#and the only reason i know this at all is bc my girlfriend was curious and wanted to test it

[himewonu]

RED FISH, BLUE FISH ; lee seokmin

summary when vandalizing your seat by writing how you’re done with love creates more vandlism by a response the next day in blue sharpie starring dokyeom x gn! reader genre fluff, hs au, i stole this from my old blog that i stole from a pinoy movie, this has nothing to do with dr seuss contains vandalism, idk what else word count 0.6k

from rhin，again, i have no creativity to whip up a new fic so i’m stealing one from my old blog bc i can and it’s my blog. i am flwoie and flwoie is me pls dont cancel me for plagirising myself😢

you’re done with love.

this is the fourth time you’ve gone on a date with some weird guy. they keep getting worse every time. your first date couldn’t stop talking and not letting you say a word, followed by your second one, who didn’t want to pay for his food, and your third one, well, he couldn’t stop calling you insecure—when you weren’t. if your friend sets you up on another one, you might as well just go for the first one.

she shows you instagram profiles of other boys who find you interesting—from what she’s heard by others. you interrupt her and slightly push her phone away from your face.

“(name), trust me, they’re not going to be as bad as the others!” she urges.

“you said that last time. i’m done, jisun.” you clicked on the top of your pen and started jotting words down on your wooden desk.

‘I'M DONE WITH LOVE!’

you pointed out your writing on the table to jisun, making her roll her eyes.

‘wow, emo. are you heartbroken?’

those were the words that were written below yours in blue sharpie when you walked into class the next day. you pulled out a pen and wrote down your response next to theirs.

'not really. men just irritate me. speaking of which, are you a guy?’

jisun walks in and sits next to you, observing that you’re not only writing on your table but also smiling ear to ear.

“what’s got you smiling now?”

“look,” you say, tapping on the ink engraved on the table, “someone replied to my vandal.” she leans in to read your messages.

“very modern,” she sarcastically remarks. “who knows, that could be the love of your life.”

“you’re crazy. what 'love of my life’ are you talking about? we don’t even know anything about them.”

she nudges your arm after she puts her notebooks on her desk. “but, (name), admit it. you’re excited,” she teases.

seokmin eagerly walks into class as it is about to start and quickly sits down in his seat to look at your response. he grins and looks around to see if any of his classmates saw him.

he waited for everyone to leave after his class ended. his friend urges him to leave with him so they’ll do their project, but all he replies is that he’ll follow along. as his friend left, he popped off the cap of his sharpie and replied to your message.

'not all men, i’m different from them.’

you looked at the message and started writing your response as you waited for your teacher to start class.

“what if we skipped our next class? so we can see who’s answering your messages,” jisun suggests.

“no way. we’re going to be absent from our next class just because you’re curious about who’s answering.”

“nuh uh, it’s for love.”

from there, your conversations continued, with more of yours and his other friends being invested in this so-called love series.

'so you’re a guy. well, i hope you’re different from them.’

'hah! i’m a good guy :)’

'really now?’

jisun grabs your pen right after you finish writing, continuing your message with her writing.

'really now? do you have a girlfriend?’

'nope. i don’t think anyone would want to date me. what about you?’

she squeals at his response, lightly pushing you back and forth. “he’s single, (name), he’s single!” you scoff and ignore her antics.

'me neither. my friend won’t stop setting me up on dates.’

seokmin hasn’t replied to your message since. he’s afraid that this might be his last chance at love. he’s been rejected by so many girls, all for the same reason.

he just wasn’t good enough.

you thought the conversation ended there. it’s been days since you last wrote that, and the ink is starting to fade. jisun lost hope as well until the end of the week.

'maybe she can set us up together?’

“hurry up and ask for his name. i might know him!” she exclaims as you quickly write an answer.

'i’d love that. i’m (name).’

'seokmin :)’

svt masterlist .ᐟ

[partycatty]

giggling at this idea i just thought of but would u consider... hear me out... mk1 johnny finding out that reader has a body pillow of him? like those anime ones but bcs he's a celebrity, someone made one of him too 💀 & reader secretly bought it and tried to hide it/deny it but johnny sees all fr fr

i wrote this and then it got DELETED i almost cried

johnny cage > superfan

johnny never visited your place, but now he sees why.

notes: the way i used to unironically have a bodypillow of a character i'd rather die than admit... this hits so close to home

[ masterlist ]

you and johnny were an unlikely pair in the grand scheme of things. you were a toned down worker in your own field while his face was plastered on every billboard, magazine, and teenage girl's home screens. at the end of the day, though, you were both humans in love and that's all that genuinely mattered.

johnny's arm that was slung around you as you two cuddled on his couch shakes you back to reality.

"you know what's funny?" he suddenly brings up, closing the tiktoks you were watching together. "we always come to my place. never yours. i've only ever seen the inside when i pick you up."

there wasn't a hint of annoyance or accusatory language in his voice; he was curious. as he typically is.

"i don't know," you shrug nonchalantly, hoping to get the topic over with. "your place is nicer." this was entirely true. despite downsizing after his divorce and other events he has yet to disclose to you, he still had a truly nice home. it radiated the energy of a celebrity without needing the size, but was just homey enough for you to spend your nights there when you felt like it.

"so?" his eyebrow quirks up.

"so, it's better to hang out here. my apartment isn't all that exciting, not a lot of room to do much."

"but it's the person that excites me," he replies quickly, kissing your forehead. "plus, all we usually do is sit on my couch here. what's the difference of doing it there?"

as your mouth opens and closes to try and dismiss the subject, johnny turns to face you completely with a beaming grin.

"can i come over tomorrow?" he asks, like it's your first date with him. his eyes are bright, like a kid asking for permission from his mother. you couldn't even bring yourself to look him in the eyes as you swallow hard. there wasn't necessarily a true reason to not have him over, but preparing for his arrival would take a considerable amount of effort to... redecorate. finally, you nod with a sheepish smile, and johnny plants a slap-like kiss to your lips as a thank you.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

the following morning, you were throwing your piles and piles of collectibles into boxes and shoving them into your closet. the replica of his brass knuckles or figurines of ninja mime had to go before he arrived. johnny couldn't know that on top of being his girlfriend, you were a fan. and not just any fan, a superfan. every piece of evidence had to be thrown into a corner lest you face his endless prodding and teasing. besides, even if he was a celebrity, he probably didn't expect his partner to have such belongings. it felt... wrong. but even still, you couldn't help but support him in his works!

a knock at the door makes you visibly jump as you're kicking the last of the merch under your couch. wiping your hands, you race to the front door and take a deep breath, making sure you plugged in your wall scents and lit your candles. you swing it open and johnny peeks his head in, glancing around with his typical grin. he puts his sunglasses atop his head to adjust to the indoor lighting, a curious glint in his eye.

"i don't know what you were talking about," johnny finally says, hands on his hips. "it's nice here. quaint."

"i think that's just calling me poor politely," you reply as you fight a smirk. johnny tenses up, already apologetic before you reach up to kiss his check. "i'm teasing, dear. now what?"

"a movie?"

"not one of yours."

"we didn't even finish citizen cage last time!"

you roll your eyes at his puppy-like stare. you immediately cave in with a huff. as his own version of a thank you, johnny swoops over and picks you up, sure to support your ass more than your thighs as they wrap around his waist. he shoots you a devious grin, as if to say "i can't help it!"

you're playfully tossed onto the couch, and you have just enough time to chuck a throw pillow in his direction as he heads toward your bedroom.

"i'm stealing your comforter," he announces. "since i don't see a regular blanket around here." you gulp, remembering your johnny cage themed throw blanket that once laid on that very couch. thankfully, it's buried under your other laundry.

"not everyone has blankets for every occasion!" you shout back, settling into your new spot and allocating space for his large body. that is, until you hear eruptive laughter come from your room. of course it was johnny, but the laugh was so hysterical, so out of character, you partially wondered if he had gotten possessed. "babe?" as you're about to rise from your spot, johnny responds in an unusually high pitched voice, strained from the cackling.

"why do you have this?!" his grin is audible, dripping from his upward inflection. your stomach drops, but you try to play dumb in case it's not what you expect.

"have what?" your voice is low, unwilling to give anything away. your question is answered when johnny emerges from the hallway, holding up your dakimakura with one hand, slung around its painted shoulder.

your face heats up in record time. it's a drawing - a realistic one - of johnny, laying down. the other side features the same, except blushing and only in boxers. you must have forgot to fully hide it, and left it on your bed like a fool. and what a fool you were for thinking a simple blanket would conceal it. times like these you wish you could afford a throw blanket to bury yourself in it and hope he'd go away.

"if you wanted me in your bed, you could've just asked," he giggles to himself, admiring the possession. "hey, at least they got my features right."

"please put that away before i die of embarrassment," you quietly beg, voice muffled by your head in your hands.

"really though, doll," johnny's smile doesn't disappear, just lessens. "why, of all things, do you own a bodypillow of me?"

"it was limited edition," you mutter. "the artist put it on sale."

"limited edition? you're a collector?"

shit. you sold yourself.

"maybe."

"collector of what?"

"...paraphernalia."

"i could deduce that. i won't judge you, honey." he kneels down to meet your level, putting his hands on your knees as he sets the pillow down beside you.

"i, uh... i collect things. related to you." johnny's face freezes, lip twitching in amusement as you continue to defend yourself. "i'm not weird about it, though."

"except for the pillow."

"50% went to charity!"

"touché. don't worry about it, sugar," johnny kisses your forehead. "there are worse things to collect. if anything, you're pretty lucky to have a famous boyfriend. lots of stuff to collect. you want one of my shirts? i'll sign it for you—"

"enough, enough," you giggle, swatting your hands at nothing. "this is already mortifying for me. you should see the rest—" you stop in your tracks, smile dropping in an instant.

"there's more?" as he asks, you two stare at each other in disbelief. and before you could react, he darts off to your bedroom, pushing himself off of the wall as he nearly runs into it. you shout-laugh as you follow after him.

"JOHNNY!" as you turn the corner to stand in your bedroom doorway, johnny charges at you and slings you over his shoulder. all you can do is half-resist his grip as he swings your closet door open. your legs kick against his body, and you're slapping his back. "DON'T LOOK!!"

"i can't not look!" he protests, patting your ass playfully. his hand falls to his hip as he inspects your crammed closet just as his grin widens once more. "is that a life-size ninja mime cutout?"

[seilnakyle]

heeyyy, I know you're busy, so feel free to answer this whenever you want/can. why don't you like gcs? i don't read their comics so I'm curious

Hiii thank you for asking 💗

There is so much, “Gotham City Sirens” has ruined the complexity of their relationships with Selina, prior to the New 52, and is pretty much an industry plant friendship/team that made everything less interesting and usually mischaracterizes or abuses Selina for it. The name and playboy esq covers are the only iconic thing about it, and for some unfortunate reason it’s created the false perception that Harley, Ivy and Selina were friends and had always been, when in reality, before the New 52, they were NEVER friends.

Catwoman's first interaction with Harley involved her slicing Selina’s throat, drugging her, and trying to get her to kill Jim Gordon. For no particular reason.

Catwoman (1993) #82

Catwoman (1993) #83

Of course during the original Hush, Poison Ivy brainwashes Catwoman and forces her to commit crimes for her which leads to Selina almost getting killed by Killer Croc, then Harley Quinn shoots her 😭

Hush #3

THIS is toxic yuri.

I don’t hate the concept of Catwoman occasionally teaming up with rouges, or being friendly with them, but Ivy and Selina had real moral conflict too. No matter how far back we go in Selina’s history, even as a villain, she isn’t down with hurting innocent people. Harley and Ivy have different morals.

One of the more interesting Poison Ivy/Catwoman stories is from Catwoman (1993) #57, set during No Man’s Land. Where we see that theres a lot about Ivy that Selina admires, but she still wont let her hurt Gotham.

I mean Is this not already far more interesting than the “bestie��� dynamic??

Following this and Hush, their relationship was shown to be on bad terms in the beginning of GCS. The “partnership” between the sirens was always meant to be temporary because Poison Ivy and Catwoman didn’t trust each other and Selina had ulterior motives for teaming up in the first place. Not to mention this whole book is just “Catwoman gets tortured, drugged, brainwashed and betrayed” 😭

But for some reason people think it’s a peak concept and want them all to be bestie weed smoking girlfriends bc they don’t have any context except the name and sexy covers. Who needs complexity?

The abuse is non stop in Sirens. Harley and Ivy torture Selina over Batman’s identity

Gotham City Sirens (2009) #2

Then she get’s kidnapped and mentally abused AGAIN for Bruce’s identity by Shrike and an old student of Ra’s Al Ghul. Because of this, Talia manages to convince an extremely gullible Zatanna, who was already in trouble for messing with memories, that the CATWOMAN the greatest thief in the world, is too easy to capture and needs to have the identity of the only man she loves (who VOLUNTARILY told her mind u) forcibly taken from her.

No, Talia doesn’t actually gaf abt “protecting Bruce’s identity” all of a sudden. This is specifically about eliminating a romantic rival and using a member of the JL to do it. Stupid.

Hating Gotham Sirens truly isn’t enough I need Selina get a gun and kill all the bitches in this book 😭

It wasn’t enough that they already tried to destroy ALL of Selina’s decades of character development by saying she was only a good person because Zatanna “fixed” her, they have to go ahead and rip away her memories of Bruce. Even the retcon of the spell only working because of Selina’s already existing good potential makes me FURIOUS bc what do you MEAN “She just couldn’t?” Without the mind theft???

CATWOMAN STOLE THINGS! And was NEVER on an evil team. WHY is she in the same conversation as villains like DR LIGHT my god why the fuck would the justice league want to mind wipe a young thief from Gotham this shit is so stupid

Anyway Zatanna, goes through with it again….

Zatanna then finds a memory of Selina and Talia that leads her to discovering she’s been played. About time.

They scrap for a second and Zatanna zaps her like a bug, Talia breaks her nose, Zatanna punches her in the face, and then Talia randomly fires missiles at Selina 😭 I hate this book man

It exploded and we see Ivy and Harley pretend to care for a second before it’s revealed she’s alive.

Zatanna returns Selina’s memories. But also offers to wipe her mind of Bruce with her consent this time. Selina rejects the offer, and things end rough between the two of them. Selina should have at least been allowed to curse everyone out tbh

Near the end of the series, we get to a point of what I think a good representation of the Sirens relationships should be like. Harley and Selina bond briefly over betrayal and love and are friendly enough. Selina and Ivy have a contentious alliance that ultimately breaks down.

After everything she’s been through, Selina “betrays” her “friends” and has them put in Arkham. Ivy is pissed and breaks herself and Harley out to kill Selina for revenge. All of this culminates into Selina explaining that She is the only reason the Bat hasn’t dealt with them himself and shes done nothing but try to help them, and we get this moment where Selina herself explains why “Gotham sirens” never made sense and was NEVER gonna work.

It ends with Selina once again dying on the cross for them as she lets them get away after attacking her and distracts Batman. If these two are supposed to be Selina’s “weed smoking girlfriends” as fanon says, then she is in an abusive ass relationship 😭

And modern Sirens content? Poison Ivy has been so defanged, Harley is Harley, and god help any character written around her, and Selina get’s mischaracterized as a selfish woman only out for herself (hq show Selina) While dc tries to give the anti-hero “villain with a heart” treatment to Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.

Now apparently they’re going on space adventures in the new siren book. We’ve already known Dc has lost the plot when writing for Harley, but what are Ivy and Selina doing in space?! Why do we have to pause Catwoman’s already struggling solo for this slop that absolutely no one will be reading for the story 😭 It benefits none of these characters and only serves to regress Ivy and Catwoman once actually compelling relationship more.

Gotham City Sirens, they can never make me like you.

[biibini]

Could you possibly write hcs for Mizu properly introducing reader to her adoptive father for the first time??? I'm curious as to how that would play out :3

modern!mizu x reader meets eiji for the first time

tags: modern mizu, mizu & reader in relationship, meeting the parents trope, meeting the parent?, eiji is mizu’s adopted father, kohama is staged around the pacific northwest, heidi shindo &blood-soaked chiaki mentioned, TW: m*k*o, author needs to eat before she writes

a/n: ok for some reason i cant edit my drafts on my phone bc of gifs :( ima get thru these asks fr,, hope yall like the show references teehee

when u and modern!mizu first got together, u guys figured u would take it slow

it was mizu’s first relationship out of a toxic one

and u didn’t mind the slow pace

going on dates, hanging out, relaxing together

it was a blast

until one day u guys were out downtown, having a lil cafe date

and one of eiji’s clients recognized mizu as u hopped on the back of her motorcycle, zooming off to get lunch

modern!mizu ends up getting an unexpected phone call from her adopted dad

they keep in touch every few days

but she had just called him yesterday

Mizu was lying on her bed, scrolling through her phone. Her homework lies on her desk, ready to be done.

She groans in frustration and gently throws the phone down.

Ok, enough scrolling. Let’s get shit done-

Her phone starts to vibrate. Mizu flips the phone to spot the contact name “Swordfather”. The contact name is paired with a 0.5 selfie of him winning against Mizu. It continued to vibrate on Mizu's bed.

That’s odd. I just called him yesterday.

“Hey dad, whats up?”, Mizu answer.

“Who’s in the back of your bike?”, he yells into the phone.

“How- who- what are you talking-“

“Mr. Shindo come to me earlier today.” He starts, stern and loud, “He say he saw you with girl behind you on bike.”

Mr. Shindo was a regular at Eiji’s Repair Shop ever since Mizu was young. A man with temper and sass, he only trusted Eiji with his services. But with sass came a lot of gossip. Mizu wouldn’t believe the amount of drama happening the neighborhood if it wasn’t for Mr.Shindo’s loud mouth.

“Ok dad, I know it’s a girl but-“

“And he say he saw you hold hands! And drive off?!”, Eiji yelled with concern.

Mizu never really heard him this loud. There was the occasional disagreement and arguments about the Sunday game or who’s cooking for dinner. It was just banter at the most.

When Mizu told him about Mikio and why she left him & all his problems, he stayed calm and silent. Not many words were said when she admitted everything he did during the relationship. But it was comforting to know that her adopted dad was there, quietly listening to her sobs at the dining table.

“I know it’s not a guy but-“

“Guy, girl I do no care. Who is she?”

Mizu was stunned. Yeah, her dad’s English wasn’t the best but his words hit deep. The only time he pulled out the “I don’t care” in her lifetime was a foul customer.

A man by the name of Chiaki was on his knees close to closing hours, begging on his knees for Eiji to fix his motorcycle in hopes to make it faster. After constant days of his begging and pleading during open & closing, Eiji took it into his shop. After countless days of watching her dad attempt to fix the customer’s bike, Chiaki started criticizing and called him an “decrepit old man unable to fix shit”. Mizu wanted to rock his shit but her dad stopped her before she could.

“I may be old, but I do no care. Leave with your piece of shit you call a bike.”, Eiji said as Chiaki sped off, flipping the bird as he sent off.

"Mizu? You there?, Eiji asks. Mizu snaps back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"You tired of guys now, ha?"

Mizu scoffed, laughing at the unexpected response. She hears a hearty chuckle through the phone.

"Yeah yeah.", Mizu sighs in relief, "She's my girlfriend. Her name is Y/N.", Mizu answered, a blush blooming on her face.

"Ah good. Next time you come home, bring her. I'll make my barbeque special.", Eiji says lightheartedly.

Mizu's eyes lit up. It had been a while since she visited home. And to be greeted with the smell of her dad's honey BBQ baby back ribs and juicy prime rib? Yeah, she was sold.

"I will. I'll let you know when I'll visit."

"And Mizu?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"She take good care of you?", he asks in a concerned tone.

MIzu smiles, knowing the slow burn of confusion, hatred, and rage he witnessed over the many years. He was present during her silent middle school self, her angsty & stubborn teenage years, and her confused & rage-filled self during her previous relationship.

She looks at the wall where a photobooth strip of you two hung. It was during one of your exploring the city dates when you two found a vintage photo booth. A little dusty but it did the job of capturing you two together.

"Yes. Yes, she does, dad."

later that week, u get a text msg from mizu asking if u are free for the weekend

thinking it was another weekend date, u clear out ur schedule

and then she texts u its ab coming home w her for the weekend and see her dad

this was kinda out of nowhere

it rlly threw u off

it has been a few months now...

so yk what

maybe it is time u say hi

that friday u get on her motorcycle and ride to her hometown

its only an hr out but seeing the change from a college town to a smaller town felt like another world

You feel the motorcycle slow down as you head towards the exit. The wind calms down as you pass by the welcome sign to Kohama. As you go down the exit, you look out. Down below is a winding path to the seaside town. The town hangs next to a cliff. From your point of view, you could spot the deep blue ocean shimmers as Mizu takes you down the road.

She goes at a slower pace, taking in the familiar sights she left behind: the tall pine trees, a long coastline as far as the eye can see, and boulders scattering the beaches every once in a while. She rolls up to a stop sign and lifts her visor up.

"Smells like home."

You mimic her motions, lifting yours as well. The faint scent of sea salt mixed with the cool breeze from the ocean.

With both of you refreshed, Mizu continued along the path towards the middle of town.

u guys roll into her neighborhood

the houses share a similar bungalow-style

only changing in shades of color

however, something caught ur eye

well

more like ur nose

the smell of sweet barbeque caught ur attention

mizu immediately knew it was her dad cooking it up

meeting modern!mizu’s dad aka swordfather was a lil awkward

when u first arrived, he was busy in the back barbecuing and taking care of the dinner tonight

so u didnt meet him until u fully entered the house

hes busy in the back barbequing

and he does see u but the only thing he knows ab u is that ur dating his daughter

“Dad?”, Mizu calls through the house. You follow her footsteps down the hallway. She then opens the backdoor at the end, the midday shining into the hallway.

The sun blinds you for a second. You see a growing backyard with bushes aligning the fence. Tucked in the corner lied a storage shed surrounded by bikes and a few spare tires. Next to the shed is a grill in use, smoke coming out of the vent.

“I’m here Mizu.” An elderly voice called, his back facing you.

He turns around, a faint pout on his face. His eyes squinting from the harsh midday sun.

“You bring girlfriend?”

Mizu grins at her dad’s comment. She looks back at you and softly grabs your hand, pulling you next to her.

“This is Y/N.”

You smiled, waving at Mizu’s father. You know he’s not a bad guy, just a badass through Mizu’s stories of back home. However, you’re still anxious underneath your pleasing demeanor.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

You look up to meet his gaze. Old, tired eyes stare back. Stern but not mean or cruel. Amiable. You could only wonder how much wisdom he has behind those eyes.

“Nice to meet you. I am Eiji.”

He waves back, awkwardly smiling as he tends to the grill. The interaction had a striking similarity to when you first met Mizu: cordial, dry, and a little awkward.

Like father, like daughter, you suppose.

after introducing urself, mizu lets eiji cook

(LET HIM COOK ‼️‼️)

when ur making sides together in the kitchen, he gets a glimpse of how u guys act together

and he watches u help mizu make the sides like mac & cheese, baked potatoes, biscuits, and stir fried green beans

typically, he would be helping her cook

but seeing u help her mix the macaroni

and mizu helping u cut the green beans

hes a proud man and feels safe knowing mizu is ok

when mizu pops into the bathroom, he checks in on the cooking

You put on the red and blue mitts and carefully place the mac and cheese into the oven. You feel the fiery heat of the oven against your forearms.

“How is cooking going?”

You close the oven and look behind to find Eiji. You nod in response.

“It’s going good! We’re almost done.”, you say as you move to the side. He gets a view of your work with Mizu: a plate of stir fried garlic string beans with crispy fried onions, a stack of baked potatoes along with bowls of toppings portioned by Mizu, Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits, and the max and cheese that’s currently baking.

“Thank you for inviting me over and letting me stay.”, you say politely as you put the mittens away.

He nods back, a small smile forming around his lips.

The conversation falls short. A silence fills the air.

For a little too long.

It’s almost uncomfortable to breath, let alone talk, in the kitchen.

“Ribs are almost done. Please help set tables with me.”

You follow his request and help him with the plates and utensils.

“You know,”, You look up from the dinner table, giving Eiji your attention. “I did not know Mizu would bring girlfriend back.”

He chuckled as he looked back at you. You hear the emphasis on “girl” and laughed along. After hearing about Mizu’s previous relationship during the beginning of your relationship, you started to understand her ways.

And now, you understood why Eiji was awkward earlier in the day. When Mizu first met you, it was anxiousness meeting you. For Eiji, it was out of concern from Mizu’s past.

“Yeah, I’m probably not what you expected.”, you tease.

A hearty laugh comes out of Eiji. You feel the heaviness in the room lifts.

“But I’ll be here for her. I plan to, don’t worry.”, you reassure him. As serious as you sound, it was all true.

He hums in agreement. He puts down the final fork and walks over to the stir-fried green beans. His fingers reach for a string bean and tastes your cooking.

“Mm. You are honest.”, he pauses as he takes another bite. “You also make mean green beans.”

You snort, the compliment catching you off guard.

“Mean green beans?”, you question. You take a bean from the plate.

He nods.

Mean green beans…

while u and eiji are having a moment,

modern!mizu is listening to all of this go down

she tries not to smile when she comes back into the kitchen

but on the inside, she’s relieving hes getting along with u

once u and mizu help set the food on the table, its feasting time

ik for a fact that those baby back ribs are dangerously juicy

practically ripping off the bone

and with that honey bbq sauce???

and not to mention the prime rib??????

perfectly cooked

super tender

u can literally taste thyme, rosemary, and garlic with every juicy bite

(i shouldnt be writing this while im hungry)

u all enjoy a delicious dinner

afterwards, modern!mizu would give u a detailed tour of her childhood home

her fencing trophies lined up in the living room

and hallway

and bedroom

eiji didnt always say it but he was proud

if u couldnt tell already

when u guys went out to the backyard, u spot eiji working on a motorcycle in the shed

its not the biggest shed

but a closer look inside painted a pic of who he was

him on a motorcycle w his friends when he was much younger

a framed pic of a lil mizu on her scooter with him on a motorcycle, both vehicles with matching colors

the grand opening of eiji’s car shop

young mizu at the beach nearby

another of teenage mizu holding her keys and next to a blue 2004 toyota camry

u laughed and pointed it out

eiji chuckling along w u and describing the picture as mizu’s first drive after getting her license at age 16

she looks so much younger but u giggle at the scowl

on the other hand, modern!mizu is kinda embarrassed from her high school self

as crazy and insane and stubborn as she was, it was a big moment for her and for eiji

her girl could finally drive

and she got her first taste of freedom

did she cringe as u stared and laughed at how different she looked? yeah

but at least eiji isnt reminicising alone

[booksandpaperss]

and REN actually theyve been haunting me (classic ren moment LMAOOOO)

omg ren my beloved narrative haunter!! u always read my mind

favorite thing about them: their near blinding sense of justice is so deeply important to me, like they are so passionate about what they think is right (and as a bonus they're actually one of the few main chars in el that have a genuinely decent moral compass) and on top of that they're super kind and friendly so all of these things together just make them a very warm person to be with

least favorite thing about them: they can get so curious and idealistic that it actually becomes dangerous. ren is very smart and has a lot of different ideas about creating and solving things in the name making making things better that can have more cons than pros in the long run, but they get blinded by their own passon for it. part of the reason they end up so drawn to hella in the first place is bc she is someone who encourages this and makes a lot of ren's bigger dreams feel like they're actually possible when they're not really. at least not in the form of ren's ideal, consequence-less vision (I mean does this rlly count as a least favorite if I literally made them this way and it’s part of what makes their character interesting tho??)

favorite line: call me back when I actually write the prequel

brOTP: ren and odalia frendship <33 me when my bestie is utterly convinced my kind of girlfriend kind of situationship is a pathological liar and i think it's so sweet that she cares but trust hella's actually rlly great once u get to know her!! and then i end up dead in a river

OTP: hellren! hella’s awful 💞 but I can’t see ren wanting to be w anyone else there is no other way this could’ve turned out

nOTP: also hellren. like girl u need to be running the fuck away since yesterday

random headcanon: uhhh ren’s rlly into swords! both fighting with and making them

unpopular opinion: well i did create this character so I don’t rlly have any but ren’s the type of character that wld probably be annoyingly infantalized by fandom even tho they’re rlly smart and not entirely innocent either. like hella may have actually built tessa but the design was alllll ren’s

song i associate with them: in general ren is very ethel cain coded to me. hazard of being in love with your toxic manipulative SO and then haunting the narrative abt it loll but specifically! casings and strangers

favorite picture of them: if only I could properly draw

[chilling-seavey]

okay i have so many thoughts on lloid i fear u will be seeing a lot of me.. what is george’s past experience with women ?? i’m not sure if you’ve talked about it yet bc i still need to reread but im curious about like. bad break ups .

Yes yes yes!! I want to see you all the time in here!! (in the least creepy way possible LOLL)

Such a good question. He shares some stuff/some specific details with Rosaline in Chapter 13 so I will let him tell y'all that stuff when it gets to that part...but I can give more of a broad explanation of how I've thought about his character and his experience as a whole! Let me just spill his sexual life story right onto my dash mwah

So as we know, George is 34 here, very educated so has been part of the university life just as much as a student as he is an educator. I see him having probably lost his virginity in late high school or the summer before his first year of university...maybe at 18/19? Since he's so sex-positive and so knowledgeable and understanding and gentle with Rose, I feel like his first experience was similar. Maybe he was traveling abroad that summer and ended up meeting a slightly older woman (not crazy, maybe was, like, early to mid twenties) at a pub or a museum or something. Maybe he ended up back at her apartment and he was clammy and nervous and she helped him feel comfortable and at ease and showed him the ropes and of course it was a little awkward and maybe he came a little too fast (but not embarrassingly fast, he would always remind himself when the memory creeps up on him) but it was still a very formative memory for him that he carries with him. He never saw that woman again after the next morning but he walked out of her apartment feeling like a changed man, really.

And although he's always been very studious and focused on his work (a lot like Rosaline...that's part of the reason he was drawn to her as his mentee; he saw himself in her) and he was throughout uni, I see him having a few brief flings throughout his undergrad, masters, and PhD. Not quite 'one night stands' but not quite relationships (more like...'four night stands'? lol) and—ever the learner—he used these flings to better understand himself and better understand women. He definitely had a semester or two where he was far too focused on sex than his studies but one ~70% grade on his finals and that snapped him right back into gear.

(Oh and he definitely had one threesome in first year of his masters—with two women who were roommates with each other in his same dormitory building—but they ended up being more into each other than him and near the end he was just kinda pushed aside and stuck watching and then felt quite weird about it and silently swore off threesomes after that.)

But he wasn't just into flings and moreso as he progressed through his uni years he also dated in between them, definitely more of a long term relationship kinda guy. Some girls from his class, or from the dorms, or friends of friends. Girlfriends for him throughout uni likely lasted 8 months-2 years or so? But there was only a handful of those. He told a few of them he loved them and they said it back but he never really felt that intense draw towards them that so often is depicted in romance novels. That's okay, he was focused on getting his doctorate anyway. Breakups at this time were likely more mutual; I think one in particular would be the girl being far more upset than he was and being the one to call it off really dramatically and kinda playing the victim and he was kinda like "...ooookay so bye then..." (lol)

He graduated with his PhD at 28/29 and that's when he did a lot of traveling between finding a career (assistant professor at one university or another...working in the archives...guest speakers at conferences...etc). He definitely isn't one for meaningless flings but in his travels he met some women he connected with and ended up back at his hotel or their local apartment.

(He had one woman from Italy take him home only to discover she lived on this farm and he was all too aware of one of the goats staring at them through the window the entire time.)

George tells Rose more of what happens in his early 30s so I'll leave that for him to tell you all too in Chapter 13!

But, overall, I see his body count to be around 20-ish? And he doesn't take that lightly, he's always been a conscientious lover and thinks that as much as sex can be fun, it's also intimate and thrives off trust and connection and that's what he loves. It's a wonderful balance of pleasure and decorum for him.

[hello-universe-lovers]

hey

if this doesn't bother you, can you please loredump about your stp voices

like, noooo I'm not here to steal ideas, why in the world would I ever do that

still, I am curious

bonus if you can talk about your ships

Honey, nothing is original anymore/hj

But I plan to have a whole ass au for my version of stp, which changes the voices and princesses. If you want to wait for that, you can stay tuned.

If not. I guess I can go more into my voice ships.

- Stubtunist: this started As a joke, but as I learned about myself: once a joke happens, it sticks. My version of Stubborn lives by KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid), is Aussie-coded and INCREDIBLY strong. A guy like him would make for easy target for Oppy to weasel into for that extra protection. But overtime, Oppy's attitude changed significantly. Think of it like your Smittunist, except Stubborn is aware he wasn't being genuine, at first. Once Oppy makes an effort to do better, he was one of the first to accept his apology and ended up being his hype man/trainer. My version of Oppy tends to let analytics take over his brain (so he can think who to side with on the fly), to which Stubborn will literally knock him out of it, and keep him on the "not-so-straight-but-good-enough" road. Hell, Stubborn being so open and readable reassured Oppy since he doesn't need to pretend or be afraid of him. If he's upset, he'd let him know.

- CheatBroken: My version of these 2 are different. For one, both are disabled due to the princesses (Fury and Wild, respectively), and they are also girls, so this is Sapphic as shit. Just 2 people with varying degree of "I'm done with the world" getting together to bitch and moan, until something akin to mutual affection forms. They can understand each other physically and mentally, and that makes it so they are the comfort pillow and wake up call both needed. Neither want their attitude to drag the other down, and can recognize the signs of a mental spiral to wake em out of it. There really isn't anything too deep with em, they just happened as a joke (this is a problem/j)

- HeroCold (and basically everyone tbh): oh...them. I don't hate them, mind you. But this is pure crack, from the outside perspective. My Cold shows signs of depression and does the bare minimum to keep himself alive (not that he needs to, but it's a pain to listen to Hero rant about his "health" so he keeps it up). His care for the others are as muted as canon Cold. The only difference is that he has slightly more sympathy. When Hero is stressed from making sure everyone is OK, he is there to offer coffee that he always has. He talks Paranoid out of his own fears, he gets Smitten to tone back on the love poems, he gets Stubborn to stop punching the Wall, and so on. The reason HeroCold is the main ship is bc they somehow became the "parents" of this dysfunctional family. But that's not saying a lot, as they themselves are complicated.

- Smittunist: you must be familiar with this one ;). But mine is slightly different. Mainly, the dynamic is reverse. Instead of Oppy being jealous of the Princess, it's Smitten that's jealous. His main princess of devotion is the Tower, someone who, while appreciative of his company, is incapable of reciprocating his romantic feelings. She sees him as a disciple or priest or whatever, not a "lover". Meanwhile, Oppy has a girlfriend in the Thorn (the princesses are all poly too, your honor), who they treat with tenderness, even if their personalities clash. Sometimes they fight, make out, or just casually exist around each other. But it's REAL, it's DOMESTIC, and by GOD, if Smitten's heart craved it. He of course, never admits it out loud. To be loved by his Goddess is more than enough, why should he be greedy and think about another woman's man's man woman?! Meanwhile, Oppy picked up thst Smitten is faking his emotions (takes one to know one, and all) and since he still has to rebuild bridges, he and Thorn are on their own in deciphering what's wrong with their resident love bird.

And that's all for now!! I have more dynamics in between voices, but these are the ones I thought the most about. If you are OK with more dispersed thoughts on other ships, I am willing to put em here. ContraHero for one is smth I would want an excuse to think more about ;)

[odysseus-f1-au]

This blog started off with me listing the similarities between Ody and Charles Leclerc and has been taken over by Athena!

Based on this post by @wolfythewitch

As usual, I (mod) speak like this and

Odysseus speaks like this

Athena speaks like this

Eurylocus speaks like this

Poseidon speaks like this

Zeus speaks like this

Penelope speaks like this

Telemachus speaks like this

Winions/Aeolus speak like this

Polyphemus speaks like this

Side character

(Athena angst arc:)

Pallas speaks like this

Metis speaks like this

--------------------------------------------------

In this au, Odysseus (he/him) is the GOAT of F1 trying to win his 10th championship (and break the record) so he can finally retire and chill with his wife and son. He drives for Ferrari, and every time he gets close to winning that elusive 10th, the Ferrari strategy department and his own bad luck kicks in and he keeps. On. Just. Missing. Out. (Well this doesn't sound familiar at all wink wink)

Oh yeah and he has a monaco style curse at the ithacan grand prix BC I think it's funny.

Other folks in the au:

Athena (we'll see where it ends): Odysseus' mentor and sponsor since he was young. Part time technical director for Ferrari. Runs F1 academy programs for girls, and is a strong supporter of getting more women involved in Motorsport. They were a champion in rally racing when they were young, and is a firm believer in 'if you want friends at the track, bring them with you'.

Eurylochus (he/him): Odysseus' jealous young hotshot teammate. Isn't above crashing into people and driving dirty.

Poseidon (he/him): Eurylocus' mentor. Father of Polyphemus. In his rally days he denied Athena her final championship by crashing into her.

Polyphemus (he/him): bought a seat by daddy. Mostly crashes into people at the back of the field.

Zeus (he/him): President of the FIA. Basically does what the FIA does. Causes pointless drama. Makes up stupid rules and even stupider punishments. Athena's shitty "uncle". (Or maybe he's not...)

Aeolus (they/them): owner of winion media. Which is a bit like drive to survive.

Winions: the media basically

Penelope (she/her): used to race in w series but retired when Telemachus was 2, because she decided it wouldn't be good for him if both his parents were continually absent. Now owns a fashion company.

Telemachus (he/they): adores his father. Wants to be just like him when he grows up.

Athena angst arc:

Pallas (she/her): Athena's secret girlfriend and rival who was severely injured in a rally crash when Athena and herself were teammates. (They were the only non men in rally at the time.)

Metis (she/her): Athena's mom with a history of drinking problems. Obsessive about training Athena to be perfect and cold to them otherwise. (you shall see why. I promise there is a reason.)

My main blog is @aikya-kat-44

Link to a crash course about F1 incase you don't know and are curious

[takaraphoenix]

From what I remember from the Chasingverse, I think Percy Junior and Hazel Pandora died before Percy's 100th bday? I still think this remains to be the biggest mystery to date bc I wanna know who Dora's love interest is, how Percy Junior and Dora died, how did Silly eventually become a thing with Jimmy and Basty and it quite makes me curious what happens in your universe next

Let's start this slightly in reverse and do Silly and Jimmy first. The fic that would have told their story would have been Mad Magic, and their section of the fic (it was planned to be three parts, spanning the generations between my next gen and the rebirth generation; I had fics in this vein planned for all the tree branches).

And! I actually put a concrete summary into the document! Yay, me! So I can actually tell you how him, Basty and Silly got together!

Seven years after 'Chasing Fireflies', in 2039. Jimmy di Angelo has had enough of watching his best friend Basty swapping spite with his twin-sister, so Jimmy gets himself a girlfriend too, since that's the trend. Everybody gets girlfriends and boyfriends. But Basty and Silly don't like that Jimmy is now dating Bella la Fey, a daughter of Ares.

Percy Junior died on June 6th 2054, so yes, before his 100th birthday.

I can tell you a bit about Dora, I am very mad that I never took more detailed notes on what I wanted to happen in the story itself, like, plotwise, but I do still have some notes.

Her story, and the story that consequently would have seen Percy Junior's death happen, is called The Quest for Firestorm and it would have resolved around Dora and her questing party.

Dora didn't have a fixed planned love-interest, mainly due to Sam-esque reasons (i.e., Sam Raser was never meant to be a main character, much less to develop a romantic relationship with Trend or Derek, it just all... happened naturally as I got to flesh these characters out more while writing the story, and since I had planned a longer multi-chapter fic to tell Dora's story, I didn't want to lock myself in with giving her a definite love interest and instead let the story tell me where she would lean and who she would be with).

The members include Tom Grace, Cal di Angelo, Eli Raser, Anna & Nick Chase (Luke/Thess' twins), Yuki Murdock (Loki/Blance's daughter), Yone Mikaelson (Marshall/Sara's son), Saphira Foxx (Joe/Nico's daughter), and their satryr guide Chuck Hedge (the only non-OC lol).

Sadly, I am an absolute fool and did not include a summary for this fic. It infuriates me.

What I do remember is that I wanted to reuse the second Great Prophecy for it, in a "what, you thought both Great Prophecies happen within half a year of each other lol no the Giant War wasn't it" kind of way. Hence the name "Firestorm" - the line to storm or fire, the world must fall. The story would have also involved Erebus/Nyx and Hemera/Aether, to stick with the PJO tradition of climbing further up the godly family tree.

[28whitepeonies]

Xander's dad had a friend who was a photographer and he ran a blog called Philly Chats. It was partly about Philly in general but he would also post a lot about Harry and Xander. He posted photos of them together, or Harry out and about in Philly, and sightings. He had an instagram page too and answered fans on it. He never said that they were in a relationship but imo he talked in a way that suggested they were like mentioning romantic dates, sleepovers, meeting parents, sharing clothes, jewelry etc. He wasn't the only one who did this because there were several others connected to Xander who also pushed the Xarry thing including his brother Max. So that is what made me think it was fan service because for what other reason would they do that? Unless they were looking for attention from Harry's fans and went about it in a creative way lol. I understand why Brad wiped his IG but not why most of his instastories are about Harry. Like clockwork, he posts a pic at a location and then we get pics the next day of Harry having been there. So now fans have connected the dots that Harry is everywhere Brad is. Other things like sharing clothes. The yacht pics of them in Australia. The backstage Brits pic where Brad was beside Harry but the rest of his team were at the back. The matching tattoos which the media brings up. Fan vids of Harry with Brad in the background, fan accounts of meeting Harry and Brad being there too. Pap pics, sneaky fan pics. I really doubt Harry and Brad are together all the time so why do they make it seem like it? Again, I don't think they're in a relationship but I thought maybe it was to keep fans speculating. But I 100% agree with you that they panicked when the tabloids picked it up. After that we didn't see Brad for like a week. But now we're seeing him again and the media does tend to post fan chatter. So I'm curious how they're going to manage this lol. Maybe they'll have Brad post a pic with a girlfriend, it's probably the only way. Sorry this is so long but am interested in your thoughts!

Okay I think maybe the issue here is just a fundamental difference in how we look at celebs and relationships.

My starting point generally when it comes to friends/family of celebs is this - people share about all sorts of parts of their lives and that might include their famous friends. I’m not sure how useful it is to get into specifics but let’s imagine that I was right and Brad doesn’t want to share his personal life now that he is under more fan scrutiny but he does like to share bits of his life on social media, especially if he’s doing a job that’s interesting/fun/prolific - why would there have to be a wider agenda? Maybe staff on LOT are encouraged to post about the tour also? I’ve worked in jobs where a social media presence has been encouraged and in jobs where it’s highly restricted.

Some of this I just don’t agree with also, like the matching tattoos thing I think is a bit mad to try and make work, sharing clothes like don’t you share clothes with your friends? My pal was here for the weekend and wore my hoodie out for the day, we’re not dating.

You said you really doubt that Harry and Brad are together all the time, but I don’t think that’s up for debate here bc I agree, I do think that they’re together a lot while Harry is on tour. There could be many reasons for it - I do think him being someone Harry enjoys being around or is doing his job is a valid enough option.

I’m also not familiar enough with the Philly chats content to comment on how things were framed, you can defo send me some if you have it, but I’m pretty confident in what my position will be.

I think Philly Chats was maybe trying to raise its profile by maximising the connections he had. I also think it’s a bit of a stretch to think that Xanders dad’s friend who runs a public blog would be posting about his friends son’s famous boyfriend or would even know about any relationship they had beyond ‘they know eachother’.

I’m not sure I think they need to do anything else just now - I think the bradrry rumours have died down a bit. I also don’t think it’s likely at all that Brad having a girlfriend would be related to this, the issue is not Brad but speculation about Harry’s sexuality - the obvious response would be for Harry to continue to perform heterosexuality.

[joshriku]

Bear s3 thoughts?

i have finally #seated to talk about this......

ok i think its like. in paper its really good. the impact the s2 finale has on carmy that makes him trigger this defensive coping mechanism he has where he just spirals into something Worse over growing and improving is to me a good choice tbh? as in, i personally enjoy characters with messy approaches to trauma who aren't Very Good At Handling It. i thought also syd was the Star of the season to me.. to me syd is a very special character bc in lots of ways she is the propeller for things to be set in motion. syd's belief in the restaurant, in others, the way her presence inspires others and makes them like her and respect her and try to change for her, i think it's all genuinely so good. and i think the fact she is such a loving and caring person shines through her personality so much and i love the little touches throughout the season.. her interactions with richie, syd bringing food for nat and the baby, the fact she was the 2nd call nat did in an emergency, of course tina and syd forever my highlight, syd being there for marcus' grieving time, and literally every interaction syd has with carmy even if he doesnt appreciate it its so good. idk. syd is the most solid character in the show and i did find it interesting that in s2 when carmy kind of pushes her up and brings out the best in her, s3 carmy is kind of the entire reason why she doesn't feel As Good about anything rn.

like. he refuses to cooperate. when people talk about the bear, it's carmy who takes all the credit, it's carmy running the menu, it's carmy taking the shots, it's carmy who's going to give her the star, etc etc. and i thought it was interesting how you could see episode by episode syd's resolve and self-esteem crumbling until she has a panic attack - and carmy isn't even Voluntarily causing this, its literally just a side effect of his own making because of how he acts and how he influences everyone around them and him not taking care of his mental health impacts Everyone Else.... i'll get you out of there donna btw if anyone cared... "where did he pick that up?" indeed..... but anyway this is why i think i was also curious about the set up to syd possibly leaving for the other restaurant or at least seriously considering it. bc i do think it'd be the best for her. even if she Shouldn't have to consider it yknow?

i also loved napkins. i think everyone loved napkins but omfg the way i cried over that episode.. tina my everything. i think its the best ep in this season! the writing + directing was stellar and it just means so much to me. i love when the bear is about loss and grief and finding your place in a world that keeps rejecting you but overall when its about Love. "do you know how much i loved him? a lot. i loved him a lot" haunting my every waking moment... ice cubes also ruined my day and made me sob for like 40 minutes i was crying while talking to my girlfriend it was a whole mess... nat .. Ohhh nat.......

but like . i didnt have fun watching it as i usually do w the bear 😭 idk... like i said on paper its fine. i thought the flashbacks to mikeys funeral and carmys life during his culinary studies and when they find out abt mikeys passing it was all really well done? but other than that it was like. some scenes were good. but napkins and ice cubes were the only good from start to finish esp napkins. idk i found it very.. i think it somewhat lacked a purpose. i also feel like it was just a lot of Showing things, like, after the 700th montage+quick cut in from a flashback+a close up of carmys eyes looking distressed i was like. Yeah i got it can I get some dialogue that isnt something that feels like word vomit pls and thank u... I thought the humor landed only sometimes and sometimes it kind of felt like a parody of itself. like if someone tried to do a sketch of the bear thats what itd be.i feel like it just lacked stronger narrative objectives.. the bear's objectives for seasons are usually very simple but executed nicely, but i think they fumbled the execution a lot.. which is a shame bc i dont think ill be rewatching s3 as much as i rewatch s1 and s2. i hope s4 is a lot better tho!

[proteuus]

oh yeah another thing earlier i found out that my school keycard only works to swipe me into the women's room and not the men's. so that's cute

[apocalypticgargoyle]

Gene... My baby mama... I need... More alt!dream... Whatever you got fr. I just need more I'm.. I love him (probs not as much as you) but I love him

You're in luck bc I'm running on rip fuel for him. [ALSO I WROTE THIS BEFORE EVERYONE DID THE TECHWEAR STUFF FOR HIM I'M SORRY. I'LL GET IT IN NEXT TIME. I PINKY SWEAR.]

𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐃. ♘ 𝐚𝐥𝐭!𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 (𝟏𝟖+)

pairing: alt!Dreamwastaken x fm!reader

warnings: smut (18+), language, semi-public sex, light mentions of needles, domination

previous part ♘ fanart that i can't stop crying over

recommended listening: Hi Frequency by Vague002

The bus swayed slightly, your grip on the cool bar tightening to keep you from knocking into Clay as it turned. The dark city outside the windows bustled with sparkling lights, catching your eye every few seconds. As more people filed into the cramped space, Clay grabbed your hand, looping your arms around his waist and smugly grinning as you fought not to blush. He brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. “Will this be your first time in a parlor?” He asked, voice low and raspy as he whispered to you, not wanting to disturb the other members of society who just wanted to get home after a long day of work.

You nodded your head, making him chuckle. You knew it would be a different experience, mainly because it was taking place during the tattoo shops “after hours,” which Clay had only briefly explained the benefits of attending. “What are you getting done again?” You asked, moving so your hands were holding onto his arm instead, fingers brushing against the exposed skin peeking from beneath the cut-up shirt under his dark jacket.

He shrugged. “I couldn’t decide. Why don’t you pick?” He joshed, smirking at the way your eyebrows raised.

“I don’t want to be responsible for a mark on you,” you murmured, making him snort.

He hooked his fingers into the neckline of his shirt, stretching it down enough to reveal the litter of hickeys peppering his skin that you had left the night before. Your eyes widened as you swatted away his hand, looking around carefully in hopes that no one had seen them. He looped an arm around your shoulders, loving the fact that you were so worried about the crowd when all he wanted to do was fluster you.

He pressed his lips to your cheek, the warmth of his body encompassing you. “I love it when you get all blushy,” he teased. “Seriously though, you should pick. I won’t look at it if I don’t like it,” he snarked.

You groaned lightly. “Clay, come on.” He brushed his lips against yours.

“I trust you, sweetheart,” he cooed almost mockingly, his nose moving to press into your hair.

You chewed on the inside of your cheek, trying your best to remember what was already on his body. You thought about the impending reality that whenever he saw the new tattoo, his mind would linger on you, and for some reason, heat traveled to your ears at that thought. “Um… what about a bird?” You asked, voice uneasy as if on eggshells.

His face twisted into a pleased smile. “A bird?” He repeated. You shrugged beneath his arm, making him chuckle. “I like that. George likes doing bird tattoos too, so you might just make his night,” he added, his praise and approval making your stomach fill with confidence. He pulled you closer, his lips brushing against your shoulder. Your mind began to forget what the two of you probably looked like to the other people as his scent invaded your senses. “Will you hold my hand while I’m in the chair?” He joked.

You scoffed. “Are you gonna cry?” You teased, making him chuckle.

“No, I’m just clingy,” he answered without skipping a beat. Your grin was hidden in the soft corduroy of his jacket.

The tattoo parlor was nothing like you had expected. The door was locked behind you after a bouncer let the two of you in, the man leading you two up a staircase and into a dimly lit room. The sound of heavy metal music and the buzz of tattoo guns swirled together, echoing off the dark brick walls. You slipped your hand into Clay’s as he talked to the receptionist, your eyes attempting to focus on one detail instead of letting the atmosphere overwhelm you.

The thick layer of smoke above your heads made you scoff, realizing it was coming from the opposite corner of the shop, a hookah lamp sitting on a coffee table like an outstretched octopus. The people around it seemed to be discussing something rather intense, their haircuts sharp and defining almost as if they stepped out of some kind of alternative fashion magazine. There were three tattoo artists, each with a white lamp focusing on their work as they carried on to the beat of the music.

Clay’s description of the place flashed into your mind, making you realize just how off the cards the parlor actually was. Clay took a toothpick from the receptionist’s desk, taking it between his white teeth before being waved down by a shorter man with dark hair across the floor. You followed closely behind him as Clay greeted the man; you quickly realizing that this was the famous George.

As Clay shrugged out of his jacket, George pulled out a binder, standing beside you as he flipped to a page with scattered drawings of different flight poses of birds. Your eyes drifted away from the page as Clay’s arms came into view. His old t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off was doing wonders for his biceps. Before you knew it, the two of you agreed on a mix of a few designs resembling a crow and Clay was laying on his back with his hand tucked behind his head. The spot he was filling was in the dead center of the flesh of his upper arm; a spot that George had grumbled about being awkward to reach, especially on someone as large as Clay.

You watched closely with curious eyes as George began to tattoo the design on Clay’s arm. Clay’s other hand was wrapped around the back of your elbow as you leaned on the chair at Clay’s side. His finger pads drew circles into your skin as you asked George about how he got into tattooing, making small talk here and there.

You liked George, mainly because he was quiet until he conjured up some kind of relentless backhanded comment. His tattoos revolved around a giant tree stretching from his back and down his arms. You wondered how long he had to sit for it and what the healing process was like. As he worked, his teeth played at his snake bite piercings, his dark eyes focused intently on the work in front of him.

Clay switched his toothpick to the other side of his mouth, his hand tightening around your arm with a small groan as George reached a sensitive spot. “Don’t be such a pussy,” he grumbled, continuing his work. He stopped, cleaning off some of the sprayed ink and filling a new cap with grey. “You have any work, pretty girl?” He asked you, voice low and charming.

You shook your head, earning a small tsk from him. “This is the closest she’s been to a tattoo gun,” Clay prided, making George sarcastically raise his eyes.

“A total virgin, huh?” He joked, winking at you. “Dream’s not corrupting you, is he?”

You chewed the inside of your cheek trying not to blush. “I’m trying,” Clay leered, smirking at you with his smug ego hinting at his lips.

George bit back a laugh. “Don’t get horny in my chair,” he muttered, eyes trained on the lines he was scaring into Clay. “Speaking of, I heard you got busted up by Punz, and by the looks of it… seems right,” he commented, gesturing to Clay’s eye that seemed to have started fading finally.

Clay let out a dry laugh. “His ribs are still healing,” you added, making George smirk with a shake of his head.

“You know what all that’s about right?” George asked you, taking his foot off the pedal to grab more paper towels from his desk. You looked up at Clay whose jaw tense as he chewed on the toothpick. After you shook your head, George continued. “Punz’s sister is stupidly in love with Dream,” he plopped back in his seat, swiveling his chair, and drawing a hand through his locks, revealing the bleached undersection. You had the fleeting mental image of him tying his hair back to reveal it.

He pulled on a new glove. “Madly in love, huh?” You pried, twisting your chair closer to Clay’s shoulder. Clay rolled his eyes at the fact as if he had been bugged about it for years. “You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend, Clay,” you teased, and he looked up at you with a tired expression, making you bite back a giggle.

After George finished, you followed Clay through the door, breathing in the fresh air; or as fresh as it could be in the midst of the city’s industrial square. Clay’s fingers knitted together with yours as he led you down an alleyway, flicking aside the toothpick. You chewed on your lip in anticipation before he pinned you against one of the walls. His devious grin sent shivers down your spine as you looked up at him.

You swallowed. “Shouldn’t you take it easy? Let your arm heal a bit?” You asked, voice coming out in a soft whisper as his lips pressed against your neck. “Won’t it hurt a bit with your ribs, too?” Your heart hammered in your chest at the fact that someone could turn the corner and catch the two of you.

He chuckled against your skin, slipping his hands beneath your skirt to grip your ass. “I like the pain,” he mused, tongue grazing against your skin as he pulled your hips against his. He kissed you hungrily as if not being able to press his body against yours for that hour was too much for him. His hand dropped to wrap around the back of your knee, moving his own leg to prop your thigh up against his hip as your hands dug into his hair.

The friction from his jeans made you moan into his mouth as his hand moved beneath your shirt, fingers fitting beneath your bra to palm your breast. He mumbled praises against your lips at how good you made him feel and how beautiful you were.

He turned you, your hands planting against the coarse brick as he ground his hips against you. You bit your lip, trying not to be loud enough to draw attention to the two of you, which seemed to be the last thing on Clay’s mind as you heard him unbuckle his belt behind you. You could practically picture his cocky grin, controlling eyes set as his hand gripped onto your hips, shoving your underwear to the side. “You were so much fun to show off tonight,” he chided darkly, lips brushing against your shoulder. “Such a good girl.”

As he pushed into you, one of his hands moved to knot into your hair. He moaned at the feeling of you clenching around him, tugging on your hair as he pulled your hips back against his. A low grunt tumbled from his lips as he set his rhythm, basking in the fact that you were secretly ready for him to ruin you as soon as you stepped into the parlor.

His fingers moved to wrap around your neck, the thought of his tattooed hand tightening around your pristine skin sent shivers through your body and heat flushing your cheeks, the tension in your body tightening. As he pressed you closer against the wall, you thought about the power he had over you; his height and build would make it easy for him to break you if he wanted, yet even as he pounded into you like he wanted you to forget your own name, the restraint he showed was enough to send you over the edge if you let yourself divulge in the thought.

Clay pulled out of you, only to turn you, your shoulders hitting the wall again with a soft thump as he hoisted you up ever so slightly, thrusting up into you as his hand dig into your thigh, the other resting against the brick beside your head. Your arms looped beneath his jacket, raking down his skin as you held onto him.

He groaned as your thighs tightened around him, making his hips stutter as if he were trying not to let himself finish too early. He dug is face into the crook of your neck, burying his teeth in your neck to stifle his grunts of your name. Your head tilted back against the brick, hand moving to tighten around the wrist that was beside your head for some kind of anchor.

His hand wrapped around your waist, driving himself deeper into you, brushing the part of you that needed him the most. You moaned, carding your fingers into his hair as he pressed his lips to yours roughly, wanting to taste your pleasure as it washed over you from his movements.

You tugged on his hair, making his cock throb inside of you, him finishing inside you with a low groan, his hips snapping against yours to stimulate a reaction from you. The feeling of his sloppy pleasure as his movements lost their rhythm sent your hips grinding against his, his teeth marking your shoulders as a reminder of his work on you.

Your toes curled, finally reaching your orgasm as he murmured dirty expressions of him ruining your pretty clothes against the wall. As he pulled out of you, your knees felt weak, threatening to buckle beneath you. You tried not to give off how much he had trashed you, but the warmth snaking down your thighs and your bliss-ridden mind proved otherwise.

Long story short, the bus ride home was rather interesting.

Dream Taglist: (follow this link to be added :))

@karlkitten @pluto-dizzz @more-like-reyna @honk-izzie-was-taken @marrymetheonott @froggyy06 @ghoulandghost @savingpluto @marshmallow-babe @drunkpumpkincake @unstableye @tinyegg @behzzyboo @darphobic @twist3dtinkerbell @sparkletash @lindsayhunz @shroomieissmall @mintmochiii @clubfairy @aroyaldarknessblr @camerondiaz48104 @madsbbg @victory-is-here @rat-poisin

[holyghostbws]

what people say ; bws

Based on this request: “Can u do one where Brad is 7 years older and feels like he's pressuring her but in reality she just wants to be his specially bc it's not like they're way too young or something”Tried to make this one a little angst, hope you don’t mind.

Warnings: age gap

The evening started nicely. Both of them where dressed up for the Simpson’s Bar anniversary. Anne Marie and Derek were throwing a little party for their family and friends to celebrate the business and its success.

Y/n was nervous because she was meeting new members of Brad’s family and friends that she hadn’t before. Brad was excited, he always had felt like there must’ve been something he’d done right to get himself a girl like that: sweet, caring, compassionate and that loved him for exactly who he was. He never had to pretend around her, he could be himself and tell her everything without a fear; that’s why he wanted all of his family and friends to meet her, because they were a very important part of his life and so she was.

Everything was going great until Brad’s aunt, Sara, approached them.

“Brad, darling!” She hugged Brad tightly and kissed his cheek with a loud sound, the smell of cheap perfume invaded his nostrils, “How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever. You start being a little bit famous and suddenly you forget about your family.” Sara was the dramatic family member, the one that always had something to complain about.

Brad rolled his eyes. He had never been very fond of the woman, he found her irritating and fake. Plus, all she cared about was gossip.

“I’m good thank you. This is my girlfriend, y/n” Brad said and turned to the small girl beside him.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you” She smiled kindly, shaking Sara’s hand.

“You look so young! How old are you?” The woman asked with curious eyes. Her tone wasn’t mean but it was still annoying to y/n. Almost every time Brad and her went out someone had to ask that question and they were both sick and tired of it.

“I’m not very comfortable telling my age…” She answered. She already knew where this was going, she was just trying to avoid the situation without being rude to Brad’s family.

“But you’re younger than Brad, right? Much younger it seems” The lady kept insisting, exaggerating because Brad didn’t look that old, they looked about the same age.

“Yeah, I guess. I’m older than what I look though” She answered, her grip on Brad’s hand got stronger. Meanwhile, Brad remained silent but his eyes didn’t, they told everything, he wanted to murder his aunt and then disappear forever, somewhere where y/n and him could go and start over without having to deal with people’s opinions.

“So there’s a big age gap then? How many years are we talking?” Sara asked, it seemed like she wasn’t letting it go anytime soon.

Y/n was tired of those comments, not only did they made her uncomfortable but she found them rude and intrusive. Why were people so obsessed with their relationship? It was none of their business if they were the same age or 30 years difference, it wouldn’t change a thing.

Brad also found them uncomfortable but for different reasons. They made him feel bad about about dating her, like he was some kind of sick predator, as if he was taking advantage of her in some way. He even started questioning himself and the whole relationship a while ago but he loved her too much to leave.

“Not much, just 7 years” She replied calmly, doing her best to smile and act like she didn’t want to rip Sara’s head off.

“Not much?” Sara sounded alarmed, “Oh honey, but it is much.”

“It really isn’t, Sara. We’re both adults and know what we’re doing, now if you’ll excuse us, we have to go say hi to other people” Brad finally intervened. He didn’t even wait for an answer, he took his girlfriend by the waist and started guiding her through the crowd looking for the door so they could get some fresh air, he was walking so fast she could barely keep up with him.

Once outside, Brad sighed loudly, slowly trying to let go all of the anger and frustration he felt. His hand dropped hers and although it was a small action, it had relevance to her. He seemed distant and she didn’t like that, it gave her a bad feeling.

“Hey… it’s okay” She said with a soft voice, stepping closer.

“No, it’s not. I’m so fucking tired of it, I’m fucking tired of everything” Brad replied, tension building up in his voice, mimicking his body. When she once again stepped closer to comfort him, he stepped back, running his fingers through his hair anxiously. That felt as if a dagger had just pierced her heart.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, confused by his rejection.

Brad laughed sarcastically, staring at her for a second before returning his gaze to the sky.

“Are you really asking me that right now? What a fucking dumb question” He replied, pissed, “But what would you know about it? You always try to see the positive side of everything, and let me tell you, it’s fucking annoying.”

That made her angry. She understood why he was upset and he had every right to be so, but he didn’t have any right to treat her like that.

“You’re being mean. You being mad is not an excuse to be an asshole and treat me like shit” She defended herself.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You know it’s true though” He paused, “I’m going for a drink.” And with that he left her there.

She didn’t saw him for the next two hours or so, she felt like an idiot, just standing here and there with a drink in her hand, occasionally having to talk to someone and pretending that everything was fine. She wanted to cry, to scream, she wanted to go home because she felt so humiliated, alone and mad at Brad for caring too much about what other people had to say.

So she took her decision and started walking fast towards the exit, trying not to run into anyone that knew her well so they wouldn’t ask questions. It would be so embarrassing if someone like Anne Marie caught her sneaking out without Brad because then she’d know there was a problem. Just as she was walking through the door, someone caught her arm. She facepalmed herself mentally and sighed, slowly turning around to face whoever was there. To her surprise, it was Brad.

“Where are you going?” He asked with confusion. She noticed that he had been drinking because he was obviously a little drunk and the words came out of his mouth slower than usual.

“Home” She said with a serious tone.

“You were going without me?” Brad asked, his tone sounded hurt.

“Well yeah, you literally left me and went I don’t know where” She replied, still so mad at him she didn’t even tried to hide it.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. Please wait for me, I won’t take long” Brad pleaded with his eyes before going to say goodbye to his parents. Y/n debated herself wether she should go or wait for him, but she didn’t even have time to make a decision because before she could even notice, Brad was back with their coats in his arms.

“Told you I wouldn’t take long. Let’s go home.” He put her coat over her shoulders and tried to hug her with his arm but she didn’t let him, instead hugging herself with the coat to block the cold.

“Don’t touch me” She said and that’s when he knew he had fucked up what could’ve been an incredible night. But it wasn’t all his fault, he thought.

The cold air hit their faces as soon as they stepped out of the bar so they walked at a fast pace to their car.

“Give me the keys” She said, still not looking at him.

“Why? I’m driving” Brad answered.

“You’re drunk, Brad. Give me the fucking keys.”

He didn’t say anything, he just tossed her the car keys and got inside. The way back home was silent, the only sound was a faint song that the radio was playing, the atmosphere was tense and they both knew that the storm was coming, it was gonna hit them as soon as they arrived home.

And it did.

As soon as they closed the door, Brad started talking. There was a mix of emotions inside him: anger, frustration, guilt, deception but he tried his best not to let them take control.

“Are you really this mad just because I left you for a little bit? I already told you I’m sorry, I was mad and didn’t want to take it out on you. Can we move on and just go to sleep and cuddle?”

She couldn’t believe him. He was minimizing the situation a lot, acting as if it was nothing.

“Oh but you did take it out on me. You hurt me with all the bullshit you said” She bickered as she walked into the salon.

Brad stayed silent for a moment, taking in what she just said. He did her bad and he knew, his mother had taught him better than that, his therapist too.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m not listening to you. Please keep talking so I can apologize properly and we can fix this” Brad muttered and sat on the sofa.

She was taken aback for a second, she didn’t expect him to be this understanding and willing to listen, but then she realized that Brad was older than all the guys she had dated before, therefore he was more mature in many ways.

“As I said, your comments hurt me. I was just trying to comfort you, I know you hate when people talk about our age gap, when they judge us but I do too, you’re not the only one that feels awful when they give us dirty looks” As she kept talking, her tone was turning into a more calm one. She fought her instincts and decided to sit next to Brad, to talk and solve the problem, so she continued explaining why she was mad.

“Thank you for acknowledging the way I feel, I haven’t done the same thing with you, I was selfish and I’m really sorry for everything. There’s one thing I haven’t told you though…” Brad said with soft voice. He was well aware that the way he said things was fundamental for the future of the relationship.

“Okay, I’m listening.” She feared the worst but she did her best to remain calm, it was useless though. Brad could see everything that was going on behind her eyes, the fear, the anxiety… it broke his heart.

“Sometimes I feel like maybe we rushed into things, like we got into a relationship real fast, then we moved in together and things are really serious between us and I don’t know… you’re too young still, you need to experience things and maybe being with me isn’t letting you do that, I don’t want to gatekeep you, you know?”

Silence filled the atmosphere for a couple of minutes. She was in shock, she didn’t thought Brad had kept so much inside for so long and she didn’t know if it was an excuse to break up, if he wasn’t ready to live a life with her or if it was just the ugly truth. Brad, on the other side, was panicking because her expression was of pure sadness and disappointment, everything he didn’t wanted her to feel, he knew she was feeling. He had fucked up again, he has hurt her again.

“Are you breaking up with me?” She asked, her voice trembling.

“I don’t know…” Brad confessed. His heart felt small, he could already feel the void in his chest. He loved her too much but if it was the best for her, then he was willing to give up. That’s how much Brad loved her.

“Okay but do you want to? Is this relationship too much for you?” Y/n regretted asking that, she wouldn’t be able to bear with it if the answer was yes.

“What?” He furrowed his eyebrows, “No, of course not, it’s quite the opposite, really. I feel like it’s too much for you. Like I’m pressuring you into doing things or something.”

“First of all, I’m not ‘too young’ as you said. Brad, I’m not 17, we’re not teens anymore, we’re adults that are capable of taking their own decisions about our life and our relationship and we need to stop giving people power over us, it’s fucking us up.” She looked at him in the eye, then reached for his hand and stroke it softly, “Second of all, you’re not pressuring me. Stop thinking that, what have I done that’s making you feel that way?”

“Nothing, I guess it’s just the judgement we get… Sometimes I think they’re right” He muttered and suddenly started feeling ashamed. He just assumed things but never even tried to tell her how he felt about it.

“See? We need to change that, they know nothing about us. You need to understand that I never feel pressured when I’m with you, if anything, I feel secure and surrounded with love and patience, and if I ever do feel like you’re pressuring me, I’ll tell you. I just want to be yours, no matter what.”

Brad felt relieved hearing all those words coming out of her mouth, he even found himself tearing up a little bit. It was all in his head, all the fears were just a product of all the unresolved feelings. Everything was fine between them, there was just stuff that needed to be solved by speaking up and listening. Communication was key and his therapist had told him so many times, he just didn’t put it in practice.

“Thank you.” Was all he could say, he was speechless and in awe of how all she had to do to calm him down and make the fears go away was speak the truth. “And again, I’m so sorry for the way I treated you and the things I said, I didn’t mean to call you annoying. I actually really love that you always try to see the bright side of things, but it was frustrating because I couldn’t. I promise that’s never ever gonna happen again, I was a complete asshole.”

She lifted her hand and put their faces together, their noses brushing.

“No worries, I forgive you.”

Brad smiled and wondered how he got so lucky.

“Now, shall we get in bed and cuddle?” She said, standing up and didn’t have to wait much for him to follow.

[kikidewynter]

Heyyo! In all seriousness, in your opinion, how atrocious is the reboot?

I tried watching it on YouTube but I couldn't sit through it after a while and now I'm curious about ppls opinions

ok this is probably going to be long, mostly rambling, and a little incoherent. but if this helps other likeminded fans save their money then i’m happy to go over as much as possible. this is obviously in no way a professional review, just my opinion.

so. um it was pretty bad. i hated it.

not because it’s modern (although i do hate the livestream, smartphone application activity, etc. stuff bc i hate that shit irl too), not because it’s buggy or glitchy (a lot of my favourite games are old as shit and never got patched, and even the cp2077 bugs didn’t deter me from playing), not because it had a new setting/characters (after getting over the initial shock of the trailer, i was actually pretty excited to be going on a new journey), definitely not because the three homies were characters of colour (if anything, i found it strange and fishy that the original series grew increasingly whiter over time), and obviously not because there was an openly gay character (please let shaundi talk about her ex girlfriends).

so why did i hate it? i need somewhere to start, so let’s talk about the tone. the opening cutscene didn’t really appeal to me until the boss got buried alive. that, i thought set the tone instantly. that the game was going to appear lighthearted, but really have a much darker side. that was immediately contradicted by the first mission, which if i have to compare it so something, felt similar to the gangstas in space epilogue for srtt or the cyrus temple opening to sriv. very strange starting point for what i assumed was a game going back to its roots—a game about a street gang. not necessarily because the boss worked for marshall, but because it was incredibly unserious and cheesy and i immediately hated it. the boss constantly repeating “it’s my first day!” only served to irritate me and pretty much gave me no reason to become invested in their career. which is very strange because the game makes a whole song and dance about how the boss got fired (after working at this job for like 3 whole days) and how depressed and mopey they are about it. something else that instantly tipped me off wrt the game’s tone was the boss just excessively swearing after the first mission. when they’re in their car just saying “fuck fuck fuckity fuck.” like… why. who wrote this. i sound like i’m nit-picking but it just felt really immature and not even in a fun way. like only 12 year olds would find it funny. there were an excess of moments like this that just had me sitting straight-faced, staring at my tv like. this game is not for me. this game cannot be for adults.

then there’s the friends. the game pretty much forces you to believe in this “we’re best friends we do everything together we love each other we’d die for each other” relationship immediately instead of like. allowing you to become invested in them yourself. that was really strange and offputting. especially since all the friends your boss makes in the original series are people they’re meeting for the first time. the games never ask you to like anyone (excluding later instalments), they present you with characters and you get to know them and come to love them or hate them. the entire reboot the whole way through is just this vibe growing increasingly ridiculous. the boss, neenah, kev, and eli make nahualli come on a team bonding exercise where they act like best buddies and try to convince him that friendship is magic or whatever. you know, instead of like some actual plot progression. again i feel like i just sound petty but this grew really fucking irritating. like why are you just telling me that these people are such great friends who sing karaoke together. why don’t you show me that. introduce the characters, and then show that they have this bond by having them sing together in the car or something, like boss and pierce do. it felt very much like you were just supposed to buy into it without there being any real reason. the final part of the game doubled down on this extremely, with nahualli betraying the boss literally so he could take their place because he wanted to be friends with neenah, eli & kev instead… yes the darkest moment of the game, the only glimpse of something a little gritty, the boss being betrayed and buried alive, was so that nahualli could steal their friends and make them his. there was a whole ridiculous mission following this where the boss is half dead and in the afterlife or something where they were inside the farmyard board game the 4 friends play together, which when it turns into a nightmare, has the friends, who are boardgame pieces, taunt the boss by saying things like “you’re such a bad friend, why would we ever be friends, you let eli get shot because you were sad about getting fired :(((” like WHAT is going on with the tone of this game. it really felt to me like it was supposed to be for younger audiences. there was absolutely no way it warranted an age 18 restriction. i would let someone as young as 8 play it. it felt like a kid’s game. literally no mention of sex. kevin’s sexual partners are referred to as his “special friends.”

i just felt alienated from the start. as though it was only advertised as saints row bc the ip already has a lot of fans. they really should’ve made it a whole new thing. which brings me to the writing. because there is literally no reason for them to be the saints. the hq is a church, which i guess is supposed to be their whole origin—the reason they’re called the saints. that’s the only reason i can think of. because the boss literally just stands in the church in silence for five seconds and is like “omg i’ve got it… we’re the saints” right out of nowhere. it’s so bad. like if this is supposed to be an origin story for a new gang then why is there no real origin. it felt very shallow. like the game is just calling itself saints row, but isn’t actually saints row at all. i’ve said before, i was 100% open to the reboot and having a new version of saints row. but there was just no justification for them to still be the saints. it was just way off with the tone and kept attempting to prove to you that it really was a saints row game by making the occasional reference. like the boss saying “it’s our time now, let’s get this shit started.” which i’m sick of hearing by now btw. like !!!! god why didn’t they just put a little effort into the writing. the enemy gangs sucked too. i was not interested in sergio at all. he was mentioned as being in group chats with neenah and then, because she betrayed them, he stole her car and destroyed it. that was it. he trashed neenah’s car. which, i’m sorry, is not enough motivation for me to even care one iota about sergio. what jess and maero did to carlos made me actually care whether they lived or died, and made one of the most brutal deaths in the series incredibly satisfying. sergio was just not giving anything. there’s a train heist mission where a final confrontation with him is supposed to happen which at this point i thought was strange since he hadn’t really been built up to even being a real antagonist. but then when he appeared, he was instantly killed by nahualli anyway. not even the boss. so i was like ok. literally no impact at all. the idols had no members that even stood out, so even though they kidnapped kev at some point i still didn’t really care about them. even after getting rid of both gangs i didn’t believe it was over ??? i thought they would return in force, but that was it apparently. killing some nameless idols and sergio instantly dying by someone else’s hand. that was all it took.

the missions… to me, it felt like there were only a few actual missions. the rest were just pushing you towards doing activities as mission gameplay or completing ventures to take over the map. there was very little story. and i didn’t do many side missions as i found them tedious and wanted to focus on the main plot. so when the game was trying to convince me that the saints had come a long way and now rule the city it was just completely out of place for me. imo a game should not require you to do all that inconsequential shit for the main story to even slightly make sense. that is not good. same thing with nahualli. i guess his betrayal was supposed to be some huge thing. but again, it had 0 impact because the dude was around for 2 or 3 missions and barely gave me time to care about him. the mission where you recruit members for your new gang literally just had you go on a genki-esque murder livestream and apparently that was it. that was all you needed to do for the game to give you some npcs hanging around the crib. bc the saints don’t do much else i can tell you that.

the boss was incredibly unlikeable to me. they have a pretty strong personality that is in effect at all times, never giving you a moment to let your mind wander and come up with headcanons for your own oc. which i suppose makes the boss a solid character. but also makes the whole “create your own boss” thing pretty redundant. i finished the game having made absolutely no notes about my own boss, and no longer caring about him at all.

just a mess. total shambles. really strange vibes. great concept, terrible execution. game forces you to care about its characters but gives you no time or reason to grow attached to them. just awful writing all around. nothing was impactful. really immature to the point where i genuinely couldn’t believe it was for grown adults. bizarre experience.

i’ve seen people say in response to the reviews that “a game doesn’t have to be good, it just has to be fun.” and i’m just going to let that speak for itself because wow alright

[cherrypieships]

HI OLIVE I want to know Lover + Cornelia Street for all your main boys!!!! Sorry if that’s too much lol I’m just curious bc we’ve never talked s/is before & I wanna know more!! 🫶🏻

omg hi Emily!!! thank you for the ask! this isn't too much at all i'm a chatterbox i loooove oversharing heehee. TBH my 'mains' change pretty often so I'll answer this for my core three: Steve, Eddie, and Davey :)

Lover: What is your favorite part of the life you've built with your f/o?

Oh man there's so much good about the life Davey and I have. Probably the big ole found family we've established around ourselves. Having a group of friends so supportive and close that you consider them family and they do the same is so 🫶🏼 and i love knowing that they don't just see me as "Davey's girlfriend" or "my buddy's girl" but as an actual friend 🥺 Plus I love that Davey and I (and our cat Mango) are a little family of our own! Knowing there's someone who loves me, someone to come home to, and someone to care for me and for me to care for.

For Steve and Eddie, I love that we've built a life where we can comfortably be ourselves without fear of judgement. The three of us faced a lot of scrutiny, from peers and parents alike, and it feels so good to feel your emotions in real time, knowing there's not going to be a person who judges you. Knowing that at the end of the day, I can be forgetful or grumpy or sad and will still be loved and respected. And the boys knowing they can be soft, they can be sensitive, they can be goofy or childish and I'll still love them.

Cornelia Street: Do you and your f/o live together? If so, what is your domestic life like? If not, what would it be like if you moved in together?

Becuase the Worms Where My Brain Should Be decree it, I do live with my f/os!

Davey and I have a lil apartment, probably not far from his parents' house because he's kind of a mama's boy <3 He wakes up early most days so if/when he goes into work before me he leaves little sticky notes around telling me he loves me and misses me and not to forget to brush my teeth/take my meds/wear sunscreen etc. He likes to let me paint his nails. We have an aforementioned cat, an orange tabby named Mango who is spoiled beyond belief (Davey's fault, he likes to give her midnight snackie treats)

Steve and Eddie and I living together is the cutest little chaos ever. Eddie and I cook, because Steve can for some reason only make breakfast foods without setting the kitchen ablaze. Steve washes the dishes with a towel over his shoulder like a little mom he's so cute. Eddie paints little DND figurines and keeps them on a shelf in our bedroom. I leave little lyric idea snippets all around the apartment and the boys stick them to the fridge with Muppet magnets. One day we get a huge dog like a great dane named Peach and she takes up the whole bed and Steve tries to teach her to fetch a stick and fails <3