#but i would talk about a movie from 20 years ago so why can i not talk about a music video from 6 or 10 years ago ?

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

medialog april 2k24

ok. sick day catch up part two

watched

monkey man - this was gnarly and fun and dev patel, quite simply the hottest man ever to live, is upsettingly hot in this film, like SO hot oh my fucking god

white room - this was a VERY weird movie that (as per the filmmaker q & a) totally flopped at a film festival and never received distribution... you can kinda see why but i more or less liked it. it's about a weird sheltered repressed dude who accidentally sees the murder of a mysterious pop star and then accidentally befriends and falls in love with the woman who was actually the reclusive songwriter and voice of the act... the filmmaker described it as a "journey through genres" and it was very artistically ambitious in a way that maybe didn't totally work but it had some really good stuff about art/consumption/fame/women (my jam) and it frequently looked gorgeous and also all of the mysterious/reclusive pop singer's songs were big late 80s/early 90s style upbeat synth-bombast numbers with lyrics taken from emily dickinson poems which is soooooo funny and a great idea

alien - this is like die hard in that if i'd seen it ten years ago i would not really have understood the hype but seeing after i had a backwards education in film by watching all of the mcu movies and developing curiosity about the question of why they were bad and ugly in such distinct ways and from there developing a nascent and unsophisticated appreciation of the filmic qualities of film i'm like, wow what an incredibly fucking well made movie!!!!!! some things in particular i liked were (1) no substantive backstory for anyone, no dark secrets except the one that really counted, no traumatic pasts, no explanation for how this world works or why anyone was here except needing a job, just giving us the bare minimum to understand the situation the characters find themselves in and trusting the story to do the rest (2) very good spaceshippy spaceship (another way it's like die hard is lots of great Texture, another thing that the MCU lacks which like many other MCU traits was actually a totally fitting design choice for tech bro billionaire tony stark in iron man but simply did not need to expand to Everything...) (3) sigourney weaver so good! ian holmes also very good (4) lots of suspense through silence which is one of the most lost of lost arts in the realm of big expensive Cool Shit Happens cinema!

roy cohn/jack smith - this was a filmed recording of two monologues performed by ron vawter, a gay actor who died of AIDS, each in the character of another gay man who had AIDS - the notorious roy cohn & the experimental cinema icon jack smith. i don't really have much to say about it but i feel very lucky to have seen it and vawter was incredible - i'm glad also that he happened to come to our attention a few months ago because he played the therapist in sex lies & videotape.

mad max: fury road - ok i kept putting this off because the way people talked about it on the internet frankly emphasized to an off-putting degree the ideas in this movie and did not adequately convey to me personally the most important thing about it which is that it Fucking Owns Lmao Wow. we happened to pause it for some reason like 50 minutes in and i swear to you i would have guessed 15, maybe 20 minutes had passed, that's how much it flies by... the coolest shit ever, i wanted to live there forever! also lottie yellowjackets is one of the wives????

mission: impossible 3 - the worst movie in the entire world. we only revisited this one as part of our ongoing marathon with some friends and we spent the whole time complaining about jj abrams' totally inept camera work... seriously watch this movie and look out for (1) every time an already fast sequence is torn up with a zillion stupid little cuts some of which actively prevent us from seeing something that could have been cool (2) every time we get to a new location and the camera starts aimlessly drifting to the side literally immediately because he's afraid we'll get bored if we sit in a location for one whole second (3) every time 3 people are having a conversation and the camera spends the whole time just purposelessly wafting back and forth side to side for, i cannot emphasize this enough, no reason at all. literally nothing in this, an installment of the Stuff Looking Cool franchise, looks even a little bit cool even one time. people hate on 2 for the male gaze of it all re: thandie newton but her character has more personality and agency than ethan's sexy lamp wife in this. the closest to a redeeming value this movie has is that it really feels like part of the goal was to remind everyone of how even though tom cruise jumped on that couch one time he's actually a very normal american heterosexual man (he passes out at one point and flashes back to his wife in her underwear sdksoeroser it's SO dumb) but because he's tom cruise (a total insane freak) he can't convincingly portray that at all and just comes across as insane and maybe a sociopath. "what about philip seymour hoffman" i'm not going to give abrams credit for knowing PSH was a good actor, that's like saying defending a doctor accused of malpractice by saying he knows that feet generally have toes. be serious. i will give a shout out to simon pegg, who is in this less than i remembered but who comes across as the MVP (across what should be a deep bench of a cast!) of making abrams' horrible comic-book-bro-patter come across as something a human might say, mostly so i can also share my friend's insight when i said that which is that it makes sense pegg is suited to the task given that he cut his teeth largely on movies that are parodies of shitty action movies.

mission: impossible - ghost protocol - a wonderful and perfect treat :) i've gone on at length about this one before and really have nothing left to say but it's so good and so specifically good at all the things 3 sucks ass at... my friend was physically squirming next to me on the couch during the burj khalifa sequence, as is right and proper :)

read

beautiful losers - this is a novel leonard cohen wrote in the 60s that is very weird and experimental and i'll be real with you and say i did not get it. it's about a guy whose wife and best friend he had a weird sexual relationship with are both dead and now he's kind of obsessed with an iroquois saint... i am not sure how to describe it but i guess i would say if you think the music of leonard cohen is too optimistic and insufficiently horny for you maybe you would like this. it is probably the most aggressively sexual book i've ever read but not in an erotic way... it's very like about the nastiness of sex and bodies... which i admire ideologically on a certain level but it's really quite unrelenting with it... occasionally there are snatches of deeply beautiful writing though.

listened

sourpatch, stagger & fade - nick put on the vinyl of this and i was like oh that sounds nice and i wound up listening to it a bit... fuzzy indie rock (i'm not educated enough to parse genres more finely than that) that makes for very pleasant background listening

ariana grande, eternal sunshine - i've never kept up with ariana because i just find her voice kind of annoying and i had never heard a song to challenge that UNTIL we reviewed "we can't be friends" at singles jukebox and ariana teaming up with max martin to do kidz bop body talk era robyn turned out to be everything i wanted from her... unfortunately the rest of the album was incredibly boring lol. love that song tho!

maggie rogers, don't forget me - i don't know that i find this one as interesting as her last album or quite as likable as her first (although that might be me somewhat overrating her first because i love "light on" sooooo much) but she's such a capital-M Musician she's always a pleasure to listen to. "drunk" was an early fave but recently i found myself returning a lot to "the kill"

girl in red, i'm doing it again baby! - girl in red comes a lot when other people are talking about the g*yl*rs as one of the actual queer artists they should support but first of all they actually love her and second of all i listened to this album twice straight through and have let some of the songs play on shuffle since and i could not hum you one single line :/

taylor swift, the tortured poets department - speak of the devil! i mean i've talked about this. i like this album a lot - at this point i'm ready to call it easily her best work except for maybe folklore, and honestly i find it hard to assess folklore out of what a special lockdown treat it felt like at the time. i don't expect a world insistent on calling 1989 pop perfection to eventually agree with me but i think people will mellow out about it in time and forget that it was so divisive on release much as has happened with reputation (an album far worthier of scorn if not without its occasional merits) and at the VERY least i think in like 5 years it will be more or less consensus that it's better than midnights.

the starting line, say it like you mean it - i listened to this album mostly to fact-check claims i was making about emo in the taylor swift piece but then i kept listening to it cuz it was kinda full of bops!

fall out boy, take this to your grave - @voidofcourse recommended this as a stepping stone from the starting line for loud guys offering bops and indeed it too was full of bops!

other

an enemy of the people - i saw this on broadway, yes, 1000% literally just because my boy my king my number one guy jeremy strong was in it. the production was interesting and good if not flawless, and although i think some of the younger cast members got a little lost in the old-fashioned theatrical language (even in a new translation) and could have used some direction towards really pulling out the meaning of individual sentences they were saying, the more seasoned actors all did a great job, including, of course, jeremy strong, who got to be shoved into a pit and have pretend ice thrown at him, i'm so happy for him. also the play was incredible? like as a play? i said as much here after seeing it but basically it's about this doctor who discovers that the town baths that are about to open have a contaminated water supply that is definitely going to result in people getting sick and some of them dying, especially since they are being advertised partly for their health-restoring properties for people who are already not doing well, and he's like, wow, good thing i caught this thanks to the help of science so we can change plans, and then everyone else in town is like, but have you considered that would be expensive? why do you hate poor people? (there's a thread specifically about the editor of the radical leftist newspaper going from being the doctor's number one champion to being totally coopted out of both politics and self-interest that was particularly brutal to watch...) like it was truly SO incredibly specifically relevant to some Extremely Contemporary Issues that i was just agog and also it was incredibly fucking upsetting to watch! really really great playwriting, such a clean example of how a work can best encompass & comment on ideas by developing them through character and dramatic action rooted in wants, needs, choices, conflict, etc., a lesson many people could stand to learn. i kept thinking it had burrowed as deeply into the core issues as it could and then it found another layer. this ibsen guy... he really knew some stuff about stuff....

#media 2k24 #isabel 2k24

[vanessagillings]

I’m posting the ever-so-rare photo of myself alongside one of my characters based on my childhood because today is World Autism Acceptance Day, and I wanted to show my little corner of the internet who this particular autistic person is:  

I was officially diagnosed in February, at age 38 (I’m now 39). A lot of people thought I couldn’t be autistic.  Some people who know me in real life still don’t.  And until around 10 years ago, I didn’t think I could be either, because I was nothing like the stereotype media portrays. I was told that autistics lacked empathy (untrue), and never played make-believe (also often untrue) and only enjoyed STEM.  I was — and am — an empathetic artist -- and make believe?  I can spend days sketching finely bedecked bears brewing tea or carefully choosing the right words to weave tapestries of fiction — though perhaps my hyper focus was a bit of a red flag.  Even so, how could autism describe me?  I was a good student.  I got straight A's. I didn’t act out in class.  I can make eye contact…if I must.  And lots of girls hate having their hair brushed with an unholy passion, right?  Clearly I swim in sarcasm like a fish, so autism couldn't be why I was so anxious all the time, could it?

If someone had told me when I was younger what autism ACTUALLY is — instead of the nonsense I’d seen on screens — I would have seen myself in it.  I didn’t hear that autistics have sensory issues until I was in my mid-twenties, which is when I first began to really research autism symptoms, and I had almost all of them:  sensitivity to light, smells, fabrics, temperatures, textures, and certain touches, all of which make me feel anxious, I fidget (stim), I never know what the hell to do with my hands or where to look, I talk too little or too much, I have special interests, I have entire animated movies memorized shot-by-shot and can remember the first time and place I saw every movie I've ever seen but I often forget what I'm trying to say mid-sentence, I echo movies and tv shows (my husband and I have a whole repertoire of shared echolalias, making up about 20% of our conversations), I was in speech therapy as a kid, I have issues with dysnomia and verbal fluency, I toe-walk, I can't multitask to save my life, I like things just-so, I’m deeply introverted but not shy, I need to recover from all social interaction — even social interaction I enjoy — and I find stupid, every day things like grocery shopping, driving and making appointments overwhelming and intensely stressful, sometimes to the point where I struggle to speak.  It turns out, I am definitely autistic. My results weren't borderline. Not even close. And while these aren’t all of my challenges, and not everyone with these symptoms is autistic, it’s definitely something to look into if you present with all of these things at once. 

So why did it take me so long to get diagnosed? The same bias that exists in media threads through the medical community as well, and because I'm a woman who can discuss the weather while smiling on cue, few people thought I was worth looking into. Even after I was fairly certain I was autistic, receiving an official diagnosis in the US is unnecessarily difficult and expensive, and in my case, completely uncovered by my insurance.  It cost me over $4000, and I could only afford it because my husband makes more money than I do as a freelance illustrator — a job I fell into largely because it didn’t require in-person work; like many autists, I have been chronically underemployed and underpaid, in part due to physical illness in my twenties, which is a topic for another day.  But it shouldn’t be like this.  It shouldn’t be so hard for adults to receive diagnoses and it shouldn’t be so hard for people to see themselves in this condition to begin with due to misinformation and stereotypes. Like many issues in America, these barriers are even higher for marginalized groups with multiple intersectionalities. 

It’s commonly said that if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person.  This is why it’s called a spectrum, not because there’s a linear progression of severity (someone who appears to have low support needs like myself might need more than it seems, and vice versa), but because every autistic person has their own strengths and weaknesses, challenges and experiences, opinions and needs.  No two people on the spectrum present in the same way.  And that’s a good thing!  No way of being autistic is inherently any better than any other, and even if someone on the spectrum struggles with things I don’t — or can do things I can’t — doesn’t make them more or less deserving of respect and human dignity.

But speaking solely for myself, the more I learn about autism, the happier I am to be autistic.  I struggle to find words and exert fine motor control, but my deep passion and fixation has made me good at art and storytelling anyway.  I find more joy watching dogs and studying leaf shapes on my walks than most people do in an entire day.  More often than not, the barriers I’ve faced weren’t due to my autism directly, but due to society being overly rigid about what it considers a valid way of existing.  My hope in writing this today is that maybe one person will realize that autism isn’t what they thought — and that being different is not the same as being less than. My hope with my fiction is to give autistic children mirrors with which to see themselves, and everyone else windows through which to see us as we actually are.

If you’re interested in learning more about autism or think you might be autistic, too, I recommend the Autism Self Advocacy Network  autisticadvocacy.org and the following books:

What I Mean When I Say I’m Autistic by Annie Kotowicz

We're Not Broken by Eric Garcia

Knowing Why edited by Elizabeth Bartmess

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD

Loud Hands edited by Julia Bascom

Neurotribes by Steve Silberman

(trigger warning: the last two contain quite a lot of upsetting material involving institutionalized child abuse, but I think it’s important for people to know how often autistic children were — and are — abused simply for being neurodivergent).

Thanks for reading 💛

#autism acceptance day #actually autistic

[kil9]

a couple ppl said abt my premin art it looks like hes the one getting shot in the back of the head which is an unintended but very welcome interpretation

#99.txt #i hoped the blue rose thing came across well -_- i hope u can tell its a rose......... i guess its obvious to me bcause i made it but #also my mom was like ''well i think someone would have to either be really familiar with the video or have seen it really recently'' #im like ????? isnt everyone watching all his videos like monthly ??? at least ??? #i forget that in kpop people forget about things really quickly like especially in recent times things become irrelevant..... ? #but i would talk about a movie from 20 years ago so why can i not talk about a music video from 6 or 10 years ago ? #i think a lot of ppl dont think about it as artistically or as seriously as it deserves.... ppl work really hard on these !!! #its not fair to forget about it within a year :( ill keep making fanart for stuff no matter how old it is !!!!! #maybe it wont be relevant so ppl wont care so much but..... i think the right people will care :) #the twitter people appreciate me 🥺 especially the k taemints i cant always understand what theyre saying but.... i think we are likeminded #someone called my art genius !!!!!!!!! they get me at least !!!!!!! #ugh i could go on and on about this topic i think about this all the time #but i wont !!!! for now

[deadghosy]

🍃🍂🍃🍂

BEING ROOMMATES WITH COLLEGE MODERN AU! AANG:

𓇢𓆸°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･prompt: in a world where the Alta world didn’t have a war and it was just a peaceful modern life.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚being roommates with the avatar as you are just a non bender is either peaceful or chaos.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚oh you’re sleeping in? If classes were cancelled, he’s sleeping in with you as a appa and momo plushie is beside you. If classes weren’t cancelled, he’s sending a light blast of air to your bed to lift you up. You were startled and immediately started chasing Aang around pissed off while he laughs his ass off.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚movie nights are an absolute must. Cause Aang is a person who likes to hang out with people he feels comfortable with. So you better expect him to ask you to choose, he loves to know more about you.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚this man deadass almost burnt the dorm room down and you were panicking until he put it out with his airbending. Aang looks back at you still shaken up. He sighs going over to you, making sure you were okay. He hated to see you scared and he apologized by ordering your favorite food instead.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚Aang could possibly teach you history if you asked him. I mean, he was sealed in ice 100 years ago at most. You would hesitate as this bald headed roommate of yours just wait with a patient smile.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚he does take you to visit the air temple he came from. At the southern air temple, he shows you how he did the air scooter. You laugh and smile until he sped past you making you fall. You got up angrily and chased after him as he laughs.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚this little Mr clean ripoff asshole ate your leftovers once. And for once Aang saw death himself seeing you actually catch up to him around the apartment. AND HE WAS IN AVATAR STATE TRYING TO DODGE YOU THROWING SHOES AT HIM. 😭

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚one peaceful day/night was when it was just raining that whole time. You had told Aang that rainy days/nights make you tired fast. So when you fell asleep on the couch while watching tv and listening to the rain, he laid beside you. Having his tall body on you as you snore peacefully. Even momo joined, leaping on Aang’s head. It was just a calm moment the whole night/day.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚if you’re stressed and overstimulated by your classes and work. Aang is literally gonna hug you, and might as well try to do your work for you. He’s such a good friend and roommate. He looks behind him to see you sleeping peacefully with momo. He smiles, feeling happy that you are getting the rest you need.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚now if Aang seemed tired or overstimulated. He’s either being alone, or going into your arms for a hug since a hug is what everyone needs sometimes. He is deadass having his head in your neck and passing out. I feel like the reason why he is just tired is trying to keep the peace in the 4 nations to not make a war happen just in case.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚arguing over who’s answer is right is everyday of your life with him as your roommate. He’s somehow got 11 as an answer on a math question while you got 80 as an answer. You two were about to throw hands until Zuko came by and told you two dumbasses that the real answer was 20…

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚if you’re sick at dorm, he’s blowing up your phone while he is at class taking notes. He doesn’t care if he gets scolded or made fun by the gaang for worrying that much about you. He just wants you to get better so he can hug you without getting sick himself. Aang might as well make momo force you to medicine.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚you once accidentally snored on him, Aang snickered of course. But he wrapped his arm around you gently to make sure you won’t wake up or feel uncomfortable. He’s smooth like that.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚after being roommates for like 2 semesters, you guys became close friends. You would wear matching hoodies, shirts, etc. cause Aang is an affectionate person, he wants to make sure you have a friend to lend a shoulder on. He’s that guy who you could talk and rant to for hours and he will listen to you closely.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚you still smack his head as a joke to hear that impact. And yes Aang will blast your ass away from him and put you in ice prison or rock prison from his bending. He’s not playing games. See if you were heavy handed, it’s justified to have you in prison of rock or ice. Now if you were to have your hand wasn’t heavy but light, even if you try to hit hard. Aang is making fun of how “weak” you are.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚imagine how chaotic it would be at night if you two did a horror movie night. Screaming together and just start tweaking out at each jumpscare and every time the suspense was too much. Yeah both of you didn’t sleep until you guys were holding each other closely. With Aang having his arms wrapped around your waist and you having your arms around his neck. You jumped scared at a jumpscare, making you shiver into Aang’s neck. Aang had enough and turned the movie off, picking you up bridal style and taking you to bed.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚that time when Aang had his hair grown out, you tried to do small baby pig tails with his short hair. Aang relaxes at your touch as he almost falls asleep until you were done. “Ta-da! I’m done, go look bro.” You say patting his cheek. He lifted his head from your lap and walked to the bathroom mirror. He must say, he did look absolutely funny. But he looked “fabulous” is what you said. That was until he shaved his hair again to match his culture.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚i feel like being roommates personally with Aang would actually be calm sometimes. Considering you two have such chemistry together during these college times. He definitely has an album of you on his phone. He’s the type of friend to remember everything about you specially. And not in a weird way but like a “okay noted, get them this favorite snack when they are in a bad mood” way. But mostly he takes selfies with you by his side. Hide all you want. You are not missing this selfie.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚if there’s a fair around, he’s getting you all the stuff animals. You would have to drag him away from his yellow and red hoodie from the shotgun game. You were embarrassed by the stares people got at how the avatar was getting dragged by a simple adult man/woman like you. But honestly it’s fun with Aang at a fair cause he makes sure you have fun as well. Sharing cotton candy was the first thing in his mind as he pays the person and holds the cotton candy. You felt flustered sharing the cotton candy cone from his hand as he just laughs at how cute you seemed.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚Aang and you definitely had been asked if you guys are together. You would immediately try to tell the person no as Aang is trying to either process the accusation, or make it worse by telling them that you both are. Playfully of course.

🎐˚｡⋆୨୧˚taking calm summer walks, and that summer air just hitting your face and his. It’s just relaxing. You two talk to each other, probably wanting to go to republic city for shopping for more groceries or such. You notice the sun setting as you smile, the golden ray of sun hitting your face. Aang looks at you lovingly while you talk about how beautiful the sun is. Aang agrees, still looking at you whilst you two sit down on the soft green grass.

#avatar aang #the legend of aang #aang #aang x reader #avatar the legend of aang #atla aang #aang platonic x reader #platonic soulmates #platonic #Alta platonic x reader #college au #modern au #Alta modern au #modern au Aang #modern au alta #avatar last airbender #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender

[ari-the-arotistic]

So I was thinking about pirates of the Caribbean, and each characters unique moral code and way of approaching life, as one does, when I remembered a particular scene about our beloved James Norrington... the very first scene in which Jack and James meet. Now, as a long time Sparrington shipper, I adore the Sparrington fandoms adopted head canon of Jack's compass pointing directly at Jack when James is holding it as having a romantic connotation too it, but this is Disney we're talking about, and a Disney from 20 years ago at that, so it is of course just a head canon. And while it is a beloved head canon, I will always be a writer before a shipper, and what that scene says about Norrington from a writer's perspective is far too juicy not to share... So buckle up for a very long meta post about who James Norrington is as a person, and how it was set up in this scene(and later reinforced in the second and third movie). This is my first real meta post, and I'm very excited for it, so let's jump right in.

First of all, the compass scene.

As we can clearly see in the image above, since the red line that points to the object of the holder's desires is no where to be seen, its relatively easy to conclude that it's hidden from our view by the sun dial in the middle, and thusly is pointing directly at Jack. Elizabeth is off to James's right, and no one is standing behind Jack, so unless the compass was pointing at something in the far off distance that just so happened to be in Jack's general direction(unlikely) its pretty clear what(or who) the compass is pointing at. For most potc fans, this is fairly standard knowledge. But it's what this fact says about Norrington's character that I'd like to focus on. After all, what does it say about a man that a compass that shows you what you desire most is pointing at a pirate, and the very face of piracy at that, instead of your canonical love interest, when you're a Commodore of the Navy? As stated above, Sparrington shippers often point at this scene as proof that James has a bit of a pash on the ruggedly handsome pirate, or at the very least, a thing for men. But from a writer's perspective, this just simply isn't the case, and not because the writer's in this instance are the notoriously homophobic corporation we call Disney. The reason why this is so unlikely from a writing perspective is because given the context clues, we as an audience are meant to draw the conclusion that this is the first time that they meet(I have heard rumors of them meeting as children in the books, but having never read them, and focusing only on the movies, I'm not including that in this post). And since this is the first time they've met, it's highly unlikely that the compass is pointing at Jack because James has a bit of a thing for him. Even if James has heard of Jack's many exploits, he does not truly know the man behind the legend, so having romantic feelings for the pirate at this point in time just isn't believable. And even if James was a closeted gay/bi man, it's still unlikely that the compass would be pointing at Jack of all the men around the Commodore(of which there is a lot, some of whom he is incredibly close with) seeing as Jack is the poster boy of piracy, and at this point in the movie it's made abundantly clear that James vehemently detests the notion and all who practice it. If James were to be holding the compass in Jack's vicinity in later movies and it still pointed at the pirate, an argument could definitely be made that it was because he had developed feelings for Jack, but for their first meeting, it's just not realistic. So it's much more likely that the reason the compass is pointing at Jack is because of James's desire to send every pirate he meets to "a quick drop and a sudden stop" as he so eloquently put it to a young Elizabeth. This is further reinforced in the third movie when it is revealed that Beckett's desire to have Jack dead at his feet would prevent him from using the compass to find Shipwreck Cove if the pirate was not already at the aforementioned location, or, well, dead. This is again, relatively common knowledge. But like I said before, it's what this fact says about James that is the whole point of this post... and that is that James cares more about his career than anything else, even the woman he claims to love. Now for some, that statement alone might seem like a pretty obvious conclusion, but it's how this scene subtlety sets up this core aspect of Norrington's character before we even truly get to know who he is, and how it's brought to it's full height in the second movie, and the core aspect of his redemption and subsequent death in the third that I'd really like to talk about. Which brings us to the next segment of this post...

How James lost his commission to the navy...

And how he got it back

So let's start off with how James lost his commission... it's a story we all know pretty well, and one he tells to Gibbs in the scene shown above, when he plans to either join Jack's crew or get revenge on the man that(he believes) ruined his life. After Jack's escape in the first movie, James grew obsessed with capturing the pirate, so much so that he foolishly followed the Black Pearl into a hurricane, resulting in the sinking of the Dauntless, and the loss of countless lives that had been aboard the vessel. It's unclear aside from James himself who had been on the ship at the time, and who did or did not survive, but the death toll was heavy, with most, if not everyone who wasn't James, having perished in the storm. While it is not the most extreme example(which we'll get too in just a bit), this is a pretty clear example of James prioritizing his career above everything else, even reason and logic. And all just to capture a singular pirate, even at the cost of his own ship and crew, and rather ironically, the very career that he had been so desperately trying to hold onto in the first place. Which brings us to the next scene I'd like to discuss... James stealing the heart of Davy Jones. This moment is the absolute peak of this part of James's character. This is the moment where James takes his obsessive need for his career to the max. This is the moment where James truly prioritizes his career above everything else, even the woman he claims to love(and for Sparrington shippers, above the man he's reluctantly come to care about). At this point in time, when James decides to take the heart for himself to regain his old station, he's been on the Black Pearl long enough to know the full situation. That Jack is in some kind of trouble with Davy Jones, and that if Jack doesn't use the heart to bargain for his freedom, then the Kraken will hunt Jack, and subsequently the Black Pearl, down until he and everyone aboard are dead. And that includes Elizabeth. And yet, despite knowing that stealing the heart would basically mean sealing Elizabeth's death, he still decided to do so. Sure, the argument could be made that he thought Elizabeth would be able to escape somehow, but the chances of her dying at sea, or some other terrible fate befalling her before she could safely make it back to civilization would have been highly likely. Of course we as an audience know that this isn't the case, but James does not. So essentially, James was so obsessed with his career, and maintaining the image of the honorable Commodore that he didn't even truly register that he was putting Elizabeth, the woman he loves and has been trying so desperately to woo for the past two movies, in danger. And he won't fully realize the consequences of his actions until the third movie, in a deleted scene no less(I swear when I find whoever decided to delete some of the most important scenes to James's character...), when Davy Jones informs Governor Swann of his daughters untimely demise on the Black Pearl. Of course, almost immediately afterwards, Beckett retcons that statement by informing the Governor that Elizabeth was recently seen in Singapore, but for a few minutes, James has to sit with the fact that Elizabeth was dead, and it was his fault. And even after learning that she was in fact still alive, James has now finally come to the realization that if she had still been on the Black Pearl when it sank with its Captain, he would've been the one to send her to her death. And for Sparrington shippers, James has to sit with the unavoidable fact that he was the reason Jack had died(even if the pirate does come back), despite the fact that it was Elizabeth's betrayal that was the final nail in Jack's coffin, since she wouldn't have had to do that if the Kraken wasn't after them in the first place. Which brings us to the final scene I'd like to discuss...

James choosing a side, and paying the price

Now, before we fully delve into this scene, I'd like to take a moment to talk about James's own perception of himself, and his relationship with honor and integrity. From the very first scene in which we meet James Norrington, we are made aware that he has a strong moral compass. He firmly believes piracy is evil, and that all who partake in piracy deserve a swift end. He perceives his Commodore persona as being the paragon of honor and integrity, and the sole arbiter of justice. We can infer from the line "By remembering that I serve others, Sparrow, not just myself" that James does have honorable intentions when ridding the world of pirates, that being protecting the innocent citizens under his care, but as seen once again in the first time James and Jack meet, wherein James adamantly tries to arrest Jack despite the fact the fact that pirate had just saved Elizabeth's life, his actions to achieve that goal are not always quite as honorable as his intentions are. This is especially highlighted once again when James gave Beckett the heart of Davy Jones. James's intentions here were once again rooted in honor and integrity - he believes that the only way to keep people safe from pirates is too return to his old station, to the image of honor and integrity he had built around the title of Commodore, and the only way to return to his old station is to give Beckett the heart. But the action itself was far from honorable, seeing as James had to betray the woman he loved just to obtain the heart, and that he was now putting it into the hands of a dangerously unstable individual who planned on using it to commit mass genocide.

And now, we finally get to the scene above... Of course, it's made clear throughout his scenes in the third movie leading up to this one that James is already starting to regret giving Beckett the heart after seeing the damage being caused, but since Beckett is targeting pirates specifically(although we as an audience know that Beckett's definition of pirate is very loose) James figures that the ends justify the means, as he often does in situations regarding piracy. It is not until his reunion with Elizabeth, where he learns that Governor Swann is dead, and that Beckett lied to him about the Governor's whereabouts, that James truly realizes the enormity of his mistake. It is in this moment that James has a sudden realization that fundamentally shakes him to his core, and is the reason behind his change of heart later on. He realizes that the honorable Commodore persona that he had tried to cultivate and keep a hold of for so long had never been truly honorable at all, and that by giving Beckett the heart of Davy Jones, he had effectively tied the noose around the neck of his own honor and integrity, as well as the necks of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people, with his own hands. And as that one vine goes, this was the moment James knew, he fucked up. Which leads to his decision to change sides in an attempt to redeem himself, and his subsequent death in the process. Of course, part of James's reason for helping Elizabeth escape was that he does care for her, but given everything I've detailed about him so far, I think it's safe to say the main reason that James decided to help Elizabeth and her crew was because he wanted to undo the damage he had done, and he had faith that Elizabeth, Will, and Jack would have some sort of plan to defeat Beckett, and stop any further damage to come from his mistake. And now, for his death scene itself... As much as I love the idea of James surviving and joining the pirates(whether at Elizabeth's side or Jack's is unimportant), I firmly believe that his death was a necessary end of this part of his character arc, and that if he were to survive he would still have to go through a major ego death for this part of his character arc to end properly. Because as Bill turner drives that wooden pike into James's gut, it's not just the physical death of his body, but also the metaphorical death of Admiral James Norrington, and the ideals that James had used to build the persona out of. So even if James survived, the Admiral would still have to meet his metaphorical end, thusly causing James to lose a core part of himself that had been guiding most his decisions so far, in the process, which would start the next part of his character arc, where he would have to deal with the loss of a key part of his personality, and rebuild himself from the ground up to finally, truly become the image of honor and integrity he had envisioned from the beginning.

And that concludes this very long post. I could probably wax enough poetics about this aspect of James's character to write a short novel, but I've said everything important to this post, and if I go on any longer, I'm likely to start repeating myself lol. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or a reblog! I will always love hearing more about our polished peacock <3

#pirates of the caribbean #james norrington #jack sparrow #elizabeth swann #cutler beckett #davy jones #sparrington #norribeth #meta #potc meta #a character study of james norrington

[springseasonie]

Trust me. | LHC (M)

Best friend to lovers x fem reader

Summary: you just got out of a relationship, but for some reason, Haechan can't wait to tell you he likes you. It's not that you don't feel the same, but your mind isn't exactly in the right place after the breakup. But Haechan's words make you feel so good and so secure, that you just have to indulge into what could be.

Warnings: sexual content, LOTS AND LOTS of kissing, dry humping, penetrative sex, vanilla sex (womp womp), clothed sex (kinda), nipple play (if you squint), haechan is a tease kinda, they're a bit emotional and soft for each other 🤥, proof read but there may still be errors yikers

Word count: 3,2k

Song recs: slidin by kai, dive by victoria monet, in a good way by faye webster

A/N: my birthday was last week yipee I'm finally 20 now. I got lost of birthday money so I decided to buy a ticket for dream show in Newark. I'm so excited. I'm actually gonna see Mark after I missed 127 the last time. I was working on a Jaehyun fic but needed a break so I decided to write this one before the concert, so I hope you guys like it. This is my second actual oneshot so spare me 😭😭. Please give any feedback you can if you want. 🤍🩷🤍🩷

"What do you mean?" Your expression was blank, staring at him like a deer in headlights.

"I like you," he repeated.

"You're not funny," you spat, rolling your eyes as you scrolled through your feed.

"I'm not trying to be funny." You look at him, seeing the sincerity in his expression. Haechan is the type to joke about stuff like this, and it's scary that this wasn't a joke. You knew him forever, he even said you were like a sister to him at one point. When did it change? When did he see you as a girl and not as a sister?

"Haechan please." You let out a deep breath, rubbing your forehead in irritation. "What are you saying right now?"

"I have feelings for you Y/N. I'm not joking. I'm being a hundred percent serious," he said. He looked away from you, letting out a small sigh.

You went stiff, uncomfortable with the events taking place. It's not like you were repulsed by it, just a bit shocked. These scenarios only really happen in movies, this is never anything you thought about happening to the both of you. And considering you just came out of a relationship, this was not looking good for you. "W-why?"

"Why," he repeated. "I don't know…I can't even tell you where these feelings came from." He looked at you to see your reaction, but he saw nothing but worry from you. He knew what you were worried about. You didn't want to get a call from your ex saying he was right about you two, that you and Haechan do have a thing for each other. You didn't want to get that call saying he shouldn't have dated you, that he knew he couldn't trust you. It broke Haechan's heart seeing you in pain, seeing you hurting because of something he couldn't prevent.

"Are you saying this just to get in my pants," you mumble quietly.

"I would never do that to you. You know that," he reassured you.

"Are you aware that I'm literally going through a break up right now?"

"I know, I know." He lets out a frustrated groan, throwing his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait to tell you."

You sighed, leaning back on his headboard. You didn't really know how to process the information you were being given right now, let alone how you were feeling. Years ago, you would've been the happiest person in the world, having a crush on him when you were younger. You liked him a lot at the time, him being the only boy who ever talked to you in your life, and you wanted validation. But as you got older, you got hotter and you started getting attention from a lot of boys, and soon realized crushing on Haechan wasn't worth it.

But as you grew up, so did he. He became more attractive and received more attention. Sometimes you wish he hadn't. You were 15 when you first had a crush on him, he was just another cute boy in class who you happened to be friends with, but now he's 23. If you didn't know him as well as you did, you would probably fuck him, and you don't blame people for wanting to fuck him either.

"When did you….you know," you asked, trying to avoid looking at him.

Haechan glanced at you through his fingers, moving his hands off his face after. "I don't know…I guess when I saw you crying over that asshole, it really hurt me. I don't want to see you like that again, and I know I could treat you better."

You could feel your heart beginning to beat faster and your face growing hot. You were blushing. Haechan has never made you blush before. You hit him on the shoulder, making him hiss at the sudden pain.

"What was that for," he whined.

"Stop saying nonsense."

"It's not nonsense, it's true," he said. "And don't pretend you didn't like it. You're literally blushing." Hachan lifted his hand to poke your cheek, but before you could swat it away, he grabbed onto your wrist and pulled your body to his.

"What are you doing," you said, a shocked and confused expression all over your face.

"Getting closer to you." Haechan let go of your wrist and slipped his arm around your shoulder. You've been close to him many times but not like this. And the way he was glancing at you made you suspicious, you knew that look.

"Why," you questioned, squinting at him.

"Because I want you close."

"Can you stop flirting with me please?" You didn't mean it, but your voice came out small, causing Haechan to let out a soft chuckle.

"Why? Do you like it when I flirt with you." Haechan noticed you refused to look at him, watching you pout and turn your head away from him trying to not smile. "Look at me."

"No." If there's one thing you know about him, it's that once you give him what he wants, there is no winning ever. He'll mention it for the rest of his life, never letting you live it down. And you definitely didn't want him knowing the effect he had on your emotions. You held your breath as you felt his other hand come into contact with your chin, forcefully turning your head to look at him. His face was centimeters away from yours. This is the closest the both of you had ever been.

"Stop looking away from me." He spoke in a soft tone, almost like a whisper, and he wasn't shy about what was in his mind. His eyes kept flickering between your lips and the rest of your face. He wanted to kiss you so badly. He's been wanting to since you stepped into his room.

"I'm not anymore," you answered, tone blank.

He let out a soft chuckle, licking his lips after. "You're cute."

You looked down, rolling your eyes. You did like what you guys had at the moment. It felt natural to be this close to him, but you had reservations. "Are you sure you really like me?"

"You want me to prove it to you?"

'Yes,' was the only answer you could give him. You actually wanted him to kiss you so badly and you wanted to admit it. But there was still a part of you that was still a bit attached to your ex and what he would think if you got into a relationship with Haechan, the main reason you were broken up with.

"I'm a little scared Haechan," you admit. "I just don't feel all myself after the break up. I mean what would he think-"

You didn't even realize how close you and Haechan were. His lips were almost on yours. He couldn't even hear what you were saying, all he knew was that he needed you at the moment. He wanted to show you, prove to you how much he likes you, how much you meant to him. But only if you gave your permission.

"Don't worry about him. Just pay attention to me okay?" Your eyes fluttered shut as Haechan kissed you softly, moving his hand from your chin to your waist. It felt like water dowsing a fire, putting out your anger and sadness all in one go. This was definitely natural, definitely meant to be, no matter how cliche it was. He rubbed your waist softly as he kissed you again, pulling you closer.

You placed your hand on his chest, tugging at his shirt softly. You kissed him again a bit more passionately this time. Haechan has been with a lot of girls, but he's never had the feeling he had with you. Not even his old girlfriends gave him butterflies the way you did. He pulled away slowly, a smile tugging at his lips once you looked at each other. "Do you believe me now?"

You looked away from him as fast as you could, resulting in him lifting your chin planting another kiss on your lips.

"Every time you look away from me, I'm gonna kiss you," he muttered.

"Will you stop," you whined. You buried your face in his neck, hiding from the embarrassment of his words.

He chuckled softly, pushing his hair back. "I've never seen you so embarrassed."

"You've never seen a lot about me."

"Wanna bet?"

You moved away from the crook of his neck, eyebrows raised as you looked at him with shock. Haechan had a smirk on his face, but it was a bit different this time. His expression of sincerity changed into one you've never seen before. And at that moment you just happened to look down at his lap. "Are you turned on right now…"

Haechan's smirk slowly disappeared as he glanced between you and his lap. "I'm sorry…you're just really hot."

"Please just…take care of that. I'm gonna go home." You move to stand up, but stop when Haechan grabs your wrists.

"Help me," he muttered lowly.

"What?"

"Help me."

Haechan looked at you with desperate eyes, squeezing your wrist as he tugged you towards him. He made it hard to say no sometimes, always knowing the right look or the right words to say. Not just that, but you kind of wanted to. In the deepest parts of your mind, you shoved the thought of ever having sex with him away. And now you have the chance. "Are..are you sure?"

He leaned into you, lips brushing against yours. "Positive."

You kissed him, cupping his face softly. Haechan bit your lip, a smirk tugging at his lips. He slipped his hand on your leg, squeezing the flesh softly. You didn't know where this sudden confidence was coming from, but when you got up and straddled him, it was almost like he'd found a new reason to fall for you even harder. His hands never left your waist, pushing your hips over his hardened length.

"Jesus," you muttered.

Haechan gripped your hips, rolling them onto his lap as he pulled away from you. Haechan took in your expression, eyes never leaving your face as you began to breathe heavily.

"You like that?"

You nodded, resting your forehead on his. Haechan kissed the corner of your lips as you let off a soft sigh filled with pleasure. His grip began to loosen as he felt you beginning to move your hips on your own. Haechan kissed your jawline as he let you grind on top of him, pace slowly becoming faster and harder.

"Shit," you moaned softly.

"That feel good," he asked, whispering in your ear. "Are you gonna cum from me barely touching you?"

"Can you shut up," you huffed out.

Haechan chuckled, kissing you so softly it only left you wanting more. But when you leaned in for another kiss, he moved away, shaking his head. "I want you to cum first."

"W-what?"

"Do it."

In any other situation, at any other time, you would've said no and probably hit him. But you needed him so badly you wanted him so badly you were willing to do anything he said. You threw your head back slightly, gripping his shoulders as soft moans escaped your lips. Haechan couldn't take his eyes off of you, almost as if you were art.

"You're so pretty," he whispered. His eye contact was intense, a little too intense for you. But he liked it. He liked that he could have this effect on you just by looking at you. You finally let your tough exterior crash for him. Nothing in the world could turn him on more.

Your brows furrowed as you began to feel your stomach tighten. You hid your face in his neck not wanting him to see you, but he moved it, holding your jaw firmly. "Look at me," he said softly.

Your jaw went slack as your orgasm approached making your body tremble. "F-fuck," you moaned softly.

"Good girl." He wiped the sweat off your brow with his thumb looking up at you with a tender smile. "You're a good listener when you really want something."

"Fuck you," you breathed out.

Haechan kissed you deeply, hands slipping under your t-shirt. "Take this off."

You pulled away, pulling your shirt over your head, tossing it on his bedroom floor. Haechan's eyes raked over every inch of your exposed skin. He's seen you in bathing suits on many occasions, or clothes that showed your body, but this was entirely different. He gulped as he stared at your cleavage for a little too long, concentration only breaking when you cleared your throat.

"You act like you've never seen boobs before," you joke.

"Not yours." Before Haechan could say another word, you were already unclipping your bra. You let the fabric fall off you, and Haechan felt as if he stepped through the gates of Heaven. "Can I touch you?"

You nodded, eyes moving between his face and hands. Haechan's hands gently fondled your chest, thumbs subtly gliding over your nipples making you shiver. Haechan's mouth attached to your nipple, kissing and licking at the bud all while never breaking eye contact. His eyes went a bit wide when you let out a moan, making him squeeze your chest softly.

"Don't tease me," you whined softly.

Haechan couldn't help but listen. His hands left your chest and immediately undid your jean shorts. He gulped as you shifted off of him. You tugged your shorts off, letting them fall into a puddle around your ankles, but when your finger hooked around your underwear, Haechan stopped you. "Keep them on."

"What? Why-"

"Please." The whimper in his voice was all you needed to listen; you kept them on. You watched as Haechan pulled himself out his basketball shorts. He could tell you were nervous and grabbed your hand, squeezing it softly.

"Do you have any condoms?" You've had sex dozens of times, but with Haechan, it was starting to feel like your first time. And this time it felt way more intimate than anyone else.

The male nodded, leaning over and grabbing one out his nightstand. You stood and watched as he slipped it on, mind racing with so many thoughts. 'This is it,' you thought to yourself. You were about to fuck your best friend, and you really liked the idea of it. But what if it ruined your friendship forever? What if he regretted it?

"Hey. What are you thinking about?" Haechan's eyes were soft, his expression changing seeing the worry on your face.

"I'm just nervous."

"Nervous about what," he questioned as you got back on top of him.

You opened your mouth, but hesitated before speaking. You didn't want to say the wrong thing. You didn't want to confuse him or hurt him. Haechan always understood you and knew you meant well, but saying anything in this moment could fuck up what the both of you had going. "What if..what if this ruins everything? I-I don't want to feel like this was a mistake."

"Do you think you're making a mistake?" His hands slid from your waist to your hips as he looked up at you. He always admired how honest you were, even if it would hurt his feelings. You shook your head 'no', making him smile. "Then you have nothing to worry about, okay? Just trust me."

You nodded, letting him pull your underwear to the side. The sight was almost enough to make him cum there on the spot. He lined himself with you, biting his lip as you sunk down. A small sigh fell from your lips as you felt him fill you, hands flying to his chest. Your eyes are closed so you don't see the way Haechan looks at you now. If he likes you before, he sure as hell loves you now. Something about this felt so right to him no matter how nervous you were.

His breathing became heavier as you grinded on top of him slowly, eyes shut in a desperate attempt to look at him. He would've completely missed this if it wasn't for your eyes slightly fluttering open, intentionally looking down to avoid his need for eye contact. Haechan kissed you deeply, tongue sliding against yours as your pace quickened.

"Oh my god," you moaned softly on his lips.

"Tell me how good it feels."

You could almost combust with the way he was talking to you. His voice felt like honey dripping into your ears. "Feels so good.."

"You're so cute," he mutters. Softly moans leave his lips, hands gripping your hips. His grip is so strong that he's now guiding your movements, making your brows furrow when he pushes himself deeper into you. Haechan begins to thrust into you at the same time, almost sending the both of you into ecstasy. You clenched around, throwing your head back as you whimpered and moaned.

Haechan's moans and groans were like music to your ears. Unlike your ex who barely made any noises, Haechan loved making sure you knew he liked what you were doing. He moved his hand off your hip, taking it between your legs, rubbing your clit. "Oh my god," you groaned softly. "Fuck, keep going."

Haechan kissed your neck softly, moaning against your skin. He felt you clench around him slightly, making his brows furrow. "Damn it," he moaned softly.

”I'm so close," you whimpered.

"Wait for me baby. Can you do that?"

You nodded fast, hands moving from his chest to his shoulders, pulling your body closer to his. Haechan couldn't take his eyes off you. He couldn't say he never imagined this moment, but it was better than anything he thought of.

"H-haechan, fuck..I'm cumming."

His name falling from your lips was all he needed. Moans fell from his lips as you clenched around him, legs and hands shaking from the intense orgasm. Haechan kissed you deeply again and again as if it was the last time he could.

You pulled away from him, a tired smile on your face seeing tired heavy eyes. The both of you sat there quiet as a mouse, just looking at each other. At this moment, you think you completely fell for him. Maybe you always had feelings for him and it just took this moment for you to realize how strong they were.

"I think I'm in love with you," Haechan said, breaking the silence.

"That quick," you joke. But Haechan was serious. He really did think it was more than like now. "I think we should wait, Haechan. I…I need some time before I can get into another relationship."

"That's fine," he said. "I'll be here no matter what we decide to do. You can always trust me."

You sigh deeply, pulling yourself off of him, plopping next to his body. Haechan pulled the condom off, tying the end as he threw it somewhere on the floor. "Ew," you grimaced.

"I'll get it later." Haechan wrapped his arms around you pulling you closer to him. "For now, can we just stay like this?"

You giggle, snuggling into his arms and resting your head in the crook of his neck. "Just know that know matter what happens, I think I love you too."

That was the last thing that you said before you drifted off into sleep, leaving Haechan with the widest smile on his face.

#nct dream #nct #nct 127 #nct u #nct fanfic #nct smut #nct scenarios #haechan #nct oneshot #haechan oneshot #haechan smut #nct x reader #haechan x reader

[twig-tea]

TWIG! Friend! I couldn't help but notice your tags in my excitement post about getting to La Pluie -- I see that you and I are YYY mutuals. :) Let's call YYY... say... zany or offbeat -- off the beaten path of the usual romance-dominated field of Thai BLs. What are some other "zanier" BLs (not just Thailand, but everywhere in Asia) that you love and would recommend for an off-the-wall experience? And, why?

@waitmyturtles I'm so sorry you sent this a million years ago and then I kept letting it languish. And it's extra rude because I love this question! It's so hard to add something like YYY to a rec list without a billion caveats, so this is a great chance to shout out some of the series & shorts that don't get as much attention. A few of these I know you've seen but I have to include them for completeness.

First, for the sake of other people reading this, as Turtles has written about, Cheewin brings his own kind of zaniness to almost everything he works on; my faves of his other than YYY are Make It Right and Secret Crush on You (the exception is Bed Friend, which is not in any way zany but I still liked it).

Also going to mention that since Turtles asked for off the beaten path zany, I won't be mentioning any of the popular comedies (in case you're wondering why I Became the Lead in A BL Drama or Man Who Defies the World of BL aren't on this list).

Alright now that's out of the way, let's get into the other recs!

Zany lesser-known BLs other than YYY

Ossan's Love Franchise (Japanese, 2016-2024, GagaOOLala)

It is... less true now that this series is lesser-known than it was when I started writing this draft (in uh... August 2023) but I shall persist! The franchise details alone for this series are complete crack:

A 2016 45-minute short [skippable imo];

The 2018 original series which builds the short into a zany 7-episode comedy series about a man in his late 20s who suddenly finds himself the love interest of his older boss (in his ~50s) and his coworker/roommate (in his mid-20s);

The sequel film Ossan's Love: Love or Dead (2019)which turns into an action film halfway through for no clear reason but also remains a romantic comedy in which the mains from the original season decide if they want to stay together

The AU season Ossan's Love: In the Sky (2019) which has the same characters of the lead and his boss from S1 and the short, but this time they work in an airport and all of the surrounding cast is different and leads to a very confusing love rhombus. Incredible 10/10 no notes [people hate this because they like the mains from S1 & the film but I loved the mess]

The sequel season to S1 and the film, Ossan's Love Returns (2024) which you can absolutely watch in isolation and is about the main couple re-establishing their relationship and their found family friend group after being long distance for a few years.

It's truly excellent comedy, and gets better every outing; there are some barriers that might prevent some enjoying the earlier seasons but the most recent one is really delightful. You can hear me talk more about this series with @bengiyo and @shortpplfedup on The Conversation podcast!

Diary of Tootsies (Thai, 2017, grey/Netflix (for the movie))

I love Diary of Tootsies and the follow-ups so much. SO much. One of the best laughs of my life was the opening to the movie, and I cannot be in a long car ride without thinking about the purse incident in s1. This show doesn't get a lot of BL fandom attention because the romance arcs are not typical for BL (but that's one of the things I love about them). And the friendship in this series is truly what sells it. Season 1 is self-contained, a lot of people dislike the romance plot of S2; I really like the arc across s2 to the movie (as established above, I tend to be less invested in a particular ship across a franchise or multiple franchises). The movie plot is all about reconciling who you thought you wanted and who you are with (amongst all kinds of shenanigans).

HeHe and He (Hong Kong, 2018-ongoing, YouTube)

This mockumentary sitcom-style series does tackle some serious topics and is also absolutely hilarious nonsense across its 3 seasons. The very simple premise is that a gay guy ("hehe" is slang for gay) and a straight guy who are old friends become roommates when the gay friend breaks up with his longterm boyfriend and needs a place to stay, and hijinks ensue. They do direct-to-camera confessionals spliced in with scenes from their lives. I love this show so much, and it would actually be high up in my indie BL rankings if it were completed. I lose it at least once an episode. It's very queer (if you want a show that tackles everything from hookups to turning everything into a joke to being so, so mean to each other while also loving each other dearly to even chemsex, look no further), and I am in love with all of the wacky characters that have formed a love-hate found family that is deeply relatable. The creators posted a video a few months ago saying they're struggling to end it in a way that they're happy with so I'm not sure we'll ever get an ending for the show. But if you like comedy and queer content it's worth a watch even incomplete! I've been very patiently following this project since 2018 and it's legitimately one of my favourite shows.

Rainbow Prince the Series (Filippino, 2022, YouTube)

This is a musical; it is a lot of campy nonsense. There is royalty, political intrigue, a dog, kidnappings, and so. much. singing. The songs are surprisingly catchy and it's all extremely good fun. Also a lot of the dialogue is very clearly improvised.

Hey! First Love (Vietnamese, 2019, YouTube)

This series of shorts are mostly just silly fluff. The very tenuous plot is that these shorts are slice-of-life moments from a young established couple, but it's all really just excuses for Vietnamese comedy and BL romance tropes. If you haven't watched anything from Vietnam, this is a very low-stakes commitment (I think it's under 30 minutes of content all told; there are 4 "episodes" which are spliced together shorts, each of which has a tiny plot but there is not much of an overarching narrative, and then a Q&A with the actors at the end) and gives you a sense of the Vietnamese sense of humour. Both of these actors have gone on to continue to be in other Vietnamese BLs, so if you have watched Vietnamese BL you may recognize them! The production quality on this is charmingly low.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (India, 2019, Amazon Prime)

This film was such a joy to experience in a live theatre. Billed "the first Gay Bollywood RomCom", this movie was a riot of chaos, dance numbers, shenanigans, hilarity, and cuteness. I loved the way this film incorporated the very real legal change to decriminalize homosexuality in its story. Arguably not "BL" as it very much fits in the bollywood tradition not the BL tradition, but OP did ask for all of Asia!

Like Love (China, 2014-15, grey)

And no I don't mean censored--this is from before China started censoring its BLs. This show has kisses as shown in the gif, and even (poorly cropped) sex scenes. It also is super bizarre. I was so confused by this show, the characterization, the fourth wall breaks, and how disjointed it was so I went to read the source material and...it turns out it's one of the most perfect adaptations I've ever seen, the book is in fact exactly like this. The characters are caricatures, there is no bridging between scenes, and the plot is the most absurd take on 'loserfail no-thoughts-head-empty character who doesn't admit he's gay but still ends up in a dedicated and loving relationship with a rich handsome domineering man ' I've ever seen. It's a bewildering experience. Note the sound quality on this one is suuuper miserable. I like s2 way more than s1 (s1 is getting together and includes a lot of the bullying-teasing and I'm-not-gay-I-just-need-him-to-pay-attention-to-me stuff, s2 is the honeymoon phase + getting the homophobic parents on board) but S1 is definitely the zanier of the two. That being said, if you wanted, I think you can dive right in to s2 (there's a direct-to-camera explanation of what happened in s1 at the start of it). Note that they set up a cliffhanger at the end of 2 in anticipation of s3 which was going to be made in 2016 but was cancelled because of the political changes in China in 2016 (this is one of the reasons I went to read the source material; they do get a happy ending in the books).

This is an extremely silly but also touching franchise with a lot of tropes I don't love, but also a lot of things I do (and just neat to see some stuff so early in BL: Underwater kiss? Helicopter ride? Femme fatale becomes friend of the faen? Supportive grandparent? It's all here). There are some fantastic speeches in s2 about supporting your gay children; I liked how in this the kids didn't give up on their parents but try to reconcile their filial piety with their dedication to each other. If you do watch S1, highly recommended you watch the series version rather than the film. For "S2"/the follow-up film, make sure you look for the uncensored film version.

The Lover Room 709 Cut (Korean/Japanese, 2016, grey)

This starts extremely silly, plays with BL tropes, and gets a little bit serious at the end but is mostly just full of puns and innuendos. Includes one of the most hilarious takes on kabedon, and egregious use of the soundtrack from Brokeback Mountain. Also: fart jokes. Folks worried it was going to stay teasing the audience but it does commit and we do get an actual resolution that is satisfying. I admit I've never seen the whole series (which includes stories of 3 other couples in the apartment building) but the BL cut is readily available if you search. Make sure you look for the deleted scene with the lotion application--this scene walked so IFYLITA could run (I'm kidding, but it's very funny seeing this scene now and thinking about that one).

The Boy Next Door (Korean, 2018, YouTube)

This is another older series playing with censorship (similar to The Lover) in which the two characters end up in BL romance tropes but are not actually in love...or are they? The shenanigans are very fun. This one is left more ambiguous than The Lover, which is one of the reasons it's further down the list.

Go! Go! G-Boys (Taiwan, 2006, grey)

I debated between this and another quirky comedy from Taiwan in the early 2000s, Formula 17, but while that's unequivocally a better movie, this one is lesser known and more zany, so it technically better fits the bill for this ask (but if you haven't, go watch Formula 17!). The plot is a bit cringe--straight boy signs up to gay beauty contest to pay off his girlfriend's debts (accompanied by his gay childhood friend who is in love with him) and finds his truth. Meanwhile a homophobic police officer has also infiltrated the contest for investigative purposes. Amongst all that admittedly not great setup, however, are several bizarre sequences including the incredible Lord of the Rings recreation scene (complete with Gatchaman of course), a killer soundtrack, a random delivery of poultry, someone slapping a cake, and, most absurdly unbelievable at all: police taking harassing death threats to the gay contest seriously. It does a great job of setting up what should be a dramatic scene and then immediately undercutting the tension with something absurd. It's not narratively good, but it is a fun ride! And yes, there is a happy ending. Stick around for a fourth wall break (literally) after the credits.

Something Crunchy Crunchy (Korean, 2018, GagaOOLala)

Extremely bizarre little musical short in which snacks are anthropomorphized as hot guys and they sing songs about being eaten and wanting to be eaten. Played entirely sincerely, but the concept is screamingly funny. Fascinating. Also, kind of poly?

Dom (Korean, 2016, GagaOOLala)

Another hilarious and weird Korean short, this time in which we see the protagonist's sex life from the perspective of the condom boxes that are anthropomorphized and given personalities based on their brands.

And since we can't leave out the ladies,

A few zany GLs:

Lily Fever (Korean, 2015, YouTube)

I wrote about this one a little in my GL rec list; it is absolutely bonkers nonsense. There is not really a plot, it's a fever dream of a show. Chaos! Not so much a romance as an excuse to see cute girls flirt and make out.

Legend of Yunqian (China, 2020, grey)

I debated including this one because only the middle is really the zany part, it's sandwiched with more serious xianxia drama. But in the middle of this miniseries is an extremely cute interlude in which xianxia characters time travel to present day for ~reasons. It's censored but there is very little uncertainty about feelings, and manages to be absolutely charming. Worth the short runtime for this kitten quickcut (subbed "Whomst?!" in the show for ultimate comedy). Warning for character death (but it's ok because time travel to reincarnated character!) Subtitled by the indispensable @douqi7s [see their pinned post for links].

BetCin (Filippino, 2022, WeTV)

A lesbian couple with a YouTube following decide to break up but then find out there's a contest for couples, and they decide to pretend to still be together to try and win the contest rather than tell their fans they've broken up. This series does some really interesting things by starting with a breakup and then looking at how two people who are no longer dating manage BGP while also managing their feelings. There's a lot going on in this show, and the hijinks definitely ensue!

Perfect One Night Stand (Korean, 2020, GagaOOLala)

This is a cute Strongberry GL short in which a friend agrees to help her other friend find a girl to have sex with before the day is over; they go through several quirky candidates looking for the titular perfect one night stand.

#ask game #typed so that i can stop thinking it #long post #media recs #ossan's love #diary of tootsies #hehe and he #rainbow prince the series #hey! first love #shubh mangal zyada saavdhan #like love the series #the lover the series #the boy next door the series #go! go! g-boys #something crunchy crunchy #dom the series #lily fever #legend of yunqian #betcin #perfect one night stand #bl meta #gl meta #besties don't judge me for how long it took me to be happy with this list #i just know I'll think of something else I should have included as soon as I post it #but seriously if you try one thing from this list let it be hehe and he

[chickenoptyrx]

You do so right by z Broly, you understand his potential. Your au with him and Trunks is a delight

Glad we all appreciate my blatant misrepresentation of the character 😌 im partly joking but man fr, 12 year old me would hate that instead of him bein a badass edgy monster, I draw him as.. *checks notes* .. an immature loser with bad coping mechanisms uwu

Ok but in true ask tradition! :U im hijacking this ask to talk about a dumb theory thats been rolling around in my head for like 2 years now: android 16 and broly similarities:

Ok so. If you aren't aware. The android arc of dragon ball was originally going to focus on the androids 19 & 20 and trunks even names them specifically

But Toriyamas former editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, didn't like them as the main antagonists and so Toriyama changed it to focus on 17 & 18 as the bad guys and introduced 16 as a sort of mystery

Now. This gets almost completely dropped once that same former editor ALSO doesn't like these androids and cell becomes the main villian for the arc (yeah yeah, the bomb thing is technically *there*, but its so inconsequential most people forget its even a thing :T )

So. Idk exactly when movie 8 went into production, but we know Brolys LSSJ form was inspired by trunks SSJ grade3 form that appears several chapters after cell has been introduced and the androids have become power-up fodder, so im gonna argue its safe to say the decision to move away from their story had been made

(side tangent that I find absolutely hilarious btw- despite gokus commentary in the HTC, SSJ grade 3 was the strongest form of ssj we saw at this point, so its pretty appropriate to use it as the basis of the strongest scariest ssj form.... rrriiiiiiiiggght up until toriyama introduced SSJ2 on Feb 2, 1993- near exactly 1 month before the first Broly movie hit theaters. Completely undermined what, up til then, looked like a trend in stronger form = bigger and beefier right as the big beefy strongest guy ever movie came out 🤣 absolutely love it!)

So anyways. The movies overall also tend to have varying degrees of similarities with recent arcs in the show and Toriyama, while not overly involved, would give the studio designs and story notes. And. Idk. Yall can tell me im reaching if ya want, but: A guy who's made into a weapon by his father who's on a quest for revenge and has this conflicting view of his son as both someone he feels he failed to protect, someone he cares about, but also as a tool for that revenge, and someone who's destructive power hes become deeply afraid of.. now where have we seen somethin like that 🤔 may be an extra reach but I also think its neat that despite their different face shape, Toriyamas gave em the same expression

Lol they're also both just ridiculously tall bastards. Like for no gd reason. And yeah, to me atleast, it explains why hating goku specifically gets shoehorned into brolys backstory (listen I can absolutely do the mental gymnastics to make it make sense! I'm fine with it! Its fine! I actually like it! ... but it IS a dumb shoehorned plot point! Both things can be true D:< ) look just lookit these tall ass shits

Anyway. My last note is just this statement from Toriyama about 16 and Gero. The way gero is presented is really in line with how I see Paragus as this tragic failure of a father- honestly caring about his kid, but letting grief and revenge drive him into conflicting corners where he wants revenge FOR the life denied his son, but also actively shaping his son into such a terrifying weapon that ultimately hed rather his kid just never be conscious cause thats the 'only way to keep them safe'

“Dr. Gero’s son who died young a long time ago served as the visual model for Android 16. He was a high-ranking soldier for the Red Ribbon Army but was shot down by the enemy. Dr. Gero reserved special feelings for 16 as “his son,” and although he equipped 16 with immense power and a frightening destructive device, he didn’t want to see him be defeated on the battlefield and thus programmed him to have a gentle personality. 16 was consequently considered a failed creation.” The smaller caption below Toriyama’s quote reads: “Was the reason Dr. Gero didn’t want to activate 16 perhaps because of his parental love to not see him destroyed?”

#asks #rant barely related to the ask :D #i just think its neat #if 16 wasnt such a pain in the ass to draw from MOST angles #id probably draw him more #but broly just sparks so much joy to draw #really cant beat it #just a fun design #android 16 #broly #dumb nothing theory that means nothing #ask

[spoodrm4n]

Locked Out

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Warnings: none! unless you count sassy will byers

Summary: Steve and El get locked out at movie night and the kids bully you into admitting your crush.

Word Count: 1.1K

Steve pounded on the door to his own house, El standing awkwardly beside him as he threw profanities at the door.

“How do I get locked out of my own house?” He groaned, running a hand through his hair. You and the rest of the kids were inside and in the basement of his house, awaiting the start of movie night. Steve had volunteered to go pick El up from Hopper’s and you had stayed here with the rest of the kids, making sure that they got along and didn’t break anything. “Come on guys! Dammit!”

“Is there a window?” El suggested as Steve continued to beat the door down.

“No. They’re all locked from the inside. And they’re in the basement anyway, so no windows.” He sighed, giving up on the door.

“I can see what they’re doing. Maybe one of them will come upstairs and I can tell you when they’re coming?” El shrugged, trying to appease the older boy beside her.

“Sure, sure. Tell me what you see, E.” He patted her on the shoulder and she smiled at the nickname, sitting down on the front step of his house. He sat down beside her as she closed her eyes, leg bouncing impatiently.

…

“You guys we can’t start the movie until Steve is back with El!” You groaned, snatching the remote from Mike’s hand before he could hit play.

“He won’t be back for another 20 minutes tops! What are we supposed to do?” Dustin whined, drowning out Mike’s protests and sinking back farther into the couch.

“We could talk about Steve.” Max smirked, sending a wink in your direction.

“Steve? Why Steve?” Lucas furrowed his eyebrows and Max slapped him on the shoulder.

“Because Y/N has a massive crush on him.” She replied, tone almost annoyed at Lucas for not realizing.

“You have a crush on Steve?” Dustin yelled, jumping up from his spot on the couch.

“No! Of course not! Max doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” you stared Max down, silently threatening her to keep her mouth shut.

“No, you definitely have a crush on Steve. It’s blatantly obvious.” Your head snapped in Will’s direction. His tone had dripped with sass and the look on his face was even worse.

“William Byers!” You threw a pillow that had fallen off of the couch and by your feet at his face as he cackled at you.

“How long?” Dustin demanded from across the room, arms crossed and lips turned down. The kid clearly wasn’t pleased to be sharing his friend.

“Guys, come on, I do not like—“

“Bullshit!” You blinked at the kids in front of you as their voices melded together.

“Okay, language,” you started, shifting forward in the recliner that you had sat in. “And maybe since sophomore year.” You mumbled the last part, awkwardly scratching the back of your neck and avoiding eye contact with them.

“Y/N, that was four years ago.” Mike reiterated as if you already didn’t know that information.

“Yes, thank you, Micheal. I can count.” You deadpanned and Will, who was sitting beside Mike, hit Mike in the chest with the pillow you had thrown at him.

“Have you told him yet?” Lucas asked, leaning his elbows on his knees.

“Pshh, no way. The guy goes on a date every week. And we’ve been best friends since we were little kids— it would ruin our dynamic.” You motioned with your hands, trying to explain the difficult situation to the group of 9th graders.

“You’re an idiot.” You scoffed at Max, wishing you had another pillow to throw at her.

“I am not!” You defended, crossing your arms over your chest. You were extremely tired of getting insulted by teenagers.

“You kinda are. Steve talks about you twenty four-seven. The guy is obsessed with you,” Dustin rolled his eyes, picking at a loose thread on the couch.

“He talks about me?” You were dumbfounded.

“Yeah, to anyone and everyone that will listen. He practically worships the ground you walk on.” Dustin explained further.

“Oh.” Was all you could say as you pondered the idea of Steve talking about you frequently. It made you smile.

“Speaking of Steve, where the hell is he? He should definitely be back by now.” Will thought aloud. You nodded your head, silently agreeing with the boy. Your eyes widened in realization as you forgot a small, tiny, itty-bitty detail.

You had locked the door after he left.

“Shit!” You were leaping out of your seat and up the stairs, pushing open the basement door, a trail of ‘watch your language’ echoing behind you. You jogged over to the front door and unlocked it, throwing it open to be met with a grinning El and a red-faced Steve.

“Shit, I’m sorry! I totally forgot I locked the door after you left and I was downstairs and what’s wrong? Why do you look upset? Are you really that mad at me?” You rambled as El moved to walk into the house.

“I will leave the both of you alone for a moment.” El smiled at you both as she walked in, shutting the door behind her.

“Steve?” You tried again, still receiving no response.

“I have a crush on you too.” You gawked at him, eyes going wide and jaw going slack.

“You what?” You almost laughed, completely confused.

“I’ve had a crush on you ever since freshman year.” He admitted, cheeks still pink and deep, brown eyes focused on you.

“Steve— where? How?” You sputtered, fumbling for a coherent sentence. You were about to ask more questions but then his lips were on yours. It took you a moment before you were kissing him back, eyes fluttering shut and hands gripping his biceps. His hands found your waist and pulled you closer, hips touching.

You stayed that way for a moment, drinking each other in before he pulled away.

“We were stuck outside and El used her powers to see where you guys were and she told me what you said and I’m an idiot for not saying anything sooner.” You furrowed your eyebrows and stuck an accusing finger in his chest.

“So you spied on me.” You dumbed it down, sending him an unimpressed look.

“I mean, you did lock us out. Of my own house, might I add,” he grabbed the hand that was pointing at his chest and interlaced your fingers. “So I’d say we’re even.”

“I dunno, I think you’d have to kiss me again for you to be forgiven.” You smiled up at him, face feigning innocence.

“If you say so,” he chuckled, hands cupping your cheeks and meeting you halfway. You couldn’t keep from smiling into the kiss, actually glad that some 9th graders had bullied you into spilling your feelings.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fluff

[roshellow29]

Idk why but I feel the need to rant about trolls band together so here's a warning for SPOILERS.

TL;DR I'll be talking shit about major conflict parts in the movie that I wished were handled differently >:((((

Please take caution (and a deep breath) reading this because I'm very bad at making sense when I ramble ok? Ok les go

OK SO.

The movie was great, loved the songs and I enjoyed branches family shenanigans, including supportive girlfriend poppy I've been WAITING FOR THIS (ifykyk)

But here are some things that bothered me that they could've definitely done differently

1. JOHN DORYS ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC- jd is great. He's actually my favorite! He's a cringefail boyfailiure and I love him for it. In the movie, his whole thing was that he was basically an ass who didn't listen to his siblings and always pressured and bossed them around. Cool, that's established. What's not is, Why??? It's really the whole "perfect family harmony" thing I guess.

Because later in the conflict he says that it was "hard being responsible for four younger siblings" (which bitch me too were litteraly the same) and that all they needed to be was perfect. what I don't understand is why? Why the whole perfect harmony? Where did it come from? They didn't say it was a big thing or that other bands did it? Would it get them more fame? Would it mean that they're perceived as the perfect brothers or something?? Also, why wasn't the grandmother more involved with the kids?? Did she pressure him to care for his siblings because their parents weren't involved or something? That's just one thing that's not really explained to me ig 🤔

And the whole thing that bothers me with jd is that he doesn't do the cliché "branch I'm sorry I was an asshole brother, and I wanna be a better troll to you and our bros. And blah blah blah" like they skip that entire potential jd apology??? I was expecting that with a hug?? I WANTED A HUG WITH BRANCH AND JD OK. He genuinely cares about him!!! You can see it, he really does. He's just bad at communicating. Like extremely - so they skipped that and just made him go, "We'll follow ur lead branch," and that's it.😐 no apology. No proper character development. Just him going "ok yeah I'll follow u one time." LIKE HUH. (This also includes the other siblings cuz they dipped on branch the same, and none of them said sorry!!)

OH and another thing. WHY WERE CLAY AND BRUCE SUCH ASSHOLES TO JD. ESPECIALLY CLAY. like I completely get it, he was an asshole, he pressured and bossed you around, we know that. But that was 20 PLUS YEARS AGO??? Like no you don't have to hug him but damn why r yall so cold???

I'm thinking that because I'm p sure they went no contact at all after they broke up. So how r they so sure he's still the way he was before?? (I mean they were kinda right but still) like you could've been super happy and then get disappointed later when trying to practice hitting the note. It would've made more sense to me idk. Like it just bothers me that they straight up ignore him- it's mean! (But I can't be too mad I mean they all have their reasons ig 🙄)

While we're on the topic of the family, on to my next point.

2. ROSIEPUFF AND HER DEATH. I think it was handled HORRIBLY. Like the whole movie I was just like "plz don't skip over it plz don't skip over it." And then branch drops the bomb on them right (which still caught me off guard like damn) and THEYRE DUMBFOUNDED, GREAT. And then after that there's NOTHING. NOTHING!?!??!?!?!? they don't mention it they don't apologize to branch for what he went through they don't take two seconds to mourn her they're just like "wait she dead?" And then fucking move on like. Why???? they don't question how, they don't question when branch was living in solidarity for 20 years, nothing. and I'm mad as fuck because that was part of Branches entire CHARACTER ARC in the first movie!! They don't mention he was gray they don't mention he didn't sing they don't mention anything. He went through that for 20 YEARS, ALONE. and they don't mention it. I rlly hated that- like they rlly didn't care.

Anyway.

Third smaller topic that I thought was gonna happen

3. I thought clay was gonna end up going, "actually yknow what, I AM fun" and then embrace himself because hes most definitely goofy. But nah they left him trying so hard to convince himself he's serious, and tbh he just came across as branch 2.0.

Alright moving on!!

4. I'm mad they didn't include a little flashback of viva and poppy being inseparable until the escape happened. Like I know popps was an infant but at the same time troll kids talk the day they're born, so it would've been nice to see them be together at least once before they separated.

Also.

I WANNA DECK PEPPY IN THE FACE. you lost your daughter and instead of MOURNING her and spreading her memory you decided to act like she didn't EXIST. WHY. like he was obviously depressed and sad but why didn't you tell poppy stories of her when she was a kid or something? And keep her memory alive??

(And sure. There's the thing with "They weren't gonna give poppy a sister until now" but I feel like they could've at least made poppy remember a small flashback is what I'm saying.)

Idk. I just wish it was handled differently like why is peppy keeping so much shit to himself lmao.

Oh yeah and then there's just my little nitpick and it's that I wish they included the troll leaders in the wedding sequence ok they're all friends they should've been invited ok I just wanted to see them again 😭(totally not saying thus cuz world tour is my fav but I am)

Anyway, yeah! I think this is just what mainly bothers me about the movie. I just feel like the conflict was handled poorly. But either than that it's still a good watch. I like it a lot :D

If you read this far, God damn you like to read, and thanks for dealing with my stupid thoughts!

If not, that's OK lol.

#this is long #but i needed to get it out #great movie #solid 8/10 #go watch trolls world tour #trolls #trolls band together #rant #long ass post #text #tbt spoilers #trolls band together spoilers

[aloneodi]

First date | Elizabeth Olsen

Summary: the first date but not their first date

Pairing: Elizabeth Olsen x male reader

Warning: little bit suggestive at the end, mentions of having sex and Y/N being overprotective and old schooled daddy~

Elizabeth's pov

"Have you told him?" I look at Ellie and smile. She is so worried that Y/N wont allow her to go on that date she is so looking forward to. Secretly I'm worried too. I mean Eddie is dating since he is 16 and Y/N is ok with it, but this is his daughter and eventhough Ellie is nearly 17, to him she is still a little girl. Thank God he is strictly anti-gun because otherwise I could totally picture him sitting on the porch and cleaning his gun when the poor boy arrives.

"I will tell him now. I'll be back in a couple of minutes" I give her a another smile and make my way to our room. I knock and get in. He is on the phone so I decide it is best to bring him in a good mood. I walk around the desk and curl up in his lap. He smiles down at me and finishes his call.

"Why Mrs. L/N did you miss me while l was in here" he says with a sexy smirk and even after nearly 20 years of beeing married this particular smirk makes me squirm a little. "I miss you whenever I'm not with you but actually we need to talk."

"What have the kids done now" I giggle when he looks annoyed because every discussion about the kids starts with 'we need to talk'.

"Well they are all good, but there is something Ellie wanted to tell you but she was a little worried of your reaction so she asked me to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"There is a nice boy in her school and he asked her on a date. She would really like to go, you know eat at a diner go to the movies maybe they go to the pool hall after that a typical teenie date." Y/N gapes at me and next he get's up with me in his arms, plops me down on his chair and starts to pace in our room while he runs both hands through his hair. Crap thats not good.

"Liz, baby, she is a child, she is way to young for a date. The answer is no!" he says with finality in his voice but I'm not going to let him ruin this for Ellie.

"Y/N, Ellie is almost 17 she is not a little girl anymore, Besides Eddie is dating since he is 16 don't you think that this is double standard." he glares at me and when I first met him that look would have made me cringe but now I glare back at him.

"Elizabeth that's different Ellie is a girl and I know what teenage boys want and they won't do that with any of my daughters. I mean imagine we let her go and two months from now she tells us she is pregnant. I'm not ready to be a grandpa" Ok thats ridiculous and I roll my eyes at him.

"First Ellie is not the kind of girl who has sex on the first date and second she is on the pill..."

"WHAT?" Y/N damn near screams and now I do cringe. Shit I never told him. "Lizzie why is our daughter on the pill. Is there something I don't know?"

"Y/N please calm down. I haven't told you about this because Ellie was so embarrassed that she had to tell me that she made me promise not to tell anyone else. A year ago she told me that she had really bad cramps when ever she got her period. So I took her to Dr. Greene and she told us that this is very common for young girls and that the pill could help. So we tried and it worked. This has nothing to do with birthcontroll for Ellie."

"Oh really, last time I checked the pill was birthcontroll. If she has cramps than she can take painkillers or take hot bath."

"Y/N please I don't want my daughter to take painkillers five days every month, thats not exactly healthy and Ellie knows that if she wants to have sex, she has to tell the boy to use a condom."

"You had the talk with her?"

"Of course I had 'the talk' with her. I don't want to be a grandma either. Well not right now. And do you want to know what she told me. Ellie told me that she would wait with sex until she knows she has found the right guy. She is very mature for her age, but we have to give her some space. It's one date and I already told her that she could not go without Ryan following her and you know what, she is ok with that as long as he doesn't sit at her table while dinner or in the same row in the cinema. So the worst that could happen is that they are holding hands or kiss..."

"Kiss" Y/N gasps and I have to stiffe a smile because he looks shocked. "Yes Y/N teenagers do kiss."

"Not my daughter she is too young!" Oh Y/N!

"Y/N we have to let her make her own expirience and I'd rather she asks us and we can meet the boy than her telling us she is going to friends house and meeting someone behind our backs. Besides all her friends are already dating and Ava she has her third boyfriend already"

"Well she is Collin's and Scar's daughter that was to be expected" Y/N mutters petulantly. "Come on baby I know this is hard on you but remember we have two more daughters and they will all start to date eventually see it as practice" I say with a smirk and he walks over to the desk again picks me up, sits down and puts me back in his lap.

"Fine, I want to meet the little fucker and if I don't like him they are staying here where I can watch him. Wait why don't we go with them?" Ok now I'm laughing. "You can't be real Y/N we can't go with them Ellie would die of embarrassment cuz everyone in school would make fun of her and you know how paparazzi is, they will follow us and it will be lot of trouble"

"Why?" he looks at me like this is a serious question and I think he is really thinking of doing it. "Because no teenage girl wants a double date with her parents how would you have felt if your parents wanted to go on a date with you and a girl you liked?"

"I would have felt that they are very responsable and-" I hold both hands up to stop him "Oh please you would have not felt like that. Look we agreed she can go once we met him so I'm going to tell her that he should come here to pick her up on friday and you can call Ryan now and talk to him." I kiss him quickly and leave our room before he can change his mind though I really hope that Ryan can talk some sense into my constantly worried husband.

Friday evening (Ellie's date night)

I sit in the family room and sip on my wine while looking lovingly at my poor husband. Thank god our younger kids are staying at my parent's house tonight so he can only drive himself and me crazy. He has called Ryan every day since I told him about the date on sunday, Actually I was ready to tell Ellie to go on her date on tuesday just to get this over with. Poor Ryan by now Y/N has compiled a 5 pages long list with things he has to watch and of course Y/N told him that he would be fired if Ellie gives him the slip or if they have sex.

Louis, my husband's dear manager is a wreck too because he was trying to convince Y/N that it was not possible to run a background check on everyone who will be in the diner or the cinema. Of course that wasn't safe enough for my darling control freak so now he has a deal with the manager of the cinema that no matter which movie they want to watch, the will watch it alone.

"Of course Ellie nearly threw a fit when she heard that but I calmed her down and also talked Y/N out of renting a diner for the evening as well as that would have been just too much. Jeez he was never that crazy with Eddie, but than again Eddie is just like Y/N, he looks just like him and he shares Y/N's interest in martial arts so he knows how to defend himself. I mean I don't want anything to happen to Ellie either but I think she needs to make her own mistakes to learn from them and besides Ellie also knows how to defend herself as Y/N had all of our kids go to several safety trainings and they all have security following them so there is no way that boy could harm Ellie. Ryan would rather shoot the kid than let anything happen to Ellie or our other kids Kylie, Grace and Matthew.

I'm interrupted from my thoughts when Ellie appears in the family room wearing a lovely light pink dress with the pumps I borrowed her. Her blond curls are tied back in a high ponytail and she looks so pretty.

"Do I look ok??" she asks a little shy and Y/N steps forward. "You can't go out like that. No way no dress or skirt go change into pants" he says and I get up too. "You look lovely sweetie. I really like the dress, don't listen to your Dada he is just worried."

"Fuck liz she can't wear a dress it's to easy to grab feel of her."

"Daddy!" Ellie pipes deathly embarrassed. "Damien would never do that. He is a nice boy. Please, please don't embarrass me I really like him" she begs wringing her hands and Y/N sighs. "Fine where is the fu- umm guy" he corrects himself and just than Taylor announces Master Damien Hamilton- Ellie's date.

We all look expectantly to the hallway and I have to stiffle a giggle when a boy who is at least 3 or 4 inch smaller than Ellie comes in and nearly falls over his own feet Oh dear, the poor boy is shaking. He has floppy black hair, his shirt is a little wrinkled and he looks deathly pale and stares wide eyed at us.

"Mom, Dad this is Damien." Ellie says and I swear Y/N is biting the insides of his cheeks when Ellie pushes the poor boy further into the room.

"Mr L/N, Mrs L/N it's a- a ple- pleasure to meet you" he stutters and holds his hand out to shake. Poor boy has sweaty palms and now Y/N is smirking, " Well Damien it is nice to meet you too, I do hope you will treat my daughter with respect" Y/N says and the boy nods wide eyed when we all sit down though he stands frozen to the spot in the room. "Sit" Ellie snaps and obediently he sits. Wow she really is her father's daughter so dominant.

"So Damien tell me in what activities are you involved in school." Y/N asks and the boy takes a deep breath. "I'm in the debatting and chess club and also part of the math athletes I'm not that good in sports, Sir." he says and actually he looks a little bit like a nerd but in a cute kind of way.

"I see and what do your parents do for a living?" I ask hoping this will be enough information for Y/N. "My father is working as software developer and my mom is a lab assistant Ma'am"

"We need to go now. Come" Ellie says suddenly and he follows her like a puppy out of the room, while we walk out behind them and watch as they get into his car and drive of with Ryan following them in one of the SUV's.

I close the front door and look at Y/N expectantly. "I like the boy, yes Ellie can date him." he smirks then stalks over to me, picks me up so I'm hanging over his shoulder and gives me a firm slap on my ass making me yelp.

"Now that we are alone Mrs. L/N I think you have to keep me occupied until Ellie is back home." he says in a seductive voice and I grin. "Why Mister L/N I'd like that very much." and with that he carries me into our bedroom where I keep him occupied in our very special way.

#elizabeth olsen x male reader #elizabeth olsen x reader #elizabeth olsen #mommy lizzie #i present to you my wife #lizzie olsen #lizzie olsen x you #lizzie olsen x reader #lizzie olsen x male reader

[gabessquishytum]

Hello Friend,

I am begging you to hear me out on a fic idea I just have not the time nor talent to write for now. But I really want to one day so maybe if you’ll help me get some of it out? Or feel free to add to it! It goes like this:

Hella slow build, Hob has been searching for Dream since he missed their meeting 24 yrs ago. He has nothing more to go on that Johanna Constantine looking for a being of his stranger’s description. But one day he sees Death and she can no longer hide from him that Dream was captured. She fesses up and gives Hob a hint of who to look for: “The Magus shouldn’t have been strong enough, Hob. Someone else helped him so you should stay away from it.” Hob won’t listen to that and she knows it. Bada-bing bada-boom Hob fishbowl savior intro is done.

The big thing I cannot get out if my mind is the LONGING. That they become friend friends who BOTH talk, about former lovers and sons, who visit each other’s houses, who eat together and cry together, who watch movies and maybe cuddle slightly too closely. I’m talking about the longing of too many wistful stares, too many deep silences, too much hand holding and charged eye contact, and so many unsaid words but it mostly being, “I love you.” Then after 20+ years of friendship, after Hob has reinvented himself again they finally have it out.

It was a family dinner or some stressful event for either Hob or Dream where they get too tipsy and too honest. “Gods Dream, can I finally kiss you?” Dream runs to the Dreaming out of fear but Hob finds his way to the throne room. Dream can only stare at him as he ascends the stairs and by god, why is he so beautiful? Why is he so unobtainable? Hob is not hurt, not angry, he’s confused. This cat and mouse game is so like them yet when they should have started furiously making out on Hob’s couch, Dream had disappeared into the air.

“I don’t understand, Dream. Surely, you must know how much I feel for you. I haven’t been able to hide it since you that day you shot a ramen noodle out of your nose at my impression of Destiny.” Dream chuckles but he still doesn’t look up from where his hands clench at his robe, pulling the stars around him like a shield. Hob steps forward so that their feet almost touch and he gently cups Dream’s face. Dream sighs as he melts into that hand and he’s grateful Hob does not make him look up further because seeing his beautiful face would crush him. Hob continues as a thumb caresses along a pale cheekbone. “I worried for centuries that you didn’t feel the same but I see the way you look at me. I know the regard you have given me in spades is so rare that even Lucienne couldn’t believe it. And I know I can comfort you, that I can make you laugh and that I am not afraid of any aspect of you. I can love you like you have never been loved before. And I know that you know it. So can you tell me why you ran?”

Dream takes a long time to say what he’s been thinking because while he needs Hob to know he is afraid what Hob knowing it will mean. “I will not have a relationship with you, Hob.”

“Why not?”

“I have already stated my intent, why must you know the reasoning?”

“Because I know you aren’t thinking about this right so I want to know what your lovely brain is cooking up there in order to make this reasoning.”

Hob says it so plainly, so lightheartedly that it should make Dream angry if it wasn’t something he adored about the man. But he will feign angry anyway in a spiteful attempt to get Hob to back off even though it’s obvious to them both that he won’t. “I won’t explain myself to a mere mortal. I cannot be with you so end this folly.”

“I’m actually immortal and cannot die so… And you said can’t that time.”

It was a trap. Dream turns away with a huff, out of Hob’s intoxicatingly warm palm. He walks towards the stained glass windows hoping the distance will help settle him but considering it’s colorful swirling motif is a representation of Hob’s joyous laugh the irony almost makes him scoff. He is so fickle these days. His false anger turns to embarrassment and then that turns to agony. He wants nothing more than to sink into Hob’s arms but he cannot be so weak as to ruin him. He is in the heart of the Dreaming at the helm of his throne but deep inside he knows Hob has all the power here. How long had that been true?

“Dream? My love, what are you thinking?”

Hob’s kindness burns him. Immediately his proverbial heart slams into his throat, choking him and tears well in his starry eyes. If Hob won’t take his anger maybe he would take the truth. “I cannot care for you in this way, Hob. I would not see you scorned the way I have ruined all those who previously cared for me.”

“Dream. You would not ruin me. And even if you did I would thank you for it.”

Images of Hob’s imagining flood in. Him crying with a reminiscing smile. Them screaming at each other and slamming doors. Hob wearing a suit of armor about to fight Hell for Dream and asking only to kiss him upon the hand as a boon though he knows he will never return from battle. It’s too much so Dream folds further in on himself.

“Love, please. I can see you’re hurting. Let me help you, let me love you.”

His pleading hurts and Dream does something he has never done before. He turns to face Hob and suddenly drops to his knees in front of him. Hob immediately lunges to pick him up but before he can do so Dream lays his hands on the icy stone before Hob’s bare feet. He closes his eyes against the tears there and places his forehead between his upturned palms. “Please. Please, Hob Gadling. Grant me mercy from this torture.”

Hob’s stunned into silence at the king kneeling before him. “Dream…I…”

“I beg of you, Hob. I could not bear it if I hurt you the way I have hurt those who came before you in loving me. Even now, I cannot say the words for fear calamity would instantly strike you down. So please, I am begging you as all that I am. As Dream of the Endless, Oneiros, Morpheus, Ruler of Dreams, King of Nightmares, and the master of the Dreaming and its inhabitants, I beg you please, do not love me.”

Silence echoes in the hall and the only sounds that make it pass the roaring in Hob’s ears is Dream’s unspoken words. I love you.

*****

That’s all I got so far in this hour long sleep deprived rant session (sorry!) but all that really matters to me is the image of Dream kneeling. Him begging Hob not to love him because I have always thought Dream would never accept Hob’s love so easily out of fear for hurting him because of course he’s already in love. I just always like the idea of them knowing but not saying anything because longing and pining are what make love confessions feel so much like relief. And I just want Hob to be as patient in this matter as a man who waits decades for an unknown friend. But mostly, I just want to be in looooovvvvveee.

Sorry this got out if hand lol. I did not mean to drop all this on yah😅 Any thoughts?😅 I know this isn’t like your normal asks but I’m ace so the smuttiness doesn’t occur to me so naturally. But if I ever get to writing this (in 10 years lol) then I will defs have some crying throne sex for you😘

Have a great day!! Thank you for all your wonderful thoughts that bring me joy everyday!!❤️

-🧶 Anon

🧶 anon you have RUINED me. Dream begging Hob not to love him??? Hi I'm going to cry. Dream has hardly ever begged in the entire course of his existence!! He desperately wants to tell Hob that he loves him - he can't even say it! He'd rather beg and humiliate himself than risk hurting Hob.

And poor Hob 😢 what would you do if the love of your life BEGGED you not to love him?! Holy shit!!!!

Hngnng. Thank you for sharing this, I hope you have the opportunity to continue with it! I think it has amazing potential and you can make lots of us cry with this concept!!!

#🧶 anon #the sandman #dreamling #dream x hob

[oh-surprise-its-me]

Jake knows he feels too much, he’s felt too much for years.

Hangman.

Christ. If only they knew he had lists in his notes app for allergies, likes and dislikes, favorite foods and birthdays.

Hangman.

Yeah. It’d be more fitting if he had been the one to leave the other behind. But no, he was flying with Snakebite and the asshole left Jake behind but hadn’t done the move right. So Jake pulled forward and ahead and Snake had to abort.

Hangman.

He wishes he could take the persona off, but it settles on his shoulders like a jacket. He finds some comfort in it. Jake knows that Javy can see through it, why Jake always sticks close to Javy and doesn’t ask too many questions. Has the confidence in himself when he really hasn’t had any since his father kicked him out at 15.

Hangman.

He sits outside the hard deck in the sand, he hears someone come up behind him. It’s probably Javy. The only person whose ever come to check on him in 20 years.

“You good Jake?”

Oh. Oh. That’s not Javy. That’s Bradley.

He sniffs, “yeah what’s it to you Roo.”

Bradley lands on the sand next to Jake, he sits close enough their shoulders touch. “Saw you leave. But I also saw you start crying. Figured I’d check up on you.”

Jake let’s put a wet laugh, he scrubs at his eyes. Jake, such the fucking cry baby look at you now.

“Jake come on what’s up, are you okay? Are you hurt? Should I get Javy?” Jake shakes his head, “no let him have his night. It’s stupid anyways. I’m just a bit drunk.”

Hangman.

“Can’t be that stupid if it made you cry.”

Jake falls back into the sand, it’s easier this way, he can just stare at the stars instead of looking away from Bradley.

“Nat almost drank coconut rum.”

Bradley lays back in the sand next to Jake. “Not sure I follow. But keep talking.” Jake shakes his head. “She’s allergic. No one saw but me so I reminded her. She told me to fuck off, and that if she wanted a lecture from her mom she’d call her.”

Bradley let’s out a puff of air. “Shit. I didn’t know she was allergic.”

Jake laughs again. God this day can’t end fast enough. “Not dead allergic just enough it bothers her. She mentioned once a few years ago.”

Bradley nods, “you notice things about people. You care.”

Now it’s Jakes turn to nod, “reason I came out here was I figured no one would notice I was gone. Got too loud in there.”

“I notice.”

Now Jake turns to look at Bradley, he’s not sure what he’s expecting to see but the look of, caring? God Jake might even dare to say love? In Bradley’s eyes are a startling image.

“You always let Payback have shotgun because rarely gets car sick, you let Javy have all your pickles because he loves them. You remembered Nat is allergic to coconut even though I’ve known her for years and she mentioned it to you once.”

Bradley takes a breath sitting back up. “God Jake I think I notice everything about you.”

Jake is shocked that Bradley has been apparently watching him for years. Shit maybe his crush isn’t just one sided. He sits up, twisting to face Bradley head on.

“You care?”

Bradley smiles, “please god punch me if I got this wrong Jake but I more then care.”

And then he kisses Jake.

Bradley Bradshaw is kissing Jake Seresin.

Merry fucking Christmas in July to Jake.

Jake pulls away. “I’m a lot Bradley. I feel too much. I cry when dogs die in movies. I get angry around father related holidays. I have a weirdly dependent relationship with my best friend. I get it if you want to run away.”

Bradley takes Jake’s hand, he brings it up to his mouth kissing it and then using it to drag Jake into a hug. “I like a lot Jake. I’m grabby in the mornings. I take 30 minute showers. I cook but maybe not to the best level. I go full out at any holiday but I’m insufferably overkill around Valentine’s Day. I’m not running if you aren’t.”

Jake presses a kiss into Bradley’s neck. He feels tears in his eyes but for different reasons now. “Well I guess there’s only one way for me to know about the grabby morning part huh?”

Bradley laughs, he stands in one motion, and sticks a hand out for Jake to grab. “Wanna find out?”

Jake smiles up and grabs Bradley’s hand.

He’s not letting go. And he’s going to remember every damn moment of tonight.

#bradley rooster bradshaw #jake hangman seresin #this is not part of my slider is jakes dad au #bradley bradshaw x jake seresin #top gun #top gun maverick #sorry to Nat but I needed a mean person for a sec #I love her though #Jake seresin has lots of feelings #javy coyote machado #Javy is the best friend #hangman name origin!! #I’m so wasted it’s not even funny

[ramspatula]

Carnations | Cole Brookstone x fem!reader | Part 2

Ghosts don’t exist. And I’m not crazy. I swear I’m not lonely either.

Previous part, Masterlist, Next part

I toyed with the pink flowers Cole gave me and looked to the one on the wall, in the frame.

“Peach can you see that?” She turned from where she was laying on my bed, watching some random video on her phone.

“See what?” She asked

“The pink carnation… flower. The one in the frame.” I said and she frowned.

“Yeah I’m the one who put it in the frame and put it up there…. Why?” She asks and I turn to her.

“Do you remember when I told you about that old woman who came in every Sunday and only bought a newspaper and always had a singular pink carnation?!” I asked- demanded and she went wide eyed- sitting up.

“Woah. Yeah I do. Why?!” She asked again and I sighed.

“Nothing… I was just told that the woman died over a decade ago and the newspaper hasn’t existed for over 20 years.” I said and watched her face, she reacted oddly calm. I expected her to call me weird or tell me someone was messing with me.

“Ghost?” She asked and I deadpanned.

“Ghosts don’t exist.” I told her and she raised an eyebrow.

“Colourful people who can control elements and live for thousands of years exist but ghosts don’t?” She asked and I looked down. I didn’t want to think about that. I couldn’t be talking to a ghost?!

“That would mean I was being haunted by a ghost and I didn’t even know.” Why would Cole’s grandmother haunt me?

The room went silent and Peach sighed before looking at the carnation.

“Lloyd said he can’t see the flower. He asked me why you had an empty frame and when I told his that there was a flower in there, he looked at me like I was crazy.” She revealed and I turned to her.

“What the fuck?!” I questioned and she turned to me.

“Ghosts haunt lonely people. Are you lonely, Y/n?”

Am I lonely?

0:57 ————|——— -2:10

“Who can tell me how you can prioritise children first in an establishment?” I could do without this class right now. I could do without college right now.

“Are you lonely, Y/n?”

“Am I lonely?”

“Are you talking to yourself?” Kai asked. He taught the basic self defence class. Not that I ever did much. Not that many people turned up anymore. And by that I mean none. It was our hour to talk shit and pretend that we do anything. Peach always spent this time with Lloyd. At his home gym. They were definitely working out in some way.

“No.”

“You so were. C’mon tell me what’s going on?” Kai said, leaning on his elbows as we sat on the empty gym floor at the small university we both went to.

“Do you ever think about how this might not all be real? Like what we see isn’t what’s actually there.”

“That’s deep. I don’t like to think like that. Makes me feel unstable.” He told me and I nodded.

“But like-“

“Y/n, when was the last time you went out? Like on a date? And I don’t mean when you be really sad and join Peach and Lloyd’s movie dates.” Kai said and I whipped my head around, offended.

“Woah- first of all- fuck off. Second, I wanted to watch barbie and third, I have my fun. I just don’t need to brag about it to you.” I told him and he huffed, taking a swig from his drink.

“Hey! Don’t need to tell me twice. I was the fun- before I settled down!” He said and I scoffed.

“You’ve been in a relationship less than 6 months and that was back when I was 15 and you were 17. You should technically be locked up, pedo.” I told him and he looked at me offended, always hot headed.

“Don’t call me that!” He said and I laughed.

“Pedo! You like little girls!” I said and the ground felt a little warmer than usual considering it was nearing Christmas and I was wearing two layers right now.

“I am not a pedo! My girlfriend is older than me too! She’s 21, I’m 20… she’s the pedo!” Kai told me and I laughed.

“Mm sure.” I said and he threw his bottle at me and I gasped in shock.

“You’re a dickhead!” I swore and threw it back at him. He caught it without looking and opened the cap before taking a swig.

“So who you goofing around with now?” Kai asked and I shook my head.

“You wouldn’t know him- well maybe- he’s Lloyd’s friend- I think. I don’t know I met him at Peach’s birthday.” I told him and he frowned.

“Lloyd’s the biggest social outcast. He has less than a handful of friends. Do you know how easy that makes it for me to figure out?” Kai asked and I gasped.

“Peach would kill you if she heard you.” I said and Kai shrugged.

“Listen, spitfire, I would absolutely knock the life out of Peach. No effort.” Kai said and I kicked him, he whined. “Why?!”

“Peach would put you in a spliff and if not then Lloyd would snap you in a half.” I told him and he shrugged.

“Yeah I might struggle with Lloyd- since when were you that strong?!” He whined again and my face contorted into a look that read one thing- ick.

“Get up.” I told him and he sprung up.

“I’m good. Now let me guess this mystery man. Can’t be Jay because he’s Nya’s boyfriend… right?!” He asked, suddenly worried and I shook my head.

“I don’t think I’ve even met Jay.” I told him and he frowned.

“You must’ve. Ginger, freckles, yaps to save his life?” He listed and I shook my head.

“Definitely not Jay.” I told him and he frowned. “Why don’t we just talk about something else.” I said and he went to say something before his phone beeped.

“Sorry, gotta go. My boss just called me into work.” Kai said and was rushing out before I could say anything.

“Bye then.”

0:57 ————|——— -2:10

It was pissing it down. You could’ve convinced me it was a storm. I was wet and cold and I think lost?

“Fuck!” I yelled seeing the no signal or wifi available. I felt the tears enter my eyes. It was not my day.

“Excuse me, mam?” I turned to see the Earth Ninja and sighed in relief.

“Thank God! It’s you! I thought I was about to get mugged then.” I said and he laughed.

“Not on my watch. I actually remember you… bush girl.” He said and my face dropped.

“Do not give me that nickname it can mean two things.” I said and he raised his hands in surrender.

“How about we just get you home?” He asked and I smiled, professional man. Big man. Strong man. Stop it.

“Okay, thank you.” I said and he led the way, completely ignoring the fact that he the way to where I lived. I started to shiver.

“Okay this is no good. You’re shivering like you’ve just fell into an ice pool. Why are you out in just a hoodie?” He asked, concerned and I shrugged.

“Because I didn’t think!” I replied and he shook his head.

“C’mon, doll. Let’s get you out of here.” Before I could register he was hoisting me up into his arms, bridal style and jumping onto different building until he reached the top of the skyline and I screamed.

“What the fuck?!” I screamed and screwed my eyes shut, burring my face into his- wet- chest as he moved quickly and silently. Like dead silently, considering he was such a big guy. We suddenly came to a halt and he was slowly making his way through something before coming to a complete stop. I took the risk and looked up to see my room and then looked up to see him.

“Do you want me to put you down? Because I don’t mind holding you, sweetheart?” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“Just put me down, thanks.” I said and he gently set me down. I lifted my hoodie over my head, needing it OFF. I turned to him who was leaning on my open window sill and watching. I looked at him, questioningly. “Everything okay?” I asked and he nodded.

“I’m great. In fact I’m waiting for someone- hey Greeny! Straying a bit far from your patrol area aren’t you?!” He suddenly yelled out the window and the green ninja suddenly appeared on my window sill.

“I am still your leader, Earth. I can go wherever I think is best.” He told him and I made an ‘ooh’ sound, mainly to antagonise earth. I was also in complete shock that the green ninja was on my window sill.

“And I am still you’re big bro! Team comes first, okay Lil bro?” He questioned and the green ninja pushed his head away.

“You seem to be far away from your position too… bro.” The bro did not sound friendly…

“Okay, I see your point. I’ll be there in a minute.” Earth said the ninja squinted his eyes.

“Will you?” He questioned and Earth nodded.

“Just go! Don’t ruin my fun because I ruined yours.” He said and the green ninja rolled his eyes before jumping off the sill to god knows where.

“What the hell just happened?!” I questioned and he turned to me.

“It’s a big day for you! Meeting me and Greeny!” He said instead, cockily.

“Get out I need to shower.” I said and he tsked before sauntering over to the window sill.

“I’ll see you again?” He asked and I looked at him weirdly.

“Yeah whenever I’m about to die from hyperthermia again I’ll summon you.” I said and he laughed.

“Promise?” He questioned and I shook my head.

“Go!”

0:57 ————|——— -2:10

“Peach! Peach! Peach! Peach! Pe-eeeeaaach-!”

“Woah okay, don’t wear it out. Might start using my actual name.”

“Okay I-“

“STOP! Just might make me disappear.” She said, hidden meaning and I didn’t even think about it.

“Does Lloyd even know your actual name?” I asked and she paused.

“Yeah- I think. He’s seen my drivers license. You know the one I have because I can drive- anyway I’m doing an order, do you want this hoodie?” She asked and I momentarily forgot what I wanted to tell her. It was cute.

“Yeah!”

“Too bad. They don’t have your size.”

“What the hell?! Why would you even ask?! Anyway- trust me you are not gonna believe this. Like you might-“

“Just tell me.” Peach said, leaning back against the couch in our shared apartment.

“The Earth ninja took me home today.” I said and she sat up, alarmed.

“What?” She asked and I smiled.

“It was raining and I was lost because Kai had to go into work so he couldn’t drive me home and he showed up out of nowhere-“

“They’re ninja they do that.” She told me and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah but this is special because he literally waited in my room for a moment before the green ninja showed up and I think he was tryna see you again. I remember when you said you used to run into him all the time, do you still see him?!” I asked, rushed and she seemed uncomfortable with this topic.

“Yeah, he pops up every now and then to check in. People aren’t the nicest when you date Lloyd Garmadon. After that group tried to jump me he still sometimes makes sure I get home safe and he checks in to see if anything has happened. He’s sweet. The ninjas actually care. That’s why they’re better than the military… and they’re more powerful.” She said and went back to writing her essay.

“They’re sweet…. He was a total flirt! He called me doll, sweetheart and- and bush girl but I’m ignoring that.” I said and she frowned at me.

“Bush girl? Also- are you crushing on a ninja? I’ve never even seen you like a guy.” She said and cracked open her can of Diet Coke.

“I don’t wanna talk about bush girl. Okay I-“

“Don’t say it! Just tell me about this-!” Just then the door opened and a sweaty, out of breath, Lloyd came in.

“You have keys to our apartment now?!” I asked and he chuckled the keys in the bowl.

“No I have her keys.” He said and walked over to kiss his girlfriend before going to put his stuff away in Peach’s room.

“Staying the weekend?” I asked and Peach smiled.

“Hopefully. But who knows. He’s always on call but he promised that no matter what. He’ll come back here!” She said, hopefully. Lloyd, despite everyone hating him for his Dad, was in a pretty high position at his work and he was constantly on call. Personally, I think they hired him because they knew he’d have to do whatever they want.

“Hey, baby- did you hear?” She said giving me a mischievous look. I mounted a “what?” To her, confused.

“Hear what?” He said.

“Y/n’s met her dream man.” She said and I deadpanned.

“No-“

“No way! Who?” He asked, coming out her bedroom door, shirtless- SINCE WHEN DID HE HAVE ABS?!

“The earth ninja-!”

“Really?!” He said, amused.

“Yeah and she saw the green ninja too.” Peach added and Lloyd chuckled, making his abs flex.

“The green ninja huh? He’s real fond of you, peaches-“ That’s the closest his nicknames got to her name. The nicknames were ridiculously cute. “-but the Earth Ninja too? Are you two going for a theme?” He said and she laughed.

“You know if it wasn’t for your- abs- me and Peach would be lesbian lovers. Inseparable.” I said and he chuckled sitting on the couch with Peach settling between his legs and leaning her head against his thigh. “She’s was my pookie bear first.” I said and Peach rolled her eyes.

“I think you’ll find I have a lot more to offer than these abs.” Lloyd said and made his pecks do that thing where they move one by one. Peach hit him in the nipple and he didn’t flinch but laughed.

“Actually can you put them away- your muscles are scaring me.” I said and they both laughed.

“Okay but does my pookie bear want me to-“

“Hey! I named her pookie bear first-“

“Enough! You two are not having this argument again. And the next time one of you call me pookie bear and I’m gonna jump out that window.” Peach said.

“Speaking of names, Lloyd what’s Peach’s real name?” I asked and she deadpanned.

“Uhm… It begins with an I.” He said and she rolled her eyes. “I’m kidding, it’s Is-“

“STOP!” Peach called out and he smiled hugging her from behind.

“You know I wouldn’t.” He said before she shook her head and stood up. “You two behave whilst I order dinner.” She said like a mother with two silly children.

I immediately faced Lloyd and stuck my tongue out, he started doing the peck thing again and I cringed and put a hand up to block them from view.

“How are you supposed to date the Earth Ninja if you’re afraid of muscles?” Lloyd teased and I mock laughed at him.

“How’d you know he has muscles.” I said and Lloyd’s face dropped.

“Be serious.” He said and stood up, making his way to the bedroom. “Going in the shower, honey!” Endless supply of nicknames.

“Okay, pookie bear-!”

“ENOUGH! I am at my BREAKING POINT!” I yelled out to both and heard both laugh before Peach gasped.

“THE TAKEAWAY GUY THOUGHT I CALLED HIM POOKIE BEAR-!” I screamed and heard Lloyd let out a loud boisterous laugh. “WE NEED A NEW GUY.”

“Are you lonely, Y/n?”

Way to ruin my mood.

#ninjago cole #ninjago #earth ninja #nya smith #kai smith #jay walker #zane julien #ninjago zane #ninjago kai #ninjago jay #ninjago nya #ninjago lloyd #lloyd garmadon #cole brookstone x reader #cole brookstone

[grapenehifics]

20 Question Fic Writer Tag

Hell yeah I'll play. Thanks @palfriendpatine66 :D

How many works do you have on ao3?

AO3 says ten, but one of those is a series continuation of another one, so I count it as nine...although tomorrow that will go up by one, after the reveals for the Ghost Window challenge go out.

2.) What's your ao3 word count? 

Oh god. 690,376. I honestly think I was happier not knowing that fact about myself.

3.) What fandoms do you write for? 

I don't multitask well. I can write Star Wars fics or I can write Star Wars fics. I haven't even ventured outside the Clone Wars era yet.

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Some Technical Difficulties - big gap - Solsbury Hill - An Uncivil War - medium-sized gap - An Unlikely Duo - another gap-ish - Down by the Seaside.

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yep. I like it when authors reply to me when I leave a comment, so I try to pay it forward. Also sometimes we get into fun little side chats.

6.) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

At the moment, not one single damn one of them. They have angst in them, but none of them end on angst. However as of about twenty-four hours from now, my answer will be, Ghost Window AU.

7.) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Literally all of them. I'm happy to read angst, but when it comes to writing I am firmly in the happy endings camp.

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

I had some people tell me they were dropping out of Solsbury Hill because it wasn't getting to the Obikin fast enough, but I wouldn't call that hate. So, no.

(Side note, though: you don't have to tell authors that. Just delete your subscription quietly.)

But, I am also very ready to delete any and all negative comments. This is my fun side project; good vibes only.

9.) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

...pretty vanilla kind, honestly. Again, I read much more adventurously than I write. (Although, as recently as two years ago I would have said I don't write smut at all, so hit me up two years from now and maybe I'll be writing hardcore d/s, I don't know.)

10.) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

By the strict definition, no. If you're talking 'dump Star Wars characters into settings of other movies', then hell yeah, that's kind of my jam right now. Down by the Seaside is Obikin Overboard. Next year I'm planning to publish Obikin Jurassic Park, Obikin Parent Trap, and Obikin Princess Diaries II. And I have a couple more on my to-do list.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Is this a thing I need to worry about?? Shit.

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

@kittonafoxgirl did a podfic of Some Technical Difficulties and it is still like one of the top five most rad things that has ever happened to me; does that count?

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No but @fulcrum843 are currently mulling something over...

I do get a lot of help with my writing though. @piecesofeden11 basically wrote all the DnD stuff in An Unlikely Duo. I talk stuff out on Tumblr with folks all the time before I actually sit down to write it (or during, lol).

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

I have no plans to write anything other than Obikin, and there's so much new good fic that it takes up most of my reading time as well.

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I wouldn't call it a WIP because there are no words on a page but I love the *idea* of a fic based on Jenn Barkley from Parks & Rec but have no idea what direction to take it and may never get to it. (If anyone wants to take this idea and run with it please do; it is very much up for grabs!)

16.) What are your writing strengths?

This is a weird thing to answer about myself but I hope I write with a sense of movement, propulsion, even a little suspense - as a reader I love to feel that I have to turn the page, I have to see what comes next, I don't want to put this fic/book down - and I try to work towards that goal in my own writing.

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting bogged down in details. It drives me crazy in movies when characters have these huge mansions but seemingly never go to work and somehow this has translated into me being incapable of just writing a smutty one-shot or whatever because what is everyone's job and how much is their mortgage payment and do they get paid on Fridays or Mondays and how many bedrooms does that apartment have.

18.) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

See answer above about over-complicating things: I came up with this whole system for An Uncivil War for whether I'm writing out the dialogue in a language other than Basic (I feel like we really only have enough information for me to be able to do this in Huttese and Mando'a, and even then only short conversations in certain subjects), or simply noting that a character is saying something in another language ("he said in Ryl" or whatever), or mixing Basic and a word/words in another language within the same sentence. It was important to me to capture that multilingualism, but it's also a lot of work, ngl.

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

Technically Johnlock but I never finished/published anything.

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

I love all my babies equally, she lied.

It's the Can't Stop the Suns series, which is An Uncivil War, Pick Up the Pieces (more than halfway completed), and Sometimes Fate Steps In (loosely outlined). Sometimes I'll just look over my notes and get giddy about how much good stuff I'm packing in there and how much *more* good stuff I haven't even gotten to yet. I'm throwing the kitchen sink of stuff I love at it. Even if the final version doesn't quite live up to the vision I see in my head (it rarely does), as long as I get close I'll be happy.

I tag @piecesofeden11, @underacalicosky, @fulcrum843, and, as usual, anyone else who feels up for it!

#obikin #solsbury hill #an uncivil war #an unlikely duo #down by the seaside #pick up the pieces #let's get together

[synobun]

Want to get to know you better 💜 What's something that's been on your mind lately?

I will avoid the subjects that make people uncomfortable and instead talk about... Hrm. What is left after that, really.

Kidding. I think.

I've been thinking a lot about trying to exist in people's lives more. I've lived in Vancouver for almost ten years and I, uh... I had one friend here when I moved, that I already knew from online. We don't talk anymore. My fault. I left them when I first became bedbound, citing that I had nothing to offer them. I met someone the first year I was here as well, and it went poorly, and they moved away anyway. I've basically not bothered trying since.

One part of me wants to wield the antisocial badge and say it's because I'm just an unpleasant misanthrope or whatever. But the unfortunate truth is that I spent so many years just trapped in a bed or incapable of existing outside my home, so meeting people in real life, especially in a city so deeply committed to stereotype and cliche, was simply not a thing that could happen.

I feel like maybe I'm capable of spending time with people now? In a way where I'm not fighting for my life just to make it half an hour and then disappearing off the face of the planet for weeks after. It's been so long that I don't know how to exist around other humans anymore. And I can always come up with a reason why I shouldn't try.

But it's starting to really bother me. I need connection. I always have, but it's more pronounced and tangible now. The internet can only offer so much. Everyone I befriend sees the internet as their last resort. They prioritize what exists around them physically. And they should! But for someone who exists solely online, it gets sad to always be an option of convenience. When I have movie clubs, music events, online games, whatever, that's, like, the thing for me. For everyone else it's just a thing they can pop in and do if there's nothing better close by.

It's also getting ridiculous. Someone I know moved here three years ago and I still haven't met them. How absurd is that? It's nonsense. They like me. They've wanted to see me. I just haven't. Like I said... I always come up with a reason why I shouldn't. Someone I've known for the past year was in the city yesterday, specifically told me they wanted to have lunch with me, and I didn't say a single thing. Just told them to have fun at the hockey game. I am such a nincompoop.

I dunno. I've been thinking about how to be physically sociable. I'm not going to claim I was ever good at it, since I was an outcasted child and a high school dropout, but today it might as well be an alien idea. How do I exist around a person! How can they tolerate me when I cannot tolerate myself! My only in-person interactions in the past ten years have been with my friend I've had since I was eighteen and my ex when she visited me for two weeks two years ago. Besides that? Doctors. That's it. A couple one-off hellos/lunches, but... nothing, really, of substance. It's humiliating, even though I know for most of my 20s it wasn't my fault. It kind of is now, though.

You know, I said I would avoid the subjects that make people uncomfortable, but I don't think I did that. Well! Nevertheless. Now you know something that's been on my mind.

#ask reply #this was far more than what anyone really needed to hear :)