#but still. ‘I’ll tell you when it’s all over’ is a well-known romantic trope | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

keiriiz · 5 days

Text

Chrollo Relationship/Romantic Headcanons

Now for these headcanons, this is where my opinion might really differ from the rest of you guys. Of course this isn’t all but just some of my favorites. I will be putting a clear NSFW warning for when I start to talk about him in bed. 🔞

I do want to add that some of my headcanons would change depending on his partner. If they’re a Nen-user or not, exactly what their ability is, if they’re in the Phantom Troupe, and how long he’s known them, etc. These are just as neutral as possible haha. Even some of what I say here contradicts how I’ve written him in certain ships because I knew exactly how he would act for those specific love interests.

✥ Right of the bat, Chrollo is bi-romantic, having very little preference of gender when it comes to his s/o. And sexuality wise, he’s definitely on the demisexual spectrum.

✥ Chrollo never really planned on being in a long term relationship or ever settling down with someone when he created the Phantom Troupe. It was just another aspect of life he was prepared to sacrifice. So giving a genuine relationship a shot he’d have to really love the other person.

✥ It would take forever for Chrollo to actually recognize he was feeling romantic attraction to another person as the entire thing is foreign to him.

✥ This man’s charisma goes out the drain when trying to flirt with someone he’s genuinely interested it. Tapping his fingers as a stim while he awkwardly flirts. It’s painfully adorable.

✥ Before making things official, he may do extensive research on his s/o. Background checks, verifying friends and family members, overall borderline stalking. It’s a safety measure. He doesn’t want to risk falling for someone who works for an opposing group or who might betray him.

✥ In a relationship, his s/o would be a source of comfort, especially if the relationship is long term. He’ll relax in their arms after a heist or cuddle up to them when he has a nightmare.

✥ I said in my last post but I’ll say it again here. Chrollo is a little spoon!

✥ It’s not too often Chrollo will verbally tell someone he loves them, his main ways of showing affection are quality time, and gift giving. And for his special someone, he wouldn’t just give them random things willy-nilly, he’d put thought behind each one. Say his partner mentions needing new shoes because their current ones are really worn out. You bet next time Chrollo sees them he’s bringing two pairs of brand new shoes.

✥ He loves to be able to lay his head in his s/o’s lap and have them play with his hair while he reads. He might even purr if given the right setting.

✥ Chrollo can be touch avoidant in general. If anyone touches him and he hasn’t given that person mental permission he will move away, shudder even. So if he’s actually allowing another in his space it really is a sign of fondness.

✥ This man definitely takes notes from romance novels he’s read when it comes to dates with someone he’s head over heels for. It can be cheesy.

✥ Chrollo isn’t a chef by any means but on occasion he’ll attempt to cook for his s/o when staying in. Might as well put some of his cook books to use after all.

✥ The times Chrollo is with his partner, things can be quite pleasant. However he can still be emotionally distant. He often wonders what he did to deserve all of this. To be able to love and be loved. It’s a mental battle he might struggle with quite often in the relationship and he wouldn’t be too open to communicating that, leaving his s/o confused. Just some general reassurance could go a long ways.

✥ I feel like a lot of people go for the idea that he’d like others with similar interests or are like him in general, and I could see potential in that mindset however I much prefer the “opposites attract” trope. I think Chrollo might have a bigger interest in someone different than him who can really show a different perspective on certain things. Or even test his mindset and show him new interests.

✥ He’s protective of his s/o, knowing with the life he has, anyone might try to hurt them to get to him so Chrollo wouldn’t be one to really “show off” his partner unfortunately. They relationship could be pretty private.

✥ Assuming his s/o isn’t in the Troupe, Chrollo may ghost them while he’s away on the job. He’ll let them know he’s working, but no calls or texts while he’s away. He won’t even give a location. He wants to keep his personal life separate and doesn’t want to risk revealing to an enemy his relationship or possibly get distracted.

NSFW BELOW ‼️

✥ Before the relationship, Chrollo didn’t really like sex (as I mentioned him being demi), he viewed the act as a chore used on jobs to get information and didn’t find it all that gratifying.

✥ With his s/o, Chrollo much prefers to make love as opposed to casual sex. He likes the intimacy of being with someone he truly loves and not just an act of pleasure.

✥ He prefers bottoming though is open to being a verse. Acting as Boss all the time he really just likes to relax in his personal life so in all honesty it wouldn’t be rare to catch him being a pillow prince in bed.

✥ Chrollo’s not the biggest cock wise, probably just reaching average. He’s uncut being from Meteor City but trust and believe he keeps that shit clean with his pubic hair trimmed.

✥ He’ll almost never out right ask for sex, he’s honestly fine if his partner doesn’t have any interest in the act either. Though if they make a move he’s more than happy for a session.

✥ He’s got VERY sensitive nipples. Give them a little tug with your teeth and he’ll mewl.

✥ Aftercare is always a given between him and his s/o. If Chrollo just got done bottoming, cuddles and praise are a must. He’d especially melt if given a massage.

56 notes · View notes

17boyzz · 2 years

Text

try again - chwe hansol

seventeen as romantic tropes - hansol as the one who got away

non idol au, hansol x gn!reader

•

you dated him once, a couple years ago. some stupid middle school relationship, broke up over some dumb disagreement. the two of you stayed friends though, which in the long run was probably not a good idea.

it was only a matter of time before your feelings for him came back. you were a month after high school graduation, enjoying your freedom together when it started. you look at him back then and compare him to now. he’s the same, but better. you can count every little detail about him that has and hasn’t changed. everything you disliked about him back in middle school had changed for the better, everything you liked about him has stayed them same or, again, changed for the better. you count all the reasons you liked him in middle school and reappointed them to why you fell in love with him post high school.

he was leaving for korea at the end of august, and you knew this. you never really wanted to confess your feelings for him again, only joking about it on your instagram, until word got to him about you liking someone. he bothered you about it for a few weeks and kept pressuring you to confess, always saying shit like “what’s the worse that could happen?” and “even if he doesn’t like you, there’s other people” or “so what if you’re also friends with him? if he was really your friend, he would gently reject you and continue the friendship on like normal. remember us? we went through all the middle school drama just to end up here. think about it, y/n. the pros outweighs the cons”

he knew. he definitely knew. throughout that same night, you should’ve known that he knew. cutting out little paper hearts and giving them to you, telling you all his ideal date ideas, everything he would want to do with his lover. you were so worried about yourself that you couldn’t catch on his hints.

“getting tired?” he chuckled after watching you yawn.

“yeah, think i’m gonna go home now”

“i’ll take you home, don’t worry” he instantly shot up to grab his keys, dragging you along with him.

the car ride back to your house was silent… completely silent. no radio or music, or anything. just completely silence. this wasn’t like hansol. he always drove you home this late at night of course, but he was never this eager to.

“here, have this one too” he handed you another paper heart when he parked outside your home. you looked at him once more before hesitantly accepting it.

“hansol…”

“it’s okay, y/n. i feel the same way.” he took your hand in his, making your heart jump a little bit.

“hansol, i like you”

“i know. i feel the same way” he gave you a gentle smile.

“do you really?”

“yeah, of course. did you not take any of my hints from earlier? from like 30 seconds ago?” he chuckled a little, and you shrugged.

“well i mean… i was a little suspicious but i didn’t want to assume…”

“you’re cute”

“so…”

“so…?”

“well um… do… do you think that we should try again?” you asked, and hansol scolds himself for not being prepared for that question, even though he knows he should’ve.

“yes” he responds after a couple minutes of him thinking.

“okay…”

“it’s late, y/n. let’s talk more about this tomorrow” he sighed, and you nodded, agreeing with him.

“yeah, we should”

“good night, y/n”

“good night, hansol”

•

you dreaded the text you woke up to.

hansol: hey, y/n. i thought a lot about what i said last night. i was really tired and little overwhelmed and too excited last night. don’t get me wrong, i still feel the same way as you do, i just don’t think we should date again. i know we’re better people and all now, but i just don’t think i’m ready for it. plus, you know i’m leaving at the end of august and i don’t think i can do long distance, especially with that huge time difference. i’m sorry, y/n. i should’ve told you that i needed more time to think after you asked if we should try again. i’m sorry, i really am.

y/n: it’s okay, hansol. really. i understand.

it wasn’t okay to you. of course you respected him, but you couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. just a few weeks of loving him again turned you upside down, and right when everything was starting to look up, the universe stomped on you once more.

one day. maybe one day in the future the two of you can finally try again.

#comet writes svt #seventeen #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fics #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst #seventeen vernon #vernon #seventeen hansol #seventeen chwe hansol #chwe hansol #hansol

80 notes · View notes

ventismacchiato · 3 years

Text

telling them you’re asexual

scaramouche, kaeya x g!neutral reader

asexuality: asexuality describes a lack of sexual attraction, asexual people may experience romantic attraction, but they do not feel the urge to act on these feelings sexually. but ofc this can differ from people to people!!

a/n: i’ll probably do this for other characters since it’s a cute comfort trope, but for now enjoy this! here’s ur daily reminder that whatever your feeling is completely valid <3

scaramouche ::

you and the harbinger had been dating for a while, but had known of the other for longer

it took a while for scara to even acknowledge you since he was hesitant on letting people in, but being a fellow harbinger he was forced to see you every day

you confessed to him early on after persuasion from childe, to which he didn’t really care at first but you two did eventually become friends, and since being friends with scara was hard enough it wasn’t long before he reciprocated the feelings

despite dating for a couple months, scara never initiated anything intimate with you

you were thankful for this, since you didn’t have a desire to do so but also wanted to bring it up so he wouldn’t in the future

but you were terrified at the thought of him leaving you, your past relationships often never worked after you bring up this fact and it was slowly crushing at your self esteem, enveloping you in a state of hatred for yourself

though you were scared, you couldn’t take another day of this secret? eating away at you

so you waited till late that night, for when you and scara would hole up in his office completing files

he was on one side of his desk whike you were on the opposite, but you couldn’t even get through one form without the words sticking in your throat

scara seemed to notice your lack of drive, but simply took a couple files out of your stack and added it to his own to take the work load off you

you said a quiet thank you but your hand still hovered over the next form for a while before scara took the pen out of your hand

“need me to do all your forms? cus i will.” he stated, continuing his work as he talked to you, “go take a nap on the couch if you need to.”

“i’m not tired it’s okay,” you sigh, picking up your pen again before forcing yourself to focus on the form, going slower then usual

“looks like you need rest, at this rate a child could complete these faster then you,” he teased, already a quarter through his stack

“i need to, i need to tell you something.” you manage to get out, pointing your pen at him as you ignore the sick drop in your stomach, filled with nerves

scara hummed to show he was listening, as he usually did but continued to work. it wasn’t meant to be rude, the guy could just multitask well

it would be easier to tell him knowing he wasn’t looking directly at you

“i don’t,,i’m not attracted to you-i dont see you that way- i’m-,” you groaned, the words spewing out without cohersion

your lack of speaking must’ve gotten his attention cus he set down his pen and looked up with you with confused eye “are you, breaking up with me?”

“no!” you gasp, shaking your hands frantically “i’m not breaking up with you! though you might break up with me —.”

“why would i do that?” scara muses, quirking an eyebrow at you, his full attention on you now

“because, i’m asexual.” you mumble, “i don’t feel attracted to you in that way, i still love you romantically but i can’t give you that aspect of a relationship.”

you caught yourself pouting at the form in front of you, before you felt a finger tilt your chin back up

“okay, that’s cool. we don’t need to do anything you don’t want to.” he shrugged before pulling his hand away from your chin, “you’ve stayed with me despite my countless murders, it’s gonna take a lot for me to leave you...and even then, why would i want to?”

he looked back up at you with hooded eyes, “i don’t want you to be scared to tell me things, so don’t fret over this it’s cool with me. i’ll show you how much i care for you in other ways.”

it was silent for a couple seconds before you had the confidence to say anything, “wow that was the sweetest you’ve ever been-,”

“oh my god shut up,” he groaned, flicking your forehead with his pen, smiling as he took the rest of your paper work, “i’m serious though, go sleep.”

kaeya ::

it was common knowledge to everyone in Mondstadt that Kaeya was a bit of a flirt, flirting with everything that could move

when you two got together he didn’t make flirtatious comments to anyone but you, but the confidence coming off of him was more then enough to get anyone drooling

it wasn’t uncommon to hear young boys and girls talk in the streets about how charming the knight kaeya was, and how they’d do anything to have a close glimpse of him

which is why you often wondered why he was with you, you felt selfish for wanting to continue your relationship with him knowing you couldn’t give him different aspects of it

but deep down you knew you couldn’t keep something this crucial from him

you werent dense, or you liked to think you weren’t. it wasn’t uncommon for kaeya to invite you over after dates to sleep overnight or initiate a more passionate kiss then usual

but with every invite, you simply turned it down or made sure to show how tired you were when you were spending the night

it was hard to say the least, rejecting your own boyfriend put an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach but you couldn’t bring yourself to be attracted to him in that same aspect

you hoped being romantically attracted to him was enough

“i’m so exhausted,” kaeya mumbled, his head falling into your lap, meaning he wanted his hair stroked

you pulled out the ribbon tying his hair and let it cascade down your legs, as you slowly ran your fingers through it

“was there a lot of training?” you asked, smiling at how kaeya’s eyes closed, or maybe it was just the one, you could never tell with that eye patch

“i had to train these teens and one of them kept burning through the dummies and it was so tiring to get them new ones—,”

“did you know a lot of them wanna be knights just to be trained by you~,” you teased, poking his cheek “oh to be trained by the breathtaking kaeya-,”

he groaned and turned his head away from you, “i’m sexy who can blame them,” he laughed, wrapping his arms around your waist

you gulped at the choice of words, as you slowly stopped running your hands through his hair “hey kaeya, can i tell you something real quick?”

you heard him hum in response, taking that as a sign to continue

“i’m afraid…i’m afraid i can’t give you the type of relationship you might want.”

with this kaeya say up, giving you a dubious look

“whatever do you mean, darling?”

you waved your hands trying to find the right words

“i’m asexual so, i don’t have attraction to you sexually, like don’t get me wrong you’re very attractive and i love you but i just can’t find myself giving you—,”

“i get it,” kaeya interrupting you, shooting you a soft smile, “i’m not gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to, i’m happy with our relationship as it is you don’t have to give me anything else.”

he stopped for a moment before continuing

“you don’t need to be afraid of me leaving you for something like this, i’m way too enamored with you to leave.”

you let out a sigh you hadn’t realize you’d been holding, feeling reassured

“thank you kaeya,”

“no need to thank me, but if you insist i suggest you braid my hair to show your gratitude.” he grinned and fell back into your lap

a/n: hihi hope you enjoyed, i was gonna write a xiao one too but i’ll just post that separately along with someone else!! hope you enjoyed

#genshin fluff #genshin imagines #genshin impact #genshin impact au #genshin au #genshin fic #genshin impact smau #genshin impact kaeya #genshin impact scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche x gender neutral reader #scaramouche x you #scaramouche x y/n #kaeya x y/n #kaeya x reader #kaeya x oc #kaeya x gender neutral reader #genshin asexual

643 notes · View notes

qqueenofhades · 3 years

Note

Hi. I’m curious. What did you mean by “women who read fiction might get Bad Ideas!!!” has just reached its latest and stupidest form via tumblr purity culture.? I haven’t seen any of this but I’m new to tumblr.

Oh man. You really want to get me into trouble on, like, my first day back, don’t you?

Pretty much all of this has been explained elsewhere by people much smarter than me, so this isn’t necessarily going to say anything new, but I’ll do my best to synthesize and summarize it. As ever, it comes with the caveat that it is my personal interpretation, and is not intended as the be-all, end-all. You’ll definitely run across it if you spend any time on Tumblr (or social media in general, including Twitter, and any other fandom-related spaces). This will get long.

In short: in the nineteenth century, when Gothic/romantic literature became popular and women were increasingly able to read these kinds of novels for fun, there was an attendant moral panic over whether they, with their weak female brains, would be able to distinguish fiction from reality, and that they might start making immoral or inappropriate choices in their real life as a result. Obviously, there was a huge sexist and misogynistic component to this, and it would be nice to write it off entirely as just hysterical Victorian pearl-clutching, but that feeds into the “lol people in the past were all much stupider than we are today” kind of historical fallacy that I often and vigorously shut down. (Honestly, I’m not sure how anyone can ever write the “omg medieval people believed such weird things about medicine!” nonsense again after what we’ve gone through with COVID, but that is a whole other rant.) The thinking ran that women shouldn’t read novels for fear of corrupting their impressionable brains, or if they had to read novels at all, they should only be the Right Ones: i.e., those that came with a side of heavy-handed and explicit moralizing so that they wouldn’t be tempted to transgress. Of course, books trying to hammer their readers over the head with their Moral Point aren’t often much fun to read, and that’s not the point of fiction anyway. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.

Fast-forward to today, and the entire generation of young, otherwise well-meaning people who have come to believe that being a moral person involves only consuming the “right” kind of fictional content, and being outrageously mean to strangers on the internet who do not agree with that choice. There are a lot of factors contributing to this. First, the advent of social media and being subject to the judgment of people across the world at all times has made it imperative that you demonstrate the “right” opinions to fit in with your peer-group, and on fandom websites, that often falls into a twisted, hyper-critical, so-called “progressivism” that diligently knows all the social justice buzzwords, but has trouble applying them in nuance, context, and complicated real life. To some extent, this obviously is not a bad thing. People need to be critical of the media they engage with, to know what narratives the creator(s) are promoting, the tropes they are using, the conclusions that they are supporting, and to be able to recognize and push back against genuinely harmful content when it is produced – and this distinction is critical – by professional mainstream creators. Amateur, individual fan content is another kettle of fish. There is a difference between critiquing a professional creator (though social media has also made it incredibly easy to atrociously abuse them) and attacking your fellow fan and peer, who is on the exact same footing as you as a consumer of that content.

Obviously, again, this doesn’t mean that you can’t call out people who are engaging in actually toxic or abusive behavior, fans or otherwise. But certain segments of Tumblr culture have drained both those words (along with “gaslighting”) of almost all critical meaning, until they’re applied indiscriminately to “any fictional content that I don’t like, don’t agree with, or which doesn’t seem to model healthy behavior in real life” and “anyone who likes or engages with this content.” Somewhere along the line, a reactionary mindset has been formed in which the only fictional narratives or relationships are those which would be “acceptable” in real life, to which I say…. what? If I only wanted real life, I would watch the news and only read non-fiction. Once again, the underlying fear, even if it’s framed in different terms, is that the people (often women) enjoying this content can’t be trusted to tell the difference between fiction and reality, and if they like “problematic” fictional content, they will proceed to seek it out in their real life and personal relationships. And this is just… not true.

As I said above, critical media studies and thoughtful consumption of entertainment are both great things! There have been some great metas written on, say, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how it is increasingly relying on villains who have outwardly admirable motives (see: the Flag Smashers in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) who are then stigmatized by their anti-social, violent behavior and attacks on innocent people, which is bad even as the heroes also rely on violence to achieve their ends. This is a clever way to acknowledge social anxieties – to say that people who identify with the Flag Smashers are right, to an extent, but then the instant they cross the line into violence, they’re upsetting the status quo and need to be put down by the heroes. I watched TFATWS and obviously enjoyed it. I have gone on a Marvel re-watching binge recently as well. I like the MCU! I like the characters and the madcap sci-fi adventures! But I can also recognize it as a flawed piece of media that I don’t have to accept whole-cloth, and to be able to criticize some of the ancillary messages that come with it. It doesn’t have to be black and white.

When it comes to shipping, moreover, the toxic culture of “my ship is better than your ship because it’s Better in Real Life” ™ is both well-known and in my opinion, exhausting and pointless. As also noted, the whole point of fiction is that it allows us to create and experience realities that we don’t always want in real life. I certainly enjoy plenty of things in fiction that I would definitely not want in reality: apocalyptic space operas, violent adventures, and yes, garbage men. A large number of my ships over the years have been labeled “unhealthy” for one reason or another, presumably because they don’t adhere to the stereotype of the coffee-shop AU where there’s no tension and nobody ever makes mistakes or is allowed to have serious flaws. And I’m not even bagging on coffee-shop AUs! Some people want to remove characters from a violent situation and give them that fluff and release from the nonstop trauma that TV writers merrily inflict on them without ever thinking about the consequences. Fanfiction often focuses on the psychology and healing of characters who have been through too much, and since that’s something we can all relate to right now, it’s a very powerful exercise. As a transformative and interpretive tool, fanfic is pretty awesome.

The problem, again, comes when people think that fic/fandom can only be used in this way, and that going the other direction, and exploring darker or complicated or messy dynamics and relationships, is morally bad. As has been said before: shipping is not activism. You don’t get brownie points for only having “healthy” ships (and just my personal opinion as a queer person, these often tend to be heterosexual white ships engaging in notably heteronormative behavior) and only supporting behavior in fiction that you think is acceptable in real life. As we’ve said, there is a systematic problem in identifying what that is. Ironically, for people worried about Women Getting Ideas by confusing fiction and reality, they’re doing the same thing, and treating fiction like reality. Fiction is fiction. Nobody actually dies. Nobody actually gets hurt. These people are not real. We need to normalize the idea of characters as figments of a creator’s imagination, not actual people with their own agency. They exist as they are written, and by the choice of people whose motives can be scrutinized and questioned, but they themselves are not real. Nor do characters reflect the author’s personal views. Period.

This feeds into the fact that the internet, and fandom culture, is not intended as a “safe space” in the sense that no questionable or triggering content can ever be posted. Archive of Our Own, with its reams of scrupulous tagging and requests for you to explicitly click and confirm that you are of age to see M or E-rated content, is a constant target of the purity cultists for hosting fictional material that they see as “immoral.” But it repeatedly, unmistakably, directly asks you for your consent to see this material, and if you then act unfairly victimized, well… that’s on you. You agreed to look at this, and there are very few cases where you didn’t know what it entailed. Fandom involves adults creating contents for adults, and while teenagers and younger people can and do participate, they need to understand this fact, rather than expecting everything to be a PG Disney movie.

When I do write my “dark” ships with garbage men, moreover, they always involve a lot of the man being an idiot, being bluntly called out for an idiot, and learning healthier patterns of behavior, which is one of the fundamental patterns of romance novels. But they also involve an element of the woman realizing that societal standards are, in fact, bullshit, and she can go feral every so often, as a treat. But even if I wrote them another way, that would still be okay! There are plenty of ships and dynamics that I don’t care for and don’t express in my fic and fandom writing, but that doesn’t mean I seek out the people who do like them and reprimand them for it. I know plenty of people who use fiction, including dark fiction, in a cathartic way to process real-life trauma, and that’s exactly the role – one of them, at least – that fiction needs to be able to fulfill. It would be terribly boring and limited if we were only ever allowed to write about Real Life and nothing else. It needs to be complicated, dark, escapist, unreal, twisted, and whatever else. This means absolutely zilch about what the consumers of this fiction believe, act, or do in their real lives.

Once more, I do note the misogyny underlying this. Nobody, after all, seems to care what kind of books or fictional narratives men read, and there’s no reflection on whether this is teaching them unhealthy patterns of behavior, or whether it predicts how they’ll act in real life. (There was some of that with the “do video games cause mass shootings?”, but it was a straw man to distract from the actual issues of toxic masculinity and gun culture.) Certain kinds of fiction, especially historical fiction, romance novels, and fanfic, are intensely gendered and viewed as being “women’s fiction” and therefore hyper-criticized, while nobody’s asking if all the macho-man potboiler military-intrigue tough-guy stereotypical “men’s fiction” is teaching them bad things. So the panic about whether your average woman on the internet is reading dark fanfic with an Unhealthy Ship (zomgz) is, in my opinion, misguided at best, and actively destructive at worst.

#long post #anonymous #ask

461 notes · View notes

absolutebl · 3 years

Text

This Week in BL

April 2021 Part 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Second Chance Ep 1 - living up to its name since it looks to be a series of redemption arcs. Launched with a college confession and a broken friendship, then a flash back to them as seniors in high school. Pairings include friends to lovers, nerd/jock, and maybe cafe boss/employee. There’s a lot going on, but it’s still... quiet and sweet. The script is pretty pat but it’s still WAY more watchable than Cupid Coach or Brothers and most of the acting is solid. Ep 1 tropes included: he’s in engineering, wound tending, fast & bicurious. This could turn into what I wanted My Gear & Your Gown to be. Fingers crossed.

Love Poison 2 Ep 1 & 2 turns out I did watch and report on season 1 (8 eps), season 2 seems equally unmemorable. Thai countryside setting, strong dialect, incomprehensible plot, camp side characters, and ghastly singing.

Y-Destiny Ep 1 (eng subs?) - opened with the sports romance enemies to lovers (they aren’t going in the teaser order). When the couple got over fighting, the flirting was v cute, but the flipping SPONGE BATH trope had to rear its ugly head. Still, this series is shaping up to be less coy and more frank than most BL, better than expected. It feels, I don’t know, gay-er or something? *** Sources were correct that each couple is getting (at least) 2 eps, and MDL has been updated to say this is a 15 episode series (not 7).

Cupid Coach 12 fin - The new Nite was great and should have been a main all along. It felt like we got a tiny nugget of what could have been in about 10 minutes worth of this last ep. It was way too slow with terrible editing and a criminally bad script, but at least it ended happy. Mostly, like Friend Forever, I’m just disappointed that these two actors were done dirty by the series. Bad Cupid Coach, no screen caps for you.

Lovely Writer Ep 6 - breaking news, there’s a het couple I like: toppy bi femme + soft boi = such a good pairing! I know, but this NEVER happens. Meanwhile, Sib’s secret is out, Gene is a bit of a drama queen, and the plot thickens. We half way through.

Brothers Ep 9 - Kaow had a serious moment of advice giving that was truly lovely. Lots of family dama made this a superior episode to... well... any of the others in this series. Which isn’t saying much.

1000 Stars Ep 10 fin - at the start this series didn’t grab me the way GMMTV’s last BL, Tonhon Chonlatee, did. But boy did it end 1000x better. Might have given us 2021′s best forehead kiss. I enjoyed the ultra romantic cliff-top reunion kiss, and I LOVED the stinger flirting scene. That was an absolute gift we had no right to expect. This drama is a poster child for finishing on a high note (always focus on that dessert course). Final thoughts? This was FAR more a classic romance than it was BL. There were some BL tropes used but not many and most of them originated in the romance genre not yaoi. A picture perfect ending bumped 1000 Stars much higher up my best-of list than expected. Not sure how often I’ll rewatch it as a whole, but this last episode? I’m probably rewatching it right now.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Dear Uranus (Taiwan GL) Ep 3 fin - I guess that’s it? Okaaaaay

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 3 (AKA Ep 5-6) - we got actual legit gay culture not just BL (always appreciated) from XingSi. I’m starting to find LiCheng’s “show them we fucking” hijinks hilarious rather than annoying (not sure why, maybe I just love a rubber chicken, or maybe it was the STUFFED CORN WITH THE TASSEL that did it).

-- H4 Moment of RANT --

Tropes included beach trip, there’s only one bed, cook for him, baby is a floppy drunk, carry baby to bed, and.... drunk non-con. Whoopdedoo. Here we go again. Did TharnType teach us NOTHING? (Apparently it taught us if the chemistry is good enough, I have no morals at all.) At least H4 seems to be taking us out of cheese into serious when it comes to assault. Or is it?

I take back what I said last week about XingSi & YongJie being codependency + salvation trope, that only works if YongJie is the uke. He’s NOT. So we got us an obsessive predatory villain with a possible redemption arc. That’s more common in crime dramas, mafia romance, and epic fantasy than BL. It’s real hard to redeem a sexual predator in a reality-grounded universe like contemporary romance (See Kla in LBC1&2).

Next week is gonna be a test of the whole damn franchise. Imma remind both me a you that this was ep 3 of 10 so we got a ways to go yet... but ooof, what have we wrought, BL? (I ended up doing a whole post about the stepbrother trope because of this sub plot.) Taiwan is killing me.

-- RANT ended --

Word of Honor (China) Ep 19-21 - over half way point so we got ALL the back story (in a classic 4 act story structure midway reveal). Now we know who WKX really is and his lineage. We also got some cute hugs and hand holds. Moving along at a nice clip despite being 36 eps total. Still gayest thing to come out of we-not-gay China since Advance Bravely.

Most Peaceful Place (Vietnam) Ep 2 - takes them a while to get eng subs together and ep 2 didn’t drop until late. So I’m putting this in a Thurs time slot going forward. Miscommunication already cleared up and a 2nd couple has been introduced. The pacing on these Vietnamese BLs is always a bit... off. But it’s still better than most of its ilk, enjoyable. I’m thinking it’s a 6 ep arc.

We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 5 - after the initial drama DRAMA of ep 2, the current external crisis at work is much quieter, giving this whole season a top heavy feel. Taken along side the first season, I think it’s fitting nicely into a 4 act structure, but that might be my bias. I hope I’m not wrong, we’ll find out next week. Shi De puttering about being domestic with Shu Yi on his back was the best execution of the piggyback trope EVER. Meanwhile, our little D/s side couple of codependency, salvation trope + mental illness is becoming weirdly appealing. I don’t know. H4 done mess with my head.

Stand Alones

Absolute BL AKA Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko (Japan) Ep 1-4 mini series. Found subs under A Man Who Defies The World of BL. IT’S HILARIOUS. It’s Japan making fun of us, but also itself for having started this whole BL nonsense - from yaoi roots to present day. It’s parody goddamn gold. Utterly cheeky unto the very last line. We are not worthy.

Apparently the most powerful tropes of all time are: baby is a floppy drunk and the piggyback fo nobility. Oh and chocolate. {Full review here.}

Honestly, this show may have been made with only @heretherebedork and I in mind. I don’t know if you’d even understand half of it if you don’t have a history with the manga source genre and an obsessive interest in underlying narrative devices. I haven’t seen much chatter in the blog’o’sphere on this one because, in the end, it’s not a romance at all, it’s social commentary.

The ending line was a masterclass in lampooning a genre. I’m going to rewatch the whole thing just to catch all the digs I missed first time around. It is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

Thank you Japan. I forgive you all your hair-styling sins of the last decade.

Breaking News

Spring Line Up:

Scholar Ryu’s Wedding Ceremony AKA Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korean historical BL) April 15th

Close Friend the series (Thai trailer) April 22.

2gether the movie (Thai trailer) April 22 to Thai theaters.

Nitiman (Thai) May 7 on One31.

I Told Sunset About You 2 (Thai) May 27 on LineTV

Ossan’s Love (Hong Kong) June to Viu

Gossip

Bad Buddies released its first promo op via Arm Share, which means GMMTV is at least *thinking* about filming it.

Fun behind the scenes gossip sesh with eng subs for Tell the World I Love You (that Perth Bas movie we are maybe getting someday but will likely be sad).

New Thai BL Bite Me (adapted from novel Grab a Bite) dropped a teaser. It stars Mark Siwat (Kla in LBC) as uke character Ake, a delivery boy with special foodie powers, and chef Eua (seme played by Zung Kidakorn) who discovers him. It’s from the same author as Manner of Death so we might even get some actual plot. Since it’s an established BL actor who I happen LOVE, a known author, and a plot about FOOD, I could not me more excited for this one.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed a day later than actual air date for accessibility reasons. Some are dropping multiples at a time but just started so I’m not sure on numbering.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

201 notes · View notes

writings-of-a-british-fangirl · 3 years

Text

DAY 17: HOTEL ROOM [DEAN WINCHESTER X READER]

february writing prompt masterlist // february prompt challenge list

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader Prompt: Hotel room Warnings: Like one swear word

A/N: Oh no there's only one bed!! And they’re fake married!! I don't know how I've never written these tropes for Dean, but enjoy some fluff as I reminisce on Supernatural

"So this... This creature is going after couples?" you ask Dean, slinging your duffle bag over your shoulder and following him to the hotel.

"That's what Sammy said," Dean nodded, "So, just follow my lead okay, Mrs Winchester?"

You looked confused for a second before processing what Dean meant. Before you could make a snide, sarcastic comment at him, he hands you a new fake ID. And there it was, printed clear as day: Mrs Y/N Winchester. You rolled your eyes, and tucked the ID into your pocket.

"Whatever you say, husband," you tease, thanking him for holding the door of the hotel's entrance for you.

Looking around you, you feel a little out of place. This wasn't a dingy motel on the side of some forgotten highway in the middle of nowhere: this was a nice hotel. Like, actually nice. Usually, you weren't one to complain about where you stayed; hunting didn't exactly pay well, but you had to admit, you were a little giddy to stay in such a nice place. The walls were painted a bright cream, and there were gold accents- even a nice red carpet leading you from the entrance to the check in desk.

"This place is a little too fancy for us, isn't it?" you ask Dean, "You sure this is the place?"

"I know how to follow directions, dear wife," Dean retorts.

"I don't doubt that, husband," you reply, queuing up beside him to wait for the hotel employee to arrive, "This place is just above our budget."

"This is where the monsters been hunting: this is where we're staying."

"You're so romantic," you laugh, "Feels like our honeymoon all over again."

"An anniversary is it?" the hotel clerk, who had obviously been listening as he walked towards the desk, asks; he has an unnervingly fake smile on his face, but you try to smile back at him nonetheless.

"Yes-"

"-Yes."

You and Dean both reply at the same time.

"How long have you two been together?" the employee asks, his fake smile never wavering.

"Ten years," you say, immediately fulfilling your role as the doting wife, "We've known each other since we were young, but got together at a school reunion. Been bliss ever since."

Dean couldn't help but feel proud of the way you were describing the 'relationship.' It technically wasn't a lie- and, if he was being honest with himself, he had been obsessed with you since he was young. His feelings only grew stronger when you had both hunted together at a school reunion. (Not yours, but the story you told wasn't a lie exactly). Some part of him liked to indulge in this fake relationship- if only for a few days.

"Isn't that sweet?" the clerk gushes, "Tell you what, I'll upgrade you to the honeymoon suite. I just love couples."

You and Dean share a look.

"That would be lovely, wouldn't it sweetheart?" Dean says, gently nudging you.

"Yes, we'd love that."

~~~

You throw your duffle bag on the floor and look around the room. You sit on the bed and kick your shoes off, and remove your jacket. The room was almost a sickening shade of pink with red accents. It was... It was certainly a lot. Not to mention the amount of decoration that was heart shaped. It was a bit cheesy, yes, but you were just excited not to have to sleep on a shitty motel mattress.

Carelessly, you flop down on the bed.

"Dean," you call out, still laying on your back with your eyes closed, "Dean! Come feel how soft this mattress is!"

"If you wanted me in your bed, all you had to do is ask," Dean smirks wandering over to you.

He is soon speechless as he lays on the bed.

"Wow," he exclaims, "This is fancy. Do you think it has a massage setting?"

"Why? Do you need some time alone?" you laugh, opening your eyes and glancing at Dean, "The red and pink walls get it going for you?"

"Oh yeah," Dean replies sarcastically, "I love it when the walls give me headaches."

"I'll leave you alone then, lover boy," you sit up and throw one of the red, satin heart shaped pillows at him, before getting up and walking to the bathroom, "I'm going to take a shower. Not much work we can get done now. Keep an eye out for that clerk though- he was sketchy."

"Enjoy your alone time," Dean winks, making you blush but luckily he doesn't see it: he'd never let you live it down, "And, don't worry I've already put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door so that creepy clerk will stay away."

You shut the door and try to enjoy your shower, despite the fact that the man you had been basically in love with for... Forever was only the other side of the door. Pretending to be your husband, no less! You had met Dean when you very young, probably about nine or ten, and had enjoyed spending time with him. After your father had died hunting, your life changed and you didn't see Dean for a good long while. Not until you were almost twenty four. You didn't think you could care so much for one person, and yet Dean had you infatuated. He was oblivious (of course) and you had no intent on changing that, too scared of rejection, but that doesn't mean the thought of telling him how you feel doesn't cross your mind.

"Nice body," Dean teases as you walk out of the bathroom.

You are confused for a second, but then he gestures to your towel. Slowly, you look down, and then shake your head. The towel you were wearing was one of those novelty ones with a badly drawn fake, cartoonish female body on it.

"Thanks," you huff, "Close your eyes: I'm going to change."

"But, you're my wife-"

"-Dean, I will lock you out of this room, monster or not."

He shuts up and does as you instruct. You quickly put on your pyjamas, and slip under the covers, trying your best to not sleep too close to him. You were best friends, yes, but you hadn't shared a bed in years. Least of all when you were pretending to be a couple. A sigh leaves your lips and you close your eyes.

"Goodnight, wife," Dean murmurs turning off his bed side light.

"Goodnight, husband," you reply, not realising how hard your heart was hammering in your chest at the reality you were sharing a bed with Dean.

Although you had started off basically opposite ends of the bed, by the time your eyes opened in the morning, you were snuggling into Dean. Your legs were entangled with his, and you could feel the weight of his arms wrapped around you. Part of you felt like freaking out, pulling away and hoping Dean never brought it up. The other told you just to relax. Too tired to move, you decided to relax into him more.

Dean, who was already awake but faking sleep, was glad you chose the latter.

171 notes · View notes

kuekyuuq · 3 years

Text

So, here's what I think really happened in 2017...

[Melissa Benoist after reading the script for 2X12 - “Luthors”]

M: Sooo... Kara's kissing Mon-El now?

CW: Yes. They get interrupted, but yes, that's going to happen.

M: After Kara made it clear on several occasions she's not into him... and in the very episode Lena finally returned - a whole episode dedicated to Lena - and Kara like super stood up for her..? Like, passionately defended her against the Superfriends and got positively mad at them for talking bad about her. And they had several sweet bonding scenes together! Like, sharing personal stuff and- ...it says here, Lena filled Kara’s office with flowers? While on the other hand, she's constantly at odds with Mon-El and while they had much more screen-time together, had barely as many personal moments? ...unless you count Kara being disappointed in him, or getting mad at him, or her being disgusted at his mannerisms and attitude...

CW: Yes. And it makes total sense!

M: ...it does?

CW: Yes, you know, what they say about how lovers like to tease each other... It's a well-known trope! Enemies to lovers, or something... Overused, but it totally works - mental note: let’s keep using that one, like maybe for Lena, too, someday! And, you see, Alex figured it out, too!

M: You mean in the previous episode? ...yeah, that threw me a bit, too. Somehow Alex made her own leap into relationshipping about Kara not being true to herself about... having romantic feelings for Mon-El? Don't get me wrong, I'll totally kiss Chris. I'd even marry the guy and have his baby. But Kara has shown like zero interest so far in Mon-El, romantically. On her own. Not even while she was totally drunk, which, if you wanted that to happen, would have been a great opportunity to show uninhabited Kara like hitting on Mon-El - if she really had a thing for him. Meantime, you even gave me cues to act all smitten in previous Kara and Lena interactions, with close-ups! I acted Kara all heart-eyes on Lena, biting my lower lip, gazing reverently at her and all. There is real chemistry!

[Katie smiles at Melissa from the other side of the room, raising an eyebrow and stage-whispering ‘...reverently?’ M: *whispering back* Hush, you.]

CW: Yeah. But, no. Ignore all that. She's in love with Mon-El now.

M: ...why?

CW: ...because.

M: ...so, Kara had no interest in Mon-El, was actually relieved when he told her he wasn't interested in her. And she just was totally ready to go on a suicide-mission for Lena.

CW: Yes, but see, she really was really, really, really jealous of Mon-El dating Eve.

M: She was? I recall acting Kara as surprised and confused and overwhelmed... and yeah, maybe a bit jealous, but more because of him moving on so quickly, when he had just confessed his feelings to her... I mean, the next time they meet, at the dive-bar, she seems more interested in him talking about Daxam’s open-mindedness regarding genders and sexuality... Huh...

CW: But she was. It's there.

M: Where?

CW: There. In the script you are holding.

M: [flips through the script again] ...she asked Eve about all the bad and annoying habits he has. And she said, she was mad at Mon-El because she thought he was dating Eve. Again, I thought that was more like hurt ego over him moving on so easily - Kara says as much. But, okay. You are aware, though, she was more upset about Alex forgetting Earth-Birthday. For reference, I acted that one as jealous, not ‘overwhelmed and pushed into a corner by everyone telling her what she supposedly thinks or feels’. Jealous.

CW: But Alex said [points at previous script] Kara was upset because of Mon-El.

M: ...but, Kara told Alex, she was upset because she felt like losing Alex... over Maggie. Life moving on, feared Alex was slipping away from her. Which did make a lot more sense, a personal tradition being ignored like that, and having to suddenly share her sister and her sister’s time with someone else. So, she overcompensated, did a lot of planning and stuff. Kara admitted as much, twice. And there already were several scenes supporting Kara’s support versus her feeling left out. But she realized it was childish, selfish, and she tries to be better about it. But Alex went and pressured her to give Mon-El a shot... why? Or is it, when someone else says something it’s fact, but when Kara says something it’s open for interpretation? And why are we ignoring everything we showed so far and justify the current plot by informed attributes... and a trope?

CW: Because. [leaves the reading-room]

M: Oooookay... that was weird.

Katie McGrath: Don’t worry, Melissa, we will still make heart-eyes at each other. *winks*

M: And don't you know it! *hi5s Katie*

#Supergirl #supercorp #incorrect quotes #fictional bts #melissa benoist #katie mcgrath #kara danvers #lena luthor #completely fictional #i am re-watching #season 2 #supergirl 2x12

69 notes · View notes

ushiwakaout · 3 years

Text

Valentine’s Day with the Haikyuu Boys

Various x Female Reader || Different Lover Tropes (sfw)

Iwaizumi Hajime (Friends to Lover Trope)

Y’all have been friends for as long as him and oikawa have been friends- but just a little more distant

You’re the person he goes to when he has girl problems or problems in general

So when he isn’t feeling particularly well about himself he goes to you.

He lays his head on your chest, your shoulder, your lap (usually 99% always your plush thighs)

He makes you play with his hair and his hands when he’s feeling sad because you care for him like no one else has (well, his mother but you know what I mean.)

But tell me why y’all haven’t dated. No one fucking knows. Not even oikawa.

So a few days before V-day you ask Iwa if he was a valentines and he says No and questions why you asked him.

You tell him not to worry and plan out everything

HE’S SO SO EMBARRASSED WHEN YOU BRING HIM A SINGLE WHITE ROSE A HOMEMADE CHOCOLATES

He’s like? “W-why? Why’d you do that?”

and you obviously have the tsundure qualities he has so your like “B-because i like you stupid!!! Now are you taking the damn gift or not? I know Oikawa would-”

He’s like- NO NO. Stop right there. “Give me that! SHITYKAWA WOULDNT APPRECIATE THIS THE WAY I WOULD!” Iwa is barking at this point

You: “FINE! THEN! TAKE IT- NOT LIKE I CARE!”

whole school it just watching you guys romantically bark at eachother

Iwa: “FINE! THIS MEANS WE’RE DATING, RIGHT?”

You: “YES.”

Iwa: “GOOD.”

You: “GREAT.”

it’s so awkward the whole day. like grossly awkward. but the tension dies down when you sit next to him during lunch and slowly caress the back of his hand the way you did when you weren’t dating

he’s glad you opened up to him because it would have taken him much longer to admit that he liked you

Time Skip Iwaizum Hajime

Buys you a bouquet of 23 white roses the day before valentine’s day to give you the twenty-fourth on valentine’s day. He does this every year now.

You guys invite friends over because as (almost) 30 years old you think it’s a little cheesy, Hajime acts like its Valentines Day every day. So when Matsukawa and Hanamaki come over, they get really drunk and they appreciate you guys for not being lovey dovey around them and they start sobbing and laughing bc they’re single.

This becomes a tradition but ofc, sometime iwa calls ahead of time to tell them not to come over for... certain reasons.

He’s probably the cheesiest man on earth because he does not romance well- neither do you but he tries his best.

Would probably ask you to marry him on valentines day if you hadn’t told him before hand “If you even think about proposing on valentines day- I will rip out your organs... Ugh- thats so cheesy, everyone gets engaged on valentines day... Do it like the morning after new years or sum...”

*iwa secretly putting a red velvet box back in his underwear drawer*

*laughing nerveously* “Hahaha, right- fucking stupid...”

You look at him blankly “Don’t tell me you where about to propose?”

Iwa: “NO! NOT AT ALL.”

You: “What are you hiding in your underwear drawer then, Hajime?”

Iwa: “NOTHING WOMAN, STOP BEING NOSY.”

Osamu Miya (Platonic)

You look so pretty when you come into the gym and everyones like “looking good y/n.” and it’s normal bc your their manager- ofc they’d hype you up.

But the closer they get, they notice your crying.

Osamu isn’t in the gym, he’s getting water in the back and he sees that Aran is holding you in his arms and he just knows something is wrong and everyone is trying to hold him back because he knowns exactly what happened. He’s calling Atsumu over and he’s ready.

Everyone is chasing them down and Osamu already has his guy pinned to the floor (lets just say he has baseball practice)

You’re rushing to get Osamu off but get gets a few swings in before you completely pull him off.

Samu: “You’re too good for this Idiot anyway.” he looks at Kita, “I’m ditching practice and I’m taking her out, I’m not taking no as an answer.”

It was the first time anyone has stood up to Kita and he just nods.

Samu: “Let me wash up, alright? I’ll take you somewhere nice.”

He kisses your forehead and runs your thumb on your cheek, “Stop crying, makes you look ugly.”

As much you wanted to frown, you bursted out a laugh before shoving him away, “Not as ugly as Atsumu.”

Time Skip Osamu Miya (Boss/Employee Trope)

Osamu calls you really early in the morning to ask you to work on valentines day. For some reason, he hates this day more than anything. He doesn’t like how girls (of all ages) bring him stuff and he ALWAYS has to reject them but now since your working you’re the the ones who kicks them out.

He loves watching you run them away with a sweet smile and when you turn around you have the most annoyed look on your face, it’s really cute.

Samu: “Thank you princess.”

You: “Yeah, shut up and get to cookin’ boss.”

He just smirks and tilts his little onigiri hat and starts on orders again

Once the shift is over and the restaurant is closed, cleaned and organized, you’re waiting for him at one of the tables you didn’t pick up yet and he brings you out a really cute meal.

You: “What’s this for?”

Samu: “A thank you, for- *clears throat* not leaving my side... and I-uh don’t want you to do so, any time soon.”

You’re looking at him blankly. He forgot how blunt he had to be with you.

Samu: “I- God, I’m trying to ask you to be my girlfriend.”

You: “OH! Oh my god.... Really? Are you sure?”

Samu: “Y/n, I- You’re lucky I love you....”

You: “L-Love me?”

He looks at you like a deer caught in the headlights... “Uh-I uh... crap- I didn’t mean-”

You: “Shut up and kiss you Idiot.”

Samu: “Okay- yeah good idea.”

Matsukawa Issei (Best Friends Older Sister || First Love Trope) @sloppykyuu

You’re only two years older than him but ever since he became friends with Hanamaki (around the age of 7) he came over once and you bumped into him and he blushed to the point he looked like a cherry tomato

Maki thought it was gross that he suddenly started liking his older step sister

You and Hanamaki get along really well now (You’re 18, making Maki and Matsun are 16), so whenever Matsukawa is around you jokingly called him “Nii-san.” When Hanamaki wasn’t there and he spit out his drink.

You laughed so hard and just ruffled his hair a little and left him alone for the rest of the day

Ofc you teased him a lot but the second you turned 18, they cooled down a lot.

So when he gives you a bouquet of Sakurasou (Primula Sieboldii, which signify desire and long lasting love.

Matsukawa: “ Please accept the flowers- I know you’ve been keeping your distance because of your age and you don’t have to accept my feelings for you but please accept these flowers.”

The sweetest boy you’ll ever meet ngl, “Thank you Matsun...” you gave him a kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair. “As me again when you’re older, yeah? I’ll always be willing to give you a chance.”

Timeskip Matsukawa Issei

When he turns 18, you weren’t single. He was so miserable watching you be happy but when you come home a little sad looking, Hanamaki and him are pretty confused when you tell them that YOU broke up with your boyfriend

Maki: “Everything was going alright with you guys- what happened?”

You: “I uh- I lost feelings... Nothing against him or anything, I just... just happen to like someone else now.”

You don’t look at Matsukawa so he’s like- ugh.... another guy? he’s heartbroken just a little.

3 years later when both of you got drunk when Maki was out for a valentines day date- Matsun was like, “Admit it already, you’ll never find a guy who dedicates to you the way I have.”

You’re a blushing mess since your drunk and you just pin him to the floor, a little teary eyed, “Maybe your right... Maybe I should give you your chance. You’re still so in love with me? After all this time?”

He brushes a strand of hair away from your face and smiles, “Of course I have... You I would have lasted being friends with Maki if it weren’t for you?”

Maki: “I HEARD THAT!”

Both of you laugh but you lay your body on him as he wrapped his arms around you, kissing your forehead as your step brother grimaced at the sight. “Took both of you long enough, disgusting...”

Ushijima Wakatoshi (Reunion Romance Trope)

You’ve known Ushijima the longest out of everyone, even Tendo. And every year you ask him to be your valentines and he agrees bc your friends.

From the start it was always a friendly thing but at some point, your feelings for him changed during high school.

You don’t tell him, you never dared because you know his dedication towards volleyball would always go before his feelings.

One day you’re down the hall from his class and you notice that he’s talking to a girl- or more the girl is talking to him, so you hide in the corner. She was offering him a box of chocolates but he politely denies by saying “There’s only one girl who’s allowed to be my valentines, but please don’t take this personally, she mean’s everything to me.”

D-did you just here that right? Your leaning against the wall and sliding your back all the way to the floor, blushing like a mad woman.

So when Ushijima walks down the hall and sees a small figure to his side, he’s really worried as to why you are on the floor looking hot. “Y/n? Are you alright? Do you have a fever?”

THIS MAN DOES NOT PUT HIS HAND ON YOUR FOREHEAD BUT HE PUTS HIS OWN AGAINST YOURS

You’re trying so heard not to breathe onto his face but then he looks into your eyes when hes doing this and you shove his gift onto his chest. “PLEASE GET OUT OF MY FACE AND J-JUST TAKE THEM, IM FINE...” His warm fingers graze your for a second when he takes the chocolates and you just can’t do it anymore “I N-NEED TO GO NOW, BYE TOSHI- WAKATOSHI.”

Doesn’t question you, like ever.

During graduation you tell everyone that you are leaving over seas and Toshi honestly looks like a kicked puppy- his best friends, they’re all leaving.

You’re crying into his arms when he’s dropping you off at the airport.

Timeskip Ushijima Wakatoshi

7 years. It’s been 7 years since wakatoshi has see your pretty face.

You send a valentines post card and somehow it always gets there a day before, the day after or sometimes- even on valentines day.

You forced him to give you his address when he moves every time bc you send him a basket of goods. Usually a fruit arrangements bc you know he has a sweet tooth for fruits covered in chocolate- even tho he doesn’t really understand them

But this year nothing has arrived yet, until you text him to open the door since something was dropped off.

He’s a little confused as to why you noticed him but he opened the door, and there you where- standing right in front of him with luggage and his yearly valentines gift.

“You’re looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost?”

He doesn’t say anything but pull you into a hug.

“...I missed you too big guy.”

After several, long virtual calls- he finally got to see you in person.

He pulls you back and looks a little upset.

You: “What? What’d I do?”

Toshi: “I might have sent flowers to your home.”

You low key wanna start crying, “What kind of flowers?”

WHYD YOU ASK THAT, HE LOOKS ALL FLUSTERED NOW, PLZ TELL HIM THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW

Toshi: “Um.... anarrangementoftwentyfourwhiterosesbecauseiwantedtotellyouhowifeltbutididntknowhowtodoitanyotherwayandididntwanttodoitthroughacomputerscreen.”

You: “I hope you know, I understood every single word you just said.”

You give him a soft smile and lean down to pick something up that was covered by your bags. A bouquet of 24 white roses.

You: “I think... I feel the same way.”

He has never wanted to kiss someone so bad.

Toshi:“May I kiss you?”

You: “Do you really have to ask?”

Sakusa Kiyoomi (Enemies To Lovers || Secret Admirer Trope)

You probably get 20 confessions on valentines day every year, every time it’s the same handwriting and sometimes it’s new.

But one day, a specific letter get’s into your desk instead of your locker, a black envelope with a white pearly wax stamp with silver lettering on the back “From your secret admirer :]”

The smiley face is a little distorted and you smile at it, but it turns into a scowl when Sakusa naps it from your fingertips. Luckily it was lunch and not may people where in this class. “Secret admirer? Who’d like your dumbass.”

You pull the note out of his hands and sit back down, “Maybe a bigger dumbass, now leave alone asshole.”

He rolls his eyes and sits on his desk, that just happens to be at your back left.

He noticed the smile you had on your lips when you sat back down and looked at the letter. He could tell that your mood had changed when you leaned back and read the letter with awe. He obviously couldn’t tell you in was him.

If he did, you’d probably think it was a joke. But it was nothing like that, he never meant to create an awful relationship between you to but he had made a nasty joke about you and you happen to overhear and have disliked him every since.

He’s kept the bully act ever since and now doesn’t know how to go back.

You looked giddy all day after reading the love letter he left for you, he didn’t know how to feel.

He never stopped sending the letters.

Around the third year, they began to stop and so did Sakusas bullying- but only because you didn’t have any classes together. So when one day you’re walking towards your locker, really late because you had to clean up the classroom. You see him slide a letter in your locker.

You don’t confront him right then and there but you decide to let him walk a way just a little before you quickly get to your locker and open the letter.

You scan over the letter and you see that famous distorted smiley face and all the feelings they had written down. You where furious.

“Hey Sakusa!” You somehow where able to catch up to him and pushed his back as he walked away. “Is this funny to you?! Is messing with people’s feelings fucking funny to you?”

When he turned around he didn’t expect to see you crying, so he just stood like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Answer me! Why’d you do this? Three years, three fucking years I thought this was someone who actually had feelings for me, someone I thought I could fall in love with myself but I guess this was just some joke right? Some prank? Who wrote these? You know what- It doesn’t even matter. Fuck you and your fucking letter.” You shoved the letter at his chest and push him in the process.

He freezes a little but he’s running to catch up with you, “Y/n! Y/n stop walking away. L-Let me explain. Y/N!” He’s able to snatch your wrist and pull you towards him.

The tears are still running down your cheeks and his heart is shattering. “It wasn’t a joke. It- it was never a joke, never a dare. I promise, every word in those letters, are what I truly feel.”

You: “Bull- How do I even know that you wrote them in the first place, you can just be the messenger.”

Oomi: “If you put every letter together, it spells my name.”

You roll your eyes at him.

Oomi: “Don’t believe me?

You: “Of course I don’t.”

“Fine, umm.....”

Both of you didn’t really notice how his hand was still wrapped around your wrist. “Every time I just happen to catch a glance at you when you aren’t looking, it seems like peace on earth... There is no other sight i’d rather see then to see you smile at me, at me only. I want you to look at me the way you look at them but I know in my heart that it will take years for you to look at me that way.”

You pull your wrist away from his hand and wipe your face clean from the tear that have dried down.

“The day you heard me make fun of you... I don’t have any excuses for it. I did it and I regret it and- and I’m so sorry.”

You shake your head and begin to laugh... “I don’t even want to believe you.”

“I know, I just please let me make it up to you.”

Timeskip Sakusa Kiyoomi

You: “Oomi, I thought you hated valentines day.”

Oomi: “I do, but you deserve flowers because I was an asshole for so long.”

You: “... that was like 8 years ago...”

Oomi “Your point?

He hands you over the flowers and gives you a soft kiss. “You deserve so much more, and every day I will give you more, understand?”

You begin to giggle mid kiss, “Yes sir.”

Oomi: “Do you still have those letters?”

You: “Of course, I read them every time your gone.”

A/N: THIS TOOK ALL DAY- I WORK TOMORROW BUT I MIGHT WRITE SOMETHING UP BC IVE BEEN OBSESSED W NANAMI LATELY

100 notes · View notes

my-bated-breath · 4 years

Text

Research Shows that Zutara Would Have Been the Ideal Friends to Lovers Dynamic

(featured below: a very self-indulgent Zutara post that uses Facts and Evidence to be self-indulgent)

When I joined the ATLA fandom, a common trend I've seen used to discredit Zutara was the belief that upon transitioning from a platonic relationship to a romantic one, Zuko and Katara would immediately become The Worst (TM) for each other. It's quite the stretch, and the Zutara fandom nearly unanimously recognizes that. Still, since the attacks have yet to cease even 15 years after the show’s first release, I'd like to add my two-cents on the subject, along with a reference to actual research that is much harder to dismiss.

The reason why Zutara is framed as a “toxic and unhealthy” relationship is that their romance would be a classic example of the enemies-to-lovers trope, a trope which modern media has not been particularly kind to. However, when executed correctly, enemies-to-lovers can produce a healthy and loving relationship, frequently relying on friendship as an intermediate between the “enemy” and “lover” stages in the most well-executed versions of this trope. Meanwhile, the trope of friends-to-lovers is just as popular as enemies-to-lovers, though the specific dynamic required between two individuals to achieve this transition is not well-known. Recognizing this, Laura K. Guerrero and Paul A. Mongeau, both of whom are involved in relationship-related research as professors at Arizona State University, wrote a research paper on how friendships may transition into romantic relationships.

While “On Becoming ‘More Than Friends: The Transition From Friendship to Romantic Relationship” covers a variety of aspects regarding how friends may approach a budding romantic relationship, this meta will focus on the section titled “The Trajectory from Platonic Friendship to Romantic Relationship,” which describes stages of intimacy that are in common between platonic and romantic relationships.

(I am only using this one source for my meta because as much as I love research and argumentative writing, I can only give myself so much more school work before I break. If you wish to see more sources that corroborate the argument from above, refer to the end of this meta at the “Works Cited.”)

According to Guerrero and Mongeau, “...scholars have argued that intimacy is located in different types of interactions, ranging from sexual activity and physical contact to warm, cozy interactions that can occur between friends, family members, and lovers…” Guerrero and Mongeau then reference a relationship model where the initial stages (i.e. perceiving similarities, achieving rapport, and inducing self-disclosure) reflect platonic/romantic intimacy through communication while the latter stages (i.e. role-taking, achieving interpersonal role fit, and achieving dyadic crystallization) often see both individuals as achieving a higher level of intimacy that involves more self-awareness.

Definitions, because some terminology in this quote is field-specific:

_____

Perception of similarity: (similar in background, values, etc.) which contributes to pair rapport

Pair rapport: produces positive emotional and behavioral responses to the partner, promotes effective communication and instills feelings of self-validation

Self-disclosure: a process of communication by which one person reveals information about themselves to another. The information can be descriptive or evaluative and can include thoughts, feelings, aspirations, goals, failures, successes, fears, and dreams, as well as one's likes, dislikes, and favorites.

Role-taking: ability to understand the partner's perspective and empathize with his/her role in the interaction and the relationship

Role-fit: partners assess the extent of their similarities in personality, needs, and roles

Dyadic crystallization: partners become increasingly involved with each other and committed to the relationship and they form an identity as a committed couple

_____

(Source: Quizlet -- not the most reliable source, I know, but once again field-specific terms tend to be ubiquitous in their definitions, and I doubt that this Quizlet can be that inaccurate)

(Additional note: only the first three definitions will be relevant to this meta, but the other definitions are left in for all of you who want to speculate what the next part of this meta, which may or may not be published the following week, will be about.)

Let’s apply what we just learned back to the real Zuko-Katara relationship we see throughout the show. What attributes of healthy and natural friends-to-lovers dynamics may they check off?

Perceiving similarities:

Zuko and Katara share an astounding number of parallels in background and character throughout the show. Both their mothers had sacrificed their lives to save them, and then there are many deliberate parallels drawn between Zuko and Katara’s confrontations in the Day of Black Sun and The Southern Raiders, respectively. Of course, there are more, but since I do not have much to add to this subject, I’ll say that perceiving these similarities helps contribute to…

Pair rapport:

We see three standout examples of this from the show in which Zuko and Katara “make positive emotional and behavioral responses” towards each other: In the Crossroads of Destiny, the Southern Raiders, and Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters.

(1) Crossroads of Destiny. Zuko and Katara bond over the loss of their mothers in the Crystal Catacombs, allowing themselves to truly see the other for the first time as well as for them to speak civilly and intimately (is this self-disclosure I see?) with each other. Of course, their conversation (on-screen or off-screen) is meaningful enough for Katara to offer to use the Spirit Oasis water to heal Zuko’s scar.

(2) The Southern Raiders. The journey Zuko and Katara take for her to achieve closure (which is something Zuko himself knew was necessary to heal and grow) is the catalyst for Katara forgiving Zuko. Though there is no true “rapport” in the scene where Katara forgives him, all other banter/conversations (in the Ember Island Players and the ATLA finale) between Katara and Zuko are reliant on the moment she forgives him.

(3) Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters. In the finale, Zuko experiences a moment of uncertainty before just before he faces his uncle -- his uncle who had always been there for him since the days of his banishment, his uncle had loved him unconditionally even when Zuko did not know that such love was possible, his uncle who loved him like his own son, his uncle who he betrayed in the Crystal Catacombs, his uncle who turned away when he was encased in crystal, too disappointed to look him in the eye. He tells this to Katara -- and what does Katara say to Zuko in response?

“Then he'll forgive you. He will.”

The dialogue speaks for itself. The positive emotional response, the open communication, and the (rightful) encouragement Katara provides, all without invalidating Zuko’s self-doubt, demonstrates the epitome of pair rapport. Further elaboration would simply be me gushing over their dynamic.

Self-disclosure:

Self-disclosure involves revealing intimate feelings. We’re revisiting the same three episodes that we covered up above since they all include self-disclosure.

(1) The Crossroads of Destiny. When he reaches out in the Crystal Catacombs, Zuko reveals something to Katara that he has never told anyone before, perhaps something he didn’t even want to admit to himself -- in response to “the Fire Nation took my mother away from me” he says “that's something we have in common.” And to say that out loud, to say it to himself and Katara when for three whole years he’s been trying to convince himself that the Fire Nation is good and that his father loves him -- there are no words to describe it. It’s both awe-inspiring and heartbreaking to see that Zuko and Katara’s shared pain is what allowed them to see each other as more than the “face of the enemy,” and it’s something so poignant that it forms an immediately profound connection between the two.

(2) The Southern Raiders. On their way to the Fire Nation communications tower on Whale Tail Island, Katara tells the story of her mother’s death, a story that has haunted her memories for years, looming over her as a ghost, a wound that festers into fear to grief to anger. This was the moment that divided Katara’s life into the Before and the After, the one that forced her to abandon childhood and to become a mother to her own brother (as implied by Sokka in his conversation with Toph in the Runaway). And yet this is the first time we see her tell someone her story in the show, full and vivid as if it happened yesterday. Because even though she mentioned her mother before to Aang, Haru, and Jet in order to sympathize with them -- it’s just that. Sympathizing. This time she tells Zuko about her mother’s death for her own sake rather than for another’s. And it’s an incredibly intimate moment, one that is made even more fragile, wrenching, and beautiful by Zuko’s response -- “Your mother was a brave woman.”

(3) Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters. Throughout the second half of season 3, Zuko shares his love and insecurities regarding Iroh to every member of the GAang.

In the Firebending Masters, he mentions to Aang offhandedly -- and perhaps too offhandedly, as if he didn’t want to believe it himself -- that Iroh, Dragon of the West, received his honorary title for killing the last dragon.

An episode later in part one of the Boiling Rock, Zuko talks about his uncle with near constancy. He brews tea for the GAang and (endearingly) tries retelling “Uncle’s favorite tea joke.” He tells Sokka, “Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that… I meant my uncle. He was more of a father to me. And I really let him down.” He (fails at, adorably) giving advice to Sokka when the rescue mission to the Boiling Rock has begun to look helpless, asking himself “what would Uncle say?” before completely floundering away.

Then, in the Ember Island Players, he shares a sweet moment with Toph, bitterly spitting out that

“...for me, [the play] takes all the mistakes I've made in my life, and shoves them back in my face. My uncle, he's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much, and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to redeem myself.”

Toph, in turn, reveals the thoughtful side to her character, the side that is almost always hidden, telling Zuko that “you have redeemed yourself to your uncle. You don't realize it, but you already have.”

And every one of these moments matter, because we see Zuko’s inner conflict (though this inner conflict does not exist to the extent at which it did at the first half of season 3) and its evolution. First, with Aang, he remains skeptical and disillusioned. Second, with Sokka, his longing for Iroh’s love and presence manifests itself in him imitating his uncle as well as he can. Third, with Toph, he finally admits everything he had been afraid of ever since he saw Iroh’s empty prison cell during the eclipse -- that Iroh is disappointed in him. That Iroh hates him. That Iroh will never accept him again.

And for a moment, with Toph’s encouraging response and Zuko’s resulting little smile, it appears as though Zuko’s internal conflict arc is concluded. But we are wrong -- because in the finale of the show, we are given the true climax and resolution to Zuko’s insecurities, fears, and self-loathing. And who is it that he shares this moment with?

It speaks volumes about Zuko and Katara’s relationship that Katara is the one to comfort Zuko in this scene, in that last moment of hesitation right before he steps inside his uncle’s tent, preparing himself to see his uncle as a completely changed person. As a person who now knows humility and unconditional love. And remember -- selecting Katara to be in this scene is a deliberate narrative choice because ATLA was written by a team of producers and writers, and perhaps even if it wasn’t, it becomes a powerful moment in which Zuko’s arc with Iroh reaches its peak.

Simply having Katara there in this scene already has such a great narrative impact, but then the show gives us some of the most intimate dialogue that Zuko, a naturally closed-off person, delivers (although his emotional outbursts may suggest otherwise, Zuko tends to hide most of his internally conflicting feelings to himself. Hence, he is always able to dramatically monologue about his honor, his country, and his throne -- because he’s trying to convince himself to play a part. But that’s another meta for another day).

Let’s begin by comparing Toph and Zuko’s dialogue with Katara and Zuko’s dialogue because both see the other party validating Zuko’s feelings.

(Warning: the following section plunges deep into the realm of speculation and overanalyzing dialogue. Regarding literature or any media, there are countless ways to interpret the source material, and this is simply one way it could be done.)

_____

Ember Island Players Dialogue:

Toph: Geez, everyone's getting so upset about their characters. Even you seem more down than usual, and that's saying something!

Zuko: You don't get it, it's different for you. You get a muscly version of yourself, taking down ten bad guys at once, and making sassy remarks.

Toph: Yeah, that's pretty great!

Zuko: But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life, and shoves them back in my face. My uncle, he's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much, and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to redeem myself.

_____

Although Toph and Zuko’s dynamic is one of the most innocent and understanding throughout the show, the conversation begins with Toph joking with a negative connotation -- that “even [Zuko seemed] more down than usual, and that’s saying something!” Thus, the conversation opener is not one that allows for Zuko to easily be emotionally vulnerable, and so he responds bitterly and angrily -- “You don’t get it, it’s different for you” and “...and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back.” By stating that their portrayals in the shows were different, Zuko mentally places a wall between himself and Toph, saying that “[Toph doesn’t] get it.” Then, the rhetorical question Zuko asks himself and the shortness with which he answers the question showcases a forceful and biting tone, indicating that he is covering up his inner turmoil with vehemence. This tendency is something we’ve seen Zuko default to before, whenever he had shouted the oft-mocked “I must restore my honor!” lines in response to a few introspective questions Iroh had asked (though once again, that’s another meta for another day). Now, let’s examine the remainder of their conversation.

_____

Ember Island Players Dialogue Continued:

Toph: You have redeemed yourself to your uncle. You don't realize it, but you already have.

Zuko: How do you know?

Toph: Because I once had a long conversation with the guy, and all he would talk about was you.

Zuko: Really?

Toph: Yeah, and it was kind of annoying.

Zuko: Oh, sorry.

_____

Here we see Toph and Zuko’s conversation take a more serious turn as Toph becomes more sincere. Zuko, however, is still full of self-doubt as he is constantly questioning Toph with “how do you know?” and “really” and “oh, sorry.”

(featured up above: Zuko looking dejected and doubtful.)

Still, the conversation ends on a sweet and inspiring note:

_____

Ember Island Players Dialogue Continued:

Toph: But it was also very sweet. All your uncle wanted was for you to find your own path, and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud.

_____

Hence, though Zuko and Toph’s conversation displays a heartening and hopeful dynamic, Zuko is ultimately still guarded for the majority of their conversation. Now, let’s look at how Katara approaches Zuko in the Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters.

_____

Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters Dialogue:

Katara: Are you okay?

Zuko: No, I'm not okay. My uncle hates me, I know it. He loved and supported me in every way he could, and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?

Katara: Zuko, you're sorry for what you did, right?

Zuko: More sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life.

_____

In direct contrast to the conversation opener with Toph, Katara begins to engage Zuko with an openly concerned question. And even though Katara never disappointed an Iroh-figure in her life in the way Zuko has, Zuko immediately doesn’t close himself off from her, he doesn’t create a wall that prevents him from revealing his deepest fears to her. During this scene, he neither sounds bitter or angry -- he sounds lost, doubtful, and afraid (perhaps even afraid to hope). This shift in tone is blatant in his voice (thanks to Dante Basco’s line delivery) but even with nothing but the written dialogue, we can note the difference in which he describes his turmoil to Toph and as compared to Katara:

With Toph: “But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life, and shoves them back in my face. My uncle, he's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much, and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to redeem myself.”

With Katara: “No, I'm not okay. My uncle hates me, I know it. He loved and supported me in every way he could, and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?”

With Katara, the underlying bitterness from his conversation with Toph is toned down to the point of nonexistence, though a part of it is still there. With Toph, Zuko says, “it takes all the mistakes I’ve made in my life, and shoves them back in my face,” which is a rather incensed statement. Meanwhile, by saying, “no, I'm not okay. My uncle hates me, I know it,” Zuko directly addresses his self-loathing without the use of language such as “shoves them back in my face,” the latter of which is reminiscent of how individuals may unthinkingly reveal information in a sudden emotional outburst.

Then, when Katara asks him if he’s sorry for what he did, the words come easily to Zuko, the most easily he admits to his own mistakes after three years of not admitting anything truthful to himself: “More sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life.”

And Katara, just as Toph did, says with the utmost confidence and sincerity, “Then he'll forgive you. He will.”

This moment of affirmation that runs parallel between both dialogues is where Zuko’s responses begin to diverge. Whereas Zuko reacts to Toph with disbelief and doubt, this is how he reacts once he hears Katara’s words:

He takes Katara’s words to heart and accepts them. Because out of all the GAang, Katara is the one who knows the most about forgiving him, who most keenly feels the change he underwent since his betrayal in the catacombs. And so he stands, still nervous but no longer afraid, facing forward towards the future instead of back into his past.

Iroh and Zuko’s relationship is one of the most important ones throughout the entire show, so to see Katara play a pivotal role in a critical point in their dynamic shows just how important Katara’s character is to Zuko (and vice versa, though in here I do touch upon the former in more detail).

Although my analysis on the self-disclosure between Zuko and Katara may have run away from me a bit (due to my love for far-too-in-depth critical analysis), these all show an undeniable bond between Zuko and Katara, displaying a profound friendship rooted in narrative parallels, mutual understanding, and interwoven character arcs. Ultimately, their fulfillment of perceived similarities, pair rapport, and (the one I rambled most on) self-disclosure is what establishes Zuko and Katara as not just a strong platonic bond -- but one that has the potential to transition into a romantic one.

Thus concludes my essay on Zutara’s friendship and its connection with the initial stages of intimacy that are shared between both platonic and romantic bonds. After all that analysis, it would be remiss to simply dismiss the Zutara dynamic as one that would instantly become toxic should they pursue a romantic relationship.

That being said, I will explore the possibility of a romantic relationship between Zuko and Katara and how this connects to the latter stages of intimacy -- role-taking, interpersonal role fit, and dyadic crystallization -- in part 2 of this meta-analysis. Click on the link if you want to read it!

Part 2

Works Cited

(only partially in MLA 8 format because I want to live a little)

Close Relationships: A Sourcebook. By Clyde A. Hendrick & Susan S. Hendrick. Link

“Nonverbal behavior in intimate interactions and intimate relationships.” By P.A Andersen, Laura K. Guerrero, & Susanne M. Jones. Link

“On Becoming ‘More Than Friends’: The Transition From Friendship to Romantic Relationship.” By Laura K. Guerrero & Paul A. Mongeau. Link

The Psychology of Intimacy (The Guilford Series on Personal Relationships). By Karen J. Prager. Link

(If you check some of these links, you may note a few of these sources have been cited quite a few times. With just a bit more research, it appears possible to find a plethora of other sources to corroborate the theory of shared platonic-romantic intimacies.)

Thank you all for reading!

#atla #atla meta #zutara #zutara meta #my bated breath analyzes #research on relationship intimacy #influenced by academic writing #i have more metas coming soon #but until then you can find that i do other writing as well #like fanfiction #check out my fanfiction on the My Writing tab on my blog #please like and reblog to prove Zutara with Facts and Evidence everyone #my bated breath's posts

473 notes · View notes

a-small-batch-of-dragons · 3 years

Text

Pushed Around

Prompt: i looooooove you protective knights Merlin drabbles from over quarantine, the frantic energy of these large children fretting over Merlin is hilarious and so precious (': would you ever write your take on the classic "a visiting knight/noble is a dickwad to Merlin but he doesn't tell anyone bc of either worries of diplomacy or something else and then when Arthur and the knights do find out they have to have a serious chat w Merlin about his priorities and self-worth?" bc,,, it would be awesome

Thanks for the req! I do love this trope...

Read on Ao3

Pairings: merthur, but can be platonic or romantic, you decide

Warnings: uhhh nobles can be dicks

Word Count: 3372

The problem with Merlin is that he doesn’t say nearly enough for all the talking he does. Honestly, the man can ramble on for hours and hours without being interrupted and never say one word about himself. He’s spoken about how Arthur sits wrong for longer than a council meeting for goodness’ sake. And yet in all that time, he’s never said a single thing about himself.

It would be impressive if it didn’t get them into nearly so many stressful situations that could’ve been avoided had he asked for help.

In fairness to Merlin, servants asking for help from anyone other than fellow servants isn’t exactly normal. In unfairness to Merlin, when has ‘normal’ ever been very high on his list of things to strive for?

They’ve all gotten fairly used to it. Merlin will be doing something and one of them will notice that perhaps there’s a…better way to do that. Or perhaps he’s doing it with a little less skill or proficiency than he normally does and gods, Merlin, how long have you been hurt for? Merlin will shrug and smile sheepishly at them and say that it’s nothing to worry about. Only Gaius seems to be immune to that, raising the Eyebrow of Disappointment and Merlin will bow his head and let him tend to whatever he’s done to himself this time. The problem is Merlin seems to know this and does all he can to avoid doing these things in front of Gaius. Which leaves the rest of them to struggle frantically to keep track of Merlin while he’s frantically keeping track of them.

But they’ve gotten used to it.

Arthur is allowed to be an absolute prat—Merlin’s words, not his—in the mornings, insisting Merlin do all sorts of ridiculously elaborate chores to assess whether he’s hurt himself, whether something’s wrong, or whether he’s done something to upset Merlin more than tossing the occasional boot at him. If Merlin doesn’t snipe back or calls him ‘sire’ unironically, something is definitely wrong and everything is on pause until they fix it. No exceptions.

Leon, as the closest thing to Arthur’s right hand aside from Merlin, takes every opportunity to stand next to him, regardless of how proper it is. Leon may not be immune to Merlin’s impish little excuses, but Merlin is not immune to the protective-older-sibling looks Leon gives him or the gentle way Leon arranges his cape so that Merlin looks even more inconspicuous behind the copious amounts of red fabric. Leon never says a word, and Merlin would never admit it, but there are times when, if you looked at them from behind, you would see Merlin reach out to clutch Leon’s cape and Leon reach to hold his hand.

Percival is not a small man. Anyone standing opposite him better think very carefully about whatever they’re about to fight over. Odds are it won’t be worth it. Often all he has to do is stand up and they’re babbling apologies or excuses. Merlin, on the other hand, is a slight man who looks as if he’s always about two seconds from tripping over his own feet. Percival makes sure to stand in front of him.

Elyan has a way with words. Not that he’s the most loquacious speaker, nor the most forceful, but he’s got a voice that makes people listen. It’s not Arthur’s authority, nor it is Uther’s unmistakable iron, but it is a quiet power. Oftentimes, people don’t seem to respect Merlin. Some go so far as to refuse to remember his name. Elyan’s never had a problem making them see reason.

Gwaine is not known for being discreet, nor is he especially reserved in demonstrating that he’s here for Merlin, not for Camelot, not for Arthur, but for Merlin. Sometimes Merlin just needs a little reminder that he’s worth fighting for, and not just because he’s fighting for something bigger than himself.

Lancelot is the only one that can actually get Merlin to talk, reliably. The man can see through Merlin’s nonsense in a way that rivals Gaius. Unlike Gaius, Merlin won’t fight him on it. It’s difficult to get Lancelot to tell the rest of them, despite what he’ll have you believe. But if Merlin looks a little happier afterward, then it’s all fine.

So yeah, they’ve gotten used to it. What they haven’t gotten used to are the people that go out of their way to make life for Merlin harder.

“There’s another tournament?” Merlin huffs as he throws the blanket over Arthur’s bed. “Didn’t you just have one?”

“That was a joust. This is a melee.”

“You’re all throwing yourselves at each other with various pieces of metal,” Merlin remarks dryly, “what’s the difference?”

Arthur rolls his eyes as he gets up, glancing out the window to see the approaching knights. There aren’t nearly as many as the last tournament, thank goodness, but that does mean that this one won’t be nearly as easily decided.

“As long as I’m not cleaning up after all of you this time…”

Arthur frowns, looking back at Merlin straightening the bed covers. “What do you mean?”

“Last time. I was working non-stop. Had another knight almost as demanding as you are.”

“I’m allowed to be demanding,” Arthur says, “you’re my servant.”

“Mhmm, sure.”

“No one else is.”

“You tell them that, sire.”

“I will. Who was it?”

Merlin shrugs. “Don’t really remember his name.”

Arthur sighs, walking forward and resting his hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “Yes, you do. That’s what you say when you don’t want to tell me someone’s name.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” Arthur says softly, turning Merlin to face him, “so you can tell me.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“Sure it is.”

“No, it really isn’t.”

“Merlin,” Arthur huffs, “if something is wrong, you know you can tell me.”

“But nothing’s wrong!” Arthur just gives him a look until he sighs, picking up the laundry basket. “Alright, fine, his name was Tobias, are you happy now?”

“Yes, I am, thank you.” Arthur gives his shoulder another pat before moving away. “The next time he’s here, I’ll make sure you’re nowhere near him.”

As it turns out, that doesn’t go as planned. Because Sir Tobias didn’t just sign up for the joust, he’s here for the melee too.

“Arthur Pendragon,” the man roars, clapping Arthur firmly on the shoulder, “thought you’d seen the last of me, eh?”

“Thought that bruised backside you got from falling off your horse would’ve kept you away.”

Tobias throws his head back and laughs. “You’ve got spirit about you, lad. It’ll serve you well if you can hold your nerve.”

“My nerve has never failed me before,” Arthur replies cooly, gesturing up the stairs, “though I’m sure you know that by now.”

“We’ll see come the melee.”

Merlin is out of sight, helping the stablehands tend to the horses. As Arthur walks up the stairs, he sees Tobias glance around and huff softly to himself.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, no,” Tobias says quickly as they enter the hall, “just glad to see you’ve not assigned me the same servant this time.”

Arthur straightens. “Excuse me?”

“The gangly boy that tended to my chambers last time,” Tobias says, waving his hand, “right awful he was. Glad you’ve fired him.”

“I see…”

Arthur does not, in fact, see, but he makes a point to tell the knights not to let Tobias near Merlin.

As it turns out, they don’t have much of a choice. Arthur needs Merlin to help him get ready, and Tobias is of high enough rank to be near the prince as he does so. Luckily for Merlin, he just has to stay inside the tent.

Unluckily for Merlin…

“Arthur,” Gwaine calls from outside, “they need you to come look at the shields.”

Arthur gives Merlin’s arm a squeeze and steps away, ducking out of the tent. Gwaine leads him over to a table laden with shields, each with a different insignia painted on it. The Pendragon crest gleams in the light, next to the sigils from each of the other knights fighting. None of them has so much as a scratch.

“Very good, sire,” the attendant says, sweeping them along to finish the final preparations. Arthur follows Gwaine up the hill to where the others are standing, Leon turning and nodding solemnly ate his approach.

“Are all of you competing, then?” Arthur leans against the wall.

Leon shakes his head. “Lancelot and I will be sitting this one out.”

“Not growing weary are you, old friend?”

“Weary of people attempting to kill you while I’m already engaged in combat,” Leon replies wryly, “and weary of Merlin being the only one able to do anything about it.”

“They won’t listen to him when he calls for a stop to the tourney,” Lancelot adds.

“And so you can keep anyone away from him,” Gwaine says firmly.

“Precisely.”

They head back down the hill, just in time to see a flutter of movement from Arthur’s tent. Gwaine frowns, rushing forward and throwing it open.

“Merlin?”

“I’m here,” Merlin says, getting to his feet, “just fell.”

Arthur rolls his eyes fondly and reaches down to help him up. “At some point, Merlin, I do have to wonder.”

“It’s fine, I just picked up something without realizing it was attached to something else.”

“I see.”

The rest of the knights glance at each other over Arthur’s shoulder and Elyan stalks off toward a neighboring tent. Leon bows deeply and tells Merlin that he and Lancelot will wait for the others to finish their training before coming to collect him.

“There’s still a few more days to go,” Merlin says softly, “I don’t see why you all had to come here so early.”

“It’s to make it fair, give the knights the chance to get used to fighting in the same place.”

Merlin grumbles to himself as he goes about finishing up. Arthur catches him gently by the elbow as he turns to leave.

“Are you alright? Really?”

“Arthur, I’m fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Arthur sighs. “I would really like for one of these to go off normally for once.”

Arthur does not, in fact, get what he wants.

Not that anyone is particularly surprised that there’s a knight who managed to sneak a poisoned weapon into the training grounds, but someone clips Arthur through his armor and he winces, immediately aware that something’s wrong. Merlin spots it a mile away, because of course he does. The knight is quickly escorted away and Arthur shakes his head, calling for a search of all the knights’ belongings and weapons.

“You’d think we’d get better about this,” Lancelot mutters as he and Merlin approach, Merlin rubbing his shoulder, “and that they’d stop trying.”

“At least we caught it before the actual melee.”

“Merlin, there you are,” Gwaine says, pulling Merlin to his side, “good. Now, you and I are going to have a talk.”

“About what?” Arthur looks around. “What’s going on?”

Lancelot just mouths that they’ll be back as Gwaine sweeps them both along the corridor. Arthur brushes it to the back of his mind. That’s not the first time they’ve done something like this.

It’s the night before the melee. Merlin is late. Arthur paces up and down the length of his quarters. The knights have all vanished hours ago. Merlin is late.

A knock.

“Enter.”

Leon sweeps inside, a stony look on his face. He glances around the quarters and bites back a curse. “Merlin’s not here, is he?”

“No,” Arthur says, his blood beginning to run cold, “no, he isn’t. Where is he?”

“Gwaine and Lancelot are already looking,” Leon says, shutting the door, “but…sire, may I ask a question?”

“Always,” Arthur says immediately, “you don’t need to ask.”

“How long has Tobias been…allowed near Merlin?”

“He hasn’t,” Arthur growls, hustling down the corridor, “but what has he done?”

“He was more brazen during the joust.” Leon shoulders a door open. “But now—“

“Merlin!”

Arthur rushes forward as Merlin turns the corner. Startled, Merlin barely has time to turn all the way before Arthur’s wrapping him up in a protective arm and turning him back toward the safety of Arthur’s chambers.

“Where were you?”

“I was, um…”

Arthur bites back a curse and hurries faster, Leon hot on their heels. Along the way, they come across Elyan and Percival, coming up from the armory.

“Arthur, we need to—“ Elyan breaks off when he sees Merlin in Arthur’s arms. “Merlin?”

“My chambers,” Arthur growls, “now.”

“What about Gwaine and Lancelot?”

“They’ll find us.”

“Guys, whatever this is, it’s fine,” Merlin tries but Arthur simply opens the door to his quarters and sits Merlin down. “Really!”

“Merlin,” Leon says quietly, “where were you just now?”

Merlin glances at Arthur. Then back to Leon. “Helping Amelia.”

“And who were you helping Amelia help?”

Another glance at Arthur. Arthur closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Merlin,” he says slowly, “I need you to answer me honestly, please.”

Merlin nods, evidently a little taken aback at how soft Arthur’s voice is.

“Were you helping Amelia because she asked for your help, or were you helping her so Tobias would get angry with you instead of her?”

The silence that fills the room is more than enough of an answer.

“I’m going to kill him,” Gwaine announces, kicking open the door, “now where’s—there you are.”

“Gwaine, I—ah!”

“Don’t break him,” Lancelot chides gently as Gwaine sweeps Merlin into a hug, “he’s probably still hurt.”

“Hurt?” Arthur looks from Lancelot to Merlin. “Merlin—“

“It’s fine.”

“Can you allow us to be the judge of that,” Leon asks, settling a hand on Gwaine’s shoulder and moving him away, “please?”

“It’s just a few bruises, he doesn’t even hit that hard.”

“Not exactly helping your case here,” Gwaine snarls, stalking toward Arthur.

“Merlin.”

“…why’re you guys so upset?”

Arthur winces. Merlin looks back and forth between them.

“No…really, I don’t—I don’t understand. You lot hit me.”

“Not like that!”

“It’s fine, I don’t—“

“This isn’t fine, Merlin, you’re being hurt.”

“So?”

The room falls silent. Leon draws back as if Merlin reached out to smack him across the face. Percival bows his head as Elyan bites back a curse. Lancelot stares at Merlin like he’s grown a second head. Gwaine looks at Arthur.

Arthur’s chest clenches so painfully he fears he’s going to have to send for Gaius. Merlin…Merlin doesn’t believe that he’s worth worrying about when he’s hurt? Merlin doesn’t care that he’s getting hurt? Merlin is letting someone hurt him?

“Merlin…”

“What?” He looks around at all of them in confusion. “What it is? Why do you all look so…so…”

“Upset?” Leon tilts his head. “Because you just told us you don’t think you’re important.”

“But…this isn’t that big of a deal. It happens all the time. Why is this time any different.”

“How often,” Lancelot says, “would you say this happens then?”

“Every time there’s a tournament.”

“Every tournament,” Leon repeats quietly, “there is a knight that does this?”

“Sometimes more than one.”

“And you…let them?”

“It’s not like I have much of a choice.”

No.

No, no, no, this isn’t right.

This isn’t right.

Merlin is the man who waltzed right up to Arthur on his first day in Camelot and told him to stop being a prat.

Merlin is the man who spat in Uther’s face as often as he could.

Merlin is the man who demanded that everyone is treated as a person, be they servant or noble or royal.

This is wrong.

“Merlin,” Arthur manages, “Merlin, of course you have a choice.”

“If I don’t do it, they’ll hurt someone else. And I’m used to it.”

“But you never should’ve gotten used to it,” Arthur cries, rushing forward and grabbing Merlin’s shoulders, “damnit, Merlin, why don’t you protect yourself?”

“I’m fine, Arthur.”

“You’re letting yourself get pushed around and beaten by someone, you’re not fine.”

“I have to put up with you, don’t I?”

Arthur burns.

Something in his chest squeezes so tight it breaks. He takes his hands off of Merlin like he’s been stung, backing up until he hits the poster of his bed. His mouth is open in shock and he can scarcely draw breath.

Merlin thinks…Merlin…did he do this to Merlin?

“I don’t understand why this is such a big deal,” Merlin is saying far, far away, “it’s not like I’m not…why’re you all looking at me like that?”

No, no, Merlin is Arthur’s Merlin, he—he’d never hurt his Merlin, he’d never—no, he hasn’t—but—Merlin—

“Arthur, are you—are you crying?”

This is Arthur’s fault. This is Arthur’s fault, isn’t it, he’s messed this up, he’s messed Merlin up, he’s ruined it—he’s ruined everything.

“Sire,” comes Leon’s—is that Leon’s?—voice from somewhere to his left, “you have to breathe, come on…”

Arthur gasps, the air burning the inside of his throat. He does it again, frantically blinking to clear his eyes. Tears stream down his cheeks—so he did start crying—as the image of Lancelot and Gwaine talking to Merlin swims into view in front of him. Merlin’s brow is furrowed and he keeps shooting concerned looks Arthur’s way.

“I never meant—“ Arthur swallows— “I never meant to hurt him. I didn’t—I never meant any of them, I—“

“Shh, sire,” Leon murmurs, “we know. Nothing is simple right now.”

“But that’s not what Arthur does,” Merlin protests, “he—is that why you guys are so worried?”

Merlin turns and flies at Arthur, hands immediately coming up to cup his cheeks and numb away his tears, muttering all the while.

“That’s not what I meant, Arthur,” he babbles, “I didn’t—I didn’t mean to—you’re not like them, I just—that’s what I’m used to, I didn’t know that there was a difference—“

“I never meant to hurt you, Merlin,” Arthur says, gripping Merlin’s arms tightly, “I just—you must believe me—“

“I do, I do—“ now Merlin’s crying too— “I just—“

“Alright, you two,” Leon hushes, gently laying a hand on both of their shoulders, “let’s have you two sit before you fall over.”

The knight guides them both to the bed, sitting them on the edge. They’re no help; they’re too busy crying and clinging onto each other.

“Now, why don’t you two have a chat, and we’ll be outside.” Leon ruffles their hair affectionately and sweeps the others out into the corridor despite Gwaine’s protests.

Arthur swallows. “I never meant to hurt you, Merlin,” he mumbles, “nor do I believe that you’re—a fool or an idiot or stupid or anything.”

He clutches Merlin tightly. “You’re important to me.”

Merlin nods. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you lot, it’s just…that was how the older boys in Ealdor treated me. I got used to it. And it always made sense.”

Arthur shakes his head furiously. “It doesn’t make sense, Merlin. They were hurting you. People are hurting you. That’s not alright. That’s awful. And I’m going to stop it.”

“You can’t just fight all the nobles who don’t like me.”

“Watch me.”

“Your father will—“

“To hell with that,” Arthur snarls, “they’re hurting you. And I won’t stand for it.”

Merlin sighs, slumping forward. Without a thought, Arthur catches him, pulling him closer and tucking his head over Merlin’s.

“…you really would fight them for me?”

“Yes, Merlin. I would. And I will.”

He feels Merlin grin against his shoulder. “You’re going to make Tobias never come back to Camelot, aren’t you?”

“Perhaps.”

#merlin #merlin bbc #bbc merlin #merthur #merthur fic #dragonbabbles #fic

65 notes · View notes

furblrwurblr · 3 years

Text

Patience, love!

Hey hey hey! Guess who made another Douxie x reader soulmate fic? m e

Douxie x Reader Soulmate AU, fluff, angst. crack if you squint.

Warnings: Swearing, I was far more casual this time, more misunderstandings aha, angst if you squint but it's not that hidden

The song in question: here, viewer discretion advised. It's emo boy by Ayesha Erotica, and this fic doesn't make a whole lot of sense without it? It can but you'll have to wait for a vague clarification.

Please enjoy our boy feat. Zoe!

Part 2

For as long as you’ve lived, your soulmate’s thoughts about you wrote themselves on your body, just as they had for nearly a millennium. You could tell you’d missed yours a few times. Back in Italy, you’d often stumble out of an alley after a riveting fight with a litter of canal criblets and their mother (why did the only aggressive species of hippocampi have their kids in the canals?) with quiet compliments and passing thoughts along your limbs.

“Another wizard? I wonder where they studied,” or “That was quite a spell, great technique! Wait! Watch out for the-” (that time you’d been a teeny bit distracted by the compliment and whirled around just in time to meet a screaming criblet doing its damndest to bite your face off with its nasty little teeth and bruise you with its impish little hooves. The fuckers were sharp.) The critter left you in a blinding blast of blue. Someone dressed in near all-black ran past you, but by the time your eyes cleared, the blue light was blasting away across the canal and a couple of violent hippocampi babies prevented you from following. Since, you always kept an eye out for that telltale blue light.

༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓

Over time, soulmate laws abated, seen as inhumane towards those unfortunate enough to not have one and those who simply didn’t want one. The law changes allowed you to date around a bit, but, with each partner, you felt more and more guilty as you learned about your true soulmate. By now, you’d discovered he’s a he, he’s a wizard, and he’s a hopeless romantic. Often he’d daydream about all kinds of cheesy dates and tropes he hoped to do with you. Most painfully, he thought about how excited he was to experience everything with you for the first time. Of course, you two had already had mental conversations about it and though he always accepted it, you could tell he was a bit disappointed. You didn’t have many firsts left and said you’d save those at least, but he, sweetheart he was, said he’d just give you more firsts. First scuba dive. First romantic boat date, but in the clouds. First couple’s bake at 3 AM in your shared flat.

You stopped dating after that.

༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓

Now, it was the start of the 21st century and you were impatient. You’d traveled everywhere, sign of that beautiful blue, and no help from your cheeky soulmate. Every time you asked if he was in a new country, he’d tell you: “That’s for me to know, and you to find out.” It made you tear your hair out, never settling down anywhere. After a while, he seemed to notice you were moving slower, motivation no longer able to breeze you through three large villages in a month. He started being super obnoxious about how much he “looooved America, Merlin’s beard, Land of the Free! Free! Dobby is free! What a wondrous place!” After a sharp word and a warm, giddy feeling from him, you were on a plane to The ‘States. What a way to start your 2000’s, huh?

Sixteen years. It had taken you sixteen years to comb the country, starting from New York and finally reaching California. You could feel your hope dwindle, but you had one last straw to go on: Benoit’s. He’d wanted to take you there a couple times within the past couple years so it must be in his area. Problem is, the entire west coast was covered in them, every city, small and large, having at least one. You’d ruled out the other states after years of searching, only California was left. With a bittersweet, determined huff, you boarded the plane.

༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓

You gave up. Where the fuck was this guy? For the first time in your life, you decided to settle. You’d looked in every nook and cranny California had to offer and didn’t find him. No magic, no man, no nothing. Seeing as you couldn’t seem to find shit, you turned to your magic. You could cast a few defensive and offensive spells, but your speciality was tracking. Ironic, isn’t it? You’d tried searching for him that way, but his aura was too warded and its memory too faded from your memory to work. However, now you were doing it for yourself. You bought a map and worked your magic, seeking stone swinging in perfect circles and settling around a small town called Arcadia. Funny, you hadn’t been there yet. What if- no. “He’s gone”, you reminded yourself. You found a flat in the area and set off.

༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓

Douxie felt it the moment you gave up. He didn’t know exactly what you’d given up on, but he did know he hadn’t seen any more locations pop up in a couple weeks. For some ungodly known reason, he didn’t realize that all your questions of his whereabouts weren't just a passing curiosity. He was waiting for fate to bring you two together, not considering his soulmate might be so impatient and eager to meet him that they’d travel the ends of the earth.

He’d been washing dishes at Benoit’s when his coworker pointed out the little black letters on the back of his shoulder. “He’s gone.” He went back to work with a heavy heart. “So much for waiting for fate,” he thought.

You’d just moved the last box into your new flat when you saw it. So much for fate? You spent the rest of the day in bed, tears christening your rented mattress. “I guess he gave up too.”

You couldn’t live off your savings forever, you only had so much gold left from the Golden Age of Piracy to sell to museums. Within a week, you’d secured jobs at the local Speedway and HexTech. You convinced yourself you were okay, that this was better for you. You bonded with your coworkers at HexTech, but there was one you were having difficulties with. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but you really admired her. Her name was Zoe, and you couldn’t get enough of her.

One day, you worked up the nerve to strike up a conversation during your shared counter shift. She liked you when you got to talking, and said she’d help you finish unpacking your flat as soon as you told her why you didn’t generally act so free as you did in the past hour of conversation. You agreed to tell her while she helped you.

The two of you made a day of it. She brought snacks and a housewarming movie for you both to watch when you finished, and you made a smorgasbord for lunch paired with a good wine you’d been saving since the 1800’s. No time like the present, eh?

You plopped onto the stained couch that came with the place. Heaving a great, satisfied sigh, you looked over your flat with a smile. Settling felt good, like you had a place you belonged.

“It looks fantastic, Zoe, thank you for the help.”

“I’m good, aren’t I,” she said with a confident smile, sitting next to you on the couch. A few moments pass in silence. Her tone shifted. “Spill,” she demanded.

You sigh and recounted all that’s happened with your soulmate. Your passing in Italy. Your shame. His enthusiasm. The shift that seemed to occur all at once, both of you switching gears at the same time.

She looked at you sympathetically, knowing full well how it felt when things went wrong with a soulmate. Sucking in a breath, she hesitated. You could tell she was trying to find the right words. You almost told her it was alright that she didn’t have to-

“He sounds like a dumbass,” she blurted.

You shared a laugh, agreeing.

“I really do like him,” you sighed. “Some part of me still has something there, you know? This is one of the few places I haven’t looked, there’s a Benoit’s here, but I’m… I’m petrified.”

Zoe looked you over. “Give me your phone.” She held out her hand and cut off any protests. After some fiddling, she handed it back and you found 5 alarms and 2 calendar events, all with very obnoxious titles. “You. Me. Benoit’s. You’re not getting out of it, I’ll bring a grit-shaka if I have to.

You groaned and moaned about it as she put in the movie, the self-satisfied smirk never leaving her face. You quieted down as the movie started, realizing there was no way around it. You were secretly thankful for such aggressive support, but opted to shake all thoughts of soulmates from your mind as you shared this moment with your new friend.

༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓

Today was the day. You’d gotten into something comfortable to try and calm your nerves, but it wasn’t doing much. After fixing your hair for the third time, you jumped at a knock on the door. Zoe came in, grabbed your purse, and pulled you out of the building by the wrist. You started walking, the cafe only two blocks away. By the first block your hands were shaking. Zoe pulled you behind Stuart’s electronics and held up a grit-shaka.

“Mother Midril, you were serious?”

“Deadly,” she said, looping it around your neck.

Your shaking calmed instantly, your magic preventing it from getting too out-of-hand. Troll magics were tricky.

You two walked in and sat at a booth, ordering your respective coffees and breakfast items from a nice young man, he couldn’t have been older than sixteen. After a bit of a wait, the voice of Adonis himself asked you both how you were doing, handing you your coffees. He spoke with Zoe a bit and introduced himself to you as Douxie. You confidently responded in kind, but your mind could only think of one thing.

You struggled to keep your composure, even with the grit-shaka. Yes, the thing calmed your nerves, but damn did it bring back some old habits. You saw Zoe’s eyes widen at Douxie’s arm but paid it little mind. He was hot. Long hair, tight jeans… you barely responded coherently as Emo Boy by Ayesha Erotica blasted through your brain. Yes, it was embarrassing, yes, you wanted your soulmate more than anything, but gods above he was your type and you’d be damned to not appreciate it.

As soon as he left, you brought your hand behind your neck and removed the blasted thing, looking at Zoe in shock. Her expression mirrored yours but for a very different reason. Douxie was the dumbass. And you’d just technically praised his dick, insulted him, and asked him to fuck you over 10 times, and it was all written up his arms and probably around his torso. She broke out into a cackle, tears mildly smudging her mascara. You were utterly confused and looked at his retreating figure over your shoulder, noticing a thought coming up the arm you’d slung over the booth chair.

“I’m flattered, I think? You must be the little minx at table three. I knew you weren’t one for waiting, but at least buy me dinner first! I’ll be right out, just let me grab my sweater to cover this a little bit. Think of the children!”

You stopped breathing altogether. Tightening your lips, you let out a muffled scream and pulled Zoe from her seat across you. Your elbow knocked over your coffee and you nearly did the right thing of helping, but you didn’t have time. All these 800 years, all your hope and searching, and you make the worst possible first impression. Sure, it wasn’t good already, but now he had a face to put to the shame. You stumble out the door, Zoe’s laughter still following you out of the now-silent diner.

Douxies pale cheeks were blazing with color as he pulled on his sweater in the break room. Going over, ahem, such blunt words, no matter the context, wasn't good for his health. His shirt raised and he saw the hurried words appear near his hip, chuckling as he started to read. He’d seen the grit-shaka; they must have taken it off.

“Shit, it’s you? I knew going was a bad idea, I’m so sorry, I’ve probably made you so uncomfortable, I’ll be going now.”

Wait… going? Douxie slammed the door open, hearing the wall plaster crunch inside. Table three was empty and covered in coffee, your purse was still there, and the diner was completely silent. Your coat swished out the door and he tripped over himself, stumbling between tables to get to the door. He ran out into the empty street, looking for something, anything. His boss called him back in to help, and he sulked into the diner. Bending down to pick up the cup so he could mop up the mess, he lit up. Your purse. It sat on the seat, the various charms and keychains glistening with the glow of one of Mordrax’s miracles.

༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓

You and Zoe made it back to your flat, out of breath. Zoe was still giggling as she reactivated the wards on the door. You plopped on the couch again, this time in shock. Zoe shook you out of it, eyes sincere.

“You have to go back.”

“I one hundred percent do not, there’s absolutely nothing holding me to that.”

“There’s me, dipshit, and there's something else. You’re too empathetic to put him through any more.”

You looked at her, surprised. “What do you mean?” you asked, voice small.

She explained how much it hurt him that you’d dated others even though he knew it was entirely your decision. How much of a hole it made in his heart when you gave up. How he dropped his regular temperament for a sullen, depressed shell of the man he was, going through the motions and not much more.

“I understand if you want to wait a while, but-”

“But I have to go back,” you said, drawing your knees to your chest. She scooted closer to you, wiped your gathering tears, and planted a light kiss on your forehead. She snorted when you brought your hand to the spot she’d just kissed, checking for residue from her jet black lipstick.

She gently swiped a thumb across her lip and bopped your nose. “No-transfer. I buy the good shit,” she said with a smile.

She put on a calm movie and wrapped you in a blanket, telling you how proud she was at your bravery and discussing plans for returning to Benoit’s.

༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓・༓

Three weeks later, Douxie had called you a few times. You'd left your phone at home in Zoe’s insistence and left your purse at the scene of the crime. Now, you were ready to sort out more than your missing belongings. You walked out of your flat prepared to have another go. Sort of. You had a decorative facemask on, a large dark sweatshirt (to deter being perceived in any way), and no intention to actually speak to him. You just wanted him to know you were there and not completely rejecting him. Zoe had spoken to him, so he knew you’d be there during his shift and how nervous you were. You were grateful for her, she’d told him the gist of what you couldn’t say yourself, but some things she’d said were best heard from you.

You sat down, fingers twitching. God, did you want to pick at something. You settled for scratching at the table, not feeling like making a mess of lint in the same booth you’d drenched in coffee not three weeks prior.

Douxie came with your drink, already having memorized what you ordered last time. Your purse was strapped across his body, laying at his hip. He gently placed it on the table and pushed your coffee towards you after carefully slipping something under it out of your field of view. You went to check and he covered it with a chuckle.

“You really aren’t very patient, are you?”

You covered your face and laughed. Taking a deep breath, you pulled the mask under your chin and placed your hands in his. “No, I’m not. Which is why I won’t wait any longer. I’m sorry. I was so caught up in myself I never thought to properly communicate with you. I hurt us both unnecessarily, can you forgive me?”

His eyes softened, lips lifting into a gentle smile. “Of course, love. I’ve waited for you for so long, and I had my part in this misunderstanding, so of course I can. I’m still on shift, but- ah, just check under the cup, would you?” He lifted one of your hands to his lips, gently brushing over your knuckles. “I’ll see you soon, darling,” he said, getting up and back behind the counter.

You took a slow sip of your now-cooled coffee and nearly spit it out at what he’d placed under it. Two tickets to Warped Tour laughed at you from the tabletop. You eyed them warily as you picked up the accompanying note.

“Hey, love! I hope you haven’t been to Warped Tour, it can be our first first! Apologies for the strange wording. I’ll see you at 7:00 on XX/XX/20XX outside your flat, I’m taking you to dinner before we go. Plus, we can get that romantic boat ride in the clouds I promised so long ago out of the way too! I can’t wait. You must be rubbing off on me. I’ll be seeing you, love. -Hisirdoux”

Next to it was a paw print. Did he have a cat? Either way, he was an absolute cheek. You drank your coffee in silence, a new calendar event to look forward to.

#hisirdoux casperan #toa #douxie #furblewrites #douxie x reader #hisirdoux x reader #toa x reader #hisirdoux casperan x reader #hisirdoux #toa douxie #toa zoe

125 notes · View notes

angelharness · 4 years

Text

DBD Killers as Yandere Archetypes

WARNINGS: yandere content

Not a request, but more so a graph I made while stuck in a bad mix of boredom and curiosity. Wanted to delve into the Killers as they’d fit in the ‘yandere’ trope, specifically what subsets they’d be (or archetypes, more accurately).

Foreword that I doubt I’ll write something of this nature in the future (unless explicitly a commission) as I’m not entirely comfortable with the matter. It’s very important to recognize this characterization as unhealthy and to never enable such behavior in any real relationships.

Will be sorting each killer into seven classes, including Isolating, Manipulative, Dependent, Possessive, Obsessive, Delusional, and Lucid

The definitions vary greatly depending on the Killer, while some may not fit an archetype listed, or could be a hybrid of any number of them. It’s also very possible for them to fit multiple subcategories.

For reference, a general key would be

Isolating - (Usually gradually) cuts off s/o from their friends and family, secluding them and asserting themselves as their only social contact. Goal is perhaps to make s/o reliant on them.

Manipulative - Fairly straightforward, though the means of manipulation vary. Often emotionally controlling. Might resort to guilting the s/o or self-destructive tendencies to get them to stay. Goal is to assert control over s/o.

Dependent - Depends on s/o for stability or comfort. Might suffer from separation anxiety and as such is terribly clingy. Often ignores other social ties to focus on their s/o. No implicit goal, but usually wishes for reciprocation of feelings.

Possessive - Similar to Manipulative and often a package deal. Would under no circumstances share their s/o, likely frets over losing them (perhaps to romantic rivals or even misguidedly anyone they falsely deem a threat). Goal is to assert control over s/o.

Obsessive - Not necessarily Possessive, though the two sometimes come together. An Obsessive might not outwardly act on their fixation, but silently pines intensely for their s/o. Fixates heavily on their s/o. Goal is to become closer to the person of interest, or wishes for reciprocation of feelings.

Delusional - Hard opposite of Lucid. They likely wrongly believe their feelings are reciprocated, believe them and their s/o are meant to be, or that their s/o is in denial of their feelings and it’s up to them to help them realize this. No implicit goal, but usually wishes for reciprocation of feelings.

Lucid - Hard opposite of Delusional. Well aware that their feelings are unhealthy and destructive, but usually represses these thoughts or simply doesn’t care. Might feel guilt, but it’s often overshadowed by longing. May have any of the formerly listed goals.

EVAN MACMILLAN / THE TRAPPER

Lucid, Possessive

Right off the bat can tell there’s something harmful about his feelings. They’re too heavy, intense; he’s wary of scaring you off, but once you establish a relationship you’re pretty much trapped, and he’s sure to make this known. He’ll sever any means of escape and isn’t terribly against offing any other persons he perceives as a threat. This might be as minor of an offense as another survivor expression concern for your situation.

PHILIP OJOMO / THE WRAITH

Obsessive, Lucid

Will largely attempt to repress his feelings, sensing that it can’t quite be healthy. He considers himself too horrible of a person to ever be able to offer you a stable relationship, so he pines from afar. It aches endlessly, but he is unlikely to act on his emotions. This might come to be self-destructive, and you’ll find he lashes out at you in an attempt to distance the two of you. For your sake, he convinces himself.

SALLY SMITHSON / THE NURSE

Delusional

Her time in the fog is washed intensely in delusion. She believes, though her method cruel and unforgiving, her intentions are good-natured. The same will apply for any romantic feelings. It’s impossible to reason with her mindset, soiled with delirium, and she’ll shut down any arguments with the accusation that you’re the delusional one; she only wants to help. You’re callous, pushing her away, she convinces herself.

MICHAEL MYERS / THE SHAPE

Possessive

He’s hard to figure out. He keeps his intentions unknowable, preferring that power over you. Feeds from your unease, and thrives off of displays of fear. He wants a reaction, that much is obvious, and no means are excessive to get that out of you. It is unavoidable that he will eventually tire of you; when you spend so long jabbing at your food with a fork, it gets cold. When that time comes, he’ll rid of you lethally.

HERMAN CARTER / THE DOCTOR

Lucid, Manipulative

Well aware his feelings could quickly become dangerous, though doesn’t find himself caring an awful lot. He has way too much fun messing with you, making you doubt yourself, him, others. Might also be categorized as the type to isolate you, purposefully confining you, starving you of interaction beyond him. His end goal is to make you entirely and completely reliant on him, though finds the process more exciting than the desired objective.

ANNA / THE HUNTRESS

Possessive, Isolating

To a certain degree she is definitely delusional, but I wouldn’t consider it severe enough to categorize her as such. She recognizes your fear, though believes it’s something that can be overcome with a lot of pushing. In that regard, she's impatient, and is swift to become frustrated at an immediate lack of progress. Oblivious to why you would ever need anyone else beyond her; she supplies all you’d require.

BUBBA SAWYER / THE CANNIBAL

Dependent, Possesive

Partly delusional, but knows you’re unwilling. Still, relies on you for a feeling of normalcy, that distant echo of a real, functional relationship. Couldn’t bear the thought of you with anyone else, so much he might resort to threats of violence to coerce you into staying. Whether these are empty or significant falls on you to figure out. Liable to tantrums when you’re away, though the severity of these outbursts is determined by his current stability.

AMANDA YOUNG / THE PIG

Lucid, Manipulative

Fairly coherent regarding her emotions, though this regulation never translates into her actions, which are twisted by impulse and anxieties. Unintentionally incredibly manipulative, will very quickly turn to self-destructive exploits to gain your sympathy and convince you to stay. Eventually, she stops caring if you’re only sticking around out of a feeling of necessity. If you ever show intent to leave, though, she’d panic. Can’t conceive a life without you now that she’s met you.

RIN YAMAOKA / THE SPIRIT

Dependent, Manipulative

Another case of unintentional manipulation. On the verge of lucidity, but blinded by the hunger for comfort and stability you offer her. If she feels you’re losing interest, may also fall back on harmful habits, though herself isn’t certain if it’s a cry for recognition or a method of escapism. Horrified of losing you, and it’s very clear that’s the case, however she tries to subdue such feelings. Becomes incredibly reliant on you very quickly. Fixates on any acts of kindness.

THE LEGION

FRANK

Possessive

Possessive through and through. I can’t really see him fall into any of the other categories much, but may also employ a bit of manipulation, usually in the field of threats against loved ones. It’s never clear if he’d follow through on these remarks, but given his impulsivity and history of spontaneous violence, you’d prefer not to risk it. Intensely against you socializing outside of the Legion, where he trusts them immensely and sometimes relies on them to keep you in check.

JULIE

Possessive, Isolating

Can be likened to Frank, but will never entirely trust you around the rest of the Legion; she loves them so, but is dazed in her worries of losing you. Often lashes out at them, all in her desperation to confine you to her. Never above physical threats if it means you staying. Her capacity for guilt will gradually thin, though there are moments, glimpses of lucidity where she reflects inconsolably over her actions. It all falls into a cycle, though, and she traps herself in a descending spiral.

JOEY

Lucid, Possessive

His descent is a gradual, aching one. He watches passively as he careens into devastating obsession, worsening but with no will to stop it. Like Julie, he adores the family he’s established in the Legion, but can’t stand the possibility of losing you to one of them. It would be more personally crushing, so he figures he’d rather be safe than sorry. Calmer than Frank, but not entirely beyond threats of violence if he felt the situation called for it.

SUSIE

Obsessive, Dependent

Lucid to a degree; she’s never been in a relationship herself, and the possibility of a stable one now is unfeasible in these circumstances, but she’s witnessed enough to understand there’s something profusely wrong with her feelings. Eventually, her mood will come to depend heavily on yours, and how you treat her. Praise and displays of affection make her day, though alternatively, something as simple as a drop in tone can ruin her entirely.

ADIRIS / THE PLAGUE

Possessive, Delusional

Adiris is not delusional in the sense of wrongly believing you return her feelings, but instead, ignores the possibility entirely. She’s banished the notion from her mind, naively trusting that you love her wholly and unquestioningly. It will take time for her to view you as equal and acknowledge you have needs separate from her; she prefers the bliss of complete control over you. She finds comfort in her ignorance, and would never want to trade that for the much more bitter reality.

DANNY JOHNSON / THE GHOST FACE

Lucid, Possessive

Absolutely aware of the unhealthy nature of his emotions, though thrives off the high of it. As time goes on, he needs more and more to reach that pleasure again, until he’s wrung you dry, left you empty and disjointed, and no longer sees a use in you. Views you as a beloved item, and treats you as he pleases, which is dictated by his mood (which itself fluctuates sharply). Threats are abundant but sporadic; you could be having a nice dinner and he’d flip out a knife and direct it at your neck.

CALEB QUINN / THE DEATHSLINGER

Possessive

Does not exactly view you as an object or possession as much as he views you as just his. Wants you to be reliant, and never expects you to stray far from his side. He’ll show you off to the other killers, boasting, going on about how obedient you are, no matter if you express discomfort; he laughs it off coldly. Quickly gets frustrated at any acts he might consider instances of disobedience or defiance. Relies heavily on threats, and he can get intense.

PYRAMID HEAD / THE EXECUTIONER

Possessive

He is an intriguing case. The only real category I could see him falling into is possessive, where in his head you belong to him and in return, he is to protect you. If he failed that task, the only reasonable response would be punishment. Similarly, if you exhibit a lack of faith, he’ll supply discipline as he sees fit. There’s no way out once you take that plunge; a beast that can’t perish and a realm that won’t let you die sets up an eternal commitment.

#dbd imagine #dbd x reader #slasher x reader #slashers x reader #slasher x you #slasher x s/o #slashers x you #reader insert #x reader #horror x reader #villain x reader #cw yandere #💾:harpy writez

165 notes · View notes

sdvharveybby · 3 years

Note

This is a super cliche trope but

Can you do fake dating with Harvey? :D maybe his family in Zuzu have constantly been bugging him for still being single, even more so than usual. and he’s close enough with the farmer to ask if they could just pretend for a day while they visit

I, obviously, kept this platonic between the farmer and Harvey, but man! It honestly killed me to write this. By nature, I tease people quite a bit- so to add that into this, it just made me laugh! I love the awkward Doctor man so much!

Inspiration to this was actually eating together with my family earlier! We are full of roasts and ways to tease each other, so it made this fun and easy to write.

**edit** I totally gave Harveys parents some names, by the way. His papa is William/Bill and his mama is Evelyn (which, now that I think about it. someone is named that in SDV. which is exactly what I wanted to avoid. i love myself) Sorry if the names are cringy, but I did it to make my writing easier. Sorry 😓😭

Please let me know what you think, bby! This ask was so unique, I thought about it- and I have seen this with a comic, but I haven’t seen anyone write it (most likely just haven’t see it yet lmao) but I hope I did this all justice! It was super super fun!! THANKS BBY!!

Word Count: 1796

The phone rung, loudly enough to pierce the ears of anyone in the room as the farmer sat on Harvey’s stool by the radio. They swung around in the direction of the phone to see Harvey answering it, “Hi, this is Doctor Harvey, what can I help you with?” He responded in his usual tone during work hours. It was currently 2pm and Harvey and the farmer normally spent this time together- drinking coffee and throwing around jokes till he had to close. It was nice for the farmer to get a break every day and Harvey normally wasn’t busy around this time, so it kept them both company.

They couldn’t make out the words on his call, but they listen closely anyways, “Oh! Mother, ha- yes, sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice for a second!” He admitted as the farmer could see him grip the phone tighter. His sweet smile seemed strained as he focused on the call, he looked… annoyed. “Ah, yes, business is fine around here. It gets a bit slow during the summer but picks up around fall and winter. Is there… any reason you called?” Harvey sat in his chair beside his table, hunched over as he used his elbow to keep the phone at his ear in place. His eyes searched around his room as he listened to his mother on the other line, never making eye contact with the farmer once. He dipped his head and rubbed the back of his neck before he suddenly stood up, “Ha, uhm-yeah, relationships? Y-yeah! I’m uhm… currently in one now!” He lied as he began to pace as much as the phone cord would allow. Wait, relationship? The farmer thought as they watched him slowly pace back and forth. They sipped their coffee, watching him under amused eyes as Harvey was lying to his family. Seems like his family takes that all seriously! They chuckled to themselves, letting out a small burp from their coffee. Harvey swung towards the farmer and held up a finger in a hushed tone- the farmer chuckled again. “Yes, they’re wonderful. I’m very happy,” He continued to lie through his teeth until a moment later when he stopped dead in his tracks. “Ah, no-no! You don’t have to come out!” He spoke, attempting to persuade his family their visit wasn’t necessary. When he realized there wasn’t any way of urging them to stay home, he accepted defeat and ended the call.

Silence filled the room as his stood there, staring at the ground. “Ah, you all right, Harvey? Sounds like your family is coming, yeah?” The farmer began, taking another sip of coffee. He didn’t respond and still didn’t make eye contact. He sat back in his chair by the table and gave a heavy sigh, “My family has been urging me to get into a relationship ever since I left home,” He softly chuckled to himself, it almost seemed panicked as he did so. The farmer began, slowly, “And you… just told them you’re in a relationship…” he nodded, “and… they’re coming out to visit” The farmer pieced together as they watched him lean his back against the table. He nodded again and rubbed his face with his hands. Another moment of silence ensued, “Okay-“ he started, blushing a bit. “Can you do me the biggest favor I’ll probably ever ask of you?” The farmer knew exactly where he was going with this, but they gave a muffled ‘mmhmm’ as they continued to drink their coffee.

“Can we pretend we’re dating while my family is in town?” The farmer knew what he was going to ask, but when they heard it- they almost spat out their coffee. “Us, really?” They wiped their mouth of excess coffee on to their sleeve- they watched Harvey quickly stand, nervously pacing once again. “I’m not close enough with anyone else in town, and- and, I think we can pull it off!” Harvey reassured them giving a worried smile, “Course- you can say n-“ “I’ll do it.” The farmer interrupted, “-but this totally means you owe me!” They stood, placing their empty coffee cup on Harveys radio. Harvey breathed a sigh of relief, “When are they coming out?” They asked him, “T-tomorrow” he mumbled, and the farmer jumped a bit in surprise. “Wait, really?? That gives us no time to prepare at all!” They argued and Harvey held up a hand to dismiss them. “Just be yourself. It’ll only be for the day since they only live in Zuzu city. If they stay for more than a day, then I’ll just tell them you’re busy with your farm work!” He compromised and the farmer sighed, “Fine. I’ll come by after I finish my work, and then I’ll think about how you can pay me back.” They gave him a wicked smile, but Harvey nodded, laughing it off.

The next day started as any other, but the farmer couldn’t feel but a bit worried about meeting his family. It’s going to be so awkward! What if they ask us to do like… romantic stuff together!? This is a disaster! They thought to themselves as they gave hay to their animals. They finished their work a bit later than usual, but they breathed in deeply to calm themselves down and made their way to Harveys.

When they reached his place, it was about 11am, and they walked inside to see Harvey at the front counter with his head in his heads. “No family, yet?” They spoke as they fixed their jacket and combed fingers through their hair to fix it. “No, not yet” he mumbled without looking up. They approached the counter, “Do you not get along with your family, or what? You seem so nervous.” Harvey looked up to meet the farmers eyes, “It’s not that- it’s just that they worry too much.” He explained, “You’re one to talk,” they teased, giving him a comfortable smile- hopefully to ease his stress. His eyes traced their hair and came back with, “You have a piece of hay in your hair,” He teased and sat up with a sigh. The farmer combed through their hair to find it, “And hey, I’m a doctor. It’s my job to worry, and I’m a full-grown man capable of making of my own decisions.” There was a brief pause before the farmer countered him, whispering, “Could have fooled me.” Harvey laughed. It seemed genuine for how nervous he was. Harvey was known to be a worrywart in town but seeing him nervous and stressed easily made the farmer pity him. “It’ll work out just fine. And they’ll be gone before you know it.”

A knock at the door startled them both and Harvey jumped from his chair to answer it. Standing there was an older man and woman. The man was taller than Harvey by about a few inches, and the woman standing next to him reached about chest height to the man. They both had gray hair and wore casual clothes- t-shirt and jeans, while the woman wore a green colored jacket. “Oh, my little Harvey! It’s so good to see you!” The woman, his mother, cooed to him. The farmer had to stifle their laughs before reaching out a hand to introduce themselves. “Nice firm handshake,” Harvey’s father commented to the farmer. “Name’s William, but you can call me Bill.” Harvey’s mother then chimed in, “And I’m Evelyn!” She smiled sweetly towards the farmer, and they knew where Harvey got his smile from.

Their time together went by really well- Bill was funny and didn’t let anyone catch a break from his teasing, which made Harvey nervous at times, but the farmer had no problem keeping up and teasing back. Evelyn was a sweet natured soul who actively worried about everything Harvey was doing and how he was doing it. Harvey had to explain a few times that he was very happy about where he was at in life, and that Pelican Town residents rarely got ill, and that seemed to ease her worries a bit.

“When are you guys going to get married then, huh? I don’t hear any wedding bells.” Bill joked towards Harvey. Harvey blushed a bright red, almost unable to speak. The way him and the farmer sat- it wasn’t convincing his parents at all. They sat a few inches apart from each other and barely acknowledged they even existed. Through Harveys nervous bout, the farmer scooted their chair closer and held his hand, “We’ve given it a lot of thought! But we both don’t feel like we’re ready.” The farmer remarked, swooping in to save Harvey a lot of potential trouble. Evelyn relaxed a bit, but said, “What’s the hold up? I mean, our little Harvey’s not going to get any younger!” Seeing the way Evelyn acted towards Harvey made the farmer laugh, but they stifled any chuckles to continue, “It’s mostly because I don’t have the farm set up enough to have him move in. It’s a lot of work to keep my farm stable and I want to make sure that he’ll be happy enough there to move in.” They explained, completely lying through their teeth. They tried to give a convincing smile, but with Harvey basically deflating on the spot- they had no idea what his parents were thinking of. “You two plan on having a family?” Bill tested as he watched the farmer and Harvey holding hands- albeit awkwardly. Man, what’s with these guys. Couldn’t we have just kept teasing more about Harvey as a kid? The farmer wished in their head. They opened their mouth to speak before Harvey interrupted, “Let’s just get through thinking about the wedding before starting a family!” He was still colored a deep red, unable to hide any of his blushing towards the awkward questions his family placed him in. Evelyn seemed a bit sad at all their answers but seemed satisfied enough to drop her prying.

After his parent’s interview, the evening went by really well! It wasn’t until it reached about 8pm that they decided to leave. With Harvey and the farmer now alone, they simultaneously sighed. “Mission successful?” The farmer asked, exhausted from putting on the show. Harvey feeling the same way, “I had a hard enough time trying to remember we were supposed to be a couple. You were basically one of them.” He laughed and rubbed his face with his hands. “You have no idea how hard I tried not to laugh when she brought up about how tiny you were as a baby.” He gave a loud moan as the farmer said this, “Please don’t make me remember.” Harvey pleaded, letting out a chuckle.

“Or how about the time you-“

“Don’t do this to me!”

#sdv #sdv harvey #stardew farmer #harvey stardew valley #stardew harvey #stardew valley harvey #stardew valley #sdv farmer #sdv ask #stardew valley farmer

54 notes · View notes

joheun-saram · 3 years

Text

String Me Along (kth)

Summary- Falling in love with your best friend doesn’t always go like the movies.

word count- 1.2k

pairing- nonidol!Taehyung x Reader

rating- PG-13

genre- angst

warnings- none!

a.n- Part of my drabbles for @btsholidaybingo, ticking off the Xmas Lights tile! I’ll be posting these every week or so as I get them done. Check out the other drabbles here :)

s/o to the amazing @aroseforyoongi for helping me rephrase the ending! 💕

As always feedback appreciated. Send me an ask! 💌

Friendships between a guy and a girl are always romanticised. Novels and movies ending with the two protagonists that start as friends and end up together always sell out. And why wouldn’t they? It’s a perfect trope. What could be better than falling for your best friend? The person that knows you best also being the person that you romantically spend the rest of your life with seems perfect.

But life’s never perfect, is it?

Taehyung never thought he would fall for you. Why would he? You grew up together. He was there the first time you broke your nose when you were ten, spilling blood onto the concrete. He was there when your face was covered in so much acne in middle school that you could barely see the skin below. He was there when you confessed to your first love in grade eight, only to get laughed at. He was there when you first got drunk in grade ten, not knowing your limits and puking all over the quarterback’s front yard. He was there whenever you got obsessed with a new band and talked his ear off about their backstory in excruciating details.

Taehyung never thought he would fall for you, but he did. Sometime after you graduated university, the things about you that would make him roll his eyes and scoff, made his heart race. It was the way you were overly competitive and destroyed him in any game the two of you played. It was the way you started wearing eyeliner that turned your eyes hypnotizing. It was the way you always spoke your mind and bravely chased opportunities even if you thought you would fail. It was the way you lit up any room you walked into. It was the way you were always passionate about the most niche topics, researching them to no end for nothing more than to satisfy your own curiosity.

Every time the two of you were together, he would feel it. His heart skipping a beat at your scent as you hugged him hello. His nerves tingling at each touch, his face flushing at each laugh. He hated being a cliche - hated being the sad sack who fell for his best friend. But he never hated it more than when he decided he was going to confess at your annual holiday party.

He had showed up early to help you decorate. It was a tradition between the two of you; ten years in the making, withstanding distance and fights. No matter how tumultuous your relationship was, the two of you would always spend the afternoon before your parties stringing Christmas lights around your parent’s living room or your dorm or your apartment, depending on the stage of life you were currently at. He relished this alone time with you as the two of you mixed terrible eggnog nobody would touch and ate an early dinner in preparation to welcome your friends and drink the night away.

This year, however, the tradition was broken. Not because you didn’t meet up but because this year there was someone else there. A tall, handsome older man with broad shoulders that you introduced as your new boyfriend. You had had boyfriends before, that was not what worried him. What worried him was that in the fifteen years he had known you, he had never heard you laugh like that. Your face lit in adoration as your boyfriend cracked a lame dad joke that wasn’t even worthy of a sharp exhale. But here you were, trying not to snort into the eggnog as he wrapped his arms around you, kissing your cheek fondly, and telling you the drink was ‘eggcellent’.

Taehyung found your new love interest annoying. He was far too tall, far too conventionally attractive, and his laugh sounded excruciatingly like windshield wipers working overtime. But what he found the most annoying was how happy he made you. Happier than he had ever seen you.

It was like you had forgotten that Taehyung was even there as he ran around your apartment stringing lights. You were lost in your boyfriend, sneaking kisses and whispers. Your own little bubble, excluding him unknowingly. He felt stupid thinking that today would be the day he would finally be able to be with you, finally be able to hold you like he wanted the past three years.

The necklace he had gotten you for his grand gesture weighed heavier in his pocket each time he sneaked a glance your way. He had planned it perfectly. He was going to bring you hot chocolate from your favourite little cafe downtown and smile gently as you groaned in satisfaction at the first sip. He was going to lift you up so you could attach the lights to the really high hook in the corner. He was going to spend the day listening to your stories before giving you his present - a dainty necklace you had shown him on instagram three months ago, the one that he knew was still in your wish list. He was going to put it around your neck, lingering on your skin before telling you how he had spent the last three years loving you from afar. He was going to kiss you. Kiss you so well that poets would write sonnets about it, that fireworks would be puffs of glitter against it, that no words would do the experience justice.

But life’s never perfect, is it?

So now Taehyung sits, his food getting cold and his beer getting warm, as he watches you feed your boyfriend bites of your favourite spicy noodles from the Thai place down the street, giggling as he complains about the flavour. He finds it odd, not only because you hate public displays of affection, but you especially hate sharing your food. It was like you were a whole new person, your eyes glittering in the dancing lights of your living room.

Taehyung has known you since he was eight, but as he watches you dance with your new boyfriend, your arms wrapped around his neck as the two of you sway slowly to Jimin’s EDM playlist blasting from the speakers, he thinks he doesn’t know you at all. You never showed this side of you to him, the one filled with warmth, and he realizes, slowly but all of a sudden, that you’re in love. You’re in love but not with him. He watches you kiss him slowly as all your friends cheer, your cheeks flushed, and he realizes that you will never look at him that way.

When at midnight, your boyfriend pulls out a slim case and puts the same necklace that’s in Taehyung’s pocket around your neck, he realizes maybe your new boyfriend isn’t so bad. Life’s never perfect and Taehyung smiles softly as you turn around to look at your boyfriend and smile at him with glassy eyes.

Taehyung knows without a doubt that you don’t love him as he stumbles home after too many beers. Laying in bed, he thinks about the night and remembers that for the first time in your years long friendship, you forgot to hug him goodbye, opting for a wave from across the room. Maybe it was inevitable that one of you would catch feelings, that’s what the media warned him about. But he realized that he didn’t mind if you didn’t love him because you were happy, and how could he be sad when the person he loved had what they wanted?

#bts fic #bts scenarios #taehyung imagine #taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #v imagine #v scenario #v x oc #v angst #tae angst #tae imagine #tae x reader #btsholidaybingo #thebtswritersclub

77 notes · View notes

ceterisparibus116 · 3 years

Note

Daredevil scenes / plot points you would have done differently? (I get a suspicion a lot of them have to do with the law stuff, Frank Castle's trial especially. 😉 )

Aaaaa I love this question! Warning: VERY long response:

DEFINITELY the Frank Castle trial. Man, it could’ve been SO GOOD. I have a lot of issues with it, obviously, but the main one is that Matt treating Frank as a hostile witness could’ve been amazing (character-driven, emotionally-charged, also at times hilarious), and we were ROBBED.

I also wish Matt could’ve been involved in more trial prep. The show makes it seem almost like Matt’s skill is limited to courtroom antics, but charisma and the ability to think on your feet in the courtroom mean next to nothing if you haven’t laid a foundation with good legal research and legal writing. I would’ve loved it if the legal plotlines showed us more of that. Like, you know Matt and Karen’s date night in S2 where she helps him come up with witness questions? I would’ve loved it if: a) they’d gotten, like, ANY part of that scene correct from a legal standpoint, and b) if we could’ve gotten MORE. I know that kind of thing might seem boring, but I don’t think it would be. You can really show off characters’ personalities in that kind of environment, and then the audience gets the reward of seeing that hard work pay off at trial.

Speaking of, I know we’ve talked before about S3 splitting everyone up. I still think that could’ve maybe been worth it if we’d gotten a S4 where we could see how everyone learned from how disastrous the S3 isolation was, but without S4, everyone’s isolation in S3 is really unfortunate. I would’ve loved to see Nelson, Murdock, and Page working together for at least half of the season, instead of just the last 3-ish episodes. It would’ve been fascinating to watch, since Matt would still not be in a great headspace, and Karen would still be hurt, and Foggy would be just Trying To Deal with his idiot best friends. (But since we don’t have that, at least we have my S3 canon-divergent retelling thing: Take A Deep Breath – shameless plug.)

I also would’ve generally kept the stakes lower in S2 and S3. I think you agree with me that both seasons would’ve been more powerful if we’d had more lower-level villains. But one of my favorite things about S1 is that we get to know the people who are at stake. Unlike in the Avengers where it’s just “the world” or “New York” or something, S1 showed us a little boy who wanted to go back to his dad, and Elena, and that one juror who was being exploited, and Melvin, and even a bad guy like Vladimir, and they’re ALL sympathetic. We really understand who Matt’s fighting for, but with the exception of Grotto, Jasper Evans, and Julie Barnes, I don’t feel like we really get that in S2 and S3.

Related: our S2 ninjas needed a clearer motivation. (That goes for Defenders, too.) Imo, they needed personal stakes. Fisk’s mission to clean up Hell’s Kitchen was personal. Frank’s mission to take out bad guys was personal. Everything about Elektra was personal. Dex’s desperate attempt to find a place for himself and find people who care about him was VERY personal. But the Hand? Not personal at all.

With Elektra…I’m torn. Part of me really wishes Matt could’ve told her no and maintained his boundaries all along, because a) I hate love-triangle-type drama and drama that could be resolved if people just stopped keeping secrets, and b) it would’ve been so refreshing to see the femme fatal trope subverted, and c) it would’ve given Elektra more agency. That being said…that might be veering too far away from comics canon. Matt is canonically a disaster with relationships, and he and Elektra have this whole…epic…magnetic…thing. I personally would argue that the show isn’t beholden to the canon in this specific way, but I can see how people would be upset if Matt and Elektra hadn’t turned out the way they did in S2.

I would’ve liked Marci to have a smidge more character development. She was so sweet and supportive in S3and I don’t…quite…know where that came from? Oh, well.

Speaking of character development: I wish Matt and Foggy could’ve had some real conversations. Aside from when Foggy found Matt at the gym in S1 and they talked about moving forward, I don’t feel like they had deep conversations that weren’t arguments. Matt’s S3 apology is good, but I would’ve loved to see Foggy apologize for how he contributed to the problems in their friendship. I also wish we could’ve seen Foggy explicitly thank Matt for, y’know…SAVING HIS LIFE.

As for Karen, I wish her revelation scene to Matt had been more about HER. It says a lot about how selfless she is that she used her own pain to try to convince Matt not to kill Fisk. But even though I know Matt’s super depressed and everything, I would’ve loved to see him put his own angsty issues aside for a sec and just be there for his friend and the woman he loves. Even the fact that she is the one who crosses the room to be close to him is telling; he should’ve gone over to her when she started crying and been there for her.

Although if I’m talking about Matt’s romantic relationships, I wouldn’t have minded if the show went a Clairedevil route. Although that would require A LOT. I do wish, if I’m being really fanciful, that we could’ve seen Claire in S3. Or, at minimum, seen Matt and Claire interact in Defenders.

FATHER LANTOM TELLING MATT THAT GUILT IS A SIGN THAT HIS WORK IS NOT DONE. I cannot with that scene. I love Father Lantom, but that? Really? I mean, I get it. That’s a common way that Catholic doctrine is interpreted, and it’s what Matt basically wants to hear anyway, but it is SUCH a dangerous thing to tell Matt (and I feel like Father Lantom should’ve known that???) and it’s also, as I understand it, not even the technically correct Catholic interpretation of guilt. Like, that’s literally not what guilt is or how it’s supposed to work. (Although who knows. I’m not Catholic, and as I understand it, Catholics themselves vary a lot in their interpretations of doctrine. So idk.) If I were writing that scene, I would definitely not have written Father Lantom to say that.

On the religious theme, I wish S3 had circled back to Matt’s original objections related to the book of Job. He gets quite a few things wrong in his recap, and I’m not sure if Maggie didn’t correct him because she didn’t know better, or because she didn’t think a Biblical literacy lecture was what he needed at the moment, OR because the writers couldn’t be bothered to read the book. (In fairness…it’s a long and complicated book. But they couldn’t have been bothered to read a commentary on it?) I wish S3 had not stopped at giving Matt an abstract tapestry analogy to heal his faith when it also should’ve addressed his specific complaints.

I wish we’d had more time to see Matt and Maggie repair their relationship, or start to. And I wish she’d hugged him at Literally Any Point.

I wish the whole Matt-hallucinating thing had been clearer. Was he actually hallucinating? Or was that just his internal monologue manifested through other characters? If he was hallucinating, did he just...stop? Is he not freaked out about that? What was going on????

Oh, and if only they could’ve gotten Dex’s psychological diagnosis right.

Other than that, there are a couple scenes that I feel like drag on way too long (S3 especially has an odd amount of monologues that generally strike me as OOC anyway—except with Fisk; he’s just Like That) but I don’t want to go into all of them. It would be hypocritical, given how long this reply is. :P

So yeah, I think I’ll stop there, although I’m sure there’s more, haha. Thank you again for the ask and the excuse to ramble about Daredevil! I look forward to your thoughts as well.

#daredevil #daredevil meta

44 notes · View notes

jubberry · 3 years

Note

oohkay let's go tua with those ship asks: fiveya, horrance and alluther.

thanks el i love you

Send me a ship and I'll answer three questions based on if I ship it or not.

fiveya obvs i ship this since this is 90% of my tua drawings lol

1. ill wait ill wait (to be the one) by georgiestauffenberg made me ship it cause holy fuck dude. I dont know if i ship them romantically when i saw them onscreen cause first of all, age difference is kinda weird lmao. Second, they dont rlly interact much outside literally the first couple of eps. But he was so soft for her, and i felt like they had so much unexplored history.

so i looked at fanfics cause i was wondering if ppl still ship it, then i liked the description of this one so i gave it a go.

Basically the premise is that vanya dates a much older man who seems to know a lot about her. And it was amazingly in character and just provided their characters some depth that u wouldnt find outside of a romantic relationship between them. (The implication of five pining while she doesnt know who he is, their missed chances when he time travelled, fives missed chances of living and having a 'normal' life bec of his own hubris, vanyas insecurity and being able to open up bec shes with someone whos known her since childhood). Its so sweet and thats how i was like, oh yep i can do so much more with these two, and what has kept me interested in drawing them etc.

2. My favourite things are the shippers cause i made some friends in the fandom who are super cool and supportive! I dont get super involved in fandoms and usually just watch from afar so finding people to talk to and muck around with in this tiny fandom is super cool 😭

Though thats not to say I havent come across some bad apples in this fandom and things that I dont like. I think thats the importance of carving out a place for yourself and ur friends in fandom tho.

Another thing I like about the ship itself, i just like the grumpy person whos soft for one person trope. Its so cute. I like all the little clues in canon on how their relationship as kids is quite warm, which is interesting cause five is basically the star student and he can be quite cold vs vanya who is the black sheep of the family.

I also like how five likes her powers even when she caused the apocalypse he spent the majority of his life in lol. Like its a popular hc that five is just a wife guy and i love that.

I see vanya as the type who has a lot of love to give, and she sometimes has unrealistic expectations of what her partner can give. Betrayal and lies really angers her, but also when her partner cannot meet her expectations of love she gets very upset bec its also an indication of how shes not good enough, or not loveable enough to be able to have this in the relationship (her insecurity means every failing always comes back to her, even if its out of her control).

I feel like five would be a level-headed person enough in the relationship to not be afraid to say 'vanya ur being stupid' (ie. the s2 confrontation lmao). Also, five's personality means she will never have to doubt his actions bec she knows hes the type who will not give u the moment of the day if hes not interested.

Not to mention they also have the whole apocalypse vs. saviour, hero/villain thing. Theres just a lot to explore!

3. I probably have several. But mostly I dont mind five being a dick to vanya bec first, even if the appeal is hes soft to her hes already kind of a dick in canon lmao. Also, vanya isnt a child. Shes grown and she can handle petty af things like five telling her shes not good at cooking lol. I also dont mind it cause I feel like people are getting too afraid to write... conflict for fear or portraying an abusive relationship or smth. Like, chill. Conflict is fine, resolving it is how u get a story. However in saying that, nobody should be obligated to write any way unless you want to! Fanfic is for comfort so if what your doing is making u happy then its good enough!

horrance which i also ship but i love the platonic and romantic relationship equally:

1. I came in tua in general not shipping anything so Im honestly not sure. I do remember someone doing a meta before s2 came out that was basically how ben acted weird when klaus summoned dave in s1 that made me go 👀 Otherwise, tua s2 rlly made me like them cause tua FED horrance shippers. Like..... the fact that klaus didnt want ben to leave him, and ben knows thats why he stayed 😢 or the fact that klaus was all over him for some reason???? Somebody also mentioned gay ben once and I resonate with that deeply. Like i get that jill exists but i resonate with gay ben deeply.

2. I love their bickering, theyre so cute together. I just like ben being angry bec hes self aware that hes got both shit and amazing taste. Shit bec he cant believes he likes Klaus (and also amazing also bec Klaus). I think the idea of them being kind of underdogs, theyre not rlly leader types and dont want to be, helps them bond together even in platonic horrance. They're both down to earth, and even tho they can annoy each other, they also know if they want a space to feel comfortable its with each other. Theyre not pressured by rivalry over leadership, or any sort of competition.

I love the idea that even tho ben is like klaus's ''conscience'', hes also down for chaos and bitchy. I feel like klaus rlly enabled that side of him, its not exactly a good thing but its p funny lol

3. I know some people think their dynamic is unhealthy but i dont care lol

alluther. So id say i dont ship this, mostly due to the fact that im not invested? Just like all tua ships so far I rlly came out not wanting anything but platonic relationships cause I feel tua doesnt do romance very well. With alluther, theyre so cute but im not super invested in either of their chars so they havent stuck for me. I appreciate seeing them and talking about them tho, and I'm def open to exploring them further.

1. I think tua canon romances are just so lackluster 😔 Idk who writes the romances but I was just like 'nice' but afterwards I dont really think about them. I love their dance scene and the message behind it! Otherwise, theyre sweet like most of the tua romances but im not super invested, same with all the non canon ships.

2. I really feel like tua needs to decide on what their relationship is. Like, just say its incest or not and stick with it 👀 Or if you wanna support it or not, just make up ur mind. I think I would've liked it better if I found the characters more interesting. Allison especially I feel like suffers from the fact that tua just doesn't want to make her ''mean''. They want to make her supportive and are less interested in making her flawed (ie. she should've had a conflict with Vanya in s2, but the writers didnt want to write the girls fighting which is stupid imo and not what that conflict is about).

In regards to Alluther, the scene where Allison gets annoyed at Luther for sleeping with someone else felt out of line. Like, how are you marrying other people and moving on but Luther isn't allowed to? But honestly, I don't mind if they actually just acknowledge it and make it a deliberate part of Allison's trait that Allison can expect a certain loyalty automatically from other people (which can tie in to her childhood being a star, and the rumour).

Luther is a big simp for Allison, which is sweet, but at the same time it would be nice to have him explore himself for a bit, and who he is outside of the academy. Then maybe they can rekindle their relationship again as new people and see where they go from there.

3. I don't hate them, but they're ok. I'm not super invested in them, just like all the tua canon romance. But I wouldn't mind making content for them if I were a bit more invested in their characters. I love their dance scene in s1 and I feel like its super a underrated portrayal of what their relationship is meant to be. I know no one talks about it but it's just such a great scene, and I'm pretty sure the choreographer was into interpretive dance? The scene had a lot of meaning that I don't see people dig around with.

Essentially I'm pretty sure the fairy lights are obviously a throwback to their childhood together, spending time outside of Reggie. So the dance scene kind of symbolized that pocket of space they made for each other in their life (even if theyre far away, or with other people, they will always have that space for each other).

The way they danced was more like playfighting than dancing, which means their relationship isn't sensual. It's more ''pure'', and romantic. Its basically two kids rekindling their love as adults. I also think this is a response to the incest, cause in s1 tua klaus literally said that 'thank god Regg is not their real father' right before Allison and Luther meet lmao. So its kinda like saying Allison x Luther isnt supposed to be 'ohh step sibling hot' but two people who experienced the same trauma as kids and finding comfort with each other (and rekindling that love after many years).

#harcest #fiveya #horrance #i dont think this is anti alluther but i did say i dont ship it #cause im not invested in tua canon romances #i wont tag just in case #ask game #THIS GOT SO LONG

25 notes · View notes