#all that drama and for what? both of them to end single in a wedding

[obliviouskara]

nothing infuriates me more than knowing that a ship that i have fallen miserably head over heels in love with (like to the point of probably botherline obsession) is not even freaking canon but also so badly written that watching them canon causes you nothing but full on rage what do you mean an entire community can see their chemistry all except the writers/producers of the show?? are you fucking kidding me

[cxffecoupx]

what 2 am with them looks like

seventeen × gn reader comfort, healing (kinda, idk) warnings: mentions of making love, food wc: 1.3k author's notes: this was a random thought, and has been in my drafts for so long, so i decided i had to complete it. writing this gave me a peace i didn't know existed, so i love this work very much. i hope you guys love it too <3

➼ choi seungcheol

in bed. he's probably fucking you into the next week, making you cum at least 5 times before he kisses you gently and washes you up and prepares to sleep. if not this, then you're probably on your side of the bed. the other side of the bed remains empty, because your cuddly clingy boyfriend is wrapped around you, strong arms trapping your movements and legs tangled together.

➼ yoon jeonghan

dumb conversations. lying in bed, your head resting on his arm, your arm wrapped around his torso that shakes with the laughter. it's probably one of your lame jokes that only he finds funny, or one of his hilarious stories about seungkwan and chan, but it's got you both clutching your stomachs after a while. he pulls you close with his arm that's under your head and presses a light kiss to your forehead before finding another interesting topic. when do you sleep that night, that's a question you both have no answer for.

➼ hong jisoo

deep conversations. you're both sitting in your bedroom, hugging pillows as you slip into deep conversations about the universe and your future. you aren't sure how you got here, you were in your bed to sleep one moment and in the next, you're both sitting as you talk about your wedding and your house and the stars and the moon and his mom and his job; the conversation flows easily into the next topic. he only stops when he sees you suppress a yawn for the 3rd time before kissing you and suggesting you both go to sleep.

➼ moon junhui

watching cat videos. it all started a few hours ago, with you and jun on either side of the bed, scrolling through phones. you roll over to him, perfectly landing your head on his chest as you show him your screen. "look junie," you said as you shoved the phone into his face. he chuckles before holding your hand and focusing on the video of an orange cat tripping over it's own feet. he laughs watching it, and it ends up in you lying on his chest as you both watched every single cat video available on the earth. your laughs filled the room and tears filled your eyes, but it felt so good, spending time doing silly things like this.

➼ kwon soonyoung

passive watching soap operas. its the time of calm and quiet after the rush of the day, so when you turn on the tv after dinner, you stay like that until late hours. except the focus has moved from the drama on the tv to drama from work. from sitting at the ends of the couch, you end up tangled somehow - his head resting on your lap or him sitting on the floor, hands held with yours. the tv drones on at a low volume, but by then you've both shared all the tea from your work and are giggling over the littlest of things. in the morning, you're both probably on the floor, one of the cushions as a pillow and keeping warm by hugging each other.

➼ jeon wonwoo

playing games. after much practice and pain, you'd finally gotten better at the games wonwoo often played. most nights you'd be a team going against your other friends, but sometimes you prefer to play against him. and when that happens, it ends in either of the two ways: you're winning and start shaking your hips, or he's winning and decides to deliberately lose to help you win. either way, he wants to see your happy lil dance.

➼ lee jihoon

in his studio. jihoon's seated in his studio, working on a new track. when you arrive, he immediately pulls you to him, making you sit on his lap as he hands you his headphones. you look at him, confused, but wear them anyway and listen as he plays the track he was just working on. as you fall deeper into the melody of the song, he grips your hips in anticipation. it was a song to you, from him, containing the most heartfelt emotions he'd felt for you, but couldn't communicate properly. so he decided to put them into a song, a language he speaks so well and one that you understand.

➼ lee seokmin

having breakfast cereal. you'd gone through great lengths to find and buy the brand of cereal you both highly enjoyed. so now that you have it, why wait for the morning? when he wakes you up in the middle of the night, anxious and groggy about your reaction, he'd worried you'd judge him. but maybe it's the sleepiness hanging in his mind that he forgot you both basically share the same braincell. so the next minute you're stumbling into the kitchen, looking for bowls and cartons and giggling over spilling milk and noisy spoons. by the time you're done, your stomach's filled with food and heart's filled with love.

➼ kim mingyu

moments of soft intimacy. the evening goes by peacefully: you both come home, tired and exhausted; have a silent dinner mingyu lovingly prepared and talk about work; after some leftover work you both head to bed. but slowly, the stroke on the cheek becomes kissing, drawing shapes on your back as you kiss and nip at the base of his neck. mingyu's vulnerable now, only with you, but neither of you are in a rush to haste. his hands cup over your ass and thighs; your hands are braided in his hair. his palms knead the flesh of your breasts; your fingers gently brush across his chest and abs. whether or not you make love comes later, but you sleep peacefully in each other's embrace.

➼ xu minghao

sky-watching. when you poke him awake, he's definitely concerned, but the first thought that pops to his head when you say you cant sleep is to go sit in the balcony. so now, at 2 am, you're in the balcony, a cup of warm tea in your hands and xu minghao at your side. its silent, but its a comfortable silence that wraps around you like a blanket, and warmed up by the tea he specially made for you. and although for others, the silence might seem awkward, minghao knows that this is exactly what you need to escape from the thoughts racing around in your mind.

➼ boo seungkwan

late night walks. seungkwan's energy peaks after he comes home and sees you, so walks to tire you both out becomes a staple in the routine. youre walking the streets in matching hoodies (that's because you take one of his) and even in the cold, he makes it a habit to hold your hand in his. you wander through new streets every night, discovering new neighbourhoods, having a quick snack from the convenience store, and usually stumble over a park or play area. you can feel seungkwan's eyes light up and the next thing you know, youre on the swings, side-by-side. with the little squeeze of your hand, he lets you know he's ready to go back.

➼ chwe hansol

watching a movie. to hansol, any logical being would be asleep at this hour. (un)fortunately for him, you weren't as logical as he thought. but maybe he enjoys it because why else would he allow you to keep him awake at this ungodly hour, watching 'Tangled' for the twentieth time now? all frowns erase the moment he sees pascal on the screen, and a smile places itself. he becomes so engrossed in the movie he doesn't even notice that you'd fallen asleep about halfway through the movie. when he does notice tho, he silently closes the laptop and places it away, before slipping back into the bed to get his precious sleep.

➼ lee chan

listening to him talk. chan loves to talk, and you love to listen to him talk. while mostly by this time you're both dead asleep, sometimes you end up in the balcony, the wind playfully ruffling his hair as he goes on and on about something he's so so passionate about. it could be the most trivial things, but the way his eyes go wide as he's expressing his emotions and the way they catch the moonlight in them like little stars. you're gonna be pretty tired the next morning, but when chan's with you, you couldn't care less.

[amiserableseriesofevents]

To celebrate one week since the ending of Such Stuff, here are some headcanons about the future that awaits our boys 🥰✨

Such stuff future headcanons 🎭

They make it work, obviously. It takes a while for things to go smoothly, they fight some more, but they both do their best to find solutions and in the end it pays off. John learns to speak up when things are bothering him without fearing a negative reaction from Gale, and Gale learns to ask questions and not to assume he knows everything that goes through John's mind.

Gale doesn't become a full-time professional actor but he keeps acting with amateur groups and sometimes he joins the Hundredth's productions in smaller roles and John always brings him flowers at the stage door, even if he was acting too.

It's ok, though: at some point he realizes he actually likes teaching and once he's not a substitute teacher anymore he likes it even more!

Gale also runs the drama club at school, and every year there's a different actor from the Hundredth working with him to teach the kids. They put on a show that goes live for one night at the Abbotts at the end of the school year, and soon the other schools in the area want the same kind of extracurricular. Bonus: Tabitha does actually become an actress!

Marge becomes the Hundredth's official costume designer and even when she moves on to bigger clients she still takes time to design things for them for (almost) free. And after a long on again-off again stage, she and Rosie actually do get together for good and become the Girlboss/Malewife duo that was missing from the group.

John's career takes off after the Tempest, he remains in the Bloody Hundredth but also participates in productions of bigger companies. He ends up winning different awards, most importantly a Tony, and dedicates every single one to “his partner, his Buck”, and later to “his husband, his Buck.”

John and Alex act together in something at some point and Gale risks having a stroke because he didn't know he could fangirl so much.

Gale and John start thinking about moving in together around a year after the Tempest, but Gale feels guilty because he doesn't want to leave Benny with the burden of a rent too high/a house too big for a single person. What he doesn't know is that Benny is hesitating about moving in with Brady for the exact same reason; luckily for them Bucky and Brady figure it out and make the other two talk about it.

They end up finding flats in the same building, one on top of the other, which is great so Meatball can have all his four dads with him.

Benny and Gale still have lunch together at their diner on Sundays, once a month without exceptions.

When Bucky's mom and/or sisters come visit they always want to see Brady too and bring food and other stuff for both their boys.

John tries reconnecting with his father but since he still disapproves of his career he decides to cut him loose. It hurts him a whole lot, and Gale does his best to comfort him because he knows exactly what it's like.

Three years after they first met Gale decides that he wants to ask John to marry him. He goes at great lengths to plan the perfect proposal because he knows John would like something big and extravagant; he chooses the Abbotts as the perfect spot, prepares a picnic to eat on stage and vows everyone else to secrecy.

Still, the proposal doesn't go as planned because John can't keep his mouth shut (we'll see this moment in the future, I promise). But they still get engaged and they'll have a funny story to tell their guests!

John's vows at the wedding are super elaborate with quotes from good ol' Will Shakespeare, math puns, and whatnot, but he gets so emotional that he starts tearing up so his sniffles the whole time he reads them. Gale affectionately gives him shit about it after the wedding but in that moment he is so incredibly happy he feels like crying too.

Gale wouldn't mind taking John's last name after the wedding but he suggests to hyphenate them so Gale won't lose part of himself, and Gale accepts.

Benny and Brady adopt a little girl from the foster system, it's Brady's idea because he wants do be for someone else what Bucky's family has been for him. The girl instantly becomes the mascot for the Hundredth as everyone loves her, and auntie Marge makes her beautiful dresses.

The question of having kids or not creates a little bit of tension between the Bucks because they both want them but John fears Gale doesn't because of his father, and Gale fears John doesn't because of his career. They both talk about it with their sleep deprived ex roommates and they force them to fucking get it together.

They end up adopting a kid too, a few years later than their friends, when John's career is at a point where he can take some time off without risking losing too much money and opportunities. It's a little girl and her name's Viola, like the main character in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, so they take it as a sign from fate.

She becomes the Hundredth's second mascotte, and best friend/cousin to little Amelia DeMarco. When they're a little older they put on mini plays for their families, because of course theatre is a big part of their upbringing! They like to watch their dads act and the Abbotts is basically their second home. The Colonel pretends to be annoyed by it but they're his uttermost delight.

John doesn't die at 45 in this universe but he still has a health scare around that age, like a worrying bout of tachycardia right when he's working on a new project. He only goes to the doctor because Gale pushes him, he's convinced it's gonna be nothing but the doctor tells him he's actually at risk of heart conditions.

Gale immediately puts him on a healthier diet and starts worrying immensely about him, always checking where John is and what he's doing, until one day he fully has a panic attack because he can't reach him (John's simply rehearsing) and it's John turn to drive him to the hospital.

They talk about it because they can't keep goin on like this. John promises to take a break after this new show is over, then he'll talk to the doctors about a pacemaker or something. Gale makes him install an app on his watch so he can monitor his heartbeat remotely, and with the help of his friends and daughter tries to keep his anxiety in check.

They have a pretty ugly fight when John tries to launch himself into another project after this one, Gale accusing him of not caring about himself or their family.

Their friends help them riconciliate, and Crosby saves the day asking John to help him write and direct a new play; it's less stressing on the body than acting, and John finds out he's actually pretty good at that too. They win some prizes, but after the run is over John goes back to acting.

He doesn't present it as an ultimatum to Gale, he even tells him he'll quit if that would make him feel better, but Gale knows what theatre means to John and by now he's learned how to cope with his anxiety so he gives him his blessing. And oh boy, John shows him well how thankful he is for that...

That's it for now, but more may come in the future!

[oneforthemunny]

munny's one-derful year

to celebrate my one year on tumblr (january eighth, to be exact), i have decided to open up a little writing prompt. some of my favorite lores, asks, and others for anyone to participate in <3 thank you all so much for your love and following me around onto three blogs lol!!! i love you all so much!! 

rules: must tag #munnysonederful and @oneforthemunny to each entry so i can read and reblog ofc. unlimited entries, and i will be reblogging and making a masterlist on my own page so everyone can read/find the works :)  can be blurbs, full works, headcanons, honestly anything you want! 

prompts: 

rockstar!eddie and nepo baby!reader’s favorite hate fucking moment. where does it happen? why does it happen? are they just playing, or did one prompt the other? What happens ;)? get as smutty and gross as you want to babes, no one here will complain lol. 

based off the lore that older!eddie gets slutty on teqila lol. gimme tequila eddie. make it slutty. the og prompt was at the beach for a wedding of a cousin, if you’d like to follow that, but if not- where does it happen? how do you think it would go? don’t spare a single detail please!!!!

modern!eddie and his lil mean girl’s first date, like official date. i get a lot of questions on this and i honestly want to know what you guys think! what’s it like? where do they go? any awkward moments? what’s the convo like? does he try to over impress or play it like he’s too cool? have fun with it! 

ofc i would never deny anyone here a chance to write about our beloved mafia!eddie and the dogs lol. vecna, diablo, lucifer, and zeus (and beelzebub if you want to add him). i love anything with the dogs, specifically with them being spoiled, so spoil me for a moment and write about them! eddie’s bitching because they’re “guard dogs!!! they’re trained to kill!!!” and you’ve got them totally spoiled, so tell me about it. how would you spoil them? 

janitor!eddie deserves the world, so give it to him. give me something with spoiling him. why are you doing it (birthday, valentine’s day, hard week)? how are you doing it? is it planned or a surprise or impromptu? and of course, how does he react? could be angsty, fluffy, smutty if you’re feeling it. just show him some love. 

cowboy!eddie and sweet girl’s animals. i gotta know about them. there’s three parts of lore here: the cow, the chickens, and the goats. take your pick or choose all of them. make it your own, or me, personally, i want to know how they came to be? how did that conversation of convincing eddie to get them go? expectations vs reality? have fun with it, be silly with it. 

the horny hours convo we had (in april??? maybe lol) with dom!eddie was quite possibly the most successful and most interacted horny hours we’ve ever had. so with that being said, i’m opening up the prompts to be rewritten in your version. so there was three big ones: “don’t make me pull this car over” aka car troubles, “go pick a switch” aka switching it up, and the bath brush aka dripping down. rewrite it, make it your own, make new drama, if you’re not a brat make it non-bratty lol, make it slutty is all i ask. 

bouncer!eddie being a switch really shook everyone up and i loved it, so i want whatever version of him you want to write. him being subby, him being dominant, him just being him and being a little flirty and silly and slutty and the love of my life. expand on the walk in blurb if you need inspo, or what happened after a night where you or him got jealous from someone flirting at the hideout. 

funson’s freebies: 

in honor of my og blog (funsonmunson, gone but not forgotten) these are freebie plots for any of my au’s <3

give me an angsty breakup fic. why did they break up? who broke up with who? make me cry, ruin my day- or take mercy on us and give us a happy ending, up to you. 

self care nights. what do they do? is it a night in? a night out? is eddie taking care of you, or you taking care of him, or a little bit of both? what’s going on, just let me feel all gooey and lovey inside!!! 

i always get birthday requests, and technically it’s my tumblr birthday, so what do the eddies do for your birthday? where do they take you? what’s the cake situation? surprise party, planned party, no party? night in or out? presents? birthday sex? truly whatever you picture!

another highly requested, is a wedding. i love weddings and my guilty pleasure is wedding fics idk why, so give me that. you can follow the lore if they have it, or do whatever you want! proposal, ceremony, honeymoon- honestly whichever you want! where does it happen? what’s the details? who’s there? if you put vows i’m gonna sob so just fyi on that. 

finally, i have to give it up for the domestic babes. give me something soul crushingly domestic. dog!dad eddie, dad!eddie, pregnancy one, newborn, child- i don’t care. i want to feel motherly in this bitch after i read it. 

[hello-nichya-here]

Concerning Friends: With Chandler being your favourite, could you explain what draws you to him? What you find interesting in his character, in his development? Love hearing your takes on..well, literally everything 🤍

Gladly!

Chandler Bing Appreciation

Humor

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Chandler is "He's the funniest of the cast", and considering the competition he had, that's a pretty big accomplishment. I'm a sucker for sarcastic jokes, and Chandler was the king of it. I always liked how he could think of hilarious replies to literally everything everyone said so fast, and his way of delivering the jokes was so specific to him that even the show itself poked fun at it.

And I loved how, just like he was quick to make jokes at everyone else's expense, he also did it to himself, which showed both that he could take a joke AND that he was very insecure. To quote one of my favorite exchanges between him and Rachel (that I totally don't relate to on a spiritual level)

R: You should never be allowed to talk to people! C: I'm sure you're right, but why?!

Him being Joey's best friend also created a lot of naturally funny moments because Joey was way more confident, and far dumber, than Chandler, so one of them is always being the butt of a joke just by being next to the other.

I promise this whole thing won't be just quotes, but nothing better exemplifies what I mean quite like this bit of dialogue when they're discussing possibly having a threesome with a girl, and flipping a coin to decide on which end each will be:

J: What's heads and what's tails? C: If you don't know that, then I don't wanna do this with you.

But my absolute favorite thing about the jokes written for Chandler was that they often poked fun at the show itself, like him responding to Monica giving him a key to her appartment with "Door hasn't been locked in five years, but okay", or making fun of typical Ross and Rachel drama, or just point out how completely absurd some of the situations they got into was, like when Ross was murdering everyone's ears while playing bagpipes for Chandler and Monica's wedding.

M: Why is your family scottish? C: Why is your family Ross?

The guy also looked funny. I've seen one of the directors say Matthew was always aware of the camera, and it shows, because he is always doing something, even in the background, mainly funny faces to react to what the other five are doing. And that led to lots of improv on his part, and you can actually see some of the other actors breaking character in the background because they couldn't hold back the laughter.

His physical comedy was great, and nothing puts a smile on my face quite like seeing Chandler make a joke just a little bity funnier by jumping up when reacting to stuff, or doing a little dance out of the blue - or even better, reacting to stuff that was not supposed to happen. One of my favorite exemples of it in the whole show is him and Rachel (a criminally underused comedic duo of the show) in her office, with him trying to convince her to uncuff him after he hooked up with her boss, and Matthew's face just breaks me every single time I see it.

Combine his habit of playing off of EVERYTHING with the improvs both from him and co-stars, and you have little moments like this one in which Ross gets a call from his second (ex) wife and Matthew just reacts to David's improv on instinct, then doesn't know what to do next:

Seriously: could he be more iconic?

Trauma, Insecurities & Awkwardness

For all of his hilarity, Chandler also had quite a lot of emotional baggage that he often either refused to deal with or didn't know how to deal with.

His parents were a disaster, with the dad cheating, the mom hooking up with one of his friends when he was already very uncomfortable with how much he (and everyone) knew about her sex-life and sexual fantasies - to the point that Chandler legitimately thought it was normal for kids to have seen orgies - and, more importantly, he was told about ALL the drama of their messy divorce, and even at his wedding they were at each other's throats.

He went through a lot as a child and naturally that affected how he acted as an adult, making him a messy, flawed, sympathetic character. It was easy not to judge him too much for things like his deeply dysfunctional on-again off-again relationship with Janice, or the moments of immaturity/anxiety in his romance with Monica - especially because he did make progress and grew a lot.

But the dude was also a mess in other (deeply relatable) ways. He flew to Yemen to avoid telling his ex he didn't want to get back together. He lied to said ex about still having feelings for her/wanting to have an affair so she wouldn't show up at his wedding/move to the house next to his. He lied about not being able to come home and was actually gonna let Joey think Monica was cheating, just to not have to tell his best friend that he wanted to spend the night with his wife instead of hanging out. This man let a co-worker call him by the wrong name for months, got in the way of him getting a promotion, then helped the dude trash his office - all to avoid going through the awkwardness of correcting him.

There's a reason he said stuff like "What must it be like not to be crippled by fear and self-loathing?"

A Caring Friend

Even though Chandler didn't think very highly of himself, another thing that made him a personal favorite for me is that he clearly had a very kind, loving side.

He invited both of his parents to his wedding even after all the shit they pulled. His goodbye to Rachel at the end of the show broke my heart in a million little pieces because he was just so sweet to her. He and Joey were so close they were practically a couple, and when he fell for his girlfriend and kissed her, he not only confessed, he was willing to not go after her because he wanted to prove to Joey he'd never betray him again. There's also a "Joey room" in the house he and Monica bought at the end of the show.

Even though his romance with Janice was a mess, he was a really good boyfriend to her when she was leaving her husband for him - and then he stepped aside when Janice realized she still had feelings for the guy, so her kid would not grow up with two dysfunctional parents like he did.

Those moments made the character feel far more real and, once again, made it a lot easier for me to still feel a lot of sympathy for him even when he was in the wrong.

But come on. If we're REALLY gonna talk about Chandler's sweet, caring, understanding, mature side, we gotta talk about the person that brought it out the most.

Chandler & Monica

Mondler, Mondler, Mondler. The best couple on the show without a shadow of a doubt, and possibly one of the best sitcom couples in history. And it was the dynamic that allowed Chandler to develop as a character and let the qualities he already had be front and center in many episodes.

Before the writers even considered pairing them up, we already Chandler offer to be her boyfriend/husband and father of her kids later in life if she doesn't find someone. Monica is offended the first time because why wouldn't she have found someone by then, and in the second time she just laughs because, come on, they're friends, JUST friends????? It'd neeeeever happen.

Both are played for laughs (though Monica does let him try to win her over the second time), but they already highlight some very important things:

1 - Chandler cares so much about Monica that just saying "I'm sure you'll find someone eventually" isn't enough. He has to assure her that even if nothing goes according to plan, she'll still have someone to grow old with.

2 - As early as season one, Chandler already liked and trusted Monica enough that he was not at all hesitant to suggest "Hey, maybe you and I could get together in the future and even have kids." I remind you that at that point in the story Chandler had never so much as let one of his girlfriends have a drawer with their things in his home due to his fear of commitment, and he had assumed EVERY COUPLE broke up after their first fight because pretty much none of his previous relationships survived it (except Janice, but that was more of a "They DID break up, they just got back together later" kind of deal).

And that last point is really made it so easy for audiences to get attached to their romance - which was originally only going to last a couple of episodes! They were already super comfortable with each other and were clearly compatible, which allowed their relationship to progress without the need for the neverending drama, Ross and Rachel style.

Monica was neurotic, had a serious case of OCD, could be very bossy, often needed things done ONE way and one way only - which meant Chandler always knew where he stood with her. If something was wrong, she'd tell him. If she said she was happy and loved him, he could believe her more easily because she simply could not fake it when something was bothering her.

Much like Chandler, her family life was not at all ideal (due to her parents pretty openly liking Ross more than her) and she had tons of self-esteem issues (again, because of her parents and because she used to be overweight) - but she also take a joke, or at the very least, make fun of people right back. I think Chandler related to that.

And, more importantly, their friend group had not imploded after Ross and Rachel's relationship ended very badly, twice. So Chandler just knew that, even if he and Monica didn't work out, it wouldn't be the end of the world, or of their friendship.

It made perfect sense that lots of his typical paranoia didn't affect him as much during their relationship, because by that point he just knew that Monica would always be part of his life.

But the writers also didn't make the mistake of dropping his insecurities, anxiety and even immaturity completely. They came back every now then, sometimes for jokes, other times in a more serious way.

He can't bring himself to full on say that he wants them to be exclusive right away, got way too cocky about being the best sex she ever had and thus made her mad, assumed they'd break up after the first fight, nearly gave himself a heart-attack when he accidentally said "I love you", proposed to her because he wanted them to be on good terms after a fight but didn't know how to fix things without her guiding him, pretended to storm out in Vegas with an empty bag because he just wanted to be dramatic after a fight, and he almost didn't show up at their wedding.

The fact that the writers allowed to still have flaws, took the time to have him overcome said flaws and without being judgemental of him, like Monica was wasting her time with a total loser, is one of the reasons why his character development worked so well, and why I'll defend even the worst seasons of the show.

More importantly, despite the fact Monica is the one with the more experience on how to actually have a relationship, they also let Chandler be the one be the mature one every now and again, and talk sense into her when she's being unreasonable (like when she wanted to spend ALL the money he had saved for their future on their wedding alone).

I also really like how they have HIM taking the lead in some major events for their relationship, showing not just that he cares, but that he really is growing as a character and becoming more comfortable with being an equal in the relationship, instead of just needing Monica to guide/push him or just agreeing whenever she wants to takes things to the next level.

He is the one that decides they're still in "London time", the one to first say "I love you" (twice), the one to propose in Vegas and then start the conversation about whether they should really get married once they both think it over and are afraid they're rushing into it, the one to decide it's time for them to move in together, the one to propose for real (only took the writers five fucking tries to realize "Damn, maybe they SHOULD get married"), and while Monica says she wants a baby, she does it as a joke and it's Chandler who then brings up the subject seriously.

That last one also brings us one of the sweetest, saddest moments in the entire show. Them discovering they can't have kids, and Chandler making that whole speech to the mother of the baby they want to adopt that, when the time comes, he'll figure out how to be a dad, but Monica is already a mother - without a baby.

It just showed how much he loved her and how great of a partner he was, and it was FAR from being the one time in which they remain an loveable, interesting couple to watch post-marriage (seriously, it's crazy how Friends was THE show to get both a dramatic mess of a couple that can never reconciliate until the finale AND a stable couple that is just allowed to be happy together).

Chandler getting a look at what his life would be like if Monica left him when his boss is dragging him into his mid-life crisis. Monica being all excited to show him her new boots AND allow to actually guess what's changed about her look instead of doing the obligatory sitcom thing of "Wife gets mad at the husband for petty shit", and then Chandler carrying her on his back because said boots hurt her feet (then saying the other pair she wants to buy will cost her one husband, which always cracks me up). Chandler having to move to Tulsa because of his job, them missing each other like crazy, Chandler remaining faithful when another woman makes a move on him and quitting his job because he just wants to be with his wife, who is then super supportive of him when he's unsure of what to do in his professional life from then on - which of course, leads to this great joke.

M: I want you to have a job that you love, not statistical analysis and data reconfiguration. C: I quit and you learn what I do?

(And in case anyone is wondering, yes, I had to google what his job was because I forgot too)

They're simply an incredible couple that I would gladly watch doing the dishes together, and their relationship being so well-written was one of the best things that could have happened to Chandler's characterization because the show deconstructed and evolved it without betraying the core of who Chandler Bing was.

Also their romance led to the iconic episode of everyone finding out and messing with each other about it, and thus the scene of him and Phoebe trying to "seduce each other." I want to find the genius who wrote that scene in particular and send them a thank you card because it was the best thing in the whole world and I'll cherish it forever.

Matthew Perry, The Absolute Legend

Naturally, I have to end this post by remembering the guy that brought this amazing character to life.

Like I said before, he was always aware of the camera and making sure even the smallest reaction was funny for the audience. Like the other main actors, his charisma made good scenes great, and bad/mediocre scenes enjoyable - and whenever the script gave him something truly excellent to work with, he'd do it perfectly and make it all the more special.

He also stopped the writers from commiting THE biggest mistake they could have ever made: In the season 5 finale, after discovering Monica had lunch with her ex, he was supposed to cheat on her in Vegas, basically copying the Ross and Rachel break up drama of season 3. The actor asked them to change the script because he felt it would make everyone hate his character, sparing the audience of more unecessary drama and giving us the super cute almost-wedding in Vegas, that they chicken out of like two dorks, and then leads to them moving in together.

Matthew Perry was gave this role everything he had, even while going through really dark times, and in doing so he made millions of fans happy all over the world - and he'll be dearly missed.

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - GMMTV Holds the Line

Feb 2023 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

When they say “famous last words” this is what they mean. 

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - They are so stinkn’ CUTE as bfs. Possibly the cutest. I chuckle a lot with this show. And that’s great, very serotonin inducing. Also 2nd half had good soapy drama tension with the music competition + the mom’s surgery at the SAME TIME (gasp). Can’t wait for next week.

Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) 1-2 of 8 - Oh it’s great. Messy gays struggling with both internal and external conflict. It has a Taiwanese gritty queer authenticity to it. EarthMix are perfect for these roles. Khaotung is the most adorable thing ever. And GeminiFourth are fun to see as new characters. Fourth is showing off his acting chops, the way he holds his jaw and mouth for this more sullen complicated part - it’s completely different from Gun. His acting style reminds me of Nanon a bit, he’s very nuanced in his facial expressions.   

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) ep 9 of 12 - 15 minutes of cute bf and dumb tattoos and then SUFFER! I love how quickly Palm put to rest your bog standard gay boy fantasies about a bisexual’s options. Palm was basically: “All the things that you dream for me with a woman, I can do that with you.” Honestly? I wasn’t that moved by the noble sacrifice of this episode. It was fine. More peril please. Looking forward to things going very very badly for the next couple of episodes. Bring on the pain GMMTV. 

Hit Bite Love (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 6 - Baby Dom is quite the kink dilettante, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kinkster with more varied tastes. Maybe baby just hasn’t found his true fetish yet? I feel for poor Shogun who just wants a boyfriend who treats him decently and ends up with Mr. Experimental. The humorous outcome is, of course, predictable. Not wild about the stepbrothers storyline (despite my taboo preferences). Really? I just want more King and Burger.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) ep 11fin - With the exception of Mum, every character suddenly started acting totally OUT of character. Anygay, Mum comes back to find Dew single and all obstacles to their romance magically cleared. The pub staff setting them up was cute. But all in all it felt like we were suddenly in a completely different show. Series review below. 

I cannot believe we have 3 BL’s airing AT THE SAME TIME from GMMTV. It’s insane. I remember when it was exciting because we had 3 BLs airing at the same time at all.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 7 of 10 (or 13&14 of 20) - It’s an office romance BL, so I like that office politics is complicating matters for both of our couples. I personally don’t believe in scions (with very few exceptions, we know it tends to be bad for a corporation, and that has certainly been my experience). Still, it’s suitably traumatic to see our couples in angst over the power transition. The confession scene for the leads was very sweet. And a nice kiss. And cute bf. Taiwan always just does these beats better than anyone else. 

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 8 fin - K needed to realize O is a big boy. Yes we get it. Bummer he couldn’t figure out that for himself and had to be told by somebody else. I do feel sorry for the bartender character who keeps having to deal with all of these gay boys and their inability to communicate and resulting overdramatic depression. Meanwhile O needed to realize K needs him. And they both needed to learn to communicate, these… journalists. Good kiss and decent sex scenes for a JBL, with an HEA. Careful Japan we may start to develop expectations. I bumped up my rating on the strength of this finale. It was good! Series review below.  

Individual Circumstances (Thurs Viki) 7-8fin - I like the resolution and explanation for the conflict, a lot more than I liked the conflict itself. The kiss wasn’t awesome, but it wasn’t entirely dead fish either. However, Korea has proved that it can do better, so I was annoyed by it. Also, no shirtless scene this time around, we were robbed. Series review below.

The End Of The World, With You AKA Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu (Japan Sun Gaga ep 2 of 8 - This is way too high heat for them to end it happily. It’s all v weird. I guess I’ll keep watching? Even if everyone dies, this one is not gonna ruin me the way Eternal Yesterday almost did.

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching it 

My Beautiful Man S2 (Viki & Gaga) - Because there are only 4 episodes, I decided to wait and binge this one. What can I say? I just do not trust Japan. Sorry I’m too scared, those of you braver than I must watch first - I salute you and look forward to the gifs.

Egoist (Japan) cinema - Japanese movies are notoriously difficult to get ahold of.

Marry My Dead Body AKA Ghost and I Becoming Family (Taiwan) - movie about a police officer forced to marry a ghost.

Cafe in Love - Can’t find it 

Finished this week

609 Bedtime Story 

An interesting time slip concept and a great set up ultimately disappointed. It opened strong, on one of my favorite under appreciated Thai actors: Plustor (as Vee) in a side bartender romance with younger bisexual king, Games. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. OhmFluke’s solid chemistry and romantically soft kisses were ill served by a reformed rake meets rich-kid cheater pairing. While it was nice to see Ohm play a part with more animated facial expressions, his was the only character that remained consistent. All in all, this was a confusing show about disloyalty and parallel worlds that never made sense or stayed true to its characters. A promising start, confusing middle, and disappointing end. I don’t say this lightly, but Oh My Sunshine Night is better, and OhmFuke deserve better than either. 6/10

Individual Circumstances 

A second chance romance between a movie director who was once promising and a writer who disappeared due to past hurt. Stars JunQ (main rapper of MYNAME) and Han Jung Wan (Mr International Korea winner). Reunion romances are not my thing but I liked the bratty director despite his stalking (and prob because of his naked chest). Using a guitar to torture someone is entirely appropriate, in my book/BL world it happens all too often. I did want to know what happened in the past but the mystery got drawn out too much and the tsundere character became frustratingly mean spirited as a result. I like the resolution and explanation for the conflict a lot more than I liked the conflict itself. I could tell what this show wanted to be, and what it could’ve been, but it simply never got there. In the end, like a host of other KBLs over the last couple of years, it is serviceable but eminently forgettable. 7/10

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox 

Innocent but talented gay tabloid journalist partners (and falls in love with) a jaded player bisexual cameraman. This is a solid JBL of the more emo, cringe, and navel gazing variety that never really resonates with me. The main pairs’ chemistry felt weak and their characters were pat (for live action yaoi, I’ve seen or read this couple a million times). Bringing Izuka Kenta in to guest star was a stroke of genius and also challenging, because he has a complex history with JBL which I could not forget as I watched him EAT up the screen so hard he made the leads feel insipid. There were a lot of aspects of this show that felt more KBL than JBL. I missed the kinky edgy pushing boundaries we usually get from Japanese office romances. It did have a stellar ending (featuring a decent kiss and 2 nice sex scenes, you go Japan) but for me CCP was fine, just no more than fine. 8/10

Look you know how I feel about JBL, when it’s good it’s some of my absolute favorite (Seven Days, Old Fashion Cupcake, Minato’s Laundromat, Takara & Amagi), nothing else whips me into wit and eloquence and film crit like it, but when it’s off, for me, it’s really off. And Ameiro never gelled with me. It was too much work to watch. I don’t like chewy BL - nourishing and necessary though it may be for others. 

Gossip

Issues and Controversies of Thai BL Actors - I get asked about these a lot, so I’m just gonna point you all at this YT henceforth.

Viki picked up Boys Planet so I’m watching it. I have FEELS but I’m not going to ruin a perfectly decent BL blog with Kpop reality TV, no matter how pretty. Just know I’m over here suffering for 4 hours every week. SUFFERING. Some of the singing during the first ep alone was SO BAD it put Thai BL boyfriends to shame. I am so glad they got 3 vocal coaches in this show. People better vote with their goddamn ears and not just (as they did with iLand) much lower down. (Oo, I’m salty already.) 

In Case You Missed It

Feb releases list is here.

2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments some are inaccurate, NOT UPDATED)

Next Week Looks Like This:

I am so spoiled these days, now I’m upset there isn’t a good KBL airing right now. Do you remember when we barely got one or two a year? What a demanding monster 2022 turned me into. Anygay, 4 more Thai BL starting this week... 

Destiny Seeker (Tues WeTV ) 1 of ? - Feb 14 we think, MDL is janky on this one. Engineering student Songkram is head of dorm 3, for "strong & athletic" students. Aye is head of dorm 2, for the "good looking" students. Aye used to be Songkram's tutor and friend, but they fell apart after becoming dorm heads. Aye is actually in love with Songkram but thinks Sonkram likes someone else. Songkram actually likes Aye. So, Bad Buddy the pulp rebirth meets that weird Japanese “girls-crossdressing-as-boys for love and infiltrating secret society of hotness” tradition. 

Boyband (Thurs YT) 1 of 10 - Feb 16, it’s on the tin, BL drama about putting an idol boyband together. AKA how to make ABL suffer by combing favorite (celebrity romances, Kpop) and least favorite (bad singing) tropes.

Bed Friend (Sat YT & iQIYI uncut) 1 of 8 - Feb 18, but we’re looking for the rerun/uncut, so not sure on drop date for those. Fuck buddies get messy, AKA Between Us the second cuming, this time in an office (and on a desk). I have been waiting for James to hold down (or be held down in) a BL for years! Watch out, new kings of high heat are heading our way. 

Chains of Heart (Sat Gaga) 1 of 10 - Feb 18 Suspense thriller about a forest ranger, smugglers, memory loss, and lost love. Stars Haii (Cirrus in TT2) and Poppy (Porpla in YYY). Adapted from a Y-novel of the same name by TJ Tommy. 

Supposedly, but I’ve no idea where to watch it:

Jack Frost (Japan) - Feb 17 After saying goodbye to his friend, Ritsu had an accident and lost his memory. His roommate, Ikuya, struggles to rebuild their relationship and help him regain his memories. In the process, Ritsu falls in love with Ikuya, but he was unaware that they were already in a relationship.

Moments Of Love (Thai) Feb 14 Foremorfilm Production movie for cinema release. Was originally Golf (Director of 609 Bedtime Story & The Eclipse) to direct stars SmartJames (LeonPhob from Don't Say No) in a series. Is now something totally different and a movie. We are all confused.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Open boys are the best boys. Never Let Me Go

Moonlight Chicken with ALL the zingers, plus verse characters. Thank you GMMTV! 

Why so cute indeed. My School President 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Villain by Key (Shinee) just on hard rotation. It’s great. 

[silviakundera]

Me : Hasn't watched a single drama from 2024 because I was too busy

Me: Goes to mydramalist to find something romantic to watch and starts reading comments on all the stuff that seems interesting sees that for almost every one of these fall into one of two camps the first one which houses the majority of shows the comments are exclusively about the guy and how much of a simp or green flag he is (their words not mine) the second category is people are criticizing the show for portraying an uneven dynamic where the fl treats the ml like shit

Me: backs away slowly and goes back to my binge watch of star trek deep space nine

Idk what it is if it's the writing or the different type of fans or a combination of both all I know I'm very confused 🤔 have we fallen into a different timeline ? Parallel universe? Have screens cooked our brains completely?

my friend, your first mistake was raw dogging the comments section on MDL 🙈😂😭 gotta proceed with caution these days 🚧🚧🚧🚧

but I got you. If you want to dip your toes back into 2024 cdramas romances,

* Legend of Shen Li is almost universally liked. I don't know that I encountered a real hater. Don't turn that into sky high expectations that can't be met, though. It's simply a solid xanxia romance with a very strong landing - 1 full length episode dedicated to the happy ending, instead of the xanxia standard 1 minute. The most high god in the universe x demon general who is engaged to heaven's notorious playboy that's terrified of her. and who is temporarily a chicken. (just go with it) The main couple have chemistry & are very capable actors. Rarely do I make it thru a xanxia without ever being consumed with rage at some awful thing the plot has one of the main couple perpetrate on the other... but this one passed! The main actress is convincing as an immortal warrior.

* Blossoms in Adversity is NOT universally liked, tbh it got almost no traction on tumblr. But despite all its flaws I found myself watching it eagerly. I am a sucker for historical costume dramas with feminist themes - if you enjoyed Dream of Splendor, this one might appeal. After all the men in the family are exiled and they are stripped of their noble status, the main wives, concubines, children, and servants of a large official's household have to figure out a way to survive on their own. Without the guidance (and yoke) of men. The strength of the drama is that it isn't easy - these women are not all kind & smart & selfless. They're complicated people and a product of their environment. But watching them slowly come together was so satisfying, and how all the women begin to explore an identity beyond the strict roles they held in that manor. It's so direct about how much power men had over their wives in that era and what that means for these women. The main otp will appeal if you like ships of 2 mature adults who have their own goals and respect each other as equals, who are supportive but don't step on each other's independence. The FL's practicality was so pleasing to me. It just dropped it's final episodes via Express.

* The Spirealm available legally now on Viki, if your tastes run to censored gay romance. And if you like mystery/ horror and like fiction that asks, what is reality (and does the definition of 'real' matter). Like in korean bl Love for Love's Sake, the protagonist enters a game world and ends up caring about that world. (unlike LFLS, a distinct lack of kissing with tongue)

* In Blossom - Chinese het web novel vibes just exploding onto the screen. Childhood sweathearts torn apart years ago, now he's a rich noble while she's poor but he still wants to marry her as promised. (She is less sure about this.... then she gets her body swapped by this crazy chick who really REALLY wants to marry the ML. who, ooops gets murdered on their wedding night.) So now FL is in crazy chick's body and the #1 suspect for her gruesome murder is ML, that childhood sweetheart who showed up out of the blue to propose. and happens to be the top candidate in running to marry the crown princess 🤔🤔🤔 . She thinks he (tried to) kill her. He thinks she's dead and hates the lady she's stuck impersonating. Spoiler: they fall in love.

* Amidst a Snowstorm of Love - Slice of life soft cdrama, if you like that kind of thing. Developing relationship for like 30 episodes about 2 professional snooker players. Relaxing vibes, sweet romance. They're both kind, talented, and capable. They're good for each other and really humanly awkward about starting a relationship. You don't watch this kinda drama for dramatic tension, you just chill with it and wind down after a hard day. It's baked-in that they'll get married at the end.

[sooinbloom]

The Kingdom of Us

Chapter 1

pairing: kyungsoo x OFC genre: Royal!AU, nonidol!soo, crownprince!kyungsoo, romance, drama

theme: arranged marriage, modern royalty, enemies to lovers, war, betrayal, eventual smut word count: 4,735 description: Princess Alina of Mariposa arrives in the Kingdom of Seoul to meet her betrothed, Crown Prince Kyungsoo. It doesn’t go as she suspected it would.

warnings: mature themes, mentions of sex, mentions of anxiety, minors DNI

Author’s Notes: hi! Thank you for reading the first chapter of The Kingdom of Us. I wasn’t expecting such a positive response. I also wanted to add that the photos at the headers of each chapter are not mine and all credit goes to the owners, dividers by @saradika-graphics . No significant warnings this chapter, please enjoy (:

ALINA

The day had finally arrived that I had been preparing for my whole life.

Today, I would be meeting my betrothed, Crown Prince Kyungsoo the First of the Seoul Kingdom for the first time. Our betrothal had been headlining news since it was announced 15 years ago when I was 5 and the Crown Prince was 10. It rocked the world scene, two Kings promising an alliance by way of their children marrying. Not only that, I was also fifth in line for the Valencian throne, the obvious choice would be for the Crown Prince to marry one of my sisters, second and third in line which is much more desirable than me politically. As soon as I turned 20, the preparations were set and my entire life was packed up to start my life in Seoul as the wife of the Crown Prince.

That is, if he approved of me.

Well, not so much approve, but in our betrothal agreement set forth by our fathers, the Crown Prince and I were to “court” for 90 days until our wedding. It was a pure PR move to make our kingdoms seem much more progressive than they really were. Neither of us had a choice in this matter. In reality, our wedding was to take place at the end of these 90 days and the entire world was counting down the days until we met face to face. Our arrangement was the first of its kind, not once has a Valencian Royal married a Royal from the Eastern part of the world, and a Seoul Royal never married a Royal from the Western part of the world. Rumors circulated in high society’s closest circles over our betrothal, both for politics and for entertainment and gossip. Mami and my tutors told me to pay no mind, but I couldn’t help but read every single piece of gossip from the magazines and newspapers.

Bad politics for Valencia to marry off the furthest from their line to the Crown Prince of Seoul?

Is this wedding a distraction from the tensions between Seoul Kingdom and the Azteco Nation?

End of Line Princess Marrying Crown Prince? The Politics of Betrothal Alliances

The Kingdom’s Husband and the People’s Princess to be Wed in January: Is this a pure political move?

On the other side of the media, bloggers and influencers gushed at our impending marriage, bringing only our looks to the forefront. Crown Prince Kyungsoo was known as the “Kingdom’s Husband”, an ideal man because of his kindness, manners and gentle demeanor. Not only that, he was also the Chief Commander of the Seoul Military. Every woman in the world swooned over him. I admittedly did too, the idea of him seemed lovely, he was lovely. Him and I were a “perfect match”, or so the bloggers said.

The media started calling me the “People’s Princess” as soon as I signed up for Medical Military service during the Nordic Nations Conflict 4 years ago. It was not even a question, I was of age to volunteer and healing people was my way of showing I care about my people. I didn’t do it to gain the affections of the world, I did it because I wanted to do what I could to help. Before I knew it, my name was all over the news and so many outlets compared my efforts to my sisters, Maria and Ana. It wasn’t fair that they pinned them against me. Maria has long been married to King Daniel of the Azteco Nation, and Ana was just married to Prince Seth of the Nordic Nations. They lived different lives than I did, we contrasted each other in so many different ways that it was unfair for the media to persuade the public that I was better than them or that they were better than me in any way.

Maria was bold, she never took no for an answer. Once she had her mind set on something, there was no changing it. I once admired that about her, now I am unsure if she has any sense. Her marriage to King Daniel caused ripples in our alliances, and uncertainty in our family. With the entire world turning against the Azteco Nation, it’s no surprise.

Ana was blunt, outspoken and opinionated. She loved debating and seeing all sides to every situation. She excelled in law school, even though as a Royal there was no need to attend university. Her wedding was beautiful, and she got to live in the Nordic Nations, a place she grew fond of as a teenager.

As for me, I was to be obedient, demure, agreeable. I am the only daughter that was betrothed to a Crown Prince. My brothers, Crown Prince Ignacio and Prince Santiago, had wives chosen for them. That was seen as customary, almost a requirement. Majority of my life was spent with Seoul tutors that trained me on etiquette, politics and the Joseon language. It felt like I knew more about the Doh Dynasty than the Doh Dynasty knew about themselves. I was to be molded to be the perfect Crown Princess, the perfect wife and doting mother to future heirs. However, I couldn’t lose who I truly was. I had a need to be free, and that went against everything the Seoul tutors molded me into. Sometimes I wondered if I’d ever meet the marks they set for me.

I replay every memory up until this moment in my head as I watch the Seoul skyline appear from the plane window. Trying to remember years and years of training proved to be difficult when my mind was filled with anxious thoughts. My heart aches knowing my beloved Valencia is behind me, but excitement and wonder fills me as right in front of me is my new life in the Seoul Kingdom. I hope I can live up to the expectations they have for me. I take a deep breath, centering myself. You will be great. You will do good. They will love you.

They’ll love me, right?

I do my best to breathe through my anxiety. The Crown had sent this jet for me so I could be comfortable during the moving process, their hope was a seamless transition. Crown Prince Kyungsoo entered my mind, my heart skipping a beat as I pulled his latest photo from my purse. What would he be like besides the obvious, devastatingly handsome looks he possessed? He truly is a beautiful man, both outside and more importantly, inside. I’d studied his interactions from afar with Ana, it was as though Crown Prince Kyungsoo bled kindness, humility and grace. He never had a scandal, unlike the many princes across the world. The questions that sat with me were would he be pleased with me? Would he be just as kind to me as he was to the public? Some royals put on the best of shows for their subjects, I hoped it wasn’t the case with him.

"Your Highness?" a Seoul Royal Guard appeared from the back of the plane to greet me with a deep bow. "We have arrived in Seoul. The Royal Family is awaiting your arrival as promptly as possible."

"Thank you, sir. Do you happen to know if we are late?" I respond softly. The nerves were wrecking me. The negative voices were tugging at me in all directions.

"No, Your Highness. We're on time, if not early. It is the Crown Prince desiring for you to arrive, he is anxious to meet you. Please, watch your step Your Highness."

Perfect, I smile to myself. I step off of the plane and onto the runway. My eyes lifted to the thousands of people that were waiting for me. I offer a formal bow to the Royal Guards and turn my attention to the people. I smile and deeply bow to as many of them as possible, they surrounded the barricade. Camera shutters fill my senses and I am escorted to the town car waiting to take me to the palace.

This was it. There is no more preparation. I’m about to meet my husband.

We pull up to the palace and my eyes are met with the amazing, awe-striking structure. I felt small as I looked out of the window at the walls built around the patio. Marble columns support the pilaster with vibrant red and yellow paintings in beautiful shapes. The entire building was in a rectangular shape with an opening in the middle for the palace garden, I had done my research before leaving and the palace was much more beautiful in person than in pictures.

Behind the walls guarding the palace was a driveway that wrapped around a small garden fixture, a fountain made of marble sat in the middle in a large oval. Rose bushes and wild flowers sprouted from the ground in full bloom. If this is what the entrance looked like, I could only imagine what the palace garden in the courtyard looked like. That’s what I really wanted to see. The car pulls to a stop and the door opens, a Royal Guard bows his head and offers his hand to me. I take it and step out of the car, feeling the nerves once again in my chest.

"Princess Alina, welcome to our Kingdom's Royal Palace." the Royal Guard bows. I mindlessly curtsy, a sudden lapse in my cultural judgement. I quickly correct myself with crimson cheeks, mentally scolding myself for forgetting they don’t curtsy in Seoul. The Royal Guard smiles kindly. "Princess, there is no need to bow to me. I am your servant.”

“Sir, you work hard to protect the Royal Family of Seoul. Your daily sacrifice must worry your family when you come to work. Please accept my gratitude, as I give it to every servant of this kingdom and my home kingdom.” I offer happily. The Royal Guard is taken aback from my kindness, but warmly accepts it. I clasp my hands together and notice that my future in laws saw this entire interaction. I see the line of dukes, duchesses and their families awaiting me. The three highest regarded Dukes come into my vision: Dukes Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Yixing, the Crown Prince’s cousins.

"Your Highness, welcome to the Kingdom of Seoul. I am Duke Chanyeol. It is a pleasure to meet you." the tallest man smiles with a formal bow. "At my side are Duke Baekhyun and Duke Yixing. We are under the direct command of Crown Prince Kyungsoo."

"We will be at your command when you and the Crown Prince marry." Duke Yixing adds, bowing next.

"Please accept our welcome." Duke Baekhyun bows.

"Thank you for your kind and warm greetings, I hope to become further acquainted as we spend more time together." I bow to each of them individually. Duke Chanyeol’s eyes follow me as I walk away. I smile and nod at his kindness and greet the rest of the family. His eyes don’t leave me as I bow and shake hands with the Doh family. I hope that this won’t be a problem, especially with how Duke Yixing whispers in his ear and he finally looks away like a scolded child. I focus on the path ahead to the Throne Room where King Bonhwa and Queen Hyunae are waiting for my formal greeting.

"Announcing the arrival of Princess Alina the Second of Mariposa, Kingdom of Valencia." a Royal Guard bellows. I walk forward and make eye contact with King Bonhwa and Queen Hyunae. A soft smile spreads across my face and I formally greet them with a deep bow. When I meet their eyes again, I take a deep breath to try and center myself. This has to go perfectly. There’s no other option.

"Please accept the formal greetings of King Ignacio and Queen Evelina of the Kingdom of Valencia. It is my greatest honor to be in your presence, your Highnesses." I say in a warm tone, trying my hardest not to show how nervous I am. As long as the King and Queen are pleased, I did well.

"You are so rehearsed." Queen Hyunae comments. The words of the Queen take me aback, I was expecting something a bit more centered on the Kingdom alliance with Valencia or at least an extension of a proper greeting. I wasn’t prepared for this, the tutors swore up and down that the Queen approved of me, she chose me for her son after all. Now, I have no idea where she stands and I could have very well lost her favor. I can’t falter, I can’t show any weakness. I bow again and turn my attention to Queen Hyunae.

“My apologies, Your Highness. I have been eagerly awaiting the day we would meet. It has been well over 15 years.” I hope that covers it. What that enough? The Queen’s cold stare chills my spine, but I maintain my composure enough to earn a small nod.

"My Queen, mind your manners," King Bonhwa chuckles, squeezing his wife’s hand as he tries to hide is irritation. "Welcome to our kingdom, Princess Alina. We are overjoyed for this betrothal. The Crown Prince has been anxiously awaiting your arrival."

King Bonhwa gestures to his left, I turn and see the reason why I’m here in the first place.

Crown Prince Kyungsoo.

He stood at attention; his black decorated military uniform tailored to fit his body nicely. From my standpoint I can only see the Crown Prince’s side profile and it was a beautiful one. He is mine, my betrothed.

Crown Prince Kyungsoo turns on his heels and walks toward me. His beautiful, coy smile brightens everything around him. My heart pounds in my chest as the Crown Prince approaches, his presence in itself demanding. I lower my head to bow but he stops me by resting his fingers under my chin. I obey his non-verbal command to meet his eyes, my cheeks reddened at our eye contact. He places my hand on his chest and bows his head, when he comes up his lips press onto my knuckles.

"Princess Alina, we finally meet." His deep voice awakens feelings that are foreign to me. Sure, I heard him speak before on TV, but it's another thing to feel his tone reverberate in my chest, rest in my bones. I attempt to bow before my future husband politely and he allows me to. I’m growing accustomed to his hand holding mine, it felt so right to have his fingers laced with mine.

"It is an honor, Your Grace." I manage to reply.

"You really are a beautiful woman," Crown Prince Kyungsoo dreamily comments. "I had become acquainted with your face in photos, but they do you no justice."

"Thank you, Your Grace." My red cheeks deepen in color, I know it. I remember to lower my head as respectfully as I can without giggling like a schoolgirl.

“Why don’t the two of you get better acquainted? Show the Princess our lovely palace, her new home.” King Bonhwa suggests.

“Yes, your Highness,” Crown Prince Kyungsoo bows to his father. He turns his attention back to me and offers a sweet smile.

“It is an honor to be betrothed to the Crown Prince, Your Highness. I am forever indebted to Your Graces.” I bow to King Bonhwa, just as I practiced. We leave the Throne Room and the Crown Prince places his hands in his pockets. My heart threatens to burst in my chest, my betrothed is next to me and not far away or a dream.

“Welcome to your new home, Princess.” Crown Prince Kyungsoo says sweetly. I clasp my hands behind my back and fall in step with him, listening to his explanations of the history of the palace, every art piece that hangs on each wall, and a view of the massive garden from a balcony at the top floor of the palace. The architecture made it feel both modern and historic, remnants still remain of the old palace before King Bonhwa decided to remodel everything to have a more “chic” look to it. It honestly looked like he picked up a copy of Architectural Digest and went nuts on the mix of wooden and marble textures. The interior starkly contrasted what I saw around me, except for the garden area. It still had its original structures. The design suits the Crown Prince very well, it can be assumed he had something to with the minimalistic details. I felt his eyes glancing at me with a craving of approval and his eager hand reaching for mine. He takes me down the stairs and to the first level of the palace, we stop at double black metal doors.

“This is my favorite part of the palace, Princess. This is my personal library and music room. Do you enjoy reading and music?” The Crown Prince inquires as he opens the door for me. I look around and instantly fall in love. I could get lost in this library and be found in bliss. I skim the vast library, careful not to touch any of the books that are settled neatly on the shelves. The musk-woodsy smell of old books soothed me, easing the tension I’m creating in myself. Across from the bookshelves are endless shelves of vinyl records, some on display and others in a row on lower shelves. A magnificent record player sits in the corner of the room next to a sofa. I imagined the Crown Prince reclined playing a soft blues record and reading one of his many books… The thought occurs of us together in that couch, cuddled up together and reading as he listens to music. Ahh… what a dream…

“I do, Your Highness. I greatly adore poetry and music.” I softly respond. I turn to the Crown Prince and meet his eyes. We’re away from the guards, he could sneak a kiss, an embrace, but not once does he invade my space. The only thing of his that is on me is his eyes, not his hands or his lips. God, his eyes were gorgeous. Fatigue hits me like a tidal wave, I quickly cover my mouth to hide my yawn. The Crown Prince chuckles to himself, reaching for my hand. “Oh, my apologies, Crown Prince.”

“Princess, you must be tired from your travels. I will escort you to your chambers so you can rest.” At the first touch on my back, my guard goes up, discomfort halting the warm feeling flowing in my veins. I don’t want to be alone with the Crown Prince just yet. I shy away from his touch and nod, hiding my panic. Not a word is spoken, the only thing speaking is the nervous tension between us. The entire mood shifted as soon as he touched me, my body coursing with adrenaline. I make note of every exit I can find just in case I need to make a quick escape. We enter my chambers, but I grab the Crown Prince’s arm to prevent him from going any further.

“Finally, we can be alone, Your Highness.” He steps closer but I take a step back.

“Crown Prince, I want to stay here in the common area.” I blurt.

“Relax, Princess. I understand you’re nervous. I just want to talk. I am more than happy with staying here.” Kyungsoo agrees with an audible sigh. I study him and watch his smile fade into a stoic glare, replacing the once jovial glow on his face. “Alright, now we can discuss the reality of this… Situation."

"I'm sorry?" my anxiety builds in my chest. What is he talking about?

"Princess, Princess… Don’t be foolish. This is an arrangement for our countries to survive an impending war. It is purely a public declaration of our nation’s alliance in a time of uncertainty caused by your father. Not to speak ill of your father. He’s a great man, very kind, Princess." The Crown Prince mockingly grins. I stare into the eyes I just seconds ago adored, growing mistrust with each moment that passes. Was our afternoon together all an act? He chuckles to himself, crossing his arms. “Ah, did you really think I was actually interested in you? You’re so naïve, it’s pitiful. I knew marrying a girl five years younger than me wasn’t a good idea.”

I remain composed, holding back the urge to cry… Or slap his annoyingly handsome face. Irritation bubbles underneath my skin, mocking my foolish heart. I tap my heel on the ground in frustration, unwilling to let him win. “Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?”

"No, Princess, who do you think you are to speak to your Crown Prince with such disrespect?"

"If I am not mistaken, Your Grace, I am nothing but another nation’s princess to you until we are wed. You are not my Crown Prince. You disrespected your betrothed, I did nothing of the sort to you." I stare directly in his eyes, terrified of what will happen next. The man before me was just a mask. How can he stand there so unaffected? I narrow my gaze but it doesn’t work, he challenges me. He won’t look away, he won’t budge. "I deserve an apology."

"You believe that you deserve an apology? What kind of princess was I promised? You are unbelievably disrespectful. Your Highness, I don't care how you feel. In fact,” Kyungsoo turns and puts his hand gently on the side of my face, his thumb grazing my cheek as he stares deeply into her eyes. I startle at the sudden touch, my body stiffens in disgust. Is this all I’ll be good for? Treated however a man wants to treat me? Threatened, I back away and the Crown Prince scoffs. "This betrothal is only an agreement our fathers made over Soju when we were children. There are loopholes to every law and agreement."

What a sadistic creep! He’s really enjoying hitting every weak point and watching me crumble before him. I bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from crying, I can’t cry in front of him. Now, I’m angry. I take my hand, reach up and pull Kyungsoo’s hand away from my face, settling it at his side. Not even in my mind did I want to properly address him. I create space between us and take back the power in this struggle. He can’t win, I won’t let him. He must be so used to getting his way and calling the shots, but not anymore.

"I am aware of the loopholes." I nod. "And if you plan on hurting me every single day of our lives, you'll have to do much better than pick at my insecurities."

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen as I take the upper hand, to his surprise. He’s losing his edge, and I am losing my own mask in faking this confidence. "I would not waste my time on your feelings every single day, that is where you are wrong. Let me make this abundantly clear to you. The whole world is watching. As far as anyone knows, we are a match made in heaven. We are the textbook love at first sight match, the one this stupid alliance hoped for. I do not want to hear any nagging from my parents, or even worse, yours. Be a good girl and I will reward you."

"Reward me?" I scoff. He steps into my space again but does not touch me. The closeness makes my body shiver. He knows this is all a façade, he has to. I’m still stuck on how he told me to be a good girl. Why did I like that?

"Really? Come on, Princess. Think about it, I'll buy you whatever you want. All you have to do is name it and it will be yours. I will send you wherever you want to go, anywhere in the world. If there ever is a physical need, Princess, I can satisfy your body to perfection. I know you wore this lovely outfit to impress me. It would be foolish of me to deny that you possess an intoxicating beauty. It will make it all the more enjoyable for me to give in to your cravings, desires… Everything can be yours. Play along, let me do what I want, and you can have the same freedom." Kyungsoo smiles and my thoughts dizzy me. Physical need? Satisfy my body to perfection?

Suddenly, I know what this is all about.

"What is it you really want? You want other women?" I cross my arms. "Am I just going to be the image? The one that gives you heirs?"

Kyungsoo laughs and paces in front of me. “You… You are the physical manifestation of my chains that shackle me to a destiny I never wanted. I refuse to succumb to a life my parents arranged for me. We can have a beautiful, platonic relationship with the added benefits. This between us is a business transaction, nothing more, nothing less. I never wanted to be married, Princess. You’re just another addition to my annoyance."

"So, your thoughts on me are based on a choice that didn’t belong to either of us. It’s not like I asked for this, either. I figured we’d face this together, not like this. Just be honest with me and with yourself, Your Highness. You would not be the first or last Prince to… Court… Multiple women."

"That is not my purpose. Just behave, be the Princess I was told you were. Out of all your sisters, you're the most obedient and willing to please, are you not?" Kyungsoo leans in and I take another step back. I’m defeated, he won.

"Fine. This will be a loveless marriage as you wish. But I refuse to be disrespected."

Kyungsoo clicks his tongue and crosses his arms. He leans forward again, lifting my chin with his fingers. "Good girl. Of course I will respect you, you just needed to know where I stood. I will see you at dinner. And by the way, never accuse me of being an adulterer again.”

Kyungsoo turns and leaves me in my chambers. As soon as the door closes, I break. I am a fool, and I’m sure everyone knows it. How was I so blinded by him? He’s no different than anyone else in our world. Kind to his subjects, rude to everyone else in private. A business transaction? As if I’m a good that can be sold. Even worse, I know I’m just a pawn in a grand scheme plan to keep the world together. I drag myself to the bedroom, taking my dress out for the dinner tonight. If Kyungsoo wants this to be a game, I am now a willing participant. I cry myself to sleep, needing a nap from this horrible afternoon.

"A gift from the Crown Prince, your Highness."

“Thank you, sir.” I bow my head politely and takes the box from the Royal Guard, my fingers running across my name that’s handwritten on the perfectly wrapped gift. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and set the box on my bed. I rip the paper and see a cell phone lying in a box with accessories in my favorite colors. In Valencia, I wasn’t allowed to own a phone, this pleasant surprise was another freedom I never knew in her home country. A note falls out of the packaging addressed to me.

For when I need to get ahold of you. You need to answer if I call or text. My number is already programmed in your contacts. I heard you liked gold, so I got you this model. Don’t be late to dinner. – DKS

A gift? From the Crown Prince? How kind… How suspicious. I press the phone on and immediately a text filters into my message app.

Handsome Husband Let me know you got the gift, Princess.

Alina …Thank you, Your Grace. Handsome Husband?

Handsome Husband Yes, Princess. Don’t change it. I read it’s romantic.

Alina Your Highness, if I may… I would not call you that. The internet shouldn’t tell you what is romantic. Your heart should.

Handsome Husband Hm. Fair. What would you call me, Princess Alina?

Alina Crown Prince. You do not want to know. Thank you for the gift.

[fromkenari]

Waterloo Letters #2: You are a dark sorcerer

You are a dark sorcerer Henry hwales@kensingtonemail.com                6/8/20 3:23 PM to A Alex, I can’t think of a single other way to start this email except to say, and I do hope you will forgive both my language and my utter lack of restraint: You are so fucking beautiful. I’ve been useless for a week, driven around for appearances and meetings, lucky if I’ve made a single meaningful contribution to any of them. How is a man to get anything done knowing Alex Claremont-Diaz is out there on the loose? I am driven to distraction. It’s all bloody useless because when I’m not thinking about your face, I’m thinking about your arse or your hands or your smart mouth. I suspect the latter is what got me into this predicament in the first place. Nobody’s ever got the nerve to be cheeky to a prince, except you. The moment you first called me a prick, my fate was sealed. O, fathers of my bloodline! O, ye kings of olde! Take this crown from me, bury me in my ancestral soil. If only you had known the mighty work of thine loins would be undone by a gay heir who likes it when American boys with chin dimples are mean to him. Actually, remember those gay kings I mentioned? I feel that James I, who fell madly in love with a very fit and exceptionally dim knight at a tilting match and immediately made him a gentleman of the bedchamber (a real title), would take mercy upon my particular plight. I’ll be damned but I miss you. x Henry

Re: You are a dark sorcerer A agcd@eclare45.com                6/8/20 5:02 PM to Henry H, Are you implying that you’re James I and I’m some hot, dumb jock? I’m more than fantastic bone structure and an ass you can bounce a quarter on, Henry!!!! Don’t apologize for calling me pretty. Because then you’re putting me in a position where I have to apologize for saying you blew my fucking mind in LA and I’m gonna die if it doesn’t happen again soon. How’s that for lack of restraint, huh? You really wanna play that game with me? Listen: I’ll fly to London right now and pull you out of whatever pointless meeting you’re in and make you admit how much you love it when I call you “baby.” I’ll take you apart with my teeth, sweetheart. xoxo A

Re: You are a dark sorcerer Henry hwales@kensingtonemail.com                6/8/20 7:21 PM to A Alex, You know, when you go to Oxford to get a degree in English literature, as I have, people always want to know who your favorite English author is. The press team compiled a list of acceptable answers. They wanted a realist, so I suggested George Eliot—no, Eliot was actually Mary Anne Evans under a pen name, not a strong male author. They wanted one of the inventors of the English novel, so I suggested Daniel Defoe—no, he was a dissenter from the Church of England. At one point, I threw out Jonathan Swift just to watch the collective coronary they had at the thought of an Irish political satirist. In the end they picked Dickens, which is hilarious. They wanted something less fruity than the truth, but truly, what is gayer than a woman who languishes away in a crumbling mansion wearing her wedding gown every day of her life, for the drama? The fruity truth: My favorite English author is Jane Austen. So, to borrow a passage from Sense and Sensibility: “You want nothing but patience—or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.” To paraphrase: I hope to see you put your green American money where your filthy mouth is soon. Yours in sexual frustration, Henry

McQuiston, Casey. Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel (pp. 202-205). St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[sasamelons]

Announcing Guardian Red Pocket Prompt Fest 2023! 🧧🧧🧧

Hello Guardian fandom, we’re thrilled to announce the Red Pocket Prompts Fest in celebration of Lunar New Year 2023!

Like red pockets (also called red envelopes or red packets) given out during the new year, weddings, and other special occasions, this fest is a way for us share the wealth in the currency of fandom — fanworks and community!

The event runs from the first day of the Gregorian calendar, through Lunar New Year to the end of the first lunar month (ie. Jan 1, 2023 to Feb 19, 2023).

While the Prompt Fest is centred on the Guardian novel by Priest and the drama adaptation, fanworks in all fandoms generally considered "Guardian-related" are welcome, including RPF, Weilan derivative fandoms (ie. based on other works by Bai Yu or Zhu Yilong) as well as any AUs and crossovers!

Visit the AO3 Collection or click Read More below to find out how to participate!

How do I participate?

You can participate by either submitting or claiming a prompt, or both. You may submit and/or claim as many prompts as you like (though we do ask that you only claim a maximum of three secret prompts) — after all, it's all about sharing the wealth!

Please do note that this event operates like a kinkmeme (or throwing virtual red pockets into a group on WeChat, if you're familiar with how that works). There's no guarantee or expectation that every prompt will be claimed by the end of the event.

What types of fanworks can I submit?

Any! Fic, art, crafts, video, podfic, moodboards…the sky’s the limit! The only requirement is that the work must be posted on AO3. If you are cross-posting or creating a promo post for your work on social media, please use the tag #GuardianRedPockets2023.

Are there any restrictions on pairing, content, rating, or length/quality of work?

There are no restrictions on any of these parameters, as long as the fanwork responds appropriately to the prompt and is properly tagged. Drabbles, sketches and doodles are also very much welcome! The only rule is that fanworks that promote hate or violence against a real world group or individual will not be allowed.

Okay, I'm ready to jump in. But what are these "secret prompts"?

In addition to prompts from all members of fandom which are always visible, the mods have also put together 24 secret/hidden prompts to give you the full red pocket experience — you won't know what's in these "envelopes" until you "open" them! Secret prompts which have been claimed will be revealed every Sunday, starting January 1st — so remember to check back on the prompt you claimed which will have been edited by then.

The 24 secret prompts have been labelled based on the 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar (as the term implies, each term is based on the movement of the sun), and you can think of these as the "envelopes". Inside each is three prompts vaguely based on the solar term. You may create your work based on any one (or more) of the prompts and you can interpret them as liberally as you like. In order to allow for the greatest flexibility, all prompts avoids nsfw content, specific pairings or characters, and common triggers. We encourage you to be as creative as you want, and most importantly, have fun!

Is there a limit on how many people can claim a single prompt?

Nope! You can even claim a secret prompt after it has been revealed, though of course you won't be getting the surprise of "opening" the envelope.

Are there any rules for what kind of prompts I can submit?

You can submit any prompts you want — for any Guardian-related fandom(s), crossovers and fusions with other non-Guardian fandoms (though these would still be required to relate to a Guardian-related fandom in some way), rating (including M & E), medium, content, etc. It can be as general or as specific as you like, ranging from a single word or theme, to a specific scenario you would like to see.

Like for fills, the only rule is that your prompt should not promote hate or violence towards any real world group or individual.

Is there a deadline for submitting prompts or works?

Sign-ups for submitting prompts will be open from Jan 1, 2023 to Feb 19, 2023. While we encourage you to submit your works during this time as well as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations, the collection will remain open after the event so you may continue to post your works.

I have another question!

No problem, just reach out to one of the mods: Sasa, Ascel or Missy.

[walker-extended-universe]

These are all fics that have not escaped my drafts, not even for a single chapter. I can't provide links like the last poll series but I will provide a general summar below:

3x18 Stella Got Shot AU

Summary: What is says on the tin. Stella was the one that got shot in 3x18 instead of Witt and has to go to the hospital. I also put in that Sadie was somewhat involved in the how/why Witt was there in the first place but also included reasoning as to why she helped.

3x18 Micki Insert

Summary: Micki was invited to James' wedding and she couldn't say no. She meets Sadie and has a little talk with August about potentially joining the military. She also catches up with the Walkers and talks a little about what her plans for her future are.

WIndy Hoyt csa fic

Summary: After saving a White Dove from a customer who didn't understand the word 'no', an event from Hoyt's past is dredged up. He tries to shove it back down and ignore it but trauma doesn't work like that.

The kids got kidnapped too AU

Summary: Sharon was paid by Grey Flag to lure the kids into a trap. Stella falls for it and August goes down with her. Stella is placed into the cell Julia was in originally, right above Cordell and Liam. August is placed in another cell near where Julia was moved too. All four members of the Walker family suffer various levels of torture. They are able to escape but all is not well as August has a seizure during his debriefing and is rushed to the hospital. We learn that he's suffering from mild brain damage and Cordell, who now knows how they got kidnapped, blames Stella for the whole mess.

Stella/Sam/Dean

Summary: Stella's off at college and gets attacked by a monster- and subsequently saved by two attractive older guys. She's very grateful and offers them a drink that she's totally old enough to buy. Things escalate from there.

Cordell/Jessica

Summary: Cordell is called up to New York to consult on a case involving a gang he worked with in Texas. While there, he ends up saving socialite Jessica Whitly from being hit by a car and she takes him to dinner as thanks. she's enthralled by the younger, attractive Texas Ranger and takes him home. Cordell hs to return home the next morning, hastened by an awkward interaction with her children (only a few years younger than himself). Jessica finds he left his scarf behind and plans to deliver it in person.

Geri objects at Cordell/Emily wedding but it's just a dream

Summary: In which Geri objects at Cordell/Emily's wedding because of her feelings for Cordell and things go badly- but it was all just a dream

Jealous!Geri arranges for Emily's death AU

Summary: Emily gets the loving husband, the kids, the white pickets fence, the stable life, the dream.... And what does Geri get? Revenge. (I had a phase okay sue me)

August got Sadie pregnant and now there's drama

Summary: Fic I'm collaborating with @theladywyn on. In which August and Sadie have a FBW-type relationship (because they don't talk about their feelings) and Sadie ends up getting pregnant. But also Sadie is arrested because of her involvement with Witt and his friends and she gives birth in prison. August deals with fatherhood at 17 and trying to juggle his new responsibilities as well as his old ones. A lot of pressure is put on both of them to do the Right Thing regarding their relationship and the family. There's a lot going on and there's much angst but there's a fluffy epilogue so there

Micki and Cassie being friends

Summary: Micki and Cassie meet at a bar and Cassie ends up spilling some of the bullshit Cordell and Trey and James have put her through in season 3. Micki is not happy to hear about this and insists on rounding them up to give them a tongue-lashing.

[cherrrysue]

hey do you have any fics where larry is in an established relationship but they’re keeping it secret for one reason or another ???

yesss here u go

Secret Relationship

the first one contained heavy amount of smut read at your own risk

We Keep Taking Turns by Ropewithnoanchor

E, 69K

The start of the On The Road Again Tour means new anxieties, this time for both Louis and Harry. Between performances, traveling, interviews, family time, and the biggest crisis their band has ever faced, they have to help each other feel better the only way they know how—through domination and submission.

[A relatively canon-compliant story of nights in hotels and bedrooms, starting in February 2015.]

Hands Clasped Tight by afirethatcannotdie

E, 44K

“What am I looking at here?” Harry asks.

“This, my friends, is a ‘proof’ Instagram account, run by your students,” Liam announces.

“It’s got all this stuff about how the two of you are together,” Niall adds.

“I heard about that,” says one of the math teachers. “Confiscated a kid’s phone today when they were looking at it. I have to say, the evidence that you’re dating is pretty damning.”

“Really,” Louis says dryly. “Do you think being married for three years might have something to do with it?”

Or the one where Harry and Louis are high school teachers and their students have been playing matchmaker for over a year. Little do they know, Harry and Louis are already married.

If You Asked Me If I Love Him (I'd Lie) by allyasavedtheday

M, 26K

So Harry and Louis might have fucked up.

The day of their wedding was the single most perfect moment of Louis’ life and every single day since where he’s been able to call Harry his husband has been nothing short of bliss. There’s just one teeny, tiny problem…

Their families don’t know they’re married.

*

Or the one where Harry and Louis eloped but neglected to mention it to anyone. Meanwhile Lottie is getting married and the only way for them to not steal her thunder is by pretending they're just friends for the weekend. Featuring Harry and Louis as terrible liars who don't know the meaning of the word platonic and some Tomlinsons and Styles's who definitely don't believe them.

Into The Midnight Sun by summerwine

E, 63K

Every day without Louis was a never ending blue Monday. Every day went without his sweetness and warmth and the radiant colours of his flame. The tenor of his voice became unfamiliar and muddled between going so long without the sound of it and getting lost with every other voice clouding Harry’s memory.

But he was here now, warming Harry’s bones with lips like summer. Every moment in his arms felt like a Sunday stroll through London. Beautiful and stormy and feeling every bit like home.

or, It's 1983, Harry embarks on his first world tour and Louis is a budding actor in LA. Life spent apart isn't easily adjustable, but somehow they make it work.

Call Answered by vondrostes

E, 249K

The day after his 27th birthday, Harry Styles attempts suicide. Louis is flown to his bedside to unravel the mystery of why he did it after a flash drive is found with a note attached, addressed to Louis. On it are a collection of 78 songs, all written for different dates from their past.

You Watched Me Sink by bananasandboots

E, 38K

They've discussed it a few times - the boyfriend thing. It's not like it's some forbidden, horrific, abandon hope all ye who talk about furthering the relationship sort of subject. They're mature adults. They're in tune with their feelings, their hearts' desires, the way those butterflies swoop in their bellies whenever they so much as hold each other's hands. They like each other. A lot. It's mutual, they know. But for now, they're just content to enjoy the simplicity of what they have, and what they have is great.

When dating in secret stops being enough, then they'll discuss that too.

Or, the one where Harry teaches Sex Ed and sneaks around with the drama teacher, and doesn't realize how out of tune he is with his true feelings until everyone else figures it out for him.

Lover Boy by brightgolden

E, 27k

“I’d love to meet your lover boy one day,” Lottie says suddenly as she pours Louis a whiskey on the rocks after their dinner. OR Where Louis wants to tell everyone about his relationship with Harry, but his boyfriend clearly thinks otherwise.

please leave a like or reblog ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

[arsenalgbt]

One thing from my headcanons that I will not let go of it Ben and Kai talking at the baby shower about birth. Ben is so fascinating to me in ths au. He hates baby showers, sure he went to all of the ones Leo and KT had (who had a shower per kid? honestly Ben thought it was excessive) but only because Kieran planned them and promised he'd supply booze and invite some friends for Ben to flirt with (Ben likes flirting with all of Kieran's repressed friends, likes seeing them blush - used to like having Kalvin see him making them blush and get jealous). Ben didn't let Leo or Dec throw him a baby shower, threatened them within an inch of thier lives if they so much as thought about it - both of them knew that despite being pregnant and having the worst morning sickeness that Ben would kick thier asses effortlessly. Instead Ben invited Leo, KT and Dec over to his house and ate with Leo and Dec while Kieran build the crib and stuff (this was when they found out that Dec was marrying Kai and Ben was pissed that he was going to be pregnant and fat at the wedding). Ben didn't have anyone in the room with him when he had his baby - Leo and Dec had both offered but he hadn't wanted them. KT was the only one allowed in and out of the room during labour because he didn't hover over him, wasn't overly caring and suffocating and did as he was told. Ben hopes Leo knows how lucky he is. Kai getting pregnant brought up some feelings that Ben had hidden for the last 13 months since his son was born. He thinks about not attending the shower but after Martin had filled him in all the whole drama of it possibly not being Dec's child (Ben had called him to find out if he'd known about the pregnancy because he and Leo didn't and he's a little pissed Martin didn't tell them after hearing it from Kai) Ben knew he had to go. He was hoping to see some drama but instead ended up sharing half of the naggin of vodka KT brought (Ben refuses to admit it but he thinks Kieran might be his closest friend at this rate) and getting sad in corner while everyone else pretended things were good and happy. He almost didn't notice Kai sitting down next to him, too focused on feeling jealous of Leo as he and KT played with thier kids (he doesn't think he's jealous becaue he wants to date Kieran or anything. They'd be awful together, Ben would just like to be the family he thought he and Kalvin would be for that split second) and that's when they start talking about birth and such - but only after al ittle snark from Ben

this is like a whole other fic, solely from ben's pov that's for sure! thank you for sharing with us!!!!!! the ben and Kieran's surprise friendship, that's sooooooooooo them. I can totally see it. kieran knows not to try to give ben solutions for whatever he's yapping about; he just listens, supporting him silently. wow...

from this I gathered ben is still KINDA hung up over Kalvin?? damn!!!! what made Kalvin so special?

and how did ben meet willo after his baby was born? how old is the child? a girl or a boy? did ben come clean to willo since the beginning "I'm a single mother" or??

ALSO; how is ben with his child? did he have postpartum depression (not sure how it's called) - is he disconnected from his child???? if I may, I think he does have a postpartum grief thingy. he kinda leaves his child with his parents cuz his mental health kinda deteriorated when the actual tiny human is born, is in his arms. like... he's not that numb, he can still feed his child, but he doesn't really want anything to do other than feeding them LIKE. is kinda unmoved when the baby cries. can hold and rock them to sleep, but that's it??? thus his parents are taking over, and ben busies himself with work! wdyt?

PLEASE TELL ME 😭😭😭 we need more mpreg u can't denyyyyyyyyyy

[phxntomhives-98]

Father I don't want this marriage - review

I just felt the need to share some thoughts after reading the side stories. It contains spoilers of the main story and the side stories too.

Note, this is very much my own opinion and I don't think I am correct nor I am trying to change your mind.

Do I reccomend it? Yes, if you like romance it is nice. I was mainly here for the angst tho and I am mostly satisfied, not in the way I expected but satisfied. Read it on tappytoon if you can, or just buy some chapter to support the author.

Manhwa or novel? I only read the manhwa, so that one. But some said the novel is amazing so you can have a try.

Opinions:

First, I have to say it. Even if it is annoying. The sex scene were absolutely unnecessary. I am picky when it comes to sex in the stories, for me it should be either present since the beginning (i.e. for smut stories or if it is a topic of the serie that has its own focus, maybe due to trauma or as a way to be more free of the character) or it should mean something. As example: the two characters that are finally reunited, the two that longed for each other for so long and are finally together again, them fighting the urge but being unable to for whatever reason etc. Not the "oh damn, how do I make this longer? let's just add sex". And in neither cases (Max and Jeuvi + the parents) it made sense. Plus it was the first time and they magically did everything right but details. Especially for Legis and Amelia. If they are still going to consume before the wedding, make it after Legis came back from the war. When there are so many feelings unsorted and there is still the relief that they are both there and alive and it just happens. Not them casually sharing the bed and Amelia being horny (which still it is very much valid and all, BUT FOR THE STORY THAT VERSION WOULD HAVE MADE MORE SENSE)

Second pet peeve of the serie: listen I love the slowburn. So I loved that everything took forver. BUT WHY THE FUCK IS THE LAST ARC SO SHORT. Legis died, not died, and went full health in like 3 episodes!!?? WHERE IS THE PAIN? THE SUFFERING? ME WONDERING FOR WEEKS IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE FINE OR NOT?

Pet peeves done, you may leave in peace.

Now I shall go with what I liked eheh

Listen, I would kill for a whole story centred on Legis and Amelia. The angst, the unrequired (as if) love, the drama, the war, the witch hunting, the absolute devotion these two share. Everything is perfect. I could cry and write an essay about them for hours. And they are just so perfect.

Jeuvi, I love her ok. She had a wonderful character development and I am proud of her.

Max, my little kitty lol, every single interaction with Legis is hilarious. I love when he is a red flag for everyone but the FL.

Mikhail as a villain was honestly nice to me, like he just went full psyco mode with tunnel vision and I think it fits him. He did is job in the story so congrats to him. The emperor and Fanfil on the other hand felt a little on the weak side, but probably because the ending was so rushed.

The twins left me with honestly no impression, I almost forgot they were there more than once in the side stories.

I sobbed during the wedding ngl, when Jeuvi pulled the "remember at the beginning, when I didn't want you?" I had to take a moment because I saw all the story flashing in front of my eyes.

It's sad to tell them goodbye but now it truly is finished... Bye everyone, it was a nice journey, hope you have a good life.

[zhongwans]

Hi! Excuse me can I ask what's going on with Chen Feiyu (Mo Ran from Haoyixing) 😭 I'm trying to piece together what happened from melon accounts on twitter but I'm still very confused. Why is he getting cancelled? 😭😭

Feb 12 - a well known daipai/paparazzi posted that on 12:30 noon, Monday (Feb 13), he's going to drop bedroom/intimate photos about a celeb that has "a lot of resources" (good scripts, roles, endorsements, etc)

The daipai did drop the melon on Feb 13 and it was about Chen Feiyu. The photos are of him lying in bed with a woman. The photographs are selfies taken by the woman with him, and most likely without his consent because he's asleep in all of them. The photos show him at a very vulnerable state, sleeping and topless in bed. You don't see anything below the chest but still.

Some more info:

the woman used to be a fan of his and there are photos of her posing with him during fanmeets

she allegedly used to run a fansite for him

she's now an online influencer

she's married. her wedding photos were leaked all over weibo and douban

according to rumours, the photos were sold to reporters by the woman's husband (there is no proof of this so far btw)

the daipai's post said CFY and the woman had been together since 2021

The issue trended on weibo and there were at least ten other tags all talking about it. ex:

#命韵峋环be了# (about his current popular CP with an actress; BE means bad ending)

#黑莲花攻略手册# (referring to "black lotus tactics manual" an adaptation that CFY was supposed to star in with yu shuxin; the tag was filled with people asking for CFY to be recasted due to the unforgiveable crime of having.............a girlfriend)

#皓衣行# (haoyixing/2ha live action drama; people discussing whether the chances of the show airing is impacted by the issue)

#飞云系BE了# ("feiyunxi is BE"; referring to CFY's CP with luo yunxi)

#用陈凯歌口气回应陈飞宇恋情# (this tag was filled with people dragging his family into the issue and dredging up his dad's private photos)

And there were a bunch of other tags that are even more unflattering. You get the picture. The both of them eventually released statements clarifying that they dated back in 2021 when the woman was still single. She married another man in 2022 after a peaceful breakup with CFY.

🔗 chen feiyu's studio

So yeah. People were having online meltdowns just because an actor had a girlfriend. He didn't do anything wrong. He was actually the victim in this situation.

[bridgertonbabe]

You got me addicted to your HP drabbles and now I'm greedy for more😂Would love to see Daphne & Simon's wedding! Or anything else for that matter, I don't really care whatever you come up with. Everything's been great so far!😍

Okay so while I'm saving up what happens at Daphne and Simon's wedding for a later post covering Benedict and Sophie finally getting together, I will share the unexpected wedding that happens just a few weeks before...

Sophie had been home all of a day after returning from her travels, feeling deflated that the adventure of a lifetime with her best friends had ended on a sour note with Michael's illness and the drama with Marina between Colin and Phillip. She was staying with the Bridgertons like she had always done since the summer before her second year at Hogwarts and while she was planning to get a place of her own, Violet and Edmund had told her she could stay with them for as long as she wanted.

With Daphne moved out, Sophie was using her bedroom as her own. She had just finished unpacking when she was suddenly startled by a loud crack and Kate Sharma appearing in the room.

"Sophie!" Kate greeted brightly and engulfed her friend in a hug. "Oh I'm so glad you're back! I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too -"

"Now there's no time to lose!" Kate drew back, her hand on Sophie's arm and before Sophie could ask her what she meant, Kate quickly turned on her heel and in the next second they were outside a small red-brick building.

"Kate, where are -"

But Sophie's question was cut off as there was another crack and suddenly Anthony was right in front of them, clutching hold of a confused looking Benedict. Sophie's throat constricted as his eyes locked on hers, both of their mouths hovering open uncertainly now that they found themselves in close proximity once more.

"Ha! I was quicker than you!" Kate cheered in her boyfriend's face.

"Well he was in the middle of making an omelette so I had to make sure the gas was turned off!" Anthony said, releasing his brother and quickly silencing Kate's snarky retort with a kiss. "Okay, now have we got everything?"

"Something old?"

"The first pair of knickers you let me keep." Anthony responded and waved a lacy thong he had retrieved from his trouser pocket.

"God, you're so hot when you're sentimental." Kate purred and dragged him into another kiss, all the while Sophie and Benedict stared at the pair of them incredulously.

"Mm, okay; something new?" Anthony asked.

"Well..." Kate drawled and gave him a knowing look.

"Yep, of course." Anthony grinned ebulliently at her. "Something borrowed?"

Kate grabbed a hold of Sophie's hand, took off the evil eye bracelet she bought in Turkey from her wrist and slid it onto her own.

"Done." Kate shook her newly obtained bracelet. "And something blue?"

Anthony conjured a bouquet of white tulips in his hand, gave them a single shake and turned them blue, eliciting a gasp out of Kate as he handed them to her.

"Looks like we're all set!" Anthony beamed.

"Um, hey?" Benedict called out and drew the pair's attention to him. "Guys are you... getting married?"

"Yes!" the excited pair chorused.

"What?" Sophie gaped at them - sure she had figured with the something old tradition that Anthony and Kate were getting hitched but the confirmation still surprised her. "I didn't even know you two got engaged!"

"As of an hour ago we did!" Kate squealed.

"But what's with the rush?" Benedict asked.

"Kate's pregnant!" Anthony replied, his face shining with unbridled happiness.

"Oh my god! Kate!" Sophie gasped.

"Ant!" Benedict's eyes widened.

"This is the best day of my life, Ben!" Anthony enthused. "I'm getting married to the love of my life and the mother of my child!"

"And I'm happy for you, Ant, I really am - but don't you want a big white wedding? What's mum going to say?"

"I can't let Kate give birth without us being married!" Anthony scoffed. "Just because Simon knocked up Daph and they waited to get married until after Amelia was born doesn't mean I'm going to do the same! We just want to make it official as soon as wizardly possible!"

"And once the baby’s born we’ll throw a massive party and renew our vows and all that!" Kate piped up. “My parents will want the whole shebang as much as yours.”

"But you can't tell mum!" Anthony warned his brother. "Or Daph - or anyone! We don't want to steal Daph's thunder. This is just for us.”

“Dammit, Ant, you know I’m bad at lying, especially to mum.” 

“It’s not lying though! It’s keeping a secret!” Kate insisted. 

“Yeah that’s why we picked you and Sophie to be our witnesses, since you’re both so good at keeping things quiet.” Anthony remarked and gave his brother a knowing look. 

Benedict’s expression faltered and he darted a glance at Sophie, who was also quite perplexed by Anthony’s comment. The only person she had ever discussed everything that had happened between her and Benedict with was Phillip and she knew he wouldn’t have told a soul. Though she had assumed Benedict hadn’t told anyone about what had gone on between them, she figured it made sense that if he was going to talk about it with anyone that it would be Anthony. She felt embarrassed that Anthony should know all about their near-hookup and whatever side of the story Benedict had given him but she wasn’t given that long to dwell on it as Anthony and Kate led them into the registry office. 

Sophie hadn’t a clue that when she woke up that day that she’d be witness to an impromptu Bridgerton marriage and though she was still bewildered when the officiant began legally wedding Anthony and Kate, she became swept up in the infectious joy radiating from the happy couple. As they agreed to become husband and wife, Sophie looked over and found Benedict’s eyes already on her, and her heart began pounding as Anthony and Kate exchanged rings as a sign of love and devotion, envisioning herself and Benedict - 

“You may now kiss the bride!” 

Anthony dipped his wife into a kiss before picking her up and carrying her out of the registry office, with Benedict and Sophie trailing after them. 

“But I want to keep them!” Kate was saying as they got outside, clutching her bouquet to her chest. 

Anthony rolled his eyes but let his wife keep her wedding bouquet, instead conjuring up an identical bouquet in his own hand. 

“Here, catch!” he said and chucked his bouquet over his shoulder, predictably intending for Sophie to catch it but it instead ended up colliding and hitting Benedict on the head. 

“Hey!” Benedict exclaimed just as a loud crack sounded and the happy couple were gone to celebrate becoming husband and wife. 

Sophie watched Benedict pick up the flowers and then look to her, and it was then they realised they were all alone. They stared at one another and Sophie’s heart continued to thunder away in her chest. Benedict broke the tension by clearing his throat and offering her the bouquet which she accepted, but not before plucking a single tulip out from the bunch and offering it out in turn to him. She wasn’t entirely sure why she made such a gesture, other then a part of her didn’t want to leave him empty-handed. 

He accepted the single tulip and locked his gaze with hers once more. She could feel something stirring within her, a feeling so all-encompassing and powerful that it scared her because she had felt like this before and every time it had ended in even more heartbreak for her. She watched as his lips parted and she knew he was going to ask if they could chat, but she couldn’t let herself be vulnerable again, not with Benedict. 

“I’ll see you around.” she quickly blurted out and before he could react she had turned on the spot - crack - and she was back in Daphne’s room. 

She cursed herself for leaving him so abruptly without giving him the chance to speak. She knew she couldn’t escape him forever, not with Simon and Daphne’s wedding just around the corner. There would be no avoiding him unless she surrounded herself with anyone that wasn’t him, but even then she knew her heart was too weak to keep her distance from him for too long. 

With a sigh she found herself leaving Daphne’s room and climbing the stairs until she was stood in front of Benedict’s old room. She entered the bedroom, still in tact and unchanged from when he had occupied it, and she wandered inside. A part of her hated herself for needing to be so close to him again, having weakly hoped that in the two years since she had last seen him that she might have outgrown whatever crush she had for him - but who was she kidding? She had been in love with Benedict Bridgerton for the last eleven years and apparently that love for him was unconditionally unwavering. 

She let out a deep sigh and collapsed into his bed, clutching the bouquet he had given her, closing her eyes and realising that his scent was still on his pillow and that even this was enough to make her heart ardently yearn for him. She wished she didn’t feel like this, wished she could stop being so tormented with undying affection for a man who couldn’t love her back; and yet all her heart felt and all that it knew was Benedict and deep in her soul she knew she would never want to stop loving him even if she could. 

Sophie ended up dozing off, his scent easing her into a comforted sleep. She remained curled in Benedict’s bed, the flowers still clutched to her chest when Violet popped her head in, curious why her son’s door was open, and her heart panged for Sophie, knowing after all this time that the girl was still in love with her son. 

When she tracked down her husband to discuss the unrequited love she knew both Benedict and Sophie were under the impression of being under, Edmund cut her off before she had even begun. 

“He loves her, Vi. He’s going to talk to her at the wedding. I’m confident everything will finally work out for those two.” 

“I hope so.” Violet sighed as Edmund pulled her into his lap and embraced her.