#yet another disaster bisexual pairing

[dduane]

30 Days of Pride, day 6: Off this previous post featuring the above lighting test...

...For once it’s okay for a character’s hair to make him look like he’s been dragged backwards through a hedge. :) Context: they’ve both just been in a back-alley swordfight, she’s just saved his (outlawed) butt from some people who wanted to kill him for the reward money, and he’s now wondering whether this strange woman who suddenly turned up out of nowhere might only have saved him so as to score the reward money herself. She, meanwhile, is trying to figure out what kind of bizarre shit her tendency to feel sorry for underdogs has gotten her into now. We, of course, know that within eighteen months they’ll be married— not just to each other, but to his boyfriend, a fire elemental, and a Dragon. But to them, for the moment, everything looks a bit dubious… :)

[lynnlovesthestars]

Mending.

Pairing: Lucanis Dellamorte x Rook x Spite (gender-neutral) Genre: hurt/ comfort, protective Lucanis, protective Spite, Smitten Lucanis, Lucanis personal quest spoilers, Bisexual disaster Lucanis, first kisses, spite being spite, wingman spite, angst with a dash of fluff. Synopsis: in the aftermath of the fight with Illario, something doesn't go as expected. WC: 2k~ Ao3 link AN: is this me finally getting out of my writer's block again?

Lucanis’ eyes darted around the opera house, something was missing. So much had happened so quickly: the fight, deciding what to do with Illario, being announced as the new First Talon, that once he was handed the glass of celebratory wine and had a moment to think, he realized that he had lost sight of Rook.

He was so absorbed by this family drama that he didn’t ever realize when the room had been cleaned up from the bodies and guests started crowding the lower level of the theatre.

“Can’t believe. You lost Rook” Spite shook his head as he glanced around the room, pacing between the Crows and the guests, looking for the missing one.

He wanted to follow Spite so bad, abandon the glass of champagne and focus on Rook.

He was not quick enough though. One at a time the guests started approaching him. Some with compliments, and some already trying to get in his graces.

He hated every second of it. He wished Caterina had not pushed all this on him, had not forced him to take the mantle of First Talon, had not shoved on him all these expectations. He didn’t want to play the part.

He just wanted to look for Rook and leave.

Yet he had little choice, he just hoped Rook would find him, that the feeling that was harbored in his guts was just a fiction of his mind, one of the many attempts of his brain to let him cave in.

Minutes passed quickly, and of Rook there was no trace. He had prayed Rook would show up between the guests stopping him over and over again, looking for them in every interaction, in every greeting, in every congratulations. Of all the people crowding the room, the only one he wanted to see, it was Rook,

There was nothing to worry about, right? He thought as he followed the demon around the opera house with his eyes.

“Smells like blood” Spite walked past another small gathering of people, approaching one of the corners of the room and disappearing behind the throng.

Rationally he knew that it was normal for the opera theater to smell like blood. At the end of the day there had just been a bloody fight right there where a small horde of Venatori was taken down, but nothing stopped Lucanis from overthinking and wondering if the smell of blood belonged to Rook.

Dread filled his lungs as he excused himself, leaving one person after the other behind himself, following Spite’s taunting voice as he sniffed around. “Found Rook” The demon hummed as he stopped on his tracks and kneeled down. “Rook hurt” He hissed as he leaned forward, inching closer to their face.

They were sitting on the floor, their head lolling to the side as one arm was holding their abdomen tightly.

“Mierda” He swore under his breath as the view solidified in Lucanis’ eyes, the glass he was holding was quickly abandoned, shattered on the floor as he rushed by Rook’s side.

He could feel everyone’s disapproving gaze falling on him as he kneeled down, his composure down the drain as Caterina’s eyes burned holes in his back. “House Dellamorte never kneels” Her voice echoed in his brain, yet for once all he cared was beyond her opinion. All that mattered to him was Rook.

“Rook, you alright?” He murmured the futile question as he cupped their cheek, his palm gently turning their head towards them to take a better look. Blood was dripping down their nose, their eyes were half closed while their mouth hung slack, trying to catch their breath. 

“Yeah” They mumbled under their breath, leaning in the touch carelessly. “Feeling dizzy” Their beautiful complexion was slowly drained of color, and yet even on the brink of exsanguination they were stunning. 

“Gonna kill Illario” Spite hissed; he could feel the demon’s anger rising in his stomach and mixing with his own worry, a deadly concoction that was not going to bring anything good if Spite was not kept in check.

“Let’s get you out of here” He whispered as he sneaked his arms around Rook’s waist and brought them to his chest. He had to be quick, looking for a safe spot to mend whatever nasty wound Rook had and make sure they were okay.

The halls of Villa Dellamorte were home to him, so much that sneaking past the hidden corridors to his room was kid’s play, and there he was going to be unbothered, focusing on Rook only.

“You still with me, Rook?” He asked as he gently laid them on the softness of his bed, their head falling back against the pillows as he realized no answer was going to come from them any time soon. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“I’m sorry” Lucanis mumbled to himself as he quickly undid the buttons of Rook’s vest, discarding the ruined clothes to the floor and exposing the wound.

“Why are you apologizing.” Spite asked, his head tilting to the side as he stared at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.

“I suppose you don’t understand” He held his breath as he carefully threaded the needle, battling with himself to keep his hands steady, something that should have been normal to him. 

“Explain”

“I undressed them, without their knowledge. That’s..” He weighted the words on his tongue, hoping they’d make sense for the demon, ‘cause of all things, he was not going to sit there and overexplain himself when his.. lover could have been on the brink of death. “...Disrespectful”

“Disrespectful” Spite repeated, letting the word linger on his tongue as he stared at Lucanis carefully.

“Now if you’ll stay silent, I’ll patch them up” Lucanis turned resolute towards the demon, pointing the sharp needle his way and earning a groan and a nod.

“Be quick” He sat at the edge of the bed, next to Rook’s feet. “Miss Rook already” Spite mumbled as he crossed his arms, and for once, they were on the same page.

Lucanis was quick to focus again on Rook, his eyes tracing the countless scars on their exposed chest; he wanted to know their story, how Rook got them, how many they had to patch alone at the edge of consciousness, how many carried regret. He wanted to trace them with his lips as they got to learn about each other. He would have torn down walls for them, even if just for a moment.

Lucanis reached over for the folded towel, the gushing wound oozed so heavily that he wondered for a moment if Illario had pierced something vital.

He tried his best to steady his hands, pressing the cloth against the open skin to take away as much blood as possible before starting to stitch it up.

How long had Rook sat there bleeding out before being found? He wondered. 

Why had they not asked for help? Question over question flooded his mind as he stopped just a moment to take a better look at Rook.

He expected to see some sort of reaction, to see their face contorted in a painful scowl, anything to remind himself that he was not going to lose them anytime soon, yet even while they were unconscious they tried their best to look calm.

It was something he admired about Rook. They always seemed in control even when things were slipping between their fingers. Even when the worst outcome was at their door, they always knew what to say. And yet, when they needed help, no one was there to see them, to notice the bloodstain growing on the fabric of their shirt.

What a fool Lucanis Dellamorte was for such oversight. Especially when he wanted to be around Rook all the time, when he wanted to pluck the stars from the sky for them, and  when he wanted to protect them with every fiber of his being, despite the fear of uncovering the monsters hidden in his closet.

“Lucanis’ a sap” Spite rolled his eyes as he climbed completely on the bed, laying next to Rook. Lucanis hated sometimes how loudly Spite could read him. Even when he didn’t understand humanity, and when Lucanis couldn’t properly process his feelings, he was always asking those uncomfortable questions, leaving him questioning.

“I told you to-” 

“Tell them” Spite stopped him before he could finish his sentence. “You want to. I don’t understand why you don’t”

“It’s..” He let out a groan as he looked down again, the wound already covered in blood once more. “Let me do this” Lucanis quickly dismissed Spite.

“I don’t get you” Spite shook his head, returning to his own thinking. He ghosted his hand over Rook’s itching to feel what Lucanis felt whenever his hand met with theirs, wondering if it would feel the same way. It was all futile wondering in the end.

The downsides of having a personal demon included hearing all their thoughts all the time, and he hated that his demon was just a mirror of his own feelings, so loud in his head it was impossible to drown him out.

The moon was shining high in the sky when Lucanis finally dropped the needle, a sigh of relief followed the clunk of hitting wood as he closed the little box and pushed it back under his nightstand and looked up at Rook.

He itched to touch them, to glide their fingers through their hair, to caress their cheek, to lean in and steal a kiss.

“Do it” Spite taunted.

“I’m not listening to you” Lucanis rebutted without a second thought.

Rook was still dazed, the sunlight shining through the blinds waking every nerve in their body as they adjusted to the unfamiliar environment.

The coffee aroma lingered in the air as they slowly opened their eyes. The last they remembered was gripping Lucanis' shirt and rushing through corridors. 

Lucanis was near, sitting on a chair right next to the bed, one hand wrapped around Rook’s and the other holding a cup of coffee.

“What happened? Where are we?” Rook murmured, their voice still laced with the weight of sleep.

“I had to stitch you up” He smiled as he rested the cup on the nightstand and leaned forward. His free hand gently reached forward, cupping Rook’s cheek and caressing the soft skin. “I brought you to my room” 

“Ah”

“How do you feel? Does the wound hurt?” He asked, leaving no time for Rook to think, his voice barely a whisper. He itched to lift the blanket, to ghost his fingers over their chest- and check the wound himself, obviously.

“I’ve seen better days” Rook slowly tried sitting up before being hit by a wave of pain, betraying his words right away. 

Lucanis was quick, his arm was quickly wrapped around their waist. “Careful..” He cooed as he guided the other to sit up, trying his best to ease the pain of movement. He couldn't miss how Rook's cheeks ignited, their beautiful complexion shining with warmth at the small care.

“But thank you, if it wasn’t for you…” Rook resumed despite the itching pain, a soft smile spreading upon their lips. 

They were so close as Lucanis still held his arm around their waist. Their warm breath mixing in the middle, as if to torture him, reminding him that they were just inches away from each other, so close yet so far.

“You should have told me Illario wounded you, you know?” His voice lowered as he sat at the edge of the bed, his arm not yielding from the new spot it occupied. He liked the way they felt in his arms.

“You found me, didn’t you?” Rook matched his tone, as if they were whispering secrets and the walls of Villa Dellamorte had ears to steal them away.

“Yeah”

Silence filled the room as Rook’s eyes fell on their intertwined fingers. Their heart leaping in their chest as they committed to memory the way his hand felt in theirs, the way his arm held them up protectively.

They felt safe, right there. Despite the wound on their abdomen, despite the world as they knew it about to fall apart. 

“Kiss them. Kiss them” Spite chanted as they still laid near Rook, propping up only to meet his host’s eyes with a smirk plastered on his lips. Lucanis wanted to kiss them, to steal just one moment, but was it fair? Was it fair to selfishly graze their skin one more time and press their lips together just like that? Many times he had thought of it, daydreaming of the moment before his eyes, yet he had wanted their first kiss to be different.

He savored the idea on his lips, wondering if they'd taste as sweet as the words that came from their mouth. He wondered if they'd feel the same way he did.

One moment he was deep in his thoughts, and the following he couldn’t hold himself back. His lips gently crushed with Rook’s, and the stars he wanted to give them were around him; the universe he wanted to fight was in his palm.

He swore everything around him disappeared. Worries, thoughts, responsibilities. Vanquished.

There was just Lucanis and Rook and nothing else mattered.

[theladyofshalott1989]

Mum’s the Word 🤫 // Modern AU (No Magic) Sebastian Sallow x Male MC Short Story

Chapter 2: "This [story], I like it. Another!"**

[ Chapter One ]

️‍🌈 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! 🌈

Synopsis: Sebastian and Damien have been together for a few weeks, so the time has (finally) come. Sex with a man for the first time. Sebastian's got this! He's got this, right? ... RIGHT?

Relevant Tags: POV Sebastian Sallow, Modern AU, Bisexual Sebastian Sallow, Crack Treated Seriously, Gay Panic, Smut, First Time, Humor, Banter, Pining, Sebastian Sallow Is Bad at Feelings, Chris Hemsworth Appreciation, Chris Evans Slander

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Male MC (Damien Evans)

Note: This chapter is EXPLICIT‼️

[ AO3 Link ]

Author's Note: Alexa, play "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" by Queen.

"So, you and your mum. You're close, hm?" Sebastian said. Whether this question was the right choice at this particular place and time didn't even cross his mind. He was too flustered to think straight. He just needed to stall. To get his bearings. Yes, yes, his bearings. 

Damien stopped rummaging through one of his drawers. He swiveled around to face Sebastian, one eyebrow raised. "You really want to have this conversation right now?"

Okay, that was fair. Sebastian could at the very least admit to himself that he was nervous. Sex with a man for the first time. How novel.

"I was just curious," he replied. Obviously he wouldn't tell Damien he was having second thoughts. Second thoughts? No, that wasn't quite right. He definitely wanted this. He just wasn't quite sure how to begin. 

"Yes, I suppose I am?" Damien said. "Close with her, that is." He dove back into his search with determined focus. "Aha!" he exclaimed, brandishing a container of lube up in the air like it was the Holy Grail. His golden-brown eyes sparkled, and a dazzling smile lit up his face, his single dimple making an appearance. God, Damien really was handsome, wasn't he? It was beyond words. 

Sebastian shook his head and averted his gaze, hoping to conceal the flush creeping across his cheeks. "So, uh, how do you want to go about this?" he asked, noting that Damien had set the lube on his nightstand, uncapped, awaiting the moment it would be needed. 

"What do you mean?" Damien took a step toward him. He was practically vibrating with excitement. Sebastian wasn't sure what to think. Sebastian wasn't sure what to feel. Dammit, he should have been more honest with Damien. Or, at the very least, have done some research! 

Sebastian had always prided himself on being prepared for everything. And yet, in the past few weeks, he'd been floundering like the writers on The Walking Dead trying to conjure up a decent storyline. It wasn't Halloween anymore, but it wasn't quite Christmas either, so his horror film marathon had devolved into shitty television. His new life, in which he was apparently "winging it," had all started with Anne "inviting" him to her Zumba class on their shared birthday: his twin sister's dastardly ploy to introduce Sebastian to the instructor, Damien. It had only spiraled from there.  

Even Sebastian's usual preternatural ability to read a room hadn't come in handy when Damien entered the picture. Despite seeing each other for a few weeks, Damien still remained a frustrating mystery. It wasn't ideal, especially since Sebastian didn't even know how to flirt with a man, let alone a man of Damien's caliber. He was still wrapping his head around the astonishing revelation that he apparently had a certain fondness for men as well as women. Thirty-years-old and still learning new things about himself. Who would have thought?

Now, did Sebastian inform Damien about any of this? Of course not! That would be too embarrassing. So, for all Sebastian knew, Damien thought Sebastian was old hat at this, erm, man-wooing business. Sebastian clearly hadn't thought that through. 

Dammit, this experience was bound to be a disaster, and more than likely a huge disappointment for Damien. Sebastian should have prepared him. Well, too late now.

Sebastian startled back to awareness, realizing he was tracing the intricate pattern of Damien's dark blue duvet, which was laid across his massive four-poster bed in his even more massive house. Which he owned. Because Damien was obnoxiously wealthy.

"Sebastian? Anyone home?" 

"I'm not sure," he said, unknowingly answering both of Damien's questions. He honest-to-God didn't know how two men began lovemaking. He supposed it was probably similar to how a man made love to a woman, but, uh, a woman's parts were decidedly different, and although he very much wanted to lick Damien's rather large nipples, he wasn't sure if that was the best way to start. It wasn't the best way to start, right? No, it probably wasn't. 

Bloody hell, this was going to be a complete and total disaster. God, he was so lame. Damien was going to realize he wasn't worth it and punt Sebastian out of his perfect, pristine life. 

When Damien had texted him last week to invite him over, Sebastian certainly hadn't expected Damien to own his own home, and in Mayfair no less! It made sense after the fact though: when Damien reluctantly admitted he was a solicitor. Zumba instructor by night, solicitor by day. No wonder Sebastian couldn't get a read on Damien. He was as confusing as Chris Pratt switching from Andy Dwyer to Star-Lord overnight. 

Damien laughed. "Been awhile?" Sebastian didn't have a chance to reply before Damien added, "Me too." 

Sebastian wished that gave him a semblance of relief, but it only made his heart race faster. 

"How about we start slowly?" Damien tried, his voice lowering and his tone becoming more honeyed. He leaned forward and lifted Sebastian up from the bed. He brought his hands to Sebastian's head, massaging with his long, nimble fingers. Meanwhile, his lips made contact with Sebastian's. He pecked them, his touch soft and light. Sebastian's shoulders relaxed. "How's that?" Damien asked. "Better?" 

"Mhm," Sebastian said, mirroring Damien by bringing his hands to his towhead and kissing him back. 

Damien ran hot, not just from an aesthetic point of view, but also a literal one. His hands radiated warmth, reminiscent of a mitt after pulling a fresh, steaming loaf of bread from the oven—a sensation Sebastian knew quite well, given his fondness for baking, a pastime he considered one of his more "domestic" hobbies. He hadn't mentioned it to Damien yet, but if they were still together by the end of this… encounter… Sebastian resolved it would be a good start to opening up, and perhaps, remedying what was sure to be a terrible performance. 

"I bake stuff," he'd say, like it was no big deal. "I like to bake. I'll bake you something sometime." Smooth, Sebastian. Yes, yes. Damien would find him irresistible. Who could turn someone down after that revelation? Baked goods could fix absolutely anything. Yes, that would absolutely work. Good thinking, mate. Well done. 

"What are you thinking?" Damien cut in. 

Sebastian froze. "Uh." He blinked. "Erm, nothing." 

Damien's hands navigated to Sebastian's waist. Sebastian's breath hitched. Damien tugged. Sebastian's trousers loosened and fell to the floor. "How about now?"

Fucking. Hell. Sebastian shifted on his feet, the mounting pressure in his pants leaving him at a complete loss for words. The telltale dampness at the tip of his cock only made his stumbling reply more awkward. "Erm, uh, well…"

Damien chuckled and resumed divesting Sebastian of his trousers, followed by his pants. Task complete—Sebastian assisting by lifting his feet up one by one in a daze— Damien tossed everything to the side of the room, lowered Sebastian into a seated position on the edge of his bed, and dropped down.

"Ah!" Sebastian exclaimed as Damien's mouth greeted his cock, which twitched against his will. 

Damien's head popped back up. "No?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Erm, no. I mean, yes! God, yes!" Damien remained stock still. "Just give me a moment?" Sebastian continued in a rush of words.

"Of course." Ever the gentleman, Damien leaned back, resting on his haunches in a crouched position. It gave Sebastian a stunning view of the upper half of his body, still clothed, but the angle strained his white button-down shirt, highlighting every curve. Damien was a bear of a man, rather more muscular than was the norm for a dance instructor—at least Sebastian assumed. He wasn't lean at all. He even had a decent-sized belly, which was spilling out of the gaps in his shirt. Surprising himself entirely, Sebastian found it breathtaking. Quite literally. 

After catching his breath and forcing his overactive brain to shut the fuck up, Sebastian said, "Alright, carry on."

Damien shot him a lopsided grin, the kind that sent a jolt straight to Sebastian's core. His cock somehow hardened further. 

Then, Damien sank back down, his tongue a perfect balance of pressure and precision, moving with a rhythm that unraveled Sebastian inch by agonizing inch.

Up and down, down and up. 

Stop overthinking, Sebastian , he screamed at himself internally. Enjoy this, for God's sake! 

Heat coiled through Sebastian's body, every nerve humming as though Damien's touch had set him ablaze.

As Damien's mouth baptized Sebastian's most precious body part—baptized? What the ever-loving fuck was going on? Did Sebastian really just make a religious metaphor? Something was seriously wrong with him—Damien's capable hands wandered, kneading the backs of Sebastian's thighs.   

"You're so tense," Damien murmured, pulling back just enough to make Sebastian's head spin.

Sebastian stayed silent, partly because he didn't trust himself to form a coherent sentence and partly because all his focus was on not losing complete and utter control right then and there.

"Care to tell me why?" Damien pressed, his tone equal parts teasing and curious.

Damn it.

"I, uh, ah…" Sebastian said, trying and failing to speak. What should he say? He couldn't admit to being new at this. No, absolutely not. 

"You don't have to," Damien said, leaning back once more. "I was just curious." He winked. 

Sebastian had to shut Damien up. Immediately. He leaped from his position on the bed and launched himself forward. Damien let loose a shocked gasp, followed by a deep rumbling laugh as Sebastian grappled at his outfit, tearing his shirt off his body in a frenzy. A button popped loose. Sebastian didn't apologize.

"That's more like it," Damien said as he shimmied out of his trousers. Deed done, he grabbed Sebastian by the shoulders and shoved him onto the bed. 

Damien was naked. Sebastian was naked. They were lying side by side on the bed. Well then. What next? 

Damien answered for him. He crawled over Sebastian, his broad frame sinking down, the weight of him pinning Sebastian to the duvet, making his head spin with desire.

Before Sebastian could process it, their lips met again, but this time Damien was all hunger and urgency. Had he been holding back?

Damien's teeth sank into Sebastian's bottom lip, sharp and possessive.

Oh yes, he'd definitely been holding back. Sebastian found himself grinning. Oh yes, he was enjoying this.

Sebastian snaked his arms around Damien and, mustering all his strength, flipped their positions. 

"Fancy seeing you down here," he teased, deciding it was finally time to do what he had wanted to do from the start. He planted his mouth on Damien's right nipple and attended to it, mercilessly. 

Now it was Damien's turn to cry out. His cock, which Sebastian had earlier noted was perhaps a bit smaller than Sebastian's—not that Sebastian minded, having never pleasured or been pleasured by a man before—pressed against Sebastian's leg, wet and insistent.

"Fuck," he groaned. "Fuck me."

"Gladly," Sebastian replied. 

Wait. He froze. He probably shouldn't have said that.

Damien was, luckily, distracted. He had freed his arms from Sebastian's grip and was reaching for the lube on his nightstand. 

Oh no. Fuck me, indeed. Sebastian was in deep, deep trouble. 

"Do go on," Damien said, holding out the open container in his left palm. 

"Erm, sure." 

Damien's brow furrowed. Sebastian swallowed nervously.

"Did I misinterpret something?" Damien said. 

"Nope, no misinterpretations here!" Sebastian grabbed the lube from Damien's hand. Only for it to slip out of his sweaty hands and plop face down on the bed. 

Bloody perfect. 

Damien scrambled forward, trying to remedy the situation. Alas, it was too far gone. The lube was done for, having splatted out onto the duvet.

Sebastian was struggling to decide how to begin his apology, perhaps even see himself out, proverbial tail tucked between his legs, when Damien surprised him. He brought his hand to Sebastian's mouth, which was hanging open slightly, and silenced him with a casual, "You're rather clumsy, aren't you?" 

There was nothing Sebastian could do but shrug, right hand lifting to rub away at the back of his neck. 

Damien dropped his own hand. "I suppose we don't have to do it that way," he said. "You're new at this, after all."

Sebastian froze. Again. He was doing a lot of that today. "What?" he managed to stammer out. 

"You've never done this before, right? With a man, I mean."

Sebastian's jaw nearly hit the floor. "How did you know?"

"Sebastian… come on."

"No, really. I thought—"

"You thought you were channeling your inner Hollywood heartthrob, didn't you?" Damien's sly smile made Sebastian break out into a cold sweat. He didn't think it was that obvious. Was it really that obvious?

"Uh, no?" 

Damien chuckled. "I'd love to say you're a great actor, but sorry to burst your bubble—you're no Chris Evans."

"Chris Evans can't act!" Sebastian shot back. Oops, that was louder than he intended. 

Damien burst out laughing. "Wow, looks like I really hit a nerve there. You're not a fan, I take it?" 

"He's the worst celebrity Chris."

"I'll be sure to pass that along." 

Sebastian blanched. "Wait… what?"

"He's my cousin."

Sebastian stared at him, incredulous. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I swear on my collection of Captain America comics."

No. Absolutely not. Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, but no words flowed forth. 

"Is this not going to work out?" Damien asked, still laughing.

"You can't just casually say something like that! While we're mid-coitus!"

"Mid-coitus?" Damien said as he gasped for air amid guffaws. "What a word!" 

"You're the solicitor! You use big words all the time!" 

"Not during sex!" 

Oh, right, they had been attempting to have sex. Well, that was clearly off the table now. Sebastian's body had already gone into shutdown mode. His cock was soft and unresponsive. 

"You know, I may be related to Chris Evans, but I've been told I look a bit like the actor who plays Thor. He's a celebrity Chris. Yes, Chris...erm...Hemsworth! That's it!"

Sebastian's mind short-circuited. Just like that, his cock was very much back in business. It had been, well, resurrected. Today was apparently a religious metaphor sort of day. 

"Still with me then?" Damien asked. 

"I am Groot," Sebastian muttered, still processing.

Damien laughed so hard he almost fell off the bed. Well, at least Sebastian was funny, right? Right?

"Wait, no," Sebastian quickly corrected, his face turning red. "I meant… yes, I'm still with you. And you're right. You do. You do look like Chris Hemsworth." If he squinted very hard and imagined Damien with a beard, yes, he could almost see it. 

"Is that… a good thing?"

Sebastian leaned back, running a hand through his wavy hair, trying to steady himself. "Well, he plays a god," he said, "so yeah, I'd say that's a very good thing."

Damien tossed him another stunning smile. There was that marvelous dimple again. "I'm glad." 

"Now prove it to me, with that hammer of yours," Sebastian said, smirking. "You know, the one that's between your legs," he added, just in case. 

"I got the gist. Solicitor, remember?" 

"Right." 

Damien's eyes widened. "I just remembered I have another container of lube in my coat pocket!"

"What? Why there?" 

"You never know when you'll need it."

Did wonders never cease? 

And once the lube situation was sorted, Sebastian and Damien had a very good night. A very good night, indeed.

One could even say it was Mjolnir-level impactful. But maybe Sebastian would keep that joke to himself.  

[maluron]

Julian Bashir likes Women and Yet is Not Straight; a manifesto.

aka: queerphobes fuck off.

gasp oh no not me vagueblogging about someone who pissed me off like a tired old petty fangull

but @snowflake_challenge suggested we wrote a manifesto; In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for a beloved character, relationship or fandom.

so.

In the aftermath of December 12th. Reveling in canon Garashir. Making a couple celebrating shitposts that gain traction. And I get one stupid comment

"i wish bashir still liked women [sadface emoji]" 1) wow rude—ever heard of the fandom rule «don’t harsh my squee»? make your own post if you want to complain don’t spam mine; 2) bitch he does what are you yapping about??

So yeah here’s my manifesto. Julian Bashir Does indeed like Women (among other) and Yet is Not Straight.

His hologram ending married to a man does not invalidate that the template was a huge bisexual xenophile slut (affectionate) who liked women and at least one man and possibly others and fondling their feet (entirely canon) and possibly getting his ass smacked (personal fanon) (note: having a kink has not influence whatsoever on sexual orientation but pointing this out is likely to piss off heterosexist bigots, so)

I posit that Bashir’s attraction to Jadzia while very real was stemming out of Doylist comp-het [insert siddig "spark" interview https://www.tumblr.com/beechicory/772072920481742848] and was also in the Watsonian way not very gender-traditional. She’s a beautiful statuesque young woman who exsudes Gender Energy, she’s got several lifetimes of experience as both men and women, she can bodily pick him up and toss him and that’s what attracts him: no despite, because. If they’d been to fuck she would peg him and smack his bottom. [insert "not straight" siddig interview https://www.tumblr.com/nimue44/773490608390176768]

[insert robinson "i want to fuck him" interview https://www.tumblr.com/pajamasecrets/718997301079719936] The actors themselves have said time and again that Garak and Bashir had so much more chemistry together than any other pairing involving either. I’m not going to epilogue on that: there must be already so many garashir manifestos out there. It’s fact.

I’m personnally not a fan of Bashir’s relationship with Leeta; I’ll file it under comp-het again but I admit his feelings were real and won’t invalidate them.

(I can’t argue about Ezri and how it’s unhealthy because at this point I only have second-hand knowledge.)

What I’m saying is

this twink Cannot Sit Straight and exsudes Disaster Bi vibes; also neurodivergent vibes and that’s canon too but subject of another manifesto. (I’m not saying that looking like a twink makes you gay—but acting a certain way gives you higher odds of being Not Straight)

Also Star Trek is in The Future where people should be so very chill about identity and orientation—fuck Berman forever (I still need a link to that «in the 90ties everyone had to be straight» post please, can someone point me to it?) and every character should be assumed bi until proven otherwise. And Bashir has proven to love at least several women and one man! (again I’m not saying either Everyone Is Bi, period; lots of characters can still be attracted to only one gender and/or sex but a lack of shown attraction to the other is not the same as proof of absence—unless they explicitely state one strong preference)

Now the LWD Bashir married to Garak is a hologram. They could have forfeit programming any attraction in it and made him aro-ace but they didn’t. It’s only logical to assume they made him as bi/pan as his template. The hologram marrying One (1) Cardassian man does not make Bashir Just Gay And Not Attracted To Any Woman. It makes him attracted to at least one man and Prophets know how many other people or any and every and no gender before and/or on the side.

Regarding how the LWD alternates make Garashir canon I’m choosing the "soulmates" for lack of a better word, interpretation—it’s not that they were fated to be together but that in the Prime universe they could have been, they would have been, they shoud have been but circumstances conspired against them, and in another universe given the chance they totally do. [insert perfect choice post here https://www.tumblr.com/believethestars/770420215813177344] [insert Mac interview https://www.tumblr.com/wanderingwriter87/771121857095172096]

And now if you’re really a homophobic shit or if you just happen to have a different ship ie Bashir joins the O’Brien Polycule while Garak marries Parmak or whatever yes there are alternate universe versions yes one is a hologram so maybe not a perfect copy so you can still interpret original Prime Bashir however you want and blame the hologram’s actions on a fancy grown-beyond-their-programming accident.

But bemoaning that Woke made your fav character Not Het is not a good look. Queerphobia is never a good look. Doing so in an untrue fashion looks stupid and this one was stupidly biphobic. You’re allowed to not like a canon development but think long and hard about why exactly you don’t like it before you come spouting bigoted shit especially on someone else’s post.

Ok that manifesto was mainly just an excuse to collect Doctor Twink pictures because I love him. And his stupid lizard husband (affectionate). https://www.tumblr.com/see: smileyobrien/769842115232563200 https://www.tumblr.com/dreamerdrop/773084827961491456 They’re in love and I love them, Your Honor. Thank you for your attention.

(and queerphobia on my posts will still get you blocked)

[lqtraintracks]

Omg it's reveals!!!! I was so excited to participate in @hd-erised this year again! I loved writing this fic for the completely lovely @xx-thedarklord-xx (a little more on that below) and being a part of everything with all the other kickass participants (I will be reblogging my incredible gift art again later as well because HOLY SHIT Y'ALL)! I want to thank the mods so very much for running things so smoothly, putting in countless hours of hard work, and being awesome!

The super talented @nv-md made this gorgeous banner! Thank you so much; you know I was a'flailing! She was also my beta along with yet another rockstar, @capipuff, and I can't thank the two of you enough! <3333 Okay onward with the deets!

Title: Jasmine in Bloom Author: Me Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, background Ron/Hermione, background Dean/Seamus Rating: Explicit Word Count: ~41,500 Tags: Werewolf Harry Potter; Creature Fic; Tattoos; Tattoo Artist Draco Malfoy; Landscaper Harry Potter; Magical Theory; UST; Meddling Friends; Nonbinary Characters (not Harry or Draco); Disability; Assistive Devices; Chronic Pain; Recreational Drug Use; Clubbing; Bowling; Hung Harry; Humor; Mild Angst; Jealousy; Soulmates; Brief Mention of Animal Deaths; Bisexual Draco Malfoy; Bisexual Harry Potter; Wanking; Inappropriate Erections; Shaving; Blood; Buff Harry; the man is ripped okay; Disaster Wolf Harry; Hot Werewolf Harry; he contains multitudes; Himbo Harry Potter; but also; Powerful Harry Potter; Magical Genius Harry Potter; Competency Kink; Himbo Kink; Frottage; Blow Jobs; Deep Throating; Face Fucking; Rimming; Anal Sex; Werewolf/Human Sex; Knotting; Creampie; Post-Hogwarts; Alternating POV, Alcohol, Spitting, Slapping, Creature Prejudice, Internalised Creature Prejudice, Shame, Anger Issues, Breaking and Entering, Invasion of Privacy, Sparring, Rough Sex Summary: This is not something Draco can have in his life… Potter overturning all that he’s carefully cultivated. They’re not compatible and never will be. Draco’s been playing with fire. It just so happens that he likes how Potter smoulders before being allowed close enough to burn. Author's Notes: XxTheDarkLordxX, now that I can squee openly about it, I loved your sign-up SO MUCH! Tattoos; creatures; soulmates; magical theory; Neville, Goyle, and Luna; 'Maybe Harry is a lesson Draco didn't know he needed'; 'Plotting by friends brings them together'; and 'Opposites that discover that not everything is quite what it seems. The things that separate them also bring them together and show their dichotomy.' Those were all the things I tried to cram in here, and I had SO MUCH FUN doing it! You were a pleasure to write for. Also, there is a spoiler tag in the end notes if any of you are the sort who can’t stand not knowing! It’s not anything in relation to any of the major archive warnings or other content warnings, though, rest assured. I think it's better to go in not knowing right off the bat. ;) Anyway, enough talk! Enjoy! <333

Read on AO3

[sortofshea]

On the 22nd day of @hprecfest this fandom gave to me...

Day 22: a series

Title: The Journal of Dreadful Things series by @lilbeanz

Pairing: Draco x Harry

Teen | 319.5k words (ongoing)

Summary: Draco Malfoy's fate is changed when his future-self rather rudely drops in and burdens him with the task of changing the course of time. To save himself and the future of the wixen world. With only an enchanted old journal and his outstanding wit in hand, Draco must do all that he can to change his fate, all the while failing miserably to not fall in love with a certain scar-headed someone.

Why I recommend it:

Lilbeanz is another phenomenally talented author and artist in this fandom! This is a top to bottom time traveling fix-it canon rewrite of the HP series from Draco's POV.

I have yet to fully read this one because I have a complicated relationship with WIPs, but beanz has written up to year 5, and it just keeps getting better and better! The series features bratty, gay disaster Draco, desi Harry (my love), black Hermione (she is everything to me), background ginsy & wolfstar, Draco trying very very hard to be good and Harry being very confused and bisexual throughout.

This is a series that deserves to be printed out, bound, and lined up on your bookshelf. Beanz is on hiatus until the new year, but book 5 will be uploaded fully as a late gift to us sometime then. Everyone say thank you, Beanz!

[sapphicbookclub]

Author Spotlight: Jenna Jarvis

Although club members got to read it a little earlier, Jenna Jarvis's Ride With Me is now available for everyone! To celebrate the release, check out Jenna's essay on writing about road-trips and the outlaw below.

Ride with Me is a queer romance about a pair of disaster bisexual sisters-in-law who take a long drive west across the United States together. One is trying to run from her marriage, the other trying to have her great American road-trip. It’s my first non-fantasy book, but in many ways it felt very familiar for me to write, since Digging for Heaven was also, in its way, about travelling with someone. I love nothing more than a good road-trip story. In fantasy, all my favourite sections of the Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of the Rings or more recently N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series were the ones trapping two or more unlikely characters together for the duration of a journey. I loved reading about how they deal with the mundanity of putting up with another person for an extended length of time. Comedies like A Goofy Movie, Little Miss Sunshine and Are We There Yet? delighted me as a kid and gave me a love for stories about people only talking about their problems after reaching boiling point. It can be easier to talk seriously when in motion, and these films hinge on that. The famous Ladybird scene of our titular character throwing herself from her mom’s car to avoid further conversation with her is often on my mind when writing car dialogue.

There’s a lot of things that have mythologised the United States for me. It's inescapable, omnipresent as a cultural hegemony with a history and mythos invented in full performative view of the world. Their road-trip stories are inextricable from the aesthetics of the western, and the long and loaded history of going west to reinvent yourself: enmeshed with the colonial legacy of manifest destiny. To celebrate the legacy of the solo gunslinger canonised by the movies is to ignore the black and brown bodily reality of the cowboy, and the question of who becomes memorialised or pitied when living beyond the grip of “society”. With his camp imagery and post Brokeback cinema impression the cowboy has become a popular queer hero. But as with most things in American history whiteness is still critical to that image, and that extends to the movies playing with the image of the outlaw going west.

Thelma and Louise’s Thelma spend much of the end of the film in a t-shirt emblazoned with the confederate flag. The Devil’s Rejects has Otis quote white supremacist Charles Manson. In To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, a dream of a queer comedy about three drag queens in an impractical car, race is an absolutely cutting and often jarring wedge between the characters and to a lesser but key extent between the film and a modern audience. The Blues Brothers both uplifts and pushes from the centre its black characters, the plot pointless and voiceless without them and yet never very interested in them. Supernatural ran for fifteen seasons from the Bush administration, its characters driving around their country unchecked executing those more outside of society than themselves. Throughout the series they are regularly assumed to be white supremacists. None of this theming, to me, reads as incidental, even if it wasn’t intentional on the part of the various creators.

But road-trips always feel hopeful too, at least while they’re still moving. They’re romantic, in a sense of riding off into the sunset with a Just Married sign (Just Married being another hugely influential movie to me, I’m sorry to say) – but also to leave alone, as to an extent both of my characters feel they’re doing at the beginning. The act of driving at all is empowering: the act is proof you’re of age, and deemed trustworthy by society, and bold enough to control a dangerous vehicle (can you tell I can’t drive). It’s the fantasy of getting away from it all, of maybe never returning to where you came from. It’s the opening/ending of Showgirls, it’s the high midpoint of Barbie, it’s the hysterically cutting twist of Gone Girl, it’s a cross-genre favourite focus for an endless number of songs.

I’m probably going to keep writing road trip stories forever, because they’re some of my favourite ways to make characters interact with each other. But as with any genre or structure I approach, it helps to keep in mind what’s come before, in both an inspirational and damning sense. So many of the images that sing to me that I wanted to write about here are also coming from a symbology of American capitalism and individualism – the highway and car, or in this case, van - over lands forcibly emptied of their indigenous people. That haunts most stories tackling them, and remembering those ghosts felt critical even when writing a light-hearted rom-com.

For more on the complicated queer history on the cowboy check out Kaz Rowe’s video on it which I was trying really hard not to completely plagiarise here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0AOwdODmMA

[dungeoncrawls]

daisuke ishimura ; a-rank elemental mage of the red thorns • wields a seven foot bo staff of walnut wood with inlaid emeralds and opals • weak to electric shocks of backlash from overuse of magic • best described as pessimistic but loyal • vibes of ice - crested ocean waves, chunks and fragments of frozen water churning in a storm  ;  a firestorm blazing through a forest, turning everything to cinders and ashes in mere moments  ;  vines tangled around a tree stump, tying it down as the earth tries its hardest to shake them free  ;  wind, brushing through treetops and twining ‘round buildings, coaxing dust and leaves into the air.

[ statistics. ]

given name : daisuke ( 大輔 ) meaning : 大 ( dai ) — big 輔 ( suke ) — assist great helper / of great assistance

surname : ishimura ( 石村 ) meaning : 石 ( ishi ) — stone 村 ( mura ) — village stone village

age : twenty - seven place of birth : ōsaka, japan date of birth : 6 march 1996

gender : cis man pronouns : he / him orientation : bisexual

face claim : mackenyu height : 1.78m / 5'10" weight : 70kg / 155lbs hair : black, medium - length eyes : black clothing : outside of hunter work, typically wears jeans & a t-shirt — at work, wears lightweight leather and linen armour with a sheath along the back for his staff.

[ biography. ]

born in ōsaka in 1996, daisuke was a lively child, always running around & getting up to mischief. his parents were both office workers, frequently working until well into the evening, and so daisuke mostly grew up around his extended family. oftentimes, his older cousin would pick him up from childcare ( and primary school, when he started there ) and he would stay the evening with her family, returning home in time for bed.

this continued until about half way through primary school, when the first gate appeared in ōsaka. monsters obliterated half of the neighbourhood, tearing through countless homes — one of which was his cousin's.

following this disaster, the ishimura family moved to los angeles — with the number of guilds it seemed like the best place to go to avoid that happening again. daisuke's grandparents had lost one grandchild to the monsters already — they refused to lose another.

losing his cousin and moving countries changed daisuke. it is hard to remain an optimist when tragedy strikes out of nowhere and for no reason at all. he found himself wandering the neighbourhood, getting into trouble — frequently skirmishes with other teenage boys.

until a new gate opened one neighbourhood away, the energy triggering an awakening in daisuke. he came away from that event able to wield elemental magic, his closest friend gaining their own new abilities. the pair trained with one another under the supervision of the local guild, not yet able to join but nonetheless dedicated to at least protecting their own corner of the world — even if it was just their street.

since then, daisuke has found a new purpose in life, becoming a hunter as soon as a guild would accept him and vowing to protect those he cares about — and even those he doesn't — from being lost under the swarms of monsters threatening to overtake the world.

[ abilities. ]

as an a-rank elemental mage, daisuke has the power to wield multiple elements to varying degrees ( though not at the same time ).

water : typically, daisuke uses this in the form of ice shields, though making floors wet or icy is also a favourite trick. this triggers backlash much more often than the other elements, so it's something of a last resort.

fire : lightning strikes are his most used attack in this element, though he uses flame barriers when a retreat or break in fighting is needed. the backlash from this is less severe than water-based attacks, but can cause him to overheat when combined with the heat generated from his attacks.

earth : daisuke's least-used element. earthquakes beneath the feet of enemies, boulders crashing from the ceiling, and the occasional summoned vine wrapping 'round ankles. minimal backlash ( because it's grounded, get it ? ) but also not as powerful as his other elements.

air : when stealth is required, daisuke can still the air around him to prevent noise travelling — though this requires intense concentration and cannot be done while he is moving, making it not particularly useful.

[ connections. ]

bff & partner : see main ! cousin : see main ! teenage nemeses : people he used to get into fights with as a teenager. maybe they've made up and are friends now, maybe they hate each other still — or maybe your muse doesn't even remember who daisuke is. fellow red thorns members : coworkers, friends, rivals ... name a kind of relationship and i'd love to see it. bickering : someone who he had to work with in a dungeon once ? and it went really badly and now they hate each other or both compulsively apologise on sight ? or argue about how one of them totally could have avoided what happened if they'd just listened to the other ? friends : people he hangs out with not because of work or family or anything like that, just because they genuinely get along and like being in each other's presences. or because they're good drinking buddies. either or.

[transsexualesbomaniac]

Seven minutes in heaven, featuring Amity Blight as a Mean Girl and a Lesbian (not related) and Luz Noceda as a Disaster Bisexual and Clumsy Autistic (definitely related) and Skara, as Thoroughly Done With This Shit.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43385797

TW for references to child abuse, homophobia, internalized homophobia and ableism.

Full fic below for those who don’t wanna go to ao3

“Amity and...Luz?”

The room, previously full of chatter flitting through the blasting music, fell oddly silent as everyone turned to stare at Amity, who was sitting in a corner with Boscha and Skara. Amity had to bite back a groan at the silence and the name accompanying hers. 

There was only one Luz in Hexside and she was definitely on the list of top three people Amity didn’t want to be shoved in a closet with for seven minutes for some kind of ridiculous teenage ritual, especially not during some ridiculous party thrown by some boy Amity didn’t even know that she’d come to anyway because her friends wanted to be “popular.”

This was not how Amity had planned her evening going. It was a fucking Saturday and she’d mostly planned to study and binge shitty TV in her room and pretend no one else existed but instead she was here and after being bombarded with the abysmal party music and overly giggly drunk crowd for over an hour, she hadn’t thought it could get worse.

And yet.

Luz Noceda. Amity was going to kill Skara and Boscha.  

“What a perfect match,” Someone snickered sarcastically and then the silence dissolved into laughter and noise again, members of the crowd egging them on until they were chanting, ”Amity and Luz! Seven minutes of heaven!”

Boscha, sprawled back against the couch with Skara at her side chattering with another student, rolled her eyes as she sipped her punch, sneering, “Lucky you, stuck with the freak.”

“Can we not?” Skara groaned, turning away from her conversation to give Boscha an unimpressed look, eyebrows raised. ”That shit is so old my grandma could predict every line. Stop talking shit, it’s exhausting. Amity, you need a save?”

“A save” was code for an excuse to get away, usually supposed to be used as a last resort when they were stuck with someone they desperately didn’t want to or couldn’t be around, like last year when one of Boscha’s ex-girlfriends had started stalking her. 

But as much as Amity desperately wanted nothing to do with Luz Noceda, who’s sparkly purple phone with fuzzy eyes on it was being waved beside Amity’s pale blue one, the crowd was already cheering for them and Luz, wearing pink cat ears and a purple jacket paired with blue jeans dotted with stars, was already being pushed through the crowd toward the closet.

So Amity clenched her jaw and pushed to her feet. “No, it’s okay. If Noceda can do it, so can I. It’s only seven minutes anyway, what’s the worst that can happen.”

“Do not make out with her.” Boscha ordered, eyes pinned on a boy across the room, lips curling at him even as she spoke. ”That girl is trouble, Amity, and your mom would kill you.”

Amity froze and leveled a glare at Boscha. Her mother would kill her if she knew she was making out with a girl, no further questions asked, it wouldn’t matter to her whether it was Luz or not but even Boscha knew better to mention any of that with company around.

“Not in public.” She hissed and then turned away, decidedly not storming over to the closet. She arrived at the same time as Noceda, who gave a little wave, nearly tripping into her.  

“Heyyy,” Luz said, an awkward grin already in place and grating on Amity’s worn thin nerves. Noceda was always awkward, vibrant and either in trouble or getting someone else in trouble. ”Sooo, do you wanna like, head in or what?”

Amity stared.

”That is the point of the game.” She replied derisively and Luz flinched slightly, almost making Amity feel bad. But she knew from experience that Luz wasn’t as nice as she pretended to be so she refused to regret it, rolling her eyes as they entered the disturbingly small closet, lined with boxes, door shutting with a click, noise of the party dulling immediately.

“This-oh, boxes, nice-Shit, shit, shit-Ah, this works, okay, yeah, I’m good.” Amity watched in disbelief as Noceda stumbled over her own shoelaces, fell into several boxes in the surprisingly small closet, hit the floor, scrambled back to her feet and then managed to sit awkwardly on the boxes, narrating the entire time before looking back up at Amity, brushing her hair out of her eyes and clearing her throat. ”So, um, hi, Amity-”

”No.” Amity snapped, already far too over Noceda’s little good-girl act, dropping onto her own set of boxes across from her and crossing her arms over her chest. ”We’re stuck in a closet together for some bullshit teen ritual, we’re not friends and we’re definitely not talking, Noceda.”

Noceda blinked a couple times, opening and closing her mouth, brow furrowing. ”Um, okay, we can do that, that’s fine, super. I mean, I didn’t think we were friends yet, I just-We’ve talked a couple times, so-”

“Talked a couple times” was such an amazing summarization of the few times Amity had interacted with Luz since the girl had arrived at Hexside that for a moment she couldn’t do anything but gape. Luz hadn’t been anything but a thorn in Amity’s side every time they came in contact. 

First the girl had become friends with Willow, Amity’s only regretted lost friendship over the years, then she’d joined the soccer team and after Amity had insulted Willow, they’d competed and Luz had not only won Amity’s spot on the team but she’d pissed Amity off so much that Amity had gotten fouled for throwing a soccer ball at Luz’s head in retaliation. Then just a week ago, Amity had been reading to the kids at the library like she did every two weeks and Noceda had made fun of her, in her awkward sarcastic way.

“I think it’s really cute, reading to kids.” She’d said, not even bothering to make eye contact and then not just half an hour later, Amity had found her with Ed and Em with her diary, which had led to Amity losing her special library card for yelling in the library.

“We’ve argued.” Amity corrected, voice stiff with anger, still glaring. ”We haven’t and don’t talk. So stop talking. We only have to stay here for seven minutes. Even you can stay quiet that long, Noceda.”

Noceda’s expression closed off and she seemed to struggle with whether or not to reply before dismissing the idea and fiddling with her fingers instead, biting her lips and swinging her legs absently as she did. That was another thing about Noceda that aggravated Amity: the girl was so careless with her movements no matter how awkward it looked or how much she got into trouble and Amity never knew how to react to it. Her mother would’ve smacked her for moving that much, would’ve snapped at her for biting her lips, would never have let Amity within ten feet of cat ears or phone case decorations but here Noceda was, looking like a character from some kind of teen fantasy series with no regret whatsoever and it was just weird.

Resigning herself to ignoring Noceda, Amity settled against her own box and ignored the box on a shelf above digging into her ribs in favor of tilting her head back to count the spots on the ceiling, squinting to see. She wished she could’ve had her phone but apparently that “violated the rules of the game” or whatever because the goal was either sex or making out. Which, okay, Luz was pretty, with her eyes and hands and everything but she was still a girl and Luz Noceda and Amity only had a couple rules for making out and that violated far too many.

Besides, Amity didn’t like Noceda and Noceda clearly returned the sentiment. There wasn’t even any point considering it.

Amity had counted fifteen spots and two spiderwebs before Noceda abruptly broke the silence.

“I can’t actually stay silent for seven minutes.” She burst out, wringing her fingers and grimacing as she spoke. ”I don’t know why I tried, I can’t actually do that unless I have, like, music or something, sorry. I know I’m like, annoying or whatever but I can’t stay quiet for that long-If I could my life would actually be a lot easier, believe it or not.”

Noceda laughed dryly as she said it and Amity, who’d jumped at the unexpected sound, closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, counting to ten in her head.

“Fine, talk then.” Amity snapped once she’d finished counting, opening her eyes to send a look at Luz. ”But don’t talk to me. We’re not friends and it’s not because you’re annoying, Noceda, it’s because you’re a fucking bully!”

Noceda startled at the words, jaw dropping and feet hitting the box hard as they stopped swaying.

”A bully?” Noceda repeated incredulously. ”I’m a bully? For what? I’ve never bullied anyone in my life, unless you count book characters, in which case it was necessary for character development-”

“You’re a bully because you won’t leave me alone!” Amity returned heatedly, forgetting her pledge not to talk. ”You’re always everywhere since you moved here and you made me get a foul in soccer and then stole my diary and you made me lose my library card!”

“Literally none of that was my fault!” Noceda’s voice rose and she straightened up on her box, still gaping. ”You insulted Willow and I’m not trying to bother you! I didn’t know that book was your diary! Em and Ed gave it to me and then-I didn’t even know you’d be there! I came with Gus and Willow and I didn’t know you’d get so upset when I complimented you-”

“Complimented me?!” Amity slid off her box to step closer, anger curling tight in her chest. ”You made fun of me for reading to the kids!”

“I wasn’t making fun of you!” Noceda almost yelled, her voice squeaking, cheeks alarmingly flushed as she threw her hands up in the air. ”I was trying to-I thought it was really cute, you looked really cute reading to the kids, and I didn’t even mean for you to see me! But then it was so cute and I didn’t realize you were coming towards me but then I tried to be nice but I guess you thought I was being sarcastic but I really wasn’t, I swear, I just-”

Amity’s brow furrowed as the meaning of the Noceda’s word vomit started to make sense, her anger scattering in the face of her confusion. Ed and Em masterminding the thing with her diary did make complete sense given they were assholes half the time…Amity had thought it was a weird thing for Noceda to do, oddly specific and Luz looked desperately sincere now, as though scared she wouldn’t be understood but-

“You-” Amity began, stopped and then squinted at Noceda, whose cheeks she had thought before were flushed in anger…but looking closer, she actually seemed to be… blushing and that abruptly clicked into place with what Noceda had just said. ”You thought I was cute?”

Noceda’s mouth opened and closed a couple times before she looked away, fingers intertwining again.

”I mean, yeah?” Her voice squeaked in all the wrong places as she replied..”You’re like-Your hair and then your eyes and I know you don’t like me or whatever-But even though you were mean to Willow doesn’t mean I can’t tell you’re pretty and everything!”

Amity’s mouth slid open. Oh my god, she thought, faintly aware her heart had begun to thunder in her chest. Luz was gay. And not just gay but gay for… Amity? She’d been…that’d been a real compliment before.  

“I think it’s really cute, reading to kids.” She’d said, emphasis in all the wrong places and Amity had thought it was her awkward attempt at sarcasm, had thought the girl disliked her back at least just as much but Luz was sitting on a box, staring at a place over Amity’s head, blushing furiously, hands fluttering, chewing anxiously on her lips saying she thought Amity was pretty even though she thought she was mean to Willow and the realization that maybe it hadn’t been sarcasm but just how Luz talked hit Amity over the head like a sledgehammer.

And well, Amity was mean to Willow. She couldn’t even begin to deny that. She’d been mean to Willow and hung out with Skara and Boscha for so long she barely even registered it anymore. And Luz was friends with Willow. 

Real friends, like Amity had been once upon a time before her mother had decided she didn’t like what Amity realized later was her clear crush on the girl and ordered Amity to “drop her.” And Luz, who was weird and indescribable, was standing up for Willow, even as she admitted she thought Amity was pretty.

And here Amity was, jumping on her back, snapping at her when she’d tried to make small talk…when Luz didn’t even hate her. Amity had spent so long crafting the persona her mother had demanded and living exactly the life her mother thought she should that she hadn’t recognized any of that. She’d been so determined to please her mother that she’d become so like her mother she barely thought twice about bullying Willow or how she’d been treating Luz. Though, she thought with a twinge, her mother hadn’t ordered her to bully Willow. Or treat Luz like shit. She’d done that all herself.

Everything slid into place so simply that Amity felt like a complete idiot for not realizing it before.

The bully wasn’t Luz.

It was Amity.

It was Noceda who broke the silence. She’d closed her eyes tight, face scrunched as if anticipating a blow until she finally opened them, glancing warily at Amity, who stared back, still stuck on her realization. Noceda blinked a couple times, her golden flecked brown eyes clearly confused.

”That’s…not a mean face.” She said finally, tilting her head as she spoke, cheeks less red but gaze still extremely wary. ”Are-I really, really was just trying to compliment you, y’know. I know I’m like, weird or whatever and I always get shit wrong and I’m sorry you thought I was like, mean-girling you but I really didn’t mean-”

“Luz.” The name slid off Amity’s tongue before she’d even decided to use it. Noceda- Luz’s mouth closed with a snap and she flushed, staring hesitantly at Amity, who took a deep breath and then blurted, “I’m sorry.”

Luz swallowed. Blinked. And then tilted her head to the side, the apology clearly flying right over her head as she squinted at Amity, as if trying to discern whether she was being serious or not.

Amity took a step forward, pushing her shoulders back, shoving aside the voice in her head that whispered ‘this isn’t the type of person you have to impress, Amity, Blights hold themselves to higher standards’, and instead looking back at Luz Noceda, head on, jaw clenched.

Luz’s earrings were cat-shaped too, black and shiny like her chipped nail polish and as Amity inched even closer, Luz tilted her head back to meet her gaze, teeth still wearing into her lower lip. Now that Amity was actually looking, she could tell the girl wasn’t actually making eye-contact now either, eyes flitting over her face looking everywhere but directly at her. But it wasn’t disconcerting, especially not now that Amity was realizing it wasn’t like with Boscha, who looked away from people because she didn’t care enough to even pretend to be interested.

With Luz, it was different. It was like her chattering; she wasn’t trying to be mean, wasn’t trying to be annoying, she was just… being. Existing as herself. Not in a way Amity’s mother would’ve approved of-not that she approved of much of anything these days-but Amity thought her discomfort with it all didn’t really have anything to do with Luz at all, just the idea she’d built in her head of the girl.

“I-” Amity’s mouth felt alarmingly dry and she swallowed uncomfortably but kept talking, because she knew if she didn’t now, she’d probably never get the guts to do it again. ”I’m sorry-about…all of it. Even Willow. Especially Willow. I’ve been-I didn’t realize-”

She took a deep breath. And then another. Luz’s eyes had widened slightly at her admission, her brow furrowing but Amity didn’t let herself analyze it, struggling to find the right words that she knew she needed to say. She’d been a bitch. She was a bitch. It was right in front of her face but even if she felt guilty about how she treated people sometimes, she’d never thought she was a bully. 

She’d ignored the guilt and pretended she was just trying to fit in when instead she was just shoving people out.

That was how her mother did things. Her mother would probably be proud and the realization was jarring. In all the years that Amity had spent terrified of her mother, scared of stepping out of line, scared of what would happen if she made a mistake too large for her mother to forgive, scared of being disowned, she’d never considered they could be so similar. But she’d felt gratified when Luz flinched earlier, had intimidated her into silence, had refused kind greetings and bullied Willow.

And no one, not even her mom, had pushed her to do any of those things.  

But Amity had done them anyway. She couldn’t fix what she’d already done but looking at Luz’s face, she wanted to fix it. She wanted to take it back.

But even if she couldn’t take it back, maybe Amity could stop. And looking at Luz…she thought maybe she could do more than just stop. Maybe she could stop hanging out with Boscha, maybe it was okay she thought Luz was really pretty too, maybe she could kiss a girl-Standing in the tiny closet, across from this girl, during this ridiculous party, Amity felt like maybe, maybe she could make things okay.

Amity swallowed.

”I’m really, really sorry.” She said, all-too-aware of the way her voice sounded too loud in the quiet of the closet but looking straight at Luz, even as her heart hammered in her chest, palms moistening as she fought the urge to cringe or hide away. ”For real. I didn’t-I really realie how much of a bitch I was being. To you…or to Willow-And I know that’s-I’ll make it up to you. I’ll try. Seriously. I didn’t realize-I mean, I called you a bully but…you’re not really the bully here, I guess.”

The words came out haltingly, the sensation similar to picking at painted nails. It almost felt good when pieces came off…But Amity had never really gotten the hang of painting hers, so it always left a faint stain behind, her nails bare but awkward looking.

Noceda’s reaction was instant: her mouth dropped open and she gaped at Amity for a moment, clearly grappling for what to say before laughing awkwardly, rubbing at the back of her neck as she continued to stare.

”I-Well. You’re not wrong.” She admitted, grimacing slightly as she spoke, looking away. ”But I don’t really want an apology. It was mostly a misunderstanding, right? But if you really want to make it up to me…”

She turned back to Amity, gaze searching her face for something. Sincerity, maybe? Amity wasn’t even sure, shoulders tensing and heart rate spiking as she scrambled to figure out what Luz might want. A kiss? whispered Boscha’s voice, insidiously sliding into the mayhem but Amity pushed it away, fiercely. 

Even if they both thought each other were pretty, this definitely wasn’t the time. Even if Amity would definitely kiss her back. And probably enjoy it. Fuck, she thought, resisting the growing urge to bite her nails. She couldn’t kiss any girls, much less Luz, even if it was for slightly different reasons than before.

“Stop bullying Willow.” Luz broke through Amity’s thoughts, her chin held up slightly, voice hard and firm, gaze unflinchingly meeting Amity’s for a brief moment. ”Leave her alone. Get Boscha and Skara to stop too. There’s nothing wrong with Willow and even if there was, she’s incredible and there’s no reason for you to be bullying anyone. If you’re really sorry, stop all of it and apologize to her. She’s the one who really deserves an apology. She says you’ve been doing it for years.”

Luz crossed her arms over her chest, almost in the same defensive pose Amity had been in earlier.

”I know what it’s like to be bullied.” Her tone was flat but her voice softened slightly as she spoke, eyes flickering away. Amity couldn’t even pretend to be surprised at the admission; kids like Luz were bullied all the time, everyone knew that even though it was weird to think about with the girl sitting right there, real and disturbingly human. ”And it fucks you up. I’m not really the one you bullied. You were mean to me, sure, but that was it. Willow is the one you bullied. Make it up to her. ”

Amity’s first instinct was to protest, to deny it, to fight back. The only people who confronted her about things these days were the twins and they always had unhelpful shit to say, like telling her to ‘stop being mom’s puppet’ and to ‘dress adventurously’ or ‘duck! syke, they were throwing the ball at your gut,’ and she felt like she was always arguing with them.

But she’d started this. It hurt, like a slap to the face (a sensation Amity was plenty familiar with) but it was also the truth. It tasted burnt, acrid and sour on Amity’s tongue.

She’d hurt Willow, not just by pushing her away because her mother said to, but all by herself, with no prompting whatsoever. She’d bullied her and laughed at Boscha’s jokes and ignored when Skara told them they were going too far and ignored when they made Willow cry, ignored that Willow was sweet and she’d never retaliated unless they attacked someone else. 

Amity had fucked Willow’s life up. She’d made Luz afraid of her. She’d done all of this and for a moment, thinking about it was like staring at the wreckage of a burnt down house, knowing you’d lit the match, guilt collecting on her shoulders like ash.

“Okay.” Amity had to drag the word out of her throat, inhaling deeply, biting her own lip hard enough the flavor of iron flooded her mouth.” I-Yeah, I’ll do that. Seriously.”

Luz squinted, tilting her head at Amity. Like before, the silence stretched and Amity felt more scrutinized than she had when she’d performed with the school band for over half of the town.

”I’d say thank you.” Luz said finally, hesitated and then grimaced again. ”But you really were kind of a bitch.”

“Yeah.” Amity agreed, words like sawdust and then, slowly, watching Luz for a reaction, sat down on one of the boxes beside the girl, careful to leave space between them. Luz shifted a little but otherwise didn’t protest, watching Amity cautiously.

Amity took a deep breath and then exhaled, warily glancing sideways at Luz. ”I really am sorry.” She said again, horrified at her voice for cracking but continuing despite it. ”You don’t have to like, accept it or anything. I just-I’m sorry. Seriously.”

Luz inhaled and exhaled slowly as well, in what seemed like unconscious mimicry, fiddling with her hands absentmindedly again.

”I can tell you are.” She said after a minute, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling. ”And maybe I’ll accept that. After you make it up to Willow.”

After. Not if. Amity didn’t say anything, lost for a reply. She rarely talked to people who weren’t teachers one-on-one and her lack of experience swallowed her, twisting her stomach in knots as she tried to figure out what to fill the quiet with. Noceda-Luz didn’t seem to notice it, humming something under her breath and knotting her hands, clearly counting the spots on the ceiling now.

As the moments slid by in (near) silence, the only exception being Luz’s humming, Amity found herself watching the girl, studying her profile. Looking at her was kind of like staring at a kaleidoscope. Ed had had one once. Or was it Em? 

Amity couldn’t remember now but she remembered that moment, staring through it, thinking it was gorgeous but having no idea why or even what it was. Amity may not be able to kiss girls but she could sure as hell tell when one was pretty or not and Luz definitely was. She was even wearing makeup, small black stars scattered on her upper cheek, a smear of something that looked like glitter near her eye.

“Do you think-” Luz’s voice jolted Amity but it was how the girl turned back to look at her that sent her heart rate skyrocketing, horribly aware that they were barely inches apart. Fuck, this wasn’t some cheesy romcom and even if it had been, Amity was a fucking bully but she still couldnt help the traitorous part of her brain whispering-what if…

Shit, it was hard to stop being gay when you knew the girl right next to you was at least a little gay for you too.

“Can I kiss you” was on the edge of Amity’s tongue when the door to the closet was yanked open, flooding the space with cheering and the blare of whatever song was playing now.

“TIME!” One of the kids yelled-What was his name? Shit, Amity really didn’t know anyone here-and both Amity and Luz flinched so hard they nearly fell into each other. Luz slipped off her box instead and hit the floor with a thud, which only made the crowd outside the door laugh.

”Fucking shit,” Luz said, mock-glaring at the boxes as she tried to scramble back to her feet. ”Of course, you betray me now, feet-”

“Did you make out?” “Are their clothes still on?” “Damn, y’all didn’t work ANY of that tension out?”

Amity took in a swift breath and ignored the chatter, moving to help Luz off the floor but before she reached her, someone broke through the crowd and pulled Luz to her feet, brushing her off as they did so.

”Oh my god, are you okay?” Willow asked breathlessly and Amity felt like the air had been punched out of her lungs. Willow was wearing jeans and a dark green tunic, accompanied by earrings shaped like clovers, her lips painted black and she looked…incredible. Amity had never seen her dressed up like this before and it was just one of far too many reminders of the night that Amity was very, very much a dyke.

“I’m fine, no worries.” Luz confirmed and then, amidst the chaos and all the staring, she leaned forward and gave Willow a swift kiss on the cheek, which both sent Amity’s heart to her throat and her optimism spiraling into her stomach, tying itself into a knot. ”C’mon, let’s go!”

“Gayyyyy!” Someone hollered and Amity stood there, wooden as the chatter shifted from vaguely homophobic mixed with a couple kids half-heartedly pointing out the bullshit. Amity knew she should do something. Say something. Grab Luz or even apologize to Willow but all the eyes were on them in that tiny closet and Amity couldn’t breathe again, with that knowledge and the weight of the knot in her stomach.

In a perfect world, she would’ve asked Luz if she could kiss her. In a perfect world, Amity would’ve had some sort of smart retort to the kids outside. In a perfect world, Amity might even have left the closet with Willow and Luz at her side.

But in a perfect world, Amity wouldn’t be a bully. In a perfect world…maybe Amity’s mom wouldn’t be a homophobe. (Maybe she would love Amity without Amity having to prove herself.) In a perfect world-

“Oh, wait-Amity!” Luz’s voice broke through Amity’s internal spiral and Willow jerked to stare at them both in surprise. Amity blinked as Luz leaned forward and laid a hand on her arm, her palm warm and gentle as she flashed a smile. ”I’ll see you.”

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t acceptance or anything even remotely like that. But, despite all the sudden hush and all the eyes on Amity, she appreciated the gesture. She took a deep breath and nodded.

“Sure.” Amity said hesitantly and offered a smile, something closer to real than she’d given anyone in a long time. ”Thanks, Noced-Luz. Seriously.”

And then, Amity hurried out of the closet, pushing through the crowd, keeping her head up and refusing to look back, more because she was terrified of doing something stupid than anything else. Because that was a Start. 

A New Start. In front of everyone. She, Amity Lavender Blight, had smiled at Luz Noceda, had thanked Luz Noceda in front of everyone, without a mean comment or sarcastic jibe and she didn’t doubt for a second it would be gossip at school for weeks. Skara and Boscha were definitely going to ask questions. Everyone was going to ask questions.

But she didn’t regret it. And she wasn’t taking it back. If there was one thing Amity consistently was, it was stubborn as hell and she wasn’t going to stop being that now when she suspected she needed it the most.

She fumbled her way back across the room, back to the couch where she’d been before and found Skara sitting with another girl in her lap, laughing, Boscha nowhere to be seen. Amity dropped onto the couch beside them, fighting the panic attack looming over her and frantically ignoring the hushed whispers flitting around the room.

“Hey,” Skara said, peering around the girl, cocking her head. ”How’d it go?”

Amity took a deep breath but froze in her reply when she saw Luz and Willow crossing the room, heading for the exit, Willow repeatedly glancing over her shoulder to stare at Amity. Amity swallowed as they made eye contact and then looked away. She may’ve apologized to Luz but she definitely didn’t have the courage to talk to Willow yet. Or make eye contact.

“I-” Amity looked at Skara. Were they friends? She wasn’t even sure, to be honest. They’d spent a lot of time together but everything was so fake about their group that Amity wasn’t sure what she could trust. Skara cocked her head and opened her mouth, as if to ask another question and Amity jolted to her feet. ”I need to go.”

Skara’s eyebrows hit her hairline. ”What? Now? Boscha’s gonna freak.” The girl in her lap slid onto the couch arm, clearly distancing herself, twirling with a lock of hair.

Boscha’s gonna freak. Not are you okay, not what’s wrong, just Boscha’s gonna freak. If that wasn’t some sort of sign, Amity didn’t know what was. 

“Tell her my mom called me.” Amity said and fled into the crowd before Skara could reply.

She needed space, she needed time, she needed to think about how she was going to apologize to Willow and she needed to…maybe rethink her entire life. Fuck, she was having a crisis. Amity hated having crisis’.

But Amity was pretty sure she was overdue for a crisis anyway. And she’d kind of sort of made a promise to Luz Noceda.

Amity was nothing if not a model Blight and if there was one thing that Blights did well, it was promises.

[uweiy]

I'm intrigued by Love is Science? but know nothing about it. Can you give me a run down on what kind of thing to expect and who it might appeal to? Thank you!! 😁

Ooooo boi *gremlin smile* I'm glad you asked. You've entered the dragon's den, broken the dam and thus this post turned out to be a monster so I'm gonna link here another post from @accidentallyadramablog which imo gives a nice (and short) overview.

That said let's get into

Love is Science?

Summary :

Yan Fei is a the CEO of the Love is Science marriage agency, that matches people based on scientific data. Hsuan Yu, 8 years younger than her, is a promising young hairstylist who has been in love with her thoughout their entire childhood when she has only ever seen him like a little brother.

Unexpectedly they meet again. Between the way they've each built their lives and how Yong Yan Fei's ex husband still looms over Yan Fei's life, how will their relationship develop this time around ?

Now,

just reading that summary I know what you're thinking.

Indeed, if you have some experience with dramas, you might recognize some TYPICAL TYPICAL tropes – let's get them out of the way :

love triangle (though we all know who she is going to end up with don't we)

childhood friends

'noona romance'

And they are every bit as present and as trope-ey as you would expect.

However, as they say, the devil is in the details.

And particularly, in the side characters. Let me give you a quick rundown of the lot of them :

As such, we follow the stories of multiple relationships that develop parallel to one another.

The relationships

• Yan Fei/ Hsuan Yu : Not much needs to be added I think. Their storyline might be the most predictable but they are pretty sweet and heartwarming. pining for like 12 years though poor Hsuan Yu. Anyway you can enjoy it or find it boring or but you can't hate it.

• Mark/Ouwen : Noooow we're getting to it. Their dynamic is so... Refreshing and unique. Confident gay with a soft heart and dumb disaster bisexual I mean *chef kiss*👌delicious

After the disasters of their first meetings, it's a cat and dog relationship where Ouwen is the hsssssss don't touch me– cat and Mark is the golden retriever trailing after him not really realizing the rampage he's creating in Ouwen's heart. while Ouwen is like "Remind me why the FUCK I caught feelings again ?".

IDK it just has everything 'Enemies' to friends to lovers, (not actually) unrequited love, pining, sweet moments, jealousy, feelings realization, snarky banter... What more could one want.

• Cho Nai Hui / You Fu : they are. So. So sweet. Both are older and have experience, and as such they are not so naive or stupid as the youngsters. Them sharing their life experiences and going on dates like typically teenagers (in movies or TV shows anyway) would is refreshing to see and really really heartwarming.

• Liu Sheng Ying/ ??? Her ex ? : The show hinted at a wlw storyline and this arc seems to have JUST begun. Basically Sheng Ying's ex comes to Love is Science as a client and requests Sheng Ying as an advisor, while Sheng Ying still seems heartbroken over her. I can't WAIT to see how it develops.

The friendships :

Something I greatly appreciate is that both the romantic relationships AND the friendships have a great importance in the drama.

• Joanna and Yan Fei : Jo, queen Jo 👑. She's just here to gossip, get all the gossip and be the voice of reason and we love her for it. You can see how comfortable they are around each other and how they were there for each other during tough times and still are. Kudos to the actresses because I believed the characters were besties in a heartbeat.

• Hsuan Yu and Mark : they are honestly... Such polar opposites you kinda wonder how they became friends but they are and it works perfectly.

Hsuan Yu still hasn't gotten he maybe shouldn't take Mark's advice, and Mark still hasn't gotten that he, definitely should take Hsuan Yu's. It also enables to develop a more playful and mischievous side to Hsuan Yu, giving him more depth?

• Ouwen and Sheng Ying: rivalry to reluctant solidarity to friends-but-i-will-deny-it-if-asked to just friends. IT'S GREAT

I also ejoy the fact that these multiple storylines are allowed to coexist. The romantic ones, the friendships, older, younger, m/f m/m and f/f like take your pick !! And tbh a WLW storyline ?????? These are so scarce I will take anything.

The recurring themes :

The show more or less subtly touches on some topics/issues, to which the dating aspect contributes to.

A non exhaustive list would be

Divorce, and how divorced women can be viewed as failures for some reason

How successful men over 30 are sought after but successful women after 30 are somehow deemed undatable

Preconceived notions and homophobia

And beyond the topics, there's just things like... Joanna not being interested in long term relationships nor wanting to get married, reporting sexual harassment, older people going on dates.... I'm not saying it's a groundbreaking activist drama –which is not really what I was looking for– I just appreciate the fact that it is a pretty mainstream drama and that these things are there.

Mad respect if you've made it up to here ! but we're not quite done yet.

The cast and crew :

The other element that made this drama stand out for me besides the side characters is the cast.

It might be weird that such a meta thing impacts the appreciation of the show but it did, for me at least.

📣📣TMI WARNING 📣📣

For me what happened is I stumbled onto Mark and Ouwen cuts on YouTube, then somehow onto the behind the scenes. They weren't subbed at the time so I could barely understand a word of what they were saying, thus I'm not sure what but something about how the rest of the actors, the director and the crew were interacting just told me it was a show worth watching or at least checking out.

📣📣END OF TMI📣📣

The cast honestly seems to have a blast and to have, how to say it, come together really well. It seems like most of them have become genuinely friends, or despite differences in personality have truly enjoyed working with one another and with the rest of the crew, and it shows.

Where it's lacking

In my opinion the show does have some aspects where it underperforms.

As previously mentioned, the main plot is kinda tropey, furthermore, in a drama typical fashion when something is about to get resolved, immediately something else happens. Nothing unexpected from a drama though.

The pacing : Some moments of the main plot especially dragged on, so I admit I skipped through some parts.

Because I feel so strongly about all the characters though, I don't really mind the previously mentioned points. I just think it's a shame because I feel like if it had been crafted a little bit better it could have made the show go from an 8/10 good drama to an 11/10 friggin amazing drama easy.

Lastly, there is a pretty unequal time distribution so Yan Fei and Hsuan Yu do tend to occupy the most part of an episode. However some episodes are more centered on some pairings (like ep 11 that will probably have an important Mark/Ouwen part).

Overall

it's a drama that warms my heart, as simple as that. It's not that deep, it's pretty funny, the acting ranges from good to excellent and I have taken a liking to a lot of the characters, which is what I think fuels my interest for the drama.

And I feel like it managed to attract a wide range of audiences because the romances and relationships are so diverse. Whether you watch the show for its entirety or for one aspect/storyline/character is entirely up to you and I feel like the creators of the drama are aware of it as well : and you can easily find subbed compilations about each specific pairing on Settv's official YouTube channel.

Take that aspect that you like–if you find one of course–and enjoy it, that is all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

What's left to say besides.... 🎉🎊 Congratulations for making it to the end of this lengthy post !

[thewincestgospel]

Wincest and J2 High School Fics

2028 AD by inlustwithsammy 

It's in 2028. Sam and Dean got reincarnated and they have no idea who they were in their past lives. They live a normal life as high school students. They grew up as best friends who live close to each other. Dean is still a playboy. Sam is still a nerd. Some things never change.

a first time for everything by riyku  In which Jared announces that his family is moving, and Jensen suddenly becomes very concerned with time.

A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" by gothpandaotaku

Sam Winchester, the jaded new kid at school. Dean Winchester, the school badass who rides a motorcycle to school every morning. When they collide, sparks fly- the wrong kind. It's hate at first sight. But over time they find they have a lot more in common than they thought...

All The Other Kids  by AureaMediocritas   Dean and Sam roll into another high school. The first weeks through five students' eyes.        

Baby Steps by cherie_morte    AU: Jared is nine years old when his mom marries Jensen's dad.

The Ballad of the Invisible Boy by dollylux   This is a story of adolescence. This is a love letter for the slow burn, for Led Zeppelin, for the 90s. This is the first of two sets of stories about how Sam and Dean didn’t fall in love. They never had to. It was always there, this desperation between them, like a real, breathing thing. When they came together, it was inevitable. As sure as continents colliding, as the phases of the moon and the life and death of stars. This isn’t a love story, but it’s a story of love.SeriesPart 1 of Invisible Boy.

Becoming What We Pretend To Be by locknkey  In a fit of pique Sam brags to his high school friends that he can get Dean as his boyfriend. Dean's never been able to say no to Sam. Pretense is a slippery-slope when you're romancing your brother and it's all too easy to for the lines between what's real and what's fake to become blurred.

Bend and Break by Winmance  If Jared had to describe his life, he would say that his life is lonely. Between the bullying and his parents lack of interest, the only true joy he has is Jensen, the baseball player with who he's having sex. But everybody has a limit and Jared is about to find out his own.

Best Birthday Ever by ballsdeepinwinchesters prompted for: w[ee]cestiel + bottom!Sam For Sam’s sixteenth birthday, he only asked for one thing. He didn’t want a car, or money, or even a dog (Dean hates dogs). All Sam wanted was to get f***** by Dean and his friend, Cas.

Bitchface No.5 by bookworm1805   There's a new kid in school and Sam is being a bitch, but Dean doesn't see how the two things are related.5 stars

The Craziest Thing by thefourofswords  Sam and Dean find themselves de-aged back to 18. The only solution anybody seems to have is to go back to high school.

Crown and Anchor Me (or let me sail away) by Sena Sam Winchester is fifteen years old, at yet another new high school in yet another state, he doesn't get along with his distant, distracted father, he's figuring out that he likes guys just as much as he likes girls, his clothes never fit and his limbs ache at the joint ever since his growth spurt started, he has to study for the PSAT and, oh yeah, he's a little bit in love with his brother, Dean, who's taken a break from hunting monsters to work at a local garage for minimum wage.

Flagstaff by  Linden  John tracked Sam down in Flagstaff, four days after he got home to find him gone.

Go, Dean... by orphan_account  Prompt: Teenage Dean joining the football team and Sammy cheering him in the stands, Dean calling him his little cheerleader and making him wear the outfit while he rides his big brother... How's that for enduring football?

“Thought you wanted to be my little cheerleader, Sammy,' Dean said, tossing the gathered supplies onto the bed and crawling back between Sam’s legs. His lips sealed themselves to Sam’s, and he kissed him breathlessly. 'Loved watching you bounce up and down out on the field, everyone watching you, wishing you were theirs.'”

Good as New  by  sixtysevenlmpala  When an asshole at Dean and Sam's high school breaks Dean's amulet, he doesn't react well. But as always, Sam's there to make it better.

Hope You Don't Mind by compo67  Jared has no problems being an introvert in a family of extroverted women. He enjoys his alone time as a freshman in high school... that is until signs for prom start showing up. With both his sisters going, he begins to wonder if maybe his time alone is a little lonely.

I'll Give You What You Like by soulmatecest Jared is, by all means, the worst cheerleader in the world.He absolutely fucking sucks; Jensen’s not even sure how he made it to the cheer squad and why would anyone take a look to his really bad dancing moves and still think ‘oh yeah, we definitely need to get some of that for the team.’Jared is honestly a disaster at this.And yet, Jensen has done pretty much nothing apart from staring at him most of the game as Jared dances terribly in a short skirt. Because even if Jared sucks, he’s also the most beautiful omega Jensen has ever seen.

The Jock and The Nerd by JuniperLemon  Unrelated Wincest High School AU. Sam and Dean go to the same school. Dean asks the school nerd, Sam, on a date. Little do they know that it'll lead to so much more. Is there more behind Sam than what meets the eye and how will John react to Dean's bisexuality?

Kiss Me by lotrspnfangirl  Worst case scenario: Jensen would be freaked out and spend the next three weeks until graduation, completely avoiding Jared and not speaking to him. And as much as that would hurt… It was only a dollar to get a kiss from Jensen at the kissing booth.

Little Pieces by compo67 Jensen the Bad Influence is better known as the town hellraiser. He stays out late, skips class, and takes bets on chess games after school. His partner in crime happens to be Jared, raised in a strict Catholic-Protestant household, and reigning chess champion. Together, they've skimmed five hundred dollars from their classmates with no end in sight.If they can survive high school, conquering the rest of the world must be a piece of cake.It just happens that the world has something else in store for them--something no one planned for in a million years.

Mr High School by  kinkylittlered This is for a bingo competition on livejournal. Each chapter has prompts. AU Sam is a popular boy in high school and Dean is an invisible boy who is coming to terms with his sexuality. Each chapter will have different warning, eventually leading to slash

Putting On A Show by BewareTheIdes15  Lightning fast Dean's grin slants into sly and Sam's stomach lurches hard enough that his lungs get jealous and jump in on the action. Without so much as a glance in Sam’s direction for approval, Dean lifts one shoulder and says, "I'll make out with Sam."

Say the Words by dollylux  A new boy rolls into town, and Jensen Notices. (And... his girlfriend notices him noticing.)

Touch and Go by versaillesatnight  Dean Winchester doesn’t date. He fucks around, sure, but the whole dating thing? He’s never seen the appeal. Enter Sam.

Verses Like Yours and Mine by rivers_bend Sam and Dean are regular brothers--no hunting, no demons--who fall in love anyway.

White Knight by echoes_of_another_life  Jensen is a senior and protects shy freshman Jared, who is being bullied.

Worth It by saltandbyrne Turns out the only thing more uncomfortable than sitting through class with a half-woody and a pair of panties wedged up your ass is doing it while your panties are soaking wet from your brother's mouth.(Sam is 14).

You Didn't Listen When You Went To School by Posse Magnet (rhink_is_my_kink)  The kids at school know the new Winchester brothers are different. Everything about them is strange. From the way Dean effortlessly completes any physical challenge that gym class can throw at him without even breaking a sweat. To the way Sam is the smartest kid in all his classes, even though he's a freshman, and all his classes are college-level and full of seniors. But the most peculiar thing about the Winchesters, the thing that everyone notices: the way they come tumbling out of empty classrooms, closets, bathroom stalls, untidy hair, messy clothes, cheeks flushed with a color that’s almost as intense as the color of their lips.

you're a real f*ing page-turner by  grace_fully Jared's days pretty much all run together, one big muddy mess of emotional turmoil and confusion and shitty friends and shittier classes. not to mention that his best friend is equal parts awesome and a complete jerk, his little sister is also kind of a jerk, and he thinks privately that someday his books are going to be the only thing to stand by him in the end. luckily, life has a way of turning things around on him.

Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell by sonofabiscuit77 While the Winchesters are living in a small-town trailer park, sixteen year old Sam accidentally spies on his brother with an older man. The discovery triggers feelings in Sam that lead him and Dean down a path which will change their lives forever.

[talkingbl]

Folks are talking about BL Couples with the best/"most believable"/"most intense" CHEMISTRY? As in - you buy them as a couple through and through and wouldn't be surprised if they dated IRL? Okay, bet.

I'll do some for good on-screen chemistry and good off-screen chemistry. For the ones with the best off-screen, I'm not saying I think they're actually dating IRL, just that the chemistry is real and present. I will expand my judgments to include pairs that haven't had a series/movie yet but showed impeccable chemistry either in trailers for an upcoming BL or their off-screen interactions seep chemistry. The numbers are here for organization purposes and are not rankings.

1) Max and Tul. I have never seen two individuals more comfortable with each other than Max and Tul despite one of the parties being in a relationship. They give the vibe of polyamorous disaster bisexuals (trust me I would know) and have so much physical chemistry it's difficult to see how they could be just friends in one breath then stick their tongues down each other's throats in another. But somehow they pull it off lol.

2) Joss and Tay. I don't know what type of drugs GMMTV sprinkled over 3WBF but Joss and Tay as Shin and Neo delivered one of the more subtle BL performances (despite the show itself basically being about a polyamorous relationship) I've seen in Thai BL. The subtleties go a long way to highlight the romantic tension between those two. Now what's interesting is that Joss and Tay might be the only pairing on this list whose chemistry doesn't quite travel off-screen. But that's okay! 3WBF is good for what it is and I think it's a testament to the team behind the show that they were able to capture some magic between Joss and Tay.

3) Earth and Mix. Yeah, I'm not sure what y'all want me to say about this but Earth and Mix looked very in love as Phupha and Tian albeit in their own special way. I've stated this before but EarthMix on camera is like...the sweetest love? It's that type of love that manifests through actions and stolen glances rather than grand gestures. It's subtle but obvious at the same time. Off-screen their chemistry is almost purely platonic from what I've seen but it's very strong and even quite domestic.

4) Chris and Jake. I completely buy them as a couple off-screen and would not be shocked if they revealed they had feelings for each other. As Tang-yi and Shao-fei, there's something there but it's hampered by plot I think. Off-screen, however, these two are very suspicious and have displayed a level of genuine interest that I've not quite seen in actors who weren't already familiar prior to filming. No hyperbole, but I've never gotten the feeling that anything they did off-screen was solely for fanservice. They seem like two people who wanted to try sumn but for whatever reason it hadn't worked out (there's actually a boatload of tea and speculation on this though, I'll say...)

5) Tay and New. Look, I know that at the time of writing this post it's 2021 and girlfriendgate, etc. But Tay and New have the weirdest chemistry IMO. On-screen their chemistry is often hampered by acting demands and weird plot contrivances (particularly in DBK). In fact, KMA had the best TayNew chemistry and the chemistry almost purely existed in hot and bothered terms. Obviously, if you've seen any of the Kiss series, you know that this is simply Tay and New acting in line with their characters. But the fact is even off-screen their chemistry seems romantic in nature. They play on (what I feel is) a natural friction between them. I could go on and on about this but for now I'll just say that Tay and New have made me question a lot.

[willabjones]

name: wilhelmina beatrice jones

nicknames: willa

age: twenty-one

gender identity: cis-female

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: bisexual

birthday: june 11th

star sign: gemini

occupation: waitress at taverna and bartender at argos

neighborhood: cayuga heights

place of birth: sunrise, florida

height: 5′4″

background

Willa has lived in Ithaca a majority of her life. She’s known by all in town, though not always for the best reasons. Willa was raised by a single father, a kid barely 17 who dropped out of high school to dedicate his time to his newborn. She was raised by a handful of teenagers, all friends of her father,  and the occasional kind neighbor. Her mother was out of the pictures when she was only a mere weeks old and even though there’d been a few attempts at reconnecting, they’ve been unsuccessful.

From a young age Willa was exposed to things well beyond her years as her father’s constant string of get rich quick schemes often ended in disaster. While the first number a child memorizes is that of a parent, Willa’s first number was of a bondsman. The only bondsman in town who still hadn’t blocked their number. Judging looks and sour whispers tended to follow her through town. She was the girl from the wrong side of town, a home that resembled a halfway house more than anything else, but the rumors and disapproving looks never really bothered her. Though they always felt sorry for her, Willa grew up with plenty of love despite the unconventional upbringing. One that she really wouldn’t trade.

A string of different women went in and out of her life, a new girlfriend, a temporary fiancé, a woman picked up at a bar who refused to leave. Each one was as colorful as the last and while some were nicer than others, Willa was always fascinated by each one. Some stayed long enough to teach her the best recipe for mac and cheese and how to mend a pair of ripped jeans and others only stayed long enough to mumble a quick goodbye before making their way out the door. They’d always leave a thing or two behind, a worn leather jacket to add to her closet and on a couple rare occasions, a fully grown child turned faux sibling.

Independent from a young age Willa has always been a hard worker, from babysitting the neighborhood kids at a young age to holding three part time jobs throughout the school year. She always hated asking for money, hated feeling like she needed to rely on others, even if it was for the small things. Her small savings however didn’t often last as sooner or later she’d be forced to use them on one thing or another.

Willa knew pretty early on that a higher education would not be in the cards for her. Classes were often missed and despite being able to pick up in the middle of a chapter without any hesitation she knew that what most colleges looked for was a clean transcript. Willa’s was filled with unexplained absences and even a few suspensions ( they weren’t her fault, honest) and scholarships weren’t awarded to girls like her unless they proved to have some gifted athletic ability. It didn’t bother her either way, she liked the idea of not being tied down to one place. No college meant being able to just leave if she wanted to, emphasis on the word if.

other

Rumor has it she works at Argos because it’s the only bar in town that hasn’t banned her yet. She worked her way up from a busboy, picking up dirty shot glasses and moping up spills when she turned 18 and now works as a bartender picking up the trade during her time there.

She isn’t much of a drinker, mostly because she doesn’t like the taste but also because she tends to lose her temper when she’s drunk (see rumor above) 

Willa’s pride and joy is a 1966 ivy green ford mustang convertible that was given to her when she turned 16. it was thanks to a lucky hand in poker, her dad still brags about it to this day. willa made sure to ask for help in learning everything there was to know about the car. she’ll change her oil and swap out her own tires.

willa loves the outdoors, hiking, swimming, kayaking, anything as long as there’s the sky above and fresh air. she’s also an avid birdwatcher, a hobby she picked up during her brief girl scout stint at 6 years old.

willa tries to wear her heart on her sleeve, if it’s weighing you down then it’s better to open up and let it out, even if she winds up getting hurt

[shih-coulda-had-it]

Just i m a g i n e ; Nana and Gran Torino know the friends / almost boyfriends of Toshi and Torino was like; "go away of that blond idiot or I'm going to hit them without mercy" while Nana is; "Sora, let them, are childrens. But if they hurt m’lil Toshi, I'll also hit them without mercy :) ". The boys, (Dave, Sir, Tsukauchi and Aizawa), are scared of the threats of Toshi's parents and he does not realize that his parents have threatened his almost boyfriends. I think that would happen 👀.

Oh, I like where your head’s at. This is technically the beginning of either a recurring arc/a long one-shot in the NanaLives!AU that’s been building as tumblr snippets.

*Note: Sorahiko did not join Nana and Toshinori in the States for several months. He was cleaning up their tracks/records. On a last-second impulse, he asks the Commission to retrieve Kotarou. Kotarou’s reunion is a whole drama of its own, but the end-result is that Kotarou (1) gets therapy (2) gets a whole year off school! (3) gets a whole family!!!

//

Neither Nana nor Sorahiko are blindsided by the first boy Toshinori brings home. They’re trying not to invalidate All Might’s work by playing chaperone, but they do pay attention to the news. And the news is captivated by the presence of an exceptionally handsome young foreigner popping up to take care of problems.

Problems like the explosion at the local college laboratory.

“Okaa-san,” says Kotarou, enraptured by disaster, “Toshi-nii’s shirt got burned off.”

“He doesn’t know he’s got a camera trained on him,” observes Nana.

“Figures,” Sorahiko says darkly. He’s sitting at the couch, financial paperwork spread out on the coffee table. Kotarou is cross-legged, ostensibly keeping Sorahiko company and doing his English handwriting exercises. Nana had been busy with laundry, but she poked her head in at the first excited cry. “All this work to stay under the radar, and the brat immediately gets trapped in the spotlight.”

“No one will recognize him.” Goodness knows Nana hadn’t, the first time Toshinori tapped into One for All and puffed up.

“Who’s he talking to?”

“He’s talking to somebody?” Sorahiko’s head snaps up at Kotarou’s innocent inquiry, and Nana doesn’t need to see his face to know that he’s studying the grainy screen, eyes narrowed in calculation.

“He looks nice,” she tries. The two boys on-screen are laughing together, bright-eyed and grinning. Toshinori’s new friend is totally staring at Toshinori’s chest.

“Looks like a sycophant,” he growls.

She rolls her eyes. “Toshinori just saved him from a burning building. Gratitude and admiration, along with some heart-eyes, aren’t out of the norm.”

“Hn.”

“What’s a sycophant,” Kotarou says, twisting around when the camera finally cuts away to a pair of commentators. He peers at Sorahiko’s papers like he can understand not only English, but also Sorahiko’s chicken-scratch handwriting.

Long-sufferingly, Sorahiko answers, “A sycophant is a person who always says yes to another person.”

“Oh.” Kotarou dwells on this. “Like you with okaa-san.”

There’s a beat of silence. The first giggle escapes Nana’s valiant grasp, and then she’s leaning on the wall, overtaken by them. Kotarou looks pleased; Sorahiko starts to sputter and defend himself.

Several hours later, Toshinori’s boisterous voice announces, “I’m home!”

“Welcome back,” Nana calls out from the kitchen. Over the course of a few months, her cooking repertoire has expanded to include boxed yellow curry. It bubbles ominously in the deep pan, set over a low heat. “Watch out in the living room, I think Sorahiko’s still napping with Kotarou.”

“Ah.” Nana hears a murmur. Then the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Involuntarily, she tenses and activates Float, her world narrowing down to the question: who is that. Her hands curl into fists, scarred and white-knuckled. She navigates the hallway to the front door and checks the mirror--oh.

Float deactivates. Nana briskly re-ties her hair, shakes out the adrenaline still thrumming in her hands, and steps out into the open with a smile.

“Who’s this?” she asks pleasantly.

Toshinori hasn’t stopped using One for All, but he’s picked up a white “I <3 LA” shirt. While he can stay puffed up for as long as he wants, there’s an unspoken rule to leave All Might in the streets. Thankfully, Nana thinks, Kotarou understands the secrecy regarding Toshinori’s Quirk.

The reason why Toshinori is still All Might finishes toeing off his sneakers. He’s tall, slender, and perceptibly nervous. When he executes a short bow, his shoulder-length hair moves with him.

“Hello,” Toshinori’s friend (boyfriend? Nana wonders, a little alarmed at the thought, because Toshinori can only have known him for four hours, max, and now Toshinori has brought him here, perhaps to meet the family) says in awkward Japanese. “I am David Shield. It is nice to meet you.”

“I understand English,” she says, not unkindly. “Your accent is very good, though.”

Shield exhales in relief. “I wanted to try,” he says, sheepish. “I’ve taken classes, but it’s just--difficult.”

“You need a willing language partner,” Nana agrees. “Call me Shimura-san, David. Are you here for dinner?”

“If it’s no problem.”

“Oshishou,” says Toshinori happily, “Dave’s offered to build me a sturdier suit! I thought the least we could do is dinner, right?”

Then, Kotarou comes barreling down the hallway, only to come to a reeling halt at the sight of someone new. He ducks back behind Nana’s legs, wary of strangers. She reaches back to ruffle his hair, and notes that David looks similarly taken aback.

Dave, however, is apparently going to tailor a new suit for Toshinori. Nana studies the young man and his fine-boned hands--an engineer? a researcher?--and decides that she needs Sorahiko to take a second look.

“This is Kotarou, my son.” Nana smiles reassuringly. “And of course. A friend of Toshinori’s is always welcome. Take your time, boys. It’s chicken curry tonight.”

She retreats back to the kitchen, Kotarou in tow.

“Are you fixing my cooking?” she gasps, catching Sorahiko in the midst of seasoning the pan’s contents. He doesn’t even flinch, and tosses in another pinch of black pepper.

“Little bland. Overall, tastes like the box promised. Good job on not burning it.”

Nana scowls. “This is because we teased him this afternoon,” she tells Kotarou, and Kotarou finally unclenches his fingers from her sweatpants and laughs. She bops his nose with her finger, and informs Sorahiko, “Remember the boy Toshinori saved? He’s here for dinner, and his name is David Shield.”

“What,” says Sorahiko.

“He’s, hmm, offered to make Toshinori a suit, and Toshinori thought he should pay the favor back with dinner.”

“I don’t understand English yet,” Kotarou complains.

“There’s that too,” she adds, but comforts Kotarou with, “I’m sure he’ll understand Japanese if you speak slowly, Kota.”

Footsteps on the staircase. They’re both heavy-footed, Nana distantly registers, and they’re headed for Toshinori’s bedroom. Which is normal for friends to do. Heck, she and Sorahiko used to have sleepovers together. This is fine.

Toshinori has known Dave for, at most, four hours.

Sorahiko sets the ladle to the side. He appears to be tracking a similar line of thought, because he says, slowly, “You know, when Toshinori came out to us as bisexual last week, I didn’t think…”

“He didn’t have anyone in high school,” Nana points out. “If there’s any place to explore romance without consequence, it’s halfway across the world.” She grimaces. “Also, let’s not jump to conclusions. We shouldn’t assume everyone Toshinori brings home is a potential partner.”

“He doesn’t bring people home,” Sorahiko stresses.

“Before, Toshinori wasn’t able to.”

Kotarou’s eyes flick back and forth between them. Incredulously, he asks, “Toshi-nii has no friends?”

They wince. Toshinori has friends the way someone builds a rolodex; many people extend their friendship, and Toshinori accepts, stores their information (name; Quirk; details about family, likes, dislikes) away in his encyclopedic brain, and never pursues a follow-up. It isn’t something they taught him, but it’s not a habit they’ve tried breaking either.

“He has friends,” says Nana. “So, best behavior, okay?”

Sorahiko grimaces. He bobs his head, but Nana assumes he’ll ask pointed questions during dinner anyway. Depending on how good a mood Toshinori is in, maybe their charge will let the interrogation slide. If not, well, Toshinori knows how grouchy Sorahiko can be.

“Okay,” Kotarou replies, oblivious to the byplay. “When’s dinner?”

“Soon,” Sorahiko promises.

(There is a long stretch of time between David Shield and Sasaki Mirai. In the span of this time, Kotarou has grown up and gotten married and had two children. Nana and Sorahiko have officially tied the knot, and they are in the midst of renovating a small apartment complex in Yamanashi Prefecture. Following Sasaki is Tsukauchi Naomasa. Then Toshinori brings home Aizawa Shouta.

“He’s like you,” Nana mourns to Sorahiko, after cheerfully seeing Aizawa off. Toshinori is walking with him to the train station; it’s fifty-fifty on whether Toshinori will spend the night in his own apartment, or in Aizawa’s bed.

“How’s that,” Sorahiko grunts, locking the front door. They trail their way to bed.

“His kids will be his students.”

He glances at her. “Kotarou wasn’t my student.”

“He learned a lot from you anyway,” Nana promptly responds, and he snorts. She’s undeterred. “Anyway, I can only assume he’ll bond with every class, and act as their collective dad. Tons and tons of encouragement, complete with rigorous physical training.” She sighs as she pushes their bedroom door open. “All those extended grandchildren we may never get to meet…”

“Be glad,” Sorahiko suggests. “I can only imagine Toshinori fathering a child with even crazier dreams, and we’ve finally reached a point in our lives where we don’t have to deal with that shit.”

“You’ve jinxed it.”

“I’ve jinxed nothing.”

Four months later, when they are watching the Sports Festival live on television, staring at a fluffy green-haired boy shout ‘Smash’ battle-cries and perform therapy so bad (so well? The result may have been the goal), he’s knocked clear out of the tournament--

“I jinxed it,” says Sorahiko in disbelief, as Nana cackles and starts texting Toshinori to bring home Midoriya Izuku.)

[outcast-thingz]

Summary: Everything was going exactly like normal until.. it wasn't. The fear of loosing someone you never told you loved them, the pain of their cries when they can't hold you, and the loneliness of no one hearing you.

Pairing: Sugawara x coma reader

Warning:ANGST, Fire disaster, injury to reader, coma

Better Late Than Never

       It was through Daichi that you had met the first starlight to change your life. The gentlest voice, softest eyes, kindest personality, and warmest embrace. You wish you'd never have to leave his arms. But alas friends you are and friends, perhaps, you will always be. It's a shame really, silver hair that shined as bright as stars, hazel, sometimes brown, eyes that seemed change with each mood, and none of it was yours. But oh how your heart soared upon hear his melodies to those smiling and giggling children; you and the children were equally entranced. It may have been your infatuation with him but he always seemed to be able to know what to say. And the way he-

       "Y/n.. yy/nnn." A callous hand waved in front of your face. Your eyes blink rapidly with each open and close the vision of Sugawara fades.

"Hmm? I-I'm awake." You state as that floating feeling of spacing out is ripped from your grip. Daichi chuckles and shakes his head.

"You're lovestruck dazing pretty early today, Y/n." he starts the car, "We haven't even made it to the school area yet," he teases. You furrowed you brows and stare into your partners eye.

"Today's the day! I'm telling you! I'm gonna tell Koshi Sugawara how I feel and then you can finally stop teasing me about it!" You declare.

"Yeah? You're not going to wuss out?"

"You wound me Daichi, I thought we were partners. I thought you knew me better than to lie."

"Heh, you don't have to worry. He's not going to reject you." He knew exactly what you were hiding behind that determined face you plastered on.

       Down the same roads on a sunny, fall morning. The leaves slowly falling to the ground when the gentle and chilly wind pushes them from their branches. So, of course, it would be that same luscious green grass fields, clean building walls decorated with kid's art, and giggling kids you expected to see when the two of you turned down the street. You expected to make the same pit stop along your patrol route you and Daichi had made for the past three years. Yet, around the corner layed chaos colored with red and orange hues. Despite everything you had been through and seen as a cop, your stomach dropped, churned, and leaped to your throat all at once. You had to be dreaming.. right? Right!?

"Y/N WAIT!" But Daichi was too late to stop you.

      Your body moved with you realizing it. The car hadn't stopped moving yet but it seems your gut instincts could care less about that. You sprinted for the burning school ahead of you. There was one person on your mind but still you helped others get out. There was a loud crash down the hall from you. Upon inspection you found part of the roof had come down and blocked the doorway for one of the classrooms.

"Is anyone there!? Can anyone here me?" It almost stopped your heart right then and there. 

"KOSHI!? I'M HERE KOSHI!!" You exclaimed.

"Y/n!!!" He yelled out sounding relieved, "go to the window that connects to this room! I can't break it because I have kids in my arms" you rush outside to the corresponding window.

"Back away from the window! Shield your eyes!!!" You instruct those inside the room. After a few moments as passed you break open the window and wipe the glass away. Seconds later Sugawara crawls out with two kids in his arms.

"There's three more. They got scared and hid in that room." He informs you. You nod your head and quickly make your way in. You found two of the three and lead them to the window where Suga helped out the window. "The last one is Thompson. Thompson! Come on buddy, we have to go now." Despite yelling this he still had a sweet tone. 

      It wasn't until a loud cracking sound from above startled everyone that you knew where Thompson was hiding. You open a floor cabinet that had yet to be touch by flames and there he was. He shook violently and to say he had ocean of tears rolling would be an understatement. You reached out your hand,

"Come on sweetie. I promise it will be okay." Despite your reassuring words the terrified child would not budge. Suga climbed in, reached out to the child and sang shakily to him in an attempt to coax him over. Another loud crack comes from above but it seemed Suga didn't notice. A sharp twang in your heart struck the moment your eyes met the ceiling. 

'Any moment now.. I have to get ~Him~ out, i have to get them both out..' 

The child crawled into Suga's arms. The creaking sound above weighed on your heart like a football field of cement. You mustered all the strength you had to lift the two of them up and run towards the window. 

Cr-cr-crack, boom

You trip as part of the ceiling falls behind you. Sugawara and the children fly out from your arms.

"Y/NNN" He screams out while looking back at you. You use what little strength you have left to crawl towards him. He struggles to stand and coughs harshly but manages to set the child outside the window.

       You smile seeing Daichi on the other side if the window ready to grab Suga and pull him to safety. ' I love you Koshi ' you mouth as you continue to try and crawl towards him. Daichi swoops his arms through the window and around Suga's waist.

"NO! NO NO NO! YYY/NNNNN!" He screams as he's pulled from the room. Daichi practically throws Sugawara away from the window. A firefighter who had arrived shortly after Daichi climbed in and was able to drag you partially out of the window before the room collapsed. You couldn't see, your eyelids were too heavy but you could hear. You wish you couldn't because the only thing that filled your ears was the harsh cries, screams, and coughs of the man you loved. 

       Despite having your eye closed you could hear everything around you. So you knew the doctors told everyone you may never wake from your coma. You also knew that everyday the man you loved would come in and update you on how everyone was and 'hope you can hear everything I'm saying..' Days pass and times seems to blend together as you wait for you body to wake from it's coma state. Each day you could feel yourself be able to move more and more. At first it was only finger twitches but soon enough you could shakily tap a gentle beat when Suga would sing to you. It seemed you were the only one who noticed your progress at first. When a nurse finally noticed doctors check your state again. The visits from Sugawara had stopped as the doctors monitored your increasing motor skills. 

*a few months later*

      By this point you could sit up mostly by yourself and open your eyes but it felt more comfortable to have them closed. At least when they're closed you can imagine Sugawara is by your side again. As if he had read your mind he showed up. You were surprised to wake to his voice.

"Y/n.. im so sorry. It should have been me.." His voice was hoarse like he'd been crying profusely before this.

'I need you know that heard you,, every word' you whine inside your head.

"I've waited way to long to say,, everything you mean to me.." his voices waivers slightly. Shaking hands take hold of one of yours. "In case you don't live forever let me tell you now…" he pauses before continuing in a shakier voice, "I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around." A heart breaking breath is taken in, "in case you don't live forever let me tell you the truth… I'm everything that I am because of you. I have hero whenever I need one" you hand twitches as a tear hits it and his breath hitches. You open your teary eyes half way to meet his. His lips quivering as you tell him in an equally hoarse voice,

"I just look up to you and I see one" He kisses your hand. You bring your other and over and use him to help yourself sit up.

      "Y/n I-.. I'm a man 'cause you taught me to be one. You're the real hero.." his eyes never leave yours. You press your forehead against his.

"In case you don't live forever let me tell you now,, I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around.." you finish repeating his line from earlier. The two of you speak in hoarse voiced unison,

"In case you don't live forever let me tell the truth,, everything I a-am.." both of you close the space between your lips. Your tears mix together and fall atop you both of your intertwined hands. You both pull away slowly and speak in sync, "As long as I am here as I am… so are you" He places the sweetest kiss on your forehead. And the two of you just sit in each other's embrace until the doctors come back to check up on you.

The End

Tagglist: @squishytsukki @red-riot-rat @wow-she-a-h0e-for-aran @xsugarysweetsx @hurtbycanonthoughts @melodynee @bisexual-confusion (👉👈 I apologize if you didn't want to be tagged)

[aye-write]

Summary: Research student Isla Reid has been fascinated with the legend of the Kildonian Chessmen - a trio of mythical Pokemon rumoured to have lived centuries ago on the remote region of Kildo - for as long as she can remember. So, when a museum exhibit on the Chessmen is set to open in Kildo’s Hydrogate City, coinciding with her independent research project, she packs herself and her trusty partner Furret onto the long ferry journey bound for this new region. 

 However, when she arrives in Kildo, thoughts of her research, new friends, and an entire Pokedex’s worth of new Pokemon, are quickly dashed. Kildo is a troubled place, beset by natural disasters and fierce rivalries among its people. Isla suddenly finds herself at the centre of a centuries-old plot to invoke the wrath of the Chessmen, and is set on a race against time to stop them, before it spells destruction for the entire region.

Other Links: Read it on Ao3!

Tags: OC Pokemon journey, OC region, Fakemon region, bisexual main character, found family, ace main character.

If you are not interested in these posts, especially as I know Pokemon journeyfic is fairly niche, please blacklist the tag #Checkmate. Most of the story will be put under a Readmore anyway!

Author’s Note: Hi everyone! This is just a quick author's note today! Thanks to everyone who has read and commented! I hope you enjoy another chonk of a chapter and that the starters' introduction went okay! There were a LOT of Pokedex entries this week, so I won't be including them all in the author's note this time, but you can head over to our tumblr @kildo-pokedex​ to see them in full! See you in two weeks, everyone!

*****

Chapter Four

Things moved fast that night. Too fast. Morning dawned, dappling the sky with tangerine oranges and cotton candy pinks, and Isla soon found herself packed and standing on the doorstep of the cottage she’d almost come to think of as home.

Rhona fussed over Skye’s layers and blankets for so long that Isla thought they’d never get away. Even Blair started to look nervous, casting pointed glances first at his watch and then at his mother. It would be a long walk, he said loudly, at least five hours of walking, and they needed to get on. Finally Rhona got the hint and passed over a mammoth bag of sandwiches, juice, and crisps – enough to sustain an army for about a week – and both parents said their goodbyes. Rhona’s eyes were wet with tears when she broke her hug with her daughter.

Isla moved forward, meaning just to offer thanks, but before she could open her mouth, Rhona swept her into a rib-crunching hug.

“Now you be careful out there, chick,” Rhona said, her breath tickling the whorls of Isla’s ear. “You always have a home here with us, alright? Don’t you dare be a stranger. I expect to see you again here before you go back to Johto, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Isla said, her voice thick.

Kenneth shook her hand next, his huge fingers easily engulfing hers. He had a firm grip, yet surprisingly soft hands, and when Isla drew back, she found he’d slipped her two crisp twenty pokedollar notes.

“Kenneth, thank you, but I can’t take—”

“You take care of yourself,” he said firmly.

Isla decided not to argue. Especially when it was the most the giant man had ever said to her in one go before.

Blair took his mother’s hug with an embarrassed grimace, nodding along to a laundry list of instructions she hurled his way. Make sure you take frequent breaks. Don’t let Skye go wandering on her own. Make sure you feed a Clatty if you see one, it’s good luck. Don’t dare go any further than Aberdrip. Eventually, Kenneth clamped his hand on Rhona’s shoulder, and she stopped.

“I suppose you best be going, eh?” she said, forcing a quivering smile. “Before it gets too late on. Have fun, darlings. Call me when you get there. Be safe.”

“Thanks for everything, Rhona,” Isla said, her voice catching. She had to turn around to shield her face from view.

Blair, who had been battling to fit Rhona’s supplies into their travelling bag, grunted with satisfaction as he finally got the zip up, leaving the bag bulging like an overripe balloon. He felt around at his waist, unhooked a Pokeball, and tossed it over the gate.

“Coastrot, come out!”

Isla let out a breath as the ball burst open and she came face to face with Blair’s Pokemon. Easily reaching Blair’s shoulders, it had a long, lithe body with a clipped coat the colour of the ocean under the morning sky. Even when it stayed still, its mane and tail rippled like plumes of gentle flowing water. It was a stunning Pokemon – right down to its dark, inquisitive eyes and glistening hooves – but there was something unusual about it that Isla couldn’t quite put her finger on. As she stared, Coastrot’s body seemed to blur, wavering in front of her like a picture on a TV with a dodgy signal.

Blair saw her staring. “Touch him,” he suggested.

Isla frowned, uncertain. Under Blair’s watchful eye, she reached out to touch this new Pokemon, only for her hand to slip straight through its body, as easily as if she had just put her hand through a hologram. She whipped her hand away like she’d just been shocked. The Pokemon’s body turned solid again the moment Blair touched it to string up one of the bags.

Isla consulted her Pokedex. “Coastrot, the Mirage Pokemon. Its translucent body refracts light, and it will often appear as though it is surrounded by rainbows. If it doesn’t trust someone, they will not be able to touch it. This is seen as an unlucky omen by some.”

“Amazing,” she said. “So it only lets people it trusts touch it?”

“That’s right,” Blair nodded.  “Coastrot is actually the evolved form of one of the Kildo starters. He was my starter, so he’s been in the family a long time, but it still wasn’t easy for him to trust all of us. He lets me touch him, of course, and Skye, and sometimes Dad, but Mum is still a tricky case. Since he’s only just met you, it may take him a while to warm up.”

“That’s okay,” Isla held her hand out for the Pokemon to sniff. Its nose passed straight through her hand, a sensation rather like she’d plunged her hand into a bucket of ice-cold water. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”

Blair clapped on Coastrot’s haunches, signalling everything was secured. He called for Skye and helped boost her up, Isla holding her breath as she entertained a vision of Skye sinking right through the Pokemon’s ethereal back. Luckily, Coastrot remained solid and strong, allowing Skye to settle herself.

“Hold onto his mane, there,” Blair fussed. “No, not there. That’s too tight. Just there, look.”

Skye made several wide-eyed glances over the Pokémon’s massive haunches as Blair made the final checks. Isla offered her a smile.

“I take it that you won’t be going for Coastrot’s evolution for your first Pokemon, then?” she whispered.

Skye shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “Definitely not.”

As she waited, a breath of wind lifted the hair from Isla’s forehead, already moist with sweat from the heat of the beating sun. She’d dressed light, in a loose, billowing top two sizes up from her normal, and a pair of comfortable jogging trousers, but she still worried about the journey. The bag slung on her shoulders didn’t feel heavy now, but walking would leaden it. She’d sprayed most of a bottle of antiperspirant on herself before setting out, but she still had doubts about its efficiency. She could only hope they would take it slow and she wouldn’t embarrass herself.

“That’s us,” Blair announced. “We’re ready to go.”

And with one final look back at the Whispering Pines Croft, they set off.

**

Having left the confines of the family croft, Blair switched into serious mode. He had done some travelling when he was younger, he explained as they walked, enough to know the basics, and he’d made the journey between Aberdrip and Port Glen enough times to pick out the best route to accommodate Coastrot. Their chosen path along Route 1 started out as a stretch of delightfully flat ground, buffeted by a strong, salt-smelling, easterly wind. After an hour, the flat paths became bumpy and wild, grass rising as high as their knees, the tips of trees bordering the horizon.

Blair told them stories as they walked, a welcome distraction for the pain needling through Isla’s legs. He brought them to a stop at the peak of a hill to point out Loch Culla in the distance, a shimmering body of water neatly fringed with trees. A place claimed to be the home of an entire family of shiny Kildonian Lapras.

Skye’s shriek of excitement at this news startled Coastrot, and Blair had to dart to her rescue in case she was catapulted off. She wasn’t fazed. She still insisted on making the detour so they could go hunting for one. Blair laughed. The loch was a protected area for that exact purpose, he explained, and catching Pokemon wasn’t allowed there.

“But we can manage a picnic nearby,” Blair added when Skye’s face fell. “Come on, let’s go.”

Back to walking it was. Isla forced herself back to her feet. To give Blair his dues, he factored in plenty of breaks, at every rest stop or every half an hour, whichever came first. He said he wanted Coastrot to get plenty of rest, as he wasn’t used to carrying weight over long distances. Isla wasn’t sure how true that was, but she was grateful all the same. If Blair and Skye saw her flushed face, sweat patches, and occasional gasps for breath, they were very kind and didn’t draw attention to it.

As promised, they unpacked a picnic at the bank of Loch Culla and shared out sandwiches, fruit, and flavoured waters. Sitting in the shade, listening to the water lapping against the bank, and sipping their drinks fresh from the cool bag, Isla felt totally at peace, despite the numbing aches sprouting in the back of her calves. Blair recalled Coastrot for a proper rest, but Isla released Soba and Wingull to stretch their legs and wings. To keep Wingull amused, but more to stop him stealing, she lobbed his food into the air, sending him swooping and diving over the loch and into the deep grass in pursuit.

Skye didn’t eat much, her eyes trained on the still loch water. When Blair nudged her back to reality, she folded her arms and said, “Blair, I’m looking for Lapras. Leave me alone.”

Isla saw him roll his eyes, but when he spoke to his sister, his tone was nothing but gentle and respectful. “You won’t see them, Skye. It’s massively rare to see a Kildonian Lapras out in the open. They live pretty much entirely underwater. Proper deep down.”

Isla looked up from her sandwich. “Do they? They don’t in Johto.”

“Yep. Kildonian ones are different types too. Ours are Ghost and Dragon.”

“Water and Ice for us.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty different, isn’t it? I think the mainland variant travel a lot, but you can pretty much trace all Kildonian Lapras to just one or two lochs here. They don’t move around a lot. Hence why the area is protected.”

“It doesn’t look protected?” Isla said, looking around. There wasn’t a stitch of modern technology to be seen. No buildings. No cameras. Heck, there didn’t even seem to be any other people around other than just them. “There’s nothing here.”  

“Doesn’t need to be. See that sign?” Blair pointed out a sign nailed to a nearby tree. A bold, crimson X was splayed across a black and white image of a Pokeball. “That sign lets us know that there’s Anti-Pokeball Interference here. API for short.” When he saw Isla’s blank face, he frowned. “I don’t know exactly how it works, but basically, Dad said that it transmits some sort of signal that humans and Pokemon can’t hear, but it scrambles the capture mechanism on all Pokeballs. Makes them nothing more than fancy paperweights.”

“We certainly don’t have that in Johto.”

“It’s pretty new. Just come into fashion over the last year. Lot of folks don’t like it, though. I think they had protests out in Tideburgh. They say it violates our rights to catch Pokemon and that it’s going to lead to overpopulation. If you ask me, it’s a load of Tauros shi— uh, nonsense,” he corrected himself when Skye turned her head.

They lapsed into silence, Isla pretending to be fascinated with her sandwich crusts. They’d gone dry and hard in the sun, and she nibbled at them ineffectively. Wingull, amazingly, had eaten its fill and had nestled with his head (mostly) under one stubby wing. Soba, who had been luxuriating in the sun, had fallen asleep curled around a bottle of lemonade. Blair lay back in the grass, his eyes shut, making occasional contented noises. Skye was scribbling something in a notebook patterned with Slugma.

“We’ll head off soon,” Blair yawned. “I just want to rest my eyes for a few minutes.”

The soft noise of snoring drifted over the wind moments later. Isla had to resist the urge to join him. Sitting down had been fatal. Now her eyes felt as heavy as her legs and the thought of getting up again made tiredness sink into the very pit of her. She could shut her eyes for a few minutes, she reasoned. Just a few minutes. Just a few—

“Isla!” a voice cut through her thoughts. “Isla! Isla, look!”

Isla had to force open her eyes, gummed together like chewy toffee. Skye was on her feet, pointing at the nearby undergrowth.

“What’s goin—”

“Shush!” Skye hissed. “Just look!”

In amongst the green, leafy fronds was a flash of something dull and brown. It emerged from the grass like a Furret in miniature. It had a long, snake-like body, the colour of dark chocolate, and a cream underbelly. Its sharp, inquisitive nose twitched, and its tail swished like an over-eager feather duster.

“What is that?” Isla gasped, pulling her Pokedex out.

“It’s a Mudstel!” Skye said, just as Isla’s Pokedex chirped “Mudstel, the Mud Ferret Pokemon. Curious, but shy, Mudstel rely on their stealth and environment when hunting. They blend in well among trees and bushes, but if spotted, will quickly burrow underground to escape.”

“Gosh, it must be hungry if it’s come right out in the open!” Skye breathed out. “Can we try feeding it?”

“Yeah, if you like. Try it with the crusts there.”

Skye offered the Mudstel some of the uneaten crusts. The Pokemon held back, its nose twitching, eyes unblinking. Skye stretched her hand out further.

“Wait, Skye. Stay as still as you can,” Isla advised, not even daring to breathe too loudly in case she startled it. Skye’s wavering arm came to a stop. “That’s it. Let it come to you.”

After a few moments, the Mudstel stretched out its long, ribbon-like body. Skye looked like she was about to burst from excitement, but somehow, managed to stay still. Isla caught a glimpse of sharp white teeth as Mudstel opened its mouth and snatched the crusts from Skye’s hand. It didn’t pause to eat them, just turned on its heels, and dove back into the undergrowth.

They waited, but Mudstel didn’t come back out.

Skye looked crestfallen as the grass went still. “Bread crusts aren’t all that nutritious,” she said mournfully. “I wish it had stayed and I could have given it some Pokemon food. I think we even have some Pokemon Rock. That would have been even better for it.”

Isla made a sympathetic noise. “Maybe we can leave some pellets for it when we pack up and leave?”

“Maybe. But I wish I could have caught it. I don’t want it to end up starving. Mudstel wouldn’t come out and take food from humans if it could help it.”

“Some Pokemon are just opportunistic, Skye. He probably has plenty of chances to get food and then saw us and thought “Oh yes, a free lunch!” Pokemon are clever. They can take care of themselves.”

“I suppose.”

Isla slung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Try not to worry,” she said. “We’ll be in Aberdrip soon and you’ll have your very own Pokemon before you know it.”

“I know,” Skye said. “I just… wish I could make friends with all of them. I don’t want any of them to suffer.”

“Then I think that means you’ll be a good trainer.”

Skye smiled. Isla’s heart skipped a little. Could this really be the first time that she had ever seen the younger girl smile?

A sudden kerfuffle sent them both looking over Blair, who snorted and pushed himself upright, making a strange gulping noise. “I wasn’t asleep! I wasn’t… sleeping?” He looked blearily across at Skye and Isla. “Was I sleeping?”

They didn’t answer. Instead, the noise of their laughter echoed across the loch like water tinkling from a waterfall.

**

They had stopped for another break on Route 3, a densely wooded path littered with fallen leaves and fresh with the smell of moss, when Blair got a text through on his phone.

Immediately, he was dialling a number, face twisted, and one hand covering his ear to block out the shrill shriek of the local Caperchick. A Caperchick, as Isla had found out was another of Kildo’s resident bird Pokemon. Pretty much helpless as babies, they were only able to eat, sleep, and call for help from others in their family group. Isla had hoped to see one, but Blair dissuaded her, explaining their later evolutions were territorial and aggressive. Most wouldn’t take kindly to humans on their turf.

It still didn’t stop her, or Skye, from hoping. Skye got up to wander four times while Blair stepped away to speak on the phone, poking at the bases of trees and among tall grasses. Or maybe she was just doing it to fill the time. Whatever conversation Blair was having, it was taking a lot of it.  

When Blair did eventually return, his face was pale. “That was Mum on the phone.”

Isla’s instant thought was Nana Morag. “Is everything okay?”

“Kind of. She’s just back from the hospital. Nana Morag is doing better, they think she’ll be alright to come home soon as long as she gets plenty of bed rest.”

“Did they find out what it was that made her ill?”

“They’re still waiting on some test results,” Blair said, worry creasing his eyebrows into one long caterpillar. “She said she’ll phone me as soon as they hear. Now, the other thing. Mum said she had a voicemail waiting for her when she got out of the hospital. It was one of Professor Spruce’s aides.”

Skye stopped what she was doing, pricking her head up.

“There was some problem with the breeders they use to supply the new trainers and they don’t have enough to supply everyone who wanted one.”

Skye looked ready to burst into tears. Blair saw this and quickly assured, “Don’t panic, Skye. They’ve just moved it to a booking system instead to try and get as many folks sorted as possible today. Mum gave me the number and I called the aide. You’re still getting your Pokemon – as long as we get there in time.”

Skye visibly relaxed but Isla felt like something had severed her at the chest. “When’s Skye’s slot?”

“2pm. It was the only one I could get. All the others were filled.  

Isla looked at the time on her phone. It was already ten to one.  

“Yeah,” Blair said, as Isla caught his eye. “We need to hurry.”

**

Isla hoped that adrenaline would see them through. That they could power on the remaining couple of miles without feeling the pain or the tiredness, subsisting only on the rush of purpose to get there. But it was hell. Pure hell. As they half walked, half jogged along unsteady ground, the air dense and muggy, the heat of the sun dripped down their backs.

I can’t let Skye down, Isla told herself as she dragged her aching limbs over the nobbled hump of yet another hillock. I’ll never forgive myself if I let her down.

Once, when the shooting pain of a stitch left her doubled over, she told Blair and Skye to go on without her. But she didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Blair cut in with “Absolutely not. We’re going together,” and that was the end of it.  

As it ticked closer and closer, the clouds receded, and the sun intensified. The air remained stubbornly heavy and humid. Finally, they were over another hill and Aberdrip loomed in the distance, a monochrome city with silver buildings reaching up like metallic petals. They didn’t stop to take in much else. Feet pounding the concrete, each step sending pinpricks of pain up Isla’s legs, Blair hailed a taxi. In one confusing bundle of recalled Pokemon, sorting of bags, and too many legs in one small space, they clambered in. Within minutes, they were speeding along the blurred roads, the streets like smears of running ink.

Professor Spruce’s lab sat right at the western outskirts of Aberdrip in a plot of land closed off by wrought iron gates. The taxi driver dropped them off at the bottom, and after buzzing through to the office, they were on their way up the vicious uphill path to Professor Spruce’s lab.

Stumbling through the front door, trembling with exertion, Isla checked her phone. Three minutes to two. They’d made it.

A concerned looking aide lead them through a maze of breezeblocked hallways. Skye stuck so close to Blair that they practically became one person. The aide opened a door at the end of a particularly long corridor, and they emerged into a room groaning with workbenches and strange equipment that wouldn’t have looked amiss in an old sci-fi film. The room was wonderfully chilled, the overhead fans pumping in swathes of cool air.

Blair and Skye gave the aide their names, Blair signed a proffered sheet, and then they were shepherded through into an adjoining room. As they stepped through, Isla felt the eyes of a dozen people land on her.

“Ah, Skye McLeod, is it?” came a voice from ahead of them. “Excellent. I was starting to worry you weren’t coming.”

Skye tensed next to Isla as the woman who had spoken – Isla assumed this was Professor Spruce – beckoned them forward. She was small, rounded, with greying hair slung into a messy bun. Her eyes were sharp, glinting like the sheen of ice over a frozen puddle. Easily a foot shorter than everyone else in the room, she still commanded everyone’s attention.

With a wave of her hand, Professor Spruce separated Skye and the two other young trainers – one girl and one boy – from their respective guardians. Isla collapsed gratefully into a nearby chair. Blair was rigid in his own seat as Professor Spruce took the new trainers through the standard “First Pokemon” spiel. It was a comforting lecture, so much so that mixed with the relief they had made it in time, Isla soon felt her eyelids drooping.

Then, voices surged.

“I want to go first!”

“No, I’m going first!”

“Enough!” Professor Spruce barked, her voice tight. “Being a Pokemon trainer isn’t about who goes first. It’s not even about getting exactly what you want. If you go into this life expecting to get what you want all the time, you are setting yourself up for failure Pokemon are as unique and individual as each one of you. A “weak” Pokemon can become strong from the right training and support. On your journey as trainers, I encourage you to open your hearts and minds. Embrace all that this region has to offer you. Take a chance on people – and Pokemon – you might not expect to. They might just surprise you. Now, young lady…” Professor Spruce’s eyes fixed on Skye, who had been sitting quietly the whole way through. “Why don’t you come up and pick your partner?”

Frozen under the expectant gaze, Skye didn’t move. The other two new trainers muttered as the silence grew. The faces of the parents clouded. Still Skye didn’t move. Or perhaps she couldn’t.

Isla pushed herself out of her chair. Despite the angry murmurings from the other guardians, she threaded herself in next to her. “Skye, do you want to go up first?” she asked.  

Skye nodded.

“Would you like me to go up with you? Or maybe Blair?”

She shook her head, but no words came out.

“Just take your time. I know it’s a bit scary, but you can do it.”

With the encouragement, Skye faced the three Pokeballs next to Professor Spruce. Each one was furnished with a plaque listing information about the Pokemon inside. Isla read them over, trying to absorb the information quickly, in case she was asked to sit back down. One Grass starter, one Fire, one Water. Exactly the same as Johto.

Coozy, Lv 5

Gender: Male

The Little Cow Pokemon

Good natured and docile, this Coozy is an excellent choice for those who enjoy a slow and steady pace in life. Be careful not to let him get lazy and complacent!

*

Bleater, Lv 5

Gender: Male

The Nightlight Pokemon

Aloof yet curious, this Bleater will be a loyal companion to any trainer willing to take the time to get to know him. Be warned, Bleater are prone to dependency on their trainers later in life.

*

Coltide, Lv5

Gender: Male

The Water Horse Pokemon

Spirited and independent, this Coltide can be a handful without firm guidance in the beginning. However, you will rarely find a more dedicated Pokemon out there!

*

Curiosity burned at the back of Isla’s head, but now wouldn’t be the right time to interrupt everything by checking. For now, she turned back to the chairs and waited as Skye made her final decision.

“This one.” Skye eventually said. “I would like this one, please.”

“Excellent choice,” Professor Spruce said kindly. “Why don’t you take your, uh… guardians towards the back and fill out the paperwork? The aide will have your license waiting for you.”

“You go,” Isla motioned to Blair. “I’ll wait here.”

While Skye was away dealing with her paperwork, Isla watched the two remaining trainers making their picks. Compared to Skye, there was no hesitation. The boy beelined immediately for Coltide, but the other girl seemed perfectly happy to be left with Coozy. Which, of course, meant that Skye had chosen Bleater.

One by one, the families left for the other room, and Isla had the chance to look closer at the three Kildo starters. She painstakingly punched the names – or her best memory of them – into the Pokedex and clicked Image Search.

Coozy, she decided, would have been her choice. It was almost painfully cute; small, and quadrupedal, covered in a thick coat of moss green fur, a pale pink nose, and dark inquisitive eyes. Her arms ached to hug it.

Now, Bleater was cute too, she thought. It reminded her of a favourite Johto Pokemon – a Mareep – just smaller. Its wool was coarse and tightly packed against the body, in a vivid orange, the colour of flame. Its short, stubby legs and the small nubs of horns were a much darker orange, a striking contrast to the rest of its body.

The final one, Isla could figure out on her own. An aqua blue body, a mane and tale reminiscent of flowing water, black hooves polished like obsidian, and dark, beguiling eyes. Coltide, the previous evolution of Blair’s Coastrot.

“You seem very interested in the starters, young lady,” Professor Spruce’s voice cut through Isla’s thoughts, making her jump. “Not local?”

“How could you tell?” Isla laughed nervously.

“I’ve been around the block too many times,” Professor Spruce said. “Kanto?”

“No, Johto. My accent is a bit softer though, so I get why people mix them up.”

“Johto, eh? That’s a long trip. What brings you here?”

“Visiting family. And some research into the Kildonian Chessmen.”

Professor Spruce’s eyes widened. “How interesting.”

A perfect opportunity had fallen right into her lap. She would be stupid not to take advantage of it now. “Professor, do you know anything about them?” she asked. “Or the Vitalities? Anything you could tell me?”

“Like what?”

“Like where they could be found?”

Professor Spruce’s eyebrow arched. “Well, no-one really knows where the Chessmen are now. Recent reports claim they settled in remote places – like islands far away from the mainland or underground. But that’s all just theories. There hasn’t been a confirmed sighting in over a century. But the Vitalities, on the other hand…”

Isla leant forward, closing the space between them.

Professor Spruce seemed to think better of what she was about to say and let out a sigh. “You have to understand something first. The Vitalities are a polarising bunch. Much of my generation, us old folks, even some of the more… naïve younger people believe the Vitalities are responsible for the natural disasters around Kildo.”

This wasn’t news to Isla, but still she pressed “Why?”

“The Vitalities brought many gifts to humans. Some were used wisely. Others weren’t. One of the most enduring theories is that the Chessmen banished and trapped the Vitalities to four remote corners of Kildo to prevent them intervening in humans’ natural progress. There’s an argument to be made that the natural disasters are the Vitalities fighting back, I suppose rebelling against their banishment.”

“So, no-one knows where they are? Or the Chessmen?”

Professor Spruce shook her head. “You may have noticed that Kildo is a region on a precipice. Pokemon journeys, gym circuits, the battling leagues, these are all very new to us. And they’ve become very popular very quickly. Up until about twenty years ago, most people in Kildo only used Pokemon to help them work the land, to till crops, things like that. It was like the whole region carried this collective memory, a shared fear of what happened when technology became too great a force.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

“Yes. But that fear has diluted. It’s been lost among much of the new generation. Things have changed. We’ve made amazing technological advances since then, eclipsed even some of the other regions that have been doing this for much longer. I’m sure you’ve heard about our API technology and Ability Suppressors and Experience Boosters, all that sort of thing.” Isla hadn’t, but she didn’t want to stop her and ask. Lots of people think it’s amazing. Lots more people are scared. Scared that if the Chessmen were to wake again, and were to see the way we have advanced, they would do exactly what they did the last time they awoke.”

The phrase festering in Isla’s mouth felt ridiculous. Laughable. But something compelled her to say it anyway.

“That they would destroy the whole region?”

Professor Spruce’s piercing grey eyes met Isla’s.

“Exactly.”