#give them back to me or by the old gods and the new netflix will suffer

[shit-people-probably-didnt-say]

What I love about this scene is not just how casual and open they are with being gay, that theres no need to hide their queerness in this universe

But its also Jespers hand on Wylans neck, something given his past could be a massive trigger for him, but he feels so completely safe with Jesper he can just enjoy the moment

#diazepam has got me in my feels #like his hand takes up wys entire neck #not a hunched anxious shoulder in sight #give them back to me or by the old gods and the new netflix will suffer #lets get the queers AND the witches on this #soc #six of crows #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #wesper

[thankskenpenders]

Sonic Prime: "Season 2"

Eight more episodes of Sonic Prime are out! They're labeled as "season 2" despite just being the next eight episodes of the first (and presumably only) season, allowing Netflix to market it as multiple seasons without having to give the cast and crew raises. They love doing that shit to their original cartoons. Ugh.

Anyway! Last time, I gave the show some leeway because it was still finding its legs. This time, though? We're now two thirds of the way through the series, and sadly, I think it's time to accept the truth:

While there are parts I like, a lot of this show... kinda sucks?

This multiverse sucks and Rouge was robbed

Previously, I noted the pattern of each universe spotlighting a different friend of Sonic's (Tails in New Yolk City, Amy in the jungle world, Knuckles in the pirate world) and predicted that, hopefully, Rouge would get her time to shine next. And with 16 episodes left, surely there's time to explore new worlds that are more interesting than the jungle and pirate worlds. Those were just the warm up act. Right?

...Right?

Nope! That's it! There are no more worlds.

This multiverse show where anything is possible really is just about another Eggman-controlled dystopia world, a jungle world, and a pirate world. That's all they came up with! Just those three, and two dead worlds that don't really count - one a featureless wasteland, the other a ghostly echo of the original Green Hill dubbed "Ghost Hill." (Sonic's friends appear here as holograms stuck repeating a single line each. It gets old immediately.)

The jungle and pirate worlds and their inhabitants being so overwhelmingly generic becomes unforgivable the moment you realize this is all we're gonna get. It just leaves me wishing they'd thrown this whole concept out and finally made a normal Sonic cartoon with no twist in its premise. A few of the new takes here are good, particularly Nine as a darker riff on Tails, but so many of them don't feel anything like the fun characters they're supposed to be. They're stock cartoon characters wearing the Sonic casts' skins.

I'll admit my bias is showing, but god, Rouge is REALLY done dirty by this setup. The normal Rouge we see in the first episode is so fun for how briefly she appears, but then in all the other worlds she's reduced to a generic action girl with zero personality. What's her purpose, exactly, when every AU version of Amy is ALSO a straightforward action girl? It drives me absolutely insane that they gave us a PIRATE ROUGE and she doesn't care about treasure. They do nothing with this! How!!!!!!!! She's just never gonna get her turn. It's so obvious that Rouge is only in this show so that they can have another girl, but you could swap her out with another character like Blaze and it'd make no difference.

Speaking of the pirates, though...

The way things play out in the pirate world is so stupid

Previously, with the Paradox Prism shard within reach, Captain Dread Knux was regressing into his old obsessive personality. I'm fine with this. Sonic and Dread both want the shard, they're gonna fight over it. Obvious stuff. But the actual impact it has on the story is maybe the stupidest bit of writing in this entire show so far.

Basically, while fighting a couple of the Eggmen and their robots at sea, Sonic has to briefly run over to the enemy ship to fight them and grab the Paradox Prism shard while Dread and his crew remain back on their ship. Dread goes "Oh my god, look! Sonic's abandoning us! Traitor!" While Sonic is... like 200 feet away. Still in clear view. Fighting the guys who are trying to kill them. Retrieving Dread's beloved treasure for him.

And yet, Dread's crew buys this! And when Sonic runs right back over with the shard in hand, they're all like "HOW DARE YOU BETRAY US" and turn on him.

It's just. What?!

This isn't a huge part of the "season," but I highlight it as maybe the worst moment of the show's character writing. I'm reminded of Thorn Rose's backstory from last time, where she was depicted as suddenly snapping one day when she saw her friends pick one too many berries in the jungle. Sometimes a character just needs to pivot for the story to work, and they aren't really interested in getting there smoothly.

The Chaos Council fucking sucks

I tried so hard to like these guys, but they drag the show down so much.

The choice to have a team of five different Eggmen really just means that Eggman has been split into five one-note characters. Four of them revolve entirely around the most trite, predictable, boomer-ass jokes based on their ages. The teenage one is whiny and just wants to play video games. The young adult one is a vegan hipster who does yoga. The old one is cranky about all the whippersnappers and has a bad back. The baby is a baby. These are jokes that would've been tired if this show aired 20 years ago.

The odd man out is Mister Doctor Eggman, the middle-aged one with a toupee who's the stand-in for regular Eggman. But even he kinda sucks. The other four all being one-note joke characters means that he has to be the straight man of the group, so he's just very dry and serious and plot-focused without any of Eggman's fun eccentricities. He's neither particularly funny nor particularly sinister, which is just about the worst place for an Eggman to be.

He doesn't even have any incompetent robot lackeys to bounce off of, because the unfunny alternate age Eggmen fill the quota for bumbling secondary villains. But also, like... Orbot and Cubot are in this show! They were in the first episode! Where are they? God, I never thought I'd miss them so much...

But, okay. It's not ALL bad.

The highlights

There's a recurring theme here, which is that the best episodes are the ones where Sonic is pitted against a foe who can match his speed and they just let the animation carry it.

The first of the new episodes is mostly about Sonic fighting Shadow, and BOY is their fight fun to watch. Said fight happens because Shadow blames Sonic for shattering the universe and doesn't trust him to fix things. Shadow wants to restore their world, but he refuses to see the various AU counterparts as the same people Sonic once knew, and he doesn't really care what happens to them. Ultimately, though, he begrudgingly accepts that Sonic really is the only one who can hop between dimensions for Plot Reasons, and therefore lets him go try to do things the nice way. He sadly spends most of his time waiting around in the void between worlds, but in the last episode of the batch he and Sonic get to team up against the Chaos Council's forces and it's very cool.

As far as recent interpretations of Shadow go, this is a good one. He's a great foil for Sonic, which just makes me wish he could travel with Sonic to the different worlds. He's cynical and overly pragmatic in his approach, but his points aren't entirely wrong. His anger feels justified. They even let him have some snark! And Ian Hanlin is really great in the role - definitely a contender for Shadow's best voice ever. He just sounds so natural.

The other speedster Sonic fights is Chaos Sonic, the Chaos Council's take on Metal.

He can talk! Deven is basically doing a Jaleel impersonation for him? People are very mixed on this.

The idea behind Chaos Sonic is to turn Sonic's obnoxious smack talk and zingers back around on him, and I don't hate this idea, even if a lot of fans find him annoying compared to Metal Sonic. (Some comparisons have been made to Archie's Shard, but I assume this is a coincidence.) Like the rest of the script, his dialogue certainly isn't anything to write home about, but the fights he gets into with Sonic and co. are so damn fun and dynamic that I have to like him. I also like how expressive his eyes are on his dome screen face, and the animators have a ton of fun with the fact that his torso and head can rotate 360 degrees.

Unfortunately, he's destroyed at the end of his debut episode. I'm praying he gets rebuilt, because this show desperately needs better villains than the Chaos Council.

Again, the animation in Prime is maybe the best animation in any official Sonic media, period. I just wished I liked the characters and worlds enough to be invested in more of the fights. It's hard to care about the dozenth group battle against the generic Eggforcer bots and the baby in his Fisher-Price mech.

The note we end on

After fighting a giant glowing replica of the normal Eggman for... some reason? Episode 16 ends with Sonic and Nine getting into an argument over what to do with the Paradox Prism shards. Sonic wants to restore his original world, but Nine still wants to create a new, better world out of the one that's just an empty wasteland, believing he doesn't belong anywhere else. Nine angrily runs off with the shards, and Sonic is distraught as he realizes that Shadow was seemingly right about how he shouldn't trust Nine.

I kind of like this conflict, mostly because Nine is the standout character of this show. But my main problem is that we don't know what will happen when everything is fixed.

The logical assumption is that the alternate worlds will just... stop existing, right? That must be the idea if Sonic and Nine are treating restoring the original world and creating a new one in the Shatterverse as mutually exclusive options, right? If the Shatterverse disappears, will Nine and the rest all stop existing, too? The show seems unwilling to discuss this possibility, so I'm left not really knowing what the stakes are in this conflict. Nine becomes a whole lot more sympathetic and Sonic becomes a whole lot more monstrous if restoring the world will erase most of this show's cast from existence, but the thought that this could even happen doesn't seem to have crossed Sonic's mind. Sonic seems to want to take his AU friends back to the regular Green Hill - he at least wants to introduce Nine to his normal friends - but like... he can't really do that, can he? They're not gonna have four Tailses running around.

I don't really know what direction this is all headed in. I guess we just have to keep watching, even if I'm past the point of accepting that this show is mostly very mid.

It's just frustrating that everyone else working on this show is clearly giving it their all while the writers at Man of Action phone it in for so much of its runtime. The scripts drag this show down so, so hard. There are moments and episodes I like, but you have to slog through so much mediocrity to get there.

#tkp post #other media

[muniimyg]

kimi's comfort fics (2023)

note: these fics are pretty "old" since most of the writers are no longer active or the fics have been posted years ago.. BUT !!! some are recent with active writers so i would 100% recommend u check out their other works nd send them love !!! that being said, i did not link the stories but i did link the writers 🫡 this way u can check out their other works nd blog in general 💅🏼✨

nevertheless, they are all masterpieces that have heavily inspire my work nd personal life because i am delulu 24/7 <3 this list consists of my core comfort fics like... y’all don’t even fcking know how much i love them

‼️ for the most part, all of these fics imply mature content !!! minors dni ‼️

smau recs

@firebettercallnct

color of your shirt (kth)

cuffed (knj)

stay and cook (jjk)

stole your shirt (jjk)

went through your phone (jjk)

these fics were the ones that made me absolutely fall in love with smaus. smt abt the style nd way the plot seamlessly depict a beautiful and lighthearted aura... ugh, it jus gets me every mfking time </3 

@kimnjss

be my baby (myg)

cyberslut (myg)

kinda hot (kth)

cherry pickers (jjk)

plot twist (knj) 

i think kez is a mastermind nd i’ve always admired her constant updates nd organization! have u seen her taglist? BRUH i could never :’) these fics rlly made me feel BUTTERFLIES i don’t know how else to describe the way kez makes these works so fcking interesting every time

headcanons

@jungshookz

stuck with you (kth)

suit & tie (myg)

hellish (myg)

basketball!captain (myg)

baby, you can drive my car (myg)

beauty & the bookworm (knj)

these headcanons literally give the serotonin boost i need. they hit so mfking good nd the energy is jus 10/10

fic recs

series and drabbles by @noteguk

bad influence: collection (jjk)

any way you want (kth)

house rules (jhs)

for science (jhs)

let me tell u... these fics were a CULTURAL RESET. god bless them nd tHE WAY NALA IS BACK??? hello. i love u so much. thank u for creating such breath-taking stories with ur incredible writing... u’re insanely talented nd i look forward to more of ur work… like fuck,, i’m so shy rn 👉🏽👈🏽

series and drabbles by @yoonpobs

with you (ksj)

back-burner (myg)

ice skating and holding hands (myg)

cold (pjm)

i absolutely went ✨ I N S A N E ✨ for back-burner yoongi. i was literally taking an accounting class (which i failed nd i have never failed anything in my life) nd thursday aka back-burner update day would literally be my motivation to mfking LIVE. i love the underlying nostalgia in these works.. i literally don’t know who i would be without these fics (i’m downplaying how much i love them arghh)

series and drabbles by @1kook

skirt chasers (jjk)

netflix & chill (jjk)

dreamy (pjm)

absolute icons. literally so well written, it’s unforgettable !!!

series and drabbles by @h0neypjm

confident (jjk)

for practice (kth)

homie hopper till i die (pjm/kth)

these are the ones that... make me feel some type of way... like… 🦋⚡️❤️‍🔥 way… yk?

series by @floralseokjin

the devil wears armani (ksj)

crystallised saga (ksj)

please be naked (myg)

i think these fics stabbed me in the heart nd the wound never healed. that’s the best way i can put it... i love anything jordan writes but these... these are litereally the bane of my existance. crystallised has so much depth in it nd i honestly feel like i’m in the story with the characters.. i’ve never experienced desperation until i read the devil wears armani because wHAT THE FUCK... pbn is... yeah. let’s just stop here..... 😪

series by @btssmutgalore

nude (kth)

bicker (kth)

benefits (pjm)

🫶🏻 ok. we need to have a conversation about nude. NUDE HAS RUINED MY LIFE. yk why? because the same way it grasps my heart,, it breaks nd makes it new. literally. like mfker rlly said “whatever u say goes” bITCHJFKJSLS IM CRYING IN THE CLUBBBBBB 🫣

series by @personasintro

mutual help (jjk)

my tiny secret

i read mh while it was jus starting.. to see how much it progressed nd how many ppl read it now is mindblowing! my tiny secret was the first ever bts fanfic i ever read... so.... YESSSS

series by @gukslut

rattled (jjk)

oh my god. this has to be my ultimate comfort fic. i’ve never read something so original nd heartbreakingly beautiful. the gradual build nd the way each character experiences nd works thru their issues... chefs kiss... i read this fic at least once a month to remember what love feels like 🥹👊🏽

drabbles by @jeonqkooks

just friends (jjk)

angel baby (jjk)

the moon, and all the stars (jjk)

this is how you fall in love (jjk)

i always see jen sharing her thoughts on my work... but bro... let me mfking tell u... her work speaks for itself. i’m so in love......

drabble by @jungkxook

let’s play: dirty (jjk)

THIS ONE IS SUCH A FUN READ. i need it injected into me tbfh. i always reread it when i’m feeling down

drabble by @angelgukks

pu$$y fairy (jjk)

can not be beat. mfking love this drabble fr

i also want to take the time to express my deepest love nd thank u to the writers who have left this platform. to the writers who have moved on nd left us with memories of their work; ur efforts nd storylines will remain in my heart forever <3

i esp loved a lover’s kiss by @hueseok​ . 

copyright © 2023, muniimyg on tumblr.  

#ask muni #🌱: kimi writes #bts social media au #bts fic #bts fake texts #bts fic rec #bts angst #bts fluff #bts drabble #bts smut #bts series

[taeraeszn]

i started squealing to myself when i read where zb1 finds you accidentally falling asleep on their team member T^T

would it be possible to request zb1 patting your head/caressing your hair? i think that would be so cute.. thank you !!

when zb1 pats your head/caresses your hair

omg your so sweet anon!! thank you for the nice words about my reaction post <3 i seriously smiled so much reading your request!! and ofc i'll write it!!

warnings: food, cursing, and mention of fear. but nothing else from what i see, lmk if there is any i should add!

kim jiwoong

you haven't seen jiwoong in nearly a month due to the tour zb1 was currently having

you were so proud of him and how far he came, but god you just missed his presence so much. you often found yourself scrolling through old texts and looking back at the pictures you favourited of jiwoong

but what you didn't know was that jiwoong actually came back to seoul! he just wanted to surprise you since he figured just telling you was too boring

you were fast asleep on the couch after binge watching a k-drama on netflix. the door clicked open and jiwoong walked into this scene, immediately chuckling

"of course they were watching a k-drama..." he whispers to himself

he puts his bag down and makes his way towards you, he bends down to the ground level to get a closer look of your face

jiwoong then decides to leave a sweet kiss on your forehead <3 as well as caressing your hair softly

just then you wake up, sight still dizzy as you were deep in your sleep. as you looked around, you met eyes with your partner and immediately engulfed him into your arms

"JIWOONG!" you exclaimed, he gave you that iconic smirk and kissed you gently on the lips

"i missed seeing you." he said. your face was nuzzled into his neck, "me too..."

"i loved the tour but god i wanted to see you again." he mumbled

"i could say the same..."

rest of the members are under the cut!

zhang hao

"ugh why is this so hard?!" you yelled to yourself. you were attempting to cook something new for dinner, something that is a special dish in hao's home province of fujian

but unfortunately nothing seemed to work as you tried nearly every tip in the cookbook, you were growing extremely frustrated and were close to just giving up entirely on this dish and just ordering chicken instead

but just then you saw hao walk into your apartment, damn it, it was too late

"baobei?" he called out. you sighed and made your way towards him. he was hanging up his coat in the closet and noticed you when he turned around

"hi..." you greeted. he seemed excited and clasped his hands together, "so what's for dinner tonight?"

"yeah about dinner...it's..." before you could finish your sentence, hao walked into the mess that was the kitchen

there were plates and bowls everywhere, utensils thrown around, and just overall a mess

"care to explain why our kitchen looks like it's in shambles?" his face giving an extremely puzzled look

you shrugged, sitting on the dining room chair, "i dunno, i just wanted to make a dish from fujian just for you, i guess it didn't work out."

hao then smiled (YK WHICH ONE I'M TALKING ABOUT) and patted your head, pulling you into his arms

"baobei, i appreciate you doing this for me, i really do! but if it's giving you too much stress then we can make it together!"

your eyes lit up, "really?"

"absolutely, we're in this together right?"

sung hanbin

after a year of dating, you were finally getting ready to meet hanbin's parents. he had been waiting for this moment ever since you two first met, he knew you were his life partner and he wanted you to meet them

you on the other hand were extremely nervous and had trouble sleeping the entire night, continuously tossing and turning while worrying of every worst scenario possible

making a great first impression was very important to you, embarrassing yourself was your worst fear and the last thing you wanted to happen

the day you were going to meet them was nerve-wracking. hanbin noticed how you were fidgeting with your hands the whole drive there

when a red light halted his driving, he gently held your hand, he could tell from the look on your face that you were worried

"babe, don't be scared. my parents will love you." he reassured, caressing your hair

you sighed, "i'm not sure bin, i'm just so nervous because i want to make a good impression for them."

"and that's okay! you remember how i was acting when i had to meet yours? but it went fine. i've told my parents about you and they're so thrilled to finally see you. in fact, whenever i call them the first thing they ask me about is you!"

"seriously?" you asked, he nodded, "yes trust me baby, everything will be fine."

you took a deep breath in, "your right."

just then the lights turned green and before you knew it, you reached his parent's house

you had your bag in hand, it was full of gifts for his parents and sister as well as some food you had made for them

"ready?" you nodded and headed to the front doorstep, hanbin then rang the doorbell with you feeling less worried than before

seok matthew

you weren't sure how long you had been at your desk, continuously checking if you knew each definition and fact for your upcoming exam

this exam was huge and played a massive part in your final grade, the last you wanted to do was fail

you had your laptop open, notebook open, and pens scattered all over your desk

matthew sighed as he was sat on your bed, he wasn't expecting you to study for this long and was growing concerned over your health

he had also been there for hours and was excited to just spend time with you only for you to begin studying after informing him about your exam

he couldn't take seeing you like this and got up, the first thing he did was take the pen out of your hands and shut your laptop

"hey!" you said, when you made eye contact, he noticed that you eyes were bloodshot red

"you need to take a break." was all he said before picking you up bridal style and putting you down on the bed. he cuddled up right next to you and covered you two with the blanket

"matthew, i need to study."

"you can rest for today and study tomorrow, i just can't stand you pushing yourself this much and not prioritizing your health."

you noticed how matthew's expression darkened, you could tell that he was very worried

"i know..i think i've been so distressed about this exam that i haven't been thinking about myself."

matthew caressed your hair lightly and pressed his lips against your forehead, "don't think about it right now, forget about it."

you nodded, "thank you matt, i love you."

"i love you too."

kim taerae

"babe!" you heard taerae call out, you looked up from your book at saw your boyfriend at the front door

you haven't heard him call you babe in person for the last three days and it was a huge refresher hearing it again

your face immediately softened as you put your book down

taerae quickly pulled you into his arms, his grip being tight and not wanting to let go of you

for context it had been a few days since you'd seen taerae, he was busy filming a new show that required multiple days of shooting since it was outside of seoul

but taerae had been texting you everyday, sending you an update for everything the group did, as well as some handsome selfies you got to keep to yourself

"how was it in paju?" you asked, he giggled, "so fun! we went to the countryside and did some missions for money and just got to relax." seeing him talk about it this excited made you smile, but seeing taerae always made you smile

he noticed you were still reading the book you picked up the exact day he had to leave with his members

"oh how far are you in the book?" you showed him and he noticed that the bookmark you previously had was gone

"i finished it!" his eyes lit up

"that's great! i love seeing you do the things you love such as reading." he said then patting your head

your face was stuffed into his chest as you wrapped your arms around him, "and i love seeing you spending time with the other members. i'm so happy you got to debut..."

"me too."

shen ricky

"ready to go to bed love?" ricky asked, you were writing in your notebook and ricky was ready to fall asleep after your busy day together

you had a habit of writing inside your notebook. it became a regular thing after you randomly decided to one day and you didn't stop after that, the writing usually consisted of what you did during the day

ricky had always wanted to take you to his hometown of shanghai and when your schedule was empty, he thought it was a great idea

you were in the house that he grew up in and you two had just travelled around the beautiful city today

it's safe to say that you now have enough souvenirs to cover your entire room in, and of course the young and rich man offered to pay for everything despite you telling him that he didn't have to

just then you finished writing and closed the book, putting it on the side table, "yup."

ricky smiled, finally able to shut the lights off and cuddle up next to you in the comfy blanket

the room fell silent for a while until you spoke up again, "you know ricky, i just wanted to say thank you for showing me shanghai, i know how much you've been wanting to go."

he caressed your hair lightly, "of course! it's so nice to be back and i knew i had to bring you as well."

"you're amazing shen quanrui." he giggled after hearing you say his real name.

"so are you (name)." you looked at the cat man full of love then kissed his cheek softly

"so what's tomorrow going to be like?"

"hmm not sure, let's see wherever our minds take us."

kim gyuvin

"(name)! come here!" gyuvin shouted, you excused yourself from the conversation you were having with gunwook to see what your boyfriend was calling you for

"what is it?" you said, sitting next to him on the dorm floor, he began caressing your hair lightly and held your hand

"oh nothing i just wanted you to come near me." you rolled your eyes playfully

"y'know i was talking to gunwook about something really interesting." he side eyed you

"more than any conversation you've had with me?"

the little puppy pouted causing you laugh, "of course not."

yujin then joined you guys on the floor, he was observing gyuvin for a while in the kitchen and wanted to expose his hyung

"hey (name), you know that gyuvin hyung was staring at you for the last ten minutes every since you began talking with gunwook hyung?" gyuvin eyes immediately widen and denied this claim

"WHAT? no i wasn't!" you raised your brow

"really gyu?" he shrugged, "okay fine, yeah i'll admit i was staring for a bit."

"more like a lot" yujin rebutted.

gyuvin then nudged yujin playfully, "YOU STAY QUIET!"

yujin began chuckling and left the scene to go back into his room, you then turned to face your boyfriend

"it's cute seeing you jealous." you said, he nuzzled his face into your neck, "oh stop it.."

park gunwook

(sorry everything i do for the maknae line is school related, i don't really know what else to do for them 😭)

you and gunwook were sitting in the field together eating your homemade lunch, you weren't actually planning on even coming to school that day because you were sick

but nonetheless you still decided to because you had an exam today and couldn't miss it

gunwook was clearly worried as you kept coughing and sneezing, he even offered some medicine to you but you kindly refused since you had already taken some

"i think you should just go home now, (name)." he said, eyes filled with concerned

you shook your head, "no, no, i'm fine."

"no you're not. the whole exam period you were trying to hold in your coughs!"

"well yeah because i didn't want our classmates to be grossed out by me."

"don't worry, i can provide you notes for the other classes." for a minute you forgot that gunwook was the class president of your homeroom and realized that he was right

"you're right. i'll take the bus home." he patted your head gently, "make sure to have lots of fluids and medicine okay?"

"i will, don't worry. thank you for being there for me babe."

"i'm always here if you need me."

gunwook decided to walk to the nearby bus stop with you and he even held your hand the whole time while you were waiting for the bus to arrive

when it did arrive, you hugged him goodbye and headed home, ready to get a good rest

han yujin

you were coming home from the after school academy and didn't realize how dark it got outside

like it was pitch black outside and you could barely see anything ahead, it didn't help that you had a fear of darkness

so you turned your phone's flashlight on and began heading home

but after a few minutes you felt as if someone was walking behind you and began thinking of the worst

"who the fuck is that?" you whispered, stopping in your tracks

you somehow got yourself to point the light behind you to reveal... yujin?

yujin didn't go to the same academy as you so you were surprised to see your boyfriend there, he had a black hoodie on with some jeans

"what are you doing?" he chuckled

"oh i thought someone was following me, turns out it's just you."

"uh it's not just me, i'm your boyfriend."

"yeah yeah boyfriend." but you couldn't hide the fact that you were terrified to walk home

yujin sensed this and caressed your hair, "want me to walk home with you?"

you were so grateful that your boyfriend happened to be strolling around the area your academy was in

"yes, please, i'm so scared." you admitted. he held your hand and you two began walking together

"it's really not that dark, but i can understand why you might be scared." his voice didn't have a hint of fear in it, making you feel more safe around him

"thank you yujin." you hugged him

"let's head home hmm?"

#zb1 #zerobase1 #zerobaseone #zb1 fluff #zb1 scenarios #zb1 drabbles #zb1 reactions #kim jiwoong #zhang hao #sung hanbin #seok matthew #kim taerae #ricky shen #kim gyuvin #park gunwook #han yujin

[neonbrutalism]

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Ship Comics!MattFoggy (Part 1)

Hello My MattFoggy Friends.

Are you sad about Daredevil: Born Again more than likely not including Foggy? Do you agree that he is so crucial to Daredevil and also he and Matt are married?

Then let me introduce you to ... the Daredevil comic! Because if you thought Matt and Foggy were married in the show, wait until you read the comic.

One thing I hear a lot is that there's almost 60 years of Daredevil comics, way too much complicated history and detail and you can't be expected to read all that. And to that I say... correct. And you're not expected to. I myself have not read all of volume 1 nor parts of volume 2, 5 or almost any of 6/7.

You just gotta pick what seems interesting. I like the Waid Run! I started there and have picked and chosen other runs. Nobody actually expects you know the complete history of the characters. It doesn't matter! Did Matt dad die before or after he met Foggy? Did they go to Columbia or Harvard? How old are they? How long did Matt and Elektra date?

The answer: who cares? Not even the comic writers can keep that straight. Just go with what you want to happen! Nobody is going to call you out. If you want dead characters alive, go for it! If you want to import characters from the MCU into your fic, please feel free! It's a 60 year soap opera. Do want you want. If you really want to know, just read a wiki summary.

If anyone gets weird or salty in your comments … that person is making some very weird choices. Do not engage. Good God, it's a fanfic. Do whatever you want. Just reply "lol, yikes" and move on. I am 35 years old and I am giving you grown-up with a job in an office adult permission to do that!

The major differences between the comic and the show are:

Matt is a redhead. Matt having red hair is pretty much the only difference that remains constant. Everything else is different and changeable writer-to-writer. Except early in Volume 5, when he was drawn to look like Charlie Cox and the miniseries between 5 and 6 where in some issues, everyone was copied from the Netflix show and it was weird.

Anyway:

Foggy's hair is usually short but he has 1990s anime girl bangs like Sailor Moon. If you like long-hair Foggy, sure, he can grow it out! He's sometimes blonde.

In earlier runs, Matt is sometimes shown to have been blinded as a teenager, 14 to 16. In more recent runs, he was a child like he was in the show.

Jack Murdock died when Matt was either in college or in law school, either before or after he met Foggy. It changes depending on the writer. He's also been written as dying only a few years after Matt was blinded.

Matt doesn't just have enhanced senses... He has an entirely new, unique sense, radar sense, that functions separately from his other senses. I don't know how. So, if he loses his hearing, he can still understand the world around him.

Stick trained Matt and once, pushed him off a building but didn't abandon Matt until he was in college. Comics Matt doesn't quite have the abandonment issues Netflix Matt has. He has a whole lot of other ones.

Matt wasn't crushed by Midland Circle. But he DID basically die in the storyline Born Again and have to be nursed back to health by Maggie.

Matt's not actually very religious in the comic. He was raised Catholic and he gets more religious when he's especially distressed (and due to inspiration from the show) but for the most part, he is not a very devout Catholic. However, in volume 6 and volume 7, he is (but it's kind of a weird ninja cult way idk i'm trying not to editorialize in this)

Foggy's class. In the show, he is from a lower-middle class family that loves him and Matt. In the comics, Foggy's family is very wealthy and they are pretty disappointed in Foggy. His birth mother, Rosalind Sharpe, is a huge asshole and hates her son and Matt both, but has tried to use them in the past for her own gain.

They're both huge nerds. Foggy's supposedly "cool" in the show but he is not, I assure you, in the comics. Comics!Foggy almost certainly cannot recognize a Taylor Swift song. Comics!Matt likes experimental jazz. I want to give them both swirlies.

What if you want to write comics-verse with Butcher Shop Foggy and Religious Matt? Then do it! It's fine! It's a big multiverse!

I just want my MattFoggy friends to have content.

Now on the downside, as this comic's been going on for a while, Matt (and other characters) are kind of assholes to Foggy about his weight. I ignore that bit. As with all comics, you have to ignore some shitty stuff sometimes because it all varies writer-to-writer.

Anyway, you came here for some MattFoggy Married Evidence, right?

Okay, here we go, presented with the help of my friend @froggynelson and all my chums on Discord and the Avacados in Love server...

In no particular order, a small selection of Matt and Foggy being in love.

One time, Matt got possessed by a demon and Foggy free-climbed a castle to rescue him. He is the only person able to get through to Matt to help save him. Shadowlands is otherwise, unfortunately, bad.

Something else from Volume 1 is that Matt was supposed to be the better lawyer of the two of them. Of course, since then, everyone's agreed Foggy is the better lawyer. But really, they're better together than either of them are apart. (This is the bit that made me think "oh they're GAY gay")

In volume 3 and 4, Foggy had cancer. Matt gave up his (already compromised) secret identity and moved to California in order to help him.

It was extremely sad!!

They had to fake Foggy's death!

He got better :)

Now Tumblr's post editor is chugging at this point, so please join me in part 2 - The Quest for More MattFoggy.

#daredevil #mattfoggy #matt murdock #foggy nelson #marvel comics

[savrenim]

watched the first 30 minutes of the new live action ATLA bc I was Curious and they have already committed three different mortal sins that I can't Not Rant about, spoilers for the first 30 minutes below the cut

1. They rearranged the order of storytelling to open with the Fire Nation attacking the Air Nomads.

And I'm not.... totally sure why? Like, my guess is either "we need to make an immediate dramatic hook for the people who have never seen ATLA before!" or "we need to explain the background for the people who have never seen ATLA before!" But the truth is, people never saw ATLA before it came out, and they were perfectly fine catching on to learning about what happened to the Air Nomads and the geopolitical state of the world in media res!! That is not an excuse!

By opening with The Attack On The Air Nomads, not only do they rob the audience of getting to do my favorite thing throughout, which is the ability to piece together backstory via being told details as the story goes on, but it also..... vastly undermines the impact that That Attack Happening is going to have later in the story. Instead of piecing together tragedy from 100-year-old ruins and getting the moment of "oh god" and imagining it, we're shown it directly upfront onscreen, which not only to me comes across as unnecessary and gratuitous violence, but it means that every time in the story that The Air Nomads Are All Dead is going to come up, instead of it being this weighty thing that we can only imagine that each small detail adds even more to that weight, the payoff was all upfront. We've seen it, there's nothing to imagine, any detail they give us is not adding to our understanding of the tragedy and increasing the tragedy to us at all, it's just a reference to the opening scene.

2. STATUS!!!!!

So 'Status' is a concept that I rant about a lot and am highly sensitive to in writing, probably bc in the gay theater camp day camps the first thing you need to teach your 8-year-olds in improv workshop is How To Respect Status if you want to have at all a reasonable adventure game; otherwise you have kids interrupting the king's big dramatic speech and hence Undermining The King's Authority and the adventure game falls apart but also so you don't get trapped in scenes where you've got two characters yelling back and forth "well I'm [this thing] so you should respect me!!" and the complete lack of respect between them totally undermines what both of them are saying and the fiction falls apart. I kind of joke but not really that I stopped watching Supernatural in like. season 8?? 9?? because there was some episode with Greek Gods and you got to the finale of the episode and Zeus was going "dO YOU KNOW WHO I AM??? I'M ZEUS. I'M A GOD. PUNY MORTAL" and Sam and Dean went "dO YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE??? WE'RE THE WINCHESTERS. WE TOOK DOWN SATAN AND ALSO SATAN'S MORE EVIL OLDER COUSIN. PUNY MONSTER OF THE WEEK" and I went "by day three of camp my nightmare 8-year-olds can do Status better than this. Why am I even watching this?"

In the first scene, the live-action ATLA severely undermines the status of the Fire Nation and Fire Lord and then continuous to do so throughout the entire opening.

The initial scene is some random Earth Kingdom spy running away with Fire Nation plans to attack the Earth Kingdom and getting captured and dragged before Fire Lord Sozin (to be?? monologued at by Fire Lord Sozin of 'HAH you fell into my TRAP, those plans were FAKE, we're attacking the AIR NOMADS' which is just. dumb. kill the spy, don't monologue at him and kill him, but also why the fuck are you letting an Earthbender spy into your presence in the first place???????) which besides the aforementioned letting?? an earthbender spy??? into his presence in the first place????? He:

is not wearing particularly fancier clothes than the other people around him; like, they're okay, but the 'total desaturation of all colors including/especially in the clothing' aesthetic that Netflix has going makes it not look very royal. that shit should have been BRIGHT red or 10x fancier to make up for the fact that it wasn't Bright Red

they are STANDING IN THE THRONE ROOM and INSTEAD OF BEING BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF FLAMES he's just STANDING DOWN THERE on the SAME LEVEL AS EVERYONE ELSE????? WHY ARE YOU EVEN IN THE THRONE ROOM IF THE FIRE LORD IS???? NOT ON THE THRONE?????? JUST STANDING AROUND???? THE FIRE LORD DOES NOT JUST STAND AROUND WHERE IS THE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE OFFICE????????????

and then beyond the absolute idiocy and letting a nobody no-name spy into his presence like that and dramatically revealing battle plans fucking idiot deserves to be assassinated for letting a spy earthbender get within three feet of him that's just extremely bad royal security, Sozin personally Murders this Random Spy. with his own firebending hands.

One of the whole things that makes ~the Fire Lord~ so terrifying is the sheer amount of weight around The Institution Of The Fire Lord, the courts and the backstabbing nobles of the fire nation, both the extreme imperial politics and complications there but also the almost deification of the office itself. The Fire Lord is untouchable, I forget if it's fanon or canon that they've got a 'descended directly from Agni / divine right' thing going but if it's fanon at least canon has those vibes, and one of the biggest aspects of the finale of the whole show is the combination of Azula's meltdown making it so that even though she was 'Fire Lady' she.... wasn't particularly scarier because in panicking and banishing everyone she'd totally undermined her own power structure, but also realizing that Ozai was Actually Just Some Dude Who Sure Was Pretty Good At Firebending And A Really Shit Person And Terrifying For What He'd Done With His Power but he wasn't a god, he wasn't impossible to defeat, when push came to shove he was just a firebender and as such his power could be stripped.

Fire Lord Sozin standing on the same level as his advisors and a random earthbender spy, and then doing things with his own hands, instead of, you know, sitting on that throne behind that wall of fire while this scene was happening if this scene really needed to happen in the first place, totally undermines that sort of deification level of status that the Fire Lord is supposed to have. Sozin becomes an Evil Scary Murderer Villain, sure, but what proceeds to be established about his character is. Nothing to set him apart from "a particularly skilled Firebender." Hell not even that, as nothing ever demonstrates that he's substantially more skilled than the firebending soldiers around him!!!!!!!

And it undermines the severity of the threat of the whole Fire Nation to undermine the status of the Fire Lord and hence the Thing That Makes The Next Fire Lord So Scary. hnnnnnnnnnng.

3. Every single character keeps giving extremely stilted monologues about how they're feeling?

It just feels like Bad Writing. And it also kind of feels like incorrect characterizatons? Big "he would NOT say that" mood but also just, like. Aang giving a three minute monologue purely to Appa about how he never asked for the responsibility of being the Avatar, he just wants to be like other kids, that just feels. So Cookie Cutter. So "gotta check off our refusing the call so our protagonist is Relatable!" and also just he would not say that.

This doesn't quite bother me as much as the other ones because it doesn't feel like a fundamental undermining of the narrative and/or the setting but it is Highly Annoying.

anyways defs not worth the watch. 30 minutes of my life Wasted. some of the costumes are kind of nice tho so might go back for the costume refs.

#live action atla #netflix avatar #just some random musings but it's been a While since I've dropped any sort of writing analysis #and I kind of miss doing it #do truly love how like. the Vast majority of my media criticisms #or at least the ones that I get Annoyed enough to Go On Rants about #are the ones that break the rules of Status #bUT HNNNNG STATUS IS SO IMPORTANT!!!!!! YOU LITERALLY CANNOT TAKE ANY CHARACTER SERIOUSLY UNLESS THE CHARACTERS #OR IN THIS THE FRAMING OF THE SCENES THEMSELVES #RESPECT THAT STATUS #HNNNNNNNNNNG

[b-else-writes]

it's so interesting to me how seeing the actual live action cast of ATLA has really made people realise that Katara and Aang together is weird because Aang is an entire pre-pubscent child with the maturity to match, and Katara is a whole teenager. you can hide that in animation easily, but once you actually cast people in that age range, it becomes glaringly obvious that a 14 year old girl would not be giving a 12 year old boy the time of day and how all the pictures of the four together make it look like a child, his babysitter, the babysitter's brother, and the babysitter's high school boyfriend.

but it does make me extremely curious how they're going to adapt then. we're only getting Book 1 so far, so i can imagine that they could keep Aang having a puppy crush on Katara, but they cut the (very minimal because Kataang was half-baked) evidences in Book 1 like the powerful bender blush - which they'd prob cut anyways given we're only getting 8 episodes, 1 hour each. and then they save the "development" for Book 3 where Aang's actor will be an older teen.

there's also been persistent but unfounded rumors that Zutara was the reason Bryke stepped away from the project. now i have shipped Zutara since i was a child, but it does give me pause here as well because Zuko's actor is gonna be 22 this year and Katara's actor is a minor still - but that's not say they won't do it anyways, since they're meant to be playing characters around the same age. i could see them just following what has been laid out in Book 1 and staying there, and then seeing what happens for future seasons, when Katara's actress is an adult (which still feels morally questionable).

of course, all of this assumes that the series will be good or popular enough to even receive renewal for 2 more seasons, and it is Netflix. how they're adapting the series has been kept under wraps heavily, the only rumor i've seen so far that seems credible is that they'll show the Air Nomad genocide in Ep 1, basically compressing ep 1-3 + 12 into the start. so we're not getting an exact adaptation.

now, i'm not on board with a live action adaptation because they ultimately don't need to be made at all. BUT, i do think if you're going to make an adaptation, then adapt. do something interesting with it, expand on stuff that was interesting but never went anywhere, remove stuff that didn't work the first time, etc. it's not going to be a shot for shot remake so don't try to be. i've always loved the live-action version of Sailor Moon because while it had the most god-awful special effects, it basically took the bones of canon and expanded on them in new and exciting ways that still felt true to the spirit, characters, and themes of the original. otherwise, don't bother. the cartoon will always exist so making a 1:1 adaptation is pointless.

so in THAT regard, i actually think using the live action to explore Zutara is not a bad idea at all - it's just.....everything else surrounding it that is like, hmm. which really could've been solved by casting a 17 year old to play Zuko as well, like Dallas Liu is cute as hell and there's also rumors that he and Uncle Iroh are the best actors on the show so i'm firmly of the belief he won't be an issue in enjoyment, but this man is old enough to have graduated from university! but again it's all putting the cart before the horse because this might all just crash and burn in Book 1 so it won't even matter. which just goes back to. time to let ATLA and its legacy be.

#i just have so many reservations about this and the shipping is like one part of that as well #we will really have to see #atla live action #zutara

[cherryhanji]

oneshot. bang chan x female reader

⭐ synopsis: winter isn't one of your favorite seasons. But what if it's spent with someone who provides you not only smiles, but also those fuzzy feelings and crazy heartbeats?

⭐ genre: roommates to lovers au, college au, fluff, angsty tones

⭐ words: 11k

⭐ warning(s): foul language, mentions of childhood trauma, poor attempt at interpreting kissing scenes aaa

⭐ tags: @starlostseungmin @starlighthan (if u wanna be added on my taglist, u can drop an ask!)

alexa's note: sorry! this took waaaay to long but this is basically a rewritten version of my story "winter shenanigans". i just changed the title bcs i think it's better(?) haha idk i just feel like i need to change it. i wanted to rewrite this bc i feel like i can give it more improvements and make it better than the first version (i hope so) i hope u like it!

a bit of a disclaimer: i never experienced winter, so i'll just write everything what i feel or think about winter and what others do when winter comes. (but i do want to experience it!)

Winter isn't a season you're really not fond of unlike the others. Going out just to flash your new purchased glamorous parka and wasting several dollars for an overpriced hot coffee isn't in your bucket list. Winter doesn't bring you fun playing with snow, making those snowballs and having some snow fights with your loved ones. Walking around the street and feeling the freezing cold air wash your face as you look at everyone who seems to love it. Winter isn't your most loved season especially when the memories it brings you were the ones you really want to forget and leave from the past.

So instead of doing those things people love to do when winter comes, you'll just dwell in the confines of your home, watching those old Netflix series you love watching so many times to the point you memorize every characters' lines. Room heater on and a cup of ramen resting on your hands.

Amidst the season, you and your roommate Lexi always plan on going grocery shopping, agreeing on a day where both of you are free of schedule. The task is dreadful when you try to keep up with the people who seem to love hoarding the supermarket before the season starts. As if they'll run out of everything "they need" during the winter. So grocery shopping is best when you think most of the people were literally out everywhere but the supermarket.

But now, you feel like you are slowly draining out of energy as you look at your roommate while she puts her things inside her big ass luggage bag, a gift from her mother whom she'll be staying with until God knows when.

"Text me please when you arrive, hm?" You said with a small voice, not showing Lexi your soured expression but knowing completely you failed. 

Lexi is like your sister, living with her ever since you started college. So it's really disheartening to know she'll be out of your shared apartment in a few hours. 

The reason is important, and you completely understand it. She needs to go home, but it doesn't get rid of the fact that you'll be away from her, and will make you alone, emotionally and physically. You were never the one to make friends at all, scared to talk to people but managed to befriend some, and Lexi is one of them. Having the same interest and vibes, being able to understand each other are some of the reasons your friendship was built.

"Of course lovely, I will. I know how much you'll miss me. And I'll miss you too." Lexi cocked her brows, giving you a lopsided smile. 

"I really hope you can come back soon. But I think I'll be graduating alone if it happens again." You said. There you are again, you know you sound a bit selfish now, having abandonment issues ever since you were a kid fucks you up real hard, struggling to accept that people really do come and go. You just don't want everything that happened before to happen again.

But you were so aware that it will not happen with Lexi's case. You were just starting to miss the dynamics you used to have while living with her. 

Lexi sighed as she tried to brighten up her smile. You can see that she too, was trying hard to be strong. Going back to her hometown to take care of her ill mother, leaving her one and only best friend from the city and moving to another college is harder than she thought.

"I hope so too. I hope mom will get better so I can just go back here and not transfer to a different university anymore. But I am not sure what's about to happen. But I am really hoping I can come back real soon." She admitted, finally closing the bag she was preparing.

"And y/n, I know how much struggle you feel when it comes to meeting new people. You don't have to force yourself to talk to everyone. But please, don't dwell on being alone, my love. There are lots of people who badly want to befriend you. You're such a sweet girl. I know you prefer being by yourself, but I can see clearly you're happier whenever someone talks to you." she rebuked, Lexi knows you like the back of her hand, notices even the things you never knew you were doing.

"I-I don't think so." You muttered. You sure weren't confident enough to face a conversation with a person you knew you were talking to several times, let alone a complete stranger you never once talked to. One reason you never went to those acquaintance parties Lexi invited you everytime she went. 

You heard your friend click her tongue, making you turn your gaze to her. You sighed as you were met by one of her signature looks, always giving you those whenever she's disagreeing with something you just said.

"O-okay, fine. I don't promise but I'll try, because I don't like to miss you so much like I do now." You scoffed, making her let out light chuckles.

"That's my girl. To think that winter is coming, I want you to find someone you can spend those dreadful times with whenever the season is here." She snarked.

"Nah, will just spend my days here wrapped like a burrito while watching Squid Game." You remarked, Lexi looking at you dirtily.

"Girl, don't tell me you're gonna watch it for the fifth time?" Lexi questioned and you just nod proudly.

"Of course, I will. No one's gonna stop me." You said while your friend just let out a sigh, giving up at your antics.

"Okay whatever. Anyway, Mrs. Yang told me someone already got my space." Lexi announced, making your ears perked up at her news. You weren't against new roommates, you know yourself you can't afford to pay the whole rent and you need someone to share it with. But you didn't expect it to be this soon, you weren't prepared to entertain a new roommate!

"Wait, what? This soon??" You questioned and she just nodded.

"Yep! Don't have any idea who it was but Mrs. Yang told me they're studying in the same university." Lexi exclaimed as if she was the one who will live with the new roommate. On the other hand, dreadfulness starts seeping in you just by thinking of the prospect of having a new roommate. The idea of living with a stranger, and having no idea what will be your relationship with them in the future, starts to eat your mind. But despite that, you didn't show Lexi your weariness, instead giving her some neutral reaction even if your introvertedness is already screaming.

A week has passed and you still haven't met the said new roommate. You didn't even bump into Mrs. Yang, which you think is much better because you didn't have any idea how to grasp some update about your new roommate. "I just want to ask when will my new roommate arrive so I can at least clean the apartment."  "May I ask who my new roommate is? Lexi told me you told her they're attending the same university as me." Questions keep on popping on your mind but in the end, you were glad you never bumped into her and just cleaned the whole apartment in case your new roommate will arrive.

School break was about to start. You were more than relieved to know you completed all the work and backlogs even before the break starts. You may hate the winter, but you'd rather make yourself busy with something else than dealing with your activities or any school related work.

After having a small talk with Felix, you bid yourselves goodbye and started to walk on your way home.

Felix is a blockmate and one of the people you prefer talking with whenever Lexi isn't around. You grew accustomed to him when right after your first activity as partners, he still approached you like you've known each other for a while now, clearly wanting to befriend you. Not wanting to look like a bitch, you just let him be, also because of his bubbly persona. Like Lexi, Felix is the person next to being comfortable. You like the energy he's emanating whenever he's around.

You were solemnly staring at the window of the bus when you felt your phone buzzing against your pants pocket.

from: Mrs. Yang (YW APT.)

hi dear, just a heads up. your new roommate might arrive later or tomorrow evening. just want to remind you so you can prepare his space. have a nice day dear!

to: Mrs. Yang (YW APT.)

thank u for informing me, Mrs. Yang. have a nice day too!

You don't think you were ready enough knowing that your roommate is a guy. You don't have any problems with guys. It's just you feel awkward most of the time when you talk to the opposite sex. But you realized it doesn't worry you unlike the first time you knew about having a new roommate. Thinking about what Lexi has said, maybe it's not that bad to have new friends, besides her, well, also Felix (you consider him as one from now on.)

The said roommate arrived the next day. With his luggage bag and some boxes, he strived to bring them altogether inside even if you offer him a small help by pulling his luggage (you tried to make a good impression of yourself even if you're already feeling awkward as hell)

In the end, he let you pull his luggage when one of the boxes he carried totter from his hold, chuckling awkwardly when it finally fell. Talk about people and their eagerness to bring all of their things at once.

You tried not to sound and look awkward as you showed him the whole apartment, and finally his own space, his bedroom. You did everything you need to do to make it look presentable and clean. You don't have any idea if your new roommate is a clean freak, so you did it just to make things sure. You don't want to have a complaining roommate after seeing their room covered in dust and dirt.

"This is nice. I have never seen a room this clean. Or is it because my old roommate is not that of a clean freak." He said, chuckling. You must admit, his laughs are angelic. You never heard a guy laugh that cute. Or maybe because you never tried to make a guy laugh ever. Well Felix, is a different one, guy is scary when he laughs. Felix is the only one you can use to compare with the other guys. It was like, he is your standard of guys as you've never been with others before.

"Uh, yeah. I did clean it well. I don't want my new roommate to see his new room dirty." You said, showing a sheepish smile, hoping you won't look like an idiot to him.

"Nah, it's good. I am happy to know you gave your efforts in cleaning my new room. And as I can see, I think I won't have any problems with dealing with trash. Though I am not that sensitive to it, but, isn't it better to see your place neat? It makes you feel relaxed." He grinned. 

Something about him appeases you, the way he is talking to you, it was comforting. As if you guys were already friends. He looks friendly and harmless, someone you can easily approach whenever you're having concerns. 

But then again, you tell yourself that typical phrase whenever you meet someone. "looks can be deceiving". Most people tend to act politely whenever they meet with someone unfamiliar. But either way, you'll try your best to have those decent talks with your new roommate.

You don't even know each others' names yet.

"Uhm...Anyways, I'm Y/n! I hope you'll have fun staying here from now on..." You mumbled the last words, encouraging him to continue it by telling his name.

So he flashed you a smile and replied.

"Chan, Bang Chan, or Chris, whichever you like, but Chan is good, though.. I'm certain I will enjoy having you as my roommate, Y/n. And uuh, thank you again for cleaning this for me. I hope pulling my luggage bag inside didn't bother you. I'm sorry again for the small accident earlier, I just want to bring everything inside at once. A habit, yeah?" He chuckled, recalling his habit that led into a small accident at the front door earlier.

"No worries. Doesn't bother me that much.." You admitted. You feel like the atmosphere was slowly getting awkward, the smile on your face is unfortunately faltering. Wanting to not embarrass yourself furthermore, you tried to change the topic, letting him have his own time as he fixed his things.

"Uh, I would like to excuse myself now if you don't mind, so you can fix your things, it's getting a bit late now. So you can also rest." You said, checking the wall clock hanging just beside his bedroom door. The clock reads 10:20 pm and you're feeling a bit sleepy now. Chan just nods, and flashes you a friendly smile.

"Oh yeah, sure! Sorry to delay your sleep, but I'll be good. I'll just fix these tomorrow morning. Good night, y/n." 

"Good night, Chan."

Winter has finally started. Just like usual, you were met by lots of people who seemed to enjoy the little droplets of snow that are starting to fall. And good thing your worn out parka (a gift from Lexi almost three years ago) is still holding on, the zipper was already broken yet you were too lazy to get it fixed. Parkas are expensive as hell and you'd rather stick with this one, especially when you're not going out frequently when the season is here.

Grocery shopping went on smoothly, but this time you were alone. Almost three weeks had passed since Lexi left the apartment yet you still feel the longing for your friend, thinking that it won't get rid that easily especially when she's the only person you do this with and many other domestic things you can think of.

You feel all your limbs starting to give out when the view of your apartment door reaches your sight. Walking home from the supermarket is a fun thing to do, but you realized it was only fun when you have a company, specifically Lexi. Having someone help you bring the other bags. It was exhausting, but at least you came home with your complete limbs. 

You opened the door softly, you felt like breaking into your own apartment when in fact, you just wanted to see if Chan was in. Almost two weeks of living with him and you still feel shy when he is around. You tried your best to not look awkward whenever you talk, because the last thing you ever wanted was to make him think he's making you uncomfortable when in fact it's not.

Chan is a nice roommate. An organized one, you might add. So far, he never did anything to make you a bit distant to him, you were just shy, and the fact that you do find him attractive just adds to the predicament you were feeling. How can you engage with a long conversation when the first thing you always do is stare at his face? He might think you're weird if ever he noticed that action of yours.

You will pass by Chan's room whenever you go to the kitchen, so when you tried to grab some bottled water for yourself, you heard someone talking, surmising it was Chan. Maybe he's talking to someone as you hear other unfamiliar voices. You didn't mean to eavesdrop, but how can you not when you just heard your name in between the conversation?

"I just don't think we can do that now, I moved just two weeks ago, I don't want y/n to be uncomfortable"

"She's my roommate. And I still don't know if it's okay for her if I invite you guys over. Even if I am basically paying the rent too. But I don't want to scare the girl with two other guys she 7barely knew, walking around her house. We're not even that close yet."

Something about Chan talking about you makes you want to hear more. Even if you tried your best to stop, since listening to others' conversation isn't morally right.

"Hmm? Yeah..? She's pretty though, but a bit shy. I don't know why, I want to talk to her more but I feel like she doesn't even want to be near me, yikes." You heard him chuckle. And that's how you stumbled on your feet and almost knocked the big ass vase beside his door. 

Nice, just a nice way to expose yourself.

You heard him finish the call as you tried to compose yourself, making sure you didn't look like you were just literally beside his door, listening to his conversation with his friends.

Him calling you cute confused you, you don't have any idea what you did or what you have for him to call you cute. On the other hand, it made you feel ecstatic as if you just won a competition. A person you just find attractive admits that he finds you attractive too, how can you not hyperventilate by it?

Your eyes widen when you heard the doorknob shuffle, your time to run to the kitchen as if nothing happened just ran out before you even try and now you were met by a flabbergasted Chan, because he never expected you to be there, he just literally thought that the sound came from elsewhere and he's curious to check it.

"Oh, hi Y/n. Didn't know you already arrived. Uhm... How may I help you?" Chan's voice seems to ebb away as your eyes start to focus somewhere else, preferably his exposed arms, he was wearing this shirt that was made into a sleeveless one, his arm muscles tensed when he rested his arm on the doorframe, it's like he's literally giving you the honor to check him out. But it's not, of course. He's toned, and even if this is the first time you saw him showing a bit more skin, you knew that he's the type of guy who spends his time at the gym.

Exactly your type.

You were just fished out of your "checking my roommate out" by Chan's voice calling your name, worry etched on his annoying attractive face. 

"Is there a problem? Was it the noise I heard a while ago?" He asked and you tried your best to gather yourself up before flashing him a smile. Putting an end to "making yourself embarrassed in front of Chan" again.

"Ah no.. I mean, yeah. I just arrived. Uh, actually I just passed by your room then I almost knocked the vase, sorry if that disturbed you." You said, biting the inside of your cheek. God, you think this the most awkward time you ever had with Chan.

"Are you okay?" He said and took a look at you before looking at the vase that just sits perfectly as if nothing happened. The vase was heavy, and you were more than bemused as to why it made so much noise when you accidentally hit it with your feet.

"Oh yeah, yeah! I'm good. Just a bit clumsy." You assured and gave him a small smile. You were stuck in silence when Chan spoke again.

"Uh, may I ask you something?" Chan started, while you looked at him, urging him to continue.

"Uhm, I know I just moved in here a few weeks ago, but I do want to ask if I can bring my friends here? Like, we really need to finish this project of ours and I am the only one who has the most needed equipment and we need to use it. Uh, I promise we won't make so much noise! Uh, I'll tell the--" Chan stopped his blabbering when you suddenly let out a giggle.

"Of course. You can invite them over, I really don't mind. After all, this is also your house." You said. Realizing this is his issue since earlier while talking to his friends. You really don't mind at all. Lexi also did invite some of her other friends here before, sometimes inviting you over which you gladly did, but most of the time you stay in your room. You can do it with Chan. After all, he has his share of paying everything in this apartment. So he can do whatever he pleases, you just hope he's a bit mindful of his surroundings.

"Oh yeah right, thank you though. Uhm.. Do you have some rules, like things you don't like whenever others come in here? You know what I'm saying?" He questioned and you got it right away. He's really considerate. What a gentleman. Makes you want to just jump at him and kiss his pretty lips.

Oh, that's too much. 

He's your roommate, for god's sake.

"Uhm.. Just try not to make too much mess? I'm fine with everything really. Just, that." You shrugged, while he gave you a thumbs up.

"Copy. I assure you, you'll never have a problem with us." Chan grinned. You were slowly running out of ideas to say so you tried to excuse yourself from him, which he gladly let you do so. Too much happened from that short conversation, you think. Him calling you cute, him wanting to talk to you but you were so shy he doesn't know what to do, him almost catching you eavesdropping on him and his friends, you checking him out. You just hoped that he was gullible enough to not notice your lingering stares on his arms, to not make yourself embarrassed. Too much for you, eh?

Can you really keep up with your attractive roommate?

The day Chan's friends decided to come over was just as peaceful as you want it to be. Except his other friend, Jisung if you weren't mistaken, has been the noise provider in the once peaceful apartment, together with Chan's other friend, Changbin.

Chan apologizes over and over again for his friends' enthusiasm, things that you really don't mind at all. 

And as promised, Chan and his friends stayed inside his room to work on their project. You just knew he's a music major, and it was dead obvious as you always hear him play different tunes, some music that's pleasant to the ears, you even had a favorite one, the one he was playing last night, the same music they're currently working on.

Chan just casually playing those music for free, makes you wonder how he looks whenever he works over something. Is he the serious leader type? Is he the one to goof around but does work well? Or is he the quiet one while working but then surprises you with his amazing ideas. 

Whatever it may be, it still makes your heart pound as if you just ran a mile. But why is that? Just thinking about him makes your mind go haywire, are you having a crush on your roommate?

It's incredulous, isn't it?

"I just thought about it but, do you know someone named Lee Felix?" Jisung asked you as he munched his pizza. After working, Chan had invited you to eat pizza with them, ordered right after they finished work. At first you were hesitant, since you weren't really that close, and you really don't have any idea how to open a conversation with them. But the persistence his friends have was indelible, so you just gave in and joined them, and good thing their chattiness saved your sorry ass. Chan was also talkative, one thing you didn't expect. Maybe because he's around his friends. But he's not like the other two, they seem like they have endless topics brought with them.

"Hm, yeah. He's my classmate, why?" You replied, his mouth making an "O" shape as if he realized something.

"I knew it. That's why you look familiar! You were always with Felix after his classes. You may not see me but I always see you with him." He mused, 

"Oh wait, that sounded creepy. But yeah, I saw someone with him, and I realized it was you." he continued. You tried to recall all the times you were with Felix and bump into someone he knew, but you don't remember a thing. Maybe because you were busy thinking what activity you'll do next or what will Lexi cook for dinner.

"Oh well, sorry for not remembering a thing, but are you related to him? Like, friends?" You questioned and Jisung nodded his head in response, pointing at Chan who was walking out of the kitchen, his mouth full of pizza and his hands holding a bottle of water. Like a deer caught in headlights, you chuckled at his astounded look.

"What? Why're you pointing at me?" Chan raised his eyebrows at Jisung who was unfazed by his friend's dirty look.

"Felix is Chan's cousin. They basically lived together in Australia when they were kids. I wonder why Felix never told you about Chan. You guys just met when Chan moved in here right?" Changbin said and pointed at the two of you, you nod in response.

Changbin was right, you didn't know but you felt a bit betrayed by Felix. He was also as talkative as the three, but never mentioned about his hot cousin to you. But what was the reason in the first place? Why does Felix need to mention his cousin to you? 

But you just brushed it off, after all, Chan is already your roommate.

Maybe you can ask Felix about his cousin's ideal type, maybe you can learn a thing or two.

And asking Felix wasn't the best resort at all. It wasn't an option, per se. Your two eyes can see obviously what he likes in everything. Man, you live with the guy. You can literally learn a thing or two, if you were heedful of your surroundings.

Eventually, you become comfortable with Chan, as he is to you. One question and one answer now led into breathy laughs in between long conversations. One asked about their day, and eventually it turned into long talks. You were ecstatic about the progress of your roommate relationship with Chan, and when you say progress, your feelings also go with the flow. 

You finally admitted that you have a crush on your roommate, it was very obvious that Chan is likeable. Aside from Felix, he's the nicest guy you've ever met, his attitude from the very first time you guys met never changed, and you appreciate it. 

You were busy cleaning your room when you heard some soft knocks against your door. You were shocked to see Chan peeking from the outside, wanting to call your attention.

"Hey, Chan. Is there anything I can help you with?" You said as you placed your freshly washed clothes on your bed. He seemed to hesitate answering so you beckon him to go in, as he did eventually.

"Are you busy?" He asked, eyeing those clothes placed on your bed.

"Oh, not really. Will just place these clothes in the cabinet and I'm done. Why?" You asked him. You didn't know if you were just seeing things or his cheeks flushed a bit red before speaking.

"Uhm. I cooked some pancakes and made some hot chocolates for snacks. It's getting a bit cold here and I'm hungry. If you want I can bring you some here." Chan mused. A bashful smile painted on his face. You were speechless for a moment before you gave him a nod.

"Oh! That's very nice of you. But we can just eat it together in the kitchen." You replied.

"Really? I can just bring you some here while you finish what you were doing. Or I can just leave some for you." He insisted but you just shook your head.

"Nah, I'm fine. I can finish this later. It's very impolite of me if I'll do that. And besides, I do feel hungry now that you mentioned pancakes and hot chocolate." You giggled. Chan let out a sigh of relief and invited you to go with him in the kitchen which you gladly did, leaving all the clothes unattendedly and all the other things you need to do. Chan invited me to eat with him, organizing my things can wait.

No wonder you heard some shuffling in the kitchen a while ago, it was just him trying to cook some food. It surprised you that Chan can cook, since he's always busy. Either in his room or out with his friends, telling you that he'll just eat outside or finish his work that you'll never know if he's already done since you always hear him in his room, but it's all fine. 

Maybe he's just a man who is passionate about his work. 

After minutes of arguing that you'll just get your own food, you sat down on the chair as Chan prepared both your and his food, telling you that he was the one who invited you.

Looking at him, his broad back facing you, his shoulders tensing as he continues to move around, made you feel those weird feelings inside your stomach. It may be bizarre, but it felt good, just right.

Imagining him as the caring boyfriend who takes good care of you, cooking you food whenever he wants to, surprising you every morning with those butterfly kisses around your face. Just the perfect relationship every person wishes to have.

While you make your own world of fantasies, the boy who was the subject of it was staring at you weirdly. Hiding the smile on his face as he looked at your flabbergasted one when he called again your attention, the look on your face as if you were caught doing something illegal made him giggle, but he tried to hide it.

"Thinking of something?" He questioned, a smile now visible on his face. You tried to focus your attention on him once again, shaking away all of the thoughts of him from your mind before answering.

"Uuh, just thinking what will these pancakes taste like, also the hot chocolate." You replied, he scoffed jokingly as he placed your plate of pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup and whipped cream on top.

"And now you're acting like some masterchef judge, or aren't you Gordon Ramsay's daughter?" he joked. 

"Hmm, what if I am?" You remarked. He just shrugged and let out a giggle, his dimples apparent on his face, making him look more cute and soft.

Aah, can you not act cute, just for once?

"Hmm. I guess I'm honored and nervous at the same time, have a taste then, Ms. so-called daughter of Gordon Ramsay." He mused.

You happily indulged yourself with the still warm pancakes, humming as the mix of its softness and the sweet taste of maple syrup excites your taste buds, immediately giving a thumbs up to Chan. He flashed you a wide grin before eating some of his own.

"Didn't know you cook this good, Channie." You blurt out, not realizing that you called him in a different way, you were busy delving in his pancakes.

"Not you doubting my cooking skills." Chan replied. Little did you know, Chan was having a little heart attack from the new nickname you gave him out of the blue, yet you still haven't realized it.

"And, I didn't know I had a new nickname now." Chan mused and let out a chuckle. Confused, your eyebrows furrowed until seconds later you realized what you just said a while ago.

"Never heard someone call me that, even my friends." He admitted. Even his close friends never called him that. And he's glad that someone like you managed to get him a nickname, one thing that he'll never mind at all, especially if it's only you.

"Uh-- okay. I didn't realize it. Sorry" You mumbled, but Chan still managed to hear it. 

"No worries, Channie is cute though. I love it." Your eyes widen as you bring your gaze back to him, while his smile  never falters. It's true, Chan loves it. In fact, he wishes you'll just call him by it everyday. It felt like an addition to his energy. 

"Uh, d'you like the hot chocolate?" Chan changed the topic before he felt the silence envelop you.

You did taste the hot chocolate and it was good, the warmth of the drink seeped into you, making you relax. Winter was still ongoing and you're glad that besides ramen and tea, you found yourself a different way of relaxing and making you warm during the season. One point for making a hot chocolate for a cold season.

"Yep! It was so good! So sweet, I love it. Actually I tried making this but I failed big time, I added too much cocoa, it was bitter." You giggled, remembering the first time you tried doing a hot chocolate, Lexi almost barf making you realize you shouldn't make a hot chocolate drink by yourself.

Chan snorted, trying to contain his laugh when he saw you glaring at him.

"Good thing I can make one. I can be your savior," He said, his eyebrows moving up and down. 

"If you insist, actually your hot chocolate is my new favorite now." You confessed. Chan is like hot chocolate, warm, and sweet. He feels homely because of his warm and sweet nature. No wonder you felt comfortable around him in no time. He never once made you feel ill at ease. A pure green flag. That is Chan to you.

Felix went to your apartment several times in the past, but most of it was for school purposes. Activities wherein you were partners, but most of the time he just wants to do it with you, for the sake of copying some of your answers which you don't mind.

But the reason why he is at your apartment today is unusual. And it is the first time he has hung out with you in winter. Weird it may be, but it just happened that way. Lexi and Felix knew each other of course because of the seldom visiting in the past, but not as close as you with being friends with the both of them.

When Felix knew that your new roommate is his cousin, he immediately messaged you saying he'll visit one of these days. It was a long time ago but the free time he only has is now, due to his part time job at the restaurant near his apartment.

There is a fat chance of the cousins meeting at the apartment, but now isn't. Chan went out early to go to his friend's place. And that's the time Felix finally told you that he'll come over.

And here you are, in the kitchen while Felix let you make a room of chaos by helping him make brownies, but sooner he just made you sit and told to watch him. One thing that you agreed on since baking isn't really your thing.

You were too immersed with your phone when you suddenly heard Felix greet someone.

"Hey! You're back!" Your head immediately turned to Chan who looked flabbergasted seeing his cousin being busy in his kitchen.

He then turned his gaze to you, then threw a smile at your direction which you immediately reciprocated.

"You're early…?" You questioned. Chan told you that he will stay at his friend's place for a few hours since they were planning to make a new song, so you assumed he'll be back at night, and it is still afternoon.

"Hmm. Jisung's mom called him for help, so we just finished it there, then we'll continue for some time. It's really not that necessary to finish the song." Chan replied. You were about to speak when you remembered you had another person inside your home.

"What does it feel like when someone replies to your greeting, yeah? 'Oh hello Felix! How are you? It's been a long time? Are you having fun here with Y/n?' Something like that, no?" Felix scoffed, his eyes rolling when Chan giggled. 

Chan went to give his cousin a light bump on his shoulders, apologizing for not greeting him back.

"Sorry dude, I mean, we just saw each other a few days ago." Chan bantered but Felix replied with a raise of a brow.

"Okay. I'll just let it pass, who wouldn't be distracted when you saw y/n first, right?" He quipped, flashing a smirk directed at Chan who was failing to keep a smile. In the end, he just smacked his cousin's arm again. Feeling himself shrinking at the lowkey showing of adoration for y/n. 

Chan knew his roommate was pretty, in and out. He has been harboring appreciation for the girl. Even at that point his friends were pushing him to ask you for a date. But he never did. For him, it was too early to ask you. Living together with you is just as right as rain. Getting to know you, see you, and have more time with you is more than enough for him.

Chan left to go to his room after exchanging a few banters with Felix. And finally, the brownies were already done. So you took all of the baked brownies with you and went to the living room, with Felix hot on your trail, a tub of ice cream on his arm.

"Excuse me, Miss y/n, don't finish all of the brownies please." Felix protested when he saw you continuously eating the bite size brownies, worried that you might finish it all.

It was a minute's worth of fussing over brownies. Of course you were never the greedy one, you just wanted to tease Felix, you ate several pieces, then gave the plate to him, you grabbed some for Chan, but you don't have any idea when he'll come out of his room so you just set aside his brownies.

And the big fat silence took you over. Save for Felix's music playing through his phone. You don't feel like watching tv, and neither do he. You were having fun with your brownies when Felix once again executed his talent: asking questions out of the blue.

"Hey, I wanted to know what you think about my cousin?" You snorted as soon as you heard his question. When he does look serious with his question, and it seems like he is really waiting for an answer, you replied.

"Huh? As a roommate?" You asked. Felix cocked his eyebrow at you, as if silently judging you.

He wasn't clear with his question per se.

"Of… course. Why? You wanna tell me what you think of him as a guy?" And now Felix's face morphed into something akin to ludicrous. 

"You weren't clear with the question, oh please." You cried. With the way you were acting and Felix being the best tormenter ever, you can envision yourself telling Felix what you feel about his cousin. 

"Oh-kay! Fine. What do you think of him as a roommate?" Felix asked again. 

"Okay, I think he's the best roommate I ever had. Very clean, he never leaves a place that contains his mess--" You were speaking when Felix suddenly interrupted your commentary.

"Wait, more than Lexi?" Felix remarked. You know he was just teasing you, Felix knows how much you love Lexi and you were just overstating because it was Chan.

"What?? Of course not! I mean, I have the same feelings for them as a roommate. Maybe I just like the thought of Chan being a good guy who respects others, like his roommate. Besides you, I never interacted so much with guys, but if it's Chan, I think it's okay. I am so comfortable with him, and he's too much of a… gentleman." You remembered the time when you walked in to Chan being shirtless in the kitchen. You don't remember how many times he said sorry for not wearing a shirt. You were just shocked, oh Lord. He's just too sexy to look at. He might think of you as a creep. 

Him saying sorry for being comfortable is so dreadful. 

Even if you told him too many times that night that it was okay, he still wore a shirt the next day. And that made you feel bad. That time you reminded yourself not to freak out by seeing a guy flashing his half naked body.

But how can you do that? Knowing that it was him was rendering you speechless.

"Uhm.. earth to y/n?" Felix snapped his fingers in front of you, making you go back to your trance. Stop thinking about him. Do it like it was easy, huh.

"Oh.. sorry." You chuckled awkwardly, you felt like you were getting smaller. Even though you won't tell him, Felix noticed that you were off the wall when you started talking about Chan.

"Do you like my cousin?" Again, you were knocked senseless by his question. 

Are you really getting questioned by Felix? By your roommate's cousin? In your own apartment? With your roommate in question, which is currently present here?

"W-what? Why are you asking me that?" You chuckled awkwardly, you felt like your mind had gone blank by the sudden questioning. You weren't even sure if you really like, as in like Chan. You just knew you found him attractive.

"Chan has been a nice person ever since, but there's something with the way you talk about him." He said, as if he's that certain with his assumption.

"Maybe because he's just being a gentleman, and I appreciate that, that's it." You replied shortly. Maybe you were really just admiring his personality. You deemed guys being the not gentleman type, except Felix. Many of your female acquaintances told you stories about guys who were being a pain in the ass and just plain rude. And maybe that's one of the reasons why you abstain yourself from talking to other guys, second is just you were a major awkward person.

Felix stared at you for a good minute before smiling and greeted Chan, who went out with his hair damp, maybe he just took a shower then decided to go out.

"Yo Chris, Y/n saved you some brownies, that's for being the best roommate." Felix sneered as you smack him playfully on his arm.

You turned your gaze to Chan and saw a small smile on his face which you immediately reciprocated.

Oh, a thought passed by your mind, did he hear you and Felix talking about him?

You wish he didn't.

A month has passed yet the winter season is still on the run. You were in the supermarket with Chan who just hopped in since he wanted to buy some of his basic necessities and foods he shares with you in the fridge.

You were checking your list when you felt an arm draped over your shoulder. Too stunned, you didn't turn your head right away, to see if it's really him. Because you can literally smell the familiar scent of his calming perfume. And one thing that you wanted to do right now is to just snuggle your face between his neck and sniff his scent, sounds creepy but that's what on your mind right now.

"How about this one, y/n? I think we can make kimchi jjigae for tonight? What do you think?" Chan asked you, turning your gaze sidewards to see his face. Even though you can literally hear your heartbeat loud.

Is it because of the proximity? Or solely because of Chan?

Trying not to sound and look awkward, you patted his hand softly, telling him that you were fine with it. You have no idea if you were just feeling things, but you felt his arms tensed when you pat it.

"Of course, but you'll cook okay? You were the one who's confident with their kimchi jjigae." You grinned. You weren't confident with what you, you were even shocked you managed to contain yourself while being that close with Chan.

Chan didn't even know where he got that confidence. He was panic-stricken when Y/n didn't look back at him, and he really felt how she frozed when he did that. But when Y/n patted his arm lightly, he knew that she was fine, and his heart was beating passionately he could hear it. But he acted cool, for the sake of his pride and unspoken feelings. 

He remember the time where Felix asked Y/n if she likes him and heard her answer, he felt the world ground right below his feet. He knew that her answer probably meant no. She does appreciate him, and he knows that it isn't the same as like, that doesn't mean she likes him as him, and not the person she lives with.

Maybe acting like cool friends won't hurt. Oh, maybe a little, for him. 

Going back to the apartment is not that complicated, you hailed a cab because riding a bus back home while bringing those grocery bags isn't the best idea at all. 

Since Chan knew how to make kimchi jjigae better, he was working alone in the kitchen when Y/n suddenly appeared, shrouded herself with her usual comfortable shirt, her hair tied up in a bun. Something with the way she looks screams domesticity to Chan. A girlfriend watching her boyfriend cook their dinner. The thought alone made Chan smile. Being able to live with her as a roommate is more than enough.

Even if he knew they weren't feeling the same.

But why does he feel like she was staring right into his soul?

You were so amazed by seeing Chan work in the kitchen. He moves dexterously, as if he's really been doing this ever since. Just by looking at him, you can feel your heartbeat briskly again. Everytime you see Chan, there's this familiar feeling that grows as time passes by.

Do you still deny yourself for falling for Chan?

Truthfully speaking, as days passed by and the more you knew about your roommate, the more you slowly realized that you were indeed, in love with your roommate. This wasn't just simply a roommate appreciation feeling. 

It was entirely the same as you expected.

"Okay Chan, I feel like you used to be a chef in your past life." You giggle as you once again slurp again the savory soup of the kimchi jjigae. Chan scoffed jokingly as he took a spoonful of rice from his food.

"Maybe I am. I do appreciate your kind words." Chan replied. You were finally done with dinner and it was such a nice one since whenever you eat with Chan, it was filled with fun and giggles here and there. There was no dull dinner with Chan.

There was a raging snowstorm as per the weather forecast and you were more than irked knowing that there will be lots of snow outside.

"I'll wash the dishes Channie. You go to the living room, I'll be in charge here." You said as you gathered the empty plates and pots. Putting it all on the kitchen sink, while you saw Chan open the fridge and grab a can of drink.

"Want some beer?" Chan asked as he showed you the can on his hand. It was the beers he bought from the grocery earlier. 

"Out of the sudden?" You chuckled at him. It was unusual for Chan to drink beer on a random night. He once told you that he does drink whenever he's at parties. So why beer?

He then shrugged and flashed you a toothy smile.

"Oh, it does help me warm up. It's chilly here. I don't mind having beer, how about you?" Chan stated. It isn't weird, because beer does help you warm up on the inside, and you don't mind consuming one tonight, so you gave Chan a thumbs up before he nodded at you and went to the living room, with two bottles of beer in his hands.

You were never confident with your alcohol tolerance, every memory was shared with embarrassment, so as much as possible, you did drink responsibly. You want to have some time with Chan. You know you can always say no to him, but consuming a bottle won't hurt. Besides, it really does help you warm up.

"Isn't it weird if I drink beer on a winter night instead of coffee or hot chocolate?" Chan chuckled as he chugged on his beer. You knew how much Chan detest coffee, just like you with winter.

"Not really, I know how much you hate coffee, and we just ran out of hot chocolate. Actually, this is new, but I don't hate it. It's been a long time since I last drank beer. But I never expected it to be on a winter night though." You said making the boy laugh. 

"But it is fun!" He countered.

"Yeah, yeah. I just hate that the time was winter. I hope spring comes soon. I hate this season anyway." You accidentally slipped your detestment for winter. You can see how his face morphed into confusion, the bottle sitting on his hand before asking.

"Huh? Why, though? Winter is great! How can you dislike winter?" Chan wondered. For him, winter is great for cuddling. He loves to warm himself up together with his loved ones. Winter is a great time for hot chocolate, too.

Winter is great and better especially when you're with someone who you care for. Giving the warmth that they deserve on a cold winter night.

"I just hate it. I don't know why people are so happy whenever winter comes. It's snowing hard yet they still enjoy it. Or is it just me, because I really hate playing in the snow?" You wondered, ever since you were a kid, you never understood the fun of playing in the snow. It was cold, and probably it'll make you sick.

"Nah, all I see, be it kids or adults, loves playing in the snow." Chan replied. You just smiled sadly as you realized you never once played in the snow ever since you were a kid. You just don't have someone to play with.

"Oh, maybe I was just being bitter." You chuckled as you played with your bottle. Ah, the memories of the past still haunt you big time. 

Winter never did anything to you in the first place, it was just a season that passed by every year. It's just that, someone did taint them badly for you to hate it.

Chan suddenly felt the atmosphere shift into something different. He didn't know if it was because of the alcohol but he can feel that Y/n has something running into her mind right now. He never knew that she disliked the current season. He never knew that she's probably bringing something into her chest. There should be a reason, at least. But if she never wanted to talk about it, who is he to push her more?

But he just wanted to try his luck, maybe he can be a bit of help, even with just the little things.

He can see how much Y/n contemplates with herself. 

"Hmm.. there must be a reason. Do you… want to share it?" Chan carefully asked and saw if Y/n would respond. He knows he's not yet drunk, save for his high tolerance, he can really listen and understand what Y/n would say.

He can be the good listener he always had been.

The thing that bugs you up to this day, whenever winter comes was never shared with anyone else, even Felix, and Lexi. Your father has always been taking care of you, showing you that he can be the best parent you need to have. Filling in the role of a person you love, but left you in spite of that.

"I trust you enough to tell this, Channie." You sighed and gave him a smile.

"The night is young, pretty, go ahead."

Your mom has been your role model ever since. Being the most caring mother that she is, always taking care of you and your older brother, Lucas. She always puts you and your brother first in everything before herself. The most selfless mother you've known.

Your parents had an "okay" relationship when they were together. Doing what every parent should do for their children. You were still a kid back then, so everything you saw made you think that your parents do love each other like every other parents you see from your friends.

Until one day, and it was the start of winter, right after you came back from the mall with your father, you saw your mom packing up her things, altogether with your brother's clothes. You were starting to wonder why, not until your father blurted out the words you never expected him to say. Because all you know is that they love each other.

"Go, leave us. I bet you are happy now, you feel free, yeah? Go ahead. I hope you'll be a good mother to that bastard's son. Why did I even marry a cheater?" 

When you were a kid, the words that you only understood the words leave, good, and happy.

You never understood why your mother and brother have to leave you both. Is  there something wrong? Does your mother hate you? Do they hate living with you now? Why did they have to leave?

Does your mother still love you?

As you grow up, you finally understand all the reasons, your mind slowly opening up to the fact that not everyone's family was made to be perfect. Your father explained to you how your mother cheated on him when they were still together. Giving birth to your brother whom he thought was his real son. A thing that your mother kept until she got pregnant with you. 

Your father was hurt so much by knowing that kind information, but he never regretted loving your brother. The fact that your mother managed to cheat and stayed with him while she's out there doing some kind of infidelity shattered his heart. He did anything to love your mother but all he ever received was pain.

Now that you knew it, it still made you hurt, remembering that cold winter night where your mother was nowhere to be found, you all alone in your small room crying. The experience was traumatic, but you slowly coped with it. But the hate for the season stayed, as well the memory of your mother leaving you.

"I never liked the coldness of the winter. It's because I remember how much I cried for my mother, because every winter, she used to stay with me until I fell asleep, together with my brother. Up until now, it still haunts me. So sorry for killing your joy whenever winter comes." You chuckled as you down the remaining beer from your bottle.

"You know, you never say sorry for your trauma. You didn't want that. No one likes to be left behind. And if hating winter does help you cope up, so be it. It was never a bother for me anyway. Don't be worried about it." Chan said and gave you a heartwarming smile. 

That, that smile is what makes the past cold nights turn into weeks, then months of warmth and cozyness. There were no dull and cold nights whenever you're with Chan. In fact, having him here together with you is what makes you feel better on those cold nights. He never made you feel alone. And you were grateful for having him here with you.

And you were grateful for having those warm fuzzy feelings in your stomach that felt just right. Even if it makes your heart pound like crazy.

"You know.." you started, your eyes focused on the bottle in your hands. While Chan trained his eyes on your figure, waiting for you to continue.

"These past few months, I never felt this happy. I had my share of hate for the season, but I think it's okay now that you're here. So thank you." You said and you can literally feel your cheeks heat up, so you did your best not to lift your face. Not wanting to have any embarrassment happening.

You heard his small gasp and it made you smile. This was shocking for him, you can tell, but it's the truth.

"Uhm.. I don't think I did anything to make you feel better in this season, but I'm glad to know I did some kind of help. It means a lot to me, you know." Chan said and scratched the back of his neck, he can also feel his cheeks heating up. The weather was cold yet their cheeks felt hot at the very moment.

To be someone's comfort is relieving for Chan. Even if he doesn't know what kind of comfort he brings to Y/n, he's glad that she's been comfortable and open to him now. All he knows is that everyone has a struggle with something, and not everyone has the same problem every day. So we need to be kind to everyone.

A principle he had brought with him ever since he was a kid.

But now that Y/n opens up more about herself, he can't help but to be more caring for her. He just wanted her to be happy, just like how he has been ever since he met her.

"You know, I still have something to tell you. I don't know what will happen after but I wanted to tell you this." You started. And you already had warned yourself that you don't have any good relationship with alcohol, yet you still pursue this. There's something with drinking alcohol that makes you do something on a whim. 

Is it called confidence?

Nah, you'll just see if you regret doing this tomorrow.

"Hm? What is it? Should I be worried?" Chan giggled. He was confused but at the same time, anxiousness bubbled up on his stomach. He was still sober, in truth, he never consumed all of the alcohol, too engrossed with Y/n.

That's what love is.

"Uhm… I… Whenever we're together, like this.. I can't help but feel this weird thing. I don't know if it's out of appreciation for your roommate or what. But I don't hate it. It feels good. And I don't want it gone. Is it a crush? love? or just pure appreciation?" You said and Chan clearly hears how obscure your feelings are. Yet, the feeling of excitement is more prominent than worry for your confused feelings. It's dangerous on his side, he knows, yet he can't help but to think that maybe you feel the same for him.

"Are… are you sure? Or is it because you're drunk, Y/n?" Chan asked as he checked on you. When you didn't answer, he stood from the couch across and sat beside you. He looked at you first, before trying to reach your hand, when he didn't feel any sign of hesitation, he slowly squeezed it, trying to make you look at him.

"Tell me, are you sure with what you're saying? Or you're just babbling words?" Chan said and he can feel the frustration in his voice. He didn't want to look and sound frustrated, but the hope in his heart pushed him to do so, he wanted to know if you feel the same or not. Heck, he wanted to kiss you right now, but he doesn't know if it's okay with you. Of course! Who would want to kiss their roommate even without having any romantic relationship?

"I may be drunk, Channie. But I tend to remember the things I say and do when I'm drunk." You muttered and stared at him. When he didn't answer, you continued speaking, telling him the most kept secret you feel about him.

"You know, I do believe that drunk minds speak sober thoughts, and don't worry, I don't feel like I'll regret doing this tomorrow, because I really wanted to tell you that I like you, heck, maybe I already love you, Channie." You finally said it, feeling those weird things happening inside you again. And the goddamn heartbeat that goes fast, whenever he's near with you.

You can see how his face lightens up at the moment, you were never sure about body language, but you felt like he does feel the same.

"Can… Can I kiss you?" Chan was hesitating to ask this, but now that you already told him what you feel, he tried his luck, and when you nodded your head and squeezed his hand. Not wanting to say any words, because you don't trust yourself enough now.

You can feel his face inching closer with yours, his warm breath that smells like the alcohol you just drank. His breath, his gaze, the proximity, and the situation makes you even more drunk. And your mind blanks as soon as you feel his lips plant on yours.

So this is how his lips felt like.

It was so soft, just how you always thought of it, it was like caressing your skin. The fact that your lips were chapped didn't make you conscious because all you were thinking is that, you felt those feelings again, but ten times stronger and it you were fully aware that it was Chan kissing you.

You can feel yourself slowly melting into the kiss. It was pure delight, and you must admit that you never felt this way before. Too grateful that you were feeling this way with Chan and not every other guy.

You can feel his hands moving to your nape, guiding your head carefully as he leaned in more, feeling his lips move oh so slowly as if he was afraid to break you.

Chan finally pulls out, his eyes still closed as he catches his breath, his cheeks dusted with a shade of pink.

His hands never let go of you, as he planted it on your cheeks, making you lean on his touch. You too, were speechless for a bit as you catch your breath, also making it as an excuse for what you just felt, still shy to admit that you were indeed in love with Chan, even though you just voiced it out a few minutes ago.

"So…" Chan started. He was still ecstatic by the fact that she reciprocates the same feelings. His mind went haywire when they finally shared an intimate moment together. A feeling that Chan only dreamt of, not expecting it to happen in real life.

It was like Y/n is a dream come true.

Chan's hand wrapped around yours once again, molding it with yours as if it was meant to be there. You shared a minute of staring at each other before Chan managed to speak.

"You don't have to worry, Channie. Didn't you know you're likeable? I bet every girls you met had a crush on you, but I am the one blessed, I guess." You chuckled. You were certain, with this attractive face and a beau ideal of a boyfriend, Chan had unconsciously made every girls at his beck and call.

"I'm so happy to know you feel that way, because honestly? I feel the same way for you. I was afraid I am the only one harboring feelings but here you are." He shrugged and plant a peck on your knuckles.

"So.. Does this mean we're dating now?" Chan said once he pulled out of the kiss, again running out of breath. There's something about feeling your lips against his makes him want to go more.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol, or pure adoration, or it can be both but you felt yourself leaning closer to Chan until you felt his lips against yours.

Someone like Chan was the person you ever wish to share a romantic relationship yet the one you didn't expect to come. He's too good to be true. But you love it, and you'll make sure not to let it out of your grasp.

"Come on, isn't it obvious?" You chuckled while he just shrugged and hugged you, making you surprised, but relaxed eventually. He's so warm, just like how you always thought about him.

"Okay, so are you in for an outdoor date tomorrow? I may love what we have here, but I wanted to go out and spend my time with you besides going to the grocery store." Chan said, making you chuckle. He's not wrong. You went out with him several times now, but it was all for the sake of groceries.

Having to spend time outside on a winter day with Chan? Nothing gets better than that.

"Of course. I would love to spend a day with you outside, on a winter day."

#finally aaaaaa #got the chance to post this yey #i hope u like it yeey #stray kids oneshot #skz oneshot #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids scenarios #skz imagines #skz scenarios #bang chan imagines #bang chan x reader #chan x reader #bangchan fluff #skz fluff #bangchan oneshot #bang chan #stray kids #stray kids x reader #skz x reader

[wangxianficrecs]

❤️a warm coal in the hearth of our hearts by eccentrick

❤️a warm coal in the hearth of our hearts

by eccentrick

T, 46k, WWX & Hualian

Summary: No one truly likes a pitiful beggar; maybe they'll get a bit more money the first few days, but that quickly dries up. People like to see success stories, like to see the unfortunate dregs of society have smiles on their thin faces, and feel like they've helped in the long run. If you stay small, you'll only become smaller and blend in with the trash. Wei Ying is a good, smart boy. So he smiles and giggles and jokes. Most days he still goes hungry. Wei Ying is an orphan who fights to survive alone on the streets. But, sometimes, the streets give back just as it takes. (Complete, and will be updated as it is edited).

Mojo's comments: Ah, I loved this one so much! Widdle Wei Ying (about 5 years old) is absolutely precious and also terribly, terribly pitiful, doing his best to survive in the streets on his own. He eventually finds an abandoned old shrine where he can hunker down, and tries to pray to the god of it, but doesn't know how, and can't read his name, so no prayers actually get transmitted. He does manage to make some friends, though, one of whom is a very kind and gentle man who just says to call him Hua Xie. (Later in the story, little Wei Ying will bemoan, 'Do all grownups lie about their names and have more than one?') Wei Ying has been hurt a lot, by now, and takes a while to learn to trust his new friend. But the friend is kind, and takes things very slowly, and doesn't even introduce him to his husband for a long time. I was just. Really invested in this story. I pulled it all around me like a fuzzy blanket and gorged. It was everything I wanted. There are 5 parts to the story so far (most of them one shots based around Part 1, while Part 4 is a brief look in on baby Lan Wangji) and a 6th work is in progress. Lovely, lovely! It is so satisfying to see all of these wounded, flawed and loving grownups take a single look at Wei Ying and go, Yes, this one; we will love and protect him until our last breath. (The story is set more in the TGCF world, since that's where all the adults are. I think you'll enjoy the story fine not knowing much about them, since it's post-canon for that story. I have only seen the portion that's on Netflix (and read some fics), and knew nothing at all about Shi Qingxuan, and that didn't even slow me down.)

tgcf crossover, tgcf, found family, fluff and angst, humor, hurt/comfort, disabled character, ableism, implied/referenced child abuse, non-yunmeng wei wuxian, hualian, child wei wuxian, homeless wei wuxian, domestic, hurt wei wuxian, pov wei wuxian, pov multiple, accidental baby acquisition, @ecccentrick

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

#Wangxian Fic Rec #The Untamed #wangxian #MDZS #Mojo's Rec #Mojo's Favorite #tgcf crossover #tgcf #found family #fluff and angst #humor #hurt/comfort #disabled character #ableism #non-yunmeng wei wuxian #hualian #child wei wuxian #homeless wei wuxian #domestic #hurt wei wuxian #pov wei wuxian #pov multiple #accidental baby acquisition #medium fic 15k-49k #teen #a warm coal in the hearth of our hearts #eccentrick

[smokeybrandreviews]

Bone of my Sword

Scott Pilgrim is a franchise I hold near and dear to my heart. I was already a fan of the comic when it dropped way back when as I WAS those kids. When the OG graphic novel first released, Scott Pilgrims’ Precious little life, I was that twenty year old, hipster douchebag, who knew everything but absolutely nothing. I, personally, didn’t struggle with relationships (fortunate to have met the great love of my life early on and never looked back), but I had friends who were desperately trying to maneuver that mire of self-discovery and intimacy. Scott Pilgrim is the distillation of the Millennial experience during out prime years (if you buy into that sort of thing), captured perfectly on the page by Bryan Lee O’Malley. That said, the film adaption? Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? That is a Millennial culture milestone. When that movie released back in the early Tens, it spoke to me, directly. It spoke to a lot of us. We were those wayward idiots, living in garages, spinning our wheels in terms of careers, just vibing away to dope music and life experiences. I remember being that young, discovering The Killers and Kid Cudi, moving out of state on a whim just chasing new stimuli. Seeing that film, was like watching a crib notes of my entire life experience to that point and it left a strong impression. If I wasn’t a fan before, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World definitely made me one. I showed that movie to anyone who would watch it, gushing about its overlooked genius, and lamenting how there wasn't an anime or something, which adapted the entirety of the comic. Fast forward thirteen years later and, as if the Netflix gods heard me pining all those years ago, they delivered unto us Scott Pilgrim Takes off. I have feelings.

Scott Pilgrim Takes off is a goddamn masterpiece! I absolutely adored this show. It's exactly not what you think and i thought making that choice, was a brilliant one. Don't get me wrong, i am a Scott Pilgrim purist but, if we're being honest, with two decades worth of perspective behind me, the OG Scott Pilgrim story is kind of bullsh*t. Scott is the worst and never really had to reconcile for that sh*ttiness. He dated Knives and never really caught any flack for it on his end. He mooched off Wallace until he started mooching off Ramona. Scott was a scumbag on par with e very other Evil Ex, with the exception of, maybe, Roxie. Removing him from the equation not only gave Scott the distance from his would-be actions to grow into a solid, redeemed character, but gave the rest of the cast that very same opportunity. It gave Ramona that opportunity, one she sorely needed. One that we, as fans, didn't even really KNOW she needed. Giving the big chair to Ramona allowed her to reconcile how terrible she was toward her Exes. It gave her so much more agency than just being "won" at the behest of the weirdly gross and aggressively abusive, Gideon Graves. Takes Off is as much Ramona's story as it is Scott's and that sh*t makes for the overall narrative, becoming something more. Adding Ramona's story to this tale, adds a layer of maturity, which makes sense considering it's been twenty years since Scott first punched Matthew Patel into pocket change. Altering the perspective from Scott to Ramona, taking the narrative from one of destruction to healing, absolutely MADE the entire franchise. Altering the perspective from Scott to Ramona, taking the narrative from one of destruction to healing, absolutely MADE the entire franchise.

This take on the story sees Scott actually "defeated" by Matty Pat and the ensuing mystery of his perceived "death" sends Ramona on a quest to find the truth. During this journey, SHE is forced to "fight" with her Exes, and by fight, i mean actually apologize to them for being a sh*tty person. Ramona finally stopped running after she met Scott and he basically murdered all of her evil exes. That made for, at the time, some cool imagery but it was, objectively, an absurd way to properly unpack your traumas. Especially the ones you create yourself. And let me tell you, that League of Evil Exes? Yeah, Ramona definitely created that sh*t. We get hints of each villain origin story in the film and graphic novels but Takes off is ABOUT those relationships and why they ended the way they did. It doesn't take long to understand that Ramona, too, is just as terrible as Scott, but in a different way. Seriously, Roxie's episode hammers that home with such intensity, you don't have a choice but to accept it as gospel. Every Evil Ex gets this treatment. Mostly. Once again the Katayanagi Twins get shafted but that's their thing and they kind of don't seem like assholes anyway. Not really in the previous takes on the story, either. Like, those relationships should have keyed us into just how f*cking destructive the trail to Ramona's flower truly was but we were kids back then, too, and that's the brilliance of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: We're not kids anymore and neither are these characters.

I'm thirty-nine years old. While i love Scott Pilgrim for what it was, as a dude two decades removed from that time in my life, i can honestly say i was a f*cktard. All twenty-somethings are. We haven't figured out life, at all, and some of us won't even as we approach our mid-Thirties. By the time you're my age, however, once should hope you have a handle on your sh*rt enough to recognize that, maybe, way back when, during your Twenty-something scumbag days, that you were a little bit of a scumbag. That's what Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is doing. That's what the story is about. It's catharsis and acceptance which comes with the benefit of time and space. Bryan Lee O'Malley published the first Scott Pilgrim story when he was about twenty-five. That means he wrote it at an even earlier age and it reads as such. That narrative reflects the emotional maturity of someone who had experienced a handful of years unto themselves, outside the protective bubble of their parents, give or take. Takes Off is written by a mid-Forties, adult man, who has had a life. O'Malley has been married, found success with his goofy little story about wayward love, walked the Hollywood red carpet, made a name for himself, and suffered the sting divorce. He's not punching his problems or running away from them anymore, he's confronting them head on and accepting that, a lot of the issues in his life, are because of his choices. As i approach the cusp of the big Four-Zero myself, i recognize that. I accept that. I've been doing that. To see it happening in one of the most culturally defining stories of my generation, is both comforting and surreal. Scott Pilgrim Takes off is a wonderful show. It's the most appropriate period on a sentence we Millennials started writing way back when we took our first steps into adulthood and i love it for that. That said, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is the best thing to ever come out of this franchise. Fight me about it.

#Scott Pilgrim #Scott Pilgrim vs. The World #Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

[callmearcturus]

Spooky Jake Autumn is coming

So I have decided to make a list of fics I think will help people get into the Mood of the season. I'm already seeing some exciting stuff, and I am here to hype the shit out of this.

THESE ARE IN NO ORDER, just the order I remember them in!

Bacchanalian Hangovers, by @thedoublepp

Jake English, dizzy and downtrodden, follows a god into the wildwood.

My dear pal Paya wrote this one and its Jake getting caught up with a god of gold and revelry, and is drenched in the same vibes of Paya's art. Excellent.

the "adoring, adorned" series, by someone who now prefers to be anonymous

this is an OLD CLASSIC that is heavy with dark, treacle-sweet emotions and physicality. it's not explicitly spooky, but to me i9t's a very good touchstone for just what you can do with bodies and deified emotions.

the weary and the wild, by @mimsiical

"I wanted the ideal animal to hunt," explained the general. "So I said, 'What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?' And the answer was, of course, 'It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason."' "But no animal can reason," objected Rainsford. "My dear fellow," said the general, "there is one that can." OR: Dirk hides. Jake seeks.

The one in which Jake and Dirk do a roleplay scene in which Jake hunts Dirk across the island. The effect of the close POV use in this story is EXTREMELY effective, and gave me secondhand adrenaline rush.

everybody on your knees and testify, by MULTIPLE PEOPLE (including me, full disclosure)

[Divinity Studies: XXX Core] (69 units across multiple courses) The course sequence examines the impact and influence of dormant sex deities on modern day college life, with emphasis on the rise and growth of divine worship. It will also cover individual arousal responses as well as the increase in group orgiastic interactions. Assignments include group projects, workshops, and individual study. [Restricted to students with no gag reflexes.]

The one where Jake is the god of sex and Dirk accidentally wakes him up due to being that good at giving head. A lot of weird magic stuff and everyone having a blast adding in more kinks. Lighthearted and weird.

green eyes, spread thighs, by saccharomyces_cerevisibae

Dirk goes home with a hot demon and things get… interesting pretty fast.

lmao i love this one. it's so much fun. Jake is a demon with some cool-ass hypno eyes and he's going to get some use out of the pretty thing he picked up at the bar.

cambion, by treeprince

It's your final year of college. Again. But at least this time you're doing something you love. It's also killing you slowly and eating all your time. You need to unwind. Good thing your friends look out for you. Or, "suck one (1) dick, gain a boyfriend slash roommate that wastes your money on overpriced exotic food ingredients and your bandwidth on Netflix while you're away."

another fun one and one I have on good authority will be finished for Spooky Jake Autumn /fingers crossed. Jake as an incubus is always a ton of fun.

Take a Gulp and Take A Breath, by Stormbourne

Dirk Strider, bodyguard of the heiress to the marine empire, desperately needs help from a sea witch.

I LOVE THE ATMOSPHERE OF THIS ONE. It's a good lengthy one shot but I woulda read 70k of this AU.

Not A Hunter's Moon, shamepillow

“The full moon is tomorrow,” you tell him. His eyes widen slightly, and then watch you with a new kind of intensity. “A strong moon, so I gather. That is when I will kill you.” (Dirk finds a werewolf dying in the snow, and like the arrogant Hunter he is, he takes him back to his hideout and nurses him back to health, intent on killing him as the next full moon rises. But this moon is different. It's not a moon for hunting, as Dirk soon finds out.)

LISTEN TO ME. I do not like werewolves. And even I enjoyed this one. The Bloodborne vibes are strong and v good.

and of course, this list would be incomplete without:

BONES OF BLACK MARROW, by oxfordroulette

Dirk summons a demon for the exclusive purpose of 'cathartic boning.' He gets what he wants.

The one. The only. I feel like a lot of us quietly were trying to figure out how to do Spooky Jake, and then BOBM showed up and turned the world upside down. This is THE fic. Erotic horror, poetry, ergodic nonsense, and through all the interface plays and coding tricks, some honest to fucking god true and deep pathos like an arrow through the heart. If you somehow don't know BOBM, rectify that. Also consider reading it for Halloween, tbh.

(also I was told I should put my own pump your veins with gushing gold on this list but one, that seems gauche, and two, I think we float before the sea at dusk is MUCH more spooky. do with that as you will.)

#spooky jake autumn #i think bc this post has in line links it won't show up in main tags #weh #jake english #dirkjake #whomstve

[mlobsters]

supernatural s7e16 out with the old (w. jenny klein, bob singer)

goofy ass way to kill someone (i guess the red shoes reference?), but i'll take actual ballet dancers dancing in media any day :) and tchaikovsky's swan lake is one of my all time favorite pieces of classical music

did you know swan lake has a happy ending in some productions? this abt version has them yeeting themselves off a cliff to die together and reunite in heaven but some they kill off the baddie and everyone is together and happy. anyway i totally cried again watching that finale clip lol

moving on

the pristine unworn pointe shoes to the side of the gore made me laugh. so dumb

why won't they let them wear actual cold winter appropriate clothing?? they must have been freezing in their little light fall jackets.

SAM Yeah, well, every time I close my eyes, Lucifer is yelling into my head. It's like I let him in once, now I can't get rid of him. DEAN You know he's not actually... SAM Yeah. Yeah, no. I know. Uh, try telling that to the volume control inside my brain. DEAN Well, did you try the hand thing? SAM Yeah.

💔 but even i can't resist suggesting that maybe dean could help you with more pain

black vintage firebird yes please and thank you. there was a trans am in 5.13 the song remains the same too, wrote about a boy who had one in my high school lol

oh god the poor girl in the pointe shoes. laughing and cringing. i was thinking she's young but maybe she just looks really young, i started pointe at 11 (which was too early most likely). anyway thankfully they didn't have her visibly doing much of anything. whew

DEAN Getting the strong urge to Prince Siegfried myself into oblivion? Yes. SAM You really did see "Black Swan."

yes swan lake reference!! i finally watched black swan here not long ago, i'll watch anything with ballet but it was a little too scary for what i could tolerate in my headspace there for a good while.

SAM Geez! You okay there, Baryshnikov? DEAN Yeah. Yeah, I'm "pas de done."

(you know male ballet dancers generally don't wear pointe shoes, right) baryshnikov is my fave and i actually got to see him perform - sadly not classical ballet, but with the white oak dance project back in early 2000s.

this has other dances doing the same variation, but baryshnikov is first and this is one of my favorite things (i have this performance on vhs). it is perfect for his acting and obviously his technique and power is jaw dropping. the gasps and cheers from the audience with that first big jump, seriously💯

cursed kitchen object does not give me joy. me: why is sam so impatient, he keeps snapping at everyone. oh right, no sleep, satan-vision screaming

DEAN You know, I wonder how old porn kills you. SAM Pretty sure you don't want to know.

oh, sam. you can't power through sleep deprivation

JOYCE We have a chain of command here, George. You see a Winchester, you don't eat him. You tell me, and I eat him.

again with the awful photoshop job on dick. and i dunno what program he's supposed to be using there with an excel like sum button

sammy saving the day. wonder if he kept the sword

apparently this is the third episode with bad moon rising in it,

via wiki: also played in 1.22 Devil's Trap and 2.01 In My Time of Dying. this sadly did not making the streaming rights so it's some knockoff on netflix (on the radio during the semi crashing into the impala). i already figured it meant bad news this time around, doubly so.

i know a vague plot point for s8 i think but i don't know what happens with sam's head (i don't think, at least) our how we get to what i know from s8. but misery scale is tipping heavier as we approach the end of the season soo. i am so looking forward to the end of the leviathan plotline. i could not care less

it was nice seeing them in an environment with snow. like dirty gray winter weather kind of snow, not just the pretty stuff

#supernatural #spnwatch #spn 7x17 #firebird #ballet #swan lake #mikhail baryshnikov #gore #Youtube #jenny klein #bad moon rising #robert singer

[qqueenofhades]

I agree with you on the happily ever after!!!!

Regardless of the way the comics end, I think in adaptation Hob and Dream are happily ever after material.

The whole point of Dream saying that life is pointless when it’s just his duties and Death reminding him that he has an appointment with Hob, is to show how Dream immediately changes his mind to “ah, yes, life does have a meaning after all, I have to apologize to my friend”. The simple, unrestrained joy that Dream shows as soon as he sees Hob, it’s just unmatched. Dream is never shown to be that happy again in the series. And we don’t see them talk!! Ever!!! The show gives them so much privacy, it shies away from their reunion like it’s an old school sex scene. AND THEY SHOW DESIRES REALM IMMEDIATELY AFTER SHYING AWAY!!!! I’m going insane, if you will excuse me.

And Ferdinand’s Hob treats his life and love and humanity in general as something very precious and it shows in him. I think the queer subtext (it’s just text but ok) really elevated this story, because now that Hob waits for Dream for thirty years and builds a pub for him, you can see that it’s not just joie de vivre that makes him capable of living forever, but also his devotion. To his life, to humanity and to Dream.

The devotion that they feel to each other, despite only meeting for 6 times in their lives and overall spending with each other about a day or two in literally hundreds of years, and YET.

YOUR HONOR THIS IS THE MOST ROMANTIC STORY IVE SEEN IN MY LIFE MAYBE!!!!!!

Well, I wouldn't go so far as saying (IF WE EVER GET SEASON 2 I AM GOING TO MURDER NETFLIX MYSELF) that Dream/Hob is going to be HEA material in the TV show, or that they'd go to change canon so far as keeping Dream alive, or whatever else. However, I do think that the queer subtext/text that they've added to it (and indeed, explicitly acknowledged that they've added) changes the way they have to write that relationship going forward, Hob and Dream's interactions, and the emotional tenor and weight of it. Because as people have noted, in the comics, Dream doesn't miss their 1989 meeting; he just shows up as planned and things go back to normal. But because moving the TV show to the modern day means that Hob waited 33 years past their meeting date, saved the White Horse, built the New Inn, and otherwise demonstrated this whole new depth of (queer) devotion... you can't handwave that aside and go back to "resolutely heterosexual dudebro and his spooky friend meeting up just to Be Bros." Also god bless Ferdinand Kingsley for being like OF COURSE THEY'RE BOYFRIENDS and Tom Sturridge for being like "well if Dream loves these humans he's just met, how much more does he love Hob who he's known for 600 years?" They understood the assignment. Thank you for your service, gentlemen.

Anyway, I am old and Tired enough that I have long since gotten past hanging my hat on canon validation/endgame/Word of God confirmation (especially since I have a knack for shipping things that are Doomed by the Narrative and/or bad writing. Argh). So either way, it doesn't matter to me what they do with it. Well, obviously it does and I reserve the right to have Strong Opinions on it, but it won't make any difference to my fandom activities, my feelings about it, my writing/fanworks about it, and so on. So yes. Regardless of what ultimately happens in show-verse, they're still HEA in my mind (after due amounts of Idiocy and Struggle, of course). The end.

#anonymous #ask

[fangirleaconmigo]

Just wanted to say thank you for your reply and I loved your thoughts netflix Vesemir <3

Though I feel that the major difference between netflix Vesemir and book/game Vesemir is that the latter never had the opportunity to carry out the Trial of the Grasses after the pogrom happened and then Yennefer basically bringing the ability back in Witcher 3. But remember he kept the table that the boy was strapped to during the Trial and all the other implements for all those decades.

We never really learn why he did so but it's hard to imagine anything other than him hoping on some level to get the ability to make new witchers at some point. Which would mean recreating the Trial of the Grasses, which was not just torturous but to the vast majority of boys a death sentence. And this is without touching on everything else he put the boys of the old generation of witchers through, like the Trial of the Medallion.

Not saying people aren't allowed to love him - ffs I love Raistlin Majere and Lord Soth anyone who knows those characters know they're soooo much worse than Vesemir - I guess it just makes me a bit miffed that fandom is so willing to ignore the brutal and frankly abusive side of Vesemir's character because we never see it that clearly on display in the books or in the games so it gets buried in the kindly grandpa image we get in Witcher 3 and then his fate in that game.

It's one of the things I like about s2 though I wish they had dived more into the reaction the other witchers would have to that whole thing. Or you know, at all. Even the game gives more of a reaction to Vesemir having kept Sad Albert than netflix does to what Vesemir does there.

Oh my god yes. Let's talk about Vesemir.

But first...Raistlin Majere...*strokes beard* I haven't heard that name in a long time. (Dragonlance hive rise uuuup)

Ok but yes. On track again. Vesemir. (sorry this gets very long and passionate and ranty)

So first, I shouldn't have mentioned game Vesemir. I should be up front that I don't know anything about him except that I assume he didn't try to dose Ciri. So, unfortunately, I can't speak to that. And it probably explains how I feel about him. I only have book!Vesemir to compare Netflix!Vesemir to. And here is what we know about him from the books.

What we know:

Geralt tells a priestess that Vesemir is his father, or like one. Geralt very obviously loves him.

Geralt tells his mother that Vesemir gave him his name. He says it in a very defensive way, like he values Vesemir for having been there for him. (of course she corrects him, but that is neither here nor there)

Vesemir disciplines him when he is a child for trapping a honeybee.

Vesemir was his tutor.

Both Ciri and Geralt draw on Vesemir's wisdom when they are in tough situations and think fondly of him

In Season of Storms, he is spoken of as the moral center of witcherdom, opposing witchers killing humans and enacting consequences for those who do.

Vesemir's relationship with Ciri

He is protective of her. Triss commends them for not giving her any elixirs or grases or anything that could affect their hormones. But she also demands they stop giving her the natural herbs around the keep, which sound like some kind of supplements. Vesemir responds gratefully and pledges to do so. He very humbly and quickly says

"we will," promised Vesemir, "and thank you for the warning, child."

He is gentle with her. When Geralt loses his temper with Ciri in a very emotional moment, Vesemir says:

"too severe, Wolf," said Vesemir. "Much too severe..."

He is a patient tutor, drilling her on monster facts, and offering her advice that she calls on later in her life:

"That's why you're learning about ghouls now, Ciri. When you know about something, it stops being a nightmare. When you know how to fight something, it stops being so threatening."

So does that make him an uncomplicated or of morally pure character? No. We know that the trials killed most boys and were horrific. And he was a tutor there. So he was complicit to a certain degree.

Now that is where the most fascinating shit comes from with Vesemir. The mages created witchers, right? The mages created the trials. They ran them. Vesemir was their victim in that sense. He was a boy too.

But at what point does he stop becoming a victim and start being seen as complicit? Is there a certain age or level of consciousness where it stops being ok and he can be seen as an agent of the mages?

There is this whole blank spot in between the pogroms and the present. The questions that most fascinate me are:

Did Vesemir ever believe that what they were doing was wrong?

Did he ever resist or leave? If so, what brought him back?

How closely did he identify himself with his identity and with the mages.

Did he tell the boys what their risks were?

Did he walk them to the laboratories?

How dirty are his hands?

How does he feel about that now?

And now in the present, he is a normal, gentle person. Further, he isn't just a normal person, he is an active positive moral guide for all of witcherdom, and a kindly man that Ciri calls "Uncle Vesemir."

So how did that happen?

I am deeply, deeply just...meh on what Netflix has created for him. It is so anticlimactic for me. They have him (basically) murdering an innocent women in cold blood for money (Nightmare of the Wolf) and then (we hope)

turning a 180 after the seige on Kaer Morhen.

I didn't really buy that and it didn't take into account AT ALL the power structure of the mages vs the witchers. You can have complicated morally gray characters that are nuanced. They are both oppressed and complicit. And they made it like...well, witchers were making monsters that was slaughtering people. So basically that and Vesemir's actions were the instigating forces resulting in the attempted pogroms.

No, no one deserves to be killed for something someone else did (only one of the witchers was making the monsters) but in a world where they have people's limbs and heads chopped off on the spot for minor crimes, you can see how it very predictably led to that.

Instead of institutional racism and bigotry, their destruction was the result of legitimate complaints against them simply taken too far. That is so goddamn uninteresting and simplistic and it doesn't take into account the structure of oppression for witchers.

If they were out here murdering villagers with their monsters, an eye for an eye didn't feel to extreme for these people. Did they deserve a trial? Did people lump them together because of bigotry? Yes. But it played a relatively minor role.

So, the progroms are complicated and Vesemir is complicated and there is a lot of room there for imagining how his story went. But I'm just really think that, as great as Nightmare was as a movie, (it was fantastic just as a movie) as an origin story it was a disappointment. But AT LEAST they set him up for redemption. But then in TWN the man hadn't even changed!!

By the time of the current time, he is supposed to be kindly, gentle, and protective of Ciri!! There is no indication anywhere that he would be alright with anyone doing trials on her, quite the opposite.

I hope you don't regret asking me this question about now. XD I have so many feels. I'm so compelled by Vesemir's story because he is a very very favorite archetype of mine within the witcher.

Person is part of institution, perhaps they got there as a kid. They didn't choose with all the knowledge or in a critical way.

Person finds out institution is abusive or corrupt. They have to make a choice. Yen was like this with the Brotherhood. Cahir with the Nilfgaardian military.

And I feel like Vesemir is this for the witchers. He was brought into the system as a victim. At some point he became complicit, and we don't know to what degree and we don't know what that looked like. But it HAS to make his relationship with the wolves complicated.

I know the games complicate up his relationship with Lambert, and I think that is very fitting and very logical extension of this. It seems like Geralt just loves and forgives whatever role Vesemir had. But not every witcher could respond that way, right? Or should!

So it's fascinating! And complex! And then TWN just has him be an absolute piece of shit, accepting "consent" from a traumatized grieving child, betraying Geralt, BRINGING BACK THE TRIALS SINGLE HANDEDLY WHAT THE FUCK.

I mean you CAN do that? But why would you? He should be a loving figure with a very complicated past, not just a big old turd lololsob.

So now TWN Vesemir is on my shit list. Fuck with Ciri and fuck with Geralt and we're over. I've got him on page one in my burn book. I don't care how hot your ho ass was in NOTW. loloool

That's a fitting place to end this.

Dragonlance forever.

#asks #vesemir #the witcher #the witcher books #twn #twn critical #thinking about the witcher books yet again

[buttercups-song]

So I binged blood origin... (spoilers ahead)

Jaskier's new song is chefs kiss 👌👌 (but it's not bear mccreary's which is a shame)

The show was... meh? For me it was really hard to care about any of the characters because there were so many of them and only four episodes.

They introduced a bard whose nickname is the Lark?? Are you kidding me netflix?? Eile was really cool though (and sophia brown is gorgeous) even thought at times she was a bit much (like the speech to the crowd who started singing her song like she's the mockingjay)

Couldn't care less about any of the other characters except the gay dwarf lady with the hammer and michelle yeoh

Especially didn't give a fuck about any of the elves in ye olde cintra

Can't believe that they finally allowed gay people on the continent and jaskier still hasn't kissed any men (also it's really funny that the only queer characters are an evil empire dude who apparently is the antagonist in the games and of course a woman with a dead lover)

Canon bi jaskier tho? (as if it wasn't obvious - the man wrote multiple love/break-up songs about geralt)

Creating the first witcher seemed too easy but it ended rather poorly so maybe they should have spent more than a night making him

The romance... eh insta love and of course she got pregnant after shagging once (also wasn't he already a witcher? And thus infertile?? Am I insane? Did the writers forget that rather important bit of lore?) (also I am so sorry but the scene when he turned into a monster and she brought him back with the power of love... the hulk and natasha and the sun is going down)

It was very obvious that scian didn't betray them and planned the new hope esque pretending to deliver a prisoner plan

I have no idea that the empress lady wanted to achieve. Suddenly everyone was starving and they wanted to find resources on other planes instead of just planting food? She wanted to conquer unknown worlds by sending there like six soldiers?? I get killing your brother who wants to sell you to the highest bidder but i don't know her other motivations.

Also the elves were really just humans with pointy ears? And maybe there is something to say about the fact that they built their empire on dwarven bones and humans did the same with elves but i wish the elves were more... alien? Their architecture, clothes, culture, anything really. They were too similar to humans.

(Is the shitty mage who failed to open the portal shakespeare in the sandman?? it was driving me crazy from the moment he showed up)

The moment any show introduces time travel out of nowhere it goes to shit so good luck to the witcher universe

Also because of how it was shot half of the audience now thinks that jaskier is the person who is descendant from eile and fjall... god knows I want immortal jaskier but it's rather obvious that it's ciri who's supposed to end the song or whatever they were talking about

#the witcher blood origin #the witcher #the witcher: blood origin

[missyourflight]

some stuff i read and watched in october:

midnight mass: october innit, did a doctor sleep rewatch too (director's cut obvs) - hill house probably fucks me up more emotionally but riley's speech about what happens when you die (synapses version) is like the closest anything's come to expressing my feelings about it so. also did fall of the house of usher which was fun enough but i feel like i'd have got more out of it if i knew more poe whoops

bodies: netflix time travel time loop nonsense i got weirdly sucked into, kyle soller forever etc. stephen graham reminded me i need to watch boiling point

troy: i'm still wallowing in the emily wilson iliad, therefore, troy rewatch. god it's so stupid but i am weirdly fond of it. in 2004 i just thought eric bana was so so handsome. every old man in this is killing it and brad pitt and orlando bloom are unspeakably bad lol. still bananas to me that that one quote gets circulated and attributed to homer when in fact it is by one of the game of thrones dudes

a quiet passion: god terence davies is such a loss. there's a scene in this where emily dickinson is talking about loneliness and she's so Angry about it and i cried so much

the heiress: watched partly for terence and partly for marty and partly for william wyler. i Don't understand how zooms work but there's a shot where olivia de havilland turns back to the house and it's like everything looms and narrows. need to watch more montgomery clift pictures

i know where i'm going!: i can't get to any of the powell and pressburger bfi screenings so i rewatched the red shoes and i watched this for the first time. very romantic imo to get stuck on a scottish island and fall in love with someone who is not your fiance and want them so much you try and sail away from them in the middle of a perilous storm because they keep standing so close to you!!

killers of the flower moon: give lily gladstone everything my god. literally i can't rewatch that one scene in certain women bc it's So much she's SO good

the quick and the dead: we used to make Films you know. 107 minutes. bunch of cowboys in a shootout competition and that's the whole plot. sam raimi inventing new types of zooms. mid-90s russell crowe and absolute baby leo. no notes!

all that jazz: bob fosse you absolute nightmare. i had to go and rewatch the on broadway opening rn just thinking about it. five stars

possession: something fucked up to watch on halloween! very strange and harrowing, loved the tentacle monster obvs

emma donoghue, learned by heart: i do have a soft spot for famed west yorkshire lesbian gentleman jack for reasons of like ancestral queerness, did Not know that anne lister went to boarding school in york and lived in the same building i met my tutor every term. i love york and i love lesbians and i liked this a lot, what a good and ultimately wrenching way into the story. time for a slammerkin reread and also when will sarah waters return to us etc

#monthly media #sophposting #currently watching: the les mis 10th anniversary concert on youtube lol