#literally this all resulted because of a single 'well that escalated quickly' joke

[ayoungpadwn]

Ohhhh anakin is so the main pitcher on the high school baseball team. He is very popular and well known around the school. Obi-Wan is like a classic art kid, his only friend is the Ceramics teacher, and he spends his lunches in some hidden spot reading alone. One day Anakins friends find Obi Wan and start to bug him, and while he does nothing, he comes back the next day to apologize and get to know Obi Wan. Over time they become inseparable and every art project Obi makes from then on is for Ani

this has... literally been sitting in my ask box for WEEKS. I’m--so sorry...

but carrying on with the idea because YES

- Anakin is most definitely the star pitcher since the beginning of his sophomore year all the way to his senior year. EVERYONE knows him. He is Coruscant’s poster boy, the golden child. The /Chosen Pitcher/ if you will.

- He became most well known for getting Coruscant to the finals his sophomore year, which hadn’t happened in, like, 20+ years. 

- All this praise obviously boosted his ego, especially his sophomore year when he first became the star pitcher. That made him super arrogant and he got roped into the super popular group, so the not-so-popular crowd tends to steer clear of Anakin, since his arrogance and popularity tends to fall with the stereotype of a bully.

- BUT whenever people do have an interaction with Anakin, they are always surprised to find that he can be strangely down to earth, really chill and kind. This made him even more popular his Junior year, since now he’s known as the super nice, yet arrogant, star pitcher. 

- He can basically be friends with everyone.

- Girls fall for him left and right, and he has a reputation as a player just for that reason.

- Yet, strangely enough, no one has ever actually seen him /with/ anyone. 👀

- Anakin’s whole reputation of being a player, an arrogant pitcher, super popular, and oddly kind is what made Obi-Wan steer clear of Anakin throughout most of their time in high school.

- At least... Obi-Wan steered clear of him when he knew people were watching. His own friends liked to make fun of the baseball team, just as the baseball team tended to like to make fun of his friends: the theatre and art nerds.

- That’s when Obi-Wan started to sneak out to watch the baseball games during Anakin’s sophomore year, just because there was something about the pitcher Obi-Wan couldn’t get out of his head and he needed to know more about.

- He was taking a big risk going to the games, since he ran the chance of being made fun of not just by the baseball players, but his own friends as well. Even if his friends joked about it in a playful way.

- Obi-Wan was definitely a loner in high school. He had a small group of friends, but who he was closest to had to be his arts teacher. He spent most of his lunches with Mr. Qui-Gon Jinn, either to just talk or work on an art piece. 

- For fun, Obi-Wan started to draw and paint some of the baseball games he went to. The pivotal moments of the games, when everything came down to a single pitch, or hit, or run. Soon enough he had an entire collection of baseball works, and Qui-Gon /loved/ them. He insisted that Obi-Wan work on more and submit them to the College Board for AP credit.

- So, that became Obi-Wan’s excuse for going to the games. He had to “work on his art concentration for class.”

- During the baseball games he would hide at the very far point of the field, past the scoreboard. It gave him a terrible view of the pitching mound, but it kept him rather concealed. At least the first year.

- Obi-Wan wasn’t popular in any sense of the word, only known as the quiet liberal arts kid. So he thought that going to the games he wouldn’t even be recognized if he got caught. But how wrong he was...

- It was Anakin’s junior year, Obi-Wan’s own senior year, when he finally got caught by two of Anakin’s teammates.

- “What’chu workin’ on, sweater?” a couple of the Coruscant players had chosen to warm up their arms by tossing to each other at the back of the outfield, which gave them a perfect view of Obi-Wan.

- Obi-Wan had glanced down at his sketchbook before bringing it to his chest, trying to hide the sketch he had made of Anakin practicing. “It doesn’t concern you,” Obi-Wan had said back.

- The situation escalated from there. One of the players hopped the fence to come grab the sketchbook from Obi-Wan, resulting in the coach coming to yell at the player. And of course Anakin, the newly voted-in captain came to investigate as well. Because that is just Obi-Wan’s luck.

- The player finally ripped the sketchbook from Obi-Wan’s grasp and laughed at what he saw, “He’s drawing Anakin! What, you got a crush or something?”

- “It’s for my art class!” Obi-Wan bit back and reached for the sketchbook, only for the player to toss it to Anakin before he could grab it.

- It felt like the breath had stilled in Obi-Wan’s lungs as Anakin looked down at the piece, his face totally unreadable. There was a brief moment that Obi-Wan was terrified that Anakin would flip through the pages, but the star pitcher simply folded the sketchbook up before passing it back to Obi-Wan.

- “Get back to practice, you two,” Anakin had said to the players before walking away.

- Obi-Wan decided he needed to stop going to baseball games after that.

- It was exactly four days after the incident when Obi-Wan was coming back late to school to pick up a ceramics piece he had accidentally left. As he made his way to the art room, he realized he had to pass by the baseball field. Just as practice was getting out. Shit.

- He tried to speed past the players, and it seemed that he was home free as he passed the dugout. Except, “Hey, you!”

- Obi-Wan froze to the spot, turning on his heels to see who had called for him.

- And honestly Obi-Wan could hardly believe that it was /Anakin/ who was jogging after him, face flushed red and sweaty from practice.

- The pitcher panted to catch his breath as he came to a stop in front of him, “Kriff, you walk fast,” Anakin laughed.

- Obi-Wan blinked at him waiting for him to continue.

- Anakin cleared his throat, “Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for the other day. My teammates are--”

- “It’s fine,” Obi-Wan hastily said, ready to bring the conversation to a close. He need nor did he want Anakin’s sympathy. Obi-Wan was just embarrassed, it was best to leave what happened behind him.

- Anakin smacked his lips, “Right, well... I just wanted to say I thought your drawing was really cool. I’d love to see more of them.” Obi-Wan blinked at him, so Anakin hurriedly added, “Only if you want me to, of course! You don’t have to... y’know. Yeah, okay, I think I’m gonna--” Anakin motioned behind him with his thumbs as he started walking backwards, nearly tripping over his own two feet. “I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day,” Anakin laughed awkwardly, “See you around, Obi-Wan!”

- Obi-Wan watched as Anakin turned and rushed away, disappearing around a corner.

- How had he known his name?

- The third time Obi-Wan had an interaction with Anakin was during lunch one day. He was sat outside reading against a tree when Anakin approached him once again. At first Obi-Wan disregarded the other’s presence, but it became harder to do so when the pitcher set his bag down and sat directly in front of him.

- Obi-Wan dropped his book into his lap and pulled out an earphone, looking at Anakin quizzically.

- “Hey!” the pitcher chirped, his face split in a grin.

- “Hello there,” Obi-Wan greeted as he leaned forward and fluffed out his sweater.

- Anakin’s eyes tracked the movement, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a sweater on. It’s like ninety degrees out, how are you not dying?”

- Obi-Wan shrugged, “I run cold. Though I could say the same for you, you have a jacket on in this weather.”

- “I come from Tatooine, that place is literally a desert. I’m used to it being twice as hot as it is now.” Anakin shifted his weight as he leaned back onto his hands, “Anyway, I came to bug you again about the... art pieces?”

- Obi-Wan couldn’t help but laugh, “You are incredibly interested in those.” Anakin smiled proudly and tilted his head. “Well,” Obi-Wan continued, “I don’t have any with me at the moment. I suppose if you would like to stay after school and come with me to the art room, you can look through as many as you would like.”

- Anakin had done just that, much to Obi-Wan’s surprise. The pitcher was already waiting at the art room door by the time Obi-Wan had arrived.

- Obi-Wan was still somewhat hesitant to show Anakin all that he’d done, but his nerves were quickly eased by Anakin’s reactions. You would have thought that the baseball player had never seen art before with how he praised the pieces Obi-Wan showed him.

- Qui-Gon kept flashing Obi-Wan knowing glances from his desk, much to Obi-Wan’s dismay.

- Eventually, though, the art teacher had to kick them out, which meant it was time to go their separate ways.

- “I’d love to hang out again, you’re a super cool guy, Obi-Wan.” Anakin had said as they walked to the student parking lot.

- “Super cool guy,” Obi-Wan repeated and laughed, “I do not think anyone has ever said that about me before.”

- Soon enough, Anakin and Obi-Wan became inseparable. In secret, of course. No one in their own friend groups knew that they were hanging out with each other.

- Obi-Wan quickly came to realize why people always had nice things to say about Anakin. While the pitcher was arrogant, he was accepting and kind and more down to earth than Obi-Wan could have ever anticipated.

- There was one night where they decided to go stargazing in the back of Anakin’s truck, when Obi-Wan finally found the nerves to ask:

- “That day when you came up to me to apologize for your teammates, you knew my name. But I never told you what it was. How did you know it?”

- Anakin had paused, and it was hard to read exactly what the pitcher was thinking in the darkness of night.

- “Don’t be... weirded out, okay?” Anakin began.

- Obi-Wan had taken pause but said, “I won’t be,” nonetheless.

- “I was sorta watching you for a while before that day at the game. Not in, like, a stalking way!” Anakin was hurried to say, “But you just struck my interest. You were alone most of the time yet you always looked so peaceful and there was something in your eyes that I couldn’t get out of my mind.”

- Obi-Wan swallowed and opted to not reply.

- “I noticed you at nearly every game, ever since last year. And I wanted to go up and talk to you, but I didn’t necessarily know how to go about it. That’s why I’m sort of glad my teammates tried to bully you. It gave me an excuse to actually /talk/ with you, the person who I was too scared to approach since last year.”

- Obi-Wan paused and turned his head to watch Anakin, “Anakin... do you like me?”

- The pitcher flinched away quickly, as if burned, and whipped his head around to look at Obi-Wan. “What--I’ve never... I’m not... I don’t like guys.”

- Obi-Wan blinked at him before pushing himself to sit up, Anakin following suit. “Dear one,” Obi-Wan began, and even in the pale light he saw Anakin’s face turn a shade of pink, “Have you ever kissed a guy?”

- “I’ve... kissed girls.” Anakin provided.

- “Okay, and how did it feel?”

- Anakin fell silent.

- “Anakin,” Obi-Wan murmured and lifted a hand to run his fingers along Anakin’s jaw. The younger’s eyes were trained to his lips, as if an animal preparing to pounce.

- Obi-Wan inched forward, their lips a hair widths apart. He had to know if Anakin was going to...

- Anakin crushed their lips together, their teeth clattering together with the force of the kiss. Anakin quickly swiped his tongue along Obi-Wan’s bottom lip, asking for entrance.

- Soon enough, Anakin had lowered them to the back of the truck, laying together lazily as Obi-Wan let Anakin map out his mouth and body. The pitcher was moving with a burning hunger, as if he were a man starved of the touch he had so longed for.

- Neither of them truly knew what the kiss meant in that moment, but neither of them truly cared.

<3

[wintrgarden]

a latte for your thoughts?

// a fan fiction dedicated to the winter garden couple of hospital playlist //

-----

"Ikjun, do you have my warm cup of hot latte?" Jeong won said, while walking towards him in the hospital's open space to take a break during his night shift.

"Here. Isn't it tiring in the PICU these days?" Ikjun replied with worried eyes.

"A little. I don't mind it though.

Yah, do you remember my liver transplant patient, Mina?"

"Yeah, the one where we had to cut the donor's liver to a quarter because it won't fit the tiny baby's body. What about her?"

"I went to her a while ago. She woke up, and winked at me like this!" Jeongwon lit up whenever he talks about his patients' recovery. His eyes sparkled and his smile widened. He repeated the wink so much that it could have been mistaken for a blink. In fact, he was so giddy that he didn't notice someone approaching.

"Professor Ikjun? The test results of patient Jiwon are out. Could you take a look at it?"

Jang Gyeoul, the third year resident of General Surgery has been standing there for a few moments, waiting for the two professors to actually notice.

While hiding his laugh, Ikjun followed suit. Jeongwon was left on the bench with an unwavering smile on his face.

Looking at him, one would think that his drink was too sweet to make him smile like that. Eavesdropping on their conversation would transform him into a humanitarian. But to delve into his thoughts --- now that, that's a different story.

It's nice to actually see an angel, once in a while. Just enough to keep me on my feet. I might be even enthralled by its eyes that don't wink but are enveloped with fascinating halo-like things. Even if this angel doesn't have wings, it has the most power to chase evil away. I wasn't sure if this angel could save me --- until it actually did.

------

"Yah, Ahn Jeongwon, are you sleeping here again?" Junwan said, while entering their shared office.

"O~ I just finished my night shift. I just lied down."

"Have you eaten?"

"I'll eat later."

"I also haven't eaten yet. Let's eat breakfast."

"Will you stop bugging me if I eat?" Junwan then pulled Jeongwon out of the cot, and dragged him to the packed cafeteria to fall in line.

------

"One iced latte, please. Oh, and a sandwich."

With the same baggy eyes and pale skin, Gyeoul was ordering her morning coffee. Just enough to keep her awake until she gets home.

"Annyeonghaseyo~" She greeted the two professors.

"De~" Jeongwon said, while Junwan nodded in response.

CODE BLUE --- CS. 3RD FLOOR. CODE BLUE --- CS. 3RD FLOOR.

Without a beat, Junwan, a Cardiothoracic Surgery Professor, left hurriedly. Jeongwon was then left alone. Gyeoul took her order and searched for a seat.

"One warm cup of hot latte and a pancake, please."

After getting his order, Jeongwon followed through and tried to find his way in the crowd. It was full of doctors and nurses waiting to start their morning shifts, so the noise was understandable.

"Professor! Here!" Gyeoul pointed to a newly vacant seat in front of her. The morning rush got the best of them that Jeongwon didn't think twice and made his way.

The crowd was boisterous. Jeongwon and Gyeoul's silence was awkward. It was not the kind of environment you'd want after a 12-hour shift.

But it was all worth it. At least for one of them.

"How was the Emergency Room last night?" Jeongwon blurted after taking a bite of his pancake.

"It's okay. There were a lot of unpredictable cases, most of which were tiring, as usual." Gyeoul's detailed answer was so calm. It seemed that the Professor's unexpected friendliness didn't bother her.

"Do you have someone to take you home?"

"What? No. I can go by myself." With a polite tone, Gyeoul showed her surprise with the question.

"I'll give you a ride home."

"No, you don't need to---"

"I insist. I still haven't bought you the meal you asked from me, anyway. Can a ride home suffice?"

Gyeoul was bewildered. But with the professor's kind nature, it seemed like something he would do for literally anyone. He wasn't called the "Buddha" for nothing, anyway.

-----

"It's that apartment on the right, Professor."

"This one?"

"Yes. Thank you for the ride."

"It's not a problem. The next time we catch ourselves on a rough patch, I can take you home again."

Gyeoul smiled. Her first that day. Then, she opened the door to get out.

"Oh, shit! I forgot!" The car stopped. Jeongwon's shock even surprised Gyeoul.

"Why, Professor? What happened?"

"I totally forgot about it. I was scheduled to get my car battery change the other week, then I forgot and was planning to do it today."

Sleeping in the cot that morning wasn't just to save time to rest up. He actually had long, overdue chores and was saving some energy to do them.

"Do you have a contact to a car battery seller?" Gyeoul asked.

"Yeah, I'll contact them now."

It was still early in the morning, around 6 o'clock. The service opened at 9 o'clock, so delivery wasn't possible after an hour or so.

Gyeoul stayed with him until things got settled. It was getting chilly, and the overwhelming fatigue got the best out of Jeongwon.

"Professor, you could rest a little in my place... if you like. You can sleep while waiting."

Jeongwon hesitated a bit, but decided to give in.

------

"I'll just get an extra pillow and some blankets." said Gyeoul, while Jeongwon helped in fixing the convertible sofa bed in her living room.

Once fixed, he sat and removed his shoes.

"You live alone?" he asked Gyeoul once she got back.

"Yes, for a while now." she replied as she handed him the pillow.

"Ah, I see."

"I'll just be in my room. You can call me if you need anything."

"Thank you... Also, I'm sorry for being so troublesome." His shy look gave him away.

"It's nothing, don't worry." Gyeoul smiled, and went into her room.

Jeongwon lied down. He couldn't believe what was happening --- and how the situation could naturally give a wrong impression. If he told Ikjun about this, he would make fun of him and joke about how he got things to escalate so quickly. Junwan would tap him on the back and commend him for finally picking up some tricks of his. Songhwa would be very much amused, and would romanticize the whole situation. Meanwhile, Seokhyeong would remind him that he's an OB-GYN Professor, and that he delivers babies very well. He would be of service to Jeongwon if ever he needed one.

His thoughts started to tone down, and after no time, he was asleep.

-------

"Professor?"

......

"Professor? I fixed some lunch. Do you want to eat?" Gyeoul wore an apron over some loose shirt and pajamas now, and sun was already high up.

Jeongwon looked at his wrist watch.

2:24 PM.

He quickly sat up.

"I'm sorry, did the service arrive? I must have been in a deep sleep."

"Yes, they arrived a few hours ago. I tried to wake you, but you were soundly asleep."

"I'm really sorry. You had to pay them, didn't you? I'll just pay you back."

"The receipts are there, over the table."

Jeongwon went to get them, and was distracted with the smell of food coming from the kitchen.

"Professor, I fixed some lunch for us, if you want to eat..."

He felt ashamed to take another offer, but hearing his stomach grumble made him look the other way, again.

Gyeoul was already fixing the table for two, while Jeongwon sat quietly and contemplated how much trouble he caused her all in a single day.

"I'm really sorry... I meant to wake up, seriously. I was just really tired from last night."

"It's okay." Gyeoul said with a chuckle. "I'm not holding anything against you, Professor." she added as she handed out his chopsticks.

"Thank you for the meal." he then said.

Everything was new to Ahn Jeongwon. He didn't need to wipe the table, or arrange the food, or even wear an apron. He didn't even need to worry if he was going to get enough food, as everything was already at his disposal. This new scenario keeps him gushing.

Being alone with a girl, in her apartment, eating her cooked food, and feeling something that only grown-ups alone in an enclosed space would feel. It wasn't like this was the first time something like this is happening, he often said to himself. It somehow eased his discomfort.

All while knowing the truth that this is in fact the first time.

But it's not like Jeongwon didn't have the opportunity and ability to; he just chose not to. His faith led him to a different path, and he was decisive to go this way. For the longest time, this weighed more than any choice he had to make in his life. But this time, something, or perhaps someone, was gonna tip the scale.

-----

"Yah! Jang Gyeoul! What's this?" Chu Minha screamed as Gyeoul entered the GS Department, in time for another night shift.

Someone left iced latte for her. With a double bacon sandwich. And some patches to ease pain. It came with a written note, saying:

"To my Good Samaritan. Thank you~

---- Ahn Jeongwon"

The handwriting made Gyeoul smile.

"Why did Pediatric Surgeon Prof. Ahn Jeongwon gave you coffee? And why are you smiling?"

"Nothing. It's just to repay a good deed."

"That's the most vague yet unsuspicious answer I've ever heard! Good deeds really cannot be questioned at all. I wish someone would also give me coffee." Minha wouldn't stop, but Gyeoul wasn't listening either.

She focused on the note. And the coffee. And the sandwich.

While remembering the long day with Ahn Jeongwon.

[nhllandy]

Self Doubt with Mikko Rantanen

Translations - 

Tyttö = babe

Minä rakastan sinua = i love you

for @mikkorants96 - hope you enjoy :)

It’s always stressful when the Avs play the Minnesota Wild, I mean they are in the same division and there is a little bit of a rivalry there after last year. Mikko on the other hand, loves it. Sometimes it concerns you how competitive he gets on the ice, but maybe that’s just what makes him such a good player.

As usual, you sit in the section with all the other Wives and Girlfriends, even though you don’t really like to. They can be a little… um… bitchy? And you really don’t feel like you fit in with them, but what are you supposed to do? Go sit by yourself to cheer on Mikko?

They are all scrawny and blonde and curl their hair and this and that, not to mention the way they dress at games. They are all wearing skinny jeans and high heels and fur coats and usually sporting a gucci purse or something. Not you though, no matter what, you always stick to leggings and your no. 96 jersey.

HONKKK, a giant horn goes off signifying the end of the third period even though the teams are tied at four. For the past two and a half hours you have been biting off all your fingernails and your ass is numb from sitting on the edge of the seat the whole time. Mikko already has 2 goals, so you’re proud of him no matter what.

But overtime ? OVERTIME ? you hate ot, you get way too invested into the game and then usually end up pissed off when they lose. Mikko loves how much you love the game tho.

The horn goes off again to start the 5 minutes of sudden death hockey. All the other girls you’re sitting with have finally decided to get off their phones and watch for once, but you know they are judging how much you are yelling, oh well.

The first three out for each team have a couple of good looks, but no result yet. Then the next three and the next three and the next. All of a sudden, there is only 51 seconds left before a dreaded shootout. Mikko rushes onto the ice and it couldn’t have been better timed. Kerf dishes him the puck and he is in behind all the Wild players, just him, Dubnyk, and the clock.

He takes off down the ice and even from your seat, you can see Mikko trying to concentrate and sticking out his tongue. You are jumping up and down at this point, and at least some of the WAGs are standing up now.

He approaches Dubnyk and fakes to one side as he tucks it into the net with one hand. The goal light flashes and the place goes crazy. Music is blaring, hats are flying, Gabe basically tackles Mikko as you get a nudge and smile from Mel, one of the few wives you actually like. Mikko Rantanen, your boyfriend, has just scored the OT winner against none other than the Minnesota Wild AND finished off his hat trick.

As soon as the guys skate off, all the girls head down to the locker room. As your walking through the concourse you hear them announcing the three stars.

“And tonight’s first star, with 3 goals and the OT winnerrrrrrrrrrrr, Mikko Rantanen!”

You blush a little and it’s evident that none of the other girls are paying that much attention. You hear his slightly broken english then people cheering. Ugh he’s just so cute and you can’t wait to see him. Mikko is usually in a mood when they win games, like a really really good mood… which kind of… puts you in… some kind of mood… ugh, now you really really can’t wait to see him, and his beautiful blonde hair, just out of the shower, and after games he always wears a hoodie but without a shirt underneath and like OH BOY and his shimmering blue eyes, the way he looks at you in an irresistible sense - You are quickly snapped back to reality as fans start flooding the concourse. Stepping off of the escalator and towards the locker room. All the guys have the biggest smile when they see their beautiful girlfriends and a little part of you can’t believe Mikko looks at you like that.

Mikko hates it, but you say all the time that you don’t deserve him. He usually ends up rolling his eyes and shutting you up by putting his lips on yours. “If anything I don’t deserve you baby,” says Mikko, “I play fortnite almost as much as I play hockey, and I can’t even cook for myself.” He smiles, trying to lighten the mood.

You don’t like getting down on yourself  around him, but it’s hard not to. How did someone like you, end up with someone like him? He could do so much better, you tell yourself.

You’re zoning out in your thought as Mikko comes racing around the corner, still in his undershirt and everything but his skates. Like Mikko is actually running, a huge smile on his face, like a kid turned loose in a candy store. He zooms over to you and literally sweeps you off your feet. You are snapped out of your self-doubt but there are still some lingering thoughts, mostly fueled by the dirty looks you are getting from the girls. However, you are still really happy for Mikko and you hug him and giggle as he spins you through the air.

“(y/n) DID YOU SEE THAT!” He screams and it echoes through the entire hallway.

You think it’s adorable because he asks you that after every. Single. Game. even though you are at every. Single. Game.

“Yes Meeks! You were amazing!” You smile at him, ugh those blue eyes “but I must say, I prefer hugging you after you’ve showered.” Even though secretly you loved him all sweaty and riled up but you preferred when you are the one that makes him sweaty and riled up, not hockey ;)

“Okay okay, sorry tyttö, I’ll go shower,” he takes off back to the locker room, “I’ll be fast!” He yells as he disappears.

You can’t help but smile, and slowly you get sucked back into  your own mind.

Why are all of them looking at me like that? What did I do? They think they are better than me and it’s not fair. But, maybe they are right. I mean I’m not blonde, I can’t remember the last time I curled my hair or spent longer than 10 minutes on make-up. I’m not the most in-shape out of these girls, I can’t really rock high-heels. Oh god, What the hell does Mikko even see in me?

At this point you are starting to get visibly upset and Mel comes over to ask if you’re okay.

“Hey doll, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing nothing, just some stress at work.”

As much time as Gabe and Mikko spend together, you and Mel have become like best friends. She basically knows you better than you know yourself. Gabe walks out of the locker room, exhausted but with a smile on his face. He walks up and puts an arm around Mel.

“Hey (y/n), sweet game huh?” Says Gabe with a grin.

“Yeah, nice job! I’m sure Mikko appreciates the assists.” You smile

“Pff,” he scoffs, “He better, I should’ve been the number one star,” He jokes and nudges you just like Mel did earlier, “But hey, we’ll see you around.”

He starts to walk off but Mel leans into your ear and whispers, “He loves you for you, never ever forget that sweetie.”

You smile graciously at her and then wave goodbye, now back to waiting for Mikko. You lean against the wall, not anywhere near the rest of the WAGs and occupy yourself with your phone, mindlessly scrolling through Insta.

Time passes rather slowly, you see a couple guys come out and they wave or smile at you. It seems a little messed up that the guys are cooler to you than their girlfriends but hey it’s whatever, you’ve always been a little bit of a tomboy.

After what feels like 8 years, Mikko comes around the corner but you don’t notice because your back is to him. He slowly wraps his arms around your waist and takes a deep breath. You feel so safe in his arms, there is nowhere else you’d rather be right now.

You close your eyes and take it all in for a minute before you say anything.

“Let’s go home, babe.” You say softly

He lets out a big breath before letting go but leaving his arm around you.

As you are walking out the last couple WAGs waiting for the guys look you up and down without saying a word. You immediately snap back into your previous mindset of self doubt. Slightly leaning into Mikko, you walk quietly to the car.

Mikko walks to the passenger side of the car and opens your door like always. After walking around and getting in the driver seat he asks if you are okay.

“Yeah,” you trail off, “just tired, I guess.” Mikko notices something is wrong, so he just drops it.

“Well don’t worry Tyttö, I’ll get you home soon.” He puts his hand on your thigh, slowly moving his thumb back and forth. Music is playing quietly in the background as you stare out the window. Mikko tries to cheer you up on the way home but he can tell that you are not in any mood for it.  

The two of you pull into the driveway of your shared condo but you don’t wanna deal with anything right now so you tell Mikko that you will just meet him inside. He gives a soft look, but he knows that you need to be alone sometimes and he respects that. You really don’t deserve him.

As soon as you see the front door close and Mikko disappear, you burst into tears. You’re not sure why this is happening, but you completely lose control. You have been holding this in since the end of the game and now here you are, sobbing uncontrollably.  You hate the way you look, but you hate having Mikko reassure you all the time so you usually just keep it to yourself. This happens every once in a while, but usually it’s when Mikko is on the road. You always compare yourself to other women, especially the other WAGs. It’s so hard not to, come on, you are dating a professional athlete! An NHL all star!

Taking a deep breathe after crying for a couple minutes, you put your hands over your face and look up. Once you move your hands, you see the front door open and Mikko poke his head out to check on you. Upon realizing that you are crying, he runs out the door and down the driveway.

He opens the passenger side door and crouches down next to you as you continue to cry. He rubs your leg and whispers, “(y/n), baby, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

The tears start rushing out again and you turn into Mikko’s chest, really letting it all out this time. He opens his arms and accepts it. Mikko runs his hand up and down your back, trying his best to support you. He knows that you doubt yourself sometimes, but this is the first time he has seen you really breakdown like this.

After slowing down a little bit, Mikko tightens his grip and lifts you onto your feet and out of the car. Now standing, he picks you up. One hand under your back and one hand under your legs. You wrap your arms around his neck and rest your head against his chest. He carries you inside, still barely crying, and he sets you down on the floor. Right in the entrance of your condo is a hallway and Mikko leans you against the wall, runs up stairs to grab you a blanket, then joins you on the floor.    

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Mikko, why me?”

“What do you mean, Tyttö?”

“Out of all the girls in the world, why would you choose to go out with me?”

“(y/n), I love you so much. I wouldn’t trade what we have for anything in the world.” He grabs your chin so that you are looking up at him through the tears. “You are everything I could’ve ever wanted. I mean, (y/n), come on! You love to watch hockey, you’re gorgeous, you’re hilarious, you’re sexy (he says as he looks you up and down), you’re adorable when you yell at the refs, you chirp other guys with me, ugh, Minä rakastan sinua.”

“But I’m not like any of the other girls that go to the games, I’m not blonde or -” Mikko cuts you off by kissing you softly.

“Tyttö, I don’t want any of those girls. I want you. I don’t want some fake blonde that doesn’t know anything about hockey. I want a girl that is proud to wear my number and looks good doing it! I want someone who loves me and someone that, um, I can be Mikko around.”

At this point you feel a smile starting to tug at your lips and you’re slightly grinning, looking up at him.

“Ahhhh that’s it! The smile I love!” Hearing this just makes you smile more, Mikko makes everything better. Now with a full smile, Mikko jumps up and puts his hand out to help you. He pulls you up and into a tight hug. He starts swaying back and forth with you in his arms.

“OH!” Mikko screams, startling you, “sorry baby, hahah I didn’t mean to scare you but we need some music!”

“Hey Alexa, play Count On Me by Bruno Mars,” he says across the room

The two of you sway to the cute, happy song as you lean against his chest, taking in the moment. This went from such a terrible night to one of the best nights you’ve ever had with Mikko.

He is rubbing the back of your head and trailing his fingers through your hair, when you can feel him smile and start to giggle.

“What’s up, Meeks?”

“(y/n), you are the love of my life, ya know that?”

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Gintama, Episodes 296-299

In which I appreciate the finer details, everybody loves Kagura as much as I do, and we find ourselves on the cusp of history.

Antici.....pation

You can tell a lot about a show from how it handles the details. Pretty much every piece of entertainment will put their best foot forward when the big moments roll around. The climactic fights, the big confessions, the sweeping wide shots, the moments that stick most firmly in your mind once you’ve finished watching; everyone knows how important those are to nail, because flubbing your most critical moments means damaging the emotional stakes your audience has invested in you. But it takes real talent to give equal attention to the quiet moments, the incidental ramblings, the assorted bricabrac that few people will remember as strongly, but form the foundation upon which the big moments can really shine. Stories are built from the entire experience of watching them unfold, and the moments that suck you into the action before the fireworks are just as critical, if not more so, than the fireworks themselves. And it’s the attention paid to those details that separate a good story from a great one.

I bring this all up because while Gintama has always had an utterly fantastic handle over the minutia of its own sprawling universe and craft, the level of comedic precision on display in this batch of episodes is really something to behold. Timing is one of the most frustrating parts of writing for comedy, because it’s so hard to tell if you spaced the setup and punchline well enough until the joke is actually told, and by then it’s too late to go back and fix it if you were off by a couple centimeters. But when it’s there, it’s there, and the jokes in this stretch of episodes are about as perfectly punchy as Gintama has ever been. There’s just so much goddamn panache to how briskly it tosses out absurdities and quips, each one following so quickly on the heels of the setup that you barely have time to catch your breath before getting sucker-punched all over again. Literally five goddamn seconds into the first episode, and Kagura’s done-with-this-shit heat exhaustion face had me in stitches from the sheer suddenness of its existence. Or how about when Gintoki spills the ink over his manga page, and he spends a half minute of barely repressed silent horror trying to cover his mistake, only making it worse in the process? Or the escalating series of po-faced failures trying to repair a pair of legendary swords ( ”So this is the legendary jackknife...” ”WE’RE BACK TO SQUARE ONE!!!”)? Or Gintoki’s pithy comment ”Does gender even apply to hags?” instantly resulting in a beer bottle to the back of his head like it was spring-loaded in advance? This show is so goddamn in tune with the beat of its own drum that it can barrel breakneck through a slew of these gags in a row without breaking a sweat, and they all left me cackling on the floor. Beyond the explosive emotionality of its bigger arcs and the legendary character writing, Gintama is a show that 100% knows what it’s doing and how to do it, and that sentiment is clear in every single masterful stroke of its pen, no matter how small.

Do Androids Dream of Oil Rain?

And yes, that impeccable craft extends to the emotional moments as well as the comedic ones. It’s kind of funny to think about just how awe-inspiring Gintama’s larger arcs get, how much they turn my brain into complete and utter mush through sheer force of will, and yet my favorite individual episode in the whole goddamn show is still that 10-minute, almost wordless story of Kagura and her umbrella almost 200 episodes ago. But that’s the magic of this show: it can make the miniscule feel as titanic as the massive, just through how much it gets you to love these characters and care for the struggles they go through. And while Tama’s brief romance with a vending machine isn’t as instantly iconic as that utter tearjerker, it still comes from that same ethos, and packs just as potent an emotional punch. There’s always been something quietly tragic about Tama, how her machine brain’s logical, process-and-service-based thinking has made her self-sacrificing to a fault. She’s had to start from ground zero in terms of figuring out the terms of her own life, and how much of it she’s truly willing to give to others. Her becoming friends with a seemingly animate vending machine is proof both of just how far she’s come and how far she may have left to go; she’s able to empathize with these beings built to serve humans and approach them on terms that put them on equal footing, yet she still struggles with making connections outside that group. Plenty of stories have tangled with the idea of robotic autonomy before, but I’ve never seen a story consider the electric sheep conundrum with as much empathy as this one, with this much respect and love for what the robots themselves may truly desire.

And watching this wonderful, heartfelt mechanical soul grapple with that question, trying to give this worn out service machine a second chance at life on its own terms, makes for the kind of quietly poignant storytelling that has no right being as touching as it ends up being. I mean, this is a goddamn vending machine that cries cigarette packets out of nonexistent eyes that it shatters into its glass anew every time they start flowing again. That’s so ridiculous on its face, and yet it works. Because we trust Tama, and because she puts her faith in this machine’s right to be seen as a person, we put our faith in it too. We want to believe, like she does, that people, whether made of flesh or otherwise, have worth just by existing and providing company when you take shelter from the rain. We want to believe that life is worth that compassion, even if that life is a goddamn vending machine. I didn’t cry by the end, but my heart definitely felt a little more tender than when it started. Tama, you’re amazing. And I hope you find the peace you’re searching for.

Everybody Loves Kagura

But as much praise as I can heap on Tama and the fantastic perspective she brings to the narrative... yeah, you know the drill at this point. Kagura. Motherfucking Kagura, man. Every. Single. God. Damn. TIME. She’s on screen just rockets her further and further ahead of everyone else in my list of favorite Gintama characters. And my god, the way her character becomes the lynchpin of a two-epsiode mini arc where she fakes sickness to guilt her friends into showing more care to her might be the most ingenious meat use of her character yet. Seriously, think about it for a second; the entire basis of this arc is that Kagura wants everybody to be so distressed by the idea of her potentially dying that they never take her for granted again. The whole point is that this arc is reminding you just how goddamn important Kagura is by showing how the possibility of her absence utterly destroys literally everyone else who so much as shared a word with her in the past. Because Kagura isn’t just far and away the show’s best character, she’s far and away the single most unifying presence among the entire fucking cast. Everybody, myself included, loves this girl to death, so what better way to not-so-subtly remind the audience not to take her for granted than by forcing the characters themselves, however briefly, to confront how much she means to them in turn?

And sweet butterscotch eggnog on a hopscotch, the way it plays out might be the single most evil tonal whiplash this show has ever pulled. Because while the knowledge that she’s gonna be okay takes the potentially sour sting off watching her “suffer” with the knowledge that it’s all according to keikaku, her family and friends honest-to-god believe they’re watching the light of their lives die before their eyes. It forces you to see Gintoki, Shinpachi, Otose, and all the rest react as if they truly believe they’re about to lose her. And it. Pulls. No. Goddamn. Punches. Even once you find out she’s faking it, these episodes hurt. For the entire time Kagura was in the hospital, I was stuck in a constant gulf between wanting to laugh and wanting to cry. I have never seen the Odd Jobs crew this horrified, this hopeless, this desperate to deny the reality they see in front of them. Let’s not mince words: we are watching Gintoki as he is grappling with the fact that his daughter might be mere hours from death and it’s all his fault. And the show fully commits to that darkness. Even as insane as his attempts to keep her happy get (”You were so fast you went to a store in the future?!”), it all so clearly comes from being terrified for her well-being and caring so fucking much about her and wanting to do right by her and have faith that she’ll carry through because ”Kagura’s not the type to lose to mere sunlight!” even though he’s scared as hell and trying to run from every voice screaming in his head that there’s nothing he can do and JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH MY HEART IS BREAKING IN A MILLION PIECES FOR HIM

*ahem*

Because that’s the beautiful, achingly sincere truth behind Kagura’s ill-considered attempt to trick her friends into caring about her: they already did. They all care about her so. Fucking. Much. They care about her so much that Otae easily puts her distrust of Kondo aside to try and save her at a critical moment (”They usually mix like oil and water, why are they cooperating now of all times?!”). They care about her so much that Katsura and Hijikata let their feud settle for another day if it means doing right by her in death. Even motherfucking Okita, the sadist to end all sadists who drags her into funeral hell in the first place, who has sparred with her and fought with her since they first met, shows the kind of heartwrenching faith in her that can’t be written off as mere acting (”She ain’t gonna die until we settle things between us”). As cliche as it may sound, Kagura is the glue that brings every single goddamn person in Edo together with her unflinching, uncompromising, unapologetic sincerity, forging connections with everyone from Okita to Katsura long before those disparate factions ever considered fighting on the same side. She didn’t need to scare them into fearing for her life; everyone would happily die for her already. They’ll all stand by her side any day of the week, ready to face whatever challenge awaits with this blisteringly beautiful light by their side. And I’m so fucking happy she recognizes that truth now, because she deserves nothing but the best this world can offer her.

So thank you again, Kagura. Thank you for being as wonderfully, undeniably you as you are. Thank you for all the warmth you continue to share with me. God knows, I’ll be holding onto that light with all my strength from now on.

Because we’re about to dive headfirst into the darkness like never before.

INTO THE ABYSS MOTHERFUCKERS

Yes indeed, folks, I’ve been paying attention. I’ve been watching this season’s expanded playing field grumble with an increasing tremor all throughout the season. I’ve been watching massive factions and players being set into motion every couple of episodes. I’ve been watching the world of Gintama collectively hold its breath as the epic scale of its current scope beats louder and louder like a tell-tale heart buried beneath the floorboards barely nailed in place after the bloodshed of the Pinky Promise arc. I’ve been watching the demonic Takasugi grow increasingly involved in the increasingly chaotic arcs of this season, the Black Beast of Vengeance’s gleaming eye burning like never before. This entire season has been one long build the likes of which Gintama has never seen before, a massive storm of galactic proportions brewing in the background.

And now, it’s time for that storm to break. Because from the hushed whispers of the Crunchyroll comments section, your own barely contained excitement in the reblogs, and a chilling teaser at the end of episode 297, it’s time for the Shogun Assassination arc. It’s time for what appears to be a level of sheer, utter Ragnarok the likes of which not even Yoshiwara in Flames could possibly prepare me for. To put that in perspective, Yoshiwara in Flames, still my favorite arc of the entire series thus far, has also been its longest at a staggering 8 episodes of utter insanity, heartbreak, catharsis, and tears. And now, we’ve got two straight arcs in a row that match that length. 17 episodes. A full third of this season after the previous two thirds of setting the game board up. I have no idea what awaits me once I finally hit the 300 episode mark. I have no idea if I’ll even survive to the end. I have no idea what happens to this show once the dust has settle on whatever mythic legend is about to unfold in front of me.

All I know is that it looks like Takasugi, after over 200 episodes of skulking in the shadows, is finally going to step into the spotlight once more.

And I am not ready.

I am in no way ready to face what comes next.

But for Gintoki’s sake, for Kagura’s sake, for Shinpachi’s sake, for the sake of everyone I’ve come to care about, for the sake of all the love and faith I’ve placed in this incredible, awe-inspiring story... I must press on.

Because you are all worth fighting for.

Welcome to the abyss, my friends. Let us hope our sun can yet rise again.

Odds and Ends

-”When you run a program for too long, you’re bound to run into one or two inconvenient premises.” Heck, I even forgot that Yato were supposed to be allergic to sunlight. Thanks for clearing that up, show.

-”Was this the maternity ward?” Stone cold, lady.

-”I really did just eat too much, though.” askjdhaskdjhas

-”The pervert is still hanging from that tree, all lively!” “I wouldn’t call that lively.” THIS FUCKING EPISODE

-”Aren’t you gonna come save me?!” Hasegawa can never catch a break, huh?

-”Please open your eyes!” “THEY’RE WIDE OPEN!” Rie Kugumiya is just having a goddamn blast these episodes, and I am HERE for it.

-”I’m getting a state funeral?!” Not the craziest funeral this show’s ever had, let’s be real. Remember the ghost who stole Shinpachi and Kagura’s souls? Good times.

-”The illness you have is already ternimal.” FUCKING RIP

-”I wonder if this pain in my chest is love...” No, just Gin-san’s fist.

-”Apparently, the author, a gorilla, ran into the forest.” ffs Sorachi

-OH GODDAMMIT WHY IS THE PANTY THIEF A RETURNING CHARACTER

-I just realized that the tone he’s working with literally says “Gin-tone” at the top, and that’s such a remarkably lazy pun I have to commend it.

-”Oh, that’s not a strap?” aslkdhasjdasd

-”Smiths don’t take sides.” Excuse me, Gin-san, we literally had an entire arc about the importance of smiths taking sides. Featuring this very smithy, no less.

-”Someone call the police!” “I am the police.” Somehow, this joke never gets old.

Thank you all for everything you’ve given me. On both sides of the screen. And I’ll see you for the big 3-double-oh... next time.

[kiheons]

someone asked for a sugar mommy au timeline, I realized that this is pretty long so I’m just making a post. This takes place over a few years. If you hate it just hate it, I’m not in the mood for more controversy. 

So this is the most basic timeline for it.

They meet because Vixen, who works for Brianna, brings Aquaria to her new job to just show her what she does

After that they keep running into each other and realize they both frequent a cafe near their workplaces

They start having weekly lunch dates and eventually Brianna starts paying for Aquaria’s meals. Through this they start getting close

Brianna buys Aquaria gifts and stuff and they spend a lot of time together. Brianna has been flirting with Aquaria since like day 2 and Aquaria thinks she’s gorgeous so there’s a lot of sexual tension

Aquaria is struggling to pay rent one month and has to ask Vixen if she can borrow some money. Vixen, who actually finally has some money, still can’t lend Aquaria that much. Brianna overhears and offers to pay Aquaria’s rent

It becomes a regular thing and now Brianna is paying Aquaria’s rent, buying her food, they’re spending a ton of time together and Vixen makes a joke that Brianna is like Aquaria’s sugar momma or something and that’s kinda where it starts

At some point, after weeks of sexual tension Aquaria says fuck it and kisses Brianna

They start dating and it’s fun, sexy and Brianna takes care of Aquaria

Eventually Aquaria just moves in with Brianna but she insists on paying rent and buying her own stuff

Aquaria calls Brianna mommy accidentally one day and that’s where the mommy kink starts

As time passes Aquaria learns more about who Brianna is and what exactly she does.

This entire time they’re having a lot of great freaky sex and Aquaria is very open with Brianna but Brianna is not the same. Aquaria can tell that Brianna is still very much guarded She learns that Brianna is divorced and that she’s still quite close with Bob. Aquaria can’t help but feel jealous. Brianna realizes that Aquaria feels this way and reassures her that while she and Bob are on good terms they’d never get back together for a multitude of reasons

Aquaria is working her ass off at her job, Brianna goes abroad a lot and they both miss each other a ton so Brianna promises her that she’ll make it a priority to spend time with Aquaria

This is what is the initial motivator to take Aquaria with her to these large meetings/parties

Aquaria is pretty nervous about it at first because it’s a lot of powerful people but Brianna is almost a different person at these events. She always looks like she’s ready to go to war and she’s fiercely protective of Aquaria

Aquaria starts going to more and more of these and people start expecting her to be there. Aquaria herself is super busy so it’s difficult for her to go to all but she likes being with Brianna so she does.

At this point Aquaria has become decently engrained in Brianna’s professional life and it starts a tension where Brianna thinks Aquaria is too immature because she doesn’t conduct herself in the same straight laced manner that Brianna does

It becomes a point of tension that escalates into an ongoing issue. Brianna is then expected to attend a dinner with Aquaria but she has a meeting beforehand. She asks Aquaria to go ahead, Aquaria doesn’t want to, and therefore the scene with Aquaria showing up in that skimpy dress happens

After that incident Aquaria really sees what Brianna is capable of and it scares her a little

Monet warns Brianna that she has to be careful. Aquaria must never feel like she has to do something or that she’s scared of Brianna or else Brianna is just as bad as everyone she has to work with.

They are still dating, Aquaria’s job becomes high pressure and Brianna’s revenge on multiple members of this elite group for bothering Aquaria paints a target on her back. All of a sudden she’s being pressured by all sorts of people and it’s incredibly stressful.

They have a huge fight that results in Aquaria walking out and breaking up with Brianna. Brianna insists to herself that it’s nothing and Aquaria will be back. Aquaria goes to Katelyn and the two decide to go to Brianna’s office and talk to her.

Brianna, who’s already barely hanging on by a thread life wise, has security drag them both out of the building. This results in Vixen coming into Brianna’s office and quitting angrily and Katelyn, Monet and Bob blocking Brianna’s number and refusing to talk to her.

This begins what is essentially the Kameron arc. Throughout the fic Kameron has been mentioned before as a head of a tech company and one of the few people that Brianna can actually stand. However, the two of them have a huge rivalry because if either of their companies collapse they each stand to gain the most.

Aquaria says fuck it to Brianna and decides she’s gonna move on. She goes out, casually hooks up and eventually goes to this one bar and runs into a very hot, tattooed girl. On the flip side Brianna, who’s solution to deal with her girlfriend leaving her, her friends refusing to talk to her and her life falling apart, is drinking until she forgets, happens to be at the same bar.

She sees Aquaria dancing with and kissing Kameron of all people and is immediately pissed off. At this point she’s had a few drinks and isn’t in the greatest state of mind so she comes up to Kameron and asks why Kameron is dancing with her girlfriend.

Aquaria snaps that they aren’t dating and she’s not Brianna’s girlfriend and Kameron, who sees an opportunity to fuck with Brianna, says if Aquaria’s single she can take her home

This results in Brianna trying to punch Kameron and Aquaria steps in without even thinking about it, telling Brianna that if she gets into a drunken bar fight her public image will tank. Aquaria gives Kameron her number and drags Brianna outside to call her driver.

It’s the first time in the time that she’s know Brianna that Aquaria genuinely thinks Brianna is just pathetic and sad looking and Aquaria can’t help but feel bad for her. Aquaria takes Brianna home, sleeps the night in the guest room because she doesn’t want to leave Brianna alone overnight and leaves early in the morning before Brianna wakes up

Kameron, who does think that Aquaria is cute, asks Aquaria out on a date. They go on a few and Kameron quickly realizes that Aquaria still loves Brianna. Kameron mentions this to Aquaria but Aquaria brushes it off and insists that she’s over Brianna.

One day they decide to go on a lunch date. Kameron decides the place and it happens to be the cafe that Brianna and Aquaria used to frequent. Kameron says that she likes Aquaria but Aquaria is clearly not over Brianna and this is honestly kind of weird. Kameron is curious about what happened, Aquaria says it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that she tried to talk to Brianna and Brianna kicked both her and Katelyn out of her building.

It’s around this moment that Brianna walks in with a client and by the time they notice each other it’s too late for Brianna to leave without making a scene. Aquaria refuses to leave out of sheer pettiness. The whole thing is awkward and uncomfortable. At some point Aquaria leaves to use the bathroom and Kameron decides to talk to Brianna.

Tells her that “hey I don’t know what you did or what you and Aquaria’s relationship was like. I really didn’t pay that much attention. But she’s a real catch and she still cares about you so whatever you did you should try and fix it cause someone is gonna come and try and sweep her away and that someone is me.”

Brianna tells her that it’s none of her business and Kameron is like “well it is my business after you tried to drunkenly punch me in a club a few weeks ago cause I was dancing with your girl. Oh wait, I guess she’s not your girl anymore. How unfortunate.”

This time Brianna does actually manage to punch Kameron in the face. Aquaria comes out of the bathroom to find Brianna literally being held back by her client while Kameron gets tissues for her bloody nose. Aquaria is absolutely furious and tells Brianna that they’re over, and that it’s not Brianna’s business if she’s dating Kameron or not.

The client is also furious but Kameron says it’s fine. Turns out Brianna was meeting with a rep for a subsidiary of Kameron’s company. This pisses Brianna off even more but the cafe owner says that if this escalates all of them are permanently banned so she leaves it as is.

Thus begins Brianna’s hell of seeing Kameron, who are previously never been interested in all these fancy parties and meetings, suddenly show up to every single one, all with Aquaria. Aquaria hangs off Kameron’s arm, laughs at every bad joke and seems deadset on making Brianna’s life even worse.

People start talking because Kameron ‘stole’ Brianna’s girlfriend and everyone knows they’re rivals. Brianna is asked if she’s going to do anything about it. It’s bad enough that her company is being targeted but all of a sudden it’s also her personal life.

Aquaria herself is also a lot more comfortable at these things. Over the few she attended with Brianna she got to know people and now people come up to her to talk to her specifically. She’s starting to build a network of people who are interested in her. She also likes that Kameron doesn’t care at all what she does, Kameron isn’t protective of her at all.

Kameron can tell Aquaria doesn’t like her, Aquaria can also kind of tell the same but this is her opportunity for revenge and she’s going to take it. She asks Kameron is she can call her mommy at these events. The first time Brianna hears it, because Aquaria does it shamelessly, she slams her utensils down and storms out of the event.

Brianna starts a downward spiral. Every time Aquaria sees her she looks just a little bit worse. Brianna is chain smoking which Aquaria has never seen her do before, she’s not nearly as personable and she goes from being one of the best dressed to showing up in something that barely makes the dress code. Aquaria, who was previously having fun fucking with Brianna, can now see that Brianna is straight up going off the rails.

At one point Brianna asks Kameron for a light like 6 times and Kameron just gives her the lighter and Aquaria is pissed. She asks Kameron why she would do that, can’t she tell that Brianna is gonna chain smoke herself to death? Kameron tells Aquaria that no one cares. Literally no one in this room except Aquaria cares about Brianna’s health. Everyone stands to benefit from Brianna going crazy and losing control of her company. If she wants someone to help Brianna she’ll have to do it herself.

Kameron also reminds Aquaria that’s she’s making headway in her own life. People are wondering if she’ll start her own fashion house and she’s getting attention from big names. Does she really want to put her time and energy into trying to save Brianna.

Aquaria decides that no. She doesn’t. She starts focusing on her own career, breaks up with Kameron and Kameron isn’t surprised because she knew that they were never anything to start with. During this arc Aquaria leaves Alaska’s company and starts working for Violet’s company. Immediately she’s getting requests to design for big names that she knows personally and she delivers. Brianna is in the back of her mind and Aquaria throws herself into work so she doesn’t have to think about how much she misses Brianna.

Brianna’s situation gets worse and worse. She hates herself for what she did, she misses Aquaria so fucking much, but it’s clear to her that Aquaria really has moved on. Katelyn unblocked her but she never talks to Brianna. Brianna’s own mom called her about Aquaria and told Brianna to get it together. She lost the one person she actually cared about cause she wanted to be stupid and a know it all so the solution is work until you drop and that’s exactly what happens. Brianna overworks herself and collapses during a company meeting. She’s sent to the hospital, the media gets a hold of what’s happening and that’s how Aquaria finds out what happened.

Aquaria is absolutely terrified cause when she sees on the news that Brianna is in the hospital she assumes the worst. She decides this has gone far enough and there’s too much left unsaid between the two of them. She admits to herself that she still has feelings for Brianna. The staff won’t let her into Brianna’s room so she borrows Katelyn’s keys and goes to wait at Brianna’s apartment.

It’s been like 8 months since she’s been here but it looks exactly the same. Brianna hasn’t changed anything. Like, seriously, there’s still closet space for Aquaria, there’s 2 bags of the coffee Aquaria drinks in a cabinet, the plant Aquaria bought when she first moved in is still in the corner. The only difference is that there’s ash trays everywhere and Aquaria is pretty sure if Brianna didn’t have a cleaner this place would be a complete mess.

When Brianna comes home Aquaria actually gets a good look at her after a while and realizes that Brianna looks like a disaster. She looks absolutely drained and miserable and Aquaria feels her heart break. When Brianna asks what she’s doing here Aquaria says that she doesn’t want to leave things like this. She still cares about Brianna, she never really stopped. Dating Kameron was fun but it that’s all it was. There was nothing else there. She still loves Brianna but she knows Brianna probably doesn’t feel the same anymore. Still, she wants them to be on good terms.

Brianna, on the other hand, completely loses it. She tells Aquaria that she regrets everything, she’s been through the fight hundreds of times thinking about all the things she could have done differently. She hates that it took her as long as it did to realize it but by the time she did she had already lost Aquaria. Apologies won’t do it justice. Over the past few months Aquaria’s opinion of Brianna has changed. She no longer sees Brianna as the person she did at first. She says that if Brianna wants to, if she’s willing to give it another try, Aquaria wants to get back together.

They do and Brianna starts getting her life back together. She starts talking to Monet, Bob and Katelyn again, she stops smoking nearly as much. However something has changed. Before Brianna was very much protective of Aquaria cause Aquaria seemed naive. Aquaria now is leaving the apartment with a suitcase and when Brianna asks where she’s going Aquaria says she has a fitting for the Korean president’s wife and she’ll be back in a few days. She’s almost unrecognizable and Brianna realizes just how much she missed in the few months they were apart.

Aquaria will go with Brianna to meetings and break off because she has her own business to attend to. She starts buying Brianna gifts and talking to her about this amazing restaurant she went to in Switzerland that they have to try next time and Brianna is in awe. It seems like overnight Aquaria grew. She’s started calling Brianna mommy again but the dynamic has shifted.

Brianna on the other hand is trying to do better. She decides to see a therapist cause she knows she has a lot of issues. Self acceptance and self love are hard things for her but she’s trying.

They have a small fight about how Brianna doesn’t trust Aquaria even now and that Aquaria always loved Brianna more than Brianna loved her. Brianna admits that she’s scared to trust people and it’s an issue that’s been around since she was a child. Aquaria asks her to at least try and Brianna does.

It’s been about a year since they broke up and got back together and Aquaria leaves Violet’s company to start her own. All of a sudden she’s on the same level as Brianna and Brianna is happy for her. Aquaria has grown a lot since they first met. Aquaria is not happy. She’s still not at the level she wants to be so she keeps working.

They go through a period of domestic bliss. Brianna’s doing a lot better, she’s open and vulnerable with Aquaria, it’s a lot less onesided than it was when they first met. Brianna let Aquaria call her mommy when Aquaria fucks her. Aquaria is doing amazing things with her brand.

Aquaria isn’t happy with where she is. She’s seen what Brianna can do and she’s not there yet. Before it was whatever but now they’re operating on the same level. Aquaria knows if she doesn’t tighten up her defenses she’ll get eaten. She’s young, she grew fast, she doesn’t have the same base that Brianna and a lot of other people do. Either she’s out for blood or she’ll be destroyed.

She’s out for blood. Aquaria isn’t concerned with playing dirty. As long as her hands are clean at the end of it and she gets to where she wants it’s okay. Brianna eventually starts noticing this and she’s concerned. Aquaria reminds Brianna too much of herself at a young age. Except Brianna wasn’t in charge of a large fashion house then. Aquaria is becoming someone Brianna can’t recognize and it scares her.

When she confront Aquaria about it Aquaria doesn’t want to hear it. She accuses Brianna of trying to bring her down just as she’s beginning to succeed. They have another fight and Aquaria says that she can’t be around Brianna right now. They don’t break up but Aquaria immediately travels abroad. They don’t see each other for nearly 2 months and Brianna is seriously concerned. She tries to figure out what Aquaria is up to through her contacts but realizes Aquaria has an iron defense. It’s almost worse than Brianna’s. Brianna has no idea what she’s doing.

Aquaria comes back and they head to a party. Brianna finishes her conversation and goes to find Aquaria only to overhear Aquaria joking about how it would be a first if a fashion house bought out a biomedical company. Brianna leaves immediately, spends the next three days going over all the company finances and confronts Aquaria about it. Aquaria says it was a joke, Brianna is overreacting and that she’s never do that. Brianna says that she has spent months working to be open and trusting with Aquaria and now Aquaria is joking about buying Brianna out? This is the one reason Brianna has never trusted anyone. She thought she could trust Aquaria but can she really?

Aquaria tells her that she’s being paranoid but Brianna points out that Aquaria literally bought out a cotton company. She can’t tell who she’s dating anymore and Brianna doesn’t want to be with someone who will step over anyone and everyone to get what she wants. Aquaria tells her that’s how one survives here and when Brianna uses herself as an example Aquaria says that’s funny because you nearly destroyed yourself and your company until I stepped in and pulled you out of your own head.

Brianna is understandably extremely hurt. She tells Aquaria to get out and not come back until she resembles the woman Brianna loves. Aquaria says fine, Brianna is dragging her down and she doesn’t need that in her life. It’s so similar to their big fight but it’s almost like the roles are reversed. Brianna is scared of Aquaria for the first time in her life.

They spend four months apart. Brianna hopes desperately that Aquaria will come to her senses and realize the path she’s on. Aquaria ignores her texts and calls. Vixen is freaked out too and she tells Brianna to talk to Aquaria. Brianna tells Vixen that she’s tried. Brianna sees Aquaria at events. At one point they’re in a conversation with a few other people. Someone in arms asks Aquaria about her production and Aquaria says that she takes care to make sure those who work under her are cared for. The guy she’s talking to laughs and says Aquaria is naive. Switch your production. There’s a lot of countries where child labor is easy and cheap. It’ll cut your costs. Brianna, you should really do the same. I’ve been telling you for years. I know someone who will help you cover if you’re concerned about public backlash. 

Aquaria looking absolutely horrified. She glances at Brianna and Brianna just looks tired. Brianna catches her eye and squeezes Aquaria’s hand and that’s when Aquaria realizes what Brianna was so worried about. Aquaria quickly runs through everything she’s done so far and none of it is to that extent but she’s gone full speed ahead, easily bought out smaller companies, fired people that she thought were a hindrance to her success. Brianna was right.

Aquaria realizes that there’s no way she can reach the level at which some of these individuals operate without exploiting others. She doesn’t want to do that. She asks Brianna about it later, freaking out a little and Brianna just looks sad. “Aquaria I don’t know how to tell you but I’m nothing compared to people like that. If you want enough power to topple full governments you have to hurt others. I don’t want that. I don’t want you to do that either.”

Aquaria comes back to her senses. She comes home for the first time in months. This time they’re actually a united front. Basically the power couple of the world. Aquaria stands equal to Brianna and Brianna trusts Aquaria to do that. It ends there but there’s a epilogue where they get married.

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Gintama, Episodes 237-240

In which I gush over how this show has mastered its own sensibilities, the Shogun is quickly rising among my favorite characters, and we get legitimately the best harem comedy I’ve ever seen.

Fucking Clockwork

It’s worth taking stock every once in a while and realizing just what a monumental achievement Gintama has become. At the 240 mark, we’re now just around 2/3 of the way through the currently released anime episodes (oh, would that it never end), which is also over twice as long as Yu Yu Hakusho, the previous longest show I watched for this blog. That’s a metric assload of show however you slice it, and it’s easy to just sink into a daze watching it, letting the seemingly endless tide of good vibes serve as a substitute for truly engaging with the material as might be easier with a shorter show, especially considering how the loose plot “progression” isn’t necessarily conducive to a more active watching experience. So it’s good to let yourself surface once in a while and truly appreciate the magnitude of what this show has been able to accomplish. 240 episodes, and we haven’t once suffered a major drop in quality or a truly failed storyline. We’re still finding new stories to tell, new ideas to explore, new paths to travel down. Even after all this time, Gintama has never once lost the excitement of those first few episodes, beckoning you down increasingly fascinating avenues and delighting in pulling you into its world. And it’s only gotten better as it goes, patching up miniscule cracks and shoring up its foundations with increasing aplomb. I’d describe it as clockwork, but that feels like a disservice: clockwork, as tightly constructed as it may be, could never be this exhilarating to watch unfold.

I bring this all up to say that among the many (many, many) joys to be gleaned from this pair of two-episode mini arcs, it really is apparent just how flawlessly Gintama’s entire damn mechanism is running at this point. I can’t think of a single moment where something of interest wasn’t happening, no moment that wasn’t either setting up or paying off a series of incredible jokes that twisted and warped back on each other in a web almost too complex to untangle. This show pretty much has an entire encyclopedia of established running gags at this point, which gives it a shorthand language all its own, able to rapid-fire jokes at the speed of light with an efficiency of time that, honestly, kind of leaves me in awe. Kagura and Okita just have to show up on the same screen as a Neo Armstrong Cycle Jet Armstrong Cannon for their endlessly giddy animosity to explode into the sickest snowball fight ever, which then escalates into them barreling down the mountainside trapped in the same massive snowball (which Katsura was hiding underneath all along in preparation for his next grand entrance, natch) before casually transitioning into literal backstabbing and climaxing when their mutual tendency towards cruelty leads them in an alliance against the Shogon’s smelly briefs, because as has been well established, they are remarkably on the same page for a couple of people who spend most of their time together trading verbal and literal blows. And this can all happen as an incidental, maybe third-funniest plotline running in the background of the Shogun’s glorious fourth appearance. That’s how fucking perfect Gintama has nailed its storytelling by this point; not a single moment is wasted, and as a result, every moment soars. That’s the majesty of Gintama.

The Hero We Deserve

And speaking of the Shogun, sweet merciful Bhudda is he becoming one of my favorite side characters. In a lot of ways, he’s the epitome of why this show’s comedy works so well: it’s often mean and often mean-spirited, but it’s never cruel. The Shogun is a one-man walking Murphy’s law: everything that could go wrong for him, from being used as a snowboard steered by the crack of his underwear to getting his dick snapped in half from the pressure to becoming the subject of ridicule of the entire extended Odd Jobs crew, always goes wrong for him, despite Hijikata’s best futile efforts to save him. But the comedy is never at his expense; no matter what degradation he’s subjected to, he never truly suffers, aside from perhaps some slight humiliation. Why? Because he’s a genuinely sincere person who just wants to have fun and can take pretty much anything in stride. He gets lost in a mountain snowstorm with a cavalcade of urban myths hiding behind every corner? He manages himself just fine, to the point where he has to save his so-called rescuers from their own stupidity. Being subjected to undue scrutiny thanks to his BO? He’ll shrug the jibes off and casually sniff his armpits while stretching to identify the source of the problem so as to not alienate his friends. And should things get completely out of hand, he’ll just nope out by spinning away like a goddamn top, casually face-plant into the snow, and continue his hot streak as the human snowboard down the mountain. I mean, he even monograms his goddamn board. That’s how eager to just be “one of the cool kids” he is. And as long as he keeps getting the last laugh, I will have no trouble enjoying all the misfortune yet to be inflicted upon him.

The Only Acceptable Harem

I am not the biggest fan of harem comedies. Having recently finished slogging through a binge-watch of Zero no Tsukaima, most of you are probably aware of the issues I have with the genre. The framework of a gaggle of girls fighting over the same guy just lends itself far too easily to cheap indulgence and insulting levels of pandering, and watching it play out is the quickest way to drive me either to exasperated boredom or impassioned rage. So it should tell you all you need to know about Gintama that when a New Years binge-drinking session ends with Gintoki naked in Otose’s bed, and it slowly becomes apparent that he has apparently “passed the critical point of a JUMP show” with a grand total of five of the show’s kickass female characters (and Hasegawa), my reaction was one of stunned, almost bewildered excitement. Gintama doing a harem arc? This I had to see.

There’s an innate strength to a show like Gintama going in this direction after so many episodes of expectation-setting: even as wild as it’s gotten at points, we know this is a show that isn’t going to take the easy way out. Otae, Otose, Kyubei, Tsukuyo, and Sachan are all too well-rounded and unconventional of characters at this point to fit into the mold of harem bait. These are people we know, who we’ve spent countless episodes getting to know, and there’s once certainty that can be gleamed from that familiarity: there’s no way the show would treat them like cheap fetish fuel after so much time building them up, often in explicit terms, as exactly the opposite. So even if you don’t guess the killer sucker punch that it’s all a collective long con that all the girls are in on, there’s a freedom of expectations that doesn’t usually come with the harem genre. We know the show isn’t going to insult us or take any cheap shots, so we’re tacitly given permission to just sit back and watch the whole thing unfold without sweating over the details. We know it’s gonna turn out alright, so there’s no danger in enjoying the ride while it lasts.

And what a goddamn ride it is. One Gintama heroine is a powerhouse typhoon by herself, but five of them shacked up in the same immediate vicinity, Gintoki caught between all of their equally strong personalities? It’s a recipe for some of the most deliciously painful shenanigans this show’s ever pulled. Our protagonist gets put through the wringer, beaten and bruised and kicked through too many walls to count (”Um, the door’s over there.” “Oops, I screwed up.”), and by the time we’ve reached the horse-faced blow up dolls that accidentally end up voring Otae I was completely down for the count. How do I even deal with this poor fuck getting steaming hot curry shoved up his ass by an eager Kyubei (”Look, he’s dancing with joy!”)? Heck, there’s even a kind of cathartic glee in watching Gintoki get the living snot knocked out of him after his supposed crime: our silver-haired samurai has always been a bit of a bastard, and in the inverse of the Shogun situation, watching his actually suffer all the indignities the universe can heap upon him carries a deliciously karmic sting with it. But what really brings it all together is Gintoki’s acceptance of his punishment at the end; if he really did this awful thing to all these women he truly cares about, he owes it to them to be a better person. That’s the mark of a true gentleman, and we know Gintoki well enough at this point to know that he would absolutely follow through on that promise. How often does that happen with harem shows? That the feelings of the girls are taken into account over the boners of the male audience members? Once again, Gintama is able to curb-stomp these tired tropes with such voracity it’s almost kind of terrifying. Why can’t more actual harem shows have this level of respect and tact? This show proves that it’s entirely possible, so you guys are officially out of excuses.

Of course, it’s then that the final stinger kicks in with the reveal of what was really going on, and any possible lingering bad taste is washed away by the triumphant cackles of the ladies of Edo returned to their former glory, basking in the majesty of Gintoki’s face as he realizes just how completely he was duped. These are the characters we’ve come to love so completely, in all their crude, unapologetic, stereotype-defying, and utterly transcendent glory. There was no way that Gintama was ever not going to do right by them.

Odds and Ends

-OH SURE JUST SET THE ODD JOBS HOUSE ON FIRE WHY DON’T YOU

-”What happened to two and three?” “Never heard of them.” ffs Matsuraida

-Snowman Katsura. That is all.

-”Oh, Kondo. You’re so forgetful.” Beneath that smile lies the face of a killer.

-Okay, but Hijikata just fell off a goddamn cliff and everybody immediately forgets about him. Jesus, that’s cold.

-”You hear that, Kagura? He’s using snow to take shelter from the snow.” their fucking faces oh my GOD they’re such little shits

-”Like I’m back in my mother’s womb!” skjdhaskdjhas sure

-HOW IS EVERYBODY JUST FINE AFTER FALLING OFF CLIFFS I SWEAR TO GOD

-”Who put a thumbtack here?!” Congratulations, you played yourself.

-Okay, using the cartoon Shogun face to censor his little Shogun has me cackling like nobody’s business.

-See, now I’m getting nostalgic flashbacks to that time Gintoki comforted a puking Tama after she mixed diesel and regular. This show has the weirdest history.

-”I wouldn’t mind falling to the bottom of society with you.” Hasegawa best girl

-Did Gintoki seriously just make the “ora ora” noise while patching the wall up Jesus wept

-”Have fun with Pixelmon.” “Stop lowering the quality!” askldjasldkja

-”She’s more Unit 01 than my unit 01!” Oh hey, did you hear Netflix got the Evangelion streaming rights for 2019? Cause they did. Finally, everyone can stream it legally! HUZZAH!

-”You’re the one... who bent me over.” This is the best possible ending holy fucking Christ

Two more cours to go this season. Can’t wait to see what they have in store!