#there's more to this but i really can't figure out the knack of explaining it haha

[52suite]

a little bit on this:

plato's allegory of the cave speaks of prisoners trapped within - you guessed it - a cave with a fire, who are bound to only watch as shadows of objects passing by are deemed their reality. this is what they know, despite the shadows not being the true, real thing. they are based on the senses, and only the senses, and a limited scope of understanding. they are inaccurate depictions based on what we can base them around.

this sounds a little familiar...

"Suppose if all the clocks are displaying the wrong time..." "If those bound to promises fulfilled their vows through betrayal..." "If those who sink into the realm of dreams never truly fell asleep..." "If the dead return to life, only to discover their names have been stripped..." "If... If..." He blows out the flame, and in darkness, there is but the eternal ticking of the timepiece.

...doesn't it?

this is something i want to delve deeper into when i'm able to articulate myself all the better, but the theory suggests that people long for a higher level of understanding, yet the other inmates - those who are within the dreamscape, in this telling of the story - do not wish to leave, as they know no better life... than the paradise of dreams that has been built.

the theory also supposes that these prisoners will eventually be released from their imprisonment. the first thing the prisoner would see is the fire, and the strain of the bright light would hurt his eyes, so he would not believe it, despite it being before his face. the light, the philosopher supposes, "... would hurt his eyes, and he would escape by turning away to the things which he was able to look at, and these he would believe to be clearer than what was being shown to him"

does this sound familiar to you? here's where i'll start pasting directly:

Socrates continues: "Suppose... that someone should drag him... by force, up the rough ascent, the steep way up, and never stop until he could drag him out into the light of the sun". The prisoner would be angry and in pain, and this would only worsen when the radiant light of the sun overwhelms his eyes and blinds him. "Slowly, his eyes adjust to the light of the sun. First he can see only shadows. Gradually he can see the reflections of people and things in water and then later see the people and things themselves. Eventually, he is able to look at the stars and moon at night until finally he can look upon the sun itself (516a)". Only after he can look straight at the sun "is he able to reason about it" and what it is. Socrates continues, saying that the free prisoner would think that the world outside the cave was superior to the world he experienced in the cave and attempt to share this with the prisoners remaining in the cave attempting to bring them onto the journey he had just endured; "he would bless himself for the change, and pity [the other prisoners]" and would want to bring his fellow cave dwellers out of the cave and into the sunlight 

so... who does that sound like?

the too long didn't read is, of course, that gallagher and enigmata in itself is a reference to the allegory, as is penacony as a whole - and how this winds up tying into sunday and his eventual story, of how he too, has left the cave and the fire and walks beneath the sun.

"oh gallagher is fire because of like the alcohol burning down right haha" well yes sure but more specifically... plato's cave allegory.

[lurkingshan]

10 Things I Love About Triage

I am extraordinarily late to this party but I am here to scream about Triage, a show which I started on a whim after a stray comment from @incandescentflower and subsequently finished in two sittings. This drama has been on my list forever (I didn't watch it live because the distribution was wacky) and then it just kept getting overlooked as I fought to keep up with the deluge of Thai BL coming at us at all times. But I am very glad I finally hunted it down and made the time and I would like to tell you why!

Hello Again, Dr. Sammon

I am on record as a Sammon fan. She is one of the best writers working in Thai BL and she has a knack for mystery and suspense. Her narratives are always really well constructed with tight plotting and smart character work, and Triage is no exception. This story feels confident, steady, and complete in a way few Thai BLs do.

The time travel rules are blessedly consistent

Part of what makes the story sing is it's a time travel plot that actually gets the particulars right. In a time loop, the details are everything, and this show understands that. The series of events are consistent, the rules of the time travel mechanics are clearly explained, and when our protagonists learn something new, it always lines up with something we'd gotten hints about before or gives us new context for old information. There are no loose threads in this show.

My boy Tin is going through it

Tin is a fantastic protagonist. He starts the show disillusioned with his work and hilariously grumpy about this time loop situation--he is a busy ER doctor and he does not have time for this--but as he starts to piece together how the loop works he gets more methodical in his approach, and eventually becomes emotionally invested in his mission to save Tol. Tin felt really well-calibrated in that he was smart and he tried all the things you would be shouting at the screen for him to try, but he's still a human being with flaws and insecurities and so he makes mistakes, learns, and has to try again. The show really successfully put us in the frustration with him.

Tol makes for an interesting damsel

Because he's kind of an asshole! Tol is rude and disrespectful when he first meets Tin, he hangs around with some truly awful bullies, he treats Rit like garbage, and he's all around an arrogant dick. Until he isn't. I like the choice to make the focus of our mission such a difficult character, not only because it makes Tin's challenge that much harder, but also because it invites us to consider the reasons why someone might be behaving the way he is and whether they can be redeemed.

This show has everything: action, romance, and agony

It's truly an emotional rollercoaster all the way through, and you can't relax for a moment. The pacing is relentless through most of the show, and even as a bond develops between Tin and Tol and they begin a tentative romance, danger is lurking around every corner. As soon as these boys started making out in episode 9 I knew something awful was coming for me and IT SURE DID.

Jinta, the ultimate frenemy

On that note let's talk about Jinta, my nemesis!! Jinta is some kind of unspecified deity/whimsical god and the one who appears to be responsible for putting Tin and Tol in this loop. Is he trying to help them? Is he trying to torture them? I definitely think it's both! He seems to delight in showing up to taunt Tin as he struggles to figure out how to get through to Tol, and when it's Tol's turn on the merry-go-round he sends him to the darkest timeline for his high stakes final attempt to save Tin just because he can. I love/hate you, sir!

Sing and Gap and the darkest timeline

Speaking of which, can we talk about how appropriate it is that Sing and Gap are a couple only in the darkest timeline? I don't know if people were shipping this for real during the live watch, but I definitely was not and so I started cackling when we got to the worst possible timeline and Sing was suddenly calling Gap his boyfriend. Sammon, you are hilarious and I salute you.

Fantastic side characters

Let's talk about the sides I did love. First of all, aside from his weird aggressive flirting/not flirting thing with Gap, I actually did like Sing's friendship with Tin a lot. I also loved the hospital gang who were around to alternately tease and help Tin, most especially Toy and Fang. Toy is a sweetheart and a gossip who never misses a trick, and Fang is an actual badass who first cracked the case with that evil doctor and saved Tin's life. They are fabulous. Rit was also an excellent character with a lot of complexity and he added some much needed depth to the school storyline (does anyone else think he was basically the proto-DFF Non?). And while Mai and Heart were not my favorite people, I did appreciate that the show gave them a sympathetic portrayal instead of making them evil villains (we had the organ harvesters for that).

That beautiful clocktower

I must give a shoutout to this gorgeous clocktower featured in several important scenes. I got so excited every time it showed up. Fun fact: in the first clocktower scene I was like oh hey I recognize that from gifs, but it can't be that scene because it's too early for a kis--TIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING! (I was right, it was too early for a kiss and Tol was Big Mad but bless you for going for it anyway, Tin).

The romance is balanced and rootable

And on that note, let me give a shoutout to the romance part of this story for actually feeling balanced. This is not an epic swoony love affair, but more a story of two people putting in the time to understand and empathize with each other. Sometimes in these kind of time loop stories the romance can end up feeling very one-sided because one character is holding all the knowledge and all the cards. But in this show we have the neat trick of Tol taking over the loop to try to save Tin in the final arc, which means he got to go through a similar process of getting to know the darkest version of his lover and figuring out how to get through to him. I was delighted by all the events of the long loop playing out again, but this time with Tin being the obstinate one. Tol got a taste of his own medicine and it left me feeling like they were both equally invested in this relationship.

TL;DR: If you haven't watched this yet, you really should! It's a fast binge and a great time with some Thai BL favorites. It's unfortunately still not available for international streaming, but it's very easy to find grey now and it's worth the effort. Go forth!

[satrs]

hi lec, how are you? ^^ i hope everything treats you well. can i request bllk characters reacting to reader's pre-menstrual mood (sad, sensitive, depressed to an extent but do it however you want!) the specific scenario would be the reader being sad, short tempered & stuff just to have period few days later. also if i could request the characters, may i request for shidou and nagi?

i love your take on sfw bllk stuff and the way your story tell, it's just so real & i'm IMMERSED in everything you wrote. you have a knack for sfw slice of life genre & i hope you would consider my request! fank yewwww ily

ᥲ/ᥒ ꜝꜝ ✎ HEY NONNIE I'm doing fine tysm!!! I hope you do too^^ I'm thankful for the request and very grateful how you feel about my work. It really means the world to me and makes my motivation shoot up! I decided to add two more characters, I hope that's alrightttt and I hope I'm fulfilling your expectations!

*+:｡.｡　𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬　｡.｡:+*

ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀɪɴɢ; Nagi Seishiro. Shidou Ryusei. Itoshi Rin. Barou Shoei. ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ; 1.0k

TAGS; fluff. mentions of period/cramps. hurt to comfort(kinda?).

ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+(proplayers)!

NAGI SEISHIRO.

"Not right now Sei'." He was visibly displeased, showcasing it by a pout that adored his face, dropping the second controller in his hand onto the bed. "C'monnn, we always play this together."

You were not in the mood for any games, not if those pre-period cramps were almost killing you right now. Plus, the pill and the heat pad did a terrible job at soothing the pain.

His continuous pleas only imitated you further, causing you to blow his top. "I said not now. What the fuck can't you understand about that, huh?" He was surprised by your outburst, the room falling silent and the only thing that could be heard was the gaming sounds from the TV and your ragged breathing.

You immediately regretted your harsh words, an apologetic look washing over your face as you saw your boyfriend's startled expression. "I'm so sorry, I'm just- I don't exactly feel well right now."

He didn't say a word, turning off the television before putting the gaming controllers away, crawling up to you on your side of the bed and cuddling up to your side. It's probably that time of the month again. Poor you, he couldn't imagine being in your shoes.

"I figured. We can just stay in bed and cuddle if you want to." You softly nodded, turning to your side to put your arms around him, snuggling into his chest. "I'm tired anyway."

A weak chuckle escaped your lips, body moving at the action. "Of course you are."

SHIDOU RYUSEI.

"Babyyy" He giggled after entering your house, loudly announcing his presence. "Guess what I got!" He stood before you in the living room, holding out a bag of what seemed to be food out to your face, unable to recognize your frown.

"Why do you always have to be so damn loud, Ryusei?" His giggling came to an end, a confused look on his face as the bag fell to his side, head tilting as he looked at you. Why are you mad? Did he do something wrong?

He decided to ignore your bickering, bright smile adoring his features as he opened the bag on the coffee table. "Got your favourite shake. See? The biggest size!" He lightly shook the shake in his hand, showing it off to your unimpressed form. "Oh really? The biggest size? So you're telling me I'm drinking too much of 'my favourite shake'? Is that it?"

He pouted as you mocked him, your voice laced in annoyance. A frustrated sigh left his lips as he crouched down before you, a serious look on his face and his hands on either side of your thighs. "Tell me what's wrong, Y/N. Is it me or does something bother you?"

His warm and comforting voice made your frown disappear, a regretful look on your face as you explained to him the reason for your displeased mood. He nodded in understatement, sitting down next to you and packing out the rest of the bag, taking the shake and holding it up to your lips.

"No problem. I'll pamper you the whole day, yeah? Now take the shake, I know how much you love it."

ITOSHI RIN.

"Why won't you talk to me, Y/N? What's-" Your boyfriend stood before your doorstep, silencing himself at the sight of your form - disheveled hair and dressed in long and baggy clothes, eyes swollen and some tears still visible on your lash line.

He stepped in, swiftly shutting the door behind him as he kicked off his shoes, rushing you to the couch to let you rest. "What happened?" Tears welled up at your lash line again, threatening to fall. "Everything happened. Everything is just one big mess, and I can't do anything about it. Everything I tried to do today didn't work out at all." Wait. This feels like some kind of Déjà vu.

"Did you eat already?" He sprung up to his feet when you shook your head no, headding off to the kitchen. "Let me grab you something." And he did, grabing some of the leftovers from yesterday and warming them up, taking out his phone and opening the app that showcasted your menstrual calendar, your next period was mere days away. "Oh."

"Thank Rin." Your weak smile pulled at his heartstrings. He hated seeing you so sad and frustrated. Being by your side would be the only right thing to do now. "Always. You need anything else?" You took a bite out of the food, shacking your head food as you munched it, swallowing it right after. "No, just you."

He chuckled lightly at that, scooting closer to you and sneaking his arm around your waist, planting a kiss to your temple. "I'm here."

BAROU SHOEI.

"Your room is a complete mess. What have you been doing all day? Laze around?" Your head was booming as your boyfriend came into your room, bending down to clean after your mess. You've not been feeling well today, not in the mood to get out of bed or do anything at all. He was right, and it made you mad.

"And what if I did? Don't act like you're my mom and stop cleaning my stuff. I'm alright with doing it by myself." You plopped back into bed, hiding yourself under the covers. He sighed at your child-like act, walking up to you and taking a seat at the edge of the bed, hand caressing you. "I'm not your mom, but your boyfriend. And I care about you so I can't just leave you like that. What's wrong?"

He clicked his tongue when you didn't respond, slightly shacking your form. "Y/N. Talk to me." You groaned in frustration, kicking off the covers and looking at him, frowning.

"My period is up okay?! You should know this." It was his turn to frown, flashing you a confused look. "How would I know? You're always a sloth." He chuckled as you hit him with your pillow in a playful manner, taking it from you. "Alright, let me clean up and then we'll go, get ready and grab some Thai. How's that sound?"

You sat up, stretching yourself as you made your way to the bathroom to get cleaned up, stomach growling at the thought of some delicious food. "Good."

ᵃˡˡ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ ᵇᵉˡᵒⁿᵍˢ ᵗᵒ k-azus.°

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Unknown - final thoughts

Normally I write my final thoughts a day or two after a finale, but I got a little stuck on this one. Not for any bad reason, but because there is still something I haven't quite figured out around my reaction to it. But reflecting for a couple weeks has not gotten me to an answer yet, so we'll just go ahead anyway.

This series made me feel so deeply. Which is a thing Taiwan seems to have a knack for. I've gotten emotional at plenty of other shows, but this one managed to hit me at some little tender place inside that few things seem to reach these days. I actually paused watching a bit during the angsty episodes, because I was genuinely concerned about how it would affect me.

And I can't really explain why. I suspect there may be something there around Yuan's level of devotion and Qian's dedication, and how the two intersect, but my psyche is not willing to fully give it up yet. Which probably says something in itself. But I'll keep poking around in there.

I know that it wouldn't have affected me so much without the outstanding performances of Chris & Kurt. Absolute acting powerhouses.

The funny thing is, I can't even say it's a favorite, or that I'll be rewatching it a lot. I tend to feel that way more about lighter fare. But it was amazingly well made, incredibly impactful, and will be far more memorable than a lot of things I will watch.

Final assessment, watch it. It's really fucking good.

[yawnzbf]

⚝ REVERIE?

College students soobin and yn move into an apartment together who are unaware of each other's existence

900+ words

In the second year of university, yn shifted from his on-campus dormitory to a shared apartment. Being a busy university student who worked two jobs to sustain himself wasn’t easy as it sounds on paper letting him have no chance to greet his roommate properly.

Yn composes himself and marches away to their shared living room for a movie marathon his only solace for the night. On the way, yn notices the other bedroom’s light still up. Looking for something anew, makes his way over.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

The door opens to his supposed roommate- ‘Soobin, that was his name, right?’ yn wonders. Soobin was tall and with those thick rimmed glasses, bangs just above his eyes and headphones that hung around his neck- god he looked absolutely delicious. ‘what the hell is wrong with you yn, you just met this guy!’ yn internally screamed at himself.

“hello…?” Soobin asked confused why yn was at his room this late.

“oh uhm- yeah, I am going to have a movie marathon tonight and thought that I could invite you as well. Since you know, we haven’t really got to know each other as roommates” yn mutters out embarrassed.

Soobin on the other hand patiently watched the man trying to explain himself with an amused smile growing more and more with each second passing. Soobin pretends to think for a second too long, he agrees when yn looks at him with hopeful eyes, unable to refuse the offer.

“sure, ill be there in 5 though” he says shutting the door leaving a giddy yn alone with his own thoughts.

Unknowingly a grin finds its way to yn’s lips as he prepares snacks for his company, switches the lights off and choosing their very first film of the night. Yn sits back on the shared couch, waiting for Soobin. The side of the couch dips slightly as Soobin settles beside yn.

“you don’t need your glasses?” yn asks after examining soobin’s illuminated figure.

“mhm, people say I look much better without my glasses” Soobin replies, raking fingers through his hair.

“really? I thought they looked much better on you” yn passes a comment without a thought.

Soobin’s eyes find yn’s as if questioning the authenticity of his words. Yn suddenly feels small under his gaze and looks away.

“did I say something wrong?” yn asks eyes averted.

Soobin's amused smile returned, and he shook his head. "No, not at all. It's just... no one has ever said that before. Most people think I look unapproachable with glasses."

Yn felt a mix of relief and curiosity at Soobin's response. "Well, I guess I have a knack for seeing things differently. Besides, glasses or not, you seem approachable to me."

Soobin's eyebrows raised slightly, and a genuine smile played on his lips. "I appreciate that. It's refreshing to hear a different perspective."

They both fell silent focusing on the movie being played or at least yn tried. Yn often found himself stealing glances at the latter.

Soobin, who was well aware of yn’s eyes on him turned to face yn. Yn was caught red handed, his eyes slightly widened when Soobin directly saw through him. This time, instead of looking away, yn met Soobin's gaze with a sheepish grin. There was a moment of shared amusement, an unspoken acknowledgment that dispelled any lingering tension.

Soobin chuckled, "Caught in the act, huh?"

Yn laughed, unable to deny the obvious. "Guilty as charged. I guess I'm not very subtle."

Soobin leaned back on the couch, his smile never fading. "No need to be subtle. I mean I am handsome who wouldn't want to look?"

Yn couldn't help but burst into laughter at Soobin's playful remark. "Confident, aren't we?"

Soobin shrugged with a mock-serious expression. "Well, it's a fact. I can't blame you for appreciating the view."

Yn gazed at soobin again for a second too long before focusing back on the movie which was left forgotten long ago.

As the night progressed, the television played movies after movies, the pair occasionally sharing their opinion on certain parts of the movie- constructive criticism perhaps. Tiredness of day caught up to the two when they both released a yawn. Soobin snuggled his body with yn leaning on the latter for support.

Warmth was welcomed by yn when he rested his head on top of the other’s. The soft glow of the TV illuminated their faces, casting a warm and intimate ambiance. Yn couldn't help but appreciate the unexpected turn the night had taken. What started as a simple movie night had evolved into a genuine connection, and now, they found themselves not only sharing laughs but also moments of quiet companionship.

As the next movie started playing, Yn felt a subtle shift. Soobin's breathing became slow and steady, indicating that the weariness had finally caught up with him. Yn, too, felt the gentle pull of sleep tugging at his consciousness. The combination of the cozy atmosphere and Soobin's presence provided a sense of tranquility that was hard to resist.

Soobin, nestled comfortably against Yn, murmured in a half-asleep state, "This is nice."

Yn smiled, his own eyes growing heavy. "Yeah, it is."

The movie played on, but the characters on the screen became a mere backdrop to the peaceful scene unfolding on the couch. Yn, succumbing to the drowsiness, let his eyes close slowly. Soobin, already on the verge of sleep, remained nestled against Yn's side.

[deliciousangelfestival]

Frosty Affection request - The first time Bucky had to ask Y/N for help.

Please, thank you and feel free to take your time on this!

-Zombie

Thank you for the idea @thezombieprostitute 😘🩷🩷🩷 Here it goes. I hope you like it.

Frosty Affection || Drabble 2

Frosty Affection Masterlist

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more. 

Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi

The first time Bucky asked Y/N for help: Because of the education he got since childhood, Bucky is an ace in academics and sports. With his good looks and his brain, he's a perfect guy. 

But God is fair; He didn't make Bucky perfect in everything. 

Bucky is clueless about art. 

Whenever there's an assignment to make a slide presentation, he always gets harsh comments from the Professor. The professor said, "Your material is good, Bucky, but the design looks dead." 

As a perfectionist, it doesn't sit well with Bucky. 

 The frustration grew until he decided to seek help from an unexpected source—his girlfriend, Y/N. She's creative and also part of the photography club at the university. (Before she got together with Bucky, she took a picture of him in secret. 😉) 

One evening, Bucky approached Y/N with his laptop, his expression a mix of determination and vulnerability. "Y/N, I need your help with this presentation. I can't seem to get the design right, and it's driving me crazy."

Y/N, who was always supportive, chuckled at his admission. "Don't worry, Bucky. Art is my domain. Let me take a look."

As they sat, Bucky explained his ideas while Y/N navigated the design world with finesse. Their conversation flowed seamlessly, a dance of creativity and logic. Bucky found himself fascinated by the transformation on the screen and how Y/N's eyes lit up when discussing artistic elements.

"You see, Bucky," Y/N explained, "it's not just about the information; it's about how you present it. Let the design complement your brilliant ideas."

In the next class, a rare smile broke across the professor's face as the professor reviewed Bucky's improved presentation. "Barnes, this is a significant improvement. Well done."

With a newfound appreciation for the artistry Y/N brought into his life, Bucky shot a grateful glance her way. It wasn't just about the perfect score; it was about sharing a part of his vulnerability with someone he trusted.

The second time he asked for help from Y/N: Bucky grew up in a household where affection wasn't explicitly expressed among siblings, yet he deeply cared for each of them, especially his younger brother Nicholas.

This time, faced with selecting a birthday present for Nicholas, Bucky sought Y/N's assistance.

"I want to get him something he'd really like, but I have no clue where to start."

Y/N, with a warm smile, reassured him, "Don't worry, Bucky. We'll figure it out together. What does Nicholas enjoy? Any hobbies or favorite things?"

Their conversation unfolded into a delightful exploration of Nicholas's preferences. Y/N suggested a few thoughtful gift ideas, and together, they settled on something that combined fun and practicality.

With Y/N's guidance, Bucky confidently selected the birthday present, and as they wrapped it together, he couldn't help but feel grateful for Y/N's knack for thoughtful gestures.

On the day of Nicholas's birthday, both Bucky and Y/N attended the celebration. Nicholas, beaming with joy, couldn't contain his excitement when he saw his sister Y/N, who participated in the party and brought a special gift just for him.

Bucky, with his present in hand, approached Nicholas.

The nervous anticipation lingered until Nicholas, in a surprisingly mature gesture, pulled Bucky closer and whispered, "I knew sister Y/N helped you. Nonetheless, thank you, brother."

With those words, Nicholas embraced Bucky, creating a touching moment between the two brothers.

Seeing Nicholas' joy made Bucky realize how the gift, with Y/N's help, had strengthened their bond.

Join The Taglist ? 🩷🩷🩷

@scott-loki-barnes

@almosttoopizza

@sapphirebarnes

@thezombieprostitute

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Author Note: Hey everyone! 🌟 Your input means the world to me.

If you've got any cool ideas or prompts, whether for this fluff series or any other series, feel free to share them with me!

Just drop them in my ASK/SEND REQUEST box.

Can't wait to hear your awesome suggestions! 🚀💬

[novelmonger]

Book Review: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Quote that should have been on the back of the book: "I run the numbers and come up with an answer I don't like. The gravity in this room is too high. ... Thing is, nothing affects gravity. You can't increase or decrease it. Earth's gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. Period. And I'm experiencing more than that. There's only one possible explanation. I'm not on Earth."

Premise: The sun is inexplicably losing energy. If things continue like this, soon life will no longer be sustainable on Earth. In a desperate attempt to figure out what's happening to the sun and stop it, a three-man crew is sent to space on what will likely be a suicide mission. Unfortunately, on the way two of the crew die, leaving Ryland Grace as the only remaining hope for Earth. Until he discovers that Earth is not the only planet faced with this problem.

Thoughts: When @dairogo recommended this one to me, it was in the context of first contact with aliens, so I was very interested in reading this, as that was the subject of my Inklings Challenge story! I was also pretty sure I'd enjoy it anyway, if it was anything like the other book of his I've read, The Martian. And just like that book, this one puts a man in a solitary situation out in space, where he has to figure out solutions to a whole multitude of problems equipped with sophisticated equipment and a proficiency with math and science, but also just some good old-fashioned critical thinking and a plucky sense of humor.

Like with The Martian, I really appreciated how Andy Weir explains the scientific principles backing the plot. I don't understand them much myself, but somehow the way he explains them make it perfectly understandable to the extent I need to know to understand the story, while never feeling like he's just spouting jargon or talking down to me either.

I also really liked how the book started. I'm always down for a good amnesia story, and even though I knew (from the cover and the diagram of the ship at the beginning, even if I hadn't known this book contains aliens) that he's on a spaceship, it was so cool to watch him reason his way to certain conclusions about himself before he fully remembered who he was or what he was doing. And then the memories that surface throughout the book lead to some really interesting plot twists during parts of the main plot that are maybe a bit less exciting.

Grace is such a good protagonist, too! I wasn't sure at first if he was just going to feel like Mark Watney, but while there are a few notable similarities (like optimism and good humor, as well as a knack for problem solving), his voice still felt very distinct. And no, not just because Grace avoids swearing almost as much as Watney peppered his thoughts with profanity XD (Oh, and I also had a good chuckle over how Weir went out of his way a couple times to highlight that Grace would not be able to survive extra unplanned time in space the same way Watney did XD)

And the aliens! Rocky was definitely one of the highlights of the book for me. It's always so interesting to see different ideas of what lifeforms on different planets would look and act like. It was super fun to see some similarities to my own ideas from my Inklings Challenge story, particularly in the way they speak. The only thing that stretched my suspension of disbelief was how quickly Grace and Rocky were able to understand each other without aid from technology. It's not just like being stuck in space with someone who only speaks Russian, so you have to quickly pick up some words and basic grammar in each other's language to be able to communicate. This is a completely different method of communication altogether, one that no human uses. I just think they should have struggled a bit more with that (though I know I'm a bit biased :P).

Finally, just...that ending, man. I was expecting it to be a good one, full of hope and the value of life like that of The Martian. But I wasn't expecting it to leave me laugh-crying over the sheer joy of that eucatastrophe. There were a couple points in the book where Rocky and Grace talk along the lines of, "What are the odds that two planets so far away from each other would evolve intelligent life at just the right time, with exactly the right level of technology, so we would meet in this place and be able to help each other out?" And I just wanted to scream at both of them, "HOW CAN YOU SEE THAT THIS IS NOT A COINCIDENCE?!" Especially that final solution! It's so clear to me that they were both placed exactly where they were in space and time to preserve life on both of their planets. I know this is just fiction, but...praise God.

[twstjam]

Memory Lane Part 2: Faded Scars

Characters focused on: King of Beasts!Leona Kingscholar & GN!Reader

Word count: 2.2k

Summary: You're an innocent isekai victim... until you accidentally step on a cranky lion's tail.

Or: You wander into another world and meet reincarnations of cartoon villains (who were REAL and also your friends in a past life). Leona-centric chapter.

Masterlist

AO3 Link

The Queen of Hearts, the King of Beasts, the Sea Witch, the Tactician of the Sands, the Fairest Queen, the Ruler of the Underworld, and the Thorn Fairy.

Together, they're known as the Great Seven.

Or at least, that's what Ace had told you... right before him and Grim got collared for burning the Queen of Hearts's statue and you got arrested into having tea time with his boss.

Now, you're told that Riddle was the Queen of Hearts in a past life. According to him, her powers and memories had been passed down the previous rulers of the Queendom of Roses and that he was the current inheritor, thus making him the current ruler of the kingdom (queendom?).

Or at least, that's what you got from his long-winded spiel. He had explained it with a sort of manic, frantic look in his eyes that made you fear he might actually behead you after all, which then died down into a sort of defeated acceptance when you only nodded and smiled at his rambling. The disappointment on his face made that fresh feeling of unexplained belonging twist in your chest, but what in the world were you supposed to say to all that?

Oh that's so cool that you have the memories and powers of a controlling, temperamental tyrant! Based on how you're so uptight and everybody shivers at the sound of your name I'm sure it didn't affect you negatively in any way! Let's totally be friends like we used to be in a past life! Sure, why not! ?

That was another thing you can't quite wrap your head around. He knew you? In a past life? Or at least, the Queen of Hearts did? And you were some sort of "Beast Tamer" that was the only person that the Great Seven listened to?

Oh yeah, as it turns out, Riddle isn't the only one with the memories and powers of an evil fairytale villain. There are others like him, and apparently one of them was here at the Castle of Roses.

"This is a very puzzling situation," Riddle had sighed as you stuffed your face with more desserts in an effort to drown out how much of a stranger you suddenly felt in your own body. The queen sitting across from you had his brow tightly knitted in an intense expression, deep in thought. "I can sense that your essence is theirs, just like all the others, so you should be able to remember. For the past hundreds of years, we've never had a problem like this before. Everyone's always been able to access their past memories just fine..."

He had trailed off and you paused in the middle of taking a bite out of another cupcake (why are these desserts so good?!) at the sudden silence. His gaze was still really far away, as if he was watching an intense drama unfold instead of the untouched strawberry tart in front of him.

He blinks and suddenly he's back to fairytale earth. The crease in his brow disappears as he looks back up at you and you can practically see the light bulb go off above his head.

"Maybe... we can use something to jog your memory."

That's how you're here, standing in the sweet-smelling garden and face-to-face with another thing in this world that wants to kill you.

If you really were a "beast tamer" in a past life, you must've really sucked at it. Or maybe you just didn't inherit the beast-taming abilities like you didn't inherit the memories, which was just your luck.

You don't really believe anything that Riddle had said about you being some sort influential figure like the Seven (except for what he said about your past self having a knack for getting into danger, which you don't doubt a single bit) but right now, as you're staring down a cranky lion man, you really hope he was somewhat right.

"You've got some nerve stepping on my tail and just walking away," the man/lion/furry growls. His mussed dark hair falls over his eyes messily, but you're still able to spot a scar over his left eye. On top of his head are a pair of furry ears, stiffly folded back in irritation. When he talks, you catch a glimpse of inhuman canines in his mouth. "Ain't nothin' worse than bein' in the middle of a nap and havin' some jerk step on your tail."

"As we might have it, the inheritor of the King of Beasts is here at this very castle." you recall Riddle saying, followed by an irritated sigh. "Not that I have any idea where he is... he's always slacking off who-knows-where and has his retainers running around doing chores for him. We must find him. I'll have some of my card soldiers looking as well. He's hard to miss: he's a lion beastman with dark hair and a scar on his eye."

Ears, tail, a head of luscious dark locks, and a scar...

You hadn't put it together before, but in hindsight, you really should've been able to figure it out before you stepped on Scar from the Lion King 's tail. Not that it'd have increased your chances of survival.

"Sorry—! Um, your majesty...?" He was a king, right? But— Wait, Scar wasn't the king in the movie. That was literally the whole plot... you think. You can't really remember. Even if you did, that knowledge would only be useful if the fairytales you knew actually did align with the history of this world. Wait... the Lion King isn't a fairytale! …Or is it?

The lion man is still glaring at you. You pull your mind back into the moment and try to instead think of ways to not get eaten.

...Would it count as cannibalism? Agh, question for another time!

"I wouldn't know anything about having a tail but uh, I'm sure it's not fun to get it stepped on," you stammer with a forced polite smile that you hope looks apologetic, or at least pathetic enough that he'd consider you not worth snacking on. "I'm really, really sorry. I really didn't mean to disturb your nap! But it's actually good that you're awake. The queen's looking for you, soooo..."

"Hey." You flinch at his sharp tone and your back springs up straight. Your blood turns cold with fear as you feel him examine you closely before he speaks again, "Look at me when I'm talkin' to you."

You're not eager to get up-close and personal with his sharp-looking teeth, so you do the smart thing and look up.

His eyes are green (just like the cartoon lion) with slitted pupils, like a cat's. Having never seen such a thing on a human face before, you find yourself transfixed... and then blinded.

The lion man's eyes go wide before he blinks and they suddenly start glowing a bright yellow. You squint your eyes against the light but you don't look away.

The same thing had happened with Riddle earlier when you met him. You hadn't been looking as closely then as you were too busy trying to control your erratic heart rate, but it's hard to miss when someone's eyes change from grey to red.

Just like Riddle's did, the glow in the lion man's eyes fade as suddenly as they had appeared and you're looking at a pair of green eyes again. You think his pupils go round (just like a cat's do!) but you don't have time to be sure as you're suddenly being shoved under an arm and against a hard chest as the lion man throws his head back with a loud laugh.

"Of all the herbivores!" he exclaims boisterously, a stark contrast to his drowsy anger earlier. He practically squeezes the breath out of you and you wheeze weakly.

As you're suffocated to death, your life flashes before your eyes. You see green eyes, dark hair, a scar… Wait, this just happened, didn't it?

There's a lion in front of you. A massive, full-grown lion with a mane of dark hair and a conniving smirk. For whatever reason, you don't run, and that proves to be a mistake when the lion suddenly climbs into your lap and curls up on top of you even as you scream and shove at him. You feel his chest rumble with a laugh when you give up struggling and flop back defeatedly.

You blink and your vision focuses back on a man lion instead of an actual one. The one that was actually holding you down and under an arm instead of a massive furry body. There's a very obvious difference, but you swear the smirk on his face is the exact same, eyes, scar, canines and all.

"Finally decided to show your face, huh?" the lion man chides. You only keep staring at him. You can't move even though you want to. Like with Riddle, your body suddenly feels like it has a mind of its own and your actual mind is telling you things that don't make sense but feel like they should .

The silence between the two of you turn awkward when you continue to let yourself be dragged around like a limp doll. The lion man's expression shifts drastically from a friendly one to one of shock and you almost fall on your butt when he suddenly pushes you away.

"Ugh, I hate it when that happens…" he growls. He's turned away from you, but it's obvious from the sound of his voice that he isn't only exasperated but also embarrassed.

That makes two of you.

"I don't know what that was but I do know it was super weird," you say with a shrug. Lion Man whirls around to level you with another glare, but unlike earlier, you don't flinch. You know he's not going to pounce. Not actually.

"That never happened," he snarls. He steps into your space and you can feel his hostility, but all it does is make you defiant (You mourn the loss of your self-preservation instincts, but hey, at least you're not trembling like a newborn kitten). Lion Man points his index finger at your chest and you can feel his claw-like nails through your shirt. "We're not friends , alright? Just 'cause you used to be chummy with Scar, doesn't mean we're going to be all buddy-buddy, got it?"

He aggressively jabs your chest at each emphasis and you almost stumble off your feet. You mirror his glare and shove his hand away by the wrist.

"You don't have to get your fur all fluffed up," you scoff and a low growl rises in his throat, but you're not dissuaded. "It's not like I want to be pals with you either."

"Great," Lion Man huffs, turning away. "I'm in a bad mood on account of bein' woken up from my nap, so unless you feel like losing a tooth, scram."

You're just about to bite back your assent when a voice suddenly calls back from across the garden.

"Leonaaaa!"

Lion Man curses under his breath. You hear footsteps approach the two of you, and a scruffy-looking man (? He's so small and scrawny that he could be a boy for all you knew.) appears down the path. He has animal ears and a tail too, but his ears are bigger and fluffier and so is his tail.

If Lion Man is supposed to be Scar, then could this guy be a hyena?

"Leona! There you are!" he says with a wide, relieved grin. You'd assumed he was one of the card soldiers, but with a closer look, you realise he isn't at all dressed like one. "I knew I'd find you here."

"Ugh, and now I've got this guy on my tail..." Leona groans, turning his irritation onto the new stranger now. "What is it, Ruggie?"

"Riddle's lookin' for ya," the hyena boy—Ruggie—replies without missing a beat despite the deadly glare trained on him. "Says it's important inheritor business. He's even got the guards looking."

"Inheritor business, huh." Leona's ears rise at that and he glances at you over his shoulder. "Wonder what about."

"Beats me." Ruggie shrugs as he crosses his hands behind his head. "But you should probably go see him before he boils over."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," Leona says gruffly as he stretches out his back and limbs. "I don't feel like gettin' collared today. I'll go see what he wants."

Before he leaves though, he turns to you, but instead of looking angry, he looks thoughtful this time. Riddle had had a similar expression earlier, where it seemed as if he was looking at something that wasn't actually there. Not in the present at least.

"I'm guessin' you're comin', huh," Leona sighs, sounding put-upon, and walks past Ruggie towards the end of the garden. He waves a dismissive hand in the air as he says, "Just remember what I said. I'm not waitin' up for you, and don't expect me to."

You roll your eyes at his back before walking after him with Ruggie tailing behind you (probably to make sure Leona actually makes it to Riddle). Leona is far ahead at this point so you could be wrong, but you think you catch the quietest little chuckle from him.

[wouldntyou-liketoknow]

Cruz Freitas

To whoever is reading this: I hope whatever holiday you happen to celebrate this time of year is going fantastic for you! Best wishes, and Happy New Year!!!

I personally celebrate Christmas (and even if I didn't, gift-giving would still be my primary love language to friends and family), so I figured it would be fun to create a fanego as a present for my amazing buddy @sammys-magical-au! Just a little something to show my gratitude for all the times they've helped me brainstorm for my stories!

(I might try to do this for more of my Tumblr friends next year; I'll admit that this instance was kinda last-minute 😅)

[Edit: I've since added a few more lore-bits to Cruz as a character, but they're in different posts. For more info on Macaroon, Cruz's pet outer-creature-cat-thing, go here. For more info on Cruz' mask and ritual equipment, go here.]

[Edit 2: mine and Sammy's buddy @inkbedou has created  some fantastic artwork of this guy! Please go follow them and show them some love!!!]

So, since this character is for Sammy, he's obviously a LixianEgo

Cruz is basically my headcanon name for the character that Lixian voices in Late Night Mop. (I actually brought up the idea of making said character into an ego in an ask I sent to Sammy a while ago.)

When I watched the Let's Plays of LNM roll out, I grew attached to the theory that the whole last-minute cleaning job was actually just a trap/long-con to appease the demon that had been summoned.

So. . .yeah. Cruz may not be part of a cult, but he's still what most wannabe cultists like to pretend they are. As for why Cruz chose to make a hobby out of summoning horrific abominations. . .well, I'm not really sure, but I know he's not gonna explain himself anytime soon.

I won't say Cruz isn't a bit of a misanthropist, but he still knows how to interact with others. I.e., how to put on a personable facade in order to "make friends" until he's gained enough of their trust to lure them into his escapades. You can't just mingle with outer monstrosities without making a sacrifice or two, after all.

On the other side of the coin, Cruz has a shocking knack for taking mind-melting eldritch vibes in stride. Honestly, he's way more casual and collected when hanging out with atrocities against nature than he is around his fellow humans.

He's grown a decent collection of occult books/artifacts over the years. Most things in this collection have been acquired through less-than-legal means, because duh. Cruz has long-since learned to navigate the more paranormal side of the Dark Web/Black Market.

He's picked up several languages in order to translate for his projects. Some are human (such as Latin/Pig Latin). Others. . .not so much (the pronunciation is difficult for someone without multiple forked tongues, but Cruz is nothing if not a determined bastard, so he manages).

He's also musically-inclined (inspired by the fact that there's a violin hanging on the wall in LNM's master bedroom). The majority of summoning rituals don't require music, but he'll be over the moon whenever he manages to find one that does.

If LNM didn't make it obvious, Cruz isn't phased by gory stuff. Hell, the bloody mess in that game is small potatoes compared to some of the other offerings/rituals he's set up in the past (and in the future. . .😈)

That demon from LNM wasn't the first ungodly creature Cruz has summoned, and it certainly won't be the last, either. In fact, his latest schemes may or may not involve. . .ah, what's his name again? Oh yeah! The terrifying EldritchPlier himself, as well as Lunky and Co.

Thanks to all the surreal shenanigans he's experienced, Cruz has developed a literal sixth sense. Though it takes concentration/mental strength, he can see/hear/feel/smell/taste all kinds of things that most people are better off not being aware of.

While Cruz operates with little regard for his own sanity or the well-being of other people, he still has enough morals to not sacrifice babies/kids.

Happy Holidays, Sammy!!! I know this isn't much, but I hope you like this guy! Please feel free to write about him whenever you want! (No pressure of course, but still!)

[infinitethree]

Lucid sits at the island in Day's kitchen, catching him up on the latest developments.

“Delayed messages, huh? That's…mmh. Probably the doing of the big guy.” Day's wings flick with concern, though he hasn't paused his prep for dinner at all.

When further explanation doesn't come, Lucid asks, “Big guy?” “Theo and I got some…upsetting messages. Felt different– felt powerful. I wouldn't be shocked if they’re the one messing with the timing. I'll have to tell Theo, Vio, Helio, and probably Aster about it.”

The older him seems uneasy, and, in better circumstances, Lucid might have held off on bringing this up until he wasn’t in a bad mood.

But that was important info, and he can’t really wait for the other thing.

“And…Daz showed up the other night, just before dusk.” Day's eyes flick upwards, then right back down again. “...Okay? I'm not sure why you're telling me.”

This may or may not go over like a lead balloon. “He, uh…he wants to be trained, too. In being an admin, I mean.”

The knife is set down, and Day stares at him. “He wants to be an admin?” “Weirdly enough, no. The impression I got is that he wants to understand more about himself, and…he wants to help Lee. That was the big thing he talked about; how he's good at explaining, and might be able to help where we fall short.”

Day considers that, drumming his fingers on the counter. “...I'm worried he's trying to be useful. Even with three others on the team, the Welcome Wagon is a lot to deal with. We literally can't afford for him to push himself into a mental breakdown. I'm pretty sure an angry mob would show up at our doorsteps if that happened.”

He grimaces. It's not a pretty picture, but at the same time…is it really right to refuse him?

“Would probably help to talk to him, figure out where his head's at? Because, I mean…if he is good, if he does have a knack for it…? Nobody else would really be able to do that instead of him. If Lee, for whatever reason, doesn't become an admin…at the very least, having another competent mod would be irreplaceable. Best case scenario is that both of them thrive with it, obviously. But we need to think about the scenario of Lee not being suited.”

His older self glares at him. “Are you trying to cut my son out of the picture?” Ignoring the lemongrass and pine of San's concern, Lucid scoffs, “No, fuck no! One, I'm not stupid enough to do it that blatantly. Two, I still think Lee is the stronger choice. But if he hates it, or struggles…” his words falter, and then he sighs.

“I don't want him to feel like he's trapped. I couldn't live with myself if I thought I was basically forcing the kid to take that path. I mean, fuck– it's a huge deal! He's not just choosing for himself, but choosing for your entire family. But his heart is too big for him to easily choose to walk away if there’s nobody else. And that holds true for Daz, too! Both of them will be in a better place if we at least see. I wouldn't have brought Daz into it, but he asked.”

A long, tired sigh escapes from Day. “...I hate that you're right. But Daz is just…”

Reluctantly, Lucid adds, “He thinks being an admin is why he wound up here. If his Dream needed another admin, one completely under his control…”

Day looks vaguely ill. “He was violent and possessive. It– it wasn't about hurting him, I think. When I triggered the enchantment and Daz screamed, he forgot about Theo and I. He hesitated when he saw Theo, too. I've…I'm pretty sure Daz is right. That Dream needed him for something. Nothing good, obviously– you remember his code.”

A violent shudder goes down Lucid's spine. He’s seen a lot of fucked up code, but that…?

It was a miracle he survived it being added, a second miracle that the broken program didn't kill him, and a third miracle that the T3 showed up when they did.

By all rights, Daz should be deader than dead.

He says, “But that's another reason to bring him in. If anyone understands how serious fucking around with code is, it's him. He also…deserves to actually be taught, you know? By people who want to support him, instead of just using him. If he ultimately decides it's not what he wants, that's fine. But don't we owe him the chance to find out?”

A groan escapes Day. “Fuck…fine, fine. He'll have to cut back on his Welcome Wagon hours, though. I won't set him up for failure and burnout.”

Holy fucking Prime, for a minute he didn't think Day would actually agree. The man is infamously stubborn, after all; just as much bullheadedness as any Tommy.

…Probably why he gets along so well with Theo, actually.

“Agreed,” he says, “that's one of my biggest concerns. We might have to ask Raine to keep an eye out, warn us if he seems to be getting too overwhelmed.”

Day nods. “Alright, then. At least that's settled.”

Day's wings jolt when he gets the message. Lucid looks confused, but he can wait until the entire thing goes through.

…What a weird hypothetical.

“Got a question,” he says, mulling it over.

He picks up his knife again on autopilot and resumes dicing.

Another indicator that the messages are being filtered in some way, which is…worryingly on-topic.

A coincidence? Or is someone making sure they line up…?

The main point is weird, though.

Who the fuck would be forced to answer? More worryingly– is this really a hypothetical, or a secret being kept by someone?

It's impossible to tell. Sometimes the Observers seem to delight in making them, usually Day, suffer. Other times, they seem to actually care about them.

He sighs. “Depends on who it is and why they're in that position. I don’t like the idea, but…I don't know. Maybe they'd have an upside to it.”

Day ignores Lucid's curiosity. The entire conversation has been a lot already, and adding something that could just be Observers being assholes on top of that doesn’t interest him.

Lucid's frown grows more pronounced as he hears the lengthy message.

“...That sounds wrong, but…” he sighs, and tells Day, “One of the newer Observers is adamant that born admins have instincts. There’s something weird about a 'claim', and–”

“No, no, I heard it,” Day says, unease visibly growing. “I've never noticed anything…? Can you clarify what exactly you mean, and more importantly, explain who you're talking about? Because we don’t know.”

Of course, if they mean someone inside Sanctuary, then there are only really three possible answers. Or, well, two, considering that Lucid and Day were once the same person.

It’s either them, or it’s Daz. If it’s Lucid and Day, then the Observer might be able to bring some sort of clarity to past events.

If it’s Daz, though…the situation becomes much trickier. Do they get permission from him to learn about potentially distressing parts of his past? Do they ask him to convey whatever information the Observer has– and risk him being triggered or traumatized?

Or do they just leave it, and hope that whatever insights they might have gleaned don’t matter much?

At least they have confirmation that messages are, in fact, being delayed. That’s…great. Things only ever seem to get more complicated, never easier. As if he didn’t have enough on his plate as it is, just with traveling and training two admins.

He sighs softly and tells the Observer, “And my favorite animals are cats. I technically own one, though Patches pretty much does whatever she wants. She goes between all the Summer Hills houses as she pleases, though rarely goes any farther than that.”

[paradoxesofgalaxies]

How to tell if you are a system or codeswitching?/ how is bring a system different from situational masking?(straight to the hard questions for my mutuals-sam

For me, I reached a point where the evidence became too much to ignore. There were the hours long "naps" I was taking but finding evidence of having done things I couldn't remember during that time. I was finding things I had written I couldn't remember writing. Then I was arrested and saw security footage of my body committing a crime I had no recollection of.

Looking back, I can see that the abuse we were enduring at the time had pushed us past the point we were equipped to handle so the cracks began to show.

But yeah, I know that's not particularly helpful for explaining things.

But hmm, how can I explain it? For me, a lot of the times I can't tell until afterwards. When I try to think back on what happened there might be a sense of "not me", like I remember what I said/did but it feels as if someone else did it. Or I can remember but feel entirely disconnected from the emotions I was just feeling intensely. Or I may look back on something that just happened and only be able to remember buts and pieces amidst the fog.

Honestly, the biggest difference is dissociation. DID is often seen as Alters Disorder with a lot of focus on the different dissociated parts of self. However, DID is first and foremost a dissociative disorder. Alters are just one aspect of the dissociation. The dissociation also causes identity confusion (not knowing who I am), intrusive trauma symptoms like flashbacks, memory gaps, depersonalization/ derealization, and much more.

I'm not sure how much this answers your question, so please send another ask if you want clarification or have more questions.

Trying to figure out if you have a CDD can be really difficult and confusing, especially since dissociation has a knack for hiding itself from one's own notice. If you're able to, working with a knowledgeable therapist can be incredibly helpful.

[dream-girl-city-official]

The Jack Wright Journals (part four)

I'm a smart enough guy. I'm good with my hands. Back in the day I was in school for mechanical engineering. My parents were really excited to see me graduate and go into NASA, build rockets, stuff like that. For a while, that's where I thought my life was heading. I've always been good at figuring out tech-but it was never really my big passion. Engineering is handy, but it was never "the big thing" in my life. It was just a tool I'd use to get me to the stuff I really cared about; like the supernatural, or building ghost hunting gear, or helping out my sister with her radio job.

She's the reason I got into radio in the first place. I was fresh out of college and exhausted. I didn't want to go into an engineering job right away, or do anything like that. It just didn't have any appeal, and everything else felt kind of dull. The only things I knew I liked was playing rugby, looking into aliens, and hanging out with my sister, Lily. She was starting up her big journalism career and a tiny little radio station in our area. One day the station lost a producer and needed someone who could work the sound board. Lily talked me into it, and the rest is history. I got really good at fiddling with the old broadcast stuff, to the point where I made that old 80's radio tower sound just as good as anything new. I have a knack for making old radio equipment work, but I've always been good with my hands. You'd figure that I'd be able to work through anything without a problem. That's what I thought, at least up until the last several hours happened.

I've spent countless hours trying to get something in this old radio station to work. The equipment is old, the power lines are wonky, and the infrastructure of the whole building has been fighting me on every step. This place isn't built like a normal radio station, which is normally designed to maximize your broadcast reach and let things flow smoothly. Instead this feels a lot more like somebody strapped a radio tower to an old cabin and called it a day. There's barely any soundproofing on what could generously be called the studio, and as for the power-well that's my biggest problem. Despite being old, most of the equipment is doable. With a little fiddling, I could get something out there, maybe even boost the signal. The problem is that it's pointless without a power source. Everything's dead out here; and I don't know what to do.

I don't want to give up on this place just yet. It feels important somehow. I can't explain it, but I feel Sammy here, somewhere. His voice brought me to this place, his presence is here. But I doubt that really makes much of a difference when I can't do anything about it. I'm going to do another sweep of the station and see what I can find. After that, it might be time to leave. That show in the corner is growing-has been for the past couple of hours. It's bubbling and swirling like a storm. Multiple red eyes watch me work. It reminds me of the strange shadows I saw from my trip up north to King Falls. I don't like it. I don't like the way that thing is watching me. I'm going to try to work fast and maybe find something to salvage. If I can find something to make a power source later on, I'll be able to come back. Maybe by that time the thing......it's gone. I don't know where it went, or what's going on, but the room is colder now. Everything is looking darker. I should probably go befor-

[brooklynislandgirl]

"Not exactly a bad girl, just one who sometimes gets a little tightly focused. I've never worn real leather even once in my life and I've never once sung about being Sandra Dee." Okay so maybe the reference was a little dated but then so is Beth in a lot of ways related to growing up. There's sheltered and then there's whatever she'd been. "And it wasn't forget in the classical sense, it just slipped my mind. But if you're a very very good boy, some day I might let you go ahead to try and find it."

Was she teasing? Absolutely. And does Ben look good with colour in his cheeks? Also yes. It's really a win-win situation here, or so she tells herself. At least until she jerks her head back instinctively and blinks once, twice, a third time before laughing and lifting her hands to protect herself.

She wants to gently remind him that she isn't in the business of killing turtles or contribute to plastic in the sea but that doesn't seem either courteous or going with the flow of this...not-a-date. "When I retaliate, they will kick us out. It will be as glorious as the Battle of Thermopylae." Oh she knows this isn't Sparta and she isn't at all serious. But the moment is, and it turns on a dime. She has, since meeting Ben, wondered just how alike they are. Maybe he's also got an emotional imbalance, the very thing she hasn't brought up yet. She is only now addressing her audio processing disorder and there's only so much of yourself you can drop on someone at any given point in time. Especially not when almost all of you is screaming not to chase that very someone away. Or as her brother used to say often and with great exasperation, 'can't you stop being weird just this once, Bean?' And judging by the look on his face, the thickness of at the back of his throat, she figures the answer is no, not even a little bit. "I think it trans..." She stops, as she often does, mid-sentence then shakes her head. "You know what? I don't think it matters. Not maybe the way we think it does." Especially not when he agrees that her borough is acceptable. Now a frisson of fear slithers down her spine when he mentions furniture. And nick-knacks. And all the little things about her life she can't really hide any more. Which means for the first time, she might actually have to be vulnerable outside of her control, to answer questions that can't help but be asked. "I'm sure everyone says that about teachers. That or you live in the school or a craft closet." She means to lighten that feeling in the pit of her stomach. "You've never mentioned being caught, and I assume if you had a criminal record to speak of, that you'd never be give access to tarps and shovels, so there's that." His skin is warm and she all but lets it soak into her fingers. If he means to keep her there, she'd had no intention of taking her hand away. She drags her eyes from their hold on each other then upwards to meet his gaze. She really likes to hear him explain and how strange that it's a fact that she doesn't actually know, despite being a master of random trivia. And once again, he makes her smile. This time it wrinkles her nose at the corners of her eyes and she doesn't try to hide it or look away. "No, I can vouch for the wine and the vodka, at least, and the food's pretty good too. An' rest assured, I am."

Ben had always been adept at dampening the mood. He tended to overthink everything; he worried, needled, prodded, and exasperated until the source of his troubles either gave up on him outright, or were beaten into submission from his constant fixation. This, he supposed, was no exception to the rule. Although the idea of beating Ellie into submission -- or rather, her common sense -- was both laughable and unlikely, he still noted the way her expression was more distant, her features drawn, her voice quiet. Had he done that?

Popping another straw out of the dispenser at his elbow, Benjamin idly peeled away at the end while Ellie spoke. "Ah, so you're the resident bad girl in this equation," he teased. "I can't believe you just forgot about an entire tattoo. It must've been in really hard to find place."

Ellie wiggled her brows and he laughed, lifting the straw to his lips before blowing. The paper casing shot off in a brief, haphazard flight before landing unceremoniously into her lap -- and not without careening into her nose first.

"Bullseye," he said, chuckling. "And they say diners can't be fun."

It was easy to deflect, to distract, to tease. If Ben got her to focus on the mundane and trivial, then perhaps she wasn't focusing on him -- on how much of a mess he was, nor how much he really, truly, madly did enjoy her company. He didn't wish to be a tag-along or some ever-present, insufferable bur, but it was difficult for him to imagine his life without her at this point... And to be frank, he didn't wish to.

As if privy to his musings, Ellie gently laid her hand over his thigh and he drew a breath, holding still, lest he shatter the yearned for contact.

"You didn't make anything weird. I...I sometimes...you've noticed I'm sure...that some things kinda get...lost in translation. So I think that's all this was, yeah?"

Ben winced. Well, that was certainly underselling it. He was quite proficient at reading the wrong signals and, worse yet, pursuing them, so with a sheepish dip of his chin, he mumbled, "Yeah...I guess it just depends on how you translated it."

To his surprise, Ellie kept speaking, and this time about a date -- next Friday -- and gaze snapping up to meet with hers, he tried to school his features into that of nonchalance, but a small grin was already weathering away at his present façade.

"Brooklyn's fine," he agreed, praying he didn't sound too eager. "And if your apartment truly is just 'right there,' maybe you can show me your little knickknacks so I can prove once and for all that I do, in fact, have a normal, adequate amount of furnishings. My friends claim I live in a prison." Eyes twinkling, he laid his hand over hers, gently squeezing her palm against his thigh. "Speaking of words and their origins, did you know that bistro is possibly related to the French word bistouille? It's a northern thing -- guilty as charged, right? -- or rather, a colloquial term that means ‘bad alcohol.’" He grinned. "Is that truthful with your bistro, or no? 'Cause I'm not picky."

[inhuman-obey-me]

I feel like mammon actually has some luck at stuff like lottos or slots but the prizes he gets are worthless to him.(the seraphina figure) But to others it's exactly what they want. As they say: one man's trash is another man's treasure. Too bad he's too much of hoarder to actually get any use out of his prizes...

Yes, definitely!! Mammon certainly does seem to have some kind of luck. As you noted, he won the Seraphina figure without even really knowing what it was. However, he has actually repeatedly noted his knack at knowing exactly what's valuable and what will sell for a lot of money -- that's how he always knows what the most valuable things in his brother's rooms are when he goes to steal them. It's not necessarily about whether it's something that he recognizes as valuable or not. And in fact, he actually does mention winning money sometimes too! So, why does it seem like he is perpetually broke and losing money on gambling?

The Devilgram story for the Mammon the Gambler card offers us one explanation. Though he's a very avid gambler and suggests that the brothers and MC play poker, he initially just keeps losing. But he complains he's not motivated if there's no money at stake, and though they settle for just betting on bottle caps, even that is enough to turn Mammon's luck around so that he then wins seven rounds in a row. This seems to suggest two things -- first, that it's a matter of motivation from a demon who just rarely applies himself, and second, he can actually be incredibly lucky!

But that doesn't quite explain then why he's regularly going into debt from gambling. In those cases, money is involved, so by extension, he should actually do great at gambling, right? And yet, we know this isn't the case.

The thing about Mammon's gambling is that, as the Avatar of Greed, he is a walking lesson about letting greed blind you -- going too far, getting blinded by money, and losing it all.

Mammon's problem isn't that he's overall unlucky, or that he always loses -- his problem, as with many gambling addicts, is losing control. He doesn't know how to quit while he's ahead. With gambling, you're winning until you're losing. You can make a fortune one round and lose it all the next. But for the Avatar of Greed, once there's that kind of money at stake, he completely forgets about the potential for losing. There is only the possibility of winning more the next round, getting more money, and he'll keep going and going trying to win more and more. Even if he loses, whatever, it's fine! He can just win it back the next round, right?

Except he doesn't. Next thing he knows, he's gone so broke that he's suddenly deep in debt again, or has bet something he has no right to offer in the first place, thereby dragging the brothers into his trouble yet again. And this is a trap he always falls into, because as the Avatar of Greed, he just can't really help himself.

Unfortunately, what that means is that it doesn't ultimately matter how lucky or unlucky he is at gambling. He will keep going until he can't anymore, because he's got nothing left. Again.

[connieshusband]

Fucking hate you, love to fuck you

Hate sex

Oikawa x fem!reader

"fuck you!" "Is that a promise?"

4k

reader was the captain and ace of the girls team, reader goes to Aoba Josai, reader is also Kag's cousin

Degradation, Slight Feminization Kink, Praise Kink, Fluffy Ending, Fluff and Angst, I'm not very good at writing smut, I also got tired while writing so its short... sorry, Sir Kink: but very minor, no beta we die like men

-cross posted on my ao3:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/31932412

MINORS DNI

Summary:

You hadn't registered that you'd slapped him until he look at you holding his red cheek with his large hand.

And you certainly hadn't registered that he had his tongue down your throat not a moment later. An honest to god moan leaving your lips which he smugly ate up.

___

Degration as well as any kink should have the full consent of all parties involved every time!!

I'm not very good at e2l so be gentle 🤩

I'm such a simp lmao

Oikawa could never figure out why you hated him when you both entered your first year of high school. Having come from a different middle school than you, he figured you'd be like the rest of the people in your grade level and fall all over him.

He wanted to ask why you had such a large stick up your ass during your first group project but chickened out. He assumed you'd at least get along as you were captain of the girls volleyball team and known for your powerful spikes. The setter in him really wanted to find out your perfect toss.

But it wasn't until your 3rd year when he came to despise you too.

He'd overheard you telling your best friend that your cousin made it onto his high schools volleyball team. Being the nosey Nelly that he is, he made the mistake of asking which school your cousin attended.

"Karasuno," you said, your chest puffed out.

It clicked: the black hair, intense expression, the last name even. He could practically see his protégé in the reflection of your eyes. He mentally slapped himself for not seeing it sooner.

His eyes narrowed, matching yours as tension of your silent beat down had to be cut by Iwazumi.

_____

You set down your suitcase, giving your aunt a big hug as she greeted you in the doorway. You give Tobio a fist bump as he helps you carry your things into the spare bedroom.

Your aunt had graciously allowed you to stay with her so you could be closer to school for your final year.

"I can't believe you're dropping volleyball club just as I'm about to join," Tobio whined, setting a suitcase on a chair in the corner of the room.

"I know," you said sullenly. You hadn't wanted to, but being captain and a 3rd year just wasn't going to be practical. Not being the best student, you thought it would be a wise decision.

Having always been close your your cousin on your dad's side came with its perks, including but not limited to drama. Ever since Tobio had joined volleyball in middle school he'd talked about Oikawa, usually brushing off some of the down right nasty things he'd said. But you hadn't. You took it upon yourself to help him train harder and harder to be able to defeat his bully when he'd found out he couldn't attend Aoba Josai with you.

Being an ace had its advantages when teaching Tobio about different techniques on how to set up a spiker best. Often gossiping about the smug bastard as you worked.

Of course, there was no escaping the pretty boy at school either. When your best friend, Ryu, had started dating his best friend Iwaizumi, being the 3rd and 4th wheel at hangouts became increasingly awkward.

And even worse when she mentioned your current math grade. Damn that ginger setter. And Mr. Perfect boasting about his grades to you. Which had lead you to your current situation.

Sitting in his bedroom.

Listening to him drawl on and on with rapidly decreasing interest.

While he looked hot as fuck.

What?!

With new found annoyance you scoffed at him snapping his fingers in your face.

"earth to y/n, I know I'm ravishing, but now it's math time." He said, a smirk decorating his lips.

“I ignored you on purpose, dumbass. Don't you get that I hate you?"

"I'm not asking you to stay, besides this has nothing to do with me?? Its calculus..."

"narcissist," you mumbled under your breath.

"must be your type," he shot back, "gawking at me for the last hour."

"aren't you dating whats-her-face from English?" You retorted, feeling your face heat up.

"yeah??" he said, confused.

You mocked his confusion, ""yeah" God, then stop flirting with me."

He scoffed, an eyebrow disappearing into bangs, "you must be a narcissist if you think I'm flirting with you because wow, it almost like I can't stand the sight of you, y/n," he rolled his eyes in disgust, sitting up in his chair indignantly.

You push him back into his chair, turning on your heels, saying nothing more.

"good!! I was going to kick you out anyway!"

____

You notice his current girlfriend wasn't hanging out with him at lunch nor sitting in his lap during English. In fact. He hadn't found new arm candy by the time your next session rolled around the following week.

___

After begrudgingly agreeing to do another tutoring session and making him promise no funny business, that rule was broken when he had his sleeves rolled up of his blue silk shirt, he glasses laying forgotten on the table, fingers rubbing his tired eyes as he tried to explain a difficult problem to you.

How could Tooru Oikawa be so fucking sexy and such a fucking dick at the same time?

Asking myself this a lot while writing

"fuck you, Oikawa! I don't need your bullshit!"

"fine! Fucking go then!" Giving you a light shove towards the door.

You hadn't registered that you'd slapped him until he look at you holding his red cheek with his large hand.

And you certainly hadn't registered that he had his tongue down your throat not a moment later. An honest to god moan leaving your lips which he smugly ate up.

You shoved him against his bed, your own smugness drinking up his moan.

You pulled your tank top off as you climbed on top of him. "You have condoms?" You asked, cringing at your breathless voice.

He flipped your position, hot breath fanning your ear, "don't you want to be filled with my cum, baby?"

Rolling your eyes, you flipped the position again, "the last thing the world needs is more of you running around."

He considered it before saying with a shrug "top drawer."

Leaning over, your legs still gripping his hips, you pulled out a condom wrapper and tossed it at his face. His nose scrunching cutely.

"pull some weight, lazykawa," you said, yanking his pants and underwear to his ankles. He was already fully hard and you took great satisfaction in wordlessly teasing him.

Trying to ignore you, a blush creeping up around his ears as he hurriedly rolling the condom onto his thick length, as you remove your bra. He flips your position once more, hovering over you, a taunting smirk plastered over his lips.

"can't go 10 minutes without getting your greedy pussy fucked?"

"Can't that mouth do anything besides half-assed insults, Shittykawa?" You mocked, he raised a cheeky eye brow at you.

He lowered his face to you heat, "want to find out?" You grip his hair harshly and shove his face between your thighs.

He rips off you panties and eagerly laps around your cunt before catching himself, slowing his ministrations.

He gripped your thighs as he buried his face in your heat. Alternating between sucking in your clit and finger fucking you, never letting you get both at the same time.

You bit your tongue, doing your best to avoid begging for more - a futile endeavor.

"C'mon babygirl, I know you want it," he sing-songed

You swallowed your pride, "please Tooru."

"sorry couldn't hear you, your legs were busy clamping around my ears.

Your legs shook in frustration and pleasure as he lazily drummed his finger on your sweet spot.

He leaned overtop of you, sucking harshly in your neck as his other hand massages your ass.

"please, Tooru! Please sir!"

"oo~" he remarks, returning between your legs, 3 fingers entering you suddenly as he nibbled along your thigh, quickly returning to sucking on your clit.

You come hard and without warning.

"delicious," he remarks, sitting up and licking his fingers clean, "and so many lewd noises too."

"You have a knack for bringing out the worst in people," you attempt to sound threatening but only succeeding in boosting his ego.

"Oh no~ I hate to find out what the best would be..." He unbuttons his blue silk shirt, allowing you to drink up the full show of his abs. "Not talking so big now, eh, Kageyama?"

You scowl at him before grunting a "just fuck me already".

"don't mind if I do."

You connected your lips with his, enjoying the noises he made as his neglected cock became engulfed in your warmth.

Neither of you lasted long.

He emptied himself into the rubber with a sexy grunt lining up with your moan.

After care he collapsed on top of you, his deep breaths matching yours.

Your hands still resting on his back, feeling scratches from your nails decorating his skin.

He had pressed his forehead to yours, you looked up to meet his eyes which were flitting between the purple marks on your neck and your eyes.

He hadn't held your gaze for more than a second when the realization of what just happened hit both of you at once. Pushing your bodies apart, you shamefully picked up your clothes from the floor leaving the room quickly.

____

It had been weeks since that day. You hadn't gone back for another tutoring session, claiming to Ryu that your grades had improved.

The free time had allowed you to be a better supporter for your cousin, getting a chance to meet his teammates and his friends.

You meet Karasuno's Ryu and think to yourself how well he and your Ryu would get along

While hanging out with your cousin at the spring tournament, you were enjoying a lunch break with a vibrant ginger, his best friend Hinata and a mutual friend with spiky hair. Bokuto, you had learned, was in your year and had a ton in common with you.

Maybe you'd gotten carried away returning his flirty looks and laughing a little too hard at his jokes. He remarked often how different your personality was from your cousin. After exchanging numbers to practice volleyball sometime (him being excited to practice with another captain/ace) an unfortunately familiar voice pulled you away from your fun.

"y/n?"

"what?" You roll your eyes, at Oikawa. You knew he had been watch you and the rest of Karasuno after they had win their first game. Beside you, you can feel the 3 boys, especially Tobio fuming.

"I have a question about the math assignment."

"I'm busy."

"too bad."

Recognizing that he wasn't going to go away until you give in, you stand up, brushing the dust from your bottoms. He leads the way out of sight from your new friends.

He harshly pushes you against the wall, "what do you think you're doing princess?"

You flip your position, he winced as his back connects with the concrete wall. "You ask you the same thing, princess."

His hand instinctively wrapped around your muscular arm submissively.

"you like that don't you?" You asked.

He nervously glanced around him for on lookers. Luckily he'd chosen a pretty secluded spot

"wouldn't want your fan girls to see you being treated like the pretty white you are?" You smirked.

He nodded shyly.

You grabbed his ass, earning a submissive squeak from him.

"such a good princess, getting his flat ass groped," you smile, you see him swallow a moan as his eyes flutter shut.

You begin painfully slowly palming him through his shorts, feeling him grow under you.

"I hope you lose," you whisper sensually into his ear.

He scowls at you as you pull away completely. Leaving him hard, exposed, and blushing as you return to your new friends.

______

The cheers from Karasuno's supporters hadn't quieted down as the team packed up. Still high on adrenaline and pride for your baby cousin, you took the time to use the bathroom before the long drive home.

Rounding the corner you heard voices, recognizing one to be Oikawa and the other belonging to a deep voiced man.

Sneaking a peak your eyes go wide. He was face to face with Ushiwaka. The former not fairing well in the conversation. You didn't think a man could look for upset than the way Oikawa looked right now.

As the conversation comes to a close, you wait until Oikawa has gone out if sight to chase after him. Accidentally running into Ushiwaka.

"sorry" you mumble, attempting to move past.

"you're with karasuno, yes?" Ushiwaka asks.

Your mind didn't really register him, instead giving him a quick pat on the shoulder and a "that's great, buddy," as you run after the brunette.

Hearing an "I look forward to playing them." In the distance.

"Hey!"

He was too far ahead to really hear you, pushing past the front doors.

"HEY!" You yell, nearly at his heels. You stand in the doorway breathing hard, "TOORU!"

He turns to face you, Iwaizumi annoyed that he can't convince their captain to just get on the bus already.

You beckon him over and he skeptically approaches you.

"here to gloat?" He asks, his voice lacking the usual sharpness.

"Tobio is staying at Hinata's tonight and my aunt is out is town for the next two days," you say.

You see the cogs working as he pieces together what you're offering. His mouth forming an 'o' shape as he realizes.

You smile smugly before running back to where Karasuno's bus is parked, giving Tobio a running jump hug, which he awkwardly returned.

__

If nothing else, Oikawa was punctual. Arriving at exactly at 7:30. You hadn't done anything special, just heated up 2 frozen pizzas that your aunt had left. Watching his form as he quietly ate his 3 cheese. He hadn't said a word besides "thank you" after you'd served him. While yes, apart of you meant when you'd said that you hoped he lose but the guilt of seeing the cocky bastard looking so small on the other side of the table, nibbling on the crust. Pity maybe?

"You played really we-"

His eyes were red, his pride keeping him from crying in front of you. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You want to have sex?"

he hesitated before asking, "can we be nice?"

You nodded. Making your way to his chair, straddling his hips and cupping his face. You kissed him slow and deliberate. You don't kiss long before you start to feel his dick springing to life. You stand up pulling him, walking backwards, towards your room accidentally walking into the partially open door.

"Graceful," he commented, a hint of his salty tone under his words as he resumed kissing you.

You grinded against each other for a few moments, drinking in each others moans. You pulled away momentarily, his cheeks dusted pink, breathing heavy, his dick straining in his pants.

"You're so beautiful," you said. He blushed harder, his cock twitching in it's confines. Your fingers dip under the waistband of his pants and pull them down, licking your lips when his cock hits his stomach. You're about to press your lips to his tip when you feel pressure on your forehead.

"y-you don't have to..." he says. You cock your head to one side, your lips parted as you gaze up at him. "I-I get it you know... I don't hold it against you..."

"I want to," you say, "if you want me to."

He nods slowly, his eyes fluttering shut as he enters your warm mouth.

Out of all the sex you'd had, this moment with Tooru didn't feel like sex. It felt like making love.

After he got close, you popped your mouth off and had ridden him. His muscles still sore from his games. Your lips danced with his as his hips met yours. Both of you reaching your climax simultaneously.

Tired in the best way, you cuddle up to his bare chest, kissing his cheek, "don't think this means I like you, flatass."

"of course," he says, relaxing into your touch.

"good."

"it was the fact that my dick was down your throat that made be think that."

You punch him in the ribs, earning an 'ouch' followed by a quiet, "let me have one win today." Followed by an even quieter "sorry" from you.

You place a gentle kiss on his cheek again before returning to your snuggle position. He wraps his arms around your waist as you both drift off to sleep.

______

It's been a number of days and neither if you had spoken about it. You wanted to text him a simple 'good morning' but the image of him quietly shuffling out of your room at the crack of dawn when he thought you were still sleeping, placing a gentle kiss on your temple. You didn't want to seem too eager or somehow let on that not only were you awake but had enjoyed when he'd done it.

After the girls had lost to Fukurodani's girls in the semi finals, Ryu had insisted on dragging you out to play volleyball with her and some 'friends'. You secretly hope it's the other girls from your team. You find yourself not disappointed that it's Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

"Warm up 'Yama!" Oikawa yells at you, serving the ball in your direction as you and Ryu approach.

Caught off guard for a moment, you return the ball back at him, hitting his face lightly with an oof.

Of course, Ryu wanted to set for her boyfriend, leaving you with Oikawa.

You made a pretty good team, he picked up your style quickly, the ball exactly where you wanted it without having to tell him anything. Not to mention that Oikawa had racked up a third of the points on service aces alone, Iwaizumi finally adjusting to being on the receiving end on them. He and Ryu had made a magnificent comeback, clearly having practiced with each other before. You were lucky if you could get a piece of one of Iwa's spikes, Tooru faired better but they quickly took the lead. You grab Oikawa's arm, causing him to look at you curiously.

"set it to me, but I'll set it back. You spike it," you said, finishing your sentence by looking at him.

He considers it.

"break it up love birds!" Iwa shouted at you. Ryu making obnoxious kissing noises behind him. You quickly let go of his arm to flip her off, causing her to burst out laughing.

Iwa serves.

"it's mine!" Tooru yells. Mid jump, he faces you, the subtlest of winks as the ball flies into the air.

Smiling, you angle your body for a spike, Ryu taking the bait, but at the last moment, your hand sent the ball perpendicular to the net, straight into Oikawa's hand. The ball whizzing past Iwa's ear.

The adrenaline getting the better of you as you both embrace, celebrating a successful kill.

You revel in you best friend and her stoic boyfriend exchanging a bewildered look.

At the end of the game Oikawa offers to drive you home, when out of the way of prying eyes, he leans against his car. "Before your cousin goes to nationals, he and shorty should play against us."

"Yeah and maybe Tobio can set for me one round," you say, playing with the hem of his shirt, "but if there's any funny business from you, I'm calling it off."

"Who, me??" he jokes, aware of his history with your family.

You don't respond, opting to gently press your lips to his. He returns the kiss, cupping your face.

________________

Did I write myself into the story? ┐( ∵ )┌ Maybe a little...

I'm also not opposed to doing a part two, so lemme know in the comments ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

Also not me writing my first Haikyuu fic be Oikawa when I wanna break his knees 🥴🤚 (couldn't resist tho he's been on my mind, especially with glasses 🥵🤒)

Also also not me writing this from 1:30 am to 8am then had half my work deleted so I had to redo it the following night 🤪👈

[cherrylgc]

lgcgyuri

gyuri had always been the type to jump on opportunities, big or small, leisure or business— really it didn't matter what the contents entailed, so long as she was known. despite her own love of talking, gyuri had yet to advocate for herself a show of her own ( the idea of hosting her own program, visual or auditory, seemed nice, but simply providing herself as a guest was much more fun at the moment while putting the bulk of her focus towards improving her acting skills— some people were better at reading from scripts while others had a knack for quick thinking ). her future was bright and the possibilities seemed endless, so for now, gyuri wanted nothing more than to enjoy her time in cherrys company. she watches the older girl with an amused grin, an introduction leaving the host naturally. gyuri can't help how her head bobs back and forth alongside the little melody cherry sings. "hello, hello," the darker-haired girl begins, nose scrunching lightly as she leans farther into her mic. "it is i, the lovely nam gyuri, at your service." her voice is light, almost sing-songy, and she shoots cherry a half-hearted glare, one devoid of any heat. "i'm happy to be here with you, unnie, but i have to confess— i'm sad i couldn't open this second season with you on its first episode." gyuri pouts, brows furrowing.

sometimes it still felt surreal that cherry had her own show, not just her first show, not just her first season, but her second season of her second show. it’d been around a year since cherry guested on someone else’s show and she figured out she wanted her own show. she didn’t have the skills yet to have her own show, but she wrote down show ideas, now cherry had a long list of show ideas, and she had the skills to have her own show, all cherry could hope was, that this show wasn’t her last chance to host.

“well gyuri, if i have another show, perhaps you could open it with me” she shows the other a smile.

“some of you might be returning viewers, but for the first time listeners, i’ll quickly explain the show! season one of the show we discussed lies and theories, or cheories” wink “that parents told their kids, such as santa and the tooth fairy. here for the second season, the theme is lies and theories other people have told, for this episode, the theme is siblings!”.

“actually gyuri… i don’t have any siblings of my own… but! i asked my classmates about their siblings' lies and theories, so we have lots to discuss! do you have any siblings gyuri?”.