#you all gotta know i literally live under a rock

[leafryoworks]

I'm going to tell you what your favourite character in the amazing digital carnival says about you .

Please note that this isn't serious and I'm just want this to be silly . I might overdone in a few segments . Carnival au belongs to @sm-baby .

Caine : Autistic creature . You're probably afraid of being underachieved by people younger than you and you try so hard to not let it show . You tend to crave company but your differences also make you a tad left out by others . Still you got a special skill that you're sure only you have ! ...right ? Don't worry because while it may seem dark right know , the sun will come up and maybe the friends you need will come and find you .

Pomni : The most girlfailure . You tend to try to have your sh-uhm , responsibilities and thoughts pulled together to be a functioning adult but not all things probably pulled off succesfully . Still it's the thought that matters and the worst thing you could do is not try at all . Do that thing you wanted , you never know what might happen .

Queenie : You got underlying mommy issues . She gives you the classic wine aunt you never get to experience . There are things that you couldn't control , you might say it collars you down to your place . But...remember the loved ones by your side . They may not be able to offer the freedom you seek and...they may not be the best people they are right know but the worst thing you could do is abandon the ones that cared about you .

Kinger : Silly and a bit kooky . Trauma changes who you are and there are moments you're not at the best headspace . You probably seek entertainment to lose your sense of reality and not face the sadness and tragedy knowing it would rock your world in the worst case . You need someone to hold your hand , to give you company...eventhough you know subconciously that it's not real .

Jax : The artist who lost his motivation . You're a bit curious on how things tend to work and likes seeing the colour red on paper . The reason I only draw something so violent on paper was to let my anger out and you know what I'm trying to say connecting to this segment . And yet we all know that anger is just overwhelming sadness that you don't know how to let out . We all got problems and things that aren't aligned with others regarding in coping mechanisms . And yet...eventhough you might say you don't need them , who are you lying to ?

Ragatha : Mommy issues ! Abandoment issues ! You can't florish under pressure and negativety or else your heart will ached and cause you to not breathe . That's why you try to make things more easier for others so when they're happy , you're happy . If they're sad , you're sad . Literally . You hold on to your beliefs because no way you're wrong eventhough the evidence is right infront of you ! You live to serve for others because if you have no worth , why...did they kept you around ?...sorry , I got overprojecting , hah . The least you could do is actually let people have their say eventhough it's sad . Bottled up emotions are not healthy and might ruin you and the people you care in a long run . There are things you gotta accept eventhough it might go against on your beliefs . You can't control things in a happy get going situation , this ain't a tv show you can script 24/7 .

Gangle : Maladaptive dreamer . You don't know what's real and what's not fake . The people , the friends you make , are they real ? Your family even ? It's blurry as you toed the line and you find it hard to believe that they are real people you interact with eventhough you know it's true . Sometimes you could be doing work and panicked realizing you're in the real world and not in the world you made up in your head . You rather live your live in ecstasy while dreading the reality that awaits you outside . But enough of that , you got your blorbos in your head to keep your company because they're real ! ...but in your head or is there more...?

Zooble : The cool protector . You tend to protect those who are high up in your list and would be the one nodding your head sagely as your bestfriend rambles about their crush . You care about people just not overcaring to Ragatha's extent . People think you're cool and you probably are . And there are things , secrets that you have to hide of a friend from your other friends because...you know it's the best for their situation . Somethings have to be kept under high security for the best of your friends . You know it's for their best of them and you have to carry the burden to keep the people you care safe . That's your job .

Able : Charmer . You worked so hard to learn and understand your loved one's interests and going as far to be an expert on it . Surely when you are a master of it then you guys can talk and hang out more . What's wrong with that ? You just want to understand them a bit more closer but if that's not working then there must be something wrong . Maybe you're not trying enough so you would try harder . Time to hit the books ! There's nothing wrong with you , don't let the voices in your head fool you !

Bubble : He's so silly ! He reminds you of a pet you wanna pampare and put in a play pen .

Kaufmo : You chose the funniest guy in the cast , huh ? Excellent choice . You like jokes , bad ones even told by others because it means they have thought of cheering people up and that really touched your heart . You tend to be silenced eventhough you are right and yet sometimes they don't wanna listen . The other half is that they do listen , they just don't care . Eventhough the world may not look at it's prime for a moment , you knew you have to keep trying to make the best of it eventhough your attempts may not succeed . But it's better trying than not even trying at all , right ?

Alright people , that's a wrap ! Sorry if it may offend some of you so just letting you guys know it's not 100% accurate , okay ? Okay .

[ro-is-struggling]

Finally, Ro's followers celebration!!!!! I'd like to request this prompt: Character A and Character B have feelings for each other but can't bring themselves to admit it. That is until they have to pretend to be a couple (for a mission, a family party, whatever) and end up kissing on more than one occasion. Their feelings for each other become evident and they end up confessing their feelings - but not before acting like a couple of nervous, awkward idiots {Brooklyn 99 2x23} with james potter! I want it to be fluffy, pls😩🥰 thank you. love u <3

Hi beautiful!! Of course my first request had to be from you💜💜💜

Thank you so much for participating! I'm so happy to start the celebration with your request💕 I had a lot of fun writing this one so I hope you like it!!

Undercover Mission || James Potter x Reader

Summary: An undercover mission for the Order of the Phoenix leads you and James to confront your repressed feelings for each other as you are forced to kiss to keep your covers from being blown.

Warnings: fluff, a little bit of angst, mutual pining, idiots in love, friends to lovers, humor, set after they graduated from Hogwarts

English is not my first language

Word count: 4900

Notes: I based this story on the episode of b99 from which I got the prompt, I hope you don't mind. I just think James and Jake are literally the same person so I couldn’t resist

"Are we sure we have the right guy?" you asked, the boredom and exhaustion clear in your voice. James, Sirius, Marlene and you had spent the last few hours trapped in an old van following a guy under suspicion that he was a Death Eater. Dumbledore believed he was transporting an important package for the Dark Lord and he wanted the Order of the Phoenix to intercept it before it reached its destination, but so far nothing interesting or remotely suspicious had happened.

"If Albus suspects him then there's gotta be a reason," James stated beside you, his eyes glued to the window as he kept an eye on his target. 

"I know, but this dude hasn't done anything since we got here," you complained, letting your head fall back against the seat cushion. "Am I the only one who doesn't understand why he would be in the Muggle world if he wanted to do Death Eater shit? It doesn't make sense."

"Cause we wouldn't expect it," Sirius said from the driver's seat. 

"Or they're planning an attack," Marleen muttered next to him and your heart stopped for a moment. You really hoped things wouldn't escalate to such a level. If they were planning something big you didn't know if the backup would arrive in time to stop them and save the lives of the innocent muggles caught in the line of fire.

"I don't think they are," James said, turning to look at you for a moment. His tone of voice was soft but determined, trying to control the situation and clear those ideas from his friends' minds —especially yours. "Albus would have heard something if that was their plan all along."

The van fell into silence for a few minutes as you waited for something to happen. The soft rock playing on the radio was the only thing that could be heard inside the vehicle, anticipation, fear, boredom and adrenaline a strange mix of feelings that affected the minds of the four young, newly graduated from Hogwarts. You were definitely too young and inexperienced to be participating in secret missions, but someone had to do it. Someone had to stand up and fight for what was right. 

You drove through town for another hour following your target. The sun had already gone down when you parked on a nice, well-lit, but quiet street. Your target entered a restaurant at the end of the street and you let out an exclamation of joy as you finally got out of that old truck for a while to stretch your legs.

"Okay, we'll go in and keep an eye on him I'm case he makes the deal inside. You two stay here and wait for my signal" James instructed his friends as both you and he exited the vehicle. You took a moment to straighten your clothes, wrinkled after so many hours sitting in the car. It wasn't the nicest muggle outfit you had, but luckily the restaurant didn't seem to be too fancy so you'd be fine.

"Do you see him anywhere?" James asked once inside the establishment, scanning the crowded front desk for his target. You gently nudged him in the ribs to shut him up, nodding your head forward. His eyes followed your movement and he then discovered that just a couple of inches away was the man you had been following all day. He spoke to the woman at the front desk and was quickly escorted to a table inside the restaurant, leaving you behind without any visual of what he was doing. 

"What's taking so long?" you complained in a mumble that only James could hear. "He could be making the deal right now."

"Should we use our wands?" suggested James. Using magic was risky, but it would get you a table at the restaurant in a matter of seconds.

"No, I have a better idea." Taking James by the hand, you walked up to the woman at the front desk to ask for a table. She informed you that the place was full and that you would have to wait for a table to clear before you could get in. But that was not an option for you, you had to get in and you had to get in now. So you held onto James' arm and smiling warmly you said, "Oh but we just got engaged and this is where we had our first date, isn't that right sweetie?"

James looked at you with wide eyes, surprised by your words. It took him a few seconds to respond, not because he didn't know what to answer but because he had been stunned to hear you call him by that affectionate nickname. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to hear you call him that for the rest of his life.

"Yes, yes! It was a beautiful night like this one. And special too. When you left the restaurant that night I knew you were the one, I just knew." James played along, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you close against his body as he spoke, looking at you with a smile on his lips and the distinctive glint of love shining in his eyes. It felt real, too real, so you looked away before losing yourself in his beautiful blue eyes. You were on an important mission and you had to concentrate. "I would have made a reservation but I didn't know if she was gonna say yes." 

"Oh I love how nervous you were!" you exclaimed fondly, playfully tapping his nose and letting out a giggle. "You just had to see him, he was adorable," you added, standing on your tiptoes to reach up to give him a kiss on the cheek. James' heart raced, the blood in his whole body pooling in his cheeks as he struggled not to let his feelings for you show. He'd had a crush on you for a long time —since fifth year to be exact—, but you two had always been such good friends that he'd never gotten around to doing anything about it. He valued your friendship too much to risk losing it. That's why he had to control his heart or the mission wouldn't be the only thing that went wrong.

"You look so sweet together!" the receptionist exclaimed, watching you tenderly. "I'm sure I can find room for two young lovers."

"Yeah.. we are lovers… together... in bed" James muttered awkwardly, struggling to stop his imagination from running wild. He had pictured what his life with you might be like more times than he was proud to admit, but this wasn't the time or place to fantasize about your wedding or think about the name of your future child.

"Okay," you said with a smile, squeezing James' arm to shut him up as you watched the woman disappear inside the restaurant. "Keep it together, Potter. We need that table," you muttered just for him to hear. You knew it was weird for him to be in such an intimate and romantic situation with you. You had been friends for so long that you were pretty sure he saw you as a sister —a thought that made your heart clench painfully in your chest—, but he had to keep his cool for a few more minutes. Once at the table you could drop the act and laugh at how weird it was to imagine being married while keeping your target well guarded. 

However, things proved to be more difficult than that.

The woman returned a few minutes later with a smile on her face. She led you to your table herself, wishing you a lovely evening and a happy marriage before returning to her desk. You barely had time to settle into your seats before the couple seated at the table next to yours showered you with congratulations on your engagement as well. It was an elderly couple who were there celebrating fifty years of marriage, so neither of you had the heart to ignore them.

"So, when did you guys meet?" the man asked you.

"Last year" you said without thinking, your eyes searching the crowd for your target.

"Five years ago" James stated at the same time, his gaze locked on the Death Eater dining alone a couple of tables away. 

The elderly couple looked at you in confusion and you hurried to correct the mistake. "We met five years ago but we don't count that."

"Yeah, I was dating another girl at that time" James noted and technically he wasn't lying. When you met he was in love with Lily Evans and while you never officially dated, he had planned his entire life with her at that time.

"And I wasn't interested in dating," you laughed. "But a year ago we bumped into each other and we haven't been able to separate ever since."

"How sweet!" the woman exclaimed, looking at you fondly. She reminded you of your grandmother in some ways, which only made things weirder. It was hard not to get carried away with the role you were playing when fate seemed to be determined to make you imagine your perfect life at James' side. "How did you know she was the one?" the old lady asked your friend, looking at him expectantly.

James looked at you, panic written all over his face. "I'd love to answer that..." he stammered, trying to buy himself some time to think. He knew exactly how to answer that question, he had a memorized list of the things you did that made him fall in love with you, but he couldn't be honest. If he spoke from the heart he risked being exposed.  "Just whenever I look at her face," he finished, unsure if it was the right thing to say.

"And what about you?" The woman directed her question at you this time.

Your eyes met James' as you contemplated your answer. For a second, you felt as if the world had ceased to exist, the chatter of the people around you getting quieter and quieter until it disappeared altogether. It was just you and him in that restaurant, looking into each other's eyes with an intimacy that felt different. You lost yourself deep in his eyes, looking straight into his soul as your mind went over all the things you adored about him.  

"He makes me laugh" you replied honestly, putting a smile on James' face. 

"And you know, there's really no one else's opinion who I care about more than hers," he added, feeling comfortable and confident enough to open up a bit.

The elderly couple went on to tell you a bit of their life story and as much as you found it adorable, neither of you were able to pay much attention. They could barely remember that they were on a mission, their eyes occasionally traveling to their target to make sure he wasn't doing anything suspicious. You were both too distracted, lost in your own thoughts as you repeated each other's words over and over in your heads. You knew you just were playing roles, but what you had said to each other, the knowing look you had shared, it all felt too real, too sincere. Of course you both dismissed it after spinning it around in your heads for a while, convincing yourselves that you were seeing things where there was nothing because for some reason you were the only two people in the world unable to see that you were in love. 

The moment you were sharing was interrupted when you noticed your target getting up from the table. You kicked James lightly to get his attention, silently motioning for him to look at the Death Eater you were supposed to be watching. Excusing yourselves from the lovely old couple you had been chatting with for the last thirty minutes, you rose from the table and made your way to the back of the restaurant, following in your target's footsteps. 

"Do you think he's going to meet his partner?" you spoke in a whisper so that no one but James would hear you.

"I don't know," he replied.

Just as the words left his lips, the man turned and made direct eye contact with you. Time stopped for a second, panic taking over as you realized you had been discovered. You had no reason to be there and you were pretty sure that the Death Eater had already seen you parked in front of him hours ago. He wasn't stupid, he would be able to put two and two together and then your mission would be ruined at best. At worst, you would have to fight to get the briefcase he was carrying, endangering the lives of many innocent Muggles.

But before the panic could fully take hold of you, you felt James' hands close around your waist. You turned to look at him, but you couldn't do or say anything because suddenly his lips crashed against yours. You didn't even take a second to question what was happening, letting the feeling of euphoria run through your body as you felt the caress of James' lips on yours. You lost yourself in him instantly, in the taste of his mouth, in the warmth of his body against yours, in the delicate way he held you in his arms. You were flying in the sky in complete bliss as you let James guide the kiss, struggling to keep up the peace.

But the moment ended as abruptly as it had begun, leaving you dazed and confused, missing James' lips the second they parted from yours.

"I'm sorry, I just- I didn't know what else to do," he spluttered awkwardly, his thoughts clouded by the scent of your perfume.

"No, it's okay," you hurried to say, struggling to form coherent sentences so as not to let him know how much his kiss had really affected you. "It's all good. We kept our cover intact, good job. Very quick thinking, very professional." You were tense and couldn't look him in the eye when you spoke, but neither could he so neither of you mentioned anything, opting to pretend nothing had happened as you went on with your mission.

"C'mon he's on the move" James announced as he climbed into the van once again. He kept his gaze straight ahead, his body rigid against the seat of the vehicle as if he was afraid to let go and end up accidentally touching you. He needed to keep his distance from you until he recovered his cognitive functions. His brain would never be able to process what had happened if your perfume kept assaulting his nostrils.

"So how was the restaurant?" Marlene asked you to fill the awkward silence that had formed. She could feel the tension in the air, a tension that wasn't there before you guys disappeared behind the restaurant doors. It was different from the tensions she was used to feeling when you and James were together, much more intense, and she couldn't help but wonder what had happened in there.

"Great! It was fine, totally normal and appropriate" you replied suspiciously quickly raising your voice to a higher pitch than usual. If she didn't suspect something had happened before, she definitely did now.

"What happened? Why are you being so weird?" Sirius asked, looking at you curiously through the rearview mirror.

"Y/N and I kissed" James confessed with a sigh, knowing it would be best to be honest with his friends. After all, it hadn't meant anything, had it? There was nothing strange about telling them the truth because you had nothing to hide. Strange would be if you kept it a secret.

"WHAT? Tell me everything!" Marlene exclaimed in a shout of joy, turning to see her friend in the back seat with a big smile on her face. She knew about your crush on James from day one and couldn't believe there was finally a breakthrough in your story. Sometimes Marlene felt like she was more involved in your little secret romance with James than you were yourself.

"Calm down! It was just to keep our cover from being blown, we didn't have a choice" you explained, feeling the blood from all over your body travel to your cheeks.

"Yeah, it didn't mean anything," James added, ignoring the stabbing pain that shot through his heart as he said it. 

"I want details," her friend insisted and you rolled your eyes.

"Marlene, it was just a kiss, okay? It was nothing." Only it hadn't been just a kiss, not to you at least, but you weren't going to admit it in front of everyone —especially not James.

"Yeah, who cares about a kiss? Call me if you grab each other's asses" Sirius interjected from the driver's seat, a mischievous grin plastered on his lips. James reached out from behind his back and smacked him on the shoulder, a silent way of telling his friend that this was not the time for his jokes.

Marlene was going to continue pressing you for more details —you and James kissing was the most interesting thing that had happened to her that day—, but her attention was drawn back to the mission at hand when Sirius alerted you that your target had gotten out of the car and was walking towards a park. He still had the briefcase in his hand, but the streets were deserted which made you think he wasn't going to meet anyone that night, but to leave the package for someone else to pick up.

"Okay, you and Sirius follow him just in case he does meet with someone after this." you instructed Marlene, watching as your target returned to his car, without the briefcase in his hands this time.

"Right! And you and James follow your hearts" your friend replied with a smile.

"No!" you grumbled, giving Marlene a murderous look. "We're gonna stay with the package."

"And each other forever" she insisted and you swore she was doing it on purpose to spite you. You didn't even dignify her comment with a response, opting instead to exit the vehicle and slam the door a little harder than necessary. James followed you, crossing the street beside you to get to the park your target had come from. 

You walked in silence, enjoying the quiet of the night. The place was deserted, something that was both good and bad. On the one hand it was good because if things went wrong at least there were no Muggles around who could get hurt. On the other hand it was bad because you had no way to hide so you wouldn't stand out. When the Death Eaters came to pick up the package they would see you, there was no doubt about that. You realized then that you would have to be quick if you wanted to catch them.

"Why can't we just take the briefcase and go?" James asked as he leaned back against a tree, his back to the bench next to where your target had left the hidden package.

"Because Albus wants to arrest everyone involved in this and for that we need the briefcase to exchange hands, otherwise there's no case." you explained and James grunted, hating having to stand there for who knows how much longer until someone showed up.

Neither of you spoke for a while, the weight of the silence and the tension in the air increasing your nerves. James' mind was riddled with doubts, fearing he had made a mistake by kissing you in the restaurant. You had told him that you understood why he had done it, assuring him that you had no issue with it, but it didn't feel like things were good between you. You were distant and tense, and you could barely look him in the eye. Regret was eating him up inside, knowing it was his fault that you felt uncomfortable around him.

"Hey, seriously, we're cool right?" James broke the silence forcing you to look away from the starry sky to face him.

"Yeah, totally," you nodded with a smile, hoping that was enough to calm him down. "We're fine." If only he knew that the reason for your strange behavior was that you were fighting the urge to take his face in your hands and kiss him one more time....

"Why do they have to schedule their drop off so late? Death Eaters have no respect for Auror's lives and times." James joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. You let out a chuckle and he felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. "I'm starving, we barely got to eat at that stupid restaurant."

"I know! Mr. and Mrs. Green were adorable but they couldn't stop talking" you said, remembering the chatty couple. You couldn't have been there more than forty minutes and somehow you knew when and where they had married, how they met, how many children they had and the names of their grandchildren. "I'm craving ice cream as weird as it might be considering how late it is."

"It's not weird at all, you always crave sweets at these hours, that's why you have trouble sleeping."

"You know what I really want to get right now?"

"Cookies and cream?" said James, more as a statement than a question. "It's your favorite, isn't it? Especially for times like this. I'm assuming you already have one in the freezer waiting for you to celebrate."

"Y-yes," you nodded in surprise. You weren't surprised that he knew what your favorite ice cream flavor was —you had been friends for years, that was normal—, you were surprised at how quickly and confidently he had spoken, leaving you no time to say anything before answering for you. He remembered your silly tradition of celebrating the little good things in life with your favorite flavor of ice cream even though it was something you usually did alone. It was a small, insignificant detail, but it made you feel appreciated. He remembered.

"I brought one too if you want to spend the night at my place after this is all over. We can celebrate together." You were going to tell him how much you appreciated his sweet gesture and how he was the one person you wanted to celebrate your victories in life with, but the words died in your throat when you noticed a man approaching the briefcase they had been guarding for the last fifteen minutes.

"James, he's looking at us," you tried to warn him discreetly, but your friend was too distracted rambling on about the different flavors of ice cream and which ones were the best. "Well, this is happening," you murmured, taking James' face in your hands and leaning in to join your lips in a kiss.

You were the one in control this time, dictating the intensity of the kiss, guiding the movements of James' lips on yours. He was too surprised to do more than try to keep up with the pace of your lips. His hands settled on your hips instinctively, pulling you tight against his body as he allowed himself to lose himself in your mouth for a moment. The mission, his doubts, the tension, all was forgotten as he melted under your caresses. 

Though his bliss was cut short when you suddenly pulled away, taking your wand and pointing it at the man who had picked up the briefcase. Reality hit him like a train, his brain working twice as hard to regain its functions so he could end this mission once and for all.

The Death Eater didn't give up without putting up a fight, pulling out his wand and casting spell after spell in your direction as he tried to escape. Neither of you recognized who your attacker was, which frightened you a little because it meant that the Dark Lord had more followers than the Order of the Phoenix expected or even knew about. Still you didn't let that affect you, fighting shoulder to shoulder until you incapacitated your unknown attacker.

"An empty diary?" you said in disbelief as you stared at the mysterious object inside the briefcase you had fought so hard to obtain. "We did all that for an empty diary?"

"It has to be important," James interjected as he used an incantation to restrain the Death Eater's wrists. "They wouldn't do all this for an insignificant empty diary. Albus will know what to do."

“I’m exhausted!” you exclaimed the moment you crossed the entrance threshold of James' house, dropping dramatically onto the couch. It had been a long day, but at least things had turned out well. Both Death Eaters were in custody awaiting trial for their crimes. Thanks to you the army of he who shall not be named had two less soldiers, and as insignificant as it seemed, it was a victory for everyone.

"We can go to sleep if you're tired and leave the ice cream for tomorrow" James said, knowing full well what your response would be.

"Never!" You jumped off the couch, running to the kitchen in search of the ice cream. James let out a laugh, shaking his head as he followed closely behind you. While you took the ice cream out of the freezer he grabbed spoons and a couple of bowls so you could share the frozen dessert without fighting over the pot.

After making a short toast celebrating your victory you engaged in casual conversation while enjoying the ice cream. You didn't even bother to go to the couch, settling into the kitchen without a problem. You sat on the counter next to the sink, swinging your legs playfully as you ate your ice cream. James stood next to you, leaning back on the counter with his body leaning slightly to the side so he could look at you better as you talked. He had a big smile on his face as he listened to you list the reasons why the cookies and cream ice cream was the best of all, completely enamored with the passion with which you addressed such trivial topics as ice cream flavors. 

He loved everything about you, even the things you saw as flaws. There was nothing he wanted more at that moment than to tell you how he felt about you, to hold you in his arms and kiss you until he couldn't feel his lips. But he knew he couldn't -he shouldn't-, your friendship was the most important thing to him and he couldn't lose it for anything in the world.

"I'm sorry for kissing you today," he apologized, breaking the small silence that had formed. "I hope it doesn't make things weird between us."

"Oh no don't worry about it," you downplayed it. "And I'm sorry for kissing you too."

"You know I care about you, right?" James put his empty ice cream bowl on the counter, turning completely around so he could look you in the eyes. You nodded your head slightly, losing yourself in the shine in his eyes. Those damn eyes of his! 

"I value our friendship, what we have is something special and I wouldn't want to see it ruined for a stupid decision I made under pressure." There was truth in his words, but there was also pain. He didn't want to ruin your friendship, but he also didn't want to keep being just your friend. He didn't regret kissing you, at least not entirely. A part of him would always be glad he did because no matter what, now he knew what your lips felt like on his.

"Yeah, I get it... Our friendship is the most important thing to me too," you said, but you couldn't stop your eyes from lowering to James' lips. He was too close to you, you could smell his cologne every time you breathed, feel his body heat tickling your side. You couldn't think straight, only feel the devastating weight of longing to feel his lips on yours. If you concentrated hard enough you could still taste his mouth and feel the ghost of his fingers caressing your hips. 

James didn't miss the way your eyes locked on his lips, unconsciously leaning closer and closer to you. A rebellious hand slid over your leg, caressing your thigh gently. Your gaze returned to his eyes then and James saw in them a special glow he had never noticed in them before. It was desire. You wanted him. You were as desperate to feel your lips together as he was. And now that he knew it, he didn't plan to leave you wanting for another second.

Once again he took it upon himself to close the little distance that separated you, bringing your lips together in a kiss full of desperation and repressed feelings. And even though this was the third time you had been in that situation that day, this time it felt different. This kiss was not the product of an impulsive decision made in the heat of the moment. No, this was a kiss that was long overdue, the product of the conscious decision of two people who had repressed their feelings for too long. And that made it taste that much sweeter, it made everything that much more special.

And as James lost himself in the warmth of your body wrapped around his he knew that things between you would never be the same again, but that was a good thing.

[scarecrowofthefields]

sotf surveys - Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

Yo, welcome to a series about my reactions to the Naruto movies and OVAs. Today we will be reviewing Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (legit thought about doing this right after I finished the movie while having dinner lol)

I had previously watched Naruto Movie 1 when I was younger so this was more of a refresher to me. I remember a few major details but the rest were cloudy so I had a few surprises which was exciting, this is the benefit of rewatching something you've seen ages ago and become encapsulated with it all over again. Let's get into it:

OH MAN, you can definitely tell this was movie quality animation. I did not notice how well it was animated when I was younger, they really used up the budget well. Animated shows like to cut corners when it comes to animating to save both time and money which can make the animation feel stale. BUT THIS OUGH, you can see the overshoots and the anticipation in the characters' movements which adds more to their personality, specifically Naruto and Sakura who are outwardly expressive.

SPEAKING OF EXPRESSIONS

FINALLY I KNOW THE CONTEXT OF THIS IMAGE, I've seen it around before but wasn't sure where it was from.

An example of animation that display's Sakura's personality is in a scene 11 minutes into the movie where Team 7 (minus Naruto) gets a debrief on their mission with the film team.

Just for those 7 seconds we see how interested and excited Sakura is being in a movie studio. If it were set on the show I feel like she would only look over her shoulder and that would be it. In movie form we get a bit extra, not just looking over her should but she's innocently rocking back and forth. In addition, we have some background characters moving around which makes the space feel alive.

Another thing to note is the fluid motion of a character or scene being carried over from one frame to the next also the physical weight of their actions.

My favorite example of this is Yukie getting drunk in a small bar, you can see in both her and the other patron are clearly drunk and it's not because of the sake present. Yukie would slosh around, jerk forward suddenly, and have a heavy hand. When Sandayuu and Sakura burst in you can see the weight of their movements as well.

I'm also a sucker for sound quality and the use of foley sounds in movies ever since I learned about it in school. The sounds in Naruto Movie 1 are DELICIOUS. I'm fortunate to have access to a surround sound software also the website I'm using to watch the movie still contains the original sound file so, audibly, it feels like I am in a physical movie theater.

Interestingly, noticed a few scenes used dolly zoom. Not much to comment about it, very neutral about it.

Ma ma, enough with the technicalities, let's get into the plot-

"I guess it can't be helped." KAKASHI!?!? STRAIGHT UP WHIPS OUT THE SHARINGAN JUST TO PUT YUKIE UNDER A GENJUTSU. LIKE I GET IT, GOTTA MOVE HER ALONG NO SENSE IN BICKERING, BUT LMAO

Baby Koyuki and her father :(( the whole dream/flashback was adorable, even if it was short-lived.

Time to be a little Kakashi-biased, mainly the voice acting teehee. I'd like to note that I'm watching this in sub so Kazuhiko Inoue I am all ears. This is the scene where the filming gets interrupted by the villains, Kakashi springs into action, with a quick and commanding voice directs Team 7 to protect the now revealed princess, Koyuki.

If only y'all can hear this gif

Not the villains boasting about their literal plot armor to our protagonists.

Good job Sakura on doing what you're suppose to be doing! Protecting Koyuki-sama. Naruto ran straight towards one of the antagonists, though to be fair Sasuke was defending himself against the female antagonist. For theatrics sake makes sense, you gotta have a fight scene yknow.

I need to remember the movies aren't canon- Kakashi copying Ice-Style? Not possible since it's known as a kekki genkai, though for the sake of the plot and theatrics Kakashi's allowed to use Ice-Style lol.

ANBU KAKASHI SPOTTED IN FLASHBACK

"I, Sandayuu, will protect you with my life!" My pattern recognition senses are tingling...

Gonna dip back into some technicals again for a moment:

One of my favorite tropes in shows and movies is the involvement of the behind the scenes team present on stage, regardless if it's the camera crew, the animation crew, the production crew, etc. It's a funny gag, letting the audience know how hard these people work to produce their shows and movies. In Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow is no different where they show the type of work they put in setting up the scene with backdrops and props, ensuring the actors are in costume and make-up, and the final touch is the lights, mic, and camera are a go before calling action. The movie takes it a step further and shows us how far the director is willing to go to produce the final chapter of their movie series, it's also a chance of a lifetime.

I WAS RIGHT- BUT HOLY FUCK WAS THAT OVERKILL. RIP Sandayuu

I love the initial exchange in dialogue between Koyuki and Naruto during the prison scene,

"Well deserved." "You too."

MORE BABY KOYUKI AND HER DAD FLASHBACK

"Everyone seems to forget, I'm an actress." Ngl, thought Koyuki was under a genjutsu at first, then she double played me by stabbing Dotou. She really is an actress, go off girl

Sakura and Sasuke showing off their clever battle tactics??? A really impressive scene with their skills as shinobi; using their environment to their advantage, great use of ninja tools, great use of taijutsu too, and lastly they figured out how to destroy the chakra armor.

"Even if ninjutsu and genjutsu don't work on you, a shinobi still has taijutsu." The essential Shinobi Battle Skills!!!

A common trend with the first movie and the following Naruto movies, the main villain is always defeated with a rasengan variant, with Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow it's a 7 color chakra rasengan, or "rainbow rasengan". I find the variants really cool, though the trend to be silly /pos

baby Koyuki and her father memory? NO, baby Koyuki and her father projection!!! Legit thought she was having another flashback.

MY MAN KAKASHI JUST FOUND OUT ICHA ICHA PARADISE IS GETTING A MOVIE ADAPTION AND KOYUKI IS STARRING IN IT

Like any marvel movie, if you stick around until the very end the animation crew shows their gratitude towards the audience by thanking them which I really like especially since this is the first Naruto movie so they worked really hard on this and I appreciate their efforts.

[tenebriskukris]

Oshi No Ko Chapter 162 - My Thoughts/Analysis

This chapter finally closes the book on this Hikaru-Aqua confrontation and gave us a shitty cliffhanger that we’re stuck waiting three bloody weeks for a conclusion. At this point I just want to put this manga to rest so that it can let me down one last time.

The chapter starts us off back in the saddle with Aqua and Hikaru.These were a cool couple of panels—with a shot of the backdrop then Aqua trying to strangle Hikaru, but I felt like this first page was largely unnecessary given how the last chapter ended.

I hit my head on a rock. Please imagine me staring at this page with a deadpan look. Aqua has LITERALLY stabbed himself before pushing the two of them down to the ocean. That��s some real good excuse to justify how Hikaru couldn’t have just swam away from Aqua considering that our protagonist is literally bleeding out. The most vexing part of these series of panels is that they just handwaved actually SHOWING them both tumble down the ocean. And while, yes, it probably wouldn’t have been necessary, the fact that the chapter just cuts away to such a halfhearted explanation when the first page was LITERALLY just filler feels too much like a cheap bait and switch for me to feel like this development was anything but an asspull.

Am I going to die in a place like this? Considering how this bitch is responsible for at least two deaths in the series so far—I find it very fitting that Hikaru is going to die Just Like This. Yura died in a similar manner, alone and isolated with her murderer gloating that he’d killed her and now it’s his turn on the chopping block.

Holy crap that shot of Goro’s shadow pulling Hikaru down! And then the one with Aqua floating upward while a bunch of shadowy hands drag Hikaru down…that’s some pretty on the nose symbolism of the people that Hikaru has intentionally or unintentionally ruined with his schemes. I’d have liked to get an actual body count for Hikaru as well as, you know, good fucking characterization that doesn’t rely on a deus ex machena, but we can’t all get what we want.

I felt like I was only alive when I was with Ai. [...] Even if it was the weight of my own sin. I wanted to feel it forever. The Japanese mental health system—or lack thereof—claims another victim. Still a murderer, though.

I could’ve felt you more if I had killed Ruby. Unrepentant to the end, I see. Good fucking riddance to terribly written antagonists. As sad as Hikaru’s backstory is, it falls squarely under the category of “Sad motive! Still murder.” As much as I can sympathize with his sad backstory and the way that his life turned out, that doesn’t excuse the fact that, you know, he literally had a hand in murdering people—but I’m getting ahead of myself, I’ll touch on those thoughts after the chapter.

And now we return to Crow Girl. Are we going to get the deus ex machena now? 

OH HEY I KNOW THIS PANEL FROM THE ANIME OPENING! Whether or not the anime staff knew that this panel was going to happen or the authors took inspiration from it isn’t quite clear but it’s a nice little nod and a wink to the anime. Crossing my fingers that it’ll get to this point and fix up some of the garbage pacing we see during these last two dozen chapters, but considering we just got a season three for the anime I think it’s likely we’ll be getting to this point.

Have you finally found your mission? Oh? Are we going to finally find out why Aqua was reincarnated in the first place? I’d been hypothesizing that it had to do with Ruby for awhile now outside these analyses since that was one of the only constants that Aqua had when he was reincarnated but I’m curious to see how this mess goes.

The reason I lived…was to protect my own sister. That’s—hm. Well. I certainly have Thoughts about That but we’ll get to that after the chapter. The page dealing with Aqua and Ruby’s interactions…as well as that panel of Goro and Sarina…it’s pretty sad, I gotta admit. 

Thank goodness. This time I can die before you. Sad little panel, but considering there is Literally a god watching Aqua and said god is one that is sort of invested in his story at the moment—enough to actually interfere with said story as an actor in the fucking movie at his behest—I think it’s more than likely that Aqua survives this whole ordeal.

This was honestly a bit of a shorter chapter to get through but it’s still one that I have plenty of thoughts about.

There was originally an entire mountain of paragraphs here about Hikaru and his place as an antagonist of the series, but I wrote so much about that topic that I’ve decided to turn it into its own post instead of inserting it here. Expect that analysis to come out hopefully before the next chapter drops. I’ll instead focus on Aqua concluding that he was born to protect Ruby.

I’m honestly torn about the reveal. On the one hand it makes a certain degree of sense—in a messy and half assed sort of way. After Ai’s death he was considerably more protective of his sister—following her into the same high school as well as going so far as to shut down Ruby’s attempts to become an underground idol. This is compounded by the fact that Aqua asked Kana to protect his precious sister when he was persuading her to join B-Komachi, as well as scouted Mem—someone who he’d known and who he’d already grasped her character—into B-Komachi instead of any strangers that could’ve been Ruby’s idol partners.Hell, he’d even done quite a bit of legwork to ensure that his sister’s first performance had gone well by posing as Pieyon.

On the other hand I feel very dissatisfied with Aqua’s conclusion because of everything that had happened in the series ex post facto. If this was a theme that the writers wanted to press for the ending of the series then it should’ve been highlighted a hell of a lot more! The page full of panels detailing scenes where Aqua “protects” Ruby just fall flat because of the fact that these are all completely new panels that the reader hasn’t ever seen! If this was supposed to be A Thing then why weren’t these panels sprinkled into the series beforehand??? Why weren’t there more interactions with Aqua protecting Ruby so that readers could go “Aqua has always been protecting Ruby throughout the series so revealing that Aqua’s purpose was all to protect Ruby makes sense.” Except it doesn’t! The examples that I’d previously mentioned are nice and all but it isn’t substantial enough for me to fully be on board with this reveal as most of said examples were in the earlier part of the series! Where’s Aqua protecting Ruby in the later arcs, huh? Where do we get to see Aqua intentionally going out of his way to keep an eye on Ruby, to make sure she’s protected post Tokyo Blade? One could argue that Akane disguising herself as Ruby sort of counts since Aqua is involved in it, but come the fuck on would it be so hard to actually SHOW that Aqua had a hand in it instead of handwaving that plot thread???

Obviously this reveal needs to be taken into the proper context—the manga’s writing and quality has fallen dramatically below average for the past forty chapters or so. But the fact that the page showing all the times Aqua “protected” Ruby contained completely new panels is just so incredibly egregious. You’d think that such an important reveal—the entire REASON that Aqua was reincarnated in the first place would have been established more during the course of the whole bloody series instead of shoving these completely new panels down our throat without priming the readers for this reveal in the first place!

If I’m giving the manga the benefit of the doubt—which I shouldn’t even be doing because of how objectively bad some of these chapters have been recently—there’s still plenty of room for doubt with regards to Aqua’s conclusion. It wouldn’t be the first time that Aqua was just plain wrong—he assumed his father was dead without making any effort to confirm that. These characters aren’t infallible, though with how the narrative speaks through the characters on occasion it’s easy to forget that. Obviously if the manga doesn’t deign to comment on Aqua’s conclusion again then it’s de facto canon because they’d need to clarify such an important plot beat and not let an incorrect conclusion stand by unchallenged.

The other interpretation of these events is that Aqua was too blinded by revenge to fulfill the reason he was reincarnated, and therefore, there wouldn’t have been many moments where Aqua was able to protect Ruby. But I find that interpretation, for lack of a better term, a hot steaming pile of BULLSHIT. The only reason that Aqua was able to “protect” Ruby here in the first place from Hikaru was because he had gone through his revenge scheme in the first place! If Aqua didn’t spend this much effort trying to catch Hikaru throughout the series and instead decided to become a surgeon like he wanted, then Hikaru would’ve had a free hand to target Ruby whenever he wanted. He wouldn’t have been able to find out Hikaru’s identity, nor would he be able to figure out that he wouldn’t be satisfied with killing Ai, or even that Ruby was at risk in the first place. If Aqua didn’t attempt to find Hikaru to take revenge, then Ruby would’ve been collateral damage in the process.

I do wonder though—disregarding whether or not Aqua is right about why he was reincarnated—what was the reason that Ruby was reincarnated in the first place? The obvious answer is Ruby was reincarnated as a twin to meet AquaGoro again. Aqua’s reason—assuming it’s accurate—for reincarnating was related to Ruby, and it’d make a certain degree of sense for the reverse to be true as well. Of course, that’s all just speculation, but it makes one wonder…

On the whole though, this chapter certainly happened. Hikaru and Aqua’s second confrontation has ended with Hikaru finally biting it and Aqua’s state being unknown for three bloody weeks. And with four bloody chapters remaining for the manga, I don’t expect anything resembling a good ending to wrap up any of the lingering plot threads the manga’s been pushing at us.

[thebearchives]

[ 21:47 ] | DR3

PAIRING: daniel ricciardo x reader

WORD COUNT: 0.9k

NOTES: mysterious danny drabble that was pulled from a scrapped max fic :D fun !

he sat alone at the bar, finger tracing against the edge of his glass. scotch on the rocks, only the rocks had melted, much like the glaciers in antarctica. 

god, he hated scotch. he’d much rather be nursing a beer…or a blunt, he wouldn’t discriminate. 

“you’ve gotta stop ordering drinks if you’re not going to drink them.”

he didn’t move, no reason to, but a slight twitch on the left side of his lip gave away his amusement. 

his eyes followed the condensation drip against the outside of the glass, “i like watching the beads drip down.” 

he pulled his finger away from the lip of the glass, wiping the tip of it against the serviette that was seeping the condensation out from under the glass. 

“oh, cut your mafioso act, ricciardo.” you slotted yourself into the seat next to him, hand raised to catch the attention of the bartender, “i’ll get a paloma, and get him a beer, would you?”

“buying me drinks already? consider me flattered.” the man, ricciardo, smiled slyly.

“consider yourself not, it’s going on your tab,” a smirk played on your lips, “not all of us make a million every weekend.”

“you and i both know it’s more than a million, sweets.” he watched as the bartender placed the pint of beer in front of him.

“call me that again and i’ll have your dick cut off before you can even register any pain.”

“kinky.”

“you're actually sickening. stop playing games, daniel, you know i’m not the one for them. what’s the gig this time?” 

“it’s right to business with you, isn’t it, y/n?” he turned his head to look over at you, the smile on his face lightening into a smirk.

“i suppose so,” you took a sip of your paloma, “or maybe i’m just tired of your theatrics.”

you finally made eye contact with daniel, “well?”

“i’ve got him.”

“him lik–”

“yeah.”

“i find it hard to believe you.”

“well, just try harder then. he’s back.”

“god, you’re so annoying,” you rolled your eyes, leaning back in your seat, “and the target? what is it?”

daniel’s fingers tapped on the table. once, then twice. “intel.”

“ah,” you nodded, “i see why i got the message, now. nice flowers, by the way. you should invest in a new jack wilder.”

“you saw me?” his eyebrows raised slightly. he hadn’t seen you when he made the drop.

“no, but your work was sloppy enough to be a signature.”

“thanks, you really know how to make my heart race.” the humour in his tone had gone dry.

the conversation moved on, “so, how are you planning to go about this?”

he stared at you. it clicked. you shook your head, “daniel, no.”

“daniel, yes,” he placed a hand down onto the granite of the counter, “come on, i’ve got more connections this time, i promise it’ll go better than last time.”

“literally anything would be better than last time,” you rolled your eyes, “i’m not sure how much i should trust your words.”

“no, i’m serious this time, y/n. i’ve really got him this time. i’ve got a way to him, it’s right there. i can see it.”

you scoffed, “oh, can you? how dirty is the road leading up to it?”

“nothing a few extra hands couldn’t handle.” he gave you a hopeful smile.

“new links?” you raised an eyebrow at him, going back to his earlier words.

daniel raised his hands, “he was gone for a while. i got bored, ended up meeting a few new people, did some different jobs. you know how it goes.”

“wow, and i didn’t get invited?” you watched as a small smile fell onto his lips.

“i wasn’t playing ringmaster,” daniel gave you a pointed look, “you said you were out, anyway.”

“and now, you want me back in.” you gave him a sly smirk, “funny.”

daniel’s smile turned serious, “it’s what we’ve been trying for our whole lives. working up to it with every gig.”

and it was true. every job the two of you had done had all been for one final job. him.

you mulled over his initial offer in your mind. “going after intel,” you started, “so no cashout?”

he shrugged, “i’m sure no one would mind if you took a little more than the intel. consider it interest.”

“that’d be quite a lot of interest. what, 20 years?”

daniel hummed, “maybe 25?”

“quite the sum” you emphasized once again.

“his entire fortune would be up for grabs when we’re done with him,” daniel took a swig of his beer, “take a share and split the rest.”

“do you trust them?” your eyes fell on his hands, looking for a tell.

“we’re all after the same thing. i do,” his fingers didn’t even shake. he was telling the truth.

“fine,” you sighed, “i’ll take your word for it, dan, but the second something feels off, i’m calling it.”

daniel smiled, sitting up straight in his seat, “wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

you finished off your drink, “alright, then,” you got out of your seat, “you know where to find me.”

“i’ll see you soon, n/n.”

you threw a middle finger in the air at the title, already on your way out, “don’t call me that. i’m not a kid anymore.”

daniel watched as your figure disappeared within the crowd, “as you wish, bellissima.” beautiful.

[thychesters]

“Do you like cooking?”

Sanji looks up from where he’s quartering potatoes and isn’t sure what startles him more: that Luffy is in the kitchen and hasn’t tried to swipe a snack yet, or that he hadn’t heard him come in. (His captain is a great many things; quiet is not one of them.)

He stares at him, waiting, and the knife stills against the chopping block with a quiet thunk. Sanji blinks back at him through his bangs. The quartering continues.

“I’m good at it,” is all he says. He knows he comes off as distracted, too busy carefully considering the recipe Carne whipped together one day, long before the Straw Hats were even a blip in the grand scheme of things. Usopp had been the one to make the suggestion at the inordinate amount of potatoes they had in their pantry, and he’d squawked when Sanji dove past him to dig for the rest of the fixings for baked potato soup.

The kitchen smells of cooked bacon and freshly baked sourdough, carefully crafted from the starter Patty had given him when he’d left the Baratie, a gift passed with a grumbling about something to make sure Sanji didn’t forget how to cook.

“That’s not what I asked,” Luffy says, folding his arms on the other end of the table. He rests his cheek on them, watching him sideways. Sanji cuts an eye growing out of another potato but doesn’t look at him.

Does he like cooking? Of course, he’s good at it — he’s had a decade to hone his skills; lived under the gruff tutelage of an old geezer who’d just as soon tell him his bolognese sauce needed work as he would kick him upside the head as a way of telling him he did a good job. Of course he likes it, it’s a point of pride when he watches someone take their first bite and immediately dig in for another or ask for seconds; when someone sits back, eyes half-lidded and belly full and content.

“Do you like being a pirate?” he asks, depositing the last of the potato chunks into the pot, careful not to let the water splash out onto the burner. He shifts his attention to the bacon, picking up another knife to begin crumbling it.

He can sense rather than see Luffy immediately brighten. “Yeah! It’s a lot of adventure and finding cool things. I figure I gotta see everything if I’m gonna be King of the Pirates, right?” With a glance he can see Luffy’s sat back up, though he hasn’t broken his gaze with Sanji’s back, something firm in his eyes. “Doesn’t make sense to do something if you don’t like it.”

That gives Sanji pause, and he watches the bubbles drifting around in the pot to hide his frown. Of course he likes cooking; he enjoys it and is good at it. Because he keeps his crew alive – he’s sure Nami and Usopp have a grasp on a few recipes between the two of them, and Robin, while still an enigma, might be able to handle things. Chopper he isn’t sure of, but Zoro and Luffy are lost causes.

After a beat, he goes back to chopping bacon. That’s just it, isn’t it. Luffy’s not just a pirate, he’s the one who’s going to become King of the pirates. But then no one on this crew is just one thing; each of them have their strong suits and play off of one another. Nami’s not just their navigator, she spent her childhood bleeding ink for a man who sought to use her for her own purposes and now she’s set off to quite literally chart her own course on her terms. Zoro isn’t just a swordsman, he’s a moron with no sense of direction who’s also a voice of reason. Usopp’s the bravest coward he knows, a child who told lies in the hope they would one day be true, and ingenious with even a limited supply of materials. As for Sanji …

Of course he likes cooking. He can go to bed at night knowing his crew is full and nourished and no food has gone to waste. That they know what good food actually tastes like. He can clean the kitchen and have one last cigarette, content with the knowledge none of his crew will know hunger, that they will never know the purgatory of being lost at sea with nothing but mold and rocks, the feeling of the indentations of each of their ribs, or the exhaustion of staring out into the horizon, waiting for death or rescue, whichever comes first.

Of course he’s good at it because he has to be. Because he’ll keep that starving little boy fed until he loses the ability to pick up a knife, and then he will adapt from there. Because he will endure Luffy’s complaints that he wants a snack even if he’s still bloated from breakfast because his beaming face will never be gaunt and his expression hollow. Because it gives him a sense of purpose, even if he won’t blurt that in the middle of the kitchen, no matter that it’s just the two of them and he trusts Luffy with his life. He will never see that little boy reflected in any of them.

Bacon finished, he sets down his knife and turns back toward the table, adjusting his sleeve. A watched pot never boils, after all, and he leans against the counter, folding his arms as Luffy watches him patiently – or as patiently as someone like Luffy can.

“Yeah,” he says around an exhale. Because it makes sense to him, because there’s a reason for it and he is the one to provide it, this service, care, and support. His shoulders don’t sag and Luffy grins. “Yeah, I like cooking.”

[sehrgefaelltmir]

Hey any fic recs? I really like yours so I figured you'd have good recommendations. I'd read just about any ship

hi!!! aw thank you so much, that means a lot. i haven’t had a lot of time to read lately (also i have the attention span of a gnat lmao) so i’m just gonna list all the best fics that i can think of,,, theres no real theme theres no criteria lmao. i kinda just like stuff w good writing. all of these are amazingly written i wish i could write something half as good as these 😭😭

my favourite fics (off the top of my head) are:

UEFA High by maxevader / @liverpool-enjoyer (i feel like anyone who hasn’t read this is living under a rock sekskjdbd but i gotta mention it anyway cause i adore it) it’s a high school au, literally EVERYONE is in it. well not everyone but,,, a lot. theres a load of different ships (i came for müllendowski ofc but im kinda pulling for alisson/vvd rn they’re really cute i’m rooting for them) and some really sweet friendships too (thomas & manu, robbo & trent, gavi & pedri are my favourites) honestly i don’t wanna spoil it just go in blind if u haven’t read it already cause it’s so so worth it, it’s so funny and so sweet and also very relatable and ughhhhh man i could talk abt it forever

while we’re at it i want to be loved (not to be touched) (also by maxevader) is also really fucking good, it’s gavi-centric, very angsty, SO well-written, the stars aligned or some shit and i read it at exactly the right moment in my life and it made me cry a bit (a lot)

how long could we be a sad song? by moonwedes / @tchouameninga, it’s a suuuuper super angsty müllendowski fic about lewy’s decision to leave bayern and what led up to it. the writing is incredible n it made me so fucking sad. i cannot recommend this one enough it is SO good, just. man the characterisation and the little details and how inevitable and tragic it feels,,, ughhh it’s amazing

Another Plane of Shambles by fipsareyougay,,, again i kinda feel like anyone who likes my fics has probably read this already cause it’s like. THE bayern/german nt fic lmao sorry. but i gotta mention it anyway cause it’s one of my favourite fics ever. it’s like 600k words and kinda intimidating to get into cause theres like a million characters and ships and subplots but it is so. so fucking good. off the top of my head the main ships are neuller, mesut/sami, schweinski, götzeus, toni/jonas hector (random ahh ship but it works lmao), leno/ter stegen, but there’s like 183737 other ships too. it’s hilarious but also like,, really really sad. like EVERYONE is going through it, it gets quite dark sometimes. also it’s not finished lmao like i don’t think it’s been updated for like a year at this point, but.. i honestly don’t think it matters?? like it’s so fucking good as it is i fr don’t mind if its not updated, whats there is enough (for me at least). its SUCH an experience i love it so much and i will recommend it to literally everyone, whether ur a german nt fan or not

domestic pressures by fivesecrets is also really REALLY fuckin good. the main ship is lewy/b**teng, which… yeah it’s not a ship i like for… obvious reasons lol but this fic is so well-written that i just can’t not include it. id actually feel bad if i didnt include it cause the writing is so SO fucking good,, i don’t think i’ve read any of this author’s other fics now that i think of it, but i really should. i feel so inadequate every time i think about this fic cause the writing is just that good. like,, the prose. if i ever write something as beautifully as this its all over for u bitches. it also has bravertz as a background ship which i LOVE. (SIDE NOTE DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY MORE BRAVERTZ RECS PLS I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER 👉👈)

one of my all-time favourite fics is Lunar by Redbull_gave_me_wings. (this is the fic that made me finally decide to start properly writing n posting instead of just writing random paragraphs in my notes app. so i’ll love it forever for that reason alone) i don’t rlly know how to explain this one lmao it’s kinda complicated, it’s… basically a werewolf au?? which seems really random for a football fic lmao but it works. i adore this fic. just,, the characterisation and the world-building and the memories i have of reading it (spring 2022 when i was supposed to be studying for my leaving cert lmao) and the relationship between the 3 main characters (thomas, lewy and marco, müllendowski are an established relationship and theres also kinda hints of götzeus if you squint??) i just love the story, all the side characters, the world and the lore,,,, dldkdkdj i need to reread it omg

the next one is UNFINISHED 😭 but i want to include it just cause i love it so much: welcome to the underworld by bibliophile357. another one that i rlly don’t know how to explain lmao. it’s basically a greek mythology au w müllendowski as the main ship, lewy is hades and thomas is persephone. there’s also a few other ships, i think seriker is kinda the biggest secondary one tho?? (i might be wrong lmao i read it aaages ago. like before i even had an ao3 account i think 😭) the greatest (greek) tragedy of them all is that this fic was never finished. like i got to the last chapter and was genuinely heartbroken that there was no ending cause the writing and the development of the main ship was so beautiful. i don’t think it ever will be finished either bc it hasn’t been updated since 2017 lmao but still it’s one of my favourite fics

also there’s a few other oneshots that i rlly rlly love, all soooooo so well-written: (also all müllendowski now that i think abt it 😭😭 im too loyal to them sjdkskdjjd im a one-club player. thomas müller just like me fr)

at night i think about you by restless5oul

must mean it’s the low season by ssilverarrowss

History Has Its Eyes On You by thomasmxller

n the last ones i can think of are kinda just like. short lil meet-cute aus. yknow for someone who has never even considered writing an au there sure are a lot of aus on this list 😭😭 i just have thing for them ig

the first one is Kawiarnia by lesbleusthroughandthrough, it’s a coffee shop au, lewy/szczęsny, which,, i can’t see them as anything but friends when i write them but like,, in this au it just works (you gotta read that in a todd howard voice) i WISH there was more of this au cause it was so funny and so cute, i reread it sometimes when i need a laugh

and the second one is (darling so it goes) some things are just meant to be by bleedingdaylight. its,, idk, a not-footballers au?? idk what to call that 😭 it’s a rlly sweet götzeus fic abt mario having a lil crush on marco, v sweet v funny 10/10. i ADORE götzeus they’re so cute in this fic (also theres a dog. named borussia)

thats,,, a really random list lmao sorry 😭😭 it’s kinda just all my favourites. i fr need to get back into just reading fics, i kinda just write in my spare time i barely read anything anymore. also i probably missed some other really good fics so if anyone wants to add anything pls do!!!

[ar-guile]

Writer tag game!

Tagged by @ramatetsu

When did you start writing?

It depends on what you mean by 'writing'. My roleplaying career began when I got my mom to sign a permission slip to mail to the Neopets HQ (a literal piece of paper, sent through the post office) to let me access the forums. Under-13s weren't allowed, you see.

Fun fact: I failed creative writing in high school and almost couldn't graduate! tbh I only started writing on my own when I was like 27

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I enjoy scifi and speculative fantasy, especially when the worldbuilding is allowed to affect the story and characters. Those finicky pedantic little details are where I live, but I tend to write on a smaller scale where that doesn't come into play so often.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I sit sideways in an armchair and write on my phone. Everyone wishes it didn't squeak when I rock. That's too bad. Squeaksqueaksqueaksqueak

Sometimes I think I'd enjoy a chaise lounge or a fainting couch (in a fantasy life where we have a real living room), but I know I'd miss the rocking too much.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

It used to be music. Now that I'm old, I think of how their quirks intersect with regular life until something snags my brain to drag me outta my own head and into someone else's.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Declaration of autonomy in situations where the characters have limited control over their circumstances. Building a life in spite of the futility. Some know what they're facing from the beginning, some start out thinking they have it all under control and find out just how wrong they were. Tone varies from fluffy to grim, but I always gotta have some humor in there or I'll die

(I had to get help with this question... and then I got called out)

What is your reason for writing?

Part of me wants to say it's a propaganda campaign for whatever my brain is orbiting around, but for that to be true I'd need to actually share the stuff I write instead of letting it sit on my hard drive. I mostly just enjoy the process of getting a story out of my head and onto a page. Words are fun!

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I hope they look between two stories narrated by different characters and have trouble believing they're written by the same person. Voice is my strongest trait by miles and miles. My characterization isn't always what matches the common fandom interpretation, so while it might hit some people the wrong way, there's a chance it'll Open Their Eyes To Another Way.

(If not, hate is still a strong emotional reaction so I'll take it lmao)

How do you feel about your own writing?

I have a sliiiight superiority complex, but I really agonize over my writing so I figure that's for the best? Gotta feel good about the stuff I torture myself over

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

I would get bored if I were writing for other people more than myself. That gives it a unique flavor, too. If I do what makes my brain buzz instead of trying to be palatable, it's waaaay more likely to hit those notes for someone else.

I sound so full of myself with these questions and that's kind of hilarious. I'm actually way too shy to tag anyone so if you wanna fill it out you're absolutely welcome! Yes that includes you even if we've never exchanged a single word

[ladylooch]

Bby I know you’re dying for him so this is your sign to do a Kevin blurb 😌💅🏻

-🍻

You know me so well 😘

“Are you ready?” Kevin whispers into my ear as the arena goes dark. The crowd cheers. I can barely breathe as I shiver against his chest. 

“Yes!” I scream. “Wooooo!” 

Kevin’s hands go to my hips as I bounce up and down. 

“We moved to a place with a view off of 8th avenue.” Kelsea Ballerini sings into her microphone. I close my eyes, practically fainting from excitement at how overwhelmed I am at finally being here to see her in person. The tickets are amazing. We are front and center as she sits in front of the microphone to scream out her healed version of Penthouse. 

“I kissed someone new last night and now I don’t care where you’re sleeping baby!” I yell out, hands in the air as I belt the lyrics that quite literally changed my whole world.

I never thought I would love again; Kelsea, and Kevin Fiala, made me believe.

It all came to a head the night I kissed Kevin for the first time. I was cannon balling back into the dating scene with a professional athlete after a horrible break up with my narcissistic ex. When Kevin’s lips hit mine, I knew exactly what Kelsea was singing about. I didn’t care- about how he ran off with someone else or how he was engaged 6 months after. Or how he was about to have his first baby and live the things we dreamed about with someone else.

Because I had me.

And then I had Kevin too.

I feel Kevin’s lips press to the back of my neck. Then I turn in his arms, tugging his lips down onto me. My tongue shoves into his mouth as the final cords of Penthouse are drowned out by the cheering crowd. My fingerprints press into the back of his neck. His hands slide down into the back pockets of my jeans to hold me tight. We pull apart for air, noses touching. I open my eyes, staring back into his.

He knows what this song means to me. It’s why he surprised me with tickets this morning.

“I wanted you all along.” I murmur, replacing Kelsea’s lyrics with a little twist just for him.

“Love you.” He kisses me again, then turns me back towards the stage so I stop missing the concert I’ve been obsessing about 

Lucky me, either way I turn, I get a show. 

We leave the concert late. I’m floating on cloud nine when Kevin asks if I want a late-night stop at In N Out burger. We take our food to go, stuffing our faces no the beach close to our place, listening to the waves roll in from the inky ocean. 

“Did you have fun tonight, baby?” He asks as he tossed his used burger wrapper into the bag. He moves it from between us, sliding me over the blanket to be in his lap.

“Yeah. Thank you again. You’re so good to me.” I stroke along his stubble then move up to tug at his mustache a bit. “ You know how you could make the night better?”

“I’m not shaving this.” He chuckles. “Me and the boys have a good thing going right now. It’s for the team, baby.” His mustache phase has been infused into the other Europeans on the Kings as well as his friend group back home in Switzerland. 

“No… I was thinking you could use that somewhere tonight.” He cocks his head to the side, huge grin brightening up the dark night. 

“Are you coming around?”

“Maybe…” I murmur against his mouth. The hairs in question twitch against my upper lip, which induces a moan from me as I remember where he tickled me yesterday morning. “Just a little taste though…” I whisper, letting my breath swirl into his mouth. He sighs heavily, gripping my hips as I rock him into an excited state. “Then I’ll have a little taste…” He closes his eyes as I press our lips together again. I watch as his features soften with desire under me. “Then you’ll take me so hard I can’t get out of bed tomorrow.”

“Then I do it all over again?”

“Yeah.” I giggle. “It’s our way.” 

“Have I mentioned how much I love you?” He asks as I pull away, resting my forearms on his shoulders, hands hanging behind him.

“Not nearly enough.”

“Well, I can’t really say it enough. Kinda just gotta show you.”

“Take me home, Kev.” 

He lifts me easily, carrying me back to the car as I take our trash in my hand. The breeze rolls in off the ocean, dancing my stray brown hairs along my face. My soft smile plumps my lips on Kevin’s shoulder. I close my eyes, recognizing for the millionth time, how ridiculously happy I am with him.

I never thought I could be in this place again.

I just hadn’t found my home yet.

[argisthebulwark]

As long as we're talking about skyrim characters who fall in love with tld on sight if not soon after that, then you gotta include Erik. Sweet farmers boy who just wants to be an adventurer who probably gets a crush on every adventurer who stops by and then tld comes by and like he always does that little crush hits him. But then she actually helps him live his dream?? And on top of that gets to come with her??? Oh that boys "little" crush explodes into true love in minutes.

YESSS FINALLY SOMEONE GETS ME!!!! anon you understand me. you and me are literally sharing the braincell because this is IT this is exactly what i think about with erik.

Erik always feels some degree of heartache when another adventurer breezes through Rorikstead. Some of them are kind enough to indulge him in a bit of conversation before moving along. He hears tales of bandit camps and long treks in search of lost artifacts, sleeping under the stars and being free from the monotony of everyday life.

There is always a deep sense of longing when they leave again. Even if they are kind Erik finds that he resents his little town a bit more each time his father insists that he remains at home to help the family or reminds him that they just don't have extra coin for a set of armor. The rolling hills he was once content with leave him itching to see what lies beyond, open skies beckoning him to find something more.

it's sfw, just long and fluffy.

Murmurs of the Dragonborn rock their small community and that spark is lit once again, that need to see the world. Erik clings to each rumor he hears of them - their brave escape from Helgen, slaying dragons and bending Jarls to their will. He wonders if they look like all of the armored, muscle-bound Nords he read about as a child.

One late night Erik is absolutely drained. He's using the shovel as a crutch and wiping sweat from his brow when he gazes out at yet another sunset. The moons are hanging low in the sky, stars barely beginning to twinkle when someone interrupts his view. Anticipation sends his pulse into a frenzy and Erik hurries closer to the newcomer praying that it's an adventurer with exciting tales.

Her helm tucked under one arm and a smear of dirt marks her face but Erik suddenly forgets how to speak. The adventurer smiles easily at him and he feels his heart blossoming at the sight. She's lovelier than anyone he's ever seen.

"Hello." She greets him and Erik wants to hear every single story she has. "Do you know if there's an inn here?"

"Yes." He knows he's speaking too quickly but can't be bothered. Her nose wrinkles when she smiles at him and Erik feels himself swooning. "Frostfruit Inn. I'll take you there."

"Thank you." She agrees, falling in step with him. There's blades strapped to her back and the armor has its fair share of gashes.

"You look like you've seen your share of adventure." He comments, covertly wiping the sweat from his palms. I envy you that."

"It's quite lonely." She tilts her head back and Erik wonders which god she's scowling at.

"I've always wanted to be an adventurer but my father says I can't."

"Why?" He's glad that the cobbled road is empty or his neighbors would surely tease him for the deep shade of red in his cheeks.

"He says that he needs me to stay here and work the farm." Erik feels a pat on his shoulder when he holds the inn's door for her and his heart leaps into his throat. "Even if he did let me be an adventurer, we couldn't afford to buy armor. That's him behind the bar." He points out his father, catching his attention just long enough to earn the new adventurer a wave. "He's the innkeeper if you need a room."

"I'll only be here for the night." She smiles at him again and Erik's heart is already breaking at the thought of this adventurer leaving him.

He spends all evening glued to her side listening to her talk and laugh through dozens of stories. When their dinner's long forgotten and the tavern's fire has burnt down to mere embers the adventurer tiptoes out of the inn. She flashes Erik a mischievous smile and he nearly trips over his own feet to follow her.

"The stars are pretty here." She comments, arms folded behind her head. Erik crosses his feet and stares up at the same sky he's seen every night of his life. Somehow it feels different looking at it with her. "They don't look the same as back home."

"I hope to see your home one day." Erik admits, comforted by the cover of night. "I can't stand the thought of being trapped in this village for the rest of my days."

There's a pause before she speaks again and Erik worries that he's insulted her or overstepped a boundary. A quick glance over at her reveals that she's still got the easy expression on her face, body relaxed on the cool ground.

"You won't be." Her boot knocks into his and Erik's heart flutters again. "I'm sure of it."

When sunlight teases the horizon Erik swallows his dread. His arm lost feeling long ago but he doesn't dare to move lest he wake the adventurer dozing on his shoulder. Her snores are just soft enough to feel like a lullaby and he drifts into the nicest sleep he's found in ages. He knows that when the Sun fully rises she will leave him again but for the just a few more hours he doesn't want to let go.

There is no sadness in her eyes when she finally wakes, joking about wasting coin on a room just to sleep outdoors. Erik's heart aches when she pulls him into a tight hug and promises that they will see each other again. No words can escape the tightness in his chest when he has to release her, tracing her silhouette until he can no longer see her.

"Good eye, kid." Mralki's hand slaps his shoulder and Erik sways under the touch, still trying to find her on the horizon. "That Dragonborn is quite the gal."

"She's what?"

"Come on, Erik. You spent all night talking to the girl."

"She never mentioned it."

The day passes in a blur, his duties complete without noticing because Erik cannot stop thinking about her. He'd spent all night listening to her tales but hadn't once realized that she was the Dragonborn. He hadn't gotten her full name or even the address of her house. He simply had to wait and hope she hadn't lied when promising to see him again.

The sunset is unimpressive. Erik stares up when the stars appear and recalls each story she told, committing it to his memory. The Dragonborn had slept on his shoulder, shared her stories with him and laughed at his jokes. She'd lifted his spirits more than any adventurer in the past.

He hears everyone gathering in his father's inn for the evening, music and conversation floating out each time the door opens. The heaviness of his heart is too great to join them.

"There you are, we've been looking for you." Erik starts when the Dragonborn rounds the corner, that same smile on her face. He's standing before her in an instant, unsure what to say but his heart feels ready to explode. He can see her dimples and nearly faints when she grasps his hand.

"We?"

"Well, I've been looking for you." Erik allows the Dragonborn to pull him into the tavern and immediately feels every eye in the building turn to them. "Your father isn't much help."

"My father?"

"My son!" Erik's never heard his father sound so cheery. He's clasping the Dragonborn on the shoulder, shoving a drink into her hand. "The Dragonborn truly is our savior. She's given us enough coin to get you a fine set of armor."

For just a moment Erik's world stops. The Dragonborn's awaiting his reaction while his father prattles on about being able to let him go once they get through the winter but all he can see is her. He can't fathom the amount of septims she must've dumped in his father's lap in order for him to agree.

"The winter?" He asks numbly, already counting down the days.

"That wasn't the deal." The Dragonborn's lips purse and Erik prays to never be on the receiving end of the glare leveled at his father. "You said nothing about waiting until after winter."

"You can't expect me to tend to the farm and the inn alone." His father doesn't back down and Erik's tempted to shield the Dragonborn. "I can't afford to hire a farmhand on such short notice."

"I'll buy Erik armor on my own." The Dragonborn's brows furrow and Erik's fairly sure he's dreaming when he hears her next words. "Keep the coin and hire help. I won't allow him to spend another night in this village."

Erik trails after the Dragonborn when she briskly exits the inn. His heart is pounding but he can feel it - the horizon is no longer taunting him, it welcomes him. After so many years the world is finally opening up to him. The Dragonborn smiles sheepishly up at him and Erik's sure that he's in love with her.

"Sorry about that." She murmurs, fingers dancing nervously over his hand. "If you don't want to come with me that's alright. I just couldn't stop thinking about what you said."

"I'll go anywhere with you." He blurts, grasping the Dragonborn's hand. "I want to see the whole world with you."

When she squeezes his hand Erik feels the weight he's carried his entire life lift from his shoulders. In the morning he will awake to a new life with the woman he's easily falling in love with. He just needs to come up with a title, something to mark his legacy.

"I'm sorry for leaving so quickly." The Dragonborn leans into Erik's side and he's thrilled by the simple touch. "Even I don't carry that much coin on me."

"Thank you for coming back."

[mamamittens]

Tears of the Kingdom really do be giving me the most random curve balls.

In no particular order and (hopefully) minimal spoilers.

Fuck what's under the Deku tree, yes, I do remember Ocarina of Time. Somehow this is worse than the fucking spider. Dicks.

The Yiga clan really put here doing the most istg but they're so fun. The chicken was genuinely fucking hilarious.

We really not asking where the giant Mecha animals went?!?!? REALLY?!?

RIP all the champions but Mipha, fuck them and their struggles IG!?!

Why y'all got me playing bob the builder with my own damn house but I can't pick colors or if there's a damn wall, like, what the fuck?! Who tf wants an open air bedroom when I KNOW WHAT LIVES DOWN THE DAMN HILL?!?

Y'all are nasty for drinking from these fucking wells. Arguably as bad as Kakariko village in Ocarina of Time.

How many TIMES IS THE CASTLE GETTING YEETED?!? DID IT OR DID IT NOT ALREADY DO THIS?!? TELL ME STRAIGHT NINTENDO ISTG

How tf did Sonia and Rauru have descendants?!? Like, goals, but... How?

Zelda •́⁠ ⁠ ⁠‿⁠ ⁠,⁠•̀ shoes really on the other foot now, isn't it?

ARE THERE OTHER ZORA DOMAINS?!? WHERE DID YONA COME FROM?!? DID THEY TRAVEL WITH BABY GUPPY SIDON OR DID THEY REALLY MAKE BABY YONA TRAVEL TO BEFRIEND THE ZORA PRINCE?!? THIS PLACE IS DANGEROUS AS FUCK WHAT THE HELL?!?

How many times do I gotta prop up a damn sign for you to learn how to make them right or at least stop kissing ass so hard to set 'him' down?

I know swallowing those snowflake gems gotta hurt like a bitch how did he never flinch?!?

Prime opportunity missed to have Link chow down in rock roast again, cowards.

Ganon really spent his downtime fucking with people right out the gate, man's a clear thespian and it shows.

WHO. THE. FUCK. IS THE HERO ASPECT?!?

I caught Ganon's horse in BoTW and named him Big Daddy and my stable transferred to this game too 🤭

Genuinely forgot about "Master Kouga's" quest until I ran into him a second time. What a dweeb.

Whoever thought up the depths is a dick and a sadist. Who. THE HELL. WANTED TO NAVIGATE LITERAL DARKNESS LIKE THIS?!? AND THEN ADDING LABYRINTHS IN IT TOO WHAT THE FUCK GUYS?!?

Gorons were really out here eating monster ass and getting high as balls

Why, oh why, did y'all Zora make possibly the most homoerotic metaphor referencing the last game and then suddenly introduce his fiance? I'm getting mixed messages are they gay or just friends? 🤨

I thought the owl elder died lmfao, RIP

Purah grew sick of my shit and it shows

Kiss ass doctor dude can go suck a bokoblin ball sack istg I wanna EXPLORE THE DAMN RUINS THE FIRST GO AROUND 😤

Is no one weirded out by the Purah pad?!? No one else has one but they all seem to know how it functions...

Fuck them hands, I'd throw mine but I deeply wanna social distance from their... Asses(?)

Tulin, baby, I love you but can't I decide what direction your gale goes? Namely up or ahead of me?

Speaking of which, what the hell happened to Yonobu's gift from BoTW?! It's not like, super different but it's not a shield anymore... ? Wack.

I appreciate how much everyone believes in Zelda but some of this shit she was definitely fucking with y'all and you should've thought a little harder about the sketch behavior. Iykyk

[afterthefeast]

ep 4 rewatch

once again. obsessed with jane saying look we all know my husband’s a fool. also “the past tense is a very sturdy thing” you tell them.

tunbaaq having opposable thumbs is legitimately very creepy

“jopson, you hear everything”. once again further proof that jopson is gossip queen of the century

little pushing to move men from the terror over to erebus — little’s position as lieutenant and loyalty is legitimately up to interpretation, but i like to think of this episode as showing how his loyalty is ultimately to the men below him rather than to crozier (or franklin or fitzjames), and he will do what’s best for them (leaving a collapsing ship, abandoning the sick). i’m not fully set on this interpretation but i think it tracks and it also illustrates the overall position of lieutenant as kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place — saddled with a duty of care for those under you but unable to really act on that as you’re constrained by the orders from above. truly eldest daughter coded

crozier taking evans with him; unusual given he’s generally portrayed as distant from his men, though he obviously cares for them. and heartbreaking because it’s the first time we see him break that gruff exterior and it goes poorly. last episode he was fully prepared to leave them for their own good, and this episode he keeps one close and it gets evans killed.

fitzjames cunty sweater moments. if you’re going to get lost in the arctic you’ve gotta serve

“does one not bring one’s habits to Terror?” or should it be “does one not bring one’s habits to terror?” love this firstly because it’s obviously an example of how crozier consistently echoes stuff Sophia’s said to him and we find the source out later, but in this case, as opposed to saying the arctic wants them dead straight out, he’s saying it ironically, and it’s a joke only he will get. in this case i think he’s lamenting how he’s unable to escape the worst parts of himself regardless of their circumstances. the arctic’s pretty consistently framed as a place of change, sometimes explicitly through irving’s gay ass speech, and also through things like hickey’s slow descent into villainy and the men losing their humanity to cannibalism. at this moment though, i think crozier has realised he has been unable to rise above his flaws, though he hoped otherwise (see also franklin’s conversation with him last episode).

also a slight parallel between fitzjames and sophia. which could mean anything

“you discussed this?” — crozier genuinely sounds betrayed by this and i think this marks probably the moment where his working relationship with fitzjames starts to reach properly unsustainable levels of distrust.

hickey’s decision to kidnap silna is interesting because it’s equally plausible that he did this to get into crozier’s good books or because, having seen tunbaaq’s face and following the same logic as fitzjames assuming silna somehow controls tunbaaq, he genuinely thought capturing her was key for their survival. which i think actually rings truer to his character — hickey’s not actually really some machiavellian schemer for the sake of it, no matter how much he may enjoy that, but an opportunist bent on survival. consistently his motivations throughout later episodes (munity, cannibalism etc) are because he thinks them necessary for his own survival. ultimately one of the major questions the terror asks is how far men will go to ensure they live (“god wants you to live”), and hickey will do literally anything for it.

“i’m not sending men out into a squall” — obviously shows how far crozier falls next episode but equally illustrates fitzjames’ upward trajectory given that he is in this episode perfectly happy to do so. illustrates their respectivr flaws as well; crozier is an alcoholic, and fitzjames reacts very badly under pressure.

hickey’s dramatic storytelling one of the funniest things in this episode. i’ve said before how he thinks he’s in the wrong genre but this is the ultimate example. also hickey probably wasn’t lying by saying that tunbaaq ran off when silna tried to speak it, so we can probably assume that this is when it rejected her fully as a shaman, having given her the seal previously — not sure why this is

the fact that fitzjames clearly cannot stand hickey is hilarious.

also “yes, mr hickey, we know” — he’s legitimately confused by this and crozier’s later punishment. this is the moment whereby hickey recalculates, i think; he moves from trying to gain what power he can within the general order of the ship to actively disrupting it, presumably because he realises that his own survival is no longer guaranteed by proximity to crozier.

“disrespect to who sir?” “to the girl”

the whole concept of punished as a boy is so much. firstly, lays bare the barbarity beneath the victorian navy’s pretence towards civility. secondly, crozier reaches some degree of physical intimacy with hickey only through violence enacted by a proxy (johnson). thirdly, highlights the difference between his later relationships (jopson & fitzjames primarily) and current isolation. fourthly, there’s a lot to ‘as a boy’ that’s interesting and i’m just too tired to unpack. this whole scene is just so much but really quite difficult to parse?

hickey’s crimes include dirtiness — i have little to say here except. victorian ideas of moral hygiene go brrrr

the worst part of it all is obviously afterwards everyone just stops and hickey has to play it off. like to me that is the most dehumanising part of it all — there’s no comfort offered afterwards and no sense of absolution (unlike how hartnell sees this), just the brutal reality of senseless violence

also like. following that with asking who wants to go to erebus and then crozier being shocked almost all of them want to go. read the room man

rare stanley w by being bare minimum kind to morfin and asking fitzjames if he needs anything.

interesting as well how absolutely shaken fj is by the “incident” on Terror — this is tenuous but i think any level of being uncomfortable with violence is associated with naivety in the show. goodsir is obviously the most ‘gentle’ of the cast, and the only person to show outward discomfort with hickey’s punishment is jopson — who while not exactly naive is somewhat cast in that role anyway by virtue of his position as younger and subservient. fitzjames’ shock here is down to him being rudely awoken to the reality of command — similar to how goodsir never realises “england” is the source of the men’s rot, fitzjames has thus far i don’t think reckoned with the brutality inherent to his position. it’ll come up again when he asks blanky about ross, i think. this is also part of my overall nebulous theory about naivety & purity in the show. to be revisited.

the camera angles they use for goodsir are really funny cause they’re consistently trying to make him seem smaller in comparison to stanley when. they are the same height

GOODSIR LIB MOMENT — his absolute consternation that morfin would ask if he’d been whipped, because by virtue of his class privilege he is shielded from that part of naval life. like goodsir is so empathetic and open to other cultures but basically never critiques the structures of his own culture: he consistently falls back on class and never realises that

someone leaving tobacco in hickey’s hammock is legit sweet

DE VOEUX DICKHEAD MOMENT

[quinloki]

m8 I am so sorry for what's going on with your rn. I've been through sudden housing insecurity and its literally one of the scariest things. sending you guys my love, I'm hoping it all manages to even out and things don't go too sideways. If you ever want/need to talk, I'm p much always here, so. <3 :( take care of yourself, that's the most important thing.

^_^ thanks, I appreciate that.

Yeah, it’s not the best place to be, but I have to hold out hope that it’ll be okay. We got almost completely out of debt after we moved a couple years back, and so we have that going for us - in that we can afford to go into debt to stay afloat, but all that progress 😭

I am, at least, less stressed about it today than yesterday, so I’m glad for that. It’s hard to control how your brain deals with shit, but I’m lucky as hell to have options and support. If we have to live in my dad’s basement for a couple months cause it goes full on tits up, we have that option.

It’s not what I want to do, but it’s a far sight better than some alternatives - and my relationship with my dad is rock solid. So it’s not like I’d be stressed out living under the same roof.

So I think I had my pity party yesterday and now we claw back to normal and this weekend we make some plans and make sure that we know what we’ll do at different break points and then we just do our best from there. This might be the sucky thing that turns stuff even better than it was, so I gotta be ready to grab that \o/

[hekateinhell]

♡ + Armand/Lestat

I didn't realize you'd reblogged this meme and now you gotta feed me in return 😾 (and if someone else has asked for them in VC then I wanna know about them in your high school au)

babe you get my entire kitchen, apartment, whatever you want 🥹 LOL you already know the whole arc I have planned for them in the sequel but I'll stay in context of where we saw them last on ao3 -- their mutual boyfriend's name freshly tattooed on both their asses and Armand struggling to admit to Lestat that he loves him as well, before Lestat (for once), did the hard part for him.

• Who is the most affectionate?

Lestat.

Armand is incredibly insecure about just how much he's 'allowed' to touch him in public and in private so he doesn't readily initiate -- he doesn't want to rock the boat now that Louis's other boyfriend seems to have finally accepted him (he doesn't entirely trust Lestat's drunken and endorphin-fueled love confession).

Lestat's trying to navigate the awkward 'undefined' stage as well, but in the meantime, he'd like everyone else to know in no uncertain terms that this one also belongs to him. He's living his dream with one arm around Louis's waist and the other draped over Armand's neck. Everyone knows Lestat and Louis have been an on/off item, everyone knows Armand and Louis have also been an item for a while now, Lestat would like the world to know that he and Armand are also... something.

He just doesn't know what yet but if he could mark Armand like a dog in public, he would. It means the world to him that Armand never gave him back his leather jacket after that night and wears it to school every day even though it's much too baggy on him and reaches precisely down to his thighs. To Lestat's eighteen-year-old brain, they're practically engaged as long as Armand holds on to that jacket.

• Who initiates the handholding?

See above.

Poor Lestat has to instigate literally everything right now. Oh no, it's not going to cause any problems down the line, why would it? 😔

• Who worries more for the other?

Armand worries about Lestat living on his own since his mother bailed and left him alone with an empty house. Lestat doesn't... do well alone. He'll invite anyone over to hang out and party if Armand and Louis just can't be there; bad things happen.

• Who is more likely to ask for help?

Directly? Neither of them. But Lestat's much more prone to purposely and consciously acting out in the hope someone will notice and help him. Armand will just pretend Bad Things Aren't Happening.

• Who is the one always losing the keys?

Lestat loses everything that isn't physically attached to his person. Sometimes he forgets where he parked his car and that's his baby.

• Who leaves little love notes for the other?

They're in the same grade (even though Lestat's older, Armand skipped a year and Lestat got held back a year) so Armand and Louis typically share their notes with Lestat who has a terrible fucking time focusing during class (it's the ADHD and dyslexia). He'd much rather and much more easily fill a notebook with lyrics and random doodles for his dream album covers.

When Armand knows Lestat will actually be reading over his notes later (only under threat of a quiz or an exam -- he would like to graduate this year, thank you very much), he works in little quotes from his favorite love poems or songs.

He hopes Lestat knows it's intentional that Armand penned out the entire [love is more thicker than forget] in the margins, that Armand was thinking of him when he wrote it and not just scribbling because he's bored. Don't judge him; we all went through our E.E. Cummings phase.

• Who can't sleep unless the other is there?

Armand is an anxious sleeper and his home life in foster care isn't... great, so he spends at least half of his day at school catching up on sleep. He gets his best sleep in the library on someone's lap; out on the field using Lestat's stomach as a pillow while they lay out on the grass away from everyone else; in the backseat of Lestat's car with Louis's crumpled-up sweater as a pillow and Lestat's jacket as a blanket.

Armand would never sleep in front of other people, but on a mostly subconscious level, he feels safest just knowing Lestat's around -- a 6ft, 175-pound German Shepard that for some reason is personally interested in him right now.

(Though I have to say, Lestat loves when Armand can sleep over at his house, for many reasons aside from the obvious.)

• Who is more likely to propose to the other?

Considering how Armand drunkenly and brazenly asked Lestat to fuck him before they've ever done it, I'm going to say Armand. Whoops...

Let's hope when Armand proposes it goes better than the 'fuck me' conversation did.

• Who introduced the other to their family first?

Neither of their family is in the picture at the moment, so we're going to thrust this onto Louis.

Technically, Lestat and Armand knew of each other and had seen each other around the school before, but the day Louis formally introduced them to each other as his boyfriends was interesting -- in fact, it went something like...

Armand: [spit, hissss] 😾😾😾

Lestat: the fuck.

• Who is more likely to play with the other's hair?

Lestat loves playing with Armand's hair while Armand's napping. He has a shit ton of nervous energy that needs an outlet and he always has to have his hands busy with something, plus he'll make up literally any and every excuse to touch Armand.

• Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated?

Lestat knows about Armand's home life and that he can't always afford to buy lunch at school, so he usually grabs him something from the deli when he goes for himself. He buys something for Louis too so Armand doesn't feel awkward and singled out; it makes Lestat feel good to be in any sort of big manly provider role and it doesn't hurt that Armand flutters his lashes at him and playfully licks his lips as he whispers 'thank you.'

• Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other?

Lestat has a much more reactive and implosive temper, so it would probably be him if someone even so much as looked at Armand the wrong way.

He's lost plenty of sleep trying to find out what exactly Armand meant by the virginity comment (they're not in the place yet where he can outright ask and he doesn't want to bring it up to Louis in case Armand hasn't and it'll become A Thing). But he fantasizes about getting to the bottom of it one day so he can figure out who to kill.

Most people leave Lestat alone because he's generally pretty popular and well-liked (and also an older senior who's had his share of fights), but if Armand ever overhears some snarky asshole insulting Lestat's intelligence because he's repeating a grade, he will cut them down to size with the most bitingly vicious words in the calmest possible tone. He might even smile as he does it, just to be extra creepy.

• Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other?

Armand did spring the tattoos thing on Lestat, so I'd have to say Armand.

People expect Lestat to be capricious; Armand not so much, so it's extra surprising. But he loves to plan little 'not quite dates' and excursions that often rely on the premise of 'just trust me, Lestat! 🥺'

• Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things?

Armand makes Lestat pinky promise that he's not going do anything reckless like drink and drive if he's going to a house party Armand and Louis can't attend. It's not that Lestat means to be reckless, he just thinks he's invincible.

Lestat's pinky promise requests are much more innocuous, usually after they've made up following a petty adolescent squabble: 'Promise you're not still mad at me? Swear on it.'

• Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch?

Lestat covers Armand up when he's fallen asleep at school, Armand covers Lestat when he falls asleep on his couch or in his bed. Usually Lestat's on top of him already, between his legs and resting his head on his chest, and so it takes a bit of gymnastics practice to maneuver a blanket over them both. It's worth it for some of the best sleep either of them will get anytime soon. 💖

[junpei-iori-ace-defective]

what's your opinion on the whole akihiko characterization discourse going on. also get well soon man!!

Ty homie! Also I have a lot of opinions on Akihiko!

Let me preface this with, I don’t think it’s Alejandro’s fault. I’ve met him before, he’s super chill! He’s a great voice actor! I think with better voice directing/writing this issue could have been completely avoided.

Spoilers/Full Opinion under the cut bc, oh boy do I have a l o t to say.

So. First things first I do agree that Aki’s new voice is waaaaay too deep. Like. I understand wanting him to sound a little more mature but he did not need to be THAT deep. Bro should not be lower than Shinji. However, I don’t think that is Alejandro’s fault.

In stressful scenes, when Aki’s voice gets a little higher, I was literally screaming in my brain. “THATS IT THATS HOW HE SHOULD SOUND!”. I think the voice director was so focused on trying to make Aki sound more mature that they were pushing Saab too far in the deep direction.

Also I don’t know how they broke up the recording sessions, but I could tell a BIG difference in the voice acting for the whole cast when the Yakushima trip happened. Like they all sounded so much better. Especially Aki and Yukari. I can’t tell if it was just me getting used to the new cast, or if it was a new session, but they did sound better. While still being deep, Aki did sound more like himself and Yukari had some of her bite back.

Aki also improved writing and voice acting wise for his second awakening and after. To quote from the live blog I did on discord “no more damnit shinji. But goddamn Alejandro put his whole soul into that.”

I think with better voice directing Alejandro could have really made Aki shine. Idk if it was just. Miscommunication or smth bc the rest of them sounded fine. But I still don’t think it’s on Saab. I know he has the range. It seems like a direction issue to me.

Now on to the writing/characterization. Whooo boy it is r o u g h.

Every. Single. Fucking. Word. Out. Of. This. Mans. Mouth. Was. Protein. They flanderized my boy sooooooo bad.

I’ve been told they wanted to make him closer to the japanese version and the arena games but like. I don’t think it was this bad????

I honestly think it was Atlus’ attempt to add more comic relief to the game. Which I understand, but I don’t think it was needed.

Part of the charm, for me at least, is how depressing Persona 3 is. Like. Of course the game is depressing as shit! It’s about death, destruction, doom, gloom, despair, ect. It’s supposed to feel so hopeless because that’s how it really hammers home it’s main point. In the last act, you, S.E.E.S., and other characters realize even though life is depressing and cruel, that there’s hope in the end. That the bonds you have forged will save you AND the world. Like you gotta hit rock bottom to get back up!

So trying to add more comedy just feels. Off. Especially choosing Aki of all people to be comic relief. Junpei has always been the comic relief TM but his character is done so fucking good that even though he’s the comic relief TM, the moments where he does get serious hit so much fucking harder.

Unfortunately with Aki, it does not work the same way. Aki is such a serious character that it’s hard to make him comic relief without ruining his character, which is exactly what fucking happened. All the serious scenes, especially with Shinji, just felt so weird bc the game sets up Aki as mr protein workout man. That when he is serious, it feels like a completely different character.

Like with his video recording that you can watch in the meeting room. What makes that funny is Aki is such a serious character that seeing him be an absolute idiot and fumble IS the humor.

I think Aki is just like. The worst choice to make comic relief. Like everyone else has funny bits and quirks, which makes them so realistic and likable! And Aki does too! But turning his whole character into work out protein work out is just a massive disservice to his character.

It did seem to taper off towards the back half of the game. Especially after Shinji’s death, and progressing through his link episodes. But all of the flanderization did hurt his character really bad. I hope Atlus stops trying to add humor where there doesn’t need to be any. Because honestly it doesn’t make shit funny, it just makes things not make sense.

(Side note, I think thats also what the other persona games suffer from too. Is Atlus being worried about the games being too dark that they add humor where there doesn’t need to be any. Which leads to weird plot things/mischaracterization)

Long story short, Do better Atlus lmao. I still love Reload. It’s literally the best remake I’ve ever seen/played. And I think all game studios should look at Reload and take notes. But it has its issues. And so does this version of Aki.

[jinkicake]

I can’t keep letting these 5”5 men have a chokehold on me, it’s getting unreal bc if I go this con in February and see a rly pretty albedo I will FOLD ON THE DOTTED LINES😭 like I was thinking about how kazuha looks cute but he’s unhinged and I’m like the opposite kinda💀 literally people think I’m the one in charge of the relationship but he’s so sadistic😭 and he’s has HUGE Simon vibes,, cute police and smiley,very good w words, a fugitive, super strong- like they’re a lil too similar💀 my friend pointed out that I do have a type and I can only sigh. Kazuha will smile in your family’s face at a function like he didn’t rearrange your insides like 3 hours before and is gon do it again as soon as y’all leave, Simon will sit at the dinner table laughing w Lucifer and diavolo while he’s making eyes at you like “I am going to send you straight to the celestial realm” they’re both super into bondage, like kazuha will tie your arms behind your back and take you from behind outside. I’ve heard he likes to have sex w nice scenery and I agree he will take you to a cliff for a picnic and you’re like aww romantic but he has rope in his sleeve. Simon would invite you over to study(Bible study) but he doesn’t even let you put your stuff down before he’s pressing you up against the door and feeling you up. Here both definitely sex feinds😭 like it’s a regular Wednesday morning and they’re asking you to bounce on their cock💀kazuha is BOLD bc like he lives on the crux and who’s gunna beat his ass?? Like if he walks back on board w a pretty little thing on his arm all starry eyed, Beidou already knows she’s gunna catch a glimpse of him balls deep😔 fortunately there’s a rule about sharing whatever you bring on board bc it’s her boat💕 (it’s me I am for the streets and Beidou is so damn fine, ik she has a custom jade strap, she wields a claymore she could hold me up w one arm) she doesn’t look the least bit surprised to see kazuha bending you over in the captains quarters. And he don’t look like he’s been caught w his pants down😒 “I see you’ve been busy” “you were taking too long for my liking, I was just keeping them nice and warm for you” and it’s like ooohhhhhh y’all planned that💀 someone sent this to me and said it was kazuha

Like this would be him😭 rocks your world but he goes where the wind takes him so he’s out the next week. But I’m build differently I’ll prove myself by out fucking him to when he taps out he can get some sleep, and by the time he has to depart Inazuma he has to take me w him bc I have him under my thumb🥰🥰

no literally... how many times must we have this conversation! theyre 5'5!!!! guys under six foot are friends (not xiao tho)! one day i'll help you overcome this, i promise!

but also folding bc of albedo is so reasonable i understand it like idk what i would do if i actually saw one of these kaeyas out in real life... i would act like a complete and utter fool,,, begging for an ounce of kock or koochie loooool

now that youve brought it up.... we need more rough kazuha smut in this world! he is written so delicately and to be such a sweetheart but like where is fierce and crazy kazuha huh? where is he!!!!

naurrrr see if i were at a table w lucifer, simeon, AND diavolo... i would take lucifer and simeon to another room. diavolo can watch i guess smhhhhhh im inviting everyone!

dont- no beidou- im gonna go feral like that woman is so..... im drooling ugh i need her bad! oooh but a kazuha and beidou threesome now wait a min i really like the trust between them! that would be good-

NO THAT TWEET COULD ALSO BE ALBEDO TOO LIKEEEE THAT FANART I SENT YOU YESTERDAY... you can't tell me he wouldnt hit and then dip the next day and ghost you for life.... but back to kazuha i would cry if he ghosted me like that would hurt real badly huh

you just gotta follow kazuha w the wind... get a glider... kekeke that's how you keep him