#so I’m not going to let this effect our friendship

[lqvesoph]

A thin line between love and hate || LN4

landonorris x fewtrell!reader

enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend

Summary: Through your brother’s friendship with Lando Norris, your families have been interwined for as long as you can remember. Seven years had passed since you last saw your brother’s best friend, and you were thankful because he really was one huge pain in the ass. But now your families decided to go on vacation together, where the tension between the two of you shifts

Part 1

1.1k words

masterlist

Part 2

The days at the villa drifted by in a blur of sun-soaked mornings and leisurely afternoons. Despite the picturesque surroundings, there was no escaping Lando. It seemed as though everywhere you went, he was there—ready with a smirk, a taunt, or some infuriatingly charming quip.

At the beach, you were determined to enjoy the soft sand and glistening waves, but Lando’s presence loomed.

“You ever even touched a volleyball, Bambi?” he called out, twirling the ball on his fingertip as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

“I don’t need lessons from you,” you shot back, shielding your eyes from the sun with your hand.

“Oh, come on,” he teased, jogging over to you, his hair a mess of curls from the salty sea breeze. “I’ll go easy on you.”

“I doubt that,” you muttered.

Before you could protest further, he was standing beside you, closer than necessary, holding the ball out. “Just a quick tutorial. What’s the worst that could happen?”

You took the ball begrudgingly, ignoring the amused glances from Max, who lounged nearby under a sun umbrella, Pietra in his arms.

It didn’t take long for your “lesson” to descend into chaos. Every serve from Lando came with a side of mockery, and every return you attempted was met with a running commentary.

“Almost had it!” he laughed when the ball hit the net for the third time.

“Maybe if you weren’t distracting me—” you started, only to stop when he darted closer to grab the ball. His smirk was annoyingly close, the sun lighting up the mischief in his eyes.

“Distracting? You think I’m distracting?”

Max’s voice cut through the moment like a knife. “Oi, Lando, stop flirting before she decks you.”

Your cheeks burned. “He’s not flirting. He’s just being a pain, as usual.”

Lando didn’t miss a beat, his smirk deepening. “Maybe both.”

You turned away quickly, heading back to the water, but you couldn’t shake the feeling of his eyes on you.

That evening, after another lively family dinner, you found yourself alone in the villa’s spacious kitchen, stacking plates for the dishwasher. The sound of footsteps behind you made you glance up, already knowing who it was.

“Ever the helpful one,” Lando said, leaning against the counter with a lazy grin, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“Some of us like to pull our weight,” you replied, keeping your focus on the plates. “I know that’s foreign territory for you, Mr. gets his meals prepped like child and has always someone to clean up after him,” you took a not so subtle dig at the boy.

But Lando didn’t even respond to it. “And here I thought you just liked avoiding me,” he teased, his tone lighter than usual.

“I don’t need to avoid you,” you shot back, stacking the last plate a little harder than necessary.

“No?” he asked, stepping closer.

When you turned to face him, your breath hitched. He was standing so close now, his presence filling the small space between the counters. The grin on his face had softened into something almost… sincere.

“Admit it,” he said, his voice quieter now, his gaze locked on yours. “You missed me.”

Your pulse quickened, but you refused to let him see how he was affecting you. “Missed your constant harassment? Not a chance.”

Lando chuckled, but the sound was low, almost intimate. “Come on, Bambi. Be honest.” He leaned in, his hands braced on the counter behind you, effectively caging you in.

You huffed. “I don’t even get the option to miss you. I’ve seen you multiple times on TV over the last five years, each Sunday actually.”

“Oh so you watch my races?” Lando teased with a smirk, licking his bottom lip, which caught your attention for a second too long. “No, my friends watch your races. I don’t. And I can’t miss you if I can’t go anywhere without seeing your face planted on a random store window!” you called, pressing back into the kitchen counter.

“And still, you’ve been watching me all week.”

The air felt too thick, his proximity making it hard to think. His scent—something clean and warm—washed over you, and your heart was pounding in your chest.

“What are you so afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” you managed to say, your voice sharper than intended.

His lips twitched into a faint smirk. “Then why are you blushing?”

“I’m not—”

In a panic, you shoved at his chest, breaking the tension as he stepped back with a laugh. You crossed your arms, glaring at him, though your cheeks betrayed you with their warmth.

“You’re impossible,” you muttered, brushing past him to leave the kitchen.

But as you walked away, you could still feel his gaze on you, a lingering heat that stayed with you long after you left the room.

tg: @harrysdimple05

[chloe-skywalker]

Nothing Can Happen - Jacaerys Velaryon/Targaryen

Jacaerys x Fem!Stark!Reader

Warnings: GOT

Word count: 988

Summary: Jace fall’s in love with Cregon Stark’s twin sister.

Authors Note: Hope you enjoy ! I wrote this before season 2 even had a release date. Reader is supposed to be Cregon Stark's twin sister.

Masterlist

House Of The Dragon Masterlist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Welcome to Winterfell Jacaerys Targaryen.” Y/n greeted as she watched the prince land his dragon and dismount before he approached her.

“Wish it was under different circumstances.” Jacaerys said as he approached who he could only believe was Y/n Stark. Rumors didn’t do her beauty justice he thought.

“Don’t we all?” She agreed but Y/n sadly believed the seven kingdoms may never be at peace. “We know why you are here.”

“My Mother-” he started but Y/n held her hand up to stop his prepared speech.

“Is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. We stand behind your mother. We will fight with your family.” Y/n smiled having already known what kind of speech he was going to give and just save him the time.

“Thank you. It’s appreciated.” Jace felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to convince them or make any deals. If only it was that easy every time.

“Our father swore to Rhaenyra. We will honor that. Honor means something to us here. And she was named heir. Viserys never changed his mind or made a formal change. We won’t stand with the greens.” Y/n stated to him confidently. 

“Again. Appreciated.” he nodded at her.

Jace kept glancing at the direwolf at her side and it made her let out an amused laugh as she noticed. “You can pet her. She won’t hurt you.”

“I-I’m good.” He answered nervously.

“You can ride a dragon but not pet a wolf?” Y/n teased him amused at his reactions.

“I grew up with dragons.” Jace points out.

“I grew up with wolves. But I’d go up and touch your dragon.” Y/n shrugged teasing him more. She had decided it was fun to poke at him, in a friendly respectful way of course.

“Then you are braver than me.” Jace state’s smiling at her. He believed her and he could see in her eyes that she was confident when it came to what she was saying. Jacaerys had also realized in these few short minutes he enjoyed seeing her smile.

“Would you like a tour of Winterfell? My brother would’ve been here but he’s stuck doing some preparation.” Y/n offered with a more relaxed tone with the prince.

“I would love to see Winterfell.” Jace smiled, enjoying how she treated him as if war wasn’t looming.

^     ^     ^

“I’ve noticed you getting all friendly with the Targaryen Boy.” Cregon say’s breaking the silence between him and his sister as they took their direwolves to the creek nearby.

“Just being friendly with an alley.” Y/n tells him not even looking up from the creek as she answered her brother. She didn’t want to see the look she knew would be on his face.

“You like him.” Cregon stated his thoughts on their closeness, after all he knew his sister better than anyone else.

“Cre-”

“It’s fine with me. I like him, he’s a good man.” he interrupted her.

“Nothing will ever happen.” She shook her head glancing at him. She expected a different reaction from him but she shouldn't be surprised he was always supportive of her and wanted her to be happy in life.

“Why won’t you let yourself be happy?” It broke his heart to watch his sister do this to herself. 

“He’s betrothed.” Y/n turned to look at him & before she could get any more emotional she looked away and shook her head. “Nothing will ever happen.” 

“Fuck.” Cregon sighed, something always stood in Y/n’s way and it really angered him sometimes.

“It can’t go anywhere but friendship.” Y/n stated effectively ending the conversation. Turning back to look at her reflection in the creek's water. She did not want to let this affect her, it was never a possibility to begin with so why did she let herself get so attached to begin with.

^     ^     ^

“It has been a pleasure staying here. Thank you for your hospitality.” Jacaerys thanked as he got ready to leave back to Dragonstone.

“It was our pleasure. We’ll be ready when the time comes.” Cregon held his arm out.

“The crown appreciates your loyalty.” Jace shook forearms with Cregon sending their deal. Their loyalty.

“Always.” Cregon smiled before walking far enough away to give the prince and his sister some privacy.

“I’ll miss you.” Jacaerys broke the silence between them first.

“I’ll miss you too, you’ve become a great friend. Prince Jacaerys.” Y/n gives him her best smile she could given the circumstances.

“Y/n-” He tries to speak out, not liking the fact that she called him only a friend.

“Jace. This, us. It can’t go anywhere. You're betrothed, and that’s all there is to it.” Y/n tell’s him what they both know to be true. Even if they wished differently. But they couldn’t stand in the way of their duties.

“I will talk to my mother. I promise.” Jacaerys wanted to keep what they had going, he didn’t mean to fall in love with her on his visit but he did. He admired that she was trying to keep thing’s respectable. Let him go even if it hurts her.

“Don’t promise that. Don’t give out false hope.” Y/n shook her head with tears filling her eyes, but she would not let them fall. At least not till she was alone.

“I promise. I really do.” he did not want her to give up on them, on what they felt growing between the two of them. But even he knew there was a slim chance.

“It was nice meeting you Prince Jacaerys.” Y/n gave the best smile she could muster at him. It was obvious she was trying to distance herself emotionally.

It was clear to Jace that she wouldn’t change her mind without proof they could be together. Jacaerys was determined to talk to his mother about this once he got back. He had to try.

Taglist:

@padawancat97 @maryvibess @misspendragonsworld @gruffle1

@starkleila

[leilakisakabiri]

Jealousy, Jealousy (Gavi)

Summary: You realize that Gavi never gets jealous when other guys are around you and it makes you question if he still likes you. 

Warning(s): None

A/N: Hey! I had some inspiration to write so here I am! I’m trying to release shorter fics while I work on my longer ones. Requests are open!

Word Count: 2.5k+

Masterlist

The first time it happened, you felt relieved that Gavi had decided not to make a scene and instead chose to calmly defuse the situation.

The two of you had been at a club late one night, the high from Barcelona winning hours before pumping through your veins. He had his arms wrapped around you as you both danced to whatever Spanish song the DJ was mixing.

You laughed as he spun you around before pulling you closer, leaning down to whisper in your ear as he moved a strand of hair out of your face. 

"I'm going to grab another drink. Want to come?"

His breath was hot against your ear, and even though it felt like a million degrees in the club, and you were sweating through your dress, you still shivered, his voice sending shockwaves through your system no matter how many times you heard it.

You looked up, locking eyes, "I'm good, I'll save our spot."

He kissed the top of your head before letting go, "Ok I'll be back in a second. Try and find the others if you can."

You gave him an awkward thumbs up as he walked away and he chuckled before disappearing into the crowd.

The two of you had been dating for just shy of three weeks.

You had been friends for months before dating, with you initially being introduced to him through his hometown friends. Then there was a three-month period where you both liked each other but were too scared to admit it and ruin the friendship. Finally, Gavi caved after spending two weeks away from you without contact while he playing in the U.S.

Since he admitted his feelings for you that night on the steps of your shitty college house, he had jumped straight into the relationship, inviting you to his games, to hang out with his friends, and private dinners. You on the other hand still felt like an awkward pre-teen girl every time you were with him, he just made you feel giddy inside, and you reacted to things he said so intensely that the only way to cover it up was with strange humor and stupid jokes.

That led you to now. Sometimes being around him was so overwhelming because you were always scared you would say something to embarrass yourself, and although he never made you feel any less worthy you couldn't help but feel like he could be with someone much better than you.

As you stood there contemplating, you felt a body collide with yours, effectively pulling you out of your thoughts.

You stumbled, feeling hands come up to grip your elbows, stabilizing you.

"Shit- my bad."

You looked up seeing the guy holding you sporting a white button-down and an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, those guys just pushed me. Some friends." He said referring to the group of five or so extremely drunk boys behind you.

You shook your head, "No worries, I wasn't paying attention either."

He smiled, leaning a bit closer, hands still on your elbows, "Hey do I know you? You look really familiar.”

You squinted your eyes as you gazed at him, trying to figure out if you knew him.

"Eh I go to Universitat de Barcelona if that helps."

His eyes lit up at your words, and he nodded, "Yeah, that's totally how I know you. I think you're in my biology class."

You groaned, "No way the one at 8 a.m.?", he nodded, "I'm barely awake for that lecture." you muttered.

"Mean either but it's hard not to notice you."

You only heard half his sentence and looked at him confused, "Sorry what?"

His lips tugged up in a smile as he bent down, shifting closer to you, "I said it's hard not to notice you."

You felt your breath stop as you realized what you had gotten yourself into. You made a move to shy away when you heard Gavi call your name.

You lifted your head seeing him approaching as he carried your drink, "Hey who's this?"

You went to interject and tell him it was no one but the guy next to you interrupted, "Hey man, I got to school with her.”

Gavi nodded, accepting his answer as he handed you your drink, "Oh class friend?"

You went to speak but were again cut off by the guy next to you, who had still to let go of your elbow.

"Something like that."

You saw Gavi's posture slightly straighten at his words but he relaxed a second later, "Alright."

The guy turned to you saying something about seeing you in class and then proceeded to give you a hug, his arms wrapping around your lower back.

You noticed Gavi watching the exchange but he made no comment.

You approached him timidly, unsure of if he was going to say anything about the situation, but he paid it no mind, going back to casual conversation with you.

At the time you let out a breath, thankful that he seemed intent on letting you handle your own situation.

That thankfulness soon turned to annoyance and then confusion when similar situations happened time and time again and he made no effort to speak up.

You supposed it was good he never got jealous because you knew it could get very overbearing very fast, and yet, you couldn't help the twinge of defeat you felt every time someone tried to make a move on you and he did nothing to stop them or even show a ounce of emotion.

Slowly it was making you start to question your relationship with Gavi.

Why did he not get jealous? Was it because he didn't see others as a threat? Or didn't feel the need to because you weren't as pretty as the other girls he was seen with? Maybe he simply didn't care? Or perhaps he wasn't the type?

You knew the last one couldn't possibly be true because he was absolutely the type. His entire career was based on his passion, determination, and aggression to get where he wanted. His aggression is what made him so competitive and a loyal player. So if he was so driven and passionate on the field, why was that not carrying over into your relationship?

It wasn't until almost two months later that things came to a boiling point.

It was the last game of the pre-season for Barcelona and spirits were high, everyone hoping they could seal off a great season, and enter a new one, with a win.

The stadium was filled to the brim with fans and reporters. The family section was also full with player's partners and families coming to support them in the final game of the summer.

You were sitting next to Anna, the two of you talking about school, work, and life.

Eventually, the game started and you went into full-on fan mode - cheering along when Barca made impressive plays and booing when they were tackled.

The stadium was abuzz with energy, and you basked in everyone's excitement.

You gripped Anna's hand as you saw Gavi running up the sidelines towards the other team's defense, Joao running parallel to him.

You saw him sidestep, dodging the defender, and suddenly the ball was soaring, perfectly landing at Joao's feet as he placed it into the back of the net.

The two of you jumped up, cheering along with the rest of the crowd. It seemed like Barcelona would have its victory after all.

After the game, you stayed in the family section for a while chatting with Pedri's parents as you waited for the players to make a re-emerge.

You bid goodbye to them when you got a text from Gavi telling you to come down.

You made your way down to the field, waiting behind the barricades for him to appear.

The other team's players appeared first, signing fans t-shirts and taking photos.

"Need something signed?"

You saw a player from the other team approach you, waving a sharpie in his hand.

You pointed at your jersey playfully, "No thanks. I'm a Barca girl if you couldn't tell."

He grinned, "Ahh c'mon what will it take for me to convince you?"

You shrugged your shoulders, "Ride or die sorry."

He clutched his hand to his heart in mock offense, "Ouch. I'm hurt, but I'm not giving up."

You gave him a smile, remaining polite, as you looked over his shoulder for Gavi.

"Oh I know!" he exclaimed, directing your attention back to him.

He wiggled his eyebrows before taking off his shirt, "Here, new jersey for you."

He held it out to you, and you gave him an unimpressed look.

He rolled his eyes playfully, "Alright fine. I'll sign it, but only cause you asked so nicely."

You watched amused as he signed the jersey before offering it to you.

You squinted your eyes at him.

He dangled the jersey in his hands, "C'mon take it. You know a lot of people would pay good money for this."

You reached out to grab it, "Fine, but only because I'm going to sell it later."

He held up his hands in surrender, "It's yours now. Do whatever."

You thought the conversation would end there but he made no effort to leave, "Who are you here with anyway? Someone in Barca?"

You opened your mouth to respond but were cut off.

"Me."

You whipped your head to see that Gavi had silently approached the two of you.

Besides yourself, you felt a tiny part of you waiting with bated breath for him to do something, to finally dig his boots in the ground and say something, but he remained impassive.

"Hey."

"Hey, you ready to go?" Gavi asked.

You nodded your head, unsure of how to leave the situation.

"I can lift you over the barricade if you need." The other player spoke up, and your eyes immediately flitted over to Gavi's to gauge his reaction.

His eyebrows furrowed but he didn't say anything.

You debated for a second, just to get Gavi to react, but quickly decided against it, opting to just walk around the barricade.

You approached the two of them quickly and with a hasty goodbye followed Gavi as he left the pitch. You heard the other player shout a 'see you around', and you waved in response.

You broke the silence first as you walked the empty tunnel, "Great game baby. You did amazing."

"Thanks."

His reply was clipped.

He went to hold your hand and you shifted the jersey last second to your other hand, catching his attention.

"What's that?"

"Oh, that guy gave me his jersey. I'm going to sell it." You explained, telling him how you were expecting to make hundreds.

He listened along till you finished.

"Can I see the jersey?"

You nodded handing it to him.

You swung your joint hands as you walked, talking to him about the game as he examined the jersey.

Abruptly he dropped your hand, mouth set in a firm line.

Your eyebrows stitched together, "What's wrong?"

He cleared his throat before handing you the jersey.

"I think there's something for you on it."

"I forgot something in the locker room, I'll be right back." He continued.

You looked down confused, eyes scanning the text before it clicked.

The jersey had the player's phone number on it.

You lifted your head seeing him already walking away, "Gavi wait. Can you stop for a minute?"

He turned around but continued moving, "Yeah what?"

"Stop moving!” You exclaimed, your frustration building as he continued to not express any interest in the situation.

He finally halted and you closed the distance between the two of you.

"Is there something wrong with me? Do you not like me anymore or something?"

He seemed taken aback by your words and several emotions flitted across his face, "What are you talking about?"

You took a breath, it was now or never.

"I'm not trying to sound conceited, but I'm pretty sure that guy was hitting on me-"

"He was." Gavi confirmed.

You continued, "So then why don't you care? I'm your girlfriend, so why aren't you getting jealous when other guys hit on me?"

"You want me to get jealous?" He asked incredulously.

"I mean I don't want you to become super overprotective or anything, but it would be nice if you at least acknowledged when someone is trying to get with me right in front of you. I know I would get jealous if someone was saying that to you."

"You don't think I get jealous?" His voice had a hard edge to it, and suddenly you felt like you might have read between the lines wrong.

You shrugged your shoulders, unsure, "I mean you don't show it."

"Of course I'm going to notice when some guy is eye fucking my girl one foot away from me, I'm not fucking blind."

"Then why don't you say anything?" You pressed.

“Shit y/n that's cause I don't want to scare you away!"

His admission only confused you further, and you lowered your voice acutely aware that your shouts were probably carrying far in the quiet tunnel,

"Scare me away? Why would that scare me?"

He shook his head, "The press is always making me out to be this bad guy. This kid that doesn't know how to get his temper in check and - mierda y/n - I don't want to get into this right now."

You relented, unwilling to give in, biting the bullet, "Alright so next time someone asks to lift me up, their just being friendly right? Trying to be helpful?"

His eyes blazed, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

You lifted your hands in frustration, "No Gavi actually I don't know that. You act like you don't even care."

"I care! Trust me y/n I care!" He argued.

"Then show me."

His lips were on yours before you had even finished processing what you were saying. His skin felt hot against yours as his fingers sank into your hipbone, crowding you against the wall.

You lost your train of thought as you got lost in the sensation he provided you. One hand went to tangle in his hair, as the other draped around his neck bringing him impossibly closer.

One of his hands slipped under your shirt, as he kissed you senseless. You finally pulled away for a breath but he didn't stop, moving to lay a trail of kisses from the sweet spot behind your ear, down your neck, and onto your collarbone.

You left out a soft moan underneath him, the feeling causing tingles in your spine, and a fluttery feeling in your stomach.

"We should really sto- fuck gavi - so-someone could walk in any moment." You reminded him.

"Just gotta leave a mark." He replied.

You nodded before his words caught up to you and you pushed him off, "What? No marks! I have to meet your parents tonight." You whined.

He grinned, not looking the least bit apologetic, "At least people will know you're mine now."

[xgsturn]

good idea? - ( c.s )

summary: you couldn’t sleep so you decided to text chris asking if he wanted to smoke, it’s something you both always did and one thing lead to another.

warnings: SMUT, smoking (weed), oral (female receiving), pet names, (ma, baby), p n v (let’s not be silly wrap before u tap). probably more but idk

word count: 1,557

author’s note: this is my first one shot i’m scared LMFAOOO also i didn’t proofread sorry if there is any mistakes!!

please let me know if you want to be un added or added into the taglist. i had just decided to add my favorite writers!!

also my request & inbox are open 💓💓

-

i’ve been trying to fall asleep for the past 20 minutes. i’ve shifted and turned so many times i honestly lost count.

i open my eyes, groaning with annoyance. some nights i had trouble falling asleep, but there was always one solution to that problem.

i grab my phone, opening the messages app before quickly clicking chris’ contact.

this was a thing that happened every now and then. if one of us had troubles going to sleep i’d go over to his or vise versa. we’d smoke together and then usually get tired after that.

i hear a soft knock against my window signaling that he was here. i walked over to see chris sitting on the small balcony that was attached to the window.

i opened the window, climbing through feeling a slight breeze on my shoulders before shrugging it off.

“like i said you could’ve just used the door” i playfully roll my eyes at him.

“suck my dick” he replied back before sitting down on the ground. “when?” i said seriously. he raised his eyebrows and looked up at me.

“in all seriousness, you’re a life saver.” i sigh, sitting down, and relaxing my body.

he pulled out a fresh rolled joint from his sweatpants pocket, “i know” he smirked, putting the joint between his lips.

“lighter” he mumbles against the joint.

i toss him the lighter, watching as he lit it and inhaled before slowly blowing the smoke out.

i’ll never deny the fact that chris is hot, we had a flirty friendship from the beginning but nothing ever got to far.

he passes the joint to me, i relight it due to the wind causing it to ash out.

i inhale, feeling the smoke enter my lungs. i look at him as i blew it out.

the joint eventually dies out. i look over to chris, starting to admire the way the dim street light in front of him is showing off his features. his hair slightly messy, his eyes hanging low and red and fuck his lips-, he interrupts my thoughts.

“did you hear anything i just said?” he asks, his voice snapping me out of some trance i was in.

“sorry, what were you saying?”

“i asked if you wanted to go inside, it’s getting a little cold” he repeats himself, looking at me with his eyebrows furrowed.

“oh yeah, sorry just a bit distracted” i reply back covering my face from embarrassment.

as i’m climbing back into my room i feel chris’ gaze burning through me.

i get into my room and chris follows right behind me.

-

chris and i have been talking for the past 15 minutes. we both got onto our phones scrolling aimlessly, sitting in a comfortable silence.

i still can’t help to think about him, how his touch would feel on me, how his lips would feel against mine, how his long slender fingers would feel inside me.

i zoned out with a video playing over and over.

“what are you thinking about?” chris looked at me curiously through his low hooded eyes.

we were both still feeling the high effects.

what am i thinking about? i’m asking myself the same question. we have been best friends for years. i mean i’ve always found chris attractive, but tonight is different.

the way his body is leaned against the headboard, his biceps slightly flexing as he puts down his phone and crosses his arms, putting his full focus on me.

maybe it’s just the weed still lingering or maybe i just crave his touch.

“nothing.” i reply trying to act nonchalant but clearly not working.

“nothing, hm?” chris smiles loosely, as he looks down at my thighs then back up to my eyes, making heavy eye contact.

i follow his gaze down to my thighs, realizing how tightly squeezed they are.

i widened my eyes and look back up at him, before trying to relax the ache between my legs.

he puts his hand between my legs, spreading them open. he rotates his body, fully facing me now. his lips inches away from mine.

“is this a good idea?” i say studying his face for an answer.

“do you want this?” he replies in a serious tone.

“so bad but-.”

before i’m done speaking, i feel a hand on my jaw, pulling me closer to him and attaching my lips to his.

my body tenses from the sudden move but quickly relaxes soon after.

he bites my bottom lip softly, making my mouth part open giving him access to slip his tongue in.

he climbs on top of me, refusing to break the kiss.

our tongues fought for dominance before letting him win.

i tugged on his hair, signaling i wanted more. he groaned into my mouth, making me squeeze my legs around his waist. i couldn’t ignore the feeling between my thighs anymore.

“tell me what you want.” he spoke, trying to catch his breath. his lips pink and swollen.

i swallowed, “anything.” i feel desperate for him, wanting to feel some kind of relief.

“be more specific baby”

“need your fingers.” i mumbled quietly.

“good girl” he smirked, pulling my shorts down to my ankles. he slowly kisses my thighs going to the areas around my core.

he avoided where i needed him most.

“please.” i say while looking down at him through my lashes.

his hand still on the band of my pink thong. “can i take these off?” he whispered, looking at me. i nodded.

“i need to hear you say it ma”

“fuck, yes please” i practically beg.

he pushed my thong to the side before glazing one fingers over my entrance.

he slipped one fingers inside me slowly, letting me adjust. i moan into my hand muffling it.

he removes my hand from my mouth, putting it beside me. “i want your neighbors hearing how good i make you feel.”

i got even wetter after that sentence.

as i adjusted, i wanted more. “another one.. please” he listens to my commands and adds his second finger.

he started going faster, curling his fingers inside me and hitting that spongy spot each time. “f-fuck, chris.” i moan out, my fingers gripping my sheets.

he adds his mouth into the mix, sucking and licking my clit with such precision that made me start rolling my hips towards him.

my back was arching as he continued with his eyes fixed on my face.

i knew chris was experienced but i wasn’t expecting this.

my knees were already getting weak. “chris…” my hand going to his brown loose curls, tugging them. “i’m close.” i started to squirm underneath him.

“not yet.” he spoke against my cunt, sending vibrations through my entire body.

as soon as he said those words i couldn’t hold it anymore. the knot in my stomach eventually snapped, coating chris’ face and fingers with my cum.

“you can’t follow a simple rule?” his expression was stern and serious, while licking his fingers and mouth clean.

“i’m sorry, i couldn’t hold it” i reply, breathing heavy with worry all over my face.

he doesn’t say anything, instead he starts taking off his sweatpants following with his boxers. his dick springs free, hitting his stomach.

he was big and thick which honestly i wasn’t surprised about.

it was already leaking with pre cum. a vein coming from the tip to the base.

“think you can handle another?”

i move my eyes up to his face, “i- i don’t know if i can.” i stutter out.

“yes you can and you will” he says firmly.

his eyes darkened with lust, turning me on more.

i nod my head obeying him.

“which position do you want me in?”

“lay on your back so i can see your pretty face.” he slightly tilts his head and smirks.

the ache between my legs comes back causing me to clench my thighs again.

he notices and pushes his knee between my legs, leaving it against my bare cunt.

a pornographic moan leaving my mouth, as i try to grind against his knee to feel some kind of relief.

“be patient baby.” he strokes his dick a couple of times to fully harden it.

he removes his knee and bends down to push himself in.

we both moan feeling the pleasure that we were craving.

chris started thrusting his hips into mine at such a fast pace, and at this point i could cum at any minute.

he leans down and starts kissing my neck sloppily as he tries to remain at his pace.

“taking me so well.” he whispers into my ear.

“chris” that’s all i could say, my eyes rolling into the back of my head as my hips lazily jolted up meeting his thrust half way.

“hm? i fucked you dumb huh.” i nod as a response. i couldn’t even think of a sentence to prove him wrong.

he started rubbing on my clit fast. i threw my head back, my mouth hanging open but nothing coming out.

“cum for me ma.” he said maintaining eye contact, that was all i needed before i squirmed underneath him and came all over his dick. “that’s my girl” he whispered.

he groaned and let his head drop as came into me. i felt his warm liquid feel me up.

he dropped his body beside mine, turning to look at me. “holy fucking shit” he chuckled, catching his breath.

“so friends with benefits?” i suggest while also catching my breath. “fuck yes” he replies almost immediately, making me laugh beside him.

“here let’s go get you clean up” he says while getting up from the bed.

-

tag list!!

@lovingmattysposts @luv4kozume @worldlxvlys @strawberrysturniolo @luvmila444 @m4ttslvr @sturniol0s @fawnchives @hysteria-things

[samcats]

Mike and Wills friendship vs everybody elses

I’m sick of people acting like Mike and Wills friendship is platonic when 1. One literally had a crush on the other and 2. None of the other friendships are treated the same way Mike and Will are throughout the seasons so let’s go over them!

(This is gonna be a long one!)

Season 2 & 1

First off, in season 1, the show focuses on how Will going missing effects Mike the most out of all his friends. Mike is the only one to notice Will isn’t at school the day he goes missing. Mike is the one to come up with the idea to go out looking for him. Mike only keeps El around when he realizes she can help find Will. Mike is the only one that’s focused on after they find Will’s “dead” body. Mike is the only one out of the party members that holds proper hope that Will may still be alive.

In season 2 he was the only one that went outside of the arcade to check where Will had gone. He was the only one that noticed Will was being extra quiet that day at school. He panicked when he couldn’t find Will, “Will what’s wrong? I couldn’t find you, are you hurt? I’m gonna get you home, okay? I’m gonna get you home”, He purposely volunteered himself to go check on Will and then proceed to stay with Will in the hospital for days afterwards. He was the only one out of his friends that stayed with Will in the shed when he was possessed.

Edit: also wanted to point out how in the crazy together scene when Will told Mike about the mindflayer he said “just please don’t tell the others okay? They wouldn’t understand.” Implying that Will trusts Mike the most and that he thinks only Mike would understand what he’s going through.

& Will only yelled Mike’s name when he was having an episode before the crazy together scene happened. He didn’t yell Lucas’s name or Dustin’s or even Jonathan or his mums, his first instinct was to call Mike for help. Both of these things furthermore prove my point that their friendship is different from the others and they’re much closer

Again, the show focuses on Will and Mikes friendship the most this season. Not their friendships with Lucas or Dustin or anybody else, just with eachother. None of the other friendships in the show have done anything like this. Hell none of the friendships in the show ever GET as much attention and focus as Mike and Will do throughout the seasons. They are treated so differently. Still don’t believe me?

Season 3

One of the most iconic Byler scenes is the rain fight scene. Now I'm not really gonna talk about how obviously romantic this scene is by itself. But how it contrasts Will and Lucas's apology scene. The contrast between these two scenes is such a huge piece of evidence to me and I'm surpsired I don't see it around more

(Thank you to this video for saving me while I was trying to find the scenes https://youtu.be/u-rLx10eROw?si=vdGoQNtnXU103iZt )

Here’s the two scenes mixed together for reference:

Byler’s fight

In the Byler scene, it has buildup. Will getting mad and then bursting out of the room, Mike follows him while Lucas stays behind. Once they get outside, the lighting is dark and blue. The music playing in the background is somber. The way both characters talk and act makes you know that this is a serious scene. The aftermaths of Will going to his house and crying as he destroys castle Byers. And Mike and Lucas biking out to find him in the rain. You could make the argument that Lucas being there makes this scene bad proof, but it focusing more on Mike then Lucas tells you otherwise.

Lucas’s apology

It’s super rushed, you barely even notice it. It’s super random and isn’t focused on at all, it just starts with Lucas saying he’s sorry and Will saying it doesn’t matter and it’s pretty much over. The lighting is bright, our minds are more focused on trying to get ready to trap Billy then the actual conversation they’re having. Neither Lucas or Will react to it afterwards. You could literally skip this scene and you wouldn’t miss anything.

So why have such a useless scene in the middle of nowhere?

The Byler rain fight is such an important scene to show how Mike and Wills friendship has gone downhill, to show the change between children and teenagers, and also to hint at Will's sexuality. The Lucas and Will scene is just so useless and random and could've been left out, but the way it contrasts the Byler fight scene makes me think that its only purpose was to show the difference between Mike and Wills friendship together vs anybody else's, and nothing else. Because why else have it there? If Mike and Wills scene wasn't meant to have a deeper meaning, then why make it as dramatic as it was? Why build it up the way they did?? If it was platonic the scene would've been more similar to the Lucas scene and/or toned down a LOT.

It's undeniable that the Duffers where trying to show us something with these two scenes

Season 4

You can tell there’s clearly tension between Mike and Will when they reunite in the airport, which is very odd. Mike and Will are best friends, and again, Mike wouldn’t act this way with any of his other friends. He didn’t even act this way with El

Mike then later admits that he was being an asshole to Will, and we get that beautiful “friends. Best friends.” Scene.

Now, I want you to rewatch that scene and pretend that Will is Max or Lucas or Dustin or Erica or Steve or Jonathan or anybody Mike is friends with. But you can’t. It just feels too wrong and too romantic, doesn’t it? It seems weird as well, because we know full well Mike wouldn’t say something like that to any of his other friends. He’s never had a conversation like that with any of his other friends, either. This is because they’re just that. Friends. So why should it be any different for Will and Mike?

This is the same for any scene with Mike and Will. Season 4 or not

And if you seriously cannot notice the difference between Mike and Wills friendship vs anybody else’s, you need to do a rewatch

Anyways, there’s probably more stuff I could add but I’m gonna leave it at that for now. If you have anything to add leave it in the comments! Thank you for reading

[loaksbitch]

alright but imagine that you’re drunk as fuck and sat on lo’ak’s lap, asking him to teach you how to kiss which only leads way more than a kiss yes? eywa, yes. — i missed writing things like this 🧎🏽‍♀️

warnings – agedup!lo’ak, teasing, lots of teasing omg, you asking for lo’ak to kiss you, slight mention of groping, grinding, drunk kissing, hint of commitment issues, lo’ak discovers he has a voice kink thanks to you, hint of lo’ak’s whimpering, bold confession & fluff.

“don’t break my heart, please” — lo’ak sully (⨳, ✿)

you and your best friend, lo’ak, are alone, your freinds already long gone and leaving you two alone inside the hut many na’vi’s came to drink.

“that’s enough.” you’d hear lo’ak say before pulling the drink out of your hand, this man was so annoying right now.

“no, give me that!” you whine, trying to grab onto the cup but your best friend pulls you back by your waist, pinning you down to his lap. you squirm and groan when he tightens his hold, “lo’ak.” you spit threateningly.

you’re here to enjoy your day out with him and he’s stopping you from doing so. “you’re drunk, let’s just get back to the hut.” lo’ak says, trying to get you on your feet but you breath out a frustrated sigh. “i’m not going anywhere.” you say, sitting back on his lap.

“but all our friends are already gone, sweetheart.” the man holds on your waist, chuckling when you hum with frustration. “i don’t care, i just want to have fun.”

“you know we can have fun back there.” your ears twitch at the sudden dirty thought flooding your tipsy brain. lo’ak was confused as to why you’re silent before what he said hits him back. “i didn’t… i didn’t mean it that way, you know what i mean.” he starts to explain but you giggle.

lo’ak’s lips curve to a smile when he hears your loud laugh boom around. “you’re cute when you’re startled.” you say to him, suddenly getting on your feet before facing him and straddling him. the man in front of you hums, trying to ignore the effect you had on him.

he always liked the little things you both did, just like how you’re straddling him and placing your hands on his shoulder right now.

lo’ak securely holds onto your hips, his eyes scanning your face. lo’ak loves how your white freckles painted your flawless skin, how your cheeks are flushed with the alcohol you just had in your system.

his eyes were trained when he look your pretty face and in graves it in his mind. lo’ak was so in love with you, just a simple thought of you makes his heart desire for more. “let me just have one cup, hm?” your lashes flutter when you lazily stare at him.

lo’ak was too focused on your plump lips, his eyes heavy when your mouth curved to talked.

you roll your eyes when you’re ignored, he was just staring at you and not answering. “okay lo’ak, you’re being so boring right no—” you gasp when you feel him lean forward and peck your lips before leaning back. it was as if he was lost in thoughts until his eyes slightly widened, realizing what he just did.

you drunkenly watch lo’ak’s brows pinch together before he’s clearing his throat and his grip on your hips tighten. “shit, sorry..” he is quick to bring his thump up to your lips and brush the kiss he just gave you.

“i didn’t mean to do that,” he was kinda annoyed you’re not saying anything but again the inner panic is eating him up alive. you on other hand were thinking of what just happened.

your best friend since birth just kissed you, the man you liked since forever just gave you a kiss.

“do it again.” your voice catches him off guard. “what?” lo’ak asks, maybe if he was also drunk and his ears were doubling words he wants to hear it again from you. “do it again, lo’ak. i want you to kiss me, teach me.”

you knew whatsoever is about to happen will have an effect in your friendship with him. you knew something will change if lo’ak kissed you again but your dizzy mind doesn’t care at all, you just want his lips on yours.

lo’ak brings his one hand to your face, cupping your cheek and feeling his heart stir when you lean for his touch. your skin is so warm it’s driving him insane.

he then takes your lips in his and lo’ak almost swears he moaned loud. you tasted so sweet on his tongue, as if you were the sweetest honey ever created. his large palms sought to your waist, rubbing the soft skin ever so gently.

he doesn’t fail to catch the way your breath hitches, hips tempted to grind against his soft bulge. your freckles match with his, as if you were both made for each other. lo’ak breaks the kiss only to give you a quick glance if what he was doing was ok.

your eyes wander on his lips and he takes it as a sign for him to cue his actions.

what you two are doing right now will of course have a major impact in your friendship but lo’ak can’t continue suffering, not like this, not even a slightest bit.

and this time lo’ak decides to test your limits far enough. he bites on your bottom lip, tugging on it gently before he lets you go and watch your flesh snap. fuck. fuck. fuck.

you on other hand feel your heart race in your chest as you felt him put his hand on the rope of your loincloth. something in the back of your hooded brain screams at you to stop whatever fuck you’re doing but this felt so good.

having lo’ak all over you felt so good.

are you both wanting this? do you really think lo’ak, your best friend will actually see you more than that? it's ironically funny because lo’ak was pooled with the same thought, too scared to be friend zoned.

your desires are uncontrollable, lo’ak knew how much it’s dangerous it is when playing with a fire. especially when the fire — you — have a serious commitment issues.

a sudden moment from your abdomen almost fucking ended him right at his spot. lo’ak swallowed hard when he felt you grind your hips on him, your core rubbing over his clothed one.

he doesn’t say anything at first, thinking it was just a way of you trying to get comfortable. but no, not really, his denying self was slapped on the face when you rocked your hips again. lo’ak can feel his inside twist with panic.

this needs to stop, at least until it’s too late.

“princess.” you hear lo’ak hiss, breaking the kiss and pressing his forehead against yours. behind your eyelids, you could see him fighting not to push you to the wooden table and fuck the soul out of you.

you ignore his first call, leaning and rocking your his again, lo’ak suddenly, painfully, grabbed onto your hips, stopping you right where you are and shaking his head. “no, this can’t happen, no.” he was telling you.

well, telling himself actually.

he blinks, opeing his eyes and adjusting the surroundings against him. you breath fast, chest rising and falling, pretty much annoyed with his words. lo’ak’s eyes drop to your scarlet lips, tempted to kiss you again.

he wants to feel you so bad.

“lo’ak…” you start but stop when he shook his head. “i can’t do this to us, i can’t do this to you.” why was he saying that? you’re the one with love problems but why was he saying he can’t do anything to you.

lo’ak must have felt your confusion because he was now trying to ease the atmosphere and tucking your hair behind your ear. “i can’t do this to you when you’re not ready.” when you’re not ready. right. you mentally scoff.

you sense his strong thighs tensing, arms around your waist before securely trying to get you up until your next word froze him from doing so.

“what if i am ready?” you say and watch lo’ak’s brows knit together. he was solely trying to protect himself as well, trying not to ruin this relationship you two had. this friendship you both have.

friendship. even the word sounds so ugly to think of, he doesn’t want to be your friend. “you don’t mean that,” you’re probably too drunk, alcohol in your system making you blubber shit you won’t even remember tomorrow.

lo’ak tries to get you up again, whispering it’s time to go home. you won’t lie when he told you ‘you don’t mean that’ but he might be right, you don’t trust yourself… at least not with commitment.

you won’t lie though, because it does feel so right when he was around, when he was protecting you, when he was laughing, spending time with you, hunting with you. him being with you felt right and he damn knows that it felt right with him too.

“i like you, lo’ak.” you deadpan, eyes boring to his skull. you want to give this a chance.

you watch him hesitate, your tipsy mind getting the best of you and pretty much not making sense to you right now. you’re partially convinced you’re in a dream right now if it wasn’t for his breath hitting your lips on how you two were so close.

you bite on your cheeks, waiting for him to reply.

you want to hiss at him, smack him for taking too long to answer but you’re anxious, your legs unconsciously clamping onto his thighs.

you let a soft breath out, thinking it’s the best to leave it be, forget what happened tonight. you decide to lift yourself up, getting off from his legs until he is now the one pulling you back.

“what are yo—…”

you’re silenced with a rough kiss, teeth clashing and making a sound from the impact. you moan into the kiss, feeling lo’ak’s hand slide to your nape and pulling you more, deepening the kiss.

he whimpers, ears pinned to his skull and almost eating your face. lo’ak doesn’t know what he’s doing, the reason behind pinning you to his mouth might be because he’s drunk but he doesn’t remember doing so but it feels so good.

the heated air eases when lo’ak pulls back, a string of saliva connects to both of your lips before it snaps and breaks. you hear lo’ak mutter something too vulnerable.

“don’t break my heart, please” you hear him whisper in a tone you can’t pinpoint, “i can handle anything but you breaking my heart, please princess.” you feel the pinch in your chest but shrug it off and close your eyes.

you don’t say anything but the kiss you two just had told him everything, he still felt how your fingers clinged onto his shoulder. it stays like that for a while, silence surrounding you two.

once you both calmed down, lo’ak was the first to give you a cheeky grin. “are you okay?,” he asks, two of his infamous beaded braids clinking together. you frown at his question, your hands put on his shoulder.

“yeah.” you say, watching him lean to press his forehead against yours. “good? because i only want you to be okay.” he’s so cliche, always making sure you’re comfortable and safe. you just love him so bad.

love. the sudden pop of words makes your inside tingle.

you love lo’ak, you love the man you grew up with. you love your bes— “hey, i can hear you thinking.” you hear the man say and clear your throat, “it’s just..this is new to me and i’m scared.” you genuinely tell him.

“i’m scared too, baby.” argh, him and his stupid pet names, you just live for it. “but we’ll get through it, i’ll love you and we’ll make it.” his words are so comforting that you had to lean on him.

“i love you.” he tells you, licking his lips and kissing the middle of your brows meeting. “it’s okay if you don’t say it now, i’ll wait.” he’s so gentle and patient with you and you adore it.

“thank you.” you suck a deep breath. “don’t thank, pretty, it’s my want to wait for you so don’t feel guilty yeah?” you’re hesitant before you nod. lo’ak kisses your forehead again, gently rubbing on the skin of your arms.

“c’mon, let’s get back to the hut.” he tells you and you agree, your tipsy mind working fast and getting on your feet. you both think to call it a night and deal with everything tomorrow.

i’m so so so sorry i worried y’all for disappearing for days but my phone got stolen and i had to deal with it (i actually got it back now.), im sorry again! i’m okay tho and i’ll answer every ask tomorrow :(

i love each and everyone of you sm — like + reblogs & feedback are so appreciated! mwah **

[bengiyo]

Ben’s Big BL Blurb 2: Fall is Finally Here

I am simply too busy with worth, family, other hobbies, and life to write about every show in real time anymore. I’m sorry to all the Stray Thoughts readers who’ve reached out about whether I would pick that back up, and I simply just do not have the time to do them anymore. Instead, I’ll try to do one of these as often as I can to catch up on things.

First, let’s go over some shows I finished recently that I don’t think I wrote much about.

First Note of Love

I was so happy to see Michael back on screen, and I was glad to see that he’s still able to get great chemistry with his co-star. Unfortunately, I don’t think this show was very coherent, so I didn’t get a lot out of it emotionally. It was a pretty inoffensive watch overall, and thus an easy show to put on without having to work through too much. I liked the work between everyone, and Mei Lei was such a fun character. Probably won’t return to this one, though. 

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

This is probably the show of the year for me. There’s so much I loved about this show. I loved that the characters had sex, but were neither rewarded nor punished for it; their sex didn’t solve any problems. I also really love how this show explored how childhood trauma expresses in two different kinds of boys, and I love that we got to see a bully reckon with his actions and get closure. I love that this show ended with them being kinda poor, but happy together. I love how messed up they both were about everything. I loved that Juyeong wasn’t stupid, and could read what was going on.

I clearly need to write a separate post to unpack everything I felt in this show.

Let’s move on to what I’m watching currently, in no particular order…starting with the lesbians, and then the worst BLs.

Apple My Love

Genuinely having fun with this GL. I like how quickly most of the drama plays out. It’s giving me quite a bit of secondhand embarrassment, but I like the characterizations in this show. This new production house brought us Knock Knock, Boys! and Monster Next Door this year. We need to keep an eyes on them. 

Haunted Hearts

I’m so fascinated by Oxin Films teaming up with Regal Entertainment. The leads are very attractive, but the cinematography is really boring. I’m trying to stay invested, but it’s kind of a sleepy watch. Also amused that they started airing a ghost romance right after Halloween ended. I’ve kind of moved on emotionally from the season.

My Damn Business

This show could be good, but it’s not. I struggled with episode 5 because our lead looked more relaxed and happier with his senior than the guy he’s getting into a romance with. There’s something missing here in this one, but I can’t exactly put my finger on it. I think it’s primarily a side effect of the short run time, but I think the boss’s interest isn’t landing properly for the employee to respond to. 

Eccentric Romance

This show could be good, but it’s not. Still, I am obsessed with a murder mystery being the primary source of confusion between our leads. I was willing to forgive this show a lot of its rough edges, but it failed to handle the turn from friendship to sexual/romance really well. I feel like our guys just started dating and having sex, and I’m a bit frustrated that they didn’t talk about it really at all, particularly since this show features two different languages spoken on screen. Genuinely looking forward to seeing how this one finishes. 

See Your Love

I’m not sure this show is exactly working that well, but everyone is very pretty and I’m having a decent time watching it. I like the way Shao Peng stands up for himself, and I like that nothing that’s happened has been totally unbelievable or unreasonable (at least with the mains). I’ll be curious how the hard of hearing and deaf viewers respond to this one once it’s complete. 

Love is Like a Poison

This show is actually so funny. I love that Shiba is in his own lawyer genre separate from everyone else, and I really like how the two of these guys have become a team. I’m curious how they manage to resolve the scamming next week, but this has been the most unexpected dynamic of the year. 

Love in the Air: Koi no Yukon

MAME won this year, y’all. We all have complicated feelings about her, but she’s secured a loving adaptation from a Japanese team that’s put solid effort into bringing her characters to life. Every character feels correct compared to their Thai counterpart we saw on screen, and that’s a strong sign that the writing behind MAME’s work is strong, even if we all have issues with the way she tackles certain themes. I’m really impressed with this adaptation, and really like this version of Rain.I also feel like this show is doing a better job blending the forthcoming couple focus shift.

Our Youth

We just got this show, but damn does it feel sharp! I’m always going to be a sucker for a cinephile character, and I’m so compelled by the way Minase is drawn to Hirukawa. The scene in episode 2 where Minase has to leave Hirukawa’s house might be one of the most impressive sequences we’ve had in a while, requiring a great deal of choreography and effort from the actors and the camera crew to pull off, and I’m excited to see how these characters split and then come back together. 

Smells Like Green Spirit

Let me just say that I need another Abe Alan appearance when he isn’t playing a character doing horrible things to his students. I’ve enjoyed meditating on the 90s with this show and what that era felt like. I’ve liked how the show has tried to focus on how different parents (especially the moms) have responded to their kids coming to terms with themselves. I’ve also really enjoyed the friendship that’s grown between Mishima and Kirino. I’m struggling with Yumeno a lot, because I’m really not a friend of bully romances. Still, I feel like this is one of those shows I’ll remember for a long time because of its focus on the 90s. 

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days

I think @lurkingshan covered reactions to episode 5 and episode 6 better than I could, and I loved @twig-tea giving context for the film history moment in episode 6. I remember screaming into the chat for friends to show up for this when I got to that moment. This show has two great pairs of dynamics going on that mirror well. It’s got such a strong handle on its characters’ motivations and how they would respond to the actions from each other. It’s probably the tightest thing I’m watching now, backed by extremely dialed-in performances. I will be thinking about Qi Lu organizing his potential first kiss with Qin Xiao, and how unapologetic he’s been about the entire affair. He’s being selfish here, but I kinda like it. I’m so thankful that we are somehow still getting this show, because goddamn do the Chinese actors deliver on chemistry sometimes.

Interview With the Vampire Season 2

I finished this with a friend last week, and holy fuck is this show still so, so good. We watch a lot of gay romance because of BL, and I am having so much fun watching the show about gay divorce. I loved the time we spent in Paris, Daniel’s shifting role in the narrative, and the new insights we got into Lestat this season. I will miss Claudia so much, and I have to give a standing ovation to Delainey Hayles stepping into the role of Claudia and doing the damn thing this season. I just love seeing my little fucked up gay people torment each other on screen.

I'm still thinking about Louis and Lestat reuniting in a hurricane after Claudia derided this as yet another chapter in their stormy romance.

Dropped Shows

Unfortunately, everyone can’t win. Some of these shows are just too long for me to keep up with them, and oftentimes I get bored. I’ve currently dropped:

Lovesick 2024 - I may go back. We’ll see

Jack & Joker - It’s just too long, and they just killed Jennie and a kid. I’m good.

Fourever You - I’m bored with Earth always playing this character type.

Pluto - Namtam and Film are beautiful, but this looks too messy right now.

Every You, Every Me - Wasn’t intrigued after episode 1, but the commentary may draw me back.

Kidnap - Ohm is not enough to keep me invested in this show. 

Uncle Unknown - How did they make a 6 minute show feel slow?

I’m genuinely not trying to be harsh to Thai shows out here, but I just do not have the time to keep up with all of them when they’re this long and dragging.

Thanks for stopping by, and let me know if there’s something I missed that I should check out.

[kazumist]

9:47 p.m.

“let’s get you home.”

“riri, were your eyes always this pretty?”

wriothesley shakes his head at you. you were more than drunk at this point, and he’s honestly starting to blame himself for letting you get into this state. partying the night away in a club wasn’t so peculiar at your age; everyone needs a little alcohol every now and then too. but wriothesley never expected you to make yourself this drunk.

“come on, (name). you need to go home," he says, urging you to get up.

you whined at him, refusing to comply. and that leaves your best friend no choice but to wrap an arm around you to get yourself up and drag you away to the exit of the bar.  

“hey, you know? you look a lot like my best friend riri!” you giggled at the (supposedly) stranger who’s walking you in the parking lot at the moment. wriothesley stays silent, the alcohol seems to have a bigger effect on you tonight, seeing as how you don’t remember that you’re actually with riri. “riri is so annoying though.” now that’s what made wriothesley stop in his tracks.

“... really now? why is he annoying?” he asks.

“because he still doesn’t get the hint!”

“he doesn’t get the hint to what?”

“the hint that i like him!” you puffed your slightly flushed cheeks. meanwhile, wriothesley, on the other hand, is still processing everything. “i just don’t get it; i think i made it pretty obvious that i really like him… i’m basically risking our friendship at this point.” your shoulders droop down as you say this, your gaze shifting to the ground.

by the time wriothesley drags you to his car, he still hasn’t said a word. while you were still drunk, rambling about all sorts of things. “you know the reason why i invited riri out to drink tonight is because i wanted to… confess my feelings…” a yawn escapes your lips as you say that.

“why didn’t you tell him earlier?” wriothesley asks again, taking advantage of the fact you’re drunk right now.

drunk words are sober thoughts, they say.

“because i don’t think he likes me back, but that’s okay with me; i just wanted him to know anyway… so that i can be over with it.” another yawn. wriothesley knows his time is running out before you can fall asleep.

“so that’s why you’re so drunk right now?” he chuckles. you hummed in response, fighting back the urge to sleep. 

“(name),” he calls out.

“yeah…?” 

“i love you too. promise me you’ll remember tonight?”

“mmmm, i… promise.” and just like that, you were already asleep.

wriothesley cannot wait for tomorrow.

[acerby]

Strategic Advantage

cw: abuse

Not too long ago, our little war was going poorly for my faction. Our enemies had a technological advantage over us, and we needed to bridge the gap somewhere. So naturally we looked at ways that we could make our soldiers far more efficient to train, and much more..... obedient.

We changed the course of this war thanks to our new breed of mech pilots. The old generation of operators were too slow and prone to distraction and disobedience. So we went for a new approach that could make anyone an effective and deadly pilot. Our teams of engineers and surgeons prep the “volunteers” for their new role, removing anything that isn't required to maximize the operation of their suit. Most limbs were replaced with basic robotic prosthetics. A good amount of the stomach is edited for more efficient digestion and to maximize nutrition intake. An artificial spine is mounted into the back and connected to the nervous system. Which allows for a better connection with the control matrix. And a good chunk of the brain is replaced with an advanced neural computer allowing for unparalleled synchronization with the mech’s A.I. systems.

But the genius of it comes from what we do to their minds. After the first few rounds of reprogramming with their new body, the pilots struggle to form their own thoughts. And in just a few weeks they are left as empty little things entirely needy and wanting for orders. Which is how we have kept them entirely obedient to their assigned handler. That and an on-command dopamine trigger doesn’t hurt either.

And this is what has given us the advantage over our enemies. It takes them years and thousands of dollars to train just one pilot. But we can create a combat-ready pilot in a matter of months and at a fraction of the cost. They don’t even have to be from the military. We have used college dropouts, political opponents, enemy sympathizers, pacifists, and a lot of prisoners. We even turned our enemy pilots into our obedient little dogs.

I’m even the handler of one. You should have seen her, she was so feisty when we captured her. She constantly went on and on about the freedom of her little colony planet. She screamed and called us vile monsters for what we were doing. She would go on these long-winded speeches about freedom and friendship. And that her comrades would save her any day now. It was so annoying that after we extracted any valuable information from her, I personally handed her over to our pilot “recruiters”.

 I much prefer her now. Quiet and obedient, I would even call her cute. She is so much more pleasant to be around. You should see the way she bounces right before she is placed into her mech. She practically vibrates with excitement and arousal. Not to mention the little moans she lets out whenever I praise her for eliminating a target. You know, It took us almost a week to clean the cockpit after she slaughtered an entire enemy battalion single-handedly. And the way she cries whenever she's taken out of what she calls her “real body”, it's adorable. I even allowed her the privilege of sleeping in it for a night after our latest successful campaign.

Why am I telling you this? Well dear, our data has told us that the two of you were friends before we took her. I wanted to tell you what happened to her before we do the same to you. Don’t worry I’m friends with your future handler and I will personally ensure you are placed in her unit. We could even schedule enrichment time for you two. See now we are not all vile monsters. 

[angstywaifu]

Just One Date - Garrick Tavis x Reader One Shot

So this one came into my asks and I knew I had to do this one first. Thank you for the anonymous that sent this in with some other amazing ideas. I'd say I am sorry for picking Garrick first, but I am not. Hope you guys enjoy it! If you guys have any more one shot ideas feel free to send them through! There will be more of these :)

“Come on Y/N, it’s just one date!” Garrick calls after me as he follows me through the crowd, turning heads as he calls after me.

”As I’ve told you for the tenth time this week, no!” I call back as I weave my way through a small gap in the crowd.

I hear Garrick mumble some swear words as he struggle to get through the crowd as he follows behind me. Yet again Garrick had cornered me between classes, asking me out on a date for Valentines Day. Which was tomorrow. I will give the boy one thing, he was persistent. But nothing about our friendship indicated more than friends. Did I find him attractive as hell? Gods yes. But we weren’t exactly close. I only knew him because of my friendship with Imogen.

”Why won’t you say yes?” He asks. He’s getting closer.

I turn around and he nearly slams into me, stopping himself at the last second.

”Because I won’t” The worst excuse ever. I mentally slap myself for it.

He cocks his eyebrow at me as he looks down at me. “That has got to be the worst excuse ever.”

I roll my eyes and start walking through the crowd trying to get to lunch. We’d all had battle brief so the hallway was more packed than usual. He swears again as he tries to follow me. Unfortunately our interaction has caused on lookers and they easily move out of his way to let him through, obviously wanting to see what happens. He reaches out and grasps my shoulder, spinning around as I lightly smack into his chest.

”Please Y/N, I’m just asking for one date.” He asks, his eyes pleading at me to say yes. “You might even want more than one by the end of it.”

I roll my eyes at the cockiness in his voice at the last part. Behind him I see our friends watching anxiously at the interaction.

”You really think one date is all it’s gonna take to win me over Tavis?” I reply sassily earning a smirk from him.

He steps back and leans down to look at me, still smirking at me. “I won’t even need to finish the date to win you over.”

I close my eyes and sigh. One date. It was just a date. There was no way Tavis was that good. I’d never even seen him go out with a girl here before. All I had to do was go on one date, and then he would leave me alone. It was probably just some dare from Bodhi or Xaden anyway.

”Fine.” I tell him, opening my eyes to look up at him. “Just. One. Date.” Emphasising each word clearly.

”You wont regret it.” And before I can respond he turns and runs back down the hallway.

What the hell did that boy have planned.

The next day comes quickly, and every time I catch Garrick’s eyes he smiles at me, clearly excited for whatever he had planned. We hadn’t spoken since I had said yes to the one date, so I had no idea when or where he wanted to meet me. My questions were answered not long after classes ended. A loud knock on my dorm door signalling someone's arrival. But I already knew who it was. I open the door to Garrick standing there holding a bouquet of flowers. And not any flowers. My favourites. White Orchids. I try to rack my brain of any time I would have mentioned this, but come up blank. How the hell did he know?

”Already left you speechless have I?” Garrick teases as I stare wide eyed at the bouquet of flowers in his hands.

I roll my eyes at him and take the flowers. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself Tavis.” I turn and place the flowers on my desk.

I turn back around to him leaning his arm on top of the doorway as he looks down at me. I swear my jaw nearly hits the floor at the sight. The pose perfectly shows off his arm that is braced on the doorway.

He smirks, clearly aware of the effect he's having on me. "Ready for our date, Y/N?" he asks, his voice laced with confidence.

I take a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. "I guess so," I reply, trying not to let his charm get to me. "But don't think this changes anything between us. It’s just one date."

He chuckles, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "We'll see about that," he says, extending his hand towards me. "Shall we?"

As I take his hand, a mix of excitement and nervousness washes over me. I can't deny that there's a part of me that's curious to see where this one date will lead. Maybe, just maybe, there's more to Garrick than meets the eye. But I won't let myself get too carried away. After all, it's just one date.

As he leads me our of the dorms I catch our friends off to the side watching us. Smiles all plastered on their faces. I go to let go of Garrick’s hand but he tightens his grip as he leads me towards the flight field. As we take the last steps into the flight field I see his dragon waiting for us. He leads me over to him and motions with his head towards him.

”Up you get Y/N.”

I look at him wide eyed. No way did he expect me to mount his dragon. Riders only rode on their own dragons.

“No way. Not happening. My dragon will chuck a fit if I go up there.”

Garrick’s dragon chuckles at us, hot air blowing over the both of us.

”I’ve already sorted it. Chradh is happy to let you up there, and your dragon has agreed as long as she can be nearby. Now up you get.” He playfully shoves me towards Chradh.

I huff but begin my climb up Chradh’s leg, Garrick close behind me. I settle into the spot on Chradh’s back, and freeze as Garrick sits right behind me. His legs either side of mine, his chest pressed up against my back. He rests one of his hands on my thigh, his breath tickling my neck.

”Breathe Y/N.” He whispers.

I let out the breath I had unintentionally been holding, but I yet again freeze as Garrick places a blindfold over my eyes. I go to take it off but Garrick quickly captures my hands in his.

”You will take it off when I tell you to.” He whispers harshly in my ear.

I can feel my heart racing as the blindfold cuts off my vision. The sound of the wind rushing past us lets me know we have taken off. Garrick wraps an arm around my waist, holding me close to him so I don’t fall. I was an experienced rider, but I had never been on a dragon blindfolded, let alone a dragon that wasn’t my own. A mix of excitement and uncertainty fills me, wondering what Garrick has planned for our date. I don’t have to wait long before we land. I feel Chradh lower himself down to a ground. Garrick keeps his arm firmly around my waist as he removes the blind fold with the other. It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the light, but for the second time today my jaw nearly hits the floor.

In front of me is a clearing that overlooks the valley. The view is gorgeous as the sun starts setting, casting a yellow glow across it. Next to the edge of the cliff is a blanket with pillows set up and what I swear are all my favourite foods, and a neatly wrapped package.

“You sure it won’t take me one date to win you over?” Garrick whispers in my ear, startling me and sending a shiver up my spine.

I glare at him over my shoulder. “I’m sure.” I say sarcastically as I remove myself from his grip and dismount from Chradh.

Shortly after Garrick lands next to me, grabbing my hand and leading me over to the blanket and pillows. My thoughts on the food are confirmed as I see all of them are foods I love. Strawberries that I have every morning at breakfast, the cupcakes that Quinn makes when she can find the time, my favourite chocolate from the town near the college, and the sandwiches I make if the kitchen serves the right things. I let Garrick pull me down to the blanket with him, kneeling on my knees as I take it all in.

I look at him and raise my eye brow. “How the hell do you know all my favourite things? Imogen helped you didn’t she?”

I already know she didn’t. And Garrick’s shake of his head isn’t needed to confirm.

”I know you better than you think Y/N.” He starts as he leans forward, arm resting on his knee as he looks at me, “You have those strawberries every morning with breakfast. Everytime Quinn makes those cupcakes you practically jump up and down in your seat. Everytime you go to town you always go and buy that chocolate straight away, and you’re always sad the day after you finish the last piece. And every weekend when they put stuff out to make sandwiches, you always make the same one.”

I stare at him wide eyed. He was right. Down to the very last detail. But how did that explain the flowers?

”What about the flowers? I’ve never told anyone.” I ask, barely above the whisper.

”When we did our RSC training and they stuck us in the woods with the other quadrants, we made camp the first night near a clearing with flowers. I remember you wandering over the the flowers as we set up camp and picked a few. You took them back to the Quadrant with you when we were extracted.” He tells me, not skipping a beat.

But my heart does. He remembered a detail so small from our first RSC mission nearly two years ago. Clearly Garrick has paid more attention to me than I had thought. He reaches out and grabs the package I had noted earlier and hands it to me. The small nod he gives me, signalling me to open it. I open the package carefully, almost scared as to what is inside. I know it is going to be something I love. Theres no denying that after everything he’s done so far. I tear away the brown paper to reveal a jewellery box. I look up at him confused and he motions for me to keep going. I don’t miss the nervous look in his eyes as he watches me. I open the box and my heart skips a beat again. Inside is the ruin stone Liam’s mum had given me. Given to all of us marked ones. Mine had been one of the smaller ones, and I always kept it on my desk. And as I rack my brain, I hadn’t noticed it on my desk for the last week. Ever since Garrick had started asking me to go on a date with him. I pick it up and notice and black leather cord it is now attached to. A Necklace.

“Garrick.. I-” The words get caught in my throat as I look between the necklace and him.

He smiles before he takes the necklace from my hands, leaning forward to fasten it around my neck. As it necklace settles on my chest, his hands move to cup my cheeks, angling my head to look up at his. I feel like my heart is about to burst out of my chest as he leans forward and brings his lips to mine. The kiss starts of slow and delicate as I recover from the shock of the moment. But I quickly wrap my arms around his neck, pulling me closer to him. His arms grab me by the waist as he pulls me into his lap, deepening the kiss. After a long time he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine, both of us breathing heavily as we stare into each others eyes.

”Told you I wouldn’t even need one date.”

[sirianasims]

Chapter 43.7

The scent of spices still lingers in the air, mingling with the warm, dry breeze drifting in through the open terrace doors. The table in front of me is a landscape of wine glasses and the plates that once held Dave’s mouth-watering lemongrass chicken.

I fold my napkin and leave it by my bowl, which has been scraped so thoroughly clean that it looks like I licked it. Had I been alone, I probably would have.

“That was delicious, Dave. Best I’ve had outside Tomarang.”

Dave beams with pride. “The secret is in the red curry paste, I think I finally found the perfect mix. I hope you left room for dessert though, I’ve got more coming.”

“Now you’re just spoiling me. What’s the occasion?”

“It’s the end of an era. I think dessert is justified.”

I nod solemnly. I recorded my last lines as Llama Man two days ago. Lee dropped by the studio with champagne to commemorate the occasion and I ended up with a hangover that still haunts me.

The fact that the show is over feels weird to think about. I’ve had many roles, but most of them were pretty minor and, most of all, temporary. They were just something I did for a little while, but I’ve been Llama Man for fifteen years and now, jarringly, I’m not.

Sierra interrupts my wallowing. “So, have you thought about what you’re going to do now?”

I shrug. “I don’t know yet. I still get a few gigs here and there for other voiceovers, but nothing steady.”

“What about finally going back to acting? On camera, I mean? It’s the perfect time, the show finale is going to get you some buzz, and my agent would love a chance to work with you, you know that.”

“Sierra, honey, it’s only been a couple of days, maybe it’s a bit soon to worry about what’s coming next?”

Sierra chews on her lip, clearly eager to keep going, but she doesn’t. She always says that Dave is her rock, the calm counterbalance to her temper. Some of my previous girlfriends didn’t like my closeness with Sierra, assumed that we used to date or at the very least slept together, but we never did. We would probably have strangled each other.

Julia was refreshing like that too, she never interrogated me about Sierra or seemed to feel threatened, she just took our friendship at face value.

Or maybe she simply didn’t care enough about you to get jealous.

Sierra gives me a sideways glance. “Fine, we can discuss it later, but how are you doing, really? I mean, the show ending is a big change on its own, but after everything with Julia…”

“I told you, Sierra, I’m fine. I knew the show was ending, it was announced last year. And Julia and I have been done for months, it was sad but I’m over it.”

“Are you, though? It’s just, you haven’t really been yourself since you broke up with her and-”

Dave rubs his forehead. “Honey, please, we talked about this. Let the man breathe.”

It has no effect. Even Dave isn’t enough to stop Sierra after three glasses of Soft Shadow Avornalino.

“I’m just trying to understand, though. You were happy, she seemed happy too, and the next thing I hear is that you dumped her? I don’t get it.”

“Sierra, can we not talk about this, please? I don’t want to go over it again, it’s complicated.”

“Again? You never went over it the first time! And you seemed to be doing so well, this is the longest I’ve seen any of your relationships last, so what went wrong?”

“Ten months isn’t that long, and since when do you care so much about Julia anyway? You were the one who was sceptical about her from the start!”

“I care about you, Paul! I was only sceptical because I was worried about whether she was, you know, right for you. I love you, you know I do, but you can be kind of a lot to deal with sometimes!”

A weary sigh from Dave finally makes Sierra pause.

“Sorry, Paul, that was uncalled for. I just wish you’d get a bit more, well, serious about your life, your career, everything.”

I don’t respond.

Dave clears his throat. “Honey, why don’t you and Paul go for some fresh air while I clean up in here and get dessert ready? The garden is really coming along.”

She looks at him gratefully. There’s a unspoken understanding between them that makes me feel strangely sad. I wonder if it’s something you develop when you’ve been together for as long as they have, or if the trick is to marry someone exactly because they can tell what you need without speaking. Maybe it’s a bit of both. I certainly wouldn’t know. Like Sierra just reminded me, I’ve never been with someone long enough to find out.

I catch myself staring at them and quickly look away. I’m not really superstitious, but all Tartosans grow up learning about malocchio, the evil eye, it’s habitual. My grandmother always said that you’re not supposed to look at someone with envy in your heart, or you might curse them, even if you don’t mean to.

Maybe I’m cursed. If anything invites envy and jealousy, it’s fame. Maybe that’s why I keep fucking things up, why I’m never satisfied. It would almost be a relief to be cursed. At least then it wouldn’t be my own damn fault.

Dave starts clearing the table, and both Sierra and I get up as well. She looks at me apologetically, but I walk outside without waiting for her, into the neatly kept garden.

It’s the height of summer, and the chorus of cicadas fills the air, a rhythmic, comforting hum that blends seamlessly with the faint sounds of water trickling from a small fountain. It’s hard to believe we’re in the desert, the entire neighbourhood is like a carefully crafted oasis, each house more exquisite than the last, all lush gardens and towering palm trees.

I sigh, looking up at the dusky sky. Behind me, the sound of gravel crunching under Sierra’s feet mixes with the soft clinking of dishes coming from inside the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Paul. Dave did tell me not to bring it up.”

“I was planning to propose to her, you know. How’s that for getting serious?”

“What?”

“Yes! Bought the ring and everything. But luckily I came to my senses before I utterly embarrassed myself.”

For the first time in all the years I’ve known her, Sierra is speechless. She simply stares at me, wide-eyed, and I realise that I must look deranged, my face contorted by grief and fury and shame, my chest heaving.

I feel a burning sensation in my nose and her face softens. She pulls me into a hug and I let her do it, like so many times before.

“For fuck’s sake, Paul.”

I hold back, not wanting to crush her under my weight, but she pulls me closer, insistently, until I relax and lean on her.

“I’m such an idiot.”

Sierra says nothing, she just rubs my back in gentle circles and I feel my anger slowly dissipate. She finally lets me go and cups my face with her hand.

“Paul, look at me. Do you regret leaving her?”

Desperately.

“No.”

The word leaves my mouth automatically. I’ve thought about Julia every single day, but each time my finger hovers over her name in my phone, I get overwhelmed by a feeling of dread I can’t quite put into words.

Admit it, you’re just afraid that she’d reject you the way you rejected her.

“Sierra, am I just meant to be alone? Is there something wrong with me?”

She snorts. “Nope, you’re perfect, that’s your whole problem. You could have anyone, you just can’t make up your mind.”

“She’s the only one I ever wanted like this.”

She shrugs. “You have a strange way of showing it, then. But if you really don’t regret it, I guess it must have been the right call.”

There’s doubt in her voice, like she knows I’m lying.

“It’s for the better, Sierra. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life yet, she needs time to figure it out.”

“Maybe she could have figured it out with you.”

I hadn’t even thought of that, but I reject the idea immediately, it’s too painful. “No. It was never going to last.”

“So you keep saying. You make it sound like you expected it to fail from the start.”

“So did you.”

“True. Sorry about that.” She leans against my shoulder.

“Careful the paps don’t see you like this, we wouldn’t want the rumours to start again.”

She chuckles. “I think they gave up on us when I married Dave.”

“They could try a new angle. I’m single again, what will I do next? I might try to add some drama to the most boring, sorry, I mean stable marriage in Del Sol Valley.”

She laughs and punches me in the shoulder, surprisingly hard.

“Watch it, Romeo. I may only be a cop on screen, but I’ve learned a lot about hiding evidence.”

I put my arm around her and for a moment we just exist, listening to the cicadas until Dave calls us back in for dessert.

beginning / previous / next

[foxy-alien]

taz graphic novel thoughts… I’m putting it under the cut because… spoilers silly.

Forewarning this really got away from me and is unfortunately pretty negative. read at your own risk

Huh, this really is an adaption? After the eleventh hour this is a really big let down tbh. Just so much was cut and it felt SO rushed. In the first 3 scenes we lose taako’s “because I’m afraid no one else will have me” and practically ALL of Magnus and the void fish swimming.

Obviously things need to be cut, it’s a completely different medium, but all the emotional payoff was ruined. I was never scared they were going to lose something great, I didn’t even cheer for them when they killed Edward. All the sacrifices are so minimized FOR GOD SAKES MAGNUS AND GOVERNOR KALIN WAS CUT. Are you kidding me? One of the most important sacrifices and emotional moments of TAZ.

With every cut there is a cut to later payoff, in the eleventh hour that was balanced well but here it just doesn't work. So much is cut out of tsg that as a reader there were no stakes to win or lose. I knew they would win because its their story but i didn't care what would happen to them.

So Wonderland was too short, why do I care? because the very heart of the suffering game was lost.

This is the thesis of the suffering game summed up best.

What did they learn in wonderland? How did they change? They don't really. Taako doesn't choose the mission over himself, Magnus doesn't give up his main purpose in life, Merle doesnt lose his faith.

We don't get to see them at their worst because there is no one in Wonderland who their actions effect. I always, ALWAYS tear up at Rowen's "why?" after they go through their round with the monster factory. This catalyses Taako into later choosing to sacrifice his beauty. With the stakes cut we lose the emotional payoff of later scenes.

The solution of the suffering game being too long was not to cut out all of the spinning. It needed a restructuring. Heart attack has every interesting character moment cut, its barely a drive by of the original scene, why not just cut the moment entirely? It doesn't say anything about the character's emotional insights and True sight could have easily been cast at another moment.

Some moments have been adapted beautifully but they ended up reminding me what is lacking. Arms outstretched has great pacing that I had come to expect from the team. But compare that to Magnus's sacrifice and its just... nonexistant.

There was a way to trim down suffering game to fit it and the reunion tour that didn't require cutting every interesting sacrifice.

Now the reunion tour... what a mess. they cut out our narrator to show our plane being cut off, but this section dearly needed some narrative guiding. So much running back and forth in time and locations to make it run smoother but again, they needed a whole restructuring. Which some parts got but for all the wrong reasons.

I was happy that they cut the whole act with Magnus being dead when they get back to the campus because it barely works in audio form. But instead the campus is cleared because of the storm but then its packed for one panel when Carey and Killian cancel their side mission? why have the side mission at all? I'm assuming to drive Carey's and Magnus's friendship but it is a really clunky addition.

Everyone drinking the voidfish ichor separately is visually and narratively frustrating. It happens on a smaller scale in the show but by this point griffin has taken the reins back of the narrative and guides us through it seamlessly.

Griffin's final narration, has been separated and mutilated for what? it barely exists at all. its been replaced with an odd speech from Lucretia being happy about their return.

Its such a confusing moment to end on when you could have had idk THE ORIGINAL BELOVED ENDING?

"And from those pillars, the Hunger’s armies have begun to manifest, marching outward to raze the world below. It’s the end of the world. Again."

Tldr: bruh just read it, but seriously idk the changes made are clunky and dont make sense. and all the moments that are cut ruin the pacing of the rest of the book. It's especially confusing as this is probably one of the most straightforward arcs since petals to the metal and it is the most confusing adaption.

[grapefives]

ESTOY PERDIENDO | DR

luffy + law + drabbles (separately) x gn!reader (male lenient though)

reader w/gravitation manipulation powers + denial of feelings + fluff + love confessions + reader is a musician (best buddies w/brook) + WANO SPOILERS! + crewmate reader +ft.frobin

a/n: i say drabbles but lowkey they might as well be scenarios lmao (title translates to: i’m losing)

your captain is very known for going all out in a fight. especially when it’s some bigshot. you really loved that about him. you couldn’t help but feel the deadly need to be there once he’s worn out after a battle.

for example, right now, as soon as his body gave out from his gear, falling down the sky, you fought yamato to catch him. seriously, what a stubborn girl- er, boy. he’s your captain! as his crewmate you have to save him!

“luffy, you okay?” you ask rhetorically, making your way anywhere that was away from the rubble.

luffy pants, barely able to make you out from his blurry sight. “i’m… hungry.”

“and hurt, let’s find chopper,” you say gently, carrying him in your arms tightly.

“thanks,” he mumbles, melting into your arms.

“you guys are really something!” yamato clamors with fondness.

“yeah,” you smile down at your cute captain.

you feel so warm that luffy really doesn’t think he’d want to let go even after he blacks out. he holds on though, making sure he finishes his business with momonosuke before finally dropping.

luffy is someone who trusts quite easily, trust towards his crew mates is blind. yet, out of all his crew mates, he finds himself more fond with you. he loves to talk to you, to go on adventures with you and… secretly look at you for as long as you stay unaware of his gaze.

your captain is oblivious. he’s the type of person that mistakes love for friendship. one: he doesn’t know what love is. two: he’s pretty sure you’re his best friend. best friends like each other.

a lot.

which is why, when he wakes up, the first person he looks for is you. upon not seeing you, he deflates for a moment, until his stomach grumbles and he knows food is his priority.

“MEAT!!” he yells, chanting it despite how fast the plates are placed in front of him.

he’s devouring the plates as ruckus happens around him. momonosuke appears, he swears he couldn’t recognize the kid, and then yamato, who he soon learns was on a vigil.

“woah! thanks yamabro! must be why i feel so great!”

yamato grins, looking around. “where’s y/n!? y/n was starving too! y/n has to eat too, now that luffy is awake!”

“huh? why?” luffy tilts his head as he chews on some meat.

“y/n was also on a vigil, they liked the custom.” nami explains, not seeing how luffy’s eyes slightly widen and a small blush forms on his face.

you soon walk in, smiling wide when you see luffy. “glad to see our captain is awake!”

“sit down and eat,” luffy orders as he stretches his arm and grabs you, pulling you and making you gasp at the unexpected action.

if anyone knows anything about luffy stretching and doing things like that, is that the bounce effect is really jet lagging. so, due to the recoil, you slam into him and the two of you tumble over the floor.

he shouldn’t think much of it, not with the way your face is so close to his and any strands of your hair are tickling his skin. he pushes aside his flustered emotions and laughs, sitting up and shoving a plate of food in your hands.

and when you smile at him, wide and enchanting, he really puts in more thought about his feelings.

but again, he pushes them aside and goes on with his life. and yet again, he falls into the pit of his feelings for you during the remaining few days it takes to repair the ships.

“y/n, let’s go see if there’s food to eat!” he sayys clinging onto you.

“ah, hold on luffy, usopp said he wanted to switch shifts in a bit.”

“but you’ve been doing that all week!!” he whines,”spend time with me!”

he’s literally acting like a clingy partner. you can’t help but smile at his cuteness.

“oi, why are you staring at me like that?” luffy asks, feeling a bit nervous at your doe eyes and lopsided smile.

“huh?” you blink. you feel your ears turn red, “how?”

“almost the way sanji looks at women.”

you sputter, “luffy, you’re seeing things! it’s cus you’re hungry, how about you go to the banquet hall with usopp once he gets here-“

luffy frowns, “but i want to go with you!”

“luffy, seriously. i’m busy.”

“spend time with meee, captain’s orders!!”

you shake your head, only to continue and see how far he can go. you knows he’s stubborn, you had already mentally agreed to go with him but you like to tease him.

“don’t you want to set sail soon?” you ask, “we’re almost done with repairs. it won’t take long.”

“you always say that!”

“my, my,” robin laughs softly when she casually walks by, “better please his wishes.”

“luffy’s acting like a jealous boyfriend,” franky laughs, spawning out of nowhere.

luffy stands up straight. boyfriend is what? another level to best friends? he stares at them before staring at you, who seems to be blushing at their comments.

“a-anyways,” you continue, “i’ma go help franky-“

“if i’m your boyfriend will you come with me!?”

your eyes go wide, and you genuinely wonder if he even knows what he’s saying. “come again?”

“if i’m your boyfriend, will you give me attention?”

“l-luffy do you even know what you’re asking?”

“i’m asking to be your boyfriend!” he huffs, cheeks flushed a nice rosy color and puffed.

“and do you even know what that is?” you seem a bit troubled, almost sad.

there’s no point to agreeing if luffy doesn’t know what he’s asking. yes, you’ve grown these feeling for him a while ago, but he’s your captain. you don’t want to ruin that friendship, nor trust, with your feelings. plus, luffy never showed any sort of interest in that. you were just kidding yourself.

“it means you get to be with me! no matter what, i’m top priority!”

“i thought you said me reaching my dreams was top priority when i joined the crew-“

“second top priority!”

you can’t help but smile sadly, “i’d rather not, dating is pretty noncommon among pirates, it could interfere with lots of things.”

“but y/n~!” he clings to you again, “just say yes! i’ll be a good boyfriend! and if i’m not you can teach me!”

you blush, “teach you-“

his puppy eyes are just so… you groan.

“are you sure, a romantic relationship entitles other things. it’s a huge commitment.”

“if it has to do with you i’ll do it!”

you… “luffy i’m not very sure… i feel like you’re not taking into account how i feel-“

“do you like me?”

your breath is caught in your throat. “well, yes-“

“then what’s the issue!?”

you’re stumped.

“luffy,” robin buts in, “a relationship means more dedication to one another. it’s romantic.”

“romantic,” luffy repeats. he looks at you, “that means more hugging and stuff, right?”

“well, yes? for starters yeah,” you nod, heart beating like crazy.

“then say yes!” luffy huffs again.

you stare at him, then at robin and franky, who smile. “o-okay.”

luffy’s grin had never been so wide. you’re pretty sure you’ll be fine.

“play a song while we eat,” he says as he drags you along.

“luffy, i recall you said you wanted me to eat too. my hands will be full and i’d rather not dirty my instrument.”

“anything’s is possible if you’re my boyfriend.”

you couldn’t help but laugh. you feel so warm, so happy. for sure, everything will be alright.

trusting people doesn’t come very easily to law. even the man he owes his life to struggled to gain his trust, but that experience is what made him even colder. the walls he’s built so high around him were even guarded. he was a tough nut to crack.

and darn it! he hates you! he hates you so much! why? because you made him so… so soft! it’s like his walls are actually futons wrapped around him and he hates it!

“y/n-ya,” his voice is dull and his gaze is deadly.

“h-hold on cap!” you pant as you jump over rubble, holding him tightly in your arms.

“y/n-ya, let me down.”

“no offense cap but you can barely keep yourself awake-“ your breath hitches when the hilt of his sword buts your chin.

“down.”

“almost out of here-“ you trip, and he almost falls to the ground if it weren’t for you quickness, your fingers twitching to activate your powers, causing him to float for a measly few seconds before you get back up and pick him up.

“you idiot!” law yells, annoyed with how much care you’re giving him. he’s really trying to fight you but he can’t deny how worn down he is. but he won’t tell you that, duh.

“hey! stay still!”

“don’t give me orders you nimwit! let me down! i’m not weak!”

you growl, “law! we’re almost there! calm down!”

he stares at you, almost shocked at how aggressive you’ve gotten. his face heats up, unsure whether to continue his fight or actually give in. you are holding him quite strongly actually, if he were to allow himself to melt for a few seconds he knows he might fall unconscious. heck, he really wants to.

but all these enemies around! one look at this and he won’t heat the end of it! especially by the eustass bastard.

“bepo! are you okay?!” you ask when you see the rest of your crew.

“he doesn’t do well with heat!” sachi yells, “seriously! he’s a pain in the ass-“ he pauses, “captain!?”

law groans, so ashamed that he presses himself into you, wishing he could disappear. he focuses on anything other than the situation he’s in, which leads to him settling on your heartbeat. and he hates how much he enjoys it. both knowing you’re fine and being in your arms. it makes him realize how much he’s longed having you this close, makes him realize how strong his feelings for you are.

truly, he wishes he wasn’t such a coward when it comes to his feelings for you and you in general. and as he hears momonosuke give his speech after everything is settling down, you’re still touching him- putting bandaids and ointments on his injuries, bepo helping you as well.

and when everyone is settling for the night, exhausted from the last few months, especially the day’s fights, he almost wants to call for you.

“captain, any bandaids you want me to change before leaving?” you ask, startling him awake before he had fallen into unconsciousness.

he sits up on his futon, staring at you. “y/n-ya,” he says softly, unsure what to do or say.

is exhaustion going to make him reveal his feelings? will he own up to it? no, he can’t lose himself. he can’t let himself go soft. love makes you soft, right?

“-okay?”

“what?” he blinks.

you’re kneeling in front of him, a worried look on your face. “i asked you if you’re feeling okay. you’ve been more silent and out of it lately. you really need to rest. the guys are already sleeping, we should too. i just wanted to check on you before doing so-“ you fall silent when he leans into you, all his weight pressing into your chest.

you wrap your arms around him, afraid he could fall over if you didn’t hold steady. “captain?”

“y/n-ya,” his voice is so coarse, almost on the verge of giving out. “stay with me for the night.”

your heart skips a beat, and for a second you’re both scared he hears how flustered you are and to say yes.

“cap, you-“

“please,” he whispers, almost inaudible.

you close your eyes, sighing. “captain, i’m not sure. i… if i… if i could i would.” your heart hurts.

law looks up, he looks quite adorable tired. “why not? who did you agree to sleep with? i’m your captain, it was an order not a question.”

you stare at him, almost… sorry. you feel bad about your feelings. sleeping here with him will only make them worse.

“i… you know how bepo gets, poor thing. i better go before-“ you’re surprised when he hugs you, tight.“captain,” you try to pry him off of you, “are you feeling okay? why are you behaving so-“

“i love you.” he blurts into your chest. “i…” he squeezes you harder, “i want to love you.”

you falter, “w-what?”

he’s silent, almost scared at how this could go. and he’s so, so tired. so on edge that if you say no and you leave him alone in his uneasiness, he will most likely cry.

“law…” your hands tremble as they grab his face, his face is flushed with a lovely red, eyes drowsy and glassy. you’ve never seen him so… so raw. “tell me, is that true?”

he nods, not trusting his voice.

“i’m sorry,” you say, shattering his heart, “i really want to kiss you so i will,” he doesn’t even process that until after he feels a warmth on his lips.

and when he acknowledges the situation, he melts.

and he doesn’t regret putting his heart in your hands. because he knows he has yours in his.

[emilybahu]

Buck coming out to Maddie:

Just kinda pure chaos, total sibling energy, as it should be, he’s talking about his date with her and about how it went horribly awry…

Maddie immediately assumes that Buck was on a date with a married woman!? Like ok, but WHY THOUGH?

Then Buck says “he left me outside the restaurant”, and Maddie’s like “hold up…back this up a second, let’s go back to the pronoun” because Buck kept leaving out that he was on his first date with a man (Tommy).

Buck being like “yeah, ok I was on a date with a guy, but that’s not the point” HOW IS IT NOT THE POINT EVAN! Then Maddie starts to get why Buck is so worried about lying to Eddie.

Buck bringing up that he’s an ally again and Maddie saying “so now, you’re more than an ally”. Which is exactly what we all yelled at the screen the first time we saw the date scene, because it’s true! (Like come on now Buck! You kissed the guy!)

And of course this moment:

And I’m sure this had us all laughing our heads off, because no Evan it is not normal straight male behavior to “check out a hot guy’s ass”! 🤣

Sir, are you openly admitting to possibly checking out your best friend’s ass at some point, because I think he definitely counts as a hot guy and he definitely has a cute butt! 🫠🤭

I digress… after the second shock of her morning of learning that Buck had a date with Tommy, (the same Tommy he was complaining about to Maddie only a couple days ago)…

The scene, of course, ends off with Maddie being the wonderful, supportive QUEEN of an older sister she is and tells Buck to tell her everything about the “hot pilot”. l love them so much!

And Buck gets all smiley and shy and adorable because he really likes Tommy! 😊

Buck coming out to Eddie:

Then we have this scene, and I feel like it’s the complete opposite from how he came out to Maddie…

Eddie is over at Buck’s place trying to avoid his girlfriend and his catholic guilt and doesn’t know what to do about it.

Eddie says, that Buck and Tommy got the right idea of just hanging out (guys being dudes), he however, is completely oblivious of the (dudes being gay/bi) part of their plans.

(Please tell me you know what I’m referencing in the red text)

Buck somehow manages (in a much smoother way than how he told Maddie) to tell Eddie that when he ran into them at the restaurant that they were actually on a date!

I think that the first thing Eddie said was “wait, Tommy’s gay?” Like he’s shocked about Tommy, but not Buck?

(I suppose though, it makes sense that Eddie and Tommy didn’t talk about their sexuality when they hung out, like it’s not necessarily something that needs to be brought up purposefully. It shouldn’t matter anyways. If Tommy felt like it would have effected their friendship he probably would have said something…)

Clearly, Eddie’s totally fine with that and goes on to reassure Buck that nothing will change between them. As we can see a few seconds later when Eddie teases Buck a little after hearing he basically got dumped halfway through the date.

And of course that brings us to these wonderful moments:

Eddie being a supportive KING! We love that for him! And of course Buck and Eddie, the sensitive, vulnerable guys they are now start to have a nice little heart to heart chat about Buck’s feelings for Tommy.

Buck says “I kinda can’t stop thinking about him”and gets all smiley and shy and adorable again because he really likes Tommy! 😊

We get Eddie telling Buck to call Tommy because there’s no way that once Tommy actually gets to know Buck that he won’t love him like the rest of the team! Also talking some sense into himself along the way…

And the hug! It’s my life, it’s my everything!

(other than Buck and Tommy being super adorable and holding hands at the end of the episode, anyway…)

Just this whole scene between Buck and Eddie was so warm and soft and loving… but like this hug was just so beautiful, chefs kiss. The way Eddie turned as he was about to leave and just thought ‘I can’t leave without giving Buck a hug’ I CAN’T!

They love and care about each other so much you can see it in how they look at each other, they’ve been through so much together their friendship is amazing and beautiful and I love it so much!

Who knows what could happen in the future with Buddie… maybe they become romantically involved, maybe they don’t. I don’t care as long as we get more moments like this between them in the future!

The situation they find themselves in at the end of the episode though… well I guess we’ll be waiting until May 2nd to find out what exactly happened there… 🫠

[poppitron360]

Ok so in another post I talked about all the reasons why Valzhang is better than Caleo, and I wanted to do one on Valgrace as well (lmk if this should become a series).

Bear in mind I am only on HoH- I haven’t read all of the Caleo bits yet, but I know she ain’t gonna treat him right.

I was originally SUPER sceptical about Valgrace (“I ship them platonically” “Jason is the Token Straight Friend”) and while I don’t think it was ever cannon I 100% THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

Seriously, my eyes have been opened to Valgrace, to the point where the fanfic I’m writing about them currently clocks in at around 5,934 words.

I am OBSESSED. It is a PROBLEM.

And some of the fanarts/fanfics of them are SO CUTE I COULD DIE- it was hard NOT to ship them after reading some of y’all’s stuff. Keep up the good work.

Anyway buckle up ‘cause I’m ‘bouta write a whole dam essay on this.

1. The whole appeal of Jason Grace’s character is that he sees through your insecurities and lifts you up because he is too pure for this world. So narratively speaking, why is he with the most stable character? Yeah, Piper’s got issues, but compared to the others? She’s doing pretty well for herself. I mean, her parents are ALIVE!! Wouldn’t it just make more sense, narratively speaking, to put Jason with the MOST insecure character??? He can support Leo, help him in his arc, and it would give Jason a time to shine by highlighting his best qualities.

2. Throughout most of the books, Jason is the ONLY ONE who actually consistently sees through Leo’s mask. Everyone else’s POV of Leo is “Haha Leo said something funny and goofy and we’re all trying to be serious here, Leo. Gods, he’s soooo annoying!”, whereas Jason’s POV is like “Jason could see that Leo was desperately trying to keep it together for the good of the group, and he thought that was noble and brave and good and kind and awesome.” Like I said above, he’s able to lift Leo up because he sees him, and knows him. Something Calypso never did. There are several interactions, during TLH particularly, where Jason is just like “Hey, Leo? You are great. You are awesome. You have saved our lives multiple times. Whatever just went wrong, it wasn’t your fault. Stop beating yourself up about everything. You are a valued and respected member of this team. I love and appreciate you.” And Leo still puts up those walls with the jokes and the sarcastic remarks, and Jason is nothing but patient with him. Calypso was never like that.

3. I can’t find the line in the book, but there’s a bit in HoH where Jason’s worrying about the “To Storm or Fire, the World must fall” line in the prophecy, and he says words to the effect of “I like living, but I’d rather I die than Leo, anyway horses-” and seriously?? Rick missed a trick by not making them a couple. There is WAY more potential for angst if there’s that romantic feeling involved, knowing one of them is going to die, and both being willing to sacrifice themselves for one another like this is “Merchant of Venice” or something (I will explain the obscure Shakespeare reference in the comments). Calypso would never give up her LIFE for Leo, and Leo would only give up his because she’s hot.

4. Okay, most of this is copy-pasted from my post about Valzhang, but it still applies, and it applies to them maybe more so. They get so much more time together to establish a meaningful relationship. Their arc carries over all five books, and we get to form connections as a reader to them both, so the payoff is a lot more satisfying. Unlike Calypso, Jason is his own character separately, and not just an add-on to Leo’s arc. Their friendship is a key focus in their chapters, and a key point in their character development, as Jason is the first person Leo ever opens up to about his mom. When Calypso showed up, Leo had already gone through that journey of letting down those walls, so it was a lot less meaningful. They had little to no time to develop a relationship, and we never get a chance to care about Calypso as a person. She’s just kind of a plot point for Leo/Percy’s own development, and never her own character.

5. What separates Leo and Calypso from the other relationships in the series is that they were not written for each other. Frank and Hazel? Written for each other. Jason and Piper? Written for each other. Percy and Annabeth? FUCKING WRITTEN TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER. Cal was brought in during BoTL to cockblock Percabeth, and then Rick realised Leo “needed” a girlfriend, so picked her. But you know what two characters were written to be best friends right from the get-go? Like literally it’s established in the first couple pages of the first book? Jason and Leo. Much like how Valzhang were always meant to be rivals, Jason and Leo were always meant to be best friends.

6. Like I said in the last post, Leo doesn’t NEED a girlfriend. He can heal his trauma with friends and found family, learning to love and accept himself, learning that he doesn’t actually need the attention of a hot girl to be valid. Jason is the best person to help him on that journey, seeing as how his character thrives in uplifting others. The only person who ever loved Leo unconditionally died when he was eight. His blood relatives abandoned him, and he clearly wasn’t treated very well in the foster homes. He constantly feels like he has to work to prove he’s earned his place among the Seven because for him, family has never been a guarantee. Jason cares for Leo even when he’s fucked up, even when he’s a crying mess on the floor, even when he feels most like he doesn’t deserve to be cared for. Leo thinks he needs the attention of a hot girl to give him validation. What he really needs is to find a place among his brethren- and Jason offers him that place.

So, kids, that was it for today’s edition of “Why Literally Any Ship Is Better Than Caleo”. Tune in next time for our fav ✨trauma twinsies✨ Valdangelo!

[gothamite-rambler]

Talia unintentionally overstepping Barbara's boundaries (sneak peek for AO3)

Context: While out shopping Barbara was kidnapped by Talia Al Ghul's men and taken to where the Lazarus pit is. Talia says it's a fun girl's trip, but Babs knows the side effects of the pit and is not about to be pushed in.

Barbara (stopping her wheelchair before Talia could roll her to the Lazarus pit room): I'm not going in there.

Talia: Why would you pass up this offer?

Barbara (arms crossed): Jason Todd, you, Ra's Al Ghul, and that one time you put Bruce into a coma and tossed him in, assuming you could convince him to love you. And what happened after that?

Talia: We… both went insane, and I almost killed our tifl. But that's in the past, he's better now, I'm sane now.

Ra's (smoking): Never got my thanks for that.

Talia: Father! - Look, Barbara I'm not even killing you—just pushing your chair into the pit.

Barbara: I'm good. I'd rather get robot legs than end up in the pit.

Ra's Al Ghul (siding with Barbara): Contact me if you want me to set you up with that, but she still said no fifty times, Talia! Can you send her away already?

Talia: Father, stay out of this! Barbara, think about what regaining the ability to walk would do for you. You could finally be with Nightwing.

Barbara (grossed out): Oh God, why would you wish that upon me?! We're not like that anymore!

Talia: Seriously?

Ra's: He's with the orange woman now.

Talia: Aww, I was secretly rooting for you two.

Barbara (glaring at Talia): I'm definitely not going in there now. You're not about to insult me and then push me into green slime.

Talia (in denial): You know what? You need some time to think this over and agree to it. I’ll leave you here in this gorgeous tea room and return in twenty minutes. I know you’ll make the right decision. Father, keep watch of her.

Talia exited with a graceful stride, not allowing Barbara to get a word in or continue to refuse her offer. Ra's pulled out his cell phone and handed her an older-looking iPhone.

Ra's: His number is in this phone; he’s labeled "Ahbil."

Barbara nodded, took the phone, and hit the button to contact Bruce's number. Bruce reluctantly answered the unknown call, as his night job often led to strange calls like this.

Barbara: Hey… Bruce, it's Oracle.

Ra's: We don’t need to go by codenames; I know your name is Barbara.

Barbara: Private call, Ra's!

Bruce (confused): Why are you calling me from an unknown number?

Barbara: Talia kidnapped me and is offering to push me into the pit so it can 'fix' my disability, and when I say "offering," I mean she will not let me leave until I agree to it.

Bruce (shocked): What?

Barbara: Yeah. She said I’d be fine, which is a crock of bullshit. I've seen what the pit does to people; Jason has told me. I made it clear I’m not doing that. She said I have no choice unless you come to save me.

Bruce: She said I… And you’re stuck there—God damn it, Jim is going to kill me!

Barbara: Yeah, he might actually shoot you if I end up going crazy, or at least arrest you. She’s not stating it, but this seems to be a mix of good intentions with bad thinking, and she wants you back. Think you can be here soon?

Bruce: Yeah. I’ll text everyone and we’ll be headed there in a few hours. Tell her I’ll be there and that you won’t be wheeled to the pit until we get there. Do everything you can to avoid being pushed in!

Barbara: I will try my best; the mad king next to me is actually on my side with leaving, so he might be able to help.

Ra's: I’m… going to let that one slide because you called me king.

Bruce: I have to deal with Ra's—that just dawned on me. This is ridiculous, but you're my friend, and Jim will kill me if I mess this up. That guy sees me as his friend, and I can’t lose that!

Barbara (chuckling): Men and their weird friendships. Just hurry up.

Bruce agreed and ended the call while Ra's poured himself and Barbara some tea.

Ra's: He’s coming?

Barbara: Yes… your daughter is thirsty for a man who doesn't want her. She’s intelligent and all that, decent mom, but she is thirsty.

Ra's (agreeing): I have no idea where this insanity came from.

Ra's coughed from years of exposure to the pit as Barbara rolled her eyes.