#the thing i love about these two is that they fit seamlessly into the actual story and world

[wheatstar]

okay heres how Sol in the SOL au can still win. Darkness is one of my ocs that is mildly important to the actual story this world is from. the only thing you need to know about her is that her birth causes the sky to go completely dark for a bit as a replacement for the eclipse (theres no moon, so the eclipse is impossible). I know part of my rules for this au is that everyone with a night related name needs a new one but I really really like Midnight's name so shes a vampire that was born before the moon was stolen so her name made sense back then. shes a walking relic of what the world used to be like. She lives on one of Gulf of Gore's fangs because vampire and i still wanted her near the ocean. okay Sol time. everyone thinks hes extremely obnoxious for having the same name as the planet and hes just lying to everyone saying hes a prophet of the future. hes got mostly the same origin with skyclan and everything, i just needed to work out everything with the eclipse because that was the only thing that didnt fit.

[nieded]

RR has quickly become my one of my top goto comfort fics (series in this case). I wonder what are yours?

hello! this is a really lovely ask. i'm happy that #rr is a comfort fic for you! i also found a lot of comfort writing it for personal reasons.

i think a highly overlooked fic in fandom that i love is (Slow) Burn, Baby Burn by orchidlocked, E, s1 canon-compliant, 278,780k. i think about this fic a lot, how prior to season 2, it fit so seamlessly into canon, how it made my heart ache, how i related to crowley from the opening chapter just from the way he listened and processed music. there are a lot of challenging things in this story that made me feel uncomfortable but in a good way. in many ways, it made me feel seen.

for other long fics i love dearly, i must also include The False and the Fair by @princip1914, E, AU, 173,064k. it's a captivating story that is brilliantly written. the author is a master at using literary devices and good foreshadowing, so it's technically exquisite as well as just being an incredible story. there's a point in the story (if you know, you know), where i had to put it down, scream, and take myself for a walk.

and

stalwart sun, wily moon by @dustandhalos, M, AU, 369,969k. do you want an incredible art heist story with well-thought-out plot twists, its own accompanying illustrations, and beautiful prose? well, this story is for you! i actually had the pleasure of reading this for the first time as a printed book, which was a special and amazing experience in and of itself.

these two fics above are rec'd a lot (and for good reason!) so here are two more that i rarely ever see.

Curse of the Witchfinder by KitschyKit, M, s1 canon-compliant, 2,244k. i have had many bi people reach out to me about #rr to say they were glad to finally find a fic with good bi representation. well, Curse of the Witchfinder was that for me. and on top of that, i love reading about an older queer because we don't see that in media today. in part, it's because young and sexy sells, but also, we lost a whole generation of gay men to the AIDS epidemic. there's something about this story that undoes me and leaves me completely exposed in so few words.

and

side effects by @darcylindbergh, E, canon-compliant, 7,704k. this is a story about being loved in spite of illness or disregard for illness. it is amazing to me how this is a story about supernatural beings, and yet it feels so human. it's as if someone laid me flat under a microscope.

and so i guess a theme to these recommendations is that i find great comfort in stories that bear the ugliest and most frightened parts of me with love.

[absolutebl]

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

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

May 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

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

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

LOOK at those bedroom eyes!

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

Let the fake relationship commence!

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

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

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

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

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

In conclusion:

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

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

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

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

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

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

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

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

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

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

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

My thoughts?

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

It's airing but...

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

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

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

In case you missed it

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

Next Week Looks Like This:

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

May Releases

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

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

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

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

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

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

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

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

It me! (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

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

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

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

[sorchathered]

Pride, Prejudice, and Flyboys

Pairing- Bob Floyd x reader

Warnings- Smut, minors dni, language, drinking.

Summary- Bob can’t stand Siren, she’s been the bane of his existence since he met her…but maybe it’s more?

My second post for ibffm 😈 enjoy! Thank you @attapullman for making January all about our favorite WSO!

————————————————————————

He’s pretty sure he actually hates her. His mama always taught him to never say that about anyone but right now he can’t be bothered to be gentlemanly. Siren is by far the most annoyingly perfect person he’s ever met, effortlessly funny, excellent at her job, beloved by everyone she meets; the list goes on and on and Bob wishes someone had at least one bad thing to say about her. She’s even a morning person for god sakes, bouncing into the training room most mornings with coffees for the whole squad, oozing sunshine as she greets everyone.

No one gets it, Bob has always been such a kind soul but ever since Siren joined the squad as Hangman’s WSO Bob’s attitude has been abysmal. They went to Top Gun together and the naval academy, most everyone knew they’d had some sort of love/hate relationship but couldn’t ever seem to figure out just what it was that caused such a rift. She had always been so nice to him but Bob just couldn’t reciprocate. She was perfect. At everything. It all came easy to her, and it brought out something inside Robert Floyd, jealousy? envy? He couldn’t put his finger on it he just knew it was unfair, to her and himself. Comparing himself to someone else was something he’d always done, whether it be someone’s good looks or ability to handle social situations but not once since he’d come back to Fightertown had he questioned his abilities in his job. He’d been slowly becoming more sure of himself here, letting his guard down and integrating himself with the squad, finally feeling like he belonged. Then he stepped into work two weeks ago and there you were, perched on top of a table laughing with Phoenix and Hangman like you were old friends. Phoenix had called him over excitedly, something in your demeanor had caused her to think you two would be fast friends but it didn’t take much to realize that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

He walked up to them anyway, feet feeling like lead and nausea rising up in his throat as you whipped your head towards him. “Bob! Come on over and meet Bagman’s new back seater!”

“Oh we already know each other” you’d replied coolly, and the shift in energy was palpable.

“Siren” he said curtly, nodding in your direction but refusing to look you in the eye.

“I feel like I’m missing something here? You guys date or something baby on board?” Hangman’s gaze was curious, clearly enjoying the drama.

You both sputtered in shock, Bob simply flipping Hangman the bird and turning on his heel to find his seat with what could only be described as disgust on his features.

“Absolutely not! We just uh, we knew each other during the academy and top gun the first time, I don’t really know what it is, he just never really seemed to like me.” You looked down at your feet now, wishing the floor would swallow you up.

Drills went well the following week, you and Hangman seemed to make a perfect team, it had been suggested you become his WSO after the uranium mission, Maverick had been impressed with his flying from the beginning but knew Hangman needed to learn to be a team player. That’s where you came in, and to say the two of you were thick as thieves was an understatement. It was like you and Jake had known each other all your life, and almost sibling like camaraderie between you.

———————————————————————

Friday finally comes and everyone gathers at the Hard Deck, celebrating your joining the team and the end of a long week of training. You are the life of the party, playing pool and laughing over whatever show you and Fanboy have been binging, seamlessly fitting into the group like you’d been there all along.

Bob is beyond annoyed. He tries to fix his face but the permanent scowl that resides there won’t budge; he’s never had much of a poker face and if he’s honest he doesn’t really give a shit if he’s hiding his disdain. Do you just get along with everyone? Everyone seems to constantly be singing your praises and it’s like nails on a chalkboard having to constantly hear your name as the topic of conversation. Phoenix startles him from his thoughts as she sits down next to him with a beer, following his eye-line to confirm he is in fact staring at you.

“Ok Bobby what the hell is the problem? I’ve never seen you like this, Siren enters the room and it’s like someone shit in your cereal. She seems super nice to me so tell me what I’m not seeing?” She and Bob have come so far the past few months, gone from teammates to best friends and she is thrown for a loop seeing him in such a state.

“Do you really not see it? I mean come on she’s annoying as hell.” Phoenix doesn’t buy it, giving Bob a chastising glare and he finally folds. He knows better than to fight with her like this, she always wins anyways.

“I- ugh fine. She’s just always rubbed me the wrong way. I’m sure she’s fine truly, but she was constantly talked about in our academy days, she set the standard and no one was ever as perfect according to our instructors. It just feels like I’ve been competing with her all of my navy career and to have her here when things have been going so well felt like the rug yanked out from under me. I don’t want to hate her, but every time I see her I’m reminded of all the things I’m not and it drives me insane.” He slumps down in his chair clearly embarrassed and Phoenix feels an overwhelming amount of sympathy for her friend.

“I think if you actually tried to get to know her you’d be surprised to find that she thinks the exact same thing about you.”

Bob looks at her like she’s slapped him, shock written all over his features. What the fuck did she mean? You felt like you were in constant competition with him as well? He rolled his eyes at her after looking at you across the pool table, there was no way in hell he was feeling an ounce of sympathy for you tonight. You were a top gun nepo baby, your father’s name synonymous with the likes of Maverick and Iceman. Everything had come easy to you so why the hell Nat would think anything different was beyond his reasoning.

“I appreciate the need to keep the peace Nat, but I can’t say I buy it.”

She just shook her head and let it be, she’d truly never seen Bob like this before and it looked like it would take a miracle to get the two of you to sort out your issues.

As the night begins to wind down you make your way over to Bob’s table, a little liquid courage had you deciding it was now or never; time to find out why the soft spoken man everyone loved seemed to hate everything about you.

You plop down into the seat next to him, bringing him to the present as he looks up with a groan when he realizes it’s you.

“Can I help you Siren?”

Eyes the size of saucers at the tone in his voice you suddenly wish you could evaporate into thin air, why did he always have to be so damn mean? You’ve never been anything but kind to everyone, it just didn’t make any sense for him to treat you with so much vitriol.

“I need to know what I did.”

“Pardon?” He looks up with a grimace trying to process the situation at hand.

“What did I do Floyd? Seriously, I have never been anything less than friendly to you all these years and you treat me like I’m shit on the bottom of your shoe. What gives?! Just tell me what the hell I did so I can apologize and maybe we can get past this.” You’re shaking a little and your voice had carried more than you’d planned, noticing that your group behind you seems to have taken an active interest in what’s happening between you two.

“I’m not doing this.” Bob lets out a dark chuckle, eyes full of poison sliding from his seat, making his way to the door.

You look around behind you at your squad, beet red with embarrassment and frustration. How dare he?! God Robert Floyd was such a prick and you weren’t giving him the opportunity to treat you like this for one more minute. Slamming your beer down on the table you stalked after him towards the door, following him out into the parking lot.

“You don’t get to just walk away from me like that asshole! I asked you a question and I want a damn answer.”

He stops short in his tracks, was busying himself with unlocking his truck when he spins around to face you.

“God you really can’t just let this shit go can you? You really want to know why?”

“Yeah I really do”

He runs his hand over his face now, malice clearly etched in his features.

And then he pulls you forward and slams his lips to yours.

You were pretty sure you were dreaming…or maybe you’d died because this certainly couldn’t be happening in real life right? Robert Floyd, bane of your existence for almost a decade had you pressed up against the side of his old GMC Sierra, thigh wedged between your legs while you ground down on him and let him lick into your mouth.

You couldn’t stop yourself if you wanted to, he felt so so good and the noises and moans the two of you were making were bordering on obscene. You thanked whatever diety was watching out for you that he had parked in a dark corner in the lot, crashing waves muffling most of the noises coming from you both. You arched your back to press closer to him and he began his descent from your jaw sucking a mark onto your neck as your hands threaded through his soft brown hair and tugged. God he was so hot, how had you never noticed he was so hot? He smelled amazing and he was an insanely good kisser, but of course you’d always thought he was perfect at everything; part of the reason he frustrates you so much if you’re honest.

He pulls back to look at you, has the gall to look smug at the fact that he’s worked you up like this and you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Your foreheads are pressed together, and you feel him whisper against your lips

“Y/N you need to stop me now if you don’t want this, otherwise get your ass in the truck, we’re going back to my place.”

You feel so dumb right now, he’s rendered you speechless and all you can do is nod at him and slide into the bench seat of the truck. Shit, you really are about to go home and let Bob Floyd fuck you senseless.

———————————————————————

The drive isn’t long, maybe ten minutes but you can barely focus on anything but his hand on your thigh, rubbing slow circles into you, just close enough to tease but not enough to give you what you want. He pulls into the drive roughly, slamming the truck in park and yanking you out of the door, hands roaming everywhere as he tries to herd you into his little townhouse.

Once he has the door closed it’s a frenzy of teeth and tongue, pawing at each other to try and get the other naked as quickly as possible, you barely make it to his bedroom, self control non existent. He drops you down onto his mattress and you pull him forward, rubbing your body all over the length of his, desperate for any kind of relief for your aching core. He slides a hand up to press into the column of your throat as he spreads hot filthy kisses up your chest towards your mouth.

“You drive me absolutely insane, can’t even sit in the same room with you without wanting to fuck the attitude out of you, s’that what you need pretty girl? You need me to fuck you stupid?”

You can’t help but let out a pitiful moan and buck up into him, you never thought for a minute you’d be in this situation with him but now that you have him like this you know you’ll never want to do anything else.

“Tell me what you want Y/N, you’ve always got so much to say but now you can’t even string together a sentence? You poor little thing you need this so bad don’t you? All you gotta do is ask baby I’ll give it to ya.”

You close the gap between the two of you, slotting your lips against his and sliding your tongue into his mouth, rubbing your needy wet pussy all over his thigh and whining at the feeling, so good but not quite what you need.

He presses your hips down into the mattress stopping your ministrations and reaching up to catch your chin between his fingers.

“I know you heard me if you want it sugar you ask for it, I’m a patient man we can sit right here all night and I won’t touch you again until you’re begging for it.”

Chest heaving, pupils blown out full of lust and hair splayed out across his pillows he thinks you may be the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, but he’s just fine teasing you until you give him what he wants.

You look up at him ready to be defiant but fail miserably, his perfect hair is a mess, glasses askew and his body feels like heaven on top of yours.

You refused to fold so easily, he’d been mouthing off at you all night so it was time he got some of it back, sliding your feet to the mattress over his thighs you flipped him onto his back on the mattress, your manicured fingers gripping his chin, forcing him to look at you.

“You’re so bossy Bobby, maybe you’re the one who needs to be fucked stupid hmm? I wonder if any of those little tag chasers you’ve brought home have ever taken control of you like I can? Think you can keep your pretty mouth shut and follow orders? Lay still like a good boy and let me ride your cock?”

He blinks up at you now, he had a smart ass remark all ready to go but the second you ground your pussy down on him he was putty in your hands, couldn’t begin to articulate how hot is was to let you take the reigns, so he simply put his hands behind his head and grinned up at you.

“Go ahead baby, use me. I’ll be good for you.”

That’s all you needed, sliding him between your folds and teasing him by grinding your clit against him. He was big, and your thoughts scattered thinking about how next time you wanted him in your mouth, God you hoped there was a next time.

He had said he’d be good for you but he didn’t account for just how good it would feel, attempting to stay quiet by balling his hands into fists and biting his lip until it felt like it would break the skin.

He might go insane from this, he’s used to relinquishing control in the air, but in his intimate life he’s always demanded the upper hand, the need to be in charge overpowering the ability to submit. But here you are, stripped completely bare for him and riding him so slowly damnit he’s never been more turned on in his life. He’s not blind, you’re absolutely gorgeous; he’s seen the way guys check you out but the rivalry between you both was always so palpable it never occurred to him to want you like this.

You’re playing with your nipples and grinding into him slowly, moans spilling from your lips and Bob knows he can’t take much more of this, needs you splayed out so he can fuck you like he wants. He watches you close eyes, throwing your head back and he takes the shot, gripping you by your hips and flipping you both again. You cry out as he snaps his hips harshly into yours, grabbing at both your wrists with one of his big hands to pin them above your head, leaning in to catch your lips with his, sucking your bottom lip between his teeth. He planned to make this quick and dirty, a one time thing to get you out of his system but the more he hears your little moans and whines and kisses you while your pussy pulses around him, he lets his mind wander to how it might be to have you like this whenever he wanted, lets the domesticity of having you in his bed and his arms make him impossibly harder. Why didn’t you two get along again? He couldn’t find himself coming up with one reason that made sense as you let him abuse your pussy with his deep thrusts. You couldn’t hold a coherent thought anymore, clenching down on him after he hit that spot that had you seeing stars you suddenly gushed on his cock, surprising the two of you as he slowed his movements, slack jawed and in awe of the fact that you’d just squirted all over him.

“Jesus Christ such a good girl, pussy’s fucking drenching me” he ground out, yanking you up by your throat to suck on your tongue as you moan and gasp into his mouth, you’d never done that before for anyone; not even when you were getting yourself off and you wanted it to happen again and again. “Oh Bob” your cried out, pushing yourself down on him to meet his hips, the two of you working in tandem to please each other, somehow the situation evolving from a one night stand to something more. You knew now that you’d had a taste of him like this you’d be addicted, how could you ever be satisfied with anyone else when he was fucking you like his life depended on your pleasure?

You wrap your legs around his waist and begin to grind into him, neither of you caring much about control anymore. It feels too good and the need is so strong to chase your release. He’s pulling you close to him now, pressing your chests together and sucking a mark at the spot behind your ear, whispering praises about how good you feel, and you can’t think of anything but how beautiful he is and how badly you want him to cum for you.

You’re close again, so close to the edge and he can feel it, leans in to kiss you once more, lightly wrapping his hand around your throat. You hold his gaze as he tells you he wants to come with you, the pressure from his slender fingers restricting your airway so deliciously euphoric. You can’t say anything, too scared of the implications and the intimacy of it all so you just nod as he runs his hand between your sweat slicked bodies to rub tight circles against your clit. Black spots cloud your vision as you arch into him, calling out his name in pleasure like a prayer until you begin to go hoarse; he groans as you clench down on him and he thrusts one more time with a shout as he comes for you.

You both lay wrapped in each other, lost in thought trying to catch your breaths. All too soon he pulls out but before he heads for the bathroom he stops to push a sweaty lock back from your forehead, and you can’t help but catch his hand and kiss his wrist. He grins that stupid crooked smile at you as he makes his way to the bathroom and you collapse back into the sheets.

“Oh my fucking God” you think to yourself with a jolt; “I’m in love with Robert Floyd.”

———————————————————————-

While you come to that startling realization, Bob is having his own meltdown once he gets the bathroom closed. What the hell had he gotten himself into here?! He’d had it all planned out on the drive over, the both of you would just fuck the tension out and try your best to get along for the duration of the time you had here. He hasn’t accounted for just how good it would be, how when the time came for you to separate all he’d wanted was to wrap you in his arms and let you snuggle into him. He didn’t think he’d catch feelings.

Stepping out of the bathroom he catches you trying to shrug yourself back into your clothes, digging around for your phone in the bottom of your purse and you startle a little, straightening up and giving him a little smile.

“I uh, sorry I don’t want to be in the way so I’m just gonna grab an Uber and head home.” You look lost, not like your typical bubbly persona and his heart clenches in his chest knowing you are worried he wants you to go.

“You- you don’t have to go honey, ‘sides I think we might need to sit down and talk about all this.”

He sticks his hand out for you to take and leads you back to his bed to sit down and you take a shaky breath, trying to look anywhere but at him. He hears you whisper something, and turns your face to his hoping you’ll say it again.

“I asked you uh… what does this mean, what are we doing?” you said quietly, nervous energy radiating from you now, you’ve never felt off your axis quite like this but then you’ve also never realized you were in love with your enemy before. Was he really your enemy though? Or had he always just been out of reach? You knew you’d admired him, wished you could be friends but now- now it was something else entirely.

His expression was soft, something truly beautiful in the openness he was emanating as opposed to the wall he always put up when you were around. Taking both your hands in his he sighed, he still couldn’t quite find the words but anything was better than continuing to pretend he didn’t want this.

“I think I’ve had this all wrong y/n. I had it in my head that I hated you, that you were someone to compete against and I set myself up to be a complete asshole to you so I didn’t have to admit what it really was. Some of it was jealousy I’ll admit it but it really was so much more. I want you, more than just one night and I know, I know I have been an absolute piece of shit but if you’ll let me I’ll spend as long as you’ll let me trying to make it up you.”

You feel lightheaded, heat sending tingles up your spine and your body moves of its own volition, surging forward to kiss him. The clarity of it all is blinding, how could the two of you gone this long and not seen it? You were perfect for each other, wasted so much time riling each other up when you could have been doing this. You feel a giggle bubble up from your chest as you pull away from him now, the corners of your eyes pricking with tears as he quickly presses kisses to wipe them away.

You spend the weekend wrapped up in each other, ordering food and watching movies, letting Bob fuck you on every surface of his house and covering you in what feels like love.

————————————————————————

Monday morning he drives you back to your apartment to shower and change before work, which results in the two of you nearly being late because you can’t seem to keep your hands off of each other. Stepping into the hangar to take your seat you’re greeted to a sea of shocked faces, rather than making snide comments or cutting eyes at each other the two of you are in great spirits, even going so far as to let Bob pass you a granola bar from his pocket because he’d been two busy railing you earlier to eat breakfast.

Hangman is the first to open his mouth, because of course he can’t leave anything alone for too long. “What the hell is going on here? Is it Opposite Day or some shit? You two are being way too nice to each other and it’s freaking everyone out.”

You just grin at him and pat him on the arm, “We talked out our issues Jakey, it’s all gonna be smooth sailing from here.”

Phoenix doesn’t buy it for a second, pulling Bob over by his ear, deciding that she’ll force it out of him.

“What kind of twilight zone level bs is going on? Friday night you two were at each others throats and we didn’t see you again after that…oh my god. OH MY GOD!” She shrieks out and Bob clamps a hand over her mouth, begging God to suddenly make his best friend mute for the rest of the day, ears and cheeks turning bright red as he shushes her.

“Nat goddamnit I’ll tell you everything but I swear to God you have got to keep your shit together.”

He makes her wait until lunch, wants to be away from prying eyes and ears knowing it would spread like wildfire if the wrong person found out.

“I fucking knew it! I knew it wasn’t just some rivalry bullshit, oh my God are you guys together now? Do you love her? Ahhh this is so amazing!” She squeals as she digs into her salad, bouncing in her chair like a little kid.

“First of all I don’t know. It feels like we are, but I’m leaving that in her court. I’ll do whatever makes her happy. Second of all that’s none of your business woman let me figure this out on my own time, it’s still new. When I need a wedding planner I’ll let you know” he says with an eye roll and affectionate shove to her shoulder, he truly does love having her in his life, even if she is a serial meddler.

He catches you from across the mess hall, you were stealing fries off Jake’s plate and laughing over one of his stupid jokes. Feeling his gaze on you made you feel warm all over, you looked up at him and winked in his direction and just like that he was a goner. How had he missed out on this for so long? He’d had you on every surface in his home and he was still so insatiable, could barely hold it together when you texted asking if he could come over after work to have dinner.

———————————————————————

Pulling into your driveway after what felt like the longest day of training so far, you began to peel off your flight suit and top leaving you in just your bra and underwear, scrolling through the delivery app for something to eat when you heard him knock at the door.

You swung it open to let him in, turning on your heel to check what time the food would be in.

“I ordered from that Thai place we had lunch at a few weeks ago, got a little bit of everything so I just figured we could share.”

“That sounds like heaven baby but I think I need a snack before it gets here.”

And that’s how you ended up spread out on your kitchen island, Bob’s face buried between your thighs as he ate at you like his life depended on it. You had come undone more than once and he refused to let you go, you tasted so sweet he couldn’t get enough; lapping at you nearly had him getting off just knowing he was pleasing you. You felt too sensitive, every nerve in your body on fire but unable to stop bucking up into his face begging for him but not knowing what exactly you were asking for. He pulls back to grin up at you, beautiful blue eyes full of mischief as he lets out a chuckle at how far gone you are from just his mouth.

“Come on baby girl, give me one more, you sound so pretty I know you’ve got one more in ya. Taste so good sweetheart, I need you to cum one more time.”

He dives back in and the damn breaks as you felt your third orgasm wash over you, release soaking his face and he finally lets you up, helping you off the counter and into his arms. You felt boneless, legs trembling and barely able to stand as he kissed you, running his hands all over your body and letting you taste yourself on his tongue. You grazed your hand along the inside of his flight suit tied at his waist and he groaned deliciously into your mouth.

“Hold on baby, let’s feed you some dinner and then I’ll let you ride me ok? We’ve got lots of time to make up for but I want you to have enough energy to handle it”

He was such a cocky son of a bitch but you knew now he could back it up. You’d sat in his lap on the couch while you shared dinner, taking turns feeding each other and watching a movie. He didn’t know if he could ever let this go now, everything about you had him obsessed and despite manhandling you not even an hour ago he was nervous as hell to seek out the answers he needed. What if this was just a friends with benefits situation? He knew he’d been an absolute ass to you and couldn’t blame you if you just wanted to fuck around but he so desperately wanted more.

You’d noticed how quiet he had gotten, movie forgotten as he was spaced out lost in thought. Nudging him with your elbow you laugh at the mock annoyance on his face, he was so beautiful and you still couldn’t believe the two of you were really here now.

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours Floyd? You seem like you’ve got some heavy thoughts you’re struggling with.”

“Ah- it’s nothing sugar, I just spaced I promise I’m here it’s ok.”

You don’t believe him for a second, so you decide to prod him a little more. You pull his face in with both hands and kiss his cheeks, then nose, then press a soft peck to his lips.

“I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be baby, pretty please tell me what’s wrong? You bat your eyelashes at him and he melts into a puddle. You’ve got him totally wrapped now and he’s pretty sure he’d burn the world down to keep you looking at him with that sweet look on your face.

“I know we haven’t talked much about what this is and I don’t want to pressure you but I don’t know that I can be as casual about this as I’d hoped. I’m pretty sure I’m hooked on you y/n.”

Oh shit, you were definitely swooning. Like old timey love story swooning. How had he not realized you were crazy about him too?! You wound your arms around his neck and giggled as you pressed kisses all over him.

“I’m completely and totally yours Robert Floyd, now make love to me all night. Let’s catch up on all that time we wasted being idiots when we could have been together all along.”

He had to laugh at that, the two of you really had been complete fools, he’d been an arrogant ass, too prideful to admit that you were everything he’d ever wanted. Later he’d take you apart all night if you’d let him and then bring you coffee in bed before work the next morning. Fill your car up with gas, make sure you drank enough water and love you like you’d never dreamed you could be loved. It hadn’t started as some fairytale love story but it was turning out to be something even better, something lasting. Something more.

Tagging-

@attapullman

@bobgasm

@mamachasesmayhem

@roosterforme

@pinkdaisies1106

@angelbabyyy99

@nouis-bum

@nervousnerdwitch

@mygyn

@purelyfiction

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@shanimallina87

@floydsglasses

@floydsmuse

@sailor-aviator

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

[outrunningthedark]

I know that li have always been treated particularly badly by fans of rhe show but it had reached entirely new levels with tommy and lou...

Do you thinks it's bc it was easier to write off the women bc they weren't a tangible threat (like not trying to downplay ow they were treated, but with the women you could still play the rddie is a repressed gay man and buck just doesnt know hes in love yet) but with tommy he's a man and he was seen as the final stepping stone for buddie. (Hence why so many that have been stirring up the hate were initially gushing about the kiss etc).

Like it was a case of being closer than ever but suddenly he's hanging around and in someways a greater threat than ever bc if he doesn't leave what was the point of making buck bi if it wasn't leading to buddie canon.

I'm not sure I'm getting my point across but am I making sense?

You got your point across perfectly, nonnie. No worries. And you're right. When both Buck and Eddie were only dating women, it was easier to convince ourselves (yes, I was part of it, though for a shorter time) that things would change once Buck and Eddie realized and accepted their feelings for each other. They're only dating women because they don't think being with their best friend is an option, right? Something's gotta wake them up. (This is where Eddie getting shot was supposed to factor in, and then the hostage situation, and then Buck in a coma...) But now Buck is not straight. (I typically say bi since however the show chooses to define his sexuality is tbd.) And now Buck has a boyfriend. A boyfriend that is not Eddie. If Buck can have a boyfriend that is not Eddie - not a fling, not a four episode arc to "introduce" his awakening - then Bi Buck was never really about Buddie, was it? It was about writing a story that would get Buck off of Tim's interpretation of the hamster wheel - dating women that weren't realistic long-term partners: (via TheWrap) “I was kind of bored with the hamster wheel of the relationships [Buck] had been in. His story needed a slap. It needed some something fresh. This felt like it could be important to some people, and it felt like it was right for the character.” And to add insult to injury, Tommy might be a side character that we only see every few weeks going forward, but he's no news reporter or death doula. He's a firefighter and pilot for the LAFD. He has history with Bobby, and Hen, and Chim. And now Gerrard. Tommy isn't the same old love interest that you wouldn't remember existed if he was MIA. And that's because Tim wanted it that way. He wanted Buck's first relationship with a man to be with a first responder who could seamlessly fit into the plot and serve a purpose outside of being the guy Buck is dating. If Tim made the effort to do that with Buck's (I repeat) first relationship with a man, then why would he immediately tear down what he's built for a relationship that the actors aren't even asking or advocating for right now? (If they ever even were?) Fandom knows that last part, too. But it's easier to attack Lou for "getting in the way" of Buddie than admit the two men they praised for being #BuddieWarriors aren't actually serious about having it play out on screen.

[tenebrous-academic]

The golden retriever x black cat dynamic is to die for! And despite tommy's stoic/sassy side you can see him going soft and indulging for buck and it makes me feel so warm inside. I can't describe him as good as you did, that's basically poetry.

But on the production level, he's a character that's easy to throw in a scene and being totally fitting with the 118 being work related or not. Everyone knows him and likes him, he was once part of the team and he could be part of the 118 family again. He could be present on emergency scenes, hell a "who cares" team up again would be iconic. You couldn't find a love interest like that even if you tried!

Anon stop you’re going to make me blush ☺️ If it’s anything close to poetry it’s only because these two inspire me to write about them like that.

I actually hadn’t assigned black cat energy to Tommy until right this second but omfg you’re so right. We all know Buck is the quintessential golden retriever boyfriend, but Tommy is such a black cat. He’s sassy, deadpan funny, stoic, but so sweet to his chosen people. Buck lets him bring out his sweeter side - that “Evan” was pulled out of him by sheer surprise when Buck asked him to be his date to the wedding. He was going into that coffee date with his guard up and his expectations low after the disaster of a first date. Ready to either be let down gently by someone who wasn’t ready to date a man or to be let down by someone who would maybe be okay with dating, but only if they kept things just between them for now (aka deeply in the closet). Instead, he’s met with boundless enthusiasm, a terrible coffee, and the strangest third date proposal he’s ever been given. His “Evan” slipped out so soft, sweet, and surprised. That right there was Buck surprising Tommy in the best way and in ways he hadn’t ever considered. We haven’t seen too much since then, but I just know in future episodes we’ll see more of that melting softness he has for Buck. We’ve had glimpses of it in the hospital and while he was leaving the bachelor party, but it’s only going to get that much better.

On a production level he’s so interesting both in canon and IRL! He has substantial history with everyone, which is why I bet Tim pulled him back in. In the latest episode Oliver said that he didn’t even know about who his love interest would be until 7x02 (only two episodes before it actually happened). But as someone with a history on the show, Lou was able to step in right away even with minimal time to prep. And Tommy/Lou has slid in seamlessly with the cast.

Tommy is not just coming in as the latest love interest, but a friend to Chimney and Hen, as a respected former coworker of Bobby’s, and as an established member of the LAFD. He has roots in this show!! And I think that’s going to make an incredible difference in his and Buck’s relationship. It’s like he’s been a part of Buck’s life on the peripheral since he joined the 118 as Tommy’s replacement and, now, he’s stepping up to be part of Buck’s life moving forward, only this time it’s at his side.

[nutal]

Lifeline

(Guitarspear One-shot!!)

Ao3 Link

Word Count: 1,329

Warnings: Swearing, Referenced/Heavily Implied Sex, Post-Coital Shenanigans, Past Trauma, Abandonment Issues, Trust Issues, Insecurities, Mild Sexual Content

Summary: Adam has issues properly telling Lute how much he loves her, but she comforts him and reassures him the whole way.

Author’s Note: themmmm ughhh <3 these two are both so hurt I swear but they need each other and they love each other so much I HAD to write this. I hope it’s in character, raaahh. Anyways, enjoy your guitarspear hurt/comfort, heavy physically/emotionally intimate food!

——————————————————————— Adam’s body fit seamlessly against Lute’s, every contour aligning perfectly. She felt his sporadic breaths against her back, a gratifying reminder of how lovingly ruthless she’d been with him that night. His hands remained gripping onto her bare hips, still clawing into her like he couldn't bear to let go.

"Hey, Lute?" His hoarse voice sliced through the settled air, punctuated only by the slowing of both of their labored breaths. “Do you even realize how much I lo—“ Adam hesitated, his voice trailing off. “…Shit,” he uttered, following it with a small line of curses.

Confusion mixed with a taste of euphoria that she couldn’t quite place washed over her. Lute groaned softly, turning to face him, momentarily forgetting how much she despised having to pull away until she actually did.

As moonlight spilled through the window, casting dim shadows over his messy hair and the meticulously placed bruises on his collarbone, she cleared her throat, trying to shake off her distraction. “Sir, you didn’t finish.”

“Uh yeah, I did, actually. And just a second ago you were screaming my name so loud—“

“Your sentence,” Lute interrupted him through her teeth, narrowing her eyes.

“Oh yeeah, that,” he said sarcastically, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, sorta forgot what I was gonna say.” He briefly glanced to the side flatly. “Sucks for you.”

“Are you sure about that?" she asked sharply, her gaze unyielding on him.

“Yes I’m fucking sure! Now hop off my dick and go to sleep or something,” he grumbled, shifting to turn away, but Lute grabbed his wrist, halting him.

He sighed. “Lute, I really don’t need you psychoanalyzing me right now, okay? Cool, sweet, thanks babe.”

“But—”

“Night bitch!” he exclaimed, feigning nonchalance as he crossed his arms behind his head, laying back and facing up at the marble ceiling. Though his expression didn’t come off as all too satisfied.

Lute’s fingers traced up his arm to his chest. She felt his subtle trembling and unsteady heartbeat. His eyes were growing distant, almost… glassy. She blinked, her brows knitting as realization dawned. “Sir, are you… cr—”

Adam turned away, sheets dragging with him, causing Lute’s hand to retreat involuntarily. “You better not finish that fuckin’ sentence Lute I swear.” His voice nearly broke as he untucked his wings from under his arms, shielding himself from view.

She wearily propped herself up to steal a glance at him, only to feel melancholy spill over her. Not a lot of things did that to her, but, seeing Adam like that, did.

He shuddered at the rustling behind him, as if being reminded she could still see him. Slowly, he resigned, groaning and shuffling right back around on his other side to pull her into a tight hug. She hadn’t expected it, but was glad it happened; she wouldn’t have let him sleep upset. Besides, it gave her an excuse to keep him even closer to her for longer, which seemed to comfort him as much as it did her.

Adam didn’t say anything for a while, his arms shifting restlessly to ensure the hold. The only sounds breaking the quiet were the subtle movements of his body and the weight of his chin resting on her hair. Lute ran her hands up him, stopping at his shoulders and curling her fingers over them. She pulled her knees up to her chest, pressing them against his own, his scent lingering of sweat and adrenaline.

As the air thickened, he finally whispered, “I love you, you… dumb bitch,” sinking his forehead into her shoulder. “I don’t know what you want from me. Your badass attitude, your perky little tits, the way you slaughter sinners like a fucking machine… it drives me nuts.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she could tangibly feel the heat spreading up to her ears.

“So you can’t just expect me not to be freaked out,” he continued, lifting his head to look at her. “Listen up, Lute, I know I basically invented relationships and shit, but what happened in Eden screwed me the fuck over. And I didn’t even do anything wrong!” He weakly flung a hand up on her back. “Look, I just…”

“I don’t want to lose you too,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper at this point, like if anyone else heard him right now he’d lose it. “‘Cause that’d be a total bummer—losing my lieutenant like that. Can’t have that happening, right?” he deflected, laughing awkwardly. “Right, Lute?”

His uncertain laugh faded into a scoff of irony, replaced by a heavy silence that hung between them. Adam looked away, neither of them speaking.

There was a painful twist in Lute’s lungs, seeing the rare cracks in his bravado. She took a steadying breath, her hands moving up from his shoulders to his cheeks and cupping them with a firm yet gentle touch, making him face her. “You will never lose me,” she declared with certainty.

Adam’s eyes searched hers desperately for any hint of doubt, before letting out a heavy exhale.

Lute’s affection practically swelled. “…I love you,” she affirmed quietly, her voice steady. Saying those words wasn’t easy for her either, but with Adam, it felt… right, almost instinctual. “More than those bitches ever could.”

He broke out into bits of laughter, his shoulders relaxing as he looked down at her sternness. “Oh yeah, they’re total bitches, and not even the good kind either,” he poked. “Awesome I have you now though, huh?” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, to which she clutched a fist over her heart. Parting, he took her chin in his hand and tilted her head up to his level before moving to her lips, tangling his fingers through her hair.

Trailing down to her neck, he began returning the hickeys she’d given him earlier, leaving visible marks on the skin. Lute instinctively tilted her head back, brushing against the pillow they shared. Adam’s hands reached down, roaming from the sides of her thighs up to her stomach, sliding and scrunching up his faded band tee that she now wore. Her breath hitched, making her bite down on her lip to suppress any noises that could potentially land her in a discussion with the Seraphim the next morning.

But Adam didn’t seem to care about the consequences—not at all. Especially considering earlier when he repeatedly removed her hand from her mouth whenever she tried to cover it, because of how badly he wanted to hear her.

Overwhelmed, she grabbed onto the back of his head and pushed him down further, needing more of the sensation—more of him.

“You’re so sensitive compared to when you’re out there kicking demon ass—it’s priceless,” he murmured in between kisses.

“Adam…” she stammered out, wanting to retort, but barely able to form coherent words.

He let his hands rest on her waist, pausing to fully take her in. “You’re seriously hot as fuck, babe,” he said, his breath tantalizingly warm on her skin.

“I— thank you, sir,” she managed, albeit awkwardly, which Adam seemed to revel in, grinning slyly against her.

“But don’t get me wrong.” He let out a low laugh. “I bet all my other girls would be jealous as hell to be in the position you’re in right now—with the dickmaster himself.”

“As they should be,” she replied, her voice softening as she nestled into the crook of his neck when his movements slowed.

Adam’s lips twitched before enveloping his wings around the two of them, drawing her in close. “I love ya, Lute,” he said again, quieter this time.

From the corner of her eye, his feathers streaked with a brighter hue of gold than usual, all ruffled and in demanding need of preening—a task she'd help him with in the morning. But for now, she would simply savor their soft feel against her skin. A smile crept onto her lips as she gently closed her eyes.

“I love you too, Adam.”

———————————————————————

[heroictoonz]

I think a lot about the dance off scene in Trolls 2. I think it says a LOT about Branch and who he is as a character

In Trolls 2 there’s this emphasis on how Branch is always listening and Poppy isn’t and how when Branch finally puts his foot down Poppy finally wises up and started really listening to people instead of just her own drumming and I think the dance off scene really fits the narrative that Branch is a good listener

Not even just a good listener he’s an AMAZING listener as we actively watch him jump between TWO different styles of dance and SEAMLESSLY meld into the two groups performance with no hesitation

Branch is able to assess the style of music, the moves they’re making, and match their flow and energy PERFECTLY

Which, again I think really drives home how good he is as listening and observing people I’d even go as far as to say Branch is very emotionally intelligent (see the true colors scene) but I think is moment does even MORE for his character

I don’t know how much the writers knew as they were making the movies so I don’t know if ‘Branch and his long lost brothers were once in a boyband’ was always gonna be canon from day one, but I think the dance off scene lends to that narrative really well too. The idea that being a part of a group like that gave Branch the necessary skills to be able to join in on the dance off

Cause like Branch doesn’t take the spotlight there. He’s not jumping in the middle and making it his own thing. He just joins the two groups to add to them and follows their lead never forcing them to follow his

It also lends to how open minded Branch is during this whole movie

Through the second movie Poppy kind sucks hard. Constantly making snide comments about other types of music, not interested in seeing and respecting the other trolls’ differences, and just all around clearly having the mindset that her way of life and her music is superior. She’s exactly like Barb until literally the final leg of the movie

BRANCH however is way different. When they’re in Lonesome Flats and Poppy is like damn this country shits depressing I hope these guys get better soon ig :/ but Branch seems way more open minded to the style of music and the emotions in it even to an extent seems to resonate with country (which makes sense since in the movie country is shown to be open to singing about sorrows and hardships and what is Branch if not the most traumatized pop troll of all time actually)

And then with the dance scene this only reinforces the idea of how open minded Branch is to other styles of music. Instead of Poppy or Barb who probably would have tried to drown out the two styles with their own, Branch jumps in and follows THEIR leads and dances in THEIR styles to THEIR musics

I just love the dance off scene. Not only is it so insanely fun but also it just is such a perfect scene for Branch’s character and for the movie and what it’s saying

Also they put Russian Roulette by Red Velvet in a fucking Trolls movie that’s baller as fuck

[sweetbunpura]

I love how you write Rollo x Yuu. They really have this sort of...idk, gentle domesticity(?), at least that is the vibes I'm getting. Like, they started out as forced housemates, and sort of holding each other in casual contempt, but over time, they gradually started to incorporate and integrate the other into their lives and routine. They do laundry together. They wash dishes together. They walk to class together. Then, they start figuring things out about each other, little likes and dislikes, quirks of personality and the like. They have fights. They make compromises, like normal housemates would I suppose. But normal housemates don't wake up two hours before you to make breakfast for you. Normal housemates don't start a secret vegetable garden in the backyard, just so you won't have to spend as much madol on groceries. Normal housemates don't leave your favorite drink or snack on the counter for when you wander into the kitchen after having a nightmare. Normal housemates don't do a lot of things they do for each other, but they don't realize that because they've never had to live so close to another human being before. And that probably scares both of them more than it disgusts them, because they didn't realize just how seamlessly they fit together, despite everything. And they put on that disgusted front in order to hide that creeping fear. The fear that they actually really care about it each other now. Because when you really care about someone...you have something to lose.

First of all, thank you! This has now grown an mind of its own.

What started as a joke has developed into something where Yuu shows her gentle side to him more than she does the NRC boys. A gentle helping hand but harsh truth spilling words. Something Rollo needs, he spends so much time alone by choice vs Yuu who has to live alone due to her situation. Sure, she has Grim and the Ghosts and the NRC boys visit her, but she misses living with a human being. Rollo hates himself so Yuu has to make him love himself.

Rollo sees the work load that gets forced on Yuu and offers an ear during her rants. Her grievances, her annoyances, everything. He lends her a helping hand, cleaning up whenever he can so that she isn't up late doing it. When they were washing dishes, it devolved into a playful splash fight that had them both laughing.

So it was inevitable that they would end up together, if not by accident, then by the progressive nature of Rollo's housing. Rollo's afraid, he lost someone he loved before and now he loves Yuu... Would he lose her too?

He doesn't want an answer to that, he never wants an answer to that.

[daisynik7]

Bursting at the Seams

Pairing: Takashi Mitsuya x Original Female Character

Rating: Mature

Word Count: ~3.3k

cw: switching POVs (2nd and 3rd person), explicit language, kissing, established relationship (yay!)

Summary: You and Mitsuya make your newly blossomed relationship official. To commemorate this special occasion, he invites you to his house for breakfast, where you meet his mother. 

Author's Note: Thank you for your patience with this! I really love writing this story, so I’m doing my best to work on this while I continue a few other WIPs. I appreciate every single one of you who have read this so far. I’m excited to show you all how everything will play out! Would love to know what you think and maybe some predictions on what may happen in the future chapters. Thanks so much for reading!

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Saturday morning, Mitsuya wakes up with a bright smile on his face, the confession from just hours before still replaying in his head like his favorite scene in a movie. He flexes his hand, fondly remembering how hers fit so seamlessly in his. They were close to a kiss; if they hadn’t been interrupted by her parents, he’s sure it would have happened. While he wants nothing more than to feel how soft her lips are, especially pressed against his, he wonders if this is all happening a little too fast. After all, they aren’t official yet. He ought to ask her to be his girlfriend first before he smooches her, right? Isn’t that what a gentleman does?

And is Takashi Mitsuya, founding member and Second Division captain of the Tokyo Manji gang even capable of being a gentleman? Of being a good boyfriend?

He gradually comes down from his dreamy state to contemplate how best to proceed with this. After breakfast, he calls both Draken and Takemitchy, the only two people he knows that are actually succeeding in the boyfriend category. 

“You have a girlfriend now?!” Takemitchy exclaims loudly on the other end. Hina’s in the background, begging him to put it on speaker so she can listen in too. 

“No, not yet. I confessed to her last night and she likes me back.” He smiles to himself, recalling the moment once again. 

“Holy shit, you actually took my advice,” Draken chuckles. “Good shit, man. So did you two kiss yet or…?”

“Well, we almost did,” he explains. “Her parents came out right as we were about to. But it got me thinking that maybe we should make it official first before we do anything irresponsible.”

Draken barks out a laugh. “You know that you can’t get a girl pregnant just from kissing her, right?”

Before Mitsuya can cuss him out, Takemitchy comments, “No, I totally understand where you’re coming from! When Hina and I started dating, we barely held hands. It took even longer for us to kiss! Waiting for the right time just made it all the more special.” 

“Hina, stop holding the gun to his head, we know you’re in the room with us,” Draken teases.

There’s shuffling on their end as she grabs hold of the phone, giggling, “I didn’t even have to tell him to say that! Anyways Mitsuya, I think taking things slow is a wonderful idea!”

“Nah, screw that. You’re a man now, Takashi. And men have needs. As long as she wants it too, I say just go for it.”

“Go for what exactly?” Mitsuya asks, genuinely curious.

“Dude, do I really have to spell it out for you?”

“Please don’t,” Takemitchy murmurs.

“Nothing gross!” Hina chimes in.

“I’m talking about fu – ”

“Ken Ryuguji!” Emma’s voice rings from the line. “Do not say what I think you’re about to say! Not in front of our child!”

“It can’t even hear yet!” 

Clearly now, Emma insists, “Mitsuya, whatever you do, do not listen to Draken. Go with your heart instead of your…well, you know.”

“Says the woman who is currently pregnant because of you-know-what,” Draken mutters.

“This is totally different. We’ve been together for years. Mitsuya’s only known this girl for a month. And unlike you, Ken Ryuguji, Takashi is actually a sweet guy.”

“Hey!”

She ignores him, adding, “You’ve got all the time in the world. Do what you think is right. Everything will work out in the end.”

He thanks all four of them for their input before ending the call, heeding their advice carefully the remainder of the day as he babysits his sisters at home. It’s probably best for him and Hana to discuss what their expectations are going forward. He has no experience in relationships whatsoever, so naturally, he’s apprehensive. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he somehow becomes a rotten boyfriend. 

Around dinnertime, he decides to text her, asking if she is free to talk on the phone later tonight, to which she confirms that she is. He takes the next few hours to prepare himself, rehearsing what he’d like to say over and over in his head until he tucks his sisters into bed, retreating into his own bedroom to dial Shimizu’s number. 

After two rings, she picks up. “Hello?”

He smiles, happy to hear her voice. “Hi. How are you?”

“Good. And you?”

“Good. Great, actually. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“You’re not. I’m happy you called.”

They exchange pleasantries, recounting each other’s nights before getting to the main matter. His heart skips a beat, getting increasingly nervous, despite how comforting it is to hear her speak so casually with him. When the right opportunity arrives, he clears his throat, remembering what he practiced from earlier. “I just want to make sure that we do this right, you know? I’ve never had a girlfriend, so I really don’t know what to do when it comes to things like this. But I want to do my best to be a good boyfriend to you.”

Her voice is gentle and sweet as she replies, “I feel the same way. I’ve never had a boyfriend either. I don’t know how good of a girlfriend I can be. But I’ll do my best too to be good to you. We’ll learn together. ” 

He grins, touched by her words. “Together. I like that.” He swallows his emotions to continue. “I’m sure your parents won’t approve of you dating a gang member. But you’ll always be safe with me. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to Toman. I can promise you that.” 

“It doesn’t matter to me that you’re in Toman. I already feel safe with you, so I’m not concerned about that at all.”

Surprised, he says, “Really?”

“Really,” she confirms with confidence. “I want you to feel safe with me too. I’ll do everything I can to protect you. I mean, I can’t fight. But I promise that I’ll be there for you whenever you need someone to lean on, someone to support you. I want to help you however I can.”

Tears begin to well in his eyes, his heart on the verge of bursting from his chest. He’s never felt anything like this before. He’s always taken pride in protecting the people dearest to him, whether it be his family or his fellow brothers in the gang. And while he knows that his friends will always have his back, knowing that someone outside of Toman is looking out for him, determined to protect him, feels different. Is it okay for Mitsuya to rely on her like this? To be vulnerable and depend on her throughout all the obstacles that come his way? Draken’s words from last night replay in his head. You deserve to be happy. You’re always the one taking care of others, it’s about time someone takes care of you. The more he thinks about it, he realizes that yes, maybe he does deserve this. 

He grabs a tissue from his nightstand, wiping away his sniffles. “You’ve already helped me so much. I don’t know if this makes sense, but when I’m with you, I feel normal. I feel like myself, you know? Like I’m more than just this Toman jacket. I’m just me. A lot of our classmates are too scared to talk to me, and when they do, it’s usually for a favor because of my reputation. But you approached me, wanting sewing lessons. I feel like you see the real me more than anyone else does.”

It takes a several seconds for her to respond, seemingly holding back tears. Eventually, she says, “I’m really glad I came to you for lessons then.”

“Me too.”

There’s a comfortable silence between them as they cherish each other’s heartfelt sentiments, Mitsuya stares at his bedroom ceiling with the phone pressed to his hear, wishing he could see her right now. “So, Hana Shimizu.”

She giggles. “Yes, Takashi Mitsuya?”

“Would you please do me the honor and be my girlfriend?”

There’s more of her precious laughter as she answers, “Yes. And will you do me the honor and be my boyfriend?”

“Absolutely yes,” he replies, smiling even wider. He’s tempted to get out of bed and drive to her house to commemorate this special occasion, but he resists. Instead, he blurts out, “Do you want to come over for breakfast tomorrow? I really want to see you before school on Monday. I can make pancakes. Plus, my mom has a late shift and she’ll be home, so you can meet her.”

“Isn’t this too soon to be meeting your mother?” 

“Is it? Are there rules against it or something?”

She laughs. “I guess not. We can make up our own rules. As long as we’re learning together, right?”

“You know I like the sound of that. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Yes, tomorrow. Goodnight, Takashi.”

His breath hitches, enjoying the sound of his name from her mouth a little too much. Chest fluttering with affection, he says quietly, “Goodnight, Hana.”

~~~

Within twenty-four hours of his confession, you are officially Takashi Mitsuya’s girlfriend. 

You stare wide-eyed at the ceiling of your bedroom in disbelief, the phone still warm in your grasp having just finished your conversation with your now boyfriend. You’re tingling all over, utterly amazed and completely ecstatic at this recent turn of events. Who would have thought you, plain and ordinary Hana Shimizu, would be anyone’s girlfriend, let alone Takashi Mitsuya’s girlfriend? 

It takes you a while to fall asleep, mind racing with thoughts and fantasies of your new relationship. You wake up the next morning, both nervous and excited to see him. Knowing that you’ll be meeting his mom today, you put on your best dress, hoping to make a good impression. You quietly step down the stairs, barely sticking your head into the kitchen to greet your parents. “Morning! I’m going out for breakfast!” 

Before you can sneak away, your mother calls out to you. “With who? Mei and Keiko?”

You contemplate lying, but you know that never pans out well. So, praying they don’t question it, you answer, “I’m going to the Mitsuyas.” You listen for any reaction, and when you only hear hushed whispers between your parents, you slip into your shoes, heading out the door. 

It’s a short trip to his house, less than ten minutes. You knock on the front door, taking a deep breath. He answers quickly, a smile already on his face, eyes full of kindness as he greets you. “Hana, good morning.” Your name sounds so soothing from his mouth; you never thought your name was special but hearing it from him makes it feel that way. “Hi, Takashi.”

He rubs the nape of his neck, a slight blush on his cheeks. “I’m not used to hearing you say my first name yet.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No, not at all. I just…I think I like it a little too much,” he admits. 

You reach for his hand, brushing your fingers gently along his knuckles. When Luna and Mana come running towards the entrance, you immediately retract from him, embarrassed. “Ms. Hana!” they cheer, hugging you tightly around the waist. 

You pat their heads. “Hi! I missed you two!”

They peer up at you, beaming. “We missed you so much!” 

“What did Taka do to you, huh? Should we beat him up?” Luna offers, shooting a glare at her brother.

“No, no, no! He didn’t do anything wrong, I promise,” you assure them. 

Takashi snorts, playfully rolling his eyes. “Like you even stand a chance.”

“We know exactly where to hit you, Taka!” Luna threatens. 

Mana chimes in. “Yeah, you taught us, remember?!”

You grin at him, brow raised. “What are you teaching them?”

“Self-defense, of course,” he replies, smirking. “In case some idiots try to mess with them.”

A woman with the same downturned lavender eyes appears from the kitchen, a warm smile on her face. The resemblance is uncanny; this is definitely Takashi’s mother. She’s as beautiful as you imagined her to be and you’re immediately flustered under her gaze. You bow to her, the kiddos still latched to your legs. “Good morning, Ms. Mitsuya. Thank you for having me.”

“Of course. You’re welcome anytime. I’ve heard so much about your from my children, so I’m so happy I finally get to meet you. The food is ready, so if you’d like, we can start eating.”

The five of you gather around the table, Takashi taking the seat beside you, his knee touching yours as you sit cross-legged on the cushion. The spread is fantastic: fluffy pancakes stacked neatly one-by-one, pillowy golden tamago topped with strips of seaweed, bowls of strawberries and other fruit to top it all off. Luna and Mana help themselves to a pile of pancakes, drizzling a generous amount of syrup before they take a big bite. Takashi serves you, giving you a little bit of everything to try. His mother watches the two of you, a small grin on her face. 

You chat casually, Ms. Mitsuya asking the typically questions: how’s school, what your family does for work, what you plan to study in university. “I’m going to major in education. I want to become a teacher,” you inform her.

“So you will follow in your father’s footsteps. How wonderful,” she comments. “Mitsuya, maybe you should consider doing that, too.”

You face him, nodding. “You’d be a great teacher!” 

He shrugs, stuffing a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “I think I’d rather keep my major to business. If I ever become a designer, I might want to open my own shop, you know?”

His mom leans forward, a serious expression on her face now. “Do you think you’ll really follow through with it, Takashi? I know how committed you are to Toman, but maybe it’s time to move on from it. I don’t want you to put your dreams on the backburner for this little gang of yours.”

“Why can’t I do both? I’m not just going to abandon my friends, Mom. And I’m not going to abandon my dreams, either. I can do them both,” He avoids her gaze, staring down at his almost empty plate of food. You rest your hand on his knee, squeezing it, wanting to show your support for him. If he’s confident that he can balance both obligations at the same time, then you believe in him too. 

He smiles at you, entwining his fingers with yours. “I have another announcement to make. Hana and I are dating.” Much to your shock, he holds your hands up, showcasing this display of affection. 

Luna and Mana squeal, applauding enthusiastically. “Yay!”

You anticipate his mother’s reaction and breathe a sigh of relief when you notice her serious demeanor relax, a grin spreading across her face at the news. “Congratulations. I’m very happy to hear that.”

He grips you tighter, looking at her. “Mom, I know you think I have a lot to deal with, but I can do this. When have I ever let you down?”

She shakes her head. “You never have.”

“So, do I have your support? Do we have your support?”

She smiles. “Of course. You always have, and you always will.”

While the abrupt announcement has you shaken at first, you can’t help being elated at how well this is already going. With his mother’s approval, this only leaves your parents to consult with next, which might prove a bit more difficult than this. However, with Takashi by your side, you’re confident you can convince them to trust in this new relationship of yours. Especially with all the wonderful merits your boyfriend brings to the table. 

After breakfast, you play with this sisters in the living room while mother and son wash the dishes in the kitchen. When Takashi excuses himself to use the bathroom, you take this chance to speak to her in private, if only for a brief moment. Standing next to her at the sink, a clean dish towel in hand, you offer to dry the dishes, which she gladly accepts. “Ms. Mitsuya. I just want to thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

“Like I said, you’re always welcome here.” She glances at the hallway, checking on Takashi, who remains in the bathroom. In a lower, hushed tone, she adds, “I just hope that you can push Takashi in the right direction.”

Confused, you ask, “What do you mean?”

She sighs, scrubbing the last bowl with the sponge. “I don’t want him to be in Toman for the rest of his life. I’m not sure if you know this, but back in middle school, he got into this really big fight. He was beaten to nearly an inch of his life, all for the sake of his friend, Hakkai. I’m scared that if this continues any further, there will be a time he’ll put his life on the line and won’t be able to get back on his feet. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, so maybe you can steer him to where he needs to go.”

It’s never crossed your mind what hardships Takashi has had to overcome in his past. Sure, there are rumors and idle gossip about him floating amongst your classmates, but you never paid it any mind, wanting to get to know him for yourself. Hearing this from his own mother is concerning, and with her subtle plea for you to guide him away from Toman, you’re not sure if you’re qualified to do that. It doesn’t seem like your place to interfere with his life. All you can do is support in whatever decisions he makes, right?

Your boyfriend returns before you can respond to her, standing beside you to help dry the remaining dishes. Ms. Mitsuya slides her gloves off, wiping her hands on a paper towel. “I need to run to the store to get a few groceries. I’ll take the girls with me so they can pick out some snacks. Will you be okay here, Taka?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Hana, it was so nice to finally meet you. I’ll see you again soon, okay?” She wraps her arms around you in a snug embrace. 

“Yes, thank you for breakfast, Ms. Mitsuya,” you say, squeezing her back. You hug Luna and Mana goodbye before they leave hand-and-hand with their mother, leaving you and Takashi alone.

You turn to face him, stepping closer. “I guess I should head home soon.”

He closes the distance even further, leaning towards you, his hands in his pockets, a smirk on his face. “Yeah, maybe that’s for the best.”

You grin at him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Thank you for inviting me. This was really fun.”

He slides his hands around your waist, pulling you closer, nuzzling his nose to yours. “It was. Thank you for coming.”

Your lips meet in a delicate kiss, sweet and soft just as you imagined it’d be. Warmth fills your chest and you’re almost breathless when you part, his forehead pressed to yours, smiling. “Do you really have to go?”

You giggle, giving him a peck on the cheek before you pull away. “I think I should.”  

He watches you from the doorway as you make your way outside, twirling in your dress once more to wave goodbye. You stroll through the neighborhood in a daze, lips tingling, body buzzing with excitement, taking your time to get home. 

Ms. Mitsuya’s request still lingers in your mind as you enter your house, humming a happy tune with your mom and dad eyeing you suspiciously. Then, there’s your parents, of course, who you’ll need to talk to soon. There may be obstacles to face, but you’re confident that you and Takashi can persevere, together. All that matters in this moment is that the two of you are happy. And there is nothing standing in your way to stop that. 

[muchcelebrated]

The Artful Dodger has the vibes of an episodic 20+ ep show despite fitting the serialized 8 ep streaming model: an analysis

I think one of the things I love so much about The Artful Dodger is that it feels so much like the old 20+ ep format of shows. And I’ve been trying to place why, and I think I’ve pinned it down to a few things. Also this is going to be a long post so bear with me.

Each episode has a beginning middle and end and they connect to each other but also there isn’t really a super strong overarching conflict across all 8 episodes.

Instead, there’s multiple mini conflicts that connect to each other but are also each their own contained plot. Episode 1 and 2 deal with the issue of Jack’s gambling debt and that’s a conflict that we see the full resolution of. But that plot line introduces the issue of the stolen money and Darius which is the focus of episodes 3 and 4 and something we again see the full resolution of. The beginning of episode 5 is part of the aftermath of Jack and Belle’s argument in episode 4. Episode 6 connects through episode 5 a number of ways but especially through Jack and Belle’s romance. And episodes 7 and 8 focus both on a new plot line, Oliver Twist, as well as established ones, Gaines and Jack and Belle’s romance.

The main plot line is made up of multiple plot points that each have a conclusion while still connecting to each other and the overarching story. But also, there isn’t a super strong overarching conflict and I don’t mean that there isn’t a main plot, but rather than centering the main plot line on a single conflict like Jack’s gambling debt, they instead keep it centered around a single character, Captain Gaines and the many different issues that he causes for our main characters. It’s genius because allows for there to be different central conflicts to be dealt with in different episodes while still feeling cohesive.

There’s also multiple subplots that occur and cross over into other episodes which provide variety so we’re not even stuck on the same conflict within a single episode and instead get to cut between different things. But since these subplots carry over, they still weave seamlessly into the main plot points and overarching story. Obviously a big one is the romance which is a subplot turned main plot. But also each episode generally has a surgery subplot happening as well. And we have the continued conflict of Belle’s condition that’s given to the audience in bits and pieces but isn’t explicitly revealed until we find out with Jack. Rather than relying on a single main conflict to connect the episodes they allow for the main conflict of some episodes to be resolved then and there and instead use the sub plots to solidify a stronger connection. It’s satisfying and so incredibly genius.

Another big reason I think the show feels episodic is that there’s a distinct feeling of the passage of time between some episodes. Part of this is through things that come back up like Charlie making a reappearance, Rotty having a scar, but also just things in the dialogue and way the characters act. The whole show in general has great control over the passage of time in the sense that it’s very clear when time is supposed to have passed and when it hasn’t. Episode 8 clearly happens right after episode 7, but then between episodes 4 and 5 with Jack and Belle fighting and then Jack deciding to do a heist you get the sense there’s been a couple days between the two events.

I also feel like the repeated sets aid in this feeling but am not quite sure how to articulate why.

Anyways TL;DR one of the things I love about The Artful Dodger is that despite fitting the standard 8 episodes an hour long each streaming format, it actually has a more episodic feel reminiscent of the days of 20+ ep seasons that’s very satisfying and genius for a variety of reasons.

[brella]

I feel like I’m being influenced to join the Spencer/emily ship 😅 what are some of your favorite elements of their relationship?

here’s the thing about reid and prentiss. here’s the fucking thing. they’re in love. with each other. they just have no idea that this is what is happening.

let’s go back to the beginning. once upon a time, spencer reid loved elle greenaway. she was his friend and he cared about her and when she lost herself and left the BAU he blamed himself for not helping her, not “saving” her. even though he saw the signs. even though they drank bourbon in an anonymous hotel room and her hair was shorter than it was when he met her and her eyes were haunted and she told him that she could still feel the fisher king’s fingers in her bullet wound. even though he could see the pain and rage plainly when nobody else would acknowledge it, and he did not know how to make it gentler. he only knew how to spot it, and what it meant.

elle left. reid’s friend, elle, she left wounded and nobody cared. nobody but him. shortly thereafter the BAU got a nepo hire named emily prentiss. no one knew anything about her but she fit into the team seamlessly, getting along with everybody except for a chronically distrusting hotch and a bitter, self-blaming reid. she wasn’t actually elle’s replacement but to reid maybe she was. maybe that’s why when the signs of his dilaudid abuse became apparent and prentiss was the first to notice, he felt nothing but anger. he knew elle and he loved elle and if he couldn’t stop her from hurting herself then where the fuck does prentiss get off thinking she can stop him from doing the same, when she doesn’t know him at all, when she has no reason to love him? who does she think she is?

what he doesn’t know is that when prentiss looks at him going through that she just sees matthew benson. the first boy who ever loved her, who she lost in the dark, who she could not save. she’s been here before.

reid gets sober. we can see him and prentiss getting to be friends. he makes her laugh. she makes him smile. they agree on deep philosophical topics that the rest of the BAU doesn’t. they get each other. reid trusts her because she never treats him like a baby. prentiss trusts him because he doesn’t know how to be anyone else but who he is. prentiss, the consummate liar, the woman with ten names, ten pasts. made her bones with the foxes. but she’s found a safe place to land, for once, for maybe the first time in her life. not moving, not running: in a place of her own, with a family she chose. and then her ghosts come knocking.

she did love ian doyle. that can’t be denied. it started out as a job but lost that shape soon enough. when he comes back for her, she’s terrified. who notices? reid. constantly, constantly, it’s reid. you’re biting your fingernails again. who’s lauren reynolds? the pinpoint accuracy with which he observes her every nuanced movement in the valhalla arc is unreal and frankly unprecedented. he’s seen gideon leave, seen elle leave: seen the signs. he’s seeing them again. still, he opens up to her about his headaches. he’s never opened up to ANYBODY like that before. and he just casually does it. at his desk. AT WORK! AND THEN INVITES HER ON A DATE TO SEE SOLARIS IN THE ORIGINAL RUSSIAN BECAUSE “REALLY WE’RE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN UNDERSTAND IT.” LIKE LINGUISTICALLY OR IN YOUR HEARTS?

i’m not answering your question. my favorite aspect of their relationship is that they’re the goth and the nerd. my favorite aspect of their relationship is that it’s rooted in missed signals. two ships passing, close enough to touch, in different directions: over and over and over again. a veritable trove of almosts. 75% of their chemistry is in what you can see they’re always ABOUT to say to each other. and then she has to fake her death and run away and can they ever recover from that? he cried at JJ’s house EVERY NIGHT FOR TEN WEEKS. watch the scene where they slow-dance together in that one episode their expressions are so fucking telling. they are haunted by things they will not say to each other.

EVIDENCE LIST:

canonical prentiss line “love dating readers. hate profiling them.” what? at work!

prentiss staring at him with a complex and gentle expression and asking him if he ever wants kids. at work!

reid calling everyone else on the team by their last name. except emily. none of the other men calling her that except him. what? at work!

reid being totally un-curious about the sin to win weekend comment. because he was also going to be there? and they count cards together? and have sex? at work!

real canon interaction where prentiss tells a story about a star puzzle that represents a star that broke because a prince dropped it after catching it for a princess and it can’t be put back together and reid puts it back together and hands it to her. what? at work!

he recognizes her in the doctored photos of declan BY HER HANDS. by the blurred out of focus sight of her hands. “guys, look at the fingernails.” WHO LOOKS AT THAT BUT YOU? AT WORK!

real line doyle has about how she could be on the metro with dr. reid going back to his apartment like what? the music sting right after? his knowing smirk? “well, that one [reid] does have some quirks” WHAT??????? HER EX SAYING THIS???

i haven’t seen the later seasons but that reid wanted to kill someone because of what they did to prentiss like. saying after what he did to you if i would have found him i would have killed him and i’d have slept well. what? at work!

they’ve both flatlined. he saw a warm light and she saw a cold darkness. they told each other this. in a conference room. AT WORK!

^ how she looks at him btw

[rustyvanburace]

nanananan nanashi 4 ask game🥹

favorite thing about them: NANASHI HAS STYLE, and I will die on that hill. People bitch and moan about Nanashi's "ugly" design, but he is PUNK and that fits really well with IVA's themes. I'd rather have a protagonist with a totally unique appearance than yet another bland kid. Maybe that is antithesis to the roots of SMT (they've always favored bland "nobody" characters), but I am nonetheless sticking to my stance. I love that he is dressed for the part as a Hunter, but still embraces his own sense of identity and style -- which frankly is important and natural for teens. I feel the same way about Asahi's own style. I love that Nanashi's design incorporates aspects of the two Akiras from IV. HE. HAS. GOOD. DESIGN.

least favorite thing about them: Once again this is more of an issue I have with IVA's writing and it is not solely about Nanashi, but I do wish that IVA did explore Akira's motivations more (especially with rescuing his sister, which is just absent in IVA) and how his actions and choices would've later impacted his later reincarnated self. There's a lot of stuff that Akira did in the background of IV that only barely gets examined IVA. Akira's "betrayal" toward the Hunters and Nanashi falling into that same fate makes for an interesting foil, but is just another foil that gets resolved way too quickly for my liking. Nanashi saves the day by repelling the Tokugawa Mandela and is immediately forgiven and praised by all with almost hardly any skepticism. Again it's an issue I have with IVA at large, but it still leaves me wanting more out of the characters and their development.

favorite line: Can I even say I have a favorite line from a silent protagonist, lol? I can say that I do like how "extreme" Nanashi is with his answers, either being very openly kind to downright crass and cold. It's much more extreme than some of Flynn's answers in IV. Arguably it makes IVA's alignment choices too obvious, but I like that it gives Nanashi a polarizing personality and it fits with his design too. Plus some of his anarchy answers are downright hilarious.

Additionally, I'm also amazed at Nanashi's "Dagda!" voice clip in the massacre route. For most of the game, he calls for Dagda in such a high-pitched voice. But as soon as you're locked in massacre, his voice suddenly turns really gruff and deep. Lmao??

brOTP: HE IS BROS WITH EVERYONE. But especially with Asahi, Hallelujah, and Navarre! I love his caring sibling relationship with Asahi, I love him being best of buds with Hallelujah, and I love that Navarre is basically like the cool fun uncle to him.

I posted that stupid edit of Morcedai and Rigby earlier, but actually Nanashi and Hallelujah are WAY more like Morcedai and Rigby. That's them for realll.

OTP: Nanashi x Hallelujah NATION LET'S GO. I will absolutely ship them both as bros and as a pair! They have the best ever chemistry.

nOTP: Yeah so, I really do not like Asahi x Nanashi and I hate seeing Nanashi get shipped with adults. Stop it. Enough said.

random headcanon: I like to imagine that, even before the events of IVA, Nanashi has always had dreams of his past life -- just not as frequently or as "unusual" as they later would be, stuff that he'd just brush off and keep to himself. I also like to think that, partly cause of that, he feels a closeness or yearning towards the Sky Tower and Firmanent but cannot put into words as to why.

unpopular opinion: Nanashi's concept design (the one where he's older, has glasses, and the giant robot arm) sucks and I'm tired of people saying it is "superior" than Nanashi's final design. Maybe the older design would have worked better for an earlier story concept, but for the way IVA is now, it fucking sucks. You can't just switch Nanashi's design with that and expect it to seamlessly work with the game's narrative. People complain about Nanashi being a "discount Demi-fiend", but actually Nanashi's design is much more subtle and it HAS to be in order to work with the narrative. A giant robot arm is the very opposite of subtle.

God I'm just, so pissed at people saying Nanashi's design is "bad". I'm pissed I'm pissed!!

song I associate with them: I'm just gonna cross these out with all asks going forward, I am not good at picking songs lmao.

favorite picture of them: Once again, it's Nanashi's precious smile~!

Thank you for the ask!!

[boolpropper]

Hey, I've been really enjoying looking at your posts! I'm trying to start modding the Sims 2 to be medieval too and I was wondering if you had any recommended custom content or mods or anything.

Hey! Omg totally, I'd love to share. You are too kind!!

This blog started as a way for me to keep track of my own stories, honestly. I play with the intention of creating stories for my own enjoyment, and if others find them compelling that is great! That said, I typically don't play with a ton of CC. Enough to immerse me. A lot of the time, I still use base game hairs, play maxis careers, etc. I can look past a lot of things because it is just my silly little game. Info under the cut so as not to bungle up or spam anyone's feed!

I do have a decent amount of build/buy CC and clothing CC. I have gotten a lot of it from Plumbob Keep! I have spent hours just looking through all the stuff in Sundry Goods and Wares, which is their forum for any CC -- clothing, wall paints, objects, you name it. I only got what I felt was necessary to immerse myself, like I said, and have found myself looking for specific other sets to accommodate specific story needs. For example, I rolled a random event that a fucking WAR has started, so now I need some cc bandages and what not. Generally, I like looking for The Sims Medieval conversions and Skyrim conversions. I also have gotten a lot of clothing for my medieval hood and my game in general from Skell. They have done so much work repo-ing and recoloring existing Maxis meshes in a way that doesn't gunk up your CC folder and fits seamlessly with the game. A lot of my other CAS CC (hair, accessories, makeup) comes from DeeDee! I really like their maxis matchy style and the high saturation of their color pallets.

I also use a set of defaults. I have a separate folder of my default replacements labeled "DR Medieval" that I swap in when I'm about to play my medieval hood. Things like plate and bowl recolors, aspiration failure objects, etc. Almighty Hat has some great ones.

I do play with a decent bit of mods, most of which just make the game run properly -- thing things like the nounlinkondelete, smarter EP check, etc. The rest are for my own benefit and storytelling, such as the 3-2 traits project! A lot of my gameplay mods come from MidgeTheTree. Usually I'm looking at mods that expand supernatural sims to make them more fun to play (more witch spells, more plantsim shenanigans, plantsim wings to make them look like fairies, alien telepathy, hereditary supernaturalism...the list goes on) and romance/queer mods. The latter is more to make my game a little more realistic and a bit more aligned with the relationships I like to see in stories. Not in a graphic sense, but more in a "I want my queer sims to have found family, my trans sims to have reproductive autonomy, and my gay sims to marry instead of being civilly joined" type thing.

For medieval specifically, I have a few of the Sun & Moon Star Factory Mods installed. They have A LOT and it is a little overwhelming at times to be honest -- I can't imagine playing with all of their amazing sets. But, some of them are crucial to my medieval immersion -- I want my sims to have a chicken or two, and to farm, and to craft. Many of them require other sets to run, or so they say -- usually this just means a texture from another pack is required, or a core function like collecting/autonomous behavior comes from a different mod. Often times you can do without some of the required mods of theirs -- for example, I have their fishing mod, and their guide says it requires the mining mod. I have no need for a mining mod now but might in the future, so for the time being I only downloaded the physical objects I needed to run that mod -- I need this bucket or whatever, and I'll delete the rest of the mod.

I also rely heavily on random events and dice rolls, tabletop RPG style, to form my gameplay. My sims are not, for example, actually going to kill each other in war. But I AM going to roll, "ok, what are the odds that this day goes in their favor?" Usually this looks like me writing my own scenarios and assigning them numbers/chances to roll, or sometimes I use other people's ROS, like Fir3Princ3ss' medieval ROS doc.

I hope this is helpful! I know it's a lot of info lol, but I tried my best to include links to creators I like. I just try to have fun with it and have a minimal impact on my game folders!

[oddygaul]

Scavengers Reign

Holy shit, good western animation that’s not comedy and actually has a focus on aesthetics, setting and craft??

Seriously, I still can’t believe something like Scavengers Reign got made. This feels like a student thesis film you’d see on Vimeo, not a full 12-episode series with a healthy production schedule.

I loved this show. The artstyle is a clear rip of Moebius, but that’s… fucking sick? I mean, given how little that style has been successfully adapted for animation, I’m all for it, especially when it’s done with this much care and skill. Seriously, some of the longer environments shots could genuinely pass for later Moebius illustrations. The colors are also gorgeous throughout, managing to make each biome feel distinct (and thus sell how far our characters have traveled) while maintaining a consistent, muted vibe over the course of the story.

The star of the show, obviously, is the ecology and creature design. Even with no added context, the designs are all very cool, from the little rolling polyps we see everywhere to the stampeding ungulates. But the thing that sets this show apart is the clear ecological niche we’re shown for each species. Nearly every creature we see, we learn something about: their source of food, their natural predators, the unique behavior they’ve adapted to thrive in their environment. And the comparison to nature documentaries doesn’t just stop there - they even directly ape the style, editing and content of documentaries, like when the show focuses on territorial disputes between members of the same species, or highlights a predator taking advantage of its prey’s weakest moments to strike.

Some of my particular favorite ideas: 1. All of the various white-coated creatures near Azi’s desert encampment that blend seamlessly into the spires for camouflage 2. The seafaring creatures sucking up their young for protection during the lightning storm, and the parasites that come in to gorge themselves while they’re defenseless 3. The fact that the little Grey-looking gecko-apes (Hollow’s species), given their intelligence and powerful telekinesis, could clearly become apex predators and take on prey many times their size… but instead use their hypnosis to force other species to get food for them, because it takes way less energy expenditure. That’s nature, baby!

The show definitely drags a bit around the halfway point. The start of the story is explosive, as we follow the viewpoints of 3 different groups of survivors and their drastically different situations. The character dynamics are great in the beginning - Ursula and Sam’s early mastery of the wildlife during their expeditions, Azi’s reticence contrasted with Levi’s developing personality, and the slow horror that unfolds as Kamen is taken in by Hollow. For the first few episodes, we have no idea where things will end up, and it’s exciting watching things play out.

By the midpoint, we’ve basically lost Kamen’s point of view, as his arc is put on ice until the end of the show, so we’re just bouncing back and forth between Sam & Ursula’s perspective, and the group Azi finds herself falling in with. Sam & Ursula’s narrative feels like it gets stuck in a rut here, as Sam gets infected with two different parasites back to back; I really feel like they should’ve committed to one (preferably the plot thread about the previous survivor) rather than trying to land the same emotional beat twice in a row. On Azi’s side, while I understand what they were going for with Kris and the other newcomers, their story never really got compelling for me. Scavengers’ strength is the planet and its bizarre alien life. Levi, with their dawning sentience and growing connection to the natural world, really fits into those themes; replacing that with a ‘Humans were the real monsters scavengers all along!’ subplot is a tough sell, especially when the characters driving it are about as charismatic as a puddle and have some of the most awkward acting / writing in the show.

There’s even some form issues in the middle section. In classic anime fashion, the visuals take a bit of a hit; there’s less standout background work in the 2nd act, and the character animation suffers at times. I also found the editing distracting in this section; with only two points of view to go between, the constant cutting between the A and B plot started to feel artificial and distracting. Also, since we more or less have an idea of how the stories are going to come together by this point, there’s a sense of inevitability to the proceedings.

Fortunately, things come back together in the end; Ursula leaving Sam behind is every bit as bittersweet as it should be, Levi’s resurrection by the planet-flowers is fascinating, and the sequence where Hollow is returned to its natural self, courtesy of a Levi-supplied Total Perspective Vortex, is just goddamn gorgeous. Seriously, if anything can become iconic anymore in the constantly shifting hell that is today’s media landscape, it’s this breathtaking animated montage of life germinating and evolving on Vesta. Well, that and the buckwild life-to-death flower pollination sequence in episode 3. Fully expecting to see those posted as captures on random forums one, five, ten years from now.

Here’s hoping for season two, or anything more from this creative team! They can’t leave us hanging with the fuckin Imperium of Man showing up at the end like that, can they?

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 24: Xinzhou

To quote Stefon from SNL, this episode has everything! It's actually pretty crazy how much it manages to fit- seamlessly!- into less than half an hour. We have the introduction of such iconic concepts as Fizz Buzz and "here I am don't tread on me," the excellent Film Double Bills game, bacon shirt, baby chicken and baby lamb... I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but honestly the big things is that this all fits around SO many conversations that move the plot forward.

So many of the important things that we need to do before moving on toward the end of the show happen in this episode. We establish that Martin is dating Theresa (even if he won't put a label on it) and is invested enough to potentially want to choose a job in proximity to her. We know that Carolyn hasn't given Herc any kind of real answer and is pretty avoidant of the consequences. We know that Douglas did not know that Carolyn is essentially cutting his job out from under his feet.... and we know that Arthur doesn't know what multiples are. Oh, Arthur, I love you so.

It's interesting, because the arc of Douglas moving from being obnoxious to Martin about his interest in Swiss Airways is not super clearly laid out. What we do perceive is that he isn't necessarily being snarky at first because he genuinely has no confidence in Martin- he's having a knee jerk reaction to the idea of losing this situation. He's basically exactly where he wants to be- and I think to him that's the depressing part, because he has an image of himself as being so much more than he currently is and if he's happy regardless then that can feel like a weakness of its own... it's hard for him to admit he's really happy where he is. I think that what really changes his mind is realizing that Martin genuinely does have bigger dreams, and that those dreams have nothing to do with being a captain. As I've mentioned in one or two of these, Martin's motivating factor for trying to rescue MJN, every other episode when they have to work to save the day, is that nobody else will let him be a captain and being captain is massively important to him. But now, he's prioritizing flying airliners and being near the girl he's dating over that ego thing. He's grown up, and I think seeing that proves to Douglas how selfish his earlier thought is.

And Carolyn... it's so hard to know what Carolyn is thinking exactly. On the one hand, she's pushing Herc away by telling him not to consider her as he takes the Swiss Airways job, and at the same time she's encouraging Martin to leave for his betterment, which will eventually (as far as we now know) lead to the end of MJN Air. Is it some kind of weird self sabotage? Is it her being a more selfless person than one might imagine her being in S1? She's probably the most emotionally bound-up character, and it will of course be fun to see how she navigates the next few episodes...

But also, as already discussed, this episode has so many amazing amazing moments in it and I'm just so in awe of JF for pulling it off so flawlessly- while Limerick is the bomb, I think this one might be even more skillfully pulled off, with a lot more demanded of it. I also have a nice nostalgic memory related to Xinzhou as I made a friend through this episode! A friend and I were out for dinner with a group of people, some of whom we knew and some who we didn't, and someone (for some reason) mentioned baby food- possibly in the context of them liking to eat baby food? I don't recall. Anyway, I made a sotto voce comment to my friend about eating chicken flavored baby food and I suddenly heard a British accent a few seats down- "is that a Cabin Pressure reference?!" Turns out, she was IN THE AUDIENCE for Xinzhou and said it was even better in person, I was very jealous, and while we've drifted apart since then it was very nice to get to know her- and all because of a Cabin Pressure reference.

Next episode is Yverdon... can't believe this is almost over!!