#but still it feels like they're just mashing the two together without that much thought

[vacayisland]

I would love to see your take on Trollex or Synth I love them so much. Maybe relationship hcs with reader? Thank youu~

@!; Starfish Wishes Trollex / Reader Synth / Reader

"Summary"! Unstructured headcannons on how Trollex and Synth would be in a relationship with the reader! "Tags"! Fluff and the two being literal dorks I love them sm. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A REQUEST ABOUT THEM FOR AGES PLEASE ILY SM (/p)

@storydays @chamille-trash @valvalentine69

@!; Being the lover of the Techno tribe leader is an experience like no other. I'm being serious, Trollex is a big doofus at heart and he knows it, and while he's more tame in public when he's alone with you it all comes out. And while Trollex has the biggest heart you've ever seen, it's a blessing and a curse.

Standing at the bottom of the ocean was defiantly something new for you, and something you didn't exactly expect to experience - like ever. Nevertheless, you never thought you would experience standing under the ocean in the middle of a Techno rave. Trollex always gushed about them, speaking with such energy you were sure half the time he was going to explode. Yet, whenever he spoke with you about the raves there was always a common denominator that made him pause and cause him to stand still. You both knew that it was harder said than done, seeing as you were neither a Techno troll or that you could breath under water. And yet, after months of talking (and a lot of trust building as Trollex tried to find some way to make this happened) he finally did it! "You alright Starfish?" Trollex shouted over the blasting music towards you, taking off an earphone as he did so. You nearly missed his voice, despite standing right next to him as you still felt a little uneasy to join the rest of the Techno tribe on their dance floor. "Huh?" You shouted back, taking a moment to process what he said, "Yeah! It's just- it's weird!" A chuckled followed after your words, "Standing at the bottom of the ocean, listening to unmuffled music, dancing?" Trollex beamed towards you, dropping his headphones around his neck, "Yeah! You have to get used to it, but if you ever need a break let me now. I'll get Synth to take over for a moment so we can go to a quieter area."

@!; Honestly he has the biggest heart, loves you to death and will do anything to make sure you're happy and well. Furthermore, he will do anything to protect you. Other than his tribe, you're his number one priority and he won't ever let you forget that and will remind you constantly. Mostly shows his love through spontaneous actions! Such as grabbing your waist and hugging you tightly while twirling around, making a CD that is a mash-up of all your favorite songs (or your own songs), or just deciding that today was going to be you and him day. I feel like he shows a lot of his affection through physical contact and quality: hugs, cuddles, kisses, swimming together, listening to music, spinning disks, having you next to him during raves so he can steal kisses from you. Loves to also make you flustered. It's the cheekiness instead of him.

@!; Defiantly a family guy! Expect him to be home with you, and the children, when he isn't doing his leadership gigs. Also, expect there to be kids and at least 3-4 of them, and expect him to love and spoil them to death. Those are his babies and he will not let anyone harm them and he will make sure they're raised not only right but also with everything he could possibly give them. Though is defiantly the type to understand if you want fewer or more kids, or if you need time between each egg catching. he knows it's difficult to raise kids without him there all the time. And while he tries to be there all he can, running the Techno tribe is a lot of work and he can't always be there. But you'll be damned if he misses something important for his kids. Never, ever, will this man miss something for you or his kids. First dj session? There and he's their biggest fan. First steps? There. First glitter ball game? You know he's rocking their colors. Birthdays? His schedule his cleared on that day for decades. Somehow finds a balance between life and work to keep the tribe happy and safe while also being the best dad he can be.

@!; Big prankster and goofball. The type who, when he sees your sad, cheer you up either through cuddles or a well meaning prank. He loves you to death, and I will say this time and time again because it's true, and he doesn't want to see you upset or sad. It makes him sad! So he'll cheer you up with his second best medicine, laughter and smiles! The first is obviously raving.

"Hey starfish, can you come here?" Trollex called you from the kitchen of your shared home, causing you to lean your head back on the couch. You tried looking at him, or tried to get a hint of what he was doing. It was one of those days were all you felt like doing was nothing. You just wanted to lay on the couch and completely space you, looking at the wall for any sort of inspiration that would never come. It made your nose scrunch and your head hurt to think that your boyfriend could possibly think beckoning you from your current place of hibernation was a good idea. Though seconds later, after not seeing you budge, he called again, "I promise, it'll be good!" So reluctantly, you mustered the strength to push yourself off the couch and onto your feet. Despite how heavy your body felt, you pushed through it to enter the kitchen where Trollex stood all too suspiciously; His hands were behind his back and this big grin was spread across his face. You knew he was up to something but you couldn't guess what it was. "So.. I know that you're having a bad day." He started, trying to contain his excitement. "So I decided to get you a gift!"

Did the gift happen to be something you absolutely loved, and had been ranting to Trollex about anytime it had crossed your mind? Yes. But was it also a bitch to get out because Trollex used every box and paper bag and gift wrap you two had laying around to wrap it? Also yes. You were so sure that the gift wrap and the boxes and the bag would never end, but it got you laughing and smiling at how ridiculous the whole thing was. Trollex and you literally spent 15 minutes on the kitchen floor unwrapping it all, then another 5 minutes laughing your asses off about it.

@!; Overall, he's an amazing lover and I love him so much. He will give you up, he'll never let you down, he'll never run around and desert you. He'll never make you cry, he'll never say goodbye, he'll never tell a lie and hurt you. But he will rickroll you as a prank while playing around with his turntables, giving you your own private concert. And this man will absolutely cackle at your expression like the gremlin he is and apologize later.

@!; Being Synth’s lover is getting to know the Synth behind “Synth”; which is much more complex than the outward, rave-loving and happy-go-lucky person Synth is always described and known as. And sure, while you fell in love with that version of Synth, you couldn’t help but fall deeper for him the more you got to know him, and in turn he fell harder the more he realized you accepted him and the more he got to know you.

@!; You first met Synth at a rave, which you had been invited to by Poppy as an olive branch to get to know some Techno trolls. At first, you weren’t sure why she would invite you to such a loud event, knowing you were rather sensitive about noise and iffy about meeting new people, especially people from different tribes. Yet, you also knew it would be rather rude to decline the invitation. Not only because Poppy had asked you personally, but also because it was a party for another tribe and you weren’t sure how they reacted to declined invitations. You had feared they took it horribly, like if you declined it would mean you hated them or something along those lines. So, to not make anyone upset you decided to go.

And, as you had expected earlier, you kept close to the edges of the party and watched everyone else; Having even taken a seat upon the disco floor out of tiredness of standing for too long. Yet, you didn’t want to leave encase Poppy wanted to introduce you to someone, or if it would count as rude to leave before a rave had finished. So you stayed, despite the overwhelming feeling you got from being in such a crowded and loud environment. “Yo, Bro!” Someone shouted, and you had thought it was towards someone else. Seeing as you didn’t know who the voice was coming from and you were just sitting in a corner doing nothing interesting, you had little reason to think someone was calling to you. Yet the voice shouted, this time closer, “Yo! Hello!” and then you saw someone waving their hands in the background, which caught your attention rather quickly. It was a Techno troll you had seen before around Poppy, and a few other Trolls. While you never spoke to him personally, you knew a few things about him. Such as, his name was Synth and he was quite loud. At times, you were able to hear his voice from across Trollstopia, and it always caused a slight fright in you at the sudden noise. “Bro you okay?” Synth swam over to you, hanging upside down with glow sticks in hand and some hanging around his neck. You hadn’t known at the time how much this first interaction would change your life, how much Synth would affect you. All you knew is that you wanted to run and hide. You were glad you didn’t.

@!; Synth wasn’t the most emotionally aware troll there is, while you were exactly the opposite and were way too emotionally aware for your own well being. As such, you two were able to balance each other out. Synth helps you calm down from the stress and emotional pressure of carrying everyone’s troubles on your back and you help Synth by pointing out social cues and things he was overlooking in his fun-seeking ways. You both helped each other get more in touch with your friends and with each other. Synth usually helps you calm down, not by raving with a large group of Techno trolls (though he used to before you exploded to Poppy, not wanting to hurt Synth’s feelings and she told Synth) yet by having dance parties at your pod. Dance parties meaning it was only you and Synth with your feel-good songs and you two would either dance together or do something else like scrapbooking, cooking, baking, etc. Something he tries to sit down and help you through your emotions. At first he tried giving you suggestions, but they weren’t the best and he learnt to just let you get it all out. Something you didn’t even need him to listen to, you just needed him there.

@!; Cuddling with Synth means there’s always a nightlight nearby! Poor Synth is terrified of the dark, and it really troubled him to be in a room without any sort of lighting (which is how you figured out why he always carries glow sticks with him). At first, Synth tried to be strong for you and cuddle at night… but he didn’t even last 2 minutes before he yelled out in pure terror.

“What? What?!” You exclaimed, jumping up from your place in bed as Synth was just freaking out. You were just about to doze off when he had begun to do so, and you were sure he didn’t have a nightmare because he hadn’t even fallen asleep… or closed his eyes for that matter. You could see the purple glow of his eyes through your shut ones. Though Synth didn’t seem too keen on answering you straightly, as he just blubbered out, “What what? What who? What where? And sometimes-” “Synth.” But you cut him off, cupping his cheeks to make him look at you. To which he drew back a little, his eyes widening in shock for a split second before he became a ball of nerves. He laughed, nervous laughter. And you seemed to realize instantly what was happening with how frequently his eyes darted around the room, trying to look for something. You didn’t know he was afraid of the dark! “Synth you should have told me.” You would mumble before scrambling to turn on your bedside lamp, much to Synth’s relief.

From that day on you had a nightlight in your room for Synth.

@!; Synth gave you a rave name the first 3 hours he knew you and now that’s the only thing he decides to call you. You weren’t sure why he did so and when you asked Trollex or Laguna they just said that’s how he is. Trollex even shrugged. You’re stuck with it, so get used to it because he means that rave name with the up most endearment!! <3

@!; He’s a little hard in the head. Didn’t know you liked him until you told him out right and even then he didn’t understand and said he liked you too. You gave up and Trollex had to explain to him what you meant, to which he paused and shouted to you as you walked away, “I LOVE YOU!” To which Trollex stared at him with the most bewildered look and you got absolutely terrified.

@!; Has taken you water surfing and urchin acupuncturing if you’re cool with it! And if you need he’s here to hold your hand and help you through it. Has also shot water at you with his water powers. Was his hands in the shape of little guns? Yes. did he also say “pew pew” as well? Yes. Did you then also purchase a water gun to be able to do it back? Yup. And was Synth so shocked the first time he got pew-pew’ed with water back? Mhmm. But then did it dissolve into a huge water fight anytime you guys pew-pew’ed each other with water? Of course!

@!; Other than being scared of the water and being an avid raver, Synth sometimes struggles with self esteem issues; mostly, he fears that he’ll let people down and disappoint them. Which, when you first heard him explain, you were shocked to hear! You always thought Synth didn’t really care what other people thought of him, despite caring about people and their well being. You don’t know why you thought that way, but you just did.

“So that’s why I’ve been acting so off the past few days, yo.” Synth explained to you the whole fiasco about his cheerleading side-gig, which he did more for fun than anything else. Though Synth expected a slightly more emotional reaction out of you than other trolls, he didn’t expect to see you almost crying. “Yo, are you crying?!” “No! No, I’m fine!” Yet you only sniffled. “Bro… don’t cry because then I’ll cry!”

You and Synth connected on a deeper level that day, as you explained you also tended to feel that way around people. You both decided to make a pinkie-promise to be able to tell each other anything since that day. @!; I love Synth so much, 10/10 lover. 

.ᐟ this work is published and owned by @vacayisland. please do not plagiarize, copy, or steal this work; like, reblogs, and saves are appreciated :D

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading roundup: May 2024

you guyssssss you guys you guys you guys I've been reading so much this month :)

sometimes my brain gets the itch to just DEVOUR books and it's really been on me, probably thanks to the burst of energy + free time that comes with the semester ending and summer getting started! the days are longer, the last of my season depression has been kicked to the curb, and I can spend hours reading on the porch every evening. the ideal!

right now, as the month ends, I'm feeling a particular hankering towards nonfiction and juicy new summer novels; I reblogged a Lit Hub roundup of new books the other day that got my brain buzzinggggg with excitement for the coming months. we'll see if that ends up manifesting in the June roundup, but for now, here's what kept me busy in May:

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble (Alexis Hall, 2022) - this month I read two romance novels picked by my beautiful patreonites; I did a compare/contrast between the two over on Patreon and I'll leave the majority of my thoughts there, but suffice to say that I am not a fan of Paris. definitely the weakest of the three Alexis Hall novels, and a real disappointment since I found the other two delightful. the story is straightforward enough and has some potential for sure, but Paris as a protagonist is a sodden mess who I found just insufferable. thumbs down from me, gang.

Chef's Kiss (TJ Alexander, 2022) - hi, it's the other romance novel. this one is a lot goofier than Paris Daillencourt, which is fitting since it's BA Test Kitchen rpf starring a bisexual Claire Saffitz and a nonbinary Brad Leone. it's frustrating because the story is definitely stronger than the one in Paris but the romance is piteously undercooked, although I was at least fine with the protag and her love interest getting together - they were boring but unobjectionable, unlike Paris and his love interest who I really thought would have been better off as friends. now that I'm thinking about it, you might get a perfect queer cooking show romance novel if you somehow mashed the two of them together. they're both, like, so close to working, but ultimately fall flat.

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 4-6 (Ryoko Kui, 2018) - I don't even know what to say except that I'm still loving everything about Dungeon Meshi. the craft and thought that Kui puts into every facet of the world, from the big picture politics between fantasy races to the individual thoughts and feelings of each character, shows so much love for the world without ever being overbearing; it never feels like exposition is being hammered down my throat so much as little details are being tastefully arranged to be enjoyed at whatever speed and to whatever extent the reader likes. the world is getting bigger with each chapter and I'm looking forward to exploring more, especially now that Falin's hottie monster form and that good good catgirl have entered the chat.

Earthdivers Vol. 2: Ice Age (Stephen Graham Jones, Riccardo Burchielli, Patricio Depeche, Emily Schnall, Joana Lafuente, 2024) - once again I've done the worst thing that you can do as a comics fan, which is get invested in a series that's just starting out and is still releasing individual issues. the third trade paperback won't be out until December, so I guess I'm either going to have to go on hiatus with Earthdivers or start chasing down new releases on comic pirating sites, which feels shitty - that's how I read Batman comics that are the same age as me, not new stuff from authors I actually want to support! but Earthdivers might just be worth it. the second installment takes us to a wildly different setting than the first, Columbus-killing collection, dropping fearsome mother Tawny in a prehistoric North America. but while the setting changes, the series is still grappling with the question of what its protagonists are willing to sacrifice and who they're willing to become to change the past and save the world. we're starting to see bigger hints about how much history can be altered and catching some clues about the series' antagonist (???); I gotta know what happens next.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Caroline Fraser, 2017) - here it is, the book that got nonfic so powerfully on the brain! this is a riveting history whether you grew up on Little House on the Prairie or not (I didn't), tracking Laura Ingalls Wilder from an impoverished girl constantly imperiled by life on the prairie to a beloved icon of American propaganda. for me, personally, this hefty book really picks up when it gets to the endlessly complicated and frequently nasty relationship that Wilder had with her daughter when said daughter was grown; Rose Wilder Lane is a FASCINATING figure in her own right and I'm kind of obsessed with what a shithead grifter girlboss she was. fascinating stuff all around.

The Brides of High Hill (Nghi Vo, 2024) - Vo's series of Singing Hills novellas has always woven from one genre to another, exploring new types of stories just as our protagonist, the cleric Chih, explores new lands. this installation takes us straight into a gothic horror that pulls out all the stops: an isolated manor, an enigmatic madman roaming the grounds, the strangling snares of social conventions, and a blushing bride who isn't exactly what she seems. I read it in one sitting, it's delicious.

Superfreaks: Kink, Pleasure, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Arielle Greenberg, 2023) - a poppin' primer for anybody who wants to learn more about the world of kink and what the fuck is going on out there. at one point I did catch myself thinking that I was a little underwhelmed and that Greenberg wasn't really putting forth anything that radical, but then I realized that speaking extremely candidly about and validating interest in basically any kink or fetish imaginable, and yes I do mean straight up any of them, is actually A Lot for many people to handle. so, yeah, good book, check it out for a friendly and enthusiastic intro to the wide world of kink.

Sex Criminals Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop (Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, 2015) - the first volume of Sex Criminals left me feeling a little meh, but I decided to keep going because Matt Fraction's Hawkeye run was lifechanging and I know this series is pretty widely acclaimed, so I want to see where we're going with this. (plus it's free via the library, so what do I have to lose?) this volume really sold me on the series and particularly on Jon, who I was pretty lukewarm on initially. he really stole the spotlight in this one, and I like the way that the story is ratcheting up the stakes.

The Stone Sky (N.K. Jemisin, 2017) - GOOOOOOOOOD what a book! what a trilogy! in a series shaped by empires and natural disasters, the story ultimately ends with a quit confrontation of clashing ideologies, a young daughter determined to end the world and a mother equally determined that one of her children should live. and that shit hurts! I read the series a couple of times when I was younger but I was never before able to fully appreciate the work Jemisin does in crafting Essun and Nassun, showing us the way cruelty and fear have shaped both of them into the people they ultimately are and the choices they make. absolutely masterful, a legend.

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World in Search of the Good Death (Caitlin Doughty, 2017) - this was another reread, and while N.K. Jemisin was blowing my mind, Caitlin Doughty was giving me a warm hug. I don't know what to tell you, reading about the ways that people all over the world care for their dead and take comfort in their memories makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. death can be really beautiful and comforting, if you're not a coward.

The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag (Sasha Velour, 2023) - listen, I'm not really a Drag Race girlie. I first heard about this book when Velour was a guest on Nicole Byers' podcast, and while I was very charmed by her I was not expecting to be blown away by her book. it's just a little cash-in for a Ru girl, right? all she needs to do is slap together some cool pictures of her in drag and a few platitudes about being yourself and boom bang, that's a book. but readers, I owe Sasha Velour an apology: this book was so much cooler and smarter than it needed to be! Velour brings an impressive eye to forces of colonialism and capitalism that shape art and conceptions of queerness, and keeps this framework firmly in place while keeping the tone of the book bubbly and lighthearted. she also goes out of her way to spotlight a huge variety of drag performers and gender nonconforming figures throughout history, celebrating all the different means of expression that make up the tapestry of contemporary queerness. a great read, and one that I've already shelled out for. a friend and I are working on a documentary exploring the nuances of queer style, and I know I'm gonna want to pull heavily from Velour's thoughts and the history she's curated.

[jotchia]

ok ok come with me. my brain space. initially the samir/jotchie dynamic was just like. cutes. i didn't have much going on there like i made these guys almost just as dolls to mash together so they were just cute. but just being Cute stopped making sense once i decided jotchie is kind of insane so i had to figure something else out.

i wanted to keep that level of initial innocence though!! jotchie, when he meets samir, is at a point of apathy. he's been playing mercenary for years, because that's what you do, right? revenge quest, to find the person who hurt you? he doesn't actually care. he's gotten some sick thrills sure but he's exhausted. he goes on that walk through the woods for no reason in particular. maybe he wanted to smell the forest again. suddenly he's knocked on his ass with a rope wrapped around him and he's looking up at this real cute dude in a big dumb hat, asking to "study" him. good enough for him, he figures. why not.

exactly as advertised, samir studies him! shifted and not, taking samples, poking and prodding, asking questions. turns out jotchie's pretty inexperienced with all this shifting stuff, despite the fact he got turned eight or so years ago. but samir doesn't throw him out or ridicule him, he helps! he explains some things best he can and seeks out bernie for the rest, he's soft, he's kind, he's gentle. jotchie hasn't met "gentle" in a long time. his tendency to affix himself to people kicks in VERY fast. within days of meeting. he's desperate, he's lonely, samir is too nice, he's too kind, he's too gentle. angel. angel. he can't keep shifting around him. samir and bernie both told him he's almost certainly fully conscious when he shifts by now, but anxiety is irrational and jotchie can't bear the idea of hurting samir. he's safer when he's human. he can still be around him when he's human. his collar will stop him, won't it?

samir through this is vaguely aware that jotchie is upset. of course he is, poor guy's been on his own so long, never even met another shifter along the way, who wouldn't be scared? he can be there. he can help. jotchie doesn't wanna shift around him anymore, well that's okay. he's wonderful company. samir finds him sweet, enamoring, exciting.

jotchie is someone who's forgotten how to be open. his anxiety is something so ingrained into his thought process he can't recognize it as an issue. it's obvious, even. he can't shift around samir, he'll hurt him. he can't explain what's wrong, nothing is. his collar doesn't stop him anymore, bernie will kill him. of course. he pushes people away, desiring to be close to them without them in turn being close to him. he wants samir's struggles, his bad days, his worries, of course he does. he cannot give those things in return though, of course. jotchie thinks himself impossibly close to these two. they've become his entire world, truly, they're all he has, he thinks they're all he wants, he'd do anything for them, he needs them. samir can feel the wall between them. samir is, at least somewhat, aware that jotchie won't open up. he tries to push, to pull things out of him, to do things without scaring him, but he's just so wound up.

samir is into some stuff. bernie isn't terribly, every so often at his request, but it's just not really his thing. jotchie? oh, he's just waiting to pop. samir can tell. maybe this will help, he thinks, if he shows that he wants it. maybe that's what jotch needs. and god does jotch want it. too much, too badly, he loves samir, he needs him, he aches. he can't. samir is too good, too kind, too gentle. angel. he can't hurt him. it is selfishness in a way, the complete refusal to give, to share this. he wants it so bad, but he just can't. lucky for him, samir is patient.

again, the breaking point for jotchie's shit isn't 100% clear in my mind but on samir's end he's kind of exhausted. like seriously he has been throwing himself at this guy for months, take him, TAKE HIM, have him, have him the way he has you, but to nothing. if jotch is gonna worship him like a god the LEAST he could do is drink his blood and eat his flesh, i mean seriously. what fucking gives.

eventually, once they're settled and jotch feels able, they try. jotch bites him, just a bit. jokes about how this is his first time, he's not a vampire, and samir let's him. i still imagine this as being gentle. jotchie and samir's relationship at it's core is a gentle one, patient, giving and receiving in turn. jotch will never Devore samir, he nicks and nibbles, but never takes a chunk out of him. he's still a bit scared, but he loves him. they love each other. go read something about romantic cannibalism and the sacredness of the mouth. they want to be as close as possible and well, here they are.

jotchie likes biting fingers. samir bites him back 👍

[black-klok-youth-pastor]

Y'know what this stupid graphic (and really the whole decision to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streaming service) reminds me of?

[loosesodamarble]

Hey Erikaaaa🥺💕

Can I request a scenario or HCs where the reader calls Julius and Nacht pretty?(separately absbsbsb) thank you🥰💕💕💕

Hiya, @simpingforthisonedeer! And you certainly can make that request! I'll be doing this as headcanons because if I wrote whole scenarios, we'd be here all day./hj

Also, so so so sorry for the wait. This was a long time coming. I really don't know why my writing brain struggled with this. I really hope you like it!

..........

Telling Julius he's pretty

I imagine such a comment would happen while you and Julius are cuddling in bed together, everything quiet except the sound of you two breathing.

You catch him off guard with the whispered compliment.

At first, Julius would ask you if you meant to call him "handsome" instead.

You sweetly tell him that you do mean "pretty" when you call him such.

Yes, Julius is very, extremely, enviously handsome.

But there are beautiful parts of him too, you'd point out.

There is beauty in the way he looks out for others, loves others.

In the way he carries himself. His charisma when he speaks to the public.

In the vivid violet hue of his eyes or his pearly, love-filled smile.

He is pretty, from his physical looks to his personality. And for that, you fell hopelessly in love with him.

Meanwhile, Julius would be losing his mind in the best way possible.

I think because Julius is in the public eye so much, he has a greater appreciation of small, one-on-one interactions.

Sure he gets praised on the daily for being the Wizard King but this is different.

Your complimentary words are yours alone. And they're for him alone.

That fact alone makes his heart soar.

Julius wouldn't try to hide this. He'd be blushing and grinning as wide as his face allows.

He'd be stuck between telling you "keep going" because he loves hearing you gush and "no stop" because he's getting overwhelmed.

He ends mashing them together as "no go, keep stopping" without noticing at all.

.....

Telling Nacht he's pretty

You were lounging on one of the couches in the base while Nacht was walking by with a stack of paperwork in hand (finally taking the job from Finral/hj).

And then, without any prompting, you call him pretty.

Cue Nacht stumbling over his own feet and faceplanting on the floor. Not the reaction one would expect.

Nacht has a strained relationship with his own appearance, to put it mildly.

He shudders at the memory of the "bad boy" looks he used to revel in because of how it was connected to his evil deeds.

I think that a part of Nacht finds comfort in looking like Morgen but another part feels guilty for looking like him, a bad person masquerading as a good one.

His response to being called "pretty" would probably be along the lines of "it's only because I'm Morgen's twin."

You would have to stop him before he self-loathes any more.

There is no denying that Nacht is a gorgeous man. But it's more than just his looks.

To you, there is nothing more beautiful than someone who tries their best and strives to better themselves. And that's who Nacht is.

His good deeds are real and not just him making up for his bad deeds.

And even if Nacht is Morgen's twin, there are differences in their looks that you noticed back in the day.

Nacht's eyes are a little sharper. His lips tend to quirk up more on the right while Morgen's smile was even. You could offer to go on but Nacht is already red to his ears.

You would tell Nacht to take pride in his appearance. Although he's an identical twin, he is still his own person.

Nacht thanks you for your kind words, mentioning that they make him fall for you all over again.

As Nacht walks away, you comment "Don't worry about your old look. I thought it was pretty hot."

Cue a second faceplant.

[twilitty]

hi so about twilight fic ideas;

i don’t know if u ship or feel comfortable with writing about emmett/jasper, but i love those two together.

it’s so hard to find cute stories/oneshots about them that don’t end in a threesome with bella

i’d luv to just read a cute oneshot of them on a date or on a fluffy hunting trip :)

Hey! I wrote a little hunting trip with Emmett and Jasper, but there is no explicit mention of them being in a relationship, liking each other, etc. But, you could assume they're in a relationship and this would still work just as well (I think).

I don't typically write for Jasper on his own, but I thought the dynamic between the two characters was cool to explore. If you want to throw more ideas in my inbox I can write them out, too!

Hunting Trip

Word Count: 879

Characters: Jasper Hale, Emmett Cullen

The wind is screaming as the two vampires race through the forest. Tree branches whip across their marble skin but do not slow them in any way, their speed is unparalleled in these woods. They are the apex predator. It is without any effort at all that they hurtle themselves over boulders, across rivers, and into the deep wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

The animals of the forest catch the sickly sweet scent of the men quickly, and they all fall quiet. The forest is silent as the two vampires fly through it.

Emmett laughs loudly as he slows down to a near stop, his voice coming easily as he calls out to the blonde one several paces behind him. “Jasper! Catch up!” It’s more of a taunt than an instruction, Emmett knows exactly what to say to get the other man aggravated. “You run like an old man, you ever heard of-”

A pale white hand cups his throat, scarred skin reflecting rainbow prisms in the sunlight. Emmett’s laugh dies in his throat as his airway is slowly closed off. Yellow eyes, bright and feline, look up at him with murderous thoughts. If it was not Jasper, Emmett would’ve already had the other vampire dead, ripped limb from limb. But it is Jasper, so Emmett laughs with what little air he has left in his chest.

The hand loosens its hold and Emmett removes it easily, pushing the leaner blonde away from him playfully. “What?” Emmett asks tauntingly, holding his palms up as if he’s truly confused. “You don’t like being called an old man?”

Jasper smirks dangerously, his eyes narrowing as he drops into a hunting crouch. Is he hunting Emmett? Or is there something else-

His eyes flicker to the left, so quickly Emmett almost misses the movement and suddenly the playful banter is over. A muscle ticks in the blonde's jaw, visibly building up restraint. Then, Emmett smells it. A human.

Jasper is the newest vegetarian, he’s not nearly as well behaved as the rest of the coven. It’s a miracle he’s even able to live this close to humans, his instincts are constantly screaming at him to kill just one person. Just one tiny human. Emmett knows this because Jasper has expressed as much, quietly between them in this forest where none of the others can hear.

And now, on their hunting trip, a human just happens to be present. Present and delicious.

Yellow eyes flick back over to Emmett, an unspoken cry for help. His teeth grind against each other, Emmett can hear it from where he stands a mere five feet away from him. “Jas-”

The blonde is gone with the wind, a furious snarl ripping from between his mashed lips. Emmett pauses for a moment before throwing himself into motion, following the scent of the other vampire. We should’ve gone deeper into the woods, he thinks angrily as he picks up the pace. Even though he bullies Jasper, calling him a slow old man, Emmett can admit that he is terrifyingly fast. He’s fast and strong and lithe, nearly impossible to catch and even more dangerous to try and stop while hunting. Stupid human. Wrong place, wrong time.

Even though Emmett feels mild concern for the human, an innocent in this story, his heart hurts for the blonde racing after the human. He can’t help but empathize with Jasper. He knows how it feels to try and deny the call of a human's blood. The burning, the aching, the discomfort and the pain. Oh, the pain that settles in every muscle. The pain that begs you to take a life, just one life. Just one human. But once you kill one, you kill them all. It’s a frenzy.

Emmett catches up to Jasper, who is sprinting towards the presence of the human. They must be close, barely a mile away. Emmett can smell them, hear their heart beating. He can’t imagine what Jasper is going through.

The strong vampire reaches out with capable hands, grabbing onto hard shoulders and pulling them towards his chest. Jasper may be strong and capable, the best predator of all of them, but he will never be as strong as Emmett. He can barely struggle as Emmett pulls him in close to his chest, binding him with burly arms.

He snarls indignantly, his teeth bared in anger and hunger and need. The bloodlust has set in and nothing but distance will calm him. Emmett speaks to him gently, trying to calm him down, trying to bring him back from his predatory state. Trying to remove him from the hunt.

It takes minutes before Jasper finally stops clawing at the marble skin of the large vampire before his muscles stop burning. Emmet holds him the entire time, caging him in with thick bands of muscles until he feels the struggle die.

Jaspers body slumps into Emmett’s, tired and sorrowful. He feels pathetic. Emmett knows as much, he’s heard the words from Jasper's own mouth many times before. He always feels pathetic, pitiful after losing his cool. After trying to take another life.

So the cage of Emmett's arms turns into a caring embrace, holding the troubled, tired vampire close. “It’s okay,” Emmett says quietly. “It’ll be okay.”

[howlinchickhowl]

howl, sweet, howl. could you please mash-up 41. first kiss & 53. mutual pining for me? i’m tingling already ✨ thank you so much! xx

bee! you maggot museum (affectionate), this is such a tingly lovely sweet one! I might have ruined it with my thoughts...😬

Here are my thoughts:

Say the van kiss never happened. The whole rest of the episode goes as it goes, only Mickey chickens out before kissing Ian and is distracted by being annoyed with himself instead of giddy while they're lifting the grandfather clock and that's the reason he gets shot. DCFS, the sleepover, 3x666, everything is the same except that in this scenario, they've never kissed.

Say Ian never leaves at the end of season 3. He thinks about it. He intends to. He goes to Mickey's house and they have that heartbreaking conversation where Mickey just can't give him what he needs and he packs his bag and he kisses Liam goodbye and he walks out the door. And then he stands on the back stairs smoking cigarette after cigarette and thinking about how much he loves his family and how much he'll miss them and how he doesn't want to die in some fucking desert with people who don't know him without ever seeing Mickey's face again he just doesn't.

So he goes back inside and sits at the kitchen table drinking coffee and wondering if he was wrong about Mickey, if he really never cared about Ian at all, and trying not to cry until Lip comes downstairs and ruffles his hair and tells him he'll be ok.

But he's not ok, he drinks too much and he hangs around in boystown more than he ought and he takes pills when they're offered and starts dancing because it helps with the bills and he likes the way he feels when men watch him and he is flying, falling, living, until eventually, he crashes. Only this time he's still living at home, Fiona and Lip get him to the psychiatrist, get him medicated, he hates it. He loses his job when he can't get out of bed for two weeks and when the meds make him lethargic and sullen and uninterested, and it's pure chance that he happens to slump downstairs into the kitchen the day that Fiona is doing a hell of a self-destruct and manages to stop Liam from getting into the coke. He still feels like hell, he still hates the meds and the way everyone looks at him and the fact of his diagnosis, but it's the fastest he's moved in months and the fear is the strongest thing he's felt since the start of his episode, and knowing he can still feel something, that helps, a little. And Mickey, Mickey's season 4 continues much as we've seen it, dealing with having a wife, and then a son. Hiding in bathrooms and trying to be someone he's not, getting too drunk and asking too obvious questions and worrying, all the time about Ian, who he gets news about from Mandy and who he can't go to, can't be with, can't help, even though he's only three streets away. It tortures him.

A year goes by, two. They see each other around the neighbourhood, at the Alibi. Ian starts seeing someone, starts studying to become an EMT. Mickey gets by with Svetlana, comes to some sort of peace with the baby, and during the months when Terry is inside it's not so bad. Sure he feels hollow, and his chest hurts basically always and he has to clench his jaw to stop himself from crying a little bit every time he sees Ian out on the street, or at the store. He drinks too much. Does a lot of shit with his brothers. They beat the shit out of Kenyatta (I know he's a hundred foot tall but there's three of them and they get Jamie and Joey in on it and this is my story so I say they could take him) and Mandy doesn't leave. She hates them for it a bit, but ultimately she's glad.

She hangs out with Ian a lot, he breaks up with the guy he's seeing and they hang out together, strategically avoiding each other's homes when certain older brothers are going to be around. They don't talk about Mickey, but Mandy always makes sure he'll be out if ever Ian is coming around. She's there when Ian spins up, there when he is forced to go home from work, and she worries about him, helps him. They help each other. Sometimes he asks her how Mickey's doing and she'll lie and say he's doing fine, and Ian's glad, even though it hurts, he wants Mickey to be ok.

Lip gets out of rehab and hooks up with Brad, gets his job at Born Free, and one way or another, Mickey ends up working there too. (Again, kids, my story, my rules) and Ian and Mickey realise they can't avoid each other like they have been, if Ian ever wants to meet Lip from work or Mickey ever wants to be able to go home without checking with Mandy first, they have to find a way to be around each other.

And so we find ourselves, several years later, in a polite holding pattern of civil exchanges and unsubtle enquiries to siblings about the other's wellbeing and longing glances over beer bottles and pool cues. Monica dies, and during the wake when Ian slips outside to smoke on the back steps, Mickey is out there in the yard, debating whether or not to go in, to text Ian, to do anything. They sit on the steps and share a cigarette, talk about Monica, about Ian, about Terry, about them.

They're older now, they both have a little more perspective, they apologise to each other, forgive each other, they understand each other. They miss each other. Ian's mom is dead, and it's not like he's ready at that moment to have a Big Conversation about Love or their Relationship, but it feels good, to talk to Mickey again, to be honest with him and have Mickey be honest in return, to have Mickey look at him, openly, like he never would before.

So when they've finished their cigarette and it seems like the conversation has come to its natural end, he leans over, so slowly, and tilts Mickey's head to his with gentle fingers on his chin, and puts his lips to Mickey's for the first time. It's just a few seconds of contact, dry and warm and soft, and when he pulls back they are both smiling, and he feels like tomorrow might be a good day.

Send me two tropes and I'll tell you what kind of story I would write

[shiratorizawa-academy]

Oh, I got another poly STZ idea. It's Valentine's Day and Yamato's birthday. The guys stay after practice and give Yamato chocolates, flowers, etc. Yamato is like 'aw thanks guys for remembering my birthday' and everything. Which is true and all - how could they ever forget!? But, no, they're actually trying to ask him out and Yamato's just frozen and blushing so hard. And then there'd be lots of hugging and a few first kisses and the boys sleepover at the gym with Yamato in the middle. Lefty

I just realised that I wrote Yamato instead of Yamagata in that last ask and I can’t believe I did that to our sweet boy 😔 I guess I was too excited to share that idea that I didn’t pay enough attention and mashed up his first name with his surname. He just needs more love and him getting it from all his favourite boys had me emotional and excited because I kept picturing him with this expression of awe on his face. Lefty.

Shh it’s fine I’m sure he’d forgive you… I mean you even know his first name, that has to count for something lol

ALSO I LOVE THIS A LOT BLESS YOU!!! I wrote a short thing for it, I hope you don’t mind ♥

-

Hayato was excited about morning practice. Even more so than usual. He had been awake since 4am, something his mom definitely would have scolded him for if she had known. He wasn’t a child anymore, he shouldn’t get this excited about his own birthday.

But the thing was, it wasn’t just any birthday. It was his third (and last, but he preferred not to think about that) birthday at school. This school. He would get to spend it with his team and if the past two years had taught him anything, it was that they always found a way to make even the most mundane of things special. And today? Well, without sounding too full of himself, he knew that his birthday wasn’t just any other day to them.

With his heart pounding a little too fast, Hayato grabbed his gym shoes and his water bottle and considered looking for his phone. He’d like to take pictures if the team had anything planned - but it was probably too early for that. They had celebrated Eita’s birthday in the evening to make sure that they would have the entire gym for themselves.

Shrugging, Hayato left his dorm. He’d look for his phone after he had burned off some of his restless energy.

As he hurried towards the gym, he couldn’t keep his thoughts from wandering. He wondered what his friends were planning to him. Whatever it was, he really hoped he’d get a hug from Reon and Eita, both of them had really nice arms. Wakatoshi did, too, but Hayato had never gotten more than a shoulder pat from him. Maybe this time though? Since it was his last birthday with them? Third time’s the charm?

No, he shouldn’t get ahead of himself. He’d only be setting himself up for disappointment. It was more likely that Shirabu broke out into an impromptu dance number than that Wakatoshi hugged him.

The silly thought made him grin. Shirabu was usually very serious but every once in a while he loosened up. Hayato had seen him around Kawanishi after an exhausting training session or with Satori in the locker room when Shirabu thought that no one was paying attention. It’s like he showed his boyfriends another side of him that no one else got to see.

Except that Hayato knew about it.

And loved it.

It sounded stupid, but he really wanted to see more of it. He wanted to be the reason Shirabu laughed. And it wasn’t just about Shirabu either, he wanted Tsutomu to approach him when he got upset after a practice match and he wanted to be the one whose lap Kawanishi chose as a pillow when they were watching movies together. He wanted to carry Satori away when he was being overdramatic and wanted to kiss Eita’s forehead when he got sleepy. He wanted to hold hands with Reon under their lunch table and be someone Wakatoshi asked for advice - he wanted it all.

Because, as pathetic as it sounded, he had a crush on them. On all of them. Hayato knew that some of them were in a relationship with each other but he had never been brave enough to ask about the specifics of it. Maybe he was scared of the answers. He didn’t want to know who shared kisses behind stairwells or who was great to go to for comfort after a horror movie. No matter who it was, it wasn’t for him to take advantage of anyway. It was better he didn’t know. He had never felt left out or out of place spending time with them.

When his thoughts tried to take a darker turn, Hayato had troubles ignoring them. What if he was the odd man out? What if he was the only one who wasn’t in a relationship with someone else? What if he was intruding on their time-

No, that was stupid. Hayato shook his head and clutched his shoes a little tighter. He knew that they liked spending time with him. It didn’t matter who was going out with who, he was still their friend.

One corner later, he arrived at the locker room. A little surprised, he put his shoes down. He wasn’t the first one there. There were Tsutomu’s shoes right next to Wakatoshi’s and he was pretty sure that the black jacket in the corner belonged to Eita. The scarf on the bench belonged to Kawanishi and-

Huh. Was everyone else here already?

Quickly pulling on his shoes, Hayato entered the gym. He could see his friends huddled around one of the chairs that coach Washijou usually used. It didn’t seem that they had noticed him. Before he could call out a greeting, the door to the locker room fell shut and his friends jumped. Seven heads swiveled around to look at him with varying amounts of panic. Weirdly enough it didn’t seem to calm them down when he gave a casual wave.

“Hello, Yamagata,” Wakatoshi said. He was the only one who didn’t look like he was caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

“Hi?”

“We weren’t expecting you here so early,” Shirabu said. He shuffled a little closer to Tsutomu as if he was trying to hide whatever was on the chair from Hayato’s view.

Feeling awkward, Hayato rubbed his neck. “Ah, yeah. I was strangely motivated for training today…” His sentence trailed off as his friends nodded sagely. Had he interrupted something? Were they planning something for his birthday and now he had messed it up? After a second of hesitation, he added: “Something wrong? Should I come back later?”

Shirabu nodded quickly. “Yes, that would probably be for the best-”

“Are you kidding? It’s his birthday, we can’t just send him away,” Eita hissed. Hayato had to fight not to let his grin show, any concerns he had had were out of the window. It totally was for his birthday.

“No, seriously, it’s no trouble, I can come back later.”

“Yes, that would be-”

“Shirabu-”

Tsutomu frowned. “But he’s right, I think. We aren’t ready to-”

“Maybe we could just-”

“Everyone, calm down!” Satori exclaimed suddenly, cutting Reon off. He stepped out of the half-circle, unbothered by how his friends hurried to close the gap he had left behind. Hayato had caught sight of something colorful - flowers? It had honestly looked like flowers, which was unexpected but kind of cute - but didn’t think too much about it. It wouldn’t do to ruin their surprise, after all.

Raising an eyebrow, he watched Satori clap his hands. “Well, well! This might be a little earlier than expected but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. I have a plan. At least this way Eita-kun won’t start overthinking things.”

“Why must you always single me out every-”

“Shh, you’re ruining the mood,” Satori said, making shushing motions at Eita. Eita looked pissed but stuck to crossing his arms. “The point is, we can just go for it now. Why wait any longer?”

“Because,” Shirabu said, glancing at Hayato from the corner of his eyes, “we haven’t prepared.”

Tsutomu was quiet this time, but the way his fingers twisted into his shirt screamed louder than any words that he agreed with him. Kawanishi was sticking closer to him than usual, which Hayato wasn’t sure what to make of. Were they all nervous? Why? He wasn’t an especially difficult guy to please, some store-bought sweets really would have done it.

It wouldn’t have been his friends if they would have been satisfied with that though. With them, it was always about surpassing expectations.

Smiling to himself, Hayato crossed his arms. Shirabu, Satori, and Eita were involved in a heated discussion that Tsutomu slowly seemed to get dragged into. Before it could get out of hand, Reon stepped up and placed a calming hand on Shirabu’s and Eita’s shoulders.

Hayato’s eyes were immediately drawn to the gap in the circle. There was a bouquet of flowers, a bigger one than he would have expected. Weren’t flowers kind of expensive?

“Why don’t we wait for Satori to finish?” Reon asked. Hayato looked back at the three of them. Shirabu and Eita were both frowning at Satori but had backed down from their fight for now. For his part, Satori was entirely unbothered - he just grinned and patted the hand Reon had placed on Shirabu’s shoulder.

“Perfect! Perfect, thank you. My idea was that since we didn’t have time to rehearse anything yet, Wakatoshi-kun could just go for it.”

The group seemed surprised, blinking at Satori before turning towards Wakatoshi. Hayato followed their example, staring questioningly at their captain. Wakatoshi seemed just as confused as he felt.

“Me?”

“Yes, you! I mean, you’re kind of our spokesperson, aren’t you? You’re already used to speaking for the team.”

“This isn’t about the team though. There are a lot more people than just us on the team.”

“Semantics!” Satori waved Wakatoshi’s concerns aside and bounded towards the chair, lifting the bouquet of flowers and pressing it into Wakatoshi’s hands. “I’m sure you’ll do a great job. Don’t worry, the rest of us has got your back!” With these words, he began to hand out small wrapped packages to the others. Everyone accepted them with varying levels of hesitation. It was like the little presents increased their nerves tenfold and Hayato couldn’t help but begin to feel nervous himself. Just what was in these things?

Once everyone had their presents, they shuffled around to put Wakatoshi in the middle of their group. Hayato was familiar with it, they usually assumed that pose for official business. For some reason Wakatoshi looked unnaturally stiff though, his shoulders so tense that Hayato could almost feel it himself.

Silence filled the gym.

The more time passed, the more uneasy Hayato felt. Rubbing his neck, he told himself to calm down. He could feel Kawanishi’s gaze following his movements and realized that it was the exact same move the other always did when he was feeling uncomfortable. Dropping his arm, he gave the group a forced grin. “Is everything alright?”

Apparently, that was all Wakatoshi needed to find his footing again. He nodded once and took a decisive step forward. “Yes. There are two things we want to talk to you about. Firstly, we want to congratulate you on your birthday-”

“Happy birthday!” chorused the rest of the team. They bowed and Hayato quickly mimicked it before realizing his mistake. A little sheepish, he got back up and thanked them.

“And secondly, we would like to ask you to go out with us.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Hayato didn’t know about the others but for him, it was definitely one of shock. Wakatoshi had just asked him out on a date on behalf of the entire group. Did that mean that they were all dating? Did it mean that they all liked him back?! There was no way that was true. It just seemed unrealistic, what were the odds?

Hayato was still struggling to understand what had just happened when his friends began to mumble with each other. It felt like his heart was in his throat, he couldn’t hear what they were saying over the rush of blood in his ears. He only came back to the present when he registered Satori bowing and holding out his present, the others following suit.

“Was this really okay? What if he doesn’t like us back? Wasn’t it way too forward? What if he rejects us?” Tsutomu whispered nervously. Kawanishi responded in such a low voice that Hayato couldn’t make out his response.

Not that he needed to. After all, Tsutomu was talking about an entirely hypothetical scenario that Hayato felt no need to entertain. Now that the initial shock had worn off, it was easy to see how nervous they were waiting for his response. Hayato felt both flattered and like he was dealing with anxious teammates before an important game.

How odd. He had never been in a romantic relationship before and yet it felt like familiar territory. He was used to the team depending on him and he knew how to comfort his friends. Slowly, Hayato approached Wakatoshi and took the bouquet out of his hands. The moment it was in his arms, everyone slowly straightened up. They were looking at him with a mixture of fear and hope that made him want to give a hug to each and every one of them.

Smiling broadly, he clutched the flowers a little tighter. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”

The resulting smiles on everyone’s faces really made him wish he had spent a few extra minutes looking for his phone. He never wanted to forget the pure happiness he saw there.

-

[After this there was definitely a group hug!!]

[concerningwolves]

Right I gotta rant because I am so fucking Tired™ of finding an awesome series only to have the representation aspect blow up in my face. You'd think wanting a deaf or disabled character who just gets to be isn't that much to ask, but hey. Here we are. The tl;dr of this post is— subverting one bad stereotype with another isn't interesting or edgy, it's just hurtful and piss-poor representation.

I continued with Van Helsing and I feel so angry and betrayed right now. I first talked about this series in my post about pet peeves in deaf representation, in which I talked about how Sam is used as a venting post but not given much more character. But then I got this comment:

and I saw hope. I mean, how often do we get deaf/disabled/neurodivergent folks on post-apocalypse stories? Pretty much never! And I'm so desperate for that content it's not even funny.

But... There was nothing interesting about this "take" on a deaf character. It was just two crappy "pet peeves" (and that's putting my feelings mildly) mashed together

Deaf character is a quiet, mild presence who doesn't amount to much

Deaf character is scary, loud and violent

With the result of "deaf guy seems unassuming, is actually very dangerous"

I mean when this reveal happened I actually yelled "motherfuckers!" so loud my sister came in to see what was wrong. Because it's so,,, shitty.

Like I don't have the energy to be more coherent right now, but in essence there's enough stigma around deafness in real life without seeing it in media as well. If you're deaf or otherwise non-verbal people tend to either assume you don't have thoughts, feelings and opinions or they're intimidated by the lack of volume regulation/clear speech. I want to see more than that!!

Ugh I'm going to bed I might talk more about this tomorrow (also this isn't a bash on the series, it's me pissing on this particular rep of Deafness. I still like VH)

[silentstar]

- Long rant about kh under the cut -

Not to be like, a hater because I am very excited at the prospect of a new kh game, it's always been my favourite series since I was like eight years old...but I'm really skeptical so far because the franchise has been confusing and frustrating me more and more over the years and this trailer doesn't look promising.

I feel like there's just objectively bad creative and writing decisions being doubled down on over and over to the point of exhausting some of the fanbase, or at least me, including but not limited to:

1. Insisting on adding an insane amount of side games with their own new characters without spending enough time to develop the ones that are already there, to the point where III was a mess in terms of having to give each set of characters their own little timeslot on screen to catch up on what's going on with them. They literally stuck half of the cast in a big empty arena to all take turns having an emotional moment together to satisfy each part of the fandom with their respective favourite group, I think that's maybe a sign there's too much being juggled around here.

2. AND by extension of that, it's been a decade and they still haven't fully fixed the other problem with this where it's really difficult to find and play each title on their respective platform.

Like it's one thing for final fantasy because they're all separate universes to my knowledge, you can play one game without playing all of the others, but with kh they insist on tying everything together in an extremely convoluted and hard to keep up with way. Oh you haven't played the 2D mobile game that's been running for like 5 years? You haven't played the 2009 Nintendo DS game? Guess you can't be clued in on all of the context as to what's going on then!

3. On top of that it has the same issue that I have with some other pieces of media - you don't need to explain every single little detail and flesh out every single aspect of a universe from the beginning of time to the far future.

Having a prequel to flesh out the worldbuilding is fine, going back 1000s years or whatever to a forgotten civilization and also having split timelines and alternative universes is in my opinion, utterly unhinged.

The writing could not help itself and just leave already concluded characters alone either in this, it's beyond me why they felt the need to retroactively add on that some of them were secretly part of this massive conspiracy all along, effectively nulling their original motivations as characters that made them interesting in the first place.

-

So when I finished III and got the secret ending and saw a final fantasy style character that's literally two of the main characters mashed together like a 2007 fan oc I thought it was like...just a little tongue in cheek joke about how the series has like a dozen alternate versions of Sora

But no it's a genuine character now that you're supposed to take seriously, and they've honest to god stuck Sora in an alternative universe where he's hyper-realistic walking around the streets of modern day Japan now

I don't know, I could handle watching Sora explain to Orlando Bloom what a heartless is but this has genuinely pushed me to my limit

[thebloggerbloggerfun]

Hello! I have an idea for the ficlet (feel better btw!). Okay: HS AU with popular!Dean and popular!Cas, they're those two annoying guys who make funny (but also obnoxious) comments in every single class, and make stupid, flirtatious remarks to each other like "Cas looks pretty hot today guys" or "I'm totally dating Dean, everyone" etc. Only thing is, they're secretly in love, but neither will admit it. I've had this idea for a while and I'd LOVE for a talented author to execute it.

Aaaahhh it’s been too long since I’ve done a High School AU and I’ve missed it. Thanks for this one and thanks so much for asking me to fufill the prompt! I hope I do it justice :)

AO3

“Please take your seats quickly. I want to discuss your quiz scores so we can go over any questions you may have before the final test.” Ms. Mills said with a stack of papers clutched against her chest.

Dean stretched his arms above his head as he flopped into his usual seat on the third row, next to the wall so he could lean up against it in times of extreme laziness. He sprawled out accordingly, dropping his backpack to the floor and draping his letterman jacket over his seat until the air conditioning kicked in during the middle of class like it usually did.

“Hey, hot stuff.” Dean said with a nod as Castiel sat down in the seat next to him.

“Good morning, Dean.” Castiel said, barely looking up as he aligned his binder and world history book neatly on the small desk in front of him.

“How was that student council thingy yesterday?” Dean asked, popping a piece of gum into his mouth.

“Absolutely dreary without your shining personality to brighten all of our days,” Castiel murmured, completely straight-faced.

Dean winked as Ms. Mills began talking again.

“Some of you need to look at your notes from the beginning of the year again,” she said as she began passing back the quizzes. “And some of you need to remember that - if you want full credit on the final test - the answer to ‘What are the seven wonders of the ancient world’ is not ‘Castiel Novak’s Ass’ written seven times.”

She frowned when she got to Dean’s desk, dropping the paper on his desk as the rest of the class laughed.

Dean clicked his tongue and made a finger gun at Castiel with another wink.

“Really, Dean? Don’t be childish.” Castiel said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. “We all know that’s not true. I haven’t done any squats in at least a month.”

Dean hummed as he leaned back in his seat, obviously inspecting Castiel’s rear end. “Hmmm. Doesn’t show.”

“If you two are quite finished -” Ms. Mills rolled her eyes and made her way back up to the front of the room and rested a hand on her hip. “Now, did anyone have any questions on anything that you’d like to go over?”

Dean leaned forward and raised his hand.

“Besides you.”

Dean let his hand drop to rest above his heart in a faux-wounded position.

“Ms. Mills. I’m shocked and offended that you would deny me my right to receive an education. I wouldn’t dare waste your time with trivial questions.”

Ms. Mills raised an eyebrow.

“Mmhmm. What’s your question.”

“I noticed that you maked me down on question twelve? We had to name one of the causes of Enlightenment?”

“Again, the answer is not ‘Castiel Novak’s Ass’.”

The class broke out into laughter again as Dean leaned back in his chair and did - yet another - finger gun at his best friend.

“You can pay me after class,” Dean said teasingly.

Castiel nodded seriously.

“Cash or credit?”

The laughter finally died down, ending with a long sigh from the front of the classroom.

“… anyone else have any questions?”

***

Dean leaned back against the wall with the rest of their gym class while Castiel and Meg, who had been elected by Bobby (who’d be damned if any of the students called him Mr. Singer) stood up front, picking teams for dodgeball.

“Ruby,” Meg said with a lazy wave, and Ruby skipped over to stand next to her.

Dean smirked as Castiel pretended to survey the rest of the group before pointing at directly and predictably at Dean.

“I guess I’ll take that fine specimen over there.”

Dean flexed as he practically pranced over to his friend, posing next to him while the rest of the class either chuckled or rolled their eyes.

“Raphael.”

“Anna.”

“Abaddon.”

“Jo.”

The choosing continued until there was no one left and both teams had made their way over to their prospective sides for a pre-game huddle.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Dean said in as loud of a whisper as he dared. “When the whistle blows, Cas, you stay behind and I’ll run ahead so that you can stare at my ass.”

Jo snorted.

“C’mon, Dean. Be serious -”

“No, no,” Castiel interrupted, holding up his hand. “He has a point. I think it’s a worthy sacrifice.”

“You guys are ridiculous.”Jo said, shaking her head. “Anyway, I think we should all run for it and damn the consequences.”

Castiel nodded along as Jo spoke.

“Yes. In all seriousness, Jo’s correct. As team captain, I think that we all should do whatever we can to get our hands on those balls.”

“Cas, you know you can always get your hands on my -”

“Shut the fuck up, Dean,” Jo said in exasperation.

***

Dean stripped off all of his football gear and took a quick shower before running back outside to the bleachers where Castiel usually met him after practice. He didn’t always stick around after school, but when Cas had student government stuff after, he’d watch what was left of Dean’s practices as they tended to go longer.

“How was practice?” Castiel asked, snapping his book closed and hopping off the bleachers to fall in step with Dean.

“Same old, same old,” Dean said, tugging up his shirt to rub at his damp hair. “Coach yells, we run, Lucifer trips Michael, and Benny tries to set me up on a date.”

Castiel tucked his book under his arm and nodded. “Sounds exciting. And you said?”

“That all a man will ever need is a cool drink of water like yourself.” Dean placed a hand over his own heart, bowing his head in reverence.

“A good answer,” Castiel said, nodding in his approval as they neared Dean’s car. “So, what’s your mom making for dinner tonight?”

“The best goddamn mashed potatoes you’ll ever have.”

“Wonderful.” Castiel grinned as he opened the Impala’s passenger side door and slipped inside. “I’m starving.”

They drove the ten minute drive to Dean’s house with the radio turned all the way up, singing the lyrics of various love songs to each other as dramatically as they could, with Castiel reminding Dean to watch the road as needed.

“Mom!” Dean shouted as he opened the front door. “Do we have enough food for a plus one?”

He dropped his backpack and stripped his shoes at the front door, watching Castiel do the same.

“Of course!” he heard from the kitchen. “Who’d you bring?”

“Adonis reincarnate.”

“Dean, you know Castiel is always welcome.” Mary said, and poked her head out from behind the doorframe. “Hello, Cas.”

“Hi, Mrs. Winchester.” Castiel waved before turning to Dean with a raised eyebrow. “Adonis reincarnate, huh? That’s a new one.”

Dean grinned.

“Only the best for you, babe.”

***

“Listen, Dean.”

Dean looked up from where he was shoving all of his clean laundry into its respective drawers while Cas lay on his bed.

“Yeah?”

Castiel’s hands drummed on his stomach.

“I was thinking… what if we went on a date?”

Dean paused and turned completely around, a pair of boxer shorts still in his hand.

“What?”

Castiel propped himself up on his elbows and licked his lips.

“You know. A…. date. You and me. Doing something together.” Dean watched Castiel pause and clear his throat. “Would you want to?”

Dean tilted his head and let a slow smile creep across his lips.

“Cas, I think that’s an amazing idea.”

Castiel’s mouth fell open, and an even wider grin split his face.

“Wait - really? You think?”

“Absolutely! You’re a genius! People will think that’s hilarious!”

Dean burst out laughing at the thought of everyone’s faces at school when they found out. It would really be the icing on the top of the cake for a lot of people. Not only would they flirt with each other at every opportunity, but now an actual date? Incredible.

“Right. Yeah.”

Dean glanced over at Castiel, who was looking away, his smile nearly gone.

“No, it really will be funny! Jo will probably die laughing. It’s a great idea, Cas.”

Castiel chuckled, but even that sounded forced, like he no longer found his idea funny.

“Thanks,” he murmured, flopping back down on the bed and staring out the window.

Weird.

Still, even though it would be a joke, the idea of going on a date with Cas… it was nice. Nicer than he’d thought it would be.

Not that he’d ever…you know.

Thought about that.

“So, what did you want to do for it?” Dean asked, though he already had a list of possibilities that he was running through. Dinner and a movie was up there at the top of the list, just because of how incredibly cliche it was.  

“I don’t care,” Cas mumbled, picking up his book again and turning to his bookmark. “You decide.”

Dean tossed the boxers into his top drawer and rubbed his hands together.

This was going to be the best date of his life.

***

It was not the best date of his life.

It was…okay. Very average, if he had to make a guess.

Definitely by no fault of Dean’s, he finally decided. He was making sure to go out of his way to be especially flirtatious with Castiel on their date by holding doors open, being more touchy-feely than usual, and absolutely drowning him in pet names.

Cas, however, wasn’t playing off of him as well as he usually did.

“Here you are, sunshine,” Dean said, opening the passenger door for Castiel with a flourish. “I hope you enjoyed the meal.”

“Thanks,” Castiel said, sliding into the seat and shutting the door himself, nearly wrenching it from Dean’s grasp.

Dean pressed his lips together as he walked over to the other side of the car to let himself in.

“You doing okay?” he asked and started the car, sparing a glance over to Castiel.

Castiel let out a breath and shot him a quick smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Yes. I’m fine. Just a little tired, I think.”

“Oh, okay.” Dean drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove, the silence making the drive a little more awkward than it usually was.

“And here we are,” Dean said cheerfully when they stopped in front of Castiel’s house. “Home sweet home.”

Castiel smiled and leaned his head back on the head rest. “Well, thanks Dean. It was a fun date. We should - what are you doing?”

Dean paused in the middle of opening the driver’s side door.

“Um, walking you to your front door, of course.”

“Oh,” Castiel ducked his head and the dim lighting made it almost look like Castiel was blushing. “Dean, you don’t need to do that. I think I can find my way on my own.”

Dean scoffed and shook his head, as if the very thought of such an act wounded his honor.

“What kind of gentleman would that make me? Please.” he winked and quickly shut the door behind him to get to the other side of the car before Castiel opened the door. “It’s my pleasure.”

Castiel looked up at him as Dean opened the car door, and Dean’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

Oh. Well.

He’d probably just had a little too much fun pretending to be on a date with him, is all. It was just muscle memory for him by now.

Castiel climbed out. Dean shut the door. The two of them walked up to Castiel’s porch.

Just like they would do on a real date.

“Again, thank you, Dean. It was fun.” Castiel said, smiling at him from just a foot away.

“Are you gonna leave me without a goodnight kiss?”

Dean wasn’t sure why he said it, probably because that’s what he did at the end of every date, but the moment it was out of his mouth he knew there was no taking it back. Part of him wasn’t even sure that he wanted to.

Castiel’s lips pulled into slight frown, and Dean realized that’s where he’d been staring for quite some time now.

“What?”

“You know. Goodnight kiss.” Dean pointed to his own lips with a smile.

“Why?” Castiel was squinting now, like he usually did when he didn’t understand something the teacher was saying or when he was working out a math problem.

“To like, make the date official. It’ll be funny.” Dean shrugged.

Castiel’s frown deepened.

“No.Goodnight, Dean.”

“Oh, come on, Cas!” Dean reached out and rested a hand on his forearm as Castiel turned away to open the door to his house. “It won’t mean anything. Just a kiss so we can tell people we did!”

Dean could see Castiel’s grip on the doorknob tighten minimally, and when Castiel looked back with a face full of hurt -

Dean took a step back.

“That’s why I’m saying ‘no’.”

And Dean was left alone on the porch.

***

Dean closed the door to his house as quietly as he could, and rubbed at his eyes in confusion. Something had gone very, very badly and Dean’s mind was experiencing a little too much turbulence for him to figure out what exactly that meant or where it had happened.

“Dean? Is that you?”

Dean rubbed at the back of his head as he made his way into the living room, following the sound of his mother’s voice.

Mary was sitting on the couch with a book in her lap; her hair was pulled back into a messy and reading glasses rested on the tip of her nose.

“Hey, mom.”

Mary looked up and smiled.

“Hey, hun. What were you up to?”

Dean sighed and flopped down on the couch next to her, resting his hands on his stomach.

“Went on a date with Cas.”

“Oh? And how’d it go?”

Dean shrugged and made a noncommittal grunt.

“Well, what did you do for the date?”

“Dinner and a movie.”

Mary raised her eyebrow.

“Really? I thought that was something you only did on first dates.”

Dean frowned and glanced over at his mother as she calmly turned a page in her book.

“It- it was a first date.”

Mary made a face at Dean and tutted as she shook her head in disappointment.

“You’ve never taken your boyfriend on a proper date? Dean.”

Dean sat up.

“Wha - but I - we’re not - it’s not like -” Dean steepled his fingers together and pressed them against his lips. “Wait, what…what makes you think that Cas and I are dating?”

“Well,” Mary pursed her lips thoughtfully and folded a dog-ear in her book. “Besides the intense amount of flirting that’s sort of a giveaway? Two things. One is the way that you look at him.”

“The way I….” Dean trailed off, a question in is voice.

“The way you look at him. Dean, the way you stare at Castiel reminds me of the way people stare at stars. It’s like there’s nothing else in the world you’d rather be looking at.”

Dean felt the a light blush begin crawling up his neck.

“Oh. Um. What’s the second thing, then?”

Mary smiled.

“The way he looks at you.”

***

“Cas! Hey, Cas!”

Dean shoved his way through the crowds of lunch period, trying to catch up to his best friend. Castiel had been extremely successful in avoiding him throughout their classes and even the teachers had noticed that he’d sat on the opposite side of the room from Dean instead right next to him as he usually did.

“‘Scuse me. Pardon me.” Dean used few well-timed elbow jabs until he could finally tap Castiel on the shoulder. “Cas. Hey.”

Castiel glanced over his shoulder and squinted.

“Oh. Hello Dean. How did everyone take the news about our date last night?” he asked, folding his arms in front of his chest and not bothering to hide the slight venom in his voice.

“I uh, I haven’t told anyone.” Dean said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Look, can we talk?”

Castiel shrugged.

“Sure.”

Dean grabbed Castiel by his hand and led him outside where there weren’t so many people surrounding them before.

He took a deep breath, quickly running through the major points of long speech that he’d prepared in his head. It was full of eloquent apologies and deep confessions that he hoped would help Castiel realize how he felt and maybe help him forgive what an ass he was.

“Will you be my boyfriend?” Dean blurted, then slapped a hand over his mouth.

Castiel’s eyes widened almost comically.

“What?”

“Shit, wait. That was supposed to come last.” Dean licked his lips, feeling the panic set in. “Look, Cas. I’m so sorry about last night. I played it off like it was just a joke but…I don’t think it was. I don’t think any of this has been a joke for me and I’ve just been too much of an idiot to realize it. What I’m trying to say here is, I uh, I really like you, Cas. I don’t want any of this to be pretend anymore. I want you to be my boyfriend.”

Castiel continued to stare, and Dean didn’t blame him for taking his time while he digested the word-vomit that he’d just dumped.

“So…” he said finally. “The date was real?”

Dean shrugged, letting himself smile a little.

“It should have been.”

Castiel nodded to himself and slowly reached out to grab Dean’s hand, giving him plenty of time to move back if this wasn’t something he wanted.

He wanted it.

“Then I think I’d like that very much, Dean.” Castiel murmured, intertwining their fingers together with a grin.

“Awesome.” Dean breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed his hand tightly, not bothering to hide how giddy Castiel’s simple answer had made him. They were holding hands. Of course, they had before, but all of those times were just screwing around being funny.

This wasn’t funny anymore.

It was so much better than that.

It was real.

“So, uh, Cas?” Dean said, ducking his head a little to hide his playful grin.

“Mmmhm?”

“If that date was real, does that mean I can get a goodnight kiss now?”

Castiel raised an eyebrow, a teasing look on his face as he slowly leaned in, causing Dean’s heart to nearly burst from his chest in anticipation-

And pressed a finger against Dean’s lips.

“I never kiss on the first date. I’ll see you later, darling. ”

Dean laughed as Castiel slipped from his grasp and walked away, a slight skip in his step.

“Then I’ll pick you up at eight, hot stuff!” He called after Castiel’s retreating silhouette.

A few meandering students paused and stared at Dean curiously.

“That’s my boyfriend.” Dean said with a nonchalant shrug and the biggest goddamn smile that he’d ever had on his face.

[2019weekendproject]

not your usual long weekend getaway

5th Feb - a message pops up!

Ants: You free from 22-25? My bday is in the 24th.

Me: 25th holiday! what do you have in mind?

Ants: We're planning to go to Baguio in those days. Down to come?

Me: sounds exciting, G!

Ants: Nice. Let you know the plans.

Fast-forward to the 18th (Monday before the long weekend trip)

Me: wanted to confirm if this weekend is a go?

Ants:  So it’s gonna be the whole Cem crew and Lou. And my mom.

The CemCrew

Lou wasn’t able to make it eventually, but mom was present - and oh, did we enjoy having mom around! Not only was she responsible for the non-stop eating (refer to previous post for all the juicy details), I also got schooled on Korean rom-coms, of all people!

We called our little clique, CEMCrew - a mix of very different characters glued together by a solid bond like... CEMent. Well, not exactly.

Yes to the mix - it’s an unlikely and unique mash up. The bond also holds true, in more ways than one - which all started in a... CEMETERY! Manila American Cemetery to be exact! That’s where we first came together one fateful day back in 2014, I think? I’d go detail the relationship web, but you can also figure out with this photo, we’ve come a long way since - consider this the before shot.

Back to the weekend - batch one left on a Friday night. I forgot to bring my neck-pillow for the six-hour ordeeal but apparently didn't have to worry - we each had ready allocation of huge pillows and blankets on board. Tita Liza thought of everything! Ready to roll!

Not a lot of talking in the van, it was late so it was a lot of snoozing instead. I haven’t seen Anthony’s mom in the longest time, we are facebook friends though, so I guess that sort of means we both still ‘see’ each other from time to time (LOL). It’s perfectly acceptable then for me to still feel somewhat awkward, yeah?

The one I should give credit to, however, in finally breaking the ice is.. JOLLIBEE stop-over! No proper road-trip is complete without one, if you ask me. Not so much that we had the most meaningful of conversations over Tuna Pie and sweet spaghetti, but we found ourselves in ‘level-playing field’ that is, it was neither in my turf or hers. I was mostly giving one line answers to China questions though (and beating myself over in my head how terribly un-smooth I was in Conversation 101. Partly blaming it to the fact that my brain cells are midnight owls no more) 

We arrived at the house at 3am and we were greeted with the fancy fireplace setup - I say, the best part of any Baguio home!

Again I say, BEST part of any Baguio home!

Netflix (Chill). Rinse (Optional). Repeat.

story of this weekend.

There was really no need to go out of the cabin, and your sense of time and day gets blurry, which is telling of a wonderful vacation. 

The Breaker Upperers played after lunch (the Kiwis know their comedy). This movie is definitely the fave in this trip. I can’t help but also associate it with the awesomeness of having free flowing coffee brewed on demand, while we were snug and comfortable on beanies covered in knitted wool blackets. spell COMFORT!

We then shifted to a couple of Oh My Venus episodes, that surprisingly went well with our meat and cheese platter. Oh that honey-truffle. *drool*

Batch two (the other pair of love birds) made an appearance almost midnight going into the birthday salubong - which became game night (captured quite a few jenga faces) - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS

Unbeknownst to most, Shek (my ex) is now with our friend, Gab. Before, during and post this weekend trip, I got a few inquiries asking how I felt or simply, if I was okay with it. For the most part, yes. It’s been ages since, and Gab had done due diligence (more than I thought he should have) in informing before the courting and making it official.

In a fun, unplanned twist however, all three of us ended up sleeping in the same room (separate beds), sharing the same bath!

So did it occur to me to dip their vulnerable toothbrushes in the toilet? Perhaps looking at it from a third person's POV, thinking it would be funny that I’m thinking of writing about thinking about it ~kind of way, Yes. Definitely not out of spite or anything remotely close to that. I also DID NOT DO IT, just in case that needed to be clearer :)

There really is nothing much to say about it, apart from acknowledging that it sure was an interesting spot to be in. Someone pointed out that perhaps I put up walls in anticipation of the moment. Maybe. But was I constantly, actively on guard waiting for the potential awkward moment, ready to steer to make it less so? Hardly.

New Edition

I miss having this solid unit around. After the Cemetery chill day (it’s really more of a memorial site, where you can find a quiet spot to think), there were more birthday celebrations, chill@home hangouts, a hyperactive messenger group, even attending church conferences and retreats together! I still recall that one Christmas break when I was back for a visit ~ I was in tears, crying in front of these same people, in an honest outpour.

SIDE NOTE: Many relationships from my past have since evolved, they're not quite the same. And I know that's as expected. I've come to embrace the notion that since your friends now were once strangers, there’s no reason why the friends in your yesteryears can’t be strangers tomorrow.

I did not nor have I been unfriended, at least that I know of. There is, however, just a natural course of increasing or decreasing interactions.

Who knows, this could very well be the beginning of many other connections waiting to be rekindled. It should also be no surprise if people who were part of your life then, can continue to play perhaps an even bigger part tomorrow. Keep doors (and windows) open.

We had quite a laugh before taking the first group photo above with the bad good joke that Gab blurted out, that we were seated according to our original pairs plus the adjacent connections that brought the group together.

Here is the now shot, I’d simply call it CemCrew 2019 edition.