#i've wanted to do this set since may and i held off on it because i didn't want to go ten foot pole near that discourse

[tvuniverse]

9-1-1 OLIVER STARK as Evan 'Buck' Buckley -> shift in his facial expressions as warning signs

(thank you @911bts for the screenshot 💕)

[girl-of-many-fandoms]

Ocean Blue Eyes // 2

Pairing: Percy Jackson x Reader

Warning: none

Part 1 Part 2

MASTERLIST

---

From afar Percy could easily make out the silhouette of the girl who unknowingly stole his heart. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she sat on a log staring out into the horizon.

The cool breeze caressed her skin sending a shiver up her spine. Y/N regretted leaving her zip-up jacket in her cabin but she didn't initially plan to sit here this long. However, when the sun began to set she couldn't leave without taking in the beauty of the sky. Hues of yellow and gold painted the sky as the sun slowly said goodbye to Camp Half-Blood.

It's been a few days since her and Percy shared a moment together a couple feet away from where she currently sat. She vividly remembers the way he stared at her, his touch, the way his soft lips felt against hers.

Percy has been trying to find a way to talk to Y/N. He wasn't sure if he had made the right choice kissing his friend or if he blew his shot entirely. He saw her shiver once more and removed his grey hoodie before making his way over to her.

Y/N jumped slightly at the feeling of something being draped over her shoulders. She didn't have to guess whose jacket now laid on her shoulders as the familiar and comforting scent of her friend filled her nostrils.

"Hey you."

"Hey stranger."

Percy joined her on the log and for a moment they didn't say a word, they just sat in each other’s presence, both trying to figure out how to approach the elephant in the room.

"So uh-"

"I'm so-"

The pair giggled at their attempt at sparking a conversation. The blue eyed demigod gestured for her to go first.

"Ladies first." He said.

"Well...uhh..how have you been?"

"Seriously?" Percy quirked an eyebrow at her with a smirk on his face making Y/N’s cheeks heat up. Y/N nodded her head causing Percy to laugh.

"Fine. For the past couple days I've been trying to figure out if I may have eternally screwed up our friendship and I might have since you've avoided me since then."

"I wasn't avoiding you." Y/N immediately got defensive but Percy proceeded to list out the many occasions she avoided him.

"Oh really? You haven't jogged past my cabin since then like you normally would, you've changed your route. I tried to have lunch with you yesterday but you took off when you saw me heading towards you. You also ditched training with me to train with Clarisse."

Truth be told he was hurt. Hurt by the fact that she chose to avoid him at all costs. Y/N turned to face him and he did the same, their knees now touched each other.

"I only kept my distance because I didn't know how this conversation would go. I wasn't ready to hear you say that you made a mistake by kissing me and that we should remain friends, isn't that what you're going to say?" Although she didn’t show it, she was anxious. She didn't know what words were going to come out of his mouth but she was betting on him regretting the kiss.

"For someone so smart, you're so clueless sometimes." Percy's lips turned up into a smile, watching as confusion etched its way onto her face.

"What?"

Without giving her a chance to think about what's happening, Percy cupped both her cheeks with his hands and pulled her in for a kiss. Y/N didn't hesitate to kiss him back as she gently held onto his forearm.

This kiss was much more intense compared to the last one as they both tried to pour all their emotions into it. Somewhere along the line they both remembered they needed air and slowly broke the kiss. Percy pressed his forehead against hers and interlaced their fingers together.

"Did that say I want us to be just friends?"

"No, not at all."

Percy kissed the top of her head as she snuggled closed into him. He didn't know where this would take them but he knew for sure that he would do anything for the girl in his arms.

As for Y/N, she too didn't know what the future holds but she was certain that they'd face whatever comes their way together.

[ashwhowrites]

Hi! Can I send kinda silly request for Eddie and reader? (I read this fun fact in some scientific magazine 😅)

Reader and Eddie are trying to have a baby so she's getting off pill but Eddie read in some girly magazine that after getting on pill women's taste in men changes.

So after getting off, it changes again to original set up. (Scientists conducted some research in which women even started to hate smell of their man, pheromones or some shit.)

The boy is scared that this scientific thing is gonna work in their case also. So he starts to take a shower few times a day and wear enormous amount of cologne non stop.

Reader can't stand it so she have to prove him she still desires him. (Also she can't stop laughing for a while when he tells her)

I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting 🫶🏻

His smell

Y/N and Eddie had been married for almost two years, and they were itching to have a baby.

Y/N went off the pill and they had been trying and trying for a baby all the time. Eddie swore he was in the prime time of his life.

Eddie waited in the waiting room as Y/N sat in her appointment. He was bored out of his mind and picked up one of the magazines. He flipped through it, even more, bored as the scientific facts put him to sleep.

But then something made him jump awake

"Getting off the pill? Think twice because you may not desire your man anymore"

Eddie quickly skimmed the page, his eyes reading the words faster than he had ever read in his life. Eddie felt like he held his breath as he read all the small articles. From what his brain understood, Scientists conducted some research in which women even started to hate the smell of their man.

Eddie closed the magazine and threw it back on the table.

"Ready?" Y/N asked, looking down at Eddie with a huge smile

Eddie nodded and stood up. He kept looking back at that magazine until they were out the door.

Then he sprayed cologne on like he had the money for ten bottles. Which he did not.

~~~

Eddie hated how paranoid he was. He woke up and showered, he refused to wear anything twice, and then he'd shower before bed. Sometimes he even took up to three or four showers. He was constantly scrubbing his body. He even stole her body wash and towels.

But he refused to smell around his wife.

~~~

"Eddie? This water bill is through the roof. What have you been doing?" Y/N laughed as she looked at their bills.

"Nothing, why is it me?" He asked as he sipped on his cold beer. He took the seat across from her.

"Because I haven't been doing anything different. So that leaves you. Why is the water bill so high?" She asked again

"Just taking some showers" Eddie shrugged

"But why? I mean you sometimes shower even if you did nothing."

"You can still be dirty after doing nothing!" Eddie defended

"Eddie, I've seen you not shower after many things that needed a shower. What's going on?" She asked, she reached over and rubbed his hand. "Are you sneaking in there to do something?"

"NO!" Eddie said, "It's just...I don't want to smell around you."

Y/N blinked in confusion as she stared at her husband

"Since when have you ever cared about that? Two weeks ago you shoved my face in your armpit and asked if you need more deodorant." Y/N said

"Fine, remember when we went to the doctor?"

Y/N nodded as Eddie continued

"I read something that said...after you get off the pill things change. And sometimes women begin to...hate the smell of their man." Eddie kept his eyes on his beer

It was silent

And then

Y/N was laughing her ass off

"Wow, what an amazing wife you are!" Eddie pouted as he yanked his hand away from hers.

"Oh Eddie stop it!" She laughed, "I just...you are adorable."

"You are laughing at me!" Eddie whined as he threw his head back

"Baby, look at me," she said, she tried her best to hold back her laugh

He sighed but looked at her

"I still desire you and your smell." She said, but giggled.

"I so believe you," Eddie said as he rolled his eyes. "My own wife making fun of me." He continued to pout as he stood up and walked over to the couch.

Y/N followed him, holding back her laughs.

Eddie planted himself on the couch with a huff

"I'm just surprised you read science," she said as she stood above him

"I was bored!" Eddie defended

"I think it's sexy you wanted me to desire you."

"Really?" He asked, his puppy eyes looked back up at her

"Makes me desire you even more," she said, her voice low as she placed herself on his lap.

His hands moved to wrap around her waist without a thought

She leaned down and smelled his neck, her nose traveled up his neck and tickled his skin.

"You smell good enough to sink my teeth into," she purred into his neck

He squeezed her hips as he felt his body react to her words

"Want me to prove how much I still desire you?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye as she smiled down on him

"I think that's the nice thing to do," he said with a smirk

She squealed as he threw her over his shoulder and ran them into their bedroom.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37 @bellaisswagger @arlxt @ineedmentalhelp123

[4linos]

how they ask to marry you.

stray kids maknae line x gn!reader

synopsis: how stray kids maknae line proposes to you. (˶˃⤙˂˶)

wc: 1187. (hyung line ver.)

HAN.. jisung had always been an ideal partner; you had trouble communicating at first, but you managed to work things out. he would always prioritize you and make sure you two were happy, and he would never want to sleep knowing that either were upset. he had a good relationship with your family, they accepted him right away and treated him like their own. so, when he got the perfect engagement ring for the proposal, he went straight to your parents to ask for your hand in marriage. he asked if he could do something a little more private with just the two of you, and they instantly agreed.he would set up a little picnic with lots of flowers, a plate of treats, and of course, the ring—which he would keep hidden from you—and everything would be perfect. he would bring the ring out and pop the question as soon as you finished reading the letter he wrote to you, saying, "you make me feel like I can be myself, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Will you marry me?” he had been rather anxious, but in his own way, you said "yes" right away.

felix.. was a friend since childhood who held feelings for you. he had been waiting for you to come around while watching you date other people. one night, he came to you very drunk and confessed to you that he was deeply in love with you. you two spoke after his hangover, started dating and have been inseparable ever since.

felix starts off by jokingly mentioning that he is organizing something big for a mutual friend. he’d give hidden clues like, "I've been helping in organizing a truly memorable occasion for someone I care about.“ he might act really enthusiastic about it, grabbing your attention, but you would still assume it was for your friend. felix would pretend that everything is perfectly arranged for your mutual friend, making sure you are aware of every aspect of the "proposal" day. he would even ask you to help in setting up the "proposal"'s intended venue, which would be at the park. felix would go above and beyond to ensure that the everything is beautiful. felix would take you and your friend to the location where everything is happening on the day. you would be certain that the proposal would take place here after noticing details like candles, flowers, and a beautifully decorated space. Your friend may even be carrying a ring box or getting ready to say something sincere but acting a little uneasy. You would now be certain that this is for your friend because everything appears to be perfect for them. while your friend is getting ready, felix would make sure they are the center of attention. he’d nod subtly to let them to begin. all of a sudden... felix would interrupt just as your friend was about to say something. “Hold on, wait, wait! before you continue…”, and felix takes a step forward as everyone turns to watch him. he holds your hand and says, "I couldn't wait any longer," while grinning broadly at you. It is my turn to ask you this.” suddenly the candles, flowers, and romantic ambiance all made sense at once. getting down on one knee, he asks, "Will you marry me?" while pulling out the ring. you would be totally clueless. the entire time, you were oblivious that this was for you. Then, with a quiet laugh, felix would clarify, “I had to trick you into believing it was for someone else! I wanted to make sure I got the best reaction from you because you're constantly so concerned about other people's happiness” your friends would begin applauding and cheering while you were still recovering from the shock, and felix would make sure you were overcome with affection. you would experience a range of feelings, including surprise, happiness, and perhaps even a small amount of distress at not seeing it coming. but as you both enjoy the moment together, surrounded by love and friends, felix’s kind, sincere side would come through.

seungmin.. when you two started dating, it took him a while to even tell his own members. This wasn't just because he had been possessive of you; it was also because he was afraid that your relationship might be exposed to the public by accident. It took him a while to even get through to you because, even though you didn't mind his job, you expressed to him just how much you loved your job as a journalist, and he knew that you would be fired right away if anything leaked. so when the time came to finally propose to you he’d done it in a very secret way, without the knowledge of anybody else. seungmin would invite you to a quiet evening at home nothing too flashy, just a warm, cozy environment where you both can relax together, you’d walk in to see how romantic it looked, with white petals everywhere and small candles that lit up the dark space. during a quiet moment he would give you a letter that would eventually disclose his genuine intentions. It would begin with a straightforward statement like "I love you for a thousand reasons, but this is the most important one." after that, he might pen a really intimate piece on your relationship, including significant events from your past. he would finish the letter by "I would like to build our future together, share stories and create memories with you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?” after you finished reading the letter, seungmin would ask you to marry him and present you with the ring. he would add, "I can't wait to begin the next chapter with you, forever," as he planted a kiss on your lips.

I.N.. after hyunjin accidentally told you about jeongin’s huge crush on you, you were the first to make a move on him. despite being upset with hyunjin for a bit, jeongin was more than happy that you two were finally able to become the couple he had been dreaming about. they weren't shocked at all when he announced to the group that he was going to pop the question. they started helping him immediately. he followed chan’s advice and wrote a brand-new song. he was able to write a song that communicated his love for you with the help of the other members. as it builds to the last question, the song "our story" would recount the history of your relationship, emphasizing important times you've had together, both the small and the major turning points. he would express his love and want to stay with you forever in an honest and true manner using straightforward language. something created from the heart, a melody that echoes the promise of eternity, this song would seem like a personal gift. It would be performed by him after dinner, with a soft instrumental accompaniment, setting the perfect scene for a private proposal.

—

nini’s notes 110624

it’s a tough day but stay strong! 💪 it’s not over, never give up.

* here’s maknae line proposals because posting on here gives me a little at least a little stress relief 😀. not proofread ‼️ so if you find a mistake i’m sorry lol*

asks are always open if you have a question, request, or concern!

- 🎀

[munsonsmixtapes]

Hii may I request a wade x reader fluff with both of them taking care of their newborn. I feel like there’s not a lot of dad!wade. I know it’s a broad topic but you can take it any direction. Thank you and your work is appreciated!

dad!wade x mom!reader

The crying of your baby girl had stirred both you and Wade from your sleep. She had been having a hard time sleeping since you brought her home so that meant you couldn't sleep either. Not that you would have been able to sleep either way. You were just so worried about Violet that Wade would often find you in her nursery, holding her in your arms while you sat in the rocking chair, the two of you fast asleep.

"I've got her," Wade told you, giving you a kiss to your forehead before he slipped out of the bed. He wiped the sleep from his eyes as he made his way down the hall to Violet's room.

He slowly opened the door and made his way into the room, standing over the crib, feeling his heart ache as he watched his crying daughter. He didn't think he had your skill of getting her back to sleep, but he was at least going to try.

"Hey, sweet pea," he whispered as he scooped her up from the crib holding her to his chest as he tried his best to console her. He paced around the room as he hummed along to the song that you would sing to Violet almost every day before she was born.

It seemed to be working because the crying had come to a stop instantly. Maybe he did have the magic touch after all. He pulled her head away from his shoulder and could see that Violet was fast asleep just as he had thought. He couldn't help but smile to himself that he had done it alone and didn't need your help.

You stood in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb as you watched the whole scene play out before you. You didn't know whether it was because of how sleep deprived you were or because of how heart warming it was to watch your husband sing your daughter to sleep, dancing around as he did so, but you felt tears streaming down your cheeks.

"And I think to myself, what a wonderful w-" Wade cut himself off as he saw you standing there, trying to not be upset that you were awake. "What are you doing up?"

"I-I just wanted to make sure you were good."

"We're good, honey." He stepped closer and could see your tear-stained cheeks. He held Violet tight with one hand while the other reached up and wiped your cheeks. "What's with the tears?"

"I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have both of you."

"We're the lucky ones," he told you before pressing his lips to yours. "Now go back to bed. I'm gonna put her back in her crib." He gave you one more kiss before he sent you on your way. He then slowly moved back to the crib and gently set Violet back down into it so he wouldn't wake her up.

Once he was sure that she wouldn't wake up, he watched her for a few more seconds before tiptoeing out of the room, shutting the door gently before he crept back into your room. He got under the covers and snuggled up to you, resting his chin in the crook of your neck as let your deep breaths lull him back to sleep as he thought about he was the lucky one for having as special as you.

[stylish-fish]

okay last minute deltaposting but i don't think that i've seen many people point out yet. that rouxls' crush on queen seems very extremely fake at least for the most part (and that makes it all the more interesting to me)

to start off, i think he's set off to get into this kind of a relationship right from the start of chapter 2: when you first interact with him in castle town, he immediately asks for you to bring an "evil rulere" to the town and says that something is "lacking" without one. i don't think it's any wonder he thinks that way: i think he considers authority figures (first king in chapter 1, then the lancer fun squad, then queen in chapter 2) an absolute necessity for himself and is too spineless to function without them, so his only way of having any kind of relevance or importance is sucking up to one and hoping it'll get him a fraction of their power (while still being otherwise told what to do by them, obviously). he really doesn't give a shit about who this person with power is at all either: he was 100% willing to side with a tyrant since he got a high-ranking position out of it, and then he was 100% willing to betray said tyrant and side with people the tyrant considered the most morally corrupt beings to exist just because it seemed like he was losing to them. in the start of chapter 2, he obviously misses his time under the king, likely because he held actual (wrongly earned) power and respect back then and everything he does in the chapter is an attempt to get that life back. he's already likely made his plan about how it'll go before he's even set foot in cyber world or met queen: he'll impress the new evil ruler, they'll employ him and he gets to continue his old life without having to change anything. he'll get to be told what to do and say and think by someone else because he's too much of a coward to actually have a brain of his own. it's all set.

also, his behaviour towards queen doesn't necessarily show a lot of genuine, deeply held romantic feelings either. i think his crush kinda comes out of the blue, which was probably the intention: he doesn't interact with queen a single time in cyber world or even see her face (considering he tried to flirt with tasque manager under the assumption she's queen, i think it's safe to say he hadn't seen her up until that point, or at least didn't care about her looks enough to remember her. tasque manager does look like queen though, but he still clearly doesn't know a lot of her features. he also says he doesn't remember what queen looks like in a valentine's day card he sends for her, meaning he had probably forgotten about it by then. i think the refusal to learn about even her looks is consistent enough not to come across as simple forgetfulness, especially when he's supposedly in love with her) but he already declares he's in a relationship with her when he gets back to castle town. he hasn't gotten to know anything about queen's personality, or her ambitions or her interests, i think the only fact he knows about her at that point is the fact that she's the new "evil rulere" he's wanted to serve under ever since the king was overthrown. i think he's in it more out of obligation and the belief that "seducing" queen will get him the title he wants quicker than any actual interest in her character. she'll be the tyrant and he'll be the underling, she'll be his lady and he'll be her servant, she'll be the one commanding and he'll be the one obeying. he's more interested in them both fulfilling the "roles" he's set for them than having an actual equal, healthy relationship where they both care about each other as people.

whenever rouxls talks about the relationship he wants with queen, he also spends more time focusing on himself than ever talking about her. he's as self-centered as can be, so this is of course expected of him. when he's about to fight kris and ralsei in the acid lake, he talks about her like this:

other than calling her "beautious", which may or may not be a fake compliment considering he mistook tasque manager for her before, he absolutely doesn't mention anything about her. instead, he switches immediately to talking about himself and how he'll be rewarded for impressing her. to rouxls, the relationship he wants is clearly about himself. even though he talks more about her in the valentine's day card, it's still clear he's in it for selfish purposes:

his compliment of queen as the "faireste maidene in all of the cyber lande" is immediately revealed as meaningless when he admits he doesn't even remember what she looks like. it's exactly the same kind of empty flattery he's otherwise prone to when things look bad for him or he wants something out of someone: like how he immediately folded over and started complimenting the heroes after being easily defeated by them in chapter 1. it's clear that he's using the flattery as a way to suck up in this card as well: after complimenting queen, he immediately asks to be made her "valentine's lackeye", clearly still seeing a relationship with her as a way to get things and regain his important position rather than build an actual connection.

to me, this is actually the way to think about his "crush" that makes the most canonical sense. he was comedically selfish and self-interested in chapter 1, only acting to benefit himself, and expressing any kind of concern for a single person, lancer, after what i assume was a long-ish time of knowing him (and even then, he complains about him and clearly hesitates before asking how he is). he acts exactly the same way in chapter 2 and once again doesn't offer to help anyone but lancer for reasons other than immediate self-interest (although he does immediately call it "frivolitese" and insists that fighting ralsei and kris for queen's approval is more important). he doesn't show this type of care for queen at all: after he gets defeated by the heroes and has his lower body turned to stone, he joins them to fight against giga queen, even wanting to "take credite" for it despite having been on her side not too long ago. even if he had fallen in love with her (which is dubious considering the short time and the fact he consistently doesn't remember what she looks like) he's still very much the rouxls kaard we know, he doesn't really seem to care about her at all. i don't think he would've been changed by the "power of love" that easily or quickly, especially considering he still acts like his selfish and pathetic self when declaring his supposed love for queen.

in the future, i think one possible bit for him would be him trying to go for every single evil powerful figure we meet in the next chapters and not just being happy with settling for queen. i don't think he cares about queen (or anyone for that matter) enough to dedicate his life to serving her and no one else, he's not really someone trying to follow a righteous knight code or anything and has already shown not to think of betraying her as a big deal. he also seems to have a very shallow view on romance and relationships, and be exactly the kind of guy who thinks he can benefit from trapping himself in the confines of romance and change his relationships on a whim, all that matters being that his partner has power. the way deltarune seems to deal with the more destructive and trapping side of romance is very interesting to me, and i think this guy could potentially fit in too with his view of the ideal world where he has all the power and importance he wants, where he has to care about no one other than himself but where someone, his romantic partner, is still in charge of him because due to his life as a darkner in a world that automatically expects him to fill the role of a servant he can't imagine anything else. he doesn't care who it is that fills that role of his partner because he can always switch them for a more powerful one, so he doesn't really see his evil rulerse of the week as people, at least not yet. that said, i do find his potential relationship with queen interesting too. i just don't think they'd be happy as a romantic couple, this being one of the reasons.

also i wonder what's up with the lamp thing

[desceros]

oops you got something between your fingers there, let me get that for you real quick <3

evil evil evil evil evil evil strikes back out of self defense

It's not too uncommon that you wait for him to come home. Not only has his shitty apartment all but become a second home to you, but he's started making little jokes that you aren't completely sure are really jokes about you moving in with him instead.

As such, he doesn't say anything when he comes in through the door and finds you sitting at his kitchen table, scrolling through your phone looking at the cute dog pictures April's sending you from her latest venture to make ends meet as a dog walker. Not until you look up and smile as you see him, putting your phone down because he's infinitely more interesting.

"Why aren't you sitting on the couch where it's softer?" he asks, slowly stripping the outside world from himself as he gets close. His swords. His belt of medical supplies you keep stocked up nicely for him. A bag whose contents you don't know, but judging from the care with which he puts it down on the counter, you suspect is quite valuable.

"I thought you'd be hungry when you got back," you tell him, gesturing at a tupperware of food you'd brought over from the lair. Leo still doesn't have a decent set of pans, and you've forbidden him from buying any since you can cook just as well at the lair and bring things over. (You're surprised he's held out this long; though you suspect it may be because he has a not-too-incorrect mental image of Donnie's pissy face when he smells you cook something nice and learns it's for Leonardo, not him.)

Leo sits at the table adjacent to you, popping off the lid. It's still warm, thankfully, and his face gets a little softer when he starts to dig in like he's starving. He doesn't compliment it, but you don't need him to. The way he goes quiet, not even speaking in the interest of eating the stir fry you'd tossed together, is all the feedback you need.

Smiling fondly, you grab into the bag you'd brought and pull out an orange. Slowly, you start to peel it, piece by piece. The oil of the rind clings to your skin, making the air between you fragrant with citrus. All the way down to the juicy flesh, until you split it in half, then pluck out a single piece.

Reaching out between Leo's bites, you hold the piece between your fingers. He stares at it for a moment, glancing between it and your face, then opens his mouth so you can slide it inside.

"This was a really yummy batch," you tell him as he chews, eyes falling down to where you peel away another piece. It has a little string on it, which you pick away lovingly before holding out to him just like the one before. "Nice and juicy. I was surprised, considering the time of year."

Leo takes the second piece in his mouth, and the next time you look down to the orange to pull him away another piece, you feel the weight of his stare on the side of your face and the apartment falls silent. No longer do his chopsticks scratch away at the tupperware.

Still, you persist, relentless in your affectionate care. "I've been saving the peels to make a nice cleaning spray. Apparently, you can put them in a bottle with a bit of vinegar, and it smells really nice and works pretty well," you continue to ramble. You hold out another piece. He leans in, his teeth finding the soft flesh with a heavier purpose now. You avoid meeting his gaze, torn between enjoying this little dance and not wanting it to end too quickly.

Another piece hovers in the air, and this time, he wraps his fingers around your wrist and holds it in place. You look up, startled, only to stare with wide eyes as he slides your fingers and the orange slice into his mouth together. His tongue finds the fruit and brings it to his teeth, splitting it open and coating his mouth and your fingers with its sweet juice. Messily, it beads down your palm, to your wrist, tickling even as your breath catches in your throat when he glides his tongue along the webbing of your fingers to catch its origin. Hot, wet, he licks at your skin, suckling the love off of you like it's the waters of the fountain of life itself.

Your mouth falls open as his teeth scrape at your palm, the hitched breath coming out of your lungs on a jagged sound that sounds a bit like a whine in the dead air between you. Mouth curling into a smug smirk, he kisses down the line of the orange juice to your pulse, bending your hand back and sinking his teeth into your wrist hard enough to leave a mark.

It's then that you finally meet his gaze, and see in it the dangerous flame you'd stoked. You swallow thickly, pressing your thighs together beneath the table. Silly you to forget that it's always the little gestures that drive him the most mad.

Trailing his tongue up your hand to flick it between your fingers, Leo groans, squeezing his eyes shut like the taste of you wounds him. Maybe it does, in a way, you think, feeling the almost painful ache of your own arousal that he so easily calls to the surface.

Licking your lips, clumsy from the rushing blood beneath your skin when he slides your fingers into his mouth and begins to suck on them while bobbing his head slowly, you reach with shaking fingers to pull away another piece of the orange. When Leo looks at you—no doubt visibly affected, dilated pupils, bitten lips, chest rising with your accelerated breath—he chuckles before sinking his teeth into the flesh of your palm, lathing it with his tongue before he releases you.

"How many more do you think you'll be able to share before you break for me, mi corderita?" he asks slyly, taking the piece from you and resting it on your spit-soaked fingers, gliding them into his mouth to begin the process all over again to send you into a hazy, needy state.

The answer, you'll later bemoan as you stare, stunned, completely fucked out, at the ceiling of his bedroom with a familiar full-body ache and the smell of oranges strong in your nose, is one.

[rorywritesjunk]

I felt the need to elaborate on Buggy as the Ultimate Girl Dad, because I am loving every Buggy as a Dad fic I've come across and decided to add into it. It's a mix of head canons and fic of all eight daughters and when they were born. Also can be read as anime Buggy or OPLA Buggy!

Rating: PG-13 because innuendos. Warnings: Childbirth, mentions of a difficult labor. A/N: I had a lot of fun just thinking up names for all eight daughters.

Buggy’s Eight Daughters

The first daughter, Lil Buggy (Lil or LB for short) is a clone of her dad in looks and personality. The first to inherit his nose (much to his distress) and the first one to really experience ship life. When she was two weeks old, Buggy bound her to his body while climbing up to the crow’s nest of his ship so he could show her the views of the sea. You nearly killed him for that. And while Buggy wanted to name her Buggy Junior, or BJ for short, you killed that idea immediately. 

“I don’t want BJ for her nickname. People may make fun of her!” You said as Buggy walked around your room with the newborn, keeping her close to him as he gazed down at her. 

“But come on, that’s what started that night we had when she was conci-” He looked up with a smirk and you resisted throwing a pillow at him. Not while he was holding the baby.

“Buggy!”

Mae was the second daughter. She was born with a full head of bright blue hair and your nose. Unlike her older sister, she was a bit easier. She was born when LB was about to turn 2, and well, older sister wasn’t too sure how to feel about a new baby joining the family. Surprisingly, Buggy noticed his daughter having more tantrums and generally being a terror since she wasn’t getting all of her parents’ attention, so he took to carrying her on his back while Mae would be strapped on his front, being the Ultimate Pirate Dad. He just had to remember LB was on his back when he sat down (which he sometimes did forget she was there because she often fell asleep back there).

“Oof, daddy!” A tiny voice squealed from behind him. It took Buggy a moment to realize LB was on his back again, so he jumped up from his seat and turned his head around to look at her.

“What are you doing back there?!” He asked, always sounding surprised. She fixed him with a glare that was so like his own it was a little terrifying. He got her off his back and sat back down in his seat, holding her into his lap while he turned his head back around to face his crew.

Cherry and Apple were next. Buggy wasn’t there when they were born. He was off dealing with the Strawhats, and while you never chose a name for the babies until a few days later, you took one look at them and decided on the names. Just like their oldest sister, the two of them had Buggy’s nose, and well, you thought the names would be as cute as their bright red noses. Cherry was the more daring of the two. Buggy literally had to keep one hand ready to grab her in case she decided to go overboard or climb up ropes on the ship. Apple was a little more cautious, choosing to stick near you more often than not. While Cherry was happy to join her father with the circus shows, Apple stayed off to the sides to watch.

“You named them what?” Buggy asked as he held newborn Apple in his arms. “Why?!”

“The names just popped in my head, Buggy!” You insisted as you cradled Cherry against your bare skin. “Besides, the names are perfect for them! Look at their little noses, like bright red apples and cherries!”

Buggy wasn’t sure how he felt about you comparing the inherited nose to fruit, but he wasn’t about to argue with a woman who’d already birthed four children, three of which had that same nose. 

Another set of twins came a year and a half later. Buggy decided having a midwife on board may be ideal since he couldn’t seem to stop getting you pregnant (not that you were complaining, it was split 50/50 who initiated these things). He was there this time. Lil Buggy and Mae helped with the names for their sisters. When you and Buggy sat the four girls down to tell them about having another sibling, Lil Buggy had pointed out the rainbow in the distance and Mae asked if that would be the new baby’s name. Buggy looked like would cry at that. 

“Wait, twins, again?!” Buggy exclaimed as he was handed the first baby. “We were expecting just one!”

“Sometimes the other one stays a secret, Captain.” The midwife replied calmly as she helped with the next one. “Better start thinking of a second name.”

Yea, right. When Cabaji let the four girls into the room once you were ready, Mae and Lil Buggy looked at the two twin girls before looking up at their parents.

“Rain and Bow!” Both insisted. You were too tired to disagree and Buggy was still in shock, especially since they had his nose again. He was wondering if he needed to propose marriage to you for birthing six kids already.

Buggy indeed proposed to you. It was flashy, with cannons, fire, and all six daughters running around with sparklers. You said yes because while you loved the flashy fool, you also wanted to douse the sparklers before something caught fire. 

Six daughters already. When Lil Buggy was 10, Mae was 8, Apple and Cherry 6, and Rain and Bow not quite 4, you announced one night at dinner that you were, again, pregnant. The reactions were as such:

“That explains a lot.” Buggy grumbled as he looked down at his plate. You glared at him and he followed with, “Explains why you have a radiant glow about you, my love!”

“Again?!” Lil Buggy exclaimed. “Can you two stop? There’s no more room!”

“Why?” Mae asked. “Why do you want more kids?”

“Where do babies come from?” Apple asked, looking at Buggy. He was not ready for this conversation.

“We picked you and Cherry out of a treasure chest, just like your sisters and just like this baby.” Buggy said quickly. “That’s how we get babies. From treasure chests.”

“Oh.” Apple seemed fine with that response but Cherry looked confused. 

“Why does mama get fat then?” She asked innocently. Buggy was about to say something but one look from you silenced him.

“Oh my God.” He whined. “Another one?”

Rain and Bow just kept eating while Buggy questioned his life choices in that moment and you looked ready to throw him overboard.

Inheriting his nose stopped with Rain and Bow, but his hair followed his daughters. When you gave birth to the 7th daughter, the family had been carving pumpkins as a fun activity. While some parents would worry about their children holding knives, you were more concerned about your husband with one. You decided to get up and grab some bandages from the midwife when it happened. She took one look at you, sighed, and led you to your room to help you give birth. It happened so quick that Buggy came to look for you after about a half hour and found you with a newborn in your arms.

“How! What?!” His jaw dropped seeing the baby in your arms. You just shrugged as you looked down at the newborn.

“Can we name her Pumpkin?” You asked. “I think it would be a fun story to tell, you know, what we were doing when she was born.”

Buggy wasn’t going to disagree with you.

The eighth and final daughter was born during a storm. Giving birth on the ship while waves crashed along it was not ideal. The other seven girls were hunkered in the room with you while you gave birth. Buggy was holding you while you screamed, threatening to kill him after you were done. This was, by far, the most difficult birth of the girls. Lil Buggy and Mae did what they could to entertain the other girls, hoping to get their attention away from your screams and cries while the ship rocked violently. Hours passed until they heard the cries of a newborn. The storm seemed to pass as well, and Buggy was crying as he held his newest daughter.

Lil Buggy, being the eldest, approached first to look. She saw the blue hair and sighed. “You won’t be able to tell us apart if you saw us all from behind, you know.”

“Yea, well, I’ll learn to tell you brats apart.” Buggy shot back. You were resting, having been given something by the midwife to help you sleep. The labor had been a rough one, and you were going to need your strength to keep up with the family.

“What’s this one gonna be called?” LB asked as she gestured for her sisters to come over. “I think mom needs to stop naming us, she’s getting silly with them.”

“What should we name her?” Buggy asked his eldest, his attention on the sleeping bundle in his arms. He glanced up at her. “I’m asking you.”

LB looked taken aback and scratched her head. “Um… why not… Crash?” 

“Crash?” Buggy repeated. He was about to comment that that was silly, but considering what the last few hours were like, he was glad she didn’t go with a weather related name. “Y’know, I think Crash is appropriate.”

Buggy decided as a Rite of Passage for Piracy, his girls would join him in a raid when they turned 14. You knew it was something of importance for him, and you trusted he wouldn’t get them hurt. They could protect themselves as well, and by the time Crash turned 14, each girl had their chance. Buggy deemed them all official crew members when they returned from each raid and always held a party for them. With Crash being the last one to go through with it, Buggy couldn’t help but feel a little sad his girls were all growing up. He wouldn’t get to do those fun “Firsts” again like he had with the others. He would never admit to anyone but you, but he liked being a dad.

A few months after Crash’s raid, and the girls were readying for another fun day of piracy, you pulled your husband aside for a brief meeting.

“Babe, if you want me, just ask. We don’t have to sneak around.” Buggy teased as his hands went to your waist, a big grin on his face. You put both hands on his cheeks and tilted his head down so you could look him in the eyes.

“Sneaking around is what caused this, Buggy.” You told him. “I’m pregnant.”

The scream from the clown was heard all over the ship and no doubt all around the seas.

[steddieas-shegoes]

just make the tik tok

for @corrodedcoffinfest prompt 'behind the scenes'

rated t | 880 words | no cw | tags: famous corroded coffin, modern au, frankie is anti-tik tok

📱📱📱📱📱📱📱📱📱📱📱📱📱

Joining Tik Tok was a mistake.

"I cannot believe you thought having a band Tik Tok would be a good idea," Frankie said to Jeff as they watched Eddie and Gareth doing some stupid dance. "Look at them. They're stupid. You made them more stupid."

"I just thought it was a good way for people to see behind the scenes of the tour. Everyone agreed!" Jeff shook his head as he saw Gareth lose his balance and grab onto Eddie's shoulder to stabilize himself.

"The last one got 300,000 likes. We gained followers who never listened to our stuff before. They may be stupid, but my plan isn't."

Frankie sighed, but didn't argue further. Jeff was right. He just hoped he never had to do any ridiculous dances or trends to keep people interested in their music.

****

"You guys have gained thousands of followers on all platforms since you started being active on Tik Tok. It may be wise for all of you to be on camera," one of the producers of their album suggested.

"Not happening." Frankie shook his head. "They get what they want from those two idiots."

"Hey!" Gareth and Eddie yelled in unison.

Jeff waved them off. "If Frankie doesn't wanna do them, he doesn't have to. We agreed that this was a voluntary thing."

"Yes, we did. But we're seeing growth and there's been a trend of comments asking where he is in some of the videos."

"I'm in some videos," Frankie crossed his arms. "That stage tour one. I was setting up my bass."

"But people wanna see you. They wanna get to know you, feel connected. That's the beauty of this era. We can make fans feel like they're truly a part of the band, which leads them to sharing and buying." One of the managers of the PR team said. "It's good for your brand if you're just as involved as they are."

"I didn't know we needed to have a brand beyond metal band." Frankie rolled his eyes and stood up from the couch he was sitting on. "I'm gonna head to the studio and work on music. Which is our job."

No one tried to stop him.

****

"There's a woman who keeps asking where you are." Eddie shakes his phone in front of Frankie's face. "She thinks you're leaving the band and is begging you to stay."

"Tell her I'm not leaving the band." Frankie sat down at the table on the tour bus with his bottle of beer and the shrimp leftover from catering at their show. "Though the urge is strong when Gareth keeps drinking my beers."

"She's hot," Eddie continued, seemingly ignoring Frankie's words. "You should make a video so she knows you're not going anywhere."

Frankie rolled his eyes. "I'm not doing a fuckin' Tik Tok."

Eddie held the phone out to him, showing him the woman's profile.

She was hot.

And apparently only ever really concerned with where Frankie was. She'd even sent a DM asking if he was okay.

"Fine. How do I make one?" Frankie asked with a sigh.

"Seriously? We beg you for two months to make one and it's a hard no, but one hot girl wants you to be in one and you're ready to become a social media influencer?" Eddie teased.

"As if you didn't make an entire series of videos rating new pop songs because Steve asked you to."

Frankie grabbed Eddie's phone, ignoring his flailing to try to grab it back.

The app was already open, and he found it surprisingly easy to start recording a video.

"Hey everyone. I'm not leaving the band. I just hate social media shit. I'm fine. I'm not mad at anyone. Except Gareth who owes me 83 beers from stealing mine over the last six years. Yes, I've counted." Frankie sees a timer counting down and decides to give an awkward wave with his other hand before stopping the video. "That should be fine, right?"

He didn't wait for Eddie's response before saving and posting it.

"Uh. Usually they look at them before we post." Eddie explained as he took his phone back.

"They can take it down later if they want."

'That's...not really how this shit works, dude."

Frankie shrugged and continued eating his shrimp for a few minutes until Jeff came to sit next to him, calm as ever.

"You made a video." He yawned, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah."

"It's got 54,000 likes already."

"Can't help that I'm charming."

"It hasn't been that many beers!" Gareth yells from his bunk, half-asleep.

"Your girl messaged," Eddie handed Frankie the phone with a smirk.

Glad you're not going anywhere 💗

"You better get her number, dude." Jeff nudged his arm. "She wants you so bad."

****

Nearly a year later, and more Tik Toks than he ever hoped to be a part of, Frankie smiled down at the VIP section for their sold out show at Madison Square Garden.

Sasha stood there smiling back at him, singing along to all their songs.

After the show, he'd probably be pulled into a stupid video with Eddie or Gareth, but he didn't really complain anymore. Not when those stupid videos were responsible for bringing him his future wife.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

since i've talked a lot about how i dislike Catra, here are some of the other fictional characters that i dislike:

(warning: long post ahead, also spoilers for steven universe, the dragon prince, ocean waves, the legend of korra, and kipo and the age of wonderbeasts)

1. Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe)

i think this one is pretty obvious. there were a bunch of characters in SU who were let off the hook after doing terrible things, but Lapis is the one i disliked the most.

she started off as an interesting character, her trauma after getting caught in a war and stuck in a mirror for ages was sympathetic and pretty well-written but like Catra, i think the writers coddled Lapis too much.

this is evident with her relationship with Peridot, where she starts off blaming Peridot for something that wasn't her fault and destroying her prized possession when she tries to make amends. but Lapis expresses concern for Peridot ONCE and now they're besties.

and after that, Lapis becomes toxic and demanding, causing Peridot to constantly walk on eggshells around Lapis so as not to hurt her feelings. and finally, Lapis just takes the barn, Peridot's HOME, off into space because she couldn't agree with Peridot's decision to stay and fight the Diamonds?? i'm not mad that Lapis didn't want to fight the Diamonds, i fully understand her trauma, but did she have to take the barn with her? what part of that was necessary??

i think all of this would have been fine if Lapis was held accountable for her actions, but she wasn't. she doesn't even do the bare minimum and Peridot immediately forgives her. sigh. at least they didn't make Lapidot canon.

2. King Harrow (The Dragon Prince)

i don't hate this character as much as I hate some of the others on the list but i do think that he was kind of a shitty king. he literally decides to starve his own kingdom in order to help out another kingdom. and this is framed as the right thing to do?

it's a tough choice but Harrow's people were depending on him, and he decides that his own people should sacrifice their winter rations for another kingdom. scummy move, i do not like him. Viren may have been self-serving and manipulative, but he was right to try and stop Harrow from doing this.

3. Rikako Muto (Ocean Waves)

god, i fucking hate this bitch. worst ghibli movie ever honestly. the thing is, like Catra and many of the other characters here, Rikako would have been an interesting character if the writers just made her an antagonist.

but no, she's supposed to be the love interest while being a selfish and manipulative brat. she is rude to everyone unless she wants a favor from them. she uses people to her advantage and screams at them when they try to resist. Rikako is the most interesting character in this movie, which sucks because she is also the most insufferable character.

the singular most hilarious scene in this movie has to be when Taku is fondly reminiscing about the interactions he had with Rikako, and since she was nothing but a little bitch throughout the entire movie, we get a super emotional flashback, accompanied by a soft score, of all the times she was manipulating and verbally abusing him. would have been funnier if it was not unironic. i do not know what the creators were thinking.

there was no chemistry between these two characters, their relationship was unhealthy as fuck, but they still get together by the end because.. amatonormativity. and because Taku had too much chemistry with his male best friend and they didn't want the viewers to think that he might be queer.

4. Bolin (The Legend of Korra)

it's crazy how everyone and their mothers hate Mako for cheating on Korra and Asami, but absolutely adore Bolin who sexually harassed his coworker. Bolin forced a kiss on Ginger while she was tied down on set, after she had already rejected him multiple times and said that she was her doing her job.

i see so many people saying that Bolin was a green flag and a better choice than Mako, and i seriously wonder if we watched the same show. i don't condone cheating either obviously but how do you call out cheating but completely gloss over sexual harrasment? Bolin legit acts like a manchild who doesn't understand consent and because the show frames this as "comedy", the audience thinks it's cute and funny.

at least Mako faced the consequences of his actions. he got dumped by both Korra and Asami, some of the other characters called him out on his actions, and he actually turns into a much better person by the end of the series.

oh, don't forget that Bolin started working for the literal fascist in s4. and he acts all dumb about it and argues that Kuvira was like Korra which,, what the fuck? he literally sees Kuvira torturing people and it still takes him a long time to stop working for her. he was a bit like Entrapta in that case, the writers made him too oblivious and stupid in order to justify him aiding a fascist.

5. Kipo (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)

okay, so Kipo is a little different from the other characters mentioned here because she's not problematic by any means. quite the opposite actually, her main personality trait seems to be that she's kind to everyone.

and that's fine, it's on par for most kids show protagonists, but Kipo is such a deeply unflawed character that she just becomes so boring. she has no character growth throughout the series, except for developing her fighting skills as her wildcat form. and even that comes easy to her, she masters it in one episode. her "flaws" are very surface level, like being clumsy or kinda awkward.

she is unbothered by almost everything, which is the most baffling in that episode where she discovers that she was the result of a science experiment done by her parents. you would expect some sort of mixed emotions there - confusion, hesitation, resentment even? nope. she's just excited and happy that her parents put her life at risk by experimenting on her.

and the show insists on reminding us every five seconds that "hey! Kipo is a GOOD person, she's the KINDEST human being ever and the ONLY person who doesn't love her is the EVIL VILLAIN". shit like this just turns me off so much. just SHOW me how nice Kipo is, instead of making every character gush about her niceness. SHOW, don't tell, for god's sake. besides, even if a person is kind and wholesome, it's unrealistic for EVERYONE to like them.

and the funny thing is that this show has other interesting characters! Wolf, for example, was a really complex and flawed character who is still fundamentally a good person. Hugo was a sympathetic villain who got a pretty decent redemption arc. so it's not like the writers didn't know how to write interesting characters, they just wanted to make their protagonist a Mary Sue.

[yunsound]

My honest review of New Gods Reborn: Yang Jian

Okay!

So I know I made a post on Erlang Shen (Yang Jian is Erlang Shen's real name) and also a post on Chinese animation in general, but prior to both those posts getting made I'd never watched this movie. It was released August 2022 and is a "sequel" (not really, just set in the same cinematic universe) as New Gods Reborn: Ne Zha (which is NOT a good movie).

I mentioned in both the Erlang Shen and Chinese animation posts that the New Gods Reborn: Yang Jian movie is kind of mid. This was not an opinion I held, but rather an opinion I saw on a lot of review sites.

I finally caved and watched it.

Holy shit. It's so good.

Okay!!! Firstly, I see why people call it mid. For people who aren't Chinese (or Chinese people living abroad, or diaspora, or even Hong Kong/Taiwan people), the plot is very, very confusing. It requires a somewhat in-depth understanding of the myths of Erlang Shen and the Magical Lotus Lantern.

Luckily, I've made that post for you! Linked here. As long as you read this post you'll generally understand the movie.

There are some major characters that appear (this doesn't really count as spoilers I think? Since I won't tell you what they do or why) like the Four Heavenly Kings. I haven't made a post on this, but essentially they're important figures in Chinese Buddhism.

Without knowledge on these Kings (most Chinese will recognise them, they're very iconic figures), the audience will be confused as to why they're here and who they are.

I will probably make a post on them at some point. Stay tuned.

It also requires knowledge of some other scattered myths, most of which are widely accessible to people who grew up in China, but are utterly unfamiliar to everyone else. So for a wider international audience, it's not a good choice.

But for me, who does know all the references it's making (and consequrently, when someone in the movie is lying because I know the original myth), it's a very good movie.

First off: the animation is absolutely fucking gorgeous. Without spoiling too much, there's a scene in which the entire movie goes from 3d animation to 2d animation to reflect being within a painting.

(I don't think I mentioned this in my weapons post, or maybe I did, but the 山河社稷图 Divine Mountains and Rivers Painting or the 太极图 Taiji Painting is a mythical painting which can trap anyone inside it.)

It's absolutely breathtaking.

The most impactful parts of the movie involve Yang Jian (Erlang Shen) awakening his Heavenly Eye, or Tianyan. This may look just cool to outsiders, but in China, Erlang Shen is one of the most powerful deities of all time.

He's on a whole different level. He's incredibly OP, basically- maybe even stronger than Sun Wukong. What this means is that when he is at his full power, practically no one can stop him.

The plot is still kind of weird- I wouldn't call the story the main attraction. The story is a little all over the place, and the plot itself has some major flaws, but the beauty of this movie is undoubtedly the character design.

Not only are the models very well-done, but every single character is well-fleshed out. Everyone is sympathetic (except for the villains, I guess). Yang Jian is the main character, and his personality and motivations are not only likeable but understandable. But neither is he perfect all the time. He feels real.

Even for the side characters, their arcs feel very well-rounded. So the overall plot is kind of bad, but each character's journey feels well-done.

Regardless of these flaws, I'd recommend anyone who wants to get some insight into Chinese culture or mythology watch this movie. It was very, very impactful and also quite entertaining.

What I will applaud though, is the sheer spectacle, scale and beauty of this movie. First off, the models are very well-made. This movie wasn't exactly indie the same way Ne Zha 1 and 2 were since the studio behind them was big, but animation never quite reaches the same expectations.

I was honestly a little blown away by the quality of the animation. It's much, much better than I was expecting. I'm not saying it's Oscar-winning (although after watching Godzilla Minus One win the Oscar for best visual effects, I'm inclined to believe differently- those effects were terrible) but it's very, very good.

Most importantly, it feels unequivocally Chinese. The 2D ink-painting style that appears, the unapologetic references to Chinese mythology- it is very much a movie not at ALL made for international audiences. It expects you to know. It's only for the mainland Chinese.

Does this make the movie worse or better? I honestly don't know. In terms of pros, it doesn't waste time explaining the myths. In terms of cons, literally no one who's not Chinese can understand the full scale of this movie.

Is it as good as Ne Zha 2? Probably not- that movie is still so good, I've seen it multiple times in theatres. It's definitely as good as Ne Zha 1, if not better. It's WAY better than New Gods Reborn: Ne Zha. After enjoying Yang Jian more than I expected, I sat down and forced myself to watch New Gods Reborn: Ne Zha.

My goodness. Don't watch it, I'm being serious. The Yang Jian one is way better.

This movie, when it came out, was very big in China- not as big as Ne Zha 1/2 were, but big. Mainly because Yang Jian is HOT. Chenxiang (Yang Jian's nephew) is also hot, and the female main character (I won't spoil but you'll know) is ALSO HOT.

The main joke I see on DY and XHS is the scriptwriters should be carrying the animators and modellers to work everyday on a handheld sedan, because of how good the animation is and how mid the story is.

In essence- if you're Chinese or have a good understanding of Chinese mythology, this movie will be absolutely amazing IF and ONLY IF you manage to suspend disbelief for the entire time and pretend you have no critical brain. If you DO find yourself thinking critically, the plot will make 3/10 sense but it'll still be a good movie.

If you're not Chinese or have a very basic understanding of Chinese mythology, you can still watch this movie! Just follow these steps so you won't be confused ASF:

Read my Yang Jian/ Erlang Shen post (ehehe self promo). Seriously, though. If not my post, then at least read the Wikipedia page for the Magical Lotus Lantern and Erlang Shen. You'll be incredibly confused if not.

Read up on the Four Heavenly Kings. I don't have a post for this regrettably, and the Wikipedia page is unhelpful and I doubt linking a Chinese source will help. There are probably blog posts from other people on this, though- some Googling will probably be enough.

I've explained the Taiji Painting here and the Magical Lotus Lantern in the Erlang Shen post, but I recommend doing a bit more reading on the Magical Lotus Lantern anyway.

OKAY! Now onto my discussion of the plot itself. Beware: there are spoilers, so if you don't mind, read, but if you DO mind, you can come back after you've watched it. I'm not going to lie, spoilers don't really matter since there's no plot twists that are SUPER impactful, but be wary, I guess.

At the beginning of the film, the setting is in a pseudo-cyberpunk post-apocalyptic world, in which Yang Jian has had his heavenly eye sealed. I don't mind this at all- it's just that even without his heavenly eye, Yang Jian is still incredibly powerful.

It's not like he's weak in the movie- he does incredibly well, and is still an extremely talented fighter. But all the enemies he comes up against should still be easy pickings for him, to the point where he should just be smiting them with a flick of his finger. He shouldn't really be struggling at all, to be honest. For story purposes, though, this isn't that important.

They make up a backstory for Chenxiang and Yang Jian that makes Yang Jian not the cold ruthless warrior he is in the original myth. Instead of trapping his little sister (Chenxiang's mother) under the mountain for marrying a mortal man, instead their whole family is the victim of a generational bullshit curse where the mothers are forced to sacrifice themselves to seal off a mountain (in order to keep monsters and demons trapped underneath) and the sons are fated to split open the mountain to save their mother, thus releasing the monsters and dooming the next generation of women to sacrifice again.

It IS acknowledged in the movie that this curse is bullshit, and that it's simply the whims of powerful people sacrificing women (yes, the misogyny aspect is also acknowledged) to keep themselves safe. I like that they acknowledged this, and that everyone agrees this is bullshit.

I do also like that Yang Jian is much more relatable and agreeable in this film. However.

In the original myth, he is ruthless and cold-blooded- that's what makes him so well respected. In this version, he loses some of that gravitas. Don't get me wrong, he still has a lot of "aura", but... he loses some of what makes Erlang Shen so terrifying- that pseudo-sadistic, I don't give a shit attitude.

Also, during his time being trapped inside his painting, he's forced to go through a series of terrifying hallucinations. Not only do these hallucinations confuse HIM, they also confuse US, the audience.

Usually when this sort of stuff happens we're aware that he's the one hallucinating, but the animators leaned a little too heavily into it that I was just like "what the fuck" the whole time. I get that it's for immersion purposes, but they could've dialed the whole thing back just a little.

Also... Shen Gongbao's character is... strange, to say the least. He has literally nothing to do with Erlang Shen/Yang Jian or Chenxiang in the original myth, so him appearing out of nowhere is SO confusing. He could've just been replaced with someone else, like Sun Wukong (who's Chenxiang's teacher originally).

I get that they had to kill Shen Gongbao for plot reasons and Sun Wukong wouldn't have died so easily, but I feel like there's ways around that.

The villain's motivations also feel kind of weird. Like...what? None of what you're trying to do makes any sense.

MAJOR SPOILER:

Yuding Zhenren (Master Yuding, Yang Jian's teacher) being the big villain also makes no sense. Like, he can be the villain, sure, but he needs to have some proper motivations. Wuliang Xianwen (Master Wuliang in Ne Zha 2) being the villain wasn't a bad choice because his motivations were clear- make the Chan Sect more dominant.

But WTF is Yuding Zhenren trying to get at? I have no idea.

Additionally... there are parts of the movie that just don't need to be there. Like Yang Jian getting put in jail, for example. I know it's for cool purposes, but huh?? Their explanation of the Magical Lotus Lantern also felt very meh, like just "ignore the details and believe".

ALSO! I love their take on the Howling Celestial Dog (Xiaotian Quan 啸天犬). She's so cute and so funny and SO doglike without being gimmicky or weak! Additionally she also doesn't feel like "waifubait", which is somewhat important to me. (I'm not usually against waifubait, as a woman who loves women, but.... not sure Xiaotian Quan is the best option for that).

I like this movie a lot- it's definitely going on my "watch in the background while I do other things" list, which is a pretty high honour for me, at least. I do wish I'd seen it in theatres, but if it reran in theatres I probably wouldn't go watch it, just because the plot isn't that good.

In my opinion, one of the major flaws of Chinese animated movies is the storytelling. The animation is usually very good, but the story sometimes suffers. Even with my favourite Chinese animated movie, Ne Zha 2, there are noticeable plot points that I found myself wrinkling my brow at on my second/third watch.

I might outline that in a different post.

This was the case for New Gods Reborn: Yang Jian. It was also the problem with 30,000 Miles from Chang'an (which had a beautiful soundtrack and was very touching but the overarching story was meh) as well as Deep Sea, which again, had gorgeous animation and a touching story but the OVERALL plot is just okay (not bad! Just not amazing).

In my personal experience, Chinese animated movies (and Chinese movies in general) do either great visuals or great storytelling. Usually Chinese movies are GREAT at getting you to cry- the saddest movies I've EVER watched are Chinese- but once you've let a few days go by between the initial emotions and the initial hype you find yourself wondering "why"?

I will probably do a list of my favourite NON animated Chinese movies. In recent years, quite a few have been absolutely incredible, in terms of both plot and emotion. The Oscars are bullshit, we all know, and I've never expected any of these films to even get nominated, but if the Academy was fair I think each of these movies deserves at the VERY least a nomination. That's coming either today or tomorrow.

[aoharushiyo]

the recipes for... | track 1 — chocolate pudding

Translation: en Proofreading: aca, dimi, kimi, myun, jay, jelly

Content Warning: light jokes about death

PatiBattle is my life. A masterpiece containing the quintessential element, the character that gives meaning to my very existence— yeah, you heard that right: his name is Chiyoda Reito.

PatiBattle is my life. A masterpiece containing the quintessential element, the character that gives meaning to my very existence— yeah, you heard that right: his name is Chiyoda Reito.

---

"Come the hell on, if I don't get there soon, it might all be gone…!"

I was held back after school for ages by the teachers today. Some lecture about my behaviour in class or something. Stuff like my attitude being all over the place, or reading manga under my desk in class… But why today, of all days? Of course, I just had to run my mouth and say that I'd listen any other day, please let me off just for today… but that just ended up adding oil to the fire and I got held back even longer.

[ Next Restock TBA ] "…"

I flew into the anime shop I frequented and stopped in front of the display case for newly stocked merch. I hadn't been able to pre-order, so all the merch I wanted had all already been snagged.

"Seriously… I wish this would stop happening…"

And it's just my luck that I don't have any friends I can ask to buy merch for me.

"'Restock TBA'…? The very concept of this should fuck right off."

Student life may as well be slavery. Sure, pointing and laughing at the working class and calling them corporate slaves has been a thing since ages ago, but isn't being a student pretty much the same thing? At these places called 'schools', you're physically limited to what you can do, you're forced into doing club activities after school, and even once you get home, you've gotta do homework or chores… All that takes up a shit ton of time. Adults always overestimate the amount of free time we kids have.

"Fuck…!"

Despite all of that, somehow I'm making do with the little free time I have. Attending events, making shrines, exchanging official and blind box merch, buying out merch stocks[1], nui outings, birthday pilgrimages…

"Aah… my life has no meaning anymore… Just end me already…"

I just couldn't take it any longer. I stumbled out of the store, and, after sparing only a glance to make sure no one was around, started hitting my head against the wall, over and over. Over, and over, and over. I failed. I'm a failure. I'm sorry, Reito, I'm so sorry that I couldn't bring you home.

The theme for the acrylic standee set this time around was 'Training Camp - First Year, Winter ~Wedding Cake~'. A set that dressed every single character in exquisite bridal attire. Not being able to get something like that on the day of its release is absolutely unforgivable. I might as well just die.

The way back was freezing cold. The weather sucked ass, too.

---

Today, I decided to go home instead of returning to the dorms. Here, I can do whatever I want without anyone getting in my way.

"…Yeah, I guess it'll do."

My feelings of frustration needed some kind of outlet. All of the love I was so ready to shower on my new standee had to go somewhere, too — so I eagerly channelled it into something else.

"Aren't you looking pretty good now?"

I held up my apron, extremely pleased with the crooked rows of can badges and pins that covered its entirety. Naturally, the apron was in Reito's image colour. And right over the chest, where my new merch should have been, shone in its place a new, extra-large aluminium standee.[2] That's right. In this patisserie kitchen, we don't have ita-bags — we have ita-aprons, obviously.

"I've gotta finish this before Reito's birthday…"

I guess you could say it's like a way of measuring love. If this weight is the weight of my love, then even if it's heavy because of how many things I've slowly added to it, I can't get enough. I just can't get enough of the insanity of wearing it. Merch of Reito is in ridiculously high demand, so it's really not great for my wallet, but… I'm fine with that. Because only then does it feel like I'm giving up even my soul for Reito.

"Now then…"

Finally satisfied with my sparkling, gleaming rows of badges, I moved onto the next part of my daily routine — checking socials. After all, numerous new fanworks are being created every day.

"Searching for… 'PatiBattle!'…" With great enthusiasm, I searched for every single keyword that I could think of. 'Patissier Battle', 'Chiyoda Reito', 'ReiOu', 'Rei0u', 'ChocoPudding'…[3]

"Damn, this person's art is so good… wait— wait, they drew this!? This is insane! Fuck, oh fuck… I can't take it, it's so radiant that I can't even look at it properly…!"

This must be what it means to be happy. Being able to see the masterpieces being born every day is happiness. While happily wading through my feed, I spent hours lost in the online world.

"…Ah."

There it was: Reito/Shouta. And… blocked. It's like I never saw it in the first place. It really was a shame that they didn't understand the better dynamic. But staying in your own lane makes the world go 'round, so never having to see it again was good enough.

And finally, after checking everything else, I'd left the best for last:

"Sanseiu-sensei…!"

Sanseiu-sensei, the god of ReiOu. Even if they hadn't uploaded anything new, I could spend hours rereading all of their older works.

"What's wrong? Could it be… is that embarrassment I see?" "H-hey! I still can't believe it… What would someone like you see in me…?" "If you keep saying things like that, I'll just go ahead and eat you up." "Mmph…!?" "…Delicious." "R-Reito-kun!" "Aren't you so sweet? Maybe… even sweeter than chocolate."

"Aaah, it's still this good every time I read this!? Even though I've read it before? This flavour never gets old no matter how many times I reread it! Seriously! What the fuck! I'm gonna go insane!"

After rolling around on my bed, I grabbed my pillow and screamed into it while writhing in glee. How was I supposed to remain sane after reading that!?

"It's so cute! It's so cute that I'm gonna die! Killing me directly would be less painful, Sanseiu-sensei!"

Throwing my emotions into this much disarray… that was the power of the great Sanseiu-sensei. I'd heard that they tabled at a large convention a few months ago, but…

"I wanna meet them and thank them…!"

I wanted to go so badly, but…

"…I can't deal with crowds…"

---

[1] 無限回収 mugen kaishuu refers to the act of buying the same merch over and over without caring about the cost. If you've ever seen one of those huge birthday shrines with a million of the same pins? That's the energy.

[2] アルミ arumi basically is a shortened form of ‘aluminium’. This could refer to a can badge, but it could also be an aluminium standee, which is a cutout of an artwork from an aluminium can. Since Ushio is saying that instead of the acrylic standee, he got an arumi, and also that he mentioned can badges earlier, I've gone with this option.

[3] 礼王 is Ushio's OTP, Reito/Ouji. He'll explain this later! After this, he searches for 礼玉. Note that 玉 looks like 王; it's pretty common to use something to censor part of the name so that it doesn't appear in searches. I've replaced the O with a 0 to replicate the same effect since it wouldn't make much sense to literally transcribe it. 'ChocoPudding' is another version of their ship name (which he will also explain later).

---

masterlist | next →

[bunnybeloveds]

hi its wip wednesday does anyone want some thabner vampire au

well I DO.

I scrambled to type this many nights ago because I had a vision but I haven't touched it since. would love to come back to it eventually but here's what I've got for now! (side note I wasn't picturing this modern day. don't know the definitive time period tho)

----

The sun had set, night now bestowing itself upon the old church, only the light from the full moon shining in through the brilliant stained glass windows.

Even in the darkness of the night, the moonlight was enough for the Priest, still present in the great, big, empty building, to look upon his holy words, comfortable in the fact that he was alone.

At least, that’s what he thought.

Something stirred in the stillness of the grand room. Someone. He had sworn he’d locked the doors, as soon as the last of his pupils had exited the building for the day, he’d locked it up tight, as he always did. He swore he had.

“Who’s there?” the Priest’s voice echoed along lonely walls.

No answer, not even the noise that alerted him in the first place, but something still felt off. The room felt tilted. An uneasy dread made a home along the Priest’s spine.

He held fast for a moment, staring into the darkness, eyes searching for anything that may have set him off. Perhaps a member he had forgotten in his haste, trapping them in. Or a child, innocent but stupid, finding themself lost after hours. Maybe even a drifter, only hoping for a warm place to stay for the night.

Nothing.

He exhaled the breath he’d been holding, allowing his eyes to close for a moment as he collected himself. It’s only your mind, he told himself, fighting his terrible disease of overthinking. You’re exhausted from the day’s work. It’s late. You must rest.

But then that feeling of dread snuck up on him again, despite his reassurances.

Something overtook him, a feeling he’d never felt before, and may seldom feel again: genuine fear, a fight for one’s survival, a complete and utter helplessness. A feeling of being watched, as if he was prey and his predator was just out of his line of sight.

His palms began to sweat, his heart quickening, goosebumps bubbling up along his arms, making him shiver as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The room felt cold.

Then he felt it.

A breath at the back of his neck.

Soft, barely noticeable if his senses hadn’t been gripped by fear. A faint noise, but it wasn’t just his mind. He had heard it, felt it.

Something was in the room with him.

He didn’t scream, only gasped into the empty, echoing house of God, turning to the noise, quicker than he had ever managed in his life, finally met with the source of his panic.

They were a slender being, well built, their skin paler than any person he’d seen in past times, their blonde hair trailing in loose waves along their shoulders and in their face, shimmering an ethereal gold in the generous moonlight. Icy blue eyes met his own, their gaze anything but warm, instead seeming to observe him, as if he were a specimen. He noticed they wore a gold necklace, hanging low against their chest, bearing a cross.

They were the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

Their presence terrified him to his core.

“Goodness,” the Priest breathed, but relief refused to wash over him, unconsciously clutching the holy word to his chest, fingers rigid, “You frightened me.”

The person smiled, as if they found his easy confession delightful. Their canines seemed much too sharp, poking out against their lips. The Priest couldn’t help but stare.

“Yes…” they finally spoke, their voice low, almost seductive, “A frightened little creature, aren’t you, Father?”

The Priest swallowed. The stranger’s eyes darted to watch his throat.

“Who are you?” he finally said, hands threatening to tremble. Why did this person unease him so? “What do you want?”

“I’m a creature of God, just as you are.” They stepped towards him. He attempted to step back from them, but his back hit the pulpit. “Only, I suppose, I’ve forsaken Him.”

“What do you want?” the Priest repeated, voice rising in octave, a poor attempt at intimidation.

His quickened heartbeat sounded in their heightened ears, conjuring up images of a wild rabbit, attempting to escape its demise, even as fangs bore down on the simple creature.

Thump-thump-thump-thump! 

They licked their lips. He sounded delicious. They knew he would.

“Nothing, Father, only what anyone would want,” they boxed him in against the pulpit. Little rabbit with nowhere to go, stricken with fear, unable to move, only able to look into the eyes of danger. “Someone to share the evening with. A friend.”

[smytherines]

I've been so fully invested in this spies are forever x severance au that I just had to write something for it. I'm not sure if I'll post it on ao3, all four people who are into spyverance are already beloved mutuals, but here's a little drabble based on this conversation between @szollibisz and @missholloween that I haven't been able to stop thinking about

"Curt... what are you doing?"

Shit. Curt glanced up at the mirror, but he didn't need to see Owen lingering in the doorway to know it was him. That strange lilting accent had been rattling around in Curt's head ever since he'd first heard it crackling over the intercom.

Curt scrambled to figure out something else-- anything else-- to tell him, but he had a dull pair of office scissors in one hand and half his beard was in the bathroom sink, so he figured he was already busted.

"I just-- uhhh--" And what could he say? That three days ago the new hire, fresh off another failed escape attempt, had mockingly told Curt that he'd be handsome if it wasn't for the beard? That he'd spent three days just thinking the word shave over and over again, hoping his outie would somehow get the message? That for some fucking reason he cared about the opinion of a man who had been nothing but trouble ever since he arrived on Chimera's severed floor?

He couldn't say that. So instead Curt silently watched in the mirror as Owen removed his dark brown suit jacket and folded it carefully over the top of a bathroom stall, unbuttoning the sleeves of his crisp white shirt to roll them up to just below his elbows.

"Alright, let's see it then."

Curt sighed and finally turned to face him. 

Owen's brow furrowed. His lips made a tight line, one finger pressed up against them like he thought it might be enough to hide that smirk on his face.

"We don't have any razors here..." Curt heard the whine in his voice as he trailed off, staring at a spot on Owen's collar to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Mm." Owen nodded, stepping in toward him until Curt was practically leaning up against the sink. "May I?"

God, he was close. Close enough that Curt could smell his aftershave, or cologne, or whatever he wore that smelled so good.

Curt managed to look up at him, and the bathroom felt smaller somehow.

Owen's eyes traveled down to Curt's hand, his palm outstretched, those long, slender fingers wiggling expectantly until Curt finally figured out what he wanted.

"Y'know, last time I gave you something you almost split my head open with it," Curt said, placing the handle of the scissors in Owen's hand, "So if you could do me a favor and--"

Owen held his free hand up in front of him, "I will try my level best not to break the skin this time."

"You get one," Curt warned, only half-joking. He still had a scar on his forehead from the mug Owen had launched at him. "Next time I hit back."

"Noted." 

Suddenly Owen's fingers were tipping Curt's jaw up, his thumb pinching onto Curt's chin to tilt his head.

Curt tried to remember the last time another person had touched him. There had been a handshake with Cynthia a few weeks earlier. But Curt had to formally request it, and it had been every bit as uncomfortable as he expected. 

Tatiana hugged him once, not long before her unexpected departure. And thinking back on it, that was the only other time Curt could remember someone touching him on purpose.

With his chin tilted up, and Owen hovering over him with pursed lips and those dull scissors, it was hard to avoid looking directly at Owen's face. 

And that wasn't a problem for him, really. Because Curt found that he liked looking at Owen's face. The crooked grin that peeked through on the rare occasion where he wasn't scowling. Large, deep-set amber eyes that always seemed to be looking for an exit. Eyebrows that twisted and wriggled almost as much as Owen's hands did when he spoke. 

Owen made him feel... something. Which was unnerving, because most of the time Curt couldn't feel anything but numb. Numb and nauseous, sweating and shaking more and more as the hours ticked by. His mouth was dry and his head was sore, and every day was the same boring bullshit in the same boring place.

And when Owen moved his hand away to begin cutting, Curt desperately wanted to pull it back down and press it against his skin. To feel that churning in his gut, that pressure in his chest. Feel the way his heart raced and he could hardly catch his breath. Feel something.

Owen's eyes narrowed, and he wasn't looking at Curt's jaw anymore, and just for a second Curt wondered if Owen felt something too. 

But it was just a flicker, so brief that it might have been a trick of the light. 

"We could--" Curt jolted out of his thoughts as Owen spoke again, "Do try and stay still, love," he tutted.

"Sorry, I was..." Curt didn't know what he was doing anymore. "What were you going to say?"

Owen glanced up, scanning Curt's face quickly and uncertainly before getting back to work. 

"I was going to say that if you're really that desperate for a change, we could always botch this. Give him--" Owen flicked his eyes toward the ceiling, "no choice but to shave it all off."

"Does it really look that bad? I thought it looked kinda... cool?" Curt said hopefully. His hands were shaking, but he tried to keep his voice even.

Owen's head bent down, tilted low enough that Curt couldn't see his eyes. His skin prickled as he braced himself for Owen to laugh at him or insult him. But instead Owen's voice came out unexpectedly soft and quiet.

"I think it would be an awful shame for you to hide yourself away."

That felt like something too. But before Curt could comment on it (not that he could think of anything to say), Owen had resumed cutting. 

"So that was a 'no,' on the sabotage idea, I take it?" Owen said lightly, like nothing had happened. So maybe nothing had happened, at least not for him. 

Curt took a breath, louder and more ragged than he intended. "Nah. He grew this beard, so he's probably already lost the will to live--" Owen chuckled at that, "I don't want to push him over the edge."

"You're far more merciful than I."

"Clearly." Curt laughed. Owen had threatened to chop his own fingers off as a threat to his outie, so the bar was admittedly pretty low.

"Well, if you won't allow me to take chunks out of it, I suppose my work is done here." Owen smiled, just slightly. His hand returned to Curt's face, brushing off the hair he had just trimmed. 

Owen's hand lingered on Curt's chin, two fingertips barely touching Curt's cheek, and Curt's heart was beating so loudly that he could hardly hear himself think. They were only a couple of inches apart now, and he wondered if Owen could hear it too.

Owen swallowed thickly. There was something in his eyes. Something more than a flicker. Something definite.

That was when Curt realized that his hand was on Owen's hip. 

He quickly snatched his hand away, his mouth already trying to form an apology that his mind hadn't come up with yet. He tried to put space between them, but Owen had backed him up into the sink and there was no place left to go.

Owen stumbled backwards. His face contorted painfully as his back connected with the far wall of the bathroom. 

"Owen, I--"

But he was out the door before Curt could finish. 

And there he was, alone again, shaking, with nothing but the blue tile walls and the blue tile floors, and one dark brown jacket.

[elisaphoenix13]

Deja Vu

"Are you okay?"

Stephen came back to himself with a small gasp and he looked up to find himself looking at Tony. Just...younger. There was less gray in his hair and they were still standing in the Sanctum and it took a few moments for reality to set in and for the sorcerer to realize what had just happened.

Specifically that nothing happened.

He and Tony weren't married, let alone dating. He still lived at the Sanctum with Wong, the Avengers were still broken up...and there were no kids. The realization that his children either weren't his own or didn't exist yet made Stephen feel empty. The vision had felt so real. He could still feel the warmth Tony gave off against his back when he fell asleep just last night (or did he?), and feeling Athena sleeping at the foot of the bed. He was even waiting for this to be some sick joke and his kids would come barrelling through the door arguing about who got to choose the next movie to watch.

But he knew it wouldn't happen. Not yet. Nothing had come to pass. Not even Peter's aunt dying in the accident. May Parker was still alive and well. Stephen was just...Stephen. Sorcerer Supreme. He wasn't anyone's mom, spouse, or matriarch. He was just one of the sorcerer's residing in Greenwich Village.

He felt his skin get clammy and he had to resist the urge to bring up his lunch because he wanted it back. He didn't want to go through all of it again. He wanted his kids now. He wanted the chaos and the noise that the Sanctum was almost completely devoid of.

But he had to, didn't he? Go through all the pain and suffering, the happy moments, the sad…and if that's what it took to get all of that back, Stephen would do it in an instant. He wanted that happiness back…he yearned for it, and he wasn't the only one who deserved it. So did Tony. The very man he fell in love with and was still looking at him in concern.

“I'm fine,” Stephen finally manages to answer while rubbing the bridge of his nose. At least physically. Mentally was an entirely different ballpark. He still felt a small urge to vomit…to lash out and beg for this to be a dream.

“Sure, Doc. I'll believe that when you're not paler than the moon. Better get you a chair.” Tony was already looking for one before he even finished his sentence, and then Stephen felt himself being led to the couch in the foyer. He sat down without argument and made himself breathe through the nausea as Tony sat next to him. “So what's going on?”

Stephen breathes out a pathetic laugh. “If I told you, you'd think I was insane.”

“Guess we won't know unless you tell me.”

If Stephen didn't have that vision, he would have told Tony off…but he knew better. He knew Tony hid his kindness behind smart remarks, but Stephen knew he wasn't ready to hear about what he just experienced. Then being together, having a family, and with the Avengers back together…it was a lot to chew on.

“Maybe later,” he answers quietly. If he could get that vision to be real again, maybe there would be a later.

“Fair enough. Something too intense to recover from immediately right?” Tony says as he gets back to his feet. “I've had nightmares like that. Anyway, glad to see you don't have any magical mishaps here.”

“You'll just cause them if you keep touching everything,” Stephen snorts and Tony barks out a laugh.

“Felt like touching. The engineer in me I guess.” Tony heads for the front door. “Get better soon, Doc. I don't want to be the one dealing with the magical end of things.”

Then he was gone. And Stephen felt empty again. The Sanctum was silent and he couldn't feel Tony's comforting heat…it all felt wrong. He couldn't live like this. Not after seeing what could be.

But then the doorbell rang about an hour later and when Stephen answered it, he found a bag by the door. It held hot soup and a note that made Stephen think that maybe it could happen after all.

Something told me that you'd be terrible about taking care of yourself since you're a doctor. Took the liberty of ordering you some soup. Get well soon, Doc. -T

As Stephen pocketed the receipt with the note and picked up the bag, he couldn't help but smile to himself. He'd have to send the older man a thank you. Something along the lines of calling the man an asshole.

_____________

It worked of course. Tony took it as a challenge of snark and it brought him to Stephen's door more and more. Then everything began to feel familiar to Stephen. The lunches at the Sanctum, the constant quips that he remembered hearing, and their first kiss in Tony's living room…

Everything was back to the way it was. Stephen had to go through all the pain and suffering again but it was worth it to have his family back. It was worth having Valerie glued to his leg since William was still at school, to have Lucy running around in her diaper because she refused to wear any other clothes, and to hear Diana arguing with Harley and Peter over the TV. 

He didn't feel empty anymore.

“You alright, Duchess?” Tony asks from beside him as he cuts up some vegetables. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

Stephen shakes his head and focuses back on the task at hand. Namely cutting the last couple of strawberries for Valerie that would hold her over until dinner. “I'm fine.”

“That's just as believable as when you said it when we first met,” Tony huffs. “You looked the same then and you gave me the same answer. Which you never explained to me by the way.”

Stephen looks at him with surprise. “You remember that?”

“I'm old, not senile.” Tony says and Stephen chuckles.

“I really am fine. What happened then was the complete opposite of now.” He starts. “I…saw this back then.”

Tony blinks and stops cutting to look over at the sorcerer. “Wait…this?”

“The kids…us…I lived it. I looked like a ghost because I was torn away from it. It was all a vision and it made me feel sick.” Stephen tells him as he hands the bowl of strawberries down to Valerie and watches her walk over to the table with them. “It was the happiest I've ever been in my life and it was just a dream.”

“And now?” Tony asks carefully, gently taking Stephen's hand, making him smile.

“It's real. I made sure of it. Even if it wasn't, I would do it all again without hesitation.” Stephen reassures. “The vision was just so intense and realistic that it took a lot out of me at the time. I also don't think you would have believed me at the time.”

“I…maybe.” Tony admits. “I was still a little suspicious of it at the time. Are you sure you're okay now?”

Stephen nods. “I'm just relieved. That's all. If I knew this was possible and wasn't able to get it again…”

“But it was and you do,” Tony says firmly before lifting Stephen's hand to kiss the back of it. “I'd hate to imagine what it would be like without you.”

The doctor’s smile drops a bit. “I've seen that too. It's not good.”

“Guess I should thank those witch doctors of yours that they blessed you with visions,” Tony smirks and Stephen rolls his eyes.

“I can't believe you just referred to the Vishanti as witch doctors.”

“You still love me.”

Stephen’s smile returns and he sighs softly. “I always will.”

[deathbxnny]

Hi hi hiiii

I believe I've already sent this request to you. But that was around when you decided to purge your requests and go on the mental health break (no judgements on my end, ones mental health is more important than anything on the internet), so I figured I'd redo the request if you're cool with that!

Might I request something platonic with the leading lady trio of HI3rd. Basically them (seperately) with a younger sibling!reader (in the case of Bronya, maybe younger sibling figure?) who they discover is a herrscher, and they (younger sibling!reader) is all freaked out because they aren't sure what's going with themself. What is this "voice", why does it want them to hurt the people around them?!

Onee-san(s) halp!

Could be drabble, could be headcannon, whichever you feel like doing more.

Oh, and btw, might I offer you some water in these trying times? 🌊🌊🌊

Hello there, Anon! I don't mind you resending the request at all, and thank you for understanding! I love your request and hope you'll like this! Also, thank you for the water!<33

Content: slight angst, fluff, this is Pre-Sirin awakening again for simplicity sake, child reader, main trio are older sister figures, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not fully proofread))

《Kiana Kaslana》

Kiana was stunned, when she found out that you were a Herrscher. The signs were there, but perhaps she had just hoped for your sake that it wasn't true. But alas, seeing the sheer panic on your face made her determined to help you as much as she could. She had sworn to take care of you ever since you first got here and this revelation wouldn't change that.

Once she fully understands the situation, she begins trying to calm you down, fully understanding and relating to how you feel. She most likely will ask Himeko for help, if her words aren't enough. She just wants you to know that you aren't alone and that you being a Herrscher doesn't make her love you as her little sibling any less.

She tells you to come to her, whenever the "voice" is being mean or trying to make you do bad things, so she can "kick it's ass". In reality, she'll just take you somewhere nice to distract you, so the Herrschers power over your mind wears off. She tries her best to help you with the knowledge she has, even if her methods may be chaotic or immature. But seeing you smile or laugh as a result always makes it worth it.

《Raiden Mei》

Mei is calm and collected, when she sees the fear on your face and realises what you really are. At first, the thought of having to take you down, if the Herrscher took over, scared her, but she didn't let it overpower her senses. Instead, she helped you contain it and reassured you, that she'd never let it take over you. She gives you a warm hug, her mind trying to remember if there were any signs. Perhaps she just didn't want to think about the possibility.

Either way, she doesn't visibly treat you differently. If anything, she coddles you more than she already did, making you warm meals and taking you out for some training exercises outside every day. She wants you to learn how to self-discipline yourself so that you never let the Herrscher in you win.

Whenever you need emotional help, she'll be there to calm and love you. She listens to your concerns, quells your fears, and tries to come up with solutions to your problems. If you just need to be held, then she'll be there for it too, of course. Doesn't matter for how long, either.

《Bronya Zaychik》

Bronya didn't know what to do. She wasn't good with emotions, nor did she particularly ever calculate something like this ever happening. The possibility never crossed her mind and now that it has, she found herself freezing up for a moment to process the situation. Your screams for help make her quick to act once more however, as she simply pulled you into a hug, quietly trying to convey that she's there for you.

She doesn't treat you any differently and instead comes up with solutions around your issues. She tries accommodating you the best she can, although that makes her lack the emotional side you'd need from her. Bronya tries her best however to listen to your worries and fears, so that she can quell them in the best way she can.

Ultimately, she simply makes sure you know that you can rely on her. She'll save you from yourself when the day comes, if she really has to. But for now, she just wants you to hug her and cry it out, whilst you let her handle everything.

Alrighttt! I hope this was okay for you and that you liked it, Anon! Thank you again for your request and patience!<33