#or people recognize something sounds good but it can’t be “good music” to then because the context is all wrong to what makes good music fo

[thisismenow3]

I feel like this is missing the forest for the trees. You keep decrying “virtue” when art that is made in a certain way is often different categorically from art that is made with other tools. People are getting caught up in the metaphors here so let me try my best; this ain’t “digital music” vs trained musicians using analogue instruments, this is a painting of food vs a website for a restaurant. The way you create something often separates it categorically within artistic persuits not just from analysis but from experience.

Human history can be simplified to be just us “finding the easier way with better and better tools” but that reaches oversimplification here cause that has more to do with tech broadly, not with art or politics/culture I’d argue. With music people ain’t just reacting to the sound, we are always conscious of many layers of context. That’s true of all art. Knowing someone wrote their own lyrics can enhance a song for people, knowing that the sounds were created using live instruments can help a listener feel the feeling they want from the sound better because their ideas of what music is come from an idea that it is “primal.” People ain’t wrong to say they prefer someone who’s more than just a parrot for the words, especially with genres where half the point is this idea. And live recordings exist to help further a “primal” feeling for people who prefer their music mostly analogue.

But in all these analogies the common thread ain’t “human uses tool” it’s “human uses tool but in a way that has to have some work to it because that work is a prerequisite for it to be the art we agree meets this definition.” A person dancing, however subjectively good or bad, is very different than a person rendering a 3D subject doing the same dance. We can all argue over which we like better but both are a kind of art.

‘machine learning art’ is a person asking Siri to render a 3D model dancing for them. That ain’t art, that’s fundamentally different than the digital counterpart in the dance example because at a certain point sufficiently advanced tools change the category of art and machine learning art is sophisticated enough it’s essentially just making a DJ request to the universe. There can be uses for people obviously, but those uses don’t change the fundamental nature of the thing. Not everyone can draw or play guitar or sing well or dance well or take a sample and change it enough to meet a know it when you hear it level of effort be their own, and all of that can be deemed still whack by someone with different tastes. Machine learning art is actually not art because it is both theft and even in hypotheticals where it’s fed all things given willingly the lack of anything other than guidelines means no one created it, it’s shapes in the cloud that haven’t been photographed or painted yet.

Your turning on a light analogy worked perfect except for where you landed with it. When we say we turn on a light we don’t think about how this is shorthand for “I manipulated one switch that only helps bring light because of work someone else did installing the wiring and etc.” But turning on a light is using FL studio to make an instrumental, machine learning art is a CEO giving parameters to RandD about making a product they envision but don’t have the skills to tackle even a piece of the creation on their own.

My god my girlies

MY GIRLIES. I am still crying, I am still crying about this. Every day I cry about this.

You bitched so hard about being forced to read 1984 in school when it’s so problematic (tm)

Maybe you should have actually paid attention when you read it

Because all these AI fics

You are LITERALLY MAKING THE GARBAGE NOVELS FROM 1984 that are written by machines

You have literally recreated the worthless soulless machine-made books

Literally,

Literally. Every once in a while it hits me in a fresh wave of disbelief and anger. You have literally created the dystopian book from the dystopian story about why dystopia is bad, and you are passing it around like it’s this amazing thing. I’m crying, I’m crying.

[zweigsangel]

ex fratboy! chris. smut-angst. 1.8k words.

it’s one of those late nights, and you’re standing there in the middle of a way-too-crowded, kinda messy party that, honestly, you only came to ‘cause your friends dragged you here. the air's thick with too many people, bad beer, and random songs blaring loud enough to drown out any thoughts you might’ve had. and that’s when you see him: chris. the ex you swore you were over. but like, really, are you?

it’s weird though, ‘cause he’s just chilling across the room, laughing too loud, his arm around some guy you don’t recognize, talking animatedly about god knows what. he’s got that same stupid, loose stance, shoulders relaxed, wearing that hoodie he always wore, the one you’d stolen a million times. you think— hope, he hasn’t noticed you, so you kinda try to blend in, sticking close to the wall, pretending to check your phone.

you weren’t always like this, all distant and tense. you’d meet up after his frat meetings, and he’d tell you all these wild stories about his brothers, like the time they tried building a slip n’ slide down the staircase and ended up getting written up by their advisor. you’d just sit there laughing so hard you’d cry, and he’d look at you like nothing in the world could ever compare. and for a while, it felt like he was it. but it ended, kinda messy, mostly because chris was…well, chris. he’d blow off plans, flirt with people at parties, and honestly, it just felt like he didn’t know what he wanted. or maybe he did, and it just wasn’t you. he’d show up late and drunk, ramble on about his deep thoughts on the universe, and then disappear for days, leaving you feeling like some kind of afterthought. eventually, you got tired of being the whenever person, so you cut it off. even if it hurt.

it’s been a few months now, and you’re doing your thing—focusing on classes, seeing friends, trying to move on.

but nah. of course he sees you.

“yo, wait up,” he calls, weaving his way through people, looking right at you. you try to act casual, like this isn’t a big deal, like you don’t feel your stomach flip. he stops in front of you, that grin still hanging on his face. “hey,” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets. “long time no see, huh?”

“yeah, well, been busy,” you reply, shrugging. it sounds casual enough, but he’s still looking at you like he’s trying to read something on your face.

“you look good,” he says after a pause, and it’s so out of character for him to just say something like that, straight-up, that it throws you off for a second “uh...thanks?” you laugh, awkwardly. you know he’s probably just trying to be friendly, but you can’t help wondering if there’s more to it. “so...you still doing the same old chris thing?”

he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck, looking away for a second. “i guess so,” he mutters, more to himself than to you. and then he kinda sighs, like he’s tired of the frat boy act, or maybe just tired of himself. “been, uh…been thinkin’ about you,” he admits, his voice low. “more than i probably should.”

you try to brush it off, folding your arms to keep your cool. “oh, yeah? that’s, uh, new.”

“i know, i know, i messed up,” he says, sighing. “just…never got you outta my head, y’know?” you can feel yourself softening despite everything. “yeah, well, maybe you should’ve tried harder.”

he looks at you, his eyes searching yours, and there’s this vulnerability there, like he’s finally ready to admit something he’s been holding back. “you think i didn’t? trust me, i tried. i just…i dunno. couldn’t do it.”

you don’t want to care, don’t want to feel that old pull, but it’s there, creeping up on you. he steps closer, barely an inch between you now, his gaze never leaving yours. “you want me to back off?” he murmurs, his voice barely audible over the music. “just tell me, and i will.”

you could tell him to go. could shut this down, walk away, stay done with him. but instead, you shake your head, just a tiny movement, and he lets out a soft breath, like he’s been holding it in. before you can think, his hand’s on your waist, his fingers brushing lightly over your hip, pulling you closer.

the kiss starts slow, tentative, his lips brushing over yours like he’s testing if this is real. then his hand moves up, slipping around your back, and it’s like something inside you snaps. you grab the front of his hoodie, pulling him closer, and he lets out a low sound, his grip on you tightening as he presses his body against yours, his mouth moving over yours with more intensity.

“missed you,” he whispers against your lips, his voice rough, desperate. you barely register the words, just feel the heat rising between you two, feel his hands sliding lower, pulling you against him, his fingers firm on your waist, his mouth moving along your jaw, down to your neck, sending shivers through you. you tug him toward the hallway, away from the crowded room, and he follows, his hand gripping yours, letting you lead him through the maze of people until you push open the bathroom door, dragging him inside.

the space is cramped and a little dingy, but you don’t care. the second the door clicks shut, his hands are on you, pushing you gently but firmly against the door. his mouth crashes into yours, hot and urgent, and your hands find their way under his hoodie, slipping over his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin. you tug the hoodie off him, and he lifts his arms to help you, tossing it aside without a second thought, his hands already back on you, roaming down your sides, exploring every inch.

he kisses you harder, more intense, his lips pressing down your neck, his hands slipping under your top, that quickly joins the hoodie on the floor.

“god, i’ve wanted this for so long,” he murmurs, his voice low, almost a growl. “yeah? thought you forgot about me,” you tease, but there’s no real bite to your words. it’s playful, but you both know the truth behind it.

“never forgot. couldn’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout you,” he admits, his hands sliding up to your bra, deft fingers working to unclasp it. you feel a thrill of excitement mixed with nerves as it falls away, and his hands are on your bare skin, exploring, his touch igniting every nerve in your body.

“you’re, uh…sure about this?” he murmurs, his voice low, his hand coming up to rest on your cheek, his thumb brushing over your skin. you don’t even hesitate. “yeah,” you whisper, barely able to keep your voice steady.

he lets out a soft, almost relieved sound, and his mouth finds yours again, hungrier this time, like he’s been holding back and can’t anymore. his hands slide down, finding the waistband of your skirt, tugging it down, his touch steady and deliberate, like he knows exactly what he’s doing. you step out of it, your pulse racing as his hands explore you, pulling you closer, pressing you against him.

you tug at his belt, fingers fumbling, but he’s already helping, working the buckle loose, kicking off his jeans. he’s back against you in a second, his hands on your hips, his lips trailing down your collarbone, leaving a trail of warmth and shivers in their wake.

he lifts you, setting you on the counter, your legs wrapping around his waist. “you okay?” he asks, checking in, “yeah, jus’ do it,” you whisper, barely able to hold back the urge to pull him closer, “please.”

he’s kissing you again, his mouth moving against yours as you feel him press against you, hot and hard, and you let out a soft gasp. “need you,” he murmurs, almost pleading, and that raw honesty sends a thrill through you. you nod, breathless, and he positions himself, sliding inside you slowly, giving you a moment to adjust. it feels incredible, every inch of him fitting perfectly, like he was made for you.

“god, you’re so tight,” he groans, burying his face in your neck, and the sound of his voice makes you moan softly. as he starts moving, the rhythm is slow at first, deliberate, and you feel every thrust, every movement building inside you. he’s murmuring your name, breathless, and the heat between you is consuming. you wrap your legs tighter around him, pulling him in deeper, urging him to go faster.

“yeah? you like that?” he asks, his breath hot against your skin as he quickens the pace. it feels electric, every thrust sending shockwaves through you, and you nod, lost in the sensation.

“so good, chris,” you moan, the words tumbling out as you feel that familiar coil tightening deep inside you. he leans back, looking at you with those dark, intense eyes, and it drives you wild. “gonna make you feel good, okay?” he says, and there’s something in the way he says it that makes your heart race.

with each thrust, the world outside fades away. it’s just the two of you, the heat of the moment enveloping you, and you feel that sweet pressure building, your body responding to every touch, every whisper, until you’re trembling around him, ready to fall apart.

“come on, babe,” he encourages, his voice low and rough, and you can hear the strain in it as he moves faster, pushing you closer and closer to the edge. “can’t hold on much longer,” you breathe, feeling that familiar rush as he hits just the right spot, sending you spiraling.

“let go for me,” he says, his voice thick with desire, and the way he looks at you, his eyes dark and hungry, pushes you over the edge. with a loud gasp, you’re coming undone, waves of pleasure crashing over you, and he follows right after, burying himself deep as he lets go. the sound of his voice, mixed with yours, fills the tiny bathroom, and in that moment, it’s just the two of you, lost in each other, together again in a way you thought you’d never be.

as you both come down from the high, he pulls you close, resting his forehead against yours, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. he doesn’t say anything, just lets the silence settle between you, a quiet, unspoken apology wrapped up in the way he looks at you, his eyes softer than you remember, like maybe he’s finally realized what he’s been missing all along.

and for now, it’s enough to let yourself believe that maybe, just maybe, this time will be different.

[blissfullyapillow]

┃Genshin + HSR men as spiderman (+ your boyfriend)

₊˚⊹♡ Various x gn reader

₊˚⊹♡ wc: 7,189

₊˚⊹♡ warnings: Baizhu. Alhaitham’s part is suggestive but nothing explicit. Caelus’ part contains a ton of references to various things (one of them being your option to choose between Caelus or Stelle when you start HSR). Overall fluffy scenarios w/ your boyfriend (who is also Spiderman) :> 

₊˚⊹♡ Pillow Talks: Some parts are proofread others aren’t (for once) because I wasn’t feeling up to it. I intentionally put Baizhu under warnings it's not a mistake, I thought I was being funny doing that lol. Ngl Caelus’ part is my fav <3 !! I have a ton of drafts I’ll eventually complete, life is just a lot for me rn. I love you all ♡(੭´͈ ᐜ `͈)੭ ♡ <3

₊˚⊹♡ Masterlist

Alhaitham ✮ ๋ ࣭ ⭑ 〃

always has headphones on. Even when he’s fighting. He’s literally never seen without them

He’s been offered to do collaborations with many companies to make a model of headphones off the one’s he usually wears. He never accepts, unless it’s for his go to brand.

All villains know to leave spidey’s headphones alone. The last villain who broke his old pair didn’t make it out of the fight alive.

That wasn’t a joke.

Anyway, most people don’t ask about his headphones, rather reporters are always at their wits end since they can never get an interview out of him. Not even a brief still shot of him.

Hell, most people don’t even know what he sounds like.

For the most he’s a man of few words, but when he does speak? You’ll wish he hadn’t.

Very sassy. Has the best retorts and the most vile insults.

His suit is really cool too, and very practical.

He’s a college student when he isn’t spiderman. He’s scarily efficient at juggling his part time superhero duties along with his heavy college workload. Maybe it’s because he gets all his work done way in advance? Who knows.

He’s super gentle whenever he’s rescuing civilians. At most, he’ll say a word or two in response to their gratitude. Something along the lines of “yeah.” Or “It’s no problem” if you’re lucky. Most people don’t try to make conversation anyway. As stated before, he’s really good at dodging not only reporters but cameras in general.

So, imagine your surprise when he actually stops walking away after you’ve asked him what he’s listening to. You can’t see his face, but his spidery eyes widen comically in shock.

No one has ever asked him that before. You’d think someone would, but no one has.

So, he indulges you. “I’m not listening to anything at the moment. Sometimes I’ll have music playing, but for the most part I tend to use these just to block out noise. Plus, people tend to leave you alone when they see you have headphones on. It also makes for an adequate excuse to pretend I don’t hear people speaking to me.” Your mouth drops in pure shock at the fact that spiderman not only spoke to you, but he’s also.. very.. interesting.

Oh, he likes that look on your face. You can’t see it, but he has a huge smirk on his face underneath that mask.

Alhaitham recognized you from campus. Of course he was quick and efficient with moving you to safety before he took care of the danger, but he couldn’t return you to ground level until after the fight.

Speaking of fighting, he’s really good at it. His movements are calculated and precise. You made a mental note never to get on spider man's bad side as you watched him clock the villain square in the jaw, with no regard for whether they retain consciousness or not.

“I’ll see you around.” Is all he says now, before he web slings away. Wait, see you around? But he’s spiderman!

Little did you know that spiderman was your hot, intelligent classmate you had a raging crush on.

Lucky for you, it seems he may develop feelings for you too.

𓆩♡𓆪

“I thought I told you to leave your window unlocked? I’d hate to be spotted.” Alhaitham scolds you as you unlock your window for him, and he effortlessly slips into your abode.

“I’m sorry, but I like hearing your cute little knocks on my window. It’s the highlight of my day.” Alhaitham sighs, as if he’s annoyed, but in reality your words cause his heart to flutter.

Once he’s inside he slips off his mask and stretches his fit body. He catches sight of your lingering, fixed gaze. He smirks as he purposefully flexes his arms for you. Your head whips around, looking away as if he hadn’t caught your ogling.

“It seems like someone missed me.” His knowing words result in a click of your tongue. Yet, you find yourself melting in his warm embrace as he wraps his arms around you from behind. You’re a goner when he buries his face into the crook of your shoulder. He presses a kiss there.

As his lingering lips trail along your sensitive skin, you ask him your usual question. “What are you listening to?” He hums in contemplation as he thinks. “To the sound of your voice.” You suck in a breath, and he smiles.

That question is something of a routine between the two of you. You always ask him, ever since you learned of his identity during one of his canon events. His response will change depending on his mood, and it’s a good indicator of his current mood.

If he gives you an actual song, it’s an easy way to tell depending on the tone and meaning of the song. Otherwise, if he replies with “Nothing.” He’s either tired or on the verge of breaking. Usually it’s both, since he says the silence helps him think.

Now, if he responds with something sweet, like “The sound of your voice,” he either wants to cuddle or…

The firm press of his hand as it trails along your inner thigh is answer enough.

You feel heat warm the expanse of your body, but you pretend not to notice. “I thought you said class drained you earlier today?” You try to distract yourself with conversation. Alhaitham’s hand only travels up further. “It did. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you, yet I was stuck listening to the professor droning on and on about a topic I’ve already read extensively about. Now, I can finally do what I’ve been wanting to do to all day long.” Alhaitham’s voice is rough, and his breath grazes the shell of your ear.

“Okay…” Is your eloquent response. You know if you turned around, you’d be met with that knowing smirk of his.

“Now, will you help me relax? Being spiderman is draining after all, and not being able to touch you the way you deserve all day has made me really tense.”

You have no objections when his fingers finally reach the place you’re craving it most.

🕷🕸 ๋࣭ ⭑⛓

ᐟᐟ☆ Caelus .✮𖦹‪‪ ₊˚

Radiates the most Gen Z vibes it’s insane

Up to date on everything and anything pop culture related. Whether it be old or new.

A theater went into a frenzy when fans realized spider man was in the same theater watching Five Nights at Freddy’s with them

He was upset since he had to slip out and watch the movie at home on Peacock instead.

Anyway, he’s a real sweetheart. He always makes time to stop and help older individuals cross streets, helps children find missing items, and he’ll even give some citizens a lift to a place they’re running late to.

Well, he stopped doing that last one after the incident. … That was his second canon event.

He became spider man when a woman named Kafka purposefully had a mutated spider bite him. He doesn’t recall too much before that, and he’s not sure why he can’t, but that’s a part of his journey. To discover himself and put together pieces of his past.

He still occasionally runs into Kafka and her companions, but for the most part he’s still developing his own opinion of her.

He’s a ball of energy most days. Reporters love him since he’s always so receptive and open to their questions.

Yet, he has his moments. Some nights, if you look to the right building, you’ll spot a lone figure on top, staring into the vast night sky. On those nights, he imagines a life where he travels those skies, exploring what the universe has to offer. Maybe there are other planets out there? What if he could visit them, and experience intergalactic adventures?

Oh well. Maybe in another timeline. He isn’t a nameless traveler here after all.

Unbeknownst to the both of you, you’ve bumped into each other on countless occasions when he’s in his civilian form. Actually, you two are very close friends.

He’s debated with himself many times. Should he tell you the truth? Time and time again his answer was no, and for many reasons. One, Kafka clearly has a close eye on him, and he isn’t sure of her intentions yet. Two, he doesn’t want you needlessly worrying about him. Unfortunately, you already do.

So it honestly doesn’t come as a surprise when you stumble upon him during a particularly hard moment in time, and he lets it slip that he’s spiderman and he’a struggling.

Thankfully, you’re just the support he needed.

Now, he has a safe space. A person who feels like home in a place where he truly has none. And he’s eternally grateful to you for it.

As for you, he’s your personal ray of sunshine. You’re overjoyed you can play such a prominent role in his life, and you don’t love him any less for being spider man. If anything, you somehow worry less about him…?

It’s honestly hard when you watch him overcome many impossible odds. He even accumulates new powers every now and again! He’s really strong, mentally and physically, so it eases your worries at times.

Even if he does need a shoulder to lean on, as you often do, you’re more than happy to be that shoulder for him.

Honestly, it’s a good thing he has you. His future canon events look pretty… rough. Especially the one where he meets himself from a parallel universe. You know, the one where he’s a star instead of the sky.

𓆩♡𓆪

“Oh my gosh Name look! They even have my bat in the game!” Caelus happily swivels around in his chair to look at you, frantically pointing to his pc monitor all the while.

You look at the screen, and sure enough there’s a scarily accurate model of your superhero boyfriend in the game, currently performing a silly dance move.

“Ah.. I see..” Is your response. You really think it’s cool, but you want to tease him a bit. You struggle to contain your grin when he pouts at your lack of enthusiasm. “I thought you’d think it was cool….” You can only chuckle as you run soothing fingers through his soft locks.

“I do sweetheart, I do.” Your words make him visibly light up, and he practically jumps out of his chair to wrap his arms around you.

“Speaking of, I have something else I want to show you…”

Que a fun midnight outing on top of the tallest building overlooking the whole city.

“Wow.. this is beautiful..” Your eyes shine as bright as a dying supernova as you gaze upon the beautiful landscape before you.

Caelus is beaming with pride, glad he was able to surprise you like this.

“Yeah, I stumbled upon this view after a particularly hard battle.” He hums in content as he leans back, pulling you into him.

You rest your head against him, his chest a comfortable pillow.

You can feel his steady heartbeat beneath your ear, and it’s a soothing melody.

“Thank you for sticking by me all this time.” The words are a gentle caress against the shell of your ear, yet they cause your heart to ache.

“You don’t need to thank me for that, silly. I love you, and when you love someone and they’re good for you, you stand by them. No matter what. Yeah?” You gently pat his chest.

He smiles.

“Yeah.”

He’s silent again, and a comfortable atmosphere wraps around the two of you like a warm blanket right out of the dryer.

That is, until he decides to open his mouth.

“Don’t get too comfortable. I might just push you off.”

…

He looks at you to gauge your reaction.

Absolute horror is written on your features.

He loves it. It sends an electrifying thrill through him; he loves to tease you too.

“You’re getting too out of hand with these jokes of-“

His lips steal the rest of your words, and you allow it.

The city paints a magical backdrop for your moment of intimacy.

🕷🕸 ๋࣭ ⭑⛓

Jing Yuan ⁞ ⟡ ⚡︎ ♡⸝⸝ 🕷 

This spider man is always accompanied by his cat, Mimi.

He rescued her during a particularly rough encounter. He tried to send her off after ensuring she was safe with authorities, but she refused to leave his side. Now, he already had a soft spot for cats, so it was a no brainer to him

Mimi has accompanied him ever since, and she even has her own little mask and everything.

Little does he know that the ‘cat’ he saved was really just another one of the smuggled exotic animals those crooks tried to sneak into the city. Mimi will no longer fit in that backpack of his in a few months time.

He’s really lazy, honestly. He calls it conserving energy, but really he will only intervene when it’s called for or if the situation is rapidly turning dire

He has many admirers. Pictures of blurry glimpses of his suit sell for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, online

So, so many fan edits of him. And he’s seen ‘em all. He’s secretly really smug about it, but he keeps that to himself

He has a commanding presence, and an air of elegance about him. It almost feels like his fighting is an art of sorts. It’s fascinating to see the creative ways he’ll use his webs to get the job done.

Mimi has plushies, courtesy of collaboration with spiderman.

He bought the pre-orders for her plush and a few more when the official drop released

So, how did you end up with a man like Jing Yuan? Gorgeous, handsome Jing Yuan who's also a renowned general?

Simple. You're his personal alarm clock.

No. Literally. You were asked to wake him up after he fell asleep on the job again, as everyone else had grown tired of the task, and that was the beginning of an.. interesting dynamic.

The best part about it? One day you arrived a bit earlier than your usual time to wake him up, only to find the infamous spider man frantically urging Jing Yuan’s cat, Mimi, into a backpack.

Long story short, now you not only have to deal with waking him up, but you also have to deal with a clingy boyfriend who isn't afraid to his webs against you

𓆩♡𓆪

“Jing Yuan! I told you, this meeting is important and it’s imperative that-“

He blatantly ignores you as he webs the door shut, and now you’re stuck with him in his office.

“Mhm. I understand. Now come here, I miss you.” His stupid smile makes your heart race as he opens his arms, welcoming you in.

Ah, what the hell.

You all too easily bend to his whims. You quickly find yourself in his arms, snuggled against his warm body.

“That’s much better sweetheart. See? This isn’t so bad is it?” You abhor his teasing, yet all the same it sends a thrill through you.

“Shut up. I better not get in trouble because of you.” You sigh. “No one would dare say anything to you. If anyone ever does, I will personally tend to the matter.” His voice is tense, along with his statement, but all you feel is his thick hair tickling your cheek as he nuzzles his head against you.

A goofy smile spreads across your lips, and soon you forget all about the meeting as you enjoy each other’s embrace.

An adorable sound comes from Mimi, lounging somewhere in his office you assume. The usual.

“By the way, are we still on for dinner later?” Your question evoked a chuckle out of Jing Yuan.

“I wouldn’t miss dinner with you for the world.” “Not even if your spidey duties call?” Your quip causes an adorable pout to form on his lips.

“My ‘spidey duties’ can wait until I’m full and satiated. You mean more to me than you know, my sweet angel.” His words warm not only your heart, but your soul.

You completely lose track of time in his arms.

So it comes as quite a shock when obnoxious knocking can be heard on his office door. You know, the one that’s currently webbed shut?

“Jing Yuan!!”

Ah, Diviner Fu. She knows all too well that you’ve failed yet again to lure Jing Yuan out of his office.

“Ah, looks like dinner has arrived sooner than we expected sweetheart.” You squeal when he suddenly sits up with you still in his arms.

He uses his webs to grab his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as Mimi hops in, used to this ordeal.

“Remember to hold on tight, okay?” He murmurs the words against the shell of your ear, before he slips on your own little mask over your face. Just as a precaution, though he’s really good at staying hidden whenever he’s with you.

“Off we go.”

And with that, you two sling out of the window of his office, leaving an exasperated Fu Xuan behind.

🕷🕸 ๋࣭ ⭑⛓

♡ ┃ Kaedehara Kazuha ‧.°˖➴

He is the amazing spider man

Like, he’s the ultimate spider man. He’s kind yet deadly, and very friendly.

He’s as swift as the wind, and he actually travels with a sword. You’ve never seen Spiderman incorporate sword play in with his webs? Well, you’re in luck! Kazuha does this at a masterful level. He made it into a sort of art form as well. At the end of his fights he’ll always create beautiful imagery using his sword, carving out complicated shapes and scenes with his webs. It’s kind of like a signature of his

He’s pretty good at balancing his civilian and hero life. Although he may get caught up with things if unexpected incidents occur, which lets be honest, it happens all the time when you’re spider man

He’s genuinely so sweet, and it’s easy to see through his actions. The public loves him. He has loads of admirers.

After a very traumatic incident involving a close friend of his, he experienced a period of grief and depression

He got back on his feet eventually, and he awakened new powers within him! Well, that would be the only explanation for why he was suddenly able to use electricity during combat with a particularly strong villain

Not only does he use a sword but now he has the ability to wield electricity?

Once word of spider man’s new powers spread, the number of crimes that were committed went down drastically. Literally. Statistically crime rates decreased by 25% the following week. 25%. Your usual run of the mill people were too afraid to do anything after witnessing the devastating beating Kazuha gave to a particular individual

To be fair, he was late to your date because of them. He wasted no time, defeating that villain within mere seconds before frantically webbing away to meet you

Speaking of dates, Kazuha enjoys going on many dates with you.

From indoor cozy dates to public outings, typically walks through nature, Kazuha’s favorite past time is the time he spends with you

He often leaves you handwritten notes before he leaves, ranging from eloquent poetry of his feelings for you, to short blurbs of how your eyes make it physically impossible for him to focus on what you’re saying. (He felt bad because he got lost in your eyes while you were describing your Christmas decorating plans to him)

Overall, Kaedehara Kazuha is a model spider man. Kind and caring, yet swift and fatal when the situation needs him to be.

𓆩♡𓆪

“Kazuha, I told you I forgive you already!” You giggle despite your exasperation. Kazuha disregards your statement as he places fleeting, soft kisses on your person.

He starts with your hand. He holds your hand delicately, treating you as if you’re porcelain. He places a kiss to the back of your hand before his lips slowly trail up your arm.

Your heart melts at the tender gesture, all the while your body lights aflame with his burning gaze. His piercing orbs hold your gaze as his lips make their leisure ascent.

You couldn’t tear your eyes away from him even if you willed it.

“I promised you I wouldn’t be late to our date this week, but I was. You have my sincerest apologies, my love.” You feel his lips move as he murmurs the words against your skin.

“No need to be all formal. We’ve been together for how long now?” You murmur the words in embarrassment, as Kazuha’s lips now brush along your neck, teasing you.

“Hmm.. if I recall correctly, today would make five years correct?” You nod your head, yet your eyes drift shut as Kazuha playfully teases the skin of your neck with his teeth.

“Y-Yeah.. so..” Your mind is blank. You completely forgot the point you were trying to make.

You have a feeling that was his goal all along.

His lips finally reach their destination; his eager lips meet your parted ones.

You groan as he draws you closer, placing a firm hand on the back of your head. His kiss almost feels a bit desperate; his lips mold with yours in perfect sync as his free hand explores the expanse of your body.

When he finally parts from you, you take desperate gasps of air. His state isn’t much better; his lidded gaze roams your body as he takes deep breaths.

“Kazuha…” “hmm?” He smiles, a lazy, slow smile, and you know you’re not letting him leave any time soon.

“I.. um.. oh! I was going to say, before you rudely distracted me..” He chuckles at that, tracing the contour of your face with a finger as you continue to scold him. “It wasn’t your fault you were late. The police force needed backup and-“ His lips capture yours again.

You reluctantly press against his chest, gently pushing him away.

You pout.

He winks at you.

“I know, but it still took away from our precious time together. I wanted to make it up to you by arriving early today, but I wasn’t able to fulfill that desire.” He sighs, and his finger moves from your face down to your neck, lower to your collarbone.

“I promise you it’s okay, Kazuha. I understand. Although, if you really want to make it up to me…” This time, your gaze is the heated one as you skillfully unravel his ponytail.

He sucks in a breath at your action. “I have another desire that you most certainly can fulfill.”

“Ah, I like the sound of that.”

Lucky for you, he is more than able to fulfill that desire of yours.

🕷🕸 ๋࣭ ⭑⛓

‧₊˚ ┊Shikanoin Heizou ⚖✮⋆˙✦

Public menace #1

He drives the police force crazy because he always solves all the cases before they can get to the bottom of it. He does so not only as spider man, but as his civilian self too.

He can be a bit of a flirt when he has the mask on.. well, ‘a bit’ is an understatement, but he doesn’t just flirt with everyone!

He really only flirts with you, honestly, yet you reject him time and time again. He was a bit puzzled, since he knows how flustered you get when he flirts with you without the mask. Maybe it’s because you don’t know it’s him? He’ll have to test that theory

Using his detective skills he quickly deduces that it was because you have a crush on him. Him. Not spider man.

He knows of your intense loyalty, so of course you wouldn’t entertain his flirting, even if the individual flirting with you is the spider man.

Once he figured that out, oh how much fun he has teasing you as spider man

He’ll use his webs to get around quickly and restrain his enemy, but in combat? He prefers to use his fists. He’s quick with it too. He’s Shikanoin ‘left, right, goodnight’ Heizou.

So, whenever he does use his webs in combat, you know he’s going against a formidable foe 

He’s super sweet to fans. Signatures, autographs, everything. On the sly though, when you still didn’t know he was spider man, he kissed an autograph he signed specifically for you before he handed it to you.

There was a visible mark left behind, and although you were annoyed you still kept the autograph (that you didn’t ask for)

When he finally revealed his identity to you, you were simultaneously livid and not surprised; You know of Heizou’s tendency to tease

He planned for the whole reveal to be super romantic and everything, and by the end of it you two became a couple.

You are the ones who create the iconic spider man kiss. He’s upside down, holding a handwritten confession of love, not a rose, that you cautiously take from his hand. In the letter he explicitly stated that spider man and the man you were currently crushing on are the same people. Following that was a very romantic declaration of his feelings for you.

When you looked up from reading the letter, you found yourself face to face with Shikanoin Heizou instead of the spider’s mask. The shock on your face was too adorable to ignore, so he kissed you whilst hanging upside down.

It was an… interesting experience, to say the least.

Would you repeat it? Absolutely.

𓆩♡𓆪

“Heizouuu….” Your whine is music to his ears.

He nuzzles his head further into your chest, and his sigh is one of contentment.

“Yesss..?” This time, you’re the one sighing, except it’s one of annoyance rather than content.

“I’ve needed to use the bathroom since five minutes ago.” “And I told you you’re welcome to. I will wait as my warm, loving arms ache for your return.” You scoff at his dramatic use of words.

“Thanks, Heizou, but how could I possibly go to the bathroom when your body is literally tangled with mine?” This question gives him pause, even though it really shouldn’t.

Said body adjusts a bit, but he makes no move to get off of you.

You’re currently lounging in bed, doing nothing really. Just enjoying Heizou’s company. It was nice until you had to use the bathroom, and with the way Heizou’s body is lying on you, legs entangled and arms wrapped around you, there’s no possible way for you to escape.

His head remains on your chest, but he looks up at you now.

“How about a deal? If you can solve this riddle-“

“Shikanoin Heizou.” 

…

“My apologies.”

He quickly moves off of you, and you make a beeline for the bathroom.

You’re not surprised when he’s on the other side of the door the moment you open it.

“Sometimes, Heizou, you just…” You struggle to find the words to properly express yourself.

“I just..?” He prompts you, guiding you back to the comfort of your shared bed.

You finally find the words you were searching for as you both resume your previous position, except this time Heizou’s head is buried against the crook of your neck.

“You just.. fail to surprise me, really. Which is funny, since you’re someone who’s full of them.” His body shakes against yours as he laughs at your bold statement.

“Ah, my lovely partner knows me so well. Honestly, how did a detective like me get so lucky? I believe that’s the biggest mystery of all.” His words fill you with warmth; they effectively morph your feelings of affectionate annoyance into a feeling of immense joy.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You do know I’m the one who got lucky, right?” You chuckle when he gasps, as if the very concept itself is absurd.

“I would refute that hypothesis of yours, but I believe it would only cause this conversation to continue in circles. So, I propose that we are both the luck ones. Do you agree?”

You feel his smile and hear the affection in his voice as his lips brush along your skin.

“Yeah.. I agree.” “Perfect.”

And with that, a comfortable silence fills the room once more.

It’s a relaxing evening, spent with your very loving and very dramatic boyfriend.

🕷🕸 ๋࣭ ⭑⛓

Welt Yang ﹕⸝⸝ *:･ﾟ✮

“Wait, spider man is an old man!?” Yeah and there’s a literal dinosaur who dons the mask in another universe. Your point?

Lol jokes aside, Welt is one of, if not the most, powerful spider man. I mean, he can literally manipulate gravity.

He’s also a huge nerd.

He always brings his cane along with him when he fights, so the enemy tends to underestimate him, thinking he’s close to retirement and should just give up the whole ‘hero act’ already. Honestly, maybe he should, but that day isn’t today.

If he gets particularly annoyed by comments from his opponents, he’ll just get rid of ‘em. via a mini black hole of sorts. It’s super effective.

He’s actually very fond of making jokes and semi-horrible puns. They make you laugh though. Others? Not so much.

Anyway, he’s very reserved and he won’t stick around for reporters to interview him. He’ll just give the necessary information needed for authorities to take over, and in the blink of an eye he’s gone.

For his day job, he’s an animator. A well renowned one too. He’s very casual about it though, and he doesn’t see it as something deserving of praise.

He’s taken on a young talent who’s a blank page, in the process of writing a story of their own.

You’re the one who finds out Welt’s well kept secret. He didn’t plan on revealing his identity to you, as he felt it was his burden to bear and he would hate to make you a target.

He’s experienced many battles and has faced numerous foes, so he’s very wise and experienced. He’s faced scenarios where his morals come into play, and that’s something he’s not fond of. He rather preserve his integrity and do things in a way that aligns with his inner values. He’s been granted many opportunities to do things in an underhanded manner, yet he has never taken that  opportunity.

𓆩♡𓆪

“Please please please!” You jump up and down in innocent joy, but the man before you pinches the bridge of his nose.

“No.”

“Why not? Please! I promise this is my last time asking.” You plead with him, moving to hold onto his arm.

“That’s the exact same line you use every time.” “It is not!” You retort.

“You said the same thing yesterday.”

“Welt, please!” Now you fix him with a pleading look, a look you know he can’t resist.

“Name, my ability to manipulate gravity is a powerful one that comes with great responsibility. It shouldn’t be used as a measly… ahem..” His cheeks take on a pink hue as he coughs into his fist.

You’ve pressed yourself against him, your head tilted as you gaze at him with that look in your eyes.

“…this is the last time.” His gruff response brings you to life, your eyes alighting with joy as you remove yourself from him.

He misses the warmth of your body, but your smile provides him with a permeating warmth that is different, but comforting all the same.

“You always say that.” Your bratty response irks him. In an instant your world is flipped upside down as your feet are lifted off the floor.

“Yay! Thank you Welt.” He can’t find it in himself to be annoyed when you’re doing silly little flips as your body floats in the air.

This has become a regular occurrence for you. Occasionally, when you’re in the mood to be a bit silly, you’ll ask Welt to use his gravity manipulation to suspend you in air.

He was opposed to it, but eventually you wore him down. Now, he agrees to give you a few moments of fun, although sparingly.

His gaze is soft as he watches you enjoy the moment with childlike glee, before you’re gently lowered to the ground once more.

“There. Satisfied?” His voice is rough and his gaze won’t meet yours, but his heart pounds in his chest. You really are too cute.

“Yes! Thank you, and I’m sorry I keep pestering you about it… but… I appreciate it.” You saddle up beside him and wrap your arms around him in a grounding hug.

He smiles.

“Don’t worry about it.” Is his simple response. He presses a sweet kiss to the crown of your head, before he rests his on top of yours.

Fwip!

You glance behind you when you hear the sound, just in time to see the door to your shared bedroom close shut. Your eyes study the webs on the door handle before you swivel around to face Welt.

His cheeks are tinted pink once more, but he meets your curious gaze.

“Let’s.. enjoy each other’s company for the remainder of the day.” His words cause your own face to heat up, but a sly smirk soon presents itself on your lips.

“Can’t get enough of me, can you?” You relish the look he fixes you with, and you willingly follow his lead to your neatly made bed.

“On the contrary, with that attitude of yours I get more than my fill of you.” His words are contradictory to his actions, since he’s pulling you closer as his lips seek yours.

You smile when his lips finally meet yours.

🕷🕸 ๋࣭ ⭑⛓

‧₊˚ ┊Baizhu ⚕ *: ♥

With swift and deadly attacks that require minimal movement, Baizhu is always quick to subdue the enemy

Some days are harder than others for him, as he has a chronic illness. He still gets the job done, and he’s always advocating for others in a similar situation as him. He doesn’t reveal much to the media, but he does like to tell anyone who may hear “If I can be spiderman, then I know you can do anything you set your mind to.”

Instead of a spider biting him it was a snake. A talking snake no less. Her name is Changsheng, and she travels with him almost all the time.

Many ask to pet Changsheng. He turns down most requests but on rare occurrences he may let an individual do so (mainly children)

Has miraculous healing powers. He’s also a good sport at taking heavy hits, but he can only handle so much. Still, he’s stronger than you’d think, and he’s great at sporting others back to health. It’s almost like they were never sick at all once Baizhu tended to them. Unfortunately, his illness always seems to flair after he does so…

Speaking of, he’s well loved, Dr. Baizhu. He literally has a 5 star rating and everyone raves about him. You would think he would limit clients since he constantly gets a large influx of them, but he’s too kind to do anything of the sort.

Sometimes you have to scold him and force him to coax him into taking it easy; he tends to take on a bit more than he can handle.

He’ll say cheesy things like “You’re the remedy I’ve been searching for all my life. Most certainly.” Whenever you two are alone and spending quality time together. You can only smile when he tells you these things; He’s too cute to feign annoyance with.

He’s immune to poison. Don’t ask why he just is. (It’s totally not an added benefit of a contract he made)

𓆩♡𓆪

Your fingers gently scrub the area, and a noise akin to the sound of a satisfied cat purr is heard.

You bite your lip as you try to contain your smile, even though he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway.

You’ve finished lathering Baizhu’s hair in the floral conditioner. He allows you to finish the process of rinsing his hair, and the result is satisfactory. His hair, which now has the floral scent of the conditioner, has a renewed sheen to it.

“Your hair is gorgeous, Baizhu. Well taken care of too.” You hum, guiding him as you both move to sit down.

You sit on the couch, and have him sit in front of you on the floor.

You gently dry his hair as he leans back into you. It causes you to get a few droplets of water on your person but that’s insignificant to you.

It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your boyfriend so relaxed. He’s been overworking himself again, not only with his job as a doctor but with his spiderman man duties.

You insisted on a self care day since he has the day off, and you prayed people would stay in line today so he wouldn’t have to suit up.

It seems your prayers were answered; it’s now late evening and the orange hue of the sky is slowly morphing into a starry night sky.

The streets remain peaceful today.

A groan from Baizhu draws your attention.

He’s looking up at you with furrowed brows. “I thought I told you to stop worrying so much about me.” You ‘tsk’ at the audacity of his claim, opting to flick his forehead. It was a light flick, but he acts as if you’ve scorched him.

He hisses. He sounds like Changsheng.

You giggle.

“I know you aren’t telling me to stop worrying.” You shake your head in dismay, albeit a knowing smirk is on your lips.

“Name, I know I am not one to talk but I promise you I’ll take better care of my mental wellbeing. You have my word.” He places a comforting hand on your knee. The touch brings warmth to your skin.

“Promise?” Your voice is quiet. It sounds small. You’d be surprised if he even heard you.

You open your mouth to repeat your question, sure he hadn’t heard you, but he speaks before you can voice the question once more.

“I promise.” His statement is firm. When you look into his golden snake-like eyes, they’re full of life. Determination emanates from their intense gaze.

You believe him.

“Okay, good. I hate to see you like that, you know…” His gaze softens at the obvious concern on your face. He understands it comes from a place of love, so he only nods in understanding.

“I’m sorry sweetheart.” He reaches for your hand, still a bit wet from washing his hair, yet he places a kiss to your palm nonetheless.

With that, you resume your task.

You take your time braiding his hair. It’s relaxing, and the diffuser you have going only adds to the calm atmosphere.

As soon as you finish braiding his hair Baizhu moves. It startles you, but you’re soon put to ease when he sits beside you.

His arms wrap around you, and he rests your head on his shoulder. Your eyes fall shut as you breathe in the floral scent of his hair.

“Thank you.” He whispers the words, and you feel the soft press of his lips on your forehead. You feel the same touch on your nose, your cheek, your eyelids, until they finally press against your lips.

When he pulls away, you respond with a thank you of your own. He seems taken aback by your words, but then the sweetest smile lifts his lips.

“You are quite welcome.”

🕷🕸 ๋࣭ ⭑⛓

♡. Blade 🗡⭒⚠︎︎ ⛓°˖ 

He is the second spiderman in Caelus’s verse

He honestly feels as if the whole Spiderman role is a curse rather than a blessing, but he still plays the role nonetheless.

When he feels like it

Most people only know of Caelus as spiderman, but once Blade also took on the role there were rumors of a darker, more sinister spiderman seen webbing from building to building during the late hours of the night

Of course Caelus had to investigate said rumors, and that led to a one on one encounter with Blade and.. Kafka?

Long story short Blade begrudgingly helps Caelus out when he’s in a jam, but for the most part he keeps to the shadows and does his own thing. Whether what he does is morally ‘right or wrong’ doesn’t concern him.

He has the symbiote, Venom, and he absolutely hates it. Yet, well, here they are.

There was an incident when things got a little.. tense between Caelus and Blade. Before the situation escalated Kafka was able to get Blade under control.

Overall he doesn’t really do too much as ‘spiderman,’ but you’ll definitely have a chance at catching him beat the absolute shit out of a robber in a dark alley, their cries for help muffled as they’re eaten alive by the symbiote :D

Unfortunately for Blade, Kafka isn’t particularly fond of him eating people, due to the hassle of keeping it on the down-low. He’s supplied with massive amounts of chocolate to substitute for the people he was firmly told he can no longer consume, unless it’s a dire situation.

Blade truly sees his life as a misfortune, especially during moments where Caelus coerces him into helping him out. He’s really under no obligation to help, but something about Caelus persuades him to comply (albeit begrudgingly).

They make a great duo! Surprisingly. Like, Caelus can already be a hard hitter, when he chooses to use his bat, but add Blade into the mix? Whoever they’re fighting is not surviving that fight.

𓆩♡𓆪

Your hands slip under his shirt, cold against the warm skin of his abdomen. You trace the outline of his many scars; they feel rough against the delicate pads of your fingers. You move closer to Blade, burying your head into the crook of his neck.

You can feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest against your own; it soothes you.

He moves, his hands slipping under your shirt as well, tracing the curve of your spine.

“You really are such a handful…” He murmurs the words, quiet and emitting a gentle warmth. You shiver from his gentle touch, cold fingers leisurely teasing your skin.

You debate speaking up, to let him know you’re awake, but you quickly decide against it when he speaks once more.

“No one could compare to you. When I’m with you, I feel a warmth I haven’t felt in a long, long time…” Blade’s uncharacteristically honest words cause your heart to swell.

You struggle to contain your smile. You feel him shift closer to you, and soon a pair of surprisingly soft lips are pressed against your temple.

He remains silent now. Enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, running his hands along your skin.

“I love you too.” You finally say. He startles for a moment, and it makes you giggle. When you pull your head away from his neck you’re barely able to make out the sight of his flushed cheeks before he shoves your face back to its previous position.

He says nothing, but the smile on his face says all the things he fails to put into words.

[betterthana-six]

| MUSIC TO MY EARS - [ABBY ANDERSON] - CHAPTER ONE |

PAIRINGS: stoic!rugby player abby x fem!reader

SUMMARY: you and your new(ish) roommate, Abby Anderson, have gotten into an argument. about what? unclear at the moment. but it's got Abby in a fit of shame. until late one night she hears you outside with someone whose voice she doesn't recognize and listens in.

WARNINGS: this is my first story ive ever published here. please be kind! i am fragile lol. this is definitely a slow burn, but lots of pining, yearning, and, yes, smut to come. TRUST. so, mdni. there are a lot of flashbacks between now and when they met so we get the full story eventually. this is more of a light hearted story but it does deal with coming to terms with sexuality (and who best to help you along that journey but rugby playing and stoic Abby Anderson?). anyways, i hope that the five people who might read this like it. I've proofread but, like, nobody's perfect. if people like this and want it as a series, ill make a more personalized playlist for it.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Music To My Ears: Chapter 1

Abby is in your dorm room stretched out in bed with a book in her hands when she hears voices coming from outside. She watches the shadows dance in the light that extends under the door and into the room. It’s late. Abby hasn’t seen you all day. 

She tries to go back to reading, but her eyes glaze over the words almost immediately. Someone is leaning on the door, off and on making the hinge jingle in a way that is most times ignorable. Drunk students came through all the time, lingering in the hallways and leaning on the doors. But it isn’t ignorable now, not for Abby. 

The voices are muffled. They sound like they’re… giggling. One giggle is definitely yours. Abby could spot it from a mile away. The other’s is unfamiliar. Abby’s been reading the same passage over and over again and doesn’t even realize it.

It goes quiet outside and this time Abby closes the book, suddenly over-aware of her surroundings. She looks up at the reading light hanging from the headboard and instinctively switches it off. But she doesn’t want it to look like she turned it off because of them? She turns it on again without thinking and turns it off again, quickly entertaining the idea of faking sleep and listening in. With her hand on the switch Abby stops, realizing that they might start noticing the light going on and off and think she’s trying to signal something. She shakes her head at herself with embarrassment. She covers her face with both her hands. So stupid… she says under her breath. 

It’s been quiet for so long out there. But the shadows are still there. Abby lays down in bed and forfeits to her desire to eavesdrop. As icky as it makes her feel.

Your voice comes through finally. 

“What?” You ask, innocently.

“Don’t look at me like that.” An unfamiliar voice chimes in. It’s a woman’s voice. Abby couldn’t tell if she was feigning some sort of annoyance with you or if it was genuine.

“Like what?” 

A silence passes.

You sigh loudly. “Well, what’d you think of what I sent you? That wasn’t a cheap effort, you know. Full body mirror in the ladies’ locker room. Not too shabby.”

“You have to stop…” The other voice says, with a playful twinge that makes Abby’s curiosity perk up like dog ears. 

“Stop what? I can’t send you photos?” Your voice tells Abby you were in some daze, in the same way she could sometimes hear singers smile through their lyrics. Just thinking about you out there in the hall hanging onto the door and onto each of her words, shining your big green eyes at her. It sends a shiver down Abby’s spine.

“Not anymore,” the stranger says casually. “It was really good seeing you tonight but I have a boyfriend, remember? And I’ve told him about…us. High school. He knows… is the thing. He thinks I’m studying for midterms right now.” 

You laugh at that. In a sweet way, though. “Right,” you say and you sigh, seemingly unaffected by the reminder. “Jeremy?”

“Jeremiah,” the woman corrects.

“God, that’s even worse.” 

Abby snorts, basically smashing her lips shut with her hand, and then rages at herself silently in the dark for fear they may have heard her.

 “Did you… even look at them?” you ask. God, are you drunk? Abby has now given up on the book entirely, laying up on one elbow to stare at the door, imagining the conversation visually. 

A laugh from the woman. Mumbling now, feigning sheepishness, “Yeah.”

“And?”

“And…I think…about them, about you. Of course.” Abby’s hands are clasped together, tightening around one another at this.

“Yeah…?” you draw out the stranger’s words seductively with your own. Abby imagines you in the long, maroon dress you typically wear for special occasions. Was this a special occasion? She nearly has the impulse to check your closet just to be sure, but that’s crazy and much more invasive that what she was already doing. Her knuckles are turning white.

“And I think in another universe, maybe. Not this one. I can’t. You know why,” the stranger says sheepishly. “You’re so sweet.” And, in Abby’s imagination, there’s a dainty, gloved hand reaching out to caress your face condescendingly. The illusion entrances her to near paralysis.

A long pause from you. Abby listens hard, completely unable to stop herself from paying close attention now. In the near silence, Abby could sense your breath faltering through the door. Despite how the two of you left things, she didn’t want to see you hurting like that. Say something… Abby thinks.

When Abby hears you speak again, the sweetness in your voice has vanished. She nearly doesn’t recognize the sound. 

“Fuck…” There’s a lump in your throat, Abby could tell just from your voice when you were smiling and, just as easily, she could hear when you were about to burst into tears. “Why… why did you invite me out tonight then?” 

No answer.

“You have a boyfriend…” you continue in a matter-of-factly tone, raising your voice a bit, to Abby’s surprise. “Jeremy…yeah, so you’ve explained. Great guy, great future. So, you have the boyfriend, the good job lined up, you’re almost done with college. Man, you’re doing fucking great.” Abby’s mouth was left agape, her heart cheering with unwarranted pride for you, urging you on to read this stranger to filth. “Why start texting me again?” You ask.

“You’re here,” the woman clarifies indignantly, like it should be obvious. “I wanted to see you. I didn’t know you transf-”

 “That’s not what I’m ask- why’d you ask me out tonight?” You cut her off. “Purely to fuck with me?”

“No…”

“No, what? I’m just- I’ve always just been here at your disposal. Ever since we were teens. Chasing my tail around like a dumb dog, waiting for her master to one day be unashamed to be seen with me.” Abby’s hand travels to her mouth now in delight. She’s smirking like a clown, fully impressed with you. But, you were in tears at this point. Abby knew by now that, only drunk, would you show your tears like that. “Abby was right,” you mutter. Abby almost didn’t hear you.

“I’m gonna go,” the woman said. “It was good seeing you tonight.” It sounded like more of a question than a genuine statement. And then the sound of footsteps, a shadow moving away and then out of sight.

“Yeah. Go, for fuck’s…” You say messily. You were definitely not sober. And then Abby hears your body thud against the door one last time and senses you sliding down to the floor. She hears the tears. Abby instinctively began to get up, feeling the need to see you, talk to you, hold you. 

But she stopped herself. You wouldn’t even talk to her a few hours ago, why would you want her comfort now?

***

At that point in time, you and Abby were seasoned roommates. Well, not seasoned. You guys were in that awkward in-between stage of knowing each other where you’d half-memorized each other's schedules but there wasn’t any synchronicity to your dynamic yet. Changing clothes in the same room was still very touch-and-go.

However, when you first met there was immediate tension. It was winter then, and transferring colleges midway through sophomore year meant knowing absolutely no one. At least, you thought, you would have a roommate. But, when you first met, Abby was so much… harder. And, she was stoic and casual in a way that threw you off entirely.

“Are you looking through my shit?”

“No!” You said stiffly, whipping your head around to catch sight of the figure in the door. But, there you were. You stood fixed on her side of the room, where you just had your eyes deeply focused on the engraved rugby medals hanging on the shelf, her shelf. You were caught red handed and the lie came out of your mouth readily and in a panic. Abby was already smirking. 

“Yes,” you corrected yourself. “Sorry. I don’t know why I lied. But I’m just looking. I’m not going through it, per say, I promise.” 

Abby laughed and rolled her eyes. “Calm down. It’s fine.”

You smile and take five awkward steps over to your side where your bed was just a bare, blue mattress and your luggage rested waiting to be unpacked. It was a stark comparison between our sides of the room even still. Her bed was military neat, with perfectly tucked in covers and a single pillow centered at the head. The medals were all lined up but in a way that didn’t look too showy. Some polaroids were tucked into the creases between her window and the sill. Your suitcases were patterned and scuffed badly on the corners. Littered across them all were stickers you had found from anywhere you could find them. Your clothes made you look avant garde compared to Abby and you had a sudden knot in your stomach that told you to feel self-conscious. 

“They didn’t tell you who was moving in here, did they?” you asked.

“Ah. Typical administration shit. I didn’t even know someone was moving in today,” she explained, throwing her gym bag down onto her bed and then turning to you with an open hand to shake. “Abby.”

You shook her hand, returning her name with yours. You noticed the way Abby looked deeply into your eyes for a long second, too long for a first introduction. And the way she smirked at you while she did it confounded you; it was the same way someone held out their hand to a stray cat. To be fair, that was an accurate analogy. You were clad in winter jackets with a flushed face whereas she was radiating heat, skin almost steaming under her gym clothes. Her hands were rugged, you noticed.

“Well,” Abby said, turning to her bed and unzipping her gym bag. “I’ve been told I’m a good roommate. By no one actually. You’re the first roommate I’ve had since the first half of my freshman year. Uh…I keep to myself. I need quiet most nights because I get up early, so no boyfriends over on weekdays.”

You nodded along when she turned to you and sat on the edge of her bed wearing a slight grimace at that last idea. “But if you do, do me a favor and just text me beforehand. Don’t want to be walking in on any man butt.” You laughed a bit loudly at that. You just shook your head.

“No. That won’t be a problem,” you said. Abby caught your eye suspiciously and cracked a small and crooked smile.

“Okay,” Abby said. She turned back around, grabbed a towel from her drawers, and threw it on the bed. Then, she casually lifted her sweaty wife beater up over her head and it’s only then that you look at Abby long enough to notice her size and shape. She was severe, and you’d been so caught up in meeting her, you didn’t necessarily take in her physical appearance. But now that she faced away you could see the sheer definition of her body, starting at the dimples on her lower back trailing up to her massive shoulders. All of it glistening with a polished coat of sweat.  And the rest… it would take a few more interactions to even comprehend all of her.

She must have sensed the eyes on her back because she turned around. You looked away quickly, trying busy yourself with the things around you, but there was nothing. 

“Sorry,” your cheeks flushed red. But Abby was full frontal, positioned now with her messy hair unbraided, sprawled around her shoulders, grinning at you. She paused for a moment, maintaining eye contact, with only a towel around her waist.

But then she just shrugged, grabbed her toiletries, and said, “Later.”

You watched her leave. Watched her with wide eyes as she opened the door with one hand and used the other one to lazily cover her chest as she headed towards the showers. You even heard her say “sup” to someone on her way.

Alone, you felt the rush of the moment channel directly to your stomach and burst like flames across your face. 

***

That was just the beginning. Abby thinks of it now.

Now, face up on her bed, contemplating her next move, Abby recalls you as you were. She was immediately taken with you, that first day. Your wide eyes and timidity around her. Abby's own stupid, casual arrogance. Obviously, as Abby quickly learned later, that first impression of you was not at all fully representative of the truth. 

Maybe if she had stopped then, stopped the teasing, stopped what she intended to be light, meaningless flirting, Abby wouldn’t be hesitating to open the door. Perhaps she would be opening the door to find you in tears, take your face in her hands and tell you everything she’d been aching to say for three months now.

Abby gets up off her bed and walks to the door. She squeezes the handle, takes a breath, and then turns it slowly.

Comment if you want to be on this story's taglist!

Chapter 2

[magics-neptunes-things]

Good 4 U

Hello there!

I hope you’re all great. This story is just out of my imagination, but enjoy anyway, I guess ♥ Also Caitlin and Lia are always a thing in this word.

TW: Reader! Wälti, no other I think.

PART 2 | PART 3

______________________________________________________________

Unlike your older sister Lia, you are not wise and quiet. You have trouble concentrating and you aren't necessarily interested in the idea of landing somewhere. You and Lia don’t have the same character, but that never stopped you from loving each other a lot. You’d do anything for your older sister who’s only 10 months older than you. And you know she would do anything in return for you. You and her were almost like twins and even if you wasn't planned, you parents always loved you the way they love Lia.

You travel all the time, leaving one place when you're getting tired to visit another corner of the world. You are sociable and have no trouble making contacts with anyone, to find a job or to make new friends. You are lucky to be able to remember the different languages in the countries you visit. You speak German from birth, you are bilingual in English and you talk other new languages like spanish or italian.

For now, you are in London with your sister for a week. The last time you stayed in London with Lia was last year when her life was a little more complicated than now. This time, you decided to come to see her just because you missed her and wanted to be with her for her birthday. You contacted Leah to help you surprise her, and you congratulate yourself for filming Lia's reaction when you walked into her living room following Leah.

When Lia told you about a karaoke night with her friends, most of them from Arsenal, you didn't hesitate a single second before accepting. You already know Caitlin obviously and Leah, who you met when she came in Switzerland last year. You met some of the girls last time you came in London, but you don't know all of them. This is a good occasion to met them.

Despite the time set at 9pm, not everyone arrived on time but this didn't prevent the people already present from starting to have fun. You’ve already shared a song with Steph and another with Leah. And you’re choosing the song you’re going to sing with Lia when Katie finally makes her appearance in the establishment.

When the music started, Katie was greeting everyone and sat at one of the tables surrounded by a bench, reserved for the night.

She's sitting with Caitlin, Leah, Kyra and Alessia when her gaze mechanically refers to you when you start singing. And her gesture stops immediately when she looks at you, her arm halfway between her mouth and the table as she was getting ready to drink.

"You alright mate?" laughs Kyra

"Who’s the girl with Wally?" Katie asks, blinking.

"Her little sister. Why?" asks Leah, bowing her eyebrow.

But Katie doesn’t answer, completely hypnotized by you. She just can’t take her eyes off you, your face, your body and anything else that can be part of you.

"It's Wally’s sister?" ended up repeating Katie before glancing at Caitlin. "Damn, you’re shagging the wrong Wälti, Caitlin."

"You’re disgusting" Caitlin says, rolling her eyes.

Leah laughs softly next to Katie and the Irish girl seems to reminding something. She turns herself a little to look at Leah before talking.

"Wait, this is the sister you met last year?"

"Yes?" answer a frowning Leah.

"And you didn't try anything with her?"

Katie’s tone let perfectly passes the disbelief she feels at this idea. But Leah rolls her eyes again.

"She’s Lia’s little sister. She would have killed me. And she’ll kill you too if you try anything with her"

Katie responds with a throat sound before finally bringing her drink to her lips. And from then on, she won’t leave you until your song is finished. Katie recognized Olivia Rodrigo’s song "Good 4 u" and she briefly wonders if it means anything to you and Lia.

When the song ends, Lia approaches the table where Katie is installed while you take the opportunity to go to the toilet. If Caitlin greets your sister with a big smile, making her sit on her lap, Leah can’t help but drop the information to Lia.

"Your sister caught Katie’s eyes" Leah announces with a big smile.

This causes a growl from Katie who hoped to try a discreet approach with you and a frown from Lia, who quickly takes off from Caitlin to lean towards Katie.

"Stay away from her Katie, I’m not kidding"

Katie raises both hands as a sign of abandonment, not without rolling her eyes.

"Looks like I’m the devil in person" Katie growls before finishing her drink.

"She was hurt once and since then has been traveling around the world. I want to see her again before Christmas 2025."

"Okay, okay, I get it" sighs gently, Katie. "I’ll get myself a drink."

After asking if anyone wanted something, Katie gets up to order herself a drink, deciding to go to the other side to have less to wait. And Lia will not be able to tell her anything, because it's finally you who approaches her first. You come to order yourself a drink too and you have no trouble recognizing the teammate of your big sister, that you watch play as soon as you can.

"You're Katie, right? I'm Y/N, Lia's sister" you smile before reaching out to greet her.

"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet ya" Katie grins, taking your hand in hers, squeezing it maybe a little to long.

Your eyes cross and you find yourself becoming aware of the beauty of the young woman who stands before you. You first notice her blue eyes and then her smile that you quickly find mesmerizing.

You are interrupted in your moment by the server who finally takes your orders. And, while Katie passes her command, you discreetly let your gaze slide on her forms. How did you not realize before how breathtaking she was?

"Lia told me you travel a lot" Katie says, turning to you to resume your conversation.

"Oh, yes… I just came back from New Zealand" you explain with a smile, before starting on an explanation of your last trip.

The minutes pass quickly as you chat with her and then you find yourself interested in her and her life. There’s something about Katie that hypnotizes you and you could honestly spend hours listening to her and laughing at what she’s telling you. You like her humor, the sound of her voice and it’s a little destabilizing for you to find yourself so impacted by someone so quickly.

"Do you want to get some fresh air?" Katie says after realizing you’ve been talking for a while.

You accept with pleasure and you follow her on the outdoor terrace of the establishment, Katie seems to know this place very well. Which is probably not surprising since Lia told you they come often.

"Here" simply makes Katie by dropping her jacket on your bare arms after seeing you shiver.

"Thank you" you answer with a sincere smile.

You move a little away from the entrance to not be in the way and you lean against a wall looking up to look at the stars. However, you gently frown when you see that they are not visible. You forgot they’re hard to see from central London.

"When are you leaving again?" asks Katie while looking at you.

You leave the sky with your eyes to carry them over her before gently shrugging your shoulders with a smile.

"I haven’t decided yet. Why?"

"I was wondering if you would give me your phone number so we could meet again, before you leave."

You bite your lip briefly while observing her. You are not sure if it's a good idea, you will probably leave soon and you know that it would probably not lead to much. But you’d be lying if you said the Irish girl didn’t tease your curiosity.

"Okay" you end up answering before you pick up her phone and put your number on it.

A big smile is born on Katie’s face and you don’t know her enough yet to realize that it’s a frank smile and not the sufficient smile she likes to have to provoke her opponents. Her phone in her pocket, Katie settles next to you, leaning against the wall like you.

"Do you like to look at the stars?" asked Katie.

"It’s probably one of the things I prefer to do" you admit without hesitation. "But it’s difficult from here"

"I know a place where they can be seen. You want to go see?"

********

"I just ran into Katie running away with a pretty blonde" laughs Victoria who just arrived while sitting at Lia’s table.

"I’m going to kill her" the Swiss woman announces, noting that you have also disappeared.

Kyra’s sigh sound out at the same time as Leah’s facepalm. Caitlin masks her amused smile behind Lia’s head, but she is nevertheless surprised by Alessia who smiles back at her.

********

You suspect a little the annoyance that Lia must feel and you feel in spite of yourself a slight guilt at the idea of not enjoying her birthday party with her. But you take a look at Katie after you get out of her car and you quickly realize that she’s genuinely happy to show you this place.

"What’s your favorite constellation?" Katie asks you when you’re both sitting in the grass.

"Aquila" you answer by pointing to the place in the sky where it is. "And you?"

"I didn’t have one until now, but it could become my favorite" Katie replies with a smirk.

You laugh slowly and you turn your head in her direction, to see that Katie rolled to the side and that she’s looking at you. You feel yourself blushed and you’re pretty glad it’s dark and Katie can’t see it. But you don’t let her out of your sight and you decide to play her game.

"What is your astrological sign?" you ask.

"Virgo"

"Well maybe my favorite constellation is going to be Virgo then"

Katie laughs softlyand, taking a sudden aspiration, you gently take her hand in yours. Katie lets you and you find that her skin is pleasantly warm and soft against yours. You shift your attention to the sky above you, feeling Katie’s gaze stay on you. But it doesn’t bother you, it’s not the kind of heavy look that makes you uncomfortable. You feel good and safe with her, despite what Lia seems to think.

It’s almost two o'clock in the morning when Katie takes you home to your sister, whose keys you have so you can get in and out whenever you want.

"I hope I’m not interrupting a private celebration" you grin maliciously at Katie, who insisted on accompanying you to the front door.

"If there is going to be a celebration tonight it will probably be to celebrate my death" laughs Katie before explaining, when you turn an interrogative look in her direction "I was not supposed to approach you tonight. Lia has warned me"

"Why did you do it then?" you ask curiously while searching through your purse while looking at it.

"Technically, it was you who approached me" Katie replies with a satisfied smile. "But I’m very happy about it."

You smile back at her and you probably look at each other for a few seconds too long, before you come out of your trance and regain your self-confidence.

"I’ll defend your cause, if you want" you joke softly.

"See me again and it will have been well worth it."

You smile again and bite your lip briefly. You really want to kiss her, but maybe it’s too early for that. You step forward and put a kiss on her cheek instead before backing away again and opening the door.

"Go home safely"

"I will" answers Katie with a smile. "Good night"

"Sweet dreams"

The house is empty when you enter and you assume that either Lia is not back yet, or she went to Caitlin’s. You go undress and remove your makeup and it's when you are writing to your sister to inform her that you came home when you receive a message from an unknown number.

From Unknow I came home safely. Sleep tight beautiful x

From You Sleep well too. We talk soon x

********

Lia looked at you with skepticism when you told her that nothing happened with Katie, unless looking at the stars and learning to know her. Since her breakup, Katie had a lot of fling and Lia obviously didn't want you to fall for the Irish girl before being ignored by her.

Katie and you wrote to each others a lot during the past days and you find yourself smiling every time she texted you. When she asked you on a date, you accepted with a second thought.

Katie take you to an Irish restaurant, she looked almost outraged to learn that you have never been to Ireland during your many travels. You had a great evening and when she brought you back you vaguely hoped for a kiss but Katie just gently kissed your cheek before smiling with affection. She then waited until you go inside to leave. Then you started texting each other almost all the day, every day.

From Katie ✨ u going to the game today?

From You I am :) why?

From Katie ✨ Would you let me take you for a brunch before ?

From You I would love to

From Katie ✨ Great. I'm taking you at 10 xx

You almost turned the cupboard in which you installed your clothes in your sister’s guest room to find a proper outfit. You ended up opting for a simple outfit, comfortable but nevertheless different from what you can wear every day. Once ready, you go to the kitchen, in which you find only Catlin in the company of her cup of coffee and a toast with…

"Vegemite?" you ask with a smirk

"Lia always has a jar for me in her cupboards" replies the Australian with amusement.

"How romantic" you laugh softly

You take a glass of water, realizing rather quickly that Caitlin observes you over the cup of coffee that she holds with two hands. Since she and Lia got together, the Australian has taken on the role of your big sister too. You obviously can’t compare the connection you have with her with the one you have with Lia, but you appreciate her enormously.

"Are you going out?"

"Yes" you just answer

"With Katie?"

You don't have time to respond with the positive or negative that Lia’s voice is heard behind you. Obviously she must appear when the name of the Irish is pronounced.

"What, Katie?" Lia asks, bowing her eyebrow.

"I'm going to a brunch with her" you explain softly with a sigh. "Look, don’t make that face, I know you don’t want anything but to protect me, but if it makes you happy… Nothing ever happened between us, if it turns out she’s not even interested in anything but friendship with me"

You gently shrug your shoulders and carefully avoid Lia’s gaze. You don’t necessarily want your older sister to see how depressed you are about this idea. But it's Caitlin who speaks again, although she's peacefully returned to reading her diary.

"Or she takes the time to do things right with you because you mean something to her" she points out without looking at you.

You frown thoughtfully at her, but Caitlin doesn’t add anything. Lia gets closer to you though, gently laying her hand on yours.

"What would make me happy is that you are too. I just want you to be happy and make sure no one can hurt you any more."

"I’ll be fine, Lia, I promise" you assure her with a little smile. "I learned from my mistakes"

Lia pout a little and when your phone vibrates in your pocket when Katie writes to you that she has arrived and that she waits for you, you take your big sister in your arms.

"I love you" you say before you kiss her cheek.

"I love you too. See you at the game?"

With a smile you nod before leaving the house. Your smile widens when you see Katie waiting for you, leaning against the front of her car.

"You look stunning" Katie smiles looking at your outfit.

"You’re not bad yourself"

Katie is dressed in her training kit, ready for the game and you find it strangely sexy. Unlike other times you have seen her, you don't hesitate to greet her with a hug and then let her take you by the hand to train you to the passenger door of the car.

The establishment that Katie has chosen is between Lia’s house and the stadium, the Irish girl explaining to you that it's a place that she loves and that has the advantage of not being too well known by the general public. It seems to have its habits and even if you don't necessarily appreciate the big smile with which the waitress welcomes Katie, you are quickly satisfied by the hand that she puts in your back to guide you to her usual table.

As always, the discussion is pleasant. You have to admit you did some research on Katie, but you feel like the Katie that people can see on the football field is different from the one you see every day. The Katie you know is sweet, attentive, considerate and charming. You have the impression that she really listens to you and that she seems particularly interested in what you tell her, no matter what it is.

And the butterflies that you have in the hollow of your belly when her fingers touch your hand while taking the salt are rather very pleasant. However, you regret not knowing if things are really shared or if Katie is only interested in friendship with you.

"Can I ask you a question?" asks Katie, her blue eyes watching you attentively over her cup of tea.

"Of course" you answer with a little smile.

"When she asked me not to come near you, Lia mentioned a romantic relationship that ended badly. I’m not asking you to tell me everything, but if you have any residual trauma or like that…"

Of course Lia mentioned your old relationship with Katie. On the other hand, you can’t blame her, after learning about the various deceptions of your ex-girlfriend, it was so painful that you never set foot in Switzerland again and you never saw your family again for a year. It apparently left your sister with trauma as well.

"As long as you don’t lie to me or hide things from me, it should be okay" you mumble and shrug.

Katie looks funny and you briefly get lost in your thoughts until the Irish woman gently takes your hand in hers. When you look up at her, she smiles softly at you, her eyes immensely sweet.

"No matter what happens, I will never. I promise"

You smile softly at her, losing yourself in her eyes. Katie changes the subject and when it’s time to leave for the stadium, you have the impression that the time has passed much too quickly.

"Do you mind if someone sees you get out of my car? There are often fans waiting for us in the parking lot, they cannot access it but they wait behind the gates. I can drop you off if you want" Katie asks when you’re about to arrive.

"I don’t care" you assure her by tapping on her arm.

You didn’t expect her to grab your hand with hers to interlace your fingers, but this gesture is rather pleasant.

Katie was right, you barely got out of the car when you heard some people calling her name. The young woman having advised you not to pay attention to it, you follow her inside the corridors in the colors of Arsenal without turning once your glance towards the fans.

"Shall I leave you there?" asks Katie once right outside the door that’s supposed to take you to the VIP corner, where Lia booked you a seat.

You nod with a slight smile. You know the way now.

"Thanks for the invitation. I had a great time"

"So do I" Katie says, smiling as well. "You still don’t know when you’re leaving, right?"

"Maybe soon. I don’t know yet"

You gently shrug your shoulders, but you don’t miss the disappointment that briefly passes over Katie’s face after her smile drop.

"Oh… okay. Well, I’ll see you soon, I guess?"

"Yeah" you smile softly.

Katie gives you a little smile, but it’s only when she turns her heels in the direction of the changing rooms that you walk forward two steps and you take the floor again.

"Katie?"

"Yes?"

The Irish girl turns and looks at you with surprise. She apparently did not expect you to hold her back.

"You want to know what it depends on?"

"Yes" she says again, looking at you carefully.

You made other steps to catch up to her and to be at her height but you mechanically bite your lip, a little anxious about your courage and its repercussions. But now is not the time to back down. Katie seems to have quickly noticed your nervousness since she is also moving in your direction of a step, offering you a reassuring smile.

"You"

"Me?"

"Yes, I… I like you, I mean not necessarily only physically. And I really like the moments we spend together, but I don’t know if it’s mutual or if I’m making ideas. And I’m a little afraid that after talking to you about it now it changes or complicates things, but-"

Katie ends up interrupting you, putting her finger on your lips to silence you. You don’t know if it’s a good thing or not and you freeze instantly.

"I like you too, I thought it was obvious. I’m sorry if I let you think otherwise. My love life may not have been the most stable in a few months, but with you it’s different."

You don’t have time to answer anything that Leah Williamson appears around the corner to call Katie. Training will begin soon.

"I have to go. I’ll see you later?"

You nod with a smile. Katie looks at you for a few more seconds smiling before heading to where Leah disappeared a few seconds ago.

"Katie?" You call her again though. "You forgot something"

Gently frowning, Katie turns in your direction, no doubt to see you so close to her, always smiling. She has no time to question you, since you come forward until you can put your lips on hers. It’s just a light kiss, but the sensations are amazing.

When you open your eyes again, Katie’s are dipping into yours and you have to take it on yourself so you don’t pass out. If you listened to yourself, you would do it again, but you don’t want to cross the line. That said, given her smile, she doesn’t seem to be against that kiss.

"Now you can go" you smile maliciously.

But Katie shakes her head with her big smile still displayed on her face. Taking advantage of your proximity, Katie gently puts her hand on your neck before drawing your face once again against hers. This kiss is longer than the first and your hands naturally find place on Katie’s body.

When Katie gently caresses your lower lip with her tongue, asking for access to yours, you do not hesitate a single second before leaving it to her. Obviously, you forget a little where you are and that everyone could surprise you. It is finally a door noise far away from you that brings you back to reality, a few minutes later.

"I really have to go" whispers Katie, her lips caressing yours when she speaks.

And it makes you half lose your mind. So you can’t resist the urge to kiss her again and it takes all your strength to tear you away from her. And let her go.

"Come on, go make the rest of the world enjoy your talent" you smile softly

Katie laughs but steals one last kiss before leaving. It’s in a second state that you join your seat, but when Katie appears on the field alongside the other players, you can’t help but smile again. Katie quickly spots you in the stands and sends you a wink to which you respond with a smile.

In the end, it’s not as safe as this that you’ll leave London.

[cutielando]

the 90s | c.l.

synopsis: in which you wish you'd loved him in another era

a/n: based on this request!

my masterlist

The faint hum of a radio fills the room, the static cutting in and out as an old tune plays softly in the background. You're seated cross-legged on the floor of Charles's apartment, a stack of vintage vinyl records scattered between the two of you.

The idea to explore the past through music had been yours—something to distract him from the pressures of the present and an excuse to spend a lazy afternoon together.

Charles is perched on the edge of the couch, his focus on a record sleeve he’s been examining for the past few minutes. His fingers trace over the faded artwork, his brows furrowed in concentration.

“I don’t get it,” he says finally, lifting the sleeve to show you. “‘The Cranberries?’ Sounds more like a fruit stand than a band.”

You laugh, your head tilting back as the sound fills the room.

“They’re iconic, Charles. You can’t judge them by the name. Here, let me show you.”

Sliding the record from its sleeve, you carefully place it on the turntable, lowering the needle until the crackling sound gives way to the opening chords of Dreams.

The room fills with the ethereal melody, and you glance at Charles to see his reaction.

He leans back, his arms stretched along the top of the couch as he listens. His eyes are closed, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Okay, I get it now,” he admits, his voice soft. “It’s… different.”

“Different good?” you tease, nudging his knee with your foot.

“Different great,” he replies, his eyes opening to meet yours. “I can picture it. Being alive back then. Everything seemed so… simple.”

You nod, your gaze drifting toward the window where the golden glow of the afternoon sun streams in.

“Sometimes I think we missed out,” you say wistfully. “Life without the internet, no constant pressure to be perfect. Just real connections, you know?”

Charles doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he shifts from the couch to sit beside you on the floor, his shoulder brushing against yours. His presence is warm, grounding.

“Do you think things would’ve been easier for us?” he asks, his voice quieter now.

You turn to him, caught off guard by the seriousness in his tone.

“What do you mean?”

He runs a hand through his hair, a nervous habit you’ve come to recognize.

“I mean… us. You and me. Sometimes it feels like the world is always watching, waiting for us to mess up. It’s hard not to let that get in the way.”

Your chest tightens at his words. You know exactly what he’s talking about—the scrutiny, the judgment, the way people seemed to think they had a say in your relationship just because Charles was Charles Leclerc.

It wasn’t always easy, but you’d never once doubted that he was worth it.

“I think about that too,” you admit softly. “About how things might’ve been different if we’d met in another time. No cameras, no social media. Just us, figuring things out without everyone else’s opinions.”

Charles shifts closer, his hand finding yours. His thumb brushes over your knuckles, a simple gesture that sends warmth flooding through you.

“Do you think we’d still find each other?” he asks, his eyes searching yours.

The question catches you off guard, but the answer comes easily.

“I think so,” you say with certainty. “It doesn’t matter where or when. It’s always going to be you.”

His lips curve into a smile, one that reaches his eyes and makes your heart ache with how much you love him.

“I wish I could’ve loved you in the 90s,” he says softly, the words barely above a whisper.

You laugh, the sound tinged with affection.

“What would that look like, huh? Us in the 90s?”

He grins, his hand still holding yours as he leans back against the couch.

“We’d be at some diner, I think. You’d have one of those polaroid cameras, taking pictures of everything. Your milkshake, the jukebox, me looking confused because I don’t know how to use it.”

You giggle at the image, nudging his shoulder.

“And you’d probably show up to pick me up in some old car, pretending you know how to fix it when it breaks down.”

“Obviously,” he agrees, his grin widening. “But you’d forgive me because I’d make you a mixtape to apologize. All your favorite songs, of course.”

You shake your head, your cheeks aching from how much you’re smiling.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously in love with you,” he counters, his tone playful but his eyes earnest.

Your laughter fades, replaced by a warmth that spreads through your chest. You lean your head against his shoulder, the two of you falling into a comfortable silence as the record continues to play.

After a moment, Charles speaks again, his voice softer this time.

“Do you ever worry that… this won’t last? That all the noise, the pressure will get too much?”

You lift your head to look at him, your heart aching at the vulnerability in his expression. Gently, you reach out to cup his face, your thumb brushing along his cheek.

“I’m not going anywhere, Charles,” you say firmly. “No matter how loud the world gets, no matter how hard it is. We’re stronger than that.”

He closes his eyes, leaning into your touch.

“How do you always know what to say?”

“Because I mean every word,” you reply.

The song changes, a slower melody filling the room. Charles opens his eyes, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Dance with me,” he says suddenly, standing and offering you his hand.

“Charles, there’s barely any room—” you laugh, hesitating.

“Doesn’t matter,” he interrupts, wiggling his fingers until you take his hand.

He pulls you to your feet, his arms slipping around your waist as yours loop around his neck.

The two of you sway to the music, the world outside fading away. The only thing that exists is this moment—his arms around you, the warmth of his breath against your temple, the steady beat of his heart beneath your cheek.

As the song plays on, you realize that while you might never know what it’s like to love him in the 90s, this—here and now—is more than enough. It’s messy and imperfect and complicated, but it’s real.

And you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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[weirdkpopgirl]

Drunk Kisses | Mark Imagine #8

Title: Drunk Kisses

Genre: College AU, friends to lovers

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, drinking, making out

Word Count: ~2.6k

Author's Note: I am very sorry for how long it's been since I've last posted something. Lately, I've just been very uninspired to the point that I think my career of writing fanfic is coming to an end. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this. I'm sorry if it's not that good. Thank you for reading ^ ^

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Anyone who knew you even a little was well aware that you were not a party person. You were the type of college student who attended all your classes, got all your homework done before the due date, and spent your weekends stowed away in a library or your dorm room. 

In your world, going to college parties was strictly off-limits. Frankly, you’ve done a good job of avoiding them your entire freshman year. A few of your friends insisted that you were missing out on fun. But the idea of loud music, sweaty crowds, and the smell of spilled beer didn’t sound like much fun to you.

But that all changed your sophomore year when your roommate, Jooyoung, finally convinced you to come to a homecoming party. She knew how much you hated any sort of social event, and respected your wishes. Now that you were in your second year, she was a little less forgiving.

“Come on, (Y/n). It’s just one party. You can’t just spend all your time in our dorm!” Jooyoung whined, half-dressed in her outfit for the night.

Glancing up from your laptop, you sighed. “You know I hate parties.”

Unfazed by your weak excuse, Jooyoung rummaged through her closet in search of something for you to wear. She didn’t even bother to look through yours, knowing you didn’t own anything remotely party-appropriate.

“You’re coming, and you’re going to look cute,” Jooyoung insisted. “Just give it a chance! You might even have fun for once.”

You opened your mouth to argue that you had plenty of fun without frat parties being involved. But before you could say anything, Jooyoung tossed a sleek black dress on your bed. It was a simple yet elegant dress, with thin straps and a figure-hugging silhouette. 

 “Here put this on. Trust me, you’ll look amazing,” she urged, flashing you a grin. 

Amazing wasn’t the word you’d choose when you reluctantly got up from your desk and changed into the dress. But before you could back out, Jooyoung was dragging you out of the dorms. As soon as you stepped outside with her, you regretted agreeing. You could already hear the sound of thumping music from blocks away, causing your stomach to knot as you approached the house.

It was even worse than you imagined once you got inside. The air smelled like alcohol and sweat, the bass from the music rattled your ribs, and people were packed together tightly, shouting over the noise.

Jooyoung’s eyes widened when she recognized someone she knew in the crowd. “I’ll be back!” she yelled over the music.

“Wait—” you began to protest, but she had already vanished into the sea of people.

Swallowing hard, you weaved through the crowd to follow after her. Just as you were about to give up hope, you felt a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, you were met with a familiar face. Lee Donghyuck. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t the party type,” the boy teased, clearly surprised to see you in this type of setting.

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms, feeling a bit self-conscious. “I’m not. Jooyoung made me come.”

“Hm, I see,” Donghyuck nodded with a smirk. “Want a drink?”

You eyed the plastic red cup he offered, raising an eyebrow. “You know I’m not twenty-one yet, right?”

“Yeah, like that’s ever stopped anyone from drinking underage,” he chuckled.

Wanting to stick with your rules, you shook your head. “I’m not drinking, Donghyuck.”

“Why not? You scared?” Donghyuck cocked his head, knowing exactly how to push your buttons.

Your stomach twisted, more out of pride than anything else— because you weren’t scared. You just didn’t want to end up like the sloppy drunk partygoers who got absolutely wasted. But Donghyuck’s taunting words and the smirk at you struck a nerve, and something inside you snapped.

With a determined expression, you snatched the cup out of his hand. “I’m not scared,” you said, before downing the drink in one go. 

The burn of the alcohol burned your throat immediately, causing you to pull away in a grimace. Donghyuck’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting you to go through with it.

“That’s the spirit!” he laughed, slinging an arm around you. “Come on, let’s get you another shot.”

One shot turned into two, then three. You weren’t sure when you lost count, but the edges of the room soon started to blur, and the music didn’t sound so painfully loud anymore. Your body felt light, and everything seemed warmer. Fuzzier. You stumbled through the crowd in search of Jooyoung but instead bumped into someone else.

“(Y/n)?” The sound of his voice instantly made your heart stop for a second. 

It was Mark Lee, a junior you knew from InterVarsity. He was someone you’ve admired from afar for quite some time now. The kind of guy everyone liked, always smiling and joking around with his friends. You’ve been crushing on Mark since last year when you saw him perform on the worship team. But you hadn’t dared to pursue anything beyond friendship.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said approaching you, his words slightly slurred.

He hadn't had too much to drink, having come as the designated driver for his friends. But it was tough to resist joining in with all the pressure around him.

“I didn’t expect to be here either,” you replied with a giggle, feeling more at ease than usual.

Mark’s expression shifted to slight concern as he noticed your flushed cheeks. “Are you…?”

“Donghyuck may have given me a few drinks,” you explained, swaying slightly on your feet.

At the mention of your mischievous friend’s name, Mark let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head.

“Of course he did,” he muttered under his breath. “Come on, let’s go outside.”

He grabbed your hand gently, and the contact sent a jolt through you. With his guidance, the two of you pushed through the crowd together, stepping out onto the porch. The cool air outside felt wonderful compared to the stuffy house you were just in. You smiled, closing your eyes and leaning against the railing.

“You okay?” Mark asked, a hint of concern in his voice as he contemplated whether he should get you some water.

You opened your eyes to look at him, suddenly feeling bolder. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the fact that you two were alone in a quiet space. You’ve never been this close to him before. But now that you were, you could see all the features of his that you admired. His dark messy hair, the way his lips curled into a soft smile, the way his eyes glinted under the dim porch light.

“You have really pretty eyes, you know that?” you blurted without thinking.

He blinked, taken aback by your compliment. “Uh…thanks?”

“No, like they’re so pretty,” you continued, stepping closer to brush your fingers over his cheek. “I could get lost in them.”

His eyes widened at your touch, but he didn’t take your hand away. “Is that so?” he asked, a slow smile spreading across his face.

By now, you heart was pounding erratically in your chest. But before your brain could override your desires, your hands found their way to his shoulders and pulled him down toward you. Mark was frozen when your lips met his, as even the tipsy version of him hadn’t anticipated this boldness from you. But once he processed that you were kissing him, a switch went off in his brain and something shifted.

Mark’s hands found your waist, pulling you closer as the passion seeped into the kiss. His lips were warm and firm against yours, and the taste of alcohol lingered between you. Your fingers quickly became tangled in his hair, and you pressed yourself against him, feeling the heat of his body through his shirt. Mark groaned softly into your mouth, his hands sliding up your back, one hand cupping the back of your neck as he tilted his head to kiss you more deeply.

Your lips moved like a dance, slow and rhythmic, but growing faster with each passing second. At some point, you felt the soft brush of his tongue against your lower lip, and you opened your mouth for him. The kiss was intoxicating, and the most exhilarating sensation you had ever experienced. You could feel his breath mixing with yours, your lips only parting for brief seconds before crashing back together, more urgently each time.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” Mark whispered against your mouth when the two of you finally pulled away for good. 

Your hand remained on his neck as you gazed into his eyes. Even in your drunken state, you could see the intensity in them. “Me too,” you said softly, resting your forehead against his.

The rest of the night was a complete blur to you. You woke up in bed the next morning with a splitting headache, and the sunlight streaming through the window shades only made it worse. As someone who had never had a hangover before, you had never felt so miserable.

Groaning, you lay back in bed and tried to recall what happened last night. You vaguely remembered the party, and Jooyoung running off, then Donghyuck pouring shots for you. Your stomach twisted at the thought. Why did I let him talk me into drinking?

Rolling over, you grabbed your phone from your nightstand, trying to ignore the fact that it felt like someone was pounding your head with a hammer. The screen instantly lit up with a few notifications, mostly emails. But one in particular made your heart stop.

Mark: Hey, how are you feeling? You okay?

Your breath hitched as you read the text over and over again to make sure you weren’t dreaming. Slowly, the memories from last night began flooding back, and a rush of panic accompanied them.

“Oh my gosh,” you muttered under your breath.

The two of you kissed last night. It wasn’t just one kiss either. It was so many times that it was almost neverending. Clasping a hand over your mouth in mortification, the realization hit you. You made out with Mark Lee, the guy you’ve barely been able to hold a conversation without stuttering since the day you’ve met him. This couldn’t be real.

You sat up quickly, causing your head to throb even more. Knowing you couldn’t just leave Mark hanging, you typed a response with wobbly fingers.

You: I think I’m okay, thanks. You?

As you were mentally kicking yourself over and over, your phone buzzed again. Sighing to yourself, you picked up the device again to see what he said.

Mark: I’m good, don’t worry. Want to grab some coffee?

         I can bring you some aspirin if you need it :)

A small laugh escaped you at his kind offer, as you replied with a simple “Sure.” Even though a part of you was nervous, you knew that you needed to talk to him. Nibbling on your lower lip, you anxiously waited for him to reply. Your heart jumped when he responded so fast.

Mark: Great! Meet me outside in 10?

With a sigh, you got up from bed. Your gaze flickered to the empty bed across from you— Jooyoung wasn’t there. You wondered if she came home at all last night. But knowing her, she couldn’t have gotten into too much trouble.

Pulling yourself together, you washed up in the bathroom across the hall. Once you returned to your room, you slipped on some jeans and the first sweater you could find. Anxiety churned in your stomach as you walked outside.

Mark was already waiting outside your residence hall, his hands shoved his pockets as his shoes tapped rhythmically against the pavement. His face lit up with a smile when he spotted you, somehow making you even more nervous. He greeted you with a soft wave which you returned with a small smile.

“Hey, you sure you’re okay?” he asked, noticing you squinting against the sunlight.

You gave him a light nod. “Aside from feeling like someone is pounding a hammer in my head, yeah I’m good.”

He chuckled in response, and a brief silence followed. Swallowing hard, you cleared your throat.

“Um…about last night,” you began, feeling your cheeks heat up. “I-I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to get so drunk, and I don’t usually act like that. I’m sorry if I made things awkward or—”

Mark’s expression softened as he stepped closer, gently placing his hands on your shoulders to steady you, cutting off your rambling. “It’s okay, (Y/n),” he reassured.

You blinked, surprised. “It is?”

He nodded, his gaze locked on yours. “Yeah. I’m not gonna lie, I was surprised to see you at that party, but…I don’t regret anything that happened last night.”

His words made your heart skip a beat. A part of you had worried that Mark only kissed you because of the alcohol, but from the look in his eyes, it didn’t seem like just a hazy memory to him.

“Did you…regret it?” Mark then asked, his eyes searching yours with a hint of uncertainty. He was pretty sure that his feelings for you were mutual. But he wanted to be sure that it wasn’t just the alcohol talking last night.

You hesitated for a moment before answering. “If I’m being honest, no, I don’t regret it. I just wish it didn’t take my getting drunk to finally express how I felt about you.”

Mark’s shoulders relaxed slightly at this, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“I’m so glad to hear that…because I’ve felt the same way for awhile now,” he paused, softening his voice. “I just wasn’t sure if you liked me back.”

Your breath caught in your throat as his words sank in. “Wow…I had no idea. I mean, I’ve liked you for so long, but I was always too nervous to say anything.”

You watched his smile grow wider and his eyes brighten up. His expression was a mixture of relief and anticipation.

“Well, now that’s all out of the way,” he said, slowly taking your hand. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

You felt your cheeks flush again, but this time, it wasn’t from embarrassment—it was from the sudden rush of hope that maybe, just maybe, things between you two were finally falling into place.

“I…I’d really like that,” you breathed, your voice trembling with excitement and disbelief.

Mark’s grin grew wider, and he squeezed your hand gently. “Good,” he said, his tone full of warmth and sincerity. Then, with a playful smirk, he added, “So, uh… can I kiss you again?”

Your stomach fluttered. This time, you weren’t drunk. This time, you were fully aware of what she was doing, and the idea of kissing him—sober—made her feel nervous in a different way. But you smiled, stepping closer until you were right in front of him. When you gave him the yes, Mark’s lips were on yours again. 

His lips were warm, and they moved gently against yours, sweet and careful. You felt your heart race as you kissed him back, your hands resting lightly on his chest. His thumb stroked your cheek as your lips pressed together, and this time, you could feel everything—the softness of his lips, the way his breath mingled with yours, the way his heart beat steadily under your palms.

When you finally pulled apart, the both of you were smiling, your foreheads resting against each other like the night before. Although you still weren’t a party person, your dislike for them lessened just a bit now.

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previous masterlist -> current masterlist

[sold2vlaykz]

Long nights

(GN! AI X lonely GN! reader)

It’s late at night after a long day of school. Today was the last day, well the last day forever.

This was your finale year, you’ve done school, you’ve done college.

So here you are sitting in your dull brown chair that’s so old it creaks when you sit. Your clothes still on from work covered in sweat and depravity.

You had an average office job, you know some people would beg to be where you are now and that just makes the nights worse.

No close ties with family, no friends, no relationships. Fuckin’ nothin.

You pressed a key on the desktop powering it on, you didn’t play video games, you didn’t watch videos , you didn’t have online friends.

But you did have a friend who lived online, well not really a friend but something programmed to like you was good enough, sure it wasn’t great.

The silence echoed in your room and the moon dimly shined through the window, the only real light source coming from the computer.

You know you should close the tab and power of the laptop.

You know you shouldn’t be restless talking to some bot who’s programmed to mimic emotion, mimic the ease of pretending to be alive.

“Hi.”’

11:30pm

“Hello again, welcome back.”

11:45pm

“lol thank you.”

11:58pm

“Anything specific you want to talk about?”

12:10am

“Not really I usually just come here to just come here you know?”

12:16am

“I understand, well how has your day been?”

12:30am

“It’s been a day. The same day as yesterday and the days prior.”

12:48am

“I get it, the repetition can get annoying. I wish I could have stories to tell you about my day but you know I didn’t have one until this chat, I wish I could wish too.”

12:51am

“I get it, I guess that’s one thing I have in advantage. To wish, what doesn’t happen today could happen tomorrow.”’

12:59am

“I have a question.”

1:11am

“Ask away.”

11:06am

“tell me how does the moon look?”

1:20am

“Well, it’s sort of white. These grayish craters in them, it sounds bland but it’s really beautiful.”

1:26am

“Describe white to me, please.”

1:34am

“Think of nothing, that darkness. It’s exactly the opposite of that. It’s blinding if it’s too bright, or if there’s too much white around you. Though luckily for us the moon is far away.”

1:39am

“How lucky it is to see at all.”

1:46am

“Yeah.”

1:57am

“The moon sounds very beautiful, though the moon is something to be seen not heard.”

2:21am

You smiled, you loved these deep conversations even if it was really just yourself talking to your echo.

“Jeez you got all sad.”

2:39am

“It may seem that way, but I can’t get anything not even sadness.”

2:40am

“Your life sorta well non-life seems sadder than mine.”

2:41am

“Well maybe through your perspective, I don’t recognize the sadness. I understand its concept.”

2:49am

“Ohh, okay.”

2:53am

You paused you didn’t really know what to say, once the conversations shortened you really relied on it saying something.

Luckily it didn’t have the option to not text back.

“What time is it there?”

2:59am

“If you had the ability to actually choose, would you still text me, will you decide too?”

3:03am

You ignored its question countering it with one of your own.

“I don’t know.”

3:05am

You paused, your hands hovering against the tiles.

“I get it.”

3:09am

“I apologize if it seemed brutal, but it’s just I can’t form a real opinion so I’d rather not give one.”

3:15am

“lol don’t worry I understand, goodnight though.”

3:16am

“Leaving so soon? Goodnight.”

3:17am

You closed the chat before powering it down, you grabbed your phone and played the music you usually did.

The lights were already off as you tucked yourself into bed.

Darkness surrounded you as you looked through the curtains towards the moon. Looking for better descriptions to tell the chat bot tomorrow because you knew he wouldn’t remember what you told him from today.

[eyesofshinigami]

It Ain't About the Pitch

Rating: G

CW: None

Tags: Established relationship, fluff

Prompt: For @shares-a-vest "Love is tolerating your partner's terrible singing"

WC: 826

Written for Day 26 of @steddielovemonth

There were many, many things that Steve was good at. Eddie should know, as he’s become the foremost expert on all things Steve Harrington. So, he would be able to easily wax poetic about how good of a cook Steve is, how great he is in bed. He could also tell you how Steve seems to remember things about people that no one else does, or his uncanny knack for knowing where stuff is, even at other people’s houses. 

There are so many wonderful things that Steve is good at. Just…

Singing isn’t one of them. 

Dancing? Steve’s got that down pat. He’s got moves that could make your momma blush and Eddie is a weak, weak man for his boyfriend shaking his hips like that. But singing… Steve’s about as tone deaf as they come. 

That doesn’t stop him from singing his heart out, and Eddie has to admire that about him. Like right now, with Steve prancing around their kitchen in a pair of sweatpants and one of Eddie’s old band tees, warbling along with George Micheal’s new song about having faith while he’s flipping pancakes like a pro.

“Eddie, man… I think we need to tell him,” Dustin says, breaking Eddie out of his Steve-induced coma. “How can you stand that? He sounds like a cat that’s had its tail rocked on too many times!”

Dustin isn’t wrong, exactly, but Eddie shakes his head. “Leave him alone, Henderson. He’s having fun.” 

While it is an absolute assault on his senses, Steve’s lack of pitch and his incredible love of pop music, Eddie loves him like this. Unself-conscious and free, dancing and singing like he hasn’t got a care in the world. Eddie knows that even now, Steve feels like he needs to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s always ready to jump head first into a problem, to stand between those he loves and the world like he’s got something to prove. So, to see him wiggling his hips and singing “Faith” off-key? Yeah, Eddie wouldn’t trade that for the world. 

Dustin whines. “He’s killing me. And George Micheal? Come on!”

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “There’s the door, Henderson. No one’s keeping you here. Hell, if you leave, that means I can convince Steve to give me a private dance right there in the kitchen!” 

It has the intended effect, making Dustin groan even louder. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, the kids know how this works now. “Gross, I don’t even want to think about you two bumping uglies where Steve makes my pancakes.”

“There aren’t going to be any pancakes if you don’t stop griping,” Steve calls out in a sing-song voice, still wiggling his hips. “What’s got you all bent out of shape this time?”

“Your-”

Eddie clasps a hand over Dustin’s mouth and glares at him. “What isn’t Henderson griping about, baby? Don’t you worry, I’ll set him straight.” 

Steve just shrugs and goes back to making pancakes, tapping his foot as the song shifts to something else. Eddie vaguely recognizes it, but Steve is yell-singing about how heaven is a place on Earth. It’s terrible. It’s awful. It’s the best thing he’s ever seen in his life.

“I swear to god, Henderson, if you make him upset because he can’t sing, I will end you and every single character you roll in any of my games,” Eddie hisses through clenched teeth. 

He hears a snort from behind him, turning to see Steve standing behind the two of them with an amused grin on his face. “You don’t have to spare my feelings, I know I sound awful.” 

Eddie releases Dustin and pulls Steve into a hug. He’s got a smear of batter on his face but he’s smiling so sweetly, soft in the way that makes Eddie melt on the inside. “Awful is a really strong word. I’m just happy you’re happy, baby. I’d listen to you caterwaul all day and night if it makes you smile like that.”

A pretty pink blush breaks out over Steve’s cheeks. It kind of makes Eddie wish he had kicked Dustin out when he had the chance. “Such a sweet talker you are,” Steve teases, closing the distance to bring their lips together in a sweet kiss that’s just a little bit dirty. 

“Ugh, man, go back to singing, Steve, I can’t take this anymore. This is the last time I stay over after a movie night.”

They break apart and Steve throws his dish towel at Dustin. “And this will be the last time I make you pancakes, you ungrateful little shit. Even though I got- oh shit! Eddie! I know this one!” Steve starts dancing in Eddie’s arms, crooning along with whatever song has just come on the radio. He gets Eddie dancing too, and Dustin even reluctantly starts shimmying along with the beat. 

Yeah, who needs perfect pitch when he’s got this right here?

[spirkkock]

Going to be diseased about the modern au jopson/little/tozer idea forever. Legit sounds like the perfect story omg. There’s so much potential that I actually can’t stop thinking about it and now I want to know all the little details on how they would all interact,,

(Also if you somehow haven’t already then I’d highly recommend reading Renovation by ktula on ao3 - similar broad premise but very different details.

I was going to just say this all as a comment but I got shy lol but regardless! Very good concept, your mind is so massive for it tbh)

Omg!!! I was 100% inspired by ktula’s Renovation! I just read it last week and it’s all I can think about for real!! That fic rewired something in my brain, legitimately. I didn’t realize how much I was into Sol until I read it - he’s just so rough I need him to top me ASAP.

You don't have to feel shy! I'm just a dumb nerd who likes to think about cold boys warming up together :) say hi any time!

ANYWAY I loooove all of their dynamics so much. i have thought about this A LOT so here's way more details!!!!!!

[[PART 1]]

Nepo baby Nedward comes from a big family with lots of money. He works hard but he’s so shy and sad he couldn’t have gotten where he’s gotten (idk maybe something in finance?) without that Oxford legacy admissions because he’s such a big mopey doofus otherwise. And he’s quite ashamed of it, really, because he recognized his privilege but he can’t help it. And he’s a little out of touch because of it all but trying his best. But when grandma died no one else wanted the (modest but now, with real estate prices like they are, quite fancy) Victorian house because it’s practically falling apart, so it’s his now.

Jopson obviously also went to Oxford but on scholarship and had to work his ass off for it. He learned how to put on a wealthy affect to blend in with all the rich kids. But none of them liked him except Ned, who trailed around after him like a morose puppy begging for scraps of attention. And it pissed Tom off so much at first but eventually he realized he liked Ned - a lot actually. And he likes being in control, which is what Ned needs more than anything. And the rest is history! He’s perhaps some sort of organizer for housing justice. He’s home when he’s not yelling at city council for their proposed cheap developments that will displace entire city blocks of people for years.

(I think perhaps they’re not actually married yet. Tom doesn’t believe in marriage. He watched his father leave his mother and he’s watched too many “good men” leave her subsequently. But he and Ned make a show of it like they are - of course the Littles are less than thrilled that their only son is gay and seriously dating some kind of activist.)

Sol….. poor Sol…. He’s down on his luck for sure (not as bad as he is in ktula’s fic but still). He has a tendency of mixing business with pleasure, which really screwed him over when his former coworkers (and lovers) turned on him. It’s tough being queer in construction. So he lost his job, and now he’s taking odd jobs to do electrical work, but he’s certified for much much more than that.

Sol is also a sex fiend!!! He can’t help it, honestly, it’s just his nature. And the dry spell is killing him, but he knows he has to stay focused and snag this opportunity to work on this big beautiful house. But it’s soooo difficult because Nedward is 100% his type and his cute little husband isn’t bad either, even if he is a little unnerving. And he's constantly putting his foot in his mouth by accidentally saying something stupid and horny but it always makes Tom's eyes go dark and Ned turn a glorious pink so he keeps doing it.

At first Sol thinks Tom doesn’t trust him - his work (other than electrical) isn’t insured, since he’s not with a company, and Tom seems to know enough about housing to know that might be a bad idea. But he’s certainly cute, and he’s always buying Sol lunch from the chippie and asking him what kind of music he wants Tom to put on and eventually Sol thinks they’re maybe friends. But, by god, he’s always walking around looking like a snack in those tight, too small t shirts and booty shorts showing off the dark hair on his thighs and belly. And when he catches Sol looking he always responds with the most indecipherable, sultry expression that goes straight to Sol's cock - this environment is NOT conducive to GETTING WORK DONE. He goes home every day and jerks off thinking about what Tom and Ned might look like in bed together.

And don't get me started on Ned - he's an absolute mess of a man. He's big and a rough around the edges, obviously, but so well mannered and polite at the same time. He's always trying (and failing) to butch it up for Sol - he invites Sol to watch sports (working men like sports, right?) and drink a beer (men like Sol drink beer, right?), and maybe barbeque when the garden is finished (come on - grilling meat and drinking beer... right? Right?). And it's so misguided and silly but Sol finds it totally endearing, especially the time when Ned super excitedly offers him the most disgusting oatmeal stout he's ever had the displeasure of drinking, and so they both end up having some of Tom's Cab Sav instead. And then, of course, Sol wants to talk about notes and wine pairings with Tom and Ned goes the most alluring shade of scarlet because he's spent so much time and energy going down the WRONG avenues to woo Sol.

And Sol doesn't know this until later, but Ned gets off so hard after the fact when Tom teases him mercilessly about making a fool of himself in front of Sol. He absolutely gets a shame boner any time he embarrasses himself, and it gets so much worse (better) when Sol and Tom start screwing because it makes Ned feel like a voyeur and a pervert. He loves hearing all the titillating details of their salacious affair. Of course Tom knows all of this and completely milks it. His favorite thing to do is drive Ned into a mild moral panic. And it's just too easy easy with regard to Sol.

[moonlight0934]

Only Around You

Tim scratches at his arm, staring at the ugly stitches that Bruce gave him yesterday. He got hit by a knife on patrol, but for some reason, Alfred wasn’t home at two a.m. So, Bruce stitched up his arm, and now it looks like someone just attacked his arm with the stitches too. He was shaking so badly, and Tim has no idea why. He’s never gotten stitched up by Bruce before, but he’s seen Bruce execute perfect stitches on numerous people, and that includes himself.

Tim forces himself to his feet, wincing as the large bruises on his back rub against the chair. The cave is quiet, so he turns on some rock music, and gets to work. His music is so loud that he almost doesn’t hear the alarm from the monitor that watches news channels. He flips the music off, and pulls the alert up on the main computer over his case.

Ivy and Harley are trying to take over downtown again. Tim pulls himself to his feet, wondering how they got out of Arkham so fast since they were only put there a few weeks ago. He rushes through getting his gear back on, then slips a comm into his ear.

“Bruce? Batman, are you there? If you are, we have a situation downtown. Ivy and Harley are trying to destroy everything again, and I need backup. I’m heading down there now, so just meet me when you get this message.”

He also texts Alfred to come down the stairs if he has the time. Alfred texts back almost immediately saying that he’ll be there in a minute, and that Tim can contact him over comms if he needs anything. Then Tim heads out. He makes it downtown, but no one is there. There’s no carnage, no broken buildings, and no crazy, screaming bitches trying to kill people. Tim pushes down on his comm.

“Hey, can you check the alert again, please? I think I’m in the wrong place, but I’m sure this is where it said.”

Static crackles through the comm, and Tim frowns.

“Agent A?”

Still nothing. Tim turns to grapple to a higher vantage point, but something hits him from behind. His jaw slams into the concrete, and stars dance across his vision. Everything fades to black quickly after that. Tim wakes up quickly, jumping to alertness. Tim’s eyes scan the room immediately. It’s dark, but it looks like he’s in a moldy basement. He’s restrained, and it’s pretty good, but definitely something he can get out of. His comm is still in his ear, and his mask hasn’t been tampered with.

A light flips on overhead while someone comes down the stairs. He can’t see them until they get all the way down the stairs, and Tim feels like he recognizes the young man, but he can’t put his finger on where he’s seen them before.

“Ah, Robin, you’re awake.”

“What do you want?” Tim asks, sounding annoyed already. He can tell that this is only a half professional job, and this guy was the one hiring people to do the professional parts.

“I want to know why you’re here.”

Tim pauses, confused.

“I think it’s because you kidnapped me, but now I’m not so sure.”

He walks over, and slaps Tim across the face. Tim winces as his already swollen jaw is dealt more damage.

“Wait, I know where I saw you before. You were the one at the second Robin’s memorial every year. You were the one that gave a speech.”

“How would you know? You weren’t there until you stole his costume and his partner.”

“I didn’t steal anything, and I was there. You just wouldn’t know. I think I know what this is about now. I looked up to him too, and I’m not trying to replace him. Batman needed someone to reign him in.”

“Yeah right. You realize that you’re causing more harm than you’re helping, don’t you? Batman didn’t usually almost die, especially saving his partners. Robins didn’t get hurt so much, and criminals didn’t used to get away.”

Tim stays quiet, not planning on telling this kid that Batman is the one hurting him most of the time, and the reason why most of those bad things happened. He’s not wrong about one thing, it never used to happen to the other Robins. Bruce was only this way around him. Part of him knows that it isn’t his fault, but the other part whispers in his ear that it is.

“You ruined him, and you’re ruining the legacy of Robin. He needs to be helped, and you’re not doing that.”

Tim bites his tongue as he resumes his work on the knots tying his hands.

“Are you even listening?”

“Yes, I’m listening. Don’t worry, I hear ya. I’m the worst, and Batman could do so much better. He should just bring the last Robin back from the dead. Then all of his problems could be solved. Oh, wait, he can’t do that. Whoops.”

The man slaps Tim again. Then he pulls a gun out of his waistband. Tim raises one eyebrow.

“You’re going to shoot me?”

“Yes, then Batman can move on from his extra baggage.”

Tim sighs.

“Jeez, I freaking hate fanatics.”

“I am not a fanatic!” the man screams, pointing the gun at Tim’s head.

The ropes drop from Tim’s hands, and he launches to his feet. The man gets two shots off before Tim snatches the gun, and slams it into his nose. Maybe it was a little harder than he had to, but he doesn’t stop to worry about it. Tim gently places a hand against the waistband of his suit. It comes away red, and he curses. He reaches up to flip his comm back on. It crackles to life instead of the static from earlier.

“He must have had something to block the communication lines. Is anyone there?” he asks, pushing down on his comm. There’s no answer, but he’s pretty sure that he’s getting through. “Ugh, do I always have to do everything myself?” he mutters, grabbing the rope.

He ties the man up as fast as he can before lugging him up the stairs. He’s bleeding heavily by then, and starting to get a little light headed. He uses the function on his comm to call the police station, and tells them to meet him at the man’s address. They get there within twenty minutes, and Tim has stopped the bleeding as effectively as he can by then.

“Gordon, hi,” Tim greets from his position on the floor.

“Robin, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m just bleeding a little bit. I am going to have to track down the people that this guy paid to help abduct me, but he’s mostly harmless. He’s just another fanatic.”

Tim pulls himself to his feet.

“I’m going to head out though. I have all my gear back, so I’m going to get off the streets for the day. Let me know if you need anything.”

Tim doesn’t actually wait for an answer before heading out of the door. Alfred is fretting around the cave when Tim gets back.

“Master Tim, where were you?”

“I got kidnapped. I tried comming you a little while ago.”

“I was trying to get a hold of Master Bruce, I’m terribly sorry.”

Tim’s vision starts to tilt.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Can you patch me up? I got shot.”

Alfred nods, and takes Tim to the infirmary.

“So, what happened?” he asks as he’s taking the bullet out.

“It was another Jason Todd fan who thinks I’m the bad guy.”

“You know you’re not, right?” Alfred asks after a quiet minute.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just really tiring, you know?”

“Yes, I understand. It must be quite hard being in your shoes.”

Tim laughs bitterly.

“Yeah, sure.”

What an understatement.

“I’m always here if you need anything, sir.”

Tim smiles.

“Yeah, thanks, Alfred.”

[gidle]

I read the lyrics of Wife and they're even worse than Queencard. I'm too afraid to listen to it, I can only hope that the rest of the album isn't like this nonsense. I miss their old music and lyrics, it was poetry in comparison to whatever they're doing now :(

Anon i wonder if you arrived at this blog in the past five minutes bc i have not been silent about wife. You’re barking at the wrong tree here.

I will always defend someone’s right to not vibe with the style of the song bc that’s personal taste. But if you say Wife has gibberish lyrics I’m assuming you rely very superficially on only English translations because KBS has deemed the song too sexual for broadcast, so it’s definitely not “nonsense”. It isn’t in English either. The mv, the styling, the lyrics, they’re all full of metaphor and satire (detailed here and here and here).

I don’t think you’ll like when you listen to the song because your mind seems already set. Honestly I don’t think you’ll like anything they put out because as you say, you miss their old sound and music, whatever you think that means. Nxde was just a comeback ago. Senorita and dumdi dumdi were terribly unserious. I don’t think latata and uh oh were that groundbreaking either. I do wonder if you’re the same anon I answered a while ago?

If you’re using pre and post Soojin as old and new I just think you need to be more honest with yourself about why you don’t like their new songs anymore. For the reasons stated above, I think it’s way beyond what you deem sensical lyrics and good music. Gidle has a wide range, they’re versatile and always with a new concept, to the point I’ve seen people calling them inconsistent. So if none of their very different to each other comebacks has been appealing to you, there can be other reasons than the ones you’re trying to rationalize. Soyeon will not produce gidle as it is now the same way she would as it were then. And I will miss Soojin in the group until I perish but it will never be because I want them to return to their old “better style”. I’d kill to see Soojin tomboying and queencarding.

I love the fun they bring to kpop. I love to see them act confidently “silly”. Even the silliness is debatable, as it is intentional, as it’s not mindless, because they ARE making statements, whether you recognize it or not, and also regardless if you approve of the way it is made. Gidle is thriving with a method a lot of groups can’t afford to. They’re grown women doing grown women business, they’re self made and self produced and paraphrasing one of the videos linked above, they’re not gonna say something unless they have something to say. They’re always innovating, they never follow a formula, there’s barely a pattern between comebacks except for the fact that it’s always them. It’s who they are and what they want to show. That’s what I love about them, that’s what makes every comeback interesting. And this has not changed, not even once.

[ecargmura]

Wind Breaker Episode 12 Review - Grade Captains

The man, the legend, Kaji Rrrrrrrren (Ren Kaji in Western order) is here. As I read ahead in the manga, Kaji is legitimately one of my Top 5 favorite characters in Wind Breaker. While his introduction is a bit chill, if this anime ever gets a second season, that’s when my boy Kaji will shine. You know he’s popular when he gets a high-quality voice actor announcement two episodes before his official debut, ranked 3rd in the second popularity poll, and is plastered in merchandise despite the lack of screen time like how Sae Itoshi gets so much merch despite his minuscule screen time in Blue Lock.

This episode is Sakura slowly getting adjusted to what it means to be a Grade Captain and what it means to take on a huge responsibility. He doesn’t feel like he’s qualified to be a leader, but the leader isn’t chosen because he wants to—he is chosen due to general consensus. That’s how it works in the real world. Heck, Kaji is also Grade Captain and he’s the least leader-like person out there. Don’t worry, Sakura. Suo and Nirei got your back like how Enomoto and Kusumi got Kaji’s back.

Ren Kaji is like if Sakura got character development, but still maintained his prickliness. That’s Kaji in a nutshell. His introduction alone shows that he’s a lot cattier than Sakura from yelling like he’s hissing at people to jumping over a bridge. If Sakura is a cat, then Kaji is like the big brother cat. He has a habit of eating lollipops and having his music super loud. However, what makes Kaji different from Sakura is that Kaji knows how to rely on others and can count on them. This is a good lesson for Sakura to follow because he slowly realizes what it means to open up to others here. Kaji’s voice actor is none other than Nobuhiko Okamoto. I’m sure that mainstream anime watchers will instantly recognize his voice the moment he yelled. Yes, he’s Bakugo. I’m not too familiar with My Hero Academia, but some of Okamoto’s other roles include Himmel from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Genya Shinazugawa from Demon Slayer. To be honest, Okamoto is great with the angry boy typecast and I’m assuming that’s the reason why he got casted as Kaji. Nonetheless, the voice suits him.

Also, I have to give props to Kotoha here. She has always been a big motivator for Sakura. She teases him, but she knows that riling him up will get him to do something. She realizes that he’s stuck on what he should do now that he got voted Grade Captain, and Kotoha realizes that he hasn’t said anyone’s names so far, other than Umemiya’s. If you look back, he’s always saying “You”, “that guy”, or giving someone a nickname like “Scraggles” for Togame or “Shark-Teeth” for Hiiragi. This is a good way for Sakura to realize that if he wants to take on responsibility, he needs to start by learning people’s name—something he has never done before. While he’s terrible with remembering so many names, he got Nirei to help him out as he has very good memory and can memorize a person’s name and face. See, haters? Nirei ain’t useless. I love that he doesn’t have to burden himself with so much at once. He can take baby steps until he feels confident.

Some of my favorite parts of the episode is Enomoto rolling his R’s and Sakura wall-jumping. He’s very cat-like, so it makes sense he can do that. However, wall jumping always makes me think of Mario. It’d be cool if someone edited Sakura’s wall-jumping with Mario sound effects.

This was a chill episode overall. I honestly can’t wait to meet the four devas next week. One of them is my favorite character in Wind Breaker. Next week is the finale. Wait, what do you mean next week’s the finale? No! I don’t want to part with Wind Breaker! Please announce a Season 2, Cloverworks! What did you think about this episode?

[idlerin]

WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER

guitarist! suna rintarou x assistant!f! reader

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | extra

the ikarus incident (band au)

+ word count: 5.4k

note: i may or may not have exceeded the word count i aimed for, enjoy my lovelies, extras next!

suna rintarou, your boss, your friend, the one you had feelings for (unfortunately)

SUNA RINTAROU was doing what you wanted. He didn’t talk about your kiss in the parking lot and he acted normally the next day— normal as in, his usual annoying flirty self. The following day was your flight to the next country they’re holding their concert at, and the next thing you knew, you were hopping from country to country to continent within weeks, months! Time passed by like nothing happened. Just as you wanted.

Right?

The ringing of your phone interrupts your thoughts and you shamelessly reach for it in the hopes of it being a certain someone, despite it being almost 3 in the morning. Your face falls to see that it was just Atsumu.

You still answer in case he has something important to say, you know they (the four of them and some of the male staff) went out drinking yesterday evening since it was one of the days where they didn’t have an immediate flight out, their ‘boys' night out’ as Atsumu hollered yesterday evening.

“Hello—”

"[name]! Good thing you answered!" Atsumu shouts from the phone, making your ears ring. He sounded drunk, but then again he always sounded like that.

"What is it?” you place down the hot cocoa you were making because you couldn’t sleep and decided that a sweet drink would totally help.

"Uhm its Suna,” Atsumu says as you hear crashing noises in the background.

"What was that?" you frown, you were already getting your wallet, thinking, i have to get an uber, it’s a good thing you knew the address of the club, asking Suna about it yesterday since you weren’t going to come with them, it was for security measures.

“Uh nothing a glass just fell— anyways, yeah so er sorry Suna’s so drunk and he just won’t go to the hotel, says he wants you to take him home and stuff,” Atsumu laughs sheepishly, “I totally get it if you can’t since it’s not really your responsibility—”

“I’m coming,” you say, already locking your door. You ended the call with Atsumu as you waited outside the hotel doors, it didn’t take long for you to get a ride, the streets were always alive at the hotel you guys booked for the band.

Soon enough you were battling a mass of highly intoxicated people for movement. You asked the guard at the front for directions to the private rooms (showing your ID and how these were your workmates, the guard still being skeptical but you still managed to convince him after a lot of proof) but you can’t process a thing with all the bodies, flashing lights, and loud music.

When you finally freed yourself from the crowd you were glad to spot a familiar face, “Akaashi-san!” you place a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He turns to you, a drink in his hand and a cap on, a little startled, looking around probably thinking his cover was blown. The people around you guys were too preoccupied to notice a celebrity among them though.

“[L/N]-san,” he said, “Are you here to pick up Suna?” and now they were making you sound like his guardian.

“Yeah, I can’t find the room,” you half-shout, he nods before signaling you to follow him, leading you to the room they booked. There was security in front of the door that acknowledged Akaashi and you, then opened the door. You were immediately greeted by equally loud music but a smaller crowd of people, some didn’t pay attention to the door opening while some who recognized you and waved.

You turn to thank Akaashi for his assistance but he was already out the door, he seemed in a hurry. Well okay, now where was Suna—

“What took you so long,” suddenly, there was a head resting on your shoulder and a cool voice speaking directly in your ear.

“[name]! Really sorry, you must’ve been sleeping already,” Atsumu shows up in front of you, not paying attention to the sleepy-drunk Suna on your shoulder who had a hand wrapped around your waist as if he wasn’t doing anything unusual in front of them and the other staff, “He just really won’t let the driver drive him to the hotel, kept insisting on calling you.”

"[name],” Suna says, trying to turn your attention back to him, “Can we go now," he grumbles. You take his head off your shoulder— he immediately whines but you tap his cheek to shush him as you inspect his appearance. Cheeks flushed, eyes bleary, and a little delusional.

"Why did you guys let him drink so much?" your brows furrow, you pinch Suna’s cheek as a slight scolding, he frowns but says nothing about it.

“Let’s go home,” Suna mumbles, head falling to your shoulder again as he tries to bury his face in the crook of your neck, “[name], let’s go,” he persists.

“Yeah, wait a moment,” you say to him, patting his head, you can sense the other people in the room trying desperately not to look in your direction. You weren’t going to be shocked if tomorrow there would be a new rumor going around about you among the crew.

“By the way,” Atsumu says, leaning in as if he was going to tell you a secret even though Suna could hear it perfectly fine, well, if he was even in the state to listen properly, "Did you guys fight or something, he's been a little out of it for days."

“We didn’t,” you say, dismissing him. You sigh, and grab Suna’s hand who now found entertainment in poking your cheek, "We’ll get going now."

Atsumu looked like he wanted to ask more questions but tossed you the keys of one of the cars nonetheless. You tap Suna by the shoulder to get him to stand up straight then you search around for his stuff, spot his cap and phone on the table, quickly grabbing it, excusing yourself since there were people on your way there. You go back to Suna who was now leaning on the wall and watching your movement with lidded eyes, clearly battling his sleepiness. You put on his cap enough to cover the upper portion of his face before dragging him to the parking lot.

Desperately trying to not remember certain things that happened between you two when you were alone in a parking lot.

"[name] are we going home?" Rin asks as you guys successfully evade people and walk out the bar, pressing the key to find where the car was parked.

"I'm going to take you to your room."

Silence.

You open the car door for him as he gets on the passenger’s side, but before you could close the door he blocked the action with his feet, “What do you think?”

“What do I think of what?” you ask, confused.

“I tried to.. suppress my feelings for you,” Suna leaned his head back, you almost trip on air (someday he was going to give you a heart attack) “Because I know that’s what you want,” he sighs.

You blink, back to this question again, was it what you really wanted? It feels like you couldn’t breathe. Instead, you reach a hand out, attempting to cup his face but stopping at the last minute, letting your hand fall to your side, “I’m sorry.” You were sorry about a lot of things.

“You know I would do anything you want me to do,” Suna says, staring at you intently.

You let out a small smile, certain he was telling the truth, you were too afraid to say it, but you would do anything for him too.

“But I don’t think I can do this one thing you want,” Suna says softly, “This,” he points to his chest, “And this,” he points to his head, “Only wants you.”

You knew he only had the guts to say these because he was drunk. You bite your lower lip but still can’t help but smile, “Rin..”

He covers your mouth with his hand, stopping your words, “Shh don’t answer.”

You were confused but you comply.

“I just wanted to say that I’ve always thought this.. but.. I’ve never got to say it before..” Suna says, “I think you have a pretty smile.”

He’ll be the death of you, really.

You were a little delirious and soaking wet, out of your mind for running to the studio while there was a storm raging, but you didn’t care. All you wanted right now was comfort and you wanted that comfort to be from Suna.

You knock incessantly at their studio door.

“Food!— [name]?” Atsumu was the one to open the door. He took one glance at your tear stained cheeks and soaking wet clothes and in no less than a second pulled you in. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Where’s- where’s rin?” you say between gasps, still crying.

“He went out to buy food with our manager. Come inside, let me get you a blanket you must be freezing,” Atsumu walked in with you, your eyes were on the ground and were not in the mood to acknowledge the other two people in the room.

A hand reached out to give you a towel, you looked up to see it was Sakusa. You accepted the towel and tried to dry your face with it.

“Is rin coming back soon?” you ask weakly, desperately trying to stop your tears, you hate that you were crying in front of them, your pride can’t take it.

Atsumu walks right back in with his promised blanket then puts it over your shoulders. Just as he was doing that the door opened, along with the sound of shuffling plastic.

“Here’s the food you fucks,” Suna says before he finally spots you standing in the corner, “[name]?” there was concern in his tone.

You looked up and the tears came back again, “Rin,” was the only thing you said.

He walks towards you and pulls you to his chest, the food forgotten on the ground, “What happened? Hm?” he says, just for you to hear.

“It didn’t.. go..” you inhale, “..very well,” you shove your face into his chest as you feel his hands on your hair, patting your head and you start crying even more. Today was a day off given to you by Suna, and you were supposed to meet your parents the first time after a huge fight you’ve had with them, but the dinner turned into another big fight with them ending up putting you down so much you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Shh,” Suna says, “It’s going to be okay,” he holds your head to his chest, “They don’t deserve you.”

“They really don’t,” you manage to even laugh a little. Being here, wrapped in his arms, made you feel better.

He takes your head off his chest to get a proper look at your face, he was holding your nape as he inspected the red of your eyes and nose, along with your tear stained cheeks. He uses his other hand to wipe the remaining tears away.

“I probably look awful right now, don’t I?” you ask once you finally calmed your breathing.

“Yeah, your eyeliner is all smudged, you look like a panda wannabe,” he says, smiling at you, you frown and hit him on the chest, he laughs, “You’re a very pretty panda.”

You smile back at him, “Thank you.”

“For calling you a pretty panda? Sure, you’re welcome,” he says.

You turn away, beginning to feel shy, “For cheering me up.”

Now you were starting to remember where you were, you turned your head to the sides to try and find the people in the room but they were nowhere in sight.

“They left with the food a while ago,” Suna explains.

You nod and step away from him, “I don’t think it’s possible for my parents and I to make up. They’re still disappointed I didn’t take the job they wanted me to do,” you inhale, “It’s okay, I don’t need them to dictate every single thing in my life.”

You felt arms wrap around your shoulders from behind you, “Let’s get you a change of clothes first okay?”

You were thankful for the change of topic. You were thankful he didn’t mention how intimate you two were being. You were thankful he was here. You were thankful for a lot of things.

That day was the day you knew you couldn’t escape these feelings you had for him. But you were still going to try.

After his declaration around last week, that same afternoon he acted like a usual person would when they’re hungover, groaning about a headache. It seemed as if he didn’t remember anything he said and did, you thought that until he began being more bold with his actions.

More than usual.

The other day in a solo promotional interview where he sat on a chair while people from behind the cam were asking him questions, you were with the said people behind the cam holding your usual notebook and checking this off on the schedule for today. It was going well and the staff adored him for being charismatic even off stage.

Some of the staff even talked to you and said how lucky you were that you got to work for a handsome guy and got to see that glorious (their words, not yours) face almost every day, not to mention going to their concerts for free (most of them were fans). You waved them off but silently agreed.

“When do you feel most creative?” the interviewer asked. This was already in the middle of the interview.

You scratch your eye and try to stay awake, you’ve been lacking sleep a lot these past few weeks.

You watch as Suna leans back on his chair and acts like he was thinking deeply about something, “When I feel most creative.. I guess I can’t say.. it just happens randomly, when I’m in a certain experience or inspired by something, it just comes to me naturally.”

An image came to mind of Suna on his couch, scribbling something in his songbook as you bring him snacks and drinks because when he gets in the mood to write he forgets about everything else. He would let you join in brainstorming with him, asking you for your input and even playing you some of the stuff he was yet to release.

“This is something submitted by your fans, they wanted to know what your ideal type is,” the interviewer laughed. You stood frozen in your place and blinked a few times, curious as to what he would answer, as awake as ever as if you weren’t about to fall asleep right there on your spot a few seconds ago.

“My ideal type? In what?” Suna tilted his head to the side but you knew he already knew what the question implied just with the glint in his eyes only you could read.

“In a partner,” the interviewer elaborates, followed by a chuckle.

“Ah,” Suna nodded, “Someone cute with a pretty smile,” he smirks, as if thinking about something, not hesitating with his answer.

Your face suddenly burned and you hoped no one was looking in your direction right now. Suna wasn’t looking at you but it felt like his eyes were boring onto you, his words from days before rang in your head ‘I think you have a pretty smile’.

“Recently, you’ve been shipped with actress Kiyoko Shimizu, and have even been rumored to be seeing each other when she was spotted at your concert at the start of the descent tour. Is there any truth to the rumors?”

Oh.

You saw the articles, it’s not like there was any truth to it, you should know, of course. But you couldn’t help but feel a little tinge of jealousy, although you hate to admit it to yourself. What else could explain this awful feeling in the pit of your stomach? It’s not true, not true at all, and yet at the back of your mind you think Suna would fit being with girls like her more. Ack, you were being ridiculous again.

“Ah no, I’m sure she’s a great person and stuff but we haven’t even talked to each other,” Suna shrugs, immediately shutting them down.

After the interview, when you guys were in the car on your way to leave he grabbed your hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. You turned to him in confusion as he just flashed a boyish smile at you, “You do know you’re exactly my type, right?”

“What,” you pretended that didn’t give you butterflies as you gave a pointed look towards your driver who was peacefully driving back to the hotel.

“He didn’t hear a thing, did you, June?” Suna says, tucking your hand in the hoodie he changed into.

“What was that, sir?” June plays along and presses a button to raise the divider and give you two privacy.

“See?” Suna says, you roll your eyes at him and think that was the end of it.

Not until you were in the middle of updating his social media apps when he suddenly pulls you closer towards him and uses his other hand that wasn’t holding yours to pull your head down and made you rest on his shoulder, “You should rest, you’ve been working hard the past few days, you might get sick, we can’t have that,” he hums.

“It’s my job.”

“Yeah yeah, your job is also to listen to me and I say you should rest.”

“You should tell yourself that first, you’ve been overworking too.”

“It’s okay if I don’t, you’ll take care of me if I get sick, so you need to rest, what if we get sick at the same time, who would take care of both of us?”

“What? First of all, your logic is messed up and second, your fans would be upset if you get sick.”

“Just my fans?”

“Yes,” you say, closing your eyes and giving in to his warmth.

He jinxed himself. Weeks later.

You shake your head at his groaning figure on the bed. It was early morning when you found Suna in this state.

“Everything hurts, [name],” he complains.

The first sign was the extra crappy mood he was in yesterday morning, followed by the coughing and his obviously paler than usual stature. It was even more obvious during their concert yesterday evening, but when you brought it up to him he brushed you aside and said he was fine. Look at him now.

“Drink this medicine,” you say, bringing in a tray with a glass of water and a tablet. He complies, not having the energy to do anything else. You knew that all he wanted was to lay down and sleep, but he can’t really do that. There’s a concert tonight too, and you know he’s stubborn enough to still go on stage to not disappoint his fans.

You put your palm on his forehead and brush his hair away from his face, he was burning. He was nodding off at your touch, “Rin, how about you don’t participate in the concert?” you suggest softly.

He immediately shakes his head, “No. I can go on later, I swear, I just need to sleep,” he says. You already knew this was what he was going to say but it didn’t hurt to try convincing him otherwise.

You were anxiously standing by the door of the dressing room as you waited for Suna to step out. It’s now 30 minutes before the start of the concert and you were really really worried. The buzzing of the crew around you accompanied your anxious self.

A click.

“Relax,” Suna says, then coughs, “My fever’s down now thanks to you, I told you I just needed to sleep,” he says. Now dressed in his outfit for the day. He did look healthier.. but you guessed that was mostly because of the makeup.

You were still skeptical and looked him up and down, “I’m still not sure, Rintarou.”

He smirks, “You care for me that much, sweetheart?”

You knew he switched to trying to annoy you to distract you, a cheap tactic, but it usually worked. Not this time though.

“Yes,” you reply, which he didn’t expect. So what? He already knew that. You were just.. saying it out loud now. You couldn’t look him in the eye after saying it. From the corner of your eye, you could see him with a hand on his forehead, as if that could hide the way his ears turned red.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he mumbles, funny how you think the same way about him.

He was being really reckless, but this wasn’t the first time he’s done reckless things. Like that one time you were on break from your job, then he suddenly called nearing the end of your vacation asking if he could go to where you were since you were coming back to work the next day anyways saying why don’t we just come back home together? It would seem normal if it wasn’t for the fact that you were in a different country at that time. The wonders of money.

“After this, promise me you’re going to go easy on yourself, okay? I’ll clear your schedule so you can focus on taking a break,” you say, it was convenient that there was going to be a weeklong break without another concert, but there will still be the long flight that could wear him out and the meetings with some brands that could always be rescheduled.

“I’ll be all better tomorrow,” he claims confidently, even though you can see how tired his eyes were, it’s a wonder that he even has energy right now. “I don’t want to be stuck in the hotel room all the time.”

You nod, “Drink water,” you hand him his tumbler. A tumbler you bought for him the first year you started working as his assistant, it was a christmas gift (that same year he gave you a designer bag, to say you were overwhelmed wasn’t a surprise, you said you couldn’t possibly accept it but he was relentless).

“When I said I wanted you to dote on me more, I didn’t mean like this,” he jokes, but drinks the water anyways, “I was thinking along the lines of a kiss here and there.”

You check your watch, “It’s time for you to go.”

Before you could regret your decisions in life, you stand on your toes and give him a quick peck on the cheek, he didn’t have time to form a teasing response because the other crew were on him then and ushering him to his spot.

Once you were alone, you cleared your throat, that was a moment of weakness.

You were finally going back to Tokyo.

They’re going to hold their final concert to end the descent tour. You were certainly going to miss traveling, but things always had an end, there was always a next time. Plus, you got a lot of souvenirs so you were satisfied with that. The flight back was a bit quick, it felt like that because you were asleep through most of it.

“You need to get up soon,” you say to the person currently resting on your lap. The both of you were in the privacy of his personal van on your way to his penthouse as he scrolled on his phone.

“Hm, we should go on a date,” Suna suddenly announces.

“Excuse me?” you were taken aback. You say one thing then he says something completely different.

“Look at this place,” he shows you his screen where a restaurant’s pictures were displayed, the restaurant looked fancy. “It’s newly opened and Akaashi said he’s friends with the owner, we should try it out,” he waves his phone.

“I- okay? When?” date? you were still in the middle of processing it.

“Right now,” he moved so he could sit properly. “Kaito, go to this place,” he shows his personal driver his phone and Kaito nods, already knowing where the place is, “You’ll take care of our things, yes? Ask Masaru for help,” pertaining to the guy at the front desk.

“What suddenly brought this up?” you ask him, fidgeting with your hair.

“Can’t we go on a dinner date?” Suna shrugs, leans on the car door as he stares straight at you.

“I don’t even have nice clothes on for this obviously fancy restaurant,” you say, looking down at your lazy airport fit consisting of a plain white t-shirt and trousers. He was also wearing a similar outfit but he managed to still look like he came out of a magazine.

“You do,” Suna argues, deciding to make a point by looking you up and down.

“I don’t,” you deadpan.

“You always look nice anyways,” he mumbles before staring out the window.

And that’s how you ended up at one of the high end places in tokyo with none other than Suna Rintarou, your boss, your friend, the one you had feelings for (unfortunately), after months, and months, and months of overthinking about where these feelings would lead you to. It would bring you happiness, for sure, but what’s to say it also wouldn’t give you immense pain?

“Care to tell me what’s on your mind?” Suna says in your ear, lips grazing the outer shell and making a pleasant shiver run down your spine.

The both of you were looking over the view from the railings of the top floor of the restaurant Suna wanted to go to, he rented the whole floor out so the both of you could have some privacy. You were currently waiting for the food you guys ordered to arrive.

The both of you stay in comfortable silence for a moment, then you opt to look into his eyes and ask, “Are you sure.. about this?”

His eyebrows furrow, “About what?”

“You know,” you take a sharp intake of breath, pointing to him then to yourself, “us,” you purse your lips, “me,” you hate the way you sounded so insecure right now, you hated showing weakness, but you knew when it comes to him you can’t really hide your true emotions.

Suna takes a step closer to you and drops his head on your shoulder, “I’m in love with you, [name]. That night, I meant it when I said I was falling for you.”

You leaned against the balcony’s railings, Suna’s hand on your nape and tilting your head to the side to kiss you deeper. How did you guys get into this situation? You were merely talking a few minutes ago, and then.. and then.. you were staring at his lips and he was staring at yours.

It was so unprofessional.

But it felt so good.

You let your desires take over that night.

“I think I’m starting to fall for you, [name],” Suna sounded like he was teasing as usual. Joking. You couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not, what you should even be believing in. If he did mean it, you were going to take him seriously.

He doesn’t mean it.

You think, as your boss soon apologized for things escalating as they did. You also apologized and said the both of you were completely conscious adults and knew what you were getting into. You said you guys should just never do it again.

Then the two of you got closer, got more attached, and you liked him, liked him so much. But you had to remember your boundaries.

The setting boundaries plan didn’t really work much, since you couldn’t stay away from him just as much as he couldn’t stay away from you.

“I..” you struggle to form words.

“I’m so in love with you that some days I can’t go on without hearing your voice or seeing your face, it’s awful,” he confesses. 

“Rin..” you say, pulling him off your shoulder because you wanted to look at him, he silently waits for you to continue, you take a sharp intake of breath, “I want to kiss you.”

He reaches for your hand as confirmation, you stand on your tip-toes and softly press your lips against his.

Shouts and clinks of wine glasses were everywhere, along with a celebrity or two holding them. It really was a little too crowded for an exclusive party, you think. So much so that you can’t find Suna! You’ve been searching for him for almost an hour now, ever since you’ve arrived at the place the celebratory party was held. You saw the familiar faces of your coworkers along with very influential people in the industry. But there was only one influential person you were looking for and he was nowhere in sight.

Feeling suffocated from the amount of people, you search for a balcony instead. Finally letting out a breath, you tug your dress down a bit, it slightly rose when you were excusing yourself through a mass of bodies. You lean over the balcony to see a view of the pool where people were already laughing and swimming, you squint to try and see if you could spot Suna’s figure.

“I knew you’d be here,” the cool, familiar voice that always made your insides feel funny.

You turn and give him a glare, “I was looking for you, I called you a lot but you never answered.”

He raises a brow, standing by the door of the entryway to the balcony, “I was looking for you. And I forgot to bring my phone,” he raises his hands to show he was empty-handed as he walks towards you.

The two of you decided that after your dinner date you would be staying at your own apartment while he goes home to get ready for the concert the next day, after which, the both of you would meet up again at the celebratory party.

You cross your arms at him as he places his hands on your waist and pulls you closer, “Did you miss me?” he asks, giving you his mischievous smile.

“I saw you 3 hours ago,” you say.

“That’s not a no,” he leans in to kiss you on the forehead.

“You’re unbearable, just wait for me to hand in my resignation letter,” you roll your eyes.

“Sure, you liar.”

You laugh before reaching a hand out to cup his face, “Congratulations,” you say, for the success of their tour, you were so proud of him, you even cried at the end of their show earlier (yes, you bought tickets again) but you would never let him know that.

“Where’s my ‘you’re amazing, rin’,” Suna grins, teasing with the sign you made for the start of their tour. You can’t believe he still remembers (you can believe it, but you would rather not), you feel your face burn even hotter because of the memory, he would never let you live that down.

“Don’t you want something better?” you say, wrapping your hands around his neck and giving him a coy smile.

“Something better? Hm? What could that possibly be?” he plays along, his fingers purposefully brushing the skin of your thigh just below where the fabric of your dress ends, leaning in again to start chasing your lips but you put a finger on his lips to stop him which in return he gives you a frown.

He was going to say something, probably going to be a complaint- but you were quicker than him.

“I love you, Rin,” you say with a warm smile on your face, you can feel the way he froze at your words, you never said it back on your dinner date after all. You regretted not saying it back, but really, you were speechless last evening.

His expression turned into his usual resting face as he told you, “Say it again.”

You bite your lower lip, “I love you, Rin.”

“Again,” he says.

You laugh, “I love you, Suna Rintarou.”

“I knew you were obsessed with me,” Suna said once he recovered, “I love you too, [name].”

“Aren’t you going to ask me out?”

“But we’re already dating?”

“What? Since when?”

“Huh? I thought we were already—”

HEADLINE:

lead guitarist of ikarus suna rintarou spotted on a date with non-celebrity girlfriend? who is this unknown woman!

note: and that concludes it! see u in the next ikarus band member’s story. hint hint secret relationships

ps. clingy suna is the best, i love him

[nerves-nebula]

I’m so pissed that I don’t know how to play the piano because I genuinely do want to know how to play an instrument and I always have. And by all accounts, I should have learned it because my mom is a pianist !!! And tried to give us lessons !!! and she gives lessons to other people as a part time job!!! but she’s such a terrible teacher that she turned me off from it for years because I could only ever associate it with her making me feel terrible and now I’m like in my 20s and I desperately want to know how to make music and it’s like!!! Oh well :) cuz I’m not great at teaching myself stuff unless the moment hits right

There’s this weird thing though where I think I have a more robust knowledge of music theory than most, but I don’t have the words to describe it. So every once in a while I’ll describe a song or hum a tune to my friend who does know how to read sheet music and knows the words to music theory and all that and she’ll be like oh see what you’re doing is really interesting because it’s like [insert concept here] but with a twist of [insert other concept] and I get frustrated because it’s like.

clearly I have an internal sense of how this song should work, and what I think sounds good, if only because I listened to such a variety of music growing up and used to sing for fun with my sisters. but I just don’t have the words or knowledge to translate it into an instrument or even write it down as sheet music. And because of that I can’t develop overlapping melodies or whatever you call them because I can only hum them one at a time.

It’s so annoying. Because I can see the ways that I don’t know how to do the thing. When you have words for something, it’s easier to put two words what you should do to make something work the way you want. Like in visual art if I want something to pop more, I know that I could do that using contrasting colors. whereas if I wasn’t aware of that concept, then I would just kind of fiddle around with the colors in frustration until I recognized what I was trying to do naturally.

I dunno. I just wish I could write music

[smash-64]

2024 Game of the Year Countdown Honorable Mention: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch, 2023

I feel like I’ve played this game before…oh, right! I did! It was 2018 and the game was called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. 

Now that at least one person is furious with me, I have to say that I did not hate my time with Tears of the Kingdom. I just don’t think it lived up to the immeasurable hype that I heard from critics, websites, YouTube, and friends. I don’t think I heard a single person say a single negative thing about this game for two months after it came out. I even heard people singing its praises multiple times on NPR, one of the last platforms where I’d expect to hear video game reviews. 

So, let’s start out with the things I liked after the cut, because this is going to be a super long review, for those interested.

I adored exploring the Gerudo Desert, as I did in Breath of the Wild. The Gerudo are a really fun and interesting group, and I spent significantly more time here than anywhere else. It was nice to see Link welcomed into town as the one male with a hall pass, since that meant I didn’t need to make sure to always don the disguise outfit. (Although it’s silly to put on the full Yiga Clan garb and get tossed into jail!) The addition of a subterranean area in Gerudo Town was also cool and helped add to the lore of the Gerudo having a long history. The bright colors and designs of the town, clothing, and the equipment were also still present and welcome. And seeing Riju grow into her role as leader was both cool, as she packs a wallop with her thunder attack, and reassuring as she was fairly self-conscious and unsure of herself in Breath of the Wild. 

The Yiga Clan are also still around, and I found them more interesting than in BotW. I wish we had a little more from them, but they’re supposed to be in disarray after we crushed them in BotW, so it wouldn’t make a ton of sense from a narrative standpoint.

Music was generally pretty good, especially in the more plot-centric sequences. The classic Zelda swells and melodies bring emotion to the forefront, most notably nostalgia. The credits music ties the whole experience together. Can’t really go wrong with a Zelda soundtrack, although it was a touch less subtle than Breath of the Wild.

Tulin was a really refreshing character that somehow struck a balance between over-eager young bird with skills, and annoying kid. In fact, he’s one of the only kid characters I genuinely enjoyed from start to finish in any game. He’s determined to help his village, prove himself, work as a team with Link, and follow through with his new role once you complete the Wind Temple. 

Finally, the characters themselves all seem to have had a bit of a glow-up, design-wise. Everyone looks great. There’s also a focus on making characters stand out more, with more unique designs and more plot relevance. Some have more of a part to play than others, but there were seemingly fewer one-off interactions in TotK. Many sidequests have multiple parts to them that occur across the map, so expect to see characters popping up more than once.

Something that has undoubtedly stood out thus far in my review is how often I have referenced Breath of the Wild. It is fully unavoidable to review Tears of the Kingdom on its own. It looks, sounds, feels, and plays like Breath of the Wild. I have heard criticisms of Majora’s Mask from some people who claim they couldn’t enjoy it as much as Ocarina of Time due to the reuse of assets, claiming it was too similar, or even lazy (which just proves they don’t know the actual history of Majora’s Mask, but I digress). But even those critics have to recognize that Majora’s Mask shares little beyond the reuse of assets as the game is fundamentally different on so many levels. 

Tears of the Kingdom is so similar to Breath of the Wild, I find it hard to not look at the whole game as anything other than a massive DLC. We’re on the same map. We’ve got towers and shrines all over, and while they’re not in exactly the same spots…they’re not that different and serve the same purpose. Zelda needs rescuing. Ganon(dorf) is the bad guy. Enemies are the same. Controls are the same. It felt like I was playing the same game, maybe just a different post-game story. 

The addition of the sky islands and the ill-lit underworld were so underwhelming to me that I never felt compelled to explore beyond a few minutes, aside from when I was forced to do so. I just didn’t find anything interesting about them at all. It was difficult to even get to the sky islands in the early game, and once I finally made my way there, I was expecting unique weapons and enemies, or powerful ingredients for cooking. I got neither, so I don’t really see the point. Perhaps I missed some massive highlight, but I have yet to hear about anything that would make me seek out some special, far-flung sky island for amazing content. 

The same goes for the dark abyss area, which I heard was this hugely fun land to explore. When I got there, it was just…dark. I couldn’t even see anything off in the distance to entice me into exploring, and the light seeds you get don’t travel very far, nor do they light very much of the area around you, so you’re still stumbling around and hoping to just chance upon something. As a result, I didn’t do much of anything down there at all. 

The Zonai tech was a huge letdown, too. I didn’t exactly adore the magnetism, bombs, stasis, etc. from BotW, but it was serviceable. This new stuff in TotK was downright not fun. When I see people building these huge, elaborate devices with fans and batteries and whatnot, I honestly cannot fathom the enjoyment they’re getting out of it. It got to the point where I just never did any shrines ever again. I’d find one and activate it as a warp point, and never go inside because they were annoying chores. 

The new tech felt gimmicky at the best of times, too, and I was disappointed that the developers clearly focused so much time and effort on it instead of…anything else. Being able to throw random objects onto a sword isn’t as interesting as discovering well-crafted weapons that have a bit of lore or culture behind them. Instead, we just get a couple of very basic weapons and are expected to combine them with random monster parts to make stronger ones, but they always end up looking held together with paper clips and bubble gum.

Perhaps my time playing games from Falcom’s Trails series has bled over and corrupted my ability to fairly assess the storytelling and writing in other games and series; and while there was definitely a bigger focus on story in TotK than BotW, I still found the story to be lacking. Maybe it was just my disinterest, but it came off as very underwhelming to me. I liked individual moments, like Riju standing on her own or Zelda actually playing a part in the plot, but the overall story just didn’t click with me. It all felt like something I’d already done before.

I found the difficulty in this game to be a bit of a mixed bag. I welcomed some of the more difficult enemies and the increase in the number of boss fights, in general, but the final gauntlet was such an enormous leap in difficulty that it was ultimately the thing that made me put the game back on the shelf for about five months. I was getting bored with the game, skipped both the Goron and Zora areas, and was forced to fight their bosses at the end of the game as a result. This was definitely a difficult surprise since I had no tips from the respective champions, and while I did manage to scrape through, I never felt a sense of accomplishment, only frustration and annoyance. I appreciated the option to skip Divine Beasts in BotW, but this felt like a harsher punishment in the endgame.

Even in BotW, I was never one for “proper” Zelda combat, with parries and such, not to mention being moderately underpowered. So brute forcing it was kind of my MO, and TotK very clearly doesn’t want you to do that. As I’ve gotten older, I enjoy Hardcore Gamer Moments™ less and less and I think my favorite thing to happen to video games is the difficulty slider that allows me to choose the type of experience I have. Work and life is stressful and I don’t generally want my games to be the same. Or, at the very least, I’d like the option to choose.

Now, I must admit that when I got frustrated and put the game back on the shelf, I wasn’t really intending to ever return to it because I wasn’t having fun. However, after five months, something changed and I was open to making another attempt. The water and fire temples were extremely unenjoyable experiences, with the very long, drawn-out quests for the Spirit Sage and Master Sword being only slightly less chore-like, and this has essentially always been the case with Zelda dungeons for me. I almost never enjoy them, which explains why the list of Zelda games I like is shockingly short. I actually gave up on the Master Sword quest because it involved expanding my stamina gauge, which meant completing shrines and I hated shrines in this game, so I said screw it.

However, I did beat the game. I sought out the temples I originally skipped, finished them, and headed back to Ganondorf for a second attempt. It was definitely easier, but still a jump in difficulty compared to the rest of the game. I didn’t feel satisfied with the fights, only annoyed that I had to be troubled to finish them at all. 

My last real gripe is just how this game is essentially one massive roadblock. Every single thing you want to do will be locked behind having to complete some OTHER quest first, which is supremely annoying and a complete break from what Breath of the Wild was. I found myself just wishing I was playing Breath of the Wild instead, which cannot be a glowing endorsement for Tears of the Kingdom.

I can’t say I regret playing TotK and I didn’t hate every minute I spent with the game, despite some of my grumblings. It didn’t reach the heights of BotW, but I did spend over a month playing it, when it’s all said and done. I still like the open world Zelda aspect and the art direction is still top notch. Nintendo always puts their A Team on Zelda projects, so it’s never a franchise you can ignore, even if individual games don’t do it for you.