#...And I'm bored at work. Humor me. :'D

[lovelyhan]

what are your svt fic recs??? like your holy grail??

took me a while to put this together BUT here it is!

disclaimer that i've been a carat for like . a month so it's a stretch to say i've read a lot of svt content. tho from what i've consumed so far, my favorites are listed under the cut :>

i'll start with the ones i found on ao3 first hehe

push it down (sooner or later it all comes out) by dontflailmenow × tags: s.coups x reader; camboy!cheol, enemies to lovers

the first EVER svt fic i've read, and it was just so WOW!!!! basically, reader recently broke up w her ex, which is seungcheol's best friend. cheol and mc aren't on the best of terms (always arguing etc.) so when she realizes that the camboy she's been lusting over to get over her ex turns out to be cheol, some...problems start to arise i'm pretty sure i saw this one around tumblr but i'm too lazy to find the op's blog i'm so sorry HEUUUHEU but i really loved it to pieces, and it ultimately flung me into svt fanfic tumblr altogether :D

The bore next door by HoneyAteez × tags: wonwoo x reader; blind dates, suffocation via cock LOL

another fic that i am fairly sure is cross-posted on tumblr too, but can't be assed to find -- your mother sets you up with good neighbor jeon wonwoo, and he turns out to be the worst sexual deviant on the face of the earth, fucking the soul out of your body right after the first date.

Walking in Traffic by versigny × tags: mingyu x reader; soulmate au, teens being teens

literally crying as i type this because it's one of the most beautiful coming of age stories i've ever read, and it was written back when i was still in mf HIGH SCHOOL 😭 reader and gyu find out they're soulmates way too early, and pretty much despise each other growing up, but they eventually come to terms with their soul bond along the line.

close proximity by chilligyu × tags: mingyu x reader; roommates, LOTS OF ANGST

there's no explicit smut in this one, but the plot twists and the narration itself threw me in for SUCH a goddamn loop that it would be a hate crime not to include this here. mingyu becomes reader's roommate upon bff!wonwoo's recommendation, and they and up falling for each other, and [gets dragged off stage because spoilers]

now for the tumblr recs!

sapiosexual by @smileysuh × tags: s.coups x reader; sugar daddy au, psych daddy!cheol,,,,

it's a pretty straightforward sugar daddy au, but what makes it different is how it's written, y'know? cheol clearly lays all of the details for he and reader to agree on, making sure all the boundaries are clear and there aren't any blurred lines. seungkwan as your best friend is also a really enjoyable addition (he's the one who coined the term psych daddy LOL), AND i just love the author's humor in general.... quirofilia [bursts out laughing]

A Break by @smileysuh (again bc i'm obsessed w their work) × tags: mingyu x reader x wonwoo; svt as babysitters, budding poly

so op has an entire assortment of meanie poly fics, but this one is probably my most favorite bc it touches on a more endearing and responsible side to mingyu :') he and reader just can't sit down and fuck because he's busy worrying about their child every ten minutes LOL. enter jeon wonwoo, who is not only baby saebyeok's favorite uncle, but has been pining for the reader since time immemorial. of course, gyu has known all along, and asks them if they're both down to have a threesome (this is literally a terrible way to summarize the story, but i suggest you just read it <3) OH OH bonus: hoshi tries to sacrifice the baby to the tiger gods in a summoning circle made of tiger plushies. if that doesn't sell this fic for you, i don't know WHAT will

Love, Actually by @haet-sal × tags: jun x reader; cheating but not really? whipped single dad!jun

aka the fic that catalyzed my jun brain damage. reader works as jun's secretary but she isn't very...good at her job, but he keeps her around anyway bc 1.) his kid likes her, and 2.) HE likes her. problem is: she has a boyfriend-not-boyfriend, but Because that boyfriend-not-boyfriend is an asshole, she kind of uses jun as a constant rebound, poor guy (it has a happy ending tho i promise!!)

an untitled dk friends 2 lovers by @husbandhoshi × tags: dk x reader; idiots in love

this is actually preceded by 2 more drabbles from the op, but i'm linking this one specifically bc it made me physically long for big dick boyfriend lee seokmin. the thing i like most about smut written for dk is that he's ALWAYS so fun and endearing and lovable in bed, and what's more is that this one's a friend to lovers fic, so there's YEARS worth of pining and puppy love to spice up the sex hehehehehehe it really really deserves more recognition !!

right where you left me by @tonicandjins × tags: wonwoo x reader; exes getting back together, ANGST

i have a shitty memory so i can't go into the specifics on what this fic is about. it's one of the first ones i read on tumblr, but it's been a hot minute but i DO remember writhing in bed right after reading it, so it definitely earns a spot on the rec list! reader and wonwoo lived together in their hometown, but had to break up when wonwoo moves to seoul and he just couldn't make any compromises. bonus points for best friend hoshi on this one <;3

that's pretty much it for now! i'm so sorry if any of the authors mentioned didn't want to be tagged 🤒🤒 i just thought i'd share my thoughts abt ur work while sharing them w the rest of my followers UEUEUEUE

[dramaqueeenamby]

Easy | T'Challa Udaku

A/N: My god, BP2 was such an emotional ride. This is a product of all of the emotions I'm still reeling from. I have not written for BP in probably a year+, so I apologize for the rustiness.

Warnings: ANGST.

Words: 3K

You can find my other works HERE.

++++++++++++DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER++++++++++++

-----------

Loving him was easy. 

Maybe too easy.

Maybe things would have been easier if he wasn’t so easy. So easy to admire, so easy to be drawn to, so easy to feel an ungodly amount of love and adoration for. 

But maybe that was just T’Challa. With his beautiful smile and brilliant mind, few paths seemed to lead to some place loveless. He was the embodiment of attraction, from the way he spoke, to the way he conducted himself, to the way he loved.

Yeah….easy seemed to be unavoidable. 

A small smile makes its way to your face as you reminisce on your first meeting all those years ago. 

“Would you just tell me already?”

Nakia simply looks over at you with that same bored yet tempted expression. “And ruin the surprise? Never.”

She laughs, clearly amused by your frustration, by the lack of patience for which you’ve still struggled to fully comprehend. 

You’d just completed your War Dog training and had been assigned to Nakia, to shadow her on a few missions and prove that you were ready for your own assignment. It was a perfect partnership, as Nakia matched your wit and sense of humor, both of which had definitely gotten you in trouble more times than you’d like to admit.

“How about a hint?”

“How about no?”

Your eyes narrowed as you nudged her. “You are enjoying this.”

“Somewhat,” she admits. You share another look before giggling together when a firm voice from behind interrupts your moment. 

“Forgive me, ladies.”

“You are not forgiven,” your response is natural and instantaneous, a small smirk playing on your face. “Matter of fact, you should know better than to sneak on two lad–” The smirk drops and your ridicule is cut short by the dark eyes and curious gaze of the crowned prince who stands before you. 

If Nakia was amused before, she was delighted now. You can feel her eyes still focused on you as she bumps you with her hip. “Y/N, you didn’t finish your statement. How rude.”

Your glare could burn two holes into the princess as she shakes her head and returns her focus onto Prince T’Challa. 

“Yes, T’Challa?” It’s in the most random, unexpected moments that you remember while Nakia is your friend, she is also royalty. Perhaps it’s something you should commit to memory, especially given how you’ve just completely disregarded all protocol for the future ruler of Wakanda. 

Finally able to pick your eyeballs off the ground, you find that T’Challa’s gaze is pinpointed on you. “Nakia is correct. It is improper to finish your statement…..”

He trails off, and you realize he’s searching for your name. Slightly dejected and still embarrassed, you answer, hastily adding a “your grace” onto the end. For good measure and respect.

He simply makes a sound before repeating your name. It feels so strange hearing your name on his mouth, strange but also….right. Shifting your stance, you’re thankful when he finally reirects his focus to Nakia. Memory of what was said between them was lost years ago, but the initial butterflies in your stomach upon your first meeting have always stayed with you. 

You pray to Bast they always will. 

Rolling your shoulders, your fingers dance across the fabric on your skin. It’s a piece you’d acquired since moving to Haiti. Your fingertips stroke the intricate pattern, and just like that, you’re hit with memories of laying in bed, naked, a sheen of sweat covering your back while the same fingers dance across his chest.

There are too many times that this occurred, but it’s somewhat easier to recall one of the later moments. 

The silence rattles you, not because you can’t handle it. It’s because you know underneath it lies turmoil, It’s present in the way he entered you, rough, desperate, lost. Lovemaking with T’Challa was always anything but that, maybe the first of them at times, but never the latter two. 

Your hands flatten against his chest, gently curving inward to draw his attention. He doesn’t move to look down, but you know he’s listening. 

“Talk to me,” you implore, licking your lips. “There’s so much more room out here, my love.”

He says nothing but you feel the scoff underneath his strong chest. “There is already too much out here.”

“Nay,” you lean to kiss the underside of his jaw. “You underestimate the space, kumkani.”

Finally, allowing you a glance of his dejected expression, he counters, “and you underestimate the weight, Isithandwa.”

Sighing, your hand travels to his face. “You didn’t know, T’Challa. None of us did.” If you’re being honest with yourself, it’s still nearly incomprehensible to believe that King T’Chaka was responsible for the murder of his own brother as well as the abandonment of his nephew, T’Challa’s cousin, the man who seemed hellbent on revenge. 

But not for poor reasons.

Still, the fact that so much of this falls on T’Challa, who has barely had time to mourn the loss of his father, your heart aches for the pain he refuses to show but you know he feels. 

“And we cannot change the past,” you continue, though vaguely unsure of yourself. T’Challa has always been the better of you two when it came to wording things in a way that was equally beautiful as it was helpful. “But, we can make decisions now that will help us create a better future.”

“Built on what? Lies.”

“No….” Again, your hand movement shifts to his hard abdomen, as your fingers offer comforting, circular movements. “No, my love, the lies stop with you. You will be the change that will usher in a new era for Wakanda, a better era, for us all.”

Instead of the incoherent sounds you usually receive, his hand on your back tugs you just a little closer. “You have such unyielding faith in me.”

You sit on his words for a few seconds before answering thoughtfully. “I’ve questioned many things in my life, T’Challa, but not one of them has ever been you. Not your ability to rule, to protect, not even to love.” A beat. “Now I’ve maybe questioned your fashion choices at one point or another, but Shuri’s influence will hopefully start to rub off on you.”

A small yelp escapes your mouth as he flips positions so that he’s hovering over you. Your gazes lock as he lowers himself, stealing the gentlest of kisses before resting his forehead against yours. Your hands cradle his cheeks as he kisses both of your palms before shifting downward and laying against your chest. Your arms cocoon him, protecting him, offering a solace only found within your safe embrace.

“I love you, T’Challa. Never forget that.”

You once believed that the five years without T’Challa, having lost him to the Snap, was the most difficult thing you’d ever had to endure.

Clearly….clearly you were wrong.

It starts with a cough. 

Nothing persistent or chronic, more inconsistent and light than anything. Probably nothing major enough to raise an eyebrow from anyone else. But you knew T’Challa, and you knew the many benefits of the heart shaped herb.

He didn’t get sick, and more importantly, the black panther didn’t get sick. 

A small part of you pretended that it wasn't an issue. You were comforted by the fact that he’d been ripped away from you for five years and returned. What more heartache could possibly outweigh that?

But then the cough was no longer as infrequent, and along with it came a sort of dullness in his normally bright eyes. He seemed….weary.

You knew the weight of returning after being gone for so long weighed on him, but this….this was different.

It was also concerning, as he would come and visit at least once a month, the two of you no longer able to steal moments in time as often as you once did. You were both older now with even more responsibilities than ever before. So when he came to visit two times in a row and you noticed the same dullness, your concern definitely spiked.

It was late, and the two of you were just getting into bed. He’d only just pulled back the blankets when you finally asked.

“How long do you plan to pretend that everything is alright?”

He stands upright and his jaw ticks. “What are you talking about?”

Deflection. T’Challa never deflects. Your concern increases.

Moving across the room, you stand directly in front, looking up at him. “You know exactly what I am talking about.” When he says nothing, your hand lifts to his cheek. “Please talk to me. I am worried.”

“It’s nothing.”

“What is it, T’Challa?” Moving closer, you lay yourself against his chest, mindful of how he hesitates to reciprocate your embrace. “I need you to be honest with me.” A beat. “Or maybe I just need you to be honest with yourself.”

His body tenses underneath the weight of your own as well as your words. And finally, he answers, “something has been…..plaguing me.” Looking up, he immediately goes into comfort mode. “It is nothing to worry about, Isithandwa.”

His eyes betray him, and you can’t help how your own water. “How close are you to a cure?” His silence is the answer you don’t want to hear. It’s an answer that is not the security of promise and hope that you need in this moment. 

“Y/N–”

“What-what does Shuri think?” More silence. Your eyes naturally widen. “You have not told her?” His lack of an answer adds another layer of panic as she painfully realizes, “you have not told anyone….”

“There is no need to worry anyone, Y/N.”

“But I am worried, T’Challa!” You whisper harshly, mindful of your volume as not to disturb or let alone awake the last person who needs to be hearing this conversation. “Do you not think I have not noticed how long this has lasted? You have been sick for weeks, months maybe, and if there is no cure in sight, then who is to say you will get better?”

He shakes his head, cupping your face. “Aye, listen to me.” The tears are falling, and his thumb goes to brush them away. “You once told me that you have never doubted me. Do you remember this? Hmm?”

Sniffling, you manage to nod and murmur, “yes.”

Relieved, he tucks you into him, his chin resting on the top of your head. “So trust me now, Y/N. Have faith.”

His words still haunt you, still bring the sting of tears to your eyes and the sharp flash of pain in your chest. Realizing that the man you love has limited time left on earth is a pain like none other. But watching him gradually decline, knowing that there’s nothing you can do….that is a hurt too explosive to even describe.

For his sake, you both acted normal. Same smiles, just a little dimmer. Same laughter, just an octave lighter. Same love, not a damn thing different. Some days you wonder if that was for the better or for the worse. Was it staying and operating out a state of denial? Could you have maybe delayed it, prevented it even if there was more of a sense or urgency?

Because even when you both sat him down, when you were finally honest about T’Challa’s condition, about where his path was leading him, it still felt bitterly hopeful. Like it was a maybe instead of a definitely.

Maybe this will happen, instead of this is going to happen.

But you also knew this wasn’t a decision that you could make by yourself. And truth be told, it wasn’t even a decision T’Challa could make, which disgusted you. How could a man like T’Challa, your sweet, kind love be subjected to such a cruel ending? An ending so unbecoming of the majestic man that he was. 

This is when the anger kicks in, the rage at having him taken from you not once, not twice, but three times. Why the hell did you all have to be dealt such a vile card? What travesties could you have done, could he have done to deserve this ending? 

In the final weeks, days even, items were dropped or were thrown, tempers were short, clearly, and interactions felt so much more heavy. You still beat yourself up for being so consumed by your own emotions that maybe you weren’t present enough for him when he needed you the most. 

That also happens a lot, that feeling of it not being enough. Not enough of him. Not enough of you all. Not enough time. 

Not enough of…..anything. 

And then that ceremony, the damn goodbye that he decided would be just for them, that was the moment you realized that T’Challa wouldn’t be returning for another visit. This was the last time, and it broke you. Of that night, you don’t remember much, just the absolute agony and grief that tore through your entire being. It’s such a blur, but the pain felt is a constant. 

That last goodbye…..even reflecting back on it is too much to bear, too much to try to swallow. Maybe someday you’ll be able to dwell on it….but now….now is too soon, much too soon.

What does stand out is the days following the notice you received that he’d passed on to be with the ancestors.

Washing the dishes was the last thing you wanted to do, but the dishwasher was giving an error code, and you couldn’t bring yourself to seek out someone who could fix it. Especially when that someone you would usually call is no longer available. 

Wiping at your face with the back of your hand had become a habit, one that had caused the skin on your face to become tender, harsh even from the constant friction. But the final straw was dropping the glass plate in your hand onto the floor, shattering all over the tile. 

You cursed, leaning down to gather the pieces only to not pay close enough attention, accidentally slicing the palm of your hand.

Hissing loudly, you lifted your arm, observing the blood leave the open wound. You do nothing to stop it, watching it continue to spill, even aiding in the process as you apply pressure around the area. It’s a fruitless effort though, because the physical pain is nothing in comparison to your emotional pain. 

Overcome with that same emotion, you bring yourself to your feet and storm out the door, running toward the beachfront. 

T’Challa always loved the water and wanted you two to be away from everyone else, both for your comfort as well as your privacy and overall safety. 

Falling to your knees, your hands brace against the grainy sand as a loud, guttural, visceral scream erupts from the deepest part of your soul. But, it’s not enough. So you go again. And again. And again. Continuing to scream until your voice breaks, as does your resolve.

Now on your side, sobs rake through your entire body, you wails bouncing off the waves of the water. 

It’s both comforting and suffocating. A release and a limitation. A blessing and a curse.

“How-how could you leave me?” The question is posed to no one, to everyone, to anyone who will listen. “How could you leave us!” The interrogative nature quickly transitions to a demanding tone, a plea, a beg for mercy. “You said-you said to have faith, and I–I did.” You continue to wail, shaking your head. “And where are you now? WHERE ARE YOU, T’CHALLA?”

Stomach throbbing and eyes burning, your vision is blurred by pain, but you manage to twist your body when small but firm arms wrap around you and a body is pressed against yours. The familiar smell of shea and cocoa butter fills your nostrils as you look down and nearly cave again.

“I’m right here, mama,” your son’s words hit you deeper than anything you could have imagined. And another wave of tears overcomes you as he repeats himself and holds you even tighter. “I’m right here.” 

You’re not sure if Challa, as both you and T’Challa took to calling him even when he was still in your womb, will ever be able to fully comprehend the depth and importance of his words. His comfort in that moment pulling you from a darkness you’d never encountered. A darkness you’re not sure you would have been able to save yourself from without him. 

It’s been roughly a year since that night, that evening where your greatest blessing saved you from your greatest battle. And every day is a struggle, there’s always moments where you find yourself encountering a memory, missing a touch, yearning for that love.

But then Challa will smile at you, and you’re reminded that death…is never the end. 

You remember that loving T’Challa was always so easy because it was inevitable. 

“You’re always with me, my love,” you speak upward, smiling softly. “And you always will be.” 

[awkwardtickleetoo]

Ler!Sapnap Week Day 2/3 - Gym/Bet

woah….. two fics back to back????? who am i?????

this is another fic for @sleepy--anon ‘s ler!sapnap week!! this is a combo of days two and three, which were gym and bet!! you can find the original post here as well, so make sure you all go show sleepy your support and thank her for making this happen :D thanks again sleepy!!

truth be told i wrote this fic in like two hours after a random stroke of motivation, and i think it turned out pretty good!!! i hope everyone else enjoys it as well :)

lee!george, ler!sapnap, 1.7k words

enjoy!!

--

“George. Planking contest, let’s go,” Sapnap said as he took a sip from his water bottle, his dry mouth grateful for the drink after his fruitful workout session with his friend. George looked up from his phone, switching the song they had on in the background and chuckling amusedly.

“What? No, not after we’ve already worked out.” George reasoned, taking a drink of his own water as well.

“C’mon, I’m hyped up still, just this one thing then we’re done.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“C’monnnnn,” Sapnap groaned, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms in front of his chest. “You just know you’re gonna lose.”

“Right now? Probably. My arms hurt.”

“George,” Sapnap said as he leaned against the wall, tilting his head at the other man. “Humor me.” George rolled his eyes and looked over at Sapnap, eyebrows raised, the other man staring back at him expectantly. Sapnap knew he would never pass up an opportunity to prove him wrong. He let out a labored sigh, shaking his head in fond disagreement.

“Fine. But I’m gonna destroy you,” George taunted, placing his phone and his water on the table and turning around as Sapnap excitedly jumped into position at his words.

“Bring it on, cutie,” Sapnap teased back, both of them kneeling on the ground next to each other, ready to begin. They both placed one hand on the ground, George taking one last moment to straighten up the sleeve of his shirt and his messy, slightly sweaty hair from his workout, before letting out another soft sigh and nodding to Sapnap to let him know he was ready. “Okay, three, two, one, go!” Sapnap counted, and the challenge had begun.

It started off uneventful, the room relatively quiet apart from the music they had playing and occasional soft breaths or throat clearing noises from either of them, and it stayed that way for a little over a minute.

Then George got bored.

His elbows were starting to hurt, and his hips were sore from the exercises he’d done, and while it wasn’t enough to make him drop his plank just yet, it was definitely uncomfortable, and sitting in the same position with only that soreness to focus on was definitely not his idea of a good time.

So, he created his own entertainment.

He pushed himself up slightly more, arms straighter, and then leaned onto his left arm so he could pick up his right arm. He ran his hand through his hair again, testing the waters, seeing how long one arm could hold him up and finding that he was shockingly sturdy enough to keep up with it.

Which is exactly what he needed, so he could reach over and poke Sapnap right in the side.

“George,” Sapnap warned, voice stern, not reacting to the poke yet. Another came soon after, at the bottom of his ribs this time, and he couldn’t stop the small flinch it caused. “George.”

“What?” George asked innocently, but there was a smile evident in his words. He poked again, closer to the top of his ribs now, and he let out a chuckle as he watched Sapnap’s arm flinch where it held him up. “Uh oh. Seems like you’re getting weaker.”

“If you do that again you’re gonna be sorry.” His voice stayed sharp, and George bit back a smile as he steadied himself again. “I'm being courteous by warning you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” George kept up his innocent act, and delivered another poke to the spot right above Sapnap’s hip.

Whatever came next was a complete blur, happening so quickly George was genuinely convinced it might’ve given him whiplash from how dizzy he was.

“That’s it!” Sapnap practically growled, sounding downright predatory, and he grabbed George’s wrist and yanked him towards him, immediately throwing his arm around George’s waist and yanking him in his direction.

“OH– shit!” George yelled, and then he was on his back, wrists pinned next to his head by a firm, unrelenting grip and unable to squirm away as Sapnap straddled his thighs. “Wh– Sapnap! Get off me!”

“I fucking warned you, Georgie, this is nobody’s fault but your own.” Sapnap shifted George’s wrists, sliding them up above his head and crossing them over each other so he could hold them down with one hand instead, ignoring George’s loud protests the entire time.

“NO! Noho, no, let– let GO OF ME!” George fought, giggles already building up in his chest, pulling at his arms and kicking his legs out behind Sapnap. Suddenly, Sapnap dug his fingers into George’s ribcage, targeting the spot right in between them and spreading his fingers out as much as he could, covering as much surface area as possible. George gasped, his entire body straining as his back arched and he broke into loud, surprised laughter. “NAHAHA, whahaha–?! SAHAHAPNAHAP!”

“Yes?”

“STOHOHOP!”

“Nah, you deserve this,” Sapnap said nonchalantly, trailing his cruel fingers over to one side of George’s ribs instead, digging in all along the bones, making George scream and squirm around like his life depended on it.

“NOHOHO, PLEHEHEASE–“ George yelled, squeezing his eyes shut and throwing his head back. He kicked his feet against the floor, the heels of his sneakers sliding against the rubber padding, the soreness in his body hitting him hard and rendering him weak as he attempted to free his arms and hips. “AH– I CAHAN’T, SAHAHAPNAP!”

“Boohoo, crybaby, you’re fine,” Sapnap teased with a pinch to his hip, making him squeak and giggle and try to buck his hips up. Sapnap giggled along with him, slipping his hand under George’s shirt to scratch at his tummy for a few seconds. George immediately broke out into soft laughter, his breathing becoming hiccupy when he couldn’t stop giggling long enough to take any air in. His face was flushed, only growing redder as he tried to hide in his arm, and Sapnap couldn’t help but coo at him. “Well, aren’t you just adorable?”

“Shuhuhut uhuhup–“ George grumbled, clearly embarrassed, and Sapnap decided to put him out of his misery and move on.

Instead, Sapnap pulled his hand out from under George’s shirt and immediately dug into his underarm, making George scream at the sudden switch and then burst into loud, hysterical laughter.

“NAHAHA, FUHUHUCK–“ George yelled, twisting his torso however he could, yelling desperately at his arms and kicking so hard that his knees hit Sapnap’s back every so often. Sapnap chuckled at his reaction, letting go of George’s wrists in favor of using both hands to attack his underarms, making George squeal again, immediately reaching down to grab at Sapnap’s wrists, though he was unsuccessful in his attempts to pull him away. “PLEHEHEHEASE, PLEASE PLEHEASE PLEASE, STOHOP– AH, STOHOHOP!”

“Are you gonna behave yourself?” Sapnap asked, and George was nodding frantically, answering before he even finished.

“YEHEHES, YES!” George pleaded, attempting to blink his teary eyes open but immediately squeezing them shut again, his nose scrunching as he laughed, fingers shaking as they held Sapnap's arms.

“Good. Say you’re sorry.”

“I’M SOHOHORRY! I’M SOHORRYHY!” George was practically begging, nodding in agreement again, as if that would somehow sway Sapnap’s opinion.

Sapnap would be lying if he said it wasn’t adorable, and he would also be lying if he said he didn’t want to keep George like that all day, laughing and breathless and thoughtless and helpless– especially since he knew damn well that George could take ten times the torture if he was in the right mood– but he took pity on the boy, knowing he was already worn out and tired and sore from the work they’d done in the gym that day. He pulled his hands back, resting them on George’s sides and rubbing his tummy with his thumbs softly, letting him catch his breath.

“Y’alright?” Sapnap asked, the subtle southern-ism in his tone making George smile through his leftover giggles.

“Mm– yeah…” George said between breaths, running a hand through his hair again before swiping them over his face, then letting his arms drop out to his sides. “That was so cruel.”

“You literally started it,” Sapnap pointed out, pushing himself to the side off of George’s hips and grabbing his water from the table for him.

“But I wasn’t gonna do that!”

“Shut up, you big baby, you know you loved it. And you know I could’ve done so much worse, so be grateful,” Sapnap scolded playfully, and George’s cheeks flushed once again at the accusation, a shy smile gracing his lips as he turned to the side. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, idiot, I see you blushing!”

“Shut uppppp!” George whined, hiding his face in his hands and curling into himself, both of them giggling at the situation.

“Alright, alright, I’m done. Here,” Sapnap patted George’s shoulder and motioned for him to sit up, handing him his water when he did so and sitting quietly while he took a well needed drink. “I’m fucking hungry, too, can we get food?”

“Bro nearly kills me and then just asks if we can get food.”

“Oh, yeah? I can do it again!” Sapnap teased, grabbing George around the waist and pulling him in, eliciting a scream from the older boy.

“NO! No, no, NO, fuck you!” George yelled, prying Sapnap’s arms off him and pushing himself away, his knees pulled up to his chest for protection. Both of them broke out laughing at that, and Sapnap just shook his head fondly.

“You’re so dumb,” He said with a smile, pulling out his phone and scooting closer to George, resting his head on George’s shoulder as he scrolled through the food options. The two of them made quiet conversation as they looked through the menus, cuddling close to each other as they did so, already inseparable, even after the events that had just unfolded.

The rest of the night was relatively calm– food was ordered, both boys were showered and in comfy pajamas, and they sat in the living room to eat with some random anime on TV.

That is, until Sapnap decided to try and steal a fry off George’s plate, and the house was alive with the sound of laughter once again, and George was able to get his revenge.

[zedif-y]

hi!! hope you're having a good day! :D

as a zedaph Expert, i wanted to ask for your opinion on how you would characterise him? i feel like i have a vague idea on what he's like but putting it into words is hard...

it's okay if you don't answer btw!!

Hello! took me a bit to get to this ask, my bad! honestly, I struggle with writing his character as well, but I've accumulated some random notes over time that I think might be helpful :]

Notes under the cut, because it's long NDNDND

-his jokes tend to be very witty. his humor isn't sarcastic, he just Says stuff and then moves on. Scar said once that zed's the kind of person where you'll just think huh, yeah, that Is pretty funny! so sometimes his jokes are the kind where it takes a second for you to process it. they're also pretty Out There DKDNDKD

-noises. so many Noises.

-he likes to make jokes at his expense (ex: not having friends, wetting himself, i'm an idiot, etc etc)

(SIDE SHIPPY/CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP NOTE: between him and tango, tango would be the more openly "sentimental" one, in the sense that zed is more likely to make jokes about them not Actually being friends (one example is "we've been friends for too long" + the tango bit in the blockumentary video) despite the fact that Yes, Obviously they are close. I MEAN TANGO HAD AN ANSWER FOR THE "HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN FRIENDS" QUESTION)

(EXTRA EXTRA NOTE: he and tango have a very similar sense of humor. (kind of obvious but . still!) they also like to make fun of each other)

-zed's voice goes Down an octave after laughing too much + he gets teary-eyed from laughing pretty easily.

-not a character voice note, but! zed isnt a very confrontational fighter . he prefers using potions to weaken his opponent before attacking with his sword. that being said, if he knows he's screwed, he just straight up Runs.

-zed is able to remain more level-headed than tango when it comes to puzzles. where tango is very goal-focused and gets frustrated/confused when things don't work out the way he expects, zed tries to work through them step by step instead of trying to solve it in one go. (tango is better at logic puzzles and zed is better at more Visual ones, he needs a good mental image of things)

-he makes connections you really don't think of, most times. he also doesn't like doing things the Normal, Boring way, though if you watch at least one of his videos that becomes apparent Fast.

-despite his silliness, he's actually pretty damn smart!

-he's a pretty affectionate, touchy guy! (based off of when he met skizz for the first time irl<3)

[imabiscuitinthousandworlds]

As I wait for my beta to get back to me...

Okay I've never had a beta before and I love him but I'll never have a beta again bc i'm IMPATIENT but anyway I messed around with the sourceless incorrect quotes generator and I'm dying over here so. have these ig

including some things with peter as spider bc guess what! they'll also interact. yes i have three fucking fics planned

----

Jean: Where did you get that tomato soup? Peter: It’s actually a bowl of ketchup I just microwaved.

Peter: What goes up but never comes down? Jean: The amount of stress you're bringing me.

Jean, shooing Peter away: Can you go be depressed over there? You’re bumming out my whole area.

Peter: Ah, Hello again. We really need to stop meeting like this. Jean: Maybe we would, if you would sTOP ILLEGALLY ENTERING MY FUCKING CRIME SCENES!!!

Peter: So I can either do something dumb that could very well get me injured or I can listen to Jean and not do the thing, Peter: Well there’s a clear right answer here. Peter: *proceeds to throw five packs of mentos into a barrel full of diet coke*

Jean: So I have made the decision to trust you. Spider: A horrible decision, really.

Peter: I'm tired. Jean: You slept for three hours last night! Why are you surprised?! Peter: I'm not surprised. I just wanted to complain about it.

Jean: They don’t make them like me no more. I’m the last of my kind. Peter: Thank god.

Spider: And then they ran into my knife. They ran into my knife ten times. Jean: You mean you stabbed them? Spider: They ran into my knife.

Jean: Do you have any idea what you’re doing? Peter: Why start now?

Peter: I love hearing Jean shouting at someone else. It makes such a nice change.

Peter, getting a full nap with a warm blanket for the first time in literal years (i WILL make it happen): You know I think my life has value. Jean: Who are you and what have you done with Peter?!

Jean: You use humor to deflect your trauma. Spider: Awww, thanks- Jean: That’s not a good thing. Spider: All I’m hearing is that you think I’m funny.

Jean, to Peter: All right, let’s tell each other a secret about ourselves. I’m going to go first– I hate you.

Jean: Why are you on fire? Spider: This is just how my day is going.

Jean: I'll offer you some friendly advice- Peter: I don't want your advice. Jean: Well, then consider it unfriendly advice, dipshit.

Jean: I've met a lot of pricks in my time, but you, Parker, are a fucking cactus.

Jean: That’s illegal, right? Peter: Why do you care? Are you a fucking cop? Jean: Kinda- Peter: Just shut the fuck up.

Jean: I should've left you on that street corner where you were standing. Peter: But ya' didn't!

Jean: Don’t go picking a fight with me. I could make your life difficult. Peter, sarcastically: Wow. I wonder what it’d be like to have a difficult life.

Kidnapper: We have your child Jean: I don’t have a child? Kidnapper: Then who just told us to fuck off and that he doesn't have time for more stupid problems? Jean: Oh god, you have Peter

Jean: Who hurt you? Peter: *snorting* What, do you want a list? Jean: ...Yes, actually.

Spider: Something’s off. Jean: Maybe you’ve finally developed human emotions and feel bad for hurting people. Spider: No, but that’s funny.

Jean: Peter, no. Peter: Peter, yes.

Peter/Spider: Treat spiders the way you want to be treated. Jean: Killed without hesitation.

[that second part would work for either tho ngl but i can't NOT have pete say the first line]

Peter: I'm bored, any suggestions? Jean: Sleeping is nice. Peter: I acknowledge your suggestion, and I’m deciding to ignore it.

Spider: It’s nice to be wanted, you know? Jean: Not by the law!

Jean: I never tell people off the bat that I'm gay. I wait. I wait until they say some homophobic shit and then I laugh and am like "you know I'm gay right?" and watch the look of terror on their face. Peter: Peter: I like you.

[Jean if he was not living in the 30s were being gay could get him fired and killed :D]

Jean: You have an impressive pain tolerance. Peter: Thanks, it's the trauma.

Jean: Where have you been all day? Peter: Oh, just dealing with things way beyond my maturity level.

Peter: Jean, I sense hostility. Jean: Good, because I hate you.

Spider being an edgy bastard: I could kill you if I wanted. Jean: Yeah? So could any other human being. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren't special.

Jean: You're alive. Peter: No need to sound so disappointed.

Peter: You read my diary? Jean: At first I did not know it was your diary. I thought it was a very sad handwritten book.

Jean: I can't imagine what Peter is planning. But I can tell you two things. We won't like it and it won't be legal.

Jean: Ayo, what the FUCK is this?!? Spider, sitting down, surrounded by corpses: I won Mafia, that’s what.

Jean: What are you doing here? Peter: I could ask you the same question. Jean: I work here. This is my crime scene. Peter: I should probably ask you a different question.

Jean: You saved me! Why? Spider: People would think I murdered you if I didn't.

Jean: Can you pass the salt? Peter: Can you pass away? Jean: Too much salt.

[kfanopinions]

Jisung A to Z (NSFW) Astrology Based

okay so i originally said this wasn't going to be based off of astrology but i needed to look up some info about him because for the love of all that's holy i want to adopt jisung not think about him like this >///< i needed help rofl so from now on these will be based off of astrology *wink*

A = Aftercare

i think he would ask his partner if they were okay. if they enjoyed it. was he good? did he hurt them, if they needed something to drink. maybe grabbing a tissue to clean them off, but nothing more than this.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

on jisung...maybe his hands, forearms, and maybe his legs too. he is a dancer and seems to have nicely shaped thighs rofl

on his partner...and stay with me…aquarius rules the ankles, calves and circulatory system so legs?

C = Cum

i get this vibe from jisung that he's actually a pretty neat person. i can't see him making a mess of it. in a condom, or on his partners stomach is probably the easiest for him.

D = Dirty Secret (a dirty secret of theirs)

his hair, his face, his head (not down there...you pervs!) lol aries rules the head so grabbing his hair, stroking his hair, his face - anything his partner can do with his head is probably going to be a turn on.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

none. or, very little. i can't see jisung having a lot of experience. if i'm correct he joined the company at 11 (if i'm wrong let me know).

he was a baby when he joined and started his idol career. he's worked his whole life to being an idol and as an idol. no matter how many times i think about "well he could have met x,y,z and they could have met in x,y,z place for some good ole fashion "fun" i just can't see it. even with the way he interacts with his group members just reeks of shyness

F = Favorite position

okay with his chart placements anything "traditional" is going to be boring. keeping things fresh, exciting, unrestricted is going to a great time with him BUT until he gains the confidence, experience, and know how i see missionary or doggy. they're simple easy and it doesn't take a genius to figure it out.

when he has more experience...things will change and so will the positions rofl

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

with his venus, mars, aries placements i can't see him being goofy at all

H = Hair (How well-groomed are they)

x_x neat? not cleared away but not a jungle rofl

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

his venus in aquarius is not a romantic sign. they are pretty detached in the "romance" department. sorry dears but i don't see rose petals that lead to a bedroom, or candles and champagne. nothing like that.

during the act, well his mars is a sign that goes after what they want. bossy, in charge, a little impatient, so, i can see him being more in control of the act and focused.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation)

he's an earthling so yes. i can see this being a thing with his aquarius sun venus side more (see below)

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

cyber sex, phone sex, affair that wont lead to someone getting hurt (air signs and their i want a relationship without a relationship -_-)

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

at home, or teasing in public before finding a secluded area and closed tightly area

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

the distance between himself and his partner, partner's sexual organs (this had me cracking up), intimacy (if we're talking about his scorpio moon)

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

i personally can't see him adding another person to the mix. no matter how freaky (kinky) his venus aquarius is, the scorpio moon and aries mars screams NO ONE ELSE INVOLVED *at least in my eyes*

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

i see him more on the receiving end. he may be awkward when it comes to his partner but i'm sure with experience and a caring partner to tell him he's making them feel good he'll start to reciprocate more

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

FAST AND INTENSE! says his aries mars but this isn't "all the time" like this won't be "constant"

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

quickies can absolutely be a thing for him

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

only after having experience/with experienced partners he can like things that are spontaneous and thrilling but because of his job i still see him being reserved about it

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

i would probably say average. i mean men need time to "rest" for the most part so after a bit of resting time i see 1-2, 3 at the most - especially if one of the earlier rounds was a quickie

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

i can see him being curious about toys but see below and you’ll know why i say no overall

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

likes to get straight to the act (very little foreplay)

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

probably mostly grunts and low groans. can't see him being "loud"

W = Wild Card (Get a random head canon for the character of your choice)

texting can be quite fun

with jisung’s aquarius side texting his partner could be a major turn on. his s/o other saying how much they miss him. missing the way he feels inside them and so on. this could even lead to a facetime call or calling them to hear their moans. asking them what they’re doing

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

to the anon who requested this, i say this with all the love in my heart you are a precious person and i adore you BUT

you bleeper bleeper bleep! how dare you make me look there and look this up!!!! lol so i didn't really look.... his size will be more accurate from your opinion but...

with his sun in aquarius he can be pretty long

(there was a short video clip i saw but the words were in hangul. i googled searched and it did say "park jisung" but idk cuz they didn't show his face and i can't find the video so DO NOT QUOTE ME HERE anyway...from this clip i had to do a double triple quadruple take because)

“tarzan"

however, you can look at the mars sign as well. with his mars in aries it's either "tarzan" or small lmao but like i said you will know this better than me...

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

i'd say he has a high sex drive but i can see it coming and going a lot as well (his moon, venus, and mars placements are so weird no offense jisung)

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

i don't see him going to sleep right after. with how much physical activities these guys do their stamina is probably pretty high

[thebookishwitch]

Ask Game/Tag Game

tagged by @promiseiwillwrite !! Thank you!

are you named after someone? Yes, but I'm hoping to change my name in the future to cut ties with family.

what sports have you played? Basketball, volleyball, and swimming. I was not good at any of them lol

do you use sarcasm? All the time. I like my humor dry.

what is the first thing you notice about people? I genuinely don't know. Probably how polite they are. Like if they're talking over people/ignoring personal space/making mean jokes at others expense I notice right away. Versus if they're really nice and warm I notice that too.

what’s your eyes color? Very very light blue, almost grey. My optometrist told me I don't have the pigment that blocks out light. So that's fun!

scary movies or happy endings ? Both? But I'm a sucker for scary movies. And all things horror really. But I do love a happy ending if it's not horror.

any talent? I can sing and I write (I've been told well, but I genuinely have no idea how to quantify that sometimes). I'm a jack of all trades kind of person. If I'm interested in a hobby I can do it well at least until I get bored (or start getting good and self sabotage :D)

what are your hobbies? I RP a ton, have two characters on FFXIV that I'm working with rn and having a blast. I like Gposing (also in ffxiv), Drawing is fun when I'm in the mood, and reading is always a classic.

do you have any pets? Three! I have a dog (Akiva), a cat (Pippin), and a parakeet (Beemo).

how tall are you? 5'2 3/4" (I feel like I'm lying if I say just 5'2 or 5'3 lol)

dream job? I dunno. Something creative that isn't people facing please?

Tagging (No pressure!):

@saraptor @lilac-est @thestarfishdancer @wonderland-s-angel @fleacollar999 @battywitch

[bluiex]

More Built up Heart au, this time with some silliness mixed with a dash of lore :D

~~~~

"What would happen if I moved this little line of code over here and…Well, the immediate answer is I get yet another error."

Grian sighs tiredly, scooting his chair away from his desk in frustration. He's been at this for hours now, and the only progress he has made so far is figuring out what doesn't work with Scar's code instead of what does…

Just how broken of a bot was he sent?

"Well, judging by that sigh I heard, your little fix you just tried didn't work."

He sighs again at the voice coming through his computer speakers. "I feel like I'm in over my head here, Mumbo…Everything I've tried to make this code make more sense has been denied by whatever this mysterious previous programmer has done."

Mumbo, a fellow programmer and Grian's life-long friend, moves off screen of their video call and returns shortly with a pad of paper and a pencil in hand. The sound of pencil scratching on paper grinds on his eardrums, a sound he is going to associate with failure for a long time after the call is over. 

This must be the bad luck he was waiting for to balance out the good he had in the meeting after the showcase. This is how the world is balancing the scales of good and bad, by throwing him problem after problem as he tries to work through the code spaghetti that makes up Scar's systems. 

"There any good news about everything we tried failing that you can think of, Mumbo?"

"Well…This is going to be more of a stimulating challenge for you than previously thought."

He lets out a frustrated noise, letting his head fall forward and hit his desk with a loud thunk.

"Sorry mate," Mumbo's concerned voice says. "I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I remembered how you said you were worried about being put on a boring project when you got back and well…This is far from boring."

"Don’t you use my words back at me…" He grumbles against the desk.

"Okay, well, do you have any other ideas on how to make this work better for you?"

"I think we've already crossed off all the things I thought could fix this…"

"Then we're running low on possible fixes, Gri…" Mumbo repeatedly taps their pencil on whatever surface they have their computer on. "You sure you don't want to delete everything and start from scratch? I'm sure if you explained how nothing you tried to input worked with how the original code was set up, the rest of the team would understand."

"As tempting as that option is, I don’t really have the time to try and create an entirely new system of code from scratch here. I was lucky enough that the one investor with the most sway in this was able to look at this from a humorous perspective and give me a whole month to work on this."

Mumbo takes a turn in the sighing. "I forgot about that…But it really does seem to be the best and most obvious choice, in my eyes at least. Alright then, this might be a long shot here but…It might be your only option. Give me your bots model number."

He lifts his head up, looking at Mumbo's serious face with great confusion.

"...What? Mumbo, what does the model number have to do with-"

"I'm going to take a look in the 'Chip Graveyard' and see if I can find anything that could potentially get you on the same track as the other people you're working with. Maybe what we're doing wrong here is that we're using new techniques instead of trying to use old ones."

The 'Chip Graveyard' is a tower of drawers that is filled with all sorts of computer and android chips from any and all past projects. It's where the unwanted, unneeded, or 'project got canceled and I don’t see myself using this in the future' chips go to be forgotten about. One would think that in the world of mass efficiency, there would be some sort of process to wipe these chips clean so the company wouldn't have to waste so much money and resources on all new chips for its many projects, but…

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asks, trying his best to follow Mumbo's thinking process. "Aren't most of those chips really old and buggy? Would one of those even work with Scar's code?"

"Possibly and possibly not, but with your small amount of time and pretty much having to build this bots personality, you don't really have much of a choice."

He sighs yet again. They are right, using an existing chip that could be at least halfway compatible with Scar's code would save him a bunch of time, but it could also ruin all of it and render Scar completely broken…Is he really willing to risk it for some amount of time saved?

Turning his head and looking at Scar's limp form sitting on the floor next to his desk, he carefully observes the bot he has been entrusted with. 

They're slumped forward, head tilted down and their hands touching the floor. If you were to take just a quick glance at them, you might think they were just someone taking a rather uncomfortable nap. If you didn't see the wire coming from the back of their neck and connecting them to his computer tower first. But even still, they look rather at peace, like they fully trust he's going to do what he said and not ruin them…

He really hopes he doesn't end up doing such a thing.

"If this ends up breaking them, you're the one who is going to pay what it costs to fix or replace them. I'm not going to be out that much money because of your idea."

Mumbo huffs. "I'm not going to intentionally break your big and expensive toy, Gri. Who do you take me for? I'm not Etho."

"They aren't my toy, they are a beta test of how the team's 'companion' program works. And even if they did belong to me, I still wouldn't let you do such a potentially dangerous thing if it meant being out what they're worth."

"Yeah yeah…"

"Alright then," He says, moving his fingers to his keyboard. "I'm going to put that code back and unplug them from my computer. I think we've been at this long enough…If I don't get you their model number before you go to bed, bug me during your morning routine before you head in tomorrow."

"You say that, but we both know I get ready much earlier than you do and you hate getting disturbed at any time in the morning."

He sticks out his tongue at them before leaning over and unplugging the cord from Scar, carefully moving the android's head onto his lap. And as their cheek presses against his thigh, his fingers are combing through their hair before he even realizes what he's doing. 

Did I just…subconsciously pet their head?

No, there's no way he just petted their head. He was just…Fixing their hair. Preemptively fixing their hair. Yeah, he's gonna go with that.

"Okay," He says quickly, wanting to move on from what he did. "If I haven't royally messed up, they should re-boot up in a few."

"If you put everything back like you said you did, then they should be pretty much the same as when you plugged them in. Unless even touching their code is enough to make them break."

"Oh gosh…Don't give the universe any ideas now."

Scar makes a noise, moving a hand up and gently grabbing at his leg before opening their eyes. They keep their head in his lap, looking up at him with a familiar blank face.

"Hello Scar," He says softly. "Welcome back. You feeling alright?"

"Hi…" They move their head away. "All of my systems are working properly as far as I can tell. Have you completed everything you wanted to do?"

"Well…We ran into a bit of a problem, but my friend Mumbo here has offered a solution that may work."

He gestures to his computer, but Scar doesn't move their head in its direction.

Instead, they carefully move themselves into a standing position, keeping themselves out of his way in his view of the computer's screen. Hmm…Now that he really thinks about it, he doesn't remember them ever disturbing him while he was typing away at his computer or looking at his company-provided tablet. Do they see him using those electronics as him doing something important? Did their last programmer put that in their code as a way to not be distracted while working?

He turns towards them in his chair. "Do you want to say hi to Mumbo? They're right here on the video call. I'm sure they would love to talk to you."

"...Is this a test of how well I follow commands that don't come from you?"

"No, Mumbo's not going to be telling you to do anything." He stands up from his chair. "You don't have to worry about anything anyone else tells you to do while you're in this apartment. You only have to do what I say unless stated otherwise."

"Okay."

"Come on then, take a seat in the chair so Mumbo can see you. There's no need to be shy now."

Scar blankly stares at him for a few seconds longer before slowly walking forward. He starts to move to the other side of the chair, trying to get out of their way, but gets pulled into something that feels both soft and hard. What the…

"Scar, what are you-"

"We can both sit in the chair if we sit like this."

Mumbo's loud laughter comes through the speakers as he processes what Scar has just done…And where his face is pressed. 

Life is just set out to make him feel weird today…

"Scar, though I can understand your thought process…" He says slowly, really trying to have them focus on his words. "Please don't pull me onto your lap without a warning. Or press my face into your chest."

"...But this prevents you from having to stand, and you were sitting in the chair first. Isn't sitting like this more fair?"

"I was perfectly fine with standing Scar…"

"Your android just wants to cuddle a bit, Gri," Mumbo jokes. "Are you really going to break his little mechanical heart by saying he can hold you like that?"

"You stay out of this! I will end this video call right now!"

"What, so you can smooch your bot freely without an audience? You'll probably do that when this call ends anyways."

"That's not funny!"

"Well, I don't want to disturb you two any longer, so I'll just end this call on my end. Remember to get me that model number before work tomorrow!"

"Mumbo, don't you dare-"

His fury grows as Mumbo's form gets replaced with a black screen, signaling the call has ended.

"...I do not understand what just happened," Scar says, voice laced with confusion.

He lets out a long frustrated noise. Is there anything else the universe wants to throw at him, or is it done with the 'make Grian's day awkward' train it has going!?

~~~~

-Built up Heart Anon, telling you all not to miss what happens to Scar with Grian trying to save himself some time. It's going to be...interesting :)

AMAZING AAAH you should put this on ao3 🥺 it's so sososo good, and even more ppl shld see it!! And I'm just laughing Scar pulling Gri into their lap in front of Mumbo lmao poor Gri all he wants to do is fix Scar but he keeps doing these things

Super hyped for what's next!!

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

5 underrated movies I recently watched that I think are amazing and deserve better

Maya the Bee (2014) I watched this recently for the first time and it's incredible! I'm saying this as a hardcore DreamWorks fan that THIS IS BETTER THAN THE DREAMWORKS BEE MOVIE! The bee movie is more for adults, only good to make fun of and laugh at the memes, meanwhile Maya the Bee actually has a good story for the whole family. I especially recommend this movie to kids! I loved how refreshing it was to see a guy friend actually be protective of the main protagonist and not in a love interest way. Maya and Willy actually work together really well. I also loved the minor characters too, and that grasshopper, Flip, was ICONIC! (Btw the movie is not the one with the d*** on the rock, the d*** drawn on the rock was from the tv show so if you watch the movie don't go looking for the d***)

Around the World in 80 Days (2021) This is the animated kids version of the story with animals, they also credited the book it was based off of, but please don't get it confused with the live action version. You won't be disappointed in the animated version at all! It's incredible and it's so funny! Phileas frog is literally so hilarious, and Passepartout is an adorable and funny monkey, and he's very determined too! You'll also love Princess Ayuda, she's voiced by Katie Griffin! (The voice of Ruby from Max & Ruby btw). The movie is actually genius and don't let the fact that it's made by a small Belgian-French company, turn you away from it. Just because something's not by Disney or DreamWorks, doesn't mean it can't be a masterpiece!

Daisy Quokka, World's Scariest Animal (2020) As I said before, just because something is made by a smaller company doesn't mean it doesn't have the same potential (or in some cases, more potential) than a bigger company like Disney. This adorable movie is about a very optimistic quokka girl, trying her best to compete in the "world's scariest animal" contest, with help from an alligator. The humor is incredible, andthe voice acting is amazing, The movie is also well paced and not too boring for younger kids that might watch it. I 100% recommend this for all ages (well, 6 and up at least) and it's a great movie for the whole family! It's made by an Australian company that I never heard of, but like I said, give the smaller company a chance. Animation is getting so much better nowadays and so are the stories! Trust me, you won't regret it!

Manou the Swift (2019) Okay, the animation isn't groundbreaking or anything, but the movie is still pretty great. It has a good message about acceptance and everything but I wouldn't call it exceptional. It's just a good movie, I think it deserves SOME recognition though. Kate Winslet (voice of Rita from Flushed Away) was in it, and she voiced a really loving seagull mother. One thing I actually loved about this movie was that the brother was 100% on Manou's side, instead of being jealous of him like a lot of movies. I know it's unrealistic, but it's nice when they show 0 sibling rivalry once in a while. I loved when he samed Manou from the rats (LOL Spoliers). This is a German-Chinese movie, dubbed in English and no one has ever heard of it. It's 88 minutes long and just give it a try if you're bored.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) This is the only big-company made movie I put on the list because IT DESERVES ALL THE HYPE! This is an amazing DreamWorks movie, their newest one, and I'm still furious about Elemental making more money than it. Ruby Gillman deserved to win, 100%! All the crummy stereotypes I was worried about, it did the opposite! Like, it was WAY BETTER than I thought, it deserved so much better! I was worried about it being the cheesy coming-of-age story with the awkward girl vs the popular chick, but it's NOT like that at all and I regret not being able to see it in theaters. I think a good comparison of this movie is Turning Red, and it tackled a lot of things better than Turning Red (The generational trauma, conflict with mother..ect) and didn't show too much of the teen drama with her crushes and stuff. Ruby's love interest, Connor, is actually a really sweet guy and kind of a nerd like her. Unlike Mei, Ruby actually has a reason to like Connor and isn't just simping for the "cute guy" all the time. DreamWorks has been known as making movies similar to Disney to kind of "make fun of them" but in this, they actually did the movie way better. You can watch this movie online in 4k now so I recommend you go and do that!

Anyway, tell me what you think, write in the comments if you seen any of these movies, and if you know fun facts about them ^u^ I forgot to say a fun fact that the Maya the Bee book was written in 1912! Like, Maya the bee existed in the Victorian era? What? 0_o So crazy, huh? It's ancient!

[silverisafukintrainwreck]

i'm bored and sleep deprived, so here i decided to share my danganronpa kins (as in relating to the characters) and why i even kin them! except they get more personal with each one. (i'll get into a bit of a rant for both of these so- be warned and stay safe reading cause dark humor about my trauma is my coping mechanism!)

1: ibuki! i swear she is literally just me. before i even knew what danganronpa was my friends would tell me i reminded them of her. absolutely her entire personality. i can't even begin to explain because iit's literally. everything. i am ibuki's sillyism fr

2: gundham! because i, too, have created a fictional reality and alter ego for myself that i get so engrossed with that i forget it's not. real. and i like to be very dramatic and extra about said alter ego and fantasies.

3: nagisa! ok to be honest my biggest red flag when it comes to this fandom is that i watched udg when i was like twelve and related a little bit too fucking much with the WOH. each of them in some ways, but the only one that still holds up to this day is nagisa. being a younger sibling of someone who is very academically smart when you're completely uninterested in that type of intelligence is a nightmare. the school i currently am enrolled in has an entrance exam. my sister passed one year before me, scoring second place. when i took the exam, i passed first place. not like i had a choice. i needed to be equal or better than her. i was better. but it still wasn't. enough.

4: celeste! picking up from gundham's "living in a fantsay" part, we have actually fulling embracing said fantasy and personality due to absolutely despising normalcy and being boring. this, along with a very important part of her character which i'll explain more in the last kin.

5: mikan! i have already made a post or another about kinning mikan, but here goes again. again on the topic of the not being boring thing, being ignored completely is my biggest fear. i literally rather have people hate my guts and insult me and lash out than them leaving me. i got caught up in a few bad relationships due to this. speaking of which, the smallest crumbles of affection or praise get me head over heels for people. lovebombing works like a charm on me!

6: the character who i hate relating to the most, kokichi. he used to be of my least favorite characters in the franchise. i couldn't figure out for the life of me why. recently i finally did. he remind me of ALL the worst parts about myself. it's probably self-explanatory what exactly i'm talking about, but it goes so deep that i can't even bring myself to talk about it in a silly tumblr post!

wow. that went a LOT deeper than i expected :D i think i'll shut up for a week after this

[thundercrack]

I've heard a LOT about gideon the ninth but have never picked it up, i'd be really interested in hearing your thoughts on it and why you don't like it (if you want to)?

ok i'm home i'm watching the fulham vs chelsea game (go fulham) i'm ready 2 answer this (I am always happy to hate. this is just my spitballed opinion on a book i read like three months ago so take it with a grain of salt)....first off i'll say: i read this whole book so u don't have to! i HATED gideon the 9th. literally the worst book i read in 2022. i say this as someone who generally likes some degree of mediocre scifi/fantasy. here are a few reasons why...

Trope city! and done extremely poorly. The book is advertised one way -- lesbian necromancers in space! although I dislike identitarian advertising in general, the book is literally 1) nothing like that 2) ten million times dumber. I read a recent review that lauded Muir's skill at flipping tropes on their head to reveal something new. I got absolutely none of that. It felt like poor execution of...well...take your pick: a) rivals to friends/enemies to lovers b) underdog achieve their goal to find out it's not what they expected c) murder mystery d) house tournament...I could go on. And this is just in general...

Weak plot. Well, like I just alluded to, I think the plot sucks -- or maybe it's just the godawful execution. Somehow there's constant action throughout Gideon the Ninth and yet somehow, I found it completely boring the entire way through. The plot is supposed to carry tension. Will Gideon and Harrow figure out how to work together? Who killed [insert name here. there's plenty]? Why is Harrow pissy now? Given that I wasn't engaged in the characters (see previous complaint) and I also had significant confusion about the worldbuilding (see complaint 4), Muir gave me absolutely nothing to make me care. The bizarre pacing and attempts at humor didn't help.

Weak characters. okay, the plot sucks. well, maybe she's got interesting characters? nope. Jumping back to my trope-city complaint: Muir's investment in the characters read entirely superficial to me -- a translation of the dumb jock, and the cold ruler with a troubled past -- like she could thought she could rest their entire personalities on tropes. In no way did they feel three-dimensional, or did they work as vehicles for plot, or did they say anything about...well...anything. If the main characters in Gideon and Harrow felt flimsy, that's saying nothing about the members of the other Houses, who barely existed with any clarity as actors in the text. Again, tropes, tropes, tropes.

Inconsistent worldbuilding. I've read that Muir built her world in a way that leaves a lot of explanation out on purpose -- it's tight POV to Gideon, so of course she won't explain things that seem standard about her life. Yet...this left me confused, irritated, and frustrated. One minor example: Muir notes a shortage of paper in the 9th house, and then have Gideon (who is apparently in a wretched state) reading porno mags. I think part of the frustration here is that I definitely could have had some interest and investment in Muir's world. I don't mind dark topics. I like extensive space set ups. I like when writing can turn my stomach, or subvert genre expectations and surprise me. Instead, Muir presents an incoherent and inconsistent world. There's only so much imagination can do to make it tolerable.

Funny? No. The most egregious example of Muir's attempted humor is her dialogue. Look, I'm not opposed to a bit of sarcasm, or irony, or anything else. But the way Muir did it was 1) not funny and 2) often jarring within the text (a level of quippyness that just did not work) 3) basically "edgelord" characterization. I generally LIKE some level of referentialism in my work, but the way Muir does it through "memes" etc didn't enhance my understanding of the book, and actively frustrated me, especially in conjunction with the ways she plays with the characters lack of understanding about say... a bath. Muir isn't bad at writing prose, but her decisions here are just baffling to me.

Is there more? Probably. I guess these aren't the most thoughtful critiques, but at the end of the day, Gideon the Ninth felt like it failed at the basic tenants of a novel: coherent characters and some sort of plot. I feel like it's the worst kind of book by an author who went from writing fanfiction to novels. Muir assumes a certain level of investment in her story without giving the reader the tools to understand her characters, and seemingly, without much of a story to tell. I was sucked in by everyone on Tumblr posting about it -- I've gotten some great recommendations here -- but it was truly one of the most dogshit books I've ever read. I feel like, normally, when I dislike a book, I at least can understand why someone might like it. With this one, I had no clue. I finished the book bored, frustrated, annoyed, and feeling like I wasted my time. Anyway. Cheers. and fulham won!!

[waiting-on-a-dream]

𝙰𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 (𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗)

"Are you deliberately trying to scare us? At least everyone was interrogated on the same day last time." Daisuke pipes up the moment Haruto walks into the room.

Haruto smiles, observing the way Daisuke sits lazily on his chair, considerably less tense than his previous interrogation. "I've decided that interviewing 10 prisoners in one day is too tiring."

"Ah, that makes sense."

Haruto sits down and starts the recorder right away. "So I watched your music video, and now I have more personalized questions for you. You'll answer honestly, yes?"

"I'll try." Daisuke shrugs mischievously.

Oh good. He's already being honest.

"What were your parents like?"

"Hm?" Daisuke quirked an eyebrow. "They didn't have anything to do with my murder, if that's what you're asking."

"That's not what I'm asking, but good to know." Haruto tilts his head with a hum. "I asked what they were like."

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Why are you avoiding the question?"

"I'm not." Daisuke pouts, crossing his arms almost defensively. "Fine. They were both hopeless. Haven't I told you this before?"

"Hopeless how?" Haruto presses, leaning forward in his seat.

"Well, my father was a normal office worker who was constantly bullied by his superiors. He couldn't do anything about it, and didn't try to better his situation, so he just took it for years until they finally replaced him." Daisuke talks as if he's simply commenting on the weather, face impassive and almost bored. "My mother was a housewife who would argue with my father everyday. Sometimes she'd use me as an example to try and get my father to man up or something, but he'd just shift the blame to her instead, and they'd go on arguing through the night."

Haruto didn't even know how to respond to that. "Uh... Do you tell people this about your parents often?"

"Only the people who listen." Daisuke smiles at him, eyes closed.

Haruto suddenly remembers the question he'd asked before. "Is this what you meant when you told me you're afraid of relying on people?"

"Yeah. Anyone could let you down at any time, you know?" Daisuke tilts his head, eyes opened creepily wide. "It's a dog-eat-dog world."

"Even though I don't remember anything from the outside world, I agree with you for some reason." Haruto smiles back casually.

"Your subconscious must have gotten the message."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Haruto chuckles. "Did you have any friends before coming to Milgram?"

"Again, what does this question have anything to do with what you saw in my music video?"

"This question helps me to understand you better, and in turn, what kind of murder you committed." Daisuke sure likes asking lots of questions during his own interrogation.

Daisuke sways his head left to right, pouting as he contemplates Haruto's answer. "Only one." He replies eventually, a wistful expression settling over his face. It doesn't fit Daisuke's playful demeanor at all. Yet it looks natural on him, as if he wears an expression like that often. As if he was made to feel sad.

"What were they like?"

"He was...cold. And aloof. But he looked out for me." Daisuke isn't looking at Haruto anymore, instead fiddling with his sleeves as he smiles pensively. "He was the nicest in the world."

"You haven't had much interaction with actual nice people, huh?" Haruto mutters bluntly.

"Where I worked? The nice people you meet are most likely to stab you in the back." Daisuke chuckled darkly, weakly.

"That sounds like a terrible work environment."

"It kinda was." Daisuke laughs again without humor.

Haruto decides to change the topic. "Alright. If the world was to end tomorrow, what would you do?"

"Huh? Why the sudden question?" Daisuke snaps out of his pensive state, blinking curiously at him.

"I'm just curious as to how you'll answer," he shrugs.

"Hm... I think I'd pray."

"I didn't know you're religious," Haruto raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm not," Daisuke shakes his head. "I'd pray to the dead."

"Oh? To who?"

"That's a secret," Daisuke winks playfully.

"You're no fun," Haruto whines just as playfully, but he doesn't push it. "That concludes your interrogation then."

Daisuke isn't in much of a hurry to leave (unlike a certain prisoner before him). Haruto stays right where he is for some time, mulling over Daisuke's words with a finger to his chin. Sure, he's glad Daisuke gave such detailed answers... But it's rather suspicious.

He can't help but think Daisuke is hiding something.

[mannatea]

Every role in every fandom you've ever been in! GO!!!!!!

Uhhhhh, I’ll try.

Dragon Ball Z: Reader for some years, then writer. Someone in this fandom illustrated one of my ‘fics (the first time that had ever happened to me!) so that was a fun experience.

InuYasha: Obsessive writer with many WIPs. Met my husband through this fandom in 2003 so it’s special. Eventually I actually stopped writing for the fandom and went back to read. I still have fond memories of a specific AU writer (one of the stories they wrote was Bottled Genius).

Rurouni Kenshin: Obsessive writer with many WIPs, most of which were REALLY out there. "Stomach-chewing Demons" still haunts me to this day. (IYKYK.) Also embarrassing? I wrote a lot of poetry here.

G Gundam: Casual enjoyer and fic writer. Unfortunately I still wrote poetry, including a particularly stupid piece about Argo's eyebrows. I have to be kind to this fandom though, it started my tradition of writing "A Kitten for" 'fics.

Fire Emblem: Obsessive writer who wrote hundreds of fics for this fandom over the course of a decade. EXTREMELY prolific but because I wasn't picky about what I wrote I just posted anything that came to mind. I was super super annoying about my ships too. (RIP to everyone who dealt with me and still talks to me from those days.)

Tales of Symphonia: Eager writer in early 2005 who made a lot of friends early and was active on the Namco forums. Mostly flipped between writing humor and angst. I'm haunted by my humor contributions to this fandom. This was my first foray into dark fiction too (we all had our cringe years please be nice to me). When I got back into the fandom some years later I focused more on angst. The third time I was in the fandom I did more reading/commenting and ended up doing RP (as Regal ♥). This time I haven't settled into a role yet, but hopefully it's as the new R/R writer idk.

Star Wars: I read fics for this fandom for years and only ever wrote one. I was heavy into the EU back in like 2002 onward and would reread the Thrawn trilogy and duology on REPEAT. To this day Luke and Mara are the only enemies to lovers pairing I like.

Fushigi Yuugi / Ranma 1/2 / Trigun: Fringe enjoyer, though I did write a fic for FY and Ranma. Don't worry, they both sucked ass.

Pokémon: I used to write AAML and random sad things for no reason. Mostly a casual game enjoyer though. When S&M came out I was the resident fallershipping writer and an RPer until I got bored.

Rose of Versailles: The first regular English writer for the fandom who then dragged a bunch of other people in too, heralding an interesting time for the thirsty fans desperate for fic. This was probably my favorite fandom I was ever in; everybody was just so nice. I wrote my first sex scene for this fandom lmao.

Ouran High School Host Club: Casual writer. This is the fandom where I first wrote a "twist ending" fic and won a contest on LJ with it.

Warcraft: Salty healer gamer. Usually a discipline priest for some reason. (It's the shields. I love the idea of a healer that protects/prevents damage in the first place.) I have tons and tons of OCs in this universe for literally no reason. I've also written a few fics over the years, mostly about characters nobody cares about.

Gilmore Girls: I watched this as it was airing and would talk about it at work with a guy I worked with who watched the new episodes with his wife every week. I wrote a fic but mostly preferred to simply watch it.

Road to Avonlea: Avid viewer, obsesser, and lover of this series. I love love love the characters and the character development and almost all the storylines given to the cast. I only ever wrote one 'fic because this is the kind of series you just don't feel needs a lot of extra stuff.

Kaze Hikaru: Mostly just enjoy the series tbh. I haven't finished it, I just buy my latest manga every year and suffer with the knowledge that death is imminent.

Harry Potter: Got into this late, liked only two characters enough to write about them, disappeared almost instantly again from the fandom.

Full Metal Alchemist: Like Road to Avonlea this series just doesn't need me to write for it. It stands alone very well. Casual enjoyer.

Frozen: I DON'T KNOW I DON'T KNOW I DON'T KNOW. This movie touched me in my soul and meant a lot to me, what can I say. I hardly EVER see movies in theater and I went back more than once to see this one. Elsa was just so relateable to me. I wrote 6 fics somehow and also made some friends.

Attack on Titan: My obsession for writing for this series came out of aBSOLUTELY NOWHERE and decimated me and probably many friendships of years gone by just because I could literally not stop writing stuff. I wrote 100 fics while I was in the fandom and made many friends and acquaintances so I can't regret the time I spent there, even though the last few years were really fuckin' rough. I think there was something really fresh about the 2014 vibe in the fanbase that made it a fun and exciting place to be. Everyone was speculating and having a good time writing about their blorbos back then; it was contagious! This is where I cemented myself as a rarepair enjoyer too because I'm an idiot. (Gelyn. ♥)

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: Casual enjoyer who wrote a couple of fics for some reason I no longer remember.

Psycho Pass: I needed a new obsession, I got it. The second season sucked so much though, that it made it hard to stay in the fandom, and also the vibe there was kind of bad. Fun while it lasted I guess. I only wrote 8 fics.

When Calls the Heart: What's this Hallmark shit doing here anyway... LOL. I grew up reading Janette Oke's books so seeing a series on Netflix based off of one of her novel series HIT ME LIKE A BRICK and I got a bit obsessed, at least until things fell apart in Season 5. I cared most about characters that felt the least liked by the fans AND the writers so it didn't feel like continuing to write for it was worth my time. 11 stories was enough.

I'm probably forgetting something because I've been in a lot of fandoms, but these are the ones that were more serious, at least to some degree. If I wrote even one fic you know I cared. LOL

[sandyrantsxo]

I'm boring

I found out that I have a new fear. A fear of being too boring and not interesting. Well, I know that I'm not as exciting as other teens my age, but I've never ever expected that I'm this shallow and there's really nothing worth knowing about me.

Exhibit A. I'm not "pretty". Like, I know I'm pretty but I just don't pass the conventional standards of being pretty.

Exhibit B. I'm not skinny, and I'm fine with that. That's the least of my insecurities. I love my body the way that it is and it took me time to finally accept that this body is mine.

Exhibit C. I don't play sports. I used to be sporty but now it's just not in my radar. I used to play badminton, volleyball, chess, and even basketball. Damn, I used to be so great in badminton and basketball.

Exhibit D. I love isolating myself from others. Yes, I might not come off as an introvert but most days I just wanna spend time alone when I'm outside our house. It's just so chaotic back home so when I'm out with my friends, I'm trying to find this peace and calmness from my surroundings, thus making it look like I'm an introvert. Well, I might be an ambivert, but who cares, right?

Exhibit E. I don't have a lot of friends. I have 5-7 friends but then that's it.

Exhibit F. I don't have a lot of money. We're not rich, so I can't go out and buy things and flex it to everyone. Let's be honest, people like you when you have money, which leads me to exhibit G.

Exhibit G. I'm not popular. I would be fine being a basic bland bitch if I was famous at school or whatever, but I'm not!

Exhibit F. I don't have a talent. Yes, I can dance, sign, etc. but I'm barely good at it. I guess I'm pretty decent, that's all.

Exhibit G. I don't have an interesting hobby. I don't watch animes. I don't listen to kpop. I don't watch k-dramas, even famous Western series. I don't know how to draw or paint. I suck at content creation (TikTok/YouTube). It's hard to find friends when all you do is watch comedians have fun on YT or watch an adult man play Roblox and other video games. Well, I love Smosh, Flamingo, Taylor Swift, and other indie-pop (not completely underground) artists, but then that's it. Literally. I used to like writing, like novels, poems, short stories, but now it feels as if it's a chore. I hate to admit it but I don't enjoy it as much anymore, which makes me sad because I feel like I'm straying away my first dream when I was teen. To be a published author.

Exhibit H. I'm awkward. My humor's off in comparison to my peers' humor. Maybe it's a result of watching sketch comedy? I don't know. I try not to think about it often because it makes me sad that people don't know what meme I'm referencing to. Even my FYP's different from theirs, lol. I laugh at little things that I shouldn't be laughing at. Maybe it's also a result of being chronically online. I don't know.

Exhibit I. I'm nostalgic about everything. I tend to stay in the past and compare everything to what happened in the past. Although I always tell everyone that I'd rather pay attention to the future rather than the past, I can't deny that sometimes, it's good to reminisce the good times. I miss being a kid and truly enjoying the holidays. I miss being a kid who wishes to be an adult so she do everything she wants. Turns out adulthood is not that simple. Fuck, I'm not even halfway into adulthood and yet I'm already feeling this way.

I could probably write more about how boring I am. Just yesterday, I found myself talking to chatbots. Yes, those AI things that makes you feel like you're actually talking to a real person. I rate it a whopping 10000000/10. It works so good. I got it to write an essay for me. Twice. I even came across an AI chatbot with a background story. I loved every minute of talking to them. Weird, right? Told you so.

[ramblinevilshroom]

Better Call Saul's first Season is a Mess and I Love It!

I've been a fan of the show, Breaking Bad for over a year now and being that I take forever to actually get through any given show, it took me exactly a year to finish Breaking Bad. I mean exactly because I watched the first episode about two days after RTGame posted his first Stardew Valley highlight video in May 2022. According to my super secret spreadsheet where I track every piece of media that I consume, with pinpoint accuracy, I can very safely deduce that it took me 368 days to watch Breaking Bad and I loved all of it.

After the high highs of Breaking Bad, I began to shift my gaze to another show which got quite a lot of buzz due to its sixth season, many claiming that for the ending alone, it is well worth a watch. I've seen people claim that the first two seasons of the show were not good or were boring but that as it moves forward, it becomes one of the greatest pieces of television. This show is Better Call Saul. I have only watched the first two seasons thus far and I think that makes this review unique because I may have theories and speculation as to how these two seasons will contribute to the bigger picture but for the most part, I'm seeing these seasons in isolation from the rest of Better Call Saul. So, I watched the first two seasons and I loved all of it.

There is a lot for me to talk about but I think we can divide this review season by season (which means that this review is a two-parter). So we will discuss the first season now, which is a big mess. When coming off of a show like Breaking Bad, how do you recapture that. Breaking Bad struck gold and was perfect for the time of its release. It was refreshing and different, if we look at other serialized television, Breaking Bad sticks out. There are a myriad of reasons why Breaking Bad stands out among the rest but I've boiled it down to just one big reason...comedy. Breaking Bad is funny, whether the comedy is intentional or unintentional, it is still one of the funniest shows I've ever seen even though, I would never go so far as to call it a comedy show. The humor can be attributed to the chemistry (get it) between the actors which becomes the chemistry between the characters. Walt and Jesse are funny because you have Walt's Paranoia and intelligence playing against Jesse's nevermind attitude and lack of knowledge in chemistry, there's also Gus and Walt which is a battle between big egos, Walt who works under Gus but thinks of himself as above Gus at the same time, the conflicting feelings of resentment and hatred for Gus but also fear. Saul just has good chemistry with everyone, he's like a conman at a casino in the sense that he can appear to be either dumber or smarter than any given character in the show depending on the situation. Another factor which adds to the comedy is the fact that a show like Breaking Bad is very over the top to the point of unrealism. I'm gonna quiz you quickly, to demonstrate a point.

which of these things did NOT happen in Breaking Bad?

A.) Jesse accidentally destroys his house due to chemicals burning through his bath and through his second floor resulting in the second floor of his house literally collapsing

B.) Walter pretends to be an irishman in order to get one of his workers out of prison

C.) Jesse falls into a portable toilet and becomes blue from the toilet chemicals

D.) Skylar White confronts Jesse while he is moving an unconscious body and she attempts to use 90s teen slang in order to intimidate him.

The answer is that... ALL OF THESE HAPPENED. All these things happened in this very serious, realistic and grounded show that is Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad is a very serious show but what makes it stand out is the balance between over the top moments as mentioned above and grounded, tragic moments. In fact, I think the humor can elevate the more serious moments and character growth. Like, Jesse's enthusiasm dwindling over the seasons.

There will be one last section before I actually move on to Better Call Saul's first season. It will be what I think is Breaking Bad's biggest theme...

Underestimation. Almost every main character in the show is underestimated by another. This is why Walt was never caught because he was underestimated, why Jesse is the idiot of the show but proves to be smarter than Walt in the later seasons. Eventually, all these characters get a chance to prove themselves and overcome their Underestimation, except Saul. Saul is always underestimated and at no point in the show, is his character really allowed to overcome that. In Breaking Bad, he's just funny lawyer man who sits behind desk and has a funny one liner every once in a while but Saul's been my favorite ever since his debut episode. He is only really allowed to exceed the expectations of the viewer and be more than just a funny lawyer man who does nothing, in Better Call Saul.

Saul Goodman is a character. I say this because when we watch Better Call Saul's first episode, we see a man with Saul's face but we don't see Saul. This man is James McGill or Jimmy McGill. Saul is a larger than life lawyer with a massive office, a variety of fancy suits for any occasion and a snappy comeback for any situation, James McGill is a struggling lawyer who uses a cramped backroom of a nail salon as his office who is always being bested in battles of wit by Better lawyers. Like I said, Saul Goodman is a character played by James McGill. Through This lens, it would be safe to say that Better Call Saul is spent refining the character of Saul Goodman. In the midst of this, however, both James McGill and the show itself goes through an identity crisis.

It's like I said before, how does one recapture the magic of Breaking Bad, it's a difficult task but Better Call Saul does try atleast. It's not very effective but they tried, I guess. It's kinda weird, they really wanted to go for a comedy route in the first episode but some of the jokes fell flat because Better Call Saul is not as over the top as Breaking Bad which isn't exactly a bad thing but the show just needed confidence in its story which it didn't have. That first season is a Rollercoaster. First it's a comedy, then it's a serious show, then it's an underdog story etc, etc until it finally becomes its own thing. I think the end of season 1 is immaculate. Those last two episodes especially even had me in tears but it took a while to get to that point. I mentioned just now that Better Call Saul needed confidence because the writers were clearly confident about the show's premise in Breaking Bad with tons of little nuggets of foreshadowing like Saul telling Walter in passing that his real name is McGill. In execution however, that confidence vanished and they tried to recreate Breaking Bad. I do however still like this little identity crisis that the show has because it contributes to James McGill's own identity crisis. To discuss this, we need to talk about the Legend of Slippin Jimmy (not the TV show slippin Jimmy, don't watch that it's actually very bad).

Slippin Jimmy is basically Saul before he became a lawyer, a name he earned by being a conman in his home town (don't worry this is all stated in the first episode of bcs). Now he's a lawyer who has to leave that behind and work legally and ethically. In the pilot of Better Call Saul, James tells the story of Slippin Jimmy to a pair of young, inexperienced twenty-somethings who tried to scam him. Being that he is a lawyer, I thought he'd recount this story with regret and resentment for the past but he actually tells it with pride and nostalgia. As middling as the pilot of this show is, this is the main conflict. James McGill grappling between his passion to pursue law, Legally but also his love for the con. He genuinely loves scamming people. There are many separate instances in the first 2 seasons alone where he scams people for no good reason. He even takes Kim Wexler (an important character in the show and a very strict, by-the-books lawyer) on a date where he shows her how to scam people. Fellas, get yourself a girl who commits white collar crimes with you. Anyway, my point is that he loves the hustle but also tries his hardest to escape it. His love for the con and his passion for law grab each arm and pull him on both sides like toddlers fighting over who's gonna play with who. That's the identity crisis. He doesn't know how to satisfy both sides of himself and he doesn't know how to leave one side of himself behind.

There's also an immense tragedy behind the character of James McGill. This comes from underestimation (callback) and that theme is intertwined with inadequacy. No matter how hard he works or tries, there will always be someone better. In the first season, he literally digs in garbage cans to find documents in order to make a case against a company, he is one of the most hardworking characters in the Breaking Bad universe and if you only watch Breaking Bad, you never get to see that side of him. Even if he is this hardworking, he will never be as good as his peers. Jimmy has watched everyone around him exceed him in every way. While he's struggling to find a case, his brother is one of the most respected lawyers in the show. While he's working out of the back of a nail salon, Kim Wexler is working out of an office  (she deserves that position of course, but I'm trying to make a point here so bare with me). To put salt in the wound, his brother doesn't even believe that he will make it as a lawyer. Just from this first season alone, Saul or Jimmy or James is one of the most relatable characters in television through his constant sisyphean task to make it as a lawyer, working as hard as he possibly can. The constant, looming fact that he will never exceed his peers or competitors or brother and one funny thing is that Kim Wexler actually gets him a mug that says "world's 2nd best lawyer" I could write an entire review about this mug but I will only say that this only adds to the inaduacy that Saul feels. Actually, that's not true, the mug is symbol for his relationship to law practice and how he wants to make it work even if he will never be the best lawyer. There's a whole sequence where he can't fit it into his car's cup holder and when he finds a balance between law and scams, he makes it fit in that cup holder. It's a really sweet gift, I'm actually trying to find it for a relative of mine who's studying law but it fits my point better if I say the mug symbolises his inadequacy.

I'm excited to see more of Better Call Saul and how his story unfolds throughout the seasons. I already see it becoming one of the best television shows ever made and I hate lawyer shows, they're really boring. Anyway, this review is reaching the 2000 word count and I think I should close it off. I'd like to do a bigger character analysis of this show but this will do for now. I want to thank you for reading this whole thing and I want to thank Vince Gilligan for creating Better Call Saul and I want to thank Bob Odenkirk for being the best possible actor for Saul and I want to thank that one guy in my class who heard me say "Better Call Saul" and then proceeded to tell me that I should watch it and I want to thank Kim Wexler for being the best character in Better Call Saul. It's over The 2000 line so I'm actually going to stop now, seriously stop reading this.