#it took me forever to load every picture

[lqveharrington]

Surprise | X.T.

Summary: You love your boyfriend’s long hair, but he decides to cut it. (hence the picture of percy !!)

A/N: currently in love with xavier thorpe <3

Warnings: (not proof read !!) Mainly fluffy fluff, loads of couple-ly things, kissing, uses of babe, loverboy, pretty boy, lmk if i missed anything !!

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x fem!reader

Word Count: 1k+

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You loved Xavier Thorpe with all your heart. If you could pick any feature of his that would be your favorite, it would be all of him. But you couldn’t help but rank his hair just a bit higher than everything else.

From the moment he started to grow his hair out and take care of it, you’ve been addicted to playing with it anytime you’d be with him.

And he would endlessly tease you for it.

— — —

Xavier was laying between your thighs, watching whatever was projected on the wall in front of him. You, on the other hand, were running your fingers through his hair subconsciously.

“Babe?” You heard Xavier ask, humming in response. “What would you do if I cut two to three inches of my hair off?”

“Murder you.” You murmur, letting him grab your hands from his hair. “I’ll have Wednesday cover it up as an accident.”

“You are terrifying to date.” He tilted his head back to see your face, your hands cupping his face.

“Is that a rude comment, Thorpe?”

“Never.” He kissed your palm, melting you completely. Xavier flipped onto his stomach, pulling himself up to be face to face with you. He gave you a quick peck on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Xav.” You twirled a section of his hair. “But if you cut your hair, all hell will rain over you.”

“Noted.”

For the rest of that week, Xavier wouldn’t stop asking the same question in different forms, which confused you the most, but you eventually became bored of them.

“So if I did cut my hair, would you dump me?” Xavier blocked your attempt at getting him, hearing a tired groan.

“No, I would just be kinda upset. But it’s not my choice, it’s yours.” You took another attempt to get a point, achieving it.

“Aw, you love me.” He smiled behind his mask, resetting position.

You playfully rolled your eyes, “We’ve established this every time.”

The pair went at fencing practice a bit longer than usual, having small conversations in between for breaks.

“What if I shaved all of my hair off?” He handed you your water bottle.

“That’s when I dump you, Thorpe.” You remove your mask, tucking a piece of your strand hair behind your ear. Seeing his appalled face, you let out a small laugh, getting on your tippy toes to peck his lips. “I’m kidding, you know I would never dump you over your hair.”

“But you’d murder me if I cut it?” His hands immediately went to your waist as your hands went to his chest, letting them lay there.

“Oh yeah, two different things.” You give him a cheeky smile. “Now come on, pretty boy. Are we still gonna chill in your dorm for a bit or are we just going to practice forever?”

“Oh, practice forever, obviously.” He winked.

When you got to his dorm, you knew you’d spend the night at this point, so you stole one of his shirts and grabbed the other stuff you left in his room, heading toward the shower.

“Don’t miss me too much!” He called out.

“Already missing you!”

He shook his head, a smile gracing his lips at your response. While he waited for you to finish, he scrolled through Instagram, finding you had posted a picture earlier which he spammed comments with right away.

The creaking of the door made his head perk up, finding you in fuzzy socks and one of his favorite tees.

“Aren’t you adorable.” He went to give you a hug which you swiftly dodged. “Hey—“

“Shower first.” You use a finger to push his chest away.

Xavier muttered something under his breath, but obliged, grabbing his sweats and other necessities. You knew whatever he mumbled wasn’t anything crude, seeing as he smiled after speaking.

For you, you stayed in his bed, curled up in the sheets that smelled exactly like Xavier, which warmed you. You ended up grabbing the book on his bed side table to read, needing to finish it. You expected him to finish showering in at least thirty minutes or less, but he took longer. You were thinking of the possibilities of what took him so long but the water had already stopped running about fifteen minutes ago.

Deciding to actually do something, you got up from your place in bed and stood in front of the bathroom door, knocking softly. “Xavier? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.” You heard his muffled voice, hearing some drawers being shut. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

That’s all you needed to hear before flopping down on his bed again, face smooshed in the fluffy pillows. It never occurred to you that the second your boyfriend exited the bathroom, you’d be surprised to say the least.

“Hey, babe?” Xavier opened the door slightly, enough for you to hear him properly. “Can you close your eyes for a few seconds?”

“Why?” You sit up, eyes shut tight. “Did you forget a towel? It’s not like I haven’t—“

“No! No, not that. Just… It’s a surprise.”

“Oh? Is it a good or bad surprise?”

“It depends on how you interpret it.” His voice seems much closer to you now, meaning he left the comfort of his bathroom. “Don’t… How do I word this, don’t try to murder me.”

Suddenly, it clicked. Your eyes shot open and flickered them toward his hair. “You did not…“

“Okay, hear me out—“

You jumped from your spot on the bed, hands moving to touch his shortened hair. “Xavier…” You murmur, messing with the short strands now. “It’s pretty.”

“—And Ajax was like ‘Hey, why don’t you—�� What?”

“I said it’s pretty.” You ruffle his hair before bringing your hands behind his neck.

“I thought you’d murder me.” His hands went to hug your abdomen, backing you into the bed.

“I would never. But I have to say, it’s a really good look on you. Not that your longer hair wasn’t.”

“Yeah?” He buried his head in your neck, words murmured against your skin. “I was worried, but maybe it’s a good thing.”

“Mm, you don’t have to worry about tying it up all the time now.” You hum, playing with the hair.

“I love you, you know?” Xavier kissed your cheek, letting you flop down onto the bed. “I love you so much, words can’t describe it.”

“I love you so much more.” You pull him down to peck his lips at least a billion times.

“You loved my hair more.”

“Still do, lover boy.”

————

©lqveharrington — all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms.

[saistappen]

First vacation together | MV1

In which Max and you spend your first vacation together

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THE FIRST vacation together should be the one you remember forever.

The one you look back on with a smile and start to feel the butterflies coming up.

The vacation that you take loads of cheesy pictures of and stick them in a photo album to look back on years later.

Max and your first vacation together took you to St Tropez. Not too far from Monaco, your short vacation together should provide a few relaxing days, as Max is still in the middle of the Formula 1 season.

The Dutchman wants to spend the week's break he has before the Spanish Grand Prix with you on the beach, lying lazily on a lounger together and looking out over the water.

It should be the perfect getaway, where it's just the two of you and Max can spend a few days with his girlfriend to recharge his batteries for the next weekend.

"Are you ready for the beach? " Smiling, you lean your back against the wooden door frame and watch your friend apply the last of the sun cream to his skin.

Since the Dutchman, unlike you, has really pale skin, you've literally forced him to slather himself with sun cream so that he doesn't look like a crab at the end of the day.

" I just have to pack my towel. "

Max rubs the last of the white sticky cream on his arm before washing his hands.

"Nope, I've already done that, " you reply with a grin and pick up the light blue beach bag to show him once again that you've already thought of everything.

"You're in a hurry to get to the beach, huh? " he adds as he turns around and walks towards you. He stops in front of you and presses a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

"Oh, yes. But I don't think you can blame me, can you? After all, I only have a few intense days with my boyfriend where he's just mine until I have to share him again. "

The smile that creeps onto your lips only remains firm with difficulty. Because it's anything but easy to see your boyfriend so rarely.

Of course, you had already realized during your dating days that it wouldn't be easy to date a racing driver who flew around the world more than he was at home.

On the odd weekend, you were there live from time to time to support him on site. But your job as a florist didn't always allow for this, as you had to work every now and then, even at the weekend, when Max was sitting in his car and literally flying around the track.

But the rest of the days when you sleep alone in your bed in the apartment in Monaco, you miss your boyfriend especially.

Waking up or having breakfast together only comes into question on days off or during the summer and winter break, as well as a few other things that are standard for other couples.

But you enjoy these things, which are normal for other couples, even more intensely. And even the anticipation of embracing his partner again is twice as great.

" I can't blame you, no. Because I feel the same way," smiles the Dutchman, taking the beach bag from you and casually swinging it over his shoulder, his free right hand reaching for yours to intertwine your fingers.

And so you leave the bungalow hand in hand, which has a small pool and you can see the sea from afar, so you only have to walk twenty meters through the white sand to reach the beach.

If someone were to ask you what paradise is for you, you would probably answer 'This'.

While the waves crash softly in the background and every now and then a small wave gently laps against the shore, you make yourself comfortable on one of the deckchairs.

Your hands keep running through the thick hair of the Dutchman, who has laid his head in your lap and is dozing lightly.

You can still see the odd drop of water on his bare chest that the sun hasn't yet managed to dry.

After your short swim in the cool water - where you've frolicked more than anything else - you've been drawn back to the sun lounger, where you're now enjoying each other's company in the shade.

The beach is quite crowded, so the sound of children's laughter or the babble of voices carries over to you, but it doesn't bother you in the slightest.

"Hmm, this is so great," Max mumbles with his eyes closed in pleasure as your hand runs through his hair again and again.

The sun's rays have caused countless blonde strands to form in Max's hair, making it partially shiny in the sun.

His bare skin has also become a little more colorful, so you're sure he'll notice the difference in the next few days.

"I think so, but don't you dare fall asleep," you smile as your hand begins to run through his hair a little more slowly.

Some of the brunette strands are already sticking up on his head and you are sure that Max's hair will be a complete mess when you take your hand out of it.

"I won't, I promise," he yawns as he crosses his arms in front of his chest and pulls his legs a little closer to curl up slightly.

As he lies there, he has almost assumed an embryo position, which looks really cute, so you have to stifle a quiet 'Aww'.

As your left hand continues to run through his hair and Max's eyes remain closed, you take the opportunity to reach for your cell phone and take a photo of him.

However, you forget that you haven't set your phone to silent and as you take a photo, your phone starts to betray you, causing the Dutchman to open his eyes and lift his head so that your hand slips out of his hair.

"Did you take a photo of me? " he asks with mock indignation as he slowly sits up and looks at you.

A soft giggle leaves your lips. Max's hair is sticking out wildly from his head in all directions, so you can't really take your friend seriously.

"What's so funny? " he adds with a furrowed brow. "Are you trying to distract from the topic? "

"No, but your hair...". you continue to giggle and open the selfie camera on your phone to show him his hair.

But before you can hold the phone in front of him, Max has already taken your phone from you with the words "Wait a minute" and thrown it carelessly onto the couch next to you.

Before you can react, Max jumps up from the lounger and shortly afterwards he has already thrown you over his shoulder, eliciting a not-so-quiet and startled shriek from you.

"Max what - ", you start, but are interrupted as the Dutchman begins to run zigzag through the sand with the words " Ah! Hot ", which elicits another giggle from you.

But when Max starts to run through the water instead of the sand a few meters later, the giggles literally get stuck in your throat because you know exactly what he's up to.

"Noooo! Max stop! " You literally shriek as you start to prick his back with your fingers in the hope that the Dutchman will stop.

But that doesn't seem to do any good, as Max runs deeper and deeper into the water, so that a short time later his hips are covered in water and you put your hands up in the air so that they don't get touched by the cool water.

"Put me down ", you whine sulkily as Max stops.

"Are you sure? ", he raked.

You nod. "Yes."

But that was a mistake. Max's arms loosen around your body and shortly afterwards you sink into the cool water so that your whole body is enveloped by the water and you suddenly feel weightless as your body sinks slightly.

Underwater, you open your eyes in shock for a few seconds and start to flail your arms in panic until you realize that you can swim.

As your feet touch the bottom, you push off slightly in the sand and start to row with your arms to get back to the surface, where your friend is standing there grinning and just looking at you.

"You'll get that back, Verstappen! " you growl slightly, but start to grin shortly afterwards as Max begins to run through the water - which doesn't turn out to be all that easy - so that he starts to swim shortly afterwards.

You quickly start moving too and use all your strength to swim a little faster to reach your friend.

However, a gap quickly forms between you, as Max is a lot faster than you. But that's no reason for you to give up.

" What's the matter? Are you giving up yet? " Max calls to you with a grin as he floats in the water and turns his head back over his shoulder.

This is clearly a mistake, because you use this moment to gather the last of your strength and swim over to him.

A few meters in front of him, you dive underwater and shortly afterwards pull on the Dutchman's feet so that he goes under too.

Laughing, you surface and swim over to the shore to escape from Max.

But once again you misjudge yourself, as the Dutchman has already surfaced again and his strong arms wrap around your hips shortly afterwards and pull you close to him.

"You think you can just run away, don't you? " he breathes into your ear, causing goose bumps to spread over your body.

" It.., it was worth a try," you stammer, slightly flustered, as Max begins to place feather-light kisses on your shoulder.

"I'm freaking you out, huh? " he breathes between the countless kisses that he spreads on your shoulder and slowly kisses his way up to your neck.

Unable to say anything, you just start nodding.

"Say it, " he breathes.

"Y-you're upsetting me. " The words leave your mouth in a stammer as you spin around and look into Max's blue eyes, which slowly begin to fill with lust.

A smile forms on his full lips as his hands move up to your hips, where they find their place and he pulls you a little closer to him, so that you wrap your legs around his hips and clearly begin to feel that this doesn't exactly leave him cold either.

"That was my goal, " he breathes against your lips before he places his lips on yours and begins to kiss you intensely.

During the kiss, which tastes like a hint of seawater and lust, your heart begins to leap in his chest.

Your hands move up into his wet hair, where they intertwine and your body presses a little closer to the Dutchman's, causing him to let out a small gasp.

"You're driving me so crazy," he mumbles against your lips as he pulls away from you slightly. " We should go back to the bungalow and continue there. "

"That's a good idea, " you breathe against his lips as you feel Max slowly fight his way through the waves to the shore and carry you over to the bungalow, almost running.

And neither of you care that your towels and a few of your valuables are still lying on the loungers.

As Max carries you over to the balcony door of the bungalow, your lips begin to spread light kisses on the soft skin of his neck, causing the Dutchman to gasp softly.

With his foot, he deftly opens the balcony door that you had left ajar and shortly afterwards pushes it shut again behind him, so that it closes with a slight thud.

But neither of you pays much attention to the sound.

Shortly afterwards, you find yourself on the bed, Max bent over you as he begins to spread countless kisses over your half-naked body.

And so you give yourself completely to your boyfriend to take your relationship one step further for the first time.

Exhausted and out of breath, you snuggle into Max's arms, which he wraps around you and pulls you as close to him as possible.

You carefully rest your head on his chest so that you can clearly hear his heart beating a little faster.

"That was..." Max starts the sentence out of breath.

"Unbelievable," you finish the sentence with a grin as you bury the tip of your nose in Max's chest, which smells of sweat, salt water and Max.

You couldn't have imagined your first time with Max any better. Because today was really perfect and much better than you had imagined.

"Just as incredible as you," the Dutchman breathes as he rests his head on yours and your eyes start to flutter sleepily.

But before you can say anything back, your eyes close and you fall into a happy but dreamless sleep.

[the-nameless-poet]

Picture with Prongs.

Summery : You ask James Potter, who is your boyfriend to help you win in a not so sirius sibling rivalry. Muggleborn!reader.

Pairings : James Potter x reader

You and your sister had a cute sibling rivalry going on between you, where you send the pictures of your adventures every week and decide who had more interesting week than the other.

It was a way for you and your sister to stay bonded and stay updated on everything going on in each other's lives. Even though she's roll her eyes at all the wizard stuff you told her you knew that she'd run up to your room and get comfortable on your bed and ask all the questions about the wizarding world. She was only a minute and a half younger than you, she was practically your bestfriend. You even took James 'round your house to meet your family this summer. And your sister and him had loads of fun teasing you and roasting you about your clumsiness and dramatic attitude.

You loved both of them and seeing them bond like that made you feel not so bad about them teasing you. And then you both decided to set up a double date and you, James, your sister and her boyfriend went to a cute cafè that you both loved and had a really great time.

Coming back to present, you were holding a Polaroid that your sister sent you of her and an extremely adorable golden retriever. To say you envied her was an understatement but to top that so you can win this week's 'adventures of L/N girls' and get your picture in the 'babes through years' photo album. Cause you've been losing since last 4 weeks! And that is unacceptable! Your mum and dad sent you a letter expressing their 'disappointment' about the fact that you've gone down to the boring alley and their 'concern' that you won't ever be back and they'll loose their oldest daughter forever. Oh the blasphemy!!!!

"Hey, bub! What you thinking about, love?" Your thoughts were interrupted by James sitting beside you and kissing your temple.

"Nothing. Just thinking about how I'll top this week's 'adventures of L/N girls'." You let out a loud sigh. And handed him the Polaroid picture.

"Awhh, that's adorable." You smacked the back of his head.

"Sorry...You know you can just send her a picture of you with Hagrid. I'm pretty sure that'll be adventurous enough. Meeting a half giant." He said while serving himself a plate of the dinner served on the gryffindor house table.

"No. I can't. She knows Hagrid. Think something better James!" You smacked his arm this time.

"Stop hitting me, woman! I'm already yours. No need to hit on me." He winked at you.

"Jamie..." You stretched his name with a whine.

"Wingardium laviōsa somebody's arse up and take a picture. I'm sure a flying human will please her." He said nonchalantly and took a bite from his plate.

"Already did." You grumbled. He almost spit his food out.

"When!? Who!?" He exclaimed.

"4th year. Sirius." He let out a loud laugh.

"Oh, darling, I love you so bloody much!" He let out a loud giggle.

"I know it was pretty amazing but that's not the point here. I've gotta out do her this time. She's been winning for past four weeks." You pouted.

"Yeah well, let's just think for a while."

"Think about what?" Sirius asked as him, Remus and Peter sat down.

"She needs an idea to win this week's 'adventures of the L/N girls'" James informed them.

"Oh the pictures are here? Show me." Sirius clapped his hands together.

You gave the picture to him and he awed loudly.

"Alright, it's taking a lot in me to say this but that's the most adorable pup I've ever seen." Sirius gushed over the picture and you just banged your head on the table.

"Yeah, there is no chance you can win this week. Try next time maybe." Remus teased while piling up his plate with chicken and gravy.

"ughhh!" You let out a low groan and stared at nothing in perticular while thinking about how you can win this week. Then an idea suddenly popped into your brain making a light bulb go off.

"I know how I can win this week. Oh I'm such a genius." You wore a pretty smile on your face. You were quite proud of yourself for thinking it.

"Well, care to share it with the class?" James said while taking a bite of his chicken.

"Yeah. You see once my sister told me that she always wanted to get a picture taken while standing next to a deer. When she was a kid she used to love Bambi and she still does. So, my dear Jamie can you please, pretty please take a picture with me." You batted your eyelashes at him while making the best puppy eyes you could.

"No." To say you were shocked was an understatement. James never says no to you.

"Why?" You asked with a heavy frown.

"I'm not some kind of patting zoo animal!" He exclaimed with a blush on his face. You quickly picked up on the fact that he was shy and embarrassed of getting a picture taken in his animagus form.

"Why!?"

"Because it's... Weird... I just don't like the idea of it. Sweetie you know I'd do anything you'd ask me to. But not this. Please." His eyebrows were furrowed.

"But Jamie then I won't win." You said with a big pout and puppy eyes.

"I know doe but just not this one, okay?" He kissed the top of your head.

He didn't want to take a picture in his animagus form because he thought he looked silly. But he didn't know any better. He looked magnificent in his animagus form. A stag. With huge antlers and a beautiful face. He was perfect. And all you had to do was make him realise that. But how?

Anyways that night you were head bent on convincing him. So you did what you know how to do best. Seduce him. And let's just say you were pretty persuasive. (He made you promise a week full of blow jobs. And then he finally said yes.)

So the next day you put on a cute summer dress and set up a picnic blanket with empty basket as a set up and the marauders followed you into the dark forest.

After you reached the dark forest, James turned into his animagus form and stood clueless in the middle of the forest. When Peter tried to get a picture of just prongs he stuck his tongue out but it still turned out to be an adorable picture.

Next thing you asked Peter to take multiple pictures with you standing beside Prongs. One where you were admiring his antlers. Another one where you pat his head. One where you planted a kiss right between his two doe-eyes. James was loving this. The affection he was getting, the closeness he felt. The warmth of your hand caressing his coat. The last picture was with you feeding an apple to Prongs. But then Sirius wanted to join this picture party.

So you took a picture with a black dog smothering you in kisses and a very jealous looking pissed off stag. And another one with you standing in the middle of Padfoot and Prongs and Wormtail sitting on top of your head. Remus took that picture. Every single one of them was adorable. After you were done you went back to the castle and went to the kitchen to pick up some snacks. You owled all your pictures and joined your boyfriend on the couch infront of the fire place and cuddled in his side.

"You know guys, today I realised that you guys are the coolest and most adventurous things I have in my life. And I just feel so happy about it." James smiled down at you and gave you a long peck. And Sirius came jumping beside you and joined yours and James' cuddle party and soon you found yourself wrapped in a blanket with four amazing gentlemen. And you felt like the luckiest girl in the whole fucking world.

And ofcource you won 'the adventures of L/N girls' that week.

[perfectlyoongi]

EX-BOYFRIEND!HOSEOK who finds comfort in the tears of memories he sheds every night. Hoseok’s sheets felt heavy from the moment you left; Hoseok’s pillow was made of stones that prevented him from being able to rest; Hoseok’s room grew darker, larger, consumed by all the shadows of laughter exchanged and promises made. in the lights of despair, bathed with the intensity of an immense yearning for times already lived, Hoseok let himself be illuminated by the constant longing left by you — and it was in this chaos that Hoseok sought comfort. perhaps in the memories shared with you, in times of happiness and pure love, there was still a trace of warmth that could soothe Hoseok’s heart. he had already lost count of how many tears he had cried. there, in the forced comfort of his room, Hoseok didn’t remember the last time he was able to lie down without crying. in a way, with each tear shed, Hoseok felt a little of his pain being expelled, believing that it was the only solution to feeling alive again. but the nights passed. the crying continued intensely. and it didn’t matter how many i love you’s he let out or how many hugs he gave away — in all the tears, your memory still clung to Hoseok, leaving its trail along the invisible paths of tears, continuing always, and forever, in Hoseok — you were still a part of him. “i can’t understand what i’m doing wrong. i try to cry, let go of everything we’ve lived and been through. but it seems like every night is consumed by your longing that forces your memory to stay with me. please, free me from this torment.”

EX-BOYFRIEND!HOSEOK who feels roses growing in his heart. your words had made their home in Hoseok’s heart for a long time now. an eternity was spent exchanging caresses and kisses, small seeds that you planted in Hoseok’s heart and helped to germinate with all the love you felt for him. for years, various flowers have bloomed inside Hoseok, painting his soul with their love, strong tones of affection and fascination making Hoseok’s heart more beautiful. but the flowers were roses. with the roses of your passion, strong thorns of surprise and pain began to dig into Hoseok’s heart. little spills of agony began to flow from the thorns the day you were gone; small tears of despair flooded Hoseok’s heart with the words of your departure piercing Hoseok’s fragile soul intensely; small thorns roughly tore Hoseok’s love, carving pictures of eternal heartache that were painted with the image of your longing. roses grew in Hoseok’s heart, because roses meant love. eternal and timeless love. that was the love Hoseok felt for you. a cruel love that only hurt and devastated him inside, but that addicted him to that intense and fiery pain. what was now destruction was once paradise. and it was that image of eden that fed all the roses in Hoseok’s heart. “you planted these flowers on me without showing and took care of them with all your love and affection. but it was the day you left that i discovered they were roses. these intense and blunt thorns tear my heart and flood my entire soul with longing.”

EX-BOYFRIEND!HOSEOK who can no longer dance because you loaded him with the weight of grief. Hoseok’s movements were no longer fluid. Hoseok’s feet stopped coordinating his entire body. Hoseok couldn’t dance anymore. Hoseok’s entire body was tied with thick ropes of disillusionment. handcuffs made from the thought of him not being enough prevented Hoseok’s arms from tearing the sky with the same joy as before. as if bound by strong chains of pure guilt, Hoseok’s feet couldn’t leave the ground. he dragged himself wherever he went, and all his happiness in dancing was deprived from him from the moment you left. you left and it was the end of a relationship. an end that Hoseok couldn’t overcome. all that was left were memories. memories of happy times where you shared a gentle waltz of pure hope and love. all that was left was regret. words he could have said to make you stay, the hugs he could have given you to make you stay, the reassurance he could have given you to stay — everything he could have done and didn’t. that was what held Hoseok back. the end of a relationship due to his fault. the mourning of the only love that Hoseok was able to live. “why did you abandon me and not take this love of mine with you? why did you let my love stay with me to rot inside me and tear me apart? why did you steal my happiness?”

EX-BOYFRIEND!HOSEOK who has lost the ability to smile since the day you left. nothing was genuine to Hoseok anymore. for him, just the term of happiness became something completely foreign to him, forcing him to take refuge in the memories that contained that peculiar feeling. but in the memories, Hoseok was happy. in the present, Hoseok only knew the true meaning of happiness. how was Hoseok supposed to feel this happiness again? only you were the cause of Hoseok’s joy. only you were able to steal the sun’s rays and warm Hoseok in his darkest moments. only you were capable of stealing the birds’ melodies and make Hoseok dance on his loneliest days. only you were happiness. only you were reality. and without you, Hoseok had nothing. without you, the world was nothing. so, what was the point of him smiling, enjoying the small joys of the world, if happiness didn’t exist? it was as if your departure created an eternal storm of pure revolt and desire. the desire of having you back. the desire of feeling happiness one last time. the desire of going back in time and never meet you — if you were destined to ruin Hoseok, he would rather never have met you. but he lied. Hoseok knew it was a privilege to be destroyed by you and it was only when he considered that thought that he managed to smile. a smile just adorned with pure ruin. “i always thought you were the cause of my happiness and now that you’re gone, i know it’s true. so explain to me why i can only smile when i remember how much you hurt me? why do i only find comfort in the suffering you bring?”

EX-BOYFRIEND!HOSEOK who can’t hate you for abandoning him. you were the bearer of all the affliction that squeezed Hoseok’s heart. you were the creator of all the melancholic tears that washed Hoseok’s face. you were the reason Hoseok stopped dreaming. so why couldn’t he hate you? why among so many dark feelings that consumed Hoseok’s heart, your name appeared like a light that chased away all the darkness in Hoseok? how was it possible for you, the one who trampled on Hoseok’s heart, to be the glue that put all of Hoseok’s fragments together? he just wanted to hate you. you destroyed Hoseok, you made him not believe in the beauty of the world, you made him not believe in himself. so why did he still love you? he knew it was all over, that there wasn’t any crumbs he could consume to create a new reality for himself. but he still believed. he believed you would come back. he believed that you would realize that you took with you the light that resided in Hoseok and would give it back. and stay. stay forever. why does Hoseok still love you when you killed his soul?

EX-BOYFRIEND!HOSEOK who is waiting to be himself again but knows he will never be able to. the day you left, you took a piece of Hoseok with you, the piece that made Hoseok the person he was. all the stories he lived, all the plans he made, all the joys and sadness — the entire essence of Hoseok was lost the day he lost you. it’s been a lifetime since Hoseok had given you his heart. for eternal years Hoseok’s soul has been carved by every moment shared with you. Hoseok’s heart beat with your smiles, Hoseok’s hope shined with your kisses, Hoseok’s happiness caressed him with the grace of your touch. everything Hoseok was, everything Hoseok had, all of Hoseok belonged to you for years. Hoseok was merely a sketch of a man who decided to love. you were the one who had all the components that made Hoseok a real person. go back to him. finish the project. tell him you love him once again so he can feel fulfilled one last time. one last time. please com—

EX-BOYFRIEND!HOSEOK who will never forget the way you annihilated his entire essence, but who will continue to love you forever, for only you are god to Hoseok — it’s only you who takes everything from him and never gives anything back.

[le-trash-prince]

Em, I came into the whole 'Benz-Garfield are desperate to get paired and/or make KimKenta happen' thing halfway through and I feel like I'm still desperately playing catch-up. Congratulations to them on making Part A happen and good luck with Part B, though! But in the interests of me continuing to play catch-up on this whole fascinating process, do you know if there's a timeline of events or a tiktok folder or *something* out there to help me piece together when all of this properly took off and when Benz in particular decided to go full unhinged with it?

Thanks for your help!

Anon if you weren't watching Pit Babe as it aired, I hope you are prepared for the emotional roller coaster that happens when you are waiting every week to see if Kim and Kenta even get screentime together. I felt like I was watching the last several episodes of Pit Babe on a fever high.

I am actually working on a timeline, but it’s not fully cohesive nor complete yet, since there’s simply so much to sift through on multiple social media platforms, and no platform has a perfect search function. It also doesn’t yet include social media posts where they were simply just… flirting with each other, but all the social media posts on the blog should at least be dated.

If you want to go through things more quickly, the archive page has a tag filter (one of my favorite tumblr features), and you can swap in any tag you like in the url, since the dropdown only lists featured tags.

It’s also hard to pinpoint a single moment when Benz decided to go unhinged with it, since he’s been pushing it from pretty early on. There also aren’t any dedicated translators in BenzGarfield fandom who are fluent in both Thai and English, so we either get machine translations or translations that are few and far between. There's also a lot of old posts that have been deleted, or accounts that have gone private, so even just the act of gathering everything is an effort, let alone organizing it into a big picture.

Here's what I can give as a highlight timeline though.

They met in late 2022 (Love Fest Thailand in November or December I think, I couldn't find pics, but I did just watch an old interview last night where they talk more in depth on their first impressions, which I plan on recording and uploading, but Garfield said something that can be paraphrased to the extent of "Do people this friendly and charming exist in real life?")

Benz was mingling with Change2561 actors, but they officially became coworkers in Feb 2023 when they were both cast in Pit Babe

Boys Journey started filming very shortly after—I don’t have a sharp timeline but the range is sometime from Feb to May. Benz was already going at it in Boys Journey (“BenzGarfield forever” - ep 10), when they ostensibly didn’t know their roles or if they’d be put in an actual ship (they were somewhat rotated around with ppl until later in Boys Journey, when I imagine the staff had chemistry based partnerships in mind)

In March, Garfield said he would choose Benz to flirt with out of all the cast.

By August, Benz was asking Garfield to take his last name 🤷‍♂️ (but Garfield keeps trying to take Benz's first name instead)

There was a lot going on while Pit Babe was filming (Sept-Nov). They were excited about filming the two whole scenes they had together, they tweeted about it the night before, they were improvising what communication between Kenta and Kim might be like, Benz was visiting set even when he didn't have any scenes (albeit likely for the free food, but keeping Garfield company while Charlie fakes his death is a nice bonus)

I haven’t been able to find it again (yet)(thank you YT’s horrible search function) but there was a livestream last year where Benz talked about Kenta calling Kim and inviting him to Thailand, which… never happened, so I can only assume they were at the point of making things up (which actors sometimes do when they need a better grip on a character), and probably explains the really loaded look they gave each other in the elevator, bc to them there had been more interactions between their characters.

The first event they did together (outside of full-cast stuff) was the RealMe sponsorship in September 2023, but it was presented as Garfield & Benz (didn’t stop Benz from once again asking Garfield to take his name). The first time (that I’m aware of) that they had an event with their ship name was the GarfieldBenz x Central Rayong event in December 2023. Filming was completed in November, so they obviously had known for a while that KimKenta weren’t a couple, but that wasn’t going to stop them from bickering over which of their characters would like the other first

In February, they were posting really shippy stuff right before the Pit Babe finale, which felt like queerbaiting at the time, but we didn’t know that Long Beans was being planned (they would begin the physio workshop a month later), so I think this was either a “we’re excited we get to play a ship but can’t say anything yet” or a “staff hasn’t made up their minds on casting us so let’s just show some potential.”

Also at the finale in February, Garfield said he wanted to be Kim's faen.

By the time Long Beans was announced in March and they were officially announced as BenzGarfield, there was no holding back, especially on the KimKenta front. Benz made a fuss during Long Beans presscon about them not getting any screentime together, and during the Changing event in April they talked about going to the writers and begging for KimKenta/KentaKim.

Anytime they're asked about S2, they're vague about it, and I imagine they will be until we see something onscreen (they have to keep me desperate and foaming at the mouth), but they have expressed that they want to continue working as screen partners for a long time. If KimKenta happens I don't think anyone will be happier than those two.

I hope this helps, anon! Trying to capture and organize all of their moments is a daily task, and it sometimes feels like I am Sisyphus.

[meibinnie]

txt and their kinks

pairing: ot5 x afab reader

genre: smut

warnings: breeding kink, unprotected sex (don't do this), dirty talk, spit play, somnophilia, sexy consent, spanking, and choking. mdni, if i catch you, you're gone.

note: i think terry's is my favorite one i wrote. erm kinda proof read, i got tired.

soobin

definitely has a breeding kink, no doubt about it. basically anything that has to do with you being pregnant, he has the hots for. he already has a thing for boobs (source: dude trust me) so when you’re lactating he’d wanna suck on them. 

the first time you proposed to have sex without a condom he almost jumped out his skin. poor guy damn near went stupid from how many times he spilled into you that night. he held onto you has he thrusted at a fast pace, grunting in your ear, “ ‘mm gonna make you a sexy mommy y/n” “c'mon you can take another load” and “i’m gonna breed you over and over again, make you mine forever”. 

he liked watching his cum leak out of you and ruin the sheets. sometimes he’d stuff it back into you just to see you squirm under his touch. he’d even take pictures (with your consent ofc) to keep and get off to, when you’re not around. 

yeonjun

yeonjun has a filthy mouth point blank period. his pretty lips are so damn deceiving. he whispers, grunts and moans explicit yet endearing words  in your ears. “yeah just like that you needy bitch” “that’s my perfect slut” “too cock drunk to answer me huh?” 

tonight was different though, he had you on your back as he thrusted into you. not too fast but not quite love making. he leans down to kiss you a couple of times like always. he loves your lips just as much as you love his. he shocks you when he demands you “open your mouth for me princess” and of course you obey, always so good for him. 

he leans down, spitting a glob of his saliva into your mouth. you close and swallow because how could you not take every bit of him? he cums at the sight of you swallowing him like that, can’t help but to kiss you and exchange more saliva than he already has. 

beomgyu

it took a lot  for him to admit it to  you even though  you were very open minded. he wanted to wait for you to bring it up first  but you never did because “hmm, that’s news to me. i’ve never heard of that but, if it makes you happy then sure” you said with a sweet smile.

beomgyu let weeks go by because he just couldn’t work up the courage to do it. he was nervous but then he came home late from dance  practice and there you were. sprawled out on his bed with only underwear and his t-shirt on. you looked so pretty and he just couldn’t help himself.

so he slipped his clothes off and pressed up against your back. he kissed and sucked on your neck and you were sound asleep. he peppered so many kisses, leaving little purple bruises for you to find the next morning.  now dry humping you from behind, he held in his moans and grunts to not wake you. he strained and held back, “i’ll just cum from this and be done” he tried to convince himself.

but he couldn’t take it anymore, it wasn’t enough,  he needed to be inside you. he pushed your panties to the side, slowly sliding his length inside of you. you let out a small whimper, knitting your brows together causing him to halt. once you settled again, he set a slow and steady pace. 

“mm gyu, keep going” your tired words egged him on. “feels good right?” he said sweat coating the sides of his face. all you could do was whine sleepy, poor baby barely coherent but loving the feeling regardless. his orgasm washed over him, making him see stars.  once you followed suit, he stayed inside you and you both drifted off to sleep.

taehyun

taehyun was a simple guy. sex with him wasn’t boring, it was easy for him to find out what you liked and he knew what he liked or so he thought. he didn’t think he’d have any specific kinks until a wild night with you after returning home from tour. taehyun hadn’t seen you for 6 months and phone sex just wasn’t doing the job anymore.

when he finally got home and you were riding him into complete bliss (because those strong arms holding your hips while you straddle him? whew) fully stuffed, you moaned “taehyun slap me”. he’d never hit a woman before, ever and he didn’t plan on it. but this was different, you were asking. “please baby, right in my face” no you were begging. your eyes watering, a thin layer of sweat coating your forehead and your lips plump from kissing and biting. how could he tell you no? 

so he took his left hand  ;)  and slapped you across the face. it wasn’t enough, it was unmoving and you wanted more. you bounced on his cock faster “harder baby” you sighed. were you serious? he didn’t want to hurt you but he saw that look in your eye, like if he didn’t slap the life out of you, you’d burst into tears. so he slapped you harder, making your head turn and your hair whip right along with it. “fuck yes, just like that baby” you moaned loudly, once again picking up your pace. turning to face him again, the side of your face turning red from the impact.

he could come right then and there but why stop? every time you moved down on his length, he spanked your ass and grabbed it roughly, definitely leaving a mark. you loved every bit of it, cumming on his cock and coming down from your high with a red face and a lopsided smile. he was so shocked he liked something so enticing and violent but he got to see you so gorgeous and fucked out so it became routine.

huening kai 

you were hanging out with some of your friends and the boys at your apartment for a game night. playing uno, everyone makes up their own rules and you’d have to stop the game a bunch. “huening you cannot put a 6 and 7 down just because they’re the same color” beomgyu face palmed. kai didn’t care, still putting down the two cards incorrectly. “baby, pick one of them back up or pick up two cards from the deck” you playfully scolded him. “make me” he threatened. 

you pushed past beomgyu knocking kai over and straddling him, tickling his sides. “i don’t care, im not picking up cards” he said in between laughs. your hand went up to his neck wrapping your fingers around it, not tight enough to block his windpipe but he went dead silent and got red hot. 

it felt like the world stopped and he grew a boner at record speed. he sat up quickly, pushing you off of him disturbed and everyone exchanged uncomfortable looks. “i think we should call it a night and pick it up next time” beomgyu broke the silence. 

everyone left just leaving you and kai, you checked up on him in your shared room. “kai, did i make you uncomfortable? i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to” you started apologizing already. “no y/n you didn’t. i  just-” he cut himself off, shaking his head. “you know you can tell me anything, right?” you put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“you choked me, and i liked it. i liked it a lot. there, you happy?” he said quickly and avoiding eye contact. “baby, that’s nothing to be embarrassed about. actually just the thought of it is making me so wet” you whispered in his ear. 

the tips of his ears turned red and he finally made eye contact with you. the rest of the night consisted in multiple rounds of sex and you choking him while he laid down, and you rode him into oblivion.

[lovjisungs]

nct dream and the cute things they do in your relationship

mark ✩ sends you pictures of the sky whenever he travels 

mark LOVES sending you pictures of the sky. whenever he’s going on a trip for work, you know there will soon be photos in your conversation thread almost everyday of his view. it varies from his airplane view, his hotel room view, or even various selfies with the sky in the background.

there was even one time he sent you a video where it started by him setting the phone down on the ground, and jogging a short distance backwards making sure he was in frame. in the background, the sun was setting and creating a beautiful pinkish-purple color. mark was almost a shadow in the video but you could still see him as he bounced once in the air and waved at the phone, “baby, it’s so pretty tonight! oh damn, can you even see me?”

renjun ✩ hugs you like he’s been gone for years while away on short work trips 

renjun is so cute. now that that’s out of the way, he’s terribly clingy to you even if he hates to admit it and will never admit it around anyone but you. of course he loves his job and is forever grateful for it, but he can’t deny the excitement and the extra bounce in his step when he realizes they’re going home soon, he’s going home to you soon.

after the expected but never wanted mobbing at the airport, and he finally can feel like he can breathe again, before he knows it; they’re back at the nct dream dorm. he’s the first one to hop out of the car, frantically pressing the automatic door for the van, like that speeds up the process or something. as soon as he’s in the door, he sees you jump up from the couch. dropping his bags, he runs to you and falls into your arms, fitting perfectly and squeezing you tight.  

“renjun hyung it has been 2 days!” you hear jisung shout from the door, as you giggle, still hugging your boyfriend cause neither of you care.

jeno ✩ loves to help you with housework.. successfully or unsuccessfully it doesn’t matter to you 

surprisingly, jeno is actually the one to drag you out of bed to get the day started. he initiates the chores, whether they be the ones he does on his own or ones he can do with you. don’t tell anyone, but he especially loves the ones he can do with you. he can’t explain it but things seen as mundane by most aren’t mundane with you, they’re never going to be. 

“jeno you did not.” you gasp, as he pulls out his load of laundry, most if not all of shirts having shrunk in the wash. “tha-that’s okay!,” he stammers, before holding up the tiniest shirt to his chest and saying, “honey, i can fix this.” he looks down at the shirt and then back up at you, before you both burst into laughter. 

haechan ✩ makes playlists for you 

haechan adores making playlists for you. he tries his best to make them monthly, and you can’t wait for the days when you wake up to the texts where he has sent you the link to his playlist he makes for you!! it’s filled with songs he’s discovered throughout the month and/or songs he heard and thought of you. 

if you’re having a hard time, he really tries to put some consistent favorites on there that he knows you will love and appreciate. some months you’re lucky, and along with the playlist link, he sends a link or two of a song in his archives that he may or may not release one day :,)

“you’re going to LOVEE the playlist this month, just saying.” he will strut around the house proudly, mentioning it all the time loving to tease you.

jaemin ✩ takes candid pictures of you or you & him together 

jaemin loves capturing you and your happiness in a picture. the process of getting to see all the happy memories locked away into a picture he took with his own hands is something very beautiful to him. majority of the time, he shows goy the pictures as soon as he takes them, but recently he’s started keeping one every month to gift you for your birthday.  

the hike you and jaemin decided to go on this early saturday morning was not the best decision, but nonetheless it was fun. you had just reached the top, letting your backpack lazily fall off your shoulder as you awkwardly leaned sideways. you sighed and put your hands on your waist before looking at the view. shortly after, you turned around with a smile on your face because you just heard the familiar click of jaemin’s loved camera. “lovey, you looked like a badass at the top of the world,” he grinned, walking over to show you.

chenle ✩  plans your dates 

sure, both of you do your fair share of planning your dates as the both of you, of course, love spending time with each other. chenle just loves surprising you with either spontaneous dates or dates that he lets you know are happening. his absolute favorites are picnics in the park. 

today, it was sunny with a nice breeze as you and chenle dug into your meal. he had made you some sandwiches and daegal was napping near your leg, as she had already tired herself out from running around the entire park when you had arrived. 

"thank you for doing this, lele," you nudged his leg from where he sat and he smiled, the breeze pushing the hair off his forehead slightly, and shook his head at your words. "it's my favorite thing to do, y/n." 

jisung ✩ wants you to sit in on his practices 

jisung always let you come with him to practice when you wanted. the feelings in his heart overflowed because he really loved when you got to see him dance, and vice versa.

jisung had a solo part in the dance intro for an award show next month, and he was over the moon. he had been practicing like crazy, grateful for the moments where you would bring him back to earth and comfort him as he tended to beat himself up a lot about his abilities when these solo moments arose, no matter how much he loved these opportunities.

"baby you're insane, how are you hitting every beat, some of the beats i'm not even noticing at first?!" you said as jisung leans down to turn off the speaker as it goes into jeno's part that you recognize. jisung turned and grinned, before jogging over to you, "shush, did you like it? really like it?" he said as he took a water bottle you eagerly handed to him.

-

thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed! my ask box is open and anon is on :) feel free to let me know what you think!

[musicforastylesrestaurant]

Missing You.

masterlist || ask me anything <3

please remember to like and comment!!

in which, your fiancé’s off touring europe for the last leg of his tour, and you’ve had to stay at home because work wouldn’t give you the time off, so a nice face time call makes you feel just that much better about not being in his arms.

You were missing him.

As you were sat in yours and his house in Los Angeles, you couldn’t help but miss your fiancé, the man who owned your heart and the man that would forever own your heart.

You were feeling a little bit lonely, even though your shared dog Max was cuddled up at your feet.

Harry was touring around Europe, performing the last leg of his three year tour, and as much as you would have loved to have toured with him, work simply wouldn’t let you have the designated time off.

You couldn’t help but feel slightly resentful, not at the fact he was touring, but the fact that you couldn’t go with him.

You missed his touch, his jokes and most importantly his love.

As you sat on yours and his double bed, laying on his side just to feel they little bit more closer to him, scrolling through Harry Florals instagram page and seeing what your fiancé was up to, your dog licking its paws below you, the thought of him having the time of his life was enough for you to throw your phone down on the mattress, and decided to try and watch some TV.

Catching up on the soaps, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and your and Harry’s personal favourite Eastenders.

The sound of a notification emitting from your phone was enough to make your heart skip a beat, hoping and praying that it was the man you loved.

Maybe it was him, calling to say goodnight even though there was a clear time difference in Europe to the states.

You grabbed a hold of your phone, flipped it over and saw a FaceTime call from him appearing on the front of your phone, a picture you took of him cuddled with Max, his contact photo.

You answered the phone with eagerness seeping from your veins, holding the phone in your hand as his face appeared on the screen.

“Hey, love,”Harry greeted, running a hand through his hair. “— how’re you?”

Instead of saying how you really were, all you could mutter out were the two words littering the end of your tongue.

“I miss you,”You told him, feeling your eyes gaining a little bit of moisture. “God, I miss you so much, baby.”

Harry explained that he missed you as well, and that things weren’t the same without you by his side. He felt sick at the end of every show knowing that you weren’t waiting for him backstage, or back at the hotel.

He missed falling asleep in your arms.

“Are you sure everything’s okay, m’love?”Harry asked, head tilted to the side as he looked at you through the screen.

What were you meant to say to him?

Your emotions were all over the place.

“I’m not sure,”You told him, stroking a hand through Max’s fur who was now sitting at your side, panting softly at the sound of his daddy’s voice. “— works just been long, there’s loads of new people and I’m starting to feel as though I don’t belong there anymore. Like I’m not good enough to be working there anymore”

That and you felt completely alone.

Like this was a one way relationship.

“That’s not true,”Harry told you firmly, head shaking. “You're amazing at your job, don’t let other people drag you down and certainly don’t let people tell you otherwise.”

It felt nice to hear him say that.

But it would feel even nice if he was saying it straight to your face and not through a phone screen.

“I know,”You sighed, blinking back the tears. “—it’s just really hard sometimes.”

“I understand that, love,”He assured you. “But just remember that you’re stronger than you think you are, you’ll always have me defending your corner.”

“I’m so lucky to have you.”You told him, feeling even more emotional.

“No, I’m the lucky one,”His voice was warm and comforting, something you had missed. “I can’t wait to come home and see you.”

“I love you.” His voice was one full of love.

A tear fell down your cheek. “— I love you, too.”

“G’night, darling.”

“Goodnight baby.”

The screen went dark and you placed your phone down on your nightstand with a bated breath, Max was now cuddled even more into your side, head laying on your stomach.

You felt a little more centred now that you had had that conversation with your fiancé, knowing that he missed you just as much as you missed him.

[imaginingaustin]

our forever

summary: while you and austin are at a wedding, the two of you get to talking about your future with each other.

“babe, are you ready to go?” you called from the bottom of the stairs.

“just a sec!” austin called from his bedroom. 

the two of you were headed out of town for the weekend, on your way to celebrate some friends of yours who were getting married. 

austin finally made his way downstairs, pressing a kiss to your lips as he walked past you. you followed him out to your car and loaded the bags into the trunk of the care.

“alright, let's the road. id like for us to avoid traffic, if we can.” you said as you sat down in your seat. after a little bit of driving, you stopped to get a quick breakfast, then made your way to the hotel.

once you finally got to the hotel, you checked in and went up to your room, setting your bags down and stretching out on the bed.

“mmm, it feels good to finally be here and out of the car.” you sighed.

“lets find something to eat. im starving.” austin said as he grabbed the directory. once you decided on a restaurant, the both of you freshened up and headed out.

the next night was the wedding and you were all in the room getting ready, music blasting and clothes already strewn all over the place.

“why did you bring two dresses?” austin asked you.

“you’ve known me for how long and still don’t know that i like to have options?” you teased.

“youre right,” he said with a giggle as he looked over the dresses you had laid out. “i dont know how much my opinion will influence your decision, but the blue one looks really good on you.” you smiled up at him and he pressed a kiss to your cheek before walking back to the bathroom.

once you both were dressed and made up, you made your way down to the hotel ballroom for the ceremony.

“oh my goodness, this is beautiful.” you said to austin as you walked around for a bit. you made your way to the photo op area, and begak taking pictures of and with each other. once you were done, you took your seats and posted some of the pictures while you waited for the ceremony to start.

“we look really good in these.” austin said, swiping through the photo set you posted.

“we look good in every picture we take.” you said with a smile.

“youre not wrong.” he laughed.

the ceremony finally started and it was beautiful, everyone cheering for the happy couple as the shared their i dos. luckily for everyone, the reception was in the next ballroom over, so you didn’t have to go too far. you decided on a table close to the bar and the buffet for easy access to food and drinks all night.

after the couple dances, and the food was served, the dance floor was open for everyone to dance.

“awe, babe. i love this song. lets dance.” you said as you pulled austin up from his chair and led him to the dance floor. it was a slow song, so you made yourself comfortable in his arms. he held you tight against his chest and you swayed back and forth to the music.

being in such a romantic setting, you couldn’t help but feel extra lovey towards austin, and you had been all day. you could tell that he was feeling the same, as there was a gleam in his eye that was brighter than it normally was.

“i love you so much.” he said softly as the song ended.

“i love you more.” you said, smiling up at him.

“i know this is probably just because of the atmosphere and stuff, but im really so grateful for you and your companionship. i feel so lucky that i get to call you my girlfriend.” he said, hugging you tight.

“and i feel so lucky that i get to call you my boyfriend. you make me happier than i can even explain. i cant even remember life before i met you, and i dont want to imagine life without you.” you said.

“i dont either. i cant wait to marry you.” he said, taking you by surprise.

“what did you just say?” you asked, looking up at him.

“that i can't wait to marry you.” he repeated.

“you wanna marry me?” you asked, and he nodded.

“of course i do. you're my favorite girl in the whole world. i think about marrying you all the time, how our wedding will look, where it will be, our life together as husband and wife.”

“why have you never told me about this?” you asked, smiling up at him.

“i dont know. i just liked keeping the fantasy to myself, mostly because i didnt want to freak you out. its grown a lot more recently, though. sometimes we get married on the beach, sometimes we get married in a nice ballroom like this. sometimes we live in an apartment in the city, other times he live in a nice house in the suburbs.” he explained.

“kids or pets?” you asked, looking up at him.

“one or the other. sometimes both. id like kids, but ultimately thats up to you.”

“that sounds like a perfect fantasy, any and all of those options. as long as i have you by my side, id like to make any of those a reality.”

“yeah?” he asked, smiling down at you, and you nodded, resting your head back against his chest.

“i've never really had a dream wedding, or dream anything really, but i've got you now. you're my dream man and getting to spend my life with you sounds perfect.”

“i love you.” austin said, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“i love you.” you said, hugging him tight. you continued dancing, holding each other close as the song came to an end.

[blackroseguzzi]

Please continue the FATE series with Colin Zabel

pls pls pls 😭

FATE:

PART 5

SUMMERY: You first night as an informant for Mare. After spending time with Colin he finally decides he deserves the answers you never gave him.

Colin brought back two bottles of beer from the kitchen, and handed one to me with a small polite smile. He still drank miller Lite- I internally cringed at the memory of how he used to drink them all night up at the lake house. He would get super sappy after 3 or 4 and beg me to slow dance with him to music playing over the old record player that came with the place. Because of those memories, you constantly had to change the station any time ‘Love me tender’ by Elvis came on. 

“Shall we dive in?” He asked, pulling me out of my head.

“Let’s,” I nodded back, thanking him for the beverage. 

The two of us worked in the living room. I took of my jacket, trying to see if the heat boiling from my body was from my layers or from Colin’s mother’s glare from the dining room. She had made herself comfortable watching us as she pretended to read the paper. 

We were professional, not breaking character of our respected roles as we worked, Sargent Sheehan had given me a load of information to slip into Colin's ear and in return I was given the task to relay whatever he gives me back to her.

I couldn’t help but stare at his hands as they grabbed pieces of paper from the files on the coffee table. Those hands had explored my body like a road map. They were gentle and strong all at the same time. Colin knew just about every place I liked to be touched, and he had always handled me like he needed all of me desperately, yet so careful not to be too hard as to break me.

I felt a lump forming in my throat. I had never realized what I was going to miss until it was no longer mine. I chased happiness, but I soon realized it wasn’t real because I had nobody to share it with. Yes, I loved my career but at the expense of what I lost it sometimes felt silly to lie to myself that it was worth it.

“Well, I think we can wrap this up tonight “y/n.”

My eyes snapped up to match Colin’s glare, pulling me from those depressive thoughts that seem to always be haunting me. 

“Yeah I ah, I think you have a good start on things, thank you for giving me more to write about,” I smiled as I got up from the couch I had sat on so many times before. 

The familiarity of Judy’s home was both comforting and chilling. Judy was a picture perfect mother in law- and I was forever going to be jealous of the girl that got to bake pies with her in the kitchen, go along with her shopping at Bloomingdale’s for sales, and who Judy would show those sweet baby pictures of Colin when he was a little boy- both of them imagining what their future children would look like. 

As I stood, my eyes wandered to Judy who had a small smile on her face. She waved politely before returning back to her papers. She was probably pleased to see me leave.

Colin cleaned his throat after picking up all the scattered papers on the table. “I’ll walk you out?” 

I turned to him and nodded shyly, a flash of pink had to have brushed my cheeks. I had become a stranger in a home that felt like my own at one point in time. 

The cold night air felt nice on my skin after they had burned while being in the Zabel home. My feet felt like they were dragging as we walked quietly to my car parked out front. 

I turned, ready to say my goodbyes, but Colin’s hand shot up to stop me. 

“Please spare me, y/n. Please don’t say goodnight and leave like you don’t have that brutal feeling in your gut like I do.” 

I could feel my face fall as the act of acting ‘normal’ finally crumbled inside of me. 

“It’s like… like I swallowed a shit ton of rocks from lunch,” I replied quietly, digging my hands in my pockets as a small gust of wind whipped by us. 

“I can’t have you showing up at my mom’s, y/n.” 

I sighed, looking down at our feet. He had on casual shoes as opposed to his shiny work ones. They looked like the Nike’s I had gifted him our last Christmas together- the same day he gave me a ring I gave him a pair of shoes. In retrospect, I was the one who could have used the running shoes when I bolted from our engagement. 

“I’m so sorry, I thought we could just….” I failed to find words that would accurately match my feelings. 

“What? You thought we could pretend that you didn’t tell me you didn’t love me two weeks before you became my WIFE?” Colin cringed as he dragged out that word. 

I felt the tear roll down my cheek before I knew that I was crying. He was right, we couldn’t pretend that I didn’t do such a horrible thing. I was learning that I had not done him the favor I thought I did. 

“I had to leave Colin, and I'm forever going to regret how I did it.”

His eyes locked mine and I watched him bite the inside of his lip like he does when he was in deep thought. 

“I need to know why you didn’t  just have me come with you?” His words finally came out as a whisper, but resinated deep in my soul like he was screaming at me. 

I wiped another stray tear from my eye to fix my blurry vision. 

“You are the kindest man in the world, Colin Zabel. You would have come with me just to make me happy. I know you love your job and you wanted to stay and live close to your mom and our families for the rest of forever. I knew you would go with me even if you wanted to stay. I couldn’t ask you to do that after everything you ever did for me, but I needed that job. Writing is the therapy I never knew I always needed. You would have supported me at the cost of your own happiness and I didn’t want that resentment between us.”

“You’re projecting.” He stated flatly as he shook his head at me. I scrunched my face in confused. 

“You were the one who had resentment. YOU felt like you put me first and took that shitty writing gig and YOU didn’t like it. I would have compromised on just about anything if It would mean I came home at night to you. Nothing, not even my job, or my family, made me happier than coming home to YOU. So you were right, I would have gone wherever you wanted me to because you were it for me. If moving, getting a new job and not seeing family as often meant I would still have you then I would have dropped everything and packed my bags happily!” 

I stood there silently, every word hitting me to the core. I had never intended for him to blame himself, I had hoped it would wash away any feelings for me so he could start fresh with someone else who was content in every aspect of their lives. 

He ran his hands down his face and I wanted so badly to open my mouth to say anything but nothing I could say would make the pit in my stomach go away. 

“I guess… I just…” he drew in a deep breath before our eyes locked again. They were glassy, like tears would soon burst from the floodgates. “I always wanted to know what I did wrong... I just didn’t realize it was because I clearly didn’t show you how much I loved you.” 

The sob came from my throat and took me by surprise. Then the tears ran freely off my cheek and onto the pavement between us. Nothing would ever fill the hole that was open in my heart, I knew that for certain now. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” I felt Colin step closer to me, and looking up I wasn’t expecting to be pushed into his chest while he hugged me. He was actually hugging me. 

“I don’t deserve that,” I replied, lightly pushing him away. He didn’t need to be hugging me during this epic meltdown. “I hurt you- you shouldn’t be comforting me.” I sniffed, wiping my nose with the back of my jacket sleeve. 

“I didn’t want to make you cry, y/n,” His words were gentle- and your gut felt punched again. 

“It’s fine.” I let out a slow breath before trying to compose myself. “I deserve it after everything- Fuck, I didn’t even say goodbye when I left….” I scoffed, now trying to avoid eye contact as words tumbled from my mouth. “I think not saying it gave me hope that our book wasn’t closed, that maybe our story was still unfinished.” I spoke softly, and the tenseness that hung on Colin’s shoulders began to lift. 

Colin stared down at me, his hand slipping from my shoulder. I was already regretting pushing away from that hug because his touch was so warm. 

Moments between us felt like a lifetime as the night air became more brisk, and I could hear cars on the busier road that was a street over. 

“I’m so sorry Colin, I'm just going to go back home early, I think I’m doing more damage than good being here.”  I went for my keys in my purse but Colin grabbed my arm, stopping me.

He cleared his throat, and I watched the wheels in his head turning. 

“No, Erin should get the coverage she deserves. Nobody would write her justice as well as you.” I could see the small curl of his lip and I suddenly felt the heat creep up my cheeks.

“Thank you, Colin. But don’t want to”- 

“You think tomorrow I can take you up on that dinner invite from this mornin?” Colin’s words cut mine like a knife. I felt my eyebrows raise as I tried to process what he had said to me. sliding his hand from my shoulder and rubbing the back of his neck, I could tell he was nervously waiting for my reply.  I blinked a few times, my eyes drying from all the tears that had come out of me. “For work stuff- you know? Probably better than having my mom watching us like a Russian spy. I swear she read the same page of that paper the whole time we were in there.” He finished. I couldn’t help but laugh a little at his words, and you nodded quickly. Maybe this trip was turning into a plot twist in our story after all. 

“I think that's a good idea, yes.”

“Let’s just try not to open anymore wounds okay?” 

I nodded again before finally reaching into my purse to grab the rental car keys.

“Thank you, Zabel,” I replied quietly, the feeling of my tail between my legs would probably linger there for a while. 

He opened his mouth, closed it and nodded. “See you later, y/l/n,” he gave one last small waved before turned around to walk slowly back up to his childhood home. I fumbled with my keys before walking to the driver’s side to get him. My phone started vibrating in my pocket as soon as I started my vehicle. I fumbled around my pockets before grabbing ahold of the buzzing piece of technology. 

“Sheehan” scrolled across the screen and you quickly answered it.

I didn’t even get to say hello before her voice filled my ear “Fill me in.” 

Mare was the one helping me get closer to Zabel all while covering this case, but I knew that if he found out I was giving her the information he was presenting to me that his ass was on the line. I just couldn’t stop the urge to be around him, so I let out a sigh before giving her every last detail. 

[armslikeanchors]

my first meal today is breakfast cereal at 1:00pm

im looking at this picture and reflecting after a short text convo with my best friend after 3 days of silence on her side

she’s pictured here

took this photo when i went on a solo trip to oakland california to visit her for a couple days, im surprised my mom let me take the plane by myself

i actually really love the airport and plane trips. it was my first time going by myself and it was a bit daunting but, i really love being alone sometimes

it felt natural, i felt grown, in a good way

anyways i took this photo while on a walk with her and her mom at a botanical garden-park in san fran, if i remember correctly

3 months after this we would have a falling out over something miniscule, which we overcame a bit over a month ago this year; i’ll get into it in a bit

sam, my best friend, and i had been inseparable since the day we met in 2nd grade

by the end of the school year she moved back to california, but we kept in contact: playing minecraft on our ps3s while on a skype call

simple times

every year we would meet up maybe once or twice for a day or two since then

in october of 2023 she got upset at me over a text i sent her regarding a festival we wanted to go to

i told her that i had a couple friends going to the festival and that i hope she wouldnt mind if i was really invested in spending time with them, since i had never hung out with them before

it was never meant in the way she took it, but the damage was done

i guess she felt i wouldnt make her feel included

which i wish she knew wasn’t true

she can be dramatic at times. growing up together shes always been like that and, in a way, i admired it because it was silly. it was raw, and she would apologize and own up to any little thing she did.

i dont tell her or her mom often but, ive truly always believed that her mom really raised her well. ive always supported sam through everything and i know she’ll make the life she dreams of

anyway to the reflecting:

i texted her i believe early august (i tried looking for the message but they wont load)

and apologized that what i said came off as rude but that it wasnt intended to be that way

she apologized too for taking it the wrong way and we admitted to each other that things have been hard and that our friendship-breakup had been eating away at us since then

the whole time i believed she was over me and didnt care, as i fall victim to overthinking and drawing conclusions (though i have learnt since then that things arent always worst-case scenario)

she visited me in august and we spent a day together (sleepover, junk food, movies and all) and we caught each other up on everything that had happened since october in the mall food court

i was annoyingly loud about things since i get heated over certain topics but, in the moment, i didnt care if i made a fool of myself in front of everyone there because i was just glad to have my best friend back

cut to today and ive realized that since our hangout, she hasnt been talking to me much. i get it though because shes starting college and met the sweetest boy, and im proud of her

im just afraid that we’ve grown too different.

its one of those cliche moments where one friend gets in a relationship and does things in life and the other one is sitting, waiting for a text back

it feels kind of pathetic but im trying not to let it get to me

i dont know,

the day we hung out was really nice but i get this gut feeling with people thats nearly always, unfortunately, true

in which

we’ve grown so different it seems they’re not the same person anymore

i dont know if shes truly my best friend anymore, yknow

shes made several friends since our falling out, friends that she does activities her and i would do when we got to meet up

even trips together like we did !! which is really cool !

anyway, ill love her forever but, the distance was so long and the taste of it all was so bitter i dont know if theres hope for recover anymore

i tell my friends: losing someone in your life makes space for people you never knew could make life feel worth living

maybe that’s what’s happening

the scary part is that only time will tell

but thats okay, here i am

[cagemasterfantasy]

Hey everyone Dingeonmastertyrant here and it is with a heavy heart that I tell you I lost a best friend today my dog Skyler aka Bubba. It is extremely hard as I just got home from work and was just hit with the news. Even now as I type this I have eyes filled with tears. It is hard for me to tell this but here goes.

For the past few weeks Bubba has been acting really strangely. This morning before I went to work they took him to the ER. The last I saw him was him being loaded into the car outside my driveway before being driven off. Well... after being examined they found out he had cancer. IDK if it was in his stomach his liver his kidney whatever. Before anyone asks even if we did surgery or chemo the estimated time he would have to live is 4 weeks to 6 months and even then he wouldn't be the same. He wouldn't be able to swim to play ball or run around like he used to. I really wish I could have said goodbye to him. So for now I will be putting DND recipes on hold for right now I will probably still do DND rankings as I want to rank every single class before the next edition of DND drops. I will still do Paldea Pokedex entries but no more than that. I know everyone has been looking forward to the X and Y Pokedex Entries I was going to start on them tomorrow but..... I will start on them but give me 3 or 4 weeks to grieve as this dog in this picture is the dog that's been with me since I was 11. This is a dark time for me I lost not just a dog but my childhood friend, my best friend, my big brother, a piece of my family. I hope you are ok wherever you may be and I know you aren't suffering anymore. Thank you to whoever read all this.

Rest in piece Bubba December 16 2014- June 3 2024

May your light shine forever onwards in the dark abyss

Edit: I just found out what caused the cancer sorry for not sharing this earlier the cancer was caused by a tumor in his stomach that ruptured.

[vestaloflight]

7, 11, & 21 for the art asks :3c

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate Oh man, graphic design if that counts? Like, taking things and putting them together to get an idea across? Liiike I can edit a nice picture, or make a pretty palette but I really have no idea what to do to make a nice graphic that's visually appealing and informative for whatever point you're trying to make. I don't know if that really counts as a medium, but my eyes roll back into my brain when I think about making banners or web designing... But one that's maybe more sense-making, 3D visual arts. Like... paper-craft. Sculpting. Stuff like that. It's so neat and I do not know how to do it at all. I started doing resin-work but that still feels wholly different since I'm just picking colors and mixing stuff and pouring them into a mold. Starting from scratch? Wtf, I don't know how people do that and I'll be forever envious. 11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what I don't have anything specific that I listen to except it's like, always music, never podcasts or audio-books or anything. And I don't always listen to something sometimes I just zone out to the sound of whatever is on TV or the hum of the room. Sometimes I might get inspiration from a song and play that on repeat while I'm working, and sometimes I just let my "liked" collection shuffle. 21. Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways I think I like... pretty much Every art style that's not like mine... but let's see... I love a style that's got a lot of background work to it - I am TRYING to put backgrounds into my stuff when it makes sense but oh god it does not come naturally to me and some of my fav artists just make it seem so EASY... obviously it took loads of practice to make it look easy but still it just blows me away how simple or complex it can be and I'm just over here like "what color bubbles should I place randomly in the bg". Also LOVE a cartoon-y style. I'd say my art tends to be a pretty even blend of "anime" as my mom calls it and realism, but I have a REALLY hard time leaning into one or the other. Like how do people draw chibis. I don't get it. I can't make it happen. Idk if this is even really the right way to answer this, but it's what I'm doing. X'D

[ladytanithia]

Side stories...

Does anyone else write little side stories for their main stories, like to fill in the blanks as to what goes on "behind the scenes?" I've written a few, actually, like that untitled bit I posted a while back about the archery lesson with Faendal, Persuading Fethis, Hrefna's Crush, and this little untitled discussion between Faendal and Rayya after one of Miranja's layovers at Lakeview Manor. Just wanted to share!

It's under a thousand words, but I'll put it below the cut.

@mareenavee @skyrim-forever @thequeenofthewinter @gwilin-stay-winnin @dirty-bosmer @thechaosdragoness

Faendal was mining the iron ore vein on the Lakeview Manor property when Rayya came over to talk to him. Miranja had gone back out on another adventure with that Imperial mage Marcurio earlier this morning, and Rayya had seen enough.

Faendal glanced up at her as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Morning, Rayya, something that needs my attention?”

“Maybe,” Rayya replied, “but not about the property. There’s something else I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

Faendal’s curiosity was piqued. Rayya never spoke about anything personal; she was a very private, introverted person. What could be bothering her so much that she was actually approaching him to talk about it?

Faendal stuck the handle of the pickaxe through the loop on his belt and picked up the ore he’d already broken loose, loading it into the cart and starting toward the smelter. Rayya followed.

“What’s on your mind, then, Rayya?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now,” Rayya began. “Llewellyn and I have even had a couple of conversations about it. And I thought now was as good a time as any…”

Rayya had Faendal’s full attention now. He stopped and faced her, a question on his face.

Rayya smiled. “Don’t look so concerned, my friend. It’s nothing bad. We just want you to know that you don’t have to go to bed late and get up extra early when Miranja is home. You’re not fooling anyone but yourself. It’s easy enough to see how much Miranja adores you. We know you share her bed every time she comes home, and we’re fine with that. It’s not like you go around lording it over us or anything.”

Faendal’s face was redder than Rayya had ever seen it, and she laughed in amusement. “You’re adorable when you’re embarrassed, you know.”

Faendal turned and continued on toward the smelter.

“My question is this, and you can tell me if it’s none of my business: I’ve seen you both wearing Mara’s amulet. So why haven’t you married yet?”

Faendal closed his eyes and took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. He’d been fraught with guilt more than once over that very question.

“I won’t say it’s none of your business, Rayya. I consider us all to be a little family of sorts, and what affects one of us affects us all. The fact of the matter is that when Miranja and I met, I was already in love with a woman in Riverwood. She’s who I’m going to visit whenever I go to Riverwood; I just pick up some supplies at her brother’s shop while I’m there, partly because we do need them, and partly so it looks like I had another reason to go there.”

“I suspected as much, if you want to know the truth. You’re not as subtle as you think you are. Falkreath is closer and you can get the same goods there.”

Faendal shrugged sheepishly. “If you really want to know, Miranja has actually taken my side to help me win Camilla’s heart. The Nord blowhard who was my rival is totally out of the picture now, and I’m really close to winning her over completely. Miranja’s been very encouraging. Yes, I know she wants more than what I’ve given her so far, but she’s put her own wishes aside to help me fulfill mine.”

Rayya found herself feeling very irritated with Faendal over that last little tidbit. “And nothing she’s said or done – Miranja, I mean – nothing has convinced you that Miranja might be the better choice?” There was an edge to her voice.

Faendal was irritated right back at her. “I told you, Miranja has been helping me win Camilla over. And I do love Miranja – very much, in fact.  She’s amazing. But she still wants to see other people, and I worry every day that she might not come home. Not only does she seem to seek danger, but danger seems to seek her out, too. I want to marry someone I never have to worry about losing to draugr, dragons, the Dawnguard – whatever. Can you understand that? I’m a pretty simple man, and I want a simple life. Miranja is complicated, and everything about her life seems complicated. I’m certainly her friend for life, but I could never be her husband.”

Rayya was silent, considering. There was a certain fondness between herself and Miranja, to be sure, but they had never really spent any significant bonding time together, and Rayya only knew the bare minimum about Miranja’s life or her inner workings. For all intents and purposes, she and Miranja were simply employer and employee. She only saw what was on the surface, and all she really knew about Miranja was that she treated her well and paid her well. Perhaps Faendal was right; he was closer to Miranja than anyone else.

“I think I understand where you’re coming from, Faendal. I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn. You’re obviously the only one in the whole household who’s truly close to her. Llewellyn and I – Gunjar, too – we’re just observers, and that’s how it looks to us, from the ‘outside.’ You two are like the ‘parents’ of our family. As long as both you and Miranja are happy with your arrangement, we’ll stay out of it.”

Faendal smiled. “There’s nothing to forgive, friend. Miranja would be very pleased to know that she has such a loyal family who has her best interests in mind.”

[safetycar-restart]

okay the new charles magazine photoshoot has me thinking soft thoughts

charles facetiming you whenever they put in him a new outfit just to show it off and make sure you like it (because of COURSE he needs your approval and compliments)

and then you’re the first to see the new pictures, and get to praise him so much for looking so pretty in them and being so cute

( and also maybe fucking him but that’s less of a soft thought lmaooo )

- 🌱

Oh my god I LOVE this!! It's so soft, and I'm really in the mood for soft Charles so this is perfect.

So firstly, I think that Charles is pretty much always messaging you and sending you pictures? Even of the most pointless shit. Like he saw a pigeon and decided you must be informed about it.

He dont really care if you respond to every message or not, he honestly just loves sending you updates and selfies and random pictures he took. Often you'll open your phone ten unread messages and all of them are Charles just telling you random shit, like how the Ferrari intern brought him a coffee, and how he signed someone's back, and a screenshot of a pair of shoes he ordered. Literally just whatever is happening in the day.

Having said that, he often fails to tell you the important things. Like his schedule changed and he's flying home early, which he doesnt tell you. Instead he sends you a picture of the muffin he bought at the airport.

And so of course you're gonna get pictures of all the outfits! At first the people at the photoshoot freaked out, because the outfits aren't supposed to be seen until the photos release. But the Ferrari media person with him calms them all down, telling them that Charles is sending them to you and that you would never do leak them. (The Ferrari media person has given up on trying to police what info Charles can and can't share with you and has just accepted that you will forever know Ferrari's secrets).

You answer his first picture immediately, telling him that he looks so pretty!! When you answer so quickly, he asks what you're doing and when you say that you're just relaxing at home, he immediately starts FaceTiming you.

Because if you're at home, then you can FaceTime him!!!

He's so smiley when you answer, showing you his outfit in greater detail and questioning you about how your day has been, because he's a good boy!!

He facetimes you throughout the shoot, once or twice just handing his phone off to the media person and running to the set because he's late (you tell the media person they aren't being paid enough, and they fully agree with you).

And of course you get to see the final product first!!

It should be noted that if you said you didnt like them, which you would never do, he would refuse to let them be published. He wouldn't want any pictures out there that you dont like.

But of course you'll always praise him, giving him loads of kisses and cuddles for posing so nicely.

[veebs-hates-video-games]

I'm not entirely sure what to say about Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. It's good?

I first attempted to play it forever ago, but I only made it like 70% of the way through. I never had a GBA or anything else I could play GBA games on, but my ex had gotten me a Dingoo. Picture basically a GBA Micro, except with four face buttons and an SD card slot, and also it had emulators for basically every 2D platform from the NES through the GBA (and there was a third-party PS1 emulator you could install that worked ok with a decent number of games too).

It worked pretty well for most stuff I played on there, and it seemed to be going perfectly with Aria of Sorrow too, but I eventually managed to get it stuck in a weird state where no matter what I did it would crash ~30 seconds after loading my save. I never could figure out why or how to fix it, and I just kind of gave up after a while and never touched it again even though it had been a lot of fun.

And then finally a couple years ago Konami took a break from releasing shitty low budget spinoffs of formerly good series and making pachinko machines and put out the Castlevania Advance Collection, and then finally more recently the Switch version was on sale when I wasn't in the middle of a bunch of other stuff and felt up to playing through the entire game again.

It's still one of my favorite metroidvanias (and definitely my favorite Castlevania) up there with stuff like Super Metroid, and it holds up pretty well. I did a 100% souls run and had a good time with it. I know I've complained multiple times recently about Squenix trying and kinda failing with their attempts at proper real time combat that actually feels good in stuff like Harvestella and NEO: TWEWY, but here's this GBA game from like 20 years earlier running on a potato that feels tight and crisp and has good feedback on stuff.

I can tell something does that stuff well when I start picking up on things like noticing you can cancel out of the recovery lag from attacks if your attack is a few frames before you land from a jump, letting you attack again almost immediately. I never figure things like that out when they're so mushy that it's not obvious or hardly makes a difference.

And of course the pixel art still looks good and the music is still fun, and the writing is obviously still complete nonsense just like it's always been in Castlevania games. I probably won't ever get around to the other ones in the collection, but this one is still definitely worth it after all these years.

And just to show how far behind I get on making these posts sometimes, I screenshotted that when I saw it on Steam because it was almost the same day that I got it, and I saved it as a reminder to poke @ion-somnia about it because it was a funny coincidence and I hadn't in a while. And then obviously I didn't, and then even more time passed after I finished the game before getting around to this, so I'm totally doing great at doing all sorts of things before I half/completely forget about them, which is really useful when I try to write these posts so I can remember later what I thought about things when someone asks me. Might work better if I remembered to write them before I forget playing them...

Oh also the fake out intro for the Balore boss fight is too good: