#and then looks over to the viewer and is all tsundere about it

[randomshipperhere]

This was one hc that I never really let go in the JSE fandom.

Anti pretty much hates every single one of Jack’s egos but “loves” the viewers.

The reasoning may vary from person to person but that’s the hc.

[squidzillaa]

Levi DID NOT reject Hange

An explanation and analysis 🦑

First things first, 5 key factors:

1. This scene is from Levi’s pov (another reason why he looks sad and pissed off, while saying his goal is to kill Zeke.)

2. This chapter parallels to Eren and Mikasa’s “What am I?” scene in chapter 123.

3. Wanting to live with another, is common trope in AOT. Isayama’s love language. 🏠

4. This is one of the most romantic scenes in AOT, I don’t know how this flew over SO many people’s heads?? 😂😂 It’s right in front of your face!

5. Isayama parallels chapter 126 to chapters 52 and 53. (These chapters contain some of the most important interactions between Levi and Hange):

“Right, Levi.?” (Hange knows what Levi meant. 👍🏻)

“Right… …Levi?” (Does Hange know the answer here? 🤔 Guess… 😏)

Next, in both these chapters, they are being hunted:

Chapter 52: Hange suggests, “Just for now.”

Chapter 126: Hange suggests, “But for now…”

Chapter 52: Levi states, “If we do nothing but run, then all we can do is get caught.” He knows if they stay, they’ll get caught and possibly stabbed.

Chapter 126: Levi questions, “If we keep running and hiding, what will that get us?” He knows the possible consequences of running away, so why does he ask anyway? 🤔😏:

Now, explanation:

Levi was only “pretending” to be asleep, in order to hear Hange’s dream. If Levi Was meaning to reject Hange, he WOULD NOT have brought it back up and then avoid the question she asked (while blushing) which was, “Oh so you heard me?” He’s not going to admit that he heard her because he is a TSUNDERE and, like Isayama said, is awkward and clumsy when it comes to romance. ;)

Hange blushes, because she confessed her love to him thinking he was asleep. In the Japanese culture, asking someone to live with you is a way of proposing. IFKK. (If you have common sense 😉, you can recognize that her blush alone shows that she meant it romantically.)

The other main ships also include a similar situation of wanting to “live” with their love interest:

(Obvious one) Eren to Mikasa

Falco to Gabi

Annie to Armin

Hitch to Marlow

Ymir to Historia

Jean to Mikasa

Eren even brings this up in an interview ⬇️, straight up telling viewers that Hange’s line was a proposal and confession! (Another big factor: Eren and Hange parallel each other, just like how Mikasa and Levi do. That’s a BIG character plot point that a lot of fans don’t recognize or realize. Which in itself already tells you who the 2 main lovers of the story are. Cue “Call Your Name.” 👥)

Levi could have interrupted her if he wanted to reject her proposal or could have straight up said “No we can’t”, “I can’t do that.”, “I don’t want that.” But he didn’t because he Wanted to live with her as well, and was probably imagining a life of just the two of them living in the forest. 💭🌲

He knows that Hange is already preparing to pull him around, so after Eren’s Rumbling announcement, that’s when he decides to get up and ask where Zeke is. He sits up because he wants her to come over to him so he can pop the question of “running and hiding.” Especially because he knows that Eren’s announcement will make Hange want to stop Eren asap. Levi needs to hurry and reask her question before they’re out of that forest and have to focus on their plans, rather than their feelings.

He asks where Zeke is to make her think he was asleep the whole time. (Buttt he blows his cover right away when he asks her what running away will achieve for the 2 of them. 😂)

Levi asking where Zeke is was NOT his first thought, because he was awake the WHOLE time. (Stop trying to make everything about Levi in connection to Erwin and his promise, this scene has nothing to do with him. 👾)

In this chapter, they both have a moment of doubt and confusion:

Hange wasn’t sure if she should continue her duties as Commander, because she’s unsure if they can stop Zeke and they’d be on the run for the rest of their lives.

Levi wasn’t sure if killing Zeke was worth it, because Zeke was willing to die.

Levi restates what Hange said, as a question, because he wanted to know if she Had a good enough reason to leave it all behind.

Levi doesn’t go against Hange’s ideas and encourage them often. Levi loves and trusts Hange SO MUCH, that he was willing to give up on his promise to Erwin and his comrade’s, if Hange had given him a good enough reason to stay. But of course he knows Hange can’t stay out of the action and that they have their promises and duties to achieve first. 😢🤝🏻🌲 (Along with the guilt that would come with it.) To what ifs.. 🥂

In conclusion, Levi and Hange’s “freedom”, are each other. KAWWW 🦅

(Looking at Their Freedom)

[shygirl4991]

SMG3 COLOR TEXT

okay okay i remember a lot of people talking about how they would get confused on what color SMG3 text is cause it would change color well this new episode made me remember that post @mushrooming3 did about the color change

SPOILERS FOR NEW EPISODE

here we have the usual color that people know SMG3 for but at this moment he is lying acting playing a character he is pretending to hate SMG4 when we all know he cares about him but here he lies and puts that rival character "yeah i hate him, he deserves to be dead!" all because he wants to impress his old friends yet again a moment of him trying to find his place to belong.

but look at the start of the episode he isnt playing a character he is being himself having fun and being stress at running his cafe. Here he is natural he isnt putting a front to impress anyone so when do we see a color change in this episode?

boom when he is trying to prove he is still evil trying to belong he put up his walls putting on the evil persona he created over the years (which he is rusty at since its been years since he was a villain). Its interesting to know that the closer he gets to the crew the more we see this new color a light blue makes you wonder if his color was always meant to be light blue but got all mixed up when zero zapped his usb turning him purple well whatever the reason the text color for sure lets us know when Three is acting and when he is being his true self.

here he accepts himself and is happy with who he is and realizes he found where be belongs somewhere he can be himself, showing that maybe this new light blue color is going to be his new color (of course he needs to stop being a tsundere for that to happen xD)

heck when coffee n bombs first open you can see the color change to! here he is acting and showing four he so has running a cafe in the bag its easy he can do anything and do it better then him after all he needs no help. But Four (and i already talked about him) he over did it and push SMG3 to far

he breaks character he panics the real him shines through and funny enough thats when Four notices he went to far

he has known Three long enough to know when he slips and shows his true self which from what i can find Three seems to show more to four then anyone else which might explain why he giggles at SMG3 tsundere act since he knows the real SMG3 now after its gotta be perfect. (still my man you need to be a better friend to three please)

In short the color change in the text is on purpose its to show us the viewers the two sides of SMG3 the one he created over the years of being alone, and who he really is a man that just enjoys being a trouble maker with a big heart. He feels cozy with SMG4 so he shows this side more with him but he has used those walls for yeeears so while the light blue will at some point in time be the color we see more that doesn't mean his iconic color will go away we might just end up seeing it less over time.

[khaothanawat]

My School President wants to subvert your expectations

(or: if you're not watching this show, you're missing out on something wonderful)

...so. I am supposed to work today, but I don't wanna and also i rewatched all four episodes of My School President last night and if I don't let out as many feelings as possible about it I might explode because I am unhinged.

so I wrote a 4,700+ word essay i'm so sorry oh my god I spent hours writing this good lord

episode 1 / the introduction

episode 1 plays out mostly as a traditional high school series might. we have gun, who is not the greatest student, but who loves music and, even more than that, loves music club - which revolves around his friends and the band they’re in. it is, as we’ll learn a few episodes down the line, his “safe zone”, and the one place in school where he’s found love and acceptance.

we also have tinn, who is the son of the incredibly strict principal and who himself is a fantastic student, good looking, admired by all the other students. he gets voted in as school president, and thus has complete control over the fate of all the school clubs - including, of course, the principal’s least favourite club (on account of how its members keep failing their classes and almost burning down the school), the music club.

the dynamic between tinn and gun is familiar to us - it’s a rivalry, with one side being very charming if a little ridiculous and the other being a traditional tsundere-type character - stern and not particularly forthcoming or unforgiving at first glance. we see little hints though, very early on, that tinn, despite his exterior, gets drawn into gunn’s music.

the end of episode 1 is our first real insight that not everything is going to go quite as expected - thanks so a slow reveal that tinn has doodled a little picture of gun singing, and written next to it the words “you’re cute. so damn cute. cuter than anyone in the world.”

it’s a well-used trope in BL romances to have the handsome, tsundere character be secretly a MASSIVE SIMP for his love interest. we’ve seen this in previous GMMTV shows, with a mid-series reveal that the tsundere has been wildly in love and putting up a ridiculous front the entire time. What MSP is turning on its head is not the fact that Tinn has feelings, but the decision to reveal it in episode 1. the traditional mid-series reveal allows romantic tension to develop in the story, the will-they-won’t-they of each moment existing because we don’t know for certain that the tsundere character has feelings. the reveal is usually used after the first kiss, when the tension is no longer needed by the narrative.

MSP deciding to remove that tension entirely completely changes the way they need to build the romance between tinn and gun, as well as subverting our own expectations around what we’re watching. tinn is no longer cool and detached and stern - he’s awkward and adorable and… completely insane, honestly, he’s just absolutely unhinged. he does not know what he’s doing and has somehow boxed himself into pretending to be a tsundere in his secret quest to help gun save the music club.

now, the tension in the story is whether tinn can get gun to stop hating him - and if, how and when gun will develop feelings for tinn.

(yeah yeah yeah yes, we the viewers know that they’ll end up together, but that’s beside the point)

I can't believe this got so out of hand that I need to use a cut - let's kEEP GOING I GUESS

episode 2 / in which we are made aware that all is truly not what it seems

episode 2 introduces us to another trope - the “secret correspondant” trope. only, of course, it’s not a secret here. we see tinn posing as ‘nong lion’ and messaging the music club to try and help them with their problem (and side note - MSP has the same structure as Bad Buddy, wherein episodes are self-contained stories; an obstacle appears and is resolved in the same episode). in fact, the show turns the trope on its head even further by having gun almost immediately suspect tinn, only to get conveniently thrown off the scent by tinn’s bestie for the restie, and the owner of the sole braincell on the show, tiw. and even beyond that, tinn does a terrible job at hiding the fact that he’s ‘nong lion’, but the show just mines this for comedy, because a huge running line in the show is that the members of the music club are, bless them, absolute dummies.

even so, the episode culminates in tinn openly helping gun in-person (on a stage in front of a bunch of other people, no less!!) and then openly vowing to help the music club win the hot wave contest.

which isn’t a super selfless move - tinn is told earlier that evening by an old music club alumni that music club members can’t date unless they win the hot wave contest. of course, one of the very first things we learn about the music club in the show is that it’s former leader lost the hot wave contest because of his girlfriend, so it seems possible that maybe that rule doesn’t actually exist anymore. but that’s for a later time.

episode 3 / remember episode 2? lets do that again but MORE

episode 3 of my school president takes the concept of subverting expectations and turns it into a whole-ass episode (and it’s perfect).

episode 3 opens with tinn going on another adorable little meltdown about how cute gun is, only for gun to be standing right there listening. another trope again, but this time - i have to wonder whether gun realises what has happened. the narrative has told us over and over that he’s sort of a dummy - the remainder of episode 3 revolves heavily around this, in fact. but he did suspect tinn of being nong lion in episode 2, he’s not always completely obtuse, and he explicitly asks tinn who he was talking about, before waving away the conversation entirely because he has more important hot wave-related things to discuss. this is one of the many instances we see of tinn conflating his own fantasies with reality - something that will become infinitely more prevalent this episode.

speaking of: tinn has to tutor gun. we see them sitting at a table and tinn has somehow made calculus sexy by drawing a heart with equations. they move closer, almost kiss and then- it is, of course, just a figment of tinn’s wild imagination. in reality, he’s yelling at gun for being a gay who can’t math. this is the first time the show tells us to be on our guard in this episode, because tinn’s little mind is going wild and not everything we see will be real.

eventually, tiw suggests they (tinn and gun) move in to his sibling’s apartment for a week to study because tiw is a romantic mastermind, and then, when tinn panics because he does not know how to be a normal person around gun, tiw suggests tinn recreate classic BL tropes with gun. like in bad buddy, tiw says. tiw played by mark pakin, who was in bad buddy. tiw who says that his favourite actor in bad buddy is mark pakin. i’ve gotten off track a little. except i HAVEN’T because -

ok, MSP is written by the same writers as Bad Buddy and directed by one of the assistant directors of Bad Buddy (and 1000 Stars), director au. this is au’s first full director role, but he’s obviously been working closely with backbone of GMMTV aof and aof appears a number of times in the MSP special episode to discuss the process of making the show, which would maybe indicate he had a decent hand in the show - or at the very least, has had a hand in helping au develop his own skills (and to be clear, au worked as part of the writing team for years before this, so he’s not new to the business by any means) (not me speculating on aof’s own staff career growth plans loool). i think it’s not a stretch to say that MSP has a very BB feel to it, and i’m so endlessly impressed that it has managed to maintain that so far whilst also forging its own identity as a show. it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy, or a poor imitation - it feels very much like it’s telling it’s own story, but it’s using a something that BB used super successfully to do so, which is the subversion of tropes. MSP goes one step further with that though, and uses it differently (helped by the fact that because BB is set in college and MSP is in high school, the tropes are naturally a lot less… well. horny.)

MY POINT BEING that that Bad Buddy call out was deliberate. they didn’t use the show just bc they had mark pakin saying the line - i think it’s likely that they felt it necessary to add in mark’s line 4th wall breaking line about himself because it was his character making the reference, but they want us to know what they’re doing. they’re referencing Bad Buddy because this show is, in a way, a spiritual successor to BB - it likely wouldn’t exist as it does if BB didn’t already exist (and wasn’t a huge hit). in the very next scene, we get a reference to the band scrubb, which is a huge 2gether reference - and, looping this all back to the creative team, au was a screenwriter for Still 2gether and aof created/directed Still 2gether. tinn’s character is a direct play on sarawat in 2gether - he is, in so many ways, sarawat, but the narrative is using him in a different way.

oh my god i legit wanted to write a one sentence post about this show how did i get here

OK GETTING BACK TO EPISODE 3 oh my god

episode 3 shows us over and over that tinn creates these vivid fantasies about being in classic romantic scenarios with gun that he then tries to turn into reality, pet tiw’s instruction - only for the reality to be a lot less romantic. in his one actual, real-life chance to get close to gun (the ballroom dance) where he’s not just trying to recreate something from a BL series, he gets so overwhelmed and nervous that he can’t dance at all, which we’re told through the loud and quick sound of his heartbeat.

and then, part way through the episode, the show starts bait-and-switching us.

first: tinn sees gun with food on his lip and fantasises about brushing it away with his thumb (an absolute romance series staple). gun licks it away before tinn can do any of that, because of course he does - but then tinn gets food on his lips and gun reaches over to brush it away. finally, tinn has ended up in a romance series moment with gun, only it wasn’t one of his own deliberate creation. it just happened.

second: tinn and gun talk at the swimming pool about themselves - finally. they’ve been living together for a week, but we don’t see them often having conversations about who they are. gun talks about seeing the music club as his ‘safe zone’. tinn explains why he became school president (to support people’s dreams). gun tells him that that’s such a handsome answer, then asks “have you used that line to hit on anyone?” tinn replies: “you.” we expect by now that it’s another fantasy moment, because we’ve been duped by the show with these moments multiple times by now, but once again the show twists things. the moment is real, tinn really says “you” and it hangs between them for a moment before he quickly changes the subject. but it’s the clearest declaration either of them have made. we don’t know what gun is feeling by this stage, however we do know that gun is in fact the one who gave them a Classic Romance Moment of brushing away food. it’s the show telling us that, whether he realises it yet or not, he’s in this too.

the third bait and switch is the Big One, except it’s not at all: we reach the ballroom dance midterm and tinn is trying to get out of dancing altogether - he still isn’t sure he can do it, he still feels overwhelmed when he tries to dance with gun, his heart races too hard and fast. gun refuses to listen to him and makes him get up. he tells tinn to close his eyes and says “let me help you”. tinn closes his eyes and suddenly the sports hall fades away - he and gun are in beautiful suits, they’re in the music club room (gun’s safe zone!), gun’s band chinzilla is playing and he and gun are dancing. throughout the episode we’ve heard tiny portions of the melody of the ballroom dance song, but now finally we hear the whole song, performed by chinzilla. as they dance together, the scene flashes between the fantasy dance, their practice dance by the pool and crucially, the actual dance that’s happening in the sports hall. as the dance comes to an end, we realise that even though we saw it happen in tinn’s fantasy, it was happening in real life too. the way they danced in tinn’s fantasy was how they really danced - staring into one another’s eyes, smiling at each other, looking completely lost in the moment. gun said “let me help you” and entered tinn’s fantasy with him. gun said “let me help you” and he’s telling us, the viewers, that tinn isn’t going to make this romance happen alone (even with the help of tiw). tinn can’t create romance moments when gun isn’t on the same page.

the final bait and switch happens in a series of parts: prior to the ballroom dance midterm, on the night after they go swimming, gun makes tinn share the bed (rather than the Bad Buddy reference sleeping arrangement they’ve been doing all week). tinn, because he’s a lunatic, asks if he can stare into gun’s eyes and gun obliges. after a moment, we hear the heartbeats again - but it’s gun that looks away and decides to go to sleep.

the episode ends, after the ballroom dance, with gun and tinn having a small moment together outside the school. gun tries to give tinn back the pencil case he borrowed earlier, because he of course does not own a pencil case. it’s one that says “i think about you” on it that gun has, obviously, doodled all over. specifically, he has drawn a cute little monster and written the name ‘tinn’ with a bunch of arrows pointed at it. you think about who now, gun? anyway, tinn tells gun to keep it, because what high school student doesn’t have a pencil case oh my god gun - and they hold hands over the pencil case for a moment. until the tinn’s mother the principal comes out of her office and tinn very gently drops gun’s hands. that’s not relevant to this, i just think it’s Big Foreshadowing. anyway. tinn leaves with his mother and gun is left standing there, staring after him. and once again, we hear the heartbeats. they’re gun’s, because of course they are. we get a flashback to the night before, to tinn staring into gun’s eyes and looking away, and we know for certain that that was gun’s heartbeat and not tinn’s, and that it’s happening again now. bait and switch - tinn’s heartbeats followed us through the whole episode, only for us to end on gun’s heartbeat, and a confirmation that yes, he’s feeling it all too.

again, the show is revealing things early. no longer do we have the tension of whether gun feels something too - now we have the tension of whether gun is going to do anything about it, or acknowledge it at all.

we're only up to episode 4 by now, and I wouldn't say that episode 4 turned much on its head that hadn't already been set up before, but I do think it serves as a way to start building up a number of new plot points, so I'm going to talk about that a little, just so that I can revisit this later once more episodes have aired.

episode 4 / resetting expectations (...sort of?)

episode 4 of my school president introduces us to a new character: tinn's original rival, sound, who joins the music club (because of course tinn has a rival).

I think it's actually really key to point out a tiny scene that happens at the beginning of episode 4, as the show is starting to lay out the plots for the episode. gun and the band are looking for a solo guitarist (hence the eventual introduction of sound). he puts posters up on a notice board. tinn comes along and, because he's a dweeb, mentions that people need permission from the school council to put up posters. gun sighs and obediently starts to take the posters down, before tinn dives in and says that he'll let gun put them up anyway, he'll make a 'special exception'. real smooth, kid.

anyway, this fascinates me, because it's such a good display of how much their relationship has changed by this point. tinn and gun have had a surprising number of scenes together in front of this notice board - mostly with gun fighting back against tinn trying to enforce the school rules as school council president. here we see gun not fight, but immediately give into tinn instead (even though tinn had no desire to win, he's just got so little game oh my god this boy has NO GAME i'm obsessed with him). gun looks thrilled when tinn lets him put up the posters anyway - he respects tinn's word enough now that he wasn't going to fight, which is so the opposite of the gun we've seen so far. it's just a really interesting story beat to throw in.

they have a little moment again (in real life) (initiated by tinn) and gun's heartbeats from episode 3 appear once more, reminding us that gun is also Feeling Things. gun runs away in a flustered panic.

(tinn, it must be said, genuinely has no idea what's going on in gun's head. because tinn is a dummy.)

from here, the dual plot lines of the episode play out pretty traditionally. story A sees gun quit the music club and tinn take the opportunity to get closer to him now that he's not beholden to the no-dating-before-hot-wave rule that definitely still exists. they do get closer. in fact, they go on an accidental date, flirt heavily over some imaginary cake, and tinn finds a position for gun in the student council that would allow him to sing and play music, story B sees sound take over the music club, who are unfocused and not actually using their practice sessions to practice, only to be a tiny teen tyrant about it. the band beg gun to come back. gun feels as though the band will have a better chance to win hot wave without him. tinn sees this happen and convinces gun to go back to the music club, because that's clearly where his happiness lies. even if gun being in the music club will inevitably put the absolutely real and very much something gun definitely is aware of no-dating-before-hot-wave rule back into play.

gun rejoins the music club, but lets sound stay (sound, to be clear, mostly joined because he thought it would piss off tinn, but we start getting the indication by the end that he could also maybe find friendship and support in the club, just as the others did). they have their traditional bbq pork meal together to celebrate being back together. it's sacred.

so, it's all fairly cut and dry - and we as viewers probably already knew where these plots were heading and that the main issues would be resolved in this episode, thanks to the self-contained episode structure of the show.

until we see gun grab a bunch of the pork and run off, away from the bbq, yelling that he'll be back soon. he goes, of course, to tinn. he, quite crucially, claims that the group have finished eating and that there was some food left over and he just wondered whether tinn might want it - once again, we as viewers know this is a lie, and are left in possession in much more knowledge than the characters in the scene. gun is making up an excuse to bring tinn food, and to hang out with tinn. if the question this episode was 'gun is having feelings for tinn; what will he do with them?', then we saw moments over the course of the entire episode that answered that. gun, unlike tinn, has apparently an abundance of game (if anything he's a little too dangerous, frankly). he jumps both feet forward into flirting with tinn, and manages to conveniently set up scenarios in which he can do that - successfully, unlike tinn in episode 3. where he's a little more in control, we don't get a return of the panicked heartbeats from the beginning of the episode.

maybe tinn had put this flirting all episode down to the fact that gun was no longer in the music club. it's not really made clear. however, now gun is back in the club, and he's abandoned the sacred bbq pork time to have a nivea micellar moment with tinn (once again, gun successfully initiating a BL romantic moment in real life, because gun is the only one here with game). he gets tinn to take a photo of them together, and so they stand pressed shoulder to shoulder, hands touching. they're smiling at each other, and the camera jumps back and forth between the way they're looking at one another and their hands. tinn, probably emboldened by how much gun has put himself out there across the entire episode, starts to move his pinky finger closer. his hand is shaking, but we see them over and over barely looking at the camera because they're too busy smiling sweetly at each other, as tinn's finger twitches closer and closer - the slowest build up in the world, as we wonder whether he'll get the guts to do it. and then finally, finally, tinn loops his pinky around gun's, and gun responds in kind, and we see a shot of them taking the photo, they're fingers out of shot but entwined.

this is almost par for the course by now - how quickly this show has put tinn and gun on a playing field of both having feelings for the other, and both being at least somewhat aware that those feelings could be reciprocated.

episode 5 and beyond / is this show impossible to predict?

it's not really something we get to see too often, the very cautious build into something more. the next episode preview doesn't really tell us anything about how that develops (but rather that gun has a lot of other stuff going on, apparently). i think this becomes it's own question - now that MSP have turned the traditional BL pacing on its head (akin to the way Bad Buddy did it before), what do they do next. with BB, we very quickly saw that the obstacles between the lead characters were almost entirely external - it's the basis of the entire show. they couldn't be together because no one wanted them to be. it made the pacing of the romance make complete sense.

with MSP, we're going in much more blindly. the boys are already on a similar page and there's no obvious obstacles between them outside of the definitely very real no-dating-before-hot-wave rule that no one in the present day music club has even spoken about or mentioned (yet?). what this suggests to me, and why this is so fascinating, is that we therefore don't necessarily know the basic conceit of the plot from here on out.

yes, we want to see how tinn and gun ultimately admit their feelings for one another, but at episode 4 of 12, the show has already done most of the work in getting them there. inevitably, we need to be faced with obstacles and there have been a small number of hints, maybe, at the things that could go wrong for them, but it's fascinating because those hints have been very sparse.

there's the perceived rivalry of the music club and the school council - which tinn has accidentally perpetuated a bunch of times, because he's a dummy. episode 4 reminds us conveniently that this is still seen to exist outside of tinn and gun's gay little bubble, when we see the two random students discussing it in the hall (this is of course also how sound ends up joining the club). it's not a particularly violent rivalry though - we're not at Bad Buddy drop kick into the chest two seconds away from breaking out into a sharks and jets style dance number. i wouldn't say it's rife for conflict, but that's sort of the thing: it's almost impossible to predict at this point what will happen. we know that chinzilla will probably perform at hot wave, and at some point tinn and gun will probably kiss. beyond that? it's anyone's guess.

another obvious obstacle that has been (honestly quite lightly) is the principal - we are literally introduced to tinn's pov in episode 2 by the concept of his mother coming in between him and gun, when he dreams about gun turning into her. he's lied to her a number of times in the name of helping gun. her character is generally quite fascinating, because she's a near-constant antagonistic presence, but it's clear she has huge amounts of love and care for her son, and she's trying to do her best by her students. she's also really frugal though - in episode 2 we learn that she and her husband would argue because she felt that music was an unnecessarily expensive hobby. a real subtle moment that i'm sure won't come back in any fashion later down the line...

the other obvious one is of course the no-dating-before-hot-wave rule which, sure, might be real, but might even become an issue in some form or another even if it's not. the reason the music club lost hot wave the year before, as we know, was because the last leader was distracted on stage by his girlfriend. this is how we meet the music club in episode 1, and we see gun vowing to win hot wave next year, because he knows it's what will save the music club.

it seems as though episode 5 is about to introduce new conflicts too, or expand upon things that have really only been very barely hinted at. but, if I know anything it's that promos are unreliable, so only time will tell how that plays ou.

it's important though, in my opinion, that the show really hasn't hit us over the head with anything here yet (except the very real very current day hot wave rule that very much definitely exists - and even then, it has only been mentioned a handful of times at most between tinn and tiw, usually as an occasional reminder to the audience more than a constant driving force for tinn's actions). these are obstacles, but they ultimately haven't been shown to cause too much issue to tinn and gun's story - or at least, tinn and gun have successfully navigated everything with almost no pushback, hence the fact that they're both sailing through their own romantic storyline at a pace faster than an olympic runner.

there's not really an ending to this post yet, because we're only at episode 4. I'm not particularly committed to any theory about where this could go (except the one about the hot wave rule being real YOU CAN'T CONVINCE ME IT'S REAL AU), but from a storytelling perspective alone: this show needs a conflict. the assumption it gave us and then systematically tore apart across the first four episodes was that the conflict would be around tinn and gun realising their own feelings for one another, because that's how these shows go. that's not the central conflict in MSP. the central conflict is... uh... one of these other things. or maybe a secret different thing. i don't know. come back to me in like 6 weeks.

[justanechoflower]

(Well, looks like now we know what’s happening, and what choice was made. [For context to the viewers, I also worked out a way Nat  could make a case that what was happening was still technically a reblog, which Nat received as a submission. Then she’d choose which idea was better. Since she picked the third blog idea, the other submission never showed up.] I’ll be over to the third blog soon.)

(Until Flowey returns… Monika’s not going to talk about what happened while the two were there. And if Kris decides to try and press Monika on the matter, for whatever reason, and it doesn’t make sense for her to just not give an answer at all… she won’t seem to remember it very well, it’d all be a blur. As if hidden by fog. Yes, Flowey did see the club members, and Flowey eventually did return to his world, and that’s when he became a flower again, but… that’s about all she recalls.)

(This is to prevent the side blog from being forced into a particular outcome. And in the metanarrative, it’s because those events haven’t been decided yet. …So of course the whole memory fog mysteriously goes away the moment the integration happens, if it does happen. If it doesn’t, because you worked out it shouldn’t be canon, I’ll then see if we can work to come up with a vague series of events that does explain what happened. One with the problematic elements removed, and with an outcome you’d have wanted for Flowey. And then, the fog will still mysteriously vanish. Could be one of the leadups to that future second epiphany…)

(All that’s set in stone so far is Flowey visited the DDLC world, has a backup file but doesn’t know if it actually works… and will come back to his own world, being returned to a flower at that moment. So that’s all Monika will remember until more elements come into play. But hopefully, it won’t even come to that, and the topic will just… never come up at all until then. This is mostly a failsafe in case someone tries asking about events that “already happened” but also haven’t been decided on, and it wouldn’t make sense for her to just dodge the question. Though I guess the asks could just never arrive if they start talking about what happened there, or whether or not Monika ever did decide to return to the club as a permanent member...)

(But besides those cases where Monika is explicitly a part of things, like with Kris and the tsundere thing, I’ll be setting her aside here for the time being once the cutoff point is reached. Why won’t she be jumping in to defend Flowey for any new things while the side blog is happening [or, in-universe, directly after he came back to his world]? I’ll probably just say it’s because of when Flowey said he shouldn’t be relying on anyone else, and they should just let him do this on his own, since that’s an actual ask that happened. If he doesn’t even want anyone [which would presumably include Monika] to get involved, would Monika’s attempts even work? How’d that work for her the last time she got herself involved where she wasn’t wanted? Any other reasons behind her not being there for Flowey, she wouldn’t know until that fog went away. That doesn’t mean there won’t be other reasons, we just don’t know what they are yet. For instance, if Monika actually stays in her own world, there’s another reason right there, she won’t have seen what’s been happening to Flowey, she’ll have been running the club.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I can’t think of much else to add. Thanks for the clarification to any other viewers! I think this’ll work out alright.)

[worldweaverofmediocrity]

IQ React update

episode transcript done. fantastic dreamers not started. characters reactions/convos. not finished. currently doing Math education for GED.

“Thanks for your hard work!” said someone off-screen.

Kazuma looked to the side, Aqua was sitting by a sparkling stream drinking more milk. This was accompanied by the return of the piano, Aqua’s content smile was majestic in this framing. To the point that even Kazuma relaxed at the sight. Aqua wiggled her left foot as she rested her hands by her hips, to her right she placed the empty milk capsule and to her left was a small bucket of bathing rags.

Though the stream behind her wasn’t a stream but more of a hottub ringed by stone bricks. The faucet was a face either lion or bird of some sort, probably a Manticore. There was another carving behind her, however the wall it was on was out of focus. The currently content Goddess hogged the spotlight, as per her due.

Aqua hummed as she noticed Kazuma had walked up to her.

“What?” Aqua asked.

Kazuma’s green eyes lacking any of the sleep deprivation nor any oppressive emotions to cloud them. Showcased Kazuma’s sheer youth and innocence of being a 16 year old, before he became one of the rare male tsunderes. In Kazuma’s left hand was another bucket of the wash rags.

Kazuma sighed and took a deep breath before he closed his eyes and said, “It’s nothing.”

“Say…” Aqua said.

Kazuma hummed as he opened his eyes again.

The camera showcased the left side of Aqua’s face. “I was just thinking. Let’s go away from here and do a kill quest.”

“We’re level one.” Kazuma said from off screen. “We don’t even have full sets of equipment.”

“And a Goddess.” Naofumi said.

Kazuma sighed. “None of you are letting that go, are you?”

Aqua just rubbed his head.

“It’ll be fine.” Aqua leaned forward. “As long as you have me around, it’ll be over in a flash!”

She raised her right arm and placed her left hand on her right bicep as her right hand curled into a fist.

“You can count on it!” Aqua winked with her left eye.

Kazuma’s face was distinctly neutral as he said. “I feel very uneasy about this.”

The camera changed to hover above the hottub’s water, in the sunset peaking over the houses, Kazuma’s eyes had the faintest hint of concern.

“Who do you think I am?” Aqua asked.

“That’s right.” Kazuma said. “You are a goddess, after all.”

On the second part of Kazuma’s line, the camera blasted the viewers with a face full of Aqua’s adorable innocent smile and lightly blushed cheeks from the hard day of work.

“Yeah!” Aqua’s smile widened as she nodded and closed her eyes. “Leave it to me.”

The camera zoomed out to showcase the entire bathhouse. The blurred out carving was infact the tailend of an Asian style Dragon, either that or a vine that curved left to right and back again up the wall, that had leaves growing from it.

“And so our adventure began,” Kazuma narrated. “For real this… time.”

Kazuma hesitated as Aqua lost her balance as she was standing up and fell into the hottub.

“Truly, a good sign to start the adventure upon.” Aqua snarked.

With that, the opening started.

[bl-recs-and-reviews]

Quick (?) ask about My Beautiful Man S2

I watched Season 1 last week, and I did like it, but I was very bummed about Kiyoi's behaviour with Hira, but they're high scoolers, it seemed like it could be stemming from the ever present gay panic in BLs. I started season 2, and I've watch ep 1 and about 10 minutes of ep 2, and Kiyoi's behaviour with Hira is really upsetting to me. I don't really mind the bickering, but Kiyoi straight up kicks Hira, enough to make him fall over...and from what I can tell of the timeline they're supposed to have been dating and living together for months at that point.

For obvious reasons I find his behaviour unsettling, and it makes me not want to keep watching. So my questions is does Kiyoi's behaviour turn around? I can push through if he's gonna stop being a knob, but none of the quick reviews I've seen really focus on that, and all stay super positive. (I also don't really want to be spoiled, so I'd rather stay away from in-depth reviews.) But without knowing, it's definitely gonna be a DNF for me. Appreciate it.

Quick indeed! Haha

To answer plainly, yes, he does turn around (and quite amazingly so, given recent events ;) ). The first episode of season 2 is sort of the only one where you can still see that type of behavior from Kiyoi.

To go a little bit more in depth regarding why Kiyoi acts like that, let me tell you about Tsundere characters.

A tsundere is someone who initially comes across as harsh, cold and sometimes violent that hides a soft, sweet and caring heart. These characters are very popular because it provokes a "oh look, A hit B because they're embarassed, so cute!" reaction on the viewer (aka moe). Basically it's the tenderness they evoke for being embarassed every time they show vulnerability. This might be what you have identified as gay panic. Which we could say is just romance panic in general.

This is the case with Kiyoi too, everytime he is vulnerable with Hira he gets very embarassed when Hira is moved by his words because he feels exposed and embarassed so he "compensates" or retreats by being agresive or dismissive. From a western POV this might look abusive or unhealthy, which I guess is up to interpretation.

Hope this was helpful!

[remofnj]

Craig's 2 Main Ships

OK, First off, Happy Summer!

We are halfway through season 4 of Craig Of The Creek. A lot of stuff has happened over the past few episodes, including the quest for Kenneth's Cube. Storylines are advancing, Character arcs are progressing, and relationships are becoming more and more official. The second half of season 4 starts this July. So before the CraigBomb arrives, I'd like to take closer look at where Craig's story is headed in terms of shipping.

I'm going to focus on the 2 girls in the show that have been shipped the most with Craig Williams.

Vanessa AKA, "Wildernessa"

Eileen AKA, "Sewer Queen"

Both ships have grown more prominent with subtle hints and were the only two ships directly mentioned by Cartoon Network via social media or otherwise. I've reviewed every episode involving Craig's direct interactions with Wildernessa and Sewer Queen respectively. Both girls have exhibited immense potential recently.

Wildernessa

Wildernessa started her character arc as one of Craig's rivals. In her debut episode, not many saw her as a possible ship for Craig, since she constantly belittled him for "not knowing a thing about animals." In fact, her warriors spirit and dedication to protecting wildlife made her catch the eye of Kelsey in earlier seasons before Kelsey and Stacks were made official in "Fire & Ice".

In "Ferret Quest" her teasing of Craig had turned somewhat more playful, which in turn frustrated Craig. Although, he does seem to care about what Wildernessa thinks of him, as he felt that catching the ferret was the best chance he had to prove himself to her.

It wasn't until "Breaking The Ice" that we see the most character development out of this ship. Wildernessa is basically a tsundere, she only acted mean to Craig hide her true feelings. Even as Craig acted kindly towards her in the playhouse, she couldn't help but push him away. Turns out, It's with good reason. She was bullied by other kids in school which made her develop this deep seeded distrust in people. She uses her negative attitude towards Craig as more of a defense mechanism to avoid getting too close to him, in fear of him victimizing her as well. However, she underestimated Craig's honesty. When he called her out, this convinced to her to bring down some her walls, this lead to a mission to change herself for the better. Even her dog knew that Craig deserved to be trusted. She always thought Craig didn't know anything about animals, but it turned out, she didn't know anything about Craig. At least, not until now.

"Craignessa" or "Crildernessa" Quickly gained notoriety from Cartoon Network itself and viewers alike following that episode.

The "Capture The Flag" arc saw Wildernessa's changes come full circle. She took Craig's side against Xavier throughout the 5 part special. Wildernessa kept on supporting Craig however she could, all the way up to the pivotal moment where she sacrificed herself for Craig in the game, before attempting to confess her feelings for him. It's hard to tell if Craig caught onto her confession, but he was without a doubt surprised and saddened to see his former rival freeze solid to protect him.

Sewer Queen

The Sewer Queen has been a possible ship for Craig since the show's pilot back in 2017. She's a strong, confident leader, who likes nothing more than to encourage her subjects and help them with their problems, something that Craig has great admiration for. It may seem one sided coming from Craig, but there have been hints throughout each of their interactions.

She's a kind soul who cares deeply for her subjects, but isn't afraid to ask Craig for help. The Sewer Queen could've called anyone to help her, but she instinctively chose Craig.

In "Lost In The Sewers" The Sewer Queen personally called for Craig to help map out the sewers. Craig was so amazed by the Sewer Queen's leadership skills, that when she got lost, he tried to emulate her abilities to lead his team to rescue her. Sewer Queen granted him the highest honor in her kingdom. Craig had earned his water shoes and the Sewer Queen's respect.

In "Return Of The Honeysuckle Rangers" she wasted no time in defending Craig, it also helps that she didn't mind posing for a portrait on Craig's map. Craig only continued to earn the Sewer Queen's favor by warning her about the secret entrance from the other side.

From then on, she had no quarrels with helping Craig whenever he needed it. from Joining the Council of the Creek, to helping free the Elders trapped under elder rock.

In "The Rise and Fall of The Green Poncho" When everyone else left refusing to believe Craig's warnings about Xavier, The Sewer Queen alongside Jason and Cannonball, were the only kids who stayed behind to aid Craig in defending the Creek. She knew from experience that Craig was telling the truth. The other side had invaded her kingdom, she couldn't just let that slide.

The biggest hints however, appeared in "Sink or Swim Team". Craig had discovered Sewer Queen's secret identity as a member of the swim team. So when she asked for his help to make her lie seem true to her family, he agreed to the plan and was introduced to "Eileen" for the first time. Eileen has occasionally been shown to be affectionate towards Craig, such as putting her arm around his shoulder at the beginning and end of the episode. Craig had never seen the Sewer Queen as a civilian before, so of course he responds with a case of the nervous sweats and stuttering. When Kelsey and J.P followed them the Eileen's house, the first thought that popped into Kelsey's head was that Craig and The Sewer Queen were getting married, indicating that she herself ships the two of them. After Craig was introduced to Eileen's Lola, she asked Eileen if Craig was her boyfriend, much to Eileen's embarrassment. Many argue that a similar incident happened in "The Shortcut" with Kit and her grandmother, but unlike Kit, Eileen actually managed to blush.

In an Instagram post on Cartoon Network's official page, we were asked which was the WORST out of eight ships from various shows, with Craig and Eileen being one of them. This is ironic since Craig and Eileen actually had the BEST ship out of all of them.

Wildernessa and Sewer Queen share some similarities with eachother

Both are slightly taller than Craig

Both have been mistreated at some point for their flaws

Both have shared their real names with Craig

Both their real names and their nicknames rhyme

Both had Strong shipping potential revealed in a single episode.

Both have strong reasons they could work out as Craig's girlfriend and reasons they could not. What could put all of this full circle is an episode involving an interaction between Wildernessa and The Sewer Queen. Could this the creek's first love triangle or is it part of something bigger?

[jolyneswife-anime-reviews]

Toradora anime review

Spoilers for toradora and tw for family issues (not explicitly discussed in this post)

“My happiness can only by made with my own hands! My happiness doesn’t depend on anyone but me!”- Minori Kushieda

Genre: slice of life, high school, tsundere romance, comedy

Where to watch: Funimation or Netflix

Characterization: 8.5/10 (Characters are well developed and not very cliché)

Setting: 7.5/10 (Nothing too crazy, but I think the school was a well chosen setting for everything as it makes the characters seem more real and relatable. I also really like the contrast between Ryuji's dingy house and Taiga's luxurious flat, which, despite looking comfortable, has an atmosphere of loneliness about it; this suits her character perfectly)

Comfort: 8/10 (true friendship and love are a recurring theme in this anime, especially when characters face difficulties at home or with their love lives and futures, which makes it quite a wholesome, feel good watch as a whole. There are also several comedic parts, which make me chuckle every time I watch it)

Philosophy: 6.5/10 (It's not the most thought provoking or meaningful anime, but there are some worthwhile lessons to be learned about self love, loyalty, and what it means to be a family)

Plot: 8.5/10 (the series is only about 24 episodes in length and reasonably fast paced without rushing. The actual story is nothing too new, but it's executed in a touching and engaging way)

Originality: 7/10 (while a lot of aspects of this anime are not particularly new to most viewers, there are definitely some character nuances (particularly with the side characters) and twists in the storyline/romantic plot (such as the running away from home) that are creative and refreshing)

Art style: 9/10 (bright, beautiful colour pallets used throughout the series. The characters are well drawn in a familiar shojo style, and they all have appealing features. The setting, particularly in spring, lends itself to some gorgeous cherry blossom drawings)

Addiction: 8.5/10 (with most episodes ending on cliffhangers that leave you wondering about the characters or craving more, it is very easy to get hooked. Luckily it is an easy binge watch because there are relatively few episodes)

Consistency: 9/10 (the quality does not decrease with the episodes and stays pretty constant throughout the anime)

Total score: 8.06/10

The plot

Ryuji is a poor, yet kindhearted high school student who lives with his mother, and, to his misfortune, has inherited his dad's intimidating features, leading most people to be scared of him. Dreading needing to clear his reputation on his first day of the new school year, he is happy to discover he's in the same class as Kitamura, his best friend and a well liked guy among the girls, and Kushieda, his secret crush. Briefly before the start of lessons, he bumps into Taiga, a very pretty, yet hot tempered and sharp tongued girl, and the two immediately start things off on the wrong foot. However, when it is revealed they might be able to help each other achieve their love life goals, the two start working together and slowly but surely form a strong bond, with Riyuji taking care of Taiga by cooking her meals and providing her with company after that time living all alone, and the two of them trying to figure out how to end up with the people they fancy. Instead, what they discover over the course of the school year is deeply surprising to them and makes them reconsider everything they thought they wanted.

Overall, this is a great anime to relax and kick back to- the characters are all likeable yet complex, and the dynamics between them provide comfort and hilarity to viewers.

Masterlist

[quirrrky]

THE PILLARS HAVING A CRUSH ON YOU

𖧵 ft. kyojuro, giyuu, sanemi 𖧵 headcanons; kamaboko squad ver.

🍰 Be a part of my taglist for contents and event privileges DETAILS | FORM

KYOJURO

𐐪- you might think that that he'd realize it immediately but no. Kyojuro loves you, but he also loves everybody 𐐪- he could have a problem with identifying that his admiration towards you was different, but everyone around him, especially Tanjirou, knew 𐐪- Kyo will always ask to pair up with you in every chance he could get 𐐪- when he knew you'd be arriving from your duty, he'd wait for you just so he could invite you to have lunch/dinner with him (treats you often) 𐐪- you'd be surprised that he'd give you bento before you set off to your mission or before he sets out to his 𐐪- offers to walk you home and chats non-stop as if not wanting to let go of you yet 𐐪- whenever you speak to him, he'd sometimes just space out looking at your face 𐐪- Y/N this and that around Senjuro, the other slayers, the butterfly girls at the estate and even around Oyakata-sama 𐐪- his smile whenever he saw you was just different compared to others. When it comes to you, it's a mixture of sunshine and silliness that everyone arounds him could feel just how much he's so giddy to be around you

GIYUU

𐐪- observes you keenly and the things you like...he wants to connect with you but doesn't know how to begin with it PLS HELP HIM 𐐪- the trio would aid him by tipping off what could you possibly be into so he could give you gifts 𐐪- at first, he acted like a secret admirer, giving you cute little trinkets from his mission in ways that won't reveal himself to you 𐐪- in time, you found out about it and thanked him...he was shocked and failed to say anything because he's so overwhelmed 𐐪- you'd notice that he'd do little things for you like offering his haori if it's cold, giving you medicines to bring as first aid during your missions and there's this time he gifted you with a lucky charm 𐐪- the very first time he gave you something upfront he just extended his hand with the item atop...you had to ask him if it's for you, because he just went panic mode deep inside 𐐪- the trio told him to smile often when around you and so there are moments when he'd practice smiling in the mirror (his first smile made him look constipated tho) 𐐪- he had this keepsake wherein he kept all the things you gave him and when you gifted him something handy, everyone would notice how he would sometimes smile lovingly at the item during his free time 𐐪- he might not think that he didn't deserve to be something more for you but he'd try to be the best friend you'd always wish you've had and would love and protect you regardless if you'd notice him or not uwu

SANEMI

𐐪- he's a mixture of tsundere and gentle so you'd really be puzzled on what he felt towards you 𐐪- left food at your doorsteps sometimes because he's too shy to be caught giving it to you, he won't admit he's shy tho 𐐪- once you thanked him for it, he'd blush and looked away..."It's not like I only made those for you." But he did, tbh 𐐪- he'd stammer everytime he'd try to initiate a conversation that sometimes he had come off reactive just to get it out, but his entire face was red 𐐪- he almost fight w/ Tanjirou bc the boy pointed out that Nemi had a crush on you and he went ballistic over it... 𐐪- sometimes you'd catch him staring at you alot, so when you gave him a smile, he'd sharply turn his head away like he just went ASDFGHJKL 𐐪- he had the tendency to raise his voice and act so aggressive around the other slayers, but whenever he sensed you're around, he'd just tone himself down and went tried to remain calm

REBLOGS ARE DEEPLY APPRECIATED ♡ Please help me reach other viewers. Thank you so so much!

COLLECTIONS: KNY ✧ DAYDREAM MUSEUM

[yoongis-tangerines]

hey I love your fics! can you do something where the reader is a badass like sasaengs are scared of her and the member boasts about her to others? thank you💜💜 Have a nice day!

➼ pairing: idol!yoongi x fem!reader

➼ summary: established relationship, reader is less of a badass and more of a tsundere, hope that's okay, teeny little drabble

➼ word count: 2k, short and sweet :)

➼ what to expect: "yeah, actually, taehyung hosted a live yesterday. maybe you should hop off and go watch that one, hm?"

➼ warnings: language?? reader is a bit rude to the vlive viewers (the ones that deserve it anyways)

➼ talk to the characters!

➼ thank you for the request, anon! if you also want to request something, do it here!

➼ THIS IS NOT A TRANSCRIPT OF HIS PTD LA VLIVE! i just picked a random concert for him to do a live after and this one seemed fitting

yoongi starts the live, eyes flitting around the screen as viewers trickle in quickly

"hello." he waves awkwardly, smiling at his awkwardness just a moment after

you're mulling around in his hotel room just off camera with a book and a stoic look on your face

it's a well known fact throughout the fandom that you're yoongi's girlfriend, it's been a public relationship for a little more than a year now

yoongi appreciates that his fans love you, you're very well adored by them

but of course, there are always those fans who are quite jealous of you, but those aren't real fans anyways

and yoongi knows that

in fact, your relationship isn't only good for him, but quite frankly his safety as well

you're a closed off person, you're not very cheerful or bubbly, but yoongi loves you all the same

you tend to..,,,. intimidate people

more on that later :)

"just waiting for everyone to come." yoongi reaches for his glass of wine sitting near him on the table, taking a sip and reading over the multitude of comments, mostly filled with purple hearts and well wishes

and the thirst comments, but those are always good for his ego (however graphic they are...)

it's not long before he sees them: the comments asking where the other members are

it's not like he doesn't mind them, deep down he wishes they would just pay attention to him. if he wanted to bring another member in, he would have already

"how did you all enjoy tonight's concert?" yoongi asks softly, leaning on the table to watch the comments in all the world's languages bombarde him

he and the members have just finished another successful concert in LA, and although he absolutely loves being with his fans and performing with his bandmates, sitting with you alone in a hotel room and winding down is pretty appealing as well

comments of praise filter in pretty quickly, he struggles to keep up with them all

"they're probably not even all home yet." your voice chimes in from the background

yoongi turns to face you, you haven't even glanced up from your book. he turns back to his live

"oh, right." he smiles his gummy smile

"i hope everyone gets home safe. it's probably hectic, fifty thousand people leaving all at one time." he grimaces at the thought, playing with his chain bracelet

you enter his mind again after a moment of silence and he turns back to you

"come here, baby, come sit with me." he pats his lap and gains your attention for a moment

you gently place your bookmark on your page and settle your book next to you on your shared bed, swinging your sock-clad feet over the edge and striding over to your boyfriend, his gummy-grin on fully display as you comply with his request

you cross your arms and raise an eyebrow, seeing there's only one seat and he's sitting in it

he pats his lap again cheekily

"c'mere." he urges again

you roll your eyes and settle down on his lap, flicking your hair over your shoulder and peering into the camera and reading the comments of your arrival

y/n-ieeeee!

💜💜angel💜💜

너무 예뻐요💜💜🤍🤍 (so pretty 💜💜🤍🤍)

милая пара! (nice couple!)

¿estaba ella en el concierto? (was she at the concert?)

you squint, much like yoongi, and nod

"i was there. but i'll never tell you where." you sigh casually, crossing your legs and slinging your arms around yoongi's neck

i thought i saw her! my friends thought i was crazy

yoongi! get us an uber, we're stuck at so-fi! 🚗🚗

service sucksssss, still watching the live tho

okay wait is no one gonna acknowledge that she can read spanish?

yoongi laughs, "she's a woman of many talents." he's so very proud of you, but he'd never say it that way. it makes you feel like he's being condescending, but you know he loves you

there's a comfortable silence as the pair of you read through the constant comments

he can feel you tense suddenly, and he follows your eyes to the comments

and then he sees it

where's taehyungie-oppa? 💜

he can feel the storm brewing right next to him

your tongue pokes inside your cheek in irritation and you hum in mock fascination

yoongi tries to quickly change the subject

"so, um, you guys-"

"hi, um... what's your name?" you squint to read the username, "mrs-kim. yeah, hi. nice to meet you. i think you've forgotten who's hosting this vlive?" you tilt your head, feigning innocence

"y/n-"

"yeah, actually, taehyung hosted a live yesterday. maybe you should hop off and go watch that one, hm?"

as much as yoongi wants to stop you, he can't help but listen, his lips tugging upwards fondly at your attitude

he doesn't mind the comments, he knows he's loved, but it's just fun to watch you get all fired up

yoongi can't help but just stare at you, his eyes landing unabashedly on your lips as you speak

see, this is why your relationship is good for his safety and his management sees no problem with you dating him

you scare people

you're not afraid to put fans in their place when they're out of line

disrespectful shippers, fans of only one member, sasaengs, you name it

yoongi can't remember the last time he saw a sasaeng at the airport or even caught wind of one on their tail

you're also pretty good of... taking care of things

not in a violent way, per say, but he notices when things haven't gone according to plan, one dirty look from you and things are going right again

your type of personality has attracted your own group of little intimidating friends before you even met him

how did you meet him? well, that's something he'll never forget

the only part yoongi doesn't like to admit is he was attending a club in france in disguise

and surprise surprise, someone recognized him from only his eyes in a mask and a beanie

now that he thinks about it, it's actually quite impressive, the dedication that his fans put into his features and recognizing them

he's sure they weren't meaning to swarm him, but they were causing quite a commotion and drawing even more fans over to him

he really just wanted to be alone

and then- that voice he would never forget

"hey, leave him alone. it's like you're all leeches; scram."

once you shove through a few fans (and a few more aggressive ones) the others take a hint and scatter, still whispering to each other and glancing over at him every once in a while

"hope that helps. you looked a little claustrophobic in there. i'll be with my friends if it happens again." you point to your group and start to join them again when he instinctively stops you

"hey! um, thank you... for that. can i- can i buy you a drink?" he gestures vaguely to the bar he's sitting at

he doesn't know what just happened- but he knows he doesn't regret asking

you smirk knowingly, "sure. thanks." you take a seat next to him and inform the bartender of your favorite

the two of you got to talking and he ended up asking for your number

oh, he knew his management and probably namjoon would be absolutely livid when they found out, but who's he to care? he just met the girl of his dreams

and, something he didn't know until much, much later, is that you were actually a huge fan of him and his members

you were very good at keeping that under wraps until he got to know you better, and he appreciated that more than you could know

it wasn't until a little further into your relationship that he started noticing the fangirl traits about you

anyways, back on track with your friends-

your friends know people who know people, if you know what he means

"and if you can't-"

as you go on your little rant, yoongi grabs your chin between his fingers and effectively interrupts you mid sentence by planting his lips firmly on yours

you let out an uncharacteristic squeal at his behavior as his hand hooks under your leg

first of all: yoongi is pretty strict about the limited pda in front of his fans because he knows a lot of them have jealous tendencies (he was the one to tell them they were cheating on him if they had partners after all)

second of all: you're not huge on it either, and he knows that full well

you're still in shock when he pulls away, blinking owlishly as the comments go positively wild

you clear your throat and lick your lips

you don't even glance at the comments flying in before rising off yoongi's lap and waltzing over to your shared bed

"well, i guess we're done here." you hint quite obviously

yoongi can't suppress his grin as he takes one more quick glance at the screen

as much as he loves his fans-

"i'll see you guys at the next concert. sleep well, everyone." he blows a brief kiss and fumbles to end the live before shutting off the camera and joining you in bed

♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        

it doesn't take the other members long to notice yoongi's chipper attitude the next day, his arms woven around your waist and his chin propped on your shoulder

you're in a relatively quiet part of LA, so as to not draw as much attention as they would in crowded areas

nowhere near so-fi stadium, that's for sure

"handsy today, yoongi-ah?" jin teases as he sets yoongi's coffee on the table, joining the rest of you in your little corner of the coffee shop

yoongi hums in agreement as his hands run up and down your sides, making you squirm

"min yoongi." you scold, swatting at his hands

"sorry. can't help it." he's not sorry in the least, settling his hands on your thighs as you swat at his hand once more

"am i going to have to sit in a different seat or can you be civil?" you turn around to face him with mock seriousness

"yes, ma'am." his roaming hands come to a stop on your hips and they stay there. you nod in approval

"get a room, won't you?" jimin teases, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly

"you guys are just jealous that this woman is dating me and not you." yoongi shrugs, feigning innocence

"mmm, we mustn't be so modest." you tone drips with sarcasm as you run your fingers casually through his orange locks

"i'm actually kind of glad she's dating you... you both scare me when you're together, so perfect match." jungkook teases from his seat

"i scare you, jungkook?" you tilt your head

somehow, the simplest of questions strikes a bit of fear in jungkook's system. he gulps

"... no?" he manages

hoseok bursts into laughter and hits him on the arm, "oh man, that was the most unconvincing "no" i've ever heard." he wipes his tears

"shut up, hyung!" jungkook whines, taking a cautious glance at you

you chuckle, "it's okay, jungkook. i get it a lot." you wink and the maknae's face turns a beet red color

"but you don't scare me." yoongi muses from below you

you raise an eyebrow, "oh yeah? weren't you the one 'yes ma'am'-ing me earlier?" your voice has dropped considerably, and yoongi gulps, similar to jungkook

"yes, ma'am."

want to read more? check out my masterlist 💜

how can i make your dreams come true? request something 🌹

have any questions? ask me here 💌

like what you read? leave a like 🤍, or better yet, reblog or comment any feedback you might have

[depressed-teacup-inc]

Kuroneko (an argument of show vs. tell)

Ok let’s get this over with, I’m too tired and sick to deal with this show for long.

Episode starts with Adrien watching Ladybug call him “a partner just like anyone else” which honestly? I understand the press sucks but that rude (also yeah I understand Adrien shouldn’t have stayed and was depressed in his room, but also? Bitch if I was in his show I would have quit too)

Ladybug is an a-hole to chat, and like? Why??? CHAT DEADASS COMES AND OFFERS HELP AND TO BE HELPFUL TO HER, AND SHE RESPONDS BY SCREAMING????

And like??? The show tried to write it off as “she was about to detransform and identity rule matters!” WHEN THE IDENTITY RULE DOES MATTER ANYMORE???? Literally I love having my arguments proven (for more on why the identity rule is pointless and therefore season 4 sucks, I have this post, but for short, Ladybug only applies or cares about the identity rule when it comes to chat not knowing anything and it basically makes everything in season 4 stupid)

But imma give her credit! Ladybug did show to care when chat quit!

…only to moments later try and get a new Chat Noir (yeah kids if it weren’t for fucking Plagg, she would have broken the identity rule again what a shocker) never truly internalize that Chat Noir quit because she treated him terribly, blame chat noir for what she did (I am not a fan of that tsundere act, never was) and simp ove Catwalker calling him perfect.

…ok so her approach was a bit flawed and hypocritical.

Listen, before y’all tell me, I know what she said this episode. Ladybug did go off about Chat Noir and how Catwalker is not quite it (saying Catwalker is “too perfect”? Like that makes sense??? Literally the only reason she said he wasn’t right was because she couldn’t stop simping for one second??? And that’s somehow his fault but I digress whatever) and did show regret and remorse over chat, and even told him how irreplaceable he is! Again!

But that’s all talk. Compare her talk about how she needs Chat Noir to her actions:

- lies and keeps him out of the loop

- on several occasions takes out her anger and stress at him (even tho that stress comes from something that she clearly gives no shit about in any other context???)

- was willing to replace him and would have broken the identity rule if it weren’t for Plagg (hypocrisy✨)

- never even tries to involve him in her plans (yeah I saw what the show did there! Trying to make commentary on people wanting Chat Noir to save the day, by saying “sometimes Ladybug just doesn’t have a plan for him and it’s how it should be done!”)

Ladybug’s actions and thoughts never align! So yeah, you care about him you think he’s important and irreplaceable, that’s awesome we love that, NOW WHAT ABOUT YOU TRY AND DO SOMETHING BEYOND TALK???? BE HONEST WITH HIM! TRY AND ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND NOT JUST BLIW UP AT HIM! AND HEY WHILE YOURE AT IT MAYBE TRY TO LOOK AT YOURSELF AND REALIZE YOURE THE PROBLEM HERE RATHER THEN KEEP SAYING THAT PROBLEM IS THAT CHAT BEING IN LOVE WITH YOU?! (I swear not everything is about someone being in love with you girl please)

All I learned this episode is Marinette digs her own grave and problems on the basis of “tHe IDEntIty RuLe!” And then cries and says how hard her life is? And honestly, it’s not gonna get better unless she realizes that she’s the reason things aren’t going well.

Meanwhile CATWALKER!!! Basically Adrien Agreste tm, and Adrien, as I predicted, coming to the conclusion that people only like him when he’s obedient and kind! That’s not fucking concerning!!!

And again, Ladybug says how she wants Chat Noir, but her actions don’t align!!! She literally blushes and smiles and says how perfect Catwalker is!!! So are the viewers just supposed to accept this episode like “yeah, Ladybug likes chat noir and does care about him” while every actions in this episode indicates otherwise???? Literally all we learned from the episode is “yeah Ladybug just wants chat noir despite the fact that she tried replacing him, never does anything to actually make a difference, clearly prefers someone super serious and calm that doesn’t object anything she says, BUT LIKE CHAT NOIR IS IRREPLACEABLE GUYS SHE CLEARLY CARES LOOK HERES A LADYNOIR MOMENT!”

Im just tired, but hey! the biggest beacon of light in this episode was PLAGG MY BOY MY KING✨

Bitch lectured ladybug for her hypocrisy, stops Ladybug from being even more of a hypocrite, manages to get the miraculous back to Chat noir (because that’s right kids! For someone who cares so much, Ladybug was adamantly against Chat Noir with his miraculous, because that would require admitting he quit because of her!) convinces Adrien to be a hero again, TEARS APART THE TRUE SELF ARGUMENT (my king addresses Adrien’s identity crisis and how people should love and respect him FOR ALL OF HIM) and so much more!

Honestly the only main flaw he had was how he tried to get Adrien to change for Ladybug, but that was for the sake of letting Adrien stay Chat Noir and because he clearly wants Adrien as his owner.

So hey, at least the cat was nice!

Also Natalie is a cyborg

[pearl-blue-musings]

My Weakness

Hi Hi!

I’m so excited to present this! This is part of @doinmybesthere Love Island collab! You can find the masterlist here! 

Pairing: Tsukishima Kei x fem!reader

Warnings: 18+ as always, angst with happy ending, fem oral receiving, fingering, semi-public, exhibitionism

Word count: 2.8K

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coupling with Yachi was a good decision.

Coupling with Yachi was a smart decision.

Coupling with Yachi was the best decision. 

That’s what Tsukishima repeatedly tells himself as he watches your eyes start to glaze over with hurt. This is maybe the third or fourth time he’s avoided coupling with you despite what he may actually feel or want to do. He can’t bear to look at you as you watch your friends get picked and coupled up. 

He knows you’re about to cry when you start to scratch at your nose and blink rapidly. The glisten that usually is in your eye is gone the less of your friends you’re surrounded by. Your fingers fidget ever so slightly, unseeable to the viewers at home and anyone on the island, but Tsukishima knows you. He knows your tells and when you’re hiding your true feelings and desires. 

He knows because that’s what he’s been doing the whole time.

When he was first on the island, his goal was and has remained to win the money. He didn’t care about making friends or finding love, he just wanted a little fame and a whole lot of cash. It was all to help him strike out on his own and assist his family in any way he could. The tall blond had signed up with his freckled best friend, whom he was also avoiding eye contact with at this very moment. 

Yamaguchi Tadashi and (L/n) (Y/n) were looking to be the last two people, or rather couple, left standing. The two of you were really getting voted off right before the final shows. And there was nothing you could do to stop it. You didn’t want to admit that most of the fans and fellow castmates kept you on the show because of your friendly nature and how much calmness you brought amid the noise of drama. But, unknown to you, lots of fans were really rooting for you because of Tsukishima’s clear feelings for you.

Fans of the show watched and waited for the tall tsundere blond to admit his feelings for you. That was some of the motivation for keeping you on the show. You were sweet, kind, and caring; attributes that weren’t the best for a show like this. And you were well aware you didn’t have what it took to survive on this competition but you stuck it out. You became friends with everyone so of course no one wanted to vote you off. You had no ill intent for anyone on the island, that much was obvious by your relationships with everyone. For all the islanders that left, all of them said they would miss you the most, second to if they had someone they were coupled with romantically.

So this elimination is hurting harder than you thought it would. You didn’t think you would make it to the finals but you had high hopes of making it. And those hopes were crushed as your nervous hand tightens around Yamaguchi’s as you were the last two standing. Your tears finally overflowed as the words of you being eliminated rang out in the distance, ears ringing from heartbreak as your blank stare burns into Tsukishima’s brain forever. He’s never been one to break during a live shooting in front of the whole cast; it’s not obvious to anyone but only his closest friends. 

So naturally, the couple being kicked off the island and Yachi were well aware of what was going on in his head right at that moment. His golden irises widened ever so slightly and his shoulder trembled for just a moment. 

He had lost you 

**************

The cast reunion went better than expected for you. Everyone was super excited to see you and shared their sentiments when you were eliminated. They were upset that you didn’t win, knowing you needed the money to travel for graduate school and change the world in your own way. You and Yamaguchi stayed close friends, knowing full well he and Yachi are happy in their own relationship. Yachi was able to start her own fashion design company and Tsukishima was able to help his family and got the fame he wanted.

But was it really worth it now that he’s seeing you again after filming?

Tsukishima tried to avoid you, but you were tied to his best friend which meant he had no choice but to be by you. When you’re left alone with him, your anxiety begins to rise. So instead of staying and making conversation, you hightailed it toward the exit. You run into the hallway and grab onto a nearby coffee table to stabilize your breathing and racing thoughts. “Okay (Y/n), you can do this,” you whisper to yourself, “Tada told you he’d be here. It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t-”

“Still talking to yourself when overwhelmed?”

You’re jolted out of your thoughts when you hear the familiar baritone that used to whisper calming words to you when the game got too crazy. He somehow knew all the secret spots the cameras couldn’t reach so he could caress and kiss away your fears and tears.

You quickly turn around, clearly avoiding his gaze as you fiddle with your nails. “What are you doing here, Tsukishima?”

The blond feels his heart drop at the use of his surname. “I came to check on you when you fled, what else would I be doing shortcake?”

“Don’t call me that!”

The sound of your shoes against the short carpeted hallway mix with the muffled and softening music coming from the main hall of the private cast reunion. It had taken a great amount of strength to walk away from the person who made you feel a mix and rush of emotions you thought you would never experience. Your trek away from the bespectacled winner toward a secluded corner ends abruptly when he grabs at your forearm to have you face him, pushing you into the corner wall. You’d spent a lot of time with him on and off camera, so you knew this expression on his face meant you were in for a serious discussion.

Tsukishima clears his throat before beginning to speak. “I need to talk to you.”

“Pfft, now you wanna talk?” You pull your arm out of his grasp and fold your arms against your chest. “You had plenty of time to talk,” you seethe at him. “Why is now so important?.”

“Because I wasn’t able to tell you the truth.”

“The truth? You didn’t save me. Even Hitoka voted to save me but somehow you convinced everyone else to get rid of me. Why the hell,” your pointed finger pokes him in the chest, “would you expect me to want to talk to you? I thought we were… you knew I needed the money!”

Golden eyes roll as he closes the distance between you two. “So did all of us, sho- (Y/n). You can’t show weakness in a competition like this, you know that.”

“I had no weakness.”

“You and I both know that isn’t true. And quite frankly, so did everyone else. They didn’t have what it takes to do the right thing, pipsqueak.”

Anger and hurt begin to flood your senses as you glare daggers at the man in front of you. “And what exactly was the right thing?”

“This is a competition. Everyone was looking out for themselves, despite all the friendships and relationships made. You were the only one who didn’t realize that. 

“Your naivety was a threat and we all knew that if you went on we would have had no chance at winning the money!” His voice is now getting higher and louder, finally expressing his own frustration. “We all wanted to win. It was logical to get rid of our biggest threats to winning, and I couldn’t bear-”

“Couldn’t bear what,” your voice broke at the end. “Couldn’t bear what, Tsukishima?”

“You!” He cages your head with his arms against the wall, shocking you as you attempt to shrink yourself. “I couldn’t bear to see you not win at the final stage.” His panting slows as he whispers out, “you were my weakness. It was me or you and I chose me.”

To say you were stunned was an understatement. You push back against him and he let you. “And right now I’m choosing me, too.” 

He releases the strain in his shoulders with a deep sigh before mumbling out, “I didn’t think… I didn’t think that I would actually find someone who I could let my walls down for. And somehow,” he huffs, “you did, shortcake. That’s why, fuck, that’s why you’re my weakness.”

You stop and stare at him confused. “What are you…?”

“I’m saying I would have given it all up for you. But I’m stubborn and didn’t want to let my original goal slip away, alright?”

Neither of you says anything for a few moments, letting the weight of his words sink into your souls. You were his weakness? So that meant everything he had said before was true? All the stolen and fleeting kisses were real and he really just-

“Fuck just kiss me shortcake.” He silences your thoughts by pulling you into a desperate and needy kiss, holding your face in his hands as his thumbs rub soft circles into your cheeks. Your hands rest on his waist to pull him in closer as you moan lightly into the kiss. His hand lightly trails down your neck, feather light before it grips the back of it to open your lips and deepen the kiss. 

Your back presses against the wall, pressing your hands further up his body to latch into blond trussels you’ve dreamt of running your finger through. With your hands running up, his run down your dress, delicately grazing and feeling the fabric until his hands go back to grope and knead your ass. You let out the sweetest noise he’s ever heard when he starts to lick and suck right under your ear.

You let out a breathy moan as you toss your head back. “Kei…”

He hums against your neck. “Fuck, do it again.” He bites down on the same spot wanting to elicit the same response. 

“Kei,” you hiss out. “Kei, shit! Someone c-could come out here-”

“Not if you’re quiet, pipsqueak. Or do you want me to gag you?”

You bite your lip then as you feel his bulge pressing into you. How many times had you dreamt or thought of this very moment? Fingers crossed the cameras didn’t catch those moments. You feel his knee start to spread your stance wider as his hands travel under your dress and bunch the fabric at your waist. Tsukishima keeps one hand on your waist while the other travels to your front and grabs at your clothed heat. He snickers, “You’re already this wet for me? I’ve barely done anything to you. How badly have you wanted me, huh? Were those stolen kisses off camera not enough for you, slut?”

He kisses you to silence your retort and eventual moan as his fingers swipe at your clothed slit before dragging your underwear to the side. His lithe fingers swiftly slide inside of you, scissoring and pumping you open. You suck in your lips to secure the whimpers threatening to escape and dig your nails into him. His growls into your neck almost make your lips weak. You gasp when he hits a particular spot inside your heat that has you seeing stars and your knees wanting to buckle. His thumb is then place against your soon to be swollen clit, pressing down on it.

“Ah fuck!”

The blond clicks his tongue and readjusts his fingers as your hips buck against them. Your senses are on fire, the smell of his cologne infecting your mind. The taste of his tongue driving you wild as you try to remember the haze on his face from your kiss. A yelp escapes you when he suddenly takes his fingers out of your core and places them in front of your lips. “Suck.”

You do as he says and lick at every dip and dent of his fingers, savoring your essence on his fingertips. The way he bites his lip looking you over with lust filled hazel orbs gets you wetter. Tsukishima then takes his fingers out of your mouth and sloppily kisses you, your spit and juices melding together down your lips. A trail of saliva connects the two of you as he breaks away and meets your gaze. “Eyes on me.”

Confusion crosses your face as he lowers to his knees and hikes one of your legs over his shoulder. He kisses the soft skin of your inner thigh, leaving small bites close to your folds but never quite touching. He can feel your frustration in the way your hands tighten in his hair. The blond smirks before carefully licking a stripe at your slit, eyes meeting yours to see you start to fall apart on his tongue. Knowing you’ll be a whiny moaning mess, he strips your underwear off and hands it to you, silently communicating with you. You take the garment into your mouth and he begins again, hearing your muffled cries as he slowly makes out with your pussy. His nose is pressed against your clit as he flits his tongue in and out of you. The sight above him is one he wants to see for the rest of his life; only he can make you react and look like this. He harshly sucks on your clit as he fingers you again, Your hips rut against his fingers and face, his moans only edging and bringing you closer to release.

Muffled voices alert the two of you that you’re not alone in your own world. You assume who you’re hearing is probably your two friends who had left you alone. “Tsukki? (Y/n)? I knew we shouldn’t have left them alone.”

“It’s not your fault, Tada,” shit you think Yachi too? “We knew they needed to talk but I didn’t think they’d just disappear.”

Golden eyes zero in on yours as he works you faster. You shake your head as you hear the couple come closer, but stop when he reaches a spot inside you that makes you cry out despite the gag. He sharply smacks your thigh and sucks hard, adding a third finger to make you cum that much faster.

“Did you hear that? I think it came from the other direction.”

“I think so too, Hitoka. Let’s look over there.”

Their footsteps get farther away, and Tsukishima’s fingers inside you start up a brutal pace to match his tongue on your clit. Your hips are moving erratically and he groans into you. He really wanted to give up the money and his plan for you if it meant he could have you like this. All for him, no one else. Not Kuroo, not Bokuto, just him. Tears fall from your eyes from the pleasure as your walls flutter and tighten around his tongue and fingers, hips moving out of time as you silently cum. Your juices coat his lips and chin as he finally releases you with a low groan. 

He carefully puts your leg down and stands up to face you. Once the fabric is released from your mouth, you pant and inhale to catch your breath, heaving as you bend over. You don’t miss him store your panties in his pocket, smugness coating his face. When you’ve caught your breath, you glare at him. “Don’t ever, ever, gag me with my own panties.”

He chuckles, “would you have preferred my dick? I didn’t see you complaining.”

You wipe the sweat from your brow. “Shut up.” You then punch his arm when you remember what you heard before you orgasmed. “Asshole! Tadashi and Yachi were right there!”

“It didn’t stop you from squirting all over my face.”

“Oh whatever, you’re lucky I love you beanpole.”

“Oi, I thought we retired that nickname.” You giggle at the small pout he gives you and lightly reach out to him. “But, are you okay? I know I’m not the best with showing my emotions…”

“Kei-”

He lowly growls. “I still can’t get over how my name sounds on your tongue.” He brings you into a soft kiss and rests his forehead against yours. “I love you, stupid. I know what I did was hurtful but…”

You sigh and hum softly. “I know.”

No other words needed to be exchanged in that moment between the two lovers. The affirmations and sentiments of love and adoration were clearly expressed and present. You revel in the silence before intertwining your fingers together. You’re first to break the silence.

“We should probably head back…”

“Yeah, they’re probably looking for me to talk about that I gave you some of the money.”

“You did what?!”

He pulls the two of you out of the corner and helps you fix up your disheveled mess. Your jaw is practically dragging against the floor as you head back to the main hall. You two stop in front of the private entrance when he whispers.

“I told you that you were my weakness didn’t I?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[poutyhannie]

warnings: tsundere!minho, boxer!minho, fem!reader, mentions of d*ath, bl**d, kn*ves, violence, smut, fluff, angst :), dark cold minho finds a soft spot in y/n :))))

word count: +8k

The blisters on your hands burn as you placed the cash register on the shiny white counter. Finally, your life’s goal to begin a small cafe in town was complete, but this was only the beginning. Even the ache in your feet and back from the boxes and produce you carried in last night couldn’t shake the beaming smile you greet the empty store with. Golden light streams in from the freshly washed windows, bouncing off the racks of freshly baked breads and pastries. These beams of light must be the physical representation of the heavenly aroma of baking goods and you fill your lungs with it, content and elated at the prospect of a new chapter.

Among the normal baked goods, everyday items were placed around the counter, such as umbrellas and first aid kits. It was a small tactic to make a bit more profit or a thoughtful gesture, just in case customers needed something other than coffee and a croissant.

If you didn’t close the door soon, the cold morning gusts of wind would stale and harden the goods, but this display of openness was necessary to garner new customers so you quickly hopped from behind the counter to cover the goods with glass domes which served as lids.

The people of your city had been relatively friendly, spreading the word of your grand opening. Thanks to this, streams of customers filled your lavender-themed shop before the morning and evening rush. When the sun’s golden shine began to dissipate to cold blue, the goods were dwindling on the shelves, prepared to be restocked for tomorrow.

The front of your lavender purple apron was streaked with flour, chocolate, and jam as you wiped the counters of the same substances. The giddy excitement in your bones contradicted the cheerfully ticking clock on the wall that told you it was late into the night. When did the day spin away from you so quickly? Would all the days at your shop be this enjoyable? Sighing contently, you settle on one of the comfortable white chairs, finally feeling the pinching ache in your feet. You’d have to get employees once you made enough revenue, you were bound to only get more customers from here on out. Maybe you’d hire cleaners once a month to do a deep clean? 

Thoughts prospective of your future and the future of your shop were interrupted when the door swung open—you were concerned the force would shatter the glass door itself. In stalked a darkly clad man, his back was turned to you as he quickly scanned the shelves and displays of your shop. He’d ignored the ‘closed’ sign. Still, one more customer couldn’t hurt. “Welcome,” you greeted warmly, feet aching as you walked back behind the counter. The customer gruffly rolled your word off. 

The gloves on his hands didn’t have fingers and when he placed a small first aid kit and sandwich on the counter, you could see the beds of his nails were bleeding. However, when you saw his face, you realized his wounded fingers were not priority. A blistering red patch scored his cheek under his dark eyes. There was a fresh cut on his left cheekbone that matched his bust eyebrow and lip. At the state of his lip you quickly reached over to add a tube of chapstick to his order. “Don’t need it,” he grunted but made no move to put it back. “Its on me,” you explained, ringing him up, ignoring the roll of his eyes. Though his hoodie was pulled down, the sweaty strands of black hair were still visible, slightly blocking his vision. “Take care,” you offered him, placing the bag into his hand. The empty night was louder than him as he exited your store.

A month in and you’ve managed to perfect the flower-shaped croissants, exploiting the layers of dough and butter croissants naturally proved to achieve petal-like flares. Proudly, you arrange them on a baby blue decorative plate, fixing the eyebrow raising price tag in front of it. People would have to accept that baking was another type of art and that your croissants tasted as good as they look. Many customers have become regulars, your yellow post it note stuck on the cash register denotes what they usually get, just a courtesy. New people enter your store everyday, sometimes stopping to pose for pictures in front of the arguably aesthetic display case filled with your best work. A swell of pride always elates you and you remind them to tag the cafe in their social media posts.

Its because your shop has a softer, pretty theme that you’re surprised when you find yourself writing down what the bruised man from before would always order. Though you formally close at seven, you leave the light on as you close down for him because he usually enters at nine. At the end of every week, he replenishes his first aid kit, sporting nasty red, brown, and purple wounds on his face every day. His placement of the bandaids and salves are sloppy at best and as the daughter of a doctor, you can’t help but stop him before he disappears into the inky night once again. The accusative glare he shoots at you leaves you stuttering. “What do you want?” His words and tone almost have you denying that you even called him in the first place but you wonder why he’s always beat up and why he’s so cranky. “You’re not putting on the bandages correctly.” “What would you know about it?” “My dad was a doctor—here, just let me fix it for you.” You’re released from his heavy glare as he thinks over your proposal, eyes flitting around your shop before landing back on you. “Just make it quick.”

He’s never sat in one of your shop’s white chairs and he shifts on plush cushion, you across from him, preparing the first aid kit. No sound escapes him as he rips off his existing bandaids, though just watching him makes you want to wince. The used bandages are shoved into his pockets and he slouches in front of you. The wounds this time congregate around his jaw, a nasty blue-green bruise spreading from his chin to the end of his jaw. Cuts and rug burn-like patches are scattered around his face and you can’t picture what he’d look like without a black eye.

In the name of being prepared, you keep an extensive first aid kit under your counter. You gingerly smear the bruise with the respective salve before dousing the cuts with alcohol. All the while, the damaged man in front of you says nothing, but glares at you through his shaggy bangs. Though scared to anger him him, you softly push back his hair to reveal another bruise above his left eyebrow.

The tense silence tears at you and you blurt out, “Have you not met any left handed people? They’re always on your left side.”

“More like they haven’t met me.” 

“You’re left handed?” 

“Ambidextrous but they still never see it coming,” is his gruff reply. 

Slowly, as you spread salve on his cuts you put two and two together. “You’re a fighter.” 

“Boxer.” Though his uncomfortable silence had previously left you at a loss for words, you quickly get back into your old habits, “You’re a boxer? That’s why you’re always beat up. You must not be very good if you’re always getting hurt. Are you paid to fight other people or is it based on bets? You’re really young to be boxi—” 

The coldness in his eyes as they snap up to you has your words choking in your throat. “I let my opponents have a semblance of victory before I beat them. Its based on bets so I get more profit if viewers place more bets against me.”

He rises and you follow him to the door. “I-if you…when you get injured, just come here. It’ll heal faster if I tend to it.” 

A nod is all you get but its more than the silence you’ve been struck with by him before so you’re not complaining.

He holds you on your offer, coming in every night from nine to midnight. You don’t mind lingering at your shop longer because his scuffed boots find their way into your store every night. You learn that his name is Minho and that his boxing nickname is Lee Know. The air between you has melted from cold tension to quiet casualty. Though your heart clenches in wariness every time his battered face shows up, it also pangs in empathy for him. Empathy that he refuses to accept.

The glint in his eyes that he regards you with every night informs you that he scowls upon your empathy, the pout on your lips as you concentrate to clean his wounds and the worried laced in your voice as you ask him about his upcoming matches. “I’ve been preparing for the season to start. If it goes well, I can progress past my current bracket,” he explains and though his voice has been exclusively monotone, if you strain your ears hard enough, there’s a trace of hope and anticipation there. 

“You haven’t been doing matches this entire time?” You exclaim, dumbfounded that this amount of damage has been from practices and preparation for the real thing. 

For a passing second, everything in his demeanor except his voice calls you an idiot before he softens, realizing you know nothing about his underground life. “If we had matches all year, we’d kill each other in no time. No,” he laughs humorlessly, shaking his hair out. Its grown a bit longer than his eyes but you’ve secured it back, clearing his face up with a pink fluffy headband he scoffed at. “The lower division guys have up to 40 matches but the really good ones only have two or three.” 

In the beginning of your late night first aid sessions, you’d timidly ask Minho small talk questions and he’d gruffly respond with a word or two, but never a full sentence. Now, you ask him because you’re genuinely curious about his profession. “How many do you have? Do you know who you’ll go against?” 

“Twelve. Edging on the more professional bracket but still not there yet. Opponents are rolling; I don’t know until a few days before and even then, it’s not necessarily helpful. Just need to touch up on their weaknesses.” 

“What’s your weakness?” You ask him, dabbing some burn salve on the glove burn stretching over his cheekbone. At the silence stretching across the two of you, you hope your tone came across as light and playful, not offensive. Though you were acquaintances with the boxer, you couldn’t yet bring yourself relax around his dark gaze. 

“You’ll have to figure it out.” A giggle rises in your throat, maybe a nervous habit or maybe because you found him interesting.

An exhale eases out of your lungs as your legs give out, throwing yourself on your bed. The soft blue glow of your bedside lamp washes the room in a calming light but exhaustion refuses to let you bask in it. Soon, your eyelids are drooping and back is pressing into the sheets.

Danishes. 

A harsh, ringing voice rips through your head; you bolt up, pulling your neck at the speed and abruptness. Gasping, you fling your shoes on, realizing that you left the dough proofing. If it were any other dough, you’d roll over and shrug off the loss of a batch, but this dough was made with premium French artisan flour that a kind customer had gifted you. Somehow, the panic in your throat wards off drowsiness and you speed down the empty streets. Bursting into your store, you rush to remove the dough from the bowl and knead them into small loaves.

Based on how the dough smells, you don’t believe it over proofed so the worry loosens your throat allowing you to inhale a yawn, sliding dough into the warm oven.

The chairs in your cafe are plush but nothing compared to your bed. It’s making you slowly regret coming back tonight.

A loud bang rings through the silent air and immediately fear grips your heart which is thrumming in your throat. Maybe its your drowsy state that has you flinging into panic at the noise. The rubber soles of your shoes slowly squeak over the tile as you move over to grab a knife you use to score the bread. Its size won’t scare anyone off, but its sharpness is one to be reckoned with. From your fuzzy, sleepy memory, the sound came from the small storage room so with white knuckles gripping the knife, you creep over. In your rush, had the door been carelessly left open? The storage room door is ajar but you can’t see anything inside. Relaxing the slightest bit, you nudge the door open slowly, entering on tip toe. Though dimly lit, you can see that the small room is empty and relief floods you, though not completely ridding you of the former panic—your heartbeat is still in your throat.

When you return to the main room with the counter, tables, and register, cold, blinding panic returns tenfold. There’s three dark figures in your shop, crouching next to the counter, quickly stuffing their bags with the money stashed away. In a flurry, you press your back to the storage room door, cursing yourself for leaving it in there and at the front door which you left wide open.

Your mind whirls, trembling with fear and apprehension. Where was your phone? You couldn’t possibly stop these men but would the cops come in time?

“What the fuck are you bastards?” A voice rings out. Harsh. Cold. You don’t dare turn the corner to look.

A muffled cry pierces the tense air, strained grunts, and sounds of impact following in succession. There’s a loud cracking sound and a wail that raises your goosebumps and you slink back further into the shadow, hoping that whatever is happening behind the wall will leave you alone. Breathy curses and threats are thrown before visceral, bodily squelches and groans silence them. Digging your fingernails into your palms to get your hands from shaking, you tremble in the corner, even after the sounds have been reduced to low, pained moans and a pair of footsteps. They wander around, heavy and assured before edging closer to where you’re hiding. You don’t dare breath, but you don’t think breath would come even if you asked it to.

“Y/n?” At the sound of your name, your eyes grow wide, though you’re still frozen in place. The footsteps round the corner and you’re met with scuffed black boots and ripped black jeans. Squeezing your eyes shut, your mind whirls as you remember staring at those boots, tending to wounds. His wounds.

When your eyes fly open again, he’s crouching in front of you, face significantly less wounded than you’ve seen it. The sound of your knife clattering on the tile startles you into flying into his arms. He makes uncomfortable, awkward noises above you, hands floating above your back as his butt smarts from the force you knocked him over with. “Did you beat them up?” You voice is shaking and you’re either on the verge of tears or already crying into his black hoodie, filling your mind with his deep sweaty musk, “I didn’t know what to do.” 

“Yeah, its not that big of a deal though. Just call the police,” he pushes you off of him with surprising gentleness, seeing that his hands are stained with the blood of those three men. On his feet in a flash, he drops a bag onto your lap. “Here is your money.” 

There’s no proper reason why your hand shoots out to pull him from leaving. Maybe it’s because the would be thieves are still laying in your store, maybe its because you want to keep inhaling the warm scent he exudes, maybe it’s because the thought of being without him tonight scares you. “The police won’t believe that I did this,” you whisper, hoping that that will ward off his need to leave. It’s impossible to interpret what the dark look in his eyes are—you can never seem to read his thoughts. 

Only his verbal confirmation has relief flooding your chest, “Fine.” 

After tying up the perpetrators, Minho settles half an arms distance away from you, a waft of his musk filling your nose as you think you hear the piercing screech of sirens. “Were you just gonna let them take your cash?”

You were wrong. His eyes can deliver something other than blank darkness: incredulous accusation. The disbelief and an audible scoff in his question has you curling up tighter, burning with the implications he poses. You’d let these men reap the fruits of your labor; you wouldn’t try to stop them. 

“Y-yeah,” you attempt, trying to concoct a reasonable excuse that would get his disapproving stare from burning off the side of your face. “There were three of them, so of course I’d let them go.” 

A scoff rips from his throat, clawing at the back of your neck. “This won’t do. You know,” he turns to you, one eyebrow raised, “this’ll just be the beginning. Are you gonna be prepared to defend this shop, bub?” 

You bristle at his know-it-all attitude and the patronizing nickname, “Why do you care? And why were you even here this late at night?” The pale yellow suggestions of sun peak from the inky black sky as you’re reminded that you’ve gotten no sleep. Ignoring your questions, he rises, adjusting his jeans and walking over to the policemen now at the glass door of your cafe.

Even after the robbers were detained and police left, he remains, his dark scent permeating the air around you. “Listen,” he starts, hands shoved into his pockets and the regular scowl on his face, “I was just walking back from practice and saw them in here. And you need to get protection around here.” 

“And how would you suggest that?” You throw back, fueled with remaining sass. A shrug. He turns away, walking to the door. Habit says he’ll ignore you, disappearing into the lightening city horizon, but he stops, hand resting on the glass door. You slap his hand off of it, but his hand’s grimy residue clouds a part of the door already. 

His shoulders drop in annoyance before he grunts, “I could teach you how to defend yourself.” Mouth agape and eyes wide, you repeat his words, “You’d teach me how to defend myself? Isn’t your season starting up soon?” 

His gaze drops, you think he’s taken aback at your remembering the dates of his season. “Coach doesn’t want me sparring. Get healed or some shit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m offering because it’ll be good for me to refresh on the basics and the next shop is twenty minutes away. I’ll be inconvenienced if this shop closes anytime soon.” The thought of Minho scowling down at you as a personal defense teacher scares you, but the vivid memory as you clutched the knife terrifies you. 

 “When are you free?”

**

“No, widen your feet; squat more, bub,” Minho lets out an exasperated sigh and slips behind you, hands on your hips to adjust your stance in front of the punching bag. The yellow lights overhead and the pale wash of moonlight are the only things illuminating your ‘self defense’ classes. With as much punching as you’re doing, you think it’s more of a boxing lesson than self defense.

“One.” 

Your left glove strikes the bag. 

“Two.” 

Right hand. 

Minho repeats these instructions, the two words seemingly molding together into a mash of sounds. As his cold voice continues to command you, the burning in your lungs intensifies and your thighs, arms, and stomach ache, screaming at you to stop. _Give up. _ A voice lures you, reminding you of how your knees shake and eyes sting from sweat. “I can’t,” you whimper, hands retracting as you meet Minho’s disapproving stare. It makes you avert your gaze, the burning in your cheeks from something other than physical exertion. 

“I’m heading home then.” Scoffing, Minho slings his bag over his shoulder, nodding back to you, “see you tomorrow.” 

Dejected, you fumble with the straps of the boxing gloves Minho gave you, unable to grasp them when both your hands are cocooned. The usual mocking sarcastic glint in Minho’s eyes were replaced with disappointment and his abrupt departure burns your chest. Maybe you should have pushed yourself more? Maybe he shouldn’t have.

“One, two. Don’t lean into it. One, two. Rotate your wrists. One, two. Guard your jaw, he’s gonna knock you out.

“Keep going, Y/n,” interrupts the usual ‘one, two’ and your teeth grit, pulling your elbows in and snapping your punches. Minho’s lips lift from the corner of your eye and this spurs you on, extracting energy from a place you didn’t know existed. Fueled with anger—anger at yourself for having given up last session, anger at Minho for pushing you—you pummel the punching bag, breathing harshly as the sound of slapping synthetic leather fills the musky room. 

“Okay, break.” The ground collides with your body as your legs give out under you. Your breathing must have been uneven, because there’s white patches in front of your vision. After blinking them away, you’re met with Minho’s outstretched hand offering a water bottle. His face is turned away from you, but his cheeks rise, insinuating a smile. With a breathing ‘thanks’, you practically inhale the water.

“Slow down, bub. You’re gonna puke.” 

Laying a hand over your spazzing heart, you give him the best glare you can muster, “No thanks to you, Lee Know.” He smirks at your use of his boxer nickname, sprawling on the ground next to you. 

“Y’know,” you gasp in between breaths, “I don’t think this is self defense, this is just offense.” 

Minho’s head tilts in acceptance, tongue poking out to swipe at his bottom lip. “No, what you’re doing is not boxing if that’s what you’re implying.” 

“Oh yeah?” You tease, pulling a face at Minho, “I’m in boxing gloves, attacking a poor boxing bag.” 

The veins in his forearms strain as he leans back onto his hands, “I could show you real boxing, bub. I have a match next week. I can get you in.” Your heart clenches at the thought of seeing the blood and gore you’ve seen on Minho’s face being made. He senses your uneasiness and leans forward, hand brushing over your knee almost…timidly? “You don’t have to come, but you can. I’ll text you the details,” he shrugs, “show up or don’t.”

**

Maybe you shouldn’t have worn a pastel purple skirt to a boxing match but it’s too late to turn around and change. At least you had the sense to wear safety shorts and sturdy combat boots. Yelling can be heard in the distance and while you’d usually flee from sounds like that, you find the GPS on your phone leading you right to it. 

The barbaric shouts are deafening as you stand in front of a grey building. A man, who’s arms are the size of your shoulders guards the door. “You lost, little girl?” He asks gruffly, but he doesn’t seem sarcastic. 

“I-I um,” you clear your throat, “Lee Know has a match here?” Your statement comes off more as a question and you wince at how weak your voice sounds. 

The bearded guard nods, his black shirt straining as he crosses his tree trunk forearms in front of him. “So you’re the lady he’s been babbling on ‘bout.” A blue tattoo stretches on his forearm as he opens the door, a wave of stench, heat, and yells ramming into you. Thanking the man quietly, you slip through the door. It’s an arena, like a football stadium but scaled down significantly. Burly and wiry men alike fill the seats, howling like dogs. You pull your sweater closer to you and your skirt down. The lights and sounds whirl in front of you as you try to spot Minho in the crowd. Further up, closer to the boxing ring, there’s a familiar head of black hair and broad shoulders. You hope it’s him as you squeeze past the admittedly scary crowd of men.

Tapping his shoulder, you breathe in his musky scent. It almost cancels out the stale rotting stench around you. When he turns, his eyes are dangerous and dark—you almost stumble back—but when he sees you his eyebrows shoot up. “Didn’t think you’d come,” he shouts over the chaos, “here,” he pulls your shoulders into his chest, shielding you in his arms as he begins to weave through the crowd, “my match is in a little bit so I was gonna head to the back.” 

The screams are muffled now as Minho closes the door to a small, empty room. He slouches on a chair, gesturing you to do the same. “It’s always so fucking chaotic out there. I can never focus before a match. I can never think,” he mutters, mostly to himself, so you freeze, not wishing to distract him, “My mind is always somewhere else and I can’t remember anything. It’s like nothing else but my nerves exist.” 

Only after a beat of silence, after Minho turns his wide eyes up to look at you, do you realize he was talking to you. “But you’re so good. You’ve been training all year,” you blurt out, not pausing to think about your words, taken aback at how innocent and lost his eyes look, “isn’t it like muscle memory?” 

He groans, you worry you’ve said the wrong thing, “Yeah, I know but it’s just so fucking frustrating, bub.” 

Smiling widely, you tease him with a nudge on his shoulder, “You’re gonna be great. Plus, you’ll have me cheering you on.” Awkwardly, you make punching movements, “I’ll take your opponent down if you can’t.” 

That’s the first time you hear Minho laugh. A genuine, hearty laugh. Not a scoff or a mocking tease. It’s warm and sweet and surprisingly high. His eyes crinkle, still smiling at you when he stands, “Okay sounds like a plan.”

Seeing the dark glare Minho holds his opponent with as they circle the ring, you understand why Minho sports the look so often. It takes you off guard; you feel like you haven’t seen these dark eyes in a while. A strong swallow of spit tightens your throat. You blink, his opponent strikes, mitt slapping against Minho’s blocking forearm. Gasping a breath, you freeze in apprehension as the crowd around you roars to life. The sharply muscled, bald man circling Minho does not lack in speed; the blurring blue of his mitt once again slams against Minho’s forearm. The bald man tenses, charging at Minho with a flurry of attacks. Desperation clenches your throat as you will Minho to do something. He ducks his head behind his forearms, abdomen clenching at every blow inflicted to him. Soon mutters calling Minho a ‘punching bag’ and a ‘free win’ crawl into your ears. Anger flares in your chest—you know how good Minho is at fighting. Why isn’t he doing anything? However, Minho’s wiry muscled, grey haired coach standing beside you is stoic, a stark contrast to the screaming audience, hurling saliva with every abusive word they target at Minho.

“Why isn’t he doing anything?” You whisper to yourself, too engrossed in the match to care about the raw vulnerability in your voice. The bald opponent retreats, panting as Minho continues to circle him. 

Minho’s coach growls, a smirk breaking his expressionless wall, “It’s over now.” Wide eyed, you turn back to the match, taking in the sweaty, hunched—you’d daresay weary—shoulders of the bald man, heaving with pants. A relief spreads a smile across your face. Minho had been doing something. The red boulder of Minho’s mitt slams into the side of the man’s head, jerking his neck awkwardly, hurling him into stumbling, expression blank shock. An electric wave of excitement shoots through you. Minho is merciless, unwilling to let his staggering opponent recover, pummeling him with firmly resounding attacks. You recognize some basic moves he’s taught you, only now do you realize capabilities of those punches put into action.

The red of Minho’s mitt is soon darkened with the seeping blood of his opponent and the fickle crowd now screams Minho’s name, invigorating him, causing his blows to land harder, until the bald man is thrown onto the blood spattered floor. The referee slams the ground thrice and the crowd erupts into a cacophony of cheers and groans.

A satisfied smirk cuts across Minho’s barely harmed face as he unfurls his sweaty arms in victory, bathing in the cheers of those who bet on him and the cries of those who bet against him alike. His coach turns to you, a satisfied twist to his lips, a wad of cash already in his clutched, calloused hand, “This is why he wasn’t doing anything, sweetheart,” he says, shaking the money, “Minho’s a tough kid but he’s also a smart kid.” After a pause, his coach shifts, frowning in, “You’re the first person Minho’s brought to a match. Nobody else. Take care of him,” he warns.

Minho’s panting presence behind you raises goosebumps on your neck. You turn to see his glistening bare abdomen as he towels himself off with a sweat rag. Bruises bloom on his forearm and but he ignores them, receiving the majority of the cash from his coach.

“Let’s get out of here before some ass crack takes his faulty betting out on me,” he says, resting a hot hand on the small of your back, guiding you to the back exit, ignoring jeering crowd members. The empty night greets you and he nods to a black car, gruffly explaining, “You walked here, right bub?” 

“Yes, also,” you gush, “that was pretty cool." 

He looks away, deflecting with, “Yeah, get in.” 

“Why do you do it?” You ask, strapping your seatbelt on and retrieving the makeshift first aid kit from your purse.

The car murmurs to life and Minho’s voice is surprisingly quiet and soft, “I got into a lot of fights up to high school so coach came up to me and asked me if I wanted to make it a profession,” a pause and Minho murmurs, “he took me in, taught me how to channel the joy I got from fighting. Turn it into something better. Focused.” 

“He seems really proud of you,” you observe, leaning over to rub a salve onto his shallowly cut lip. “You should put on more chapstick, Minho. Where’s the one I gave you?” 

Under flash of passing yellow streetlights, you can almost make out a dusting of pink on Minho’s cheeks. “I lost it,” he admits, tilting his head slightly to give you better access to his lip.

Sighing, you settle back onto the carseat. “I can take better care of you when we get there.” Minho’s eyes are wide, looking back from the road to you, “Where?” 

A clench of nervousness holds your gut, but you shrug, “Yours, mine, I don’t care.” 

It’s Minho’s turn to be flustered; he nods quickly.

**

Minho’s apartment is bare, only cluttered with various trophies and medals, a ground table, a tv, and a small couch. You set down his bag, you insisted you carried it and Minho opens a cabinet, retrieving the first aid kit. He settles on the couch, legs crossed tightly underneath him. For some reason, its stupidly endearing. The alcohol on his cut stings and Minho’s eyebrow furrows in pain. “Y’know, you don’t have to be tough around me, Minho.” 

His eyes are blank, “What do you mean?” 

“You barely let yourself feel pain, you’re always glaring at something, and you never open up about anything. You don’t have to be like that around me, Minho.” 

An eyebrow lifts and he tilts his head to the side slightly, “I told you about coach,” he offers. 

You nod slowly, “Yeah, that’s true. I guess, I just like seeing you smile,” you shrug, “that’s all.” 

Suddenly bashful, Minho looks down, biting his lip to repress a smile.

“That’s what I mean!” You exclaim, placing your hands on his cheeks to cradle his face, forcing him to look up at you, your heart in your throat. He groans, an endeared smile finally breaking out, “Quit being so fucking cute and maybe I could think enough to talk properly to you, bub.” 

Burning excitement fills your chest and you pose with a peace sign, “You think I’m cute?” 

An exasperated roll of his eyes is all the answer you need. “Well,” you say, patting his head, “you’re very cute too.” 

This time, his scoff is soft, “I’m a boxer.” 

You press a bandaid over his cut, “Yes, a very adorable boxer who needs to smile more.” He breaks out into laughs, filling you with bubbly warmth, gazing down at you with eyes that are anything but dark and dangerous. It’s warm and tender.  He is.  Sobering up, Minho tilts his head slightly, his eyes traveling down to your lips. 

Anticipation fills your chest and your mind whirls, not knowing what to do so you blurt out, “Oh yeah! Chapstick,” leaning over, you retrieve a tube, “Here.” Minho, however is unfazed by your awkwardness and cocks an eyebrow, suddenly confident, nodding to the chapstick, “Put it on for me.” 

Its your turn to blush, but you do still, not realizing that this isn’t clear chapstick. Its only when you pull away do you realize his lips are painted a pretty shade of pink. Clapping in joy you shove your phone camera in his face. “You’re so pretty!”  

Stuttering in surprise, his eyes bug out but he doesn’t make any move to wipe it off, “The fuck?” 

“So pretty!” You exclaim, holding his face to put more on, laughing at his shocked expression.  Minho pulls back, tumbling you with him until you’re staring down and all your laughter has been swallowed. Silently, his hand travels up to the back of your head, gently pulling you towards his freshly moisturized lips. Smiling because of nerves, you don’t need his hand to guide you.

His lips are surprisingly soft but perfectly sticky with your pink chapstick. Almost timidly, his tongue caresses your bottom lip and you whimper as he eases your lips apart. Saliva gathers at the corners of your mouth and your arm cramps from holding yourself up over him but he’s so gentle and careful with the kiss you don’t want to stop. Your arm gives out and you press against Minho, snaking your fingers into his slightly sweaty hair. Panting, Minho pulls back as he gazes up at you, his eyes wide and sparkling. “I don’t want to go too fast, Y/n,” he whispers, thumb gently caressing your cheekbone.

Brazen with unfound confidence, you pout at him, “No. Be mine now.” Minho smirks, laughing softly as his eyes crinkle up, “Okay, okay,” he reassures you, pulling you down to lay on his chest, “I’ll be yours.”

**

“Don’t you dare do that, Y/n. I’ll sue you,” Minho threatens, eyes wide but voice joking.

Giggling, you ignore him, continuing to create a new dessert of your own design called the ‘Minho Mochi’. It’s a soft peach mochi covered with waffle cone. “No, I take inspiration from you and plus,” you mention, “you said yourself that the juxtaposition of the soft sweet mochi and the shell of the waffle cone was good.” 

“Yeah,” he groans, plucking a mochi ball from the counter and popping into his mouth, “but that was before you decided to use my name for it, bub.” 

Reaching up to clean the potato starch residue on his lip you correct, “I made the mochi with you in mind first, not the other way around.” Minho mumbles half heartedly, turning away to smile but you tug his arm. He’s blushing and grinning softly; your heart clenches in adoration. 

“I can make you one for every match you have, would that make you feel better?” 

Minho laughs, bringing your potato starch and rice flour covered hand to nuzzle his cheek, “Fine, I guess this is what I get for having girlfriend that owns a purple bakery.” 

“Hey!” You deny, pulling back, “This is lavender, not just purple.” 

“Yes, yes,” he agrees quickly, tugging you into him. “I’m covered in flour,” you protest into his chest, his deep musk a relieving break from the sweet scent of mochi. You feel him press kisses to the top of your head as his arms tighten around you so you relax into him, circling his waist with your arms.

**

“You should really decorate this place, Min,” you comment, gesturing at his bare apartment. You’re comfortably draped across his shoulders from the couch as he sits on the floor. He looks back from the TV, eyes wide and a puppy-like pout graces his now well moisturized lips, “What do you mean? I have my trophies as decoration.” 

Groaning you protest, “No, those are trophies. You need proper deco here, it’s just sad.” 

A familiar, flirty smile spreads across his face and he winks at you, “You’re prettier than any other decorations I can get.” 

Though you feel your face burning, you roll your eyes at him, trying to suppress the smile bubbling in your chest. He gets up to sit next to you on the couch. Still smiling, he pats his lap, making your stomach jump in excitement. Settling down on his thighs, you play with the collar of his shirt, avoiding his stare. He ducks his head, forcing you to look at him. “Why you shy, bub?” 

“I really love you, Min.” 

His eyes are soft and you don’t expect him to say it back. You’re just content that he knows. 

“I love you too, bub.”

**

You’re at Minho’s apartment basically every day for the past year and today’s no different. The soft beating of his heart resounds in your ear while the other listens to the calming voice of the audio book you guys are working through. The plot follows a personified kitten who tries to find her place in the world that is too cruel for her. Despite the objectively morbid theme, this part of the story is hopeful—the kitten has found friends and feels at home. 

When the narrator concludes the end of the chapter, Minho reaches over to turn the recording off. You take the opportunity to crane your neck up and plant a kiss on his lips. He smiles softly, grabbing your waist so that you’re straddling his hips. One hand travels up to gently tug on your chin, deepening the kiss. His tongue is hot and lavishes against yours, a juxtaposition between his hand, methodically stroking your hair. Your fingers dance across his face, stroking his cheekbones, tracing his jawline and neck. 

Soon, your fingers are replaced by your mouth and Minho’s Adam’s apple bobs with the groan he lets out. The fire in your chest and the beginning aching in your core has you tugging at the hem of his soft black tee shirt. His breath is shaky on your cheek as you pull the shirt over his head, softly dropping it next to the bed. Sitting back on his hips, you gaze down at his bare chest, wonder and admiration filling your heart as your hands travel across his toned torso. The lightest breeze of pink blush blows across his cheeks so you lean down to reattach your open mouth to his. The whirling in your mind rids your thoughts of everything except how he feels under you. His wet lips against yours, rising of his chest against yours, his hips pressing against yours. 

So his tense voice catches you off guard, “Y/n, are you sure?” He’s pulled back and his eyebrows are furrowed softly, his pretty lips red and swollen but glossy with your spit. 

Your gaze drops, hands fumbling to play with his hair. “I want to but if you wanna still take it slow, I’m fine wit—” 

“I want you too, Y/n,” he whispers. Hungrily, he pulls off your shirt, sitting up to cradle you in his arms as he nuzzles your breasts, pressing hot kisses against your skin. Sighing contently, you unclip your bra and try not to blush at the dumb, awestruck look on Minho’s face. His rough hands come up to gently fondle them and you press kisses to his forehead and cheeks.

“You’re beautiful, Y/n,” he breathes, his hands firm against your bare waist as he gingerly turns you over so your back is pressed against the cool sheets. “We can take it slow.” Nervousness tightens your stomach and you’re sure he can feel the thrumming of your pulse as he slowly drags down your pants, maintaining eye contact. An endearing toothy smile spreads across his face and he hides it by kissing your tummy, trailing down to your pantie covered core. “Tell me if you’re uncomfortable or wanna stop, okay?”

You smile softly, “Okay, you too.” Minho nods, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. “I’m gonna make you feel so good, Y/n,” he murmurs, reaching to tug off your underwear. Being completely bare underneath someone would make anyone ashamed or uncomfortable and your face burns as his glossy eyes take your most vulnerable state in. His lips are parted slightly and the soft glow of the lamp casts shadows of his eyelashes onto his red cheeks. A harsh swallow has his Adam’s apple bobbing. “God, you’re dripping, Y/n” He whispers, eyes shining, “Are you ready?”

“I’m ready, Minho,” you confirm. He slides his finger into your hot, aching core, his lip caught in his teeth as he watches his digit being sucked in. Slowly, Minho pushes his finger deeper into you, gaze dancing from your face to your core.

“M-more please,” you whimper, consumed by the unfamiliar feeling of your velvety walls around something. When he adds another finger deep inside you, you gasp, a hand traveling down to clutch his free one. His thumb strokes the back of your hand as his other continues, scissoring into you as wet sounds fill his bedroom. When his fingers curl up, hot white pleasure shoots through you and Minho smiles proudly, working at that spot.

“H-holy fuck,” you moan, head rolling from shoulder to shoulder at the unfamiliar pleasure. 

“I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you curse, bub,” Minho muses, releasing your hand to push himself up the bed so that your faces are close together.

“I-its because of you, Minho.” 

That triggers something in him and his eyes turn dark, but rather than scaring you, it makes the coil in the pit of your stomach tighten. When Minho removes his fingers from you, it unwinds slowly but clenches at the sight of his now solid length being pulled out of his sweats. His eyelashes flutter closed on his cheeks as he strokes himself with his fingers, still slick from your juices as he retrieves a condom from the bedstand and rolls it on, hissing at the friction. “Are you ready, Y/n?” He pants softly, eyes hooded as he stares down at you, hand still moving up and down his red glistening cock in a way that has your pussy throbbing and mouth salivating. You respond by hooking your legs around his hips, smiling as he leans down to kiss your lips softly. His tip pokes at your hot core and you sling your arms around his shoulders.

Minho’s eyes are piercing as he gazes darkly at you, searching for the slightest trace of hesitance on your part. Painstakingly slowly, he slides into you. Maybe the foreplay did help to prepare you, but the stretch has tears pooling at the corners of your eyes and he’s not even all the way in you. Shakily, Minho exhales, eyebrows furrowing as he tries to hold back from pistoning into you. His lips press into the tears forming and spilling over at your eyes and he nuzzles your cheek with his nose softly, staying still until you reassure him, “Okay, you can keep going.” 

His teeth and tongue travel over your neck as he fully enters you, but his soft hiss has you unintentionally tightening around him. “Ah, Y/n don’t,” he groans, lifting his head from looking at the place you two are connected at to to smile at you. “Can I start?” 

You nod, hooking your ankles around his hips, “Yeah, just go slow for now.” Minho starts thrusting deep into you, angling his hips and going slow enough to feel the drag of your soaking walls rub against his throbbing cock. “You feel so good,” he moans, reaching to hold your hand as his hips continue to rock against you.

“I-I feel so full,” you whisper, squeezing his hand and he smiles softly at you, eyes crinkling up. “C-can you go faster?” 

His tongue pokes out to wet his lips and he snaps his hips into yours, groaning. The lustful and loving sounds of skin slapping resounds in the room, mixing with both of your moans to create a beautiful sound you tuck away in your mind. Minho pulls out till the tip before slamming into you, sweat forming at his forehead. With his free hand, Minho reaches down to rub your clit in tempo with his powerful thrusts. Moaning loudly, you whimper, “P-please, Min I-I think I’m gonna,” your words get swallowed by another moan when Minho’s hips increase their pace, his stamina through the roof.

“Me too, Y/n,” he pants, “Cum for me.” 

The hot coil tightens and you squeeze your eyes shut, overwhelmed at the sensation until white, electric pleasure crashes through you and you release around Minho’s length. He moans loudly, quickly chasing his high. His face twists in pleasure as he reaches his high and your fuzzy brain is left awestruck at his beauty. Minho collapses next to you, removing the condom, chest heaving in deep pants as he stares into your eyes, smiling like an idiot.

“How was that, Y/n?” He asks, arms circling your shoulder, pulling you close. 

You giggle into his chest, fingers tracing imaginary doodles, “That was fucking crazy, Min.” 

Minho’s chest bubbles with laughter and he boops your nose, scrunching his own nose up, “That’s great cause I was kinda worried about giving you a bad experience and all.” 

Looking up and tapping your chin with a finger in mock thinking you smile, “I loved it, but I want you to call me cute names, Min.” 

“I call you bub. But you mean like princess? Babygirl?” he says, an eyebrow raised. 

You roll your eyes, “Bub is not a cute name but yes, the others are okay.” “Okay,” Minho laughs, gently rubbing his nose against yours, “You’re my princess, you’re my babygirl, and you’re always my bub.”

Minho shuffles in the sheets, turning to face you, an excited smile on his face, “Just move in with me. You’re already here more than your own place and it’s unsafe there.” Still after loving him for so long, your stomach churns with nervousness, but you laugh softly, scooting closer so that you can bury your nose into his bare chest to breathe his scent in deeply. “This apartment building is safer than mine?” His arms find their way around you and he hold you close, his chest rumbling against your face with every word, “It’s safer because I’m here.” Laughing you pull back, supporting your weight with one arm as you gaze down at him. He lifts an eyebrow, stretching his arms towards you and you can’t help but collapse into them. “Okay, I’ll move in with you.”

A shining smile breaks out across Minho’s face and he nuzzles his nose into your hair softly, gently stroking your bare back.

[writing-fool]

mlqc | let’s hit rewind

What kind of videos would the MLQC guys make if they were YouTubers? I think this is a youtube!au, but to be fair, Kiro probably has a YouTube channel in canon. See it as you will? I won’t really talk about their life outside of YT/internet so you can decide for yourself whether this is an AU or not, and whether they’re a full-time YouTuber or not.

As always, enjoy, and requests are open!

Love,

R.

Warning(s): none

Victor

Victor probably has a cooking channel

scratch that. he absolutely starts as one of those Aesthetic™ cooking channels like Cooking tree, HANSE, Sweet The MI or Nino’s Home.

his channel is called Souvenir because he’s not THAT original you can’t expect everything from a man, people. 

he starts off doing these voiceless cooking videos, but after a voice and face reveal at 2 million followers where he cooks something for his followers as a thanks...well, who wouldn’t want more of that sultry voice and glorious face

currently has about 4 million subscribers

Victor’s channel is kind of comparable to Junskitchen, a rather relaxed, casual atmosphere combined with exquisite, refined cuisine

if he feels like it, he does a voice-over, otherwise he just puts calm jazz, blues or r&b over his cooking

HAS done an ASMR special. low-key dislikes the video because he has to whisper voice-overs but people LOVE it

likes making all kinds of foods, but his channel features quite a lot of sweet foods and desserts because a certain dummy has a sweet tooth

a pretty popular feature during quarantine is Cooking w/ Sou, essentially a live stream where Sou (aka Victor) cooks a whole three-course meal while talking to and instructing his followers

his subscribers notice that he doesn’t really need editing to look clean during cooking because his technique is IMMACULATE

by the end, he’s made a themed dinner for two...which always raises a question mark

is Sou single? does he have a roommate? a girlfriend? a kid? WHAT?

after getting your explicit permission, Victor addresses the situation in one of his recent Q&As

“Why do I always make dinner for two? I have a fiancée, she edits my videos in her spare time. She works as a producer. *you wave your hand over the lens* Dummy.” he breezes over it like it’s no big deal even though he’s a tad nervous about exposing something personal like this

his fans blow up the internet, baffled but not entirely surprised that someone like Sou isn’t a bachelor

of course, some leave hate under the video honestly, people who do this to celebs who start dating are HORRIBLE

most subscribers are super supportive of your relationship and thank you for the editing that makes Souvenir such a well put-together channel...also did he seriously call his fiancée a dummy? such a tsundere!

sometimes, you’ll (well, your hands...we’re keeping a bit of privacy here) even be in the end shot of videos, munching away at the carefully plated food

one day, Sou will be making a video titled Wedding Cake.

Lucien

Lucien’s channel LucidLight is a tad bit all over the place

he’s a man of many talents, and his channel reflects just that

i’m not saying it’s a disorganized channel, because the theme is very much there - the uniform theme in Luci’s content is a cozy background, a cup of tea and a soothing thumbnail

i mean that content-wise, his subscribers don’t really know what they’re going to get next...he has a slightly similar style to the YouTuber simon plant 

his content varies from interesting science theories to poetry reading sessions to ASMR to painting/sketching to cooking and much, much more

he has an heavenly soothing, smooth voice. it’s his trademark since Lucien doesn’t show his face on camera. ever. 

doesn’t have a TON of subs, because his channel is a bit of a niche thing, but I’d say he has 1,2 million subscribers and 400k followers on his added ‘business’ Instagram

he holds a lot of live streams on Instagram/YouTube (i know Moments exists in the game, but that’s more like a Facebook or Twitter kind of app...) and is always shown with just his torso and neck in frame. the lives usually include some poetry reading and generally just having a nice, relaxing chat with his followers. they can last up to 5 hours at once, and YOU know it’s because he doesn’t need sleep like a normal human being, but his fans are still asking questions about his timezone

his subscribers are strangely fascinated by his mysterious, gentle nature and also incredibly obsessed with his large, elegant hands

his ASMR videos are often roleplays of Librarian Lucien or Professor Lucien explaining to people why their rest is important

other times, they include soft affirmations, positive whispers, finger fluttering, hair touching and maybe kissing sounds...

Lucien paints a lot too, although he works primarily with ink and pencil sketches. you’ll find a watercolour or oil painting somewhere, but they’re not his most prominent media

his art videos are usually silent, although he might say something once in a while. there’s always some type of solo instrumental music playing in the background.

he does educational videos about biology and universe theories, but will also have reading sessions about scientific books

not intentionally secretive about your relationship, but he’s not one to mention it either

the first time you appeared on screen was when he was doing another live stream. he’s in his office talking about a play, when you come padding in to bid him goodnight.

“Yes, indeed. Laura’s glass menagerie, as the play suggests, is a symbol of fragility. Laura herself is very frail, but her favourite—”

“Good night, darling.” your soft voice rings through the room. viewers see Lucien’s torso turning a little bit, a hand on his shoulder and a curtain hair appearing from the top of the screen. his hand moves, presumably to cup the person’s cheek, before a soft kiss is heard through the mic. “Sleep tight, my love,” he murmurs.

“Ah. Laura’s favourite glass figurine is the unicorn, which...”

people are in uproar, but Lucien is a strong-willed man who refuses to explicitly announce the nature of his relationship.

his subscribers stop asking after a while, because it really isn’t any of their business, and they now know Lucien’s a taken man

you kind of appear on live streams accidentally a couple more times, but nothing’s really changed about Lucien’s content

the only thing he WILL say, and this is purely to give you credit, is “Ah. The background instrumentals in my art videos are played live. Yes, my lover’s very talented.”

you guys are the mysterious, talented, soft-voiced power couple of YouTube

Gavin

Gavin’s channel probably starts as a joint channel with you, something like Rachel and Jun

it’s relatively obvious from the start that Gavin from Birds&Cops is in a relationship, since you guys have a vlogging-style channel

your channel is filled with gym vlogs, travel vlogs to other countries and a lot of self-defence and sport at home videos. 

you guys also post a lot of funny vlogs talking about your day, going on fun dates, of course food vlogs in restaurants, all that stuff...

you often sit down and talk about your life, and maybe you’ll even do a mukbang during it for someone so fit, Gavin does eat a lot of food. 

Gavin’s channel didn’t blow up right away, because vlogging channels aren’t exactly unique, and he looks like the typical ‘straight boy with a girlfriend’

but he started gaining followers after people noticed how cute and blushy he acts, and how incredibly respectful and caring he is towards you

one of the most popular videos is Boyfriend Does My Makeup and it’s adorable. Gavin’s handling your face with so much care, and comments like “I know what this is, I’ve watched you do it many times.” or “Babe, does it hurt? Should I be more gentle? I’m sorry...my hands are rough.” make everyone SWOON

toxic masculinity left the chat. Gavin loves taking care of you in any way, whether it’s getting pads, chocolate and hot packs during your period or braiding your hair

in those yoga/celebrity fitness routine challenges, subs get to see Gavin in a tight singlet and sweatpants/shorts, and it’s HOLY

you’re very much aware of the attention Gavin receives from female fans, and how lucky you are to have found such a sweet partner

Gavin will usually see this type of comment while scrolling and will turn to you and go “Babe, you know I’m the lucky one here, right?”

anyways, a feature that you do to show fans the extent of Gavin’s sweet personality is Pranking My Boyfriend, where you set up the camera for a harmless prank like pretending to have a nightmare (similar to channels like Farina Jo)

that particular video was so fun to shoot, because it ended up with Gavin softly singing a lullaby to calm you down in his arms

“Baby, wake up. I’m here, you’re safe.” Gavin knows how to deal with panicking people, but he hates this prank afterwards because ‘he didn’t like seeing you in pain’

fans squealed. Birds&Cops gained like 50k subs through that video. the channel’s currently at 999k subscribers

overall, it’s just a really lovely, family-friendly channel

Kiro

Kiro knows his way around the web, alright?

not even just as Key, but he’s had a YouTube channel since the age of 15

his channel, CtrlAltChips is a hit with many people of many, many ages

he streams gaming sessions on Twitch and posts them on his YouTube channel afterwards

other content includes (primarily) covers & original songs, simple talking videos, thrifting & fashion videos, mukbangs and candid dance videos in a studio

think of chloe moriondo, doddleoddle, Victor the Drum Destroyer and Cat Strat

alternatively, for the ARMYs here, think of Jeon Jungkook as a YouTuber

Kiro has about 18 million subscribers, which is A LOT, but he’s been on YouTube for 7 years and he’s made a name for himself as a super likeable and bubbly guy with an angelic voice and killer moves

you’d think he’s just a cute boy when he sings acoustic covers, but his dance moves suggest that he’s not THAT cute

also how does he stay so fit with all those snack mukbangs?

he has a segment named In Our Kloset where he talks about social issues (because our boy uses his platform for good) around the world while customizing (not just pins. we’re talking patches, sewing, painting, embroidery) thrifted clothing to his liking. at the end he holds a little fashion show with his new outfits

after a while, you’ll see many of his outfits in giveaways or on sale for charity. Kiro tries to give back to his fans as much as he can, and how better than by sharing a piece of his unique clothing with them?

a great singer and performer. has held actual concerts before and has an actual music career (author-nim leaves it up to you readers to decide whether this is his idol career or some other musical project)

keeps his private life PRIVATE. he knows how the internet works, and he knows there’s no way he can keep your relationship a secret forever, but he’s not about to expose it to the world because of that reason

keeps tabs on information or rumours regarding you and makes them vanish

he’s simultaneously the most open and the most secretive out of the four boys. his fans know his favourite colour, what type of underwear he wears (trunks. Kiro wears trunks.), his birthday,...

but they know nothing about his past, his location, his close social circle or his family (teeechnically he’s an orphan but ig we’re talking about his mentor here. the blood of the covenant blah blah blah...y’know?). Kiro protects his loved ones fiercely

for someone who’s kept so secret, you’re actually really involved in Kiro’s virtual persona. you’re usually behind the camera during his In Our Kloset videos and are in charge of extra research regarding topics so he doesn’t spread any misinformation 

you also give pointers during filming (of course, these bits are edited out) because Kiro tends to trail off and get distracted when sewing

another way you’re involved is setting up the food during mukbangs. you have a great sense of aesthetics, so all of his videos in general will go through you.

while you like being low-key in Kiro’s life, you don’t want him to feel like he has to protect you from all the hate. 

he doesn’t particularly love keeping you a secret either, and it makes him feel guilty because he doesn’t want you to think he’s ashamed of you. he could never be.

you guys give it a good chat over how you’re going to announce it, and he just ends up making a video titled Miss Chips where the two of you sit down and talk to the camera

“Hello my little chips! Uhm, as you can see, there’s someone sitting next to me today. Maybe you already guessed from the title, but this is...my girlfriend, Miss Chips,” cue the cute jazz hands in your direction, “We’ve been dating for a long, loooong time, right, Miss Chips?”

“I just wanted to share this with you guys, since it felt wrong to keep such an important person in my life private. I hope you’re all kind to her, because I love her dearly, even to the point of giving up my snacks...so it’s serious.”

it really is that serious, hm?

Hope you enjoyed reading! 

[yumeka36]

Thoughts on Rebuild of Evangelion (all movies plus ending interpretation)

*Artwork credited to リオ on pixiv*

Now that Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, the last movie of the Rebuild of Evangelion saga, has been released, I'm finally ready to discuss all the movies as a whole, including my interpretation of the ending...

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

I've been a fan of Evangelion for nearly 20 years, starting back in 2002. After hearing the series praised by some classmates, I asked for the DVD set of the original TV anime for Christmas that year. I was 15 years old and a fairly new anime fan at the time, so naturally I was blown away by the show. The Internet was young then, and since there were no fandom wikis or YouTube explanation videos available in those days, I had to rely on a few scattered fan sites and my own resources (mostly bonus features on the old DVDs) to try and figure out the lore and symbolism. Even though many aspects of the series, as well as the eventual "true ending" movie, End of Evangelion, left me scratching my head, I still loved it and it left a long-lasting impression on me. And now, here I am almost two decades later, sharing my thoughts about the new movies...

-Before Thrice Upon a Time was released, I hadn't touched Evangelion since 3.33 came out in 2012. I had forgotten many details, and since Evangelion is a franchise that is fraught with nuances and subtleties that can be key to understanding what the heck is going on, I wanted to watch all the Rebuild movies again before watching Thrice Upon a Time. So I plowed through all four movies this week, and I gotta say, after being away from the franchise for so many years, I'm happy to report that I still thoroughly enjoyed it. But I can also recognize that it is definitely not a series for everyone. The drawn-out technobabble, constant introduction of lore jargon with little to no explanation, and the ambiguity between what's real and what's symbolic, can certainly turn off casual viewers (it gives Kingdom Hearts lore a run for its money!) Funnily enough, as I was watching the Rebuild movies, I was thinking, "I understood the lore better 20 years ago than I do now, lol" (maybe it's because I was younger and didn't have as strong of a theorizing mind as I do now!) But after reading through a bunch of pages on the EvaGeeks Wiki, I learned enough to get a gist of the story's vaguer elements. But unfortunately, the fact that information necessary for understanding the plot can only be found by Internet research, could certainly be a turn-off for viewers. But at the same time, for those willing to make the commitment, or at least appreciate the series' other qualities even if you can't follow many aspects of the lore, it's definitely an anime unlike any other. There's a reason it's been such a well-known franchise in Japan for so long.

-Asuka has been one of my favorite anime characters ever since I saw the original Eva TV series, and thankfully, I'm happy with what they did with her character in the Rebuild movies. My only complaint is that I preferred her original backstory that emphasized her relationship with her mother, rather than having a "clone-complex" similar to Rei. However, her character development in this new storyline made up for it. The Rebuild movies really nailed her abrasive, no-nonsense personality that hides depth within. There were also more scenes that showed her "softer" side, something I always felt was lacking in the original series, such as when she confides in Misato towards the end of 2.22 and when she confesses her feelings to Shinji in Thrice Upon a Time. I also felt her initial dislike for Shinji and Rei was a bit more warranted this time; despising the fact that they were able to become Eva pilots purely by connection to Gendo while she had to work hard for it. But again, we get more hints at her kinder side when she makes the sacrifice to help Rei get Shinji and Gendo together. This is pretty contrasting to the original series, where she was always oozing hate for Rei. Even their infamous elevator scene ended differently in 2.22 compared to the TV series, where instead of hitting and yelling at Rei, she agrees to help her (in her subtle, Asuka-way). Asuka and Rei also had a brief scene together when they were at Village 3 in Thrice Upon a Time, and the way Asuka talked to her made me feel like she actually cared about her, or at least didn't hate her. But even with the Rebuild movies giving Asuka more scenes to show her goodness, they still stayed true to her tough-love personality - it's not like she suddenly started smiling a lot, or gave Shinji a passionate hug, or broke out in tears...they developed her character without making her do a 180 change, which I appreciated. Even in her final scene with Shinji on the beach before he saves her (loved that scene, and the shoutout to End of Eva there) she still reacted in her "tsundere" way (though not as harshly of course). I'd also like to mention that they made the fourteen year time-skip in 3.33 very believable in terms of Asuka's growth. I really liked the hardened, lone-wolf, protector role she had in Thrice Upon a Time because it makes sense - fourteen years had passed and she not only matured during that time, but she had spent all those years being the sole Eva pilot along with Mari fighting to protect humanity, so settling into that kind of identity makes sense for her. But yeah, Asuka's always been a great character, and the Rebuild movies made her even more awesome in my opinion.

-When I first watched 2.22 years ago when it came out, I was puzzled that they decided to put Asuka in the Eva that Unit-01 ends up destroying rather than Toji. But looking back on it it now, it worked better since they had a plan for Toji's character that had nothing to do with the Evas. I did kind of miss Asuka's friendship with Hikari though (they could have tied that into her staying with Toji and Hikari at Village 3 instead of with Kensuke). I actually wrote a WYDS fanfic for End of Evangelion way back in 2003 that emphasizes Asuka and Hikari's friendship (that's somehow still on Fanfiction.net!) But she got a friendship with Mari instead, so it's fine, lol (I also liked that they removed her crush on Kaji, which I never thought fit well in the original series). But I do wish we got to see what was going through her mind while she was stuck in the Eva and getting attacked by Unit-01. We know she was aware of what was going on because she knew what Shinji did (that he didn't try to save her or attack) so it would have been nice to see a scene or two of her reactions.

-Misato was always my second favorite character after Asuka, but I wasn't thrilled with the coldness she exhibited towards Shinji after the time-skip in 3.33. I know she probably got hardened after all those years and maybe still felt resentment towards him for initiating Near Third Impact (which killed Kaji among others). But even so, I felt like her coldness was more to keep the suspense rather than stay true to her character (plus she was the one encouraging him to do what we wanted at the time of Near Third Impact). It makes sense for Asuka to be cold to Shinji, since she was always standoffish like that, but Misato was always shown to be a source of warmth and the most "human" of the characters. But at least she made up with Shinji in the end and got to finish her story arc with a bang (literally).

-I'm not sure if it's still a thing now, but back in the day, Shinji got a lot of hate from anime fans for being too whiny and indecisive when confronted with his task of piloting the Eva. But even all those years ago, I always thought those reactions made him believable. Maybe it's because he's compared to anime shonen heroes like Naruto and Luffy, who are always cheerful and brimming with motivation, while Shinji is pretty much the opposite of those kinds of characters. But it makes sense for him to be like that...if I were a fourteen-year old kid who never knew my mother, had a father who abandoned me, and had to live on my own in a crumbling world while witnessing death and destruction all around, I'd be pretty hesitant and scared too. He's definitely not a "wish-fulfilling" protagonist like many shonen and super heroes are, but a protagonist grounded more in reality, representing a disillusioned youth. So it was nice to see him finally get over his insecurities and be proactive with saving everyone at the end of Thrice Upon a Time (compared to everyone giving him the pep talk at the end of the original series). Though I did think his personality shift was a bit abrupt...he was at his lowest point at the beginning of Thrice Upon a Time, but the one kind gesture from Rei seemed to immediately snap him out of it. A little more gradual build-up to his change would have been better, but it's a nitpick.

-Mari was an enigma in 2.22 and 3.33, so I was hoping Thrice Upon a Time would give us her origin story. Unfortunately, it didn't offer much and maybe brought up more questions than not. My main question is, we see that she knew Gendo and Yui when they were younger, yet if she was their age then, that doesn't match up to the age she appears to be when Shinji first meets her. So she must have been afflicted with the "Eva curse" all those years back, which means she must have become an Eva pilot around that time, but it seems too soon. I thought the first Evangelion pilots didn't exist until after Yui died, so Mari should have been older...I don't know, I'm still having trouble figuring out her place in the timeline. But besides that, I did like her relationship with Asuka that we see in Thrice Upon a Time. Again, it makes sense in terms of the time-skip that they'd develop a good friendship after spending all those years being Eva pilots together.

-I don't have a lot to say about Rei, since I feel her story arc is one of the simpler ones (which isn't saying much for this series, lol). The scenes of her in Village 3 in Thrice Upon a Time were endearing, though I knew they would end in tragedy. Actually, that whole part of the movie with the characters spending time in the village was great. The world-building in those scenes was fantastic too - it really felt like what a post-apocolyptic survival camp in that situation would be like. It was nice to see the characters partaking in and reacting to situations that don't have to do with Angels and Evas (spin-off series for this when?)

-And lastly, how did I interpret the end of the Rebuild saga? Was I satisfied with how it ended? Right after I watched Thrice Upon a Time, I wasn't totally sure. But after reading some more wiki pages and watching some explanation videos, especially this one here (it's a great explanation if you can forgive the bad pronunciation of the names), I've realized just how brilliant of a conclusion it is. There's been speculation that the story involves a time loop, with the events of the original TV series, as well as the Death & Rebirth and End of Evangelion movies, being different versions of the time loop, while the Rebuild movies is where the loop ends because Shinji finally overcomes the pain of his past and can restore the world this time (while he had failed to in the previous loops). I don't think it's a time loop so much as a cycle that keeps resetting and repeating. Further support for this theory is that Kaoru acts like he's met Shinji before, since he's reborn in each cycle to meet Shinji only to be killed by him later (all the coffins seen on the moon are for his past/future selves). I think the final movie title is symbolic of this too, with "Thrice Upon a Time" meaning "three times upon a time," the three times being the three cycles of the Evangelion story: the original TV series, the movies Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion, and finally the Rebirth movies. But mostly, the scene towards the end where Shinji meets Rei in the anti-verse, and they're standing in what appears to be a filming room while projected images from the Eva TV series are shown behind them. This to me symbolizes that the original Eva series exists in the Rebuild movies as one version of the cycle, and Shinji has now finally broken out of the loop. Once Shinji has saved everyone, the filming room (which symbolizes the old versions of the story, as I believe it's supposed to be the room where live-action footage used in previous Eva works was filmed) fades away and the literal animation around Shinji begins to break down into its purest forms, as key animation, then layouts, etc., - a near 4th wall-breaking depiction of the world resetting. However, Gendo and Yui had sacrificed themselves so that Shinji wouldn't have to, so Mari is able to pull him back into the world, just like she had promised. In the end, Shinji is able to join his friends in the new world that's free of Evas. Without the Eva curse, all the pilots are now their proper ages as well. The movie closes with Mari and Shinji heading off somewhere in their new lives while the environment merges into live-action footage, representing the fact that the story has now transcended animation and is now "real" because the cycle has finally ended and a true Neon Genesis took place. Like many aspects of the franchise, there are many ways to interpret this ending, but this is the interpretation I've settled on.

-While I am satisfied with the ending overall, I do wish the epilogue showed us more of what the other characters were doing, especially the survivors from Wille and Village 3. I know we can assume they're living out their lives as well, but it would have been nice to get confirmation of that with a few quick cameos. But there are some main characters whose fates are uncertain, particularly Misato, Kaji, and Fuyutsuki. I'm assuming the only people Shinji was able to save were the ones whose souls were still bound to Evas, namely Asuka, Rei, and Kaoru. I don't know about Kaji since I'm still not clear on exactly how he died. Maybe Shinji couldn't save Misato because she died "for real" and wasn't just trapped inside an Eva/Angel. But it is implied that many souls, not just Eva pilots, were saved when the world was restored...so maybe she was too? And like Kaji, I'm not sure what happened with Fuyutsuki. Did he turn into LCL because he gave up his humanity in some way, like Gendo? I'm also a little salty that we didn't get a decent shot of adult Asuka at the train station, lol. I'm not sure if the ending was hinting at Mari and Shinji being an item...possibly Rei and Kaoru too, maybe even Asuka and Kensuke. Like many things in the franchise, the eventual pairings, or lack thereof, could be interpreted in many ways.

In conclusion, while there were some aspects of the old Eva TV series and movies that I liked better, the Rebuild movies overall did an excellent job of retelling the story with the same rich lore and thought-provoking symbolism that we're used to for the franchise, but with enough new twists to make it stand out. And as I mentioned in my interpretation of the ending, these movies weren't just a retelling but a redefinition of the franchise as whole, bringing together the previous versions of the story and giving them true closure. Though we could see some spin-off material at some point, Thrice Upon a Time does seem like it was intended to be the final installment of the Evangelion series. While I was satisfied enough with the endings for the TV series and End of Eva movie, having watched the Rebuild movies, I do believe they're the "retelling we didn't know we needed." It's a tad bittersweet to know that such an influential franchise, and one of my favorite anime for years, has come to its true end. So, to translate the text in the below fan art...

"Thank you , Evangelion."

*Artwork credited to リオ on pixiv*