#also they're corny i'll show you later

[gongwookie]

GY's IG Story 05.09.23

#lee dongwook #lee dong wook #이동욱 #gong yoo #gong jicheol #gong ji cheol #공유 #guardian the lonely and great god #goblin #these cute polaroids....i heart them #also they're corny i'll show you later

[kiyosw]

can i request with kafka, and himeko. where the reader was like always looking at people with a blank look but one day reader finally shows them a smile also showing their dimples for the first time, and kafka, and himeko has added another thing they love about you on their list. apologies if you're not accepting requests right now, aswell as if it's too short. but, i just love your writing so im interested.

TANGLED AND LOVE STUCK BY YOU, FROM THE GLUE.

CHARATCER/S: KAFKA, HIMEKO

WARNIG/S: GN READER, SLIGHTLY POSSESIVE (KAFKA), STELLARON HUNTER READER (KAFKA), EXPRESS CREW MEMBER READER (HIMEKO)

NOTE 1: OHOHKGL WAIT THIS IS SO CUTE AND YES MY REQUESTS ARE OPEN AND ITS NOT TOO SHORT! TY FOR THE COMPLIMENT THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU the fact that I LOVE THESE TWO WOMEN just makes it cuter but ANYWAY!!

Himeko as your lover knows you rarely, barely smile.

Even when it's just the two of you on her room cuddling and enjoying eachothers presence, you would just comfortably hum while snuggling into her deeper.

She sometimes wonder if she makes you feel gloomy, or uncomfortable so that's why you rarely smile. But you reassured her that she never made you feel like that.

And on the express too, when you're talking to your fellow trailblazers (march, danheng, welt etc.). You would just stare at them with a blank, but not an intimidating expression.

She asked you one time on why you don't often smile, but you didn't really know why, really. You just told Himeko that you didn't even noticed it.

"Oh? Okay then, but do remember that I'll be more than fine to see you express your feelings more often, my dearest."

When she first saw you smile because of a corny but worth to laugh at the joke that march made, she was taken aback. Shocked, she's head over heels for you over again at that moment.

The way your dimples appeared while you're softly smiling melted her heart. She indeed, fell inlove again at her sweet lover.

After the conversation between march and you, she approached march and asked if she took a picture on her portable camera while you we're smiling and looking so effortlessly pretty.

"March, have you taken a shot of y/n while they're smiling? You did? Great! Can you please make me a copy of it? Just one will do."

This woman would TEASE you for not smiling. Endless teasing. She would jokingly call you an "emo", "bladie the 2nd", and you would simply blush in embarassment from her silly nicknames for you. She's the only one allowed to call you that.

After a long and sweet kiss from her, you would just simply sigh in satisfaction while burying your face over her neck instead of smiling over her neck.

Nevertheless, she still loved your way of affection towards her even when you're not showing your enotions through your reactions.

Even when talking to your fellow co-stellaron hunters, you would just give them a blank, but not threatening expression while having a chat with them.

Blade likes to chat with you more often than the other hunters since you're not annoying and loud, just listening and giving out a few words for what he said. He's like your sibling, that's how some of the people around you see.

But as jealous as kafka is, she would literally snatch you up, pull you and kiss you while blade is just sneering at the both of you.

After what just happen, she then ushered you away.

"Aww.. is my little emo preferring that dead vampire looking blade over me?"

She was jokingly pouting and satirically giving you puppy eyes while saying her thoughts at that moment.

After she said that, you just simply chuckled with light pink hues scattered over your cheeks, then later on pecked her lips while smiling.

"Of course not.. even if you are a bit annoying with your nicknames, I'll never prefer anyone over you."

Oh how the tables have turned. Now she's the one blushing not just because of what you said or the peck, but because of your smile.Your damn smile.

Those dimples of yours got her blushing like a lovestrucked fool. She knew she won't forget this side of you easily.

After that she just shushed you and pulled you to kiss her again.

NOTE 2: AHHHH I hope this was what you expected, I apologize if I may not so thats why I made the two scenarios of them different so you can pick at the two. BUT ANYWAY! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED!! :3

#senfles #sensfiles #himeko x gn reader #kafka x gn reader #honkai star rail #hsr fluff #himeko x reader #kafka x reader

[writegoblin]

Michael Myers Headcanons

----

I've super been in the mood to write lately :3c I've been pressuring myself to come up with like. Something cohesive. But nah. I just wanna get a lil silly.

SFW

- When you first meet, it's because you moved into Haddenfield. Illinois has like, three cities everyone moves to, so for you to pick a tiny town-- and Haddenfield of all the tiny towns? Something had to be wrong with you. Something Michael needed to investigate.

- In reality, you worked for a niche company that signed a contract with a Haddenfield hospital. It wasn't anything complex. But you're complex to him.

- He just quietly breaks into your home every once in a while if the mood strikes him. He's not always out murdering-- he's gotta case the houses, too! So, of course, he's taken the opportunity to break into your house the ONE night you had to do overtime.

- If you have pets, he mostly avoids them. If they're aggressive, he'll find a way to lock them up. It would be a shame to hurt you so deeply this early on after all. So Brutus can get locked in a closet for now <3

- You become more aware of his presence because he starts taking items. In a weird way this is also how you get to know him. A lot of old out of state memorabilia or souvenirs go missing. Pictures of strange places. Anything that's odd or unique looking. He might start taking hobby items just to see how frustrated you get.

- Once you two actually confront each other, it's a little bit like those old movies about the wild animal getting adopted by a human? Where at first it's like "oh god oh fuck big scary!!!" And then you flash the light on the silhouette and you see "oh you're actually just a pathetic little meow meow." That's him.

- The reason he's so meow meow is for the first time. His curiosity is winning over his blood lust, giving him sort of a clear head. He likes spending time with you cause it lets him actually think about things. You don't rush to judge him, so he experiments with himself more. (And also with you, in a way. It's how you bond!)

- I mentioned this in a previous post but I'll say it again here: he's the type to do something for you if he can reason that it benefits him. He puts you to bed because if you don't sleep early, you can't make him breakfast. If you don't eat, you get moody and THEN who will drive him to the weirdly 24/hr thrift store?! Fucked up.

- He's weird about physical affection. Some days are better than others. Some days, he's very cuddly, actually. And by cuddly, I mean leaning against you in a bid to get you to crawl into his lap or put your arms around him. On his bad days though, he gets flashbacks to the hospital. He feels like a wild animal in a cage.

- Speaking of, his bad days are when you don't see him. You're a safe space. He can't defile a sanctuary like that. If he's approaching a bad day, he might be more distant, standing in doorways and halls just. Staring. From then on, it's a matter of time. All you can do is fix whatever breaks in the aftermath. If you try to touch him, he'll leave.

- Quickest way to his heart is food and nursing. Did you just feed him pancakes after patching up his gash? Oh, heavens--

- He doesn't fall in love easily per say, more like he will trust you a bit more willingly. The love part comes FARRR later when you've seen his worst and his best, not to be corny.

NSFW

----

- Before y'all met, between Halloweens, he's doing petty crime. Lots of theft. He steals magazines. You know where I'm going with this.

- He knows what he likes and he doesn't like. He has an idea of stuff he'd like to try. Lots of fantasies, not much experience save for the occasional vouyer moment.

- When you come around though, and you become sexually comfortable with him, he wants to experiment. That's kind of his other way of saying "I love you."

- Loves. Rope. Frog tie is best because he can kinda make a show of lifting you in front of a mirror and the face you make when that happens is-- *chef's kiss*

- Sadist, naturally. But I think he likes both pleasure and pain. A bit of a darker headcanon but sometimes he feels like he's stabbing you when thrusting. Your cries and mewls and erotic hollers spurring him on. Your orgasmic cries bring him back down. His own orgasm brings him back. He's him again.

- He loves intimidating you. If you're shorter or weaker in any way, he loves backing you into corners and making you feel small.

- If you're aggressive, he loves a challenge too. In fact, if you're into play wrestling he might be down sometimes. It wakes up this primal instinct in him that needs to pin you down. And he likes a good challenge.

- He's very thick. Very long. I'm thinking 8", uncircumcized, upward pitch. Bit veiny too if im honest. His first load is always stupid big.

- If you're a squirter, 🫡 it was nice knowing you Mr. President--//shot

- Once he gets the basics down, and you two start experimenting, and that happens for the first time, it is his goal. His duty. To make sure it happens every time.

- He has a third dense for your arousal. He's good at reading body language (he scares you sometimes, with how easily he can read your thoughts), so sometimes he'll wait until you're subtly showing signs without knowing. Wiggling your hips, sighing, taking off layers of clothes. And when you least expect it, that's when he'll get you.

- Low key has a thing for pheromones, I think. Like musky scents n all that. The scent of arousal. He loves eating for that reason among other more obvious ones.

- If you want him to be submissive, it will take lots of convincing. You'll have to catch him when he's in a more receptive state-- when he's reflecting on himself. He'll be more open to the idea then.

#michael myers x reader #michael myers smut #michael myers #slashers x reader #slasher smut #slasher headcanons #fuck it i wrote this at 4 am time to pass out lol

[mr-payjay]

feel free to complain to me about the ii finale <3 i'm all ears

thank you ellie :)

fair warning for ii neg, especially on the latest episode.

prefacing this with saying: I LOVE INANIMATE INSANITY!!!!!! inanimate insanity is my favourite show in the world and every episode leaves me full of joy and excitement. i adore criticizing it not out of hatred but out of genuine love. i enjoy every single episode i watch.

however, i find that iii19 has been the worst episode so far. it has gotten me the least hyped out of any episode in the series, which is saying a lot because i bounce off the walls at every episode no matter how much i end up criticizing it later. there are. so many problems i have with it. im gonna try and organize them the best i can, though i'll probably(?) edit this post later to insert anything i missed or forgot to say.

starting off positively: oj!!!! personally i am so glad he didn't talk in this episode. i was terrified of the idea of him having a new va. the spin was adorable, i loved his signature thumbs ups, and every time i saw him i squealed with delight. him voting for balloon also made me really happy! despite the grudge he's had against him for so long, he still sticks with him on this part. even after laughing at his death the episode before that

in general all the seasonwunners voted for balloon!! which makes me happy!!! paintbrush, nickel, balloon, and oj have all been there for the very beginning of season 1, three of them being there for every season. i love the inherent connection the contestants from season 1 have with each other. they've been together since inanimate insanity began and they're there for the end of season 3 too. very sweet.

onto more negative stuff! I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE WHAT THEY DID WITH SILVER SPOON AND CANDLEEE they set up something crazy in the last episode and then did NOTHING with it!!! they had silver spoon beat candle unconscious the second she said something that wasn't coddling him like the manchild he is and she STILL voted for him. where even was she for half of the episode?? they just left her lifeless corpse on the ground in iii18 and then she eventually got up in this episode and just. went back to the competition??? dogshit writing

okay now i wanna talk about cabby. I Don't Like Cabby Anymore. so from the very beginning i have loved cabby. she was extremely similar to me in fact! i have really bad memory issues and i tend to keep files on people and on things that i might forget about, as well as just to organize my thoughts and ideas. i loved her confidence, obsession with knowledge, and analytical personality at the start. i was pretty upset when the characters (mostly test tube lmao) started relentlessly bullying her, and i HATE the whole thing in spring on the breakfast where they try to demonize her files. it was kind of annoying when they tried to remedy it really quickly after that because it was clearly because of the backlash, but i was glad they at least tried to fix it. however, over the course of the series, she just felt like she was... becoming sadder? pitiful, honestly? she went from an awesome smart character who loved taking notes on people's behaviour and using that information to get better at the game into some kind of Sad Little Bullied Victim. she doesn't even feel like a character anymore to me, just a mouthpiece for the creators to write dramatic "cathartic" speeches through to prove they're Definitely Not Ableist. also what was the deal with her parents lmao they never brought that up again

aaaand this episode was generally written really badly. super fucking corny for one. they literally had a little dance party at the end like people make jokes about for stereotypical Kids' Shows. but my issue is more with like... the weird super fast character development? and the way they wrapped everything up as quickly as possible? something that bothered me was the tonal whiplash between zuwie voicing springy super hysterically and dramatically and then springy being fully redeemed within like the next 5 minutes and dying for mephone. Why did they even die for mephone. like as a character why would he of all people die for mephone. thats so fucking stupid. the rest of the voice acting felt completely different from springy's as well so it just made the effect worse. everyone's lines were really corny and felt so manufactured, like they would pull characters to mephone's side (losing my mind over all the contestants rooting for mephone like cmon man that guy sucks i just know oj at least would want him dead) with a short Cathartic Speech and everything would be fixed and lovely and peachy keen. its just painful to watch. everything feels really weirdly disjointed and badly put together, the flow is awful, the "danger" doesn't feel like there's any suspense to it at all, and every character gets fully redeemed for no good reason. even walkie talkie chats casually with mephone at the end as if they're good friends after they were HYSTERICALLY INSISTING ON MURDERING HIM? AND MAKING HIM WATCH HIS OWN DEATH?? idk if this will get explained in s2 but we still don't know who walkie talkie is, what their motive is, WHY they got redeemed, etc. we know nothing about them. and even if it will be explained later, i think it's shitty writing that NOTHING was explained in this season.

some extra stuff

- SO FUCKING GLAD THEY DIDN'T BRING HOTEL OJ INTO THIS I WOULD'VE CRIED IF THEY PUT SEASON 3 CHARACTERS INTO HOTEL OJ OR MADE IT ALL SLEEK AND S3 STYLE

- the "you can do this" thing at the end was fucking stupid man that was so corny (btw corny isn't always bad but jesus christ... this episode was just awful with it)

- could not feel any emotion towards the Emotional Parts but laughter and secondhand embarrassment

- HOW DID THEY GET THE FUNDING FOR A LIBRARY? I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT MEPHONE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING FOR A PRIZE HOW DID HE PAY FOR AN ENTIRE LIBRARY

- speaking of, why isn't oj back at the hotel. doesn't he have to manage it. wasn't paper having a ton of trouble managing it. why are all of them still on that fuckass island. did the library take like 5 minutes to build what the fuck

- ALSO!!! Why did they build a library in the middle of a deserted island

- i liked the short nickloon scene because im a nicklooner

- glad yinyang and candle got to talk

- test tube saying nearly nothing at all the entire episode except for sitting on the ground in a really stupid pose and apologizing to cabby made me laugh

- weirded out by tt and fan not talking to each other at all? not as a ship thing but like they're best friends aren't they

- really fucking annoyed by the fantube family picture at the end i hate fantube family leave that grown ass adult (bot) alone

- glad they didn't canonize any ships i was so scared about silvercandle and fantube

- 4s scene and s1 flashback was cool i love s1 so i got excited

- aaaaand i think my misogyny thread is relevant again. i should update it sometime because ii has only gotten worse about it lmao

- didn't like them making clover stupid for some reason like "is he talking about me?" come on

- oj not talking in these last two episodes is so glaringly unusual because he's never been able to shut his fucking mouth for even a minute

#juice.txt #ii neg #ii spoilers #i love this show but jesus fucking christ #absolute dogshit writing its so embarrassing

[erial-c]

my top ten redacted boys (because i am but a bandwagoner of trends)

1. sam - took me a bit to like him ( haven't even finished his playlist yet) but god his character hurts me, he and darlin have gone through so much shit . the video talking about the future with your vampire mate basically sealed the deal on him being my favorite character, and after reading one of the bright eyes series transcripts, it makes me even more interested in his character . (and his southern accent may or may not have awakened something in me)

2. avior - is it obvious i like tragic characters yet . his series is one of the first ones i've listened to fully, and the chokehold that the plot twist had on me was insane . the realization that he had loved starlight so much that he deus ex machina'd them out of the hellscape, and then was silently YEARNING when they were pulled back . i was sobbing you don't understand officer. also love his early sarcastic personality (despite it being a facade) and his constant need to wax poetic, i wish we still saw a little bit of that in his newer audios though

3. guy - ohh the love of my life . the only comfort character ever . babygirl . he does exude millennial cringe sometimes but i can gloss over all that because i love him  🫶🫶🫶 also love his dynamic with honey they r so cute together . his flashback audio is so good AUGGHH the tension . personal favorite audio of him though is his first sick video , because i am THE guy angst enthusiast and it's the closest i'll ever get to it . he is sooo silly idc i always binge his playlist when i can't sleep (ironically i always listen to the one where he attempts to help honey sleep and it works 🫶)

4. lasko - babygirl #2 🤞🤞🤞 love him he is just an overall sweet character . i've also said this before but, him being labelled early on as submissive irked me because i usually found those character tropes annoying and they tended to be infantilized . but the thing is with lasko its not his entire characterization , he's still a very good professor at the academy and ughhhqhh i know how 2explain it i jst love him (also. his slip up in the hot boi summer audio. he is freaky .)

5. geordi - his and cutie's story is so interesting . i love their storyline so much even if it hurts to listen to the audios . they're both flawed characters in a relationship but they're still taking the necessary steps to be better. additionally, while i definitely don't stand for the shit cutie did, i can relate to them in the sense of needing to know what people are thinking to function properly, which is probably another reason why geordi and his storyline hits so close to my heart . (is that corny. maybe)

6. asher - one of the reasons im in the fandom tbh !! he's one of the first characters i got into, specifically his valenweek flashback audio i ate that shit up . . i don't listen to him that much now but still !!! i owe me being here to his character lol

7. hush - creature/babygirl . i was kinda intimidated to listen to his playlist (for god's sake his title is "mysterious stranger") but ohhhh i love him he is so strange. tying doc up in one video and then asking them to hold his hand a few videos later??? love that . him showing up in carpe deus and fucking wrecking vega kinda sealed it for me . love theorizing about him too, if that's not obvious 🫶

8. porter - when i heard the voice that this character had. i can't even explain to you what my reaction was . he's such a fucking diva i love it so much , this guy is like 80% snark, and he just fucks with vincent for no reason .(when he said he was gonna bring treasure to the summit but didn't 😭) he's also so interesting . while ya he was sent to go to the summit and assassinate a clan king (which he succeeded in) he told sweetheart about the bennets discussing their partnership with closeknit so they could get necessary info, he provided an alibi for vincent, he also stopped grilling sam when darlin told him to . (also his 2nd video with treasure . killed me tbh)

9. marcus - not proud to admit that marcus is the first character i came across on erik's channel . marcus is weirdo number 1 (derogatory) and i just find his storyline so interesting. yeah its sad why he did what he did, but overall he knew what he was doing , he fucked everyone else over, and compromised a project, of which the failure could mean life and death, just because he wanted to get freaky with the robot . his obsession and little impulse control being overrun by the asset's obsession with him. GOD . . the satisfaction i felt when he was taken away 🫶

10. caller - weirdo (compliment) . again as a horror enthusiast i love this guy . he's like ghostface but if ghostface could phase through walls/was already in your house (and also weird and obsessive) . his audio made me have the same reaction when watching horror content : "holy shit i love this but also i hate this" 10/10 . he's only last because he has one (1) video . 💔

honorable mention:

gavin - GAVIN LOVE OF MY LIFFEEEE . i really did wanna put him on my list but i haven't listened to the freelancer series properly yet!!!! this is not a matter of him being my least favorite but rather not knowing much about him in depth yet !!!!

#this took way to long #but i had to #i have a few hot takes #because i am interested in the weird characters #is it obvious #redacted audio #redacted asmr #redactedverse #redacted fandom

[fandoomrants]

Sooo, just a small comment on some of the things I loved in the finale of PJO.

There are obviously gonna be spoilers here soo...

-The fight between Percy and Ares!!! I loved the wave and now it was a subtle way of showing Poseidon was indeed beside him.

-The scenes between Percy and Luke!!! "Look, you didn't want to be a half-blood...". I loved the addition of these flashbacks of Luke teaching Percy to fight.

-Olympus! Omg, it was so pretty!!!

-Percy immediately being a total little shit with Zeus, I loved that!

-Poseidon showing up to protect Percy!

-Percy understanding only the word for "father" in Ancient Greek. He knows it because of Sally!

-"Ares is a moron."

-Overall the whole exchange between Percy and Poseidon. It really is a big step from him being all bitter and it was a bit corny but I liked it still.

-When Percy reveals Luke is the Lightning thief!

-Luke not fighting Percy at first. I have thoughts about the whole thing but I'll put them later on.

-Luke snapping for a moment and attacking Percy only after he mentions his father.

-Annabeth and her dagger!

-"Wait, your name is Percy!" And later "I don't think so", This was sooo hilarious. Especially when you think about how he initially tried to lie to him he's his dad. I'm pretty sure Dionysus knows his and everyone's name very well, he just likes being a jerk.

-"Some place called Disneyland", tbh, I feel like Annabeth won't be thrilled. I certainly wasn't and I was still am pretty childish as a kid.

-Grover's license!

-Their pact! That was so cute!

-"What did you dream of?" "Grandpa.". For a moment there I was like "What!? Are they tring to make it look like it was all a dream or that they're trying to make it as if Sally doesn't remember!?" but a moment later I was like "Nope, that's Percy Jackson, of course he'd refer to Kronos as his grandpa even tho he's his biggest enemy rn"

-Blue pancakes!

-When Percy and Sally were leaving the apartment, Percy's last narrative and the rain outside!

-The devastating moment when I thought we're not seeing Gabe turned into a statue but juuuust in case skipping the credits (call it a feeling or sth) and...

-GABE TURNING INTO A STATUE!!!! I'm honestly so happy! I'm not even mad Sally didn't do it as it was implied in the books. But she was divorcing him! I know he wasn't portrayed as bad as he was in the books in the TV show but I still believe he was emotionally abusing and he was still a jerk even tho it was toned down. Also, he was such an annoying, whiny bit-$(#..

...

That's all I can think of rn, even tho I believe there were other things too.

Now, I gotta admit I've read the book a looong time ago so I don't remember everything in great details but I noticed lots of the changes in the episode and throughout the whole season. I still enjoyed the show a lot, tho. Most of the changes made sense and like... Come on, it's an adaptation! And Rick Riordan was involved in the process so I believe he knew what he was doing with all these changes.

Tbh, I liked the first two episodes a lot, then idk, the third, maybe fourth too, were a tiiny bit meh to me but overall, I loved it and loved the last couple of episodes! I have mixed feelings for some things like them knowing about Medusa, the Lotus casino and other stuff but again, I trusted the process and it worked! It's only 8 episodes and there was a lot to happen there so I can see why these changes were needed. Figuring all out would have taken them a lot of time. Also, it was as much for new fans as it was for new ones so of course some things had to be made differently. For example, how the whole thing about who would betray Percy was done.

I've been watching lots of videos and posts of new fans who haven't read the books and I was cackling like an old hag at their assumptions how it was gonna be Grover or sth. And you just can't convince me that episode 7 and Annabeth getting caught by one of the roots wasn't with the exact purpose of making people think "Oh, they are friends now, what if it's her?" It was really well-played. And let's not forget how everyone was like "Luke! Babyboy, so precious." Can't wait to see everyone's reactions now... (Luke is still these things, even though he is "bad guy")

Speaking of Luke, again, haven't read the books in a while but I somewhat don't remember him and Percy being that close and being such good buddies. Idk, might need to read them again but even though I didn't mind that dynamic too much, I really thought this is more like how Luke and Annabeth should have been. I feel like we needed more interactions between them. Also, Luke speaks randomly about her twice, first telling Percy about her and calling her "my little sister" and then last episode giving that example with the spiders (nopee, I don't believe itt, she won't crush it, she'll scream and run unless it's a huge spider, then she'll fight it because of her bf) but she barely (if not ever) mentioned him? Yeah, she mentioned Thalia but almost nothing of Luke?? How are you gonna convince me that was her hero!? She should have been broken by his betrayal much more than Percy! Also, they kinda made Luke somewhat of a big softie, I thought it was because then his betrayal would have been more devastating but nope, there wasn't some kind of a 180° turn in his behaviour. Wonder why, to make him more relatable or? I want to see how his further actions are going to play out in this scenario...

Anywayy, all in all, I enjoyed the show a lot and I hope there is a next season. I want to see how the story will proceed on the screen (and I hope the changes we keep getting aren't anything too essential).

#pjo tv show #disney pjo #pjo series #pjo #percy jackson #luke castellan #annabeth chase #grover underwood #smelly gabe #sally jackson #poseidon #yet another rant #also putting this in the notes if anyone gets to read (tell me if you do) but I have a weird feeling we'll get lots of percy/luke now

[ckret2]

Who wants some Really Really Bad Ace/Aro Representation?

So—I have a longtime fondness for corny villains from kids' shows. The kind that are usually purple, black, and red, oftentimes look like ghosts, skeletons, or robots, and—depending on the complexity of the show they're from—usually have motives ranging from "conquer the world/universe" to "destroy friendship and rainbows." Guys that look like this:

I love guys like that.

But once you age out of media for 7-year-olds and start hitting teenage media, when writers give their over-the-top wicked villains motives, they start saying things like "incapable of feeling love." From time to time crime fiction describes some twisted murderer as "asexual" to justify their motives. Etc.

(The villains above mostly skip this treatment, being from kids' shows; but they're cut from the same cloth, the baby versions of more adult media's "loveless" villains.)

On the one hand: stop using ace & aro coding as a shorthand for villainy, yadda yadda listen I'm assuming I'm preaching to the choir here and we already agree.

On the other hand: like I said, I'm fond of these guys. It's the old "unfortunately, queer-coded villains are incredibly cool." Like, I know 100% that if No Heart was from any series but Care Bears he'd be trying to "destroy love" instead of "destroy caring". C'mon, his name is No Heart. But also, I would enthusiastically invite No Heart into the ace/aro fold, no hesitation, no questions asked. (Never mind that you could toss an ace flag on any of these guys without even noticing. Aro flag wouldn't look half bad either.)

So here's the point of this post:

A few years ago I got to write a short story for a zine on asexuality. I decided to write a satire/conflicted love letter for cheesy cartoony villains and the fact that, for the longest time, "too evil to comprehend good, kindness, and love" is the only approximation of the aro & ace experience a kid might see.

I wrote a showdown between a cruel, heartless villain who wants to destroy the world and all that's good in it—Lord Loveless—and a hero—the Arrow Ace—who's been searching for someone else like herself... and is furious that all she's found is him.

Since the end of the zine, I've been sitting on this story for a couple years, trying to decide what to do with it now; and I think releasing it during Pride Month is fitting. Consider it a one-week-late offering for Aromantic Visibility Day. I'll be posting it later on today, ideally, if I can get some art done quick—I really wanna draw Lord Loveless—but I wanted to make a post about why I wrote it first.

I hope when y'all read it, you'll see bits of yourself in both the villain and the hero, and bits of beloved villains past that should have done better.

#aromanticism #asexuality #about my writing

[cyberprincehavoc]

In Defense of the Pointy Wizard Hat

I've been reading some Discworld and there's one thing I really love about it: pointy fucking hats.

Witches wear tall pointy hats, wizards wear tall pointy hats, everyone who does magic wear pointy hats. And that's because, in the Discworld, showing off one's magic is more important than making magic itself. You need to look the part of a witch or a wizard if you want to be taken seriously as one; that way, a witch can get away with not even making magic at all, just relying on good ol' psychology (or "headology" as one of the characters put it). Even in the Tiffany Aching series, where witches are being persecuted, Tiffany wears an imaginary pointy hat, and one of the witches has a normal hat that pointifies on command.

This, however, goes beyond "the magic-user has a compelling presence", it actually goes into territory of self-image, because no witch or wizard can take themselves seriously if they're not properly dressed for the part. Being a witch, after all, isn't just about doing magic; any chump can learn a thing or two about doing magic in most settings. But wearing black on black, pointy hat, and broom? Not only does that commands respect, it also convinces the wizard themselves that they're a magic-user. It comes with great responsibility y'know, it's kinda the Sword of Damocles of the wizard: you need to honor the hat. If you don't honor the hat, then what are you even doing? And that's why Tiffany getting an "imaginary hat" is such a powerful moment. It's not just that the hat makes the witch, it's also that having a pointy hat is as much as an internal mark of worth as it is external.

Pointy hats are how I measure when a setting is taking their mages way too seriously or not. Not every mage NEEDS to wear the pointy hat, but just the existence of someone with a mighty pointy hat is enough for me to know that the setting doesn't think of their mages as all hoity toity.

Take Lord of the Rings, for example. Gandalf appears with a hat. He does lose the hat in the middle of things (according to the movies, my headcanon is that Gandalf came back with a white pointy hat), but that's permissible because he doesn't need to prove his hat to anyone.

Now take Harry Potter, the later parts. As soon as Harry Potter starts taking itself way too seriously for its own good, the hats disappear; even McGonagall stops wearing them every once in a while. And it gets lamer because of it.

That is to say: pointy hats are a symbol of power. Having a mage without a pointy hat is like having a knight without a sword / horse. It makes the whole thing lamer because it subtly tells the audience that this work is simply "too good" for pointy hats.

I think that settings where there isn't really a full-on society or institution of witches, like idk, The Craft or The Witcher, and they may be persecuted, it's alright for them to not wear pointy hats, as long as the series doesn't get all smug about it. I'm reading Witch Hat Atelier rn and every witch has a pointy hat, I love it.

anyway i don't really have that many logical reasons for this. Pointy hats are cool. They can be a bit corny, but if you're ashamed of being a bit corny in a story involving magic, then it's a surefire indicator that your magic probably involves nondescript blasts of energy instead of creative applications of the thing, and I don't like that, personally.

tl;dr: witches and wizards wear pointy hats god DAMMIT. I won't take your book any more serious for not having them, I'll just assume you're a killjoy who hates fun and whimsy.

#it doesn't need to be an ACTUAL pointy hat; a hennin or mask would be cool too #“uuh i want my wizard to look like Littlefinger” UUUGH why even play a wizard then #rpg #tabletop rpg #trpg #rant post #fantasy worldbuilding #worldbuilding

[colorcodedbeanies]

S1E2-"The Cat's in the Bag"

That's right two in one day I'm in a hormones induced fugue. If i focus might knock out a third tonight. This one shorter

TW: Violence, racism, gore description

also note: I use Native American and Indigenous as the general term because they're what I've been led to believe is acceptable but let me know if there's something else I could be using/some grammar hink going on here.

Indigenous people in Breaking Bad are a background element I'm hoping to also make clearer to myself in this watchthrough, especially since it's a throughline that gets picked up again with Better Call Saul and the Kettlemans. There are no major Native American characters in the series, and yet they keep popping up in a way that reads as both prop-like and intended as thematic. This episode in particular opens with a Native American man towing Walt and Jesse's RV out of the ditch, and ends with two Indigenous children playing in the wreckage left behind by their cook. The ABQ area is home to a couple of different tribes. The only reservation that I believe is named in the show is To’Hajiilee, which is occupied by the Cañoncito Band of Navajos. Until provided with other information I'll assume that's the nation to which these unnamed characters belong. Again, I do want to drill in on how badly these characters are props. None of them even have speaking lines. Additionally, its part of the running theme where most brown characters are positioned in opposition to law enforcement. The man who tows them out accepts their bribe to keep silent about anything he's seen. However, given the work the previous episode has done to establish law enforcement as a. deeply racist and b. wildly destructive. There's an argument to be made that this is one of the most human things these characters could do. Rather than concern themselves with something that's not their problem to begin with, they instead keep their mouths shut and profit where they can. I don't want to go too far down this as a overarching read, both because it risks extending the show too much credit and because I think there's a tendency to sanitize the legacy of colonialism into just. White people being corny and Indigenous people giving knowing eyerolls, rather than a system of routine violence. But still, given that this is an analysis focused on race and law enforcement, its worthwhile to me to bring up instances where this is even glanced on.

There's an entitlement to Jesse's space which Walt perpetually demonstrates that really starts to rear its head here. Jesse's just going to have to be ok with Walt storing two dead bodies and a wrecked meth lab in his driveway, because after all, he can't very well bring it back to his nice normal house with his nice normal family can he? Jesse is also expected to take responsibility for whatever happens to the bodies, despite them both being Walt's kills This is played for a joke (resulting in at least one Tiktok audio) but it does have lasting impact on Jesse as he navigates dealing with Emilio's body and Domingo as a hostage. It makes him so uncomfortable that he feels the need to get high just to stay in his own house. All of this is something that either doesn't occur to Walt, or that he just doesn't care about. This is an entitlement that's reflected in Skyler later when she goes to confront Jesse. She barges in his front gate before yelling at him about having the audacity to touch her. The Whites don't understand themselves as criminals. Again, they're nice normal people, not like this "druggie burnout". He isn't protected by things like legality and decency, and anything they say or do to him should be considered reasonable frustration or concern. This culminates in Skyler's line "not that it's any of my business, but you might want to consider a new line of work". This line isn't just ironic, but deeply telling about how the American middle class views drug dealing. A choice, and perhaps even a waste of talent that needs to be scolded back into the fold, or locked away where decent people don't have to see it.

In general Walt's not great at predicting human behavior. He's admittedly having to learn as he goes, but it doesn't even occur to him that his wife might check the call history. Or that she might even notice when he's scream whispering at the phone in the middle of their living room.

This is drilled down on further in the "chiral" scene. Two chemical compounds, seemingly identical, that yet behave very differently. This I believe is meant to be understood as Walt attempting to pitch his joint identity as both druglord and loving father. Can't I be both? And yet the bleedthrough is evident. "Is this going to be on the murder/midterm?" This is also a duality Walt struggles to grant anyone else. After blustering a bit about drug dealers having any kind of administrative structure he asks Jesse if Domingo's "capable" of listening to reason. As a distributor, a "business man", "he should be capable of mutual self-interest". There's a lot you can say here about how white suburbia conceptualizes capitalism, how it should be a system that prevents rash acts of temper, because after all, doesn't trade serve everyone better? Suffice to say this is going to come up again when Domingo talks about majoring in business, and yet again with Tuco.

Final note on the classroom scene, Walt blurting out knowledge is power is a funny little whimper to tack onto his floundering, but its also emblematic of how he attempts to hold onto control of his reality. I think its notable Walt's dialogue becomes more jargon heavy when he's stressed, not less.

No natural transition in or out of this so I'm just going to reproduce this line from Jesse's website in its entirety. "Ethnicity: I'm totally cool with ethnics-Black, Mexican, whatever...as long as you're SMOKIN' HOT, YO!" 0_0. I guess. earmark race as a commodity and move on.

Despite the inherent goofiness of the scene where Walt recaptures Domingo I think its important to remember what a horror show this is from Domingo's perspective. Nearly died in a chemical attack, woke up next to the body of his cousin, dragged himself out, only to be recaptured and locked in a basement for days, barely able to breath the whole time. On some level Walt seems cognizant of that, and it only becomes more apparent the longer he spends with him. Domingo may be a drug dealer who will bring down vengeance on them if he gets away...but he also likes the crusts off his sandwich and asks after his cousin. Again, Walt can't cope with the duality. It doesn't match his image of what a criminal should be.

Enough so that he does exactly what he told Jesse not to do last episode and smokes up. Granted, he uses weed, not meth, but to a post war on drugs America this was pretty similar severity. Walt wastes a good chunk of Jesse's weed attempting to roll the WORST joint I've seen in my life, flaunts his partaking in Skyler's face as a sign of his independence, and then sneers and scowls at Jesse for indulging to cope with melting a childhood friend into meaty chunks. After all, Walt's not a junkie. Walt can be trusted to keep his head even if he loosens up from time to time. Jesse, on the other hand, has an unmanly dependence, and needs to grow up. After all, this kind of thing should be routine for him, right. He's a Criminal.

Walt has a habit of setting Jesse up to fail and then scolding him for it. When Jesse's uncertain if plastic can stand up to acid, Walt refuses to explain. Just barks at him later for not following instructions unthinkingly. When Walt expresses doubt, Jesse attempts empathy, attempts to come up with a paradigm where Walt can make himself ok witih it. I struggle to call it a MORAL impulse but its definitely a kind one.

Skyler asks Walt about Jesse at the doctor's office, a place he where he can't leave and also can't sex her quiet. She's learning to anticipate his resistance to openness. She also frames the information as transactional, "don't you think you OWE me this", in a way I can't help but see in connection to the baby. I'm your homemaker ergo you owe me honesty. Walt responds with a veiled threat. "I love you, and that won't change, so back off". To his mind the only thing his family should concern themselves with is his emotional state. Anything beyond that is outside their purview.

Nice wet meat effect.

#breaking bad #brba #analysis tag #long post #walter white #jesse pinkman #domingo molina #emilio koyama #skyler white #brba s1 e2

[highflyerwings]

can you recommend any kdramas with (optional toxic) brother plotlines

Ooof, you might be surprised to hear that I’m actually not the best person to ask this lol. I’m not nearly as versed in kdramas as I seem, and to be honest, not a lot of brother plot lines come to mind.

The shows I’ve watched that feature brothers are:

He Is Psychometric (Not technically related, but they're brothers. Could read toxic. Could be spicy depending on how much you let your mind wander.)

Arthdal Chronicles (The brothers are side characters and their relationship doesn’t really play a huge part in the show at all. But they’re still an intriguing pair, even though I didn’t like the series. It took me about 3 eps before I realized they were brothers, and I was convinced they were fucking. Still kind of am.)

My Mister (3 brothers, not toxic, nothing spicy, but I did love their relationship a lot.)

Tale of the Nine Tailed (Tbh I never finished this series because it was a little too corny and heavy on the romance for my taste. But the two male leads are brothers who seem a little too caught up in each other maybe. They're also gods? Idk.)

Then the obvious ones. If you've been following me, you've likely already watched these, but:

Adamas

The Devil Judge

Squid Game

I too am curious about all the kdramas with brother plotlines! If anyone has any to add, please do so! I know there's got to be one or two I'm overlooking that I'll feel stupid for forgetting later, so don't be surprised if this is edited at some point.

#the kdrama life #he is psychometric #arthdal chronicles #my mister #tale of the nine tailed #adamas #the devil judge #squid game

[anxietywriter]

romantic things

because i'm hopeless i'm a sap, this is significantly more rambly than my other lists because i am in fact using it to wax poetic. i change the pronouns randomly sometimes my bad

taking so long to respond when they say they're more into kisses and cuddles because you're just crying in relief. so so much relief because they had asked how much affection was okay (such a green flag) and you had mentioned that sex was off the table (aspecs rise up) because you know that they knew but you were still scared. (it's a bit controversial from what i hear, but i'm of the thought that your partner should know if you're asexual asap)

it's the dreams of picnics and little hikes and aquarium dates and warmth. warmth because of dreams where you're given their jacket and still leaning into them for more warmth and spooning them in your arms. of sunsets and sweet words.

speaking of hoodies, constantly wondering if some of your clothing would fit them because hey you don't actually don't know?? and buying oversized clothes or accessories that can fit most sizes just to share something with them.

having a list of songs that reminds you of them and also of your own complicated feelings towards love? of being afraid of getting hurt but still wanting that feeling anyways? of hesitant confessions and fear of rejection? but also of calling them your lover so long as said love is true?

the fact that i write poetry despite having a love-hate relationship with poetry and even hating some of my own poems. but adoring a lot of the ones that i wrote about him when i was particularly sappy. the fact that i tagged them with a heart. the fact that i'm mildly embarrassed and don't know if i'll ever even show him, but still make them addressed to him.

even in the middle of an artblock, i dragged myself out to then create drawings of one poem and even some doodles that i thought he'd enjoy. including some with two subjects rather than one because yeah i am that corny. the fact that i'm considering recreating the doodles with more details and making it a series of drawings.

being a relatively frugal person. that will absolutely not stop you from buying them shit. nothing big or too committal, just a little treat. just to live in their head for a little bit rent free.

it's the hope that flutters in my chest with every little meme captioned with "us" and the comparisons of main couples from his newest favorite movie

the immediate and multiple apologies for late replies and messages. the fact that they want to talk to you and are letting you know by saying they're sorry. and you forgiving them instantly.

the casual mentions of a future of "oh later we should go do that" or "i'll take you there one day" or "we should watch it together." it's the implied want for longetivity. how they want to keep you in their life.

#writing prompts #story prompts #prompt list

[crescentblossom66]

Get well soon!

@majormeilani

“Ugh...not now!”

“Grrrroooooves! Would ye stop puttin' yer stupid props on my side of the studio! I almost tripped over a small box in me own dressing room!”

“Shhh, darling, can't you see I'm trying to concentrate, this is important.”

“What? Are ye writin' the script fer yer next movie? Why are you even tryin', yer gon-”

“I'll argue with you later, if you have nothing better to do with your time than bickering with me. This letter is very important, darling.”

“Have ye decided to finally pay the bills in the basement, or are ye writing yer resignation?”

“Very funny, Conductor. No this letter is from a fan whose not feeling well, they said that they're hurting badly.”

“Ye have fans?”

“Of course, and I'm treating them way better than you, you never answer your mail.”

“T-That's because I don't have time fer that!”

“Sure, darling. If you'd be so kind as to leave now, I'm trying to find the perfect words for this little star.”

“Alright, gimme that letter ye got!.....Oh no, that sounds awful! I wish I could help!”

“Out of character now, are we?”

“What do ye mean 'out of character!' I'm as in character as I can get, no one is more me than me! Anyway yer better be writin' this right, this lassie needs support!”

“Finally we agree on something, darling. Listen...

Dear Majormeilani,

I hope you get well soon, darling, and that you smile bright as a star again soon! I've been through a lot of pain in my life as well, my first movie failed horribly, but look where I am now! I have the Moon Penguins and a big fan base that supports me, even should I fail, and I think you have too. I'm grateful for all the love you showed me in your fanfics and your drawings, I sincerely hope that you get well soon, darling. Don't be scared and face your challenges head on! I know that you're fabulous, darling! I, my Moon Penguins, and the hat- and bow wearing darlings support you all the way!

DJ Grooves out"

“Ain't this a bit corny Grooves, are ye sure that the lassie can read this without bein' like 'That's something that he'd never say' I mean yer a bit 'out of character' too here.”

“Well, darling, this is to be expected, we're currently just interpretations of our characters, what somebody else thought we should say or think. I just hope that we're not too poorly written.”

“Uhh...me thoughts and me words are me own, ye buffoon!...but ye've forgotten me name in that list o' people, Grooves. How is the lass gonna feel better, if she doesnae know that the best director in the whole world wishes her well?”

“...You are aware that I'M her favorite character, right? That's why I'm the one writing this.”

“Are ye? Well, I'm here because the lass that's writin' this has more taste and chose me as her favorite character!”

“I thought you were here because of my porps, darling? People choose their favorite characters in many ways, Conductor. I just appealed to them more than you...Also I have more style and glamour than you.”

“Whatever helps ye sleep at night...Ye know, the post office closes in...ten minutes!”

“You're right, this won't get send out on time! I'll fail my fan!”

“Alright, fine! I'm doing this for the lass. Just this once I'll allow ye on me train, but don't ye DARE touch anything!”

“Thank you, darling! I hope the young star, feels better when she reads this.”

-

I felt really bad for you after I read your post this morning (it was around 10:00am for me), so I decided I'd try to cheer you up with the ahit cast, sometimes people find greater comfort in fictional characters.

I know, I'm basically just some random stranger on tumblr for you, but I really like your artwork and your fics, I'm also quite fond of your charcter rants. So I once again hope that you get through this, your tumblr fans and family will support you, I'm sure! Best wishes from me, the socially awkward, cringy Cressy

[michiruze]

Tales from the Café - Thoughts

Onto the second book of the コーヒーが冷めないうちに book series now! I am once again back at Café Funiculi Funicula for more coffee, feels, and regrets....now with grief and guilt.

And now I have thoughts and some words about myself....

(blurry pic LMAO im so sorry i cant take good pics with my phone)

I wrote my thoughts on the first book here, and as you can see, I liked the premise enough despite the MAJOR shortcomings, because I believe that when done well, the premise could be something profound and wonderful. Also i'm a sucker for both reflexive time travel plots and sad slice-of-life.

So, with the album "Steve McQueen" by Prefab Sprout playing in my ears, rainy days on my window, and lounging in my desk, I am back at to immerse in the wistful atmosphere of the story, ready to go back to the past before the coffee gets cold.

I am happy to report that the second book is better than the first! There are significant number of improvements here and there, and it seems that author Toshikazu Kawaguchi listened to some of the criticisms of the first one...

Oh my, oh my. Have you seen the weather? The sweet September rain....

Upon finishing, it felt like a nice cup of coffee after a somber rainy day. Full thoughts and a little story about me under the cut.

First off, while the stories aren't that much different than the first book, there's a unifying theme that ties them all together that makes the book's message clearer. Now I know what this series is going for very well. I'll get to that later.

What about the characters that aren't Kazu and the patrons? Personally, it's great to see Nagare and Miki. Miki really is a good successor to Kei, but sometimes her childish antics feels a little forced. That's not to say she's not endearing. It's just that I wish she's better than being an exaggerated version of a 6-year-old.

The time travel element is also explored even more. The characters now make good use on what they can do with the power of temporary time travel and as a result, things gets pretty....creative, especially in the third story. And also, we finally get to know who the ghost in the cafe is....and it's real sad!

As for the stories itself, the book starts with a pretty solid one. Unlike the first book's first story that feels like nothing, this sequel starts with a strong tearjerker but with lines that'll make one smile. Yes, it's a standard "I want to meet you before you die for the happiness of my loved one" story, but the way this one is set up and done is just...wonderful. Definitely a strong opener that really showed what the book sells itself as. It promises me four sad stories, and I got a sad story RIGHT at the beginning. That's how you get me into a book.

And what's better than that? Guys being dudes!! The first story is just a wholesome 'guys being dudes' story, and quite escapist in some ways.

The "From now on....you have two fathers. It's me and your dad, who is my bestie" thing in the first story is just the best. I like how the characters didn't even question the implication behind one of them saying that his daughter has two dads now. In fairness, they're a lil bit too close to eachother....are they....yknow 👀👀

Second story felt like a retread of the first book's third story in that it is once again, about a dying relative, but there's something that made this second story great: the main character. He's 24, broke, has a degree in art, no prospects, and jobless. And he gets a nice ending. That alone made me like the story and honestly? I know that it's corny that his time travel fixes his life but it's a nice escapist story. I wish I can have his ending....

(seems that escapism is also a thing in this second book)

Now, the third story is unfortunately, where the book falters. I was having a good tearjerking time with the first two stories....until the third one. It actually starts off interestingly by starting with someone already doing the time travel thing instead of doing the 'cafe situation with Kazu/Nagare/patron -> introduction -> flashbacks -> time travel' structure that every other stories have. It breaks the repetition and this third story is commendable for that.

But....oh boy. Remember how the fourth story of the first book had weirdly-written stuff about pregnancy and how it idealises 'give birth even if it kills the mother'? Apparently there's a similar thing in this third story. I can't give the specifics but it's just. Jarring to see this author trying to write a character getting over a miscarriage by waxing poetic. Especially because the message is not that different from the other stories.

At the very least it's not a big plot point and the woman's reproductive issue isn't treated as the end of the world. Feels like this third story was the writer realizing that the fourth story of the first book did came out weird and rather unfortunate in its implications and attempted to give correction by reversing the genders of the characters? That's what I am getting.

While the third story managed to shake up the structure to not make the book repetitive, it is unfortunately, needlessly complicated. When a 'plan' sounds like technobabble when explained, that's when the plan might not be a good idea. It just makes the book look goofy and attempting to look 'quirky'.

However, credits where it's due: Fumiko, aka the main character of the first story of the first book is back and she's written better this time! No more 'moping for her boyfriend' kind of Fumiko! Finally, Fumiko gets to show her brain for once...even though it's kind of ruined by her boyfriend's weird technobabble comparing their situation to programming.

I do love the theme of the third story (sometimes we just lie to stop the truth from hurting others), it could've been done without the overly-convoluted setup.

Fourth story feels like a retread of a story from the previous book, and for some reason it needed to give readers a recap of the previous book. The main character is a detective here and I feel that Kawaguchi made him a detective as an excuse to do that. It doesn't make the reading experience 'less', mind you, but...was it really needed? These stories work well as stand-alones to begin with.

That being said, it's the story that ties the book's message together. Through this patron's time travel, we finally see what the author wanted to say, and ties it to everyone in the book. And one that ties back to the Cafe itself. See, in these stories, we mostly only know the patrons well. Their personalities, dreams, wishes, regrets, and grief....not a lot of room for us to get to know Kazu. We did get to know Nagare in the first book, but not much on Kazu and the cafe itself.

Like the third story, we get another shake-up in the formula. Now it's the rules of the time travel that gets shaken up. Now, something different happens. And this something ties back to Kazu.

When love breaks down, the things we do, to stop the truth from hurting you,

Yes, this book is about Kazu too. Crumbs of Kazu's backstory (related to the ghost in the cafe too) FINALLY gets revealed after nearly nothing from the first book and her near-passive role.

Though, a lot of Kazu's backstory gets crammed in the third story, with the first and second story only giving us small hints into Kazu's personality and life before the cafe, and why she's willing to send people back to the past. And when a lot of these travelers found happiness from the past ---- what about Kazu? What does she get? Does she feel the same way?

This book delves into that, although mostly on the third and fourth story. I wish that it's not crammed in the two stories though. Would've tied the book better if all four stories have these moments with Kazu. It's a shame because the second story has a perfect opportunity to Kazu to question her agreement in sending people back to the past.

Like each story should've emphasized more on Kazu's shell breaking slowly. I would've loved to see Kazu's shell cracking in the fourth story. Not with dramatic whimpering, but with something that breaks Kazu's 'almost mechanical' actions. Like, make her more 'feeling'.

Personally, Kazu is my favourite character and she's why I'm still tuning in the book series. Helps that she's played by the wonderful Kasumi Arimura in the movie, and she's exactly how I pictured Kazu....it's easier to read the book while imagining this Kazu.

The sudden focus on Kazu is a surprise, though it gives the book a new focus. While the first book completely focuses on the cafe sending people back in time and how it affects the patrons, the second book focuses on how it affects Kazu herself as the one who pours the "TARDIS coffee" on patrons.

The first book almost never questions Kazu's reactions, and the book makes her to be this precise, almost-mechanical person who just does what she's told to do. What we didn't know is that she hides a lot of pain and grief behind her sommelier smile.

This book slowly shows the cracks in Kazu's precise, sharp personality. It makes her more human, because it's very hard to be a constant reminder of death, sadness, hurt, and pain, isn't it? At one point in the book, she even lies and forgets to do something important in the time travel ritual. Kazu is worried that she would cause love to break down.

There's a lot of words to describe Kazu, but I can't do that without spoiling a lot and getting off-track....let's just say that this song, the entire time, is about Kazu:

(You could make the case that this book should've been called "Before Love Breaks Down", even)

And that brings me to what this book is saying, and what does it say about grief and survivor's guilt --- and happiness.

SPOILER and TMI section!

When love breaks down, the lies we tell, they only serve to fool ourselves.

This second book has heavy emphasis on survivor's guilt. Guilt from being the one who lives while your loved ones die, specifically. All the stories are about death and grief, which fits better with the premise.

"Are we allowed to feel happy with death and pain around us?"

That is the theme of the second book. It is a good theme, and I'm glad that this book is written with that as the main theme. It's corny (like a lot of 80s ballads are) but I do feel that. Sometimes, i feel that i do not deserve respite nor any smile after seeing and experiencing tragedies in life.

Four years ago, I lost one of my best friends. She passed away suddenly.

It's unfair that i get to live and have fun experiences with friends while she's six feet under. I thought that if I feel happiness, it's unfair because she couldn't, and my survival and long age is a curse I have to bear for her passing. But if there's anything I learned from that time two years ago when I had one of the happiest moments in my life, my happiness is what my she had wanted wanted. And my life isn't a curse.

I was so happy. I did feel guilty that she's not here to see it. But i went to the other direction: would she be happy that you get to have this moment? Would she be happy that your art skills got into this level? Would she be happy that you get to have something that is uniquely yours?

By feeling happiness, it's not just mine. It's hers.

And this book is saying that. Happiness is not something only you can have, or you cannot have. One's happiness is the happiness of others. And so is pain and sadness.

Over the years, I've tried to live and move on. It is difficult to be a reminder that my survival is at the expense of hers. It is difficult to be a reminder that the world is not fair, and it is difficult to be happy knowing that she couldn't have it.

But, if I can share my happiness with people who are here with me, I could share it with those who are gone too.

My happiness is her happiness. And it will not break down.

The stories in this book really made me think that. It feels good to know that I wasn't alone in feeling cursed with age and happiness, but you can break it without having to completely surrender yourself to grief. Because grief is not forever. Sure, our lives mold around it instead of growing out of it, but making peace with it is the key to moving on.

And an important part of it is to accept that your happiness is their happiness too. If your life stops because of grief, wouldn't that made them sad also?

I'm glad that the book ends with Kazu realizing that she IS allowed to live in happiness and move on from her mother's death, and I'm glad that her seeing other people being able to be happy made her realize that she too, could have it.

This made the book better than the first.

SPOILER and TMI section ends.

When love breaks down, you join the rest, who leave their hearts for easy sex,

I got too emotional that I nearly forgot to actually give a verdict to the book. Sorry about that, this book made me more emotional than the first.

As for the writing itself, this sequel is markedly less stage-y. The writer is definitely getting more and more fluent in writing actual books.

Is it still corny? Yes. Like I've said before, the first book felt like an 80s ballad in book form, and so is this sequel. This sequel being more literary makes the '80s ballad' vibes and energy of the book even more apparent. To me, this whole entire book series is now compilations of 80s ballads. And that's not a bad thing! It feels like that's exactly what these books are going for, and it truly delivers.

(Even the fourth story has a brief flashback set in the 80s)

The first book asks us what we'll do if we get back to the past. The second book asks us how can we live in the present without having to let the past trap us.

And that's arguably what we need today.

Take a sip, and go back to the past. Face the past, walk to the present.....before the coffee gets cold.

....Once again, I had a good time in the unique coffeehouse that is Cafe Funiculi Funicula. Now I'm off to Hakodate to Cafe Donna Donna next, to take a sip of their coffee to reflect and live....

#michiruze.txt #book review #before the coffee gets cold #tales from the cafe #cafe funiculi funicula #toshikazu kawaguchi #michiru reviews

[aot-snk-4238]

My thoughts on AOT No Requiem (Fanmade Ending) Part 1:

With another chapter of this story coming out soon, I thought now would be a good time to share my thoughts on the first part. Before I do that, though, I have a few things that I would like to get off my chest.

A part of me hates that this project exists. Not because I find it disrespectful, but because it serves as a bitter reminder of what a complete mess this ending caused among many fans. I'm still in disbelief how things got so bad so quickly. First, you've got the people who hated it. People began turning on Isayama and calling him a terrible or incompetent writer, regretting ever getting into the series, insisting that it was worse than Game of Thrones, the list goes on and on. People who liked the ending are now endlessly referred to as "ending defenders" or more crude names like "Isayama cockriders," as though they're a bunch of incompetent fools who don't know the first thing about reading comprehension all because they just happened to like it. And then of course you've got the other extreme end of the spectrum where the ones who were disappointed are accused of not understanding the story or they're only upset because their favorite ship or fan theory didn't become canon. This, too, is very demeaning and invalidating for those who grew up with this series that they gave their heart to and cherished for so long, only to have it do what they felt was a complete 180 at the very last second that undid every part of the story they thought was special and unique. It's one of the hardest slaps to the face you can get as a reader and long-time fan, and while I can't fully relate to everyone's feelings, I can at least understand and acknowledge that it's there and it shouldn't be laughed at. Now with all of that out of the way, here are my thoughts and analysis of this fanmade ending and how it differs from Isayama's.

To start things off, I found that part 1 started off similar to how 137 did in the canon manga, with Armin and Zeke conversing in PATHS. The biggest difference would be kid Eren being transported there and seeing his older self. To be fair though, this chapter was only about half the length of what we're used to reading, so I'm sure we'll get a lot more in part 2 onwards.

While Zeke is enlightening Armin on the history of the earth and how the life form that attached itself to Ymir sought to avoid death forever, young Eren is in PATHS too with his older self, witnessing the moment Ymir found the tree and fell in it to become the first titan. At first, there is no dialogue exchanged between them. They just hold hands and watch. Meanwhile, Zeke is still talking to Armin about Ymir and how she continued to serve her oppressive master despite acquiring godlike powers that would allow her to obliterate him whenever she pleased. This is where the team working on this project attempt to provide their own alternate possibilities as to why this happened in a way that would make more sense than what we were given in the canon story in which she simply had a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome and couldn't let him go no matter how much he made her suffer.

So what are these new possibilities? They come in the form of a question, so their validity is not made absolutely certain, but they're presented as the most likely candidates nonetheless.

According to Zeke, she was unable to separate her own desires from King Fritz and was a lost girl who sought meaning. A place to belong. Tragically, King Fritz was the only connection she had in her life, so she clung to it with everything she had despite it being toxic and abusive. I could argue that these are the very reasons why she supposedly loved the king in the official manga, as explained by Eren in 139, but they weren't explained or touched on as plainly as they were here. I feel like they could have been if Isayama had just been given more time, but sadly the whole thing was rushed and underdeveloped.

Moving on, Zeke states that despite his efforts in trying to understand Ymir and her feelings, it was Eren who ultimately was able to get to her and offer her the choice of freedom. The next page transitions to young Eren standing in the clouds with his arms spread out and a smile on his face just like in the official 137, only this time 19yo Eren is next to him. Now I'm going to be honest here, this is where things started to get a little corny for me. Yeah. I know a lot of people hate that argument, but that's just how it felt to me. And before I say anything else, I want everybody to know that I am in no way about to mock anyone's fondness of this Eren over the one we saw in 139, even if it was a little over-the-top. It's perfectly fine to prefer one over the other, I'm just going to try to explain myself the best I can without coming across as harsh or unprofessional.

Eren is drawn in these panels to be a stone-faced, determined and unstoppable force who will "keep moving forward until his enemies are destroyed." This is the Eren that many people grew most familiar with throughout the series, despite his occasional breakdowns, but something about the way it was executed just felt a little too overdramatic and exaggerated. For me, the contrast between this Eren and the Eren we were presented with in 139 is too jarring. It came across to me as the fandom's idealized version of Eren, the "chad" Eren if you will, rather than Isayama's portrayal of Eren who is cold and determined, but has also been experiencing stunted mental growth ever since the day he saw his mother get eaten; side note: I know that Eren himself was responsible for his mother's death, but that's a discussion for a later time. Not only that, but the "keep moving forward" line starts to get overused at this point. We already heard Eren say this a number of times before 137 where this first fanmade chapter takes place, so I didn't find it necessary to include that at the end, but it seemed to be the writers' way of trying to reinforce Eren's ultimate goal.

Regarding the rest of the chapter, young Eren asks older Eren what Ymir is still waiting for after he showed her that she's not alone. 19yo Eren proceeds to explain that while he was able to make her feel something again, she still needs somebody to free her. He shows his younger self all of the visions from PATHS that he's seen so far, ranging from past events to alternate realities to things that couldn't be changed no matter what. Now there is only one path left that he strives toward. The one that he believes will grant him and his people freedom. This next line is the one that stood out to me the most throughout this fanmade chapter. Still talking to kid Eren, adult Eren says, "When you wake up, you will forget what you learned, but not what you felt here. This will all feel just like a long dream." Only when he kisses Historia's hand will it all come back to him. This line more clearly explains why Eren woke up crying in chapter 1, but couldn't remember why. Then he circles back to how he intends to carry out his own plan to end the cycle of hatred once and for all. Despite his efforts along the way, he couldn't change the flow of PATHS and save the friends he lost or prevent certain events from happening altogether, so he had to accept that sacrifices had to be made. In this case, he will have to literally sacrifice the world, much to Armin's horror.

To wrap this up, I'm going to finish comparing this to the canon 137, but since the first part of this project only covers the PATHS portion of it, that's where I'll stop as well. To save a little but of time, I'm just gonna be lazy and copy the first part of a quick overview of the chapter I found as part of the wiki:

So clearly, canon 137 starts off focusing a lot more on Armin and Zeke's differing philosophies and does not provide any further insight into Eren's ultimate motives like this one does, at least not yet. Armin and Eren are bound to face off soon in this fanmade version, but it looks to me like this time the writers are planning on flipping the outcome and having Eren come out victorious instead, especially when I remember the name of this project and what it's based on. I guess that means that in a way, I already know what's ultimately going to happen throughout the rest of this project. Whether it's going to be considered superior to the actual ending is going to depend on if its executed properly. I could very well be wrong about some of this, though. I want to give it a fair shot since these people have clearly put a lot of hard work and passion into this, so I will refrain from further judgement until we get the full picture. On a side note, I just want to say that the artwork is beautiful so far and I commend every artist responsible for their efforts. I also liked the song choice at the beginning and thought it set the mood pretty well.

Thank you to everyone who read the whole thing. This took me far longer to write than it should have because I'm not always good at expressing myself in a way that does not come across as confusing or contradictory. I will continue to share my thoughts as more content is released, which by the looks of it could be any day now.

#snk #aot no requiem #snk fanfiction #snk manga #snk 137 #armin arlert #zeke jaeger #eren jaeger #ymir fritz

[zeawkwardpterodactyl]

Stray Kids' ODDINARY (I am deceased)

I said I would be back with a review of the album, and I am back with a review of the album, just probably 24+ hours later because it's late and I have school tomorrow, and I feel like I should proofread this before posting it on the internet.

AKA: yes, yes I did just write a thousand words on why my favorite kpop group's new comeback is amazing so I could post it on TUMBLR

Track 1: Venom - Overall rating: 9/10. This is FIRE, definitely title track material. I mean have had Hyunjin's "gomijul" stuck in my head since the first teaser, so all of my expectations have been fulfilled with this song. Pretty much it's amazing and you should go listen to it. Favorite part: Seungmin has these two lines right before the song ends that absolutely CAPTIVATED me. His vocal skills are definitely underestimated for the SHEER LEVEL they are on.

Track 2: Maniac - Overall rating: 8/10. I already wrote a whole review on this with my favorite parts, how each member did with the song, and my overall thoughts on the MV and song. The only reason it gets 8/10 rather than 10/10 is because Minho and Jeongin didn't get THAT MANY lines, but they still ate and left no crumbs so there's not a ton to complain about.

Track 3: Charmer - Overall rating: 7/10. Okay, ngl, this one threw me off a little bit. I'm used to the very fun, hype, almost "immature, party" vibes that skz gives off with their songs, and this was a little different than I expected. Of course, they experiment in their music a lot, so it wasn't a huge deal, and I really enjoy how they've expanded to do a sexier song, if that makes sense. I mean, their youngest member is 21 years old internationally, so they'll have to do quite a bit of maturing as time goes on, and if that really is what they were going for, they nailed it. I also really appreciate how experimentative (is that a word?) the raps sound, it's just very unique. Out of all the lines, I enjoyed Minho's the most (he just holds a special place in my heart), but my favorite part of the song was the INSTRUMENTAL, so good!

Track 4: Freeze - Overall rating: 9/10. I was looking forward to this one the most after the teaser dropped. I'm a simple person, I see fuel for a Mafia AU and I'm hooked. There's not much to say except that they did not disappoint. They showcased exactly WHY I love skz as much as I do, it's catchy, and I know it'll take forever for me to get sick of it, if I ever do. Also, bonus points for Seungmin and Jeongin's parts since I feel like they don't usually get that much attention on harder-hitting songs like this.

Track 5: Lonely St. - Overall rating: 10/10. The slap in the face I got when this song came on was the worst and also the best, if that makes sense. There are so many bops on this album and this one came out of nowhere to be a bop, but just the kind of bop you cry to. Bang Chan and Changbin wrote the lyrics, and you can really see how their personality shines through in their word choice. I'm not fluent in Korean, so I ended up reading the translations and I'm not even joking when I say I'm on the verge of tears. This is one of those songs where, as corny as it may sound to some, you can connect with the artist. The lyrics painted a picture that all of us are now able to gaze upon. It's not a sappy love song, it shows what struggles our boys have had to go through as kpop idols, living the life that they do. I can't say for sure what it's about, since I don't know them personally, but the line that really got me was "still astray", because, for one, they're Stray Kids. The whole point is that they were lost and found hope in each other. But just because the Stray Kids aren't completely alone now doesn't mean they aren't still Stray Kids. Even as successful as they are, even with each other, they can still be "astray". And that just hits different in some sort of way. I could talk for hours about the song, but I'll just say that for now. Also, Changbin's vocals in the beginning are GOLD.

Track 6: Waiting for Us - Overall rating: 10/10. Another sad bop, yet surprisingly wholesome. I don't know how to describe this song, but it wormed its way into my heart and holds a special place there now. I can already see myself finding so many different ways to relate with this song, and I know it will cheer me up on bad days. This is the kind of song I would want at my wedding, if I ever get married, y'know? It just feels so comforting and relatable.

Track 7: Muddy Water - Overall rating 6/10. Now, I was super excited to listen to this one, just because of the whole "Shrek" joke that went around with the title reveal + teaser posters. However, I think my expectations for the vibe of the song were a little off. I think it's safe for me to say that this song is my least favorite on the album, though this does not mean it's bad, it's just not the type of song I'm used to listening to. However, I find the lyrics really clever, and it feels like something that will grow on me over time, so there's not too much for me to say right now.

General consensus: THIS IS AN AMAZING ALBUM WTF. It's distinctly Stray Kids, it has a song for every type of Stay, it showcases why we love these boys so much, and it will be on repeat for the next several weeks in my house and other's. The general vibe is a little different than their past albums, but it's so incredibly them. I think it would be a good example of what makes Stray Kids, well, Stray Kids. It may not be the best album for getting into skz, but it's great after getting to know them a little bit.

#skz #stray kids #bang christopher chan #bang chan #lee know #lee minho #seo changbin #changbin #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin #han jisung #han #lee felix #felix #seungmin #kim seungmin #i.n. #jeongin #kpop comeback #kpop #oddinary #stray kids oddinary #skz comeback #skz oddinary #ace's reviews

[babylooneytoonz]

Warnings: These two just can't stop fighting // them being adorable // poor jokes

Please find all the other links to other parts in the Master list.

You looked at yourself in the mirror for probably the tenth time. Were you looking trashy ? Not really. You ran your hands through your hair, ruffling them up just the right amount so that they looked bouncy as your fingers moved on to the lipstick. Were you looking just too plain? You groaned at youself for probably the twentieth time, but this time you grabbed the red lipstick. It was a bold choice, red lipstick, a plaid checkered shirt, and a pencil jeans, not to forget your heels, that you never really wore. 

"Damn girl, you really look great," Wanda tossed herself against your mattress, her eyes plastered on you. "Lucah will go crazy, I tell you." 

"How do you even know this guy again?" You raised your eyebrow, looking at her through your mirror, as you slid your glasses back on and scanned at yourself one last time. 

"He was Pietro's bestfriend." 

You noticed Wanda zone out, probably lost in some old memories. You knew memories were bitches; so it was better not to scratch them up, so you decided to change the topic. 

"Is he hot?" 

"Smokin'." Wanda smirked, propping herself up as she walked up to you, "Think a strong , muscular back, veiny arms, the guy can flex, sandy blond hair." 

"Jeez, I can really picture Steve right now." 

Your words were enough to send Wanda into a snort, followed by a carefree laugh as she shook her head. 

"Na, Steve is more, I don't know, decent looking? Lucah, I'd say he's 21st century, Steve likes jazz, Lucah likes R&B. They're like poles apart?" 

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but since you already texted him three times just to make sure he arrived on time to pick me up, I'm sure the guy is probably waiting for me right now." You grinned, grabbing your purse. As if on cue, Friday's voice rang through your room, informing you that your date had arrived downstairs to pick you up and Wanda's grin just widened.

"I'll see you later, babe, have fun." She winked teasingly and you gave her a last smile before you practically ran out towards the elevator. 

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Wanda was right, the guy looked handsome. He was just the right amount of handsome, and you did look good when you sat clinging to him while he rode his motorcycle through town, all the efforts you had put into setting your hair down the drain. He had complimented you, the first thing he saw you, how beautiful you were, and who were you kidding, it had been ages someone had said that, and you were already blushing a scarlet red. When he asked you if you had something planned out for the day for you had already communicated through Wanda that you were planning the date this time, you gave him a tight lipped smile. 

Thus, the two of you found yourselves seated at an open air cafe that was directly in front of the entrance of the movie theater, on the opposite side of the road.

So far, the date wasn't going good. Of course, you were sitting there, right across from him, giving him the most bored looks ever. Not that he was bad, maybe you just weren't feeling it, or you had been off the market and under the radar for so long, you had forgotten what made a date a really fabulous date. Also, your eyes found themselves trailing over the cineplex doors, wondering when the afternoon show of the only movie that was playing there today will get over. 

"So, Y/N, the Avengers huh? How does it feel to be one of them?" Lucah just said, trying to lighten up the weirdness that was already bubbling up inside of you. On the table, in front of you, your untouched plate of fries, and a cappuccino lay, while he was happily gobbling up the nachos, at a pace much faster than yours. 

Your breath left your lips rather loudly, when you finally saw the doors open, and people started to tumble out, discussing the movie and mostly critiquing it. 

"Hey, are you listening -" 

Your eyes lit up in excitement, when you saw just the people your eyes had been waiting to see, followed by an obvious scowl that crept up on your lips. Bucky had his arm wrapped around her still, and although he didn't appear to be smiling, he wasn't frowning either, so you assumed that he did have a good time, except for when he looked at her with slight irritation when she would bring up her palm, holding two popcorns between her fingers as she tried feeding him. 

"Cringy as fuck," you blurted out in a low annoyed voice, and Lucah just looked at you, his frown now obvious as he turned to follow your gaze to look at what you were looking at, or who.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Life of an Avenger, I meant." 

He nodded and sat back, staring down at his hands. He wasn't sure suddenly why he was even here, and hadn't he left already. Although you were pretty, he was sure of that, he didn't really seem to find you interesting and you only seemed like you were distracted, looking around, not even having your fries, that laid abandoned on the table. 

Suddenly, Bucky's eyes, like a magnet flew towards you, but you at the right time, you turned your gaze away, fixing it on Lucah and leaned forward, reaching out and placing your palm on his hand that was laying on the table. You threw out the sauciest smiles that you could, parting your lips, your tongue sneaking out and moistening your lower lip. Slowly, you stood up and cleared your throat, you knew that Bucky was watching you now, you could feel his burning gaze on you. 

You walked over to where Lucah was seated, round the table; and boy, did he look scared at what you were going to do, and not to mention, totally confused. You didn't understand what got into you, it was like you were suddenly on fire, and you wanted to put on a good show, for Bucky's eyes. You lowered yourself on Lucah's lap, his arm snaking around your waist in reflex. He didn't push you away, he was so startled, and even before he could push you away, you didn't give him the time; you smashed your lips against his, leaning down on him, your nails almost digging into his shoulder, your other hand holding him by his head, your fingers matted into his hair. 

Bucky kept watching, from afar. His eyes had darkened two shades, and his face had a look, a look that said, if anyone would even dare mess with him now, he would rip them apart into pieces. He let out a frustrated grunt, and the woman next to him stopped blabbering and looked at him, frowning at his sudden outburst. 

"Let's go and eat at that cafe, I'm starving," Bucky grumbled, under his voice, grabbing the woman's hand and walking her towards the open roof cafe, eyeing the table just next to yours. 

As Bucky and the woman passed you by, he intentionally cleared his throat so loudly, you had to break your kiss, but the smug smirk on your lips meant that you knew that what you wanted to do had had the desirable effect on him, and that was what made you feel even more better. 

"Well, that was nice," You brought your palm up to Lucah's cheeks, your thumb grazing against the stain that your ravaged lipstick had left against his soft, plump ones. You finally stood up again, straightening your dress, and running your hands through your hair until you walked back to your chair, sliding down against it. Your breathing was hitched, your ears felt warm, and your cheeks were heating up. 

"I don't get it these days, with people and their cheap, corny as fuck public display of affection." Bucky suddenly began, causing you and Lucah to snap your head towards the table next to you; your eyes narrowed. Bucky just sat there, lounging against the back of the chair, sipping on some soda through the straw, his eyes fixed on the blonde. 

"Well, excuse me but are you talking about-" Lucah began to speak in a low voice, but you cut him off, reaching oit for Lucah, until you had taken his hand, your fingers coiled with his. 

"You know some people are just so closed off, they would suck at this PDA thing, and knowing they can't do it, they just like to comment on others," you said those words loud enough so Bucky could hear them, and then you grabbed a fry, tossing it into your mouth, sitting back more comfortably. If anyone could see the scene unfurl, it would have been hilarious to watch. 

"Maybe we just have more class, and prefer to fool around at more private places." 

If you had eyes on your side, you would sure have seen the widest smirk on Bucky's face. But even without taking a look at him, you knew he was smirking.

"Private places? Like what? The back of a theater? Who even does that? What are you? Like 16? Get a room," you snapped. 

"Well, you have a room, but do you have a partner to share it with?" 

Before you could come back with a reply to what Bucky had just said, your eyes skid to where Lucah was. He had stood up, making a ruckus with his chair, to snap you out of whatever you had going on. He cleared his throat, slammed a few notes for the date on the table, and walked off, his leather jacket dangling from his shoulder. He, however, made his way to the blonde sitting opposite Bucky, who had a clear scowl on her face. 

"Maybe you would like to get another table? And we could just leave them alone?" 

"Yeah, I'd like that," the woman stood up, clearly giving Bucky the cold shoulder and she unzipped her purse, and pulled out a few dollars, almost throwing them into Bucky's face. He was taken aback, and was ready to say something to her, when you suddenly called out, "Hey blondie, you do realize that metal arm can choke you right? And I'm not talking about choking you in bed. The guy took you to the movies, the least you can do is be a little respectful." 

Their heavy footsteps vanished away; and you finally craned your neck towards Barnes, your eyes finally meeting his. He had an amused look playing on his face. It wasn't a smirk, but it wasn't a smile either. It was a mix of them both. 

"What?" You mumbled, in a low voice, reaching out and grabbing your fry.

"Mhm, nothing, just wondering why you defended me." 

Another fry was awkwardly stuffed into your mouth, followed by a sip of your cappuccino. 

"So I could be the one to insult you the next time." 

A silence fell on the two of you and now, you averted your eyes. You didn't want to look at him, so now you didn't know what he was doing, or what he was probably thinking. You could hear him aimlessly tapping his palm against the table but the sound suddenly stopped. You heard him stand up, and then he moved to the chair that laid abandoned in front of you, pulling it out and propping himself down against it. 

"Well, it's just the two of us now, and that's a lot of fries, you sure you can eat them alone?" Your lips twitched, but you bit on your tongue to control yourself from giving him the widest smile that you could give him, as you saw his hand inching towards your plate. You swatted his hand with yours at the exact time he grabbed a fry, but he was fast, he had already pulled back and pushed the fry into his mouth. 

"Don't put your fingers into my fries, I don't even want to think about the places your, uh, fingers have been while back at the movies." You made a gagging face, and Bucky's face turned red for a second, and he just started coughing, and grinning at the same time. 

"We were watching Wall-E." 

"Are you fucking kidding me? That's-"

"The only place my fingers were was into the bucket of caramel popcorn. Who the hell prefers caramel anyway?"

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

"I can't believe it," you smirked; almost widening your eyes in the most dramatic way while Bucky just rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking at you. "You've been fucking around with that one for weeks, and you've not even asked her what her name was?" 

"She did tell me her name, I just forget. It was Maggie or Pastry, I don't even remember. Who the hell is even called Pastry?" 

"Barnes, my cat's name was Pastry, are you fucking saying it wasn't a good name?" 

"For a human, not a cat." He just smirked, leaning forward. 

You were sitting on a swing, your heels laying abandoned next to where Bucky sat on a bench, from where he could see you; your feet grazing against the dew on the grass. It was pretty late at night, well not that late, but it was almost dinnertime. 

"Who the hell named you Bucky? You don't even have buck teeth." 

"Really? Was that supposed to be a joke?" He smirked, leaning forward, his elbows resting against his knees, his hair falling against his eyes. 

"Yeah well, you know. Bucky, buck teeth, it rhymes?" Maybe it was the two bottles of beer that the two of you had, but it annoyed you how he was in his complete senses and here you were, making weird cringy jokes that didn't even make sense. 

"I thought you hated me." 

You stopped swinging abruptly, when you heard him, his words slowly sinking him. Groaning to yourself, you stood up, and walked up to where he was, lowering yourself next him to him, staring at the swing that was still moving lightly. 

"You give yourself too much importance, Barnes. Besides, you started this whole thing in the first place." 

You couldn't see his expressions now, but you could feel him lost in a deep thinking. At a slow pace, you turned your head to face him and you saw that he was staring at the starry sky, thinking. 

"I don't get it. You're a freaking super soldier, you're supposed to be strong, and you're supposed to be pain tolerant, and you whined about me burning your fucking abs for days." 

He suddenly snapped his head towards you, whatever he was thinking before this now abandoned. His eyes were narrowed, and his lip almost twitched, in annoyance before he grumbled, "that was my favourite tshirt. And besides, I was sort of having a bad day." 

You stood up, turning around so you were now looking down at him, a frown having paved it's way over your forehead and your hands fixed on your hips. 

"You fucked with my mind, you made me look like a freaking joke in front of Steve, just because you had a fucking bad day?" 

He shook his head, almost grumbling under his breath, wondering why he had let you drink. 

"And who do you think you were back at that simulation training?" 

"Well that was different- " 

"How? Care to explain?" 

You couldn't believe it, the nerves on this man. You almost gasped, taking a step away from him, draping your arms over your chest. 

"You knew what clearing that certification meant to me."

"Well, doll. Being an Avenger means everyone fends for themselves; it was a fair fight, but you didn't want to play fair, and that's your fault." 

While Bucky just deadpanned, his face giving you a look of disapproval, you just curled your lips into a snicker, almost throwing your head backwards, so you could let out a laugh. 

"Look who's talking." 

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Bucky shrugged. 

"How fair would you think messing with someone's weights at the gym is?" 

Now it was your turn to smirk, and your smirk even widened when you saw a sudden look of discomfort flash against the man's face, which he quickly masked by pulling on his cold and emotionless expression, "I don't understand." 

"Sam told me, you prick. You messed with my weights, you wanted to get back at me. Don't you dare tell me this was all my fault. When I just wanted to fucking make things right." 

"Yeah, make things right? I can see how you made things right." His knuckles cracked, and his jaw squared, as he towered over you. 

"Well, I would've, if you weren't busy getting into that bitch's pants, whatever her name was." 

"Pastry." 

"You've gotta be kidding me, who the fuck names a child Pastry?" 

Bucky sighed, for probably the tenth time, and ran his fingers through his hair. Women, they always suprised him; and the women he met, they were all different and unique in the most weird ways, like this one standing right in front of him. She was just plain weird, and psychotic. But he couldn't deny, even with her weird psychotic ways, she was slowly growing on him. 

"The point is?" He raised a brow. 

"Well, the point is, Sergeant, I came to your room, to make this right. But you were so excited to go on this lousy date." 

"You really hate that I went on a date with her right? Why don't you go on a real date with me then?" 

His palms grabbed your arms, and he pulled you closer, his blues staring into your (Y/E/C). 

You swallowed the bile in your throat, and parted your lips. Words wouldn't come out though, it was as though your throat had constricted and you couldn't speak. You were like a ferocious animal cornered, you wanted to bite but you couldn't, so you just gave him a glare, furrowing your brows, and flaring your nostrils just a bit. 

"Atleast be a man and kiss me when I know you're dying to do it for a long time, Barnes." 

"You've gotta be kidding-" 

Bucky couldn't complete his sentence; not when you had smashed your lips against his surprisingly soft ones. He tasted like peppermint, and cinnamon, a taste you could not put a name to, but whatever it was, it was just right. 

You finally pulled away, almost gasping for air, and the expression on Bucky's face was just priceless. His jaw slightly hung, and you could see that his lips were parted, confusion reflecting in his expressions. But at the same time, his cheeks had a faint tint of red, and he licked his lips, relishing in the aftermath of the kiss. 

You took a step away, and turned around, casually skipping along the grass, until you were down on the swing again, and he just kept staring at you. 

You really were the weirdest one he had met. 

"Oh, and bdw, I know you checked out my ass that day at the gym. Hope you liked it." 

If you could compare Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes face with a tomato, you wouldn't have been able to decide which one was redder. 

(Author's Note- I am so sorry this was so long! I was practically giggling when I wrote this chapter. They remind me so much of Tom & Jerry, I just can't. 🤣Anyway, I hope you guys liked this. 💗 )

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