#sorry for the lack of episode numbers i didn't write them down :(

[certifiedcoffeeaddict]

link to the weird little girls post

i spelled toritsuka's name right on first try (!!) but had to google his name to check if i really did get it right (...)

[devyuence]

another controversial take: every character is developing at the expense of topmew's

this is going to be an itemized rant and my thoughts are messy rn but sue me, i guess. feel free to raise brows but if you can get to post rants, i can too.

1. boeing should've been introduced episodes ago (not in the latest ep). as much as i liked raymew closure aka ray realizing that mew is not in love with him no matter what, boeingmew would have made even more sense. but then again, if we never had that raymew scenes, ray will not have that character development, progress with sand, and sand's character development.

2. as much as daddy dan (lol) is a plot device for boston to realize or act on his feelings with nick, mew's revenge played a part. he 'somehow' became apologetic, it's evident on his face during the confrontation scene, for stirring up things in his friend group and arguably starting to value things that he used to be so nonchalant about because he is moving away.

3. now that points one and two are established, can you see that the other pairs except topmew are progressing? not only their relationships but the characters are progressing, having arguable character development idk, or developing.

do we have the word "progress" on topmew as a pair?

do we have the word "progress" on top and mew as individual characters?

zero. nada. zilch.

it's like the writing team thought: "ah, in episode 5 onwards, let's develop everyone else except topmew. tone it down aka cut the scenes because people will hate them. tone it down because mew should not overreact in the burning of drawing scene. tone it down. tone it down until the scene drown and disappeared like titanic. tone it down until it goes down the drain."

apologies. i love mew and i am his number one defender but his character in the recent eps is stagnant and the latest one? ooc at that. at the same time, i feel bad that he is straight-forward and knows what he wants but becomes a stagnant character going back in circles. it's like everyone around him starts to have character development or redemption but he is reduced to, according to some viewers, an annoying brat. yeah, this is what happens when you toned down book's crying during his confrontation scene with top showing how he loved top so much as well as not showing more scenes that mew is really hurt and felt betrayed. he didn't have a proper breakdown aka crying scenes on his own but instead jumped on revenge era. the things are not grounded. people cannot sympathize with him because they do not fully know top and mew. they lack screen time to show who they are as individuals and as lovers. but that's just me.

what pisses me off the most is that he becomes a stagnant character and in the process, top is also hindered to progress. i mean, you know that at the beginning, i don't like top but he made his way on my fave list.

top was considered by others as someone without depth (at least that is what majority says no matter how much people explain top's nuances anyway). he is boring, bland, playboy, someone who is smug. i mean, when every character in the show gets to cry out loud and scream their hearts with proper build up except one or two, you will find them boring. book mew crying his heart out in the confrontation scene but was toned down? force top crying about him and mew at the silent disco while discarding the scene where he tried to find someone new but he cannot because he loves mew so much? like why are other emotional and crying scenes have proper build up and more nuanced but top, this is coming from a not-so-fan of top before, and mew do not have?

it's funny because top is reduced to mew's ex or lover (what are they anyway rn?), who (mew) happens to be reduced as a plot device for the character development or redemption of ray and boston, which had a domino effect on sand and nick's character.

ah. my lovely top and mew, especially my favorite, mew. i'm sorry that you are reduced to this which could have been fixed should people have more backbone and your characters have been thoroughly discussed in the writer's room.

anyway, i had low expectations on this show because as much as i liked the director, expectations lead to disappointment. now, im not expecting anything from this show. topmew is barely salvageable and is hanging by a thread. and if we don't see top's trauma next episode but more of NC scenes (i'm okay with it but to use it to appease fans is not), i'm sorry but... heh.

you know what is funny? for topmew to be based on real people, lovers at that, only to be reduced as plot devices and have a terrible state aka stagnant in the recent episode is peak comedy.

[autumn-foxfire]

Oooh, are these the episodes where Shinichi almost gets caught by Gin in the locker? I think they are! I'm excited, that moment has such great HC potential!

Shinichi the moment he gets a hint of the BO: All care for his cover goes out the window and he gets reckless.

I'd say it's interesting that in a situation where the BO are involved, he isn't worried that Ran has accompanied them, when he won't even tell her his secret due to fearing the BO killing her, but I guess Gosho didn't think about that. No, wait, as I was writing this, Shinichi thought about it but he's quickly put any worries to the back of his head.

You know, Shinichi, if Kogoro and Ran were aware of your situation, they would be able to help you get the disk so much easier. Ran could use Shinichi's name to get it for him, saying the man might be related to a case he's investigating so he needs to check it. Just spitballing some ideas here for you, Shinichi.

How... how does Kogoro in these moments not realise that he is not the one solving the crimes T-T I know he's dumb and prideful at times but come on, he is smart enough to be a detective.

Shinichi using the victims dying message as a way to get the file he needs without raising suspicious, he's resourceful at least. And then once again Ran, in a very weird position in this series, is the one who hinders Shinichi.

Okay, I say it a lot but it's because I mean it, I love when we get to see Shinichi be rash and reckless, I love his flaws. He had to mentally talk himself down because he's got what he wants and now he just needs to leave but he can't do so without wrapping up what he had started even though he wants nothing more than to get away and follow the scent he's found. It's in these moments we see him be a teenage boy who just wants to return to his normal life so badly.

Then stop waiting, Ran. Stop waiting for a man you don't know will return and finally live your life. And when Shinichi comes back into it eventually, then you decide what you want to do.

And stop lying to yourself, Shinichi. You have changed, you aren't the boy she remembers, not anymore. You can't go through what you have without changing. The way you lie to her is the biggest proof that you have.

"Your always crying." She is, because Gosho doesn't know how to write her beyond crying love interest whose life revolves around a man and we hate it. Ran deserves better and I'll say it until I am blue in the face. It might seem like I complain about her writing more often than most but that's because hers is probably one of the worst in this series.

Shinichi, you shouldn't be running with such an important disk in your hand.

Shinichi's lack of interest in girls is so amusing. He's very gay, gay, homosexual, gay.

Oh, this episode introduces the soccer belt. You will become one of Shinichi's most feared weapons.

Agasa is much more fearful than Shinichi is XD

The dreaded coin locker. I can't wait!

My dog is trying to liveblog as well T-T

It's Shinichi's luck that he gets picked up by jewel thieves though. He must hate his life sometimes.

Shinichi: Can I go one moment without being involved in a crime?!

Life: No <3

Yamamura should not be a police officer. He's bragging about how he misused his gun...

Shinichi to the criminals: I'm sorry, I have bigger fish to fry than you two.

Imagine being shaded like that by a boy who looks like he's in grade school. I'd never live it down.

Shinichi really did not think this through. He's down two of his main weapons and he's going to confront criminals that have bested him multiple times.

Gin has got such a cool voice...

Gin helping his partner, how kind of him.

0219. A number that Shinichi is sure to never forget.

I LOVE THIS MOMENT SO MUCH. It's such a small one but it's such a good one to explore Shinichi developing trauma from almost being caught and killed. I did a small drabble on tumblr which involved him developing claustrophobia due to this, associating the small and suffocating spaces with almost being killed.

It's so great too because Shinichi resents Conan, he hates how his body has been altered and he can no longer live his previous life, and yet it's due to Conan that he is able to investigate the BO as well as he can, it's saved his life more than once.

Annnnd he's hiding the truth from Haibara T-T I know he said he would protect her but protection is not leaving them in ignorance. In fact, especially for Haibara, it puts them more in danger.

[deng-yi-deng]

CDramas I watched 2022 edition

I thought this would be my shortest cdrama list ever (+ 1 kdrama) because the year started out so slow, but it picked up dramatically towards the end. Still, this year was more about excellent English language shows (OFMD, WWDITS, Sandman) and dropping dramas when they did not spark joy, which was often.

Surprise shoutout to NRTA for doing one (and only one) thing I agree with - trying to cut down on the overall number of episodes per drama. I do think this is improving overall quality, forcing dramas to tighten up writing and pacing.

I had zero interest in watching this year's hits (Love like the Galaxy or Love Between Fairy and Devil) because of petty personal preferences so here's my 'best of the rest'. Fave of the year goes to Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty, the surprisingly well-done costume-buddy cop-mystery-dramedy that I didn't know I needed. Honorable mention to New Life Begins (adorable) and Side Story of Fox Volant for favorite wuxia.

If you want to read a very thorough review of Strange Tales, check out the top review on my drama list (for once I agree with mdl ?!).

*Indicates that the drama was dropped - not an indication of lack of quality, just that I didn't finish

Luoyang

Bad and Crazy (kdrama)

Sword Snow Stride*

The Wind Blows from Longxi*

Heroes*

A Dream of Splendor*

The Side Story of Fox Volant

Light Chaser Rescue

Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty

New Life Begins

see below the cut for my insightful complaining biased reviews

Luoyang (风起洛阳 ) (2021) 2.5/5🌶

I finished this in 2022 so it's on the 2022 list :)

Fun fact: WYB's character is not the main character despite the 217,876 gifs you may have seen. I had high hopes for this one as the novel it was adapted from was written by the same author of Longest Day in Chang'an which I liked. TL;DR version: it does not come even close to Chang'an in terms of the level of screenwriting, directing, art direction, or production. Acting is also weaker on average, but some actors weren't given much to work with.

Huang Xuan is very good, as are many of the actors in minor roles (Old Carrot!!) - I may try to check out some of his other dramas, and would LOVE to see him work with LYX but alas probably never gonna happen. (they're both dancers! and can act! and are handsome! haha, that makes me sound so shallow.) WYB looks like a block of wood through the majority of the drama. Even if (like me) you interpret him as being autistic, it doesn't work. Song Yi's character might win for worst writing for a female character ever! Which is really saying something in cdrama world. Literally the most epic fail of the Bechdel test - she can't even mourn her father for a minute before refocusing all her attention on Erlang-bae. The romance - for either couple - was completely unnecessary to the thriller plot. Erlang and Liu Ran are on my NOTP list for sheer gag-inducing pointlessness. Huang Xuan and Song Qian tried to have a little chemistry but the sparks failed to ignite (see plot) and...sorry Victoria, after seeing you in Broker and then this...not impressed.

Sets & costumes were supposedly expensive (though the ghetto/Unwelcome Well set looked as fake as an old Shaw Bros set) I think most of the $ was spent on hiring lots of extras which - good to get people employed but ? Action scenes - well, you may have already read about them. If not, go ahead and do that I won't pile on. Pacing was brisk but the plot holes. Oh lord. The plot holes. Ending has a completely unnecessary twist (of the knife). Like Chang'an it got progressively weaker after the big mid-way shocker and ended not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Bad and Crazy (kdrama) 4/5 🌶

This was one of the more entertaining things I watched this year - actually looked forward to a new ep each week. Good acting, lots of action, satisfying ending. I was a little uncomfortable with how they characterized mental illness, but once I gave up and told myself (10 times before each ep.) that it's just a drama, was able to enjoy it.

*Sword Snow Stride (雪中悍刀行) 2/5 🌶

I wanted to like this SO MUCH. Finally some wuxia! With actors I like! The plot is ok, the characters are fun and interesting. Lots of really good actors, many familiar faces. There was humor! And some original ideas but... it was s o o o o s l o w. I lost interest during each episode (sometimes falling asleep) and had to force myself to watch the next one - there was just no momentum episode to episode. I gave up around ep 20. Fight scenes could've been better, which for wuxia is kinda important ya know? (I won't even comment on the cgi since others have already done that - it's not great). I really can't emphasize enough how much I wanted to like this. It's like all the ingredients were there for an amazingly satisfying dish but it was served lukewarm and watered down? I'm also getting a little tired of Zhang Ruoyun playing an all-knowing smartass.

*The Wind Blows from Longxi (风起陇西) 2/5 🌶

Acting: fine. Music: too loud in spots. Sets/styling: good. I didn't mind the dark palette, it seemed appropriate for 3 Kingdoms spy drama. The problem? I found myself wandering away to get snacks or looking at my phone too often, then having to go back and see if I missed a crucial bit of dialog. There was no momentum, nothing felt like it was at stake - which for a slice of life drama might be ok, but this was a spy/political thriller! Chen Kun and Bai Yu were ok (but just). I've heard the dialog is disconcertingly modern in spots, which is not a problem when you're using eng subs. The big red flag for me was the guy at the end who explains what just happened. Like. No. If you have to do that to your film/drama you have FAILED storytelling 101. I should be able to enjoy the story knowing only the basics of history (which I do) and then you fill in the exciting bits. Dropped this mostly because the ending was spoiled for me around ep 16 by a mutual who reblogged a gifset that gave away the identity of the double agent and had NO TAGS AT ALL much less a 'spoiler' tag. And this was before it wrapped for non-VIPs. Uncool. SO UNCOOL. TAG YOUR POSTS PEOPLE.

*Heroes 说英雄谁是英雄 3.5/5🌶

Another wuxia! Maybe...please...maybe? Pros: Baron Chen doing the most dramatic cape flipping, blood coughing, suffering stoically performance ever. And he wasn't wearing a wig - it was. his. own. hair. Just inject that sh!t directly into my veins. Good pacing, decent acting and characters (at least for the guys). Trope-y but it's the tropes I like, so yay!

Cons: fight scenes were of the comic-book pose/quick-cut type rather than actual fight choreography. Which is what you get when you cast actors and not martial artists so yeah, but man, it really makes me want to just watch some old HK movies. And surprise, surprise: tissue paper thin female characters particularly Wen Rou (and her costumes - ugh just no to the western-style ruffles.)

Though I was eating this with a spoon for the first 24ish episodes, I ended up dropping it (probably not forever) because it turned into a smorgasbord of angst and I wasn't in the mood. So if you are looking for angst with a side of suffering, then that would be a pro, I guess?

*A Dream of Splendor 梦华录 3.5+/5🌶

What? Well written female characters? In a female-centric historical drama? For me? Aw, you shouldn't have - no, actually you should have, and you should do it again!

Dropped this because I had English language shows to watch (hello Sandman) and it sort of lost steam for me - somehow the way it's shot made it a bit more of a slice of life than plot-driven drama? and NGL I was also tired of reading my tv, but I will try to finish someday.

Pros: production, costumes, pacing all pretty good. Aforementioned prettiness. The plot revolves around the women supporting each other, with the romance being sort of second? kind of? which I love, but also the FL & ML have great chemistry.

Cons: both the FL and ML are a little toooo perfect - too pretty, too smart, too accomplished (the ML was the #3 scholar, passing the test when he was young yet also is a master at wushu and swords? ah, ok) but this is a minor quibble since this is a cdrama.

Fun fact: was watching this and Heroes at the same time and Sun Zujun is in both and plays...a rich, hot, sexual predator in both. Um, hope you don't get typecast my dude. (his acting is pretty good so best of luck to him.)

The Side Story of Fox Volant 飞狐外传 4/5 🌶

Yay! More wuxia this year! please let this be the one....

The first few episodes are movie-quality: sets, action, art direction, sound, acting are all fabulous. Towards the middle it settles down into more typical cdrama territory. Based on a Jin Yong novel, it's what you would expect, and I think has been adapted before. Since I haven't read the novel or seen other adaptations I can't compare, so perhaps this wasn't as well received because it diverged from the novel?

Unlike the other wuxia this year, did not suffer from bad writing for the female characters! Full of tropes, but everyone was pretty well written - despite immediately loving Miao Renfeng, I also loved the 'bad guy' (who's character name I always forget, so will be referred to only as Peter Ho - he did a great job of making a bad dude sympathetic.) Qin Junjie was giving me Chen Kun vibes all over the place - I may try to watch Listening Snow Tower just for him.

Not really sure why this didn't do better. I assume because it's yet another Jin Yong adaptation, and the competition (LLTG and CJL) were more appealing to a (female) audience.

Pros: good acting, great actors, solid wuxia story with a strong start and well done (if tragic) finish

Cons: weak middle - pacing and overall quality dipped a lot. like they put the B team on all the middle eps for cinematography, editing and direction

Light Chaser Rescue 追光者 3.5/5 🌶

Finally a Luo Yunxi drama I can watch, though I'll admit if he weren't in it, no way I'd be watching. Though some of the marketing makes it look like a cp drama, it is in fact an ensemble cast, with the focus being on the diverse people that make up volunteer rescue squads. It's very politically safe and tbh was not surprised they chose to air it during the party congress.

Surprisingly for the moralistic/didactic theme, all the couples were really cute and well done, so if you want romance, there is some. The effects and sets were realistic, and everyone's tragic backstory was tragic. You may need tissues for this one if you're a crier. It wasn't without some super cringe moments (spoiler: the little orphan would be doubly scarred for life by their attempts to help him 'heal') but in general was ok.

Wu Qian (Janice Wu) was really good - I'd only seen her in two things when she was much younger, and she really is a mature talented actress. I'll say it - even better than Xixi, who did pretty good but still can improve, especially in shouty scenes where his emotion looks a little forced. (see, see, how I can critique my fave?)

Pros: Luo Yunxi and Wu Qian

Cons: not enough of the cute dog, didactic and moralizing, weak plot that is barely credible half of the time, often felt more like a bunch of 'how to survive x disaster' instructional videos strung together rather than a coherent drama due to choppy editing

Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 4.5/5 唐朝诡事录

Please cdrama gods consider blessing a season 2 of this because it was so much fun! Even though Su Wuming is a disciple of Dectective Di, I think I liked this even more than the Detective Di movies I've seen (!) because as much as I love Su Wuming, the genius detective trope is a little played out for me, and giving him a great foil in Lu Lingfeng made the whole thing more enjoyable.

The writing for and acting of the two leads was so enjoyable to watch. They had great buddy cop chemistry that really elevated the whole drama. Female characters were pretty well written and realized, and some of the villains were downright enjoyable (creepy ghost guy, you looked like you had so much fun!) Production values were fairly high across the board - sets, visuals, costumes, sound, for what could have been a very cheap drama. Everything seems to have been done with care and attention to detail. Though the plots are a little silly sometimes I didn't mind because they were entertaining. Also tw to people like me who are sn*ke phobic - uh there are lots of scenes you will need to skip in the second mystery.

The drama starts at the end (!) which was an interesting way to wrap the whole thing up, but also an odd choice because they ended up basically reusing most of the first ep for the final episode? In between there are several loosely strung together 'supernatural mysteries' that our guys find themselves solving in different places all across the country. Each mystery is only slightly more difficult to solve than your typical Scooby Doo plot, and similarly any supernatural element is soundly debunked by the end.

Pros: writing, acting, chemistry between leads, production values, almost no romance (a pro for me)

Cons: easy 'mysteries', almost no romance (a con for many people it seems)

New Life Begins 卿卿日常 4/5

I hadn't planned on watching this, but I like Bai Jingting ok and needed something to watch after Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty and this looked cute. Spoiler: it is pretty darn cute.

If you're looking for an angsty palace/harem type drama this won't be it. Instead, they use the conceit of 9 vassal states sending a bride for the princes of the Xin kingdom to explore the different ways a society can treat women. It's a very very girl power drama. As such the female characters are pretty well done and acted, but the male characters aren't reduced to being caricatures - all have reasonable personal failings.

Is it realistic, even for a costume drama? I don't care. Sometimes a work of fiction is to show you how things could or should be - in this case the jerks get their comeuppance and the ladies get to succeed. Sure, sometimes the girl power message is a lil' too heavy handed but I'll take it for the overall message and the humor.

Just realized I rated this higher than Dream of Splendor and I should justify myself - Dream of Splendor is overall a better drama, but this was more tightly paced and because it had a larger ensemble there was more going on to keep my interest. That and the fact that this had humor pushed it up a little notch for me.

Pros: cute, mostly light and funny, well paced, decent plot

Cons: I didn't really feel any of the cps (I came closest to shipping Li Wei and Yuan Ying) but YMMV

[lolawassad]

I know when im not wanted, Five

Five x fem!reader (one sided n past) Marcus x fem!reader

This sucks im so sorry

Mashing two requests!

first :

requested by anon

Hello! Can I request a Five Hargreeves oneshot (Season 3)

The reader is the same age as Five but recently worked for the commission for decades then became partners at work over the few years Five worked (they helped them saving the world twice)

The reader (Male/Female/GN) is basically head over heels for Five like showering him their love and affection towards the old man.

But since Five is well... Five he didn't reciprocate their feelings and kept rejecting them with harsh words.

Five never felt any type of guilt until he saw the reader crying after he went too far.

Five to the reader: "Can't you understand a simple 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I hope the Kugelblitz took you and not my brothers!"

He was about to apologize when the reader was taken by the ball of light (Kugelblitz)

Five to the others: "I never got the chance to apologize to her/him/them"

I'm so sorry that it's so detailed 😭

second

Request by @raritysyarn

Hello! There's been a serious lack of Marcus fics (yes he appeared for like two episodes but I love him sm) and I was wondering if you could write Marcus comfort with a Fem!Reader or GN!Reader (your preference)? I was thinking of something where Reader has super speed and saves Marcus from the kugelblitz. Marcus' confidence is like completely drained so Reader comforts him? Thank you so much! ^^

tw : TUA 3 spoilers same warnings as TUA

Im gonna kinda change it up a bit and hope you still like it? i dont really do angsty endings for reader, i love when reader is a happy bitch, five is 19 so is reader, the rest are around 23 instead of 30.. again sorry for not writing the angsty ending! if you guys want me to write this with another character dont be shy to request one!

When you all blinked to a new timeline your face is blank "Can't you understand a simple 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I wished the handler killed you!" is haunting your mind.

When Marcus says "you have 30 seconds to leave" you perk up "where is the exit?" you ask making him call for someone named Grace "Grace please lead the lady to the front door" Grace nods "Im sorry for breaking into your house, i didnt mean to" you say voice breaking slightly.

Grace's hand falls onto your back before she starts leading you to the door, you exit the living room but not before hearing "damn that is one pretty woman" and a thud

You reach the front door and Grace opens it "thank you for visiting, hope to see you again soon!" she beams face twitching slightly "thank you Grace" you softly say before exiting the house and walking through the garden.

You walk through the park seeing happy couples and feeling your heart crack.

Time skip till after the fight

"why did y/n just leave like that? she has always helped us, what changed?" Allison asks concerned for the girl who is like a sister to her "Five what did you do?" Viktor asks him making Five scoff "i just turned her down, she was getting on my nerves!" he tells his siblings

Fei scoffs making her siblings turn to her "the girl that left and looked dead inside? the little one crushed her heart" she tells her siblings, Sloane puts her hand on her heart "Oh that poor thing, i should find her and bring her here!" she says making Marcus nod "yes she could also give us extra info on that awful family" he says straightning up his tie

"What was that?" Ben asks Marcus "nothing" Marcus quickly defends himself making Ben clench his jaw "sure number one" Ben spits that last part

Sloane quickly grabs a coat and grabs an extra one "I dont know her size so im just borrowing a jacket of yours is that okay?" she asks Alphonso making him nod before Jayme elbows him "Im not fat" he defends himself making Sloane giggle "i know that silly this jacket is massive though, why did you buy it?" she replies making Jayme nod "good i would've killed you"

Sloane grabs onto Marcus his arm and pulls him with her, Marcus sends a smirk Ben's way before lifting his head up highly and snatching the jacket from Sloanes hand throwing it on the coat hanger "wait" Sloane says "Fei where is she?"

You sit down next to the entrance to a hotel called Obsidian, you slightly shiver before feeling something land on your skirt covered thighs "you look cold" a smooth voice says "you should put it on or you might freeze there, love"

You look up and see the guy from earlier now sporting a bruise around his eye "Marcus right?" you ask making him nod "yes thats me, now put the coat on" he says again making you put on the sparrow blazer, Marcus rolls his sleeves up slightly before sitting down next to you.

"You left pretty easily back there" he speaks up after a moment of silence, his eyes focussed on you in his blazer, Sloane peaking out from behind a bush secretly spying on her brother, a crow sitting next to her also watching.

"Yeah well i wasnt wanted, didnt want to be scolded like a child" you say trying to sound joking but your voice comes out shaky, you turn your head to look at him only to notice him staring at you.

"I know we just met but you should come home with me, i dont want you to freeze to death and we could use info on the people you came with" he says "nothing personal, i really hope you come willingly"

"Do you have hot cocao?" you ask him softly making him smile "fuck yeah we got anything you want" he replies making you smile back softly, he jumps up and offers his hand to you, you go to grab it but are interupted.

"y/n!" Five says walking over his family trailing behind him, you roll your eyes and take Marcus his hand who pulls you up with ease "your too late, pretty girl is coming with me" Marcus teases him with a smirk Five's eyes twitch "im not letting you kidnap her" he sneers making Marcus laugh

"y/n is coming with me willingly, isnt that right?" he asks you making you nod "i know when im not wanted, Five" you tell him making him scoff "not wanted? really, not fucking wanted?" he asks offended

you scoff "Can't you understand a simply 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I wished the handler killed you!" you repeat Five's words to him making him take a step back, he opens his mouth to speak but Marcus is faster "you should walk. the. fuck. away." the taller man says, venom filling his voice

FLASH BACK to before blinking to the present

You turn to Five while waiting for the others to show up "When we get back do you uhm.. maybe wanna go get some coffee with me?" you ask him making him roll his eyes "what like a date?" he asks making you nod, he scoffs "no" he replies making you take a step back, you open your mouth to say something but he puts his hand up "Can't you understand a simple 'no'? Do you want me to speak in Italian? Spanish? Greek? I wished the handler killed you" he tells you right before Diego runs up

FLASH BACK OVER

Five scoffs "no" he says making Marcus chuckle before he starts walking away, pulling reader with him who has a hard time keeping up with his long steps, Five blinks in front of them "so what your betraying me now?" he asks you making you look away "you betrayed me first, Five, not once did you reject me or tell me you didnt like me flirting with you and giving you all my affection, and then you just slam me down? And what? You expected me to just run back to you after you crushed my heart?" you demand, a tear rolling down your eye

"Listen y/n and me we need to leave" Marcus says, its then Sloane runs up "yeah we need to leave" she says before grabbing your hand and pulling you with her "im Sloane, you and me? we will be bestfriends!" she beams making you beam back

Five glares at Marcus "i will kill you" Five threatens making Marcus laugh "sure little buddy, would love to see you try" he replies with a smirk before he starts following the two girls

Sloane points at random things and tells you about them making you nod and hum, when you reach the building Sloane turns to you "Ben hes a bit... wary of strangers so dont mind him" she says with a smile

In the living room you are greeted by the other four siblings Alphonso elbows Jayme who is standing next to him and she straightens up "welcome back your majesty" she says sarcastially making Alphonso scoff "we are supposed to be nice to her, she would be a good add on to our choatic duo, make it a trio" he scolds her making you giggle

Marcus his eyes shoot towards you with a love struck look on his face "Siblings please get out so i can question our guest" he says after clearing his throat and sitting on a chair, when his siblings leave he gestures to the couch across from the chair he is on

You sit down and he calls out for Grace "get the lovely lady a hot cocao please" he asks grace making her nod and smile "so glad to see you again" she beams making you smile back at her

You shiver lightly "you cold darling?" he asks making you nod "just a little, but the hot cocao will warm me right up" you reply with a smile, he frowns "i cant have my special guest be cold" he tells you while getting up and walking to the fire place and throwing some wood on it making the fire get slightly bigger

He sits down in front of the fire and holds his arm up, you get up and sit next to him, his arm wraps around your shoulder softly pulling you into him "better?" he asks making you nod "much"

You rest your head on his chest making him sigh in relief "i would never do that y'know?" he asks making you look up at him "what do you mean?" "i would never treat you like that" he says looking back at you

You burry your head into his chest making him smirk "i got hot cocao!" Grace beams walking into the living room before putting two cups down in front of you and marcus "Im going back to god now" she says before walking off

"God?" you ask Marcus making him frown, he gets up pulling you with him before he starts following grace, you trail behind him

When you enter the basement you see Marcus reaching out to a big flying orb, you stop time running over to him using your speed, his hand is about an inch away from the orb and you turn him around before letting time go back again

Marcus his hand falls onto your shoulder "how?" he asks "you cant just touch random flying balls!" you scold him "you couldve died!" you hug him making him freeze "im sorry Darling, your absolutely right" he says before placing a peck on your forehead

You punch his chest before pulling away "stupid men" you mutter softly before running back into the living room, Marcus runs behind you "YOU ARE REALLY FAST" he yells at you making you giggle before falling infront of the fireplace again

"its my gift" you beam at him when he finally reaches the living room again, he is panting and out of breath "gimme a moment sweetheart" he says with his hands on his knees

When he finally catches his breath again he sits down next to you "so.." he trails off making you look at him "so.." you mock him making him chuckle

"i think the people you came with caused that thing down stairs" he tells you making you nod "we didnt mean to!" you pout, his hand holds your cheek and his thumb carresses your bottom lip "i know honey i know" he coos

Something hits him in the back of the head making him scoff before he turns around and sees Five "what was the point in that?" he asks the smaller guy while standing up

"Five why are you here?" you ask him while grabbing Marcus his arm and using him to pull yourself up "i love you" Five says taking a step towards you making you take a step back

"You dont get to do this" you tell him making him scoff "i love you y/n, just come with me please?" he asks making you shake your head

Marcus softly pulls you behind him "your trespassing kid, you should leave before i make you" he tells Five with a glare "get ur paws off my girl" Five growls out making Marcus laugh

"you rejected her, she isnt your girl" Marcus snarls

"okay wait, you guys can fight later but like.. Shouldnt we do something about that flying orb?" you say

Five clicks his tongue "what flying orb?" he asks curious, Marcus scoffs but starts walking towards the basement, your hand in his

"that orb" Marcus says when you enter the basement "you guys caused it when you came here" Five steps forward and goes to touch it but you stop him "dont touch it unless you wanna die" you tell him

He looks back at you then glares at where your hand is connected to Marcus's hand "i think i know what this is" Five trails off before jumping away

You roll your eyes before pulling your hand away from Marcus making him worried, his worry doesnt last long when you throw yourself into his arms with soft sobs

"oh sweetheart dont cry" he coos "i got you" he whispers before kissing your temple "hes a scumbag" you sob out

When your sobs stop marcus softly lifts you up and wraps your legs around his waist before walking you back to the living room where he lays down on the couch

"today must've been hard on you my love, go take a nap, we can talk tomorrow" he says before kissing your forehead

[myladyofmercy]

young royals rewatch

episode 3

is simon playing it takes a fool in the beginning or is it just something that sounds very similar?

very convenient that the other students in the room leave before wille sits next to simon

i wonder what would have happened if simon didn't mention friday

sara. blue jacket with purple vest? really?

sorry i don't wanna judge any fashion choices here

also i have no clue about horses but i kind of think rousseau doesn't look expensive enough

no clue what breed he is tho

did the queen come to eriks parent days?

wille is sad and horny

just realized how often wille is just in his underwear

kiss flashbacks

also did he go pee? bc he has a sink in his room doesn't he?

only a prince would do school sports in ralph lauren

also simons shirt looks so washed out i love it

also love how simon makes it hard for wilhelm. kind of foreshadowing if you ask me

simon smiling and staring at his lips

i wonder if they remember that they gave simon a last name bc we only see it once in writing and it's never said out loud

also ERIKsson? lisa i just wanna talk...

thank you yr for introducing ke to maxida märak. i don't understand anything but the vibes are immaculate

augusts stepfather is the most stereotypical swedish looking guy on the whole show

wille and simon can't stop smiling and i love sara and lindas side eyes

felice mom gets the price for second worst mom on this show

the queen is number 1 of course

last place is linda

i wonder if the parents day really only was for boarders or if august made that up

bc wouldn't felice have mentuined that while talking with sara?

he probably only said that to spite simon and demonstrate his power

and how he's so friendly to help them

willes last talk with erik i can't

(also my swedish source told me erik not using pronouns isn't as big of a deal as the fandom makes it out to be but it's still a nice touch)

love the small detail of linda refusing the wine

also augusts father had the last name horn so I'm pretty sure augusts name is august horn for any writers out there who only use the name august of ärnas

love the nice touch that simon tells sara in spanish that she doesn't have to share everything so it's more private

why didn't felice go further away to cry tho. i would go straight to my room and not stand awkwardly in the corridor where i still here the clinking of glasses at dinner

also why is there a graveyard next to the school?

august you aren't broke you just have to sell a few paintings or smth get your head out of your ass

simons reaction to august kicking leaves in his fave us so overdramatic

the wideshot of wille standing at the lake is my current desktop wallpaper

simon brought his bodyguards (who don't want that job)

the jaw clenche

it's so funny that simon can hold down august who is literally obsessed with working out

that single blade of grass on augusts cheek

still no helmet for simon

rosh: get your shit together simon

also simon being left by august and rosh parallel to wille being left by erik in episode 1

still salty about the translation of hans skull (?)

love the fact that sara can brighten his mood

they feel very sibling-y in this scene

oh no felice baby you deserve so much better

but she looks very pretty standing in the door

still don't understand why the parents day lunch wasn't so that they would take their kids immediately after

wille not taking the phone call

was it erik calling him before he died or the queen calling him because erik died

also someone said there was a suspicious lack of fjällraven backpacks: one kid in the background has one

simon is so confused what's going on

i wonder if he went after wille

did some of the other students tell him

or did he find out on his own

[konpithepuppy]

[TRANSLATION: POTATO 07.2021]

7 MEN SAMURAI

Proofread by aji10647731 (Twitter)/ @janiappend

Scans not mine

Neither an English nor a Japanese native speaker

Feel free to correct me, thanks

7 MEN 侍

Anyone must have an experience of breaking into cold sweats when accidentally leaving behind something. Trying to search for the members' "situations about leaving a belonging behind," episodes of a member leaving behind things came out, they were revealed...!!! (Interview was done during the first 10 days of May)

Questions:

Q1. An experience where you left something behind that gave you cold sweats.

Q2. I completely saw 〇〇 forgot something!

Q3. What will you do if you realized about your girlfriend's birthday after a day it had passed since her birthday?

REI YABANA

A1. When going to my destination, I have a habit of leaving behind things and leave like Hansel and Gretel, that's why I lose a lot of things. When I left in the classroom in my university the earphones that I got from Rinne-kun as a birthday present, since it was gone when I went back to pick it up, so I bought the same kind of earphones and use it.

A2. Daka-san (Motodaka) is really bad with forgetting things. All of the members must have seen him walking around searching for the other side of his wireless earphones (LOL). Just recently too, he forgot his coat at the studio where we do our band rehearsals and went home with just his turtle neck. Since he called me, "Is my coat in there? But I want to wear it for our YouTube filming tomorrow~" so I brought it home and gave it to him the next day (LOL).

A3. When I realized about it, I will immediately contact her and apologize first of all. If she can make time, I will bring her a present somehow or another and will meet her on that day.

[Recent Happening].

7 MEN 侍's blog in Johnny's WEB has started, and I am in charged of Wednesdays. *I ramble a lot that's why writing the sentences is fun, and I am happy that I can deliver my way of wordings without getting edited. They're long but please read them by all means!

TAIKI KONNO

A1. Basically, I don't forget my things. At home or at Jr. activities, I check my things before going out. Since the things that I must not forget like phone, wallet, pass case aren't a lot, so it's better if I check them before going. The experience that gave me chills when I forgot about it was about a homework during my school days. I do my homeworks properly until when I was an elementary student, but I started to forget my homeworks when I was a middle schooler, it was a lack of vigilance when I think about it now (LOL).

A2. The time when we went to Kyoto for our stage play, when I met with Katsuki to go to the convenience store, Katsuki forgot about the card key of his hotel room. It was a single room so no one is in the same room with him, that's why we had to ask for the hotel personnel to open it. I thought it is hard to be forgetful while looking at him saying, "I am sorry!" (LOL).

A3. That is bad, right? Yeah, it is really bad. I will call her immediately the moment I realized it and I have no choice but to ask for forgiveness. From there, I will wish her a happy birthday. As an apology, we will go on a date with everything she likes to do for a day.

[Recent Happening]

I had a long time of staying still at home, and I came to think that if I can freely go and play somewhere, where will I want to go (LOL). For now, I want to go to the sea. I approximately go to the beach every year but I couldn't go last year, so I definitely want to go this year!

KATSUKI MOTODAKA

A1. I cried losing a number of times my previous wireless earphones before having the one with GPS function, and even though I am using the lipbalm I am obsessed with, when I noticed it, I already lost it. It happened a lot of times and I really feel down over it. Recently too, I accidentally left behind the coat that I was wearing and went home, my mind and body got scared (LOL). For the things that I forget, I basically don't know where I forget it, *the hopelessness that I have lost them is tremendous.

A2. Honestly, I haven't seen anyone who got in trouble for forgetting things more than I do (LOL). Sometimes, when my family goes out, my mother forgets something and goes back to get it. But when she goes back to get it, the thing that she forgot is there at the house so there is no real incident that happened.

A3. That's the end our the relationship...I will probably freak out when I realized it.

But if I apologize, I will be busted for forgetting it, so I will make her the opposite by urgently preparing a grand plan and make her feel, "He planned all of these that's why he was late for my birthday." (LOL)

[Recent Happening]

The filter for kids of my phone got lifted. Since I have my Jr. activities when I was in middle school, so my father bought the phone for me and got the filter for kids be activated in my phone. Since for it to be lifted, I had to go to the store with my father so the filter for kids had always been activated in my phone. Because of the policies, I had a hard time not being able to see what others can normally see, but I have finally become a proper adult (LOL).

TAIKO SASAKI

A1. I forgot my key when I went out of the house, since it is an autolock, so I got locked out of the building. I contacted the control office but it seemed like it will take time for them to respond, so I took my chance and pressed the doorbell of a unit of someone who I don't know. I explained the situation but the owner of the unit is a foreign guy. I cannot communicate in complicated Japanese with him, I used a translation app in phone to explain and I got the door opened for me (LOL).

A2. When I went to have barbeque with my friends, even though I entrusted my cooler to the friend who was in charged of bringing the drinks, when I was about to hit the freeway, a person from the barbeque place contacted me saying, "you forgot your cooler." It seemed like for my friend, it was not his so he completely forgot about it (LOL). I'm glad I received the message before entering the freeway.

A3. This is a person who you must not forget her birthday, right? The moment I realized it, I will contact her immediately and I have no choice but to apologize. Or, I will think of a fancy surprise and and will tell her as an excuse that that have taken up my time.

[Recent Happening]

I am watching again the anime 「Dragon Ball」. When I saw a scene from it by chance, it made me want to watch the whole series again. It has around 300 episodes though (LOL). I've become absorbed at it when I was in 1st grade, but I still enjoy watching it now. It is interesting to think like, "What was this episode about again?" and also the way how my feelings [for the episodes] change.

REIA NAKAMURA

A1. I relatively don't forget things.

I think I don't have a story here that is a massive failure at least. It's just that, I may forget my promises with people. Getting a message, " You are not yet here!?" and replying "Huh? What was it about again?" kind of situation happens a lot. My excuse during those times is, "I overslept." Lately, I put a memo in my phone about my plans with people, I wonder if my mistakes reduced.

A2. Yabana forgot his contact lens and panicked, but no one can lend him, right? But, when Katsuki forgot his contact lens, the colored contact lens that I ordered with wrong prescription matches with his prescription by chance, so I gave them to him. Katsuki has a good luck, right?

A3.  I'll call her to my house the next day and will solve it through a surprise. I will adjust back the date of the calendar and the clock to my girlfriend's birth date, and I will tell her, "You are probably busy celebrating your birthday with everyone yesterday, right? Today, let's celebrate your birthday with just the two of us."

[Recent Happening]

Heading towards 「Johnny's Ginza」, I come to the gym at the office 5 times a week, and the trainer-san is pushing me to workout hard. The other day, I was told, "let's rest first because you've overworked" for the first time. Since I didn't feel that I overworked, at that time I realized that I am really looking forward to the live.

RINNE SUGETA

A1. When I remove the bracelet that I super treasure and wrapped it in tissue paper during a photoshoot, I completely forgot about it and went home. *When I realized that I left my bracelet, I immediately got it checked, but I felt uneasy until it was confirmed the next day. I kept thinking that since it was wrapped in tissue, it might be mistaken for a trash and be thrown away...and my heart kept pounding.

A2. Katsuki forgetting things might be a usual scene (LOL). Before, the members took Katsuki's belonging and attached to the white board that is in the room as a prank. And yet, since he didn't notice it, we also forgot about it and went home. It was left there for 2 days (LOL).

A3. I will send her a message saying, "happy birthday," like nothing happened, and I will write a sentence at the end saying, "The last birthday message you have received is from Rinne, right?" Moreover, if her birthday is on 06/07, greeting her at 6:07 or something, matching her birthday with a time that has a deep meaning and send the message to her is effective [as an excuse], right?

[Recent Happening]

The takeout box for Thirty-one Ice Cream (Baskin Robbins) is Yamada (Ryosuke), that's why I went to buy it yeasterday. It is embarrassing to be seemed aiming for Yamada-kun, so I brought along my little brother and made it looked like "my brother wants it so I am buying it for him" (LOL).

[inessencedevided]

The Untamed, episode 46 - watching notes

Full disclosure: I'm not in a particularly good mood today. Have you seen that "no productivity. Only guild." Meme flying around? That's me today :|

Hopefully this will distract me (though distraction was the problem in the first place 🙈)

I apologise for any typos you'll finde in this post 😅

To recap, the last thing I learned was that apparently, Jiggy married his own sister because Jin Guangshan was a scumbag who raped more women than he could possibly remember

I was told by several people that this episode is their favourite. No pressures or anything :D

The way someone is dragging up Jiggy's secrets has a lot of poetic justice to it. Everyone is outraged and gossiping. Consensus is reached quickly. Kinda makes me feel that that someone (who probably also wrote the letter to jgy) knows exactly how to use the sect world's worst qualities as a weapon

Yao what's-his-name, resident gossip queen, at it again

Don't look at me my memory is as bad as wwx when it comes to names :D

I was about to write who is Lianfang Zum again and then I remembered that it's jiggy's honorary title. See what I mean? ^^

What does it say about me that my heart makes a leap when I simply see wwx leaning close to lwj to whisper to him? 😅 I'll probably die reading the novel, that's what that says

Oh so it was the maid who sent the letter

Come on Wei Wuxian! That was cruel

Yeah Yao what's-his-name, why would you need to know the identity of who ever is behind this? It's not like you've ever been deceived before!

What's... with that bracelet?

I love it how everyone looks positively startled when Lan Wangji says something unprompted :D

Wait ... Zwei Jun is in his hands? Shit, i don't remeber what happened there. Where did Xichen go again? 😬

I'm so confused right now 🙈 I can't watch and read the subtitles and type

Okay, watched the whole conversation again, now I'm following

I reiterate my earlier statement that whoever is pulling the strings here knows exactly what strings to pull to get the clans to act

Great, another mob 🙄

Loooool

NOW you want his help? 😂

Sure, as soon as he can serve YOU with his "evil tricks", that's okay!

You can see how much wwx changed because he does not hold their hypocrisy to their faces. He mostly seemed tired of it

And Jiang Cheng just realised that wwx might indeed not be responsible for Jiang Yanli's death, didn't he? He's almost stunned 🥺

Or is BEAUTIFUL to see Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji move in such unity! 😭

Oh ... those are the graves of his foster parents, right? :(

And Yanli ... oh God I forgot about Yanli 🥺

I'm crying again. Nothing on this show will ever hit as hard to me as the Yunmeng siblings' fate

I couldn't help myself, I legitimately just stroked my laptop screen where Yanli's plate was 🥺

So many conflicting emotions

Thanks to a friendly anon, I know that these three bows together are marriage thing! 😭😭😭

So yeah, they're married now. I dont make the rules :')

Somehow, this feels like them asking wwx's foster family's blessing

And now I'm imagining Shijie smiling back at them gently and I'm crying 🥺

And by God, I love lwj's gentle teasing :')

This whole scene, he's so soft! 😭

And it think that Wei Wuxian probably thought that he'd never get to step into Lotus Pier again. But here, he can finally say his goodbyes to his Shijie properly. He can heal! 🖤

And again, I cannot stress enough how wonderful that is! And how rare and precious in a show like this. So often character's get put through unimaginable trauma, but they either brush it off no problem or the show/movie ends immediately after the main action and you are left to imagine the number it did on the character's psyche. There are so rarely fantasy shows that really dive into the emotional fallout the plot has on their characters and then give them time to heal. Thus show does both and I'm so goddamn overjoyed my it!

Come to think of it, it reminds me of a very good hurt/comfort fic 🤷‍♀️

Jiang Cheng pleae, fir once, try not to be angry immediately when you're hurting :(

He still takes special offence that lwj is there. Makes me wonder if he still feels like wwx chooses lwj over the Jiang sect and is still hurt by it 😔 (note that at the same time, he reminds wwx that he's very much not a member of the Jiang clan anymore. God, the man has not worked through his own feelings ...)

For once, as much as I love it when lwj defends wwx (especially when it's not against any physical harm, but because he doesn't want wwx to be hurt emotionally) I think him interfering with this particular conflict does not help

Okay sorry, but no! lotus pier was not destroyed because wwx saved lwj in that cave. That was just an excuse for the Wen sect. They would have come eventually anyway

Ohhh

So there's my answer

He's still hurt because he feels wwx chooses anyone else over his family, which is to say him

And he probably can't understand because their positions are so different. The (future) sect leader and the son of a (dead) servant and a rogue cultivator who never felt quite like he belonged 😔

It's so goddamn tragic how much between these two was destroyed simply because they have such a different status in society and could never quite understand each other's perspective

And again, wwx just takes it 💔

Until, that is, lwj's honour gets besmirched

Don't fight in front of Shijie 🥺

Jiang Cheng's every action screams that he still loves his brother and that amidst all that pain for his lost family, is also deep betrayal and grieve for the brother he thought he could always count on 🥺💔

Can we appreciate for a second how much this shot tells us? From Jiang Cheng's angry desperation, to Wei Wuxian's quite acceptance of his rage (which must be so confusing to Jiang Cheng and probably hurt him even more. Because fighting is always how these two resolved their issues!) to Lan Wangji who is in full on protective mode (which I find more than heartwarming,but still think probably isn't helpful rn)

He ... what?

I still don't quite understand when exactly wwx's lack of golden core shows. Why does he have a nosebleed here?

What?

Oh!

Wen Ning 😱

I get what he wants to do!

Have we ever seen him this calm and determined before?

Abd they understand 😱😱😱

The look on all of their faces! Shiiiiit

I'm crying again

Oh wangii is crying 🥺

Wen Quing 💔💔💔 I'm crying even harder just looking at her. I've MISSED her 🥺

Lan Zhan your FACE!! 😭

The way he's looking at wwx in his arms, as if he's seeing him fir the first time

And by god, I can only imagine what he must be thinking

He must be reevaluation every single interaction they had since wwx started down the path of demonic cultivation 😭

I'm a bit in awe of Wen Ning here and how much he must have been holding in. That's the steadiest and most confident he's ever been

Oh Jiang cheng 💔

That looks like a man whose entire world has just been shaken to its core

And Lan Wangji is crying so much 🥺

God I hope he doesn't blame himself even more 🥺

Aaaaaaahhhh, so that is why he wouldn't just carry the sword for appearance sake and why he just had a nosebleed!

Jiang Cheng probably needs about a month to process all that :/

And therapy ...

Aaaaaaahhhh! The boat scene! I've seen gifs! 😍😍😍

A penny for Lan Wangji's thoughts ...

Oh I'm so so so so glad that Wen Ning gets to say thank you to the man who raised his ... cousin (?) :')

Oh god we get to see!!!!

Oh little a Yuan 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I wonder now, did Lan Qiren know who the child was that his nephew suddenly brought back to cloud recess?

I'm glad that we all learned from this that keeping secrets from the people we love, especially secrets that concern them personally, will eventually come back to bide us in the ass. Than you for delivering that important lesson, wen Ning!

Which reminds me that I hope they eventually tell wwx that they know 😬

I swear to god, one of these days I will melt from the gentleness in lan Wangji's gaze :')

Shit. He had to be awake? 😳

You can pinpoint the moment Lan Wangji's heart breaks for all the suffering wwx endured and how close he came to loosing him even then 🥺

Waking like that in you lovers arms in the middle of a lotus pond - that's the dream *sighs* (minus the passing out bit)

It's weirdly cute that wwx thinks that it's Jiang Cheng's insults that have lwj so upset 😅

Oh GOOOOD ...

I can't

The moment Yanli's themes started to play and she appeared I started to bawl 😭😭😭

And he's sharing the lotus pods with them ... oh please, lwj, please understand what he's saying. That's his pove language! His sister's food was how he received love and right now he passes it on to you! Please, please understand it! 🥺

Oh lwj, don't 🙈

Awwwwww ....

He's breaking the rules for you!!! Just to make you smile!!! 😭😭

And holy shit look at their expressions 😭

By now you should know that he's willing to break the rules for you :')

And poor third wheel Wen Ning 😂

Now there are glittering butterflies???

Do they have some kind of romantic aesthetic bingo going on in this episode???

Oh okay, messenger butterflies

Please appreciate wwx almost climbing into lan Wangji's lab in excitement :D

Thay scene transition was pretty af!

Hey! Why do they bully wen Ning? 😤

*shakes wwx by the shoulders* DO YOU GET THAT HE LOVES YOU NOW???

Huh, this episode was a roller coaster. you guys did NOT exaggerate! I loved it to pieces. I'm floored once more by all the actor's performances. Wen Ning revealed a lot about his character, Jiang Cheng broke my heart, Lan Wangji made it melt and Shijie is still able to make me bawl in an instant. But ... I'm not left with a bitter feeling. Sure, jiang Cheng and wei Wuxian havebt reconciled, but the truth is the first step to even have that possibility. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are both healing and whatever happens in the last 4 (4!!!😭) episodes, I'm not dreading it that much right now. I feel like we're climbing upwards :)

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird @i-love-him-on-purpose thank you guys for staying with me for this crazy ride 💙🖤💙

Also one last thing: please don't tell me what happens differently in the novel in any given scene. I am still reading it (about half way through rn) and I'd like to still be surprised by stuff like first kisses and love confessions 💙🖤

I should have put something like this at the end before, but I always forgot. That's on me 😅 so don't feel bad, if you've shared something before :)

[delightfulstarlightparadise]

Imagine Eijirou Kirishima and reader

Part 2

Part one here:

I'd like to remind you that English is not my main language, but I am doing my best.

So, you work at Fat Gum's favorite bakery and were used to having him or Suneater buy bread at 3 o'clock until one day Fat Gum's new sidekick Red Riot starts coming instead. You always have difficult interactions that trigger your social anxiety. Until one day you are attacked by a villain and saved by him. When he walks you home, he asks for your number and you give it to him, even thought it is just for the sake of making him stop apologizing.

You are at school, sitting in the back, as always, not paying much attention. This is your senior year and you already know you don't have much room to grow with your anxiety problems, distant family and lack of self confidence. Your intention is just graduating and keeping your job at the bakery.

You can't stop thinking about the villain who held you hostage, this makes you feel your body heavy and your head dizzy. This mixes up to the memories you have of yourself caught in the middle of a terrible fight between a villain and a hero when you were a kid.

You can hear people whispering about seeing you in television the previous night. Your colleages don't talk to you much due to your social anxiety.

"Y/n was held hostage."

"Really?!"

"What weird person comes to school after going through something like that?"

"Did you see that new hero with Fat Gum? Red Riot is the name. He is so handsome!"

"He is two years younger than us!"

"Oh, come on, that is not too much. And he is a real piece, have you seen those abs??"

"Such a nice and deep voice too. He was interviewed, he got all shy, but not weird shy like that Suneater guy."

You should have skipped class, all this conversation was making you nervous.

Suddenly there is a loud message bip that echoes in the class and everyone checks their own phones. The teacher doesn't even bother lecturing them anymore.

But it is none of their phones. It is yours and it rings again, bringing all the attention in class to you.

"Ma...may I go to the restroom?" You ask, almost bursting into a panic attack.

"Yeah, yeah." You see your teacher has no more will.

You run to the restroom and hides in a cabin, unlocking your phone's screen. There are 4 messages in it.

The first one is:

Hello pretty!😚🥰😋

The second one:

Would you care for some 😈🤭🙊☻

The next is just:

💥💥💥💥

And the final one:

You're so lovely! Let's hit the dancefloor together someday?! How about that?💕

You see the simbol of someone typing and a new message arrives:

"Sorry, my stupid friends got my phone. It is Eijirou here... Red Riot."

You keep staring at your phone as the typing message shows up again.

"How are you? I am sorry for last night, it was bad of me to ask for your number that way. I don't want you to think that you need to speak to me just because I saved you."

You ponder what to answer while sitting on the toilet when another message comes.

"Sorry again about my friends. They are really dumb😅"

"It is ok." You reply.

The typing sign shows up again, but then disappears.

"I'm fine." You send. "Just a little traumatized by yesterday."

You wait a while and he texts you back.

"Who wouldn't be, right? I am glad I showed up."

You start typing but he does it too, so you wait.

"Sorry, I seem like a perk talking like this. I really mean I am glad you are ok. It must have been awful for you."

This text makes you smile thinking of his sudden worried expression when realizes he might have sounded arrogant. He always made a cute blush expression when realizing something, like he forgot the money to pay for the bread or he had said something weird.

"I can't thank you enough for saving me." you reply. "People here at my school are commenting about you?"

The answer comes quickly:

"Really?! Nice things, I hope.🦈"

You can't help but laugh. He uses a shark emoji instead of a smily one. This brings his sharp smile to your mind immediately.

"Very nice things. Mainly that you are handsome."

It takes a while before he answers.

"You think I'm handsome?"

You feel your heart coming to your mouth when reading this. It tottally came out the wrong way for you. You quickly type back:

"I have to go back to class! Talk to you later!"

You turn off your phone and spend some more time in the restroom with your red face between your hands. You didn't have to think anything, he IS handsome.

...

When you arrive your house and turn on your phone, there is a message waiting for you.

"Don't forget to pay your phone bill this month. You can do it by acessing..."

You sigh and leave it on the table, then, turn on the TV to watch anything. You don't really know what to do with this free time while the bakery is repaired.

You are in the middle of an episode of a cheesy dorama when your phone vibrates on the table.

"Hey. Are you free?" It is him.

You don't really know what to answer.

"I guess..." you reply after a long time thinking.

"I really didn't want to bother you with this,but Fat Gum asked if you could come to the bakery to tell him a little more of what happened yesterday. He thinks the guy had an accomplice."

Your hands get cold at the thought of it, your heartbeat increases and you start typing a "I can't" but a new message arrives.

"I am at your building's door. Sorry."

"What?!" You reply by impulse.

"Sorry! I must seem like a real creep to you. Fat Gum made me come here to make sure you are safe in your way to the bakery."

You freeze until a new message arrives.

"He can be very persuasive 😅. But if you say no, I understand."

Not wanting to be inpolite to him, you find yourself putting on your coat and boots and going downstairs to meet him. There he is smiling at you with embarassment and wearing those revealing clothes that you are sure are even more appealing today.

"Hey y/n! Thank you a lot for agreeing to come. Fat Gum would totally kick my ass if I showed up alone." he says.

You just nod as he stares at you looking unconfortable, wich makes you feel unconfortable.

"So... let's go?"

You nod again, even more nervous.

You start walking in silence when you see him pull off his phone. Great, you are boring him so much he needs a distraction, you think. Than you feel your phone vibrate.

"Please don't be mad at me." You see his message and look at him from the corner of your eye. He seems really worried.

"I am not mad at you. I just get really nervous around you." You type back.

"Really? Why?"

"I get anxious around people, in general..." you answer him pronto.

"Oh, I have a friend just like you." He replies. "He is a very nice guy."

You put down your phone and look at him. He is giving you the biggest and most friendly smile ever. You immediately put your head down.

"How can I help you being less unconfortable around me?" He sends you after you do it.

"I don't know. It is a thing that happens to me since I was a kid. I am just weird like that." you reply.

"I don't think you are weird." He says out loud and it makes you turn to him. "You are so nice."

You blush completely and get your phone, typing really fast.

"Don't say things like that, it makes me unconfortable." you send him.

"Sorry." He answers back. "But I really think you are a really nice perxnroal !(($$&@(!)....."

You look up and Red Riot is sunk inside of Fat Gum's back.

"Hey! Look where you are walking!" The hero says, pulling him out. Red Riot takes a huge breath and falls on his knees. Fat Gum turns to you. "Y/n!! I am glad you are here! Can you please help me? We need you to describe everything you remember about that night! Anything helps."

He guides you inside the store, where Suneater is trying to organize some merch in a shelf. When he sees you, he drops everything and puts his head down. He has the same effect in you. You REALLY don't want to interact with each other.

"So... can you help us?" Fat Gum asks.

You take a deep breath and look around. You can remember everything that happend. Exactly how it happened. Every detail and second of it. That is your quirk, remembering everything that ever happens to you and around you.

You give such and accurate description of that night that the three heroes get impressed by it.

"And... do you remember seeing anyone with the guy?" Fat Gum asks, amazed.

You pull from your memory the moment you look at the door before the villain comes in. You can see a woman wearing a similar overcoat talking to him and standing by the door, looking out for any incomer. Than you remember her fleeing right at the moment you see Kirishima arrive.

You describe her as a tall lady with black hair, say the exacr brand of her coat and even the color of her shoes. They all stare at you again, impressed.

"You should be a detective, y/n!" Fat Gum says giving you some slaps in the shoulder.

You shake your head as a firm no and he smiles at you.

"Ok, ok. You are right. There are better carrers around." he says"Red Riot! Take y/n home, safe, please."

"Yes sir!" Red Riot replies.

For your surprize, Fat Gum lifts you in the air and hands you to Red Riot as if you were a kid. He takes you in his arms so you don't drop on the floor and you see yourself being carried by that hero damsel style.

You stare at each other in shock. You in literal shock, pale. He with his cheeks blushed.

"That was mean of you." You hear Suneater say to Fat Gum.

"Let them kids be in love." Fat Gum replies. "It is healthy to have some passion by this age."

"No. Y/n is going to pass out." Suneater says.

In fact, you do. The last things you hear are Red Riot say: "How did you know?!" and Suneater reply: "Because I would."

...

When you come to your senses you are lying on your couch, the TV is on showing a documentary about sea life. For a moment you think it was all a dream. That is when you hear:

"Hey! You're awake!"

You scream caugh by surprize by Red Riot, in your Kitchen and almost scare him into dropping the bowls of lamen he had in hands. He is only wearing the pants from his costume and this makes your whole face burn in shame. You almost pass out again.

"PLEASE DON'T WALK AROUND MY HOUSE NAKED!!" you yell, throwing the blanket that was covering you at him.

"Naked?!?!"

After he puts on a shirt that is probably a school uniform,the two of you sit down to eat.

"I am so sorry for what Fat Gum did. This anxiety of yours is really serious." He says.

"It wasn't that." you reply while sucking in some noodles. "I usually get very tired after intentionally using my quirk. It can cause me to pass out like this."

"Really?! So I am sorry we made you use it!"

You shake your head and say:

"It is fine. I am just glad I could be useful for a change."

"For a change?" He repeats staring at you with a pitful face. "You are always helpful! We love your sweet bread."

"I am not the one who makes it. I just sell them to you."

"You are the most special part of it." he says, smiling at you with a soft expression.

You feel your heartbeat increase, but it is not panic attack-like. It is something different.

"Don't say this kind of stuff. You make me nervous." you say, looking at the other side. But you can't help a smile from coming to your face.

"Sorry!" He replies with a sharp teeth smirk.

After you eat, he thanks you for helping and you take him downstairs to say goodbye.

"Here, your keys. I got them from your pockets to get in." he says.

"You are the first visit I get here, besides my mom." you say, getting the key from his hand. "I shouldn't say that, it makes me sound like a weird paria."

"Makes you sound lonely." he replies.

You look at him a little offended by the honesty, but he actually looks concerned about you.

"I prefer it this way." you say, and turn around to get inside.

"Can I call you tomorrow?"

His question makes you freeze at the door.

"Why would you?" you ask without turning to him.

"I want to be your friend."

You look at him from above your shoulder.

"Sorry... I can't befriend a hero."

He looks horrified by your answer and reaches towards you, but you run inside before he can say anything else.

You feel dizzy. Your quirk is forcing itself onto you again. Everytime you remember, you literally live every aspect of the memory again. You live again the moment your father was accidentally killed by a hero.

...

You wake up as always. You eat your breakfast. You get yourself ready to go to school, a normal day this time, you hope. Maybe people won't be speaking about what happened anymore.

You check your phone and see there aren't any messages. This should make you feel relief, but it actually makes you sad.

Another day of school goes by. People are still gossiping about you. Maybe it is a good idea to spend some days away from school. You ask for a license and they give it because of what happened to you.

"What am gonna do at home with all this free time?" you mutter while walking back.

You wish you could work all day along stocking the bakery. This was your favorite part of your job. No clients to attend, no social interaction, no worries, just you and the products getting organized.

Then, you rise your head to the door of your building. You can't believe your eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" You ask by impulse and it sounds a bit aggressive.

"Sorry! Sorry! Fat Gum told me to check on you." Red Riot said moving his hands anxiously.

"Well Fat Gum should let you leave me alone!"

He sighs and shakes his head. He is wearing his school uniform and it makes him look a little less intimidating.

"I lied. I wanted to check on you. It is my fault." he says.

"What do you want from me, Red Riot?"you ask, crossing your arms and staring him with as much determination as you can. Wich is not much.

"Please, call me Eijirou or Kirishima. I... I really want to be friends with you. But... but I also don't want to look like a stalker."

"Well, you are not having much success." you reply.

"How about an Ice cream?"

You get surpsrized by the invite and can't help but noding in agreement. It is a hot day after all. After a while you are both sitting in front of the Ice cream shop having some icream cones.

"I like pistache, but I guess strawberry will always be my favorite Ice cream flavor. It reminds me of my childhood." you are listening to him blab about ice cream flavors for a while now. "I don't mind chocolate, too. It is the top choice among my friends. Except for Bakugo, that creep likes even his ice cream spicy."

You stare at him in silence while eating your vanilla ice cream. He seems unconfortable with it, so he continues to blab about his friends' favorite ice cream flavor.

"Mina likes anything that is pink like her, so she likes strawberry too. But I think it is just because of the color... I can't eat anything grape related anymore because it reminds me of Mineta."

You are actually interested in what he is saying, but you can't bring yourself to answer. Mainly because you don't have friends unlike him.

"Yao-momo is lucky. She can eat as much ice cream as she wants, it becomes energy for her quirk. I have to be careful, this body can only take so much carbs before I have to do some heavy exercising." He hits his own belly and you can hear it make a rock-like sound.

The image of his well defined abs comes back to your mind with your quirk fully activated and you turn bright red. You remember the exact moment he took you in his arms and you coul feel how jacked that guy actually was. You gag with your ice cream and Kirishima starts giving you small slaps in the back to help you.

"So... is vanilla your favorite flavor?" He asks after you stop coffing.

"It is not." you reply. "Smells and flavors bring back memories. I try to avoid things I like too much."

"What do you mean?" Kirishima asks throwing the last piece of the cone in his mouth.

You remain in silence a while but then sigh and decide there is no reason not to tell him.

"Everytime I remember something it is like living that again."

"Wow! That is an awesome quirk!! Imagine re living all of the best moments of your life as much as you want!" he smiles, all excited, as if he was picturing many nice things in his head.

You smile at the sight of him. He is such a bright boy, with a happy energy. It makes you feel good when around him. But, then, you put your head down and sigh.

"The good memories are the saddest ones." you say, and stand up, bowing to him. "Thank you for the ice cream, Kirishima. Nice work for you today."

You turn around to leave, but he holds you by the wrist.

"I will come tomorrow, too." he says, his expression is serious and firm.

You feel like telling him to leave you alone. But it is not what you actually want. You smile at him and nod. You can feel your whole body warm up when he opens the most beautiful sharp teethed smile, so satisfied.

As he lets you go and you go back to your appartment. Each step you take, you remember a bit of him telling you things about him and his friends.

You pass out on your coach as soon as you arrive. It is the first time in a long time that you have a wonderful nap.

Next part here:

[sativaaaaaaa]

Just Us Two || Sarah Paulson

Part One 🔽

15: "I'm so so sorry."

16: "This is all your fault!"

|Reader's name is Gina and the baby's name is Ava. Time skip : 2 years later||

Gina

These past two years have been eventful to say the least. I found out that my daughter ended up having non verbal Autism. To any other parent that would be heartbreaking or something hard to deal with but I've managed to balance her and my job. Well... the job I did have. I've had too many scares with Ava's asthma so I ultimately had to quit to take care of her full time.

It gets a little hard.. Dealing with her on my own. I mean, I have family and friends and they do the best they can but when the sun sets and its just me and her in the apartment, things just aren't the same.

Since I don't have a job I can't afford Ava's therapy sessions so today was her last session for a while, just until I got some more money. She was making great progress though; we found out that music was a really helpful tool in having her interact and it was helping her make sounds and let loose. So in honor of her progress we decided to go get ice cream.

Everything was going smoothly until we ran into someone...

Zarlengo's Italian Ice and Ice Cream

"What do you want princess? Do you want strawberry or fruit punch?" As I was asking Ava what she wanted I held up one finger for strawberry and two fingers or fruit punch. Since she doesn't speak I've found ways and tricks to use when she has to decide between two things.

She looked at me for a while before holding up two fingers. I smiled and her before placing a small kiss on her nose as we moved up in the line. Once I made it to the front of the line I began to place my order.

"Hi can I have one scoop of fruit punch Italian ice and one small Arctic Cooler with strawberry Italian ice?" I shifted Ava on my hip while grabbing a $10 bill out of my pocket.

The cashier rang us up and handed me my change before we stepped to the side. There was some music playing lightly which made Ava kick her feet in excitement. Another smile appeared on my face as I began to dance with her in my arms while playfully nudging her nose with mine.

She let out a laugh before placing her hands on my cheeks and kissing my forehead.

"Thank you Avacado. Mommy loves her avocado's kisses!" I softly cooed at her.

The bell at the door rung catching my attention. I glanced over my shoulder just curious to see who it was but was immediately shocked when I saw Sarah walk in with her new girlfriend, Holland Taylor.

I quickly whipped around and thankfully my number was called. I walked up to the counter and I grabbed Ava and I's Italian ice before retreating to the back of the parlor so Sarah wouldn't notice me.

Seeing her made a bunch of old feelings, good and bad, bubble to the surface. Ava was the only thing keeping me grounded at the moment so I just decided to enjoy my time with her instead of worrying about who was around me.

Soon we were done and I grabbed some baby wipes out of my purse and cleaned Ava before collecting our trash and standing up.

"Come on Avacado, its time to go home." I picked her up and placed a kiss on her cheek but as I started walking to the door Sarah looked over at me briefly making eye contact with me.

I cursed in my head seeing her walk over towards me. I wanted to bolt out of the door but I stood there with Ava in my arms as she got closer.

"Gina? Oh my goodness. Um, how are you?" She stammered over her words seeming a little nervous and a little shocked.

"I'm as good as I can be. How are you?" My voice lacked emotion and my stare was blank. I was trying really hard to keep my cool but memories of her leaving and me going through labor by myself kept flashing in my head making me upset. But I concealer my feelings for the sake of Ava; I didn't want to frighten her and make her have a behavioral episode.

"Umm I've been. I've been okay I supposed. Who's this little cutie?" Oh.. So she wanted to act dumb.

"This is Ava, my daughter. She's 2." I gently tickled Ava's side to get her attention. She squealed and tried to grab my hand which eased my anger some - but not all the way.

"Well hi Ava." Sarah gave her a little wave and Ava gave her the same before laying her head on my shoulder. Sarah looked confused for a second before glancing at me for an explanation on why Ava didn't speak.

"She had non verbal Autism. Today was her last day of therapy for a while." I muttered trying to keep my cool. Talking about her struggles always made me upset. Not at her but at the fact that everyone basically left me at the first sight of trouble; Sarah included.

"Oh my goodness. I'm so so sorry. Why was this her last therapy session? Shouldn't she been in therapy until she speaks or something?" Sarah rambled on in a low voice trying not to cause a scene or draw attention to us.

"I can't afford it. So we'll keep doing what we can at home until I come up on some money to pay for her sessions." I shifted on my feet realizing that my anger was slowly growing by the second. It almost bursted to the top because she touched me... She grabbed my arm and tried to soothe me. Like really?

I stepped back from her as soon as her fingers grazed my arms. My eyes held fire but I kept my voice calm as I looked her dead in the eye.

"Don't. Touch. Me."

"Gina don't be like that. I can explain everything." She bargained with me. She reached out to touch me again but I moved away before she could.

"There is no explanation in this world that could vindicate what you left me to endure by myself. You just left without a warning, blocked me on everything possible without a second thought. Your careless and selfish decision made our friends feel like that had to choose and guess who got chosen. Certainly wasn't me obviously because if it was I wouldn't be saving everything I could possibly get my hands in to provide for the child that you wanted and left me with and now I can barely provide for her because the person who vowed to have my back through thick and thin decided to leave me when life got a little too heavy hitting for her liking. There is nothing you can say or do to ever get me to forgive you. This is all your fault." 

Hot tears were streaming down my face but my voice never wavered in volume or emotion. Her face read nothing but pure guilt. She had nothing else to say. She just stared down at her shoes leaving nothing but silence between us.

I scoffed and wiped my face with my free hand turning around and walking away from her and out of the parlor. I tried to hold my emotions in as Ava and I walked home but the tears just kept flowing but I wiped them every time they fell.

I had to be strong; for myself and for Ava. I was all we had. No one else had our backs. It was just us two......

___________________________

word count : 1314

|| Sorry if us this is a little trash. I just got off of work and decided to write this since I had a bit of energy left. But I digress. Avacado is Ava and avocado put together 𝒐𝒃𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚, Zarlengo's is a real ice cream and Italian ice place where Im from so yeahhh. And an Arctic Cooler is half vanilla ice cream half flavored Italian Ice. Its really good guys 😭 But that is all for now. |

[amarauder]

Chapter Three - Percy Jackson x Reader

| percy’s adventure to the top of the world 

- 

a/n; sorry about this chapter being so late! The entire book is basically published on my wattpad account if you want to check that out. Thank you so much for the feedback though! I am pleasantly suprised! 

- 

It just hits noon on Sunday when Percy gets the text.

It's still the same exact name that she entered in sophomore year, still a plaintive "Y/N L/N" with the tiny description under it that's originally used for company names written as Chemistry Class. Percy narrows his eyes and checks the number in his contacts just to make sure Luke hasn't changed his name to mess with him, and eventually accepts the fact that Y/N's texted him, for whatever reason.

" Hi," it says. That's it.

Percy pushes his phone aside and keeps up his attempts at finishing his essay. English 4 is supposed to be easy, he complains mentally. At this rate, he won't graduate.

Despite his extremely studious research (in which he was both reading Wikipedia articles and playing Solitaire, that is), he still has no clue why Mark Twain was so important as far as literature goes. He does, however, come to the conclusion that he'll never be good at Solitaire.

Percy selects a sentence from the Wikipedia article and pastes it directly into his essay. He modifies it, putting the end of the sentence at the beginning, and exchanges the words "light and humorous" to say "light-hearted." A true genius, he is.

Before he can decide where to go from there, Percy glances over to his phone, biting down on his bottom lip. It's not that he doesn't want to talk to Y/N—since Friday, he's kind of wanted to talk to her non-stop—but he didn't expect her to text first. It admittedly throws him off.

What would Mark Twain do? Percy thinks idly, staring at the guy's name where it sits, bolded, at the top of his paper. For one, Mark Twain wasn't ever introduced to cellphones, so he probably wouldn't even know how to reply to the text, even if he wanted to. And, for two, Mark Twain doesn't really seem like the kind of man who would talk to the girl he likes over text. Percy gets the vibe that he's a really old-fashioned, straightforward type of guy.

Leaning back in his desk chair to stretch, Percy groans. Thinking about Mark Twain probably won't get him through this one.

He replies with a "Hey there," momentarily panicking at how flirtatious it sounds. He tries to cover it up with a "Y/N, right?"

It apparently works, since she sends back a "Yeah, it is. I didn't know if you had my number anymore."

"Wouldn't have deleted it," Percy types immediately. He's hovering over the blue button, considering going with something else—less heartfelt, maybe—to respond with, but instead he accidentally hits send. Wonderful. Out of curiosity, he scrolls up past the texts they're exchanging now and reads through the ones they sent before. He hardly remembers the near two-year old conversations, mostly homework questions or him wondering if there's a test the next day, but there's a few that are just... nice, for lack of a better word. Caring little how are yous from him and some remember to bring your book to classes from her. Percy wishes he could remember why he didn't try to get in touch with her that summer, and now he feels sorry that he didn't—after all, he could have been someone to talk to when she was going through a mess with her parents.

He wants to apologize for it, suddenly, but he figures Y/N would either shrug it off or tell him ten times over that it isn't his fault. He doesn't bother.

"That's comforting." Percy blinks at Y/N's reply, but she doesn't give him a chance to reply before another text comes through. "Are you busy?"

He smiles a little at his phone. Sure, he totally has this essay due tomorrow that'll take him a few hours at the very least, but Y/N's far more interesting and appealing than Mark Twain's influence on literature. not at all, he sends.

"I could use a little help with economics, if you're up for it..."

Economics is by far Percy's easiest class this year, but he doubts he's better at it than Y/N. He doesn't mention that.

"Sure," he replies. "but you're gonna have to tell me everything you know about Mark Twain."

She sends two question marks back, but tacks on a Deal a second later.

"where at?" Percy asks, holding his phone about an inch away from his face. It's likely that he's one of the more pathetic people in this world.

"Yours? I can't say that my house is the most welcoming of places for guests," Y/N says, and Percy frowns a little at that. He doesn't waste any time before sending her his address and telling her to come over whenever she feels like it. He doesn't really say it, but it's an invitation for any day—not just a Sunday where they both have homework to get done.

She gives him an estimated arrival time anyways, so Percy spends his remaining moments wisely by hopping in the shower and letting his mom know that he's having a friend over. She's cooped up in her small little cranny of an office, feet tucked beneath her as she types away on her laptop, glasses perched on the tip of her nose and a cooled cup of tea at her elbow. "Of course, that's fine Percy. You can have Luke over whenever, you know. No need to keep asking."

"It's—" Percy hesitates, leaning his temple on the door frame he's leaning against. "Um, not Luke this time."

That gets his mother's attention. She turns to him with a pleased smile. "Oh, what a surprise! I haven't seen Nico in ages, I should put some cookies in."

Percy chuckles, pushing his still-damp hair out of his eyes. "Not Nico, either. It's Y/N—remember, my chem partner? Came over once for our research paper?"

Sally gives him a maternal grin, lifting her eyebrows. "Oh, I always liked her." She redirects her gaze to her computer. "I had a feeling I wasn't the only one, either."

"Mom," Percy warns.

She holds her hands up, a clear white flag. "I'm not suggesting anything. Just your dear old Mom over here, typing up a novel."

"It'll be the best one yet," Percy says, since he knows Mom thrives under encouragement. "I have a feeling. It'll be the one."

"You think?" Sally asks, and she sounds excited, like she agrees. Percy nods with a grin. "Oh, that would be so great, I—" The doorbell dings throughout their home, and his mom's mouth snaps shut. "That would be for you, I'm guessing. Let me know if you need anything, sweetie."

"Thanks, Mom," Percy says, but he makes sure to shut her office door, partially to preserve his privacy, but mostly because he knows his mom needs isolation when she's in writing mode. He gets the door.

Y/N's dressed casually, which is something Percy hadn't even considered; he tossed on track pants out of habit. "Hey," he greets, after a sure but still moment of silence. "Come on in."

"Hi. Thanks."

Percy shrugs mutely, closing the door behind her. He can definitely, one hundred per cent, handle Y/N's presence for a few hours, especially after a good night of sleep and a day spent lazing around. "Thirsty?"

"Water would be great," she answers, and it's a little awkward for a few seconds while Percy leads them into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets for a cup. He usually drinks out of the old, stained plastic ones, but he thinks Y/N probably deserves better as a guest. Eventually, he spots a light blue glass from a dining set they had two houses ago. He pulls it down. "How's your weekend been? Well, since the fair, anyways."

Percy clears his throat, like it'll clear the weird tension in the air, too. "'S been nice. Wish the fair was here for longer, to be honest."

"There's always next year," she says optimistically. He passes off the glass of water, and as she takes it from him, Percy realizes that he didn't bother to ask if she wanted ice. He almost feels rude for a second, but Y/N takes a grateful sip and sends him a little smile, so he guesses that he did alright. "Anyways, economics."

"Right, economics." Percy shakes himself. He should focus on the actual intention of Y/N's visit, not whether or not she'll get huffy about a few ice cubes. "What chapter are you guys on?"

"We have the same teacher, I'm pretty sure—Mr. Manassa?" Percy nods. "My class just started the chapter on supply."

Percy mentally sighs in relief. Supply is something he understands, so he won't look like an idiot. He uses his right thumb to rub at the palm of his left hand, grimacing when he realizes his hands are clammy. "Yeah, same. We can—in the living room, if you want?"

"Fine by me," Y/N replies, and Percy swallows past the weird, sudden dryness in his throat. It's like he's never seen an attractive human before. Christ. "I started reading the chapter, but it just sounds like gibberish. I hate the way the book's written."

"Really?" Percy's actually read a bit of the chapters, since he didn't think the writing was too excruciating, but to each their own. "I don't know, I kind of like it."

"Good, then. Hopefully you can help me make sense of it." She sits on the couch beside him—not really close, but not really far either, and Percy feels himself settling in more, the jitters wearing off. He knows Y/N, is the thing, and it's not even the first time she's sat on his couch while they do school work together. She puts her backpack on the floor and digs out her green economics book, the same one Percy has stuffed underneath his bed. "Have you done the chapter work?"

"What?"

"The chapter work," Y/N repeats, and if Percy didn't know her, he probably wouldn't have noticed how amused she was at his lack of attention. "The work that's due tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah, that," Percy mumbles. Truth be told, he hasn't been doing much at all besides binge-watching old H2O (I had too) episodes on Netflix and playing games on his phone—well, that and a bit of Mark Twain research this morning. "I started it."

"I'm sure," she says, and her tone's some brand of teasing. She peers around, like she's looking for something in particular. "You can go get your backpack, you know."

"I know," Percy replies quickly, sounding a lot more annoyed than he really is. "I was getting there."

Y/N laughs. Percy stands up before he makes the mistake of staring.

He returns with his laptop tucked under his arm, Mark Twain paper still up and sharing the screen with his game of Solitaire. Y/N looks like she might have a laugh at his expense when she sees it, but instead she says, "Explain the difference between supply and quantity supplied to me, please."

And, honestly, Percy's never been in the business of rejecting polite people. He explains to her heart's content.

- 

tags; @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark​ and @25-and-a-half-bards

masterlist

[mercurygray]

It pisses me off that people are saying the movie is boring because of that. They are also pointing that they didn't feel connection with any of the characters and didn't care for them. I mean, sorry but you didn't see the same movie I saw. I was rooting for all those boys to get home safe like they were my family. People are too used to the war movies cliches that Hollywood likes to show us and when a masterpiece like Dunkirk is made they say shit like that.

With you all the way, Angry Anonymous Friend!

I was on the edge of my seat rooting for these fellows the whole way through, and it wasn’t because they were cute. (Okay, maybe some of it was because they were cute.)  But to me they seemed very real. They could have been real - could have been my brothers, and my cousins, and my school friends and my co-workers, and they were young, and they were powerless, and they knew they were powerless but were trying stuff anyway, and that engaged me more than I think most war movies recently have. They didn’t belong to anyone else, so they had to belong to me. If I didn’t care about them, I wasn’t sure anyone else would.

And - I think this is the most important bit - I didn’t actually know if they were going to live or die. Because both possibilities were there, alarmingly there,all the time. You watch Band of Brothers knowing that some of Easy Company make in to the end of the war - they’re narrating the episodes at the beginning! But I didn’t know if someone would drown, or get shot, or go down with the ship. And there were enough cast members where someone was disposable.

But I think this movie - and critique like this - offers some fascinating food for thought on a couple of points.

1. What makes a good story? Is it character development? Action? Tension? Resolution? On a broader level, what makes a story a story?

2. On a related note, what makes us connect with a character? Is it backstory? Do we connect  with the actions and agency within the narrative, or can we connect with a lack of agency or action?

3. Some people have said that the movie was pure spectacle - show for the sole purpose of show, just bits of techinical wizardry strung together. I don’t agree with that view - but I’ve seen other movies where I would have leveled the same critique. What made Dunkirk different for me?

On a more personal note, as I walked out of the theatre, I was struck with a simultaneous desire to write fanfic about this movie and the certain knowledge that I wasn’t going to be able to do it. The first impulse is a common one  for me- it means that the story engaged me and I wanted to continue engaging with it and other people who enjoyed it. But the second feeling is more interesting to me - why did I have this deep sense that I wouldn’t be able to put anything on paper in a fannish capacity?

There have been a number of fandom academics who bring up a good point about fanfiction - that most fanfiction plots are usually heavily character-driven, not plot driven. (This, by the way, is one of the most-often heard critiques of fanfiction - that it is derivative and dull.) But plot is not the point - We all read and write coffee shop AUs and college AUs and a dozen other trope-filled environments, not because we are interested in the act of ordering coffee or sitting through lectures, but that we are interested in studying the actors in the drama and how they act and react in new situations, often ones that are very familiar to us.

With that in mind, the fact that I have incredibly little in the way of character portraits means that my reading of one character will be incredibly different from someone else’s - and thus the act of writing fanfiction is totally pointless, because I’ve lost the surety that anyone will agree with my interpretation and actually read what I’ve written. (I run into this problem a lot, since most of my work also involves Original Characters of one variety or another, who suffer from the same issue.)

However, in another sense, Dunkirk poses a unique opportunity for fanwork - since most of the characters are blank slates, any image the author wishes can be drawn upon them. (And I see from the AO3 archive that many such images have begun to appear.)

Anyway. I thought it was a great film. I’ll probably go see it again. And then there’s the matter of these three books on the RAF, the Battle of Britain, and the WAAF that I’ve checked out from the library for the Dunkirk fanfic that I ‘m speculating over for fun….