#like I’ll just be honest that I have a bias here | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kyupidos · 1 month ago

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pokepoke.. i saww that requests r opeenn:3 so can i request the housewards w m!reader whos super energetic and always happy,,, ball of aunshine (oor like emu:3!!) hcs pwease

04/11/25 — twisted wonderland <3

‘is meaning smile!’ — summary. ‘housewardens with an energetic and happy m!reader!’

characters ;; housewardens -malleus , tags ;; reader is male ( masculine terms like “boyfriend” ), reader may or may not be yuu ( up to the reader ), romantic fluff

a/n ( omg…gets poked…AAH it’s been MONTHS since this ask, my apologies..i got stuck a few times and really had to look deep into my heart to come up with ideas, but here it is! i mean i wrote it a long while ago when i first received the ask but things came up…like me working on getting a job,, i also ended up cutting out malleus, i’m sorry 😭 sunshine x gllooomyyy(..??) is such a common trope but i ended up having a hard time writing him. i think my bias in characters shows in writing length anyways.. ( also hope you don’t mind me testing formats here )

riddle rosehearts —

riddle is, quite usually, strict and hot headed—of course, that’s not to say things change. especially upon meeting you, who always seems to be so lax and free spirited. not only that, but very full of energy and enthusiastic, so he noticed. for quite a bit of time, he watched you from afar, in all honesty, in almost the smallest tinge of jealousy ( not that he’ll ever say it aloud, unless you manage to get him vulnerable enough ).

actually, he quite likes your attitude, from time to time, even if it, when you first met, would give him a migraine most of the time from your fits of energy and happiness. whenever he becomes upset about any sort of rule breaking, your energy and good spirit tends to bring the peace ( not to say he doesn’t still get pissed over ace and deuce..especially ace, cough. that’s a lost cause ). and it gave him pleasure to know that despite his..attitude, especially pre book 1, you seemed to be so chipper around him despite what he put you and the others through.

and to be honest, he can’t even begin to count the amount of times you’ve happily and willingly, he notes, listened to his rants and helped him calm his temper when necessary. not condescendingly or anything, just be there both for him and with him.

for some reason, despite the fact you’ve been together for some time now, he still lets out a hushed puff of surprise when you grab his hand, sat at a gazebo hidden within the rose maze—particularly to follow rule 339, for your post-meal beverage to drink some lemon tea with two sugar cubes together. quite usually, and especially prior to his overblot, this was a solemn act. but it’s as you squeeze his hand empathetically he comes to terms with the fact that “solemn” won’t be a phrase he’ll use to describe himself any time soon, from the very moment he met you.

“i hope you’re not too upset about the mess from earlier,” you laughed it off easily, and he’ll never understand how you manage to find it in you to be so cheerful, but he’ll never be truly upset about it. “i’m sure ace and the others didn’t mean it.”

“the fact ace always ends up mentioned by name should be enough to state how much of a trouble maker he is,” riddle huffed, but in all honesty, he stopped being mad the moment you stepped in to help out—at the very least, you covered most of the blow. ace definitely owes you after that one ( or so he promises ), but it’s not like you were doing it for selfish reasons anyway. “i’ll make sure he properly atones soon later.”

you laughed at that, but he already knew you weren’t doing it out of ill will. especially since he could feel the genuinity behind your smile from miles away. “yeah, i bet,” and your hand is still gently holding onto his, he noticed. he wasn’t a fan of pda, but honestly, he really loves this kind of attention. he never says it, but his content smile tells you all you need to know. and he adores his loving boyfriend more than you’ll ever think.

leona kingscholar —

he will, truly and honest to goodness, never understand how you do it. leona would even go as far as to say that your cheerful outlook on things even blinds him and forces him to close his eyes even when he isn’t about to go to sleep. and honestly, he’ll never be able to make sense of the way you always, whether literally or figuratively, always seem to extend your hand towards him so invitingly and with such genuine warmth. when you were only getting to know each other, in fact, he almost hated it. almost.

of course, he loves and worships you now. not so blindly, of course, he knows better than to be so ignorant when it comes to having this kind of relationship with someone. but that doesn’t change the fact he has a bias towards you, and it’s obvious ( ruggie had to corner you to make sure you weren’t stealing his money. ). at the beginning, your overwhelmingly positive attitude somehow put a damper on him. maybe it was jealousy, or the fact at the time he was convinced he would never get to have you, he’ll honestly never understand or recall what his thought process at the time was.

but now he does have you, and you have him, and his dreams most definitely are far better now. since he convinced you to start being his living pillow, actually, he’s been more content in his sleep, he noticed. makes it a little harder to wake him up, you’ve heard ruggie complain..but still, you think it’s nice he feels so safe to be off guard around you, the predator he prides himself to be. ( a lot of his dreams consist of you too, but he’ll never say that aloud given said pride ).

you were having one of those nice moments right now, actually, together in his dorm room as he draped himself over you, you smiling like an idiot ( or so he thinks so on a whim, but if he were to be more poetic, he’d say you were blessing him with a smile befitting to be worn by angels ) as you combed through his hair with your hands. his hand gently holding hours, with barely any force so you could still go on with your handiwork as he gazed up at you through his half lidded eyes.

“you don’t always need to be so loud during our spell drive games,” he muttered, almost like it was mostly just something he said to pass the time. “it gets embarrassing sometimes.” a half lie, he’s actually very proud of the attention you give him and will never not use an excuse to flaunt it. the teasing remarks from malleus and his goons ( as he calls them ) during spell drive games tends to get on his nerves though.

“huh? why wouldn’t i cheer on my boyfriend?” you questioned like it was obvious, in a way that almost makes him feel silly for even asking. of course that’s how you would respond. “isn’t that a boyfriend’s duty? i’ll love you forever, you know! i’ll show you off forever, you can trust me on that, leona.”

oh, by the way, if he ever had the chance, he would finally and definitely let you know he loves you just like that and 100x more. because just so you know, if he ignores the fact you are his sun, not even the explosion of the sun would be enough to get him away from you.

after all, you make a very comfortable pillow ( cough his way of saying he loves you ).

azul ashengrotto —

point blank and simple, when he first met you he assumed your cheerfulness and kind “act” ( he can’t believe someone would be so genuine with him ) was a ruse to extort something, anything, out of him. but it never happened. he was convinced you were playing the long game, and i’ll tell you, it took him a while to finally adjust to the fact that you’re not kidding when you say you’d rather blow the school up with a microwave mishap than do anything like that to him. i mean..it’s a little out there and oddly specific ( he’s actually worried you might’ve actually accidentally nearly done that once ), but floyd and jade have said worse so it’s fine.

actually, no matter what, he’ll never get used to how you seem to never expect anything in return. ‘it’s stupid’, he thinks, and he even goes as far to call it idiotic, ‘how does he even survive in this school?’ it stresses him out actually, because he always considers himself indebted to you whenever you do something for him that you keep telling him he didn’t need to pay you back for. he just couldn’t seem to get it out of his head that someone would do something for him out of the pure goodness of his heart.

that’s part of how the two of you grew closer, in fact..somehow. in his need to no longer owe you, he’d offer you little things like discounts at the mostro lounge or his help in certain subjects you were struggling with free of charge. slowly, these things turned into a genuine pleasure to be around you, and a way to no longer owe you slowly became an excuse to meet with you again and be greeted with your constant energy and affection. how long is takes for him to accept this and actually confess to you ( or maybe you just confess to him if you’re impatient enough ) is another story.

however it goes, he’s thankful it happened. after all, your cheerful and high spirited attitude, which you seem to always be able to tune and adjust to when the situation needs it ( he quickly realizes the more he spends time with you that you’re also much more perceptive of social interactions than he first gave you credit for, ) always seems to help destress him after long days of work at the mostro lounge.

“dear,” he starts carefully, “you don’t need to wait for me to finish my work like this. i suspect it may take me much longer than i initially expected it to…i’m sorry.” you perked up when he first spoke, but didn’t let him deter you. “i know i said we could go out today, but..”

you didn’t let him finish. instead, you got up carefully to hug him from behind, something he tensed at. not because he wasn’t used to your affection, he learned long ago how casual you were with it, though you understood when he didn’t want it ( albeit not often, he always seems to be vying for it ). rather, because he knows that’s how you like to tease him.

you gave him a light kiss on the cheek, one which he sighed in content at as he slowly raised one arm to hold onto yours, which still seemed to be holding him. “you think i’d just leave you by yourself knowing that?” you teased, and he hummed in response as if he already knew the answer. “plus, if that’s the case, i think i have the solution.”

he tilted his head up now to look at you in curiosity, “is that so?”

he was quite sure at first you only said it on a whim given your usual spurts of energy and unbotheredness at the unfortunate turn of events, but he quickly came to terms with it as you took a chair to sit right beside him, though you leaned against him as though the chair rests dividing the two of you never existed at all.

“i’ll just stay here with you!”

he wanted to refuse, at first. the work pile was enough that he would likely have to pull an all nighter for it, as embarrassing as it was to say, which was probably why he left that tid bit out in the first place. but as you gleamed in happiness at the idea as you usually do, so unbothered by these sorts of things as usual, he couldn’t help but be a little selfish.

“alright then, dear,” he sighed, although in a dramatized way for you to know he wasn’t truly upset by the turn of events, “stay here with me.”

kalim al-asim —

a kindred spirit, in a way, and kalim can’t help but be delighted. it’s unusual for a guy to be in night raven so casually, so merry about their way and energetic on top of that, he knows and acknowledges that. consider him a babbling idiot all you like, he knows better than that, and you’re quite sure he knows more than anything he ever lets on.

actually, he approached you first. and when i tell you, he was in for a big, but lovely surprise when you returned the favor. two people whose energy and smiles could put out a hundred stars and more. truth be told, he was a little worried at first. he’d been in love with you since the moment he laid eyes on you, but for a few days, the idea you were so kind to him only to poison him for his family lineage, or worse, stuck in the back of his mind as if the idea itself was a poison. but only just a little, because you managed to wipe those worries away so easily with your sunshine attitude.

through your enthusiastic reassurance, he’s come to learn to trust and rely on you whenever he needs it, and you, of course, do so with him too. jamil finds himself feeling like if the two of you plan another party in the next three days then he’s going to get an aneurysm. you assure him he won’t, at least any time soon, but he’s a little unconvinced when you cheer on kalim to make this party “the most exciting one yet!” ( you’ve been proclaiming about that for at least nine prior hosted parties ).

“hahah…sorry you had to get stuck with cleaning with me, [y/n]!” kalim giggled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his free palm before reverting back to sweeping the mess left on the floor from the party a few hours prior.

as it turned out jamil had taken your word when you reassured him he wouldn’t be getting a bad headache anytime soon, and scolded you both into cleaning the aftermath. not like you minded, you’re someone who keeps your word.

“you don’t need to apologize at all kalim,” you waved him off mindlessly, not too far from him as you collected the party streamers from under the tables, a smile still on your face despite it all. “even the boring things can be fun whenever i’m with you, you know!“

“hey, you’re right!! after this, wanna go on a magic carpet ride? we can make this into a game until then!”

“kalim.. i’d be delighted!”

vil schoenheit —

vil gets typecasted as a villain too constantly. as a result, oftentimes, he ends up to be considered intimidating and hard to approach, even by his peers. that in mind, he finds it refreshing to find a soul who can be so casual and friendly around him, not taking into mind his celebrity status.

originally, his thoughts were: ‘someone such as yourself would never survive in the acting industry’. whether you’re actually interested it or not, he can’t help but initially observe you for at least a hot second as if you were a rival of his. he lets go of the thought soon though, allowing his conscience to relax the longer he spends time with you. he finds himself relaxed and pleased by your upbeat attitude.

it’s winter time—naturally, vil needs makeup to compensate for that change in temperature, no big deal. of course, things always seem to be fun whenever you decide to tag along, no? rook seemed to be busy dealing with “hunting for the winter season” or whatever anyways. you weren’t completely used to this high end kind of outside market, but that didn’t seem to stop you as you stayed beside him pointing out all the nice items you saw.

“wow…” you spoke awingly in a loud whisper, more than enough for vil to hear as you intertwined fingers, “the world of the rich and famous is totally no joke, isn’t it?!” vil never wasted an opportunity to spoil you in luxury ( though he doesn’t want you to take advantage, and you don’t, of course ), and yet you always still seemed to be caught off guard by whatever you came across.

“hm,” he hummed contentedly, “i suppose, though it’s nothing special for me.” not as though he intended to brag, it was more so fact and not any kind of attempt to put you down, and you could tell by his genuine smile at your excitement. “if there’s anything you like, i would be alright buying it for you.”

“what?! no way!” you perked up, looking around, almost overwhelmed by what you saw that interested you and had to choose from. “i’ll take you up on that, then!”

vil couldn’t help but allow himself to freely laugh in amusement, then, as he watched you scurry off to the different stalls to look around.

though, he grew to be surprised when you returned with something that, though he knew you were fond of, wasn’t exactly the type of thing you’d select out of everything you could have. now, if it was something that related to an interest the both of you shared…

“this is for the both of us!”

‘ah…of course.’

and, as he imagined, his solemn laugh away from you turned warmer once you had rejoined him and laughed alongside him.

idia shroud —

‘there’s no way he’s surviving here..’ that’s the first thing idia thinks when he first sees you. and then he quickly learned not to be fooled by you, as there’s always more to a person that meets the eye, no? even before formal introductions, he found himself entranced by you and your positive energy.

he would always feel warmer in your presence, but he could never quite tell if it was because he was envious or enraptured by your high spirits. ( of course, it wasn’t long before he found out it was the latter ). and ever since then, he can’t remember the last time his hand wasn’t so warmly clasped around yours.

you always indulged in his interests, just as much as he indulged in yours, even if he didn’t quite understand what the interests of someone completely opposite to him exactly entailed. he gets excited though, when it comes to the interests the two of you share, and he’s always ready to be there and join alongside you…so long as he can do it in the comfort of his room. he’s extremely thankful you’re not too hard on him about it, by the way.

today was one of those days he was even given the blessing of you joining him, casually laying on top of him, sitting on his lap in fact as you watched him engage in some open world rpg boss fights. you had yet to create an account to join him, as through a terrible stroke of unluck, your router was completely busted ( but don’t worry, ortho’s helping you out there ), but that didn’t deter you from joining him one way or another.

“y’know, [y/n],” he starts, and you have a feeling he’s starting one of his usual rambles when he gets in the zone during certain gaming sessions, “i know you love me..a-and, i love you! but…i was super shocked when you wanted to know what i liked, and stuff…”

every now and then he has these sorts of self deprecative rants—and you always let him know you were never one to judge, letting him express his feelings and reassuring him all the while. it was when he let out a little grunt to show he was done that you lifted your hand up to stroke his hair, him leaning into your touch, and gave him a response.

“of course, idia!” you expressed easily, like it was the most natural and correct response, subconsciously lightening his nerves as he got better at the game. “because you’re amazing…so don’t believe anyone who says otherwise!”

he felt a little bit better about himself after that. he hopes you know how much he likes you.

141 notes · View notes

seonghwaddict · 1 year ago

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ateez fic recs!

🧸 lilo’s notes! here is a collection of works that i loved and thought everyone should read! works marked with a bear emoji are some of my favs. i’ll be updating the list, of course. this list contains both sfw and nsfw content, minors please interact accordingly.

hongjoong

he’s kinda hot — @ohmyamor

“After a decent run with your boyfriend, you finally decide to end it when his paranoia becomes too much. Except, maybe he wasn’t crazy. And now you have demon who refuses to leave you alone.”

demon!hongjoong, fem!reader, fluff, slight angst, please see content warning before reading, suggestive

lilo’s notes! i absolutely love demon!atz aus and i can testify that this is definitely one of my favs. everything about this was absolutely fantastic and i may or may not revisit it every few weeks

you’re hongjoong’s bias — @jnginlov

“when you and your group go on idol radio to promote your latest comeback, you don’t anticipate one of the hosts to be completely enraptured by you”

idol au, fluff, gn!reader

lilo’s notes! listen… idol aus are usually not my cup of tea (though several fics on here prove that wrong), but this is absolutely one of the cutest things i’ve read.

seonghwa

new horizons — @fivestar-outlaw

“Attempting an all-nighter while playing Animal Crossing alongside your bias, you didn't expect your turnip prices to be such a high amount... nor did you expect Park Seonghwa to actually accept your offer to sell his turnips on your island.”

completed series, FLUFF, idol!hwa x nonidol!fem!reader, nsfw

lilo’s notes! EEEEEEE THIS FIC IS SO CUTEEEEEE

🧸 honest (but happy) accident — @ad0rechuu

uni student!hwa, gn!reader, fluff, slice of life

lilo’s notes! y’all are gonna get so sick of me cuz you’re gonna see multiple of zero’s fics on here. jokes aside, this is genuinely so fucking cute i was rolling around and giggling while reading it.

🧸 12:25 time of love — @jaehunnyy

kindergarten teacher!hwa, mom!reader, meet cute, fluff

lilo’s notes! imagining seonghwa in a job like that genuinely makes me so soft. whenever i’m in that Emotional mood i like to read this.

🧸 impressionism — @hwaightme

“a post-graduate student specialising in impressionism, you were a regular visitor to the many art galleries in the city. who knew that among the paintings you would encounter your favourite, timeless work of art?”

vampire!gallerist!hwa x art historian!gn!reader, fluff, soulmates

lilo’s notes! as an art history nerd, this fic is so beautiful especially when combined with a vampire au like AHHHH some of my fav things in one fic

yunho

early hours — @honeyhotteoks

“you run into him in the hallway of the hotel, it's late and you're exhausted from the concert, but he thinks you should grab a drink and you can't help but agree”

idol!yunho x nonidol!fem!reader, one night stand, nsfw, some fluff

lilo’s notes! HDJSJDJSJKF the way this had me glued to my phone and giggling should be studied.

🧸 principia and opticks — @bro-atz

“you're struggling with a specific class that's required for your major; but, luckily, your professor, professor jeong, has no problem helping you out outside of class” // “you and professor jeong yunho decided to continue your relationship secretly, only to almost get caught one day”

professor!yunho x student!reader (legal), nsfw, fluff

lilo’s notes! don’t judge me but i think professor x student (COLLEGE. LEGAL.) is such a good trope it’s always gonna have me running laps around my room.

bottle service — @bro-atz

“all yunho wants to do is fuck the bottle girl's brains out.”

big dick!yunho x small!afab!reader, nsfw

lilo’s notes! i have nothing to say for myself other than size kinks are hot. even more so when it’s related to yunho

christmas dinner — @a1sh1teruu

“it didn't just end with one dinner.”

ceo!yunho x secretary!fem!reader, fluff

lilo’s recs! THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR ME AGHHHHHHHH i love it so much i think about it at least once a week

🧸 summer nights — @honeyhotteoks

“he's your best friend and roommate, but during the heat of summer and the confinement of quarantine, you just can't seem to help yourselves.”

roommate!yunho, nsfw, fluff

lilo’s notes! i reread this yesterday and realised there’s a sequel. TRUST i will be devouring that as soon as i can

track 3: cyber sex — @highvern

whipped loser!yunho x camgirl!reader, nsfw

lilo’s notes! STOPPIJDIDJ yunho was so cute and shy in this i wanted to scream into a pillow

yeosang

🧸 lessons in intimacy — @honeyhotteoks

“you didn’t mean to actually meet the man who’s audio porn was single handedly getting you off every night, but you do”

camboy!yeo, nsfw, fluff

lilo’s notes! absolute perfection this was so sjsjjcjsjd i could feel myself slowly losing my mind

evolve — @nebulousbrainsoup

“more often than not, a life lived in Night City is carefully crafted, slotted firmly between preapproved lines—or it is if you value keeping it. whispers of freedom float just beyond the city's neon lights, and it's only through a chance encounter with the most unlikely of characters that you finally start to hear them.”

biker!yeosang x fem!reader, fluff, nsfw, some angst

lilo’s notes! despite it being 12k words i gobbled it up in a single sitting which is crazy tbh, it didn’t feel that long at all and i was so invested

san

🧸 prelude in e minor — @bro-atz

“your brain tells you to focus on your education, but your heart tells you to focus on professor choi”

professor!san, CELLIST!san, nsfw, angst

lilo’s notes! back at it with the professor aus yupppp y’all know me so well. i felt so many emotions while reading this i thought i was gonna go insane.

mingi

🧸 slowly, i’m going down — @yutasbellybuttonpiercing

“mingi hates studying, but what he hates way more than that is being perceived as stupid. what mingi loves on the other hand, are pretty people getting flustered about his voice or mingi shows you exactly what he hates and loves.”

college au, tutor!reader, nsfw

lilo’s notes! not only was this written so well, but it was so fucking entertaining. mingi is just so silly in this i love it.

angel eyes — @binniesbang

“Yunho teases Mingi when he trips over his words infront of a girl, he needs a little loving to make it better:((“

coffee shop au, fluff, comfort

lilo’s notes! AHHHHHHHH sobbing crying screaming this was so cute and soft i love this mingi

🧸 untitled — @teasteeper

“kissing practice with your best friend mingi”

best friend!mingj x fem!reader, nsfw

lilo’s notes! GRRRSGHDJDJD OH MY GOD mingi you ain’t slick at all- anyways, my turn when?

wooyoung

ribbon — @wooyoungmybelovedhusband

“You just love Wooyoung's dick, and maybe you wanted to make it look pretty like it truly is.”

daddy!wooyoung, nsfw

lilo’s notes! they be fucking but somehow it’s so??? cute?? really enjoyed this one 10/10

spiderman! — @cherrysoojins

“being spider-man comes with a lot advantages, but those advantages can have their disadvantages. like jung wooyoung not being able to show up to study groups to be able to see the girl he’s crushing on big-time.”

spiderman!wooyoung, smau + written, fluff, angst, crack. ongoing(?) series, last updated: july 7th, 2023

lilo’s notes! this was actually such a cute and fun fic and i really wished there were more chapters :c

backstage rockin’ — @a1sh1teruu

“after a late night of practice with the band, and with you lounging in the background. when his friends finally left, he couldn’t keep his hands to himself any longer.”

bandmate!wooyoung, nsfw

lilo’s notes! i think this was THE fic that awakened my love for bassists, that’s how good it was. zerda’s writing always has me giggling

jung wooyoung’s superpower — @ad0rechuu

best friend!wooyoung, fluff fluff fluff

lilo’s notes! ik i’ve probably said this a lot but this is ACTUALLY one of the cutest fics i’ve ever read i adore it so much

🧸 i’m just bein’ curious — @teeskz

“in which your friend wooyoung invites you over for a movie night”

pervy best friend!woooyung, nsfw

lilo’s notes! it’s short but if i said this didnt awaken something in me, i’d be lying. i reread it this morning and that’s what made me start this rec list

jongho

🧸 adorable — @i-luvsang

frenemy!jongho, gn!reader one bed trope, fluff, comedy

lilo’s notes! AHHHHH I LOVE RIA’S WRITING SO SO SO MUCH fluff by ria is genuinely so djdjdjsjd it’s got me giggling

untitled — @nateezfics

nsfw, fluff

lilo’s notes! i’m sorry but idc if they’re going at it, it’s so cute and soft?? they’re just so silly

multi

🧸 milky way — @ad0rechuu

“It’s not everyday that your friends childhood friend turns out to be the girl that you literally have a fan account for, but for Seonghwa, San and Mingi it’s become a reality. being able to get close to your bias is great! even if she does have a raging crush on someone else…”

fanboys!hwasangi x idol!reader, smau + written, fluff, angst, suggestive, slow burn. completed series, 60 chapters + 3 different endings

lilo’s notes! i will never not be grateful that this series exists. it’s funny, cute, and angsty and i absolutely love it with my whole heart. i think it’s one of the first fics i read on tumblr, so it’s really special to me + i think this was part of the reason i got close to my lovely zero

🧸 blurred lines and lies — @yuyusuyu

the synopsis is really long

best friend!yeosang x fem!reader x best friend!jongho, love triangle, romance, slice of life, angst. completed series, 10 chapters + 2 different endings

lilo’s notes! words cannot describe how i felt reading this but i think it’s comparable to going through every stage of grief possible plus more. genuinely, one of the best fics i’ve ever read

strawberry mocha — @pirateprincessblog

“your favorite café has a new barista, and he seems oddly familiar, especially when you see his hands move when he prepares your favourite beverage”

barista!camboy!wooyoung x fem!reader, ft yunho, nsfw, angst

lilo’s notes! my thought process while reading was a cycle of “oh my god” and “what the fuck” in the BEST way possible. the writing is so good i wanted to reach through the screen a smack some characters, and hug some others

clair de lune — @atzfilm

“you’ve finally gotten the chance to enter “clair de lune”, a infamous night club to see the band hiraeth. but why did you feel like their eyes only watched you?”

yandere!ot8 x fem!reader, angst, fluff, nsfw. completed series, 8 chapters.

lilo’s notes! so iconic. if you haven’t read this, you better and that’s a threat.

murphy’s law — @atzfilm

“according to murphy’s law, everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Black holes circle each other until they collide and merge, a cataclysm so fierce, sends ripples soaring through the fabric, crossing thousands of kilometers within a fraction of a second, leaving behind a wave on the space-time continuum. That’s the simplest way you can describe meeting him. And yet, even that is an understatement.”

alien!ot8, multi x fem!reader (not ot8), soulmate au, fluff, angst, nsfw, check other warnings. completed series, 5 chapters.

lilo’s notes! another iconic fic by an iconic writer, we love to see it

mists of celeste — @hongism

“Sneaking aboard the ship of a renowned space pirate may not have been the best idea, but you’ll have to make do with what fate has handed to you.”

space pirate!ateez, multiple pairings, angst, fluff, nsfw, check other warnings. ongoing series, 49 chapters + additional content

lilo’s notes! i’m pretty sure everyone on tumblr who reads atz fics has seen this one at some point and it definitely deserves its hype. this is probably one of the best, well thought-out fics i’ve ever read and i believe it can definitely be considered better than many published books

🧸 hotel california and paradise gardens — @mint-yooxgi

“You can check out any time you’d like, but you can never leave.” // “Eternity means nothing if I don’t have you.”

yandere!demon!ot8 x fem!reader, horror, fluff, angst, nsfw, check other warnings. complete fic, 42 chapters combined

lilo’s notes! yeah i reread this every few months and i’m not ashamed to admit i’m obsessed with it.

outlaw miniseries — @hongism

individual parts for each member/unit, nsfw with a side of fluff and angst. ongoing series, 4/6 chapters

lilo’s notes! hi no i won’t shut up about hongism i think ive read everything she’s published and if i didn’t want to make this list diverse i would’ve just put a link to her masterlist and called it a day. seriously, highly recommended. my fav on this is the 2ho one.

from storm to sunrise — @ad0rechuu

“you and your boyfriend yunho wake up to find your other boyfriend mingi no where to be found”

fem!reader x bfs!yuyu and mingi, fluff, mild angst

lilo’s notes! zero try not to write something i’ll fall in love challenge, go! oh no you already failed because everything by user ad0rechuu is a masterpiece

🧸 hooked — @songmingisthighs

“A freshman hookup rekindled into something new. With an incentive, of course. But what would happen if your ‘relationship’ led you somewhere you never thought would happen to you?”

ot8 x fem!reader, smau + written, college au, fluff, crack, nsfw. completed series, 91 chapters

lilo’s notes! this is also one of the first fics i read on tumblr!! it’s definitely one of my all-time favs and it’s just such a fun read

🧸 unconventional first encounters with ateez — @bluehwale

ot8 headcanon, fluff, humour

lilo’s notes! i also reread this occasionally, the humour tag really is accurate

hongwooho — @yourfatherlucifer

idols!hongjoong, wooyoung, jongho x fem!reader, nsfw

lilo’s notes! the first time i read this (and all the times after that) i was giggling and rolling around on my bed. this kind if scenario is something i’d LOVE LOVE LOVE to see more of

sway with me — @luvt0kki

“former noble turned space pirate, wooyoung was now part of one of the most revered and hunted group of pirates of the galaxy. sure he’s only known them for six months but there’s only so much you could do in a ship when you travel from one planet to the next. the ship was their home, his home… and the members of this crew were friends that he felt he was fated to meet. // but he hasn’t met one person of the crew… and he didn’t know that.”

ot8 x fem!reader, space pirate au, nsfw, fluff. ongoing series, 5/?? chapters + 1 interlude

lilo’s notes! i gobbled the posted chapters up in a single sitting and it was honestly sososo good 10/10 recommend. i can definitely see this being added to my favs as soon as it’s done!

🧸 ¡arriba! — @teeskz

“being a bookworm, you’re used to your regular schedule of simply studying, eating, oh, and the occasional sleeping. it isn’t until one night, you find yourself at the wrong place at the wrong time, and soon get swept up in one of the craziest games you’ve ever heard. in hindsight, maybe you should’ve declined. but it was only supposed to last for one night. one, dirty night.”

hongjoong, yunho, san, mingi, wooyoung x fem!reader, college au, nsfw, part of a series (“T!TS UP”)

lilo’s notes! NO YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND I WAS GAGGEDDDDDD the way i had to pause multiple times to cool off while reading this it was so hot and something i didn’t know i needed in my life until i found it

#ꔫ — › LILO’S REC LIST

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hrizantemy · 1 month ago

Text

Because my inbox isn’t letting me respond to this message directly, I’ll be doing it here instead.

Here’s the message I received:

“You’re making a lesbian storyline about Clotho and girl? Why not make Clotho and a male be something instead? That would be better wouldn’t it? I would rather read about her getting sex like from Azriel or some Fae male she falls for than a human female. Do you not see where I am coming from on this post?

She is High Fae why give her someone human if it won’t last long or if she can’t be made.

She is High Fae why give someone who is naturally stunning and flawless in a beauty stand point to someone who Clotho will look better than.

She is High Fae and a high priestess, which means she needs to have children of her own, how do you know if she doesn’t want children.

If you’re going to make it a female story why not make it with someone who is on her level. Like Mor if it has to be a female?

I am not saying that Clotho looks down on humans at all. She does not give that type of vibe off her at all, nor does she look like she cares about those type of things, if anything I would say she does not look down on humans just because they are humans. She doesn’t seem like she thinks her kind and humans are unequal in any way or form, she does seem like the type who thinks very highly of humans! I just think she deserves better. Merrill her right hand could even be a choice a great one if we chose to make her a lesbian. At least someone of her kind can bring her to higher sexual relations.

This post is not to be rude I love your works and how you think, I just am asking questions that are on my mind from your stories and the things people request not just from you, yourself, but from Tumblr writers in general.

Who even asked for a story like this? Not everyone needs to be kissing females when one is a female!”

Thank you for being honest and for taking the time to write out your thoughts. I can tell this message wasn’t meant with outright hostility, but I do want to gently—and firmly—push back on the ideas you’ve shared, because there are several assumptions in your message that are not just hurtful, but rooted in a way of thinking that reinforces hierarchy, beauty standards, heteronormativity, and even a bit of fae supremacy in a fandom where we’re supposed to be imagining beyond those limits.

1. “Why not make Clotho and a male be something instead?”

“Wouldn’t that be better?”

No, it wouldn’t. Not inherently. There’s nothing “better” about a heterosexual romance over a sapphic one. Love between two women is not a downgrade. It is not an afterthought. It is not a placeholder for when a man shows up.

If your reaction to a female character finding love, safety, intimacy, and healing in another woman is disappointment because she “could’ve been with a male,” then that’s not a narrative flaw—that’s an internal bias that should be examined.

Clotho falling in love with a human girl named Thalia is not about rejecting male love. It’s about softness. It’s about safety. It’s about someone finally looking at her, and not flinching. That is a story worth telling.

2. “She’s High Fae. Why give her a human if it won’t last long?”

This is a classic fantasy genre argument, but it falls apart quickly—especially in ACOTAR, where humans get turned Fae all the time. Elain, Nesta, and Feyre are three examples off the top of our heads.

But more than that, this argument implies that human characters are less worthy of love, which is a dangerous assumption in any story—especially one that already flirts with fae elitism. If we write a world where humans and fae can live alongside one another, then we also write a world where love across those lines is not only possible—it’s meaningful.

Clotho falling for a mortal doesn’t mean she’s “settling.” It means she’s brave enough to love someone she could lose.

3. “She’s High Fae, stunning and flawless. Why give her someone she’ll look better than?”

Let’s be very clear here: this is body-shaming disguised as worldbuilding. And it’s cruel.

Thalia—this mortal girl—is not being written as less beautiful, less worthy, or less significant. You are making that assumption based on her being human. That’s not just unfair—it’s fundamentally at odds with how Clotho herself views the world.

Clotho, who was violated and disfigured, whose voice was taken from her, whose body bears scars no one dares to look at—that Clotho? She doesn’t want perfection. She doesn’t want beauty. She wants someone who sees her and does not flinch. And Thalia does that.

It’s not about who’s “hotter.” It’s about who’s kind. About who’s safe. About who treats her like she matters.

4. “She needs to have children. How do you know she doesn’t want children?”

This is a familiar but dangerous belief: that a woman’s value, especially in fantasy, is tied to her ability to reproduce.

Not all women want children. Not all priestesses want children. Not all relationships are built around children. And even if Clotho did want children, there are countless ways she could raise or adopt them. This comment equates queerness with a lack of future, as though queer relationships are inherently infertile, loveless, or incomplete.

That’s just not true. Sapphic relationships are not lesser just because they don’t conform to patriarchal expectations of lineage and birthright.

5. “If you’re going to make her queer, why not pair her with Mor?”

Why should every queer woman in the series be paired with the only canonically queer woman in the series?

This mindset:

• Reduces queer characters to a matchmaking system.

• Suggests that sapphic stories only matter if both people are fae, beautiful, and powerful.

• Ignores how class, trauma, and quietness shape who people love.

Clotho isn’t Mor. She doesn’t need a Mor. She needs someone who sits with her in silence and still understands her.

6. “This isn’t to be rude, I just think she deserves better.”

I genuinely believe you didn’t mean harm. But here’s the thing—“better” is subjective. You’re defining better as:

• Male

• Fae

• Powerful

• Physically ideal

But what if Clotho’s “better” is someone who sees past power and perfection?

That line—“Who even asked for a story like this? Not everyone needs to be kissing females when one is a female”—is where the intent of the message stops sounding like “just asking questions” and starts revealing the deeper problem:

You’re not actually asking who requested the story. You’re saying it shouldn’t exist. And that’s where I draw the line.

Because here’s the truth:

People did ask for stories like this.

Queer people. Survivors. Readers who are exhausted by every powerful woman being given to a man like a prize. People who saw themselves in Clotho’s silence, her scars, her quiet strength—and wanted to imagine a kind of love that didn’t look like domination or conquest or control.

We’ve read stories like Rhys/Feyre a thousand times. We’ve watched women be claimed, broken, mated, redeemed, and sexualized for centuries in fantasy. And for once, we’re asking:

What if the story was about softness?

What if it didn’t center power or gender roles or beauty?

What if love was chosen, not fated?

What if it was between two women?

So when you say “not everyone needs to be kissing females,” what you’re really saying is: I’m uncomfortable when queerness is treated as normal, central, or sacred.

But here’s the thing: queerness doesn’t exist to be palatable to you. Sapphic love doesn’t need justification. It doesn’t need to be “earned” by matching power levels or species or beauty standards.

Clotho and Thalia’s story isn’t taking something away from you.

It’s giving something to people who have rarely seen themselves loved without condition.

So if it’s not for you? That’s okay. No one’s forcing you to read it. But don’t ask why it exists. Because the answer is simple:

It exists because we do.

Because queer love is real.

Because softness matters.

Because we asked for it. And we will keep asking. And keep writing. And keep loving.

Whether you understand it or not.

#a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of wings and ruin #a court of frost and starlight #a court of silver flames #high priestess #pro clotho #queer community #queer relationships

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oddballwriter · 1 year ago

Note

Reader fangirling over moon knight not knowing it was steven/marc/Jake? 🎃

Under Your Nose

Warnings: Not much other than the moon boys lying to you and keeping a secret from you. Also the idea of walking alone at night while drunk.

Author’s Snip: I am so sorry, I literally forgot that this was in my inbox. Sorry for the long wait.

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Word Count: 764

They found it kind of funny. In a sense. You had no idea that the vigilante that you've been fixating on is actually your boyfriends. You didn't live with them so you wouldn't know that them leaving for something was actually them going on a mission. It also kept you from connecting the dots that whenever they leave, Moon Knight's out and about.

They liked to hear your praise. In a way, you not knowing that it's them made your positive comments more genuine because, to you, Moon Knight was just a crime fighter that you would hear about, and so the influence of them being your boyfriends didn't make way for a bias. There were, however, sometimes there were cases where they barely managed to keep the secret.

One night, there was a gang that the boys had to take care of that put up more of a fight than they thought they would and left the system sore from having to fight back and defend. When the next day came, Steven, who was fronting at the time, decided to pay you a visit. But you were able to tell that he was stiff. When you asked, Steven threw the explanation that Jake was fronting last night and he had done an intense workout. You took it and so it was left at that. "Well, then how about we lay down and watch something so you can feel better, yeah?" you recommend. Steven just nodded with a smile,

Next came the time that you had gone out with friends to a bar and had more drinks than you usually do. You decided to walk to the boys' flat since you were not sober and didn't have a ride, and it was closer to the bar than your place. Maybe you should have texted them as a heads-up to your sudden arrival, but by the time you thought of that you were already going up in the elevator.

When you knocked, there wasn't an answer. Maybe they were asleep, it was pretty late after all. After remembering that they had given you a spare key, you unlock it and let yourself in, trying to be as quiet as you can. But looking around, no one was even home. You figured that maybe Jake was cabbing around town or Marc was on a late-night walk. With that idea in mind, you shot them a text telling them that you were at their place and why before taking a quick shower. changing into some clothes you had there, and promptly falling asleep in their bed.

Marc was there in the morning making you some breakfast. He of course, just confirmed that he was out for a stroll around the block because he couldn't sleep, even though he was patrolling. If anything he seemed more concerned that you walked there alone drunk in the dead of night. "I'm fine. It was just a ten-minute walk here." you shrug off. "Still, I don't like the idea of you walking alone like that when it's dark out." Marc said. "I'm surprised we didn't run into each other to be honest." you remark.

And then there was Jake. He had to deal with getting information out of someone and he figured that the best way was the old 'talk in a chair' way. But as it turns out, that guy was more of a hassle than he thought too. He put up a good fight and actually got him good with a punch to the face that damaged his nose. But they always, lose when it's Jake so he got his way in the end. But when you came over the next day, again, you say the bandage and got worried. "It's nothing, beba. I had this guy in my cab. He was drunk off his ass and being a pain. When I looked at him to tell him to knock it off he socked me in the nose." Jake lied. He could still see the concern on your face as to gently touched his bandage. "I'll be fine." he said as he kissed you on the forehead.

It's not that the boys want to keep lying to you. If anything all three hate it. But they feel this air of worry when thinking about you knowing too. They know it's dumb. And they know that they can't keep up the secret for long since they want you to be in their lives. But they just need to think of how to bring it up to you at some point.

#moon knight #moonknight #moon knight x reader #moonknight x reader #jake lockley #steven grant #marc spector #steven grant x reader #marc spector x reader #jake lockley x reader

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toppersjeep · 2 years ago

Text

Part 5 Where Do We Go Now- Lando Norris X Reader

Masterlist

(pretend you are bia for this ig post)

y/ngasly✔️: orange has always suited me better 🧡

-tagged landonorris

liked by 2.5 million

f1wags: the shade in the caption I’m living for petty y/n

y/nfan: f1wags right!! she slays

mclaren✔️: you always look good in orange we love you 🧡

y/nxlando: THE MIDDLE PICTURE IM SCREAMING

charlesleclerc✔️: hard launch ??

y/ngasly✔️: charlesleclerc 🤭👀

landonorris✔️: 😍 the first picture

lilymunhe✔️: WIFEY

lewishamilton✔️: 🤭

danielricciardo✔️: picture credits to me for the second one!

landonorris✔️: I think I’ve fallen for my race strategist

y/ngasly✔️: landonorris I think I’ve fallen for my racer

_____

Your POV

“Hi beautiful” Lando said hugging me from behind. “Oh hi” I said. “What are you doing” he said kissing my cheek. “Trying to work on this strategy but your distracting me” I said. “Oh I’m a distraction” Lando said.

“Mmmh” I said he sat beside me. “Can we at least do lunch baby” Lando said. “We definitely can” I said. “See your always working though” he said. “I mean I think my racer needs a good strategy” I said. “I think he’d win either way” Lando said.

“Oh really” I said. “Mmmh he’s got his lucky charm” he said holding my hand. “That’s sweet” I said he then kissed me. “Are you two working or making out” Oscar said.

“Working” I said. “Yeah she had something on her face” Lando said. “Oh I just wanted to tell you Max is downstairs” Oscar said. I sighed. “Want me to go with you” Lando said.

“No I think I’ll be okay” I said getting up. “If you need me I’ll be there” he said. “Thank you” I said kissing his cheek. I then walked downstairs to find Max. He was standing outside waiting for me. I walked over to him.

“What” I said. “… Lando seriously you tell me there’s nothing and” Max said. “My love life isn’t your concern anymore” I said. “It is when you sit there shading me” Max said showing my post. “… Max” I said. “It’s just I don’t get it” Max said.

“You broke up with me remember Max” I said. “Yeah I do remember that” he said. “Then don’t come to my place of work.. and tell me who I can’t date” I said. “So it’s that simple for you huh” he said. “Max I wanted everything with you.. then you let me down” I said.

“And he’s gonna give you that” Max said. “Yes I am Max” Lando said. “Of course” Max said. “You had your chance to give her everything she wanted” Lando said. “I…you don’t understand” Max said. “Oh no I do.. Max” Lando said.

“All those years you got to be with her and I waited on the sidelines” Lando said. “Do you want me to be honest cause you never deserved her” he added I looked at him. “And now that I have her I’ll never let her go” Lando said I smiled.

“Max you messed up and that’s something you have to live with” I said. “So don’t come here trying to ruin our relationship” Lando said. “I was actually coming to apologize to Y/N for the way I spoke to her” Max said. “But then I heard about you two” Max said.

“Then apologize” I said. “Look I’m not perfect nobody is and I’m sorry for .. calling you names” Max said. “And treating you terribly okay.. I’m not gonna fight with you guys” Max said.

“I appreciate your apology but it’s gonna take a lot more than that” I said. “I know I just wanted to say sorry look I gotta go but.. I’m glad your happy” Max said putting a hand on my shoulder then walking away.

“That was interesting” Lando said. “Yeah it was very interesting” I said. “So wanna grab that lunch instead” Lando said. “Yes I think I need a cute distraction” I said smiling.

#fanfic #love #x reader #f1 imagine #lando norris #max verstappen #lando x reader #lando norris x reader #daniel ricciardo #lewis hamilton #mercedes amg f1 #red bull f1 #lando norris smut #max verstappen x reader #f1 x reader #f1 2023 #f1 fic

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thomatri · 3 months ago

Text

Smarter

Hinata Shoyo X f reader

Synopsis- you fall inlove with a short volleyball obsessed boy who goes to your older brother’s school

——

Not going to the same school as your siblings suck I mean imagine your basically entire family goes to one school and your the only one who doesn’t and it’s even worse when you see the absolute smile on your big brother face and can’t stop talking about how excited he is to go to school with him

And you have no clue how to break the news to him

I mean your parents are proud of you of course for getting into a big league school and your sister just over heard the conversation

“And hey I can even help you through all the first year bull crap because let’s be real big sis wasn’t much help considering she’s like a dinosaur she hasn’t had to think about that stuff in ages”

“Ryū I have something to confess”

“Yeah?”

“Uhm well mom and dad wanted me to apply to Aoba Josai and Shiratorizawa and well I got into both” I say and he immediately perks up which makes me feel worse because I know he’s happy for me, but I really wanted to go to Karasuno

“Mom and dad wanted me to go to Aoba Josai, but I wanted to be closer so I’m going to Shiratorizawa” I say smiling and he immediately hugs me

“Does sis know?”

“Yeah she eased dropped on our conversation” I say and he laughs

“Just promise me that you’ll go to our games once a month!”

“Once a month?” I say laughing

“Okay fine once a year go and and if your team isn’t playing in nationals you have to watch us play” he says and I nod

“It’s a deal”

——

My first day was boring, but there was a cute guy with purple hair and he looked nerdy

I head to the boys volleyball gym and it seems like the boy is following me? Maybe I’m just crazy though

As I reach the gym I realize he’s probably here for try outs making me feel dumb and thankful he can’t read my mind

We walk in and immediately I find the coach who looks really mean so I hope I’m wrong

The couch barks some orders then turns his attention to me

“The girls volleyball team is next door” he says

“Oh uhm I’m actually here for the manager position”

He quirks an eye brow

“Fine but you have to work for it” he says and I nod

“I want you to write notes on all the plays that are already apart of the team and give me one of the new plays who you think should join the team and give me reasons why” he says

Damn I thought this was volleyball not English class

“Yes sir wait how am I supposed to know which plays are already apart of the team”

“Oh yes” he says trying not to be embarrassed

He gives me the description of all the previous plays even the in famous Ushijima

As they start I write notes on all the previous players since I feel like that would be the hardest part, but I already know which player is definitely joining the team and I don’t mean to be bias but I think his name is Goshiki aka the cute guy from my class

He has immense power and seems to have a honest passion for the game I can see him being like Ushijima as he progresses

——

As try outs end and the coach lets them know to go to the gym on Wednesday to see who got in he asks me for my notes

I hand him the notebook nervously

He stands there reading for about 6 minutes then he hands me the book back

“These notes are good. Welcome to the team” he says and even with the little bit of praise I’m extremely happy

“YAHOO we have a cutie for a manager!” The red head guy says jumping

“Don’t scare her Tendou” Ushijima says

“Hehe sorry!” He says and I laugh

I think I’m going to like it here more than I thought

——

That was a not too long ago and Karasuno is having a practice match with Nekoma and thankfully practice was canceled because coach is sick

Sis is picking me up from school so I’ll be a little late

“Heyy!” Sis says hugging me tightly

“Hey”

“Alright ready to finally watch Karasuno kick ass?”

“Yeah!” I say and she laughs as we get into the car

Maybe it’s because I’m used to it but I love my sisters crazy driving.

Sis opens the gym doors to Karasuno and I’m finally entering it for the first time

“We’re here!” Sis says bringing the attention to us which does make me nervous

“Hey Ms.Seiko” Mr.Takeda says with a smile and they starts chattering

Ryū runs and almost knocks me over in a hug

“TANAKA DON’T KNOCK THE POOR GIRL OVER�� Daichi says and Tanaka laughs

“I’m so happy you’re here!” He says

“Me too” I say laughing with him

I look around at the team there’s a lot more people than last year and I assume most of them are first years

I’m already familiar with half of the team

“First years this is my little sister Y/n Tanaka” he says ruffling my hair making me glare at him

“Woah she’s so pretty” a cute ginger boy says. His brunette eyes immediately catch mine

My heart skips a beat at his smile

“Woah she’s super smart” a dark haired boy says

“Thank you” I say embarrassed and a little confused until I realize I’m still in my uniform

“Alright alright Nekoma should be showing up soon so let’s get ready” Daichi says and I go sit with Sis and Kiyoko

While I definitely don’t agree with Tanaka harassment of the poor girl I can’t help, but see where he’s coming from in a more tame way because she’s gorgeous

“Hello Y/n”

“Hey Kiyoko long time no see” I say smiling and she nods with a smile

“How’s everyone doing?” I ask

“There doing amazing the first years are incredible and I really see a future for this team” she says making me cheese

“Good!”

Nekoma rolls in and the practice match starts, I can’t help, but keep my eyes on the ginger boy

“Hey Kiyoko”

“Hm?”

“Who’s that ginger boy from Karasuno” I ask and she looks then smiles

“That’s Hinata he’s amazing isn’t he his quick attack is really awesome” she says and then I kinda feel bad for gawking at him

“Yeah” I say smiling

——

Finally the practice match is over or rather practice matches since every time it was about to end Hinata would ask for one more which I found cute and endearing but Kenma I think his name is from Nekoma definitely didn’t

“Do you like Hinata?” Kiyoko asks me randomly which catches me off guard

“Huh?”

“I mean we’ve been here for hours but you’ve somehow kept your eye on Hinata for like most of the entire time, but forgive me if I mis judged” Kiyoko says starting to get up with a small smile to help clean up

“I mean I’m not too sure I don’t really know him well enough to say” I say and she giggles walking off

Do I like him?

I mean we don’t even go to the same school

I get up to help clean up, but I can’t keep him off my mind

As he’s about to walk out of the gym I tap his shoulder

“Hm? Oh y/n hey!” He says smiling making my heart throb

“Can I uhm maybe get your number” I ask he looks shocked then blushes nodding handing me his phone

“Bye”

“See you soon” he says cheesing

“Really?! Hinata?!” Tanaka says making Nishinoya bust out laughing

“SHUT UP”

#haikyuu masterlist #haikyuu x reader #haikyu fluff #haikyu x reader #haikyuu #haikyu headcanons #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu fluff #tanaka ryuunosuke #hinata x reader #hinata shoyuo #hinata shoyo x reader #hinata shoyo x you

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caeslxys · 9 months ago

Note

I am SO fascinated to get your take on BH's reaction to Ludinus and Downfall.

*****SPOILERS FOR 102 BELOW*****

As someone who left Downfall with a very negative view of the gods, it's interesting to me that BHs (in particular Imogen) kept saying "but you're just like them" about Ludinus and then not realizing that she was saying that the gods are no better than Ludinus fucking Da'Leth. Yeah, Luda is a hyprocrite. Do you realize that the gods are no better? The GODS.

And BHs comparing themselves to the primes/betrayers as this "fucked-up family" completely ignores the power differential. "They're just little guys! We all make mistakes" but you're saying that about entities that can literally sling 9th levels every 6 seconds without using any resources.

Nothing that can feel and be motivated by loss, rage, fear, and revenge should have that much power. Respectfully.

Sorry this took me so long to answer! I’ve been letting my own thoughts simmer and rewatching the episode in pieces to grasp the Many Many different things that happened on my own because it was Quite A Lot and some of it (the delilah of it all, funnily enough) left me immediately with an overall sense of disappointment that I wanted to sift through before talking Thoughts so that I could determine analysis from bias lol. BUT. I DO HAVE THOUGHTS

Long answer under the read more, but tldr: Apart from Orym, Ashton, and Dorian (simultaneously the most and least surprising!) I don’t think we’ve gotten the full breadth of BH’s opinions at all. In part because this a topic of discussion that requires them actually, well, discussing it to form fully rounded opinions on but also, crucially, because they were expressing opinions and emotions in front of Ludinus. This is important, because Orym/Ashton/Dorian make the most sense to have no reason for holding their true thoughts back in front of either him or the party (obviously in Orym and Ashton’s case, but I’ll be honest in not considering what is now obvious—Dorian has no idea who this guy actually is! Of course he wasn’t opposed to raising his perspective!), whereas other characters—namely Imogen—have many more internal steps and hurdles to actually reaching a conclusion that must happen outside of Ludinus’ eye.

Alright. Long version.

I think it truly speaks to the characters that the ones who reacted the most immediately decisive were Orym—the one whose opinions wouldn’t have changed regardless of what was held within that orb (which. sigh)—Ashton—the punk, anti-authoritarian character who has had an established perspective of the gods and their power for quite some time, perspectives that were in many ways cemented in viewing this piece of history rather than dispelled—and Dorian—someone who, as mentioned earlier, has the least amount of context for who Ludinus is, but who also himself was raised in a comparatively high position of social power so as to understand exactly what Ludinus is saying about the gods’ misusing theirs.

And, of course, Imogen. I’ll admit: I was immediately shocked at her response, but in hindsight of course she responded the way she did. I have talked and gushed and wailed before at how deeply empathetic Imogen is, and how it is also her ultimate fatal flaw (demonstrated explicitly here), so of course her first thought was how she saw the feelings and motives behind the decisions made in downfall and not how it was also an extreme over-reach of power and influence. Of course she did. I think the only person she’s incapable of empathizing with is Delilah lmao.

And to that point: A lot of that seemed, on a rewatch and to me, posturing on her part. So much of Imogen is defined by her guilt and shame and self-loathing and its especially prevalent when she is playing leader—a role she is naturally very good at, but doubts constantly because she does not consider herself “good”. So, often, she does what she thinks others perceive as “good” and “right” and keeps her more complex thoughts to herself until she is in a safe space (often with Laudna), and projects who she thinks others need her to be in the moment.

Laudna, in the same vein, also shocked me that she didn’t push the breach of power here. But, again, she is also right next to Imogen in “bells hells characters most driven by/capable of empathy” (though hers is, unlike Imogen’s, often in conflict with her desires in really compelling ways) so on further reflection—and especially taking into consideration the massive amount of shame she is feeling from swordgate—of course she focused on the empathetic side of it all.

Ultimately we didn’t get much time at all for them to actually discuss and dissect their take-aways on all of downfall in a setting and context that would be free of bias and performance. If i’m honest, I think those conversations need to happen individually instead of in a group, though maybe Dorian’s inclusion and obvious clear decision on his stance being more in line with Ludinus’ may just be enough for Orym alone not to break the conversational thread again with his personal grief (and guilt, but that’s another post lol). I think their real opinions have yet to solidify even for themselves, and we’ll see them truly form in the coming episodes. The Delilah of it all notwithstanding.

Speaking of Orym’s refusal to think about anything—I think he and Imogen both are suffering from Predathos tunnel vision. Honestly I’d argue a good portion of fandom is as well. None of that conversation is ultimately about Predathos, it was about the gods and the role they play and the power they use or over-use or deserve. By focusing so intently on what we all already agree is the wrong and bad solution to this problem, we ignore the problem entirely. It’s one of my main issues with Orym’s stance this whole campaign. If we don’t ask what is to be done with the gods, and the campaign just wraps up with “we defeated the bad guys, yay!” well. What of the ruidusborn, who we know are treated unfairly and unkindly and who suffer through no fault of their own. What of the young vanguard members—the kids—who, also, are only guilty of caving to the idea of peace. What of Aeor, what of Ludinus—what of the cycle that birthed them both. To not engage with the questions being asked for hyperfixating on the Predathos of it all is to leave this campaign, in my opinion, on both a deeply unsatisfying but also deeply hopeless note. The cycle will continue. We may not see it—it may be another thousand, two thousand years before another Ludinus rises—but another Ludinus or Aeor or both will rise, because ultimately no change will have been implemented in the problems which resulted in them.

And—final note, promise—I was talking to a friend about this yesterday but when it comes down to acknowledging the societal implications of downfall, especially in Imogen’s case, I do think it’s going to have to be pointed out first. A lot of Bells Hells are characters who have suffered at the very hands they are trying to save, but also suffered in part and specifically due to a lack of access to knowledge about it all. It does not escape me that the very first scene of campaign three is Imogen attempting to gather knowledge on powers that have made her miserable for a decade and being unable to access them in a library due to her station. That is, to me, more and more becoming the underpinning theme of this campaign—especially as all Ludinus is doing in this moment with the Occultus Thalamus is displaying it; again, obviously Ludinus is wrong in his means (and arrogant in his assumptions that just because of his failures that no one else could find a solution) but this, specifically, the spreading of knowledge—that, I 100% find myself in agreeance with. So it’s not that they won’t understand what characters like Ashton and Dorian, both hyperaware of the implications of power here, are or will be saying. It’s that they literally do not know to think about it like that. Why would they. It has been intentionally kept from them.

Anyway I have no idea if that was uh. Sufficient Enough of an answer adksfjd at some point I just started yapping but! I’m intrigued, especially because of Dorian’s adamant belief, in what conclusions they’ll draw moving forward as the discussions truly begin! Hopefully! Hopefully they will discuss it!

#imogen temult #ashton greymoore #critical role #critical role spoilers #bells hells #ludinus da'leth #laudna #i could make a whole post on ashton and imogen and how they are both punks #and the difference between angry big city punk and the knowledge and perspective of constantly seeing abuses of power #vs the sad small town punk whose perspective was solely isolation and ostracization rather than having the means to witness systemic abuse #in quite the same way #and uh. the orym of it all. yeah i could talk about the orym of it alll for quite a while lol #anyway. back to tempering my expectations for the delilah of it all 😔

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brucebocchi · 1 year ago

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Winter 2024 anime roundup, Pt. 1: Ongoing/returning shows and the trash heap

hey y'all, this is also up on my ko-fi! it's free to read both here and there, but i'm struggling financially rn so i could appreciate if you'd throw a few bucks my way if you liked it!

I wasn't expecting to watch nearly this much anime in just the past three months, but life completely failed at getting in the way. So here's everything I either watched or tried to watch for the Winter 2024 season, and a short review for each.

I'm not going to bother with trying to rank them, so instead they're sorted by category, as follows:

Continuing series from Fall 2023

Returning series

What I dropped

Mixed reactions

On hold

New series that are actually good

With this first entry, I'll be covering the first three, with the back half arriving in another couple of days. As with the 2023 rankings, the OP for each show is linked in the corresponding title.

Here we go.

Ongoing shows:

The Apothecary Diaries

Looking back at my 2023 rankings, I think my placement of The Apothecary Diaries’ first cour at #11 may have belied how much I love this show and believe it to truly be one of last year’s greats. If anything, it was hampered by its status as an ongoing show making it incomplete by nature, and I worried myself over the possibility of recency bias taking over my top ten (Frieren is in the same boat, so its top overall ranking should really highlight how damn good it is). Make no mistake, though: The Apothecary Diaries fucking rocks, and it continues to fucking rock.

It’s largely more of the same, and that’s what you would want from another cour of this show. At the same time, though, more and more is uncovered about Maomao’s background and Jinshi’s status as the proverbial camera continues to pull back and the mysteries adorning the edges of the frame become clearer. I got a sense at the end of the Fall 2023 cour that the show was moving on from its episodic nature into something more serial and plot-driven, and I was mostly right: While several episodes of the Winter cour still revolve around various mysteries of the week, they all start to converge before you even realize it. It’s the same flywheel-effect approach to plot development that Kaguya-sama did so well: While so many of the events seem like one-off curiosities in the moment, these almost-imperceptible movements eventually barrel forward into an unexpected but perfectly logical momentum. The show teases out several plot threads that may not seem relevant at first, and it trusts you to be patient enough to see them play out.

I’m not at all exaggerating when I say that, along with the next entry on this list, The Apothecary Diaries is one of the best anime of the past five years. I had a feeling that this could end up being the case as 2023 came to a close, but I’m sure of it now. Watch this show.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Last year’s best anime continues apace into 2024 as we get an honest-to-goodness story arc: Frieren, who has been around too long to bother taking any magical governing bodies seriously, needs a certified mage in her party order to continue on the journey north. She decides to take the necessary exam to be certified as a First-Class Mage, a rarefied status in this world, and has Fern tag along to do the same in order to double their chances.

And it’s still incredible! Great action, brilliant animation, wonderful character moments, and a beautiful score. It is still the top-rated anime ever on MyAnimeList, and by a significant margin. I’m not sure I agree, necessarily, but I can say with all sincerity that this has been a perfect season of television and my Fridays now feel empty without it.

That’s all I’ve got on this one. What else do you want from me? I’ve already written nearly 2000 words about this show alone since it premiered. You’re asking me for more? I’ll kill you.

Shangri-La Frontier

If the low placement on my 2023 list was any indication, I was pretty fed up with Shangri-La Frontier by the end of its first cour, and the first couple episodes of 2024 being little more than plot set-up had me teetering on the edge of dropping it entirely. But I’ll be damned if it didn’t reel me back in once shit actually started happening and the plot really began to move forward.

Well, for a bit, at least. The height of the series so far has been the Wethermon arc, in which Sunraku teams up with his fellow shit-gamers, Pencilgon and Katzo, as they vie to be the first to take down a notoriously difficult unique boss. As the fight plays out, we get to see the feeling-out process of a tough action-RPG boss, rife with attack pattern memorization, skill timing, and buff stacking as the margin for error grows ever thinner. As always, the animation is on point, the soundtrack rules, and the action sequences are exhilarating.

But my major gripe with the series remains: There’s hardly any actual story here, even after 25 episodes. There are broad gestures towards a larger plot (“the truth of this world,” as the NPCs call it), but they are too vague to even resemble anything enticing. Everything in between the major fights is just set dressing, and there’s a lot of in between. There’s decent stuff in there, to be fair; the adorable rabbit NPCs are always a delight, and I love the commitment to depicting our top-level gamers as smug, preening shitheels. These are long walks for short drinks of water, though, and much of the main cast isn’t likable enough to make the downtime tolerable, to the point where watching the many set-up episodes feels like more of a grind than the actual grinding in the show. Even in the best fight sequences I still had moments where I found myself yelling “STOP TALKING ALREADY” at the screen. Internal monologues are a constant in battle shonen, I know, but if there’s any demographic whose internal monologues I want to hear the least, it’s gamers.

I kept watching this show despite myself, and six months later I’m still not sure how much I actually enjoy it. I haven’t seen any of the lousy VRMMO anime that people favorably compare it to, so at least it isn’t Sword Art Online. Yay, I guess? Yet here I am, still plugging away at a show I can’t strongly recommend to a lot of people. Shangri-La Frontier has turned me into a Steam reviewer.

Undead Unluck

The stakes continue to rise exponentially in one of last year’s more underrated shonen hits (or it would’ve been a hit if Disney gave a fuck about marketing the anime on its own platforms). The Union neutralizes a threat, gains a new Roundtable member, and then shit hits the fan.

The scope of this series goes into absolutely buckwild directions, and all I will say is that “Kimi ni Todoke predicting the future” was not a piece of worldbuilding I would have ever expected. But at the same time, it never loses focus on the human element, which only gets more poignant as it goes on. There’s a really beautiful message in the last arc about how people can live on through the memories of others, well past their bodies dying, which hits nice and hard considering this season aired at the same time as Frieren.

This is a show that I tended to watch sporadically (because I just plain forget to open Hulu just to watch one show every week), and I would say that it was the ideal way to watch it, except the pacing issues from the first cour only got worse during a monumentally consequential sequence in the middle of the second. There was an episode that had, I shit you not, 90 seconds of new content in the first seven minutes of runtime, and at the exact point in the series where you’re salivating for something, anything new. In a season where so much goes on in just 24 episodes, I’m baffled that they felt the need to pad the runtime so much.

That’s the worst of it, though, and the momentum fortunately builds up from there and barrels downhill until the end. The story becomes incredibly meta, which was a very ballsy move for a Shonen Jump series that was still relatively early into its run. The gamble pays off, though, and the debut season ends on several incredibly strong episodes, and now I want more. I’ll be hopping on the manga soon.

It also struck me towards the end of the season just how goddamn cute everyone looks. For all of the spraying blood and grim marching towards Armageddon, it says a lot that I still wanna pinch everyone’s fat little cheeks.

Returning shows:

The Dangers in My Heart, season 2

The first season was absent in my 2023 rankings but I decided to pick it up while the second was still airing, and I’m so glad I did: The Dangers in My Heart is an almost-too-precious middle school romance that is endlessly endearing and bluntly honest (if a little exploitative) about what middle schoolers are actually like, warts and all. Insecurities are amplified, they struggle to figure out their identities, and mental and physical development run on different schedules from one kid to the next. And amidst all this raging hormonal nonsense, we have ourselves a lovely little romance story.

Kyotaro has (mostly) kicked his chuuni tendencies and realized that he’s madly in love with the beautiful, cheery Anna. He’s as aware as anyone of what a mismatched couple they’d be, though, and continues to self-sabotage any progress in the name of maintaining her good social standing. To pile onto his loner’s perspective of middle school politics, Kyotaro also gets a front-row seat to Anna’s part-time work as a model-slash-actress and he wonders if an underdeveloped shrimp like him should be seen anywhere near someone so obviously more mature. At the same time, though, he’s a growing boy, and we see lovely moments of progress as Kyotaro takes initiative both for her sake and to achieve what he wants. To both ameliorate and complicate these situations, Anna reciprocates his feelings towards her, and we creep ever closer towards what we want to see, in increasingly awkward and precious fashion.

So much of this anime is just gorgeous. Even setting aside the visuals and music (which are on point at all times), there are really lovely themes in here about insecurity, teenage perceptions of maturity, and self acceptance. On top of all of that, though, this is just a delightful slice-of-life romance story. You can probably guess where we’ve ended up by the end of the second season, but it’s the getting there that makes it all worth it. The manga is still running (and I plan to pick it up), so there’s clearly plenty more of the story to tell, but if this is where the anime ends, it ended perfectly.

Holy shit, though, did the first season really air at the same time as Skip and Loafer and Insomniacs After School? Dentists must have made a mint that season because every single one of these shows is so unrelentingly sweet that my teeth start to itch. Not that I’m complaining.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles, season 2

I honestly think I might’ve been too hard on Mashle in my 2023 rankings. I gave up on it a few episodes in when it’d initially aired, but I eventually came back to finish out the season and ended up having a pretty good time. I’ll cop to having forgotten that latter part when I mapped out those rankings, but that enjoyment quickly came back to me when I picked up season 2... even if the season begins with a ton of table setting.

Plenty of battle shonen take time to find their voice, both in manga and anime, and Mashle really seemed to hit its stride fairly quickly into the second season. Mash Burnedead’s lack of magical quality is no longer a secret, and now magical society has to find a way to deal with it, so the series’ initial stakes are raised and Mash HAS to become a top-level sorcerer lest he lose his life. Also, the bad guys are back. Unfortunately, just as I started to genuinely appreciate the ensemble cast, most of Mash’s friends took a backseat to the larger plot (Lemon is nowhere to be seen almost all season) as the villains raise the stakes with increasingly JoJo-esque magic abilities. There’s still plenty to like, though, and some of the new characters help. Props for having an openly nonbinary character play a major role.

The music is a real highlight here; a surprising amount of hip-hop paints the backdrops during dialogue, and any show with an OP by Creepy Nuts will immediately grab my attention. "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" actually turned into a bona fide hit single, much like Oshi no Ko's "Idol" and Jujutsu Kaisen's "SPECIALZ," and I'd say it's well earned (seriously, it fucks, please click the link above). The animation has also started to really pick up where it felt like it kept falling short in the first season as well, and I found myself looking forward to action sequences more as the season went on.

And hey, it might’ve taken 21 episodes to get there, but I finally laughed at a cream puff gag!

Urusei Yatsura (2022), season 2

I really don’t have much to say other than it’s more Urusei Yatsura, and that’s just swell. We continue the modern adaptation of the classic gag manga as the OG anime babe and her piece-of-shit “darling” get caught up in yet more bizarre hijinks. Despite the 48-episode run being touted as an “Urusei Yatsura all-stars” cherry-pick from Rumiko Takahashi’s 34-volume opus, not all of the segments hit on the same level, but the stories that last entire or even multiple episodes have been killer. Lum and Ataru, despite their myriad flaws, genuinely do care for one another, and this series is at its best when those feelings get to shine through. Takahashi remains a legend for her expert balancing of comedy and heart, and while this particular adaptation doesn’t have the built-in benefit of 300+ chapters of familiarity, those moments still feel earned.

It’s Urusei Yatsura. It’s a classic for a reason. Watch it.

Dropped:

Gushing Over Magical Girls (dropped after one episode)

For the TL;DR version, consult the image above.

All I’d heard about this show going in was that the manga it’s based on was good and that there would be boobs. I wish I’d known more than that before watching, though, because if I’d known that said boobs would belong to middle schoolers, I wouldn’t have bothered with even the one episode I did end up watching.

I was drawn in by the initial premise, too: The protagonist, the conspicuously-named Utena (who looks enough like Bernadetta from Fire Emblem that I was immediately endeared to her), is an enormous fan of the magical girls who keep her city safe, so when an adorable maho shoujo mascot approaches her with an offer, she immediately takes him up on it. As her sinister-looking (and unnecessarily revealing) costume suggests, though, Utena doesn’t get to live out her magical girl dreams; she actually got roped into—and blackmailed into keeping—a role as a villainess. The magical girl team she idolizes quickly finds her, and to stave off their assault, Utena is forced to summon a monster to bind them. As they continue to struggle and squeal, Utena goes further with it by ripping their clothes and spanking their bare bottoms red, because it turns out that she’s actually into this stuff, sexually. The title, it turns out, is a double entendre.

Credit where it’s due for a clever concept: On paper, this is really goddamn funny! My issue is with the execution: I don’t really care to see someone’s sexual awakening if it involves repeated violations of consent, and much less so if I have to see nudity of ostensible middle schoolers (Japanese middle schools are the equivalent of seventh through ninth grade, meaning these girls are 15 at most). After 100 Girlfriends, I thought I could handle whatever trashy bullshit any anime could throw my way, but the longer I chewed on Gushing’s premiere, the worse it sat with me. I have no intentions of playing morality police here, but I can’t bring myself to watch any more of this than I already have.

Early teenage sexuality is a very difficult subject matter to handle delicately, especially in a comedy milieu, and I can levy plenty of criticisms on that matter towards series I otherwise enjoyed, like Call of the Night and the aforementioned Dangers in My Heart. And although there appear to be some coming-of-age elements here, Gushing doesn’t seem interested in handling it without being exploitative. Maybe it gets better, but I don’t plan to find out for myself.

I just feel like it’s a shame that in a season with some actual halfway decent LGBT representation, the breakout yuri hit is about middle schoolers performing dubiously-consensual BDSM on each other. And maybe that speaks to something for some sapphic viewers, and I have no intention of speaking over them, but I do know that this isn’t for me. I would’ve gone fucking feral over this show when I was like 13, but I haven’t been a 13-year-old boy for a long, long time.

I may not have a leg to stand on here as someone who watches Mushoku Tensei (and frankly, that one’s on strike two with me), but I have to put my foot down somewhere. For me, that “somewhere” is borderline pornography involving 13-15 year olds. I try to meet media where it is, even the squicky stuff, but I cannot put myself at the level Gushing Over Magical Girls sets for itself.

Sasaki and Peeps (dropped after eight episodes)

This show is frustrating to even process postmortem. After a mildly intriguing hour-long premiere that introduced a whole lot of concurrent concepts, Sasaki and Peeps somehow managed to not only continue heaping new ideas onto the pile, but also fumble every single one of them in a way that wasn’t even entertaining to watch.

Sasaki, a lonely 40-something salaryman of modest means, decides that instead of living vicariously through adorable animal photos on social media, he should pull the trigger and get a pet of his own. He settles on a reasonably-priced and suitably adorable fat little Java sparrow, who as it turns out speaks human language and is actually named Piercarlo the Starsage (Sasaki settles on calling him Pii-chan, or Peeps in English). The bird was reincarnated from another world, where he is able to take Sasaki at will, and the man realizes he can use the other world’s relative dearth of technology to his advantage and sets up an interdimensional trade full time so he can make coin on his own watch and help Peeps try the delicious beef he heard is the best food in Sasaki’s world. To the latter end, he also invests in a restaurant. Peeps also helps teach him magic, which Sasaki is forced to use in a pinch in the real world. He is quickly found out and gets roped into a secret government bureau of psychics, because the agent who caught him using ice magic decides he’d be a perfect complement to her water powers (think Kanne and Lawine from Frieren, but stupider). Sasaki now has to balance these multiple lives, which hardly ever interact with one another, as the stakes rise in Peeps’ world in the form of palace intrigue and in Sasaki’s world in the form of a growing threat of evil psychics or something. Also, there’s magical girls, because why the fuck not at this point.

If you actually managed to process all that and went “wow, that’s a lot, I wonder how they can tie all that together,” it brings me no pleasure to report that Sasaki and Peeps completely fails at that task. This is a work of fiction with entirely too many ideas, to the point where it feels like it has no ideas. There’s a saying in football that a team with two quarterbacks is a team with no quarterback, and Sasaki and Peeps has, like, six on its depth chart. You ever hear a band that managed to cram multiple genres in the same song and you get whiplash every time it switches up? Those are bands with a lot of influences, but no identity or vision to call their own, and that is Sasaki and Peeps to me: It is the Twenty One Pilots of anime. A lot of shit got thrown at the wall, and none of it stuck: This show, conceptually, is shit-stained drywall with a pile of turds adorning the moulding.

For a show about a 40-year-old man, it gave me serious pause that there was not a single named adult woman in any of the episodes I watched, and I grew even more frustrated waiting for one to show up. Sasaki’s partner, Hoshizaki, seems to be a driven, professional young woman, but it turns out she’s a 16 year old high school student, for some reason. The daughter of the viscount doing business with Sasaki is a young girl who likes to tag along with him, and Sasaki’s neighbor is a latchkey high school girl who may or may not have a yandere-ish fixation on him. The magical girl we meet is also definitely a kid. The female psychics they face off against don’t appear to be older than teenagers, though the one who appears to grow fond of him turns out to be several hundred years old, which especially gave me pause because we all know that unfortunate trope and the type of person who hides behind it. Before progressing any further, I found out that the light novel series upon which this show is based was written by someone with the pen name “Buncololi,” which told me the rest of what I needed to know.

That part made me increasingly uncomfortable, and I became less and less convinced that this show was capable of sticking the landing as it continued to pile on new, contrived ideas. This was a waste of an excellent voice cast, but more than that, a waste of time.

Tales of Wedding Rings (dropped after nine episodes)

I can’t believe how much goddamn isekai I ended up watching this season. That Tales of Wedding Rings wasn’t the worst one (see above) was a minor miracle, because boy howdy was this one a dud.

Satou is just a normal high school boy, blah blah blah, his childhood friend he’s in love with is actually a princess from another world and she has to go back to fulfill a political marriage, he follows her into the portal to pull a Benjamin Braddock. But then, gasp, the palace is under attack, so the princess (her native name is Krystal, but growing up in Japan she was known as Hime, which means… princess) instead decides to marry Satou, bestowing upon him her kingdom’s ring, which gives him powers that he uses to fight back the demons. It turns out that her ring enables him to use one elemental affinity out of five, so of course now Satou has to collect the rings held by the other four kingdoms in order to become the Ring King and save the world, and to do so he has to also marry each corresponding princess.

This is basically Tolkien’s Rings of Power but as a harem isekai with bonus nudity. What I saw of the season was basically a MacGuffin hunt that had waifus of various fantasy races attached. Fine character designs for each, to be fair, but it wasn’t enough to keep me interested. It’s funny on paper that (to paraphrase Geoff Thew) our protagonist’s power level scales with the size of his harem, but Tales didn’t do enough to make me actually care what was happening. And I wanted to! There were elf titties and I didn’t care. That’s criminal.

What makes Tales especially difficult to watch is that this show is fuck ugly. The color palette is muddy and unappealing, everyone looks uncannily shiny, and there’s a smudgy Vaseline filter over everything. The action sequences are uninspiring, the animation is lousy, and every character looks terribly off-model unless they’re naked. Watch the OP I linked if you don't believe me; that's the best of it. The aural element isn’t much better; ecchi scenes are punctuated by a Cinemax-caliber smooth jazz score that I pray was chosen ironically, and most of the show’s humor consists of “an old guy is screeching.” And if you’re wasting Shigeru Chiba’s talents on that one lousy joke, you’ve fucked up catastrophically.

What completely pushed me out of wanting to see any more of this show, though, was how hard it doubled down on the worst elements of harem anime by having Protag-kun be a wishy-washy little ninny even though he’s openly declared his love for and is literally married to Hime/Krystal. And I wanted to care about her; the narrative made me want to care about her, and her jealousy of the other princesses is warranted, but alas, the harem demands bodies. To his credit, Satou recognizes her mixed emotions and makes extra time for her to make it clear that she’s forever number one in his heart, but every single time their shared romance and emotions actually push them towards consummating their (all caps for emphasis) MARRIAGE, the show goes Rent-a-Girlfriend on us and finds a cheap excuse to ruin the moment. No thanks, I’m out. Nothing else about this show is good enough to make me wade through that shit.

Honestly, the only thing that had me coming back after my Persona 3-induced hiatus was that I wanted to see the dragon girl, and that alone was almost worth it, but there really isn’t much of a draw otherwise. There were better isekai, better romances, better fantasy settings, and even better uncensored harem shenanigans this season. I might pick this back up as the second season approaches, but I’m not in any hurry.

#anime reviews

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harleyacoincidence · 3 months ago

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a new obsession? i have no idea what you're talking about 🙈💖💖

I’m not going to lie, I sat in stunned silence for literally half an hour looking at your ask before I typed this out. I did not expect to see an esteemed blogger such as yourself enter my humble abode. Anyway, welcome to my inbox! It’s lovely to see you here! Pretty sure you found my fandom blog first (if I had to take a guess, on account of me posting WAY too many Cuphead related memes and overindulging my Cagney bias), but hey! We don’t discriminate!

Oh, don’t lie to me, I’ve seen everything you’ve been posting about Longlegs, and I’m totally here for it! I haven’t seen the film myself, but your passion for…certain characters…is tempting me. I’ll be honest with you, I love seeing people on my dash freak out about characters, especially when I don’t know the media they’re from. It gives me a good list of things to check out. If they are from a media I'm familiar with, it often inspires me to write something small for said media (often involving the character they're going on about). I'll take writing inspiration from just about anywhere these days, and people being excited to talk about something (or someone) they like always puts a smile on my face.

On a slightly unrelated note, my inbox (and messages) are always open, so the next time you feel like gushing about your new (or old!) favourite characters, feel free to stop by! Your ramblings are always welcome here!

#longlegs #starleska #answered ask #jokes aside i do see the appeal for someone like dale kobble #though i admit i am not attracted to them #i must check out this film

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blossominghunnie · 1 year ago

Text

𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩

Pairing: Ricky x fem!reader

Summary: Ricky and Y/n go on a holiday trip with their friends and fortunately, or unfortunately, they have to share a bed.

Genre: F2l, fluff

Warning: None

Notes: Ricky has been bias wrecking me lately so I thought about this for a few days now and since I love this idea, I had to write my own jsjs. 🥸 A little bit longer than what I usually write but I had inspiration. :)

“How could they have gotten the reservation wrong?” Y/n asked while gripping her hair in a distressed manner.

She and Ricky were standing side by side looking at the big hotel room in front of them.

“I don’t know, maybe because they have too much work?” Ricky tried to reason. “Anyway, I tried to talk to the front desk to change it for a suite or whatever room that had two beds but the hotel is fully booked because of the holidays.”

The girl sighted and walked towards the furniture that was by the door, placing her stuff there. Ricky doing the same.

“Okay, that’s okay. We can make this work.” Y/n tried to be positive. “You can take the bed and I’ll sleep on the sofa, it looks cozy enough.”

“No, no, don’t be a dummy.” The blonde shook his head. “I’ll take the sofa and you take the bed.”

“Why don’t you just share the bed and problem solved?” Another voice joined the conversation, it was Gyuvin, who was standing by the door.

“When did you get here?” Ricky questioned. “And how long have you been listening?”

“I got here like two minutes ago, while you were flirting or arguing or whatever.” He shrugged.

“We weren’t flirting, Gyu.” The girl rolled her eyes.

“Why did you come?” The blonde asked, a little irritated with his best friend.

“Oh, yeah. Just came to tell you that we’re all going to the pool later on and then we’ll get dinner, so be ready soon.” They both nodded and the brown haired exited the room.

A silence followed, the pair in deep thought.

“Maybe Gyuvin is right, it would be easier for us to share. Only if it’s okay with you.” Ricky spoke.

“Y-yeah, sure.”

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Y/n was laying on a sun lounger by the pool, by her side were Zhang Hao and Matthew, they were talking and joking; the boys teasing her.

“I can’t believe you got stuck in that situation and to make matters worse, with your crush!” Matthew giggled. He found the situation hilarious.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh at my misery all you want.” The girl pouted.

“Things would be so much easier if you confessed to him, but you’re a coward.” The oldest spoke, rolling his eyes.

“I’m sorry I’m scared of being rejected, okay?” Y/n crossed her arms. “Things would be so awkward if he didn’t feel the same.”

“I’m almost 100% sure he likes you. Like, he laughs at your jokes, which are awful by the way.” He got hit on the arm while Zhang Hao laughed. “It’s true!”

“He also blushes when you smile at him, which never happens with other people. And haven’t you noticed how he’s super sweet and attentive with you?” The Chinese questioned. “I could go on and on.”

Both of them made good points. To be honest, she had noticed some things like how he liked hugging her a little longer or how he held her pinky when there was a crowd around.

Y/n never thought much of it since they had a very close and tight friendship.

But now she started to wonder for how long he’s been acting like this and if it had another meaning than only been a good best friend.

“Maybe you’re right, maybe he likes me and I’ve been clueless the whole time.” Y/n looked at them while getting to that conclusion.

That conversation gave her courage to talk to Ricky.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

After a day full of fun and delicious food, the friend group returned to their hotel rooms.

Ricky and Y/n said goodbye to Taerae and Hanbin, whose room was across, and entered theirs.

The pair took their shoes off and the accessories they wore and sat on the bed, a little bit far from each other.

“Do you wanna watch something?” The blonde asked after a minute of silence.

“Sure.”

He grabbed the tv remote and turned the tv on. He searched until he found a Christmas movie that he knew she loved, The Grinch.

They watched it for a while, well, Ricky was, Y/n was lost in her thoughts trying to find the right moment to confess to the cute guy next to her.

She finally decided it was now or never and spoke.

“Ricky?”

“Yeah? What’s up?” He looked at her, all her attention was on her.

“I have something to tell you.” She fiddled with her shirt’s sleeve. “I-I like you.”

The boy was stunned, he was processing what he just heard. He was hopeful that his crush liked him back but it still shocked him.

Meanwhile, Y/n couldn’t even look him in the eye, a lot of scenarios were running through her head since he didn’t answer right away.

“I like you too, Y/nnie.” He took her hand and caressed her cheek. “And I have for a while now.”

The girl was red, not only because she was lucky enough that she wasn’t rejected but because of the placement of his hand.

“You look so cute when you blush.” That only deepened her blush.

“Stooop teasing me.” She whined making Ricky laugh, she was adorable.

“I’m sorry, princess, but it’s the truth.” He moved closer and hugged her. Y/n melted in his arms.

“Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

“I would love to.” They smiled and the girl took the initiative and kissed his lips softly.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Zb1 masterlist || Main masterlist

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nowis-scales · 3 months ago

Note

Regarding the Fates ask game...

9, 18, 26, 39

You can find the link for this ask game here!

Thank you for taking the time to send an ask, and sorry for any delay in my answering! I really was like “let me just wait out these bots”, only to stumble back into things right before a very busy academic period… siiiiiiigh. Why am I like this? Lol

9. “What’s your opinion on Azura?”

I would say that I like Azura! When I started playing the game I think I was more attached to her than I am now, but I think we can all agree that she’s kind of put in a weird position in the game. I wouldn’t say I necessarily like her less than I used to because her position is weird, but more so just because other characters surpassed her. Really, she’s interesting, she’s just very underutilized. I think she might’ve stuck in my brain more if she had a better place in the narrative.

Make no mistake, though, I do quite like her! Female characters that seem kind of stoic and cold at first are my bread and butter, so I knew early on that she was going to be a character I liked. Though she’s often there to exposition dump, I love the way our understanding of her as a character sort of unfolds over the course of the three stories. Learning that she truly is a princess of three kingdoms and has pretty much been tossed from every home that’s ever shown her an ounce of love is heart-wrenching, but it also makes it clear why she doesn’t let herself be vulnerable and tends to hold herself back from connecting with others. She’s a child of all three worlds amongst this grand conflict, and holding her tongue is the only thing she can do without risking death. She’s been thrust out of her home and into two places where she’s hated, to the point where just having the solace of a family’s affection in one is just enough to survive — and still she describes the time like she’s on a sinking ship, like she’s the only one who knows the party won’t be going on forever. It makes her such an interesting character to analyze because this is her core on top of all of the bullying she faces, so it’s no wonder she’s so withdrawn.

That being said, even if she is hiding herself away from her world in some way, you can see that there is still some fight in her. She has love for it nonetheless. She loves ghost stories and playing with her little sisters, she loves her nana and fluffy animals, and she’s so forgiving of the people in her life even when they’ve failed her. She can be blunt and she doesn’t like to talk about herself, but she’s very ride or die. Honestly, I genuinely really do like Azura, and in the Fates remake of my dreams, we’d really get to look into her more as a character. I think there’s just so much meat there, and I’d love to delve into her and her relationship to Valla, and how it affects her perception of the world and her personality. Maybe I’ll have to write a fic about her someday!

In conclusion: Azura good.

18. “Favourite VA performance?”

Alright, part two of these! Who are some more that I like? Well, let’s see…

Other performances I really enjoyed were Matt Mercer as… well, it’s hard not to enjoy a Matt Mercer performance, he’s another one of those actors that kind of just always brings his all to something. You can tell he genuinely really enjoys what he does! I think of the three he does, Ryoma is my favourite (and yes there is some bias because I like the character), especially because in Warriors, Ryoma’s voice gets even deeper and richer to help differentiate between him and Chrom and it just sounds really well-suited. Also because that little “errrr… hang out?” line sneaks up on me when I’m supposed to be making a neutral face lol.

Otherwise, I also loved Marisha Ray as Oboro! I think she is very underrated as a voice actress in general, to be honest, and I would love to see her in more projects. Her performance as Oboro is just so playful and silly, but it strikes the right tone of seriousness as well when it needs to. I feel like she perfectly captures Oboro’s youth but also her ferocity, and just makes her a genuinely fun character to invest in. I remember when I first started playing Fates I thought it was a shame we didn’t get to hear her talk more, just because of how satisfying I found it to listen to Marisha Ray’s performance.

Max Mittelman as Leo and Antony Del Rio as Silas are two more favourites from me, as they are another set of hard hitters who just come in there and know what they’re doing and commit to the roles. They both brought a lot of life to the characters they voiced, and made for a pleasing to the ear performance. I wish I could say more, but I can’t figure out how to express it beyond they play their roles really well and just have a great sound!

Last but not least I do want to give a shout out to Brianna Knickerbocker, who seems to have just always been having fun with her roles. She captures Sakura’s shyness and Charlotte’s strength so beautifully, and makes each girl feel unique and entertaining. Again, like Max Mittelman and Antony Del Rio, the words are failing me, but her performances? Those did not! Those were very very good!

26. “Your favourite cool details?”

There’s loads of just tiny things like how all the Hoshidan royal siblings have birthdays in the spring/summer except Takumi, who is born in December, showing just another way that he’s the odd one out. Or how some related characters actually make similar expressions, highlighting their familial relationship to one another. There’s also how it’s relatively easy to get money in the games when you’re playing as Hoshido, but you’re on a tighter budget when you’re playing as Nohr. A lot of the Hoshidan men’s emotional issues can actually be tied to the country’s problem with sexism as well, not just the women’s. Elise’s hair is actually deliberately streaked with purple dye, referencing her desire to be like Camilla.

I often see people referring to Fates as “a cash grab” by only referencing the fact that they disliked it — not even the split-in-three model, just the game’s existence — and when I look at all this stuff and all of the other things that we see in these games… I can’t help but roll my eyes. Detail like this doesn’t really show up in cash grabs.

39. “Do you have any headcanons about Fates?”

If the question is Fates headcanons, the answer is yes, always. I’ll probably just chuck a small chunk of them in a list here, as you are definitely not the only person who has asked me about this one lol. I didn’t realize how beloved my headcanons were until I slowed down on sharing them!

▸ Elise mentions that all Nohrian noblewomen are trained in an instrument, and that she herself is trained on the violin. Corrin, who can be of either gender (or transcend the typical gender binary if you’re not a coward) is also said to be a talented pianist. However, we’re never told what instrument Camilla plays, so it is my belief that she is a very talented flautist. It took a lot of time and discipline to learn how to play, but Garon (pre-goo) loved to listen to her play and would always encourage her.

▸ I know it doesn’t fully make sense, but I love to headcanon “Shiro” as a nickname for “Shinonome”. I mean, Hoshido is called the White Kingdom in Japanese, right? It could be a funny little joke. Anyway, I think it’s fun because Shiro is a sort of casual guy, and also I can’t help picturing an Alvin and the Chipmunks style cry of “SHINONOME!” from across camp any time Shiro messes up badly.

▸ It never came to fruition, but I had a set of headcanons at one point where I knew the Hoshido fam’s first words as babies. Ryoma’s was “dada”, Hinoka’s was “ball”, Sakura’s was “help” (as in “please help me with this, older sibling”), and Takumi was one of those kids who just didn’t talk for ages and then busted out a whole sentence. He probably did it once and then wouldn’t again for another week, so whoever witnessed it would just have no one believe them. He was that kind of kid.

▸ I also just remembered I knew Felicia’s: it was “uh-oh”. Kilma and his wife, Cerisa, used to say it whenever she fell and not make a big deal out of it so she wouldn’t cry. It… mostly worked, although that meant when Flora fell, they’d hear a tiny little “uh-oh!” from Felicia.

▸ Also, speaking of baby Flora and baby Felicia, there was a terrible point during their infancy where if Flora cried about anything, Felicia would start crying, and then there would be two crying babies. And it would be awful. This, however, was not the case with the other set of twins in the cast, Saizo and Kaze — if Kaze cried about something, Saizo had a habit of just looking at him with some serious judgement.

▸ I have names for several of the Fates moms that you would maybe only know if you were a regular reader of my fics, and I don’t necessarily expect anyone to be, so I’ll just share the names here. Camilla’s mom was called Hortensia, who I named prior to the announcement of Engage. Regrettably, the reason I chose this name was because I imagined she was very beautiful and had the attention of many men, so the other concubines habitually called her “Whore-tensia”… Leo’s mom was a woman called Maren, and Elise’s was called Odette. Azura’s father, often mistaken for Cadros, was called Milos. As I mentioned before, Flora and Felicia’s mom was called Cerisa, for her pink hair (cerise is French for cherry).

▸ Oh, and Jakob and Hana’s parents were Helena and Astor and Shinjiro and Tadame, respectively. I also had names for Gunter’s wife and son, called Laoise (pronounced Lee-sha) and Bernelle.

▸ Charlotte is really protective of Benny. He may seem like a strong, scary guy, but she knows he’s a gentle soul and she wouldn’t want anyone to take advantage of someone so kind and sweet like that. If you ever screw with Benny, you screw with Charlotte, and that’s not something you ever want to do. She’ll make you rue the day you even thought about hurting him. If you’re like me and you like Charlotte as the queen of Nohr, you may see Benny as one of her retainers someday, but I think a lot of people would find that hurting the queen herself would get you less punishment than hurting her beloved retainer.

▸ Azura probably has like, a huge emotional comedown period after the events of Revelation. Like, this is a woman who has lived her entire life in fear of this beast coming to destroy her and what few things she is still permitted to hold dear, so to finally be safe for the first time in her life and to have her kingdom back is too much to bear. There are probably a lot of big feelings surrounding all of this that take her a long time (and probably some professional counsel) to work through.

▸ I flat out just refuse to believe that Izana died in Revelation. After the events of the game, he totally just stood up and kept going, pleased with himself for having convinced Takumi to join Corrin despite his own feelings of hesitation. It made the next banquet that everyone was at together really awkward, because the leaders of two major nations were really convinced that the Duke of Izumo is dead, and now they look really bad in front of everyone else being surprised that he’s alive.

#I want it to be known I used answering this ask to procrastinate against my schoolwork and I’m honestly not even a little sorry about it #school work is temporary fire emblem fates is forever #ulula-nocits asks #fire emblem fates #fire emblem fates spoilers #fire emblem Azura #fe14 #Hoshido #nohr #FE headcanons

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