#i love damsel i do i really do but it's a struggle out here for us butch lovers 💔

[grimforks]

butchest woman troika could handle before getting scared

[contentloadingandstuff]

Smut Headcanons - Furina & Navia

A/N: While I have the Furina stuff I promised (smut + relationship + parenting headcanons) ready, I decided to split them up in three posts to go with another character. This way, the reader can enjoy exactly what they want. Anyway, enjoy! CW: Nothing, just vanilla ice cream here.

Furina de Fontaine? Yes, of course she is nothing if not the best at this whole “sex” thing! There are hardly any things she struggles with less than marital fornication, she'll have you know! 

Please go easy on her. She has no idea whatsoever. 

While it's true that throughout her long life she had read through many explicit books and brochures, mostly without pictures, her lack of personal interaction with the male body leads to her being quite clueless the first few times around. She doesn't really know how to please you, more - she barely even knows what she likes herself.

It's natural for gods to be less sexual than humans, which is all the more unfortunate for Furina. She kept the lifespan, but was left with a human set of emotions and needs that was doomed to wither over the centuries. But not all is lost - now that her days of godhood are over and she could finally become human - with a human lifespan and the ability to fully express her emotions. It will take time, but, with enough practice, she'll catch up. 

Communication is key. Don't hesitate to “order” her around. Tell her what feels good, what doesn't, what you'd like her to do and more. Furina will follow your example and share what she can - although the storm of moans and whimpers should serve as more than enough of a pointer. 

Furina is surprisingly confident in the bedroom. When she finds something she likes, she'll definitely let you know. She will, between shivering and gripping the sheets, encourage you or give you some pointers, as much as her state will allow. She's not scared to initiate and when she does, she always goes in with a plan. Knocking her off balance with some teasing of your own is sure to leave her in tatters though…

Furina is quite the fan of plays and works talking about romance, so her view of the subject is much closer to “making love” than to any other way to describe sex. As such, she enjoys plenty of prep before the main event - a romantic dinner, some proper foreplay, some teasing beforehand… She enjoys working yourselves up to the main thing. Getting in the right mood is a must for her, and when she's there, there's no keeping her hands off you.

Don't let her outspoken and loud way of carrying herself fool you - the closer you get to her, the more shy Furina becomes - especially if no clothes are involved. She'll have you believe that it's completely natural for a small girl like her to be intimidated by a taller and far stronger man, unwilling to openly state that she happily lays back and lets you do whatever you want to her most days. 

On the occasion that she has something specific in mind, it usually involves a bit of dressing up - she's quite fond of theater, after all. She can afford costumes and dresses galore, both for you and herself. It does take quite a bit of time, getting herself perfectly dolled up for the occasion, but it's no problem - seeing herself so disheveled, undressed and messy after you're done with her is totally worth the effort. 

A nice session of light play-acting is Furina’s favourite way to spice things up. She can be whoever you want - a damsel in distress, longing for the body of her noble knight, an actress getting some more hands-on rehearsals, or perhaps her favourite - the shy, freshly taken bride. Furina never parted with her wedding dress and takes it out for a spin, from time to time. It fits her perfectly, and thanks to Chiori’s expertise in material selection, is also easy to clean from… certain substances. 

But sometimes all Furina wants to do is let loose, be herself and just get some lovely, passionate pounding. Doggy no doubt has its bonuses in that regard, but she’d much rather see your face twist in pleasure as her slick hole pleasures you to completion. She enjoys missionary the most, with her hands clasping around yours for support or desperately clinging onto the sheets below. Furina is all about kissing, so expect your mouth to be occupied, and remember - nothing is hotter for her than you looking her straight in the eye as you nut inside. She won’t complain if you boast about how much you’ve filled her up - after all, you’re quite the lover, and it’s only right for you to be proud of what you can do to her. 

Don’t be alarmed if you find Furina shedding a few tears while her guts are being rearranged - that’s just how she responds to overstimulation. She doesn’t want you to stop any time soon, of course… But a kiss and a squeeze of her hand would surely motivate her to take you further in! 

She spends a lot of time grooming herself to perfection, with most of the time going towards shaving herself. She enjoys nice, smooth skin everywhere below the neck. Furina does mind hair, and you would make her very happy if you kept yourself like that as well. Why would she want to have all this nasty hair obscuring the goods? 

Furina is aware of how unlucky she is, to be created with not much of a cleavage. She tends to be hyper aware of her deficiency - or at least that’s how she views it. Your girl tends to skip out on nipple or boob play for that exact reason. She’s yours, and so is her body - if her body can’t offer you all it should, she’s not a good wife, is she? She would love you to be able to slide your cock between them and fuck them to completion, but they are, unfortunately, very flat. Over time, however, your love and encouragement helped her dismiss these harmful beliefs of inadequacy. So much so that she's grown to cherish her form.

She's proud of what she has, and loves to show herself off with expensive sets of lingerie. Unlike, say, the extendable cutlery she bought, these come in use regularly. She always picks those one size smaller to accentuate the nice fluff around her thighs and belly - a woman must have some plush on herself, after all! Couple that with long gloves and thigh highs, one darker and one brighter to match her eyes of course, and you've got yourself an outfit Furina feels beautiful in. 

And desired, too. They are nice, yes, but not as much as the feeling of you stripping them off her. She likes passion, and very much enjoys seeing you lose control of your desire for her. Don't hold your moans, say whatever comes to mind - even if it is her name over and over and over again, she will listen intently and whine your name in concert. 

The bed’s your stage, while you and her play the main roles. 

For her, you are the main attraction of the show. You and your glorious, male body. Navia? She's a big fan of that. 

The straight posture, the beautifully flat, strong chest, these powerful arms, the big hands, the meaty calves… You're incredibly handsome, so why wouldn't she spend her nights worshiping and touching you? 

When it comes to herself, she doesn't mind most things. Sure, she likes being the center of your attention, but being the receiver excites her much less than giving. While she'll take a long while to cum with your tongue, just sucking you off is enough to make her squirt on her fingers. Sex is all good, but she'll be more passionate if you just lay back and let her do the work. 

Let her take the lead - here, you're the star, and she's more than eager to see you enjoy yourself. Navia loves servicing you and bringing out those delicious, deep moans and sighs. She gets absolutely soaking at the thought that it's all the doing of her skillful hands and abundant body. 

Navia Rich cleavage, fat butt and a spacious pussy - Navia has it all, and you're more than welcome to help yourself. She'll be thrilled if you make good and frequent use of her, as - surprise surprise - women have needs too. It's unfair - why can you be absolutely horny for her, but it's improper for her to drool over you? Well, that's how it is in public, but behind closed doors, you're game. 

Navia is the unchallenged queen of handling your manhood. Learning about you, memorising the shape of your cock, adjusting her insides to fit you like a glove, learning where to touch to make you shiver… It was great fun, and Navia enjoys having the chance to explore you further with various kinks. She's not going to say no to anything when it comes to your hefty package, that's for sure. 

While not having much for herself, Navia owns a host of toys to use on you in the sheets. Would you like her to tie you up? Maybe edge you with a pocket pussy? How about tying the base of your cock for some extended sessions? Whatever you want, whatever you need, she likely has it in her collection - and if she doesn't, it won't be for long. All she needs is your word.

Navia is known for her positive and energetic approach to her role, but every girl needs a pick-me-up once in a while, doesn't she? Navia won't mind if you come over and sneak with her into a closet or let her get under the desk for some naughty time~

Nothing turns her on more than your pleasure. Seeing your hand tighten around the armrest as she edges you, feeling your hand push her head up and down as you use her throat as a toy or hearing you struggle to get all the cum out when she milks you for all your worth is something she greatly looks forward to. So much so that, if you give her this privilege, she'll whip out a Kamera to keep that moment for years to come. 

Of course, it will be focused on you. She wants to capture what she loves the most - your pleasure. She'll let the Kamera roll as you rail her into the bed, capturing all these lovely moans and expressions of bliss, as well as your grunts as you selfishly chase your own pleasure, uncaring if she will handle the pounding. One of her favourites is recording your balls as they slam against her cunt in doggy or missionary, capturing your voice and the obscene noises her pussy makes as your fuck her to completion. She'll return to them when she’s away, rubbing and fingering herself to the image of you in careless, primal bliss. 

That's another thing she loves to see - primal lust. The sight of you senselessly and violently fucking a toy is her favourite thing to get off to, especially that she knows she's going to be the toy next. Be rough with her - she can take it. Just don't you dare go silent on her, now! You have a voice, so use it - moan, whine, sigh and growl for her. Navia wants to know just how much you enjoy using her body. 

But sometimes she's in a more needy mood, especially when you've been quiet the last few times around. Navia knows that there's nothing worse for a guy than denial, so she'll strap you down and play with your dick, edging you without pause until you cry and beg for release. Or, alternatively, she'll work your head and prostate, forcing you to give up everything in your balls to her. The longer it goes on, the more you struggle, and the more frantic your pleas become. Music to her ears. 

Navia finds it so hot when you act needy, even when it's as simple as asking for some attention. Want a handy? She'll give you a helping hand, no questions asked. Need your balls emptied with some mouth work? Navia is on the case. You're in need of a quickie? Feel free to bend her over and yank those panties down - she's on the pill, so cum away. Be ready to zip down your fly for her too - sometimes, a quick suck can really lift her spirits. When she has a day off, expect lots of messing in the sheets. 

Morning sex? Yes please! She'll gladly have you wake up to lewd sounds of slurping and her lips wrapped around your cock, if you'll let her. And once you fully wake up, you'll get to feel her ride you in the rays of the morning light. 

She's the type of girl that loves cum. Expect lots of positive encouragement to blow your load, no matter if it comes quickly - it's a compliment for her doing a great job, right? When you finally give in to her talented ministrations, she'll make sure to put on a show for you. Each part of her (except the hair, cum is quite annoying to get out of there without taking a shower) is fair game when it comes to coming. If you feel like giving her a mouthful, she'll swallow it up and show you a clean mouth as proof. Her favourite spot, though, is the face - it might mess with her make-up, but its warmth and smell feels so naughtily good on her face, and she'll make sure you're watching her gather it up and lick it off her fingers with a proud, smug smirk.

Navia isn't a fan of condoms, not at all. She’d much rather take a pill or slap on a patch than wrap you in rubber. Besides, Navia always wanted to have plenty of kids, so when the time comes, she'll passionately encourage you to knock her up. Having her stomach swollen with a baby - that you put into her, which she will make sure to praise you for - makes her feel beautiful, even if she has to buy bigger clothes. Luckily for her, she can still suck your cock with a big belly, so it's not much of a problem in that department. 

With Navia, it's cowgirl all the way. Not only do you get to see her tits swing and her beautiful face, but you also get a taste of her excellent riding skills. She likes this position as it allows her to see your face contorted in pleasure. She will adjust the pace and depth to better milk you, or keep you on the edge of orgasm and enjoy seeing you lose your mind to pleasure. 

Thanks for reading!

[navi-the-flying-bee]

Dates gone wrong

(A/N): i am backkkkk. Okay so this may be a series or may not be. You know i ghost a lot.. Story: going on dates with BSD men, what could possibly go wrong? (Nikolai) (Mori) (Fukuzawa) (Kunikida) (Akutagawa) Warnings: my horrible sense of humor, Kidnapping, used Y/N one time. Nearby death?. Kinda short?.

🎭Nikolai Gogol...

A Chaotic Circus of Madness

You should have known better.

You really, really should have.

The moment you agreed-no, were tricked into agreeing to a “friendly outing” with Nikolai Gogol, you should have known it would be anything but normal.

And yet, here you were.

Tied to a spinning wheel.

Suspended three meters in the air.

With Nikolai blindfolded and holding a set of throwing knives.

“Alright, my lovely assistant!” Nikolai’s voice rang out cheerfully from below. “For tonight’s performance, we shall test fate! Will I hit the target, or will I hit… YOU?!”

Your soul left your body.

“NIKOLAI, STOP—”

A knife whizzed past your ear.

“I WON’T MISS! PROBABLY!” Nikolai laughed, tossing another blade in the air and catching it effortlessly. “Oooh, this is so exciting! Don’t you love it? The thrill, the suspense, the idea that at any moment BAM! I could accidentally kill you!”

You struggled against the ropes binding you to the spinning wheel. “THAT’S NOT EXCITING. THAT’S A CRIME.”

“Eh, details, details.” Nikolai grinned. “Now, let’s raise the stakes! I’ll do the next one upside down!”

You watched, horrified, as Nikolai leaped into the air, flipping upside-down mid-throw.

A knife soared through the air-

_and sliced the ropes binding you.

You barely had time to scream before you plummeted downward.

And then-

You landed straight into Nikolai’s arms.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Nikolai grinned down at you, holding you like a damsel in distress. “My, my, you~ If you wanted to fall for me, you could’ve just said so~”

You, still recovering from the near-death experience, punched him in the face.

END RESULT:

You almost died. Multiple times.

Nikolai thought it was the best date ever.

You disagree.

1/10. Negative points for attempted murder.

Will there be a second date? Nikolai says yes. You say no.

>>>Ougai Mori

A Victorian Horror Romance

You weren’t sure how you ended up here.

One moment, you had been walking home from a bookstore, your arms full of newly bought novels. The next? You woke up in an extravagant Victorian-style room, draped in deep crimson and gold. A soft silk kimono replaced your sweater, your shoes were gone, and most concerningly a tea set was waiting at the table in the center of the room.

And across from it, Mori Ougai sat, smiling.

“Ah, you’re awake.” His voice was smooth, too pleasant for the deep unease curling in your stomach. He gestured to the seat across from him. “Come, sit. I took the liberty of preparing tea for us.”

You did not move.

You stared at Mori, then at the closed door behind him. How long had you been out? Was this a kidnapping? More importantly... did you have time to run?

Mori let out a light chuckle, tilting his head. “You’re looking at the door quite intently. Would you like me to escort you out instead?”

You narrowed your eyes. Why did he sound so amused?

“…What is this?” you finally asked, your voice carefully steady. “A kidnapping? A warning? A-"

Mori sighed, almost disappointed. “No, no. You wound me, my dear. This is simply a date.”

A date.

Your brain broke for a moment.

“A… what?”

Mori smiled. “A date.”

Your stomach flipped. “Why?”

Mori shrugged, pouring himself a cup of tea. “Curiosity. You are quite the interesting girl, you know.”

“Interesting?”

“Yes.” He took a sip, watching your reactions carefully. “Your ability. Your connections. Your potential.” He paused, setting the cup down with a quiet clink. “Wouldn’t it be much easier if you simply came to my side?”

Your fingers twitched.

You inhaled slowly. “I don’t recall agreeing to a date, let alone joining sides.”

Mori hummed. “No, you didn’t. But I like to… negotiate in more intimate settings.”

Your eyes darted to the teacup in front of you. Was it poisoned? Drugged? Or was Mori simply waiting for you to refuse it?

Checkmate situation.

If you didn’t drink, he’d call you paranoid. If you did, you might not wake up again.

“…I’m not thirsty,” you said finally.

Mori only smiled wider. “Good girl. Always cautious. That’s what I like about you.”

You felt your skin crawl.

This was not a date. This was a game. And you needed to get out.

Mori leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. “Shall we begin the real discussion, then?”

You forced a small smile. “Actually…”

You grabbed the teapot and THREW IT AT HIS FACE.

Mori barely dodged as scalding tea splashed over the table, shattering porcelain.

You ran.

You vaulted over the table, making a break for the door. Behind you, Mori let out a low chuckle, almost as if he had expected it.

“Oh dear… I think I like you even more now.”

You did not stay to hear the rest.

END RESULT:

You successfully escaped.

Mori is now more entertained than ever.

Was it a date? No. It was a psychological hostage situation.

0/10. Never again.

😺Fukuzawa yukichi

A Respectable Outing…

You prided yourself on your intuition.

You could sense when someone had an ulterior motive, read between the lines, and even when you weren’t using your ability rarely got caught off guard.

Yet, here you were.

Sitting across from Fukuzawa Yukichi at a quiet traditional teahouse, on what you had assumed was a date.

You hadn’t questioned it when he invited you out. Sure, he wasn’t exactly the “romantic” type, but he was kind, respectful, and well, Ranpo did always say you had a thing for older men with silver hair (you did NOT).

It had all seemed normal at first.

You had tea. Talked about work, philosophy, even the agency’s latest antics. Fukuzawa wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but he listened attentively, nodding at your words, occasionally offering sage insights.

It was… nice.

No mind games. No threats. No throwing knives.

A peaceful, quiet date.

At least, that’s what you thought.

“y/n,” Fukuzawa said after a comfortable silence. “What do you think Ranpo would prefer?”

You blinked. “…Huh?”

Fukuzawa gestured to the table between you. Laid out in front of you were several neatly wrapped gift boxes.

One was filled with limited-edition sweets. Another held a handcrafted wooden puzzle. The last contained a silk scarf, embroidered with tiny detective motifs.

You stared.

“…What are these?”

Fukuzawa gave you a patient look. “The gifts we’re choosing from.”

“…For what?”

Fukuzawa paused, then frowned slightly. “Ranpo’s birthday.”

Silence.

The teahouse suddenly felt much colder.

You slowly sat up straighter. “Fukuzawa… why are we picking a gift for Ranpo? …On our date?”

Fukuzawa blinked. Then, in the calmest voice possible-

“…Date?”

Your soul left your body.

Fukuzawa tilted his head slightly, his brows knitting together in a rare expression of mild confusion. “I told you on Monday that I needed someone to accompany me on Thursday to pick out a birthday present.”

You froze.

Your mind raced back to Monday. You remembered him mentioning Thursday. You remembered nodding.

…You did NOT remember hearing the rest.

Oh god.

You zoned out.

You had completely, entirely zoned out! probably lost in thought about a new story idea or distracted by Dazai’s latest juicy gossip.

Fukuzawa had never asked you on a date.

You had assumed this was a date.

And you had been sitting here for two hours thinking you were on a date.

You wanted to die.

You buried your face in your hands. “Kill me.”

Fukuzawa, ever the dignified leader, refrained from commenting.

Instead, he simply reached for his tea and took a sip.

After a long, thoughtful pause, he set the cup down and said, completely deadpan,

“…I apologize for any unintended misunderstanding.”

You groaned. “That makes it so much worse.”

END RESULT:

You mistook a normal outing for a date.

Fukuzawa was too polite to correct you earlier.

You wanted the ground to swallow you whole.

Ranpo, upon hearing about this later, would never let you live it down.

5/10. It was actually a nice outing… until it wasn’t.

Would Fukuzawa take you on a real date? …Unclear.

Would you ever recover from this embarrassment? No.

📖Kunikida Doppo

A Well-Planned Disaster..

You weren’t sure how you got here.

You had agreed to go on a date with Kunikida Doppo probably because you weren’t fully listening when he asked, but now you were standing at a train station, watching him check his perfectly organized itinerary.

“Alright,” Kunikida said, adjusting his glasses. “We’ll start with lunch at precisely 12:00, followed by a museum visit at 13:30, then a walk along the harbor at 15:00. After that, we’ll have tea at a traditional teahouse at 16:15 before concluding the day with a sunset view at the botanical garden by 17:45.”

You blinked. “You planned all that?”

Kunikida frowned. “Of course. A proper outing requires structure and efficiency.”

You had never been on a date with a man who scheduled time for breathing, but hey, new experiences.

They started with lunch, which was actually great. Kunikida had picked a quiet, traditional restaurant with a carefully balanced meal, clearly taking your preferences into account.

Then came the museum.

“Did you know,” Kunikida started, “that this exhibit contains artifacts dating back to the Meiji era, symbolizing—”

You nodded along, pretending you were listening.

Honestly, you were more entertained watching him get genuinely excited about historical facts than the actual museum itself.

By the time you reached the harbor, things started going wrong.

A pigeon stole Kunikida’s snack. He was offended on a deep, personal level.

A kid accidentally ran into him and spilled juice on his pristine white shirt. Kunikida visibly struggled to keep his composure.

A street performer’s act went wrong, and a bunch of confetti somehow exploded directly onto him. He looked like he was questioning all of his life choices.

You were having the time of your life.

By the time you reached the teahouse, Kunikida was tense. The schedule had been completely ruined, and he was clearly on the verge of a breakdown.

You, attempting to be helpful, said, “Hey, at least we’re still on time for tea.”

Kunikida exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. “Yes. That’s true. If we follow the plan for the rest of the day, this won’t be a total failure.”

It was a total failure.

A thunderstorm rolled in out of nowhere, forcing you to abandon the garden plan.

Kunikida looked at the rain like it had personally betrayed him.

You, soaked and barely holding back laughter, finally said, “Okay. Maybe this wasn’t the perfect day, but hey, it wasn’t boring.”

Kunikida sighed. “That’s… one way to look at it.”

He pushed his wet hair back, looking utterly exhausted. “…I don’t suppose you’d want to reschedule?”

You tilted your head, pretending to think. “…Maybe if you promise not to fight any more pigeons.”

Kunikida groaned. “That pigeon was a menace.”

You ended the day soaked, exhausted, and completely off schedule.

You wouldn’t have changed a thing.

END RESULT:

Started as the most structured date ever.

Turned into absolute chaos.

Kunikida lost a battle to a pigeon.

You had a great time.

Kunikida… will need time to recover from this.

7/10. Would do it again just to see him suffer.

♣️Akutagawa Ryunosuke

A Miserable Obligation

You knew this was a bad idea.

Akutagawa clearly didn’t want to be here.

He was standing stiffly beside you, hands in his coat pockets, his usual scowl even deeper than normal. The only reason this was happening at all was because, a few weeks ago, you had saved his life during a mission.

And apparently, this was his way of repaying the debt.

“You didn’t have to take me on a date,” you pointed out as you walked through the city.

Akutagawa scoffed, barely sparing you a glance. “You insisted.”

“No,” you corrected. “I said you didn’t have to repay me at all. You insisted.”

He didn’t respond, probably because he knew you were right.

The tension was palpable.

You went to a quiet café first. Akutagawa hated it immediately.

Too many people. Too much noise. When the waiter came over, he glared at them like they’d personally offended him. You had to order for him before he scared them off.

Then came the silence.

You stirred your drink, watching as Akutagawa sat across from you, drinking his tea like it was a chore.

“So… do you go on dates often?” you teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Akutagawa gave you a flat look. “No.”

You figured as much.

Still, you tried. You asked about books, about his missions, about his interests, anything to keep the conversation going. But every response was clipped, cold, and mostly unhelpful.

Finally, you gave up.

The rest of the date was a disaster

You tried going to a bookstore. Akutagawa got annoyed when someone accidentally bumped into him and almost started a fight in the middle of the shop.

You went for a walk. Akutagawa walked way too fast, completely forgetting that you had shorter legs. You had to light jog just to keep up.

It started raining. Akutagawa, of course, didn’t care. You, meanwhile, were getting drenched.

At some point, you snapped.

“Okay, enough,” you groaned, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “Are you even trying?”

Akutagawa turned to you, frowning. “Trying what?”

“To have a good time!” you threw your arms up. “Or at least pretend you’re not miserable?”

Akutagawa looked at you like you’d just said something ridiculous. “…I am not miserable.”

You gave him a deadpan look. “Right. That’s why you’ve looked like you were about to kill someone all day.”

Akutagawa sighed, glancing away. “…I repaid my debt. That is all that matters.”

You stared at him.

Finally, you let out a dry laugh.

“Oh my God,” you muttered, running a hand through your hair. “This wasn’t a date for you. This was a chore.”

Akutagawa didn’t deny it.

And for some reason, that stung more than it should have.

You sighed, shoving your hands into your coat pockets. “Fine. You did your part. We’re even.”

Without waiting for a response, you turned around and walked away.

Akutagawa didn’t stop you.

END RESULT:

Awkward. Miserable. A complete failure.

Akutagawa treated it like an obligation, not a date.

You actually got mad, which almost never happens.

You left early.

0/10. Would rather die alone.

[lurkingshan]

10 Things I Love About Triage

I am extraordinarily late to this party but I am here to scream about Triage, a show which I started on a whim after a stray comment from @incandescentflower and subsequently finished in two sittings. This drama has been on my list forever (I didn't watch it live because the distribution was wacky) and then it just kept getting overlooked as I fought to keep up with the deluge of Thai BL coming at us at all times. But I am very glad I finally hunted it down and made the time and I would like to tell you why!

Hello Again, Dr. Sammon

I am on record as a Sammon fan. She is one of the best writers working in Thai BL and she has a knack for mystery and suspense. Her narratives are always really well constructed with tight plotting and smart character work, and Triage is no exception. This story feels confident, steady, and complete in a way few Thai BLs do.

The time travel rules are blessedly consistent

Part of what makes the story sing is it's a time travel plot that actually gets the particulars right. In a time loop, the details are everything, and this show understands that. The series of events are consistent, the rules of the time travel mechanics are clearly explained, and when our protagonists learn something new, it always lines up with something we'd gotten hints about before or gives us new context for old information. There are no loose threads in this show.

My boy Tin is going through it

Tin is a fantastic protagonist. He starts the show disillusioned with his work and hilariously grumpy about this time loop situation--he is a busy ER doctor and he does not have time for this--but as he starts to piece together how the loop works he gets more methodical in his approach, and eventually becomes emotionally invested in his mission to save Tol. Tin felt really well-calibrated in that he was smart and he tried all the things you would be shouting at the screen for him to try, but he's still a human being with flaws and insecurities and so he makes mistakes, learns, and has to try again. The show really successfully put us in the frustration with him.

Tol makes for an interesting damsel

Because he's kind of an asshole! Tol is rude and disrespectful when he first meets Tin, he hangs around with some truly awful bullies, he treats Rit like garbage, and he's all around an arrogant dick. Until he isn't. I like the choice to make the focus of our mission such a difficult character, not only because it makes Tin's challenge that much harder, but also because it invites us to consider the reasons why someone might be behaving the way he is and whether they can be redeemed.

This show has everything: action, romance, and agony

It's truly an emotional rollercoaster all the way through, and you can't relax for a moment. The pacing is relentless through most of the show, and even as a bond develops between Tin and Tol and they begin a tentative romance, danger is lurking around every corner. As soon as these boys started making out in episode 9 I knew something awful was coming for me and IT SURE DID.

Jinta, the ultimate frenemy

On that note let's talk about Jinta, my nemesis!! Jinta is some kind of unspecified deity/whimsical god and the one who appears to be responsible for putting Tin and Tol in this loop. Is he trying to help them? Is he trying to torture them? I definitely think it's both! He seems to delight in showing up to taunt Tin as he struggles to figure out how to get through to Tol, and when it's Tol's turn on the merry-go-round he sends him to the darkest timeline for his high stakes final attempt to save Tin just because he can. I love/hate you, sir!

Sing and Gap and the darkest timeline

Speaking of which, can we talk about how appropriate it is that Sing and Gap are a couple only in the darkest timeline? I don't know if people were shipping this for real during the live watch, but I definitely was not and so I started cackling when we got to the worst possible timeline and Sing was suddenly calling Gap his boyfriend. Sammon, you are hilarious and I salute you.

Fantastic side characters

Let's talk about the sides I did love. First of all, aside from his weird aggressive flirting/not flirting thing with Gap, I actually did like Sing's friendship with Tin a lot. I also loved the hospital gang who were around to alternately tease and help Tin, most especially Toy and Fang. Toy is a sweetheart and a gossip who never misses a trick, and Fang is an actual badass who first cracked the case with that evil doctor and saved Tin's life. They are fabulous. Rit was also an excellent character with a lot of complexity and he added some much needed depth to the school storyline (does anyone else think he was basically the proto-DFF Non?). And while Mai and Heart were not my favorite people, I did appreciate that the show gave them a sympathetic portrayal instead of making them evil villains (we had the organ harvesters for that).

That beautiful clocktower

I must give a shoutout to this gorgeous clocktower featured in several important scenes. I got so excited every time it showed up. Fun fact: in the first clocktower scene I was like oh hey I recognize that from gifs, but it can't be that scene because it's too early for a kis--TIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING! (I was right, it was too early for a kiss and Tol was Big Mad but bless you for going for it anyway, Tin).

The romance is balanced and rootable

And on that note, let me give a shoutout to the romance part of this story for actually feeling balanced. This is not an epic swoony love affair, but more a story of two people putting in the time to understand and empathize with each other. Sometimes in these kind of time loop stories the romance can end up feeling very one-sided because one character is holding all the knowledge and all the cards. But in this show we have the neat trick of Tol taking over the loop to try to save Tin in the final arc, which means he got to go through a similar process of getting to know the darkest version of his lover and figuring out how to get through to him. I was delighted by all the events of the long loop playing out again, but this time with Tin being the obstinate one. Tol got a taste of his own medicine and it left me feeling like they were both equally invested in this relationship.

TL;DR: If you haven't watched this yet, you really should! It's a fast binge and a great time with some Thai BL favorites. It's unfortunately still not available for international streaming, but it's very easy to find grey now and it's worth the effort. Go forth!

[prettyboypistol]

Yo, cis guy here, I've always felt a lot of shame about being super gay for the tf2 men, because it made me feel like less of a man. You reckon I could possibly get a scout or engie x reader when theyre calling the reader handsome, pretty boy, big man, and lots of masculine petnames? Smut or fluff or ignoring this is fine

I really like your work dude 😁

fellow cis guy here- I totally get it man. i'm glad that other guys like me enjoy my work. I also struggled with my attraction to men and fictional men were (and still are) my escape from homophobia and biphobia. Stay safe, you're valid.

TF2 Mercs With a Masculine!Male Reader

Scout

He loves squeezing your muscles and feeling your abs, totally not thinking of you as a goal for himself!

Nicknames include: Big man, big boy, sweet cheeks, hot shot/stuff, bossman, stud, etc.

likes the feeling of your facial hair when you kiss him- it tickle/scratches him in the best way!

Soldier

Thinks of you as the best man in the unit of RED! You're an exemplary man with gusto and power to spare! Solly fell for you when he caught you on a morning run "to keep yourself fit". That dedication got his heart skipping!

Nicknames include: Soldier, pride, the unit's pride and joy, big man

arm. wrestling. as. flirting., sparring. as. flirting. honestly anything that gets him up close and personal to you

Pyro

Hold onto you like a damsel in distress and loves how protective you are over them. As much as Pyro would and has protected you from enemy Spies, they like depending on someone who can hold their own.

nicknames include: My fire, firefly, my fireman, big boy, handsome

They love how you treat them like "just another one of the boys" rather than "the creature"- it really hurts their feelings when they're excluded due to how they cope with life.

Engineer

God he couldn't have asked for a better assistant. You grab heaps of metal for him, toolboxes, and sentries you can pick up with both hands and carry over to him!

Nicknames include: Hoss, handsome, big man, sir, boss

loves watching you work out while he works on his bench (sometimes even being your bench weight)

Demoman

He treats you like how he'd treat any partner of his, no changes. Demo's kind, loving, tender, but would let you fend for yourself to not baby you.

Nicknames include: dear, darlin', lovely, loverboy, handsome, best-shag-of-my-life

loves cuddling up to you and just burying his face in your muscles- but when he's not sleepy he is constantly hooting and hollering about how awesome his boyfriend is.

Heavy

a lot more friendly about his romance, treating you more like a best friend than a romantic partner in public mainly due to his anxiety about "being caught"

nicknames include(mostly in russian): lover, love, handsome man, hero, heart

he loves kissing your strong hands and sliding his hands over your muscles, it assures him that you're strong enough to take care of yourself, and that eases his worries.

Sniper

god this is a useless gay man. he sees you crush a bonk can and his heart skips a beat. you take off your shirt and he's speechless. you make him unprofessional and it ruins him internally.

nicknames include: Hotstuff, love, mate, darling, chickadee, big bugger, bear

he likes asking you to carry his stuff, complaining about his aching arms (totally not to watch you carry his things!!!)

Medic

ooooh god this man is a HOMOSEXUAL for you. on GOD.

nicknames include: honeybear, my love, my heart, my magnum opus, big man, beast

can, has, and will continue to flirt with you on the battlefield, no matter who sees him do it. If anyone gives you shit for being gay, he's instantly at your side and ready to beat them down with you

Spy

i mean... if you have a degradation kink go ahead i guess? he treats you like a bodyguard in public and is cold and callous in other's eyes. they think he hates you. In private however he is all over you. kissing, holding, embracing, etc., whispering sweet nothings in your ears.

nicknames include: my sweet love, my man, my handsome, big beauty, sweetness

although he seems uncaring in public, anyone who disrespects you gets backstabbed as "target practice" later when they least expect it.

[fanfic-recs-01]

Miraculous LadyBug Fics

This is a list of Miraculous Ladybug fics I like on AO3, if you have any recs for me feel free to send me some!

I have a separate list for Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Damian Wayne Fics Here: Part 1 Part 2

Updated 11/2/24

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Felix Graham De Vanily

Hey, Little Songbird by charlietheepic7 *Finished*

~Really, Felix couldn't believe his cousin sometimes. Marinette was talented, beautiful, kind, and had a crush on Adrien bigger than the mansion, yet Adrien was blind to the treasure right in front of him. "Just a friend," indeed.

Well, if Adrien wasn't going to do anything, it wouldn't matter if Felix... snatched her up?~

Welcome To The Back by Geeeny *Finished*

~Marinette Dupain-Cheng sits alone in the back. Until she doesn't.~

birds of a feather by WithLovePoohBear *Finished*

~When Mme Bustier’s class gets a new student, Marinette might just finally find true friends who love and support her for who she is.

But more accurately, she finds her home.~

Pen Pals by That_Kwami_plagg  *Finished*

~Marinette and Felix have been Pen Pals for two years. She tells him everything. All of the abuse, lies and manipulations. He became her sanctuary, and her his. What happens when Felix moves to France? Can he help her through her struggles, or will he be another victim of Lila?~

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Tim Drake

Tiny Tim by LeoLeonte *Finished*

~Tim leaned back on the chair. Disrespect was a common occurrence at the meetings he attended but usually people were far more subtle about it.

In which sleep deprivation makes people do, and say stupid things.~

The Contingency by AbyssalGuardian *Finished*

~After Marinette loses the support of her parents she decides that it’s time for her to enact one of her contingency plans and disappear.

Where better to disappear than Gotham?~

coup de foudre (came with a lightning bug) by newdog14 *Finished*

~“So unfortunately I’m being forced to turn in my resignation without having a replacement trained just yet,” Marinette said, looking genuinely regretful.

“Marry me!” Tim blurted out, and Marinette blinked at him in shock~.

Damsel in Distress by Izanae *Finished*

~All Marinette wanted to do was check out the competition.

Instead, she finds herself at the mercy of a Rogue - and a certain Red bird.~

Misc.

No Hesitation by orphan_account *Finished*

~Marinette could never have foreseen just how quickly Lila's plan would work - but now a new school year has begun and she has transferred to a new school that could support her fashion career far better than Dupont ever could.~

Accidentally on Purpose by LadyLiterature

~When Marinette had been chosen to intern with Monsieur Wayne’s PA, she hadn’t been expecting anything special. Sure, the Waynes were an odd breed and generally considered strange, but Marinette hadn’t actually expected to have much contact with them, if any at all.~

Multi-mouse will multi-wreck your shit by Assassinscred, Bloodhungrywolfpack *Finished*

~The whole world is watching the live stream as Multi-mouse's miraculous is ripped from her neck. They are all watching as the girl underneath is revealed. The super hero community, specifically the Bat clan, are stunned as she continues to fight, berating her foe the whole way.

With this new public knowledge, Batman once again reaches out to offer his assistance with the situation. Unlike a few years ago, this time Ladybug accepts.~

Siren Song by MelsCalamity *Unfinished*

~Or the story how Marinette Dupain-Cheng one night randomly woke up in Gotham City and suddenly got adopted by the Gotham City Sirens.~

[8bit-cookie-thief]

A Story Done Right

Kill Bill, The Princess Bride, Blue-Eyed Samurai, Wrath of Khan. Our media is saturated with revenge stories. Even children's tales often have revenge as a sweeping premise (e.g., the countless Star Wars villains as a modern example, but older tales such as Cinderella were even more rife with vindictive messages). And to be honest, I have never cared for this plot type.

Revenge stories are usually violent, merciless, myopic, and pretty disregarding of 'collateral' losses. Not all, but most lack any type of interesting moral symbology and substitute dynamic storylines and complex character development in lieu of exciting action scenes and a prosaic fixation on bloodshed. There are certainly exceptions to this, many of the titles I listed above actually have a lot of great things going for them. But I would say that these qualities are in spite of their focus on revenge and not because of it.

And there are an endless number of animes, movies, books, and other stories based on revenge that simply do not appeal to me (not judging other people if they like violent action media, just not my personal taste). Most of the time, I am just left feeling empty at the end, like Neo after volume 9.

But there is one exception to this theme. One revenge story that leaves me feeling whole, not empty. From the banner image, I think it is pretty obvious which story it is. This is my own highly subjective opinion, but I truly believe that the fight with Adam represents the perfect revenge story. And here is my reasoning.

Revenge is Not The Hero's Purpose

In too many stories, the premise begins with douchebag 'X' killing damsel 'Y', leading to hero 'Z' killing a lot of henchmen and blowing up a lot of buildings all for the singular purpose of making Mr. X pay. Once they achieve this purpose, they look around aimlessly before wandering off to have a milkshake or play golf or something. Yeah well, this story does not do this. Killing Adam was never the objective for Blake and Yang, because they have actual goals that involve saving people and not just executing some vendetta.

Don't get me wrong. I love redemption stories, I find them so much more satisfying, especially when the character in question has to struggle to overcome the gravity of what they have done (note: a redemption arc does not mean instant forgiveness, it might never end with actual for absolution for what they have done). I love Emerald's story and think it has a lot of interesting twists that it can take. But there are some characters who are just too far gone to save. And Adam fits that perfectly.

He has a tragic backstory and I truly pity him. But he is also an abusive, murdering shitlord who manipulated and groomed Blake (I wouldn't be surprised if he physically or sexually abused her, which is somewhat implied by her frequently defensive body posture, but is not definite). He kills out of spite and represents Yang's demon, who she could have become. It was cathartic to watch him fall, but I am ever so grateful that his demise was not the purpose of Blake and Yang. Because killing him out of spite for what he did to them would not be much different than the way he lashed out at others for the traumas that he has endured. Some might call it justice, but justice and revenge are two sides of the same coin and the edges between them can be blurry.

The point is, Yang and Blake are so much more than Adam. They killed him out of necessity, not out of hate.

They Are Set on the Future

As I mentioned, I often feel empty at the end of a revenge story. When the villain lies dead within a pool of their own blood and the hero has achieved everything they sought to accomplish, what more is there really? Often, I feel like the story has reached its ending without really achieving anything of note. Often, without really making the world a better place. A plot about revenge is not the same as one about taking someone down to save other people. The former is what Adam wanted and it would have made the world a worse place. But Yang and Blake are protectors. The fight was exhilarating and satisfying, but it ultimately humanized these characters whereas most revenge stories do the opposite, treating human life as cheap entertainment to be killed in the most 'epic' way possible.

But more important, the fight left me feeling excited about the future, rather than feeling burn out from seeing the villain die. Adam was fixated on the past. He was a character of the past. He represented Blake and Yang's trauma, their old demons and fears. He had no further place in their character arcs, because they had evolved into something so much more. Killing Adam was not the end of their story as it is in so many revenge plots. It was simply a new beginning. It felt whole and wholesome. Past, present, and future.

Because it is the People Who Matter

Ultimately, the fight was never about killing Adam. It was about bringing Yang and Blake together. About having them overcome the demons of their past. About the importance of mental health. About their individual traumas (abandonment issues & PTSD for Yang and Blake's fear of hurting others). About the challenges that LGBTQ+ people face in finding security in a hostile world. It was about these two, fucking amazing characters and the ineffably wondrous relationship that forms between them. One based on actual fucking support, equality, and love.

That is all I have on this right now. Hopefully, I did not offend too many people by criticizing typical revenge stories. But I have been wanting to talk about my love and appreciation of this scene for years. I know there have been so many more people who have discussed these same themes and points before, probably more adroitly than my rambling mess, but this is my rambling mess. Thanks for reading!

Random side trivia 1: Mandy Patinkin, the actor who played Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, is famous for his iconic line, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Mandy felt that the scene was symbolic of feelings towards the illness that took his father. But regarding revenge against people, he actually dislikes his iconic line and how it idolizes revenge.

Random side trivia 2: I love Jeff & Casey William songs and I just love BMBLY (except or that creepy line about the birds and butterflies knowing, wtf). But as an ecologist, I should note that bumblebees do not make honey. Jeff was thinking of European honey bees. Bumblees are cute, fuzzy, chunky super pollinators that live in the ground, in hollow plant stems, or other obscure spots and are either solitary or have very small hives. They virtually never bother people and are super pollinators, actually much better pollinators than honeybees (which are super awesome cool in their own right, but also highly invasive in the western hemisphere and hurt our native pollinators D: And yes, I cherry-picked the ugliest picture of one that I could find). Many bumblebees are endangered, just like our beloved Bumblebees. Save the bees! AND THE BEES!

[golvio]

Tried the Damsel route today.

This shot and the sequence leading up to it is probably one of the most disturbing things in the whole game. It's to existential horror what the Prisoner sawing her own head off was to physical horror. If anything, the Prisoner's autodecapatation is now less horrifying, in retrospect, because at least she got to keep her personality and free will throughout the process.

But, also...even in the routes where we don't mean to hurt her, where we do everything in our power to avoid physically hurting her...we still hurt her.

Even if we came in here with the very best of intentions and tried to "do the right thing," we still hurt her by our thoughts and desires hollowing her out until she was reduced to...this.

Going through the "happy" version of the ending didn't feel so triumphant, after that. Not just because the ending wasn't quite as satisfying from a narrative standpoint without any sort of conflict to struggle against, but because the whole time it felt like she was following a script. Apart from the vague impulse to leave that all Princesses possessed, she'd been hollowed out of everything that had made her...well, her, before Chapter II. She didn't panic when the door shut, she didn't stop smiling when we suggested she might end the world or have to cut off her arm a second time. The only thing we noticed about her in Chapter I was her lack of response to pain and her sweet smiles, and our fantasies hollowed her out until she became nothing but that.

Can we say she was "happy" if she lacked the capacity to be anything but "happy" with our choices for her? Can you call that love? Or is it something that's even lonelier than outright being alone?

Honestly, it was a relief when the Shifting Mound took her. Seeing her made so shallow felt incredibly cruel, given who she was before she was flattened, and what she would've been capable of if we had done literally anything else. At that point, "You molded her to love you" and "She has served her purpose" felt like both an observation and an accusation.

But, given that my time with the Damsel was paired with Shifty's third vessel dialogue...it got me thinking about what She wants.

She says She doesn't want anything, that She's governed by the whims of whatever force is shaping Her at the moment, but...is She really happy, having who She is be subject to the whims of who's perceiving Her? Is She okay with not being able to hold a shape She's discovered she likes as soon as someone else perceives Her to be something different? Would She ever want to take a break from...all that? After all, She's drawn to us. The Long Quiet. The god of eternity and order. On a certain level, She craves stability.

Is her "gift" to us what She's secretly wanted all along? The power to choose Her own fate, Her own identity, and the power to change it if She doesn't like the path She's on? And what does that say about our gifts? Do we yearn for the completion we offer her through the vessels, given that we keep shattering to pieces every time we go back into the breach and start the loop again? Is this some kind of wacky flipped-upside-down Gift of the Magi situation where each of us gives the other what they yearn for but lack due to our being permanently separated into two beings against our will?

[lpsgirl109]

Was discussing the raimi trilogy with my friends the other night and came to the realization that these movies are kinda shit about how it's female characters are handled

MJ is permanently reduced to the damsel in distress. Every single movie has to end with her being kidnapped because the male protagonist loves her, and then is rescued by the male protagonist. The most she gets to help out in any of these situations is throwing a brick at Eddie one time. That's it. She is forever the girl in need of saving by the man

Gwen's only purpose in sm3 is to (unintentionally) drive a wedge in Peter and MJ's relationship. Her entire character in sm3 centers around Peter. She only exists to progress his story. And this really sucks to me because I know this was kinda mended in older versions of the script. There's the scene from the novel that I THINK is a deleted scene probably lost to time where Eddie shows up at Gwen's house begging her to take him back, and then George is all idk Gwen maybe it's YOUR FAULT he's like this. And then the alternate ending where Gwen was the one who got kidnapped, probably because of Eddie's hatred for her, and MJ contributing a lot more by convincing Harry to help Peter rescue her. Wow! Gwen having her own conflicts and struggles outside of the male protagonist! Why did we get rid of this! I have no idea!

Ursula and Betty are both in a weird spot where I'm like. They're cool! Why did you have to give them weird 2 second romances with Peter! Like guys please realize not every woman has to be in love with Peter Parker, this is four female characters now that have wanted to kiss him at some point. Betty also doesn't really make sense to me cause she can see he is being an ass and I feel that's out of character for her to see that and go damn that's hot but maybe that's just me

Rosie gets fridged. That's all there is to it Rosie gets fridged. This in and of itself isn't an issue for me it's just the fact it happens alongside all the other ways women are treated in these movies

Legit the only character that really doesn't have any issues here is Aunt May. Bless her soul Aunt May can never do any wrong

[waroferas]

Cia HyWars is pure evil?

There is so much I could say about Cia . and i will ! you’re stuck with me now idiot !!!!! (speaking into an empty room)

i was going to skip this section bc if anybody reading this somehow didn’t know who Cia is then like . google is right there . but zeldadungeon actually has fuck all to say about cia’s backstory and i would never knowingly subject someone to the fandom wikis.

Cia was originally known as the Guardian of Time, a minor deity tasked with overlooking the checks and balances of the triforce across the past and future. She did this work alone, and her psyche was left vulnerable to a fragment of ganondorf’s soul. Her admiration and jealousy of the holder’s of the triforce was manipulated until she became physically fragmented, her “light half” being cast from her as she was fully corrupted.

That half goes on to become Lana, and what remains of Cia wants two things: Collect Link like barbie doll, and help Ganondorf restore his soul and gather the triforce so she can Collect Link like barbie doll. She’s the main antagonist of the game now.

why would she do this? is she stupid?

being lonely makes you crazy and i mean this very genuinely.

Hyrule Warriors is constantly hammering in that you need to rely on other people through gameplay And story beats. i would even say that friendship and teamwork is one of the strongest and most recognizable themes. In the very first stage there is an honestly comical back and forth that goes as follows: link runs in to fight volga. impa runs in to save link. link hops up last second and saves impa instead . and then they round out the stage with impa saving link and delivering the hero’s tunic to him. this has to be a joke? but it isn’t . they LOVE TEAMWORK !! not to mention the gameplay that forces you to run around and help your allies, or the massive story beat that revolves around Link running ahead to fight on his own, which i could dissect in its own post.

unrelated but related, in the first edition of this game Cia dies. she asks lana to make her pain make sense, reveals that she knew on some level she was doomed to fail, and admits that lana really is better than her. it’s a bitter ending with very little fanfare, as ganondorf swoops in quickly to kickstart the beginning of the end.

But in later versions, there’s additional content. Cia is found to be alive, struggling against Phantom Ganon’s forces with the last of her power. She becomes an ally and she gets to live at the end, finding a happy ending in resuming her duties now as one of two Guardians of Time with Lana.

Would it be such a stretch to assume that the root of her pain was her solitude? Her admiration of Link as the revered hero, her jealousy of Zelda as the damsel who is destined to always fight by his side, and her happy ending. she easily walks away from Link, Zelda, and the allure of the triforce because now she finally has company, and knows she is leaving them all as friends. Wouldn’t it make sense thematically that in the game about friendship, the main antagonist would be driven in part by a lack of it?

this doesn’t justify starting a war

yeag . the devs for the Dynasty Warriors hack and slash series should have made it Not a war (JOKE. PARODY. but see the first sentence or the previous section)

but what about the part where she is an irredeemable creep?

look me in the eyes . i cannot describe how much this train of thought kills me. i am trying not to point at anybody specific here but it actually scares me a little bit how common and Assumed To Be True this is considering the preexisting racism and misogyny surrounding Cia’s design and role within the game

Cia is creepy towards Link. it’s not normal to disregard a person’s autonomy because you want to “make him yours”, and it’s not normal to have just So Many pictures and statues of a guy. but i have to draw the line there because Genuinely that is where it ends.

Pet names? if you play her side campaign you find that she calls Literally everyone things like “lovelies” and “darling.” Her speech mannerisms are classically cartoonish villain and i am absolutely biased because i love this

Age difference? an important thing to note is that cia’s design is one of the things the most afflicted by the aforementioned racism and misogyny. considering she has no canonical age afaik it freaks me out that people treat her like a Textual Predator with the Everything in mind.

if she’s redeemable then they did a shit job at it.

no argument there . i think everyone forever should make something new up to make up for the fact that they did a Poor Redemption . at least have her say sorry or something idunno .

in my opinion they had a lot going on when cia joined the allies, so i like to imagine she ended up getting a proper redemption arc After phantom ganon is put to bed. it lives in my head and it’s just as convoluted and weird as the rest of the game 👍

Hyrule Warriors is just an extremely elaborate excuse to play dolls

and i LOVE my tuoys. come play with meeeee come have fun with me and ciaaaaaa

[salty-an-disco]

Hey bud! If you had to give your favorite voice a favorite movie, what would it be? And would their matching vessel like or dislike it?

I know this wasn’t the assigned task, but I couldn’t resist–

Here’s me headcanoing a fave film for every single voice and their respective princess’ opnion on it–

Hero: Shrek 2. No it is NOT just because of the Holding Out For a Hero scene, tho that is a very nice scene that always makes him start bouncing on his seat the moment it starts playing. It isn’t Default Princess’ favorite (she prefers Shrek 1), but she still appreciates the satire and subversion of common fairy tale tropes and the exploration of Shrek’s character here.

Contrarian: The Emperor’s New Groove. It’s memeable, it’s funny, it has such iconic characters, what else could he ask for? Stranger likes what they saw of it well enough, but they can’t really bring themselves to focus on a movie for the entirety of it. Would rather be doing something that requires them to be proactive.

Cheated: Fight Club. I haven’t watched Fight Club myself, but from what I hear from it, sounds like something Cheated might enjoy. Razor isn’t allowed anywhere near a TV.

Cold: Inside Out. Am I projecting? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not. She watches Inside Out over and over again, imagining those little emotion guys as some of its friend, and getting a weird tight feeling in its chest when the control panel starts going gray because of Riley’s increasingly depressive state. Spectre likes the movie :)

Paranoid: Paranorman (I didn’t realize how similar those names are, but holy shit that’s funny), she finds Norman’s struggles to fit in and being seen as a ‘weirdo’ relatable and finds the way he’s fascinated with horror weirdly compelling. Both the fact it’s a stop-motion movie, and that it’s ‘children’s horror’ helps Paranoid feel safe watching it, and she doesn’t even jerks her arms once! Nightmare finds the zombies funny and gets… weirdly emotional during reveal at the end.

Hunted: The Lion King. It’s pretty, it’s colorful, the scenery and characters makes it feel at home, and it’s really compelled by the lion hamlet storyline. Beast tries to paw at every animal on screen and starts howling sadly when Mufasa dies.

Opportunist: Says it’s The Devil Wears Prada, but actually, it’s Legally Blond. The musical, specifically. Constantly has ‘Gay or European?’ playing in his head. Witch also loves The Legally Blond musical and is constantly grumpy that it’s also Oppy’s favorite.

Stubborn: Kung Fu Panda. It has FIGHTS, it has a panda struggle to become stronger, it has a compelling emotional core, he loves that shit! Adversary prefers John Wick, personally, but she’s also cheering for that white leopard guy every time he’s on screen (yeah, she knows he’s the villain, so what?).

Broken: Winnie the Pooh. It’s comforting and so nice to watch! It always makes them feel better. Tower doesn’t concern herself with this kind of leisure.

Smitten: The Princess Bride. Do I need to explain this one? Damsel also likes it, though she prefers Enchanted; especially the animated bits, she finds animation much more compelling than live action. :D

Skeptic: Knives Out. The mystery is compelling, the characters are engaging, and the set design! Skeptic could spend hours dissecting every frame of this movie and he did. Prisoner thought the culprit was too easy to figure out.

Extras–

Long Quiet is very fond of the Rio movie, while Shifty really likes Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (she’s also fond of The Lego Movie :))

[valiantroeagleangel]

This might be out of the blue but do you have any headcanons of bad omens with tall women? Like how you would feel or how they would act towards you. All is see is about short women 😭 so I had to ask. It's ok if you don't 💕 love you 💕💕

As a tall woman, I loved that ask so I'll use myself for reference. I think I'm like 5'9 ? or maybe 5'10 I'm not so sure, I don't understand a thing about the American metric system.

Sorry it took me time to write that down love, hope you'll love it nonetheless <3

Noah

One thing I love about Noah is that even with my tall ass platforms I'll still be shorter than him and that is great. If you're tall and you want to feel PETITE for once you know, Noah's your guy. It's great to be tall and stuff but sometimes you just wish to feel small and weak in someone's arms and not feel like you're a strong opponent he could fight. And with Noah, I'm pretty sure you would feel small in his arms and I love that. And the debate of him liking tall or short women doesn't even exist since you're probably all shorter than him.

But Noah loves that you're tall. Have you guys seen that picture of him and the look on his face when a fan came to the meet and greet stuff and he was really taller than Noah? He looked like a kid in a candy store, so in my head, Noah loves tall girls (I'm not saying that because I am, what do you mean?). He likes the fact that you're at his size and not small like everything around him. Here me out, you could have a customized kitchen at your height and not struggle with everything being too low and that would be so great. Or like a table with high feet so you won't hit your knees under it every time you try to cross your legs. Just for weird things like that he would feel special with you and not in an excluded way.

But in reality I don't think he cares that much about your height anyway, you'll look good next to him whether you're short or tall. Just wish we saw more headcanons and fics of Noah with tall women and not just short people for size kink hm.

Jolly

MY FAVORITE PART. Jolly is a little bit shorter than Noah but he still is pretty tall. That being said I know that with heels I might be his height or like almost his size. So he is not your absolute tall guy, you won't necessarily always be petite to him. BUT, hear me out, there is something really manly about Jolly that makes me feel small anyway. It goes with his charisma and presence I think but GOD. I FEEL SO SMALL AND WEAK COMPARED TO HIM. Do you see what I'm talking about?

Jolly? God, it is just his attitude but it's working (and the fact that he still is pretty tall). Noah is tall and buff but he isn't manly the way that Jolly is and that makes a difference. Maybe I feel even smaller with Jolly than Noah because of that and I love that. Jolly is VIRILE and I'm not talking about the grrr alpha man awou awou *wolves* *wolves* type of virile. There is nothing toxic here, he just sweats testosterone and I'm a weak little damsel in distress for it.

Kidding, but you got it.

Jolly is masculine enough to make you feel like you can rely on him for real, so you feel little and feminine. Yeah dating Jolly as a tall woman is for once not feeling like you're abnormally tall in a room of people of average height.

That aside, I think that he doesn't care much about your height anyway. That dude is Swedish, average Swedish women are tall. So he won't be that "shocked" about your height, even maybe that the day you both met he was like "damn finally someone with a normal height (Swedish height reference)".

Jolly is a dom in everything in his life so in the end, he will manage it all. He doesn't think that you being tall is taking his masculinity away. He just doesn't fucking care and will still treat you like the princess you are.

Nicholas

Oh Nicholas my beloved- I have no fucking idea of how tall he actually is but he isn't that short. Probably like 180/183 cm? I would say. Jolly is 185 cm and Nicholas is shorter but not by a lot. Which I think is something between 1 and 2 inches.

Yeah, we are doing maths here now.

But it's just for reference, since Nicholas is that tall I'm taller than him with my shoes on. So we're not on the petite side this time. But I think that dating Nicholas while being tall is something special. I think he worships you in any kind of way he can.

He likes the fact that you're tall, he likes how long your legs actually are, god he could die for those legs you know. It's great, you're just so great for him and in the end, Nicholas is still pretty tall, at least taller than average height in my country sooo. He still has a presence next to you even if he is an introvert that only wishes to disappear in social situations. If he wants I'm sure he could be very "towering" by his attitude and take things in charge.

I like the trope of the tall shy guy you know. Because he is shy, he wants to be invisible but he is so tall and has this dom side of him that you can't miss him. And that is Nicholas ladies, he is an elephant in the room that has a manly side he's trying to hide. But he is ready to wear big-ass shoes to be taller just so you can feel really small next to him, even if he hates standing out this way. Which is ironic, considering what he does for a living.

Folio

Oh, Folio. Folio's my short king. I still don't know his height but he is the shorter of the band. He might be my height, maybe shorter but not by a lot? Folio gives puppy energy on that one. He saw you one day, standing in a crowd and he was just MESMERIZED you know. You were towering over a lot of people and he fell in love immediately.

You won't feel petite next to him, but that doesn't matter because he is obsessed with you. I categorize him as the type of short guys that have a thing for tall women. You want to wear heels. Fucking yes queen do it and be taller than him he LOVES it. He is not the type of guy to ask you to wear Converse when you're with him because he doesn't want you to be too tall or tower over him or whatever. He is not insecure about his masculinity even if he is a bit cliché on that. He likes fishing and motorcycle, he has a fucking eagle tatted on the chest and I picture him as the type to have a trad wife BUT he doesn't have that toxic side inside of him.

He might be short but he won't tell you that he can't date you because "sorry you're too tall I feel like I'm dating a man and I'm not GAY >:(." (yeah this is based on a true story.) I'm traumatized by the short guys but I think that Folio could heal me. He's not the type to feel unconfident about that and he will just cheer you in a way so that you feel great and thankful for being tall. Be tall, be fucking awesome and he will be glad to be your carpet if you even want to step on him.

i just love that picture so much.

Mama’s tag list: @circle-with-me @somewhere-diamond @malice-ov-mercy @smokeynaomi @darkhallcorner @loeytuan98  @sthnog  @cookiesupplier  @cncohshit  @lma1986  @skulliecadaver-blog @talialovesmiw @to-be-written @4rtificialfolio @arkiliastuff

[thinkingofausername]

Ah yes what I should do instead of sleeping— but this is a response to ur latest post that made me remembered some things

We can see that Anya was not afraid of Jimmy (both before and after the assault) how she confronted Jimmy alone, far from everyone but after the crash she’s more meek, jumpy

I think the reason why is because of Curly, bc of his status above Jimmy and gave her reassurance bc of anything escalates Curly can diffuse it—again bc he’s the captain, and also why she was hiding behind his seat in the cockpit.

While I don’t like the idea that she’s all damsel in distress, but with curly holding the most power, and how she sees curly as a friend; it gave her some sense of stability and he’ll help her (we saw how that turned out)

Then after the crash, and curly lost his status, Jimmy gained the status; any confidence left in her is shattered bc now her abuser holds the most power, the gun, the axe. At that point, it doesn’t matter if her true personality is a confident woman anymore bc her abuser has access to the gun, the passcodes. No wonder she had gone meek. There’s no others left in her corner anymore. Of course she’d be afraid 😭

— 🐚

I'd honestly love for someone to analyze Anya in depth, factually, cause she's been driving me crazy

I can't say anything against her cause she's the fan favorite and she's been turned into a saint but I'm really struggling to figure her out

99% of what I've seen to be the reason why fans love her so much is that she's a woman who suffered and had a tragic end and although I respect that and love for women is always needed (fictional or not) and to each their own I, for the current lack of better words, need more. She's tragic but what else

However hard I try to define her all I see are contrasts - she's brave (she confronts Jimmy on her own) but she takes no action to defend herself. She's resilient (keeps Curly alive and herself composed with her abuser on the ship) but is the first to go, by her own hand no less. She's responsible (took care of Curly) but she let Jimmy give him pills (enabling Jimmy's abuse of Curly) and she wouldn't do Jimmy's eval and she kills herself with Curly's pills, in front of him no less. She hid the gun from Jimmy so he wouldn't get it but she didn't use it herself. She asked Curly for help but confronted Jimmy alone even though she and Curly were supposed to do it together. She knew what Jimmy was like and how unstable he was and she still cornered him (unintentionally causing the crash). She has to have a different personality from what Jimmy sees cause he's her abuser and Curly sees her differently but we know that Curly's perspective on things isn't accurate or detailed. She isn't quite weak and she isn't quite strong (don't attack me, I'm just going with the facts, she couldn't complete her tasks and she couldn't defend herself and she died first) so at the end of the day I can't for the life of me figure her out

If anyone has enough Mouthwashing brainrot and energy to add to this or deconstruct this I'd be really glad to read it cause I've hit a dead end here

[cornistasiathecoblinking]

⭐️ from one writer to another, please yap about your writing ⭐️

Since I've been working on Metropolis since 2023, I'll yap about it! ( i have it locked from AI scrapers so here's a screenshot. )

The story's basic premise is your average Roxanne and Megamind hooking up in secret because fun!

Both have private and professional reasons for keeping their hookups a secret; Megamind, because Doom Syndicate is stupidly bureaucratic and relationships between villains and damsels/kidnappees, are strictly prohibited (really channeling Venture Bros. Guild of Calamitous Intent vibes here), and Roxanne because in this, she and Metro Man really ARE dating and, through a series of compromises in her life, she is very much woven into his family's dynamics.

While this connection to the most powerful in Metro has been beyond advantageous for her professionally, and in her personal life, she finds it incredibly stifling.

Something that I think is important to realize in this fic is that... well... it's like "brainwashing." Being brainwashed is not so much hypnosis and chemicals in the water, but it is a series of small concessions over a period of time.

Since Megamind and Roxanne have been hooking up, Roxanne slowly starts to realize that not everything is as it had once been. Clothes that were bought for her, and provided for her by others don't fit quite right. Conversations with her friends rub her the wrong way. Nothing is as it was and she no longer "fits" in this box of expectations that everyone in the city puts her in.

Slowly but surely, she learns to be herself around Megamind, cause it's not like he can tell anyone either right? So through their time together, she can relax and open up a little and Megamind finds he adores this side of her. So much so, that he finds ways to coax it out, and the more she be her true self, the more he falls in love with her.

Without getting too much deeper into the heart of the story, and risk spoiling it, I want to segway that there is a historical fiction element to it.

The main part of the story takes place in Present Day Metro City, but there are certain elements that have fallen into place since it's founding in the last 1800s. We see Metro go from a little trading post near a natural spring that the local tribes had called "Warriors Wound' which is rich in iron. (the surrounding stones are stained red, check out Blood Falls in Antarctica, it's \,,/METAL!\,,/) there are studies that mineral springs have health benefits when you soak in them (thus local legend that "Warriors Wound" helps heal the the local natives that soak in it's waters.)

(for the record, I'm both spiritual and a geology nut. xD)

This discovery lead to an industrial revolution in Metro. The trading post became Iron Town, and as the years passed, through a series of backroom negotiations, greed, etc. became the sprawling metropolis it is now. ("Metropolis" is Greek for town/city, hence the name which ties into each chapter opening being something to do with Greek mythology/astrological themes.)

Fanfiction is free therapy, right? I suppose this story is somewhat autobiographical; Roxanne is channeling a lot of my own upbringing.

In exhausting myself to meet others' expectations, burning myself out in trying to achieve long-term career goals, and grappling with my struggle to find my own identity and putting away the mask that I've kept up in my life.

During my youth, family, friends, and work associates had always "assigned" me all these roles and expectations. But over time, you "outgrow" these roles and you suffer because you're not living Your Life but you're living other people's version of their lives. They are living vicariously through you.

I remember being young, like, I don't know, 6? 7? 8? And hearing and seeing these kinds of tactics made me so, so, so angry. and back then, I didn't have the vocabulary to explain why. "I don't want to!" "I hate this!" "Leave me alone!" was largely ignored when you have two emotionally immature parents who thought "Boundaries = Rejection" and "Rejection = your kid hates you" When they felt that way, they were very withholding and rejecting.

So as a kid, I just grinned and bore because I had abandonment trauma (my parents were in the Gulf War and left me with an aunt for months during that whole time. Then another time, my dad got shipped to Bosnia and my mom was shipped to Florida and I was left with a postpartum babysitter who... may or may not have kidnapped me during this period. Not really sure but that's a whole different story.) So, while I hated being assigned unrealistic expectations, I accepted it because, in my child's mind, "Being Mad = Being Abandoned." and that's not at all a fun time.

There's a whole lot of other baggage to unpack, but that's the bare minimun of that whole time.

But, anyway, why did I go off on this tangent? Well...

Story time,

I was in my early twenties, and depressed but didn't really know why I was depressed. I was just a general level of unhappiness that was at the very core of my being......

UNTIL

I was flipping channels on tv to have in the background while I played World of Warcraft. My dog had just died so that was contributing a lot to my overall sense of SAD and at least gave it a face at the time.

"The SUN needs to WARM UP?!" which, hearing without paying attention to the context made me bust a gut laughing. So I rewound it to get a better sense of the context... and rewound it... and decided, "Wait... this is actually.. REALLY funny!" and left my WoW friend to die in the dungeon while I started the movie from the beginning ("The VERY beginning!!") and watched it... probably eight times on repeat that night!

That night I was so hooked, that I scoured the internet for more googling about sequels and fanfictions and what not. This lead me to Live Journal which is how I found the Megamind fandom!

The reason I bring all this up, is that it was through the Fandom that I was able to take off my mask and be myself. It was through the fandom that I had learned what Gaslighting was and meant, and recognized that others felt the same as I did in my life!

I also began to see that my friends and boyfriend in real life... weren't... actually good people. I started to recognize that they had behaviors that I found repugnant. They would say things that once, i found uncomfortable but could not put a word as to why, now I would stare at them like, "why are you like this???"

But back then, I couldn't just "drop" them. we'd be friends for years. A lot of time and memories invested in the relationships. But the more invested I became in the MM fandom, the less and less I enjoyed being around them. I had noticed that they were becoming possessive of me and my time. When I started writing my first MM fanfiction, and looking at fanart, they would ignore me, even going so far as to say, "This is a kids movie... don't you think it's a little weird for adults to be... this *into* it?"

I didn't really have anything to say to that, but I just stopped talking about it.

Quickly, things began to degrade between all of us. I was spending more and more time chatting with the fandom on LJ and AIM chat, and less and less time hanging out with them, and when I did, I was withdrawn, less social and chatty and sneaking in plot points on my phone whenever I got a chance.

The more I changed, the worse they became. This was also occuring at home with my parents as well. They didn't recognize who I was becoming, and I felt claustrophobic in this box they kept trying to shove me in. The more I grew into my own person, the less everyone was liking. When I was a child, I was easy going and chill, and now, after years of self help and therapy, I recognized that this had been a coping mechanism. I had to let so much go and swallow so much disapointment and resentment because if I hadn't then I would have been abandoned again, neglected and ignored.

But with the MM fandom, I was finding people that liked who I was and accepted me and listened to me and who helped me become the person I am today.

Eventually, those friendships erupted in a big and painful way. I finally called it quits on trying to be their friend. My boyfriend followed maybe a year or so later, shortly after meeting the fandom at Dash Con. I realized I hated being in a relationship with him, and that I was holding onto him because he was my last thread of attachment to my friends.

But you outgrow people and situations. You outgrow your old life. I was like a snake shedding its old skin, growing and changing.

Today I am married to my best friend and happier than I've ever been! I've made lifelong friends here in the fandom and we've met up periodically. I talk to them every day and I don't feel like I am walking on eggshells around them. I can share my interests without bracing myself for eyerolls or mockery.

Megamind changed my life for the better and... yeah. That's... essentially what is happening to Roxanne Ritchi here in Metropolis. She was "stuck" for years without realizing it and through her exposure to Megamind, she is growing and changing into the person she is meant to be.

A bit long-winded but I hope anyone who sees this stuck around for the ride. Thank you for asking @belleyells ! I hope it was informative!

[ongreenergrasses]

Question, why is it generally accepted in the fandom that Annie isn’t a mentor, doesn’t visit the capitol etc. we know that katniss isn’t familiar with her (but context that was also the year post her fathers death and we know she was struggling to provide and survive so obv the games year probably didn’t stick out + she’s only been a victor for a year so probably not caught up on all the lore). It’s just so interesting that everyone is pretty much convinced that snow kept her out of sight out of mind when it’s not mentioned anywhere, and I don’t really think snow would negotiate with finnick to let her live away in 4 peacefully bc when has he shown that he’d do that be so fr. I wonder if it’s some icky mix of albelism (inherently assuming that since she suffers from some sort of ptsd she’s unable to mentor/visit, is icky. If that is the case, thats OK, and fully reasonable. I just don’t like the line of reasoning…oh she is outwardly shows symptoms so she’s “more damaged” BRO all the mentors have some sort of ptsd and hayMitch is literally out here publicly coping with alcohol so gtfo her back) + some weird mix of damsel in distress where finnick is bailing her out. Again I love the sentiment, chivalry is not dead, but I just don’t think snow would let someone negotiate with him tf? Im all for reading in between the lines but its just odd that the fandom is generally set on this hc when the lines don’t even be there. Plus i just hope odesta got as much time as they possibly could together #finnickgonetoosoon and weren’t separated/had these super disjointed lives. Also huge middle finger to anyone who says Annie would be a terrible mentor bc she wouldn’t advocate for winning/surviving. I’m pretty sure mags and haymitch probably feel the same way about winning, but seeing these kids with a will and resilience to win (finnick/katniss/peeta) and understanding the importance of life inspires a certain level of emotional attachment which probably supercedes everything, and no one’s to say how Annie would be too. idk id love to hear your thoughts!

so I would like to think the reason why people think that she never went back to the Capitol is there is a shred of evidence, spoken by Peeta when they’re in the Quell arena:

“I don’t remember ever seeing [Annie] at the Games again.” (cf, 348)

however, to be honest I think it’s most likely the mix of ableism + damsel in distress that you mention. all the victors are dealing with significant levels of trauma and resulting PTSD. Annie just has symptoms that, quite frankly, freak people out more and make them think of her as fragile, and I see what you’re saying about that line of reasoning going uncomfortable places.

If we think about it, the first thing that Katniss notices when she meets Annie is that she’s lovely, and as gross as it is, visible mental illness that leads to perceived vulnerability can absolutely be fetishized. I don’t think Annie escaped going to the Capitol and being trafficked. I think she probably didn’t go often, but if she’s that pretty and Snow thinks that there’s a way she can be sedated or controlled enough, then yeah, she was probably trafficked.

The idea that Finnick was able to keep her out overestimates the amount of power he actually has in that situation. I think Snow would like him to believe that he has the power to keep Annie away from the Capitol, because that gives Snow more leverage over Finnick, and I think Finnick absolutely tried, but they’re not equals. there is no sway that Finnick realistically has over Snow. there is nothing he can offer that Snow does not already have control over. if the idea of keeping Annie out of the Capitol meant that Finnick was more cooperative, though, that’s a trade off I can see Snow making.

there’s probably a fair amount of victors from Four, and Annie won the 70th, so I think it could totally go either way if she ended up being a mentor or not. but the idea that Annie wouldn’t advocate for surviving is quite frankly ridiculous…she is a survivor through and through. I do think that Annie did have some degree of happiness in parts of her life after winning her Games, and it’s really complex because Four is a Career district and the propaganda there is very intense, she probably did continue to believe even after what happened to her that volunteering was a good and borderline honorable choice, it just didn’t work out for her. I can see her doing everything she could to help those kids win.

[horoscope1078]

:)

Riccardo had not expected to meet the love of his life while waiting to pay for a plate of carbonara. But there he was, standing in the queue of a charming little trattoria in Rome, tapping his card against his palm absentmindedly. The restaurant was packed, the warm scent of garlic and basil filling the air, and the murmur of conversation created a cosy buzz around him. And then he saw you.

You were standing just ahead of him, a slight frown creasing your brows as you rummaged through your purse. Your tray held an empty plate with only traces of tomato sauce left, and you seemed to be struggling to find your wallet.

Riccardo, ever the observant type, immediately noticed the way your cheeks flushed in embarrassment. You let out a small, frustrated sigh and bit your lip, something about the way you did it made his stomach do a weird flip.

“Ugh, I swear I had it in here” you muttered under your breath, giving your bag another desperate shake.

Without really thinking, Riccardo took a step forward. “Everything ok?”

You glanced up, your eyes meeting his, and for a second, he forgot how to breathe. You had the kind of eyes that could steal a man’s focus entirely, warm and expressive, like an open book he suddenly wanted to read every page of.

“I... um, I think I lost my wallet” you admitted, looking both apologetic and mortified. “I must have left it in my car or at home. I feel so dumb.”

Riccardo didn’t hesitate. “Don’t worry, I got it.”

Your eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

“I’ll pay for you” he said with an easy shrug, already sliding his card into the machine before you could protest.

“No, no, you don’t have to do that! I can just-”

“It’s really no problem" he shot you a small, reassuring smile. “Besides, I was going to pay for my meal anyway. What’s one more plate?”

You looked flustered, shifting on your feet. “Are you sure? I can pay you back, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about it” he said, then grinned. “But if you really feel guilty, you can just let me sit with you for a bit.”

You blinked, your expression somewhere between amused and surprised. “You… want to sit with me?”

Riccardo chuckled. “Unless you’d rather run away now that your meal’s covered.”

You let out a laugh, the tension melting from your shoulders. “No, no running away. That would be rude.”

He gestured toward an empty table by the window, and after a beat of hesitation, you nodded. You sat down, and for a few seconds, there was silence as you folded your napkin neatly on the table.

“So” you started, tilting your head curiously. “Do you do this often?”

“What?”

“Save damsels in distress at the restaurant register.”

Riccardo smirked, leaning back slightly. “Only when they look as panicked as you did.”

You rolled your eyes, but he could see you were smiling. “Well, thank you. I really do appreciate it. I swear I’ll find a way to pay you back.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “You already are.”

“How?”

“By sitting here and talking to me.”

Your smile softened, and Riccardo felt something shift in the air between you, something subtle yet significant. You started talking about your favourite pasta dishes, about how you had randomly chosen this place because it had good reviews, about how Riccardo had been coming here for years. He didn’t bring up football, and you didn’t mention recognising him, which was refreshing.

At some point, you glanced at your watch and sighed. “I should probably go check if my wallet’s in my car.”

Riccardo nodded, though he was reluctant to see your leave. “Yea, of course.”

You stood up, hesitating for just a second before looking at him. “You know… I’d feel really guilty if I didn’t at least buy you a coffee as a thank you.”

He grinned. “Is that your way of asking me out?”

Your cheeks turned pink. “I... what? No! I mean-”

“I’m kidding” he chuckled, standing up as well. “But I’d love to get coffee with you.”

Your expression softened into something shy but pleased. “Ok... tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow” he confirmed.

As you walked away, Riccardo found himself staring after you, smiling to himself. Who knew? Maybe the best things in life really did happen when you least expected them.