#really the only season i don't like is spring but that's just because i've been living in seattle for two years

[navree]

i'm a summer girlie, i love summer so much, but i think because we had a huge thunderstorm in boston last friday night i've since been inundated with a deep desire for fall/winter weather

#personal #fall and winter really are my favorite seasons i love them so much #and i do like summer because it being super hot and sunny is very fun #really the only season i don't like is spring but that's just because i've been living in seattle for two years #we don't really do spring it's just rain from february to june and then it gets super hot #and then eventually fall happens (usually when the rain returns)

[crustaceousfaggot]

So I've been thinking a lot about the setting of Disco Elysium. Specifically it being set in late winter/early spring. It's not something I've really seen anyone else bring up.

I mean, the symbolism seems pretty obvious right? Spring is the time of new beginnings, winter is ending and we're entering a time of potential and rebirth. Definitely nothing new. But I think it goes beyond that.

I live in one of the coldest major cities in the world. Not *the* coldest, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a city with over 1,000,000 inhabitants that gets colder than it gets here. Winters are long and brutal and difficult, and when the soil itself is frozen and covered in a foot of packed snow it's really hard to believe that the world could look any other way.

And don't get me wrong, winter is beautiful. The world is quiet and picturesque. There's none of the usual dirt and debris in the streets because it's all buried under the snow. The way that fresh snow sparkles under street lights at night is one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous things I've ever seen.

It's early April right now, and the snow is melting. It's not all gone, but it's getting there. When the air starts to warm up there's this feeling of excitement and anticipation in the air. Spring is here, and any second now the world will be bursting with new life and beautiful greenery.

But it's not. Not yet.

For about a month and a half after the snow starts to melt, the world is grey. No glittering snow, no budding flowers, no swirling red leaves, just puddles of brown water and lawns of brown grass. It's like winter had ended, but the world has yet to realize that it's supposed to be spring. Until it remembers, we're all trapped in a world where there is no season at all.

Sometimes it snows, but the snow never sticks around. Sometimes it rains, but the rain never brings flowers in its wake.

That last month of winter, that first month of spring, whatever you want to call it, is my least favourite time of year. I heard it described once as "the long-preserved corpse of autumn, finally allowed to rot", and that phrase stuck with me. There are eight month old leaves on the ground, skeletal and bleached grey by a winter trapped under the ice. Without the snow to cover it, you can't ignore just how much we've let our city go to shit. The trees are bare and skeletal, and even the evergreens look washed out and grey when they're not contrasted against the snow. Most of the birds aren't back yet, so the only sound outside my window is the ever-present hum of traffic.

It's impossible to ignore the movement and the sounds of humanity, but at the same time the world has never felt so stagnant.

I think there are all sorts of comparisons you could draw here, some of which hold up better than others. The one that first comes to mind for me is sobriety- the line "Full recovery will take years, though. It’ll be depressing. And it’ll be boring. Don’t expect any further rewards or handclaps." from the "Waste Land Of Reality"o thought is one which really stuck with me on my first playthrough, and one which feels especially appropriate here. But that's just one angle.

How much of this was intentional? I don't know. Probably not most of it. Part of me just wanted to go on a little tangent about the seasonal purgatory I'm trapped in once again. But I genuinely don't think there could be a better time of year to set a game like Disco Elysium. That bleak dusty shoulder season, where all the ugliest and most honest parts of nature and civilization are on display. The time of year where I've gone through the ringer and come out the other side, but everything still looks and feels like shit. It's just a different kind of shit.

Spring isn't here. Not yet. And when it does come, it won't fix anything. There will still be garbage on the ground and pollution in the air, there will still be class inequality and senseless violence and I will still be mentally ill.

But still.

For the first time in months, I can feel the wind against my skin without it hurting.

Whatever that's worth.

#I don't know what this is you guys #don't take it too seriously #i just had a thought and then I had to get all 'ooOoh this is very profound' about it #disco elysium #de #harry du bois #hdb #disco elysium meta #1k

[starsval]

6 favours with James Potter

James Potter x f!reader

Summary: James enters your life by asking you weird favours.

Word count: 2,1k

Warnings: kissing, mentions of punching and broken noses, anxiety attacks, crying.

A/N: based on Do Me a Favour by Arctic Monkeys, even though these aren't the vibes of the song.

Pd: I had to make that Taylor reference, I couldn't help it.

Favour 1

"And do me a favor and break my nose" That's one of the first things James said to you while showing interest. You have talked a few times in class, but not enough for him to ask you that. 

"What?" You ask him, unbothered, sitting under a tree, facing the lake. 

"The other day at the party, you broke his nose"

Oh, yes, you did. Some guy in one of your friend's classes was bothering her a lot, and he'd been doing it for a while. So you took advantage of the situation, and punched him, just to blame it on the alcohol after. 

After that beautiful flashback, you look back at your homework. 

"I don't know what you're talking about" You tell him. 

"Punch me so I can get over you" He suddenly says. 

"Over me? What-" You are even more confused with this than with your homework. 

"I can't stop thinking about you since I saw you at the party, and it's not like we're strangers, so just do it" 

"James- I'm not gonna punch you" You start to pack your things as you see your friend walking to you. "I have to go, bye" Then you start to walk away, but not enough to not hear him shout:

"You know my name!"

You look back at him for a moment, doubting that this is all a prank.

“What was that?” Your friend asks you as you start to walk to the castle.

“It doesn’t matter” You sigh. 

Favour 2

This time you were in divination class, waiting for your friend to sit next to you.

"Lately I've been feeling like" You start talking as soon as someone sits next to you, thinking it's your friend. But as you look up you see James. 

"What? Where's-" He cuts you off by pointing at your friend, who's now sitting next to Sirius, clearly flirting. 

"Do me a favor and tell me to go away" He finally says. 

"What?" You ask, focused on your homework again. 

"Yes, I was thinking, and I'm not sure that I would lose my feelings for you if you punched me” He smiles, like he’s imagining it. “Because, well, you get it. So this is the safest way”

"I don't-" You get interrupted again, this time by the teacher, who just approached you two.. 

"James, could you tell us what you see in the crystal ball?" He focuses for a moment, like he's really trying to see something. 

"I see me in a really happy relationship with Y/n" He whispers the last part, so only the teacher could hear it. 

"You know what? I know I sensed something between you two" She mutters before walking away, to bother another pair of students. James immediately looks at you with a big smile, to which you roll your eyes, but smile anyway. 

"It's in the stars" He points to the ceiling "We're going to be together" 

"Sure" You are still looking at your homework, but you can see how he smiles even more. 

"How have you been feeling lately?" 

"What?"

"You were going to say that to your friend"

"Didn't you want me to tell you to go away"

"Yes but you didn't, so I'm assuming I have possibilities. So, I want to get to know you"

You sigh, knowing that you can't escape from him, so you just tell him about your favorite food, song, color, flavor and season. You learn that he loves red, eucalyptus and spring, because it's better to play quidditch. 

Before you can answer another of his weird questions, it's time to go to your next class, without him. So you pack your things and get up. You walk away after saying.

"I never said you didn't have possibilities"

Since then James started walking you to class, and you even went to see him practice once. Only to deny it after. But you've been talking to him more and more.

Favour 3

It was all too much, the tests, your family, your friend who you doubted was your friend anymore. It was all too much, all bottled up, until you get a letter from your family. Asking of course about your grades, not about you, or your life, about your grades, no before talking about their lives. 

So you walk out the Great Hall, before everyone sees you cry. You don't even bother in telling your friend, she was too focused on some boy to notice you practically running out the room. 

As soon as you're in the hallway, you feel the tears running down your face, while you walk to some random balcony, to get some air. 

"What happened?" You hear James ask. He noticed you as soon as you got up the chair, and he noticed something was wrong. 

"Nothing" You answer, even though tears keep falling from your eyes. Then he sits next to you, contemplating the quidditch pitch in front of you. 

"It was your friend, wasn't it? You guys are almost all the time together" 

"No, I'm fine" No, you weren't. 

"You know it's okay to cry, right? And to tell people if they're bothering you"

This time you're the one who asks the favor. 

"James, do me a favor and stop asking questions" You tell him, finally drying your face with your hands. 

"Oh, okay" He tries to get up, but you stop him, by holding his hand. 

"You can stay, just, talk about something else"

And he does, you stay there talking about the next prank he's doing, still holding his hand. 

Favour 4

Breathe

You repeat yourself as you walk around an abandoned classroom. You were having an anxiety attack in the middle of the class, and you didn't want anyone to see you right now. So you just asked to go to the bathroom and here you were. Getting dizzy from walking around a table.

You keep trying to dry your face, even though tears keep coming out your eyes, when someone knocks on the door. 

"Are you okay?" It's James, he's on the other side of the door, worrying about you. 

"Yes" You tell him after getting close to it, so he could hear you. 

"Do me a favor, and ask if you need some help" He says. 

"I don't need help, I just need five minutes" You talk, still reminding yourself to breathe. 

"Can I be with you during those five minutes?" You think about it, and when he's about to leave, you open the door with your wand, sitting on a table, looking at the window. 

"Yes" You quietly say, drying your face as he sits next to you. 

“I’ve seen the way she acts” He talks after a while, when you already stopped crying “Your friend, I mean. And I know I don’t have anything to do with your friendships, but as your future boyfriend, I can tell you that you deserve better” You look at him.

“My future boyfriend?” You smile, and look back at the window. “And I know, but she’s my only friend, she was the only stability I had in my life” You sigh “But not anymore I guess”

“I’ll help you make new friends, I think you would really like Remus” Then he thinks about it “Maybe not him, let's start with Sirius”

You raise an eyebrow at him “Why?” 

“No reason”

“Are you afraid I might like Remus more than I like you?"

“What? No, it’s not that, how could you not like me? Have you seen me?-” Then he realizes what you said “You like me?” He smiles. But before you can answer, the bell rings, informing you that the class is over, therefore, lunch just started.

“Bye” You walk to the door, not looking back to an amazed James, who looks at you until the door closes.

Favour 5

“She likes me! She told me she likes me!” James was telling his friends when he saw you walking in the Great Hall and sitting alone. He was going to sit next to you but he saw your friend walking towards you.

He couldn’t hear what you guys were talking about, but he saw you being confident and your friend frowning, so he assumed you followed his advice. After a meal where James was only focused on you and fully ignoring his friends, he could finally walk to you as you reached the door.

“You like me” He says as he follows you to the garden, it was Saturday so you were going to do homework under the usual tree.

“Hi to you too” You answer, sitting and taking the things out of your backpack.

“Hi, you like me, right?” This time you ignore him, knowing that he wouldn’t shut up about that if you said anything wrong. “Okay, so I can’t ask that…” He thinks out loud. “Are you going to go to the Gryffindor party tonight?” He asks, smiling 

“I don’t think so” You answer, focused on your homework.

“What? Why not?” He frowns.

“If you want me to go, then ask me” You look up at him, causing him to smile.

“Will you go to the Gryffindor party tonight with me?”

“Yes” You focus again on the homework on your lap, and then you notice that he’s too quiet, so you look at him, just to see him smile like he just won a contest. “What?”

“I like you, and I know that you like me, because you said it, and because, who wouldn’t like me? Have you seen me? Everything is just so perfect…” Then he lays down next to you, watching the tree leafs move.

“Do me a favor, and stop flattering yourself” You tell him, avoiding his gaze when he looks up so he doesn’t think that you were staring at him(you were).

“Then I’ll flatter you”

“I need to finish this”

“I’ll flatter you in my head” You roll your eyes and he smiles, looking at you, until he realizes something “You won’t break anyone's nose tonight will you?”

“Shut up” You tell him, smiling.

Favour 6

“I told you you’d have a good time” James asks as he follows through the hall.

“You didn’t tell me that, but I had a good time”

“You know what wasn’t good? That I got in detention and couldn’t talk to you in a week”

“You talked to me through letters” You tell him, sitting in a random window, waiting for him to sit in front of you.

“You know what they say, the best way to get to someone’s heart is by letters”

“No one has ever said that” You tell him, smiling.

“I do” You roll your eyes, looking through the window. “Can I ask you one last favour?” That makes you look back at him.

“Sure”

“Do me a favour and be my girlfriend” He smiles, pretty confident in himself.

“Okay” You smile too, getting closer to him. “Then do me a favour and kiss me”

And he does, he kisses you until you can’t breathe, until all you feel are his hands on your waist, his lips on yours. He kisses you until you forget everything, until all you can wish is to stay here forever. He kisses you like he’s been waiting all his life for this moment, like his lips can’t stop, and you don’t want them to. You put your hands in his neck as he moves you closer to him, so you have no choice but to stay here and kiss him even more. 

He kisses you until you both hear someone clearing their throat.

You both look back at that person, hardly breathing, and you see Remus looking back at you.

“Hi Rem, this is my girlfriend” He smiles and looks back at you “I think it’s already safe for you to met him”

ᰔᩚෆ❧ღდლ❦ও❥ଓ

“You said no more favours!” You tell James.

“I know, but that would make me the happiest person alive”

“I thought that being my boyfriend made you the happiest person alive” You raise an eyebrow at him, who smiles at you.

“And it does! But I’d really love that”

“James, I’m not gonna punch Snape just because he looked at me”

“He was mean to you!”

“He didn't’ even talk!"

“But you could see him thinking mean things” You look at him, genuinely concerned, and sigh, laying in your bed.

“Let’s just sleep” You open your arms so he could cuddle you, and he does, smiling all the time.

“We’ll continue talking tomorrow?”

“James…”

“Okay, and you actually make me the happiest person alive” You smile, hugging him tightly.

#james potter x y/n #james potter x reader #young james potter #young remus lupin #kissing #fluff fluff fluff #arctic monkeys song #the marauders #the marauders era #james potter

[sea-buns]

hey to a gorgug liker what do you think about his nightmare section from sophomore year? cause I feel like the horror there is less “ah my grandparents were racist” and more “fuck am I being a stereotype? are the people who hate me right about me?” cause wrt to his having to modulate between barbarian and artificer in fhjy it’s like. idk

oh boy do I have thoughts

Tbh, I had zero recollection of the racism stuff until reading this. It was just SO MINOR. His trial in the forest felt really lackluster to me. I feel like everyone else's really dug into an issue at the core of their character and his felt more like "everyone is getting a trial, what do we do for gorgug?" And idk if that was just a bad delivery/call on Brennan's part or if it could have been helped by Zac engaging more in it but it just. Didn't feel like anything. It was a lot more about the dice than the horror of the claustrophobia and the bugs and you've never fit in anywhere you live to make yourself smaller wherever you go you're just the loser who hits hard. Like yeah I guess there was an overarching theme of Gorgug gaining confidence in himself but it was done very poorly imo.

And I think his trial in the forest was wrong for putting such an emphasis on his intelligence. I think that would have been much better suited in fy, back when he was still being heavily bullied, but beyond that it felt like a quick and easy thing for them to grab. Yes, he had insecurities about his intelligence with all the complications with Zelda. But, to me, the focus of fhsy was his HEART. It put a spotlight on how his social circle has grown, and his bully is his friend now, and he's not alone anymore. His interactions with Ayda, the friendship book, trying to help Fabian, I believe in you spring break, it's Gorgug keep going. I made a post earlier in the season (including a great addition by another user) that I think articulates that emphasis on his emotional intelligence very well.

Fhjy HOWEVER. I think it's doing everything that sy failed at. It's giving him space to have an inner conflict. It's addressing lots of little issues and conflicts he's had over the campaign and combining them into one coherent piece. Like, guy was in a relationship pretty much all of fy, and then dealt with the fallout in sy, but I don't think we've EVER seen as much quality relationship development with Gorgug as we have in jy. He and Fig spent an entire summer together trapped in a tour bus and no season has indicated that bond and friendship more than this one. He and Riz have found something to bond over, meanwhile in previous seasons there was pretty much zero one-on-one personal interaction between them. Fabian expressed sadness over Gorgug leaving the Owlbears, because it was the only thing they had that was just for them to hang out and be friends.

Just with that, we're already doing leagues more with Gorgug's character than we ever have. And I haven't even STARTED on his barbificier journey, oh dear god lmao.

Gonna preface this bit with a post I made before the season even started. It was about Zac's steady improvement in his performances with every PC, and how I was predicting that it was gonna culminate into a Gorgug that does him the justice he deserves. It was initially supposed to be a criticism, but I got a little lost in the sauce of loving my boy lol. Still very relevant to the topic of this ask!

God, where do I START?? Addressing his relationship with rage? I'll be honest, I didn't think that would ever be used as a character arc. And I'm not even sure why I've felt that way. I just didn't think... I didn't think about how he might've had a dislike for his own rage. Like, the WAY he rages isn't bad by any means, but I don't think it ever crossed my mind how actually harmful his lessons to sing to combat rage were. No, I did not like the way Porter went about teaching him (a bit too unsupportive of his capabilities and reminiscent of shitty teachers for my liking). But his point about EMBRACING anger; that rage is not bad and does not— should not— need to be stifled. THAAAAT. That opened up such an interesting dialogue for Gorgug.

I do appreciate the beginnings of Gorgug's interest in artificing in fhsy. I think the crumbs of it back then did a great job of leading into his larger commitment to multiclassing. And I think what he's been doing with it this season is exactly what was lacking in his section of the nightmare forest. His trial was a puzzle, based entirely on die rolls, where his solution after failing even when he's assisted by the enemy is to essentially give up. I understand that facing their fears was the whole point of the trials, but his section came off as incredibly anticlimactic and unfulfilling. Just the fact that it was a trial based on stat numbers more than the development of the character itself.

Where junior year succeeds in actually showcasing his intelligence and the evolution of the worth he holds in himself is with the hands-on approach it takes. Yes, the academic rolls are still dice and stats, but there's a physical manifestation that wasn't there before. Gorgug is smart when it comes to getting his hands dirty. It is in the practical applications of his skills that his brand of intelligence shines the most.

And while, once again, I did not LIKE Porter's heavy resistance to multiclassing....I have to admit that I don't think Gorgug would have had such a boost in confidence without that struggle. Even if my boy had trouble expressing it to Porter verbally, HE STOOD UP FOR HIMSELF. Instead of simply rolling over and agreeing that he wasn't built for a technical class and it was stupid to try– he was DEFIANT.

The kid who said "I'm a dumbass. Eat me you stupid bug." took on FOUR CLASSES. Three school years worth of artificer simultaneously. AND stayed with the Owlbears. AND went along on party missions to help Kristen's candidacy. AND was always on deck to help the party with the overarching plotline.

AND HE ACED IT!!! THE FIRST BARBIFICER THAT THE AGUEFORT ADVENTURING ACADEMY HAS EVER SEEN!!!!! He is paving the way for every unprecedented multiclass that follows.

Just in comparison to who he was in the previous season, the amount of drive and self-worth he's gained is astounding. In my eyes, it's done more than enough to makeup for the way his development fell flat in sophomore year.

i hope this fulfilled the ask in the way you were hoping! i told you i'd get carried away lmao. writing a bunch about any of zac's characters is always such a joy. gorgug had always been my favorite of the bad kids but i always found myself wishing he went deeper, y'know? and now it's real. my precious anxious boy has been handled so well. and watching zac's growth as a performer has been such a blast.

thanks for the ask! :D

#hope i dont talk in circles too many times #im not even gonna think about how long i spent lol #ya hit a certain point where youre like 'does that feel exactly right?' and then u go fuck it we aint perfect #ive done that a lot with just any writing thing in my life especially in school #but i feel like i followed through a lot better with this than i have with a loooong essay/analysis/post in awhile #so that feels good. certainly helps when its a thing you really love lol #dimension 20 #d20 #fantasy high junior year #fhjy spoilers #fhjy #fantasy high #fh #fantasy high sophomore year #fhsy #gorgug thistlespring #character analysis #asks #anon ask

[thedecadenceofwar]

i've just watched the ep. 7 conversation with ben for the second time (spoilers)

it's a lot, and it's really fucking heavy, and this time just like the last i had to pause and walk away, especially because of the moment after charlie leaves.

ben hope in this season, somehow more than last, is extremely punchable. he smirked a lot, notably. but in this moment you want him –

to just take a step forward.

the thing about ben in that apology was that he really believed that he was being so sincere, that he had figured something out, and that once he apologized, it was all gonna be okay. but he still wasn't able to comprehend that what he did wasn't just bad, it was wrong, and it severely affected charlie (see the charlie spring spectacular for more). and he was so pitiful! "I just wanted something good. You were something good."

he says to charlie: "If I just had more time." he tells nick: "charlie didn't even give me a chance to figure myself out." his whole argument hinges on the idea that he WOULD have been better, that he COULD have been better, if only they understood that none of it was his fault, never his fault – charlie was the one who didn't give him enough time, or nick was the one who stole charlie. he's dead set on being the victim. the victim of his parent's disapproval, of charlie's impatience, of nick "messing up [his] life." he refuses, even in the apology, to acknowledge what was actually wrong, acknowledge his actions. he says, "I was a dick back then." "I'm a messed-up person, Charlie." why, ben? why? what did you do, exactly, that makes you such a messed-up person? he doesn't know. he knows what he wanted: "something good," and he knows that he fucked it up, because he doesn't have it anymore, so he must be a bad person.

and it's – in a moment, for a second, you feel really bad for him, because he's smiling a little, and he's so sorry, and he really liked you, charlie, you know that, don't you. but then charlie speaks, and you watch his face fall, and fall, and fall. because he wasn't expecting charlie to call him on his actions. you can call yourself a bad person and get away with it until you face your actions head-on, and charlie is a collision.

here's the thing: ben says, "I want to be like you two, but my parents would never accept who I really am." but then when he's alone, with no one to see him but himself, faced with a safe space, one that is literally, narratively, welcoming him, he walks away from it. the waves lap at his feet. he could take the first step towards being better right there. redemption, right there. and goddammit, you're supposed to WANT HIM TO! because without knowing it he's hit on the theme of the season: be who you are on your own terms. being honest with yourself, by yourself, is the first step. and ben can't.

if ben wanted to apologize, he would have taken charlie's explanation, and he would have walked into those waves, and taken a chance on being honest with himself. but he just wanted liberation. he just wanted forgiveness. he just wanted to stop feeling bad about himself for long enough to feel good about being the victim.

ben hope is a tragedy. alice oseman and the writers know that most of heartstopper's audience is queer, that most of heartstopper's audience knows exactly what it's like to take one step forward into a queer space for the first time, and the terror and bravery that accompany that. you've been there, faced with a choice, walk forward into freedom and light – or walk backwards into secrecy and darkness.

And Ben makes his choice.

I think sometimes that becoming a better person means walking forward even when you know you don't deserve it.

#heartstopper #heartstopper season 2 #heartstopper spoilers #heartstopper meta #heartstopper analysis #ben hope #my stuff #i think that's all i can think of to say at the moment

[formula1fanfiction]

Charles Leclerc/Carlos Sainz

Title: All I need is your love tonight

Pairing: Charles Leclerc/Carlos Sainz

 Characters: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz  

Prompt: Charlos (Charles x Carlos) with bottom Carlos please because we do need it 🧡. As for the prompt maybe something along the lines of hope?

Charles spends a hell of a lot of time in Carlos' room, every race weekend they arrive in a new country, Charles checks into his own room, unpacks his stuff then heads next to find Carlos. Carlos always lets him in with a smile, they aren't lovers exactly but they spend a lot of time together and more often than not, fall in bed together and today is no different.

Carlos is laid spread out on the hotel bed, he's naked from the waist up and looks irresistible, his dark eyes are fixed firmly on the Spanish TV channel. "I want to fuck you Carlos." Carlos head snaps away from the TV to look at Charles. "Excuse me?"

"I want to fuck you?" Charles has been thinking about the perfect way to ask Carlos to top all day and seriously that's all he can manage. Carlos has never specifically said he's only a top but since becoming teammates they fell into that routine Carlos on top, Charles on bottom, he's never had a problem with that, he likes bottoming to Carlos but now he really wants to something different.

"Have you ever topped before?" How cute of Carlos to think Charles just bottoms for everyone. Charles climbs on top of Carlos and pins his hands to the bed, Carlos doesn't even try to fight it, just smiles up at his teammate. "I take that is a yes." Carlos is still smirking, so Charles takes the opportunity to rub their dicks together, there's way too much clothing and little contact but it wipes the smile off Carlos' face.

"Pierre." Charles rubs their dicks together once more, he can feel Carlos' arousal, the Spaniards cock is hardening against his own. "Pierre?" Carlos repeats confused. "I've topped Pierre before." Carlos is fully hard now, the outline of his cock is pressed against his red sweat pants. Carlos nods satisfied. "Okay then, you can top." Charles feels something, disappointment maybe? He didn't expect Carlos to agree so easily.

"Have you ever bottomed before?" Carlos raises his hips and lets Charles remove his sweats and underwear, revealing his hard cock, it springs free and slaps against his stomach. "Not for a long time." Carlos swallows, Charles takes the hard dick into his hand and starts stroking. "I don't blame him at all for this but It started was with Danil in my rookie season when I was with Toro Rossi, he had been promoted to Redbull, we sort of developed a relationship. We were young and stupid and he never prepped me, it was so painful but I thought it was normal I guess? I didn't know sex was supposed to be pleasurable as a bottom."

Charles stops the movement of his hand, Carlos is still rock hard but he looks sad. "We don't have to do this Carlos, you can top or we could just stop all together." Carlos smiles and covers Charles hand with his own and it brings it back to his hard cock. "I want do this with you Charles, I want it be with someone I love and trust."

Carlos didn't I say love you but someone I love and it makes Charles' heart soar. They've never done this before, it sort of feels like crossing a line but right now, it feels right? Charles leans in and presses his lips against Carlos'. There's spark it feels like sunshine, rainbows and full of passion. It feels tingly like a strong bolt of lightning, it feels right. Charles heart is beating fast, he pulls away and Carlos is beaming at him. He's made the right choice and he couldn't be happier.

"I'll make you feel amazing Carlos, I promise." Carlos smiles at him once again. "I know Charles, I trust you." It makes Charles want to kiss him again, so he does. It's soft, it's perfect. Shit Charles is falling hard. "You are being so romantic tonight Charles." Carlos giggles.

Charles removes his own clothing before settling in between Carlos' legs, a bottle of lube in his hands. "We can stop anytime Carlos." Charles says while coating his fingers with lube. "Charles we fuck all the time, it's fine I trust you." That's all the encouragement Charles needs before circling Carlos' entrance with his finger.   

Charles slides his finger in, Carlos is super tight as expected, He stalls for a few moments letting Carlos get used to the sensation. Carlos is laid back into the mountain of pillows, eyes squeezed shut like he's savouring every moment. He looks relaxed so Charles takes that as a good sign. He begins moving his hand, fingering Carlos with gentle, finger thrusts. Carlos sinks his teeth into his lower lip, when Charles starts twisting his finger easily, so he slides a second finger besides the first one and instantly scissoring them. Charles works his way up to four fingers, Carlos is seemingly losing his mind. "Charles i'm ready, i'm not some blushing virgin." Charles rewards Carlos with a quick rub over his prostate before letting his fingers slip out.   

"Fuck Charles, I thought you were maybe going to make me cum from your fingers alone." Charles chuckles, drizzling the remainder of the lube over his cock. "Sorry Carlos, I just didn't want to hurt you." Carlos smiles brushing his lips briefly over Charles' "It's not possible for you to hurt me Charles."

Charles settles in between Carlos' legs, one strong leg wrapped around his waist. Charles has one hand on Carlos' hip the other at the base of his own cock as he pushes inside. Carlos is very tight, despite the magic of Charles fingers, it's almost like his cock is stuck in a vice. Both men moan loudly once Charles reaches the hilt. Carlos feels amazing wrapped around him, almost like it's meant to be.

Charles kisses him again, he doesn't know what's got into him tonight but Carlos' lips are everything. He forces himself to pull away when he feels Carlos visibly relax around him. "Are you ready Carlos?"

Carlos nods, a dopey smile playing on his face. Charles' heart is bursting full of love for this man, there's no words for it, Charles simply can't get enough of him, "I feel so full Charles, so good." Charles starts to move.

It’s nothing short of natural, the rhythm they find. Charles is so used to sitting back and let Carlos do all the work, it's nice hear the little Spanish moans Carlos is letting slip from his mouth as their bodies work together. The pace is slow and it's nice because Charles keeps getting the opportunity to kiss Carlos, muffling his moans.

"I never thought, this would feel so natural." Carlos moans into Charles' mouth, Charles smirks into Carlos' lips and slides a hand between Carlos' legs. Carlos arches his hips off the bed and moan's much louder. "Fuck Charles I don't think i'm going to last long." Charles flicks his thumb. "I wasn't lying when I said i'd make you feel amazing."

Charles can move faster, harder now Carlos has fully opened up around him, the slide is easier now, he angles his thrusts to find Carlos' prostate. "Puta, fuck, Puta." Charles smiles. "There we go." Charles matches his wrist with the intensity of his thrusts. Carlos is falling apart rapidly, luckily Charles can feel his own orgasm building in the pit of his stomach.   

"I think we can come together." Charles speeds up his thrusts, he can't control himself anymore, he's too far gone. "Come on Carlos." Charles barely gets the words out of his mouth, he's coming hard. Charles can see nothing but stars as he spurts his load inside of Carlos. He comes to his senses when he feels Carlos' sticky mess over his finger tips.

Charles crashes on top of Carlos into a messy heap. The room falls quiet for a while, only the sound of heavy breathing fills the room. Carlos pulls Charles into a tight hug and strokes the sweaty nape of his neck. "You weren't lying when you said you'd make me feel good."

"I'm so sorry Carlos." Charles feels horribly guilty when he gets his strength back, he should be the one holding Carlos, cuddling him close. Not the other way round. "Eh?" Carlos looks confused. "I should be the one comforting you." Carlos laughs again. "I don't need comforting Charles, I feel amazing."

Charles rolls off Carlos and lays beside him, he's horribly aware of the messy of cum stuck to their skin. They need to shower but instead Charles leans in and gently kisses Carlos. It feels natural like they are lovers and not just teammates who fuck.

"Thank you Charles, I was really scared after everything before but you made me feel good, made bottoming feel good." Charles beams, he wants to kiss every inch of the tan Spanish skin and whisper I love you over and over again. "I was really worried Carlos, I just wanted you to feel amazing.

"You did make me feel amazing Charles, I love you it had to be with you." Charles risks a look at Carlos, dark Spanish eyes practically burning into his skin. "I love you too." He knows that wasn't the way Carlos meant it, but he's too full of love and emotion to hold it back. Carlos beams at him, he doesn't even look this happy when celebrating a podium.

"I love you like a teammate or I love you like Te Amo." Charles covers Carlos' hand with his own. "I love you in the way I would die for you." Carlos squeezes Charles' hand. "Good, because I feel the same way."

#If this seems familiar it's a post from my locked blog #charlos #c2 #charles leclerc #carlos sainz #formula 1 fanfiction #fanfic #formula 1 fanfic #mxm #fanfiction #formula 1 #formula one #mxm smut

[coca-lastic]

❀ More Than Friends ❀

Summary: You and Finnick have been friends since before he was chosen for the games. Finnick has been through things you haven't, including games, so it seemed impossible just to think that he might see you as an option.

Tw: No use of Y/N and no more, just stuff and sweet things <3

A/N: My first language is not English, so forgive me if there are some spelling mistakes, I would really appreciate it if you correct me! Also, this is the first fic I've published, but I'm trying my best so you can have a good time reading.

Spring was entering district 4. A truly beautiful season of the year, the summer heat is approaching little by little, appearing especially at midday. But then the traces of winter try to re-emerge at night, giving a continuous instability in the weather, something annoying for some people, but for you it was the best time of the year.

Especially today, another day in this spring. You were lying face down in the hot sand - thanks to the heat that your body has left there after long hours in the same place - resting your head on one of your hands to keep it up and be able to read the book in your hands, your hair is tied so as not to hinder your view and a beautiful view of the sea. Every few minutes you raised your head a little higher, explaining that you wanted to see the immensity of the sea, but there was something else that was calling your attention right there, swimming and floating next to the waves, with elegant movements and, why lie, That man looked too hot. It was normal to notice a man from time to time, especially on the beach when shirts were practically non-existent. Of course, it would only be normal if the man you have secretly admired so much was not your best friend.

Finnick Odair, that beautiful boy who time and time again made your brain push away any thoughts that weren't about him, or the boy who made your heart race every time he approached you. He is a very affectionate and sweet man, even if he is just your friend, hugs and kisses on the cheeks, forehead and head will never be missing. That only made you feel more and more lost, more crazy, more in love. The thought of what Finnick would be like as a boyfriend always intoxicates your mind, the thoughts of a soft kiss that you honestly needed too much, the thoughts of sleeping with him and not just because that day you decided to have a sleepover, sleep in each other's arms, in his bed like a custom, like normal. Hug HIM, Kiss HIM, Simply say how much you love HIM, how much you want HIM.

And once again, thinking only about him brought you consequences.

"Sweetheart, I know I'm pretty handsome, but looking at me and not taking your eyes off is a bit too much, don't you think?"

"Shut up, Odair," you said, returning your gaze to the book that you had completely forgotten at the sight of the man you loved emerging from the sea. Now, the only thing you were struggling with was not to look up, you didn't want to see those beautiful eyes and remember that he only sees you as a friend, you didn't want to see his muscular arms and remember that they will never hold you the way you want, or see that incredibly hot torso and your heart bursts, thinking of all the beauty you will never be able to claim as yours.

"How ungrateful, I give you a good view and you don't even let me talk, apparently I'm starting to be the vulnerable one of friendship" He said, sitting next to you and putting his hand on your back, trying to make you turn towards him. Sure, tour reaction to hes touch only made you nervous. The feel of his great wool along your back, his fingers completely touching your skin making you feel butterflies.

"Ha! You always have been, dear" You scoffed, opting to sit up, even though it meant making eye contact. "How was the water? Is it too cold?" Normally in spring it is difficult to decipher what temperature the water will be at, the climate is very changeable, so the sea is too.

"You're cruel..." He said as he shook his head and a smile appeared on his lips, revealing his dimples. "Anyway, the water was fine, a little colder than normal but nothing unbearable. "So why didn't you enter? We would have had a good rest competing"

"Well yeah, I was a little busy with the book"

"With the book or just seeing me?"

"God! You really won't stop joking about that, right? Well, sorry for looking at you, I know next time that offends you" you said, rolling your eyes and crawling a little closer to him, there was no reason to do that. Lastly, maybe you were just too cold to avoid the temptation of chaining him to your arms in a hug.

After a lot of laughter, sarcasm and jokes the sun began to set and the cold decided to come out. You started to shake a little and your skin broke out in goosebumps.

"Is the poor girl cold?" The blonde said, tilting his head a little and looking at you with a mocking smile.

"How the fuck can you stay warm all the time, I hate you." Something curious about Finnick, he is always warm, his hands are like a personalized rating and much more effective. "Give me your hand" you said, you were cold and you had a friend who wouldn't hesitate to help you with that, so he not only gave you his hand, he wrapped you around his big, muscular arms.

The only thing you could think about was that being in the arms of a handsome man, you feeling so small and him being so incredible was like a dream come true.

"God, sweetheart, you're freezing," he said as he began to rub his hands against your back. "We should walk home, you're going to get sick."

"But- no, you're almost never in District 4 and when you're here you don't have time, let's keep talking." Finnick was always in the capitol, apparently he had some jobs that you didn't know about. "Come on, admit that you missed spending a quiet day in the beach." You said, separating your head from his shoulder so you could look him in the eyes.

"More than that I missed you, but...yeah, I guess I needed a day like this" And there it was, a beautiful, warm smile, now your goosebumps weren't just from the cold. "But that doesn't mean you have to freeze to death."

Exaggerated

Finnick got up from the ground, and as you were hugging, his movement forced you to do the same. You separated from the hug when they were already standing, looking at him with a pleading face, "you know I don't get sick easily, come on."

"Why do you want to spend so much time with me all of a sudden? Normally the one who begs for more talk is me" he began to walk in the opposite direction to the sea, and thus exit to the main road.

You grabbed his arm to stop him from continuing walking, when he stopped walking you stood in front of him and said "you should take advantage of the fact that I'm being loving with you, go back to the beach, hug again so you don't 'freeze to death' and- I don't know, talk about something...you know" you didn't even know, you just didn't want to go home and the next day find out that he went to the city again.

"Owww, needy girl," he said mockingly, grabbing your hand to drag you with him. But you dug your feet into the sand, removed all traces of jokes from the air and took a big step.

"Yes, yes I am...I need you Finnick." You grabbed his hands and looked him fully in the eyes, despite the nerves it caused you. "And lately we haven't been able to see each other often and I- I understand that you're busy but I need you so...let's just go back to our previous position and talk a little, please."

"I...I can't. Look, I know that all this time we have been very good friends, I know that all this time spending days like this on the beach was part of the routine and... I know that hugging you was an act completely normal between us but I...I can't do that anymore without getting nervous, without feeling like my heart is going to explode-"

"I love you"

You didn't think about it, you just said it, you loved him, there was no doubt about that. And maybe you thought that he didn't love you the same way but you don't need to finish listening to what he says to understand that maybe, and just maybe, if he is willing, you can love each other.

And there was no response, Finnick just continued looking you directly in the eyes with his mouth slightly open and his eyebrows raised. "I...I love you very, very much...so..." you repeated, you needed an answer, your heart could jump out of your body at any moment if you didn't get it.

"I...wow, I didn't expect that" he said with a small laugh, finally, it wasn't the answer he expected but at least he got out of his shock.

Of course, that answer only made you more nervous, I loved you back or you just looked stupid. Maybe you were about to be sent straight to friendsone and that scared you too much.

"I... forget it, it was an impul-" the only thing your mind could think was "DAMN, HE'S KISSING ME" because the only reason you hadn't finished your sentence was thanks to lips crashing against yours.

It didn't take you long to keep up with him, it was another dream come true, it was a moment you had been waiting for for a long time and you didn't know it was going to come true until 5 seconds ago. He had his hands on your face, holding it as if you were made of glass, with a delicacy, tenderness and love that you had never had from him.

You placed your hands on his chest, and moved closer, if that was possible, his body colliding with your lips and all you could think about now was how much you loved him.

You began to separate your lips from his, even though you didn't want to, but you no longer had any trace of air in your respiratory system.

“I guess I managed to stop your sentence in time,” he said, looking you straight in the eyes with a smile that revealed his teeth, a smile of complete happiness. "I love you too, I love you so much sweet girl"

And they joined his lips again, for the second time in the thousands or even millions of times they would do it, because they no longer loved each other as they did before, now and in the future they will be more than friends.

Anyway, I think this part is to remind myself that this is for fun, I don't expect many likes but I'm happy to get my thoughts out of my head :v

#finnick odair #finnick odair fluff #finnick odair x reader #finnick x you #thg finnick #fiction #hunger games #x reader #district 4

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

was i the asshole for refusing to pay a private contractor what they claimed i owed?

preface: i rent a townhouse that has both a front and a back yard, and the lawn mower broke (landlord refuses to fix it), so i was forced to find a landscaping company locally who could mow the grass in spring and summertime. i hate mowing so no real loss, plus i get to support local small businesses! score!

everyone around here sucks at communication (as in they just don't show up or respond to any texts, calls, or emails even when Maureen From The HOA is breathing down your neck) except for one company i've been using religiously ever since i found them. love these guys. quality work, excellent communication, affordable, flexible, these guys are the best and i have referred my neighbors to them as well.

at the beginning of spring 2023, money was kinda tight so i asked if they could only mow every three weeks. they told me no dice, only in two-week increments because they have a rolling scheduling of which neighborhoods get hit up on certain weeks. fair enough. i ask for a mow every four weeks. sure, the grass will get a little tall, but the HOA can shut up.

they come every two weeks instead and text AFTER they've already done the work, so i have to pay for it. i pay them promptly, but ask if they can please honor my wishes for it to be every four weeks, as we discussed. they honor that... once. and then go back to every two weeks. by this time, the grass is shooting up faster than expected and i still hate the HOA, so i sigh and let it go. every two weeks it is.

fast forward to late autumn as winter's rolling in and i'm writing the check for the last mow of the season when the guy calls and says "oh btw you owe hundreds of dollars we never told you about until just now".

somehow, they got it in their heads that they mowed my lawn every single week, and should be paid for that. not once did that happen. not only was there no communication about them having been there OR needing payment (remember how i said they were so good about communication? i have texts going back the entire season where they message me "hey we mowed your lawn today" every two weeks exactly, and what sense does it make for them to forget to say anything every other week on the nose?), but i think i would have noticed grass getting shorter for no reason. also remember how i specifically told them i wanted a mow every four weeks and never actually rescinded that request? it's in writing. it's in the text log. at no point did i ever approve this "weekly" work, even if they'd actually done it (which they didn't).

thing is, these guys are prompt and reliable. they're the best option i've got around these parts. they really don't strike me as the types to pull a fast one on me or scam me. i think it was a genuine, honest mistake and they got my house mixed up with someone else's in the ledger, and now they're out the money for work they legitimately performed... just not for me. i recommended them to my neighbors, remember? not impossible they got the house numbers for my street mixed up. a 6 can look like an 8, or a 7 like a 1 if your handwriting smudges.

i got so caught up in my kneejerk response of "hey what the fuck do you mean i owe money for work i told you i didn't want and you didn't actually do" that i didn't work with them to try to figure out what actually happened here, and now a local business got screwed over. WITAH?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[elbiotipo]

Workbuilding Fundamentalist question: when it comes to dates, times and calendars in a fantasy setting where do you stand? I'm always conflicted as a writer just because changing the length of a year or what all the months are called all makes sense given that most fantasy worlds aren't earth and because every month is named after a person or deity and our calendar has been changed like 7 times in the real world. And yet I don't want to throw all this extra work at the reader.

Example I have a gas dwarf planet with like, winderwaker islands poking out above the gaseous ocean what people live on. And there's only 4 months in a year there so a 64 year old is still a teenager and it just seems like a lot to make someone keep track of.

First of all, very cool setting, I love islands among the clouds! Now, this is actually something I've given a lot of thought into, and might become a real concern if humanity goes to other planets.

There's, for example, an opening line of a Heinlein novel (IIRC) where a girl says she's 10 years old and thus old enough to marry, which is true, on Mars (the year is 687 days there). There is no reason, if one is designing a new planet, or even finding one IRL, to expect it to have the same day and year lenght to Earth, not even close. Mars with 21 hours is pretty close, but the length of our year and day is really just a cosmic coincidence. You could easily have an reasonably earth-like planet with shorter years (because it's closer to its star, or just revolves faster), or longer days or years.

However, very few fictional settings bother with this, and it's not hard to see why, you can have all sorts of exotic additions to your setting, but to wrap our head through different lenghts of the year or the day is a bit too much. Even different week lenghts, which did exist on history, sound strange. There are all sorts of different fantasy and sci-fi calendars, but at the root, most authors operate with "Earth-time". I don't blame them, it is 'extra work' for some readers, and it's not easy to wrap our head around, it's easier to say "this is sort of an alternate Earth" and be done with it. Also, to lenghten or shortern the year or day might bring all sorts of consequences from ecology to climate that should be considered, otherwise it's just a lame gimmick in my opinion.

HOWEVER, it's still an interesting piece of worldbuilding to consider!

Calendars of a sort have existed since humans started to count seasons and days, but our current society where there are calendars and clocks everywhere is quite recent, actually. I'm sure you are aware of the different calendars besides the BCE-CE one was imposed as the standard, many cultures . But there are also different ways of counting years;. The classic one is seasons, farming societies of course need it the most but hunter-gatherers also follow and know the seasons. There is no reason at all for them to correspond to the "temperate" seasons (summer, fall, winter, spring). Dry and wet seasons, cold and summer, and other options are not only possible, but have actually been widespread on human history. I recommend reading on Wikipedia about seasons, especially the section about non-calendar based seasons.

Of course the above applies to pre-industrial civilizations where timekeeping isn't as widespread. But even in those, counting years and ages is treated differently. Birthdays, for example, don't exist in all cultures. Koreans still count age based on the Korean new year, not your birthday. Some medieval Christian celebrated on the feast of the saint they were named after (and there are lots of them) or IIRC, their baptism. And so, a culture as yours might use different ways of counting the age of a person, perhaps by more "qualitative" rituals than just counting the years (though I have a feeling they would quickly adapt to their own calendar). Much like I told you about different kinds of seasons for different climates, I imagine that in worlds where the years are too short (or too long) to really make sense for the average person, some other ways of counting time will prevail. For example, are there predictable climate cycles in your planet? Moons (lunar calendars are always fun)? I can assume your planet has shorter years because it's closer to your star (by any chance, did you base it on red-dwarf orbiting planets?), so perhaps you could use something regarding the very visible star to count time?

Like I said at the beginning, this will be a real concern when humanity expands through space, and there's even a bit of debate if the human body can adapt to such heavy changes on its circadian rhytm. In any case, my prediction is that there would be a "Earth time", that is, 24-hours day and 365 day year, that is kept as standard out of convenience and in spaceships and space habitats (in my own setting Campoestela, it's called "ship time" because human spaceships use it as standard) and lots of "local times" on different planets with all the quirks I mentioned above, with everyone going into space learning how to convert their own time to "Earth time". Or maybe, to make things even more fun and, admittedly, complicated to the reader, the time of another time is taken as a standard. There's lots to play with here.

DON'T even ask me about relativistic time (like in Interstellar) because it makes my head hurt, even if I did use it a couple times on my stories. But "ship time" might be a real thing. Some cultures might have completely different 'times', not calendars, actually *times*, depending on relativistic time delation.

BTW anon, sorry for using this to promote myself, but if anyone loved this rant and would like to see more, I would appreciate some tips on my ko-fi (given the situation down here, now more than ever) and suggestions for other topics to talk about!

#worldbuilding #calendars #writing

[kdramaxoxo]

Sorry if you've been asked this a million times, but who are your favorite couples from the last couple years?

Congratulations Anon! This ask is AMAZING and I've never been asked it before! Shocking right?? :P

My favorite K-Drama Couples 2023- Spring 2024

NOTE: I tried to include 2022 but my list got too long :)

Moving (Bong-Seok & Hee-Soo, Joo-Won & Hye-Won & Doo-Shik & Mi-Hyun): It's very obvious by this list how much I love this drama and how many blorbo-from-my-shows it created for me. And I know I'm only reviewing couples, but I was blown away by this drama. I don't even LIKE superhero shows, but I made an exception for this one and I'm so glad I did. If you like character development and plays on good vs. evil, I highly rec this! Bong-Seok and Hee-Soo are one of my favorite couples EVER and I loved the softness and epic romance of Joo-Won & Hye-Won. (And we all know that scene at the rainy window with Bong-Seok and Hee-Soo). These couples are really EVERYTHING.

Tale of the Nine Tailed: 1938 (Lee-rang & Yeo-Hee): This is the only time I've ever watched a season two and liked it better than season one. It's probably because it featured my favorite tragic half fox Lee Rang and gave him a love line with a mermaid. The two are SO sweet together---SOB!

Tell me That You Love Me (Mo-Eun & Jin-Woo): Wow. Maybe one of the softest couples I've ever seen in existence. Just watching them together was like a warm blanket in front of a cozy fireplace. I didn't like the ending choice which is a shame, but the drama was super well done and I still think people should watch it. There is also a very cute high school couple too!

The Eighth Sense (Jae-Won & Ji Hyun): not to be dramatic (just kidding!) this is the best bl kdrama I've ever seen. Literally this is it! I don't even want to tell you about the couple because I want you to just watch it! I'm dying for the writer to make another one because we need more queer media like this one!

Crash Course In Romance (Haeng-Seon & Chi-Yeol): Give me a noona romance featuring a man who has not felt warmth in 1000 years (ok not literally but this dude needs to have a warm meal made by an amazing lady!) This drama fell apart at the end (this seems to be a theme this year) but the couple makes it worth watching.

King The Land (Gu-Won & Sa-Rang): If you're looking for a low stakes, totally fluffy, rom com with TONS of chemistry (featuring MY BIAS!), King the Land is for you. Amazing skinship, kisses and just like a really fun duo to watch. Plot? Not so much but there are a billion good moments-- just look at the tags: They are full of cuteness.

Love After Divorce Season 4 (Benita & Jerome): Listen, I know I'm cheating by putting a reality tv show on this list but if you're in the mood for one, I highly recommend this season (it's on Netflix). Benita and Jerome will steal your heart and they are still together! I'm rooting for them. <3

See you in my 19th Life (Ji-Eum & Seo-Ha, Da-Hoon & Cho-Won): My bias Shin Hye Sun kills it in this drama featuring past life romance. Honestly it's not fair because this drama is totally my vibe so I'm obviously going to love the mains. But when a drama gives you more than one love line and they are both interesting and lovely?? Chef's Kiss!

Dr. Slump (Jeong-Woo & Ha-Neul): This drama TOTALLY fell apart at the end and left us all very disappointed, but that's not because our leads weren't a perfect couple! They bonded over mental illness and even took their meds together. Communication: check. Comfort/Healing: check. Chemistry: check!

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract (Yun-Woo & Tae-Ha). You probably don't know this but I've been following Bae In Hyuk's career since we was in silly little web dramas. Seeing him as a lead is really wild! To be fair, he's not nearly the actor that Lee Se Young is, but do we care about that when there's a time slip romance drama featuring a historical lady who's been thrown into the future and has to fake marry someone who looks just like her de*d husband for reasons??

Thank you so much for this ask - it was super fun!! Maybe I should do 2022 next?? :D

#kdrama #i love a list #king the land #kdrama recommendations #crash course in romance #tale of the nine tailed #ask #kdrama couple #the story of park's marriage contract #dr. slump

[nanaosaki3940]

Romance Manhwa You All Should Read...

So there are a few Korean manhwa that I have been reading recently. Some are new manhwa which I just picked up to read while the others are old ones that I read before and now I'm re-reading them again. All of them are of modern-setting with the premise of high school or college romance. 🥰🥰🥰

The new ones that I'm reading for the first time -

My First Love Hate

Seasons Of Blossom

Our Secret Alliance

Just Twilight

I Don't Hate Us

Cheese In The Trap

Revelation Of Youth

Operation Name: Pure Love

The Law Of Being Friends With A Male

My Introverted Boy

See You in My 19th Life

The old ones that I've read before and now re-reading them again -

Something About Us

Positively Yours

Marked By King BS

The ones that I haven't read yet but want to get into it -

Romance 101

My Younger Brother's Friends

Rewriting Our Love Story

1 Plus 1

Villain With A Crush

This Must Be Love

Now I wanna talk about some of the Manhwa series that I recently read in the last couple of days...

Our Secret Alliance

Manhwa Status: Completed Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers. THE NO. 1 BEST FUCKING "CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TURNED LOVERS" TROUPE MANHWA OUT THERE💘!! PERIOD😤!!!

No, seriously. I really enjoyed reading this series, and OMG !!! Female lead Se-i Yun and male lead Jaeha Kim are so fucking adorable!!! Se-i is a cutie, for sure, and seeing Jaeha as a boyfriend in this story raised my "boyfriend" expectations to an unrealistic height...

Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful male lead here... so beware!!!

Seasons Of Blossom

Manhwa Status: Completed This story has four different parts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. And damn, the stories are so good, y'all!!

(This is gonna be a LONG rant here btw...)

I really loved the 1st part of the series "Bomi's Flower" which is the season of Spring. The sweet female lead (Bomi Yun), one of the most popular and studious girls in school, has a little crush on the 2nd male lead (Jaemin Lee), another popular kid in school, but later finds out that her best friend/2nd female lead (Seonhui Kang) also has a crush on Jaemin. But the thing is everyone in their school ships Bomi and Jaemin together as a romantic couple. Seonhui also shows her genuine support to Bomi as a good friend if she ever tries to get together with Jaemin, but Bomi knows that deep down inside her heart Seonhui is hurting by the fact that Jaemin likes Bomi and everyone ships them, meaning her love towards Jaemin is unrequited. So to save her friendship with Seonhui and also to save Seonhui from a potential heartbreak, Bomi gets into a fake relationship with the male lead (Jinyeong Choi), so that Seonhui and Jaemin get the chance to be together... But the thing is Jinyeong is the complete opposite of Bomi. Unlike Bomi, Jinyeong is blunt, ruthless with his words, always has a straight bored look on his face, and has an "I don't give a fuck" kinda attitude. He doesn't fuck around and hates those typical high school dramas and bullshit. Even though he's a gaming otaku and only has two male friends, he's quite famous among the students; guys want to be friends with him because of his game recommendations and girls think he's really cute. Also despite the fact that he's shorter than Bomi in height, my man has balls for sure when it comes to speaking up about his mind or taking action for anything.

This story talks about how opposites attract one another, how to discover and learn new yet unexpected things, how to fall in love for the first time in life and that sweet feeling like falling in love in your youth, and how to break out of your own shell and discover a new side of yourself. This 1st part of the series will give you nothing but fluff, sweetness, and butterflies.

And then later comes the 2nd part of the series, the season of Summer aka Hamin's Flower...

Okay, this one was really tough to get through. Not because the story sucked or anything. It's because of how painful, angsty, and heartbreaking it is. In the 1st part (Bomi's Flower aka Spring), we get to know that the 2nd male lead Jaemin Lee had an older brother named Hamin Lee (the golden child of the family) who died 6 years ago by committing suicide. We don't get much info about Hamin Lee in the 1st part (other than the fact that he's Jaemin's brother) until it comes to an end and the 2nd part begins. The 2nd part opens up with Jaemin Lee and the gang bumps into a 24-year-old art college student named Somang Han who happens to be Hamin's girlfriend from high school. Through Somang's narration and flashbacks, we get to know what kind of person Hamin Lee was, how she and Hamin met and fell in love, and how he spiraled into depression which resulted in him ending his own life. And also through Jaemin, we get to know more about Hamin as a son and a brother and how their parents' rough parenting pushed him to darkness and depression. At first, when Hamin was first mentioned in the 1st part, I didn't think much about him and only felt empathy for Jaemin for losing his older brother. But after getting introduced to Hamin in the 2nd part and learning more about him through Somang and Jaemin's POV and narrations, I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out for him in every single chapter. It got even worse for me since I already knew where the story was going and what was going to happen to Hamin in the end (it was more like the Shinichiro Sano effect from Tokyo Revengers like you know who Shinichiro is and what happened to him but that doesn't stop you from falling in love with him despite him being dead throughout the whole series). RIP Hamin Lee; my heart will always go out to you, forever, always.

The 2nd part Hamin's Flower aka Summer talks about some heavy topics/subjects like - dysfunctional families, rough parenting going wrong, dealing with societal burdens and depression, losing your loved ones and dealing with the aftermath, your first tragic love story, handling regrets and dealing with your traumas, how to overcome those traumas, and finally how to let go of your past and move on with life.

Hamin's Flower left me in such a numb and gloomy state that I couldn't read the other two parts (Autumn and Winter), but I'll try to get back and read them sooner or later. Even though I haven't read the complete series yet, I'll still give out a biased statement - I really, really loved Bomi's Flower and Hamin's Flower, and these two parts will always gonna be my favs from this series (doesn't matter to me if Autumn and Winter are better than these two).

Cheese In The Trap

Manhwa Status: Completed The oldest series in this list...

This story... this story... Oh God, where should I begin?!?! I can't believe that I didn't read this until now!! This is a truly mature love story. If you read this wanting a simple light college romance, this is not for you. While there are very cute interactions between the main character and her love interests, it is a very well-thought-out and complex manga - definitely the most realistic I have read thus far. The character development is out of this world and adds a sense of tangibility to the characters that you really don't see in fiction normally. To explain, the important main and side characters in any story are always bound by rules of development to identify them as cogs in a narrative; we have underlying expectations about what the characters might do, or how they might subvert those expectations. But, this webtoon is the study of social relationships and the nature of people. You get to see that there will always be some sort of social hierarchy, that there are meanings and repercussions beyond what you expect to happen in life, and that we all have some degree of victim and perpetrator in us. We all cope and process in different ways, while also continuing and evolving in life the way we know how. Unlike anything I have ever read before.

Also, this story is under the tag of "Psychological Drama" and it's all because of the male lead named Jung Yu. God, I've such a love-hate relationship with him, y'all!! Like I love him but also hate him at the same time. He's mysterious, charming, alluring yet so damn confusing. Also, the fact that he's a sociopath with a bit of a Yandere-ish tendency in him and that he's also obsessed with the female lead (Seol Hong) in a very twisted way??? He's a walking red flag for sure, but then again not... In short, Jung Yu is a complex character and my simple brain just can't comprehend him. I also love the female lead (Seol Hong), the 2nd male lead (Inho Baek), and Seol's two best friends (Bora Jang and Euntaek Kwon). The only important side character I despise is Inho's twin sister Inha Baek (don't ask why; just go and read it for yourself and you'll know why... also I hate those bully characters too btw, just so you know...).

I Don't Hate Us

Manhwa Status: Completed Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers.

Another series with "childhood best friends turned lovers" troupe done right!!

The female lead (Wonsu Ha) and the male lead (Jaesu Sang) have been childhood best friends since their middle school days. They had been best friends through high school and college until one day Wonsu got herself a boyfriend. Jaesu has romantic feelings for Wonsu, but she only sees him as a friend and has platonic love for him. Wonsu then breaks up with her boyfriend, not because the guy is a cheater but because they aren't that compatible with each other, so they mutually break up and separate. Wonsu also gets separated from Jaesu because his romantic feelings for her were getting in the way of their friendship at the time, and also her relationship with her ex-boyfriend took a toll on her mentally and emotionally, so she cut off all her connection and simply focused on her studies and graduating from university. Years later, now working in a small yet growing company, Wonsu reconnects with an adult and more mature Jaesu, who now works in a multinational corporation, and that's when sparks and butterflies start to fly left, right, and center. Almost all the characters are likable, the story and the plot are realistic, and overall it was an enjoyable read for me truly.

Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful male lead here... so beware!!! I mean, the fact that despite the bad boy looks and everything, he's so cute like a puppy is fucking adorable, yo!!!

My First Love Hate

Manhwa Status: On-going Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers

This one came out this year and so far I'm really enjoying it. Just like the previously mentioned series above, the female lead (Eunha Kang) is relatable, funny, smart, studious, strong-willed, and whatnot. The male lead (Seungmin Ha) is Eunha's childhood best friend since elementary school but they stopped hanging out with one another ever since he became a delinquent back in high school despite the fact that they went to the same school and were in the same classroom. Years later, Eunha got into a prestigious university in Seoul and later learned that Seungmin was also at that university!! Not only that, he also stopped being a delinquent for good and suddenly started dressing up like a nerdy college boy. When Eunha asked what he was trying to do, Seungmin simply replied that he was returning back to his old self again and wanted to reconnect with Eunha... But things got a bit spicy all of a sudden when a tattoo-bodied 2nd male lead named Ryu Seonhoo walked into the scene and Eunha had to tutor him for the GED test on a regular basis...

Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful, puppy-like male lead AND 2nd male lead here... so beware!!!

Just Twilight

Mahwa Status: Ongoing Troupe: Strangers to friends to lovers

I won't say anything about it... JUST FUCKING READ THIS SHIT ALREADY!!!

If you're a fan of another famous manhwa series called "Positively Yours", then you'll also love this series since it's written by the same author. The female lead (Junyoung Yun) is literally my spirit animal and the male lead (Beomjin Kwon) is such a husbando material, y'all... like, just look at him!!!

That's all for now... I'll make more Korean manhwa recommendation posts again very soon!!!

My manhwa recommendation list posts - Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3.

#manga #anime #manhwa #korean manhwa #just twilight #cheese in the trap #season of blossom #my first love hate #something about us #our secret alliance #i don't hate us #revelation of youth #operation name true love #operation name pure love #positively yours #romance 101 #see you in my 19th life #please take care of me in this life as well #a guide to proper dating #rewriting our love story #marked by king bs #when you're targeted by the bully #the law of being friends with a male #my introverted boy #romance manga #romance manhwa #shojo manga #shoujo manga #manga recommendation #manhwa recommendation

[fereldanwench]

OC Interview - Valerie Powell

I was tagged by @gloryride forever ago to interview my girl--Thank you, bb! I'm so late to doing this that I'm not gonna tag anyone else, but feel free to yoink it if you wanna do it!

[Answers are directly from Valerie's POV before the heist in 2077.]

.ೃ࿔*:･ NAME?

Valerie Irene Powell. [laughs] Yeah, my initials are VIP. My dad had a dorky sense of humor, and my mom let him get away with it. "Irene" is my great-grandmother's first name on her side of the family.

.ೃ࿔*:･ NICKNAME?

Pretty much just "V" these days, which was all Jackie's doing. A lot of the staff and some regulars at Nishimura's used to call me "Blue," but that was ages ago. Overly familiar acquaintances who don't know me well but think they do usually call me "Val."

.ೃ࿔*:･ GENDER?

Biologically female, no gender alterations or augmentations.

A/N - Valerie is a cis woman, but I don't see that specific language being in her vernacular.

.ೃ࿔*:･ STAR SIGN?

I was born in Night City on October 12 2041. Misty tells me that makes me a, uh--Hey, Misty, what am I again?

[Misty, calling from the other room: Libra Sun with a Taurus Moon and Scorpio Rising!]

Yeah, that. [laughs] Whatever the hell that even means.

.ೃ࿔*:･ HEIGHT?

Tall. 5'10" or 178 cm. And I admit I have a weakness for a sexy pair of heels, so I usually look a lot taller.

.ೃ࿔*:･ ORIENTATION?

People are out here fucking cyborgs with four eyes and chicks with gold dicks and electric nipples--What does this even mean? [laughs] I've never given it much thought. I like what I like, and I've liked a lot of different types of people with a lot of different things going on. [laughs again]

A/N: I say Valerie is bi, because that is the contemporary real-life word that best reflects her sexuality for me when I'm talking about her, but when I was really thinking about it from her POV and in the context of her world, I don't think she'd be too hung up on a label. She'd also probably see her wide spectrum of attraction as closer to the default, not the exception.

.ೃ࿔*:･ NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY?

I'm a typical American mutt. My dad's side of the family can mostly be traced back to Western Europe--my grandmother told me "Powell" is an Anglicized form of an old Welsh surname--and my mom's side is from the Eastern Mediterranean. Dad's side has been in NUSA for a long time (like two centuries before it was even called NUSA), but Mom's family has only been here for a few generations.

.ೃ࿔*:･ FAVE FRUIT?

I just love fresh fruit. It's such a rare treat in Night City--I'll take fresh strawberries or melons over any other kind of sweet treat.

.ೃ࿔*:･ FAVE SEASON?

Spring! When everything starts turning green and flowers are blooming. There aren't a ton of places in Night City where you can really experience that, but I know a few hidden gems.

.ೃ࿔*:･ FAVE FLOWER?

Hydrangeas, probably. Especially the blue and purple ones. Oh, and wisteria! A tree covered in blooming wisteria is one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.

.ೃ࿔*:･ FAVE SCENT?

Freshly brewed coffee; new car smell; woodsy, smokey colognes and perfumes; real leather; whatever incense Misty uses in her shop; clothes right out of the dryer; lavender; a ton more that I know I'm forgetting!

.ೃ࿔*:･ COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE?

Strong coffee, black, maybe a little sugar if I'm feeling indulgent. Tea is nice, but it's not my caffeine fix. I like a cup of lavender or chamomile tea at night. Hot chocolate is too heavy and rich for my taste. A sip is nice, but I could never finish a cup.

.ೃ࿔*:･ AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP?

I try not to get any fewer than 6 hours, but that's easier said than done some nights. Okay, most nights.

.ೃ࿔*:･ DOG OR CAT PERSON?

You know, I've only ever seen one dog in person. A childhood friend's family had one--I don't know the breed, but it was a yippy little shit and it bit me! Never really wanted to see another dog, if I'm honest.

I like cats, though. There's a stray that hangs by Misty's place--He's the sweetest little guy. I picked up a bag of kibble we keep there to feed him when he comes around.

.ೃ࿔*:･ DREAM TRIP?

I've actually traveled a lot--My parents had to go to Biotechnica's HQ in Rome a few times when I was a kid, and they usually turned those trips into an excuse to have an extended European vacation. And I went all over the globe working for Arasaka for 7 years. I'd love to go back to Japan for non-work reasons.

.ೃ࿔*:･ FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER?

You're gonna laugh, it's so predictable. In my defense, I can't remember the last time I watched or read anything new--Actually, that's not true. Jackie made me watch one of those Bushido movies last week, and I just don't get it. Anyway. It's Elizabeth Bennet. Don't look at me--What's the next question?

.ೃ࿔*:･ NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH?

Just a sheet and comforter.

.ೃ࿔*:･ RANDOM FACT?

Oh, no, don't put me on the spot like this! [laughs] Um, okay, I shot my first firearm when I was about 7. Under intense adult supervision--My dad was really serious about self-defense and the right to bear arms, which always surprised people because he came across as such a meek science nerd. I didn't like it--It was so loud, even with earmuffs. Funny how things change.

Is that kind of a heavy note to leave on? [laughs again] Okay, how about this one: I can't roll my tongue.

#fem v #female v #fem v friday #oc: valerie v powell #g: cyberpunk 2077 #long post #so the fave character one really confounded me bc who the fuck are fictional characters in this world lmao #and then i was like well we could go classic lit since that still exists #and valerie was a bit of a book nerd when she was younger #and i was like omg valerie is 100% a closet romantic we gotta go austen #and the gender and orientation ones stumped me a bit too bc i just really don't think these would be seen the same way as they are irl #i think valerie would find both questions kind of odd #this was a lot of fun to do though #and the nickname thing was a bit of fun projection from my own irritation at acquaintances calling me a shortened version of my name #that i dont like lmao

[aidaronan]

✨Fic Writing Review 2023✨

Tagged by the incomparable @greatunironic and my beloved @wynnyfryd.

Words and Fics

58, 889 words published on ao3

Plus at least 14,975 or so words of unpublished things that are started and incomplete.

At least 30 new ideas and/or WIPs.

8 published fics on ao3 + some new additions to the drabble/ficlet collection + many tumblr fics/microfics

One completed collab with @sparkle-fiend and one collab (two really) with @sparklyslug in the works

Two monsterfucker fics influenced by the Steddie FanExpo NoLa crew and getting crossfaded as fuck in the French Quarter after meeting Guiseppe Quintilliano.

Top 3 by kudos

Cassiopeia, Orion, Bootes (aka he was a gator boi) Like I Always Do (post-starcourt hurt comfort) Nothing Hurts (Like Your Mouth) (oops! all monsters. vamp eddie and were steve banging in a mausoleum)

Fandom Events in 2023

Lex's Spicy Six Spring Fanworks Challenge

Multiple @steddiemicrofic challenges: read here.

Upcoming Projects

Two Stranger Things Reverse Big Bang fics. Hilariously, neither of them are Steddie as the main pairing, but I think at least one is likely to hit novella length. I can't say a lot due to secrecy, but I feel safe saying one is a gen fic and one is f/f.

One tiny baker!steve/rockstar!eddie collab with @sparklyslug, hopefully out this holiday season.

One bigger collab with @sparklyslug in the spring if we keep our enthusiasm together long enough.

Will keep trying to plug away at the witches fic. I have, admittedly, lost some enthusiasm for them but I do know where the story is going. If you love this one, please be loud at me but in a non-demanding way lmao. I need you.

Two Fandom Trumps Hate fills of at least 10k for @withacapitalp and my dearest, Andi.

Eddie Bio project.

???Who Knows??? But there will probably be monstercock involved.

Some personal chat, rules, and tags under the cut.

Doing some oversharing because I'm starting to think it's vital that we all are honest about our struggles so we don't feel alone and so we know we're not failures. We're just people.

It's been a low production year for me. It's been a difficult year in general, but sometimes change is hard even when it's change you need.

Over half my year was eaten up with job hunting, moving, and trying to adjust while feeling the depressive effects of not having a local friend/support network yet or enough money for whatever the fuck the economy is, esp in this area relative to my salary. A good deal of my body of works for 2023 were written pre-move. Hell, a good deal of them were written in the first quarter. (Which, btw, shout out to anyone else who often feels a bittersweet sort of regret at not being productive in the current internet environment where you feel like you're old news if you can't keep up an unsustainable output. I love you, same, it's prob not true anyway, and here are 200 forehead kisses. <33) All of that said, I'm feeling much better lately. I've been reading again. Writing again. Feeling like I'm living again. I'm looking forward to another arbitrary border of time and on filling that border with joy, especially queer joy and weird joy and the intersection of both of those. As they say: let's fucking gooo.

I still love it here. I know steddie won't be forever for me, just like other ships before them weren't forever for me. But I'm having fun and have been really enjoying some of the connections made in this little sandbox.

On that note:

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please do eat glass, I’ve heard it’s good for your gums. Tagging, even though I know some people have already been tagged: @sparklyslug, @wormdebut, @banannabethchase, @just-my-latest-hyperfixation @messessentialist @rainbow-nerdss @plutosrose @thefreakandthehair and anyone else. @ everyone who keeps this fandom rippin' and roarin', kissing you, kissing you, kissing you

#fic writer things #fanfiction #year in review

[luckstergal]

Yandere Elliott Mod is funny as hell (to me)

Disclaimer: None of this is meant to be taken seriously, this is me rambling into the void and to my friends.

I cannot believe I'm reviewing a mod, lol. Is it a review? I don't know anymore, just giving my take on it.

It's been like 2 weeks since I gave the Yandere Elliott mod a try and honestly I find it more unintentionally hilarious than off-putting in most places.

I felt that some of the moments could be interpreted as genuinely wholesome and sweet if you isolated them (but that's just how context works in a nutshell I suppose. Look, I genuinely thought the insomnia scene and the post-moonlight-jellies scene with adorable, alright?).

The fact that I have to go out of my way to play very different than I ever would have certainly modifies my overall perspective. If I played normally, the only really unsettling thing would be his unhinged letters. Well, one in particular at least. Most of the letters were campy and funny, knowing how melodramatic this character is naturally. Only 1 letter made me and 2 other people I showed it to go "Oh GOD". Everything else? Unintentionally hilarious, or wholesome if you take the obsession letters out. His stalker-schedule was funny as hell. What do I mean by that? How is the "stalker schedule" funny? The mod alters his schedule after 1 heart, so he'll periodically go spy on you on the farm. This was scary only twice for me because I didn't expect it, and there was a long gap between the first time and the second time. Once summer hit, however, it got funny. He was showing up every single day at 6:30 on the dot, except for Friday and Sunday. He was so punctual that I'd look at the clock, see he's about to show up, and prepare myself for my daily convo with him/gift giving if it's Monday and Tuesday. Man was so consistent it was hilarious.

Even better: when he's standing there for so long, his pathfinding kinda... glitches? He'll act like there's something in front of him preventing his movement (like when a player character standing in an NPC's pathing) and suddenly just... book it across the map into the void. Practically died laughing (though I did freak out the first time it happened because I thought "WAIT THIS MOD LETS HIM CHASE YOU?" only for him to run passed and into nothingness)

It actually got a bit lonely in autumn when he stopped showing up and opted to camp outside the mines instead all day. (Elli, sweetie, Ignatius is not going there most of the time because autumn 1 is a busy season for him, come back!) The fact that I have to fully romance all the other bachelors in order to activate one of the legitimately most unhinged aspects of the mod is what throws me off. I know they're fictional characters, but I've always felt icky at multi-dating personally. Just not for me. I pick one and I stick with my decision. Reading the text in the content file is one thing, but I wanted to see the event play out for myself.

After the event, it got hilarious again completely on accident.

Cue Elli not letting Ignatius leave the farm because of his jealousy. It was winter when this happened. The Obsession Cage-Loop event is designed to where Pierre will send you 50 of a random seed packet every day to make up for the fact that you cannot leave.

Crops don't grow in winter.

The mod makes up for this fact by Pierre sending you ANCIENT FRUIT SEEDS. I had over 300 seeds by the time spring hit. Elli straight up SCAMMING Pierre during the Cage-Loop completely on accident. I'm just sitting here thinking "Dang, had I known this would have happened, I'd have activated this sooner AND kept Elli's heart-level low just to get more bang for my buck. Endless supply of Ancient Fruit Seeds just because you're jealous? Yes please!".

After the cage-loop is over, that's pretty much it. Elli apologizes, wants to do better so you feel safe around him, is willing to just be tormented by his jealousy; etc. and things just kinda go... normal??? After that. He still has his eye-brow raising marriage lines afterwards but after everything has passed, he's not too unsettling.

He's just a weirdo who doesn't know how to handle his love.

Other than ONE letter, and the fact that I had to go OUT OF MY WAY to deliberately activate the Cage-Loop event?

This mod vanilla as fuck, lol.

And no, I didn't do the divorce event. I have a history relating to such dark thoughts and even just reading the dialogue in the content file made me uncomfortable.

Overall 10/10 good way to have spent my week between my 2.0 vtuber model work.

--

It also do not help at all that what makes this mod hilarious in my head is that I play as an inhuman farmer who absolutely towers over Elli in every way. Ignatius is not threatened by this obsessive weirdo in the least bit.

#Blog OP #SDV Elliott #Yandere Elliott #Shitposting #For all intent and purposes this is a shitpost don't take me seriously

[moodywyrm]

the origins of farmhand/farmer Sevika

@pinknightsinmymind this is my take on how it all starts!

thinking of farmhand! sevika. comes back to her small town in the valley, sick and tired of the constant hum of the city. has no idea where she'll live, since her family has since moved away.

she's walking through the town square the day she comes back, heading for the inn, when she sees this lil pink note on the notice board. (before u ask yes this is basically a stardew valley au leave me alone)

"Farm-Hand Wanted" it reads, with a few extra details about a farm that Sevika knows to be owned by a sweet, if a bit weird, old man. The note says something about accommodation provided, so she decides to take it. She assumes it'll be the old man, probably needing help taking care of the farm in his old age.

so can you imagine her surprise when she knocks on the door of the mildly dilapidated farmhouse, only for it to open and show you: a sweet lil thing, dressed in dirty overalls and pink flannel shirt, covered in scrapes. a pretty girl with some meat on her bones, who seems to be around her age.

"Uh, I'm here about the farmhand posting?"

"Oh! Yes, perfect, hi!" You introduce yourself, explaining that you inherited the farm from your grandfather but you honestly don't know much about how to tend a whole farm, so you need the help to get it back up and running.

Sevika is ... apprehensive, at first. You're sweet, but clearly not used to this life, and she doesn't know how you'll handle it. Lucky for you, she's got about 18 years of experience working on a farm before she up and moved to the city, so she decides why the fuck not?

She starts as your farmhand! You surprise her when you show her all the planting you've already done, wanting to get crops in before you got too late into the season. It's spring and she sees you have little plots of parsnips, rhubarb, potatoes, garlic, strawberries and tulips all going.

She's about to ask what you need her for until she sees the rest of the farm, completely overgrown and in need of some serious TLC. The full condition of the house is somehow worse, with the plumbing to the kitchen almost completely worn down and some holes in the walls that need to be repaired.

"Yeah it's... he couldn't really do much by the end, in the way of taking care of the house. He either ate at the saloon, or someone would bring him food. I'm doing the same, at least until I can get the plumbing up and running and the fridge fixed."

Sevika see's your pitiful bed, really just a mattress held up by a few pallets and an unreasonable amount of blankets, and that's what really convinces her. As much as she hates to admit, there's something about you that makes her sympathetic.

"Yeah, I'll help you out. Looks like you need it."

"Really!! Oh you're the best, thank you so much - uhh-" "Sevika." "Thank you so much Sevika!"

The way you say her name, the way your eyes sparkle in the low light of the kitchen, it all makes Sevika a little bit fuzzy. She's known you for less than a day, but there's something there. Fuck if she knows what.

When she asks if she'll be staying in the farmhouse with you, you giggle and wave her off. "Absolutely not, would never make anyone else live in here, especially when we just met. Let me show you your cabin."

She's half convinced her place will be just as bad, but when you lead her to the humble cabin, it's surprisingly cozy? All the walls seem to be repaired, there's an actual bed and table, an attached bathroom and a lil kitchenette. It's all dark wood and cozy linen, everything immaculately clean. It's so nice, Sevika is half convinced you've been living in here instead of the house, she asks you as much.

"No, no, I've been up in the farmhouse. I just wanted to get this place all situated in case someone took me up on the farmhand offer."

Sevika thinks that's both sweet and stupid, because you've clearly been struggling and yet here's this nice lil cabin you fixed up on the off chance that someone would come help?

You let her settle in, which is really just unpacking her one big suitcase, a duffle bag and a backpack of the shit she took with her from her apartment, consisting of clothes, shoes, books, personal use items, etc. etc.

That first night, you two don't talk much. You eat at the saloon together and head back to the farm in silence, because honestly how are you supposed to navigate this situation? You put up the notice in a half-assed attempt to not have to do all of this alone, and now that someone answered, it's this gorgeous, muscular woman who looks ... mean? she looks mean, but you're sure she isn't. or at least you hope she isn't.

and sevika, meanwhile, is still so fucking confused as to how she got here. 24 hours ago she was packing up her life in the city, racing to get out of her shitty little apartment. now she's got this lil cabin on a farm in her hometown, about to be working under an absolute sweetheart of woman, and fucking terrified.

she goes to sleep that night hoping, half-praying to god she never even believed in (or really just whoever is listening), that this would turn out well. she had no clue just how well it would turn out.

this is shorter than I wanted it to be but this is the most I can come up with, just to set up how Sevika comes to be a farmhand for you <3 farm au vika has my whole heart and I love her to bits <3

#arcane sevika #sevika x reader #sevika fluff #sevika x reader fluff #farm au! sevika

[highways-are-liminal-spaces]

are there really that many bears in Alaska? asking bc you often include a very cute bear in your photo sets

It depends what part of Alaska you're in!

Juneau is absolutely overrun with Black Bears. They move around a bit, so sometimes you won't see any for days at a time, but also if you live there long enough, you're basically guaranteed to encounter a few "trash bears" just poking around garbage cans right in the downtown area. They're the hardest to see when they first start waking up because they can be anywhere, but then they get much more consistent with certain food sources. Driving past the dump, you often see them rolling around in the adjacent fields. Throughout late spring, they like to graze on the wildflowers along the roadsides, and you can often see the really little cubs with them. When the salmon run starts later in the summer, there are a few spots you can go where bears are basically a guarantee. Throughout the first 2 weeks of August and then again in the first week of September (i.e. the chum and then the pink runs), I could think to myself "I want to go see the bears today" and go see the bears. On my best day last summer, I had a total of 12-13 (with one that might have been the same bear twice).

We don't really get Brown Bears in Juneau—they show up every so often, but mostly if you want to see them in the area (and you should, because they're the really cool giant ABC Islands Bears, which are almost as big as Kodiak Bears), you need to head out to one of the islands like Admiralty, which has the world's highest bear: human population ratio (3:1!).

When I lived in Anchorage over a summer, I saw no bears around the city (though people often do!) and had to drive down the Kenai to see any Black Bears that whole year. They get Brown Bears down toward Seward and Homer too, but pretty rarely, and I've never seen one around there. On the other hand, I've never been to Denali and not seen multiple Brown Bears. And then any location you would go on trips specifically to see bears because of a seasonal food source like a salmon run (e.g. Katmai, Pack Creek by Juneau, Fish Creek in Hyder, Kodiak, Lake Clark, etc. (though I haven't done those last two yet)) will have dozens of bears around during the season.

And then there are some parts of the state (Interior and Far North) where bears are common but there is just so much space for them that you're less likely to encounter them. I have been hiking around Fairbanks a decent amount and, while you definitely have to take serious bear country precautions, I've never actually seen a bear around there. I've driven the whole Dalton Highway twice, where Brown Bears are very common, and I've only seen one over the course of a total of 8 days and almost 2000 miles covered. The Alcan route I drive on the other hand, which crosses Interior into Yukon, usually has bears—over the course of driving it three times, I've seen 5 Brown Bears and 3 Black Bears, and I've been told I had "pretty bad bear luck" on those trips (my friend Alex once had a single trip count of 9 Brown Bears and 7 Black Bears!).

I was trying to estimate the number of bears I have seen in Alaska, but it is essentially completely impossible. Definitely over 100 individuals of each species! Single days that stand out to me are that one 12 bear day in Juneau (that was at the Shrine during the end of the pink salmon run), one day driving the main road into Denali when we had a total of 22 Brown Bears and started having to drive right past them since we wanted to have time to look for other wildlife, and the only time I've been to Brooks Camp in Katmai, when we had a conservative estimate of 48 total Brown Bears.

This turned into a very long answer (can you tell I love talking about bears!) but basically: tl;dr yes there are a metric fuckton of bears in Alaska.

#bears #alaska #asks