#the writing style is definitely really easy to get into although honestly i think the Beatles are mentioned way too much lmao

[whisp3roftheheart]

FINALLY finished the seven moons of Maali Almeida, moving on to Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts club by Roselle Lim!

[nogenderbee]

Hi hi! Can you pls do with a teen mc who looks like one of the brothers + Diavolo?

Omg, yes of course! That actually was so cute and relaxing to write especially Diavolo part since my friends call me "Diavolo secret child" lol so I hope you enjoy <3

Teen!MC looks like Brothers/Diavolo

A teenager got summoned to Devildom but they look similar to... someone the demons already know

⊱ it was Lucifer's duty to greet new student even if it was a teenager, he was all ready to scold you all the time, he wasn't aware of your look thought since he had much more important things to take care of

⊱ when he saw a teenager who has black hair with white streak and the same hairstyle as him, he was pleasantly surprised

⊱ he was more sure that you're going to behave, if you really do behave then he may just give you a special treatment in good way, don't worry but others may not like you that much *ehem* Satan and Belphie *ehem* because of how similar you are to Lucifer

⊱ if you won't behave tho, you may be called a "better Lucifer" sometimes, but you also will get punished, although your punishes may be a little more strict than he planned to give a human...

⊱ later on, he finds himself going a little easier on you than on others and he also realizes that it may be because of your appearance, but it's also easy to fail his high expectations towards you because of that

"That's definitely... unexpected... we will see how they'll behave."

⊱ Mammon didn't wanted to take care of little human in the first place but when he saw you... he thought that it can't be that bad, can it?

⊱ he saw how Lucifer was strict to you and he honestly couldn't understand why since he didn't even met you, but he somehow liked you a little...

⊱ he'll take you to some casinos, sure he knows consequences to that but if his older brother won't find out about it, he doesn't have to worry about anything

⊱ if you're the goodie-two-shoes type of child tho, he's really thinking how is it even possible that you look similar-

⊱ if you two are actually a lot more similar than just by look, he teaches you all sort of tricks for stealing money and teaches you how to avoid punishments or make them less... deadly for humans

⊱ he may not even notice it but he opens more to you than his brothers, he doesn't vent to you of course but he tells you more about his life if you would be interested in it

"This is our human? Well ya definitely know what's called good style, little one!"

⊱ Levi really didn't wanted to come to this "human greeting" but if wouldn't then he would have some real problems so he didn't had much idea

⊱ when he saw you tho, he started thinking if he left some of his games on that change the reality or maybe he's in some anime where his child form haunts him?! But luckily he quickly realizes it's not it

⊱ he immediately wants to introduce you to all his favorite games and animes to see how much you actually have in common

⊱ if you hate anime/games, he'll immediately decide to avoid you and talk with you as less as possible because what do normies even talk about?!!

⊱ if you are similar to him tho, be ready to be invited on many anime or game nights, and he'll also make sure you get into cosplay if you already aren't interested in it

⊱ if you're gonna turn out to be a Ruri hater then just know you won't be for long, he'll make you at very least like her

"T-This can't be true! It's just lik in that one anime! Is... Is this even reality?!!"

⊱ Satan had way better things to do but his curiosity won nonetheless and honestly he's glad it did because he saw teen human that looked exactly like him

⊱ he won't even ask if you like cats, he'll just assume it thanks to your similiarity in appearence, if you don't like cats tho then he immediately tries to know why and maybe will help you see them in different light

⊱ but something that can make him completely give up on you is if you actually like Lucifer... like you have all those similiarities and you choose to be different in this...

⊱ if you have completely opposite personality to him then he's actually a little relieved that you're not so easily angry as him couse it definitely helps with getting to know each other, but if you're just dumb like Mammon then he may just get A LOT more pissed

⊱ if you are similar to him with personality tho then be ready for MANY long arguments with him because there's no way he will just admit his defeat, not so easily at least

"Hmm... I'm starting to be glad that I came here. I just know that they're going to be interesting one."

⊱ Asmo was actually super excited for greeting new human, after all it's hell and he'll live with them in the same house

⊱ he kinda expected to see someone older but he's not complaining since he saw a teenager that looks basically as pretty as he does, he doesn't mean in a creepy way tho, more like proud father way! no pedophilia here 😾

⊱ be ready for him to invite you on many sleepovers where the two of you will just gossip and take care of your beautiful skin, he'll also be glad to teach you or exchange tips about make-up

⊱ if your personalities are completely different, he doesn't understand how someone with this look can not care about themselves and sees themselves in such a depressing way... but hey, he's there to help you feel better about yourself because confidence is key

⊱ if you're similar tho, be ready for him to dress you up sometimes because he's just so fascinated that someone can match his look, and he wants the prettiest human in the world to stand right next to the prettiest demon

"Oh? I'm surprised that first person that is basically just as cute as me will be a human!

⊱ Beel was probably the most excited to meet human in Devildom, and when he saw that they look just like him, he already took a like of them

⊱ he knows that you're human teen so you may not have many muscles but if you do, he feels attached to you even more

⊱ he'll be happy to share any sport with you, especially if both of you really like it, he'll also often invite you to his workouts in hopes you can spend some time together

⊱ if the two of you have completely different personalities, he's a little surprised but still wants to befriend you, after all it's not often you can see your clone in child version

⊱ if you do have similar personalities then House of Lamentations just have another Cinnamon Roll, but freezer is probably always empty now-

⊱ well at least everyone in Devildom know not to mess with you, some of them know that Beel simply likes you but others think you're like his secret child, but it works either way

"Is it just me or do they really look like me? Just in teenager and human version..."

⊱ Belphie wasn't able to see you when you first came to Devildom, but he heard about you and saw you later on, and he still was shocked

⊱ but even more shocked were his brothers when you appeared, after all they thought he was gone but there is his teenager clone

⊱ when you do finally meet, he doesn't really kill you, he simply can't bring himself to kill someone who looks so similar... so he decides he might as well befriend you and maybe manipulate you a little on his way. Don't worry tho, he warms up to you later on

⊱ once he does warm up to you tho, he invites you on many nap sessions, if you do agree then be ready to fall asleep quickly and not wanting to wake up

⊱ if you have complete different personalities, he's shocked how someone who looks so similar to him can be so energetic and innocent, it makes him actually want to protect you...

⊱ if you do have similiar personality tho, he's a little mad that his brothers didn't let him meet you earlier, but don't worry, he'll get his revenge with you on his side

"They really invited human that looks like me to Devildom... I bet Lucifer's face was so satisfying when he saw them, hehe."

⊱ honestly, Diavolo trusted his intuition by inviting you to Devildom, in fact if he has to be honest, he only knew your name and didn't even knew how you look or how old you are, he only got to know your age when Lucifer started questioning his decision

⊱ so when human who looked the same as him appeared, he was nicely surprised, he won't ruin his speech just to point it out tho, if he did Barbatos may scold him for that...

⊱ he invites you to his castle on many occasions, in fact he invites you every weekend if he can, he even considered giving you option to move into his castle but he saw how close you got with brothers and he didn't wanted to take it away from all of you

⊱ if you have completely different personalities, he's interested how both of you can be so similar but so different at the same time

⊱ if you have similar personalities tho, be ready to be unofficial called "little ruler of hell" because Diavolo calls you like that most of the time

"Welcome to Devildom! I hope you'll make some great memories along your journey in here!"

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉

[mrszeoxin]

Sympathy Kiss Review

I’m finally playing Sympathy Kiss, I bought it about a week after it came out but didn’t end up playing it right away. But I’m excited to get started, from what I know it’s an office romance and more slice of life. Which honestly I’m stoked for, I’ve really been in a slice of life mood lately, so I’m excited for a more grounded game (hopefully). Not to mention I just started my corporate job, so I can fully immerse myself in the game. When she describes her daily routine, that’s me right now, only enough time to really work and the bare minimum of life (eating, chores, hygiene, and sleeping).

My initial thoughts after playing the prologue, is that it was much shorter than many of the others I’ve done. Cafe Enchante, and Bustafellows had VERY long common routes. So this shorter one was a welcome change of pace. I like the art style and how there’s animated bits, plus I love the looking over the shoulder sprites, it feels very dynamic. One thing I’m not sure how to feel about, is that MC doesn’t actually have dialogue. So it feels like this game is heavily catering towards people that self-insert (which I do), since you can change her first and last name, she doesn’t have a sprite, and even to the extent she doesn’t have real dialogue. Which I’m not sure how to feel about, especially after playing so many games with MCs that have very defined personalities. Maybe it’ll be different once in a route, and maybe I’ll like it after a bit, but it’s definitely throwing me off that I don’t actually know word-for-word what she’s saying.

Just off of the intro I think I’m most drawn to Mistuki, Kohei, Nori, and Rokuro. Mistuki reminds me of Mineo from CxM, just very outgoing and bubbly, low-key puppy vibes. Kohei has probably my favorite out of looks, although I think Nori is a close second. Rokuro I’m mainly interested in because he reminds me of a cowboy lmao, he wears a bolo tie and rides horses, I know the girls say “prince type” but to me (as a Texan) it screams cowboy and that intrigues me. Overall pretty excited to play, although I’m still not 100% sure on what to except lol.

Mitsuki Saotome

Up first is Mitsuki for two reasons, first being as I previously mentioned he’s caught my attention, second he was the first guy I met in game. Like I said, he gives me similar vibes to Mineo, so I think I’ll enjoy his route. He just seems so upbeat, a little eccentric, and kind of puppy-like. I also tend to like LIs who are close in age to MC/me, and he’s about my age and only a year older than MC. The prologue being short means I don’t have much else to say, but I think it’ll be fun.

Honestly after playing I really don’t know how to feel. I think the game is pretty easy to play, and it’s pretty short (probably the same length as a Voltage game). But I just kinda felt like something was lacking, I’m not sure if it just because I ended up not liking Mitsuki that much or what. I thought I’d really like him, but he was just okay. I didn’t really have any moments where I was giddy or felt anything really. I think the MC having no dialogue is making it really hard for me to get invested. I also feel like the writing just isn’t the best, like some scenes it’s really good, but others I just feel like I couldn’t get into it. But maybe it really is just that Mitsuki wasn’t the best fit for me. I really want to like this game, so I hope I like the next route, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

Yoji Kobase

I’ve decided to do Kobase next mainly because I’m kinda of unsure how I’ll feel about him. I kind of think his route will be fun, although I’m not sure if he’s my usual type. I think from what I’ve seen of him he seems to at least be a considerate and kind person so hopefully his route will be a nice change of pace from the first one I played. Also I know all the guys in this game are shiny and have extra-shiny lips, but his in particular keep catching my eye 😅 so idk what that says about my subconscious, but he’s got very glossy lips I can’t look away from lol.

Okay, so thankfully I actually really enjoyed this route! I think it was super interesting and much more fun to play than Mitsuki’s route. Yoji is your classic serious guy, with a heart of gold. He’s just a very sweet and considerate person, very reliable and loyal. This route also had a semi forced proximity trope which is nice. I also enjoyed the plot of this route a lot more. Overall it was very good, and gives me hope to play the rest of the game.

Kohei Minato

Next on the list is Kohei. I really like him looks wise, and from the prologue he seems to be a kind person. He’s definitely more reserved and quiet, but I think he’s one of those characters that just takes time to open up to others. He’s probably the kind of tsundere I like, kind of like Ryuki from Cupid Parasite, where he’s not excessively mean he’s just passionate and reserved. So I’m looking forward to his route, hopefully they do him justice and it’s not boring like Mitsuki’s was.

Kohei, my beloved 🥹💕. This route was so up my alley, oml. I think I really related to Kohei’s character in a lot of ways, like the way he loves and wants to support his family. Not to mention I also have a very large age gap with my two youngest siblings so I could relate to his relationship with his. I think my initial thoughts were kind of correct, but he also really reminded me of parts of 707’s route, where it’s very self-deprecating and he tries pushing her away. I feel like him and 707 share a lot of character traits in that aspect and how they care and protect their families. But honestly this route had a lot of stuff I’m a sucker for. Not to expose myself too much, although I’ve mentioned these in past reviews, but I love that he’s a little possessive, I love the teasing, it had a scene where he licked her wound, plus he’s into biting, I mean really say less, matches my freak ngl. I also enjoyed the plot for this one, and I liked getting to see his family and their dynamics. I think the ending was also good, I’m glad they didn’t totally force him to forgive his dad, because I know in other games I’ve played that’s been a problem, but I know it’s partially a cultural thing. But overall I really loved this route, and Kohei is definitely my favorite by far right now!

Shuya Usui

To be completely honest, I think is the route I’m looking forward to least out of all the main route. I just really don’t like the older characters or ones with large age gaps, typically. Which is twofold, one I’m in my 20s and I’ve never really been super into older guys, secondly I feel like most “older guy” routes make it really weird. Like instead of making the age gap feeling like it’s not a big deal, it’s usually all both people think about which weirds me out. There was also a whole scene in Kohei’s route where Usui talks about how young Kohei seems to him, and Kohei is two years older than, MC so I just do not like it. Plus looks wise he’s not my favorite. I really worry this is just going to be like a non-supernatural version of Rindo’s route 😣.

Okay, as I suspected, this was not the route for me. I’m so sorry, but I’m not a DILF girlie. Sure, there are attractive older guys, but I’ve never been romantically drawn to older guys 😅. Not to mention Usui is 45 years old. 45. The MC is 23. Yes, they are both consenting adults, but I’m 23 and my mom is 45. That’s literally all I could think, he could actually be her dad. To make it worse the age gap was THE MAIN CONFLICT. Like their age gap was the focus of the game. Like I already don’t like large age gaps, but I especially don’t like when the older person constantly talks about how young and naive the younger one is, and how inappropriate it is. Because if you think she’s not mature, or is too young for you, THEN DONT DATE HER, LIKE WHAT?!?! I just hated this one, it was not for me. I really like him as a mentor supporting character, but as a LI I cannot get behind this relationship. I will say I did kind of like the ending, but I was definitely speed reading it at that point because I just wanted to be done 😭. So sorry, if you love Usui, or want a DILF, go for it, but I just can’t, so sorry.

Nori Tainaka

So I took about a week off playing this game so that I could crochet my (irl) husband a birthday gift. Plus, after that last route I just needed a little break lol. But I’m back and excited to play!

Up next is Nori! I’m very excited for Nori’s route, he’s so cute. I love his hair, beauty mark, piercings, and his tattoo. He seems really sweet, plus I personally love the house husband trope. I think if I played this game blind, I probably would have gotten him first, solely because I’d feel bad leaving him alone 😅. But I think his route will be very interesting and I’m very excited to learn more about his past.

Oml 😭 I love him💕. Genuinely he is so cute and so sweet. I absolutely adore him so much. Like he’s such a puppy, it kind of reminds me of my husband is some ways. I think this route was one where I love him, but MC made me sooo mad at times. Like she should treat him better lol. Like he can do no wrong. Nori is perfect. The world has wronged him, but he’s an angel who deserves better. I don’t think the plot for his route was as strong, but my love and adoration for him kept me going 💕💕💕💕. Genuinely not sure if I love Nori or Kohei more, they are both tied in my heart rn.

Rokuro Yoshioka

I’ve said it before and it’ll say it again, they may call him a prince, but to me he’s more like a cowboy. He wears a bolo tie and rides horses, that’s some western country boy energy lol. I think his route will be fun, I hope there’s the trope where everyone sees him as a prince, but in reality he’s the opposite (but hopefully not mean since I don’t usually like that). I also hope the horse and horse riding plays a role in the story. I think this one has a lot of great potential!

Shut up 😭 why was this route so cute. This literally had me kicking my feet and squealing. I’m so sorry to my other boys, but I think Rokuro just shot up to my favorite so far. He’s just such a sweeting and such a genuine and kind person. He also gets blushy so easily, and him and MC have such a sweet and wholesome relationship. He’s also maybe the first guy that actually respected her wishes and boundaries. Oml I literally love him so much 🥹💕. His route has some tropes I didn’t love, but I think it did it in a way that it was still fun to play. Honestly some of his route reminds me a lot of Ray from Empherial, although he’s a lot nicer than Ray lol. But yeah, I adored this route! Super cute!

***SPOILERS AHEAD - SECRET ROUTES***

Oops, I stopped playing for like a month 😅 I had full intentions of playing it sooner, but I started streaming again, had my birthday, and overall life got crazy. Plus Otome games are just one of my hobby and I was reading and crocheting more lately, so it kind of fell to the way side. But now I’m going to finish it! Secret Routes here we go!

I already know who the two guys are going to be. It’s pretty obvious from the prologue and other routes. One will be YOFY the program guy who is most likely also Rokuro’s younger brother. And the other, will be Higa, Rokuro’s co-worker. With that said, let’s play secret route 1!

Secret Route 1 (YOFY/Soh Yoshioka)

I was pretty excited going into this route, since I liked his brother’s route a lot. Plus mysterious programmers are always fun. But I’m definitely glad I had a break between him in his brother, because otherwise I’d feel a little weird about going from one to the next so soon lol.

Not going to lie, I have no idea how to feel about this route. I really liked YOFY as a character, he’s very cute and I don’t mind the “younger guy”/ “little brother” love interests. I think the story was engaging and fast paced (as well as actually being shorter). But *spoiler alert*, he’s kind of a yandere. Which don’t get me wrong, I LOVE yanderes. I think they are super fun, and I love exploring the unhealthy obsession and possessiveness of yanderes in a fictional setting. But I think it just feels so jarring because his route is shorter, and it all happens in the last chapter, so there’s not enough time to really resolve things naturally. Plus with this game being more slice of life, it feels kind of out of place. I think honestly, I would have enjoyed it more if his route was longer and they made him a main route, not bonus route. Also I think seeing the younger guy/cutesy guy he a yandere is a more interesting approach, I personally haven’t seen done very often (other than Yandere Yoosung). I think I did enjoy the route, but I just wish it was longer so it could have been even better. As a character I really love YOFY.

Secret Route 2 (Tsukihiko Higa)

To be honest, going in I wasn’t sure what I’d think. Higa seemed pretty nice the few times we see him. And he kind of looks like an older version of Makoto from Free. Going into now, I’m quite excited as it seems he has a kid, which is totally new to me. Not only that, but I’m definitely a pretty maternal person, I love kids, and want to be a mom, so getting a route like this is very exciting. I can’t wait to see where it goes!

Well, I won’t lie, I didn’t really like this route. I really wanted to like it, but something about it just didn’t work for me. Not sure if it’s just because I was tired, or what, but it just wasn’t that good. I feel like the story was too all over the place and the ending really dragged. It kind of feels like a waste, since the single parent idea has so much potential. But it felt like they rushed and slacked on the romance part, just to shove in a story B plot that wasn’t even that good. Definitely disappointed.

Overall Thoughts

I think this game is a real mixed bag. I still don’t think I like that MC has no dialogue, it’s really weird and can make parts of the story confusing. You do adjust to it, but I really feel like it takes away from the story.

I think a lot of the routes were fun to play, and had a fun plot. But honestly not sure if I’d recommend the game, I’d say this is one that’s better to get on sale if you can. The music is okay, and the visuals are great, voice acting was pretty amazing, but the stories weren’t great. A lot of the plots struggled in some aspect which sucks.

I think if you like slice of life games, and you’ve played a lot of mobile and self insert games, you’ll probably like Symapthy Kiss. But if not, this would probably be a skip.

Overall if I had to rank the guys I think I’d go Rokuro as my favorite for both plot and character, followed by Kohei (plot and character are great), Nori (love Nori, the plot is just okay), then Yoji (really fun plot, and good character). The rest I could honestly do with out. The two other main guys just were not fun at all to play, and the two secret routes both struggled with pacing but for opposite reasons. I think the game might have been better if they just stick with my top 4 guys, and gave them a more detailed story.

I think I did enjoy the game, and might even replay some routes again, but it’s not in my top games. I’m pretty disappointed given how much I’ve been wanting a good slice of life game, and I feel like this just kind of missed the mark. I almost feel like I would’ve been better off getting the Oops! I Said Yes?! on the switch 😅. But no hate, I think this fans has some good points.

I hope you enjoyed this review, so sorry it took me so long. Now that I’m working full time, it’s definitely hard to find the time to juggle all my hobbies, and binge games 😅. I think I’ll probably be play a bunch of Voltage games and Love and Deepspace for a bit since they are easier to fit in my schedule. So I may do some occasional posts about them. I also finally got Amnesia, so I may do a less detailed post on that. Not sure yet when my next big post will be, but it will most likely be on Olympia Soirée. Until then bye!

[blissfullyapillow]

hiya :) id like to request a star rail matchup please (if your rqs aren’t open feel free to ignore)

im a straight female (she/her) and id like to not be matched with sunday

appearance: 5’7”, long blonde hair (usually in big curls or a messy bun) i do wear glasses but if I’m going out I’ve always got contacts in. my style is very girly- a mix of vintage classy (think marilyn sort of) and y2k. my makeup tends to stick to being quite simple and natural, but i do love a red glossy lip

personality: enfp, 7w6. im very outgoing and loud, but i also value my quiet time to relax. i joke around a lot, so I find it hard to converse with people who are serious *all* of the time. im definitely an emotional person, and that will usually drive my actions over logic. im academically intelligent but admittedly lacking in street smarts or common sense. creative, very much the dreamer type and i need to have my freedom.

I put a lot of effort into my appearance because I genuinely enjoy it. It can make me a bit high maintenance but I would not expect too much from a partner, especially not without reciprocating in some way. I also love doing anything artistic (im currently studying art!) travelling, music, and cooking.

my love language in a relationship would probably be physical touch, but I’m easy to impress with most efforts of romance. in a partner I look for someone strong and loyal, with a good sense of humour and ability to have long conversations with- whether that be equally contributed or lead by myself in the case of someone more quiet.

thank you if you get to meee ☺️💖

ps could I be 🍰 anon pls if u don’t have that taken? C:

Pillow Talks: Hi again 🍰! I made my own header for your request because content for Sampo is oddly lacking for some reason??? Anyway, I hope you like your matchup! I promise you it’s good hehehe. 

What I think your relationship would sound like: Sampo Koski

Masterlist

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ ݁˖$ ⁺⊹ ★.ᐟ 

Icon creds in header: @/faivrse on pinterest (left) & @/mintst4rss on pinterest (right) 

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ ݁˖$ ⁺⊹ ★.ᐟ 

Sampo would be in LOVE with your hair. Really, long blonde hair with big curls? He’s a goner, especially when you put it up into that messy bun of yours. Honestly, he was lovestruck the moment he laid eyes on you. 

Oh, how you made his heart pound. Of course he had to approach you! …Only for his reputation to serve as a horrible first impression. You’ve heard the name Sampo Koski far too many times to count. 

You honestly began to believe it was some legend to educate people on the crafty ways you could be scammed out of your money, but the man himself stood before you, bent down to be eye level with you as he spoke. You knew better than to make the mistake of engaging with him, so you continue walking.

If only he didn’t have such an awful reputation, maybe you would’ve stopped to hear what he had to say. Despite your apprehension, you kept walking to your destination, effectively ignoring him despite his many attempts to ask you out on a date.

You successfully escape him, only to encounter him the following day as you accidentally bump into him. You start to think it wasn’t an accident when he turns around, all too eager with that stupidly charming grin on his face. 

It takes many more encounters for you to finally agree to a date, solely because you happened to see him helping a young child that was previously ignored by everyone else. You were heading over to help the child, but he swooped in to save the day before you could. 

After you witness the tearful, yet happy, reunion of the child and their parents, you decide to give him a chance. Besides, you should form your own impression of him before completely writing him off…

Your decision leads to a beautiful relationship, one that far exceeds your expectations. Through conversation, you come to learn just how complex of a person Sampo is. Although he appears to be a dishonest, crooked individual, he provides remarkably wise advice whenever you approach him with your worries. 

He’s also fiercely loyal, which you’ve come to realize over time. Once you two officially started dating, even before, Sampo’s eyes have always remained on you and you alone. Sampo is an attractive individual so he’s been approached while the two of you have been together. 

You know you never have to worry though, because Sampo won’t even look their way!  He always politely declines any offers he receives, and he’ll casually intertwine his fingers with yours as the two of you walk away. 

He’s more than happy to have long conversations with you, and the tone can shift depending on the topic and your personal feelings. He’s really good at being a solid emotional support for you, and he’s quick to pick up on the little things you do that indicate how you’re feeling.

Sampo relies on you when it comes to academics, but street smarts? Oh, he’s got you. He’s helped you avoid many situations that otherwise would have escalated quickly, and other scammers trying to make a quick buck off of you.

Sampo loves to joke around with you. Your laughter is as heavenly as the sound of money in his hands, as he flips through the stack of cash he managed to make through very legal and very ethical means. 

If his sneaky ways really bother you, he’ll still spoil you with gifts and fun outings, but he’ll make the effort to earn the funds through more conventional ways he knows you’d approve of. But the money he spends on other things? … not so much.  

Sampo is head over heels in love with everything about you, but especially your appearance. Oh, he loves when you put on your red lip gloss, if you don’t specifically tell him to, he won't keep his hands off of you anytime you wear it around him.

Your style is very appealing to him, and he makes the effort to tell you how beautiful you are to him everyday. When he found out you wore glasses, he snuck a picture of your cute face that he can often be found admiring; it’s still his lockscreen.                      

He finds it adorable how much of a dreamer you can be, and he'll happily participate in any of your hobbies you’d like to share with him. 

Regarding your personality, he actually admires how loud and outgoing you are! It only serves to liven him up when he’s feeling a bit down about things. When you’re feeling emotional and it’s causing you to take unwise actions, Sampo is exceptionally good at stepping in and gently talking you down. His voice takes on this soothing tone that you subconsciously calm down listening to. 

Overall, you two are really cute together! He’s head over heels in love with you, and he treats you like the queen you are and nothing less; you are absolutely smitten with him in return.

✧˖°♡〃⋆.˚

His fingers lazily loop one of your curls around his finger, flashing you a saccharine sweet smile when your eyes glance in his direction.

“You look really pretty when you’re concentrating like that, you know?” His words cause your heart to flutter, but you purposefully ignore him in favor of reading the recipe laid before you.

Sampo watches intensely as you bend slightly forward to ensure you pour the correct you need into the pot. How can you focus when you can feel his gaze, and when he’s looking at you like that…

You feel your face heat up considerably. With a huff you turn around to tell Sampo to back off, only for him to immediately capture your lips. 

As much as you’d love to indulge him, you’re both pretty hungry. So, with a sigh you pull away. “We can cuddle and watch movies together later-” You smile at the way his eyes immediately light up, “IF you help me finish cooking. Weren’t you complaining about being hungry earlier?” He sighs in faux annoyance, leaning in to press his lips against yours once more before he begins assisting you.

He knows you’re both looking forward to your cuddle session, after all. 

Dedicated to,

.⋆.˚🍰₊˚.ᵎᵎ˖⁺. ݁

[xiaoshengnu]

Love O2O final review

overview: episode no. -  30 episodes, genre - romance

released in 2016, Love O2O follows the romance between two star computer science students in beijing's qing university. bei weiwei is both an ace pupil and a star gamer, being the only woman gamer on her server to reach the top ten. however being perfect at everything (and a woman) doesn't come without it's troubles. after a series of unexpected events she meets computer science genius xiao nai, and the two fall in love.

l⃣e⃣ t⃣’ s⃣    b⃣e⃣g⃣i⃣n⃣

honestly, I won't deny it, the drama is a classic and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. bei weiwei and xiao nai were literally written to be the ideal couple- they have it all, they're smart, beautiful and sensible which I guess is such a breath of fresh air from all those dramas where the lead couple have you pulling your hair out in frustration due to the ridiculous misunderstandings that occur between them.

however, it definitely still has its merits and its flaws, but I don't hate it as much as I did when I watched it for the second time back when I was 15. seeing it for the third time I can definitely see why it's considered a classic- so. lets get into it!

o⃣u⃣t⃣     o⃣ f⃣     t⃣ e⃣ n⃣

𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 7/10

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 6/10

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 7/10

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 7/10

𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕖 - 6.75/𝟙𝟘

o⃣u⃣t⃣    o⃣ f⃣    f⃣ i⃣v⃣ e⃣

𝖍𝖎𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖌𝖊𝖒 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - 💎💎

[ even though in my mind it is a classic, I think the only really unique thing about it is how mature (lmao) the main characters are. the tropes and the arguments it presents are pretty standard. I'm also not the biggest fan of the drama's messages ] 

𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖈𝖍 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - ✨✨ ✨✨ 

[ it's very easy to rewatch- so simple and a good length but I think if I rewatched it too many times it would get kind of boring for me ]

‘keep reading’ for detailed review

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 7/10

the characters in this drama were all pretty good. I liked them all quite a bit. rewatching the drama for the third time, and with a much better understanding of mandarin in comparison to when I was 12 and 15 really made me appreciate how witty the writing was for some of these characters? I really liked the humour they had, even though sometimes it was a little stylised in true cdrama style. I loved the banter between bei weiwei and xiao nai and also the dynamics of their respective friend groups- I actually found myself laughing along.

however, the drama definitely careened a little bit too much into wish fulfilment which limited how well written their characters could be. most of the characters were pretty one-note, ESPECIALLY the two main leads. neither bei weiwei or xiao nai change much over the course of the drama and neither undergo any character development to speak of. it was also rather unrealistic and hard to believe how much the drama seemed to orbit around the two main leads unconditionally, in particular xiao nai. despite the female lead being presented as similarly intelligent and capable, her skills and abilities were kind of thrown aside to favour xiao nai's story. although it wasn't badly written and it did make sense for the direction the narrative was moving, it still kind of sucks and does feel pretty gendered in my opinion.

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 6/10

moving on to plot, I feel like this situation is rather recurrent in the drama- this situation where things work out almost too ideally for the main characters that it feels almost unrealistic, but within the set up of the drama it makes sense. which makes it a fairly well written wish fulfilment kind of drama- and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, because I did T-T. but the plot was pretty solid.

however, the drama's narrative never really sat well with me even as a 15 year old, mainly because how traditionalist it was. sure, the plot did shed light on the treatment of women in corporate culture, women in gaming and in stem, as well as the struggles of being a conventionally attractive woman and also homosexuality; it doesn't really challenge the traditionalist mindset that produced this problems in the first place- even encouraging them. like when bei weiwei is consistently slandered throughout the drama for being sexually promiscuous, the drama resolves this with her beating these allegations by proving her sexual purity and demonising the sexually promiscuous xiao yu qingqing. I also really despised the lack of voice weiwei had during her more intimate moments with xiao nai. every kiss throughout the drama and every move towards something more was always initiated by xiao nai, with weiwei being the passive, slightly wary yet pleased receiver.

nevertheless tho, it's not a bad drama. it makes sense, it's just some things it- sigh. lets leave it here. if I open up the homophobia box as well I will never stop. Love O2O and I... it's a love-hate relationship y'all.

𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 7/10

overall, the acting was pretty decent and believable. I really liked the chemistry between the friend groups in the drama in particular, it all felt rather natural and easy. however some scenes were pretty stylised and over the top, in true romance-idol-cdrama style, which I can watch, just not the biggest fan of. in terms the the lead couples, yang yang and zheng shuang are literally the prettiest two people you can put on screen together- I'll give them that lol- though I kind of got this feeling that both of them were very very very aware of the camera that was watching them. their expressions and actions often didn't really feel like real people but felt very calculated to look good on camera. yang yang also wasn't the most expressive, though I suppose that might of just been xiao nai's character.

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 7/10

the production on the whole was fairly decent, and I appreciate the work done used to create the gamescape. for an idol drama the sets were fairly okay, and just about believable though it definitely doesn't have a lived-in feel in comparison to some better quality productions and sometimes the luxuriousness of the places like xiao nai's office and bei weiwei's university dormitory felt slightly ridiculous. the ost on the other hand tho, slaps.

.

.

𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘!!

.

favourite characters

hao mei (resident gay)

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖜 (source mydramalist)

lead actors : zheng shuang, yang yang, mao xiaotong, bai yu

directors : lin yufen, guo hu

screenwriters : gu man, scarlett ouyang, shen fei xuan

[marvus-xoloto]

Hi, it kind of came out of nowhere but do you think that Marvus's music would be actually good ? Like I can't imagine some 14-15 yo kid, supported and working for other kids, being professional (not that teenagers can't be great artists, but in the context of Alternia it's just different). It just kind of cracks me up if IRL he really made shitty mixtapes that hypes everyone up lmao and Teals would just work as some weird ambassador for purples/artists that resolve teenage drama haha

What do you think ? Do they have enough cultural background to compose things for themselves or Condy gave them just enough space but not quite so things can't evolve?

great blog btw i like tour writing :)

Hi!

This ask got me deep diving haha. I'll get to some more, long, rambling headcanons under the cut, but here's the short of it:

Canon tells us he has a huge, cult like following, so his music is likely "good" (which is subjective, but we'll get to that later).

He already had a background (loosely speaking) in entertainement before he got famous by being a contestent on Slam or Get Culled (which keeps him relevant; most contestant series bing back previous winners, so he's very present in the entertainment sphere). In my opinion (and this is entering headcanon territory), this means he's had plenty of relevant training regarding... hmm how to put this. Finding and keeping an audience? Putting on the entertainer's face and saying the right words? Public relations stuff, you know? Does that makes sense? This does imply that his music is somewhat commercial and easy to sell, however (although I choose not to headcanon that. Popular fanon and I agree on one thing: I like the idea that his music is kinda silly yet clever with excellent samples a la young gravy).

The idea of teals being the auspictices between the music/ entertainment industry and like, just the general population is a super fun world building element haha! I love that. I've always seen certain castes being culturally predisposed towards certain quadrants, and teals have always read as ashen-predisposed to me. Might be the neurodivergence speaking, though, haha.

That being said, the entertainment industry- both on earth in real life so likely on Alternia- is the forefront of propaganda. And while Marvus styles himself as a musician, he's actually somewhat more of a politician.

Before I deep dive under the cut, the TL;DR is: imagine if Hatsune Miku worked for, idk, the CIA. That's... kind of how I see Marvus lmfao (although not a super literal parallel obviously; I don't think Marvus works for anyone beside himself). I'm at work so this post is pretty rushed, but hopefully you can get my jist.

So here's the thing that has always stuck out to me: Marvus and the music industry are kind of one in the same, you know? Made to get stuck in your head haha.

This puts him in a very powerful political position. It's noted in his friendsim that his music is "super woke and definitely not casteist at all." As MSPAR attended that concert with Zebruh, it's important to note that weirdo castists were on their mind. To me, this says that Marvus's music is so open for interpretation that people will always hear exactly what they want.

(I know the popular opinion is just that he's psychic pulling psychic fuckery, but honestly that's no fun for me. Marvus is very intelligent and conniving, and I'd prefer to deep dive into that.)

You know what Marvus has that most seadwellers don't? An audience, an opinion, and the means to make it all happen.

I think it's worth noting that when I say "politician" on Alternia, it's honestly more like an influencer? Cridea, for instance, strikes me as someone with a political agenda and political pull (and I don't think it's a coincidence at all that they're linked in act 2). They are, after all, young adults at best (I see Marvus as 19 on Alternia).

Do I think Marvus went into the inustry with politics on his mind? No, not at all. He was- in my headcanon- just a sixteen year old kid with no delusions of grandeur at all. He simply was that good.

The only problem is that he doesn't really hve anyone he's working for. He's religious (canonically, and imo to an extent), so it's very possible all of his power plays and messages have a subtle religious tie-in. Mostly, though, I think he's in it for himself. Mirthful Idolotry: he's an idol. This isn't sustainable in the long run, though, so I always wonder about what might cause his downfall in the future.

I think he's intelligent enough to come up with clever word play, and frankly there's the caste element as well.

Anyway. Because politics are involved, I'd be shocked if off-world trolls (trolls who are like Tirona for instance) aren't involved in the effort.

So do I think his music is good? No.

I think it is evil :o)

Anyway, random headcanon: I think music on Alternia has a slight buzzng sound to it that only trolls can pick up the subtlties of. For humans, it sounds like that cicada buzz sounds of flourscent lighting.

Hope that was anything haha.

[fingertipsmp3]

Fuck it I’m catatonically bored and I can’t justify starting to make dinner at fucking 3:52PM so I’m going to rate every Stephen King book I’ve read out of 5 stars. If the readmore doesn’t work I can only apologise

Carrie: genuinely iconic although I do think the concept is better than the execution. 3.5

‘Salem’s Lot: immaculate, literally got me into horror, I will always have a soft spot for it. 5

The Shining: iconic. Better than the movie. Argue with the wall. 5

The Stand: really really ridiculously long but I swear to you EVERY PAGE is necessary. 5, would give higher if I could

The Dead Zone: I read this when I was like 19 and I can’t remember much other than that I liked it but it made me sad. 4, marked down because of the scene with the dog

Firestarter: looooved this. 5

Pet Sematary: the first time I read this (when I was 17) it scared me so much it kept me up all night and the second time I read it (when I was 27) it gave me night terrors. 4, marked down because it is lowkey stupid I have to admit

Cycle of the Werewolf: I’m sorry but it is kind of boring. Great illustrations though. 2

It: THE scariest book I have read, haunts me in my dreams, put me through every emotion known to humankind. Sad and gross. 5

Misery: damn near a perfect thriller novel tbh. 4.5

Dolores Claiborne: I remember liking the stream of consciousness style but also thinking “Jesus Christ can we get to the point please”. 3

Insomnia: the first third of this book is fucking wonderful. The second two thirds are a hot mess and should’ve been edited significantly more. 3

The Green Mile: the story is so so good I feel like it came to SK through divine wisdom or something but I am SO sorry, I prefer the movie. I just think it made the dialogue so much more compelling and the changes made were an improvement. Still, 5

11/22/63: one of my favourite pieces of time travel media ever, I think about this book constantly. 5 (6 if I could)

Doctor Sleep: unpopular opinion but I genuinely like it I’m fucking sorry. Like it’s definitely not good but if you don’t look at it as a Shining sequel and you’re entertained by villains with stupid names it’s fun. 3.5

Mr Mercedes: fun and tense, although why SK had to write Jerome Like That I will never understand. 3.5

Finders Keepers: honestly I found this to be just okay. 2.5

End of Watch: a pretty good end to the trilogy tbh although I nearly cried at the epilogue for my own reasons. 4

Sleeping Beauties: another unpopular opinion but I liked parts of this, but I wish SK would learn how to write women… honestly I just wish this book had been written by a woman or someone who understands women. 2.5

The Outsider: if this had been edited significantly fucking better to keep SK from yapping on and on it would’ve been an absolutely brilliant supernatural thriller, but it is in fact 200 pages longer than it needs to be. 2

The Institute: SK should stop writing about women and instead write about kids. 4

Fairy Tale: maybe this was good or maybe I am just a sucker for ‘boy and his dog’ type stories. 4.5

Different Seasons: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption & The Body are easy 5 stars, Apt Pupil is like a 3.5 because the constant gratuitous violence is just not for me, The Breathing Method was boring and a 2 at best

Four Past Midnight: honestly I liked all of these novellas. The Langoliers was my favourite and I was kind of sad to find out that’s not a popular opinion. 4 overall

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: stupidly good. Like it’s hard to list my favourite stories because there are too many of them. The Ten O’Clock People, The House on Maple Street and Popsy would have to be my top 3. 5 overall

Full Dark, No Stars: messy but good. 1922 is my favourite overall. 4

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: think I gave this 4 stars on storygraph but honestly it probably deserves more like 3. Top 3 were Ur, Obits & Bad Little Kid but I also have a soft spot for Drunken Fireworks

If It Bleeds: ughhhhhh I’m sorry but I was epically bored reading most of this. The Life of Chuck was good once it came together and Mr Harrigan’s Phone had a decent payoff, but the title novella had basically the same problems and plot as The Outsider, and Rat just felt pointless to me. 2

[purlturtle]

Romance Tropes Bracket, Sweet Sixteen

In this round, we have:

Blue: Bodyguard vs. Workplace, and Second Chances vs. Nanny/Governess

Yellow: Mistaken Identity vs. Only One Bed, and Kissing Lessons vs. Forced Proximity

Red: Grumpy/Sunshine vs. Just To Get It Out Of Our System, and Holiday Romance vs. Soulmates

Green: Marriage of Convenience vs. Friends to Lovers, and Sworn Off Love vs. Supernatural

Find out tomorrow who's getting ahead! Tell me who your favorites are!

Under the Readmore I'll tell you why all of these won out against their opponents, and I'll link a few fics in which I've used these tropes!

Blue

Bodyguard was up against Love Triangle - and that was an easy choice. I don't GET love triangles; my first impulse will always be "porque no los dos? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" and most stories don't deliver that. It just doesn't grip me if someone feels themself drawn to two and "has to make a decision". (Am I poly? Probably. Am I happily married? Definitely. Anything else is between me and my wife. :D) (Have I been thinking for some time about a Bering and Wells Bodyguard fic? Most certainly.)

Workplace was up against High School: not quite that easy, especially since I wrote a High School fic myself! In the end it won out because (a) a lot more of my stories qualify as workplace stories and (b) there is just a lot more variation that's possible with a workplace story vs. a high school story. People can have so many different jobs, after all, which can inform the story!

Second Chances defeated Made A Promise (90s style) very easily - first of all, promises don't really hold my interest, especially when they are treated as set in stone for all eternity no matter how much the circumstances and/or persons involved might have changed. Second, and much more importantly: second chances are The Best. Let's face it, we all mess up, and sometimes incredibly badly. And you can do so much with that, narratively! It can move the plot, it can show the characters' character, it makes them change and grow, it is a fantastic source of conflict AND resolution! Top Tier, honestly (and a lot of my stories are that; most obviously the Strata/Commutata duology)

Nanny/Governess beat out Sibling's Best Friend only narrowly, because "employer/employee who's charged to care for employer's kids" is dynamic I just like ever so slightly better than "someone who's been hanging around our house since forever and teased me when I was a kid and ganged up on me with my sibling and now I ~like~ them". Just, nah. Both of them are pretty low on the list, though.

Yellow

Mistaken Identity *easily* vanquished Age Gap; I've never really been a fan of the latter. I like my protagonists to be in a similar place in their lives (which is also, by the way, why "Person A's first queer relationship, but Person B has been out for decades" doesn't grip me at all; at least not if the story focuses *entirely* on Person B helping Person A navigate this situation). I'd *MUCH* rather read Mistaken Identity Shenanigans!

There could only ever be one winner in the Only One Bed vs. Love Potion/Aphrodisiac fight: the latter is fun for a smut fic, but we're talking romance here, and I'd rather that does not start with overruling someone's agency. Although I have to confess I did write that 😅 (47K words of it, even! With not even all that much smut in it!) But nothing beats "there's only one bed" as a trope to get two characters physically, intimately close to each other!

Kissing Lessons won over Amnesia, even though I wrote a Tumblr fragment about the latter! But the thing is: that is fan fic about two characters we already know, so it hits hard; amnesia as a trope usually means that Person A starts out amnesiac or is only introduced with very broad strokes, and that just doesn't grip me. Whereas Kissing Lessons is something that I have done myself, so... *grins*

Forced Proximity also easily defeated Secretly A Celeb/Royal - one of my absolute faves, and thoroughly explored in my Road Trip Series linked above (Strata/Commutata). In all seriousness, though: Only One Bed is Forced Proximity too, just one specific instance of it, so that's a bit unfair - especially since the Green sector has yet another one (Snowed In)! But yeah, faced with this, what's a celeb or, sheesh, a *royal* (insert dripping snark here)...

This is getting so long that I'm gonna put the other two sectors in a reblog 😅

[thebreakfastgenie]

what's your least favourite billy joel album??

Honestly I don't know!!!!

It's either Streetlife Serenade, An Innocent Man, The Bridge, or Storm Front. But the thing is every single one of those albums has multiple songs I would call personal favorites:

Streetlife Serenade: The Great Suburban Showdown, The Entertainer, Weekend Song

An Innocent Man: Easy Money, An Innocent Man, This Night, Keeping the Faith

The Bridge: A Matter of Trust, Modern Woman, Temptation, Code of Silence, Getting Closer

Storm Front: I Go to Extremes, Shameless, Leningrad

Yes I did list more than half of one of these albums as favorites. This is what I'm saying.

An Innocent Man is kind of the opposite of the others. I think it's a great album and he nails the concept of doing retro musical styles. I do think it works better taken as a whole, so it's kind of ironic that some of those songs became huge hits out of context. But some of those hits are just... they're good but they're a little played out for me. I still sing along to every word and I still screamed when he announced them in concert so I mean.

With the other three, I've always felt these albums are just not as cohesive as his strongest work. I'm beginning to be persuaded on Storm Front because I saw an interview where he talked about it depicting a storm building and then the last song being the calm after the storm and I was like okay that makes sense. Storm Front also has lower lows for me. I like That's Not Her style, it has some really fun lyrics (she wines and dines with Argentines and Kuwaitis...) but musically it doesn't quite fit into the groove for me. Storm Front, State of Grace, and When In Rome similarly kind of just... happen to me. I like When In Rome and feel called to defend it because he was so mean about it for absolutely no reason, but it's definitely not his best work. So there are just chunks of that album I'm not as into.

The Bridge similarly feels so disorganized to me. There are so many fantastic songs on this album but I don't know where any of them are going. I find myself asking "the bridge to where? or to what?" Ironically to me it just feels like the bridge between different stages of his career; it was the last album he did with Phil Ramone but I always consider it in a group with Storm Front and River of Dreams because it feels so removed from the previous five albums he did with Phil. It also has lower lows for me; I always think I don't like Running On Ice until I listen to it and I remember that I love the piano and some of the lyrics ("a cosmopolitan sophisticate of culture and intelligence" would be my blog title if it wasn't too many characters for mobile) but I think something about the sound just doesn't click for me. I don't really care for Baby Grand or Big Man On Mulberry Street too much. I love that he got to work with Ray Charles and I appreciate what an influence Ray was but I don't personally like that style of music as much. So again, just chunks of the album I don't enjoy as much.

Streetlife Serenade suffered greatly from being sort of a sophomore album. It was actually his third album, but it was his second with Columbia, and he was forced to put it out when he hadn't had enough time to write because he was doing the Piano Man tour and he did not have enough material and it shows. Two of the ten songs are instrumentals although incidentally Root Beer Rag is great. Again with the lows... every song on this album has something I love about it, but Streetlife Serenader, Los Angelenos, Roberta, and Last of the Big Time Spenders are musically kind of unmemorable to me (Roberta is memorable for other reasons). I know I compare Los Angelenos unfairly to Say Goodbye to Hollywood, though. And I absolutely love Souvenir, but it's so short, it feels like half a song. Ultimately I think Streetlife Serenade is probably his weakest album just because it's unfinished but I don't know if that makes it my least favorite.

Typing all of that out did not help me answer the question. I'm going to say An Innocent Man because it's a bold choice and it's one of the few I have not been putting on deliberately lately. An Innocent Man and Keeping the Faith were both live highlights for me though lol.

[cha-melodius]

Hellooooo 16 and 20 for the ask game please and thanks!

I've got two of these writer asks lingering in my inbox because both asked the meta question (20), and although I answered it here for a chapter of Nova, Baby, I've also been like, I should do meta on different fics! So it's taken me a bit to get around to them. But thank you for asking!

16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)

I don't think I've tried anything TOO new since I started writing for RWRB, honestly. I'm trying to write more silly short fics, though, and there are some prompt scenarios in my inbox now that will definitely stretch my creative muscles (like the STI clinic meet cute, lmao).

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

A bit of meta for All for a Taste of the Honey (aka FBI agents and stripper!Henry).

I have to admit when stripper!Henry swept the Brownstone, I did not think I would be participating. That's definitely a genre I don't usually write in. But then my brain gave me undercover-as-a-stripper as a concept, and undercover missions?? Now that's a genre I know. I chose FBI agents because I was in the middle of writing a CIA/MI6 AU (fun fact, I actually left @celeritas2997 and @cricketnationrise on a big cliffhanger in my docs and took a break to write this fic, lmao. I'm amazed they didn't murder me), and didn't want to overlap with that, but FBI agents was closer to spies than detectives or something. I just love writing bickering partners who are actually in love but just don't know it yet, and this was ripe for that.

(Spoilers below)

As with any undercover as a stripper trope fic worth its salt, the whole point of this one was to get Alex to have a breakdown over Henry stripping. Not just the taking off clothes and gyrating on stage, but the whole competency kink thing, because Henry's actually good at it. Also an excuse to put Henry in a slutty Navy uniform; the American flag briefs were chosen for maximum psychic damage to Alex. I like to think Henry kept them for the future and deploys them when he wants something.

Looking at this fic again, I think the part where Alex watches Henry come out on stage might be my highest frequency of italicized words in text ever. 😂 This boy was really suffering.

“Straight like you’re straight?” Henry asks smugly, like the absolute asshole he is. Alex hates him so much right now. “Or actually straight?”

I'm pretty sure this is everyone's favorite line based on how often it got quoted back to me in the comments, and it's mine too. Something about cocky, teasing Henry just gets to me.

I love Alex having a slow bisexual crisis, and I also love him getting hit over the head with a 2x4. This is the latter.

Henry had caught a small-caliber round to the gut on what should have been a simple sting, and Alex had not taken it particularly well. There’d been no real reason for him to linger at Henry’s bedside in the hospital, even though he’d desperately wanted to.

Just me hinting at one of my favorite tropes to write, the ol' sitting by the hospital bed of your injured partner standard. Often leads to feelings realizations. In people who aren't as dense as ACD.

The scene where Alex busts into the back room was probably the hardest part of this fic to write, because I needed Alex back there without raising too much of a ruckus, but I also needed Vega's security to be tight. Alex's distraction + quiet takedown of the bodyguards is very much a Michael Weston (Burn Notice) move.

��Apologies,” Henry says to the other dancers as they go. “Pleasure working with you. You were all very lovely.”

Henry being a Polite King delights me to no end.

The car chase + argument scene was possibly my second favorite part to write after Alex losing it in the club. For some reason I find car chases actually quite easy to write; I'd just written a really big one for a fic in a different fandom, so it was fresh in my mind I guess. I also love their fight over Alex being overprotective. I do remember hemming and hawing a bit at their words to make sure it wasn't too similar to one of their Alex-being-overprotective fights from Nova, Baby. (Yes, Alex being overprotective, especially when Henry doesn't need protecting, is a big fave of mine.)

then he’s climbing across the center console and into Alex’s lap, somehow managing to not bump into the car horn as he does so.

I spent too long thinking about if this (and everything that follows) is actually possible. I googled photos of cars. We're going to pretend that it is.

Henry’s hands sink into his curls

Pretty sure every fic I've ever written about them includes this line. I love being vindicated.

All right, I think that's all I've got for now! Thanks again for the ask!

[drynnki]

It's fic rec time!

Hello friends! Happy new year. I read some really good fucking fics the past few weeks, and although I don't have much of a following I wanted to highlight a few! They not in any particular order, more likely just the order I've read them in.

I Can't Hold It & I Have Nowhere to Put it Down by @aalstroemeriawrites

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Post-TRK | Mature | In Progress

I don't think I've read a better version of this time period! A lot of the time in my own writing I struggle to reconcile my aggressively academic writing style with the magical-realism of trc, so I'm always super impressed when someone clearly has their own style, but still leans into the trc-like language. Aalstromeria straddles the line so perfectly!

The storyline was so compelling, and definitely fills the void of "what the hell happened between TRK and TDT??" in a way that feels satisfying and complete. This fic has it all! Angst, tasteful smut, Richard Dick Gansey III. Can't wait for the last chapter!!!

Magnetic by MonsieurBlueSky (@mychemicalrachell)

Ronan Lynch/Joseph Kavinsky | Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Re-imagination | Explicit | Completed

HUGE TW: Kavinsky is his own warning, Drug Abuse, Alcoholism, Self Harm, Suicidal Ideation

I. cried. violently. through the whole second half of this fanfic. I am still not okay. If you are in a place to get through the intense sections, this becomes a beautiful story about love, loss, family, and learning to understand yourself again after tragedy. I have severe PTSD and have known several people who struggled with drugs and alcoholism, and this is one of the most realistic and heartbreaking stories about those things I've ever read. Honestly, I cannot overstate the beauty of this fic.

If you can't tell, this entire fic is pretty much entirely heavy angst, but I promise it gets easier. Declan and Matthew are featured heavily, and the brothers learn to love each other and themselves again. Oh, and Robert Parrish gets his ass kicked. Twice.

You Gave Your Body to the Lonely by @mitski-hoe

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Blue Sargent/Richard Gansey III | Noah Czerny/Henry Cheng | No-magic AU | Explicit | Completed

This was such a lovely fic, and one I just had such a great time with. It's always interesting to see how different people write these characters, how their strengths and flaws fluctuate. The author has a really strong sense of how they wanted these two to be in this fic, and they stick to it. Don't worry, I'm not saying Ronan and Adam are strangers here, just different versions of themselves. They still have all the same buttons.

Also, tasteful smut <3

Henrietta: Without Magic, With Medical Careers by @avalonjoan

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Blue Sargent/Richard Gansey III | Opal <3 | No-magic AU | Teen-Mature Depending on Individual Work | In Progress

Do you need a sick-fic? Do you need Ronan and Adam being fluffy and gushy and almost gross? Do you want to hear about the intimate details of the US healthcare system? Then boy, do I have the 39-work series for you! This is my feel-good fic, my go-to, the OG. I've been reading it since it started and honestly I just love these boys and Blue being happy and like a family. Kavinsky is in it and also not an asshole most of the time. Maybe a scoundrel, but a big softie. There's smut, too, if you're looking for that! If not, it's easy to avoid since there are so many high-quality, not-explicit fics in this series. Highly highly highly recommend for some good vibes <3

Anyway, that's all! I just wanted to share these since I adore them and half of them tore a hole in my chest </3 stay safe, stay warm!

[oceanblueeyesoul]

Hi! How are you doing? Hope you’re doing well! If I may ask, a TUA, Stranger Things and Wednesday (2022) matchup please :]

Appearance: I have shoulder-length layered dark brown hair with brown eyes and round glasses. I’m currently 5’0 and I have tanned skin. I also have a mole on the bottom of my left eye. Additionally, my clothing style is mostly minimalistic.

Personality: I’m an INFJ-T, 9w1. I describe myself to be quite carefree and quite shy. I don’t really dislike being around people, although I do like being by myself a lot. A few people have called me pretty approachable and easy going at first, and mostly getting to know my cheery side when they got closer to me. I’m the type of person to be more cheerful and loud when I get comfortable around someone! I will consider myself the ‘Therapist Friend’(?). I like to listen more than talking, and I try my best to give advices to my friends and support them however I can. I really care for them. I might describe myself a ‘Reclusive Optimist’. Also last addition, I’m not very Academically Intelligent. I’m more Emotionally Intelligent, and honestly I don’t really mind that.

Likes / Dislikes : I like art and photography! Art is such a pretty topic and subject for me to be honest, It’s really interesting to see a human person’s thoughts, feelings and ideas placed in a canvas, an instrument (music) or even simply written in paper. I also like to take walks on the park and listening to music along the way. I also like the topic of ghosts and ghost hunting (yes I watch Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghost Files LOL), I like to incorporate them in a few of my stories! I also like coffee and oversized clothing, I just think they are neat heheh. Oh, and I love plushies! I have a lot of them on my bed, I like to hug them as I sleep. I don’t think I can sleep without hugging them hahah.

For my dislikes I think I generally don’t like food that are too sweet haha. I don’t mind sweet things, just not things that are very sweet. I also dislike loud noises hahah. Also, I’m not particularly a big fan of Math (lmao). Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it’s a fun subject to other people but It always makes my head hurt LOL. OHH and I dislike being alone in the dark. I know I just said I liked ghost hunting, but I probably won’t do it alone hahahah. I feel like having a small group with me would be nice.

Hobbies/Interests: I like to draw and write! It’s refreshing for me to just express my feelings without telling it to somebody. Painting my feelings in a canvas or just writing it on a piece of paper brings me comfort haha. I’m interested in music, my favorite genre is alternative indie! A new genre of music I’m exploring is classical music. I’m mainly interested in things that are art related! Also I think I’ve already mentioned this in likes and dislikes but researching on the topic of ghosts is one of my interests! The ghost hunting equipment are quite tricky lol. Ohh, and I recently just found a hobby in baking! It’s honestly pretty fun and a great way to pass the time for me when I don’t feel like painting or writing.

That’s all! Thank you so much :)

Hi there, sweetie! I really hope you like this a lot!

The Umbrella Academy Matchup

Your TUA soulmate is...

VIKTOR HARGREEVES!!

The two of you would definitely go around town to take some photos of things around in the town square and just having fun along the way.

The two of you would definitely be bake anything together to pass the time and while spending time together in the Hargreeves household.

He would definitely be cover your ears when there are loud noises nearby because he wants to keep you safe.

INFP x INFJ lovebirds!

Stranger Things Matchup

Your Stranger Things soulmate is...

JONATHAN BYERS!!!

The two of you would definitely take the pictures of each other a lot because the two of you thought that the other is more attractive than they think they are.

The two of you would definitely be listening to music all the time really because you love each other very much indeed and also you guys just dance to the music as well.

He would definitely be helping you with the Maths questions for school because he knew that you can do this all the time.

ISFP x INFJ soulmates!

Wednesday (Netflix) Matchup

Your Wednesday (Netflix) soulmate is...

XAVIER THORPE!!!

The two of you would be definitely be painting together and making new memories through the art that the two of you made together.

The two of you would definitely be going to ghost hunting every time in the haunted house and also, he just wants to spend some time with you.

He would definitely be turning on the lights in your bedroom for you because he knows that you are afraid of the dark all the time.

ISFP x INFJ sweethearts!

[thewritingsofdreamers]

Book review: Daughters of Sparta

⭐️: 4/5

The Daughters of Sparta is a retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of Helen and her sister, Klytemnestra. As someone who is a fan of retellings and anything with the Iliad, Odyssey, Greek mythology…etc., this was exactly the book for me.

*there will be spoilers ahead but the spoilers are all in the Iliad so if you’ve read that book, or don’t mind seeing minor (and a major) spoiler, read on.

There are three key points I want to talk about, the plot, the characters and the writing.

The Plot:

Honestly, I think the plot was very well unfolded, there was good character building, and, every action done by the characters not only followed what happened in the Epic’s, but also explained why the actions happened. I’ll explain, this in the characters section. Aside from that, both perspectives have me a lot of insight into the girl’s lives and proved to be very enjoyable, (albeit saddening at some points).

The Characters:

First, Klytemnestra, who really takes most of the focus in the book. She is written as a very unique character, at least compared to how I have seen women written as of late. She is young, yes, but the author really portrays her desire to have children and be a wife and mother. I honestly think that is so so amazing. For me, I adore the whole ‘badass woman’ troupe that’s been appearing in books (especially the ones I read) but it gets tiring when these women also reject their femininity because it’s ‘weak’. Seeing Klytemnestra embrace it really made me happy. I understand that she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, but in fairness, is a different time.

Secondly, Helen, who does a full 180 and also shows difference in temperament, desires and actions. While her sister is a lot stronger (in a sense), Helen is much softer. Throughout the book, Helen shows a desire to have no children, and her sister is the opposite. Lastly, while Klytemnestra took action against her husband and killed him, Helen stayed complacent and much more of a damsel then not.

I don’t say this to demean either of them, but rather point out how I loved the diversity between the two characters and how the author didn’t hold back showing the good and the bad.

Ok, regarding to what I said in the plot, the characters actions were very well done. For example: we see that Helen didn’t leave Menelaus on a whim (I.e. she saw a handsome guy and dipped), but rather, it was years and years of misunderstandings that built up into resentment.

Another example is Klytemnestra’s murder of Agamemnon, once again, although it was definitely deserved, we learned that it wasn’t JUST the fact that he murdered their daughter, it had a reason behind it. I also liked getting a backstory to the Priest’s grudge and why he told Agamemnon lies which then led to him sacrificing his daughter. Very tragic, but very well written.

The Writing:

This is where I will critique. It was very simple and bland. Was information told correctly and still interestingly enough that I kept reading? Yes, but it also did not hold the flair of what I’d expect for a book like this. Especially for Homer retellings, I’d expect at least a somewhat more poetic-like writing style but unfortunately I did not get that at all.

Final notes:

Overall, this book was good, and something I’d recommend to others. It’s an easy and simple read, I read it in practically one sitting on the train.

One little thing tho, although I have read Homer’s works (and The Aeneid which is a fanfic, and I will die on this hill) but since I’ve never studied these in depth. I say this because I know that the author has definitely missed or chosen to remove certain factors or aspects about characters that I have missed. My opinion may change if I ever decide to study these works and see that this isn’t as accurate as it should have been but for a light read, this was a good book.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

No…don’t mention meet cute Karasu….not in the presence of an Otoya fic….gotta stay in the Otoya headspace for hollyhock….

FR it’s almost kinda nice how since it’s not in your face if you aren’t feeling particularly angsty he can kinda just be a silly guy LOL

Oh yeah the malicious sliding double press…yikes…also when Kuon tackles Nagi?? If he’s taking down a 6’3 giant imagine like a 5’3 girl like that’s just getting sudden deathed

LMAOOO I love the use of that emoji it’s so funny to me the shaking head one, but fr the Itoshis can’t have it all!! Another Karasu request on top of all the ones I already knew of oh em gee Karasu nation rise up….take it easy though LOL!!! Can’t rush greatness but also burnout is the worst too so I hope you’re having fun writing everything too hehe

That’s honestly a big brain move…gotta leave some space in between reading to allow myself to forget some details so I can kinda be surprised when I watch LMAO

BRO THE CHIGIRI LEG MENTIONS SHSH every time they bring it up im like…haha…hahahahaha…whyarewebringingupthepast….heshealedright??? Erm yeah I feel like it’d be a huge waste of his development if he didn’t at LEAST make it to the World Cup so praying the authors don’t pull an Akutami Gege!!!!

LMAOOO in character it is….yeah I wonder if maybe it’s because of the way his hair is styled that the pairing of the two makes him look extra scruffy….not sure but yeah not my favorite

No definitely…fs present in every fandom I’ve definitely seen a bunch in JJK too (sometimes with Yuta which leaves me so confused) but um!! To each their own I guess. Lol.

BRUH RIN AND NANASE HAS ME CRYING “you are my property now” WHAT???

You could never make me hate kurona omg FR his character profile shdgshs the braid bread (?? I think) and his fav animal being a shark is so cute he’s really just chilling, not a single mean bone in his body!! The way he cheered up Reo was ADORABLE im so glad they included that additional time in the movie shdgshs especially since we won’t really be seeing him in S2 besides maybe some background shots…I really wanna see more scenes of them off field too!! Kinda like the manga additional time with Team Kindness LOL show me some real friends please…..

OOOOOO gonna go hunt for them those look good…

Wait also LIGHT NOVEL?? Waiting to get my hands on the full thing but from what I’ve seen floating around DHDGSHSH BAROUUUUUU omg it’s basically exactly what we discussed before LMAO

-Karasu anon

AHHHH it’s def a slow burn with otoya so especially at first it’s going to be tough but i think it will be worth it…it’s hard work making eita “red flag” otoya into a tragic love interest but i think i may pull it off yet 😏

TRULY he is so versatile like you can explore his complexities and whatnot or you can just be like. fluffy squishy cutie boy. and both work honestly!! i will always be a nagi lover at heart fr

literally omg or can you imagine playing in the u20 match and getting absolutely slammed by oliver AKDFJHSDF pls…the reality of being a female in bllk may not be the most glamorous (but at least you’re surrounded by hot guys??? although like half of them are lowkey weird asf so it’s not really that much of a bonus)

THE SHAKING HEAD AND NODDING EMOJIS CRACK ME UP EVERYTIME they’re so unserious 😭 especially w that fuckass little smile they have SKDLJFLS and yes i agree the itoshi bros should suffer too sometimes!! lmao i’ve written for both of them once and like they honestly are fun to write but smth about how popular they are makes me not want to write for them even more!! and YESSS karasu nation is pulling up fr HAHA i think he is slowly but surely becoming this blog’s brand but ykw i’m okay with that!! and yes i have been enjoying writing hehe especially for karasu bro…he’s so perfect i love him 🥹 (as you know vv well HAHA)

yeah like i lowkey could not tell you most of what happens during the third selection and sometimes i want to go back and reread because there’s so many good karasu and otoya panels in it (that’s like the arc where they’re most prominent after all) but then i stop myself because i want to be delighted by watching it animated!! i do think that if nothing else it’ll be super hype to see a lot of the goals that happen in third selection/u20 arc so i’m doing my best to hold out for now…we’ll see if i can last until october though

my guess is that he’s going to have some “going out in a blaze of glory” type of moment where he says something that mirrors his awakening where he says that he doesn’t care if he never runs again and puts everything into that one game, which allows him to score a goal for bllk that wins them a crucial game but also puts him out of commission possibly forever. depressing af but i do agree that he’s probably not going to go out for a while just because he’s one of the main characters and seems to be one of the author’s favs

his hair is like super thick idk?? i do think it adds smth to the stubble that overall is an interesting picture…honestly the panels of him younger where he doesn’t have the facial hair are soo handsome though like give me five seconds and i can fix him fr (not his womanizing though just the mustache LMAOAO)

it’s the most random characters!! i’ve seen it for nagi too kind of?? like that man canonically has 0 friends 0 bitches 0 parents that care about him…he is NOT going to be flirty or good at intimacy!! otoya aiku yukimiya and reo are right there too like all of them are stated to be popular w girls and half of them are also fboys…but oh well whatever makes people happy!! i shan’t yuck anyone’s yum (though i will most likely stay away for the most part)

dude rin was so foul for that too LMAOAO??? like why did he feel the need to say that…“you are my property now” rin you are a 16 year old boy. that is also a 16 year old boy. HELP?? he’s so lucky karasu and shidou weren’t on the field when he whipped that one out i knowww they would’ve bullied him so bad (lowkey karasu and shidou both give such older brother vibes but in exact opposite ways SDJKFNS)

KURONA IS SO SWEET!! and he just has no beef no problems kind to everyone truly an ideal man. he was so sweet cheering up reo too i hope we see more of them (iirc they were standing kinda together in the s2 trailer?? so maybe that means we’ll get scenes of them!!). i also feel like the additional times are going to be funny and will hopefully show more of them just being silly…manifesting a karasu and otoya additional time that’s just them being menaces 🤞🏻 i feel like additional time is one thing that the anime def got right they’re always so funny to watch and really show the dynamics between characters that you might not consider otherwise yk

they are really good HAHAH i hope you like them if you try them!!

WE READ BAROU TO FILTH FR!! like the ln basically confirmed everything we’ve been saying which is so validating like omg maybe we do understand these characters on a deeper and cooler and more intellectual level than everyone else 🙄🤩 LMAOA the illustration of him helping his sisters is so cute too the way he’s so pressed but still being so sweet…plus the tank top and hair down combo is LETHAL!! i can’t wait to read them properly hehehe i love barou sm he’s surprisingly underrated considering how much screen time he got in season 1

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (06/17/24)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

The Dark Secret by Tui T. Sutherland (8/10)

The fourth book of this series marks a major turning point, mainly because of a reveal at the end, and the rest of the story is quite good. I think although Starflight is not my favorite of the five dragonets overall, he is probably the one most similar to me, and I can understand his decisions well. I did rate this one just a little lower because Starflight is pretty isolated for the majority of this book. It's necessary for his character development, putting him in a situation where he can't just fall back on his friends, but I definitely missed the dragonets' dynamic in this one.

The Brightest Night by Tui T. Sutherland (9/10)

I think this was a pretty good end to this arc of the series. There were some things that I wish had been built up more with foreshadowing in previous books, but Sutherland did a good job creating a conclusion that is both satisfying and adheres to the worldbuilding and characters she's crafted. It's great to get Sunny's perspective in this installment and incredibly satisfying to see her take charge and prove that pacifism and optimism don't mean she's weak or naive. Also, one thing I really appreciated about The Brightest Night was how it handled Starflight and Sunny's relationship. Not only does it show how to respectfully reject romantic feelings and accept that rejection, but I'm also of the opinion that the main five are far too much like siblings for any romantic relationships.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain (5/10)

This may sound deranged, but this book has all the tropes, archetypes, and hallmarks of a male power fantasy isekai. For those who don't know, isekai is a Japanese genre, usually appearing in anime, manga, and light novels, where the main character is transported to another world or back in time. A fairly basic premise, but there are certain distinguishing aspects of the genre, such as a main character far more powerful than they have any right to be, using knowledge of the modern world to change/rule the new one, and some sort of knowledge of the future. Isekai is inspired by portal fantasies, which A Connecticut Yankee is a prominent example of, but the similarities between the story of Hank Morgan and those generic dudes who get hit by a truck and become the most powerful being to ever exist are just so glaring to me. Aside from this, there were some genuienely funny moments in this book--it is satire, after all--but overall it just got a little boring and I could not care less about Hank.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (4/10)

I have to say, despite my rocky past with historical fiction, I'm disappointed. This book was honestly pretty bad, despite the constant praise it receives. It is hailed as a feminist masterpiece and yet contains only the most basic, surface-level white feminism. The scientific aspects are not just annoying and unrealistic but obviously poorly researched, and the way religion is treated in this novel speaks of narrow-mindedness and an unwillingness to look closely at the issue. The story itself lacks tension of any kind because the main character is so obviously right and perfect all the time and all her opponents are so plainly bigoted and idiotic. This wasn't a complete disaster; it utilizes a writing style I enjoy and I can definitely see the appeal of it as a wish-fulfillment fantasy, but overall it's just a mess and mostly just infuriated me.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 36-40 by Haruichi Furudate (9/10, 8/10, 9/10, 7/10, 8/10)

I feel like I'm burning through this series, but it's probably just because manga is so quick and easy to read. I am an ardent lover of the story behind Haikyuu!!, and I think the two volumes I gave 9s to are great examples of why. Volume 36 is probably my favorite of the volumes focused on the Nekoma match, and I love the way it portrays the relationship between both Hinata and Kenma and their two schools. (While I rated Volume 37 lower overall, I did cry at the Ukai/Nekomata handshake.) These interactions speak to how the characters have so much respect and admiration for each other, even if they are rivals, and Karasuno holds that respect for pretty much every opponent they face. Volume 38 is focused on a Fukurodani match, not the main characters, and despite it being technically a story on the side, the characters are given so much depth and attention. I think Haikyuu!! is so engaging to me and generally well-loved because of moments like these where each character is given a story, a moment, and the depth they deserve.

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler (55%)

So far I find this book quite interesting, and I'm also just excited to be reading my first Octavia E. Butler novel. There are a lot of compelling connections to various societal issues in Anyanwu and Doro's relationship, and I think the decision of how to set them up, particularly Anyanwu as an African woman during the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, brings much more depth to these topics. It's definitely tough to read, dealing with, obviously, slavery, but also eugenics, suicide, and abuse, but Butler is handling it all quite well and in a rather subtle manner that carefully contains the story to this one relationship while still making clear commentary on the world at large. I wonder how everything will resolve, since the characters seem to be in a bit of a stalemate right now.

[sunflowerkiwis]

Not Lizzo

This is my first fic! any and all feedback is appreciated - part 2

This part is just singer!yn x bestfriend!nick grimshaw but in he future it will be singer!yn x harry styles

Also Cleo Torres is your best friend and this is not proofread

Word Count: 1k

Happy reading! :)

She stayed up until eleven fifty-four p.m. that night. Usually, Y/N went to bed around ten or eleven p.m. to get some rest. Tomorrow it was her first day teaching her... creative writing class? Honestly, she didn’t even know what to call it. Essentially, she would help people write and maybe sing, just do some fun stuff and help people write their songs or poems or stories better if she could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, she sat on her desk waiting for people to come in. Was she ready thirty minutes early? Yes. Did she care? No, not really.

A few Hi's and Hey's were exchanged here and there as she waited. The class started at ten in the morning. It was now nine forty-five and there were six people of fourteen here. That was alright. It was a small course; it didn’t really mean anything.

Y/N looked around and took in the room. It was an auditorium, really. It was actually the same building the studio she worked at was in and nobody was using it so this worked perfectly. It was just an advantage people didn’t really know that this was her studio since that’s not really something you want people knowing as an internationally known singer.

Her desk sat on the stage in front of all the seats. It was a small auditorium with about two hundred seats—twenty rows, ten seats each.

Eventually, everyone arrived. Honestly, she was surprised everyone showed up. Was it the fact that she was Y/N Y/L/N? Or maybe they were just excited to learn? It didn’t matter. They all showed up and that was great.

“Okay,” she started, dragging out the y in thought. “Hi guys!”

A collection of greetings followed.

“I’m Y/N, or Professor Y/L/N, if you want—it really doesn’t matter as long as it’s my name and not some rando’s like John or Lisa.” She joked and rolled her eyes.

Some laughs came from the audience—her students—at her joke, knowing there were, in fact, a John and a Lisa in this class.

Y/N smiled at them. “How ‘bout we start?” She clapped her hands together. “...Actually, no. Let’s all introduce ourselves a little.”

Some groans were heard here and there.

“I know it’s not something we all like. I know I definitely didn’t like that part of school, but honestly, I really wanna get to know you guys.” She cocked her head to the side. “I’m gonna make it easy for Ya'll. Just your name, something you like, and your favorite word, if you want to say why, you may. For example, hi, I’m Y/N, I like photography and my favorite word is pomegranate because I like how it looks when it’s spelt in cursive.”

Everyone stared back at her as if waiting for further instruction.

“Okay, you guys look really lost right now so we’re going to start like this, your chairs all have numbers on the back. I want you to look that number and raise your hand once you’ve got it.”

In a couple of seconds everybody raised their hands.

She pointed at someone.

“Two.”

“Kk.” She spoke.

“Six.”

“Got it.”  

“Nine.”

“Fourteen.”

“Fifteen.”

“Nineteen.”

“Twenty-two.”

“Thirty-five.”

“Thirty-seven.”

“Forty-five”

“Forty-seven.”

“Fifty.”

“Sixty-two”

“Sixty-four.”

She finished writing the numbers on a post-It she found and looked over it. Fourteen numbers. “Wow, quite the variety we’ve got here. M’kay, let’s begin.”

Y/N grabbed her clipboard with her roster. “Number two, introduce yourself please.” She flashed a smile toward the young lady sitting there.

The dirty blonde girl stood and looked around. “Hey, I’m Kaylee, I like butterflies, and my favorite word is recyclable because I like how it looks in hand-writing.”

“Alright, Kaylee, love the butterfly thing. Although, personally I think recyclable is quite the wonky word,” Y/N said, writing the seat number and the facts Kaylee had said on her roster. She did the same thing for the other thirteen students.

“Alright, now, let's actually get started.” Y/N stood from atop her desk and turned to her computer, turning it on and pulling up her PowerPoint from last night. “We have notes to take. Just a bit of vocab. I know it may seem like a lot but trust me—it’s not. The website I used had over five hundred words, not kidding.”

She gave them about ten minutes to copy everything down.

Y/N told herself over and over she wouldn’t bring it up. Nothing about her career unless absolutely necessary. She tried, but curiosity got the best of her.

“Uh, really quick guys, by a show of hands, how many of you know who I am?”

They raised their hands. All of them.

“Oh, fourteen hands, okay then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, to be completely honest, that’s all I had planned for today. So, do any of you have any suggestions on what we could do in the meantime?”

Some people raised their hands.

“Umm...” she thought about the young man’s name for a second, “Trevor?”

“Yep,” the brunette confirmed she was right. “We could do a q&a?”

“Q&a, that sounds fun. Anything else?” Y/N skimmed the room. “Yes, Autumn?”

“We could, I don’t know how to put it, ‘hang out’ kinda?”

“Okay, just kind of chill for a bit.”  Y/N nodded. “Autumn and Trevor, I really like both of your ideas so we’re going to go with those.”

Y/N proceeded to get up from her chair at her desk and walked over to the edge of the stage, sitting down there and keeping her legs dangling off the edge.

“As you guys may know, I like having fun when I’m on stage and sometimes I like to call people out, and well, I’m on stage right now and I want to call some of you out.” She flashed them a genuine smile, she was truly enjoying this and her class. “First, Autumn and Caleb, you guys obviously came together, didn’t you?”

Autumn smiled and put her hand over her mouth, “No, we didn’t, actually.”

Caleb shook his head laughing. “Nope.”

“No?” Y/N asked. “So, how come you’re the only two people in this entire room, sitting directly next to each other and you’re wearing the same outfits.”

The two of them laughed, along with Y/N and some of the class.

“I--what I’m getting from this is that you’re both either very nice and, y’know, basic—hence the outfits—or, you came together.” She said between laughs.

“Technically, we didn’t come together,” Caleb spoke up, “but we are together.” He finished, grabbing Autumn’s hand.

“Aww, look at you two, being all cute and a happy couple—it's disgusting!”

The interaction gained a laugh from both the class and the couple.

“Anyways...” Y/N said, dragging out the y at the end, again, “Carey! Did you know, your last name is part of one of my very much liked song’s lyrics by Mr. Harry Styles?”

“I do,” Carey smiled at her from her seat.

“Do you...which one?’

“Carolina, from his self-titled album,” she proudly responded.

“Great, you get candy!” Y/N perked up and tossed a jolly rancher at her from her pocket, like she’d been doing all day, every time someone did something right or impressive or any other thing of the sorts.

Y/N took her phone from her pocket—everyone admiring her infamous flower phone case with the yellow flower sticker on the corner opposite the camera, a reference to her friendship with author Cleo Torres, and her first album—and checked the time, 11:30 am.

“Hm, okay guys, it is now eleven thirty, which means you have until twelve to eat or take a break, then you can come back, even if you don’t leave, and get your homework or ask any questions you may have about the class, I promise we’ll do q&a next week.”

Once all the students were gone Y/N sat there for a minute before packing up her things into her tote bag, whilst possibly humming the lyrics to My Sunflower, one of her own songs. When she finished both packing and humming, Y/N took her phone from her pocket to check the time—11:36 and two missed calls from Grimz.

“That’s weird,” she said under her breath, opening her messages to text him. Nick Grimshaw, or Grimmy, or as she saved him, Grimz, had been one of her first friends since she first moved to London. He was one of the few people whose number she saved that actually kept up with her and chatted with her frequently. Nick was also never one to call her out of the blue, especially today, since he knew she had her first class he wouldn’t call if he was on air.

“What’s wrong?” A familiar voice said from the doors.

Y/N flinched and quickly looked up at her surprise visitor. “I swear to god, you’re going to give me a heart attack if you do that again.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dear, that wouldn’t be good,” Nick chuckled from his place at the doorway.

Y/N smiled at him and walked down the stage steps, “Hi,” she hugged him, “what are you doing here?”

“Well, I am here to make you an offer that you can’t-”

“No.”

“No?” He gasped with his hand to his chest in mock offense. “Will you let me finish?”

“Fine, but Nicholas if you ask me to go on air with you tomorrow and ask me to cancel my plans with Cleo, I will actually murder you.”

“Cleo is here for another four days, and it’s not every day you get to go on air at the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show and perform a song on air,” he continued his offer as they walked out of the auditorium. “Plus, I have a special surprise for you if you come.”

“You’re not gonna let me say no, are you?”

“No, I will not.”

She bit her lip in thought and sighed. “Fine.”

Nick flashed her another smile, “Great!”

“Shut up.”

“Well, that’s not very nice, is it?”

Y/N rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone again, as they walked out of the building. Soon, Nick’s own phone ringed with a message.

Y/N

i'll be nice if u buy me a coffee and a croissant :)

Grimz

This is manipulation.

Y/N

idk what ur talking about

Grimz

And gaslighting.

But, of course I’ll buy you a coffee, dear.

Y/N

and a croissant?

Grimz

And a croissant

.

Y/N

:D

They both chuckled at each other and walked across a cross walk once the cars passed by.

“Where are we even going?” Nick finally asked, truly he was just following Y/N around.

“A café I found when I first moved here.” She smiled at him. “Remember the one we went to once when I ranted to you about how cool I found England and how I was so excited and all that?”

“Oh, when you told me your undying love for Cleo? Yes, I think I remember.’

“When will you stop with that? I told you I don’t like her in that way, it’s just a joke with the fans, she’s literally my best friend, and has been for the past ten years.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, sure.”

“Anyway, what’s your surprise?”

“It’s not a surprise anymore if I tell you, Y/N,” he shook his head, teasing her a bit.

“I’ll come even if you tell me, though.”

“And I would’ve given it to you even if you didn’t agree to come.”

“What is it?”

“I am not going to tell you.”

“Why,” she pouted.

“Because.”

“That’s not a reason.’

“What song are you going to do tomorrow?” Nick asked in an attempt to change the topic.

She smirked at him. “I’d tell you if you would just tell me.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you...”

She softened her smirk to a smile of excitement and waited for Nick to tell her. And she waited. And waited a bit more.

“Dude,” she looked at him, “what is it?”

“Tomorrow,” he gave her a smirk of his own.

“I don’t like you; you know that?”

“That’s because you love me.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ll have a cappuccino and a blueberry bagel please,” Nick told the cashier and looked over to Y/N. “And what would you like, Dear?”

“Can I have a French vanilla with a toasted cheese croissant, please?”  

“Of course,” Nick said as he gave the cashier his card and led Y/N to a seat, afterwards.

“Running on Sunshine.” She said as she took a seat.

“Excuse me?” He asked from across her

“That’s the song, I want to do tomorrow. Running on Sunshine by Jesus Jackson.”

“Ooh, good song,” He raised his eyebrows, nodding in approval. “It’s a special guest.”

“Huh?” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows at him.

“The surprise, it’s a special guess, whom I know you will love, or do love.”

“Hmm... Ariana Grande?” She smiled.

Nick chuckled. “Not Ariana Grande.”

She opened her mouth in fake shock. “How are so sure I’ll love them if they’re not Ariana Grande—wait is it Lizzo?”

“Don’t be daft, it’s not Lizzo--”

“Ugh, who could be so good?”

“--It’s not Lizzo but you’re very close.”  

“If I’m so close, why won’t you just tell me. Y’know in this very moment I could call you a twit.”

“Haha!” Nick cackled. “You’re learning your slang I see, quite honestly, I think you’re catching on the accent too.”

“Am not.”

“You just did it!”

“Did not.”

“Again!”

“Shut up!”

“Order for Nicholas!”