#borders cheesy tbh

[tennessoui]

i would for one would be interested in the extreme angst of Alaska AU

cw: sort of visceral grieving (of parent over lost child); very angsty

. . .

. . .

ok so i can't find the actual snippets in my (unorganized and frightening) google docs or notes app (lol) but it was mostly like this (sort of from memory and written directly into this ask so idk how good this will read but i very much remember some parts of this snippet tbh i think this is like. the closest ive ever come to not writing fanfiction ):

Obi-Wan doesn't think he was insane before his daughter died.

He remembers having a sound mind and a stable countenance. He was a writer, a blogger, a poor chef--though a chef nonetheless.

(A chef of boxed macaroni and cheese and cinnamon sugar toast. A chef of dinosaur nuggets and microscopic sized vegetables snuck into casseroles. A chef with a singular purpose, a singular audience.)

He would never have called himself a man of science, but he was a man of rationality at the very least. He found reason in everything around him. He did not always understand science nor math, but respected them as fundamental laws of the universe.

When Rey died, it was the rational part of himself that first followed her into the grave.

Three months after they bought her coffin and two and three-fourths after they buried her, the weather turned unseasonably cold. Obi-Wan woke up in the middle of the night halfway to a panic attack. They had buried her in a summer dress.

Years later, when the pain of the loss was incrementally easier to bear, he would write:

You do not spend nine years of your life fretting over whether or not your child will be cold just to turn that instinct off the moment they are no longer susceptible to the elements. After my daughter died, I spent countless nights awake wondering if she was cold there beneath the ground. We had not thought to bury her in her red winter coat, and it haunted my dreams. She would be cold without it. Children have horrible control of their body temperature. You must bundle them up, and the idea that we hadn't when we buried her drove me to insanity.

The first time it rained after her funeral, I saw her yellow rain boots lined up by our front door as I was leaving. I sat on our front porch stoop and sobbed for what must have been hours, thinking only of the water that would eventually, inevitably seep through the wood cracks of the coffin and wet her toes. Before, when a sudden rainstorm blew in, as they were wont to do in our town, I would pick her up and put her on my shoulders should we be caught out of the house sans rain boots. She hated the feeling of wet socks and cold toes, so I spared her the sensation.

That I had forgotten about the rain when we gave a set of her clothes to the mortician was unforgivable. Sitting on the porch that day, I felt a weight on my shoulders, like she was still perched atop me, trusting me to carry her over all the more dangerous and distasteful parts of the sidewalk.

I hadn't, and so she was cold. Her toes were wet. She was shivering. A child needs to be bundled up. It is one of the first things a parent learns should they take a class on the parenting, and I took many. A child must be bundled up, or they become cold.

I could not shake the idea that she was cold in her casket. Logically, I knew that whatever constituted my daughter was long gone. Her soul, her spirit, her conscience--whichever. She was not what we buried. Rationally, I knew that. But logic and reason have no starring role to play in grief. Guilt and blame and hysteria take the stage.

I could not shake this last failure. I could not forgive myself for it; I could not forgive my wife. When the weather began to turn cold once more, I packed my things and moved to the coldest place I could find. As a parent, one knows this: if you cannot cure your child of their ailment, you will weather it with them however you can.

[toomanyopinionss]

I want to talk about

Surviving Summer

(nonspoiler/spoiler)

hey y’all, it’s been a minute since i’ve done one of these. let’s get into it…😏

So i genuinely like this show. Just finished watching the second season, in fact.

I feel like it’s the good amount of cheesy and adorable and mind numbing without being too formulaic and basic like some of these Netflix originals tend to be. Now it can be annoying and cringy sometimes, don’t get me wrong. But it’s got some pretty good actors and actresses with enough heartfelt moments and playful scenes to make one feel content. She’s not a top ten, but she never tries to be, you know??

As for the show itself? Surviving Summer is the perfect name for it, because Summer the character? a HOT mess. I cannot stress this enough, the frontal lobes on that one are not fully formed. It’s especially apparent in season 1. Even so, i love her 🥰. I cant help it ok? She has the confidence that i dreamed of having in high school, and now tbh.

I won’t go to deep into every character, but let me just say this: they will ALL annoy you at some point. It’s so obvious that they’re teenagers, cuz they childish. But they all care about each other most of the time, and surfing. It’s a great summer watch! go for it, don’t be shy

7.5/10. Surface level fun with shenanigans galore and annoying teenagers.

SPOILERS

Y’all the second season was gooood. I liked it better than the first tbh. Summer, like i said before was much more serious and focused, but it didn’t change her personality at all, which i loved.

I liked how they got more into Bodhi’s conflicts with surfing and the racism in the industry on her end. If anything, i wish they had time to do even more with it. Because everything else they did with her character this season was just bleh. A half hearted conflict between poppy blown WAY out of proportion and a half assed queer relationship that was cute but barely touched on because hottake Netflix hates their wlws and their black main characters 🤭(oop who said that)

Poppy and marlon were cuteeeee. sidenote, who else forgot that bodhi and marlon had a thing, cuz i sho did 👀. they have such good chemistry and it just warmed my heart. SPEAKING of good chemistry…

✨“summer have you seen yourself?”

summer and baxter are the only mf choice, im SORRY.

immediately side eyeing anyone who says that summer and ari should be together, because i’m not sure you and i watch the same show. another steaming take, but I never bought into summer and ari. they are too sibling for me. i was taken ABACK when they kissed in season one. I genuinely did not see it coming. they play off each other nicely, but in a romantic way? NOPE, i don’t buy it.

but from the first scene with baxter and summer, i knew. it was intense. the casual touches, the instant bind they formed, the way bax looks at her 🤭…

you cannot compete where you don’t compare, Ari is not the one 🤷🏾‍♀️

anyone else? hmmm…

oh, y’all join me in a big FVCK you to Elo and Wren. they both suck actual ass and i hate them both.

it’s the way that they treat everyone like shit equally. even their own brother? like what the fvck is wrong with them?

like especially wren. being jealous and overly competitive is one thing. but they way she handled the bodhi situation, plus the way she outed her old teammate? literally bordering on racist and homophobic like wtffff. maybe a lil psychotic too, cuz why is she literally a threat to summer’s life? don’t take it out on her cuz your boyfriend is an indecisive disaster. at least they didn’t give wren a redemption, i would have been so pissed off like fvck her.

ok this is getting long. tldr, Season 2 was entertaining and fun. poppy and marlon were cute, summer was awesome, ari does not need a girlfriend, justice for baxter, and wren and elo will not be seeing the pearly gates.

[orviposition]

What trope would you put Joongdok in?

i honestly think that when it comes to joongdok it would be much easier if i answered with the tropes i WOULDNT put them in 😭😭

oh boy here i go! let's start with two of the most obvious first:

1. matching outfits with opposite color schemes, and 2. opposites (leo & aquarius) attract (<- attract as in lowkey bordering in codependency)

yin & yang - not only are joongdok aesthetically yin&yang but narratively too (i mentioned in a previous ask that they're sky & earth too)

star-crossed - (if you believe in orv's sad ending)

life (and death) companions - is probably a trope on its own considering the meaning of the title. not only does it mean (i ran the term through a thesaurus so yall don't have to 👍🏻👍🏻) "a romantic partner with whom one is exceptionally or uniquely compatible or has a special connection" but the synonyms are also of the romantic variety ranging from (but not limited to) life partner, best friend, soulmate, spouse, true love, one's promised, significant other, love of one's life, beloved, heart's desire etc (long story short, pretty sick tbh. no wonder kr dudebros threw a fit in singshong's comment section over it. i get it) and what makes it infinitely funnier is that it started as crack being treated seriously 😭😭😭😭

anyway, continuing where i left off, Soulmates - kdj is the reason yjh exists. yjh is the reason kdj lives. (hsy wrote both of them in a way that they became each other's salvation hence their position of reader-protagonist gets switched in the epilogue and both of them have admitted that reading about the other's story has saved their lives)

everyone ships them/everyone can see it - uriel, gabriel, ljh, hsy, jhw, lsh, anna croft, persephone/hades (the third eligible candidate to marry kdj was yjh and you will never be able to convince me otherwise. also if you have an answer other than yjh ur wrong), yma (if webtoon dares not to draw the "oppa looks happy when thinking about that ahjussi" you'll see me on the news) the wenny king. heck even gong pildu, upon some consideration and by method of elimination, deduced that theres no way kdj has enough rizz to pull neither ysa nor hsy therefore who was left to be the one who helped kdj birth his "child" (kidified sp) ??? yjh obv 😭😭 and why would he question the possibilities of mpreg when hmo is right there anyway. heck hmo even told kdj that he should try it.

when one is hurt/dying/dead, the other rages, panics, is extremely distressed - (maybe there's a shorter way to say this like "who did this to you" but joongdok have ascended past cheesy romances 😝) disaster of flood arc, aftermath of dark castle, the fight with surya, 1863, aftermath of sp's kidnapping etc

hates everyone but you - sure yjh doesnt hate All constellations but he for sure hates all demon kings. (mini fun fact about me, up until joongdok rebranded my brain, i didnt like this trope)

aloof x low self-esteem = both emotionally constipated 🙄🙄

derogatory term becomes a term of endearment - fool/sunfish (bastard)

bickering like a married couple - is this a trope? well it is now

denial of attraction/closeness - just two men who most definitely never lie when it comes to their feelings

identity theft - without malicious intent (i hope!! *stares at all the atrocities kdj has committed using yjh's name*)

masterchef x disaster in the kitchen - very, very, very simplified version of the trope. wouldnt call kdj a disaster but definitely a worse cook than yjh (subtrope would be [pro-gamer x game tester])

famous x fan - lol "famous"

annoying x annoyed - (kdj: breathes. yjh: ugh drop dead. kdj: drops dead. yjh: wait no-💢)

A thinks B will be happy without him / B doesn't know how (doesn't want) to live without A - 51kdj seeing 49kdj leave with yjh and the others, thinking that he and yjh will set on a journey together to find tls123 / museum fight

will sacrifice everyone/everything for the other - *cracks knuckles* when 41st sys tries to give yjh a 2nd chance to save himself and his old companions and all he had to do was say that kdj isn't his companion. when kdj admits that 1863rd hsy's plan to see the ending of the scenarios is smart and well-thought out but because that world doesn't need yjh he doesn't cooperate. (side story spoilers below, but when you think about it long enough the side story came to be because yjh spread orv to lhh's worldline. all the deaths happening because yjh needs to collect a fragment of kdj's soul from that world)

speaking of lhh, reincarnation - now hear me out. not your typical reincarnation but bcs we know that 49kdj's wish was to reincarnate into someone that doesn't have anything to do with kimcom -> subtrope: doesn't want to be found / is found

amnesia - 0 is also not your typical amnesiac

god x god's favorite

age gap - theyre both the same age and simultaneously have age gap(s) make of that what you will

important symbol - (object) pocket watch

glucose guardian - listen!! listen!! sp/kdj and 0/51 exist okay

harem - sorry i couldnt help it

[starlene]

[Musical theatre questions for old and cynical musical theatre fans]

Numbers:

25,

30,

34, 40,

and

45

Thank you, anon!

25. What catches your attention in a musical and makes it interesting to you? Is there a subgenre of musicals you especially like?

Hell if I know, I feel like my favourites are all over the place... I guess in general, I like tragic, cathartic, larger-than-life stories. You gotta be dealing with emotions that go up to eleven, you gotta be talking about death and love that borders on obsession. All my absolute all-time favourites have a bodycount (ranging from 1 to circa 1,500)

All that said, as far as subgenres go, I have to admit that I do enjoy a cheesy jukebox musical every now and then. I've had a lot of fun with both Mamma Mias, En del av mitt hjärta, Rock of Ages, Moulin Rouge!... something about giving pre-existing songs the musical treatment makes my brain happy, and as long as jukeboxes don't take themselves too seriously, they're just so much fun to watch.

30. What's a musical that's grown on you since you first saw it or listened to it? What made you appreciate it more?

Titanic. When I first saw it, I thought it was badly written with way too many characters, trying too hard, and just not too good overall. These days, it's one of my top three favourites.

What happened? I was a teenager when I first saw it, so I think I just matured a little and changed my perspective. I can't remember why or when I decided to give it another try, but I'm so, so glad that I did. I do still think that it's a confusing show for first-time watchers because of the massive amount of characters – but other than that, I find it touching, thought-provoking, respectful, and devastatingly beautiful.

34. Who's your musical theatre blorbo? Talk about them.

Daniel Daréus from the musical Så som i himmelen (and specifically from the musical, tbh I don't really give two hoots about the movie character.)

I don't think I'll be able to put it any better than I already did last month, so I'll just copypaste my own post:

"In short, I have never related to any fictional character like I related to Daniel that afternoon (not in the sense that Daniel is exactly like me in every way, but in the sense that emotionally, he makes absolute sense to me. If that makes any sense at all.)"

The thing about theatre blorbos, of course, is that not every actor and director will get them, or interpret them the way you'd like to see. Luckily, so far, I've been blessed with four Daniels that understood the character exactly like I do: Philip Jalmelid, Christopher Wollter, Tuukka Leppänen and Fredrik Lycke. I'm so glad to have gotten the chance to see them all. <3

40. Talk about something musical-related that annoys you.

I'm deeply annoyed at the current state of Finnish musical theatre in general, but I'm not going to ruin my night by really going into that. In a nutshell: the musicals that Finnish theatres like doing and the musicals that I like watching are like a Venn diagram where the circles overlap less and less every year. I mean, hardly anyone even dies in musicals here anymore!

45. What's a musical that doesn't exist yet that you would like to see?

Titanic the Movie the Musical, composed by Frank Wildhorn. I will go to my grave thinking what could have been.

Ask me some musical theatre questions for old and cynical musical theatre fans

[purplesurveys]

1769

Are you interested in any reality TV shows?  Yep. I don't watch any religiously as in per episode, but I'll watch an episode of something every now and then. It can be anything too, depending on my mood haha. I can enjoy both cooking shows and the weirder stuff like that hoarder show.

What’s your favourite thing to have on toast?  Just butter is fine. I never have toast unless I'm at a breakfast buffet.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever had to deal with at your job?  Unreasonable clients, messages or meetings beyond 6 PM, and weekend work. I hate all of these equally.

Do you think being born was a mistake?  I don't think it's a mistake per se but it's also just as valid when someone expresses that it wasn't their choice to be born and be here.

Do you have a large dog? If not, are you afraid of them?  I have a medium-sized dog. And no, I'm generally not afraid of dogs. I'll baby huge dogs as if they were a puppy lol.

What is something you used to always do but don’t anymore?  Read.

Has anyone ever told you that they loved you, and you didn’t say it back? Yes. What’s your favorite hairstyle on the opposite sex?  I don't care much for appearances but I personally wouldn't date a guy if they had long hair or that overly curly hair going viral on TikTok.

Have you ever done a Mason jar craft?  No. I've owned mason jars to store stuff but I never did anything artsy-craftsy with them.

Who is your favorite photographer?  Richard Avedon and Yeongjun Kim.

Were you shy in high school?  The first half of it I was. I opened up eventually.

Do you wish karma were real, or are you glad that it isn’t?  If it were real we'd tbh all be fucked. It would be so complicated too if all of our decisions and mistakes and even the slightest of negative thoughts would be punished.

Who are the cutest babies in your Facebook newsfeed?  I have one classmate from high school who has the cutest baby in the world.

Are your ears pierced more than once, if at all?  No, each ear only has one piercing.

Did the last guy/girl you kissed have any piercings?  Yeah if I remember correctly they do.

Do you actually love your parents?  Yes.

Do you know anyone autistic?  I personally don't know anyone who is.

How about someone bipolar?  I do.

Do you believe in celebrating anniversaries?  Sure! It's monthsaries that I find a tad bit cheesy, but hey do what you want and celebrate the things you want to celebrate.

What was your very first pet like?  It was a pair of goldfish but I was too young to ever form any sort of lasting memory with them; plus they didn't live long either so.

What’s the coolest hobby one of your friends has?  Not friends but Alyssa's recently been into pottery while Jofab has been flying for as long as I've known him. Always found the both of them very cool for those hobbies.

Have you ever pet a cow, a sheep or a pig?  I haven't for any of them :( I'd love to experience that though.

What is the wallpaper on your best friend's cell phone?  I'm pretty sure it's either a photo of Hans, or a photo of her and Hans.

Do you like your girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s parents?  I don't have one.

Do you like Polaroid photography?  I love it, yeah. There's something so comforting and nostalgic about how the photos turn out, and the white-border look, too.

Is there a friend of yours who curses nonstop? Who would that be?  Hmm no, I don't think so.

What internet browser do you use?  Have always used Chrome.

What do you usually do to let your feelings out?  Sometimes I'll try to find the right music to match my mood; sometimes I'll simply find somewhere to sit in silence and process my feelings until I react in a way that I need to at that moment, like cry.

What was the last thing you uploaded/plugged into the computer?  The last thing I uploaded anywhere was a photo I took back in 2018 – in an amazing coincidence, I apparently own a photo of my laptop showing Matthew Perry on Friends, with Kimi standing right beside my laptop. I uploaded it on Instagram as a sort of quick tribute to both of them.

This is the photo:

Are you participating in Project 365 (you take a picture of you/something every day of the year and post it)? I've tried this for a number of years now but always fail lol. Do you have a Flickr? If so, post the link.  No. I haven't even been on Flickr for a like a decade now I think haha.

Do you think it’s dumb when a band smashes their instruments, or do you find it totally radical?  The bands I like don't really do this so I don't have much of an opinion.

Have you ever made a gif? If not, do you think it’d be interesting to make one?  I've made GIFs but I kind of cheat because I use a website to do it, haha. I think the edits experts do it on Photoshop but I never figured out how to do that myself.

When you feel uninspired, do you feel like you need to go somewhere to become inspired?  I do. It doesn't even have to be a trip out of town – just a change of scenery somewhere like a coffee shop or bookstore would suffice.

Have you ever lived on a university campus?  I have not. My school was fairly close so I just drove to and from home for the whole four years.

Do you play any games on your phone?  Yeah I have a K-pop rhythm game on it.

Have you ever shaved your face?  Yes, my eyebrows.

What was the last vaccination you got?  Rabies.

Who’s your favorite rapper? And your favorite song by this favorite rapper?  RM - my favorite would either be Wild Flower or Reflection.

How about your favorite band? And your favorite song by this band?  Paramore - Turn It Off. It's been my favorite for eight years now and I don't think that'll ever change anymore no matter how many more albums they still plan on releasing.

Has anyone ever made a promise to you that they’d change? Who?  Nah.

Have you ever had any painful dental work done? If so, what?  I've felt discomfort at the dentist but it's never had anything to do with the dentist's handling – my tooth sensitivity gets awful and often winds up an unintentional effect.

Is there anyone you’d like to apologize to?  Not at the moment, no.

Could you go a month without talking to your best friend?  I could but it would suck the whole time and I would feel lonely.

How has your style changed since you were in high school?  Yes, so much. I didn't even much of a style in high school beyond my little black dress phase; I didn't start getting excited to shop for new stuff til I was halfway through college.

What was the last new drink you discovered that was delicious?  HEY the pumpkin spice frappe is really good apparently??????? I didn't have it for years because 1) of the hype lol and 2) it was always sold out at Starbucks anyway – until this afternoon when they were giving out free samples of it. And omg it's good. It's so so so so good. I mean it's extremely sweet and that makes it a little off-putting but once I get past that, simply put I loved the sample and might get it more often now hahaha.

What is your favorite way your hair has ever looked?  My hairdresser did such a good job dyeing my hair purple last June and it's been my favorite look yet; and I say this because while I got it retouched to purple again this past weekend, it just didn't end up the same... it kind of felt like they did the bare minimum with my hair, and it certainly looks that way. The dye is a lot lighter this time around, and just 3 days in and it's already looking more magenta than purple. :( Next time I should just show them my photos from June so they know how pigmented I hope for my hair to be.

Have you ever had a teacher that also taught your parents?  Nopes. We didn't even go to the same grade/high school. My dad and I went to the same university but our degrees are vastly different so it wouldn't have been possible for our curriculum to overlap.

Where’s the nearest GameStop near you?  I'm pretty sure we don't have GameStop here. The nearest video game store is a good 10 minutes away though.

What was the last thing you took a video of?  A POV of my TV playing the pilot episode of Friends.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?  Deciding to walk away from who was then the most important person in my life, while my mental health was in shambles and really couldn't be alone, and seeing where life takes me from there. Both the biggest risk and smartest decision I have ever made.

Do you believe your ex cares about you?  Well no, they have had no reason to in the last few years and that's okay and the way it should be.

What was the last compliment you received from the opposite sex?  There's nothing I can remember at the moment.

Have you ever been to an orchard?  Nope.

Who was the last family member of yours that died?  My great-uncle Alex.

What is your favorite color for cars?  White.

Do you have any gay family members?  As far as I know, no.

Did your last relationship end because of you or the other person?  It was both of us.

Would you be upset if you caught your boyfriend looking at porn?  When I was in a relationship we would both still watch porn but it was never an issue.

Have you ever had crabs, turtles, or lobsters?  No.

What is your favorite type of cat?  I don't have a favorite cat.

What if a friend asked you to go with her to get an abortion?  I'd be supportive as all hell but would also naturally be inquisitive about how they're going about it considering abortion is illegal here.

Who of the opposite sex has seen you at your worst?  I don't think anyone has. Maybe Hans, but from a distance. I was mostly alone during my lowest point because I didn't want anyone else to carry the same burden.

Are you sitting in a spinning chair?  I am not.

Are you one of those people who will not use a public washroom?  Mostly yes because ick but I do go if I have to go, so I leave it as a last resort kind of thing.

Have your parents ever disapproved of the person you’re dating?  I've never revealed a significant other to them.

Were you raised by someone other than your parents?  I was raised around extended family so to an extent, yes.

What’s the last chore you did?  Cleaned up after the dogs.

What is your favorite jungle animal?  Chimpanzees.

Is your father injured?  Nope, and I'm always hoping he stays that way.

Are you part Native American?  No.

What are your pets’ names?  Cooper and Agi.

Have you ever worked two jobs? I have not.

Who is the oldest sibling in your family?  I am.

What are some of your happy thoughts?  Getting to 2025 and seeing my boys reunite and being reunited alongside them. My friends and I are also planning a trip to Korea by that year, directly related to BTS' comeback hahaha.

What are the names of all the dogs you’ve ever owned?  Kimi, Cooper, and Agi.

Would you ever get a face tattoo?  Nope.

How much was the rent/mortgage at the cheapest place you’ve ever lived?  I've never had my own place.

Who in life have you felt the strongest need to protect?  My ex (before) and my younger sister. It's interesting with my sister; we've mostly had – and still keep – a very unserious relationship but more and more I've also been finding myself looking out for her only an Asian big sister can lmao.

Like she's been seeing this guy and I've been nagging her nonstop about if she needs a ride to this or that for their dates, what his job is, what school he graduated from, if she's gonna wear a big thick jacket to their dates that can help cover her up...this weekend, too, she went to Batangas for a short trip with friends and I kept telling her to turn on live location and kept asking about their mode of transportation because I couldn't believe they hired a driver to get them there.

What is the cruelest thing a person has ever said to you?  My mom has a track record with things like that but I have tended to let my mind block those things from ever being remembered.

Who do you think was the worst criminal in history?  Ferdinand Marcos.

Which laws would you most like to change? I'd legalize divorce and abortion. I would also ban religion from being involved in any sociopolitical/political affair in any capacity. Who is the person you most wanted to have an affair with but didn’t?  Oh wow. Uh. Nobody?

Who have you most feared in your life?  At some point it was my own mother.

What is your strongest reason for your opinion on abortion? Your uterus, your opinion. What one natural thing would you most like to see?  The rest of the universe.

[avenger-hawk]

Hello hawk. Do you get inspiration for your writing from books (actual "books", not fanfiction lol)? If so, what authors do you like? Hugs~

Hello. Tbh I’m kinda picky with books, not as much as with fanfiction lol but still I can’t enjoy some popular books ppl love. I don’t like long sagas for example, I get bored with fantasy in general and I dislike very wordy books with looong descriptions of the smallest details of the characters’ clothes and food. I couldn’t read the A Song Of Ice And Fire books because of this.

I do like a wordy writer like Charles Dickens though. Not all his books cause some are really too victorian bordering on annoying, but I really liked A Tale of Two Cities and Our Mutual Friend. I read a lot of classics tbh especially as a teenager, as I discovered fandoms and fanfics later. I liked Jane Austen, she has a brilliant style, very ironic and not cheesy despite the sentimental theme. I also liked old gothic novels, they have some dark imagery, like Maturin’s Melmoth The Wanderer, Byron’s Manfred, M.G. Lewis’ The Monk. It was my final essay in school, even. All these novels would be ‘wrong’ by fandom bullshit moralism btw.

But that was my teenage literature phase, I think fondly of those books because of nostalgia, mostly, because I changed my taste for less plot oriented and more philosophical, abstract, surreal books. I also like short stories or short novels more than long stuff. The surreal and the fantastic work better with short stories imo.

A writer I liked as a teenager and like even now though is H. Hesse. He created a beautiful atmosphere in his books, like, you can literally feel the sun and trees and birds chirping, an at the same time they’re angsty. Especially Narcissus and Goldmund; I reread it recently and it’s even better than I remembered, it also had a strong gay vibe which doesn’t hurt lol. Or Demian, male friendship, kinda gay, very philosophical, and The Glass Bead Game and his short stories too. Also he was vegetarian, it’s a plus for me.

My favourite writer is J. L. Borges, I love how he creates fictional reviews of nonexistent books that he mixes with existent philosophers and writers, so when you read his short stories you are juggling between reality and fiction, reading fake academic works or you’re sinking in a story with a thin but amazing plot line where dream and reality are fused together, and reality is completely subjective. His concept of time is not linear, he’s from Argentina and he describes this amazing mix of cultures and influences, everything he writes is a masterpiece that you can feel it, elevates your mind. Genius. Especially The Lottery in Babylon (for me it’s also a metaphor of reincarnation) Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius , The Garden of Forking Paths (amazing, simply amazing) Funes the Memorious (this story and its theme is still haunting me tbh) and The Circular Ruins, I have no words to describe how much I love it.

I also love two Italian writers very much. I. Calvino, surreal, abstract, amazing. I highly recommend him to everyone cause he has been translated a lot in English speaking countries, like Invisible Cities,  The Castle of Crossed Destinies (tarot lovers would like this one),  If on a winter's night a traveler (all book lovers should read it).

D. Buzzati is amazing too, his short stories might be set in urban Italy but also in a nonspecified ancient Central Asia-ish spaces, with its vastity and mysterious (for us) culture, from Samarkand to the steppes. His writing is laconic, essential, but shows you everything you need to see and feel. His novel The Tartar Steppe is poetic and metaphoric, his short stories often deal with the mystery of death, in the same poetic metaphoric way. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything in English online, but I really recommend The Seven Messengers, it was the first story I read from him and still a favourite. 

I also like M. Bulgakov very much, like Master and Margarita is such a cool book and so is Heart of a Dog. So much sarcasm, I love them.

I was too long maybe, recommending books. You asked if these books I love influenced my writing, I wish they did lol. As I write dark themes but I stopped reading that darkish stuff I can’t say they influenced me much. Anyway my writing style is quite essential and to the point, not only because English is not my mothertongue but also because of the writers I like.

I was slightly inspired by Borges’ The Circular Ruins for In Dreams, not directly but for certain themes related to subjective reality, and I quoted The Garden of the Forking Paths for Itachi’s pre-massacre state of mind in Victims of Peace.

I was slightly inspired by Hesse’s Narcissus and Goldmund for the setting (Northern European late Middle Ages) of a non-Naruto darkfic I wrote.

I think there might be more but I’m probably not aware of it.

[pregnant-piggy]

Our little secret

Sirius Black x reader

Words: 3300+

Warnings: nothing, it’s just fluffy and cheesy

A/N: I wanted to write something like this for a while. So I did. At like two in the morning... I would kill for something like this tbh. Enjoy, my loves!

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

‘You're really going for that shirt?’

‘Not anymore now,’ you grumbled and threw your shirt at Marlene, who was lying on her bed with her head popped up on her hands. She caught your shirt skilfully and let it flow through her fingers.

‘You smell nice, babe,’ Marlene said as she smelled the border of your shirt.

‘Thanks, it's that new perfume,’ you replied while searching in your bra for a new shirt.

‘Oh, trying to smell nice for someone?’ Marlene teased and you looked up quick with red cheeks. ‘Maybe, I don't know... a specific black-haired, grey-eyed Gryffindor?’

‘Confessed your feelings for Dor yet?’ you shot back at Marlene.

Now she turned red and she threw the shirt back at you. You caught it, folded it and placed it back in the closet.

A minute later Lily and Dorcas entered the dormitory, finally finished with their breakfast. Marlene glanced at Dorcas and you smirked. She was smitten for her friend but was too afraid to admit it. And honestly you didn't blame her. You were the exact same when it came to Sirius.

Ever since fourth year you had had a crush on him but you had never done anything about it. For you it was obvious he didn't like you back. He was always going on dates with different girls and never hesitated to talk about it.

‘Lily, thank Merlin,’ you said and turned to her. ‘What am I gonna wear with this skirt?’

Lily stared at you and then looked at the closet. She pulled out a shirt from the bottom of a pile and handed it over to you. You unfolded it and looked at it. You never knew you had this shirt.

‘It's mine,’ Lily explained like she could read your mind. ‘But it's not really my colour.’

Kissing Lily on her cheek to thank her, you pulled the shirt over your head and turned to Marlene.

‘Much better,’ this one said and nodded. ‘What would we do without our Lilypad?’

Lily rolled her eyes but smiled right after. She changed into a light blue dress that matched perfectly with her red hair.

Jealous you stared at Lily as you let yourself fall down next to Marlene on her bed. She turned her head to you and whispered,

‘I'm gonna do it.’

‘Do what?’ you whispered back.

‘Tell her. This has been going on long enough. And if she turns me down, I know we're both mature enough to stay friends.’

‘She’s not gonna turn you down,’ you reassured Marlene.

The way Dorcas acted around Marlene was the same as how Lily acted around James. Speaking of...

‘Lils?’ you asked. ‘What time are we supposed to meet your lovely boyfriend and his entourage?’

‘Five minutes,’ Lily answered from the bathroom.

Dorcas squealed. ‘That's too soon! Look at my hair! I'm not near finished!’

‘You look great,’ Marlene mumbled, but not loud enough for everyone but you to hear.

‘Don't worry, I'll keep them waiting,’ you said to Dorcas and got up from the bed. ‘You coming, Marls?’

Marlene got up too and walked down with you. None of the boys were in the common room yet and that gave you some time to talk to Marlene in privacy.

‘What's your plan?’

‘I don't really have a plan,’ Marlene confessed. ‘I think I will just ask her to talk and then put it out there. What's the worst that can happen?’

‘I wish I had your courage,’ you mumbled as you watched the four boys approaching the couch.

‘Where are the others?’ James asked as he plopped down on the couch next to you.

‘Upstairs.’

‘They'll be here soon,’ Marlene added.

You noticed she was nervous. She was playing with the edge of her shirt and she had a pink blush on her face.

The conversation went but you couldn't focus. Instead of paying attention you were looking at Sirius. He was wearing his leather jacket even though it was hot outside. He looked back at you and winked. You quickly averted your eyes as you felt the blush creeping on your face.

After ten minutes Lily and Dorcas came down, five minutes after Mary had joined you.

‘Are we ready to go now?’ James asked impatiently pushing his girlfriend of his lap.

- -- -

After Filch had checked everyone for suspicious objects, your group was finally outside. You were walking with Remus. In front of you Lily and James were walking hand in hand and, honestly, you were kind of jealous. You wanted what they had, though maybe a little less cheesy.

In Hogsmeade you split up. Lily, Mary, Peter and Remus went one side, Marlene and Dorcas the other side and you, James and Sirius walked to Zonko's. James was talking enthusiastically about a new product he definitely wanted to try.

Zonko's shop was quiet; most students went to Honeydukes or the Three Broomsticks. While James and Sirius worked off their list, you wondered through the store. The things on the shelves intrigued you.

Jump-snakes: surprise your friends with real wildlife!

Nothing works better than Mr Lolas' Unicorn Powder! Lasts for days!

You had no idea what both of the things would to, but they were interesting. And probably slightly dangerous.

‘(Y/N)? Where are you?’ Sirius’ sound came from the other side of the store.

‘Here!’ you said back.

But the store was cramped with shelves and racks and Sirius didn't hear you.

You started to make your way to the front of the store, but halfway through your way the path was blocked by big boxes. You turned around and made your way back.

‘(Y/N)?’

‘Right here!’

Sirius was on the other side of a shelf, you heard his voice close to you. You walked along the length of the shelf and bumped into Sirius. You almost fell and Sirius placed his hands on either your arms.

‘There you are!’ he said with a big smile.

‘Here I am,’ you replied weakly.

Sirius put his arm around you and dragged you with him outside, where James was already standing.

‘We thought we lost you!’ James cried out as he saw you.

He quickly showed you what he had bought and then you made your way to the Three Broomsticks; the place where you had agreed to meet up.

You were the first ones there. You sat on one of the benches on the side of the road and looked up Sirius. He was standing close to you, his hands in the pockets of his jacket, playing with his feet in the sand on the road.

When Remus, Peter, Lily and Mary walked up to you, he took a step back.

‘I, uh- I have to do something,’ he announced. ‘I'll be right back.’

He rapidly walked out of the street with his hands still in his pockets. You turned to Lily and Mary who were both looking confused at the leaving boy.

‘Should we go inside?’ Peter asked, like what Sirius had done was completely normal.

‘Sure,’ Lily said and opened the door.

The Three Broomsticks was full, but there was a spot left in the very back of the room. Lily and James squeezed themselves onto the wooden bench of the booth and they were joined by you on one side and Remus on the other. Mary and Peter sat on chairs the opposite side of the table.

Peter left to order drinks and while he was waiting in line at the bar, Marlene and Dorcas entered. Dorcas immediately left for the bathroom and Marlene hurried over to you.

‘She said yes!’ she exclaimed happily as she sat down. ‘I have a girlfriend!’

The two boys stared Marlene confused, but you, Lily and Mary all cheered and smiled.

‘Oh, babe, I'm so happy for you!’ you said and took Marlene's hand over the table.

‘How did to go?’ Mary asked.

‘Well, I kinda just blurted it out as soon as we were alone. Honestly I don't remember a lot of it; I was really nervous. But she said she likes me back!’

Marlene's face was red from excitement and even Dorcas, who usually was chill and cool, had a blush on her face when she sat down next to Marlene.

Peter returned with the Butterbeers at the same time Sirius walked up to the booth. He stood doubting at the table looking for a place to sit.

‘There's room next to (Y/N),’ Marlene said.

You shot her an angry glare before making place for Sirius next to you.

‘Always a pleasure,’ Sirius said as he sat down next to you.

Your face turned red and you smiled. Sirius' thigh was pressed against yours and you felt his hip next to yours. Playing with the edge of your glass you tried to focus on the conversation. But there wasn't much of a conversation; James and Lily next to you were whispering to each other and Marlene and Dorcas too. Mary was talking to Peter about their Potions assignment. Remus talked to you and Sirius was the only one who wasn't involved in a conversation. He was staring at you while his arm rested on the back of the bench, his fingertips brushing your shoulder.

Sirius had always been a ‘touchy' person, but today it felt different to you. It felt like everything he said and every breath he breathed were for you.

You scolded yourself for your thoughts. Sirius didn't like you. He had had a date just... how long ago? Honestly, you couldn't remember when Sirius had last gone on a date with someone. But you had stopped listening to his date-stories a long time ago, so it could be that you had just not been paying attention when he had told about it.

- -- - 

The darkness of the cafe was soon changed for the bright and hot sun. Squeezing your eyes for the sun you turned to your friends.

‘Where are we off to now?’ you asked, hoping to do something together.

‘Actually,’ James started, cutting off Lily before she could even open her mouth. ‘I need to take Lily somewhere.’

‘Where?’ Lily asked.

‘Just somewhere,’ James said vaguely and took his girlfriend by her arm.

‘Alright then. Marlene?’ you asked hopeful.

But your best friend shook her head. ‘I'm sorry, babe.’ She walked away with Dorcas after shooting you an apologising look, but there was a smirk on her mouth.

‘Mary? Peter? Remus?’

But all three of them shook their head. Mary and Peter had plans to go to some store that sounded weird and Remus had to meet up with his study mate, someone that everyone still wasn't sure of was real.

‘Please don't tell me you're abandoning me too,’ you sighed as you turned to Sirius.

‘I would never,’ this one said and he put his arm around you. The warm tingle in your stomach, that you got every time Sirius touched you, appeared just like it had inside the Three Broomsticks. But he let go of you and your inside turned cold.

You sadly stared at the ground while walking in silence next to Sirius.

At the same time Sirius said something you decided to also break the silence.

‘Aren't you hot in that jacket,’ was mixed with his ‘Are you sure you're okay with just me here?’ and neither of you understood what the other said.

‘You first,’ Sirius said and waved his hand for you to talk.

‘Okay,’ you laughed. ‘Aren't you hot in that jacket?’

‘Nah, I'm always cool,’ Sirius said with a smirk.

‘Really? That's the answer you're going with?’ you chuckled. ‘Now your question.’

‘I, uhh... it was nothing,’ Sirius stuttered, his smirk fading a bit.

‘Come on! It was important enough to interrupt my question!’ you teased. ‘I won't laugh. I promise!’

Sirius shook his head laughing. ‘I asked if you were alright with just hanging out with me,’ he then mumbled.

Oh. Something in his tone made your heart sink. You rarely got to see the insecure Sirius and it almost never was just around you alone.

‘Of course! I like hanging out with you,’ you reassured Sirius and his smile grew.

Meanwhile you had reached the end of the village and the start of the surrounding forest. From where you were standing you could see the Shrieking Shack. You knew why it was there; Remus himself had told you.

You stopped at the fence that separated the road from the field and turned your head to Sirius while resting your arms on the fence. Sirius stood behind you.

‘So what do you want to do?’ you asked him.

‘Actually I just wanted to talk to you,’ Sirius said and his voice had changed. It was lower and softer. More serious and less Sirius.

‘Well about what do you want to talk?’

‘Not here,’ Sirius said, making you turn your whole body to him.

‘Then where?’

‘C'mon,’ Sirius just said and he took you by your hand.

That warm feeling spread in your chest again as Sirius lead you along through the forest. The deeper you went the darker it became, until the sun almost never reached the ground again. The floor was covered in moss and little white flowers. You felt like a fay walking, almost flowing, over them. The spots where the sun did reach, the ground glistened with dew drops even now it was the afternoon.

‘Where are you taking me?’ you asked Sirius curiously but he didn't answer. He just kept on walking.

Five minutes later Sirius stopped at an open spot. It was wonderful. The sun shone through the foliage, lighting up the green grass on the ground. Around the open spot were flowers. The little, white ones you had passed on your way, but also daisies, yellow buttercups, red poppies and violet bellflowers. It seemed like a scene from a fairy tale.

But the best part was, no matter how beautiful the space was, that Sirius was still holding your hand. He turned to you with insecurity on his face.

‘Wow, Sirius,’ you whispered; talking seemed to loud. ‘This is beautiful.’

‘I found it last full moon. I don't think anyone else knows this place.’

‘They shouldn't,’ you said. ‘Please tell no one about this place. It will be our little secret.’

Sirius smiled at your words and it seemed they gave him confidence. He pulled you to the ground and sat in front of you, your knees touching.

‘I still want to talk to you, though,’ Sirius started hesitantly. You gave him a smile and he continued,

‘Have you ever seen yourself late at night, stressing over your exams?’

The sudden question surprised you. What was he aiming for?

‘No,’ you answered softly.

‘I have,’ Sirius said. ‘Your hair is a mess, your cheeks are red and the tears are in your eyes. But you never stop, not even when the sun rises again, not when you almost faint from tiredness. Everyone always laughs at you and your crazy obsession with your grades. But I think it is adorable-'

Adorable? Did Sirius just call you adorable?

‘-and... I just... I want to help you. I want to put you in bed and make you fall asleep. I want to bring you coffee and stay awake with you. I want to tell you it is okay to not always give your everything if it physically drains you. But most of all I want to take you in my arms and kiss you.’

Your heart stopped and your jaw dropped. Never in your whole life had you expected to hear those words out of his mouth. At you. Those words were meant for you.

‘I like you, (Y/N). And I think I might be in love with you.’

‘Sirius, I-'

You didn't know what to say. Words could not describe how you felt. You couldn't think of anything to say. All you ever wanted was right there in front of you and he had just confessed his love. You were stunned with surprise and excitement and you wanted to talk to him, but your words stayed in your throat.

Sirius took your silence as a rejection and got up. Your head was still in a daze and you realised he was walking back when he had already almost reached the shadows.

‘Sirius wait!’ you said getting up.

Sirius turned around to you, his eyes sad, and you saw that he was holding himself back from crying. You stood there in the middle of the open spot, sun on your skin and the words found themselves.

‘When other people look at you, they see Sirius Black, the tough boy, the flirty boy, the boy that would do anything to keep his reputation high, to honour his name. But when I look at you? I see Sirius. I see the boy that forgets to drink in the morning if no one reminds him. I see the boy that will do anything for his friends. I see how much you hate it when someone mentions your family. How often you break down even when you try to hide it. When I see you, I see someone who laughs, cries, hugs, kisses, gets angry, plays pranks. Someone who is loyal, happy, sad, cheerful, smart. And most of all I see someone who loves. Because that is what you do Sirius, you love. And I love that about you.’

Sirius stared at you. The sadness in his eyes had gone away, but the tears were still there.

You were surprised with yourself. You had never been one to make your feelings so clear. But now the right words just had come. Everything you had said was true. You loved Sirius. Everything of him.

‘You love me?’ Sirius asked with a raspy voice.

He walked closer to you, still staring into your eyes. When he was so close to you, you could feel his heat on your bare arms, you nodded.

Sirius cupped your face with his hands and kissed you.

The whole world seemed to burst into colour. You wrapped your arms around Sirius’ neck and pulled him closer. His lips fitted perfectly on yours, like they were meant to be there. You tasted alcohol and cinnamon and smelled leather and lemon. The flavours and scents matched together, creating a soft sizzle in your brain.

Sirius’ hands slid to your hips and when the kiss was broken they stayed there, keeping you as close as possible.

The colours of the flowers seemed brighter yet darker. The sun was hot and cold and the grass bright yet pale. It was as if Sirius made the place better yet it was nothing compared to him.

Sirius' grin was wider than you had ever seen. His grey eyes were stormy and showed his passion, while his words only showed his love.

‘I never thought I could love someone. I have friends and I have some kind of love for them but I never thought I could find love like described in books or sung about in songs. But the day I realised I loved you, I also realised that those kinds of love are nothing compared to what I feel.’

A tear rolled down your cheek and Sirius lifted his hand to wipe it away. His hand stayed on your cheek and brought your face closer. Sirius kissed you again with such tenderness it could be felt in the air around you.

You stayed at the fairy tale place the rest of the day. Friends long forgotten as the sun started to set, making the shadows grow bigger and darker until there was barely any light.

Wrapped in Sirius’ leather jacket you walked back to the castle. Hand in hand with your love. And you would never let go.

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

taglist:

@treestarrrrrrrr @bumbelbeeesblog @ronniethelost @with1love1anu @transparentttttttttt @sirius-satellite @cheoco @girllety @malikinglove @alwaysinmydaydreams @eateraa @bi-andready-tocry @fangirlofbooksandpasta @littlemissgothgirl @always394patronus @heavenly-ascended-melodies @mrs-moony @secretsthathauntus @kitkatkl @yuptha-tsme @sleep-i-ness 

masterlist

[ramuoto]

TOP 10 MANHWAs

if anything good came out of 2020, it’s my discovery of manhwas. 

well, it’s not like i’ve never read a single manhwa in the past 15+ years but tbh, the ratio of manhwa:manga i consume on a weekly basis has jumped exponentially this year. previously it was like 1:99 and now it’s like 90:10 LMAO. 

so, just to remind myself that the world is still full of good things, i had to make this list. which i will probably edit in the future, if i can be bothered to. :) 

anyhow, this list was not made in any particular order, just whichever came into mind. it’s loooong so be prepared! (I’ve read way more titles than mentioned but just included the ones worth checking out)

for whoever stumbles across this list, i hope some of these resonate with you and i hope they make you as happy as they made me. 

pic credits: https://geekculture.co/geeks-guide-to-transmigration-novels-avoid-death-at-all-costs/

1. Ebony

https://mangadex.org/title/41838/ebony

Bahahah omg he looks evil there! But our dearest archduke is hardly that aww. Soz, I just ripped off the covers of the manhwa cos I can’t find a panel I liked more than another. I mean, this manhwa is a GEM. I can’t even begin to describe this because everything about it blew me away. This is not something you read when you are craving for fluff, or just wanna have something brainless after a hard day at work or if you just wanna have some eye candy lol. This is something you pick up on a weekend, when you have time, because you need those hours to digest, appreciate, clutch your chest, tear a little because you find yourself falling in love with these characters. It doesn’t have any of that cliche isekai, romance, revenge themes going on. It has a solid plot, backed by incredible characters, beautifully woven by the authors and artist with incredible pacing that keeps you on your toes and keeps you looking forward to the next chapter. Maybe I would have been happier if I found it after it was completed lol. HAVE I CONVINCED YOU ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WANNA READ IT?! like, idk, just go. JUST GO READ IT GDI. 

p.s. it says there romance but naaaaaaah, dont go in with that expectation. :) this story is so much more than that. 

2. Bring the love

https://mangadex.org/title/44472/bring-the-love

This...this!!! THIS MANHWA NEEDS MORE LOVE. If you need a lot of fluff, a little, ok maybe quite a bit of sadness and tragedy, sweet sweet romance, cutie pies, please, look no further!!! Again, pacing, character development are so important to me and this manhwa aces it. I love the 2 MCs very much. And the side characters too. :)

3.  A Stepmother's Märchen

https://mangadex.org/title/39474/a-stepmother-s-m-rchen

When I first read this, i fucking cried. like please don’t ask me why. it’s not like its an absolute tragedy but I was just rooting for the MC so much and I really want for everything to go her way. That’s how much I adore this MC!!! I LOVE HER. I LOVE HER MORE THAN YOU DO NORA! HAHAHHA. okay soz. I need to keep this spoiler-free.

Anyhoo, there is nothing typical about this time travel plot. Sure, she goes back to try to undo the stuff that went wrong but phew, she certainly changed things so much everything that comes her way have made it so her previous experiences can hardly help aaaaaaand that’s what makes it fun! I sometimes wish the pacing could be a little more consistent, and there could be more characters I could love a little more wholeheartedly (so i wont have to be in so much despair when i read this sometimes lol) but omg the art, isn’t it pretty?! I’ve re-read this soooooo many times but the art blows me away all the time. And have I already mentioned how much I love her?! I LOVE YOU SHULI! AND I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY!

4.  Lady Baby

https://mangadex.org/title/34691/lady-baby

I literally LOL-ed when I saw this cover. WHO THE HELL ARE THEY. WHAT LADY BABY?! ehehehe. okay anyway, uhm, this is already incredibly popular. im not sure if i need to elaborate but yes, it’s adorbs!!! i dont think i like the MC as much as i love her family lol. and everyone else who adores her. im looking forward to when they get older. :) actually not really. please stay cute for as long as yall can! but yeah, i do wish the plot can move a lil faster. i want to see more character development in the other kids too COME ON! 

5.  Death Is the Only Ending for the Villainess

https://mangadex.org/title/47754/death-is-the-only-ending-for-the-villainess

am i allowed to reveal how shallow i am rn? like the previous choices were all like ‘wow-deep-plot’, ‘wow-character-development’ and this one i just included cos of AESTHETICS ALONE?! the novel covers are breathtaking!!! the manhwa art is amazing as well. and the harem is great! LOL. as for plot... uhm... it’s alright. it’s pretty engaging and i quite like the MC, she’s smart and independent and i love how she views them all antagonistically at all times HAHAHHA. her past is kinda... weird though and i do wish they’d stop referencing it. cos... girl why do you wanna go back to reality!!! stay here! it’s way more exciting! 

i love the whole isekai/reincarnate/transmigration theme and this is honestly one of the better, not-so-cliche or cheesy ones HA.

6.  Beware of the Villainess!

https://mangadex.org/title/47286/beware-of-the-villainess

do you already see the whole villainess theme?! am i suppose to start feeling embarrassed about my choices?! NO! cos this one is AWESOME!

again, another wildly popular title. for good reasons. it’s hilarious, our MC is as real and candid as it gets and LOOK AT THAT BLUE HAIRED BEAUTY. DO YOU SEE HIM?! IMPLANT HIM INTO YOUR MEMORY NOW!

it’s highly entertaining and breaks all isekai-reincarnation-villainess plot stereotypes. definitely one of the titles i look forward to every week.

7.  Who Made Me a Princess

https://mangadex.org/title/32506/who-made-me-a-princess

what? why did i choose this?

BECAUSE OF CLAUDE OF COURSE. ahahaha. okay aside from the amaaaaaaazing art and the beautiful people, the plot is not too bad. a little extreme at times but it’s interesting enough to keep me going. it’s currently on hiatus though and i was highly annoyed by how the first season ended. (YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED? NOTHING.)

i hope the plot can move faster in the next season! and that our dearest MC athanasia can you know, finally be a little more useful... like omg just tell lucas already!!! and tbh girl, no matter which guy you choose, i approve. :D 

8.  The Flower That Was Bloomed by a Cloud

https://mangadex.org/title/37648/the-flower-that-was-bloomed-by-a-cloud

i featured this before, mostly out of frustration HAHAHA. do you see why i chose this cover?! yeah, i support this (unpopular) pairing okay! the other one is doomed!!! no matter what the author is trying to do now!! I DONT SUPPORT IT!!! lol.

anyway, i had to feature this cos the art is unique! and the story is great. :) and i looooooove listening to the ost while i read it. it starts out kinda slow but as the pace picks up, you won’t be able to stop. and you find yourself conflicted at various points. it did win an award for a reason. 

no matter what, i still think dowun is best for her okay. it’s dowun or nothing. he’s devoted to her, we all know that! he just needs to ditch that annoying female guard!!! ok yknw what, maybe nothing is better. :/ *cries*

9.  Solo Leveling

https://mangadex.org/title/31477/solo-leveling

why do i even bother? this manhwa is popular enough. 

the art is great. the MC is great. i use him and his gang as my wallpaper. 

im just not sure i like how this season’s plot is progressing. :/ but i guess it brings us nearer to solving the mystery in the first leg of the manhwa. i just enjoyed the whole part of him leveling up and now that he isn’t really leveling up anymore... idk. am i hoping for more plot shit like bleach (oh wow now u quincy?)... idk man. anywho, no regrets starting on this series and marathon-ing it to death. 

cross fingers the plot picks up and doesnt get too complicated for its own good.

10.  The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

https://mangadex.org/title/31606/the-reason-why-raeliana-ended-up-at-the-duke-s-mansion

okay, tbh, by the time i reached 10, i still have like 15 other series i was considering LMAO. i even considered lengthening this top 10 to top 15. but that would just be more of me and my nonsense. so... why did i choose this?

COS I LOVE THE 2 MCs!!! they’re adorable. the plot is again, kinda far-fetched at times (i literally laugh my head off at some parts) but it’s isekai-reincarnation okay! anything is possible in whatever magical crap country you end up in! lol. and i like how straightforward it is... in the sense there’s no 2nd lead. like okay i mean they are there but we all know they have no chance. oops. sorry!

and cos i can’t give up on the other titles i have, imma just list them down, without pictures... cos im tired. HA. 

11. Doctor Elise 

https://mangadex.org/title/29474/doctor-elise 

Kudos to the huge improvement in art style lmao. The good... lovable MCs, engaging plot. The bad... sometimes lengthy, incredulous medical moments (i work in the medical field so i... idk. sometimes this borders on iryu LMAO and i need to remind myself this is romance) otherwise, this is a highly highly entertaining read.

12.  Seduce the Villain's Father

https://mangadex.org/title/46775/seduce-the-villain-s-father

This is another of my ‘father-love’ whims. MC is adorable and ML is handsome. enough said.

13.  The Villainess Lives Twice

https://mangadex.org/title/49644/the-villainess-lives-twice

This is like a lesser version of Ebony and Bring the Love combined HAHAHA. The plot and premise is great and it’s awesome to marathon! I don’t find myself loving the MC as much as I should but the ML is a darling! I just find her a little toooooooo gloomy. Like come on girl, be more spunky! 

14.  The Stereotypical Life of a Reincarnated Lady

https://mangadex.org/title/46790/the-stereotypical-life-of-a-reincarnated-lady

I dont know why I like this so much HAHAHAHA. It hardly has a plot. I just find the MC and ML amusing i guess lol. 

15.  I'm Stanning the Prince

https://mangadex.org/title/45586/i-m-stanning-the-prince

Sometimes I wonder if I should be ranking this higher but I kinda feel this manhwa is trying to achieve too much with an underpowered MC. I love her... but I just don’t like how she’s just a pawn of everyone else and I dont know how she can change this situation of hers. It’s cute though. the MC and ML.  and the ML reminds me so much of american/jap Mackenyu. 

16.  The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass

I HAD TO. the art is so pretty! but girl, dont use the hour glass so much! you look a little too old! i would appreciate it if MC stops basing too much of her moves on the “past” tho like idk you are gonna sound unoriginal soooooon like develop your own thoughts soon okay? <3

17. Inso's Law

ANOTHER ONE. omg. im a lil on the fence regarding this but i like MC too much. and her harem LOL. i dont see where the plot is going either but i just hope for a happy end... ):

18.  Why Are You Doing This, Duke?

HAHAHA. this is sooooo sooooooo cute, i would have ranked it top 15 if it wasnt licensed by tapas tho cos they are a joke. WHY NOT TAPPY GDI. 

19.  Miss Not-So Sidekick

Uh-oh. Is this a top-20 list now? anyway, the MC for this series is GOLD. im not liking where it’s currently heading tho thus the lower ranking.

20.  IRIS - Lady with a Smartphone

omg IVE NEGLECTED THIS FOR TOO LONG. lemme go buy more chapters hahahaha. it’s a tad too lengthy... otherwise i like the MC and yummy ML!

still not enough?

Special Mentions - Okay, these will be unranked cos I don’t think these are that good but probably still worth a read.

I've Become the Villainous Empress of a Novel - this is new, im looking forward to how it progresses wheeeee.

Lady to Queen - It’s a ruthless manhwa. There was a point i started reading all sorts of sadistic content (i was running out of content i swear) and this was one of the better ones. I appreciate the MC very much. the plot now is a little weird and im a bit wary of the MC’s sister... hopefully the ML can be more useful. he’s pitiful though. but dude come on, dont rely on the wrong gal.

Goodbye, In-law - I’m not sure if i like the current progress buuuuuuut MC and ML are cute so who cares.

The Duchess' 50 Tea Recipes - plot is still engaging. MC and ML are cute. i dont know where the plot is heading towards though. 

A Falling Cohabitation - this is interesting and fun but a lil lengthy.

Light and Shadow - the sequel is out!!! i highly enjoyed this entire series!!! i would have probably ranked it a lil higher if i did this post earlier but too many series have overtaken this in my heart lol.

This Girl Is a Little Wild - is the hiatus ending yet? i would add it back to top 20 if it came back LOL. it’s highly entertaining tho. ML is adorable.

The Duchess With an Empty Soul  - pretty nice. MC and ML are a little boring. i think it can end soon. LMAO.

A Capable Maid - it’s amusing how she gets her powers for all sorts of situations lol. the prince is creepy tbh. and im secretly rooting for the other king hehe.

Beware of the Brothers! - it’s cute and heart-wrenching at the same time! not too sure im digging the latest plot development but okay... i’ll take it. they’re all cuties.

Living as the Tyrant's Older Sister - hehehe. it’s cute. duke is kinda silly but the latest chapter made me squeal!!!

The Evil Lady's Hero  - idk where the plot is going but MC and ML are adorable!!!

The Dragon Next Door - HAHAHA. it’s hilarious.

The Youngest Princess - she’s growing uppppp noooooooooooo

Virtues of the Villainess - ginger is hilarious. i dont see where the plot is going tho... and cant say i like the ML yet. i dont even get to see him much, hello?!

The Justice of Villainous Woman - pretty wholesome... i like the MC! (the ML is fine. no one else to contend with so...) can u end already?! lol.

Amina of the Lamp - hey, what happened to this? it’s pretty inconsistent but i do like the MC and ML... and the art...

The Villain's Savior - this is some sadistic shit. i reserve it for when i feel sadistic. i pretty much wanna see MC happy but idk if she’s making the right choices. :/

I Don't Want to Be Empress! - HAHAHAHA uhm it’s getting interesting. i just want ML to step up more... 

La dolce vita di Adelaide - I FINISHED THIS! and it’s wholesome, feel-good and cute. some parts felt a lil extra but ah whatever.

The Black Haired Princess - plot. move. faster!!! otherwise the MC and ML are pretty cute.

The Abandoned Empress - im a lil on the fence but i know how popular this series is. it started out HORRIBLE. i hated the ML so much. and then i found the green hair boy creepy. like MC, you need better taste in boys. it’s certainly getting more interesting now though. so please, continue to make my money’s worth!!!

Lucia - i. am. not. guilty. of. anything. *smut warning* anyway go read the novel. it’s better. hehehe.

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim - i do not need to elaborate any further. 

Past loves 

I created this section just to remind myself, that what i could like one day, i could hate the next LOL.

The Monster Duchess and Contract Princess - I know this is wildly popular. but i lost interest in it once she grew up. i dont think she’s particularly lovable. soz.

Survive as the Hero's Wife - another popular choice. I find the plot kinda boring now. MC and ML are cute though. 

Sincerely: I Became a Duke's Maid - another popular one. again, boring plot. like cant it end yet? oh you mean we need to wait for the real female lead to show up? dont need luh.

I Am a Child of This House - wow. the plot is shit now. and i do not support the MC and her guard. soz. she’s OVERPOWERED tbh. 

This Is an Obvious Fraudulent Marriage - idk what happened but my enthusiasm for this died.

Charlotte and Her 5 Disciples - i don’t get it. i dont get their obsession for her. 

[utterlyinevitable]

Pre 1, 3, 7

General 2, 5, 9

Domestic 2,4,8

Love 3,6,8

For ya girl Becca and Ethan!

Oh anon, thank you so much!💕

>  ship questions < 

PRE RELATIONSHIP

1. How did they first meet?

Her intern year of residency during an emergency tracheotomy. 

3. Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Naveen and Alan were team E&B from the beginning. These two dad’s saw how she brought the stoic attending back to life. Harper was worried at the beginning but once she got to understand their dynamic she was really supportive. 

Sienna has wanted these two together since first year of residency - tbh some of her hype was also because of how attractive she found Ethan to be, and the girl wanted to vicariously live through her lucky friend. 

Becca’s mom advised against it. She wanted her daughter to find happiness... but with her boss? 10 years older than her? Are we sure it’s not some teenage crush culminating into lust? Live in sin. Sleep with the man but don’t get tied down. Focus on yourself and your career. 

7. What would their lives be like if they had never met?

my default was to write about hannah my bryce mc

If Becca had never met Ethan... which would mean Becca didn’t get matched to Edenbrook... She would still buy tickets to his speaking events that were within reach; he’s her medical hero after all. Romantically, she’d get involved with another resident but keep it casual. She wants to travel the world and does a few tours with Doctors Without Borders. She takes a research fellowship in another country. She starts a life and likes living it but there’s this sort of restlessness so she doesn’t stay in one place longer than four years. When her research gets published in a book deal she takes that opportunity to take a sabbatical and move closer to her mom. When she’s home she runs into an old flame and debates settling down. He works in tech start ups and she’s a doctor. They both have a lot of pride in their work and in one another. They don’t have children but do get a dog. It’s a nice life and they both retire relatively young. 

Ethan would continue to live a solitary life. He’d go into a deep depression after Naveen died and step away from his role for a while. He’d run away, probably with the WHO for a few long tours to help him make sense of his failures. He’d be beaten down and would devote whatever was left of his life to solving Naveen’s case and honoring his legacy. He’d be half-assed involved with a few women but none would stay. No one could get into his heart like Becca was able to infiltrate it.  

GENERAL

2. Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

If you ask Becca, she’d say their first date was when he asked her if she’d like to join him for a late-dinner in his office and discuss Naveen’s case. Even though they were still in the hospital, and even if they were eating out of plastic containers, she wouldn’t have expected anything else. They also spoke about every but the case at hand. Really, Becca can’t even recall if Naveen’s file was even in sight that evening. 

Ethan would say their first date was the one at the middle of second-year when he finally asked her to a proper restaurant. It was expensive, romantic and had a dress code - to which he wanted to not make dinner and tear the dress right off of her. Conversation and wine flowed freely, and they made a little challenge to order for the other. And they both got the orders right. A few tables over a couple got engaged and Becca made a joke about this place being too romantic of a place to bring colleagues. They hadn’t defined what they’re doing at that point. 

Their real first date wasn’t official. It was a few weeks after the gala and Ethan’s grand romantic gesture. He off handedly invited her over for dinner. He cooked, they ate, cuddled on the couch watching a documentary, then she went home. Well, went to go home. He asked her to stay, so she did. 

5. What’s their height difference? Age difference?

Ethan is 6′6 and Becca is 5′9. 

They’re 10 years and 2 months apart. 

9. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

Ethan is by far the one to whisper it - to put the words out in the open for anyone to hear in his gruff baritone. 

Becca is unabashedly text the things to him all day. Multiples times throughout the day. Sometimes she’ll send visual help. 

Slowly but surely Ethan’s come around to like texting. 

DOMESTIC

2. What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

They were going to have a big wedding. She always dreamed of having everyone she loves in one place - she’s always liked family reunions and what’s a happier time than to get all dressed up and see everyone? But things didn’t pan out that way. 

They had a huge fight about how it was all getting to be too grand and too much for Ethan to deal with. And so he left. Left Becca alone in the apartment with her binders strewn all over the dinning room. He came back a few hours later and packed a bag. 

Made her pack one too. 

They got married, just the two of them, at city hall in New York the next afternoon. 

They didn’t tell anyone. They still planned their big show wedding and no one was the wiser. Except for the ordained minister who they told when explaining why they didn’t actually need someone ordained to perform the ceremony.  

4. Do they have any pets?

They have a labradoodle named Jenner. When Jenner passes they don’t get another dog until their son is five. They adopt a rescue boxer named Laila.  

8. How do they celebrate holidays?

Ethan hates the holidays, but he makes an exception for Becca. They willingly work Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve/Day and New Years day - they’re on shift together and these days never held much weight for them. The weekend before Christmas they see Becca’s mom and family for their annual gathering. Then they spend Boxing Day with Alan and Naveen. All holidays are always low-key and surrounded by loved ones. 

When they have kids they’re established in their careers enough to take any and all holidays off to celebrate with their babies. 

LOVE

3. Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

Becca. She makes sure they’re extra cheesy and she only starts using them once they’re already seeing one another. 

I’m fairly certain Ethan doesn’t know what a pick up line is 🤣

6. Who’s the big and little spoon?

Becca’s the little spoon. Ethan is always the big spoon; he cannot fall asleep unless she’s laying on his arm and one of his hands is cupping her boob. 

8. Who’s better at comforting the other?

They’re both kinda terrible at it since they’re both stubborn, emotionally stunted beans. Though it would be Becca. Just because her form of comfort is touch - hugging, holding his hand or squeezing his thigh, rubbing his back, kiss to the temple, just being there things. 

Ethan’s go-to is to make the situation better. So instead of comfort he goes into strategic mode. Over the years he’s gotten better at it and now knows when she needs solutions and when she just needs hugs and support. 

[deng-yi-deng]

What have I been doing with my life (2020)

Wrap up of all the dramas I remember watching this year, roughly in order of when I watched them and how much I liked them - totally subjective and not based on quality or anything else. There were LOTS of dramas I meant to watch (Hikaru no Go, Bad kids, Romance of Tiger and Rose) but didn’t get to. This list includes Cdramas, Kdramas and KO One (Zhongji) series which is kinda it’s own thing. Last time I just listed them but this time I’m indulging in a little commentary - titles in bold i might even watch again.

TOTAL HOURS WASTED: 442.5 = 18+ days

Full list after the cut but I’ll give you my

fave cdrama from 2020: Love is Sweet (really? who wrote this? it’s not wuxia?? I hate rom-coms!! wth???) ok, ok, tied with Ancient Detective (phew, that’s more like it.)

fave cdrama I watched this year: Nirvana in Fire (2015)

Ever night (2018) why did no one tell me to watch this before? holy crap real wuxia. the plot, world-building, setting, characters, production were all fabulous. tbh the weakest part was the end (a common lament of mine). secondary characters were all my faves, next to the scenery. cfy was ok, but not amazing so ....that’s how I feel about that.

Nirvana in Fire (2015) glad I didn’t watch this until now because basically all i can think of when I watch a drama is...why the f* can’t this be even half as good as NiF? seriously, now that I know they can make good dramas, it makes the bad ones seem even worse. A classic, you don’t need my recommendation on this one.

The Ghost Bride (2020) based on a YA novel. Super good (tho I didn’t read the novel). I even recommended it to non-drama watching friends because it’s short and on Netflix.

Ancient Detective (2020) I just really really enjoyed this, ok? best friends squad with a little romance. plot rips off English country house mystery format but then has a twist at the end. bonus himbo. sad it likely won’t get a S2 because it ended on a cliffhanger.

Mystic pop-up bar (2020) I laughed, I cried. Fav kdrama this year tho I didn’t watch many, including most ppls’ favorites.

Love is sweet (2020) brainless, tooth-rotting fluff. exactly what i needed in this nuclear tire fire of a year. silly. bai lu and gao hanyu were great. lyx is my emotional support actor (but you knew that already.)

Joy of Life (2019) finished it in January I’m allowing myself to stick it on the 2020 list because it’s so good.

KO One (2005) and KO One Re-act (2013): KO One is my comfort food show now - watched it for the third time due to Reasons. Silly, stupid humor with heart.The theme song is my ring tone. Re-act has been the most enjoyable of the Zhongji series sequels for me. (Fun fact: lyx acted in one of the Zhongji series “Ultimate Ranger.” I WISH I could find a place to watch it.)

Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (2020) - enjoyable. found family is my jam. great food pr0n, needless killing off of a certain character I will not name

Kingdom S2 (2020): cromulent sequel, annoyingly short season

Wu Xin the monster killer (2015) - a sleeper. I really enjoyed this, looking forward to watching the sequels. Elvis Han and Ian Wang were great, but all the actors were good, plot moved briskly, had lots of humor and action, music was less annoying than most dramas (for me)

Fighter of the Destiny (2017) - not done with this yet but this is the kind of fluffy xianxia I like - again, best friends squad with less emphasis on the sappy romance. Gao Hanyu is adorable. Lu Han is...pretty good?? (downside: Janice Wu’s character is kinda annoying)

Handsome Siblings (2020) - they...did not look at all alike. was that supposed to be funny? supporting characters were A+

The Uncanny Counter (on air) (2020) - amount of emotional gut punches per episode borders on viewer abuse. blatant tearjerker.

Legend of Fei (2020) - so far not compelling (up to ep 12) but i’ll eventually finish it because wyb’s character is fun and i like the supporting characters

Tale of the nine-tailed (2020) - though it seemed up my alley I forced myself to watch it. secondary characters were way better than the leads

The Devil Punisher (on air) (2020) cheap and cheesy, but more fun than Uncanny Counter. Don’t @ me

KO One Re-member (2016) No Jiro, but at least we got Wes back - too bad his character was nowhere near as fun as Huang Zhong in KO 3guo.

KO One Re-turn (2012) Dragged a lot.

And the Winner is Love (2020) - you know how much I love lyx but this is on the bottom of the list because after watching the whole thing I got really really depressed. like really. depressed. it wasn’t just that the drama was a complete let down (it was) idk. i’m always going to associate it with losing that last little bit of my will to give a crap about anything.

Winter Begonia (2020) - abandoned after 3 eps. I just wasn’t in the mood for this, though I like jing ju. may try again another time

The Wolf (2020) - abandoned after 3 eps. if you’ve read this far down I’ll let you in on a secret - Darren Wang looks terrible in a wig.

My roommate is a detective (2020) - abandoned after 2 eps. for some reason this did not hit me.

[voidstilesplease]

By the Angel, TALK

Warning: THIS IS AN ANTI-CLARY AND JACE SPOILER RANT because I need an avenue to let out some of the steam I've been holding off since starting City of Fallen Angels. So PLEASE SKIP AHEAD because I don't want to burden you all with my reading woes.

This thing centers on the beginning of Chapter 9: From Fire Unto Fire and a little bit of Chapter 8. About eight pages of bad, bad romance set me off.

To start,

The rest is under the cut, so you can go away now.

So, what's been happening to Clary and Jace thus far?

This book introduced them now as an official couple, picking up from the end of TMI Book 3: City of Glass. I don't remember their every scene since then to the point in Chapter 9 where I stopped, but basically, they're having relationship issues early on. They're less than two months into their relationship, and the drama is too frickin much. 

Jace has these weird dreams about murdering Clary and waking up guilty about his subconscious thoughts, so he goes angsting about it and avoiding her, snapping at her, being a total dick, and still question why people think they are on the brink of a break-up. 

So, Jace goes with Simon in the next few scenes, in his plight to get away from her as far as possible, yet still be somehow close by being around Clary's best friend to "protect" him, so his distant behavior will be reasonable and forgivable. Yeah, make that make sense. 🙄 But of course, one way or another, they're going to have to get to the confrontation part (that I still wish had been equivalent to an actual break-up), and so that's when Chapter 8 & 9 enters.

Chapter 8: Walk in Darkness pp. 185-186

Almost instantly, the light went out of them, and the remaining color drained out of his face. "I thought --- Simon said you weren't coming." ¹

[...] "So you only came because you thought I wouldn't be here? [...] Were you ever planning on talking to me again? [...] If you're going to break it off, the least you could do is tell me, not just stop talking to me and leave me to figure it out on my own."

"Why does everyone keep goddamn asking me if I'm going to break up with you? [...]²

First, what an asshole?! 

[1] So Jace finally in-your-face's Clary and confirms that he has been keeping his distance like Clary has the plague. He then has the audacity to [2] be annoyed for being questioned on his intentions of keeping the relationship that he has been actively evading for days!

I get that Jace sucks in romantic relationships and has been fucked up by his daddy-issues, but he has the Lightwoods. Heck, Alec is his parabatai. He sees working relationships, so he has to have known that you don't just stop talking to people close to you and have them not question the behavior, whether you're trying to pull away from them or not. Otherwise, then Jace is dumb for all that he's marketed as the "best" Shadowhunter in his age. Screw that.

---

“You talked to Simon about us?" Clary shook her head. "Why? Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Because I can't talk to you," Jace said. "I can't talk to you, I can't be with you, I can't even look at you."³

[3] Way to make a girl feel special, Jace. Oh, no, yeah. He's trying to do the opposite and push her away with some teenage boy angst that doesn't make any sense. Like, who says that, though, aside from dramatic love interests that can't make a better excuse for going emo? 

That line IS TOO DRAMATIC that it hurts, ugh. 🤮

Anyway, so Clary walks out after that. I don't sympathize with her, but I'd do the same. Who wouldn't? Unless you freeze in the ridiculousness of the situation, that is, which is also likely.

Chapter 9: From Fire Unto Fire pp. 190-195

Now, here's the real shit. I want to quote this entire six-page scene back to Cassie and scream at her.

Clary reached the door and burst out into the rain-drenched evening air. [...] and was about to race across the street against the light when a hand caught her arm and spun her around.

It was Jace. [...] "Clary, didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Let go of me." Her voice shook.

"No. Not until you talk to me."⁴

[4] DUDE, what even happened to your I CAN'T TALK TO YOU, I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOU speech, huh? Be consistent for once, apart from your douchebag routine. Make up your mind, Jace.

---

Still holding her by the arm, he half-dragged her around the van and into a narrow alley that bordered the Alto Bar. ⁵

[5] Man, I love a bit of rough loving in my literature, but I'm so pissed at you, Jace, don't even. Lay the hell off.

---

"I was going to tell you that I was trying to help out Simon. [...]

"And you couldn't tell me? Couldn't text me a single line letting me know where you were?"⁶ [...]

[...]

"I think," he said slowly, "that I thought that the closest thing to being with you was being with Simon. Watching out for him. I had some stupid idea that you'd realize I was doing it for you and forgive me---"⁷

[6] Addressing the lack of communication, that's a great path to follow. These two need to talk so bad. [7] But this line? Sucks Balls. You could be with her, Jacey, and save all the readers your drama if you only pull your head out of your ass and try to communicate. It's like you're allergic to it.

---

She took a step back, blindly, and nearly tripped over an abandoned speaker. Her bag slid to the ground as she put her hand out to right herself, but Jace was already there. He moved forward to catch her, and kept moving until her back hit the alley wall, and his arms were around her, and he was kissing her frantically.⁸

[8] Not only is this achingly cheesy, but it's also totally not the way they should be going off about their situation. They were already talking -arguing, yes, but they're still using words to reach out, and their relationship absolutely cannot be healthy without them. Thus far, they have spoken so less in comparison with the times they've spent canoodling. They're not solving anything by having drama on one second and getting it on with dramatic kissing on the next.

I don't care what Clary says about being so lost in love with Jace. He's treating her like shit. The least he can do is give her answers that she has the right to demand from him. Kissing is not an answer. But, well, maybe to Clary, it is because the next parts from page 192 to 194 are spent on softcore porn in a dark alley under the frickin rain. I bet that's a very romantic setting in their minds, huh.

---

And now this part:

It was nerve-wracking. She could feel the feverish heat that came off him; her hands were still on his shoulders, but it wasn't enough. She wanted him wrapped around her, holding her tight. "W-why," she breathed. "can't you talk to me? Why can't you look at me?"

He ducked his head down to look into her face. His eyes, surrounded by lashes darkened with rainwater, were impossibly gold.

"Because I love you."⁹

[9] Is that supposed to make me tingle? SET ME ON FIRE, but that is the lousiest I love you in books that I have ever read. AND IT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, at all!

Shut up with this, can you please. It's not romantic at all. It's a dumb excuse and an even dumber love from the two dumbest people in this whole frickin series. Oh my god.

Clary, realistically, will frown at this answer. She will pull the hell away and spat him in the face with how demeaning his love is if it can make her sick to the stomach with thinking he has already gone bored and is only cooking the perfect way to cut off their connection. He hasn't given her a sound reason, only desperate declarations of love like he's trying to convince them both that it's true. And it doesn't make sense how she's still plastered around him in the cold, trying to convince the readers that every word from Jace has deeper meanings that she understands no matter how gibberish they are. I'm not buying that, okay? Stop selling your larger-than-life connection bullshit because that isn't real.

You've only been together for two months, okay? The strongest you can feel for each other is lust. And it's showing.

---

His hands slid down to her waist and he kissed her, long and lingering, making her shudder.

She pulled away, "That doesn't make any sense."

"Neither does this," he said, "but I don't care. I'm sick of trying to pretend I can live without you. Don't you understand that? Can't you see it's killing me?"¹⁰

She stared at him. She could see that he meant what he said [...] Her desire for answers battled the more primal part of her brain, and lost. "Kiss me then,"¹¹

[10] NOBODY THREATENED YOU UNDER BLADE TO DO THAT BULLSHIT, so shut the hell up with the whining. [11] and Clary, I am so disappointed. You've both just drained me, and I'm dry inside like a raisin.

The next paragraphs describe their very erotic kissing against the wall. Jace, propping her up and her legs around his waist bull crap. Seriously? Am I supposed to believe these two are, what sixteen?- up until Isabelle thankfully ruins their moment by kicking a garbage can that would look better with Jace and Clary in it tbh.

---

And the nastiest horseshit of all:

Clary looked at Jace. At any other time, they would have laughed together at Isabelle's moodiness, but there was no humor in his expression, and she knew immediately that whatever they had had between them ---whatever had blossomed out of his momentary lack of control--- it was gone now. [...]

"Jace---" she took a step toward him.

"Don't," he said, his voice very rough. "I can't."¹²

And then he was gone [...]

[12] No, I frickin CANNOT. His actions keep on contradicting his words, and he's fickle and can't decide which mood to settle, and it's so exhausting, honestly. He wasted a few pages for a cosmic, meaningless declaration of feelings. They're empty words. At this point, I believe the writing only strives to convince the readers that these characters care for each other but is shitty at showing it.

It's not love, because they say it is love.

---

I was already gaining hope for this book, and then one simple few-pages scene with clace squishes it, smearing the innards on my face.

Honestly, TALK OR TAKE A BREAK. This back and forth can't continue throughout the rest of the book or -heaven forbid- the rest of the series. Or at least, put these characters in the background if they really must drag on this problem, because I care not a lick.

Bye.

[cheesybadgers]

Interview Game

Thanks for the tag @itssmashedavo 😊

Nickname: I don’t have one.

Pronouns: She/her

Star sign: Aries

Height: About 5′6

Time currently: 21:30pm

Birthday: In 10 days’ time 😉

Favourite groups/bands: Manic Street Preachers, The Killers, Idlewild

Favourite solo artist: Marina Diamandis, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Allie X, Ava Max (I love me some pop queens apparently)

Song stuck in my head: Girls on Film by Duran Duran

Last movie you watched: I can’t actually remember. My husband has been re-watching some of the MCU films, so I’ve seen bits of them, but I’ve mostly been watching shows rather than films recently. 

Last show you binged: Better Call Saul. I finished it the other night and now have major withdrawal symptoms and miss all of the characters already. SO good 💕

When you created your blog: November 2010, apparently, yikes. 

Last thing I googled: I think I was checking the spelling of a word before I posted my latest fic update. 

Other blogs: None.

Why I chose my URL: Oh god, this is a slightly embarrassing story, but way back in 2001 when the first Harry Potter film was released, I had a major crush on Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood). At the time, he had his own website and there was a message from him on the front page that said something about a cheesy badger. So obviously it seemed like a good idea to have that as my username and for some unknown reason, I’ve kept it across many different sites over the years and here we are now 😂

Do you get asks: Not a lot compared to others, but some. 

How many people you are following: I have no idea tbh, too many given how long I spend on here trying to catch up lol. 

How many followers: Enough for me, certainly more than a few months back. 

Average hours of sleep: Ugh probably about 5, sometimes more, sometimes less. My sleep pattern has been all over the place during the pandemic, bordering on insomnia at times. 

Lucky number: 10

Instruments: I don’t play any, sadly. I had violin lessons at school for a short while, but that’s it. 

Currently wearing: Blue joggers and a green and white top. I never wore joggers pre-pandemic, now I apparently live in them. 

Dream job: Something behind the scenes on TV/film, maybe a locations manager or cinematographer. 

Dream trip: I’d love to visit Latin America or Japan one day (obviously when there isn’t a global pandemic happening). 

Favourite food: Curry and chocolate..obviously not at the same time. 

Favourite song: It changes all the time tbh, so don’t think I could pick just one! 

Top 3 fictional worlds to live in: Ooh that’s tricky, because a lot of my fave shows/films are set in extremely dangerous universes I really wouldn’t want to live in 😂 I’ll say His Dark Materials, Star Trek and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. 

No pressure tags: @massivecolorspygiant, @ionlyjoinedforboydholbrook, @claveldelaire and anyone else who wants to have a go!

[mcousland]

nobody asked for this at all, the dummies have just become my comfort zone and i love them so a fool filled out a whole meme for them for the fun of it. dietrich belongs to @darlingicarus​!

— SHIP QUESTIONS

PRE-RELATIONSHIP —

how did they first meet?

dietrich saved both maeve’s and carden’s lives while he was making a run in the city. saving carden was pure coincidence that came from killing a few of the dead that had been blocking his own path, but maeve was intended as he kept her from meeting a terrible end when one of the dead got hold of her skirt while she tried to run past. as everyone is prone to in those early days—dietrich was fine with protecting maeve and even bringing her back to whatever group there was at the time, but didn’t mind one bit if carden got bit somewhere along the way.

what was their first impression of each other?

maeve thought he was a bit too Blunt about everything that was going on and wished he would stop looking so damned serious all the time, it made her nervous about danger being around every corner and she was already scared enough. she also thought he was a bit handsome underneath that scowl

dietrich had a bit of a hard time seeing her past carden’s [annoyingly] large presence but thought she wasn’t taking things seriously enough, too many witty one-liners and worries about dirtying her hands and clothes. probably worried about the brightness of her clothes attracting too much attention too tbh

did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

family, that’s a good one. ohhhh, i’m sure a few of their friends wanted them to sort things out and just admit to themselves whatever was going on between them, because oh boy did they Ignore a Lot of things for quite a while but a good 80% of the group could spot how close they had grown through all of the things they endured together.

who felt romantic feelings first?

we already know that it was maeve!! we know this, how silly it is to even type it out!!! we know that she woke up one morning after an evening of fwb activities, spent a minute gazing at him while he remained asleep beside her and there was a frightening Oh No realization when she found herself reaching out to touch his cheek without thinking.

did either of them try to resist their feelings?

both of them! big time!! they were fucking terrified. on top of their own already established issues with Feelings, there are the obvious shared fears that come from the world they’re living in. it’s difficult to accept that you’re becoming attached to someone when you know that you could lose them at any moment with so much violence and darkness surrounding you at every turn, especially when you’ve already lost others along the way. (dietrich definitely held out his resistance for longer, though that's a given.)

if you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

would depend on the timing, i suppose. early days they’d probably both scoff at the thought, but later on maeve could be convinced. there’s that whole “soulmates can be made” belief and yes it may be cheesy, but maeve’s a romantic at heart and she’d like to think it’s true enough. soulmates are people who understand each other deeply, are connected at the mind, and know without doubt that the other will always be there at their side—consider maeve Convinced.

GENERAL —

who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

maeve did! technically twice if you count a difference between the beginning of their fwb agreement and then the relationship proper faaaar down the line. i believe the first hook-up came about from maeve making a Very convincing argument for them to find some pleasure and relief from their steadily growing stress while they were away from the group, given that they had become somewhat of a default duo for supply runs and spent so much quality~ alone time together. considering that you could hardcut to five minutes later and find maeve on her knees unbuckling dietrich’s belt, i’d say the proposition went pretty well 😌 the relationship itself came along quite some time down the line, when maeve accidentally slipped up mid-makeout and let the love she has for dietrich Shine through her eyes while looking at him. naturally his instinct was to book it out of there because Feelings Hard, but maeve decided to risk baring her fuckin' heart ((after some months of Pining and a particularly Traumatic series of events that led to them clinging tighter to each other than before)) by asking him simply to "stay" before he could get out the door. arguably that moment was scarier than most of the times they've gone out into the world beyond the safety of their group, but ultimately worth the leap of faith!! because he stayed, and though it was never explicitly stated, they both understood that that night spent together was them putting an end to the fight against the feelings they both knew were there and finally taking the next step in their relationship.

did they have an official first date? if so, what was it like?

they did, but it was purely because maeve labeled it as such and no other reason. a few weeks after their relationship was Confirmed, maeve up and decided that their run into the city would be their first proper Date because they hadn't had some actual alone time in a good while, and it sounded like harmless fun which they didn't get enough of. nothing really Changed from their routine of clearing and scavenging, she just changed up their usual dialogue to asking the "typical date questions. oh, you know! what's your favorite movie? your weirdest fear? the dumbest thing you spent far too much money on?" just a silly excuse to get to know some of the little, random things about each other that popped into their heads or that they'd been curious about for a while.

what was their first kiss like?

tentative and oddly gentle, maeve went for a slow approach in every aspect while testing the waters to see if her last few minutes of attempting to Seduce the bastard into a fwb arrangement had panned out. it was almost Immediately followed up by another kiss and some touching that bordered more along the lines of desperate and eager as they wanted to get to the fun bits, but it was still one of the first notable moments of maeve taking that first step for them and waiting to see if he’d follow suit.

were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

probably first relationship after the world went to shit, but in general nah they’ve both got some prior experiences.

what’s their height difference? age difference?

dietrich’s 5′10″ and maeve’s 5′0″. he’s in his early-to-mid 30s, she’s probably at the end of her 20s?? somewhere around there. who needs solid numbers anyway

what’s their relationship with each other’s families?

😔✌️ new fam found in the group, who dis??

who takes the lead in social situations?

100% maeve baybee. whether she’s talking circles around somebody to keep them distracted, trying to diffuse a situation or just comforting somebody through a difficult moment, we all been knew that maeve’s better suited for almost every kind of social situation. she’ll let him handle any of the ones that rely on intimidation tho, that’s all leitner right there

who gets jealous easier?

ohhhh, that’s another maeve claim. she has Zero reason to worry because dietrich is oblivious to so many attempts at flirtation from others, but it’s still a gut instinct in her to get a little ticked off seeing some rando trying to make moves on him. that’s Her bastard that she spent untold months charming the defenses away from, take a step back and show some respect.

LOVE —

who said “i love you” first?

everybody knows it was maeve, i hardly need to say it. we know she was the one brave enough to say it first, even if it Did take a scare of losing dietrich to tell him. they both already Knew, in that ways of theirs that they have where things are simply Understood between them without having to be mentioned aloud, but she needed him to hear it from her lips at least once. just in case

what are their primary love languages?

i’d say they’re both pretty big on quality time because of them both being naturally inclined to it and how they drifted into becoming partners for supply runs and other action, they spend so much time together it’d be Wild for it not to be their shared #1. not a single doubt in my mind that acts of service is dietrich’s other big one, while maeve’s kinda 50/50 on words of affirmation and physical touch being her runner-up.

how often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

i’ll out them on main for being cuddlers in bed or just generally when they’re Alone. they’re not very big on PDA as a result of dietrich’s whole “if there’s affection exchanged in public i Will learn how to teleport myself halfway across the planet to escape the embarrassment” deal and maeve respecting that. HOWEVER. it’s still maeve and she sneaks in little things when she can, like hand-holding or winding an arm around his waist while they walk. has been known to sneak in a quick kiss to the cheek if he’s sitting down and she can snatch it while he’s not anticipating it. i think hugs are The Most affection that people would frequently see from them in public ((aside from the soft expressions as they watch each other but those don’t count, don’t @ them about it)). the amount of times people in the group have seen them kiss in public can be counted on Maybe one hand if they’re lucky lmfao they keep that shit locked down

what are their favorite things to do together?

this question deserves to be banned from memes because it immediately erases all creative braincells from your mind. dietrich likes to watch maeve tell stories and she loves to ramble those stories, so that’s a win/win for them. sitting on rooftops to watch the sunrise/sunset together. going out of their way to look through any abandoned antique stores or book shops because they’re both Nerds and willing to put in the work of clearing them out so that they can browse. i imagine their favorite is reading together in some comfortable silence, whether that’s separately or with her curled up into him on a couch so they can read the same book. wait also i think maeve thoroughly enjoys any time they’re on watch together because it gives her the opportunity to freely Tease him (and also Gaze at him while he’s focused on the perimeter but that’s entirely too soft so don’t talk about that)

who’s better at comforting the other?

i don’t think either of them are particularly Better at it than the other?? purely because in the beginning, there’s a balance there between dietrich being reluctant to accept maeve’s comfort when she offers it & her taking a hot minute to understand his attempts at comfort. but then they reach that point where dietrich doesn’t tense up when she pulls him into a hug, and maeve finds the consolation she needs in his quiet assurances. on the surface it’d appear that maeve’s better at comforting dietrich purely because she’s more openly physical with her attempts, but the amount of security and solace that she finds in his words or touch means just as much.

who’s more protective?

dietrich takes it with this one. on top of his already there inclination to protect someone if they manage to get close with him, dietrich’s simply the one with better combat skills. maeve can? kinda?? handle herself, if the danger isn’t too pressing and she can find an opening to take advantage of, and she Does have some very strong protective instincts when it comes to dietrich, but he for sure comes out on top for this one. he has the stronger drive and better skills to back the protectiveness up.

do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

physical for both of them! a lot of their communication lies in the unspoken anyhow, it’s no surprise that most of their affection is expressed physically instead of verbally. dietrich’s preference coming from the fact that he might just actually implode on the spot if maeve showered him in too many compliments and expressions of love through words, and maeve’s from learning to appreciate and bask in the meaning and emotion behind the physical affection that he does engage in. also she’s just,, a slut for any kind of affection to begin with, but it’s definitely a whole Thing with being touched when there’s genuine care and love behind it instead of some other ulterior motive.

what are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

[sweats in Having An Entire Playlist Dedicated To Dummies In This AU]

sunlight by hozier — (video essayist voice) the conclusion: maeve is the sunlight to dietrich’s raincloud, thank you. the vibes for this one are just off the charts, lads. it’s about finding Warmth and Light in this love amidst the horrors of the world and in spite of the initial reluctance to let each other get close.

safe & sound by taylor swift — another one with vibes out of this world, this song is Top Tier for a big part of their dynamic in this verse, which is them finding safety and comfort in each other while the rest of the world goes to shit around them. everything may be going up in flames outside, but they know that they have each other and they’re not Alone in anything they do.

what kind of nicknames do they call each other?

maeve’s the queen of petnames, unfortunately for the easily flustered bastard. her favorites are naturally dear and darling, but she also enjoys an occasional use of lover. has called him baby once or twice just to get the reaction out of him. oh wait she also likes calling him an old man when he’s Like That and doesn’t get her references or grumbles too much.

i mean,, it’s dietrich, he uses Sommers more often than her fuckin’ first name and i don’t think he’s out here using petnames/nicknames on the reg At All, they’re opposite ends of the spectrum with this one. he called her sweetheart once to throw her off and it sent her out of wack for at least the entire rest of the day. so good on him, mission accomplished.

DOMESTIC LIFE —

if they get married, who proposes?

no marriage! dietrich’s not quite keen on it and maeve’s not the type to push him into anything he’s not comfortable with. if anything she might?? bring up the idea of rings if they ever come by some while out and about and they’ve been together for a hot minute, for the sentimental and sappy reason of having little reminders of each other to keep on their persons, but she’s not Insistent about it and is content with what they have.

how many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

no kids! world too scary, no thank you!! they’re also just Not in dietrich’s wheelhouse, which may have been a Problem for them if they weren’t in the midst of an actual fuckin’ apocalypse where nearly every day is a fight for survival and maeve can Clearly see every downside of bringing a baby into that.

do they have any pets?

don’t think so, but maeve’s probably made a whole Deal once or twice about leaving a little food for any dogs or cats they see along their treks because she has a soft heart.

who kills the bugs in the house?

dietrich!! he’s in charge of doing away with those Creatures because maeve will most certainly not be going anywhere near them if she can help it. which is,, pretty funny. you know considering their Big Picture circumstances. zombies? she’s fine with them after a point, only truly terrifying in medium-to-large numbers. a spider or cockroach skittering across the kitchen counter?? Horrifying! leitner do your job and protect your woman from the hellspawn

how do they celebrate holidays?

generally just by,, Acknowledging them?? at the very least. maeve has her entire Thing that is keeping track of the date with a day planner that she has had with her from the very beginning (though it’s been lost once or twice, always found its way back), but she doesn’t demand anything happen on holidays because they’re usually a bit Busy making sure they aren’t Dying to whatever’s threatening them that day. on the occasions where they have the free time, maeve insists they spend quiet time together without having to worry about any of their daily responsibilities and that’s holiday enough. maybe slips in a small tradition if applicable and not too over the top

who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

maeve is a very ;) persuasive woman ;)) it was more difficult and had a less frequent success rate back during the fwb days, but he’s completely fucked after they’ve been #confirmed. stands not a single chance to resist those eyes and the idea of lying in her arms for just a little while longer before they have to start their day.

who’s the better cook?

😔😔 dietrich by far. maeve couldn’t cook for shit before the apocalypse began when she had access to all sorts of appliances, recipes and helpful tutorials, there ain’t no way in hell she stands a chance at beating him Now. she’ll gladly take up other duties, but he’s their chef unless somebody else in the group has made a big dinner for everyone to share.

[breezeinmonochromenight]

Thoughts on Resident Evil animation movies? (And rate the villains if you don't mind~ thanks)

I’ll do both, it’s np lol. I need a break from typing up other responses.

RE: Degeneration — Pretty solid action movie and only had a few moments where it wasn’t entertaining. It felt like Resident Evil. Plus, Leon and Claire are always a solid protagonist combo, and this movie made made me really want another Claire + Leon game. Angela was kind of a weak character and got kind of overshadowed by Leon and Claire, but she wasn’t too unbearable. Also, the CGI holds up really well for a movie that came out... what... like 12+ years ago? That’s honesty impressive.

RE: Damnation — This is the best and most interesting one of the lot, and where I assume the talent went (instead of into RE6, since it’s a prequel movie). The plot is really interesting and it doesn’t totally feel like a very long cutscene like Degeneration does. It’s a shame it’s even vaguely attached to RE6. Idk, I just feel like it nailed all the things that make Resident Evil, well.... Resident Evil, without having to be a video game.

RE: Vendetta — Honestly it’s the worst/most generic one, plot wise, the action borders on anime/Devil May Cry levels of OTT-ness, and I hate that Rebecca got pushed into a damsel-in-distress role, but it’s got the inherent cheesiness of classic RE and I can totally appreciate that. It’s my personal favorite, if we’re being honest. I’m also partial because I feel like it’s the closest I’ll ever get to a Leon + Chris game and I’m really soft for those two, period. I absolutely adore Chris — he’s one of my favorite characters/is my series favorite for RE, and I have this sinking feeling this is the last time he’ll ever look like Chris Redfield, so I’ll take what I can get lol.

(I think that’s all of them, right? Not counting that Netflix one that’s coming.)

—

As for the bosses, I’m not sure if you mean the games as well or just the movies, but if it’s just the movies, then: 1.) Glenn Arias, 2.) Curtis Miller + the former Umbrella guy, 3.) Svetlana

Tbh none of them at are very good antagonists on their own — they’re never gonna be memorable like Wesker or Nemesis or whatever. Arias takes the top because he is the closest to being a more interesting Wesker-like villain imo, Curtis is William Birkin revisited and “evil scientist/evil Umbrella employee” isn’t exactly an underused angle in this series, and Svetlana reminded me of a more bland Excella Gionne for some reason (and Excella wasn’t exactly interesting, either).

If you mean throughout the series, then: 1.) Ramon Salazar, 2.) Nemesis-T Type, 3.) RE2Make Mr. X >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> literally everyone else.

Salazar is incredibly entertaining and steals the show from Saddler, Nemesis will always be pants-pissingly terrifying, and Mr. X gon’ give it to ya is a treasure we didn’t deserve but got anyway.

I also don’t dislike Wesker as a villain; I’m just personally not big on mad scientist/‘I know what’s best for humanity’/etc. types.

[writingfortoomanyfandoms]

Hi!! Would you be willing to do another spin-off for I Need You?? If so could you write about their wedding day? Thank you in advance!! (:

I’M ALWAYS UP FOR WRITING I NEED YOU SPIN-OFFS - I feel like we could do a whole series of wedding spin-offs for it tbh (also should I give them their own separate masterlist or nah?), either way, this is her getting dressed and getting a letter from Calum

I Need You

—————————————————

“Y/N/N! I have something for you!” Mali announced cheerfully, walking into Y/N’s dressing room. The bride turned to look at her future sister-in-law with a cheerful, yet slightly nervous grin on her face. 

“Oh, you look gorgeous!” Joy exclaimed, entering into the room behind her daughter and clasping her hands in front of her face.

“Doesn’t she just?” Y/N’s mother agreed, joining Calum’s mother, standing by her side and offering her a glass of champagne.

“Thank you,” Y/N said softly before turning her attention back to Mali. 

“Cal wanted me to pass this on to you,” she said, holding out a white envelope, addressed with her name on it in Calum’s messy hand.

Y/N nodded, turning over the envelope and sliding her finger under the flap, opening it, unsure of what her fiancé may have written inside.

Dear Nibbles,

I’m writing this with the guys around me, all getting into their suits, preparing for the wedding - our wedding.

The truth of it is, that it’s strange not having had any contact with you for the past two days - it’s literally been two days, not even that long, and yet I think I’m physically aching to be with you again. 

We’ve been together as a couple for eleven years, and I’ve known you for bordering thirteen and, since we got together (and correct me if I’m wrong (though you know I’m never wrong)), I haven’t gone a day without having some form of communication with you. 

Be it calling you, texting you, snapchatting you, sending you memes or photos of dogs or videos of the guys doing random shit, I’ve spoken to you every day for the past eleven years. Even during our fights, they’ve never gotten to the point which I’ve gone a full 24 hours without you.

What I’m trying to say here, Nib,  is that I don’t know how to function without you anymore. You’re my life raft, my tether, my muse, my home, all that cheesy shit that I never thought in a million years I’d be caught saying (and by ‘in a million years’ I mean before I met you, as back then, I still thought girls had cooties - which they definitely do, I can’t believe I let you pull the wool over my eyes). I know it took me a while to get around to actually proposing (trust me, I’ve had a proper earful about that from not only the guys but also from Mali, my parents and your family as well) but, it was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Essentially, I love you more than should be legally allowed. And sitting here, watching Mikey, Ash and Luke tying their ties and showing the most horrific old photos of the two of us, has just made me realise how much I love you all over again. 

I know most people are nervous on their wedding day, the whole ‘spending your whole life with one person’ perhaps being a little daunting but I don’t have any of that. How can I be nervous about spending my life with you, when you are my life, my reason for being. 

I love you, and I can’t wait to see you coming down the aisle,

Cal xx

“Is everything alright?” Mali’s voice was gentle and Y/N felt one of her best friends and bridesmaids brushing away a tear she didn’t know that Calum’s letter had brought to her eyes.

Y/N choked out a laugh and nodded, sniffing.

“Yeah - do... do any of you have some paper?”

5sos soft blurbs plz

[transgenderer]

What areas of the world would u want Pokémon to base a region on?

omg thank you for this question i have so many answers to this question okay okay so

i know this is self centered but i actually think the delmarva region would be pretty cool, weve got like, a big penninsula, and a big bay, and a flat area and a hilly area and a super mountainouse area, and like, there’s the mining-themed far west of virginia, you could even include all the battlefields (maybe gauche, idk there might be a way to do it tastefully) plus there are arguably like 3 or 4 cool cities in the delmarva area (baltimore, DC, richmond, like, newport news or something) PLUS theres all the spy/fbi/pentagon shit around here which could be really cool, plus theres a bunch of rivers. actually living here is boring but the general area does have a lot of stuff. maybe have...three branches of govt legendaries? would that be too cheesy

this is obvious but like. i cant believe they havent done italy or greece yet. like, come on. maybe do them both at the same time with a sort of like, johto/kanto connection....obv so much potential here

okay so i dont know enough abt africa for this but i actually think a pan-african pokemon game could be really cool, esp if they did a BW style thing and had a wholly new pokedex. i mean like, geographically a lot of africa is really homogenous and it doesnt even have any big penninsulas (WHAT IS THE POINT OF GEOGRAPHY W/O PENNINSULAS.....) but yeah i think this could be cool, not that gamefreak should actually do it (absolutely do not trust them to do it in a way that isnt super racist)

any sort of high mountain area would be great, maybe the alps or the himalayas? i mean, if youve been here a while you know i love ice types and i think mountains give a lot of potential for ice types, plus like, you could have isolated valleys and secret passages and tons of caves its just. its all good.

AUSTRALIA....mostly because uluru seems like such a pokemon-ish thing. like just a giant rock in the middle of nowhere. maybe have a region that’s heavy on the ground types, also, again they could do a BW thing with a bunch of unique animals cuz marsupials

okay so i dont think this would ever go over but i feel like china could be really good, tbh i think gamefreak excels when it does asian aesthetics cuz theres just a lot more personal familiarity, plus you get the himalayas, a big desert, a bunch of cities, a bunch of history, rivers, etc.

here’s a hot take: great lakes region! okay so first of all it has a national border right in the middle and like. i HAVE to know if theyd include that. but also like, i think the geography of the great lakes is really weird, and lets you like, backtrack in a way thats still interesting (like, go around a lake one way, then unlock a route back the other way, sort of like how sinnoh did), plus you could have a hoenn-ish emphasis on water types, its just, all very good

okay so sort of like africa i think any one area of south america is too geographically homogenous to be a region on its own (like, its basically either jungle or mountain (or shore)) so i think a pan-south-american region would be good, epscially because like, it could be cold at the bottom but super lush at the top, a giant jungle could be cool, maybe the legendaries could be the andes and the amazon?

okay so this is super obscure but i think doing nunavut+greenland as a sort of like...northern counterpart to hoenn could be really cool. i just love the geography of that region and i think pokemon could benefit from more tiny islands, i love tiny islands. theyd have to take a ton of liberties because that area is mostly empty but like, they do that anyway so

okay this got super long but ive decided im also gonna complain about the regions we do have. i cant believe we go both a france AND uk region, like, theyre both so homogenous, what the fuck is the point, is it ANY coincidence that gens 6 and 8 were....bad