#she always had excellent taste thank you very much

[lixenn]

OCtober 2024 day 6: past

Baby!Dan you are too adorable for this world 😭🥹

[allovesthings]

In my opinion, the butt jokes are incredibly incredibly tired.

So here are several fun facts about Dick that you can use for comedic effects/running jokes instead:

His hatred of Capes. Listen we are talking about Dick wore a yellow cape for 9 to 10 years in universe Grayson. The moment he changed his costume, he straight refused to ever wear a cape again, the only time he had to wear one, it was as Batman and it was very very frustrating for him.

You know that when he watched the Incredibles with Lian and Roy or Damian and Edna Mode came on screen with her hatred of capes, this was his reaction:

Someone else finally understand him. She instantly became his favorite character.

His tendency to put unknown substances/evidence in his mouth and being able to identify it by taste and his knowledge of what Heroin taste like (yep still not over it).

It's both impressive (the fact that he can actually identify something by taste alone is impressive) and gross and even his closest friends don't understand why he is the way that he is, Do we think it's the Bat training or do we think it's just Dick (tm)... I feel like it has to be just Dick, right ? considering everything in Gotham is a toxin of some kind ? How many heart attack do we think he gave both Bruce and the Titans with that ?

Dick Grayson namer of superhero things: Listen, I just learned that Dick named the Arrowcave and now I just kinda love the idea of a running joke that every time a classic superhero in contact with Robin has a goofy name for something superhero related, it probably comes from the 9 year old superhero who thought it sounded cool.

The Titans are never letting that go and Dick doesn't want to talk about it (but he secretly still really like the names, they were cool when he was 9 and pretty practical when you think about it, thank you very much).

Everyone has a crush on him (tm): Honestly it is pretty funny that everyone and theirs entire family have a crush on Nightwing (and also pretty consistent canon since Raven in ntt). The reaction of the batfam is annoyed because that's gross, it's Dick, theirs brother/son, and the Titans are amused (Donna, Vic, Garth and maybe Wally) or maybe sorta part of the people who have had a crush on him (Kory obviously , Roy, Raven).

You do need to be careful with that, but I think if you do the opposite of what DC is usually doing, you'll be fine.

Also you can also includes the disastrous first date with supergirl in that. She also had a crush on him and they date was so horrible that he considered changing superhero identity because it was so embarrassing (truly one of the greatest plot-point on Superman/batman world finest honestly and this series is genuinely my favorite modern/current series)..

His petty side when he doesn't like someone: Listen, Dick has a petty side, ask Helena circa Outsiders (2003), Talia (always), Jason circa the late 2000s (Morrison era) and Azrael (also always). When he doesn't like people but has to work with them, he is going to be a little shit because they have to know he doesn't like them. it's important. and the comedic potential of Nightwing, one of the most competent, known and admired hero of the community being so petty is excellent. 10 out of 10, I need him to work with someone he hates again just for the fun of it.

The last one is just an headcanon and do not have basis in canon as far as I know:

Sometimes, as an adult, Nightwing says Holy shit in front of a classic superhero and that superhero does a double take because they are so used to him saying Holy goly batman (and that include Batman).

[rbfclassy]

STILL IN LOVE! #3 — TOJI FUSHIGURO

SYNOPSIS...after still messing around with your ex husband, you began to wonder if you’re still in love with him after finding out about his new girlfriend…

INFO...ex husband!toji x fem!reader, reader & toji have two kids, megumi is readers bio son, jealousy, smut, angst, arguments, alcohol, drinking problem, family problems, arguing in front of kids, toxic behaviors, crying, mentions of divorce

OTHER...likes and reblogs are appreciated

You anxiously put on your mascara, nervousness building in your chest when your date texted that he was less than five minutes away. It’s been forever since you’ve been on a date, the last one you ever went on was with Toji. You began to grow anxious, a million questions running through your head, self doubt and everything in between. The kids were with Shoko, thankfully she was free for the weekend or else you might’ve had to cancel entirely no thanks to Toji.

You screwed the mascara shut, tossing it back in your makeup bag as you took one last look in the mirror, hands running over your dress to make sure it was flattened out and tight fitting. “Okay.” You took in a deep breath in, trying to calm your nerves. Though all came flooding back once the doorbell rang. “Shit! Okay, okay, be calm,” you spoke to yourself, striding towards the front door, heels hitting the wood below you. You gulped, fingers fidgeting with the lock before you opened the door to finally reveal your date. “Hi!” You smiled.

“Hi…wow,” he looked over your figure, “you look…amazing.” He couldn’t stop staring at you, a small smirk on his face. “These are for you.” He handed you a bouquet of followers.

The smile on your face grew wider as you grabbed the flowers from his hand, sniffing them. “Thank you so much, Nanami.” You averted your gaze towards him. “You look really handsome as well.” It felt like you were back in middle school again, talking to your crush for the first time ever. He wore a black button down, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, a pair of classic black slacks. His outfit rightfully complimenting yours. “Please, come in.” You grabbed the empty vase that sat on your countertop, filling it with water and placing the flowers in. “These are beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like them, they were one of the very few left,” he chuckled. He bit the inside of his cheek when you looked over your shoulder and flashed him a smile. He cleared his throat as you walked over to him.

“Well, thank you again. Shall we get going?” You asked, staring up at him through thick lashes.

Your faces were only inches apart as he held the stare, your perfume filling his lungs each time he took a breath. It was quite intoxicating. “Of course. Wouldn’t want to be late.”

It was already an hour into the date, you and Nanami were already making great conversation, finding out that you two had a lot in common. He was a hard working man, but always tried to find time for himself when it was necessary. He had his whole life put together, very obvious from the car you two drove to the restaurant in. He was such a gentleman, opening the car door for you, pull out the chair for you. It had you swooning. He had you swooning.

“How’s your pasta?” He asked, slightly leaning forward on the table.

You covered your mouth as you finished chewing. “It’s amazing!” Your eyes swelled up in joy. “Is this your first time here?” You asked.

“It is! I wanted to take you to somewhere new. I’ve driven by this place a few times and it looked pretty interesting. Glad my instincts are paying off,” he laughed, placing his fork down.

“Well, sir, you have excellent taste.” You smiled at him. “How is your food? It looks delicious.”

“It is! Would you like to try some?” He asked.

“Oh, no, no, please you don’t have to do that.” You shook your head, wiping your mouth with a napkin.

“I insist. Come on, I know you want to!” He picked up the crab cake he had ordered, breaking off a piece before placing it on a napkin and handing it to you. “Go on, tell me how good it is.” He watched intently as you ate, waiting for your reaction.

“Oh my gosh! It’s so buttery with a slight sweetness,” you let out a satisfied moan. “I’m jealous, Nanami.” He laughed at how serious your face turned once you finished.

He stared at your smile, finding himself mirroring it. You were very lighthearted and fun to be around, not to mention absolutely gorgeous. He was already starting to think about the second date. “Call me Kento.”

“So, how’s the new girlfriend doing?” Gojo asked as he sat on the couch next to Toji, a beer in his hand. Toji glanced at Gojo before averting his gaze back to the television in front of him.

“She’s fine,” he answered, no emotion in his voice. He took a swig of his beer, letting out a sigh. Gojo poked his tongue on the inside of his cheek.

“Just fine?” Gojo questioned. “You haven’t told me one thing about her since you two got together.”

“Don’t need to,” Toji bluntly stated. Immediately, Gojo could tell something else was plaguing Toji’s mind. Even with a few beers in his system, Toji wasn’t opening up. He knew exactly what it was. Him and Toji have been good friends for years, it’d be shame if he couldn’t tell what was on his mind.

“Okay, so how’s y/n and the kids?” Gojo raised a brow, staring Toji down. There was silence where there was supposed to be answer. He swore he could see Toji’s jaw clench at the mention of your name. Something happened that Toji didn’t tell him about. “Let me guess, you and y/n had some sort of argument and now you’re being pissy about it cause she was one hundred percent right like always?” Gojo batted his eyelashes, giving a cheeky smile.

“Shut the hell up, Gojo,” Toji warned, putting the beer bottle to his lips and taking a big gulp.

“Ah, so I’m right.” There was smug smile on his face as leaned back into the couch. “What is it this time? Did she finally find someone else?” Toji sucked in a breath before exhaling, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Gojo let out an audible gasp, “she did, didn’t she? Holy shit.”

“I don’t know for sure, but we got into an argument about me not taking the kids this weekend, she asked if it was because of yoko and I told her it wasn’t her business and that she was jealous. Then, she told me she had plans, but wouldn’t say with who. So…yeah. You happy?” Toji turned his head towards the white haired man beside him.

Gojo let out a small giggle, before stopping himself. “I’m sorry, you called the mother of your children jealous of your new girlfriend because she asked why you couldn’t take your children? What an asshole you are.” Gojo slowly nodded his head, brows raised in amusement.

“I get it, Gojo. Shut the hell up.” Toji had a firm grip on the beer bottle in his hand, afraid that if he squeezed it any harder, it’d shatter.

“Don’t get me wrong, Yoko is cute and all, but y/n,” Gojo let out a whistle, “y/n is where it’s at. She’s dealt with your ass for eight years, birthed two kids, and is hot as hell..I’d take her over Yoko any day. I see why you couldn’t stay away from her.”

“Watch your fucking mouth.” Toji glared at Gojo, using what restraint he had not to punch his friends teeth in.

“Just saying.” Gojo shrugged.

Toji’s phone began to ring, quickly grabbing it to see that Shoko was calling. His brows furrowed before he got up from the couch and answered it. “Hello?”

“Yo, Toji, your kids wanted to say goodnight,” Shoko stuffed some ice cream in her mouth, ready to hand the phone off to Megumi, but Toji spoke before anything.

“My kids? You’re the one babysitting my kids? Where’s y/n? Is she there?” Toji leaned against the kitchen counter, brows still knitted together.

“Jeez, you’re full of questions. Yes, I’m watching your kids, and y/n is…on a very, very nice date. Anyway, here are your children,” said with a chipper tone.

Megumi grabbed the phone from Shoko, putting it up to his ear. “Hi, dad, I just wanted to say goodnight. Naya already fell asleep.”

“Hi, buddy, goodnight to you too. Tell your sister I said goodnight if she wakes up, okay?” Toji spoke, placing his beer on top of the counter. He was trying to avoid sounding upset, the information Shoko just told him had his blood boiling.

“I will. I love you, bye!” Megumi quickly hung up the phone before Toji could even respond, leaving his father standing in silence.

The cold night breeze blew past your exposed legs as you walked up to your front door with Nanami, his hand holding yours as he helped you up the steps, making sure you didn’t trip in your heels. “Thank you so much, Kento. I had a great time with you,” you said with a smile, avoiding his gaze.

“I had a great time with you too. Must I say, once again, you look really beautiful tonight. I know you must be tired of hearing me say it, but I can’t help myself.” You took notice of how his eyes scanning over your body, focusing on the tight dress that you wore.

“Trust me, I could listen to you compliment me all night.” It was sort of bold of you to say such a thing, but with the way this man was flirting with you since the moment he laid eyes on you, it was only fair.

“Oh yeah?” His broad body grew closer to you, closing in the small distance. “Maybe we can do that on the second date then?”

You found the courage to look him in his eyes, not daring to pull away, your heart beating rapidly in your chest. “I was thinking the same thing,” you responded.

“Good, glad we’re on the same page. Same time next weekend, better be ready.” A smirk tugged at his plush lips.

“Don’t worry, I will. Goodnight, Kento.” You leaned forward, placing a small kiss on his cheek. His hand slipped from yours as you pulled away, unlocking your front door and walking inside.

“Goodnight, y/n.” He took one last good look at you, taking in your smile before shutting the door. Nanami stood on your porch for a while, hands in his pockets, biting down on his bottom lip. He turned to walk down the steps only to stop himself, looking back at your door. Without thinking, he knocked on it.

You opened the door. “Oh, did I forget something?”

“Forgive me.” He cupped your face, planting his lips on yours, a feverish kiss shared between your two. His tongue ran over your bottom lip, gently biting on it. “I couldn’t resist,” he pants.

You were taken by surprise, but still kissed him back. Deep down, you were hoping this would happen. All night the tension was so thick that you could cut with a knife. The way he’d look at you, undressing you with his eyes, only for you to be doing the same. His hands ran up under your dress, squeezing at your thighs. You pulled away from the kiss to speak, “I was waiting all night for you to do this.”

“Yeah, sweetheart? Better not disappoint you then.” His hands ran up your thighs and to your ass, pushing you against the front door. Your hands tangled in his blonde locks as he left wet kisses down your neck. “You looked so good all night I was finding it hard to contain myself,” he admitted. He pushed his hips against yours, allowing you to feel the bulge forming in his pants.

“Just fuck me already,” you moaned. The wetness pooling in your panties was obvious, your cunt throbbing.

“Where?” He quickly asked.

“Anywhere,” you breathily replied.

“Anywhere?” He questioned.

“Anywhere.” You nodded. All while Nanami was stripping you of your dress, you were blissfully unaware of your phone vibrating in your purse for the third time in under two minutes.

“She’s not answering the fucking phone.” Toji tossed his phone on the counter, Gojo standing there with his arms crossed in amusement.

“She’s probably getting the best fuck of her life. Leave her be, she deserves it.” Gojo pushed his sunglasses up on the bridge of his nose.

“If you say one more thing, I’m gonna kill you,” Toji threatened. Gojo loved to piss Toji off, especially when he rightfully deserved it. And in this case, he did. “I’m gonna go over there.”

“Don’t go over there! You annoy her enough!” Gojo easily snatched the keys from Toji’s hands. “Wait until tomorrow, okay? Let the woman enjoy her night, she doesn’t need you ruining it.” He stuffed the keys in his pocket.

“Fuck off.” Toji grabbed his beer, chugging it like it was water. He had no right to be jealous, but he couldn’t deny these feeling brewing in his chest. The thought of someone else seeing you like he has, learning your body the way he has, treating you the way you deserved to be treated, and treating his kids with respect, he fucking hated it. He sounded like such an asshole, but deep down a part of you was always his.

“I bet your girlfriend wouldn’t be too happy to hear you still care so much about your ex wife getting fucked.” He stared at Toji through his glasses.

“Yeah, well, surprise, she’s not really a girlfriend. I was just seeing her,” he explained.

“Like fuck buddies?” Gojo questioned. Toji answered with a nod. “Interesting that you choose your fuck buddy over your ex wife. Now look at you, lonely and jealous.” Gojo walked off back into the living room.

“You’re insufferable,” Toji muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. He’ll let you enjoy your night, but he was definitely going to have a talk with you tomorrow morning whether you liked it or not.

series masterlist

tag list (comment to be added):

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[scriveyner]

breathe it in

“Is something burning? It smells like something is burning.” Akutagawa squinted at his phone, the only source of light in their room for the moment since Atsushi had hissed and gestured at him to not turn on the lamp on the bedside table.

“Nothing’s burning.” Atsushi crouched by the bedroom door. He’d cracked it open when they woke from the cacophony of pots and pans falling out of the cupboard downstairs. “It’s fine.” Akutagawa huffed indignantly behind him but didn’t move from the bed. “They’re doing something nice for you.”

Continue on AO3 or after the jump

When he glanced back over his shoulder, it was to see that Akutagawa had hung his head slightly, hair masking his expression from Atsushi. Atsushi smiled fondly and glanced back through the crack in the door. It didn’t matter how often it happened now, but Akutagawa was nearly always overwhelmed by gestures like this. It was a little adorable.

Shadows moved in the hallway. “Oh shit,” Atsushi huffed as quietly as he could, pulling the door as close to closed as he could manage without latching it. “Here they come, put your phone away!”

There was a quick shuffle of covers when Akutagawa slid his phone under the pillow while Atsushi bounded over him. The mattress bounced with his landing and settled, and Atsushi barely had time to burrow beneath the covers before the door creaked slowly open.

There was a long pause. Atsushi wondered for a moment if they’d been found out, but then there was the burst of small feet thumping on carpet and suddenly the entire bed bounced.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Acchan and Ryuu-chan went immediately to full volume. Atsushi was once again thankful for a detached house.

Akutagawa whuffed loudly and painfully, Rashomon exploded harmlessly in all directions. Atsushi rolled onto his back and pushed himself up on his elbows—Acchan had not spared his father his wrath, landing directly on his solar plexus. Ryuu-chan was at least more forgiving; standing on the mattress itself and not Akutagawa.

“Maybe don’t kill your dad,” Atsushi said, picking Acchan up and moving him off Akutagawa by the back of his shirt. “I would very much like for him to reach his next birthday.”

Akutagawa sat up slowly with a grimace, which relaxed once his lungs were able to circulate oxygen again. “We made breakfast,” Acchan said, now safely standing in the covers between Akutagawa and Atsushi.

“I made breakfast,” Ryuu-chan corrected, his own green-tinted Rashomon lifting the tray off the floor.

“I helped!”

“Acchan helped,” he conceded.

“Thank you,” Akutagawa said as he carefully took the tray from Ryuu-chan’s Rashomon. He balanced it on his lap, studying the spread. “Are these pancakes? I didn’t know you knew how to make pancakes.”

Ryuu-chan beamed. “Gin-neesan taught me! The last time we stayed overnight with them she taught me how to make a lot of things!”

“They’re very good,” Acchan added. “I helped taste test them.”

Atsushi snorted. “I bet you did.” He leaned over and tousled the top of Ryuu-chan’s head, leaving his short dark hair spiked in all directions. “They look fantastic. And hey, it’s you’re birthday too. Happy birthday!”

Ryuu-chan grinned from ear to ear.

“Why don’t Acchan and I go clean up while you birthday boys enjoy laying around in bed while you can.” Acchan flattened himself on the bed, but Atsushi scooped him up under one arm anyway, leaving Acchan to hang limp, defeated.

“But we already cleaned up,” he protested, limbs and head dangling. “Ryuu-chan made me dry the dishes. I didn’t even break anything this time!”

“Excellent. Let’s double-check your work.”

Ryuu-chan climbed over to Atsushi’s now empty side of the bed, and Akutagawa lifted his arm, allowing Ryuu-chan to snuggle up against him. “Thank you very much,” he said. “These pancakes are quite delicious. You must have gotten up very early to prepare them.”

As if on cue, Ryuu-chan yawned hugely into Akutagawa’s side. “I’m not tired,” he protested quickly, which led immediately into another yawn. Akutagawa let out a soft huff of amusement and kissed the top of Ryuu-chan’s head.

“Happy birthday, Ryuu-chan.”

“Happy birthday, dad!”

---

Ryuu-chan waved at Atsushi with his Rashomon as Kunikida-san carried him past, tucked securely under one arm. He had both his arms wrapped around the enormous long-neck dinosaur plushie that Kyouka gave him, and he clearly wasn’t interested in letting it go anytime soon. “Everyone is spoiling him rotten today,” Atsushi said, sincerely amused. There had been a minor attempt to get at least some work done today, but the moment Kunikida stopped caring literally everything productive halted immediately.

“It’s his birthday,” Akutagawa said. He leaned against Atsushi’s desk; arms folded as he supervised. Acchan trailed Kunikida and Ryuu-chan, his party hat slid mostly off his head and covered nearly head to toe with frosting.

“Well, it’s your birthday too,” Atsushi reminded him, chin in his hand as he watched the chaos. Akutagawa gave him a sour look and Atsushi stuck his tongue out, which made Akutagawa roll his eyes before huffing in amusement.

“And no one will let me forget it,” he said.

Tanizaki had bounded up to them when they first walked through the door earlier, holding party hats in both hands. Akutagawa had set his icy glare upon him, and he immediately turned tail. There were limits to what Akutagawa would put up with. Although, Atsushi suspected, that if Ryuu-chan asked him he would begrudgingly participate.

Fortunately, Ryuu-chan was quite distracted by so many presents. Kunikida-san set him down at Ranpo’s desk, where the easel he had received earlier was set up with paper and paints.

“Paint me,” Ranpo demanded, feet up on his desk. Ryuu-chan climbed up on the desk and began to arrange him, before situating his newest stuffed dinosaur in Ranpo’s lamp.

Yosano exited the conference room, now carrying Acchan by his scruff. “I’m going to go hose off your son,” she called, as Acchan was leaving bits of frosting in his wake. “He got into the distraction cake again.”

Atsushi hung his head and sighed, before standing. “I’ll help.”

“You’ll do no such thing; I am perfectly capable of hosing down a child.” Yosano waved him off. “Besides, is Dazai ever going to show up? I don’t want to miss that.”

“He’s taking us to dinner tonight, I believe,” Akutagawa said without bothering to pull out his phone.

“Which means that it’s actually Chuuya-san taking us to dinner tonight, and Dazai-san turning into a living mooch as usual.” Yosano rolled her eyes in amusement at that pronouncement but then disappeared through the door into the lavatory, Acchan suspiciously docile in her grip.

Atsushi slid his arm over Akutagawa’s waist, and Akutagawa leaned into Atsushi’s chest. Ranpo put his glasses on the dinosaur to Ryuu-chan’s eternal amusement, paint already smudged up on his nose. The office all around them was full of lively chatter.

Atsushi sighed, content. “Happy birthday, Ryuunosuke,” he murmured into Akutagawa’s ear, and Akutagawa tilted his head and smiled against the kiss.

[etrsilk]

Hi! Can you do the main four with a famous cook reader, ? Like she always cooks for them, always do delicious lunch box for them when they get away and when they meet she always brought pastries specially for them that she cooked herself. Have a nice day !

𝐖𝐖𝐖.𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓.𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄

₊✩‧₊˚ ᡣ𐭩 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ⇝ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨: 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘢,𝘎𝘰𝘯,𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘬𝘢,𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 — ✘

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 — 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧

⎝ 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚:: here is your request! I hope you like it and sorry for the wait ♡ and thank you for being so active on my account!! ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ ♡

 —𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ Killua loves food, especially anything sweet. He frequently asks you to make homemade cakes or candies for him. He also often sends you recipes he finds in his recommendations, hoping you’ll try them out for him.

❀ Even if he doesn’t always show it willingly, he’s your dedicated assistant. When you cook, he’s always by your side to help, handing you ingredients and reading the recipe. He loves feeling involved in creating his favorite treats.

❀ Killua has made it a habit to rate your dishes on a scale of 1 to 10, even though he’s not an expert. He always tries his best to offer constructive feedback and suggestions, aiming to make you smile with his comments.

❀ He would never dare to tell you, but you literally make his day when you slip your homemade lunches into his bag before he heads to work, especially when you include little love notes. It reminds him of how much you care and makes his day much better.

❀ You always make sure that when he comes home from work, there’s something he loves waiting for him. Whether it’s a dish, a dessert, or even just some sweets, you ensure that he feels cherished and appreciated every moment.

 —𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ I have a headcanon that Kurapika deeply appreciates food and uses it as a way to de-stress. So, naturally, the fact that you are a pro in this area makes him incredibly happy!

❀ The first time he tasted one of your dishes, his eyes literally lit up. He said it was the best thing he had ever eaten, with a sincerity that warmed your heart.

❀ He loves being with you while you prepare your meals. Often, he just watches you with admiration, and sometimes, he stands behind you to give you a hug while observing your cooking, finding comfort in your presence and culinary skills.

❀ From time to time, you secretly slip lunches filled with his favorite foods into his bag, especially when you know his workday will be particularly tough. These thoughtful gestures warm his heart and help him face challenges with more ease.

 —𝐆𝐎𝐍ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ He asks a lot of questions, being very curious about what you’re preparing, how you’re going to do it, and why you choose that particular order… In short, he’s always eager to learn.

❀ When you cook, he’s constantly underfoot, eagerly waiting for you to appoint him as your assistant. He loves being involved and feels honored to help you.

❀ Somehow, you’ve managed to pass on your passion for cooking to him. It’s not uncommon for him to try cooking on his own, often in the hope of impressing you. Although he rarely succeeds, his enthusiasm and effort are absolutely endearing.

❀ Cooking has become a shared activity for the two of you. You carefully teach him the basics, while he puts all his concentration and motivation into mastering even the simplest dishes. It’s a moment of sharing and bonding that strengthens your relationship.

❀ You often slip homemade lunches into his bag when he goes off on adventures. He truly appreciates these gestures and finds them incredibly sweet. However, he often gets “robbed” by his friends who clamor for your precious and delicious food, which has gained quite a reputation.

 —𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ I can easily see Leorio being an excellent cook. It’s not his main passion, but he certainly doesn’t dislike it. You’ve even had cooking competitions before. The premise is simple: you both cook the same dishes and have your friends decide which one is the best. Naturally, Leorio loses almost every time, which always brings a lot of laughter between you two.

❀ You often try to help him in the kitchen, but out of pride, he always pretends to know everything with a slightly arrogant tone. It’s endearing to see him trying to hide his need to learn.

❀ In reality, Leorio is very creative and innovative, perhaps even more than you. He always has the best ideas and advice to improve your recipes, adding a touch of originality that always surprises.

❀ He loves to brag about your reputation as a chef and constantly encourages you to open your own restaurant. He is your biggest supporter and firmly believes in your talent.

❀ When he wants you to prepare homemade lunches for him, he drops “subtle” hints, leaving little clues here and there. Each time you slip these meals into his bag, you brighten his day. His eyes light up with gratitude, and he feels incredibly lucky to have you by his side.

—English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes!!

[medusas-daughter]

Do you have an opinion as to why Agatha thinks the witches road was a more interesting piece of magic than Wanda's hex ?

Is it because it was based on the ballad ? Or personal interest (his subconscious created something that was directly linked to the culture of witches in a way that the hex really wasn't) ? Or both/something else ?

Thank you for the excellent question 💜

The fact that it's based on something witchy is definitely a big part of why Agatha finds it more interesting. She was super impressed with Wanda's hex and how her magic worked on the whole town, like the technical aspect of it, but I think she just found sitcoms cheesy. But the road leaned so much into witch culture that it's probably more to her taste. And Billy was fascinated with magic whereas Wanda didn't even want to call herself a witch so that contributes to her liking him more than his mother.

The other reason why she thinks the road is more impressive is that the road isn't just forcing them to act out scenarios like Wanda's hex, the road has become an incredibly powerful entity far beyond the theatrics. The poison in the first trial was real. Alice actually broke the generational curse. The ghost of Agatha's mother was actually summoned. Objectively, he created something far more powerful than Wanda's hex that in hindsight looks quite harmless compared to the road that conjures up your worst nightmares and forces you to evolve and heal the parts of you you never wanted to confront. The road did deliver, albeit in a very violent sometimes cruel way, but it delivered. That is objectively an incredibly powerful hex to cast.

And then the fact that it's a piece of Nicky come to life is not négligeable of course. It is Agatha, it is never one thing with her, it's always layers upon layers.

But I do kind of agree with her if only out of personal taste. I love Wandavision and it will always be special by virtue of being the first of Jac's projects I've seen and the first in this format, and the love letter to television it was. But as a non American born in the 90s the early episodes just didn't really speak to me that much, I had to read posts from people who understood the references to really get it. The only one I recognized is the Modern Family one which I loved but that's about it. I was way more interested in the magic part if it all. Now Agatha All Along, as a lover of fantasy and all things witchy, it was a love letter to all those iconic things I've loved so much. The references to Practical Magic, Fleetwood Mac, The Craft, The Wizard of Oz, summer camp horror movies, etc were just incredible.

[unabashednightmarepizza]

Hiii could you make a dating Talbott Winger headcannons I love him so much and I really think he’d be like the I hate everyone but you trope

A/N: I'm sorry that it took such a long time for me to write but I was battling with stress and life lately, and now that I'm fine, I started to have so many ideas but I need to finish request and write the chapters that had been waiting for ages in my documents lol.

And thank you everyone, who waited patiently!

P.S: I don't remember whne this ask was sent so I'm gonna put this on my "Summer Celebration" post!

Requests are OPEN!

𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡 𝑊𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑠...

We all know Talbott is a silent boy, he prefers to stay away from trouble unlike a certain person that has his interest, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have an adventurous side of him.

Yet, I still believe that he likes to have some kind of... control? When doing something? Like, yeah, he takes risks.

Just not extreme risks

Or, if you were to introduce him to some muggle vehicles, I think he would love to ride a bike with you and watch as your laugh would be carried to hus ears as the sight of you all happy and glowing would consume him.

Yeah, our boi definetly has a way with words.

Except the point that he made you swear to never talk about the first time he tried it as you showed how to bike, and he fell hard while being busy admiring you in return.

You, of course, accepted it with a giggle but not without crossing your finger because Bill demanded he had to know everything about your date.

He also swoons whenever you beat someone's ass in dueling. There were many times you rocked people's shits, especially Merula's since she always demanded one only to loose, to the point that no one actually stood a chance against you and refused to train.

Proud boyfriend Talbott and proud mama Bill moment 🥺😭

Like really, there isn't something you would do/make that he wouldn't be proud of and supportive

Crochet? Amazing, could you make a hat or a swan plushie? Draw? Excellent! Maybe you could teach me a few things, dove? You want to deceive the first years by playing an innocent game? Well, it's not like him... But he would be down with it anyways, especially after the ultimate "puppy eyes" weapon.

For some reasons, I see his whole vibe with you as Harry Style's "Golden" song 😭😭🥰🥰

It's literally the song that phrases your relationship!

"I know you were way too bright for me/ I'm hopeless, broken, so you wait for me in the sky..."

" Don't wanna let you know I don't wanna be alone/ But I can feel it take a hold, I can feel it take a hold..."

"I can feel you take control, I can feel you take control/ Of who I am, and all I've ever known lovin' you's the antidote..."

Since he didn't have his parents from a young age, and that they were killed right in front of him, Talbott had difficulties with associating himself with people around him.

That doesn't mean he hated them, or didn't want to talk. He did, he really did... He just didn't know how, and was scared that they would be gone too.

Especially early in your "friendship" that he often denied, but secretly liked the taste of the word on his tongue, he pushed and pushed people away, especially you... until only he was left.

But hey, it was a good thing that you were a persistent little shit because not only you were able to befriend him and show the true colors of life, show him that many people cared about him, you also took his heart and soul for yourself... like, for good.

Yeah, Talbott is definetly one of those rare guys who would stay loyal to his partner until the day he died and then even more.

If there was one thing you never expected from him by how he seemed so reserved, it was the fact that he was clingy when alone. Like, eagle boy would do anything to cuddle, hold hands with you, kiss and hug and do anything you ask for.

His hand holding is much more frequent than other forms of PDA. Talbott isn't very keen on them, since he hates attention, but hand holding under the table disecretly happens a lot.

He sits with you during breakfast and dinner, evennif you were in a different house, and your friends tease you for it affectionately.

He especially hold your hand thightly when he feels overwhelmed, or sad because of remembering his mother... to feel grounded, because he often feels like he lives in auto mode where he doesn't actually know what he is doing and doesn't have control.

That's when you step in.

When that happens, and Talbott usually tries to make it all go away through drowning himself in his studies, you would often look for him in thr library. But since he didn't want you to disturb your own peace just to find him, and he also didn't want to be found in a fragile state, he would go for less predictable areas.

He knew it saddened you whenever he refused to talk about his problems, he was aware and it broke his heart too... But he was scared.

You were the best thing that happened to him, even when he thought and still thinks he wasn't worth being loved, even when he thought he wouldn't find any ounce of happiness... Because why would he? He didn't have anyone left from his family at such a young age, his other relatives didn't care much and he was bad at socialising.

He fought and fought, but for what?

But then you came, stubbornly wanting to be his friend... Alongside the huge friend group you brought, and now he had a lot to loose but also a lot he gained.

He didn't understand why someone like you, the hero of Hogwarts, would find anything in him to activelly seek out to be friends with him...

But whatever it was, he was glad. Glad for your stubborn heart, glad because thanks to you, he found a new family.

You healed his aching heart with your sweet smiles, reassuring words and selflessness. Slowly but surely, you settled deep in his heart and after time, he realized he loved you... Immensely.

He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment obviously, but maybe... he always loved you, while watching from afar... While you won Quidditch, solved the mysteries about the Vaults, saved the school one many times... Or how you achieved more than average witch in your age, or how you risked your whole school life just to help him find the necklace of his mother.

Perhaps he realized right then and there that yes, he was in love with you and yes, he was already too deep to get out of that hole that was love.

And he didn't want to, for he was used to darkness when you came with the light of your eyes and heart, and saved him.

He could never be that boy he once was, and he didn't want to. Because now, he had you and a future to hold on to.

You both were the ones who confessed first, under the night sky as you both blushed at the cliche sight but you were content, happy to call this amazing, kind, thoughful and strong boy your lover.

Like I said before, there are a lot of things he wants to do with you: Travel together, have late night dinner dates, go to a beach, have a little cabin at the outskirts of Scotland...

But above all... There is one thing he wants to do with you the most one thing that often has him blushing and unable to sleep.

Grow old with you.

NOW TO THE FUN PART, ENOUGH DEPRESSING

Whenever you try to find him, out of class and studying sessions you both have, he is in the Owlery and all the owl LOVES him! Like really, whenever you two hang out in the school grounds, a flock of them comes and finds him and perches on both of your shoulders happily while picking on your hairs or hiding behind them in a way of playing with you.

He loves jewelries, mostly necklaces and bracelets, so whenever you buy something for yourself, he demands one too.

And he also loves matching with you too, so any necklaces, he's matching with you. It's one of the subtle ways of telling everyone that you/he was taken.

All the teachers and your friends knew you two would be end game, from how in love you both seemed and how Talbott started to smile genuinely after such a long time.

But what sealed it for you both was when he asked you to come to the Owlery, that he had an important thing to say and hive to you.

Imagine your surprise when he looked at you so softly and offered the necklace that had his mother's swan feather, accompanied with the pendants of his initials.

"This necklace used to be the sign of all the things I lost, a reminder of death... But I know my mum would have wanted you to have it, the girl who means so much to me, who I imagine my life to be spent with... I want this to be the sign of our love and my loyalty to you, for you to carry on your neck and hopefully never take it out... If you will have it and me..."

Like I said, he is a one-woman kind of boy and when you start a relationship and things started to get serious and deep, Talbott wouldn't shy away from hinting at marriage and a life together.

Because if this didn't show you the depth of his love, I don't know what would.

Another cute gesture he does with you, especially in like 6th or 7th year, is to wrap his arms around you from behind and put his chin on top of your head after laying a tender kiss there. ( why do boys get so much taller in like a few months when I'm stuck at the same height for the rest of my life 😭)

You two often visit and stay until late in the Owlery. That place had become some kind of a safe space for you both, where you can be with each other in silent, read books or simply feed the owls happily.

OMG HIS FAVOURITE WAY OF SPENDING TIME WITH YOU IS READING ❤️😍

You liked reading books by yourself, but when your boyfriend had a raspy voice and was food at imitations of the characters, you didn't have to do anything except laying back on his chest as you buried yourself in his smell as he read to you, thightenung his hold on your frame.

But just as you loved being read to, he actually likes it as well. He is just bad at showing and telling that. But whenever you see him looking at a book, then at you with a pout, you know what he wants.

And who were you to deny him of that when he looked so cute?

Madam Pince, even though she resented you for pranking her and was close to banning you from the library, was now looking at you and your boyfriend softly because one, you finally weren't there to break the rules but rather trully reading and two, you also helped her clean the library with Talbott too.

But none of you needed to know.

Now that I mentioned her, all the teachers have had bets about your love life. Like when one of you will confess, when you will have a kiss, when you will have a date etc.

And quite creepily, Minerva and Flitwick almost all the time knows when and where and wins quite a few galleons.

Snape couldn't care less, because he hated your guts... Or mayyybee he was slightly interested since you gifted him a cake and offered good mornings every day even though he would snap and he started to not hate you but just dislike.

Sprout was just happy to see her two favourite students together, alongside with Minerva, and offered her blessing with an enchanted flower that would never wilt.

But Dumbledore? Oh, he always knew from the start and didn't bother with such childish act... but he had bets going on with others in the ministry soo~ (Don't get me wrong, I still hate him.)

You know when Hermione said that girls could get in boys' dormitory but they couldn't enter girls'?

Yeah, there were many times you did that, at the beginning for cuddles... And later in your last year, for different things *wink wink*

Ehem, another act he loves doing are ( and I need to say, if a man did that to me, I would simply melt) taking your hand in his and putting it on his chest, where his heart is and kissing your forehead and lingering his lips there for a few seconds more.

Just imagine the feels and how hard your heart would beat I-

FLOWERS! YOU BOTH GIVE EACH OTHER FLOWERS ALL THE TIME!

You giving him flowers actually has a funny story because you thought he wouldn't like them, especially early in your relationship

But you couldn't help but think that daisies would look good on his dark, long hair

So you hastily went to Hogsmeade, came back in a hurry and sent a letter to him through your owl to meet you in the Owlery

It was definetly worth seeing the dark red tint on his skin when tou explained why you wanted to give him them

"I wanted to show you that I care and love you a lot, and flowers are a great way to show it, especially since I enchanted them!.. And by your reaction, I'll do that more in the future!"

And yes, you did so... Even after being married for such a long time, eventually having kid/s and in your 60-70

And he never stopped blushing and returning the gesture just as sweetly, always adding a little blessing and thanks to Merlin for bringing you into his life

This headcanons are already taking so long so I'll stop here before it gets out of control lol

And I'll go and continue crying at the corner because I don't have a Talbott in my life 🥺

[greenerteacups]

Hi GT, I hope you are doing well! who is your favorite Weasley?

Thank you! Absolute treat of a question. Oh, man. It's Ron, right? It was always going to be Ron.

So here's the thing: the Weasleys are a really well-characterized family in that you can kind of see a lot of character emerge through limited sketches and contextual information. Bill is Number One Boy, the best at everything, oldest child who was always confident and at peace with his indisputable place in the family; so he's a chill, cool, incredibly competent guy who naturally takes-charge. Charlie is a patented never-grew-out-of-your-middle-school-dragons-phase Weird Kid, but like, mindfully and enthusiastically so, because his parents probably still had plenty of time to support and nurture his interests; plus he's also different to Bill and excels in different ways, so they aren't too competitive (as we see). Percy is the first one to suffer from the pressure of mounting expectations, and he's very quickly followed by the twins, who do the classic "if I can't be the best I'll be the worst" late-sibling trick of acting up for attention, so he gets lost in the shuffle. (The fight between Ron and Percy in Chapter 58 is, hence, in substantially about the relationship between the two most-ignored members of the Weasley family, and that's why Ron is so much angrier at him than the rest of them. Like I've said before, Ron always thinks he's got it the worst, but he takes pride in being able to kinda "tough it out," and nothing pisses him off like other people's self-pity.) Ginny is obviously the baby of the family, a girl with everyone wrapped around her finger, and I love her, but I feel like we didn't get enough grit in her portrait— she's just really successful in everything she does, in a way that can read as flat to some people, and certainly read as flat to me my first time through the books. In fact, Ginny reminds me a lot of Bill: first daughter/first son, described often as "cool" and clever and good at basically everything, charming and generally liked by all. Which is lovely. A delight to read, just like the twins are. But my taste in characters ranges way more fucked-up and mean.

Ron is the last boy, "sixth son of a woman who wanted a daughter" (fascinating line that complicates everything we know about Molly's relationship with her kids — and BTW, how the hell does Ron know that, and how old was he when he learned it? And this also comes into play with Molly's cry of "not my daughter" to Bellatrix which like, as a moment obviously fucking rules, but also — there's a reason she says daughter, not "child," right? Do you see what I'm digging at? Anyway). Ron meets Harry and recognizes himself in how Harry defaults to thinking people don't care about him, or won't help him if he asks, because — although they come from very different circumstances, Ron's home was completely loving, just not as nurturing as he always needed it to be — Ron usually goes in assuming people don't care about him, too. So his first instinct is to go: "Alright. Well, I'll care about you, then, weird stranger. Do you want to share my horrible sandwich, and also my life, perhaps?" Goddamn! Sixth of seven in a house with never enough to go around, and he's immediately like: "fuck it, room for one more." Because he could have been Percy — and you can see it in the way that Ron is mean, sometimes, he's not careful with his words and he struggles with empathy and he's got a vengeful streak that comes out when he's pissed — but he isn't selfish enough, he loves too much and too easily, and it takes shockingly little to earn his loyalty. You just have to pay a little attention to him.

[storms-path]

So, How 'bout That Arcadion?

So I had (and still have) plans to do a write-up on Dawntrail's final dungeon and how it contrasts so interestingly with Amaurot and The Dead Ends after my analysis of Dawntrail and Conquerors, but then Arcadion decided to spring out of nowhere, grab me in a headlock and demand I talk about the music and how it reflects our new darling challengers.

So I'm gonna. As always, spoilers below, read at your own risk, etc. etc. Also I know very little about actual music theory so a lot of this is based on vibes and how things relate to themes and characters and all that. I'll leave the proper music analysis to the musicians. I'm here for the fighters!

So, let's start at the beginning with the cunning, cutting Black Cat. You might be surprised to know that Yaana and her theme were what inspired me to write about this in the first place! While her battle theme might not blow away anyone, that's kind of the point. She's a rookie, unestablished in Arcadion and just as hungry as you are, if not moreso, to prove herself a rising fighter.

The lack of any real lyrics aside from the crowd chants are very effective at displaying how the Black Cat lacks a proper identity at this point. That and the shared leitmotif with her sister (we'll get to her later) foreshadow that she is trying and failing to escape Eutrope's shadow. It's clear that even now Yaana's older sister's disappearance haunts her, to the point that she's following in Eutrope's footsteps to find the missing fighter, or failing that, answers.

Honey B. Lovely, on the other hand, is about as in-your-face as she can get. There's very little subtlety to this one, she wants your love and adoration forever and ever. And she wants so much more than only you can give. I do love the contrast between her song's incredibly chipper, saccharine sweet melodies and singing voice... as she's singing about essentially turning you into a mindless drone who will wait on her hand and foot, right down to threatening terrible violence if you manage to break free of it.

Charming lady, this one. Just look at all her new fans. Someone please get her song out of my head I can't stop hearing it while I try to work I just want to be a good little drone please stop

Speaking of contrasts, Brute Bomber is about as far from Honey B. Lovely's chipper little ditty as you can get. Another song without any vocals, unless you count guttural growling and roaring as vocals (though sidenote, I adore how they degrade into chiptune towards the end of it, that's so good). But unlike Black Cat, Brute Bomber very much has his own identity and purpose. In his case, the lack of lyrics are because he simply doesn't need them.

Where Honey B. Lovely is desperately trying to win you over and failing to hide the venom beneath, Brute Bomber is just here to beat you up until you stop moving. He's the champion! What does he need with some stupid lyrics? You don't need to understand him, you just need to understand that he's better than you and he's going to prove it by beating you bloody. His is a refreshingly simple track. Hard, heavy, no frills. Just like him.

And then there's our surprise final challenger, Wicked Thunder. She's in a whole other league compared to the others and she knows it. Really, there's not much to say about her that her song doesn't spell out. She's desperate, driven to try the unthinkable thanks to her slowly eroding soul. She's tasted glory but the aftertaste has her choking, and only claiming our soul for her own will cleanse the palate.

That being said, the sheer confidence in her vocals are what really sells her as a serious threat. While most of the song focuses on what she's lost, the chorus is a battle cry, a ringing roar of protest against anyone who thinks she's beaten. The repetition is used excellently throughout, hammering home both her desperation and her conviction. She will win, even if it costs her everything she once held dear.

Anyway, all of this is really to say that I completely adore Arcadion so far and I can't wait to see how the new tiers fold me over a table and shatter my spine from the top rope. They absolutely nailed the wrestling vibes with this tier, right down to the electric theme songs. And to think, this is only the beginning!

[renshengs]

Hi!! I see you post occasionally about cdramas. I went to China this summer and I learned a little Mandarin (like enough to say, “I don’t speak good Mandarin.”) Would I be able to muddle through cdramas with captions? (Also any suggestions on which ones to watch and where to watch them?). Thanks so much <3

ooh i hope you had lots of fun there! with subtitles i think you could absolutely make it through most cdramas; it depends on how good the subs are, honestly, because alas translating mandarin chinese to english (or any latin-based language, for that matter) is i think one of the most difficult language translations possible because the chinese language is just so rife with chengyu (idioms).

as for recs, i do have a handful i watched recently enough that i feel more confident in trusting my own taste LOL. i almost exclusively watch historical dramas, so these are definitely going to be very skewed to my personal preferences.

also, this will be long because i love my cdramas. bear with me!

word of honor/山河令 (2021)

episodes: 36

genre: wuxia (chinese martial arts fantasy; think of crouching tiger hidden dragon), dangai (cdrama adapted from a chinese gay romance novel), adventure, political intrigue

arguably the most explicitly gay cdrama that's come out in the last decade despite censorship issues in chinese tv broadcasting

a lonely ex-assassin retires and begins a slow 1-year suicide by poison, but his death plan is interrupted by a flirtatious (& dangerous) man with a mysterious background + a newly orphaned kid he accidentally becomes responsible for. cue politics and drama!

if you don't mind dealing with low-budget CGI—though the show is so immersive it hardly makes a difference—the story features: fascinating & subversive themes about life & morality, a well-written cast of bloodthirsty women, an incredibly charming found family, and an absolutely fantastic, dramatic, devoted slow burn between the two male leads

if you prefer more mature romance—lots of flirting & sexual tension between two highly intelligent & capable men who are 1) attracted to each other from the get-go 2) constantly trying to outmaneuver each other & figure each other out... this is the one!

if it means anything, i am recommending this one first because it's my all-time favorite cdrama! especially if you are queer like me :)

you can watch it subtitled on netflix or fully free & subtitled in HD on the official youku youtube channel

the double/墨雨云间 (2024)

episodes: 40

genre: historical, romance, political intrigue

if you too are tired of stories about shallow, badly-written girlbosses with no dimension... this is the show for you!

protagonist is a happy woman who gets framed for adultery & buried alive by her husband—she survives and returns to enact revenge upon those who hurt her & her loved ones by assuming the identity of the young woman who died saving her. she makes many enemies and allies along the way + catches the attention of the emperor's notoriously cold & keen-eyed right hand man, duke su, who eventually becomes her very supportive love interest <3

high stakes & a plot that makes you hold your breath, GORGEOUS cinematography

a long list of complex and important female characters, most of them nasty and corrupt, all of them sympathetic and interesting. the show is good at making you assume at first that their characters won't be done justice, but just wait :)

from your resident het romance skeptic: excellent dynamic! protagonist and her duke are both confident, calculating schemers always trying to outsmart each other, but eventually join hands against common enemies. extremely slow burn with lots of tension and a refreshing lack of miscommunication

you can watch with subtitles on netflix, youku, and definitely some p/racy sites for east asian dramas

mysterious lotus casebook/莲花楼 (2023)

episodes: 40

genre: wuxia, adventure, mystery

a heroic & famous swordsman suffers a defeat at the hands of his nemesis and vanishes and is widely presumed dead. timeskip a decade, he's been living in disguise as a doctor to escape the burden of his identity when the past he's been hiding from starts to catch up to him when he scams a talented & stubborn young swordsman whose past is connected to his

if you like sly 30 yr old protagonists, identity shenanigans, & mystery-solving with gay polycule undertones, this is the one for you!

as for potential shipping: if you like age gap stuff and/or devoted puppyboys and/or "A has idolized B (adult) since they were a child; now A is grown-up and wants to protect B" trope. OR if you like 30 yr old nemeses who act divorced. the 3 main guys all have chemistry; pick and choose your ship at will!

to save text, last year i made a passionate powerpoint post explaining the whole show, spoiler-free, in more detail!

you can watch it with subtitles on iqiyi for free or on aforementioned [redacted] sites

love between fairy and devil/苍兰诀 (2022)

episodes: 36

genre: romance, xianxia (chinese high fantasy), adventure

high budget CGI? in MY cdrama? it's more likely than you think!

please ignore the horrendous english title. a translation of the original chinese would be "the parting/goodbye of canglan", canglan being the main characters. the story is tragic but ends happily!

on the surface appears like an old-fashioned good girl x bad boy love story, but is far more emotionally interesting & 100% deserving of its sheer popularity

brave & kindhearted low-ranking 1,500 yr old orchid fairy spirit accidentally soulbonds with a 30,000 yr old demon lord war prisoner who just happens to be the nemesis of her realm, except she reaps all the benefits and he just suffers (hilariously)

very star-crossed, VERY funny bodyswapping, & with far more heart and consistency than many people assume. the romance is difficult in ways that make sense! genuinely thought my picky ass would not be charmed by this show and found myself fully crying by episode 8

oh, and gloriously stunning costuming. everyone looks good, all the time, even when they're covered in blood <3

if you're interested, here is the powerpoint post that convinced me!

you can watch with subtitles on netflix, or iqiyi & viki for free!

a journey to love/一念关山 (2023)

episodes: 40

genre: historical, romance, adventure, political intrigue

also female-centric! an infamous and deeply complex assassin protagonist hellbent on revenge against the people who framed her finds herself making a deal to train a timid princess into becoming a political force of nature, ft. her supportive and equally capable male love interest, his group of incredibly lovable and memorable best bros, a gorgeous cutthroat young marquis with an oedipus complex & a complicated backstory (who absolutely steals the show whenever he shows up), & a headstrong tomboy princess with a sweet and loyal heart

a fast-paced plot that never drags + excellent soundtrack + incredible action scenes + a genuinely convincing crossdressing plot where the female character actually passes as a man

unreasonably funny considering the political drama. i truly cannot understate how Fun this was to watch, especially if you like deadly domineering women who are badly socialized and hilarious, and female characters establishing positive and meaningful bonds with each other.

if you've never watched a cdrama, i will warn that most of them Do Not Pull Their Punches when it comes to making viewers cry. this one has shakespearian tragedy levels of death, including of major characters

you can watch with subtitles on iqiyi, and i'm sure some [redacted] sites also

hopie this list can be of help to you, anon! i cannot state how happy it makes me to see anyone express an interest in watching cdramas. i grew up on them, their long dramatic storylines and star-crossed romances, and they shaped my taste in fiction in more ways than i can say. if at any point you get around to watching any of these, feel free to yell in my inbox about it, and most importantly have fun and enjoy! <3

[ad-hawkeye]

Visual Novel and Otome Recommendations for the Discerning Artem Enjoyer

So, recently, I've been playing a few other otome games. And you know what? I've had to sludge through a lot of crap! It literally took me months to be able to compile a list of four games I feel confident recommending.

Also, each of these games have an aspect that might appeal to Artem fans, especially a-spec ones. Of course, your mileage may vary, but here are my recommendations.

C14 Dating: You're a college student participating in an archeological internship. The game includes friendship routes as well as romance ones. It's very chill and laid back! I have played through all of the routes and enjoyed them greatly. Though, I am specifically recommending this game for one character - Hendrik, a young geologist who is a TA at the dig site. He is canonically asexual, and is the only character of his kind that I've encountered in a dating sim. The subject matter is also handled very well. This game was actually recommended to me by an anon, and I thank them so very much for it!

Trouble Comes Twice: Adrian. That's all. I'm kidding. Unless? But for real, he feels like if you took Artem Wing, but put him in the childhood friend role. It works so well. I am being entirely serious. Sexualities aren't usually outright stated as most of the characters are bisexual, but in Hazel's Adrian route, Adrian explicitly mentions never having had romantic or sexual feelings before. And Hazel is very chill about it. Which makes Adrian canonically a-spec to me! As for the protagonists, Jace and Hazel, they're an acquired taste, but they get much better as the plot goes on. The game is also a little short, but I enjoyed it very much!

Our Life: Beginnings & Always: Part of me regrets playing this game because now I will never get the chance to play it for the first time again. It is so fucking good. The amount of customization is unreal and unmatched. Cove is a wonderful love interest, and honestly? He might even beat Artem in the blushy boy department. He's also canonically demisexual and embodies the "me and the bad bitch I pulled by being autistic" meme. And on top of this, the game is free. DLC (which includes more memories and two additional love interests) is also extremely cheap, and the price of it all combined is still a lot cheaper than most games.

Lovebrush Chronicles: Definitely the closest to Tears of Themis in terms of it being an otome gacha that finally got its global release back in October. Artem fans tend to be drawn to Clarence and Alkaid, but will find reason to also like Ayn and Lars. For instance, I love all of them. Please send help. The game's localization is excellent and makes the love interests feel more human. The game also has no qualms about making fun of its own characters, and the MC will frequently have the chance to lovingly bully the boys. Speaking of the MC - she is incredible and I love her. She takes no shit and is the only otome MC that has made me think, "yeah, I would definitely say that too," and I love her for it.

[bookworm551]

The Great War | Part 3 | Neteyam x Omatikaya!reader

Summary: You and Neteyam were childhood friends, always looking out for each other, but when the Sky People returned, neither of you could have anticipated the way it would affect your relationship with one another.

A/N: Like I said, you weren’t going to have to wait very long for this part since I had written it along side part 2. Thank you to everyone who replied on my previous parts, y’all are awesome! Here’s some more for you, including some lovely Kiri content. I’ve got the next part mostly done too, so hang in there. Also, I may or may not do a spicy part 5. What do y’all think?

4.2k words

Warnings: canon-typical violence, angst, mentions of death

Part 1     Part 2 Part 4 Part 5

Three days later was the day of the mission which you weren't allowed to join. It was one of the largest offensive attacks that Jake had organized, with several dozen members of the Omatikaya enlisted to help fight, but not you.

In that time, you had avoided Neteyam like he was death itself. He had tried to approach you a couple of times, but each time you simply walked away. When he would try and follow you, you would find a friend to talk to, making it awkward for him to try to speak with you. Each of his siblings had tried talking to you to figure out what happened between you and their older brother, including Tuk, but they each got the same deadpan answer of, "I'm not talking about this."

He even went so far as to speak with your father, a fairly introverted Na'vi who became even more withdrawn after the death of his mate. You were somewhat startled when he tried talking to you about Neteyam, but you quickly shut him down much to your father's surprise.

"He is one of your oldest friends," he pointed out as you were eating together one night. "You should speak with him about what happened." You bit into your food in annoyance and after a moment of silence, you responded gravely, "He is not my friend anymore." The words tasted bitter as you spoke them, and it broke your heart, but there was one thing you had found value in yourself; your ability to fight. And he had taken it from you. You couldn't forgive him for that.

On the day of the battle, you didn't see Neteyam or any of the other warriors off when they left for the attack. Instead, you had busied yourself with weaving a blanket on the loom that had been in your family for generations. There weren't a lot of quiet skills that you excelled at, but this was one of them. You tried not to think about the war party as you worked in silence, instead, thinking of what you could work on next to stay occupied.

As you continued working, you heard someone enter your tent. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw Kiri walk in. Immediately, you were on guard, but you didn't try to send her off.

"It looks beautiful," she complimented your progress kindly. You gave her a suspicious look before turning back to your work on your loom. "I'm not talking about Neteyam," you told her dully. "Neither am I," she countered, sitting at your side. "I'm talking about your blanket."

You scoffed quietly. You were very defensive around her and her siblings, and you weren't convinced that she came just to talk about your weaving abilities. Despite your misgivings, you decided to try having a normal conversation.

"This loom was created by my father's grandfather," you told her after a moment of silence had passed. "The skill of weaving has been passed down through my family for many generations. It makes me feel closer to my ancestors." Kiri watched as your fingers moved expertly across the threads. "I understand," she replied sincerely. "I enjoy learning about Eywa and the art of healing from my grandmother."

You nodded quietly. "You would make an excellent Tsahik," you told her. Though the Olo'eyktan and Tsahik were usually a mated pair, it was not uncommon for the roles to fall to separate members of a tribe. Such was the current case in your tribe, as Mo'at was the current Tsahik, while her daughter's son was Olo'eyktan. So, too, was it within reason that the next tribe leader and spiritual leader could be brother and sister.

"Perhaps," she said modestly, "though I still have much to learn before then." She paused, and you could feel her gaze on you. "So does my brother before he takes my father's mantle." Your mood instantly dropped at the mention of Neteyam. "I told you that I'm not talking about—"

"He told me everything."

Your hands stopped working. Irritation burned through your chest, and you ground your teeth to keep from cursing. "Of course he did," you muttered angrily as you continued your work, not looking at Kiri.

"To his credit," she defended, "he was resolved not to say anything." She then smugly added, "I had to violently threaten him to get the truth out of him." You smirked despite yourself. Kiri was probably one of the most passive members of the Omatikaya, and the thought of her doing anything violent to her warrior brother was comical. The truth was that she had probably threatened to involve their mother, and that would be enough to get him to talk.

"Listen," she said gently, placing a hand on your shoulder. You paused your work. "I know better than most that my brother can be a skxawng. He always believes he is right, and he hates not being in control of a situation." You sighed in exasperation, knowing that her description was painfully accurate. She continued, "But I also know that he is like that because he cares so much about the people around him, and he is absolutely terrified of losing you."

You close your eyes, your hurt and sadness resurfacing after all your effort to suppress it the past few days. "He thinks he is protecting you, but he cannot see that he is pushing you away," she said. Her words made sense. Deep down, you knew that he did what he did to keep you safe, but it was the fact that he broke your trust that made you never want to speak with him again.

"He had no right—," your voice cracked. You took a breath and tried again. "He had no right to speak to your father about it. I should be out there fighting with them, not stuck here being grounded and useless." You felt tears prick at your eyes, and you huffed in exasperation. You did not want to cry now.

"He should not have betrayed your trust," Kiri agreed solemnly. "That was wrong for him to do. But you are more than a warrior, and you are not useless." You scoffed, but she pushed at your shoulder so that you faced her better. "You are an excellent hunter and possess a great talent for craftsmanship," she told you earnestly, gesturing to the detailed patterns on your partially finished blanket. "You are well-liked and respected among the People, and you are one of my dearest friends."

You glanced up at her face, taking in the avatar-like features that made her stand out amongst the other Na'vi. Even though she was barely into her adulthood, she had a mature countenance that surpassed all the other clan members your age. Her voice was deep and sincere as she spoke to you, causing your defensive attitude to start to crumble.

You shook your head softly. "I don't feel valuable when I'm here," you confessed quietly. "I feel that my only useful skill is to fight." She looked at you sadly. "That is not the truth," she argued gently. "What will you do if the Sky People leave, and there is no more war?"

You blinked. You had been so consumed with defeating the invasive humans that you hadn't considered what would happen next. Everything seemed to revolve around the war, so thinking of a future without it was difficult for you to imagine. Kiri didn't say anything as you contemplated her question. "I don't know," you admitted finally. "I never really thought about what happens after." She didn't say anything, she just sat and watched you carefully.

"I suppose," you began hesitatingly, "I suppose since I lost my mother, I have only been focused on the war. I have not given much thought to anything else." Kiri tilted her head slightly sideways in mild curiosity. "You've never thought about your future?" She asked.

"I've thought about my Uniltaron trial," you responded. "But now, even that has been taken away until your grandmother gives her blessing again." Kiri gave you a look of mild exasperation. "That is not what I meant when I said your future," she told you.

Ah.

You used to daydream about how your life would look like when you were grown. You would think about having a mate, harboring a secret hope that you would find one in your best friend. You would wonder about the life you would have. Would you have a family? Would you be able to see a world beyond the forest? You stopped asking yourself questions like that when the war came and left its ugly stain on your life.

"I haven't thought about such things in a long time," you said quietly to Kiri. She let out a sympathetic sigh. "It's hard to think about right now when everything is so unclear," she admitted. "But in such uncertain times, we must stick together as one People." She grabbed your hand with her own five-fingered one.

"I won't ask for you to talk to him," she clarified, "or to forgive him. But I want you to know that holding on will not make anything about this bleak situation any better." You looked away from her gentle gaze. You knew she was right, but there was nothing Eywa had made stronger than your stubbornness.

"I don't know how to let go," you admitted after a second. "Every time I think about it, I am refilled with anger." You rubbed your face in exasperation. "I don't know how to face him after what he did to me." Kiri squeezed your hand. "I can't tell you what to do," she said slowly. "It is for you to decide."

Looking down at your clasped hands, you meditated on all the negative feelings you had: anger, hurt, sadness, longing. It was overwhelming. "I just feel lost," you whispered emotionally. Kiri frowned sadly and pulled you into a tight hug. You felt all the emotions rise up in your throat as your friend held you. "That's okay," she whispered back. You pulled her tighter and felt tears run down your cheeks, but you tried to rein in your emotions.

"He misses you."

Three words and all your defenses came down, and you started shaking with sobs. You released all of your longing and pain into your breakdown. All the rage you felt towards the humans who took away your mother, all the frustration you had about your injury, and all the hurt feelings of Neteyam's betrayal came flooding out of you in one cathartic cry. Kiri held you the whole time, rubbing your back comfortingly. Breathing in ragged breaths, you finally choked out, "I miss him too."

After you were able to regain your composure somewhat, you pulled back and saw that Kiri had also been crying with you, albeit quietly. You wiped your face and tried to even out your breathing. "Thank you," you told her finally, your voice hoarse from crying. She wiped her own tears and smiled at you. "Of course," she said softly.

Kiri stayed with you for a while longer before you asked for some privacy. Feeling emotionally drained, you decided to rest for a time. You felt less burdened now that you had confided in her. You thought about what she had said regarding your grudge against her brother, and you felt the truth of it in your heart. Holding onto your anger towards him was not only hurting him, but it was also slowly killing you, too. With that thought in mind, you fell asleep.

You were awoken by the sounds of excited and anxious voices outside. Feeling better after your nap, you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes and pushed out of your tent. Dozens of people were rushing towards the front of the camp hurriedly. The war party must have returned.

Joining in with the crowd, you pushed your way to the entrance of the cave. Though you weren't quite ready to forgive Neteyam for what he had done, you still wanted to speak with him so that he at least had the opportunity to apologize, and maybe then could you could work towards some form of resolution.

Taking in the scene of the returning warriors, you were immediately alarmed by what you saw. There were many warriors who had left on this mission, but there was just over half that number presently settling back into camp. Your heart sank. This was a heavy loss, perhaps the worst your people had suffered in a battle since the Sky People had returned.

Pushing through the crowd, you looked around desperately for your friends, specifically Neteyam. You spotted Lo'ak as he landed, but before you could call out to him, he immediately jumped off of his ikran and ran over to where his mother had just landed, holding a figure in her arms.

Your world stopped when you realized it was Neteyam.

You stood rooted to the spot in horror. He was hunched over in front of Neytiri with his eyes screwed shut in pain. He was gripping at his right shoulder weakly, and you saw to your dismay a large glass shard had lodged itself upwards into his chest.

Neytiri, as carefully and urgently as she could, pulled her son from her ikran. "Mother!" She cried out frantically, looking around desperately for the Tsahik. Mo'at pushed her way forward and took in the sight of her grandson with a sharp breath. "Come quickly," she told them before turning to Kiri with a quick order to prepare certain herbs and medicines for Neteyam.

Stumbling forward, Neteyam followed their leading hands toward the medical tents. He was leaning on his mother's strong figure as he walked slowly upwards. The crowd had parted to let them pass, and gasps rose up from people as they saw the serious injury he had.

You couldn't move, couldn't speak. You wanted to do something, anything, but your arms and legs felt like lead, and your voice was stuck in your throat. Neteyam's eyes passed over the crowd in an unfocused daze, but when they glanced at you, he seemed to zone in on your face.

You saw him mouth your name, then, as he passed by, you heard him say in a ragged voice, "I'm sorry." Hearing him seemed to snap you out of your paralysis. Shoving through the crowd, you did your best to keep up with him and his family towards the healing tent, but more and more people were showing up to see the war party, making it difficult.

You finally made it out of the sea of people as Neteyam was entering the tent. You tried to follow them in, but Kiri stood blocking your way. "You need to go," she told you, gripping your shoulders tightly. You shook your head desperately. "No," you begged. "No, please, let me in." Her grip tightened, and her voice hardened. "You need to go," she repeated. Looking at her face, you could see the fear in her eyes, and it made your resolution falter.

"No, Kiri," Neteyam's pained voice called out from behind her. "I want— I want her here." Kiri hesitated for a moment before dropping her arms and letting you in. You immediately rushed to his side. He was heaving in uneven breaths, his whole face contorted in pain.

"Neteyam," you whispered his name emotionally, cupping his face in your hand. He opened his eyes for a second to look at you, raising his left hand to you. You instantly took it, and he closed his eyes in another pained grimace. "I'm sorry," he panted. "I'm sorry for everything." Tears gathered in your eyes. You had wanted an apology from him earlier, and now it was a cruel irony that he was giving it to you with a large glass stake in his chest.

Gripping his hand tightly, you brought it up to your cheek, holding onto his wrist with your other hand. You couldn't speak with all the emotions in your throat. This couldn't be happening. He didn't do stupid things like get hurt. Now, in addition to all the anger and hurt you'd been swimming in the past few days, you were hit by an overpowering wave of fear.

Around you, Mo'at and Kiri moved quickly to set up everything they needed to remove the glass shard and to treat the wound it left. Neytiri sat opposite of you on Neteyam's right side and held his other hand, whispering prayers to Eywa.

Mo'at moved in closer to his head, setting down bowls full of poultices and towels nearby to help treat the wound. "We are going to remove this," she warned him. He nodded his head, his breathing increasing as he anticipated the pain of the extraction. "Hold him down," Mo'at ordered. Kiri pressed down on his left shoulder next to you with most of her weight and place a steadying hand on his forehead.

Without any other warning, Mo'at pulled the shard out of its lodge. Neteyam instantly reacted, squeezing your hand so tight, you thought it would break. His cries of pain seethed through tightly clenched teeth. The two healers worked with dizzying speed once the glass was removed.

In the midst of the chaos, you heard someone at the tent. Looking over your shoulder, you saw Jake standing at the entrance. He looked like he'd been through hell, and now he was staring down at his injured son in distress. "How is he?" He asked quickly. You shook your head uncertainly.

Behind Jake, Tuk came in to see her brother. "Is he okay?" She asked in a small voice. Before anyone could answer, Mo'at said sternly, "Too many people." You understood your place was not there amongst the family, so you moved to get up and leave, but Neteyam kept his grip on your hand. With a grunt, he pulled you back down and whispered, "No."

Your heart ached. It was just a few hours ago that you were resolved to never speak to him again, but now, you were desperately holding onto every word he managed to say. How could you have been so stubborn? Guilt gnawed at your heart, and you gripped his hand tightly.

Jake saw his son's reaction. With a quick nod to Neytiri, he decided that he would be the one to go. Guiding Tuk out gently, he gave her some comforting words to calm her down.

You weren't sure how long the healers worked, but it seemed to stretch on for an eternity. After removing the glass piece, they gave Neteyam a sleeping draught that knocked him out almost immediately. While he was asleep, they continued working on him to stop the overflowing blood and stitch the wound together. The glass had left a clean, straight cut in his muscle, but Mo'at had determined that nothing vital had been damaged.

With the wound mended and patched up, the two exhausted healers took a break to check up on the other wounded. Neytiri had gotten up to find her mate and other children to check up on them. You never left his side, and you couldn't take your eyes off his unconscious face most of the time. Now it was only you and the resting warrior in the tent. You told the others that you would stay until he woke up and alert them of his consciousness.

You sat cross-legged next to him with a prayer cord in your hands. It was a leather band cut into five strips that you braided as you sang a song to Eywa. The song you were singing quietly to yourself was the prayer of healing. Your fingers braided expertly as you sang, and you zoned out so completely that you didn't even notice Neteyam stirring next to you.

"I've never heard you sing before," he commented quietly, breaking you out of your reverie with a start as you finished the song and the braid. "It's very nice." Under any other circumstances, you would have been embarrassed, but you were so relieved to hear his voice, it didn't even matter.

"You're awake," you gasped softly. "How do you feel?" He grunted in pain before responding, "Never better." You sighed and rubbed your face, feeling slightly relieved at his sarcasm. With your relief came the exhaustion you had been fighting off for hours, not to mention the emotional weariness that had taken its toll on your spirit as well.

"You look terrible," he said with a faint smile. You looked over at him before slightly smiling back. "You look worse," you responded. His wittiness was more than welcome to you after watching him writhe in pain just a few hours before. Looking at him now, you felt all the remorse in your heart for pushing him away. You never would have forgiven yourself if something worse had happened to him.

"Neteyam, I—"

He held up a hand to stop you. "Don't," he whispered softly. "Let me speak first." You swallowed your words and nodded silently. You remembered how he had apologized to you earlier as he was being carried away, so you figured he probably wanted to get it off of his chest now that he wasn't in a chaotic scenario anymore.

He dropped his hand down to rest on your knee, tracing his fingers gently across your skin. He sighed and looked up at you. "I do not know how to tell you how sorry I am," he began. "I knew you wanted to fight, but I was afraid that something would happen to you again if you went back into battle."

He paused, thinking about the past few weeks since your accident. "I have been living in fear every day since your injury," he admitted quietly. "I could not focus on anything except making sure you were safe. So, when you told me about your migraines, I felt justified in telling my father to keep you out of danger."

His words were hard for you to hear. It still made you upset knowing he intentionally betrayed your trust, but you listened intently to what he was saying.

"I see now that I have been trying to control something that only Eywa has power over," he said. "You had every right to be angry with me, and I am very sorry for what I did." You closed your eyes, letting his words sink in. After a moment, you opened them and looked down at your injured friend.

"I was angry," you agreed. "I was angry because for so long, I have only ever felt that I was useful when I fought in the war. So much of who I am stems from being a warrior and fighting the Sky People." You paused to think about your conversation with Kiri, and how your self-worth came from your identity as a warrior. "When I was taken out of the war party, I felt so lost, like I didn't have any other purpose or use," you continued. "I felt helpless and worthless."

Neteyam looked up at you with sadness. "You are not worthless," he insisted quietly. "You are precious to me, even if you could never fight again. That is why I told my father so that I would never lose you." He was staring at where his fingers were tracing over your leg, and you could see in his face that he was reflecting on the days since you last spoke. "I did not realize that by telling him, I would lose you anyway," he finished sadly.

His words made your throat tighten, and your eyes squeezed shut as tears threatened to spill over. You had to take a few breaths to steady yourself again.

"I am sorry I pushed you away," you told him finally. He shook his head at that. "No, I pushed you away," he said. "I never should have told my father. You were right to react the way you did." You didn't know what to say, so you didn't respond, looking down at him regretfully. He reached up his hand to trace the side of your face slowly and gently. "I will never push you away again," he whispered.

Your breath faltered at his touch, and for a second, you sat in silence, unable to speak. You leaned into his hand and closed your eyes for a moment. "I missed you," you said at last. "I don't want to fight anymore." He was looking up at you tenderly. "Never again," he agreed.

A loud voice walked by the entrance of the tent, pulling you from your quiet, intimate moment. "I should get your family," you told him quietly. He dropped his hand back to his side and nodded reluctantly.

You stood up to leave, but you paused and looked down at him. "I forgive you," you said earnestly. "For everything." His eyes held yours for a moment, relief and tenderness shining in them. "Thank you," he whispered. It was barely audible, but it punctured all of the tension in your chest. Then, with a small smile, you added, "That includes you almost dying." He grinned at you. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, too," he said.

You shook your head with a smile, and you walked out to go find his family.

Next part

[hxneyfarm]

18. “I shouldn’t be in love with you.” 💕💕

hhhh i love this prompt thank you so much <33 prompts from this post.

Y'know that thing people always say? About how absence makes the heart grow fonder? Yeah. Eddie gets it now.

It's been five months since Robin whisked Steve away to Chicago so she'd have someone close while she's in college, and if Eddie thought he had it bad for Steve while he was right there at his side all summer long, it's got nothin' on how bad he's got it now. Steve calls him every other Saturday, and Eddie watches the phone all fuckin' day waiting for the damn thing to ring.

It's not like they don't see each other. Steve came home with Robin over Christmas, and he spent most of his time here at the trailer with Eddie. They're not a thing, not really. They're touchy and affectionate with each other, but they always have been. That's no different than it was the summer they spent in each other's orbit, never too far out of arm's reach from one another.

But they're not a thing, because Eddie's too much of a coward to risk their friendship by confessing his feelings when there's a very real chance he's being fucking delusional.

The thing is, though, Steve doesn't call anyone else on the kind of schedule that he calls Eddie. And when he calls, they stay on the phone for hours. There shouldn't even be that much to catch up on, but Eddie finds himself making note of every little thing that happens in Hawkins that he wishes Steve could be there for.

On Eddie's birthday at the end of January, decidedly not one of their designated call days, Steve calls him. It's two minutes after midnight and Eddie's got his guitar in his lap and a pencil wedged behind his ear, and the phone rings.

"Happy birthday," Steve says quietly when Eddie picks up the phone.

Eddie twists the phone cord around his fingers. "Thanks, Stevie."

"Was I first?"

Eddie huffs out a laugh. "Yeah. Didn't even give anybody else a chance. It's barely midnight. Shouldn't you be in bed? You have work tomorrow, don't you?"

"Mmm," Steve says, a little sound of confirmation. "Wanted to call anyway. So what do you want for your birthday this year?"

You.

Eddie's overcome with that feeling again, the tingle all the way down to his toes when he thinks about how gone he is on Steve, when he imagines his smile and his laugh and the warmth of him at his side. Eddie misses him a little more every single day.

"I mean... I dunno if you could deliver, Stevie."

"Try me."

Eddie aches. It's like Steve is begging him to say it. He wants to say it. So badly.

"I shouldn't."

"You shouldn't what?"

"I shouldn't be in love with you," Eddie whispers, and then he holds his breath.

It's quiet. Steve is too quiet for too long and oh, god, he's done it now. Stupid. That was so stupid. Such an idiotic thing to say, fuck.

"I'm coming home this weekend," Steve says at last. "I'm coming home to see you and take you out."

"Because...?" Eddie's voice shakes with hope.

"Because I... I haven't felt this way about anyone in a real long time. You really couldn't tell? We almost kissed on New Years, Eds."

"Well, y'know..." Eddie stammers. "Thought I imagined that."

He remembers how close they'd been that night, how Steve's breath had smelled of beer, how Steve looked at Eddie's mouth before Eddie'd turned away from him. Here he'd been thinking he'd stopped himself from making a stupid, terrible mistake.

"I can't play it cool anymore. Being away from you has been..."

"Hard," Eddie finishes for him.

"Yeah. I wanna try this with you. I wanna try... us. That okay?"

"Seems too good to be true."

"Maybe it is. We'll never know unless we try, right?"

Eddie twists the phone cord around his fingers again and tries to hide his smile behind the receiver, even though Steve's not here to see how stupid and love drunk he looks right now.

"Sooo... I did manage to charm you with my irresistible good looks and excellent taste in music?"

"Something like that," Steve says, and there's a smile in his voice. "I'll see you this weekend."

"Can't wait."

"Happy birthday, Eds. I... I'm sorry it took me so long."

"Better late than never, big boy."

still taking requests!

[raparopa]

could you do Tolya Yul-Bataar x Grisha!fem!reader

you walk around the ballroom, you simply trip that someone was holding your waist it was Tolya, you apologize, you seem so nervous to see him but he very kind to you, so you two talk and lots of chemistry together *fluffiness*

(hope you will write it, thanks and have a lovely day)

a/n: I continue the marathon

warnings: alcohol

pairing: Tolya Yul-Bataar x reader

lady tidemaker

I really love the balls that the Lantsov family has always arranged. It was one of the great advantages of friendship with Nikolai, when you can freely have fun and have a good time during noisy holidays; walk the golden halls and dance with the lords or other Grisha.

And tonight was great. Nikolai returned, he was no longer called Sturmhond, he brought with him the Sun Summoner and now we could not sit out in observatory, hiding from Vasily's tyranny.

I grabbed a glass of champagne from one table, looking at my reflection in the cloche, admiring how beautiful my blue and blue caftan looks in this gold madness. The drink was sweet in taste, with small bubbles and a fruity aroma. I greeted and nodded to the Grisha, chatted with Nadia, even got to know Alina better, who turned out to be a very nice girl; I even managed to exchange a few words with Nikolai and scold him for disappearing somewhere for so long and not even sending a message.

I was glad, calm and a little drunk on good champagne. But who cares, right?

I walked around the hall until some lady blocked my way with her huge, pink dress, the train of which trailed behind her like a peacock's tail. I tried to make a clever maneuver so as not to run into this (wonderful) woman, but my legs had already decided everything for me: the heel treacherously slid on the pink fabric of the hem, and I barely had time to squeak something and mentally prepare for the fall as ...

Nothing happened? The only thing I heard was a splash: the champagne from my glass was on the floor.

I could hardly exhale: someone held me by the arms so easily, as if I were a feather. When I opened my eyes, I saw no one in front of me, but the voice of my savior came from behind.

-Is everything all right, tidemaker? - they asked me with a sneer, returning to a vertical position. I awkwardly turned to look at my savior and realized that I was feeling bad and good at the same time.

Tolya Yul-Bataar.

Oh no. Oh no. OH NO NO NO. My heart skipped a beat and then pounded like a drum.

Of course I knew who it was. I saw him and his sister next to Nikolai when they arrived. But close he was... Saints...

-Yes, thank you,- I said, not knowing where to put my hands and an empty glass. He silently looked at me for a moment, and then his smile turned a little sad.

-You got scared? Your heart ... - he put his hand to his chest, on the side of his heart. I blinked incomprehensibly. - Beats harder, faster than before. Are you sure you're alright, torrential? -he said, looking at me worriedly. I wanted to answer him, but his words made me think for a moment, and then my lips stretched into a sly smile.

-Sounds like you've been following my heart all evening,- I teased. Tolya's face fell for a moment, and then he laughed, awkwardly rubbing his neck.

-Y/N. - I said, holding out my free hand to him.

-Tolya,- he answered, shaking my hand. He had strong, but surprisingly soft and light hands. -Very glad to meet you, Y/N.

- Mutually. - I smiled. Why are my cheeks and ears burning so insanely?! - How do you like the evening?

Tolya shrugged.

-Now she has become much more charming Y/N. Even the appetizers are not so terrible. And the champagne is quite good.

I giggled at his words.

- Champagne is excellent. - I answered, twirling an empty glass in my hand. - It's a pity that now the floor will enjoy it, and not me. Thanks to that beautiful lady in the wonderful pink dress. I nodded my head at the culprit of our acquaintance, who now flickered at the other end of the hall.

Tolya laughed heartily.

Saints, are all heartrenders so adorable?

-I think the champagne problem is easy to fix. Unless, of course, the lady will allow me? - He bowed theatrically to me, winking playfully.

-ABOUT! Please! - I waved away embarrassedly. - I'm not a lady at all. Not at all. I doubt that Grisha can even be called a lady. - I justified myself, which undoubtedly amused Tolya again.

-Still, will you allow me to supply you with champagne again?

- How much help in one evening, Tolya.

-I like to help people. Especially so charming. Lady tidemaker.

[bethanydelleman]

What do you think Austen encompasses when she refers to “taste” and “manners”? I’m trying to think past the obvious but I don’t really know what these concepts meant in the early 19th century, but they were clearly important descriptives.

Thanks for your thoughts!

This is a big question, as Jane Austen's works are often described as a "comedy of manners" and the concept of taste comes up a lot! There are certainly nuances in the way she uses these words. I'm going to do taste in this response and manners in another post because this got long.

Taste comes in two forms, natural and educated. Lady Catherine in Pride & Prejudice snobbishly describes herself as having the former:

There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.

While this is most likely a jab at people who claim natural taste while being uneducated, and a display of Lady Catherine's misplaced pride. In Sense & Sensibility, Elinor defends Edward by claiming he has natural taste:

“What a pity it is, Elinor,” said Marianne, “that Edward should have no taste for drawing.”

“No taste for drawing!” replied Elinor, “why should you think so? He does not draw himself, indeed, but he has great pleasure in seeing the performances of other people, and I assure you he is by no means deficient in natural taste, though he has not had opportunities of improving it. Had he ever been in the way of learning, I think he would have drawn very well. He distrusts his own judgment in such matters so much, that he is always unwilling to give his opinion on any picture; but he has an innate propriety and simplicity of taste, which in general direct him perfectly right.”

Now "taste" doesn't seem to only be "the ability to discern what is of good quality or of a high aesthetic standard." it also speaks to execution, as we see here in Northanger Abbey:

Her taste for drawing was not superior; though whenever she could obtain the outside of a letter from her mother or seize upon any other odd piece of paper, she did what she could in that way, by drawing houses and trees, hens and chickens, all very much like one another.

This sentence would suggest the definition of taste to be something like "skill". Etymoline gives this definition:

Also from c. 1300 in English as "to touch, to handle." From early 14c. as "have experience or knowledge of" (of bliss, bitterness, etc.). The meaning "exercise the sense of taste" is recorded from late 14c.... The meaning "aesthetic judgment, artistic sensibility, faculty of discerning and appreciating what is excellent" is attested by mid-15c... The sense of "fact or condition of liking or preferring something, inclination" is from late 14c. 

Henry Tilney talks about taste as something like skill as well:

“I should no more lay it down as a general rule that women write better letters than men, than that they sing better duets, or draw better landscapes. In every power, of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided between the sexes.”

Austen also makes a bit of a pun about taste, would not disgust a young person of taste, when talking about the merits of novels.

We see taste associated with education again here:

They were viewing the country with the eyes of persons accustomed to drawing, and decided on its capability of being formed into pictures, with all the eagerness of real taste. Here Catherine was quite lost. She knew nothing of drawing—nothing of taste... her attention was so earnest that he became perfectly satisfied of her having a great deal of natural taste.

Similar to Pride & Prejudice: Lady Catherine continued her remarks on Elizabeth’s performance, mixing with them many instructions on execution and taste.

And then of course, we have Elizabeth's admiration of Darcy's taste when she sees Pemberley:

Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste... The rooms were lofty and handsome, and their furniture suitable to the fortune of their proprietor; but Elizabeth saw, with admiration of his taste, that it was neither gaudy nor uselessly fine,—with less of splendour, and more real elegance, than the furniture of Rosings.

And again, the association with education:

She listened most attentively to all that passed between them, and gloried in every expression, every sentence of her uncle, which marked his intelligence, his taste, or his good manners.

Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached. Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been listened to with much more pleasure, though not playing half so well; and Mary, at the end of a long concerto, was glad to purchase praise and gratitude by Scotch and Irish airs, at the request of her younger sisters, who with some of the Lucases, and two or three officers, joined eagerly in dancing at one end of the room.

So, to sum up this massive litany of quotes, natural taste seems to be an inclination in the right direction, which can be honed with proper education. Real taste comes from a place of education. There seems to be a suggestion that one type of taste can be correct, it is not just a matter of opinion. Jane Austen argues that novels should be a part of that "correct" taste. I imagine that taste changed with movements, such as Romanticism and the idea of the picturesque.

[welcometoteyvat]

fake ga-ming voicelines (prerelease, some more delusional, some less. please give more hcs about him)

edit: apparently voiceline leaks just dropped so PLEASE no spoilers <3 if these are wrong that's too bad they're canon in my heart!!!

About Yun Jin: Besides being a great opera performer, Sir Yun's taste in tea is impeccable! Although she keeps asking me to join her at Heyu Tea House... their tea just doesn't have the same flavor as the tieguanyin from Xinyue Kiosk. Speaking of her, one of our clients has just developed a new strain—I promised to bring some for her when I come back to Liyue Harbor!

About Xiao: You mean Senior Xiao! Hehe, so you know him too! Next time, can you bring him along with you to one of my performances in the harbor? I've been trying to get him to come for a long time, but he always refuses... oh, good idea! Next time I'll hold it at Wangshu Inn, just for him!

About Xiangling: That girl always by Guoba's side, right? Man Chai seems to like her a lot, especially the cornbread buns she makes! To be honest, some of the things she cooks are a little too spicy for me, but otherwise she’s an excellent chef with unmistakable talent. No wonder her companion is a minor deity… wait, what? A major deity?

About Keqing: Thanks to her invitation and sponsorship, our Mighty Mythical Beast performances have been getting more and more attention in the harbor! She's very straightforward and speaks her mind about everything, and always has novel ideas! Although we haven’t talked much, I really admire her mindset and determination. It’s not easy to forge your own path forward, especially for someone of her standing.

About Chongyun: I've run into him once or twice on the road to Liyue Harbor. He didn’t seem to like talking that much when we met, but I’ve heard he’s actually quite outgoing! He wields a greatsword too—maybe he can train with me as the suanni’s tail? Of course, I wouldn’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want; I'm sure he's already busy! It would just be nice to have a wushou partner for once.

About Xinyan: I managed to catch one of Xinyan's performances when I had some free time after work. There weren’t many people in the audience, but her music was so energetic it completely made up for the quieter atmosphere. Originally, I was thinking about asking her to join our lion dance troupe as a drummer, but I’m glad to hear she's made a name for herself since then! I should properly introduce myself sometime!

About Zhongli: He once asked me whether I've heard about the legend of the solitary suanni after one of Iron Tongue Tian's stories. When I said yes, he launched into a really detailed discussion of Chenyu Vale's local belief system, and even told me some stories I haven't heard about a carp adeptus. It's amazing that he has so much knowledge on all sorts of folklore, as a funeral consultant no less!

About Xianyun: ... Who? im sorry i was going to put something about the adepti here but gave up trying to think of something and now it's just a joke line. suggestions welcome tho 🫶

About Yelan: Ah, that lady—sometimes I see her lingering around Yanshang Teahouse. They place regular orders of tea leaves from Yilong Wharf. She's very polite and even petted Man Chai once or twice, although I feel like there's more to her than meets the eye... well, business is business, and they've never caused any trouble for Sword and Strongbox, so whatever she does isn't much of a concern to me.

very long notes:

generally i feel like what's mentioned in chara voicelines tend to have a lot less substance than the actual relationship, so in my head some of them are closer w gaming than i wrote.

always welcoming suggestions!!!!! PLEASE share the brainrot with me i'm dying here OTL please please.

i'd like to write an "about xingqiu" but i bully my richboy son and he's already had like 12 other people comment on him in canon it's fine if ga-ming doesn't know him

everything's just for fun etc etc. don't take it too seriously

watch all of these be completely wrong!!!

similarly if any of these end up being right, i will SCREAM

the only ones i really really want to happen are with yun jin and xiao if they don't have voicelines i'll die

senior xiao comes from my headcanon (copium) that they'll keep the mentor disciple relationship (?) from that one concept art if you know you know. it also comes from this absolutely delicious fic