#they were so cute in that scene its really a shame it ended on a fight

[cern1cal0]

♡♥︎

[italiangirlcoresblog]

main masterlist \\ f1 masterlist

-----------------••✩💋🥞🌶✩••----------------

... 𝐢'𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮

✩ : as the 2024 season comes to an end, so does the time you have left to finally confess your feelings to carlos

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭. : carlos sainz

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : pure A N G S T

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 1,7k

✍︎ : i'm SO SORRY it took me this long to write, but i was literally swamped with school work and i had no time to do anything. anyway, i hope you like it because i put my soul and tears into it (i'll probably write some cute christmas themed one-shots to recover from this, don't worry 🙃).

enjoy! 🩷❤️

-------------------------❦︎-------------------------

Wrong.

If you had to use any word to describe the situation you found yourself in, it would’ve been wrong.

Everything felt out of place: the laughs, the chattering, even the clinking of champagne glasses. It was all too loud, almost as if everyone was trying to fill the void that loomed in the air.

Though, now that you thought about it, ‘fake’ actually fit the scene better. To your ears, the jokes that rang across the motorhome were nothing but a lame attempt to lighten up the mood, every word sounding empty and meaningless. Each one of the persons crowding the room were just actors playing their part in a show they’d been rehearsing for months, and between them stood the main character, the best liar of them all.

Carlos had been smiling the entire night, going along with the setup for some reason that your brain really couldn’t seem to grasp. What was the point of celebrating his departure, even worse when the people he was hugging with such warmth were the same ones who’d dropped him from the team to replace him?

As for you, you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him: every time you did, you caught the flicker of hurt hiding behind the forced grin he'd carefully plastered on his face, the sight making you feel sick to your stomach.

To be honest, you didn’t try to approach him at all, the mere thought of confronting him keeping you away. What was the point, anyway? He was leaving Ferrari, and nothing you might say or do could ever change that.

You hated it. You hated that you had to stand there and watch him leave, you hated the team for making him, you hated yourself and how powerless you felt, you hated Carlos… especially the way you didn’t hate him at all.

It wasn’t something you’d planned: it just happened. Somewhere between the race debriefs, the jokes, and even the fights, you’d inevitably fell for him. What a shame you were only realizing it now.

You avoided him all night, slipping into the shadows every time he came too close or tried to approach you, ignoring the pang of guilt that hit you when you saw the half-smile he flashed falter. His eyes were questioning, almost pleading, burning holes right through you as you turned your back to him once again. You told yourself that was the only way you could survive the “party”… or so you thought.

You knew it was coming, and yet when the lights dimmed and your teammates’ voices lowered to whispers your heart dropped to your stomach, all the noise from before replaced by a piercing ringing in your ears.

The video.

The wide screen suddenly lit up, its brightness almost blinding in the dark room, the clips playing out on it in quick flashes: Carlos’ first podiums, his maiden victory with Ferrari, the celebrations with the team and the Tifosi, the challenges with Charles… each one of them was a dagger to the chest which twisted in a wound that had been bleeding for months now.

The motorhome had fallen silent, the stillness interrupted from time to time by a choked laugh or a quiet sniffle that echoed like gunshots. You kept your gaze fixed on the floor, unable to look at the taped moments without your sight getting blurry, forcing yourself not to let it wander over the faces that surrounded you—until you eventually did, and that was the worst mistake of your life.

Carlos’ eyes were glistening under the violent screen lighting, puffy and bloodshot from the tears he’d clearly already shed, which stained his cheeks and slightly parted mouth.

The walls started closing in on you, your breath coming out in shallow gasps as you felt a lump tightening your throat, panic rising in your chest. You couldn’t see him like that.

You should’ve stayed. For him. You should’ve been close and hugged him, like everyone else was doing now that the video had ended, but you couldn’t.

So you ran like a coward.

You stumbled back, bumping into people that you didn’t really see, mumbling weak ‘Sorry’ in their direction, until a hand on your shoulder stopped you in your tracks.

“Where are you going?” He put it as a question, but the concern in his tone made it sound more like a warning, almost as if he already knew the answer.

“Let me go. Please,” you breathed out, the words painfully scratching your throat as you let them out. He didn’t budge. “Charles–”

“No, listen to me,” he said firmly, his hold tightening slightly more to prevent you from getting away. “He needs us. All of us.” He searched your eyes with his, a quiet request in them: we have to be strong for him.

“He doesn’t need me. Not like this,” you muttered, shame washing over you as you shrugged his hand off and finally reached the door, rushing outside like your life depended on it.

It was pouring, but you couldn’t care less; in fact, the cool raindrops were soothing against your burning skin, their sound drowning out the thoughts that had been running through your mind relentlessly all night.

You didn’t hear his steps, either.

“Why are you out here?” Carlos’ voice cut through the storm like a knife, and you froze. He’d followed you.

You didn’t turn around. Instead, you swallowed back the tears you hadn’t even noticed had started streaming down your face, mixed with the rain that soaked through your clothes. “Go back inside. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

“I don’t care,” he shot back harshly, maybe more than he intended to, because he quickly added: “Why are you acting like this? Did I do something?”

“No,” you replied flatly, the genuine confusion in his tone making it harder to keep yours steady. “I just needed some air.”

“So what, you just left without saying anything?” He stepped closer, frustration bleeding through his words.

“It’s your party, Carlos, not mine. And it’s not that deep.”

“Not that–do you hear yourself? This ‘party’ is my last one here at Ferrari; we’re supposed to say goodbye.” His voice cracked, followed shortly after by the walls you were struggling to keep up.

“I’m sure there are plenty of people in there who are dying to say–”

“Dios mío, do you even care that I’m leaving?” he spit out, the venom in his words hitting you like a slap right in the face. “Of course I care–” “Then look at me! Please, at least look at me.” He was so close now that you could feel his shaky breaths ruffling your hair, his warmth inches away from you, so familiar and yet so distant.

Slowly, you turned around, your vision blurry as you took in the sight of him: he was completely drenched in rain, the fireproof he was still wearing from the race clinging to his body, his usually perfect hair sticking to his forehead, and he looked so effortlessly handsome it made your heart ache.

“And now?” You let out a bitter laugh that sounded more like a sob. “What do you expect me to say? That I’m happy for you? Because if that’s it, I’m sorry but I’m not. I don’t care if I sound selfish, and if that makes me a horrible teammate then be it, but at least I’m not a fake friend like half of the people in there. So yes, Carlos, I care, I care so much that I couldn’t stay inside and watch you act like you didn’t.” The words had spilled out of your mouth before you could stop them, leaving you breathless once you came to a halt.

Carlos blinked a few times, taken aback by your sudden outburst. Then, what you’d actually said clicked in his mind.

“I don’t care? You’re the one who’s been avoiding me all night–”

“Carlos, stop,” you choked out, tears welling up in your eyes once again at his sharp tone.

“No,” he said, firmly. “Not until you tell me what’s really going on.”

“It’s not that simple, okay?” Your voice cracked as it raised, trying to outshout both the storm that surrounded you and the one raging inside your chest.

“Then make it simple!” He yelled too, but his words sounded like a cry for help. That made you finally snap.

“I love you, Carlos! Is that simple enough for you? Because for me it’s not. It hurts so fucking much knowing that I can’t do anything anymore, that I’m too late, and it’s… easier this way. Distancing myself, I mean. I prefer walking away from you on my own than having you taken away from me.”

Heavy silence stretched between the two of you after your voice trailed off, your words still lingering in the damp air as you just stared at each other for what felt like ages.

“Say something, please.” You were the one begging now, his numbness worse than any sentence you’d heard tonight. “Shout, scream, just–”

He didn’t let you finish, his lips finding yours in a desperate, urgent kiss that tasted like tears and regrets. You poured every ounce of you into it, your hands roaming over each other and pulling you impossibly closer, almost as if you wanted to melt together and become a whole, so that nothing could ever separate you anymore.

When you parted, he pressed his mouth to your forehead, his hands cradling your face like you were the most delicate and precious porcelain doll in the world and he was afraid he might break you; too bad he already had.

“I love you,” he then whispered against your wet skin, before letting his lips fall to your right cheek. “And I’ll miss you…” he pressed a kiss on it, then moved to the other. “… so much,” he left a third one, capturing the single tear that had escaped your eye.

“I’ll miss you, too,” you breathed out, words getting lost in the howling wind.

You stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other’s arms as the rain soaked you both, washing away the tears that silently strolled down your face, and with them the promise of a future that ended before it even started.

-----------------••✩💋🥞🌶✩••----------------

©italiangirlcoresblog // do not copy, rewrite, or translate any of my work on any platforms

[jymwahuwu]

I love and think about Emperor Jing Yuan a lot. Like a servant girl getting called in to be the emperor Jing Yuan's Concubine 😋

I love ancient China like the history, art and clothing. when I think about Chinese Emperor Jing Yuan I think of Cinderella Chef (animated version) it's so cute and romantic. I also think about the fic series I used to read in 2020 or 2019 when the reader is the selected tailor for the emperor and the emperor falls in love.

It was such a good story, with many good different story elements to it even though it's was an yandere x reader 😭 and I'm not even exaggerating how good it is. It was slow burn yandere yet sooo good and worth it

I have to read it again cause it's sooo good.

There's sooo many good art of Jing Yuan in ancient Chinese clothing and I love and appreciate it sm 🤤

Jing Yuan kept a servant girl as his concubine, wanting her by his side every moment. As emperor, he faced countless threats and worried constantly for her safety. Yet, he couldn’t resist making her his bride, even though the public and his family disapproved. How could a servant girl from a humble background become empress alongside the emperor? But he paid no attention to their criticisms, choosing instead to live in his Fantasies with her. She was the only woman he’d ever met who cared for him beyond his wealth and title, and he was determined to keep her close forever. 😇

Wow, I also like Chinese palace stories actually!! What you said made me imagine a lot. It turns out that Jing Yuan is so suitable for the palace AU🥰✊

Have you watched "Story of Yanxi Palace"? It was a popular palace drama in 2018, and social media was all about it at that time. The historical prototype of the female protagonist is Empress Xiaoyichun (孝儀純皇后). She first started as a concubine. During her lifetime, she was the "Imperial Noble Consort" (皇貴妃), which was the highest position among the concubines after Empress. The core of its story is about a confident servant woman who starts from the bottom and moves up through the ranks with wisdom and courage.

A negative example is "Ruyi's royal love in the palace". The show still gets a lot of negative criticism in China today (yes, that's happening in 2024) - for its slut-shaming and superiority theories. The lower class people must be loyal to the noble people, otherwise they will be severely punished. There are a lot of torture scenes of women, never criticizing the mistakes of the misogynistic system, vilifying all historical figures just to beautify the female protagonists, advocating that women must be loyal to one man throughout their lives or else they are sluts, vilifying and torturing ambitious women, etc.

Oh, I'm sorry I really hate that TV show so I'm talking too much about it, but to get back to the point, it occurred to me that if Jing Yuan were the emperor, he would be very - very infatuated and dedicated. There was an emperor in Chinese history called "Emperor Xiaozong of Ming"(明孝宗) who insisted on living a monogamous life with only one empress. The same is true for Jing Yuan! Jing Yuan has only married you from beginning to end! You are one of his servants. No matter what your personality is, witty and lively/shy and kind, or even arrogant, Jing Yuan finds you really cute🥰💖He is very happy that you entered the palace and were assigned to serve him. He will sometimes sleep on your lap and ask you to feed him. He was like a big sleeping lion. But no one in politics dares to underestimate Jing Yuan because he always predicts everything.

Jing Yuan built a fruit garden in the palace, as well as a place to raise cats and birds. He got to pet cute cats and birds every day. The kittens purred around him. Maybe you were the servant who took care of the cats here. And he discovered you💖You are so suitable to be the mother of cats. And maybe he's hiding his identity and you care about his health and happiness before his status.

Politics and the harem are closely related. Those ministers petitioned Jing Yuan to marry a girl who matched his status, but he would not marry any girl except you. This is his own business! There was an emperor named "Emperor Gaozong of Tang"(唐高宗) in Chinese history. Despite the objections of his ministers, he insisted on marrying his father's concubine (named "Wuzhao"- 武���) as his queen and sharing power with her. This is a very real love among emperors! After her husband's death, the queen became the only female emperor of China. The expression of the emperor's love for someone is to give them the best at all costs, including power, fame, wealth, and status. Jing Yuan wants to give it to you. He married you. Based on your status as a maid, you start as a concubine but work your way up. And he will also give birth to kitty babies with you. Those little princesses and princes running happily are all of your blood and his.

And he also decided to discuss politics and decide national affairs with you, collectively called "two saints" (based on Wuzhao's history haha), and share power with you. Because he knows how smart and cute you are, able to sharpen your claws and handle government affairs💖He is also ready to build a royal mausoleum, where only the two of you are buried together (it may be a bit scary, but this is how the Chinese emperors express their love haha). Even after Wuzhao became the empress, she didn’t build a mausoleum independently because she loved her husband. No matter what, you are always together, with sweetness and honor forever💖

[revserrayyu]

Real quick Wardance thoughts [part 2]

**SPOILERS** for everything happening after the final match. Basically some story stuff and a bunch of goodbyes, but it’s mostly just me loving every second the Yaoqing trio is on screen.

Seeing a younger Jing Yuan is precious, but it was made even better hearing Alejandro’s natural voice during this short scene.

I know Igor was mentioned at the very start of this event and was sort of a constant, small side story amongst everything else, but his history and reason for entering the Wardance really was unfortunate from what I remember (which isn’t much.) Shame he’s no longer around. I would’ve definitely tried pulling for him if he ever had the chance to be playable.

While Jarilo-VI is no longer a small, unknown ball of ice floating in space, I was not expecting it to have more visitors so soon. I wonder how the Belobogians reacted to seeing their first foxian. & is it safe to assume that our pilot, who refuses to fly anymore, took the Astral Express here? Because that’s what I’m going to believe. Also, Seele spotted! Huzzah!! (no Serval at all though. I cry. or Clara now that I think about it.)

More allies, let’s goooo! Dang, imagine how awesome it would be to see Belobog experience other seasons aside from a perpetual winter. Or to have the residents able to travel outside the city’s walls, free from any danger. I adore everyone from Belobog so much and I hope they get the chance to live such fulfilling lives. They deserve it!

I have not checked the museum for myself yet, but if this photo is actually displayed there now, then that is so cute. And I know I can’t be alone in thinking this, but because of the striking red hair, Igor must be some sort of ancestor to Luka, yeah? It might be a stretch but they even got similar big grins too.

Alright, enough of my favorite planet and onto my favorite trio. Jiaoqiu sweetie, I treasure those few days so much! I just wish you were spared from all the trauma.

What a way with words. A poet, even. And yes of course I chose the first option. I feel bad pointing out his little slip up, but I wanted to know his reaction even more.

Pfft, the fact they let him talk for so long without mentioning he was facing the wrong way.. I’ll admit it is a bit comical.

Awww honey no! Don’t apologize! If I were them, I’d move myself in front of whatever direction he was facing so he wouldn’t feel bad.

It’s okay, we don’t blame you! At least he says it’s only his eyes that aren’t of any use instead of himself. That’s thinking positively I guess. I’m sure he’s still quite capable in doing many things, even in a kitchen. I mean, the guy had his eyes closed 90% of the time anyway, so surely he can still cook up a decent meal while blind thanks to muscle memory and his expertise. The other two would gladly assist him as well.

How much you wanna bet our Jiaoqiu isn’t going to listen to any doctor’s order because he’s a healer and knows his body better than anyone else? Feixiao & Moze are gonna make certain he heals up properly. But maaann, I wish they showed us Feixiao in the crowd during the final match, if only for a split second.

A perfect trio. One who can’t compete because of rules, another who wouldn’t fight because that’s not his job and the other who shouldn’t, lest he end someone’s life by accident. Pretty fair reasons.

Moze is an absolute mood. I’m not a big fan of chatting either. Quite ironic, given how much I can ramble on about this game and its characters, isn’t it?

Her whole “lacking in worries, regrets and rivals” outlook on life is wonder and I love it but NOW our Lacking General has but ONE REGRET! Aaaah.. honestly, I do too. I regret not pulling Jiaoqiu, but IN MY DEFENSE.. Feixiao was right after him and I needed to save big for her. I also didn’t really have a team suitable for our healer to excel in.. but next time for sure! I’ll bring him home!

Son of a bitch they’re so precious and sweet I wanna scream. It’s a blessing in disguise that this entire goodbye scene wasn’t voiced because if I had to hear all the emotion in their voices for this conversation I would’ve been an even bigger, sobbing mess.

Pfftt, thank you Moze for focusing on the task at hand. We can always count on him to be blunt.

Yeah how about NO. I do not wish to see you guys leave me! I’m holding onto that “for now��� with such a tight grip. Y’all better return sooner rather than later, you hear me??

I absolutely took my time taking photos of them. I love ‘em with all my heart and can’t wait to see them more in future arcs.. as long as nothing else bad happens. Surely my devotion shall protect them from any troublesome plot! You hear me, Hoyo? Only wholesome and heartwarming stuff from here on out!

I am kinda bummed Huaiyan turned out to be nothing but a unique looking npc. He might not have been a character I might’ve pulled for if he was playable, but he would’ve definitely had some cool combat animations I’m sure.

I know I’ve said it somewhere before, whether in a post of my own or in comments, but Fu Xuan is probably my least favorite character. I just.. don’t vibe with her at all. I dunno. With that said, I didn’t mind that she was practically absent from these entire last two patches. So yes, I called her sassy, lost and short.

Astral Express parents showing up fashionably late to the party. Ya think a black hole or orbital laser could’ve destroyed Hoolay’s blood moon? We shall never know. I do wonder how their own task with those fossils and Ruan Mei turned out though. That’s something I’m looking forward to hearing more about, especially since Yaoguang mentioned at the end of the 2.5 story that our mad scientist has just boarded the Luofu too.

Huzzah, the end~ Much less serious this time around but at least we’re finally done. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Xianzhou during our initial trip here during the story, but these last two updates were some of my favorites for sure. (and I promise it’s not only because of my Yaoqing trio bias)

[greenandsorrow]

Hey, could u write a Basil from Omori oneshot x reader. Male reader that just met Basil at the park while Aubrey and her gang were bullying him. Reader at around the same age as Basil. Reader taller than Basil. Obviously Basil kinda crushes on reader but is shy. Thank u.

by your side•°

🌻Basil x male!reader, sfw🌻

-> fluff/comfort, dare I say cute, descriptive, tall!reader, Omori spoilers, Polly, the Hooligans, a bit of swearing

!!! I don't usually do male!readers, but I was so excited to write for this flower boy!

The artwork is by @/milkymilkyshark on X.🍃

FARAWAY TOWN, 200X

You always liked the peaceful and mundane environment of this place. It's the place you've spent most of your spring breaks in, visiting your grandparents and playing games on their fourth generation computer. The roads are never full of traffic, stray kittens are always at your disposal to pet and each house has its own front yard.

The weather in FARAWAY TOWN is mild, sunny for the most part, the clouds above your head white and fluffy and the grass under your feet bright green and freshly mowed.

Since you've grown out of carelessly playing with your Hot Wheels and bored of rebuilding the same Lego sets over and over again, you decided it's time for a detour at the nostalgic town of your childhood.

As I said, it's quiet and uneventful here... almost. Your grandma kept you up to date with the tragic death of a young girl, four years ago. A suicide that stains the backyard of one of the utopic looking houses.

A shame.

Still, as much as you may be fond of this little town, you don't know its residents all that well. Maybe your detour will change that. You could use some company...

A fresh tee, shoes, keys, a few coins and you're out of the door.

Luckily, everything is within walking distance, so it's easy for you to plan a route for today's outing in your head.

OTHERMART is your first destination of the day. Last time you were here the shop was much smaller. It must've been expanded and you're definitely not complaining about it. You buy two cans of lemonade and some discounted snacks.

After exiting the shop, you debate on whether you should sit by the fountain or walk all the way to FARAWAY PARK, but the thought of enjoying your snacks while being surrounded by nature wins. FARAWAY PARK it is! The possibilities of meeting people are also more favourable in the park.

As you get closer and closer to it, you start hearing birds chirping, kids laughing and yelling, even the occasional bark of some dog. You're tempted to give the venting machines on the entrance a go, but you've used all you had on your snacks and soft drinks.

To your surprise though, it's not just shouts of joy and laughter that can be heard...

"Creep!!!"

Your curiosity is peaked and before you know it, your legs have already carried you to where the -not so happy- shouts are coming from.

The scene in front of you is upsetting to say the least. Six kids your age have surrounded a short boy, who is hugging himself while whimpering, while the pink-haired girl of the group keeps hurling offences his way.

Your chest tightens. This is wrong. You don't know what the full story behind this whole ordeal is, but bullying is certainly not the way to deal with it.

Your height has always made you appear older than you really are and in this moment of havoc, you decide to use this advantage of yours to end this poor boy's suffering. Keeping your strides confident and determined, you get next to the pink-haired girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. You want to appear intimidating.

AUBREY jumps slightly at the unexpected contact and you seize the opportunity to talk first.

"Don't you have anything fucking better to do?!"

She does look furious, but still a bit startled.

"W- what d- did you say?!"

"I'm sure you heard me the first time! Six to one?! Are you really such a big jerk?!"

Some of the kids in her group have turned red in the face, or are avoiding looking your way. That's good. You're not looking for a full blown out fight anyway.

But what are you doing then? Meeting people like your initial goal was? No. You're defending this blonde boy.

Fortunately, after some angry glares and muttered curses, the group retreats from the park. The girl with the pink hair is the last to go.

"We're not done!"

You can't help but roll your eyes at her over the top, tough nut to crack persona. It doesn't matter that much though, she's walking away now and you're left with the victim of her fury.

Despite his stature, he must be your peer. He has fluffy, blond hair with a pink flower tucked behind his ear. He's wearing a green sweater vest over a white button-up shirt, beige shorts and black shoes. It's clear as day that he's a shy one, with a dose of insecurity -based on his body language-.

His teal eyes are kind. The blue in them is so light that they almost look like they're made out of glass... or the glass-like effect is due to how he's still sniffling and wiping tears off his delicate face. He's beautiful, fragile looking.

Have you been staring? Oops-

You don't want to make him feel any worse. AUBREY made him feel trashy enough.

"Thank you..."

His voice is shaky and soft. You nod in response. Oh gosh, you don't have it in you to leave him alone after what he just went through.

"Don't mention it..."

A pinkish blush surfaces on his cheeks and he starts fidgeting with the hem of his sweater vest.

"I- I- I... You really shouldn't have bothered with me... But I'm grateful for the way you interfered. Really."

"Told you it wasn't any trouble. Now, now... What's your name?"

"I'm BASIL. It's very nice to meet you."

How he manages to smile after the crap he endured momente ago is beyond you.

"I... I have some junk food in this bag. We can share it."

You impress yourself.

Spontaneousness means following your heart and you can't help but melt a little inside at his surprised and flustered expression.

"Are you sure? It's just... You bought these for your own enjoyment. I- I wouldn't like to be a nuisance... Y- you really don't have to share your food with me."

"Pick a bench."

BASIL complies silently, his gaze finding an unoccupied bench on a quiet corner.

"...that one?"

"Cool."

You begin walking towards the selected bench. Casting a quick glance behind, you notice that BASIL still is frozen in place, not believing you're not seeing him as a burden and that you actually want his company.

"C'mon!"

Your voice seems to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. His melancholy and anxiousness are the results of MARI's death, combined with AUBREY' bullying. Obviously, you wouldn't even imagine the first reason.

You sit in a slightly awkward, slightly soothing silence. You handed him one of the cans of lemonade and opened a pack of gummies, placing it between you.

"Thank you."

The eye contact he makes is fleeting, but you mentally give him kudos for trying.

"So, what was all this fuss about?"

"With AUBREY?"

"Yeah, not that I care about her stupid name."

BASIL makes a choked sound, maybe a failed attempt to chuckle.

"It's... It's just a misunderstanding. I don't want to tire you with the details."

"You won't tire me. I asked for the full story. You have my permission to start talking non-stop."

"You're very straightforward... You remind me of a friend of mine, KEL"

"Um, I really don't know anyone around here."

"That's okay. You know me now."

You smile at that. He blushes and looks at his shoes. Unbeknown to you, BASIL is starting to develop a strong sense of devotion towards you. You rescued him from the Hooligans, you're patient with him, you're even sharing your precious snacks!

"About the misunderstanding... I don't want to make you see AUBREY in a bad light because of what I'll say."

"She was so cruel to you! How can you defend her?!"

"We used to be friends and-

...she's been through a lot."

"That's not enough to justify her behaviour."

A shrug. He knows you're right. He drops the talk about AUBREY.

"I- I enjoy... enjoyed taking pictures. My memories with my friends are my most treasured possessions. It's nice to be able to capture a whole memory in just a single frame."

There's something really pleasant in his voice. BASIL still is nervous and flustered, however, he now appears to be more willing to talk and more at ease in your presence.

"And that's why I kept a PHOTO ALBUM that contained all the memories I made with my friends..."

"That's interesting... and sweet. Still, I haven't heard anything about misunderstandings."

A sad sigh.

"Are you sure I'm not making you bored with all the talking?"

"I'm invested, you can't stop now."

You sip your lemonade and he chews another gummie. BASIL can't suppress a smile. A sincere one at that, because it reaches his teal eyes. It's been a long time since he had any human contact with someone who isn't Polly.

From what he tells you, the misunderstanding happened because AUBREY got angry at him and stole his PHOTO ALBUM, thinking he had vandalized the photos, even though the photos were actually tampered with by another friend of theirs. She's practically blaming him for something he didn't do.

You want to ask him why would that other friend do such a thing in the first place, but something in his gaze holds you back from doing so.

Luckily, after his explanation of why that girl hates him, you move on to discussing lighter subjects. You don't even realise how much time has passed as you listen to him talk about his plants. That boy has quite the green thumb.

Whether it's some good old gardening, or tending to flowers, to trees, even growing vegetables... he's done it. You're certain his house must look very fairytale-like.

It's afternoon now! Did you spend the whole day rumbling with BASIL? Are you ready to say goodbye? No

"You can come over for dinner. My granny will be more than happy to have you."

BASIL's usual anxiousness gives way to excitement. Grandparents are a sensitive topic to him, but he's so giddy at the prospect of having you as a friend that he doesn't get triggered by the mention of your grandma. In all honesty, your invitation has his stomach doing backflips... That's not something he's felt for a friend before.

Strange.

✿

Chicken with rice is today's main course, with apple pie for dessert. BASIL seemed really pleased, but you're not the biggest fan of pies. So you let him have your own slice as well. It's a good thing you took your dessert in your bedroom, otherwise grandma wouldn't let you rest without eating at least half a slice.

"You have a big Lego collection", observes BASIL from his esteemed place at the edge of your bed. You're sitting right next to him.

"Yeah I know, but I've kind of grown out of it as of late."

Your gazes meet almost involuntarily and you're sure that you're sharing the exact same thought. Moments like this have you believing in telepathy.

The evening passes by with you and him building brick houses, castles and more. You start simple, following the instructions of each set. Soon though, you both allow your creativity to take control.

BASIL has seen many butterflies in his garden, but he never thought possible he'd be able to feel them flutter their wings in his stomach.

When it's time for him to leave, he has a pitiful expression on his face.

"Don't worry, you can come over again tomorrow."

"R- really? I mean... I'd really like it if we kept in touch."

✿

In the morning, the door bell wakes you up. You sit up slowly, stretching and rubbing the sleepiness off your eyes. It's a bit early for you, but you go answer the door anyway.

Your hair is a mess, your thoughts a blur. Who could it even be?

"Good morning! I wanted to give this!"

Here stands Basil, handing you a little flower pot.

"Oh... Hello. What's th- What kind of flower is that?"

He smiles brightly as you take the pot in your hands.

"I'm glad you asked. These are daffodils! As you can see they have a bright and joyful yellow colour. Daffodils are strong, resilient flowers that pop up year after year!"

You're happy. He makes you happy, even when you're hella eepy.

"They symbolize friendship... as well as new beginnings! They're one of the first signs of Spring. Well, you're my new friend, so I thought that you should have them!"

"And what about the new beginnings aspect?"

Another smile.

"Oh! Don't worry about that!"

You'll never know it, but you saved BASIL in the word's truest meaning. He gives you a quick but tight hug.

"That's all for now! I have to visit my granny at the hospital! But we can meet afterwards!"

Once he closes his mouth, you both fall silent and turn tomato red. You manage a smirk and then you're both laughing, giggling and planning your day.

Thank you so much for reading!💛🌼

Support a struggling writer! PayPal link🌻

My masterlist -> click here

The dividers are by @saradika-graphics .

[isadollie]

'let's match' ft. kugisaki nobara

jjk 2024 halloween event | masterlist

— nobara x fem! reader; very early stage of relationship, cute i think:3

— a/n: i was about to post this yesterday but i fell asleep so i'm posting it today. also, my first time writing girl x girl !! i'm exciteddd, i should write more !!

"don't move!" nobara said to you in a playful manner, her hand working on your makeup, while the other was placed gently on your shoulder.

"i'm not moving!" you scoffed, a small smile on your lips. "you're just looking for a reason to scold me, as always." you pinched her side, resulting in a grin making its way to her face.

"oh, you know me so well."

your faces were mere inches apart, your girlfriend focusing on making your makeup as perfect as it could get. it was your first halloween together as a couple; well, this was obvious given the fact you two started dating barely a week ago. still, matching costumes were a must. and an important part of the costume was makeup - something she was really good at. therefore, she said she'll do it for you.

you still felt so nervous around her, especially when she was this close to you. her hands were currently applying blush on your cheeks, but it's not like you needed any. the closeness between your faces was enough to make you blush.

"okay, i'll do your eyeliner next!" she clapped her hands excitedly, and you only released a breath you didn't know you were holding when she pulled back to look for the liner.

"keep your eyes open now, 'kay, baby?" she cooed, leaning even closer than she was before. "i'll try." you gulped, your gaze falling to her lips for a mere second.

"and don't move." she warned again. "it would be a shame if i accidentally damaged your pretty eyes."

"yes, ma'am." you chuckled, your eyes locking with hers. she looked so adorable when she was focused like that.

after a short while, she smiled. "okay, one eye done. looks pretty amazing if you'd ask me." she said, and you wanted to turn to the mirror and see, but you couldn't. she was so close, didn't pull back at all; it even seemed she only got closer.

another layer of blush covered your cheeks, this time it wasn't visible under the makeup though. she was looking at your lips in a way that could only mean one thing. as she leaned even closer, so did you. you heart was beating out of your chest. was it happening now? your first shared kiss?

right when your eyes started to close, the door flew open.

"guys, you won't believe what me and fushiguro just found!" itadori shouted, standing in the doorframe.

megumi, who was standing behind him, after seeing how the situation looks like, decided to slowly back off of the room. itadori however, didn't manage to run away on time.

before you knew it, lipsticks and setting sprays were flying across the room, some ending up landing on yuji's face. nobara was shouting some things at him, but you were too flustered to even hear what she was saying.

your mouth was opened in slight shock as you watched the scene, itadori trying to run away. only one thought was left in your mind.

after nobara is done with yuji, will you continue where you left off?

[taki118]

Yakuza Fiance ep 2 Manga Comparison

Well ep two of Raise wa Tanin ga Ii aka Yakuza Fiance, just aired. Much like ep 1 a bunch of things left out add context and are good bits, however it was something added thats concerning this time. Since I am SUPER normal about the manga I got everything here under the cut. Warning these are fan translations cause I'm lazy.

The opening scene of Yoshino trying to eat her lunch is very similar in the anime compared to the manga however did loose this bit

Its a fun little montage of Kirishima just popping up around her and would have been good to show just how irritating he's being. And we also loose this important Yoshino insight.

Yoshino in the anime only just touches on the thoughts of being unable to tell what he's thinking. The manga goes deeper as she's scared but also angry about how little she can do, you could almost call it an emotional through line of the arc.

When Kirishima shows up it's relatively the same but condensed not too bad but we did loose this funny little gag

I find it odd that the anime removed a very visual joke.

The talk with Tachibana is very faithful not much missing but again we loose some Yoshino thoughts as she leaves. In the anime she just worries about being stuck with Kirishima the manga however

Yoshino is actually deep in thought about the situation, pondering what it might mean and she's actually not that far from the truth with her own instincts.

The convo with Kirishima inviting her to dinner is much the same again condensed from the manga and missing some more dynamic poses but not much else is lost.

And the dinner itself is where we again loose Yoshino insights. The anime just has her kinda vaguely think Kirishima is sus then kinda abruptly cuts to her having no frame of reference where as the manga

She's thinking a LOT about Kirishima and how dangerous his words and manner actually is so the shift in topic makes more sense.

So the talk about Shiori is the same with again the conversation all being cut down the major change comes at the end after he gets the call it just ends there shifting to the next scene so we loose this cute bit

It's a funny bit and ends the night cleaner but I do get that for the anime the transition would not be as clear.

The scene at school is the same but we do loose this note from Yoshino after Kirishima explains turfs in Tokyo

Makes her appear less in the know about this stuff in the anime, a shame it was cut.

The car ride with Inamori is much the same in the anime but we loose this bit here

Where he explains Kirishima is actually close with Tachibana and we loose some more insight into him as a character which is a shame.

The bigger shame is again loosing Yoshino's thoughts after hearing about the middle school incident her perception really starts shifting on Kirishima

Something about the manga I always liked is how the relationship between these two feels like a power play. Like a real life or death situation the notion he could just get bored and kill her feels very real in these early chapters but the anime just doesn't really convey it

The phone call scene is again shorter but fundamentally the same though we do loose info that it's Shirori's birthday party and that Kirishima knew it and figured she'd do something like this. Also in the manga he looks more genuinely surprised when Yoshino says she'll go.

I am upset with how short the club scene is like it legit feels like things were hastily cut in the anime.

We miss out on mom Yoshino and Kirishima kinda taking advantage of the situation and there's also an explanation about how they are going to the VIP area cut.

So the confrontation and fight and pretty one to one though again we loose some Yoshino thoughts

Again she's thinking about how this might have been a mistake so when she resolves herself to get up it feels all the better. The scenes not bad in the anime but but when you know what you could've had it kinda sucks.

From here to the scene ends theres again nothing missing which is good her scolding is so good for both of their development.

Sadly the scene where they talk about the aftermath is severely cut down. When Yoshino asks about his injuries its brushed off pretty quick in the anime whereas the manga goes more in depth

Explaining the undershirt he's wearing is to hide bruises and that Yoshino got an earful from her grandpa which helps to give a feel that they have a more normal relationship. Its then followed by

Here Kirishima explains things a little better, the rationale of why he did all this flows better in the manga and the notion that he had been tracking and planning to get Shirori is much clearer given there are some hints earlier in the manga. The anime just goes straight to the cash reveal.

After the scene is the same well expect for one addition to the anime. Honestly going through this I'm a little more pissed off about what was cut than in ep 1 cause some of these things COULD have stayed. So ok this is how the corresponding chapter ends

The anime for some reason decided to add a Shouma teaser. Where he just shows up on his bike, looks at Kirishima who looks back and then just leaves. Like what was the point of that???? And when you know Shouma's character it makes even less sense. Honestly an Azami tease would make more sense here than Shouma but still equally as stupid. I would have rathered expansion on the scenes that were already present than adding one that functionally does nothing. The best implication is the Renji had him watching them occasionally but even then it doesn't make sense. I think they just thought the audience would loose interest if Shouma didn't make some kind of appearance, but we'll see I am working on a whole meta thing on the threes dynamic so sorry about this rant at the end here.

[ultrone]

would you ever write lottie teaching you how to play soccer? but you’re awful at it 😭

You kicked the ball with all your strength, your eyes fixed on its trajectory as it soared across the field. For a brief moment, you entertained the hope of finally scoring a goal. After all, you had been trying for over an hour. It would be absurd if you didn't succeed after so many attempts.

However, the ball soared higher than expected, missing the net completely and veering off towards the parking lot.

With a defeated sigh, you placed your hands on your head in frustration and dramatically collapsed onto the grass.

"I can't do this anymore. I give up," you mumbled, your face buried in your arms.

"C'mon! It wasn't that bad, baby. You were so close," Lottie said, trying to lift your spirits.

"Close? That ball almost reached outer space," you replied, disappointment evident in your voice.

Lottie chuckled and knelt down on the grass, lying on top of your body. Her face was close to your ear, while her palms rested on your shoulders.

"At least we now know you have one hell of a kick," she teased, attempting to cheer you up.

You simply groaned in response.

"Come on, let's get up and work on something else," she suggested, giving a kiss on the back of your head while wrapping her arms around your tense body. However, you remained motionless.

"Let's gooo," she insisted, shaking your body playfully, causing you to groan in mock annoyance.

"Fine," you said, "But only for ten more minutes," attempting to strike a bargain.

"Half an hour," Lottie countered.

"No, ten minutes," you firmly repeated, unwilling to negotiate.

"Twenty," she shot back.

Knowing that she wouldn't give up, you simply rolled your eyes at her. Both of you stood up, a clear indication that Lottie had gotten her way and convinced you.

For the next half hour—yes, a whole half hour. Lottie always had a knack for getting her way somehow—the two of you practiced juggling with the ball. The objective was simple: you had to run with the ball and prevent Lottie from taking it away from you. But truth be told, you weren't just bad; you were downright terrible. However, the humiliation from all that goal practice had reached such levels that you no longer felt any shame. Your embarrassment muscle had become so worn out that you simply continued, doing your best to keep the ball at your feet while preventing Lottie from snatching it away... That is, until she succeeded in doing so, causing you to trip and fall face down onto the grass.

"Oh, shit!" you exclaimed as you tumbled, rolling on the ground. Lottie couldn't help but burst into laughter at your defeated state.

"What's so funny?" you asked, playfully annoyed, as you brushed the grass off your knees with your hands, your cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

"Nothing," she said, drawing out the last syllable with an adorable nose scrunch and a smile. She threw herself into your arms and planted a sweet kiss on your lips. "You're just cute," she admitted after breaking the kiss to catch her breath.

"So you find me falling on my face cute?" you asked, frowning and pursing your lips.

"Mmm," she hummed, pretending to ponder, "Yeah, definitely," she said, both of you smiling sheepishly at each other as Lottie leaned down to give you another kiss.

Meanwhile, across the field, Nat and Van were sitting on a bench, observing the whole scene. Nat took a drag from her cigarette, inhaling and exhaling slowly. As smoke escaped her lips, she spoke up with a nonchalant expression, "They're so embarrassingly cute, lmao."

"Yeah, they really are," Van replied with a goofy smile. "Wait... Did you just 'lmao' in person?" she asked, looking confused.

"No, I didn't," Nat defensively responded, taking another drag from her cigarette.

had to add some besties van and nat at the end cuz i’ve seen some people talking abt that friendship 🫣 hope u liked it <33

[neptune-knows]

school LI yan headcanons <3

focusing on m! whitney, sydney, and robin specifically -- also by no means exhaustive just some stuff off the top of my head feel free to share yours as well id love to hear them!!!

WHITNEY

#1 most likely to straight up kill someone for looking at you funny (or at all tbqh)

always marking you in one way or another, whether biting you or leaving hickeys or cumming inside you whenever you do it

not much changes from how he is in game to be honest, still wanting to tattoo you to show his property, or making you wear a collar with his name on it

when its just the two of you, he shows his soft side a lot more frequently

his hands pretty much never leave your person. hes always playing with your hair, holding your hand, groping your chest, playing with your genitals

his cute little stress ball <3

really really likes seeing you wear his clothes because its another way to show that your his

also loves seeing you in his bed, even non sexually (shocking, i know) because you are surrounded by his scent

i saw someone say it before and they were 100% right he has a scent kink and he will mark you with his scent if its the last thing he does

you get messed with a LOT less because word travels fast about the rabid dog that attacks anyone who looks at you funny

scary boyfriend privileges? scary boyfriend privileges.

gets conflicted because he loves fucking you in public and showing everyone that your his slut, he also wants to gauge the eyes out of anyone who sees you naked

SYDNEY

you are his everything, his love, his angel

devotion levels that border on worship

sydney will do whatever he can to prevent you from being tainted by the sinners of this town

i think he'd spread rumors about people who get to close to you, and do everything he could to ruin their reputations by abusing his positions at the school and temple

someone bullying you in the halls? it would be a shame if the teachers heard about their delinquency (which may or may not be exaggerated)

he overhears a classmate talk about a crush they have on you? sydney "accidently" mentions all the nasty things he overheard that person say while renewing their friend's books at the library

sydney sees an initiate getting a little too close to you at the temple? he might bring up his concerns about their purity and dedication to the faith to jordan the next time he sees them

only god can save anyone that messes with you at the temple when he's also there

"Belief won't matter, because I'll attack you for real."

he's also very aware of how kylar feels about you, even if he doesn't tell you he does

loves to rub it in and kiss you in front of him

showing kylar who you actually belong to

this is probably an unpopular opinion, but i think hes also not above resorting to violence when it comes to the people around you

definitely not on the level that whitney is willing to go to, and also not as obvious about it, but is more than willing to hurt anyone that touches you

seriously, the library rescue scene? when someone tries to harass you at the church? sydney is by no means passive about his devotion to protecting you

ROBIN

probably the most covert his yandere tendencies

your cute childhood friend who wants nothing but the best for you

he's so so sweet about it, he's just looking out for you, after all!!!

robin is very patient and willing to play the long game because he knows that you will always come back to him at the end of things

to him, its the two of you against the entire world

also sabotaging your relationships and happiness outside of him behind the scenes

always offering a shoulder to cry on when you get ghosted "out of nowhere" or when your school project vanishes mysteriously and you fail because of it

robin hates seeing you upset, but you shouldnt be getting joy from anything but him

he is also not above hurting himself so that you will take care of him and thus stay with him

on cloud nine when you dote on him and take care of his wounds

adding on to that, wants to take care of you more than anything else

his dream is one day being able to make enough to support the both of you so you can stay inside all day and be safe from the outside world <3

robin loves to do stuff for you, loves cooking and making you treats

he definitely isn't putting his bodily fluids into any of it!!!

... okay, maybe in some of it...

most of it

also steals your (dirty and clean) laundry like kylar

whoops!! he mustve gotten your laundry messed up!! sorry!! it will happen again

i might make a part 2 with either more hcs of these guys or of the other love interests if you guys liked this one <3

[latibulater]

Venture Bros Rewatch notes: Eeney Meeney Miney Magic

I love Rusty's bedroom but do we think that look is a holdover from the last time Jonas remodeled (as it's not dated enough to be 60s when the compound was built) or did Rusty remodel the bedroom as soon as he inherited the master bedroom?

Dean and Hank are playing Ouija is so cute

ENTERING....MR ORPHEUS. He comes OUT of the orphan heart machine (??? why?) and zaps Helper and knocks out Dean and Hank, so Dr. O can disable electronics and also cause instant sleep all with just a single nonverbal look...And his lankiness...his sharp edges...EARLY SEASON ORPHEUS ILU

"His magical Dracula powers" "youre standing there in FLAMES" whoever wrote this scene has a child

"brock is it okay if i cry?" after brock just choked him for waking the bodyguard up too sudden. there is both so much to say yet nothing needs to be said its all there

i can't figure out if you need to go outside to get to orpheus' part of the compound, dean is wearing a jacket over his pjs but no shoes and rusty has his rarely seen bathrobe and slippies

"abandoned arachnid lab" WHAT was GOING ON????

i LOVE the pan-ups for introducing characters

Orpheus was saving Helper........"his feeble mind had perceived what's not possible" this is contributing to my idea that our Helper is like Ben's Helper in that they are uh....not cyborgs exactly but meaty machines

Led zeppelin is pretty much the only music brock listen to during sex

How does Rusty not know Orpheus' name already? He's literally the landlord

"junior college upstate" "fEEL it's evil grip PuUUUUUULL ME BACK IN"

"scuba" "scuba" "scuba"

TRIANA girl of the hour. How is she so well adjusted and normal-acting. I want so badly to see a scene or two of Triana at school. Can she use her magic there? Is she is similar classes as Dermott?

"Single parent eh? Common ground" Rusty is so desperate for a friend as soon as he realizes Orpheus is bit like him he drops all snobbish pretenses

THE QTIP COMMENT. I LAUGH. "a walking reminder of our common shame"

"I saw him kill a guy with sock full of party snaps" okay but then doesn't in the next episode Dean get confused about Brock killing people at all? The whole body bags were sleeping bags bit? More evidence of mind erasure

"I'm kind of home tutored in a box my pop made. it sometimes gets very hot in the box. that my pop made" "wow that's kinda screwy" this is the entire moment of what made Triana hang out with dean and her bemusement tolerance and at the end (before prom) fondness

Brock fixing Helper is soooooooo sexy i wish i could chew on his forearms like a rawhide bone

Hank seeing an endless expanse of nature with Rusty wanting to spend time with him, contrasted then by Brock actually being the one present to get Hank out of the way

"we two doctor dads" LITERALLY RUSTY STOP he's got an instant crush and he is just so thrilled to have someone to hang out with. okay with the message O leaves for Triana who just left for school, but at the end she gets bored waiting for her dad at dinner. they seriously spend all day at rusty's lab?

"dont think i didnt notice the neon appointments" GAY BOYS

Rusty acting like an overly typical irate father, he was so channeling jonas trying to impress the only other single father he's ever met

BROCK WITH THE PULLED BACK HAIR MEOW

"i DARE you to make less sense!"

Orpheus just pulled...a singular cupcake with pink frosting out of an upper cabinet....why do the Ventures live like this. 4 boys and a robot.

okay but the whole kitchen scene is so funny and really contrasting rusty and orpheus' character designs, in s1 orpheus really is all long lines and huge blocky black cloak, compared to rusty's tiny little frame, honestly we need more ...(rustyxorpheus=.....thapheus?) of this. the way rusty asks if he wants another brew "kaey"

hank's impression of their dad is hilarious

"the beast hungers for them...i just dont get how they can get the door open"

Orpheus commands the open "by the crimson name of lord balayseeta(?) i command you to open" and shit really DOES open for like a mile around and in-universe implications are that somehow Rusty has created this deeply magic resistant bio-engineered machine

the whole play by play about the orphan heart...........it was probably a clone of hank or dean....

marco

POLO

mAARRRRCO

polo polo!

m a r c o

POLO

Brock sitting down to hug Dean for feeling bad that is so sweet.

True love seems to be flimsy yet real and based upon chemicals, so could be the person they love most who makes their brainvlight up most when they see them

the way Orpheus stretches out his hands and launches it at the joycan to go into hell. he can just send shit to hell if he wants. and he can NOT go to hell or traverse, but he punches one way tickets.

i LOOOOOOOOOVE this episode truly 9/10

[andros-paidophonoio]

My other controversial trait is I don't care for but I also don't hate Lore Olympus lmfao. I think it's frustrating to me for various reasons but all of them are completely different from the main reasons I see people hate it and I rarely see MY complaints and critiques come up which is pretty funny. Not that some critiques don't have merit, but a lot especially I remember from several years ago were ur run of the mill "sexualizing fetishizing & the young women r being led astray" from the same people also being nostalgic about their effervescent Twilight phases and problematic cartoon husbandos and it's like, let's be fucking real

I understand the being concerned about it giving the Wrong Impression of the mythological characters etc but it's just visually and stylistically SO different and distinct and basically looks and comes across like Teenybopper Inside Out. I feel like thinking it represents anything realistic to the irl material feels a little idk.....losing chess to a dog-ish. Losing chess to an archie comic. Personally I get more concerned about adapations that have an appearance and sheen of being "accurate" or educational and serious while peddling more misinformation XD So that in mind, most of my evaluation of the story is a bit separate from that aspect, which has already been discussed and analyzed a lot–i generally try to evaluate based on the internal world that a story creates and how it comes across to ME.

More of my thoughts (playing defense AND personal haterisms)

I personally find the main Fantasy of the comic to be extremely vanilla LMAO and Fine...its basically "what if I was a super hot and pretty girl but ALSO sort of underdog-ish but ALSO I had sexy older BF who was kind and listens to me and wants to worship the ground inwalk on and we have cute little fluffy conversations and dates and ALSO I'm super sexy and evil and powerful but ALSO Good and Innocent and Blameless--" it's kind of an incoherent mess, but it's trying to appeal to a variety of fantasies all at once, and I think the desires that are expressed are pretty basic ones lol. I know there's also the rumor (?) of the Hades basically being authors self insert Mads Mikkelsen au crush or whatever which ppl made fun of but like genuinely What is Wrong With That. It's a bit silly but how is that problematic or my business.

I actually liked Perse's character and parts of her arc, I think the strongest parts of the comic was parts like the gentle romance portions where characters got to "be themselves" and just hang out in more slice of life style stuff (before it weirdly delved into therapist talking). There are some really great expressions of emotion and nervousness around sex and desire and shame. And the fantasy of having an understanding person to be a friend and talk to and open up to and speak in a respectful way was pretty sweet, and a lot MORE gentle than tbh a lot of Edgy Romance where theove interest is just Mean and Insulting for a while. So while I find aspects of maybe the characters getting flat, I found that personally kind of more positive in terms of "lessons and takeaways." So it's funny to me when ppl talk about the comic as The Most Evil Fetishizing Ever when so much of it honestly feels sanded down to Niceness lmfao. I also weirdly found that it felt at times very sexually or sensually restrained–like I get it's for more younger audience, but the kind of coy dancing around stuff at times (I wonder from webtoon meddling) felt weirder than maybe being more open about it. In a weird way, the rape scene from earlier on in the story felt more explored in how it had an impact than later parts. I wonder if that's because it was before it became so popular and also started getting more attention and criticisms that then seem to have subsumed into the work in weird ways.

I guess it's overall, in the end, one of those stories that is very much speaking to the modern age and the modern (straight ig) young women; where the OG Story and hymn was about grief of losing child to a marriage out of ur control (and includes the comfort of other mothers or matriarchs), I feel this (clumsily) speaks to a kind of different struggle. Aka the issue of wanting to express and enjoy sexuality freely but being faced with the prospect of interpersonal sexual violence, or people seeking to control said sexuality either out of protection or their own gain, the idea that you become seen as "evil" once u express ur sexual desires or become "tainted" by association with a man in a way that isn't a Socially Sanctioned way. It's clumsy, but it's real, and a lot of stories I see in this subject are grappling with this a lot. Esp for an era where many women do have a lot more freedom to pursue and find partners by choice than in ancient times, but the journey to that kind of happiness can be held up by such adverse experiences and subsequent emotional states/expectations.

I think my problem with a lot of romantic stuff, including this, that wants to balance these twin fantasies–one of being Very Powerful and Dangerous, but also of being Blameless and Good, are often kind of at odds and can result in some pretty Bad Storytelling that often ends up kind of trying to backtrack and do apologism for the Bad Actions in a way that just feels weak And noncommittal (if ur gonna be evil girl BE EVIL), and also kind of gets weird because The Protagonist, and the Couple(tm) must Always Be Good, and this cannot always be the case!!! In fact, it can make characters end up looking worse lol. Solomon's Crown does this too and that I am offended by for the same reasons!!!

Anyways, I haven't finished the whole comic, although I found a lot of the later arcs very intriguing although it took too fucking long to get to it because of the other problems that irritated me which consist of the following in no particular order:

THE VERY UNFUNNY HUMOR. I hated the jokes so much. I feel this is a problem with a lot of serials where they try to stay topical but boy I do not give a shit. That and when characters started speaking more like therapists, it brings the Drama to a screeching halt. And we are supposed to be HERE for drama!!! This is the main reason it always takes me so long to read like there will be an interesting serious scene and then the jokes will be so bad and deflating the impact. Sad!

Minthe. Treatment of her character left a bad taste in my mouth; last I left off I kind of liked more time spent on her, but in general i just felt really weird about the role her character played

Generally disinterested in all the other characters aside from the main couple. Perse is really fun and I feel there's the most "real" experience poured into her mixed with fantasy.

The opening episodes are indeed extremely off-putting to me so I don't blame people for not getting into it bc it starts off with some bro-y behavior that is corny. And it never quite feels "established" in its setting which is an issue to me with a lot of webtoons but for here especially it feels very like I said earlier like Teenybopper Inside Out. These characters are fantastical concepts, but only at times do they feel real as People

Anyways it's one of those things where I can genuinely see the charm in it--i can see exactly why it blew up how it did, but also like most webtoon it invites the most simplified types of comments ever where every single character has to be Good or Bad and if anyone does anything complex everyone throws a riot. So I don't doubt that the environment in which the story was produced affected the way that it is formatted and created. In this sense it's an interesting work to consider culturally and sociplogically. I think it is part of the greater conversation of why such works connect to people for greater or ill at all. Still, the Bad Jokes will keep me from probably having the true knowledge and I definitely will continue going my own way

(I do have a few AU concepts tho I'd like to think about sometimes....infeel like some aspects of the story I think a transmasc perse is interesting to think about, especially the whole weird definitions of the "fertility goddess" and "pure maiden" aspect, and the desire for LO!Apollo to want them to embody kind of an Ideal Wifepartner to gain power and prestige...more disturbing but also interesting implications and stakes to think about. canon LO I see seems to be about moving from maiden to the fertility goddess aspect but what if there were other identity avenues to be explored? Also I was thinking that a lot of the LO haters I get it we don't like cringe heteros that's fair but I know a lot of y'all r reading BL that use the EXACT SAME TROPES but even more corny and it's like.....sometimes humans crave corniness I get it. It would be too many layers of gender for the original to even be considering lmfao but since a lot of the story is about finding the Self and also facing resistance for it, I don't think it would be unthinkable....the fantasy worldbuilding going on is like ??? But sometimes it produces some stuff I think more deeply about)

[rosaharazu]

AFK Journey Character Review Part 3

I have this idea if I want to do a Merlin lore post, imma call it Merlin Mysteries. Sounds awesome bruh. Maybe after I get to know Merlin much enough.

Lord Franz :

I can't disregard him, ngl. He's a funny pathetic noble. I liked the scenes when he was pathetic, makes me laugh.

Koren :

He's cool. Not much to say. His prosthetics are AMAZING though, I didn't even notice it at first. He's kinda like a distant old uncle to Damian, and it's really wholesome.

I use him sometimes, but I'm mostly focused on getting the AFK stages done, and never thought of experimenting with the characters to see what they do. :(

Damian :

I actually thought he was some noble, cuz you know, Damian from SxF. I was not expecting a lamb boy with inventions. He's adorable, and I love his passion about creating mechanics. Also, I love how he doesn't die in the battlefield and its his inventions that die.

LORD BUNNY EARS :

Oh, I was in love at first sight, and so do you.

Lorsan was constantly cheering me up with his presence. He's such a sweet wilder, and I love the moments where he's worried for you. Such a shame and disappointment that he doesn't have a card, but after completing Vaduso Mountains, it makes a lot of sense. To me at least.

Lorsan is just a Windwhisperer. He's not like Bryon who literally trained to fight along with Elona, he left Dark Forest to get help and didn't have a chance to train whatsoever. He's not a marksman like his sister, not a rogue or anything at all. Seriously, all I can list about Lorsan is Windwhispering.

So...it was SO SATISFYING to see him determined at the end to explore the world and find his calling. It was like a Disney Prince moment or something.

I'm proud of him, to be honest.

And maybe in the future, when he finds it, we'll finally get a card. ROOTING FOR YOU, LORSAN.

Lyca :

She's one of the many strong female characters done and written right, and she is quite pretty. I love her pink hair, her bunny ears and holy sheesh she's 190 centimeters wt-

I've not much to say actually, aside the fact she's Lorsan's sister and Eironn's childhood sweetheart( don't believe me look at AFK Journey Youtube Community).

I find it cute that Eironn and Lyca in a relationship, and I appreciate that in the main quest, romance between them is vaguelly there, but subtly hidden. When they were arguing about trust issues, my Merlina and Lorsan were witnessing what you may call an accidental breakup.

Like man, when is their wedding? YOU BETTER INVITE ME AT LOVER'S WISH FOR YOUR WEDDING-

Okay, I'll stop here before it gets too long. Thanks for your time!

[grellestie]

a piece made for a fic that does not exist <3

(tw blood)

BUT here's a bloodless version for the gang who don't likeda blood (i understand)

just pretend like i gave her the glasses chain whoopsie

(zoom to see more of my mistakes!)

and as always

below the cut is the fic i never actually made and the version WITH blood.

now the anti-blood people are gone, let get into it-

here's the excerpt i made up;

Nightlife isn't exactly for everyone... However this cute bar attempted to make itself welcoming to anyone visiting. It was surprisingly large yet only appealed to the militant populous more than any regular guest. As long as you served time, you were welcome and most likely could see old friends of old. But even then, normal patrons can definitely have a good experience too! What the bar was most known for was its' gardens. They prided themselves on their pure white roses along with other flowers. They were never a tint red, yellow, or what have you. Not to mention, what was obvious to any botanist worth their salt, how healthy and vibrant they really were. The bar was always worth going to even if you didn't have anyone to experience it with, the atmosphere, the loving air, and people around you created the experience for you. Even despite the times of the unexplained deaths, it was able to sit as a community and be something that felt safe no matter how many more bodies dropped and met their unfortunate end. Even after the bar is long destroyed, it'll be something to truly remember...

However, this night wasn't something meant to be remembered... At least that's what he thought. Just another night to be free and maybe find a beautiful lady to take home! But that's just a little too ahead of himself. He needed to find one he got on with first. His eyes glanced around the room until he saw two beautiful women talking with each other. The first one was a gorgeous blonde, her makeup was a little smudged but hey! It's a bar! The other was a little bit more... mysterious. He couldn't see her face which was a shame but he could perhaps fill in the blanks when it comes to just knowing someone with such striking crimson locks could be just as beautiful if not more than the other.

As he was about to start attempting to flirt with them, the blonde got up first and then the other followed. The redhead seemed to take some time before heading right behind the other woman, however. Her shifty looks around didn't really make her look so innocent. She didn't seem to fit in with the bar at all. It was more casual yet she was dressed up. Her steps seemed so quiet and unloving compared to the loud and warm sounds of the bar. Something just didn't seem right at all... Nobody seemed to notice what had happened except for the man. He decided that maybe he should be the one to check on them. If it's nothing, he can blow it off like it was just for a smoke break.

The walk towards the garden was... extremely off. The echoes of people celebrating were dissipating as he walked away yet they only felt like a distant memory. His shoes clicked as he walked and the sound was deafening, almost more than the growing silence This was just a normal thing right? Maybe the murders were just becoming more and more on his mind and he was overthinking it... Maybe he is just being paranoid. He decided to linger outside the door before opening it.

...

...

...

There was a slight yelp- Not a scream but definitely the sound of someone caught off guard. Without any hesitation, he opened the door. He wanted to run and see what happened but he kept a steady pace instead. He saw what he assumed was a body but it didn't look right, it just looked to be a large pool of blood. The blood splatted onto the perfect white roses, painting them a depressing red to mark as a reminder to what had happened. It was almost satire of a murder scene. He looked up to the woman with red hair attempting to clean the blood off of her glasses. She was completely soaked in blood and seemed somewhat shaken. Poor thing... Seeing such a safe and secure place be still subject to something so horrible must have been hard for her... Which he what he wanted to think until his eyes met with hers. Her chartreuse eyes were so... unforgiving yet dreadfully cheerful. She kept looking and didn't really... seem to grasp what she was looking at until he cleared his throat. She smiled entirely insincerely and he couldn't help but keep staring. He needed to break the awkward silence

The woman's voice seemed to be pretending to be calm. Yet her shock wasn't one of someone who saw someone just die. He wanted to run away and get help but he couldn't help to stay.

"Are... you alright...?"

"Oh! Never better."

"What... What happened? There was a woman with you and she's... there." He crudely pointed. "Were you two attacked... Why would this murderer only go for her and not you...? Come to think... I only saw you follow her over here..."

That last sentence would have sent any killer over the edge, he thinks, yet the woman seemed to keep her composure despite being clearly upset, said by her body language.

"Hm~ Aren't you a smart one? Well... I'll explain everything if you help me back to my room. How's that sound?"

and there u go!

(zoom for worse quality! and reblogs are always appreciated more than likes but hey! i'll take what i can get in this economy!)

also dumb comic bc im not immune to the funnies (based on a "life is deranged" strip);

okie bye bye now <3

[miyakuli]

Flowers - Le volume sur printemps

Amour et les fleurs ne durent qu'un printemps

Flowers is a series of visual novels immersing us in the daily lives of young female students at a Catholic school where friendship and love collide. We follow the shy Suoh, freshly arrived in this new school, whose objective is to make friends and try to detach herself from her traumatic childhood. This springtime introduction is full of sweetness and poetry, but I still felt that certain aspects were still a bit in the bud state.

❤ The aesthetic of the game is really well done, whether for the menu, the illustrations, the sprites or even the text window. It's flowery, soft and cute, and totally in tune with the calm and romantic atmosphere of the story. ❤ Beneath its air of innocence and purity, the game tackles some fairly sensitive subjects, such as psychological abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and neglect… but remains very modest in its approach. Also, in terms of its girl's love theme, I liked the fact that the character asked herself questions about her sexuality and that it wasn't something she immediately assumed. Her reflections on the fine line that can exist between love between friends or a deeper love were, in my opinion, very relatable subjects, especially for a character of that age. ❤ I think the development of the main character is very well carried out. She gradually opens up to the world around her, her dialogues become less indecisive and we gradually feel her more relaxed in her relationships with others. We don't get rid of her shyness, which is an integral part of her personality, but we do see Suoh gain in confidence and self-assurance. I've seen far too many media where the shy side of a character's character was quickly erased in favor of their development, as if it were something to be ‘’fixed‘’, so I was reassured that this wasn't the case here. ❤ The secondary characters are all very engaging (more so than the love interests, which is a bit of a shame) and add a lot of dynamism to the life of this school. A special mention goes to Erika (who's supposed to be the focus of another episode, bless), who has the best affinity with the heroine, and who clearly should have been a love interest (or at least earned the status of best friend, because frankly, she's the best).

+/- The music played by the strings and piano is perfect for accompanying the scenes, but there isn't much of it. One particular piece of music takes up 80% of the sound space and although it is long and beautiful to the ear, the musical redundancy is often felt. I also think there's a problem with the sound balance, as I had to turn the volume of the soundtrack down as low as possible to get the best out of the voices of the dubbing actresses, who interpret their roles very well, and it would have been a shame not to appreciate them more. +/- The story is easy to follow and plays out like a slice of life, with little episodes from the daily lives of these teenagers. Personally, I liked this approach, but some might criticise the lack of more intimate moments with the LIs. On the other hand, I found the last 2 chapters almost inconsistent; relationships suddenly rush in, and the attitude of one of the main characters changes drastically to the point of becoming toxic, with no real transition and no consequences at the end. It's quite confusing, and I was even put off playing this character's route after those events (because, on top of that, the route only unlocks after you've finished the ‘true end’, something that's never made clear). You should also bear in mind that the ‘true end’ is not really a happy ending either which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth once you've finished the whole game. It's a daring decision but one I didn't really like.

✖ At times, Suoh lends herself to games of deduction in which you have to pay attention to small details to solve enigmatic situations (otherwise, it's game over). The problem is that these ‘investigations’ are extremely difficult, as they either involve word games based on kanji that are not translated, or require highly specialized knowledge that is never mentioned in the story. So it's almost essential to take a guide with you… ✖ I don't usually pay too much attention to the cliché of femininity in Japanese games (which doesn't necessarily bother me) but here, it was over-emphasized at times with some rather embarrassing remarks; girls outside the norm of gentleness/politeness are called tomboys, the emphasis is often on the heroine's larger breasts, which make her seem more ‘feminine’ than the others, and too many categories are put on what it means to be a ‘real girl’. The game isn't that old (2014), but it feels that way :/ ✖ There's a lot of typo in the English translation, with mixed-up letters and repeated lines of dialogue. I was even given white text on a white background - genius!

It's a pretty good first part, in my opinion, although it's a bit frustrating in terms of its conclusion, which I think will encourage us to get on with the sequel. I've also heard that the following games are much better and focus more on the secondary characters, which makes me all the more intrigued. In any case, if you like your romances flourishing against a backdrop of slices of life, your spring will surely be more radiant.

➡ My personal VN ranking (in french) ➡ My Steam page

[fatmaclover]

12,19 or 23 for mac :-3?

12: What's a headcanon you have for this character?

unibrow mac my beloved <33 if we're talking something more serious though i think itd be that hes got. COMICALLY gay music taste. fag club music is definitely his jam but hes got to get into gaga n shit for my own mental health. this is supported by the fact that in its a very sunny christmas (sorry to bring this ep up again) he literally has TWO rainbow jimi hendrix stickers on his closet door 😭 bud.... howd it take you this long youre literally making your own allegories 😭. sorry im gonna take this one to also say i think he should be More tatted up. rob you can rid yourself of your tats all you want but i know mac gets a tattoo for every boyfriend hes able to keep for longer than a week in my heart. their name right on his skin. this is Always what makes them break up with him.

19: A relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

i feel like "like" is a pretty broad thing for me. i can fucking despise something but it can still be interesting and i still like it. UNFORTUNATELY this is the case about mac and his parents. dear God actually a wretched family dynamic that attacks literally all of my insecurities with some of my own family. something about always making noise, always making a show but never being seen or heard really gets to me. the way even now mac makes it blatantly obvious what hes needing/wanting for emotional fulfillment, but his friends treat him just like his parents did because thats easier than sitting down and dealing with his issues. hes always been ignored so whats a little more?

theres a lot i could go into with this one. how being ronnie the rat was the only time mac would get seen, so of course he was incentivized to keep being a total snitch. how it seems that even joyce ended up adopting those methods against mac, being plenty apathetic towards things that were important to him (not even saying that her blowing him off is undeserved. its very much deserved even if its still a total dick move and heartbreaking that joyce would actively see the environment mac grew up in, and then decide to keep that cycle going for him). the way macs immediate family has interacted with him has affected. so much of his life that its insane. sorry that i wrote a lot about this one its just been on the mind.

oh i suppose i could also say him and carmen. i love you carmen i wish mac was normal you two would be unstoppable as a tgirl and her pet doberman fag duo. im glad youre happy just raising a kid with ur husband tho pls never come back and enjoy your life away from these freaks

23: Favorite picture of this character?

here are the jokey contenders oh my fucking god im sorry. theyre the like basic bitch mac images but theyre so fucking funny to me i think about them 24/7. literally whenever i bring up if im soying over something i want you to picture the second image thats what im doing

for a more serious answer, genuinely i adore nearly every scene fat mac is in. though i suppose the penultimate image of fat mac WOULD be the how mac got fat one

sorry hes like an angel to me here. in the grimy fuckin confessional n all.

i think this one is like. very easily first more than that other one but my shame makes it tied for first instead

sorry. ill stop. dont give me power by letting me post mac images i will empty my whole camera roll going "and isnt he so cute here? and here? and look at his smile here. and look how cute he and joyce are here" until literally every frame of fat mac or mac and joyce in frame together is posted.

fav img of mac and joyce together is them writing in mac and charlie write a movie. purely because i associate it with you and rambling about joyce and joymac for hours. without that association is the fucking cowboy photoshoot from mac and charlie die. sorry. basic answer there too

[jaehyunsbreadbasket]

HSMTMTS Season 4, Ep 1 Thoughts

I've been turned off of the show for so long but this first episode was really something else. They're finally getting back on their feet, I can tell this season is gonna be GOLD.

Ricky and Gina are giving me EVERYTHING. I stopped supporting Rina a while ago but ykw, in 40 minutes I was back. I mean they WROTE A SONG TOGETHER! When they showed me those flashbacks the my inner Rina fan deep inside came out of its box and floated free, I LOVE THEM

Also the way that Gina is turning into Ricky like her interaction with Mack was soooo Ricky, they're so AWKWARD 😭

On the topic of Mack, him and Gina were GIVING! Like their chemistry is so good and I love Matt Sato so put him in every scene please make them argue more I beg 🙏🏽

Kourtney is East High's IT girl and she WILL be famous

Her & Carlos' Sharpy & Ryan arc is so important to me

Also I'm like 100% sure the Dani and Kourtney storyline is gonna go south but for now imma love it and think they're cute and fun together

And Dani and Mack's relationship looks very very fake lmao

I need to figure out wth is going on with my boy EJ though cause those teaser photos had him looking ROUGH. Like is he okay? He lost literally everything 😕

Also I like Ashlyn and Maddox together but they are both 100% emotionally cheating on their partners rn and this is like not how I wanted it to go

Also Ricky and his dad are so funny together and I'd love to see more scenes of them (and none with him and Ms. Jenn please and thank you 🙏🏽)

ALSO I NEED SEBLOS BACK TOGETHER ASAP

And why the hell does Dani need to know about Ricky? 🤨

All in all, this season already feels so different but also like we're getting back to the show's roots, it's an electric combination. I think they finally found their balance, it's a shame it's the end of the show. There's so much craziness going on already, I'm very curious as to how they're gonna wrap all this up in only 8 episodes cause everything is feeling so much bigger than before