#when i say i was absolutely DEVASTATED by this video………………

[wooahoe]

ykw. i’m just gonna say it. i just saw a video where someone said ‘stop gatekeeping korea, especially when people have a genuine interest in it.’ those weren’t her exact words but i think u get the idea.

and you know what? i love that people love korean shit but i also don’t and it’s eating me alive.

i grew up in a pretty heavily ethnically diverse community in the late 2010s. but even then i wasn’t a stranger to kids pulling at the corners of their eyes and making fun of mine, or saying that my food looked disgusting and ‘smelled weird’. kpop was weird, my non-korean friends asked if i was chinese, nobody knew what a kdrama was and nobody wanted to be in a ten mile radius of someone remotely fobby (iykyk)

so to have an animated kids movie, made for people like me? not just a movie catered to the generalized asian population or even only having chinese representation?

i fell in love instantly. the disney princess movie that me and my friends always wanted as a kid was finally here, but even cooler and more badass than we could’ve ever imagined.

but kpop demon hunters has also shown me how far we’ve come from my early childhood.

because nowadays it’s weird. all of a sudden everyone is obsessed with miffy (no, she’s not asian but hell we love her and she’s ours now) and hello kitty and a number of other popular asian characters and i don’t even know how the fuck they found out about them. east asian food isn’t considered weird anymore but something to be sought after. you go to los angeles’ koreatown and there used to be absolutely zero non-koreans there. now? all of the restaurants that sold traditional foods and dishes are gone, replaced by the surge of 외국인s in search of tteokbokki and instant ramen and bbq. there aren’t any koreans in korean restaurants anymore.

which lowk pisses me off. i can’t find good places to eat anymore because all anyone wants is kbbq. traditional dishes are being lost to the appeal of tteokbokki, ramen (which isn’t even korean by the way!), bbq, fried chicken, corn dogs, everything that i never ate as a kid is all of a sudden everywhere, and all of the dishes i love aren’t sold anymore because those restaurants aren’t making any more money and have to close. WE DON’T EVEN EAT THAT SHIT THAT OFTEN GO FIND THE NON-AESTHETIC GOOD STUFF.

and now nearly everything about the korean culture, my culture, has been commodified; whether it’s the food, the clothing styles (both traditional and modern), the music, the media, the makeup, the people, to even the fucking language?

and yeah japan and china have this problem too…but it is definitely not as bad as korea.

look. if you’re into the korean stuff, i don’t blame you. that shit is amazing.

But.

please try not to contribute to the commodification of my culture. i am sick and tired of my livelihood being turned into a fucking “trend”.

in the wise words of kim namjoon: “People in the West just don't get it. Korea is a country that has been invaded, devastated, and torn in two. Just seventy years ago there was nothing. We are getting help from the IMF and the UN. But now, the whole world is looking at Korea. How is that possible how did that happen? Because people are working fucking hard to improve themselves. You are in France or in the UK, countries that have been colonizing others for centuries, and you come to me with, "oh God, you put so much pressure on yourselves, life in Korea is stressful!" Well, yes. That's how you get things done...”

korean culture, whether they live in another country or not, is very fast paced, no time for rest. we call it a 빨리빨리 culture. this is why the idols within the industry never get rest. the rest of the country doesn’t, why should they? like for example, yes, those carats who are always saying woozi is burnt out are right, he probably is. but do you seriously think he’s going to rest? he’s not, because he’s a fucking korean man and y’all don’t fucking realize it.

this is why we have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

but you also have to realize that korea is losing itself to westernization. it’s not just the choreography or the english words mixed into the songs. korean is losing its fucking language to english loan words. hell, some of the words that i say AREN’T KOREAN. THEY’RE JAPANESE.

look. my point is that i don’t think namjoon is just talking about countries with a history of colonization. he’s talking about people who don’t understand korea because all they want to understand is the mirage of pretty boys and beautiful girls that shine under the global spotlight…not realizing that what they hide is far, far worse than diets and weight loss and company mistreatment.

i’m not asking you to step away from korean culture or media. I’m not asking you to stop being a fan of idols or actors, or to stop enjoying korean food.

all i am asking is that you be mindful. don’t just obsess over the saja boys (yes, yes, they’re hot but remember what they represent. remember why they’re called the saja boys) or your favorite idols, but please remember how hard it has taken us as a people to get here. please don’t acknowledge us just because we’re a fad, but understand where we come from. that means the korean kpop stans and the 교포s.

[dearru]

do u guys know that one song by doja cat that goes “like fortnite ima need ur skin.” that’s what inspired this. hope u enjoy. | mlist

imagine you, an aspiring singer, starting to date the wildly influential streamer, kodzuken. you two are the definition of a picture perfect couple, and you start to make lots of content together. as a result, your career begins to take off, and kenma’s content grows in popularity,

everything’s great— until it isn’t. the relationship ends up crashing and burning in an embarrassingly public breakup.

people are devastated. video essays are made. diehard fans even claim the split is the equivalent of “parents divorcing.”

it’s a whole ordeal.

but as time passes, the wounds heal. and in true internet fashion, it becomes old news. some people still whisper about how they believe you two are soulmates, but for the most part, kenma’s chat and your comment section don’t get flooded with invasive questions about whether you two will get back together anymore.

fast forward to two years or so after the breakup, you and kenma end up growing in your respective careers. his several business ventures have grown exponentially, and you’re now selling out stadiums.

kenma doesn’t stream as much as he used to when you two were together, but he chalks it up to having to juggle so many different commitments now. fans speculate as to whether or not that’s the true reason, but as a collective, they agree that they’ll take whatever content they can get from the elusive creator.

despite not streaming as frequently, kenma still likes to indulge his audience every once in a while by hopping online. normally, he likes to decide what to play, but every once in a while, he’ll let chat decide.

tonight is one of those nights.

on a whim, he gives in to requests for him to boot up fortnite— an old favorite of his— for the first time in months.

big mistake.

the second he opens the once beloved game, he gets jumpscared by something that even his worst nightmares couldn’t have fathomed.

you.

everywhere.

to his horror, and the chat’s delight, he finds that you’ve become the poster child for fortnite’s newest campaign. your face is on the menu screen, banners of you flash in bright colors, and you’re plastered everywhere in the item shop.

they say men are constantly haunted by the ghost of their first love, and in a cruel twist of fate, it’s a saying that has become ironically true for kenma as he realizes that epic games has made you into a fucking skin.

he debates the consequences of throwing his pc into a wall, but his screen flashes with an overly excitable chat faster than he can make a decision. old fans are freaking out, new gen fans are wondering what all the fuss is about, and someone donates just to type “YOU’RE FUCKED.”

kenma has half the mind to laugh as the notification illuminates his face because he knows the donor is right.

he’s not an idiot. he knows that you’re popular now, but to be so famous that you have your own skin? he’s in absolute disbelief. there’s no way the universe hates him this much. it’s bad enough that you’re on every headline and radio station. now you’re in his favorite video game?!?!

he is so unbelievably, irrevocably fucked.

—a/n: i think that kenma’s viewers are evil and they all band together and emote on kenma with ur skin whenever they see him online.

—a/n #2: has anyone written abt this concept before. pls lmk. i would love to read it bc i giggled so hard when the thought popped in my head HAHAHA.

—a/n #3: guys i don’t play fortnite, watch streamers, or write for kenma at all so pls don’t hate on me ok thx love u

[mickyschumacher]

[BAKED WITH LOVE!]

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: you've never wanted to risk your friendship with oscar. but the lines become blurred when oscar shows up to your door on valentine's day with a bag of baking ingredients.

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: fluff, poor humour, 10 things i hate about you reference, reader is kinda mean at the end but it's valid imo, oscar being absolutely useless in a kitchen format, classic friends to lovers barriers, confessions of two fools at the end as well

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: oscar piastri x fem!reader

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 2.9k

𝐀/𝐍: first fic of my series! me 🤝 oscar's and friends to lovers. hope you enjoy it!♡︎ // as usual, poorly proofread

𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

Valentine’s Day. Fact: One of the most dreaded holidays in the world. Fact: Your most dreaded holiday in the world.  

The argument was always the same. The holiday was consumeristic and materialistic at best, honing the potential to be one of capitalism’s best schemes. The holiday was also endearing, allowing couples, throuples, or any other romantic grouping, for that matter, to be celebrated and cherish. Love was love. And all love wins.  

In this argument, however, you were right smack bang in the middle.  

If you saw another stuffed teddy bear with its beady eyes and heart in hands, yes, you could throw up. But as much as you wanted to bleach your eyes out at the levels of PDA you had seen, a small part of you fawned over it.  

Truth be told, the only thing you hated was the fact that you weren’t experiencing any of it. Sure, there were times where you went on the occasional Valentine’s date (not that you recommended it) but nothing ever lasted. And to be honest, your heart wasn’t in it. Your heart, with a mind of its own, had decided it belonged with a certain friend of yours.  

You sighed, falling back first into your couch. You held your desk calendar high, eyeing the ‘14’ circled numerous times by you. Here you were, alone on Valentine’s Day, for the fourth year in a row, again.  

“Fucking hell,” you murmured, tossing the harbinger of devastation to the side.  

You looked around your apartment, only just holding in another sigh. It looked barren. Even though it was filled with paintings, books, and colourful furniture, nothing about it looked like someone was in love. It was as though it lacked soul.  

It was decided. You were having an absolutely miserable morning. Even more so when you could hear your doorbell ring. The static of your intercom buzzed, capturing your attention. “Hello? Is a certain girl obsessed with chocolate home?” A familiar voice sung.  

Pushing down the small flutter in your stomach, you dramatically groaned to the empty air in your apartment as you stood up. Walking over to your intercom, you eyed the video feedback of Oscar smiling and patiently waiting for you to let him in. You pressed the button on your intercom. “You better be coming bearing gifts.”  

You could see Oscar feign a gasp. “I can’t believe you even asked,” he stated, arm dangling a mystery bag in the air.  

You rolled your eyes, small smile playing on your lips. With your finger moving to a nearby button, you let him come up. Stalking back to your couch, you turned on your television, idly channel surfing. You weren’t quite sure why you were still playing for your TV box, but ever so occasionally, it brought you something charming.  

Your eyes moved to the open door of your apartment, watching Oscar come in from your peripheral. “What is it you want, you absolute cretin?” 

“That is not a kind thing to say on such a lovely day,” Oscar commented sarcastically, walking over to your kitchen to place his bag down.  

You rested your cheek on your hand, laying on your side as you moved your eyes between Oscar and the television. “Well... to be fair, I wasn’t expecting your face on what you call such a ‘lovely’ day,” you retorted, thumb still clicking on the remote.  

You weren’t exactly lying. Oscar was the last person you wanted to see on Valentine’s Day. He was another sore reminder of what you should be doing on a day like this. There was nothing more dangerous than having the person who makes your heart race in your kitchen. A recipe for disaster, one might say.  

It was Oscar’s turn to sigh. He stood in your kitchen, hands on his hips. “Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine?” Oscar queried. “Sue me for wanting to spend time with my best friend on the loneliest day of the year.” 

You sucked in a sharp breath at his words. Best friend. Ugh, you hated it. You hated that term. You didn’t want to be just his best friend. Risking this friendship, however, was not one you were willing to take.  

You sighed dramatically once again, closing the television. Standing up from the couch, you joined Oscar to peer in his mystery bag. Carefully, you were able to quickly recognise the blocks of butter, eggs, icing sugar, chocolate, sprinkles, brown sugar... 

“Are these baking ingredients?” You asked, looking over to Oscar.  

Oscar grinned. “I know you don’t really like Valentine’s, so... I thought we could do some baking. Well, more like if you could teach me. I’ve been craving your chocolate cupcakes anyways.” 

You blinked blankly. You weren’t sure how but your body felt warm all of a sudden. Your heart was beating just that bit faster.  

Oscar knew you loved baking. It was one of your love languages. When you were happy, when you were sad, when you were overthinking and stressed... baking was always the answer.  

“Oscar...” you started, “you know you don’t need an excuse to spend time with me, right?” 

“Come on! Like I need an excuse to spend time with you,” Oscar said, gently nudging his arm with yours. 

He laughed softly like the notion of your idea was crazy. Like your heart wasn’t beating uncontrollably. Like you weren’t forgetting the ability to breathe, let alone speak. And God, you hated it. 

You cleared your throat, taking out the ingredients he brought from the bag. “Well, it seems like you brought at least half of the ingredients so well done,” you complimented with a small grin.  

Laying out the items he brought, you began grabbing the rest from your pantry, collecting all the equipment needed on the way. 

Oscar smiled, cheeks slightly reddening. “Thanks,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as he watched you set out everything, clearly taking his idea on board. He silently took in the sight of you quietly getting into your element.  

You looked so focused. He couldn’t hear what you were saying, probably something about the steps of making your cupcakes. And while he really should’ve been listening, he couldn’t help but fixate on your smile. The corners of your mouth upturned as you raved on about how your recipe was supposed to be a secret for a reason. He could see your smile in your eyes. You were happy. And God, he loved it.  

“Oscar? Helloooo... earth to Oscar?” You waved your hand in front of his face, your soft laugh slowly dying out as he came back to reality, meeting your eyes. You swallowed hard. Why was he looking at you like that? Did you have something on your face? 

Instinctively you reached out to find something but was met with relieving disappointment. “Uh, so as I was saying, the most important thing is to fill the cupcake liners halfway, okay? Not full. Halfway.” 

“Halfway,” Oscar affirmed with a small nod. He clasped his hands and placed them on your benchtop. “Shall we get started?” 

Time always seemed to fly by with Oscar. And yet it always felt slow in the best possible way. That was just the nature of spending time with him.  

You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself as he took every single one of your instructions with careful attention. And although earnest in his endeavours, Oscar was absolutely useless in a kitchen.  

“I said fold the mixture,” you complained, wincing at the lumpy brown goop of a mess, “That is not folding!” 

Oscar looked up from the bowl, narrowing his eyes at you. “This is folding,” he retorted, proceeding to mix the cupcake mixture aggressively.  

Before you knew it, bits of unbaked chocolate cupcake were flying in the air and over your face. The silence in your kitchen was deafening as the sound of Oscar resting the wooden spatula was resounding.  

With your eyes shut, you sighed in defeat. Your fingers reached out to smear the cake batter across your lips and into your mouth. “Well, at least I know it tastes good.” 

In the blink of an eye, Oscar grabbed the nearby tea towel, running it under some water. He stepped a bit too close to you for your liking. “I am so so sorry,” he apologised, gently propping your face in his hand as he slowly rubbed away the splotches of cupcake on your skin. 

You kept quiet. You silently watched him cautiously clean your face meticulously. You weren’t sure if you could trust yourself to speak. Especially not if Oscar was barely a few centimetres away from you.  

There were many things you admired about Oscar. His care for others. Or his detail to attention. Perhaps his smile that always seemed to brighten your day no matter what. Or the way he put others before himself. But one thing you always found yourself coming back to was his freckles. There weren’t many of them. They were sparsely spread out in such a way that you often found yourself playing connect the dots with them. And when you finished, it was all but inevitable to lose yourself in his eyes. To you, they were always these puppy brown eyes. But looking at him the way you were now... 

“Your eyes have a little green in them,” you whispered.  

Oscar paused, eyes flickering to meet yours. He stared at you what felt like forever. Every second that passed only increased your nerves. “Yeah?” He quietly quipped, voice soft as his eyes fell to your lips for a mere second.   

Your breath hitched. God, he was beautiful.  

“I–um, is the batter gone?” You asked, forcing yourself to avert your eyes. You let out a quick exhale as Oscar took a step back. 

“Oh yeah, sorry,” he mumbled, giving you a tight smile.  

Blowing some air into your cheeks, you eyed the cupcake-lined tray. “Should we fill these up and put them in the oven?” 

“Halfway,” Oscar reminded, agreeing nonetheless.  

━━━━━━━━━━━ 

You eyed Oscar comfortably lying on your couch, also participating in your channel surfing till how found some old cricket highlights of Australia vs Sri Lanka. You had already given him a cup of juice, some chips, and fruit to busy yourself and prevent yourself from overthinking about what happened earlier. However, you were beginning to find it very difficult.  

Even as you sat on the floor horizontal to Oscar and did your laundry like you often did, you couldn’t help but replay the moment in your head.  

You must’ve imagined Oscar looking at your lips. But you could’ve sworn... no. It must’ve been your mind playing tricks on you. The inescapable curse of Valentine’s Day. Fuck. Why did you even have to go and say he had green in his eyes? Stupid mouth.  

You internally sighed, placing your folded sweater on the pile next to you. Your ears perked at the mention of your name. “Hmm?” You queried, grabbing a pair of jeans to fold.  

Oscar looked over to you, leaning on his elbow. “I thought you were going out with Jake today?” 

Ah yes. The actual truth of why you were boarded up in your apartment on Valentine’s Day. You had come close to breaking your lonely streak but you ended up backing out after having a mid-life crisis. From your experience, any relationship formed on a day bounded to cupids was bound to be short-lived.  

“He cancelled and I agreed,” you shrugged, putting the jeans aside.  

Now this peaked Oscar’s interest, having him sit up fully on the couch. “What? Why? What happened?” He asked a little too happily, brows mended to express his confusion. 

Your mouth dried. What were you supposed to say? I just think Valentine’s Day brings perpetual doom?  

You chewed on your bottom lip before releasing a small sigh. “I just wasn’t interested anymore,” you told him truthfully, resting your back on the front side of your chair comfortably.  

“Why? You said he was nice and you had a lot in common?” Oscar reminded, now fully ignoring the cricket highlights.  

You hated the small lump in your throat, a reminder of how much you hated when Oscar was invested in your love life. It was like he wanted you to date anyone but him. And it sucked.  

“Yeah,” you agreed, “But he’s not...” 

“He’s not...?” Oscar repeated. 

He’s not you. That’s what you wanted to say.  

Instead, you looked at him silently, taking in how intently he was listening to you. It made your heart flutter with a warmness and constrict with a sadness simultaneously. He cared for you. Just not in the way you wanted.   

Oscar took your silence as a sign of not wanting to speak about it anymore. He sighed, sitting back into the couch. “Well, whatever. His loss. I’m glad you didn’t go.” 

And there it was again. Oscar was always going around saying things that made you think and feel otherwise. He was glad? That on the loneliest day of the year, you were here alone, baking with your best friend which you also happened to be a little in love with? 

"Oscar, why are you even here?” You asked, exasperation heavy in your voice as you looked at him tired eyes.  

Oscar furrowed his brows, leaning up at your tone. “What do you mean?”  

His tone wasn’t angry or humorous. It sounded like genuine confusion and that only irritated you that bit more.  

“I mean here. In my apartment on Valentine’s Day?” You stressed. “I mean, has it ever occurred to you that we’ve spent more Valentine’s Days together than actually being with the people we’ve dated?” 

Oscar pursed his lips together, mulling over your words. You were right. He couldn’t count the amount of Valentine’s or any other holiday he had spent with you on both hands let alone one. “What are you trying to say? You don’t like it?” 

Yes. In fact, you hated it. Every year, it always meant it was another day you spent being just friends with him. 

You let your head fall back onto the cushion of the couch. You stared hard at the ceiling, growing uncomfortable with the silence with every passing second. “I hate this,” you admitted after some time.  

“Hate what?” Oscar asked with a frown making its way onto his face. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear what he was about to hear. 

You swallowed hard. “I hate that I like you. A lot. I hate that I have to pretend not to like you every day.” 

The silence only grew louder and it was almost deafening. You felt sick. You regretted saying anything at all.  

“Same.” 

“What?” You jerked your head to Oscar with an incredulous expression and kneaded brows. “What type of shitty response is that?” 

Oscar looked at you with a flabbergasted look. “I...I–I feel the same way.” 

You blinked blankly at him, making him sigh. He stood up from the couch, taking a seat next to you on the floor.  

The hard yet soft look of Oscar’s puppy brown eyes made you want to look away and yet you found yourself staring back. He called your name softly, grabbing your hand gently with his. “I like you. More than you could ever imagine. I always just thought it would be stupid to risk our friendship so I tried pretending not to like you. That didn’t work. I actually think it made me fall in love with you. A little bit... or a lot.” 

You weren't quite sure how to respond. You seemed to have lost the ability to speak. All you could think about was how flushed and sweaty you felt... and that Oscar freaking Piastri was in love with you. 

“Can I kiss you?” Oscar murmured, leaning in ever so slowly.  

You nodded silently, not trusting yourself to speak yet again.  

You could feel his lips press against yours and God were they soft. You had thought about it more times than you probably should’ve. But the real thing was so much better. 

You moved your lips, returning his kiss as his hands travelled up your jaw to your cheek. Fire. Your skin was on fire. You were melting into his grasp upon the feel of his touch. And yet, goosebumps littered every inch of your skin, making you shudder.  

Hesitantly and unwillingly, you pulled apart from each other, letting your foreheads rest on each other. Your cheeks burned as you looked at Oscar, eyes flickering to each freckle before resting on the green in his eyes. “Osc,” you whispered.  

“Mmm?” He queried, playing with your hands softly as he watched you process everything.  

You planted a brief kiss to the corner of his lips. “I love you too.” 

Oscar smiled widely, shoulders falling as though all the weight on them had been relieved. “I’m glad,” he commented.  

“Sorry for being an asshole,” you mumbled sheepishly, a wave of embarrassment travelling over your body. You found it hard to believe you were even annoyed a couple minutes ago. 

He laughed softly, shaking his head. “It’s okay.” 

"I mean... for the record, I definitely wasn’t folding the batter,” Oscar admitted.  

“Ha! I knew it!” You exclaimed, hitting him lightly on the arm. “You mix like Basil digging up dirt.” 

Oscar’s small smile turned into a dramatic gasp. Preparing himself to attack you, he jokingly warned you, “Take that back.” 

Timed perfectly, you heard the timer on your phone ring throughout your apartment. The smell of chocolate muffins wafted in the air. You stood up from the floor and turned to Oscar with a wide grin. “Ready to decorate?” 

“As long as you let me decorate one cupcake,” he bargained, looking up at you as he held his hand out.  

You smiled, clasping his hand to pull him up. “Deal.” 

© 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑 

[oh-my-damn]

Don't mind me. Just a quick thought I had while watching this video over, and over, and over again.

"Bucky..."

You sigh out the word more than anything, your tone laced with the desire you feel inside.

When your boyfriend told you he got a new uniform because of this "new team" he had found himself a part of, you were not expecting this.

Granted, you haven't exactly hated any uniform he's ever worn. In fact, most of them had looked.. Well, unbelievably good on him.

To be fair, though, perhaps you were biased. More than once, your friends had commented on the fact that your.. infatuation, with your own boyfriend, was less than ideal. Particularly due to the fact that you had a hard time staying away from him for too long, and that he seemed to have the same affliction.

Nonetheless, you've handled everything in stride, if you do say so yourself. Seeing the pictures of him in the 40's? Absolutely devastating, and yet you managed to restrain yourself. The few pictures of him caught while he was The Winter Soldier? While he looked jawdroppingly good, you were able to fight through it by reminding yourself of how painful that part of his life was to him.

The stuff you found on the news regarding that whole T'Chaka/Tony business, however... Those were harder to ignore. You've been upfront with him about that, too. Told him that it affected you, and Bucky did you a hell of a favor when he let you permanently borrow the red henley he used to wear a lot during that time of his life.

But this?

This was unprecedented.

Bucky had told you he was going to a fitting. He had, indeed, informed you that he would be getting a new uniform, one that would make him look more "like a teamplayer."

But then again, your boyfriend was absolutely unpredictable, so you really hadn't been expecting much.

Seeing him walk in with a new hairstyle and a perfectly fitted Avengers uniform was certainly not anything you'd been prepared for.

Which meant you were now in trouble.

Because Bucky is currently looking at you expectantly, waiting for you to express your opinion.

And how does one really express their opinion appropriately, upon seeing something like that?

You know exactly how you would like to express it...

However, the fact that all of his new teammates walked in with him, is kind of putting a damper on things.

How does one jump their boyfriend's bones, while staying polite and professional?

The answer is.. You don't.

"Everyone out."

Yelena raises a brow at your statement, the others quick to follow suit, while Bucky's brows furrows in question.

"Doll? What's wrong?"

Your eyes stay locked on your boyfriends, the steel blue of them sending a shiver down your spine. You take a step toward him, your eyes quickly meeting Yelena's for a knowing glance before they're back at him as you repeat, "Everyone. Out."

It takes less than thirty seconds for all of them to be out of the room.

You and Bucky watch each other for another few seconds before you finally say, "What the hell are you waiting for, Barnes? Don't act like you didn't already know that I would want to jump you the fucking second I saw you looking like that."

It takes him what feels like less than a second before he grabs you, holding you close while his lips slant over yours in a searing kiss.

[seriouslygoodomens]

Alright I'm back. Bare with me please.

We NEEEED to be talking about this.

When Aziraphale and Crowley have their first big on screen fight/break up(how ever you want to view it) we see Crowley start yelling about how he hates the "great plan" and Aziraphale goes on to say "may he be forgiven" this leads on to Crowley having a bit of a sad rant as below, even going as far as saying "i will never be forgiven, not ever. Remember, this is the Crowley that said "I didn't even mean to fall, I just hung around the wrong people"

Now what I want to add to this is how absolutely devastated Crowley sounds after this fight and how absolutely torn Aziraphale looks.

(Excuse my poor video, I couldn't find the scene online)

My rant doesn't stop there, no, no. I have more!

The ONE thing Crowley plays into is the "I'm a demon I'm not nice or worthy of forgiveness." And I think Aziraphale is aware of that.

1. He never gets mad when Crowley pulls the "I'm not nice" cranky pants act

2. He didn't even flinch when Crowley shoved him against the wall in the first seasons(but that could be for different reasons 😉)

3. He never, assumes Crowley is behind the wrong doing until Crowley says something dumb like "I got a commendation" regarding the French head cutting. He has learned over the years that what Crowley makes "evil" is usually not something truly bad like the whole bullets instead of paint but no one actually got hurt.

Aziraphale loves Crowley so much but he can't say it because they are always being watched. So you know what he uses instead? I FORGIVE YOU. We see it twice in the series. Aziraphale understand that Crowley thinks he will never be forgiven and that being a demon, he isn't worthy of anyone's forgiveness. So Aziraphale makes sure Crowley knows rhat he is worthy and that he cares so much about Crowley that even God herself won't forgive him, at least Aziraphale has. Aziraphale uses it as his I love you because in a way, it means so much more to them.

Here is the first "I forgive you"

Crowley is pouring his heart out trying to protect Aziraphale and get him to run away with him. He even tells Aziraphale how clever he is, granted he also called him stupid. This is another moment where Crowley is really trying to explain to Az how much he cares about him. Yes there is a LOT of miscommunication here because Aziraphale doesn't want to leave earth. He wants Crowley but he doesn't want to leave. He wants to fight for what is right. Crowley just wants to protect Azirphale and himself. He wants them to have peace together. The do argue and you can see Az is hurt again but instead of breaking things off like earlier, he says "I forgive you" which we can all agree doesn't just mean he forgives Crowley for being rude, he is forgiving so much

. The rude comments

. Lack of trust

. Showing he is worth forgiveness even with such a rushed apology.

Crowley could have left! By all means he should have but he could not abandon his Angel. There is nothing Crowley fears more than losing his Angel. He knew hell was coming for him, he knew they would destroy him for such a huge mistake but he stayed because his Angel is worth risking his life for. His Angel who forgives him time and time again for having to be a "demon" and put on the act. The Angel that has been by his side for thousands of years, just them against all else. Of course he stayed, and do we blame him?

Now let's move onto the second "I forgive you" scene and boy, there is a LOOOOOT to unpack there.

I'm not going into the last 15 because there is SOOO many posts that accurately portray the meaning behind BOTH of their song and dance. Especially Aziraphale's side. So I'm just going to cover that last scene in the shop together.

. Aziraphale knows they are being watched, just like season 1 all over again. The threat is much great this time, though, it's the actual Metatron

. When he first came into the shop, he KNEW what Crowley was going to say by the first words and Az even said "I know we ought be talking about..." he then looked outside and the scene continued. The whole time he keeps glancing outside!!

. When Crowley kisses him, you see Az lose himself in it. He leans in and holds him, ever so briefly before remembering they are being watched. The kiss is all they have ever wanted but it's the wrong time as they are being watched. Just watch him grab his back and straighten slightly

. The first place Az looks after the kiss is outside to the Metabastard. Crowley never once follows his eyes though, would it have been different if he did?

. That man is broken! He loves Crowley beyond words, beyond books and would risk everything for him, that's what he is doing to protect him right now in this scene. As stated in one of the flash backs in season one "I can't have you risking your life, not even for something dangerous" which means Crowleys life is more important to him than getting into trouble with the other angels.

. If your volume is up super high(we had a loud thunderstorm) you will hear "I..... Lo..... I forgive you" now you might think I'm hearing things but I'm not. If you slow the scene down and watch Aziraphale's mouth and tongue placement he IS saying the letter L not F. He couldn't possibly say I love you infront of metatron though, could you imagine what would happen? So he says I forgive you. It's the only way he could safely say "I Love You" without making the whole thing with Metadickhead worse.

. He grabs his lip and presses into it replicating the kiss! This doesn't add much to my rant, just thought it was super cute because it shows how much he enjoyed it and knows that he won't feel that again for a very long time, if ever.

[themultifandomgal]

From 2010- The Late Late Show Clips

Part 52

2015

The video starts with James Corden in front of the camera at a basketball court. His hand on his hips with a sweatband on his head

“Today is the combination of a life’s dream”

The clip then cuts to Harry

“It definitely feels like the last erm five years being in this band was preparation for this game”

“The best way to practice dodgeball” James is stood talking with the boys and YN around him with a pile of dodgeball balls in the middle of them “is to practice without a dodgeball” Niall passes a pretend ball to James while Louis and Liam get ready for the imaginary ball to go to them. Harry and YN stand off to the side with arms crossed with raised eyebrows.

The next clip shows Niall

“The singing thing just happened I never planned a career in singing. It was always about dodgeball for me”

“We got a great coach and great team captain and an amazing support system” the camera shows YN holding pom-poms jumping up and down “we wouldn’t be here without her”

“When I was asked to join the team I was a little shocked, but then I was just told to stand on the side and cheer I thought why not. Singing was never really a passion of mine, it’s not my long term goal. I’ve always wanted to cheer on a dodgeball team”

The next clip shows the boys doing sit ups and YN running over to Harry to put his hair in a bobble

“I’m absolutely dodgeball obsessed and yeah I’ve always lived and breathed dodgeball it’s just such a big part of me” Louis says to the camera

“Have you ever played dodgeball before?”

“No never”

The rest of the video shows the boys playing dodgeball against a group of girls and YN having an issue with their male cheerleader. Unfortunately Cordens Angels loose the game, and the boys and YN looks devastated.

Comments:

YN just cheering the boys is priceless!

I love how serious they took this

I love how YN and the other cheerleader had beef

“Now we’re about to play what is probably the craziest game we’ve ever had on our show. It’s a game that I’m already regretting thinking of. It’s time for tattoo roulette with One Direction. Ok here’s how it works. On this table we have 6 boxes. In 5 of them is the word safe. Inside one of them is the word tattoo. Each of us will chose a box and if the box says tattoo in it they will get a tattoo right here right now live on the show. If it’s one of the boys or YN they will get Late Late tattooed on them and if it’s me I will have 1D tattooed on me” YNs face lights looking giddy with excitement

“I think we should go ladies first” Louis says looking at YN who’s stood next to Niall

“Me to. Niall” YN presents the boxes making everyone laugh

“Niall your the only member who doesn’t have any tattoos so are you going first?”

“Yeah”

“Oh my god he’s shaking” YN gasps

“Niall off you go” Niall goes to the boxes and chooses a box “ok YN your next” Harry goes to help YN down the stairs in her heals, but she effortlessly walks down without any help. Many years of practice under her belt

“I’m just going to pick this one” she shrugs taking a box

“I hate how calm you are” Niall says to YN who brings the box over to where he’s standing

“It’s fine I’ve been meaning to book a new tattoo in”

“Harold. How are you feeling about this?”

“I’m fine” Harry is next to chose a box, then Louis and finally Liam.

YN and the boys are stood in a line with their boxes

“I feel like I’m on deal or no deal” YN comments

“Now you’re a professional tattoo artist. Your good at this”

“I’m alright” the tattoo artist shrugs

“Can you do removals?” James says

“I’m a bit hurt James that you don’t want 1D permanently on your body. Plus removals hurt more than the tattoo so I’d just keep with the tattoo”

“Not helping YN” Niall nudges his friend

“Alright Liam you go first” Liam lifts up the lid which says safe. Louis is also safe. James is next and he’s safe. Harry quickly swaps his box and YNs box around

“Oi”

“I just have a feeling YN” Harry says

“Ok will YN you go next” she lets out a big sigh, then opens the lid revealing the words safe. All that’s left is Harry and Niall. Niall looks like he’s about to throw up Harry opens the his box and it says tattoo causing Niall to jump up and down with glee

“Harry styles is getting a tattoo!” James smiles

Comments:

The fact Harry swapped his and YNs box because he had a feeling

Niall just thinking thank god it’s not him!

I’m going to miss them!

“Hey mate it’s me. I’m in a real bind traffic wise I know your in town is there anyway you can help me?” James starts the video clip with him on the phone sat behind the drivers wheel of the car. Niall then opens the door and sits in the passenger seat “hey man thanks for this” Louis Harry and Liam then join in the back “well since your all here where’s YN?”

“Here” YN pops her head up from the floor

“Where did you come from. No scratch that how did you get in here?”

“I have my ways. Now where am I sitting?”

“Here” Harry pats his and Liams knees. YN gets up and sits half on Harry and half on Liam

“Ok fair enough. If anyone needs a wee”

“I need a wee” Harry raises his hand

“Hold it. Now are you ok if we listen to some music?”

“Yeah course” what makes you beautiful starts playing. They all sing the song, Harry every now and then singing to YN.

“Blimey you’ve got a boney ass YN” Harry laughs with an arm around her waist making sure she’s safe

“Is it scary having people find out where you are, where you live”

“It can do when they are outside your house. I’m living alone at the moment so it’s scary when people are ringing your doorbell”

“That’s why she’s got Cookie. Scare them off” Niall jokes

“Worst she will do is lick someone to death” YN laughs. Story of my life then plays. YN tries her best to sing but her part of the song is sung by Harry

“Let’s do a band harmony. I’ll kick it off and you follow”

“I’ll do the highest note” YN says goes into a whistle tone as they all harmonise. The next song plays, the best song ever, Harry and YN sing the adlibs. When James does a high note after YN everyone looks shocked

“Ok YN how do I like keep that high note for long”

“Lots of practice and drinking hot Lemmon and honey water”

“I think you need to rethink the hiatus. This just feels right. So YN don’t go on tour with Justin. Just release more music. I just think this is whats best”

“Oh James” YN pats James on the shoulder

“Do you know the game sleep marry cruise”

“I love this game” YN claps

“YN. Your three are. Justin, Harry and Chris Hemsworth”

“Oh god errrm” YN awkwardly laughs “I think if I sleep with Chris things would be awkward so cruise Chris. Sleep Justin and marry Harry, he’s a good cook”

“Thanks for helping me get to work guys. I love you all”

Comments:

Harry singing ‘don’t need makeup to cover up’ to YN just makes me sad they aren’t actually dating!

Haha YN stealing Harry’s drink and him just letting her as if this is just normal!

YN actually looked so sad during story of my life. Liam and Louis just holding her hands breaks my heart

“marry Harry, he’s a good cook” hmmm sure…

[ka2ki2]

Chrysos Heirs

EDIT - NO LONGER ACCURATE IMO

-

people who play both hi3 and hsr are WINNING rn

anyway. i've determined likely flamechaser parallels for a majority of the chrysos heirs. most of them do not actually look like their flamechaser counterparts, which makes me think they're not direct expies but merely parallels.

I also sprinkled some minor analysis of what little lore we have on these guys. Amphoreus is massively inspired by greek mythology.

watch this before reading!

Aglaea = Eden (both associated with gold)

Eden owned the Elysian Realm previously, but at that time it was called the Golden Courtyard

Eden is also called the Bearer of the Gold Signet

Aglaea is called the Goldweaver

You're not going to believe this-- Aglaea is named after the Charis called Aglaea.

The mythological Aglaea basically runs errands for Aphrodite, which would explain why HSR Aglaea bears the Coreflame of Romance.

HSR Aglaea is from the city of Okhema. In greek thought (plato I think?), Okhema is an intermediary between the body and the soul. I did as much research as I could and the best I could figure out is "it carries the soul through rebirth". SORRY IF THAT'S WRONG-

HSR Aglaea has the "divine authority of mnestia". After lots of research, I think mnestia can be loosely translated to Remembrance, so perhaps that's the Amphorean way of saying she's a pathstrider of Remembrance?

Aglaea's drip marketing references the myth of Prometheus, where Prometheus stole fire from the gods and returned/gave it to humanity.

Tribbie = Vill-V (multiple 'selves') [edit: i now think it's mobius]

Tribbie is called the "three-faced messenger"

We see Tribbie adopt multiple personas in the video. She can even take multiple forms at once

Vill-V has partitioned her personality into 8 different segments

EDIT, it's probably mobius. mobius has the signet of infinity; tribbie's divine authority is the gate of infinity

tribbie is from Janusopolis and her divine authority is also called Janus, which is absolutely perfect for someone connected to messengers/passage. Janus is the roman god of beginnings, endings, transitions, doorways, etc.

Anaxa = Su (both associated with knowledge/enlightenment)

Anaxa is said to have "enough knowledge to refute faith, and to stir up a torrent capable of slaying gods."

Su is called the Enlightened of Bodhi, Enlightened One, and other similar titles.

These two have lots of physical similarity

Anaxa's namesake has some interesting connections with Nous actually

Hyacine = Griseo (both Asleep)

In the video, when Hyacine is on-screen it says "let the sky become the slumbering cot from which she wakes".

Due to the 8th Honkai Eruption, Griseo fell into a deep sleep.

Could be named after Hyacinthus

Mydei = Kalpas (fire in battle)

In the video, Mydei is seen in a post-battle poise surrounded by fire.

Kalpas is constantly surrounded by fire during battle.

Both characters constantly seek out fighting/strife.

Mydei is likely related to the greek god Deimos

He is from the city Castrum Kremnos. Castrum = a fortified military base; Kremnos = a steep place or precipice. so picture a fort on a cliff ig

His divine authority is "Lance of Fury, Nikador". My thought is Nikador is related to Nike, goddess of victory?

One of the unnamed people has a mask too though, but these guys are too similar in aesthetic and personality

Cipher = Pardofelis (...come on.)

Cat girls.

Same eye and hair color

Castorice = Aponia? (butterfly theming)

Castorice is pictured with butterflies both in the video and in the twitter art. These butterflies look highly similar to the butterfly motif in Aponia's design

Aponia is very strongly associated with butterflies. Her dress is patterned like one and she has butterfly wings in her ult

Both seem to have devastating levels of power

IDK about the greek origins for this one. Castor? Kratos (who is actually a child of the Styx)?

Phainon = Kevin (deliverance)

Yeah they're both related to deliverance. They literally outright said deliverance in the video, and Kevin bears the Deliverance Signet.

Also they look EXACTLY THE SAME

Also both seem to be the 'leader'

In mythology, Phainon is the star of Cronus/Saturn (cuz they thought saturn was a star)

Cyrene = Elysia (...COME ON.)

They look identical and have almost the exact same personality

i have yet to figure out the two unnamed ones, Hysilens, and Cerydra. nor can i find their name origins... the closest i found, after ages of digging, is this for Hysilens

the remaining flame-chasers are Kosma, Sakura, Fu Hua, and Mobius. only one of the unknown people seems to be male ("unknown 2"), so that one's probably Kosma.

And yeah that's the culmination of me losing my mind for the past 6 hours. lucky you, you didn't have to watch me try and fail to decipher what the 12 titans might be connected to. (greek titans, 12 olympians, and HSR aeons all didn't line up easily waaaaaa)

here's the failed attempt to figure out the aeons if anyone else gets ideas from this

OK thanks for reading. normally I post my loredumps in discord servers with my friends. this is my first time posting it anywhere abfiushdliueh

EDIT: after recent drip marketing, it's clear that tribbie is actually connected to mobius. as mobius has the signet of infinity, and tribbie's divine authority is called "janus, gate of infinity".

I also added a small amount of info to both tribbie and mydei about their greek/roman inspos

[thoughtfulfiction]

Hot in Herre

Author’s note: Here we are, I’ve been bitten by the Joe bug. My first Burrow fic and my first time in a LONG time not writing Justin so here we go!

“Oh baby, there’s absolutely no way you’re getting out of this. A bet is a bet remember?”

If looks could kill, you’d be long gone by the death glare that you’re met with. “This isn’t fair. How in the world did you eat that entire plate without reaching for your drink once? Monster.” He thinks his nose may be running and his lips are on fire but you seem to be relaxed and carefree sitting across from him on the couch. You pat him on the leg as a sign of pity, which you know he hates. You’re just celebrating your win appropriately, silently rubbing it in his face. You know it’d be much worse if the roles were reversed so you don’t feel as bad.

He carefully moves his leg out of your reach, crossing his arms over his chest and continuing his mini temper tantrum, all because of one little challenge that he didn’t win.

You scoot closer to him, grabbing his hand, “now Joseph, don’t be a sore loser.”

“Have you ever met me?” He cracks a smile, no matter how badly he doesn’t want to. You making small circles on his hand with your thumb almost always makes him melt, like putty in your hands, just for a second until he remembers his devastating loss. “Be honest with me,” he narrows his eyes, “how did you do it?”

Leaning in without breaking eye contact you whisper, “I will never reveal my secrets. And I’ll be making a reservation for two on Friday night so I expect you to be ready.” With a swift kiss on the cheek, you leave him stuck in his seat.

The day started out as any normal bye week Wednesday, Joe got up early to get a workout in, his body fully recovered from the recent beatings he’d taken during games, and spent most of the afternoon mulling over ever life choice he’s ever made on the couch or in his office. You could practically hears the gears turning in his brain, pondering the different scenarios that needed to happen in order for the Bengals to scratch and claw their way into the playoffs.

Of course you wanted to be a positive and supportive partner, a shoulder to cry on when needed and someone to bounce ideas off of, but the fact of the matter was that this may be a long shot and the season looked more over by the minute. Not that you would ever say that out loud. So instead, you suggested a little game for dinner, Joe’s second of the night and your first and only. Most of the time his eating schedule was hard to keep up with.

You knew that he loved spicy food and his chef just had some Carolina Reapers delivered, some of the hottest peppers he could find. Desperately trying to get him out of his head, you made two noodle dishes with the peppers, stating that the first person to take a drink loses. If he won, he’d get three uninterrupted video game nights a week whenever he wanted for a month. And if you won? A karaoke date.

Which led you to today and would explain Joe’s visceral reaction at the thought of singing. Or having any fun during a very NOT fun time in his life. Alas, you were determined to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Hopefully.

As much as Joe dreaded it, Friday came and it was time to go. He watched somewhat happily as you bounded down the stairs, snatching the keys on the counter and asking him if he was ready to leave. You could tell he wanted to ask you why he couldn’t drive, but he swallowed his pride and let himself be the passenger prince for once. This week was meant for relaxation, letting his hair down and stepping away from the disappointment of the team underperforming based on his and the entire NFL world’s expectations. The more time passed, the more people were starting to believe that maybe their best days were behind them. That 2021 playoff run was in the rear view mirror and the possibility of getting back to that caliber looked near impossible.

You spent the entire drive thinking about how the weight of it all was clearly weighing on him and you just wanted to help him lighten that load by doing something you both considered silly and meaningless. Joe’s unwavering focus and need for a routine during the season was impressive and admirable, but you needed to let him know this week that life was still full of little pleasures. You hoped that day would serve to remind him of that.

The two of you walked into the dimly lit room, ushered through the back where your private karaoke space awaited. Neon lights adorned the place and made you feel like you were in some coming of age film, except you already had the guy you wanted.

“This place is huge,” your boyfriend notes, looking around suspiciously. “It’s just gonna be the two of us, right? Because I’m not singing for an audience.”

“You play in front of 65,000 people at home games but THIS is where you draw the line?” You laugh.

He shrugs his shoulders, taking a seat on the leather couch with a water bottle firmly in hand. “That’s different, I spend all week getting prepared, studying my opponent, going to practice. It’s just football. This is…not my area of expertise.”

“I don’t want you to be perfect, I want you to have fun.” Joe sighs at your words, glancing towards you slightly in awe as you mindlessly look through the song selection. You set your sights on the perfect song, gently grabbing the mic and getting yourself mentally prepared.

Joe playfully rolls his eyes at you tiny imitation of him meditating and getting in the zone before a game. “You ready?” He asks.

After a firm nod, you hear the music play, Chandelier by Sia blasting on the speakers. Joe had heard your rendition of the song in the shower on many occasions, but now he’d be listening to you on the big stage.

You loved having his full attention for a few hours, the way his icy blue eyes looked softer in this light, the way the smile reached his eyes when you sang a note a little off key and kept going…you might have even started singing a little louder to really drive the performance home. He gave you a standing ovation when you were done shaking his head as he laughed, the previous tension in his shoulders had disappeared and you were grateful because it was there so frequently you thought it had become permanent and he’d never relax again. But there he was, bright eyed and highly amused at your conviction in committing to the bit and your ability to never take yourself too seriously. It was one of his favorite things about you, the confidence you had in yourself and your ability to make those around you at ease. And he felt bad for not telling you enough how much that really meant to him. The least he could do now was give you the performance of a lifetime.

“Alright,” he sighs walking closer to you, grabbing the purple mic off the rack, “watch and learn.”

“Oh? The reluctant student has become the master. I like where this is going.” A subtle hint of his cocky demeanor sends shivers down your spine, and you try your best to ignore whatever is going on between your legs.

Even if you did try to tell anyone tonight happened, they wouldn’t believe you. There’s no way on earth that Joe Burrow actually got up and sang the entirety of Hot in Herre by Nelly without missing a single word. No chance. And yet…here you were witnessing a moment in history that fascinated and mesmerized you so much that you didn’t even reach for your phone to record it. Living in the moment, enjoying the feeling of his hands on you waist, pulling you in so that your bodies were close enough to use the same mic while you did the ad-libs was everything you could’ve asked for, and more, out of this karaoke date night.

When the music stopped playing, you were too gobsmacked to even laugh let alone form a coherent thought. “Where the hell did that come from?”

He’s always keeping you on your toes, that’s for sure, but this came out of left field. Way left.

“I don’t know,” he laughs, parking himself next to you running his fingers through his barely there blond tips. “Saw you have fun with it and I just thought, why not do the same?”

“Well I’m very impressed. And I think we should do another song.”

So you did, for the next hour. Kid Cudi was on the Setlist of course, a little Beyoncé thrown in there and by the end of your reserved time neither of you could remember the last time you’d laughed as hard or as often during football season. All of that just reenforced the fact that he really needed tonight.

You let Joe drive the two of you home, feeling him pause before pulling out of the parking lot.

“What’s on your mind?” Your voice was gentle, soothing him and making seemingly all of his problems vanish into the night.

He grabs your hand over the center console, looking over with so much love in his eyes. “I just wanted to thank you. For today. For—for everyday. I know this isn’t the most fun time and I haven’t been the easiest or most fun to be around but, you’re always here for me and I appreciate that more than I can say out loud. So this is me…trying to be better.”

“Honey, I am so proud of you. Just couldn’t keep sitting there, letting you blame yourself for everything that’s going wrong. You deserve the world and I can’t give you that but I can give you goofy little date nights. I hope that’s enough.”

The quarterback smiles, letting one hand rest on your cheek, “it’s more than enough. I just wish I could do more for the team you know? I don’t play defense but maybe I’m not leading them enough or motivating guys to be at their best?”

“No, stop. A year ago you were about to have season ending wrist surgery that no quarterback has ever gone through before. Now you’re statistically the best quarterback in the league and you’re playing the best you’ve ever played in your entire life. I know you’re not happy with where the team is at but you should be over the moon about how far you’ve come and how far you can go. I’ll be with you every step of the way, you know that.”

You can tell he’s about to open his mouth to downplay your words so you continue before he can put a stop to it. “If your performance post injury isn’t enough of an example or enough of a motivation tactic then that’s on them. You are putting your best foot forward daily and if they aren’t matching that energy then things need to change. Things that don’t include you. I may be biased but I think you’re perfect,” you give him a peck on the lips, feeling the smile on the corner of his mouth beginning to form.

He put the car in the drive, shaking his head. “You’re just saying that because I sang Nelly for you.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. I’m just very glad I won the bet.”

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Part one

Previously; You heard Eddie say that you weren't his type, you're devastated and decide to distance yourself, Eddie notices this and realises how much he misses you...and how much he likes you 💞

Part two warnings, Eddie making a fool of himself, the boy has a serious crush. Mutual pining, idiots to lovers.

💞💌

Now that Eddie has noticed you, it's like he can't stop. He looks out for you in the hallways, secretly hoping that you'll talk to him like you used to.

"Dude, would you go and speak to her instead of gawking at her like an idiot" Gareth snaps, Eddie throws him a dark look and looks away from you.

You're chatting to Robin animatedly and you're just mesmerising. You never opened up like that around Eddie, he's worried he's unknowingly made you nervous around him.

Gareth mentioned about the crush you had on him, was that still the case? He's frustrated because he wants to talk to you, but he feels flustered and unsure what to say.

A rarity for him according to the rest of Hellfire. Assholes. They were right though, he could run his mouth about Jason and his band of buttheads, talk for hours about D&D and heavy metal.

But how is he feeling right now around you? Well this was different. He could be shy if he was attracted to someone but he always knew what to say, even if it was some inane babbling.

Around you though he drew a blank, babbled and blushed much to the rest of the gang's amusement. Fuck they would never let their fierce dungeon master forget that you turned him to absolute mush.

If he could have one proper conversation with you before the week is out then he would be a happy man.

Seeing you being so open around Steve doesn't help either, envy claws at his insides and he feels irrationality jealous of Steve Harrington.

Gareth takes pity on Eddie's failing to talk to you and mentions about the drawings you had done for Hellfire.

"She's really good dude, maybe you could start the conversation with that" this perks Eddie up and he decides to just go for it and speak to you.

He walks over to you as you're chatting to Robin as Eddie approaches you peer up at him and smile. "Oh hi Eddie"

"Uh, hi sweetheart, Gareth says you had some drawings for Hellfire. Would you like to show me them. If you want?" He asks you. Crosses his fingers behind his back.

To his delight you agree. "Sure, I was meant to show you a little while back but uh I was busy, I'd love to show you" he gestures to you to follow him and the two of you head to the drama room where Hellfire is hosted.

Carefully you lay out your drawings on the table, you feel like your whole body is buzzing with nerves as he leans over you to take a look. His fingers caress over the drawings and he lets out a soft gasp of surprise.

Your drawings are amazing and he tells you and you beam at him, pleased that he likes them. Eddie pauses as he shifts one of the pictures away and his eyes widen, "Is that me?" he takes in the photo and you move it away mortified.

The drawing was of Eddie as the Dungeon Master but exaggerated with certain D&D elements and bats that represented one of his tattoos.

"That's an incredible drawing sweetheart" you duck your head to avoid his gaze, that familiar shyness you feel around him, coming back tenfold.

"Thanks" you murmur and you swear your heart might beat out of its chest when he moves closer to you, his breath almost tickles your neck.

"Can I keep this?" He asks and you nod feeling delighted that he likes it so much. You're still confused why he's talking to you so intently and with interest now but you put it out of your mind.

Maybe the two of you could at least be friends? It might help you finally get over him. It wasn't a foolproof plan and you could end up falling even more for him but it was worth a shot.

...

To your surprise Eddie comes over to chat to you all week at school and in Family Video, sometimes you feel like he's making excuses just to talk to you. "Someone's got a crush" Robin teases and Steve doesn't look happy as you help Robin unpack new stock.

"Took him long enough to realise it" you shake your head and ignore the butterflies in your stomach at the thought of Eddie liking you. It couldn't be true though could it?

"He doesn't, he's just interested in my drawings" you explain and you feel the brief hope you had slipping away.

"Yeah...that's totally why he's staring at you like a lovesick puppy, your drawings" Robin subtly nods over to Eddie who nearly knocks several videos over when you catch his eye. There's a sweet goofy grin on his face and a pink tingle to his cheeks.

You had never seen Eddie blush before, he was usually so confident, the blush was endearing. Wait why was he blushing? Surely it couldn't be because of you could it?

No don't be silly. He likes Megan, you're not his type. "He doesn't have a crush on me" you shake your head refusing to believe it.

Robin brightens then gently nudges you to the front of the counter. "Well, he's coming this way, so..." You smile as Eddie walks over to you and is quiet for a few seconds before he blurts out the question he's been dying to speak to you in private.

Curious at what he's going to say, you decide to take your break a little early since the store is quiet for now, you follow him outside and can't help notice how jittery he is. Why was he nervous? Did you make him nervous? The thought was a tiny bit thrilling.

Eddie seems to be struggling with what to say, you wait patiently as he takes a deep breath then it all comes out in a mumbled rush.

"Sorry, what was that Eddie?" you move closer to him, confused at what he's saying, it was all jumbled and quiet. He flushes a little bit then steels himself instantly looking determined.

"Gareth said you had a crush on me and I'm wondering if that's still true?" He blurts out and you freeze. Ah shit.

"Does it matter? You don't like me that way, I'm not your type" you wince at the sadness that colours your tone.

"You're wrong" his voice turns impossibly soft and you stare at him puzzled. You heard him say that you weren't his type.

"I heard what you said to Gareth and you were hoping Megan noticed you" you point out to him, he blushes and nods, not denying it.

"Yeah I was a dumbass, when you weren't around I missed you like crazy and realised how much I really do like you and I'm not interested in Megan, not anymore" Unbelievable, you shake your head torn between amusement and being completely stunned.

"You sure do take your time Eddie Munson" you eventually reply to him and he gives you a heartmelting smile and on an impulse you kiss his cheek, then at that moment Steve yells that your break is almost done. Great, just great.

Picking up your bag, you wave goodbye to Eddie and rush to get back inside, Eddie touches his cheek where you kissed it and a big smile breaks across his face. He's dazed and happy for a few seconds, then he comes to. "Hey, princess. Will you let me take you on a date sometime?" He yells over to you.

You peer up at Eddie through your lashes, "Sure...definitely sometime" you smile at him then turn away, try to control the fact you want to squeal out loud. You're trying to act cool and nonchalant.

Eddie who has no compunction about expressing how he feels practically struts his way back to his van. You stifle a giggle and know the sometime date will be soon, very soon.

❤️🫶

[rdmasevi]

Ain’t My First Rodeo

Title: “Ain’t My First Rodeo”: Enhypen fanfiction

Pairing: Ni-ki x Reader Male ( Cowboy)

Genre: Romance | Comedy | Slice of Life | Slow Burn |

Warnings: None

Summary: Global K-pop group ENHYPEN attends a rodeo to support Ni-ki, who’s secretly obsessed with the star cowboy performer—you. The only problem? You have no clue who they are and couldn’t care less. But when a flustered, stammering Ni-ki approaches backstage, sparks fly—quietly, awkwardly, and with a whole lot of cowboy charm.

The sun had just dipped below the Texas horizon, casting golden hues across the open arena where the night’s rodeo was about to begin. The stands buzzed with chatter, boots thumped on wooden bleachers, and the smell of leather, dust, and funnel cake lingered in the air.

Among the crowd, a group of seven sat huddled near the front, sunglasses and caps pulled low despite the fading light.

ENHYPEN. Global sensations. Pop idols. Not exactly the usual rodeo crowd.

“Are we… really doing this?” Sunghoon whispered, eyeing the arena skeptically.

“Ni-ki wanted to come,” Heeseung said with a shrug. “We’ve been touring nonstop—figured he earned it.”

Jay leaned over. “You sure this isn’t just about that cowboy guy?”

“Shut up,” Ni-ki mumbled, pulling his hoodie lower.

Jake grinned. “You’ve been watching his videos on loop for days.”

“Shut up.”

The lights cut. A hush fell. Then the announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers:

“Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for tonight’s star performer—the one, the only—Maverick.”

The gate swung open. A dark horse bolted into the arena, and on its back sat a man in a weathered black Stetson, low over his eyes. Dressed in all black—snakeskin boots, silver-spurred heels, and a denim duster whipping in the wind—he was a walking Western fantasy.

You.

And you didn’t even flinch at the cheering crowd. Not when the horse kicked up dust, not when girls screamed your name, and certainly not when a global boyband watched from the stands.

You dismounted with practiced ease, swinging down in one fluid motion and tipping your hat to the announcer before walking past the bleachers. Your boots thudded heavy on the wooden ramp. ENHYPEN watched, stunned silent.

Well, except Ni-ki, whose breath hitched audibly when you glanced his way—brief, indifferent, and devastating.

Heeseung nudged him. “You okay?”

Ni-ki’s face turned crimson. “F-f-fine.”

The show continued. Lasso tricks. Bareback riding. Bull dodging. You owned every second like you were born in the dust and raised by thunder. And when it ended, you didn’t stay for autographs. You disappeared behind the gate like smoke—just a shadow in a ten-gallon hat.

But fate—or, more likely, a persistent Ni-ki—had other plans.

Backstage, Ni-ki found himself standing awkwardly near the horse stalls. The rest of the band watched from a distance, pretending to scroll their phones but absolutely eavesdropping.

You were brushing down your horse, sleeves rolled up, muscles tensed with every motion.

Ni-ki swallowed. “H-hey.”

You didn’t look up. “If you’re with the groupies, autograph table’s out front.”

“I’m not— I-I mean— I’m with ENHYPEN.”

This time, you turned. Slow. Measured. You looked him up and down, brow furrowed slightly like the name didn’t register.

“Never heard of it.”

Ni-ki blinked. “W-we’re a band. Um. Big in Korea. And… here. Maybe.”

You arched a brow. “That supposed to impress me?”

Ni-ki shook his head quickly, cheeks burning. “N-no! I—I just… I like your work. You’re… you’re really good. Like, really.”

You studied him, finally pausing with the brush. “You’re nervous.”

“I’m not— okay I am.”

You leaned against the stall gate, arms folded. “Don’t get a lotta pop stars out here. You gonna pass out, or you gonna say what you came to say?”

Ni-ki opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

You tilted your head. “Cute.”

He might’ve died right there if Jake hadn’t snorted behind a haystack. You flicked your eyes toward the noise, sighed, and gave Ni-ki the faintest hint of a smirk.

“Tell your boys they can stop spying. And if you wanna hang out with a cowboy, you’re gonna have to stop trippin’ over your own tongue.”

Ni-ki blinked. “You mean—hang out?”

“I mean I get off in ten. Stick around.”

You turned back to your horse like it was nothing.

But to Ni-ki, it was everything.

Back at the van, the rest of the members exploded.

“He talked to you?!”

“What did he say?”

“Did he touch you?”

Ni-ki just smiled—soft, dazed, floating.

“Guys,” he said, voice still trembling. “He called me cute.”

My main masterlist

[laplumasucia]

ravi headcanon time

- i’m a pansexual ravi truth

- ravi comes from a wealthy family (they could afford his hospital bills AND this man owns rental properties in Cali? thats generational wealth bby)

- ravi has 2+ siblings (buck’s not the first to yap at him, okay?)

- he has a good relationship with his parents (funny, relaxed father + stricter mum. he secretly loves her concern and advice and pestering)

- bobby tries to adopt him like buck (and eddie) and he’s like “hey cap, you’re a great guy and ily, but you kinda act like my dad” and bobby is like ???? bc he IS his dad and ravi brings up his bio father and how close they are and bobby can’t believe someone in the 118 actually has good parents. like wdym you are happy to go see your whole family ?????????

- ravi has a nonbinary partner. the 118 thinks he is poly bc he keeps saying “they” and shows photos of what seems like at least two people (a masc person and a femme one) but one day the team meets ravi’s person and ask abt the “others” uhhhhm no that’s a single genderfuck i fear

- ravi genuinely thought buck and eddie were together when he met them and he can’t figure out wtf their relationship is. divorced? and remarried? friends to lovers? idiot4idiot? queerplatonic?

- ravi doesn’t mind buck talking abt eddie its that just ravi is done with how little sense it all makes “so he went to texas with our son” “damn another divorce?” “no his wife died, they didn’t divorce” ??? “anyway, he’s the best father in the world” “go back his wife???” “yeah, she was killed in an accident years ago. remember that random lady he cheated with? they looked identical” “he cheated on you with his dead wife’s doppelgänger??!??” “no he cheated on his gf” “HE HAS A GF?!?” “well not anymore” like how can ravi make this make sense

- hen and ravi are secretly besties bc they both detect Bullshit everywhere.

- chimney gaslights ravi over everything. absolute bold faced lies. it makes understanding the 118 even harder.

- ravi didn’t know maddy was buck’s sister for years so now he doesn’t know if its gaslighting or true

- ravi and his partner have a cat who is their child. ravi loves that thing. his princess. they found it at a shelter and it was so fluffy and round. perfect.

- ravi has book smarts more than street smarts but doesn’t know it. can recall maths and literature from school but he will see his buddies going through ptsd and be like “weekly crash outs am i right?” then high fives them

- he texts all lowercase with ironic emojis and it confuses everyone but eddie who was a twitter girlie and has a son. buck pretends he understands but doesn’t

- chim and ravi love to match esp with sunglasses. even though chim gaslights ravi, that’s his little buddy. that’s his guy.

- ravi sends texts to the 118 family minus buddie abt buddie and they give neutral group reactions then all dm each other going crazy. the one person who remembers to dm ravi is karen.

- ravi babysits chris and denny once and is immediately initiated into a trio. like chris + buddie is family. henren + denny too. chris and denny are a cute duo. but The Trio. the boys are BACK. chris and denny have a chill new friend with a car, a steady income, and every video game ever. like yes game nights with mums/dads are epic but ravi doesn’t know not to let them say fuck.

-ravi is a little cutie pie princess. like yes he’s a big strong man but he is a sweatheart. not quite a himbo but definitely has his dumb blond moments. like yeah he will volunteer for terrorism bc those are his emotional support unhinged gay coworkers.

- ravi is a bobby lives truther. obviously bobby IS alive in my fanon but like ravi never believed he died he was like nah nah you guys are trusting the GOVERNMENT. not on my watch.

- going back to the lack of street smarts, sometimes he forgets his filter and will just speak his mind. he’s smart and perceptive so its usually accurate but he will spill devastating truths. he sees eddie back in LA and goes “thank god you’re here. buck rlly needs some dick” and eddie is like ??????? then maddie has the baby and ravi is like “thank god bobby didn’t die bc that baby is not a robert…. so what’s his name?” “kevin” “maybe robert isn’t such a bad idea”

okay that’s what i can think of for now. lmk your headcanons. obviously i’m right but like are YOU?

[heezqn]

pairing : non-idol!riki × f!reader

synopsis : you weren't looking for love- said it loud enough for your therapist, your neighbor, and the moon to hear. but nishimura riki didn't care. armed with heart-shaped eggs, cartoon ducks, and a truly unfair level of patience, he spent two years loving you anyway. now, you're faced with the terrifying question: what if you said yes? a chaotic, soft-hearted tale of commitment issues, snarky banter, and the boy who refused to walk away.

genre : friends to lovers, slice of life, fluff, humor, slight angst if you squint hard

warning : mild cursing, mentions of commitment issues, riki's too perfect

word count : 1.5k-ish

you were not looking for a boyfriend. you made that very, very clear. to yourself. to your therapist. even to your nosy neighbor.

your parents taught you love had limits. friendships taught you people leave. romantic partners asked, "what are we?" like your existence needed a label. eventually, you decided that if everyone wanted temporary, you'd give them nothing at all.

and then came nishimura riki.

bright-eyed. soft-spoken. annoyingly persistent.

you told him straight up the first week. "i have commitment issues and i cry when i see videos of puppies abandoned in cardboard boxes."

he blinked. "that just makes you human."

"no, it makes me clingy and dramatic."

"okay, clingy and dramatic human," he said, shrugging. "what's your favorite snack?"

you tried to ghost him after that. blocked him for a week.

he emailed you.

subject: URGENT

attachment: a cartoon duck holding out a heart that said, "plSsSs come back :("

you cursed the duck. you cursed him. you unblocked him.

and somehow, two years later, here he was.

still not your boyfriend.

still showing up.

still refusing to give up.

𔓘

"wake up, satan's least favorite child," riki said, yanking your blanket with absolutely no mercy.

you groaned and swatted blindly in his direction. "touch that blanket again and i will break your fingers with a spoon."

"it's sunday, y/n. you said you'd go on a walk with me today."

"that was before I remembered i don't care about cardio or you."

"that's so crazy, because just yesterday you literally made me a playlist titled 'songs i might let you marry me to.'"

"that playlist was for research purposes," you deadpanned, eyes still shut.

riki sighed dramatically and dropped onto the bed beside you. "you know, most people would be emotionally devastated after two years of getting rejected, insulted, and kicked out of beds."

"and yet you're still here," you replied, rolling to the edge of the bed and shoving him off without remorse.

a thump followed by a muffled "ow." then silence.

"…riki?" you asked, half-heartedly.

"…do you think my ancestors felt that kick?"

you snorted and hid your face under the pillow.

"i think i broke my soul though," he groaned.

"your soul broke the moment you fell in love with me," you replied flatly.

he laughed from the floor. "true. but at least your foot touched me. that's progress."

minutes passed. then came the scent. bacon. croissants. that cinnamon-honey thing he knew you loved. the devil was trying to bribe you again.

he returned with a tray, balancing it like he'd just opened a michelin-star restaurant.

"peace offering," he said, smiling way too innocently. "i even shaped your eggs like hearts."

"you manipulative bastard," you said, grabbing the fork.

"say it with love, at least," he replied, sitting at the edge of the bed like he wasn't the human form of a disney dog.

you took a bite. then another. then stared at the plate.

"… did you drug this? why does this taste like you sold your soul to make it?"

"i did only with love. that duck you hate? he's my dealer."

you glared. "i hate you."

"no, you don't."

"yes, i do."

"you adore me. it's written all over your face."

"my face says restraining order," you muttered, shoveling food into your mouth.

"but seriously why is this good? i've never seen you cooking before." you asked, genuinely offended.

"i watched like seven youtube tutorials last night."

"you have issues."

"you love me for them."

without thinking, you mumbled, "yeah, i love you."

silence. a pin could've dropped and you would've heard it. you blinked, frozen mid-chew.

riki stared at you like he just got punched by a rainbow. slowly, a grin crept onto his face. the stupid kind. the "you're mine" kind.

"excuse me?" he whispered.

your brain short-circuited. "i meant- i love food. i love this food. not you. the eggs. the eggs were hot. i mean- heart. SHAPED. SHAPED like hearts, not from the heart. SHIT."

"you love me." he stood up, slowly.

"riki, don't-"

too late. he tossed the tray aside (gently), scooped you up, and spun you like you were made of glitter and giggles.

"PUT ME DOWN YOU DAMN TWIG!"

"you LOVE me! two years of waiting and it was breakfast that did it! god bless croissants!" he sang, holding you in the air like you were simba. "you said it!"

"I TAKE IT BACK!"

"no refunds!"

you flailed, laughing and fighting and trying not to grin as big as he was.

when he finally set you down, you huffed and crossed your arms. "you're still not my boyfriend."

"not officially," he said, leaning down until your noses almost touched. "but i'll keep waiting. as long as it takes for you to be ready."

you stared into his eyes. god, you hated him. you hated that he loved you with no timelines. no expectations. no ultimatums.

you sighed, defeated. "fine. but if we do date, you're doing all the grocery shopping."

"i already do."

"and laundry."

"i color-code your socks."

you squinted. "and if i say i want to keep pretending we're not dating?"

he smiled. "then i'll keep pretending. as long as you let me love you anyway."

tou rolled your eyes, lips twitching.

"…fine. But if you send me that duck again, i'm blocking you."

"that duck is already our child. be respectful."

𔓘

it was a tuesday. a very tuesday tuesday. cloudy sky, unwashed hair, socks that didn't match. the kind of day that screamed mediocre. you were sitting cross-legged on the floor of your living room, surrounded by snack wrappers and the shame of four unanswered emails.

riki was on your couch, upside down, feet on the backrest, head hanging off the seat like he had no blood circulation to care about.

you tossed a chip at his face.

"do you ever sit like a normal person?"

"do you ever admit you're in love with me?" he countered, catching the chip in his mouth.

you flipped him off.

he grinned. "see? that's your love language. vulgarity and projectiles."

you tried not to laugh, but your smile betrayed you. it always did around him.

two years of you saying "we're just friends," while he made you soup when you were sick, sent good night memes, and remembered how you hated the sound of ticking clocks.

you were a walking contradiction. don't have to keep loving me, but please stay forever.

and he did.

you leaned your head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling.

"hey." riki's voice broke the silence. he was sitting upright now, way too serious for your comfort. "i need to ask you something."

your stomach flipped. "if it's about me finally watching that anime you like, the answer's still no."

"it's not that." he sat on the floor across from you, legs folded. his eyes met yours, soft and steady. "i want to ask you something important."

your throat tightened.

"like… emotionally important?" you asked, squinting. "because i thought we had an unspoken agreement where i avoid feelings and you pretend i'm not emotionally constipated."

he gave a half-smile. "i've been pretending for two years. can i have five minutes of honesty?"

"…only if you promise not to propose."

he laughed, eyes crinkling. "fine. no proposals. not yet."

you narrowed your eyes. "not yet?"

"y/n."

"what?" you snapped.

"will you officially be my girlfriend?”

you stared. he waited. you stared harder.

"…seriously?" you said, blinking. "after two years of me bullying you into submission, now you want to make it official?"

"you said you loved me."

"i was full and sleepy! i would've said i loved a tree stump!"

"but you meant it."

"…shut up."

he scooted closer. "i want you. all of you. the sarcasm, the panic, the weird fear of emotionally manipulative ducks-"

"trauma," you muttered.

"-and even the way you kick me off your bed. i love it. i love you. and if you're still not ready, i can wait. but i just had to ask."

you looked down at your matching pair of socks which probably would've not been so if riki had not color-coded them.

"…if i say yes," you started slowly, "do i get to keep pretending that you annoy me?"

"absolutely."

"and i don't have to do any couple-y stuff i'm not ready for?"

"you set the pace. i'll just be here. with duck memes and breakfast."

You exhaled. then, quietly, "okay. fine. boyfriend status granted. but don't get smug."

too late. he tackled you backward in a hug, squishing your cheeks.

"my girlfriend said what?" he whispered in your ear.

you groaned. "don't make it weird-"

"my GIRLFRIEND-"

"i will revoke it so fast."

he pulled back, hands raised in surrender but eyes sparkling.

"deal," he whispered. "now let me update your contact name. i'm thinking 'duck wife.'"

"i'm breaking up with you."

"no takesies backsies."

this is my first piece so pls let me know your thoughts

[haravath0t]

zayne x female!reader

synopsis: when the birthday surprise hits you first, then hits the birthday boy harder 

𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤: a frustrated reader, fluff, a comforting zayne 

“Regardless of past, present, and future,I will be with you forever.”

September 5 cannot come fast enough!

That was what you said a week ago. 

It is now September 4, and you cannot be even more anxious. 

Everyone in Zayne’s unit in Akso Hospital are in high spirits, the group chat going crazy about the party you all were about to hold for Zayne.

The venue, the catering, and the decorations for the surprise party were all now taken care of. Everyone in the “Party Planning Pros” group chat had been raving with excitement, already excited to check into the villa for the surprise party.

Except for you.

You had tasked yourself with overseeing the planning party, every box checked except for the one job you had left: the cake. You had sworn the package with the cake should have arrived yesterday afternoon, having waited all day for any notification, any call, any text. However, you were met with absolutely nothing. Even after that dinner with Zayne, you returned to your apartment complex without a box, the most important box of the year, you’d wager. Once more, you decide to check your push notifications, your call history, your texts, all to get radio silence. Only in this hour of desperation did you recall checking your email. 

Order #017492048: Your delivery has been delayed due unforeseen circumstances. Your delivery is to arrive 09/06. Please contact the seller for policies. 

You were unable to well that night. The morning was full of stress and anxiety, Zayne and you having agreed to head over to the villa at 4 PM. By 8 AM this morning, you immediately ran for the grocery store, grabbing something, anything, to make that cake. You had vowed to yourself that this cake will be special, just as special as the one you had ordered for delivery. You even found it in you to sacrifice a lunch break, wanting to make sure Zayne would have a cake to see when September 5 comes along. 

While your suitcase was packed for the trip a grand mess was made on your kitchen island, the once shiny granite now dulled by flour residue, butter left open to the air, boxes and containers left open. You were clad in an apron too, basically squatting deeply as you nervously watched the cake as the minutes tick by. You had hoped that the YouTube video you followed would at least bring about a decent vanilla cake, but the longer you watched the oven, the more your heart sank. 

Taking the trays out of the oven only reaffirmed your worries, the cake looking sunken in the middle. “Shit, shit, shit,” You muttered to yourself, having had no choice but to rub salt into the wound. With shaky hands, you tried your darndest, using the spatula to spread the dollop of frosting onto the sunken cake. “Oh, god, was I supposed to chill the cake?” You muttered to yourself in panic, only to be disturbed by the soft knock on the door. Zayne. “Oh god, no.” 

With sticky fingers, you tapped your phone screen to check the time, your eyes widening as you say “3:15 PM” boldly appear on your screen. You were like a deer caught in headlights, knowing you were unable to cover up what you did. 

“Who is it?” You called out, an attempt to buy time as you washed the frosting off of your hands. 

“You know who.” 

“No, I don’t! State your name and purpose! I’m a hunter, you know!”

“I am Doctor Zayne from Akso Hospital. There. I did what you asked. May you open the door for me? Please?” 

You found yourself at a state of defeat, devastated by the terrible progress that had been made towards a homemade cake. You trudged towards the door, being greeted with a Zayne whose eyes immediately darted to your own. In typical Zayne fashion, he was quick to note your disheveled state, the flour on your apron already giving him hints of your shenanigans. 

“Alright. What are you up to?” Zayne questioned, his own eyes narrowing slightly as he took the seconds to gain more information. You were dissected, your eyes seeming to bear guilt. If you didn’t look so somber, Zayne would have broken into a smile. Your shoulders slumped, ushering the young doctor into your apartment. You don’t dare say anything, your head bowed down in shame like a dog with its tail between its legs. Zayne was right behind you, his eyes wandering now to the messy kitchen.

The mess was the first thing Zayne noted, the counter full of open ingredients, the utensils unplugged and in need of being washed. The oven was unoccupied but the lights were on, some bowls were stacked in the sink. Zayne knew immediately at the sight alone what you were up to, and the man couldn’t help but feel his heart grow warm at the thought. 

“Oh,” Zayne sighed, looking down at your embarrassed features. “Hey, no it’s okay. You did so much work,” He whispered, taking this time to immediately wrap your body into his embrace. It felt warm, heartbreaking even, knowing that this man had continued to show you patience and comfort despite the mess you had made. You let yourself melt into his embrace, feeling the press of his lips against the top of your head. 

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Zayne muttered against your head.

“But I wanted to. It’s so rare that you get to celebrate. You always keep working and I thought,” You tried to reason, but you only stopped yourself. You simply sighed against his shirt, relishing in the warmth of his body and the cologne that seeped into your senses. 

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Zayne breathed, pulling himself away to look into your eyes. When your eyes met his, his lips curled up into a ghost of a smile, the man seeming much more relaxed knowing he can see your face. He was determined to make your spirits be uplifted, even by a little, by deciding to prove to you that your cake was edible, that it was not as bad as you strongly claimed it to be. 

Without a word, he strides to the island, seeing the cake that only had one thin layer of frosting. Needless to say it was cute, seeing the three layers of cake stacked on top of each other to make a cake stand at a decent height. No doubt you were going for a winter motif, seeing the decorations that were meant to adorn the pastry: snowflakes, edible silver glitter, a tiny paper snowman attached to a toothpick, even blue macarons. You watched nervously, but your eyes seemed to relax at the sight of his smile paired with a soft chuckle. No doubt he approved the effort at first glance, the positive first impression making you straighten yourself up. You looked with hope, watching as he dug for a fork to take a piece. His eyes met your own, bringing the piece of vanilla cake into his mouth. 

Zayne gently closed his lips around the fork before taking it out and setting it down, letting his sense of taste take over what type of compliments to send your way. However, the cake was moist, too moist. His mouth felt the supposed baked cake be a mix of crumbs and something that was more liquid than solid: the batter. His facial features fought to remain unchanged, yet the twitch of his right eye only gave him away better than his words possibly could. You couldn’t help but wince as Zayne swallowed that bite, wondering what he’d say next. If there was a man that could hurt with honesty, it was Dr. Zayne. 

“That was the best cake I’ve ever-” “You are a terrible liar, Doctor Zayne!” You countered back, not even letting the brunette finish that poor excuse of a compliment. You noted the way Zayne jumped slightly at the raising of your voice, almost looking unsure of how else to comfort you. 

“It’s vanilla.” “Oh, really? I thought it was red velvet.”

“I like the frosting.” 

“I bought the frosting.” 

“Oh.” 

Silence. 

“Well…”

You could see his insistence in giving you a compliment. Any compliment. However, it only becomes more harmful than beneficial. It’s enough to make you crack up, your shoulders shaking as you conceal your laughter. It was too funny to not laugh, seeing the tall doctor stand there uncharacteristically dumbfounded. Dr. Zayne, the very man who prides himself in research about congenital heart abnormalities, now stands there helplessly as he denied honesty in exchange for poor attempts at sympathy. 

“You’re laughing. I thought you’d be upset.” He blurted out, his hands laid awkwardly by his sides. 

“I don’t know how to feel,” You admitted between quiet chuckles, sighing as you took the steps to be in front of him once again. 

Zayne’s eyes softened at your honest answer, chuckling quietly along with you at the situation you both have found yourselves in. He couldn’t help but still marvel at the effort, knowing by the state of the apartment that you have rushed to put this together. You have been trying everything and anything to pry out answers from him about birthdays and gifts. No doubt that this was something you had looked forward to, that much was certain. Rather than feeling guilt about the labor you have subjected yourself to, he first felt gratitude. Gratitude from the very truth that was laid before his eyes, that there was in fact someone out there that cared for him deeply. So much that the very idea of celebrating him brought light to her eyes, brought about a sense of excitement that he was willing to be the source of. 

His hands gently come up to gently cup your cheeks, gently tilting your face up to you look up at him. The mere notion called you to provide him a better explanation of the underbaked cake. 

“I ordered you a cake. A good one, I will say,” You started, recalling the picture the seller sent you of the cake. “It had, like, winter motifs…and I just wanted to surprise you. It’s not coming on time so,” You paused, your shoulders slumping once again. “So I figured I could make a cake quick enough if I started early in the day. Before you picked me up, but now you’re here, so…” 

Zayne’s brows furrowed, his own attention focused on your words. They were laced with resignation in your tone, you frantic approach towards this underbaked cake something he was easily able to identify. Oh, if you knew he didn’t ask for much when it came to you. You had already done more than plenty when it came to his happiness, let alone during his birthday. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Zayne urged quietly, smiling softly down at you. “It’s just a cake. We can have many cakes, my birthday will not be the only reason to grab a cake. However, the person standing here in front of me, however,” He trailed off, his thumb gently stroking your cheek as his eyes trailed over your features. He can only feel a pang of affection, the mere thought of your being, your attention, your care, a list of endearing traits to describe you. Nothing compares. “The woman making the cake right now is quite priceless. Far more valuable than a cake, if it were up to me.” 

Immediately your heart panged at the tenderness that oozes from this man’s voice. His breath fanned against your skin, your eyes blink in an attempt to stop yourself from crying. The stress has gotten you this far, making you certain you have guided yourself to failure. However, he easily reminded you of just what kind of man he is, why he was so worth the hassle. The sincerity in his words was something that you can never doubt. You simply hummed in acknowledgement, finding yourself at a loss for words. 

“You’re too precious,” He whispered without a thought, his chuckle breathless as he took the time to relish the sight of your flour stained apron, the flustered look in your eyes. It all was meant to make him remember the best birthday he’s ever experienced. He hoped to be able to tell his parents of just what antics his woman brought herself into for his sake. Zayne’s smile was still intact even more so now that you seemed a bit better when all was said and done. “We should probably clean this mess up before we start heading to the villa, hm?” He suggested, snapping you out of your own thoughts.

“Right,” You concurred, feeling his hands let go of your face as you decided to immediately get to cleaning up. However, as you do so, his hand stops you, gently holding onto your forearm as your eyes met his own once again. “What?”

Before you knew it, a bright blue macaron was in your sights. Half of it had been bitten off by Zayne, the man’s head nodding slightly as the flavor burst in his mouth, the sweetness just right before swallowing his piece. Only then were you reminded of the pack of macarons that you bought meant for the cake. He then hands the other half to you, willing you to open your mouth.

“Hold on, we still have salvageable parts of the cake.”

[thirstkanaphan]

I knew as soon as those ZB1 clips hit the internet that there would be speculation, and of course atiny twt had something to say...

My list of who WOULD kiss:

Wooyoung x Yunho: two competitive and flirty men who would absolutely commit to the bit. San and Mingi off to the side, devastated. This moment would lead to civil war within the fandom.

Also, Wooyoung has something to prove after last time:

My list of who COULD kiss:

Hongjoong x Seonghwa: They'd get close, too close for comfort. Hongjoong has a crisis and makes it everyone's problem.

Wooyoung x San: San is ready to risk it all, but Wooyoung pulls another SexyBack and steps back right before the smooch, leaving San bewildered and sulking.

Yunho x Seonghwa: Seonghwa would be very game for this, and Yunho would cede control to his hyung and be very flustered when Seonghwa snaps the pepero with a wink and saunters away.

San x Mingi: I think Mingi gets a little too competitive and tries for it, but San can't bring himself to seal the deal.

San x Yeosang: We all know how this one goes down, except San swerves at the last minute to lay a big smooch on Yeosang's cheek, and Yeosang lets out a groan of resigned but amused displeasure.

Wooyoung x Yeosang: Similar scenario to above, except Yeosang "accidentally" knees Wooyoung in the balls.

Wooyoung x Hongjoong: ibid.

Mingi x Wooyoung: I think Mingi would patiently let Wooyoung do whatever he wants with that big goofy smile, but Wooyoung would have a moment of rare shyness and pull away before giggling and calling him "Mangi-ya!!"

Mingi x Jongho: Mingi expects Jongho to refuse, but Jongho will use this opportunity to absolutely wreck Mingi after he spends most of the video bragging about how he'll win the game.

Wooyoung x Seonghwa: Wooyoung would be an absolute troll to start, but then Seonghwa would pull the rug out from under him by making aggressive eye contact and completely breaking his composure.

Jongho x Yeosang: I think these two would actually get pretty far on the basis of their relative comfort with each other. They would also hold eye contact and give little smiles and it would become A Thing in the fandom.

My list of who WON'T kiss:

Yunho x Jongho: We have video evidence

Yunho x Mingi: I'm sorry, but we know it won't happen. Yunho wouldn't let it happen. Yunho would shut it down!! COWARD!!!

San x Seonghwa: For some reason I really don't seem them participating. They are too much like big/little brother for this game.

Wooyoung x Hongjoong: We get a reprise of the bachelor game episode where Hongjoong physically restrains Wooyoung while taking the smallest bite of pepero.

Mingi x Hongjoong: Neither can handle it. Also, Mingi would need to hunch over just to get their faces aligned.

I know I'm missing a bunch of pairings, so please feel free to continue in the comments/tags.

[catras-breakup-song]

catradora's canon status turns 5 today. i also turn 20 today. 🪅

i've spent an entire quarter of my life, a whopping 25% of it now, loving the center focus of she-ra and what this show teaches us...

it's actually pretty wild for me to think too deeply about. truly, it can't not mean something absolutely special (if i love myself, of course) when that much of a coincidence is actually reality.

this story isn't just a hyperfixation, it's a permanent part of who i am. it's shaped my later teenage years and helped me through hard times consisting of confusion and loneliness. i resonated better with catra & glimmer than any other fictional characters i had known before or would ever know since then. i found the art style soothing to stare at all the time. i appreciated the words of comfort we're supposed to internalize. it's been a consistent source of familiarity when i needed nothing more than to rewatch the same scenes repeatedly.

the online community surrounding western queer animation, and particularly this piece of media, kickstarted my hobby of collecting video edits, up to the thousands, that many talented creators have made, on an external drive. unfortunately i lost that project over the summer last year and it devastated me deeply, however i never stopped keeping track of my favorites and supporting the works i loved as i continued coming across them, such as this one to “the great war” by @somanypetals, which i will never stop recommending to others here ─ you can also go through my tag for this topic if you'd like! in fact, i also got back into video editing myself for the first time since 2021 last month!

additionally, it wouldn't be an authentic CBS post of mine if i didn't highlight how beautiful five by five takes' analysis videos on youtube are to me. their writing is a top-tier heart-wrenching gold mine and i've lost count of how many times i've rewatched through that playlist again and again. if you love this masterpiece as much as i do, you'll do so tenfold here. i still remember watching the first part of the series, "how she-ra gives us hope", when it was brand new, and i love bragging to fellow friends about being one of 5X5T's earliest subscribers from this fandom!

i (sort of but not really, which is a long complicated story on its own), came from the traumatized wave of angry voltron/KL fans. thankfully i didn't struggle with trusting the writers to follow through on the groundwork they laid down because it had only been my first fandom and therefore i hadn't been hurt by queerbaiting multiple times, but i say this because it was a big deal when she-ra's finale showed something on screen that could not be taken away or undone. catra & adora's romance helped me find peace & pride in my lesbian attraction. although i ended up not being homosexual despite failing to realize it for another year, i am still very much sapphic and wouldn't trade that gift for the world!

speaking of which, one of the best things you can find in a partner is the relatability of a common interest that brings out the emotional connection between you. i've seen @bluedandylyon around before, but i got to know xim more closely on the SPOP creative flex discord server after i jumped in activity there about a month and a half ago (and i only started being active on this blog again after creating it in 2022 back in august last year, it's amazing what that did for me). the two of us genuinely could not have clicked better with anyone else and i believe we were always destined to stumble into each other eventually. i don't know why the universe decided that time was to be so recent, but after spending half a decade single it's been very exciting to finally leave that break behind. because of SPOP, i asked them if they wanted to date on lesbian visibility day (april 26) and something within me renewed to make me the happiest i've ever been! 💟

my thoughts are too scattered and unorganized for this to feel like a proper essay of some sort, but i know i needed to get this done in time and i enjoyed it. i can't appreciate enough how much my identity, the core essence of who i am inside, has been shaped by this 50-episode cartoon. a simple love letter could never cover how important this reboot means to so many people, even if mattel still refuses to acknowledge it. ⚔️🌈💖

[cripplecharacters]

Several times in this blog you've mentioned that disabled people writing about someone with their same disability is completely fine- but I have a question along those lines with a bit of nuance. I have AuDHD, and I'm currently working on a story with a character who has autism. In my own, personal experience, I've had frequent episodes of shutdown and occasional panic attacks, but I can't say I relate to the experience of having a meltdown. In the story I plan to have a scene where the character DOES experience a meltdown because she's in a scenario where she's overwhelmed, has just received a devastating revelation about someone she thought she could trust, and is actively being scolded by another of the characters for not having the "expected" reaction to this.

My question is, would this be all right to depict? I know meltdowns are very intimately painful for the people who experience them, and are one of the most frequently exploited aspects of autism for tiktok mommies to winge for sympathy. The framing here is intended to be sympathetic and to underscore how emotionally wrecked the character is, but I would also understand if this was a direction I should avoid.

Hi asker,

Yes, it's fine to depict a meltdown in your story.

A big reason videos of kids having meltdowns posted by their parents is because they can't consent to showing a very vulnerable moment of their life being posted for the whole world to see, and because of the "woe is me" aspect of a lot of these videos. Essentially, basically any time you see a video of someone having a meltdown that they did not post themselves, it's exploitative. It's like posting someone having a medical emergency, or a sobbing breakdown, etc. Yet you can depict these in stories!

Especially because meltdowns do happen. They're a part of life for some people. And they suck. They are very painful. And in your story, for your character, a meltdown might in fact be the most likely outcome to happen out of a situation.

On top of that, you aren't exploiting anyone or breaching their trust or violating their consent when it's a character that something is happening to. Instead, you are creating a scenario that is pretty believable and gives you insight into the character's mind and emotions and situations.

Your narrative can and should treat this as an event that is stressful for the character, as well as not moralize it. (It doesn't make anyone a better or worse person. It just Is.) Absolutely use care and mindfulness in your writing of it. But you don't have to shy away from depicting meltdowns just on the basis of them being something people exploit.

Hope this helps,

mod sparrow