#i would love to see more of them being a dynamic duo further down the line ♡

[cy-lindric]

bonjour cy-lindric, j'ai une petite question. when I was a young person, I read The Three Musketeers and then eagerly started to read Twenty Years After and was so upset at what had happened to my beloved young heroes that I put the book down and never picked it up. what do you think, should I try again?

Bonjour !

After reading The Three Musketeers, I also wasn't sure I wanted to read Twenty Years After, and I took a break inbetween both to read something entirely different (The Locked Tomb, iirc). I think my reason for that was kind of the opposite of yours ; I enjoyed T3M a lot and loved the characters, flaws and all, but by the end they had somewhat crossed over the line into being Too Awful and the lack of retribution left me a bit frustrated. I didn't see it as a failing of the story - on the contrary, their strong character flaws and downfall in the conflict with Milady is one of the most emotionally intense and compelling parts imo - but I wasn't sure I felt like hanging out with these guys for a few hundred more pages at that point.

If your vision of the characters as a young reader was a very positive and perhaps idealized one, I can imagine why you might not have enjoyed entering into Twenty Years after. The illusion of glory has worn off ; the characters have separated, they live unremarkable lives, and their personalities have evolved drastically with the passing of time. It's almost a brutal return to reality.

For me though, it added layers of characterization to the point where now it's clear to me that this version of the Inseparables is by far the one I prefer.

I hope it's ok if I take the opportunity to talk at length about what I like about TYA below the cut. TL;DR : I love that Twenty Years After is a more realistic look at the big four's personalities and how they evolved while still keeping them thematically coherent, and that TYA makes them confront the reckless and cruel shit they did in their youth.

Spoilers ahead obviously.

We've often talked about how T3M is at its core a story about the end of knighthood. It's a tongue-in-cheek approach at chivalrous initiation, set at edge of the modern world, inbetween the time of ballads about knights in armor and that of adventures about journeying gunmen and soldiers. I think TYA embodies that particularly ; the story of people who have carried the last of these intense, dangerous chivalric ideals in their youths, and who have now grown into middle aged adults who need to find their place in the world.

For a good chunk of the book, the big four are separated into two teams ; that in of itself might discourage some, but imo it's genius. Instead of the natural two-by-pairings, Dumas goes for a d'Artagnan+ Porthos and Athos + Aramis split on opposite sides, which makes for good drama and develops lesser explored dynamics. D'Artagnan and Porthos form a scrappy team of opportunists with money on their minds, and Athos and Aramis a more idealistic duo fighting for a noble lost cause. I think it's a bold choice but also premium sequel writing.

I also love the way the young and wild characters we knew evolve into middle aged men ; at their core, they're still the same, but they've all changed and struggled against the sunset of the golden age in their own ways.

D'Artagnan, after knowing such adventures and subsequent rapid social ascension in his teenage years, has been met in his adult life with the harsh reality that he is, in fact, not a noble knight but a soldier on payroll. His modest origins give him little hope for any further career advancement, and he takes on a new mission in his early 40s for a man he has no devotion for and a cause he doesn't care about, simply because he is bored and broke. D'Artagnan still has his quick wits, his strategic talent, his fencing skills, but he has grown out of the excesses of pride of his teenage years. I loved meeting him again in TYA, and it made so much sense to me that his bouts of anger and aggressivity would be a youthful trait that he'd ended up taming. He also realizes now a lot of what seemed like funny adventures and necessary violence was actually kind of fucked up ; that was a shock to me, as their shenanigans are treated so lightly in T3M, and tbh it healed me a little. Grown up d'Artagnan is cunning, calculating, down to earth and realistic. My foxy little man. I love him.

Porthos, likewise, has been struck by the weight of reality. He has made the sensible choice and got married to the rich widow who sugar mommied him in the first book. Now she's passed, he is rich, but he still fails to earn the respect of the high society he evolves in because he's not high born enough. Like d'Artagnan, he's stagnating and bored and now that he goes back adventuring it has nothing to do with the queen or the kingdom or honour ; it's about getting his damn nobility title.

Athos, on the other hand, is the eternal knight : the only truly high born of the four, and still hopelessly holding on to a time gone by. It's no surprise imo that his storyline brings him into the english civil war, doomed to fail at saving a king who'll end up executed right in front of him. TYA acknowledges more clearly than ever that at 28 yo, Athos was a depressed alcoholic, and an embodiment of what an excess of aristocratic righteousness can do. In TYA, he is sober and moisturized and a DILF, and now he's running around frantically looking for absolution for his numerous crimes. It's delicious.

Aramis is maybe the hardest pill to swallow. TYA confirms the T3M hints that he isn't really the prim and proper romantic boy he acts like he is, and that he's possibly the most hypocritical and ruthless of the four. It might be a harsh one for Aramis fans who like him better as a cute bean, but I love the early onset of remorseless conniving bloodthirsty ambitious Aramis. Another harsh bit might be the evolution of Aramis and d'Artagnan not really liking each other ; they were always the least close combination, and imo it makes sense that their personalities would clash. I think it's clever and compelling conflict.

Now, obviously, if you've cared enough to read all this and if you know me a little, you know that a huge highlight of the book for me was its late-appearing antagonist, Mordaunt. Mordaunt is the son Milady had with her english husband. Because of the Musketeers' intervention, he's grown up in poverty and has been denied his father's inheritance. He's now a Roundhead working for Cromwell, and set on avenging his mother at all costs. Mordaunt, unlike his mother who was this beautiful and dangerous force of nature, is very uncool and pathetic. She was the primordial snake, he's the gutter rat. Obviously, I love that in and of itself, but it's also kind of striking image of the wretchedness of what they've done to her, a fucked up little goblin ghost come back to haunt them as they're trying to make their life worth living again. This time, their enemy is not a cunning political rival with a flamboyance of body and mind akin to their own ; it's a shitty little guy with bad skin who wants to kill the king and punish the murderers. Watch out babes, it's the modern world coming for you.

Of course, they're the Four Musketeers, and they did what they had to do, so they get together again and swear friendship and keep going their way. But they're also old guys with difficult personalities in a world that's never going to be the same. I think it's a cool book.

[feroluce]

So I went to the wiki page for the henghill Bullet & Brain mission of 2.2 looking for some dialogue I had missed and

a) I found something incredibly tasty that slotted into some other thoughts I'd been having, more on that on another day, and

b) I saw this super fun little trivia at the bottom, which!

I knew Penacony characters like Boothill took a lot of inspirations from old movies, but I didn't realize it was even in his and Dan Heng's relationship, that's so cool!!

It fits them very well, it's such a fun reference. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was an old buddy Western film (from 1969- nice) about a pair of outlaws. Butch Cassidy was the leader of a gang, and described as clever, affable, and talkative. Meanwhile, his closest companion, the Sundance Kid, was known as a man of few words.

Cassidy's original birth name was much more plain, but similar to Boothill, he took on a new moniker when he became an outlaw. "Cassidy" had been the last name of his beloved mentor, who taught him how to shoot and ride. And Sundance Kid was known as he was because Sundance was the name of his hometown, and it was the only place that had ever managed to catch and jail him, back when he'd been younger (also similar to Dan Heng, but ouch).

These two stick together like glue throughout the length of the film- through Cassidy's leadership of the gang being challenged, through a train robbery gone wrong, through being pursued by mercenaries, and even through fleeing to Bolivia and trying to start over together.

I don't want to say too much more, since the mission title is referencing one specific movie that I've never seen. I kinda wanna watch it now, though, just to see the inspiration that went into Boothill and Dan Heng and how they get along. I just think it's really sweet that these two were literally made to be the best of bros, how lovely is that. 💕

[bippot]

Summary: The two BAU younglings clearly feel something other than friendship towards each other. Despite how much Morgan and the rest of the team tease them, the dynamic duo progress at their own adorable speed.

Tags: Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Crushes, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Drinking, Awkward Flirting, Touch-Starved, Spencer Reid Needs a Hug

Music Recommendations: One on One Hall and Oates

Criminal Minds, Dr Spencer Reid Masterlist - here

Over the years, Spencer had grown more accustomed to people touching him. He still didn't like it. He still would prefer if he was left untouched. But if someone held their hand out for a handshake, he no longer declined the offer. He did rigorously wash and sanitise his hands after every encounter with a new person, though.

The rest of the team had begun to notice this new, more relaxed Reid.

Coincidentally, this change had occurred a few weeks after a certain Agent Y/N had joined the BAU; a young woman whom Derek had affectionately begun calling 'Peanut' since she had dethroned Reid as the youngest of the squad and had brought a peanut butter sandwich for lunch on her first day.

Together, the two youngsters had become fast friends. The new arrival quickly took a liking to Spencer's quirky personality and was the only person who allowed him to ramble on and on for as long as he wanted, about whatever he wanted, without interrupting or changing any of his train of thought.

Whereas Spencer was particularly fond of the way Y/N always gave him a helping hand socially whenever he needed it. He knew he wasn't the easiest to interact with sometimes, but with Y/N's advice and guidance, he was getting better.

After a particularly disgusting case, the team were on the jet and on their way back to Virginia, and they were all ready for a long weekend. The 'dynamic duo', as they'd become known, sat next to each other, both quiet and absorbed in their own thoughts.

"Hey, look at Pretty Boy over there," Morgan whispered to Prentiss, nudging the arm she was holding her drink in and causing it to splash down her shirt. He snorted but was quick to apologise, "Sorry, we can have a wet t-shirt contest later if you want payback."

Emily brushed her hand down the wet patch as she glanced in the direction of the duo to find Reid pretending to read. His book was firmly in his hands, yes, yet his eyes flitted between the page and the woman beside him, who was busy watching the clouds outside the window. Spencer's eyes were practically hearts behind his glasses as he watched her, his mouth slightly open and his tongue poking between his lips, and he looked utterly fascinated, completely enamoured.

"Oh, that's adorable," she teased, looking sideways and catching Morgan's eye with a knowing smirk.

Y/N finally took her focus off the window, realising she was being stared at by the young brunette. "What?" she questioned curiously, giving Spencer what she hoped was an inquisitive smile. Reid suddenly realised how creepy he must appear staring at her like that, so he tried to pretend that he wasn't doing anything weird but couldn't help smiling an incredibly goofy smile in return.

"You look tired, Y/N."

"That's no way to talk to a lady, Reid," Morgan interrupted, raising an eyebrow with a playful smile playing on his lips. "You still look beautiful, Peanut."

Spencer dipped his head to hide the frown that appeared due to Morgan's comment, and his fingers gripped onto his book a little tighter, which was obviously noticed by the profilers opposite. Even Hotch let out a quiet huff of something that sounded like laughter from where he was sitting, having turned around to see the display.

"I didn't mean it like... I, uh, I just..." Spencer trailed off, trying to come up with something to say. He looked across to gauge Y/N's reaction in the hopes she'd help him out and not embarrass him further.

Instead, he found himself looking straight into her bright eyes, which had crinkled at the corners as she giggled at him. Her hand made its way to his thigh and gently squeezed in an effort to comfort the confused boy, who had seemed to turn into a blushing, flustered mess in front of her, and her smile grew impossibly bigger at his bashfulness.

"I've been called worse, doctor. Don't sweat it."

With that, she went back to watching the passing scenery, while Spencer and Derek stared at each other, having a conversation with only their facial expressions. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Morgan was trying to urge Reid to do. It seemed that Reid was reluctant to go through with it. He looked across at Y/N and bit his lip nervously before shaking his head.

For the next hour or two, they all tried to get some shut eye, some more successful in their attempts than others.

Prentiss was snoozing with her cheek squished against the glass.

Hotch had spread himself out and had a sleep mask on, so who knows if he was truly sleeping or not?

JJ had fallen asleep a couple of minutes into the plane ride - she'd called Henry, and then, boom, out like a light.

Rossi had brought along a neck pillow and draped it around his head, apparently content to sleep away the remainder of the flight with the occasional snore escaping his slightly opened mouth.

Derek, well, he had his eyes closed but he had yet to drift off. He was too busy listening to the dynamic duo as they were in the throes of a passionate conversation, both of them leaning forward intently towards one another, their heads close together, and their voices hushed.

"I don't know what to tell you, Spencer, but I know - with one hundred percent certainty - that I'd prefer to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer over Star Trek any day."

"You've got to be kidding me?" Reid said, almost shocked that she could ever consider such a thing. "Star Trek has endured for over fifty years. It transcends generations, and it's still going strong!"

"Yeah, well, have you even watched Buffy?"

"No." Spencer narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever seen Star Trek?"

"No."

He opened his mouth and seemed as if he was about to continue, but gave up with a laugh and shook his head in amusement. Y/N grinned at him and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as if she were assuring him that this argument meant nothing and it was just for fun.

"If you wanted to, and I, uh, u-understand if not, I'd be willing to endure a Buffy marathon with you. Any time."

His voice faltered slightly, and for a moment, it was like he had forgotten how to breathe. It felt like his heart stopped beating momentarily. For a second, he could feel his stomach churning uncomfortably, but the sensation vanished quickly and Y/N nodded her head in reply, unable to contain her grin at his response.

"You can try and turn me into a Trekkie if you'd like."

"Oh! Okay, yeah, I'd like to. W-we can arrange that. We can sort that out."

They soon settled down enough to fall asleep, heads resting against each other's and failed to notice Morgan whisper, "My man," under his breath. He peeked out of one eye to catch a glimpse of the good doctor and his soon-to-be sweetheart. Prentiss was right, he thought, they were adorable. And Derek had half a mind to take a picture and send it to Garcia.

After that, it was impossible not to notice how comfortable Spencer had gotten while interacting with Y/N in every way. The team was unsure whether the pair had actually gotten together yet, but they knew it was only a matter of time. The boy wonder often rambled about how they went to the library, the cinema, or had those TV watchalongs.

And it seemed that the pair were so close that they'd developed their own sort of language, even if they were unaware of its existence.

"Hey Spock," Y/N greeted as she entered Morgan's hotel room where they'd been going over the case after hours, her hands coming down on his shoulders to gently massage them. He'd positioned himself right on the edge of the bed, so Y/N took the opportunity to kneel behind him and rest her chin on his shoulder.

On this particular case, Reid had to read through thousands of pages of a psychopath's very descriptive diary, which was filled with gruesome descriptions and diagrams of torture. The rest of the squad had gone to dinner, yet Spencer had waved them off. They knew there was only one person who had a chance at changing his mind.

"Take a break?" But instead of stopping like she asked him to, he continued reading until she pulled the book out of his hands. "...Please."

"Fine," he replied with a sigh. "The unsub-"

"A total break. No work talk."

"But -" She gave him a look, one that was stern but soft at the same time, and he gave in.

As she went to pull away, she noticed that his hair was a complete mess. "Did you brush your hair today? Or at any point this week?" she teased while she reached up to brush through his thick locks with careful fingers, untangling the knots she spotted with ease.

"We were called out pretty early this morning, Y/N," he reminded her with a playful inflection in his voice.

He tried to say something else, but it died in his throat as her fingers worked through his hair, massaging his scalp in such a way that he was turning to mush in her hands. His body relaxed, and his head lolled back against her palm. When she finished detangling his hair, she continued to further relax him with her touch until he let out a borderline embarrassing whine.

"Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make that noise," he told her, sitting bolt upright in embarrassment. His ears were bright red as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as if he could somehow rub away the blush that had appeared on his face.

Frankly, Y/N was proud that she could pull a noise like that from him. There was no doubting that it would be imprinted on her brain forever since it was so cute. She grinned in triumph while she tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear. "No need to apologise, Spence."

To show how little of an apology she needed, she resumed working her fingers through his hair again, this time more forcefully and with a little more pressure, causing Reid to once again moan softly at her pleasurable treatment. They stayed like that for a while, neither really caring that much about how fast the time was flying by.

Just as another noise fell from Reid's lips, Morgan reentered his hotel room and stood there for a few seconds in stunned silence when his eyes landed on the embrace his two friends were sharing on his bed.

"Well, well, well," he started, making them jump out of their skin. "I'd prefer it if you use your own room to canoodle, kids."

Their faces flushed as they scrambled apart from each other as though they had been caught doing something forbidden. "Uh... we weren't… we... we...uh..." Reid stuttered incoherently, completely failing to find the words to explain themselves without sounding like an absolute idiot.

"Pretty Boy, I'm just teasing you," Morgan told him, holding his hands up in surrender as he walked closer to the bed, his gaze shifting between Spencer and Y/N. "Although, I'm planning to get at least two hours of sleep, either you guys leave or you give me the keys to your room, your choice."

Looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes, the pair made a silent agreement and shuffled out of Morgan's room quietly. As soon as they were in the hallway outside, both of them burst out laughing, both at the awkwardness of their situation and at how they were probably going to endure even more teasing.

They began to slowly walk in the direction of their rooms, both of them swinging their hands and almost knocking them into each other with every step they took. Their laughter faded away and was replaced with nervous smiles, the awkwardness still lingering in the air. It was only when they neared Y/N's door that one of them spoke up.

"Are you hungry? We both skipped out on lunch earlier, so..." The brunette asked suddenly, looking down at her with hopeful eyes.

"You want to go and grab food?"

"Maybe we could order to the hotel? I haven't eaten anything all day except for breakfast."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a genius?"

"Funny enough, they have."

Soon enough, they were huddled on Y/N's bed, surrounded by Chinese takeaway boxes, and watching cable TV as they ate, talking animatedly as they enjoyed each other's company. By the time they'd finished their meal, they hadn't managed to wipe the grins off of their faces once. And neither of them was willing to move an inch from their spot. They were too cosy, too warm, and too full from eating, so as the night turned into morning, the pair were once again side by side as they drifted off.

From that mission on, whenever Reid needed calming down, Y/N knew exactly what to do. And after getting used to it, Spencer began to ask beforehand. Not vocally, no. Whenever he wanted her to play with his hair, he'd simply and subtly tap her thigh, which was his way to silently plead for the girl to pet him.

Obviously, their coworkers had witnessed many strange things over their years as profilers, but none of them expected to ever see the touch-phobic Dr Reid urge someone to initiate physical contact with him. It was a rather shocking revelation for everyone who knew him.

It all came to a head one evening when the squad convinced Reid to join them for one of their after-work bar nights. Morgan had heavily stressed the fact that Y/N would be there and she would want to see him, and as much as the doctor didn't particularly enjoy these nights out, he was swayed by the suggestion anyway.

The only problem was that Y/N had caught the attention of the recently hired bartender there, who proceeded to flirt with her nonstop. Reid, due to his lingering second thoughts about the outing, was last to arrive and, as soon as he walked through the door, was already regretting his decision.

"Doctor, you're late," JJ teased, nudging him with her shoulder and gesturing towards the bar. "It looks like Y/N's still ordering our round if you want to go and add yours onto the tab. Rossi is paying, so go wild."

"Have you ever known me to 'go wild', JJ?" Reid asked dryly as he headed in the direction of the bar.

"Tonight could be your night. You never know, Spence."

That sentiment rang through Reid's head as he approached the other half of his duo. Y/N was smiling but as he got closer, Spencer noticed a certain fakeness to it, almost as if the girl was forcing it. A bolt of something sweet went straight to that big brain of his as he realised she never looked at him like that. All of her smiles had been genuine when they'd been directed at him. And that was proved when Y/N caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye and broke out into a real, goofy grin that caused him to do the same.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to turn up," she greeted him cheerfully, holding her hand out for him to hold. He took it, and to his delight, she pulled him in for a hug.

She was a little wobbly and a lot more giggly than usual so it was obvious she'd had a few drinks. Judging by the glare he was getting from the bartender, Spencer assumed she'd got those drinks for free as a way to sway her affections. There was a flush to her cheeks as she looked up at him, and his heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimmer of something in her eyes.

"Do you want a drink, doctor?" she asked playfully, tilting her head to the side and giving him a coy look. "They do mocktails if you'd like something fancy."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll take a mocktail."

"I'll get them," Y/N volunteered, squeezing his hand before releasing it and waving the bartender over. The guy was quick to try flirting with her again despite the fact that Spencer was right there and still had his arm wrapped around her.

Did the bartender not see him as a romantic threat? How was that possible when he was literally the one who was closer to her in every sense of the word? Was it so unlikely? Reid's brain was working overtime, desperately trying to come up with a solution to this issue as he stood there, helpless, watching the bartender make a very flamboyant and fruity-looking mocktail.

"Are you wearing a new cologne, Doctor?" Y/N questioned, a hint of flirtiness in her tone. It was just enough to cause Spencer to very loudly gulp and avert his gaze. Accidentally, he looked directly at Morgan, who gave him (what Derek intended to be) an encouraging wink. Whether it was, was another thing.

"Uh, y-yes," Reid managed to squeak out, before mentally kicking himself for being so obvious.

"It smells nice. You smell nice."

"I do?"

"You do."

Before Reid could thank her, the bartender placed the drink right between them and that disturbed any response he would eventually mumble out. Instead, he hurried to take a sip as an excuse to not say anything other than a hum of approval. It was delicious - he had to admit that. Maybe he should branch out from extremely sweet coffee once and a while.

Throughout the night, Reid stayed glued to his friend's side and did his best to ignore the knowing looks the other members of the squad were giving him. Y/N kept him on his toes with the amount of times she caused a blush to appear and his IQ to drop by twenty each time she made a playful comment.

By the time they left the bar, he was a total mess. And although Y/N had only been a little tipsy - it seemed that she only needed a little bit of liquid confidence to act upon her feelings - he was determined to make sure she got home.

Working a job that constantly forced him to see the worst of humanity, well, he had an obligation to ensure nothing bad happened. Safety first, after all.

Getting more time to hang out with her was a close second, though.

The pair made it back to Y/N's apartment in no time. It was a relatively short walk, and the streets were quiet at that late hour. The night air was warm and humid and the moon was full, giving their journey an ethereal glow. Neither of them said much. They didn't need to. There was no need to break the comfortable silence as they made their way closer to her door.

Spencer let Y/N lead them up to her apartment door. He even allowed her to hide behind him when one of her drunk neighbours stumbled into the elevator they were in because she didn’t want to interact with him. She stood behind him, her hands on his hips and her forehead resting against the back of his shoulder.

It was only when the drunkard - who'd not paid attention to Spencer at all - left that Y/N came out from hiding. "Sorry, Spock. Last time, he spoke to me about buying a timeshare for a full hour and I couldn't go through that again," she apologised sheepishly.

"I hide to avoid talking to my neighbour almost every day. It's a small price to pay for peace and quiet."

"That doesn't surprise me."

Once they were inside her apartment, Y/N immediately flopped face down on her couch. Spencer plopped down beside her feet and, without prompting, untied her laces and slipped her shoes off. He then did the same with his shoes, leaning back and getting comfortable.

"You're so sweet to me, Spock," Y/N muttered, lifting her face from the pillow she'd squished herself into to look at him. What she was greeted with was adorable. Reid had his hands intertwined behind his head, sitting criss-cross applesauce with his eyes closed.

Because of how he looked and how sweet he was, Y/N got to her knees and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. His eyes snapped open and his jaw dropped so he was gaping at her, blinking slowly.

"W-what was that for?"

"For being you."

"Oh. Okay." He tried to hide his confusion, but the look on his face was priceless. For all his intellect, he couldn't work out what the hell she meant.

So, to give him a helping hand, she gently placed her hooked forefinger under his chin and tilted his head up so he'd meet her eye.

"For making me happy," she whispered, pressing her lips to his in such a way that Reid was so startled by her display of affection that he forgot to respond for a moment until his hands came up to either side of her face and deepened the kiss.

That was all it took to send him plummeting into the depths of lust-induced oblivion. Spencer was acting purely on impulse as he pushed Y/N down on the couch and pressed his body into hers, trapping her underneath him with his knee between her legs.

Breaking apart, he let out a breath and leaned his forehead against hers. "Morgan is going to be so smug," Reid joked, "When he finds out I kissed you."

"You kissed me?" Y/N repeated jovially, winding her arms around his neck. "Is your memory different to mine, Mr Eidetic?"

"I'll just tell him about our second kiss."

Before she registered how smooth that had been, Spencer's lips were back on hers. He was eager and hungry and intent on making her dizzy. He held nothing back, and neither did she. Their lips collided in a storm of moans and groans, tongues tangling and fingers clutching at each other. Reid moved away for a moment to take off his tie and undo the first few buttons of his shirt.

"It's getting a little warm in here," he muttered, finally realising his skin was on fire thanks to her touch.

With this new stretch of skin uncovered, Y/N couldn't help herself and attached her lips to his newly uncovered collarbone, kissing up his neck to his ear and biting down gently on the lobe. He made a noise that was somewhere between a groan and a whimper, and he let his head fall back so he was looking at the ceiling.

Her fingers toyed with the remaining buttons of his shirt, teasing them open to get access to the skin underneath. Reid kept his eyes closed as she continued her exploration, enthralled by the attention she lavished upon him. Eventually, she was able to slide the fully opened shirt off his shoulders and ran her palms down his sides until she reached his belt.

"Spence? Do you want to continue?" Y/N asked, her voice breathless yet understanding. He beamed at her with eyes as wide as a bush baby. Reid could barely form a coherent thought, but clearly still held some grasp of his gentlemanly nature.

"Let me take you on a date first. Please? There's a few showings of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at the Palace this month. I've been trying to gather the courage to ask you for seven months, eighteen days and -" He checked his watch. "Ten hours and thirty three minutes."

"You're adorable, Doctor Reid." She nudged the tip of her nose against his, and let her hand trail up to rest in his head, her thumb drawing soothing lines against his pink cheek. "I'd love to."

Their glee was evident. It was palpable. Spencer placed his hand on her thigh, just as he'd become so accustomed to over the months, and expected her usual response. Yet, when Y/N tangled her fingers in his hair and lightly tugged his chin up, her eyes focused on his lips, he wasn't disappointed with the change of routine. Quite the opposite.

"Do I have to wait until our date to kiss you again or am I allowed to do it now?" She coquetted, raising and wiggling her eyebrows in a teasing manner.

His response was instant. "Now!" He cleared his throat, afraid that he'd been too eager. "I mean, now if you want. Yeah, uh...now." She peppered his cheeks with sloppy, wet kisses until he was breathless and desperate for a proper smooch. It didn't take long before he was guiding her into position to get what he wanted.

It was safe to assume that their very intelligent, very observant colleagues were going to be difficult to hide from. Especially when, in all the excitement, Spencer left a hickey on Y/N's collarbone. One that was just a few centimetres too big to be hidden by her work shirt.

[thatanimewriter]

SLAVE TO THE BLADE.

➳ request: Team Rwby with a male S/O who is in a Kenpachi situation, he's a swordsman(samurai), mentally shackled himself from going all out because of how strong he is, wears an eyepatch to keep most of his aura from leaking out, loves to fight, wishes to fight a worthy opponent, bonus: Jaune studies under him as a student, please and thank you

➳ character/s: ruby rose, weiss schnee, blake belladonna, yang xiao long

➳ warnings: mentions of fighting, mention of food (weiss)

➳ notes: imma be real, i haven't gotten past the first few episodes of bleach since i was like, 12, so this description is what i'm going off of-

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

── 𝐑𝐔𝐁𝐘 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄.

she probably met you through jaune lets' be real, cause dude loves to ramble about stuff n he's probably talked about you a few times

wanted to fight you so bad the first time she met you, but you wanted to see if she was worthy first so you don't waste time

has asked about the eyepatch before but never really got a clear answer, it was quite vague cause you didn't wanna get into it

didn't beat you in a fight, but she lasted longer than you thought she would, so you started being friends and eventually dating

if she ever needs scary dog privileges, you're the go to, just have your resting face and the full get up and you're set

grumpy x sunshine dynamic for sure, you're so cool and intimidating n then she's there

minus aura points for the combination, but maybe it could be bonus, cause you're just so confusing as to how this happened

probably a top tier combat duo though, y'all crazy on the battlefield for real

she appreciates all the silent ways you show you love her like covering the table corner when she bends down

paying attention to small things like that thing she mentioned months ago n suddenly VOILA, it's here

she returns the sentiments by doing some more grand gestures but she'll tone it down if you ask

── 𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐄𝐄.

girl probably found you weird as hell at the start, but got over it quickly considering the world you live in-

she can appreciate an aesthetic though, she likes the samurai thing but confused by the eyepatch

japanese pirate??? what's going on with you???

the absolute TRAINING REGIME you put her through when you start dating is insane, but winter probably approves to a degree

push the limits, especially considering weiss' semblance with glyphs and stuff

you probably also improve a bit if you experiment with dust in combat

stubborn meets stubborn though, strange arguments will arise for certain situations

like whether you can like, get jaune to go away for a moment because she wants time with you but he's training under you-

or where to eat if she wants one thing and you want another, but eventually you get what you want respectively n come back n share

quality time king, that's what you are in this relationship

she will try on your eyepatch at least once because she's curious, but she got very embarrassed when you caught her

── 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐀.

she thought you were a bit unrefined just for how much you want to fight people all the time

but she did want to try you out to see if she was a worthy opponent, so she fought you once

n that's how the 'i hate you' to lovers pipeline began for her-

training sessions are nice for you both, she enjoys being pushed further than usual but she's a lil bitter you have to go easy on her

will just listen very knowingly when jaune rambles about a training session with you

it's probably a moment of bonding for them tbh, they both relate to how difficult it is to fight you

a lot of quality time again, you might read a book that the other recommended and just read in silence together

you do a lot of stuff in silence together because it's just nice to hang and relax

people definitely understand how you guys got into a relationship, you vibe match, except you're just a bit more energetic than her

you also have somewhat similar insecurities about harming people you care about, so there's another level of understanding between you

don't tell anyone, but she likes a scratch behind her cat ears and she purrs, which you found out by accident-

── 𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐗𝐈𝐀𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆.

you met because she picked a fight with you ._.

you're both just as eager to fight people, so it was only a matter of time before she came and snuffed you out

you think she's very reckless, but you can teach her some tactics in the get-to-know-you phase

that was probably how she got to know you: the winner of each fight got to ask any question they wanted

was very mad when you admitted to letting her win a couple times because you're just so powerful

people avoid you in the halls because they don't wanna do a 1v2 against you guys

she's tried on your gear at least once, n tried to get you to wear hers but that was a hard no from you

her abilities and endurance has definitely improved because of you, but she just wants to be the better pupil vs jaune-

there's an unspoken competition between them that they think you don't know about but you do

you say jaune is better for lols and because you think her lil frowny face is cute

also because you feel a bit bad for jaune-

[robin-buck1ey]

I see a lot of people talk about how they wouldn’t be upset if ronance was endgame but they would prefer Nancy to be on her own, and while that’s totally valid, I just wanna quickly shine a light on something.

Nancy does need sometime of her own, so much crazy stuff has happened that she just wants to keep atleast something the same. In this case, that’s Jonathan. She knows it’s probably best they break up, and so does he, but they’re both scared of what that means and afraid to add any more dread to their crazy lives.

So yes, Nancy needs time to reflect and be independent and truly find herself, however people often forget the exact dynamic Robin and Nancy have.

Robin and Nancy don’t rely on eachother, they are both strong, independent, intelligent women. When they paired up throughout season 4, it was always helping eachother, backing, and empowering one another.

There was never dragging the other down once they knew how the other worked and their strengths. They quickly realized working together allows them to join their strengths to become a power duo.

The comparison between jancy and ronance as detective duos is quite clear. Nancy is constantly having to fill Jonathan in or he’s doubting her ideas or plans. Robin is adding to Nancy’s ideas and sometimes a step ahead.

If Robin and Nancy were to be together, it’s not to be the same as her past relationships. Nancy isn’t going to be trapped in an expectation, she’s still going to be independent, learning, and not have to worry about doing what she desires because she thinks it might affect her partner, she’s not going to be doubted in anyway, they will be stronger together. Not hold eachother down.

Nancy needs to be free. But that doesn’t mean she has to be single. It’s seemed that way because she’s felt trapped in her relationships throughout the show, but ronances dynamic is different. That’s what makes them stand out so much.

Robin sets a side of Nancy free, and that was hard for Nancy because she just try’s to make sure that everything is “perfect” but Robin knows it isn’t, and she’s patient to let Nancy open up and share her thoughts and ideas, she wants Nancy to lead her own life, to do things when and how she wants to.

It’s apart of what she liked about Tammy Thompson, “she has dreams!” Is what she had told Steve when he had mocked Tammy’s career choice.

Nancy has dreams too. She’s determined, focused, and dedicated.

While Steve doesn’t appear to be very aware of this given his ideal for their future to be 6 kids and stereotypical life, Jonathan is aware of this, and it’s exactly why he wants to break up.

He said it himself, Nancy would rather give up her dreams to be with Jonathan, than to live them out and he can’t be what she needs to follow those dreams. Nancy is is dedicated to her dreams but also the ones she loves. She puts them above everything else, constantly risking her life to save others.

Nancy’s relationships have trapped her, but a relationship doesn’t have to be a cage, it can be the key to escape one. To break free. From Hawkins, from their fears, from societal expectations.

Ronance being endgame wouldn’t mean Nancy doesn’t get what she would being single, it just means she’d have someone right there helping push her further, supporting her every step to success and happiness.

[rebornofstars]

A LU Fic Rec List - NOVELS (50K-100K)

I love this fandom so much. Here are my favourite quality novel-length works for when you really feel like curling up with a long story and a hot cup of something. I recommend each and every one of them! In no particular order:

Child's Play by @aimeelouart

If you like the Wild deaging trope, this one is for you. If you like Flora and Wild having the most adorably protective and mildly codependent relationship, this one is for you. If you feel like reading something so cute you'll still be grinning hours later, this one is absolutely for you!

The Wondrous Sword of Legend by @imperialkatwala, @polynomialpandemic

If you like downfall duo, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU. The banter is excellent, the emotions feel real, and the catharsis is very heartwarming. If you've ever wanted to see sword spirit Legend, I am on my knees begging you to read this fic.

A Guide to Living (Again) by @cerame

I think I've read this fic at least five times now. If you like Shadow, this one is for you. If you like thinking about the Chain's Dark equivalents, this one is for you. Each character in this story is entirely three dimensional (despite being shadows 😂) - and it contains, probably hands down, my favourite characterisation of Dink I've ever read.

Language Barriers by Kastaborous

If you've ever wondered what a more realistic depiction of the language drift between the boy's eras would look like, look no further. If you're looking for linguaphile Wild, look no further! This fic is stunning in its detail and lore, and the reveal moment slaps.

Level One by LightBlueScrubs

If you like modern AUs, this one is for you! If you like gripping detail and a fully fleshed out world so harrowing and real that you are transported into the story, this one is for you! If you like angst, if you like following characters as they go through tough times together, if you like hospital settings, this one is destined for you.

this year it taught me (lost and ambitious) by @noorahqar

My friends like to joke that this fic is the Sky Bible (Skyble). It well deserves that title for its characterisation alone, yet it also contains top tier character dynamics and terrific hurt/comfort. This fic changed my perspective on Sky forever. Go read it.

Elastic Heart by @skyloftian-nutcase

If you like dungeon crawls and adventure, this fic is for you. If you like Sky angst coupled with the Chain's agonising worry for him, this fic is for you! If you like Demise's Curse reveals, you have found a masterpiece!

With a special mention to:

Colour Theory by @thescrapwitch

Not Linked Universe, but absolutely worth reading. If you've ever wondered how to reconcile the three doppels in Tri Force Heroes with the Colours from Four Swords Adventures, this is for you. If you've ever wanted a heartfelt murder mystery that is also a comprehensive overview of the game it lives in, this is for you!

I would like to make extra versions of this post for different story lengths - short stories, novellas, etc., so watch out for that. If you have any other fic recs for loz or lu in this word-count bracket, I would absolutely love to see them!

[bigblueoctoling]

Thoughts about Suffer No Fools/Deep Cut in general

I really dislike this whole 'shiver and frye mistreat Big Man' plotline they seem to be making with deep cut. Like, from the start they've set up that Shiver and Frye don't really appreciate Big Man, but outright having their own duo group without him just kind of feels needlessly petty. Like maybe I'm looking into this too hard, but it's also, literally the only thing one is capable of looking into with Deep Cut's canonical information. Like... Big Man is already working at a disadvantage of being a male idol who isn't humanoid, it feels kind of pointlessly cruel to pit him alone against Shiver and Frye. And it's not like Shiver or Frye are any better for it.

They keep focusing on this one trait, the fact that Shiver and Frye are very very hostile to non-splatlandians. I would love to actually enjoy Shiver and Frye being openly aggressive, that's unique for an idol's personality, but rather than feeling tough, they just feel pathetic, trying way way way too hard to look intimidating.

Again, this isn't necessarily the fault of any particular writing of Deep Cut, but rather the complete and utter lack of any meaningful lore about them.

The squid sisters are hard-carried in the personality department; they get the entirety of Splatoon 1, 2, and 3's story mode to show off their personalities.

Off the Hook started out less interesting than the Squid Sisters, since they had to rely on newscasts, but even before Octo Expansion, the fact that Marina was an Octarian was an obvious huge deal from the moment she was revealed, with the splatfests revealing the gravity of Marina's abilities. Of course, then Octo Expansion happened- Octo Expansion feels very directly like it was created for the express purpose of fleshing out Pearl and Marina to make up for them not being in the main story mode. And of course we have Side Order that just doubles down on developing them.

Deep Cut's inclusion in Splatoon 3's story is just like. The most obligatory presence possible. Somehow, despite having direct boss fights, they leave absolutely zero impact whatsoever- it doesn't help that they don't sing their boss music, but they're also just there for no reason to steal "Treasures"- completely nondescript objects of no apparent value whatsoever that have no particular meaning to Deep Cut. No elaboration is given as to why Deep Cut wants this treasure in particular- Alterna is fucking littered with human technology that's infinitely more valuable than a bunch of random metal scraps. There are giant 3D printers just sitting around. And their dialogue is just... complete nothing. As stock as possible, there's nothing to gleam about any of their relationships from anything. Like...

A small aside: The reason why Squid Sisters and Off the Hook are such interesting groups is because of their group dynamic. Callie and Marie have a very deep bond that gets tested and validated after their separation, and Pearl and Marina are just a perfect duo. I'm not even a big shipper type of person but their relationship is so wonderful to see. But what even is Deep Cut's relationship? They're friends? With the way Shiver and Frye treat Big Man it feels like their entire relationship is pure business, and it's honestly more depressing than anything else.

Anyways, getting back to Deep Cut in the story mode, they say one unique piece of information about them- that they do this to help people who are suffering.

This is a fantastic direction to take Deep Cut, and would make their hostility towards inkopolis feel much more cathartic and justified.

They literally never mention it again or elaborate on it any further. Why? What are they even referring to? Poverty? Octarian oppression? General social imbalance?

The lack of elaboration about why Shiver and Frye are so prideful and so hostile, and what sort of suffering they care about, really stands out to me in Suffer No Fools.

Suffer No Fools feels like Shiver and Frye just aimlessly attacking strangers they're completely out of their depth with. The only thing we know Shiver and Frye care about is helping the misfortunate.

With that being the case, Off The Hook are literally the last people on the entire planet you should want to start beef with, even if it's just play-fighting- and in realizing this, I've realized something else about Off The Hook and Deep Cut:

Off The Hook already fills Deep Cut's niche.

Like... Pearl and Marina are the perfect duo in terms of representing social progress. Marina obviously has a very personal reason to care about impoverished octarians- she was one of them, she fought to get to the surface. Pearl, on the other hand, is the perfect emblem of an inkling, extremely privileged due to being born into great generational wealth. However, after meeting Marina, Pearl decided to put her all into using her privilege to elevate Marina's voice as much as possible. And, in doing this, creating Off the Hook, they have had a very real, tangible impact on the acceptance of Octarians on the surface. And this isn't even touching on Octo Expansion- they go out of their way to save Eight, of course, but since then, Marina put her everything into figuring out a way to save the sanitized octarians stranded in Kamabo Co.

Meanwhile, Deep Cut's actual contributions are left entirely unelaborated and unspecified. No known efforts to figure out anything about the Mammalian octarians, literally not a word spared about them.

What the fuck do they have to be proud for? What have they ever done for anyone? All I see are some stuck up egomaniacs who have no respect for anyone who isn't an asset in getting them more money. It honestly feels less like Shiver and Frye are these charitable robin hood figures and more like that was a lie to cover their asses.

...And, of course, I expect this to change in the next Splatoon game. It would be unthinkable for Deep Cut to just have no relevance again after getting nothing in this game. This is a very pessimistic outlook on Deep Cut. But they've given me absolutely nothing to work with, it's difficult to think that characters are good people if you only ever show them being unjustifiably hostile and greedy.

It just sucks. Shiver and Frye are my favorite idol designs, but they're constantly made out to be so fucking lame, and not even in an "underdog group of failures that cares about eachother" sort of way because EVERY DEEP CUT THING HAS TO BE THEMED ABOUT HOW DEEP CUT HATES BIG MAN AND EVERYONE ELSE.

[notfics]

Background:

This image came across my computer. It's Riaño, Spain. A friend of mine who is obsessed with WinterBaron sparked the rest of this idea when we started talking about it.

The idea:

Zemo and Bucky are on a mission in a crowded place. It's not a huge city like Paris or Milan, it's just big enough to always be crowded but never crowded enough to disappear in the sea of bodies. Bucky is getting more agitated than usual and Zemo keeps calling him out on it and Bucky just keeps snapping that he's fine and Zemo should mind his own business. Well something in the mission goes sideways, Bucky gets hurt, probably gets overwhelmed by being seen and unable to hide with so many people around, and he comes close to hurting some civilians on accident while he's still reeling from whatever hit him. This causes him to go into a panic and Zemo has to calm him down before he can get him into a car and starts driving them away (extra points if Zemo hotwires the car because then Bucky can call him out on it and Zemo can say something like "Hotwiring a car isn't the worst thing either of us has done").

Bucky doesn't know where Zemo is taking them but the further they get out of town the more he can relax. The mission is a bust at this point and they need to regroup and gather more intel anyway. That's when Zemo takes him to Riaño. Bucky just assumes that it's a regular old safehouse, probably one from Zemo's old days or something. They spend a few days letting Bucky unwind and contacting various people for leads and waiting for people to get back to them with where they need to go next. In the meantime Zemo is showing Bucky around to help him get back to a more normal emotional state.

Eventually, Bucky starts picking up on things. Like how the house they're staying in isn't a rental. It's furnished like a family lives there, stays there even. Some of the doors are locked and he's felt the urge to pick his way into them, but Zemo always seems to be awake. He's paranoid that the other man is watching him and he doesn't know why. One day it comes out that it's not a safehouse. It's a vacation home that Zemo shared with his wife and kids. They would go there once a year because they loved the view of the mountains and lake. There's a caretaker that keeps the place in good condition when no one is around. Zemo hasn't been back since before his family died. He's always awake because he can't sleep in a home that he feels is too empty.

So, this fic gets to see Bucky being the soft one to Zemo. Comforting him. Offering to stay up and drink with him. Visiting places that Zemo finds too painful to go to alone, but that he wants to see again just to remember his kids and the way they played. And the two slowly start to get closer until one night Bucky offers to sleep in Zemo's bed if that'll help him get some sleep.

I'll let someone else fill in those blanks. Maybe Zemo can still be commanding by having it be the one thing that clears his head the most, giving orders so it feels a little more impersonal. Since he would feel guilty about sleeping with Bucky in a place he shared with his family. But he really wants it, and his wife would have wanted him to move on. She wouldn't want him to be haunted by ghosts until it drains him.

They get their next mission orders soon after. And Zemo and Bucky have to figure out how to work together now that they've crossed that line, but with Zemo liking to lead and Bucky not minding falling back into that subordinate role every now and then, it works out.

Details can be tweaked, since I'm not entirely familiar with this duo's dynamics. I just liked the idea of Zemo whisking Bucky away to a place that Bucky thinks is just a safe house but has a deeper meaning to Zemo.

[autumnalternating]

HI I want to talk about the Keroro platoon mechas because I love how thoughtfully they're made and how they relate to their teams dynamic <3

VERY long post under the cut.

As you can see, the first Keroro mechs combine with Giroro being the bottom right leg, Dororo being bottom left, Kururu being left arm, Tamama being right, and Keroro being the head. This is what Kururu later refers to as Robot #1.

Later, when the mechs been destroyed and Shurara throws a tantrum, the team gets saved by what Kururu has dubbed Robot #2. Notice the changes here. Giroro is now the right arm, Kururu is now the right leg, and Tamama is the left arm.

This change is a big deal!

Your legs control your mobility. These, in a symbolic sense, are who I would imagine "carry" the team, or the rocks of the team, for lack of better words.

With robot #1, the base is Giroro and Dororo. Keroro's oldest friends, people he, in almost only a familiar sense, seems to be able to rely on. While all three seem to care about each other, these two are also most likely to shoot Keroro down.

Giroro because he hates when his plans are poorly crafted, and Dororo for refusing to participate in plans deemed too violent, among other things for both men. In relation to what that says about their characters, it almost implies Dororo and Giroro have to stop Keroro from walking into dumb shit. Very literally stopping him; ie controlling his mobility. In relation to Keroro, he uses their refusal as a reason why their plans never work out, ALSO putting the responsibility onto them as mobility.

With the younger duo, Tamama is, very fittingly, Keroro's right hand. Keroro and Tamama would probably like to believe Tamama is that loyal to him. Tamama gets to fuel his fantasy of being closer to the sergeant, and Keroro gets to have someone look up to him. To feel looked up too, in the very least. Kururu is his left hand, as the person who can make pretty much anything happen. I'm sure to Kururu, it'd also be beneficial to be seen as close to Keroro. They are the most loyal to him, in his eyes. Hands.

Now Robot #2 is built SPECIFICALLY to get them out of trouble. If Robot #1 is to represent how the team as it usually functions, Robot #2 is where they're most functional, or where they need to get.

I'll start out with Tamama. It's just a part of growing up that you learn your heroes are human. (He does this in the manga at least.) This doesn't mean he wants to leave him, though. Shown with him being his left hand instead of his right, it's good not to take everything Keroro says to heart, but that doesn't mean he wants to give up on him.

Giroro is his right hand. He's also the only one who is WHOLLY focused on invasion; the reason they're stuck on this planet in the first place. While they both go back and forth at each other all the time, Giroro would die for Keroro. He's trying to get him on the most fruitful path, even though he's harsh with how he goes about that.

Kururu is his left leg. He does more than the platoon has (willingly) acknowledged. He's pretty fucking needed in the case of invasion as a base, but also, he keeps tabs on everyone. He can track them down, finds and stops dangers before they even get to them. Don't get me wrong though, there's something interesting to consider that he moved further from his captains arms. This could represent everything he's kept hidden from the team.

I could say a million things about Dororo's place, mostly because I find it so like him. He didn't move. I'm not saying everyone should shut Keroro down, but Dororo is almost always in the right when he does it. Yes, he would be in a humans perspective to the invasion, but even with Keroro's feelings in mind he does his best to keep things fair. He doesn't take out his feelings over their past. They're both not perfect to each other of course, but Dororo is right where he needs to be. Which brings me to Keroro.

Keroro is the head. I know I've talked about him in relation to everyone else in this post, but there's a reason why you need to focus on that. How he see's the team and how the team gets along changes it's functionality, and as their leader, he needs to pay attention to both. He's pretty much in charge of both. How they see Keroro, how he allows them to see him, and how he see's them is placed right in front of us.

I could easily be reading into a mech that's clearly designed to be marketable, but I'd like to believe there's more to it than that. It's shows what work Keroro needs to do with his team. Tamama's misplaced idolization, finding understanding with Giroro, getting to know Kururu's everthing, and considering Dororo in general. And when it comes back to Keroro, it shows that his team won't give up on him. They just need to get a little closer.

Four sources, the whole robot change happens in episode 203.

I don't know if this is anything, but it meant enough to me to type this out at 2 am, so I'm posting it. Please let me know what you think and if there are any errors! Also, if this does seem like I'm reading to much into it, just know I will do it again

[dreamtydraw]

could we hear some more abt darcy and qiu's dynamic :)?

*inhale*

*exhale*

SO LET ME START ! Thanks you so much for asking

Darcie isn’t directly friend with qiu at first. He’s more of her sibling’s friend who turns out to be the neighboor. When they interact in step 1 is because Valentin brought his sister or because it’s a small town and they are bond to run into each other.

They both share ballet class for a few year but Darcie drop out because she’s clumsy and don’t like being in front of other.

Darcie start to develop a small crush like all the kids out here because Qiu is that one nice popular kid that everyone gets to like at some point.

It’s only between step 2 and 3 that you can start to see that crush stop being one sided. Darcie is more confident and hang more with more people, which includes qiu, it helps their relationship develop further. As Automn gets to know her more and see her more confident about herself, a small crush on that one quiet girl who lives nearby happend. It’s a neighboor, to friend to lover.

They are a duo that is pinning HARD and you know who suffers from it ? Everyone around them, mainly Tamarack and Valentin who gets to see them separately freak out and gush about their crush, holding back tear or laughter about this situation. Darcie brushed her feeling off as just them being good friends and Qiu search for the good moment.

They are CRINGE, mainly Darcie-

She came out of a twilight and wattpad phase, she loose her sleeps on Ao3 and some of her favorites fics are just self insert shipping with characters that remind her of Qiu. She’s down BAD, she get easily flustered, try to act smooth and regret it right after by punching the ground with her tears and fist-

Thing is they have a sort of easygoing type of relationship between them due to having grown around each other. For qiu Darcie is one of his best friend’s sister. They spent some birthday together, hang around, messed a bit, friendly flirted, all funs and giggles until the fear of romantic intimacy kicked in. They don’t even realize they are on date when they are at one because it just feels casual. Like sure, they are hanging just the two of them at the dinner by themself- but it’s a friend thing of course ! And they go do some errands just together as friends ! Same for some ballads, maybe going to the lake, maybe hiking and talking about life, sleeping at each other’s house when tamarack and valentin are being lovebirds you know- no romantic gestures here- riiiiiiight ?

They are praticaly doing mondain couple stuff like dumbasses

Some small scenarios i have :

- Darcie loves coffee flavored things, mainly candies. She would probably give some to qiu if she has some on her which result in sometimes qiu having pockets with candies they forgot to eat that he gives as small present for her.

-Ahaha i stole your drink flirty flirt ehehe- it was full of milk shit-

-nail polish scene at a sleepover.

-talking about sleepover, them taking breakfast together in the morning because the last’s house is probably an open bar for the two neighboors before going to school.

-Qiu trying to hold back on making fun of Darcie’s poor sport aptitudes, failing and both of them laughing « woah you suck at running »

-Darcie remembering Qiu’s usual orders for food or drinks and Qiu secretly writting down her order to try to do the same, but always loosing it.

-He made her own little note of welcolme to the neighborhood because she wasn’t there the first day he met valentin. She kept it somwhere in a treasure box.

-Darcie taking her hearing aid to let qiu vent without feeling pressured to tell her everything and qiu taking this opportunity to rehearse a possible confession with her.

-competitive wii sports afternoon.

-Small hc that goes also for Tamarack, but when Darcie started to become hard of hearing he starter to learn some basic signs languages and was proud of it. Probably picked back on learning it during high school.

-Giving a ridding back home, you know when someone is standing on the bike while the other ride ?

-Matching piercing yay

[dk-wren]

Week 3 - 30 Days of Buddy Daddies

Welcome back to Week 3 of me responding to the 30 Days of Buddy Daddies prompts! Thank you for all your support on the previous two weeks' posts. I've been having a lot of fun answering these prompts. Anyways, without further delay, here are my responses for days 15-21!

Day 15: Favorite Official Illustration

Massive fan of Lily's work, so here are my favorites (was gonna say top 5, but even that was hard to narrow down)

I mentioned it last week, but these two pieces of Kazuki, Rei, and Miri in kimonos are some of my favorites, so definitely gotta include them here too.

Bonus: Since it came out after the 15th, but I’m so love with it I have to include it because Rei (and Miri) finally got their cat!!!

Day 16: Character Whom You Most Identify With

Trait-wise, Kazuki is probably the character I identify with the most.

I like to make sure my friends or whoever I am with is taken care of, which has lead to me being referred to as the "mom of the group" on multiple occasions. I generally try to keep a positive external attitude, even if that's not reflective of how I actually feel. And I always try to lead with love.

Definitely not to the same severity as Kazuki, but I also have a tendency to sometimes let past memories or mistakes influence current decisions. It's those moments where I might want to do something or try a new thing, but a lingering memory just pops back into my head and I psyche myself out/decide to longer move forward.

Also, a lot of what I do for my major (and hopefully in a future career) is research-based, obviously though in terms of historical or biographical information and not how to take out someone quietly and efficiently.

Day 17: Character Whose Story You Would Like to Know More About

I would love to know more about Kyuutaro.

I really enjoyed his character and the way he kinda teetered between sides. I was asking myself, will Kyu help Kazuki and Rei or Ogino or is he gonna encourage the duo to be a family or warn them about getting too close with Miri. Things like this made me wander what is his history with the organization, let alone how he got involved with the organization.

The audience is really never shown anything about Kyu's life outside of Yadorigi, so I'm curious does he have a lifestyle outside of the cafe that's like what Rei used to have (very isolated and shut-in), did he have a past partner like Kazuki, I don't know, what is he like when away from the organization/giving out assignments.

There's a brief glimpse into when Kyu assigned Kazuki and Rei a mission together for the first time. Like, I just want to know what were his interactions with each of them beforehand and what other reasons motivated him to pair those two together. Also, the dynamic that is hinted (?) towards with Kyu telling Miri Kazuki is a comedian and Rei's a Middle Eastern Oil Baron, as well as his little smile in the finale telling Kazuki and Rei that he's no longer gonna run errands for them as he drives away, he clearly is fond of or enjoys Kazuki and Rei's company. I would've been so excited to see this side of their relationship explored more.

Again, there's a lot of mystery around Kyu so I would love to know more about him.

Day 18: Theories or Headcanons

I did a few head canons about a quarter or halfway through the series, so here's some more based on the second half of the season and epilogue!

Because Kyu will occasionally watch Miri at Yadorigi, he keeps a private stash of her favorite snacks behind the counter. Kyu even lets her create a "reserved for Miri" or "save for Miri" sign that he hangs on the draw or box where they're kept. This remains their little secret for a while, but eventually Rei or Kazuki notices the sign and asks Kyu what's behind the sign that says "reserved for Miri," which he just brushes off by saying toys/coloring supplies. Eventually, Kazuki realizes it's a secret snack stash and Miri's been having more sweets while staying with Kyu then what he allows her to take/have, prompting Kazuki to tell Kyu to stop giving Miri extra treats. If Kyu listens to Kazuki's request is up for debate though.

In ep. 11, Kazuki and Rei are shown watching one of Miri's shows that presumably she forced them to watch in the beginning, and then probably began to enjoy on their own (or they just associate that show with her). I imagine as Miri begins to grow up, they keep watching this show or another one of Miri's favorites even after she loses interest. She at first thinks they are still trying to treat her like a child or don't want her to grow up, but then realizes whenever Kazuki or Rei turn it on, they don't even refer to it as "her" show anymore or ask if she wants to watch it. This causes Miri to eventually ask why they still watch that show and if they realize she's no longer into it. Kazuki and Rei are not oblivious to the fact that she's grown up, so they share a laugh and tell her that they just enjoy watching it still.

Around Christmas, it becomes an annual tradition to go on a fun family outing to Marinoa City and go on the Ferris wheel, share a crepe, and maybe do a little holiday shopping. I don't know when or how Kazuki and Rei will tell Miri that her mother has passed, but I feel like once they do, they would take Miri to visit her grave on the same day so that it really feels for Miri like she gets to spend the day with her whole family. They'd probably start this tradition the year after the main storyline ends, but depending on when Kazuki and Rei reveal the truth to Miri, that would be incorporated into that day's plans later.

Kazuki's really good at making hand shadow puppets. Not something he intentionally set out to learn, but maybe one night Miri has a nightmare, there's a thunder storm that scares her, or a power outage, and she goes to Kazuki's room where he takes out a flashlight and begins to play around. He does really simple ones at first, but Miri is so fascinated by it, she keeps asking him to do more. So, after Miri is finally able to go back to sleep, he looks up how to do other animals for the next time Miri asks and learns that he's got a knack for it.

Still kinda a draft, but I was thinking about how Rei has very few "normal" experiences in life since he has spent basically his whole life under the eyes and rules of the organization. He's definitely street smart, but comes up a little short when it comes to book smart. So, what if Rei eventually decides to enroll in one of those online degree programs. Perhaps as Miri gets a little older and is less dependent on her papas, Rei has a bit more time on his hands (and perhaps also because Kazuki is still limiting his gaming hours per day). He does some poking around online and feels going to college/getting a degree is a fairly normal thing to do, leading him to just apply for an interesting sounding one. He would get accepted, and when Rei tells Kazuki, he breaks down crying because he's so proud of him and that he did it all on his own. Perhaps this would lead to Miri and Rei doing their work together at the dining table or going on trips to the library together so they can both work on their school work.

Day 19: What Would You Write in the Mom's Chat

A) if this is true to life, I'd probably be quietly reading all the messages in the Mom's chat, reacting to some, and occasionally typing something

B) if I were to type something into the Mom's chat though, it would probably be something along the lines of "You think Kazuki will ever let us know when he's gonna do a stand-up night? I'm dying to see him perform. Not to be cheap, but do you also think he could get us in for free?"

Day 20: Scene/Moment that You Would Have Liked to See

No idea where this would have fit in, but would have liked to see Kazuki and Rei tucking Miri in at night. Like let me see them read/act out a bedtime story, pepper her with kisses, and pull her blanket up high to make sure she's all snuggled in and nice and warm.

And like, how adorable would it be if Miri starts insisting Kazuki and Rei gotta kiss all her plushies good night too or she teaches them the smile spell, which she then makes them do for her every night.

Day 21: A Post from Kazuki's Instagram

I’ve already written about the Ferris wheel scene being the scene that caused me (the most) anguish. But the way this post broke me and just made me so sad, even without a caption, is why I’m including this one.

Angst aside, the Instagram was so fun! Always looked forward to see what part of the new episode would be featured in the post. I doubt there will be, but hope there’s little updates every now and then.

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Thank you again for reading this week's responses! Another very hectic and busy week, so I really did not have a whole lot of time to edit my replies (apologies for any errors or really long sentences). But, still glad I was able to step away from my work every now and then to work on these prompts! As always, had a lot of fun this week, even if some of my answers are on the shorter side.

Not that anyone cares, but also think I'm gonna hold off on posting the next round of responses until the end of the month so that there's not one post with like 2-3 days. Could change my mind, but that is my current plan.

See you again sometime soon!

-Dakota Wren

[slymewizard]

I think its time to make a confession that I’ve been bottling up for a while now. I know that this might get me permanently exiled from the Adventure Time community but I just need to say it. And I’m sorry if I betray anyone with this opinion.

I didn’t like Obsidian.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good episode, I love the music and the flashbacks, and its still better imo than Wizard City (but to be fair that is not a high bar.) but it just didn’t really click with me for a few reasons. Before any of you get mad at me, let me make myself clear, I love Bubblegum and Marceline’s relationship. It’s one of my favorite couples in any series period. But thats precisely one of the reasons that Obsidian underwhelmed me so much. Episodes like Varmints, Sky Witch, and the Stakes arc established them as a badass duo who worked as a team. But during Obsidian, Marceline does most of the heavy lifting while Bubblegum just makes a lot of the problems worse. And I know that was a main plotpoint for the climax of the episode, but it just didn’t sit right with me to see Bubblegum so uncharacteristically inept. The team dynamic between them I had grown to really enjoy just didn’t feel like it was there.

Now this on its own wouldn’t make me not like the episode. It wouldn’t make it a favorite of mine, but I wouldn’t outright dislike it. Even at their worst Bubblegum and Marceline are still a fantastic couple and a joy to watch…

But then we have the glass kingdom.

Hooooooooo boy.

Ok I grew up with Steven Universe so I love Michaela Dietz and I mean no disrespect to her when I say this but GOD IS GLASSBOY ANNOYING.

Ok thats a bit of an overstatement, he has his moments, but unlike Y5 in BMO, he just feels kind of intrusive. And again, I get it, thats a main point of his arc, but I just never really GOT why he needed to be there. I get that theres a whole subplot but I would have enjoyed it a LOT more if Marceline and PB were the sole main characters. Heck maybe even throw a few more Simon moments in there. He just doesn’t really add much to the episode as a whole except an annoying third protagonist who really only exists to further his own subplot rather than the episode plot as a whole. (There were a lot of other ways Marceline and PB could have gotten to the glass kingdom.)

And then theres the subplot itself. I’ve come to have certain expectations for an Adventure Time plot. Call me entitled, but past the midpoint of the series it handled some pretty heavy topics with a lot of nuance, and thats part of why I loved it so much. It wasn’t afraid to talk about certain subjects that other shows tend to shy away from. And Bubblegum and Marceline were two of the most complex characters, so I had high expectations for Obsidian. And their arc, despite my problems mentioned above, delivered it well. The climax with them in the volcano and Marceline using the makeshift guitar to sing a heartfelt song that touched both PB and Larvo was genuinely beautiful and kept the episode from being a complete dud for me. But glassboy’s arc boils down to “Don’t make fun of people who are different than you are.” The second the royal advisors started making fun of him for his crack, I knew EXACTLY, what was going to end up happening. And wouldn’t you know it, by the end of the episode, everyone including the advisors reveal that they all had cracks this entire time because everyone is different and we should all learn to accept that…To quote John Mulaney, just because you’re right, doesn’t mean you’re interesting. This is a topic that any NUMBER of shows could have handled, and even then Adventure Time usually adds a bit of a twist or some nuance to even the most basic lessons, but the entire arc was just so cliche. The royal advisors talk exactly like they crawled out of a stock health class video about bullying. I may sound like a bit of an entitled asshat but am I wrong for feeling a little bit patronized?

So yeah I didn’t really like Obsidian. I’m not gonna make a sarcastic remark mocking people who would disagree I openly encourage you all to tear me asunder. There’s a non zero chance I will become the next Rick and Morty copypasta. I’m still learning about this stuff and if I missed some deeper meanings please let me know. And no matter what, always remember, I still liked this episode way more than Wizard City. That was barely anything for me.

[silly-cheese-rat]

ykno ive been calling john x steve hatefucking this whole time but aspenshipping is a much better name lol, thank u for ur insight (genuine)

"hatefucking" ?? you need to be put down.

Jokes aside, Aspenshipping is anything but them "hate fucking". Clearly, I need to lecture you. I assume you only know Sculley and Steve's relationship as "John Sculley fired Steve Jobs. Steve never forgave Sculley and they never spoke a word again". So, have fun with this wall of text.

Before Steve Jobs left Apple in Fall 1985 ("Steve Jobs was fired" is an overstatement), he and Sculley actually were very close friends. They got to personally know each other back in Fall 1982, after Sculley declined the offer to join Apple. Sculley and Steve spoke and met a lot, in a casual way, for several months, and a friendship formed quickly. Eventually, Sculley became CEO of Apple in Spring 1983, despite originally declining (Steve's famous "sugar water" quote won him over). The two of them were a great team — they were known as the "dynamic duo". Some Apple Executive said "John adored Steve, they would finish each other's sentences.". There are photos out there of Sculley wrapping his arm around Steve at the beach, or them having a conversation while they're only wearing jogging shorts and nothing else. I've never seen those photos myself (I wish I did), but they were mentioned in a book about Apple's history ("Apple" from Jim Carlton). But the pictures of Sculley and Steve at the beach could be from the same photoshoot I've seen two photos of -- the photos I saw were the two of them having a laugh, standing at the beach as the sun sets.

At Apple (and eventually outside of it) Sculley being highly infatuated with Steve was no secret. The amount of love Sculley felt for Steve was so huge, even magazines covered it back then — for example, FORTUNE called it an "unusual affection". There's also that one quote from Joanna Hoffmann (an original member of the Macintosh team) I always love to bring up; She described Sculley as "a lover so in love with his beloved that he could see none of Steve’s faults". There's much much more out there about how Sculley was head over heels for Steve and how he still very much feels the same after all those years, but I'd sit here for months until I listed everything I know. Just trust me on that one.

I sadly don't know too much about how Steve felt about Sculley before their ways parted. But obviously he liked him. There are a bunch of pictures from a photoshoot where Steve leans in towards Sculley again and again while they're sitting next to each other, although there's plenty of space around them and the photograph's dimensions didn't require him to do it. I like to think it was subconscious on his part simply bc of their strong bond. Anyways, during the power struggle at Apple there was a point where Steve tried to kick Sculley out of Apple. After Sculley found out about the backstabbing, he talked about it with Steve, letting him know he's fully aware of what's happening, and telling him to stop. Back then, Steve told the people at Apple close to him that all this was simply a "lover's quarrel" and that they should forget about it.

TL;DR: "Hate fucking" couldn't be any further from the truth — unless it's past 1985, bc in that case it would be one-sided hate fucking

[minnie-mei]

In the Yandere Tengen + wives with a pregnant reader, when you mentioned that they didn’t really consider that the baby would take up a lot of the reader’s attention after being born and while growing up, it got me wondering how dynamics change after the baby arrives? Who would adjust in a positive way to help raise the child or who would be bitter? Would they raise the child to be normal or would child also turn out to be a Yandere? So many possibilities!

because of the insane amount of possibilities, I’m just going to answer this rather than do full hcs!

I feel like no matter what, reader and Hinatsuru would end up caring for the baby more than the others. The two of you would likely be the primary caretakers although Tengen likes to include himself often as well. Makio doesn’t like babies, so she’d be a more active parent once they hit age 6. Suma is very jealous of the little thing, and likely always will be. The girls all love cooing over babies, but this is a little different because of your involvement.

Hinatsuru is the only one that’s entirely genuine in her excitement for the baby. To her, this further makes you a family and that’s all she wants. She never gets jealous nor sees the baby as competition, although she does wish she had more alone time with you. She’s very motherly and patient; not very likely to pass on yandere traits to the baby but does pass on her overprotective tendencies.

Tengen is a pretty active father, but he does get jealous of the baby sometimes. He proposes just leaving them with Hina so he can take you off somewhere for a bit, but you always say no. He gets much more involved once the little one starts moving around and becoming athletic. He pushes every aspect of his personality and tendencies onto his child, and some of it is on purpose.

Makio hates the sound of babies crying, she doesn’t hate babies in general. But this baby is stealing your attention and she doesn’t care for it. She ends up coming around once the kid can carry conversations with her and they have the potential to become rather close. Her personality had an impact during the developmental stage, where she babysat a lot. Passes on some aggressive behavior but that’s about it; she doesn’t express much else.

Suma starts out jealous from the very beginning, no matter how cute she thinks the baby is. She views it as competition despite her love for them. She kind of ignores the baby for the most part, in favor of clinging onto you instead. But when you’re not around, she loves the baby and treats them quite sweetly. They’re a very funny duo once the little one hits middle school age. Definitely passes down some yandere tendencies oops (not on purpose at all).

Overall, parenting with these four can be very chaotic and stressful with the jealousy, especially at first. It becomes something that goes down in severity as the child gets a little older. Toddler age is definitely the worst. When they get to maybe 6-8, that’s when everyone gets equally involved as a parent. It’s chaotic then too, but less because of jealousy and more because your child is now possessive of you, with a quick temper and lots of confidence.

(also I think the baby would be a boy, but I’m not gonna get into that)

Admin Duckie

[sometipsygnostalgic]

The Adora, Entrapta friendship is underrated in our fandom. I always felt Adora was both the nicest and probably the most accepting of Entrapta quirks. Also I can see them being friendly after the war and not just because of their respective partners.

Also lots of Autism Solidarity between the two of them.

Dude, you have no idea how much fun I have throwing them together. It's all because of Corridors where they both become a nightmare for Bow to deal with.

From my perspective, their dynamic goes like this: Adora sees Entrapta doing whatever the fuck she likes. Instead of behaving like everyone else and trying to control Entrapta, Adora instead goes "Wtf, if she's allowed to do that then I should be too!!", and immediately pushes whatever rules or norms surround her.

So at the end of the day, from the reading of a fellow neurodivergent and raised slightly feral person (me), Entrapta's energy causes a heavily masking Adora to de-mask, and Adora further enables Entrapta's bullshit in the process. It is a self feeding circle of chaos, which they cam both appreciate because it gives them agency in a world that would like to take it away.

@phosphoricbomb wrote the best Adora and Entrapta dynamic i have EVER seen in her Princesses vs Force Captains AU - when the pair throw down in the tournament and learn about each other, it's like an entire character arc thrown into a couple of chapters. But what stands out most is how they egg each other on. Entrapta's carefree, indomitable attitude proves to be a far more formidable opponent for a tied-down Adora than any of the killer robots she brought into the arena, and Adora gets so fixated on beating her that they both ignore EVERYTHING around them and nearly get *arrested* for the destruction they've caused (yes, "they" plural), but it has these sweet moments of solidarity between the two, autistic and otherwise.

As a final note these are the ONLY pair wherein I actually have an entire collection of screenshots and gifs dedicated to those few bare moments in the show they interact. It's mostly because it's so funny, I am in love with them as a chaos duo. I dont even have a collection like that for Catra and Entrapta, or Glitra. I started it because of the absurd gag in Moment of Truth. "You won't try to escape if i pop out for a quick sec?" "Uhhhh.... noPe?" "... ... ... okay great :D come on emily!!!" *Adora immediately tries to escape and fails*

Maybe i am attached to them because between them you get a single Tipsy. I related heavily to both characters in different ways, but especially in the places they overlap. Former Golden child with a neglected upbringing who didn't understand how normal person things worked when they first entered adulthood, and is a socially anxious neurodivergent nerd? Best friend is a cat? That's me!

[adi-writes]

Encanto Fic Recommendation Pt. 2

Hello! I'm back due to popular demand, jk. My twt moots decided to vote that I should post a second part of this, so here I am!

My opinions are unreliable and are more on the emotions I felt while reading. And it is given that I get too tired of writing the "reviews" that some fics will have one to none, but it doesn't mean that I don't love it, I'm just lazy.

Please tag the authors if they are here so I can tag them in their respective works.

And without further ado, fic recommendation pt. 2! Part 1

Series

Finding Your Place by monkiimax

The Sandman by cthene

La Familia Madrigal: Future Gen by GhostsintheAttic

What Does Love Sound Like? by Highly_Illogical

~ Encanto (En) by Syl_05

La Luna by luna_de_encanto (@lunamadrigal )

One-Shots

Three Pairs of Big Brown Eyes by TrixySpirit

Pinching The Pancita by GlitterNight (@glitternightingale)

Glass is Just Hot Sand by adoraberry

A Helping Hand by whelmedtobehere

and here, she rests by bthumanity

A little dinner scandal by SrebrnaFH

Stand-Alone

The Sandman by cthene (@cthene) = I am absolutely devastated with this fic. As much as I love their dynamic, I'm still crying. Bruno is such a badass when he learns to protect his family. Very wholesome, and will have you holding your breath every sentence, especially in chapter 2. Bring tissues, the angst is just *weeps*

The Precipice by RinnySega (@rinnysega) = I'm emotionally invested in this fic and I can't stop crying. pls RINNY STOP TORTURING OUR BOI

something unexpected by Wikluk for ADabOfBlessings (@wikluk) = holy shit Julie is pregnant and Antonio being the primo mayor he always wanted to be.

Help will always be offered by Casita by Dragonposeidon = Characters watch the movie but with young Alma and Pedro adgfksdfsks please theyre trying.

A New Way of Life by Catlovingmermaid = yeah Mirabel getting her legs crushed and their magic is gone. Now this got me thinking, why do we always put her into so much emotional damage? ahdajksdka but yeah same.

Eternal Candle Light by Sanda_Brask = Mariano/Dolores being the cute married couple but with the angst

Rumble Thy Bellyful! by cheetour (@cheetee) = Mariano being the resident himbo is so funyyyyy. and also Mariano/Dolores.

Object Permanence by cannibalthoughts = Mirabel found it hard to pin down Bruno but he was so good at blending with the shadows.

Written in Glass Not Stone by CaptainTardis = The family makes amends and fixes the cracks before they get worse.

Letting In The Light by WifeOfBean (@wifeofbean) = two words, emotional damage. i can only imagine how hurt Alma is, but at least she got reunited with Pedro? ig? anyways, im thinking as they are also Madrigals, would they get gifts too?

Anything To Remember by Buckalicious = Mirabel wants to remember her tio Bruno and the candle helps her.

A Second's Forever by masqcat = *cries loudly* poor Julieta.

And I Hear You by IBleedCottonCandy = Dolores had been through a lot just to have her happy ending. a lot of family angst and heartbreak.

Moving to the moment and the moment to the moving by ShyLittle_Frog = im a little confused with the timeline but the idea for this fic is amzing. and also, little Mirabel grrrr

Tremors by Missilestorm (@missilestorm1) = Mirabel finally gets a gift after the fall of Casita, but she feels more isolated more than ever.

This Might As Well Happen by LissyStrata = Bruno becomes a rat and the family bonds over it.

The Rats Talking in the Walls by SorryIWasAsleep (@sorryiwasasleep) = Instead of going to Luisa, Mirabel takes the Dolores's words literally and went to Antonio.

Primos by LittleRedTea = collection of one-shots of Milo & Mira duo throughout the years.

What if Mirabel was Banished? by GoldenRose29 = a twist on villain Mirabel but this time the family deserved everything. I mean why the fuck would they banish a child and then ban her from seeing her mother? And her only support was her grandpa and Pedro being supportive abuelo. zsdjzhfkjhfs so much feels for this.

the unspoken (in)visible pain by the_glare_you_see = scrappy Mira ftw.

Burned And Buried by Hlootooart (@hlootooart) = have u seen the art and this fic??!! its amazing. the family dynamics are well-written. the world? just amazing

Nothing In This World by EchoBleu = the family thought that Bruno killed Mirabel and now they're back in the Encanto.

One Step Closer by Breanna (@breannaaiedail) = she's back with another fic for the The Distance Between Us series. It's angsty. It's comforting. And if you read my previous fic rec, you know how much I love this series.

A Miracle, Ten Years Overdue by karimeaway = Mirabel as a ghost that only Antonio can see.

And Every Year Our Family Blessings Grow by Calicy = Dolores got pregnant unexpectedly, they eloped, and Mariano gets in trouble with Dolores's family.

Choices, Chances and Changes by Baamon5evr = I love the alternating time povs of this fic. basically, Bruno and Mirabel runaway from the Encanto and then returned.

Among the Emeralds by crazyashley (@thecrazyashley-blog) = Bruno/OC where the OC is a cafe owner and a book enthusiast. THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER

NSFW

The Shade of the Sheets Before All the Stains by inredbluegreen = Bruno/Reader but the reader is a prostitute. Honestly, this made me want to be one if I get Bruno as a customer. I'm a thirsty bitch for him just for him tho.

EDIT: if it’s not a bother, you can check the fics I wrote too! skdhdkaks pls i need validation jk 1/2. anyways enjoy!