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belle-keys · 4 years ago

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I Love Matthew Fairchild aka Incoherent Thoughts about Chain of Iron (2021) by Cassandra Clare

I made one of these rant-rave reviews for SJM's book so check it out if you want, no pressure tho lmao.

Aight so I finished Chain of Iron last night and OMG I HAVE TO YELL like I loved it sooo much like yooo, I have a lot to say. I know the book is new so... beware for spoilers plebs.

Also context: I been reading the Shadowhunter books since I was 12 and I'm 19 now *insert dead emoji face* so yeah, I'm just so happy rn with where the Chronicles have come and the fact that they’re still ongoing *insert uwu face*. I remember when in like 2014-2015 or something when Cassandra Clare teased that Will and Tessa's kids' generation was gonna get a trilogy set in Edwardian London, loosely based on Great Expectations, and holy hell? I think that was perhaps one of the best days of my life considering how much I adore The Infernal Devices (that trilogy really changed the way I see YA literature... don't ask cus I won't shut up about it) (also yes I read TMI and loved it too but there's a “generation gap” between TMI and the other Shadowhunter books stylistically so don't ask me about that either cus I also won't shut up).

Anyway, shoo from here if you want a critical essay on Chain of Iron. I'm not providing that, this is just me raving here for the fun.

Listen... I want the bulk of this to just be two main things: The Matthew Situation, and then all the literary and judeo-christian meta aspects of it.

BUT I ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE SO FRICK LET'S JUST START WITH THE OBVIOUS SHIT LIKE THE PLOT AND WHATEVER

Okay, the plot and writing and shit, let's get that out of the way:

The WHOLE Jack-the-Ripper-esque ambiance was just sooooo good man wow like I did not expect the book to take this cold turn but it worked so well. There was such a contrast between Jamie and Cordelia's warm little house and then the cold winter and the stabbings and shit and it felt like a nice little callback to the actual Ripper phenomenon that preceded them and a nod to the Whitechapel Fiend story from Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

Bitch OFC that whole thing with Wayland was a set-up like nawww that was too easy to spot and I get why Cordelia feels like shit about it.

Dawg Lucie was just the Among Us imposter here in that my girl was just venting and sneaking around with dead people and I was like nooooo girl run, don't deal with Fade this is a set-up THINK ABOUT JULES LUCIE THAT'S LIKE YO GREAT-GRANDSON *sobs* but yeah anyway my girl has death powers she gonna kill some bitches next book.

You see that confrontation between Lilith and Belial? MASTERPIECE DIALOGUE like this was the point within which I was just like "yo is this the book of Genesis or a YA Fantasy novel" like when Lilith said "I may have been cast out but I did not fall" like??????????????????? I YELLED she did not have to END Belial like that. What a bad bitch.

More on Lilith and Belial... "You, who brought nations into darkness? Shall I finally be able to tell the infernal realms you have gone mad, lost even the image of the Creator." HAHAHHAHAHA SHE SAID "YO BELIAL GO GET SOME THERAPY AND GET OFF MY ASS" LIKE??????

Ughhhh yasss Clare has improved writing diverse characters in this book compared to in The Dark Artifices in my opinion... I'm not gonna expand on it cus ain't nobody got time for that but like, I enjoyed how she wove Persian poetry and tales into the story and the way in which she writes Cordelia and Alistair. They're not caricatures of Persian people but rather multi-faceted beings who also happen to be Persian and I appreciate that. Also, Alistair and Thomas and Anna and Ariadne were just so fun and interesting to read as coupbles but also as individuals. She really higlighted diversity in a very natural manner. All I need is a hijabi character and I’ll die a happy woman lmao.

The level of META man like the references to Classics and art (I swear, she might have compared Matthew to angels out of Caravaggio AND Rosetti AND Boticelli paintings and I Am Living For It) and just all the quotes from holy books and shit omg I love it here like you really feel catapulted into the time period, she draws reference to external art and philosophy so well and I feel like she upped the notch on it in this book (didn’t know that was possible but it was the prose is BEAUTIFUL, archaic, but not pretentiously so). No, like the characters live in their OWN worlds of literature and art and history in the way we are living in THEIRS. They quote Wilde and Milton while we'll quote Clare. It's awesome.

This is an unusually structuralist take even from me but: I like the way the milieu social of the book, i.e., the high society Edwardian circles and their values, have a direct influence on the plot. James and Cordelia got married because society’s values essentially forced them to, not a demon. Cordelia abandons Jamie at the end of Iron because her shame as a woman in society and fear for her reputation made her, not a demon. Thomas and Alistair can't be together solely because of how Alistair tarnished the reputation of the Fairchilds and Lightwoods by using the horror of infidelity against them. Issues relating to marriage, gender roles, etc, stemming DIRECTLY from the time period rule the sequence of events to the same degree as the epic fantasy aspects (demons, Princes of Hell, the lore itself) do and I LOVE that dear God above.

OKAY THE GOOD SHIT LET US TALK ABOUT CHARACTERS AND SHIPS (N.B. but imma discuss Matthew and the Fairstairs situation separately below this portion):

Alistair's redemption arc: No, cus Alistair's redemption arc is honestly amazing. He really did change and it's not like his betterment as a person was linked to any one heroic deed but rather he simply decided he wanted to be better especially for his family and he decided to become a proper protective son, a caring brother, and an amiable friend. He fully owned up to his Malfoy tendencies and apologized without expecting forgiveness. He shows how he cares in the little ways and omg it's so sweet and tender. I really do want him to love himself now and be embraced by Matthew especially and the rest of the Thieves.

Dawg Lucie and Jesse are so funny to me like it's so hilarious how this girl fell in love with a whole ass ghost that no one else knows about like HHAHA. Are Lucie and Jesse my ult ship ever? Nah, but it's nothing to do with Clare, it's just that their relationship happened pretty quick and feels quite like something epicly romantic that Lucie herself would write. I just like slow burn and friends-to-lovers the most from Clare. To be honest part of me just wanted Lucie to not have a romantic arc all together but like, it's all good, I'm not complaining.

Okay Grace- like yooooooooooo I never hated her yunno. She has been abused and isolated all her life. It's not that she is a bad person, but rather that she does not know what being a person even entails. Can't even say she's a “doll” of a person cus she's never even been pampered like one by her family. I really started understanding her motivations since when they gave us her half-childhood with Jesse. I want better for her but cmon can she REALLY be saved???

GRACE X CHRISTOPHER *pretends to be shocked*... Okay, sometime in the middle of the Dark Artifices series some big brain put together a very thorough family tree of the families and like, it clearly showed that Grace and Christopher got married so like, lmfaooooo, I knew this was coming one way or another, but the journey to this ship is more important than the destination. Like in a way Christopher is such a cute baby lamb that it makes sense he'd end up being immune to her Grace-ness when he's just a cute little Einstein boiii. Like this is just so funny to me cus he's so oblivious to social conventions while she makes the milieu social her entire life so OFC it's gonna work. Like, this is such a worlds-colliding trope like just Give It To Me.

James and Grace - aw mannn Jamie just had me fricking wanting to hit a wall every two seconds cus like yooooooo every single time I think he and Cordelia are gonna stop being emotionally-constipated spouses, Jamie says some kinda shit like "omg me and Daisy are just friends uwu" like DO I NEED TO HIT YOU?????????? See I can't blame him for not slamming the door on Grace's face even tho he totes should- Jamie is so cerebral and kind that even if Grace wasn't using the enchantment on him, I think he would always be soft for her even if it isn't in a romantic way. There's just so much miscommunication cus like he said "Thank God" when she broke off the engagement with Charles and lowkey embraced her but it also wasn't his fault cus it wasn't even romantic BUT OFC IT LOOKED HORRIBLE TO CORDELIA like James literally never told the woman at least once that he loved her so OFC she thought she was back to square one with him dear God above what a mess. Not his fault, but she DID set down one rule for him: don’t cheat with Grace. And yeah even tho he hasn’t properly cheated, it must FEEL horrible to her cus she’s just been enduring the pain of their unrequeted love for so long :((

See imma just say it but if Cordelia thought that James didn't love Grace then she def would have confessed to him about her feelings right but like James, on the other hand, was delaying his own romantic confession cus he was BEING EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED and I can't even say the bracelet was solely to blame cus like my boi was just being so difficult omg I believe he should be lightly spanked by his three parents aka Will, Tessa and Jem *cries*.

Cordelia is such a MOM like she's so mature and stable and her self-preservation instinct? OFF THE CHARTS I love this woman like James definitely treated her well as a hubby but like I JUST WANTED HER TO HAVE CLOSURE ABOUT SOMETHING and boy oh boy she did get that closure she got it good but not from the person she expected in the LEAST *hehe* *pelican screeching*... like Lucie was being sus with the whole ghost business and James was being just, quite a case, dealing with Grace and Belial right and I don't blame them at all for their secrecy and shit but her FATHER DIED and her friends were hiding a lot from her so in a way she turned to Alistair for help but he could only do so much cus of his own pain (she couldn't even talk to her mom cus she's pregnant and she doesn't wanna stress her right) and then there was this emotional block between her and Jamie, Lucie was often absent and conspiring with the dead... the last person remaining was HIM (imma discuss this soon), but yeah my heart just went OUT to her cus she's tryna save herself and her family and she just doesn't know what to do. That's why I love the way her mom told her to stop holding herself back for others and live her own life. Like Cordelia grew on me so much cus in Gold she undoubtedly was a strange Elizabeth Bennet-wallflower hybrid and I... do not usually get attached to wallflowers but in Iron I feel like I finally understood that she was just tryna be unproblematic and self-preserving all along and nottt put her family and friends in a tough situation.... she reminds me of my mom personality-wise so yeah I’m totally rooting for her now that her *situation* in the past seems clearer.

Anna, Thomas and Matthew are such a SQUAD lmfaooooo like united in their gayness they'd be so unstoppable.

Will and Tessa are the most in-love of all the in-loves in this story and I respect that so much.

I lost a year to my life every time the romance between James and Cordelia got cockblocked. Like they were MARRIED and I thought they were gonna at least sleep next to each other at least once BUT NO James couldn't take a hint omg I'm actually gonna eat my fist and sob (but in retrospect, I think this serves a bigger purpose in terms of the narrative structure i.e. the interruption of all the spicy James and Cordelia action serves a bigger purpose which I think brings me to my next section, *exhale*)

Welcome to the Matthew Fairchild Enthusiast Club (this section is me talking out loud; it makes no sense):

bitch.

LISTEN TO ME LISTEN WELL I LOVE THIS BOY SO MUCH IMMA SCREAM I REALLY AM GONNA SCREAM MY FIST IS LITERALLY IN MY MOUTH *BACKFLIPS OFF THE ROOF WITH LANA DEL REY PLAYING*

Okay like where to BEGIN I think the Shadowhunter boy who I'm most attracted to is Julian while the one I love the most is Will but I think I see myself in Matthew the most. Like ever since that first story where the Thieves all met at the Academy then got expelled, I think that I just KNEW Matthew was destined to be epic. Plus the whole Wilde obsession? I’m no libertine myself but I just love his chaos and passion for life.

NO CUS HE'S SO WITTY AND SWEET AND EPIC AND YET SO SECRETIVE AND DEAR GOD ABOVE AHHHHH WILL HE SURPASS JULIAN FOR ME??? Ion even know but this is just sodjsgdwsdygyegydgef

Hear me out but I said after finishing Gold last March that I wanted this book to be Matthew's healing arc right so halfway into the book when I realized that we weren't getting all that good healing arcing I was confused just cus I thought it seemed natural to address all of his alcohol issues and sadness by now. LITTLE DID I KNOW CASSIE WAS SETTING UP A WHOLE OTHER ARC WITH HIM THAT I WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED WTH.

At first I thought Matthew didn't have feelings for anyone at all, and if he DID develop feelings unexpectedly, I fricking thought that maybe he's catching feelings for James, if anyone??? I mean, I did have some suspicions about Matthew from the get-go: like he's so secretive and as readers we think we know everything there is to know about him since we were all privy to the truth potion incident in his short story right BUT NO I GOT PLAYED AND I DESERVE IT SO BADDDDDD.

Listen I hadn't shipped him and Cordelia simply because I never thought it in the realm of possibility but it MAKES SENSE as a ship... think about it: he never says what he feels, he flirts with her like he does with EVERYONE, he is kind to her in the way he is with EVERYONE. Really, Matthew is shippable with everyone, doesn’t matter if they’re taken cus that’s just what his Matthewnes allows for ya feel. There is such a beautiful irony that CORDELIA herself did not see this coming. Even the little teasers and hints in Gold have only NOW started making sense to me likejhss. I just felt like the hints in book 1 did not indicate to me that Matthew really harbored real romantic feelings for Daisy. I thought he was upset that James and Cordelia were being fakes, not a developing CRUSH on the woman fgs.

Not to mention that you usually sense a ship building when the emotional connection or sexual tension between the characters is made clearer but to me their FRIENDSHIP grew right but it didn’t feel like Cordelia was thought that she liked him or he liked her so that means me and Cordelia are clowns *together* 😤

Okay I was lowkey having SUSPICIONS but I immediately shut them down right... like firstly when he took her to the White Horse in his car and she went OFF and OFF and off about how she felt free for the first time? I thought Cassie was just tryna develop Cordelia's self-liberation arc through Matthew there. Heck, I didn't even think ANYTHING of it when Matthew confession to Cordelia about the "truth potion" incident at all cus I was like they're FRIENDS??? BUT now it's adding up now...

See when they were at the inn place and he was telling her that she doesn't in the least seem like a 100 year-old married woman? I was like hmmmm he's so sweet but why did Cassie phrase it like that like??? When Cordelia later reiterated that she thought Matthew's flirting was “meaningless”?? I was like hmmm kinda SUS tho. And then when he and James had their fight over the way Jamie kissed Grace like again I thought he was just like? ion know? mad at James for it but I didn't think he was in LOVE with Cordelia??? So I immediately put aside my slight suspicions. The probability that he had a crush on James at that point seemed more likely to me.

BUT THEN it started hitting me that every time Matthew drank, even before he explained his issue with the truth potion, that Cordelia would note it, she would worry about him, she would think of her father which seemed so poetic to me, history repeating itself and all that but this time you can FIX it??? Yeah, but again I didn't think the L WORD would be involved man???

Now imma sound like a delulu shipper here but it just makes sense they would develop feelings logically- reason being that it definitely is possible based on the way Cassie set up the story, like there's a combination of little “friend things” that can turn this into a proper ship: Matthew rescues Cordelia in the ballroom when Grace captures James' attention in Gold. Cordelia sees her father in Matthew all the time but knows now she has a chance to be there for him in the way she couldn't have been there for Elias (classic “history repeats itself” trope, she doesn't want Matthew drinking in Paris like dhshghdfhdhch). Cordelia tastes freedom for the first time when driving with Matthew. Matthew caught James and Cordelia making out in the room and was pissed but not even HE properly knew why then??? Umm, when she thinks James is forreal cheating with Grace on her she subconsciously goes to Matthew??? I also found it funny just how every intimate marital moment between her and James got interrupted somehow. Like, it's as if the narrative is just a living force REFUSING to let James and Cordelia as a ship be consecrated. Heck, every time Matthew is scantily clothed Cordelia notes it. LITTLE CRUMBS I TELL YOU LITTLE CRUMBS.

I tell you when Cordelia showed up to Matthew's flat I thought they were gonna f*ck as friends but I got SOMETHING EVEN BETTER SOMEHOW

THEY ARE GOING TO PARIS LA BELLE EPOQUE PARIS THE PARIS OF DREAMS AND ART LIKE??? FRICKKKKK I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING AT ALLLL MAN? I deadass thought the story would be restrained to the UK but like it MAKES SENSE the trope subversion MAKES SENSE.

“In Paris, with you, I will not need to forget.” SHITTRGEGGGDG

BUT CORDELIA LOVES JAMES TOO LIKE I CAN'T DENY THAT... where are we GOING with this like Matthew wouldn't lie about his feelings and yet Cassie wouldn't give us Matthew and Cordelia crumbs to only end it in the next book immediately for her to just ditch him for James. I mean she was clearly holding back on fleshing out James and Cordelia as a ship for this but to WHAT END??? Daisy feels wild and free with Matthew and she feels warm at home warm with James. I can’t advocate for the sinking of ANY ship here.

Imma say what we're all thinking: Is she gonna give us a Will x Jem x Tessa type situation where Cordelia gets both of them cus I'm not strong enough for this but I also think it'd be really funny if James gets a surprise bi awakening in the next books and then we get POLY even tho this would never happen, it’s actually impossible, because of the whole parabatai thing.

Listen I ship Cordelia and Matthew much more than Cordelia and James, not that I dislike James in any way tho. It's just: Matthew is so unrestrained and she's so composed. They seem like an unlikely pair so it makes sense that they hit harder for me. James and Cordelia have such similar personalities but I ALSO don't ship James with Grace at all so like?? Poly would be... ideal... but it can’t happen especially cus they are fricking parabatai... a Will-Jem-Tessa situation seems more likely but mannnn ion know what to expect. I just want FAIRSTAIRS to have their moment in Paris. I mean James and Matthew clearly don't abhor each other for this.

Take everything I say with several grains of salt, take everything I say with the whole Dead Sea actually, cus I damn well know that Matthew is so flirty and whatnot that I’d have shipped him with anyone in their little circle but now that she set him up with Cordelia it all feels so right?? I have wanted this man in a good relationship since he walked onto the page in Nothing But Shadows so-

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I can't believe Cassia duped me like this omg, Matthew is gonna have his healing arc in Paris with Cordelia by his side like- THIS IS ALL I HAVE WANTED AND SO MUCH MORE. Question to yall btw: are you all as surpised at Fairstairs as me or did yall see it coming all along like smart people? Am I a lone clown? 🥺

BRUH okay criticisms of CC?:

Lmfao a part of me feels like I GOTTA say something bad about CC or the book but honestly I have no objective complaints about it as of now. Am I saying that it’s the PEAK of Young Adult literature and Urban Fantasy? I mean, I make no such claims tbh. I’m not here to be critical when I read as a hobby and when CC’s writing makes me happy regardless of how flawed some people see it.

Okay what next?

So like I’m excited for the adult high fantasy she’s releasing in the fall and whatever other works she might be releasing outside of Chain of Gold within the Chronicles.

As for TLH itself? Man I’m just VIBING like I suspect I will reread Chain of Iron soon and maybe one of the anthologies just because I am happy that this series actually happened after me waiting like 6 years for it when it was just a concept: a Dickensian retelling filled with poetry and culture and history and the conventions I so loved in TID at age 12. This is all I been wanting tbh. I’m just enjoying watching this series come to fruition for it to inspire and transform me in some way. I feel like in a way my coming-of-age aligns with that of these specific characters yet I ALSO feel like I raised Jamie since infancy. Wack.

MATTHEW AND CORDELIA IN FRANCE LA BELLE EPOQUE TO BE EXACT IMMA CRY I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING AND AHHHHHH. ALSO WILL AND JAMIE GOING TO CORNWALL TO GET LUCIE AND MAYBE BOND I LOVE WILL. HE WAS ONE OF MY DILF AWAKENINGS AT AGE 12 AND NOW HE’S HERE AGAIN IMMA CRY. I WANNA SEE MATTHEW GET HAPPY. AHHH.

Ending with a fun quote: “In the wise words of someone or other, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Maurice.” 😉

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allyvampirelass29 · 4 years ago

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Goodnight, Chris McQueen

A NOS4A2 Review By: Allyssa J. Watkins

I love you, Brat I hope you know that....... My biggest fear was becoming my old man Drinkin', philanderin', livin' for nothin' I wanted so much more for my little girl But Babe, I'm just like him A haunted soldier That never came back from the war I tried so hard to make you laugh Just so you didn't see me cryin' Funny names, and stupid jokes I guess, don't band-aid the holes Punched through the walls and in Your mother's heart Jesus, maybe this dad thing Was a cosmic hoax right from the start I love you like a big dog I'd die twice just to give you a hug Before I go, I want you to know I'm proud of my kid I could never do what you did It's like you told your ma You're made of steel, Vic You threw the bottle away You sure as hell didn't need me But you let your broken down dad save the day I ain't half the hero to you though As you are to Wayne Give 'em HELL, Babe Fight the good fight Don't cry over me I won't die as I lived A good for nothin' It's gonna mean somethin' I gotta believe Don't stay here, Brat, trapped in my death scene Remember the good stuff, when they say "Goodnight, Chris McQueen."

In the words of the illustrious Linda McQueen........ "Holy HELL." It's been days, and I've been in a morose fog, only just now emerging, shaking and fighting the tears, even as I write this, half numb, and half agony. I'm shocked, dismayed, and altogether fragile. The second I saw that this episode was going to be called, "Chris McQueen," I couldn't have been more thrilled, and my heart soared, excited! Chris McQueen has SHINED this season, our own resident white knight, slaying Vic's demons, both of the vice, and supernatural variety. It was no mistake, or random shuffle of fate, that her magic bridge led her back to her dad. He's been a gun-wielding, bomb-making, godsend!!! He helped her quit drinking, heartbroken that his little girl had inherited his disastrous coping mechanisms, refusing to let it drown her the way it did him. He's fought at her side, let her lean on him, he's become her safe place. He's given her the best advice about fighting for Lou, choosing her family, and oh yeah, he SINGLEHANDEDLY took on Bing Partridge, not just once, but TWICE!!!

If NOS4A2 has a CHAMPION, a dark horse in the game, it's hands down Chris McQueen. If anyone is deserving of their own personal, entitled episode, it's the vindicated father who did the work, fought like HELL for his redemption, made himself a better person for his daughter. That rush of flooding joy, cooled to wary concern, and hesitant dread, however, when I realized....... This honour could be his final tribute.......

Don't kill Chris McQueen........ I pleaded over and over in my mind, the frantic cry, resounding, even as I pressed play. I hadn't been able to shake that sinister, creeping feeling all day, and when we opened onto Chris at a funeral, my relief flooded in, graciously thankful to see him alive!!! Wait, he looked younger, like WAY younger, even younger than the first season, and oh my god, hold on, whose funeral is this!? Someone died........ my stomach knotting again, trying to figure out who, and we realize that this is Chris, decades ago, speaking at his Dad's funeral.

I loved, and I mean LOVED this opener. It's just so beautifully real, and one hundred percent Chris McQueen, as he muses about his father's life, and his own, and how the two came to mirror each other. He's funny, irreverent, vulnerable, and by the end, absolutely heartbreaking. It's a searing portrait of a broken man, and everything that caused his life to fracture, every death, that made him wish he was never born.

"When I came back from the gulf, I finally understood why he was pissed off all the time, because he knew there was no reason for him to born, and that nobody was going to give a shit when he died."

Chris' voice cracks, and my eyes sting, because I feel it, his greatest fear, and I know he's not just talking about his father, he's talking about himself, effectually delivering his own eulogy, and again I implored the fates...... Don't kill Chris McQueen.

Aaaaaaaaah, and HELLO Baby Vic!!! Oh my gosh, she's so precious, about eight years old, frowning as her father speaks, huddled close to her mother, and then when Chris becomes too overwhelmed with his anger and emotions to go on, tearing out of the church, she frantically chases after him, calling for him!!! Even then, she was her daddy's girl!!! Once again, I must COMMEND NOS4A2 for choosing the perfect miniature of our badass leading lady, because this girl is the very IMAGE of Ashleigh, and it was such a joy to see her fierce features, and resolve, in a dear little face!!! More Baby Vic, PLEASE!!!

Flashforward to the present day, and Team McQueen is ready and raring to hit the road. I loved this entire scene. The love between her and Lou as she tells him goodbye, and says, "I'm going to go get our boy." An achingly beautiful moment, these two give me life, and have become my FAVOURITE couple on the show!!! I may have been purely Team Drew Butler, Season One, but now I can't imagine our beautiful badass without her Teddy Bear Man, and I ship McCarmody so freaking hard!!! Vic revs the Triumph's engine, testing it, gearing up with her Dad, and it hits me....... She doesn't have to hide it, sneak away to go do her Creative Hero thing, he accepts her for exactly who she is, believes in her gift enough to go with her. For the first time..... Vic McQueen isn't riding alone........

Linda is an absolute rollicking delight, emphatic in her protest, and I have just come to LOVE her so much!!! "I don't know about this Vicki, taking explosives across a magical bridge IN THE RAIN!!!!" God BLESS this woman, she's so maternal here, and I love it, I see how much she's changed, becoming this mother and ex wife even, that isn't afraid to express her feelings and doubts, no longer shackled by the fear that she's destined to be alone.

"You're my only kid, Vicki, My Baby."

"You know me, Ma, made of steel, remember?"

Awwwwww oh my gosh, so freaking CUTE, and for the first time, they feel like a real family, The McQueen Clan on a Mission, slaying psychotic kidnappers, and rescuing lost children, becoming the family business. Linda's still unsure, hurrying after Chris and Vic, still thinking they're both CRAZY, when she sees it for the first time....... Her eyes widen impossibly, as a rickety, wooden, covered bridge, appears on the street in front of them, and her reaction is EVERYTHING we've been waiting for, I found myself, leaping off the couch, cheering as she says it. "Holy HELL!!!"

Chris' childlike wonder, as he looks up into the dark eves, and watches the bats flutter, the Triumph roaring through the beams of breaking light, weaving in and out of shadow, is such a joy to behold. He believed in it, believed in her, even without seeing, and it means that much more to Vic, you can tell. It's also symbolic, Vic sharing her world with her father, bringing him into her inscape, fighting the good fight TOGETHER, both soldiers. I loved it, every second.

Surprise, surprise, when they roll up to the junkyard, Bing Partridge isn't dead, because some cockroaches just won't DIE!!!! Like an AVENGING ANGEL, Chris McQueen is all of us, flying off that bike, and assailing Bing with murderous fury, backhanding his stupid face with the gun, over and over, impaling him deeper with the protruding rod, and I swear, I wanted to run to him, and HUG him so tightly, so freaking PROUD!!!! THANK YOU, CHRIS MCQUEEN!!!

"Where is he, you SICK, Son of a BITCH!?!?"

"HE CAN'T HELP US IF HE'S DEAD!!!!!"

Vic screams at her father, angrily chastising this good and proper beating that has been a LONG time coming!!!! I'm sorry, isn't that how ANY sane person would react to a sadistic, murdering, rapist whose made their life a LIVING HELL!? What gives, Victoria!? Chris falls back, as confused as I was, and then shakes his head, as he apologizes vehemently, which Vic is having none of. She's AWFUL to her father from this moment forward, rude and spiteful, blaming him for everything, and as much as I love the girl, in this unjust punishment, she REALLY lives up to her nickname, Brat.

This Kids Glove approach to Bing Partridge is MADDENING enough to make me PSYCHOTIC!!! BING. IS. EVIL. Say it with me, NOS4A2!!!! It's like they are hellbent on redeeming the ONE character that is beyond saving, a man that even God, himself, would look at reviled, and say, "Get thee behind me, SATAN!!!" Last week they failed, first through the deus ex machina epiphany, and then through the attempted murder/suicide, so they tried even harder, using a meeker approach, making him say manipulative propaganda like, "I wish I'd never met Mr. Manx, because then Vic McQueen would still be my friend." and "I'm all alone in here, and it's really scary." Ughhhh somebody, anybody, put us out of our misery, and put one right between his beady little rat bastard eyes.

I almost understand Tabitha's need to keep things professional, and speak to Bing, in a reassuring way that reaches his simple, monosyllabic mind. I get that beating the living hell out of him like he so obviously deserves isn't an option for her, but this man is a HEINOUS criminal, who's kidnapped kids, drugged and raped their mothers, KILLED both of his parents, not to mention TORTURED Charlie within an inch of his life, only just last week!!!! But by ALL MEANS, Vic, go HOLD HANDS WITH HIM, and see if that will help get your son back!!!! Cringe.

I HATED this, so, so, SO much!!! Bing was her friend, he betrayed her, violated the trust between them, became her worst nightmare, shot at her, traumatized her, duct-taping her to a chair, she should HATE him, despise the sight of him far more than Charlie Manx!!! I CRAVED a reckoning, even if it was just a verbal assault. But no, instead, Vic decides to play nice, and I get that most of it was an act to convince him to help her get her son back, but I could also feel NOS4A2's misguided hand in her actions. Look, see, even Vic can find the good in Bing!!!! Sigh. Not gonna lie, I was going to scream bloody murder if she said she forgives him!!!

Good Cop pays off, however, and Bing, desperate for Vic's forgiveness, reveals there is one more stop before Christmasland, one last chance to grab Wayne, when he gets out of the Wraith at Sleigh House to hang his ornament. It's a dawning revelation, intel quintessential to their success, and for once they know where Charlie is going to be, before he gets there, and can lay a trap for him and his indestructible car. I hate the way they arrived at the information though, I'd have much preferred to see Bing suffer for his sins, and the whole interaction is just so laughably implausible. I will say this however, there was a rather BEAUTIFUL line in this scene that Bing couldn't begin to deserve, but I LOVED it all the same. "I miss the person I thought you were." My god, that's powerful.

"Chris McQueen," is a STELLAR episode, full of beautiful lines like this, including my FAVOURITE thing that Maggie has EVER said to Vic, which perfectly exemplifies their eccentric friendship!!! "I'd shank a thousand assholes for your mopey ass!!!" YES!!! I LOVE THAT SO MUCH!!! I will say though, that I was SHOCKED at how cool Vic was with Maggie's scary new trick of hurting herself to use her powers, sans seizures. I thought she was going to kick her butt for that!!! I'm really worried, Guys, this is a dangerous addiction, that's going to be the hardest one yet for Mags to quit!!! The break-up with Tabitha was bittersweet, but it did not come as a shock to me. They'd been drifting apart for awhile now, and I feel like Maggie was so scared of losing her, that she was afraid to be herself. "I want to live in the real world all the time." For me, that was the nail in the coffin, having only heard it about a thousand times myself. Maggie will always be living in two worlds, and whoever she's with MUST accept that. They love each other, yes, but they just want different things. I do respect Tabitha so much for not demanding that Maggie give up her tiles, threatening to leave her if she didn't. She'd rather let Maggie go be herself, be happy, than try to stifle her, shove her into that hateful, constricting little box called normal.

Vic continues to be petty, and spiteful towards her father, treating him WAY too harshly, punishing him, when he's done nothing but fight for her, a literal action HERO, avenging Wayne, and kicking ASS!!! It hurt my soul, and I could see the pain in his eyes, thinking he'd failed her, apologizing again, just wanting her forgiveness. The second scene at the McQueen house is a far less fuzzy one, as she forbids her father to come with her, placing all the blame of every bad thing that's happened thus far on his shoulders, and she cuts him with razor edged words, saying the worst thing that she could have possibly said in that moment, something truly unforgivable, that I already know she will spend the rest of her life, regretting.

"I lived eight years of my life without you, Dad, and I can just as easily do it again." She sneers, and even Linda stares, aghast. "Vicki, no, you don't mean that!!!"

I felt the pangs in my heart, stunned that she could be that vicious to her own father, after all he's done for her, getting sober, changing his whole life, hell, getting HER sober!!! Linda is again so adorable, insisting she take Chris with her, like "Vicki let your father play on your magical bridge, if he wants!!!" not wanting him to feel left out, and while I want more father/daughter explosive awesomeness, I'm conflicted whether or not he should go. If he stays here...... he's safe. Eventually Linda's persuasion wins out. "Don't let your anger towards your father, keep you from getting back Wayne." With a frustrated sigh, Vic shoves a black helmet in Chris' hands, and we're off to the races again. "Bring them home," Linda whispers sweetly, embracing him tight, and as they hug, I get the most sinking feeling that it's for the last time. Dont...... Don't kill, Chris Mcqueen.

Vic and Chris work in silence, once they get to the charred foundation of Sleigh House in Colorado, burying the handmade bombs, and finally Chris can't take it anymore. "Is this how you want it, Brat?" He asks her, heartbroken, and Ashleigh's acting is PHENOMENAL, as she breaks down and reveals the truth behind her unprovoked animosity.

"It's easier to be mad at you, than to blame myself."

"None of this is your fault. Charlie Manx is not your fault."

"I want to forgive you, because if I don't, how can Wayne ever forgive me. But I can't just let myself off the hook!!!"

It's not entirely a make-up, but it's an important conversation, something she's been wrestling with for a long time. Chris is again AMAZING, consoling her, easing her guilt, even while she's the one that's been impossible. Again Vic, I love you, but your father did the absolute RIGHT thing, and he's the only one that did right by Bing, as far as I'm concerned.

Maggie and Lou join the dynamite father/daughter duo in Colorado, and I LOVED all of their scenes together, the two people in this world that Vic McQueen loves most, and there's something magical about it, something iconic, seeing all three of them together, the Creative Dream Team, united in their crusade against Charlie Manx.

"Every one of these ornaments represents a kid in Christmasland, lost forever. Do you think there's a way to get them back? The other kids?"

WHEN SOULS FALL.

Maggie stares down, perplexed at the tiles, as she arranges them, revealing to the oracle this cryptic, mysticism, and I myself, could NOT breathe. Holy SMASH. Ever since the end of, "Gunbarrel," where Vic wanders through the trees outside Sleigh House, frowning at them, the hundreds of glittering ornaments, swaying in the wind, glowing as she drew near, I just knew...... I KNEW the souls of the Lost Children, were trapped inside each and every one of them, and this suspicion was ever further confirmed, when she found Bradley's canoe ornament, broken open on the ground, after he burnt up in the Wraith. My prediction? To turn the kids back, they have to smash every single one of these ornaments, and only then can the escaped souls return to their vampire shells, and make them human again. The minute a child hangs an ornament, the transformation is complete.

I also LOVED the transcendent scene between Vic and Millie, a scared little girl, in over her head, calling, pleading through the static, and I couldn't help but MARVEL at how much has changed between them. Last Season Millie Manx was very much her father's daughter, cruelly taunting Vic, on her father's behalf, even appearing to her while she was awake, stabbing her with an invisible sword. Now, she calls out to her to be her saviour, her father's greatest enemy, the iron wrought armour of her inherited hatred falling away, and Vic sees her as she always was, not a hollowed out demon spawn, but just a frightened little girl that needs to be set free. I was also THRILLED that dear little Millie imparted the knowledge that Charlie CANNOT die, else all the children, including his daughter, will die with him. Vic abhors Charlie with a screaming vengeance, but now that she knows his death comes at the cost of every child he's ever taken, she won't kill him, she CAN'T kill him, because then all of this, everything she's fought so hard for, bled for, would be for nothing.

The final act is both the thrilling BEST and the incoherent WORST of the episode, as the chaotic music ominously heralds our man's arrival. Charlie Manx, cutting a dashing, imposing silhouette, dark against the hazy dusk, exits the Wraith, turning every which way, striking in profile, floating smoothly across the front of the car, to let Wayne out. I loved this aesthetic, Charlie moving swiftly through the mist and dying light, rising as the threatened dark, enclosing. It's beautiful, and serves two clever purposes. One, to shroud our debonair dark menace in all the more intrigue and mystery, and the other, to conceal just how bad Wayne's gotten. Charlie clasps his hands around Wayne's shoulders lovingly, the picture of paternal pride, and my heart caught, seeing Wayne in the cast light, his boyish curls, frayed and almost white, his skin covered in white blue veins, every one of his teeth, coming to a sharp point.

"Go on, My Boy, it's time to hang your ornament," Charlie chortles handing Wayne the CUTEST little gray, baby bat ornament, I have ever seen, urging him forward. "Choose any branch you like, just make sure it's a SPECIAL branch," Charlie crows, and my heart melts, so in love with both of them, and the way Charlie dotes on him, knowing that while this began as a revenge plot, Charlie has come to love and favour Wayne, like the son he never had. "Don't dilly dally," He warns adorably, with an eyebrow raise, and even this mild scold is too precious for words.

Charlie waits by the Wraith, already nervous, as little Wayne disappears into the grove of trees. I LOVED the Wraith's ADORABLE warning system, as it flashes danger, the car horn honking, and even more I loved Charlie's distressed reaction to it, hurrying over, brow knit, like a father racing to tend to and protect his frightened child. Can I just have this impossibly PERFECT man, that darling little curly-haired boy, and this pretty, shiny car, PLEASE!?!?

"Smart Car," I whisper to myself, as the Wraith senses Vic's presence, and the waiting bombs beneath the ground. Charlie, alarmed, jumps back into his car, to seek out what's got the Wraith in such a tizzy, racing away, and leaving young Wayne behind. If there was ever a time, to save Wayne, it is NOW!!! NOW, Maggie, grab him NOW!!!! Here's where things start to unravel for me as far as character motivation and realistic ability is concerned. Yes, I get that Wayne's appearance is terrifying for her, that she doesn't know what she's walking into as she approaches him, but there is NO WAY Margaret Leigh, Oracle Extraordinaire, Hourglass SLAYER, would just cower, and watch as Wayne hangs his ornament. Nope, sorry. Wayne isn't even all the way a vampire yet, he's in transition, and the FEARLESS girl that I know and love, would have grabbed him, reassured him, while she wrested the ornament from his hands, and SMASHED it!!! Wayne's soul flies back into his body, crying as he clings to his Aunt Mags, Charlie is thwarted, and everybody lives happily ever after. End Scene.

But no, Maggie, in an uncharacteristic move, waits until Wayne has ALREADY hung his ornament, and then approaches him fearfully. I will admit I was a little nervous too..... Wayne, Darling, NO BITING Aunt Maggie!!! Wayne bares his vampire teeth, and raises his vampire claws in an adorable scare, with the cutest little growl ever, laughing cheerfully as he chases Maggie through the trees, clearly thinking it's a game.

Meanwhile, Charlie bristles as he sees the glowing headlights of Vic's motorcycle up ahead, piercing through the descended dark. His annoyance is obvious, but you can almost sense his secret excitement, at having one last chance to kill her.

"Gunning for Mother of the Year?" Charlie scoffs, amused, looking hot as hell behind the Wraith, clenching the steering wheel, his head down, eyes narrowed and full of smouldering, black intent. It's a FANTASTIC face-off, as the Wraith screams down into the open field, Chris pressing HARD on the detonator, and the first bomb goes off in a spray of dirt and billowing smoke. Again here's where I found myself more than a little bit incredulous, wondering WHAT THE HELL IS THE WRAITH MADE OF!?!? I even giggled to myself, remembering what Chris had said. "I don't care if he's in a GOD DAMNED tank!!!" The Wraith remains unscathed, the gleaming black paint, not so much as scratched, as a second bomb, and then a third go off beneath it, to no detriment. Really!? The Wraith is NOT a tank, it's not even armoured, and while yes, it's a supernatural entity, it CANNOT DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS!!! Baby, I'm sorry, I'm so don't want to see you harmed, but you put a blast beneath that undercarriage, it is going to send that car FLYING, flipping it over at the very least!!!

Back in the grove of trees, Wayne, still chasing Maggie, stops cold when Lou calls out to him.

"Dad..... is that you?" THANK GOD, I cry out tearfully, as Wayne recognizes him, and in a very human moment, runs and hugs his father so tight, snuggling his little head to his shoulder, Lou sighing relieved, as he holds his son at last. Happy tears become angry ones, however, and at first I was LIVID with Wayne, horrified as he sinks his tiny little fangs into Lou's shoulder, biting him hard. DON'T BITE YOUR FATHER!!!!! Why, Wayne, WHY!? But the second time I watched this episode, I noticed something soooo very important. Wayne doesn't show any signs of hostility, poses NO threat, UNTIL the first bomb goes off. This is NO coincidence. Charlie, you're too clever for your own good!!! I suspect, that once the transformation is complete, and the kids are connected to Father Christmas, they can sense when he's in danger, and their innate attack instinct takes over!!! Freaking brilliant, and yet also terrifying!!!

Vic curses under her breath, her foot slamming on the gas, helplessly, as the Triumph won't start, her knife failing her, as the Wraith, screams at her like a shot bullet, promising vengeance, and Charlie smirks, sadistic, knowing he's about to end this....... "Say Goodnight, Vic McQueen."

My heart clenches in my chest, barely breathing, the tears flooding my vision, watching through blurry eyes, knowing what he's going to do, before he even does it. Chris McQueen hurtles himself in front of Vic, selflessly sacrificing his life for hers, and the Wraith runs him over, crushing the back of his legs. as he collides with it. I screamed, I sobbed, and shook violently, stunned because my prayers had been answered....... Chris McQueen, has miraculously SURVIVED. He's alive...... he's alive...... I whisper, reassuring myself. While he's far from okay, surely suffering two crushed legs, unable to move, I'm just so happy to see him still breathing, still fighting.

"Perfect timing, Wayne," Charlie snickers, Vic screaming, "NO!" as Wayne hops back into the car. This is it, this is the moment, where it all goes so wrong. Charlie's holding all the cards, he's got Wayne in the car, he's subdued Vic and her father, neither of them can so much as move, and he listens, drinking in their anguished cries. All he had to do was drive away....... It was over. It was SUPPOSED to be over.

"Chris McQueen, a disappointment of a man, just like your father," Charles snarls, and I AM BEGGING him to stop, bawling, pleading frantic, my terrified voice shrill. "BABY NO!!!! BABY STOP!!! DON'T KILL CHRIS, PLEASE GOD, CHARLIE!!!!!" Tapping into a darkness, donning a heartlessness, unbecoming of our gentleman villain, Charlie looks Vic in the eye, as he does it, snapping Chris' neck with lethal force, killing him purely out of spite. The episode ends with her broken, mournful sob, and Chris' slain gaze, his eyes still full of tears, staring blankly at the camera.

My pain is deafening, my sorrow beyond all hope of any coherent expression as NOS4A2 suffers its greatest loss to date. It's an empty gesture, a callous act, uncharacteristic of the man that I love with all my heart, but who has hurt me something profound with this senseless murder. In what kind of CRUEL world, does an innocent man, who sacrifices himself for his daughter, who fought for eight years to be the kind of father she deserved, have to die, while an indecent evil like Bing Partridge gets to live!? Charlie, HOW could you!? This...... There's no honour in this. Charlie kills only as a last resort, and only in defense, he has a strict moral code, and is vehemently against violence without cause. This was unfeeling, unnecessary, and soulless. Yes, he knew Chris was a bad father from before, but surely in witnessing the valiant manner in which he'd flung himself in front of the car, with no thought for his own life, Charlie would have found him redeemed, he would have seen a father who'd do anything to protect his daughter, not so different from himself, and he would have felt SOMETHING!!!

Goodnight, Chris McQueen. You fought the good fight, you changed and made things right, and now at last you can find peace....... My heart is so heavy, I can't hold it, and crying here, I want him to know how wrong he was, thinking nobody would mourn him when he died. A thousand cry out, stricken with grief. Husband, Father, White Knight Redeemed, here lies Chris McQueen, a HERO who didn't die for nothing.........

#nos4a2 #nos4a2 review #chris mcqueen #vic mcqueen #linda mcqueen #wayne mcqueen #charlie manx #maggie leigh #bing partridge

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shiro-0197 · 4 years ago

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Oh I see 😭😭 but that's so cool, you'll be a graduate by then!! Do you have a graduation party, or something like that? For when you graduate? Yes istg they have no chill whatsoever 😬 but I can't wait to go back and see my friends :) just the exam part that bothers me ugh.

you're right! And honestly, as long as you're enjoying yourself, it's worth every second. I wish you all the best, love.

you're right tho hhhh everyone is different 😣😣 what works for one may not work for another, but I think if you're earnest about it, no one is going to think you're a bad teacher. That'd be great. Tips on how to deal with people, and teach, right? If only there were classes on that xD

you're cuter than koalas tho💖💖💖🐨 and oh yes. I've taken to finding it on Twitter but it hasn't popped up. I hope it does.

Headbutt? He's so flustered ekdhwkkssk 😭😭😭💖 cute.

Omigosh yesss that's another thing you like. I can't believe I didn't write that alongside cheese haha >.< but ugh instant ramen is just wonderful. It's so spicy, but so wonderful!!

awww understandable. I low-key feel like skipping school on the days when I don't eat. But gotta go nonetheless. Or Angel might kill me. 😭😭 If I don't come without telling her, she calls me at 6.50 in the morning to find out why. Gotta love friends like that skhdksks 😭😭 but yeah!! I googled it yesterday and that came up somewhere on Google? Wait a sec, let me copy paste it: It consists of meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot which is flipped upside down when served, hence the name maqluba, which translates literally as "upside-down."

yasss nice :D pls do!! And oh skjdskjsk 😭😭 I wish we had some in common but I'm literally in none of those fandoms grrrr I've always been so bad at video games +_+ my old fandoms were mostly books (like the whole Percy Jackson series, and everything the author had written), Harry Potter, the mortal instruments, etc. Hamilton (the musical), and of course, Voltron, She-Ra, and Avatar (the last airbender. Not the blue people xD). I wish you luck if you do plan on catching up with them!! That's what I'm doing now, so I'm taking a break from anime >.< And don't worry! I'm sure you'll be able to relive your childhood and buy those video games soon. It might be fun to play them, when you couldn't as a kid.

Aww that sounds lovely I hope you had fun!! What'd you have??

yes it was well deserved. I didn't get much done today but I'm well rested for tomorrow. (Finished the latest season of money heist too. It's so good ughhhh) have you been sleeping okay tho?

The meeting went okay. I met with the other tutors and we decided on dates and times for us to hold our sessions. Mine's on the 14th, in the afternoon, after lunch, and I'll have 1 and a half hours to teach however I wish. I'm racking my brains for a lesson plan now, because I've never tutored people my age xD so I hope it'll be alright. that sounds so cool! Anything with anonymity in it is fun, in my opinion. I hope your classmates come up with some real cool stuff :D

and ah, Cookie you have my heart 😭I love you too.

— 😺💖

Yeah we do!! Though this year will probably be a class only party, if we even get to have a party XD yeah, my friends are really the best thing to get out of school. I wouldnt have any otherwise😭

Yeah!!! I'd really just rather die if I went to work as a cashier, or a waiter... not because the jobs are bad but because I have to speak? Say something? AND memorize the prices ????? No thanks. I'd get fired after the first hour😭 hmm, what about you?? What's your hell-no job?

Yeah!!! Literally the most important thing. To be honest, when I explain something, I sound like Hinata. "You know, it goes like this and that, and them whewww and woah and yeahhh you know?"

Yeah, it hurt like a bitch but seeing his red-ass face was the best reward I've ever gotten XD he stuttered!!!! Once, but he did, and that's worth more than a thousand compliments I think

Heheheh, how could you not remember?💔 Slkwkfkskx just kidding xD I can also add something else, for example soup dumplings. I love them so much you know?? Very much

It's nice to have friends like that ngl😭😭 sadly I'm that friend xD others are soooo irresponsible its embarrassing

Ohhh I see!! Makes sense, haha~ thanks!! I really need to start doing proper research.

That's so cool, to be honest. I've never been much of a bookworm... probably because we never could afford books so I was never really interested... so embarrassing😭💔 I actually really want to catch up on all those because I've seen them everywhere, so yeah, hopefully, I will😩

I did!!! I had a cheese sandwich (not surprising), and a strawberry milkshake. It was nice^^

Yeah, I've been sleeping alright! A little more than usual, which made me kinda more dehydrated, so I gotta drink more water~

Ohhh, good luck!! That's so cool tbh, I hope it goes well!! I'm sure itll go well, you can do it<33 I hope so as well, no one has done anything yet so yeah xDDD

I hope your day is going great!!! I really love youu🤍🤍🤍

Edit: I forgot about this wjjdkwkdk

I did it😼

THIS IS THE WORST THING IVE EVER CREATED THIS IS SO CRINGEY AJDJJWJRJ!!!!

#Ari💕

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tentendeservedbetter · 5 years ago

Text

double the trouble

Summary: Two-Shot // What was supposed to be short trip to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to get his girlfriend something to remind her of home ends with Shikamaru agreeing to go on a double date with Ino and Sai to help his friend have a successful relationship.

And Temari, not seeing the big deal of double dates, agrees.

Pairing: ShikaTema, InoSai

Also read here: AO3

***

"C'mon Shikamaru! Don't you want to help me?"

"Not really," the man admitted with a low groan, balancing his chin on top of his hand, glancing away from his blonde friend that stood directly across from him over the counter.

"Ughhhh!" The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. Her piercing blue eyes quickly shifted towards their third companion that stood beside him, and her pout deepened, and she pleaded, "How about you Choji? Why don't you come with us?"

"And risk being the fifth wheel?" Choji scoffed, taking another potato chip from the bowl that stood between the three on the counter. "No thanks."

"You can bring someone else!" She replied, a sly smirk growing on her face. "What about that Karui girl, hm? I thought you were already making the moves on her-"

"N-no way, Ino!" Choji nearly choked out, with his mouth being full, and took a moment to properly swallow the food in his mouth. Shikamaru smirked slightly as red started spreading on his friend's ear, threatening to leak to his face. "We haven't been on a proper date yet, there's no way I'd take her to have a date with you two!"

"What?!" Ino exclaimed, her eyebrows pulling into a frown. "You've known her for years dude! How long is it going to take for you to ask her out!"

"Leave him alone, Ino," Shikamaru interjected, slipping his hand to the bowl. "Unlike you, Choji likes to take his time when it comes to relationships."

"Please, I don't want him to be like you and have a decade long slow burn," Ino retorted, waving her hand to dismiss him. "I'm surprised you and Temari never dated sooner, you two were always together before the war. I should have swept her up from you when I had the chance."

"That was because-" Shikamaru started, ready to ignore whatever nonsense she might say next, but Ino beat him to it.

"I had to escort her through the village," Ino mocked, deepening her voice to mimic his, and Choji grinned, holding back his laughter. "And we ran the Chunin Exams. It was such a drag."

"Fuck off," Shikamaru grumbled, cringing internally at how familiar those words sounded. "And you better be nicer to me if you want me to do this favour."

What a drag, he thought mindlessly as Ino stuck her tongue out childishly, attempting to coax a reaction out of him. What was supposed to be a quick professional trip to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to pick up a gift quickly dissolved into a hangout with his close friends and old teammates. Ino was manning the store, idly arranging a flower basket for a client at the front counter, while Choji had been passing by from the convenience store and decided to say hi to them.

It hasn’t been that long since they last hung out with one another- but as they grew older and older, it became more and more seldom, to the point that when they do manage to be in the same vicinity, they spent hours and hours discussing nonsense. Ino would often times bring up the past a lot more, especially in comparison to how they live now, and as of late, the conversations have been turning to relationship therapy - particularly for Ino, who had finally asked Sai out on a date and has been restless about the relationship since.

If this were the old Shikamaru, he wouldn’t have given her the time of day, blaming her dilemmas on her being, well, a stereotypical annoying girl- but time has worn out his mind where he was much more understanding, and now, he found himself seeking out Ino’s company and thoughts, finding that out of all of his friends, she was the one who changed the least. War and death haven’t deterred her from being honest and kind; and the optimism she and Choji held were good for his cynical heart.

Currently, Ino talking about her love affairs was no different from the last. Except this time, Ino was begging them for a favour she never asked of them before.

"Why do you even want to do a double date with us anyways?" Choji perused between bites. “Can’t you ask Hinata or someone?”

"Can't I have a double- or triple- date with my two best boy friends?" Ino asked, flashing that sweet little smile when she was trying to sway someone her way. Shikamaru and Choji, who were completely immune to the girl’s charms, simply glanced at each with an eyebrow raised, always suspicious of her intentions.

She let out a low, withdrawn sigh at their silent exchange.

"Alright, alright," Ino mumbled, leaning on her arms slightly, the tips of her lips slightly turned upside down. “I feel like I haven’t really been connecting with Sai.”

He stared at her, expecting her to continue, but she just started fidgeting with a single potato chip between her fingertips. “What does that mean?”

“Like,” she slurred, glancing around slightly, as if conflicted on what to say. Her eyes flitted around the room, no other customers in sight, and she turned towards the door leading into the rest of her home, listening for a second. Once she was satisfied with the drone of the soap opera that played on the TV deeper in the living room, a sign her mother was far enough to not eavesdrop, she lean closer over the counter towards them.

Oh boy, Shikamaru groaned, knowing that she must have done something to warrant this type of secrecy.

“Well, we’re not technically boyfriend-girlfriend, right,” Ino started, her voice low, glancing between the men.

“Yeah…”

“Like, we’ve been on a few dates here and there, but it’s just casual, nothing serious-”

“Yeah, we get it,” Shikamaru cut through, not wanting her to ramble on. “What’s your point?”

“It still feels like we’re not connecting emotionally or on the same level,” Ino huffed, annoyed at her friend’s lack of indulging in details. Temari is exactly like that- no wonder the two get along so well. They were on the same spectrum but on opposite sides. “Like, Sai is very nice to be around and he’s really nice to me and he’s interesting and I love I can say anything I want when I’m around him. But it just feels like something is off? Like, I feel comfortable, but it feels like there’s a wall between us whenever we talk?”

“Well, it hasn’t even been that long since you two started going out,” Shikamaru replied, shaking his head. “It sounds pretty normal for a new relationship.”

“Besides, Sai isn’t really an open guy, remember?” Choji added a bit more softly than their friend, almost sage-like. “It took him a long time to even get around hanging out with us without feeling the need to keep his guard up; he just might need time warming up to dating you. You’re kind of a handful for guys like him.”

Shikamaru smiled at the little jab, and Ino shook her head intensely, while saying, “Well, I didn’t want to wait around! So a few days ago, we had sex so I could figure out whether we had that emotional connection-”

“Wait, you guys did what!” Choji exclaimed, and Ino quickly shushed him.

“Not so loud dumbass,” Ino hissed, glancing towards the doorway to her home. “And it’s not like I haven’t done it before- it’s not a big deal.”

“I don’t think that’s the issue,” Shikamaru replied, starting to feel his pant pockets for a lighter. After what Ino is going to indulge them with, he’s going to need a smoke, he could feel it. “I’m surprised you guys didn’t do it on the first date.”

“We could’ve, but waiting makes it better,” Ino replied with a smirk. “How’s it like being a fucking maiden, huh Shikamaru?”

“But if you feel like you weren’t connecting with the guy before, why’d you sleep with him?” Choji finally asked. “Wouldn’t it be better if you had gotten to know him a bit more. Like...wouldn’t it be better?”

He started to gesture with his hands, a sort of weird back and forth movement to emphasise the better part, and Shikamaru just put his hand on his forehead, massaging one side with his thumb.

Oh yeah. He definitely needs a smoke after this.

“Oh please, you could sleep with a stranger and have a good time,” Ino shook her head, dismissing his insinuation. “And I technically connected with him...well, I would say we connected really well-”

“I don’t want to know how sleeping with Sai is like,” Shikamaru interrupted, gritting his teeth. He already has to see Sai naked one too many times at the onsen, he doesn’t need to know what he does with his dick whenever he’s trying to relax in the same vicinity as the man.

“I’m pretty sure he’s better than you,” Ino snapped, annoyed with the commentary. “At least I know he’s better kisser than you. Temari told me all about your first kiss and how you-”

“Ino, just keep going,” Choji sighed, physically placing an arm between them so as to stop the beginning of endless bickering.

Curse Ino and her sharp nose. No wonder she was Konoha’s go-to shinobi for gathering intelligence; her personality is well suited for the field-work. Not even Temari, who had trained under Suna’s harsh disciplinary training, who would be ready to bite her tongue off before she gave away any secrets, could escape the copious amounts of drinks Ino would bring to one of the many nights out with the girls.

“Alright, jeez,” Ino sighed. “I slept with him to figure out if there was any other chemistry between us. And I feel like there is some sort of emotional chemistry, but it’s hard to tell when you can’t even talk without it feeling fake."

"Okay, you have problems connecting to the guy," Shikamaru replied. "But what does that have to do with us going on a date with you two?"

"Well, Sai tends to be more...open in a more...friendly group setting," Ino said slowly, thinking of the words to explain her thought. "And I feel like he'd feel more comfortable being in more of a group setting with me for a bit, you know. On missions and stuff, it's easier to get to know him because he's with other people he knows. So maybe we can do the same, but in a more romantic dinner setting?"

"You don't even sound like you believe what you're saying right now," Shikamaru duly noted, while Ino groaned, planting her face into his arms.

"Where were you even thinking about going?" Choji asked, curious now, the talk of dinner piqued his interest.

"I don't know, maybe Korean Barbecue or something?" Ino mumbled, face in her arms still, now embarrassed having to explain why she wanted a double date.

"If you're paying, then I'll definitely come!" Choji immediately exclaimed happily, but Ino shook her head.

"Nah, it's okay, it's a stupid idea anyway," Ino sighed, finally lifting her head up, a dead look on her face. Ino continued, solemnly, "By the way, Shikamaru, what were you looking for again?"

Ino rarely behaved this way over a person, much less thought about ways to get to know them with the help of her friends. She really didn't care for a second opinion- and rarely did she need it. She was a people's person after all; she knew how to make someone trust in her within a few minutes of meeting them, getting more details than even she bargained for. To see her lament like this made Shikamaru uncomfortable.

And that's the last thing he wants to be right now.

He was having a nice day, and for it to end with Ino being a puddle of despair was not on his "not troublesome day" list.

"Fine," Shikamaru finally sighed, holding the lighter in his pocket firmly. "I'll do it. When do you want to go out?"

"Really!" Ino immediately had colour on her face, a smile gracing her lips, and her blue eyes twinkled with delight. Another feeling settled in his stomach, an uneasy one, and now Shikamaru partly regretted agreeing to Ino's intent. "How about we do it this Friday? Temari should still be in town by then, right?"

"Yeah, she's leaving on Saturday," Shikamaru replied, rubbing the back of his neck. She was still an ambassador to Konoha from Suna, thought now she stays around much longer than before. Still, the idea of their last night before she leaves for home is going to be spent with Ino and Sai is…

Such a drag…

"You wanna come too Choji?" Ino asked, with a little thumbs up. "I'll pay for your dishes if you want!"

"I can't, Kakashi got me booked for a mission that weekend," Choji groaned, the missed opportunity of having free barbecue in his stomach making him pout.

"Don't worry, we'll go on another one when you come back!" She said, her mood much lively than before. "Just the three of us!"

"Ino, you're a godsend!" Choji said, humouring her, and Shikamaru just shook his head, feeling a slight delight from their energy.

"Ino! It's past 9, why haven't you closed up shop!"

The high voice of her mother called from the door, and Mrs. Yamanka opened the door, peering through. Having only Ino living in the house must have added a few grey hairs in her brown tresses; they were more evident when her hair was pulled back as it was now.

The moment she saw her daughter's friends, her frown immediately turned into a smile, "Oh! Hello boys!"

"Hello," the men replied in unison, and Shikamaru could feel his back straightening itself.

"Mom! Calm down!" Ino grumbled, crossing her arms. She started to make her way out of the counter towards the front door. "I'm just helping Shikamaru get some stuff!"

"Really? What is Yoshino looking for this time?" Her mother asked kindly, leaning into the doorframe with a gentle hand.

"It's not for her," Shikamaru replied, slightly abashed, all eyes on him peering for his reason making him uncomfortable. He caught what he said, and quickly fumbled out, "I'm just looking for some plants for myself."

"Uh huh," Ino rolled her eyes, a sly smirk on her face. She looked at her mother, and quickly dismissed her, "We'll be fine! You can go back inside now!"

"Sometimes I wish you didn't have such a mouth," her mother replied with a sigh, as she retreated back, unbothered by her daughter's request.

Once she was out of sight, Ino continued, "So what type of flowers does Temari like? Did you guys get into a fight and you want to make up? Maybe something to get you laid?"

"You're so--" Shikamaru scoffed, pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, not wanting to give Ino the satisfaction of annoying him. "I'm just looking for any plants from Suna, that's all."

"That's the worst place for plants; you do know that right? It's in the middle of the desert?"

"I'm aware of that," he replied sarcastically, glancing away. He didn't want to admit it, but he continued, trying to repress his cheeks from blushing, "Temari's always saying she misses the desert every time she's working here, so I thought maybe I should get her something to remind her of home."

"Well aren't you a soft guy, Shikamaru," Ino squealed happily, both hands on her cheeks as she made kissy faces to the man.

"Temari really softened you up, huh," Choji cooed as well, joining Ino in mocking him, a grin on his face.

"Just show me what I can get so I can leave already," he grumbled, while Ino walked towards the other side of the shop, where there were more plants than flowers.

"The only thing I could think about are cacti," Ino replied as the two followed her, looking at the small array of plants that sat on rows of shelves along the wall. She gestured to the small cacti that were lined in columns, all in various shapes and sizes. "How about it?"

"Doesn't Gaara grow them?" Choji asked, and Shikamaru nodded along.

"Yeah, and they're way bigger. I don't think she'd want one this small," Shikamaru replied, glancing between them. "Maybe something that's bigger and less...spikey?"

"Then what about some succulents?" Ino nodded, gesturing beside the cactus to various sized plants, with thicker looking leaves that it almost looked plastic, a few smooth and a few with subtle spikes.

"Aren't these cactuses?" Shikamaru asked, pointing out the spikier ones and Ino scoffed.

"Cacti," she corrected him. "And no; cacti have areoles where the spikes come from. Succulents do not."

"Plants have boobs?" Choji asked and Shikamaru had to stifle a laugh.

"I can make a succulent bowl with a few of these," she ignored her friend's comment, unfazed. "They're expensive because we import them, but I'll give you the "Friends of Ino" discount."

"Can you add it with the "Old Teammates" discount?" Shikamaru pressed with a quirked smile, and Ino rolled her eyes.

"I guess since you are doing me that favour," she said, as they continued on to choosing a few of the succulents for Ino to arrange.

After they found an appropriate few Ino planted them in a bowl, Shikamaru and Choji having to get their hands a bit dirty to tease out the dirt from the roots and replant them in the dirt, before placing it gently in a cute white paper bag with the Yamanaka Flower Shop logo on it.

"Now, the good thing is that these things are low maintenance," Ino explained as she rang up the price. Shikamaru took his wallet out, not wanting to argue over the price. "So when Temari's not in Konoha, you don't really need to watch them. They just need to be in a sunny place, but if they look orangey, make sure you keep them out of the sun. They don't need that much water, but do it at least once a week, and make sure the soil is actually moist."

"Uh huh," Shikamaru said mindlessly for the tenth time during her explanation.

"So what time are you two free," Ino continued, as she quickly typed on the register.

"Let's try for 8," Shikamaru replied, and Ino nodded along.

"Text me on my cell to confirm, alright?" Ino said, and handed him his change.

With that, Ino walked them out of the store and bit them a goodnight, with Choji walking with Shikamaru towards Temari's apartment, it being en route to their way home. The two men eventually separated, and Shikamaru carefully made his way to see his girl, clutching onto the paper bag with shaky hands.

***

He's rubbing off on me, she thought as she laid on her bed, glancing over to the unfinished paperwork that laid sprawled on her desk.

Always the timely one, Temari was better at keeping up with deadlines compared to their siblings (but not amazingly better), but lately, she's been a bit of a bum whenever she was in Konoha. Times have changed; the stuff she has to look over and monitor aren't as high risk as before. Now it was just about maintaining peace.

It could be, though, that Shikamaru's procrastination has been seeping into her work habits. Looking at documents and organizing data all the time for the Shinobi Alliance is as boring as what managing data is supposed to be like. And besides, this trip is technically a half vacation for her…

I want to say that it's a drag, but then that would confirm I'm spending too much time with the guy, she thought as she rolled off of the bed, and stumbled towards the desk. She wasn't expecting anyone, there wasn't anything interesting to watch on the TV, and she already cooked and ate dinner. She could always call Shikamaru over, but she didn't want to call him at this time and give him any ideas.

I'm way too tired to do anything, she continued, stretching her arms out as she took a glance over the paperwork. After glancing over the letters indignitely, Temari picked up all the documents and pens and started to make her way towards the bedroom door, towards the living space.

She'd much rather watch the latest Konoha soap than read. Maybe it was Yoshino who was rubbing off on her.

It might do her some good to have some background noise while she did her work- there was something about the silence of her apartment that was driving her insane. She often felt like this since she started to live in Konoha regularly; there was no point for an ambassador of Suna to live in a hotel room if she spent more than a month in the village. It saved money, and besides, it felt like a second home to her anyways.

Still, sometimes whenever she woke up in the morning in Konoha, she missed the bleary sunlight of the desert sun rather than the subdued ones of Konoha that was always covered in clouds at this time of year and the sounds of the shifting sand made by the wind.

As Temari settled down on the floor in front of the couch, all her items neatly arranged on the coffee table, she turned on the television, leaving it on the first channel that played something she could tolerate, and decreased the volume with the remote until it was more like a buzz.

As she tried to concentrate on her work, however, she unintentionally started to glance more and more at what was happening on the screen- until she completely abandoned the documents and started to stare at the show playing on the screen, completely absorbed.

"Todoho! But I thought you died!" The young woman on the screen cried as streams of tears stained her face, her face looking too perfect for its own good.

"Of course not, my love," the young man replied valiantly as he embraced the woman in her arms. "While you're still alive, I'll always be there for you!"

"What the fuck?" Temari mumbled to herself at the dialogue as the couple kissed, the kiss being filmed from multiple angles and slowing down, a song playing in the background as they showed the kiss in multiple ways. "Why'd she take him back? He had multiple affairs and didn't even tell her about them until he got caught."

"I didn't know you were a fan of this show," a raspy voice said suddenly with a squeak of the door, and Temari quickly got on her feet to look at the front door, immediately, a hand on her kunai that she secretly stashed along her waist sash at all times.

She let herself breathe, the tension leaving her body to be more springy when she realised who it was, and started to spin the kunai lightly with a finger.

"Can't you knock?" Temari asked as she walked up to the man as he was taking off his sandals. She caught a strong scent coming from him, and she immediately stopped in her tracks. "Did you try to cover up the cigarette with cologne? Because you failed."

"Damn, you caught me," Shikamaru replied half-heartedly, holding a white bag with one hand as he walked in, glancing over to the television with furrowed eyebrows. "Did my mom introduce you to 'Love Struck'?"

"That's the name of the show?" Temari almost gagged at the title. "It's the most annoying thing in the world."

"Hey, it has a big following," he replied with a crooked smile- his cute crooked smile. "And it's great if you want to lose brain cells."

"Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Temari replied.

She had recently given Shikamaru a key to the apartment, finding it annoying to have him knock on the door during odd hours of the day to see her or needing to deliver some things his mom made for her when Temari was out on a meeting. He's been really pushing the extent of the key, finding that he had made himself too much at home and showing up unannounced a lot more often than he had even before they were dating.

"Can't you let me know when you're coming over next time?" Temari asked, allowing him to enter. Thought, she truly didn't mind, she quite enjoyed having him over most of the time, she still needed to keep him on his toes. They've only been together like this for half a year. "You're not my fiancé to just drop in like this."

"You're the one who gave me the key in the first place," Shikamaru shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is this really how you greet your boyfriend after not seeing him in a few days?"

"Should I make you tea and massage your back while I'm at it?" Temari asked with a grin, mocking him as she saw the tips of his ears turn red, the latter comment on his mind.

She walked towards the kitchen to boil a pot of water. He wasn't going to leave anytime soon, she knew for sure. "Did you eat yet?"

"Yeah; I was at Ino's place with Choji," Shikamaru managed to reply over the open counter across from Temari, placing the white bag on the side. He found his voice, and continued evenly, "Had something to eat while I was there."

"Is that why you have flowers for me?" She asked with a smile, not bothering to look up.

She could see Shikamaru shuffle slightly at being caught, a slight fluster look on his face, as he asked, "How d'you know?"

"The logo," she said, pointing at the Yamanaka's logo on the front of the bag. She noticed it the moment she saw it in his hands, with it's bubbly letters and pink font, and a cute little boar mascot drawn on. "What's the special occasion?"

"Do I need a special reason to get you something?" Shikamaru asked, as he slid the bag between them. "I thought you like these kind of things."

"I don't mind them, but I don't think I've ever told you what my favourite flower is," Temari said. It wasn't the first thing that would come up in conversation, and it was not like she expected to receive anything like it. Flowers were frivolous things for the sand kunoichi- but get a few poison plants, then Temari could list a few she would need.

"Is it cacti?" He guessed and Temari shook her head, a small grin on her face.

"Did you just say that because I'm from the desert? They're not even a type of flower," Temari replied as she let the tea leaves steep in the pot of water.

"Roses?" Shikamaru continued with a smirk, seeing it as a sort of guessing game, intently looking at Temari for anything that would give him the answer.

"No," Temari said, holding the gaze, not giving him anything as she slowly blinked.

"Violets? Daffodils? Narcissus'?"

"You sure know a lot of flowers for a guy who doesn't care about these things."

"I'm friends with Ino," Shikamaru scoffed, unflattered. "She's always telling us everything about plants and flowers like we care about it."

"It's not a bad thing," Temari hummed. "At least you know something about romance. Did you learn to be this romantic from Love Struck?"

"Very funny," Shikamaru replied, leaning his head on a prompt up hand, tilting his head slightly. "Are your favourite flowers expensive?"

"Perhaps, but you wouldn't be able to get them for me anyways," Temari replied, pouring the tea into two cups gently. "They're found in specific places. We have a few of them in Suna, actually."

"..." Shikamaru thought about it for a moment, eyes staring at Temari still, and Temari didn't back down, taking a sip from the tea, raising her eyebrows.

"Do they come from the ground?"

"Technically," Temari replied. "But it would be obvious if I tell you."

"Then they live in water," Shikamaru confirmed with a nod, as he raised an eyebrow. "Water lilies?"

Temari took another long sip from the cup, the bitterness a film over her tongue and filled her body with warmth, silence her answer.

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly, as if this were a trivial matter. She explained in a dull tone, not wanting to seem like the sentimental type, "The closest thing we could get to a fresh garden was the greenhouses for medicine. We have a freshwater lily pond there. My mom liked taking me and Kankuro there sometimes."

Shikamaru gave her a soft look, a glint of interest in his eyes, for Temari rarely ever talks about her childhood, those being rare and intimate moments. He didn't press on though, instead raising the cup to his lips, waiting for her to continue.

Something about the way he watched her when she talked made her feel comfortable, as he had often made her feel before, and the words tumble out of her mouth without her realising, "Sometimes she had a vase of water lilies in the living room. Just to add a little freshness in the room."

There was silence, a comfortable silence, that settled between them, neither of them saying anything more than they needed to.

"Well, I don’t think we have space for a pond here," Shikamaru spoke first, gesturing mindlessly around the apartment. "But I did buy you something else that might make this place feel like home."

Temari’s curiosity piqued as she glanced over the bag, and glanced over to Shikamaru, who continued to enjoy his tea and had picked up the daily newspaper that Temari had left on the counter, scanning over the front page. She gingerly took the paper bag, surprised at its weight as she placed a hand underneath, and peered in.

She felt her heart squeeze lightly as she reached in, taking out the bowl gently and observed it. It was a small little terrain of succulents of various sizes, from short and leafy to tall and sharp, with various colours from pale greens to dusky purples, all fitting together into a beautiful mismatched puzzle. Temari felt a small smile grew on her face, the plants being so rare to see and paling compared to Konoha’s luscious forests, but something homely emitted from the plants as she admired them.

From the corner of her eye she could see Shikamaru trying to watch her reaction without looking up from the newspaper, attempting to hide how antsy he was for her response.

Rarely does Shikamaru get nervous; he was always a hundred percent sure of everything he did, rarely thinking twice of his actions, knowing the outcome from a mile away. And although this arrogance is more apparent when he’s planning, when it comes to Temari, he tends to let his guard down and she knew his habits when he was nervous or something bothered him. He would rub his index and thumb together, always his right hand, like he was rolling a cigarette between them. He did it even before he picked up the smoking habit; now it was more obvious because he would usually has one in hand.

“Who gave you this idea?” Temari asked as she turned the bowl in her hand, setting it down. “I know you didn’t come up with this yourself.”

“Can’t you give me some sort of credit?” Shikamaru said, letting out a sigh. “And I can be romantic when I want to be.”

“Right,” Temari smirked. “But plants wouldn’t be the first thing on your mind. Did you choose these out yourself?”

“Does it matter? I got some help,” Shikamaru insisted.

“And did you make this whole arrangement as well?” Temari asked, an eyebrow raised. Shikamaru sucked a side of his cheek in before releasing it, trying not to break face, but Temari’s gaze broke him. “Or did Ino make it.”

“Troublesome...She did,” Shikamaru finally admitted, mumbling slightly. “But I actually did help put them in and everything. And I did decide on which ones I thought you’d like.”

Temari nodded along, content with his words, and she gazed at the bowl a bit longer before placing in on the corner of the kitchen, near the window sill where the sun would peer through and light up the room at high noon. She twisted the bowl a few times, getting it to a corner that would be the most appealing in the room, and she stared at it, not looking at Shikamaru.

“I love it,” she finally whispered, looking over her shoulders to him, and he looked up to meet her eye. She walked out of the kitchen around to the counter where he was still leaning on his arm, keeping the distance between them small, and cautiously, yet gently, placed a hand over his arm. He inhaled sharply, and she could feel his body go rigid at the touch, before relaxing, his eyes locked on her. “Thank you.”

He was expecting something, she knew it, and as she looked up to him, she could see his throat raise up and down, swallowing saliva, the red from his ears starting to creep to his cheeks.

Cute, Temari thought, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He started to lean in, craning his neck, and Temari immediately placed a finger over his lips tenderly, smiling sweetly.

“By the way, text Ino for me and say I said thanks,” Temari said softly, patting his chest with her other hand. Shikamaru stared at her blankly, blinking a few times, digesting what she said, and now he was more lost than anything.

It really is too easy to make him this way. She couldn't help it- it was too cute.

“You could tell her yourself this Friday,” Shikamaru replied half-dazed, without skipping a beat, but stopped on his last word hard, as if suddenly waking up from nap.

"This Friday?" Temari asked, her softer voice dropped as quickly as it came, catching his jaw tightening as he clenched his teeth, and she retracted her hand from it's place on his arm. She placed it on the counter instead, but she didn't move away from him. "What's happening this Friday?"

"What a drag," he mumbled under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ino wants us to go on a double date with her and Sai."

"Who? Us?" Temari repeated, taken aback. Then she started to rack her brain through to remember who this Sai fellow was.

Sai...Sai…right.

Now she remembers who he is. Ino pointed him out one time while they were out in the town, and she had seen him in passing often. She could feel her face break into a frown- Ino was dating that guy?

"I know it's a drag," Shikamaru started with a groan. "But she's practically begged me to do this. She's saying something about how she thinks being with other people would help him open up to her, or something."

"Since when did she need help with people?" Temari asked, slightly bewildered, trying to imagine Ino begging Shikamaru of all people for a favour for something so trivial.

She was more surprised that he agreed to it, if anything. It seemed way out of his way, despite him being much more receptive to people's requests.

"And you agreed without asking me?" Temari continued after Shikamaru shrugged.

"I assumed you wouldn't care," Shikamaru replied nonchalantly.

"That's a bad habit of yours," Temari said. "Assuming things."

"Well, it's not like I really want to do something like a double date," Shikamaru said, an eyebrow raised. "But I'm doing it because she's my friend and I somewhat care. I thought you would feel the same way."

"I do feel that way," Temari explained, frowning slightly as she thought of the words to describe what she felt. "But I don't know if us having a dinner with those two is going to be...the best way for Ino to get what she wants."

"Trust me, I tried telling her, but she thinks it'll be good," Shikamaru replied. His eyes flitted over her face, before asking, "Do you want me to tell her you're busy Friday?"

Temari bit the bottom of her lips gently, thinking for a moment. She was never one for anything of this sort. A date is a date; why double it with friends? If anything it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Particularly with that Sai guy. She has spoken to him a few times, none of which were bad, but according to Shikamaru, was much more civil than he had ever seen from him. He had a knack for being blunt with no filter or shame, his social skills being skewed from being raised as a Root agent from a young age, yet he was so quiet and observant. The idea of the overconfident Ino being with a guy with the social skills of a paintbrush was odd and sounded like a recipe for disaster.

Thought she would have been more on edge if Shikamaru hadn't accepted this proposition, and the fact that he already did means that Shikamaru at least expects it to be alright. And it wasn't as if she had any sort of plans that night, but it would be nice to spend it with Shikamaru.

Though, Ino has always been kind to Temari, giving her advice without hesitation when she was too embarrassed about anything romantic with Shikamaru and needed a second opinion. She definitely owed her this date, in the least.

Besides; how bad could it be?

"No," she said lightly. "I'm fine with it."

"..." Shikamaru stared at her for a bit, waiting for her to continue, but when Temari didn't say anything more. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Temari replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "It may be fun, for all I know."

"I didn't think you were the type to be fine with it," Shikamaru grinned slightly.

"And I didn't think that you were the type to buy a girl plants," she replied just as quickly, gesturing to the succulent bowl. "But you still manage to surprise me."

"Is that a good thing?" He asked, and he suddenly raised a hand to shortly trail up along her free arm to lure her closer, taking Temari by surprise by the sudden initiation. Usually she would be the one to start anything, an unspoken habit between them.

"Why are you asking something so troublesome?" Temari asked with a light hearted chuckle, as she extracted herself from his hand and started to walk backwards, leaving only her fingertips touching his. She glanced over to the television, the ending theme song in the background playing. "You want to watch this trash with me? It's back-to-back episodes."

"And fry my brain?" He asked with faux-excitement, following her as she walked towards the couch, not breaking away from her look. "I would love to."

#shikatema #inosai #saiino #shikamaru nara #temari #shikamaru #ino #sai #my fanfiction #my post

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blanc-to-my-noir · 6 years ago

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50 Questions Tag

I was tagged by @ana-who - thank youuu!!

1. What takes up too much of your time? procrastination kdjflka

2. What makes your day better? There’s a lot of things really - I’d say hearing one of my favourite songs, meeting a cat that let’s me pet it, a course at uni ending early, some good food, etc.

3. What’s the best thing that happened to you today? I went to buy medication for my grandma and she let me keep the change :3

4. What fictional place would you like to go? The school from Little Busters and then I’d give all of them a hug (and possibly flirt a whole lot with Kurugaya skdajflak)

5. Are you good at giving advice? Sometimes

6. Do you have any mental illnesses? Yep, a few of those :’)

7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? Nope

8. What musician inspired you the most? B.A.P (cause I literally wrote a whole fic based on one of their MVs), Pentagon (cause I’m planning a whole fic originally based on one of their MVs), and BTS (because of the messages behind their lyrics

9. Have you ever fallen in love? yes, it’s been a while though (unless you count biases lol)

10. What’s your dream date? I was about to say going to a cat cafe but then the cats would get more of my attention than my date so kalsjdfka

11. What do others notice about you? Three things. That I tend to be silent when I don’t feel like I can open up to you yet. That I’m very loud once I did. My piercings.

12. What is the annoying habit you have? PROCRASTINATION.

13. Do you still talk to your first love? unfortunately not

14. How many exes do you have? 1/2? (don’t ask asldka)

15. How many songs are on your playlist? better question would be: How many playlists do you have? The answer is 51.

16. What instruments can you play? I learned how to play the recorder, guitar and piano for a while but I’m not really good at any of them (not that I ever was aksjdflka)

17. Who do you have the most pictures of? let me check this could be three people and I am praying it’s not the third one klajsdkfa Pentagon’s Yanan... about 890... I shall raise that to 1000 within this year (and that’s just the pics only he is in, so no group pics)

18. Where would you like to go before you die? Korea, and Japan for a second time!

19. What is your zodiac? Libra

20. Do you relate to it? sometimes

21. What is happiness to you? Cats, chocolate, snow.

22. Are you going through anything right now? I am constantly walking through the pits of hell, even though you can’t see it in my eyes :)))

23. What’s the worst decision you’ve ever made? becoming a kpop stan kalsdjflkdajsk HAHAHAH IM KIDDING

24. What’s your favorite store? it’s called Nakwon and sells asian groceries... yes, that’s how much it got out of hand....

25. What’s your opinion on abortion? Not my favourite option for an unwanted pregnancy, but if it’s the best option for the mother (and child) then of course I think it’s totally okay.

26. Do you keep a bucket list? not atm... I should start that again

27. Do you have a favorite album at the moment? too many Reol’s Jijitsujo

28. What do you want for your birthday? a cat... but since I won’t get that anytime soon I will just say pENTAGON TO DO A WORLD TOUR AND STOP NEAR WHERE I LIVE IS IT SO HARD TO GIVE YOUR ARTISTS PROPER TOURS CUBE?????!!!!???!?!??!

29. What are most peoples first impressions of you? very good question - I have no idea. Probably that I’m unfriendly or hard to approach or smth because my neutral expression is something close to a resting bitchface^^”

30. What age do you seem according to most people? ..5? Nah, probably my actual age, but I feel younger than that a lot of the time (and I’m not old enough for that to be a good thing kajdflka)

31. Where do you keep your phone while you’re sleeping? usually next to my head, cause it helps me wake up in the morning

32. What word do you say the most? I usually have one or two “catchphrases” that change all the time and rn it’s “aigoo”, I shit you not... I may or may not have watched too many vlives of a person who likes that word a lil too much...

33. What’s the oldest age you would date? Well I’m 20 now so... 22 or 23? I’m not that much into big age gaps anymore^^”

34. What’s the youngest age you would date? 19 probably

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you? some say teacher but I defo do not feel like I’d be a good teacher

36. What’s your favorite music genre? I don’t really go by genre, I just listen to whatever sounds good to me

37. If you could live in any country in the world where would it be? tbh I’m quite okay here in Austria, but Japan would be goals af

38. What is your current favorite song? UUMMMMM Reol’s Utena??? Or Lost Paradise??? Or Ten to One????? Or Pentagon’s Cosmo????? Or Shintoburi????? Or Bastarz’ From Seoul???? Or SF9′s Life is so Beautiful???? Or Bang Yongguk’s I Need to Talk??? I really can’t decide kasjdflka

39. How long have you had this blog for? Since October ‘18!

40. What are you excited about? mostly kpop... without that my life would be pretty plain... Defo the concerts I’m going to within the next month (Ateez and SF9)!!

41. Are you a better talker or listener? depends on the topic... if it’s about something I’m passionate about defo talker, if someone has troubles with anything and needs to vent I’m a better listener

42. What is the last productive thing you did? write the Anniversary post for Noir... and study Kanji

43. What do you want for Christmas? SNOW. Also a cat. But we already had that...

44. What class do you get the best grades in? bold of you to assume I’ve been getting good grades ever since I started uni...

45. On a scale from 1-10, how are you feeling right now? 7 - I have good music, but my back hurts a lil and I’m feeling nervous because I have a test tomorrow and a presentation on friday and I’ll be stressed at work on thursday^^”

46. What can you see yourself doing in 10 years? Transaltion work and/or writing novels

47. When did you get your first heartbreak? That was back in elementary school when I lost my best friend... It’s weird how I can still remember just how that felt.

48. At what age do you want to get married? Marriage?? In this economy?

49. What career did you want to have as a child? I wanted to open a restaurant, but then also become an author and I still have that dream^^

50. What do you crave now? All kinds of sweets tbh... and my special cheese noodles uGHHHH

#tag game #anyone who wants to do this feel tagged kasjflkas

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melodicmermaid · 6 years ago

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Simply Keith: Fire

Day 2: Fire

A/N: With fire, I couldn’t not go with writing about the night Keith’s father died (and then some). Because I love me a sad Keith.

Prompts by @keithtober2k18.

Summary: Keith's father died on the job. Where does that leave Keith?

[Not romantic / No ship]

Read on Ao3

Keith jolted awake that night, startled by a loud knocking at the front door of his house. “Ughhhh,” he groaned, rubbing his eyes as he made his way out of his bedroom with his favorite stuffed lion in hand.

Did dad forget his keys? The door to his dad’s room was open, so Keith knew he wasn’t home yet. Plus, surely he would have heard movement. There’s no way anyone could sleep through someone continuously pounding on their door in the middle of the night.

Instead of his dad, however, Keith was greeted by a police officer. He vaguely recognized her, probably just from going out and about with his dad. He was a firefighter, after all, so obviously that meant he knew a lot of the police officers in town.

“Hey there. Sorry to wake you, kiddo. Keith, right?” she smiled at him, but he could tell it wasn’t a happy one. There was something off about it, though Keith couldn’t place his finger on it.

“Yeah. I’m Keith. Where’s my dad?”

“Sweetheart, you’re father has to spend the night in the hospital. The nurses and doctors are very hopeful, but he needs to be in their care for a while. My husband and I are good friends of his and he doesn’t want you to worry or be alone tomorrow.”

“Can I see him?”

“Not tonight, I’m afraid. We can see him first thing in the morning.”

“Okay…”

Keith and the officer, Natalia, packed him a quick overnight bag and headed to her apartment. Her husband, Roy, had set up their pull-out couch for him. Keith didn’t really register anything they said to him after he set his things down and got into his bed for the night. He cuddled close to his stuffed lion and fell asleep almost instantly.

This time, Keith woke up with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Natalia had told him his dad would be alright, but now he wasn’t so sure he believed her. He clutched his lion tightly and got out of bed, looking for the two of them.

"How do I tell him?” he heard Natalia ask in a hushed voice, presumably to her husband.

“Um…” Keith spoke up.

“Oh, Keith! You’re awake!” she jumped slightly, but gave him the same smile that she'd given him last night.

Pity. She's pitying me.

"How... how do you tell me what?" Keith asked, looking down. Natalia frowned, walking close to him and kneeling down to his height.

"Keith... I'm so, so sorry," she paused and took a breath, "They did everything they could, but... I'm so sorry, Keith, they couldn't save your dad."

Everything from that point on was a blur. Keith's vision was blurry from the constant tears he shed. He lost the only family he had. He was sure he had grandparents somewhere, but dad never talked about them or to them.

Natalia and Roy let him stay with them until the funeral.

"You're dad was so brave!"

"He died a hero. Try to keep your chin up, kid."

No one's words made him feel any better, so he tuned everyone out.

After that, he met another lady. He didn't care to learn her name. He packed up all the things he could and went with her to a home for other kids who didn't have anywhere else to go. "Foster care" is what they called it. He lived with a lot of different families, but he didn't care to stay on his best behavior and no one wanted a problem child.

Keith eventually met Takashi Shirogane at an event his school was hosting to promote the Galaxy Garrison. All the other kids were beyond excited, but Keith didn't know what it meant and didn't really care to find out. That guy (Shiro? Is that was his teacher called him?) made him try the game they set up, and to his surprise, he kind of enjoyed it. Not to mention, he ended up with the best score in his class. Shiro asked his teacher about him, and he wasn't even on the list of candidates. He finally had something he could devote his time to and be good at and they wouldn't even let him have a chance.

So Keith did the only thing he could think to do to deal with his frustration. He ran into Shiro's car and sped off.

I'll show you a discipline case.

Despite the rocky first impression, Shiro was still going to help him. He believed that Keith had a fire inside him, and that if he was given a proper chance and the correct outlets, he could be something incredible someday.

#keithtober #keithtober 2018 #keithtober2k18 #voltron #voltron legendary defender #vld #fanfiction #vld fanfiction #voltron fanfiction #keith #wow im actually writing

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clairetherose · 7 years ago

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Draecember2017 Day 15 - Showing up Uninvited

This month was supposed to be all pathos and tragic backstories why are all these goats so cute? Ughhhh. Anyway. The couple that almost was.

Ki’ieri felt nervous. It was a new feeling, for her. Before, everything had been so easy. The Light came to her fingertips without much struggle, she was always praised and lauded by her instructors, and carried nothing but a positive outlook for her future. All of that was true, but she was still nervous. There was no reason to be, really. She was dressed impeccably, as always, in her finest Draenic silk in a deep lavender. Her favorite golden chains were suspended between horn-rings and she bore a scattering of other crystals, set onto gold loops for armbands or dangling from parts of her clothes. She idly bit at her thumbnail, but caught herself and stopped, wiping it on the side of her dress. “What is with me, today?” She asked aloud to no one in particular, “It can’t be who I’m meeting, can it?” She was about to find out.

Kelci rounded the corner and waved. She wasn’t wearing armor for the first time in Ki’ieri’s memory of her. Before, there had always been at least a few pieces. But now, she was dressed fairly nice, if somewhat plainly: a tunic with a belted waist and pants that cut off just below the knee, all in a slightly shimmery silver fabric. It was entirely likely the woman didn’t own anything more formal.

Ki’ieri felt overdressed, and waved back, feeling her stomach clench up with nerves. It was Kelci making her nervous? But they’d spoken plenty of times, before this, why get nervous now? She’d been on dates, before. “Hi, Kelci,” She muffled out, sounding far more on edge than she wanted to. Her hand was still awkwardly waving. She realized a few seconds after it became much too long and dropped it back to her side.

“Are you alright, Ki?” Kelci halted in her approach a little ways off, frowning, “You sound like something’s eating at you. We could reschedule?” She had no idea it was her own presence making Ki’ieri nervous. She was not very good at this. She idly tapped one hoof on the ground, waiting for a response.

It only took a moment for Ki’ieri to snap back to herself. “Ah, no. Sorry, I just.” She huffed at herself and cleared her throat. “You look very nice.” She said, trying to move past her own nerves, “I think silver is a good color on you. It’s very pretty.” She regained her usual posture, and at least a shred of her confidence.

Kelci rolled her eyes, “Yeah, right. This. Pretty.” She snorted a laugh, “I guess you forgot to look at yourself, today. Because in that dress,” She pointed, stopping on places that revealed just enough skin to be tasteful, but alluring, “You blow away anyone on the Genedar. This is just the least horrible thing I own.” She let out a happy sigh and practically sauntered over, scooting up closer to Ki’ieri, and smiled. “But hey, you asked me. Repeatedly. Guess you don’t agree that you’re so far out of my league, you might as well be on a different planet?” It came with a silly grin. She was clearly already enjoying herself.

Ki’ieri blushed profusely, turning a dark shade of blue. “...you sell yourself so short, Cici. There’s good reason I’ve been interested in you.” She recovered, as much as she could, and leaned down to brush Kelci’s hair back from her face, some. “There, see? You’re more beautiful than you know.”

Kelci let Ki’ieri bush her hair away, but shook it back into place, covering one eye, after the compliment. “Yeah well. Still nothing compared to you, if that’s even true.”

Ki’ieri’s hand lingered, but she pulled back and cleared her throat. “Can we head somewhere more secluded? My parents still don’t… know. About the kind of people I like. I don’t think they’d approve, for an Anchorite.” She didn’t sound ashamed of it, just nervous of the reaction..

She shrugged herself into a more nonchalant stance, “Yeah, alright. That sounds pretty good. What did you have in mind?” She sidled up next to Ki’ieri and offered her arm.

The other woman took the offered arm, leading Kelci away with another nervous smile. “Ah, this way. Behind where I and the other Anchorites train is a really nice spot that nobody really knows about. Should be away from the prying eyes and gossip, there.” Kelci might not care about her public image, but Ki’ieri was at least trying (and failing) to maintain one. It was constantly hampered by how much time she spent with Kelci and Aranu, but she enjoyed them, even if Aranu was a bit crass. Kelci, well… here they were.

“Ooh, secret Anchorite hideaway.” Kelci grinned, “Is that where you all go to do dirty things when you ditch out on training?” That sounded like something Aranu would say, and was likely where Kelci got the idea. She snickered, practically giving away.

Ki’ieri just groaned and rolled her eyes, “Stop making Anu’s jokes for her. She’s not here, you are.”

Instead, Kelci just cackled, “Ahh, but it calmed you down, some. You don’t seem so nervous now.”

Ki’ieri blinked, surprised. Even when being a goofball, Kelci was considerate. She used her jokes in such constructive ways. She’d profess otherwise, but she was a caring soul. Ki’ieri laughed, “So it did. Thank you, Cici.” She gave Kelci a wink and a warm smile. She felt more like herself, again. This was just the Kelci she’d known for so long, not some mystery woman.

“Relax, Ki. We’re supposed to be having fun.” Kelci grinned and bumped shoulders with Ki’ieri. It was hard to do; Ki’ieri was even taller than Aranu, and Kelci felt shorter than ever. She let out a sarcastic groan. “Why is everyone so talllll?”

Ki’ieri led the other through a hidden, winding path through some trees. On the other side, there was a small clearing, hidden inside a tiny bowl in the landscape where the grass grew taller than usual. A little pond sat near the middle. “You’re cute short, though.” She insisted to Kelci, turning on her hoof when they arrived to grin down at her. “Really cute.” It was hardly her usual selected prose, but her friends inspired her to let loose a little, especially Kelci.

“Yeah, well.” Kelci blushed, unable to think of a proper retort. “...you’re still cuter.” It was the best she could come up with, on the spot.

Ki’ieri just laughed, “You’re a bad liar. Always were.” She strode over to a flat stone near the pond, hooves pressing down the strands of grass in tight angles, leaving odd, but definite hoofprints. She sat down near the stone and beckoned Kelci to join her.

Grumbling about being shorter than everyone, Kelci followed, taking advantage of her’s and Ki’ieri’s height to sit herself down sideways in the other woman’s lap, wrapping both her arm and tail around her from behind. “If I’m so cute, you won’t mind this.”

Ki’ieri, for her part, was surprised, but far from disappointed. “...no I will not. This was easier than I thought.” She let an arm drape around Kelci from behind as well, though her blush came back. “Okay uh. You know that game I always see you and Anu playing? The one with stones in some pattern. Can you teach me how to play that?” She produced a small pouch containing a number of polished stones.

Kelci snickered. She’d been suspicious if this was actually serious or just a prank, up til now, but Ki’ieri felt genuine. Seemed actually happy. Maybe this was worth the effort, after all. “Oh. Yeah, okay. How many stones is that? We need twenty four.” She gave Ki’ieri a squeeze and rose, though her tail traced a path up and over Ki’ieri’s shoulder as she did. “Sorry, need to sit on the other side, for this.” She relocated and reached for the pouch.

“Ah, I believe there’s at least that many, yes.” Ki’ieri pouted when Kelci rose, but didn’t stop her. Her hand followed, though, and she let Kelci’s tail pass through her fingers on its way out. She sighed.

As Kelci sat down, she began dividing the stones into small piles of four, putting two rows of six of these piles across from each other. With a bit of spare chalk she kept in a bag, she drew small circles around each of them, then a large oval at each end. “Okay! So. To take your turn, you pick up all the stones in one spot, then drop one in each spot after it, moving to the right. If you hit one of the ends and still have more, keep going. If you drop the last one in the end on your right, you get to take another turn. Whoever has the most stones in their end, wins!” She looked up, smiling. “Oh, also. If you drop your last stone in an empty spot on your side, you get to take it and everything in my space across from it and put it in your goal. That’s pretty much-- oh damn it.” She cut herself off with a frown, and rose angrily. “What are you doing here? Did you follow us?” She began to walk back to Ki’ieri’s side of the rock, hands on her hips.

“What? I just wanted to see what you were up to.” A voice came from behind her that made Ki’ieri groan. She turned.

“Anu, go away!” Kelci pouted at the newcomer, trying to look tough. Without her armor, though, compared to Aranu’s fully-clad form, she only succeeded in looking smaller than she usually did. Not the least bit intimidating. Ki’ieri couldn’t help but smirk, despite her irritation that Aranu had just showed up uninvited.

Aranu raised her hands, grinning like an idiot. “Hey now, don’t be like that. You two make a cute couple. Can you blame me?” It was hard for her not to start outright snickering. “You were so focused on each other you didn’t even hear me approach. What’s that tell me? Am I doomed to forever be the odd one out?”

Kelci got properly angry, now. “Anu.” She growled. Her eyes flashed a threat. “Go. Away.”

Aranu blinked and stepped back, surrendering. “...I didn’t know you were actually serious about this, Cici. Ah… sorry. For interrupting.” She looked over the shorter woman to Ki’ieri and gave an apologetic smile. “My bad, Ki. I’ll just… go. Yeah. Going now. Sorry!” She turned and practically fled from the clearing.

Kelci heaved a sigh and turned back, “Sorry, I--” She was cut off by Ki’ieri pulling her into a tight hug. “...ah, you’re… welcome?”

Ki’ieri didn’t let her go. “Thank you for that. I’m glad you care about this. It’s not just me.” She smiled, but it took another few seconds for her to release the smaller Draenei.

Kelci grinned back, “Of course I do. You’re gorgeous. Way out of my league. Half the reason I kept saying no, before, was… well, that. And Anu’s interest, which. I hope we don’t have to worry about, after that.”

The taller woman just giggled, rubbing her hooves together. “I… think you were about to beat me at a game?”

“Right!” Kelci sprang back over to the other side and sat once more. “I did get all the rules out, though. Do you want to go first?” She looked across the stone, and her eyes met Ki’ieri’s.

“Kelci,” Ki’ieri smiled back and leaned over the table, planting a kiss to Kelci’s forehead. “This is why I like you.” She then looked down at the board and began the game. It took her four or five games to finally win one, and they sat in the little clearing most of the evening, talking about this or that, laughing like children. Finally, they laid back in the grass and watched the stars come out above them.

Aranu checked back a few times, but never made her presence known. When the two kissed, just as the moons mounted the horizon, she felt a pang of jealousy. But for who?

#draecember #draecember2017 #draenei #warcraft #writing #long post #roleplay #lgbtq #this stupid goat love triangle is going to ruin me

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alettertotheuniverse-blog1 · 7 years ago

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Thailand: Places

My next trip won’t be for another week and I’m too excited, so I’ll distract myself by writing a proper Thailand post since I’ve been feeling TH-nostalgic lately.

Also, I’ve been putting off writing about it for months so it’s probably just right to stop procrastinating and check this off my to-do list before the year ends.

The last time I wrote about the land of Cha Yen, I actually was still IN Thailand - running around for about two weeks and still had a few places left to visit. But that was more of a personal blog entry.

So... here are the places in Thailand I’d love to see again: A more concise post.

The photos aren’t as high-res as my more recent posts as this trip was months ago, but please bear with it, thanks.

Passport Bookshop

It’s a cute, dainty, silent cafe along Khao San Rd. This road is famously known as home of the backpackers since this is where you’ll find a lot of cheap hostels and bars. Amidst the loud noise of Khao San, Passport Bookshop serves as an introvert’s oasis. Here, you’ll find an assortment of coffee and tea (they have a shelf-full), books (both foreign and local), journals, and the most-artsy-yet-affordable postcards (around 5-20 baht / 7-25 php).

Monkey Temple (Phra Prang Sam Yot), Lopburi

Lopburi is a small town, 2-3 hours away from Bangkok. Here, is where you can find the famous and bad-ass monkeys of Phra Prang Sam Yot.

The monkeys don’t just live at the temple though, they roam around the whole town so be mindful of your belongings. There’s also a museum showcasing the town’s history nearby, so check that out if you are into it.

Entrace to the temple is around 30-50 baht for tourists and around 10-15 baht for locals. I looked really Thai (hahahaha for real), and came with Thai friends and was only asked to pay the local price. So, come with your Thai friends if you could.

Ayutthaya

If you’ve ever played Ragnarok, you probably know that the places were based from real life. Ayothaya in Ragnarok was actually based from this place.

I don’t know what it is, there’s just an air of the past in this place. The ruins, the floating market, elephants... it just feels like I’m back in time somehow. I had a really peaceful afternoon spent here shopping around through a boat ride.

I know that one of the reasons why Ayutthaya is visited by tourists is because of the elephants. But, I don’t know. I couldn’t get myself to ride one. Taking a photo already made me feel extremely guilty. So... I feel like if you’d like to see elephants, visit an elephant sanctuary instead. Don’t worry, there are lots of those, mostly in Chiang Rai.

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai is an hour (or two) away from Chiang Mai and is high above the mountains. I went to this town to visit the three famous temples representing Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld (it’s probably representing something more profound than that but that’s how I understood it with my limited knowledge of Thailand’s culture and religion.)

1. Wat Rong Kun (The White Temple)

This temple used to be in such bad shape due to being underfunded, but a local visual artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, decided to rebuild the place so the Wat Rong Kun at present is actually his vision.

There’s a museum as well housing Chalermchai Kositpipat’s masterpieces. That small museum is also something else! I think, to be honest, I enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed looking at the actual temple. This guy is a genius, in my opinion, and I’m bummed that I can’t show you what was displayed inside as taking photos is strictly prohibited. But I bought so many postcards because they were of his paintings!!!

2. Wat Rong Suea Ten (The Blue Temple)

This one was still under renovation when I visited but it was like visiting Buddha in his underwater kingdom. This was built by a student of Mr. Chalermchai Kositpipat (the guy I was raving about earlier). I feel so bad that I don’t know his name. I will try to Google it and update this afterwards.

3. Baan Dam (The Black House)

It’s an art gallery of Thawan Duchanee - the visual artist who designed and opened the place to the public. I don’t think anyone really considers it as a temple. It houses odd, medieval, and viking-like artworks, furniture, and houses.

They also have dance and music performances showcasing Chiang Rai’s traditions and folklore. And a souvenir shop where you can buy preserved insects and penis key chains, in case you were looking for those. Yep.

4. Choui Fong Tea Plantation

Matcha lovers, rejoice. If you are into all things tea, why not go to a tea house overlooking the plantation where those tea leaves were harvested?

Choui Fong Tea Plantation is high above the mountains and it may be best to rent a motorbike (which will also give you a thrill going through the mountain slopes). You can buy lots of tea-related products to bring back home and chill at the tea house.

4.5 Cat ‘n a Cup Cafe

I mean.. I know we have loads of cat cafes here in the PH, but since you’re already in Chiang Rai, check this place out to relax. Because, duh, kitties.

Night Markets are also not to be missed. Not just in Chiang Rai but also around Bangkok. You can buy lots of artsy, kpop, hipster, instagramm-able stuff for extremely low prices.

Bangkok

I’m placing Bangkok last as, to be honest, I enjoyed the rural parts of Thailand more. Bangkok is definitely THE city.

It has that fast-paced, tourist-y city vibe but of course, it houses places you can only experience there. My advice is go to the Central Pier and try to visit every station along the river.

If you are planning to do that, then don’t buy the tourist boat pass which will only take you to the few stations where the popular tourist spots are.

But if you only have time for the usual places, then the pass will be worth it.

Visit the Wats (Wat Po, Wat Arun, etc.) and the Grand Palace.

Because it’s the city, expect that entrance fees are a bit pricier (and that the places are a bit overcrowded). For example, going inside the Grand Palace already costs 500baht (it’s expensive, I know!) so expect an entrance fee of around 100-500 baht per place.

If you are on a tight budget though, I suggest going to the Grand Palace as it already houses a lot of temples and Thai-styled buildings. But Wat Arun also is not to be missed... so aim for those two!

There’s a well-known scam wherein as you are heading to, say, the Grand Palace, a hustler will tell you that unfortunately, the place is closed that day and will offer you a private tour of the city instead for a fee. Politely decline these offers. If someone tells you that a place is closed, it most likely isn’t, and they are simply hoping you’d hire them as a tour guide because they seem to know so much. Always check the place out yourself or ask Google.

By the way, if you’re into the unusual or just want to try something exotic, visit Siriraj Medical Museum in Bangkok. I don’t have pictures since taking photos is strictly prohibited - plus, even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t be able to get myself to stare long enough at each piece displayed, because this is where you can find preserved corpses of people who died from, well... different reasons. There’s just lots of dead bodies, guys!

Yep, it’s definitely creepy. I went with a Romanian guy and he walked out as soon as he walked in. Hahahahaha. It’s definitely something you can only experience in Bangkok though. Here, I’m grabbing this photo from Google Images with the watermark to show you what it’s like: (credits to the owner)

Ughhhh, just remembering it gives me the creeps. PS: that’s a real corpse!

Dumping unrelated, happier, Bangkok photos now.

Ang Thong

I almost forgot! Let’s not forget to visit Ang Thong! I spent a lot of time here with an awesome family - my Thai fam. *remembers fondly*

It’s an hour or two away from Bangkok and it was my first rural experience since arriving. It’s a quiet town that feels like it’s siesta time all the time.

Also, you can find LOTS of temples here and the biggest Buddhas, so if you are like me who wanted to do a Temple Run, you’ll love it here. I was extremely fortunate to spend the Sogkran Festival (Thai New Year) here with great people.

Overall, if you are planning your first solo backpacking trip like I was, Thailand is definitely the place to go, simply because it’s not as expensive as other places. Hostels go for as low as 200php a night and a meal costs around 50php. It’s a way for you to experience a completely different culture and way of life without being too far away from home.

With fondness and nostalgia,

#thailand #travelthailand #TravelPh #travel #wanderlust

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probably-enjolras · 7 years ago

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Enjolras’ Anon Chapter 9

ughhhh i wanted it to be longer but i’m in too much pain to write more, like yeah it’s 1.6k but i wanted to get to 3k, alas

support me on AO3 cause it’s easier to reply to you that way!

Enjolras went home from his it’s-a-date-but-it’s-not-a-date smiling. As soon as he realized that he did in fact like Grantaire, everything felt so much lighter. There wasn’t a constant sense of dread and misery aviating over him.

He also knew where Grantaire lived. He thought about all the times that he was late, but now he could see R running down his stairs. Enjolras smiled at the thought. Grantaire wants to be on time, he really does. He wants to be present.

Enjolras flopped onto his bed, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He felt like a teenager again, blushing while thinking about his crush. He had half the mind to scold himself for being so emotional, but it felt too good to stop.

Enjolras pulled out his phone and sent a text to Courfeyrac and Combeferre.

Enjolras: it’s settled, i like him

Courfeyrac: eyy congrats

Combeferre: this leaves the question of ‘what now?’

Enjolras: i mean… dating?

Courfeyrac: that would be the logical step

Courfeyrac: you like him, he likes you, you two go off and fuck like bunnies!

Enjolras: great talk, let’s put that plan in action

Combeferre: yes, and do you have any plan of how to ask him out?

Combeferre: because saying ‘i know you like me because you’ve been talking to my blog on anon for a while and i went on a hunt to find you’ doesn’t seem like the best thing

Courfeyrac: i mean, why not?

Enjolras: ferre is right, he would want to know why i didn’t just ask him right away

Enjolras groaned and pushed his face into his pillow. Why did this have to be so hard? He just wanted to go out with Grantaire, but this whole scheme of how he even figured out it was R was so elaborate it would seem at best a dick move, and at worse a stalker move.

Courfeyrac: dammit why isn’t ‘hey i like you, let’s go fuck’ not enough

Enjolras: when have i ever been anything but extra

Courfeyrac: fair point

Combeferre: you’ll need to get him alone, and at a pretty nice place

Enjolras: not a restaurant

Enjolras: and it can’t be something he likes too much because then he won’t pay attention to me

Courfeyrac: i think you underestimate his ability to pay attention to you

Courfeyrac: hell, i think he underestimates his ability to pay attention to you

Combeferre: how about a picnic? Simple yet romantic

Enjolras: but i don’t want him to know i want to ask him out

Courfeyrac: movies?

Enjolras: nah, it’s dark and not a place for talking

Combeferre: lunch + a walk to that cafe with cats and books?

Enjolras: yes! I can ask him out during the walk and then we can go do whatever, and if it goes bad we can play with cats

Courfeyrac: ok, it won’t go bad, but it’s nice to have a backup plan

Enjolras: thanks for the advice, I’m gonna go talk to him now

Enjolras put his phone down, staring at the messages. He could do this, right? He liked Grantaire, and he had for a while, even if he didn’t realize it. Grantaire challenged his ideas like no one else, and he did it so nonchalantly. He was someone who bettered Enjolras in ways no friend could.

Enjolras sighed, laying down and looking at his ceiling. How do you ask out the man that betters your existence without even trying? Enjolras rolled over, looking at his desk. His computer was charging on top of a pile of books.

Enjolras sat up and grabbed his computer. He entered his password and logged onto Tumblr. He smiled when he saw that he had asks. The first three were random people and Enjolras deflated for a second, but the final one started with a phrase he had come to recognize on sight.

(passionate anon) we went out today, i mean, not in a proper date, but it did feel like it. he was so cute, and it was so easy to talk to him, i wasn’t expecting that, i thought we would only be able to talk when he had some alcohol in him. i hope we can do that again

Enjolras grinned widely, unable to hold in the sudden rush of joy. He rushed to post the messages and grabbed his phone. He took a deep breath, calming the last of his nerves, before opening up his messages.

Enjolras: hey, had a nice time today, wanna go for lunch again tomorrow? i don’t have anything going on

Enjolras held his breath as he watched the speech bubble in the left hand corner. It can’t take that long to answer a simple question, can it? After what Enjolras could only assume was an eternity, Grantaire responded.

Grantaire: yeah! do you have a place in mind?

Enjolras let out the breath he was holding and smiled to himself.

Enjolras: well i know this place, they serve great muffins and sandwiches, and then maybe that cafe with the kittens?

Grantaire: that sounds great! does noon work for you?

Enjolras: yeah, meet you there!

Grantaire: can’t wait

Enjolras laughed, he couldn’t help it. He had set up a time and place for him to ask Grantaire out. He flopped back down, smiling up at the ceiling.

“I’m really doing this,” he whispered. Enjolras sat back up and looked out the window. It was starting to get dark and he could see his reflection in the glass.

His cheeks were bright red and his hair was mess from his pillows, but he had the largest grin on his face. “I’m gonna do this!” he said to himself, louder this time. Enjolras laughed again, standing up to clean up after his day. He kept repeating that phrase to himself, in awe of what tomorrow has in store.

After he showered and brushes his teeth, Enjolras got into bed. He knew it wasn’t late, it was only 8:30pm, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t wait. Enjolras sighed, closing his eyes and willing sleep to come, and after a few minutes it did.

Sleep left after about six hours. If he had gone to bed at midnight or one, maybe that wouldn’t be such a problem. It would be six or seven, and that’s a reasonable time to start the day. Enjolras could get work done before he went out and he wouldn’t have to work on anything during the day.

But he hadn’t gone to bed at midnight, he had gone to bed at 8:30, and here is was, wide awake at 2:30am wide awake. Enjolras tried to go back to sleep. He got up, made some tea, read a little bit, and laid back down, ready to get some sleep.

Enjolras looked up at his ceiling, sighing to himself. He knew that it was the anticipation that was keeping him awake. It had happened all his life. On the first day of school, he would always wake up early and be ready for the bus an hour early than needed. The same thing happened on holidays and birthdays. His mind was ready to get stuff done, while his body just wanted to sleep.

Enjolras kicked off his blanket, cursing softly. He tried to get as comfortable as possible, but nothing helped. He groaned, pouting to himself. There was nothing he could do, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.

There was a chance that his friends were still awake. Most of them stayed awake until they passed out around three am. That gave him a solid thirty minutes to talk to someone. Enjolras considered it, but decided against it. He didn’t want to explain to his friends how he already got six hours. Some would call him old, some would want to know why he went to sleep at that time, and Courfeyrac would manage to do both.

Enjolras unlocked his phone and, against his better judgement, looked for Grantaire’s instagram account. Being awake late at night and looking through his crush’s instagram was a perfectly normal thing to do, right?

Grantaire didn’t post often, but it was still filled with photos. Some of them were of his artwork or photographs of what he found beautiful. Enjolras smiled, Grantaire was a true artist.

Other photos were photos of his friends. There was one of Joly and Bossuet, clearly not knowing that the photo was taken as they held hand and smiled at each other. Another was of Eponine, smiling at the camera and raising a glass in its direction. The one after that was of Bahorel and Courfeyrac the day they decided to have a rollerskate race down the street. The image depicted the moment Courfeyrac crossed the finish line. It didn’t show the moment after, when Courfeyrac fell when he tried to stop. Enjolras smiled, making a mental note to screenshot all the photos so he could keep them for himself.

But the majority of the photos were of him. Some were of Enjolras giving speeches, others were him talking with friends, or just him on his phone. Enjolras couldn’t believe he never noticed Grantaire take these. He put his phone down, looking at the window.

It still reflected his image, but Enjolras didn’t see himself anymore. He didn’t understand what about him made Grantaire take such beautiful photos. He felt like he didn’t deserve the attention.

Enjolras looked down at his hands and put his phone on his bedside table. He sighed and closed his eyes, but his mind kept running. Maybe if it ran far enough, he would be too tired to think anymore.

Enjolras’ wish to sleep was finally granted around four am, and he drifted off into less than peaceful sleep.

find that les mis lyric! it’s not hidden too well, whoops

#enjoltaire #enjolras #grantaire #les mis #courfeyrac #combeferre #enjolras' anon #my writing #ryan.txt #ryan rambles

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