#I think I’m just a sucker for something where the dynamic is one party completely devoted and believing that everything is real

[white-weasel]

When I was sick a month or so ago I started rewatching death note after not seeing it in years…. I now fear I’m coming out of it with a ship 12 year old me would not have been able to fathom

[super-rangers]

i'm rereading uiw becuase fuck it i'm crazy and hyperfixated and late to the party, so i wanted to get a chance to read the story and the uiw posts and asks here in real time, so get ready for a few comments lol

first one (not even in order but i have been thinking about it) is that i LOVE the little interactions regina has with aaron, especially taking his hat to protect from the sun lol i'm a sucker for an exes to friends and she's never liked that man but they have INTIMACY, and i love it 10/10 what other little things do you think she does because they share this intimacy? or do you think she gets weirded out by some things he does with cady bc she remembers they did it together (and her being Not Into Men didn't like it?)

i'll (probably) be asking more as i read if that's okay ^u

I’m so glad you like their interactions!! I’m such a fan of their platonic dynamic bc you’re right, they do have a lot of intimacy and the way they handle it is fun to explore.

As part of my original idea, I had Aaron being one of the main people telling Regina that she needs to confess her feelings to Janis. The scene where Janis follows Regina to the swing set during the t-ball game was completely repurposed from a Regina and Aaron scene later in the story where Aaron’s the one finding Regina on the swings (angsting about Janis instead of her dad ofc) and telling her point blank that it’s getting ridiculous that she’s keeping her feelings to herself.

In some ways, he’s very similar to Damian in that he doesn’t take as much of Regina’s shit as her other friends do. Like he’s still a bit of a pushover but being in a healthy relationship really gave that kid a bit of perspective (as well as a little bit of a backbone) and the ability to call Regina out – not that we saw it in UIW much lol.

Went on a bit of a tangent sorry about that

ANYWAYS

I’m going to be honest, I think Regina avoids thinking about just how close her and Aaron are 😂 Too much introspection for her. She knows that she’s comfortable with him, and that’s enough for her.

In regard to how their intimacy might manifest, we saw it a little bit when Regina was talking about her dad leaving with everyone. Instead of going to any of her other friends, Regina turns to Aaron when she questions whether it’s bad that she doesn’t miss her dad. He’s kind of that touchpoint for her emotionally bc – very similarly to Gretchen – he saw her at her worst and still liked her. (I mean, that’s fully because he’s a teenage boy and Regina hot, but let’s pretend there’s a little bit more behind it lol) She doesn’t go to him with everything, but he’s definitely one of the people she’ll talk to when she needs to check a particular emotional response.

As a lighter example, I think she continues to steal his clothes. And, when the whole gang gets together for a sleepover or trip or something, I think Regina is comfortable being in that kind of sleepy-cuddly state with 2 people – Janis and Aaron. In the mornings while Janis is still asleep, I think Regina fully gets Aaron to make her a coffee and just leans against him with her head on his shoulder completely zoned out until she’s fully awake. Physical affection is still a challenge for Regina except when it comes to Janis and Aaron. She does not analyze what that says about how much she values Aaron, and none of her friends bring it up bc they think it’s adorable.

One day Regina’s going to realize that Aaron is her best guy friend and she’s going to hate it

She definitely gets weirded out by some things he does with Cady. It’s more about the sappiness and emotion behind the actions than the actions themselves, tho? Like, she’s not going to mind seeing Cady and Aaron cuddle on the couch or have a standing date night or see him give Cady a gift out of nowhere or any number of things.

It’s more going to be about Regina realizing that she wants those things now with Janis and being uncomfortable with the fact that she was so blind to her own sexuality when she had such disdain for someone she claimed to like trying to do nice things for her. She wants all of those mushy things with Janis – she wants to sit close to her as much as possible, having a standing date night sounds like a dream, and every time she sees something that reminds her of Janis, she buys it as a gift. Seeing his actions towards Cady just recontextualizes her own past in regard to the way she feels now

This got very long lol oops I didn’t realize I had that much to say about them

Also don’t apologize for asking questions!! I love receiving them and (obviously from this reply) I love to yap

[midnightswithdearkatytspb]

VelvetCardiganBucky’s Recommendations 2021: Week 17 | April 18th – April 24th

Welcome to week 17 of my recommendations, if you would like to be featured on a future list, I follow the hashtag #VelvetCardiganBucky, message me, tag me in your future works, or reblog this post and link to your story, one-shot, Masterlist, writing challenge, etc.

Be aware some if not most stories and writers on this list are meant to be consumed by an audience of those 18+. My blog is also an 18+ blog.

✨Page breaks are made @firefly-graphics✨

«Last Week

Week 18»

My Masterlist

My Fic Rec List of Mafia/Mob Bucky/Sebastian & Steve/Chris/Andy

Stuff I Posted This Week

Forever & Always: Stage 1 - Denial | Pt.1 » Bucky Barnes x Witch!Reader & Platonic Avengers x Reader — Y/N “Birdy” (nicknamed by her family), comes from a long line of witches and warlocks, living her days at the New Avengers Compound, alongside her friends. The Avengers are part of her family and her family is always welcome to the compound. Things for once seemed to be going well now that all was right from the attack on Thanos, everyone was alive, all was forgiven, friendships were thriving, that all ended when Birdy’s brother came calling with sad news, their mother had suddenly passed. These are the stages of grief Birdy faces, through the loss of her best friend, her protector, her mother.

His Favorite Day » Chris Evans x Reader — Chris’s favorite day of the year is your birthday.

Bucky Barnes

One-Shots:

*No Hidden Messages by @jobean12-blog » TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Reader — Sam sends you a picture of Bucky and the endgame is priceless. | Honestly I love me some dominant Bucky, and if Sam had sent me that picture I would have dropped my phone and been like yep that my babe. I was thinking something more dirty but I’ll keep that thought to myself. 😉

Sucker Punch by @buckyblues » Boxer!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader — Bucky thought he knew what was his, until he accidentally let it roam free. | Someone come dump a cold bucket of water on me please?

Someone Like You by @startrekkingaroundasgard » Bucky Barnes x Hydra Agent!Reader — Taken from their SHIELD prison cell, the reader finds themself alone with The Winter Soldier negotiating for their life. | I really enjoyed reading this, the sass of the reader and how Bucky handles them. It’s just so perfect. Nicola says there is more to come for this pair and I’m so very much looking forward to it.

(Mini) Series:

Happy & So Happy by @mrwinterr » Rockstar!Bucky Barnes AU x Female Reader — You meet your favorite artist and get more than what you bargained for. | The smut in this is hot and by the end you are hoping the reader gets a happy ending not a tragic one.

*A Tender Heart 💜 Pt. 3 by @river-soul » Alpha!Bucky Barnes x Omega!Reader — You’ve been sweet on Bucky since you started working at the compound six months ago. Normally quiet and mild mannered, an unexpected fight with a coworker brings Bucky into your orbit. [A/B/O dynamics and explicit sexual content, 18+] | I feel the love that is radiating from this story and I really love it and the little bit of smut we get in chapter 3 is perfect!

the (after) party by @buckycuddlebuddy sequel loft music » fuckboy!bucky barnes x reader — “why don’t we have this thing they call goodbye sex? one last time.” he leaned forward, his lips brushing your ear. “i’ll make it good for you.” | In some strange way it was therapeutic to read this but at the same time I felt bad for the reader in the first part. Second part you are rooting for her but still feeling bad. I will say the smut in this is perfect.

Just Like Dad Pt. 3 🦾 Pt. 1 🦾 Pt. 2 by @ladyfallonavenger » Bucky Barnes x Reader — Bucky finally confronts Steve and moves forward with his life. | Very sweet ending and I loved it.

Sweet Dreams 🥞 Pt. 4 🥞 Pt. 5 🥞 Pt. 6 🥞 Pt. 7 by @jedimastermelkor » Bucky Barnes x Reader & ? x Avenger — Your daily routine involves waking up in the morning, going to work and sulking at night. But then you meet the man you’ve fantasized about for your entire life, Bucky Barnes. At the same time, you’ve caught someone else’s eye and his first step in winning you over is to cook you breakfast. But will you be welcoming of that person’s affections? | I like how she named the puppy Pancake and the first thing the mysterious avenger gave her was pancakes. I don’t want to give too much away but things are getting really good and you find out who the mysterious avenger is in chapter 6!

Steve Rogers

One-Shots:

*Caught by @giorno-plays-piano » Bluebeard!Steve Rogers x Reader — If he kept you warm, saying words of love to you every day while he looked you in the face, you’d marry him even if in a year he hanged you just like all his wives in the dungeon of his castle. | It’s dark but in a soft way and it’s so good. I highly recommend you go and read it.

Drabble Request by @angrythingstarlight » Mafia!Steve Rogers x Reader — We find out how Steve and Reader met before they ever got in a relationship. Takes place before Tell Me What You Want. | I loved this so much, I was laughing and pictured this whole piece so vividly in my brain. Also I just want a part where Bucky teases Steve about that night in front of reader making her giggle, maybe at the wedding?

(Mini) Series:

*Yuánfèn 📖 Pt. 4 by @writerwrites » Steve Rogers x Reader — When you’ve lost everything and try to run away from your problems, you keep finding a way back to the one person who completely understands. Can you make another person happy with a broken heart? | I always look forward to the updates on this story. It brings me so much comfort and the relationship that is blossoming between the reader and Steve is beautiful and organic. I highly recommend this.

Misc.

Headcanons:

*Just Like Her Old Man by @rebelwrites » Chibs Telford x Reader — I asked for: Parents get called into school for a meeting due to their daughter fighting, and trying not to be proud. Taking them out for a treat after the meeting. | It turned out so great. If you knew me at my Sons Anarchy Days, you know I loved Chibs the most. This feed my love for him even more. Thank you Heather!!

One-Shot:

*A Simple Solution by @sweetlyscared » Andy Barber x Fem!Reader, Ari Levinson x Fem!Reader, Andy Barber x Fem!Reader x Ari Levinson — You and Andy had a purely sexual relationship for several months, and you’d started to grow attached to him. Unfortunately, life has a way of complicating things, and a chance encounter at a bookstore had you stuck between a rock and a hard place. | We all owe a huge thank you to Sweet Lee, for writing and posting this. She wrote our dreams out so perfectly, and if you haven’t thought of this now you can. It’s just so hot and good, I for one am very thankful.

(Mini) Series:

*Give In 🐈‍⬛ Pt. 23 🐈‍⬛ Pt. 24 🐈‍⬛ Pt. 25 by @overr-written » soft!dark!Lee Bodecker x Reader — She didn’t think she was anything special. So when the intimidating Sheriff takes an interest in her, she can’t help but feel a little unsettled. Her boring life is about to get a little interesting. | I love this series so much and the lengths that the chapters are. I really am going to be sad when this is over. I don’t ever want it to end. 😭

Seal Team

One-Shots:

Imma Take Care Of Your Body by @rebelwrites » Clay Spenser x Reader — Reader is the only female member on Bravo who also has a no strings attached relationship with Rebel. | Let me just say this is hot, like really hot. Give me a glass of water and let me cool down. Thank you Heather for blessing us with this.

Tier One Babysitters by @bravo-four-seal-team » Seal Team; Ray Perry x Naima Perry — Ray and Naima ask the team to watch 6 month old Jameelah. | I promise you will be laughing.

You Are Perfect by @rebelwrites » Clay Spenser x Reader — Clay tells you everything he loves about you. | As a big boned girl this meant a lot and has me wishing for a Clay Spenser to call my own.

[valenhell]

From the studio that brought you “I can’t find good Byler fics in the ao3 tag”, comes:

"The Definitive Byler fic rec list"

Literally no one asked for this but because I spent the majority of last year (...and 2019, and 2018...) reading byler fics and coping with life, I thought I’d make a list of some of my absolute favorites. 

The other day I was basically starving for some byler fics and the angel @magicalfairy provided me with some of her faves so I thought I’d do the same, because I love reading, and I love all of these fics and I appreciate their writers💗 And fic writers in general, come on!

- This is a mix of long works and one-shots/short stories. - Everything is mostly fluff with a tad of angst and a lot of internalized homophobia conflict.  - Every fic is completed, except for the ones I mention that they are not. - I try my best to lay out the stories in a way that I won’t spoil you the plot but also warning you of some stuff you might don’t like. Either way, all of these fics are correctly tagged by their respective authors/owners, so read at your own risk. For better understanding, in between brackets I denote Rating, Words and quantity of Chapters. - I feel like I should clarify, none of these are narrated in the singular first person. None of that “And I told him...”, no. 

Long fics

a dream always the same (T, 99k, 35 chapters) What happened in those few weeks between the Battle of Starcourt and the Byers leaving Hawkins. Literally a satisfying and very needed fill in of season three, with a good dose of Mike’s thoughts and conflict. Mike’s characterization is specially amazing in this one. The writing style is amazing and I know the author put everything into making it historically accurate, and it was really sweet. You probably read it, it’s by the amazing sevensided here on Tumblr🧡

Spring Break (T, 120k, 14/15 chapters) The slowburn of my dreams. Lots of internalized conflict and conflict with each other. Conflict within the Party (uhh kind of), conflict with Mike and Will. Byers family has moved and the kids are visiting! Chaos. Characterization is on point. Yeah, I know it’s unfinished, but the fourteenth chapter actually serves as a pretty nice ending. 

This is where it starts (M, 148.8k, 24 chapters) Aged up characters. The Party is in college and Will disappears again, but now it’s different. Mike knows he didn’t vanish from thin air, and the discovery he and the Party end up making is pretty insane. Mystery solving/fantasy/third dimension, throw in a bit of D&D and Mike realizing some shit, and you get this marvelous fic. It’s a breath of fresh air. The world building is definitely one of the elements that stands out the most, because it’s very nicely described, it sounds like a dream and it’s completely immersive. Absolute gem of a fic. 

there’s a Starman waiting in the sky (M, 30.6k, 8 chapters) Do I need to say anything? Will is out there living his best life and Mike realizes that wow, umm, maybe his best friend looks a bit too nice with that costume... and wait, is he getting horny? It’s actually really fun and sexy.

The Evening Speaks (T, 23k, 7 chapters) In where Mike is a late-night college radio host and Will is the art student that stays up till late to catch up with Wheeler on the Mic. They flirt through songs y’all, this one is really sweet. 

heads or tails? (E, 24k, 3 chapters) Aged up characters. I know most people don’t enjoy sex in fics and with specific characters but this one is insanely well written. It’s a slowburn that commits to the tension and with every word you are grasping and anticipating their next move. I think you can find the author here on Tumblr as yousaidyes🧡

The Man of Average (M, 56.7k, 5/? chapters) Aged up characters. No but you don’t understand, the writing here is absolute gourmet. The story is exciting as well, it’s super interesting. Weirdly enough, for being very aged up characters, they are well characterized but they don’t feel like teenagers. They are naturally Mike and Will. The author really captured Mike and Will’s essence. I know, it’s unfinished and it’s updated very rarely, but this is the typical fic you can’t believe someone just posted on the internet for free. I will say though, I think it’s definitely not for everyone. Read at your own risk.

Heartstrings (E, 82.8k, 24/? chapters) Aged up characters. By the same author of The Man of Average. A collection of memories, the road to Mike and Will’s happy ever after. And fucking hell!!!!! You’ll cry and get angry, you’ll cheer for them, then you’ll want to crash their faces together because god dammit you love each other!!! But yeah, same thing here. The writing and the way the story is laid out as a nonlinear narrative is brilliant. And I also think this is one of the best Will versions I’ve read. The author might as well be the og creator of this two characters tbh. You can find the author here as mylesimeblr🧡

Sinners behind the walls (T, 1.5k, 1/1) And because I can’t stop recommending this author, a little thing of Mike tormenting himself but also being too deeply committed to Will. 

The Red Envelope series (T/E, 167K, two completed works) Something happens that Will thought was impossible and from there, pure drama and romance. Anything by this author has the potential to become your absolute favorite fic, but this series in particular is amazing. I doubt that any of you haven’t read this, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in this list. I’m pretty sure the author is serendipitous-magic on Tumblr🧡

A New Fight series (T, 91k, two completed works, one WIP) And finally the Star Wars AU that we all needed. But this isn’t your typical “Mike is Han”, “Will is Leia” and “El is Luke”, it’s way more interesting than that, and the author has appropriated the Star Wars world like no other. I’ll admit I’m not a 100% fluent in SW lore but this is amazing to me either way. This author is also on Tumblr, tea-for-one-please🧡

- Yes, most of these are (if not all), in a way, canon compliant/canonverse/canon continuation into fanon. (In a way)

One-shots and short stories

Sundae for Two, Please (G, 4.8k) Steve being the supportive friend and older brother these kids collectively need. (not Jonathan erasure, we love him). Steve is very sweet himself, and this little cute thing through his POV is gorgeous. Yes, it’s byler.

Backstage (T, 10k, 2/2) Jonathan, you forgot to mention to Will how hot your new band’s guitarist is, dude. Now he’s hyperventilating and weirdly flirting with him in the corner. Background Stonathan because why not.

102 Peach Street (G, 3.8k) Established relationship, but not only that, they are married :’’))) PURE fluff. Extreme fluffiness. Diabetes. 

sweatshirts and bottled up feelings (T, 3.2k) Or, Mike thinks that the sweatshirt Will wears looks insanely good on him. And kitchens are for lovers. 

kiss it better (T, 16.3k) Basically one of the best character studies of a few precise moments of Mike and Will’s relationship and feelings. 

will wonders ever cease (T, 11.3k) #i ship will and happiness. Omfg what a beautiful piece of fanfic. Will centric, this kid really deserves all the good in the world.

The Calm After the Storm (T, 1.6k) Tooth rotting fluff, boyfriends in love. Boyfriends being lazy, cuddling, love words, kisses. Boys loving each other’s company... Basically, Mike and Will in their element. What more can you ask for?

neither of us ready to let go (T, 4.8k) That scene from season three, but a bit of a fix it. 

Still in love (G, 1k) Domestic, married life au fluff. Y’all, I’m a sucker for established Byler, even if I can’t find many fics with it. But this is very sweet. It takes place in 2020, but I don’t think there are any mentions of the COVID-19 crisis that I remember.

I Nver Find Out ‘Til I’m Head Over Heels (G, 12.5K) Classic 5+1 fic. If you haven’t read it, where have you been? This is your moment. In where Mike keeps inviting Will to the school dances and Will thinks it’s just a joke until he realizes it’s not. 

Before You’re Gone (T, 5.9k) Will is leaving Hawkins and Mike thinks this is a great moment for a confession. This one I discovered last friday, thank you friend @magicalfairy 💗

You’re weird Wheeler (M, 4.5k) Mike unintentionally starts a tradition of going to each other to talk about their sexual encounters just after they finish. Will keeps getting more explicit with the details he shares, and he makes his best friend interested. This one is really fun y’all.

Out-Of-Town Friends (N/R, 4.6K) It’s not rated. I haven’t re- read it but I’d say it would probably fall in a T rating. So cute!! Will has new friends and sneaks off every friday and the Party doesn’t know where he is going, so Mike decides to follow him and is surprised. 

Snowed Under (G, 1.3k) By the same author of The New Fight series. Mike is spending christmas by himself in college because a snowstorm hits Chicago and Nancy can’t drive to see him, but then he has a surprise visitor. Ahhh just a lil sweet holiday fic. Super cute. 

you love me anyway series (T, 7.1k, three completed works) Literally just the cutest thing ever. Established Byler. Will loves to take pictures and he loves taking pictures of Mike. It’s adorable. 

you wanna be friends forever (i can think of something better) (T, 9k) This one is so amazing. So. Amazing. From Will’s POV, my kid deserves the world and he gets it. 

okay not to be okay (T, 4.9k) Mike is a bit sad but then everything is okay. 

can’t hold out forever (G, 18.4k) Y’all!!!!! 5+1 sweetness. Mike has been falling in love since kindergarten. And it’s long af, you’ll enjoy it. 

even if it takes forever (G, 1.3k) College short AU, they miss each other, they love each other, they promise all to each other. It is sappy y’all.

clear as day (N/R, 18.4K, 4 chapters) It’s not rated, but I’d say it falls in the T category. Strangers to friends to lovers. And also, everyone is pretty gay; we have our dynamic trio Mike, Max and El as disaster lesbians (and gay). Will works at the library and he is also gay. Lucas and Dustin and Will are the best friends we needed. It’s very sweet and the Party is kind of formed here!

I went overboard with the one-shots, so you must have realized how much I love long one-shots and I favor them over long works lmao but they are all amazing!!! If it’s on this list, I probably read it at 2 am, sobbing in my bed. So. Hope you enjoy it☺️🧡

[anime-grimmy-art]

Told you guys I’d ramble in due time.

I absolutely adore Bravely Default 2. It came at a really bad time cos I can’t waste 70 hours on a jrpg, but well, it’s too late to be concerned about that now. And as is tradition with me obsessing over a new game / show / whatever, you’ll basically find a fullblown review disguised as ramblings right under the cut. Be aware that I’m gonna talk about EVERYTHING, so spoilers are a given. Some maybe even for the previous Bravely Default games.

Also, if you wanna talk about this game in any capacity, hit me up, I’m DESPERATE to talk more about it.

Just for reference on how long this is gonna be, I made a voice recording while driving to remember all the points I wanna make, and that recording is almost 2 hours long. I did cut it down but still, this is gonna be a lot.

I’ll start off with the things that actually bugged me about the game, since there are only 3 things that really bothered me. First of, I really don’t like that you can name Seth. He has too much personality to be a self insert and player integration is not that big of a part in the game that this decision can be justified. It wouldn’t bother me that much if it didn’t leave a bad mark on the ending. First of all, we were robbed of Gloria desperately shouting for Seth, which makes the impact work less, and it’s just so prevalent that the name can’t be said because you have all the normal sound design going. If they’d just let the credits still play I wouldn’t have batted an eye, but because every other sound comes in it’s so obvious they’re just silently shouting in this scene, which makes it look silly. Like I said, this decision is more a detriment than an addition, and it’s a shame it casts a shadow on an otherwise heartfelt ending.

Speaking about lost potential, the other thing that really bothers me is the lost potential in certain plot points and character conclusions. I mainly mean Adam and Edna here. Both of them have been built up to be these formidable foes but they just, die. If it was just Adam I’d be fine with it, since you expect Edna to backstab him and be the actual big bad of the story, but I cannot fathom why they dropped Edna this HARD. If not Edna herself, I don’t understand why we don’t get more of a reaction from the Fairies and especially Adelle. I mean, Edna was her sole reason she left for her journey in the first place, then Edna dies and that’s it? No part where she grieves for a second? No concern from the others about Adelle? Mind you, I haven’t finished all the Sidequests, so maybe there actually is one in which this is addressed, but I think even just a Party Chat after Bad End 1 would have been sufficient to show how Adelle suddenly feels about the loss of Edna. It would have made Bad End 2 / The Secret Ending even more impactful, because, yeah, of course, you kinda know Adelle isn’t going to turn her back on fairy kind, but one of the reasons she doesn’t leave is because if Enda didn’t get a happy ending, then she shouldn’t either. It would have been amazing foreshadowing if she showed this sentiment before this scene happened. Other than that, it’s a shame that we know so little about Edna, or rather, how she became “bad”. I get she’s supposed to be corrupted by the Night’s Nexus, but how did it even come to this? It can’t have been a gradual thing, after all, Adelle says Edna was always good natured and then just disappeared one day. Really would have loved seeing more of that plot point.

Ok, last gripe I have, some choices in the soundtrack and sound design. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the OST, and I will get to that, but damn, whatever Revo used for the lead instrument in Wiswald hurts my ears. It’s a really good track, but I always have to turn down my volume because these high pitched sounds physically hurt. And for sound design. Dude, the Night’s Nexus is the least threatening, nightmare fueled abomination that ever existed. I get that its growl is kinda supposed to be layered with Edna’s or sth, but it, it just sounds silly. If they went the route of just swinging between different voices or began distorting it from phase to phase, it would have been fine. But the choice they made really made an otherwise creepy design just absolutely silly.

Ok, enough jammering, on to the good stuff. Like I said, there’s going to be a lot, so I’ll try to be brief in each aspect.

Gameplay

I honestly like the new battle mechanics more than the old ones. This individual, turn based system feels way more dynamic and it’s easier to strategies in battles. Because nothing made me more angry than setting up for a heal and the enemy suddenly being faster than me and killing my healer. Now it’s easier to plan ahead a bit.

I also found myself experimenting more with the jobs. Not sure what it really is, but none of the party members leaning more towards certain types of jobs and the job leveling being way faster probably helped.

And I know some people get up in arms because the boss sometimes can be a real pain in the ass (looking at you pope dude), I still found it very interesting getting around counters or even using these counters as a benefit. As an example, I made Adelle my main physical fighter and gave her lots of counter abilities to help her profit from being countered by enemies themselves. Now, she can attack enemies, get countered, automatically evade that counter and earn a BP at the same time. Made a lot of boss fights way easier and fun to exploit.

Music

Ok, I will try my best to be really, really brief, because in my recording this part takes up almost 40 minutes. Anyways, Revo might have just become one of my absolute favorite composers ever. I don’t know what kind of magic he used, but I initially wasn’t that impressed with the OST, but every time I listened to it, I just fell in love harder and harder. Before getting into specifics, I wanna highlight the two things that made me love this OST overall. First of all, this soundtrack almost seems like a refinement of BD’s. While losing some of that fairytale vibe, it sounds even more fantasy now. And in contrast to the original, this almost sounds more balanced? Like, BD’s OST felt high energy throughout, BD2’s on the other hand manages to find a good balance between high and low energy pieces. Like, the character themes or battle themes are absolute hype, but the overworld themes are a lot calmer and easier to listen to while exploring. Second big point that makes this soundtrack amazing is that Revo is an absolute god at using emotional progression/storytelling and leitmotifs in his songs. And heck, do I love myself my leitmotifs. You’ve got some obvious ones, like the final battle theme in which all the character themes and other leitmotifs are integrated. Then you got some maybe more subtle once, just like how the overworld themes are just the main theme, just a lot calmer and using the lead instruments of the towns of the areas.

But my absolute favourites gotta be the character themes and the main theme. I love how fitting the themes for the characters are and in general, each of them is such a bop. At first I prefered Elvis’, because I sure am a sucker for jazzy vibes, but over time Adelle’s became my fav. It’s just something about the trumpets, and how the theme almost sounds a bit melancholic and bittersweet, that drew me in. And considering her story, mostly her bad end, that the bittersweet tone really fits.

Then there’s the main theme. Just like BD’s it shouts “triumphant anthem” and it definitely gives you a very familiar vibe, but I’d argue it has even better emotional progression. Heck, the first time I heard the music start up in the reveal trailer, I didn’t have to look at the screen to know this is gonna be a BD game. Also, the credit song version had me weeping at the true end. I’m someone who’s very easily affected by music (if me shouting about soundtracks on this blog wasn’t proof enough) and just hearing that ending song, getting the after credits scene, just for the second credits to start as a freaking duet. Dude, at that point I just started sobbing, I’m not gonna lie. Just this little part showed how much Revo knows how to put emotion in a song and also write it in such a way that he can elicit strong, emotional reactions from you too. 

Story

People have been complaining how the story is too boring and kinda disappointing in comparison to the last one, but I just think the games tried to accomplish different things here. Since the BD series is a celebration of old, classic jrpgs, “cliche” storytelling is a given. Though, BD did throw a lot of meta stuff in there too. BD2 in contrast just feels like a direct execution of that initial idea. It feels familiar, it feels comfy and it feels safe. Except for the little things with the endings and then overwriting the Nexus’ “save file”, BD2 doesn’t really get that meta, which is totally fine. It doesn’t try to reinvent or innovate anything, it just wants to be a fantasy story, that might be cliche, but still fun and enjoyable in its own right.

I’d also argue that the pacing is a lot better than the old game, because with BD I sometimes found myself skipping through scenes to get on with the story. Not that this game didn’t have me rushing through stuff as well, but I found it kept my intrigue way better than the original.

Characters

Next to the music, this is the part that I absolutely love the most. While, yes, they did lose a lot of potential with some characters, mostly with the villains, the main cast is just so much fun. I love these 4 dorks so, so much.

I honestly can’t stand how much people compare them to the original cast. Yes, ofc, I’ve been doing my fair share of comparisons too, but calling these four a more boring version of BD’s party physically hurts me. Because except for some initial impressions, the Heroes of Light are completely different from our beloved Warriors of Light.

While yes, Seth and Gloria give off strong Tiz and Agnes vibes at first, they both grow into such different characters that they’re not really comparable. I think this shows with Adelle and Elvis even more. I do understand how people could compare Adelle and Edea, since they’re both the feisty girl type, but I can’t understand how people can see Ringabel and Elvis as the same character type. While those two are the “suave” party members, they act so differently from another. And that’s honestly apparent the first time you meet them. 

Anyways, I love these 4 so much.

We technically don’t know a lot about Seth at all, but they manage to pull so much out of just the fact that he’s a sailor, that it makes him really endearing, really fast.

I was kinda disinterested with Gloria at first, because again, the initial impression was Agnés2.0, but she grew on me a lot. Gloria is way more hard headed and honestly sassy in comparison to Agnés and I absolutely adore it.

Elvis. Elvis, my man. I love this fantasy scottosh wizard so, so much. He’s such a ridiculous character but so endearing at the same time. You got all this dorkiness, with him setting himself on fire as a student, him doing god knows what for a good drink or just laughing danger and prejudice in the face. But then you got his super empathetic and caring side. Mind you, most of his wise moments come from quoting Lady Emma, but still, as much as he’s hopeless with certain social situations, he’s actually still really good at reading the room and playing things smart. He’s a smart and powerful idiot, which makes him a danger to everyone and himself, and I love him for it. (I also can’t believe they called him Lesley I MEAN COME ON)

And then there’s Adelle. I liked her from the start, but I didn’t think she would stick out to me. I think now she’s my favourite character. Not even talking about all the stuff that happens in chapter 3 and onward, because these story threads are awesome in their own right, but there’s just something about her personality that’s interesting and appealing to me. Like I said, I’m not surprised people compare her to Edea, I did too at first, but while Edea walks very close to the line of a Tsundere, I was really surprised that Adelle is, well, not a Tsundere at all. Yeah, of course she’s putting Elvis down a lot, but that stems more from her preventing his ego from going to his head than her being all embarrassed. No, Adelle is actually really well adjusted when it comes to communication. While it’s hilarious that she and Elvis met with her chucking her shoes at him, the two just got along well right from the start. Adelle in general has this really open and helpful personality, but also doesn’t shy away from putting her foot down, even if that sometimes comes out as an embarrassed sputter. She’s also the mother hen of the group. She looks out for the other three and gets concerned about them real fast. 

I dunno, Adelle just really grew on me over the course of this game, and then her kinda being paired with Elvis too, as partners and as partners, makes me like her even more. Because as much as I like their personalities individually, I like their character dynamic even more. I honestly love the relationships between all four of them a lot. You really feel them grow closer as friends and all the little character sidequests just always made me really happy.

Conclusion

You might not believe me, but I really held back there. This could probably have been 3 times its length. As much as I love this game, it’s of course not perfect. It struggles and flails in some parts a lot and it certainly has some aspects that might turn people off. But for me, it was just a very familiar and comfy game that didn’t necessarily deliver anything new, but that told its story in such a way that it still got me excited to keep going. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and the conclusion of the story actually got me to cry. While not groundbreaking, this game is highly enjoyable and leaves you absolutely satisfied at the end.

Also, I would like to iterate that I am desperate to get more content about this game, so if you wanna chat about it, hit me up.

Anyways, anyone else felt like having a fever dream when everybody in chapter 2 started talking fantasy scottish? Cos I sure did.

[livlepretre]

Hey, just wanted to thank you for recommending Caraval! It only took me a few days to read it and I loved it more than I thought I could!

Just because I'm curious.. who are your favorite characters? And ships? I personally shipped Legend with Scarlett, I was disappointed that they didn't happen.🥲✨

(Not me always falling for impossible ships, just why💀)

Omg you are luring me out of hiding with this caraval ask hahaha

I’m so happy you adored the series— I too was caught off guard by just how much I loved it.

My favorites… gosh, I think a big reason why I love the series so much is that the characters give me those warm fuzzy “oh yes, these are my friends” feelings— I overall really like all of the mains, but the Dragna sisters are at the heart of it for me— getting to alternate between their povs in the last book was heaven for me. Their love for each other was so wonderfully depicted and completely convinced me, and they were so different and yet so obviously sisters. But honestly I also adore Julian, I find him completely hilarious. Also???? I would describe most of the characters as bastards (Gavriel, LEGEND), devils (Tella and Julian, Paloma), or weird fuckos (WHAT is Jacks’s energy, please tell me, because it is distinct but weird as hell omg) but Scarlett is somehow actually just a ray of beautiful rainbow sunshine and I appreciate it so much.

As for ships!! Okay I COMPLETELY feel you on Scarlett x Legend— I was convinced of it throughout the first book (HE ONLY WRITES BACK ONCE SHE TELLS HIM SHE’S GETTING MARRIED) and was honestly disappointed when it turned out at the end of the first book that Tella x Legend was happening all along. (I think I thought the letter at the end from “a friend” was from Legend. Oh what an innocent fool I was.) BUT, WOW did I come around on Julian x Scarlett. Like, I also spent a while in the first book convinced Julian had to be Legend simply because the chemistry was so good between them and I was so into it and Julian is just off putting enough. And everything happening with him in the 2nd book cements this for me. (I like complicated and messy things, and details like him knowing Armando was playing the game all along and deciding to hide it because he won’t play fair since he wants to win was 10/10 for me.) Also he is so dashing? Of course he runs in to that doomed immortal after party to go save her if he possibly can.

Now. The Big Question. Legend or Jacks with Tella. This messed with my mind soooo much. Like, I am into Legend. I am into the fact that he apparently died like a halfway through Caraval (oops haha) but also the fact that he just can’t love her?? the scene at the immortal market when he’s like, who is the father of her child??? THE SCENE WHERE HE SAVES HER FROM THE CARD?????? GAH. Love it and love their dynamic. All of the dreaminess of like the first 10 chapters of Finale. The creepiness mixed in with the wonder. But. But!!! Jacks!!! Look, his energy is off the charts feral and WEIRD but I am a SUCKER for this sort of ship. The elements of fate and horror and!!! And!!! Oh, his love for her is destroying him? Oh, he cursed her and she’s dying? Oh, she’s his one true love but she doesn’t really return his sentiments but has a strange connection to him and keeps going back? OH, THEY ARE MARRIED BECAUSE HE TRICKED HER INTO AN ARCANE AND TERRIFYING SOUL BINDING RITUAL???? I am bitterly disappointed that this ended so abruptly— I want more! I wanted AT LEAST a denouement after she is freed from his spell— or something! And wow that divorce was way too easy. I thought there were supposed to be terribly permanent effects? Like, I was too agonized over this ship to read the Jacks sequel novels right away (Once Upon a Broken Heart if you are not aware of it yet, and Happily Never After coming out soon!) because I was afraid he would get a new girlfriend/I didn’t want to move on from the Dragna sisters as the main heroines yet, but I am inching closer.

[lambourngb]

Day 2: AU get me out of here - places to go when canon is complicated

It’s Day 2 for @roswellnewmexicocreate, time to celebrate those stories that I turn to when I can’t deal with canon, or when I don’t have the emotional energy to untangle all the emotions I have for what’s going on in canon. Alternative universes, the safe harbor for us. Below are a mix of rewrites of canon, remixes of canon, or out right not even set in Roswell- to fill every type distance you want from canon- from near to far.

and the howl of the desert carries me home by @christchex​/ @michaels-blackhat​ (4,334) Alex runs into the desert to escape from his father with his guitar clutched to his chest. He plans to spend one last night playing before his father destroys it. Instead, he meets a cute boy with flowers in his curly hair and a lizard on his shoulder. He exchanges a song for a smile.

why i like it: I love everything about this story. Michael is totally a disney princess, and what a lovely way to save him from foster homes, but have him run away to the desert and use his alien powers to build his own little protective world. Looping in Nora’s plant powers like that, giving Michael a little animal friend, I love it all, but the show stealer is Alex Manes, playing music to coax the mystery boy out. It’s just incredibly soft.

***

Heartbeat series by @adiwriting ​ (133,000 - in progress) During the lost decade, Alex gets Michael pregnant and Michael doesn't see or hear from him again for the next four and a half years. When Alex comes back to town, he discovers he has a daughter with Michael and they all have to figure out how to be a family.

why i like it: it has it all, installments with angst, installments with fluff, I can find whatever mood I am in by just pouring over this incredible series. I really don’t even like mpreg, but in RNM, with aliens it seems a little more probable to me and bless Britt, she goes light on the details but heavy on the kid aspect of it. I absolutely love Alex in this story, he’s richly characterized as a man who is trying hard while wandering unfamiliar territory like aliens, like being a dad, like being Michael’s boyfriend, and he doesn’t always get it right, but he’s loved regardless.

***

tonight we are young @skinsharpenedteeth (8,137) Alex and Michael ditch the Evans' New Years Eve party to find their own fun and Alex gets his New Years kiss...(the underage tag is because they're both 17 in this.)

why i like it: I’m a sucker for teen!Malex, especially stories that take place before the shed. I love this little AU where Alex is thinking about making a move, but hasn’t yet. They are both adorable nervous babies, this feels very much how a softer teen!Malex first time would go. Perfectly characterized here, you can just feel the hopeful vibes they have at 17. I like to believe nothing bad ever happens to them again.

***

you shift on a gear (it’s been a long year) by @backinmybodymp3 (28, 362) “Good morning,” Michael says. “What the hell did you do?” Alex asks, exasperated. (or: There were times, in some of the lower moments of the past however-many-days it’s been, where Michael had thought about what it might’ve been like to share this time loop with someone. He never imagined— well, he never imagined it’d be Alex.)

why i like it: I love time-loop stories! And this is just superb. The friendship dynamics of everyone involved, the Liz/Max wedding, Michael being a good brother, Michael trying so hard to keep this bullshit from dragging Alex in and then Alex being his usual reckless self when it comes to Michael, I absolutely dig this canon-divergent au. you can feel how much the author cares about everyone on the show in this story, and they really nail the Malex dynamic. This story came along just as season 3 did and it’s a true antidote to the malex drought on screen.

***

the library by @arielana (9,657)  Alex had stopped too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, but their voices did carry over to where he was standing. The guy’s drawl had a melody to it that was vaguely familiar, but much deeper than the voice it reminded Alex of. God, that and the hair really brought some memories back.  Just as Alex told himself to stop secretly staring like a creep and walk over there, he turned slightly so that Alex got a glimpse of the side of his face.  Fuck!  Fuck, fuck, fuck! Twelve years ago Alex left Roswell to join the Air Force, nursing a broken heart and promising to never return. When work brings him back to New Mexico he runs into someone he’d been sure he’d never see again.

why i like it: the first kiss in the UFO emporium was groundbreaking, but I have to admit, I love stories that explore the almost-happened, where Malex reconnect as adults without the shadow of Jesse’s attack. I love how sharp Alex is in this story, he has all these walls as an adult built from that first rejection, but then he’s so completely unprepared to reconnect with Michael again. The clownery in this story by both of them is perfect! I also totally love Forrest as a gay best friend for Alex, trying to wingman Alex, that cracked me up.

***

stellar light based life by @jocarthage (30,651) It’s not a memory if it’s something you see every day. It’s a trigger and it’s not one Alex wants to ever let go of.Alex saw Michael disappear into a blinding blue light, soft 17-year-old body pulled back into some kind of impossible vortex -- one hand, outstretched.

why i like it: another submission from 2020 RNM Big Bang, this story just wrecked me. I can’t even really put into words about how it hooked me and basically lives in my head now to the point I often mumble the first line to myself. Anyway, this AU takes a right turn at the shed attack, and goes full force scifi and tragic separation, I love it. In so many ways it reshapes Alex’s life but the core of who he is never changes, there’s so many great science geekery details about Michael’s planet and the astronaut journey that Alex takes, plus SANDERS... anyway, this is a fandom classic for me.

***

Crossed Wires by @beautifulcheat, @ladynox (15,351) Michael's been kicked off more than one Starfleet posting. So when he learned he was reassigned to the USS Roswell, he decided that he would keep his head down and behave. This decision is immediately thwarted when he meets her hot Vulcan captain.This might be the first time Michael got kicked off a posting for flirting with a captain.

why i like it: Star Trek AU? I’m pretty easy. Seeing elements of Kirk and Spock’s tragic backstory blended into genius mechanic Michael Guerin and ice prince Alex Manes was amazing. I love how it’s serving with his family that brings Michael to the Enterprise, his bond with Max and Isobel was chef’s kiss good. The blend of Michael’s powers and Alex’s biology - I loved the balance even if it came with its own misunderstandings, but hey, this time it was cultural! lol

***

I’m still here by @vague-shadows @pippsmcgee  (35,928) Treasure Planet AU in which Michael is the gifted young delinquent who found a treasure map, and Alex is a space pirate pawn in his Father's obsession with riches and legacy.

why i like it: I’ve never seen Treasure Planet, but I didn’t need to thoroughly enjoy this AU. This was the perfect mix of angst and sci-fi adventure, where the authors managed to make the shed even more horrifying. Jesse Manes is the absolute worst in this story, the levels of obsession he goes to find a treasure, and then Michael on his own collision course - the ability to write tense action is a gift, and it’s on display in this story. Cyborg!Alex took up a place in my heart and still lives there, where he only gets the nicest things.

If you like any of these recs, please leave a comment on the story or a kudo- a  ‘this was awesome’ is enough to propel an author into the stratosphere with happiness, so don’t worry about coming up with a unique, never before shared insight- sometimes a keyboard smash and emoji makes all  the difference!

[gyroshrike]

Tell me why you love Gamtav; give me a whole rambling essay if you can. I like seeing people excited over the things and ships they like!

Oh, are you sure you want this? Do you really want to open Pandora's Box? Are you ready for the amount of rambling I can do about GamTav? How much time do you have? Because this is going to be a doozy. I haven't even started writing it and I can tell.

And before I get into it, people gotta know that most of this is based off of pre-murderstuck Gamzee

What do I like about GamTav? What do I like about GamTav??? One of the things that plays into me loving this ship so much is how much I love Gamzee and Tavros as individuals. Whenever I start reading a new piece of media, without question my favorite characters are almost always the really, really nice ones. Boku no Hero Academia? Kirishima. Anohana? Poppo. Legend of Korra? Bolin. And in the beginning of Homestuck, Gamzee and Tavros are just really, really NICE.

Oh, well, Gamzee is really, really nice. When we first see Tavros, he’s being a little shit to the kids, but that's because he was intentionally trying to troll. But once we get into Act 5 and we see Tavros interact with his friends, we realize he's generally a really kind person. His conversations with Nepeta, Gamzee and Aradia are all really sweet. His pesterlog with Vriska, which is the first one we get to see after he is revealed to us as a character, immediately paints a picture of him as someone struggling with his self-esteem and someone who is trying really hard to build himself up as a person. Way to fuckin’ endear me to a character IMMEDIATELY.

For most of the early comic until Act 5, we see all the trolls trolling the kids and even talking shit back and forth to each other. Gamzee was one of the first trolls who we see be purely sweet and supportive to his friends. His first pesterlog after we’re introduced to him is with Karkat and Karkat does nothing but talk shit. xD He does his usual song and dance of saying just the absolute worst things possible in that Karkat way of his and Gamzee just laughs and nods and basically says, “Yeah brother, you go, I love you, you're my best friend.”

We see Gamzee talk with Equius and we already know at this point that Equius is weird, but Gamzee is so jazzed to be talkin’ with his friend. He's just so supportive of Equius and even when Equius tells Gamzee that he must stop doing soper, Gamzee just says, “Okay, sure, you got it, I trust what you're telling me because you're my friend.” Now Equius is not actually ready for Gamzee to listen to him and backtracks and is like, “Wait, no, you don't have to listen to me, let's roleplay instead,” and Gamzee's like, “I don't know how to roleplay, but I'll try for you bro.” He’s just really fucking cute???

Short version: When we meet them, Tavros is someone you want to root for and Gamzee is just the nicest guy on the planet.

Gamzee loves his friends so much and from early on it's made apparent that he wants to love and support them, and would honestly do a lot for them even if he doesn't know what he's doing.

Also along with just being a generally sweet guy Tavros is the nerd archetype I love? He loves the troll equivalent of Pokemon and card games and other things like that. Also he just really loves animals? And I always love the characters who love animals. It's a really big weakness I have. Not to mention, talking with them? That's so COOL? So badass??? Like, UM???? He could control them, but he doesn't like forcing them to do bad things against their will. (Going off of how when suggested he control the imps to defeat them, but feels like that would be unfair/mean.)

SPEAKING OF THE IMPS. Of the twelve trolls, Tavros and Gamzee are the two of them who BEFRIENDED their imps. Isn't that so fucking rad????? They both started off fighting them at first, but then they both later mention that they are able to chill with their imps instead. Gamzee shares pie with them and Tavros communicates with them using his powers. I freaking LOVE that parallel. When I first noticed it I almost keeled over. See, I'm also a sucker for characters who like to attempt peace before conflict, so of course I'm going to love that both of them made friends instead of enemies.

So Act 5 Homestuck has already set me up to basically completely love these two characters. Now, I am a really big shipper. In almost every piece of media I go into I generally come out with ships and that's a big way that I engage with fandom. Now Homestuck, I actually didn't ship that much at first when I first started reading, which is pretty strange for me. I think I just kind of let the ships fall into my lap up until that point. I know my brain had really enjoyed the ideas of Karkat and Terezi, Dave and Terezi, and had even teased inklings of "What if?" and "Oh, I like them," about Rose and Kanaya. But for the most part I wasn't really into Homestuck for shipping at first.

The concept of GamTav, or PBJ as it was more commonly referred to then, was introduced to me by my friends. I had two irl friends who were reading the comic with me and they were ahead of me by some decent amount of pages at the time. At one point they started making references to PBJ and really liking PBJ and I was a little confused because I didn't quite know what they were referring to at first. I learned pretty soon that PBJ was Gamzee and Tavros and I remember being really excited for the ship because it was the first time I'd seen my friends get that excited for a ship. Which is really funny because now in the twilight years of the Homestuck fandom, of the three of us, I'm the only one gripping white-knuckled onto GamTav and breathing it like my life depends on it, while the other two have moved on to much different things. If I'm being honest, I'm pretty sure one of them doesn't even really like Gamzee that much anymore, but respects how much I love him and lets me rant and rave to her about him whenever I want.

It wasn't long after that that I finally got to the infamous "Make out a little" conversation between Gamzee and Tavros. I read the pesterlog and suddenly everything I had seen and heard from my friends made sense. I mean, not that I'm saying that's the ONLY reason GamTav makes sense. I just mean I understood what my friends specifically were talking about. Of the pesterlogs we've seen between them before that, Gamzee and Tavros obviously had a decent friendship. I'm pretty sure in the comic Gamzee was the first person to have a pesterlog with Tavros who is genuinely nice to him. (And this is conversation happens directly after Tavros’ conversation with Vriska, so it’s a wild contrast.) So as a friendship, I was already super down with Gamzee and Tavros-- you know what? Now that I think about it, I feel like I remember in [S] Make Her Pay being disappointed that Gamzee and Tavros were fighting alone and not with each other. Because a lot of the other trolls had paired up to be cool duos, you know? We had Karkat and Terezi, Feferi and Sollux, Nepeta and Equius, and I think I remember being bummed that Gamzee and Tavros weren't paired up. So I, at the very least, think I wanted things for these two even if I hadn't stepped into the realm of actually shipping them yet. I don't remember, this was YEARS ago.

Anyway, the infamous makeout conversation happens, and I'm sold hard for life. I have a lot of other Homestuck ships that I'm into and I enjoy, but none have ever, ever, ever, ever come close to GamTav.

I realize that I've written so much and I still haven't gotten to the meat of why I like them.

So I like ships where the parties involved are best friends. I love it when the characters in a ship are bros who love hanging out, who love doing silly things together. That awesome video "What your favorite Homestuck ship says about you" had me dead to rights. Called me out so hard. My ideal ship dynamic is "being stupid together"? Way to come for the throat. That's exactly it. At their core, Gamzee and Tavros are one of the funnest bro combinations I have ever seen. And what makes them so fun is both of them are huge dorks. HUGE dorks.

When we first meet Gamzee, he stares off into the colors of his miracle modus while making the most ridiculous face, tries to unicycle but just fuckin' pieruettes right off if it because his legs are too short, and just straight up reaches into his modus with his bare hands. Don't even get me started on how he scares himself with his own horns. That shit kills me.

We've already talked about how Tavros is a huge nerd, so that's covered. But like… have you heard him rap? This guy just gets so into it and has so much fun while simultaneously sounding so silly. He's flirty and awkward and ridiculous and has this shit eating grin on all the time.

They are those two friends who get up to shenanigans where everyone else around them just kind of shakes their head and thinks that they're so dumb (in an affectionate way), but they don't care because all they DO care about is how much fun they're having together.

One of my favorite things about Homestuck in general is it lets its characters be bad at things. John and Karkat suck at coding. Gamzee, Tavros, and Dave are bad at rapping. Rose becomes a prolific author, but I would argue she's bad at writing when she's 13 because, wow is it a slog to get through her wizard fanfiction LMAO.

And GamTav is a perfect example of two people who just have fun together being bad at things together. There's no pretense of needing to be cool or needing to be good at something or any type of shame or embarrassment. They're just so silly and they don't mind being silly around each other and they never make the other person ashamed of who they are. We even see some of that last bit in the comic. Gamzee never puts Tavros down. In one conversation, he acknowledges Tavros' disability, but doesn't taunt Tavros for it, doesn't make it a joke, or make him feel bad. It's just acknowledged and then they move on. Then Tavros mentions that while he doesn't share Gamzee's religious or spiritual views, he is supportive of them. I am such a sucker for shit like that.

In every way, shape, and form, Gamzee and Tavros are supportive of each other and just and totally uplift the other person. Both of these characters go through so much verbally (both jokingly and maliciously) at the hands of their peers for being who they are that Gamzee and Tavros' conversations were so refreshing to just see them be unabashedly themselves with another person.

And they make each other happy! Tavros' first conversation with Gamzee was the first time we see where Tavros is purely elated to be talking to the person he is talking to. And Tavros obviously makes Gamzee really happy. They just make each other so happy! And I love that shit!

Gamzee is, without restraint, supportive of everything that is Tavros. Gamzee is the type of person who would look at anything Tavros wants to do or is trying to do and put his whole heart in supporting Tavros and telling him, "Yeah bro, you can do this, you're amazing, I love you, go get 'em, you're the best, you can do anything you put your mind to,” and I love that for Tavros.

Gamzee was the friend I spent all of Homestuck wishing Tavros had. Tavros spent so much time talking to Vriska, interacting with Vriska, adventuring with Vriska. And that entire time I was just wishing that Gamzee was there instead, just so Tavros would have someone to be nice to him.

After murderstuck, I spent years waiting for Gamzee and Tavros to meet in a dream bubble. That was all I wanted. I wanted Gamzee to have to look Tavros in the eye and face what he had done, own up to everything to the person he loved most in the world. But of course, post murderstuck, Gamzee gets everything stripped away from him that made him the character he was in the beginning. It wasn't even a satisfying villain arc! It was just confusing! I feel like I could have dealt with it if Gamzee was a well-rounded villain. But instead his entire villain shtick was just surrounded by a bunch of question marks! I spent all of Homestuck waiting to learn what exactly was going on with Gamzee and then we never got that and that fucked me up.

And of course, oh, of course, up until the very end of the series, in the very, very, very last animation we ever see, Homestuck Act 7, Tavros is standing by Vriska's side, as he has had to do since the very beginning.

I haven't read the epilogues or Homestuck 2, so I'm not going to touch on anything that happens in those series and I would appreciate it if no one responded to this with spoilers. Don't even tell me things like, "Oh, you'll like Gamzee," or "Oh, you'll hate Gamzee," or anything like that. I don't want any hints. I already got enough. I want to form my own opinion when I finally get the energy to go in.

Nowadays, I stick almost exclusively to humanstuck AU's for my GamTav. Because even if canon GamTav wasn't so sad and depressing, there are other things that make me way too sad to think about. As a bronze blood, Tavros's lifespan is going to be significantly shorter than Gamzee's. No matter the good or bad context surrounding their relationship. Even if they were the perfect, fluffy, happy couple in canon, I can't deal with that lifespan difference. It breaks my goddamn heart.

I live in a world where I can rewrite the circumstances surrounding these characters and make it play out in a way that is much more to my liking. Writing them in humanstuck AU's lets me take away all of the things that make my heart hurt and instead repurpose them for really meaningful, emotional character building arcs and that's my main focus when it comes to GamTav.

Something I'm also really picky with when it comes to this ship is that I need the core of Gamzee and Tavros' character growth to happen apart from each other. I have found that I don't like stories that center Gamzee and Tavros or their relationship as the pivotal point of their development. I don't like when Gamzee is the pillar of Tavros' confidence. I do like when Gamzee helps out building Tavros' confidence by being supportive and saying nice things and encouraging him, but I don't like it when he is the main source. I don't want Tavros' growth to be hinged on Gamzee being in his life.

The same goes for Gamzee. I don't like stories where Tavros is the one thing keeping Gamzee from doing bad things. I don't like when their relationship is framed as being the one thing keeping Gamzee from going murder mode all over his friends again. I've read fics where Gamzee struggles either with murderous instincts as a troll or mental health as a human and Tavros is one of the only things that keeps him from going off the deep end. I don't like that. I want Gamzee's growth to be primarily on his own or at the very least not supported by his romantic partner. Of course, I love it when Tavros is there when he needs him to hold him or soothe him or say kind things or help him through his struggles. I'm not saying I don't want Tavros to comfort him at all or ever, I just don't want Tavros to be his sole anchor.

I just love idiot best friends in love.

Oh, OH! ALSO. Gamzee doesn’t give a FUCK about the hemospectrum. One of the first things he says to Equius is how he doesn’t get it, how he’s not better than anyone else, how he doesn’t even know how to ACT better than anyone else. How am I not supposed to love that?

Opposite sides of the hemospecturm relationships are so fun. I love the idea of Gamzee entering a room full of strangers and them being like “Oh no! :O !!!! Scary subjuggulator!!” and Tavros comes rushing over all happy and excited and they just snuggle all cute and gross and everyone watching’s jaw just drops.

This might sound weird, but I also think one of the things that endear me to characters is them getting misinterpreted and then me having fun drawing them more ‘accurately’? Tavros is so often depicted as uwu soft weepy boi and I love drawing him with a mischievous grin just as ready to do something stupid and get himself into trouble as Gamzee is. Equius TOLD Tavros not to go near the stairs with his new robo legs. What is one of the things Tavros does immediately? Go try the fuckin’ stairs. And he KEEPS DOING IT.

*lays down on the floor* I just… I just want domestic GamTav where they move into a nice wheelchair accessible home (modified in a similar way to Tavros' hive in Pesterquest) and Gamzee massages Tav's back when it aches and tells him he's the light of his life and in turn Tavros holds Gamzee close on his darker days and Tavros kisses his hands and brushes his hair out of his eyes and boops his nose and they laugh so hard together that they cry.

[mjsparkour]

Okay, I asked you a while back for some fic recs and I am in need of more. Have you read any Gina x Ricky lately? Would love for you to share the ones you've loved

Hey!

I’m so glad you liked my rec the last time, there have been alot of fics that have been written since you last asked so this list was super hard to limit. There are alot in this list alone (17 overall I think). I could always recommend more, Rina writers are just so talented. So here's a list of some of my favorites <3

The Story of Us by peculiarblue

‘gina learns that sometimes things have to fall apart so that they can fall back together, right where they were always meant to be’ This is a complete 2 part chapter fic

Thee Rina bible. It’s everything we could ever want and need. Everything we want s2 to be and more. It’s an absolute masterpiece in every way. So many parts where I nearly died, the angst in the fight scene, the tension before they made up (the dress scene that reminded me so much of that amylaurie scene I lost my mind a little more), them being absolutely gone for each other!!! it’s just perfect in every way.

When Your With Me and Were Alone by orphan account

‘Ricky Bowen remembers everything.’ This is a one-shot three-part completed series.

My favorite series, it’s gotta be. It’s the first of its kind for rina fics. Lore does an incredible job of realistically writing rina’s characterization and reactions to Gina moving and what would happen after. A wonderfully talented writer, utilizing the power of her words while minimalist carries an effect. 

You Know Me Better by This_is_Riri

‘Gina was moving. This would be her sixth move in seven years. She was used to it by now...only this time, it felt different. Post episode 7.’ This is an incomplete multichapter fic.

This one really gets you at your gut. Heart-wrenching for both characters but mainly gina. The vents that happen to both characters, it just makes sense that so much more than their vunerabilities bonds them together. Perfect execution of the mutual understanding trope. 

and I know I’ve kissed you before by ptrprkrs

‘but I didn’t do it right / can i try again, try again, try again? or: 5 times ricky kisses gina + 1 time she kisses back’ This is a complete one-shot.

I love a good five times plus one fic. This one is heartwarming, cheeky and cute. It gives a healthy balance of the inevitable anguish that comes with pining (and not just for the character but for frustrated readers that just wanna put these kids together already) but also the sweet innocence and fluff from first love (or first love adjacent). 

what love might have done by rradioh

‘Ricky follows his gut. Everything changes. Some things stay the same.’ This is a completed one shot.

A good look into what could've been for season one. Reflecting moments that felt like they could’ve easily been placed in the show and showed the subtly of the growth of rinas relationship. It wasn’t something that was thrown into our faces but came gradually and this fic facilitates that growth with key moments that add to that. A Great one-shot.

And the 7th Thing I Hate The Most That You Do (You Make Me Love You) by iknowpIaces

‘It doesn’t help that he really does look good in his costume. God, she hates him. She hates him. She hates him. Then, he has the nerve to smile at her. And Gina hates how that smile alone sends her over the moon.’ This is a completed one shot.

SOOOO GOOD. No one understands, I love the trope where one person has a crush on the other and it's unrequited (or it seems that way) but eventually it's apparent that they're also just as gone for that person as soon as they start moving on, or feeling fine with having their feelings not reciprocated. Then they're both just mutual pining messes, ugh I love it. This fic handles the trope with care and rina just comes together organically. 

lesson in love by finelineholland

“Give me 4 weeks. I’ll help you out. Like… a crash course, if you will. 'How to be the perfect boyfriend for Nini Salazar-Roberts': A class taught by yours truly.” This is an incomplete multichapter fic.

A rom-com in the form of a fic. It’s so true to Ricky and Gina as characters and their dynamic. The writing is really good and gives so much in terms of plot. I really hope it updates soon because I love a good makeover/transformation fic, it gives she’s all that and geek charming in the best ways.  

take me to the feeling by peculiarblue

‘gina meets a stranger at a party she doesn't want to be at, and let's herself fall in love for the night, wherever it takes them’ This is a completed one shot.

Katie does it again. Another classic that makes us fall for rina while they fall for each other under the stars. You can’t help but feel something for them right off the bat because theirs something about the cheekiness of the dynamic and so real. You can’t help but fall for them, a must read.

The Last Time by mytearsricochet

‘this is the one where gina meets ricky and nothing is against them. except for a few misunderstandings, forgotten birthdays, wrong people, and missed opportunities. because as much as love doesn’t care about time, this is the one where time cares about love. and with time, everything falls into place.’ This is a completed one shot.

SO UNBELIAVBLEY UNDERRATED. This fic is too excellent, it's everything rinas could want. it’s an incredibly well done long slowburn that makes you strap in for the ride. With all those teasing moments where they're mutually pining and they're just on the precipice of finding out their feelings for one another only to hold back and stay friends (until the end of course). The end makes you work for it, but so worth it when you get to it. 

10 Days in “Love” by kindredspiritsxo 

‘It was almost the end of high school and nobody had it figured out. Especially Ricky Bowen. His parents had recently divorced, he had no idea what he's doing for college, his longtime girlfriend dumped him the month before and now he's been replaced by one of the most popular guys in school.

To make matters worse, he leaves for Europe in two days for his senior trip. The same senior trip that said ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend were going on. So, Ricky did what any desperate teenage boy would do to try and get his girlfriend back: he devised a plan. A plan that included the help of Gina Porter and playing pretend for 10 days.’ This is an incomplete multichapter fic.

I love a good traveling fic. Sometimes all it takes to get a character to wake up about things going on in their lives or feelings for character b is a good change of scenery. This fic does a great job of utilizing the enviornment to facilitate rinas love story through one of my favorite tropes, the fake dating trope. There's some angst along the way because nothing can ever come easy but it's not without its reward. It gives me major spiderman far from home vibes just solely because of petermjs adorableness and how that energy kinda translates to rina in this fic more so in the beginning before they have this repertoire. 

on the line by peculiarblue

‘with everything in her life finally at a stand still for once the last thing gina needs is one curly haired skater to come in and give her a reason to change again

(or, gina lets ricky back into her life the only way she knows how, at a distance, through daily voicemails, until her heart remembers why she can't love him anymore.)’ This is a completed one shot.

It hurts in the best way possible! that is the best way to describe this fic. Were taken on a journey where I personally wanted rina to just talk to each other in person but the magic was all in the voicemails and the power of their connection. There was a satisfying ending, I couldn't ask for more. If you haven’t read literally everything written by Katie go read it, it won't disappoint.

but everywhere just brings me back to you by ptrprkrs

‘or, ricky is just a little in love with the voice of the girl at the starbucks drive-thru’ This is a completed one shot.

An amazing fic that hits every spot effortlessly, even the ones you didn’t know you had. Like Ricky being a lovesick puppy going to a drive-thru just to hear Gina’s voice for coffee, he doesn’t drink or like. All the while they’d been connected all along. I’m a sucker for any kind of soulmate implications or stories where people are unknowingly connected like that so this ones a real favorite for me. It’s sweet, lighthearted and funny and a great read.

About Love by goldenthread

‘a series of Interconnected one shots and canonical aus for Ricky and Gina <3.’ This is an incomplete multichapter fic.

Here's where I enter some shameless self-promo...I wrote this recently. It’s just some loosely connected one-shots I have of rina based on canon. I write about an alternate first meeting, what would've happened if Gina had to understudy Nini in a rehearsal and (for a future chapter) a babysitting au (for what happened when Gina actually told Ricky the truth, she was babysitting her neighbor's kid when she talked to him at the skatepark). Check it out if it sounds like your thing!

in your eyes by finelineholland

‘you always try to hide the pain, you always know just what to say. i always look the other way. i'm blind, i'm blind. in you eyes, you lie, but i don't let it define you.’ This is an incomplete multichapter fic.

There is something about Rina being written about from an outside perspective that is just so excellent. The story starting with Nini noting the obvious chemistry and their connection and being threatened by it, I don’t know it's just so pleasing to me. Another fic like that one of my favorites (one that I’m pretty sure I’ve suggested in my other rec list), pretend i don’t see it in your eyes by spobylol. Another absolutely excellent read that does not miss once. This story in contrast also writes from rina’s perspective as well which I also thought was well done. 

right from the start I knew by anonymous

‘“Uh.” Ricky really didn’t think this far ahead. To be fair, it’s not like he’s ever thought ahead about anything ever in his life, so this is really to be expected. “We - forget about it? Maybe. Or like - I don’t know. I think I have to figure out how to be like - a person right now. By myself.”

“Same.” Gina says absently. “I’ve spent what feels like my whole life thinking about what other people think of me. It’d be nice to - to be able to try looking beyond that for a change.”

Post-Season 1. Ricky and Nini break up, but that doesn't mean things work out right away.’ This is a completed one shot.

The most iconic love confession I’ve read in a rina fic to date. it’s just so good, a certified rush every single time. The mutual pining hits spectacularly especially when you see just how soon it starts to hit Ricky that he’d made a mistake getting with Nini and him paying for that mistake. The writing only amplifies it. Also Ricky telling Gina he’s obsessed with her? yeah, I automatically added this fic to my list of faves.

If they only knew by goldenthread

‘Ricky Bowen never really bought into the whole soulmate thing (except he did) but life got in the way and now he's sort of pretending to date new (totally not intimidating) girl Gina Porter to win back the one and only Nini Salazar Roberts. Not a single thing could go wrong.

or

The one where Ricky and Gina aren't so good at the whole soulmate thing and they fake date.’ This is an incomplete multichapter fic.

More shameless self promo, sorry y’all but I’m super proud of this one. It’s a soulmate and fake dating au, combining two of my fave tropes into one to make this (surprisingly) long fic. It’s a whirlwind of emotions and a lot of moving parts in the story. I plan on updating within two months then after that there's three more chapters until its finished :) hope y’all enjoy it if you decide to give it a read!

you are the best thing & the worst thing (that’s happened to me this whole year) by tophsgf

‘Gina's roommate Nini is unbearable. What's more unbearable, however? Her very charismatic and totally off-limits sort-of boyfriend.’ This is a completed one shot. 

An amazing fic, I need more people to know about it! I really like fics where the development between Ricky and Gina is gradual, which seems to be the case for a lot of fics but for this one in particular I like its execution. Obviously, at first, he’s with Nini so it’s like the dynamic is at a point of comparison from the start but we quickly learn that thanks to good ole mutual understanding and overall compatibility Ricky and Gina are just right for each other. A fun read that hits all the bases.

[rantheon]

the bakarina anime is done! it’s just a drop in the ocean that is the otome isekai genre so these are some recs + what you need to know about them. i just listed most of my favs otherwise it’d be too long :p

in no particular order. includes some non-isekai ones too. needless to say most of these aren’t completed yet

my next life as a villainess: all routes lead to doom

using this to plug that there’s more bakarina content in the form of light novels, manga and 3 spin-offs

an observation record of my fiancee - a self-proclaimed villainess

told in the pov of prince cecil, whose fiancee bertia straight up tells him she’s a villainess of an otome game from her past life

if you ever wonder what jeord from bakarina might be thinking half the time, this is probably close. cecil is the same kind of prince who initially finds things bored and predictable until they met the mc

the things cecil would get up to for bertia? hoo boy

also the way the mangaka draws hair is addicting to look at

the villainess cecilia silvie doesn’t want to die so she decided to crossdress

the title speaks for itself~ after remembering an otome game she played in her past life, cecil (previously cecilia) is now the one capturing the hearts of the academy ladies instead

it’s fairly new so there’s not much of it yet :c but it’s pretty interesting

the original otome game had a whole rpg combat system going on and i’m hyped to see how it’s gonna lead the story

the Angelique vibes are strong in this one

the villainess wants to marry a commoner

isabella used to play an otome game in a past life, but she was really only interested in a side character named ursch. and then one day she finds him in her mansion garden

her past life self is such a mood - i too have 100% otome games in hopes of side characters getting hidden routes but alas

definitely deserves the ‘video game’ tag. isabella can see status screens and character stats/skills etc, and all the gacha rewards and grinding transferred over after her reincarnation. she’s the isekai female protag we’ve always wanted

seriously the main ship is too op for their own good aha

deathbound duke’s daughter

in a past life, erika only managed to finish 2.5/7 scenarios of an otome game thanks to an unlucky encounter with knife-kun. with the different flags of her impending doom approaching, she takes things into her own hands years before the game events start

very fantasy-oriented (the most on this list) and pretty action-packed, once you get past the game exposition in the first 3? chapters

the world building is brilliant, from the hafan mages to the aurelian alchemists, and there’s beasts and wands and spells and dnd stuff sprinkled in

the cast has quite interesting dynamics and interwoven plotlines, and they’re all dorky in their way :>

beware of the villainess

melissa remembers a novel from her past life and desperately tries to cut off contact with the male leads, but they still make her life hell & she rages

she’s just so done with everyone and you can’t help but relate to her

definitely the funniest on this list XD melissa and her reactions takes the cake but even the shit characters are hilarious in their own way

there’s also a lot of parodies to memes etc & best of all, there’s cussing. all the shits and fucks. a whole lot of it

it’s great

death is the only ending for the villainess

penelope wakes up as the villainess from a game she’d been playing in her past life, only right now it's on the hardest difficulty where death is literally everywhere. thus she tries, well, not dying

what’s cool about this is that penelope has access to the original game system. she can see menus, choice options etc. the male leads even have affection percentages floating above their heads :> which is always cool to see (and what i’m a sucker for)

but it’s definitely one of the darker ones on this list. iirc there’s depictions of violence, abuse, drugs and then some. just a fair warning

the daughter of albert house wishes for ruin

upon realizing that she’s the villainess from a past-life otome game, mary decides to stay as one. chaos ensues

i love this manga so much, everyone is so quirky and there’s something to laugh about on almost every page. the story almost feels self-aware of itself and just lets the characters do whatever. like ride bikes

addie is so cute ;o;

it’s definitely something everyone should experience

i’m a villainess daughter so i’m going to keep the last boss

one of the finished ones!

post-annulment, aileen pulls a Lisa Tepes and asks the demon king claude to marry her. he refuses. hijinks ensues

mostly on the fantasy side, as it builds on the world of the monsters

the cast is pretty fun! aileen’s smart, funny and pretty competent in her own right. plus she and claude are positively adorable together

milady just wants to relax

post-annulment, ronia decides to open a cafe in the countryside. it later becomes the frequent hangout of a beastmen mercenary group, who are intensely feared by the townsfolk

well... beastmen. that’s all you need to know /wink

okay, that aside, it’s just as chill as the title suggests. ronia slowly makes friends she can trust, and the beastmen find a second home in the only cafe that’s willing to accept them. it’s pretty wholesome

the banished villainess! living the leisurely life of a nun making revolutionary food

despite actively trying to change her ‘villainess from a past-life otome game�� fate since childhood, elizabeth gets annulled, her noble title stripped, and is sent to a church in a neighboring kingdom. she enjoys it more than expected, despite the appearance of the ever watchful leonid

there’s plenty of 21st-century food like sandwiches, cotton candy leonid’s muscles <3

the entire cast is lovable, and can chris get an f for all the heart attacks leonid keep giving him

seduce the villain’s father

yereninovica (or just yerenica) realizes that she’s in the world of a novel she read in her past life, but as the aunt of said novel’s mc. after thwarting a kidnapping that’s basically the mc’s origin story, she takes it upon herself to also prevent the tragic death of emperor belgoat

a bit different since it switches the roles around (side character x side character) and goes into the “parent generation” of the original work

there’s also an interesting bit where the world seems to recognize her as a hijacker, and where that takes her, we’ll see in due time :o:

plus the way yeni habitually calls him ‘father’ cracks me up every time

transferred to another world but i’m the savior of an otome game

after a ritual gone wrong, “yamada tarou” (fake name) is stuck in the world of an otome game. the only way back is with a magical ring, normally obtained after becoming the lover of one of the male leads. he of course says no i’m going adventuring but the game doesn’t like that

it’s absolutely hilarious - the leads treat our mc like a heroine, and there’s a lot of otome tropes that are called out on/parodied. like the seiyuus’ names oh my god

tarou’s reactions are great and his appraisal skill is the funniest thing alive

endo and kobayashi’s live commentary on the villainess

in modern japan, endo and kobayashi start their playthrough of an otome game, which becomes a bit glitchy and odd. they discover that siegward, a male lead in the game, can hear what they’re saying. they use this chance to finally give lisolette a happier ending

much of the story’s focus is on the characters slowly warming up to lisolette, and a bit on endo/kobayashi’s irl relationship. despite being the primary drive of the story, lisolette herself hardly moves the plot - if you know what i mean

regardless it’s undeniably adorable

tearmoon empire

no isekai, more of time travel? chronoskimming?

mia wakes up 10 years in the past after being sentenced to death. now afraid of guillotine-kun, she strives to solve the issues in her kingdom that had previously led to her doom

a bit similar to bakarina in terms of concept: avoid death flags, unknowingly recruits the people she meets into her little saintess cult. the misinterpretation is very strong, and in brilliantly funny ways

it has really fun narration ngl especially in the light novel

of course, i’ll claim palimony!

to prepare for her annulment, yulia starts scheming recording her fiance’s meetups with the heroine to use as evidence. if you’re gonna lose a suitor, might as well get some money out of it, right? along the way she gets involved with rudonik, one of the male leads

no reincarnation. rather than an otome game, the villainess story comes from a book written by a side character, and the “heroine” just decided to play it out in real life

the cast together is a riot, and it’s entertaining to watch yulia only think in profits and every connection she can make to achieve it

the villainess’ slow prison life began with her broken engagement

no isekai, just a plain old villainess

post-annulment, rachel is sentenced to imprisonment. which she enjoys and is thoroughly, hilariously prepared for

everyone’s a little afraid of rachel and for good reason. it’s better to find out yourself through the LN or manga, but let’s just say that even the king doesn’t want to deal with her XD

the holy grail of eris

now this one is interesting, putting the villainess trope into a mystery ghost story. that said, no isekai either

our innocent heroine constance attends a party and encounters scarlet, an executed villainess from ten years ago. a body possession and some public embarrassment later, they decide to team up to solve the mystery that might be behind scarlet’s death

i mean, ghost villainess? sign me up

+ some honorable mentions

i favor the villainess (the heroine goes for the villainess- girls? girls? yes)

a bellicose lady got reincarnated (a delinquent reincarnates as a heroine; what a concept :o unfortunately there’s not a lot of english content for it yet)

it seems i got reincarnated into a yandere otome game (i like that the mc actively makes it so that game can’t ever happen the way it should; plus, yanderes are always interesting to study)

inso’s law (modern isekai, and quite cute!)

the reincarnated young lady aims to be an adventurer / holy guardian tiger (similar to deathbound duke’s daughter in that there’s more of a focus on the fantasy aspect)

expecting to fall into ruin, i aim to become a blacksmith (so far the only one with a shounen tag that i like; its main charm is probably the cast and their interactions with each other eliza best girl)

since i’ve reincarnated as the villainess’ father i’ll shower my wife and daughter with love (big big wholesome vibes)

level 99 villainous daughter (severely op lady who takes no shit from the people looking down at her, and regularly thinks about blowing up the academy within the first 4 chapters? hell yeah)

may i please just ask one last thing? (post-annulment, the mc literally punches everyone in the room; it’s great)

this is getting long now oops

edit: i also made a visual-friendly personally-tagged-by-me bookshelf here!

[viewmasterfeeling]

for the byler prompts, could you do some mutual pining with eventual first kiss? maybe post season 3? but whatever you want! i'm sorry i'm a sucker for that trope.

Why, certainly!

(This is also posted on AO3. My username is @ wandering_soul_with_a_writing_goal! Here’s the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24313393)

Is it really that obvious?

-----

Note: I have no idea how a Family Video works.

-----

Will had gotten over his crush on Mike… or so he told himself. He told himself this so often that he almost believed it to be true. But that all went down the drain whenever he saw his best friend, an impossibly adorkable boy with fluffy hair and the most amazing, toothy smile. And the eyes, of course. The brown eyes that Will would just get lost in. No matter what Mike did, it turned Will into a blushy, admiring mess.

Having a crush wasn’t so bad, Will told himself, but having hope that they liked you back was. Because then you’d cling onto the false hope and only get disappointed, and things would be awkward, and your whole soul would be crushed. His soul had already been crushed several times once Mike fell in love with Eleven. Will loved spending time with Mike, but every time he saw El he had to remember that Mike liked her better. And that kind of sucked.

But, Will could get over it. He’d gotten over living through a week in the Upside Down, and the trauma that came after it. He’d gotten over literally being possessed. So, why was it so difficult to get over a tiny little crush?

But it was more than just a tiny crush, no matter how much Will lied to himself.

------

Mike was thrilled that the Byers’ were coming back to town. It was only for the weekend, of course, but he couldn’t help feeling excited for another chance to see his two best friends, Will and El. Mike considered all of his friends to be his best friends, but these two were just a little bit closer to his heart.

Mike had also discovered recently that he had… feelings for Will. Certain feelings that boys shouldn’t have for other boys. He kinda… liked him. Maybe even loved him.

Mike hadn’t seen either of them since he’d come to this realization. He was nervous. But excited.

-----

When the Byers family car pulled up in the driveway, Mike sprinted to the front yard, passing a very confused Nancy.

Joyce stepped out of the car, followed by El and Will. Jonathan was busy with some school assignments at his university, so he couldn’t come.

Will couldn’t help feeling relaxed seeing the place that he considered his second home. Of course, there were several layers of hurt and awkward feelings and rejection there, which hadn’t been patched up, but beneath that the comfort of Mike Wheeler’s house shone through, enveloping him and almost soothing his anxiety.

But not quite.

Mike burst through the door, broke into an infectious grin, and ran forward to hug El. Wait, no. He was coming towards Will.

Will felt himself being pulled into a tight embrace, and he couldn’t help but feel warm and also confused. Mike must have been confused as well, because he quickly broke away from Will and cast his eyes downward. He’s probably disgusted by me, Will thought.

“Uh. Hi.” Mike said coolly. Will was impressed how he could change so quickly from the smiling boy of Will’s childhood to chill, teen Mike.

Will, whose eyes had also been on the floor, risked a look at Mike’s face. Which was red. Probably from letting go of me so quickly. Will dropped his eyes quickly to the floor again.

Realizing he hadn’t responded, Will spoke in a calm voice, because two could play at that game. “Hey.”

Will looked back at Mike’s face, and was surprised to see two eyes focused on him. Two very beautiful eyes.

They kept eye contact for a few moments, Will trying to read Mike’s gaze. What was he thinking about? Why did he hug me first? Did he… miss Will? I mean, he obviously did. As a friend.

Will could have sworn that Mike glanced down at his lips. But before he could determine if it was real, the moment was broken by El, who called for Mike. He quickly ran to her and pulled her into a hug. After the two broke apart, El looked directly at Will and smirked.

What just happened?

Will tried not to overthink things. But that wasn’t very easy.

-----

Mike, Will, and El said a quick “Hello” to Nancy before taking off to the Video Store, where they would meet Max, Lucas, and Dustin. Mike, the tallest of the three, rode Nancy’s bike, while Will and El both squeezed onto Mike’s bike. They were bigger than they’d once been, so it was a tight fit.

The three arrived at the store and parked their bikes before entering the Video Store quickly to see their friends. Mike watched the excitement on Will’s face at seeing the rest of The Party. Dustin, Max, and Lucas took turns hugging Will and El, making comments on Will’s new haircut, which Mike had definitely noticed and liked a bit too much.

Soon, the six of them, reunited, fell into their old dynamic, goofing around in the aisles of the store, looking for any R-Rated movies they could sneak out (but probably not watch). They also grabbed a stack of sci-fi and fantasy movies which they would actually watch. But it was fun to sneak around Steve and trick him into breaking the rules.

They passed a shelf and Mike saw a copy of his all-time favorite movie, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back. He reached out to grab it, but his hand was met by another hand. Will’s. They’d both, unknowingly, reached for the same movie.

Mike felt himself become a stuttery mess as he tried to speak. He put his hand into his jacket pocket and looked straight at the movie while saying, “You were-- I mean-- you can grab it.” Before Will could respond, Mike briskly walked away, his face warming, and tried to get back to joking with the Party, resisting the urge to look back at him. Play it cool.

If the party noticed something off about Mike, they didn’t mention it. Mike found himself making eye contact with a laughing El, then looking down at her hand, which was entwined with Max’s.

They checked out with their stack of movies, Star Wars being at the top. Robin was running the register, which meant probably no R movie.

She scanned all of the movies, (their trick didn’t work) and handed them all to Dustin. He triumphantly began to march away, and the rest of the Party followed him, laughing.

Mike lingered behind. He didn’t know why. But this was Steve’s friend who, according to Dustin, liked girls. Mike probably wasn’t supposed to know this, seeing as he had heard it from Dustin, who had heard it from Steve, who apparently heard it directly from Robin herself.

“What’s up, kid?” she slightly rolled her eyes at him, but also looked genuinely curious.

Mike spoke with a courage that he didn’t have.

“I, uh… you like girls, right?” he said, slowly and quietly.

Robin raised her eyebrows. “Depends. Is your sister interested?”

Mike shook his head. “No, I… I mean… I was wondering--”

“Ah. You like him.”

“What?” Mike knew he was definitely blushing.

“The brunette one. About yay high, way quieter than the others. You like him.”

Mike gave up trying to deny it. He sighed. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s like, so obvious. Like, I barely saw you for ten minutes and I could see it.” She smirked at him.

Mike groaned in reply. “Is it really that obvious?”

She nodded slightly and said, “Well… Hey, you better catch up with them. And hey, good luck, kid. I’m sure you’ll both figure things out soon.”

Mike was confused. He slightly shook his head, then walked quickly out of the building, leaving Robin to smile at the knowledge of these two pining idiots.

-----

The Party went back to Mike’s house and watched a few of the movies before getting a call from Max’s parents. She was needed at home immediately. Will could see the look of worry on her face, and sympathized with her. Eventually, Dustin and Lucas also had to go home.

The Byers, of course, were staying with the Wheelers. Will, Mike, and El finished watching The Thing before El claimed she was tired and climbed up the stairs to Nancy’s room, where she’d be staying. Will wanted to yell, “No! Don’t abandon me!” Because this was the part of the night that Will was dreading. Being alone with Mike. He’d also been waiting with anxious anticipation. Still, he’d wanted to avoid it for as long as possible.

There were a few moments of silence before Mike said, “Wanna watch Star Wars?”

Will nodded, grateful that Mike hadn’t made things weird. It was just two friends, watching a movie. That was all.

But as the opening text started to scroll along the screen, Will was watching Mike. He loved seeing excitement enter Mike’s face as his favorite movie played. Then his feelings turned around and punched him in the gut as he remembered that Mike didn’t care about him anymore. Not in the way he used to, and not in the way Will wanted him to. Will still remembered every vivid detail of their fight, and how Mike had called him out, and how Mike knew. Or, maybe he didn’t. Before he knew it, he was breathing heavily and staring at the floor, expressionless.

It took a few moments for Will to realize that the TV had been muted, and that Mike was walking away from the TV and towards Will, face full concern, as well as… nerves?

“What’s wrong, Will? Do you… wanna talk?”

Will was completely silenced for a good five seconds. Nerves had taken over his senses.

Mike spoke again before Will could respond. “I mean, uh… if you want to… Or we could just…” he trailed off.

Will felt a flood of emotions rush through him, trying to escape. He spoke in a somewhat steady voice, despite everything he was thinking about.

“I wish we could go back to how things were.”

The words were quiet, but effective. There was an astounding silence. Mike felt like he’d been punched in the throat.

Because it was Mike who’d ruined the future of their friendship. By being so ignorant and angry. And now, things would never be the same. There would never be anything more between the two of them. Because why would Will like such an angry person?

“Well, we can’t, okay?” The words came across a bit harsher than Mike wanted them to sound.

Another deep silence, this time Will feeling like he’d just been slapped.

“I know.” Will said, breaking the quiet. Of course he knew this. Will felt his emotions rising. He knew that Mike thought he was a freak, and, well, since they were “talking”, what better time for Will to explain to Mike all of this stuff?

“I know that you think that I’m a freak,” Will began, angry. “But that doesn’t excuse your shitty behavior. Just because you like girls doesn’t mean that you can abandon your best friend!” He was shouting at this point, releasing pain in the form of anger. “Even if we never-- I mean, even if you hate me.”

This word choice intrigued Mike. What was Will going to say before he cut himself off?

Could there be a chance?

Nevermind, that didn’t matter. Will was hurting. And Mike was going to fix it.

Mike, instead of arguing, pulled Will into a hug. This hug wasn’t quick or unexpected like the one from earlier that day. This was slow and comforting. Will didn’t push Mike away, but clung to him and let the tears fall. The two boys held each other for a long time, and there was nothing awkward about it to them. They’d been doing this forever.

They finally broke apart. Mike had something important to say. He looked right into Will’s eyes.

“I don’t think you’re a freak.”

Will sighed and shook his head. “No, you don’t get it, Mike. I am a freak. I… well… I…” He couldn’t say it.

Mike desperately, more than anything, wanted Will to feel normal, and loved. And if no one else was going to, Mike would be the one to tell Will that he… 

The secret threatened to come out.

Well, if it wanted to… 

Mike took in a shaky breath before taking possibly the biggest risk of his life.

“I like you, Will. No, wait. I love you.”

Will gasped quietly. Then he stopped. Don’t have hope. That’s the only rule. “You’re playing with me,” Will said.

Mike hesitated, then shook his head. “I love you, so, no matter what shit you’re going through, you’ll never be more of a freak than me, the freak who… who loves… who’s gay.”

Will looked up slowly. “Gay? So… you don’t like girls?”

Mike shook his head. “Only you.”

Will spoke slowly, almost allowing himself to believe it. “Well, then I’m a bigger freak, because I’m the freak who loves Mike Wheeler.” Will broke into a grin as Mike’s expression turned to shock.

“No. No way.” Mike shook his head, trying to stop a smile.

“Yes, way. So, I win. I’m the freak here.”

The relief in the air was prominent. It was so light that both of them could have floated. Star Wars was still playing silently in the background, but neither of them noticed.

The two of them looked into each other’s eyes with pure understanding and affection. Will chuckled, and so did Mike, and they both kept gazing at each other.

Will saw Mike glance at his lips. This time he knew it wasn’t fake.

Then, Mike slowly leaned in towards Will, meeting his eyes to make sure it was okay. Will nodded slightly, and leaned to meet his lips to Mike’s.

The kiss spread warmth all the way through both boys, as they finally found each other. Mike couldn’t stifle his happiness, while Will was still in shock. Either way, they accepted it and embraced it.

As they broke apart, Mike whispered something to Will.

“You’re my freak.”

-----

[tothedarkdarkseas]

Hi, I just want to say that I adore your characterizations and your interpretation on the 2Doc dynamic — it’s refreshing to say the least, lol. Idk, I’m a sucker for bleak, unhealthy relationships. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been asked this, but I was wondering how do you address the criticisms of 2Doc as a ship, or problematic ships/characters in general? As someone who is involved in a few ships that some would deem as ‘problematic’, I find it difficult to fully articulate my stance on shipping as a concept. Of course I don’t think shipping is synonymous with believing the characters could realistically be in a healthy, productive relationship, but I still find it hard to address the (often valid) criticisms of the ships I like without fear of it verging on romanticization of an abusive or toxic relationship. Anyway, love your stuff and hope you’re doing well! ❤️

Thank you so much for your incredibly kind message! That means so much to me, thank you. And you’re not alone, I too am a sucker for bleakness! This got a bit long so it’ll be behind a cut!

This is an interesting question, and one that I fear has an unsatisfying answer. When I think back on the ships I’ve had strong feelings for, there are a few I’d call uncontroversial, but most often I am interested in human drama; it isn’t so much an obsession over the story being “dark,” but the complexity and conflict that comes from two people having problems, which they may or may not overcome. And there arises the issue: there’s a marked difference between a relationship being problematic, and being problematic. 2Doc is, in fairness, both, and I just try to steer it toward the former.

To be frank with you, the fandom has been fractured for a very long time, and I’ve always felt a bit alienated from both the glorifying of abuse, and from the “wholesome” excuses that arose counter to it. (I don’t try to position myself as an authority or very universal on this, so I apologize in advance, and hope other fans understand that we’re coming from similar places and simply have different paths there.) I think if you look through 2Doc discussions of the past few years, you’ll see a lot of the same talking points about how it was problematic but they’ve since healed, or that it is a narrative of growth and forgiveness, or a similar approach of acknowledging toxic history but refuting that their content is at all toxic. I completely understand why this is the popular argument, but it isn’t the one that resonates with me. They’re not wrong for saying it-- this is fandom, therefore authors are crafting their own narrative, that’s sort of the point of doing this, but-- do I think my narrative is about forgiveness? Not really, no. Do I think it is fair, then, to categorize it with the abuse porn which delights in removing Stu’s autonomy? No, I don’t agree that’s fair either.

I respect those who like to create and consume happier stories, but speaking purely for myself, I think you run a risk when you choose to present an unhealthy relationship as “fixed,” or navigate around valid criticism by saying they’re all better now, or worse, arguing it down. Despite good intentions, it minimizes the longterm damage that a power imbalance like this does, it disregards the responsibility of one or both parties to actually live with consequences for their actions even if those consequences are only interpersonal, and most frustrating and damning to me, it denies Stuart the right to be angry, vindictive, or hurt in a way that does not flatter the romantic tragedy of trauma. I do know that this is harsh, though. I understand that isn’t the intention, and I know it comes from a place of loving the idea of this kind-hearted martyr figure-- but idealizing forgiveness no matter the toll is not a healthy mindset and I don’t see it as fair to Stuart. I do think that in the real world people understand the dangers of guilting victims with this mindset, but this is fiction, and it’s nice to dream up a story of tilling the dead flowers from the soil and tending to it, nourishing it, and growing something beautiful from it. I completely get that, and I don’t fault people for it. It just isn’t what I’m writing for, and so this conversation never really satisfies me.

For me, I find it best not to circle around or try to disprove these points, but rather to meet them. Yes, we agree it is not an aspirational relationship or one the characters should wisely pursue. I think a critical fan reading my stories and attacking the relationship’s portrayal as unhealthy would be kind of a moot point, because I’m not presenting it as anything else-- but it is my hope that the characters are compelling and not merely an edgy, ghoulish spectacle. There are moments in my Sad Nonsequential Extended Universe where they banter playfully and where they share an intimacy that is (to their chagrin) romantic in its singularity, but at no point is the relationship whole, at no point is Murdoc apologetic in a way that Stuart is obligated to forgive. Speaking only for myself, that is the joy of writing, and that is what I come back to these characters for. I feel fulfilled by the unfulfillment, and I feel it is entirely possible to tell a story about cruelty and remorse without chaining either character to a leaden ball of either redemption or sainthood. And-- and this is the big and-- I think it’s possible to do this without reveling in trauma either.

There is a difference between appreciating human folly, codependence, and resentment as ever-present cracks in a foundation, and glorifying, romanticizing, or fetishizing a character’s lack of agency or suffering. It has been hurtful, at times, to feel there is no distinction made between bleakness in service of a story and abuse simply for its own sake.

It doesn’t thrill me to read Stuart as powerless against Murdoc, a pretty and broken thing too weak to escape, and it doesn’t thrill me to read Stuart as utterly benevolent to Murdoc, existing only as a bridge Murdoc may walk across to get to the next stage of his own story. I don’t think Murdoc wants Stuart to be that, either. I don’t think they could ever be wrapped up in each other for so long if he thought so little of him. And truth be told, I can acknowledge that this is now my narrative running away with me, this is something I’m choosing for them based on a characterization and history that doesn’t really exist, and for that reason I can’t fault anyone for finding the argument less than compelling. I can also acknowledge that this sounds a bit grand for a bunch of oneshots about bad sex and substance abuse, so, er, I’m sorry for that too.

Here’s where the unsatisfying bit comes in, about writing and discussing flawed characters without excusing or admiring their faults: I just think it’s something you know. If you ask a baker to tell you when you’ll know the dough is the right consistency, they may suggest you compare it to the softest part of your thigh, but they’ll amend that they don’t really think in those terms: they just know it when they see it. The best I can offer is that I find candor to be essential in conversation, and I think it’s a good idea to worry less about disagreeing than effectively communicating your interest in weighty storytelling. I think being able to take a step back from the impulse of defensiveness, knowing that you are a respectful and empathetic person, knowing that you have these concerns about romanticization and about invalidating fair concerns, is the absolute best thing you can do. Talking is not about winning! I hope this response was helpful at all! Thank you for your question!

[loveburnsbrighter]

Prompt: 7. Late nights (bonus points if it’s pre-Grad Night or early relationship bc I’m sad and pathetic and it’s all I want 🥺)

it's been soooo long but i finally cranked this one out! i challenged myself by writing pre-grad night, and it was so much fun :-) i hope you love it! here's the ao3 link.

"What do you mean you've never seen The Princess Bride?"  Patrick mock-glares at David, then turns to Stevie.  "Did you know about this?"

Stevie shrugs, and the look on her face tells David that she cares less about the actual fact that he's never seen the movie than she does about bothering him to death.  "I can't say it's ever come up, but I naturally assumed he had."

David leans against the counter, supporting himself on both hands as he lets his shoulders slump.  It's nearly closing time, and this conversation is ridiculous, but he feels comfortable.  The store has only been open for a little over a week, but the three of them have spent so much time in this space together that it feels natural, standing at the counter and getting harrassed by the two of them.

"David, you have to watch it.  I can loan you my copy —" Patrick actually does seem invested in this, which David, God help him, finds endearing.

"There's no DVD player in my room," he says, engaging because Patrick's eyes are sparkling, and he's got his top two buttons undone, and no undershirt on, and when he gestures, the shirt gapes a little too wide, giving David a glimpse of collarbone.

And because Alexis and Stevie have hooked David on the idea that maybe Patrick might be…not totally straight.  And not totally not into David.  He's helpless to the maybe of it all.

Which is why, when Patrick says, "Well, Ray's not home tonight, why don't we have a little watch party?"  David finds himself agreeing.

Stevie agrees too, when David shoots her a sharp glance, and if Patrick has any reaction to that, he doesn't show it.  But Stevie is, despite all her and David's constant bickering and blustering, an excellent friend, and she understands without him having to say a word that watching a movie together, alone, on Ray's awful floral couch, lights off, probably a bottle of wine open…it would destroy him.

"Great," is all Patrick says.  "I have a thing after we close, but you guys can come by at like eight?  I'll make Jiffy Pop."

There it is.  Already.  The very idea of Patrick standing at the stove making popcorn the old-fashioned way is enough to make David want to bury his face in his hands and squeal.  This is why he needs Stevie.

"You're my buffer," David explains to Stevie on the drive over.  He's got two packs of brand-x licorice, because the single sad convenience store in Schitt's Creek actually can't afford to sell name brands, and a bottle of wine he pilfered from his mom's stash before they left.

"I don't think he's planning to sleep with you tonight," Stevie says mildly.

"My emotional buffer."  He curls one leg up, putting his heel on the seat of Stevie's passenger seat.  "Because I really like him, and I don't — if I'm left alone with him, like that, I'll definitely say something stupid and ruin our friendship, and then he'll pull out of our contracts and I'll run my business into the ground and be back to only having one friend."

Stevie snorts indelicately.  "Who's saying I wouldn't take Patrick's side in the divorce?"

He ignores her, watching out the windshield as they pull into Ray's driveway.

Patrick greets them at the door and leads them to the kitchen to pour the wine; David stands at the counter and observes that Patrick actually has made Jiffy Pop.  Something about it seems weirdly nostalgic to David, despite the fact that he himself had a professional popcorn machine growing up, and it makes him ache in a way he doesn't want to poke too closely.  This is probably a relic of Patrick's growing up.  David can almost picture tiny Patrick, standing on a chair to reach the stove and observing the foil rising into a ball for him.

While David has been lost to this thought, Patrick has found three stemless wine glasses and poured the wine.  Stevie unearths a big bowl from the depths of Ray's cupboards for the popcorn, and together the three of them troop to the living room.

It's so much worse than David could have imagined.

There's just the couch — there's an armchair, but it's beside the TV rather than pointed at it, and there's nowhere to move it to.  They'll have to share the couch, which has a horribly ugly, probably handmade and supremely cozy-looking afghan draped over it.

Stevie and Patrick claim the ends of the couch, leaving the middle for David, which is reasonable — they're both better friends with him than they are with each other, and it's the first time David has experienced that dynamic in his life — and a nightmare, because now he has to sit beside Patrick.

Patrick is unbothered, because it's normal to sit squished on a couch with someone you only consider a friend.  Or because he's just completely unflappable; thus far, David has yet to see him express emotions outside of frustration, focus, and varying shades of amusement.

David plops between them, and his thigh grazes Patrick's.  He tries to squish closer to Stevie, and she pushes him back.

"Are you uncomfortable?"  Patrick turns toward David a bit, pushing the whole solid line of his thigh against David's.  This was a mistake, this whole thing.  David should have come up with an excuse not to come.  A prior engagement.  Dinner with his parents.  A Sunrise Bay viewing party.  A trans-continental flight.

David gives in when Patrick hands him the popcorn bowl, cradling it like a child and trying to ignore the line of nerves lit up where their legs are pressed together as Patrick queues up the movie.

David focuses on the screen studiously, like he'll be tested on it.  Sips his wine, crunches his popcorn, lets the vaguely European fantasy hijinks onscreen take up as much real estate as they can in his mind.  It's an easy movie to focus on, funny in a way that means he can see why it's such an icon.  Romantic enough that David can't help but be a total sucker for it.

It's not until midway through that things get dire.  Wallace Shaw has just laughed his last victorious laugh and keeled over, and Patrick nudges David, taking the mostly-empty popcorn bowl and setting it on the coffee table.  He reaches back for the afghan and tugs it from behind their backs, and passes the end to Stevie, so that the three of them are snuggled beneath it, and David is the middle of the coziest little sandwich.

It's a nightmare.  He glances at Patrick, who's watching the screen with a little smile, and then he looks back and turns that little smile on David, and David takes a deep breath and turns back to the screen.

It's fine.  What's changed, really?  That they're warmer now?  They aren't cuddling, or anything.  Although Patrick looks cuddly to the max in his little blue sweater.  It's almost definitely synthetic and remarkably soft for the fact.

David sneaks a glance at Patrick out of the corner of his eye; he's so relaxed, so in his element.  David feels like he's never seen Patrick out of his element.  Is everything his element?  David is struck with an urge — or maybe a quiet desperation — to find the borders of Patrick's comfort zone.  To prove that they exist.

David's borders are everywhere.  They're under this blanket and along the side of his thigh and at the bottom of his empty glass.  His comfort zone is smaller than his body, and so everyone is always rubbing his edges.

But with Patrick, he instinctively minds less than with…a lot of other people.  Surely that must mean something.  Maybe not something cosmic, but…something.

It gets even worse.

David is focusing as studiously as he can on the movie, doing his best to ignore Patrick's thigh against his, his shoulder against his.  Wesley is mostly dead, and David is caught up in the fantasy peril, he is, and then Patrick yawns, pressing his whole palm up to his mouth, and slumps and rests his head against David's bicep.

It's unacceptable.  To be that casually touchy with a friend.  A coworker.  David wants to shove Patrick off and shout that there are rules about how to treat people you don't want to date.  He wants to hold him close, wrap an arm around him and whisper and gamble on that…maybe he does.

Rather than doing either of those things, he turns his head slowly to glare at Stevie in total panic.  She meets him with an excited little smile.  "Yes," she whispers.  "Love this for you."

"Don't rush me sonny," the healer guy onscreen says.  "You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles."  Like having an unrequited crush on the guy sleeping on you, David thinks sourly.

"Hmm?"  Patrick lifts his head from David's arm to look at him and Stevie, and David immediately misses the warm weight.

"Nothing," David says too quickly.  Patrick frowns, and he doesn't say anything but he supports his own head for the rest of the movie.

David knows he's in too deep now, because he wants to tug Patrick back to him.  He wants to hold him, and this isn't — normal, for David, is what makes it horrible.  He's not used to slowly growing to like people.  He's not used to liking people, flat out.  Attraction is something he can handle, the invisible line that draws two people together for a night or a week or a month, keeps them in the same bed until they find new beds to fall into.

But this?  Getting to know someone, feeling warm in his gut when they smile at him?  Wanting to know someone better, and wanting them at the same time?  This is new.  And to have these feelings for Patrick, who's so buttoned-up and straight-laced, nice and smart and clean?  Even if sometimes David thinks… 

Because you don't lean your head on someone's arm if you don't like them, right? 

David loses the whole finale of the movie, trapped in his head with Patrick beside him, warm and soft and sleepy.  Imagining things too far and then reeling himself back in — like what if after the movie, Stevie left, and David and Patrick put in another movie and fell asleep sweater-to-sweater on this couch?  But no, stop, because Patrick…who knew if he felt even a spark of what David felt?  He couldn't risk this, their friendship, their business… 

"So, what did you think?"  Patrick asks over the incredibly sappy song rolling in the credits.

"Mm," David says, trying to think of something to show he's been paying attention.  "I normally am not a fantasy fan, but young Robin Wright is a gift."  God, that makes him sound like he's into Robin Wright, what the fuck is wrong with him.

Patrick's invisible brows raise half a millimeter and his mouth curves with something akin to fondness as Stevie pokes David harshly in the shoulder, no doubt ribbing him for saying something so stupid.  It's hard to care when Patrick's expression is making David feel hopeful that maybe, maybe what he feels between them is double-sided.

"That she is," Patrick says.  He's alert enough, but he looks sleepy, his eyes ten percent warmer and wider than usual.  David wonders what it would be like to have a night like this and then stay; to let Patrick nod off against his shoulder and not wake him.

"We should get going," he says instead.

Patrick follows David and Stevie to the door; Stevie is already halfway down the driveway, having said her goodbye, when Patrick puts a hand on David's elbow.  "We should do this again sometime," he says.  "I had fun."

For a second David lets himself imagine that this is the end of a date.  That he could smile and pout and lean in and Patrick would lean too and they could kiss and hug, that David could leave feeling warmed up inside.

Just for a second.  Because this isn't that.  "Me too," he says, and despite the bite of just friends when he's so desperate for more, he means it.  He'll take friendship with Patrick, movie nights and long days at work, anything he can get.

He turns and joins Stevie, and Patrick waves from the doorway as they back out.  David rolls his eyes but he waves back, and it's strange — he does feel a little glow, as if they did have a date.  He turns to Stevie, and she's smiling at him just a bit, just out of the corner of her mouth.

Don't rush it.  Maybe, maybe, he thinks all the way home.

[viiperfang]

Sorry i posted it way too early on accident so i deleted it and im reposting. @benrey--feetman​

Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: I love Benrey, especially their specific Brand of assholeness. Because it’s not like, super mean spirited, it’s kinda like your annoying kid cousin acting all high and mighty and like a brat but Only because they want your attention, y’know? I really like when people draw him as a fuckin brick shithouse, that’s like, my favorite. But also short king status real?

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Well, I’m sure you can guess but Benrey/Gordon is my biggest ship for him, I’m a goddamn sucker for that shit. Other than that though? Benrey/Tommy and Benrey/Gordon/Tommy are really cool too.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: I really like the dynamic of Benrey and Bubby’s relationship. They’re so similar and yet so unalike that it causes for extremely funny moments, especially if they end up arguing over absolutely nothing of importance.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I think some of the characterizations within the fandom of him are kind of icky. They make him out like a tried and true bad person instead of just, an asshole who doesn’t know how to get their feelings across. I really hate when people make him possessive and obsessive over Gordon, to the point where they’re treating him more like an object than a person. I also don’t like the complete opposite where people make them an UWU Baby who did nothing wrong. They’ve gotta own up for their mistakes, dude.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Listen, I have NOT watched the heist or ACAB streams and all I know about them are clips I’ve seen here and what I’ve heard from others. Now that you know that: I want to see Benrey apologizing to Gordon, like, really apologizing, because they Did fuck up. And they weren’t totally innocent. They caused Gordon a lot of hardship and trauma, even if it wasn’t their intention. On the other hand, I’d like for them to get an apology back from Gordon because he wasn’t an innocent party either. Basically I want the two of them to apologize, forgive each other, and have their relationship grow for the better.

Favorite friendship for this character: God, Benrey and Tommy being best friends is so good? Like, Tommy being able to read the Sweet Voice and therefore being able to understand Benrey more than anyone else on the Science Team could, at the time of the ResCas? Them Obviously knowing each other at the start? It’s good shit. I could go on about their friendship but I’ll leave it with this: They were friends starting at a young age, well, Benrey was young, Tommy was probably like a young tween, and Benrey is the sibling Tommy never had. They just got a sibling dynamic okay?

My crossover ship: I don’t do crossovers, not my thing! Nothing against them I just don’t like them for some reason. ^^ IF I had to pick something, uh, I saw a Benrey/Gordon/Barney thing and went “oh!” so :)

[mrs-takami-keigo]

King of the Clouds

Chapter 2

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

————————————

‘His niece? HIS FUCKING NIECE?!’Hawks whipped his head around the room trying to find the newest hero in town, spotting her talking to Mirko at the bar. He was mad for a number of reasons, one he knew the organization had to have been lying to him and he needed to know why. Two Endeavor could have just told him instead of going for the dramatic route. And finally he was pissed at the fact she still had the one up on him. He could hear Quinn’s voice as he got closer to the bar. “Your thighs are so in shape, I would honestly kill for them.” “Are you kidding me? You’re body is on fire. To be very honest it’s nice to see another women with curves like ours in the room.” Mirko said making Quinn laugh. If he wasn’t in such a mood he would have paid more attention to the butterflies that fluttering his lower stomach but right now he didn’t have time for that.

“So you’re a Todoroki?” He said as soon as he reached the two women who were in the middle of a conversation.

“Well hello there Hawks. Please, cut us off it wasn’t like me and Quinn weren’t having a lovely conversation just now.” He know it was rude of him to just interject himself. Sighing he turned to the white haired women, “My apologizes Mirko, may I borrow Phoenix for a second I wanna compare wing sizes.”

“I’ll just text you later girl.” He watched as Quinn hugged Mirko before turning to him fully. “Follow me.” Her voice was calm no malice or mocking behind her words.

Phoenix POV

My Uncles words rang through my head, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ I sighed, he was right. I’m way to old to be playing these ‘I’m better than you’ games with Hawks. I lead the younger male to my office which was down the hall from Endeavors. I would have used his but he was in there with some pro’s.

Opening the door I moved out of the way so Hawks could walk in first, when he passed me I caught a whiff of his cologne. It was musky but with a hint of sweetness to it. ‘Focus Quinn!’ I shut the door before turning to face him. I could see he was about to say something but I stopped him before he could.

“I apologize for how I acted earlier today. I don’t know you and it was just rude of me.” I saw the surprise on his face, which was expected.

“I was not expecting you to say that kid.” He leaned on my desk crossing one foot over the other while his arms did the same. Once again that thought of if were in a different time and place I wouldn’t have minded him taking me home. But I hated when he called me kid. Taking a deep breath I knew I had to keep my composure. Making my way across the room to my desk, I pulled my chair out, “Let’s have an adult conversation shall we?” I gestured for him to take the seat across from me. We both sat down, I leaned back crossing my legs. “My name is Quinn Bailey-Todoroki. Born and raised in New York where I am the number one hero and number three in America. My powers I’m sure you are aware of are telekinesis and fire control. And last I am not a kid I am older than you by about 5 years, so no more of that kid nonsense okay?”

He eyes had never left mine while I was talking. It was refreshing to see, to have someone listen instead of just gawk at me.

It took him a moment to say anything to me. The wheels in his head were turning I could tell. “And you couldn’t have said all this when you first met me because?” I rolled my eyes just when I thought he stopped being a complete jackass.

“Because unfortunately my temper comes from the Todoroki side. So once again I’m sorry can we start over?” I stood up putting my hand out waiting for him to shake it and call truce.

“So you are a Todoroki?” Why was he so obsessed with this question. I just nodded my headband stuck my hand out even further. Hawks followed suit and grabbed my hand shaking it. “Good, now I have a party to get back to.” I tried to take my hand away from his but there was a grip from his end. Looking back at the blonde I watched as he brought my had up to his lips, gently kissing the back of it before letting it go.

“What the hell are you doing Hawks.” I wiped my hand on the back of my skirt, trying to hide the fact that it sent butterflies to my stomach. He chuckled and walked back to the door opening it while using his other arm to cross in front of his torso before he bowed his head.

“I always wanted to kiss the hand of a royal.” I hated this man with my entire soul.

-Next day-

I laid in bed staring at the ceiling not even caring that the alarm clock on my phone was going off I just kept hitting the snooze button. Today was my official first day as a pro hero and for some reason I felt off. Thinking back to last night I remember the conversation Endeavor and I had in the car.

“I saw you go into your office with a bunch of pro hero’s, anything I need to know about?” He could tell from my tone that I was being deathly serious. The one thing about the dynamic between us was there was always respect and no secrets.

“There have been some more Nomu sightings throughout Japan. We haven’t seen them since the Kamino incident so this is interesting if true. We aren’t sure if they are rumors or not.” I could see in his face this was worrying him. I knew about the Kamino incident, everyone did. All Might’s retirement effected everyone around the world.

“Any sign of the League of Villains? Wherever the Nomu is one of them is sure to follow.”

“No sightings of them and that’s what really concerns me, what could they possibly be planning?” We both didn’t say anything after that. Just the thought of what they were capable of doing sent shivers down my spine.

“Are you going to turn that alarm off or not?” Jumping a little I looked at the door to see my Uncle standing in my doorway already in costume.

“God you scared me! Ever heard of knocking?” I grabbed my phone and aggressively hitting the stop button.

“I did but you didn’t hear me. It’s almost the afternoon I’m heading out for a meeting. I’ll be back later tonight.” It was always right to the point with this man. Hearing his footsteps go down the hall I got out of the bed. Stretching my arms up above my head I felt my shoulders pop back into place. I didn’t have patrol until later tonight so I was thinking of using the day to look for apartments. Putting on my house slippers I made my way to the kitchen to see if I could whip anything up to eat.

“Oh Quinn you hungry?” Fuyumi was sitting at the table with her laptop open and papers scattered around her.

“Yeah but don’t worry finish your work I can make something.” I waved my hand at her while opening the fridge. Fuyumi was just as kind and thoughtful as she was when she was a little girl. While growing up she always followed me around and it was the cutest thing.

“Do you work today?” She was typing away on the computer but I knew she was talking to me.

“Yeah I have patrol later to night probably won’t be back till the early morning.” I decided to make a sandwich, nice and simple I wasn’t in the mood to make a mess. “But I was thinking about going apartment hunting and since your home wanna have a girls day my treat?” The clicking sound of the keyboard stopped, “oh my god yes please! I feel like I’ve been stuck in the house forever!” The excitement in her voice made me smile.

“Once I’m done eating I’ll go get dressed and then we’ll head out.” I saw her nod before going back to what I’m assuming was grading papers.

-later that day-

“I really really like that last apartment we saw.” We were in the car on our way back to the house trunk full of shopping bags and bubble tea in our hands. Before we went to the open houses in the area, I took Fuyumi to the mall and let her get anything she needed. I knew it wasn’t easy taking care of three men when you’re the only women in the house. I want her to know she doesn’t have to have that burden on her shoulders while I’m here.

“It was nice but the third place we saw might have to be the one. It had access to the roof which is perfect for me when I just wanna fly home after a hard day. And I’m also a sucker for floor to ceiling windows.” Taking a sip of my taro bubble tea I looked at my cousin, from her side profile she looked just like her mother.

“How is aunt Rei? Have you guys seen her?” Fuyumi looked down at her hands as she started to play with her thumbs.

“Me and Natsuo try to see her as often as we can but it’s Shouto who ends up going the most. She’s a lot better now! We’re all hoping she’ll get all hoping she’ll get released soon.” Her face lit up at the last sentence it made me smile.

“Maybe we should go see her, I still have plenty of time before I have to go to work.” I leaned forward to tell the driver about the change of plans only to be stopped by the emergency alarm coming from everyone’s phone in the car. My stomach sank I knew what it meant. There was a fight happening and we were close.

“Quinn it’s dad.” Fuyumi had a look of horror on her face. I quickly leaned over looking the phone with her.

‘Were here in central Fukuoka where a hooded figure crashed through the window of this building. Fortunately two heroes were already on the scene, Endeavor and Hawks!’

My body started to shake as I watched the hooded Nomu land a punch on my uncle sending him back through the already broken window. The screams of the people trapped in the building and the people down below that were trying to escape the falling glass were ringing through the speaker of the phone. ‘I have to go! I have to help them!’

“Sir please drive us as close to this area as you can!” At first he was hesitant of my request, “PLEASE!” His hands gripped the steering wheel before the car sped up.

“Quinn you’re gonna go?! You don’t even have your costume!” The worry in Fuyumi’s voice was evident but I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing I was a hero.

“That’s why I asked him to get us as close as he could if I use my wings to fly there from here my clothes would be all burnt up.” I know she didn’t want me to go but I had to and she knew that.

‘There seems to be more Nomus appearing out of nowhere!’ There were Nomus climbing all over the buildings but other hero’s arrived on the scene to take care of them while Endeavor and Hawks took care of the stronger one.

Their movements were fast but I caught each and every one. I watched as I say red feathers carry civilians down to the ground and reattached themselves back onto Hawks wings. The camera was trying focus on him but he was fast. With Two large feathers in his hands as swords he took a few swings to the animal only to be hit his yellow visor broken in half. Most of his feathers were gone trying to save people so he couldn’t stable himself in time before he fell on top of a building.

Endeavor took this time to try and beat the Nomu only to receive a cut to his face sending him flying as well. This was bad very bad. With both of them down and out for the count I could hear the sheer panic from the people. I needed to get out of this car and get to them fast.

“Miss this is as far as I can go.” The driver pressed hard on the breaks as to not hit the car in front of us. “It’s only about ten minutes driving distance from here but I’m sure you can get there in no time.”

“Thank you so much. Please keep Fuyumi safe for me.” I patted his shoulder before turning to my little cousin. Taking my hand in hers I looked her in the eyes. “I’m going to be alright, we all are I’ll make sure of it.”squeezing her hand once last time I opened the door, jumping out wasting no time to take to the sky. ‘Please be okay!’ The city below me zoomed right by my wings taking me as fast as the could. I could feel that the t-shirt I wore was already buried where my wings were but I could care less. That feeling I couldn’t shake from this morning was back, my instincts have been trying to tell me something all day but I just ignored it.

I could hear the commotion from the fight in the distance, the scream’s of the people. It made me so mad, how could anyone take joy in doing this to people!

“Endeavor use my feathers! Let me help you go faster!” It was Hawks, trying to find where the voice came from I found him on top of a building. His face was serious but also banged up. I could see the blood coming out from where his visor broke and from his mouth. Hawks was looking up towards the sky I tried to follow his eyesight and when I did I covered my mouth with my hands. Endeavor was giving his last little bit of strength to take this monster down. He was far away from me but I could feel the heat coming from his flames ‘He’s over heating!’ The feathers Hawks sent him pushed him faster to the goal. The next thing I saw was a flash of bright light and a scream from my Uncle. I had to close my eyes from the light but the force of the flames was like a gust of wind that you could only feel during a hurricane.

Everything seemed to go quite after the wind and the light died down. Opening my eyes I caught a glimpse of Endeavor falling back down to earth. I flew over but slowly, scared to see what I would discover. ‘Please be alive, please!’ I kept chanting that in my head as the cloud of smoke started to disperse. That’s when I saw it, My uncle standing there with his fist up in the air standing on both his feet. I could feel the breath I was holding in my chest leave my body. ‘Thank god he’s alive.’

“Endeavor are you alright?!” Hawks was next to him in a flash trying to hold him up but his strength was just as weak as Endeavor’s was. His once large bright red wings were much smaller. Having had to use the feathers to fight, save people and still be able for him to fly took a lot out of him.

“What a nice show there you gave us Endeavor!” It was a voice I wasn’t familiar with. “I was supposed to bring High-end back alive what the fuck am I supposed to do with a dead burnt up Nomu. Not very hero like of you!” This guy had a lot of anger in his voice. He was y’all that much I could tell. The thing that caught my attention was the scarred skin he had. It was all over his body, arms, neck, chin even under his eyes. Just by the looks of him I knew he was part of the league.

“This was the day I’ve been waiting for though, the day when I can finally get rid of you Endeavor!” I saw blue flames shoot out from his hands aiming towards Hawks and my uncle.

Third person POV

“What the fuck am I gonna do now? My wings won’t be able to carry the both of us and Endeavor is barely holding on to consciousness.” Hawks growled under his breath. He knew there was no way out of this situation and the other hero’s were to busy trying to get everyone to safety.

“This was the day I’ve been waiting for though, the day when I can finally get rid of you Endeavor!” Hawks heard him shout while blue flames started to appear from his hands.

‘Think Hawks think!’ He felt the heat of the flames but not the flames themselves. Looking up he saw the sight of Phoenix standing in front of them both her hands had flames coming out from them. ‘Where did she come from?’

“Hawks are you alright?” He looked at the older female, she looked different than she did yesterday. He couldn’t put his finger on it just yet.

“I’m fine how did you get here?!”

“Don’t worry about that now can you get him somewhere safe?” Hawks could see that her shirt was all burnt in the back and she was starting to sweat.

“Yeah, but what about you?” He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about her.

“I’ll be fine,” Phoenix turned her head to look over her shoulder at Hawks. “Plus I don’t think this I good match for you dove. Now go!” She faced her opponent again this time her flames became hotter and stronger.

He tried to pull Endeavor up but he was to heavy for him. Just as the winged hero was about to try again the bright red and blue flames ceasefire.

“Well well look who it is, Phoenix right?”

“Aw that’s not fair, you know me but I have no idea who the fuck you are.” Phoenix cocked her head to the right staring at the man that was across from her.

“The name is Dabi. Glad I could be the last thing you see before you die.” The scarred man put one foot behind him to steady himself before another huge ball of blue flames came at her, but this time it was much bigger. Everything started to happen in slow motion for Hawks. The wind around him started to pick up. He could feel a strong power emitting from the women in front of him.

“Phoenix, d-don’t it’s too dangerous!” Endeavor’s voice was weak but Hawks heard him.

Bright red and orange wings appeared on her back as she started to hover above the ground. The blue flames circled her instead of blasting her to burnt bits. It was like what he saw in the video she was absorbing the flames. But something was different this time. Hawks watched as her back arched making her face the sky, eyes wide open. She was in pain and he could see it. Stopping his assault Dabi watched in amazement “Well that’s different.” He’s seen people deflect his flames or even try to stop them but never absorb them. “Too bad for you but I’m not dying anytime soon motherfucker!” Her back was still arched while she spoke. But the voice that came out of her was scary it sounded like multiple people were talking at the same time. Letting her back straighten out she made a straight dive for Dabi.

“Ever have your own flames try to kill you?” Phoenix was smirking as she released those same blue flames back onto her opponent. She was terrifying, her power sent chills down the spines of many like how All Might’s used to.

“Like you said I’m not dying today either.” As soon as he said that a black circle appeared behind him, sucking in Dabi and the corpse of the Nomu right before a bright blue flash hit the spot he was standing on. Hawks had covered himself and Endeavor with what little wings he had left. Peaking over the wing he saw Phoenix walking back towards him. Her t-shirt burnt falling off her body in little pieces her sports bra showing and her jeans had burn holes in them as well.

“Phoenix are you alright?” He could tell she wasn’t. With each step she staggered and stumbled, her face was void of any emotion and Hawks knew this wasn’t good. Reaching her uncle she fell to her knees on his right side. Her small hand reached out putting it on his back. A sigh escaped her lips as she bent her head down.

“Thank goodness you’re both safe.” Her voice was soft but the blonde could hear her. She was staring at her fallen uncle while she did that. Soon her brown eyes locked with his golden ones.

“Thank you for protecting him Hawks.” A smile passed on her lips before she too collapsed on top of her uncle.

“Quinn!” ——————————————————————————————————— I’m very proud of this chapter! Thank you so much for the likes on the first chapter! Please don’t be afraid to comment! Comments help me know that people like what I write

[duskholland]

I had an okay weekend, I’ve managed to catch a frustrating cold that’s leaving me with almost no voice. Happiful Magazine is a UK based magazine that talks about health and such. It’s a magazine where you can receive advice on how to help yourself, how to take care of yourself. I’m thinking of possibly writing for it, but I don’t know if I’d be good enough for it. Freelance writing is something that I have been looking into doing since this class as an after college thing. ~♉️

Real Love~ “He presses his warm lips to your forehead, and the feeling in your heart is like coming home.” This was a beautiful piece that shows love between two friends in the sweetest way even as their stuck in a fake relationship coming to an end. It’s adorable to see the budding relationship bloom into something more real than either of them had expected. I love that this bloomed when their contracted fake relationship started coming to an end.~♉️

Come Cuddle~ “You know exactly what he means: you’ve always believed home is a feeling, not a place, but it wasn’t until you actually met Tom that you could truly experience what it’s like to place your sense of self into another person.” Killed my heart with the adorableness of this piece! I’ve fallen in love with this one and now it takes control as my favorite oneshot for Tom already. I’m sure something will top it, but I just absolutely adore this piece! ❤️~♉️

Quiet Nights~ “It’s normal, Tom. You don’t have to be happy all the time. You don’t have to be strong all the time. You’re a person, and sometimes people feel low, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” God I wish someone could remind me of this. I absolutely love this fic and I can completely relate to Tom, especially recently. Y/N is the perfect pick-me-up person, shining a light in the darkness swallowing us whole... sorry a bit morbid there, but new favorite!! ❤️~♉️

Underneath the Mask~ Prince Tom, ooh I’m in for it!! Gosh the forbidden love between best friends that aren’t supposed to be best friends ❤️! “He’s in love with you, possibly the only person he’s not allowed to date. The only person that knows of his secret romance is Harrison, and even he, for all his good-naturedness, had been horrified at first when he’d heard Tom was courting a Y/L/N. I’m so in love with this, and maybe it’ll be my favorite when I’m in a good headspace. I love it! ❤️~♉️

Lust~ I’m in for it... Should I be reading this during class? Probably not. Am I going to though? Absolutely. “Tom meets your eyes, and in his deep, swirling depths, you find understanding.” Oh you’re trying to get me in trouble with this piece 🥵. You and your details, setting it up perfectly, driving the piece deeply, simply, yet detailed excursions are your forte. I have nothing left to say other than that I should not have read this during class. (Written yesterday at 1:30 p.m.) ❤️~♉️

The Box~ This is my new favorite, just so you know, and I don’t think anything will top it. “Your heart races as you nod, realising that though it might not happen now, at some point - some point very soon - Tom’s going to fall to his knees in front of you and sweep you off your feet. A large grin paints over your lips.” New freakin’ favorite right here!!!! ❤️❤️~♉️

The Rooftop Party~ Awe!! “You aren’t together, and you know the arms around your waist are his idea of being close to a friend.” 💔 that broke my little heart... “You grin happily, body floating in a suspended state of bliss.” Yup, you fixed it ❤️, and I’m kind of in love with this one.. It’s so close, meters away from taking over the favorite spot in OneShots right now. It’s soooo sooo close! But, it’s still such an adorable fluffy piece, and I absolutely adore it! ❤️~♉️

A Rose~ okay, hold it... gone wrong.? I don’t want the angst!! “He wants to say no. He really wants to say no.” God I really wasn’t prepared 😩😭. I’m crying right now, wha.. wha.. what did you just do to my heart right now?! What?! Why?! I can’t.. oh my god, you broke me. 😭😭😭💔💔💔💔 You can’t kill me like that!!!!!!!! 💔~♉️

Accidental Proposal~ “You love him. You love him in a way you’ve never loved anyone before. It’s all-consuming, all-encompassing, and absolutely fulfilling. And you know you never want that love to fizzle out, or fade away, or be taken away.” That just made me go awe really, really loudly. This is such an adorable piece. This is like.. just.. oh my gosh it’s so pure. I love, love, love it! ❤️❤️❤️~♉️

Lingerie~ okay, I’ve read this one and it is just too damn good 🥵. “It’s a game. A dangerous, heated game, and with every passing day, his eyes seem hungrier as they meet with yours, and he seems to inch closer to you.” The go from oh this 🥵 will happen again to another time with a date because they both truly want more than a fling. And I love it! 🥵❤️~♉️

One Million~ “Never one to accept defeat so easily, Tom reaches up and wraps his hand around your wrist, his touch keeping your phone in place as he brings his index finger up and begins to scroll through your feed, greedy eyes skimming over the numbers. You stay still, trying not to think about how nice it feels to have him gripping at your skin so tightly.” Damn.. 🥵🥵🥵 that was fucking good. Oof 🥵❤️~♉️

Head Over Heels~ okay, just from the summary I know I’m in for fluff! “After a while, the conversation fades out, and then it’s just him, and you, sat on top of his washing machines, holding hands.” And you’ve done killed me with fluff again. This is now my favorite, I’m sorry “The Box”, but you’ve been beaten by an even more fluffy piece. It’s so detailed, adorable, fluffy, and gooooood! The consuming need to want to be with y/n gets me because I want that! I’m in love with this piece! ❤️~♉️

Warm~ I’ve read this one too ❤️🥵 Jesus fuck I forgot how hot this piece was 🥵🥵🤦‍♀️. “For you, there’s nothing more fulfilling than hiding your face into your boyfriend’s shoulder and feeling him everywhere.” Jesus. I know the last oneshot that I have to read before the mobTom! pieces will be just as hot, but damn. 🥵❤️~♉️

Sucker Punch~ I purposely waited to read this for this moment. “You’re surprised by his reaction to you. You’d expected something else entirely. Clenched jaws and anger. The last time you’d been together, things between you had been the opposite of amicable.” gosh and you gave us a flashback. Jesus fuck that was hot.. like I can’t even.. 🥵🥵.. So... This is my favorite piece, like fucking FAVORITE piece! No topping that, it’s not possible for anything to top this piece ever. In love. ❤️❤️~♉️

Holy crap, I’ve now gotten through all of the OneShots for Tom aside from the Mob ones. I’m kind of like.. idk and I haven’t read the newest part of TFG because I don’t want to die, but like I’m about to read that because I want to wait for the mobTom ones.~♉️

I have a question because I feel like you know, but I’m not sure. Do you who know what my username is? Cause like I’ve given sooo many hints and now I’m just curious as to whether you already know or not 😂 😂 ~♉️

Okay, I’m going to be starting your MobTom pieces once I finish my homework and newspaper work. So, like, I’m excited and wondering if I’ll have a new favorite because like, I went through a couple of favourites in the OneShots. We’ll see what happens! Also, still haven’t read part nine because I’m just so on edge! I’m going to read it tonight though, but like Oof just dreading it, not sure how I’m going to handle how you kill me with this new chapter. ❤️~♉️

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OKAY SO WE HAVE A LOT TO UNPACK HERE. first off I just want to say I’m sorry it took me a while to answer these - I never really know when to start answering and when to wait, but I feel like this is a good time to pause? because you sent in so much and I don’t want you to feel like I don’t appreciate every single message - because I DO !! okay !! so !!

first - I hope you’re feeling better !!! colds are horrid. and I also hope that you do the freelance writing gig! anything to get your foot in the door is good, and writing is always so fun. go you !! let me know how it goes if you do it!

second - :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

scream. THANK YOU for taking the time to send these in. thank you thank you. all the isolated quotes are like a BLAST from the past, because I wrote a lot of those two years ago. I’ve reread them all apart from A Rose, and just...wow. crazy. I hope you could like...see my writing improve as you went through them 😂 thank you so much, again. like, truly. I can’t say it enough. but just knowing the time it must take you to do all of this for me....... I am eternally eternally grateful. thank you <33333 

third - I’m like, 95% sure I know who you are, but I don’t think I’d ever be 100% 😂 I also wouldn’t ever want to message you without your permission, because sometimes people find it easier talking over anon, and I’d never want to abuse that dynamic that we’ve built up..? does that make sense? idk !! sometimes people feel safer on anon, so even if I was 100% sure, I wouldn’t ever message you without getting the green light first <3

fourth - thank you AGAIN, so so so so much for this. I was so happy to read your thoughts and even happier that your favourite piece was the one I wrote most recently - means I’m doing something right :) good luck with the mob ones!! they’re very different to everything else that I’ve written, obviously, but I had fun with them. when I started the mob series, I’d intended for it to be more of a ....well, series.....but we’re not quite there yet 😂 you’ll see lol. good luck and thank you!!