#they just have such good chemistry and a friendship that translates so well to their characters!!!

[nott-gay]

I haven’t watched campaign three in months, but is FCG/Imogen qpr a thing? Please…………,…

[rainchyna]

⌗ ˚ ͙◌˖ ࣪ . ִֶָ𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝐇𝐇𝐇 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟗𝟎𝘀˖ ࣪ .ִֶָ

(f!reader, fluff, language, mentions of drug and alcohol use, smuttish, i've lost my touch i fear)

⏾ you didn't really care for hunter when he first joined the wwf. you didn’t exactly know who he was, you just saw him around backstage. he wasn’t exactly memorable to you, he had the basic wrestler look. 6’3, blond, muscular. not much to think about.

⏾ hunter, on the other hand, had his eyes on the prize way before signing with wwf. you had been established in the company as women’s champion at the time, the company heavily relied on you as their top female draw. you were great, the fans loved you, and your merch sold.

⏾ after he was signed, he’d just admire you from afar, you were so effortlessly cool. you've always been his wrestling crush. you were beyond talented, bombshell of a beauty, so, so sweet, and well liked by everyone. of course everyone liked you, look at you. the things he would’ve done to even be near you.

⏾ hunter began hanging out with shawn (who had essentially recruited him for the kliq) almost immediately. you and shawn were really good friends at the time, as vince had put the tag team belts on you and shawn as a joke. shawn could immediately tell that hunter had a thing for you, the way he could barely pull a proper "hello" when you're around immediately gave it away. hunter's eyes would be glued to your face, and up and down your body, he'd immediately smile and look away, slightly blushing when you'd even glance at him.

"dude, what's all that about?"

"don't. don't even, I just-.. she's.. wow."

"do you want me to introduce you-"

"yes, please."

⏾ you were somehow, magically, (backstage politically, shawn michaels sends his regards) dragged into a romance angle with hunter. he was the new signing, and the company wanted to give him a little push. so, now you two were forced to be around each other a lot. you dropped the tag belts soon there after, but kept the women's championship.

⏾ he had kept his french aristocrat gimmick from wcw, but instead of Jean Paul Levesque, he was now Hunter Hearst Helmsley. you were his ‘wife’, y/n y/l/n-helmsley, you escorted him into the ring, interfered in his matches, and cut promos with him. you spent a lot of time on and off the road with him, it's not like either of you had a choice.

⏾ you two slowly became friends, though the dynamic was a bit weird at first since he seemed to be a big fan of you. he kept up some of his 'aristocratic' behaviours, he was trying so hard to win you over. he'd hold doors open for you, always keep as seat open for you, push chairs in and out for you, carry your stuff whether it's a bag or a championship belt.

⏾ and warm up to him, you did. you thought he was really sweet, even though he'd give you 'funny eyes' when you worked out together. hunter was always complimenting you, your matches, your gear, your looks, anything. if he could find a way into your heart, he sure was going to sweet-talk his way there.

"your match was so good earlier, I watched the whole thing."

"yeah, I know. I saw you at the commentary table, burning holes into my body."

"how could I not? you're so talented, and you looked so damn gorgeous."

⏾ a friendship was beginning to blossom between you two, he was actually genuinely so lovely. it was nice for once to not be the only one sober when the rest of the kliq were either drunk or stoned off their mind. you two became the friend groups 'parents', and were often left alone when shawn, kev, scott and sean were passed out.

⏾ you could talk to him for hours about the most random things ever, whether it was wrestling, music, life, ways to get the idiots on the floor to sober up, it was just so easy to talk to him. you two had a whole lotta chemistry in real life, and it translated into the ring.

⏾ having you almost as a 'mentor' to his french gentleman character was constantly messing with his brain. it was like the really hot, popular girl tutoring the new guy in class.

⏾ you were trying to hard to teach him how to cut a babyface promo, but he just couldn't do it the way you wanted him to. he was just a natural heel. you ended up convincing vince to turn you both heel, as it would've been better for him. but, as you turned heel, vince wanted you two to turn up the sexual element of your on screen relationship.

⏾ you were now all over each other at all times, you were wearing shorter dresses, unbuttoning his white shirt before matches for him, he was constantly groping you and kissing your neck, just touchy.

⏾ you two immediately became significantly closer. the tension from your fake relationship spilling into your friendship. it was obvious, something was happening here.

⏾ you two were now hanging out without shawn, or the chaos of the kliq, just one on one. you work out together in hotel gyms, go on coffee runs because the coffee in the arena sucks, eat together in catering way before or after lunch breaks so you can be with each other in peace. sometimes, you'd just sit together just to be in each other's presence.

⏾ you and hunter were entering the mutual crush phase, and it was so beyond obvious to everyone around you.

⏾ shawn was your biggest fan, no one wanted you two to get together more than he did. he was always teasing you two, making loud kissing noises when you and hunter were doing literally anything, 'your girlfriend' to hunter's face when you were right there. shawn would even purposefully create situations where you and hunter had to be basically breathing each other's air. whether it's him taking up more space in cars so you'd be forced to sit on hunter's lap, or talking one of the boys who didn’t need much convincing into locking you two in a a tiny closet.

⏾ then degeneration-x formed, you two couldn't escape each other now.

⏾ shawn lobbied hard for you and hunter to be in the faction, and it was immediate perfection. it became a public secret that you and hunter had something going on, everyone backstage was so aware of it, and the fans began seeing it during shows. it was obvious it wasn't just the 'y/n and hunter are married' thing, even commentary would make jokes about it.

⏾ it went from casual friends, to close friends, to no one really knows what's going in with you two. now became stolen glances, hidden touches, whispered words, longing looks, painful yearning. hunter was always hugging you, his arms were always around your shoulders or you waist, hand glued to your hip, heart eyes.

⏾ you two were almost always cuddled up, hunter didn't care if people talked, he was obsessed with you. he wanted to always be near you, to be the one who made you laugh, to be the one who made you feel safe and love. he would even kiss your head and cheeks, he didn't care who saw. the relentless teasing was worth it, all the jokes and the stares. it was all worth those couple minutes of intimacy.

⏾ but he wanted more, both of you did.

⏾ it all boiled up to a moment when are four of you were on the road. shawn had stopped the car, and him and chyna went into a convenient store to buy some snacks and drinks. you and hunter were sitting in the back seat when he turned to you, and asked;

"why aren't i your boyfriend?"

"you haven't asked me-"

"can you please be my girlfriend? like please?"

"yeah, i would love that."

⏾ by the time shawn and chyna came back, you two were busy making out, not paying attention to anything but each other. shawn loudly knocked on the window, "happy for you, idiots, but not in my car." he said, chyna laughing in the background.

⏾ hunter is so obsessed with you.

⏾ hunter is also such a jealous boyfriend. it took him so long to finally have you all to himself, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let you get away from him. he fucking hated the way some wrestlers backstage looked at you, sometimes even the fans at ringside pissed him off. you were his, and his alone.

⏾ he would possessively show you off. if someone in particular was annoying him, he'd pull you as close as possible to him, sometimes on his lap if he could. he'd hold and kiss you while holding eye contact with that person. he didn't give a fuck, you were his.

⏾ he'd also refuse to let you out of his sight. if you had a match, or a promo, he's there watching, the furthest he could be was gorilla. if you had to change, he was in your locker room. he was always there, but he had limits, of course. if you wanted to be left alone, he respected your boundaries.

⏾ he was so protective of you, so, so protective. he hates seeing you upset, or bothered. he would do anything to make his girl happy. he didn't care if he had to spend his entire cheque spoiling you, hunter would go to hell back to see you smile.

"is that a diamond fucking ring?"

"anything for my baby."

⏾ loves, loves, loves when you ask him to give you head. that man is a munch, i don't care what anyone thinks. especially as he gets older, baby, that alone gets him off.

⏾ absolutely adores seeing you in his clothes, specifically in his leather jackets.

⏾ super touchy. whether it's a hand around your waist, around your shoulders, finger hooked on a belt loop on your pants. hunter always needs contact, especially when emotions are high. you're the only person who he could feel genuinely and wholly vulnerable with.

⏾ huge on cheek and forehead kisses

⏾ genuinely, has a sexual thing for you sitting his lap. has something to do with him being so much bigger than you.

⏾ massive daddy kink, even worse sir kink.

⏾ also has thing for seeing you in his merch, or anything with his name on it.

⏾ literally gets so annoyed and straight up upset when you have to do anything. he wants you to just sit back and relax, he wants to take care of you all the time. hates seeing you up on your feet doing something he could do for you. he gets borderline embarrassed.

“where are you going?”

“to get.. water..?”

“water? mhm, what else do you want?”

“uhm.. a sandwich…?”

“seat your ass the fuck down, then.”

⏾ you’re so beyond spoiled in this relationship. want a sandwich? he’ll start with making his own bread from scratch. need a change of clothes? here’s his comfiest hoodie, while he does your laundry. want to paint your nails? gel, or regular polish? you want a diamond ring? do you want that lab grown or naturally mined?

⏾ when he began growing his beard, he became absolutely in love with you trimming and cleaning it up for him. he closeness, having you on his lap, the bathroom smells like aftershave and your perfume, your clothes are slightly damp and he can’t get that silly smile of his face for you to actually work.

⏾ you’re his bestest friend :(

⏾ constantly reminds you that he loves you, mostly because he’s loves hearing you telling him you love him back.

⏾ gets the most raging boners when you tug on his hair. like, this man is borderline whimpering when your fingers barely graze his scalp.

⏾ the second you’re on your knees for him, he loses his mind. it’s like he can’t breathe anymore.

⏾ LIVES between your thighs. his eyes barely open, licking and sucking, he’s humping the bed beneath him. it’s gets him off so much. (i’m obsessed w this can u tell)

⏾ sit on his face, smother him. his nose takes care of your clit. (iykyk)

⏾ “angel” and “baby” are his favourite nicknames for you.

⏾ one of his favourite things to do was to rub the fact that you’re his in the faces of your fanboys. he lived for it, it gave him an excuse to be all over you on national television. the explicitness of dx also added to him being just inappropriate on live television.

“see this? see all of this? *actively groping you*, i get to have this gorgeous, sexy woman all to myself *more groping ofc*. and you pathetic scums can’t have her, you can just watch. *groping intensifies*”

“suck it? i mean, as long as it’s this pretty little thing”

⏾ (stupidly) flirts with you like his life depends on it

“ya come here often?”

“??? we both work here.”

⏾ 5939/10, need him. need him bad

[gelakaien]

I disagree when people say there is no romantic subtext in itafushi because, I do think there is. I also disagree when people say there is too little [of romance] to base itafushi on it because that's really not true.

It starts with Megumi saying his type is someone with an unwavering humanity. Which is the very literal meaning of Yuuji's name. It slowly develops from there.

I also don't like how people say itafushi is one sided. IT'S NOT. He cares too much. Fushiguro is always the first one he notices in any room he's in. Even in the time he was hiding his death, he would mention Fushiguro now and then. Fushiguro just doesn't leave his mind, never did. He thinks he's very reliable, he SPECIFICALLY told Sukuna to not say anything to HIM about the fingers-resonance thing in the aftermath of the bridge fight. And the scene at the lake, where Megumi told Yuuji he'd kill him if he died, he defintely took it in a serious way, not just because he said "I better not die then" right after, but like, he even referenced that to Megumi in Shibuya. As a way of reasurance. As a way to say "I won't die on you, I will come back to you." Also thanks Mappa for making this even more gayer with the finger guns thing.

Hell, he even knows Megumi's favorite popcorn flavor and he teached him how to make meatballs. They barely knew each other for a few weeks??? And he was so overly excited to learn he'd be his closest roommate. Sure, you can say he's joyful with anyone and he is indeed, but towards Megumi, it's so much more intense. And yeeessss that could be because they are best friends alright but you can't deny it can work both ways, can you?

Since I touched in the best friends topic, I will quickly say how much it bothers me people refuse to ship two guys because they are two guys the same holds true when it's two girls but I'm mostly talking about a m/m ship. I saw someone yesterday talking about itakugi being endgame and like, sure there was some disapproval, but not as aggressive as it would be if it was an Itafushi post. Because when it's about itafushi, they easily jump on you saying "ThEY arE bEST FrIeNDds, CaN't tWo gUyS bE fRIeNDs anyMoRE??!?!? tHIs is jUst fRIendSHiP sTOpInG mAkInG iT gAy/wOkE!" well, it's funny because these exact people would immediately ship a guy and a gal even though there's so much little going on between them (take Ozawa as an example, sure she is cute and all but people saying they have more chemistry than itafushi is just... lack of literacy, like wtf???? how come a girl that appeared in ONE chapter and then NEVER AGAIN god knows if she is still alive - possible have more chemistry than two guys who went through good and bad shit together since chap 1?). But if it's a m/m, then it's a immediate no-no...? This is not about chemistry, friendship or whatever, there is a very clear name to this, the instict to immediately shut down the idea of two guys or girls together in a romantic way. You know very well what is called, don't you?

Anyway, back to Itafushi.

In the whole Shinjuku fight he's been thinking about Megumi, he went through possible ideas and plans TO SAVE Megumi. He's willing to become Sukuna's host AGAIN to save Megumi. Of course they (including Yuuji) need to defeat Sukuna, stop the Merge and save the world blah blah blah, but until so far, the core of his actions is moved by one objective: to save Megumi.

In post Shibuya he felt so conflicted about whether or not he had the right to live, and when Megumi asked Yuuji to save him, Yuuji's eyes shined again with life. They were devoid of any light until then.

Megumi means so much, so much to Yuuji, he treasures him too much. Way too much!! He would feel lonely without him.

And I don't care the way the translators chose to word this, we can safely assume that to Yuuji, Megumi's absence means loneliness. He would feel a void in his heart (I, the person writting this, am telling this in a romantic way, but you can assume that as platonically too if you like) without him. Megumi MATTERS to Yuuji, and Yuuji MATTERS to Megumi. Hell, Megumi even puts him in the same level of importance as Tsumiki, his sister, the only family he had the whole life. I'm not even gonna dive into the topic of "megumi wanted yuji to marry tsumiki" bc i think that is pure nonsense. plus she's dead. meaning they would never marry anyway.

In conclusion I think there is a lot of room for romance to flourish between these two, it might not be now, it might not be the objective of the whole work (because in the end it's a shonen, so yeah), but it's defintely not weird to think about. Love is a central theme since JJK 0.

Unfortunately people on twitter are mega stupid and I had the unpleasure to see a lot of hate towards itafushi because we apparently are in the wrong for thinking about two guys kissing no matter how much gay chap 266 was. And apparently we are in the wrong for taking Megumi and Yuuji's exchanged to a romantic level even though that shit was gay af (i personally don't talk like that to my best friends but okaaay whatever right) Which prompted me to come to another space (hopefully away from those ppl) to deposit my thoughts.

[auras-moonstone]

Hey,

Can you write a mini story of Jack and the reader. And can the trope be a fake dating for the media. Also can you the reader as an actress as well. And during their fake dating fling, they developed their feelings for each other but weren’t that sure to admit. So Jack calls it off and starts dating another girl. Later on, he realizes he still has feelings for the reader. And you can write the ending, please surprise me!

hi! i love this trope😫 hope you enjoy it🤍!

lost in translation — jack champion

word count: 2,944

pairing: jack champion x fem!reader

summary: y/n and jack are working on a rom-com together and are asked to fake date. feelings bloom and jack calls it off, breaking y/n’s heart and, as collateral damage, their friendship.

author’s note: this is me claiming my love for louis partdrige (he’s so pretty😫) and lynn painter (read her books she’s amazing)

Y/N HAD ALWAYS BEEN A BIG ROMCOM LOVER, SO WHEN SHE GOT THE ROLE OF LIZ ON THE ADAPTATION OF BETTER THAN THE MOVIES, SHE WAS ON CLOUD NINE. She met Jack (the boy who was going to play Wes, her love interest) on the chemistry read and the director instantly fell in love with their dynamic, and that’s how they got the role.

During the shooting, Y/N and Jack developed a close friendship. But the fans of the well-known rom-com book started shipping them even when the content the community managers shared was very scarce—just a few pictures of them on their breaks or during the filming, and some bloopers. The whole media kept talking about them, about how good they looked together, how their chemistry transcended the screen; and so the people involved in the publicity of the movie made a decision.

“You want us to what?” Y/N asked dumbfounded.

“To fake-date. The press tour is about to start, and we think you two dating can really boost the excitement for the movie” the head of publicity stated. “We can’t actually make you do it, as it wasn’t originally in the contract, but we think this is a great idea. The people love you”.

Y/N looked at Jack, who hadn’t moved a muscle ever since the suggestion. “Jack? What do you think?”.

“Can we talk about it? Alone?” he asked to the man in front of them, who reluctantly nodded before leaving the office. “I honestly don’t know shit about publicity, but if they think it’s going to help, then we should do it”.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

Jack nodded “It’s you the one who doesn’t seem sure”.

“I don’t have a problem with fake dating you, I just don’t want our friendship to become weird or anything, because I value it a lot” Y/N told him. Jack’s heart broke, knowing how hard it was for her to establish friendships after her old friends started acting weird and became more interested in the events she could take them to rather than in her well-being and life. He knew he was one of her only real friends and now felt bad she had been put in such a spot.

“Hey, no. It won’t, it’ll be just like when we were filming, right? Just that we will do it in public” Jack tried to reassure her, pulling her into a hug.

“Okay… let’s just promise that if we get uncomfortable or if it’s becoming too much, we’ll be honest with each other and call this thing off, okay? Our friendship is way more important that the publicity” she said, looking him in the eyes.

Jack smiled, and showed her his little finger “I pinky promise”. Y/N laughed, wrapping her pinky with his.

And so their fake relationship began, not knowing that no promises could stop the feelings that were meant to evolve.

THEY COULDN’T REALLY TELL THE EXACT MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED. The shift in their relationship was so natural and gradual that they almost didn’t notice.

Everything was done more often—dates, kisses, hand holding—, physical touch seemed to be a need now—it could be just intertwined fingers or his arms wrapped around her shoulders and hers around his waist—, longing glances when the other wasn’t looking, eyes drifting to each other’s lips everytime one of them was talking. They even had dates out of the public sight—even though none of them called it a ‘date’, they simply convinced theirselves it was a friendly hang out. They slept at each other’s houses, waking up the following day with Jack’s arms draped around her waist while her back was pressed against his front or, their personal favorite, Y/N’s head on his chest and arms around his torso while Jack’s was wrapped around her shoulders pressing her more against his chest.

So yes, it was so slow and felt so natural that it took them time to realize they had fallen for each other. Both of them had completely different reactions—while Y/N decided she was going to take a risk and confess her feelings, Jack’s fears blinded him. It’s not that he didn’t want to admit his feelings, but everytime the option of confessing crossed his mind the words she spoke came to him: “I just don’t want our friendship to become weird or anything, because I value it a lot”. Y/N had been so scared of their friendship being ruined because of the fake dating thing, Jack knew keeping his feelings hidden was the best option. But also, he couldn’t keep hurting himself and that was exactly what he was doing by pretending to be her boyfriend when he wanted it to be real.

Friday came around, meaning it was their sleepover day. They had just finished eating the spaghetti Y/N made, and were about to choose a movie to watch when Jack decided to speak up at the same time Y/N opened her mouth to confess.

“Oh, sorry. You can tell me” Jack told her. Y/N shook her head, signalling him to go ahead. “I have been thinking and I think we should call the fake dating thing off”.

Y/N’s mouth was open, yet no words came out of it. She had been thinking for days what the best way to express her feelings for him would be. She had a whole speech planned and was now left speechless.

“Oh… okay, if you feel is the best thing” she faked her best smile, while trying not to fall apart right in front of his eyes. “I just… need to ask, is everything okay? I mean, this is very sudden”.

“I just feel this is becoming too much, and you said we should be honest with each other” he simply answered.

Y/N nodded playing with the remote control in her hand. It was clear, he felt uncomfortable being her fake boyfriend because he only saw her as a friend. “Right, yeah. Thank you for telling me, then. We should talk to the head of publicity tomorrow. The press tour is almost over, so there shouldn’t be any problem”

“Cool” Jack nodded. He should’ve felt relieved that she took it so well, but instead, he felt sad. Maybe even disappointed in the fact that she didn’t fight the decision. And he also felt angry at himself for expecting so much of her part when it wasn’t her fault that he had fallen for her and she didn’t feel the same.

Jack had wanted to save their friendship so bad, he didn’t realize that the conversation had been the first crack in the glass.

Y/N REALLY DID TRY TO NOT LET THE CIRCUMSTANCES INFLUENCE THEIR FRIENDSHIP, BUT THEY WERE SLOWLY DRIFTING APART. The texts were becoming less frequent and drier, the hang outs were brief and filled with awkwardness and so were their conversations.

The publicists thanked all the gods that the press tour was over, because they had never seen two people have less chemistry than Jack and Y/N. It was so hard for everyone to comprehend how two people whose eyes used to spark when they were around the other suddenly became lifeless.

But their breaking point came a few weeks later, it was the thing that made them stop talking for good. No more texting at all, no hanging out—alone or in public—no conversations, no looking at each other, no interactions at all.

Y/N was watching a movie with her friends, Millie and Louis, when Millie suddenly gasped. Y/N and Louis laughed “Mills, if you are with your phone while we’re watching a movie at least be discreet” the girl said, but Millie didn’t laugh or apologise, she just stared at her with saddened eyes, which made Y/N frown. “Is everything okay?”.

“When was the last time you opened social media?” she asked, while Louis took her phone to see what she was looking at.

Y/N saw him clench his jaw, which made her feel more confused “Um, I barely use my phone anymore, just to text… why? You’re scaring me, guys” she laughed nervously, trying to take a peek at the phone but Louis hid it quickly “Lou, give me the phone”.

The boy sitting next to her shook his head “It’s not the best idea”.

“Tell me what is going on, please. You’re making me anxious” Y/N’s voice was almost begging.

Millie sighed “It’s a picture someone took of Jack… he’s with a girl. They are… holding hands and exiting a restaurant”.

“Let me see” Y/N said extending her hand, but Louis just refused to do it. “Louis. Phone. Now”.

“Come on, Y/N/N, don’t be a masochist” Louis told her.

“I’m just going to see it on my phone later, so what you’re trying to do is useless” Y/N pointed out.

Louis sighed in defeat and gave her Millie’s phone. Y/N stared at the picture—Jack was looking as gorgeous as ever and her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She missed him so fucking much, she hadn’t heard his voice in days (now she knew why, he was too busy). And then her eyes trailed to the girl holding his hand. She was very pretty—tall, long legs, blonde, muscular, stylish—and Y/N couldn’t help but compare herself with her.

“Stop it, I know what you’re doing and just don’t” Louis said, turning the phone off. “You’re gorgeous and way too good for him. It’s his loss, and he doesn’t deserve you”.

Y/N broke down for the first time in weeks, her feelings had been bottled up and the glass that held them inside finally exploded. Louis quickly put his arms around her, and Millie joined them in a heartbeat.

“I still have the fucking premiere” she cried harder when she remembered “What if- what if he goes with her? I can’t go”.

“Are you kidding me? You’re not going to miss the premiere. You work so hard for this! It’s your favorite rom-com and you are the main protagonist!” Millie said. “This is your dream. And you’re not going to let this ruin it”.

“I know, Mills. But I won’t be able to handle it. He’s going to be there, and even if she’s not there, I know he’s with her and looking at him knowing that will kill me” Y/N said, brushing away the tears. “Besides I can’t face that alone”.

“You’re not going to be alone. I’ll go with you” Louis offered.

“You actually had a great idea for once!” Millie exclaimed, making Louis roll his eyes and Y/N let out a little laugh. “Lou will be there for moral support, and you won’t feel alone. But you are definitely not going to miss your premiere”.

“Thank you, guys. I love you”

JACK’S MIND HAD BEEN A MESS LATELY. Y/N stopped responding his texts, it’s been two weeks with no signs of her. He would’ve been worried if he hadn’t seen the instagram stories her friends, Millie and Louis, posted with her. So it didn’t take a genius to realize she was ignoring him on purpose, and he didn’t have a clue why. He missed her so much, it was driving him insane. Jack wanted to go back to that night and take back everything he had said, they still would be fine if he hadn’t opened his mouth.

Jack thought that by cutting off the deal, they would go back to being friends and his feelings would have eventually faded away. He even started dating a girl he meet at the gym, but Y/N lingered on his mind all day, every day. And when the day of the premiere came, his eyes searched for her figure as soon as he arrived to the red carpet.

Jack’s smile widened when he saw her. She looked absolutely breathtaking—as always—but then his smile fell when he realized she was with someone else.

“Can you at least be a little less obvious?” Kate asked.

“Sorry” Jack apologised. “Thank you for coming with me, even after our breakup”.

“It isn’t a break up if we weren’t really together. It was just a couple of dates to benefit the other. You needed to get your mind off her, I needed to get my mind off my ex” she answered. “Although I have to say, I don’t know if me coming was the best idea”.

“Maybe not” Jack said, stopping for a picture “I just couldn’t face it alone”.

“He’s with her” Y/N said to Louis, faking smiles as the photographers flashed their cameras at them.

“I know. I’ve been feeling his stare ever since we arrived” Louis replied. “He’s totally jealous, I can feel it”.

Y/N shook her head “You’re speaking nonsense”

“Nope, I know what I’m talking about. And I get it, you’re looking incredibly stunning and you have an eye-candy with extremely good bone-structure on your arm”

“And with a big ego” she added with a laugh. “Let’s go, eye candy”.

“Don’t you need to take pictures with him?” Louis asked in a whisper as they approached Jack and his date.

“Yeah” Y/N sighed, chest tightening as they reached them. “Hi” she greeted, looking at Jack—who looked beyond handsome—and then set her eyes on the girl next to him. “I’m Y/N, nice to meet you”.

“Kate” she greeted with a smile “And we both not that’s a lie” Kate laughed, surprising her. “It’s okay. Just, take the pictures and please, for the love of god, talk to each other!”

“Hi, I’m Louis and I’m very confused” the tall boy next to Y/N spoke up. “But I agree with the last part” he added, then looked at his friend “I’ll see you later to see the movie, okay? Let’s go…”

“Kate” the blonde girl reminded him as they walked away.

The two teenagers looked at each other, not knowing what to say. “We should… pose for the picture maybe?” Y/N broke the silence.

Jack nodded nervously “Yeah, yeah”.

He put his hand on her waist, and they both tensed. It had been so long since they were this close, their skin felt like burning and their hearts were beating at a dangerous rhythm. They only posed for a couple of seconds, yet it felt like an eternity. But once it was over, the awkwardness came back.

“Let’s go inside, our dates are waiting” she spoke up.

They entered the place, but as Y/N began to walk away, Jack’s hand grabbed hers making her stop in her tracks. “No. We need to talk first”.

“Jack, the movie is starting in a few minutes”

“A few minutes is all I need. I—we—can’t go on like this” Jack said. “I’m sorry. If I’m being honest, I don’t know exactly what I did, but I’m sorry for not trying hard enough to save our friendship”.

“That’s the thing, Jack. It isn’t your fault, it’s all on me. I’m the one who drifted apart because I didn’t know how to handle my feelings” Y/N let her guard down, willing to be completely honest. After all, their friendship was already dead.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked confused.

“I love you, Jack. I- I wanted to tell you. In fact, I planned on telling you during our last sleep over but-“

“But I called our deal off” he finished, cursing himself.

Y/N nodded “I understood that acting as my boyfriend was too much for you, because you only saw me as a friend. But I just couldn’t go back to being just your friend, I tried for a while but it was really hard. And then, you started dating her and… it killed me. I just couldn’t talk to you knowing you had someone else”.

Jack shook his head, wanting to laugh at the situation “The reason I called it off is because I fell for you, Y/N/N. I didn’t think you felt the same, and I knew how important our friendship was to you. I wanted to protect it, but instead I messed it up”

Y/N looked at him with her mouth open, and then laughed drily “Really? All this time we felt the same thing and we ruined it because we got lost in translation?” she said in a tone of disbelief “And now it’s already too late”.

“What? Why?” Jack asked surprised. “I still love you… you don’t love me anymore?”

“Of course I love you Jack, but you have a girlfriend”

“Kate is not my girlfriend. She never was” Jack told her.

“I saw the pictures, Jack”

“We went to a couple of dates, we both needed to get our minds off the people we loved. But we stopped once we realized how silly it was, we’re just friends” he explained. Jack took one step closer to her until her back touched the wall behind her “I love you and I want to be your boyfriend… that is if you aren’t dating Louis”.

Y/N laughed, her smile now impossible to erase “No, he came as a friend”

Jack smiled in relief “So…”

“So, boyfriend, we should get inside, our dates are waiting” Y/N said, a teasing smile on her face.

Jack laughed “Can I kiss you first?”

“I’m begging you” she said, grabbing the collar of his suit to push him down. Their lips met in the middle and they both smile through it “I missed this, I missed you”.

“God, I missed you too. You have no idea” he said, kissing her harder.

“Hey, this is a family friendly place” Louis’ voice interrupted them “Get inside, love birds, your movie is about to start”.

Jack and Y/N looked at each other with lovey smiles and, hand in hand, they entered the theatre to see the movie that brought them together.

[bababaka]

Shipping Wars - Bade x reader

The prompt:

Person A, B, and C are famous. Their fame is growing and they are hesitant to come out as a poly couple so they just pass it for a really good friendship. Thing is, the internet being the internet started a shipping war. Some ships A and B some B and C some A and C. It’s starting to do some fights online. One day, they get tired of being asked questions about it and decide to come out as who they are.

Warnings: Aged up Characters. My writing and grammar. Some anxiety but nothing too much. Me not knowing how Twich works. I didn't truly revised it so...

Word count: 3.143

An -> I tried writing in portuguese and then throwing it into the google translate. Lotta work, let me tell you. Nah. It was a valid experience, though.Don't know if i'd do that again. Anyawyas. Love Bade and yeah. Here it is.

You liked what you did.

Entertain and chat with people on the internet who have the same interests, while playing some silly game or one that you've waited your life to play. Was funny. Interesting. Laugh and freak out on the internet with others.

In your five years on the channel, you've created a loyal, funny, and comfortable community. But, well, things started to take a bit of a left turn after the channel's first year.

The shipping war.

And the more time passed, and your popularity increased, the bigger the fight became.

@Yn'slapdog

Jpg.net 

Get yourself someone that looks at you like yn looks at Jade.

-> @Thatonetheaterkid

uuuhm i wish! Thats real love right there! 

-> @Yn'slapdog

Yyyyes! They are the reason i believe in love!

-> @Beck'sBack

whaaaat? Why? They are not a couple! Stop being a delulu! Jade is dating Beck!

Jpg.net 

I mean! C'mon! Look at them people! 

-> @Badeisreal

duuuude! Yes! Their chemistry in that movie was just off the charts! And that scene was improvised by the way! 

-> @Jade'sbottom

it was IMPROVISED??? WHAT? OMG! THAT IS MY FAVORITE SCENE! THEY ARE MY FAVORITE COUPLE!

-> @Badeisreal 

Right? Same! Also, i heard they are going to play as a couple in a new movie AGAIN! 

-> @Jade'sbottom 

jsjfjrkfkekfjdkdjdk Santa is bringing my gift

-> @Yn'slapdog

...its may…

-> @Jade'sbottom 

….Santa is late…

-> @Astarion'slittlebitch

ok. Guys. Take a breather. It is a crime you guys haven't mentioned Beck and Yn. 

They are so darn cute in yn's streams! 

-> @Imyourfather

YEEEEES! BECK BRINGS YN SNACKS ALL THE TIME! AND EVEN PLAYS SOMETIMES! 

-> @Thatonetheaterkid 

...i don't watch their streams… not really my cup of tea. 

-> @Y/n'slapdog 

You should though! There's a lot of damning evidence there! INCLUDING JADE MAKING COMPANY TO THEM! 

-> @Beck'sBack 

we back at this again? 

-> @Thatonetheaterkid 

oh, please! Jade and Beck are actors!!! They are meant to pretend!!! Fake! If they played a couple and didn't seem in love they'd just be out of job.

-> @Badeisreal 

There's somethings you just can't pretend tho!

-> @Imyourfather 

yes. There is. Thats cinema for you.

-> @Theoficialdreamer

What if they are just all good friends though? I mean. They do live in the same house. Maybe just roomates. 

-> @Yn'slapdog  

...get off my thread….

- Boom! That's how it's done! Pay up, guys! I warned you not to doubt me. I am a god.

You got out of your chair, jumping in front of the camera and computer, which showed the end credits of the game.

"I can't believe it! How many people have zeroed in the first time like that?"

"Few. And now they're part of them! What a legend. Mad respect."

"Look at theeem! Dancing with joy! How cute! I can't even be sad about losing the bet."

Yourmom donated $500.

Spideeey donated $500

"Ah! Come on!!! Really?! Noooooo!"

"Just pay, man. Accept that it hurts less"

"Ugh. Next time, I'll win the bet."

Mastermind donated $700

"You guys should just give up at this point. Yn is invincible"

Damn right i am! - you finally finished your extremely petty celebration. You did an event of ten challenges, and in each challenge, if you won, a group would pay you. If you lost, your subscribers would choose a punishment.

But, you were amazing. And didn't lose even once. Inside, you were scared to death of what they might ask. Your fans were cool. But they could cross some lines.

- So, that was the last challenge, right?

You waited and read the comments until you received a definitive answer from one of your moderators.

"Congratulations, Yn. You completed all ten challenges exceptionally."

Yn'srock donated $500.

- Sweet! I'm buying a new mattress after this! Mine broke.

Before the chat could react inappropriately to your speech, Beck appears at the door, out of view of the camera, but unfortunately his voice is audible.

- I heard screaming. What happened? - Normally, you would brush him off and get back to your stream, but, throwing caution to the wind, you turned your attention completely to him.

- What happened? It happened that I'm amazing and you owe me, baby!

- No.

- Ohohoho! Yes! - Beck joins you in front of the computer, the credits rolling on the screen. The actor's delicate, pretty face contorts, eyebrows furrowed, mouth contorted, and a defeated sigh. 

- How? You didn't even like AllSouls.

- Nope. But, a bet is a bet, I did it and now you gotta pay. The chat already did.

And that's when you turn your attention to your computer and notice the chaos in the chat.

Damn it.

This happened whenever Beck or Jade appeared on your streams. Sometimes it could be restrained. Like the times Jade remained by your side, almost sitting on your lap, throughout the stream. Or Beck would join and play with you. Your fans would get used to their presence.

But, well, there were moments, phrases, actions that turned your lives into a complete mess.

This was one of them.

"They are so cute!"

"Ooooh! Bet?? Bet what?"

"BABY??? I'm sorry, WHAT?"

"Bet, hm? The sexy kind?"

"Beck's so hot. Lucky yn"

"Wait??? Beck Oliver?? Wth? Im new someone explain to me"

"They live together. Jade West too."

"And they're also dating"

"Stop spreading fake news!"

"C'monnn! Admit it they'd look amazing as a couple"

"Guys! Stop! We don't know a thing! Respect their privacy please!"

- OK! OK! Let's stop, guys.

Beck laughed awkwardly. He had read the comments.

- Hi, chat. Long time no see.

"Yeah! You should come over yn's streams more often! 

"Oooh! You guys should play one of those games for couples"

"You should do pvp. I'd bet on Beck." 

- Ok! Ok! First. Stop betting against me. Learn your lesson, I'm the best. 

- Cocky. - He murmurs.

You continue, ignoring Beck. - And second, it's no big deal. Just because Beck played a million times and couldn't finish it without dying, he thought I couldn't. Well, you thought wrong, bitch!

-Okay, okay! I lost, you won. Satisfied? - Beck rolled his eyes, but the smile he had tried to suppress gave him away. And you couldn't stop smiling. 

- Not even close! - you had plans for Beck. Your back and neck were extremely sore, and your boyfriend had talented hands.

The internet and the outside world were unaware of your real relationship with Beck and Jade. They speculated, of course, but everything the three of you said was the same thing.

"Chat, we're friends. Stop."

"No, no. Beck and I are just good friends. It helps a lot when we play as a couple"

"We're not a couple."

"No."

"Just friendship."

"Are you stupid? Do you need me to draw? Friends!"

"F-R-I-E-N-D-S! We're just friends!"

It was a recurring question. Jade couldn't always stay calm. It was quite common for her to lose her cool actually. She was always like that, short tempered.

You met Jade and Beck in high school. And before you even finished your senior year, you were together. It was complicated. Painful. Difficult, but in the end, everything was resolved. And you have remained together ever since.

9 years later, and here you all were.

You've decided to try streaming. After 5 arduous years, you got your first million subscribers.

Jade and Beck pursued acting careers. And, along the way, they won a few awards here and there. Their goal was the Oscar. And you supported them more than anything.

They also created channels on YT. They weren't active like you, but every now and then they would record vlogs and other stuff.

Jade posts a "things I hate" videos series. And would terrorize unsuspecting civilians.

Beck talked about cars, and his hair for some reason. Both recorded backstage videos, and rarely, about life inside the house.

That was the problem. You appeared with a certain constancy on each other's social midias. Whether it was a video or a photo.

And that caused a stir. Which turned into ship wars.

- Hello, darling. - you threw yourself on the couch, next to Jade, who was smiling at the phone. - what you're doing?

- Ah, hey. - Without hesitation, she snuggled into your arms. - Nothing much. Just seeing how my last video is doing. 

- The cover one?

Yep. - She shows you her phone, a soft smile in her face, and her eyes just at ease. - You look cute playing a guitar. 

- Well, thank you. I agree. I should play more to you and Beck. - you say cocky. Jade huffs at that.

- Sure. 

- Anyways, babe, i was thinking. You, me, Beck, dinner? I'm cooking.

That got Jade's full atention and she stops staring at her phone to look at you.

- That sounds interesting.

- I was hoping to come off as romantic.

- It didn't.

- Not even if I say it'll have candle lights?

Jade cocks her eyebrow at this. 

- Kinda lame. Overused.

- Right. Right. What about me serenading you and Beck?

- Cute, but corny. 

- What about me doing your and Beck's favorite food, serenade you and make a reference to "the scissoring" at the end? 

Jade goes silent at this. And you realize that you had hit the nail on the head. You knew your girlfriend.

- Well, now i have expectations.

- Worry not. They will be met. 

- It better.

Lucky - cover by Jade West ft Yn

2.3 M views

140.787 comments

Thecurupira

Dude. I was just listening to this song! Definitely adding to my playlist. you guys ar releasing it on Spotify? I MUST LISTEN EVRYDAY

Littleprincess24

At this point they're just mocking us. WHY CHOOSE THIS SPECIFIC SONG??????

Zeldainmasteros34

KSNFKDNCKDNFKDNCKDNCKDK IM DYING JADE IS SO HOT! AND HER VOICE!!!! 

Whydidithavetobespiders

That's love.

Look at how they look at eachother.

I rest my case.

Kieranhotttt69

Yn can play the guitar??? And sing??? That's so hot of them ngl

Luke2385

Idk who i want to be. Yn or Jade.

The interviews with Jade and Beck all had something in common. The dreaded question.

- You are a couple in your newest film. Extremely in love. But, what about in real life, is there someone special?

Jade had improved a lot. The patience. Manners. And with Beck by her side, she could control herself.

- No. There's nobody.

- Really? But you are so beautiful and young.

Jade gritted her teeth. Fists opening and closing. Beck rushes in to interfere. He smiles, which many magazines call "the masculine charm".

- Haha. Life is like this. What can we do? We haven't found the right person yet.

The interviewer pauses. Her eyes slightly closed gains a manic shine. They had fallen right into the trap. It was like a predator, salivating at the sight of its defenseless prey.

- But, there are rumors that Yn, a famous streamer, who lives with you, has some involvement with one of the two. Is it true? Jade, on your channel, a cover was recently posted in which you do a very romantic duet. What can you say about it?

But, Jade West was never prey.

- Wow. You don't have intelligent questions to ask so you repeat the same question that a million people have asked? Do you think you will be the person to have a different answer? Do you think you're so special? Well, you're not. And I'm going to speak slowly, so that you can get into your fucking empty head, Yn and I are friends. Beck and I are friends. Nothing more.

The reporter was lost for words. She stuttered awkwardly and didn't know how to redirect the interview, completely embarrassed.

Beck sighs. Jade got better. She hasn't changed completely.

- I think this interview has come to an end. - Beck says. There's nothing he could do now.

The reporter didn't hesitate to jump out of the room. The silence that followed was uncomfortable. Jade crossed her arms. And she stared at the floor. Her leg starts to bounce. Nonstop. Until she can no longer bear the silence, the crushing feeling in her chest. - Are you angry? - she says, hesitantly. Beck sighs.

- No. It's okay. It was not your fault. She wasn't very kind.

Beck lifts Jade's head, his hand gently on her chin.

- It's fine. Come here. - and pulls her into a hug.

- This sucks. - Jade murmurs quietly.

- Yeah. It does...

- Hello losers. Another video. This time we're grocery shopping. - Jade starts talking to a camera.

- Do you really have to record it? It's just grocery shopping. - You asked. Not seeing why she would want to film your outing.

-I want to record so i will.

- Fine. - you shrug.

- Are you guys ready? - Beck comes into the living room.

- Yes. Say hi to the camera Beck.

- …Why are you recording? We are just grocery shopping.

- That's what i said!! - you chime in, excited to see you aren't alone in the matter.

- Oh my god! Because i want to! I don't have to, but i want to…You two are annoying. 

- Why thank you. I try my best. - you smirked. You did enjoy being a little shit.

- Fine. Let's go. Get to the car. 

Grocery shopping wasn't something you did together all the time. Mainly because someone was always busy. But it was faster when the three of you did it together. Beck was the driver, Jade was just picky about what she'd eat, and you were the muscles(though actually, you were the one who has more experience shopping. Jade just likes to try to spite you. Never works.)

- Ugh. I hate lines. 

- We know. - Beck answers it.

- But the public doesn't. 

- No, i think they do. You already made a video talking about it. - at this, Jade turns to the other actor.

- I did? Wait. You watch all my videos? 

- Every single one of them. 

- Uh.

- Why are you surprised? What kind of booy- Beck unmaskedly interrupts himself with a cough, and tries to recover. - what kind of roommate would i be if i didn't?

You thought that save was horrifying. And you tell Beck as much, mouthing it to him. He pushes you lightly, whispering a "shut up", you just chuckle and stay on the line. 

- Hey. Yn. What you are doing? - Beck asks. Interrupting you. Stoping you from beautiful and precious slumber.

- Napping. Or trying to. 

- You sound like an old person. 

- Perhaps because i am old.

- You are only 30 years old. Stop being dramatic.

- Nah. I need my old people nap. Bye. 

Unfortunate for you, Beck called Jade and they decided to take a picture of you. And make fun of you. 

Though Beck insists you look cute napping like an old lady. You didn't know how to take that. And Beck considered it as a victory. 

- Hello, old lady. - Beck greets you in the corridor to the kitchen. You huff, annoyed but also not completely awake. Until a thought comes to you.

- Wait. If i am your lover AND an old lady. Does that mean I am a cougar? 

You can hear Jade's booming laughter from the kitchen. 

Beck just rolls his eyes and gives you a peck on the lips. 

- Yes. It does. Good morning, by the way. 

You smile cheekily. 

- Good morning. 

You and Beck head to the kitchen then, where you see your gorgeous girlfriend still in her pajamas, brewing her black coffee, hair disheveled. Beautiful. 

She comes to greet the two of you, though when she gets to you she adds a little jab. Of course. 

- How is my favorite cougar? Slept well? No pain in your back? 

- Yes. I slept just fine. 

You decide to let it slide. You needed coffee first. 

Your breakfast at first was supposed to be calm. Quiet. Your phone however does not comply to it, beeping and beeping. 

- Hey. I thought we agreed on no phones today.

- Yeah yeah! Sorry. I just. Forgot to… - as you grab your phone and take a look at what it's bothering you and your partners, your humour just sours. 

Hundreds and hundreds of comments on your picture sleeping. On Beck's account. Just tagging you. Again. And again.

All fighting to know who was right about your love life.

Honestly, you were tired of it.

- Babe, are you okay? - Jade asks, noticing your change in mood, the frown, the twisted lip, the distant look. You look up from your phone.

- We should come out. - this quiets the kitchen. Jade with a hand on your arm, Beck still with a piece of toast in the air, on its way to his mouth.

- We should just come out. - you repeat. - I can't take any more of the speculation, the murmurs and buzz.

- Everyone would continue, even if we actually revealed our relationship. They would still gossip and be super invasive. - Beck replies, leaving the toast completely aside, and focusing on you. His face is serious. The lighthearted and fun atmosphere becomes more sober and heavy.

You have already discussed this. More than once, but in the end, you agreed that it wasn't worth the hassle, and you didn't owe other people anything.

And here you were again, debating the subject. This time, however, you found yourself unable to continue hiding.

- But, the media never stops talking and being invasive. It doesn't matter what we do. - Jade speaks up. She sighs, looking away for a moment. - I'm tired of having to lie. Aren't you, Beck?

Beck stares at the table blankly, letting his hands move repetitively along his legs.

- What if this affects our careers? - he asks. You quickly speak up.

- It won't get to that point, and if it does, it would only be temporarily. Our careers would recover. - you say, placing yourself next to Beck, Jade doing the same. And you try to lighten the atmosphere. - and if needed be, I can become your sugardaddy.

This makes them both laugh. And Beck turns to you.

- You'd make a terrible sugardaddy. - he says with a slight lift of his lips. Still stunned. He looks at you and Jade.

- Are you sure about this?

You and Jade share a look. You nod.

- Yes we are.

- With you, I can face anything.

You were in the living room. Your leg wouldn't stop shaking. The camera was in front of you. Jade was adjusting the lights, Beck was in the kitchen, getting water for you. It was now. The moment of truth.

Shit. What if you were making a mistake? What if you got ahead of yourself? What if it actually doesn't turn out okay? What if you are judged and shunned by everything and everyone? What if-

- Hey. - You were interrupted by Beck, beside you, placing a comforting hand on your thigh, and a charming smile on his face. - Everything will be fine. We are doing this together.

You allow yourself to breathe. Jade finally finishes the final adjustments and plops down next to you on the couch, while Beck hands you a glass of water. Your girlfriend snuggles next to you and kisses your cheek.

- I love you. - and all your tensions are gone. You melt into a puddle of love for your partners. You were together. You weren't going to face the public alone.

- I love you too. - you reply, completely smitten. You turn to Beck. - both of you. 

- You know I love you two. 

You shrug. 

- It's always good to hear. 

Jade laughs. 

- You are so sappy. - she says and you smile teasingly.

- And you love it. 

- Do i?

You push her and turn to start the video. 

- Hey, guys! Welcome! And today, we have something to announce. 

Yn, Beck Oliver and Jade West admit their relationship as a throuple and the internet goes crazy!

@Yn'slapdog

Ksjfjrnfjdnssosndkdksksjdksdbdj

@Beck'sback

...i guess this means we'll have to stop fighting…? Love wins…?

@Astarion'slittlebitch

...gotta admit this was not on my prediction chart bingo of this year…

@Badeisreal

Yn is one lucky motherfucker. Good for them. Hope theyre having fun living my dreams T-T

@imyourfather

The true bissexual dream lol

[odetodilfs]

I know that I shouldn't... but I love you.

A/N: woohoo, this fic was cut in half by a massive writer's block, but alas, here it is, I hope y'all enjoy this one, it's definitely stepping up my game other than just shameless smut or a short fic.

Pairing: Javier Peña x top!m!reader

CWs: Reader speaks spanish (translations in fic), mentions of vomit (not sexual), smoking, period typical homophobia, conflicted Javier, cumming inside, praising, sub!Javier.

Word count: 3.3k

Please reblog if you enjoyed!

Javier Peña, the manwhore who could fuck a woman almost every night and with ease. He had a reputation for that, but there was a reason on why he did it so often and more often than not ended up getting ever so slightly depressed the morning after realizing that what he and the women he had slept with that night didn’t even know each other, there was no love, there was no nothing, just a shallow fuck. The reason he had one night stands so often was to distract himself from all his troubles: drug lords and another issue, much more personal…

His love for another man. 

The truth is, even the manwhore craved love, just not a love society would be supportive of. It all started one day at a bar where he just wanted to get some alcohol into his system to alleviate the stress of the day until he saw a person that caught his eye. Only this time, it was you, a bartender who seemed to be coming at him. The first line between you and Javier ever said was from him: “Hello sir, what do you want to order?” He ordered Vodka that day, he remembered it vividly as you two engaged in a conversation which would lead to a pretty strong friendship and Javier frequenting the bar.

Javier had frequented the bar ever since, looking to spend more time with you as well as drinks. There was an undeniable chemistry between you two since the start, one that Javier was fearful would turn into feelings of love. You talked about teleseries, movies, politics, the situation with Escobar, you both had similar opinions on many matters, so conversations between you flowed nicely. He also talked about last night’s hookup, what he did with the woman that was lucky enough to be approached by him… but with time, you started to feel jealous of these women. Javier was a very attractive man indeed, the mustache and flirty attitude certainly drew anyone close to him. But again, you two had a good friendship, one that neither of you wanted to ruin. 

With each night that Javier spent with you, he started to fall for you, and he knew this wasn’t right, well, he thought it wasn’t right. You were a man, so was he, you were supposed to be into women and so was he. He started to have even more hookups than before, now that he was aware of his feelings for you, maybe fucking enough women will make his feelings for you go away but… no.. they only grew stronger.

Then, one night when the bar was quiet and it was just a few people, Javier and you were chatting until he was hit with the most devastating news ever, “Well, I have to go now, I got myself a date” you winked at him as you left, leaving Javier stunned.. he felt like he wanted to vomit, he felt dizzy and felt the urgency to throw up. He almost ran towards the toilet as he vomited into the bowl as soon as he got there. Now his throat was burning and it hurt like fuck, but that wasn’t the pain he was finding unbearable… it was the burning in his heart, you were on a date with someone else..? The thought made Javier feel like throwing up again. This thought was hellish, he knew it wasn’t right, you two wouldn’t ever be something… 

Javier couldn’t hold it back anymore, it had been months of falling in love with you and to hear you were going on a date with someone else felt like a shot to the heart. He didn’t hook up with anyone that night, instead, he spent an hour crying on the bathroom floor, for the wrongness of his love, for the fact that he’d never have it, for how beautiful your face looked when you smiled and how he wanted to make you smile every day, but then again, he would never ever be able to. All these thoughts combined with the strong acidic taste from the vomit in Javier’s mouth were making him feel too weak to stand up, so he had to take some not very pleasurable deep breaths, filled with the pungent smell of a public bathroom and he was finally able to unsteadily stand up.

He walked home with tears in his eyes that night as he had another crying session in his bed, the smell of last night’s hookup still faintly in the sheets, which altogether made him cry even more, “Mierda, mi vida es un jodido desastre” [Shit, my life is a fucking mess] he whispered to himself, as he tried to get to sleep.. he looked at one of his pillows, the discarded one next to him “I can feed into my delusions for once… this is a dark night” he said to himself, grabbing this pillow and cuddling it, thinking it was you as he sobbed into it, finally falling asleep.

This was a cycle that repeated itself for months on end, until Javier stopped telling you and about hookups, becoming distant and your conversations growing shallower. You realized this and decided to confront him about it, that he could come to you for help. “Javier, ¿qué te pasa? You’ve been so shallow lately, and so dull” [what's wrong?] you said as you faced him, he was staring at nothing as he had been doing that a lot lately, “No me pasa nada, it’s just work” [Nothing] he lied, but you could see right through him “Come on, sé que no es verdad, ahora dime” [I know that's not true, now tell me] you got more serious now, “You’ll hate me for it, I’d rather not” he replied, “Javier, eres mi amigo, what could possibly make me hate you?” [Javier, you’re my friend…] the space between you filled with an uncomfortable silence, you decided you weren’t getting anything from him, so you tried to lighten the mood. “Anyway… I uh… it didn’t work out with my last partner… it’s kind of sad, but hey, it was fun while it lasted,” Javier still kept quiet, “Anyway… I have to go and serve some customers.. sorry for the inconvenience” you went to serve the people on the other side with the bar with a lump in your throat. 

Javier’s brain echoed your words over and over “it didn’t work out with my last partner”, Javier thought to himself.. he had to take a shot with you, the way he yearned you was starting to seep into his work life.. he needed to put an end to it, even if that meant rejection. He stood up as he left the bar and went to his house, conscious that he needed a full night of sleep, so no fucking around once again, the truth is.. he didn’t enjoy fucking a woman he met minutes ago anymore, sure, he could fuck her good and then she’d leave.. but what he really wanted was to please you, forever, he wanted to distract himself from you but he just couldn’t. Another reason he also needed a full night of sleep was to prepare himself for tomorrow… where he would call you and invite you to his house, it was better to confess in private and in person, just to not be publicly ridiculed for his love for another man, in case you didn’t even accept him.

He woke up the next day, looking at the telephone with a feeling of fear… “Solo es una invitación, no es nada… raro” [It’s just an invitation, it’s nothing… weird] he said to himself, which was true, there was nothing weird about inviting your friend to his house, it was a common practice in South America. After getting some coffee into his system, he sighed and picked up the telephone and dialed your number, your voice was heard a few seconds later, “Hello? Who is this?” you asked, “Hey, it’s me, Javier”  “Ahh, hey there, what’s going on?” Javier thought about what to say.. he decided apologizing for being a dick yesterday was probably a good move, “I wanted to apologize.. about yesterday.. for being such a dick” he swallowed hard, as for you… you’d decided to forgive him, maybe it really was work, “It’s fine, I was just being too insistent too..” you accepted, the silence remained on both sides, “Can you- do you wanna come to my house? Whenever you wish” Javier asked, you were shocked at the proposal but accepted, “Sure… is tonight good?” you asked, you had a free night shift today, “Perfect actually, see you here then at 9pm?” “Yup, have a good day, Javier” you wished before you hung up.

The day went at a snail’s pace for Javier at work, constantly tapping his shoe, watching the time, even Steve picked up on it, “What’s going on?” he asked as Javier constantly got distracted looking at the clock, “Nothing, just supposed to get some calls from my family that I haven’t got yet” Javier lied,

“Ah okay” he replied absentmindedly as he went back to his papers. The day went significantly slower for you, but definitely not as much as it did for Javier.

At about 20:30 you knocked on Javier’s door, hoping it was the right apartment, the door opened and it was Javier… and he looked absolutely majestic, if that was even possible, the truth was your dates and short lasting relationships never worked out because well… the man you loved was right in front of you, you convinced yourself Javier wasn’t into you so you kept trying to forget him…

“Hey” Javier said, clearly wanting to do more than just an unserious conversation, 

“How are you?” you asked, trying to make the situation more comfortable, 

“Not bad, you?” “Good too,” you replied as Javier invited you to sit down, he swallowed, “I need to talk to you about something… please for the love of god don’t tell anyone..” Javier looked at you with a desperation rarely ever seen from him. You knew it was serious then. “I won’t, tell me” 

“You know that lately I’ve been… weird, distant, lost some of my old habits with you” he started, talking about no longer speaking about his conquests with women with you, no longer being so physical with you… “Yeah, I’ve noticed” “Yesterday.. yesterday you just touched a nerve, it’s… listen.. I might hook up pretty often but I don’t enjoy it anymore.. I really fucking don’t” he continued, “So.. you’re a sex addict?” you asked, really not knowing why he chose to tell you out of everyone he knew, “Carajo…” Javier whispered to himself “I think I’m in love” he said at long last, your eyes jumped, lucky person whoever that was, “¿En serio Javier, eso era todo?” [Seriously Javier? That was all?] you asked with an amused look, 

“No” he responded, getting you even more curious “it’s someone I shouldn’t be in love with, someone who’s already taken.. well until recently, but.. that’s not why I shouldn’t be in love with them anyway” he confessed, you were confused, “What do you mean?” you asked the man, Javier sighed, 

“I’m…” he started, looking around getting all red in the face, “Eres tú” [it’s you] he said, the room went quiet.

After a few seconds of you being astonished he just got up roughly and said “I knew this was a terrible idea”, you simply were quiet because you were amused at your feelings being returned, “Wait! Javier!” you screamed as you ran to catch up to him, grabbing his sides, “Yo también… I’m in love with you as well.. and I know I shouldn’t be but… but who says we shouldn’t be?” Javier was struggling to take in everything you just said.

“I’m a DEA agent, I’d be imprisoned and you could be killed, and I’d hate to live in a world without you” you looked at him, moved by what he just said. “No one has to know, Javier, we can keep it a secret, we can be friends to the world and lovers to ourselves” you tried to convince him, you seriously loved this man and you weren’t letting him go, not again, not without fighting for him. He thought about this for a second, “I guess I already live a risky life, what’s so bad about some more?” the agent asked with a smile as your lips finally met after months of tension, he tasted very faintly of tobacco, as well as alcohol, but you didn’t mind, you fell in love with the taste in fact.

Your kissing got rougher and more desperate “¿Quieres hacer algo más, Javier?” [Wanna do something more, Javier?], you looked into his dark brown eyes, “Si.. por favor..” he whispered, letting a more submissive side of him show, you were getting ready to get on your back and spread your legs for Javier, assuming he’d want to top on his first time with another man, when suddenly you felt him fall onto the bed on his back, wrapping his legs around you, “Javier.. you wanna be the bottom?” “I’ve dreamt so many nights about you inside me..” he confessed, looking at you with lust filled eyes. “Then let’s make your dreams come true” you whispered to him as you looked for lube in his nightstand, fidgeting with his things until you found it, you put it next to you as you removed your clothes, Javier hungrily removing yours too, he was about to start kissing you all over, but you stopped him, “No, lo haré yo” [No, I’ll do it] you assured him as your lips danced around his torso, worshiping every inch of the beautiful man that returned his feelings of love for you. 

You kissed around his nipples, his biceps, his shoulder blades, sucking a hickey or two onto his naked body, it was definitely uncommon for Javier to be this vulnerable. The man moaned and breathed heavily as the kisses on his abdomen didn’t cease. You slowly kissed all the way down to his now rock hard dick, leaking with pre-cum, “Por favor.. do something.. anything” he whined, desperate. You kissed the head of his dick which had him wincing and hissing in pleasure. You then took the leaking tip of his cock into your mouth, Javier let out a desperate moan, he tasted good, salty with a tinge of sweetness and ever so slightly bitter. “You taste so good, Javier..” you mumbled against his tip, kissing it again, “G-gracias-” he managed to sob out, he’d never had his body worshiped like this. You even licked and sucked on his balls, making him go drunk with pleasure.

You licked down his taint and put your tongue against his hole, he tasted good, mostly a faint sweet, he’s probably showered not long ago. You immediately heard him moan loudly as your tongue licked the bundle of nerves in his ass. You started to get more into it, licking the man out, hearing how his moans and grunts slowly but surely started to turn into whimpers. You put your hand on his cock and started to stroke it slowly, making him moan lowly and whimper as you gave the man of being on the receiving end of rimming for the first time. He had done it to a few women who were into it before, but now he understood why they were into it, it felt heavenly, he wouldn’t mind you doing this for the rest of his life..

You stopped after a few minutes and you grabbed the lube and put some on your fingers, Javier was tingling all over with anticipation and fear.. “Javier, do you want to?” you asked him one last time, you could stick to just eating him out and sucking him, “Yes, I do” he answered, you slowly started pushing your index into him, he grabbed the sheets at the intense feeling, your middle finger started to follow, “Ahhh!!” Javier moaned, but you weren’t sure what it was for, was he in pain? You pulled your fingers out, “Javier, are you sure you want this?” you asked, concerned for him, “Yes, I do.. let’s try again” he pleaded, “Alright” you said, putting your finger back into his tight hole, letting him get used to one finger a little longer, you held his right hand with your left one, which was free.

He moaned a little when you put in your second finger, you started to search around for his prostate to start giving him some real pleasure. You knew you had found his spot when he let out a wail of pleasure, “Fuck- more- more” he begged, now needy of that same pleasure. You started fingering him, hitting his prostate with each thrust, feeling his tight hole around your fingers, “Y/n..” Javier breathed out as you slowly started slipping a third finger inside him. You did this for a few minutes as well, pumping them in and out of him.

You pulled your fingers out of his hole slowly as you started to lube up your dick.. until you realized- no condoms, “Shit.. there’s no condoms.. you negative?” you asked Javier, knowing he’d not lie about things like these, “Yes, you?” he asked, “Same here” you smiled at each other, knowing you could proceed. You lined your dick to his hole as you slowly started to sink into him, “Fuck.. yes.. yes..” Javier moaned as he felt you slowly going deeper and deeper. His walls had a vice grip on you as he let out whimper after whimper when you slid inside him slowly. Once you managed to get balls deep, he sobbed in pleasure, digging his fingers into your back.

“Shit..” Javier moaned as you started to thrust into his hole, making him sob in pleasure too… “Javier..” you moaned his name as his soft walls clenched on you, making it feel like heaven. “Is that okay? Can I go harder?” you asked, still mindful that it was his first time, “Por favor…” he begged again as your thrusts sped up, he was in absolute heaven. His nails digged into your back and it hurt, but in a good way. Javier’s tight hole kept clenching around you, clearly you both weren’t gonna last much longer. His eyes were looking directly at yours, he looked so fragile like this, his eyes looking into yours, nails that would leave red scars on your back next morning, this was all so perfect. Each thrust felt magical and made Javier feel like he was on top of the world. “Sí.. justo así..” [Yes, just like that…] you whispered to him, going to his neck and attacking it, leaving a red mark on his collarbone, “Te amo..” [I love you] you whispered to him and those 3 words made him lose it.. you loved him.. “I- I do t-too..” Javier whimpered as he came all over his and your stomach. His already tight hole tightened even more as you were pushed over the edge and spilled your cum deep inside him, you both held each other, overridden by pleasure.

You pulled out and took his face into your hand as you kissed him softly, he moaned at the feeling of emptiness from not having your dick inside him any more, “God, you’re beautiful” you said while you went to kiss his chin, which caused him to moan loudly, “We should go shower…” you chuckled at him, but he shook his head

“No.. tomorrow let’s just wake up early.. I’m too tired” you smiled and roped him into a cuddle, “Okay, fine” you agreed as you played with his hair till he fell asleep on your chest.

You weren’t sure how you and Javier could live as lovers in a world that would hate you for it, but you were hard pressed to try, he was the right one for you.

[lazzarella]

2024 Roundup - BL edition

It's done!! I spent WAY too long on this post and I have no idea why, but I've done it now haha

2024 was the year I started watching live action BL series (I went over how I got here a bit in this post, so I won't go over it again; I also reflected a little on how nice it's been to watch all these shows), so my focus wasn't on watching what's new (everything was new to me) but mostly playing catch up. That said, I did watch enough 2024 releases to let me do a top ten, so why not?

In all honesty, I'm a little embarrassed to be posting this. Like I said, I only started this year, so I'm not really sure my top shows of the year are particularly valuable or interesting to anyone but me, but I do love me a list! And I spent all this time on this post, so, here we go?

First, some numbers:

I watched around 25 or so 2024 releases (some spanned 2023 and 2024, but I don't feel like double checking all the 2023 releases I've logged on MDL to check when they started and finished). Of those 14 are Thai, 4 are South Korean, 5 are Japanese, 1 is Taiwanese, and one (Meet You at the Blossom) is a Thailand/Taiwan co-production iirc

My ratings ranged from 7.5 to 10, but honestly there was nothing I hated. Some I felt 'meh' about (which I won't talk about here) but even those had aspects I thought were really good. Maybe I'm just easy to please, but I'm happy. Anyway. Onto the list!

More details under the cut (with possible spoilers, but it's most personal reflection rather than any kind of analysis), but if you want just the list:

Cherry Magic Thailand

Wandee Goodday

Century of Love

Kidnap

Happy of the End

Monster Next Door

Love for Love's Sake

Boys Be Brave!

Love is a Poison

We Are

CHERRY MAGIC (THAILAND)

(This spanned 2023 and 2024, so I'm counting it!) Image from BL Watcher, edited by me

This is such a special show! Being new to BL this year, I watched this not long after I watched the Japanese live action version, and I was kind of worried it might suffer for it, but I loved it just as much. They both had aspects I liked better than the other, but I love this show so much. I've watched it three times now I think? It was my introduction to Tay and New and I fell head over heels for them haha

I really enjoy the friendships in this, but, as I'm here for the romance, I have to say Achi and Karan's love is one of the sweetest and swooniest romances I've seen maybe ever! That beach scene lives rent free in my head <33 it's also nice to see a romance with characters (barely) in their 30s

WANDEE GOODDAY (THAILAND)

Image is my own cap

This was the first show I watched week by week and I had a blast. It's been a long time since I've done that, but it was really (mostly) fun to see everyone's reactions as each episode aired

But it was a delight from start to finish—a very joyful, fun show, that I thought handled most of the heavier aspects well and all that dreamy neon was so pretty to look at. Great and Inn have excellent chemistry and their acting is really incredible. I can't wait to see them in Memoir of Rati!

(My posts on Wandee Goodday)

CENTURY OF LOVE (THAILAND)

Image from World of BL, edited by me

I waited until most episodes were out to binge this one and I'm glad I did because I think the wait would've killed me each week! I can go either way on reincarnation stories (I really like a reincarnation murder mystery though, just as a sidenote) but I really enjoyed the way it was handled here. Daou and Offroad are so lovely together (I immediately went to watch Love in Translation, which I also loved) and I enjoyed all the side characters too. The tone of the show is very much in line with what I enjoy

KIDNAP (THAILAND)

Image from World of BL, edited by me

This show was absolutely perfect to me! Ohm and Leng have incredible chemistry, and I love that Min and Q are not only tooth-achingly in love, but they're also very much in lust. The physical affection in this was so good. And not just the kissing and sex, but the hugging too!!! They made hugging an art form!

A really sweet, fluffy rom-com that was a balm for my troubled soul <333

(My posts on Kidnap)

HAPPY OF THE END (JAPAN)

Image from World of BL, edited by me

A lot heavier than the other shows on this list, but gosh, it was beautiful. I'm such a sucker for 'broken' people finding solace in each other and trying to navigate a way to be happy together. I don't have a lot to say about this one because there was so much to unpack, but I thoroughly loved it, and the acting was so good

MONSTER NEXT DOOR (THAILAND)

Image from World of BL, edited by me

And now for something completely different!

This has to be one of the sweetest things I've ever seen in my life! God and Diew gave me a toothache every week, but I thought it dealt with some of the more serious aspects really nicely too. I enjoyed that the conflict was from their different personalities and ways of socialising and loving, essentially. As sugary sweet as this was, I found that aspect to be very realistic and grounded. But the best part was that neither was set up as being 'wrong' for being the way they are! They didn't have to change who they fundamentally are—just make some small adjustments. The acting was really good, too, and Big and Park have great chemistry! Looking forward to their next show

LOVE FOR LOVE'S SAKE (SOUTH KOREA)

Image from World of BL, edited by me

As I was watching, I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I wasn't like 'yeah, this is the best thing ever!!' But for weeks and weeks after I kept thinking about it. There's something very arresting about it that kept it in my mind. I love the idea of getting a do over in the form of a virtual reality game and it also vaguely reminded me of two of my favourite shows of all time: Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. The romance was very sweet, but felt grounded by the heavier themes of the show. And, gosh, it is GORGEOUS! Such a pretty looking show.

BOYS BE BRAVE (SOUTH KOREA)

Image from World of BL, edited by me

This show managed to be totally chaotic and totally sweet at the same time. Another very pretty looking show too! I adored Jin Woo and Gi Seop with all my heart and I like what it had to say about the ways we try to protect ourselves can end up hurting us (and others) in the end

LOVE IS A POISON (JAPAN)

Image from BoysLoveBuzz on Twitter, edited by me

Courtroom dramas (or dramedies) aren't really my thing but I DO love socially awkward weirdos falling in love, and I love lonely people finding a home in each other, and this was very funny and sweet and well acted!

WE ARE (THAILAND)

Image is my own cap

A show that didn't make me long for romance, but ache for the kind of friendship I've never really had, though certainly came closer to in my younger years. I think it's the kind of friendship you really only can have when you're this age. Maybe? Or maybe not! Anyway, enough old lady navel gazing...

Overall, it's a lovely, warm series about friendship and love that brightened my week and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. I've met some cool people because of this show AND it introduced me to my beloved Aou and Boom

(My posts on We Are)

And I want to give a special mention to Meet You at the Blossom! That was a wild ride too

Anyway, I highly doubt anyone's read all that (I barely wanted to re-read it myself haha) but if you DID, then thank you! It's been such a joy to delve into these shows and to have such a wealth of happy queer romances to enjoy. I do wish I'd found them sooner, but I've found them now, and I can't wait for what 2025 has in store

My BL Masterlist (ranked by country) / MyDramaList

(Images in the main baner for this post are a mix of my caps, caps found on MDL, World of BL, BL Watcher and the same twitter account I mentioned under Love is a Poison; I realised a little too late it might not be okay to use other's images, even with credit... Although, I think the World of BL images are mostly grabbed from the Gaga previews, anyway)

[fazedlight]

I've got Kelly on the brain today (I blame luthordamnvers' post and sideguitar's post). There's a lot of good dialogue there, particularly on how she deserved more than to just be the therapist who got to talk about race one time - how she deserved better dynamics with all the superfriends and for her story to be a real thread on the show.

I think it's easy to see how she and Lena could've gotten along, in that Azie and Katie seemed to have really good chemistry, and I think that would translate well with their on-screen friendship (had the writers given them time to do so).

But also...

Okay, bear with me.

I'm not sure how many of you watched Bones. To the left is Angela, a passionate artist who somehow ends up in a group of forensics specialists and an FBI agent to solve murders. She has a great understanding of human behavior and psychology, and often brings a sort of real-world understanding to the group. She's also probably the most open-minded of them.

To the right is Bones - aka Temperance Brennan - an extremely intelligent and autistic-coded forensic anthropologist who is extremely good at reading bones. But though she's a genius, she's often clueless about human interaction.

I think it would've been neat to see Kelly and Brainy have this sort of dynamic. They might not be BFFs like Angela and Bones are, but having them develop a friendship while being polar opposites in certain ways could've been neat. It's the sort of dynamic that can be played for laughs, or that could be used for character development for either (often both) side(s).

TV has a lot of odd heartwarming friendships. Think Spike and Joyce from Buffy. Or even Stein and Jax from LoT. Or everyone from The Good Place. They're not the intuitive things people expect - but when done right, they can work really well, and I think Kelly and Brainy could've had a dynamic like that.

[holyjost]

The Hockey News | 17.04.2024 | Avalanche forwards have developed special friendship on and off the ice

Full transcript below the cut

You two have quite a friendship. I'm just curious, when you first joined the team, was that an instant thing or have you guys just developed this? Did you know each other before he came to the team?

Colton: No, no. I know he's obviously played for New Jersey. I'm from Jersey, so I think we have a little connection there, obviously. And then just being the two new guys on the team, we live in the same building. We started carpooling and stuff and just going to dinner and stuff on the road, just being the new guys, I feel like you just gravitate towards each other. I feel like our personalities are the same. We like to keep it light and then come game time, play the same way. Then we've been playing on the same line for most of the year. We've just been doing everything together.

Because I see that, obviously, I watch you guys on the ice and you have your inside jokes. You guys just have such a chemistry together as friends, and that does really show on the ice as well. Obviously, Logan, you guys have that connection with Logan as well. But is it difficult to deal with a new person on your line or when you two get separated?

I think you said it best, being friends off the ice, having that chemistry translate on the ice, definitely. Then anytime you have a new guy on your line, just the system that we play with the speed and stuff takes a little bit of time to get adjusted to. Obviously, there's going to be some learning curves at the beginning, but the more you play together, the more you get a feel.

Do you see any of that chemistry with these new guys that are on the team? Obviously, I don't see another bond the way that you and Miles have.

I mean, it's tough.

It's still early.

It's still early, exactly. It's only been a week or so, but they've come in, they've obviously helped us immensely, and the team's been playing really well, and it was nice to go on the road. I think being away from home, being in the hotel and on the bus and dinners and stuff, it's good to bond with the guys on the plane ride. So I think that was honestly perfect timing for them to come in.

I was talking to Ross about how you guys have forged your friendship. And I'm just curious because it's pretty unique that you guys have become such good friends and both new to the team and hadn't met before. So I'm just curious how that kicked off.

Wood: Yeah, I think when you're both new to the team, you flock to each other at first because you share something in common, you don't know the guys, so. We also live in the same apartment complex. So we drive to the rink, drive to the airport. So I got to know him a lot that way. He's close in age with me, so that helps. It's been good. Ross is a great kid, close friend of mine, and it's been a short amount of time, but he's got a great heart and he's a good kid.

I believe you had said that you had friends here before you moved here?

I did, yeah, from back home. 

And--

Go ahead. Sorry.

I was just going to say, has Ross has become part of your friend group out here, too? With your friends and hanging out?

When I say I have friends out here, I have two or three. It's not a friend group, I'd say. It's not like back home where you have 20 to 30 friends. But yeah, he's met my friends out here. And it's a great spot. Ross also has a few friends out here, so we all mesh together, so it's been good.

Have you had this close of a friendship with anybody else on—? I mean, I know you're with the Devils for as long as you were, but did you have that friendship with anybody else on that team?

Yeah, John Hayden. I played with him in New Jersey for two years, played World Juniors with him. So that's where I first met John. And I just stayed in contact since. Hockey is a great sport where you meet new people from all around the world and the friendships are strong.

And I was joking with Ross about, I can imagine that your girlfriends, how they react to your, as I called it, bromance?

Bromance, yeah. They definitely know about it. They're very close as well. We go out, grab some coffee together, all four of us. Grab some food together around Cherry Creek. It's been good. It's been nice for her because she obviously she doesn't have friends here. She's from Florida, so it's nice to have Peyton here for her. And they can just bond over that and they’ve become good friends as well.

And on the ice, obviously, that just helps you guys play together because of that, that chemistry that you have. And I had talked to Zach [Parise] about being on your line with you and having that separation, not separation, but you two being so close and then him getting thrown in there seeing that.

Yeah, it's great playing with Zach. He's been around the league for a while. I watched him when I was 12 years old. And it was actually Ross, his fifth favorite player. Ross being from New Jersey and Zach playing for them forever. It came full circle here, and now they're playing together, so it's cool for Ross. But Zach’s been great with us. He has a ton of experience, smart player, and it's been good.

I asked him, have you had that kind of friendship with anybody else when you were with Tampa Bay? I mean, was this a unique situation for you two?

I mean, I guess it's a little unique just because we're both obviously the new guys. I mean, I had a couple of really close friends when I was in Tampa, like Taylor Raddysh, Cal Foote, Boris Katchouk. Those guys are still my really close friends to this day. So, yeah, thank you. So, yeah, similar to that. But that was kind of we started in the minors and worked our way up and we're together for six years. So I guess this is just the bond of being the two new guys. It's kind of been nice.

And I asked him about Zach playing on your line and how and having spoken to Zach about it and just you two being as close and him just being the other guy in there. He had told me that you actually watched him. He was one of your favorite players growing up, which I find interesting. I mean, is that pretty awesome for you to play with him now?

Yeah, no, it's been pretty special. He's been awesome. Again, growing up, I always emulated, watching him and tried to have some similarities to my game. So yeah, it's been pretty cool. I remember when we won the Cup, I think I said this before, he texted me and I didn't know him at that point. Just shot me a nice text. Congratulations because he knew that I was a big fan. So it's come full circle now, and he's been great. Just talking to him and seeing what he does after practice, extra work. Just trying to be like him.

Bednar: We've been talking back and forth with their line. I mean I feel like they should be playing together. They get along great off the ice. We've seen them play some great games, great stretches of games. When we went out east, they were our best line consistently for a while. I know that they have it in them, and they just have to work through some issues.

Do you see guys who don't get along off the ice?

Well, no, but they're like "inseparable".

Obviously, Coach had mentioned the relationship that Wood and Colton have, but you being the middle guy in that line. Not the middle guy, but—

No, I notice those guys are pretty tight. They hang out all the time off the ice. But I thought we played well last night. We had a couple of previous games that we were giving up a little too much defensively. We were on the ice for a few goals against. Where last night, I thought we were just better in our own zone. We got out of our zone quicker and we were able to counter and get some chances off rushes and some good zone play. Always a work in progress, but I thought last night was a really good step.

[longeyelashedtragedy]

For the send a character ask: Granit Xhaka XD

@perfectpiety here you go!!!

favorite thing about them: HOW to even answer this??? i think granit might be as close to "perfect" as a human can get. first of all let's get out of the way how stupid gorgeous he is and has been for basically his entire adult life--my personal favorite granit aesthetic era is his early bratty twink time at arsenal (if he's wearing 29, you know he's extra fine) but he's stunning in any era. his cheekbones should probably be arrested. the side dish to this is how fucking awful he looks in his selfies 😂 he's way too young to take such bad photos of himself. there's some legend that quilters would purposely make a mistake in their quilt to show humility--that only god can be perfect--while i don't know if this is a true story, maybe granit's selfies are the contemporary version of this 😂

as for the REST of it...

who the fuck is this man? he's so strong and solid while not being an asshole, toxic man with no emotions. he operates on a value system that feels almost archaic sometimes, but in a good way, like he'd probably lie his nice coat over a puddle for mikel to step on in the rain. he truly seems to have the most golden heart. But he has a heart of molten gold—more lethal than the hard form.  More alive.  Overtaking everything it touches. His natural leadership and charisma are truly insane. My sister is a little like him in this way, and it's always truly fascinating to watch--someone who just naturally commands the attention, leads a conversation, even the most experienced and hardened team captain seems to defer to granit for the team talks. while "taking over everything and commanding the attention" is often a really annoying and unlikeable quality, for people for whom it comes that naturally you can't even hate them for it because they're not trying to be pushy or an asshole. they're just a born leader.

i also used to think he was kind of a himbo, but i feel like i owe him an apology because he actually seems quite intelligent and serious. he's one of those footballers who can give an actual academic subject answer for "what was your favorite subject in school" (math lol)

least favorite thing about them: that he DOESN'T PLAY FOR ARSENAL ANYMORE

favorite line: anytime he calls mikel a "freak, in a positive way"? in his open mic video during covid season, where someone scores and he goes "FUCK ME! THAT'S FOOTBALL GUYS!" uhhh...his entire "if you don't have the balls to play, stay home" speech in 2022? when he told alex iwobi "i only listen albanian music" in his #29 days cause that was such a lie lmao. in terms of international duty: when he was hyping up the team before the penalties vs france in euro 2020 and yelled "WE ARE CLEARLY THE BETTER TEAM HERE". or...most iconically...looking at the serbian bench and mouthing "Ta qifsha nonen ne pidh"...thanks to my scholarly pursuits of albanian i did not need a translator for that ;). or wait...in colney carpool...whatever the fuck that weird thing he said about giraffes was 😂

brotp: well...granit and his actual brother taulant? hahaha. i love him with anyone he was friends with at arsenal (gabby j modelling his clothing line, anyone?) with carlos cuesta, with ricci rodriguez, xherdan shaqiri, and breel embolo (always ready to throw down with vs the serbian nt). his history with yann sommer...i love granit's Friendships

notp: ok...please don't hate me. i don't mean "notp" as in like, eww, i hate this, i'd never read about it, i'd block the tags, etc. i just don't personally ship granit and martin. i think they were a great influence on each other as like...captain and vice-captain, and i loved seeing their interactions there. i just didn't really see sexual chemistry between them, if that makes sense. i certainly have read some granit and martin fics and enjoyed them! i just don't ship it really.

otp: i mean...

X H A K A R T E T A

do i need to stay more? two hearts that beat as one. one's heart is the other's home. mikel saving granit, shaping and transforming him, understanding him...sometimes it makes me think of the story in plato's symposium (don't worry everyone--i got a C+ in classical philosophy this is the only thing i remember or understood) from aristophanes where he talks about how zeus cut ppl in two and they have to roam around looking to find their "other half" so they could be complete...Xhakarteta be like that.

and also. how they both own each other, dominate each other, submit to the other. granit in charge in bed yet all in service of mikel. granit's utter, wide-eyed devotion to mikel in interviews. the way mikel saw the beast and the angel within, and loved the beast and showed the world the angel. UGHGHGGHGGHGGHG

random headcanon: i don't think granit would like, label his sexuality as anything? i think he just does what feels right.

unpopular opinion: i've definitely expressed this before but i do not--sincerely do not--agree with the popular view that granit would "lose control" when he got physical. for example (sorry veronika hahaha) when he chokes ashley westwood. if you look at his body language there--or even in like november 2022 vs chelsea where he kind of flung chalobah around--it's honestly a body that is very IN control of itself. he just came at these games from a very different mindset. he's naturally aggressive, goal-oriented, here to both win but also defend the honor of both himself and the team, so-- confident in his value system, he didn't care what he had to do to make it happen.

i've genuinely never seen granit appear "out of control," and i've watched a lot of aggressive granit compilations hahaha. i think mikel did help him find maturity about this, and i think putting him in a less defensive role really helped. granit defending = license to Murder

(frivolous bonus: i think he looked hot with the bleached hair! like he looked kind of deranged and so it grew on me...it definitely doesn't suit him hahaha)

song i associate with them: i don't really have one...maybe kangë e shahirav by mc kresha/lyrical son, and/or future lovers by madonna, but only bc i've listened to these songs a lot when writing fics about him lol

favorite picture of them: hOW do u expect me to do the impossible!!!!! how about these 2, the first with granit in my two favorite colors of course (and i love the 2nd one because he looks like he just woke up lol)

[therichant]

I was trying to keep this short enough for a reply because my last one was so long, but…

First, let me say that Giddy Up and Footloose was so much fun!

It was after the bowling dress that I said to myself, "watch she win," but it was more like an upset during the playoffs, like coming from behind kind of win. But this? This is an upset in it's own right. I don't think most readers thought that her braggadocious attitude could come off as charismatic, and yet… I would be surprised if their bars weren't halfway in the green.

I thought he had chemistry with Noemy, but this is off the charts in comparison, even considering that they didn't really flirt. Of course I didn't know what the date was going to be like, but I knew it wasn't going to be dressage or a mountainside rescue, so it could only be something playful. And that underscored for me that Yasmine's date wasn't structured like the others in terms of flow.

But even with that, I think that these last two dates were actually the most fruitful in terms of Quinton seeing, not quite to the heart of them, exactly, a bit too early for that, but at least being able to see… wait for it… what they're made of.😉

So, I'm not recanting, but I believe the juxtaposition does offer a different perspective on the outcome of Yasmine's date. I have other thoughts about this that are tethered to a couple things, including, something you said in response to my previous ask and, that, rather than a romantic relationship, the date would seem more like the start of a mentorship, but I'll hold off on those until later if they're still relevant when later comes.

And Chanel was the first to ask about his kids! I was not surprised that it was her, but I was surprised that I forgot that Noemy didn't. I remember thinking (assuming, really) the convo Quinton and Noemy had on the plane would lead to her reciprocating the question in someway, but it never happened. Well, it did, but it was about his late wife and they never made it to the kids. I'm not keeping score because I'm actually only rooting for Quinton at this point, but I know that he is, so that had to earn Chanel some points.

I think the main thing this date represents to me is the beginning of a solid friendship, which is sooooooooooooo important in the long run. Having the hots for each other is all well and good, but for most sex-favorable couples, sex happens in between everything else. So, knowing you can vibe with them during everything else is a great foundation. Though, I suppose that vibe won't matter as far as endgame goes if their pink bar stays low, because, again, they didn't really flirt, at least not in a way that the game recognizes.

Up to this point, save for Lucy, who I like personality-wise, I've been indifferent about the rest, just observing, but this date has definitely moved Chanel into the like column. And that's all thanks to the way you're choosing to translate their traits and bio info into personalities in action; it's what I'm enjoying the most.

Me reading this ask. I love you and thank you for your feedback.

Now below the cut.

I can honestly say Chanel surprised me as well. I came into this with one or two sims who had backstories that truly tugged at me. Now, after a weekend of playing these sims, I am all over the place. I just knew Quinton and Chanel would end up with a negative bar. She's in the negative with two of her housemates. However, I was surprised at how Quinton's mood was around Yasmine. Especially since they hit it off so great at the bowling alley, but I guess that's why one on ones are important. Giddy Up and Footloose was really Andraya's date but she reacted negatively towards the horse. So, I went to look at her likes and dislikes and saw dislikes animals. Then re-read her bio and same thing. I don't know how I missed that. So yes, the execs (meaning me) messed up. So nosey and persistent Chanel came in handy because was not about to build another venue. She literally came outside and interrupted their interaction. It's just funny how everybody eventually showed up at the bar while she was having her date with Quinton. Even Dani but she was barefoot for some reason, so I sent her home. It takes all my strength to not cheat or intervene when these sims act unfavorably or against my interest. I have one possibly two sims I'd like to see win but since these sims have been surprising me in ways, I could not have imagined I'm going to let the chips fall where they land. The story has been literally writing itself. I do take some liberties with posing because sims don't do certain things like walk and holds hands. Also, they move too much when sitting or standing while talking so I will use conversation poses after I've done the game play interactions. Saying all that to say it is 85% organic and that's more than what USDA and FDA can say about our organic food.

[iamamythologicalcreature]

Trope Grading

Yeah, I know, I'm super late to this party. I love getting tagged in these, though, even if it takes me ages and ages to actually join in! So thank you to @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe for the tags!

Okay, Imma do this thing.

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 - don't care either way

+10 -> very enticed

nope -> if it's a hard no and you'd never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you'd insta click out of the fic if it wasn't tagged

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it's conditional.

Age gap: -3

It really depends on the age gap, but some of the larger age gaps do kind of put me off. I'll still read the fic if there are other elements that really intrigue me, but I'll probably try to pretend that there isn't a two decade gap between the two (usually) lovers. That said, there are odd exceptions, like when supernatural stuff gets involved - longevity, immortality, etc. However, even in those cases I really need to see a reason why someone with so much life experience would go for someone of a less than mature age. It's doable, but it takes effort. (Vampires are why this is a -3 and not a -8 or something, won't lie.)

Codependency: 0

I'M NOT SURE. IT DEPENDS. *agonized* Okay, not really agonized. There are a lot of codependent relationships that somehow just work in fiction. Some that are even magically healthy lol. But I feel like "Codependency" could be a warning as much as it could be an asset, so it really does depend on how it's treated within the fic for me. That said, there are my ships that are totally codependent, and I refuse to be parted from them XD

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +7

Om nom nom. As with all things, there can be too much of a good thing, and one must recognize that nummy possessivness in fic does not translate necessarily to possessiveness in real life. But honestly, that's true of like all of these LOL I love a (nontoxic) possessive protag. Show me a guy who twitches when someone else eyes his significant other, and then show me that same guy reminding said significant other why he is the one for them in a sweet, sexy way. Ahem. I think beyond jealousy, though, I appreciate how "possessive" can also translate to "protective." Again, see the disclaimer that this isn't real life. In fic, I love it when two people are protective of each other in their unique ways. So basically, I don't like jealousy or possessiveness for the sake of simply having a jealous tantrum. It has to be built into the character, with reasons and depth and all that good stuff. But when that happens? Gimme. (See Snowbaz)

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine, etc): +10

You'd have to work pretty hard to get me to not enjoy this one. It's such a powerful dynamic that one can do so much with.

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +9

Enemies to Lovers is my candy. Especially when combined with the above trope. And maybe the one before that, too. Enemies with benefits can be really fun too, but I'm not really into chemistry-only scenarios (I just don't get it) so I like seeing them catch feelings along the way. By accident. Oops. XD

Friends with benefits: -8

Ummm. Well. Again, I don't really understand the allo chemistry angle, so I usually have to connect with characters on an emotional level to get anything out of any story (romantic or not). I love a well written friendship and I value those relationships highly, but it feels awkward to me for them to get busy. >.> If the friendship grows into something more romantic to complement the physical intimacy, then that works for me.

Sex to feelings: +5

So long as the feelings don't drop in at the end like a deus ex romantica, this is a trope that can be excellent to explore. (Caveat though: I generally don't go for stories that begin with casual hook-ups. I need a more personal and/or solid premise than dumb luck at a dumb bar. Ahem. I may have opinions about the prevalience of that premise in the romance genre.) Character growth through sex can be absolutely beautiful, and I'm usually game to give any fic with this theme a try at least. I love a sexy slow burn, too, where the sexual tension is positively sparking, and all their carefully built emotional defenses are slowly peeled away like so much silk and satin and-- Yeah that. Also. Everyone already knows this, but just in case go read Someone Wicked by @artsyunderstudy for the best possible example of this trope EVAH.

Fake dating/relationship: +10

Why is this so awesome? WHY IS THIS THE BEST? But it is the best. It's just the best. (And actually I could write an essay on why it's the best probably because I think too hard about these things, but you don't really need me to, right?)

Friends to lovers: +2

Okay, had to think about this one. I'm not sure what counts as strictly friends to lovers, tbh. I love angst and pining and hopelessly-in-love-with-him situations. (Of course I do.) So if this includes that, with either one or both of the characters holding back because they don't want to lose what they already have with their friend and OMG THE ANGST then hell yeah, bring it on. But I've also read one too many "and then they fell into bed" situations (where it's just lazy writing, not the good kind), which knocks my rating down a bit. Oh, but I also like how friends to lovers can build over a slow burn fic, where the foundation for a truly awesome relationship starts with something platonic. (Also love a good QPP, though the tension has a completely different tone, and usually is explored in a different way than with romantic stuffs. But yeah, show me two people discovering their bestie for life while defending the kingdom from dragon AI or something.)

Found Family: TOP BILLING

This is the dream. I will never EVER get tired of seeing characters find their families, no matter the shape, size, form, whatever. Show me the power of love comes in so many forms and show me the healing. Show me protagonists finding HOME and I will fucking cry my eyes out every time and love them eternally. Pretty much all my favorite stories, throughout my entire life, have at least some element of this in play.

Hurt/Comfort: Um.... 0?

I had to ask an expert in the field about this one because I legit didn't know what it meant. (la la fanfic newbie la la) Now that I know what it means, I'm sorta like... well. Yeah? I mean. Yeah? Cause I wouldn't much care for hurt/hurt and comfort/comfort is really only fluff, right? IDK maybe I still don't understand it. But I see this tag everywhere, so it's sort of non-impact thing for me. So here's what I like: ANGST WITH A HAPPY ENDING. Give me the PAAAAIIIIN. And then give me RELIEF when it stops and the good picks up as a reward for all that painful growth. TORTURE MY HEART but then kiss it and make it better at the end. XD If it's that, then fuck yeah +10.

Love Triangle: -8

I used to be into these when they were all over the YA market in the aughts. (I was Team Edward but only because Bella was obviously stupid for him.) Now though, I find them kind of annoying unless they're handled with crazy good clever care. (Seriously though, I've read some really bad ones, bordering on offensive, lately. So I'm not optimistic.) I want a happy ending for the characters I care about, though. That's really hard to do in a love triangle.

Poly, open relationships: +3

I'm monogomous by nature, so that's where my interest tends to lean when looking at romantic set-ups. That said, I've recently read some very sexy reverse harem books that gave the characters some solid emotional connections. So I'm open to it, and will usually take a peek at a fic with this tag. But I really need to be able to believe that the poly set-up is truly best for everyone involved and not something someone is settling for just so they can be with that One Person They Actually Want.

Mistaken/hidden identity: +10

Yeeeeesssss. There is something so delicious about not knowing the exact identity of the person you're falling for. Mystery lover can be extremely sexy, but then it doesn't have to just be a chemistry thing, either. I love the search for the unknown person that inevitably follows, and the mystery solving necessary. Sometimes the scavenger hunt LOL Unexpected usages of this trope get ALL my attention. It's one that pretty much requires a unique premise, so I'm all for it whenever I see it.

Monsterfucking: +10

The hardest ones to love are the ones who need it the most! Also. Cool accessories like wings and horns and fangs and what-have-you. Abso-fucking-lutely.

Pregnancy: Uh. What? 0? Or... -5 mpreg?

Not sure I've actually seen this outside of mpreg (which is usually not my jam). There are exceptions, though, but I'm very picky when it comes to mpreg. As for straight up regular biologically female pregnancy? Uh. I guess? It can be romantic in a way if it builds the relationship and they're taken care of and everything. But I don't think I'd pay special attention to it. (I've written fic where there was a pregnant woman in the story, and there were romantic moments with her husband, but it wasn't the central storyline.)

Second Chance: -10, unless it's Snowbaz

Simon and Baz make it work because the good outweighs the bad. But outside of that, it's a big turn-off for me. I got really burned out on this in the romance genre in novels. Some girl would move back home and run into the farm boy she left behind cause he broke her heart blah blah blah. It got TIRED after awhile. Also, why did they break up? Is that just... not an issue anymore? The only example of this working outside of Snowbaz for me is the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Cause he worked for it.

Slowburn: +9

As if you didn't know already by now LOL I'm almost always here for it. It's also one of my favorite tropes to write. I'm willing to wait for it. I'm willing to watch the simmer in anticipation of the moment it all boils over. Give them time to build something in addition to the chemistry, give them more than just a flash in the pan. (Good gravy the food metaphors here are plentiful.) Don't drag it out unnecessarily, but if there's character growth, REASONS for it, then I will take that journey. But if there isn't a payoff at the end, Imma be mad XD

Soulmates: +5

Okay, look. I just. I just like fated mates, okay? Ahem. I love a good fated mates story. (The best one I read was one where they met, realized they were fated, and then had to awkwardly get to know each other and come to terms with the fact that the universe just decided for them... but also... he's pretty great, must admit... XD) Outside of the "Fated Mates" subcategory, it gets a little less definite. I take other types of soulmate tropes on a case by case basis. I don't like it when it's used as a crutch to get people together (even in fated mates, there's gotta be a process and a reason and all that), but when it's done well it can pack a really powerful punch. It can also break my heart. So I handle with care.

OMG DID I DO IT? Holy cats that was a journey. LOL I know I'm waaaaay behind on this, so if you've already done this and I just missed it, please forgive me (and maybe link me, if you have the time, cause I'm genuinely curious)! No pressure tags: @cutestkilla @whatevertheweather @ileadacharmedlife @alleycat0306 @raenestee @prettygoododds @facewithoutheart @fatalfangirl @aristocratic-otter @rimeswithpurple @hushed-chorus @anxious-m3ss and anyone else who wants to share, cause I'm quite interested to see people's answers!

[red-dyed-sarumane]

what are some cool games u have played? dont matter if u mentioned before. tell me again tell me again :D

uhh hmm.

well okami is my all time favorite the art & the music & the message/story are all just incredible theres not a single time ive finished it i havent cried. i absolutely adore ryoshima coast ive spent so many hours just running around there to listen to music. which fun fact for u i only know about this game bc in about 6th grade i picked up okamiden bc i thought the little doggy was cute & was like fine i'll play as this boy if i get a cool dog and u cannot imagine how excited i was to find out u DID play as the little dog. i was SOOOOO obsessed literally my exact thoughts were 'if issun is ammy's celestial envoy then i am going to be chibis' i have a metric fuck ton of fan art i did at the time bc i thought it was quote "the epic-est game for ds ever" also cried every time i finished it. i was 13 so i didnt know what "being down bad" was but do know i was as obsessed with kurow as i was with d-ne later and now tenshi not a single irl friend was unaware i was in love with him. also fun fact for u bc at the same time i was also getting super into vocaloid i was so convinced my vocap name would end up as chibiP to the point i named myself that in pkmn x chibiP after chibiterasu of course. please enjoy my banger old art which is not even a fraction of my output

yume nikki is my next favorite game specifically the og that changed my brain chemistry as a kid. i adore that game so much its hard to put it into words. its just so unlike anything else. there is absolutely nothing in the game that can directly harm u theres no real health meter theres no way to die during the main play the absolute worst that will ever happen is u get stuck or woken up. in a horror game. which is already just amazing. and the whole horror aspect just plays on something i dont think is often done as well in many other things. ur alone. u wander and wander thru worlds that loop and connect and seemingly have nothing to do with each other. theres no dialogue; talking to npcs just gets u a noise or animation at best. ur entirely alone with just urself. its all dreams so u know everything is of madotsuki's own creation, another layer to the all u have is urself feeling. the art is just unusual i cant even say any of it on its own is in anyway scary. the whole thing shouldnt be scary and yet every time i start wandering in a world i cant help but feel unease. amazing 10/10 no other game will ever have what this gave me.

everyone knows i play pkmn the best is still pmd sky that also rewired my brain i still cant play it without crying.

its been a long time since i was really just playing it as the chapters released & got translated but 1bitheart is so so so important to me too. i dont kin for multiple reasons but if i did nanashi would be my first choice. like- without saying that to her i got my one irl friend to play once & when she saw how nanashi was she turned to me and went "this is just you" hes very important to me even now. absolutely loved the whole friendship sim & the story & its twists & the endings & their implications left me in shambles at 1 am on a school night. my fave charas are nanashi enri & saaya btw. i should replay this.

i also love the etrian odyssey series i love the character portraits (esp with the more recent games' color customization) i LOVE the dungeon art & i think all the monster designs are so cool. adore the whole make ur own map aspect keeps me so entertained to take a step & look around & chart all the walls & path ways. unfortunately i fucking suck at every single one i am not very good at strategy games so i end up stuck at or before the 3rd stratum. but thats okay its still fun to me.

the other one i'll talk about at length is spirit of the north another game i loved the art of. u play as a fox & get a partner spirit fox & i just love it SOOOO much. its also a game with 0 dialogue but theres A Lot going on it if u care to follow along & explore & dig into details & the game play is also pretty fun to me. this is the one game i started learning the speedrun btw thats also a very fun way to play it but ABSOLUTELY play it as intended first it has so much to offer

aaaand special mentions to omori, oneshot, witch's house, mermaid swamp, corpse party, & limbus company

[shouldiusemyname]

Thai QL Favorite Tag Game

Oh this is going to be fun! Thank you sm @rocketturtle4 for the tag. I feel special 😄.

Anygay... I got into BL about a year ago when I stumbled upon a Bad Buddy reaction video. I watched the first 10 minutes and my brain lit up. I remember thinking - ok Orya, this is something else. You NEED to go watch this show. Now! and that's what I did. I binged BBS and rewatched it a few times until I felt I was ready to dive into the world of BL. My only other QL media experiences were western so this felt very different.

I do have to say that in addition to watching the shows - being here, reading, and taking part in the discussions around these shows has helped me process some things that I haven't had the ability to do in my day to day life. So, I have great appreciation for the genre as well as the wonderful humans that are taking part in these discussions.

And with that said - shall we...?

Favorite Thai QL - I have to say that for me it's a tie between I Told Sunset About You and 180 Degrees Longitude. Both these shows have managed to touch on some very specific queer experiences, to say very specific to me. These shows have managed to make me cry about my own experience (as opposed to just feeling for the characters). watching these shows was a therapeutic experience for me, and I will forever be grateful to them for it.

(However, I will NOT forgive the translators of 180DL for translating Mol as mom 98% of the time! So if you're watching the show take into account that almost every time the subs say mom - Pond is actually calling her by her name.)

Favorite Pairing - I think my favorite pair is First and Khaotung. They have great chemistry and it's always fun to watch them together. Even in MLC where they hardly interact, once they are together on screen they are ON. I also like the way they talk about their friendship.

Most Underrated Actor - in the wake of the most excellent La Pluie, I will have to give it to Title and Pee. They are seriously good.

Favorite Character - so many to choose from... Why are you making me choose?!

Well, if I HAVE to choose, I think I'll go with Ayan from The Eclipse. He is a menace, he is damaged, he really loves Akk, he really loves his mother, he has a purpose, he will fight for his beliefs. And I am here for all of it.

Favorite Side Character - I'm going with two characters (please don't make me choose)

Chot from Step by Step - in addition to the fact that I simply love him, I think he provides very important rep and allows a discussion about the complexities of being queer in non-queer spaces.

Ink from BBS - she is very real. She knows what's up and she will call you out on your bs. I also think that her presence in Pat and Pran's life gives them perspective. It's like she's there to bounce ideas and feelings off. Especially Pat who comes to her to check himself and his feelings (if this makes sense...)

Favorite Scene in a QL - again, I had to narrow it down to 3 and I can't choose. So 3 it is!

For the family and agenda - The group dinner at Pat and Pa's room with Ink and Pran. first of all I love that they have each other and can have this family time with people they can truly be themselves with. Then, I think the conversation they have around the table is important and offers a glimpse into P'Aof's BL-to-QL agenda.

For the beauty and feels - this! From Not Me

For the personal queer experience - Step by Step and the Jeng Intervention. Jeng sitting in a room having to listen to people discuss his sexuality like he's not even there, talking over his head, othering him and leaving him no room to offer anything to the discussion other than an apology, when actually, bottom line, they want the gossip. Say what you will about Step by Step, but this scene depicts an experience that I haven't seen addressed in other Thai bls.

Favorite Line in a QL - this is the first thing that came to mind 😄

Most Anticipated QL (& why?) - I'm gonna have to go with almost everyone and say Only Friends. Why? Because first, Jojo. Then, I think that this is going to be something very different to what we usually get to see. The fact that this show is allowed to have all the mess + partner switching + gays that are gay and want to be gay with each other? It's a win in my book!

I don't mind that they will probably get together with their 'official' partner at the end, but just the fact that they are allowed to have a queer past (or present) with other characters, that is present on screen, is very different. We get that a little bit with Allan and Wen in MLC and I'm looking forward to seeing this in Only Friends.

Healthiest Relationship in a QL - PatPran hands down. And I feel more stongly about this after the Our Skyy 2 ep. These two are together by choice and that is what will keep them together. They talk about things, they are aware of their issues, and they are willing to listen and compromise for each other. I loved that the OS2 special helps us see how their 2 years separation (on bbs 12) is not such a big deal for them. They know that they choose to be together and that it's not a temporary thing. Therefore, what are 2 years in the long run...

Most Toxic Relationship in a QL - I'm going with a non-romantic relationship here and I have to give it to Wang/sasiwimol from 180DL.

Guilty Pleasure Series - House of Stars! I LOVE this show. It is insane and unhinged and peak soap opera. The subs are only vaguely related to what the characters are saying. People are jumping in and out of each other's beds. I said it before and I'll say it again - I am here for all 4,971 episodes of multiple generations of this hot mess! 😂

Honourable mention (my addition) - I would like to take advantage of this opportunity and thank those without whom all this would not exist:

I've seen many who've already done this, so I hope I'm not retagging. So, if you feel up to it... @nerdybunnydestiny , @syrena-del-mar , @thegalwhorants

[monkeydluffy19920]

In reference to [x]

That’s right fellow mate :)!  Robin’s voice actress picked Delphinium for a flower to describe Sanji and Sunflower for Nami. Both can be associated with their main colors since sunflowers can be orange too and in general, orange and blue are complementary colors.

Delphiniums symbolizes  goodwill and  cheerfulness as well as a protective plant. Delphiniums are used to communicate joy and encouragement, as well as remembering loved ones who have passed. Delphiniums are also the official birth flower for July [x].

I’m not sure how deeply Yuriko Yamaguchi has thought of these flowers in sbs but reflected to Sanji’s personality Delphinium is pretty fitting, since he has the tendency to put everyone before him and he is protective towards his nakama but also he has a heart of gold in general (for feeding the enemies etc.). Also it fits for the fact that he has faced a tragedy in his childhood and probably treasures the memories of his mom. 

A funny but useless fact but delphinium can be translated in knight-named flower in various languages. In finnish “ritarikannus” and ritari means “knight” which is a silly coincidence since Sanji calls himself knight.  Also it’s written that Delphiniums are also the official birth flower for July and are great to be gifted then. Nami’s birthday falls on July 3rd so shipwise this little thing a really cute detail but most likely a coincidence. 

Fellow shipper @skfmeq​ made great notice and post about the flowers in chapter 618  [x]. I don’t know much about flowers but it is highly possible that those particular flowers on that balcony she is standing are Delphiniums ;) 

Sunflower symbolizes different things such as happiness, intelligence, vitality and friendship.

Let’s reflect this on Nami: she is not only lively but also very happy person (especially after she got free from the chains of Arlong and managed to get one of her goals which was to save her hometown). Now she can truly smile without feeling pain because she knows the people she grew with as a child are safe.

Then the intelligence, according to SBS Volume 8 Nami is one of the most intelligent characters. Although it is from the beginning of the story, according to Oda-sensei, Nami is 3rd smartest person in East Blue which is quite an honor considering the fact that East Blue is a huge area with loads of residents. 

She has proved her intelligence since she is a thieve she has used to use her wits and is good at stealth.  Not only that but like quickly mentioned in Is Nami a mermaid?-post, she is incredibly smart when it comes to physics.  Back then Vivi already noticed her talents of predicting the weather. 

No one knows how she does it but her skills are top class in meteorology thermodynamics, chemistry, geophysics, fluid mechanic etc. These make her an excellent navigator and cartographer and without her Straw Hats might’ve not found all the places they’ve visited. 

Then about the friendship, Nami values her nakamaship a lot (despite her constantly punching the dudes as punishment as in a comical relief). I think loyalty for her is a real deal, now she knows there is no need to be afraid of the betrayal and she knows she’ll always have her friends’ backs.

Like mentioned in  More thoughts about Luffy vs. Usopp-post, since she is isn’t hiding her distress if things are heated inside the crew. She shed tears openly and was upset when Luffy’s and Usopp’s paths parted. Before that she tried to fix things up by being the voice of reason for both parts without results. Then on top of that Robin did also disappear so things got out of control. 

She is very loyal too. Fans who see her as greedy witch tend to forget that Nami has proven already twice that money isn’t everything. First in Jaya Bellamy’s crew offered her the place and she got visibly disgusted and offended with this. Then in Skypiea Enel made an offering too, Nami again turned this down and said she’d rather have nothing than abandoning her nakama just for Enel’s sake. She even wanted to show appreciation towards Lola whom she befriended back in Thriller Bark and gave her some treasure as a present. 

I think this is because now that she doesn’t have to collect the money like crazy she can finally enjoy it more freely. She has sense of economy so she doesn’t waste everything she has but spends as much as she feels like. 

Nami has seen to wear sunflower-patterned clothes in Oda’s official art a couple of times and it makes sense since Bellmere as well made her the a dress with same theme (lion with sunflower as hair) so no wonder shippers paid attention to the newest Color Spread and started to ponder whether Sanji’s customized “fast food packages“ were inspired (or even designed) by Nami or just a silly coincidence. 

[cinefarious]

I was tagged by @hotsuqueen to self-rec my favorite five fics that I've written! I don't self-rec nearly enough so let's see if I can do it.

Spectral Thief is probably the work that I poured the most of myself into. Persona 5 fandom in general tends to delight in the aspects of found family and friendship, but when I played I seemed to also zero in on the harsh unfairness at every turn that the protagonist lives through. There was a lot of ugliness in the dialogue, character portraits, and small details (like his cardboard box of things being damaged). I love a good woobie fic, and I feel like I really learned a lot about my personal niche of erotic horror when writing this. I loved every second of crafting this Joker/Akira story even though it took me so long! But I'm so happy with the end product and allowing myself to really just embrace what I like writing.

Heart Stamp is another example of leaning into what I love writing. I am such a sucker for post-canon Iwaipego. I like my Iwaipego domestic as fuck. I love to see Iwai in his home, going about his routines, showing signs of both confidence and nerves. Persona 5 doesn't do well showing more than the skeletons of people and personalities, which is fine given the limited format, but there are so many hints and little details that make up these characters, that it was an absolute joy to show them off in an electrically charged, but desperately mundane scenario. I like my romance to feel like transcendence…but also like it could happen to anyone. I loved writing this vulnerable crush meets the perfect storm of possibility.

Another Iwaipego! Watch Out Boy, He'll Chew You Up is by far the weirdest thing I've written, but it was also a joy to create. It's based off a game called Homegrown Pet by TrisGhost where you essentially feed a small monster different things like human flesh, candy, vegetables, etc and what it grows into and what endings you receive are based on that diet. It was so out there, but I knew Hotsuqueen had been into the idea of it as well. When prompted to write something for them…I couldn't resist! What followed was the weirdest AU I've ever written. It was extraordinarily fun translating Akira into a blob only capable of mannerisms and cat/puppy like behaviors. It was fun to figure out how their relationship would progress when so limited. And it was fun to think about xeno anatomy and fun little things that were both gross and hilarious. It was a blast.

I was terrified to ever write for Dragon Age. It's so incredibly dense as far as lore goes. I was absolutely sure that I would get a detail wrong or forget something crucial that made the plot nonsensical (if you could call it a plot). In the end, I bit the bullet and just wrote. Getting Dorian's voice was a challenge and a pleasure, and getting to show my deep love for the environments and details in DA:I was so nice. I enjoyed lovingly detailing Felix's illness and recovery and describing the food. I just had a grand time with it, short and sweet as it was. And it really helped me have more faith in myself.

Night Blooming is my last pick for this list. It's definitely not a fic that I get a lot of views or other interaction with, but I feel like it will always be on a list like this. Hotsuqueen is a genius for thinking up Iwai (P5)/Sayoko (P4), and I take great pride and giddiness for having written it. The pairing is astronomically full of chemistry. I took great pleasure in these two older characters being written when they were young and even more impulsive than they are in their present-day canon. I loved worming in bits and pieces of their personalities and story into what is a short little moment of passion. I liked that it prompted some laughs and generally felt like a wonderful moment of two very sexy ships passing in the night. I want to write this pairing again in the future!

That's all five! This is meant to be shared to five other writers to keep the chain going, but not only do I not even have five followers, but I also don't want to stress anyone out! So if you run across this and enjoyed it, then I highly recommend you share your wonderful works too! <3