#Little sunshine boy can fit so much serotonin

[pickedyou]

[waveypedia]

The Real Deal

Ao3

Lena comes to the Nine-Tailed Diner just often enough for the waiters to know her face, but not often enough for them to know her name. She prefers it that way. The anonymity is comforting, but she knows in her gut it’s just an illusion when the waiters give her familiar smiles as she slides into her usual spot in the corner.

There was a time, before she met Webby, when Lena would scowl and duck her head away from the waiters’ friendly greetings. Where the mere notion of being noticed would make her gut churn and blood boil.

Not anymore.

Lena taps her carefully manicured nails against the smooth table as she waits, watching the cozily bustling diner. She’s not usually one for nail polish, but Dewey was just so excited when he saw the color that perfectly matched her magic, and despite her snarky exterior she couldn’t say no to Dewey’s infectious excitement when he bounced up to her with the bottles of nail polish. She smiles at the memory.

If Lena from a year and a half ago could see her now, she’d be unrecognizable. That’s not such a bad thing, Lena muses.

She pulls out her phone and quickly scrolls through social media, smiling when a picture of Webby pops up on her feed. Webby doesn’t post much, but when she does, just seeing her face never fails to make Lena smile.

The noise of the city and the harbor outside eventually fades into a calming white noise in the back of Lena’s mind. She’s used to the city. It was her home for fifteen years. But the sound of a particular car pulling up to the curb jerks Lena out of her thoughts, and she presses her face to the window, filled with an almost childlike glee.

A familiar car, light green and blocky and just as eccentric as its owner, putters at the curb. Lena can only see into the drivers’ side, but she snorts as she spots a familiar stupid-looking hat and chuckles to herself. Soon enough, a familiar face pops out from the other side of the car, looks to the corner window expectantly, and waves enthusiastically. Lena grins and waves back.

The bell on the diner door jingles, right on schedule, and Lena’s friend nearly sprints over to her booth.

“Hi, Lena!” Boyd chirps, and Lena grins.

“Hi,” she responds, significantly less energetic but with the same sentiment behind it.

Every month, Lena and Boyd meet at the Nine-Tailed Diner, just the two of them. It started one day when it was supposed to be all of the kids, but the McDuck kiddos were called away on an adventure, Violet had a school project, and Gosalyn was busy in St. Canard. It doesn’t take a genius to recognize how similar Lena and Boyd’s unique situations and backstories are.

Lena didn’t realize how lonely she was until she had someone who shared her experiences.

Boyd rubs at his elbow. It’s a nervous stim, and Lena’s attention is piqued. If Gyro said something insensitive to him again, well, he may be tall, but he’s a skinny twink, I can take him—

“Lena?”

Lena bites back a swell of nervousness and feigns casualness. “Hm?”

“How… do you feel about Webby?”

Lena blinks. “Well, I like her. You know that, dummy.”

“Yeah, but… how does that feel? You know… liking someone?” Boyd won’t meet her eyes.

Lena frowns. “What do you mean? Doesn’t everyone feel that way?”

Boyd stares at the table, lip trembling, and Lena ponders.

She doesn’t entirely know how to describe how she feels about Webby. Before Webby, it was just her and Aunt Magica. The two of us against the world, Lena always told herself, but it was always the world against Aunt Magica, with Lena sandwiched in the middle. And then she grew to hate Magica as well, like she always should have. For so long, Lena only knew hatred and apathy, whoever it may be directed to.

And then she met Webby.

And then she met Webby, and everything changed.

Webby was—is—a literal ray of sunshine. When Webby’s smiling face pops up in Lena’s view, when her bubbling laugh or high voice makes Lena’s heart sing. It’s stereotypical and cliché beyond belief, much to Lena’s chagrin, but that’s how she feels . If Huey offered her a thesaurus he must have stored in his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook somewhere (that thing has everything — it’s kind of ridiculous, honestly) she wouldn’t change it. There’s no other way to describe it.

“I… don’t know,” Lena hums. “Just… whenever I see her, I instantly feel better. It’s free serotonin, y’know?”

Boyd hums in acknowledgement, and after a moment of semi-awkward silence Lena continues.

She’s never been all that good about putting her feelings into words. She’s not particularly wordy like Huey, and she doesn’t have Violet’s extensive vocabulary (although she’s picked up quite a few words and phrases from the Sabrewing family). Not that she cares about it. It makes these kind of conversations difficult, though. But for Boyd, she will try.

“She was the first person to ever care about me,” Lena muses, fidgeting with the hem of her oversized sweater under the table. She’s had it forever. It feels like home, in the same way Webby does. “She has a special place in my heart. She was my first friend, but it’s different than my relationship with the boys, or Vi, or you.”

Boyd nods and avoids her gaze. He’s unhappy with that conclusion, although Lena can’t fathom why.

“So… by that logic,” Boyd begins, “I should be in love with Huey, right?”

Lena shrugs. It is true that Huey directly parallels Webby in their respective situations. “However you want to define it, dude.”

Boyd flexes his fingers. He’s still unhappy.

“Look, I’m not gonna judge you,” Lena says, snorting slightly and raising her hands placatingly in front of her. “I know homophobia is A Thing, but I literally just talked extensively about how I’m head over heels for another girl, so…”

“Homophobia is terrible,” Boyd responds finally. “I genuinely do not understand how people could think such a thing! How does one act so cruelly to another just because of something so trivial as sexual orientation?”

Lena presses her lips together. “Beats me, dude.”

After a moment, she adds, “So what’s your problem, then?”

Boyd’s head jerks up. “Huh?”

“You’re clearly disappointed about something ,” Lena says, gesturing with her arms and raising her eyebrows. “I know you well enough, ‘cause of these dumb meetings. I’m just gonna point out they were your idea.”

Boyd smirks, ever so slightly. “You love them, though.”

Lena looks away and crosses her arms pointedly, but allows the smallest of smiles to slip through her mask. Boyd cackles at that.

“But seriously. What’s botherin’ you?”

“By all accounts… I should feel that way about Huey. I don’t care about genders, and I feel differently about him than I feel about you and the other kids. But saying I love him, it just doesn’t feel right.” Boyd rubs at his arm.

“Hey, that’s fine!” Lena replies. “That’s kinda how I feel about labels, y’know? Webby likes ‘em, but I don’t.” She narrows her eyes and leans forward with her elbows on the table. “Is Huey pressuring you? ‘Cause if he is I’ll—”

“No! Nononono, Lena, it’s fine,” Boyd chuckles nervously, raising his hands placatingly in front of him. “If anything, I guess I’m pressuring myself. Logically, based on all accounts I have consulted, I should be in love. But…”

Lena gives an exaggeratedly frustrated sigh, making Boyd chuckle despite himself.

“Look, Pink tells me aaaaalll the time that my magic isn’t logical. Especially friendship magic. It follows its own rules, and it’s about looove and the power of friendship or whatever. So cheesy. But I guess your love might be the same thing.”

Lena takes a deep breath and leans back in the diner booth. “Stop pushing your feelings into dumb little boxes they don’t belong in. They won’t fit.”

Boyd smiles at her, small but not muted. “Thanks, Lena.”

Lena glances away, staring pointedly out the window. “Whatever. Don’t expect it to happen again.”

Boyd just giggles at that. His laughter is frustratingly infectious, and after a moment Lena finds herself chuckling alongside him.

The rest of the afternoon flits by, and for the life of her Lena cannot recall what they talked about. But their first topic of conversation, and Boyd’s worry, sits heavy on her mind for a while to come.

--

When Doctor (unofficially, shh, if the news got out that he had never finished his doctorate because of those ridiculous geese Gyro would be ruined ) Gyro Gearloose secured a job with McDuck Industries, he did not expect his precious lab would be run afoot by small children. Not even by Fenton, who acts more like a small child than some of these literal small children sometimes.

It’s almost closing time, but that has never mattered to McDuck Industries’ research branch. Even if Fenton and Manny go home eventually, Gyro has spent weeks on end in the lab. He will outlast them all.

Well, he used to. Before his team and his boss dragged him out to see the sunlight. And before Boyd.

For the record, Gyro did not forget about closing time. Not this time. He was working with that infernal little rodent, who, along with the blue nephew, had somehow wormed Mr. McDuck into allowing her to take some freelance work in the research department. Gyro’s department.

...He did have to admit that Gadget Hackwrench was frustratingly proficient at mechanics and machinery. Especially since she was so small. She was a great help to Gyro’s newest project, which required a lot of rough mechanical know-how.

Gadget, unlike the rest of them, was not incredibly self-sacrificial and actually liked clocking out when she was supposed to. She had to go home to her Rescue Avengers, or whatever they were called. Gyro couldn’t wrap his head around her way of thinking.

So they were tinkering away at the panel of the machine when Gadget glanced at the clock and reminded him of her obligations. She was packing up when Boyd came in.

“Dr. Gearloose!” Boyd, chipper as ever, entered the lab and bounced up to Gyro’s workstation. He was a bundle of energy, reminiscent of the blue and pink children. His hands darted around him like a hummingbird, never quite staying in one place long enough for Gyro’s tired brain to process. After a minute of unconsciously trying to watch and comprehend it, Gyro glanced away and rubbed at his forehead under his glasses while Boyd greeted Gadget with the same enthusiasm.

Wait. Was it really enthusiasm?

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Gyro watched carefully as Boyd flitted around Gadget, mentally comparing his movements and stims with what he knew of happy Boyd. And yes. It was off.

Gadget packed up, and Gyro slowly but carefully placed his wrench down and turned to face Boyd, leaning against his desk in a facade of casualness.

“So.”

“Can you fix me?”

Gyro pinches the bridge of his nose. “What did you do?”

Boyd clasps his hands nervously in front of him. “No. No. Nothing! I just… I know how I’m supposed to feel, but I don’t feel like that! So I must be broken!”

Gyro stares at Boyd like he’s grown a second head —- which, with Gyro’s robotics, is actually plausible. “Pft, you’re not broken. You think you could be broken?! I made you, kid. I fixed you up after Akita tampered with you. The great Gyro Gearloose does not make mistakes.”

Manny taps something unsupportive, and Fenton and Gadget both —- purposefully badly —- hide their laughter. Gyro screeches something incomprehensible at them. It doesn’t matter what he says; the point gets across.

Boyd is still staring up at Gyro, with that hero-worship puppy-dog look in his eyes that he wears so well, and he looks so scared that Gyro’s heart twists. His body sags, and he sighs and rolls his eyes and gestures for Boyd to follow. He perks up, and is immediately at Gyro’s heels with a characteristic grin, but his hands are trembling. Did he teach himself to do that?

Gyro kneels in front of Boyd, behind his desk, and stares into his eyes. Not in a symbolic way —- if he focuses just right, he can see the circuitry in his head.

Gyro purses his lips. “Everything looks fine. I told you I don’t make mistakes.”

“But—- But Lena’s in love with Webby and Dewey’s had three crushes in the past month and I don’t feel anything like that, ever! Lena says it’s fine but she’s had one girlfriend and that worked out for her perfectly and I’m happy for her and Webby, I really am, but I don’t know how to make it work for me and it must be some sort of error in the programming and I—-I just want to be a real boy!”

“Whoa, whoa!” Gyro shoves his hands in front of him reflexively. He pulls them back, out of Boyd’s face, when he processes and realizes how overwhelming that gesture could be. Boyd buries his face in his hands. “You are a real boy.”

Boyd gives him a tiny nod and doesn’t respond. Gyro’s throat feels tight and constricting, bile building up inside. He wants to say something and break the tension and silence, but he doesn’t know what or how.

“Love isn’t everything,” he says lamely after a minute. “I didn’t fall in love until Fenton, honestly. Not for real. Della said something about ‘demiromanticism,’ whatever the hell that is, and she says Mr. McDuck is the same way, but honestly I don’t really care. I don’t need to compartmentalize and hyper-analyze every aspect of myself that way. But if you want to, you could talk to her. Or the red nephew. He’d know.”

It’s weird, being this open and honest about his thoughts and feelings that aren’t inventions and blueprints. A part of Gyro is screaming at himself to close, shutter the windows and pull the walls back up and raise the prickly spikes to defend against anyone who dares get close. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this, really.

Strike that. He knows why. It’s Boyd . He’ll do anything to bring that kid’s sunny disposition back. And he knows why he’ll do that, too.

“Demiromanticism?” Boyd places a finger on his chin and tilts his head ever so carefully to the side, testing out the feel of the word. “What’s that?”

Gyro shrugs lazily. “I dunno. Some fancy way of saying I only want a relationship with people who get close to me. Which is a very exclusive circle.”

Boyd pauses. Blinks. Gyro can nearly see the wheels turning in his head. “If there’s a term for that, do you think… there’s a term for going all the way? A term for never wanting a relationship?”

Gyro raises his eyebrows. “Probably.” He reaches for his phone. Boyd could search for it in his internal search engine (proudly programmed by Gyro two months ago, since search engines didn’t exist twenty years ago, but for the record if he had thought of it Akita hadn’t had him on such a tight schedule he could have done it. For the record.)

“Aromanticism,” Gyro muses, reading out loud. “The lack of romantic attraction. Does that sound about right?”

“Hmm,” Boyd puts his finger to his chin again. “It fits! I like it!”

Gyro smiles, that soft and gentle smile reserved exclusively for Boyd (and Fenton, sometimes). “Perfect. Now get out of my lab. It’s past closing time.”

Boyd sticks out his tongue, playful. “Like you care. Don’t stay up too late!”

Gyro just smiles in response and resolves himself to not make any promises he won’t keep.

Boyd gives him a quick, tight hug goodbye. He always gives hugs, to say hello and goodbye and everything inbetween, and Gyro is never quite prepared for them, although he certainly doesn’t mind them. Gyro isn’t very comfortable with touch or affection in general when it doesn’t come from a select few people, but he never protests. Boyd is one of those “select few people”.

If today’s hug is a bit tighter and longer than usual (but still brief, since Boyd knows well how Gyro clams up with physical affection, even if it’s from him, and he respects that), neither Boyd nor Gyro say a word.

Boyd says his goodbyes to the rest of Team Science (Gadget is long gone by now) and skips out of the room. “I can’t wait to tell Huey about this! He probably knows all about aromanticism! It’s probably in his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook!”

Gyro leans against his desk, the cuffs of his shirt catching on the corners. “You do that, kid.”

“And Lena! She’ll be happy to know I figured it out, even if she won’t say so!” Boyd chirps. “Thanks, Dr. Gearloose!”

Gyro’s wry smile turns into something monumentally more sincere and real. “No problem, kid.”

The elevator dings and Boyd is gone. Gyro used to revel in the lab’s silence, but even with the background noise of Fenton, Manny, and Lil’ Bulb tinkering away at their respective projects (and decidedly not saying anything), it feels uncomfortably quiet without Boyd’s incessant chatter.

He hums softly to himself and picks up his phone to call Della before she hears about this from Huey and berates him for not telling her right away. He puts on a new pot of coffee for when he comes back, and lets Fenton know he’s going on his break.

“You know the workday technically ended half an hour ago, right? You don’t need me to clock you out,” Fenton replies, grinning. He can read Gyro like a book.

Gyro rolls his eyes and grumbles under his breath, but waves his former intern off.

As he walks out, he pictures Boyd. He would be sitting in the limo, brimming with excitement, tapping his fingers eagerly on his legs with barely contained enthusiasm. Launchpad picked him up for a sleepover at Mr. McDuck’s, so by this point he should be almost home. He’ll burst into the mansion and spill his discovery to Huey before he catches his breath, and he, Huey, Webby, and Violet will make a board and a list of thoughts and information on aromanticism while Dewey tries to catch popcorn in his mouth and Lena and Louie add snarky comments. They’ll all chime in with their own experiences and eat lots of sugary snacks until they eventually fall asleep in a pile of pillows and blankets and each other on the living room couch. Boyd will come into the lab on Monday and tell him all about it, and maybe Huey will as well.

Gyro smiles fondly to himself as he steps into the hallway outside of the lab and leans against the wall, pulling up Della’s contact on his phone. The tab on aromanticism is still open on his phone, and he scrolls through it idly, taking note of all the information and how it could relate to Boyd.

He’s not fit for this role in Boyd’s life. But he loves Boyd, so he’ll do his best. And Dr. Gyro Gearloose’s best is a feat they tell tales of.

Across town, in the mansion, sitting on her sleeping bag in her pajamas and sneaking handfuls of gummy bears behind Violet’s watchful eye, Lena shares a similar sentiment. Boyd explains what he’s learned, bursting with excited energy in the form of overenthusiastic gestures, and Lena wonders why this little, enthusiastic kid decided to choose her as a sister figure.

But she’s not complaining.

Lena sneaks another handful of gummies and wraps her arm around Webby, who makes a bright, contented sound and snuggles into her side. No, she’s definitely not complaining.

~

i wrote this almost a year ago actually, for the Because We're Family LGBTQuaranzine! (@ducktaleslgbtquaranzine) This is a nonprofit pay-what-you-want zine, with all of the money going to DirectRelief, a charity dedicated to Covid relief in countries that have been hit hard by it. I had a lot of fun working on this zine and this particular piece, and I worked with a lot of great people. The zine is chock-full of amazing pieces and really talented, skilled people, and all the proceeds go to a reputable cause. I cannot recommend it enough!

this piece is pretty close to my heart because it encompasses a lot of my favorite things - weblena, lena & boyd friendship (they have SO many parallels i think they would get along so well!), and gyro being a father to boyd! in all honesty, this was my very first zine and i was really nervous, but i had so much fun writing this and i'm grateful it was such a good experience!

a lot of boyd's confusion about aromanticism is taken straight from my self-realization process. that's some good ole projection, baybee! i didn't have anyone like huey, but it's certainly difficult to figure out what romantic love really is and how that affects you and your relationships. it's like a puzzle. it's not explicitly mentioned in the fic, but i'm autistic, and boyd is pretty heavily autistic-coded (and god i could go on for hours about that, and i have before, but i'll spare you all the tangent, although i'll happily talk about it if you want me to), which adds this whole other obstacle when figuring out aromanticism, because we struggle with social relationships and fitting them in boxes. sometimes labels feel really comforting and satisfactory, but sometimes it's a real puzzle to fit into these boxes that weren't always made for us. sometimes they fit, and sometimes they don't. it was pretty fun exploring that from a slightly different perspective, as well as putting some of my own thoughts and experiences into words.

if you ever wanna talk ducktales, writing, these amazing characters, or really anything hmu here or on my twitter! thank you for reading, and please leave a like/reblog/comment (i read tags) if you enjoyed it!

[chubbyhl]

Baker Harry (because Harry used to work in a bakery) has a small independent bakery and in it a favourite customer: The Lovely Lou, as he has started calling him, because Louis is just lovely - kind and open and warm and friendly and a ray of sunshine every day and lovely to look at with his generous curves and soft-heavy body...and so on. It's a crush. And Louis, who is a bit insecure about his chubby body, just likes every single one of Harry's creations so much (and the gorgeous baker too) and although he resolves to start dieting every other week, he can't help getting his daily dose of serotonin in form of visiting Harry and his bakery. And every time he comes in, Harry will beam like he's the second coming of Christ or something and compliment him, make him sit down and put at least two different pieces of the daily specialties in front of him.

And it makes him gain weight of course, which is quite counterproductive, and how will he ever secure a date with Harry, when he looks like this...?

But Harry loves his body and it drives him half mad to see how Louis heavily sits down in the comfy chairs, legs spread wide so that his belly can sink down freely, thighs spreading out in wide columns, his ass and belly getting bigger and rounder... And all the while H is able to see not only how happy his treats make Louis, but also how they affect his figure more and more; all the love he puts into his baked goods materializes in Louis' love for them and even more love on his soft sides, his round belly, his thick thighs and little puffy cheeks.. Basically, he thinks Louis is the best goddamn thing to ever happen to him and it is so absolutely wildly incomprehebsible for him how Louis can't see himself the same way, so he tries his best to show his appreciation and love in any and every way possible.

Soft bakery romance and intensive body worship? Maybe excessive praise during sex? Shy flirting? Autumn really has me feeling a way

oh I LOVE bakery aus, they're classic and so good. I eat them up (no pun intended) every time I see them. and in this au, they're so special bc of mister Harry "I used to work in a bakery" Styles.

And I love this au bc louis has his very own nickname, this beautiful boy that has captured Harry's attention with his beautiful body and his never ending sweet tooth. and harry doesn't know how to express his affection except to throw food at Louis, and Louis just keeps accepting even if he's a little self conscious over how his clothes are fitting lately as a result.

I would love to see the boiling point of their little flirting game, where they just have to have each other 🥰

[rockheadcd]

@reconductor​ said: i grab u like a squeaky toy and shake you around.

you are literally doing god's work out here with your muses!!! i am gonna go insane!!!!!!

roark. roark my sweet little sunshine my little guy my ambiguous disaster. you give him SO MUCH depth for someone that in game is basically just there to introduce you to the gym challenge? i always felt it was a shame how little the gym leaders get explored in canon for how important they actually are, and also roark somehow always stuck out to me as one of those few gym leaders i would keep thinking back to- honestly ngl i got excited when you first followed bc i saw him there in your blog and i went THATS THE BOY!!! i just love how much you have worked on him and how much you have fleshed him out, even in the silly little details like his metal shirts and his music likes- it all just comes together so well and i love to read everything you're doing. and thats not even mentioning whatever the fuck is going on between him and volkner :) thats free serotonin right there thank u for indulging me and this mess it's a delight to even just talk it all out in discord!! so yes roark 10/10 perfect rock boy i would let him have a hug with volkner that will confuse the straights again

NOW STEVEN. i will admit i dont remember much from gen3, im not even sure if i played it in full and i still need to get to oras and finish xy? but my god how i fucking love to see your other silly rock man, it's just so much fun all around to read anything you write with him and see him lose it at the credit card fraud :) hes just so full of character beyond the rock love and you are doing such a good job at making him clearly steven the weird cryptid fucking off to caves for rocks while still having so much more to him than that- and his much clearer relationship with wallace is also just so good all around?? love to see the guncles. please adopt more kids that need it we got plenty of trauma going all around. another 10/10 hope volkner's box won't kill him

LASTLY BUT NOT LEAST ADAMAN YOU FUNNY DUMB CLAN MAN I LOVE ADAMAN. honestly i have to keep reminding myself that hes not? a rock man too technically i guess?? but you just got him nailed so well i see him in here and he just fits with roark and steven even when they have no fucking interactions whatsoever. he's just so great all around i am so so glad to see how you write him and the chaos that things turn into its so much fun. 10/10 again i hope dialga will show him the rest of crush 40's sonic hits

(zoroark is also nice i GUESS. fuck you. fuck you for that (affectionate) )

AND YOU. YOU ARE SO GOOD. YOU'RE SUCH A NICE PERSON AND IT'S SO FUN TO TALK TO YOU AND HAVE YOU AROUND AND ALSO YOUR ART GIVES ME LIFE DON'T FUCKING STOP!!! i will kill god for you that is a threat and a promise. / portrayal vibe check. | accepting.

i’m gonna fuckin GET YOU, YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO SEND ME AN ESSAY?! FAE..........I DON’T DESERVE YOU UEHUEHEUEE Q_Q.....

but you’re so right roark was made to get stomped on and be your tutorial buddy but like....i did not expect so many people to be like “no he’s a fave” and i be like WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS LIKE 10 PLAYING THIS. idk he’s been. a muse i’ve kinda wanted to write and it’s buddies like you that can give him the environment to thrive and fit into. i can fit so many useless tidbits of info in mildly obscure characters i cannot be stopped. thank YOU for indulging me in whatever the fuck they’re doing rn bc i’m loving it and you’re ruining my spoofy wrapped this year.

i’m so appreciative that you enjoy steven’s absolutely chaotic life bc i have way too much fun with it.. we need to write more muses together bc it’s very fun. and adaman is just the only sane bitch on this blog i’m pretty sure HE’S LITERALLY HERE TO VIBE AND BE SEXY. i hope he gets hooked on crush 40 so any of his descendants have absolute garbo taste in music. :)

( we don’t talk about zoroark. except that we do. a lot. i can’t wait for him to stab the depresstie. ♥ ) BUT FOR REAL THANK YOU.... i’m just a tired dad but i’ve enjoyed every moment chatting with you and completely destroying my sleep schedule in the process. 

[cross-d-a]

Pass the happy!💖 When you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in your notifications!

(I have decided that Discord notifs count because I love you dearly and wanna hear what makes you happy)

HELLO!!!! I love you and I kinda really needed this and I think you know that so thank you!!!!! I love and appreciate you SO MUCH!!

Also I've literally been thinking about this post for two hours and so I'm not gonna stick to just five- I'm gonna list MORE than that because I wanna remind myself that there are many wonderful things in the world to be happy about and also PICS!! I'm adding PICS bc I CAN!!!!!!!!!

under the cut bc it gets LONG! :)

1) YOU make me happy, Sierra!!!!!!! Also @s1utspeare and @vishcount and of course my bff @haru-tl !!! You guys are so fucking incredible and talented and AMAZING!!!! I love you all SO MUCH!!! You always make my day!!! And all the dmbj peeps!!! I am so lucky to know so many wonderful people!!!!

2) as long as we're on the subject of people- I absolutely can't leave out my coworkers!!! Literally some of the best people I've ever met in my life. I have so much fun with them. I can always count on them making me laugh.

Like today, we were talking about this reptile house a few towns away and my manager was telling us about their cool anaconda exhibit where you can crawl under the glass tank and watch them eat and she mentioned their teeth being scary. So I googled Anaconda Teeth and went WOAH THEY'RE COOL and our Resident Snake Expert came over and went actually that pic is from the movie Anaconda. And then he helped me find Real Pics and the teeth were even COOLER. I left the Google search up on the work computer and a couple hours when I was on lunch I heard Mike exclaim: "I had NO idea that ANACONDAS had TEETH!!!!!!" Which?? MIKE?? WHAT??? Hahaha everyone burst into laughter :)

3) my cat BOOTS makes me happy!! He's always asking for belly scritches and he drools when he's happy. Here's a pic bc I adore him:

4) my new baby boy So Mun from The Uncanny Counter makes me VERY happy!!!!! He's just- the Sweetest Boy to have ever Baby'd!!! I adore his little crinkly-eyed smile and curly hair!!! He's just so GOOD it makes me cry!! Also!! Disabled rep!!!!! LOVE HIM!!!!! Look at his lil' FACE:

and bc he is Unfortunately Very Hot in his mourning outfit:

adding this too bc LOOK AT THAT ADORABLE SMILE I wanna SCREAM

5) my Pangzi necklace makes me happy!!! I have an Iron Triangle matching set, but the Pangzi one I first put on bc of Brigid's Pangzi chapter for Swiftly Tilting and then I kinda just- never took it off haha. It's just so pretty and makes me feel like I've got a bit of Pangzi with me at all times. I love that man SO much and if I can be even a fraction of how wonderful he is, then I can die happy

6) the smell of the sea makes me happy!!! It makes me feel refreshed and relaxed! I live by Puget Sound and on very lucky days I can smell it at my house! Tonight was a lucky night! I came home and it smelled like the seashore, so I kept my window open as I folded laundry :)

7) my new collection of Kpop CDs makes me happy!! It's entirely bc of Vish's influence and I LOVE her for it!!! The packaging is just so pretty and I always love being able to hold things that give me Good Feelings in my hands :)

8) since we're on the subject of COLLECTIONS, I love to collect things!! And one collection of things that makes me happy are my books!! I have- too many. Working in a bookstore makes it too easy to buy them! But seeing the bright spines on my shelves gives me delight. I particularly really like my queer manga collection!! I've got four whole shelves of it! :) I'd offer a pic but I'm too tired to go upstairs, haha but I love the art and the representation 🌈

9) I ALSO really love all the figures I collect! Seeing characters that I love on a daily basis makes me happy. I usually decorate my bookshelves with them. One set that makes me particularly happy are my Pingxie ones. They look like they're getting married and it delights me:

10) another purchase that is entirely bc of Vish (I ADORE you!!) is my Chimmy blanket!! He's just so adorable and bright and coming home every day to see him waiting on my bed makes me very happy

11) yet another bright yellow thing that makes me happy is my dmbj Xiao Ge coaster!! It's so sparkly and fun AND it's a friendship coaster I share with Sierra!! We've got a matching set, babe!! I love you!! Let's just shake them around and be distracted by the sparkles forever!!

12) coming back to work from my weekend to find a bunch of manga to shelve always makes me very happy!!! Buying/pricing/shelving manga is my favourite thing to do at work! I love seeing familiar and new titles!

And it's interesting to see how prices can change if it goes out of print! Sometimes every single book in a series but ONE is the same price. Like last month we had a series where like/ volume 8 was worth $250 vs the regular $7.99 for the rest of them. And someone BOUGHT IT!! Things like that can happen randomly. It can be bc it was a smaller printing for that particular volume. OR something special happens in it (new character appearance/fan favourite story arc/BOOBS), so more ppl want to keep it which means it's harder to come by (and then sellers raise their prices BC it's difficult to come by). You usually see the collectible value go up for out of print BL or older series like Aria or Lupin III. Not everything that's out of print is collectible, but it's always interesting when it is :)

13) DAY6's The Book of Us: Gravity has graciously given me a big serotonin boost the last couple days!! It's just- I dunno! Uplifting! Catchy! Full of energy! :)

14) similarly, I've been listening to Close Your Eyes by Isaac Hong almost exclusively for like- five days now! It's from The Uncanny Counter and it makes me very happy! It's very emotional and just reminds me of my baby boy So Mun :)

15) sunshine makes me happy!! I'm at that point in the year where I don't want rain anymore, just sun! So it's always nice having my windows open at home with the sun shining through. Or the back doors at work propped open while we go about our day. It's almost impossible to feel sad when you get to bask in the warmth of the sun and smell the nice fresh air

16) finding weird random books at work makes me happy! It's so fun seeing the kinds of things people read! And sometimes you find cool ephemera in the things people sell to us that they don't want back. Like- look at this pic from an older fortune-telling birthday book I found. She is 1000% Drowning Him and I love that for her :)

17) reading manga makes me happy. There are just so many wonderful and ridiculous series out there. There really is nothing "too weird to publish" in the manga world. I was reminded of this the other day when I discovered a series about a girl who timetravels and finds out that her soulmate is a Neanderthal. You can literally find a series about ANYTHING in the manga world and I love that about it. There's no limit to the imagination and there's something for everyone :)

18) when I'm in the mood, writing and drawing make me happy. There's just something about creating that really just- fills the soul :)

19) making playlists makes me happy!! I love having playlists for characters and relationships and fics and even specific fic chapters or moods or going to sleep! (And rec playlists! Like Vish's :) ) It's just- so satisfying having the Perfect Playlist on hand! Plus it's fun actually making them- like figuring out the mood/lyrics and what they fit into :) I listen to music almost constantly, so this is essential! :)

So thank you Sierra!! It was nice to remind myself about a lot of different things that bring joy to my life!! I love and adore you SO MUCH 💖💖💖

[jiracheer]

!!! My very first request!!! 🥺 I was so happy to see this in my inbox!! Sorry these are a bit long, but I hope you enjoy nevertheless anon!! 💕💕 pls forgive any grammar mistakes! im p sure i wrote this around 2 AM LMAO

__________________________________________

{ Haikyuu boys taking you out on your first date HCs }

ASAHI AZUMANE

we all know he's rlly nervous about y'alls first date

he probably asks the boys for help about places to go, and how to ask you out!!

Suga, Daichi, Yachi, Kiyoko, Ennoshita, and Yams are super helpful!! They give him a lot of helpful tips, and even help him figure out a way to ask you out in the most perfect way possible!

Tsukki, Noya, Tanaka, Kags, and Hinta were little to no help. Their Ideas were... Good, but they weren't what he was looking for. He appreciates their help in the end 

you both tend to walk home together. It really depends though! Sometimes you're down to wait until practice is over, and sometimes you just wanna go home and do your own thing

so on one of the walks home, he stops you halfway and asks you if you wanted to go roller skating date with him over the weekend

his face is so red

and so is yours because you never would've thought he'd ask you out on a date

he thinks you're about to reject him because you're just standing there in silence

"Y-You don't- We don't have to go-"

"No! Wait! I do wanna go out with you!"

the rest of the walk home is really awkward, but there's a sweet smile on y'alls faces

when the day finally comes, Asahi picks you up from your house and you're 🥺

he's wearing a cute pair of jeans with a wooly sweater over a white button up, and converse

and you're like,,, omg, did i underdress?? i need to look as cute as that??? and you look like you're about to go back inside and change, but he stops you halfway and tells you that you look cute

last minute he pulls out a handful of flowers, and you're about to cry because he's so damn cute, but then he apologizes bc lowkey they're kinda crushed

but its okay

you put them inside and y'all start leaving

y'all chat about whatever and you walk close to him, and you hold onto his arm and lean against him

when it comes to the skating part? y'all are dying.

you both cling to the walls until you finally find the confidence to skate, and you're FERAL. You're zooming around, and Asahi is just watching you with big eyes and a blush

you try your best to pull him off the wall, and skate with you, and he was terrified! man almost peed his pants! but eventually you peel him off and he's SHAKING

this tall beefy man that could snap you in half, is leaning on you and holding onto you for dear life, and you're the only thing between him and the floor

it takes him a hot minute before he's finally able to stand without busting his ass, or shaking, so you take his hand and y'all are just vibing

when the couple song comes on? He's heading towards the exit and you tug him BACK into the rink, and you're like :) "let's skate!!"

he almost passes out

he never would've thought you'd want to skate with him during a couple turn 🥺

he holds your hand real tight, and you interlace your fingers with him. and it's just really nice

Asahi leans against you again but it's not as heavy, it's a good weight that you wanna feel all night long

y'all decide to split a pizza and an icee, and you're just hanging out at your table and you're just sitting close and 🥺🥺🥺

his face is close to yours when you talk, and you're hugging his arm and you just lay your head on his shoulder

im so fuckin soft

eventually, you get really tired and it's time to go home

Asahi takes you home and nervously takes your hand before you go in, and he kisses your knuckles and wishes you goodnight

the second you're inside? you're dying

Asahi is also dying

IWAIZUMI HAJIME

you and Iwa are probably already pretty close, and you both knew how you felt, but neither one of you knew how to approach the situation

bc no cap?

Iwa was lowkey waiting for YOU to say something

while you were waiting for IWA to say something

and the whole team is sick and tired of it. Especially Oikawa

He just wants to see his two favorite people get together!!!

So he urged Iwa to say something after one of their matches

and thats when you both decide to finally make plans for a date, and you both suggested going bowling

and y'all just kinda looked at each other

and laughed really fuckin hard

You both decide to just meet up there since it would be easier for the both of you

he looks rlly cute in his usual attire of just a good pair of jeans, hoodie, and a jacket above it

and you're like. eyein that jacket. you want it by the end of the night

so you two go in, get your shoes, and start heading down to the lanes

on god, you're nervous. you're scared of your fingers getting stuck in the balls

you tell Iwa and he laughs at you, telling you that it won't happen if you're careful

you kinda eye him like uhmmm if you say so????

but you're still careful

y'all decide to name each other

Iwa is a gentleman, so he makes your nickname 'Sunshine :)'

sadly tho, you decide to be a lil shit, and his nickname is 'Oikawa's whore'

he punches your arm and you're in tears from how hard you're laughing

y'all decide to place a bet at the start since you wanted to add some spice to the date

you make a bet that if iwa wins, you're paying for the food, and if you win, he pays for the food

eventually you start playing and he's way ahead of you, and you're hitting his back jealous that he's winning

iwa is laughing in your face and he reaches for another ball. you have a feeling that this is gonna be the ball that makes you lose

you just watch in horror as he lifts the ball

he's preparing to throw it...

and!

he's sent forward, collapsing onto the ground with a double heavy thud

you blink.

and then you LAUGH REALLY FUCKIN HARD

Karma is a bitch! Iwa's fingers got stuck in the ball, and he's just laying there dumbfounded, and you're laughing

you have to help him up eventually, and you're trying so hard not to cry/shout in laughter. He's all red, but you help his fingers out and y'all sit down

you look over his hand and you're making sure his fingers aren't broken or anything

iwa just watches your tiny lil hand in his, and his heart is racing SO FAST

it isn't until you kiss his fingertips and tell him that you're gonna go get ice, that this man explodes

he takes your wrist and pulls you down so he can kiss your nose and he thanks you with a tiny mumble

you lowkey die on the spot and stagger away to get his ice, and when you come back there's a bit more pep in your step

you come back and his fingers seem okay, so you just decide maybe it's a good time to start going back home

the walk back is full of laughter and him eventually throwing an arm around your shoulder

you lean into his side and you hold his hand

when he drops you off the two of you just hang out in your porch

and he eventually leans down to kiss you 🥺 and he whispers good night against your lips

he waves you farewell, and you do too

and you know damn well you wanna go on another date with this man

TENDOU SATORI

on god I struggled to think of a date idea for Tendou

bc I was given SOOOOO MANY GOOD DATE IDEAS FOR THIS FUCKER

Tendou decided to ask you out of the blue if you wanted to go to the zoo with him

you were kinda shocked to see that Tendou wanted to go somewhere with YOU of all people

because no cap, you thought u were pretty Lame, and not cool enough to hang out with him, but. 😳 um. you said yes! let's go to the zoo!!!

but you really didn't know if it was a date or not, because he didn't say it, but in your head its a date

you're a lil nervous about going to the zoo with him because you haven't hung around with him one on one

Leon, Semi, and even Toshi, were always with y'all when you two would hang out

so having alone time with him is KINDAAAA intimidating

but when he pulls up to your house so excited to take you out 🥺 all of your anxieties are GONE!!!!!

he does not HESITATE to take your hand. He holds your tiny lil hand in his much bigger one, and he just chats about whatever comes to mind

when y'all are on the train, he sits across from you just so he can watch you stare out the window and admire you AND the view outside

he chose a pretty good day to take you out. the sun was bright and warm, and you were wearing the cutest dress so he knew today was going to be pretty good

the second you get to the zoo he makes sure to buy tickets to ride the train around the zoo, and even access to the carousel

you're about to WWE bodyslam him to the ground for buying you your ticket!! like motherfucker I have the money!!!!!!

you're so close to beating the shit out of him, but he slips the access bracelet around your wrist and slips his fingers through yours and he's like

🥰🥰🥰🥰!!!

anger? gone.

serotonin? here.

your love for him? massive.

hotel? trivago.

you decide to get a map of the zoo so you two know where you're going, and you end up navigating the both of you around

Tendou is going feral over all the animals, and he tugs on you gently to point at whatever animal is doing something he finds exciting

He even goes as far as to pick you up if you can't see a certain animal because they're positioned somewhere high

when it comes to finally going on the small ass train, y'alls legs are basically twisted with eachother and your hip is pressed against his in such an uncomfortable position

its a tight fit!!! im pretty sure your leg is falling asleep

but you can't help but giggle and laugh when Tendou leans over you to see the animals, cheek pressed against yours since you turned your head to look too

ugh. fucker takes this chance to kiss your cheek and nose it, and when you go all red he laughs at you

when you go see the penguins he holds you really close to his side, and hugs you from behind to keep you warm

but also so he can see the penguins better. the penguin house was lowkey full

you have to hold him back from touching most animals that seemed close enough to be touched

y'all get a pretzel and split that shit, but then you're both screaming when a bird swoops down to steal it right from your hands

just as you're about to get on the carousel, there's a distant rumble of thunder and you both stop like ????? brother what??? the sun was OUT

the zoo announces that they would be closing soon due to the rain, and they urge the members to start heading to their cars or whatever other method of transportation

you just look at Tendou like 👁_____👁 wut da hell we gon do...... now?

Tendou looks back at you like queen don't ask me. i didnt think we'd get this far on god

you both decide to just start leaving so you don't get caught in the rain

but wow, what do you know, it starts raining as you walk to the train station

and you BOOK IT

you're screeching as the rain just hits you at full force, and you're holding onto Tendou's arm for dear life, and he's laughing so hard and just stops

you're like ??? IT'S RAINING???? WE GOTTA BLAST BITCH

but listen. This dude is vibing now. He just had such a good day with you, and the rain feels so nice on his hot skin, and he's never felt so much at once

and you kinda just stop and admire him for a bit. So you stand under the rain with him before it gets to be too much, and you take his hand gently and start walking to the station

y'all just hang under the tin roof the station provides

you're both soaked, but sit close to one another to share heat bc y'all kinda stupid for tryin to act out a hallmark movie scene

but hey

at least y'all had fun, right?