#many such things in the world of classics

[dreamsteddie]

There is an AITA out there that I can't find but it's been haunting me for weeks with visions of semi-angsty Steddie that I need to release onto the world. (If anyone happens to know what I'm talking about hit me up and I'll link it)

Edit: @jazzathebunny found the original AITA from Reddit linked Here for anyone who wants to read it. I'm definitely not doing exactly the same premise but this was my jumping off point 😊

Part Two! ------

Modern AU, Eddie and the guys are a moderately successful local band in the Chicago area playing gigs on the weekends and doing small tours whenever they all have the time. Gareth and Jeff are both in college while Eddie and Freak are both working part-time at a game store. Eddie managed to lock down that assistant manager position that lets him work 30 hours a week with weekends off for gigs. All in all, it's a pretty sweet deal and they can't complain.

Eddie had sworn off dating after a small handful of disastrous relationship attempts in their first year in the city. He dismisses any advances from people who attend their shows and tries not to think about how much he wants to make a genuine connection with someone and have something real. He's been burned one too many times to try and make something with someone he met in a bar or at work.

He knows the guys talk about it behind his back sometimes, he catches Jeff and Gareth fervently whispering to each other and stopping when they catch him entering the room one time too many to not suspect they're talking about him and he can't think of anything else going on in his life that they would feel the need to whisper about.

The fervent conversations take a slight uptick one day and about a week and a half after they do, Gareth hits him up and tells him he wants to set Eddie up with a guy from one of his classes. At first, Eddie is skeptical and cites all the reasons why he doesn't want to try with anyone right now but eventually, Jeff jumps in to plea the case and Freak jumps in on top of that and under the combined weight of his best friends he agrees to meet up with this Steve guy.

The guys set up the whole thing and before Eddie knows it it's Saturday night and he's wearing his best black jeans and a gray button-down, untucked, to go on an honest to God blind date like his life is some low-budget romcom.

Steve is not at all what Eddie thought he would be. Not the kind of guy he thought his friends would pick out for him given they know he usually goes for other alternatives like himself. Steve, who is shyly waving him over and getting out of his seat to great him, is the very epitome of prep. Well-fitted polo, light blue chinos, and what Eddie assumes this guy thinks are casual loafers. He's handsome to be sure, a 12/10 at least with perfect hair and defined biceps but Eddie is fairly sure he's being punked.

But, Eddie doesn't want to be rude so he goes to meet Steve at the table, confirming just in case that he's actually here to meet with a guy named Eddie. Steve gives him a bit of a confused look, saying that Gareth showed him a couple pictures of Eddie before he agreed to meet and figured he'd done the same for Eddie off Steve's Instagram. Gareth had, in fact, not done anything of the sort but they both dismiss it and get on with their date.

In all honesty, Eddie is expecting it to be a complete wash, but it turns out that even if Steve is not at all what Eddie would have previously said what his type, Steve is damn near perfect. He's funny, kind, a little bitchy, and even though he proves himself to be every bit the sports nerd he looks like he doesn't turn his nose up at Eddie's own much more classically nerdy interests. By the end of the date, Eddie has a new type and that type is Steve Harrington. He's quick to lock down a second date for the next weekend which Steve happily agrees to. They exchange numbers and Steve gives Eddie a chaste kiss on the cheek that has him floating all the way home.

Steve texted him that next morning letting him now he had a great time and is really looking forward to their next date and Eddie thinks this might be the start of something big for him. When he gets to practice he's clearly still floating on cloud nine and in his own little world designing their marriage invitations and matching tombstones so he doesn't notice the sly grins on his bandmates' faces.

"So...how'd it go last night? Everything you dreamed it would be?" Gareth asks, a strange glint in his eyes that Eddie doesn't clock.

Eddie goes on and on about how nice Steve was and how he might be The One, thanking Gareth profusely. Freak looks pleased for him, giving him a hard pat on the shoulder in congratulations but when Eddie finally tunes back into the real world he's greeted by Gareth's livid expression and Jeff's overly concerned one.

He asks the guys what the fuck is up and it turns out that Gareth and Jeff set this whole thing up as a prank of sorts. Eddie was never supposed to hit it off with Steve who Gareth selected specifically because he's a "totally brain-dead prep" and as far away as someone could get from Eddie's previous relationships. He was supposed to be someone Eddie could go on a date with and not form a connection with without getting completely burned at the end like all his previous relationships in the hopes of getting him out of his slump.

Jeff was in on it as well. He wanted to get Eddie back out there, so when Gareth presented the plan he sat in on a couple of Gareth's general credit business class sessions to help pick the guy out.

After Jeff and Gareth finish explaining he does a complete 180 and just...leaves. In any other situation, he would be raging and verbally tearing his friends a new asshole but instead, he completely disengages and walks out the garage door, ignoring his friends' shouts to come back.

He goes back home, socked and hurt and so very confused about how the hell he found himself in this position when his phone lights up.

New Message: Steve H.

Fuck.

-------

Part two coming soon??? Maybe???? We'll see.

[sepdet]

My initial reaction was YES! but after reading the following interview with her, Atsuko Sato, I think she should just get all his money to donate to animal rescue orgs, which is what she has done with money from one US company that sent her the proceeds from some of its Doge-themed merchandise.

In Japan, she raises awareness about the cruelty of puppy mills like the one Kabosu was rescued from (she was about to be put down, and sadly many of her littermates were). Sato encourages people to adopt.

I think one thing we might do to shame Elon Musk is spread the story of the dog and the kind lady whose photos were, after all, stolen from her personal blog and monetized for millions of dollars without her knowledge or consent by cryptobros who don't even know she exists.

It's amazing how the modern world repeats the classic pattern of men with power and status based on inherited wealth being written into the history books history while subverting and ignoring the women whose work they steal and profit from and whose causes and interests they not only ignore, but don't even know exist.

the lovely woman who owned kabosu, the shiba known as doge, should get to take a point blank shot at elon musk with the doohickey that killed shinzo abe

[needforspeed161]

Hey Admiral

My friend and I were talking about a scenario like this and I decided to write a little something for it. Since Cyclone looks up to Ice so much this would be hilarious to see play out 😂

CYCLONE DOESNT REALIZE ICE AND MAV ARE MARRIED.

Cyclone had it up to HERE with Maverick, constantly correcting him and becoming quite irritable with his “teaching methods” as he called them.

Why on earth a man as revered as the legendary Iceman would request a man as reckless and untamed as Maverick to teach the top pilots in the world at TOP GUN OF ALL PLACES! For what he is sure would be one of the most dangerous, high enemy contact level mission any of these pilots would ever experience in their lives was beyond him.

“Admiral” Ice spoke, taking a seat across from him, Beau stood at attention as the COMPACFLT seated himself before him.

“Evening sir” he spoke, militant as ever.

“So to what do I owe the pleasure” Ice waved a waitress over, grabbing a glass of his classic vodka on the rocks as Cyclone opted for a brandy.

“About Maverick…”

The warm chuckle that spread throughout the blonde, now graying, Admirals chest stopped the three star in his tracks.

“My apologies sir, I wasn’t intending to be comical”

“No Beau it’s not that” Ice took a gentle sip from his drink, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “It’s just that if I had a dollar for everytime one of these dinners or meetings began with ‘so about Maverick’ I could have retired 10 years ago and have two Mercedes in my driveway”

Beau looked at his hands momentarily, unsure of what to say. Soon Tom continued.

“Anyways, I digress, what did he do this time”

Ices softer stare met his colleagues as he took another drink, before looking down at the menu on the soft white table cloth.

“His training methods for the Dagger squadron are….interesting to say the least, unorthodox is the better term.”

“Oh? Do tell”

“For instance, they were supposed to be practicing formations for the bombing run yesterday and I found them playing on the beach like children”

“Hm” Ice grunted softly, paying attention as the waitress came by again, interrupting them.

“Good evening sir” she spoke with a small smile at Tom. “Your usual sir?” Tom nodded

“Thank you Katherine, Beau? Care to order?”

Cyclone didn’t think to hard as to why Ice knew this woman, and frequented this place often enough to have established a ‘usual’. Ice was the COMPACFLT, he probably enjoyed some nicer expensive dining from time to time.

“No green eyes tonight?” She asked, and Tom shook his head. “No my dear, all buisness tonight”

She frowned slightly and put her hands on her hips. “Well darn, please tell him I said hello, I’ll go put your order in gentlemen.”

“I definitely will, Thank you my dear” Ice waved as she disappeared, rounding the corner.

Cyclone decided not to comment, first of all he and Ice were close but not so close as to ask questions about his love life. Let alone the fact that it was apparently another gentleman he often frequented this place with. Who was he to judge, since the DADT repeal and Ice becoming one of the most powerful men in the military, no one could say shit even if they had a mouthful.

“Apologies for the interruption, as you were saying?”

Beau cleared his throat. “Yes, sir, he completely ignored my hard deck perameters and is running these pilots through ridiculous exercises, we have less than a week to have them mission ready…”

Their conversation went on for a couple more hours as they ate, and as they both stood to leave Ices hand found Cyclones shoulder.

“I know Captain Mitchell can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes, but he’s a brilliant pilot, best the Navy has to offer, I’ve flown with him for many years, and he’s done many things I may not have understood, but he was always reliable, always had his head in the game and always made sure everyone, including me, made it back home safe. Be patient with him Admiral, give him a shot”

Cyclone huffed out in annoyance slightly, but let his shoulders fall. “Yes sir, I’ll do my best”

“Thanks Beau” Tom spoke, dropping the formalities. “And thank you for the company, but I’m a little past curfew and need to get home” Ice winked, Bidding him goodbye and getting in his car to head home.

—————————————————————————

The next day seemed even worse, Admiral Simpson was being driven up a wall, two seconds away from punching the brunette square in the face. If not for Ices encouragement he probably would have by now.

That evening he returned to the ready room to see, SHOCKER! EVERYONE WAS GONE!

Anger rose in his throat, he knew exactly where he was going.

Throwing his truck in park in perhaps the most aggressive way he could, the man, still clad in his khakis and medals, stormed in through the swinging saloon doors of the Hard deck, seeing all of his pilots and one infuriating Pete Mitchell drinking beers and playing rounds of pool.

Laughing, smiling and joking together, if he weren’t so angry he would have liked to admit that it even looked….fun.

“CAPTAIN MITCHELL!” He shouted. As if on cue the music came to a winding stop and all heads turned to look at him.

Pete not looking worried in the slightest.

“FRONT AND CENTER! NOW!”

Handing off his beer to Bradley with a nod, sharing a quiet word with him that couldn’t be made out clearly. He walked towards the angry, taller brunette. As the rest of the gang tentatively went back to playing pool, quietly, as if walking on eggshells.

“Admiral Simpson, sir” Maverick spoke. Smug grin on his face long gone and replaced with a tight line drawn between his lips.

“What in the hell is this?! We have a mission less

Than TWO WEEKS out that requires absolute focus! And before you try and brush this off as one of your bullshit ‘team building exercises’ just know I’m going to look forward to reporting this directly to admiral Kazansky! And-“

“Reporting what exactly to Admiral Kazansky?” A voice spoke, interrupting his statement, as the taller, angrier man turned to see the familiar face returning with two drinks in his hand.

Immediately straightening his posture and clearing his throat. He took in a very casually dressed Tom Kazansky.

“A-Admiral sir!”

“At ease Admiral, so what did Maverick do this time”

His eyes followed the movements of the slightly taller man, coming up to stand beside Pete, handing him a beer.

As Cyclone began to go into what he saw.

“Is that so Mitchell? Little old you did all that?” Ice threw his arm around Mavericks shoulder. Seeing the smug smile return to his lips.

“I can neither confirm or deny that statement” Maverick chuckled.

“My apologies on behalf of my husband Admiral, it seems he wasn’t aware of todays training layout”

Cyclones jaw may as well have been on the floor, throat tightening at a loss of words.

“H-husband sir?”

“Ah!” Ice almost looked surprised.

“How rude of me Admiral, I’d like to formally introduce you to my husband, Pete Mitchell-Kazansky, though for work purposes everyone still knows him by Mitchell.”

Just at this time Bradley walked up behind them.

“Hey dad, pops” he squeezed both of their shoulders and looked at Admiral Simpson. “Admiral”

“Lieutenant” he scoffed in return. Still attempting to process all of this new information.

“Wait so, at the restaurant, the waitress, green eyes is-“

“The one and only” maverick smirked, leaning up to give his husband a kiss on the cheek.

“Now Admiral, if you don’t mind we’d like to get back to our game, you’re welcome to join us if you’d like.” Ice invited, gesturing his head towards the rest of the squad.

Cyclones mouth open and closed again. Unsure of what to do next.

“Cmon Sir, first rounds on me, loosen up a little” Bradley smiled, eyes bright and hopeful. As Cyclone turned to the rest of the team, smiling at him as well.

“I guess one drink couldn’t hurt….but I’m kicking your ass at a game of pool first Bradshaw”

As the two men walked back towards the pool tables, newly acquired beers in hand and jokes being flung back and fourth. Maverick pulled ice against his side by his waist. Smiling up at him with big green eyes, clinking his beer against the taller man’s glass.

“This is going to be fun” he smiled.

“Couldn’t agree more darling”

[valenshawke]

In Defense of Caitlyn Kiramman

No, this is not a defense of any of her actions or decisions she made after she donned the beret. This is a defense of the writing of her character and what (I believe) the writers are trying to do. With only one act down, there’s many ways the writers can take this. They could very well fumble it. However, I will give the writers the benefit of the doubt. With that out of the way…

The descent into darkness and the corruption arcs are classic storytelling. Where the protagonist, hit with so many traumas and setbacks, gives into her darker feelings, sometimes aided by a more devious figure in the background.

Given all the traumas that Caitlyn has experienced as explained by @bramblebeau, something was going to happen. Without Ambessa Medarda being that devious figure, would Caitlyn have gone full authoritarian at the end of episode 3? Maybe. I still think she would have, but perhaps not as far. But to argue that this is bad storytelling because Caitlyn did not keep her idealism and morality is… horrible missing the point. 

What are the points? When faced with trauma and the desire to retaliate and seek revenge, it is very easy to manipulate those who want those two things. And, in the world we actually live in, we have seen this time and again. Need I bring up the US War on Terror? Whether directly or indirectly, the cultural impact of the 9/11 Attacks, second Iraq War, and the US War on Terror has been and will continue to do so (and if you want a less subtle commentary on that, check out Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto also on Netflix). 

Ambessa Medarda not only manipulating Caitlyn, but the Piltover Elite, was masterful because it showed how easy it is when you can control the flow of information, control the rhetoric, and eventually dehumanize your “enemy” as something less than human. It’ll be fascinating to hear how Caitlyn’s speech changes and what type of language she uses when talking about Zaun.

At this point, we don’t know exactly what the writers are going to do. But it does raise some intriguing and exciting questions from a storytelling perspective. Caitlyn, right now, is at the edge of (the heart) of darkness. Is her blood-lust for revenge going to cause her to fall in? Will someone be able to talk sense into her? Can anyone in Piltover talk any sense into her? How, if at all, can Vi be the one to help/save her? Or will they save each other? How can Vi be that tiny light in the darkness when she has her own trauma to deal with? (There’s another point to examine how both dealt with the trauma by the end of Act 1. Vi went inward and, based on the trailers, went full self-destructive mode. Caitllyn went outward and became the public face of a fascist regime). 

Caitlyn already started taking steps to that darkness after she got the Kiramman key and decided that GASSING ZAUN (and all the implications THAT brings)  was the best option for her strike team to open its mission to capture Jinx, dismantle shimmer, neutralize any agents loyal to Silco. Whatever justification given, especially by Vi, is naive at best and delusional at worst. Vi might have gone along simply because she feels some blame and wants to support Caitlyn. But what Caitlyn did was unjustifiable. The moment you simply accept “collateral damage” as simply being a Tuesday, your moral dipstick is bone dry (credits to Fox Mulder for that one). But that isn’t bad storytelling. I’m supposed to feel that way.

Caitlyn’s descent, as it stands, allows the writer to either give her something of a redemption arc where she realizes the horrors of what she has done and what has to be done to fix it. 

This is classic storytelling 101.

And I am fucking here for it.

Thanks to @caitlyn-kirammans for listening to me ramble this out first.

[harrowscore]

i want to be specific on one thing: there is nothing wrong with dark romance/romantasy. actually, in theory i love the genre. it's what i like to write most of the time, and often read/otherwise consume. the problem imo is that most mainstream published books in the romantasy genre are wattpad-quality or written as if the authors were 15yo. with this i mean no offense to the 15yo girls who put their heart and soul into their stories - hell, i used to be a weird teen who wrote shitty fics too; these girls make the world go round, and there's some big talent lurking among them. (i'm not counting myself among them, just to be clear lol.) some fics written by teen girls are beautifully mature works, and they influenced little teen val's writing style along with all the classic, modern, and fantasy lit i loved so much.

but wattpad fics are blessedly free. you don't have to pay 23€ for a beautiful hardcover edition hailed as the new literary case. mind you, this is not a romance-only issue - i'm sure there's a lot of bad written thrillers out there, but i've read so many few thrillers in my life that honestly i can't say nothing of value about it. romance, especially gothic-adjacent/dark romance, on the other hand, is my bread and butter (which is ironic, considering i have so many issues with modern romcoms too... but that's another can of worms), so i speak out of love for the genre. but honestly... i've read far better villain/heroine fanfictions on ao3 than many of these "acclaimed" best-sellers. (which also makes sense, because as i've personally experienced when i wrote my first original novel, writing original works is hard and requires exponentially different skills than fanfiction.)

having said that: mutuals/followers, what's a (modern or contemporary) ya and/or romantasy book you've read and enjoyed? i'd love some recs, and to celebrate good authors!

i'll start: probably a basic rec but i'd say spinning silver by naomi novik ❄️

[osmanthus-wine-addiction]

14 Food Play

Zhongli x Reader / SFW / Fluff / Teahouse & Coffeeshop AU / Rivals to Lovers / Zhongli and Reader are both pastry chefs / Reader is a bit of a tsundere

Nobody would ever suspect that you and Zhongli were seeing each other. Afterall, the two of you had been professional rivals for almost a decade.

You met him during a pastry competition while the two of you were still in college. He was your senior and had quite a large following, especially among the female students. In hindsight, you were a bit of a prick back then. Passionate, confident, and competitive, you weren't the least bit shy when it came to critiquing his work. His criticisms, on the other hand, had always been delivered with more grace than yours. He ended up winning that competition along with many others, but he never once held them over your head. It wasn't like you've never snatched a win before. There were those few times his entry lost to yours. You couldn't brag about them though, because that would be far too petty of you since he always congratulated you so sincerely. It was strange how he always showed up in the same events you sign up for though. Whenever his name appeared in the lineup, you almost always ended up losing to him. It was more or less an unrequited animosity.

Zhongli had never actually treated you like his rival, even going as far as sharing techniques and introducing vendors to you. He always had a gentle smile on his face, which irritated you all the more. It didn't help that he was frustratingly handsome and a true gentleman, even by your inflated standards. If he weren't always overshadowing you professionally in every way possible, you might’ve gotten along with him.

Eventually, you opened up a small coffeeshop with your friend Ningguang. She provided the larger chunk of the funds while you introduced pastries to the menu and took care of most of the day-to-day operations. To your surprise, your old nemesis got hired by the teahouse right across the street. You only found out when Ningguang brought you a morsel that tasted suspiciously like it came from a certain someone's hand.

The first bite into that osmanthus cake, you were certain it was him. He really was haunting you! Did he have to pop up everywhere you went, as if Liyue was too small to fit the both of you? You didn't even hate the guy. You were just tired of competing against him!

Truthfully, you never understood the comparisons. Was proximity the only factor? Or was it because your shops both served desserts and drinks? Your menus were from two completely different worlds.

Zhongli had always been dedicated to the classics. He studied traditional Liyue recipes and even managed to revive some pastries that had gotten lost in time. Stepping through the doorway of the teahouse for the first time, you got the impression that you had stepped into a portal and ended up in old Liyue. Dark rosewood furniture and ink wall scrolls were the first things you saw. Faint wisps of incense and steeped tea calmed your nerves. Colorful pastries sat on rows of ceramic trays. Osmanthus cakes, almond tofu, and flaky lotus pastries contrasted immediately from the chocolate croissants, mango mousse, and tiramisu that sat in your display cabinets.

You've always respected Zhongli as much as you couldn't stand him. Before you got to know him more intimately, he always came off rather elitist, insisting on using the most traditional methods and ingredients to create his confections. Substitutes were strictly forbidden, especially for the sake of cost. This carried into just about every aspect of his life to an overbearing degree. You couldn't help but debate about silly things whenever you were in the same room as him.

"Quality and craftsmanship is not something I'm willing to compromise on." He says.

"Just like how you insist on charging three times the price for your pastries?"

"It is up to the guest if they are willing to pay the higher price." Zhongli says, calmly sipping his tea. "Value lies in the eyes of the beholder."

"We can never get on the same page about anything, can we?"

"That isn't true." He refutes you. "I can see your perspective quite clearly. We may take different paths, but both you and I are headed in the same general direction."

"Just like how I ended up on the same street as you?"

"Precisely." He chuckled.

He scooped a spoonful of tiramisu, bringing it to your lips. Zhongli loved to feed you, something you were happy to indulge him on since it freed up your hands to do other things. The dessert you had brought over to share with him today was a new flavor you had been working on. You wanted to get his input on it before putting it on your menu. Whenever he released a new pastry into the wild, he would have you try it as well.

"How do you like it?" You asked him while thumbing through the pages of his guestbook.

Some patrons even left pictures in it. The smiling faces told you that this teahouse wasn't simply a place to buy a cup of tea and eat dessert. They gathered here after work with friends, celebrated birthdays, and spent dates here, just as they did at your coffeeshop.

The piece of tiramisu ended up falling off and landing on the back of your hand.

You reached for a napkin, but Zhongli snatched it from you. Instead of using it to clean off the cream, he raised your hand to his lips, tongue darting out to swipe away the sweet confection.

"Exquisite as always. The sunsettia adds a tangy, fruity sweetness to the richness of the mascarpone, which also happens to balance out the bitterness of the coffee. You've outdone yourself yet again with the reinvention of something classic, dear." He complimented without a drop of innuendo, except his actions were as suggestive as is gets.

He had always been like this. You could never tell if Zhongli was flirting just from his words alone. Perhaps you were just incredibly dense. Maybe there was an element of denial in your ignorance too. You just never considered a professional rival to also be a suitable candidate for romancing. Perhaps in this one aspect, you were even more inflexible than he was.

How exactly did you and Zhongli's fates intertwine when the two of you had been on parallel trajectories for all these years? Simple, you were heartbroken and desperately in need of a drinking buddy one particular day and he just happened to be closing up when you came trudging by.

"Someone's birthday?" Zhongli asked you, eyeing the intricate cake in your hand.

He might not specialize in this kind of pastry, but he could still tell when something was specially crafted for a certain occasion. It was not hard to tell with the hand-lettered chocolate decorations.

You had poured your entire afternoon into this thing. Sure, you made pastries for a living and each one was made with love, but this one was special. Every little detail on it was laid on with a personal touch. It was made for someone who had been occupying your heart for far too long.

Zhongli was a perceptive man. It didn't take much for him to piece together a vague idea of what had happened. The cake was still in your hands, unappreciated, untouched, and uneaten. Your face was drained of your usual glow.

"My boyf—" You caught yourself. "My ex-boyfriend's."

Perhaps it was your fault things had gotten that way. You had been too occupied with the coffeeshop lately and an irreparable rift had formed between you and your college sweetheart. He needed someone who could be there for him, who would always have time for him. You couldn't be that person for him. While you were busy baking croissants and serving lattes, he had allowed someone else to quietly take your place in his heart. The relationship had long since gone stale and the sweetness was no longer there.

Love was a lot like baking, sometimes things don't turn out the way you expect it to. You make mistakes and measure wrong. Like a burnt cake or a bad batch of whipping cream, sometimes it has to be tossed out. It hurts to let it go to waste, but you could always make more.

The moment Zhongli saw you, he could instantly tell that something had gone wrong between you and your boyfriend. His hand clenched in silent rage at the thought of that ungrateful bastard causing such a downtrodden look to appear on your face. Despite the heaviness in his heart from seeing you hurt, a long-dormant seed of hope finally sprouted deep inside of him.

"The right person will not corner you with difficult choices." Zhongli assured you. "There is no regret in giving up something that was not meant to be."

Zhongli's sincerity came like a warm cup of tea on a cold day. Who would've expected you would find comfort in the words of your long-time rival? You were clearly in a better mood now than when you first walked into the teahouse.

You smiled. "Thank you."

Under your insistence, he brought you some fruit wine, but made you eat the cake you worked so hard on. You had a coffeeshop to open up the next morning and couldn't afford to have a hangover, he reasoned. He knew exactly what to say to get you back in the right mindset. You might not have been willing to admit it before, but Zhongli understood you to an uncanny degree, perhaps even more deeply than your boyfriend ever did. He shared the same sentiments when it came to your craft, even down to the obsessive attention to detail.

In your eyes, cake was a sacred thing. The batter had to be mixed perfectly. The fruits had to be fresh. The topping had to be whipped just right and piped precisely. To you, cake was the closest thing to tangible joy. The sweetness, softness, and fluffiness of the emotion could all be tasted in a single bite.

"It's delicious. A pity the person it was intended for would never get to taste it." He remarked after he tried a bite of your cake.

It was chocolate flavored, which you knew Zhongli was actually quite fond of. Traditional Liyue desserts did not use this ingredient so he often sent Xiao over to buy him some of your chocolate flavored morsels. You knew it was for him since the boy preferred almond flavored pastries.

"You lucked out." You joked, a bit of a slur on your tongue.

A flush was beginning to spread over your face because of the wine. You rested your cheek against your palm.

"I do consider myself quite fortunate." Zhongli replied with that gentle smile that has you spacing out way too often.

You tilted your head at him expectantly. His unwavering gaze told you he was not just taking about cake.

"There is only one thing setting fortune apart from mere coincidence. Do you know what that is?"

"No. You tell me."

"The cherishing of that opportunity." He paused to take a sip of wine. "A fool will simply let it fall through their sieve without making something out of it. I was guilty of this once as well. Regret isn't often met with second chances."

"Sounds like a story." You poured yourself a full cup in anticipation.

"Perhaps another time, dear." He chuckled. "Tonight, I am just a listening ear."

You pursed your lip, a clearly dissatisfied look on your face. Zhongli was getting on your nerves all of a sudden. He was glancing at you with that constipated look again, like he had something he desperately wanted to say to you, but decided not to for some selfless reason.

It was not the first time, but you never actually considered the reason why your long-time rival would look at you with such an odd expression. You just assumed that, given how long the two of you have actually known each other and with the amount of genuine respect and admiration you held for him, Zhongli also held a comparable amount of, for lack of a better word, affection towards you. It was normal for rivals to be a bit smitten with each other. You have to actually like them enough to see them as a worthy opponent, right?

The further down this piping bag your mind went, the more defined your scattered thoughts became. What if Zhongli had always harbored a crush on you? All those competitions he participated in, all the events he attended, working at this teahouse, even that box of osmanthus cake Ningguang brought you seemed deliberate now. Were you just being delusional here, or had it been that obvious all along? Every interaction you've had with Zhongli started to look a little rosy now with the imaginary food coloring added.

Despite years of unfounded animosity from you, Zhongli had been a reassuring constant in your professional life. He encouraged you in a way that a lover couldn't. He challenged you to improve your craft and reach your potential. He genuinely believed in you, and you felt that in his every critique, even if they were harsh on the ears. Perhaps that was why you found yourself here, seeking solace in this teahouse instead of sulking in your own coffeeshop by yourself. Armed with the liquid courage you were pouring down your throat, you decided to face your suspicions and confront him.

"I know I'm not the most intuitive when it comes to this sort of thing…" You hiccupped. "You've been nothing but kind to me, even though I act like I hate your guts most of the time."

Zhongli chuckled at your unusual confession, confused as to where you were going with it. "If you truly despise me, you would not have confided in me tonight. In that light, you must see me as a friend in the least."

Friend. What a complicated yet simple word. It could mean someone you've met for only a day or it could be someone you've known for a lifetime. Take a step forward and the two of you could become lovers. Take a step back and the two of you would become strangers instead. Stay exactly where you were and nothing would ever change.

You shoveled a spoonful of chocolate cake into your mouth, mind too busy churning your thoughts around that you didn't realize you had grabbed Zhongli's spoon by accident. His eyes fell on your lips as you pulled it out clean. He swallowed, unable to tear his gaze away from the bit of chocolate cream clinging to the corner of your mouth.

"All this talk about the right person, fools, second chances… Are you trying to tell me something?"

"What would you have me say?" He deflected. "I'm afraid I don't—"

"You like me, don't you, Zhongli?"

You narrowed your eyes, daring him to look away. If he does, that instantly proves your hunch was right. Surprise flashes in his eyes, but he doesn't fall into your trap.

"Perhaps I do." He replied calmly as his gaze locked with yours.

"What do you mean, perhaps? You either do or you don't."

"You have something on your face, dear." He motions to that bit of chocolate cream that's been testing his self-restraint all this time.

"Don't change the subj—"

Zhongli reached out, hand cradling the back of your head as his lips descended on yours. He could taste the fruit wine on your lips as well as the cake. Decadent and indulgent, this kiss filled your head with whipping cream and turned the pit of your stomach into bubbling fondue. His tongue darted out to swipe away the chocolate crumb that had been teasing him.

"Is this a clear enough answer?" He breathed, pulling away.

You stared at Zhongli, half in shock and half in daze, chest heaving from having your breath stolen. Your heart raced, unprepared to get ambushed like that by him. A rosy pink dusted your cheeks, which he found even more alluring than that piece of chocolate cake. Of course, the kiss itself was unbelievably sweet, so sweet you immediately craved a second one.

"I need another one. For confirmation." You demanded, closing your eyes and puckering your lips.

Zhongli chuckled, feeding you another spoonful of cake. You ate it without opening your eyes, because you already knew his lips would follow. His tongue slid in, tasting the cake along with the cream on your lips.

He fed you bite after bite. You returned the gesture, sharing countless kisses with him in between. Gradually, you shifted from the seat beside him to his lap. There was just something so natural about falling into Zhongli’s arms, kissing him, getting lost in all the sweetness. He held you so carefully, like a fragile piece of pastry, taking his time and savoring every bit. It was a good thing you didn't just toss that chocolate cake. What a waste that would've been.

[snifekinner]

Denmark and Sweden siblings for the sibling meme?

If you've already answered that, then please use this as a chance to talk about the whole family! It seems like Norway is another sibling in the family. What are the siblings' relationships to each other? How many siblings are there in all, who are they, and what is their age order? What is the relationship between them and their parents like?

oh my god SO happily!

here is den and swe, it got really long but im going to post some general family headcanons separately, i will always take a chance to yell about my fave boys. thank you for asking bro! here is some of the dysfunctional world's worst brothers!

who hogs the game consoles?

sweden, bc den doesnt have enough attention span to keep playing too long and he ragequits if swe beats him, which he almost always does bc swe is largely unbeatable at videogames. den usually wins at pool though which is a sore spot for swe. they once spent half an hour on one of those arcade basketball games because neither would admit defeat.

who usually causes the fights?

lmao oh boy. they both cause fights just by being in the same room. classic sibling energy, i hc den as the eldest and swe as the youngest so their relationship is very volatile and very based on beating the shit out of each other. den will wind swe up until he loses it and swe will be quietly sneakily aggravating so den looks completely unreasonable when he gets mad. swe loves getting den into trouble and then skating on by looking innocent.

who steals the others' clothes?

den will steal socks, underwear, tshirts and coats off swe. swe doesnt like wearing other people's clothes and especially not den's because theyre always so wrinkled.

who eats all the good snacks before the other can get any?

to repeat: sweden is the youngest child and he is the snack eater. he always says he's going to replace it but he never does. can you tell im still mad at my younger brother?

which one gets the top bunk or bottom bunk?

on god they will fight each other. when they were kids well i guess bunkbeds werent really a thing but they would always fight for the best sleeping spot and its no different now. as adults in the here and now, theyre both Big Men and the bottom bunk is more roomy so they fight for that. if there was one single and one double bed theyd fight for the double. you understand. they want the same thing and are always always willing to go to war about it.

who speaks up when the other asked for no pickles?

den never needs anyone to do that bc he'll eat literally anything. if he gets something he didnt order he's just like, cool! let me try this! he used to speak up for swe but swe makes a point to do it himself when den is there bc fuck u dont talk for him.

which one likes to go into the other's room, fart, and immediately leave?

both equally guilty. also my older brother used to do this thing where he would wrestle my little brother to the ground, pull his slippers off and beat him in the head and back with them. once he put them in the freezer then got them out cold and hit him with them. anyway thats denmark and sweden.

which one bails the other out of jail?

they get in jail together doing some stupid shit that swe would never do with anyone else. everyone else thinks swe is really straight laced now but when he and den get together they create chaos. norway refuses to bail them out so finland has to step in.

swe and den are both incredibly repentant for around 6 months to 2 years depending on the offence. and then it happens again.

which one won't stop repeating an embarrassing story about their sibling as a child?

denmark - once again swe is let down by not being a good storyteller. denmark has a great memory for everything anyone he knows has ever done. he remembers every embarrassing moment and he will weaponise them.

who do they each think the favourite child is?

i think they both think its the other. but when they have their rare moments of camaraderie they bitch together about it being norway.

[thoodleoo]

if i had a nickel for every time i was looking for a specific piece of ancient material culture and instead found art of a satyr fucking a goat, i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's kind of weird that it happened twice

[amaltheas-garden]

people still shocked that in the year of our lord 2024 some of us don't want to see Dany get her 'happy ending' by becoming the white savior who was promised

[ignatiusteto]

i think sacred music in the kryn dynasty would be very cyclical and repetitive in form to symbolize the idea that life is a continuous thing (at least those who are consecuted right right) and is a cycle across lifetimes and yeah

[swan2swan]

Keep your eyes on the road at all times.

[moonstonecanyon]

(05/24 - 05/26/2024.)

Okay Hear Me Out Guys

[blueskittlesart]

blue please tell me i'm not the only one that thinks the story in totk is severely lacking if not outright bad 😭 or at least tell me what i'm missing that's making everyone sing its praises cuz i sincerely feel cucco bananas rn

ok i’m nowhere near finished with the game yet but from what i’ve played so far, totk is a much more classic zelda-like experience, which makes sense given that that was many zelda fans’ main critique about botw. botw’s story was a lot more. overt i guess? than most games in the franchise, and it kicked in almost immediately. in other zelda games it’s very common for the story to unfold gradually as the player goes along, making you sort of discover it as you do the more meat-and-potatoes dungeon gameplay. this is what i’m seeing from totk so far, so if you’re a botw fan and haven’t played some of the older stuff it may be a bit jarring, but since i’m not far enough into the game yet i’m not gonna pass judgement.

[shima-draws]

I’ve been playing Mario Galaxy again and it just occurred to me. I never 100%-ed this game? Like ever?? As a kid it’s understandable bc some of the later levels are p difficult (especially the comets) but even as an adult. I’ve played this game a few times and just never…..fully completed it nfndndn

Anyway I got 120 stars for the first time in my LIFE and I’m p jazzed about it actually. I probably won’t play through the game as Luigi for a while bc I’d rather not sit through all those levels all over again but when I come back to play it in a year or two! The Luigi run will be waiting for me.

I’m so so hyped to play Galaxy 2 I actually wanted to start with that but I figured I’d start with Galaxy 1 bc it’s a classic and also way shorter than 2 so (Literally. Beat it in 2 days). Lol

[scattered-winter]

"oh i can't listen to classical music it puts me to sleep lol" PLEASE please for the love of god. expand your worldview. the world can be so so beautiful if you look for it

[potholefullofsoup]

the amazing devil was right. maybe if i’m good he’ll come back (he’s not coming back) (he’s never coming back) (you had everything you wanted and you ruined it because that’s the only thing you know how to do) (you get mean when you’re nervous like a bad dog) (why the fuck would he come back?)

(you did so much. you tried so hard to be good but it wasn’t enough. it has never been enough. it will never be enough. you will never be enough) (you were doing better too. you’ve been clean for so long and you were trying to get off the weed to an extent or at least use it as less of a crutch)

(but what the fuck else are you going to do now? your house is large and empty and you cannot be alone with this when you can barely handle it with your partner next to you) (what happens when they leave for work? what happens when they leave forever? who are you without the people you love? are you anyone?) (maybe when everyone finally leaves and you stand alone bleeding in front of the mirror you’ll finally see what’s underneath it all: nothing and no one) (maybe you’re as empty as your shitty apartment feels without three people in it)

(feels like a fire in your skull and your throat and your heart. feels like your body is a building set ablaze with the doors chained shut. you cannot ever escape yourself, no matter how hard you try. never forget that fact.) (the angriest dog in the world cannot move or eat or sleep as they approach the state of rigor mortis.) (feels like the wallpaper inside my heart is slowly slowly peeling off) (if i’m good will you come back?)