#nice to see we're getting these at least but still feel so sad and lacking on a real celebration this year...

[kyokutsu-sama]

Little Flame

Kyojuro x f!reader

A/n: As I said in the previous post, I would bring something happier to compensate for the previous angst fic (I have to stop listening to sad songs😭😅)

I hope you like this one (I want to write more about him so badly😮‍💨)

Tw: Smut

The Flame Hashira was returning home, exhausted after having spent the whole day training. At least he didn't have any missions for tonight, which would allow him to rest. He sighed tiredly as he took off his shoes and haori and putting his sword against the wall.

"Little flame! I'm home!" He warned in a cheerful voice, heading to the living room

You were just getting dressed after getting out of the shower when you heard his voice. You smiled when you knew he was back, but since you didn't know when he would arrive earlier, you ended up taking a shower and putting on your sleeping shorts and one of his shirts. You were thinking about asking him out since sometimes you lacked quality time due to your lives as Hashira.

Kyojuro took off the top of his uniform and placed it on the arm of the couch before sitting down and feeling his body relax for a moment. He was still a little sore and tense from the hard training. You arrived in the living room soon after, finding him there. He turned his face when he felt your presence and gave you a big smile. The welcoming one that always made your heart melt.

"Look if it's not my dear wife!" He looked at you as you approached him. "How are you, my dear?" He hugged you as you sat on his thighs

"Better now that you're here." You smiled and he kissed your cheek and lips

"I'm glad to see you too, little flame."

"You could have told me you were coming here, I would have dressed better and we could go out to have some fun or something."She suggested

"I'm sorry, love, but today I'm feeling tired to go out. I prefer to be by your side and by the way, you look beautiful in whatever you wear." He said, looking at the shirt you were wearing and seeing that it was his. "Especially when you wear my clothes."He winked

"Oh Kyo, you're always so cute." You put your arms around his neck and hugged him, feeling his arms around you too

"It's because I always make a point of pleasing you, and speaking of which, did you see the flowers I left on the vase this morning?" He asked, and you pulled away from the crook of his neck and looked at him with a smile

A large bouquet of sparkling, blooming sunflowers had been left in the vase by the entrance this morning. He had left shortly after sunrise, leaving a kiss on your forehead before going to work. He had stopped by a florist first and decided to buy a beautiful bouquet of flowers to make up for his early absence.

He had left them in the vase by the entrance, and as soon as you woke up and saw them, you couldn't help but smile, especially when you read the small note.

"I'm sorry for my absence, my little flame. I brought sunflowers for you because I know you like them.

Love you."

He always made such beautiful surprises. He was such a beautiful soul. The beautiful soul you fell in love with.

"I loved it, they were so beautiful. You always have a nice surprise up your sleeve, don't you?"

"Anything for you, my love." He smiled, kissing your cheek, cutely

"Well, since we're going to have to postpone our departure, are you hungry? I can make you something, I mean, you've been training all day."

"No, that won't be necessary. I didn't want to give my lovely wife any trouble." He ran his hand over your face, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear

"You don't give me any trouble, Kyojuro. I'll do everything for you, my love." You kissed his forehead

"I know, but I think the only thing I need now is you, although a bath would also be useful now. I'm all sweaty and if you keep hugging me you'll stink too." He said, but you just giggled

"I don't care." You settled yourself on his lap, placing one knee on each side of him "But you already took a shower and you smell so good."

"So what? I can always take another one." You rested your hands on his shoulders and bit your bottom lip, suggestively. "Besides...I wouldn't trade the sight of my lovely husband's body all sweaty after a whole day of training. You

look hot like that." You whispered on his ear, teasigly, and he chuckled

"Only my wife to flatter me like that."He grabbed your waist and kissed you

You wrapped your arms aroud his neck as you kissed him back, savoring the sweet and soft lips of your beloved. How you missed his soft lips.

"And how was your day, my love?"He broke the kiss for a moment, looking at you

"It was good too but being without you was the worst part."You pouted and he smiled, cupping your cheeks

"Oh, my dear wife missed me? I'm sorry for making you wait for me. I'll take care of you now."He kissed you again

The slow, sensual way he claim your lips make you feel your skin warm, his hands ran down your body toward your hips and you gasped into his mouth when you felt the bulge in his pants beneath you. He grinned against your lips as he noticed the way you grind against it, you drew a trail of kisses from his reddened cheek, passing through his jawline and reaching his neck to leave light bites. He grabbed the waistband of your sleep shorts and taking his hit, you lift your hips to help him to push the shorts and panties down and throwing them on the floor.

You lift your face from his neck and kissed his lips again in a heated make-out session, you unbuttoned the shirt and when you were about to take it off, he stopped you.

"Don't, I wanna see you using my shirt."He said, breathless."You look so pretty wearing it, baby."He praised, holding your waist and claiming one of your breasts in his mouth and kneading the other with one hand

You released soft moans, feeling his lips leaving sucks and kisses, licking around the sensitive nipples and pulling it slightly, giving you shivers. His touch started to get needy and sloppier then before, he could no longer hold back the desire that was taking over him. It was too many hours without you, he was so needy at that moment.

As his mouth took over your breasts, one of your hands grabbed his hand that was on your waist and slid it between your legs so he could find your already wet and needy slit. You grabbed his shoulders and shuddered when you felt his fingers spreading the viscosity through your folds.

"That's it... Right there, Kyo." You hissed, your head lolling back as you felt his thumb playing with your clit

He lightly nibbled on one of your nipples before letting go and looking at you and watching you writhe in pleasure as he put two of his fingers inside you.

"I can tell you missed me. You're so wet, baby." He said, looking at his fingers covered in your arousal

"Did you think about me while I was away?"

"Yes...Ohh I missed you so much" You nodded, letting out a some cries

You rolled your hips against his fingers, your walls clenching his fingers inside you as they went back and forth. You slid your hands up to his chest, resting them there and digging your fingers into his skin as he added the third finger. Your mouth opened to release the lewd sounds he liked to hear as you felt his fingers going deeper, he brought one hand to the back of your neck to kiss you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, returning the intense kiss he was giving you. He rubbed the bud with his thumb again and that was the last straw to make you come.

You hummed against his lips, feeling the emptiness inside you as he pulled his fingers, slippery and dripping. His pants already had a visible puddle from the mess you had made and that he had almost made too. He felt so turned on by all of that. He broke the kiss and brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking shamelessly in front of you and smiling.

"You. Taste. Absolutely. Delicious." He punctuated the words between licks, ending with a kiss on your lips

You could taste yourself as his tongue tangled with yours, and that only made you want him inside you even more. Just like you had spent all day thinking.

"Mmmh, Kyo... I need you now." You said between the kiss and he chuckled softly

"I know, I know my lovely wife."He muttered, lifting your hips enough to unclasp his belt and unbuttoning his pants before pulling them down along with underwear."I shouldn't have neglected you for so long. Let's make up for the time we lost, far from each other, okay?"He passed a hand over your cheek, looking from your eyes to your lips before kiss them

You lowered your hips again and rubbed your bare cunt against his cock, muffling some low groans and moans from him during the kiss, especially when one of your hand went between your bodies, to stroking it. He was sensitive and the way her touch suddenly stimulated him made him gasped.

"Oh my dear..."He hissed, biting his lip and tilting his head back

You kissed his exposed neck sending shivers through his body. You rested a hand on the back of the couch and the other hold the base of his dick as you slowly sit on him. You rested your forehead on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of having him, filling your needy hole and letting you feel every vein brush against the wet, sensitive walls.

He whimpered when he looked down and saw you taking him deep inside your sloppy, tight cunt, the sensation of being inside the warm and moist hole, made him wanted to be like that for the rest of the night. Not that you didn't try that before cause he never hide that he loved to stay inside your warm cunt for hours. And you love having him too.

You adjusted yourself on top of him, placing both hands on his shoulders as you began to bounce on him slowly. He roamed his hands over the skin of your thighs, towards your waist and keeping them there, digging his fingers when you started to increase the pace little by little.

"You're doing so...good, my dear." He hissed

You wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him and savoring the soft, addictive lips of the man who drove you wild. It was a hot kiss, yet intense and intimate at the same time. Your hips rolled on top of his lap, taking him deeper and making his body shudder beneath you. He usually stayed on top, but he never refused when you asked him to be the Dom one or simply turned him over and took control. He just accepted and enjoyed it because he simply loved it when you dominated him. His body was yours, yours was his, you belonged to each other. There was love, care, and intensity even in the smallest actions with each other.

And he simply loved having you in his arms, letting you show him how much you loved him. He loved it when you showed your feelings for him, because he was also intense and honest when it comes to show you his. He pulled away from your lips and brought his mouth to your breasts, making you take off the shirt to your elbows and arching your chest against him to give him more access. One of his arms wrapped around your waist and his other hand massaged one of your breasts while his mouth sucked the other. You brought a hand to Hashira's golden, disheveled hair, keeping his head against your chest, his tongue ran over the other breast and giving it the same treatment. He pulled away from your nipples with a string of saliva to slid a hand down to your sensitive clit and rubbed it in circles, watching as your eyes rolled back and your mouth opened to moan.

"Kyo... mmmh I feel so close."You dug your nails into his shoulders and feeling a few tears roll down your face

"Yeah? My good girl is coming?" He took his free hand to hold your chin and bring it to meet his face, looking at you with a smile. "I can see your tears of pleasure, little flame. Am I making you feel good?"He wiped them away and you gasped

"Yeah...you're making me feel so good..." You hummed, feeling more tears running down your cheeks and your walls clenching."I love you, Kyojuro."

"Me too, angel. I love you." He kissed you, rubbing his fingers faster and making you moan against his lips

Your climax came and took over your entire body, your chest pressed against his as you squirt on his leght, wetting his thick thighs beneath you and feeling the drops run down the inside of your thighs. He pulled your lower lip with a grunt when he felt you clenched around him, more and more. He moved his hands to your waist and supported his feet on the floor so he could thrust into you from below and watch you tilt your head back. You were feeling too overstimulated but he seemed too focused on achieving his own pleasure.

You knew how he was - everyone did - if he had a goal, he wouldn't stop until he achieved it. You loved his energetic and motivated side.

"You want me to fill you, huh? You want me to cum deep inside you?" He asked breathlessly next to your ear and you nodded, frantically

"Yes...please, fill me up, Kyo."You sobbed in despair, hugging his body close to yours

You rolled yours hips to meet his thrusts, even though your legs were shaking. He held your body, thrusting deeper and faster, feeling his cock twitch inside you and not taking long to fill you with his warm cum until you were dripping out on his leght and making a mess on the couch too. You kept your head in the crook of his neck, catching your breath and feeling his chest rising and falling equally breathless.

He ran a hand through your hair, caressing it and occasionally placing kisses on the top of your head, which made your heart melt. His gentle manner was always welcoming.

He closed his eyes and sighed, slowly coming down from his high and feeling his body soften after the intensity and heat of the previous moment. You pulled away from your husband's neck, looking at his face, brushing away some golden strands of hair from there. His bright eyes slowly opened shortly after feeling your touch, he leaned forward to capture your lips in a chaste kiss to which you responded, holding his cheeks on your hands.

"It's good to be with you again, my love." He muttered softly, after pulling away from your lips for a moment."Your presence, your face, your voice, your touch, the way your heart beats." He brought a hand to your chest, his eyes following his hand for a moment before returning to yours again. "I love everything about you."

You kissed him again and he ran the hand over your nape, deepening the kiss. You had to kiss him for a moment because once again you went speechless due to the beautiful words he always had to say to you. You felt lucky to have him in your life, he had all the good qualities any woman would want. But he was yours, yours to be by your side and to love each other every day.

"I love you so much." You muttered and he smiled, placing a kiss on your cheek and hugging you

"Me too, honey. So, so much." He rocked you slowly in his arms

"I hope they don't steal you from me for too long again tomorrow." You joked and he laughed

"Well, in that case I must give you some good news."

"What good news?" You pulled away from the hug and looked at him, who was smiling

"Tomorrow is my day off." He announced and you smiled

"Oh, that's great!" You kissed his forehead and then his cheek a few times."It means I'll have you all to myself."

"All to yourself, baby."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah," He nodded, running his hands up and down your waist."but now we should go take a shower. I'm sweaty and so are you and we'll have to put the shirt in the wash."

"Okay," You took off the sweaty and wrinkled shirt, throwing it to the side and placing your lips close to his ear. "But you have to promise me there will be a second round, okay?" You whispered seductively

He closed his eyes, feeling his cock harden again inside you just thinking about the things he would do to you during his day off. He chuckled and shifted his hips a little beneath you, taking a shaky breath from you. You thought he would take care of your request right there but instead, he lifted you up a little to pull away from you, making you hum softly as you felt empty again.

His eyes went down seeing the mess below and further inciting him to go on a second round with you.

"I promise, my little flame," He kissed your hand where you had the ring he put on when you two got married. "I promise not only one more, but as many as you want. We'll have the night to ourselves and tomorrow." He added and you smiled.

He picked you up bridal style and stood up, you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed his rosy cheek.

"That sounds good to me." You whispered and he smiled."I will love every minute with you."

[thezombieprostitute]

Fireflies

Written for Essie’s Summer Lovin’ 300 Follower Celebration.

Prompts: catching fireflies; “who thought a place with mosquitoes was a good idea?”

Summary: Jake helps you kick off your vacation in the best way.

You've been having such a rough few weeks, maybe even few months at work and Jake has been trying so hard to help you out. You finally have some time off coming up and he's been working hard on figuring out all the things you can do, that you need to do, to help you really relax and enjoy the time off.

He's definitely starting you out on the right foot by picking you up from work. You step into the car, give him a kiss, and just collapse into your seat.

“So what's the plan, Jakey?”

“It's a surprise,” he smiles. He hasn't hidden the fact that he'll be taking care of you but he refused to tell you all the ideas he'd come up with.

“Can we get some food first?”

“That actually is part of the plan! Let's go get your favorite fast food.”

“Yes! You're the best, Jakey!” You lean over and kiss him again before buckling up and heading out.

It's about an hour-and-a-half later and you swear Jake is driving to the middle of nowhere. The only reason you're not grumpy is because he got you extra fries without even having to ask if you wanted them. The sun is low in the sky and you haven't seen any signs of civilization for a while.

“Jake, are we lost?”

“Nope,” he answers confidently. “I've got the GPS and I managed to bounce off some...unsanctioned satellites so we can always have a signal.”

“So, where are we going?”

“I told you, it's a surprise!”

You give him a suspicious look but his grin never falters. He takes a left onto what looks more like a path than a road and drives for another twenty minutes or so. At least the scenery is nice. You don't often get to the woods like when you were little. You kinda miss them. The path is taking you through quite the forest and you think it'd be nice to take a walk through them with Jake. Maybe that's what he has planned!

The path ends at a clearing in the woods with a small lake. Jake immediately declares “we're here” and jumps out to start getting things from the trunk of the car. You chuckle at his enthusiasm and step out, taking a look at the area. You and Jake are the only signs of civilization out here. It really is just a lake in a clearing. You know you've told Jake you wanted to get to the woods more, but you'd kinda hoped he'd opt for a cabin or something.

You feel a mosquito bite on your arm and instinctively slap at it. Then another. Then another!

“Jake,” you call to him, “please tell me you brought bug spray!” Jake is walking towards with a cooler and he stops. His expression betrays his answer. “You brought us out to the woods without bug spray?! It's mosquito season and we're right by a body of water!” You're still smacking spots on your arms.

Jake's head drops, “I...I didn't think of that.” He winces and you know he's been bit as well. “I just...this spot is...” he drops the cooler and starts smacking the bugs that are increasing in number with the darkening skies.

“Let's get back in the car,” you suggest. He doesn't argue and makes sure you're safely in before he puts gets in. Within the safety of the car, the swarm of mosquitos dwindles and you're both able to take out the few that make it into the car.

Jake lets out a sad sigh, “they said this place would be best.”

You turn to Jake, “who thought a place with mosquitoes was a good idea?”

“I cross-referenced a bunch of firefly websites with angler forums to find the best places we could go to for fireflies. I wanted you to start your vacation with a little magic and I fucked that up.” He sags in his seat, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.

Your heart flutters at how sad he looks. He really did want to do something nice for you. Something he knew you would love. Taking you to the woods, seeing fireflies. If it weren't for the mosquitos, or the lack of bug spray, it really would've been a wonderful night.

You gently caress his cheek, “hey, you tried. You put in a lot of effort for this and you know I appreciate that.” He turns to you and sees your gentle smile. “We still had a night of good food and even better company.”

“You really mean that?”

“Absolutely,” you assure him with a kiss. “We should probably head home, though.”

Jake nods and buckles in while you do the same and look out the window.

“Jake!” you quietly yell. “Jake! Look! The fireflies!”

Sure enough, the telltale flickers of light are starting up all around the car. You're absolutely giddy with excitement, even tearing up a little. It's been so long since you've seen so many in one place! You stop making coherent statements and just give appreciative noises of delight as you unbuckle and practically bounce around inside the car to look at them from every window.

By the time you calm down, Jake is just staring at you with loving eyes. You grab him for as big a hug as you can get in the vehicle.

“This was the best, Jake! Thank you so much!”

Tagging @alicedopey; @bigtreefest; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @ronearoundblindly

[pseudowho]

Hi Haitch!!

How are you? I hope your kids are feeling better from the fever!! I need advice on a situation I'm in. How do you tell a guy that he's being too clingy(?) without hurting his feelings?

I'm currently friends with a guy who used to like me but I friendzoned him so we decided to stay friends. However, he is quite clingy at times online. For eg, he would text me non-stop when I haven't replied to his message or would sometimes touch my shoulders and direct me in the correct direction even though I knew where I was going. There was also a moment where he tried to put his arm around my waist but was unsuccessful since I was carrying a backpack. However, that did not sit right with me. I would admit that I'm a horrible texter(I would reply a few hours after someone messages me), but I did tell him that at the start of our friendship.

Also, ngl, I don't really like it when he touches my shoulders or me since we(more like I) made it clear that we wouldn't be touchy with one and another since it is weird for me since we're not in a relationship(this was happened when I asked him if he liked me) and from my past friendships with guys, they don't really touch their female friends in general. (I'm quite a sheltered kid who doesn't make friends with guys quite often unless my friends introduce me to theirs)

I might be paranoid about his behaviour. I'm not sure, but some things he does just throw me off. I did ask for advice from friends, especially mutual friends who know him, and they said to just cut connections with him. However, I don't want to be mean and do that since he is a nice dude, but sometimes I just dread texting or meeting up with him to study together. I'm not sure if his behaviour is him being clingy or he still likes me(he told me he doesn't anymore) but I'm getting kinda uncomfortable or at least weirded out by his behaviour. I'm really at a loss here. :(

- internally confused anon :°

P.S

I'm sorry for overloading this with you, Haitch! I don't have any older sisters. I could ask for advice on this, and this has been weighing heavily on my mind for quite some time now. :(((

You have, at multiple points in this Ask, used misogynistic, woman-blaming language to diminish the ways in which he is ignoring your blatant wish to not pursue a relationship with him.

"Friendzoned". "Without hurting his feelings". "I'm a horrible texter". "Paranoid". "He is a nice dude".

Aside from the longer-term importance of you increasing your self worth, and not continuing to parrot the fundamentally victim-blaming language of the society you have grown up in (not your fault!!), there's one straight answer here.

Stop trying to protect his feelings. He knows exactly what he's doing. His continued abuse of your personal space and lack of consent relies entirely on your submission, and your wish to not hurt his feelings, and he is taking advantage of that.

He seems to believe that your "No" actually means "Keep trying-- try harder, in fact! Eventually, she will say yes". The sad thing is, you haven't felt confident enough to say "No", because you're prioritising his feelings when he's prioritising getting into your clothes.

Don't protect someone who isn't protecting you. He's not a "nice guy", kiddo.

Get tougher. Call it out directly.

"I told you I don't want you to touch me like that-- if you don't stop, I won't be spending any more time with you."

"If I don't message you back, it's because I don't want to right now, and I don't need your permission or approval to do that. Constant messages while I'm not wanting to talk, is harassment, and I hate it."

And the good old:

"I don't view you romantically, and I won't view you romantically. Stop."

Ghosting him isn't a way out-- it's a sticking plaster over a gaping wound. I implore you to see the way society has conditioned you to believe that it is your job to school the behaviour of boys and men, and I implore you to fight for your own rights.

This may sound harsh, but step back. Be as angry as you should be. I believe you can do this.

None of this is your fault. You've made it clear in every way other than words, and he seems to think you need to paint "NO" across your body in red, for it to count.

Love,

-- Haitch xxx

[alitgblog]

okok finally caught up on litg s9

gonna try to summarize this neatly bc my game didn't save properly and I played volume 10 twice and sped through volume 11

Zeph is hot and thats a problem for me bc I'm so annoyed at the lack of branching and consequences in this game it has manifested into me making up story for fusebox about MC being upset that Stefan keeps acting like nothing is wrong when I personally am still upset casa amor got Chen dumped (ok that was my fault technically but only bc I wanted him to come back to drama). So now I'm like MC should have a summer fling with Zeph, why not

they're so wishy washy about how Kelly and Finn broke up and it just all feels like hearsay all the time. at the end of volume 11 they seem to decide Kelly thought it was all done pretty respectfully but her comments in volume 10 about movie night seem to disagree??? just asking for a little bit of consistency since I gotta track other people's drama other than my own

also so sorry to kelly who is actually interested in zeph and I am less so interested in him and more just annoyed at the bad writing for stefan

the writing has always been stilted and/or cringe but for some reason I notice it especially with Zeph, like it does feel like his dialogue was written by AI unfortunately. And it puts me off his character a lot, except, again, he's hot and so maybe I'm just like hey don't hurt your pretty head trying to think up romantic scenarios, Zeph. Something odd about him too is he doesn't mention any previous connection to Love Island, and I know he's a new character, but at least Henri and Chen talked about their last times on the show.

I'd like to apologize

I don't know what surprise we're getting next volume but for my own storyline I kinda want the guy dumped post casa to come back. like I'd go back to Chen easy. but this is my delusional ass still just hoping we get drama from casa bc they dropped the ball on it again this season. Curious about talent show but considering how they fucked up Mr Love Island I have little hope.

I forgot this meant we'd have to deal with eddie. hes there like Johnny/Nicolas to the point where I almost prefer if it was one of them around but at least his chaos run makes more sense than johnny/Nicolas just randomly deciding to stir shit out of nowhere after leading MC on and the game forcing us to couple with them.

Eddie pls stfu poor Kelly

said this before but if eddie was gonna show up for heart rate challenge why didn't he do a little dance? is it because he sucks as a bombshell??? YEAH. It makes so much more sense to switch him and Zeph, like yeah that would mean we have less time with zeph and more with Eddie, but Zeph could put on a good heart rate challenge performance and Eddie could be way more catty and start shit during movie night than Zeph who wanted to play nice.

I'm so sad to say goodbye to Finn because it felt like he didn't get a good chance (unless MC is pursuing him I guess). but compared to Hamish, who, even if he got dumped here, would've had a lifelong friendship with MC and Natasha and had multiple chances to couple with people, it feels sad to see him go without a good ending. I mean I guess he's got closure with Kat and Kelly, but he felt always stuck in those couples whereas Hamish tried to explore connections with Natasha, Uma, and Melissa. I just think we should've let him punch Eddie in the face after eddie was so mean to Kat and MC.

I've decided to watch the hamish route vicariously through yall and I'll go for wither zeph or Stefan unless something else wild happens until the finale. so yall better tell me what happens it was such a hard decision when the game narrowed it down 🥺

I also think it would be great if we had chats with characters to decide who we're sticking with. like this season aside from maybe the beginning henri/chen/MC/Melissa thing, it feels like one of the other girls always asks you "who do you want to be chosen by" and then you tell her and that person picks you, but then you never address it or outright reject the other person face to face. it's always just like two sentences or just "a sad look" or a gem scene I'm not paying for.

one positive thing I've seen this last volume though is the mini date with your LI before Zeph's date. like its one of the better scenes they've written that isn't just someone outright saying I like you or just chatting. like its fun, and the only other moment I can think of that's similar that doesn't cost gems is the Hamish eavsdropping scene. now if only this was also tailored to your LI because as someone coupled with Stefan, low key unexpected, but imagine if I had picked Henri??

also a lot more choices this volume were worth 10 gems I think

that being said the amount they're asking for in the heart rate challenge is crazy for literally one scene because MC's outfit is like 14+ gems, then you van go for am extra 10 to see your male LI's outfit, and then another extra 10 for the female LI outfit. and this hardly changes the gameplay or gives you more info 🙃

[vole-mon-amour]

If Larian had more time to develop the game before coming out of early access, Act 3 would be unstoppable. I quite like the city and how much there is to do, even though it falls flat in the end, especially with your companions and romance interests. You can't follow Halsin to the Grove. You can't see what your OC and Astarion do after. You can't see your PC and your companion settling down—there's no actual closure. I talked about that right after I finished my first run, but I still feel that way.

Act 1 is nice, but you're not familiar with the world just yet. Your mission is to venture forth and nothing yet. I don't mind it, but I wouldn't want to linger there.

Act 2, in theory, is very cool. The Underdark, the Shadow Cursed Land. But the lack of sun there and monsters that ambush you want me to run to the city as soon as possible. It was also the reason why I completely skipped the Underdark on my current second run. Not only the area is HUGE, I get lost there very easily and such a dark and grim place makes me feel claustraphobic in a way. I want to get out of there as soon as possible cause its suffocating and contributes to my anxiety after some time in there.

So when I get to see the sunshine again, the lanterns, the city lights, the inn we're staying in, it's all 🥰.

I do wish Larian could improve Act 3 and add more to the city and its content with time. Perhaps with a DLC or something. I saw how Act 3 was the least fav for a lot of people & it makes me sad. In act 3 you can finally romance Halsin. You can finally face Cazador. Plus, we get to interact with Orin and Gortash—to me they're way more exciting than Ketheric. I truly like act 3 even though I can feel how they were lacking time and (maybe) money to make it more exciting and polish it.

[atopearth]

Norn9: Last Era Part 4 - Itsuki Kagami Route

Time for Itsuki! I wonder if seeing things from his perspective will help me like him more since even though I love him as a side character in every route he was involved in, I didn't actually like his own route haha. But I did enjoy their banter (at least in the beginning) because I think it was nice to see how different Mikoto and Itsuki are and how they keep butting heads with each other due to their different views. I'll admit that I'm surprised Itsuki viewed Sakuya as perfect though, I guess it just goes to show that they both saw in each other what they lacked. I still think Itsuki rubs me in the wrong way because he always crosses boundaries with Mikoto that she's uncomfortable with. As for Ron, it's interesting to know that Itsuki actually saw one of Ron's dreams before and it seems like it was of Ron killing someone in his childhood? I can see why Itsuki ended up getting caught by Ron to do what he says since he kept trying to see Ron's dreams. Oh man, that is terrifying to be caught by Ron and shot at in the dream. Personally, I do like seeing things from Itsuki's perspective, especially since it shows nicely how he never really got the chance to tell Masamune about what he found out with Ron, but at the same time, I guess I still don't really feel his feelings for Mikoto?

I'm definitely enjoying Itsuki's perspective much more for the original route. It's straight to the point and honestly, I think seeing Itsuki's worries and thoughts about how he was going to die etc and wanting to engrave himself on Mikoto because he loved her and wanted to be with her but was scared that he won't be able to live to be with her was great. I still don't think their love clicks for me but if I accept that as it is, the drama is nice. After understanding how much Itsuki wants to protect her and have her stay away from the burdens of her powers, I think I can appreciate much more that he wanted Mikoto to stay in the dream forever without having to worry and stress herself out for responsibilities she shouldn't have to bear by herself. Since it was shorter and you actually don't see Mikoto's crying etc as much, Itsuki's route was okay but still not my type haha.

You really have to admire Mikoto's dedication to cooking though. She literally wakes up early to cook and taste test until she makes it good enough for Itsuki like wow! It sucks that she can't be great at cooking everything but I think the fact that she could make so many side dishes in the morning is already great and she really should cut herself some slack. Itsuki getting a job as a private school teacher sounds so scandalously funny haha. I think it was sweet of Itsuki to gently teach the merchant children that he wasn't telling them that they shouldn't follow their parents' paths and succeed their businesses, but instead that they should study various things, broaden their horizons and think for themselves what kind of path they want to take. It was funny to think of Mikoto having retirement blues because it is kinda true! She's been working hard with her barriers her whole life, trying to live up to expectations and protect everyone that she doesn't know how to relax and have a life outside of that. One thing I've been feeling quite sad about is that in the past three routes we've done, none of the heroines have found something they individually want to do and are instead supporting the LI, which isn't bad or wrong but I kind of wished that they could also find something they enjoyed for themselves as well. Mikoto buttoning Itsuki's clothing for him is so cute.

I'm glad we're getting to see Kazuha and her story because I've always been curious considering she died so young, but one thing that bothers me is...is the man she fell in love with Masamune's uncle? Is this his "mistake"? When Kazuha said she should never have fallen for him, and yet she would make the same mistake all over again if given the chance, I think I can understand her feelings. Even though true my crushes back in the day never ended well, and maybe my life would have been happier if I fell in love with someone else, but when I think about the precious memories that are still within my heart to this day albeit a bit hazy, I can't help but think I would like to keep those memories and feelings despite all the pain. It's sad that he was the only one who ever treated Kazuha as a normal girl rather than a seller of dreams even if he had other motives because regardless of his purpose, he helped her realise how nice it could be to be in love and have someone care for her outside of her powers. Itsuki wanting to see Mikoto's parents and sincerely tell them that he'll make Mikoto happy was sweet. It breaks my heart that Kazuha's love could never come to fruition but I'm sure she was happy being able to convey her love, and knowing that he has never forgotten her and even protected Itsuki because of her must have made her think her love was worth it.

After the sadness of Kazuha's story, it's nice to see the guys team up together to help convince Mikoto's parents to give Itsuki and Mikoto's marriage their blessings. I'm really glad Heishi finally got to see Itsuki though, I always felt sad that he never got to see Itsuki before he left. It was pretty funny to see Itsuki have to prove his love for Mikoto to Sakuya but I think the 100 questions they did together was pretty cute. Mikoto running alongside Itsuki is something expected of her, she's not someone to wait on the sidelines watching him suffer to prove his love when this is their relationship so they should show it together. It was really sweet when Itsuki said he was happiest knowing that he got Sakuya's approval, because he is definitely the one who knows and cares about Mikoto the most, which is also why it made me sad when Mikoto was angry at Sakuya for making Itsuki endure those trials when it was obvious that he was trying to help them get Mikoto's parents approval. It was so cool to get to to see Mikoto in a wedding dress and a traditional wedding kimono! I have to agree with Itsuki that the kimono is definitely the better one haha!

Overall, I enjoyed Itsuki's route but I definitely enjoyed exploring Kazuha's story the most. I liked how we finally got to know what happened and how innocent and sweet she was in her own way that led to Masamune's uncle's desire to protect someone she cherished. I liked how we got to see the everyday life of Mikoto and Itsuki, it was sweet seeing how great of a teacher he was and how hardworking Mikoto is as usual. Personally I wasn't too fond of Sunburst but I think that's mainly because of how cliche and predictable everything was rather than its delivery. In fact, I'd say I did enjoy it because I found it fun to see the guys together again and all trying their best to help Itsuki get approval for his marriage to Mikoto, it was so funny when Mikoto's grandpa said Heishi snuck into their house just to tell him how good of a guy Itsuki is lmao. But yeah, I've never been fond of Itsuki's superfluous words even if they are real and genuine and I guess it doesn't help that he's not my type, but I think this route is pretty similar in vibe with the original route so I think those who liked it would really like this after story too. Although cliche, the wedding CGs are definitely the best, I loved those! And despite everything, I am happy for them because they get to live the most "normal" life that they both wanted so it is cute, just not my thing.

[plushietoon]

Heyo howbout 1, 4, and 6?

WarioWare Fan Ask Game!

1. What WarioWare games have you played? (And do you have favorites?)

Well it started with WarioWare Touched, which I was very fixated on despite the fact I never drew fanart of it as a child. (This also goes for Trace Memory/Another Code that I also loved. I know, shameful. Was an absolute fanatic for Ouendan/EBA though) Then I got to buy DIY which was a good time but now I am the sads because I cannot find my copy of it. Then years later I played Gold which really blasted the WarioWare fixation, and bought Smooth Moves around that time. Played some Smooth Moves, though I need to complete it. Tried out Snapped. Bought Get it Together and Move It! because of the fixation, and Switch Online let me play Mega Microgames. I just bought Mega Party Games and realized I have no memory card to store the game data on. Drats. Oh and I bought Game & Wario before the eshop closed, but haven't gotten to playing that. So that and Twisted are the only games I haven't touched.

6. Are there any songs from WarioWare you listen to often?

Would you believe me that I sang Body Rock in a public karaoke event? Sorry you ain't gonna see that because I'm not doxxing myself.

Anyways, yes Body Rock is at least a monthly listen. Though due to using Move It! as a exercise tool, I've been subjected to Megagame Muscles on a near daily basis. That is a silly song.

4. Do you have any personal headcanons or interpretations of the characters? (In relation to design, hobbies, connections to other characters, etc)

I have lots from 6-ish years of this fixation. I hope these headcanons are tasty.

Mona's pets do have their own rooms in the mansion. But the twins' animal buddies don't live in their house. They come and go as they please. ...Also Ana was upset with Kat for forgetting Don.

The ninjas in yellow are the twins' ninja classmates. They are a bit bigger than what the game portrays them to be due to sprite limitations, and they are all older than the kindergartners. The yellow uniforms are the unfortunate standard uniform for rookie Iga clan students. Kat and Ana usually don't wear that uniform except for when they are attending ninja classes. The whole Boneheads scenario was in the middle of the night and only the twins had unique outfits at that point. Also the classmates don't exactly like the twins for Kat and Ana are little but excel in ninjutsu. Plus Ana led them to failure in that boneheads thing...I don't think we're gonna be forgetting that but please understand she is still powerful in her own right.

Totally stealing your idea that Mona and Orb are weird besties. It just sounds nice. Mona gets to teach Orb all the strangeness of humanity and Orb gets to share alien stuff sparingly.

Kat and Ana were friends with Ruffington before Lulu came along. They're still friends but Kat gets miffed that Ruffington chose to go with Lulu. Kat and Lulu have stuff to bicker about, which does include the matter of who Ana hangs around with.

Leo is a smidge older than the twins, like he's 6 and they just turned 5. I admit I am fond of the headcanon that Leo crushes on Ana. I just think he doesn't understand those feelings now and absolutely fails in getting those feelings out by being a bully to the twins. He does understand those feelings better as a teen...It's just that Ana doesn't return the feelings due to the bullying, and not having the same lovey feelings towards him. I kinda want to say the situation is similar to how in Spy x Family, Damien has a crush on Anya, doesn't get it, bullies Anya, and Anya's oblivious to his true feelings despite being a mind reader. In this case, Ana ain't a mind reader and I don't like indulging the whole "he bullies you because he likes you" sort of deal.

5-Volt practically has to act as the parent to the youth of WarioWare due to most of them lacking consistently present parental figures. Mona's parents are often working far from home, Ashley's parents practically abandoned her, 18-Volt's mum (and probs dad by extension) are hands off but still loving, and the twins' parents expect too much out of their toddler daughters by having them live on their own and be professional ninjas. But they visit sometime. Most of the time though, it's 5-Volt (and sometimes Crygor, Mantis, and the cabbies) who step up in being the parents for parenting stuff like meetings, signatures, or parent and kid events. Honestly it seem that only 9-Volt and Penny have consistent parenting...but the other kids just like having the WarioWare crew be their family. The whole crew is just a mixed up, loving family.

Dribble is the sort of guy who takes a bath every few days while Spitz, as canon states, bathes twice daily. They do not argue over this. Also Dribble is like in his late 20s-early 30s, while Spitz is around his mid to late 30s. I like joking that Dribble could be 28 because of a video I want to make a WarioWare parody out of. But I have to be mindful of the fact that Dribble did teach Wario how to drive...can an 18 year old teach a 15 year old how to drive? ...actually it's possible: this is the world (next to) where babies can drive violently in go karts.

Omni Nom is a friend of Orbulon, not a pet. They both have something to ride on/in. Alien variety can be weird.

I have headcanons found on the cautiouslittleninja ask blog I occasionally return to. Some of them may be outdated by now though. Highlights that I like include Ana having her own secret spots that only she and her animal friends know about, Ana being noted to have eaten mud (and possibly crayons), and Ana is terrified of the concept of Mario due to Wario's tales. 9-Volt's games are about possibly fictitious (to them) tales, so she can't take his word for what a swell fellow Mario is. Just please note I currently do think Ana is plenty powerful in ninjutsu and stuff, it's just the confidence issues and relying a lot on Kat that's a problem.

In speaking of fanmade Ana stuff, I hope to return to writing more entries for the Ana's Diary thing. Yes she kept a diary after the whole blogging thing in the first game. It's a lot less formal compared to the online diary. Kat probably had a peek in there.

Wario still has Hen and he lets the twins care for her from time to time.

Vanessa and Leo would be a formidable duo due to grudges against some of the WarioWare crew but age differences and snobby attitudes might lead to trouble.

I once thought that Cicada wanted to just focus on regular schooling which was why she vanished between rhythm heaven and move it, but it turns out she was training this whole time. I like thinking she's related to Munchy Monk and stuck with him for training. They used to ride trains together.

I feel like I still have more but at this rate I could be talking too much. I hope these are ok.

[faebriel]

okay i got a bit brain buzzy and wrote a little snippet of what i had in mind for rainduo tangled au (original nonnie please do still feel free to chime in if you would like to!! i just needed to get the buzzes out before sleeping)

He just barely hears Nemesis exclain don't! before he jackknifes beneath the water, eyes shut tight against the grime - a hand grips the back of his shirt as bubbles rush past his face, lining it with soaked dirt. He shakes his head with all the force of their own tiny, stupid landslide as he surfaces, kicking against the weight of his hair as it clouds the water beneath him. His fringe lays flat against his face, half-obscuring the dim sight of Nemesis' drenched, anxious expression.

He's sure the look on her face is mirrored against his own. Their time is running out.

"It's too dark," she pants, hand resting on his shoulder, fingers still wound into the fabric of his shirt - as if she's worried he'll dive again. Wise. He's considering it. "You're just going to get yourself hurt. It's not worth it."

He pushes himself back, one long stroke - the space is small enough that he can't quite stretch himself out properly, wrists grazing the jagged rocks. Their tome, then. The light is almost swallowed up entirely, only the slightest escape from the shadows in the belly of the beast, next to imaginary. He swallows, and tastes the filth that lines his throat.

"I'm sorry," he tells her. "This is my fault, it's my fault - it's my fault you're here, it's my fault we're trapped, it's my fault that we're going to - we're going to die here. I'm sorry, Nemesis." The words sit uncomfortably in his mouth. Wasn't it enough to die once? He supposes, at least, now he can judge what's worse - dying alone, or dragging someone with you.

(He wishes he were alone. He wishes he were alone right now, wishes she never found his tower, wishes he never made that stupid deal or saw those stupid lights or thought to leave at all, a trapped bird with lungs full of air because at least a birdcage has that - )

"My name," she cuts him off, voice quiet. He can barely hear it over the soft lapping of the waves. "My name isn't Nemesis."

Soft as it is, it's enough to slow his spiral. Or maybe to derail it. "It's - what?"

"It's not my name. Not my - not my actual name." And this next part, it's too dark for him to see her face anymore, but his mind tries to fill in the gaps - and the slight curl in her voice, as stubborn and sad as it is, sounds like a mournful smile. "It's actually Niki."

Niki.

Two short syllables, and still just enough to snag at the fabric of his mind, a jacket sleeve caught in a doorhandle - like skipping over a familiar melody, echoing on loop until he places the tune, Niki, Niki Niki. He knows this name. He knows this name. He doesn't know how he knows it but he does, better even than his own - the sound feels right in his head, right in his mouth. The syllables are comfortable. The cadence is worn-in, like a favourite pair of boots or a beloved old coat. He blinks with the power of it, a jigsaw piece dropping itself into his mind - into a space he knew was empty, but didn't realise was missing.

It fits perfectly.

Perhaps the lack of oxygen is getting to him.

(He's quite aware that no, it's not, not yet.)

He has no fucking idea what to do with this information.

"It's a nice name," he stammers out.

He tries to picture her round face - probably washed dry of the dark shadows painting around her eyes now, blonde-pink hair lank against her shoulders. Is she still smiling? Perturbed by his silence? Afraid to die? "Thanks."

"Well," he huffs, in a shameless effort to sound nonchalant. Does it stick? He's going to die, does it matter? "My hair is so magical, it glows when I sing."

He imagines, in the brief pause, Nemesis - Niki - squinting at him.

"...huh?"

The sentence hits him then (fucking moron), and propels his heart into double-time.

"I have magic hair," he repeats - more to himself than anything - "and it glows when I - oh, fuck, flower gleam and glow - "

[peroxidesoakedrag]

deeply annoyed because i misunderstood a conversation and my mom not only went straight to "no you're wrong i'm right no arguing" instead of vaguely trying to understand where the mistake even came from, she insisted i was wrong when i complained that was a bit much for a misunderstanding

like the onus is on me to correct it when i tried to talk about it and she straight up shut me down

i'm already used to being treated like i'm automatically wrong and useless and horrible but it's obviously tiring

i'm really, really tired

plus i haven't slept enough because i need to be up early tomorrow so i'm dealing with it whilst tired from lack of sleep

if i had to guess, right now my sister and mom are talking about how i'm irrational and get mad at everything because that's how it goes. they refuse to actually understand that i don't like it when people treat me like shit even when i cry my eyes out

one time my sister only laid off me for having trouble remembering things when i joked about it in a group chat with her friends and she started arguing with me in the group chat in front of her friends until i left the groupchat and refused to come back, fully knowing that'd break our dnd table setup

my mom kept insisting i come back because she's ~sad~. i still haven't. because i stand by the fact that she betrayed my trust and she isn't getting it back. i thought i was safe from her berating there. i was wrong, clearly

in the end they probably won't ever understand that i want to be treated fairly instead of like some nuisance they hate. probably because to them that's what i am and i'm just denying reality

they say again and again that they love me and care but if this is what their love looks like, i'd rather not be loved

i don't know. i just needed to vent. i'm so goddamn tired of how this is what my life is

to my mom i'm a worthless idiot who can't decide anything for himself, to my sister i'm a useless monster she's forced to deal with, and to my dad i'm a brat who refuses to forgive him for traumatizing me

that's probably why i couldn't take it when my friend rejected me. it was the one highlight to my days, to go to college and see him and have some hope for love

i can see now that he can still be the highlight, i guess. he's still my one friend. still the one person who listens to me even when i sound a little crazy

it's a pity. but i think i'm moreso able to deal with it now. i just need to remember that we're still friends. he never actually stopped being the one person who gets me. i'm probably one of the few people who get him, too, considering he has some unorthodox interests

so do i but that's also part of why he's the one person who gets me. we even share a few or at least are very willing to listen to the other

plus my type in men is extremely common so if i'm not an unbearable person and keep myself well-groomed i think i'll find somebody someday

honestly if i found somebody and they had a bone to pick with him i'd take it as a red flag and break up though. if a man can't deal with me having a close friend that's bad. if a man doesn't like the one guy who was nice to me through a difficult time in my life that's his problem

i have trouble with interpersonal relationships in general but i know some guidelines to follow when you want to determine if your friend or boyfriend sucks. so. either they Just Don't Get Along in a way that's harmless or something is really suspicious and i'll have to figure it out

i feel calmer already. in the end i'm happy to have a friend. still my light when things are dark but in a platonic soulmate way. no one else gets me like him and i'd like to think i also get him like not many people do

the ole daniel sloss "the idea of us kissing makes me very sad"? i guess? dunno

i'm glad to have found the resolution. really needed it. i do really want to get better even if i'm in an environment that's against it

[itgr]

I'm not personally a bluepink shipper, but if I had to guess (or just try to come up with what I might see in them if I did ship them). On top of the surface level fact they're both pretty dudes, and people like seeing pretty dudes kiss, I think it's probably about the contrast between them. If we're going with pre season 4 Ashe (aka. Wrynn fused Ashe), then they're both opposites in their approaches to things. Ashe is someone very emotionally who's driven by his emotions and his strong desire to kill all of humanity so everyone can be reunited into God, while Brook is someone who's very standoffish and doesn't seem to experience a lot of strong emotion and pre meeting Scarlet, it's established he's someone who lacks a lot of ambition and wants. He doesn't really want to do anything and he's very bored and seeks a purpose (which is why he became a reaper in the first place). I feel like they could have a slowburn rivals to lovers dynamic?

Like maybe Ashe meets him and both of them are kind of lonely (but especially Brook eventhough I don't think he'd admit it) and they travel together or something and learn more about eachother and maybe Ashe keeps trying to get reactions out of Brook and taunts him or flirts with him. And while Brook is aro, he could slowly grow fond of Ashe and while he can't reciprocate romantically, he could probably find him physically attractive or something and they could form a weird kind of relationship? If you wanna be angsty, you could have Ashe kind of be nervous because he's still partially mourning his implied wife and kids and idk commitment issues or something. Like im sure theres something that could be done with how theyre both people in a shitty situation that found their own fucked up form of mild happiness with eachother. I could see Brook being intrigued by Ashe's goal even if he's think it's a bit out there and to him, ultimately pointless and unrealistic (I feel like he'd be like "Oh that's a nice goal" but he wouldn't take it TOO seriously and assume it's a coping mechanism or something <- and then get horrified when he realises how serious ashe is about it)

IF YOU WANNA BE REALLY ANGSTY, this all takes place pre the events of the comic and maybe like they eventually fall out because Ashe keeps getting more unstable and Brook has to watch him basically lose himself and its all sad and tragic and so when Scarlet brings up the idea of fighting and killing Ashe, Brooks face falls and she can kind of tell they had some kind of connection and asks about it and then Brook cracks and admits they used to be close. And maybe Brook still has hope for him (even if he wont admit it because hes mad at himself for being so attached) and he tries reason with him in the season 3 finale and fails and it's all very sad.

Alternatively if we're shipping post season 4 ashe with Brook, then idk. They're both kind of similar personality wise. Ashe is a lot like early season 1 Brook but more stoic and antagonistic and I could see Brook trying to get him to open up to more people or something. Idk, maybe they reflect on their time as reapers together and heal. I'm sure there's also something you could do with how Brooks the only reaper who wasn't originally a sinner and how Ashe is the reaper who caused the most damage and nearly ended the world. Idk. Yin and yang if you really REALLY squint.

All of that being said, I feel like most people shipping them in the past, especially during early season 3 (??) (If I remember), was realistically largely because outside of Scarlet and Chase, there's not really anyone to ship Brook with and I feel like peoples need to pair up every character in a neat and tidy monogamous ship and Brook being a fan favourite lead to people being like "GUYS! NEW LONG TERM CHARACTER ! QUICK! SHIP HIM WITH BROOK!". Also I could be wrong (I don't feel like checking) but I think? At some point Brook mentioned running into the blue reaper at least once so that probably added fuel to the fire

Someone explain the appeal of bluepink (brook/ashe) to me because I don't get it besides tall buff reaper/short twink reaper

[missezramay]

ted lasso, post-finale thoughts.

I went into the finale thinking yeah, if the writing serves, I can accept any outcome even if it's not exactly what I want. Instead, I was hit with a plethora of mixed emotions I didn't expect to have. Confusion, anger, hurt, annoyance, small bursts of joy in between, and just deep sadness. Almost 20 hours later and I'm still incredibly dissatisfied and processing. For the most part, finales should provide a feeling of celebration and relief. I... don't feel any of that.

I'm just really trying to pinpoint why I'm so sad.

Of course everything inevitably has to come to an end. Of course Ted was always going to reunite with his kid. Of course it's not about winning or losing. Of course Tedbecca can remain platonic if that was always the plan. Of course that's the way life goes, but...

For a show (and this season particularly) that constantly encouraged us to 'believe' and 'hope' in the idea that 'everything will work out', all those 75 minutes did was take me on an unsettling, emotional journey for no concrete reason other than to mess with the audience (the opening scene was just adding salt in the Tedbecca wound I've had since S2). Because everything in a macro sense, "worked out". But the WAY it "worked out" does not sit well with me?? And it's supposed to? For a lot of people (on Reddit/Facebook, lol), it was enough?? Richmond not technically winning and Ted leaving like that without so much as a tear? What am I missing??

When I tell you I'm trying to embrace the good parts, I'm really trying. Yes to KBPR & the women's team, Yes to Colin kissing his fella, Yes to Rebecca & Mae & the guys owning the club, Yes to Roy becoming Manager.

So... why am I still so upset? Hmm, let's see.

The boys' musical number? The cutest. Ted didn't think so.

Nate's apology? Heartbreaking. Ted didn't bat an eyelash.

Rebecca begging twice for Ted to stay? Ted, absolute silence.

Beard staying/getting married in London to his toxic gf? Comic relief, haha, fine. Except Ted wasn't there as Best Man.

Don't even get me started on the huge disservice to the Roy/Keeley/Jamie triangle.

Now listen, I get that he misses Henry & Henry misses his dad. I'm not that cold. A father/son's love is important. It was always the catalyst for this show; for him to work on himself so he can be a better father unlike the one he grew up with. That's fine.

But on this particular week. His last week with his Richmond family. There was NO sense of him being sad to leave them. He can be sad about missing Henry but he can ALSO be sad about leaving. No, he just completely checked out. He let everyone pour out their hearts (Hannah's getting her third Emmy, mark my words) to him, and he just stone-faced the entire time.

THIS DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME.

The argument is that he was internally processing, he was overwhelmed, he was trying to distance himself so it would hurt less. Fair points, okay. But this is a television show, moreover, A FINALE. TV characters, while relatable, are heightened versions of ourselves, there so we can better process our emotions and learn to handle things better in our real lives. Ted deserved MORE dialogue and displaying MORE emotion than whatever this was.

We're never going to see him again. We're over here crying along with Rebecca, Nate & Beard, but he didn't sob once. Even though he spent three years building a family with them. I even thought, hey at least he left his legacy with Trent's book but newsflash, he wanted his name taken off that too! Complete erasure.

I just feel so robbed of better moments. Like there were nice moments here and there. But they could've been BETTER. Honestly, Nate & Rebecca's breakdowns were close to perfection, so much love there. But the lack of dialogue and Ted not reciprocating? Broke ME.

I just cannot. understand. this. choice.

Massive sigh. I'm just truly baffled by the way everything wrapped up and not getting the satisfied feeling that one half of the viewership got. Maybe I'm in the minority, but that means something. It carries weight. Also, for a "three-season arc" that was planned well in advance, why all the rewrites and parallels and fakeouts... it's just cruel. But as the theme says (and maybe this was a warning all along), yeah, I guess this might well be it.

This show has given us so much and the last season flailed for the most part. I don't want to disrespect the show by being negative and cynical (looks like I failed!!) or cast blame on anyone in particular. The cast/crew are amazing people and I'll be grateful for being a part of the journey but I'm just so sad and this feeling sucks and I will never get over it.

Going to miss them. x

[everyneji]

How do you think the relationship between Neji and Hinayana should have developed? Unfortunately, Hyuga clan didn’t get much screen time in Part 2. I’m curious how they gradually got closer and care for each other. It’s a great loss this part was almost ignored in the manga. I think it’s very important to the character development of both Hinata and Neji. Happy to hear any headcanon!

Thank you so much for the ask, I really appreciate it! ♥ Sorry for the late reply, real life will do that, and sorry that this got, ah, long.

I'm torn on the subject because Kishimoto kept the focus on Naruto and Sasuke for good reason and there's only so much he could have fit in of other character's lives -- but at the same time if Hinata was going to end up so important and Neji our beloved martyr, it would have been nice to see them get more to do.

At least the anime's love of Hinata means we tend to get a lot more about their relationship, which is nice, even if I don't always agree with what they do. Boruto's time travel arc provided some interesting stuff:

Fascinating! They imagine that even in their recovering relationship, Neji is still acutely aware of his place in her life -- does he fear some kind of retribution for seeming too chummy with her, or does he fear that it will further drag down her reputation in the clan? As he goes on to explain to Boruto: NEJI: I belong to the branch family, so she is like my lord. BORUTO: But she calls you big brother. NEJI: We were raised together as siblings. I've told her not to call me that ... but Lady Hinata does not listen.

Hinata is very polite. She uses honorifics for everyone, and it's not sarcastic -- unlike Neji, whose use of '-sama' is contrasted with his lack of polite speech for her. Superficially, Hinata is being polite yet familiar, while Neji is rude and uses the honorific out of obligation. Yet I think Neji is also trying to create distance between them which Hinata is trying to counter, so in a way Hinata is crossing a boundary. Which is interesting! For a terminally anxious girl, Hinata can be surprisingly bold about taking the first step: she approaches Naruto in the chūnin exams, she jumps in front of Pain and confesses her love, and it seems with Neji, she even tried to keep reaching out to him despite his cruelty.

Hinata seems lonely in a familial sense. She's been virtually disowned, Hanabi is (in the anime very explicitly) her rival, her mother doesn't seem to be around ... I imagine she spends a lot of time trying to make connections, and Neji is an immediate family member who happens to be her peer, so naturally she seeks a relationship with him, especially because they had a good start. When you think about how simple and sweet their relationship when they first met was, it's very sad to think it was torn from them -- they were both left lonelier for the loss of it.

There's an added layer where you can also read some guilt or even pity in Hinata's response to him -- how much she knew about the Hyūga Affair is ambiguous, but she is aware of Neji's suffering in the clan because of his subordinate position.

Interestingly, she prefaces this with "I can see it now ... that even more than me ..." which also suggests to me that Hinata was very wrapped up in her own problems and Neji has probably settled for a few jabs and walking off in the past so she hasn't been exposed to the depths of his feeling. I've said it before, but I think they were basically strangers at this point in time.

Once those lines of communication were finally opened, they probably found the things they have in common, and went forward from there. A sense of solidarity would be core to their relationship, and of course we're told that their mutual acknowledgement of each other basically fixed the clan. Which is a powerful thing! They've both been hurt and effectively pit against each other, and only by healing that relationship and themselves can they heal their clan.

Now, when it comes to Neji's side of things, his feelings are a lot more complicated! Undoubtedly there's an extreme level of resentment when we first see them together -- the "I hate seeing you happy" kind -- but at the same time, his backhanded compliments are only insults in the cynical ninja world.

It's condescending and disrespectful, but he doesn't see Hinata as a bad person, just a useless one. If anything, you get the sense that Neji would like these traits in a person -- even admire them -- if he hadn't been left so jaded. We can see this from how much Neji liked Hinata when they first met, and it speaks to his own natural sweetness and light that all his trauma tried to steal from him. Which is certainly a theme of Naruto, of course, but it never stops making me sad.

In the most perfect of happy AUs Neji probably just ends up a more outgoing (if still refined) version of Hinata lmao. They really are meant to be two sides of the same coin.

When their relationship goes forward from this, the anime shows Neji training Hinata, and it's not hard to draw that conclusion from Neji and Hinata's ease fighting next to each other in the war. I think once Neji acknowledged Naruto's determination he also acknowledged hers, and can see him trying to give her the skills to match her willpower. I like to think he played a part in her growing confidence by showing faith in her abilities. I also think he probably practised being gentle with her. He hadn't let himself be that in a long time.

My main sticking point with the anime and a lot of fandom interpretation is this idea that Neji defaulted back to this 'Must protect Hinata-sama!' overprotective big brother mode (which I think is a disservice to him) or that they became besties. They're both gainfully employed child soldiers so they're plenty busy, Neji outranked her professionally while she continued to outrank him socially, they have other friends, and so forth. I'm sure they were amicable -- and fairly close -- but their lives had diverged a lot by the point that they reconciled.

Maybe with more time, and peace changing the dynamic of the world, and their clan (presumably) changing (officially) also, they would have gotten very close, but as it was, well ...

Ultimately, for me, I find their relationship rather sad, as it will always be coloured by Neji's sacrifice. While I think it had more to do with Naruto than Hinata, she was still a factor, and so you can't escape the implication that Neji did what he was 'meant to.' It sets the tone for their whole relationship. Like, he will always be marked. He is marked until he dies. It's why it doesn't matter if Neji ever actually experienced the seal first hand: the fact that it exists is a perpetual boot to his neck, and is a violence unto itself. Did Hinata know how to activate the seal? Can Neji ever forget their power imbalance? Am I supposed to believe that on that battlefield, it never once crossed Neji's mind that he may be called on to protect her with his life?

The idea of someone feeling -- grateful, complacent, loving -- toward someone who owns them, owns their life, is hard to swallow. It will downright choke you once you remember that his life is ultimately forfeit to her. Like, I love Hinata. I don't think she's a bad person, or that she'd ever abuse the power she has over Neji. I genuinely love their relationship ... but they're meant to parallel their fathers, and when Hizashi comes back, he hits with us a classic:

Hizashi chose to die with love in his heart, and he comes back like 'Oh boy check out this cosmic punishment for forgetting my place.' So, uh, yeah, when Neji pulls the exact same thing about 6 hours later, don't we naturally parallel them and assume that even telling yourself you're doing something out of love doesn't change your crushing sense of servitude? Or, as I once wrote into a fic:

“That’s not freedom, Neji. That’s -- putting pillows in your cage.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I really, really wish that Hinata had not been in the line of fire. She and Naruto could have just as easily bonded over Neji's rapidly cooling corpse without her having been in danger. All it does is reinforce the hierarchy between them, which in turn can make it hard to see Neji being nice to her.

If I remove myself from the meta narrative, however, I will say that relationships are complex, even along hierarchical lines, and while Neji doesn't owe Hinata anything, I wouldn't want him to continue burning with resentment. You don't have to be complacent, but perpetual anger is exhausting. Thus, it's good they managed to repair their relationship, and find a little bit of the children they used to be together again.

TL;DR;JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT WAS POSED: I think that a sense of solidarity and commonality, and training, brought them closer together over the years. I believe they are, at their cores, very similar people so they got along well, even if they weren't the very best of friends due to circumstance.

TL;DR;THE WHOLE ESSAY: I love them both and believe they loved each other, but if I think too hard about the meta narrative I want to chew my own leg off like it's stuck in a bear trap ... but don't get me wrong, I love how inherently complicated and deep their relationship is because of it. There's a lot to work with there!

[reilliane]

Pre-Story - ONE

✤ — Universe: Fleur ✤ — Summary: Change is inevitable in life. Sometimes, you want to cling to the usual normalcy, sometimes you don't.

a/n: pre-stories are childhood memories!

They are always repetitive—the days, you mean.

If a chance presents itself to change the routine of your everyday life, you'd say it's a slim one, though you welcome any percentage.

Anything to get rid of the monochromatic boredom in the supposedly colorful life.

Okay, perhaps you're exaggerating—life isn't that bad, but still.

With a feeble hum, you draw onto a piece of paper in a blue-green—as your Crayola labels—color, a winged symbol. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual wings with a few flairs here and there.

They aren't meant to be special—not yet, at least—just another doodle in another sketchbook that will be forgotten under the closet.

You promise not to forget about it, but you have a bad case of forgetting promises.

There's a clear difference between forgetting and not doing, as you like to emphasize to your friend. Ah, speaking of.

"Hey, hey, you're leaving tomorrow, right?" the giddy voice on your right makes you roll onto the other side away from him, leaving the doodle and crayon behind.

You groan, stretching your limbs and sighing.

Leaving... you didn't think that such a day would come, but alas.

"Mm.." is your response—bland.

Smack!

"Ow—Kaeya!"

The boy, older than you by a couple of years, snickers as he continues to smack your back with a yawn. He does an incredible job of being indifferent to your whines.

Thinking nothing of it, he resumes messing around.

It's always been his favorite pastime before he's taken away.

You despise it, but hey, he's a brother figure for a reason.

"Hey, hey, aren't you excited?" he hums, taking the piece of paper you've been drawing on and flopping onto the couch, surveying the drawn figure.

With the little concentration you have—as expected of a child seven years of age—you turn to the plate of sweets on the table, standing on wobbling feet to reach the chocolate muffins. But alas.

You're too short. Or maybe the table's just too tall.

"A little-!" you admit, squeaking when your fingers brush against the plate and it almost clatters to the ground.

Easing your feet from tippy toes, you grumble, crossing your arms. From the corner of your eye, you spot Kaeya shuffling. "Who's not excited about leaving? Still, I like it here! So, I'm sad."

Even sadder because you can't reach the muffin.

"Yeah, I get the feeling," the spark of giddiness is uncontrollable the second you realize that the blue-haired boy is taking the plate from the table. "The people here are nice, after all!"

He lowers the plate of sweets to your level and grins as you squeal your thanks, hands reaching for the piece of muffin you've been salivating minutes ago from.

Before the pastry touches your hands, however, he snags it and takes a huge bite, laughing obnoxiously at the look of betrayal on your face.

"It's sad without you, too!" says Kaeya, words jumbled from eating at the same time as he speaks.

Paying extreme attention to your horrified expression, he proceeds to munch on the sweet pastry, his stare glinting with utter mischief.

"My brother's pretty okay though, we're good buddies!"

"Kaeya, give me a muffin!"

"Yeah, I'm in good hands."

"Kaeyaaaaa!"

When the clock strikes five in the afternoon, a car pulls up in front of the building.

A fancy one that you'd often see in the movies, black with a shine that seems to be there at all times even when there is an obvious lack of light.

You walk by the side of the blue-haired boy, eating away happily at a newly baked muffin he and the rest of the children helped bake.

A man with crimson hair rolls down the car window, beckoning your friend to hop on in so they can return home.

Home.

Kaeya notices your dispirited form before you can even process it yourself, and messes with your hair again with a grin. He had the heart not to shove your face down on the muffin, thankfully—but you're still miffed.

Though it's abated a little when you see his tiny smile and pinky extended towards your direction. "I may be gone, but that doesn't mean I won't visit, you crybaby."

"Who are you calling a crybaby, you big baby?!" you exclaim, obviously crying.

"You are, duh." He retorts, crying himself.

Still, you entwine your pinky with his, both sniffling like there's no tomorrow.

And then he waves you goodbye, as do the red-haired man in the front seat. If you tip your toes, you'd see someone of a shorter stature beside him, but you're not too sure if it's just your blurry vision playing tricks.

Kaeya repeats that he'll visit again—and the car drives away.

As you stand by the entrance wiping your tears, you hear your name being called, probably so that you'll finish the dinner you left behind.

After a call that you're going there, you start to move—only stopping when it feels like you're not carrying anything.

That's weird.

Looking down at your hands—

"... He stole my muffin.."

You can't even be mad. 

a/n: first pre-story done! this was posted first in wattpad but i figured i should bring it here too. now.. onto the taglist omg-

@cherryflushz @e7t3 @scarlet-halos @lordbugs @nebulaera @annoying-and-upset @hanniejji @applepi1415 @tjjjrsj @azirajane @hey-comrade-hold-stil @limelightsuperhero @chloeloe @loptido @windyventi @nejibot @ganyuqrt @justrinnn @yasunamilk @alana5021 @uwu-dreams @nomnom21 @milksnake-tea @layla240 @normalisthenewnorm @abbynxisys @ghostlystudentvoidbat @meinoballs @lost-in-alula @aryllechan @xiaosalmondtaro @yetchann @rayskyee @lunavixia @estelwrld @nightfloweruponahill @o0soup0o @little-fiinch @blueberrysauce @iineikoo @aestherin @hakobuns @monicahar @sirinxei @mundanenights @minitao @randomweebly @bluebeomz @emperatris-rinaka @durptwit @shioriryke @crapimahuman @cianalikesbeans @feverish-dove @sassyglassesbunny

[psychologicalwhorefare]

Pepsi Can Designs Ranked

as you may have noticed i'm very into soda and beverage containers in general, and i've had pepsi on the brain for a few days so here's my ranking of every can design they have listed currently on their website. i'm sure there's been like a million others through the years and years that pepsi has been a thing, but it's just for fun and i'm not gonna make a list that's a full book long

13. Nitro Pepsi Vanilla

really don't care for the color scheme here. i get that it's meant to be the color of vanilla but it's just not the kind of shade i want to see on my soda can, y'know? it's giving pilk. big pilk vibes here. and the spray-paint logo doesn't pop, especially not when it's only the blue without the red. maybe the biggest nail in nitro vanilla's coffin, though, is those big ugly brass-colored block letters. yuck

12. Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry

diet pepsi already has this ugly tin color that doesn't exactly appeal the appetite, and all the additional detail here is like putting a lipstick on a pig. except the lipstick somehow made the pig uglier. the flowing red on the top and the bubble detailing just does not work with this backdrop, and their simplicity really becomes painfully evident when there's nothing else to occupy your eyes

11. Pepsi Caffeine Free

sigh. i wanted to like her, but i just don't. it feels so metallic but in the wrong way, reminding me more of a cavity filling than a winner's medal. this is a case where i actually wish they had used detailing instead of just coating the thing in a (surprisingly rather dull) gold sheen. what might have been...

10. Diet Pepsi

once again, it's just dull. soda is meant to be a fun drink, something that pops out at you in the grocery aisle. i guess maybe if you're drinking diet you may not agree, but either way this just looks like a dog food tin. here, i'm glad they didn't do any detailing, but it still just leaves it looking sad :(

9. Pepsi Zero Sugar Mango

has a lot of the good elements of both classic pepsi zero sugar and pepsi mango, but ends up being less than the sum of its parts. orange works with black since just about anything works with black, but it lacks any real sense of synergy between the colors. don't care for the bubble detailing over the more subtle black background, either; i get that it's there to give some more visual excitement but basically i just wish they'd use some other type of detailing lol

8. Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry

basically all the same issues as zero sugar mango but i like red and black as a match better than orange and black. moving on!

7. Nitro Pepsi

now we're starting to get somewhere. still suffers from some of the problems as vanilla, but that deep blue color is gorgeous, and works nicely as an allusion to the blue of classic pepsi without ripping from it directly. i don't even mind the details as much here, because at least they pop more against the colored background. white against blue is far better than blue against off-white. still don't love the spray-paint style logo, though

6. Pepsi

something to be said for the classics, eh? it's a lovely shade of blue, really, with a tasteful metallic trim and a halfway decent version of the logo. we could complain about the modern lowercase logo, but it's not like many of these other varieties are offering much as an alternative. except...

5. Pepsi Real Sugar

mostly the same as classic, same blue, same logo. obviously the text logo is different, but i'll be honest this is not one of the logos i'm sentimental for. at least it has some swagger though! now let's be real - the big draw here is the slopes at the top. see how they're shorter than the other cans? those are the bony hips of a lady with a harsh, narrow, boyish frame. and we love her for it

4. Pepsi Wild Cherry

(sorry some of these images are kinda fucked up lol, i'm trying to find ones that match the specific designs on the website)

ultimately just pepsi classic with some extra pizzazz. the red flow detail at the top is like an extension of the red in the logo. not too much to say, just a slightly snazzy option

3. Diet Pepsi Caffeine Free

ohh pretty pretty girl. this is what regular caffeine free wishes it could be. a nice delicate pure white background that doesn't need any detailing because it has that tasteful gold trim and elements of the logo. it maybe feels a little overly clean, but not in a sickening way. the design really makes me believe that this drink is gonna be refreshing. what a sweetie :)

2. Pepsi Zero Sugar

call me edgy but i'm just a sucker for darker black palettes. keeping it simple here: just a black can with the logo and some white text telling you what makes it special. it's purposefully low effort. it doesn't need to try any harder because it knows it has already done everything it came to do without breaking a sweat

1 . Pepsi Mango

complimentary colors? how fucking revolutionary!! look at that blue and orange palette - now THAT'S synergy! the bubble detailing is perfect here, although i wish it extended into the orange section. also a problem i have with basically all the fruit variants is that they just kinda slap a jpg of the fruit in the corner of the logo. could have tried to make the mango look like the circular logo or something fun like that. in any case, this is my favorite of all of these; it's bright but not blinding, knows how to use its colors, and just overall strikes a brilliant balance that's appealing in each and every way it needs to be!

that's all! now time to see if tumblr will let me post something with this many images 😓 thanks 4 reading!!

[lightlycareless]

OUGH CHAPTER 33,, this ones RICH theres so much here all of y/ns letters,, i wonder how hinata would feel if she actually got to read them?? not that she'd get through all of them before trying to break in there herself to get y/n out i imagine

NAOAKI,, calling y/n cute straight up now?? we're just straight into it there's no denying anything anymore. full on flirting out there-- good for them. and the GRAPE,, feeding her the grape,, im obsessed. hinata turning naoaki away bc of his resemblance to naoya-- i get why girl but also MAN you are missing out on the sweetest man in the world. n also the possibility of the zenin's getting pissy over hinata and naoaki talking to each other?? they are DERANGED for real its unbelievable.

mariya and tatsuro,,, i really do think she COULD tell hitomi i like to think she'd understand. and also backing herself into a corner w lying about to everyone i just can not imagine that ending well at ALL somewhere down the line

THE BOXES FULL OF RECORDS MY GODDD,,, naoya is going to give y/n a HEART ATTACK. its a thoughtful gesture but she is so (understandably!!) put off anything to do with him she just finds it creepy as fuck. it is so funny tho "there has to be another reason for his actions,, but what,," girl,,, hes trying to be nice for once this is not a murder attempt,,

and the idea that naoya's gonna eventually try to ask how she liked the gift oh MAN-- he's already gonna be torn up beyond belief over that last chapter ending (must be why we don't see him this time he's too busy crying) and to see her respond cold to like... what's probably the first real big thoughtful gift he's tried to get her?? devastating. obliterated.

this chapter is driving me insane and up the walls (in a good way) i am SO ready to see whats coming.. ur setting up for somethin big i know it,,,

Hello!!!! I’m glad you liked the bit of… lore I guess? I don’t know how to call it lol regarding Y/N’s letters! I only went through them briefly, in the aspect of what she must write and what not to keep a low profile, but never really showed what she was writing… and boy, was it sad.

Hinata would be very, very sad. Definitely. She’d first be upset, angry, quickly identifying that her letters are to set up a façade that everything is right, when it’s not. She’ll also be able to find some traces of Y/N being genuine whenever she speaks of the twins or her staff… perhaps. But overall, those clues end up being irrelevant to the fact that Y/N is in danger and needs to be taken out of there as soon as possible.

And her not caring for Naoaki…. Hahahahahah it made me laugh and a bit frustrated tbh, but how is she supposed to know?! yet OMG he's RIGHT THERE.

I did think on various occasions that her acting that way with him might’ve been... reckless, like it could’ve raised some red flags from him and be like “Hinata is acting weird” subsequentially, leading the clan to be further vigilant of her. However, Naoaki doesn’t know what’s up with his clan, and his priority is to help Y/N above anything else so… yeah. I wish she would’ve given him the benefit of the doubt and approached him, doing so on any other occasion I think, when she isn’t there for work and isn’t overworked either lol.

But yeah, she’s tired of all she’s been put through and couldn’t care less of engaging with other people as of right now. To Naoaki’s defense… Hinata didn’t talk to anyone else either, so there’s that 🤭

I’m still surprised the Zen’in weren’t lil bitches about it, they probably didn’t consider their interaction to be that important anyway—since their secrets are safely guarded… at least for now. Kind of. Hinata is still not out of their radar. Hmm. They’re probably thinking on how to not get involved in the crisis since they think so little of non-sorcerers lol.

Now onto Mariya…. I just love causing conflicts with her lmao. You could argue that she’s not doing anything… wrong per se, but man, lies and lack of communication can lead to some pretty terrible misunderstandings and that’s the least of the things I want happening between Y/N’s staff 😭 But essentially Mariya is afraid that speaking out loud of this situation might lead other members of the staff overhearing this, rumors begin to circulate around the house, and she loses her job 💀 It’s not that she doesn’t trust Hitomi, but she’d rather keep it hidden from everyone to avoid these risks. (also, the pain of having disappointed her is too much for her to even contemplate 😭 she cares too much for the sisters, and already gone through something like that with Y/N... no, I can't have her suffering 😭😭)

As for Naoaki… that freaking scene with the grape was like omg…………………………………………………… I wanted to go heavier on the subtle implications, but I was like no ma’am, Y/N pulled away from that one and I don’t think Naoaki would insist after seeing her reject his advancements sooooo maybe for another time 😊 This was also a way to show just how… bold the two had become after the whole Naobito/Naoya/Y/N thing went down, had this been before that, Naoaki would’ve never done something like that.

I can imagine Ranta watching the two from some undisclosed corner frantically hoping that Naoya won’t come out and see them lmao.

Finally… the mystery of whatever Naoya was shoving inside his pocket the chapter before is revealed!

Guess he was listening to what Y/N was telling him, however, for him to suddenly go out and buy them implies another motive behind them… or at least that’s what I intended to write 🤭 Naoya is trying something, to be nicer I guess, but without him taking accountability I don’t think there’s going to be any advancements soon. 😫 He’s still out there having some kind of war with Naoaki, when he should be focusing on Y/N and his marriage!!!!! Well, best wishes to him I guess lol.

Now… I won’t say much outside of that hehe because it will be expanded on the next chapter, it's a Naoya-centric one where we'll see what he was doing while this went down, as well as a bit of—

Anyways, thank you so much for tuning in for a new update!! The build up for the next chapter has me at edge, nervous… but excited too and I can’t wait to show you!!! (let the hype be appropriate) But for now, I shall take it easy, I got my birthday to enjoy (and this annoying cold out of the goddamn nowhere!!! To overcome)

Have a wonderful weekend, take care, and hope to see you soon!!!

[drei-mrssvechii]

i'll be home for christmas - quinn hughes

pairing: quinn hughes x reader

word count: 2.2k+

warnings: economic problems talk (not detailed, very brief), the reader doesn't spend christmas with family, jerk employer, not christmas themes but happens in christmas and nothing more i can think of!!

summary: what happens when economic problems get in your way? a plane ticket is something you can’t afford these Holidays, but spending Christmas alone in college campus isn’t exactly what you planned; without much thinking an overnight convenience store shift is in your schedule. well, at least this Christmas won’t be very lonely…

If someone would ask you to describe this year in a word it would be an easy peasy task. Stressful, that was all, no more words needed. You had started the second year of college while working part time in different jobs sorted out through the week. The stuff in school was a lot, your hours in work had been extended several times and you had to go through all of it alone.

It was hard and with Holidays approaching things were getting more complicated. As a scholarship student, the hours of rest you could afford weren’t that much, everything had to be perfect and carefully planned, after all you couldn’t take a risk of losing your scholarship. Definitely not.

So here you are, finishing the last assignments for the semester while entering in a huge break down by all the news crashing into you. Christmas was coming which meant family time and a rest from your cruel school reality, however, this year was the exception. Holidays were totally ruined.

You wished economic problems weren’t your business but unfortunately this was your sad reality and a plane ticket back to your city was something you couldn’t afford. At least not this year.

With crushed feelings and exhaustion, you started picking your stuff on the library’s table to return back to the dorm. The awful reminder was present while you envisioned how Christmas alone would go, maybe it wasn’t a big deal as you made it seem but all you ever knew was being surrounded by your dearest ones on those dates. Most people on campus would leave and so did few friends, so what were you supposed to do?

You thought about it and convinced yourself it wasn’t bad at all, maybe you could use this alone time to reflect on yourself a.k.a crying all night, eating ice cream and watching netflix. But then it really got bad. It was the last week of the semester and you were staying behind, on top of that, some expenses were doubling it’s amount and to cover them all you had to work a little bit more

So without much meditation on it, you accepted a shift on Christmas Eve’s Night after seeing the announcement of a convenience store near your campus. As a plan, you had the idea of studying and completing some extra work during the Holidays, maybe treating yourself to a nice dinner or a gift with the little earnings you still had saved and using work as your distraction for the night.

-

The days passed by and Christmas approached sooner than you would’ve liked, there it was again the nostalgic feeling of missing home, feeling that was quickly wiped away with the monotonous voice of the man in front of you.

“So, as you already know your shift starts about 9 p.m. and probably will be working till our next worker arrives, which we haven’t define nor find it but- ”

“I’ll be working until another worker arrives? My shift is overnight but what if the other worker never arrives?”

“I mean yeah that could happen, we're in a lack of people-” The way he was just looking straight into the papers in his hands without paying any attention to you and talking with the most boring voice made you want to just leave, you we’re pretty sure he won’t mind.

“I’m sorry, I can’t work more than what I’ve planned. As I said, my overnight shift is all I can work for” Defending yourself had always been your strongest suit but maybe with jerks like him it didn’t work.

“Please let me talk, thank you” Even though you had known him for less than 10 minutes you already hated him, and it felt like the feeling was mutual. Well, mostly like he hated every single existing thing “It’s Christmas, people won’t even visit the store but you’re just there in case anything happens. Your hours could be extended, but I’ll make sure to find someone.” In fact, he was being sarcastic, and you felt like this speech was the one he told every single worker before being overworked. “Did you understand? Any questions or things I can help you with?”

You furrowed your brows at his straight and emotionless face. He definitely had memorized the whole speech and kindness wasn’t his strongest suit. A quick note for a future you: Don’t ever work for fun in a convenience store, they suck.

“No, it’s all unders-”

“Then see you Friday, have a very good day ” And with that he was gone leaving you irritated and wanting to throw up at his manners.

Ready to start complaining about this with your friend, you took your things quickly and left the so called “office” which looked rather like a garbage deposit.

“Whatever” Was the only thing you said before leaving.

-

“Y/N, look at the bright side” She smiled sweetly while opening her arms to the air. Sometimes her enthusiasm made you sick.

“And the bright side is??” Oh and that was you, a negative person wasn’t something you could call yourself, realistic was all.

“I mean, I wouldn’t feel so happy about working on Christmas and not being able to spend it with my family…” Yeah, a reminder wasn’t necessary.

“Kara, straight to the point, please”

“Something positive is… You will get money?” At this point she was just throwing random ideas in the air in hopes of convincing you it wasn’t that bad, but obviously you were there to contradict everything

“From a boss who wants to overwork me and obviously is a complete jerk, yes what a bright side”

“Ok, stop it. Maybe some lonely nice grannies will visit you to talk about their amazing children who are out of the country, some may even leave gifts”

“Why would an old lady come to a store to talk about their kids?” Kara plopped down in her bed groaning heavily

“Well, uhm” She fiddled with her fingers “They need someone to talk perhaps, or they are lost and casually find the store and start rambling with–”

“I’m begging you to stop, please and thank you. You should go and prepare your clothes”

“Are your sure you don’t want to come with my family and spend this Christmas, the tickets won’t be any problem, I can pa-” As sweet as she was, Kara had offered to pay for a ticket back home to your city or to take you with her, you appreciated her intentions but at the same time that was something you couldn’t accept.

“No, I’ll be alright. Don't worry” God, you prayed all night everything would be ok

-

“Of course they come regularly, how dare you say my own sons won’t visit their mother?”

“I’m sorry, that was what you just said”

“Oh… Did I? You know my sons? Probably they told you that, or they… they sent you to spy on me?!” With her hand placed on her chest she pointed at you with her index finger reproachingly.

“Ma’am, I honestly have zero clue-” A deep sigh was heard which irritated you even more than you already were. Without intention of being rude -even though it came out as rude- you stomped your hand in the cashier causing both of the clients in front of you to jump slightly.

“So that is it! He is also spying on me?” The old lady’s eyes changed, looking as if she had joined all the pieces in the puzzle, in this case discovering who was “spying” on her. Maybe this was the bright side Kara was talking about?

“I- sorry what?”

“Please, if you excuse me, you already bought all you needed right, ma’am?” The man in front joined the conversation, amusement clear in his face.

For seconds she looked confused, moving her eyes between you and the other stranger; desperation was already entering your body waiting for her to talk.

“I didn’t come to buy anything” Her eyes looked lost, and for a moment you felt pity for the old lady of being alone in the streets in her current state and even worse in the Holidays. So you did your work to help her.

“Yes you did. Here’s your bag, you should go home and rest, have a nice Christmas”

“But-” Again she looked clueless but took the bag anyway.

“Look, I really have to buy this real quick, if both of you helped it would be great. You can talk later but just let me pay for my things” Silently the old lady left the store and another deep sigh left your mouth. Your eyes traveled towards the annoying boy in front of you waiting to pay.

“Didn’t have to scare out my clients just to buy a couple of stuff” You muttered.

“I scared them out? Come on, I actually helped, you should thank me”

“I’m sorry?? I could’ve used her company and no, you didn’t help” He scoffed and a sarcastic smile appeared on your face.

“Aren’t you supposed to finish with customers so you can close faster that way? I’m doing you a favor”

“Yeah, smart boy. Convenience stores don’t work that way. In case you don’t know how to read outside says 24/7, which if you don’t know what that means, it shows that we’re open the whole day, even if you leave and no other single human comes, I will still have to be here”

“So funny” He laughed ironically and you looked skeptically at him “Must suck that your boss put you in a shift exactly today”

“Ha, I was the one who decided to work today” As soon as you clarified that fact, his face changed as if he had heard his long-time pet was dead.

“Ok? The more you talk the weirder I find you, why would you work on Christmas?”

“Don’t worry, you haven’t even introduced yourself and I can already tell you’re a jerk” The boy smirked and moved his hand encouraging you to continue “Well, I’m not able to travel back home and poor so, what better option than working to not feel alone in the comfort of my dorm?”

“Wow, you talk with no filters, eh. I’m Quinn by the way” You chuckled softly, the now called “Quinn” raised his eyebrow and both of you started a who blinks first fight.

“Are you expecting me to tell you my name?”

“It wouldn’t be a bother if you did actually” He said while tilting his head. In hopes of evading the question you took what he was going to buy and did your work.

“So, Y/N. Wait I think I’ve seen you before” You tightened your jaw at the reminder of your name in the stupid tag. This was the last thing you needed today so you cut him right up.

“Look, Quinn. I’ve got no time for this, you pay the 6 dollars and then leave”

“Don’t we have the whole night? It’s not like you can leave otherwise” For the tenth time in the day you sighed thinking of a way to just get rid of him. “Maybe you’re from college right? You definitely look like a student”

Frustration clouded your vision and without apparent reason you wanted to sit down and cry yet kept quiet in order to bore him so he could already leave; a few minutes later he picked his bag but went back to pick some other things from the store.

“Those are for you, I’ll pay for them” He moved the snacks over and you looked at him like are you serious right now? Almost as if he had read your thoughts he talked again “It’s a Christmas gift, you can’t deny it”

A small smile appeared on your face and you just mumbled a quick thanks but not giving him enough credit for what he just did.

“I brightened up your day, didn’t I?” The self satisfaction showed all over his face.

“Ah, you’re acting all cocky all of a sudden, you should leave” You both laughed and he stood closer to you. With all the nerves running through your body, you stood as stiff as a stick with eyes opening bigger than they were.

“I’ve definitely seen you around campus”

“Yeahhh, can… can you get a little bit away from me? You’re making me uncomfy” He showed a cute smirk which caused a slight blush on your cheek. Quinn licked his lips but glanced away quickly, getting off you to pick up his bags.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get going” After a cringy and poor try of a wink he walked over the store’s door, stopping just in front of it. “Would it be too much to ask for a date someday?”

You hesitated for a second, would it be too crazy of an idea to accept? Actually it was, you barely knew the guy but wasn’t making random decisions what you we’re best at? No, not really but it was Christmas so fuck it.

“Maybe I would accept… You don’t have my number though”

“I’ll take care of that. Merry Christmas Y/N”

“Merry Christmas Quinn” The words left your mouth when he was already out and with all mixed feelings rushing through your body you couldn’t help but smile.

-

The rest of the night wasn’t that bad, some other clients entered the store but it wasn’t until a couple of hours later when your phone rang with a notification from an unknown number that you truly felt like, as Kara said, there was a bright side.

Maybe that night and the upcoming days were auspicious as well, except that this will be a story for another day.

-

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