#like part of me thinks the writers just consider both of them his best friends and it's a coincidence

[luliho]

Thinking about how Evil Fogado calls Pandreo his best friend in direct contrast to regular Fogado calling Bunet his best friend

[landosjpg]

cowboy like me | ln

the one where you unexpectedly fall in love with someone just like you, but it doesn’t turn out as you expected.

lando norris x fem!reader

word count: ~1.8k

warnings: strangers to lovers to strangers again (lando is a player lol), smut (MINORS DNI), slight choking, spit, fingering, p in v, unprotected sex (don't do this), a little of praise, the tiniest bif of fluff, angst in the end

please tell me if i'm forgetting anything!

note: hi, hello, i'm back! this took me way longer than i had intended but i went through a little writer's block and found myself staring at my screen for hours without writing a single word. this being said, not my proudest work but at least we're getting somewhere. this is the last part of this series i started a few weeks ago, it's not proofread but hope you enjoy it!

very much against your will, your dad had dragged you with him to the annual christmas dinner that he and some old friends of his had been planning for weeks. he had promised you would leave early, but of course it was only a white lie so you would put up with it without much complaint.

that's how you found yourself sitting all alone in a small bench in the corner of the crowded bar, trying your best to ignore everything that was going around you, a little overwhelmed. you barely knew your dad's friends, and since he was busy entertaining some of them, you had decided to just get away from all of it for as long as possible.

"mind if i sit there?" a masculine voice took you back to reality, making you look up from where you were scrolling on your phone.

you quickly recognized him: lando norris, the son of one of your dad's old classmates. your dad had mentioned him once or twice, but you didn't really know much about him.

uninterested, you shrugged and scooped a little to the side to leave some room for him to sit. he did so, sighing as you went back to your phone when silence fell hard between you two, his back resting against the bench and his eyes scanning the crowd.

"want to dance?" lando broke the silence after a few minutes, and you felt his eyes on you. you cocked an eyebrow at him, surprised with his question. your eyes went back to the crowd when you noticed that the music was louder than before; everyone had a drink in their hands and while some people engaged in conversation, others swinged to the rhythm of the music.

"you don't actually want to dance," you finally answered with a roll of your eyes and a low chuckle.

"come on, don't be boring!" he insisted, standing up and offering you his hand with a smirk. you considered turning him down again, but ended up accepting his offer with a sigh, if you were gonna be forced to attend that stupid dinner, you might as well enjoy yourself for a while.

you took his hand in yours and he pulled you up before quickly guiding you to the crowd.

୨୧

only about an hour later, you found yourself in the elevator to his apartment, your body pressed to the mirror as his hands rested on your lower back and your arms wrapped around his neck while you exchanged hungry, desperate kisses.

after a few dances and some small talk, his lips had found the spot right under your ear as he whispered how gorgeous you looked in that dress. he was quick to suggest calling a taxi, and you nodded in agreement without even having time to think about it.

just one night, no strings attached. you both wanted the same thing.

he guided you through the corridor to his apartment the second the elevator's doors opened, his hands holding your hips as you walked backwards. he pressed you against the door, lips still locked as he looked for his keys in the pockets of his jeans.

as he opened the door, his arm wrapped around your waist, holding you against him. he ushered you inside, quickly trapping your body once again between him and the wall of his entryway. his hands traveled down from your waist to your ass as he attacked your lips again, making you whimper when he gave you a gentle squeeze.

his fingers slipped down to the back of your thighs, where he softly patted your skin over your dress, instructing you to jump. you immediately complied, legs wrapping around his waist while his hands cupped your ass, pulling your dress up so he could feel the warmth of your skin.

lando softly groaned against your lips when your fingers found their way to his hair and tugged on it softly. he pressed his body closer to yours, leaving no space between you two and making you feel his hardness against your thigh now that your dress was pooling at your hips.

"fuck," you mumbled, clenching around nothing.

"can't wait to be inside you," he whispered in between kisses, making you whimper as you felt one of his hands sliding between your legs, fingers pulling your underwear to the side.

he pulled away ever so slightly, just enough to look at your eyes as he coated two of his digits in your arousal before sliding them inside your pussy. your eyes fluttered close almost immediately, another sigh leaving your lips as your walls enveloped him perfectly.

"eyes on me, baby. wanna see those pretty eyes," his voice was low, his breath against your lips making you try to grind down on his palm.

you obeyed once again, looking at him through half-lidded eyes as he slowly pumped his fingers into you, teasingly. one of your hands cupped his cheek as you admired his features, your eyes finally locking into his green orbs, the intensity on his gaze making you clench around his digits.

"feels so good," you panted, trying to keep your eyes open as you held yourself on his neck. "need more," you added, biting your lower lip to hold back a louder moan as you felt him curl his fingers inside of you.

"impatient, are we, baby?" he asked with a chuckle.

"please, lando," you panted, your voice sounding weaker than you intended. at your plea, you felt him withdrawing his fingers from your core and bringing them to your mouth.

he gently tapped on your bottom lip, prying you to open your mouth for him. your lips parted slowly and he didn't waste any time to slide his fingers inside, making you taste yourself on him. you softly hummed and felt your eyelids finally giving up as you sucked on his fingers eagerly.

"good girl," he murmured, pulling his digits out againt and slowly moving to undo his jeans.

as he still held you against the wall, his pants and underwear pooling at his feet, he spat on his hand before stroking his cock a couple of times, his eyes on your face as you looked down at him. he tapped on your chin so you would look at him as he positioned himself at your entrance, the pink flush on your cheeks bringing a smile to his face as he started pushing inside of you slowly, both of you moaning in unison as you enveloped his whole length.

he pushed you further into the wall for added support, one of his hands on your hip and the other resting on the wall. lando found the spot between your jaw and your collarbone and hid his face as he bottomed out, a muffled grunt leaving his lips as he felt you clenching around him already.

he let you adjust to his size for a few seconds before starting to roll his hips into yours slowly, starting to pick up the pace as he left small, wet kisses on your neck and up to your jaw.

"fuck, baby, taking me so well," he panted when his lips reached yours, swallowing a moan from your throat as he licked into your mouth.

one of his hands slid between your legs, fingertips finding your clit and lazily starting to play with it as he fucked you. the added stimulation had you rolling your eyes back, your fists holding his shirt as he pushed you against the wall again and again, his lips muffling the filthy sounds coming out of your mouth.

"oh my god," you whined, feeling his thrust become harder and his cock reaching even deeper inside you, your hands finding their way under his shirt so your nails could dig on his lower back, urging him closer.

you felt his hand creeping up from your pussy to your neck, fingers circling around your throat and applying a slight pressure on the sides of your neck, making you throw your head back against the wall with a loud mewl.

"'m close," you managed to choke out in between pants, feeling the knot in your stomach about to snap when his grip on you became tighter, fingers bruising your delicate skin.

his thrusts became sloppier, breath heaview as his low, raspy moans sent you over the edge. your body tensed up and your pussy clenched around him as you cried out.

the tight grip on his cock was enough for lando to spill inside you only a few seconds later, thrusts lazy as he rode both of your orgasms out. he finally let go of your throat as you panted into each other's mouths, his hands now holding your shaking legs around his hips.

he slowly let go of you, placing you back on your feet tenderly. he helped you get out of your dress, and walked you to his bathroom to get you cleaned. the nice gestures took you by surprise, you had never had a guy seem to care like that.

not that you had really wanted it either, but when he guided you to his bed, covered both your bodies with a blanket and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, you couldn't help a smile from creeping up to your lips.

and it wasn't what you had promised before leaving the bar during the christmas dinner, but you found your way back to his bed only a few days later. and inevitably, you did again the very next week. it felt different this time, falling for someone. he cared, he made sure to make you feel loved every single day for a little over two months.

but when he had to leave again for pre-season testing, you felt everything crumbling when you caught yourself checking your phone for the tenth time that minute, in hopes that his name would pop on your screen again.

you looked at the last text you sent him, asking if he had landed already. only for it to not get delivered.

you knew he had. you had seen pictures of him at the airport posted by fans on social media hours ago. you sighed as you realized that he had, most likely, blocked your number, not wanting to do anything with you anymore.

and you should've expected it, you had heard stories about his ways of playing around. but for a few months, you had believed he could be the one for you.

you felt stupid, heart-broken even. you had fallen head over heels for him, and now all you knew is you would never be able to love anyone like you had loved him again.

[fallingdownhell]

Sumeru men when your sister/best friend tries to convince them to dump you for her.

Yes, I absolutely love topes like these. It gives so much room for drama or fluff or however the writer wants to take it. I decided on a less angsty/dramatic approach this time. Hope you're fine with that.

Characters Included: Alhaitham; Kaveh; Cyno; Tighnari; Scaramouche/Wanderer

Word Count: 4,1k

Also, Part two of this is out now! Read here

Content: Gender neutral reader; she/her pronouns for your best friend; she tries to convince them to dump reader; some cursing; Scara being refered to as Kuni(kuzushi);

Thanks for the request, hope you like what I made out of it!

Alhaitham

He would not even notice that your friend is seeing him like this

I honestly think that if Alhaitham were to ever be in a relationship with someone, he would be so whipped for that person

Alhaitham is a very logic driven man, he doesn't concern himself with feelings or other peoples opinions on him

So when he notices that he does feel something for you, he is as shocked as you are, once he finally decides to tell you

the early stages of your relationship are very rocky, Alhaitham has to learn a great many things about all this

you guys have many ups and downs until you finally find a way for you both to work together and it only got better ever since

you really didn't think much of it when you introduced your boyfriend to your friendgroup and one of the girls kept eyeing him

everyone, including you, knew that Alhaitham was a very beautiful man, so it was a common occurence for people to look at him

but she kept doing it, always eyeing him up and down, yet she never tried anything

until one night were you and your boyfriend went out with the rest of your friendgroup

"I'm going to use the bathroom. Be back in a minute.", you said to Alhaitham before you stood up and made your way over to the other side of the restaurant.

The atmosphere was pretty lively inside and everyone was talking among themselves. Everyone, except for one other person. Your friend had been eyeing Alhaitham this entire night again. He always tried to ignore it, but it was becoming rather annoying for him.

As he was about to say something, she suddenly scooted closer to him, right beside him were you were sitting just a minute ago. Then, she leaned in closer to him while she started to slowly stroke his arm.

"So, what do you say we ditch all those other losers and go back to my place?" She smiled at him while saying this and it only made Alhaitham resent her even more.

"No, I'm good.", he said, grabbing her by the wrist and pushing her hand away from him.

"Oh, come on. I know you want me. You keep looking over to me, every time we meet. Besides, I could give you so much more than that bitch (name) ever could."

She tried to lean in even closer, as Alhaitham was still holding her by the wrist. At this point, he was completely fed up with her. Without warning, he stood up from where he was sitting, gathering the attention of their entire table, but he didn't care. He had been dealing with her disgusting behaviour for far too long.

"No, you can not. And frankly, I'm not interested in cheating on my partner. Not now, not ever and especially not with someone as cheap as you are."

By the end of his little speech, you returned back to his side. You only heard what Alhaitham has said since he stood up, but you had a pretty good picture about what had happened in your absence.

You just looked at her dead in the eyes as you said: "Consider this friendship done. I don't want anything to do with you anymore."

And with that, you and your boyfriend gathered all of your stuff and left the restaurant together.

You later found out that all your other friends also distanced themselves from her, apologizing to you and Alhaitham for not noticing anything sooner.

But the two of you were just glad you didn't have to deal with her anymore.

Kaveh

He would make an entire scene about it

This man is dramatic incarnate with mood swings of hell accompanying him

I mean, we all witnessed his personality first hand in the archon quest. No one can tell me this man is not dramatic as fuck

anyways..

Kaveh believes you to be to most beautiful and most perfect person to have ever walked this earth

So for you, a being of absolute perfection in his eyes, to be in love with him and willing to be in a relationship with him?

Archons, someone please catch him because he is sure he's about to pass out on the spot

thinks of himself as the luckiest guy alive to have scored you. He has no clue on how he did it, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining about it.

You better believe that no one would ever come in between you guys. He would never allow anything like that to happen

It was a slow day for him at the Academya. Kaveh had been reviewing sketches all day long until now, yet nothing has been good enough for him until now. It wasn't like he had any deadline to retain, but this whole process of trying to create something new has been taking far too long for his liking and he felt like he was starting to go mad.

The walls of this office felt like they were slowly closing in on him, trying to bury him beneath them. Worst part was, that he forgot to make himself something to eat, so his stomach had been growling for a few hours now, demanding something to eat.

Yet Kaveh refused to stand up and get something before making at least a tiny bit of progress on this matter at hand. He had always been a very stubborn man, often neglecting himself for his work. You have been scolding him a lot for this behaviour, yet it was difficult for him to let go of it. He was just too used to it at this point.

A knock on his open office door brought him back from his thoughts. He looked up, a part of him hoping to see you there, standing in the door. He felt a little let down as he recognised the figure to be your best friend. The confusion came only a few seconds later.

"Huh? Can I help you with something?"

"Well, not really..", she sheepishly said as she approached him, confusing the man even more. Why was she acting this way? Thinking back, she never acted like that when he interacted with her before. What changed?

She stopped as she stood in front of him, shyly handing him a neatly packed box. "I noticed that you haven't eaten anything today, so I got something for you."

He looked at her, confusion finally turning into understanding. But he didn't want to make a scene, especially not with someone you considered a friend, so he tried to let her down gently.

"Sorry, I'm not really hungry right now." That he didn't want anything from anyone that wasn't you, he left unsaid.

"Oh come on. You haven't eaten the entire day. I'm trying to show you that I can take care of you, better than (name) can. They don't care for you, or they would be standing in my place."

Now absolutely furious, Kaveh was practically sprining out of his chair. Screw friendliness, no one was allowed to talk about you like that. And he was sure to tell her that.

"How dare you say something like that?! Aren't you supposed to be their friend? What kind of friend goes around talking about the other behind their back like that?

No, I want nothing to do with a personality like yours. That is disgusting. I'm not about to cheat on (name)! Why would I do something like that to the most wonderful person I ever met? And besides-!"

Kaveh was now in a full blown rant. He didn't even notice your friend running out of his office with tears in her eyes. Unbeknownst to her or your boyfriend, you were standing outside his open office, a lunch box for him in your hands. You heard the entire thing and your also saw your friend, well former friend, running out of his office. She didn't notice you though.

As you went inside, your boyfriend noticed something moving and when he saw you walking towards him, he immediatly went to you and started gossiping about what just happened while happily munching on his lunch that you brought him.

Yeah.. Kaveh was definitely whipped for you.

Cyno

Cyno is a very stoic lover

at least that's what other people think of him since he very rarely shows any form of emotion

so it's only natural for people to assume that he would be the same when entering a relationship with someone else

well.. those people would be very wrong about their thinking

Cyno, when in private or surrounded by others that he trusted, would become a somewhat expressive person

he still wasn't outright affectionate with you or proclaimed his love for you anywhere he went, but he was trying his damn hardest for you to show you that he loved you

that inculded trying to be on good terms with your friends and family

Cyno isn't the most social and outgoing person, but he tries to get along with the people that are important to you

he sometimes turns to them when he needs advice on what would be a good gift for you or stuff like that

moments like these would be the times where your friends can clearly see how much you actually mean to him

One of your friends has always been a drawn to closed of people who become lovestruck with their significant other and apparently, she decided that she wanted that for her as well. And in her mind, it just HAD to be your boyfriend, Cyno

He was on his way home after a long and stressful day at the Academya. Cyno couldn't wait to get home to you, to taste your cooking and just hold you in his arms again. It was all he needed to charge him back up again. Yet it seemed that fate had different plans with him today.

"Uhm, excuse me?", he was stopped by a very soft spoken voice a little bit behind him. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to find your best friend standing there, looking at him like she wanted to tell him something.

"Can I help you?", he asked, sounding rather cold but he couldn't help it. He was exhausted and he just wanted to get this over with and get home.

"Well, I just needed to talk to you. I was chatting with (name) the other day and they told me that they have been cheating on you with someone else. I'm so sorry but I just had to let you know!"

For a second, his eyes widened in absolute shock.

You? Cheating on him?

That couldn't be. You would never...

After the initial shock, his rational side took over Cyno again and he took a deep breath before turning to your best friend again.

"Thank you for telling me that. Have they also told you when this event happened?"

"Oh.. yes, they did. They said that it was like three days ago."

And now, Cyno was utterly confused. He remembered that day well. It has been a very slow day at work. So slow in fact, that after lunch he took the rest of the day off and went home to spend it with you.

You were still in bed since it had been your day off and you decided to sleep in for once. You were pleasantly surprised to see your boyfriend back so soon and you two spend the entire day in bed.

So Cyno was now obviously confused by the statement that your friend made. It was obviously a lie, but why would she feel the need to lie about something like that? Didn't she know that accusations such as these could very easily lead to a break up?

While he was still pondering in his thoughts about the meaning of this, your friend saw this as her chance to get closer to him. She walked towards Cyno, slowly putting her hand on his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry you had to find out like this. Why don't you come with me? I can help you get over them..", she whispered and that's when Cyno got his answer. The reason as to why she would accuse you of cheating on him.

He immediatly recoiled from her, which seemed to surprise her.

"I don't know how you got that impression, but I would never choose you over them. The fact that you would sink to such lowly methods makes me even more sick.

Now, I suggest, you stay away, from me as well as from (name). I don't want to see you near them ever again. And if I find out that you spread any more lies about them, I will personnaly hunt you down and bring you to justice."

Your friend ran away quickly after that and Cyno could finally return home to you. You noticed that something was off about him and after a nice dinner, he told you all about the encounter he had with your best friend. Well, Ex best friend would be a better term from now on.

That night, you cuddled up closer to Cyno and thanked him for always looking out for you and protecting you.

Tighnari

As we all know, Tighnari is a fennec fox, and fennec foxes mate for life

So Tighnari would only date with the intention of marriage and a life together in mind

something like cheating would never even cross his mind

he would be over the moon if he would find someone that he would want to spend his life with in the first place

you can consider yourself very lucky if Tighnari falls for you

he is very conscious about that side of him and I think he would very much avoid dating for a long time in his life until he met that one person he is sure is meant for him

nothing in this world could ever convince him to leave you once he has made up his mind

of course Tighnari would talk to you about all of that before he would enter a relationship with you

for one to make sure that you were both on the same page, as well as to give you a way out if you were not up for all of that

those were also aspects about his life that he did not share with just anyone

especially regarding things about the fennec fox part of him. only very few and trusted people knew about certain things, like his mating habits

so of course, someone who had no idea about him and how his instincs work, would never fully understand

Tighnari has been looking forward to this day for so long now. You would finally return to him after weeks of being separated because of your studies. While he was understanding about it, he couldn't deny that he missed you greatly.

His more animalistic side has been crying for his mate for a few weeks now and the only form of contact you two had in that time has been through letters you sent each other. Tighnari has been treating each one of them with the upmost care, since it was the only thing he got to recieve from you.

So obviously, the day of your arrival back in Ghandarva Ville was a big deal for him. He has been antsy this entire day, very quick to jump when someone has been calling his name, always anticipating it to be you. Even Collei noticed his change in behaviour, but since she knew where it came from, she didn't worry too much about him, knowing that it would die down once you were finally back. The rangers would just have to deal with it for the time being.

In fact, everyone was very much excited and glad that you would be returning back soon, since they hoped it would finally help with Tighnari's extreme mood swings. They got especially bad the last few days. Well... everyone except one person was excited..

A person that you considered a dear friend was very much not happy about it. If it were her, she would be happy if you just died in a ditch and never returned, so she could take Tighnari for herself. She always had a thing for the Master of the forest rangers, but then you just had to get in the picture and take him for yourself.

She thought that now, while you were gone, it would finally be her time to make her move on him, to get him to see that she was so much better than you could ever be for him. But it was like Tighnari wasn't even paying attention to her. Not to her riskier outfits that she wore and not to the things she was saying to him.

It's like she didn't even exist in his world. Like she was just a nuisance passing through. So, if she really wanted something to happen, she would have to make a deciding move right now, before you returned.

And so, she made her way over to Tighnari's hut, not really sure what she would do, but she knew that she had to do something.

Upon entering, she saw the man sitting on his desk, scribbling on some papers in front of him.

"Tighnari?", she spoke and the man looked up at her, the hope in his eyes quickly washed away as he realised who it was. That did not sit right with her, but she tried to swallow down the fury welling up inside her.

"Yes? Do you need something?", he asked, sounding agitated.

"I do, in fact. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sighing, Tighnari now turned towards her, facing her with a slightly bothered expression, while gesturing for her to continue.

"It's about (name). I want you to choose me over them. I'm so much better than them and I could make you happy. They even left you alone for weeks on end while I have been here with you, trying to get you to notice me. Tell me, what's so special about them? What do they have that I don't?"

It was silent for a few seconds while she waited for an answer from him. She thought that the silence was something good, that he finally saw her for what she could be for him. But when she raised her head to look at Tighnari, the look of utter disgust on his face told her a different story.

"Well, there are many things that you don't have, but we can start with your disgusting personality. (Name) would never even dare to think of themselves as better or above other people. The fact that you think yourself better than them makes me sick.

Now listen closely.. I will never choose anyone over (name). I promised to take care of them an I will see to it that I uphold this vow. So get out of here before I completely loose my temper."

Without another word from her, she ran out and left a very strained Tighnari back in his hut. He was still sorting through his thoughts when a few minutes later, you walked in, greeting your boyfriend after a long time apart.

Tighnari was instantly overjoyed, forgetting all about the events that happened prior to this. He welcomed you in his arms again and refused to let go again. He did not work anymore on that day, and instead spent the rest of it cuddling with you in his bed, talking about all the stuff that happened while you two were apart.

As for "your rival", she got transfered back to the Academya where she would continue her studies, far away from you and Tighnari. But neither of you cared very much about that.

Wanderer/Scaramouche

God, the patience you would need to get into a relationship with him

he never had a very good influence in his life after Niwa and the people from that village, so you will have to be patient and understanding with him

He is trying his best, but it's difficult for him to feel vulnerable

he always considered his feelings as a sign of weakness, so he can't just easily accept them now

It's a process and he will need your help to get through it, even if he would never ask for your help out loud

his pride is in his way quite often, but he tries to tone it down

I see him as a very protective and clingy lover

He would want to be by your side at all times. He tells himself it's to make sure that you don't betray him, but you both now it's because he's starved for any kind of attention and affection you give him

for wanderer to get into a relationship, he would have to really, really trust you, otherwise he would not even consider the thought

so of course he would never consider the possibility of a relationship with someone who was practically a stranger to him

The Wanderer was currently out on a run to get some errands for you. Even though he protested, said you shouldn't have forgotten stuff that you obviously needed, his words were betrayed as he was already on his way to the door.

The thing is, you wanted to cook for him today but silly little you forgot to put a few things on your shopping list that you would need for the dish you were planning to make.

So, your boyfriend, chivalrous as he is, went out to the Grand Bazar to get them for you. He planned on a quick trip, only purchasing the things he needed to, so he could return as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Kuni!"

But fate seemed to have different plans with him, as he heared this joyful voice almost scream his name. He turned around to see a friend of yours running towards him, her arm in the air as she was waving at him.

"What do you want from me? And who told you you could call me that?"

Truth is, he never really liked her. She always looked him up and down and the way she was talking to you never really set right with him. But, he refrained from saying anything, not wanting to upset you or anything. Now though, he wished he wouldn't have acted so friendly with her.

"Aww, come on. Don't be so grumpy, Kuni. I know you like it when I call you that."

Did she... try to sound seductive right now? Judging by the way she was clinging to him and batting her lashes at him, he would guess that yes, she was trying to seduce him. Not that he would ever agree to any of it, but he wanted to see how far she would be willing to go.

"Yeah, you're right.. I do... like it.." Every fiber of his being wanted to recoil from her and throw up in disgust after he said those words. It felt so wrong to him, but it seemed that she didn't notice that.

In fact, she looked delighted to hear those words leave his mouth. "I knew it. I knew that you would come around. It was obvious that (name) wasn't the right person for you. After all, they can never do anything right, wouldn't you agree? Honestly, I'm just glad I stayed friends with them long enough to get to know you. We match so much better, don't you think?"

Ohh, now she was in for it. He would not just stand here and allow her to disrespect you like that. Not on his watch.

"Now listen here, you little bitch. I know you did not just say that about someone who consideres you to be a friend. I don't know how you got the idea that I could ever be into you, but you're very wrong.

So get that into your thick skull, I will never want someone like you. And I suggest you better leave (name) and me alone from now on. Unless of course, you want to find out what I can do to make your life a living hell.

Now, run along, and never come back."

Suddenly frightened, she slowly backed away from him before turning and bolting away like the devil itself was chasing after her.

The Wanderer only sighed as he finished up with the shopping list and returned back to you like nothing had happened.

The next few days, you noticed that your friend avoided you like the pest, but when you went to your boyfriend to ask if he knew if anything had happened, he merely shrugged his shoulders, pretending that he didn't know anything.

[mallowwblossom]

OUTER BANKS SEASON 4 SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!!

Ok, so now that JJ is dead, NO ONE can. convince me that Riara WON'T happen in season 5 AND LET ME TELL Y'ALL WHY.

First of all, their chemistry has been there from the start. You could feel it even in season 1, and if you say otherwise, you're lying. They’ve given us so many moments—both direct and indirect interactions.

Have you noticed that when Rafe talks about Kiara, he uses her full name, but when he addresses her directly, it's ALWAYS and ONLY "Kie"?

THAT LOOK??? ARE Y'ALL SERIOUSLY GOING TO DENY THAT LOOK?

Also, remember in season 1, when Pope and Kiara talked, and Pope brought up her "Kook Year"? She reacted badly to that, and considering she was Sarah's best friend back then, a possible fling between Rafe and Kiara could've easily happened and is HEAVILY IMPLIED.

When Rafe picks fights with the Pogues, he never really targets Kiara aggressively(I mean yes he does almost choke her and tries to down her in the sewers but ykwim).For example, in season 1, he pulls her away from Barry, saying she was not the one they were looking for.

And these are only moments from the FIRST SEASON! The fact that are only those present in the first season and some of you still don't believe this ship leaves me flabbergasted.

Their strongest moment was definitely in season 3 with an entire arc of them together in Barbados.

ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT MEANT NOTHING?

Now, yes, Rafe met Sofia and dated her in season 3, but tbh it never felt genuine. Rafe is a twisted man, and it seemed like she was just a replacement for the family he lost. Rafe needs someone whom he can prove himself to, to encourage and love him, partly to prove he can be like Ward, another twisted man who always managed to keep his family together and placed his family first (at least according to his disturbed vision) . Now that he feels "betrayed" by Sofia, I doubt we’ll see her again.

ALSO THE RIARA MOMENTS IN THIS SZN WEREN'T GONE AT ALL, THEY WERE ON FULL FORCE.

Call me crazy if you want, but I genuinely believe Riara will become canon. It might even be part of the reason they decided to kill off JJ. Yes, Rudy Pankow didn’t want to continue on the show, but remember that interview where Carlacia said Cleo and JJ were supposed to be a couple? I don’t think Jiara was in the plan from the start; it happened mostly because of fans.

I’m not happy with how they handled this season, and I’ll probably talk about that in another post. I’m definitely NOT happy with JJ’s finale, but I’m excited about this likely-to-happen Riara pairing. And I don't know If It's just me but I'm noticing the writers seem to be pushing a potential redemption arc for Rafe, which I don’t fully approve of—but who knows, that could be another hint for Riara?

---

Side note: If you were in the OUAT fandom in the 2013/2014 I'm telling this is like the Bealfire-Emma-Hook love triangle. Like we all liked I hope Baelfire, but from the SECOND we saw Hook, we all knew Neal was supposed to go. Change my mindddd

MIND YOU ENGLISH ISN'T MY FIRST LANGUAGE AND I REALLY HOPE I MANAGED TO GET MY POINT ACROSS😭

Of course, that is entirely my opinion, but PLS do interact because I'm curious about everyone's take on this. <33

[topherwrites]

FIC RECS: TOP GUN: MAVERICK - 2!

Okay, so there was shit I forgot in my year in review rec list. I posted it and a minimum of about 10 other fics immediately came to mind. so, part 2! I also didn't put many WIPs on the first one, but I think currently in progress fics should get some love too. I'll be marking them with an asterisk.

If I made a little comment about every single fic or series here, it would be inhumanely long, so I've refrained from doing so and have just put the summaries for each.

I hope that anyone who reads this list finds something that they love on it just as much as I do! Happy reading!

P.S. If I missed anyone, I'm sorry, there was a lot to sort through!

(P.S.S. reblog the fics you like, it makes writers happy.)

part 1, if you missed it.

SOME OF THESE ARE 18+, PLEASE HEED THE INDIVIDUAL WARNINGS!

JAKE SERESIN

Parking Lots and Matcha Lattes by @withahappyrefrain

In an attempt to get coffee, you meet a grade A asshole whose head you want to rip off. Meanwhile, Jake Seresin is pretty certain he just met his future wife in the parking lot of a coffee shop. AKA Jake Seresin likes mean women, pass it on.

The Hangman Special by @hangmanssunnies

On a night out with your friends at a fancy cocktail bar, you are just trying to keep your head down and ignore the girl that your ex cheated on you with. The night only seems like it's going to get worse when you are dared to kiss a stranger at the bar. However, it seems like the odds might finally be in your favor when you notice a familiar set of broad shoulders. If you can be convincing, you think you might just be able to get your brother's friend Jake "Hangman" Seresin to help you out with your little problem.

*she is both hellfire and holy water by @chemistryread

you should take it as a compliment, that I'm talking to everyone here but you.

Birds Away by @wombtotombx

You’d known Jake since you were kids, bonding over the shared experience of being military brats overseas. You were the perfect pair - he was reckless, you followed the rules; he didn’t care what others thought, you were a people-pleaser. You both became the best of the best in your field - he through sheer talent and skill, you from demonstrated grit and determination. For over two decades, everyone around you - parents, friends, even teachers - had assumed you’d both end up together, despite the fact that somehow, you never did. The Navy always had its way of keeping you two apart. Whatever possibilities there might have been, it was just never in the cards. Until you got to Fallon.

*The Backup by @ereardon

No strings attached sex never works, right? You and Jake Seresin have fallen into a bad pattern of seeking each other out for sex after dates go awry, but a year of being friends with benefits with Jake hasn’t been good for your dating life. Especially when the two of you are hiding your antics from your lifelong best friend Coyote and the rest of your tightly knit friend group. But what happens when you decide to take a step back and end the cycle with Jake to focus on your dating life? And why is it that all of the sudden Jake looks more irresistible than ever when you know he’s off limits? 

Take Care of Business by @honkytonk-hangman

The last time you met Lieutenant Jake Seresin, the war was still ongoing and you’d been in a floundering engagement. Back then you’d seen the possibility for more in his eyes, and now? Well, now you could explore it.

When Jake Met Polly by @/honkytonk-hangman

Jake likes to flirt with his Air Traffic Controller or Jake Seresin has never seen When Harry Met Sally.

How It's Done (Oneshot Version) by @/honkytonk-hangman

“Like me? I didn’t even think you wanted me as a squadmate, let alone–” you stop speaking, but only because Hangman cuts his eyes sharply away from you to glare out at the ocean. “Well, I do.” He says kind of indignantly, all things considered, and eyes you almost sourly. “You can just say no if you don’t–” “–No, I do!” you quickly cut him off, because at the end of it all, you’re a little too much of a hopeless romantic to let this moment pass you by.

Twenty-Five Going on Forty-Seven by @sehnsuchts-trunken

Flirting with the guy who fixed your car turns out to lead to much, much more when you find out he’s actually not just some random guy, but your new neighbour and father’s new best friend, Jake Seresin.

BRADLEY BRADSHAW

*fever pitch by @greenorangevioletgrass

Arsenal and USMNT captain Bradley Bradshaw attends the mononymous music sensation Y/N's concert with a friendship bracelet and a dream. Little did he know that they soon embark on an epic love story fit for pop royalty...

This Love Came Back to Me by @beyondthesefourwalls

You and Bradley hadn’t ended on bad terms; really, you stopped before the two of you could even truly begin. Still, in the last seven months, you had never completely left his mind. So when you suddenly appeared in front of him at the bar, asking for a favor and pulling him into a kiss, he thought maybe it was the perfect opportunity to see if this time, things could be different. But what neither of you realized was that there’s more going on than just rekindling a lost romance, and it might not be as easy as simply just wanting it.

I Like Your Cinema by @sometimesanalice

Bradley wasn’t sure why you wanted to see the movie again, especially when neither one of you had particularly liked it the first time you’d seen it together. But when you’re tugging down his zipper, things start to make a lot more sense.

‘cause no one breaks my heart like you by @heartsofminds

“Last times always make him uneasy. He thinks that he should be used to it by now from his track record of being abandoned (willfully or “out of their control” situations alike). None of this should hurt him as deeply anymore.” or Bradley Bradshaw is terrified of commitment and he decides to stop being selfish (even though it’s hard to see).

the periphery by @youvebeenlivingfictional

You’d met Bradley a few times before the happy couple had announced their nuptials, and you’d always gotten a pretty good vibe from him. He was sweet, he was easy to talk to—and it helped that he was easy on the eyes. In fact, as soon as you’d been told that Bradley Bradshaw was going to be the Best Man, you were well on your way to having a crush on the guy.

*Hotter Than Texas by @tongue-like-a-razor

Bradley Bradshaw is tasked with transporting a not-so-delicate package in the form of Jake Seresin’s baby sister, who turns out to be Bradley’s dream girl worst nightmare.

*flight risk by @ofstoriesandstardust

In which you and Rooster got married while at UVA for the military benefits. What started out as a mutually beneficial deal between friends years ago turns into a point of interest for Maverick, causing Rooster to have to haul you out to Fightertown to get him to shut up. While Maverick’s fussing over a marriage he didn’t know existed, Rooster’s focused on getting the ball rolling on divorce papers because really, the Navy does not need to be calling some poor girl from his college that he’s died in a horrendous accident. It’s proving to be more difficult than he expected, especially when Hangman and Phoenix take it upon themselves to encourage a friendship to become more. 

How You Play the Game by @roosterforme

Bradley always loved October because of the World Series. He never expected a mix-up with the ticket he won to bring something as spectacular as you into his life. But time is fleeting, and now baseball is the last thing on his mind.

*The Intern by @/roosterforme

You barely have a minute to yourself after graduating at the top of your Ivy League class before your father insists you find an internship. Your days of lounging by the pool and partying are numbered as he has an endless parade of his colleagues visiting the house. But one of them is familiar to you in a way that warms your skin just like the San Diego sun. And it turns out, Bradley Bradshaw may just have the answers to all your problems. And those answers might be waiting for you on a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea.

there was something 'bout you by @bussyslayer333

bradley bradshaw didn’t fall in love, especially not with uptight girls in his english lit class and especially not the ones being forced into tutoring him.

*Ultraviolence by @babyonboard

You and Bradley loved each other, and Jake was just your old friend from high school who you tried to pay no mind to. At least that's how it used to be.

All Too Well by @bradleyfuckingbradshaw

You’re at dinner with your boyfriend and some of his colleagues at a restaurant he chose when you look over the menu and realize there’s no vegetarian option, but he’s too busy with his friends to realize that. Bradley isn’t.

October 3rd Promptober by @familyvideostevie

you go to a tailgate with your friend bradley.

If You Met Me First by @tip-top-cloud-surfer

Rooster confessed to Echo that he was in love with her before the mission. One minor problem: she has a boyfriend.

Home for the Holidays by @mothdruid

Bradley might have lied about having a girlfriend. His best friend, you, decide to help him out and go home for the holidays with him. As the trip unfolds, so does your and Bradley’s feelings for one another.

BOB FLOYD

*I bet this would look beautiful on film by @coridotmp3

Honey desperately needs a photographer, and Bob desperately needs a break.

Robert from Next Door by @attapullman

You've lucked out with the perfect neighbor, a kind and overly helpful WSO. He puts up Christmas lights, lends his lawn mower, and grabs your morning paper. But what happens when he's out of peppermint tea one night?

If Only the Neighbors Knew by @/attapullman

A month of stolen kisses culminates in Robert hosting the HOA meeting and getting you on his couch. The ladies of the neighborhood may make him blush, but only you can make your sweet neighbor weak in the knees.

*Golden Hour by @/ereardon

Willow, Georgia. Barely even a town, just a speck on a map that you tried to wipe off, mistaking it for a crumb. You’re the outsider: a fancy New York doctor, fresh out of a failed engagement, with zero primary care experience. You’re also the new town doctor, taking over for a recent retiree who was beloved. His son, Bob Floyd, is the other physician at the practice, and takes an immediate dislike to you. But you were looking for a fresh start, and Willow doesn’t seem all that bad if you can get past the fact that there's only one restaurant in town. It helps that you've caught the eye of Bradley Bradshaw, the town attorney, despite the fact that you vowed to take a break from dating. How long until you start to make friends in a town where social circles have been set in stone since elementary school? And what will it take to make Bob Floyd see you’re not as bad as he wants to believe you are?

Ruin the Friendship by @withahappyrefrain

The night before Bob leaves for Boot Camp, he’s learned no one has gone down on his best friend. He’s determined to fix that.

International Bob Floyd Fucks Month Masterlist

a january writing event hosted by @/attapullman

Bob from Stats by @/attapullman

College is a wild time, but absolutely nothing could prepare you for the quiet guy from Stats riding around campus as a cowboy. Or what a good kisser he is.

[castielsprostate]

VENOM 3 SPOILERS AHEAD!!! and veryyyy unorganized thoughts below the cuttt!!!

first of all. OH MY GOD. genuinely this was a beautifully executed storyline, with the most bitter, heartwrenching ending. tom hardy when i fucking GET YOU!!!!!!!!!!

okay. im in actual, real life tears over this movie. venom saved eddie's life within, what? 3 days of knowing him? a week tops? and venom brought eddie back from the fucking dead!!!!!!! DESPITE KNOWING!!!!!!!!! WHAT WOULD HAPPEN!!!!!! despite knowing he would trigger the codex, venom still saved eddie's fucking life! which is especially interesting considering the symbiote in mulligan, which i am assuming was in him for a WHILE, left him to die (fair!) at the end of the second movie! venom saved eddie's life. without a second thought.

also this definitely was a love story between eddie and venom. they literally had their break up arc in the second movie(!) and this tied a beautiful, bitter end to their very tragic story. venom saying, to eddie, what martin said. "until we meet again", genuine tears in my eyes. it showed venom's humanity, everything he learned, from eddie and others. to me, personally, venom is still with eddie. they're living symbiotically, with eddie on one side of the door and venom on the other. nierka(??? i totally butchered that lmao). eddie saying i will never forget you buddy while looking at lady liberty. GOD. eddie isn't alone anymore! eddie won't EVER be alone!!!!!!!!!! despite what everyone told him!!!!!!!!! eddie has venom, maybe not physically right now, but he still has a part of him!!!!!!!! they're both free. they're both. GAH.

also there still is a bit of venom left. in a tiny test tube, at the bottom of area 55. don't think i forgot about that!!!!! he's still there, they never showed us that it actually got destroyed. and EYE believe that venom found eddie, after they blew up. and it somehow, in some marvel magic sparkles way reset the codex. they still have each other, until the end!!!!! TILL DEATH DO THEY PART!!!!!!!!!!!!!

genuinely, the writers cared. tom hardy cared!!!!!!! i don't know how many people he had to keep under gunshot to get this, but he gave us a beautiful trilogy about love and friendship and humanity and finding each other. the queerness of it all, the found family (except the chickens. how DARE eddie give the chickens away. for that alone he should've died).

eddie saying he was born with it [the weird arms] also just. god it added another layer didn't it? also what actually happened to that guy. like. he got his bar destroyed, and then he got fucking tazed lmao??? what did they do to him????? also the WAY that in the "sacred timeline" the bartender looked all cleaned up and put together despite the fucking snap 💀💀💀💀 and how the bar was nicer. the disney filter!!!!!!!!!

that also left a very veryyy clear way for them to bring eddie!venom back but in the MCU, because they didn't show the TVA resetting the timeline! venom saying eddie would've made a great father. well. you had carnage and i think it's best you don't try again huh.

i missed anne, but i think that her not being there was. good? it was good. she and eddie truly loved each other as friends and whilst i hoped they'd at least have a phone call or a singular scene together, i do get why they didn't! she moved on with her life, and it was time for eddie to move on with his. her telling venom to keep him safe at the end of the second movie. and he did! he gave his own life for eddie's, he kept his promise. i just. GOD. venom keeping eddie alive as the symbiotehunters kept coming and coming and coming. keeping eddie from looking back, and healing him one. last. time. HE DIDN'T EVEN NEED TO SAY I LOVE YOU!!!!! EDDIE JUST KNEW!!!!!!! EDDIE!!!!!! KNEW!!!!!!!!!!!

eddie saying "but i need him". it had me bawling. BAWLING. but i need him. oh eddie. EDDIE. 😭😭😭😭😭 anne said he was too afraid of commitment and yet. AND YET. he was willing to DIE for an alien!!!!!! and to then say he needs him. god.

was the movie a bit retconn-y? maybe. did they use this as a segway for more movies with different characters? absolutely lmao. was it an ad for crocs? yes that too. but i think that this was a good end. they won't drag it out, they won't destroy a good comic for more money (for now). the song choices were also OUTSTANDING. the symbiotes coming together to save eddie and venom, because they knew!!!!! THEY KNEW!!!!!!!! eddie nor venom sparing a second look at sexy ladies!!!!!!!!!!! the dancing with mrs chen!!!!!!!! GAH

to me, right now, eddie and venom are sitting on a beach, toes in the sand, finally sipping the bloody mary that venom didn't get to drink at the beginning with miss chen on one side, anne and dan enjoying the ocean, and agent mulligan on the other side. alive, happy, together. and the bartender. he's there too. for funsies.

[irlplasticlamb]

some hotd succession au headcanons… i beg…

so! none of the hotd characters in this u are 1-1 equivalent to the succession ones, more of amalgamations of certain character traits/plot points/tropes hahah

— aegon ii is majorly roman coded ofc as in: terrible sense of humour, NO moral backbone, sex issues, daddy issues, mummy issues, issues in general, he doesn’t want to be the ceo, he just desperately wants daddy to be proud of him. he’s also kendall coded as in suicidal, with massive addiction problems, in and out of rehab constantly. but also a little bit of connor coded as in “i am the (eldest) first son. i AM the first son and i’m not considered”. a failure tbh, he lashes out a lot because he wants people to pay attention to him (LOOSEEEER). his relationship with alicent is a bit similar to kendall’s with caroline, aegon wants that deeper connection but it’s very hard for both of them to communicate. his relationship with larys is very romegerri coded.

for miscellaneous, aegon’s an annoying microinfluencer who gets cancelled every other week. he can’t dress for shit. sunfyre is his gigantic dog who drools EVERYWHERE. he’s a bit trans fem in the „i’m probably trans but i have a company to take over so can’t think of that rn” way.

— rhaenyra is majorly kendall coded as in: groomed to be the ceo and promised the position since she was a child, which OF COURSE messed her up a little (a lot). if she doesn’t end up the ceo then who is she? suddenly her position is compromised after the targtowers are born and she’s majorly FUCKED. she loves her siblings somewhat but she resents them for existing at the same time. rhae’s also shiv coded because she’s a woman in power (but not ENOUGH power) and she’s privileged enough to ignore feminism unless it is in her advantage. a little bit naomi pierce coded but her „scandalous” past is based in many messy romances and kids out of wedlock.

for miscellaneous, she’s a part time model, a very fussy eater and a passenger princess. she’s also a bit trans masc in the „i’m probably trans but i have a company to take over so can’t think of that rn” way.

— alicent is A BIT stewy coded in context of rhaenyra because they were inseparable homoerotic coke snoring (yeah, her religious conservatism happens later in this story as a coping mechanism) best friends slash lovers in high school, until she got forced by otto and groomed by viserys to marry him. yeah, the terrible age gap is still there and she has aegon when she’s seventeen* because i feel like early motherhood is a very important part of who alicent is and becomes. she’s miserable as always. she’s also marcia coded in the “you’ve been careless of me” way, she tries very hard at the beginning to be a perfect little wife and mother. it eventually breaks her.

for miscellaneous, she used to be a model, HATED it. wanted to become a writer but it never came to fruition because of how quickly she got married. she’s a good cook but rarely gets to cook anymore.

** the rough timeline is: she has aegon at 17, helaena at 18, aemond at 20 and daeron at 22. aegon is 32 in this au, hela is 31, aemond is 29 and daeron is 27. alicent is 49, viserys is 70, rhae is actually 47 because i want to close the gap between her and the targtowers at least a little bit. rhaenyra and alicent still went to the same class together because rhae started school 2 years later than she „should’ve”, let’s just say viserys didn’t want his little girl out of the house as quickly because he was so shaken after losing aemma, or they went travelling when she was a kid and that put her two years behind, or smth. idc!

— aemond is uhhh a mix of everything. “i AM THE ELDEST BOY” kendall coded, spit and desperation everywhere, because i think in this au his reliability and skills would get somewhat recognised by viserys and by the company, and it would GET IN HIS HEAD HARD. he’s definitely the parentified son like connor. but he is not the eldest boy. he’s the fucking fourth kid. he knows, not matter his skills, his diligence, his discipline, the position will never be his. he kills a kid like ken (rip lucerys drowning in a nasty ass body of water once again). shiv coded because of his cunty ass bob. roman coded because of possible ed issues (actually i think all of them struggle with food and body image to certain degree because that „summer of competitive eating disorders” line in the succession script book never left my head ever).

for miscellaneous, he’s a part time actor, he trained ballet for a while and loved it but was very quickly forced to switch to fencing and shooting lessons. he makes a mean cup of coffee and refuses to ever buy it. has a minor coke problem but is VERY good at hiding it.

— helaena is a hard one. a bit willa coded when it comes to her love for arts and creative expression. a bit connor coded as in secluded, living on a ranch, not partaking in the business side of the family unless necessary. she sees the unnecessary pain this fight for the ceo position brings to her siblings and wants nothing to do with it. alicent tries very hard to include her, quite forcefully at times but it never works for long, so she’s mostly left to her own devices. helaena probablymhzs the best relationship with rhaenyra out of all the siblings because rhae doesn’t see her as a threat.

for miscellaneous, she trained ballet with aemond, then switched to gymnastics. now very into pilates and yoga. she makes her own wine and jam, has an extensive herb garden and is a little insane about naturopathic medicine.

— daeron is kinda stewy-ish? he’s good with business, he knows his stuff and he usually makes VERY good choices but he doesn’t take it as seriously as his siblings. then again, because daeron’s the youngest, he doesn’t get to make a lot of big decisions anyways. that takes a lot of pressure of his shoulders! he’s also stewy level of loyal, „i’m team aegon baby!” even though he knows how messed up his older brother is about this whole business stuff.

for miscellaneous, he’s VERY into street racing. that gives alicent a gigantic headache. he’s allergic to cats but owns one anyways. never cooked in his life.

[gentaro-kinniecom]

『Best friends to lovers trope + first kiss』

Characters: Souma Kanzaki, Yuta Aoi, Suou Tsukasa, Himeru, Kohaku Oukawa, Kanata Shinkai, Arashi Narukami, Hiyori Tomoe, Ritsu Sakuma and Ibara Saegusa.

C/w: fluff, jealousy (?), somewhat angst depending on some parts like (i can’t really specify since it’s up to the readers pov 🥲) , long post ?? (Ten characters meaning more scrolling if you see it that way?), Madara’s a chismoso in Kohaku’s part (snitch; I swear he did it cause Kohaku wasn’t making a move LMAO) it’s just cute and kisses rahh i love fluff (not proofread my bad) [WHY IS HIYORI’S PART SO LONG HELLO im not biased i swear] ugly cried making Ritsu’s part help. 3.5k words woah-

A/n: hello everyone :3 first off I wanna say tysm for the support in my last post!! I didn’t think it a lot of people would like it but im glad you guys enjoyed it, it made my day seeing all the support <3! And second, I’m working on those requests I PROMISEE (atp spam me to motivate me pls /hj), and I will be posting the remaining parts of the series “Kissing/Making out + hcs” soon as well, writers block really is making me not post 😭 but anyways!! Hope y’all enjoy this super cute trope >:3

Souma Kanzaki✰

Your absolute best friend in the marine bio club, he loves researching about cute creatures and taking care of them too!! Souma isn’t really focused on romance, he’s really glad to have found friends like you and Adonis. But, why was he feeling some sort of way around you? Your smile was so soft, he felt his heart beat at the thought of it, and how warm your personality was with him. He was scared to even confess because you’ve been such a good friend to him that he really doesn’t want to ruin that friendship.

But its not like you have hinted anything towards him. It’s always been Adonis or Kanata, hell, even Kaoru, he wants you to look at him for once, just once and say you love him. Souma started to doubt whether or not to tell you, when suddenly as he opened his locker, saw an envelope with your name in it, addressed to him. He decided on going to the place you mentioned in your letter, seeing you there with a smile.

“Y/n…do you feel what I feel? I really enjoy your presence, but I can’t help but feel I want to be more than your friend, perhaps a partner? If you want to stay as friends then I understand-“

With that, you kissed him, he felt like his world was just surrounded by you and just you both. As you parted away, Souma blushed a bit, smiling brightly but slightly embarrassed as you spoke

“I love you too Souma, I’ve been waiting to say those words to you”

Yuta Aoi✰

Let’s face it, you’re friends with Yuta and best friends with Hinata. He hates feeling like a second option towards you when Hinata isn’t there. Of course, you share moments like any good friend would, talking and spending time together. But it was all about Hinata; Hinata this, Hinata that. Yuta started growing feelings of jealousy for a while, but he couldn’t just go to his brothers best friend and admit of their crush, opening his heart out there and waiting for it to be held or acepted, anything but crushed.

Yuta knew he had to act one day or another, it can’t stay like this when you’re just there, being so kind to him even if he felt like a filler for when Hinata wasn’t there. Until one day, his brother found out about his crush, and promised him that he wasn’t interested in you, after all, Hinata felt like you were the sister they never had. After that day, Yuta saw things clearly, not blinded by the silly jealousy towards his brother and now focusing on winning your heart. Eventually, he invited you out to hang out together, which could be considered a date but he liked saying they were only going out as friends. Right after ending the date, Yuta held your hands softly, sighing before speaking.

“So, I wanna thank you for accepting my invite um to go out..but I also want to say something important-“

You cut him off by kissing him, he stood still, a bit in shock while his heart felt like it was about to burst.

“I like you too Yuta..sorry if I made you feel in any way less than your brother, you’re very important to me, you both are”

Suou Tsukasa✰

Your friendship began with your father’s company partnering up with Tsukasa’s. You both instantly clicked having somewhat same interests, going to cafe’s around japan whenever your families traveled to other cities. Suou loves going to Yumenosaki Academy with you, it’s a routine going in and out and after school, taking you to the sweet fan club. It’s no surprise when the members of the club ask if you’re dating, to which Suou just blushes and denies it. Perhaps he was developing feelings for you?

No it couldn’t be, you were his best friend, and childhood one too. Kohaku had seen Suou doubtful at times and comforted him, encouraging his cousin to give it a try if he truly loved you. Even if things wouldn’t be the same after, Suou was really going to give this a try. The following days consisted of him acting more affectionate and close with you, gifting you small things like your favorite sweets even jewelry as well. To the point where you confronted him about all the sudden coddling.

“Okay Suou listen I appreciate the gifts and the kindness, but..is there a reason why you’re doing this? I mean- wait, you’re definitely hidding something right? Come on I know you and I’ve done so my entire life, it can’t be that bad-“

Suou leaned forward, kissing you softly as he had felt brave in that moment, soon pulling away muttering a small apology as he sighed

“I-I’m sorry, I really love your company and your sweet personality, you’ve showed me how to love and feel loved. I truly hope you feel the same as I do”

Himeru✰

After the incident regarding his brother, Kaname, Himeru learned everything about his brother. People didn’t find him strange, or acting weird when referring to himself in third person, after all Himeru knew how to blend in well with the crowd. Except for one person, you. Knowing Kaname well had it’s things, like predicting what things he wanted to do or talk about in the moment, even sharing class schedules with each other, so you knew he was not Kaname, but instead his brother who he had mentioned briefly before Himeru had come in as ‘him’. Still, Himeru had that side of him that made you look at him in another light.

Of course, he was portraying as his brother but, something about Himeru was just so different, he was more mature, rationalized everything and serious in a way that made you like him? He was kind and gentle with you, almost sickening, but in a good way. A year passed by and Himeru invited you to see his brother, how the incident had left him in a state of coma, tears were shed that day, and a lot. But you knew how much trust and care he had in you. So when he pulled you aside as you walked towards the place he’d ask you to meet him at, you weren’t surprised at what he said.

“Himeru hopes this is enough appropriate to aproach you this way. Himeru asked for you to meet him here, Himeru is thankful for that…would you be willing to give Himeru the opportunity to show you how much ‘I’ love you?”

You smiled, one he loved seeing so frequently. He placed his arms around you in a comforting way, kissing you softly while smiling

“Yes Himeru, I love you, not because you’re ‘impersonating’ your brother but, because i fell in love with the real you, the real Himeru thats under that façade”

Kohaku Oukawa✰

Being part of whatever Madara dragged him into, wasn’t easy, especially with making acquaintances rather than his unit mates and Madara himself, not to mention his cousin Suou who is somewhat friends with you. He can’t even recall the time you both met, perhaps his cousin introduced you or he had seen you around the Reimei dormitories. Even if Kohaku didn’t attend school, he looked forward in meeting you in the hallways of the dorms. His conversations being short and direct but well mannered, he seemed to have taken a liking to you.

Or more like a slight fling of trust towards you since you knew his cousin and friends well. It wasn’t like him when he offered you to join him and share some of his favorite sweets or chatting online when you didn’t have time to hang out, always ending up with photos of Kohaku and the thing he was so busy at. Sometimes it would be photos of him at the practice studio or helping Madara out with something, they were really cute, but he didn’t have to know that, right? Then he suggested you both went out, taking you to his favorite shops and cafe’s filled with pastries from around the world, sharing a bite of the (favorite pastry) you were eating as he spoke, now having the opportunity to do so since you were both in a much more secluded area.

“Hey so..would it be alright if I..confessed? Okay no I’m not gonna beat around the bush, I like you, a lot. I talked this with Madara and he said i should tell you since honesty is important and”

He stopped, looking at you briefly after you had kissed him momentarily on the lips, he stared for a bit before snapping back into reality, coughing a bit as he averted his eyes across the room, trying to hide the embarrassment he felt because you liked him back and kissed him, even though he wanted to do so first

“Perhaps a little birdy might’ve told me something like that before…however the answer is still the same, I like you too Kohaku, thank you for being honest, I really like that about you too”

“HE WHAT-“

Kanata Shinakai✰

You both met thanks to Madara and Ryuusetai. Since you worked with Madara on some missions, you actually knew Kanata when he was proclaimed to be a ‘god’. The shinkai cult was a very harsh one but, after Madara had saved Kanata, he was in your ‘debt’. But it never felt that way to either of you, Kanata is your best friend, one that always drags you towards any nearby water or anything you both enjoy. He really likes spending time with you and will not back off if you tell him he’s “too clingy”. People always say you were like platonic soulmates, but you’d always denied it with a small blush on your face.

However, feelings started to develop when he would always go towards you in need of help or advice, even saying good morning before anyone else, you were first and it made you feel something whenever he smiled at you or dragged you into the cold water of the fountain. Kaoru was the first to notice your feelings whenever you came by the marine bio club, cheeks a bit pink as Kanata hugged you. It was kinda obvious of how much you liked each other but were oblivious to it. Till one day, he invited you out to meet him in one of his favorite spots, laying out a blanket with some of your favorite snacks, looking at the ocean in front of you as he held your hand under the afternoon sun.

“I think I’m developing ‘feelings’ for you~ Y/n~, do you ‘like’ me too~?”

Smiling, he knew to take that as a sign to kiss you, his lips soft against yours as you parted away slowly, taking the time to admire his features and how the wind moved his hair slightly

“I love you Kanata, it feels like we’re destined to be with one another”

Arashi Narukami✰

The cool stylish best friend you were so proud to have. Arashi knew the best skin care products and even gave you tips from time to time. She was the best to go to if you had any problems about anything. You both met at one of her regular make up stores to go to in the daily, she just so happened to love your fit and exchanged numbers. Arashi invites you to a couple of her shootings sometimes, looking your way when she’s posing or winking and the staff is quite positive that you’re dating each other. To which Arashi has no objection to but you’re almost sure she’s teasing you.

Besides you both have been friends for a couple of years, it’s nothing serious…or so you thought. Arashi had arranged a dinner after her regular model shootings and invited you, alone. Which caused some doubts because she would normally invite the rest of the Knights with you to eat together, especially for dinner. Upon entering the restaurant, placing your orders and sitting down, Arashi took out what seemed to be a box, you almost thought she was asking you to marry her but as she opened it, there were two rings, almost equal, she smiled and seemed a bit bashful as she spoke.

“You know I’m not really used to any of this but, I like you Y/n, I saw these rings and thought why not use them as promise rings? I hope you like it~!”

You smiled and held her hand as she kissed your cheek softly, then moving to kiss your lips briefly. Arashi then placed the ring on your finger as you did to her’s too. Many people thought it was an engagement and congratulated you both, even if it wasn’t, you ended up getting free dessert and a wonderful time with her

“I like you too Arashi! What just happened feels like something out of a fairytale, it was so romantic, thank you for the wonderful time~!”

Hiyori Tomoe✰

Your 'archnemesis’ that turned into your best friend. Hiyori really didn’t get along well with you, especially when you hanged around with Jun most of the time, talking about similar interests as he watched you both from the sidelines while he waited for Jun to finish his conversation. It wasn’t fair whenever Jun opt to spend more time with you rather than him and his dog Bloody Mary. However one time, Jun went off with Makoto, leaving you alone with Hiyori and his dog, he then realized how kind you were with everything, especially Bloody Mary. After that day you both became the most inseparable of friends. Always giving you tips on your wardrobe and going out to get lunch or a cup of coffee to start the day. When he invited you to his concerts and events, you were always there, first row cheering him on as he looked at you from the stage. Something about seeing you so cheery in the crowd made his heart flutter, he felt so loved and cherished by his best friend.

Although he wouldn’t consider that anymore, it had developed into a crush throughout the weeks, leaning into your touch more as you both linked arms or his arm around your shoulder. He trusted you with some of his worries and inquires, always looking forward to your advice whenever he felt down or lost. He eventually ranted towards Nagisa and Bloody Mary, to which Nagisa pretty much replied with “be honest with them, you never know unless you say something”. Nagisa was right, he had to do whatever it took to say how he was feeling and Hiyori wasn’t backing down on this. It was when he had the idea to confess after one of his concerts with Eve, after briefly finishing and the majority of the people had left, he requested for your presence in his dressing room, escorted by one of the bodyguards Ibara had hired for the concert. Soon entering his dressing room and seeing flowers everywhere, even a small rose petal line leading directly towards Hiyori as he smiled and held a beautiful bouquet of your favorite flowers.

“Hiyori! Wow it’s so beautiful..but, why all this commotion? I mean I love it but-“

You felt his lips against yours briefly, a soft giggle leaving his lips as he leaned towards you once more, catching you by surprise again

“My dearest Y/n! I must admit you’ve caught my eye, and I have developed feelings for you, I hope you truly feel the same”

Ritsu Sakuma✰

Ritsu had admired you from afar for quite some time now, noticing how happy you were with his brother and unit, too busy to even notice his presence whenever he was sleeping nearby, but that all changed once his brother had invited you over to dinner at their home. That’s how the friendship became to grow, you both shared similar tastes, music and even things like sleeping. He was your best friend since then and has been for a couple of months. Unfortunately, since he still holds a grudge against his brother Rei, you were kinda forced to choose between them, although not necessarily since you’d seen Rei almost everyday and Ritsu too, separated from each other. He opened himself up to you, telling Y/n how he felt like his brother had abandoned him at one point and how he didn’t want to feel that ever again, to which you had promised to stay by his side no matter what.

Soon, friendly cuddles were a thing under his favorite spot at the garden before going to the tea club. It felt like a routine; waking up, going to school, spending time with Ritsu and so on. Whenever he saw you with his brother, he really wasn’t jealous, just annoyed and bothered at the sight of Rei touching your arm slightly, whenever that happened he always approached you and placed his arm linked with yours as he waited for you both to finish said conversation. Feelings started to grow when he saw you waking up from one of your usual naps together, the way you slowly opened your eyes and how the sun softly graced your face, you looked like a sleeping angel, quite literally. He took it upon himself to confess the very day you both graduated, the last time you would’ve seen each other if it weren’t for his plans. Ritsu had pulled you aside, taking you to your usual spot as you both smile, a bit tearful at the sight of not being able to come back and share moments with each other but that’s when Ritsu held your hand softly

“Y/n..I want to apologize for how late this confession came to be but..I love you, I don’t want to let go of you just yet, or ever..please stay with me”

Ritsu asked as you smiled, his hands now on your cheeks as you pulled him in for a kiss, it felt so right to share such intimate moment with your now lover as he pulled back, looking at you dumbfounded for a moment as you spoke

“I love you more Ritsu~ I can’t wait to find more spots under trees so we can spend all the time in the world cuddling together”

Ibara Saegusa✰

The protective best friend who doesn’t like anyone coming near you. He’s always been like that, since day one of your friendship. Ibara at first offered you to work with him since the job was open to be his assistant. Then it turned into late night talks and drinking some coffee in the morning before attending to important stuff that he realized he had actually found a friend for the first time in ever. Apart from Eden and Adam if that counts, he really felt at ease around you. His work became less heavy and less dull, thanks to the help of a kind friend like you and the company he had every day, he seemed to be in a better mood each week. In business meetings or Eden/Adam practices, he’s always keeping an eye on you, if anyone makes you uncomfortable or your well-being overall. Even attending his lectures, he felt happy seeing you taking notes and being so attentive when he told his speeches.

It’s so weird seeing that he prioritizes your friendship over his work a few times like taking you to lunch or spending time doing whatever you both want. It caused some curiosity between the members of Eden since Ibara would always be swarming in work and the progress of their units. They sincerely have to thank you for letting him see his soft spot, his sweet side to all that workaholic Ibara. It was quite refreshing to be honest, seeing him so at ease and the strees and burden from over the years were at much calm now beside you. It was love, he couldn’t imagine a life without you, Ibara imagined the day where he would wake up beside you, smiling softly as he kissed you so dearly in the morning. He thought that those “daydreams” of you both spending time together was normal, but he was just really catching feelings. After a long time of consideration, he decided to take you out to a very exclusive dinner, one which the entire restaurant was worth more than the entire ensemble square. He sat in front of you, letting you choose a variety of dishes before grabbing your hand and speaking

“I’ll keep this short and simple, I really love your company, and I can’t help but wish more of it, more of your touch..if you catch what I mean..please don’t keep me waiting, the thought of being rejected is harsh but I’d rather know that- mmmphf-!”

He felt himself turn red, cheeks flaired with a pink hue as he felt your lips against his, his face was priceless. Chapped but so soft against yours, he didn’t want to let go, even for a catch of air, however when you did, your hands linked as you smiled

“I love you as well Ibara, don’t stress over something that was already expected from the both of us~”

[artisticwizard]

General Grevious

Sleeper agent phrase activated.

Favorite thing about them

Fucking. Everything? I adore robots and he's a cyborg. I adore aliens and he's an alien. I love characters with four arms and guess what. On aesthetics alone he's gorgeous to me. He's been my fav character in star wars ever since I saw him in the movies, and He's been probably one of my top favorite character since then as well. Disclaimer, but I like the Legends backstory for him so much more so I usually default to that when talking about him. His backstory??? MWAH. MAGNIFICENT. STUNNING. POETIC. LIED TO AND USED ALL OF HIS LIFE? He thinks always that he is doing what is best for his people. He lost his literal other half in the war, his true soulmate to slavers of his people, swept into the sea. He changed his name to grievous to let his grief be known to all of his enemies??? My fucking GOD. He was a demigod among his people. He is a canon polyamourous king who has several wives and sired many children. He was a strategic mastermind and sought out by the sith for his genius. His hatred of the jedi was falsely implanted in him by sith interference. He thinks that the jedi are to blame for his cyborg body when it was the sith all along. Fuck man. I couldn't write a better character if I tried, and I have. Literally a character so doomed by the narrative that he is the epitome of tragedy to me.

Least favorite thing about them

I understand why he has to lose a lot, because the primary message of star wars is that good always triumphs over evil. The light will always beat the dark. I get that. I just dislike how he seems to lose in ways that are embarrassing? Anytime he loses it seems to be in an almost childish way that's unbecoming of him. It's why my favorite rivals for him are Obi Wan or Kit Fisto. Both of them are incredibly intelligent jedi masters that use strategy and his own ego against him, which make the times he is defeated against them more satisfying than other times.

Favorite line

Jedi. You are surrounded. Your army is decimated. Make peace with the force, now. For this is your final hour. But know that I, General Grievous, am not completely without mercy. I will grant you a warrior's death. Prepare! (followed by one of the sickest fucking lightsaber fights ever)

brOTP

Hard to answer. He doesn't have many friends. I wouldn't consider them friends exactly but his bickering with Asajj Ventress is always a treat.

OTP

I've dabbled in almost every grievous ship I can think of. I can't say I prefer one more than the others enough to make it an OTP. Some of my favs are obigrievous, asajj x grievous, Ronderu x Grievous, and dooku x grievous. TECHNICALLY one of my favorite ships features an original character from a fic I've read. Fanfic writers who make compelling and engaging OCs for their fics are amazing *wink wink nudge nudge at the person who sent this.*

nOTP

None I can think of.

Random headcanon

The Kaleesh are a reptilian species in general, that will not stop me from giving him some cat-isms. What if he purrs. What if his eyes get big when he sees something he likes. What if he likes scenting things. What if he bellows like a crocodile. What if he chuffs like a tiger. Shut up.

unpopular opinion

I already stated this, but I prefer his Legends backstory over his canon one. I've come around to not hating his canon one as much as I used to, but I still prefer the other.

song i associate with them

Literally I cannot think of one. I am a failure. A sham. A facsimile of my former self.

favorite picture of them

All of them, but this has been my discord icon forever. I have no clue who drew it but it was part of a doodle page here on tumblr and for the life of me I cannot find the original artist.

[el-255]

I’m not sure if this has been said before but I find it very interesting how differently the writers of persona handled Junpei’s character in comparison to Ryuji’s. With the role of the mc’s best friend and mostly comic relief, I find the two of them to be the most similar personality wise compared to either of them with Yosuke so this analysis will only be discussing the parallels and differences in the way the story handles Junpei and Ryuji respectively.

To me, Junpei is handled pretty sensitively by the writers (not as much as he could be or should be, but still a lot more than most would expect given his trope); he’s given a lot of character with the introduction of Chidori and we see how he grows to like her as he gets to know her. I’ll admit it’s been a while since I played 3 so take this with a grain of salt but from what I recall, his and Chidori’s relationship gets quite a bit of screen time and development in the main story in a way that gives us a different perspective of how Junpei normally operates around the other members of SEES. With Chidori, he isn’t the class clown or the idiot of SEES, he’s simply a teenage boy who falls for a teenage girl. To me, there’s not much more humanising than that. After her presumed death, Junpei loses it and sinks into a depression, and when he finds out she’s alive, albeit her memory lost, he does his best to help her recover and grapples with the moral implications of her regaining her memory. (I think at least one can’t really remember).

This relationship is important to the story and gives us another, much more sympathetic view of Junpei’s character who, up to this point in the game, had mostly been kept in a box marked “comic relief pervert”. You root for Junpei and Chidori’s relationship because it is clearly shown how much Junpei adores her and not once after he meets her does he stray from this love for her.

It’s not only Chidori’s character that makes Junpei’s character more sensitive either, I find that his general personality and relationships with other characters to be handled better as well.

We have his friendship with Yukari (aka Yuka-tan) which I��ll begin by saying also isn’t perfect, Junpei oftentimes falls into the perverted trope so many of the male characters fall into (such is life with Atlus) and he definitely makes comments towards her that most friends wouldn’t and yeah that isn’t good, but I think Yukari gives it back just as much as Junpei dishes it out and never takes him too seriously. I get the impression that that’s just how their friendship works, it’s a constant push and pull, a give and take between them, they both take every opportunity they get to tease each other mercilessly and it works. It doesn’t feel one sided in the way that Ryuji’s interactions with other members of the phantom thieves tend to feel but I’ll get more into that later. His friendship with Yukari may not be the most noteworthy part of his character, but it’s something I think deserves a bit of credit all things considered.

He matures so much over the game and generally becomes more serious and methodical as the story progresses but in a way that is still undeniably Junpei. That’s a difficult feat to accomplish when dealing with certain characters and I think Atlus does well to make these changes happen in a pretty organic way.

Junpei isn’t a perfect character, he has his flaws and shortcomings, but out of all the bro characters from 3-5, I think that the writers of 3 deserve more merit for handling Junpei’s character arc in a way that actually feels like he’s grown by the end of the game.

I could not say the same for Ryuji.

I will preface this by saying that I love Ryuji, I think he’s a neat little guy and I think the writers did him so dirty in 5 when they clearly had the capacity to do so much more as we’ve seen already with Junpei.

Ryuji is filled to the brim of wasted potential as a character, his backstory is only barely brushed on with a few throwaway comments about his dad being abusive towards him and his mother, his abuse by Kamoshida who literally breaks his leg is barely brought up after Kamoshida’s arc, and the trauma he suffers from is never the focus of the story compared to how other characters like Yusuke, Futaba, and Ann’s are. Of course, trauma isn’t a competition and all the party members in 5 have dealt with awful shit but the point is that all of them rightfully get the opportunity to be angry about it at some point in the main story or in their social links, Ryuji doesn’t. Ryuji instead gets beat up by pretty much the entire cast of 5, is constantly belittled by the party members, and is basically treated like shit and the butt of the joke throughout the entire game.

I don’t think I even need to bring up that scene because I know everyone feels the same way about it, but I will because it’s a necessary part of this analysis. That scene haunts me, not only is it the unfunniest thing that’s played for jokes I’ve ever seen in a game, but it’s quite possibly the biggest controversy I know of in the persona fandom.

The implications of a teenage boy who was abused by his father and his teacher thinking he’s found a safe haven in the phantom thieves because they all know how shitty adults can be and yeah they insult him but they’d never actually purposefully try and hurt him, right? Only to find that they would hurt him and pretty severely after he risked his life to save theirs because they’re his best friends and he loves them is horrendous and incredibly insensitive to everyone out there who has dealt with similar circumstances. The joke he plays isn’t funny, but I take it as Ryuji trying to lighten the mood the only way he knows how and even if he was insensitive to Ann and the rest of the team who are mourning him, he does not deserve to get beaten to a pulp by the very people he almost killed himself to rescue. They don’t even fucking apologise to him, it’s all just brushed under the rug and never so much as brought up again !!!

The scene didn’t need to make the cut at all, especially with the rerelease in royal, but it did and it’s honestly astonishing that with all the backlash it received, that they didn’t just cut it entirely. And if they really had to keep the scene in the game, let him be angry about it. Let Ryuji go off at the team for beating him up after he saves all of their lives. Let Ryuji tell Joker that he expected more from him as his best friend. Let the team have to jump through hoops to gain Ryuji’s forgiveness because it’s what he deserves.

Not only this, but in comparison to Junpei, Ryuji doesn’t get as much growth in his character arc. Throughout the game, Ryuji largely stays the same which honestly isn’t really an issue, not everyone has to change dramatically and drastically to be a compelling character, but he doesn’t change at all. Honestly, from the start to the end of 5, I could barely tell you a difference between the Ryuji we see. Like I said, I don’t need a drastic change, it doesn’t suit some characters, but Ryuji isn’t given any sort of growth by the writers and any he is given feels forced because he genuinely isn’t given any of the spotlight outside of Kamoshida’s arc unlike with Junpei.

It makes me angry because like I said, the writing was already there with Junpei, they had the capacity to write Ryuji in the same sympathetic way they did with him but they chose not to !! They chose to leave Ryuji as a character who you have no choice but to take at face value because he’s not given any more than that.

In conclusion: the writers dropped the ball with Ryuji and I’m mad about it, Junpei is a good character and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees, and Yosuke is Yosuke and I mourn his cut romance route every day.

[kurosagileo]

alrighty its post mortkranken thoughts time! under a cut so that spoilers are easier to avoid

(did one for obscuary here)

for a spoiler free thought first off, though, i think the time between episodes both works for and against the story. it's a good pacing so far imo, even if it's disappointing there's not much to do in the game between episode drops. there's enough time to let people analyze the most recent episode and secrets revealed, come up with guesses as to how things connect, and when that starts dying down, there's time to hypothesize about the next episode because teasers have started dropping. Game wise, there's time for people who have been playing for a while to get farther in cases so that once the episode does drop, it's easy to go through whenever you're ready. On the other hand, the time inbetween, the teasers can possibly hype a episode up a bit too much, i think that happened with obscuary and may have contributed to how the episode felt unbalanced (at least to me). High expectations mean there's a lot that could go wrong when things end up differently. I don't think they should release the episodes sooner, that would be an overload, just something i've been making note of and trying to not expect too much from a new episode so that i enjoy what comes out rather than being disappointed with what didn't

spoiler wise, i'll follow the format i had for obscuary!

jiro is winning the idgaf war and i absolutely love that for him. I think the writers did a good job of makng him the straight man to yuri's antics and thoroughly enjoyed scenes with him

yuri... is so silly i love him sm i want to kiss his cheek so that he bluescreens on the spot. i love that he seems like he's gonna be a scientist with questionable morals leaning to the evil side but then he ends up being so expressive about every little thing. he's smart but not manipulative mastermind ike if he's thinking something you Will know it

there's an interesting dynamic between the two which I'm looking forward to learning more about. Some of the few times where Jiro outwardly emotes are during interactions with Yuri. (Also with pc with the body lmao)

now for the story content, not an analysis of what things might mean but just overall storytelling

I think this did well with bringing the standard back up from the obscuary episode. for my thoughts on that, feel free to check out the other post i made. it was far more balanced with the investigation driving things, mc getting closer to the two ghouls, and the progression of mc's curse for the overarching story. the cameos from all of the other characters was exciting to see while going through, and was great for showing how different characters interact with each other. I think each of those small moments showed a lot about the characters.

for a few examples: alan's regrets for not saving naoki, highlighting how much he values being able to save people and blames himself for not doing enough even when he couldn't stop it; leo taking the documents, seeming to just do it to be antagonistic, but actually genuinely helping out both mc's investigation and alan's ass if the files went missing; ren and ritsu talking about ramen in the store, they're getting closer despite ren not liking working at his job and always complaining that ritsu is there, clearly they're starting to become friends; the three vice captains meeting and the absolute tension there

i could go on, each of those little cameos was meaningful imo, not all of them served to progress the main story, but they're important to see, to show how the ghouls are interacting with each other and how they act when mc isn't investigating their house

I think the investigation portion was a little rough near the end. The case wrapup wasn't as satisfying as I'd like, I think the best two episodes for that so far were vagastrom and sinostra, but the framing of it makes sense considering yuri's stigma. (specifically the part of the wrapup where we found the patient was behind things, the fight at the end was something i really enjoyed) It's something that lets yuri process everything instantaneously, so it makes sense that the answer is just given in a monologue, even if it ends up being somewhat unsatisfying. Yuri is a character who likes his monologue, and he's found everything out and is confident in his answer. I don't think that he would present the information in another way

The foreshadowing in this chapter was...... well it could've been more subtle. I kinda wish that while Jiro was leading mc through Mortkranken, there would be more attention drawn to multiple things, aside from exactly what would be relevant. I think that may have also led to the unsatisfying reveal

the very ending with the assembly was also well done, imo. it reiterates that the faculty want mc to gain the trust of the ghouls and is doing so. but it also calls into question where that request is coming from. right now, mc is very much being used by the faculty. she was pushed into the investigator role, pushed into being a student, pushed into earning their trust, threatened with a possible punishment for not being able to prove it. it serves her as well to grow close with the ghouls and be an investigator, and she clearly is, but I really don't think that's anywhere near the reason the chancellor put her in that position. we always keep the spy thing in the back of our minds while reading, while she's essentially also advertised as a spy to the ghouls

the phone call between hyde and sho was both surprising to see, but also not. Sho has a campus chat with hyde where he says that he's using hyde to get ahead any way he can. Learning that hyde is giving secret missions, it's unsurprising that Sho is one of the students he's using. I think this would be too obvious for the whole spy/traitor thing, however... there was one other campus chat that came into my mind, the one between subaru and leo. Subaru's waiting for MC for lunch, Leo approaches and sees he's got food from Sho's food truck, and comments on how Sho is really good at the friend act. Acting like he's a friend to customers to convince them to buy more. While the likely reading is Leo just lying to mess with Subaru (and honestly I wouldn't doubt that), I think it could also be that it's a true analysis of Sho.

He is good a the friend act. Sho has no problem lying to someone to appear nice. He did it to an old lady looking for a train station in the vagastrom episode. Leo told her he had no clue where it was, Sho gave her instructions and after she left, Leo asked how he knew and Sho told him oh I didn't. A lot of Sho's flaws are looked over because he's nice, when he is kinda an asshole a lot. I don't think that he's using a friend act on Subaru, but it's genuinely hard to tell. The scene at the beginning of the episode was cute, but depending on how you read it, it could be Sho playing it up for the bet with Leo.

I doubt the phone call from the end will actually be how we learn about the traitor, but I also think that Sho has a lot more resources than most to be a traitor

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Miami Vice S1E21: No One Lives Forever

Sonny's new girlfriend distracts him from his work; Rico hates her.

Where do I fucking start with this one

Okay. Crime. Let's start there.

The actual crime in this episode is so inconsequential that the criminals literally have no motive but "do crime," because that's not what the episode is about. The crime is mere set-dressing for the actual thematic core of the episode, which is "Sonny's Relationships." There will be a number of Sonny's Girlfriends episodes, especially in S3 when they were trying to Heterosexual It Up, but that's not what this one is (and Brenda gets to leave the storyline relatively unharmed, too, whereas the girlfriends in the Sonny's Girlfriends episodes... uhh... don't)

I'm really serious about how stupid the crime part of it is though

Death - the ULtiMat HiGH!

These dudes just drive around Miami jacking cars and shooting up hotdog stands, there is no nuance to it at all. I think this is the least nuanced portrayal of criminals in the entire series.

That's because the nuance is all stored in Tubbs' Roiling Jealousy Over Sonny's New Girlfriend. After we watch the crime idiots jack some cars, we cut to Sonny and Rico talking, and Rico spends about ten sentences complaining about how Sonny has been unavailable recently because of ~Brenda.~ He is so obviously uncool with Brenda that Sonny calls him out on it, asking if he's jealous (the implication being Sonny has misinterpreted the obvious jealousy as Tubbs wanting a Brenda of his own), and Rico, with absolutely not an ounce of sincerity in his voice, backtracks and is like PFFT. No. Falling in love is GREAT

Which like. Is not actually a response to Sonny's question

We meet Brenda canoodling with Sonny, and she asks him why his marriage ended. He dances around the question and asks her in return "who the ugliest guy she ever dated" was. They are very much not on the same page in terms of the seriousness of their relationship. Brenda is asking hard-hitting, "I'm thinking about our future together" questions, and Sonny is asking like... two girls giggling at a sleepover questions.

(I find this super interesting also from a "Sonny is heavily queercoded throughout the series" standpoint-- the "morning after" scene also has Sonny framed very much like women often are in media, waking up in someone else's bed and finding them already up and working out downstairs. Brenda is also significantly wealthier and more successful than he is, and a lot of their love scenes are filmed in a very soft, delicate way that positions them very equally. There's something especially about the scene where they're kissing in the pool, and we see both of their bare backs floating in the sun, that feels almost like we're watching two women. Considering Sonny has another dalliance with a short-haired blonde woman where he's very feminized at the beginning of S2, this feels very purposeful?)

Brenda is played by Kim Griest, who I know best as Kay Gallagher from Wiseguy. This is not what anyone else knows her best as.

Brenda is working out in Sonny's shirt, which she gives back to him all sweaty and gross, and that is the worst crime she commits (but let's be clear: it is a crime. Why would you put on someone else's clothes to work out??)

At the precinct, Gina asks Rico if he thinks the relationship "must be real." She is also clearly jealous, but sad instead of angry, and definitely not remotely aware that Tubbs is jealous. He is uncomfortable talking with her on the subject, makes a somewhat unkind joke at Sonny's expense ("Whatever that means"), and slithers out and away so he doesn't have to keep having this conversation.

"Eye contact is for losers"

Also, Rico and Gina have the theoretical potential to be really wonderful friends and allies as the senior members of the "Sonny uses me as an emotional crutch" club, but the writers never decide to go for that, and instead you get the sense that they just can't ever really be honest with each other and that's a bummer

Sonny and Rico go to make a bust and Sonny calls Brenda mid-mission, which is foolish and supposed to demonstrate how his mind isn't on his work. However, what I'm more interested in is how this phone call with Brenda mirrors two other Important Phone Calls With Women: when Sonny calls Brenda, he's not saying anything of consequence. He's cute and flirty, but that's about it. Then, when he realizes a shooting is going down, he doesn't hang up-- he runs out of the phone booth and quite literally leaves Brenda hanging. She hears gunshots and gets no explanation or closure on what is happening until much later. This is in direct contrast to the pilot, where Sonny's call to Caroline in the middle of the mission is completely vital. utterly heartfelt, and provides extremely needed closure. It is also in contrast to the last phone call he has with Caitlin in Deliver Us From Evil near the end of season four, where Caitlin calls him, tries to tell him something important, and he brushes her off and tells her he'll talk to her later. In all three cases, there's an intersection (and conflict) between his love life and work life: with Caroline he's confirming that even though ultimately he chose work over love, that their love was always real; with Brenda he's briefly choosing her over work and then realizing that's a mistake and ignoring her feelings completely; with Caitlin he seems to have given up on the idea of romance ever being successful and chooses work over her because that's just what he does. Vice states time and time again that there's no fixing the broken justice system from the inside, and that any so-called "good cop" will eventually destroy himself and/or all those around him; Sonny's inability to balance the case and Brenda foreshadows all his other relationships failing as well. Caroline only gets out unscathed because she chooses to divest herself completely from Sonny's world, and Sonny won't find peace until he does the same.

Gina shoots one last shot and Sonny turns her down pretty definitively, and the scene feels frankly like character assassination for Gina. The last time we saw them be at all "couple-y" was way back in episode 8, and even that was already after they'd had more than one "this is a bad idea and we shouldn't be doing it" conversation. Gina asks Sonny if he's "just keeping her around for a pitstop," but the show has not indicated they've been dating for what likely accounts for at least six months (and possibly up to a year) of in-universe time. As a result, her jealousy seems not like it's based in the solid and thoughtful characterization of Gina Calabrese, Vice Detective, but rather in hoary old gender stereotypes: she's a hysterical woman who somehow hasn't realized her relationship (if it ever even was a relationship) has been over for half a year. So when Sonny quietly and sadly responds with "that's not fair" (because if they haven't been dating for 12+ episodes, it's really not fair for her to say that-- she has no control or ownership over his love life at this point), he seems like he's in the right. I am certain this conversation was written by a heterosexual man, and I hate how much Gina's characterization gets worse every time the show decides to create romantic tension between her and Sonny. Gina deserves better, in-universe and out.

Then we cut immediately to Brenda asking Sonny if he and Tubbs have "been partners long." This scene alone deserves an essay; the long story short version is that Brenda asks Sonny if being cop partners is like a marriage, whether your partner always comes first (off the job and on), and whether or not he'd ever think of her as "his partner in crime." Sonny, notably, does not answer a single one of these questions directly. He deflects and jokes, hearkening back to her serious question about the dissolution of his marriage and his jokey response about "ugly guys."

This is his face before she asks if "his partner always comes first:"

Aaand this is his face after he processes what she's just asked him:

When he responds to that question with the ambiguous "Well, on the job...," Brenda looks like this:

And then Sonny follows up with saying he doesn't remember the last time he wasn't on the job, which is to say that he implies that yes, Rico does always come first. Like. Damn, Sonny. Maybe... try lying a little?

Izzy claims to be selling "Richard Gere's shoes" and wooden clogs, because why not

Tubbs tells Crockett his mind is elsewhere, and that he should "take a few days" to "get over whatever it is you need to get over," which is among the bitchiest things he says in the entire course of the show. Rico is usually very patient, cool-headed, and compassionate, but every once and a while he says something downright cruel, and when he does it's often with a smile. He strikes me as the sort of person who has learned and chosen to be good to people rather than someone who's nature is to be kind by default. When Sonny, who is a curmudgeon on the surface but fairly soft and naive on the inside, gets mad, he lashes out; when Rico, who is thoughtful and easy-going on the surface but surprisingly unsentimental inside, gets mad, he gets mean.

On the Dance, Brenda tells Sonny she thinks being there with him is paradise; he deflects and talks about smoking. Brenda asks about Sonny's "closeness" with his coworkers again, and he's weird about it; when she clarifies she's talking about "the woman cop" (Gina), Sonny ceases entirely to mince words like he had with Tubbs. The difference is stark; he's willing to explain to Brenda that yes, at once point he and Gina had sex. He's not willing to explain anything about his partnership with Tubbs-- and yet, Brenda talks like she knows Tubbs, and isn't entirely sure who Gina is, so we know he's talked lot more about Rico than Gina.

When Rico and Brenda do meet, Rico immediately tries to tank their relationship by throwing Sonny under the bus. He implies Sonny is an idiot and bad at his job, and basically tells Brenda she'll eventually leave him.

Okay. Brenda committed one more crime. It's this table:

Izzy continues wearing clogs

Tubbs continues being an enormous bitch, telling Sonny Brenda's not his type, and that his type is "the bearded lady at the circus." Jealousy looks really bad on you, Rico my broski. You are being so so mean to the guy you have a super obvious crush on.

He then asks Sonny to go to dinner with him; Sonny says no because he's got a date with Brenda, but they agree to meet at 6am for a stakeout. On their date, Brenda asks Sonny about marriage and he gets extremely uncomfortable and goes to bed alone when she asks about who their friends would be.

Either because a) he did not set an alarm and was relying on Brenda to wake him up on time, in which case he's a fucking idiot, or b) because he did set an alarm and Brenda turned it off, in which case she has no respect for Sonny at all, Sonny misses his 6am meeting with Rico and Rico gets the shit beat out of him.

Castillo puts Sonny on desk duty because Sonny is a fuck-up. He goes on a sad boat ride over which Red 7's Heartbeat plays to a montage of Brenda, beat up Rico, and disapproving Castillo.

On stakeout, Tubbs plays the saxophone (do we ever see him do that again?) and Gina is reading A Man for All Seasons, which I suppose is doing something as a parallel with regards to the moral repercussions of the dissolution of a relationship but I don't frankly feel enlightened enough on the Tudors to expound on that

Sonny breaks up with Brenda; his line is "you're a very special person and you mean a great deal to me," which is about as unromantic as you can get. Brenda calls what they had a "wonderful fantasy;" Sonny says he can't afford fantasies. They leave it vaguely open but absolutely do not continue dating-- we don't ever see Brenda again. (Good for her.)

Returning to the actual crime, the three Death is the Ultimat High idiots roll around in bed with their guns smashing radios, declare themselves out of money, and go off for another hot dog stand murder. They come upon the stakeout with Tubbs and Gina, and Tubbs is chased down and about to be killed when Sonny swoops in heroically at the last minute and saves him. They end the episode walking away with their arms around each other. Because, you know. Partnership marriage something something something.

Hear me out: I am not convinced Sonny is talking about Brenda when he says "he can't afford a fantasy." The one romantic relationship Sonny has in the series that involves grounded, real-life issues, and actually talking through things like an adult is his relationship with Caroline, which he chooses to have healthy closure regarding. Every other romantic relationship Sonny has is, to some extent a fantasy-- he dates a pop star, a surgeon, a madame-- even Gina is a kind of fantasy to Sonny, as a sweet and understanding always-available fallback. He actually can only afford a fantasy-- he's aware, to some extent, that a normal relationship with a normal woman is likely to end the same way it did with Caroline. Considering all of the very pointed parallels between Rico and Brenda, between "partnership" and "relationship," and knowing that we'll learn in the next episode that Sonny watched one of his best friends die because of his sexuality, I don't think it's wildly out there to think that maybe the fantasy Sonny truly can't afford is one where he can make his partner his number one priority, on and off the job, and be happy about it and accept himself for it. He knows he can't afford that particular fantasy because he's literally seen someone pay for it with his life.

Oh god this was so long

And I didn't even talk about the "department softball games" scene or the lyrics to Heartbeat

Help me

[darkwitch1999]

Wait, what if Violette made Marc play “Can Your Pet?”.

Noelle: (tapping her fingers together with an evil grin on her face) What a delightfully malicious idea....I could use your assistance on this one.

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Anciel Residance: Marc’s Bedroom

(Marc and Violette were sitting alone in Marc’s room as Violette watched her friend download an app onto his tablet. Violette suddenly gets a text notification on her phone which prompts her to pick up her phone and read the message.)

🎃😈Horror-Ween Maniac🎃😈: Did you do it yet?

(Violette rolls her eyes at the message and starts texting them back.)

🔪😈HazbinBossFanatic😈🔪: Yes Noe, you strange psychopath! Marc is downloading “Can Your Pet?” app right now and I will start recording his reaction when he gets to the “best part”. Everything is going according to plan.

🎃😈Horror-Ween Maniac🎃😈: Excellent! I can’t wait to see the look of sheer traumatizing horror on his face when he gets to the end of the game!!!!! MWA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! 😈😈😈😈😈😈

🔪😈HazbinBossFanatic😈🔪: ….Noe, have you ever considered seeing a therapist? Hypothetically speaking of course.

🎃😈Horror-Ween Maniac🎃😈: My old guidance counselor said the same thing…..weird, but nah, I’m good. 😁

🔪😈HazbinBossFanatic😈🔪: Riiiigggghhhhhtttt…..anyway, remind me again why you couldn’t do this yourself? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to get in on the joke….especially if you keep up your end of the bargain, but why do you need my help?

🎃😈Horror-Ween Maniac🎃😈: Well, I wanted to reuse the “Let’s Play A Game” line with Marc like I have done with previous victims, but I think people are starting to catch on to be wary of when someone sends you that message.

🔪😈HazbinBossFanatic😈🔪: Yeah, I think they definitely knew that something was up after that prank you did on Marinette, which by the was brutal so you can hardly blame them.

🎃😈Horror-Ween Maniac🎃😈: LOL! I know, right? You should’ve seen the look on her face when she opened her locker! It was priceless! That look of absolute horror was definitely worth all the time and effort I put into that prank!

🔪😈HazbinBossFanatic😈🔪: How did you manage to pull all that off anyway? I feel like some of the things you did are worth further explanation.

🎃😈Horror-Ween Maniac🎃😈: It’s a very long story. I’ll tell you later. Right now, just be sure you’re ready to record Marc’s reaction and I’ll keep up my end by keeping you off of my “Horror-Ween Scare List”…..this year at least.

🔪😈HazbinBossFanatic😈🔪: Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry. You’ll get to revel in the sheer terror of your victims.

🎃😈Horror-Ween Maniac🎃😈: Excellent! You’re the best, Vi!

Marc: Okay, the game just finished downloading.

Violette: (puts down her phone and scoots closer to Marc to look at the screen) Alright, let’s fire this game up! Trust me, you are going to love it!

(Unbeknownst to his friend’s ulterior motives, the writer started the game on his tablet, immediately awing at the adorableness of the baby chick on the “START” screen. After pressing start, the screen transitioned to the beginning of the game where players name their baby chicks before they hatch.)

Violette: So what are you going to name your little chick? Might I recommend the name "Fat Nuggets"?

Marc: Fat Nuggets is a pig.

Violette: True, but it also works both ways. You know, "Nuggets" like chicken nuggets?

Marc: (thinks for a moment) Tempting suggestion, but I'm going to pass. (starts typing in a name) Besides, I already have a name in mind. I'm going to name him "Lil' Bold".

Violette: Aww, that's a cute name! What made you come up with it?

Marc: (eyes shift nervously) U-Uh...nothing really...it just came to me...t-that's all...

(Looking for a way to change the subject without drawing suspicion towards himself from Violette, Marc looked at the game and was in awe as Lil' Bold hatched from his egg onscreen.)

Marc: Awwww, look at him! He's so cute!!!! (notices the ribbon icon light up on his screen) Wait, I can dress him up?! Oh hell yes!!

(Violette giggled at her friend's enthusiasm towards the game as Marc immediately clicked the dress-up icon and started dressing up Lil' Bold. Lil' Bold now had emo bangs, half-lidded eyes, a white scarf, and glasses.)

Violette: With emo bangs like those, you should have gone with the name "Nath Jr".

(Marc's face immediately flushed red with embarrassment from Violette's comment. He immediately punched her arm in retaliation while the Scottish girl started laughing her ass off. Afterward, Violette watched as the writer explored the other features of the game as he unlocked them such as feeding, cleaning, and playing with Lil' Bold.)

Marc: (eyes light up with excitement when Lil' Bold starts playing with the soccer ball) No way! He can play soccer, too?! This is the best virtual pet game ever!

(Violette started to feel guilt rise up within her as she watched Marc spend five minutes playing soccer with his virtual baby chicken. She began to have second thoughts about letting the writer go through with the game's ending, but she also knew it was already too late. Telling Marc that his virtual baby was destined to meet a horrific fate may not be as upsetting as witnessing it unfold, but Violette knew that such news would crush Marc nonetheless. Besides, Violette remembers the sheer terror and horror on the faces of Noelle's "Horror-Ween" victims from their pranks well and the Scottish girl preferred to not be on the receiving end of those pranks.)

Marc: (notices a new icon appears on the screen) Is this a bike? You can ride bikes with these chicks?! That's so cool! I got to see what this looks like!

Violette: (nervously pulls out her phone, getting ready to record) Y-Yeah...go for it....

(Violette starts recording Marc as he presses the bicycle icon. The background music suddenly stopped and half of the screen turned black, which greatly confused the writer as Lil' Bold started to fall down the black screen. The screen then transitioned to a pitch-black background with the bicycle icon in the middle. Marc became even more confused and a little concerned as the bicycle icon flipped upside down. The writer then let out a horrified scream as the upside-down bicycle wheels turned into buzzsaws and Lil' Bold was shredded into many bloodied pieces. The end credits soundtrack was the only sound present in the room as both Violette and Marc remained silent. Violette dared not to speak as she was preoccupied with being crushed by the weight of guilt she felt from traumatizing her friend. She noticed the color was completely drained from Marc's face, his eyes were wide open with shock, his mouth was hung open, and his body was trembling in horror. As guilty as she felt, the Scottish girl knew that the deed was already done so she stopped the recording and sent it to Noelle.)

Marc: (slowly turns to face Violette, his voice breaking with horror as he spoke) W-W....Why Vi?

Violette: (looks down in shame) I'm sorry, Marc! They made me do it!

Marc: W-Who....?

(Marc suddenly gets a text message notification on his phone from a blocked number. The writer unlocks his phone and reads the message, becoming even more horrified as he reads the message.)

Unknown Message: HAPPY HORROR-WEEN, Marc Anciel! THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT SPORT! Want to go out for some chicken later? LOL

Marc: (slaps a hand over his mouth as he suddenly begins to feel nauseous) I"M NEVER EATING CHICKEN AGAIN!!!!!

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Thanks for the great idea, @miraculousfan1232! I had a lot of fun writing this! Sorry to everyone that I haven't been posting "Horror-Ween" posts for a while. Real life has been very busy. Hope you all enjoy Marc getting scarred for life. As always please share your opinions on this post and I am still accepting "Horror-Ween" ideas even though October is almost over. If you have a character that you want Noelle to scare the life out of, send me an ask!

@artzychic27 @andromeda612 @thetwistedarchives @msweebyness @imsparky2002 @username8746489 @lady0lunamoon @miraculousfan1232 @eternalstarlitwonderland @nerd-chocolate

[kimberlyannharts]

Finally read the Across the Morphin Grid anthology so brief thoughts on each story:

The Billy One: Better than I was expecting, considering David Yost's script for his pilot was ehhhhhhhhh. Parts felt a little generic sci-fi and I don't really vibe with the continued push for Billy to be a solo hero but at least his friends actually felt important to him here versus other modern Billy stories. Also the Tommy cameo at the end was cute.

The Tanya One: I think I was hoping for a story that focused more on the timeline of the Adam/Tanya relationship but it's nice that they got SOMETHING where they could end up together versus how they've been........very noticeably ignored throughout the franchise, especially the comics, where they've both had completely different love interests. Now to just ignore the continuity snarls in this story because no one cares about them kjlksj the "I'm a frog" scene is 100% Adam's most famous scene but it's not show canon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Rocky One: Probably the most well-written of the stories since it was partly written by Mat Groom and he's by far the best writer of the modern comics. Still wish Rocky's comic design wasn't a white boy but what can you do. I also found it funny that they talk about the Sword of Light after I saw people complain from the previews that Raina shouldn't be able to have morph without it.

The Zack One: The most basic of the stories in that it's the most like an MMPR episode, but very charming because of it. All those apple puns. "You might be an apple but you don't have the sauce" was fucking great

The Chloe One: it's Hyperforce. At least here they could actually work with the silly tone rather than it painfully clashing with a more serious one

Overall: pretty good! I don't think it's something that will stay with me like other PR comics but it's fun for the novelty of getting the actors involved and in general it's nice to see these characters one more time before we get into.....whatever Prime's going to be.

[burningvelvet]

Powerful women from the classical world + excerpt of a letter from Lord Byron to Thomas Moore describing his lover Margarita Cogni (Venice, September 19th, 1818):

“I wish you a good night, with a Venetian benediction, ‘Benedetto te, e la terra che ti fara!’ — ‘May you be blessed, and the earth which you will make!’ — is it not pretty? You would think it still prettier if you had heard it, as I did two hours ago, from the lips of a Venetian girl, with large black eyes, a face like Faustina’s, and the figure of a Juno — tall and energetic as a Pythoness, with eyes flashing, and her dark hair streaming in the moonlight — one of those women who may be made any thing. I am sure if I put a poniard into the hand of this one, she would plunge it where I told her, — and into me, if I offended her. I like this kind of animal, and am sure that I should have preferred Medea to any woman that ever breathed.”

The mythical and historical allusions:

In Roman myth, Juno was Queen of the Gods as well as a military figure often depicted armed. In Greek myth, Medea was a sorceress who gets revenge against her unfaithful husband through murdering their children and his lover. Although “Pythoness” could refer to demonic witches in other uses, Byron is using it here as another name for Pythia or the Oracle of Delphi, a divine priestess and the most powerful female office in the ancient world.

Faustina is either a reference to the Younger or the Elder. Faustina the Younger was the wife of Marcus Aurelius; he revered her so much that he gave her enormous power, although later historians (probably falsely) accused her of being a murderer and adulteress. Faustina the Elder was the adoptive mother of Marcus Aurelius and was one of the most beloved Roman women in history, whose coinage often features Juno.

Byron's life and writing in context:

When he was living abroad in self-exile, Byron often sought to entertain his friends back home by sharing his adventures in lurid detail. His vivid letters became well-read throughout the 1800s, and are considered some of his best writing. Travel writing and adventure stories were extremely popular in the 19th century, and even most of Byron’s fiction champions these themes. Living abroad and traveling became marketable parts of Byron's celebrity. He blended his own experiences into his work, and chief among these were his romantic experiences.

Shelley once compared Byron to the Greek myth of Circe when writing in a letter about Byron's excessive amount of pets. Circe was known for seducing men and turning them into animals who roamed around her palace. Like a witch or an alchemist, Byron frequently transformed his lovers into characters through his writing. Like countless others, Margarita Cogni was mythically immortalized through the writer's description of her. She and Byron's other Venetian lovers have become part of the wider Romantic era mythology tradition, like the constantly retold tales of Mary Shelley's invention of Frankenstein, Percy Shelley's drowning, and John Keats' love for Fanny Brawne.

By using references to classical women in this letter Byron is not only paying tribute to mythology, history, and the Italian landscape in a way that his foreign audience would find tantalizing, but he is also exploring romanticized notions of classical female beauty which are at turns conventional and unconventional. He channels the gothic sublime through the otherworldly power and danger these women all represent, as well as channeling more traditional concepts of feminine strength rooted in modesty, beauty, and passivity. Byron creates poetic contradictions.

Just as he famously describes himself as “changeable, being everything by turns and nothing long,” he utilizes paradox and inconstance in his writing, such as in this satirical formulation of Margarita Cogni as the ideal lover who is both Goddess and woman, mistress and slave, contemporary and classical, masculine and feminine, wife and adulteress, murderess and murdered.

One can clearly see how this is the same chameolonic, binary-blurring poet who would go on to write the gender-bending themes of Don Juan — “If people contradict themselves, can I / Help contradicting them, and every body, / Even my veracious self?” — and who years beforehand had written She Walks in Beauty — where “all that’s best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes.”

[megamindsecretlair]

It's a Little Warm, Part 5

Pairing: Bucky x Black!Fem!reader / Plus Size reader

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. You are in charge of your own reading experience. Cursing. Angry Sam, brief Trauma Bucky. Mild age gap. Reader is late 20s and Bucky is mid 30s. Dirty talk, PIV, and unprotected sex. Part 5 of 5! Final chapter baby!! Some sentences are intentional AAVE.

Summary: Sam Wilson is your play uncle and has invited you and Bucky to stay at a cabin with him, Sarah, and the kids. Sam caught you both and you have to navigate your loyalty to him and your growing feelings for Bucky.

Word Count: 2,385k

Read Part 1 | Read Part 2 | Read Part 3 | Read Part 4 | It's a Little Cold

A/N: Whew! Who'd have thunk it that this would evolve into 5 parts. I initially thought 6, but I think this is a good ending to this story. Thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting!! I was so nervous to start writing fanfic but ya'll were so supportive! I love ya'll and I love ya'll for all the comments and reblogs. They kept me going! Sorry if I missed any warnings. Likes are always awesome, please consider commenting and reblogging to help support writers!

Taglist: @softimgyu @blackreaderatrisk @braverthanthenewworld @multiversefanfics @monaeesstuff @blackpinup22 @chaos-4baby ILY

“Shit,” Bucky said as he fixed his pants and shielded you from Uncle Sam’s angry glare. He left the pantry and closed the door, allowing you space to fix yourself.

“I said hands off, man. You couldn’t even wait a day?” Uncle Sam asked.

“It’s not like that! That’s not how–”

“Save it. This is bullshit and you know it,” Uncle Sam said. You couldn’t see them, but you knew that they were staring at each other. You hurriedly smoothed down your dress and wiped your face for any trace amounts of drool. 

You fixed your hair and then left the pantry to find Uncle Sam and Bucky facing each other. Uncle Sam had turned on the lights and you saw how intensely they were glaring at one another. It looked like some battle in a western. Both of them stood in wide stances as if they were about to quickly draw or start pummeling each other. 

They communicated silently and you stepped in between. “Stop this,” you said. 

“You’re no better than he is. This was supposed to be a fun and relaxing week for everybody. Not for you two to fondle each other in the fucking pantry.” Uncle Sam’s words and scathing look raked over you like hot coals. You felt small and dumb. His disappointment hurt worse than anything. Even worse than cutting off your parents because you knew that Uncle Sam cared about you.

But you weren’t a little girl. And what you and Bucky did was beautiful and heady. You refused to feel small about it. 

“Don’t talk to her like that. If you have a problem, deal with me.” Bucky stepped closer and you placed your hands on his chest. 

“I’m going to do a lot more than that.” Uncle Sam advanced on Bucky. You might as well have been a piece of paper. You could not stop two immovable forces so you moved out of the way. Uncle Sam pushed his shoulder into Bucky.

“Outside.” Uncle Sam walked to the front door and threw it open. Bucky sighed and moved to follow. You grabbed his hand. “This is dumb, don’t do this. He’s your best friend,” you said.

Bucky smiled bitterly and glanced at you. “What’s a few fists between best friends? It’s just how we let it out, we’ll be okay,” he said. He squeezed your hand and brought it to his lips. He placed a small kiss there and held it while looking into your eyes.

He followed Uncle Sam outside. Your gut twisted in knots. This was bullshit. But what hope did you have of stopping a super soldier and the dumbass who thinks he can take him? Because Bucky wasn’t going to fight back. You’d seen the resigned look in his eyes. You may not know everything about him, but you knew that he carried a lot of baggage with him. 

Men. You huffed as you followed. Once you got outside, it was pitch black except for the porch light and the moon overhead. Two dark shapes were close to each other and they were arguing. You couldn’t pick out everything, but you’re pretty sure Uncle Sam pushed Bucky.

Bucky let him and stepped back. He yelled something and Uncle Sam pushed him again. You got closer. “Stop!” 

“Stay out of this, Y/N,” Uncle Sam said. He was huffing from how mad he was. If this was a cartoon, steam would be coming out of his ears. 

“This is bullshit! We’re both adults!”

“If you were adults, then you would know how to control yourselves. This isn’t a place for all of that. My nephews are here. What if one of them found you instead of me?” Uncle Sam asked.

“Don’t pretend this isn’t some fucked up honor system you got in your head. You think you need to protect me or something,” you yelled.

“I do need to protect you! I swore that I would always look out for you. No sooner did I introduce you to Bucky and here you are!” 

“You make it sound like I preyed on her,” Bucky said. He sounded hurt. He stared at Uncle Sam with wide eyes and his mouth pressed into a thin line.

“Is that what you think of me?” Bucky asked.

Uncle Sam sighed and rubbed his face. “I know you’re a good man. But this is my niece we’re talking about,” Uncle Sam said.

“I’m not actually related to you, Sam,” you said. He gaped at you and stepped back as if you struck him. You took a deep breath and carefully looked at him. “We’re not blood related. I’m not actually your niece. Hell, I’m not even that much younger than you. But I have always looked up to you as an older brother. You were the brother I always wished for. You’re smart and kind and you’re fair. But you’re being a real dick right now.”

“ME?” Uncle Sam scoffed.

“You’re standing there and accusing Bucky of being a monster. That he lured me into the pantry to take advantage of me. The hell do you call that?” 

Uncle Sam opened his mouth to say something back but then he caught the look on Bucky’s face. He was trying hard to be neutral and had a blank look in his eye. But Uncle Sam visibly lost all steam. 

“You’re not a monster, man. I don’t think that,” Uncle Sam said. 

Bucky nodded mechanically. “Don’t do that shit, Bucky. I was…I was mad that instead of enjoying this week, you two hit it off so well and ignored all my plans. It was selfish. I know you’re not a monster. You never were. You’re my best friend. You may be old, but we’re good,” he said. He placed his hand on Bucky’s shoulder.

A little light entered Bucky’s eyes. He looked at Uncle Sam and smirked. 

“I’m used to protecting everyone. I used to chase away Sarah’s boyfriends and did the same with Y/N when she was coming up. My natural instinct is that no one is good for them. But that’s not true. I know you are. I just hope you two understand what the hell you’re getting yourselves into.” 

“We’re not stupid. I know you guys put yourselves in danger every day. This is new for us too. Let us sink or swim on our own. It won’t affect our love for you,” you said. 

Uncle Sam rolled his eyes. “Shut up.” 

“It’s okay to admit that you were jealous. You’re used to having Bucky to yourself, I understand it,” you said.

Uncle Sam chuckled and swiped at you. You dodged out of the way, closer to Bucky. He still stood stiffly but he watched you two with amusement. You bumped your shoulder with his. “Hey,” you said.

He smiled at you. “Go on, tell Sam you love him too.”

Bucky shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Alright, let’s not get carried away,” he said.

“Nope. We’re not leaving this spot until you reassure Sam that you love him and that we’ll go along with all of his little plans for the week. And he’ll promise to stay out of grown folks’ business,” you said. 

The men stared at each other stubbornly. Pig-heads. You crossed your arms and glared at both of them. 

“I love you, man. You’re my brother,” Uncle Sam said. He held out his arms.

Bucky sighed and grinned. “I love you, too, brother.” They hugged and you smiled at them. 

“Just…be careful. I love both of you and I’m not picking sides.” Uncle Sam looked between you and Bucky. 

Bucky grabbed your hand and looked at Sam. “Won’t be a need for it.” 

Butterflies flipped in your stomach. You grinned at Bucky and he smirked at you.

“Whatever. Just…come find us when you’re done ogling each other. There are actual festivities to enjoy,” Uncle Sam said. He started to walk away and he waved in the air. “The sky is clear and shit. We need to enjoy it.”

You watched him until he disappeared through the front door. You moved to follow but Bucky held onto you and stopped you. You looked back at him. 

“Thank you, doll,” he said softly. It seemed like there was more he wanted to get off of his chest. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he chuckled and looked down at your joined hands. His thumb rubbed your hand.

“Hey. I can’t explain it, but this feels right for me. You never have to thank me for defending you. I want you,” you said.

“I want you, too. But you’re wrong. I do think there’s some thanks I need to do,” he said.

You gave him a confused look because you didn’t know what he was on about. He smirked and checked the front door. Then, he tugged you further into the darkness. You followed behind, your stomach flipping for entirely different reasons.

“We got a little interrupted earlier. If you can be quiet, I’ll show you how thankful I am,” he said. 

“Are you sure?” You asked. You wanted to make sure he was okay. He had looked so lost earlier. Not unlike the time you caught him in the kitchen by himself. He squeezed your hand. 

“Definitely sure,” he said. He pulled you closer and moved your hand down to his crotch. He was hard and growing harder by the second.

 “Oh,” you sighed. You were not expecting him to be turned on right now.

He pulled you away from the front porch light and past Uncle Sam’s car. In between the houses, there was nothing but darkness and open space. You saw three distant figures but couldn’t pick out anything specific.

Bucky pushed you against the wall. He leaned in with a devilish smirk. He crowded your space and blocked the limited light from the moon. You could only pick out general impressions of his face. 

“I want to see that pretty face when you cum,” he said.

You sighed and bit your lip. Desire flooded through you. You gasped at the sharp coldness of his metal arm as he trailed his hands up your thighs and under your dress. He leaned down and kissed you. You cried softly at how wonderful and delicious his lips tasted. 

His fingers continued to search and knead. You wrapped your hands around his shoulders and pulled him closer. He chuckled as he licked your bottom lip. You fidgeted as he finally reached your panties and pulled them down and off. He squatted low to the ground and kissed your legs and then your thighs.

You played with his soft, dark hair. You wished you could see his face and see his eyes. His lips dragged wet kisses up your thighs with his fingers following behind. Your pussy fluttered. You needed this man. 

Your ragged breath was loud in the quiet night and Bucky finally showed mercy. He stood up and recaptured your lips with his, licking and nibbling. Using his metal hand, he lifted one of your legs until you were open for him.

“You are a treasure,” he said. He kissed along your jawline. He used his other hand to free himself of his jeans. He pushed his pants down far enough to gain some movement. 

There was no talking now. There was no need for filthy words. There was just quiet desperation as he slid into your wet heat and you both groaned softly from the feeling of him. He filled you completely. Earlier, you were so needy that you didn’t catalog everything. 

Now, you took in his quiet breaths. The smell of him. The glide of his cock inside you, slipping in and out with ease. The soft grunts as if being inside of you was the closest he ever got to heaven. 

He buried his nose into your neck and continued to stroke deep within you. It was slow and methodical but no less desperate. You clung to him. He supported you as if you weighed as much as a feather. 

You moaned and bit his shoulder to keep from crying out like you wanted to. You held on. You needed more. You needed him deeper, closer; if possible, you wanted to melt into him completely. 

Pressure built low in your tummy as your orgasm crested the surface. “You’re perfect, doll. You’re perfect for me. I can never thank you enough, for everything,” he said against your skin. His lips tickled your neck and you leaned your head back against the wall.

He felt so damn good. “You’re perfect for me. Never let me go,” you said. 

“Never, never,” he said. He sped up a bit. You clamped down on his dick and he groaned. “I know you’re close, doll. It’s okay, let it go,” he whispered in your ear.

On command, your orgasm rattled your bones from how hard you came. Bucky stroked you through it, whispering how pretty you were. He sounded like he was in awe. “So fucking pretty cumming for me. That’s my girl,” he said.

“Bucky…” you said. You held on as a second orgasm snuck up on you. You felt him smile against your neck. He leaned back to look at your face.

“So fuckin hot,” he said. He stroked a few more times before he grunted and spilled inside of you. He held you in place as he emptied every last stream. You felt him twitch inside of you as he held his head back and groaned.

Your ragged breaths mingled as you giggled. Trying to be quiet made the experience more intimate and magical. The moon and stars overhead, the perfect weather. Perfection didn’t exist, but perfect moments did. And perfect people.

You scratched idly at his hair as he finished. He kissed you again and you both laughed. “How is it possible that I just want to keep going?” 

You laughed and kissed him. “Probably because we can’t. But when this week is over? It’s on.” 

“Hmm. So what you’re saying is, I need to borrow Scott’s time machine,” he said.

You laughed and kissed his cheek. “What?” 

“Nothing, doll.” You got the hint that he was smirking at you. But he kissed you again and your thoughts scattered. 

Perfect.

Read Part 1 | Read Part 2 | Read Part 3 | Read Part 4

A/N: I really love ya'll. Seriously. All of your comments have just skyrocketed my confidence in my writing! Ya'll deserve all the forehead kisses.

There is now a follow up! If you enjoyed this series and miss these two, you can now read It's a Little Cold!