#i feel like a wildly successful matchmaker.

[tcwmatchmakingau]

Everybody Hates Neyo Round 2: Matchmaking Boogaloo

A/N: This is a standalone sequel to “Everybody Hates Neyo,” (NSFW) by @dystopicjumpsuit​ (that’s me), and “The Blacklist,” by the brilliant @blueink-bluesoul​, who also generously let me borrow the character of Daria Trace (THANK YOU!). You don’t need to read those fics to understand this one, but you should because they’re great and they provide more background. I converted the Reader-insert into an OC because to be frank, she’s a piece of work, and I didn’t want to project that onto my readers. That said, as always, feel free to insert yourself into the story if you prefer; I haven’t described the OC beyond being a woman with hair long enough to pull.

Pairing: Commander Neyo x the Admiral (formerly Fem!Reader)

Rating: M | 18+ | Minors DNI

Wordcount: 6.5K (I know)

Warnings and tags: toxic, obsessive behavior; SO MUCH SMUT; hatefucking; rough sex; oral sex; PIV; hair pulling; biting; sex under the influence of alcohol; Neyo and the Admiral being absolute menaces to society

Disclaimer: Let me just put on my Auntie DJ hat for a second. *ahem* This is a work of fiction intended for entertainment only. Please do not take this as a guide to romance or a healthy relationship. Neyo and the Bad-miral are flawed characters in a wildly problematic relationship with more red flags than the Fire Nation. Enjoy!

Matchmaker extraordinaire Daria Trace was not accustomed to failure. When she applied her considerable intellect to a problem, she did not stop until she formulated a solution. Which was why her now-99% matchmaking success rate galled her so intensely. In all her years of matchmaking, she had never encountered a client so stubbornly determined to thwart her efforts as Marshal Commander Neyo. After twelve failed matches—one of which involved a call from an infuriated woman demanding to know “why the kriff you thought I was a good match for that sociopath”—she had reluctantly conceded defeat.

The blacklisting of Commander Neyo from the Right to Love Matchmaking Service spread like wildfire through the GAR gossip channels. Most of the troopers thought it was hilarious; others insisted that he’d finally gotten what he deserved. In fact, the only people who seemed to have any sympathy for Neyo were Commanders Bacara (to be expected) and Fox (somewhat less expected). And when Fox reached out directly to Daria and asked her, as a personal favor, to give Neyo one more chance, she agreed. One more chance, and ONLY to give her an opportunity to get that track record back up to a perfect 100%.

She glared irritably at Neyo’s file and clicked her stylus three times, twirling it between her fingers. The man was impossible. It was no wonder he’d turned to RTL for help finding a partner; any woman in her right mind would run in the opposite direction the minute she looked into those blank, frigid eyes. She shuddered involuntarily. Shark’s eyes. Daria had made a few discreet inquiries after he’d first signed up for the service, just to make sure she wasn’t about to set up some unsuspecting match with a serial murderer. Without fail, every single answer said the same thing: he was an ice-cold sonofabitch, but he had a strict code of honor, and no, he wasn’t a serial murderer. Probably.

She sighed and tossed his file to the side, to be revisited some other day. He was her most difficult client, but by no means was he the only problematic match candidate, and she had a small stack of what Blizzard liked to call The Hopeless Casefiles waiting for her to review. Just thinking about Neyo’s case had given her the beginnings of a spectacular tension headache, and she flipped through the folders quickly, looking for one that was a little less challenging. As she skimmed the stacks of flimsi, her eyes came to rest on one name: Reeda Wai’yen.

Now there’s a thought.

Daria was sure that Reeda was a lovely woman, despite all evidence to the contrary. She was just very… intense. Like Neyo, she had chewed through several potential matches, and the most frequent word that appeared in her failed matches’ post-date surveys was “intimidating,” followed closely by “terrifying.” Daria had sniffed disdainfully that those particular matches simply couldn’t handle a strong woman; however, she had to admit that after several months of trying, she had not been able to find a perfect match for Reeda. She pulled Neyo’s file and laid it out next to Reeda’s. As she compared their backgrounds and preferences, she became more and more convinced. This could work. Given their personalities, it might well be the best possible outcome for society at large if they were both removed from the dating pool. And if it happened to close out her two most annoying files, well. That would just be the cherry on top of her perfect-track-record sundae.

A timid knock sounded on Reeda’s office door.

“Come,” she called shortly.

Her assistant, Lissi, poked her head into the room. “Sorry to bother you, sir, but you’ve received a comm from RTL Matchmaking.”

Reeda cursed. She was up to her ass in flimsiwork, and she was meeting with the Senate Task Force on Galactic Security in ten minutes. She did not have time for this now. 

“Take care of it,” she ordered.

“Sir?” Lissi asked, her wide, startled eyes giving her a distinct resemblance to a terrified ash-rabbit. 

“Just take care of it,” Reeda repeated, tamping down her irritation at being questioned. “You know my schedule better than I do. Set it up. Somewhere nice—somewhere in the Federal district. I don’t have time to deal with traffic.”

Lissi blinked, nonplussed. “Don’t you want to see who you matched with?”

“No time,” Reeda said, rising to gather her materials for the meeting. “Just put it on my calendar, and I’ll be there.”

Three nights later, Reeda sat in the restaurant at the top of the tower where her penthouse was located, waiting for her mystery date to arrive. She had to commend Lissi’s efficiency in choosing the venue; the only traffic she’d had to endure was at the lift. And it was a lovely restaurant, she had to admit, with stunning views of the Coruscant cityscape. She had only eaten here once since she’d bought the flat, usually opting to have food delivered to her office at the Republic Center for Military Operations as she worked late into the night.

She had resisted the urge to bring her datapad with her to the restaurant, knowing that if she did, she would inevitably get sucked into work, but now she wished she’d taken a moment to review the file from RTL. It wasn’t that she thought all clone troopers were interchangeable; far from it. She had worked closely with them during the war, had fought by their sides, and she had found them to be brave, competent, and loyal. They were also notoriously attractive, but she was a professional, and she was their superior officer, and she had never allowed that line to become blurred—except on one memorable and highly regrettable occasion.

She had had no time for a personal life during the war, but now that it was over—well, to be honest, she still had no time for a personal life. Which was exactly why she had reached out to RTL; it was the perfect solution. She didn’t enjoy solitude. She wanted companionship, and maybe even something more. But she needed a partner who would understand the demands of her career, and nobody understood the burden of duty better than the clones. Now that she had separated from the GAR and returned to her post in her home planet’s military defense force, the rules regarding fraternization no longer applied to her.

She hadn’t bothered to review the file because she’d learned from the previous several failed dates that a promising file was no indicator of compatibility. Still, as she waited for her date, who was now seven minutes late, she wished she’d at least checked to see if he had any identifying marks or tattoos that would make him easier to spot. To be fair, though, the few clones present in the restaurant were already paired up with other diners.

Her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t intended to skip lunch, but she’d had back-to-back meetings with the joint chiefs of the Core Worlds Defense Alliance and the senate appropriations committee, and one thing led to another. The service droid had delivered a basket of fresh, hot bread rolls, which she had heroically resisted for the first six minutes past the scheduled start of the date, but now her resolve began to crumble. If her mystery date didn’t have the basic courtesy to be on time, by the Force, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if she ate all the bread before he arrived.

She buttered a roll and took a small bite. She couldn’t suppress the groan of relief at the buttery, yeasty goodness, and she quickly polished it off, then picked up another. She had just begun to butter her third role when the unmistakable voice of a clone spoke next to her.

“Admiral.”

She turned automatically, a smile just beginning to form on her lips, when she caught sight of a familiar set of numbers tattooed on a handsome, arrogant face.

“Oh, no,” she said with disgust. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Marshal Commander Neyo replied contemptuously. “I have as much right to be here as you do.”

“I’m on a date,” she snapped.

He looked pointedly at the empty chair across from her. “Looks like your date has a strong sense of self-preservation. Probably took one look at you and ran for their life.”

“He’s just a little late,” she said, tilting her jaw at a haughty angle to hide the flash of hurt at his words.

“That must kill you,” he said with a mirthless chuckle. “I remember the time you made a Jedi padawan cry for being three minutes behind schedule.”

“There were barely tears. Do. Not. Sit,” she gritted out as he made himself comfortable in the chair across from her. He picked up one of the remaining bread rolls and took a large bite, and she sighed. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“It just so happens, I am also on a date,” he said, mumbling around the bite of bread.

“Oh?” she wrinkled her nose at his table manners. “And who’s the unlucky lady?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Some civvie named Reeda.”

Her hand tightened dangerously around her butter knife. Neyo’s eyes dropped to the blade, and he smirked.

“Disappointed?” he asked.

“You could say that,” she said, grinding her jaw. “I’m Reeda.”

He choked on his bite of bread and wheezed a bit, pounding his chest to clear his airway. Alas, he survived.

“What?” he sputtered.

“You didn’t even bother to find out my first name after you were inside me?” she demanded. Her sharp tone attracted attention from the surrounding diners, and she heard a few quiet titters from the tables around her, but she was too irate to care.

“You didn’t even bother to find out who’d be eating dinner with you?” he retorted.

“Don’t pretend you aren’t just as surprised as I am,” she snapped. “Didn’t you read the file?”

“I didn’t get a file, just a call.” He grunted. “Apparently, ‘beggars can’t be choosers,’ and I was lucky to get a match at all.”

“Why am I not surprised?” she mocked.

“Careful, Admiral. Don’t forget they matched you with me.”

“I would be insulted if it weren’t so obviously a mistake. I can’t say I’m impressed with their performance thus far.”

“For once, I agree with you,” he said. “You’d have to be a special kind of incompetent to think we were a good match.”

The service droid approached the table and asked, “May I take your order?”

“He’s not staying,” Reeda cut in.

“I’ll have the bantha filet,” Neyo replied, ignoring her. “Bloody.”

He turned to her and arched his brows. The droid waited expectantly.

“I’ve suddenly lost my appetite,” she lied.

Neyo’s mouth twisted, and he huffed a breath through his nose. “The admiral will have the roast porg. And a bottle of Alderaanian red.”

The droid nodded and ambled away. Reeda glared at Neyo.

“I don’t eat meat, you presumptuous ass,” she said.

“Liar,” he said. “Unfortunately, the souls of the innocent weren’t on the menu, so I had to settle for your second-favorite meal.”

“At least you’re safe, since you obviously have no soul and you’re definitely not innocent,” she said in a pleasant tone.

Damn him for being right about the porg, though. How did he know?

The wine arrived, and he poured a generous glass for each of them. She didn’t toast; just downed half of it in a single swallow. Neyo sipped his and leaned back in his chair to observe her. His sleek, severe hair and the large tattoo on his cheek made him look menacing as hell, but it was his eyes that made brave men take a step back. She didn’t know how it was possible for his eyes to be that unnerving. Gods, why did he have to be so handsome? What a waste of perfectly good Fett genes to have a personality like that.

“Did you stay just to torment me?” she asked when the silence stretched beyond the limits of her endurance.

“And because I heard the filet was good,” he said affably. “What are you even doing on Coruscant? I thought you’d scuttled back to whatever hellhole spawned you.”

“Kuat,” she bit out from between clenched teeth. “I was assigned to work as our military liaison on Coruscant.”

“Couldn’t stand having you back on the planet?” he derided. “I don’t blame them.”

“I need to use the fresher,” she said, flinging her napkin down on the table with excessive force. “Feel free to die while I’m gone.”

She strode purposefully through the restaurant, her face set in a steely mask. She knew she was drawing attention from other patrons, but if she sat at that table and listened to Neyo needle her for one more second, she was either going to stab him or burst into tears. She pushed through the refresher doors and went to the sink, washing her hands just to give herself something to do. The face that stared back at her from the mirror was Admiral Wai’yen, not Reeda. Stern. Unyielding. Unaffected.

She swallowed, and her face crumpled. Tears of rage stung her eyes, and she ruthlessly wiped them away with her clenched fist. A soft noise at the door startled her, and she whirled to face the intruder. Horror flooded her. It was Neyo, and he’d caught her crying in the ladies’ room.

“What the kriff do you think you’re doing in here?” she demanded icily. “Get out.”

He stared at her for a moment, and then he locked the door. Stalking across the room, he cupped her jaw in his hands and tilted her face to get a closer look. She tried to pull away, to put her Admiral Wai’yen mask back in place, but then his thumb stroked softly next to her eye, wiping away the tear that had breached containment. She gasped involuntarily, and his lips collided with hers.

Reeda was so shocked that for a moment she went perfectly still, but then Neyo flicked his tongue across her lower lip, and her body remembered how to move. She thrust him away and stood back, glaring at him. His chest rose and fell quickly, and those cold eyes blazed with a dark and covetous fire. She raised a hand to her lips and felt the slickness left by his tongue. Something snapped inside her. She took two hasty steps forward, and she was in his arms again, his hands rough and dominating on her body as they consumed each other with a kiss that teetered on the edge of violence. 

Lips, tongues, teeth crashed together. He clasped her tightly against his hard, unyielding body, and unbidden, the memory of him deep inside her came flooding back. He gripped her ass and ground his rapidly stiffening cock against her. Her reaction was electric. She rolled her hips, nearly climbing him in desperation. He dropped his mouth to her neck and kissed her once, roughly, and then to her breast, yanking aside her dress as he closed his teeth on her soft skin. He picked her up by the waist and set her on the edge of the sink, dropping to his knees between her thighs, rucking up her dress around her hips, and then his mouth was on her.

He didn’t even bother removing her underwear, as though he couldn’t wait another millisecond to taste her. He licked and sucked on her through the fabric, his mouth working frantically. Her body jolted and trembled at the effort of staying upright, and then his tongue snaked past the lace and dipped into her, smooth and hot and wet. He let out a vicious growl and grabbed her hips, settling her thighs over his shoulders, and then he pulled her off the sink and thrust her against his face as his tongue speared over and over into her cunt. She yelped and scrambled to brace herself with her hands, her arms shaking with exertion.

She couldn’t come like this, but kriff, it was hot to feel Neyo throw her around with such ease, like she was his own personal toy. How many nights had she fucked herself to sleep to the memory of their first encounter? The way he’d lifted her bodily off the ground and thrust into her, supporting them both with those powerful thighs—it played on a loop in her head for months, long after the bite marks and bruises had faded.

His tongue slid out of her cunt and swirled around her clit, and her legs spasmed around his head. She couldn’t come like this. Could she? All the muscles in her body began to tense, and her pelvis began to rock rhythmically against his face. Shit, I’m going to come. No sooner had the thought formed than Neyo dropped her back onto the sink and pulled away from her.

“No!” she wailed. “You bastard, I was right there!”

He shot to his feet. “Shut. Up,” he bit out, and kissed her punishingly hard. “Do you want the whole Federal District to know what we’re doing?”

He pulled her head back to expose her throat, and he scraped his teeth across her delicate skin. She felt his other hand fumbling in between them. Within seconds, his cock was free and thrusting against the scrap of lace that still covered her. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him against her, determined to find the stimulation that she needed to reach completion.

“Get inside me,” she hissed.

“You aren’t calling the shots any more, Admiral,” he growled. “You don’t get to give commands.”

“I hate you,” she breathed. 

“And yet here you are, begging for my cock,” he said coldly. 

“I do not beg,” she said. “Ever.”

He released her hair and pried her legs away from himself, then took a step back. “You get nothing until you admit that you want me. I’ve waited a long time for this. I can keep waiting.”

“What the kark is that supposed to mean?” she demanded, sliding off the sink to stand in front of him.

“It means you give me what I want, or I walk out that door right now and you can figure your own shit out.”

Was this his twisted kriffing way of asking for consent? Because she was pretty sure she’d covered that when she all but ordered him to fuck her.

“Fine,” she said in a low voice. “I…” She nearly choked on the words, and Neyo’s intent gaze pinned her in place. “I want you.”

He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a bruising kiss, then spun her around and bent her over the sink. He pulled up her dress, yanked down her panties, and thrust into her. She muffled a whimper at the intrusion and squeezed her eyes shut as she adjusted to the stretch. He wrapped his hands around her hair and jerked her head up.

“Open your eyes. I want you to watch,” he ordered.

She complied, shocked when she saw her own ravaged face in the mirror as Neyo pounded into her from behind. Her makeup was smeared, her hair was a wreck, her eyes were dilated with lust, and a sheen of sweat glistened across her skin. She flicked her gaze to stare at Neyo. His face was twisted into a scowl, and if she had any sense at all, she would have been frightened, but she was in too deep to care. His hard eyes met hers in the mirror, and his jaw tightened.

He released her hair and slid his arm around her body, between her breasts, to wrap around her throat, and he lifted her upright so he could whisper in her ear.

“Do you know what you did to me?” His voice was hoarse and anguished. “Every time I kissed someone, all I could taste was you. Every time I hooked up, all I could remember was this perfect fucking pussy.”

He pounded into her with bruising intensity, furiously working her clit with his free hand. Her head began to throb. This was so wrong. He couldn’t be saying what she thought she was hearing. She was confused from the lack of blood flowing to her brain.

“I got matched twelve different times, and not one of them was right, because not one of them was you,” he snarled. “You cursed me. You haunt me.”

The world began to darken around the edges as her eyes drifted closed, and he released her throat and forced her head to the side so she faced him.

“Look at me when you fucking come,” he ordered.

She gasped, and he clamped his hand down over her mouth to muffle her scream as he wrenched an orgasm from her body. He didn’t let up, chasing after her at a frenzied pace that rocked her entire body as she sobbed into his hand.

“Inside?” he asked roughly.

She nodded and whimpered as tears blurred her vision and spilled down her cheeks. He came with two brutal thrusts, and she felt the hot rush of his release deep inside. He shuddered against her hair as his cock softened and slipped out of her. At last, he loosened his grip and turned her to face him as he leaned against the wall for support. He wrapped her in his arms and stroked her hair as she rested her head against him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she sighed as she licked his neck, unable to resist the temptation of tasting his skin.

“I’m sure there’s an official list in my GAR file,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.

Reeda cleaned up quickly while Neyo went back to their table so they wouldn’t be spotted leaving the refresher together. Her hairstyle was destroyed, so she hastily repinned it as well as she could, and then wiped off the mascara that smudged heavily beneath her eyes. A quick reapplication of lipstick, and she almost looked presentable—with the minor exception of her missing panties, which Neyo had silently retrieved from the refresher floor and tucked into his pocket while maintaining strong eye contact.

When she returned to the dining room, Neyo waylaid her with a ferocious expression. Force, what is he scugged about now?

“We’re leaving,” he said, taking her by the wrist and pulling her toward the exit. A few quiet murmurs whispered around the room as he dragged her behind him.

“What?” she asked, tugging her wrist to no avail. “Why?”

“The karking droid gave away our table,” he said.

“My deepest apologies, Admiral,” the droid said. “We can locate another table if you would care to wait.”

Reeda assessed the room quickly. Every table was occupied, and none of the diners were anywhere close to being ready to leave. Moreover, at least half of the customers were eyeing her and Neyo with expressions ranging from amusement to overt curiosity.

“No,” she said. “Have the food delivered to my flat.”

“Right away, sir,” the droid replied, waddling off to relay the order to the kitchen.

Neyo looked at her inquisitively. “Your flat?”

“I live in this building,” she said. “Come with me.”

She was keenly aware of the many sets of eyes that tracked their hasty exit, but before long, she led Neyo into the private, secure lift that opened directly into her penthouse. He stood silently next to her on the trip up, watching her with an inscrutable gaze. She tried not to give herself an opportunity to second-guess her decision to let him into her home. Strange, she thought, how this seemed more intimate than allowing him inside her body. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d allowed another person into her home. 

The lift doors opened, and he followed her into the flat, pausing long enough to remove their shoes, then looking around curiously.

“Lived here long?”

“A few months,” she said. “I bought it when I found out I’d be stationed on Coruscant long-term.”

“It’s nice,” he said. “Very… clean.”

She laughed. “You mean sterile. I haven’t had time to do much decorating. I’m hardly here except to sleep, anyway.”

He nodded. “I thought I’d have more time for hobbies after the war ended, but now it’s just nonstop—”

“Red tape and committees,” she finished with a sympathetic grimace. He shot her a wry grin. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him smile before, and it did uncomfortable things to her brain. She tried not to think about it, instead asking, “What kind of hobbies? Aside from plotting my slow death, obviously.”

“Oh, you know,” he said vaguely. “Torturing small, adorable creatures; sharpening my vibroblade collection; collecting stamps; that sort of thing.”

She blinked. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”

He regarded her steadily for a moment, eyes unreadable as ever. “You really think the worst of me, don’t you?”

She was taken aback. “I—”

Her reply was cut off by the chime of the door. The food had arrived, thank the Force, which gave her a moment to stop herself from blurting out her immediate thought: You’ve never given me any reason to think anything else.

Neyo was a competent soldier—brilliant, in fact. There was no question that he had one of the finest tactical and strategic minds in the GAR. But as a person? From the moment they’d met, he’d been antagonistic, sardonic, cold. He’d challenged her authority and provoked her in meetings. He’d only treated her with the barest semblance of civility in public, and in private—Well. They both knew how things went when they were alone.

The service droid rolled a cart into the dining room and began setting up the meal.

“Can I get you a drink?” she offered Neyo. “I don’t have any Alderaanian red, but I do have Cheedoan whiskey.”

“The good stuff,” he replied. “I’ll have a glass. Thanks.”

The droid finished setting up and shuffled out the front door as Reeda poured two generous glasses of whiskey at the wet bar.

“Ice?” she asked.

He didn’t answer, and when she turned around, she nearly dropped the glasses in surprise to find him standing close behind her. He locked his eyes on hers and never looked away as he took one of the glasses and drained it in a single swallow, then set it down with a decisive click on the counter. Her heart began to pound as he loomed over her. He traced his fingers from her elbow up to her wrist, and then he wrapped his hand around hers and raised her glass to her lips. 

The whiskey burned a fiery path across her tongue and down her throat. A few droplets escaped and splashed coldly on her chest. Neyo didn’t let up until she emptied the glass, and when she was done, he leaned down and sucked the liquor off her skin. His hands dropped to her hips and slid up her back as he located the zipper of her dress and dragged it down excruciatingly slowly, and all the while, his mouth moved across her skin. He slipped the straps down over her shoulders and let the dress fall to the floor, and then he kissed a path along the lacy edge of her bra.

“Thanks for the matched set,” he said, unhooking it and pulling it off.

“Those were expensive, asshole,” she said unsteadily.

He didn’t reply, but she knew she was never going to see that bra again. He kissed his way down her breast and captured her nipple in his mouth, abrading it lightly with his teeth. She jolted, and the empty glass slipped from her hand and smashed against the hard tiles of the floor. 

Neyo barely responded to the sound of shattering crystal. Reeda froze, keenly aware that the smallest movement could result in a bloody footful of glass. She stood utterly, helplessly still as he continued to explore her body with his teeth and lips and hands and tongue. He was thorough in his attentions, and something about being entirely at his mercy was wildly arousing. Her head spun as the whiskey began to work its insidious way through her bloodstream.

“I missed this perfume. What is it?” he murmured against the soft skin of her abdomen.

“I don’t wear any,” she said.

He nuzzled against her as though he could transfer her scent to his own skin. Without warning, he scooped her up and carried her out of the room, completely disregarding the risk to himself. But instead of dropping her as soon as they were clear of the broken glass as she expected, he asked, “Bedroom?”

“Left,” she said, and he strode across the flat and kicked open the door, to her intense irritation. “You gonna pay for the broken doorknob?”

He didn’t reply, just tossed her onto the bed and pounced on her as soon as she landed. He slid in between her thighs and gripped her hard as his mouth descended on hers, kissing her as though he were trying to devour her soul. He was still fully clothed, and she scrambled to pull off his shirt. He was completely unhelpful, too engrossed in her taste. She raked her nails across his skin as she yanked his shirt over his head, and he seized her lip in his teeth in revenge.

At last, the barrier of his shirt was gone, and she writhed against him, desperate to feel as much of his warm, smooth skin against her as possible. They clashed together, sinking nails and teeth into each other. At some point, Neyo got his trousers down enough to free his cock, and he shoved into her. His belt chafed harshly on her delicate skin as she wrapped her legs around him, urging him to go deeper, harder, faster. The sounds they made were unholy, primal: growls and grunts and screams of pain and ecstasy as they tore into each other with all the aggression that they had built over the years. 

She pulled his hair; he clawed her back. She slapped his face; he bit her shoulder. She snarled that she loathed him; he interlaced his fingers with hers and whispered how beautiful she was when she came apart beneath him. She thrust him away and kicked him across the bed; he pinned her down and fucked her until she sobbed and begged for more. At some point, she tasted blood, and she didn’t know or care whose it was. And when at last she lost count of how many times he’d brought her to orgasm, he curled his body around hers and traced his thumb softly over her features as she drifted to sleep.

“If I die while I’m inside you, it’s the closest I’ll ever get to heaven,” he whispered.

“Force, you say some kriffed up shit,” she grumbled.

Reeda awakened slowly, aware of something blissfully warm and soothing moving across her skin. She cracked her eyes open. Neyo was lying on top of her, dragging his tongue lazily over her body. He roamed along her curves, and it wasn’t until he paused at her bruised wrist that she realized what he was doing.

“Are you licking my wounds?” she breathed.

He didn’t answer, but his eyes met hers with an intensity that bordered on madness. Gods, everything about this was so fucked up, and she didn’t dare examine too closely why she found it so incredibly arousing. He moved slowly, meticulously, his tongue gliding softly over every centimeter of her body, until she felt like a bomb, ready to detonate at the slightest spark. She came before he ever reached her cunt, and again as he rocked gently inside her, his lips soft against her mouth, silent tears spilling from the corners of her eyes to course down her temples.

After, he guided her into the shower, and when her legs gave out, he held her upright as the hot water washed over them. Once he’d massaged her entire body with his strong, soapy hands, he dried her off and laid her back on the bed while he spread bacta across the damage he’d inflicted. It was disorienting to be cared for so thoroughly by the man who’d spent the better part of four years making her life hell. He didn’t speak, and she didn’t know what to say, so in the end, she simply watched him in silence.

When he finished with the bacta, he retrieved their dinner from the dining room. The food had long since gone cold, but after hours of intense physical activity, they were famished, and they ate it anyway, sharing bites and sipping whiskey straight from the decanter. Neyo sat with his back against the headboard, his long, strong legs bracketing Reeda as she leaned back against his broad chest.

“How did you know porg was my favorite?” she asked.

He shrugged. “They’re tiny, cute, and innocent. I just assumed you would enjoy extinguishing the life from them and consuming their remains.”

She laughed and snuggled closer to him. “Is that why you order your meat rare? Because it’s the next best thing to drinking straight from the source?”

“Finally, someone who understands,” he smirked. “Truthfully, I overheard you tell Admiral Coburn that porg was your favorite during a banquet at the strategy conference at Valor.”

She turned to stare up at him. “Neyo, that was two years ago. That was before we ever…”

“I know,” he said, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply.

“Stalker,” she murmured.

He dropped his mouth to her neck, and she tilted her head back against his shoulder as his lips glided across her skin. 

“What does it say about you that you like it?” he whispered when he reached her ear.

He pulled her close, positioning himself between her and the bedroom door. From the proprietary way he held her, she knew it was a deliberate choice; any threat that came through that door would have to go through him before it got to her, and she had a feeling that there weren’t many beings in the galaxy that were brave or foolish enough to try.

Reeda jerked awake to a furious pounding at the front door. Neyo was already halfway out of the bedroom, stark naked and armed with a steak knife from their midnight dinner.

“Wait here,” he ordered, his voice hard and flat.

She rolled her eyes as she pulled on a bathrobe and grabbed a blaster from her nightstand. Neyo glared at her when she joined him, but didn’t bother yelling at her.

“Coruscant guard! Open up,” a modulated voice shouted harshly from outside the door.

Neyo glanced questioningly at her, and she shrugged, hiding the blaster behind her robe. He stepped out of view of the door, and she opened it to find none other than Marshal Commander Fox, flanked by two Corrie ARC troopers.

“Commander,” she greeted him, not bothering to conceal the surprise in her voice.

“Good to see you’re in one piece, Admiral,” he said. “Are you all right?”

“I beg your pardon?” she asked, baffled.

“We received multiple calls about a disturbance at your address. Are you alone?”

Reeda felt a hot rush of blood wash over her face and neck. “I fail to see how that is any business of yours, Commander.”

“Sorry, sir, but it’s my duty to—” He stopped abruptly, and his visor shifted to a point behind her. 

“Isn’t this a little below your pay grade, Fox?” Neyo drawled close behind Reeda.

Fox’s visor turned back to Reeda, then to Neyo, and then back to Reeda again. The two ARC troopers appeared to be fascinated by the walls on either side of the front door. 

At last, Fox spoke. “I don’t send shinies to wake up admirals.”

Neyo’s hand slid possessively around the front of Reeda’s abdomen, and he pulled her against his nude body. Something large and solid prodded against her backside. Dank farrik, is he turned on right now? Sick bastard.

“Thank you for your concern,” she told Fox, “but everything is under control.”

“So I see,” Fox replied. “Still, you’ll need to keep the noise level down, or I’ll have no choice but to arrest you for disturbing the peace.”

Neyo reached forward silently and shut the door in Fox’s face, then he spun Reeda around, picked her up over his shoulder, and carried her back to the bedroom. The last thing Fox heard was the unmistakable sound of Neyo’s hand slapping her ass as Reeda shrieked with indignant laughter.

Republic Military HQ buzzed quietly with speculation the next morning when not one, but two of the most senior command staff called in sick for the first time in either of their careers. Rumors swirled: some were convinced a secret bioweapon had been released by Separatist holdouts; others maintained that the stress of dealing with politicians was beginning to take a toll; still others claimed that it was a coverup and that the marshal commander and the admiral had been taken hostage by pirates. It was whispered that Commander Fox had a particularly haunted expression that morning, and two of the Coruscant Guard ARC Troopers had contacted the legal department to update their wills. In the midst of all this, the beleaguered Lissi received a brusque order to inform RTL Matchmaking that the admiral no longer required their services.

Daria drained her third iced caf of the morning as she flicked through her holomessages. Buried amidst the intake forms and meeting invitations was an abrupt-bordering-on-rude note from Marshal Commander Neyo ordering her to close his file.

“Why do you look like the tooka that got the blue milk?” her fellow matchmaker Tarsi Renda asked as she passed Daria in the corridor.

“Oh, no reason,” Daria smiled. “The galaxy is back to normal, that’s all—and my track record is once again perfect.”

---

DJ’s masterlist | Join my tag list here

[suzannahnatters]

And here are my reactions to Love Like the Galaxy: episodes 13-27, in which a cdrama does some absolutely terrific things I've never seen before which make me incredibly happy. This is also beneath the cut because I got very excited!

Tremendously diverted by how little this whole entire arrow through the chest is bothering our hero, one would think he'd broken a nail

Ling Buyi: I will tear apart this whole empire and everyone in my way to find out who is smuggling imperial weapons to rebels

also Ling Buyi: I am determined that only the very deepest love will ever induce me to marry

NN scolds a whole hospital full of sacking victims into drinking their medicine because how dare they lie around in pain and trauma when their loved ones died to keep them alive and it's another writing decision I'm not very fond of

the emperor is a gossipy old woman, he's discovered the secret of Murder General's heart in two minutes of screen time, I fondly look forward to episodes' worth of behind-the-scenes matchmaking

ahaha we have entered the "Niao Niao finally gets a boyfriend, and Murder General stares at the two of them sadly from a distance" section

he's just bowing himself out so silently, without ever saying a word - because he only wants to marry for love, so if NN doesn't want him, he doesn't want her

Marry the sweet boy, Niao Niao. He's not very bright, but the only baggage he's got is from the cake shop.

oh my, Niao Niao's boyfriend is sending her terrible mother snacks in an attempt to soften her heart, what a darling

I'm dead, not only does Murder General literally have a Niao Niao Memorabilia Hoard but he leaves it in his carriage for her to see while she's being given a lift in the rain askajdalfah

Niao Niao has dinner with with her three suitors and her aunt's ex and it's every bit as wildly uncomfortable as it sounds

also the Smug Scholar is here just to cause drama and wooow these are some epic sour grapes

It's a bit jarring how cavalierly everybody at this dinner dismisses the orphan girl in the backstory. The best thing I can say is that she fails to recognise one of the emerging themes of the show, that a woman shouldn't let love consume her entire life.

Murder General's family is straight out of Shakespeare - heartrendingly mad mother, moustache-twirlingly-evil estranged father.

meanwhile, over the Jane Austen side of the plot, Niao Niao's parents break the news to her that Murder General must be hopelessly in love with her. is this the worst way to find out or what

This whole mother-daughter relationship is so real it's triggering memories of a bad family situation I was familiar with around 5-10 years ago. Just…NN's mother not trusting her an inch, wanting to micromanage her life, despite all the ways that NN has bloomed away from her. Too painfully real.

Part of the reason this story feels SO Jane Austen is the way it focuses on the small domestic dramas of families, women, and marriage, with a keen eye to humour and satire. There's Murder General's political subplot too, but it's kept compartmentalised away from the main plot.

I…I think Murder General might be a darling, actually? when he's not mowing down the emperor's enemies in an overly dramatic manner or quietly and visibly pining, he is salving his broken heart by trying to make sure NN has everything she wants in life

and this is another place where this show neatly sidesteps a common pitfall - instead of HIM decided what's good for NN and then making sure she gets it despite her own wishes, he's allowing HER to decide and then silently providing her with everything she needs to make it a success.

I'm honestly astounded that this show is managing to make the typical strong, silent, commanding male lead…actually make sense as the endgame love interest, even in the presence of someone as charming and well adjusted (and devoted to snacks!) as Luo Yao. I honestly hadn't shipped them until this stretch of the show but now I'm beginning to.

He even credits her with "suppressing the mountain bandits" when he was the one who swooped in and saved her just as she was about to lose her siege T_T I'm sorry I have something in my eye

what WHAT WHATTTTT

having been informed of General Ling's feelings by her parents, is her maid now proposing to her on his behalf???????? wild

oh………he just wanted to know her hopes and dreams

Luo Yao has learned from Niao Niao how to fight for what he wants and it makes me so happy that this show is committing to these themes because the last big cdrama I watched was all about punishing the free-spirited heroine for wanting a life of her own

I feel hopelessly confused about all this arms smuggling subplot and backstory tbh

"don't be afraid, I'm here" asjkg love a good callback

also: good for you, He Zhaojun. good for you

It was also very satisfying seeing Bad Mum and our girl getting to fight together for once, but it's clearly only a temporary case of interests aligning and not a genuine change of heart for the former. I continue to enjoy the nuanced writing here.

Smug Scholar cracks me up. every interaction he has with our girl is like: NN: you make me feel sick SS preening yes I have that effect on a lot of women

Murder General telling NN that he's convinced that whatever decision she makes will be the right one!!!! and then for the first time she breaks down saying she's tired of always being the unlucky one - she's been fighting not to show any vulnerability and she's finally showing herself - to HIM eee

again: I'm ASTONISHED the show is making me believe he's the best choice for her given the presence of darling little snack boy but it is. She hasn't shown any vulnerability to Snacks. As for Murder General, he's been bleeding vulnerability everywhere silently for 21 eps.

"Everyone talks to me about righteousness and being fully considerate. But who will be fully considerate to me?" Snacks is a sweetie and he's doing really well, but the show is doing a terrific job of showing that for all his baggage, Murder General understands & supports her far more deeply.

I was wondering how the engagement with Snacks was going to end, & I have a lot of thoughts. On one hand, I really hate that after all the stuff about the importance of being able to fight for yourself, NN convinces LY to give her up & marry a girl who's already mistreated him, for the greater good

Snacks is absolutely correct here - none of the people telling him to marry He Zhaozhang can live the rest of his life for him. While NN always does prioritise the state above family, I hate that she is now putting it above somebody else's future happiness, AFTER teaching him to fight for himself.

It feels a bit hypocritical of NN, tbh, and like it muddles the themes of the show a bit. Also, it would be one thing if Snacks marrying HZ was to avert a future catastrophe, but the He family is already heroically dead and Snacks is being asked to self-immolate on their pyre. So unfair.

That said, I'm still appreciative of a lot about this. While I don't like that Snacks is deprived of agency here, you don't often see a drama heroine making this decision, & it's done without any of the "break his heart to save him" nonsense you'd usually see at this point.

We are also shown that although Snacks is giving in to marry HZ, he still has the lessons he's learned from NN about fighting for himself & plans to use them to make his life more bearable. And NN, though kinder & more respectful than HZ, never did truly love him.

I had my money on NN being the one to bow out all along, but I wish the show wasn't trying to make a virtue out of her self-righteous statism. I would love to see NN in the future realising that being able to let LY go like this, was a sign that she didn't truly love him. I hope!

In any case, I'm glad the show leaves us with real hope that Snacks is going to be a better, happier man for having known our girl.

"no need to worry about Miss Cheng's marriage. I'll be responsible for that" the SOUND I made

A LITTLE BOYFRIEND FOR YANG YANG, YESSSS

someone needed to come along and rescue our girl from Murder General's rescue just there, 1 out of 5 stars would not ask for a rescue again

does the man have fingertips made out of Velcro

the emperor is dying to matchmake Niao Niao and Murder General and tbh I feel his frustration, we have entered the "it's been eighty-five years" section of Waiting For The Cdrama Leads To Kiss (Or At Least Confess)

ahahahahahahahahahaha Murder General just blithely announces to all the princes that on account of the cancellation of NN's previous engagement he is going to marry her now and she goes into a coughing fit, hilarious

thing is, I don't think he actually means to be domineering here, I think he reckons the entire city in general and Niao Niao in particular must know about his intentions towards her, so why beat around the bush??? it's not like it's a secret or anything?

!!!! we have a proposal?!?!?!

and her mum is like NO NO NO oh die in a fire, woman

oh wow. oh wow. it's a trainwreck. oh my goodness.

"I had no idea I was so wonderful in your eyes" screaming crying throwing up

the fact that nearly their entire courtship has had to play out in public, carried by family members and households, until finally this proposal scene happens in the royal hall itself during a banquet, is just one more of the absolutely wonderful ways this is SO Austen-esque

I'm dying for these two to have a proper conversation in private but instead they've got to checks notes attend her ex-fiance's wedding together OOOOOOHH

This scene between He Zhaojun and NN is so good. I didn't expect such growth and change for this character based on her introduction. And she's absolutely right - a marriage to someone kind and gentle is far better than to someone elegant, but cruel

The writers making this point feels pretty unusual given a very usual sort of cdrama hero. But if course murder general is, as NN points out, cruel only to his enemies. Or is she in for some surprises? WE SHALL SEE

He certainly has no chill when it comes to using his more powerful position to protect her socially lollll

He's been protecting her so often it's beginning to deprive her of agency and I'm really hoping the story doesn't overlook this in the second half.

OH YES "he's standing up for you! Are you not happy" no, no she is not I AM BLESSED

I can't believe it they're finally having a chance to talk in private and it's ALL ABOUT THIS STUFF

NN just calling him out for his thoughtless use of power

Yessssss we've moved past the point where she can fight catty girls, she's fighting him now, AHHHHHHHH. so good

"let's eat together. No need to feel awkward. I am easy to get along with" amazing "hello fellow kids" energy

OH NO HE'S TRYING TO TELL A JOKE ABORT ABORT

Murder General, who has got straight As on everything in his life to date, getting an F in Intimate Family Dinners and thinking he's done splendidly is really…amazing

I see now how NN's conflict with her mother was setting up her conflict with Murder General - both want to run their families with dictatorial military discipline, and NN, who has had more than enough of it coming from her mother, definitely doesn't want it from a husband. NN I'm barracking for you

SCREAMING

Murder General has now taken over Niao Niao's household to train them so that his beloved will be strong and ready for anything. How bad is it? it's so bad that even Perfect Cousin Yang Yang no longer wants to be an obedient female anymore

the soundtrack for this drama seriously cracks me up sometimes. Most of the time it's lush, romantic classical strings and flutes. Then, BANG - 80's guitar + synths, or…jazz clarinet????

"I'm not used to discussing everything with someone yet" aw he does want to learn better!

"You represent only oppression in my life…I don't need you to take care of me and my family so much" I cannot beLIEVE this show is letting someone say this out loud. Amazing

Cannot believe she just sent him away like that. And of course he went because he only wants someone who loves him. And I think that's the one character detail that makes this man capable of change - he doesn't know how to relate to people outside hierarchy, but he WANTS it

I really, really like that the show doesn't try to gaslight NN that she's making a fuss out of nothing - her parents encourage her to compromise the life she truly wants, but even they aren't bad enough to tell her that this IS the life she wants.

And I also love that BOTH of them are shown reflecting on where they might be going wrong and why they might be better off yielding to the other person - not just NN.

It's delightfully reminiscent of Lizzie and Darcy getting a reality check in tandem after his first proposal. SO AUSTEN.

With episode 27 I've officially finished "season 1" of Love Like the Galaxy and am right around halfway through - and this show is fulfilling my wildest dreams of cdramas justifying tropes, letting the heroine have agency, and overtly calling out the hero's unthinking use of power to control, protect, and smother the heroine. All in a sparkling Jane-Austen-flavoured comedy of manners about a little gremlin girl whose greatest strength is fighting for herself when nobody else will, and a strong, silent murder general who has resolved only to marry for ~~ LOVE ~~

It's so good, if the second half continues to be this good it'll be a solid 10 for me. MORE TO COME.

[cool-fancier]

Love in the Dance Studio

Synopsis: Choreographer Bada Lee secretly falls in love with you, the older sister of Lusher. With the help of her friends, they plan a dinner that brings you two together, and their mutual love for dance sparks a romance that blossoms amidst rehearsals and performances.

The renowned choreographer Bada Lee had a secret that ruled her mind and her emotions. She became known for her persistent commitment to her profession and for living and breathing dance. But despite the difficult choreography and rigorous scheduling, she had fallen in love with Lusher's older sister, you.

You had met Bada one fateful evening following practise through BEBE dancer Lusher. When Bada's eyes landed on yours, her heart began to flutter slightly. She couldn't help but notice your demeanour your smile and your love of dance.

Months passed by, and Bada noticed that she was attending BEBE's dancing rehearsals more often.  She wasn't just there to do her job anymore, but she was also hoping to see you. She would put on a professional face to cover up her feelings, but every time you saw your sister dance, her heart would flutter wildly.

It didn't take long for the other BEBE members to catch on to Bada's overt fascination with you, including Lusher, Kyma, Tatter, Minah, Cheche, and Sowoen. They would make fun at each other's obvious crush while sharing knowing glances. Within the group, it grew into a sort of inside joke.

One day, Lusher couldn't help but smile slyly at you as Bada watched from the back of the dance studio. She said in a low voice to the other girls, "I think our unnie has a crush."

Kyma grinned subtly. "Oh, it's more than a crush. She's head over heels for Y/N."

Tatter joined in, "You can see it in her eyes every time she's here. She's totally smitten."

Minah nodded, "We should do something about it, you know. Our unnie deserves to be happy."

Sowoen and Cheche looked at each other slyly. Sowoen smiled and added, "I have an idea."

It was their basic purpose to bring Bada and you together. They made the decision to do something independently because they were aware that Bada's commitment to her career often left her with little free time.

They planned to meet you at the same restaurant one day after practise when they invited Bada to join them for dinner. After some hesitation, Bada decided to go. She was unaware of the girls plan.

You entered as everyone was gathered around a table, having a lunch together, and your arrival radiated a positive spirit across the space. When Bada saw you, her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't control the flush that began to rise up her cheeks.

Lusher, who was always Bada's cheerleader, gave her a little push and said, "Hey, unnie, look who's here!"

The mere sight of you made it almost impossible for Bada to keep her composure. The evening was full with stories told, laughter, and energetic conversation. Bada and you found yourselves engaged in an easygoing conversation about dance and life, as if you were the only two people in the room.

As the night drew to a close, Lusher leaned over to Bada and whispered, "You know, unnie, Y/N unnie thinks you're wonderful.  You should ask her out sometime."

Once more, Bada reddened, but this time she grinned. She came to decide that perhaps it was time to get out from her professional shell and try something she had never done before—a chance at love.

Bada turned to you and added, "I'd love to see you again, Y/N with new purpose. " Would you like to go with me on a date any time?"

You replied, "I'd love to, Bada," with surprise and happiness  in your eyes.

The BEBE members exchanged ecstatic grins as they realised their attempts at matchmaking had been successful. Lusher in particular beamed with joy for her friend and older sister.

So, in the midst of dancing practises and choreography, an adorable love story started to develop. The popular choreographer Bada Lee discovered love on the dance floor with the sister of one of her most gifted dancers, where she least expected it.

Bada and you started off on an attempt of exploration as the weeks went into months. You learned that Bada was a woman of depth, knowledge, and persistent commitment beneath her professional exterior. She discovered that in addition to being a gifted dancer, you are also a nice person with a soul that is as exquisite as your movements.

Bada's love for you became stronger every day. The way you laughed at her jokes, the way you talked about your dreams, and the way your eyes twinkled as you danced made her fall in love with you. She saw you as a moving artwork, and she felt like the luckiest person in the world to have you by her side.

The BEBE members, who had initially played matchmakers, couldn't have been happier for the two of you. They watched the growing intimacy between Bada and you, their joking and taunting giving way to genuine joy for their unnie and her newfound love.

Lusher, in particular, was thrilled.  She had always hoped that her sister would meet someone who truly loved her, and in Bada, she saw the ideal match. She often found herself sharing quiet moments with Bada, offering words of encouragement and support.

You turned to Bada and said, "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life, Bada," as the two of you sat on a park bench one evening while watching the city lights sparkle in the distance.

Bada grinned as her heart warmed up. "The feeling is mutual, Y/N. I never expected to find love in a dance studio, but I'm so grateful that I did."

The world seemed to disappear as you leaned in for a tender kiss, leaving only the two of you and the hope of a love that had risen suddenly but brilliantly. It was a love that had been built by mutual encouragement from friends and a love of dancing that would only deepen with each beautiful movement and heartbeat.

[gurguliare]

garden-ghoul replied to your post:garden-ghoul replied to your post “GOGOL tell me...

unrelated but why did you reblog the maryland/audy post with no commentary, that’s haunting me

i’m just really happy you’re into counterweight, ghoul

[janeykath318]

All I Want For Christmas (Shieldshock)

When are you going to finally tell him?” Jane hissed at her assistant, whose eyes were following the departing figure of one Steve Rogers with a great deal of admiration, leaning into thirst. 

Darcy immediately turned her gaze back to Jane, affecting ignorance. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said primly. “Who wouldn’t admire The Star Spangled Hunk With a Plan?” 

Jane snorted. “That was more than the average “admiration.” I know you better than that.” 

Darcy huffed and affixed her gaze sternly on the screen she was monitoring, hoping to discourage Jane from any further conversation on the topic. It was absurd. She was just another casual fangirl. It was perfectly natural. Who didn’t have a slight crush on Captain America?

“Ohh, Janey!” She exclaimed, glad for a diversion. “I think you’re gonna like these readings! We’re getting some good data here!”

Science quickly took over and Jane completely forgot about her matchmaking interests for the ensuing thirty six hours science binge! 

When it was over Darcy dragged Jane to bed, and stumbled blearily towards her own room, soon falling into blissful dreams of a blonde haired super soldier.

She woke with a gasp after a particularly vivid dream where she’d swooped her up and kissed her hard, heart fluttering wildly.

“I’m in so much trouble,” she groaned, burying her face under the pillow and willing herself to think of something—anything else!

When she and Jane had first moved into the tower, the only residents they’d met had been Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. Both were badass and very fun to hang out with. As for Steve Rogers, she’d seen him mostly from a distance when he’d been talking to Tony in a lab or working out in a gym. 

The first encounter was in the spacious kitchen that most of the Avengers shared. Darcy was searching  for some ingredients for her famous banana waffles when she came face to face with a very bedraggled, bruised, and battered Captain America.

“Dude!” she’d gasped out. “Are you okay? You look like Thor took his hammer to your face.”

He’d smiled weakly, then winced as if it hurt to use any facial muscles. 

“I’ll be okay. S’already healing. Looking for an ice pack.” 

“Lucky for you, we’ve got a fair selection. Clint and Natasha use them a LOT.” Darcy rummaged in the freezer and found one, which she offered to him. “This work?” 

He’d accepted it with a grateful look and a quiet “Thank You.” 

“Rough mission?” she asked, sympathetically.”

“That’s an understatement,” he’d said wearily. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, ma’am. I’m going to go sit down before I fall down. Thanks, again.”

With that he’d excused himself and limped away, leaving Darcy a touch concerned, but also, wowed. 

The next time she saw him was sopping wet, stalking through the halls with a murderous expression that made Darcy scamper to stay out of his way. She’d never seen Captain America make that expression before and it was rather terrifying. Someone was about to get it. 

“Hey, Cap! Who pissed in your Cheerios?” Tony yelled as the angry soldier passed them. 

Steve stopped dead in his tracks. If looks could kill, Tony would have combusted on the spot.

“Are you responsible for this, Stark?” He said through gritted teeth. 

“No, but I wish I was,” the reckless Tony replied cheekily. 

Seeing Steve really was about to lose it, Darcy stepped in to intervene before things got out of hand. Cap wasn’t the type to get mad over a simple prank, so she guessed whatever it was had to have been very thoughtless. 

Stepping back into his path, she gave what she hoped was a winning smile.

“Don’t mind him, Cap. He has no sense of self preservation or tact. If you promise to not kill him, I’ll help you track down the real perpetrator and get revenge. I am an excellent prank detective.”

For a moment, he stared at her like she had two heads, then the frown started to ease and his shoulders relaxed. He wiped at his wet face and sighed heavily. 

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have let it get to me. It’s…..been a…….rough day for me and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. I really don’t like ice water, especially when it’s randomly dumped on my head.”

Now it was Darcy’s turn to frown. The poor man had been frozen for seventy years and this stupid prank had probably triggered him. 

“Yikes, Dude!” She said with a wince. “This calls for teaching a lesson, alright. How about you get into dry clothes and meet me in the lounge? We can start plotting. I think I may know the idiot who would have done this.” 

“Sounds like a plan, Miss….”

“Lewis, Darcy Lewis,” she finished. “And You’re Steve Rogers?” 

“In the flesh,” he confirmed, with a crooked little smile that was all kinds of cute. 

“Well, Steve, I hope you’ll trust me when I say you’ll never have to worry about this kind of thing happening again,” she said firmly. “Just ask Tony what I did when he messed with my coffee supply.” 

She gave her most evil, villainous grin, which made Tony shudder and Steve smile. .

Her dastardly plan was successful enough that Steve was left well enough alone and though he never told her what had been bothering him so much, she did a little searching and the tidbit she found made her ache for the man again. It was the anniversary of the day he’d lost his best friend. 

Darcy commenced Operation Be Kind To Steve shortly after, which involved leaving funny notes in the common areas, making sure there were regular deliveries of his favorite Apple Crumble Pie, and regularly greeting him cheerily when he stopped by the lab. 

After three or four months of this, she was quite smitten and wished she had the guts to ask him out, but with the fall of Shield and Steve’s search for The Winter Soldier, the timing was all wrong. So, she continued to worship from afar and expanded Operation Be Nice To Steve to include Bucky as well. 

Steve, who was looking much happier these days, had been sent by Natasha to inform them their presence was required at the upcoming  Avengers Karaoke night: Holiday Edition. Darcy had instantly accepted for both of them, causing Jane to sigh and try to probe Darcy about her crush. 

After three more science binges and sleeping for twelve hours straight, Darcy was more than ready for some fun. She put on some very flattering dark jeans, a glittery green top, and very long gold dangle earrings which she only wore when she was on “the hunt” so to speak.

Jane grinned knowingly at her and gave her a thumbs up. 

“Go for it, girl!” she encouraged. 

Darcy flushed and headed to the bar to get a drink for courage while Tony crooned Blue Christmas badly. As she sipped her drink and covertly eyed Steve, a familiar redhead joined her. 

“Well, is tonight the night you complete your wooing of Steve Rogers?” Nat asked with a knowing smile, looking over at Steve, who was talking with a shaggy-haired man that Darcy guessed was Bucky. 

“What would give you that idea?” Darcy said coyly, crossing one leg over the other and acting like she was totally chill.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the way you’ve been doing all those nice things for him, and the way you can’t take your eyes off him. Plus, you’re wearing the earrings you only wear when you’re trying to land a man.”

“It’s really annoying to live with so many spies,” Darcy huffed, taking another sip of her drink. Nat laughed. 

“If it helps, he’s been looking at you the same way,” Nat told her.

“Really?” Darcy asked, trying not to sound hopeful or excited.

“Really. I hope you have a good song picked out.” With a wink, Nat slipped away from the bar and strode onto the stage, where she proceeded to bring the house down with a killer version of Silver Bells.

Darcy was glad she didn’t have to follow that up, because, wow! 

Clint ambled on stage and delivered a mocking rendition of “Last Christmas” that had everyone doubled over laughing. His ridiculous falsetto and facial expressions were priceless and Darcy forgot her nervousness in laughter. 

When Clint had taken his bows, Darcy approached the mic and told JARVIS her song selection. Boldly, she locked eyes with Steve and sang right to him. 

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas,

There is just one thing I need, 

I don’t care about the presents 

Underneath the Christmas Tree.

I just want you for my own,

More than you could ever know, 

Make my wish come true, 

All I want for Christmas is you!” 

It was hard to see a reaction at first, but as she repeated the verses again, still looking at him, comprehension dawned, and his blue eyes grew wide, his cheeks started to flush, and a smile appeared that almost took Darcy’s breath away. 

Oh, wow. 

Had he just smoldered at her? 

“I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you!”

Before she’d even finished, he was on his feet and heading toward her. She could hear the other avengers giggling and whispering, but tuned it out once he got close. 

“Was that for me?” Steve asked.

Darcy’s face grew very warm under his searching gaze, and she slowly nodded.

“Yeah. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, but I just had to get it out there,” she said, heart in her throat. 

Steve looked at her and she looked back, mesmerized by his expression. 

Then, he bent down and made her dream come true by kissing her very decisively in a way that made her knees weak and left her in no doubt as to whether the interest was mutual.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” She gasped teasingly when they’d pulled apart. 

Steve nodded. 

“I Uh…..have been wanting to say something for awhile,” he admitted. “But I kept chickening out. Bucky here will tell you I’m no good at talking to pretty gals, and you are downright gorgeous.” 

Darcy’s heart fluttered at his compliment.

“You’re off to a pretty good start so far,” she told him, with a flirty eyebrow waggle. “How about we get out of here and find someplace more private?” 

“I’d like that,” Steve agreed, still holding her hand. 

[thefanficmonster]

Always Here

Connor Walsh & Michaela Pratt (How To Get Away With Murder)

Warnings: MAJOR TW: Rape, Trauma, PTSD, Swearing

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationship

Summary: Following the less than poor advice of her ‘friends’ Michela finds herself at the apartment and in the hands of a piece of scum eager to take advantage of her. Connor is not having any of it, rushing to her rescue and impatient to teach the bastard a lesson, punish him for the horrible, disgusting thing he did to his friend.

Requested by Anon as a birthday fic. Hello dear, happy birthday! Hope you have the best one yet! Sorry for the downer of a fic for such a happy day in your life (I was genuinely surprised when you requested such an angsty fic but I’m not complaining) hope you enjoy the read nonetheless. Enjoy your special day, hope you have a ton of fun and make great memories! Lots of love, Vy ❤

“Nah, I think you’re judging him too heavily.“ Laurel comments, taking a sip from the coffee cup on her desk, “He seemed rather nice when I got to talk to him last week. He seems to be really into you too.“

“Well, just because he’s into me doesn’t mean I’m into him.“ Michaela points out, irritation in her voice and a shudder running down her spine at the memory of the creep Laurel talked her into meeting a week ago - Charles Mahoney. Michaela immediately felt the oddest and creepiest vibes coming off the guy, but Laurel was persistent and Michaela tried to talk herself into trusting her friend’s judgement, despite her gut screaming at her to get out of the situation, accompanied by the alarm going off wildly in her head. The guy didn’t do anything to set off those alarms and he wasn’t acting like a creep per se but as Michaela put it when complaining to Connor later that same day: He seemed like a creep trying to act and behave like a normal person would. Connor noted the odd feeling he had in regards of that guy.

It was something about his demeanor, but not something she could pin-point to Laurel and use as concrete evidence that her gut was right. And, as a lawyer, she knew that without concrete evidence she wouldn’t get anywhere with that argument.

“Or it just means you’re too picky.“ Laurel swoops the file out of Michaela’s hands, earning herself a death glare from her friend, “Who says you have to date the guy? Just have some fun, a couple of drinks. Maybe a hook-up if you’re feeling it. Who knows where that might lead?“ She sits back down and flips open the file, eyes skimming over the text as if the discussion is over on her part.

Michaela’s about to complain when Asher decides to share his two cents on the subject, “Right! I agree with Laurel, he seemed like a nice guy. To be fair, we didn’t get to talk much, but he seems like a cool dude. Easy on the eyes too, not gonna lie.“

Michaela rolls her eyes, having heard enough about this Mahoney guy from these two. In fact, they’ve been playing this game of persuasion for two days now, neither of them giving a concrete reason on why they were doing it. Although, she might have a guess on their intentions: a few too many drinks one night and she ended up spilling her guts on how lonely she feels sometimes. She did her best in that drunken state to pack the emphasis on ‘sometimes’ but Asher and Laurel seem to have brushed past that bit, seeing as how they’ve made it their personal duty to play matchmakers. If only their choice of guys to pair her with wasn’t so crappy, they may have come in handy to fill the nights she didn’t have any work to do and really felt the lack of company setting in.

Seeing no other way to get the two off her back for good other than feed into their attempts and humor their ideas, Michaela sighs exasperatedly, resting her forehead in the palm of her hand as she speaks, “Will you get off my case if I give him a call and go out with him tonight?”

Asher opens his mouth but Laurel cuts him off before he can throw their chances of succeeding with this in the water, “Permanently. A lawyer’s word.” She nods, giving Michaela a tight-lipped smile that’s supposed to represent faux innocence which instead hides her fondness of her success at last.

“A lawyer’s word doesn’t mean much.“ Michaela mutters under her breath but pulls out her phone nonetheless, standing up to exit into the hallway to make the phone call to Charles Mahoney. She stops in her tracks, turning on her heel to face Laurel once more before exiting the room, “We need a safe-word, just in case.“ She snaps her fingers, trying to get a simple word to come to mind for the purpose of a GTFO signal.

Laurel suddenly gets an idea, “How does ‘trophy’ sound to you?”

Michaela can’t help the shiver that runs down her spine, “Like a nightmare and a ton of bad memories.” She replies bitterly, knitting her brows together in a displeased frown.

Her friend tilts her head to the side, “Then it’s perfect.”

She contemplates Laurel’s reply for a second. Well, contemplates the whole situation and the decision she’s about to make. Sure, it might not be final and she could still cancel if she changes her mind later on, but it’s still a borderline ridiculous move to make. But, when compared to finally being given some peace from the pesky Asher and Laurel, she finds spending a few hours with Mahoney to be worth it. 

So, with that, Michaela turns back around, heading out in the hallway to make the phone call she has no idea will lead to the worst moments of her life.

                                                             *  *  *

“Oh shit!“ Laurel curses, quickly disconnecting her phone from the charger where she had left it while her and Asher went to buy some dinner for the rest of the team to enjoy back at the office after Annalise had called in they were on their way and they had some important news to share with them. Some concerning news, if her voice was anything to go by.

“What’s up?“ Asher asks, setting the plastic bags he’s been carrying on his desk.

“Missed calls and texts from Michaela. Twenty seven of them, almost all saying ‘Trophy’.“ Laurel replies with a sigh that’s a mix of frustration and concern. The call goes to voicemail almost right away which only fuels the concern as she taps the button to call again. “Shit, she’s not answering.“

“She’s texted and called me too.“ Asher says, taking a look at his phone, “She could be in danger.“

“I know, Asher! I know she could be in danger!“ Laurel snaps, squeezing the phone tightly, pressing it against her ear, swearing and fighting the urge to slam it on the floor when the second call also goes to voicemail, “Damn it!“

Just then, the door to the office opens and in walks Connor, closely followed by Annalise and Frank who he ran into on his way in. The mention of a ‘she’ that could be in danger immediately puts him on edge as his eyes skim over the room, looking for his frenemy - Michaela Pratt. ‘On-edge’ is replaced by an early onset of panic when he takes in her absence, connecting the dots that the ‘she’ Laurel was referring to is indeed her. But, just to be safe and avoid a false alarm, he decides to fake nonchalance and ask:  “Danger? What’s going on here?“ He tilts his head, his gaze switching from Laurel who’s still trying to reach Michaela to Asher who is doing his best to avoid eye-contact with anyone in the room.

Annalise cuts the crap, way less nonchalant than him, “Where’s Miss Pratt? Didn’t I tell you all to stay in one spot?“

Laurel looks to Asher for backup, but when she realizes she’s clearly not gonna get any, she turns back to look at Annalise, feeling as though she’s shrinking under the woman’s intense and powerful gaze. “I-it’s my fault. Michaela left before you called and...”

“And she’s now gonna come back! Call her and tell her to return her ass here as soon as possible!“ Annalise cuts her off, her eyes glinting with anger the Keating 5 were so used to seeing yet were terrified of just the same no matter how many times they saw it.

“Well, that’s the thing. She left two hours ago to meet with Mahoney and she isn’t picking up her phone and...“ Laurel trails off, the words dying down in her throat, failing to reach or leave her mouth.

“And we think she could be in danger.“ Asher whispers, finally finding it in himself to speak up despite feeling guilty as all hell.

Annalise’s eyes widen as her heart drops, a sickening feeling overcoming her in the form of cold sweat covering her whole body at once, “YOU THINK?!” She snaps, eyes briefly blurred by tears. “You think she could be in danger when she’s in the hands of a fucking rapist?!”

The phone slips from Laurel’s hand, falling to the floor with a crash at the sound of that word. Asher’s reaction is not different by much - he becomes but a frozen statue in his spot, both him and Laurel looking at Annalise with deer-caught-in-headlights looks and pale faces that suggest Annalise’s heart isn’t the only one that’s dropped. Fear, guilt and despair has paralyzed the two in their spot, unable to think of something to do. Unable to find it in themselves to move.

One person, however, doesn’t remain paralyzed. He takes action, driven by his protective instinct that has set off all the alarms in his head and has sent shots of adrenaline pumping through his veins at a rapid pace. With trembling hands, Connor pulls out his phone, the one calm part of his brain reminding him of his pact with Michaela to always share their location with each other. Opening the app, he reads the address out loud. “Where is that place?!” He snaps, unable to contain his anger that’s blended in with the dreadful sense of fear for his friend’s safety and well-being which are most definitely at a huge risk at this very moment.

“The fucker’s apartment.“ Frank replies, looking up from his own phone where he had looked up the address Connor read out.

Without a second to spare, ignoring the fact his blood’s run cold and the numbness in his face and limbs, Connor takes off, running out of the office and straight to his car, closely followed by the rest of them.

“Connor, wait!“ Annalise attempts to stop him, but you cannot stop a hurricane with your bare hands. And this hurricane is a raging beast with a mission to save his friend and teach the fucker who’d dare touch her or harm her a lesson in the form of beating him bloody.

‘God, please tell me I’m not too late‘, he chants to himself silently, praying for the first time in a long while. ‘Please, keep her safe just a little longer, then I’ll take over.’

Little does he know, the worst has already happened.

                                                              *  *  *

Michaela feels herself coming back to her senses. She doesn’t want to wake up though. She wants for her eyes to remain closed and for her to perish, never again to be seen by the world outside of this apartment that to her now represents hell on Earth. Her survival instincts are kicking in but rather lowly and slowly, almost as if they’re afraid of scaring her or making her snap. So, instead of making an effort to move, she stays completely still and listens, takes in her surroundings. She can’t see much without turning her head which is facing the ceiling, but she’s too afraid to do so. As if her body has been rigged with explosives and the tiniest movement could set them off.

The first thing she hears is the sound of a shower running not too far away. The sound is faint but not faint enough, and neither is the humming that’s accompanying it. She recognizes the tune, she’s recently heard it. With a slight tilt of her head she catches a glimpse of a coffee table which has red wine spilled on it, one wineglass has fallen over and is still dripping tiny red drops alike blood on the carpeted floor. She vaguely recognizes the setting and she feels sickened looking at it, but it takes her a moment or two to place exactly why she feels that way.

And then it hits her.

The tune the voice is humming, she heard it in a bar earlier. The bar she went out to have drinks at. With Charles Mahoney. The Charles Mahoney who then persuaded her into going back to his apartment for a continuation of their drinking session. She remembers the repulsion she felt at the thought of going, but she wasn’t receiving any help from neither Laurel nor Asher whom she has texted and called countless times. So, she succumbed, regretting every step she took that led her closer to his apartment. Her gut was screaming at her the whole time, repeating over and over how bad of an idea that was and how she should make up some bullshit excuse and ditch the situation.

But she didn’t.

And he took advantage of it. Of her body, her tipsy vulnerability. Of her.

It was my fault

With that horribly wrong thought in mind, tears rush to Michaela’s eyes prickling them, begging to escape and relieve the tiniest portion of her pain. She allows them to, the silent tears slowly turning into suppressed sobs that escape her aching chest as she continues lying on that couch, helpless and in pain that cannot be healed or seen.

Her sobs come to an abrupt halt when a round of aggressive and loud knocks, or rather bangs are delivered to the front door that right beside the living room. She only then becomes aware of the subsiding of the running water in the shower. She renders herself silent, faking unconsciousness when she hears the bathroom door open, followed by hurried footsteps coming down the hall, passing the living room and stopping at the front door.

Charles had expected many things, but what he didn’t see coming was the punch that sent him falling to the floor with a broken nose as soon as he opened the door. He didn’t even get a good view of the person but he recognized the voice that called out to the girl he had raped barely an hour prior.

“Michaela!“ Connor shouted, his chest aching, heart racing so loud he could hear it in his ears. He rushed down the hall but stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of the living room where he found who he was looking for. And he found her in a state that broke his heart, “Michaela! Oh God, I’m too late! Fuck!“

Hearing the familiar voice of her friend, Michaela’s eyes snap open, catching sight of Connor’s concerned face hovering over hers. “Connor.” Her coarse voice barely makes it out of her throat in the form of a choked up sob.

Grabbing a blanket from the nearby armchair, Connor wraps it around Michaela covering her almost completely naked her body. Securing the blanket in place, he takes her face in his hands, directing her gaze to his eyes to prevent her from looking anywhere else, prevent her from seeing anything that will further confirm what has happened to her. “It’s ok, you’re ok now. I’m here. I’m here, Michaela and I will never leave you again, ok? You hear me? Focus on my voice, ok? It’s over, he can’t hurt you ever again. The cops are on their way...”

“Hands in the air! Get up! Search the apartment!“ Just as Connor says that, the urgent shouts of cops come from the hall, startling Michaela while also giving her the smallest spec of relief as she once again breaks out in a fit of uncontrollable sobs that are the result of that mix of trauma, emptiness, relief and disgust.

Connor wraps his arms around her pulling her close and resting her head on his chest, not making any attempts at subduing her cries, aware that she needs to get it out of her system before having to face and deal with anything else.

“Michaela?!“ The shout of her own name doesn’t get registered by her, but Connor hears it and feels rage building inside of him when he sees Laurel, Asher, Annalise and Frank enter the living room, “Oh God, Michaela, I’m so sor-“

“You’ve done enough damage!“ He snaps at her, the message meant for Asher as well, “Leave her alone, she’s had it with you and you bright ideas!“

Just then, a cop approaches him and Michaela. He’s not spared Connor’s death glare either, but he doesn’t allow himself to be too intimidated by it, “Sir, we’ll need to take Miss Pratt to a hospital and then to the station to give a statement.“

The rage continues bubbling up inside of him but forces himself to stay calm, seeing as how he’s talking to an officer, “You really think she’s fit for an examination and questioning right now? Can’t you see how traumatized she is?”

“It’s procedure, sir. We must follow a very strict protocol in these situations. Miss Pratt needs a proper examination and all harm done to her needs to be aided and handled properly.“ The officer makes another attempt at persuading the distressed Connor whose arms are still wrapped around the trembling Michaela who suddenly raises her head off his chest, placing her hand there instead.

“It’s ok, Connor. I-I can handle it. But...“ she trails off, a stray tear escaping her eye again.

“But what? Tell me, what do you need?“ he takes her hands in his, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

She inhales shakily before replying, “Could you stay with me? I mean, could you come with me for...well, for it all. I don’t wanna go through it alone.” She bites her lips, still looking down where their hands are connected, unable to look him in the eyes because of how weak and pathetic she feels that request was.

“Of course, Michaela. I wasn’t planning on leaving even if you tried chasing me away.“ He gives her hands a reassuringly, “I’m always gonna be here for you, ok? Never forget that.“

That finally gets Michaela to look up and allow her eyes to meet his. Fresh tears have welled up in her eyes, having grown emotional because of Connor’s words as she whispers a barely-audible, ‘Thank you.’ which says a lot more than just her gratitude for him accepting her request.

It shows how grateful she is to have a friend like him, to have him as a friend. How thankful she is he found her and is willing to stay with her through the nauseating experience she’s about to endure. How happy she is to have found a safe haven in his embrace - his arms serving as a barrier, keeping her safe and shielded from the world that has harmed her so many times and will continue doing so. She’s just glad she won’t have to heal her wounds on her own, all alone. She’ll never have to deal with anything by herself, cause she has him - someone she trusts. Those people have been rare in her life - the trustworthy ones - Connor has the privilege to be one of them. One day, he might even hear her say it, not that he needs to hear it to know though.

That’s what their friendship is - a connection that doesn’t require verbal communication in order to reach an understanding. Even if that understanding has more often than not been ‘agree to disagree’. Still, a friendship as strong as a fortress nonetheless.

[sparkles-and-trash]

Random South Park headcanons and things I’ve thought about when I was supposed to do other things the last few days

title says it all 

- Cartman being really into matchmaking, and keeps doing it in both subtle, and not so subtle ways

- It started with Cupid Me during Tweek x Craig, and he still takes full credit for that relationship well into High School. 

- Not only is he weirdly obsessed with his matchmaking, he’s weirdly good at it.

- Around big school dances and Valentines etc, he has a pop-up thing where he’ll find your perfect date for some cash. It’s wildly successful. 

- Tweek kind of felt like he intruded when he hung out with Craig and those guys for a while, but he didn’t wanna make things awkward so he didn’t mention it 

- He’s usually the type to hang around with people from different groups on their own? 

- But he likes Craig’s group a lot, he really does 

- One time at a party he gets a little drunk, and Clyde is ranting to him about how great Tweek and Craig’s relationship is and how he wish he found someone as great as Tweek and Tweek admits to the whole insecurity thing 

- Clyde cries, of course, and there’s lots of hugging and Tweek has to go around with a snot and tears stain on his shoulder the rest of the night 

- But Clyde always makes sure that Tweek feels super included after that, to a fault, but he just tries so hard and Tweek appreciates it 

- Craig, with his love for solid habits and things being the same, gets a bit dependent on Tweek for his day to go as normal, not like in an unhealthy way, but in a “he’s kinda awkward and extra quiet without Tweek around” type of way? 

- Tweek is a rage gamer lmao, Craig finds it amusing which just pisses Tweek of more 

- Bebe is plus sized, and gorgeous and popular, and she is very body positive, and tries to spread that attitude around as much as she can  

- She popular and generally very well liked, but she has a big personality, so some people tend to get a bit intimated by her 

- She’s good friends with Butters 

- Token is generally viewed as a quiet and serious dude, but he’s actually so far from it when you actually get close to him and he lets up a bit 

- Him and Kenny became good friends after they got paired up for a project, and even tho they come from very different backgrounds they have a lot of interests in common and enjoys each others company a lot 

- With that, and the fact that Kenny works part time at the coffee shop with Tweek, he sometimes joins Craig and those guys when they hang out just them

- Craig obv hate it at first, but realizes that he and Kenny actually gets a long pretty well rather fast 

- Takes him a while to admit it tho lol 

[multimetaverse]

Andi Mack 3x11 Review

One in a Minyan was a truly historic episode and one of the best, if not the best, episode of the series so far. Let’s dig in!

Positives: 

Cyrus saying the word gay was such an important moment; the kind of moment that will long outlive the show itself. There’s a power in naming things and Cyrus not being allowed to use the word gay was a black mark on the show that has now been scrubbed clean. I never thought we’d see this day until Josh hinted at it last week; we’ve come so far from the days when the Mack chat kids were visibly straining to avoid saying the word gay after Cyrus came out to Buffy in 2x01. I commend Terri for getting this approved which I’m sure wasn’t easy. It will really help a lot of kids and adults to see an openly gay boy on a Disney show say that he’s gay and will hopefully open the door for more moments like this on other shows and networks

And such growth for Cyrus; he was so sad and scared when he came out to Buffy and now look at him

Stellar acting and writing all around. Josh delivered a show stopping performance and Asher did great as well. Jonathan Hurwitz should be commended for such a great script; there were some really sharp lines

Loved the dark humour in this ep. Cyrus saying they just buried Bubbe so she’s probably not coming, to the old ladies wagering on who would die next, and Cyrus telling Jonah that if he died they were set up for Shiva

And some very heart warming lines as well. It’s always nice when Andi can be involved in Cyrus’ sexuality story line as it makes it more powerful when lines on Andi Mack are being delivered by Andi Mack herself. Her telling Cyrus that it was his choice when to come out or to whom but he didn’t need to be afraid as people love and care about him was very moving.

I liked the poignancy of Cyrus regretting not telling his Bubbe. He’ll never get to tell her but he still has a life to lead and people he can tell

Andi hugging Cece and telling her that she still has her Bubbe was lovely, we don’t get to see too many moments like that between them. Loved Celia still not liking being called a grandma in any language

Jonah’s chill reaction to Cyrus coming out to him is very in character. They’ve done a wonderful job of building a deep friendship between Cyrus and Jonah that they weren’t allowed to focus on while Cyrus still had a crush on Jonah

TJ’s scene was brief but very nice, it was a sweet gesture for TJ to bring challah. Having Andi ask if that was TJ was a sly way for the show to direct more attention to his presence there. It wouldn’t shock me if we see a callback to the ‘’You came/Of course I did’’ moment towards the end of the season. I liked the subtle touch of Cyrus smoothing his shirt as he stood up to greet TJ. And interesting call back to have the same music for their scene and there was for Cyrus’ first kiss with Iris though only the most dedicated of fans will know that

It’s subtextual but I’d hope the casual audience would clue in to TJ arriving right after they discuss Cyrus’ former crush on Jonah and right before Cyrus and Andi tease Buffy about Marty not to mention the very fact that he even showed up in this Cyrus focused episode and realize that he’s Cyrus’ love interest

This marks the 3rd ep in a row where a love interest has shown up briefly at the very end of the ep: Walker, Marty, and TJ. 

As an aside it’s noteworthy that they’re flying in recurring characters for such small scenes when they didn’t really do that for S2; a sign of the shows increased budget and a side-effect of Bowie being a main and needing more screen time

I think this ep was probably the most successful at balancing the Macks and the other characters so far this season. The Cloud 10 scene was out of place but otherwise they all fit in very nicely. Bowie’s dramatic exit was funny and I think this may have been one of the eps with the least amount of Bex screen time which worked in its favour 

Celia was used perfectly, I loved the cold open with her and Andi. It really showed how much Andi and Celia have in common; they can both be brusque and can have a harshness to them that Bex and Bowie lack. 

I liked the callback to the pilot with Andi making a lamp out of Bex’s old cd’s. We know that Andi explores her art later on in the season and I wonder if we’ll see her centrepieces at the wedding

It was great seeing the focus on Jewish culture; all the small details were interesting to see and look up later. And I liked that they got the same Rabbi they used for 2x13 back, a nice little bit of continuity

I’m glad that Andi and Cyrus aren’t even pretending that Buffy isn’t interested in Marty romantically to some extent, it’s going to make the dramatic journey from here to Machel sinking in 3x17 that much easier

It was nice seeing Cyrus’ parents even if briefly. They didn’t bother bringing back the step parents which isn’t super surprising; it was great to have Cyrus come from a complex family but having 4 parents makes it way too hard for the show to give them any focus

I’m assuming Bubbe Rose was Norman’s mother since Leslie referred to her as Rose rather than as her mother

Aunt Ruthie being so hetero-normative was realistic and I’m glad they had Andi have that encounter with her rather than Cyrus

I’m glad they went with One in a Minyan as the title especially as it doubles as a touching tribute to Terri’s father it being the inscription engraved on his headstone

Looking Ahead:

I’m going to skip the negatives section for this ep; we all know the restrictions imposed on Cyrus’ story line and there will be plenty of time in the coming months to dig into the price the show paid for what got approved this episode. It’s a shame Cyrus won’t come out to his parents though it wouldn’t shock me if we get a brief mention of it in the show or in the texts towards the end of the season

We already knew from Josh showing that title page for 3x12 that they filmed on the day they also filmed at the amusement park which was in the middle of filming ep 13 but it looks like all the park scenes are for 3x12. I trust Luke’s imdb which has been very accurate so far so I’m inclined to think that him and Raquel were just at the park to hang out once the other kids were done filming

Finally the wish gets revealed; I wonder how much of the audience still remembers it by this point

If Buffy assumes that Jamber is back together then that likely means Jibby is already sunk; we’ll see what the texts mention these next couple of weeks

I don’t think Jamber is back together though I do hope we at some point get Amber apologizing for her mistreatment of Jonah 

The promo certainly makes it look like Andi knows for a specific reason that Jamber aren’t back together and if the wish is Jonah’s and it is about Beck family issues then I could see his closeness with Amber being because they are supporting each other with their family problems

Not happy to see Miranda or Morgan back. I wonder if she causes trouble by trying to plant the seeds of doubt that one of either Bex or Bowie really wants another kid or if she mentions being married and getting divorced

Peyton’s dad guest stars next ep though he had been listed for 3x13. Bex does look like she could possibly be getting cold feet and if the wedding will go awry before being brought back on track it has to happen soon

I think the set up of this ep is close to what we’ll see in the finale; lot’s of small moments with lots of characters mostly taking place in or around the Mack house

It will be very interesting to see if they let Cyrus or TJ use the word gay again or if this was a one time deal. If TJ could tell people he was gay in 3x19 it would make it much easier to get to the Tyrus confession scene in 3x21; presumably Cyrus and I’d hope his friends, would have to have some reason to believe that TJ could reciprocate his feelings 

I’ve never subscribed to the Jonah will figure out Tyrus’ feelings and play matchmaker theory because it’s wildly out of character, his obliviousness has been his most consistent trait. But I do find it noteworthy that they’ve spent all this time building up the friendship between Cyrus and Jonah and also dedicated an ep to having Jonah and TJ become friends. It would be very subversive to have Cyrus go to Jonah for romantic advice; it’s not often we see a straight guy giving his gay best friend advice on guys and it does make some sense with Jonah having had the most relationships of any of the characters. The safest and easiest route is just have Cyrus talk to Buffy about his feelings in 3x19 and there would be nothing wrong with that especially as Terri wouldn’t have had much leverage left when negotiating the final eps with Disney but it does seem like the kind of progressive move she would go for if allowed

It will be interesting if anyone else other than TJ finds out that Cyrus is gay. If Marty and Amber and Kira can never find out then that limits what can be done in the finale

And one last interesting thing is that unlike the Tyrus bash mitzvah scene their scene tonight didn’t get cut and partly that is because it involved other characters in a way that makes it much more difficult to cut or edit. I’m sure the Tyrus confession scene will be just the two of them but I do think there will be some linkage before or after to other characters to make it harder to cut should Disney have gotten cold feet (which I don’t think they will at this point)

Only 10 eps left! There’s really no other show like Andi Mack out there. It’s going to be a wild ride these finals eps

[thesevenseraphs]

Bungie Weekly Update - 8/16/18

This week at Bungie, we’re heading to gamescom.

The away team is all packed up and ready to ship out to Köln, Germany, for a week of community love and Gambit trials. Our booth will be home to some friendly skirmishes. We’ll host as many Guardians as we can. We'll find some moments to show you some things you have yet to see and tell you some things you have yet to hear. Keep your eyes on our social channels next week!

Not all of us will be battling jetlag and minions of Darkness. Here at home base, Forsaken is in the very final stages of development. We’re applying finishing touches, and we know there are still some questions you want answered before the Prison of Elders is breached.

Let’s introduce you to the devs with the details for this week.

Known by All

Many of you have asked about how rewards will work in Gambit. We’ve seen questions as to whether it will feature a ranking system akin to Valor or Glory in the Crucible. Senior Designer Robbie Stevens and Test Lead Sam Dunn can answer these questions with an explanation of Infamy ranks.

Robbie: With Forsaken just around the corner, Gambit will soon be unleashed into the wild. I wanted to discuss our high-level goals for the mode:

Fuse the best aspects of PvE and PvP into a brand-new activity that you can experience only in Destiny 2

Make the mode accessible to players of all skill levels, but give it depth and variety that will keep even the most hardcore Guardians coming back for more

There’s always a role to play; whether it’s slaying enemies, scooping up Motes, or invading, there’s always a way to contribute to your team’s success

Communication isn’t required, but strategy and quick thinking are just as important as thumb-skill

Always make it possible for teams that fall behind to come back, so they don’t become discouraged

Gambit was designed with replayability and variety as a core part of the experience, but we knew that wasn’t enough. Players need desirable loot to chase and a way to show their dedication. So, with that in mind, we created our very own ranking system: Infamy.

At a high level, Infamy is:

A progression-based ranking system where completing matches earns you points

Winning matches will greatly accelerate your climb, while losing matches still earns you points, just fewer than if you win

An experience that rewards players with unique Gambit weapons and armor

We’ve been watching the response to the Valor ranking system in the Crucible. A lot of this new work takes that community feedback into account. At this point, I’m going to pass it to Sam, who pulled double duty to design and test the Infamy ranking system.

Sam: To start, we’ve designed Infamy ranks to be more granular by splitting most of the familiar ranks into three tiers. This will allow players to work toward shorter-term goals that are achievable in a few play sessions, rather than over many weeks. It also gives us more opportunities to grant rewards. The Guardian, Brave, Heroic, Fabled, and Mythic ranks will all have three tiers. The Legend rank will remain as one solid chunk. Apart from this major change, Infamy ranks will function very much like Valor ranks:

Each rank will require more Infamy points to complete than the last

Win streaks award bonus points

Your win streak caps at 5 and doesn’t get reset until you lose a match

Your win streak won’t be reset if you join a match in progress

In addition to completing matches, you can also earn Infamy by completing Gambit bounties. Each day, the Drifter will have a selection of daily bounties available for sale that will award Infamy points, as well as other rewards. He’ll also sell a special weekly bounty once you reach Level 50. The weekly bounty will award a large number of Infamy points and a piece of powerful gear. This allows you to always be making progress toward Legend, no matter what your short-term goals are.

Guardians notorious enough to catch the Drifter’s eye by climbing the Infamy ranks will be able to earn some pretty sweet gear.

Guardians who have tried Gambit in the wild have given it high marks for fun. At the same time, we know you well enough to know that a worthwhile reward is another crucial ingredient in a recipe that brings you back to the fight again and again. We hope to see you in Gambit when it launches with Forsaken!

“Magnificent!”

During our combat reveal stream, we used the Crucible as a proving ground to show off how new weapon systems and tuning will affect the way we fight in all activities as Guardians in Year 2 of Destiny 2. The updates to the tools of the trade are not the only changes you can expect in the arenas that pit players against players. Senior Crucible Designer Kevin Yanes is here to be accountable for how you’ll distinguish yourselves and earn awesome rewards in glorious combat.

Kevin: I’m glad to have the chance to talk to you all about Crucible ranks going forward. This past season of gameplay has taught us a lot about what has worked well and where we can do better. As we kick off the next season, we’re excited to give players new ranks to earn! Let’s dive right into the goals we had for designing the Crucible rank system in Season 4 and the changes that they generated:

Goal: Make earning a high rank in Glory NOT feel like your second job

Changes:

Glory rank points gained and lost have been re-tuned to reduce the overall climb to higher ranks

The weekly award has been fixed and its gains have been doubled

Goal: Recognize the achievements of players who did not receive their weekly awards in Season 3

Changes:

Players who competed in Season 3 will earn bonus rank points for completing their first match in Season 4

Does not require completion of any previous weekly milestones

Goal: Encourage more players to strive for higher Glory ranks

Changes:

Losses in the Competitive playlist no longer reset your Valor win streak

Radar has been reenabled during Competitive gameplay

Control and Clash modes have been added to the Competitive playlist

Loss streaks have been removed

We are currently investigating activity reconnections to Competitive Crucible for players who encounter an error midgame; this will not be available at the launch of Forsaken, but we are looking to add this feature postlaunch

Goal: Remove the time pressures associated with Glory ranks

Changes:

Pinnacle Crucible rewards are now awarded via quests

Some of these quests will ask you to engage with Valor or Glory ranks

These quests will NOT go away at the end of the season

Redrix’s Claymore is being retired in Season 4

Players who already earned the weapon will still be able to equip and use it

Players will be unable to earn Redrix’s Claymore beyond Season 3

Shaxx will offer a new quest that players can complete to earn Redrix’s Broadsword, a companion weapon to Redrix’s Claymore

Redrix’s Broadsword features a similar talent arrangement, but it does not share the lore and Triumphs associated with Redrix’s Claymore

Once you’ve earned the weapon, random roll versions of Redrix’s Broadsword will start dropping from Crucible engrams

Each drop will have the fixed Outlaw + Desperado combination

Each drop will also have randomized barrels, magazines, and Masterwork perks

Players who earned Redrix’s Claymore in Season 3 will receive additional bonuses

Owners of Redrix’s Claymore will be granted an exclusive emblem when redeeming the corresponding Triumph 

Claymore owners will be eligible for drops of Redrix’s Broadsword from Crucible engrams even without completing the corresponding quest

A new Crucible reward will be added via a quest in Season 4

Goal: Continue to promote Rumble as a third mode

Changes:

Earning a place in the Top 3 in Rumble will now count as a win

The correct number of Valor rank points will be granted

If you committed to any of the rank ladders we established in Season 3, thanks for making the fight lively. We love supporting the competitive community, no matter your skill or mood. Keep your feedback coming, and we’ll keep making the Crucible a place where you submit to some of the finest tests of skill that Destiny has to offer players. —Kevin

You heard him.

Getting Social

Since the original launch of Destiny 2, we’ve been reporting your feedback on Guided Games and matchmaking systems to our Social team. Today, Design Lead Steve Dolan will be detailing changes that will make it easier to keep your Fireteam together. He also has news for how Clan features will be updated in Forsaken.

Steve: I want to fill you in on changes coming to social systems before we start our Forsaken adventure together. 

We're bringing back a feature that many have asked for on many occasions. Fireteams that are formed in some activities will stay together once the activity is complete. This applies to the following:

Strikes

Gambit

Crucible

Note: This does not apply to Competitive Crucible. Additionally, if a Crucible match ends with a mercy ruling, or the scores are wildly disproportional, players will be put back into matchmaking to find a new team. 

Activity Reconnections

Starting with Forsaken, if you disconnect from a Guided Game, you'll be offered the opportunity to reconnect to the activity if it is still active. We'll reserve your slot for up to three minutes. After that, Guides will be able to backfill the Guided Game with Seekers that are currently in queue.  

In Guided Raids, these reconnections will help with individual player disconnects. In the case that an entire Fireteam disconnects, we want to minimize the impact to raid teams. Going forward, players will be able to take their raid checkpoints out of Guided Games and use them in the normal version of the raid. If you all disconnect, form up your Fireteam again and head into the normal version to continue on your path of total raid destruction. 

Clans Update

Since launch, 50% of you have hit max rank in your Clans each season. Going into Forsaken, there are two major things we wanted to improve with Clans:

Give you more reasons to play with your clanmates

Make clan perks more interesting

How you earn Clan XP is changing. When you start your journey in Forsaken, Hawthorne will have three daily bounties. They can be completed alone or with a Fireteam to grant a small amount of Clan XP. Once your character reaches level the new 50, Hawthorne will add three additional weekly bounties that grant larger amounts of Clan XP, but require you to fireteam up with your clanmates. Here is a preview of the new clan perks for Season 4 that will be more impactful and worth the time it takes to achieve them.

Rank 3: Increased resilience when you’re in a fireteam with clanmates.

Rank 5: Grants a chance to receive additional Etheric and Baryon resources when collecting them in the Reef.

Rank 6:  The weekly clan milestone also grants a Masterwork Core.

Express Yourself

And of course, we’ve been busy making sure you'll be able to express yourself to other Guardians in the world come Forsaken. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming on September 4.

Link: https://www.bungie.net/pubassets/pkgs/114/114124/08162018_All_Alone.mp4

If you don’t have a Clan, someone is always recruiting . You’re missing out on another roster of willing teammates, a whole shared loot stream, as well as all these new features.

Going out with a Bang

Next week, a new mode will be featured in Crucible Labs, and we’re expecting explosive results.

Senior Designer Andrew Weldon is here to set the stage for your final lab session of Season 3.

Andrew: This past weekend, you got a chance to play the updated version of Showdown. This iteration contained updates based on your feedback and our own observations. Like Lockdown, we’ll gather as much information as we can and start making decisions as to our next steps and will update you when we have more to share. We’ve received feedback on both Lockdown and Showdown that both modes felt too tilted toward the Competitive playlist style of gameplay – 4v4, round-based, higher stakes, etc. And you’re right – that was the target experience for both modes. This next time around, however, we’re going to swing the pendulum the other way… Our next Crucible Labs will be the mode Scorched. This mode has a very deep, complex, and serious rule set:

You spawn with a Scorch Cannon

Everyone else spawns with a Scorch Cannon

You shoot each other with said Scorch Cannons

Seriously, that’s it

Our designers were so pre-occupied with whether or not we could, we didn’t stop to think if we should.

Tuesday, 8/21 at 10 a.m. PT: Free-for-all

Friday, 8/24 at 10 a.m. PT: 6v6

This is a wild and zany mode, but one that we’ve had a ton of fun playing here at Bungie. We hope you’ll also have a blast with this mode as the final Labs offering before Year 2 begins.

Scanning…

Update 2.0 is just around the corner, followed by Forsaken a week later.

Destiny Player Support has a forecast for what to expect on the week between, where you may notice a few hiccups in the experience.

This is their report.

Hotfix 1.2.3.2 Recap

This week, to address issues blocking some players from upgrading their Solstice Armor at the Statue of Heroes, we deployed Destiny 2 Hotfix 1.2.3.2. Upon installing this hotfix, some players on PC reported seeing odd behavior in the character screen. With the conclusion of the Hotfix 1.2.3.2 deployment we expect issues causing this behavior to be resolved, however, players who continue to be affected should try running Scan and Repair from the Blizzard launcher.

Players who encounter other issues following this hotfix should report them to the #Help forum.

Resplendent Masterworks

Last week, we confirmed that Solstice Armor can no longer be upgraded after the conclusion of Solstice of Heroes. This week, we can confirm that players will be able to complete objectives to masterwork their Legendary Solstice Armor (Resplendent) after Solstice of Heroes ends on August 28.

This will require players to have already upgraded to their Legendary Solstice Armor (Resplendent), since the Statue of Heroes will no longer be available to upgrade the Scorched and Rekindled sets. As a reminder, these armor sets only generate elemental orbs during Solstice of Heroes.

Lastly, players should be aware that Valor ranks reset at the conclusion of Season 3. If players do not unlock their masterwork for achieving Legend in their Valor ranking by the end of Season 3, their Valor rank will reset and they will have to begin anew in Season 4.

For more details on Solstice of Heroes, players should visit our Vital Information thread.

Forsaken Preparation

To set the table for the launch of Forsaken on September 4, all players will be prompted to accept Destiny 2 Update 2.0.0 on August 28. As Destiny 2 crosses into its second year, players may observe a number of issues in the week between August 28 and September 4. While we are working to document known issues for this week-long transition, players should be prepared for some general turbulence.

To set expectations, here is a sampling of issues confirmed for the week leading up to Forsaken, starting on August 28:

Exotic weapons will lose their +5 Power mod in preparation for the Year 2 mod system, but Legendary weapons will not until September 4

Nightfall strikes will not have scoring until September 4

Some tooltips and item descriptions may reflect Year 2 item behavior, even if item functionality is not updated until September 4

Some tooltips and item descriptions may reflect Year 1 item behavior until September 4, even if item functionality has already been updated for Year 2

Year 2 weapon slots will be live for all players, which may cause some weapons in players’ inventories to go to their Postmaster

All players should ensure their Postmasters are clear by August 28 to prevent loss of items

Some Year 1 Power weapons which previously had an elemental attribute will become Kinetic for Year 2

The elemental attributes for a handful of targeted Year 1 weapons will be changed and locked to a specific attribute for Year 2

All other Year 1 Energy and Power weapons in players’ inventories will have their elemental attributes locked for Year 2

Players can expect more details about the week leading into Forsaken in next week’s Player Support Report.

[nottooldforthisship]

Hi! Can I ask what are your top fics of 2017 so far? The fics I've been reading for the past week(s) were all from 2015/16.. So I've been wanting to catch up with the new ones. :) Thanks looove

Oh shit, that’s a hard question ^^

(I’ll update this until the end of the year)(last update on Dec.14th 2014)

(also this is mostly in chronological order of my reading) (and fair warning, I haven’t read a Larry fic since Nov.17th)

- Fall At My Door , by @fullonlarrie : A-list actor Harry Styles and award-winning musician Louis Tomlinson have an acquaintances-with-benefits relationship, so whenever their busy professional lives happen to land them in the same city, they meet up. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.And that’s all it is. Until it isn’t. (30k, E)

- Feels Like Coming Home, by @phd-mama​ : The last thing Harry Styles expects when he’s hanging out at the Someday Cafe in Somerville one rainy October day is for his ex, Louis Tomlinson to walk through the door, but that’s exactly what happens. After a spectacularly ugly break-up three years prior, Harry hasn’t heard one word from Louis, and he’s moved on. Gotten over him. But having Louis back in his life, not to mention working at the restaurant where he’s a chef, isn’t easy, and the feelings that Harry thought he’d left turn out to be not so easily forgotten. This is a story about love and the power of forgiveness, and how the hard choices we make define us, and change our lives.(60k, E)

- Saved Tonight, by objectlesson : Harry is the world’s most persistent seduction-baker, a questionable dog-sitter, and Louis’s biggest fan. Louis hasn’t written in years, is trying to pass loneliness off as cynicism, and absolutely hates his fans. It’s probably destiny. (30k, E)

- Just Breathe, by @a-writerwrites and @dimpled-halo: Louis pops his head into the kitchen, “You alright?”Harry smiles shaking his head, “Just my clumsy arse at it again,” he says laughing.“I oughta put you over my knee and give you a good spanking,” Louis mutters, chuckling.Harry freezes.  His pulse races so hard he can feel the blood rushing fast and hot throughout his body, like a livewire, zinging through him in a delirious rush.  His mouth goes dry, and his eyes are wide.  And when Louis turns around to look at him after being silent for so long, it’s like Louis just knows.  He understands.  Harry loves him so fucking much.  **** OR the one where Harry and Louis are on a journey through life together — one that includes discovering dark, hidden parts of themselves that only the other can find. (50k, E)

- Then We Talk Slow , by @letsjustsee : (…) A famous/non-famous AU in which Louis banters back and forth with his new record company on Twitter, only to find out that Harry is the man behind the tweets. (20k, E)

- Riptide , by FlyingAlwaysInColor : AU in which Louis loses his amazing mum, and is sent on a forced holiday to a luxury spa resort where he meets a green-eyed butterfly-angel and an adventurous Irishman who help him start to heal by administering equal doses of love and laughter. (91k, E)

- Reduce Me To A Pleading Cry (Break The Skin and Tantalize), by @taggiecb : As the CEO of Styles & Styles, Harry Styles cuts a brooding and handsome figure at the helm of a very successful business. His reputation for intensity is well known, but you would be intense, too, if you had to work numbers all day, give countless orders, and conduct endless meetings. When all you really want to do at night–ache to do–is give away the reins, let someone else make the decisions, be ordered around for once, just–let go. Harry has reached his breaking point when one touch from a man whose very stance commands attention leads him back to a place he thought he’d never return. Or Harry is a broody submissive boss, Louis is a natural dom who works in the mail room at Styles & Styles, Niall is a matchmaking oracle, and a slender, dark haired man stands mute at the coffee stand encouraging others to spill their secrets. (33k, E)

- Resist Everything Except Temptation, by @domestic-harry :   (…) The one where Louis is the commodore’s son who is forced to become a part of Harry’s crew when he is captured. (100k, E)

(more under the cut, this list is gonna be so long …)

- Them Butterflies , by @gaycousinlarry  : To sum it all up - Louis is beautiful. Breathtakingly so. And Harry can’t find it in himself to even question the fact that he thinks so. Louis is mesmerising, nearly magnetic with all the energy bouncing off of him. Harry doesn’t know what to make of it, but he knows he doesn’t want this night to end.  This is the extraordinarily ordinary AU where Harry falls in love for the first time and Louis learns how to fall in love all over again. (68k, E)

- When We Were Younger, by @dinosaursmate: About a week after Harry started visiting this particular chat room, he was watching some kid argue with the whole room about football, personally disinterested as he tipped a bag of crisps into his mouth. He happily chomped on the crumbs, taking a swig from a glass of Ribena to wash them down, glancing at the screen and very nearly spat the squash back out again. His heart was pounding wildly. The display icon of the argumentative newcomer had caught his eye, and not in a good way. He gulped as he clicked the picture, and when it popped up in full resolution, his heart nearly fell right out of his arse. - Sixteen year old Harry Styles’ world turns upside down when he logs on to gay teen chat to discover somebody has stolen his photos and used them as their own.  (76k, E)

- Fool’s Gold , by @freetheankles : Or the Arnacoeur AU in which Harry is scheduled to be married to Liam in 10 days and Harry’s mother hires Louis and his team to break them up.  (55h, E)

- Dance Me (to the End of Love), by @phd-mama​​ : You would think that it’s a simple process - you meet, you fall in love, you get married. But when you add one lawyer and one overly-competitive high school teacher to that equation, it’s no longer a straight line from beginning to end. Or the story of how a simple proposal becomes a competition where no one loses in the end. (19k, E)

- Life Was a Song, You Came Along, by @rainbowninja​ : It’s embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them. It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.  Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend’s career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan’s newest album. A modern retelling of Singin’ in the Rain.(37k, E)

-  Wholehearted, by TheMagicWord : AU. When superstar singer and winner of The Voice Louis Tomlinson tweets “Nothing worse than waking up with no milk for a cuppa !! Gutted” he doesn’t expect someone to bring him some. And he really doesn’t expect that someone to have bright green eyes, long curly hair, and (fucking) dimples. (77k, E)

- Looking Through You, by @allwaswell16 : Just as Louis and Liam were starting out in the music industry, writing and producing for up and coming artists, a fateful meeting with new pop singer Harry Styles changes everything. Four years later, just as Harry is set to embark on his next world tour, a drunken confession causes a rift between once inseparable friends. As Harry tries to make sense of his feelings for Louis, he begins writing his next album to express them as it may be the only way to break through the walls that Louis has built between them. (41k, E)

- Love’s Truest Language , by @smrwine :  The first part was meant as a joke. He didn’t really expect Harry to buy anything. It was just Louis’ way of softening the ‘get the fuck out’ blow.  “Where’s your order forms, then?”  “I don’t want your flowers.” Louis chided before directing all of his attention to the arrangement in front of him.  Harry laughed under his breath as he stood to his full height, “Who said anything about them being for you, love?” (48k, E)

- got the sunshine on my shoulders , by @hattalove : five years ago, harry styles left his tiny home town to make it big as a recording artist. he didn’t have much regard for what he left behind - a life, a family, and a husband, who woke up one morning to find him gone.now, harry has everything he could possibly want: he’s rich, famous, and adored by everyone he meets, including his boyfriend. but when said boyfriend proposes to him, he’s forced to face the uncomfortable facts of his past - and louis, who’s spent the last five years returning every set of divorce papers harry sent him.(or, an au based on the movie sweet home alabama.)(124k, E)

- Never Let Me Go, by @loveisalaserquest17​ : Harry and Louis have been friends forever, but they couldn’t be more different. One night, with a little too much alcohol, they make a pact to marry in ten years if they’re both still single.Now, one month before the deadline, Louis is willing to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up with his best friend. But is he, really? | Loosely inspired by The 10 Year Plan  (55k, E)

- Don’t Want Shelter , by @fullonlarrie : Louis and Harry have known each other all their lives. Friends as children, they danced around each other as teenagers, and have spent the last twenty-five years either screaming at each other or not speaking at all. Except for that one time ten years ago…When Hurricane Nicole threatens the coast, they end up stuck together in their families’ old vacation home that they begrudgingly co-own.During the storm, and in the months after, they’re both forced to reevaluate their history and what they mean to each other. (76k, E)

- Turning Page, by @daisyharry : AU: Harry Styles tries to get lost in a place he’s never been.  Louis Tomlinson has been perfecting the art of being lost for years. What they don’t expect to find is each other. (67k, M)

- No One Like You   , by @myownsparknow : Where Liam and Niall are art historians discovering the truth about two nineteenth century painters on opposite sides of an artistic divide. (20k, M)

- Paint Me In A Million Dreams  , by @greenfeelings : Harry’s one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, has made a name for himself in prestigious films and lives the life of a superstar. There’s just one thing missing to make it picture-perfect, but the one Harry’s in love with is completely out of reach for him. Enter Louis, one of Hollywood’s biggest actors himself, who just came out of the closet and taps new genres in the industry. When Louis sacks the role Harry auditioned for in Scorsese’s next big film, their irrational feud starts. Who could have guessed it would get even worse when for promo season, their teams decide to present them as a couple for publicity?  (110k, M)

-(Take Me Home) Country Roads, by @a-writerwrites : OR a Northern Exposure AU featuring Louis as the big city doctor, Harry as a natural healer, Niall as a secretive barkeep, Liam and Zayn head over heels for each other but they don’t know it and a lot of hurt, comfort and moonshine in between. (86k, E)

[dontshootmespence]

Operation OTP

A/N: A request from @minim236 for a Spencer x Reader where they are secretly dating, but the team doesn’t know and are still trying to get them together. @coveofmemories

                                                                ----

“Should we tell them?” Spencer asked you, after reading the message on his phone. 

It was 8 AM and you were on your way upstairs. Since you’d started at the BAU, and realized how close you lived to Spencer, you’d carpooled in each morning. After about six months, you realized how much you liked each other and started dating, but you’d been carrying on your relationship right under the noses of your friends and co-workers. Apparently, they also thought you were a match, because they had been trying to get you together for months. “Nah,” you replied, “It’s too much fun seeing how they’ll try to get us together next.”

“Well, tonight, Morgan’s plan is to get us all to go out drinking,” he laughed, taking another look at his phone. “He claims that if I get drunk, I’ll work up the courage to tell you how much I like you.”

Spencer didn’t need any alcohol. He’d revealed to you after a particularly rough case what you meant to him, and you told him you felt the same. At the time, he had been a little shy, but that all fell to the wayside when you kissed him. That night had ended with some heavy making out on your couch. “If he only knew,” you laughed.

                                                               ----

As they walked off the elevator, Emily, Morgan, Garcia and JJ sat against their desks trying to figure out how Spencer and Y/N hadn’t started dating. “They are meant for each other,” Garcia exclaimed, throwing her ring-clad hands in the air. “He’s a genius, she’s a genius. They are both the sweetest people in the world. They’re both cute, why aren’t they dating?” 

“You’re a little too invested,” JJ laughed. “I agree, but breathe. It will all happen in time. We’re gonna make it happen.”

Garcia sighed dreamily, craning her head in the direction of the hallway that led to the coffee shrine, which is where they were undoubtedly headed. “I know. It’s just...they’re my real life OTP, and I wanna make it happen.”

“OTP?” Morgan asked. “What the hell does that mean?”

“One True Pairing,” Emily, JJ and Garcia said simultaneously. 

While Spencer and Y/N grabbed their morning coffees, undoubtedly downing one a piece even before leaving the room, Emily made sure that she, JJ, Garcia and Morgan were in a separate text feed. They needed to make sure one of them didn’t accidentally let either one of them know that the whole team, including Hotch and Rossi (to much lesser degrees) were rooting for them to get together. “I think they’re coming back,” she said quickly. “Abort mission. Fan out. Stay tuned.” As they all walked back to their desks, Emily waved her phone in the air. They had tried to push the two of them together on a couple of different occasions recently, but they were getting closer. Just another little push or two...

                                                              ----

Throughout the day, the four matchmakers exchanged a string of texts, trading ideas and attempting to figure out which one would work best for their one true pairing. 

M: These two are getting on my last nerve.

JJ: Why?

G: Because we’re pulling out all our best matchmaking moves and nothing is working.

M: Exactly.

E: Something has to work. We know they love each other. They know they love each other. It’s just going to take something really romantic to get things going. I can feel it.

JJ: They definitely are the romantic types. Okay, so let’s float around some ideas. What are Spence and Y/N’s favorite things?

M: Books.

G: Coffee.

E: Chocolate.

JJ: Star Wars.

G: Good, let’s work with this. What can we set up, involving one or more of these things, that might get the two of them to come out? And I suggest that we make it a group thing and the six of us will conveniently be late.

E: Agreed.

M: Wait...there’s a chocolate expo coming into town for a limited time.

JJ: How the hell do you know that?

M: I keep seeing flyers in my neighborhood. There’ll be sculptures and tastings and all that shit. What if we get them to go there?

G: Omg yes, and those expos normally have private viewings or classes, so we can book one of those for the two of them, say it’s for all of us and then wait in the background and watch the sparks fly. This is totally going to work. Look at my Statuesque God of Chocolate Thunder bringing out the chocolate expo!

M: I’ve always got your back, babygirl. 

G: I know you do, baby.

E: Down, children. Okay, so Garcia, you okay with looking into what kind of viewing or class we can book for them?

G: It would be my honor to be the catalyst of my OTP’s first kiss.

JJ: Smh

JJ: I think we’ve finally nailed down a fail-proof plan. Commence Operation OTP.

                                                             ----

“So what do you guys think?” Garcia asked you and Spencer. “We’ve all been under so much stress lately, and who doesn’t love chocolate? They have this chocolate making class you can go to. We can all go and learn how to make chocolate and then we can eat the chocolate. It’ll be so much fun.”

“I’m in,” you replied, knowing this was another one of their elaborate plans. “I could eat chocolate all day every day, so I’m definitely in if I get to eat some of the chocolate.”

Spencer swallowed, barely noticeable to anyone but you. He knew what they were trying to do. “Yea, I guess so. What time is it though? Because it’s on a Saturday, and we’ll be off from work, which means if I can’t sleep late, I’m not going,” he laughed. 

“You’re safe, Spence,” JJ replied, knowing how late he liked to sleep on the weekend. He was normally in a coma when he walked in no matter the day, prior to having his morning cup of coffee that is. “It starts at noon and goes until 6. The expo does. The class is only a couple hours.”

“Then I’m in,” he said, taking another swig of his coffee. “It’s next Saturday? Not this Saturday?” Emily nodded, taking solace in the fact that they’d come this far in their plan. “Dammit, now I want chocolate. To the vending machine I go...”

                                                            ----

One Saturday passed and the next arrived, which meant it was the day that Emily, JJ, Garcia and Morgan would execute their perfect plan. “This is so going to work,” Garcia clapped as they walked into the expo. Spencer and Y/N had already texted that they were waiting in class. “I can feel it this time.”

As they made their way into the convention center, flashing their badges, which served as their tickets, they scanned the masses of people to see if they spotted the soon-to-be lovebirds. “There’s the area for the cooking class,” Rossi said. “I can’t believe you managed to put this together.”

“I mean, I know we’ve all been hoping for them to get together,” Hotch laughed, “But this is dedication.”

“You know I am nothing if not dedicated, sir,” Garcia replied. “There they are!” She splayed her hands outward, keeping everyone from moving another step. “Let’s observe.”

                                                           ----

“They really have gone to amazing lengths to get us together over the past few months,” you said, turning your back to Spencer so he could tie your apron behind your back. “Maybe we should finally give them the satisfaction of knowing we’re together. I think they ship us.”

“Ship?” he asked bewildered. 

“To ship means to endorse a romantic relationship,” you replied.

Spencer raised on eyebrow. “I was just starting to pick up on slang from the 80s and 90s,” he said. “I’m so lost...but if that’s what it means then I definitely ship us.”

“I ship us too.” You could see the team out of the corner of your eye and told Spencer as much. “Gimme a little kiss.”

With a smile, he leaned up against the counter just as the teacher of the class said they’d start in ten minutes, and planted a chaste kiss on your lips, before jutting the tip of of tongue out ever so slightly. When you opened your eyes again, you smirked, silently telling Spencer to look back and give the team a wave.

                                                          ----

“Operation OTP is a success!” Garcia cried, clapping wildly as the rest of the team said it was about damn time. 

“Wait?” Morgan said. “Those sneaky...”

“What is it?” she asked. Morgan took her head in both hands and turned it back toward Spencer and Y/N. They were waving back at them. Everyone’s mouths had dropped open in disbelief. How had they not picked up on that?

“They’re already dating?!” Garcia screamed.

[lucidlucy]

I've been saving this prompt, but I can't imagine anyone else doing it better, and you can combine it with others!: Reylo or Reyux -- Rey falls in love first.

Your wish is granted! I am also combining this one with @mabellewind  ‘s prompt Hux is Rey’s dancing teacher. And I’m using it as my entry for Day 1 of Reyux Week (and day 2? since it’s dancing?) … is this cheating or amazing multitasking?

Sway Me Slowly

She doesn’t remember when it happened, or how it started, that falling in love thing.  She remembers when the habit of staring had started, though.  On her very first day.

The first time she’d shown up to the dance studio had been… an interesting experience, to say the least. Rey walked in through the doors only to be met by a pair of sharp blue eyes gazing at her from under a deep frown. Her mind quickly started filling in the rest of the details.

Freckles, red hair, a ramrod straight posture and slender limbs that spoke of dancing.

“The studio is closed for the day,” he’d said matter of factly. “Our hours are posted on the door.”

She’d immediately recoiled, moving to withdraw on cold feet. This had been a bad idea. She should have never listened to Poe and Finn when they told her she needed a hobby. She could pick up reading, crocheting, or any other activity that did not include being examined like a bug.

“Sorry,” she’d mumbled, “I’ll just… I’ll just go now.”

“Well, seeing as you’re already here,” he’d said, steps clicking as he moved forward, “Can I help you with something?”

She’d turned and gotten an up close and personal look at those eyes, though, and that’s when the habit had formed. She’d been off the mark upon first assessment.

“Ah,” she said, trying to avert her eyes and backtrack, having forgotten her excuse mid-word. “Uhm.”

“Yes?”

Uppity man. An uppity man with eyes the color of storm clouds, pale and piercing, and very much trained on her.

“I— sorry about dropping by late. Work just let out and…”

He had waited patiently, or… not. At least, he’d looked patient, yet his lips had pursed for a second and Rey had decided she could pick up crocheting after all. Yet his eyes wouldn’t let her leave, gluing the soles of her shoes to the granite floor as effectively as if she’d walked into wet cement.

“I was told about this place by friends and, well, decided to check it out and see if I could sign up for..lessons..” she’d finished, the sentence ending on a timid whisper in the face of his incessant examination.

“I see.”

I see. That’s all. What kind of answer—

“But uhm, the schedule conflicts so…” she’d nodded her head as if to say sorry, hefting her bag and looking at the door. “I’ll just go.”

“Would you like private lessons?”

Her head snapped back. “Is that a thing?”

His head tilted a single degree, leaving her feeling like an idiot. Of course there would have been private lessons. This is a dance studio, after all.

“What’s your name?” he’d asked.

Rey cleared her throat, trying to simultaneously keep herself from hunching over and from croaking out her name.

“Rey Jakken.”

“Hux.” He’d said for an introduction, “Follow me, miss Jakken.”

He’d left her to follow, and Rey had finally breathed, the pressure pushing down on her lifting as she watched him walk with a purposeful stride, reminding herself that it’s just dancing. Forget about her soon to be instructor’s unnervingly clear eyes and air of cold superiority. Or maybe she’d just read too much into it. She’d only interacted with this man for exactly four minutes. Sure, he’s not like Poe or Finn, warm and gentle, but she’s here for lessons, not matchmaking—

“Do you have a preference?”

Her head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

“On a dance…”

“Oh!”

And that’s how her dancing lessons had started, with a lot of awkward bumps and with Rey feeling rather stupid more than once, still a little skeptical that this haughty, stiff man with a stick up his ass could have a single bone for dancing in his body.

Until she’d seen him dance, that is, muscles stretching and contracting, limbs moving with such fluidity it should be illegal.

The rest of that has been lost between her sign up sheets and tap dancing lessons. Every Thursday Rey would show up, be asked what she’d like to learn today, and watch as her disapproving teacher cocked an eyebrow every time she said I don’t know. Eventually it had become a game, one he’d caught onto when she’d shrug her shoulders and he’d shake his head, suggesting something new.

Rey now knew how to waltz, had the basic gist of tap dancing down even if she felt like an elephant on stilts when attempting complicated sequences, so very different from her nimble teacher. More than once she’d fallen on her ass, sprained an ankle, or stepped on his feet yet he still continued to patiently help her up off the floor, walk her through the steps again, and even go so far as to sit her down and personally ice her leg once.

And still she’d kept staring, and perhaps that’s when the feelings of love bloomed. He never once looked away. Rey could look him in the eye for twenty minutes and she bet he’d just stand there and let her. That had kept her coming back, even with a sprained ankle, his quiet gaze shifting from unnerving to enthralling with every session. That’s as far as she dares go, though, even now, drawing the line of propriety clearly in her mind in red ink.

When she shows up after work the lights in the studio are on. It’s so much nicer than opening the door to a dark reception hall like she’d had that first time. She muses he must have forgotten to lock the doors that one time, and doesn’t fate work in funny ways? She steps towards the studio doors sitting ajar on a beam of light, trying to be as quiet as possible.

When she looks in, she finds him practicing.

Ballet.

Every step of his, every turn, every extended muscle as he lifts an arm and draws it down slowly makes her ache. Still, though, it’s two to eight, and her teacher hates tardiness. Rey clears her throat.

“You’re here,” Hux greets. His greetings are never warm, but she’s learned to recognize them as friendly, at least. She drops her bag by the door and steps forward. “What would you like to do today?”

“I don’t know.”

Hux arches an eyebrow but his lips twitch, and Rey allows herself a small smile. There it is, their game.

“Is your ankle feeling better?”

“Much.”

Hux steps forward and her heart starts beating wildly. It’s a conditioned response to his proximity, driving her wild and insane all at once. Rey tries to calm it down, but it doesn’t work very well when Hux takes her hand and leads her to the center of the floor, facing the mirrors.

“Would you like to continue our tango practice?” he asks.

Rey’s heart stammers.

The last time they’d tried to Tango she’d made a fool of herself, the sudden intimate proximity making her head swim. It had been hard to follow instructions then, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that the thought makes her spine tingle. Hux takes the flush of her cheeks for assent before dropping her hand and walking towards the sound system. He turns it on and walks back on the first few notes, then positions himself behind her.

“Alright,” he says. “We’ll take it slow.”

That promise shouldn’t twist her insides like it does. Rey nods.

True to his word, however, they go through the steps slowly. Rey wraps one hand around the back of his neck and steps close, and Hux places one on the spot between her shoulder blades, the other holding onto her free hand firmly, assuming his position as he steps forward and she moves back.

One. Two. Three.

He spins her slowly, one hand to the hip, instructing her on the kick she must make to the side then behind his knee. It brings their hips just a little closer. Rey swallows.

“Look at me, miss Jakken,” Hux dips in to whisper in her ear. “There’s nothing beautiful about looking at my feet while one does the tango.”

Doing the t—

Rey clears her throat rapidly, looking up and meeting his gaze. He smiles approvingly then spins her in quick succession, and she knows that as her cue to hook a leg around his thigh so she can be dragged or lose her balance, but all she can think of is the fact that she’s spread wide open like a flower against him and her cheeks are flaming hot. When he finally puts an end to the spin and she’s allowed to drop her leg, he once again sways them both at a more sedate pace.

“Good, miss Jakken.”

The praise falls too soft on her ears. Her flush deepens.

Hux twists her again, making her face the mirrors, and looks at her through their reflection. Rey tries to look away. She’d never been one to blush like a blossoming teenager, but this man had a way of turning her insides to putty.

“Look at me,” he once again instructs against the shell of her ear, leaving no room for argument. Rey’s eyes snap back. He finally gives her a smile.

It’s a rare thing, that smile.

“Good, miss Jakken.”

The hand on his hip moves down her thigh, then up in a sensual dip before he moves to take her other arm, long fingers trailing her bicep then hooking her hand behind his neck, dipping to move his nose into the crook of her elbow and gently caress there. It’s a move she’d seen in videos, thought nothing of, and continued studying the steps. Now, being forced to watch, it makes her knees feel weak. Hux presses against her hip, making her step back. She might die, her brain already preparing for crashing into his groin, but much to her relief— and disappointment— he moves back with her. They do another small circuit before stepping up to the mirror again.

“Very good, miss Jakken.”

Rey tries to smile but the thudding of her pulse makes it kind of hard to concentrate, so she looks down at her toes as he counts out their steps.

“Didn’t I say—” he begins. Rey immediately looks up again, wincing at the reminder. Hux shakes his head slightly and sways them from side to side a moment longer than necessary.

“Would you rather we danced to something else?” he asks. “We can always go back to tap dancing.”

She shakes her head so fast her buns slap him in the face, but he doesn’t seem to notice. If anything a small smirk settles on the right corner of his mouth.

“You seem uncomfortable.”

“No! It’s not— It’s not that. It’s just…” Rey croaks then rasps her throat clear, wondering if she should say something or stay silent. If she says something, she might ruin whatever this is. If she doesn’t…well, if she doesn’t he might just think she’s unwilling to learn and—

And what? Take back the lessons?

“It’s just what?” he presses, turning her around. They’re still dancing, but it’s no longer the complicated sequence of steps she knows come after this. Rey takes in a shuddery breath.

“It’s just, when you look at me like that, it’s hard to… it’s hard to think.”

“Oh?”

Rey could die. She could die from embarrassment right this moment. He sounds amused.

“So I look away.” She explains. “It’s not that I don’t want to learn, I just—”

What comes out of his mouth next is not what she’d expected.

“Don’t do that.”

Rey finally looks up, brows knitting together. Before she can say anything else, though, Hux leans in and gently presses his lips to her ear.

“You have very pretty eyes, Miss Jakken. I enjoy them. I look forward to seeing them. Don’t deprive me of the pleasure.” When he leans back out his expression is perfectly composed. “Now, shall we continue?”

[ukrainianwomenonline]

Relationship advice for men: How to make your love life wonderful

I oftentimes see a romantic relationship as dynamics: when you change your behavior, your girlfriend must change her behavior in order to make this romantic relationship dance function. To explain this concept in detail, I would like to list several key ideas which will illustrate how to make your Ukrainian girlfriend happy so that she will want to make you happy as well.

Be an alpha leader in a romantic relationship.

In a romantic relationship, as a guy, you either lead or will be misled! Ladies like masculine, powerful, strong and alpha leaders, so the capability to lead in a relationship is so key. For instance, when you meet a woman for the first time and you want to ask her out for a date, do not say this to the lady, “Can we date? Send me a message and let me know which restaurant you would like to go.” Most guys say this because of fear of rejection, so they ask women to text them first. But sadly, when a lady hears that, she will lose interest instantly and be turned off as this guy is literally asking her to contact him first. Likewise, when you are dating a lady already, do not ask her to tell you which coffeehouse you should go to with her for a date. You are supposed to tell your Ukrainian girlfriend what to do and where to go – you should make some plans in advance. 😉

Spend 20% of your time thinking of dating and relationships; work on yourself and your career 80% of the time.

When you work on your health, your mindset and your career, you become more attractive, for ladies will want to be a part of your amazing life. Therefore, it is paramount to build a wonderful life for yourself in the first place. In terms of your health, you should prioritize sleep, diet and exercise. Remember to eat more vegetables which naturally contain antioxidants – these will keep you youthful!

Most successful people prioritize their health. For example, Tom Bilyeu is the founder of Quest Nutrition (a billion-dollar company). He goes to bed by 9pm at night and never uses an alarm clock because sleep is his top priority. That is exactly why he is so wildly successful and highly productive every single day. Creative entrepreneur / author Kate Northup also goes to bed by 9pm at night. Her motto “Body first, business second” is extremely inspiring.

Health / nutrition coach Shawn Stevenson highly recommends magnesium oil spray –these magnesium products are very beneficial because this kind of natural spray cures insomnia and anxiety in many cases. These days a lot of individuals lack magnesium as each time when people check their email Inbox, they are losing magnesium, which could cause stress and anxiety. Therefore, using topical magnesium is a good way to helps us sleep better and feel better at home and at work.

Interestingly, Gary Vaynerchuk famously said, “A successful guy juggles 25 balls at the same time and allows 11 balls to drop, whereas everybody else holds one ball only.” Indeed, every multi-millionaire that I am aware of has many income streams. For instance, Jeff Goins sells books, offers a ghost-writing service, provides public speaking offerings and teaches online courses.

That being said, you also need to avoid burnout. So, you would be well-advised to multitask in the right ways. Let’s say you go to the gym every day. You can listen to an audio book while you are working out in the gym. Or perhaps you have a 1-hour commute from Monday to Friday. You may listen to a podcast on your way to work / home. I know a guy who is married to a Ukrainian wife. He goes to work by bus every single day so as to work for extra 50 minutes in the morning and extra 50 minutes in the afternoon because he brings his laptop with him all the time. That is 8.3 extra hours for him to work on the bus each week!

Another way to avoid burnout is to take a break regularly. Let’s say you are working very hard for an important project. You can take a 5-minute dance break every hour. This will improve your productivity and wellbeing in general.

How to utilize Law of Attraction in the right way:

Nowadays Law of Attraction is a controversial topic as a lot of people are exaggerating its effectiveness. Other people argue that Law of Attraction is corny! Please don’t switch off your brain when you read this section because I will explain how to utilize Law of Attraction correctly so that you can attract a Ukrainian bride in record time!

Firstly, Law of Attraction is not wishful thinking at all. As a matter of fact, it is feeling great before great things can happen. Okay. Please let me explain.

If you literally assume that thinking of something will make it happen automatically, then you are wrong. Abraham Hicks and Gala Darling both point out that the true essence of Law of Attraction is actually about conditioning your feelings and emotions because the universe can only give you things which match your vibration energy.

Secondly, you may create some emotional buttons to remind yourself of good feelings and emotions. Everybody has had some great experiences in their life. It can be a Sunday afternoon on the beach or a memorable trip to New Zealand. You may print these photos and put all of them on the wall, on the door and on your fridge! These images literally become emotional buttons. Note that this is not about repeating those positive experiences. It’s actually about always reminding yourself of good feelings and emotions so that you can create similar feelings and emotions which will surely bring you great results in your life.

Thirdly, it’s your job to decide what you should say no to and what you should say yes to. Rather than waiting for great things to happen, you are supposed to go out and happen to things! Remember: when you cooperate with the universe, the universe will want to work for you! Therefore, if you want good health, you must say no to McDonald’s and KFC. If you want a good mindset, you must say yes to books and educational programs. If you want a Ukrainian bride, you must say yes to international dating sites or professional matchmaking services. (By the way, Ukraine Brides Agency offers online video chat and automatic translation services – these features are unique to our website.)

How to get over fear of rejection:

If you would like to find a job, you have to go to many job interviews. It’s normal for some employers to reject you and it’s also normal for you to turn down certain job offers. Yet at some stage, you will find the right position and the employer gives you the job. That’s a match! Finding a Ukrainian girlfriend is not too different from this process. So, if you are doing things right, you should be rejected by some candidates and you will also reject some potential candidates. With this mindset, dating is very liberating!

“Do not let fear of rejection stop you from doing what you want to achieve.”

Ukraine Brides Agency Blog https://ift.tt/2Xw2SHO

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #360

Top Ten Favourite Things About the Xbox 360

Well wouldja lookit that. Three hundred and sixty of these silly top tens (tops ten?). I actually had a whole other list lined up, one that chimed with some relatively-recent news, but I've decided to bump it as I feel the synchronicity of 360 cannot go unnoticed. Sadly because the next two weeks are earmarked for other date-relevant lists, this means my once-contemporary tenner will be old news by the time all of you (both of you) get to read it.

But wait! What is this synchronicity of which I speak, that means “three sixty” must be secured for a specific ten of tops? Could it be erstwhile ITV post production facility, threesixty media, whose services I utilised for a decade whilst at CITV?

No, it’s the Xbox. It even says so at the top of the page.

Yes, the Xbox 360. In many ways probably my favourite console. Sure, it had its faults - I went through three of them due to red-ring meltdowns, and the beast was noisier than a rhino in a blender – but it was gorgeous, and for a little while there totally represented gaming for me.

Yeah, there was lots to love, and the protracted nature of the last console generation meant that it saw a lot of evolution in its lifetime. And, really, gaming in general changed quite a bit in the noughties, and the Xbox 360 was at the forefront of that in a lot of ways. Resurgent indie gaming, online, casual, micropayments, DLC, achievements, annual release schedules for triple-A franchises... the list goes on. Microsoft didn’t lead the way in all of those areas, but for most of the last generation they were light on their feet and quick to exploit shifting trends, and the 360 strongly benefited as a result (also Sony faceplanted pre-launch with the tone and price of the PlayStation 3, which also benefited Xbox hugely; how weird that the tables turned so utterly come the launches of PS4 and Xbox One). It felt like a landmark generation and the 360 was a landmark console and I loved it.

Anyway, here are my favourite things about it. Ten of then, not three hundred and sixty. That’d be daft.

The Look: at a time when the prevailing trend for consoles seemed to be fairly inoffensive black or grey lumps (the delightfully purple GameCube notwithstanding), Xbox 360 bucked the trend with a sleek and sexy white design, complete with subtle curves that echoed throughout the interface, and a natty chrome trim to the disc tray. It was different, it felt new, it felt simultaneously cool and friendly. It was more of a piece with Apple’s then-recent iMac redesign than anything you’d expect from as utilitarian a company as Microsoft. It made the 360 stand out from the crowd, and also helped differentiate it from the huge black number that was (eventually) the PS3.

The Controller: Halo: Combat Evolved was the original Xbox launch game, and it sold a lot of Xboxes. It was really the first game that made first-person shooters really work on console. Part of this was down to the beautifully handled sticks and triggers of the original Xbox pad. The controller was subsequently redesigned and evolved into what became the 360 pad: better trigger placement; shoulder buttons; even nicer sticks; a much-improved d-pad; and the famous Guide button, that with a press brought up a nifty UI overlay that allowed for chatting, achievement checking, and all manner of things, across all games. It was probably the best game controller of all time, and although it’s been refined and, I’d argue, improved by the Xbox One controller, there’s something revolutionary about the 360 design that always makes it feel stand-out.

Achievements: ah, yes. I mentioned them in passing just now, but really, the concept of cross-title points and awards might not necessarily have been Microsoft’s (I’m hazy on the details) but their implementation was a game-changer. Suddenly people were clamouring to find secrets, to beat the top scores, to better themselves in the games, because there was now a tangible reward, an icon, bragging rights associated with it. It fostered competition and – in the best cases – encouraged repeated playthroughs. I know that, for me, I set myself goals in certain games based on the achievements. It’s something to work towards beyond “just” playing the game, and it’s something I still do to this day, even after the lustre of Gamerscore glory has faded somewhat with time.

Gamertags: of course, Achievements would be nothing without your associated Gamertag. Obviously the idea of having a “handle” online was not new, but I know that when I played Quake III Arena or Counter-Strike on PC, I didn’t always keep to the same tag (I usually did, mind, as “britesparc” had been my default online identity for a while). But a persistent username, across all titles, with an associated score, rewards, settings (I’m still baffled as to how and why the Xbox One lost the ability to set a default controller preference for all games across your profile – now I have to invert look on each individual title, and it’s a massive pain!). This would be a strategy eventually adopted across the whole industry, and although I guess it’s fair to say that Steam had already sort-of got there, and even Microsoft themselves (as Gamertags were necessary in the early, OG Xbox-days of Xbox Live), your profile’s implementation on Xbox 360 was a massive step-up.

Xbox Live: what is an Xbox without Xbox Live? Again, it’s something that premiered on the original Xbox (although I never took advantage of it; I don’t think I had a broadband connection back then, to be honest) but it really came to fruition with the 360. A fully-integrated online environment with matchmaking and voice-chat built into the console itself, it offered the best of PC gaming in a convenient form-factor that slid under the telly. I played online much more on my 360 than on the PC, simply because it was a lot easier and more user-friendly. And that’s before we begin to factor in the creative decisions made when you knew your audience was always online: downloading patches, DLC, online-only games, a digital storefront… the fact that you automatically got access to all of that with the free “Silver” subscription was like a gateway drug to the actual “Gold” multiplayer bonus. The decision to charge for multiplayer access, whereas it was free on PS3, was a touch controversial, but the money was funnelled into better, faster matchmaking services, meaning the 360 became the go-to console for online gaming. Eventually Sony, and even Nintendo, followed suit.

Xbox Live Arcade: speaking of downloading… the idea of small, indie downloadable games – games that weren’t the usual full-3D physics-fests filled with explosions coloured lights and deformable terrain – was quietly revolutionary. Sure, the indie movement was already in full swing on PC, but here it was delivered, curated, advertised, cheap to purchase and ready to enjoy in bite-size chunks, on your telly-box. At the time I just wasn’t really aware of the scale of indie, retro, and homebrew gaming efforts, and it totally blew me away. It gave new developers a fantastic opportunity to showcase their wares, and – eventually – it offered a new lease of life to older games. Braid probably remains the big XBLA success story – both critically adored and financially hugely successful – but from ‘Splosion Man to Trials HD to Limbo to Castle Crashers, it was a jumping-off point for a bevvy of new franchises and developers. The fact that Hexic HD came pre-installed was a masterstroke: a brilliant game, of course, but also a terrific proof-of-concept for just what XBLA was.

Keeping it Casual: Microsoft, as usual, had its eye on Sony, and in many ways the 360 stole the PlayStation 2’s crown. What Microsoft didn’t bank on, however, was a resurgent Nintendo, who had one of their biggest successes ever with the Wii. It brought new audiences into the gaming fold (I’m still overjoyed at the memory of how angry my brother got when our dad totally trounced him at Bowling in Wii Sports; “But he doesn’t even like games!”). Microsoft leant into this, and whilst it’s arguable that they went too far and began to take their core audience for granted, they did a great job in making the Xbox 360 family-friendly. From some genuinely very good and user-friendly content settings to the raft of all-ages XBLA titles, right from the start the 360 was a good all-round console for the whole family. Games like Scene It? and Lips attempted to do for Xbox what Buzz! and SingStar did for PlayStation. But it was when they went full-tilt after the Wii market that they scored their biggest success and sowed the seeds for their biggest failure: Kinect. Billed as revolutionary, in truth it was mostly a very fun gimmick that struggled to fit inside mainstream gaming (nowhere near as comprehensively as Nintendo’s motion control did, at least); but all the same it was impressive tech for what it was, and some Kinect games – notably Rare’s Kinect Sports, but also Dance Central and the child-focused Sesame Street TV – did great things with the camera and were fun to play. I’d say that Microsoft’s commitment to casual and family gaming continues, but to be honest I feel like it’s become entrenched industry-wide now, and that remains a very good thing.

The Games: I guess this should be the top reason, shouldn’t it? But all consoles have good games. However, the 360 had some absolute belters. Halo 3 is probably, on balance, the best Halo. Fable II is one of my favourite games of all time. Crackdown is a delightful and wildly original blast. From solid blockbusters like the Gears of War trilogy to delightful curios like Viva Pinata, the depth of the Xbox 360’s library is phenomenal. And that’s before we get to the multi-format games like the Mass Effect trilogy, BioShock, the first two Batman: Arkham games, Red Dead Redemption, and many more… most of which performed better or felt otherwise “definitive” on Microsoft’s machine. The last generation was just incredible in terms of solid-gold masterpieces, and that’s before we mention the exclusives on other platforms (hello, Super Mario Galaxy). Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, there were some great games on the Xbox 360.

The Apps: as the 360 aged, more and more non-game applications became available for it. there were flirtations with things like Twitter, but really it was the media apps – Netflix, Amazon Video, Sky Go – that established the machine as a viable home entertainment hub. During its lifespan, the 360 went from “games machine” to “centre of the living room” as we evolved from consumers of scheduled entertainment to people who could pick and choose their media. As broadband speeds increased (during the time I had a 360 we went from a 1mb connection to 20mb) streaming became commonplace, and I seem to recall that by the time of the Xbox One’s release more people were using the 360 to watch Netflix than to play games. Amazing, really, when you think how noisy the bloody thing was. All the same, the non-game content on the 360 was a harbinger of things to come and a flower in Microsoft’s cap. Too bad that, like with Kinect, they misread the tea leaves and bet the farm on a gesture-controlled multimedia future.

The Evolution: the Xbox 360 in 2005 was markedly different from the Xbox 360 in 2013, when its successor console was released. Not just physically, although two hardware revisions meant it looked very different too; but software-wise, operationally, it was practically a new machine. The beloved “blades” interface – the UI mirroring the curves of the machine – had been replaced by the so-called “New Xbox Experience”, which brought friend management and multimedia apps to the foreground, as well as showcasing the new Xbox Avatars. These Avatars were somewhat controversial, but gave the 360 a refreshing and friendly kick up the bum, adding a degree of spice to games where you could now play “as you” (A Kingdom for Keflings, Joyride Turbo, etc), as well as offering new unlockable rewards or purchasable items in the form of Avatar clothes or accessories. The interface would then be further refined one more time before the console’s retirement, but this evolution was representative of Microsoft’s philosophy with Xbox at the time. they entered the generation as an also-ran; the OG Xbox was certainly powerful, and surprised many with the quality of its games, but it was almost a proof-of-concept console. They wanted the 360 to win, and although the broadside of the Wii meant it never managed to be market leader, it still – just about – beat PS3 into second place. They did this by changing with the times, nimbly adapting to an evolving market; offering increased casual focus, new control methods, peripherals, multimedia functionality… Microsoft did a great job of continuing to make the 360 feel relevant, to feel like an essential console, despite the technical superiority of the PS3 or the absolute juggernaut that was the Wii. Again, it’s true that their ability to divine the market abandoned them come the design and release of the Xbox One, but throughout its life the Xbox 360 remained a fantastic, ever-changing yet thoroughly constant console.

So there we go. Ten reasons why, to this day, I adore the Xbox 360. My relationship with console gaming came of age, and really it’s that generation where I moved from being a PC gamer to a console gamer (apart from Civilization, pretty much). So bravo, 360; we may never see your like again.

[terryblount]

PUBG (PS4) – Review

If you happen to listen in to dia.log – The Gamer Matters Podcast, you might notice that the crew here are not a fan of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). More evident seen on the site is last year’s Best of 2017 Awards which PUBG won both Most Overrated Game and the Community’s Choice For Game Of The Year. Which may or may not be why both categories did not return for this year’s GOTY Awards.

We also made a vow, to at least try PUBG and see for ourselves if it’s as good as people say or as bad as we thought. Now that it is released on PS4, we checked it out.

Short answer is: PUBG jumps out of the aeroplane and lands dab in the middle.

Presentation

Let’s get this out of the way. It looks bad, worse than the unpolished PC version. It’s targeting 30fps but the framerate stutters wildly when there’s too many people close to each other and especially seen when you transition from the waiting lobby to the aeroplane for your initial drop into the island.

The draw distance is laughably bad that you can see only roads and streets while still dropping into the many islands and the next second buildings erect out of nowhere. I can’t tell if the level of detail (LOD) streaming is bad or the textures are too murky by default that I took too long to see that a blob of black in colour was supposed to be a rock.

It undermines the whole concept of battle royale where spotting potential enemies from afar is vital.

And it doesn’t help that it has bad anti-aliasing, making the tall grass in these lush maps look like mush, making it even hard to discern whether that pixel in front of you is an enemy or another bloody rock.

Sometimes, when the matchmaking is done and drops you into a lobby, the camera will either tilt down or up continuously, or worse just rotate on its own until you touch the analog stick. Also, the game offers loot crates and cosmetics (more on that later) but the UI and UX of buying crates and opening them is not only underwhelming, it also barely works. I got an error that the servers is processing, but it lets me keep on pressing to open the same crate over and over.

Also, in the main menu, you can select to go back to the title screen. A prompt appears to confirm your decision, then a short loading screen appears, then the image of iconic PUBG man with frying pan appears for a split second and then a longer loading screen appears and then.. you are at the main menu again. Sorry, what?

It does not help at all that the game is all serious and drabby. The only fun thing people latch on to that is now a cultural zeitgeist is the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner text for winning a match and the frying pan weapon. Because that’s the only sense of personality or style PUBG has to offer.

It is astounding unpolished like it’s cobbled together with multiple layers of duct tape. Even then it’s barely working and when it works it looks absolutely shoddy, especially that there are now more polished battle royale games out there.

And, goodness, that aeroplane engine sound before you drop. It clearly isn’t looping properly.

Now that I mentioned all of that, I also like to say it’s not a total dumpster fire. Everything in service to the gameplay (aside from the draw distance), works brilliantly. Surround sound works as you should and you can identify where and how far gun noises are. That’s important for your fight-or-flight strategy in battle royales. Gun sounds, which may or may not be accurate, feel punchy and loud enough that when you get into gunfights it is an absolute change of pace.

Gameplay

If you stayed on long enough to reach this, let me tell you this: battle royale as a multiplayer mode is definitely brilliant. PlayerUnknown has tons of experience honing this game mode design from the various mods and games he worked on before and it all culminated to the current success of PUBG.

100 people dropped on an island, last man standing wins. It’s a simple enough concept and thanks to design choices like the ever-shrinking play zone, it keeps each game flowing as it should. There are quiet moments where you can loot for guns and equipment while tension is on as you anticipate incoming enemies. And then the thrill of seeing the enemy first from afar, it’s time to decide whether to engage or just leg it as the fight is not worth it.

Then there’s the combat, whether you shoot first, you got shot and now scrambling to find the enemy, or a fair fight where you both saw each other first before engaging, it’s always tense. Short, but tense and maybe exciting. Pepper that short highs with some long lows of eerie quietness and you get the appeal of battle royale. It’s great!

While the map is huge, each match will force survivors to keep closing in together into an ever-shrinking play area. You always know when it will shrink and where you should be headed and it keeps everyone on their toes, either to decide when’s the best time to move out or literally on your toes sprinting for your life before the blue wall of slow death touches you and deal damage over time.

As the play area closes down, there’s also random supply drops filled with better gear and weapons. It’s a risk-reward system where you can get good loot, at the cost of being in the spiciest zone of the match where the best players will converge to take the loot or take down unsuspecting players.

Of course, you could also play this with friends or random people as a duo or a squad of four. My advice is to not play with random people, as you expect it’s a mixed bag of experience. But with a friend or three or going in solo, it’s a thrill trying to survive for as long as you can.

Prior to this my only exposure to PUBG is through PUBG Mobile. And I can say for certain that the skill level of players on PS4 are pretty OK. Not only that, PUBG on PS4 right now has a healthy playerbase in Asia/Oceania. Matchmaking to get into lobbies takes a few seconds and considering this game needs at least 90 people before a match starts, it shows it’s in good health for now. Interestingly, you can also change to other servers. And there’s a separate client you can download the Public Test Server where you can try out upcoming new content.

Content & Longevity

PUBG at the time of review now has three maps, the original Erangel, the desert of Miramar, the small Southeast Asian jungles of Sanhok and the snow map Vikendi (out on PC now, and on Private Test Server on consoles).

The maps are large enough. Even the small Sanhok, that it will take multiple times of play before you will feel exhausted of the same map over and over again. And developers PUBG Corp. are still trucking on adding new content still. Makes sense since fans of the game are clamouring for it, but I would still prefer they pushed on for more polish and bug fixes, as seen in their now-defunct #FixPUBG campaign, beforehand.

Because when the novelty of battle royale fizzles away, and when the content well dries up, those surmountable amount of annoying bugs, terrible graphics and no polish whatsoever will add up to a bad experience. I for one won’t be playing this for long.

Verdict

Imagine a dingy restaurant. The place looks shady. The waiters are either incompetent or don’t care to work (or worse, both) that you can’t get orders quick. Cleanliness is questionable. Yet, despite it all, many people still flock to it. Because its chicken dinner is a talk about town and is the best around, so they say. Or maybe you’re going there with friends, which should make the experience more bearable.

So is PUBG a battle worth fighting for? If you can put up with subpar presentation and low standards of quality, PUBG’s trendsetting battle royale gameplay will get you hooked. But why settle for less when there’s other more competent games that do battle royale, slicker, sleeker and overall better?

If you never liked what you saw of PUBG before, the PS4 release won’t change your mind. But if you love PUBG on PC or mobile and what to give the console port a go, as ever, you have to put up with a lot of its terrible features. Should you choose to persevere, the thrill of battle royale is real and the taste of victory is as succulent as a perfectly cooked chicken dinner.

Review based on played on a base PS4. Review copy provided by PlayStation Asia

PUBG (PS4) – Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[newstfionline]

China’s millions of lonely ‘leftover men’

Wanning Sun, The Guardian, 28 September 2017

When Liu returned to his childhood village to celebrate Chinese New Year, his parents had arranged a familiar and depressing task for him: a series of speed dates. Over a week back in rural Jiangxi province, he met half a dozen potential wives in encounters he says felt more like job interviews. He expects to go through the same process next year, without much hope of success.

For Jin, who works with Liu in the factories of China’s Pearl River Delta, the cajoling matchmaker was his second cousin. “My cousin brought [the date] to meet me in a public square in the village, then left us together,” Jin recalls. “A few minutes in, this girl made it clear that owning an apartment would be essential, but she could wait till later for a car. And she’d be OK if the apartment wasn’t in the centre of the town, but I had to have a deposit of at least 200,000 yuan [about £22,500].”

In recent years, the patriarchal Chinese state has launched campaigns warning unmarried urban females over the age of 27 of the perils of becoming “leftover women”. But in reality--due to sex-selective abortions, a traditional preference for sons and the country’s one-child policy--there’s a far larger cohort of “leftover men”.

Official state media put the male-to-female ratio at 136:100 among unmarried people born since the 1980s. Professor Jin Tiankui, an influential sociologist in China’s policy-making circle, predicts that by 2020 there will be 30 million more men than women in the 24–40 age bracket.

Liu and Jin blame their lack of romantic success on their low social status as migrant workers from rural provinces. The state says there are about 278 million others like them, the backbone of the country’s wildly successful manufacturing, construction and service industries. They embody the nation’s most intractable problems of inequality--loneliness included.

In 2010, the main state-endorsed union surveyed thousands of rural migrants in 10 cities across the country, concluding that “the defining aspect of the migrant experience” is a sense of loneliness due to a lack of romantic prospects. A separate survey found that more than 70% of construction workers (almost exclusively rural migrants) reported emotional loneliness as the most painful aspect of their lives.

Liu is 33 and lonely. As a teenager he left school to help his parents on their farm, but soon ventured south to Shenzhen on the border with Hong Kong, hoping to make more money. When I first met him he was working 12 hours a day, six days a week assembling iPhones at one of the Foxconn plants where Jin now works.

Without advanced education, Liu is only qualified for insecure, low-skilled jobs. The long hours and low pay make the practicalities of dating more daunting. “It’s not because I’m a shy person. I just don’t have enough money to feel confident,” he tells me. “When a man has money, every woman feels destined to be his girlfriend.”

When Liu is not worrying about his own loneliness, he’s feeling guilty about letting his parents down. “They sacrificed so much to bring me up, and all they want to see is that I’m married. But I’m not able to give them that,” he tells me. “They try not to put too much pressure on me, but I know they’re under a lot of pressure from neighbours and relatives. I have two sisters and I’m their only son.” The tradition of continuing the family lineage is strong in China; many rural parents would consider it a terrible failure if their sons did not find a wife.

By various metrics, China is ranked as one of the most unequal societies in the world. The architecture of this inequality is the system of hukou or household registration. Since the 1950s, hukou has cleaved the population into urban and rural categories, allowing China’s ruling elite to better control the lives of the country’s vast rural population in a planned economy. Today much of China’s economic life has been transformed, but key elements of hukou remain. This means that rural migrants who have lived and worked in a city for many years, contributing enormously to its prosperity, do not have the same access to employment, housing, education and healthcare as officially registered urban residents.

Roughly two-thirds of the migrant workforce is aged under 35. I’ve interviewed dozens of men like Liu and Jin in Shenzhen, and most have little interest in rural life in villages that have been left behind by China’s economic boom. But their prospects for settling in big cities are little better than those of previous generations. They’re unlikely to earn enough to own a home or even a car, prerequisites to be considered marriage material by the urban middle class. Access to the tertiary education which can unlock better paying jobs is restricted by fiercely competitive entrance exams, where many young rural men are unsurprisingly outshone by their well-resourced urban counterparts.

Increasingly, even workers in their late teens and early 20s are feeling the pressure. “These days, the only reason my parents call me is to tell me to hurry up and find a girlfriend. I’ve stopped answering their calls,” says Jiang, a 22-year-old Foxconn worker from Sichuan province.

Lacking financial independence, young rural migrants rely on their parents for emotional and practical support more than their urban educated counterparts. They’re less likely to object to their parents arranging speed dates, or ultimately choosing them a partner and negotiating the caili (dowry payment).

This old tradition, banned in the era of Mao, has made a comeback in rural China. There are a number of reasons: the embrace of capitalist and entrepreneurial values; the imbalanced ratio of men to women, which drives a seller’s market; and the persistence of patriarchal values which consider women to be properties, owned first by their parents and then their husband. The bride’s family would be seen to be getting a raw deal--losing both face and a rare opportunity for considerable economic gain--if a fee was not part of the bargain. The amount could range from the equivalent of a few thousand to tens of thousands of pounds, and often proves to be a deal breaker in these negotiations.

Even if a match is made, things don’t always end well. Hasty weddings can lead to hasty divorces; in one county in Henan province, up to 85% of all divorces in the period from 2013 to 2015 involved rural migrant couples. The government has signalled its concern about high divorce rates and “temporary couples”--made up of individuals who marry in their villages and then return to cities to form separate romantic relationships there.

In a one-party state that values social stability above all, this growing cohort of millions of disaffected and sexually frustrated young men is an unwelcome development. In a rare move, the Chinese Communist Party used an official policy document to declare its intention to “step up efforts to solve the problems facing second-generation rural migrant workers”.

Of course, loneliness affects migrant women and men alike, and women suffer in myriad ways from broken relationships and disintegrated families. But it’s the image of sexually deprived migrant men that figures prominently in the state’s anxious imagination. There’s an obvious link between angry young men and social unrest, and history points to a connection between frustrated marital aspirations and upheaval, such as the tension caused by the demonisation of poor unmarried men by the Qing dynasty ruling class.

The abolition of hukou is crucial to bridging the rural-urban divide. Both central and local governments have tinkered with the system, but further reform is unlikely. That’s because increasing opportunity for rural migrants necessarily means increasing competition for the established urban middle class--themselves seen as a key stabilising social force in society. Unelected and perennially insecure, Communist Party leaders feel they can’t afford to risk instability by adopting meaningful redistributive social policies.

Meanwhile, for millions like Liu and Jin, the search for love and intimacy--and with it dignity and social worth--goes on.