#they're just so fun and i look forward to hopefully getting something like this again in a future game

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

My memory is terrible so I wanted to do a breakdown of my stuff every once in a while. Might be monthly, might be whenever I feel like it. And also. Spoilers and opinions below, read at your own risk.

QL - Currently Watching

🇯🇵I Hear the Sunspot [1/12] - I'm so grateful that I get a new jbl just as I'm mourning the end of the last one. I didn't read this manga but I've watched the film, and I really liked it even if it felt unfinished. Hopefully with 12 episodes it means we get the full story. This was a very good first episode, I feel like we established the main relationships dynamics and got a good insight into the main characters core. Taichi is my new child.

🇹🇭 Knock Knock, Boys! [6/12] - I continue to enjoy this group. Jane turned out to be a great addition instead of what I feared, but Peak really needs to step up so I can keep rooting for him and Thanwa, cause I'm also not a huge fan of the ex coming back as an obstacle for the couple. Latte and Almond are really great together and I'm curious how Almond will deal with his feelings for Latte, when he actually realizes he's having them.

🇹🇭Love Sea [4/12] - Before anything else, I love the ocean and I love when shows get out of the city. Also I like Mut. Now. I'm not a Mame hater. I'm a 'trauma is the only way to write deep characters' hater. I'm also a 'trauma gives you an excuse to be an asshole' hater. But most of all, I'm very much a 'love will fix you' hater. So just don't give me 3 out of 3 and it's fine. Also this last episode, all the talk about money and contracts made me feel some kind of way, although it doesn't seem to bother Mut so... And as much I like having Aya on my screen, Mook is really testing that line between cute and incredibly annoying. I'm not sure how long I'm staying with this one.

🇹🇭My Love Mix-Up! [4/12] - So... this is not good. The technical aspects of this are actually bad. Considering the number of sponsors is actually kinda incredible that it's so badly put together. The sound, the lighting, the editing, overall just... not good. Now, the rest. Look I don't want to ruin anybody's fun, so I'll keep watching this one quietly, unless something outrageous happens. But for the record, and this is all I'm gonna say, they are ruining the best parts of these characters and this story, and even if I ignore that (which I can't because it's an adaptation), it's pandering and it's a lazy attempt at recapturing the magic of msp, with a worse script and recycled material. Also I cannot believe they didn't put Atom in a trashing bag.

🇹🇭 My Stand-In [1/12] - For a number of reasons I'm waiting to binge this one. I do love watching the gifs on my dash though, pretty is pretty.

🇯🇵Ossan no Pants ga Nandatte Ii Janai ka! [9/11] - It's so good. I love them all. This last episode I was close to tears in several parts but the street proposal ended me. It's definitely one of those shows that I'm grateful that I get to watch even if I can't always find the words to talk about it. These characters have my whole heart. [everyone should be watching this and the wonderful @isaksbestpillow has made that possible with her subs. Here is the post with the latest episode. ]

🇹🇭SunsetxVibes [3/12] - It's ridiculous, it's fun, it's cute. Sun is such a simp. Man basically proposed before they were even dating. And yeah the way it started was not amazing, with the lying, but these two actually communicate about their expectations and what they're feeling which is better than a lot of shows right now. And I adore the sides.

🇹🇭The Rebound [2/12] - Everyone is gay and naked. And they play a sport of some kind.

🇹🇭The Trainee [1/12] - OffGun are back! I really liked the set up for this. It's only the first episode but I really like how they are walking the line between the comedy and the seriousness of the workplace. I love a good friend group so I'm looking forward to seeing how the relationships between all the interns grow. Poon is once again playing the silly brainless child of the pack but I don't care, I adore that kid for some reason. And next week we already got Gun crying so what's not to like?

🇹🇭 Wandee Goodday [10/12] - I already talked about my feelings regarding the last episode. I'm here for Oyei/Cher and Plakao. I love Inn and Great, they deliver with the chemistry but the DeeYak storyline is just a mess for me right now. I am also not looking forward to the inevitable redemption of the terrible parental figure.

🇹🇭 We Are [13/16] - The friendships are still great and mainly why I'm watching. I have a really good time watching those scenes. Only 3 episodes left and ChainPun continue to be the tinniest of crumbs. I don't expect much from this couple at this point and I'm a bit disappointed. FangTan are so cute and such good communicators. They are my favourites. QToey are cute. Now, Phum and Peem. Look PondPhuwin are really good at looking at each other like they're the only person in the universe. However. There's only so many times I can enjoy them staring at each other in slow mo. Once per episode oughta be enough I think. Hopefully now that they're actual boyfriends it gets a little less annoying.

QL - Finished

🇯🇵25 Ji, Akasaka de - What an incredible journey. I have to say it has been a while since a show surprised me this much, for the positive. For most of it I wasn't sure where it was gonna go or how it would end or who would be doing the running. The way they played with the show within a show was so well done. I loved the change in pov, which I always love in jbls, but it not only gave us the opportunity to see how Hayama's crush started but also we were allowed to see behind the mask that Hayama had been keeping up. Speaking of. I love him, one of my favourite characters of the year. And Komagine Kiita did an incredible job. I can't wait to watch him again when Tengu returns. If I had to say, the one thing I wish I had was more of Shirasaki's backstory. I wanted to understand better why his self-esteem got that bad. But that ending was great and honestly, I earned it.

🇵🇭Marahuyo Project - Well that was excellent. This show is beautiful. I want to hug them all and walk next to them. I really don't have the words for it right now so just go watch it. Because these characters are incredible and the visuals are stunning. All episodes here.

🇹🇭 Only Boo! - This is getting tiresome. Here it goes. Why? It was so great. They were the cutest shit and I had a smile on my face the entire episode. Even with the singing. It was wholesome and the mains delightful. And then... Heartbreak, time skip, no consequences, unearned happy ending. I mean Moo is a great character still, and Kang is the best boy, but I'm tired.

Rose Watches OJBL

Mood Indigo (2019) - I liked this one slightly better than the first. I think the visuals are stronger and there are some incredible shots throughout. The sex scenes are some of the best shot that I've ever seen. I love Kijima so even though I'm not always on board with prequels, it was great that we got more insight into him. Obviously we know this relationship was doomed from the start, and Kido has a lot to do with how we find Kijima in the beginning of The Novelist, but I can't help but feel for Kido. He is a mess that is struggling between the expectations that are on him (put there by others but also himself) and the affection and desire he feels for Kijima. And even without watching The Novelist there is always an air that this will not end well. For lack of a better phrase, it just wasn't meant to be. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of this series.

Dangerous Drugs of Sex (2020) - One of my first thoughts when I was watching this was 'we are using the word unhinged too freely'. Cause Ryoji has little competition on that score. This is not an easy watch. I really liked the way it was shot even if at times that meant my view was too narrow so I couldn't look anywhere else but the 'uglier' parts. In completely different ways they were both stuck in an uncomfortable (yeah that's not really the best word but I can't think of another) place and I could feel that throughout. I'm not sure about the ending but they look happy, so what do I know?

Other - Watched

There's a lot airing so I didn't watch much outside ql. I finished Under the Skin and rewatched a couple of things. My watchlist got longer and I have a bunch of shows that I'll hopefully tackle during my summer holiday in July. Speaking of...

There is a lot coming next month, so here is a post with all the shows that have been announced for July that I updated to include Meet You at the Blossom that was recently announced. New jbl starts tomorrow!!!!

As usual my ask box is open for questions or requests. Have a wonderful week💜

[zoe-oneesama]

Hi Zoe, I saw a few asks before about a physical edition of Scarlet Lady, I'm curious how you are planning to go about it? For now I saw you talk about volume one, are you planning to make one season = one volume? Will there be any changes to the current comics? (Like color, bonuses etc.) thank you in advance!

Yes, the plan is 1 Volume = 1 Season, with Volume 5 having the finale episodes, so, extra thiccccc.

I have edited the pages to fix spelling errors and made a few changes so subtle that I can't even remember them, as well as trying to make old pages more legible. And there are bonus images and commentary to fill in the blank spots left by page bonuses.

^Here's an example bonus pictures I made for "The Pharaoh". It's the picture Alix joked about sharing with the class of Marinette dressed as Scarlet Lady, and Plagg dressed as the Black Cat statues that the group walks past at the end of the episode.

Because mixam (the ones who'll be making these books) needs pages divisible by 4, I do have some full color pages for the Volumes that happened to not fit that number nicely (so far it's just Volume 2), so look forward to that. I think I'll share those pages later this week.

Additionally, the chapters got new "headers" since they're in a new format:

^Ivan finally got his moment!

So, it's not as easy as just throwing it into a PDF and giving it out like that. I want this to be a special gift for anyone who's willing to put down money for my content - they deserve something extra for their interest, which is also why I'm not trying to spoil everything.

As for the status of everything: - Volume 1: Final Walk-through. I've gone through one draft and added a few things to match changes I made to other volumes, so after I complete a few commissions I'll be ordering in another (hopefully final!) draft. One book costs me about $60 to order, but that's because I'm not ordering in bulk. But it does mean I take plenty of time between ordering draft. - Volume 2: 2nd Draft. Volume 1 had very few errors in its first draft but Volume 2 had quite a lot, starting with the cover being so dark it was basically a black blob with green eyes (the covers are the different heroes). So I've been editing saturation on the cover and need to print just the cover locally to find the right balance. Additionally, there were a handful that accidentally got cut off, so I needed to fix those. The cover is really the biggest thing holding things up. - Volume 3: Ready for it's 1st Draft. Again, these are expensive, and after the debacle with Volume 2 I want to test print Volume 3's cover to make sure it doesn't have the same problem since it also has a lot of black. - Volume 4: Only the pages have been edited. That means I need to do chapter covers, extras, chibis, and page fillers, as well as the cover. - Volume 5: Same as Volume 4, as well as not being done with the season.

Additionally, I'm not out here trying to get sued, so I need an original product to sell with the book being a "freebie". I don't do a lot of original content, so any suggestions would be appreciated. A print? Charm? Bookmark? Stickers?...pencil?

Then there's obviously the store to use, launching a page, creating marketing materials~ All super fun -_-

[13as07]

Coffee #1

(Neji Hyuga)

[Art work is not mine! Credit to Marimari999]

Requested by: Anonymous

Word Count: 3,878

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Neji didn't die in the war because I said so and it was a pointless death :)

———————————————————————

     I feel excited, I shouldn't feel excited. It's just a cup of coffee, it's no big deal. It's just a cup of coffee. Friends get friends coffee all the time. I mean, Kakashi brings Gai-Sensei coffee all the time and vice versa. It's just coffee, it's just coffee, it's just -

     "Neji!" Lee's voice rings out, making me snap my eyes closed and let out a long sigh. "Neji, Neji, Neji!" He continues, his voice picking up the closer he gets to me. "Neji!" He screams once more, continuing to race forward, amping for another sad attempt to take me on.

     I deck down, making sure not to spill the coffee as I avoid Lee's jump kick. He goes flying over my head, another missed attempt to take me down. How sad. Lee lands a couple of paces ahead of me, quickly turning around to face me. "Oh! Did you get Tenten and I coffees?"

     "No," I answer shortly, straightening up before I continue walking down the road.

     "Then who's it for? You don't drink coffee." Lee pushes, strolling next to me, his hands on his head as he walks.

     "They're for me," I mutter, letting out another sigh. Why is Lee my squad mate again? Oh right, I didn't have a choice. "Can I help you with something or are you just here to pester me?"

     "I want us to meet up for lunch, are you down?"

     "Sure," I grumble, stopping on the corner of the street, waiting to see who I'm looking for. "What time are we meeting?"

     "How about noon? Met me at Yakiniku Q," Lee tells me, jumping around as he pumps his arms. "So you're coming, right?"

     "Ya, ya, ya. Whatever Lee," I grumble, watching my new... friend, slide into the academy building. "I'll see you at noon, okay?" I push out, waiting for a beat before I rush across the street.

     "Oh, okay. See you at lunch," he calls after me, waving as I race across the way.

     When I get outside the door, I stop for a moment, balancing my breathing and setting my mind straight. It's just coffee. I'm just giving a nice girl coffee before I get my duty orders for the day. I am an active shinobi, I am a pillar of the Hyuga clan, I survived a war Lord being, I can give a nice girl with pretty eyes a cup of coffee.

     With that, I let out another long sigh before pushing the door open. I'm just here to get my duty form for the day and I just so happened to accidentally get two coffees. Even though I don't like coffee. At all. And purposely bought two. But she doesn't know that.

     I keep my breath even as I walk down the hallway, making the lefts and rights as I head towards the right room. The secretary's laugh rings out even through the door, making my hands tighten around the to-go cups. "It's just a coffee for a friend," I whisper to myself, squeezing my eyes closed for a second.

     When I open my eyes again, I push the door open, the metal squeaking on its hinges. "Good morning, Hyuga-San," the adorable secretary greets me, a huge smile on her face.

     It's just coffee. For a friend. With beautiful eyes. Who smiles every morning she sees me. "Hello, Aburame-Chan," I greet back, taking slow steps forward. "How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm great! How about you?"

"I'm good," I mutter, eyes caught on her toothy grin. Does she smile that big for everyone or just me? Hopefully just me, I want it to just be me. "I... stopped at the coffee shop," I add on, pushing the cups forward. "Fun story, I ordered one cup and they gave me two and... um... I would like to give you the other one."

"Aww, thank you, Hyuga-San. I appreciate the thought but I must insist you take it for yourself," the woman says, smile softening as she waves her hands around.

"No, no, no. Please take it, Aburame-Chan. I don't have any use for two coffees and I don't want the second one going to waste," I gently push, my heart pounding in my chest. Maybe it was a mistake getting her a coffee.

"Alright," she says, letting out an airy laugh. "I appreciate being in your thoughts," Aburame-Chan adds, taking one of the cups from me. She takes a small sip of it, giving me a soft smile after she pulls the cup away. The rim is stained, the clear sticky gloss coating her lips stamped into it. "Thank you, Hyuga-San."

My eyes flicker to her lips, the source of the stained cup. They're pink, plump, and shiny because of her gloss. I wonder if it's flavored gloss. What kind of flavored gloss would Aburame-Chan use? Would it be orange, like the scent of her perfume?

"You're welcome," I tell her, fighting down my nauseousness. The thought of her lips and her smile is making me nervous. I need to get my work order and leave. "Do you have my work form ready?"

"Of course I do!" She chirps, the top row of her teeth resting on her bottom lip, chewing on it as she smiles. Would her lips feel bruised if we kissed? Probably, since she chews on her lips. Is that why she wears the gloss? To make up for her chewing on them? "You walk in every day at ten thirty-two. It took a while but I've figured out how to get your forms in order before you come in."

"Oh," I breathe out, the feeling of heat crawling up my neck. Is my face red too? Or just my neck? Can Aburame-Chan tell I'm flustered? I hope not. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome!" She says, her voice still cheery as she hands me my daily file. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hyuga-San."

"Neji," I correct, tightening my hand around the papers. "Please call me Neji."

"Okay, Neji," she says, my name sounding like a million praises falling from her lips. Her plump, gloss-tinted lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, Neji."

"I'll see you tomorrow," I echo, trying to even out my breath again. I slowly turn around, the thought of Aburame-Chan's lips still locked in my mind as I walk away. I peep back into the room as the door starts swinging closed behind me, catching her throwing my coffee into the trash.

"Did you not like it?" The man minding the desk with her asks.

"Not really, I'm not a fan of - " she says, her answer getting cut off by the door clicking closed. Not a fan of what? Me? Coffee? Black coffee?

———————————

     My eyes light up at the sight of the Hyuga boy standing outside the Duty Report room. He's a cute boy, with long dark hair, tied at the end with a loose band so that his locks still flow freely without getting in his face. His bangs hang loose though, framing his oval face.

"Stop making googly eyes," Rito - the fellow Duty Report worker - says, a chuckle following his words.

"I'm not making googly eyes," I grumble, my cheeks heating up from being called out. So what if I have a little crush on the Hyuga boy? It doesn't hurt to check him out on occasion. He's hot after all, and single, so it doesn't hurt anyone. Maybe I poked around Rock Lee about his squad mate a tiny bite. There's no harm in that. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being... friendly with a taken man.

"You are though. You guys flirt every time he stops in."

"We do not!"

"'Oh thank you so much, Aburame-Chan,', 'Oh, you're so welcome, Hyuga-San,'. Not to mention the eye fucking the two of you do," Rito teases, switching between fake gagging and making kissy faces. "Dear Lord, can't one of the two of you make a move already?"

I roll my eyes at the man, my senses out-weighing the small crush I have. "Don't the hyugas practice arranged marriages? Last time I checked I'm not from their clan so that disqualifies me."

"Ya, but rumor has it since Hinata has eyes for Naruto that the chief is going to get rid of the arranged marriage policies. If that's the case then you can have Neji all to yourself."

"Come on, Rito. Don't feed into the rumor mill," I grumble, scanning the window of the door again, watching as Neji stands outside.

"I'm being serious! I swear! I'm pretty sure I saw it on the Hokage agenda for next week's meeting."

I roll my eyes at my coworker again. I know the Hyuga Chief has gone soft after the war, but I don't think he's gone that soft. Nonetheless, I make a mental note to appear at the council's meeting next week. Just to debunk this rumor.

My attention flickers toward the door, the sound of it opening filling the room. A smile cracks across my face before I can stop it, Rito bouncing his eyebrows to tease me. "Good morning, Hyuga-San," I welcome him, kicking my coworker under the table. He grumbles in response, kicking me back.

"Hello, Aburame-Chan," he greets me back, walking towards the desk. The closer he gets, the louder my heartbeat seems to be. "How are you today?"

Great now that you're here. Would be even better if you'd ask me out, renounce your clan, gave me your beautiful babies, or at the very least tell me your hair care routine. "Oh, I'm great. How about you?" I ask, pushing down the butterflies in my stomach. That task gets easier when Rito kicks me under the table again.

"I'm good. I... stopped at the coffee shop," Neji tells me, holding the two cups towards me, steam spilling out from the holes of the lids. "Fun story, I ordered one cup and they gave me two and... um... I would like to give you the other one."

Another kick under the table lands on my shin. This time I return the kick, slamming my foot into Rito's leg. Despite Neji's story, his nervousness sparks my hopes of him purposely getting two coffees. The thought is - possibly - there even if I can't enjoy the treat.

"Aww, thank you, Hyuga-San!" I gush, throwing my hands up as I prepare to gently deny his gift. "I appreciate the thought but I must insist you take it for yourself." This time Rito steps on my foot under the table. Instead of returning it, I kick him in the shin again.

"No, no, no. Please take it, Aburame-Chan. I don't have any use for two coffees and I don't want the second one going to waste," Neji says, making my heart flutter again.

I feel like my face is on fire with embarrassment. "Alright," I answer, letting out a light laugh. My laugh sounds stupid, why did I laugh like that? That's so embarrassing. "I appreciate being in your thoughts," I tell him, taking one of the cups from him.

I lift the cup to my lips, tiling it back a bit. I make sure to keep my mouth sealed around the lid, not letting any of the liquid slip past my lips. After a beat or two I pull the cup back, setting it down on the counter. "Thank you, Hyuga-San," I mutter, sending him another smile.

"You're welcome. Do you have my work form ready?" He asks, eyes locked on me. I swear I can drink up his eyes like the milk color they are. Lord the things I would let this boy use his byakugan to do. Is there anything 'risky' you could use the byakugan for?

"Of course I do! You walk in every day at ten thirty-two. It took a while but I've figured out how to get your forms in order before you come in," I spill, instantly feeling embarrassed once the words are out. I nibble on my lip as I think about how stupid I sound. That sounds creepy, right? The kick to my leg answers my question for me; it did sound stupid.

"Oh," Neji says as I hand him his work order, only furthering my proof of how stupid I sound. "Well, thank you," he adds, his cheeks going red. So much for taking advantage of the possible end to the Hyuga marriage traditions.

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow, Hyuga-San."

"Neji," he says, catching me off guard. "Please call me Neji." Maybe I didn't embarrass myself as badly as I thought I did.

"Okay, Neji. I'll see you tomorrow, Neji." His name feels heavy on my tongue like I want to say it another hundred times. It makes my heart flutter too, hearing my voice say his name, getting to be so casual with him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he repeats, staying put for a moment before he turns on his heels. My eyes trail up and down his back, imagining how defined it must be under his shirt.

I pop my cheeks out, slowly letting my breath out as I try to clear my mind. Once Neji is out the door, I pick up the coffee and drop it into the trash. My lips are already feeling itchy from having the caffeine pressed against them. "Did you not like it?" Rito asks, making his eyebrows jump again.

"Not really, I'm not a fan of caffeine."

"Why not? I figured you'd down any drink Neji bought you."

"I'm allergic to caffeine," I shortly explain, rubbing my fingers against my lips that I'm sure are already forming a rash.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No, I'll just end up with a rash on my lips. It should go away in a few hours."

———————————

     "I think you're looking into it too much," Lee tells me, his chin prepped on his hands he has folded on the table. "Doesn't your clan do forced marriages or whatever? Why put any effort into this girl if your uncle is just going to sell your life away?"

I blink slowly at the stupidity rolling off of Lee. I swear if I didn't know how empty-minded he was, I would mistake him as a Hyuga hater. "Arranged marriages. My clan does arrange marriages."

"Same thing."

"No," I sigh, rubbing my temples. Why is my best friend an idiot? Why am I best friends with Lee of all people? "Besides," I sigh again, dropping my hands to my lap. "My uncle is getting rid of those traditions. Something about 'wanting better relations with the village' and 'not wanting to be seen in the same light as the Uchiha Clan'. I'm getting dragged to a council meeting next week to get the tradition terminated."

"Oh, that's great news!" Lee says, jumping up from his relaxed spot and clapping his hands. "That means you can go for the cute secretary!"

"Yes, unless she doesn't like me."

"Maybe she just didn't like the coffee. Most people don't like black coffee, that's probably why she threw it away. Try getting her something sweeter tomorrow." This. This is why I'm friends with Lee because he wasn't cooped up in a clan his whole life and knows how to interact with other people. Plus, his support is a bit nice.

"I do not like coffee, let alone know anything about it. I don't know what I should order for us tomorrow."

"Ya, first off maybe just be upfront and tell her you bought her a coffee. Second, you said she likes oranges right?"

"She smells like oranges so I would assume so, yes," I mumble, picking up my glass of water, taking a few sips of it as I listen to Lee talk.

"Well, when you stop at the coffee shop tomorrow ask for two coffees with two shots of espresso, two shots of creamer, and four shots of orange juice. It'll be a sweet coffee with a tangy taste to it." Maybe Lee is so jumpy and happy because he drinks too much caffeine. That would make sense.

"And she will like it?" I ask, repeating the order in my head a few times. Maybe I should write it down so I don't forget it.

"I don't know," he says, shrugging his shoulders as he rests against the booth. "I don't know your secretary lady so I don't know what she likes, but if she likes oranges she should like the coffee. I think."

"Well," I mutter, slowly blinking at Lee again. "I suppose it's better than nothing."

                       ———————————

     My heart races again as I walk down the familiar path to the academy, two coffees in my hold just like yesterday. Lee said two shots of Expresso, right? Or maybe he said three? I should have written the order down. It's fine, I'm sure it's fine. All that matters is that it takes like oranges instead of coffee.

     I repeat the same steps as yesterday. Waiting on the corner to watch Aburame-Chan slip into work, waiting a moment before walking across the street, slow steps along the hallways of the academy, and waiting outside the Duty Order room to even out my breath.

     I watch her talk to her coworker, it's a different one today than from yesterday, but I already knew that. It's Aburame-Chan and the guy on Mondays, Aburame-Chan and the girl on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, then a second guy on Thursdays, and then she's off for the weekend. Is it creepy that I know her work schedule? Or is it just a coincidence that I've noticed when she's not here? I'm going with the second situation, it's less weird.

     When the women's laughs ring out, it snaps me back into the moment. Right, coffee for Aburame-Chan, which I purposely bought for her, with orange juice in it to make it tangy because she - most likely - doesn't like black coffee.

     I push the door open, the normal shrieking of the metal overpowering the secretaries's laughter. "Oh, good morning Hyuga-San!" The secretary that's caught my eye chirps out.

     "Neji, I asked you to call me Neji," I correct her, a bit worried that she forgot our conversation yesterday.

"Right. Neji." She says, a smile crawling across her face. "It seems you have a light day today," Aburame-Chan mutters, holding out my file for the day. She's not wrong, it is thinner than usual.

"Well... I guess I'll have some free time this afternoon then," I respond, setting down a cup in front of her on the table. "Perhaps you would like to spend my open afternoon with me? We could go grab something to eat? Or we could do something else more to your liking."

The secretary blinks at me a few times, tilting her head as her smile loosens. Lee was wrong, it's not that she didn't like the coffee. It's that she didn't like me. Why would I stoop down to listening to Lee? I should have known that was a bad idea.

"I get off at five. Met me here?" Or, Lee was right. I suppose even the dumbest of people have to be correct on occasion.

"Yes, of course. I will see you at five," I mumble, the familiar heat caused by the Aburame clan member crawling across my face. "Have a good day, Aburame-Chan," I say, nodding my head a bit before I turn around.

"Oh, don't forget your coffee, Neji." I swear I don't know how I'm going to survive our date if she keeps saying my name. Why did I give her my name? She already had my name. Why did I ask her to use it? Because it sounds good falling off her lips.

I slowly turn around, sending her a soft smile as I do so. "It is for you. Please enjoy," I shortly explain, nodding my head again and turning away before she can try and fight me on it like she did yesterday. By the time I slip out the door, I feel like I'm going to be sick from excitement.

I poke my head around, looking through the window of the door to see Aburame-Chan's reaction to the coffee. My excitement is quickly diminished when her head turns towards her coworker and her hand wraps around the cup to drop it into the trash again. She didn't even try it!

I knew it was me she did not like. What is the point of our date tonight if she does not like me? As I walk away from the academy two things are running through my head. One, I'm going to ask Aburame-Chan what in the world she is thinking and two, Lee is not as smart as he thinks he is.

                       ———————————

"I am just saying, if she does not like me, what is the point of going to dinner?" I grumble, getting another chuckle from Lee. He's waiting with me around the corner of the academy door for Aburame-Chan to get off work. He insists that he snooped around and figured out why she won't drink the coffee I get her. He also insists on not telling me, which is testing my patience. If he knows, why won't he tell me?

"Like I told you yesterday, I'm pretty sure she likes you. Don't cut your losses yet," he hums out, slowly shifting his head back and forth as he rests against the brick wall of the academy.

"Don't cut my losses," I grumble, mocking Lee's words. What does he know anyway? I mean, it's already four past five, if Aburame-Chan is oh so excited about our date, where is she?

As if the Lord himself can hear me, the door to the academy is pushed open, Aburame-Chan's laugh filtering out from the hallway. "You're stupid, Shino," she giggles out, the man called for walking behind her as they exit the building. His hands are buried in her hair, trying to tie it up for her.

     "I am not stupid. You are empty-minded and believe everyone is your friend. I am not saying Neji is a bad guy, I am just saying he is a guy." Shino's lecture angers me. What's that supposed to mean? 'He's a guy'? Of course I'm a guy. I swear, this whole date thing is getting more frustrating by the moment.

     Why did Aburame-Chan agree to a date if she doesn't like me? Why won't she drink the coffee I get her? Why is Shino fixing her hair for her? Why are women confusing?

     "Fine, you're not stupid brain-wise but you're stupid protective-wise. Lord, Onii-San, you think you can give me a little space?" She whines, unknotting Shino - her brother's - hands out of her hair. Well, this must be what Lee feels like in these moments.

     "The guy keeps bringing you coffee. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's trying to kill you."

     "Neji doesn't know I'm allergic to caffeine. I'll talk to him about it at dinner tonight, okay? Give the guy a break. It's sweet he keeps bringing me coffee." This is definitely how Lee feels, my thought solidified by the cocky smile on his face.

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

[cottondo]

NEGAN SMITH X READER // fluff |

IN THE GARDEN

[ TWD ] s9 themed

You went outside to the garden, and peered around for a familiar face.

Today, it was warm; the sun was out, and it was promising good growth for any crops throughout the day.

Everybody you ran into seemed to be in a good mood, for the most part. After all, mostly all of Alexandria was getting ready for a small get together tonight. It was just something the council had planned on for folk to hopefully brighten things up around there. You’ve all been through enough.

Your target was acquired; You spot a blue shirted man embedded within the gardening grounds. Negan was crouched down, picking out weeds and raking up any overgrowth. With his back turned to your front, you felt the curl of your lips lifting a sneaky thought into your mind.

Wouldn’t it be fun to just mess with him a little bit?

You trot your way up behind him, sneaking low to the ground, crouching behind a wheelbarrow. Slowly, you move closer, like a tiger after its prey. He didn’t make any notion that he saw or heard you yet, so this was definitely going to play out nicely.

Without a second thought, your body springs forward with the help of your back foot. You launch yourself onto his back and loop your arms around his upper shoulders and neck. His initial instinct would normally be to whip an intruder of space off of him— so that's exactly what he did.

"Shit!" He yelled, and you landed right on the grassy ground with a heavy thud. Laughter escapes your chest as you close your eyes up at the blue sky. A few passing others caught a glance at the two of you, and briefly ignored it, only giving off furrowed looks in return. Negan stares down at you with a mixture of confusion, and uneasiness. He should have known by now that he wasn’t safe behind these walls, and not just by the walkers.

"Y/N, what the hell. You out here trying to get me in trouble?" He asks, standing back to his full height. More laughter fits escape as you look up to his figure towering over your own. "Maybe."

The grass was warm, but you sat up from it anyway, dusting off any dirt or weeds from your pants.

He cracks a soft smile and looks around the area for signs of life. Nobody else had been passing through there now, so he ignores his garden duties for the moment. Negan leans against his shovel handle and shakes his head. "Well, you were close."

Your hands place on your hips and a smile takes over. "I bet I was."

"What are you doing out here anyway? Don't you have dead prick duty?" He asks. That's just another word for walkers. Your shoulder raises and drops. "If you'd been paying attention, you'd know I already finished my shift for the morning. I go back later tonight to keep guard again."

Subtly, he blinks his irritation at you.

"Sorry that I don't keep my eyes on you twenty four seven." He gives me a look. You ignore it.

"Keeping Michonne, and all the others here safe, huh?" Negan had leaned a little closer to you now, keeping his voice low. You raise your head slightly, faltering the smile you were wearing, a bit. "I'm keeping myself safe. We live here too, don't we?"

Negan makes a face. "We're prisoners. Not members of their happy little mountain club."

"That may be partially true, but when we get overrun, and they have to abort home, guess where we're still going to be?" You tilt my head. "In that prison."

Negan shakes his head at me. I frown.

"Wrong. They're stupid enough to let us free and go with them. It's part of their code, or something." He says, glancing around. “Then we’re the ones they use for bait.”

"Yeah- - they're stupid enough to let you free." A softer smirk dances across your lips now. His eyebrow raises in question. You shrug innocently, as well as you could anyway.

His quick hand reaches out to snatch your arm, but you dodge his playful grab just in time. "Gotta be quicker than that." Your words sneer at him.

Trotting over to the dirt path, away from the garden, you decide to stand there to use as a safe zone. He wasn't allowed to leave the garden grounds on duty, and if he's seen talking with anyone, he'll just get yelled at for it.

Negan glances around the area once again before letting his shovel drop, and take a few steps towards your lingering figure. Your eyes widen and you feel yourself backing up a few steps. "Don't be dumb."

Negan smiles all the same, though. He moves quick, and you don't catch on until it was too late. Two arms wrap around your torso and pull your frame into him. You can't help but laugh through the terror, as Negan scoops you up in a playful manner. "What's that about not being dumb?" He asks in your ear. His stubble brushes against your skin, and your instincts can’t help but to cringe at the sharp prickles against you.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Your voice wobbles through more laughter. Negan carries your figure back to the garden grounds, away from the street, and your eyes land on the large pile of sloppy wet dirt he's been digging up from the ground. For some reason, he was bringing you closer to it.

Your body starts to squirm uncomfortably in his hold, and you had a sick feeling you knew what he was going to do. Your lips tug to a frown, warily. "No, no, no, wait, these pants are clean for once!" It's not like it really mattered during an apocalypse, but some things were still nice to treat with respect. 

He chuckles deeply, bringing you closer to the messy pile, completely ignoring the calls of distress you make. You struggle through his grasp, kicking your feet, and wiggling your body.

"Negan, don't you dare!" You tried to stay sounding stern, but it was no use. He really didn’t take it seriously.

"Sorry, firecracker." He gives you that wicked smile you always liked a little too much, just before loosening his grip on your struggling figure. Your hands grasp onto him with quick reflexes, not allowing him to let your figure go yet.

You refuse to go down in some mud.

"No way! You're going down with me if you let me go," Your warning had little, if any, effect on him. "No I'm not." His voice was discomforted while trying to hold your dead weighting. As his grip loosens, your fingers tug on his shirt and bring him down to the ground right along with you. You warned him.

Your backside hits the pile in a splat, Negan falling right beside you. It actually got a laugh out of him— followed along with a disappointed groan now that the fall set in to his nerves.

"Yes you are." You say through a grin.

"Shit," He lays his head down and sighs heavily in defeat.

Laughter escapes your chest, giving his shoulder a hard smack. "Now look what you did." You laugh harder, rolling to the side.

Negan sits up and brushes himself off. You catch him chuckling as he looks down at your giggling frame. "Worth it."

[lonelychicago]

inspiration saturday! 🩺🩹

tagged by @prince-buck-diaz @panbuckley @heartshapedvows thanks, lovelies 💗

this is of course from my nurse eddie teacher buck au! if you wanna be tagged when it's posted, interact here

here's a moodboard + a snippet of a scene inspired by one of my favorite books <33

The table is loud and crazy. All of them shout back and forth and steal each other's fries— Buck and Maddie exchange a look across the table and he knows they're both thinking the same thing: This feels a lot like the family they never got to have. 

This feels like the big and rowdy family Buck and Maddie always wished for on nights where the silence in their house became suffocating and too much, on nights where they were lucky if their parents said more than four words to Buck. 

This table right here, with these people… it's chaotic and overwhelming, sure, but it's also bursting with unspoken love and respect for each other. It's warm and welcoming of Buck and Maddie and he thinks he definitely could get used to this. 

"Wait! We should play that game so we can get to know Buck and Maddie better!" Chimney yells amongst the chaos just a few minutes later. 

"A game?" Buck frowns and scrunches up his nose. "Like… in high school?" 

"For your information Buckley, being among teachers is like being in high school all over again but this time we're all in our thirties and we're way more bitter." Chimney bites back and that's… actually pretty fair and accurate, if you think about it. 

Buck relents, lifting both his hands in sign of surrender. 

"Okay, what's the game?" 

“Don’t Judge Me, But.”

"It's pretty simple." Hen interferes. "Whoever’s turn it is says, ‘Don’t judge me, but…’ and they follow it with something that’s embarrassing or gross or weird about themselves. If that sentence applies to you, too, then you have to drink. The goal is to get as many people to drink with you as you can. Obviously we’re playing with sweet tea or beer and no one is getting drunk (hopefully) but—” She shrugs. 

"Uh…" Maddie sends Buck a hesitant look. "I mean… could be fun?" 

"Yeah, it's super fun. Trust us." Chimney says, which makes Buck trust him even less.

But whatever. "Yeah, sure, let's do it," he says instead. 

He turns to Eddie and the man is shaking his head. "You have no idea what you just agreed to." 

"You don't look so happy." 

"I'm not a big fan of games." Eddie wrinkles his nose in distaste, leaning forward and talking low enough that Buck is the only one able to hear him. "But Chimney loves them and he's kind of a tyrant, so…" He shrugs as if saying 'what are you gonna do?' 

"Scared that you'll reveal your darkest secrets, Diaz?" Buck teases him. 

Eddie fixes him with a deadpan stare and Buck laughs. "I'm just kidding! Did they make you play too when you first joined the group or whatever?" 

"Yeah, except they took me out for drinks and they got super drunk. It was not  a fun night for me." 

"You didn't get drunk?" 

"No, I usually don't. I have to think of Chris and trust me, is no fun at all to take care of a kid while hangover. I learned that pretty early on and never made that mistake again." 

"I need to hear this story." 

Eddie rolls his eyes and reaches out a hand, placing his finger on Buck's chin and gently pushing his face to the other side. "Focus on the game, Buckley." 

tagging (no pressure): @monsterrae1 @buddierights @cowboy-buddie @prettyboybuckley @hippolotamus @shortsighted-owl @spaceprincessem @alyxmastershipper @bigfootsmom @diazblunt @911onabc @jesuisici33 @thewolvesof1998 @transbuck @transboybuckley @ebdaydreamer @bekkachaos @cowboy-buck @mysteriouslyyounggalaxy and anyone else who wants to do it <33

[teenage-mutant-ninja-freak]

Helloo!!

I saw your witchy s/o post while looking into the tmnt tag and I'm so freaking happy someone finally wrote for a reader that practices witchcraft!!!!

If it's alright with you, and if you accept asks (I tried to look for rules but so far saw what you don't write) could I have the tmnt bois (especially Leo) with a witchy s/o that works with deities and dragons?

If not then it's totally fine! Hopefully Tumblr doesn't eat my ask so have a good day!

abso-fucking-lutely!!!! this is so fun and as a folk practitioner who works with deities this is right up my ally. If it's ok with you, I'm not gonna include dragons as that's not a practice I'm familiar with and I wouldn't want to get anything wrong. But deities I can do! I'll switch up the deities each time so there's something new with each of these as well.

Leo

"Can't, sorry, Loki said the vibe is off" you begin to leave the room and Leo is just following you like "What vibe? Who's Loki? Why is he telling you no?"

you're shuffling tarot cards and the fool pops out so you say, looking up, "I get it babes, please don't interrupt my reading like that, though" and Leo is so confused like "I din't say anything" and you just say "Not you, Loki"

eventually he tries to play into it like "Would Loki be ok if we didn't smoke cleanse the house today?" and you're just like "...yeah, I guess. But if you start feeling ill soon you'll know it's because he's pissed at you"

Leo does start feeling sick so you tell him to make an offering

he's never felt more stupid that when he pours wine into a glass on your alter but he soon feels better again and it freaks him out that it worked

"So he's a trickster god?" lots of questions like this and each time you're just like "Yes, he's a trickster, no he isn't going to hurt me, yes he fucks with me sometimes but it's all in good faith"

Raph

You wake up from a really bad nightmare

"I thought your Goddess was supposed to have power over dreams?"

"She does, something must be wrong"

you look in your offering cup and the wine has fucking moulded

"ah shit, it's mouldy. Better get her a new one"

after that you have peaceful dreams

you come home with a bunch of white roses and Raph is all "are those for me?" and you politely have to let him down and tell him they're for Selene

any time Raph has a bad dream you joke that it's because he's fallen out of favour with the Goddess for how he's treated you

fast forward to a time you and him get in a big fight and he has the worst sleep/dreams of his life for a week straight.

he comes crawling back to you practically begging you for forgiveness.

Selene gets a big offering after that

Mikey

You're clearing a space in his room for your alter since the two of you moved in together

"I need a large space, Hades like a big alter"

"What's he compensating for?" Mikey jokes

and you just shoot him this look like "Don't fuck around when it comes to him"

not even 10 minutes later one of his drums breaks

you're just like "serves you right"

you come in one morning with a cup of coffee and Mikey gets all excited like he's about to get breakfast in bed and you have to tell him that it's for Hades who likes his coffee black.

kinda freaks Mikey out when you hold a funeral for each of the dead rats you find in the lair but you have to remind him "I'm a death witch and I worship the lord of the underworld. What else am I meant to do?"

Donnie

honestly he mostly just leaves you to it

he's pretty good with his hands so when you told him you worship Artemis he made a clay stature of her for your alter

you told him he'll be in her good books after that

that night Donnie caught 10 foot clan soldiers

"well, she is the Goddess of the hunt... I told you she was happy with you"

He really takes an interest in your devotional activities

always asking questions about why you do that or the significance of this

[sweaterkittensahoy]

prompt: cleganmarge

buck is a pretty reserved person, but the longer he knows bucky and marge, he becomes more comfortable with himself and expressing his feelings

[Okay, this isn't a full look at this idea, which is lovely. But please consider this the first time Gale opened up and how well it all went in the long run; one smutty scene]

A few months into dating Gale, Marge can tell something is bothering him, but when she asks, he assures her he's fine. The thing is, he's not. Marge is certain. But he won't talk about it. So, one night when they're out to dinner with John, Marge waits for Gale to excuse himself to the restroom, then leans across the table and says, "John, does Gale talk to you when he's feeling off?"

John squints at her. "Is he off?" He asks. 

"No, not right now," Marge says. "But when we're alone sometimes, I can tell something is bothering him, but he won't say what it is."

"Oh," John says. He straightens up and leans forward so they're nearly nose-to-nose. "Okay, so you have to tell him he has to talk to you about it."

"What?"

"I know it seems rude, but he'll say he's fine if he's got two broken legs and a head wound." 

Marge giggles. "Yes, that feels very true."

John beams at her, and Marge thinks for a moment how much she likes him. He's so welcoming and sweet, A little wild, but nothing to fear. She's set him up twice since she and Gale started dating, and both of her friends reported he's a real true gentleman even when he's well into the evening. 

"But if you tell him he has to tell you, he can't pretend like he's covering his feelings because you've admitted really clearly that you've seen them."

"How did you figure that out?" Marge asks. She's surprised when John suddenly looks away from her and leans back a little. Like he's embarrassed. She is certain she has never seen him embarrassed.

"Just got lucky," he says. He clears his throat. "Here he comes," he says. 

Marge straightens up and takes a sip of her water as Gale sits back down. 

"Where were you two up to?" he asks. 

"Nothing," John says. He throws his arm over the empty chair next to him. Marge mentally lists her single friends, trying to pair any of them with John. 

"Uh-huh," Gale says, and his arm settles warm and comfortable on the back of Marge's chair. "Whatever scheme he's brewing, don't trust him, Marge."

She grins at Gale and touches his knee. "Oh, come on, let a girl have a little fun."

"Felonies are fun?" Gale replies, which makes John chuckle. 

Marge shrugs. "It's only a felony if you get caught, Gale."

"Smart," John says, pointing at Marge. And it's her turn to laugh. 

*

Two nights later, Gale shows up to take Marge to a movie. He's off again, though as sweet and considering as always. Marge doesn't say anything about it until after the movie. They're parked outside of town, tucked down an access road Marge led Gale to. 

"And how would a sweet girl like you know a place like this?" Gale teases as he slides across the seat. 

Marge meets him halfway and presses her hand to his chest. "You know sweet and naive aren't the same thing," she replies. She touches her thumb to his mouth before he can kiss her and get her distracted. "You're not okay tonight," she says. "You're off like you get sometimes, Gale. I need you to talk to me about it." 

He goes very still, then he turns his head, Marge's thumb slipping off his mouth. "You sound like John," he says like it's hard to say. 

"I asked for help on how to talk to you," Marge says. "I figured if anyone knew, it'd be him."

Gale grips his own knee. "Marge. It's–"

"I love you, Gale," Marge says. "You've said it back to me, and I know you wouldn't do that lightly–"

"No, no I wouldn't."

"So, let me love you," Marge says. "Talk to me about what's bothering you."

Gale stares out of the windshield for another minute. Marge waits, her hand back on his chest so he hopefully won't fall completely into his own head. "I love John," he says finally. It's a whisper, but it's clear and sure. "I thought I loved him like you love a friend, but…" He glances at Marge, eyes taking in her face. Marge keeps herself still, determined to give him room to speak. "I love you, Marge. I do. But, you…" He glances out the back window, and he lifts his hand from his knee and places it over Marge's on his chest. His heart is hammering, and Marge wants to soothe him, but he's clearly not done talking. 

"I get confused sometimes, looking at you and being with you. Because you feel like John, and he feels like you, and I don't…I don't know what that means. I don't know how to explain it more than that, so I haven't wanted to explain it."

"Okay," Marge says. She turns her hand to take Gale's. "You're sure you feel the same for us?" she asks. "That you're…romantically interested in both of us?"

Gale nods. He's still staring out the back window. "I've worked it over and over," he says. "I think about how I feel about the other fellas. I love them, but like brothers. Friends. Not. Not like this." He looks at her finally, and his eyes are bright and scared, and oh, her heart breaks for him, carrying this in silence for so long. "Not like you." He says.

Marge reaches up and pulls Gale towards her. She kisses his cheek and makes him rest his head on her shoulder. "Have you told John?" she asks. 

"No," Gale says. "But. Um." He breathes out shakily. "We've kissed a few times," he says. "Not since you and I started seeing each other, but we used to sometimes." 

Marge lets that idea settle. Gale and John have kissed. Gale is in love with John like he is with her. "Were you hoping I'd make it go away? Your feelings for John?"

"I didn't know what they were until I met you. I really thought it was just…I don't know. Extra friendly?"

A giggle escapes Marge. She doesn't mean it to, but she's as tense as Gale. And, what a way to say it. "Extra friendly?" she asks. "Did you want to kiss the other boys you're friendly with?"

"None of the ones on base," Gale says. 

"Oh," Marge breathes out. She lifts Gale's head from her shoulder. "Oh, sweetheart," she says. He doesn't meet her eyes. "There were other ones? Before John?"

"Just a couple. I didn't…we moved a lot when I was growing up, so I didn't have any long-time friends. But there were a couple…" 

"Did you kiss them, too?"

"No," Gale says, and Marge thinks about her own crushes when she was younger. Boys she wanted to kiss but didn't for some reason. She touches Gale's chin, and turns his head until he can't help but look at her. "You wanted to, though, didn't you?"

"Looking back, yeah," he says. He closes his eyes. He doesn't try to turn his head away. 

Marge isn't entirely sure what to do with everything he's said. But she can feel that her feelings for Gale haven't changed even a little. She slides her fingers from his chin to his cheek, presses her thumb to his lips again. "Do you kiss John like you kiss me?" she asks. 

Gale's eyes snap open, and Marge is struck by the realization that she and Gale and John all have blue eyes. She learned in high school science that blue eyes are pretty rare. She doesn't believe in signs or anything like that. But it's interesting to realize. She has blue eyes. Gale has blue eyes. John has blue eyes. 

"Kiss me like you kiss John," she says. "I'll tell you if you do."

Gale stares, mouth falling open as his breath quickens. "Marge. I don't need–You're–"

"I need it," she says because she does. She needs to know. Gale says he loves them the same way, but do they kiss the same way? Or is it different somehow? "Please, Gale, I won't ask ever again after this."

He nods slowly. "Do you want…um. Usually I sat in his lap." 

"Usually?" Marge asks as she shifts. She sits up straight against the seat back and lays her arms along the top like she can picture John doing. 

"There wasn't always a place to sit," Gale replies. He stares at her. He licks his lips. "Um. That's. You look really pretty, Marge."

She smiles and tilts her head in the way she knows flatters her. "Come here, Gale," she says. "Kiss me." 

Gale throws a leg over her lap and settles in, head tipped down towards her, and his arms going over the back of the seat. "John likes my waist," he says. 

Marge can't help her smirk. She likes Gale's waist, too. It's so narrow, so grabbable. She puts her hands on his waist like he does her, holding him with what she hopes is an easy firmness and care. "Like that?" 

"Yeah," Gale says. He takes a deep breath, and he shakes from head to toe, and Marge can't help but press her mouth against his collarbone in a reassuring touch. "Marge," Gale breathes out. 

She tips her chin up and squeezes his hips. "Kiss me," she says.

He cups the back of her head in both hands and kisses her, mouth firm against her for a moment, before he breathes in through his nose and opens his lips just a little. He presses the tip of his tongue against her bottom lip, then slides his mouth so he's kissing just the corner on the right side. 

Marge slides her hands up his back and digs her fingertips into his skin through his shirt. She sucks lightly on his bottom lip and tips her head when he slips his tongue into her mouth. She slides her own tongue against him, then sucks lightly. It makes him shiver like it always does, and she grabs his belt and tugs him close enough that her breasts are pressed against his chest.

"Gale," she sighs. It feels exactly as good as it always does, making her entire body tingle in reaction. And Gale is kissing her the same as ever. Sweet and teasing and warm and heavy. Single-focused and devoted. The only difference is the angle. That Gale is on her lap other than the other way around. 

This is how he kisses John.

Marge can picture it as Gale ducks his head to kiss her neck and drags his hands down her front to knead her breasts. "Do you touch John like this?" she asks, her fingers slipping behind his belt and waistband. Gale shakes at the question and bites on her shoulder through her dress. Marge turns her head and nips the top of his ear. Something she's done with other boys but not Gale. Not until now. 

Gale chokes, and his thumbs rub Marge's nipples through her dress and her slip and her bra. A heavier caress than he usually uses. Like he knows it takes a little extra effort to be felt through a few layers. 

He's touched John exactly like this. Marge is certain. She presses a hard kiss to his temple, then lets go of his belt to touch him through his slacks. 

"Marge–" he says, strangled and breathy. 

She keeps touching him, tracing the shape of his hard cock with two fingers over and over. Pressing open-mouthed kisses to his neck as he pants in her ear. "Has he ever touched you like this?" she asks as Gale pushes against her fingers and shakes from head to toe. 

"No. No. We haven't. We never–"

"I wonder how his hands feel," Marge says, words tumbling out before she can stop them. Gale chokes and goes still. His hands go slack against her breasts. Marge keeps rubbing him. "His hands are so large," she continues. "Do you ever think about that?"

Gale whines and gasps, and then there's wetness on the front of his slacks. Marge looks up to meet his shocked, wide-open eyes and shifts her hand so she can press her entire palm against the dampness she can feel. 

"What–"

Marge is wet herself, and the realization makes her throw her head back and stare at the ceiling of the car. She flexes her thighs a few times, feeling the zip of arousal spark through her.

"Marge," Gale says after a few moments. 

Marge meets his gaze. "Gale," she replies. 

"I…What was that?"

Marge doesn't know, but her instinct tells her she better find out. "I don't know," she admits. "But I still love you, Gale. I don't see you any differently."

"Really?"

"You said you love us the same. You kiss us the same, it seems. I think…" She thinks of John's smile. His warmth. That bit of wildness in him that is fun but not dangerous. Or maybe it's dangerous in a very specific way. A type of dangerous worth learning to work with. "I think I should talk to John," she says. 

Gale stares at her. He takes a slow, deep breath, and he seems to forcibly release the tension he's holding. "If that's what you want to do," he says. "I trust you."

"I trust you," she replies because she thinks he needs to hear it. The way he smiles, she knows she was right. 

*

It's easy enough to see John alone. Marge's roommate is going out of town to see her husband on his base four hours away, so Marge has the apartment to herself for several days. She has Gale tell John to show up at four on Tuesday, and John does. 

"Okay, if this is a surprise party, you're way off on my birthday," John says when Marge answers the door. He's in his uniform and looks as handsome as ever, but Marge swears he's even better looking now that she knows he's kissed Gale. 

"Come in, John," she says and steps aside so he can. 

He walks over the threshold and takes a hand from behind his back. There's a single tulip in a bud vase. "I always like to bring something the first time I'm invited over," he says. 

"You've been here before," Marge says as she takes the vase. She smells the tulip and smiles. It's bright yellow and still mostly closed. It'll open up over the next several days and look lovely on the kitchen table. 

"That was always at the end of the evening with Buck," John says. "This is the first time I got a personal invitation."

He's so sweet, Marge thinks. Realizing something so small and wanting to mark it. "Thank you," she says. "That's very sweet."

John looks around the room. "Nothing to it," he says, but she catches the way he rubs his thumb against his other fingers. A little nervous movement, she thinks. 

"John, are you nervous?" she asks because John had been the one to tell her to be direct with Gale. No reason not to treat him the way he'd treat Gale. 

He looks at her, bites his bottom lip, then shrugs and chuckles. "A little, yeah," he says. "We've never been alone. I'm hoping I'm not about to hear you need help breaking things off with Buck."

"Has someone done that to you before?" Marge asks, shocked. 

"Not for Buck. You're the first one I've ever seen turn his head, but a couple of times with other fellas, yeah." 

Marge can't help the warm surge of pride of being the only one to have turned Gale's head. Except for John. But of course John won't tell her that. It wouldn't be polite. It wouldn't be kind. "I don't like that people only invited you over to help you cut ties with someone. What a mean thing to do." For a moment, John looks shocked, but then it's off his face like a blink. 

"I'm very charming," he says, and gives a sweeping bow.

Marge laughs because it's clearly what John is looking for. "Well, you're here because I like you and just wanted to talk a little," she says. "And not about getting rid of Gale. I plan to keep him for a very long time." She gestures for John to follow her as she walks to the kitchen. 

"Good. That's good. He needs someone like you, Marge."

"Like me how?" Marge asks as she sets the bud vase on the table. "Sit, please. Coffee?"

"Coffee would be great," John says and sits. It's a little two-person table, and he looks so large sitting there. Marge feels her heart speed up at the sight of him lit up by the windows. He's so handsome. Different than Gale, but in similar ways. Tall and blue-eyed and loose-limbed. "I mean someone like you," he says as Marge pours them both coffee. "You're smart and you're sweet and you're kind. He needs that."

"So do you," Marge replies as she sets down their coffees then takes her own seat. She waits for John to take a sip and then put down his cup. "And you're not listing anything you're not, so I don't know that Gale even needs me."

John stares at her. "Huh?" he says. 

Marge takes her own sip of coffee, then sets the cup out of the way so she can lay her hands on the table. "You're smart and sweet and kind, John. You're allowed to want that back."

John blinks and taps a finger on the table. "I mean, sure. Who doesn't? But we're talking about Buck. Not me."

"I'm talking about you," Marge says. She folds her hands one over the other. She takes a deep breath. "Gale loves me," she says. 

"Of course he does," John replies. "You're not thinking he doesn't aren't you? Because let me tell you–"

"And I love him," Marge adds, and John goes silent. His finger presses so hard against the table the tip turns white. "And he told me you and he used to kiss sometimes."

John swallows hard. "Marge, I can–"

"I asked him to kiss me like he kissed you," Marge says. "Do you want me to show you?"

John goes very quiet and very still. 

"He told me he loves me the way he loves you. But he didn't even know how he loved you until he realized he loved me," Marge says. John's cheeks are pinking. He's still not moving. But he's also not leaving or interrupting. "I asked him to kiss me like he kissed you, and he did." She smiles, hoping John will relax a little. 

He doesn't. Tense as a bowstring. But he takes a few deep breaths through his nose, then says, "What'd you think?" he asks, trying for humor, but it's strangled.

Marge's smile widens. "It felt the same as when he kisses me. Well, except he was on my lap, and it's usually the other way around."

"He was…on your lap?"

"You know our Gale," Marge says, glad she's worked the 'our' into the conversation. She'd tried a few ways in her head to slip it in. "He's detail-oriented."

John barks a laugh, and then his whole body relaxes, and he droops forward and puts his head in his hands. "You don't strike me as a bohemian, Marge."

"Is that what it is to be glad we can both love him?" Marge asks. "Because that's what I'd like to do."

John looks at her between his fingers. "You'd be okay with–" He presses his mouth closed. 

Marge stands and walks around the table, trailing her fingers on the wood, the shadow of the bud vase draping over her hand for a moment. She stops at the edge of John's boots. She looks at him. He looks at her. "I like you a lot, John. I like the way you're a little wild, but you're sweet. You're kind. You care. I've been trying to figure out which of my friends to set you up with next, and no one quite fits."

"I'm too handsome?"

Marge chuckles and reaches out, touches his chin the way she touches Gale's. John turns his face into it, and Marge isn't in love with him, but the chances of it happening get brighter in her chest. "You helped me talk to Gale," she says. "You kissed him first and still gave him a real chance with me. You make him laugh and help him relax and make him feel good about himself."

"It's easy," John says. "You know."

"I know," Marge agrees. She presses her thumb to his lips. He kisses it like it's not even a thought. "I want to try to love him together, and to love each other," she says. "I don't know what that looks like or what it'll feel like, or even if it's truly doable, but I think maybe I can't find someone to set you up with because I want you with me. With us."

John reaches out. His hand is shaking. But he curls his fingers around Marge's waist with surety. "Gotta say, Marge. Never would have guessed you'd pitch such a crazy plan."

Marge smiles and shifts a little closer. Dips down and presses her nose to John's forehead. "I'm a little wild," she says. "But not in a bad way." 

John brings his other hand up to her waist and gives a small tug. Marge lets him lead her into his lap. "What does he kiss you like?" John asks. 

And Marge is certain, as she bends her head to show him, that they'll all get to love each other and feel good about it.

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

Crackpot Predictions - Only Friends Episode 1

Welcome to a new thing I do where I try to predict (*cough* wildly guess *cough*) what's going to happen in a show based solely on my read of the first episode. I'll try to cover all of what I think are the main story beats, record them here for posterity (and so I can either say "ha I told you so" or you can all point and laugh at me later), and hopefully by the end of the series we'll all be able to see if I'm a clairvoyant with a magic orb or, alternatively, a numpty with a glass paperweight. Some of these predictions are completely serious, others are complete crack, and some are just random thoughts that had the misfortune of wandering into my head.

With that, let's get started shall we?

The Hostel

Setting up a hostel for your graduation project? How cute!And with your best friends too? How adorable!

Too bad that hostel is absolutely Not Going To Happen. And not only is the hostel Not Going To Happen, its also going to be the site of some of the worst moments of your entire lives!

Prediction: is this is where it's all going to go down, this is where they're going to have the final argument, this is where the climax is going to happen, this is where shit hits the fan and then explodes. I mean why else would you introduce a building site if not to have all your characters have mental breakdowns symbolically in the middle of it? Scaffolding and painter's tarp is for screaming matches and for saying things you never meant to say.

Mew

Oh Mew. Soft, virginal, innocent Mew. Mew who lives in a completely different world to his friends where he wears cute pastels, gets a teen movie montage when he wakes up in the morning, gets a public confession like something out of a romance movie... Surrounded by people with impure thoughts and even worse intentions. What on earth is going to become of our sweet pastel boy?

Who am I kidding, he's going to be fine.

In fact he's probably going to be one of the few people who is fine by the end of this series, and will probably be at least partially responsible for quite a lot of other people being very fucked up (especially Top, sorry my man but you are doomed by the narrative). He's definitely doing to be hurt and he's definitely going to lose his honour student title and he's definitely going to have less friends by the end of this but he'll be fine, he's literally the only one in the friend group other than Chueam with the emotional maturity to cope with and process what's about to happen.

Prediction: He's going to lose friends (but not Chueam, she'll stick with him), his academic record is going to be messed up (but not irreparably so, he'll just have to put in extra work to repair it), and he won't have a boyfriend by the end of the series but he'll be okay, he'll be able to walk it off when it's all said and done. He may even start to get his man back (if he wants him, that is).

Ray

Poor Ray, he's a rich brat who clearly has some self-esteem issues and is whipped for his best friend. He's in for a rough ride I fear, especially seeing as he currently deals with his emotions by getting very drunk and/or lashing out.

Sand will probably be good for him (perhaps a little too good for him) in both bringing him down a peg and hopefully giving him the kind of ego boost he actually needs (no Ray you are not a burden but please stop ruining your liver) and I'm really looking forward to the development of their enemies to fwb relationship and all entails.

Unfortunately for Ray he looks like he might be a bit of a bleeding heart romantic on the inside so he's probably going to get his heart broken twice in a very short space of time; once by Mew and his new relationship and then once again by Sand and his refusal to play second fiddle and Ray is only going to realise this when it's a bit too late. Needless to say Ray will probably not be having a fun time for most of this series and of all the character he is tied as most likely to end up in hospital at some point.

Prediction: He's going to lose friends, he's going to fail his degree, he's going to get his heart broken twice and he's probably not going to be okay about it (but hopefully he'll be on the mend by the end of it all). Ray is going to start shit he can't finish and he, more than anyone else, is going to be a victim of his own actions but hopefully he's also going to be the character with the most growth. Sand might be around to scrape him off the floor at the end, but Ray is going to have to work himself out first.

Boston

Boston, what to say about Boston other than currently he seems to be trying to break the record of most men slept with in a single episode (his competition is Brian Kinney from Queer As Folk btw).

There's definitely a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to him and I look forward to unpacking all of his messy laundry when the time comes. He seems to be both incredibly confident with his life choices (good for him) and incredibly insecure about them at the same time which is fascinating and I definitely get the feeling that he has issues with Mew (to the point where I wouldn't really say they're actually friends) because of that insecurity. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised is at some point we get a lot of pent resentment spilling out from Boston about Mew because no one casually mocks someone they're genuinely okay with that many times behind their back.

Prediction: Boston wants but he doesn't quite know what. He is definitely blowing up every single friendship he has in the process of working it out and he's probably going to find himself on his own for a while too, which might actually be what he needs. That being said, if anyone decides to put forward a laurel at the end of the show though, I also think it's going to be him. I also predict no romance, but I also don't think that's what he wants or needs.

Top

Top the Top Tier player who's never not got his object of interest before. He likes casual sex, comes off as a bit of a sleaze (but at least a sleaze who respects boundaries), and is apparently looking for a new challenge now sleeping around has got boring (but not boring enough to not sleep with Boston again).

The problem for Top is that he thinks he's approaching Mew in his world and on his terms where in reality he's already dancing to the tune of Mew's fiddle and it's only going get worse. Mew's world has rules and regulations and things you just don't do (like sleeping with your boyfriend's best friend) and Top is going to find himself caught up in them. What's worse is he's probably going to find out (much too late) that he wants to be caught up in them. Top might be the big man now but he is well and truly fucked.

Prediction: Top isn't going to take his relationship with Mew 100% seriously until he realises he's already completely invested in it and at that point it's going to be too late. He's definitely going to break Mew's heart but Mew is going to break his ten times over and he's not going to recover easily from that. He might have a chance at redemption, but only once he's completely wrecked himself first.

Sand

Sand was just trying to live his life and then he threatened to pee on someone's head and it all went down hill from there.

At the moment he seems like the audience stand in: watching all the chaos and wondering what on earth is wrong with all these privileged brats (semi-affectionate). Like Mew he definitely seems to have himself together in a way that makes me think he'll come away from this pretty okay emotionally (it'll hurt but he's not allergic to emotions, he'll heal). Unlike Mew he definitely doesn't seem to completely together life-wise (i.e monetarily) though, which does make me wonder if our 3 friends (I'm not including Chueam in this, she's not a guilty party) are going to mess that up for him instead.

Prediction: Emotionally he's going to be okay (although he probably has heartbreak in the cards), in every other aspect I think he'll sustain the most damage (and therefore will be entitled to compensation). He feels the most like an innocent bystander and, as such, is definitely going to regret the day he lay eyes on the back of Ray's head. Out of all the characters, he's probably going to be the one due the most apologies all while having done very little to anyone else.

Nick

Wow well Twison changed when he went to uni, wasn't expecting that trajectory at all 😋

In all honesty I feel like I have the least to go on for Nick in terms of predictions (not that I have much to go on for anything else I've been saying). He seems to be completely gone for Boston already (oh Babe he is not a good target to fall head over tits for) and I like the idea that's floating around that Nick is already familiar with Boston somehow based off his reaction to their first meeting.

That being said, I am getting a little bit of a creep vibe from him (maybe it was the invasion of his client's privacy and subsequent masturbation scene that pinged the alarm idk) but I can't help but feel like everything Mew said he'd do if he slept with Top? Yeah Nick would actually do all those things and more. So yeah, while Boston is going to mess him up with their ambiguous relationship, it's only because Nick was pretty messed up in the first place and he'll end up messing Boston up right back with his clingy/obsessive tendencies.

Prediction: Looks like a marshmallow, is actually on fire. Things are going to go wrong for him but only because things were not right in the first place. Possibly the most likely to actually need therapy. I also wouldn't be at all surprised if he's the one to swing the bat that brings it all crashing down, in fact in this crack-pot prediction, I'm expecting him to.

The Friendship Group

Is going to be in tatters by the end of this series, I'm so sorry Chueam. (I mean is this even a prediction or am I just stating the obvious?)

Prediction: Mew and Chueam are probably still going to be friends (they seems like the closest to each other) but no one else is going to be talking. Ray might have Sand (and Chueam if he doesn't fuck up too much) but Boston going to be on his lonesome and so is Top unless they want to throw a pity party together. At the end of the show there will be a tentative reconciliation, but with the knowledge they're never going to be the same, never going to be as close as before.

TLDR + Extra Predictions

Mew: About to have the worst time of his life but he'll make it through, his pain is going to end up being other people's problem.

Ray: Poor, unfortunate soul checking in at heart-break hotel twice in the space of a few months. Most likely to get his man though.

Boston: Needs to figure out what he wants. Probably going to end up completely cut off from everyone but also most likely to extend the peace offering at the end.

Top: Fucked. (Might get a chance at redemption at the end if he's lucky)

Sand: Emotionally fine, financially screwed. Out of everyone he has to most to complain about and he doesn't even go here.

Nick: Most likely to need actual therapy.

Climax: A big argument at the hotel surrounded by the ruins of their hard work

Likely scene: All of them at Yo's bar they used to go to as friends but this time ignoring each others existence.

Likely scene 2: Boston unleashing a load of suppressed resentment towards Mew, possibly to do with their different lifestyles/world views.

Best chance at romance: Chueam

Best chance at staying friends: Chueam and Mew

Key theme: The importance of friendship

Me: happy to be proven right or wrong with these predictions and here for the wild ride regardless.

And that's it! As I said, these predictions are completely pulled from the air around a single watch of episode 1 so they're not at all serious. If I'm right yay, if I'm wrong also yay, I'm just happy to be watching, I just thought it would be fun to test how well I can predict a narrative based on very little information indeed. If anyone wants to share their own crackpot predictions I am more than happy to hear them, let's clown together.

[rogueddie]

Is That All It Takes / Slither

At the end of the world, Steve is sure that there's no better time for romance. They need all the positives they can get and, in his mind, resolving potential romantic tension is great.

Even if he ends up rejected, like with Robin, he knows that it has the potential to make them better friends. He's not sure he would be as tightly bonded to Robin if he hadn't tried to ask her out- it's a decision he's always been strangely proud of.

The only problem? Steve is usually put into different groups- Robin, Nancy, the kids...

"Good job you've both got tonight off," Robin points out.

Steve qucikly sits up. "What? The whole night?"

With the teams they have, almost everyone is on rotation for patrol of their little camp every night. Having a night off, completely, is rare. Having a night off at the same time as Argyle?

"The whole night," Robin confirms. "Someone said something about him being the only one in that group not on rotation tonight, so I offered to cover for you."

"I was supposed to be with Nancy, wasn't I?"

She throws a notebook at him. It's the one she uses for her notes and doodles- as well as her 'poems'.

When he catches the book, she immediately realizes her mistake and dives after it. They're tangled on the floor, giggling from their attempt at wrestling, when Hopper pokes his head in to call Robin out for her turn on patrol.

"You kids having fun?" He asks.

They both scramble to their feet, despite the smile he has that reassures them that they aren't in trouble.

"Sorry," Steve smiles sheepishly.

"It's fine," Hopper waves him off. "You ready, Buckley?"

"Yep! Let's go!"

A beat after she leaves, Steve realizes he forgot to ask where Argyle will actually be for the night.

It shouldn't be hard, he thinks, trying to reassure himself. From what Steve has seen, or heard through Robin, he usually sticks to the same three spots. It shouldn't take too long to check them out.

And, hopefully, Argyle won't be in his bunk already. Steve crosses his fingers as he heads out.

He finds him in the second place he checks- he's just behind the building they use for storage. He's smoking.

"Hi," Steve greets. He tries to smile, hope it doesn't look as awkward as it feels. "You doing alright?"

"Not bad," Argyle nods. He offers his cigerrette, but Steve shakes his head. He shrugs as he gestures towards the woods. "Quiet."

"Yeah," Steve agrees, not sure what else to say.

He leans against the wall, crossing his arms, slowly realizing that he should have thought of something to actually talk about before he went looking for him.

"We should grow weed," he blurts out. He nearly slaps himself, barely holding back a wince.

Argyle hums, thankfully keeping his eyes forward as he thinks it over. "Yeah. We should. It'd be nice to be able to chill again. Shit's stressful."

"Right," Steve agrees. He does wince this time, hating how lame he sounds. He's sure he's better at this sort of thing.

"How you doing?" Argyle asks, turning to him. "Never see much of you."

"Oh, yeah, I'm alright. This sort of thing is like... well, it's becoming a sort of comfort. I'm kinda thankful for it." He pauses, almost stumbling over his words when he tries to quickly point out; "patroling, I mean! Like, guarding and... that."

"Mm, yeah. One of the small ones mentioned that you're, like, the babysitter. Patrolling is another way of keeping an eye on the kids."

"Right, exactly. Yeah."

"It's good, you know," Argyle continues, before Steve can start to internally scold himself again. "Nice to know you're looking out for us."

"I'm on a good a good team," he shrugs.

"You're not very good at this, huh?"

"What?"

"There you are!" Someone calls suddenly, loud enough to make Steve flinch. It's Mike, leaning around the corner, frowning. "You said five minutes!"

"Slow your roll, dude! I'm on my way!"

"Hurry up!"

Argyle snorts. He turns to Steve, raising an eyebrow. "You know which one is my room, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so?"

"Cool. See you in, like, an hour."

Steve wants to feel frustrated. If Argyle wasn't the one to take initiative, the whole interaction would have gone to shit. Steve could feel any potential slipping straight through his fingers.

But, judging by the implications... well. At least he knows that Argyle is also interested.

[bengiyo]

Love in Translation Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

This looked like pretty standard fare I would check out on principle and I was curious to see Offroad again since I thought he was the best performer in Our Days, but Ngern Anupart is in this and that is the only thing I care about. OGs understand.

NGERN!!!! WELCOME HOME, KING!!

Very different character. Almost didn't recognize Offroad.

We have a named Black character in a Thai BL. That's our one for the year, so I hope he's a good character.

Truly incredible how the leads are getting even more attractive in these shows. I am not immune.

Ngern's character is in a secret romance with his brother's best friend!! I am seated!!!

I do like a language-based misunderstanding, given the premise.

This is a comedy of errors and I am amused.

Very believable that two guys could reasonably watch the CCTV footage after a scuffle to see who was right.

Okay, Yang getting Puzai auto-blocked by his favorite idol is petty.

Of course Puzai has to run back to Yang for this silly reason of appealing to his idol.

Goddamn this man would have waited until he was away from Yang before throwing his business card away.

Well, things are hard for Yang right now. Thankfully, today's beverage sponsor can fix him right up.

Antoine only having chocolate syrup to put on bread and only black coffee better not be a joke 🤣

It was part of a bread sponsorship!!

This show is genuinely funny.

I really like the way this next meeting between our leads is going to happen via Odo. This doesn't feel forced even if it is contrived.

He's just gonna have a business. Just like that. Amazing.

This bit of them singing a best friend chant before smash cutting to Puzai (sounds like they're saying Pojo) alone is so funny.

Yes, let them stumble into each other again and have a pleasant exchange when they don't know they're speaking to their fast enemy. I love this.

Yes, Odo. Leave during this critical moment. You might say something reasonable that undercuts the comedy.

They're having a food fight. Oh my god

I also like that desperation is going to be a thing that keeps them together. How fascinating. Normally these shows rely on school to force people together. This path is new.

These two leaning on the anonymous encouragement they gave each other as they glare at each other... Who wrote this?... The screenwriting team is new, but they're funny!

Okay, if Puzai's assessment of these three people is accurate, these seem like solid choices at first blush. It also adds two femmes to the cast. That's encouraging!

Next week: Hopefully not misappropriation of Tammy's likeness and some classic BL moments maybe?

Holy shit this was an incredibly fun first episode! I think we really need to revisit the way we use the term "BL pulp" around here because the varying levels of production and quality are so variable now. This is the most I've genuinely laughed at a BL in a long time, and I really like the silliness of the contrivances that brought this premise together. It's just believable enough for me not to roll my eyes and have a good time. Also NGERN!!! I am looking forward to reporting back next week!

[wolftozier]

WOOHOO !! thanks for everyone who helped me get to this point, i love n appreciate you all <3 thats too many hits... so many eyes on me... WOW!

now for the celebration:

i'm donating as much as i can afford to a gofundme from gazafunds.com, and i encourage everyone to do the same if they're able!

in the next few days i'll release some snippets- something from when i first started writing for reddie too! look forward to some real baby work from me (hopefully it's still fun...!)

and perhaps something larger than a snippet... we'll see! 👀👀

also, just as a formality, but i am ~offically~ and ~formally~ open to headcanons/mini-fic requests/general writing talk! dm, ask, tag me in whatever you think i might like! i promise i'm friendly <:)

thanks again! <333

[bkglove]

Intoxicated (chp 3)

chp 1 | chp 2 | Chp 4 (end)

Rated M - titty attention

college au, underage drinking (they're probably 18-20), house party, drinking games, drunk bakusquad, drunk bakugou, plus size y/n implied

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･*

Katsuki was drunk. Like very drunk. 

Your first indication of this had been when you got back from the bathroom and he’d pulled you into his lap completely unbothered by anyone else, not giving you a chance to comment. It wasn’t so weird, really, it was something you told him you liked but still felt uncomfortable about, he told you he loved when you did it, and in private, it was often how you ended up. Always somehow on top of one another. Still, you were way too aware of the fact that your feet weren’t hitting the ground, so you couldn’t allocate any of the weight, not that he’d ever complain, especially not now. When you tried to scooch off, he held firm. Luckily, everyone else seemed too preoccupied or out of it themselves to make a comment on how lovey-dovey he was being.

The second indication was the little compliments he kept mumbling to you. A, “you're so pretty,” said quietly, as he kissed your neck had shivers running down your spine. “You're so smart,” he said against the spot behind your ear, making you flush and smile; you weren’t even sure what you'd done for that one. The, “not yet,” spoken with lips again pressed to your shoulder when you announced you hadn’t gotten with anyone at one of Ashido’s parties. The comments were in no way unappreciated they were just unusual coming from him.

You’d managed to avoid getting particularly drunk. When you lost your first hand, you bargained to put an extra finger down instead of taking the shot, happy with where your head was at. You'd just kept doing that, and no one had said anything. The game was still going on, but the bet part of it was kind of moot, and now it was just a fun back and forth. You're pretty sure Katsuki is the only one still thinking of it as a competition. Stubborn and competitive, apparently traits he keeps regardless of his mental state. 

His thumb slides into the very upper part of the waistband on your bottoms, swiping back and forth. Nothing particularly inappropriate but way more intimate than either of you normally cared to be in front of others. Though no one else seemed to notice. Alcohol a good excuse for why you're turning pink.

“Do you wanna go to bed?” You turn a little to ask him in a whisper.

“Did I win?” he slurred, blinking slowly and looking back at you hopefully.

You shake your head 'no' slowly, you may not be very drunk, but it's still dizzying. “No winners babe, we’re just playing for fun now.” 

You mindlessly run your fingertips across the forearm he has thrown around your waist, holding you against him, hoping those words will be enough to coax him up without too much of a fight. You don’t know how he’s gonna act this drunk, but so far, he’s been incredibly docile.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathes out again, voice low, making you give him a shy smile. You always kinda knew he thought that, but it was nice to hear it so unabashedly. 

Kaminari chooses that moment to call attention to the game again, “Bakugou it’s your turn to say something,” he shouts. You're not sure if he doesn’t realize how loud he’s being because of the alcohol and pounding music or if he just didn’t care.

Katsuki slowly furrows his brow, thinking, then nuzzles into the side of your head and murmurs, “help me?”

You have to stop yourself from cooing and risk ruining the moment. Instead, you give your boyfriend's hand a light squeeze so that he pulls back, and you whisper in his ear. “Say never have I ever dyed my hair.”

He looks at you dazzled, like you're the smartest person in the world, and then faces the rest of the group again. “Never have I ever dyed my hair.”

“Hey, no fair!” Kirishima cried, leaning too far forward and almost falling off the couch.

“That’s already been done before! You gotta say something else,” Kyouka argued.

“No. It’s perfect.” Katsuki tugged you closer, frowning at her. “y/n told me t’say it t’so it has’t’be,” he managed to get out.

Your friend's eye’s go wide at this, or at least the mostly coherent ones, Shinso’s out cold and Ashido walked off at some point and never came back, finally catching on to how far gone your boyfriend actually is. That’s your cue to get him out of there before they can start making fun of him, lest he never agree to come to something like this again.

“No fucking way.” Kaminari leaned forward as if to inspect Katsuki. Shinso slid off his shoulder. Kaminari winced and quickly tried to readjust him back to how he was as he asked, “How much did he have?”

You try and look back at Katsuki, but he’s nestled his head into the crook of your neck, slow-blinking eyelashes tickling you. His thumb still swiping back and forth under your waistband, making you fight shivers.

You sigh and admit, “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure he was still taking the game seriously after we all gave up.” The distraction of the game and the fact you had to be the one taking care of Katsuki, the very opposite of what you expected from this night, helping the barely there buzz in your brain fade.

“Is he okay?” Kirishima asked at the same time as Kaminari started looking around and announced, “oh man! Where's everyone else?” 

“'M fine.” The only reason you can hear Katsuki mumble is because his mouth is pressed into your neck, right below your ear. You pat his forearm, it would be distracting, but you gotta stop the other blonde.

“Kaminari no!” You hiss. 

“What, why not?” He frowned, sounding genuinely confused. You're gonna be nice and blame the alcohol for that.

“Besides the fact he’ll kill you tomorrow?” You raise an eyebrow. You feel Katsuki laugh a little. “There are too many strangers. Get him drunk the next time it’s just us.” You argue, hoping he’s with it enough to not keep trying to get other people to embarrass your boyfriend.

Kyouka’s giggling, watching the exchange, probably just as drunk as Katsuki but handling it completely differently. And though she seems to be finding everything extremely funny, apparently no one else finds her as amusing as him. 

“Come onnnn,” Kaminari whined.

You shake your head and look at Kirishima. “Wanna help me get him to bed?” 

“I can do it.” Katsuki voices into your shoulder, more aware of the conversation than you expected. 

“Okay,” you let out a small laugh and tap his thigh, then move to get off his lap, but he holds you tight. “You gotta let go of me ‘Ki,” you giggle again; if anything, he only held tighter.

“Don’t wanna.” 

“How else are we gonna go upstairs?” You question, running your fingers along his forearm again, your friends watching with way too much amusement.

He replies in a tone that can’t be described as anything except for adoring with words he’d usually throw with a good helping of snark. “You’re so’smart, figure it out.”

“At the very least, let me get Sero and Midoriya,” Kaminari begs, apparently no longer able to watch this silently and have the show all to himself. 

“No.” You reply quickly, then shift a little so you can whisper to Katsuki, “if you let go, we can go upstairs and cuddle.” 

“Promise?” He lifts his head slowly to look up at you hopefully.

“Promise.” You smile back, and this time when you move to slide off his lap, he begrudgingly lets you, keeping his arms around your waist as he follows you to stand.

“You guys good?” Kirishima checks, coming to a wobbly stand of his own.

“Of course,” Katsuki answers before you can.

You shrug, hands over Katsuki's around your waist as he leans onto you. “Yeah, but can you find Ashido? She didn’t say which room we could stay in.” 

“On it.” Kirishima salutes and then stumbles off. 

You don’t really have high hopes of his return. You know he gets super friendly drunk and will probably stop to talk to every single person and end up forgetting entirely what you asked.

You turn back to Kaminari. “Good luck with those two.” You gesture between Shinso and Kyouka.

“Please get some evidence of this!” He calls back as you start to make your way to the stairs. You don’t respond, just throw a middle finger up in lew of Katuski being able to.

Getting through the throngs of people still crowded in Ashido’s house is way easier than you expected. The crowd almost subconsciously parting for Katsuki’s still grumpy outer appearance despite the fact that he’s clinging to you like a lost child, practically attached chest to back. He’s gone back to mumbling words into your scalp, making you stumble until, finally, you reach the stairs.

You scan the crowd trying to spot Ashido to no avail. You decide to wait a few minutes, but if you don’t find her, you’ll go upstairs and take whatever free room there is. Katsuki leans against the wall, one hand around your waist, the other intertwined with yours, his head resting against yours.

“You smell so nice.” Each word comes out low, slow, and a little slurred with the next, but it still makes you smile. 

You never would have guessed this is what Katsuki would be like drunk, maybe the sleepiness, the party was way later than he normally went to bed, even if you factored in the few hours later you managed to move his sleep schedule (in the summer) to accommodate you wanting to stay up and do more than stay in and watch a movie. The unfiltered compliments were what surprised you. He was so loving and cute, you loved his normal behavior, but you couldn’t say this wasn’t appreciated and very much boosting your ego.

You raise your intertwined hands to press a kiss to the back of his hand. “Thank you, pretty boy.” You respond.

He raises his head at that and moves so he's facing you. “Y’think 'm pretty?” His smile is a little lopsided but big.

You grin back. “The prettiest.”

He pouts and shakes his head, which makes you dizzy just to watch. “Can’t be. You’re th’prettiest.” 

You hold his cheek, and he leans into it, fighting drooping eyelids. “We can be the prettiest together.” 

He gives you another silly-looking adorable smile. “Yeah.” He squeezes your waist. “So smart.”

You stare at each other for a second, or, well, you stare, Katuski blinks a lot but doesn’t look away. You press what’s meant to be a quick kiss to his lips, but when you pull away, he follows you, eyes half-lidded and pupils blown wide. So, despite the heavy taste of a mix of liquors, you let him kiss you again. It’s sloppy, a little more on the wet side, but fun. With the pounding music and background buzz of your brain, you're both able to let go, forget that you’re in an overly crowded house party, and just enjoy the messy drunk kiss. 

Katsuki finds your waist pulling you flush against him. He doesn’t care at all about where you are. Only you can hear the breathy moans he lets out despite the loud music as his hands dip lower, pawing at your ass. He might not care in his drunken state, but you still do, despite the warmth tugging at your lower belly. 

You pull away, pants shared between you smelling strongly of alcohol. Before Katsuki can pout too much, you turn back around, your back to his chest so he can rest his head against yours again, so you don’t need to be holding up his head, he squeezes you tight. You can feel him stiff against your back, his hands holding you close, one grazing the bottom of your boob. You let him get away with that as you mindlessly shake your hips to the music, casually grinding against him as is appropriate for this type of party, still keeping an eye out for Ashido. He groans again, breath hot against your ear. The thin fabric of your underwear is holding back a flood.

“You said we were goin’ t’bed.” You can hear his pout. 

“We are baby. I don’t know which room we’re allowed to use.”

“Okay.” He whined, and you know you shouldn’t smile, but he’s so cute you can’t help it.

You glance around for Ashido one more time, but still don’t see her. You do, however, accidentally make eye contact with Midoriya and Uraraka, who both smile and start walking over, fingers intertwined, red solo cups in their free hands. 

You try to move Katsuki’s hands so you look a little more appropriate, it only kind of works, his arms looped around your waist keeping you flush against him. They don’t seem to notice anyway, their expressions morphing into worry when they get a better look at Katsuki almost falling asleep on top of you.

“Is Kacchan okay?” Midoriya asked once he got close enough you could hear him over the blasting music.

“Yeah, just had a little too much.” You assure, Katsuki squeezed you closer and muttered another, “'m fine.” into your hair.

“Oh good.” Midoriya looked relieved, smiling fondly when Katsuki nuzzled into you more. “Do you need help?”

“No, but thank you.” You almost shake your head, but Katsuki’s weight on top of you stops it, then you think. “Actually, have you seen Ashido? I don't know what room to go to.” 

“No, I’m sorry.” He looked so apologetic you almost felt bad for even asking. 

“Oh!” Uraraka spoke up, “I remember the guest room from last time we stayed over; I can show you!”

“Really? That would be awesome.” You sighed in relief, smiling back at her.

“No problem.” She grinned. “Follow me.” She began to walk upstairs, looking back and waiting for you to follow.

Thankfully no other partygoers were blocking the way, so you figured getting Katsuki up would be easy enough. Midoriya moved to help, but Katsuki shrugged him off.

“Don’ need your help.” He tugged at you. “The strongest.”

Midoriya looked at you, unsure of what he should do.

You shrug as best you can with your boyfriend hanging off of you. “We’ll be good. Just catch him if he falls back, I guess.”

“Got it.” Midoriya nodded enthusiastically, moving to the back of the line, hands up to catch Katsuki as he held onto you as you went.

Walking up the stairs was surprisingly easy, Katsuki only stumbling a few times, but you or Midoriya were always there to keep him steady, and in no time, Uraraka was showing you the room.

“Thanks.” You smiled gratefully at her, Katsuki still hanging off of you even though you tried pointing him to the bed. 

“No problem,” she assured, smiling back.

“Here.” Midoriya handed you his red solo cup, you raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s water.” He clarified, rubbing the back of his head.

You cringed as you took the cup. “Thank you, I didn’t even think about that.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He gave you and Katsuki a kind smile, and then they both said their good nights and wandered back downstairs. You shut the door.

Well, Kaminari sorta got his wish.

“Okay, ready for bed Katsuki?” You put the cup down on the desk in the corner and turn in his arms, patting his chest as you look up at him.

“Y’gonna stay?” he asked hopefully. 

“Of course.” You smile back.

He wrapped his arms around you and then picked you up, stumbling the short distance to the bed. “Katsuki!” You barely had a chance to squeal before you both collapse into the bed, him on top of you only half in.

“Good.” He declared into your chest.

“C’mon.” You pat his back giggling.

Slowly he stood back up, giving you a chance to scoot back and sit properly before he collapsed again on his back beside you. You take off your shoes and then turn to your boyfriend whose looking up at you, smiling wide.

“Can you take off your shoes?” you ask, prepared to help him, but he just nodded and moved to do it with no argument.

“Did it.” He grinned after he tossed them to the side.

“Good job,” you laugh and pat his chest, which just makes his smile widen. “Okay, into bed now,” you say, pulling the blanket back so you can both crawl in.

“Ts’warm.” He grumbled, ignoring the blanket, and took off his shirt. Or, well, he tried to but got stuck inside, arms up over his head, unable to move further.

“Here, lemme help.” You fight a laugh and grab the bottom of his shirt and pull, gently pulling his arms and head out properly. 

As soon as he was free of his shirt-prison, he went back to staring at you. “You’re th’bes’,” his words slurring more now that sleep was right there, “I love y’so much.” He smiled, not taking his eyes off you as he laid his head down on his pillow. Then he frowned and pulled at your shirt. “'ts’hot take it off.” He smiled wide again and then stated, with a weird amount of emphasis on each word, "I’ll help.” 

You smile back and run your fingers through his hair. You only want to take off your bra, and, honestly, it would probably be easier without Katsuki. “I can do it, but thank you. You’re the best, and I love you too.”

“No, you.” He just barely grumbled out before pouting, “lemme help.”

You can’t fight the little laugh that escapes, “Okay, if I get stuck, you can help.”

“Good.” He grinned wide, showing off his pointed canines.

You slip the straps off without taking off your shirt, then put your hands underneath to take off your bra, but Katsuki must have taken that as you getting stuck because he started to pull up the hem of your shirt, you decided to just slip your arms out rather than argue again, it would be easier and probably more comfortable anyway.

“Pretty,” he mumbled as your chest was bared to him, not giving a second thought to your now discarded shirt as he moved his hands to cup your breasts.

You suck in a breath when he flicks a finger over your hardening nipple, and he gives you a lazy smile in return. You’re both tired, but the warmth of his palms against the freshly exposed, sensitive skin felt good and you were still wanting from your earlier makeout, so you don’t stop Katsuki when he dips his head to take a tit in his mouth. 

He sucked on the aroused peak, letting out a happy groan as his tongue flicked over it, his other hand lazily teasing your other sweetly curved mound. You bite your lip to stop from being too loud, not trusting the pounding music to hide your moans from the party downstairs. You rock back and forth a little, needing friction that your not getting as you clench around nothing. Katsuki bites a little too hard and you gasp, broken out of your aroused reverie, reminded that he’s really too drunk for this, even as he licked over the offended area at the same time as he pinched your other pink peak.

“‘Ki” You try to sound stern so he stops, and you can go to sleep, but it comes out like moaned praise. 

 Katsuki sucks off with a wet pop that has you sighing in disappointment even though you know it’s for the best. Before you can suggest rest, he’s locked back on you, lips tracing all your exposed skin, leaving kisses across your flesh, lazy and loving. His hands cupping and massaging your heaving, flushed chest.

“‘M happy you're all mine,” he murmured against your skin. You feel his eyelashes butterfly kiss your sternum.

You run your fingers through his hair, sighing fondly. “I love you Katsuki.” You can feel him smile against you, slow and sleepy, “I’m happy you're all mine too.”

He kisses you again, a languid trail up to your lips, his hands finding the waistband of your bottoms, and you decide, unfortunately, it's time to try for bed again.

“Do you wanna go to sleep, baby?”

He pauses to pout at you, but his eyelids are drooping, and when you nod, he does too. You give him a few quick pecks leading him to lie down. You think he’s out cold the second his head hits the pillow. Features soft and content. You were lucky to be one of the few people able to see him at his most relaxed, and you liked taking advantage of it every-time you could, even as you fought your own drooping eyelids. Half-heartedly you think about grabbing his shirt to sleep in but don’t know where it is in the dark of the room, and skin-to-skin is definitely appealing, even with the risk of someone possibly walking in. 

Katsuki’s eyes flutter back open, and he frowns at you. “C’mere.” He pats the spot beside him 

“Yeah.” You crawl into the spot, shuffling a little under the blanket, he immediately throws his arm over you. 

You stare at each other, breaths evening out, matching pace, blinking slow, eyelids half-lidded. It’s a little more intimate than you ever would have guessed the end of a party could be, in a random bed you didn’t really expect to end up staying in, but it feels right.

Deciding one video won’t hurt, you pull out your phone, screen facing you so you can see that the videos recording both of you laying down. You get Katsuki to say a few more things, but then he pushes your hand down and demands sleep, so you comply, cuddling up with him, your face against his flushed chest.

“Wanted this all night.” He mumbled before passing out.

chp 1 | chp 2 | Chp 4 (end)

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here bestie, currently cheering, laughing, and digging in for what looks like an amazing season. You know there are a lot of ways they could have told the story of Buck realizing he's bi, but by far they went for the most hilarious and ridiculous route and I a HERE for this kind of nonsense. ABC seriously said "Okay, Buck's gonna get really jealous of Eddie's new guy friend...who he spends more time with than his girlfriend who Buck isn't jealous of (and who hasn't spoken in 4 episodes and is known for being the babysitter when Eddie needs to spend time with his new guy friend). Buck will go to ridiculous lengths to get Eddie's attention, including loudly clanking around the gym while sweaty and playing a sport he hates, while sweaty. But then, get this, the new friend will confront Buck and Buck will conclude for some reason THAT'S the person whose attention he wanted, something even the new friend doesn't believe, but he kisses him anyway. How funny would that be." ABC, and Tim specifically, you are not fooling anyone about where this is going.

Seriously I'm so happy, even if Buck's first kiss wasn't Eddie. Tommy isn't going to be around long it seems (especially if he has any sense of self preservation) and maybe Marisol will be lucky to get a full sentence in before she's out the door the way they're going. But I think this is the best way to tell this particular self discovery story, not in an overly angsty, stressful way but in a fun way that's over the top. I'm happy about the way they did it, and am definitely curious about how they will develop Buck through the season. Let's buckle in my friend, we're finally getting some good soup 🎉🎉🥂🥂!!!

My friend, I am still giddy over how much fun I had all around with that episode! Maddie and Chim were in peak Sassy Sibling mood with Buck, we even got some Mom-Mode Activated Maddie, we got silly call shenanigans, we got a heartbreaking call, we got some Grant family drama bringing up stuff from the past, we got happy smiling Eddie, we got sass-master Ravi, AND we got kicked-puppy pouty faced Buck begging Eddie to pay attention to him all episode and still somehow coming up with the wrong answer to his jealousy question 🤣 Epitome of that "the risk I took was calculated but MAN am I bad at math" meme. I love him.

I was reserving my judgment to see how this was going to play out, but so far, I am not hating it! It really does feel like Tommy Knows What's Up, but he gets to kiss Buck out of it, so why not? and while I don't ship them, the kiss was REALLY soft and sweet and Buck is being pursued for once so like, I'm willing to see how Tommy moves Buck's story forward. It definitely gave me the vibes that this is going to be the thing that helps push Buck to his "oh" moment about Eddie (hopefully with an accompanying montage to shut up the "this came out of nowhere" people 🙄). I'm typically not on the "this character needs to date around and use other people to be "ready" for the relationship they ACTUALLY want" train, but so far this storyline was handled well. Like, it's SO clearly about Eddie but also it's SO clear Buck has not connected those dots yet but Tommy HAS. So it's not like Buck *knows* and is stringing Tommy along waiting for Eddie to be single. It has the potential to be a sweet, fun, joyous experience for Buck without ever undercutting his relationship with Eddie because again, Tommy sure seemed to know whose attention Buck was REALLY looking for. For now, I'm on board to see how the ride plays out! And with Tim being better at keeping the stories focused on the mains, I think we are going to get some REALLY good Buck moments with his family around all this, while Tommy does the job of a side character and moves the story along.

"maybe Marisol will be lucky to get a full sentence in before she's out the door" Please, the sound I just made! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Let's hope it's no more than that, I cannot take her smiling like her head is about to start spinning around (plus the actress needs to GO, we don't need that nastiness here!). I am cryyyying though at the way Eddie's girlfriends have never even registered for Buck because at no point did they interfere with his time with Eddie and Chris, but Eddie spends time with ONE (1) dude, and Buck is just BESIDE himself about it. Poetic. Baby boy you are sooooo close to a realization! Also, not the synopsis calling out Eddie reevaluating his relationship the second Buck gets into one 🤣🤣🤣 Boys you are NOT subtle.

We are being FED and I am strapped in for the ride! Lets goooooo! The joy and heart and soul of the show has been restored and it feels sooo good!

[wowbright]

I'm about halfway through La La Land. Really wanted to like it. I mean, it's a musical. I like musicals. But I didn't know much about it other than that.

Review/liveblog below the cut.

Started suspecting in the opening number that I might not like it, since the opening hinted that it would be an ode to the LA film scene. (Ooh, LA film people talking about how great LA film is--I'm not an actor, I'm not a filmmaker, hopefully this movie will have something more interesting to hook me in.)

Oh, good! It's also going to be about jazz!

Huh. Neither Emma Stone nor Ryan Gosling are very good singers. They are okay at dancing. Now, I hear that these days it's important that anybody in a musical be an actor first and the other things second. But if music and dancing are part of the storytelling, it's important that they be as strong as the acting IMO.

Okay. Now we're back to jazz. He's going to explain to her why jazz is so awesome. He takes her to a club.. Except ... Hmmm. This is uncomfortable. Why are we seeing jazz exclusively through the eyes of this white dude? We see black musicians, but they are just in the background. He plays at a club. Again, black people are furnishings. John Legend gets a line. Then he gets some more lines.

Around now this review of the first half of the movie turns into a live blog of the second half of the movie.

Yay John Legend sings. Alas it's on a stage and not part of the storytelling, but background to the storytelling. Idk I can't really watch this scene too closely because of the strobing lights.

(Aside: Where has she been getting the money to pay for the dresses, the high heels, and now the one woman show? There's a limit to how much you can put on a credit card, isn't there?)

The dialogue in this movie often feels stilted. Is this a stylistic choice?

Now they're arguing. He doesn't like the music he's been playing with John Legend, which is interesting, because it seems like he was enjoying it and she was the one who wasn't enjoying it. Is any of this real or they just like super enmeshed and codependent?

Eh I've completely divested myself emotionally from this movie. I'm going to start fast forwarding to see what happens. It's not like there's musical numbers anyway.

Photo shoot. More strobing lights.

Why do we see him perform, but we don't see her perform?

Oh look they're fighting again. Do I give a fuck? No.

I don't get it. Is it supposed to be a fun musical or A Star is Born?

We have gone half an hour without a genuine musical number.

Emma Stone is singing. This is a musical again! Too bad this song, like the others, is just so-so. (Idk maybe it was Kristin Chenoweth they would sound amazing?) I feel like this song is supposed to be the big emotional payoff for a strong storyline, but unfortunately the storyline hasn't been that strong. (I mean to be fair I have fast forwarded through like the last 20 minutes but that was because the story was already meandering and sucking.)

They break up. Unfortunately, I never bought their love story beyond the initial crush, so I don't care. (I'm not saying I don't believe that these people *could* love each other deeply. I'm saying that the story skipped over the part after the first kiss where they got to truly know each other and fall in love, so I'm not convinced of it.)

What the fuck? in the alternative "what if their lives have been perfect" montage, Ryan Gosling just waves off Keith like he's some kind of subordinate? Like, arguably one of the most talented musicians we have seen in this whole movie? Gross.

Then in the part that is an explicit visual ode to the golden age of movie musicals, when they are on that colorful soundstage resembling a cartoonish LA, I actually lose track of where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are mixed in with all the other dancers. That should not be possible if the correct cinematographic choices were made.

Also I think it should be illegal to market movies as romances when the characters don't end up together in the end.

So yeah I guess this movie got all the accolades because the people who give the accolades and awards see themselves in this story.

But seriously what the fuck now that I've seen this movie I feel like I've been lied to for the past six years.

[jacksgreysays]

I'm going to 1) boost this absolutely fantastic webtoon because i love it so much and i really would love to see other people interact with it and 2) so it makes sense for it to be on this particular blog, do a little brainstorm for what kind of fanfic i would theoretically write for it

And ao3 is down right now anyway, so you may as well, lol

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD READ MY IN-LAWS ARE OBSESSED WITH ME:

Season 1 just finished (75 chapters total) with Season 2 scheduled for next year (presuming translation time) so if you're worried about starting something that isn't complete or, conversely, jumping in to something that is dead in the water, do not worry this webtoon will take care of you

I consume a lot of garbage media so trust me in knowing what is and isn't garbage. Yes the title is weird and also it initially looks like a cheesy vampire harlequin but trust me it's not.

It's got everything I love and, hopefully, if you're reading this post you love some of these things too: time travel, political ramifications for things, DRAMA, beautiful fashions, the slowest of slowest burns of yearning, supernatural mystery revolving around a blood curse, a female lead who is more concerned about SURVIVAL and VENGEANCE and BUSINESS than romance (but also the romance is very cute eventually, emphasis on the eventually)

The art in general is stunning (again, kudos to the fashion) and the story telling in the visual medium is absolutely heartbreaking. Slight spoilers, but there's a part where it gets into the ML's PTSD from being at war and the way it's portrayed is absolutely devastating. Actually a lot of the FL's anxieties and self doubts are also portrayed wonderfully in this medium. It's THOUGHTFUL in its usage of imagery. There's also a fun recurring bit where every time the FL is framed weirdly in the shot it's because the ML is right next to her right off screen being devastatingly handsome

The side characters are great. The titular in-laws are fantastic. I weep thinking about the residence manager who is so bad at his job and openly cries about having to do work. Celphius would be my son if he weren't so enamored by having Pereshati as his mom instead.

All of the characters are SMART. Or, at least, they're logical. I never ask "why are they doing this?" because everyone is acting rationally for what information/abilities/biases they do have. And yes, the biases are important also (because god knows I hate the villains but they are, unfortunately, rational in their cruelty).

They're also proactive about things? Like, very often protagonists are just reacting to the next awful thing thrown their way, but both the FL and ML are taking steps to achieve their goals even if a lot of it is off-screen.

Please. I beseech thee, read the first ten chapters at least, if you've gotten this far in this post, just read the first ten chapters.

Anyway, so as to at least maintain the thinnest veneer of this being a writing post, the theoretical fanfic I'd write for this series is under the cut and does contain SPOILERS:

It would appear, at first, like a straightforward AU, beginning with the characters at the age they are in the canon. So ~early/mid-20s(?) ish?

But, just straight up, Therdeo is not the grand duke and Pereshati is an imperial secretary(?/scholar?). But Therdeo is probably head of the knights of the grand dukedom, so he has to be in the capitol for ~reasons~ especially since he's probably still the "hero" of the war.

The fic appears to be a straight forward meet-cute romance between elite knight, third son of the Lapileons and imperial secretary, only daughter of the Zahardt countdom. The levels are not exactly equal, but it's a lot more evened out than in canon. Maybe there's still a "please pretend to marry me so I don't get trapped in an engagement with the 4th princess" but her vibes are SO RANK I don't even want to deal with that :/

So now why does it only APPEAR to be a straight forward meet-cute romance?

Double time travel.

Well, possibly quintuple time travel depending on how deep into it we get, but basically: Pereshati and the four Lapileon in-laws who are older than her (Therdeo, Saoirse, Phineas, Gloria) all travel back to the first time someone died from Gen's blood being sold (not Islette's) which is at least several years, if not over a decade from the canon start time.

Maybe the Lapileons coordinate with each other about this, but regardless, since it's from Pereshati's view she wouldn't get to see that.

On her side what changes is: unfortunately, I don't think she can save her mother. But maybe she can prevent her father from re-marrying and emphasize cherishing the family they already have (ie, each other and her uncle+his family). And because she does now have so much experience running a household and is, you know, a fully educated grown adult in a child's body, when she goes to the academy she does EXTREMELY well. Like. Imperial Scholar well.

And, yes, she is her father's heir. But he's healthy and not married to someone who will kill him, so she sort of has the freedom to have this imperial scholar job for a while until he decides he wants to retire and have her take over, etc.

So she's working in the capitol, and Therdeo's also in the capitol.

Or maybe she works at the academy as a teacher now?

If Celphius didn't still exist, I would cry. But maybe his father is still alive and that's why Therdeo isn't the grand duke. Or even if Celphius' dad is dead (RIP) then Saoirse's family is definitely still alive and so SHE'S the grand duke(/duchess) and Celphius has an older cousin that he has to be VERY CAREFUL WITH.

Regardless, at the very least. Saoirse's son goes to the academy. Maybe the meet cute is, now that Celphius is old enough, he ALSO gets to go to the academy. And as a Good Uncle (This Time) Therdeo will be there to support him and also bring him to the Academy and be an extra set of eyes for whichever of his older siblings is the grand duke and anyway he meets Pereshati and they are both trying to hide the fact that they know each other because of time travel while also falling in love(?)

Maybe.

I just really liked the idea of re-leveling their respective statuses so they can stand on more equal footing when they meet T_T

ANYWAY PLEASE READ IT. I KNOW AO3 IS DOWN NOW ANYWAY, SO YOU MAY AS WELL