#i feel like they have rivals to lovers potential i dunno

[avocadosharks]

starfruit

“You want to do what?!” 

Rosalina, still composed, tilts her head at the sudden outburst from Peach. “I want the Mushroom Kingdom to join the World of Cosmos under my rule,” she repeats. 

Peach hated how gentle her voice was- like she was talking to a screaming toddler rather than a respected princess that spent her entire life pouring her blood, sweat, and tears into growing this kingdom. She did it all herself and now Rosalina wants to take it from her? Hell no. 

“Very bold of a guest to come here and demand she takes my kingdom,” Peach responds, trying to match Rosalina’s level of cool. It didn’t work and she practically spat the words from her gritted teeth. It was rare for Peach to get so angry, but it was warranted. 

“I’m not demanding anything.”

“Kinda seems like it.”

“It’ll be temporary.”

Peach shoots up so fast her chair tips onto the floor and clatters. Rosalina doesn’t even blink, instead, her exposed eye follows Peach’s movement as she stands. “Bowser has been at war with the entire universe for years. Temporary could be months. Years. The Mushroom people need me, not because I’m a great ruler, but because I am their comfort. They won’t listen to you. Without me, they’ll be terrified.” 

“You’re not a great ruler, Peach.”

The princess blinks, mouth dropping slightly. First, she comes here and wants to take my kingdom and now she’s insulting me? 

“Excuse me?” Peach hates how her frame shrinks down a little. 

Roslina stands too and the air practically vibrates with her power. “I said you aren’t a great ruler. You’re new, Peach. I’ve been in this war against Bowser for decades and you’ve only gotten on his radar because you’re pretty- that’s why your kingdom is being targeted. The Mushroom Kingdom has barely been one since you took the throne and it will fall the second Bowser decides to use a star on you.”

“We’ve fought him off before. Multiple times.”

“Yes, with a plumber’s help while you sat in a cell,” Rosalina points out, smoothing out an invisible wrinkle in her flawless dress. “The Mushroom people are helpless against Bowser and your army needs the Luma’s abilities to protect them. Our people could be great together, but only one ruler is necessary.”

“You’re a jerk,” Peach hisses.

“No, I’m honest and it seems like no one has been honest with you, princess.” The way Rosalina said the word almost seemed like she was mocking her and Peach’s fingers curled into fists on the glass table. 

“I’m not giving you the Mushroom Kingdom.”

Rosalina’s shoulders rise briefly in a silent, but frustrated sigh. “Fine.” 

Peach waits for Rosalina to move to the doors, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t want to back down by leaving the room first so instead, Peach holds eye contact with the cosmic princess and searches her deadpan face. Despite the decades of ruling space, Rosalina looked as youthful as ever- her cyan eyes shimmering and swirling like they were their own galaxies. She had a tough exterior which drove Peach insane because no wonder why no one ever interacted with the World of Cosmos- their princess barely came down enough times to be socialized like a normal person. She was rude and stubborn, yet, Peach couldn’t help but acknowledge the respect she felt. Rosalina has been at this game for a while now. 

“Are you gonna leave?” Peach says. 

“No.”

No? “No…?” Peach repeats. 

“The Lumas are in danger if our kingdoms don’t join together and, even if you won’t do it to help your kingdom, I’ll do it to ensure the safety of mine,” Rosalina explains. Now, Peach felt the weight of guilt and embarrassment settle on her shoulders- the strain making her cheeks flush red. Rosalina notices and offers a pitiful smile. “It’s alright. I know you care about your people- you’re just worried.”

The understanding coming from her was giving Peach whiplash. She’s never met someone so condescending but caring before and it was getting under her skin.

“Worried doesn’t even begin to explain the emotions I feel right now.” 

“Well, princess, if you don’t mind I would like to stay here for a while,” Rosalina requests, finally moving around the table towards the large doors of the meeting room. Peach watches her with curious eyes flicking over her. 

“Why should I agree to that?”

“You shouldn’t,” Rosalina admits, but she turns to face Peach again with her hands folded in front of her, a slight smile on her face, “but I rarely leave the cosmos and it seems like some of your anxieties stem from the fact I’ll abuse your people when I rule them-”

“If you rule them- which you aren’t.”

Rosalina ignores her. “-and I want to show you that won’t be the case. Give me three days to change your mind, princess. I’ve been told I have a way of convincing people.”

There was a hidden purr in her words that sent a zap down Peach’s spine. She kept her composure though and turned her attention to the glass table, studying it like the answer would appear. 

“Three days, but you also have to let me convince you that the Mushroom Kingdom is strong by itself,” Peach says. Rosalina pauses, those cyan eyes tracing Peach’s face smoothly. 

“I look forward to working with you,” Rosalina agrees. 

“And I look forward to proving you wrong.”

The cosmic princess laughs and it sounds like a hundred stars twinkling, making Peach’s shoulders straighten in surprise and in slight pride. Peach watches as she spins swiftly, nodding down at the guards that open the door for her, and she doesn’t turn away until Rosalina turns the corner of the hallway, disappearing into Peach’s castle. 

“She called you pretty,” Toad whispered from the wall behind Peach. She glances over her shoulder and, although it was said in the context of Bowser, the thought of being perceived as pretty by someone else made Peach’s heart swell. In a world full of mushroom people, turtles, dinosaurs, and talking animals- beauty wasn’t a common thing to this universe and Peach never accepted it as a compliment from Bowser. But, from another human, it was different. 

“She did,” Peach mutters. Maybe, just for three days, Peach would let herself be pretty.

[pygmi-says-hi]

how to write romantic tension

we all love enemies to lovers but some of you get to the lovers part so fast you don't even finish typing 'enemies'. enemthey'refuckingnow to lovers. which is ok if that's what you wanna read but personally, my favorite part is the tension.

So...

Off we go!

What makes a good enemies to lovers story?

Believable tension, likeably irritating themes, and potential. Among other things, but this is what I want to talk about with the 'tension' perspective. There needs to be a good reason, obstacle, and rapport. If they're mad at each other just because, idgaf.

I want to write this but I dunno how to frame the tension?

It's kind of a tricky trope, to be honest. Enemies/rivals/foes however you wanna pitch it, takes an interesting twist on seductive emotions.

pride. a feeling of self-sufficiency, power over somebody else, or superiority. How would this play into a relationship type deal? Well:

Pride in a relationship or in regards to another person can involve a feeling of equivalence. "Do I feel unworthy of them?" "Are they out of my league?" "will the way people perceive me change if I go for it?" Social insecurity is a big aspect, and so the frustration that comes with that leads to friction because of the character's insistence on keeping their dignity. which leads me to the next point...

vulnerability. Attraction to another person is accompanied by a feeling of vulnerability and openness. This is always a hard position to be in, especially if extenuating circumstances make honesty impossible (power imbalance, politics, etc). If a character feels too vulnerable and exposed, they might shield themself with aloofness and sharp words.

desperation/yearning. They have to want each other. the only thing stopping themselves is each other. It's overcoming the above emotions to reach the point where they have no choice but to accept it. Throughout the whole deal, there should be an undercurrent of desire.

When all of those come together, it creates an emotional battle. This battle has several war tactics (hittin with the allegories today dayum)

banter. a favorite of all. wonderfully tense and combative conversation that highlights the reason for disagreement and the romantic tension. 10/10

self-sabotage. like, ohthey'resoclosetheirhandsaretouchingoooohnope. someone chickened out, heard something from someone that made them reconsider, plans changed, they felt angry and ruined the whole deal. back to square one. it's like edging your readers. (ew but you know what i mean. bring em up to bring em down)

miscommunication. "I thought you hated me." "only because I thought you did too..." love it. beautiful. or, there was miscommunication years ago that led to a deep rift when actually, it was entirely unfounded.

and many more...

Another important point:

There needs to be progress. Slow and steady wins the race, but even slow means going forward. If you throw too much tension and obstacles in the way, it gets old really fast. Give them baby steps to take. It'll keep people interested.

Internal turmoil:

Oh, that wonderful period when they know it's inevitable but they're so terrified of it happening....pick an emotional direction.

Are they scared? Hiding from their attraction? Are they angry? Frustrated that they can't have them/became attracted? Are they desperate? So in love that they act out of pure lust?

What is the character's opinion of what is going on? Pick reactions and convo that corresponds with that. Enemies to lovers doesn't always mean sass-battles and hate sex. It can also be someone cold and cut off slowly warming up. Or somebody shy and critical becoming relaxed and open-minded. there are sooooo many opportunities for good emotional depth, spice it up a little!

Things to improve on:

Working on banter/bickering. This is really funny, but the banter should have some kind of meat to it. random back-and-forths are a nice palate cleanser, but so often it just sounds petty. Incorporate plot and past disagreements with it. it'll add depth to the relationship without needing to do a prologue or exposition paragraph.

Not just making them hate fuck and then be head over heels. (I mean if you wanna write/read that, go ahead, but if you're frustrated with the transition stage, I gotchu.) It is a weird moment of going from 'fuck you' to 'fuck me' to 'ilysm'. AWKWARD STAGES ARE OKAY!!!!! It's gonna be a bit of a new thing, esp for the characters. Great opportunity for wholesomeness; if they're trying really hard to get better but don't know how?? UGHH I EATTT IT.

hopefully this provides some pointers?

xox keep writing, comment/message any questions or requests!

[astrahannah]

Broke (me until a few days ago): Siegvinn is just Rorveth with a dash of religious guilt

Woke (me now): Maybe on surface. Really, Siegvinn is nothing like Rorveth

If you care about my rambling about a ship that I like too much for it having no freaking foundation (I mean they never talked IIRC), sorta about Rorveth, and comparison of the two, you can see below (spoilers for the first Witcher game and for the second (those being more minor, I didn't finish it yet))

Like, the similarities are obvious - on one side, a member of the Scoia'tael, on the other, an member of a faction opposing it. The representatives of the two sides Geralt can choose, them standing directly against each other.

Iorveth seems to have respect for Yaevinn (even if he finds him an idealist) and Roche and Siegfried seem to respect each other (based on the interaction in front of Loc Muinne).

But their attitudes towards their rival are so much different.

Roche and Iorveth are so much more intense. They are directly angered by the other's existence, want the other dead, they throw insults at each other... There's genuine hatred there. Sure, their factions are still important, but it's really personal.

Yaevinn and Siegfried? No personal vendetta Iorveth and Roche have. Like I said, they never talk on-screen. They've fought off-screen, but just as a part of their faction. Not even directly against one another, I think. It's not about Yaevinn for Siegfried, or vice versa. (it would make no sense vice versa, after all. Yaevinn is the leader of Wizima's Scoia'tael in the games, while Siegfried is just a run-of-the-mill member of the Order - that potentially changing at the very end of the game, only if Geralt takes the Order path) The most close they've gotten is standing next to each other as illusions on Geralt's path to fight de Aldersberg if he goes neutral.

Rorveth would be the more typical enemies-to-lovers story. They hate each other, but one day, it hits them that the line between love and hate is thin, and that they are feeling some desire for the other. Not even love at first, maybe. I think they could grow to love one other, but there'd be a good enemies-with-benefits stage between that.

That wouldn't happen with Siegvinn. They just don't feel that for each other. There's no intense hate to grow into something else. They hate the groups the other belongs to, not each other. They'd have to meet first, gain a personal connection, but even then, I don't think they could be like Iorveth and Roche. Their personalities just aren't like that. I've gone on the Order path (well, neutral till the hospital bank (edit - I forgot what the spot was, where you couldn't stay neutral. dunno why I thought it's a hospital) ordeal) and on Roche's path (but tbh I'm mainly on it bcs I wanted to meet Siegfried - my favorite character - on friendly terms. If not for that, I'd probably be on Iorveth's), so I mainly know how Roche and Siegfried differ, but I know Iorveth and Yaevinn are different too.

If a relationship was to grow between Yaevinn and Siegfried - now, I'll be taking inspiration from the two fics for it on ao3, but I think they have a point - it couldn't be through an intense tension turned lustful (even if we ignore Siegfried's vow of celibacy). It could be rather from feelings fostered through occasional wandering thoughts on the battlefield growing into some sort of a infatuation, that's not really sexual in nature, or - and this is my thought - I think it could most potentially happen with some sort of a truce happening between the Order and Scoia'tael in Vizima, with the two forced to negotiate instead of fighting, getting to know each other and starting to see the other as more than the stereotype of a Scoia'tael member/Order of the Flaming Rose member they have build in their heads.

Not that it's in allignment with canon, since Grandmaster Siegfried (important enough to negotiate with the opposing leader) and alive Yaevinn can't coexist. But the two as a couple aren't in any allignment with canon anyway.

They'd, of course, also be devastated to learn they're in love with the other, but for other reasons than Rorveth. With Rorveth, their "factions", as I've called it, would also play a role, but I feel like the personal would be the main source of the anguish. With Siegvinn, it's about the factions, and not hatred towards the other, but these feelings igniting a hate for themselves.

Siegfried vowed to help humans, loving a member of the Scoia'tael goes against that, and more importantly, vowed to be celibate. Loving, wanting at all goes against that. And I think he'd be horrified at it being a man, at that. As far as I know, being queer generally isn't illegal in the Witcher world, but it is frowned upon, especially in lower classes (if I recall right? feel free to correct me on that), and I think Siegfried couldn't really "afford" to be gay openly.

A paradox is that despite me saying this, I usually write his homosexuality as a side issue, with me writing a oneshot where he's actually semi-open about it, before his relationship with anyone (not published, none of my Witcher fics are)

Yaevinn, on the other hand, is rumored to having his lover killed by the Order. (at least the Witcher wiki says so, I never heard it in-game, but I'll believe it) In which case, he'd most likely feel awful for loving someone from the Order. I imagine it would make it even more like a betrayal than it already did, then loving a human would.

Both of them would try to repress these feelings, hating the fact they feel them, feeling like traitors to their cause, but with next to no hate towards the other man himself. Unlike Roche and Iorweth, who hate each other, Siegfried and Yaevinn hate what the other symbolizes.

And if they didn't manage to repress those feelings, I feel like it'd be less enemies to lovers, but forbidden love/star-crossed lovers sort of thing.

Which really summarizes it all. Rorweth - personal hate, enemis to lovers, Siegvinn - not personal, it's the fractions, forbidden love were the relationship to happen. That's what I've been running into the ground here.

Another difference is that Rorweth has more canon base, but that's a whole another thing. I honestly hope that they at least have Siegfried and Yaevinn interact in the planned remake. I don't want them to have a Roche/Iorweth sort of relationship, but I'd like to see them talk.

Really, there's this Rorveth fanart I have to thank here (https://www.tumblr.com/abi-kamikakushi/655332732248948736/rivals-for-witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo?source=share), without it, displaying Siegfried and Yaevinn having a discussion while the other two pairs fight (well, questionably for Rorveth), I wouldn't have had thought of this. And, it was cool to realize (and kinda embarrasing I didn't sooner) and think about, so I'm glad.

And I'm glad for anyone who managed to read this down to here, especially considering I've never seen a Siegvinn post on tumblr (the ship is not even called that! I made the name up, only I call it that. I never saw anyone else give it a name) and it has three fics on ao3 (one being a translation of one of the other two, so, technically, two fics). So, yeah, thanks if you got here, I'll cut it here😅

[ashipiko]

ASHACE TRIVIA!

buckle yourselves in guys this is gonna be a LONG ride (click under cut for the trivia)

🌺 — Ashi has absolutely NO idea how makeup works 😭😭 “oh I know concealer! then it’s like eyelashes and eyeliner and eyeshadow and lipstick… uhh… and uh… uh… WHAT DO YOU MEAN DO I KNOW WHAT FOUNDATION DOES. HOW WOULD I KNOW” meanwhile ace over here is all “oh yeah that does that for that and blabalabahalh” and so it’s a funny dynamic of “ash, you’d look good w this” and “what. what is that” 😭😭 personally I like to think that ace does makeup on her for fun because a pretty face like hers has SM POTENTIAL that its like “??? HOW DO YOU NOT DO ANYTHING W IT???” and also the fact that. ashi’s one of the prettiest people at NRC and she’s completely natural is so good

❤️ — ashace has like. A LOT of dynamics within them (besties, besties to lovers, mutual pining, rivals, etc etc) but their romantic dynamic (AKA what I think most of y’all are curious about) is

ashi: teases/flirts w ace for fun

ace: teases back

ashi: malfunctions and has no idea what to do

ace: gets the upper hand

AND IT BECOMES LIKE THIS LIKE. ONCE ACE GETS FED UP W CONTAINING HIS FEELINGS AND JUST GOES “SCREW IT” and that causes Ashi to fall for him and BAM. ashace canon

not to mention ashi’s like a gigantic tease for fun 😭😭 she just uses her charm to see how many people she can make fall for her as like. a personal challenge <3 even tho she’s straight she won’t hesitate to see if she can make chicks fall for her too

SHES LIKE. THAT STANDARD “flirty chara but has no idea what to do when flirted back to” YK

🌺 — ON A MORE NON-FLUFFY HAND…….. man. the inferiority issues ace has dealing w both Ashi and deuce………. BOOK 5 IS SUCH A GOOD BOOK FOR ASHACE DEVELOPMENT BUT IT HURTS SOMETIMES.

SPOILERS FOR BOOK 5 BUT LIKE so in another AU (called yuuniverse might talk about it more another time; but the yuus can basically learn magic as long as they work hard enough) Ashi reveals her UM in book 5 😭😭 and its like?? she’s aware that Ace could totally feel inferior when two of his favorite people end up getting a head start over him but she reveals hers because “deuce hasn’t gotten his yet so Ace’ll have deuce” and then BAM deuce gets his. AND IM LIKE??? POOR ACEY…

but even just canon where ashi’s magicless she’s just so naturally talented and excels at so many things w such ease that like YAY ACE HAS COMPETITION. BUT THE INFERIORITY ISSUES RHAT COULD STEM FROM IT….. UGHHAGSHVWSHWH yeah. them

❤️ — Ashi freaks the hell out and bursts out red when ace grabs AAAANYWHEFE LIKE. around her midriff/hips and once Ace figures that out she’s done 😭😭 tryna tease me??? yoink I’ve got your hips <3 she loses all power

TBH on the other hand I do think that ace would freak w anywhere on his head??? like head pats head scratches blabalaha <3 v cute and he’ll melt into Ashi during cuddling sessions v easy

🌺 — ashi has baby hands. no matter WHO she compares them to THEYRE ALWAYS A GOOD CHUNK TINER like maybe even just the tiniest bit bigger than orthos. DUNNO

but ACE MAKES FUN OF HER FOR THIS ALL THE TIME but alas he still loves holding hands w her 😔 even when they were just friends

❤️ — SPEAKING OF JUST FRIENDS……. Ashi has a habit on grabbing onto people’s arms and leaning her head on people’s shoulders when she likes them (platonically or romantically) and w ashace they hang out SO MUCH that Ashi pretty much always does this 😭😭 espec when she’s tired, she’ll just lean her head on ace’s and close her eyes and fall asleep maybe 🙏

🌺 — ………if ashace have kids the two names they’re planning for are Avila and Alexander (Alex can go both ways, avila’s for a girl <3) to keep the trend of having every family members initials be A.T. 🫶 speaking of initial’s ashi’s and Ace’s are the exact same already 😭😭 both are A.T. (totally not foreshadowing I swear)

❤️ — ace pops by ramshackle for sleepovers WAYYYYYY more often than he does in canon and he NEVER STOPS TRYING TO SLEEP W ASHI. after a while she lets him because they’re close enough friends but like DW THEY DONT GET TOO IN CONTACT. maybe pre-relationship there’s some tickle war’s and movie watching but they don’t cuddle 😔 once they DO get into a relationship they cuddle and ashi’s the little spoon and it is so cozy because her bed is covered in pillows and fluffy things <3

🌺 — Leona legally (and secretly) adopts Ashi during her time in twisted wonderland (they’re like annoyed older brother and annoying little sister dynamic to the max) and Leona’s really protective of her, and so you BET when ace gets w Ashi he has to talk all smooth around Leona if he doesn’t wanna get pummeled 😭😭 for all Leona yumers out there you’re basically ashi’s mom now (sorry not sorry DW she’s responsible)

[kudzucataclysm]

OK SO. i’ve had a couple drinks and so i’m gonna expand upon certain se ships that i was asked abt a couple nights ago AAAAA

Vincent and Jack: THE FRIENDS TO ENEMIES TO LOVERS ANGLE!!! these two were all each other had for their respective childhoods and both fell apart cuz of time and space, both are forced onto opposite sides of conflict cuz of their jobs and circumstances…like the TENSION!!! of knowing that person you’re fighting against is like, someone u love ya know….

Thursday and Friday: honestly. honestly. i cannot expand upon this except… they r two very fcuked up individuals who love each other soooo so so much. like Friday keeping their true self hidden from Thurs out of fear not knowing that Thurs would like…fucking love them regardless. that no matter what Thurs loves them for everything they are and who they’ll be and and. oh my god. what the FU

Friday and Valentine: tbh there’s nothing here there’s just the DramaTM. Valentine being one of Azel’s partners but like having a weird crush on this human-aligned martian who’s trying to kidnap one of yur lovers kids like. wtf is going onnnnnnnn dude yur insane

Carson and Maya: AAAA CHILDHOOD…CHILDHOOD FRIENDS…TO ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS TO ENEMIES…both were students of Altena and Prometheus, working to better the world for future generations and as they both grew older they became disillusioned with that and grew apart….Maya becoming something that goes against the betterment of humanity and Carson willing to sacrifice entire generations/life including her own for a CHANCE that one day the world will be better…AND THEM BEING OPPOSING EACH OTHER…AAAAAAAAA

Carson, Maya, and Dmytro: same as above tbh…but Dmytro retreated from the world and from Prometheus as a whole, throwing themselves into their work but holy fuck like the POTENTIAL!!! IF ALL THREE OF THESE PEEPS WERE LIKE SANE AND FULLY EMBRACED THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER (dmytro loved cars and maya queerplatonically but wtv love is love-) like whoa. if only they weren’t fucked up ya know it’s the YEARNING

Carson and Hobbes: Hobbes is a weirdo android who like..provides that safety net that Cars needs. like yeah his function is to spy on her and make sure she doesn’t do anything too crazy but like the way this android who believes himself to not like experience anything human BECOMES human in one of the worst ways possible through interacting with Cars like. whoa. what the fuck

Maya and Miss Keystone: no explanation literally it’s just girlboss x girlboss, it’s for funsies. Keystone being a Martian supermodel and corporate agent and Maya being one of the richest people in the world like cmon. it’s just fun

Carmine and Grant: Grant used to have a crush on Carmine so it’s like. what if Carmine wasn’t RepressedTM ya know. again for fun it’s just two old gay criminal dudes who find comfort in each other…cmon now..

Hammond and Laima: these two r like the definition of Hater. HATERSSSS and they both hate Azelfafage and both use each other and work together…enemy of my enemy is a friend etc etc…once again for fun and cuz like if they were Normal it’d be like a very intense relationship i feel…

Hammond and Azel: sheer crack. all Azel wants is to like have sex with Hammond but can’t cuz Hammond will kill him (probably) so. i dunno i just find it funny is all…very one sided

Hammond and Lupe: THEY WERE FUCKING BESTIIIIIIES LITERALLYYYYYYU LIKE OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGG such a tragic fucking end. like oh my god i just can’t like just to see someone you love just fucking waste away and become a shell of her former self and so u put the world on your shoulders JUST because u think that’s what she wanted…go ahead and fucking kill me bro

Lupe and Veronika: gfs who were forced apart becuz of the world, and one of which sacrificed herself to give the world another chance. and Lupe remains to waste away and not be able to witness the fact that the world was in fact not better from that sacrifice. don’t fucking touch me

[ao3feed-ateez]

3 hearts can make a home

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/SxfdrLX by kimberley_writes Park Seonghwa and Kim Hongjoong did not foresee themselves as fathers, especially to the same child, particularly when they hated each other. Seonghwa and Hongjoong are now fathers to their godchild, after their friends tragically pass. The only thing is, they have to raise Mai together. Neither of them feel particularly equipped to handle the raising of a 9-month-old, but they do it anyway. They also historically, well, just do not like each other. But will that change as they get more used to each other? Will they hold on for the sake of Mai? Will they be able to compromise? (We're looking at you here Seonghwa...) Words: 1171, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: ATEEZ (Band) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa Additional Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, They're both dads, Loss, but not main character loss, they're both dads but it's not their baby, but they are baby's godparents NAWW, Rivals to Lovers, kim hongjoong is flirtatious, Park Seonghwa is Bad at Feelings, there's a lot to come, mentions of death pls read with caution but i will give a CW, Fluff, there's a lot of just domestication, it's rather adorable, they hate each other but do they actually though??, NO HA okay like no one saw that coming, not beta read we die on this hill, soz in advance for errors, ATEEZ - Freeform, can you tell i dunno how to tag?, Park Seonghwa is Whipped, potentially, I'm still unsure, Kim Hongjoong is a flirt read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/SxfdrLX

[strawberrylapin]

How do you feel abt Lightning x Storm?

I enjoy a bit of rivals to lovers (BernoullixMcQueen hehe) so LightningStorm wouldn't really be any different to me! It could be sweet depending how a writer interprets them. That was the TL;DR. Now here's a long-winded answer that definitely wasn't just an excuse to write a pseudo-fanfic.

We got an older racer that used to be a cocky little shit (but still respected the greats) who wised up and found good friends to be around and help him mature and grow. Then we got a (not that much) younger racer who's a cocky little shit who pushes any genuine relationships away with his arrogance since most of his life was centred around competition. So of course he puts that above everything else, and never really bothered to get close to anyone; it's all about winning for this man.

I'd say Storm actually did look up to McQueen (watching him win seven Piston Cups must be inspiring, c'mon now), then when he really got into training he saw his potential as a racecar and it just blew up his competitive spirit--and ego. Thus when Storm's put on the track he realises that he easily beats out McQueen, and subsequently loses any admiration for the man. I'm better than him, why would I look up to someone slower than me?

Meanwhile McQueen fully sees Storm as an equal racer and pulls out all the stops to train for the race in Cars 3, even if it might be his last one. He just wants a good race (see: "The racing is the reward...I want to feel the rush of moving 200 miles an hour, inches from the other guys..."). He also doesn't want to just give this guy an easy win, which would only boost Storm's ego much, much more than if it were a close race. So he trains to be faster.

So LightningStorm would be kinda like...starting out as McQueen having to try to expand Storm's worldview, that it's beyond just competitions and having to beat others (like McQueen learns in Cars/Cars 2); there's things to love, people all around you to connect with, slow down bro. Basically Cars, but with a much more stubbornly arrogant prick in place of McQueen.

Perhaps McQueen pulls a Sally Carrera moment and drives Storm through someplace to slow down, and leads it into a talk. A talk about his experiences in the last few years? Something about how he related to Storm's 'young arrogant racer' energy but eventually matured? Explaining all the things that made him realise the downsides of his overly-competitive mindset?

And somewhere down the line Storm realises how much he appreciates the guy? And realising how terrible his attitude was with throwing someone he used to be inspired by in the garbage? Maybe Storm goes off alone for his own journey to mature, but keeping in mind what he's learnt about McQueen's own journey?

Then Storm suddenly comes back. McQueen sees this guy roll up to him. He senses vastly different vibes than the racer he saw years ago. They spend a lot of time just catching up, reconnecting. McQueen's impressed with the change. And Storm's finally found something to love. The man in front of him that, years ago, put so much trust and compassion and effort into the egotistical trash-talker he once was.

I dunno about you, but a neat little fic where Storm slowly learns to connect with others with McQueen helping his journey, as Mater did in Cars, would be really sweet as a platonic thing too. Damn.

[momota-kaiharem]

Thoughts on Oumota? Rivals to lovers taken to the extreme

well! i used to hate oumota, everything about it, from the way that it was portrayed to the way they interacted ingame, i thought they were terrible for each other and the amount of vitriol they showed each other during the game just made me REALLY not like them romantically.

and then i made friends with a bunch of oumoters and read a bunch of think pieces and postgame fics and wrote a couple hangar fics and in essence i have been completely converted, it’s one of my favourite momota pairings right now. i just think they have such a neat dynamic, the way they’re both really... huge liars (if you do kaito’s ftes you find that he actually!!! tells a whole lot of fucking lies almost as preposterous as kokichi’s, both of these men really just be making shit up) but that they like, contrast it, with the whole hero vs villain dynamic. and they do embody it quite strongly. kaito and kokichi are as similar as they are different if that makes sense? they both believe that you should face things, even if kaito is more a “save everyone or no one” type and kokichi is a “ends justify the means” type.

i also find the way that kaito’s belief in people juxtaposes ouma’s general distrustfulness to be EXTREMELY sexy. kaito chooses people on instinct, going off of feelings, what his heart tells him. he’s messy and imprecise and he follows his gut, and more often than not he’s even RIGHT about whether or not he should believe in a person. kokichi, to contrast, is extremely calculated, very careful and precise, he plots out every single detail and goes so far as to write an entire BOOK of potential responses kaito could have to people during the trial. i think they would challenge each other’s beliefs-- on kaito’s end, because he sees himself in ouma, the fear of vulnerability, the refusal to open up, and on kokichi’s end, because kaito’s unwavering belief in people (and eventually him) is so frustrating yet endearing yet inspiring, and kokichi CAN’T but he WANTS to be more like that, to love so completely and fully as kaito does, because even though it could and has lead him wrong, kaito still does it, he keeps taking the risks, making the leap.

i’m also a fan of how they look together. i think it was chemicataclysm who got an ask once being like “why do you like oumota” and he was like “kaito is six feet and kokichi is 5′1″, need i say more” which, FKSDJFLJDSLKFJ YEAH!!! it’s about the height difference. it’s about kaito and kokichi throwing hands and kaito scooping kokichi up to end it and kokichi biting him. the energies. the energies.

i also think that kokichi is the most perceptive to kaito’s weaknesses/flaws, and in a context where he’s not deliberately using them against him (as he does in chapter four when he’s trying to seem like the Big Bad Wolf Guy) he could honestly... take more steps to accommodate them? as i’ve said before i think kaito is extremely sensitive about his intelligence, and after first impressions and all i think kokichi would start to realise just how absolutely brilliant kaito is, and like. i dunno, encourage him a little, in that backwards way he does. kokichi is so good at picking at people too, provoking them, and so i could see him using that to help kaito stop repressing.

and of course kaito would believe in/trust/take care of/encourage ouma (ONCE THEY GET CLOSE) in a way that nobody else has before really, even with gonta it’s more of this blind faith/belief thing, but kaito actually gets MAD at ouma, he holds him ACCOUNTABLE, there’s a back and forth, kaito is constantly urging ouma to grow as a person and take responsibility for his actions. something i like to think about when i try to judge whether two people would be good for each other or not is to think about,

1. who they are when they’re apart 2. who they are when they’re together 3. what they would do for one another 4. how they encourage each other to grow 5. does the relationship flow both ways

and for all of these, it’s like... i think apart kaito and kokichi sort of go unchallenged, everyone in kaito’s life sees him as this hero with no weaknesses/need for comfort and everyone in kokichi’s sees him as a villain without a heart, but they have the ability to connect with each other in a deeper way and see past all of that? and as for reciprocity, i think oumota’s got it in spades, if for no other reason than the fact that kokichi hates it when people lie to themselves, and would probably feel stifled by all the attention going towards him... and of course kaito’s love language is acts of service/words of affirmation/physical touch so there’s no way he wouldn’t be taking care of kokichi while they’re friends. even when they’re not friends, i think kaito would and has shown him compassion when he’s needed it.

short answer: yes i like them. long answer: i like them so much that if myself from a year ago met me now, she would beat me to death. and i would deserve it

[tobeornottotc]

Close Friends the series (another Thai hope for new stories in BL) ideas

What is up with these mini series Y destiny, Close Friends where they have a short storyline for certain known pairings and leave me devastated that they didn’t make it into a full 12 episode or more series? Why are we stuck with the engineering, university repetitive motives when we’ve had outlines and ideas right in front of us for how to make new groundbreaking Thai stories in this genre??? Unique, Romantic, Fun and great potential to explore new dynamics and characters. Please Close friends choose a series to make into one full series. Anyway here’s how I’d do them starting from my most favorite and desperate want for a full tv series plot, to the ones I can’t be fussed about. 

1.   KimCop

Are you kidding me? We could have had a celebrity/fanboy trope this whole time from Thailand? Why haven’t we gotten yet this idea?  Man this needs to be a series, this needs to  be fleshed out and give me a full storyline. Like have a spoiled/ arrogant celebrity who wants to go undercover away from his label (feeling bored/frustrated with the environment he’s in and sneaking away when he finally gets out) and meets his number one fan boy who works as cafe barista (cafe shop au damn it)  who he knows because he’s been having secret conversations with him through a VR app that he monitors for research on how to create more. Let him pretend he doesn’t know said fanboy but find a way to spend more time with him, let said fan boy not be okay with his attitude and arrogance on the surface but be confused about the other version of himself he speaks to in VR, let us have this. It would be so good, between secret identities, contract living/cafe shop au tropes, we could have something that can be great, with longing, misunderstandings, having the fan boy pretend he’s not affected by the celebrity (due to annoyance by his spoiled persona) when we and the celebrity both know he’s different when he’s speaking to his VR version. Just so much to play with, with this.  We need this storyline as a narrative like this is closest to the kinda risks Korea BLS do with their plotlines for BLs and with Thai we know the episodes would be allowed to be longer and properly played out. Plus KimCop are fantastic; they’re made for this, they need the directing, the stellar budget and production but I want this now. Damn you Close friends for laying this  in front of me!!! 

2. Mii2

Please can I get a coming of age series for this perfection? A coming of age that ends happily and show cases these two’s journey to being together through their pen pal relationship. Can we get self discovery, exploration, acceptance and more. Can we get finding your purpose, your struggles in highschool to fit in, to have friends, to be socially accepted. Can we get that with these two who clearly live opposite lives and find solace in each other. I want my BL answer me 1997/1984 Kdrama!! Like you can have it all! Give it to me 😭 let me learn about Thai history during these times. Let me watch this soft friends to lovers premise  Please? I’m begging? From the aesthetic, the time period, the wholesome characters and the potential with this plot, we can have a great unique Thai Bl series that’s still about highschool but show cases a different era. With inside jokes about that time period, with references, and opportunities for nostalgia for certain Thai folks, it’s a win win to me and it’d be BL! 

3. JaaFirst

You heard it here I want them because of their chemistry. I couldn’t help feeling so teased and upset that this wasn’t a supernatural thing about a cat who turns human or something (we’ve had mangas based on this, lol even Mew Mew power has a play on this with the main het couple at a time, common) like I would have wanted this synopsis with these two a magical race of people who are able to turn into animals, one of them who loses his memory/ has to find something that will help his race in a certain time frame  and finds himself having to stay stuck with Ja’s character who he falls for because he watches and learns about him as a cat. Maybe he stays in his cat form to discover why he was found in Ja’s place with no memory, trying to discover about himself, But there’s times where his human form can roam around depending on certain world building rules. Meanwhile Ja is a cute cat owner who’s  unaware. But something is bothering him, it’s making him spiral, he is intrigued by a boy he keeps bumping into at odds times around his area but he can’t find the boy anywhere, and each time they meet he’s a bit standoffish and refusing to let Ja get to know him or help him, he can’t find the boy unless he appears at a certain time and place. And he spends time pining trying to find and get this person not knowing he’s living right next to him moping about his circumstance about not being able to stay human all the time, Like a play on Little mermaid or kdramas like My girlfriend is a gumiho you know these dramas with supernatural beings who have to stay in a contract situation with someone with a time limit (a month/100 days normally) to stay together and get to his goal.  Like weird animal supernatural trope but it could work 😭 One it’d be supernatural so unique to this genre, it’d explore a requited but they don’t know trope with a lot of barriers and misunderstandings :( Like damn it why can’t we be having all this Thailand.

4. MaxNat  😭

A Karate Kid reboot but with BL 😭 Yes you heard me, between watching Nat fall for the sport and prove to whoever he needs to that he can be a champion due to the help of his headstrong tutor who takes him in, like we’ve got another plot, we’ve got another theme to explore, a new world of learning about the world of Karate competitions, and training to be a champion. Character dynamics that can be fleshed out to have another sports based BL series but this time Thai like yess 😭 let’s stew and stay longer in this I don’t want to do this energy with Nat’s character probably being forced to do the sport because he has no choice, to impress someone, to get revenge on  a rival who hurt him but slowly realizing that karate is his talent and what he loves to do authentically. A fish out of water experience, as he falls for his strict gruff, cold, and robotic tutor who he learns more about as time goes about why Karate is his all😭 Like yes please.... Haters to lovers, going in with wrong intentions, learning about self worth and finding your purpose/self. Like a chosen one narrative let me have this!!! 

See what I mean when I say all these mini series just leave me sad, that Thai BL genre isn’t risky enough to do new things, all you have to do is branch out a bit, try and create stories without the need to get Bl adaptations all the time from novels with the same themes and tropes. Let’s get new themes we see in other countries, let’s have these actors be put to use more and given stories that aren’t just the same old same old. I dunno, watching Y destiny and Close friends, have made me sigh because if people actually put thought and effort into how to improve this genre, and make it more than just a money thing, we could have great stories for Thai BL that actually will shock us, and make us refall in love with the genre. Dunno if what I’m saying makes sense, I just want new stories from Thai BL (don’t get me wrong IPYTM and GMMTV are trying) but I sometimes get frustrated at this explosion of quantity of BL that never has quality, it’s either repetitive or just awful in terms of storytelling. Why? Please Thailand branch out a little, these two series have shown you new plots, and ideas you can play with and create something more interesting and better than the typical lazy plots. Let’s expand Thai BL more. That’s all. Do you guys have your own ideas on these storylines and how to make them into longer series. I didn’t mention the other two because I wasn’t as connected to their plot (Love TalayYoon though) but I really enjoyed Close friends, and I’m sad it’s over now. 

[amethystroselilith]

If Lost Return to the 11th Harbinger (Babysitter Childe ft. Chilumi)

Finally, I get to write my first Chilumi fic! Hard to find a peaceful time to write cause of family demanding attention haha

~~~

SUMMARY:  In which Childe has to babysit 3 girls that means a lot to Lumine

Can also be read in ao3: here

“You know, sometimes, I think he’s doing it on purpose.” Childe sulked, wrapping his arms around Lumine’s waist in an attempt to ditch her plans for the day and spend it with him instead.

The bed looks cosy right now and Childe would pretty much like for Lumine to get back in there with him and maybe lure her into various activities they can play on the sheets.

Lumine chuckled, “I’m sure Zhongli doesn’t mean that.” before running her hand through his hair, letting him hold her for a while, a warm feeling blossoming on her chest as she watched them cuddled together in the mirror she was using to get ready for the day.

She wouldn’t admit it, but feeling Childe’s bare chest against her back makes her just want to stay with him a bit longer, but unfortunately for her lover, she knows how to control herself.

“Yeah? You really think he didn’t plan to tag you along with whatever rites he has to prepare whenever I’m in Liyue?” Childe huffed, burying his face against her neck.

“People don’t schedule when they’ll die, Childe.” Lumine rolled her eyes.

“Can’t he find someone else to help him?” Childe pouted up at her, displaying the best puppy eyes he could put on.

“Hm, didn’t really ask.” Lumine shrugged, earning a whine from her clingy lover.

“You mean we could’ve thrown someone else with him? But you didn’t ask?” he huffed.

“He invited me to help. I accepted. Besides, he helps me a lot during my stay here, it’s just fair to help him back. May I remind you he also pulled some strings to have you here without any Milleliths watching your every move?” Lumine hummed.

Childe rolls his eyes, “I’m pretty sure you could’ve convinced them to leave us alone, you’re a hero here, they know you kicked my ass, they trust you and all.” 

“Same hero that’s dating the same man who almost destroyed their city.” Lumine rolled her eyes, “I’m pretty sure they’re a bit wary of me as well ever since you decided to shout we’re officially together in public.”

“First of all, that’s to declare I won against all my rivals and they should fuck off.” Childe shrugged, “Second… I mean, how could they blame you? I’m charming as fuck.” Childe snickered.

“Right. I’m out.” Lumine said as she unwraps Childe’s arms off her.

“Ojou-chaaannn…” he whined as he tries to pull her back, “It’s the truth, come back.”

Lumine was about to say something back, but a knock on the door caught their attention. 

“You think he’ll take Paimon if I throw enough mora on them?” Childe tried, to which Lumine just chuckled and walked to the door.

“Good morning.” Lumine greeted their guest as she opened the door, “Oh?” her eyes widened in surprise when not just Zhongli appeared, but also three little girls.

“Qiqi brought friends.” Qiqi simply said.

“Onee-chan! Klee and Diona found you!” the excitable girl in red waved, “Diona said she missed you! Me too so we looked for you!” 

Diona freaked out, “I-I did not! I don’t care! If she doesn’t want to return to Mondstat and see me then that’s her problem!” she huffed, looking away with a red face.

“You went all the way to Liyue?” Lumine’s eyes widened, “Does… anyone know you two are here?” 

“Yea! Kaeya-oniichan!” Klee smiled.

“Oh,” Lumine breathed out in relief that they’re not alone, “So, where is he?” 

“I dunno, he was sleepy when I asked him, but he said ‘yes’, so Klee is good, no?” she smiled.

“He’s passed out drunk outside of Angel’s Share,” Diona mumbled.

“But we still asked permission and he said ‘yes’!” Klee argued to avoid getting in trouble. 

“No need to worry, Ms Lumine, I have taken care of that. Rest assured that their guardians are aware of their little ones’ whereabouts.” Zhongli intervened when he saw the blonde’s about to have a heart attack.

“I’m glad you found them before anything bad happened.” Lumine sighed in relief, while she knows Klee and Diona aren’t helpless when it comes to fighting, she still can’t help but worry. She’s especially fond of the 3 little girls, protective of them as a mother would be of her child.

“Yea, I recognised Mister during your visit in Mondstat and Qiqi as well! So Klee is good with not following strangers.” Klee nodded with a proud smile.

“Good.” Qiqi agreed, it may not be seen, but she’s also excited with the thought of playing with her friends again, “Play with Qiqi and friends?” she looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

“Ojou-chan, what’s taking so long?” Childe emerged, now wearing a shirt, “Oh?” 

“Qiqi brought friends,” Qiqi informed once again.

“Hi! Will you join us in playing too?” Klee asked excitedly.

Childe caught a glint of mischief in Zhongli’s eyes, “Unfortunately, Ms Lumine and I can not join you, but Mr Childe here will be playing with you for the whole day.” 

“Eh?!” everyone looked at him with wide eyes, additional pouts from the 3 little girls.

Zhongli just chuckled before kneeling at the little ones’, “Ms Lumine and I will need to take care of some urgent errands, but we will try to finish them as fast as possible, but for now, will you be good for Mr Childe?” 

~~~

And just like that, Zhongli had dragged Lumine away for whatever errands he has to do, leaving Childe with 3 innocent eyes looking at him curiously.

Childe hasn’t been around much whenever Lumine visits Mondstat, it’s always been the usual party of Lumine, Qiqi, and Zhongli since Childe still has duties to fulfil for his Queen. Duties that would make things complicated for his relationship with the Honorary Knight, but he believes that as long as they work together, not hiding dirty secrets from one another, they may be able to find a peaceful resolution for all parties.

But that’s something he has to think of for another day, today he has to entertain three little girls.

Three little girls that Lumine holds dearly, and for some reason, Childe feels a bit pressured in trying to win their favours, well Qiqi should already be won with coconut milk and the fact that they both work together in Lumine’s main party, but he’s not too familiar with the other 2 besides Lumine and Qiqi’s story. 

Klee seems to be easier to win over because of her energetic and friendly nature, Diona however, may take a bit of work with her shy and independent personality. 

But they’re still kids. Childe has experience with kids, his siblings love him, so this shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

“So, do you guys have any games you want to play?” he asked after watching the 3 finish the last of their breakfasts.

Klee pursed her lips, “Well, we were supposed to play house but, Mr Zhongli and Lumi-oneechan are gone so we don’t have a mama and papa anymore.”

“Ahaha, why are they mama and papa?” Childe laughed through gritted teeth.

“Are they not Qiqi’s mama and papa?” Klee tilted her head.

“No.” Qiqi answered, “But Lumine can be.” she hummed, “No papa though.”

“Ah, well, ojou-chan and I are very close-” 

“But I guess Zhongli can be papa, he gives Qiqi flowers.” the zombie child hummed.

A vein popped in Childe’s forehead, “Ah, Qiqi-chan, I give you coconut milk too, remember?” 

“But you’re always gone.” Qiqi shrugged.

Childe frowned.

“Ah! Kaeya-oniisan can be our papa?” Klee added, “He’s the bestest!”

“He’s always drunk, he won’t spend time with us.” Diona huffed.

“Diluc-”

“No.” Diona hissed, ears and tail raising.

“Yeah, he’s weird.” Klee nodded, “He doesn’t smile. Weird.” 

‘Just how many men does ojou-chan know?’ Childe’s eye twitched.

“I guess Zhongli is papa?” Qiqi proposed in their little meeting.

“Ahaha, I mean, what about me?” Childe smiled since apparently not smiling will make him weird according to Klee’s logic.

The three looked at him, eyes focused, judging him thoroughly until Klee perked up.

“Does Mr Childe have a huge crush on onee-chan?!” the red girl gasped excitedly.

“Ah, you caught me, you’re a very observant girl.” Childe went along, just glad that he’s getting acknowledge as a potential papa for their mama.

It doesn’t really make sense since he’s the one dating Lumine, but being ignored by the three girls as a candidate as a papa just doesn’t settle well in him. Especially losing to Zhongli… he may have tricked him once, but there’s no way in hell Childe’s going to lose to him again. 

Even as a hypothetical father figure to these girls.

“Hm, well if you want to date Lumi-oneechan, then you have to go through us!” Klee declared with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“I suppose you’ll be a better boyfriend than that drunkard captain and evil Diluc.” Diona shrugged.

“If you become Qiqi’s papa, then will I get more cocomilk?” Qiqi asked with hopeful eyes.

“Eh?!” Klee protested, “We have to give him tests first! Like… like how the prince has to go through challenges to get the princess’ hand!” she huffed.

“Okay.  A cocogoat, please. Thank you.” Qiqi nodded.

“A giant Jumpy Dumpty!” Klee’s eyes sparkled.

“Destruction of Mondstadt wine industry!” Diona requested.

‘What the actual fuck…’ Childe gulped.

~~~

Childe likes to pride himself as an ‘amazing storyteller’. 

His finest work is “Snezhnaya’s Greatest Toy Seller”.

He just released 3 new stories;

“Unfortunately, the Cocogoats have to be Kept in a Special Cocomilk Production Place to Spread Cocomilk Joy”

“Oh, Have You Not Heard of the Secret Survival Rule? A Giant Jumpy Dumpty, Leads to Confinement Solitary”

“Destruction of Mondstadt Wine Industry Will Make The Good Lord Barbatos So Mad He’s Going To Destroy Us All”

The 3 girls are in awe as he tells an elaborated story, each nodding in understanding, though he’s pretty sure Qiqi will most likely still look for her cocogoat, Klee will still create a huge bomb, Diona will still try to destroy the wine industry in Mondstadt. 

Childe wonders what kind of environment Mondstat is that turned Klee into a pyromaniac and Diona having such strong ambitions… 

He’s going to beg Lumine to take him there soon.

“That’s so pretty, Mr Childe!” the three awed as Childe finished weaving a flower crown made of Violetgrass.

“A pretty flower crown for a pretty princess.” Childe smiled placing the crown on Qiqi, who was beaming at the new hair accessory, hugging her hat tightly to her chest.

His little sister had always loved flower crowns, and with some random flowers he found nearby, Childe had made one in hopes of impressing the girls. He was testing it on his head when it immediately attracted Qiqi’s attention. With some spare Violetgrass she has with her, she shyly asked if Childe can make her one too. The pretty little crown on Childe’s head had also caught Klee’s and Diona’s attention by the awed look on their eyes, and Childe offered to make one for them out of the flowers that catch their eyes.

“Thank you…” she smiled shyly, carefully checking if the crown is secured on her head.

“Me next! Me next!” Klee jumped, plopping some silk flowers she gathered around Wangshu Inn on Childe’s lap.

“Oh, these will be very pretty as well.” Childe complimented, earning an excited squeal from Klee, “Have you found some flowers you like as well, Diona?” he asks.

The catgirl blushed, turning away, “I don’t want one anyway.” she huffed, crossing her arms.

“Hm?” Childe frowned a bit, he was sure Diona was also excitedly looking around, but then it hit him, there was not a lot of choices for flowers around Wangshu Inn, and it looks like she wants a unique one as well and with only Silk Flowers nearby, she came back to him empty-handed and disappointed. 

She can also feel the disappointment coming from Qiqi and Klee, who had been talking about taking pictures with their flower crowns with Childe’s Kamera.

Childe’s face softened, “Is it because there are not enough flowers that you like nearby?”

Diona just looked down in embarrassment, ears flat on her head and tail wrapping around her leg.

He just chuckled, “Well, don’t worry, there’s a village here with some glaze lilies nearby, maybe you’ll like those?” 

“T-that’s still far though…” Diona mumbled. 

Childe chuckled, “Don’t worry about it, I know a fast way to get there.” he said hydro vision glowing.

~~~

Despite Diona’s displeasure with water, she ended up having fun sitting on Childe’s shoulder as he literally rode the waves to Qingce Village, the other two clinging on both sides of his waist, secured by his arms wrapped around them protectively. 

The girls giggled as Childe softly landed them on the flowery field. Their entrance would’ve given them weird looks, but Childe had already done this a couple of times with Lumine. It’s one of his favourite moments to spend with Lumine, they would just chill in the flowery area, Childe’s head on Lumine’s lap, his hair being played with while Lumine sings softly, Glaze Lilies blooming beautifully. 

The thought sends a warm feeling in his chest, smiling softly at the thought of being lucky that the blonde made him a bigger part of her life.

“They’re beautiful!” Diona’s excited gasp pulled Childe from his thoughts.

“Well, then go and pick them while I’ll work on Klee’s crown.” Childe smiled before sitting down on the flowery field.

The three nodded and began collecting the flowers. Childe checked his surroundings first to make sure everything’s safe before taking his eyes off them. 

Childe was halfway done with Klee’s crown when he noticed that it suddenly got too quiet. His head raised, heart stopping when the 3 girls are nowhere in sight. 

He rose to his feet and began searching through the fields, hoping that they’re just hiding within the flowers. 

He started panicking when he can’t find them. Not only are these children his responsibility right now, but he’s sure his beloved ojou-chan will murder him if there’s even just a small scratch on them.

“Qiqi, Diona, Klee!” he shouted as he searches, cursing under his breath when there’s no villager nearby to help him.

A patch of frost caught Childe’s eye. 

Qiqi and Diona are cryo users, and it’s a high possibility it’s from them. There’s a burning patch just ahead of it, and Childe’s certain it’s from Klee.

The relief within him didn’t last long when a realisation hit him.

If they’re using their vision, it must be because they’re fighting someone. 

And Childe needs to move fast.

~~~

Childe followed the tracks, his pace increasing as soon as he heard even the softest sound from the three. 

As soon as he reached closed enough, his hydro daggers appeared on his hands. It has to be treasure hoarders.

He jumped in the area, a clever phrase in the tip of his tongue.

“Mr Childe!” Klee cheered.

His eyes widened, there was no treasure hoarders insight. Just the 3 girls with a mora weasel in Qiqi’s hand.

“...Wha…?” he stared at them in shock as his daggers slowly disappeared. 

“We caught a mora weasel!” Diona said proudly.

“Oneechan always runs after them so we thought we’ll help her,” Klee explained.

Childe took a deep breath, relief washing over him as he lives for another day for escaping his lover’s wrath, “I understand that you want to help her, but please don’t run off like that without me, okay?” he gently smiled as he walks to them.

“It runs too fast,” Qiqi said, raising the animal to Childe.

“Are we in trouble?” Klee asked in worry, “We just want to help.” she said looking down.

Childe chuckle, “I’m just glad you all are safe, but please let’s avoid doing that next time, alright? Liyue is a bigger place than Mondstat so it’s quite easy to get lost.” he explained before patting her head.

He then took the weasel from Qiqi, retrieving the mora before letting the animal go, “Now, why don’t we get back and finish your crowns, yeah?” 

They smiled and followed Childe back to the field.

~~~

It was late at night when Lumine got back to Wangshu Inn thanks to Zhongli’s high standards when picking the materials for the rites. Paimon hadn’t even bothered staying around when it started getting late, making an excuse about meeting Xiangling for an important taste testing. 

Though the whole experience wasn’t bad, she was just worried about how Childe can handle looking after the three alone. Zhongli assures her that Childe is probably experienced looking after children since he’s from a big family. Which worked and all, but she also remembered how busy Childe could be from that experience with Teucer, what if they run off when Childe wasn’t looking?

Zhongli shut that down by reminding her that the three are vision holders and Lumine just huffed and pouted, but agreed.

She opened the door to their room, careful with her steps assuming Childe must be asleep. 

When she opened the door to their room, she can’t help but have her heart melt at the sight.

Three little girls are asleep on their bed, a sleeping Childe sat on the chair beside the bed, a forgotten storybook on his lap.

With a soft smile, she made her way to Childe, chuckling softly when she caught glimpse of a photograph on the side table.

It was of them 4 posing for the camera, each has a flower crown adorning their heads.

“Ojou-chan?” a tired voice called softly.

“Look like you all had fun.” she smiled warmly.

Childe returned the smile, pulling her gently on his lap. His arms quickly wrapped around Lumine’s waist, face nuzzling against her neck. Lumine sighed in relaxation, leaning back and running her fingers through his hair.

“I’m guessing they liked you a lot they decided to sleep over?” she teased.

Childe chuckled, “More like the Knights were a bit busy to get them, and sent a letter to apologise for the inconvenience. Klee and Diona don’t seem to mind though, and I’ve never seen Qiqi excited for having her friends stay for longer.” 

“Hm, well that shouldn’t be an issue, we can bring them home ourselves tomorrow, I do have some things to go over with Jean.” Lumine hummed at the thought.

“Do you think they’ll welcome me warmly?” Childe teased.

“If you behave.” Lumine rolled her eyes.

“Shame. I was planning on picking a fight against the Cavalry Captain and the Dawn Winery owner.”

The blonde shifted to face him, her eyes glaring, “You will not. Why would you want to in the first place?” 

“I heard they’re great opponents.” Childe just smiled, hiding the jealousy from Klee’s story about how these men had also shown interest in his beloved ojou-chan. 

Lumine rolled her eyes, “I’ll make sure to tell Zhongli to keep an extra close eye on you.” 

“I’ll fight him too.”

“Promise me you’ll behave and I might just invite you in the shower.” 

“Bold of you to assume I won’t do it anyway,” Childe smirked.  

“Behave and you’ll be thoroughly rewarded after.”

“Oho, what reward are we talking about?” he grinned.

Lumine just chuckled before unwrapping his arms off of her, “Depends on how good you will be.” she smirked before heading to the shower.

Childe grinned before following after her.

Deciding that he’ll just pick a fight with said rivals another time.

[just-antithings]

Mod el please share all your hetalia ships and feel free to gush about your favs :)

anon i dont know how to tell you that reading this ask literally made me start flapping my arms so excitedly i smacked myself in the face and i dont usually stim that wildly and i had to take a bit to gather my thoughts so i wasnt just an incoherent yelling mess and also to do some stuff for school but shhhh

okay okay so obviously ive mentioned im very fond of usuk so ill save them for last but

im a basic bitch and i just. i love gerita okay like. theyre so cute. i do not have coherent words about them they are just. soft and silly and squishy. geritapan is also very good because im also just an absolute ho for polyships

and also god knows gerita needs a fucking braincell good lord theyre so dumb. japan can be that braincell. japan is the only reason they would get together otherwise theyd just sit there being gay and useless (affectionate)

i also like ameripan! its a funny sort of opposites attract while also kind of similar to the friendly relationship our two countries have irl! i think america can help bring out the dork in japan that he tries to hide and japan is like. america's only impulse control lmfao. ameripan good

from what ive seen of it, lietpol is cute! theyre both kind of disasters and i love the idiots to lovers ships sjfnsnf

hmmmm what else... austria and hungary are cute, natch, and i love how hungary is feisty and austria is quiet and contemplative most of the time, i love characters and ships that break the norm

prucan is cute and funny just because of how fucking different they are and also because the one time canada fucking had enough and yelled at america for three hours makes me think that if the two of them ever got started against some poor other soul it would be a Sight to Behold

but also i saw sth the other day where seychelles remembered canadas name and he was like oh!! u remembered me and im like oh no thats adorable so theyre cute too

i feel like fruks got that rivals to idiots to lovers thing going on, which is Very funny but also like. i dunno i feel like theyre just two old men who just wanna hang out with someone they know well and fine whatever i guess we can kiss too sure

in fics i read my favorite dynamic for them is just. absolutely close, thick as thieves, would willingly die for the other but they also just fucking rib each other nonstop like. romantic or platonic whatever fruk is great

uhhhh what else...

oh spamano is great. romano is just. such a little shit and spain just doesnt care sjfbsb i dont actively ship them but i feel theyre kind of in the background everywhere else and i always feel happy seeing them

*rubs hands together* hohohho boy usuk time

so theyre just. So dysfunctional. the Angst. the Drama. the level of Mutual Care they refuse to acknowledge because all it will bring is Pain and possibly more betrayal like hoooooo boy thats the good shit

they just have so much history (ha) that like. theres so much potential for relationship building there

idk man found family to enemies to begrudging friends again to "i would fucking die for you if you asked but im too scared to let you know that because i dont want either of us to get hurt again" to lovers is the good shit idk what to tell you

thank you again for enabling me anon djdnsnf it made my day!!!

[starkerparkerpony]

I Scold Because I Stan Pt.3

AU where Tony (44-45 y/o) meets an aged up (23-24 y/o) Peter after Civil War, Tony is broken up with Pepper and all kinds of sorry for himself. Peter is a ESU graduate and currently has an internship with Oscorp and is a photographer for the Daily Bugle he is also spiderman and therefore perpetually exhausted and has very little patience

Read part 1 & 2

Please consider reblogging.

Two months of having Peter in his life and one thing became abundantly clear to Tony, he was not used to being adored like this. Because it was pure adoration with Peter. Maybe he was different with him than he'd been with Pepper but he couldn't be sure. He didn't know. He just really liked it.

They had not had sex yet. Hell they hadn't even properly kissed yet, Tony had had a long day dealing with goddamned Doombots because that's the kind of person Victor Von Doom became after he got dumped by his fiance, which was a complete and utter disgrace and men should learn how to cope with rejection better... like seriously... he's not the biggest fan of that stretchy-fuck Richards either and what the fuck kind of name is 'Reed' anyway? But it's still no excuse to become a supervillain... Tony used to like Victor for fuck's sake- Peter was waiting for Tony back at the tower.

And for some reason Tony prepared himself to get scolded... because that's what happened right? He manages to right what was wrong and comes back to a stressed and disappointed Pepper.

But that didn't happen.

"I saw you get hit." The young man hurried towards him and scanned Tony's entire being, very thoroughly for potential damage with a forrowed brow, Spiderman man was there too, Peter must've been there to get photos.

"I'm fine, the suit is going to require some tlc though," Tony tried to reassure him.

"You're sure?"

"You bet."

"Okay," Peter said, relaxed, and then pressed a quick kiss onto Tony's lips before enveloping him in a very tight and very comforting hug.

And that was it... no further lectures about priorities and personal wellbeing. Just comfort.

No, they hadn't had sex yet but Peter looked at Tony with such intensity sometimes, that he already felt too naked whenever he was with the younger guy... surprisingly enough, he liked this feeling too.

Pepper was an actual saint but it had required a very specific type of physical and mental effort, to maintain a relationship with her. But with Peter it was so effortless, that sometimes Tony felt like a cheat.

But he'd started to have that uncomfortable conversation with himself... the conversation about commitments and public announcements. Peter was mindful of dealing with the press that comes with rich people. So their "dates" had all been in the tower. Tony had asked about Peter's place but Peter refused because "Tony honey, you're not old enough to be exposed to the graphic images of poverty and squalor that come with a cheap New York studio apartment. And I'm not emotionally prepared to take down all my Iron Man posters, so that's not gonna' happen."

So they hung around the tower, they watched movies, they ate together, sometimes they even worked together. Peter always brought flowers. It was home.

Which was probably why Tony kinda forgot himself one such day. He had spent more that 42 hours in the lab, Peter showed up.

And Tony, because he was a little bit of an idiot, who wanted nothing more than to impress his new guy, asked Friday to tell him that he was more than welcome in the lab.

But Peter had never been down there before.

So after waiting more than half an hour, a very impatient Tony made his way into the living area of his tower, where Peter was watching CNN while munching on some of Tony's favorite cheese popcorn.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked indignant.

"Watching the news... waiting for you, ass," Peter answered, shooting him a teasing little glare "Oh, and I made popcorn! Want some?"

"I asked you to come downstairs," Tony had been waiting patiently downstairs to show the guy the new sensors he had been working on, for Rhodey.

"Er... I- I've never been... I thought you were just being courteous," Peter winced and mumbled, feeling awkward as hell.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Tony had already had a shitty day, Pepper had been yelling at him for not showing up for a government contractor lick-fest, Tony didn't need whatever it was that Peter was trying to do. He just wanted to show his boyfriend the cool things he made and be kissed.

"Tony... I don't know... I didn't think I had the clearance to be down there. I've never signed an NDA or anything for you," Peter half shrugged.

"Why would you need to sign an NDA to hang out with your boyfriend?" Tony realized very late that this was the first time he'd used the word 'boyfriend' in front of Peter and immediately started blushing like an idiot.

"Because I work for a rival company of yours and it would be very awkward for both me and my boyfriend if something you're working on was suddenly introduced by said rival company. Even if it was a coincidence. Also don't you have Avengers stuff down there? Like don't I need... I dunno security clearance to see it? By the way are we discussing the boyfriend thing now or later because I need to cry and scream from the rooftops about it at some point." Of course Peter wouldn't let that bit slip, which only made Tony blush harder.

"I'm not an idiot... anything you don't have clearance for, you won't see. And I trust you. Is this good screaming and crying or bad screaming and crying?" Might as well make sure.

Peter was already making his way closer to him, wrapping Tony in a warm embrace.

"The crying and screaming of pure joy."

"Sounds intense."

"It will be... there'll be snot involved."

"Sexy."

"I know."

"Wanna makeout?"

"Oh hell to the fuck yes."

And so Tony walked Peter back to the couch, planted himself in the younger man's lap and right as he was about to initiate the tonsil hockey game of a lifetime, Peter interrupted-

"You really trust me?" He asked.

"Do you think that I would currently be straddling you if I didn't?" Tony asked back, incredulous... and then his three leaked sextapes that still sometimes trend on certain 'hubs' on the internet came to mind. "Wait don't answer that."

Trust was a pretty weird thing for Peter... he absolutely adored Tony but he still hadn't told him about any alternate identities and maybe it was time to reciprocate that trust.

Soon.

"So You don't think I'm like a gold digger or something?" This was some quick thinking on Peter's part

The strange vulnerability in Peter's voice made Tony ask-

"Did someone say something to you?" Pepper and Rhodey hadn't yet met Peter but they knew about him. They wouldn't do something like this but maybe...

"Just a silly joke that MJ and the guys made... kinda kept niggling... no big deal," Peter was trying to brush it off because he wasn't ready to discuss the what was really on his mind when it came to trust and Tony but the older man still thought that if it didn't affect him he wouldn't have brought it up.

"Babe... I regret to inform you but you're really not kiss-y ass-y enough to be a gold digger. I don't think any gold digger has scolded their gold diggee(?) As much as you scold me." Tony pressed soft kisses along his jawline as he tried to reassure him.

"Hey I scold because I care you ass." Peter chuckled huskily.

"I know"

And then Peter was running his hands up and down Tony's back, and it made him wonder if he was in fact part cat, because humans don't really enjoy being petted as much as him, do they? Maybe it was just that Peter touched him so well.

Honestly Peter could be doing anything and Tony would enjoy it. He nibbled along his throat and Tony couldn't help but grind down on his lap. He brought his delightful hands up his back and into his hair, gently pulling him into a deep, sensual kiss and Tony was so utterly lost.

He gently licked into his mouth and of course he tasted of cola and popcorn and it was delectable.

Tony hadn't ever really been the dominant type but he'd also never quite felt so... safe as when he did when Peter was leading him.

When they broke apart for a breath, Tony couldn't help but cup Peter's beautiful face with both his hands and just stare into the beautiful boy's eyes, as if trying to figure out the reason why such a fantastic creature could ever choose a... mess like Tony.

"God Tony you have the most beautiful eyes," Peter breathed.

Which of course made Tony blush like an absolute fool. He always did this. Peter Parker had a habbit of breaking through Tony's moments of self doubt with pure adoration and he was utterly helpless to it.

Tony had to physically restrain himself from replying with 'I love you' because two months was probably too soon for saying it.

He'd say it the next time Peter scolded him.

Soon.

Not many words were spoken after that except for "scoot back" "shift up a little" "no that tickles" "wait not there" "oh yess that's nice" "keep going" "don't stop" "please stay".

Taglist- @spidey-nerd @areluctantsblog @briesb1tch @fleet-of-ships @darker-soft-starker @heybrotherpourthewine @buckybarnes-is-bae @starkerlovestony @nachtvuur @theginkosakata @plsstopgivingpetertrauma @highbloodprinz @supernaturalpadfoot @strkrmdnss @thewolffearsher @starkravingspiders @whenfandomscollide @starkerrifics @starkersenses @merwinist @this-starker-hoe @sad-princess28 @smidnite @mystarkershame @somethingihadtocarry @goodtimesstarker @lacechains @hermit-fangirl @colorofpearls @narutoyaoifans @ravens-starker-stuff @lover-starker @littlemonstercupcake @starkerkitty91x @tigger232 @mcusicals @cartorchdeath @sadbumblingmess @winter-starker @pixelizedgenocide @lurafita @yadds @starkerisendgame @peterscherry @tonyfuckingstarkismykink

[poetlcs]

books I’ve read in 2020 (so far) + their ratings

non-fiction

crossing the line: australia’s secret history in the timor sea by kim mcgrath: important research into australia’s theft of oil in timor leste. didn’t rate

hood feminism: notes from the women that a movement forgot by mikki kendall: essay collection dissecting modern feminism, pointing out the exclusionary practices of mainstream feminism and offering new frameworks through which feminism should operate. really recommend. didn’t rate

the uninhabitable earth: life after warming by david wallace-wells: good introduction to environmentalism and the climate disaster. a little too introductory for me but good for those new to the topic. ★★★

homo deus: a brief history of tomorrow by yuval noah harari: it is simply not Sapiens nor as good as Sapiens. Looks at potentials for our future but, thought it was a little poorly researched. Some parts were still interesting though.  ★★★

SPQR: a history of ancient rome by mary beard: a little dense at times, but super interesting and detailed look at ancient rome. enjoyed it a lot. ★★★★

sister outsider by audre lorde: collection of audre lorde’s essays and speeches, about feminism, lesbianism, the queer community, being Black and a lesbian ect ect. outstanding, important collection anyone interested in intersectional feminism must read. ★★★★★

all boys aren’t blue by george m. johnson: memoir about johnson’s experiences growing up as a Black gay boy in a poor neighbourhood. Very poignant memoir, written in such accessible language which I liked. guarenteed to get you emotional, another one everyone should read. didn’t rate because it’s so highly personal that felt wrong but highly recommend. 

under a biliari tree i born by alice biari smith: memoir by an Aboriginal Australian detailing her life growing up learning traditional Aboriginal ways and how the lives of Indigenous Australian’s have been impacted through the years, specifically in Western Australia. Probably more aimed at school age people but still a 101 I think many Australian’s (and non Australian’s) can benefit from. didn’t rate 

classics

maurice by e.m forster: gay man coming of age story in college + themes around class and sexuality. forster’s end note saying he thought it imperative to write a happy ending because we need that in fiction, i love him. ★★★★★

emma by jane austen: read before seeing the movie. loved emma as a character but thought this was okay compared to other Austen I’ve read. ★★★½

perfume by patrick suskind: a man with an incredible sense of smell starts murdering young women to try and bottle their scent for a perfume. weirdest shit I ever read still don’t know how to feel about it. ★★★

the color purple by alice walker: follows the life of Celie, an Black woman living in rural Georgia. deals with her relationship with her sister Nettie, her lover Shug Avery, and with God. this tore my heart to shreds absolutely everyone must read it, like even just for the beautiful writing ALONE. ★★★★

a study in scarlet by arthur conan doyle: its sherlock holmes #1 no further explanation required. not my fave sherlock story, was the weird morman subplot needed? ★★½

dracula by bram stoker: yeah vampires!! this was way easier to read and also way funnier than I expected. we STAN gothic aesthetics and Miss Mina Harker here. ★★★★

fantasy

the diviners by libba bray: teens with magical powers/abilities solving mysteries in 1920′s new york. reread. ★★★★★

lair of dreams by libba bray: the diviners #2. reread. ★★★★½

before the devil breaks you by libba bray: the diviners #3. reread. best one in the series hands down.  ★★★★★

the king of crows by libba bray: waited so long for this series ender and it let me down lol. ★★★

clockwork princess by cassandra clare: the infernal devices #3. dont @ me this is my comfort reread series and I was travelling. ★★★★★

we unleash the merciless storm by tehlor kay mejia: we set the dark on fire #2. latinx inspired fantasy about overthrowing a corrupt government with an f/f romance. didn’t like as much as book one but still good, BEST girlfriends ever. ★★★½

wolfsong by t.j klune: basically feral gay werewolves and witches living in a town together. feels like a teen wolf episode but way more gayer. despite that hated the writing style and I don’t like age gap romances so yay the concept no the execution.  ★★

the fate of the tearling by erika johansan: the tearling #3. finally finished this series, dunno why everyone loathes the ending so much I thought it was cool. underrated fantasy because it’s very unique. ★★★★

girl, serpent, thorn by melissa bashardoust: persian inspired fantasy about a girl who is cursed by a div to kill anyone she touches. has an f/f romance. bashardoust writes the most aesthetically rich settings I love her. ★★★★

crier’s war by nina varela: reread. f/f enemies to lovers where the main character poses as a handmaiden in order to try and murder the princess whose father killed her family. PEAK gay content literally a modern classic. ★★★★★

we hunt the flame by hafsah faizal: I was so disinterested in this book I barely can describe the plot but basically it’s a prince and a hunter who are enemies but are forced to go looking for this magical artifact together anyway it was boring.  ★

ghosts of the shadow market by cassandra clare + others: short story collection set in the shadowhunter world. probably the strongest of her collections but they just don’t hit the same as her full length books. didn’t rate. 

a storm of swords: part two by george r.r martin: a song of ice and fire #3. I WILL finish reading these books eventually i swear !! probably the best one yet though. ★★★★

amarah by l.l mcneil: world of linaria #3. high fantasy with politics, dragons, warring races. tolkein/asoiaf vibes if they had more women with agency. didn’t rate because I haven’t decided my feelings on the end yet. 

science fiction

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: f/f enemies to lovers between spies on rival sides of a time war. good book but writing style wasn’t for me (others love this so eh take my opinion with a grain os salt:  ★★★

not your sidekick by c.b lee: main character is from a superhero family but has no powers herself, so she takes an internship working with a superhero corp. has an f/f romance with a villain character. so much fun and super cute

speculative fiction:

the deep by rivers solomon: speculative fiction wherein pregnant African women thrown overboard by slave ships gave birth to babies that became mermaids. main character holds all the memories of her people’s past but runs away after being unable to deal with the burden. about self discovery, intergenerational trauma and the burden of remembering. a little short imo but still all round excellent book ★★★★

how long ‘til black future month? by n.k jemisin: short story collection, many with an afro-futurism focus. hard to explain because there is such a wide variety of stories but this is an AMAZING collection. didn’t rate because I don’t like rating short story collections but wish more people would read it. 

mystery

the family upstairs by lisa jewell: woman inherits an english house and starts to unravel the secrets of a mass cult suicide that happened there years ago. loved it because it was wild. ★★★★★

the hand on the wall by maureen johnson: truly devious #3. boarding school mystery where the main character has to solve a murder that happened in the 1920s at her school while another mystery is happening in present time. my least favourite of the series but satisfying conclusion nonetheless. ★★★½

contemporary fiction

maybe in another life by taylor jenkins reid: dual timeline book showing the two outcomes of a decision the main character makes. cool concept but ultimately boring book because I didn’t care about the main character at all.  didn’t rate because I didn’t finish it. 

girl, woman, other by bernadine evaristo: vignette stories of various women whose lives are vaguely interconnected. incredibly well written with such vivid characters. deserves the hype. ★★★★

tin heart by shivan plozza: australian YA, the recipient of a heart transplant wishes to connect with the family of her donor, after she discovers the identity of her donor. good story but didn’t like the writing style. ★★★

a little life by hanya yanigahara: follows the life of a group of friends living in life, especially that of jude, a closed off and damaged man with a troubling past. a little too torture-porny/Tragic Gays but I cannot deny the author has a beautiful writing style and I went through all the emotions. didn’t rate

a girl like that by tanaz bhathena: explores the events leading up to the main character dying in a car crash. set in Jeddah, saudi arabia and explores expectations on women, feminism and expressions of sexuality and relationships between women during teenage years. kinda no good characters but I loved it for it’s messy depiction of teen girls (whilst not condemning them for this). underrated. ★★★★

little fires everywhere by celeste ng: drama in white american suburbs when a new family moves in and the neighbours start investigating their past. eh, I heard a lot about this and thought it was just okay. ★★★

stay gold by tobly mcsmith: trans boy decides to go stealth at his new school and falls for a cheerleader, georgia. about navigating being trans and definitely felt like it was written to educate cis people. it was okay but ultimately not my thing and not really the story I was looking for, even though I respect it being written by a trans author and still would recommend to certain people. ★★½

everything leads to you by nina lacour: main character and her best friend have to unravel a hollywood mystery, all while the main character is trying to get over her ex-girlfriend and find work as a set designer. f/f romance and loved the focus on movie making and the power of stories. ★★★½

the falling in love montage by ciara smyth: a girl meets another girl at a party, but she’s not looking to date due to the amount of family issues she has going on. so her and the girl decide to spend the summer having fun, renacting scenes from rom-coms, but never dating. awesome family dynamics and the relationship between the two girls was sweet also set in ireland which is fun. 

normal people by sally rooney: explores the relationship between connell and marianne, who meet in school, date secretly, and then are inexplicably drawn to each other for the rest of their lives. explores power dynamics, relationships, love and trust, and what we owe to eachother. great book, great mini-series, love it to bits. ★★★★★

the glass hotel by emily st john mandel: impossible to explain this book, but there’s a mystery about grafitti, a ponzi scheme and a character falling to their death on a boat under suspicious circumstances. honestly idk what happened in this book but I liked it. ★★★½

historical fiction

half of a yellow sun by chimamanda ngozi adichie: historical fiction about the biafran war loosely based on adichie’s family experiences. incredibly well written with an ending that punches you in the gut. ★★★★

hamnet by maggie o’farrell: explores the shakespeare family after the death of their child, Hamnet, from the plague, and how this leads to Shakespeare writing Hamlet. cool as fuck concept and boring as fuck book with such tropey female characters. ★★

all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr: WW2 fiction, dual perspective between a blind girl living in france and a german boy forced into nazi youth. I cannot believe this book is award winning it’s so boring and predictable and i reget the time i wasted on it. ★

poetry:

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong: poetry memoir. vuong writes a letter to his illiterate mother, knowing she’ll never read it, exploring their relationship, his experiences growing up as second generation Vietnamese-American, and hers during the Vietnam War. My favorite book I’ve read so far this year, just too good to explain, genuinely just feel like everyone is better off for having read this. ★★★★★

currrently reading:

girls of storm and shadow by natasha ngan

meet me at the intersection: edited by rebecca lim & ambelin kwaymullina

stamped from the beginning: the definitive history of racist ideas in america by ibram x. kendi

get a life, chloe brown by talia hibbert

[pyrebriight-a]

Also any salt about fandoms's obsession with romance ships???

Salty Sunday

I can answer this one really quickly; it’s damaging. People will often push romance to the exclusion of all else, and because of that, they end up being weird about characters that “get in the way” of their ships. Often coming up with ways to twist their character and get them out of the way. Which is dumb as all hell.

Come on, guys. Friendships exist! You could put that person in the wedding party instead of on the shit list. Don’t limit yourselves to Lovers or Nothin. You could have so many shenanigans with “shipping rivals” being wingman and trying to hook their friends up with their crush, and failing badly. It could be so good, instead of just “They’re terrible so I’m with you, now.”

Like, as someone pretty far down toward the Nope end of the aromanticism spectrum, if not completely aromantic? It’s not a big part of what I’m interested in or even really aware of. But it’s so prevalent that not shipping will lose you potential writing partners?

I dunno. I enjoy ships, sometimes, myself, even if the mood rarely strikes me. But I sometimes feel that because it’s not something I’m super focused on, people aren’t all that interested, and it does suck kinda.

tl;dr - Please don’t just have One Kind of Fun, please have Many.

[maiji]

While looking up Genji Monogatari papers and translations, I kept running into these reverse otome games (basically dating sims with genderbent versions of Genji’s lovers) and getting super amused. And then @atorier sent me more lol

As a comic artist and writer, I love seeing the different takes of these characters! It's really neat to consider how the character designers might have approached interpreting/translating their personalities and stories, the creative license they took with the historical clothing, and even which characters the team picked in order to create what they felt would be a well-rounded cast for the game experience within their budget.

My thoughts comparing the designs below. Bear in mind I've read Genji but haven't actually played any of these games - I'm commenting mainly on character origins and character design, and aesthetic appeal of the art for me personally.

The games are (this is also the order in which the comparison images appear)

Reverse Genji Romance by Genius, Inc., 2016 - this one’s available in English. I’ll refer to this as “Romance” for laziness/ease of typing.

Reversed Tale of Genji by Ciagram, 2017 - I’ll call this Ciagram

Genji Koi Emaki by Quinrose, 2015 - Koi Emaki

The Tale of Genji Reverse Love Song~ Love Messages by éterire, 2015 - Love Song

Thank you atorier for help with links and translations lol

Murasaki no Ue

Originally: Genji's true love. He basically raised her to be his perfect woman, but she still has a mind of her own (at least privately) when it comes to his bad woman-chasing habits. Heavily associated with the colour purple because of her name, which comes from Genji comparing her to a purple flower (her resemblance to Fujitsubo, who is associated with wisteria).

What I think: If it’s a Tale of Genji game, must be there in some fashion. Positioned as main or most prominent love interest and gets the big picture on the box. Design-wise, possibly the most approachably attractive of the love interest options. Heian period version of the super handsome boy next door, maybe childhood friend. Purple every freaking where.

Actual designs from Romance, Koi Emaki, Love Song:

Thoughts: Surprisingly the Ciagram game doesn't include Murasaki, but it does seem to actually focus more on the early parts of the story when Murasaki would technically be too young to be an actual love interest (if we care about accuracy), but most of my other boxes seem to be checked. I think with a character as well-known as this, you need to take an expected and safe approach. Love Song is the most “out there” interpretation, and the clothing gets a bit generically frilly (which fits the aesthetic of the other characters in the rest of this game, it seems, just not to my taste). Koi Emaki, aside from having “anime hair under cap” syndrome (which tends to give me cognitive dissonance, but I appreciate that it’s way easier to make characters look different than historically accurate hairstyles), has the closest to historical accuracy design. Romance’s take is the most interesting to me though, even if the giant beads are a bit much. It’s like a barrier. Like how are you supposed to get close to him without smacking into them?

Rokujo no Miyasukadori

Originally: High ranking and very elegant and refined older woman. She's the respected widow of a Crown Prince and one of Genji's first affairs. His disrespect of her reveals her dark aspect: her festering hatred and resentment cause her living spirit to subconsciously attack, harm and even kill some of Genji's other lovers.

What I think: Must include because this character has huge potential - can do drama and cool supernatural stuff in the story. Long haired older man. Elegant, sophisticated, regal, serious, but maybe has an unexpected side if you piss him off. Outfit should be faux imperial or something.

Actual designs from Romance, Ciagram, Koi Emaki, Love Song:

Thoughts: So interesting! Long silver/white hair is pretty typical older handsome dude + sexy and dangerous fare, so it's easy to see why Genius went with that. The fur treatment on the robes is also kind of cool, and I would honestly probably never have thought of doing a light colour palette for this character. Overall I find this design unexpected and rather inspired. The Ciagram version, in contrast, is much more sombre (the entire game has a much darker tone in the art) and somewhat sad - I do like it, and it might be more true to the original character, but I don’t know that I would've gone this route with this context because there are so many other characters that could take a similar treatment. Genji Koi Emaki and Reverse Love Song, again, start to bleed down the path of getting too frilly and fanciful for me. Koi Emaki’s gives an almost overly reserved or priestly effect with the elaborate braided hair and the plain white kariginu when surrounded by much more colourful characters. Also, I would’ve shied away from purple hair, because purple is such a prominent loaded colour association for so many other key characters. Aoi no Ue

Originally: Genji's first wife. The marriage was arranged - he was much younger than her, and everyone thought she'd go to the Heir Apparent (Suzaku Emperor) instead. She's very cold to him, but bears him a son, and he only realizes his love for her and his regret when she dies soon after.

What I think: Third character who should be included in a Tale of Genji game. Aoi rounds out a basic pool nicely with Murasaki and Rokujo in terms of offering a player relationship options with different dynamics. This design should convey Cool, arrogant, standoffish tsunderish maybe big brother like guy. That’s all I got.

Actual designs from Romance, Ciagram, Koi Emaki, Love Song:

Thoughts: I don't care much for the tsundere type of character, and Aoi isn’t that top of mind for me in the original story either, but I find the Romance design very striking. It's one of my favourites of all the character designs discussed here. I like the implementation of the colour palette a lot, I like the take on the kariginu, and the tassley things are cool. I can’t see much of the Ciagram design, but the hairstyle is a neat alternative take that doesn’t feel too out there/modern. I don’t have particular feelings about the Koi Emaki one, but the beauty mark under his eye (which you can’t see at this size) is a nice touch, I always forget about the option of incorporating things like that. The Love Song one I find a bit odd. The hair and the eyes actually convey the impression of a character that seems very gentle and soft. Doesn’t really seem to match the general associations one would have with this character. Yugao

Originally: A frail, pretty woman who was loved by Genji's friend/rival To no Chujo, she went into hiding when harassed by his wife. Genji notices her after she catches his attention by sending him a poem. They fall deeply in love without knowing each others’ actual identities, and they probably would have had a long relationship together, but she dies suddenly when Rokujo's spirit possesses her.

What I think: Mysterious dude. Looks quiet and gentle, unassuming. If we want a physically weak character, or a route needs to end with a tragic death, I’d make it his. Design needs to incorporate floral motif because of the significance of the flower to her symbolism.

Actual designs from Ciagram, Koi Emaki, Love Song:

Thoughts: Hmm. This is very interesting as we seem to have quite a departure in the designs, though they all have a relatively non-aggressive vibe, and they all incorporate a floral motif in a fairly subtle way, which is nice. I hands-down like the Ciagram version the most, though it’s mainly for reasons beyond how well the design actually works lol (it’s just the type of character I gravitate towards visually, not specific to the character in question hahaha. Also more tassley earring things! I wanna do designs with them now). Koi Emaki takes a shota character approach, not my thing but I understand why it would make sense with this character. The approach is more lighthearted/cheerful than I’d associate with a character this tragic. Love Song is... I dunno, I find it odd again. Characters with light hair tend to convey a kind of energy with their design because it makes them brighter and more visible, so it wouldn’t have been my immediate choice. Actually, if you showed me this design and Love Song’s Aoi design and asked me to guess who’s who, I would have guessed they were for the opposite character. While making this post I even kept doublechecking in case I had just pasted them into the wrong collage.

Akashi no Onkata

Originally: Humble, beautiful, immensely gifted lady with unconventional highly spiritual parents who live faaaar away from the imperial court. Genji meets and falls in love with her while he's in exile. She bears him a daughter who is fated to become Empress.

What I think: Modest, humble attire possibly reflecting long distance from fancy court life (both socially and travel-wise). Musical instrument is mandatory, or at the very least, great calligraphy and poetry skills.

Actual designs from Romance, Koi Emaki (I cropped it out but he’s holding a biwa/lute in the background), Love Song: 

Thoughts: OK, they all fit in various degrees, but I personally don't really care for any of them lol. Romance’s' take is too cutesy (it does offer a version of humble and shy, but you can also do that without making a character look 12... visually I'm guessing they may have had him fill the type of role Yugao does in Genji Koi Emaki, the cuter shota-ish characters). Genji Koi Emaki's approach is visually interesting, but I find a bit too casual/laid back/frivolous in the tone it conveys, and makes me think more of a travelling minstrel. Reversal Love Song’s is maybe the closest to the non-image I had in my head, but the art style renders the eyes and expressions for all the characters in a manner that’s very aloof and extremely out of place for this character, and doesn't convey much distinction between characters. All that said, Akashi’s my favourite lady so more likely than not I'm probably disappointed because of my biased high expectations - aka. doesn't look like the kind of guy I would be interested in lmao (the approach of the Ciagram Yugao is what I would have hoped for)

Oborozukiyo

Originally: Would-have been consort to the Suzaku Emperor and sister of Genji’s nemesis the Kokiden Consort. Genji's drunk and messes around with her, they fall in love and continue their very risky affair. Word accidentally gets out, Genji is exiled, Oborozukiyo's standing is ruined.

What I think: Could also be mysterious, but a more forward/confident kind of mystery than Yugao. Stylish, very romantic, maybe playful. I don’t really have a clear picture for this character, but I’d start with nice wavy hair, a lunar motif and night incorporated somehow (maybe a darker colour palette).

Actual designs from Ciagram, Koi Emaki, Love Song:

Thoughts: This one’s especially intriguing to me because my mental image of this character wasn’t as strong as for many of the others, and I really had to think about it. I’m not that surprised that this is one of the most divergent designs. Since the relationship was Genji's most public scandal, it seems like some games have taken the opportunity to interpret her reversed character as coming off sexy and coy lol. Ciagram and Koi Emaki made him an older male character - I didn’t really think about that. Love Song makes him look fiery/cocky. All have dark clothing or a dark cloak. Interestingly, two games modify the name, dropping the beginning or the end so that he's just Oboro ("Misty/Hazy") or Tsukiyo ("Moon Night").

Fujitsubo no Miya

Originally: Young Consort and Empress to the Kiritsubo Emperor (Genji’s father) after Genji’s mother dies. She was Genji's first love. He has an affair with her and their child is the Reizei Emperor. She avoids his advances after that, and becomes a nun when the Kiritsubo Emperor dies. Murasaki is said to resemble her.

What I think: Whatever Murasaki looks like, like that. Only older. And a different shade of purple.

Actual designs from Romance, Ciagram, Koi Emaki:

Thoughts: Yep. Just not as purpley as I anticipated (maybe for the better). Can’t really compare the Ciagram one to anything - we do have purple, but the design doesn’t seem to have much embellishment, which is surprising considering the character’s backstory. I think Koi Emaki’s complements their Murasaki design very nicely, though feels more imposing than I would have thought for this character. Romance’s evokes their Murasaki design more subtly, which is really impressive; would have been nice to see more purple in it. Interesting that 2 of the games include him, and appears to be a non-playable character in both. 

General thoughts/other stuff: I think the Genius game has the best balance of art and design, including some of the most interesting takes on Heian court attire without veering too much into “what is going on” generical fantasy-land. I also like the approach of the character designs of the Ciagram game, which have a more realistic/mature look and are darker (palette wise) in tone, more to my taste. Genji Koi Emaki also does a good job with the outfits, though I prefer the aesthetics of the previous two games mentioned. Reversal Love Song’s designs lean way more generic fantasy than I'd prefer for something of this nature. To no Chujo (Genji's best friend/rival) usually appears to be your genderbent lady friend/competitor, but interestingly enough, Love Song doesn't genderbend him and makes him a love interest. Ciagram's game includes Koremitsu (Genji's loyal retainer), also appearing in his original gender:

He was one of my favourite characters and I like his design here too, though this take on him is more casual and “fun buddy” than I would have gone. 

Lots of ideas and good food for thought to take to my own character designs!

[eloarei]

Two for the price of one, cuz why not; Leonardo/Ezio and All Might/Endevour (because I saw a picture and now I'm in this rarepair hellhole and still hate End but I kinda dig the ship)

A TWO-FER! Cool. (For >>thisLeo/Ezio (from Assassin’s Creed) • when or if I started shipping it.    ---Heck yes I ship it! Started way back when I played AC2. Oh my god, the part where you can hug Leonardo and if you miss the very short button prompt he gets sad??! Wow. • my thoughts:    ---Good ship, defo. Ezio has such a playboy attitude and Leo is such a cute, clever darling. They have a good dynamic! • What makes me happy about them:    ---Um, they’re adorable. And they work so well together; Leo makes all the crazy contraptions and Ezio’s crazy enough to happily try them out, and I feel like they would have kind of an excitement feedback loop XD • What makes me sad about them:    ---That they’re not really canon? (lol I’d hear debates on that.) And Leo’s death. • things done in art/fic that annoys me:    ---It’s been a long time since I’ve read fic for this ship, but some people I think wrote Leo as too effeminate, you know? And also downplayed his genius and enthusiasm for his work. • things I look for in art/fic:    ---For both of them to be portrayed as equals. Or heck, make Ezio the ‘girly’ pining lover; all evidence points to him being the emotional one, pfft. • Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:     ---Well, I guess their ‘canon’ relationships. Ezio with his wife whose name I forget ^^; (she was okay), and Leo I guess with his student, who it’s often suggested he was lovers with. • My happily ever after for them:     ---They actually get together? And stay together until Leo dies. Ezio can still have kids afterward; nobody’s gonna begrudge him that, what with the whole family-line deal. • what is their favorite non-sexual activity?    ---Science, obviously! XD Or maybe Leo likes to paint Ezio. Nude. He has to constantly yell at him for changing poses though. =P All Might/Endeavor (from bnha) (lol I knew you were going to say this) • when or if I started shipping it.    ---I am not personally a shipper of this ship, but for the sake of the meme, I’ll consider it ^^ • my thoughts:    ---Hm. I feel like All Might is such a reasonable and potentially forgiving person, he could definitely give ol’ Endy a chance. And they have some history, so there’s that. • What makes me happy about them:    ---I can’t say I really have a whole lot of feelings haha. I guess their physical dynamic could be considered aesthetically pleasing. • What makes me sad about them:     ---...Endeavor. XD • things done in art/fic that annoys me:     ---Can’t say I’ve seen enough to form much opinion, but I don’t think I would find the rival-ship very appealing.• things I look for in art/fic:    ---I guess if I was going to read a fic about them, I’d be looking for like... tsundere Endeavor whose had a crush on AM since ever. Maybe after he sees AM’s normal form, he actually chills out and stops being so competitive. Maybe he even likes that form, feels protective of him or something. lol I dunno. ^^• Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:     ---Lol for All Might, well, y’know. For Endeavor? I mean, his wife? Maybe? Pfft. You know, should he elect to get his head out of his ass one day.• My happily ever after for them:     ---Endeavor calms down and stops being a dick-- maybe doesn’t apologize because that would be going too far, but really turns his behavior around. All Might’s charmed by a good redemption arc and his tsundere attitude. • what is their favorite non-sexual activity?    ---tending Endeavor’s rock garden lol