content, but i probably am not going to replay the story at all and i'm holding out hope for better writing in the patch quests. before anyone comes at me with "well of course the wol wasn't the protagonist we can't be saving the star all the time-" i'm perfectly fine with lower stakes, i just wish it felt more like we were relevant, especially in the latter half of the story. there's an easily-achievable happy medium, you know? same with there being a happy medium between "continuing the previous plot arcs" and "ignoring basically all past plot events and worldbuilding".

if you've read all the way down here, have a happy Lelesu for your trouble:

she looks amazing in the rdm artifact gear!