#serious thought: solid 7/10

[antidiluvianobservatory]

My favourite part of Barbie was when she said "It's Barbin' time" and Barbed all over the place.

[a-d-nox]

web of wyrd: annual energies and relationship milestones

my best friend is newly engaged, as i said recently, which has inspired me to focus a little more focused on love and romance posts than you typically would see from me. i previously covered annual energies and some broad themes associated with them, so i thought lets look a bit more at the romantic themes seeing that it's over a year later (since that post) and i have seen WAY more webs at this point and picked up on some other trends.

something to keep in mind though - these are COMMON energy markers, any of this can happen any year. these are just the best case scenarios in my opinion.

for instance you can get married in a 22 year, but i feel like it may not last long term or it might be an elopement that upsets the couple and those around them long term...

or you could have a baby in a 12 year but need a c-section.

just some examples. by no means should you feel limited by what i say below!

let's get to it!

energies that indicate meeting your person

3 (the empress): finding a relationship where both people feel nurtured. it's a loving connection with a great potential to become something beautiful. this is a connection where you can dream about a life and a family together.

5 (the hierophant): meeting someone who shares your values and beliefs. this often leads to a conventional, committed relationship, often marriage.

6 (the lovers): friends to lovers energy for sure - it starts with simple conversations and evolves into love. it more often than not leads to meaningful and deep connections.

10 (the wheel of fortune): suggests that meeting your future spouse / person could be a part of your destiny, often through unexpected or "serendipitous" events.

17 (the star): the relationship is blessed/guided by a higher power. destiny seems to bring you both together. you can sleep well knowing you're on the right path and that the universe is bring you a significant relationship.

19 (the sun): a connection will bring happiness, warmth, and a sense of completeness.

21 (the world): finding a partner with whom you feel whole, a sense of completion, and/or a deep understanding. this leads to a long-term, potentially lifelong partnership.

energies that indicate moving in together

4 (the emperor): moving in together often requires a stable and organized environment, which aligns with the themes of the energy such as establishing a solid foundation and practical arrangements.

5 (the hierophant): moving in together can be seen as following milestones in a relationship leading towards a more traditional or serious commitment (like shared housing).

7 (the chariot): directly linked to movement and travel. represents taking control of one's life and moving forward, which can include physically moving to a new home or location.

energies that indicate becoming engaged

4 (the emperor): suggests that a relationship is entering a phase of solid commitment, usually it's the formalizing of a bond through engagement if that is the next phase of commitment in terms of your relationship.

5 (the hierophant): suggesting that a relationship is moving toward a more traditional and committed phase - if you are in a relationship, it is likely that the next step will be an engagement.

6 (the lovers): this energy is all about love, union, and making choices that align with one's heart. it can symbolize making a significant commitment, like being engaged.

11 (justice): there is a desire to make things official, usually this is an engagement leading to marriage. this is the most common marker i see in the years where people get engaged to one another.

19 (the sun): suggests a joyous occasion, like getting engaged, where both parties feel a sense of fulfillment and happiness surrounding their future together (there might be a large engagement party to celebrate).

21 (the world): signifies reaching a milestone. it can indicate that a couple is ready to complete one phase of their relationship and move into the next one, like engagement.

energies that indicate a wedding/marriage

4 (the emperor): often this is a sign of "securing" the partnership, which can extend to the formality and structure of marriage.

5 (the hierophant): represents tradition, societal norms, and formal ceremonies. this energy can signify a traditional marriage or commitment in the eyes of the community/law, suggesting a formal union. all of the events of a wedding are ticked off: engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette, bachelor, rehearsal, ceremony, reception, send off, and honeymoon.

6 (the lovers): the union of two individuals. it doesn’t always spell out marriage ceremony, but it often comes up in the context of a relationship oriented commitment.

11 (justice): this can indicate making things official through marriage.

13 (death): this could be a symbol of a brand new era in your relationship (aka marriage).

19 (the sun): this energy can symbolize the happiness and celebration of a wedding, suggesting that marriage will bring joy and fulfillment to the couple.

20 (judgment): like 13, this could be a symbol of a brand new era in your relationship (aka marriage).

21 (the world): indicates that a partnership has reached a stage where marriage feels like the natural and fulfilling next step. symbolized a long-term commitment.

energies that indicate having a child

2 (the high priestess): often this energy shows up when a couple has been trying to no avail to become pregnant and suddenly does. this is because this energy signifies hidden or secret aspects of life (like the early stages of pregnancy). the energy is also connected to the moon and other feminine mysteries.

3 (the empress): the most obvious energy linked to pregnancy and fertility - it symbolizes motherhood, creation, and nurturing. there is a strong possibility of pregnancy in these years

17 (the star): symbolizes hope. this is a time of fertility and holds the possibility for new beginnings. may suggest a blessing or a dream come true (becoming pregnant after a period of trying or waiting).

18 (the moon): deals with cycles (ovulation), intuition, and hidden aspects of life. like 2 energy (but more common in the outer ring) this energy signifies the mystery of pregnancy and the feminine cycles. sometimes i see this in the ring where people weren't trying and tested negative or they don't show (physically or publicly) when pregnant.

19 (the sun): can signify a healthy, happy pregnancy, and the birth of a child (come on it's a kid on a horse). suggesting a positive outcome (you test positive hCG on the stick or with blood).

20 (judgment): suggests the arrival of a new life / the transformative experience of becoming a parent. this could also be a positive sign for couples looking to adopt or foster a child (as it could be a sudden and somewhat unexpected change of events (the list is often long)).

21 (the world): symbolizes the completion of a cycle, such as successfully conceiving or carrying a pregnancy to term (if not beyond the "due date"). can represent the fulfillment that comes with creating life.

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[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - All's Quiet on the BL Front

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 3 of 12 - I love how were getting a solid depiction of two queers just genuinely enjoying sex with each other. That’s actually rare in BL. In this case, it manages to also be weirdly adorable and cute.

Dee is such a tease. I guess Y likes a brat? 

LOOK at those bedroom eyes!

Linguistics corner: when these two are being serious, sweet, or flirty with each other they use rao/nai which is kind of old fashioned and charming and not common in BL. They move pretty seamlessly into gu/mueng and back depending on the style of convo, tho. It's FUN to hear them talk.

Let the fake relationship commence!

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 eps - I HAVE THOUGHTS. I'm really enjoying the sinister backbone of this show. I hope they have the courage of their convictions in that regard and lean into a kind of sexy evil revenge narrative. It was a pleasure to watch the break up and I do not want a redemption arc for Ming or a romance for us. Fuck 'em, let’s just ride a revenge train, okay Joe baby?

That’s said, I totally sniffled at the ending scene where Ming (for two years!) has been paying penance cooking for two and waiting alone. Excellent pathos. Now, I understand how they're gonna make this a full 12 eps. And I’m excited about it. Carry on!

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 7 of 16 - I wasn't a fan of Winny & Satang in My School President but I'm loving them in this. The thing with Q, Toey, and Chain had me hooting with laughter. I think I’m finally just easing into the relaxed absurdity of this show. The key is not to expect anything from it. Just them being tiny gay idiots.

Two Worlds (iQIYI) ep 10 fin - Someday I’d like to really enjoy a MaxNat show, but today was not that day. (I feel like ever since Between Us I’ve been generally disenchanted with established OG pairs and what they’re bringing to the table. Perhaps that’s a discussion for another day. Cherry Magic excepted, of course.) 

OK, so this final episode, they sure tried to fit a lot in. But that made the pacing better for me. So I kinda liked this weird cliff notes resolution to the story.

In conclusion:

MaxNat do a credible job with a messy script about parallel worlds, gangsters, and strange diseases cured by forest fruits. It sounds confusing because it is. The chemistry is excellent the side pair is entirely forgotten about, and one could drive a Tardis through the plot holes. Still, I found it modestly enjoyable if not at all rewatchable. 7/10 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 6 of 12 - I do love how bold and brash Moo is. He’s truly a great character, such an utter outgoing sunshine puppy focused on his pursuit of his older boy. I'm charmed by his utter harmlessness. They gave us a sweet coming out scene, and an awesome supportive mom. Frankly GMMTV has a good track record with moms. (With a few noted exceptions, of course.)

That said, I do keep forgetting this is a GMMTV offering. It just doesn't FEEL GMMTV. Just me?

OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - Starts tomorrow, will report on sitch next week. LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead. But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - I like it. I like our sulky 2nd lead. He’s pouty, adorable, brash, and adding some much-needed tension to this narrative. The blurring lines between show within a show is a lot of fun. Probably the best I've seen done in BL so far.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - I like that we got backstory, but we also sort of already knew it. So this ep felt a bit like filler. They are wonderful when they’re on screen together but when they aren't it's a bit dull. I hope we just get them together for the next 4 eps. But this is Japan, so I doubt it.

Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - The image resolution on this show (via Iqiyi ) is terrible. Meanwhile, awkward crush. Jock nerd pairing. Dorky. Maybe a bit too much awkward/dorky for me? I'm not sold on this one.

Meanwhile the ordering then not eating or drinking of food continues. Very upsetting.

Boys Be Brave (Korea Viki) eps 5-8fin - This show was just never sure what it wanted to be. Slacker sunshine KiSub moves in with nerd JinWoo, mostly because he knows JinWoo likes him but won't confess and that's never happened to him before. It reminded me of some earlier KBLs like Behind Cut, yes is had bones but not much flesh, so it only just hung together and progressed through not very much plot in a jerking rattling fashion like an animated skeleton. All the story and chemistry was with the side couple and none of the screen time. That just annoyed me. What did this BL want to BE? Who tf knows. I, for one, don’t care, and resolve to think no more on it. 6/10 

Blue Boys (Korea Sat YouTube) - This ended at 4 eps on a cliffhanger. Since this is a very small studio I don’t have a lot of faith in there being a part two. But they have bundled both this BL, and the GL, bingable chunks on YT. So if you want to binge it, it’s there. Just be aware that it ends on a cliffhanger.

My thoughts?

Promising reunion romances full of class and coming out struggles but I grade with what we got, not on expectations, and you know I HATE a cliffhanger. So yeah, it HAD promise but as of now it gets a 4/10 - fatally flawed. I reserve the right to change my mind if they amend for damages.

It's airing but...

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

A Balloon's Landing (Taiwan movie) trailer - A frustrated Hong Kong writer, Tian Yu, meets a Taipei street gangster, Xiang (Fandy Fan from HIStory2: Crossing the Line), and the two of them embark on a journey to find the Bay of Vanishing Whales. Along the way, they discover unexpected twists and turns and close bonds, which brings out the message that "there is always someone like you in this world who is waiting for you. This released to cinemas in Taiwan, no word on international release.

In case you missed it

A really really thorough and fascinating article on 2 Moons 2 and what happened.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

VBL (Taiwan) is releasing 4 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 shows every Friday this month on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu. Not sure on search terms or how to find these. (Or, frankly, if we need them.)

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

5/25 The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer - HoTae & DongHee are back but unfortunately not in a cinema near me. Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS.

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/30 Knock Knock Boys (Thai Thurs WeTV) - I'm hoping I can get it elsewhere since my WeTV account is inactive, but I do love Best and I'm interested in seeing him in a new pairing. That said, I'm not wild about Seng... so I won't be too cut up if I can't get hold of this. More here.

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I'm a sucker for this king of casual claiming. (Only Boo)

It me! (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @sunflower-positiiivity @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[songspirits]

rating fanon portrayals of the outsiders boys

note: my guesses on the canon personalities probably arent even true lol this is my opinion

-

ponyboy curtis

5/10

sometimes the portrayals are really good!! but i hate that often, people portray him either as a moody brat or a weak baby. he is canonically a good fighter, especially after the fire, though he doesn’t like to. hes a loner, hes a reader, hes a pacifist, hes a good kid.

you have to remember that the outsiders is literally written in HIS POINT OF VIEW!!! ofc yes he’s a sassy and snarky teenager but he is also so intelligent and smart. hes a loner, but the gang would never shun his company. he has so much depth that a lot of writers often forget. hes a 14 year old kid with thoughts of a adult and can only do so much. thats what makes the outsiders so relatable to alot of people. its his intelligence that makes him and darry argue, because of how darry sees himself in ponyboy

but also on the other side of the coin ponyboy is a fragile character after the events of the book, because he is 14!!! but he has thoughts!!

i feel like people forget his good traits and only focus on the bad (and oh my goodness does this count for darry too!)

sorry for my rambles i just love his character so much :-(

darry curtis

7/10

besides fanfiction.net and like 30% of the fics on ao3 hes actually a solid portrayal most of the time, but tons of people forget that his relationship with ponyboy wasnt actually that batshit awful. sure theyd butt heads alot and go back and forth but they love each other thats why they did that. hes so much more than just an angry man who happens to be ponyboys brother.

hes a man who peaked in high school (IM KIDDING) and lost it all not because of his brothers but because of his parents. there was probably some strong resentment there for a while until they died. darrys problem or flaw is that he cares too much and his fear turns to anger. its love for sodapop and ponyboy that brings him back when he realizes his anger is doing more bad than good for his little brothers. It’s opening up and allowing his brothers in that helps his character.

that being said, people often focus more on his bad traits than his good traits. its a running theme in the outsiders fandom, i’ve noticed

sodapop curtis

7.5/10

highest rating i have on this list!! fanfiction.net outsider fics ive gotta say i actually just cant handle it so thats why it isnt a full 8 and ao3 is a 50/50

people put that hes soft but also forget that hes wild. hes batshit CRAZY. hes just as protective as darry and just as snarky as ponyboy. hes soft!! hes rough!! sodapop curtis is a dynamic character!!!!

johnny

5/10

ehhhhhh, most johnny portrayals i’ve seen are either really good or really bad. kinda ponyboy’s problem, being seen as weak. hes just a dynamic character who is allowed to be weak but also has so many strong traits about him. he is a frightened wounded animal to most but to the gang hes something more than that. also, snarky and ‘over’ johnny portrayals are great.

dallas

4/10

most portrayals i’ve seen are pretty good but its the same problem ive seen in all the boys— they only focus on a few traits dallas has (aggressive, tough, hardened) and stick with that. forgetting the youth in dallas winston and making his character honestly… less tragic?

imo the tragedy of the outsiders is the youthfulness in all the boys and how shitty situations couldnt make them more vulnerable, so i would love more of a vulnerable dallas in fics around the gang. another thing, people forget how much ponyboy really does mean to dallas. johnny and ponyboy were both his brothers and he’d did so much for the both of them precisely bc of that

two-bit

5/10

again.💔people forget how DYNAMIC these characters are!!! two-bit knows when to get serious for the love of god!!

steve

1/10

what portrayal. ☹️ppl dont write him enough and if they do its like one line #justiceforsteve

in conclusion

the outsiders fandom often have such good portrayals but only for one part of their character. this isnt to shame anyone or anything!! but this is just a helpful criticism ?? for any writers out there portraying the boys!! trust me i had to think abt this too lmao

[cheynovak]

Different colours   

Dean Winchester x Female bisexual Reader/Y/N               

Warnings: None, I think? 

Words:  1740 

*Does not follow the supernatural storyline * 

-- 

Dean and Y/N have been friends since they were teenagers, their dads worked together on different hunts. Dean always had a crush on her, but the fact that she is into girls kept him from making a move. They remained friends for years. Sam is at college and Dean asked Y/N to hunt with him, after successful hunts they share drinks at a bar, where Dean learns Y/N is not only into girls. 

--  

The neon lights of the crowded bar cast a colourful glow over Dean Winchester and Y/N as they leaned against the bar, sharing a pitcher of beer. They had known each other since they were teenagers, talking about fighting monsters side by side with their dads, and joking about the craziness of their lives.  

Y/N was his best friend, his confidante, the one person he could always count on part from Sam, he left to study so now there was only Y/N. But there was one thing Dean had never confessed to her: he’d had a crush on her since they met as kids in high school. He never acted on it, thinking she was only into women. 

"Hey, what about her?" Dean nodded towards a stunning busty brunette at the other end of the bar, nudging Y/N with his elbow. Y/N glanced over, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"She's hot, not my type though, I'd say a solid 8/10. But look at the redhead by the jukebox," she replied, pointing subtly. 

Dean chuckled, shaking his head. "You always go for the redheads, eh I'll say maybe a 7." 

"And you’re never picky as long as it has great boobs." Y/N shot back, laughing. Dean eyed her with a grin looking a little to long at her own breasts "I'd say a 10." She hit his shoulder "Idiot."

They continued their light-hearted banter, scanning the bar and commenting on the various attractive women, and see who got the best moves, usually it was Dean who got lucky, with the sevens and eights.

But when Y/N 'got lucky' it were always the girls he thought were a 10. It was a game they had played many times before, one that never failed to make them both laugh. 

Just then, a man approached Y/N. He was tall, with short-cropped hair and piercing green eyes that reminded Dean a little too much of himself. The man flashed a charming smile at Y/N, leaning casually against the bar. 

"Hey sweetheart, can I buy you a drink?" the man asked, his voice smooth and confident. Y/N smiled back, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Sure, why not." Dean raised an eyebrow, surprised by her reaction.  

She talked to the man while Dean hung at the bar on her other side, hearing how she flirted with the guy, feeling pity he might think he had a chance.

A little later he went to the restroom. Dean watched as the man walked away. He leaned closer to Y/N, unable to resist making a joke. "Too bad he’s not your type," Dean teased, his tone light. 

Y/N turned to him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, but he is, solid 9." Dean's heart skipped a beat almost choking on his beer. "Wait, what?" 

"Yeah, I mean, tall, handsome, great shoulders, fine ass. Yup, definitely my type." Y/N grinned, taking a sip of her drink. 

Dean felt like the ground had shifted beneath him. He had never considered the possibility that Y/N could be attracted to men and women. And if she was into guys… did that mean she could be into him? 

"So, uh, you like guys that look like me, huh?" he asked, trying to keep his voice casual, pretending to joke in case he misread the situation. 

Y/N looked at him, jokingly checked him out, particularly his ass. "Yeah, i'd say a 10." She said but turned quietly and serious very quickly. Her expression softening before looking at the beer bottle in her hands.

Dean's heart raced, a mixture of hope and nervousness flooding his chest. "Why didn't you ever tell me, I mean I never saw you with a guy?" 

"I didn't think it mattered," Y/N admitted, shrugging still looking at her beer.  "And I didn’t want things to get weird between us, I mean how many nights did I stay in your motel room, our dads never questioned it, you never made it awkward."

"I felt safe with you, like I could be myself even part from all the hunting shit I never could share with anyone, never thought you needed a label to really know me.”  

She took another sip “Beside the guy I dated was not really a friend of yours."  

He turned fully towards her. “You dated some I know? Who?” She looked at him a little embarrassed. “Steve.” Dean thought about it for a second.” Wait Steve, who bullied Sam high school, Steve?” All she did was nod. “Y/N! That was an asshole!”  

“Hey! I broke up with him the second I found out he bullied Sam!” she lifted her hands in the air in defense. Dean shook his head. “How did you find out?” Y/N grinned “The bruise you left on his eye.” They laughed hard at that comment.  

Dean looked over to the restrooms, still no sign of mystery man, he knew this was his shot before he took her home tonight. Dean took a deep breath, gathering his courage. "Y/N, there's something I need to tell you." She looked at him expectantly, her eyes wide and curious. “Your gay?” she joked.  

“What?! NO!” Dean spits out. “Relax dude, just kidding, what up?” she hits his chest.  

Dean took another breath. "I've had a crush on you since we were kids," Dean confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I never said anything because I thought you were only into women. But if you're into guys too… I don't know maybe, you and I... " 

Y/N laughed hard, shaking her head. "That's a good one, Dean." She said before bringing the bottle to her lips. 

But as she looked at him, she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. Dean's expression shifted from vulnerable to offended in an instant. Without another word, he stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. 

"Dean?" Y/N called out, confused by his sudden change in demeanour. "I'm going back to the motel," he said curtly, avoiding her gaze. "You have fun with what’s his name." 

"Wait, Dean," she said, reaching out to grab his arm, but he pulled away. "Goodnight, Y/N," he muttered, and before she could respond, he was weaving through the crowded bar, heading for the exit. 

Y/N sat there, stunned. She replayed the conversation in her mind, realizing too late that Dean had been serious. She cursed under her breath, feeling a pang of guilt. She quickly gathered her things and followed Dean out of the bar. 

The cool night air hit her as she stepped outside, scanning the parking for any sign of him. She spotted him, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he walked briskly. Y/N jogged to catch up. 

"Dean, wait!" she called out when she was close enough. He stopped but didn't turn around, his shoulders tense. 

"Dean, I'm sorry," Y/N said, stepping in front of him. "I thought you were joking. I didn’t mean to laugh." Dean sighed, finally meeting her eyes. "It’s fine, Y/N. I should’ve known better than to say anything." 

"No, it's not fine," she insisted, her voice filled with urgency. "I didn't realize you were serious. I... I never thought you'd feel that way about me." 

Dean looked at her, his expression a mix of frustration and hope. "Yeah, well, surprise." 

Y/N took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "Dean, I had no idea you felt that way. If I did, I never would have laughed. And for what it's worth, I do care about you. A lot. More than I’ve ever admitted." 

Dean's eyes softened, but he still seemed hesitant. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah," Y/N said, stepping closer. "And if you're willing to give this, us, a shot, so am I." Dean's lips twitched into a small smile, the tension in his shoulders easing. "You mean that?" 

"I do," Y/N replied, reaching out to take his hand. Dean squeezed her hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “There is no one who knows me better than you do, silly.” She smiled soft.  

They stood there for a moment, the weight of their unspoken feelings finally lifting. Just then, the guy Y/N had been talking to at the bar walked outside, looking puzzled. 

"Hey, where are you going?" he called out, but Y/N didn't answer. 

Instead, she held on to Dean's hand, and they ran towards the Impala like two teenagers escaping curfew. The thrill of the moment, the rush of adrenaline, and the intoxicating promise of something new fuelled their steps. 

As they reached the car, Dean suddenly spun her around and pushed her gently against the passenger door. He leaned in, his eyes searching hers, his hand moving to brush a strand of hair out of her face. Y/N's breath hitched, her heart pounding as he leaned closer. 

"I've wanted to do this for a long time," Dean whispered, his voice husky. 

Before she could respond, his lips were on hers. The kiss was electric, charged with years of unspoken desire and buried emotions. Y/N melted into him, her hands finding their way to his jacket, pulling him closer. Dean’s hand cupped her cheek, deepening the kiss, his thumb gently caressing her skin. 

The world around them faded, leaving just the two of them in this perfect moment. Dean kissed her with a fervor that spoke of all the times he had held back, all the moments he had kept his feelings hidden. Y/N responded with equal passion, her hands moving up to tangle in his hair. 

When they finally pulled apart, both were breathless, their foreheads resting against each other. 

They stood there for a moment, catching their breath, the night air cool against their flushed faces. Dean finally stepped back, his hand lingering on her hip. 

"Let's get out of here," he said, his voice filled with a new kind of excitement.  Y/N nodded, a smile spreading across her face nodding.  

Dean opened the passenger door for her, and she slipped inside, feeling a giddy excitement she hadn't felt in years. He rounded the car, sliding into the driver’s seat, and started the engine. The familiar rumble of the Impala felt like a promise of new adventures, of a future that they were finally brave enough to face together. 

As they drove off into the night, leaving the bar and the puzzled guy behind, Y/N glanced at Dean, her heart swelling with affection and hope.

"Dean," she said softly, her hand reaching out to move through his hair. "Thank you for telling me." 

Dean glanced at her, his eyes shining with a mixture of relief and joy, he grabbed her hand and kisses it. And for the first time in a long time, Dean felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be. 

------

Please like, share or comment when you liked the story. If you liked this, please check out my masterlist for other stories.Tag list:-> If you want to be added let me know what you like to read! If anyone feels like you're tagged too much, also let me know please. :)

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[cher-rei]

afterglow- pt 4 [ T.A.A ]

pairings: trent alexander arnold x fem!reader

summary: young and aspiring marketing and business major jamie carter (you) is privileged with working alongside the liverpool marketing and public relations team while also getting entangled with their star player and right back, trent alexander arnold.

genre(s): friends?? to lovers, work romance, fluff

[wc: 7.8k] [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12]

the atmosphere in the training center's gym was thick. not just because of the humidity but because everyone was in genuine awe as they listened to trent talk about what happened a few days ago at their match.

it took him three days to think the situation over. nobody in their right mind would ask whether or not someone had a partner without there being an ulterior motive, right? right??

your question had kept him up for hours at night, but it was so nonchalant that he didn't know if he was supposed to think anything of it. it didn't make sense. so he turned to help from his teammates, and considering that half of them were in relationships, they would give him solid advice. (which was laughable)

"she wants you," dominik deadpanned which caught everyone's attention but nobody was convinced.

virgil crossed his arms and looked him with his eyebrows quirked. curious to hear his reasoning. "and how would you know?"

dominik snickered. "because I do. she's one of those girls who flirt nonchalantly. to her, she might just find it fun to tease you right now with no actual intention but it'll get to her."

once again the room fell silent as eveyone tried to wrap what he said around their heads.

"is this guy serious?" robbo asked and pointed to dominik who just shrugged from his position on the mat.

just then someone walked into the gym, ready to bring forward their own opinion. "if she likes you then her intentions will be clear."

the spotlight was now on the group's manager but his opinion wasn't appreciated at all. apparently it was too outdated.

"women don't work like that anymore boss," ibou retorted and got a choir of agreement but their boss still shook his head.

he turned to look at trent, who looked more troubled than before, and he couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "trent, do you like her?'

the right back who was deep in thought broke out of his daze that was utter turmoil. "I mean I don't even know her. we've had like two conversations."

"did you enjoy those conversations?"

the team began to grow invested in the little back and forth and stopped what they were doing to pay more attention. it was nothing short of heated- the way that jurgen was firing questions at trent and how he nearly buckled with each answer.

"I mean yeah." he focused his gaze on the floor. "I find her amusing I guess. but maybe that's just me."

"oh no, it's not just you," ali scoffed as he recalled their conversation the other day. "she is quite the charmer. very easy to talk to and nothing short of playful."

trent snapped his fingers back at ali in agreement. "yes. that."

conversation broke out in the gym again with everyone voicing their opinions on the matter to try and figure out whether or not trent actually liked her. but he kept on saying, "I don't know. I just met her."

jurgen got up from one of the chairs in the room and gave everyone a wave, but he knew they weren't paying attention. "thursday."

that single word brought their attention to the door where their boss was standing with a lopsided smile on his face.

"we're playing at raiffiesen on thursday," curtis prompted in an attempt to get an answer and jurgen nodded, his attention turned to trent who wasn't playing the match that thursday.

"jamie won't be joining us because her pitch is due that morning. do what you want with that information but if you like her, I'm sure you'll know in no-time. but take your time and get to know her. she's quite the character."

you were taking an uber to work today instead of driving by yourself. It had been a while since you took public transport, you genuinely considered it such a hassle and just took the blow and paid some extra cash for an uber.

the reason for this, however, was strange. before you left the house this morning, you had gotten a call from jurgen asking you if you could accompany martin diggle, who was the head of coaching at the academy to the academy that afternoon seeing as they were considering broadening their promotional content for the boys on that side.

you agreed of course but the confusion in your voice was clear even after you put the phone down. why did you have to go with him? there were plenty of other staff with more experience than you anyway, but you brushed it off and focused on today's main goal.

getting your pitch approved.

so when you walked into the office with your head held high and a look of determination on your face you hadn't expected to be hit with a, "I see where you're coming from and the first project is fresh. we'll get back to you after further discussion. thank you ms carter."

it was nothing short of a blow to the gut. it wasn't a rejection per se, but it wasn't an approval either and that didn't sit well. how long were you going to have to wait? was marvin just being nice? was your pitch that bad? was it too impractical? were you being selfish?

"was it that bad?"

your head shot up at the question. you lifted your gaze from the the floor, tightening your grip on your laptop bag that was slung over your shoulder. a look of confusion settled on your face, expecting to see martin since you'd be going with him.

instead you were face to face with trent, his back leaned against his car- a black range rover. he pushed himself off the side of the car and shot you a smile to which you furrowed your eyebrows.

"what are you doing here?" you asked, not taking a step further.

a dry chuckle fell from his lips. "you mean at the liverpool hq? the hq of the football club that I've been playing for nearly my entire life?"

you could see the amusement dancing in his eyes knowing that he got you right where he wanted you. okay so maybe it was a dumb question, but it made sense. he had no reason to be there— he should've been at home resting.

"hilarious." you faked a smile. obviously he knew what you meant by the question and decided to tease you but you weren't in the mood.

trent couldn't help but stare at you, his eyes roaming your features and taking in as much of you as he could to cure his little predicament and the many questions swarming through his mind.

he still didn't know much about you, and stalki- i mean viewing your socials could only get him so far. he knew that you had an older sister, he knew about your ex boyfriend michael, he knew that you had and amazing sense of style, and that you loved your job with a passion.

but that wasn't enough to feed his curiosity. he wanted to know more than just the surface level attributes. he needed to know more.

"are you even listening to me right now?" you asked while waving a hand in front of his face. you'd been talking for quite some time and you were convinced that he wasn't listening at all.

trent shook his head with an amused smile and opened the car door he was standing infront of. "get in."

your eyes lips parted in shock. "I'm waiting for--"

you were rudely cut off by the feeling of your phone vibrating in your pants pocket and you quickly answered it, yours eyes still lingering on trent who knew exactly who you were talking to.

"no it's fine. he just got here anyway." your tone was soft and polite but the look that you were sending the right back was nothing of the sort.

when you heard martin hang up you hurriedly put your phone back and made your way into the passenger seat of trent's car, still holding the door open for you. "aren't you just adorable?"

he smiled at your mocking tone and sent you a look that made your heart jump. "well aren't you just an ego booster?"

when you got to the academy that early afternoon you didn't really know what to expect. but oh gosh were you left in awe. talk about prestigious.

your eyes roamed the buildings interior, the occasional gasp leaving your mouth which would get a stifled laugh from trent. he walked beside you with his hands in his pockets, a huge pang of nostalgia washing over him as he reminisced on his academy days.

"I can't believe you actually got the opportunity to train here," you gasped when you stepped out onto the field, where you saw the u18's doing their drills.

he let out a knowing hum and lead you over to where the academy's u18 coach- jay spearing was stood, leading the group of teenagers. if there was one thing that you knew then it was thar liverpool's academy players were nothing short of astonishing.

trent, curtis, jarell, and soon you could feel that a few new kids would be added to the list.

"what do we have here?" jay asked in surprise when he saw you and trent approaching, a smile present on his face when he saw the right back.

you watched as the older man brought trent into a hug, patting him on the back adoringly and sharing a few words before trent gestured to you. "this is ms c--"

trent's voice subtly cracked in uncertainty when he stopped mid introduction, which was strange. he turned back to you and then to jay with a smile. "--this is jamie. the head of our p.r team."

an impressed hum left jay's lips as he recalled what jurgen had said not to long ago about you. "It's nice to meet you jamie. I hope trent isn't bothering you too much. he's a bit of a handful."

he nudged the younger on his arm and you couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "I'm afraid that's an understatement."

trent put his hand over his heart in mock offence and gasped. "I could say the same about you."

the three of you spent a few more minutes talking about the team and how jurgen had been coming over quite a bit to view some of the youngsters for reserves, seeing as they were playing exceptionally well.

"he's had his eye on bradley, beck and doak for a while now. kaide gordon as well, but he's been out due to an injury."

you both listened to jay give his rundown on the recent observations while you watched the group of boys do their usual target practice. however, it was obvious that trent was scouting and you were thinking of ways to get these boys out in the public.

"do you think they'd let me take them out on a field trip?"

the question caught trent's attention as he turned to look at your side profile. "a field trip to where?"

you shrugged your shoulders, not too sure yet. "a hike."

"a hike?? are you craz--"

"--shush trent they're coming." you shut him up immediately by hitting his chest, your attention fixed on the group of boys walking your way.

now normally if you were to see a professional footballer, probably the blue print for the new generation and beside him a girl who was on the p.r team and a social media influencer of sorts there wouldn't be much debate as to who you'd want to meet.

both you and trent knew that, and you couldn't see the way he was mentally preparing himself to be greeted and questioned while you stood there silently and observed the interaction.

or well so you thought. what you didn't expect was for trent to get a head start and greet the group of boys, praising them for their hard work and offering to take a few pictures so that you could post them and it actually made a lot of sense.

you got your phone out and got ready, but to your surprise he was shot down. "we're actually here for jamie."

"what?" you both said in unison in visible shock.

"we're fans," one of the boys said sheepishly and you felt your heart melt.

trent was dumbfounded. he didn't know what to say or do, still trying to accept the fact that he was openly rejected. but you on the other hand tried to play it off as cool as possible.

it was normal for fans to approach you in public, but the fact that you had a fanbase and supporters was something that would always come as a shock. you didn't do much to deserve it, or at least that's you thought.

a smile drew to your lips, making sure to send trent a look. "well aren't you just an ego booster?"

spamjam._. added to their story

"so, how did it go?"

you jumped up at the sound of maya's voice echoing through the empty apartment. "son of a bitch."

all the lights were off so you assumed that she had gone to bed already and tried to shut the door as silently as possible, but here she was. sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee and the lamp on.

you dropped your bags to the floor and tried to lessen the fright that you had gotten but your sister couldn't have cared less. "It's nearly 10. no way you just went for ice-cream."

you felt like a rogue teenager at that moment. mentally preparing yourself for a scolding and at least 2 weeks of being grounded. "well sorry to disappoint," you joked and took off your jacket. "the ice cream was amazing though."

maya couldn't believe your answer and tore the blanket off her body to follow you into your bedroom. she watched as you got your things ready so you could shower and proceeded to bombard you with as many questions possible.

and you gave her the same response each time. after the academy, you took a drive to kill some time, got ice cream, and then you were dropped off. literally nothing happened.

"we just talked about normal things--" you tied up your hair, "--the weather, the state of our economy, why the earth is flat. nothing strange."

maya pulled a face and shook her head, "I hate you so much, ugh."

it wasn't long before you made yourself comfortable in bed, creeping underneath your blankets and succumbing to the warmth and security that it brought you. your mind drifted elsewhere for a moment and you were back to your anxious state.

the pitch.

it had only been a few hours but you were starting to rethink the entire idea. you could say that it was rather selfish of you to use yours and trent's little bet as a form of entertainment but it was a win-win situation. the team would get to practice but in the form of games and so much more fun, while getting their publicity.

that was entertainment.

you were just about to put off your phone and head off to sleep when you got the email. the green light.

dear ms carter,

apologies for the late outreach but I had a few things to sort out back at the office.

regarding your pitch however, I'd like to happily inform you that your pitch was approved by the directors as well as jurgen who was more then delighted to give it a go.

I trust that you have the logistics sorted out. and that you are able to start filming by october 9th seeing as the team have a busy match schedule for the rest of the month, so we'll need your undivided attention on our schedule as well.

I am excited to see how you take charge of this project and I hope it leads in your favour.

sincerely,

marvin colesmen

spamjam._. added to their story

trentarnold66 replied to your story

trentarnokd66 seriously, project carter😭

spamjam._. I am not about to get copyrighted by mbappe

and besides, I got ali on my back which means I'm about to beat the shit out of you

trentarnold66 all this for some content. talk about dedication. and you're still gonna lose😪

spamjam._. it's going to be fun. trust me.

trentarnold66 hm, I'll take your word for it. congrats btw 👏

spamjam._. stopppp. you're making me blush😊

trentarnold66 oh that's horrible. I'm gonna have to start keeping my distance.

spamjam._. you're not that great bro

trentarnold66 we all have our own opinions

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Finished watching “Alien Romulus”. I’ll work on a full length review later but my immediate thoughts are:

1) Fede Alvarez should make a Resident Evil movie, the same way Ari Aster needs to make a Silent Hill movie.

2) It’s the 3rd best Alien movie I’ve seen. Aliens 1986 is still king, followed by Alien 1979.

3) While I respect the effort…it felt like a reskinned, updated version of the first movie. The two complainers, the captain, the synthetic, the person who cries all the time, the Ripley. It’s like how Evil Dead 2013 felt like a reskinned, updated version of the 1st Evil Dead (also another Fede Alvarez effort).

4) I feel like they tried so hard to make Cailee Spaeny’s character the new Ripley, but forgot the part that Ellen Ripley was a 3-dimensional character who could be both fun and serious. Cailee did fine, but her character’s writing felt pretty flat and dull. She was the least interesting character in the cast, especially since everyone else got more distinct personalities.

5) Andy was the true protagonist. He actually had an arc and he had the most interesting character development. And honestly, I think Fede Alvarez recognized that Andy would be more liked than Rain. He gave Andy the big hero moment, as well as Ellen Ripley’s, “Get away from her you bitch!” line. Andy, the MVP of the movie.

Overall…solid 7/10. It’s nice to actually enjoy an Alien movie, especially considering the state of the franchise.

[sosa2imagines]

I know where I belong. Part 7

----------------------------------------------------- Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 ----------------------------------------------------- Warnings- Angst for Steve, fluff for everyone. -----------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Y/n and Bucky were enjoying in their room, laughing about the whole incident, yet keeping 'Scooby' safe with them. Bucky playfully gasped when you dropped 'Scooby' by mistake. "Oh my god, my son! It's okay mommy didn't mean to hurt you." The night was filled with laughter for you both.

Meanwhile, Steve just couldn't get the image of you and Morgan out of his head. Isn't this, what he had wished for, in the first place? He dragged his tired body, towards his bedroom. Maybe some alone time with Sharon, was what he needed at the moment. As soon as, he opened the door, he saw Sharon getting ready to go out. "Oh hey, you are back, you look tired" she says just glancing at him once, before continuing to get ready. "The mission was tiresome..." he tells her, too tired to talk. Once she is done getting ready, she looks at him, "Umm...have a warm bath you'll feel better, I'll see you." "Wait where are you going?" "I have an important meeting, I'm getting late, I'll see you later" "Can't you postpone it? Stay with me I need you!" "No Steve this meeting is important." "More important than me?" Steve whines too tired to fight... "Stop acting like a child Steve! you are a super solider, you'll feel better in few hours" she argues tired of his whining. "I need your help, Y/n would have..." "Y/n would have what?" Sharon cuts him mid sentence, yelling at him for mentioning you. Steve is shocked when he realizes, he used your name, but why did he? "Get your head straight and hopefully by the time I'm back, you are back to your senses" with that Sharon leaves. Steve strips down and drag his body to the bathtub, as soon as he feels the hot water, he starts to think about you, why did he thought about you today? why? Then his mind drifted to other memories of you, like how you use to take care of him, massage his body while he lays in the bathtub, how you would wash his hair, feed him and put him to sleep, but he shook his head and blamed his tired body for thinking about you.

Ever since, he was back, Steve had been going on missions after missions. Dealing with paperwork and training new recruits. He barely had the time for himself. As he lays on the bed alone, he stares at the ceiling. Thinking whether he took the right decision? After hours, Sharon did finally showed up later that night, in a disheveled state. Steve was too tired to notice, but that didn't stop Sharon from being mad at him for the mess in the room, ignoring his tired state, she kept the lights on purposefully just to annoy Steve, which resulted in him sleeping on the couch, you would never do this to him, he thinks about you again.

The next day, you and Bucky went out for your much awaited date! Saying yes to go on a date with Bucky was the best decision ever! He took you to a diner, that represent the 40s style. He was the perfect gentleman, on your way you had notice few girls drooling over him, trying to get his attention, but he kept looking ahead and at you, ignoring everyone else. Like only you existed on the planet. Bucky made you feel better, feel worthy of love again, like there was light at the end of the dark tunnel.

On the other hand Steve was miserable. Him and Sharon would have little and minor arguments, here and there, like any other couple would, but then they turn into more serious and loud arguments. It was only few months into the relationship, when the arguments started getting intense that led to resolving their issues by having make up sex and things would go back to normal for awhile. It would be a huge lie if Steve said, he was not getting fed of it. Now every argument would end up, with him sleeping on the couch, in his own room! That made him think about his situation relationship with Sharon. She knew Steve was dating you, yet neither of them pulled away from the kiss and one thing led to another.

But isn't this what he wanted? To finally be with a Carter? Isn't that the reason he left you. So why the hell was he not happy? Why he didn't like the fact that you and Bucky are spending way too much of time together? Everyone, even you warned him about Sharon, but she won't hurt him again? Right? He started to miss out the little things like, hanging out with his friends, enjoying movie nights, playing games, cooking, then he also started missing you. The time spent with you, how it was not just about only sex, you guys would cuddle, talk for hours without getting bored, go for long walks, and help him whenever he had nightmares. Sharon eventually did helped him in the beginning but later on she started to get annoyed she would tell him to suck it up, be man enough.

But now those are only memories, and now he lost his friends that are family along with you. Now he is living with just friends, who barely talk to him. Somewhere deep inside he was realizing his mistake he was no longer enjoying, infact he was suffering, but his ego and pride was bigger at the moment to make him accept the truth. Steve had made his mind. He hopes, no he believes Sharon will support his decision.

The next day FRIDAY alerted you about Steve assembling the the team, for a meeting. You all sat there, looking at each other confused. "Anyone knows, why Capsicle has called us?" Tony asks, looking at everyone. All he gets is a shrug. Steve arrives few minutes later minus Sharon.

"Thank you everyone, for coming here at the last minute." "Just tell us what it is" Nat tells him. "I'm here to announce my retirement."

----------------------------------------------------- Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 ----------------------------------------------------- (Part 7 is here, lovely people. I hope you all like it. Comments and feedbacks are appreciated. Love you all) -----------------------------------------------------

[hauntedwizardmoment]

OKAY so: 2, 10, 11, 14, for any oc(s) you wish, but also, assuming you're taking asks about 'em, for jace's former party from blood and turpentine fic series bc I am legitimately obsessed with them and think about them daily

HIII oh my god this got so long i am so sorry but i got carried away:

2. What's something about your OC that people wouldn't expect just from looking at them?

Peregrine: he’s a theater kid! he wanted to be a bard soooo bad or at least multiclass a la Fabian but due to the [gestures at his neuroses around his masculinity] he never did. i think in terms of levels, he ended up a level 20 fighter until he did some paladin training as an adult that put him at like, a 17/3 split between fighter/paladin. in a kinder timeline he’d be doing community theater and taxes with jace. in blood and turpentine. well no spoilers for what im currently writing but it’s not that.   

Dagbert: out of everyone in the group hes the one thats into musicals unironically. and not even good musicals. like picture this massive goliath that’s taller than porter and just as broad, i think i have him as like 7 ft 1, and he just fucking loves Cats. he’s obsessed with fantasy andrew lloyd webber. has a jellicle-sona. 

Ysvelde: she’s somehow got even less of a solid grasp of her identity than jace does. part of it is that she’s an actress, part of it is that she’s never really lived for anything besides the approval of other people (first her mom, then her adventuring party). she has no idea who she is without the approval of others. if you put her in a room alone she’d start climbing the walls instead of sitting alone with her own thoughts. girl who is constantly experiencing The Dread but she covers it up with a winning smile + really cool artsy makeup. 

Aurora: [dan howell voice] one time she had a MESSY night out in [bastion city], kissed a GIRL, and SMOKED A CIGARETTE. no but seriously she has a secret wild side that she rarely lets out, especially as she gets more and more into fundamentalism and what she believes is sol’s true word, the very early beginnings of the harvestmen cult. during their first year adventuring, shes the one that suggested matching tramp stamps while they were all wasted. 

Invidia: she’s a romantic. she really does want her friends to find love. she’s at aurora and peregrine’s wedding as a bridesmaid, and when she realizes that jace and porter are serious about each other, she’s genuinely happy for him. underneath all the cattiness and jokes she’s so glad that everything “worked out” (woman who does not know jace is a dead man walking)

10. What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

not to keep talking about this but my infidelity fic which is an au of blood and turpentine? i have so many dramatic scenes from it that i rotate in my head. when peregrine finds out that jace got promoted to vice principal and starts a huge fight about it. dagbert’s father’s funeral. invidia and ysvelde’s falling out. when peregrine finds out about jace’s affair and subsequently gets murdered by porter. aurora’s creepy midsommar-ass family hosting everyone for fantasy easter. 

11. What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?

Peregrine: a lance!! by the time he’s a full-time adventurer i’m sure it’s a magical weapon too, probably has like a +2 or something. hes definitely used it before love a martial class. 

Dagbert: his battle axe, absolutely has used it. he’s definitely got a magic weapon too, i think i call out in love’s never meant much to me that it has magic runes on it so yeah let’s call it the same level of magical as perry’s lance

Ysvelde: so she’s a college of eloquence bard and a fiend pact warlock, so i think she probably has a shortsword as a backup weapon but honestly that eldritch blast cantrip is getting her through most of her fights juuuust fine. 

Aurora: circle of life cleric, definitely has a crossbow that she’s used a couple times in a panic early on but she’s more a healer than anything. i picture her spiritual weapon (the cleric spell) as a scythe. 

Invidia: she’s a circle of the moon druid so i think she’d have a pair of broad claws that do some sick slashing damage, plus obviously her wild shape forms, and her animal companion (a wolf but for funsies ive flavored it as a husky named luna and she loves her so much, she treats her like a child, has little bows to put in her fur, etc. luna is fantasy instagram famous)

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

ohhhh this is sosososo juicy 

Peregrine: the true driving force in his life is to be seen as a protector, as a provider, as a good fighter and a good man. he will Freak Out if he perceives anything as getting in the way of that. especially if its his own actions that make him look weak or immoral in any way, i.e. sleeping with jace when he and aurora are on a break. 

Dagbert: truly. genuinely. from the bottom of his heart. he could not give less of a shit. he wants to be known as a goddamn professional, unlike the rest of these people, apparently. he’s out here trying to earn a fucking paycheck meanwhile everyone else in his party is ensnared in insane psychosexual drama. he’s angling to get a raise to buy out his ailing father’s construction business from him and let the man retire and this clownshow of a party is fucking it up for him.

Ysvelde: she’s not real unless youre clapping and cheering for her if you dont clap and cheer for her she’ll die. she lives and dies on the approval of an audience. she’s a star. but like for real she needs validation constantly, it doesnt matter where it comes from or how she gets it, she just needs to know that she’s getting a good grade in existing, something normal to want and possible to achieve. 

Aurora: her main thing is being right. she’s a cleric, she receives the divine word from sol, she’s his hand upon the world and she’ll spread his light to the darkest corners of spyre and consecrate it for him, make the world holy. she has her convictions and is firm in them, and she wants everyone to see her as a source of good and truth, both in battle and in spirituality. i think after a certain point she couldnt care less what her party thinks of her, she’s mainly looking for the approval of higher-ups in the church of sol to further solidify herself as a priestess and help shape the vision and direction of the church. 

Invidia: her and aurora butt heads a lot because she also is very into being correct, but in a way that is entirely divorced from divinity. instead, she wants other people to see her as observant to a scary degree. she wants you to know that she sees what you do, knows your habits inside and out, all your secrets, and is taking notes and filing them away for blackmail purposes. and when you slip up she WILL brag about predicting your downfall to your face. it’s why she and jace are the ivy-and-oisin of their party, they both love gossip and reveling in the misery of people they dont like. 

[breadvidence]

Subjective ranking of I.VI.II versions, chapter title “Punish Me, M. le Maire”. Judged primarily based on horniness and comedy.

1. The Brick. The silent treatment. “The strength of your loins.” “It is lucky that you recognize the fact.” The long aside about accents and the evolution of names, because Victor Hugo wrote this, which somehow does not derail the vibes. I have serious thoughts on this scene but this list is not about literary analysis, it’s about how much Javert wants to be licking M. Madeleine’s boots (to the max), Valjean opposite him with actual dom energy (present), and the lol factor (top of the line).

2. ’98. No, hear me out. Rush’s Javert despairingly tries to lead Neeson’s Valjean to the right conclusion like an experienced sub guiding a vanilla top through a scene. Neeson is bewildered. Rush exudes frustrated erotic energy. I am having flashbacks to bad hookups and dying on the inside. A+

3. A hundred different fanfic rewrites of this scene in which dicks touch. Bless y’all.

4. ’78. Perkins doesn’t bring as much frustration to the table as Rush, making this less funny, but in his defense he’s opposite Jordan, who is as vacant as a beach ball. Solid rendition regardless.

5. ’25. Faithful to the novel, but lacks spice. Best moment occurs when Gabrio gestures with open arms and Toulout looks blankly horrified, as if thinking Gabrio might go in for a hug.

6. 2012 (Hooper). I debated the ranking but this *is* a scene that launched a thousand fics, so while it seems to me that Crowe’s Javert needs aftercare more than a spanking (so wrung out), clearly fandom disagrees. Loses points for lack of comedy.

7. Stage musical. “But Bread,” you might say, “The musical doesn’t adapt this scene.” I am counting the end of “The Runaway Cart” as an honorable mention, since it still includes Javert embarrassing himself.

8. ’35. All I remember is Laughton quivering and maybe a repetition of the line about laws good, bad, and indifferent (a line which reflects such a misunderstanding of the character I can only squint). Erotic levels at 0%, not amused.

9. ’52. I have zero recollection of how the scene plays out and can’t be fucked to rewatch.

10. BBC 2018. I do recollect this scene and I wish I didn’t. I watch, I’m bewildered, Oyelowo telegraphs meaningfully into the camera, his meaning is unclear, none of the implications are derived from the source text. Oyelowo tries to look like he’s experiencing gay lust and fails. They shake hands, I clutch my pearls. -100

[noteoftheturnabout]

piss-eater

ranking doubts and diatribes cases in chronological order! (+ some hot takes from my beautiful mind)

1) note of the turnabout

I don't actually have to say much about this one. kudos for not teaching us stuff we already know, but it suffers from severe first-case-mediogrity that only the lost turnabout ever really escaped... it was fun having gumshoe as our defendant and the hookup of the note as the only unused piece of evidence that everyone else fails to acknowledge was interesting, the case itself wasn't outright bad and fullfilled its role, which is why it gets a solid 5/10

2) arrival on a turnabout

LARRY BUTZ I FUCKING HATE YOU THANKS FOR GETTING US IN TROUBLE AGAIN!

also hiiii hiiiiiiii viola hi~ <3

this case immediately picked up my interest in a way that note of the turnabout unfortunately didn't. I mean, viola contacting us again?? tender lender comeback and development!! someone murdering a fucking cadaverini??? this has got to be something serious. instant intrigue!

I really appreciate using the tender lender and cadaverini to start tying into all that's going to be revealed. I mean yes! they are the small glimpse we got earlier into the same dark side this case is beginning to unravel! viola fits the vibe, makes sense to be used, is underappeciated in the fandom and I'm glad to see more of her!

viola fanboying aside, I was kinda overwhelmed by the intensity of it all at one point, when the logic thread lead us to Larry was getting accused. that's not neccessarily really a bad thing, or a flaw, but the stress did damage my enjoyment. the prosecutor was just relentless and we could make very little counterargument because of the severe lack of information, and because we were meant to lose, but I think it wasn't really Bad per se. that's when the fact that its a story first and a trial simulator second really begins to shine. I haven't decided how I feel about the fact we're actually meant to lose sometimes, it is very interesting and innovative, but sometimes it made me outright desperate.

and how could I forget! the wet kitten supreme umaru keigo and his tragic reveal! I liked that I think. despite him being a bitch as a prosecutor in this case

anyway the general score is probably gonna be... like 7/10 or 8/10, points taken off mostly for Larry and for stress.

3) turnabout judgement

HOO BOY. OH MY FUCKING GOD.

I'm gonna shove my "the judge actually IS corrupt" agenda in the closet for now because in this case he's not guilty. AND GOD DAMN IT WAS SCARY FINDING OUT THE PERSON I NEED TO GET MY FRIEND OUT OF TROUBLE, THE PERSON WHO WAS RELIABLY ALWAYS THERE, THE PERSON WHO YOU THOUGHT IS GLUED TO HIS JUDGE CHAIR IS BEING DETAINED AND INVESTIGATED RIGHT NOW. remember how I praised arrival on the turnabout for being gripping? forget that! turnabout judgement scared me shitless within the first few minutes. it's getting at least five points for that instantly.

I don't really understand people who say that hanma is supposed to be innocent, sweet and umsuspectable, like dahlia. because.... no she's not. she's scary, shady and an asshole right from the start, – then we just get to learn more and more and more about her motivation and about her doings. which I enjoy very much! I think she's a great character. at least two points to this case for having her in it.

BUT MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT THIS CASE ISN'T HER! its her sus as fuck pet judge, aka the specialest most unique judge ever, aka my perfect man yasuhiro tomioka!!!! omfg can we get a shoutout for yasuhiro tomioka I barely ever even see fanart of him Please. this case gets three points on the spot for having this man in it.

but here comes the final evaluation time, and just when it seemed like this case has effortlessly reached victory....

I fucking hate the evidence in this case and the case itself. the evidence is so flimsy and hard to work with I barely pulled myself to the end of the trial, constantly making mistakes because I was just trying to be logical, and lost a couple times which in other cases never happens to me.

(and yes there is a variant of loss that's not meant to happen, not the guilty verdict which is.) oh my fucking god I wish I could score it higher but beating the case shaved at least a few years off my lifespan, so I'm shaving off four points off this case. 6/10

(upd I realized that only started doing points math in this part of the ranking but its too late to go back and edit the rest now isn't it) (it isn't I just dont want to)

4) turnabout chase

9/10, 0.8 points taken off for pressure and loss stress, good god there's a lot of stress in this, 0.2 points off for lang's brother because I didn't case about him.

otherwise... no words.

(please read the additional materials, THERE ARE LANGWORTH LETTERS YOU GUYS and the cooking competetion was cute and really helped take off the tension!)

5) turnabout obsession

is it fine that I was actually thinking edgeworth did it..?

that's mostly because I was concerned about his moral compass tilt during "revengeworth" arc and I genuinely didn't know what to expect of him next.

the evidence pointing towards him was flimsy and I didn't have that much of a hard time poking holes in it, but I was still doubting edgeworth the whole time.

which I shouldn't have because that's exactly what that detective bitch wanted.

I didn't really care about basil bonerat until this case but after playing this one... I love him actually! yes I obviously hate him for what he did but hes so fucked in the head its incredibly interesting. luke atmey type of shit except arguably worse. also very revolutionary of him to be the first detective culprit!

8/10 with 1 point off for killing off hanma and 1 point off for a couple of things here and there that didn't really make sense, which im usually able to ignore with ace attorney, but wasn't able this time because of the grip the story had on me. gripping concepts is what the developers really poored their heartussy into and it shows.

and a bonus ranking of a case I was on the fence about including because its unclear whether it belongs with everything else or not (and also because I dont like it that much):

6) turnabout by the shore

kudos for sebastian and the lesbianism, but the culprit was very obvious the whole time and unfortunately I really fail to believe in sean and hanma's relationship. if they were given more time or moments or anything I probably would've cared way more than I did but unfortunately. still dont get this part of the fandom that writes 120k fics about sea sapphics and meta posts about how they both know so little about each other (duh that's the problem), but im built different I guess. unfortunately this gets 4/10 or even 3/10. probably 4 though out of respect for nonbinary lesbians

[mydemonsdrivealimo]

Your Death, Your Dog, Your Declaration

Chapter 1/?

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Jensen Valentine (M!MC) (Not official/eventual)

Characters: Jensen Valentine, Bryce Lahela, Keiki Lahela, Sienna Trinh, Rafael Aveiro (mentioned)

Rating: Mature

Words: <2k

Series Summary: The chemical attack, as told in the world of Jensen Valentine and those close to him.

Chapter Summary: The night of the chemical attack hit Bryce hard. Harder than the victims on death's door. He's guilty, and it's killing him.

A/N: this piece will be dual/multi POV, so while this starts with Bryce, look forward to the others!!

~~~

1:04 AM

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

In. 

Out…

In. 

Still 1:04.

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

In… 

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

In. 

1:05 AM

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9—shit. 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14. 56.

1:06 AM

“Stop doing that, I’m not dead yet,” Jensen grumbled sleepily, yanking his hand back into his lap.

“Sorry,” Bryce replied. His tone was more lifeless than Jensen looked, tired and dejected.

Jensen rolled over, facing him. “You know it’s right there for a reason, right?” He said it with hardly a glance at the heart rate monitor, too exhausted to manage more. 

“Just keeping myself busy,” Bryce answered. “You should go to sleep.”

“Really?” he quipped, fast and sharp as always, “I hadn’t thought of it.”

It earned him a grin—a real one, as difficult as it was—but it faded just as fast. Bryce took Jensen’s hand again, playing with his fingers and holding extra tight, the gloves making it impossible to feel the dryness of his hands. They were always scratchy and rough from washing and sanitizing tens of times in a day, fingers calloused on the ends. His nails, painted a dark blue, were starting to chip. Would the embalmers take it off or repaint them?

Jensen shook him off, reminding him again that he wasn’t gone yet, and fidgeted with the blanket over himself. He ran the texture between his fingers. 

“Do you want to be cremated or embalmed?” Bryce asked. He still watched his hands, distracted.

“Oh, cremated, for sure—unless I can haunt Ethan, that is.”

There was a lightness to Jensen’s tone, seeming as monotone and factual as usual, but the ludicrous theory giving away to Bryce that he was joking. 

“I’m being serious.”

As he looked back up, Jensen’s eyes were a flat, solid shade of unforgiving, boring brown. No depth to the green hues Bryce could catch in the afternoon sunlight—just as sterile as the fluorescents illuminating them.

“If you keep acting like I’m dead, I’m going to kick you out. You’re supposed to be the optimist here, this is completely backwards.”

Bryce took a breath, looking down at the large, clunky suit he donned. “...I know. I’m trying.”

“Try harder. We could be talking about anything and you’re worried about my not-guaranteed funeral.” He said the next part in a mocking tone—a phrase Bryce had said plenty of times. “Not very ‘go with the flow’ of you.”

“How are you being more chill about this than I am?”

“Because I’m fine.” And the undeniable way he said it made it feel like the truth. Even with the dark circles under his eyes, and the exhaustion he couldn’t shake, it felt true. “If I die, oh well. Life moves on—it’s not like I’ll know it.”

As much as Bryce wanted to argue, wanted to correct the flaws in his thinking, he didn’t want to strain him with an unnecessary effort to defend himself. He was there to comfort him and that’s what he would try to do. “You seem more comfortable talking about death than you do small talk.”

Jensen's laugh turned into a cough, far into his chest with an agonizing sound that had Bryce reaching for the emesis basin. He waved him off, taking a sip of his water before settling back in the bed.

“It’s not the first time I’ve thought about it,” Jensen replied, a little more serious, a little more real.

Bryce gave him an inquisitive look, but Jensen just responded with a tired head tilt that meant he could interpret it however he wanted. He didn’t. 

Maybe he should. Maybe it was naive to have hope, but he would wait as long as he had to for Jensen to tell him what that meant. What any of it meant. All the vague references and to-himself jokes that Bryce didn’t understand—he wanted to. He wanted to know every detail of him: what built him and what broke him.

Once again playing with Jensen’s hands, a gentle encouragement to lull him to sleep, he recalled a night at Donahue’s like the others. The group shared stories from undergrad, their drunkest and most embarrassing moments, but Jensen had been utterly silent. Not that it was far out of character, but when multiple opportunities were presented to make fun of Landry and he took none of them, Bryce was going to notice.

It was also easy to recognize when he had been perfecting it himself for years. He remembered trying to stay quiet in an effort to go unnoticed, but that method never worked well given how often he was the one talking. For Jensen, it was believable; it was a perfectly practiced way to hide something.

But Bryce’s eyes had always been drawn to him. From the first day he walked into the locker room, all piercing glances and analytical expressions, Bryce noticed him. Noticed the light inflections in his tone, a small but important indicator most didn’t pick up on, but was obvious to anyone who bothered to learn him. 

Bryce didn’t learn enough of him. No, it didn’t help that Jensen was the opposite of chatty, but he couldn’t help feeling some ounce of guilt for that. “I don’t think you’ve stopped talking since I met you.” Did he take up every conversation? Were there times Jensen was going to share something about himself—something worth something—that Bryce covered with his own insignificant blabber? 

Everything was worth something when usually he got nothing at all. Jensen’s silence was not odd, after you got used to it, that is, and neither was the lack of substance. Bryce wanted more than that.

What were his hobbies? He could take a guess from the keyboard and bass in his room, but was it ever more serious than a display on the wall? 

All he knew was a shell of a person, only the details you could see on the outside, and he just never bothered to ask for anything more. He settled for the least amount of worth you could get from a person and never batted an eye, just kept talking and talking and fucking talking.

What was his favorite restaurant in the city? One of the places they went together? Or somewhere Bryce never bothered to ask about?

Boston was Jensen’s home for just over a year, yet he had 26 before that elsewhere. 

Where did he grow up?

When was his birthday?

What was his middle name?

Did he want to be cremated or embalmed?

A tap on the window caught his attention. Sienna was standing there with his phone in her hand, shaking it in a way that said he needed to check it. He glanced over Jensen again, well asleep this time, and carefully set his hand down.

A long slew of profanities left his mouth as he wrestled with the suit, grabbing his phone as fast as possible to see the tens of missed calls from Keiki. He barely had it in his hands before pressing the call back button. Waiting for a long few rings, she finally answered. 

“Hey, sorry, I—”

“No, it’s fine, are you okay? I saw the news.” The breathiness in her voice showed her concern no matter how hard she fought to keep her tone even. 

“Yes, I’m okay. I wasn’t there when it happened.” He checked over Jensen one more time through the window, still asleep, before gathering his things to leave. “I’ll be home in twenty minutes; did you eat anything?”

It took her a second to answer. “Uh, no. I…wasn’t really hungry.”

“I’ll get you something.”

He opened the locker room door to collect his coat and keys, tossing the latter on as she replied, “It’s like two in the morning, nothings going to be open.”

“I’ll get you something,” he repeated before ending the call, shoving his phone into his pocket and starting towards his car.

Twenty minutes later he arrived home, gas station food in a plastic bag he tossed on the counter. 

“I’m sorry,” he said as she stood from the couch, in pajamas and yawning but set up with a movie and her phone to keep her awake.

“It’s fine, I’m just glad you’re okay, I guess,” she said, taking a bag of chips out and opening them up. He declined when she offered them, standing aimlessly in the middle of the kitchen. 

He couldn’t sit down knowing the uncertainty of what was happening at the hospital, but he couldn’t pace around agitated the whole night. He would wait until Keiki was asleep then return to the hospital for an update. Maybe text Sienna while he waited. 

“You look like you’re going to be sick,” Keiki commented, shoving a handful into her mouth. The thought of eating did make him sick, but he just shrugged it off.

“It was just stressful,” he replied, trying to have some semblance of normalcy. He set his phone and keys down, almost robotic, on the dining table. She was watching his every move, even as he took a breath, reminding himself that normally he’d go change. So, he did.

His bed was a mess, blankets crumpled from where Keiki had taken it over, her stack of books on the nightstand along with her clothes in a heap on the floor. Grabbing his change of clothes, he took them to the bathroom, sensing that it was no longer his space.

She was still in the kitchen when he returned, watching him again.

“I forgot to ask, but were your friends okay?”

That was all it took for his lip to tremble, unable to get an answer out. He distracted himself with grabbing the remote from the couch, setting it on the coffee table and sitting down with a deep breath. He waited for the ache in the back of his throat to subside with every following breath, blinking back the wetness around his eyes.

“No.”

But he could barely choke back the sob escaping from his throat, sending the tears well over the floodgates.

He never even got a moment to check on Raf, and even in the half an hour he was gone, Jensen’s condition could have significantly worsened. It was too easy to imagine when he was out of his sight, no tangible proof in front of him: no dry comments and no tired grins, the same ones he’d probably never see again.

Wiping the tears was a useless effort, a constant flow wetting his face and soaking his sleeves.

The couch dipped next to him. Keiki tucked a few tissues into his hand before wrapping her arms around him.

And he remembered it from a thousand times before. The nights he’d come home late and have it out with his dad in the middle of the foyer, giving everything just as vicious as he got it, but only ending with him in tears. Keiki would sneak in, probably woken up by the shouting, to ask what was going on, but the minute she saw his face she’d climb up his bed to wrap him in a hug that couldn’t quite reach around him. It didn’t matter if she didn’t know the details—it was better she didn’t—but she was the only one there who had enough compassion to try.

Here she was again, picking up the pieces of a mess that wasn’t hers. He didn’t have the strength to fight her on it, though, and didn’t have the strength to send her to bed like he should’ve on those nights. He just turned, letting his arms fall over her shoulders and holding on with everything he had.

~~~

tagging: @jerzwriter @cariantha @kyra75 @gutsfics @inlocusmads @lilyoffandoms @choicesficwriterscreations

[ananke-xiii]

My ranking of SPN seasons (based only on their PLOT) pt. 3

In my previous posts (here and here) I've covered the following:

15: Season 14

14: Season 15

13: Season 7

12: Season 3

11: Season 6

10: Season 13

9: Season 12

8: Season 1

7: Season 10

Let's continue!

6. Season 9: The plot for this season runs on parallel tracks: on one hand we have the consequences of the spell that Metatron cast at the end of season 8 (ie: angels have fallen, chaos ensues); on the other hand, we have the heroes' quest, finding and killing Abbadon. These 2 parallel plots find their meeting point in the Mark of Cain: frustrated because he's unable to kill Abbadon AND because of his serious fallout with Sam, Dean gives in and accepts the curse. His choice will have immense consequences on the heaven-related plot: it will be revealed that Castiel, who was working to settle things out in heaven, will give up everything to save Dean. Plot-wise, this was a good season. Once again, I felt that the death of a secondary character (Kevin Tran, RIP my poor baby boy), was done for emotional sake and to aggravate the heroes' fallout. It felt unnecessary, cruel and, frankly, not well thought-out (but the writers have already made the same mistake with Bobby and will make it again with Charlie SO at this point I think that they know what they are doing, I simply don't agree with their writing choices). All in all, the season was quite good, it did its job. Can't complain.

5. Season 2: This season expands on the season 1 plot, so basically we are still dealing with the heroes' personal vendetta against the Yellow Eyes demon who killed their mother. However, this time we are presented with more allies and enemies, the Winchesters' backstory gets more complicated and we start to guess that there's more at stake for the two brothers. It's not just payback anymore: the plot starts to thicken and we glimpes that higher powers were pulling the strings all along. Mary Winchester's death was destined. It's a strong season that starts with John's death and almost ends with Sam's death but not quite: the last episode is able to keep us interested for what's to come as we find out that Dean has made a demon deal to save his brother. I didn't like some "minutiae", like the whole thing about other humans being infected with demon blood at 6 months old as a "back-up" plan in case Sam was not the One. Sorry but when Destiny enters the chat you either go all-in or not, there are no back-up plans. Also, it turns out that Sam is not exactly The One since he gets killed by the other guy whose name I forgot. Soooo, you know... this doesn't sound solid, you can tell that the whole thing is there to 1) fill in episodes; 2) give writers some space in case things don't go as planned. I don't know, I was kinda bummed about it, yeah.

4. Season 5: This might sound controversial but... I didn't exactly like season 5's ending. I know that, according to the majority of articles I've read, this is considered THE perfect SPN season but.. you know, it doesn't cut it for me. The plot is very good, though, so here's why it's still high on my own personal ranking. Once we've established that Sam and Dean are the destiny's children (LOL) and that their own existence was predestined, we are now left with the big IF. A sort of "will-they-won't-they". Will Dean say YES to Michael and become his vessel? Will Sam say YES to Lucifer? I like it, this is good and the plot is well-developed throughout the whole 20+ episodes. BUT, here's the BIG but. I hated, HATED, the "Adam becomes Michael's vessel so that Dean can safely say no and the plot can still go as planned" expedient. I truly hate this kind of things with a passion. First thing first, I detest writers when they introduce "disposable" characters such as Adam (and many others in the show, tbh). This is my own personal pet peeve so I can understand why other people are not as bothered by this as I am. Aside from that, as I've said before, once you introduce DESTINY in the plot you cannot have back-up plans. If you do, the whole concept is weakened and, as a refult, the plot feels cheap. We had established that Dean and Dean only could be Michael's vessel. However, SURPRISE! Adam, being his half-brother, can be a vessel, too! Yu-hoo, Apocalipse can still happen even if Dean says NO! Ma'am, please. No. It's also very sexist since it implies the father's blood is the predominant factor in this whole charade (Adam is John's Winchester third ((maybe, who really knows at this point??) son). This is a big NO for me. Since it's an intrinsic part of the plot I can't walk away from this.

[thestormthatrises]

It's all fun and games in Moshang land until Shang Qinghua gets dead serious and quiet, and firmly says "No." Tô MBJ.

People think that MBJ is the ice demon that can make a room grow deadly cold with just one look, one arched brow. But, Lord in heaven! They have never seen the whole palace freeze under SQH stern and unyielding"No."

Because like, there are a thousand and one "no's" that SQH can say:

There's the nervous "No, no!" He says when something is bothering him but he doesn't want to talk about it;

The "No, nothing" when his cunning mind is scheming;

The whiney "noooo" for when MBJ drags him away from his Work because he forgot to eat (and secretly wants to cuddle);

There's the tired "No..." He sighs out when MBJ has to leave his bed on AD, silently begging for him to stay just a little bit more (but he can't, they both know this);

So many ways and tones and meanings to one word... And yet, the deadliest comes when SQH is genuinely upset or annoyed. He grows quiet before he says it, as if giving the chance to the offender to shut the fuck up and stop bothering him. When grace is denied, he digs his heels in the ground and firmly says "No."

And he means it.

MBJ, for all the bratty, spoiled prince that he is; for all he hates to be denied things (especially Qinghua), freezes on the spot because of that one word from the peak Lord. That tone. That look!

You would think an ice demon would be ok with a cold hand over his heart but When the ice cold hand of anxious trepidation creeps into his chest, he can't bear it.

Before SQH left him, he would rally against that "no" like the brat he was and would even punish Qinghua for denying him. But he what he didn't know then was that his cowardly servant had his limits.

He bent like bamboo in the storm of his rages most of the time. But when MBJ overstepped his limits, he would grow rigid and solid and strong. He would take each beating almost silently and each hit filled those honeyed eyes with scorn.

And worse of all: after the useless beating, he would get up, bow and call MBJ "my prince".

It was disrespectful. It was a threat. It was cold, distant and... bad. It was HORRIBLE! And he hated being called a prince by someone who always believed in him-- had always said that he would be a king.

He knew better now, of course. He rushed to correct whatever mistake was made but, sometimes, the best thing to do was allow SQH to leave and cool off. A tactile retreat to regroup resources and pamper his human rotten to get back into his good graces.

Qinghua was too dangerous to be on his bad side. More dangerous than Junshang. With LBH, you could just be killed. With SQH, he would keep you alive and destroy everything you held dear. He would bring down the greatest of houses and sects, he would take their treasures, Salt their land and bring their homes to ruin and decay. And he would do it all and make it seem like it was all your fault. And in the end, when you had nothing, when you begged for death, he would make you grovel for it. Not even honor could accompany you to the grave.

(MBJ always thought that ruthless efficiency was extremely hot. He loved it. He loved how 7 out of 10 times, Qinghua used it for his king and the advancement of the Northern Desert. Qinghua was so beautiful when he was driven)

Qinghua was also too precious to lose.

It was hard to put into words, to quantify, how much he loved his human. It was an intense, insane love that took him completely by surprise. He still fumbled with it. With how much he felt. It tripped the king most of time SQH just needed to breathe, to smile, to call out to him, and his treacherous heart leaped and raced. It order his body to act before he could think. He needed SQH always there. Always near. Always his. SQH was an intrinsic part of himself And when they fought, it was like being torn asunder. He hated it. He hated having SQH mad at/disappointed by him 🥺

Luckily for MBJ, SQH had a soft heart. A marshmallow one, really. But just for him. When he shows true contrition, his future Consort easily opens up and allows himself to be pampered and held and loved. He sighs and smiles and melts in MBJ'S arms. He sweetly calls him "my king"

But in those tense hours of separation, the whole north holds its breath and walks quietly to keep Peak Lord Shang's ire at bay.

("When mom raises her voice, everybody lowers their heads" was a loop in my head while writing this drivel XDD)

[withering-sunflower-dust]

A bit more conversation/interviews from the esmp actor cast!

Question; what are their favorite blooper scenes?

Celestia/Gem's actor;

Celestia; we have bloopers all the time, I'd say a lot of the bloopers are so funny especially since the scenes are supposed to be serious

Interviewer; can we hear one of these bloopers perhaps?

Celestia; of course you can! Okay so like we were filming the Gem and Sausage fight where she was supposed to break sausage out possession, we have to do like five different take for that because Sammy{sausage's actor} kept laughing and swearing and also kept tripping off the edge!

Interviewer; I am ready hear how many times Sammy caused the cast to have to retake a scene today!

Celestia; totally should cuz there's going to be so many!

Cris/Fwhip's actor

Cris; oh that's a hard one cuz I have so many bloopers in mind for like a favourite, but personally I think one of my favorite ones are just like Carson laughing while he was in a scene with ash (Xornoth's/Bratwurst's actor) like they could not look into each other's eyes and play it seriously we'd have to like redo that scene at least 10 or so times until they properly do it cuz every time they look at each other they just straight up start laughing out loud like not even laugh they would fall to their knees laughing and crying on the floor those two are brother-in-law's and I have respect for that but that also means we have to redo the scene like 15 times unusual basis when those two have a scene together

Interviewer; that is an absolute nightmare to live through having to redo 15 takes

Cris; it is, it takes so long o film the cuz those two would lay on the ground and laugh for a solid 20 minutes

Sammy/Sausage's actor

Sammy; uuhh, honestly I'd say season 2 when Shelby and supreme meet and they have this elaborate plan to trap Joey but my favorite bloopers were when they were flying in

Interviewer; now why is that?

Sammy; every time we would start the flying scene they would straight up get tangled even after we untangled them when they started to take they got tangled again somehow, so like we had to retake that one 10 second flying motion for like I think it was like 7 or 8 times we had to retake it

Interviewer; unless they did it on purpose they were spitting around in the air

Sammy; that's probably what they did

Ash/Bratwurst's/Xornoth's actor

Ash; there are a load of funny ones, if you're talking personal favorites, then it was when we were setting up ice for Carson's Elsa arc and when he got on the ice he literally slipped face first

Interviewer; he didn't know how to skate?!

Ash; Ironic right?

Dianna/Pearl's actor;

Dianna; Favourite blooper was when we were trying to film an angel sausage scene and things didn't go quite to plan, needless to say we almost put set on fire

Interviewer; well now how that happened!?

Dianna; we were messing with the lights

Carson/Scott's actor;

Carson; this isn't a blooper scene but I think Id count it as one, we were doing like a technical fighting scene and then someone bumped into Cris and accidentally fell hit ash and then they kissed on the floor, like watching that back over and over is so funny the two of them were completely stunned by it were you curious ones out there it was nether fight scene

Interviewer; wither husband was trending ship for a while, maybe that's why!

Shelly/Shubble's actor

Shelly; My favourite blooper of all time is most likely Like the wedding scene where Xornoth was like hiding from the crowd like ash kept falling and losing balance at the ledge he was trying to so hard to balance he swore when he finally did it he swore while filming and we had to retake it again!

Interviewer; now that, was an epic fail!

Kathliana/Katharine'sactor

Kath; it's a very specific one, you know how season 1 Scott has messenger owl? Yea while we were filming the owl moved and Carson jumped and screamed, he thought those were remote controlled so like he didn't expect it to move to him

Interviewer; they were real?

Kath; yea, one of the writers had trained owls as a pet and brought them in for plot no one knew expect for Sammy cuz he was part of the writers crew for a bit

Sebastian/Joey's actor

Seb; This is really unclosed info don't tell anyone I said this, but my favorite blooper was when Sean was trying to set up the candles then then rolled on one making him fall in the fountain

Interviewer; I am sworn to secrecy!

Sean/pixl's actor

Sean; probably when cole was pulled into the ponds by actual cods, that wasn't a joke we had like couple hundred cod's on set

Interviewer; now that would be a feast!

Cole/Jimmy's actor

Cole; this isn't a blooper it's more a behind the scenes, but I love how like every Sunday Sammy would bring soda and empanadas, they were homemade and f______ delicious!

Interviewer; woah now! You can't say that word were on live television!

Louise/Lizzie's actor

Louise; I'd say Dianna screaming on the tops of the lungs when she saw ash, she had no idea Sammy had a twin

Interviewer; You have the most straightforward answer of everyone

Louise; and yet I'm still not straight

Joey/Joel's actor

Joey; personal favorite was when anyone trips and fall over the corrupted vines

Interviewer; I'm guessing that happens a lot?

Joey; more than you may think

Sahara/False's actor

Sahara; everytime cris would fall while he was crouch walking Trying to reach his hight requirements

Interviewer; so he was actually crouching?

Sahara; Yea and it was hilarious seeing him struggle with it

Liam/Oli's actor

Liam; I have a particular one in mind, It was when the Lammas wouldn't stop spitting on Owen while filming, they hated him for some reason

Interviewer; I guess they just hate the special guests!

Liam; soo true

_________

If there's anything you wanna ask abt the actor au shoot me an ask! And if you have questions for the cast then also shoot me an ask!

[gaybae1021]

Welcome to my MCD Character Redesign series! Thank you to everyone who voted! First up:

Name: Aphra

Age: 26 (believed to be in early 20s)

Pronouns: Any (she/her as default)

Height: 4’ 11”

Stats:

Strength: 5/10 (stronger than average for her height but turns out that’s still not super strong)

Stamina: 7/10

Agility: 4/10

Knowledge: 2/10

Emotional intelligence: 9/10

Charisma: 7/10

Personality: Aphra is curious and outgoing, always eager to learn about the world she’s found herself in and the people around her. Due to her curiosity and lack of knowledge, she can come across as childish. That combined with her short stature has led to others assuming she is younger than she physically is. Sometimes her excitement can be grating to more serious members of the village, but it clear she’s coming from a good place.

Don’t let her sweet demeanor fool you, she’s fascinated by combat and while untrained, her unconventional fighting style is surprisingly effective. When things get serious, Aphra can be unexpectedly mature in how she handles things, often knowing the perfect thing to say.

Backstory: Unknown

Key relationships:

Zoey: Somewhat cold to start with, but her initial curiosity with Aph’s situation quickly blossoms into a fondness, in a “weird stray cat who keeps following you” kind of way. Later on, her respect for Aph grows, and she begins to treat her as an equal. It was never officially decided, but Aph just starts to stay with Zoey full-time.

Garroth: Similar to Zoey (them plus Logan and Emmalyn make up the blondes against Aphra squad lol), but with less curiosity and more outright suspicion. Despite this, Aph feels drawn towards him. After Zenix, they become extremely close.

Laurance: Best friends and partners in crime. They get along great and can always make each other laugh, sometimes at Garroth’s expense.

Levin and Malachi: As someone who started with nothing, who was lucky to find a home and people who cared for her, Aph is determined to continue that kindness. She’s always first to extend a hand to people who need help, children especially. Even thought she’s busy with her duties as lord, she always makes time for her children. She’s very physically affectionate and is good at making them laugh, but can also be kind and gentle when that’s needed.

Skills/weapons/abilities:

Aph is a jack-of-all-trades, picking up skills from many of the other villagers. With this sample platter of skills she is able to point out inefficiencies in their process or areas where combining their specialities would improve the village.

Aph is gifted a dagger for her first journey out of the village, which becomes her go-to weapon. She received a variety of weapon training from Garroth to learn to defend herself, so she has a solid base for other weapons as well.

No inborn magical abilities (yet)

Blank base under the cut (nudity warning)