#and it's extremely rare that i even see other fans mention it

[supercantaloupe]

What is the antisemitism in TUC season 1? Does it have to do with Wally the golem?/gen

[ID: an ask from an anonymous tumblr user that reads "would love to hear more about the antisemitism in unsleeping city! was a while ago that i watched it and can't remember what you might be referencing but definitely want to be aware of it.]

no, it's not about willy the golem -- i actually think willy is a great addition to the season (even if i wish we got to see more of him), and an indication to me that brennan/the showrunners were definitely trying to be sincere and inclusive. i want to make it clear that i don't think anything antisemitic in tuc is there intentionally; i think it's there out of simple ignorance, which is also why i think fans don't frequently see/comment on it either. but i don't think that's an excuse, either.

my grief with tuc1 is largely centered around its portrayal of robert moses as the villain. especially by making him a greedy, power-hungry lich working en league with bloodsucking vampires. (also his mini is literally a green skinned skull man in a suit. yikes.) here's the thing; i know robert moses was a real life horrible person, who actually was racist and powerhungry etc etc. and i know that robert moses, the real actual person, was jewish. my grief with tuc1 is not that they chose to use robert moses over literally any other person (real or fictional) to be their season villain (though i'd be really curious to know what tuc1 would have looked like with a different villain), but that they chose to take a real jewish person, turn them into an antisemitic caricature, and then only barely add other portrayals of judaism to balance that out.

like, tuc isn't completely devoid of other jewish representation. as you mention, there's willy the golem -- and again, i really like willy, and i love that it's a portrayal of a golem that's faithful to jewish folklore (ie as a benevolent, guardian construct rather than a mindless destructive monster. i am not a fan of how 'golem' is so frequently misused as a generic enemy creature in other fantasy and ttrpg spaces, including other seasons of d20). but as i said earlier, i wish we see more of him in the season, because he's not around very much, and feels a little more like worldbuilding than a full character to me. also, he's not human. jews are people.

the only other human jewish character in tuc1 is...stephen sondheim. which, again, yeah, that's a real person who really was jewish. but i really wouldn't blame you if you had no idea of that when watching tuc1. maybe from the name you could guess he might be jewish, but i don't think people ought to make a habit of trying to 'clock' someone being jewish by having a 'jewish-sounding' surname. as he's portrayed in tuc1, you'd never know he's jewish, unless you happen to already be pretty knowledgeable about the man in real life. it's far more likely you'll know him as a theater legend than anything else (may his memory be a blessing).

now i'm not saying that brennan or the showrunners should have played up the jewishness of Real Person Stephen Sondheim to counterbalance the depiction of robert moses; that just feels weird to me, especially considering that sondheim was literally alive when tuc1 was filmed and released. it's a tricky thing to portray real people in fiction alongside made up characters, especially when they are contemporaries, and i don't think 'outright caricature' is the way to go about that. nor do i think that moses' jewishness should have been played up at all, because again i don't think that would have been particularly true to the person/character, and also Fucking Yikes. but, c'mon, if you hear the names 'moses' and 'sondheim' next to each other, which one do you associate more with judaism?

and as it stands, these are the only representations of judaism in tuc1. one admittedly nice but very minor nonhuman character; one human character you'd never be able to tell was jewish; and a third human character who, while never explicitly referenced as jewish, plays into some really hurtful antisemitic stereotyping. and it was a choice to not include anything else. maybe not a deliberate one, probably more likely one made out of simple ignorance than anything else, but a choice nonetheless. in a city with one of the largest and most visibly jewish populations in the country, and a culture that is inextricably influenced by that jewish population. a jewish population which has been and continues the target of rising hate crimes for years. i know that nyc means different things to different people, and everyone's nyc is their own -- but my nyc is jewish, and it sucks that that its jewishness is referenced directly in only one very minor way, which is greatly overshadowed by its, in my view, really insidious indirect references.

i don't know exactly how to go about addressing this. obviously, the show can't be changed by now. even if it could, i think the final product would be very significantly different from what it is now if the villain was something/someone else. i think including more references to jews in new york, more (human) jewish characters, hell, even mentioning hanukkah celebrations and menorahs in windows (it takes place in late december, after all; depending on the year it's not at all out of place for hanukkah to coincide with xmas!) would help. having literally any more positive jewish representation in tuc1 would, i think, help balance the bad stuff that's there. because, yeah, robert moses was real and he was terrible and he was jewish. but he's one jewish guy in a city with over a million jews, the vast majority of whom are just normal people. i don't want him to be the only vision of us that people get, in tuc1 alone or in any media. i'm not saying that jews can't or shouldn't be villains in fiction; but especially if you are a goyische creator, you should be really careful in how you're portraying us, and if there are other contrasting depictions in your work, too, in order to not (even accidentally) demonize jewish people as a whole.

#sasha answers #anon #unsleeping city #the unsleeping city #long post #sorry for not putting this under a read more but i think people ought to see this. or at least #if two people felt the need to ask me about it then at least they would want to see the full thing uncovered #also fwiw i do think that they tried to address this to some extent when they made tuc2 #with more scenes with willy (and incorporating more golem folklore with the animating word in his mouth -- nice touch!) #the jewish immigrant family in the photo flashback encounter (even if the hanukkiah in the picture isn't exactly kosher lol) #and ESPECIALLY rabbi mike. i ADORE rabbi mike. i think he's a WONDERFUL addition #i do still wish he was a more important/prominent character. cause again he isn't in it all that much. #(and he's still like. the only new jewish human character in the campaign.) #but i recognize what he represents and i am happy about it #i do think brennan & the d20 crew tried to improve after tuc1. i do. i see their efforts and i applaud them for it #but still to my knowledge they haven't ever directly addressed the errors made in season 1 #and it's extremely rare that i even see other fans mention it #and like. sorry but i am tired. i am. we deserve better. we deserve portrayals in media that show us as People #not just as evil monsters #anyway you're welcome to rb this but be cool in the notes esp if you're a goy #other jews are welcome to (respectfully) disagree with me if they want #also if you so much as mention the word israel on this post you're getting blocked end of

[badolmen]

I don’t know who needs to hear this but obsessing over and labeling every aspect of your human experience isn’t healthy or productive or conducive to the human nature of growth and change.

Free blocklist in the notes <3 have you considered that you may be a part of the problem?

#ra speaks #personal #real bean talk #but like. if you want to use labels for everything that’s great - fandom labels/preference labels/etc. are all well and good #IF if they make you feel happy and supported by a community of similar people #BUT if that ‘community’ of ‘similar people’ is so rigid and self canibalizing that you don’t feel like you can drop that label #without risking retaliation…that’s not good or healthy and you need to drop everything and run #I’ve seen it in vegetarian circles and hunting clubs and fitness trainers #I’ve seen it in fandom ship communities. I’ve seen it in sports team fans. if you are genuinely afraid/anxious abt the reactions #‘your people’ will have if you either aren’t constantly hyper vigilant to confront ‘the others’ #or lose interest or change your opinions #thats not a community that’s a culture of fear and violence that’s going to chew you up and shred you to bits because that’s all it knows #sorry I saw some fandom wank on my dash and it was like. oh you people actually treat this silly stuff with extreme paranoia #like a full on dogwhistles and ‘xyz but STEALTH signals’ kinda stuff you normally see for like. terfs and white supremacists. #but for the most vanilla and not that rare shipping pair in a mid tier fandom #this wasn’t some small post either it had 2k+ notes like 👀 have you maybe considered taking a step back and reevaluate your choices #t*rfs if you even look at this I am throwing you in one of those terrifying boat rides they have at carnivals #labels like ‘gender critical’ in your bio mean you ascribe to the predatory label groups I’ve described in my tags #if you bother to read my tags this isn’t about queer labels specifically I didn’t even mention them bc there are already posts abt that #microlabels and other labels are good if they make you feel good but have the choice to not use them or change them if you change #love light and lignification <3

[saintslewis]

❝ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 | 𝐋𝐇𝟒𝟒 ❞

pairing: sir lewis hamilton x fem!journalist reader

summary: a lil joke thing i wanted to write because homeboy is bringing home the big bucks 🤭

warnings: just read 🫵🏽 this is a crack fic lol

saint’s team radio 🎀: don’t take this all too seriously 😭 hope y’all enjoy plus who know i’ll actually make it into a thing 🧍🏽‍♀️

tags: @alika-4466 @purplelewlew @exotic-iris13 @arshiyuh @mauvecherie-writes @yeea-nah @youre-sooooo-funny @louvrepool @queenshikongo3 @cherry2stems @httpsserene @motheroffae

-

Being an independent journalist in this sport wasn’t easy at all but only within the parameters of any paddock around the world as most journalists rarely agreed with you, being neutral about anything in f1 wasn’t your thing.

Speaking your mind as the race went on was what set you apart from the rest, along with your humour and your honesty towards drivers and team principals. Not to mention you were extremely biased, keeping your liking to three to five drivers but only one occupied your mind every time you think about him.

I think you know who I’m talking about.

Your support for Lewis goes back to 2015, discovering the sport and immediately wanting to put your journalism skills to the test, aiming for the f1 paddock to at least catch a glimpse of the most talked about driver. Quickly building up a blog and several other social media accounts, you got to telling the world your thoughts and feelings for every race and your supporters rooted for you to achieve your goal.

Having the opportunity to attend thee race in 2020 as a guest of F1, you arrived at the Turkish Grand Prix with your head held high and a dress so gorgeous that it sparked rumours between you and the driver you were writing about. Not to mention the hug he gave you when you first met in the Mercedes garage, praising and thanking you for the support over the years. He’s been watching you and your work. That made your heart so warm.

Then he won his 7th world championship, breaking all records and that day, he deemed you his lucky charm.

And since then, it’s been a work wife-work husband friendship between you two. Fans constantly shipping you too, the clips of your shared interviews at the media pen of the intense eye contact and even off-track sightings once in a while such as a quick lunch.

yourusername • 13 mins ago

The atmosphere in Australia was unlike anything you’ve ever seen in your career, the paddock was practically painted red, Ferrari red to be specific. Everyone eager for Lewis to arrive as his first season as a driver for the legendary team.

Deciding to subtly support him and his new team, you rocked maroon everything, not yet ready to fully embrace the extreme bright red. It just might be your new favourite colour, from your hair right down to the tips of your high heeled boots.

Whilst setting your camera equipment up (gracefully given to you by Ferrari themselves), you couldn’t help but reminisce back to the year before of when he told you he was leaving Mercedes, a single facetime call in the nighttime.

“You made me pause the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, this better be good.” You said, placing the popcorn bowl down on your coffee table. Giving him squinted eyes, he just smiled at you.

“Are you alone right now?” He asked and that set aback for a bit. “You tryna do something funny, Lewis? Because you’re in Monaco right now and I’m at my house.” You raised your eyebrow at him, hiding how nervous you were to even suggest that to him but thankfully, he took it as a joke.

“No no, I’ve got some big news and I wanted to tell you before it gets out.” He replied, seeing how you stood up and placed your phone on your kitchen counter to prepare for this. “Okay, I’m ready. What’s up?” You clasped your hands together, not prepared to hear what came out of his mouth next.

“I’m moving to Ferrari next year.”

“You’re lying.” And all he did was smile as he saw your face drop at this news. He shook his head and that woke you to run around your apartment screaming. Running back to your phone, he was still there but just laughing his lungs out.

“Give me the details right now or else I’ll fly there. I’m not playing, Lew.”

A small smile was plastered on your face as you racked through the memories of that night and till that day, you still couldn’t believe it even though it was right in front of you. The media pen became louder and louder as you continued to mic yourself up along with connecting the mic to the camera and you immediately knew who caused the stir.

He already had such an aura surrounding him so much so that you could feel him whenever he entered the room. You were aware he arrived earlier and most likely changed but seeing the official team shirt on him was odd but fitting.

Lewis had a simple routine whenever he got to the media pen: everyone else then you because his time with you could be lengthened and he was so damn grateful that it was a Thursday because it meant even more time just walking around the paddock pretending it’s an interview when really, you guys were just spending time together.

After all the drivers had their interviews with you, laughing as they walked away because of some joke you told or happy that you asked different questions than everyone else. The man of the hour strolled over to your section with a look in his eye that gave you a shiver down your spine.

“Do not give me that look, Lewis. It’s weird seeing you in that shirt.” You said as he leaned against the barricade, maintaining eye contact with you. “I’m just taking in the red on you, it’s your colour.” He smirked at the reaction from you, the slight shock from the tone of his voice.

There was always a tad bit of tension between the two of you, feeling that twinge of a spark whenever he merely touched you. As you worked with over the years, you wanted your crush on him to diminish because that would just be unprofessional but he did not seem to care. At all. Often being spotted at various places together that he claimed were just two friends hanging out but just one look from him could have you in the clouds of days.

“Uh..huh. Wanna get these questions done or you wanna keep staring?” You asked with sass, watching him tilt his head a little and maintaining eye contact. “We can go right ahead, Y/n.” Lewis replied and you knew this was going to be a long interview.

Several questions later with a bunch of tension that you were sure the viewers would catch, you discreetly turned the camera to ask one of your infamous unserious questions that you did with every driver and you were sure this one were to get a laugh out of Lewis.

Holding the little card in front of you, you grinned with your left eye closing slightly more than the other. “It’s one of my favourite parts of any interview, unserious question time.” You said. “How unserious are we speaking here?” He asked with the slightest grin on his face just admiring you do your job.

“Only if you promise to answer it.” You said, holding out your manicured pinkie finger and Lewis hooked his with yours, solidifying the promise. “Okay okay, the whole world was shocked on how much Ferrari wanted you so much so that they literally doubled your salary.” You started.

“It’s now sitting at a hundred million a year. My question to you is who you gonna share it with and will it be me?”

“If you’re being serious, then it can be you.” He smiled and in that moment, your stomach dropped.

“Carl Davidson, I’m not playing around. Are you being for real?” You asked, lowering your voice so that no one could hear a thing.

He leaned in a bit more to whisper his next answer. “As real as you meeting me later on for dinner.” Lewis faced you then winked, walking away with your face still in shock. After standing there for what felt like forever, you felt your phone vibrate with a text from the man himself.

lew <3

you look gorgeous in red btw

-

yourusername

liked by theestallion, f1wags and 43,747 others

yourusername “anything you want, princess” — lewis hamilton.

view comments

user give me your game card

user you’re eating the red wig DOWN

spinzbeatsinc oh for him to buy me a g wagon

yourusername you already have one???

user you gold digging bitch

user no ways 😭

user not you using him for his money

user think about it, what is he gonna do with so much??

fan she got the chance and she took it, i gotta respect it

user i hope this is a hard launch because i’ve been shipping these two for YEARS

user me too!!

lewishamilton just say the word 🫡

yourusername 🤭🤭🤭🤭

saint’s team radio (again) 🎀: hope you all enjoyed! again, this is like a crack fic lol. there’s so many stories that’ll be released soon i’m excited 🥹 okay bye!

#saint writes #lewis hamilton x black reader #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton fanfics #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton fanfic #lewis hamilton fic #f1 x black!reader #f1 imagines #f1 x you #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #SoundCloud

[sparrowlucero]

Even if a creator is a bad person it's still okay to like their work. People need to mind their own business.

Honestly it's not really that sort of situation. I'll actively defend Steven Moffat here.

There was a huge hate movement for him back in the early 2010s - which, in retrospect, formed largely because he was running 2 of the superwholock shows at once, one of which went through extremely long hiatuses* and the other of which was functionally an adaptation of an already well regarded show**, making him subject to a sort of double ire in the eyes of a lot of fandom people. Notably, his co-showrunner, Mark Gatiss, is rarely mentioned and much of his work is still attributed to Moffat (and yes, this includes that Hbomberguy video. Several of "Steven Moffat's bad writing choices" were not actually written by him, they were Gatiss.)

People caricatured the dude into a sort of malicious, arrogant figure who hated women and was deliberately mismanaging these shows to spite fans, to the point where people who never watched them believe this via cultural osmosis. It became very common to take quotes from him out of context to make them look bad***, to cite him as an example of a showrunner who hated his fans, someone who sabotaged his own work just to get at said fans, someone who was too arrogant to take criticism, despite all of this being basically a collective "headcanon" formed on tumblr. Some if it got especially terrible, like lying about sexual assault (I don't mean people accused him of sexual assault and I think they're making it up, I mean people would say things like "many of his actresses have accused him of sexual assault on set" when no such accusations exist in the first place. This gets passed around en masse and is, in my opinion, absolutely rancid.)

On top of that a ton of the criticism directed at the shows themselves is, personally, just terrible media criticism. So much of it came from assuming a very hostile intent from the writer and just refusing to engage with the text at all past that.

Like some really common threads you see with critique of this writer's work, especially in regards to Doctor Who since that's the one I'm most familiar with:

A general belief that his lead characters were meant to be ever perfect self inserts, and so therefore when they act shitty or arrogant or flawed in any way, that's both reflective of the author and meant to be viewed as positive or aspirational.

An overarching thesis that his characters are "too important" in the narrative due to the writer's arrogance and self obsession

A lot of focus on the writer personally "attacking" the fans or making choices primarily out of spite.

A tendency to treat the show being different to what it's adapting as inherently bad and hostile towards the original

Just generally very little consideration of the themes, intent, etc.

This one's a little more nebulous and doesn't apply to all critique but a lot of it, especially recently, is clearly by people who haven't seen the show in like 10 years and their opinion is largely formed secondhand through like, "discourse nostalgia". Which. you know. bad.

I think these are just weird and nonsensical ways to engage with a work of fiction. I also think it's really sad to see the show boiled down to this because that era of who is, in my opinion, very thematically rich and unique among similar shows, and I hate that it's often dismissed in such a paltry way.

This isn't to say people aren't allowed to critique Steven Moffat or anything, but the context in which he basically became The Devil™ to a large portion of fandom and is still remembered in a poor light is very tied to this perfect storm of fan culture and I just don't agree with a ton of it.

* I'm sure most people have seen the way long running shows and hiatuses will cause people to fall out with a show, with some former fans turning around and joining a sort of "anti fandom" for it while it's still airing. That happened with both these shows. ** Doctor Who will change it's entire writing staff, crew, and cast every few years, and with that comes a change in style, tone, theme - the old show basically ends and is replaced by a new show under the same title. As Steven Moffat's era was the first of these handovers for the majority of audiences, you can imagine this wasn't a well loved move for many fans. *** I know for a fact most people have not sought out the sources for a lot of these quotes to check that they read the same in context because 1) most of them were deleted years ago and are very difficult to find now and 2) many of them do actually make sense in the context of their respective interviews

#and yeah i think the hbomberguy video is kind of bad #I can pull up examples but a lot of what he's saying is very rooted in this sort of critique #maybe most egregiously he sometimes just explains something very poorly or outright incorrectly to make it seem worse or more nonsensical #ex. saying a scene in doctor who 'steals a huge chunk of the plot' when it's less than 30 seconds long #saying two characters randomly start hanging out again while not mentioning the episode entirely dedicated to this #or the way her decision to keep hanging out with him is the emotional turning point of the entire season #etc etc etc.

[briarmoon1015]

I think I’ve already confessed that I’m not a big birdflash fan, but there is something I really gotta point out because it’s bothering me.

I see a lot of people use specific comic panels to try and show how close these two characters are, but completely miss the whole point of the comic itself.

For example, I’ve seen a lot of people use panels from The Flash 1987 210, in which Wally reflects on his relationship with dick.

The problem with this is they are literally cutting out the next part of the page that explains that they have drifted apart

Wally is extremely different from dick, and once he takes up the flash mantle, it becomes clear that these two characters are on different paths. Wally wants to uphold the legacy of the flash, dick desperately wants to escape the legacy of Batman. Wally has a wife, three children, and a stable job. Dicks life changes at a moments notice, one minute he’s broke, one minute he’s rich, sometimes he has a job as a police officer, sometimes he’s dating one of his many red headed girlfriends, he’s the opposite of stable.

And that’s not to say the different characters can’t be friends or be together, but as this same comic shows, these two often struggle to understand one another once adults

Wally, after zoom caused his wife Linda to have a miscarriage, went to Hal as the spectre for help, which no one liked, including Dick. He is somewhat miffed Wally didn’t come to him, be he also sides with Bruce about how reckless and stupid the action was

He definitely empathizes with Wally’s situation, but he’s not really there to give support. Later on, dick does start to get the point, and the two take down gorilla grod. Dick apologies for his actions and both agree to stay in touch more. Obviously every good friendship is going to have some moments of tension and disagreement, but I think this really shows why Wally and Dick fell apart as adults.

And this really is the crux of why I’m personally not a big fan or birdflash. These two characters are inherently different and it’s so rare for me to see any birdflash content that acknowledges this. They can be together in a way that acknowledges and builds off of this, but it really hasn’t been done.

More importantly, I’ve noticed that to make burdflash work, a lot of fans completely erase Wally’s character to ignore these differences. His own goals, his own backstory, his own relationships, are just gone so he can be with dick. There is never any acknowledgment of the canon of Wally’s own motivations, such as living up to the flash mantle, or any mention of his connections to characters outside of Dick.

Even more so, I think erasing the presence of his wife and kids from his life so he can be with dick is really hard on the character. Linda is so essential in Wally’s life. She is the character in which speedsters learn the importance of having a lightning rod. She is the one to often push Wally to keep going. His kids redefined his life. He literally broke the source wall in order to keep them in his life. These are essential relationships that are just erased from Wally’s life.

As someone who truly prefers Wally over Dick, it hurts to see a potentially good pairing erase the good aspects of Wally like this. There is plenty of erasure done to other dc characters because of how popular the Bats are, and this ship, at least to me, is one of the worst examples. These characters are different, and often times it makes it hard for them to understand each other. Ignoring that issue doesn’t make the ship good in my eyes.

Anyways, I really don’t want to poop on birdflash as a whole. It is by no means a bad ship, I personally just don’t really like it. It has a lot of qualities that bother me. Despite all of this though, I do love seeing people’s art of it and I actually do think it can work a bit better when they are young and apart of the teen titans. I also know as a halbarry shipper I’m throwing rocks in a glass house lmao. But please ship what you like, I really don’t care, I just needed to shout into the void about my feelings around it :)

#the flash #wally west #nightwing #Robin #dick grayson #birdflash #dc comics

[hopecomesbacktolife]

recently read the time magazine special edition “Star Trek: inside the most influential science fiction series ever” a good portion of it is stuff a lot of fans probably already know, but there was some info in there that was still new to me, and lots of gorgeous photos that were amazing to see in print, too, so still definitely an enjoyable read! (apart from a couple instances of weirdly superiority, bro-esque writing, but that only occurred in one of the articles, thankfully)

one thing I really enjoyed about the visual aspect of the magazine though was some of the costuming visuals! For example, these crisp shots show not only the tailoring and seams but literally the construction and stitching on the TMP era uniforms 😍😍 (check out the stitching on the sleeve ranks in particular!!!)

next up, some extremely cool science things I didn’t know about and love that they exist:

this shot is excellent both for De fans (me) and also for seamstresses and costumers (also me!) because of that excellent, and rare, shot of the back of a TOS women’s uniform with seams and construction visible… positively a seamstress dream!! such a good garment structuring reference 👏🏻

also, an up close on one of Quark’s outfits that shows definitively that this outerwear jacket is, in fact, rainbowy tweed!!, a fashion statement I vote we bring back:

(it reminds me of this couch and blanket from my childhood, it was extremely 1970s and I loved it)

this little Kirk & Spock character comparison panel appeared next to an excerpt of Shatner’s writing, and to me it would fit in perfectly with those “who’s dating who” activity panels etc in magazines like seventeen, which, excellent execution, that’s such a good vibe to have considering The Premise 👏🏻

speaking of— I wish they’d mentioned slash fic, The Premise, early fanfic mail chains etc waaay more than they did (and for that matter, highlight way more just how important and vital the women Trekkies were!) but hey, at least they mentioned Spirk shippers, along with other parts of the magazine mentioning queer and nonbinary+trans rep in trek. could’ve/should’ve been more, but—

anyways! It’s still a fun magazine to read through and has lots of fun images even if you’re already familiar with the stories. (did you know there used to be an Enterprise shaped landline phone you could buy? I didn’t, and now I very much want one lol) it also highly benefits from having article writers of multiple genders, so there’s that, too. 🖖🏻

#star trek #time magazine #cool things! #book quotes #sorta #special time edition #honorary tag of #spirk #as well #for the gossip column vibes of that one part that I absolutely love hehe #deck that one out in glitter and sequin hearts and it would make an excellent bookmark for reading killing time 1st edition with hehe ♡ #art #<< tag for cosplay reference

[prince-kallisto]

Crowley’s Magical Aura in NRC

I’ve been rewatching Book 7 to refresh myself for theories, and something most intriguing caught my eye. When Meleanor is killed by the Knight of Dawn, Lilia and Baul automatically realize she’s dead because her magical power has disappeared. In this scene, they are all the way at Maleficia’s Black Scale Castle.

Now, I don’t have a good map of there distance between Wild Rose and Black Scale Castle, but that is a generous distance for magic power, isn’t it? Silver has to climb up an entire mountain, and yet Lilia and Baul could sense Meleanor’s magic from all the way from there (likely to due her storm). Perhaps sensing this magic is unique to Fae, or just powerful mages in general, but… then it made me think of Crowley.

Throughout the entire main game, there is very little mention of Crowley’s magical ability. Only small hints in the manga are shown, like him summoning a barrier to protect the students during Riddle’s Overblot. It’s only recently from Crowley’s SSR card and the Magic Assault Practice Event that we find out that he’s very, very powerful- and hasn’t shown a mere fraction of his ability yet. But again, no one comments on his magical aura/power.

In Crowley’s vignette, he gets mocked by some students saying that they’ve never seen him use magic and think him to be weak- someone they don’t have to be scared of. But Crowley’s Whip of Love binds all three of them, and their magic is useless against his whip. And to Crowley, this level of magic is “easier than breathing” (similar to a comment Malleus says). But yet again, his magic has never been commented on before- not even by the Lilia or Malleus who are fellow Fae (if sensing a Fae’s magical aura is only exclusive to Fae). Credit to Otome Ayui for translations 💖🐦‍⬛

But…then I started thinking: What if that isn’t the case at all? What if Crowley’s magical aura is SO powerful, that it covers the entirety of NRC?

In the Terror is Trending Halloween event, Lilia and the ghosts explain that seeing ghosts in Twisted Wonderland is extremely rare because they can only be seen by others in very specific conditions. It’s to the point that Lilia describes their forms being very unstable in the corporeal realm. However, NRC is one of the very few places IN THE WORLD where ghosts have completely stable forms. Why, it’s to the point that a majority of the school staff are ghosts, like the kitchen staff!

But it is then explained that NRC is “magically suffused,” the land practically bathed in magic. I was so curious about the choice for the word “suffuse” that I got out the dictionaries and even checked two fan translations! 🤣 But “suffuse” implies the magic is spread out/over the land, and Ekala translated it to being unusually high concentrations of magic. It’s even better that it’s Lilia of all characters saying this, as I feel he’d have a better knowledge of these things.

So…I am beginning to think that like Meleanor, Crowley’s magical power can be detected from far away. But his magic and NRC’s magic has become practically indistinguishable. He has essentially “suffused” everything inside NRC with magic, to the point that ghosts are perfectly stable, which means Crowley could hire ghosts all he wants. In the manga, Crowley even has the ability to call/summon the ghosts. And if HIS magic is what’s helping them stay in the corporeal realm at NRC, it makes so much sense if he can “summon” them because they’re already relying on his magic!

This is from an older theory of mine, and I am aware that at the time (and probably still is LMAO) it was considered a crack theory/joke. But I’m still holding on to the concept that the coffins/gates in NRC are floating because of Crowley’s magic, where also in the Halloween event it was mentioned that only the entirety of the Diasomnia dorm could keep their Halloween decorations floating because of their strong magical power. I’m also beginning to think that the portraits and even sketches of people can move/talk because of the sheer magical power in NRC, but that’s something to elaborate on later.

I’d additionally like to tie in Ray and I’s “Piece of my World” theory, where we think Crowley has Realm Dominance-related magic, a type of ancient magic we’ve only seen extremely powerful Fae like Malleus has. To me, it’s extremely relevant that each dorm is set in its own unique pocket dimensions, which is something we’ve never seen or even been mentioned outside of NRC before. Check that theory out for more elaboration! ^_^

But isn’t this a strange string of coincidences? That there’s all these mysterious occurrences at NRC that everyone takes for granted but can’t explain why these things are the way they are? What if no one has been able to detect Crowley’s magic because…the students are *living* in it 24/7? If Crowley has really created the pocket dimensions for the dorms, that even strengthens this idea! How can you distinguish his magic when it’s all around you, to the point that the very land is steeped in magic?

It could be that the entirety of Sage’s Island is one of those special lands that imbued with magic, like we see in Briar Land in Book 7. But we don’t see any ghosts outside of NRC (like in the Port Fest events) which makes me doubt this. I doubt that ghosts are prominent in RSA as well- but that’s not confirmed. The only other ghosts we’ve seen outside the school is in the Dwarf’s Mine, where there are magestones and nature faires- which implies the land has good magic for the ghosts to be visible from. Translation credits to GasMask 💖🐦‍⬛

Anyway, I digress. I have *a lot* I want to say about the NRC barrier specifically , but I thought of this when working on that theory which is coming soon (´∀｀*) I still feel concerned about the possibility of something happening to Crowley, because I feel any damage done to him would affect the entirety of NRC itself,,,

#twst theory #twisted wonderland #twst #dire crowley #twst dire crowley #kallistopost #twst crowley

[angrytomatto]

Summary of random facts about Merman because I'm bore (probably will update with time)

We talk about this in a discord server and I just want to leave it here in case I forget

(Every fact here is based of what has been said in game, fan theories aren't canonically facts in this list) Last update: December 2023

(This list probably contain spoilers)

Not only they learn how to walk with legs, but also how to swim in human form (Stitch Event)

It takes them time get used to breathe air properly, walking their first steps feel heavy and painful and some of them still feel uncomfortable in clothes (Floyd's Beans Camo story / Jade's School Uniform voice lines)

The black carriage that picks them up to go to NRC is an amphibious magic coach (Floyd's Ceremonial Robes voice line)

Merfolks and Humans are aware of each other but is extremely rare to encounter an actual merman on land (Magicam Monsters event)

They aren't afraid of each other anymore, since Ariel married Erik merfolks commonly come and go from land to sea(Some adults even own some stores on the shores) (Floyd's Beach Wear story)

The institution or land boot camp that train merfolks to became humans was founded canonically by Ariel. They need at least one month there to get used to their new body and how to eat our food correctly. Deep under water they only eat raw meat (Floyd's Beans Camo story / Jade's School Uniform story)

In there also teach them about the fauna on land by taking them to the zoo (Floyd Platinum Jacket story)

Merfolks also have passports once they live in human society (Floyd Platinum Jacket story)

They can turn into their true form willingly (Book 3 / Book 4 / Azul's Ceremonial Robes story / Vargas Camp event / Magicam Monsters event)

However they drink potions to keep their human form. Those are really expensive and if they forget to drink it in time they turn back into merman really slowly (Book 6 Riddle and Azul's tower)

The potion itself is paid by the school and currently they drink an experimental version that allows them to keep their human form for a week or two instead of a couple of days. And it taste awful (Book 6 Riddle and Azul's tower)

None of them have good eyesight: Azul mainly use only one par of glasses because it helps with the ''Business Style'' he's aiming for, and even if he can see pretty well without them the lenses are prescript just as his lab glasses (Trey's Halloween Dress story / Azul's Lab Coat voice lines) Jade roam around the school at night because he feel at ease in the dark (Ruggie's School Uniform story) Floyd is always amused of bright colored things because they looked really dark under the sea (Floyd's lab coat story)

Their skin in human form is really smooth. That's because they are cover by slime in their true form that keep their skin moist and soft (Azul's Ceremonial Robes story)

Octopuses are a pretty exotic race even between merfolks, they are way bigger that the common merman. They are slow, so they are usually targeted by predators but they also are brutally strong and are able to manipulate all their limbs freely (Book 3 / Book 4 / Book 6 / Happy Beans event / Vargas Camp / Azul's Beach Wear voice lines)

Halloween under water have very ominous and respectful traditions, way opposite that Halloween on land. There's haunted ships with ghost that lost their lives drowned, so they play music to calm their sorrows and loneliness. There's many pirate ghosts wandering on rotten ships that could actually harm young merfolks if they are not careful enough (Jade's Halloween Dress story / Floyd's Halloween Dress story)

The Coral Sea is a really small community and merfolks don't hesitate to eat each other in order to survive (Many hints said by the octatrio to mention here. And yes, Floyd WILL eat any student if he have to (Azul's Beach Wear voice lines))

They live under a Monarchy and the current prince is called Rielle. Is implied that the prince assist in the same elementary school that Azul, Jade and Floyd (Book 3) **( The 14 one doesn't mention all the times the tweels bully Azul by calling him slow because I will lost count) ______________ That's it for now, I will add more eventually but this ones are the ones I can remember now, feel free to tell me what did I miss~

#disney twisted wonderland #twst meme #twst facts #azul ashengrotto #floyd leech #jade leech #twistedverse

[zukadiary]

Regardless of your personal favorites, who would you say were some of the most impactful otokoyaku in takarazuka's history? for example, I'd say I'm a fairly new fan, but i hear a lot about miki maya, yuki amami, yoka wao even nowadays. Maybe as a long time fan, you can give us some insight on who you think were some of the most significant otokoyaky? Thank you

Sure! This is like, me judging on vibes/stories basically... others may feel differently!

The first generation of top otokoyaku: Anna Jun (Flower), Haruna Yuri (Moon), Migiwa Natsuko (Snow), and Ootori Ran (Star). These were the prime participants in the "Berubara Boom," skyrocketing Takarazuka's mainstream popularity, and leading to the establishment of an official top star system.

Ooura Mizuki, considered one of the best dancers in Takarazuka history, went on to become an internationally renowned tango dancer. It's impossible to attribute this definitively to one person, but I also think she started a steady incline in the difficulty of Takarazuka choreography over the years.

Amami Yuuki, who you mentioned, was famed for her natural acting style, unusual for the stage at the time. She became the youngest top star ever largely due to her popularity, and the fear that she would be offered better opportunities on and off stage outside of Takarazuka. She has also had a successful career in movies and dramas, and is probably the biggest household name amongst OGs.

In my admittedly biased opinion, I think Mori Keaki and Ichiro Maki set the standard for top stars and nihonmono

Maya Miki was noted for actively studying everyday men and somewhat revolutionizing otokoyaku style (think charmingly disheveled suit vs. the traditional buttoned up tailcoat look). She has also had a successful TV/movie career post-Takarazuka and is a household name in Japan.

Wao Youka is the longest running top otokoyaku, and had extremely notable chemistry with Hanafusa Mari (whose record of 8.5 years and 5 husbands will likely never be unseated)

Yuzuki Reon was 2 months shy of Wao's record, similarly had notable chemistry with Yumesaki Nene, and was wildly popular. She and Maya Miki are the only two otokoyaku to perform in Nippon Budokan, which is 7x the typical Takarazuka venue seating capacity.

I also have to mention Nanami Hiroki for a different reason. While those above were IMO very influential otokoyaku in Takarazuka, Nanami Hiroki's graduation marked a notable turning point in the opportunities available in the entertainment industry to OGs who didn't make top. Prior to her graduation, it was fairly rare even for a top musumeyaku to get regular leading roles post-Takarazuka, never mind actresses who were not top stars. Nowadays we see a lot more of this. Miya Rurika has gone on record in print saying the breadth and success of Kai's OG activities have hugely influenced her and paved the way to "be herself" in her career, and we've seen a large number of 2 and 3-ranked former otokoyaku follow similar steps since.

#takarazuka #q&a

[ddarker-dreams]

The way id eat my own thumbs to know what the bucci gang would do if sr reader mentioned off hand that she wanted a boyfriend. Just hanging out with them on a balcony and she just offhandedly sighs “I wish that could be me!” when she sees a girlfriend giggling with her boyfriend outside I just think itd be silly

Note: better get the salt and pepper out because i loved this idea so much i had to write it . it'd be criminal not to. godspeed to your thumbs.

[Scarlet Ribbons Index]

Giorno

“I hadn’t realized you were interested in romantic relations, [First].” 

Smooth and practical — Giorno Giovanna never wastes an opportunity. That's what he considers this to be, a rare opening into your psyche. He'll even take notice of what the boyfriend was doing the instant you decided to voice your thoughts. Gotta tuck that knowledge away for later. Most importantly, however, is your response to this inquiry. He won't follow up much at the time should you respond in the affirmative, but it'll make a solid foundation for his future plans. He's always a fan of asking open-ended questions to learn more about you. Observation can only prepare him for so much. Sometimes he has to roll up his sleeves and put himself out there more, if it means he could possibly win over your most sought-after heart.

Bruno

“... I’m sure there are many who’d be grateful to experience that with you.” 

Bruno tries to remain blasé so as not to betray his inner feelings. Emphasis on the word tries. Really, if you were any less oblivious, you could've picked up on the borderline yearning timbre in his voice. He finds it equally reassuring and troubling that you're actively hoping to be in a relationship, to the point of voicing the desire out loud. It feels like a chance that, if he doesn't act swiftly enough, will pass him by. Bruno loves the others on his team dearly, but he knows how feral they'd start getting should they have been the ones you told this. You stress him out so much without even realizing it. At the end of the day, how can he be upset by this, when the mere thought of having you be his and him yours gets him through the most strenuous circumstances? You are his guiding light.

Fugo

“You want that? Don’t you see how he’s slobbering over her? Gross. A little self-respect goes a long way.” 

No, he isn’t bitter, what are you talking about, psssh. Fugo always expresses his disgust over public displays of affection, finding it to be in poor taste. Some serious self-reflection would reveal he's beyond envious. It just... looks nice... so fun and carefree... then there's him. A guy who has been chasing after you for years by this point without ever having the courage to make a serious move, lest he risks ruining everything. He keeps trying to confess through telepathy, meanwhile, you think he must be annoyed since, from your perspective, it looks like he's glaring at you. Poor guy. The extremely subtle hints he drops and telepathy haven't gotten him far. Still, staring at your wistful expression when you confess this fills him with hope. This could be the push he needs to say what he's been wanting to say for so long.

Mista

“Well, have I got some good news for you.” 

Mista is his own worst enemy. He wants to come across as casual enough to not pressure you into anything and make the atmosphere awkward, but by doing so, you have a difficult time taking him seriously. This genuine statement from Mista ends up coming across as another one of his jokes. You just kinda give him a light punch on the shoulder and laugh. Meanwhile, he's crying on the inside from yet another instance of you not picking up on his flirtations. What does a man have to do? Get down on one knee and propose while reciting a monologue? Now that he thinks about it, you'd still likely view it as a jest if he were the one to do it... alas. Being the funny person in the friend group has its pros and cons. Regardless of his mixed success in the moment, he'd still find comfort knowing you're interested in a relationship too.

Narancia

“What? You want to be a pigeon? Wait, that’s not what you're pointing at. Ohhhhh.” 

A heart-pounding moment! Okay, okay, he needs to get himself to calm down. These hand-delivered moments by the universe are best approached with a steady mind, using logic and reason to deduce the next optimal step— who is he kidding! You want a boyfriend! He can be a boyfriend! So, by following this train of thought, you could potentially want him as a boyfriend. He'd later go on to reveal this revelation to Fugo who appears nowhere near as enthusiastic about the prospect as Narancia is. It doesn't matter. A fire has been lit beneath Narancia's feet and he's ready to get moving. He intends to boost his appeal and lure you in using the art of subtly. When he's talking to another and you enter the room, he'll switch the subject and then loudly discuss how single he is. Super single. Not in a romantic relationship whatsoever. Nope, nada. His eyes keep flicking to you to see if you've gotten the message. He tells himself in his heart that you did.

Abbacchio

“I’m sorry to hear that.” 

Abbacchio is ready to shame you for envying such an obnoxious, unnecessary display being flaunted in public. Unlike Fugo, Abbacchio holds a genuine resentment toward this sort of stuff and wishes people would get a room. He'd ask why you'd be interested in anything like that. From what he's seen over the years, it's relationships that people loudly flaunt that fizzle out the fastest. You're more amazed that Abbacchio of all people is entertaining an in-depth conversation about relationships to feel like he rained on your parade. He isn't nearly as selfish as he thinks himself to be. He tells you all this not just for his own benefit, but so that in the event you end up with someone else, you'll give these matters some serious thought. He won't ever admit that to himself, however. Deep down in his soul, he wishes for your happiness above all else. He writes this off by telling himself he just wanted to complain about something he's always had a pet peeve about.

#giorno x reader #bruno x reader #fugo x reader #mista x reader #narancia x reader #abbacchio x reader #giorno giovanna x reader #bruno bucciarati x reader #pannacotta fugo x reader #guido mista x reader #narancia ghirgha x reader #leone abbacchio x reader #jjba x reader #vento aureo x reader #jojo's bizarre adventure x reader #scarlet ribbons #answered #Anonymous

[cannellee]

TOKYO REVENGERS OMEGAVERSE ★

୨୧ alpha! kokonoi x omega!gacha game addict

— his reaction to his omega being a huge fan of gacha games.

my masterlist : ☆

I lost the initial ask which didn't let me edit my draft, I had to erase it to start it over. luckily I didn't write that much so it wasn't a big loss!

btw sorry for the extremely looong pause😭 I just was too lazy to pick up any of my work and with holidays + christmas I was even more unmotivated to do anything😭😭

kokonoi doesn't necessarily dislike you spending that much time (and money) on gacha games, but he also doesn't particularly like it.

of course when he learns you're a huge fan he comes along with you, trying his best to understand what's the appeal and what got you so addicted.

still, he's unsure and sceptical. he might probably ruin your entire mood by mentioning how much of a waste of time they are.

but that's just at first!

despite his initial disinterest, kokonoi starts to warm up to the whole concept upon seeing his omega so thrilled by the games. he observes your features and actions every time you successfully win an item, and thinks that your enthusiasm is adorable.

of course, kokonoi being an alpha, he becomes very cautious and alert towards both you and your environment, especially if it seems potentially unsafe.

he's watching you and making sure people keep their distance while you do your thing. he would always make sure you feel comfortable and secure during your game session. he sees just how much joy it brings you and kokonoi doesn't want anything disturbing the strange satisfaction you get out of playing those.

while protective, he still respects your independence and won't act overbearing nor overly restrictive.

his soothing presence is very beneficial, whenever you get frustrated at your game, he offers you great support and a calming presence. you're very thankful for that.

he'll try playing too, just because you asked! he might act a bit annoyed but trust me he's really amused by you and often even challenges you. he suggests bets, making the both of you compete between each other. kokonoi loves how excited you are to prove him wrong and that no, he won't pull the rare characters before you and that your experience in the field surpasses his so called "alpha luck".

he also loves to tease you and whenever you pull a male character, he'll act like it's the end of the world that you give him more attention than to your oh so perfect and loving alpha.

he'll call you his lucky charm each time he wins because he loves the blush it provokes on your cheeks. he jokingly pinches them and kisses your nose. his omega is the cutest!

more than anything, kokonoi is extremely thoughtful. he wants to surprise you and make his little omega smile. he often gifts you gifts related to your favourite gacha games, spending as much money as necessary to get you this rare in-game item you've been wanting.

kokonoi might also use his wealth to literally create a whole space dedicated to you and your interests. this way, having exclusive gaming places ensures him that you're at all time in a comfortable environment, while literally owning the place and erasing every limit you might have in a normal arcade.

you might even have a room of your own where you can rest and nest, right beside your favourite games! it would be all warm and cozy, specifically designed to your liking. kokonoi isn't keen on letting you sleep here rather than at his place, but he's reassured to know that at least you're somewhere made by him and safe enough.

now if kokonoi's part of bonten, he could make use of his incredible position to influence the gaming community and offer his sweet omega unique opportunities of her choice! you'll have access to exlusive previews and beta tests, private events and rare gifts!

he absolutely adores seeing you going crazy over gacha games that he doesn't even hesitate using his status to make you happy. his omega deserves the best! you can also expect him to collaborate with or finance game developers to create a content you'll 100% love because it's solely based on your very own interests and omega needs.

for example, he would personalize these machines, filling them with plushies you absolutely love, about your favourite characters (which were also previously scented by him), extremely rare figurines created especially for you, other cute decorations... you're basically living the dream and kokonoi isn't subtle about his adoration for you.

he'll spoil you to no end and he's shameless about it. you're his omega, his money is yours and he'll spend it without a care in the world for you. he's happy enough by just scenting you and smelling you let out your satisfied and soft pheromones!

#a/b/o tokyo revengers #alpha tokyo revengers #cannelle★ #hybrid tokyo revengers #omegaverse tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers a/b/o #tokyo revengers headcanons #tokyo revengers hybrid #tokyo revengers omegaverse #tokyo revengers x reader #alpha kokonoi #kokonoi x reader #tokyo revengers kokonoi #kokonoi hajime #alpha!kokonoi #anime omegaverse #omegaverse tokyo revengers headcanons #omegaverse anine #tokyo revengers omegaverse headcanons #tokyo revengers omegaverse imagines #tr omegaverse #tokyo revengers headcanon #omega!reader #omega tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers imagines #tokyorev x reader #tokyo rev x reader #tokyo revengers harem #yandere tokyo revengers #tr kokonoi

[queenshelby]

Yes! Mr Murphy (Rewritten)

PART 48: NEW YORK

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Lots of Angst, Age Gap, Teacher x Student, Extreme Smut

PLEASE COMMENT AND ENGAGE!

Meanwhile, in New York, Cillian attended yet another premiere and, by the time his stylist Maria had finished primping him for the red carpet, he felt drained and exhausted. Just minutes earlier, he had been on the phone with you, chatting, while Maria went through several outfits to choose from and, shortly after you hung up on him, his stylist finally found the perfect shirt to match his suit.

"I think this is it," Maria declared victoriously, holding up a black button-up that shimmered like a spotlight on stage.

"It's see-through. There is no way I am wearing this," Cillian groaned, staring down at the transparent top in Maria's hands.

"Trust me, it will look fabulous," Maria assured him confidently, adjusting the collar for effect. "The lighting will give it an illusion of translucency," she explained, brushing aside his protests and, despite his misgivings, he decided to roll with it.

"I guess we shall see," Cillian conceded with a resigned sigh, accepting Maria's choice reluctantly.

"Great. Now let's take off the neck chain and watch, shall we?" Maria instructed, reaching for Cillian's wrist and whilst he allowed her to remove the black leather strap watch, he insisted that the neck chain would stay on.

"It is a gift from Y/N and I am not meant to be taking it off," Cillian explained, gesturing towards the delicate golden necklace that rested delicately upon his collarbone, holding a Milagros chain. 

"Y/N?" Maria repeated, confusion clouding her expression momentarily, before remembering that Cillian had mentioned his significant other before. 

"I see she is from South America then?" Maria asked casually, pausing mid-stride to inspect the delicate trinket adorning Cillian's neck. Intrigued, she leaned in closer, squinting slightly to decipher the intricate craftsmanship etched into the gold.

"Yes, and she is rather superstitious," Cillian confessed, twisting the necklace around his neck, revealing its secret.

"So, you two are pretty serious, huh?" Maria queried, admiration glittering in her eyes.

"Quite. We're expecting a little one soon," Cillian shared, pride swelling inside him at the mention of his unborn child.

"That's amazing," Maria gushed, clasping her hands together. "And what's also amazing is that this news has not made the tabloids yet," she added playfully before telling Cillian about her two grandchildren, who were two and four years old respectively. 

She recounted tales of bedtime rituals and diaper duty as Cillian smiled, imagining himself playing similar roles again soon.

"Well, I'll certainly keep that in mind," Cillian laughed. "Thank you for reminding me about the realities of parenthood," he joked, shaking his head ruefully while Maria applied some more foundation, causing Cillian to squint. 

"Alright, that should do it," Maria announced satisfied, stepping back to admire her handiwork.

"Ready for the red carpet?" she asked, dusting off her hands theatrically.

"Not really," Cillian chuckled jokingly before following Maria to the car waiting for them both. 

Despite his playful tone, he was deeply grateful for the warmth and kindness she showed him. In a world often devoid of genuine connections, it felt like a rare privilege to share such candid conversations without judgment or resentment.

As they arrived at the red carpet, cameras flashed relentlessly, capturing every detail of his impeccably tailored ensemble. Fans cheered enthusiastically, calling out his name as, even amidst the chaos, a sense of calm enveloped Cillian, grounded by the knowledge that his loved ones awaited him at home.

Cillian took a deep breath, mustering up the fortitude to address the frenzied reporters awaiting him. The flashing bulbs blazed incessantly, their intensity intensifying as the crowd roared with anticipatory excitement.

He had learned long ago not to underestimate the fickleness of public opinion; the highs and lows of fame were an ever-present reality in his life, which was one he slowly grew accustomed to.

After several interviews, he found himself standing in line for a photo booth with Maria, where a photographer captured shots of him posing alongside various guests. The flashes dazzled him, obscuring the faces of those around him.

"Who's next?" the photographer called out, peering at the sea of other celebrities and members of the film board eagerly awaiting their chance to snap a picture with Cillian. "You ready, Mr. Murphy?" he addressed Cillian directly, gesturing towards the empty space adjacent to him.

"Let's do this," Cillian replied confidently, extending his hand outstretched towards Maria.

With her assistance, he stepped into the designated area, feeling the glare of the flashbulbs bore into his skin. Despite the familiarity with the process, each encounter carried a unique weight, the gravity of which he continued to grapple with.

He exchanged pleasantries with the individuals alongside him, engaging in brief chitchat while maintaining a composed facade before he was being moved on to the area where fans awaited to get their autographs. 

Security accompanied Cillian as he navigated through the throng. The clamour of voices reached fever pitch, punctuated by enthusiastic cries and shouts for his attention. With practiced grace, he signed posters and posed for photos, ensuring that everyone left happy.

Fans congratulated him on the movie and some mentioned his earlier roles, recalling scenes fondly or requesting obscure trivia.

Their enthusiasm warmed Cillian's heart, making him realize what a truly blessed life he led.

"Thanks for coming out tonight," he told them sincerely, signing autographs and taking selfies with the fans.

"We are huge fans," an enthusiastic voice piped up from the crowd. "Your performances have inspired us," another chimed in passionately.

"Thank you," Cillian replied humbly, his gaze scanning the faces of those gathered around him. Their expressions were animated, reflecting the energy of the event.

But then, there was one woman who truly stood out among the crowd - a woman who was in her mid-fifties and who was accompanied by a young man. 

"Cillian, Cillian!" she cried out, her voice echoing through the crowd, trying to get his attention.

Her eyes were locked on him, shining brightly, filled with hope and excitement. "Cillian... Cillian," she uttered repeatedly, growing louder with each call while holding up a somewhat worn gossip magazine cut out, featuring a photograph of you by his side. 

He paused briefly, scanning the faces around him before locking eyes with the woman.

"Would you like me to sign this?" Cillian spoke politely, acknowledging her persistence but, much to his surprise, the woman shook her head and spoke.

"Is she here?" the woman asked with broken accent, pointing at the magazine photo. 

"No, Y/N is not here today," he responded gently, meeting the woman's pleading gaze with much confusion and, just as he spoke the words, he could tell that she was visibly deflated, disappointment etching lines onto her face.

"Mum, it's okay," the young man by her side said as her eyes filled up with tears and Cillian looked at her with more confusion than ever.  

"No, it isn't alright," the woman replied, her voice cracking with emotion. "I've waited so long," she whimpered, her voice trailing off into silence while security tried to hurry Cillian along.

"Waited for what?" he just managed to ask, the question escaping his lips before he could stop himself. He was clearly puzzled. 

"I've waited for her," the woman answered simply, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. "Please, just talk to her. Tell her I'm looking for her for all these years," she implored earnestly, clutching the magazine article tightly in her hands as security insisted for Cillian to move on.

"Hang on a minute," Cillian told the security guard just as the young man handed Cillian an old photograph of a family of four, on the back of which was a name, phone number and address. 

When he looked at the photograph, his chin dropped. He had seen this before, amongst your belongings, tucked away carefully in your drawer.

"Who are you?" Cillian asked, examining the photograph closely.

"My name is Isabella," the woman introduced herself, her voice trembling softly. "I'm Y/N's mother," she revealed with a quivering voice, a confession that seemed surreal to Cillian but, before he had the chance to digest this news, he was being pulled away by security. 

"Wait, hold on," Cillian protested, thrusting the magazine cut out back into Isabella's hands, signaling to the security guards to stand down.

"Can I keep the photograph?" he asked, eyeing the picture of you and your family with a hint of curiosity.

"Yes," Isabella agreed readily. "Please give it to her," she requested, causing Cillian to nod. 

He pocketed the photograph, feeling a strange mixture of apprehension and intrigue swirling within him. "I'll make sure she gets it," he promised, his voice firm, his resolve unwavering before, finally, he was being hushed away, leaving your mother behind. 

Meanwhile in Dublin, you had left Cillian's apartment and went to stay at your old unit downtown in order to avoid Max and, whilst you knew that you had to address his behavior with Cillian, you did not want to bother him while he was away.

You knew that, the last thing he needed was more stress and worry, seeing that he well and truly hated these premieres and media engagements. 

He never enjoyed being surrounded by hundreds of people, the pressure of interviews, photo shoots, and fan interactions. All of that was exhausting to him, even though he was used to it. He didn't need any additional drama or tension after all that had happened with Kit either.

Unaware of the developments in New York, you tried to occupy yourself with packing up the last of your belongings and preparing for the journey to the new house. You found comfort in routine tasks - sweeping floors, vacuuming carpets, washing dishes - anything to distract yourself from the unsettling feelings bubbling beneath the surface.

But, just as you were carrying out these tasks, something felt strange. It was a crampy pain, akin to menstrual discomfort, only far more intense. 

It began to radiate from your lower abdomen, gradually spreading upwards, sending waves of nausea coursing through your veins.

You hadn't eaten anything all day, hoping to appease an unsettled stomach. Yet, despite your abstinence, the feeling persisted: a constant state of unease coupled with intermittent bouts of vomiting.

At first, you brushed it off as a typical bout of morning sickness. The kind that plagued many women during their pregnancy. But as you lay awake at night, clutching your belly in agony, you knew this was different.

Something wasn't right. It wasn't just the usual aches and pains you'd come to expect from your pregnancy. It was as if your body was screaming at you, begging you to pay attention.

Something was seriously wrong. And with Cillian away, you had no one to turn to except yourself.

Tags:

@sunbeamseas @saint-ackerman @oatmealisweird @naxxsstuff @amanda08319 @r-m-cidnah @elysiannook @cillshot @infireddabdab @tastycakee @harrysbestiee @lilybabe22 @adalynlowell @henrywintersdearestgirl @ietss @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @ryiamarie @axionn

@heidimoreton @nela-cutie @futurecorps3 @delishen @nosebleeds-247 @thirteenis-myluckynumber @gills-lounge @hjmalmed @lost-fantasy @tiredkitten @sidechrisporn @smallsoulunknown @charqing-qing @hopefulinlove @aporiasposts @shycrybaby @me-and-your-husband @hjmalmed @lacontroller1991 @galxydefender @aporiasposts

@galxydefender @hunnibearrr @saint-ackerman @lunyyx @gentlemonsterjennie1 @ihavealotoffandomssorry @nadloves @lost-fantasy @nolucesn@mcavoy-girl @hjmalmed @bloodybagels @obeyme4life @richiesgroupie @blushykiss @tatumrileyslover @teawithsatanx @orijanko @rhaenyra4ever @xcinnamonmalfoyx @budugu @nadloves @kmc1989 @bloodybagels @obeyme4life @richiesgroupie @forgottenpeakywriter

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy smut #cillian murphy x reader #cillian murphy imagine #cillian murphy x y/n #cillian murphy x you #cillian murphy fanfiction #cillian murphy fanfic #cillian murphy fic

[yurababy]

your touch, my lullaby; c.sc

synopsis all the members fall asleep when you come over for a movie night except seungcheol. four a.m. is quiet, dark and lit up with stars. the two of you confide in each other in the quiet.

notes reader x seventeen idolverse au, kinda like the movie thing mentioned in jeonghan’s, 3.8k, smut fluff angst ig, a lot of non-smut writing sorry, it’s for plot for jeonghan too, title from Ease by Troye Sivan, reference to To You by Seventeen, and Beautiful by Seventeen, make receiving oral, basically thigh riding, reader is referred to as “girl”, sex in a flashback. thank you for waiting

part of the don’t listen in secret series.

@zen003xx @seung-sungs @angelwonie @rubyreduji @vvsmydiamonds127 @shualicious @whyokoa @dreamhannies @313hwa @minnie-mouser22 @knucklesdeepmingi @lenireads @oolanderr @bestboysvt @misssugarlips @whereisgyu @kodzukein @i4kt @wonushuasworld  @aurumness @bibinnieposts @venusprada​ @ikissvernon  @listxn​ @starlight-nightz​ @svtrbi​ 

༺♡༻

seungcheol totally related to cher horowitz.

at the end of the day, she was just trying to help everyone around her. if paul rudd thought all she did was for personal gain, how was that her problem?

the movie was stupid anyways. it’s taking too long for them to get together, poor cher has gone through so much, and nobody cares. nobody is paying attention to cher and seungcheol hates it.

he isn’t even talking about the movie anymore. nobody in the room is paying attention to cher.

well, besides two.

it was extremely rare for everyone to fall asleep, but his members were out. their limbs layer upon one another’s, pillows and blankets covering the living room. you didn’t usually participate in seventeen activities like movie night, but seungkwan told everyone how you were the “number 1 clueless fan!” looping you into the arrangement for a night. so, there you sat on the couch, next to (but not close enough to) cheol.

as the movie progressed, the two of you were comfortabley quiet. you and cheol had been close friends since you met seventeen for the first time, going out for dinners together regularly, but you didn’t usually go any further than making out with him. messy kisses were fun with seungcheol, but honestly rare. you weren’t complaining, though; he engulfed you the same everytime you shared space, like a quilt on the 21st of december. even so, he was usually the one supposed to be recieving the hug, but the size difference just meant he couldn’t not take you into his arms, deep dimples acting as brackets for his cherry lips. 

“what’s the ending like?”

your eyes fell from the tv to seungcheol’s, that being the first invitation for a conversation since the members fell asleep.

(”even... even jihoon? and chan?” you whispered, trying to observe the delicate faces around you for signs of activity.

“jihoon has been working a shit ton later than usual, so i guess movie night was just an excuse for him to sleep. chan...” cheol ran a hand through his hair and your lips involuntarily parted. “he was trying to prove that he could pull all-nighters.”

the both of you softly giggled, soonyoung’s head suddenly flopping onto mingyu’s thigh and making seungcheol cover his mouth with his hands. effortlessly cute.

you reached for the remote, turning the volume down slightly. “at least you’re still awake. let’s keep watching, it’s ending soon!”)

you exhaled through your nose, corners of your mouth lifting as your eyes shifted back to the movie. “happy. you’ll see.”

“how could it possibly be happy? the guy is such a dick and tai is on thin ice. poor girl,” he had to stop himself from getting louder in the middle of his sentence. serenity never really suited him, but he tried to bring it out for the calmer you. it was too late in the night, or, sadly in the morning, for him to disturb his sleeping family. even with his aggressiveness, you could see the smile tugging on his lips and it got a grin out of you, too.

you gave him a soft punch on the shoulder, the distance between the two of you allowing for that much. “impatient,” you tutted. “look, they’re sitting next to each other. keep watching.”

“we’re sitting next to each other, that doesn’t mean anything’s gonna happen!”

you raised an eyebrow towards his direction, shaking your head and going back to the movie.

josh, not the one passed out on wonwoo’s lap, is in the middle of calling cher beautiful when you get an idea, smirk playing on your face. you sit up a bit, tugging on cheol’s shirt to get his attention. suddenly immersed in the film, lips in pout and eyebrows knitted together, he only gives you a hum in response, but you know he’s listening. it’s almost a skill he’s picked up from leading thirteen young boys— at first he was too shy to scream “shut up!” so he resorted to hearing them all out. at once.

you calculated the timing of your actions to the movie’s in your head before going for it. “punch my shoulder, cheol.”

his eyes that were trained on the screen squinted at yours when your words matched the movie’s, him doing a double-take at the kiss scene that he almost missed. the second he saw it, he decided he could care so much less, fist nudging your shoulder and pursed lips breaking into a smile. with that, you leaned in and planted a kiss to his mouth, seungcheol responding immediately with a hand on your neck. the exchange was cut short when you lightly pushed him back. (your eyes lingered on his closed ones for a little too long, deep exhales from his ruby lips just barely illuminated by the tv in the dark room. how he managed to look like he had the most blissful fuck after one kiss was beyond you.)

he didn’t chase after you, rather he nonchalantly leaned back against the arm of the couch. cheol didn’t play games, he was more black-and-white, or, “if you want it, come and get it.” he didn’t like being messed with, and maybe it was his experiences that shaped him like that.

you put a pillow under seungkwan’s head after watching it off of minghao’s shifted knee. glancing away from the mess of sleeping members, you found the eldest’s hand and entangled your fingers. “we can hang out in your room while they sleep.”

he giggled again, fucking giggled. as the two of you rose from the couch, shoulders pressed together (or, cheol making sure he’s as close to you as possible) as you trek past the rest of the boys. what he did appreciate was intimacy, warmth, and communication. he would never done any kind of friends-with-benefits arrangement if it wasn’t someone like you, someone he knew would still be his ride-or-die, someone he could break in front of when he had to stay strong for everyone including jeonghan, someone he could find physical comfort in emotionally rather than just pleasure from sex.

the two of you made it into his room, your fingers unraveling from the grip on seungcheol’s sleeve. (you didn’t remember when that happened, considering the short time it took to get to his room.)

“fairy lights,” that’s new, you thought out loud as he shut the door, him raising a brow as your eyes met. you realized as you said it— it came out a bit awed, to which he let out a light chuckle. warm twinkles surrounded the perimeter of his walls in a neat, continuous line. that definitely wasn’t there before.

what has always been there were the real stars, the glimmers against a night sky even at dawn. those were the sparkles in seungcheol’s eyes: when he looked at the members he had watched mature into who they are now, when he scans the faces of carats at every meeting, when he can make out diamonds and hearts from the shapes of the clouds. when he looked at you now in his quaint, illuminated shelter.

the appearance of a dimple brought you back to reality, the boy breaking into a shy grin. “sure. i think they’re cute, right? lamps are a bit annoying, small area coverage and all.” he paused for a moment, glancing around the room with his hands shoved into his hoodie pocket. you had begun looking at other antiques and additions to his room, observing pictures he hung around his desk.

you weren’t facing him, but he softly shook his head as if dismissing a thought and settled by your side. you were now peering over his desk, trying to recognize faces in film photos.

your eyes crinkled at a particular image of him and the hiphop team members. “so cute. polaroids, i mean. really kind of…” you searched your mind for synonyms that could seem more appropriate, but none suited the topic well enough.

“endearing,” you finished, biting your lip at the loveliness of the word. “fairy lights, too. very cute of my manly-man seungcheollie.”

he beamed at the tease and you couldn’t stop yourself from returning the expression. “i don’t get many chances to be cute. the members think i’m cute nowadays, but back then, i couldn’t be.” cheol’s head hung low, stopping himself from looking at the pictures. “i think it’s relaxing, having reminders of where we came from. small things like polaroids to keep the good memories... and string lights, because, why not?” 

he exhaled almost dramatically but kept the smile on his face. “i feel like i’m on cloud nine. it’s so hard, every second of my life, you know?” you nodded as he spoke. of course you knew, for him and for you. “but the minimalism is like what fucking meditation and tea is to myungho.”

you both let out humored exhales at that, cheol exclaiming ever-so-softly, i’m serious! “it keeps me stable. after a.. swirling day. i need something this peaceful. i usually hate that shit, the quiet. it’s still not my favorite, it’s just not that bad.”

seungcheol had been pressing his palms against his desk, having found interest in the wood. the polaroids were long forgotten, one of your hands reaching up to play with the ends of his hair as he spoke. you noticed the way his breath hitched between words, the handful of gulps he had taken in the duration of the vent.

so, as you confirmed he was finished for today, you tugged one of his arms to the side, slipping your body into the free space and captured his torso within your arms. 

he reacted as soon as the touch came, melting into the embrace as his arms similarly wrapped around your shoulders.

“cheol…”

he shushed your with a large hand pressed on your head, stroking your hair and making you whine. “my fault for spilling everything on my mind. no need to say anything, doll.”

“but- stop that!” seungcheol let out a low laugh at your protests to his fingers carding through your locks, teasing your skin. the corners of your lips lifted at the contact as you gave him a gentle push and settled atop his desk. “but, i want to. can’t i?”

“not today, baby.” you pouted a bit, but understood. it was late, cheol feared the topic would make him cry too easily, already being in a vulnerable state.

he took two steps forward, hands finding your waist and a smile on his face. it was a bit of a confusing expression— his dimples weren’t deep enough, his eyes were waning gibbous. it made you sigh, but you figured it would be best to not dote on the conversation. after all, he probably just remembered everything that he doesn’t have time to think about. he knows he has reassurance at any time, he just sought your presence as a non-member when it came to these kinds of things.

“don’t be so sad, it’ll make me sad. you know what’ll make the both of us happy?

seungcheol’s head was tilted, dangerously close to your forehead. you knew where this was going based on his lopsided attempt at a smile. 

you planted your palms onto his shoulders, slipping your fingers past the neck of his shirt to massage his skin. your lips twitched at cheol’s shudder that followed your movements. “i think i do, cheollie.” a pause for thought, you contemplating what’s appropriate to say in the blank. “it’s been a while.”

“i guess it has, hasn’t it?” a rhetorical question. you weren’t sure why it felt awkward.

maybe seungcheol was trying to distract from his emotions, didn’t want to overhear you with seungkwan in the kitchen asking has seungcheol seemed sad recently? maybe he thought he had let his burdensome self slip for a moment.

of course, that would never be the case.

you lifted a bit up to your tip-toes, cheol catching on and lowering his head. you pressed your lips to his jaw, kissing and mumbling the bone. “i miss you.” he was right there. “i like us like today.”

“you’re too good to me. i need you. now.” suspicions of your position together simply being a distraction crumbled at this. if it was joshua, he’d say i want you. cheol is a bit more dependent, instinctive, scared. he means it. a hand cupped your cheek, lifting your face from his jaw. “always?”

you weren’t sure if it was supposed to be a question, the lilt in his voice ever-so subtle. you answered anyways. if he questioned it, he would just have to assume you were repeating him. it was safe.

“always.”

seungcheol was a happy virus. every reveal of his dimpled smile spread to you. you wanted to say it was just because he was that cute, but in reality, something in you longed so badly to make him happy. you had known him for so long, since he was just a kid in the lime backrooms of pledis, desperately trying to make some kind of connection with more kids even younger than he was. 

so you smiled back, bright but just for a moment before connecting your lips. he quickly placed a firm hand on your back and one on the desk as you leaned against it. you took his face into your hands to deepen the kiss, muffled noises of pleasure interrupting the silence of the dorms. 

it was cheol who broke away first, flicking a tongue over his previously-occupied lips while trying to find your hand through his half-lidded eyes. having been in a better state, you found his first and allowed him to drag you to the edge of his bed. he sat down, hand still gripping yours, and you waited for him to speak. with seungcheol, you could withstand patience— he was too much of an overthinker, so the times he could make decisions fast were always valuable.

you swung your hand a little, playful, watching him poke his cheek with his tongue before his dimples broke through. “you look sleepy.”

“just a little bit,” you laughed, light.

he raised his eyebrow, smile drooping into a smirk. “that’s okay. you don’t need to do too much work today. on your knees, baby.”

“what are we doing?” you asked, flush painting your cheeks at his words as you crouched down. in truth, it wasn’t actually his words, more the way his already deep voice seemed to have dropped an octave. in the midst of the night and the solitary of his room, you realize just how much you missed him.

—

2017.

“cheol-cheollie!” you panted, hair covering your face (which was pressed into the mattress anyways, so the majority of your sight would be covered even if you tried pushing it out of the way). 

said boy simply chuckled, watching your ass shake with every pound of his dick. “take it so good. too good for me.” (some things never change.) “having fun, y/n-ah? tell me- shit, tell me if you are.”

“like it, cheol! i-” the name you had known for the past couple of years faded into incoherant syllables as a big palm made contact with your ass.

“just like? damn, i thought i was a bit better than that.”

a moan immedietly escaped your lips, coming out more as a whine. “no! mmh- love it! love it so much, cheollie.... seung...”

“shh, y/n,” you heard above you, although quiet. it dawned on you that he had been speaking so calmly the entire time in contrast to your loud moans. “thank you, darling. you know what to do if it gets too much.”

of course you did— seungcheol didn’t even let you take off his shirt until you gave clear consent to what the two of you were going to do. you lifted your head a bit, craning it to the side to look at him through the wisps of your hair. “wanna... please- wanna cum!” 

cheol tucked your hair behind your ears, flashing his gums at your fucked-out state. “of course, baby. think you can wait a minute, though?”

—

present day.

a hand making contact with your hair brought you out of your reminiscence.

he tilted his head down at you, “you’re pretty. can i fuck your mouth?”

“so blunt,” you murmured, hands already reaching for his drawstring.

his hands engulfed your hair, crafting a makeshift ponytail with his index and thumb acting as the tie. “you like it better when i’m shy? like the first time?”

when you finally undid the knot (you wondered what his technique to tying bows was, so unnecessarily secure) he lifted his hips for you to pull the trackpant low. “liar. you weren’t shy.. i could barely walk the next day.”

“and now i’m gonna make sure you can’t speak tomorrow.”

once his pants were low enough, he took ahold of his dick before you could. giving it a few pumps, seungcheol held it by the base, a somewhat elated grin on his face. “open up, baby.”

and you did— flattening your tongue a bit for show while making eye contact with seungcheol. his cock was then shoved against your tongue, the culprit’s eyes narrowing above you. with your tongue on his underside, you licked a stripe up, holding the point of your tongue to the tip of his shaft. with a little boost of confidence from the sharp breath the boy offered, your lips wrapped around his tip, slowly starting to take him inch by inch.

a bit more pressure was applied against your head, sending you closer to his base in a swift motion. you whined a bit around his length, but seungcheol only chuckled.

“you’re a bit annoying sometimes. why can’t you be my good girl? just this once?”

you began to slide off his cock to protest, reassure, argue, something, but cheol only bucked his hips further into your mouth, your nose brushing against his skin.

he built up a bit of a rhythm, pushing your head up and down his dick at his own speed. and that speed was fast, your mouth not even moving around him. you figured it was worth it, worth hearing his deep grunts and pleasured moans, but you had better ideas.

you reached up and grabbing his arm, his movements halting immedietly. sensing his furrowed brows even if you no longer held eye contact, you didn’t let give him time to inquire your actions before you pushed off his cock and brought it back in. he hit so deep in your mouth, brushing against the back of your throat, you felt hot wetness streaming your cheeks as you tried not to gag. the discomfort disappeared as soon as it came as seungcheol released another, much louder, moan.

you hollowed your cheeks and continued to suck: up and down his cock, kitten licks and kisses around the diameter, mewls and hums vibrating down his length. it seemed to do the trick just fine, one hand previously having been gripping your hair abandoned to tangle the sheets and the other impressively strong on your scalp. 

his breathing was getting heavier, and you had already predicted his next words. “close, baby... m’ gonna cum soon,” he warned.

you made no effort to move, though, making sure he knew where his cum would go. on your lips. under your tongue. down your throat.

so, when he released with the prettiest sound, you held it in your mouth until his eyes fluttered open. (you always wondered if he had ever tried wearing mascara or something.) once sure his eyes were back on you, you gulped as visibly as possible and stuck out your tongue for him to see. 

see? i am a good girl. your good girl. i’ve always liked you, a bit more than the rest. don’t we have our own connection? i would do anything for you, i think. thank you for everything.

he offered a smile and pat his thigh, signalling for you to replace yourself on his lap. you did just that, tipping your head back as his mouth latched onto your earlobe. “i was lying, you know?” he spoke against your skin. “you’re always the best. a brat, but i love it.”

and you felt like this was a safe place, a place for honesty and love and comfort. so, regardless of knowing how he would take it, you spoke your mind.

“i’d do anything for you.”

it wasn’t your preferred reaction (you actually didn’t know how you wanted him to react or even what you expected from him, just not this) but it was still music to your ears, the dark chuckles that seemed to be his favorite way of expression today. “right back at you.”

a pause for him to suck your neck.

“i’m so happy. so happy i have you.”

and it was true. no matter what you were, you had each other.

“love you, cheollie.”

that much you could say without problems. he knew it was true. you knew it was the same for him, right?

“love you too, my y/n.”

of course it was, why did you doubt him? how could you think he would shake his head or lie when he said it so quickly, like it was the only thing he studied for on the entire test? why did you not believe him for a second? why do you care? what do you want from him?

“let me make you feel good. grind on my lap, i know you’re wet.”

of course he did, he knew everything about you. he knew all the times you’ve cried, he knows your favorite color. he knows what breed pet you want in a few years, he knows your favorite seventeen song, he knows which members you’re with at all times for safety. why did you trust him so much?

your daze didn’t stop you from complying, rolling your hips on his lap and shamelessly moaning into his neck to chase your high.

of course, it was because he was one of your closest friends. he meant the world to you. you were so grateful to have him.

one day, someone else will have him, you reminded yourself. have the perfect boyfriend, husband, leader, best friend, choi seungcheol in their mouth like you did a bit ago. have him in their arms like you always find yourself begging for. and they’ll be in his heart, on his mind, in his life as his.

and of course, you had no right to be bitter. you were still a mess on top of his thigh, his hand still occupied your folds in this moment and you still pulled him in for a kiss. you still came on his hand, he still licked your cum off his fingers. he still pulled you beside him in his bed, under the covers. you still had him, for now.

you thought again: did you actually want something with seungcheol, or is he so close that it’s just too easy to imagine? would you actually ruin everything for seungcheol?

“you’ll always have me. i hope it’s the same vice versa,” seungcheol’s arms tightened around your shoulders.

“of course it is. go to sleep, my forever-boy.”

you could say that much tonight.

#seungcheol smut #scoups smut #seventeen smut #svt smut #seungcheol fic #seungcheol fluff #seungcheol angst

[nightsinbluevelvet]

Dear, my thirst was quenched after weeks and months when I saw Matt and Jonathan together today. How handsome they looked, did they not? I am so eager to hear what you thought of their interactions, their glances at the other and the way they seemed so close😘

Dear Anonymous, thank you for your message.

I'm still high on cloud nine from last night, and I suspect I will never shut up about the event, or our boys/men/babygirls/babyboys/angels/what even are they?? I will never get over Fellow Travelers, Hawk, Tim, Matt, Jonathan or any of it, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I didn't dare to dream we would see them like this again - happy to be together, both with arms around each other, Jonny even holding Matt's hand. Ahhhhhhhh!! They look so good together. None of the doubt and torture of the past months matters now, because they were home together. I'm more convinced than ever that their bond is rare, undeniable, eternal and unbreakable, and they will be like this even after outliving Hawk and Skippy.

As for their looks, Matt's look wasn't my favourite ever (although it was amazing), and poor baby looked extremely sleep-deprived. But he looked genuinely happy, and that's all that matters. Jonny looked slutty as fuck in that sage green shirt + trousers and brown shoes + white socks outfit. His beauty was dazzling, and this was one of my favourite Jonny looks ever.

This video is everything! It's easily as good as the Maestro premiere videos. Seeing them this content and comfortable... I'm actually at a loss for words. If you look really closely, you can see that Jonny is stroking Matt's back again. I don't care what people say anymore, he is NOT like this with others. And Matt is so much more open than he's appeared to be recently. It's rare to see this kind of public display of affection from him - like when he smiles, gazes at Jonny and puts his arm even tighter around him. He also has this particular micro expression he does when Jonny looks at him, I've seen it before.

Then there's the sweet video of them walking away from the stage. I can't upload another video here so here's a gif of it

I love how happy they look, and how Jonathan waits for a hug/touch from Matt, like he needs it.

I'm so grateful that we got the Ron/Matt/Jonathan only combo yesterday. Ron is the one person who loves and misses Matt & Jonny even more than the fans do. He loves them so much that he started to cry when he talked about their zoom chemistry read.

And speaking of that, this is how Jonny and Matt looked at each other when Ron mentioned the chemistry read:

The panel was incredible. I'm in awe of the three of them, and I wish I could thank them personally. They spoke so eloquently and passionately, and I think they gave an extremely good impression. Jonathan's dirty joke was the icing on the cake.

Favourite moments from the panel:

Jonny saying he feels it in his stomach, when he talks about watching the emotional clip they showed during the panel. He says there's a real emotion that has not left him, that is still present. How they've had six months to get on with their lives and try to say goodbye to the characters, but so many people are talking to him about FT, even crying, and it feels amazing to be back and celebrate it. "I know what pride means now." Oh Jonny!!

Ron talking about the chemistry between Matt and Jonny (that I already mentioned above)

I love and adore Matt beyond measure, so I'm allowed to say this. He has a tendency to go into professional/autopilot mode sometimes, and he does just this when the interviewer (who was great btw!) asks him about the sex scenes. He starts repeating things he's already said in dozens of interviews. But then Jonny starts talking, with much more candour, and it's glorious. And you can see, at least in some angles of the video, that Matt starts to blink and swallow a lot. It's like Jonny unlocks him, like he always does...

Jonny's joke: "Obviously you'd want a scene partner like Matt, because he never put a foot wrong..." Nobody makes Matt laugh like Jonny does. I wish their chairs had been just a little closer, because Jonny really tried to put his head on Matt's shoulder.

Yeah. Yesterday will stay with me for a very long time.

#fellow travelers #matt bomer #jonathan bailey #ron nyswaner #deadline contenders

[pupphe-additions]

✬Evie’s Relationship With Stray Kids✬

a/n: it has some swearing, but here is Evie's dynamics w SKZ!

Evie x Chan (ChanRi)

Quote: "Tell me the story about how the moon loved the sun so much he died every night to let her breathe." Dynamic: Sun and Moon/Exhausted Parents

His contact in her phone is “🥵❤️Daddy Chan❤️🥵” and her contact in his phone is “My Koala”

Chan and Evie both agree that she is the mother of the group.

Chan is the sun to her moon.

Usually stressing over dumb decisions that the younger boys make.

Always forgetting to sleep at appropriate times.

Evie tends to bring meals and drinks to Chan when he’s working to make sure he is still taking care of himself.

Chan is extremely protective of Evie and vice versa. They just want to protect each other and all the members.

Evie rests her head on his shoulder a lot and tends to sit with him while he’s working to keep him company but also she doesn’t really disturb him she just likes to watch what he does.

They always go to each other when they need someone to vent to.

They can communicate using only body language, facial expressions, and eyes.

They sometimes nap together and when they do the younger boys always tease them about it.

The rare times these two disagree the other members will shout “OH NO MOM AND DAD ARE FIGHTING” and it always breaks any tension the two previously had and they apologize to each other and stop arguing/bickering instantly.

Speaking of, did I mention they bicker like a married couple at times.

They trust each other with their lives.

Since Chan is the only member older than Evie she always plays up any small injury or clumsiness so he will dote on her.

Stray Kids would probably derail into chaos if it weren’t for these two keeping the younger boys in check, but also Evie is part of the problem at times egging them on.

Evie often overworks herself so Chan is always there to check up on her to make sure she isn’t doing too much.

Iconic Moment: Evie got injured and had to sit on the side of the stage during a few performances. During one particular performance he actually didn’t leave her side, dancing next to her and stopping often to dote on her and give her gentle touches on her shoulders and arm to reassure her she is still seen and adored. When it came to her parts he’d stop and stare at her with his face in his hands and it made her push him away playfully with one hand. Stay said that performance was proof of how much Chan actually relies on Evie during performances and vice versa as they seem to keep each other in a better place mentally. Evie recalls that during that particular performance she was having a lot of anxiety and didn’t want anyone to know but she said it felt like he and Hyunjin saw through her mask and were there to help her through it and that if it wasn’t for them she’d probably would’ve asked to skip that performance all together.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Evie x Lee Know (MinRi)

Quote: "Without obsession, life is nothing." Dynamic: Yandere x Tesundere

Lee Know’s contact in her phone is “💖Lover Boy💖” and her contact in his phone is “My Demon”

Evie is constantly staring at Lee Know and is often admiring him from afar. When she catches his gaze she always quickly looks away and it causes him to smirk.

Evie tends to silently follow Lee Know around without realizing it. For example one time he got up and walked away while she was spacing out and she instinctively followed after him a few moments later confusing everyone around her.

Evie is obsessed with any sort of skinship from Lee Know but she doesn’t dare ask for it, she just waits for him to initiate it especially when fans can see them.

Lee Know likes to stare Evie in the eyes because he enjoys her flustered and slightly panicked reaction.

On stage Lee Know will often glance at Evie and has even winked at her a few times and everytime she gets butterflies and lets out a quiet gasp.

When Lee Know gets upset with Evie he tends to ignore her and he has stated that he doesn’t mean to, he just wants to withdraw so he doesn’t hurt her because he knows how close they are to each other.

They tend to blow kisses at each other randomly and flirt aggressively.

Evie says anytime Lee Know isn’t around she feels like the energy around her feels cold and empty.

Evie gets extra giggly and giddy around Lee Know.

Lee Know teases her constantly and sometimes it can come off a bit harsh or mean to others but it’s all out of love and Evie knows that.

Evie has stated that Lee Know is one of her favorite people and that life would never be the same without him.

When she’s overwhelmed she goes and sits with his cats who adore her and she jokes that she is their mom.

She used to cling to him constantly but after some rumors that they were dating she stopped almost all public skinship with him and other members unless they initiate it and she seems a lot more stressed/depressed now because of it.

He calls her his demon.

She always wants to be with him and is like a lost puppy around him.

Evie tends to fight anyone who is mean to him.

Iconic Moment: During a vLive Lee Know and Evie got into an argument and it was cut short when he had pinned her to a wall. Staff had rushed into the room to turn the stream off after they noticed the two’s simple bickering seemed to turn into a full blown argument and when they saw him pull her up they knew they needed to end the stream.

“Oh Minho, quit whining like a little bitch dude, it wasn't that damn serious.” Evelyn says while rolling her eyes at him.

Minho stands up and grabs her arms pulling her with him and he pins her to the wall raising an eyebrow at her, “What the hell did you just say to me Nari?” he asks coldly.

Evelyn stares at him blankly and smirks. “You’re being a wee cunt mate.” she spits with venom and that’s when staff was able to end the live stream, or so they thought. 

One of the staff members just sighed and told them to fix their problems or else they’d have to trade rooms and then walked away. Lee Know and Evie didn’t break eye contact as the staff spoke to them.

“Nari, why are you acting so defensive? These were all just gentle jokes. Is there something you aren’t saying?”

Evie lets out a flustered sigh when she realizes how close they are. “I’m sorry.” she says truthfully.

“That’s what I fucking thought. Behave. Do you understand me? We won’t be having something like this happening again, yeah?”

“Yes Minho, I’m sorry for being an ass.” she says, staring deeply at him and he steps away from her and she just falls to the floor.

When Lee Know got back to the phone he noticed the live was still going and just said “Shit.” as it ended. That’s when their dating rumors started and JYP quickly shut that down after confirming with the idols that they were in fact not in a relationship. Since then Evie watches her tongue on lives and refuses to speak out line.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Evie x Changbin (NaBin)

Quote: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Dynamic: Gym Buddies

Their contact in each other’s phone is “Gym Buddy”

One of Evie’s first videos posted on instagram is actually of them working out.

They tend to work out together a lot hence them being gym buddies.

Changbin is why Evie started boxing after he encouraged her to do it.

They tend to tease each other a lot.

Changbin says he has the most fun working out when he is with Evie.

They eat a lot of food together.

Luna seems to like Changbin more than Evie at times.

Changbin and Evie share playlists with each other a lot.

Changbin is actually the member Evie clings to the least.

Evie and Changbin often play fight.

Changbin lets Evie win in arm wrestling because he doesn’t like seeing her pout when he beats her.

Changbin and Evie have accidentally kissed on the mouth before and it was awkward for like a month after that.

Changbin, although younger than Evie, sees her like a little sister more than a big sister.

They have rap battles randomly at times.

Changbin and Evie radiate the same vibe “dark but is actually soft”

Evie hates doing aegyo but will do it if it’s with/for with Changbin.

Iconic Moment: During one of the performances of “Maniac” Evie had started to feel faint and Changbin kept checking on her throughout, touching her arm to make sure she wouldn’t fall and even handing her his water bottle during the performance, she refused at first but the younger boy insisted again and she quickly took a sip while still dancing. She ended up getting even more light headed and Changbin literally dragged her off stage to make sure she didn’t faint and hurt herself.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Evie x Hyunjin (HyunRi)

Quote: "He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." Dynamic: Twin Flame/Other Half

Hyunjin’s contact in her phone is “🥰My Other Half!🥰” her contact in his phone is “My Aussie Angel”

They both agree that meeting each other felt like it was meant to happen and that their lives have thrived more since meeting.

The amount of love these two show each other and have for each other is utterly insane.

It doesn’t matter what Evie is feeling Hyunjin already knows, and vice versa.

“I want to be alone… no no like alone but only with you.” ~Evie like twice a day to Hyunjin.

Hyunjin kisses Evie on the top of her head/her forehead and on her cheeks and says that’s his favorite way to show love to her.

When Evie is overly stressed in public situations Hyunjin will grab her hand and give it a squeeze or will hug her and sort of cover her from others.

They are lowkey (highkey) obsessed with each other and more often than not spend most of their free time together.

Other than Lee Know, Hyunjin is the other member in SKZ that can make Evie flustered with extreme ease.

Hyunjin doesn’t like to see her cry and will often wipe her tears away gently and listen to anything she needs to say.

Everything they do together strengthens their friendship and their bond and they both agree that their lives would be extremely different had they not met before.

Hyunjin initiates skinship the most out of the members with Evie knowing she doesn’t like initiating skinship after the last scandals she had.

Hyunjin likes to put his hand on her thigh and squeeze it.

Evie likes to play with his hair.

Often when Evie plays games Hyunjin will come in and watch her and lay his head on her shoulder while she plays.

Evie and Hyunjin go on walks often.

Hyunjin always gets shy if Evie initiates any sort of flirting or skinship with him first.

Iconic Moment: Their hiatuses in 2021 had overlapped with one another and one day during their hiatus Hyunjin had gone into Evie’s room while she was streaming while gaming and just sat with her and kept her company. The conversation they had warmed Stays heart and still to this day will randomly go viral.

“Nari?” Hyunjin said in his usual super kind and gentle tone when he speaks to Evie.

“Yes Jinnie?” She glanced at him while still gaming.

Sheepishly he asked, “Why do you like me so much?” 

Evie pauses her game and turns to him. “What do you mean?” She asked in a confused tone.

He simply shrugged and just asked again. “Why do you like me so much?”

She smiled at him and gently hugged him before responding. “I like you so much because you're Hyunjinnie. Since day one you’ve always just sorta understood me. You’ve cared for me, doted over me, loved me. You’ve always been a goodness in my life that I’ve been missing. Hyunjinnie, you’re one of my favorite people. Your soul is so pure and I’m glad that I can share a part of my world with yours.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened and he started to get flustered and he looked down. “Really?” his voice cracked.

“Of course. You’re one of my best friends! I love you Hyunjinnie! WE love you!” she said as she pointed to the live stream. “You’re such a strong person and you inspire me a lot to be a better dancer. I adore you Hyunjinnie and I always will, okay?”

“I adore you too Nari!”

They hugged and then she went back to her game. Stay kept commenting on how happy Hyunjin seemed after the words Evie had said to him. Stay also asked if he would show up more during his hiatus but he never joined Evie on any of the live streams she did during their hiatuses.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Evie x Han (SungRi)

Quote: "I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen." Dynamic: “Twinsies”

Their contact in each other’s phone is “Twinsies” after the post that Evie made.

Evie will harmonize with Han anytime he randomly bursts into song and vice versa.

They actually have a matching pair of pajamas that they like to wear when they plan to watch movies together.

Han will always join Evie when she’s coloring because the peaceful energy that she radiates while coloring helps him relax.

They usually watch horror movies together.

They say “jinx” whenever they say the same thing at the same time.

Crackhead energy.

They both grew close very quickly due to both of them having similar likes and similar hobbies.

They can’t sit in silence because they will both just start laughing if it’s too quiet.

They shop online together a lot.

Evie likes to spoil Han.

Evie babies Han the most right behind how much she babies Jeongin of course.

They don’t do a lot of skinship because they’d rather just spend time together than physically touching one another.

They like to be goofy together and aren’t allowed to be sat next to each other because of it

They bicker like true siblings.

Much like with Chan, Evie likes to watch him produce songs when he does.

Evie’s favorite form of physical contact with Han is to squish his cheeks or boop his nose and Han kind of hates it lol

Iconic Moment: They posted pictures of them in their matching pajamas and Evie captioned it as “Twinsies” and ever since, it doesn’t matter what they wear or what they do if they look at all similar Stay will jokingly say that they are twining. During Stay Selca day a lot of Stay will take pictures with their friends in matching outfits and caption it “twinsies” as well to honor the iconic post.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Evie x Felix (EveLi)

Quote: "Happiness is a drug, and I want to be your dealer." Dynamic: Black Cat x Orange Cat

Felix’s contact in her phone is “✨My Goofball✨” and her contact in his phone is “My Void”

They are the literal definition of “black cat girlfriend” and “orange cat boyfriend.”

Felix gets her out of her shell really easily.

They stargaze often.

Felix always knows how to make Evie smile and laugh.

They are VERY touchy.

Felix is obsessed with her dogs.

They are obsessed with each other’s voices.

Mimic each other often.

Evie always cringes when Felix does his ASMR but she always watches everything he posts or does because she loves him so much.

One of her best friends in the entire world.

When they cuddle she likes to lay her head on his chest and listen to his heart beat while he plays with her hair and she’ll instantly pass out when that happens regardless of if she’s tired or not. Felix does in fact use this tactic to get her to sleep since she doesn’t sleep like she should.

CONSTANTLY ROASTING EACH OTHER OML

Lowkey bullies each other off camera because that’s their love language.

Constantly wanting each other's attention even if they have someone else’s attention.

G A M I N G B U D D I E S. If Evie even thinks of gaming without Felix he pitches a fit and vice versa.

They are actually really chaotic together but also insanely iconic and loveable no one complains about it (expect for poor Chan)

Iconic Moment: Evie posted on instagram that she hit masters in support and Felix shared it and told her to touch grass. She replied “maybe if you touched some ass you’d be better at games lil bro.” and the clapback went viral. Evie later on her IG story told Stay that these sort of interactions are normal and that she wasn’t being mean to him worried they’d see her savage response as bullying.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Evie x Seungmin (NaMin)

Quote: "When you can't look at the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark." Dynamic: Doberman x Golden Retriever 

Seungmin’s contact in her phone is “🐶My Pup🐶” and her contact in his phone is “My Racoon”

Evie is extremely overprotective of Seungmin.

Seungmin enjoys Evie’s company because she is usually really calm and quiet around him so they can usually just sit in silence and be content.

Seungmin doesn’t put up with Evie’s bullshit and vice versa.

Roasting the ever living fuck out of each other constantly.

Evie unironically will say “your mom” in response to Seungmin.

When Seungmin sings, Evie gets captivated and says she’s in love with his voice. She has literally said “If I could marry a singing voice it’d be Seungminnie’s.”

They seem like they hate each other but really they are just normally quiet around each other, they bring out each other’s calm collective energy.

Always have lowkey judgmental faces.

Always talking mad shit to one another. Evie will literally say “What’s (the) tea?” to him.

Evie always makes Seungmin laugh and smile because she said it’s one of the main highlights of her day to see him happy.

An unlikely duo but surprisingly they mesh well together.

The member Evie is least likely to steal clothes from.

Evie and Seungmin never really bicker.

Seungmin really enjoys pushing Evie’s buttons but she never gives him the reaction he’s looking for.

They are probably reading books together somewhere.

Evie sometimes talks too fast for Seungmin to keep up so he says “Huh?” to her a lot and she always goes “HuH?!” back before she repeats herself.

Iconic Moment: Seungmin showed the massive soft spot he has for Evie during a behind the scenes video. Evie had slipped and fallen and hurt ankle but had to pretend she didn’t get hurt to finish shooting for that day as she didn’t want to delay anything due to her own clumsiness. Seungmin was the first one to notice the older girl in pain and he kept checking up on her asking her if she was sure she wasn’t hurt. Evie never lies to Seungmin as he is really good at reading her body language and was honest with him.

“I just hurt my ankle a bit, I think I may have twisted it or sprained it but I’ll be okay we just need to finish this right? Then I can rest.” 

“No, I'd like you to rest now, hyung.” he urged, helping her to a chair. 

“Seungmin. You’re a pain in my ass bud.”

“Someone needs to keep you in check.” Seungmin then told staff about her injury and she did in fact sprain it.

Nothing was delayed by her injury so they were confused as to why they didn’t just be honest with them but they didn’t question it. Seungmin checked on her often and even gave her a hug, something that he doesn’t typically do with Evie when cameras are around. When staff asked why Seungmin was so concerned when Evie had already mentioned she was okay to which he answered.

“Nari hyung can be very reckless and would rather avoid conflict than take care of herself. Sometimes we have to remind her that she is still human and keep her in line. I love her and I don’t want to see her in any pain.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Evie x I.N (Evein)

Quote: "When I count my blessings I count you twice." Dynamic: Mother, Son Love

Jeongin’s contact in her phone is “🦊Baby Boy🦊” and her contact in his phone is “Nari Noona”

Jeongin is the only member that Evie allows to call her noona and he likes to rub it in the face of the other boys, it’s like his bragging right.

Evie always calls Jeongin her son and she dotes on him every chance she can.

She is EXTREMELY overprotective of Jeongin.

If you have a problem with Jeongin you have a problem with Evie too.

She’d do literally anything for this man.

She SPOILS him. Anything he wants???? He gets it.

He adores Evie almost as much as she adores him.

They cringe at each other often.

Evie likes to draw and color things for Jeongin.

Jeongin vents/rants to Evie often and trusts her a lot.

Jeongin likes to try and piss Evie off because her swearing is funny to him.

They don’t spend a lot of time together but the time they do share together is always worth it.

When they go out to eat they always eat way too much food.

Jeongin likes to make Evie laugh and will go out of his way to make sure she laughs or smiles at least once a day because of him.

He is also protective of her just as she is of him.

They really enjoy making fun of JYP together.

Iconic Moment: There is an entire compilation on Youtube called “Evie Mothering Jeongin for 30 Minutes and 30 seconds.” and the entire thing is moments where Evie is just being utterly soft for Jeongin and she’s taking really good care of him. One moment in particular went viral for a while.

Evie had woken Jeongin up and he didn’t want to wake up yet so he sorta curled into her and told him if he at least sat up she’d get him so breakfast in bed and that boy damn near shot up out of that bed and she just chuckles and shakes her head and she kisses him on his head before she heads to go make breakfast for the boys.

While she was walking away Evie could hear Jeongin say “What? Noona cooks the best breakfast!” causing her to shake her again and laugh.

Once she finished breakfast she called all the boys to come eat and takes Jeongin his plate as promised but he ended up following her out and ate with her instead and said that he missed his noona while she was cooking.

#pupphe #pupphe additions #pupphe evie #evie w skz #evie w stray kids #evie dynamics #evie dyanmics w skz #evie dynamics w stray kids #kpop addition #stray kids addition #skz addition #stray kids added member #skz added member #stray kids 9th member #skz 9th member #kpop oc #fictional kpop oc #fake kpop idol

[absolutebl]

10 Great Slow Burn BLs

I was asked about great chemistry, slow burn, with lots of pining and yearning, and an HEA (of course). For slow burn there will be less high heat due to the style of narrative, so I am going with actor chemistry, as well as emotional and mental resonance, not necessarily physical chemistry. (Something like Bed Friends could be argued is high heat slow burn... which would be what? A rolling boil?)

Honestly, slow burn is pretty relative, so I'm going with romance pacing puts the kiss and togetherness at the back 1/3 (if not the very last episode). Rather than at the "normal" 2/3.

1. Light On Me (Korea 2021 Viki)

Korea does an elegant pastiche of traditional live action yaoi but all filming is cleverly deployed to bolster one of the most riveting love triangles ever put on screen… and I don’t like love triangles. The high school angst is strong with this one and it's certainly slow burn and there is some EPIC yearning drawn out over a longer than usual KBL. Full review.

2. My School President (Thai 2023 YouTube)

GMMTV gave us a classic high school set Thai BL with tropes like messy boys singing their feelings that made this one Love Sick for the modern age with all the gentle sweetness and pining ache, but none of the dated damaging tropes or issues. Yes, we’ve seen it all before, but I still ADORE this. And there is a lot to be said for the classics being executed perfectly. Who let my BL be this wholesome and funny? Possibly too slow burn for some, we wait many eps for that pay out, and Tin's pining is NOT quiet, but it defined dorky and earnest.

3. Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan 2022 Viki)

It's hard to call such a short show slow burn, but it is. There are many episodes spent watching Togawa just HUNGER for Nozue and try to court him by feeding. This is about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said boss with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s a stunningly filmed late-in-life coming of age/queerness story packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity, love, and loneliness… and it’s beautiful. Full review.

4. My Ride (Thai 2022 Gaga)

Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. Even though we see them meet, we also see one of them fall in love, step back, and PINE for olympic gold. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. Full review.

5. Cherry Magic (Japan 2020 fan sub)

AKA 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii AKA Cheri Maho

The sweetest fluffiest magical realism BL, packaged as a pinning office romance, very low heat (practically chaste) but the cutest. It’s truly great. Don't expect kisses tho.

6. Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart (Korea 2020 Viki)

Set in the music industry featuring a talented singer and the pianist who falls in love with him (and his music), subtle and achingly adorable. High production, low heat, short run, very tame, and Korea, so all the pretty. Slow burn and lots of pining.

7. About Youth (Taiwan 2022 Gaga)

A truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst and an earnest depth. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot. A weak seme/uke dynamic but tons of BL tropes (both rare in a high school setting but common for Taiwan) makes this one feel both sweet and colored by an almost real world authenticity and grit. Full review here.

8. The Tasty Florida (Korea 2021 Viki)

Another one where it's hard to describe as slow burn because it's so short, but there is certainly that feel and it's def got the pining. Not really a love triangle featuring the prettiest men ever to be grouped together outside of K-pop, honestly the visuals are ridiculous, there’s a story, it has to do with food, whatever, they so pretty.

9. See You After Quarantine? (Taiwan 2021 Viki)

This under appreciated gem is Taiwan’s answer to Gameboys and is just as charming and adorable yet still as quintessentially Taiwanese as one might hope. It features a Japanese love interest and the cutest most confused disaster gay. Slow burn because the two have almost no actual screen time together and yet manage some truly amazing chemistry. How does Taiwan do it?

10. Restart After Come Back Home (Japan 2020 Gaga)

AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning. Full review here.

Others?

A Tale of a Thousand Stars

Step By Step

Our Dining Table

Where Your Eyes Linger

Choco Milk Shake

Love Class

DNA Says Love You

My Only 12%

Dear Doctor I’m Coming for Soul

2nd part of the question:

Who does it best? Shows, actors, countries?

COUNTRIES

I have said it before and I will say it again, no one does thirst like Japan. I think however, Korea is also very good at pining and yearning. So for "countries" those would be my top picks. But most BL producers have some examples, it's just that Thailand, Taiwan, and the Philippines tend to pay out the yearning more quickly (see something like 2 Moons Ambassador for an example of this kind of pacing).

Japan and Korea will make you wait for it. For Thailand you usually have to rely on the high school stuff. 21 Days Theory and Love Sick are both also slow burn.

ACTORS (characters)

I do have a post about great piners, several in fact.

(from @crowie ask)

These top 10 picks are based on my personal definition of slow burn and pining, yours may differ.

Post updated June 2023 and only contains BL that has completed its run. Not responsible for epic pining or fab slow burn BL that comes after that date.

Please feel free to comment or repost with additions! Share the love... slow though it may be.

(source)

#asked and answered #slow burn bl #slow burn romance #slow burn #recommended bl #high school bl #top bl #bl list #pining characters #korean bl #japanese bl #thai bl #taiwanese bl #Restart After Come Back Home #Risutato wa tadaima no ato de #See You After Quarantine? #The Tasty Florida #About Youth #Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart #KBL #Cherry Magic #30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii #My Ride the series #Viki #gagaoolala #Old Fashion Cupcake #My School President #GMMTV #Light On Me #30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard