#even when drama comes up www

[inchidentally]

https://www(.)autosport(.)com/f1/news/stella-singles-out-exceptional-japan-f1-podium-as-piastris-2023-highlight-/10559510/

I think you've posted about Andrea Stella's relationships with Lando and Oscar before and I've been thinking about this and just needed to share my thoughts with someone.

when Oscar talks about his best weekends, its always Qatar where he felt like he really maximized his result and SIlverstone which he talks about as one of his most complete performances despite missing that podium.

When it comes to Japan and his first podium, it's like he's happy with the result and what that meant for the team, but it's not actually a weekend he reflects on super positively in terms of his race. I feel like he's never the one bringing it up, it's always like a reporter being like "and Japan?" and he's just like "yeah I guess that was nice too", but he doesn't really talk about it as a personal highlight (even though I'm sure he isn't like... upset over it, just not a performace he rates as his strongest).

all that to say I love that Andrea actually picks out his qualifying performace there as a highlight of his season, because it was! it just feels really subtlely supportive of him to bring up a moment that Oscar doesn't really talk about himself, and kind of got lost in all the comparisons or race pace between him and Lando.

idk i just needed to tell someone this lol

oh anon and I am so glad you shared it with me bc I wanna go offfff

truly this quote is the kind of thing I could see making Oscar feel emotional about and puff up with pride. it's the sort of meticulous score card that his big brained A-levels overachieving ass must eat up with a spoon:

"In terms of speed, in terms of capacity to learn very rapidly, in terms of collaborating with his engineers and extracting the information that he needs to grow so rapidly, in terms of his own awareness of where he is in the various stages to go from: ‘I know nothing about this track, first time in a Formula 1 car' to being P2 on the grid. And also the way he keeps himself calm, controlled – therefore always capitalising on his potential because he doesn’t create any unnecessary stress - that’s quite exceptional. And I can see why he was so successful in junior categories."

and god, the stern but loving dad role Andrea has taken with Lando and Oscar. especially when you think from Oscar's perspective how he was coming into a team fresh off of a dramatic court case and filling a seat that everyone - including Lando - was still deep in mourning over. from what I remember Oscar's "promo" by McLaren was more like something they'd do to announce a new reserve driver rather than Lando's new teammate. especially considering the weeks of emotionally overwrought posts and content about Daniel leaving. I'm guessing a lot of that had to do with trying to mitigate the comment sections turning rancid on any Oscar content (and I'm being generous saying that). but there was exceptionally low fanfare attending Oscar's arrival, especially considering him having such a scorching record coming up to F1.

so for someone like Andrea to come into his new role and choose to watch Oscar so closely when Oscar was honestly sort of - either ignored or still hated bc of Daniel and Alpine - during those races before Silverstone has come good in the huge revolution of public opinion about Oscar. Lando was already comfortably at home and only needed a little managing. side note I love how many times in challenges Lando would pretend to pout and say "Andrea said there has to be balance and fairness between teammates sooooo" akgfkasgs he had Lando's number already <3

but for all that Oscar has been a trooper about having to kind of operate without the kind of consistent found family that Lando has and dealt with the press and DTS dutch angle drama interviews in such a mature way idk. I feel like sometimes Oscar sees himself as only existing as one of the drivers once he's actually in the car. he's never found that footing of becoming one of the F1 personalities the way that even Logan has (thank you Williams and thank you Alex).

a lot of the time you could confuse Oscar's presence in the garage and the paddock with another engineer. and tbh when you consider how much of an online meme he was in F2 and F3 and how strong his twitter game was it definitely feels like he's intentionally suppressing his personality to maybe ? just get through his rookie F1 season with as little drama as possible. I've gone on and on and on abt how Prema Oscar would have made the perfect fan favorite dynamic with Lando the same way he was with Arthur or Robert. but Oscar's personality has only come out on camera a few times and otherwise he just watches Lando or stiffly gets through his own parts.

that's why I had to compile these instances of Andrea seeking Oscar out and being so incredibly tender with him. Lando is the always beloved child at McLaren and he absolutely earned that. but he was also definitely thrown by Oscar choosing to go so quiet and under the radar - I don't think in a bad way, but I will be interested to see the clips from DTS that haven't been chopped to hell so we can get a better glimpse of that.

but someone in higher authority than Lando needed to go out of their way to regularly remind Oscar that yes, he's One of The Big Boys and yes, McLaren is his home now. he has as much right as the rest of the drivers all feel to stand up and ask for what they want and speak for themselves and even cause a little trouble if they feel they need to. an F1 grid are always drama queens to some degree because they're basically the lead singers of a band. they had to as Lando rightly said "be fairly selfish" to get to their rarefied position. not that they're bad people at all, just that they have to treat themselves as of utmost importance in order to achieve the performance and mentality to even get a shot at F1. but not only is Oscar not naturally like that (his forms of self-care involve sleep and seeing friends lol) he certainly wasn't going to stir things up anymore than he already had.

but! what Oscar does have is incredible courage, unflappable calm and towering competitiveness. like I said once he gets in the car his focused self-belief overtakes everything else. the amount of times his rookie season it was down solely to the car or to other drivers that resulted in taking him out of a race or knocking him down the grid as opposed to pure rookie error or personal mistakes is amazing. and guess who said that back in August:

"For us being in this journey with Oscar, it makes it even more exciting, because it was very clear right from the start – the level of talent.

“Even the analytical behaviour, looking at things, trying to learn, and at the same time always remaining very calm. He is able to absorb things, execute things, always staying very calm, which I think is a strong point of Oscar.”

and guess who gives us some of the best insights to the kind of driver Oscar is when no one else can? (apart from sexy daddy Mark ofc)

“I think the quality which, if you want, maybe one of the key enablers [of] why he can grow so rapidly is just the man beyond the driver,” Stella told GP Blog. “He’s so calm. He’s so good at keeping himself in a status in which he can use the best of his talent.

“I don’t have that quality, I have to think very actively about ‘What am I thinking? What are my emotions?’ I have to think about my psychology to actively keep myself in the most productive state. For Oscar, this seems to come quite naturally. That’s the main enabler.

“I think he, potentially, has a natural gift. Or, maybe he worked throughout his young career through that. I don’t know. But, certainly, he’s remarkable. And even when I’ve seen great drivers currently or in the past, all of them sort of sometimes underperformed because they don’t stay in the status in which they give their best. I think, for Oscar, this is quite natural.”

oh and guess who also tells us the most about the fact that Lando has taken his role as established driver and leader seriously wrt Oscar and how well they've complemented each other?

“So Lando can say ‘ok, we can do this in this corner’, and so on. And likewise, obviously, for Oscar with Lando. The second element, which is remarkable this year, is how similar the comments are between the two drivers.

“And this is not only in the off-line debriefings, but it's also when the drivers come back after they run the first run during a session. They actually use the same terminology, like it looks like they are in communication before reporting their feedback.”

papa is giving his boys their props!! they did him proud and he's not going to hold back on telling the world!

and I even love how Lando and Oscar both choose Silverstone without any hesitation as their favorite race of 2023 and that Lando said how much Oscar deserved to be up there with him. that's exactly what Andrea had instilled in them and shows his values have fully sunk in.

you're absolutely right anon, we should never forget that Andrea is the one who went to Oscar when Oscar needed it and that Andrea established the team culture that has let someone like Oscar thrive at the same time as someone so different from him like Lando.

.

.

articles sourced:

[momoyukirin]

Momo's "An Idol's Daily Life" Rabbitchat Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Darling is dreaming

Momo: Yoohooヾ(｡>ω・)/ thanks for coming all the way to our dressing room to say hi earlier, Maneko-chan☆

Tsumugi: Thank you for your hard work! Apologies for disturbing while Yuki-san was sleeping... ＞＜

Momo: Not at all! Rather, I'm sorry for making you whisper while we talked!?

Momo: Yuki never wakes up when he falls asleep so don't worry (*´∀`)b

Momo: It's been a while since I last had to chat so stealthily, it was kinda fun www

Momo: Even though you had to repeat that you brought* us momorin many times since I couldn't understand you ww

Tsumugi: It was no problem at all! I was the one who couldn't handle whispering well!

Momo: Handle whispering ww

Momo: Saying "momo" in a quiet voice is difficult, isn't it( ´ p ` )

Tsumugi: Let's try practicing for next time..!

Momo: Practicing www

Momo: Maneko-chan, you're as diligent as ever. What a good girl... ( ´ ∀`)

Momo: Come to think of it, weren't you about to say something near the end back there?

Tsumugi: I just wanted to thank you for bringing us those lemon cheese tarts the other day..!

Tsumugi: I wasn't confident I could express this well enough while whispering, so I gave up and said I'd just thank you through rabbitchat later...

Momo: I see ww

Tsumugi: Thank you for the treats and for taking our Agency's staff into consideration! It really was delicious!

Momo: Thank you for the sweets and the momorin you brought us earlier too! We'll be enjoying them d( ´ ∀`)

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: I'm glad they suited your taste!

Momo: Since my darling is still asleep, I'll make sure to tell him they're from you when he wakes up! (・΄ω`・)

Tsumugi: Thank you!

Tsumugi: Yuki-san has the drama filming too, so he's probably very tired, isn't he...

Momo: Yeah, and since he was filming all night yesterday, it's to be expected that he'd be at his limit ＞＜

Momo: Ah

Momo: Yuki woke up just as I was talking about him ww

Tsumugi:

Momo: He says you, Okarin and I appeared in his dream www

Option 1:

Tsumugi: What were you doing in the dream, Momo-san?

Momo: He says I was swimming in a fizzy momorin pool w Can you even swim in something carbonated? Though naturally carbonated water springs do exist(*ノ∀*) Maybe it's because I opened a bottle of momorin next to him while he slept ww

Option 2:

Tsumugi: What was Okazaki-san doing in the dream?

Momo: Apparently we all went to a pool made of momorin, but Okarin was standing by the pool, dancing to Silver Sky ww Yuki said he was great at it and looked cool ww I wanted to see it too!

Option 3:

Tsumugi: What was I doing in the dream?

Momo: Apparently Yuki, Okarin and I went to a pool to swim, but for some reason you were there swimming in a ninja suit www Well, your stealthy footsteps when you came to our dressing room earlier really did make you look like a ninja www

Momo: Yuki's face has a red mark where it was pressed against the sofa (￣♢￣；)

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: Will he be okay for the next shoot!?

Momo: Looks like we can more or less conceal it with make-up so it's fine!

Momo:

Tsumugi: Thank goodness... ><

Momo: Even as he's getting his make-up done, he's still dozing off www

Momo: I want to share some of my ability to wake up easily with him (＞人＜*) I'm the fully-awake-in-3-seconds Momo-chan, after all☆

Tsumugi: 3 seconds, I'm jealous..!

Tsumugi: When the weather is cold it takes me about 5 minutes, since I end up dozing off in my futon ＞＜

Momo: It's cute if it's just this much, don't worry☆(゜v｀⁠d)

Momo: Even when I wake him up, Yuki just falls asleep again and again, and if I let him be he doesn't wake up until after noon ww

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: This much..!!

Momo: When he focuses on composing, day and night get reversed (＞ｘ＜*)))

Momo: Back when we lived together, we'd go on morning walks to improve his daily rhythm, but if I took my eyes off of him for even a second, he'd be sleeping while standing or on a bench www

Momo: While standing...! That's quite impressive!

Momo: It's a kind of talent, isn't it ww

Momo: Ah, Yuki's in a sleeping position again...

Momo: As you can tell, it'll be bad if he's not up soon, so I'll go wake him up!

Tsumugi:

1.the word "差し入れ" is used a lot and in this context it means "(bringing) snacks for sb who's hard at work" or something of the sort. It's a cute word so I wanted to give context for it www

[sailtomarina]

Putreuse Potion Confessions

“George, you can’t keep doing this!” Hermione’s shrill cry rang through the flat. It was surprising her voice carried at all given the clutter of books and WWW prototypes filling every room. 

Granted, most of the books were hers. She told herself it couldn’t be helped, what with the way the twin took up every other available space with his “treasures” and “projects”. You might even think he lived above the Weasley shop by himself, but no. He had a roommate, and her name was Hermione Granger.

She wondered whether or not the flat had looked similar before her desperation led her here. Hermione had been so distracted by her own drama at the time that she hadn’t really paid attention to her surroundings.

“George!” she yelled once more. She knew he wasn’t downstairs. He always took his lunch break at this time.

The cauldron currently sitting in the bathroom–their only bathroom–bubbled terrifying shades of puce and chartreuse.

Whatever had possessed the French to actually like these colours once upon a time?

She shook away the errant thought. That wasn’t the point. What was the point was that the bubbling looked volatile. She’d stake her Advanced Potions N.E.W.T. that whatever he was brewing should not be reacting like this. If he didn’t show up soon, she would be forced to act.

Sod it.

She’d try a Stasis charm and hope for the best.

“Wait, wait, wait!” George’s shout came just as her wand started its movement, and she froze in place like she was the one stuck in time before slowly turning her head to glare at him.

“What. Is. This?”

He gulped. He stood only a few feet away, hand outstretched. Their face-off lasted all of five seconds before she let her wand drop to her side. George sighed in relief.

“It’s an experiment.” He startled at the growl that escaped her throat, and hastily continued to explain. “We ran out of room in the lab, and I was going to check on it during my break.”

“Well, it doesn’t look good,” she said, stepping back and waving him forward. She breathed in as he brushed past her, taking in the scents that were uniquely George. Smoke from frequent explosions. Honey from his tea. Sandalwood from his soap she sometimes borrowed when she ran out of her own, and sometimes when she just felt like it. “What’s it supposed to be anyway?”

He tutted the moment he laid his eyes on the concoction, then cast his own Stasis charm. It worked. “A twist on Veritaserum that would be safe for commercial use.”

Hermione looked at the sickly blend of colours. “Veritaserum is supposed to be clear. Tasteless. Odourless.” She slid her gaze over to the wizard. “Undetectable.”

“Like I said: safe for commercial use.” Then, to her horror, he dipped a finger into the mixture and licked it.

“George!”

“Hermione!” He mocked, hitting what he must have estimated to be her pitch and smirking at her reaction.

“You can’t just test things like that! It’s dangerous, not to mention downright stupid.”

“That’s what you’re here for, love. I couldn’t be in safer company. Or prettier.” His smug grin that spread from ear to…well, the side without an ear, dropped as he heard his own response. “Shite. I didn’t mean to say that. Though I do think it. You really are the prettiest witch I know. Also, the smartest. Good Godric, what am I saying? Make it stop!” He clapped both hands over his mouth and backed further into the bathroom as if the increased distance would somehow protect him.

“You think I’m pretty?”

While she knew in theory that she was passably decent, she never would have applied the word to herself. Her hair, her signature feature, placed Hermione far outside of the typical image of beauty. Even now, several years into adulthood, she maintained that the curls had a life of their own. George had never once commented on her looks in the past, other than to shake his head the night she’d come knocking on his door, calling her ex “a fool.” She’d moved in that same evening.

She watched in fascination as the muscles along his arms bulged in the effort to contain his answer. He wiggled, fighting the compulsion, before both hands yanked downward to reveal the strained tendons of his neck.

“I think you’re gorgeous and I want you more than anyone I’ve ever wanted in my entire life. Merlin’s saggy balls!” 

He spun around and dove through the shower curtain like a show dog passing through a hoop. Only, he was an adult man, and the tub was empty. He hit the porcelain basin with what sounded like every hard edge of his body. “Fuck!” He huddled there, tightly hugging himself.

He seemed okay otherwise. Hermione stared at the freckled skin along his bare arms for another beat, then two, and then she, too, scooped up a dollop of the potion. Before she could second guess herself, she sucked and swallowed.

It was…sweet. Like, candy-sweet. That must have been the intention, only she would need to step in and redirect him towards a more palatable array. She stepped deeper into the bathroom until her knees bumped the edge of the tub.

“George, ask me a question.”

He stilled. Peeking over his shoulder, his eyes widened when she held up one digit, still slick from her own spit. He had no way of knowing she’d trained herself to resist Veritaserum. “Did you…”

“I did. And that one doesn’t count. Ask me another.”

He slowly turned until he fully faced her. He straightened his shoulders and gazed upward, the clear blue of his eyes holding her own. “Hermione, will you go out with me?”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” She stepped into the tub, sinking down so she basically sat in his lap. Her arms settled around his neck, catching a fistful of hair and tilting his face up. “Yes. Now kiss me.”

1000 WC exactly (tears hair out)

Written for the WWW HumpDay Drabbles, my Chaos prompts were: Weasley: George Potion: Veritaserum Trope: Roommates

Cross-posted on FB, Tumblr, and AO3

I originally included a note about Fred being alive and having moved in with Angelina, but cut it due to word limit.

[pbandjesse]

I am really sleepy. But it was not a bad day. I just decided I should come home and I'm glad I did. I had such a fun and productive night. And that was after a pretty good day of groups and classes.

I slept all right last night. I went to go look at the stars before bed and had to walk in the woods a little bit. It's funny that I'm not scared at all when I'm out there. Even though it's very very dark and by all counts I should be afraid. But it's not scary you know that it's empty and you are alone.

I would see Callie's light in the distance and so I started walking towards her and she yelled over who's there? That was like oh my God it's me! And we would hang out for the next hour and a half.

She told me all about her day and some of the drama and I told her mine. And we would chat and laugh and have a nice evening. Eventually though we both started to wind down and went to sleep. Did not turn off our desk lamp. But I slept with a sleep mask on so it didn't really matter. And while per alarm did wake me up The only real problem I have is that she's pretty perfume and it got on my head. It was very funny but also the smell was a little overwhelming for a few seconds for me. I would be fine but it was just very funny.

I would get up for real and she asked me to bring her her toothbrush. So I would get washed up and dressed and I felt like I was moving really slow because I was freezing. I was just so cold in my cabin. So I was struggling to get dressed and ready but I would figure it out and collect her toothbrush and then I was off.

I went up the hill behind the lodge instead of the other route because I wanted to stop at the stream site to get the nature skills box to give to Callie But when I got there I was annoying to find the stream box I've been left open and had 3 in of rain in it.

But not just 3 in of rain. It also had two hatched snake eggs. It was crazy. I have never seen that before and I was afraid that maybe there was a snake in the box somewhere so rather than risk it I would let the office know and then let Lindsey who runs nature now. And I was just fascinated that that had happened because those eggs were big. And yesterday morning when I got the camp there was a shed snake skin on my table so the snakes are back for sure.

I would have a really nice day though. We had biscuits and gravy with bacon for breakfast but I don't eat two of those things so I got a biscuit and jelly. It would have been better with butter and then later on I found that there was butter in my backpack and I'm so mad but it was okay. I would eat watermelon and a biscuit and then I walked to the office to check in and then over to the art Jack where I waited for my first group.

This first group struggle. There was a couple very nice boys but they also apparently had to have a behavior conversation meeting with their village director already. It's only Tuesday. But we struggled through and it was fine. Couple of them made snakes couple of them made lizards some of them made bracelets but everybody made something. And they tried hard.

I did have a little trouble with one boy who was being a little bit mean to one of my boys that have been here for forever. And he kept saying that nobody likes him and nobody wants him here and blah blah blah and I'm like stop it even if that's true which it's not that's not very nice and it's not very kind and we don't do that. And it was just disappointing because that's so not what camps about and I don't want to see bullying at all at camping. It's upsetting. I really hope that his counselor is paying attention.

My woodlands group which was second was very funny and kept singing along to very early 2000s women singers. Specifically 1,000 miles and fireworks. And it was very funny hearing them all sing to the song when I put it on Spotify. They were like oh my God www! Which is little boy language for when which is positive. At least it was funny.

Lunch was fine but I didn't really want a veggie burger so I took a couple bites for the protein and then just made a sandwich using french fries a tomato lettuce and ketchup. Would have improved with Mayo but I did not see any. I also think that the chips from yesterday would have been better than the French fries but whatever.

I would eat lunch pretty quickly after being very confused when Aaron said that he did not feed the chickens yesterday? They're not in every other day either so that's weird. But I would text Lindsay about it because she's down there and it's easier for her to keep an eye on things than me. And then I would go to arts and crafts and lay down for a while.

I would be called upon by some of my coworkers. For string. Then for paint brushes. I heard over the walkie that they're going to start painting the teepees and they needed the big brushes and I quickly ran over to grab my walkie and tell them I had it I had it! And they would send someone up later on to get it. Alexi walked by and waved andJeci came up to work on bracelets for a bit. Ouzman(unsure of spelling) that would come as well He kept saying in his accent that he was going to have the best and biggest bracelet at camp. I thought that was very funny.

The afternoon was great. I had day campers I had Yukon and then I had horses. Some people struggled with their lizards. Specifically the little kids but I was pretty proud of my counselors for picking up on how to build them so they could help me and I wasn't the only one troubleshooting everyone's work. I was really proud of all the kids that persevered because it is hard! Hand-eye coordination, following a pattern, these are all skills that they needed I'm glad that we're practicing them. At every level. And even though big kids were making some lizards but others were a metal stamping or making beaded bracelets or string bracelets. And I was just having a really good day hanging out with everyone talking about past years and this year and all of the changes in the world. And it just felt good. That's a really good kids that are new and ones that are returning and I was just having a really good time.

I was also enjoying my counselors and the YLPs. Those teens struggle a little bit but if you give them direction they're good followers. They listen very well even if they're not quite self-starters yet. I was very happy with them and would just have a really nice time talking and showing them how to do different things. Showing my expectations of them. I got to make sure that I get that in quick so that there not in the hammocks right away.

This for some of the counselors as well.

A little before lunch the lights in the art building went out and I called the office and I was the first one to report but the lights had gone out. Because then slowly throughout camp the lights were going off. At the Hacienda and then the nurse's office and then the lodge and everyone kept calling him because no one was listening. And then me Tony and Kieran kept making jokes about Antonio thinking that people were calling the tower ( where he works ) when we were saying the word power. And so then Kieran said does anybody need a shower? And I was like is anyone looking for full hour? And then Elizabeth told us to stop and Kieran was like I got me and then she was like no more jokes and then I said guys at this hour? And it was really bad and we were just having a good time.

The power would only be out for about an hour. Thankfully I had water and I was fine but our bathrooms don't work if we don't have running water so that's always a fear. But thankfully was not too much of an issue today. And it would resolve pretty quickly.

My last group of the day was the worst girls and they actually didn't have me on their schedule officially They had archery tag but they chose to come to me instead and that was just fine. It would just set back me going home and it's all good. I was happy to have them. Some of them make lizards, including the counselors, and then someone was crocheting and other girls were making bracelets and it was just like a really nice calm end of the day. I was really happy and they were really sweet. And once they were gone I cleaned up and grab my backpack and got my car.

I was just about to leave when I saw Cody. He's not working here this year but he was visiting cuz he was in the area and I was joking asking if they had convinced him to come back yet. And I told him about all the new programs and he said that's why so it was nice to see him and I have officially in my mind for giving him for being my mortal enemy after making me cry my second year I can't. It's all good. It was just one of those things that I held onto for a long time but he doesn't work here anymore and honestly he's not a bad person. He tries very hard to be good and I have no animosity towards him anymore. I am letting that joke go.

Probably. I might forget every once in awhile. The bit is hard to drop.

I would leave camp a little after 4:30. And It was not a bad drive. I did forget my charger so I couldn't connect my phone to the car but the Bluetooth has been working pretty well so it wasn't a quiet ride thankfully. And I got back home before James did.

I parked in the front of the house and I would get inside and check on all my animals and hold sweetp for a second before I jumped right in to doing chores. I had mostly come home because I wanted to work on stuff for the market for on Saturday. I am running low on bears and I really need to have some out tomorrow. That's going to be my plan after my last group comes is to cut a whole bunch of bears so that I can start making new stock because I am low. But I packed up some bears and I even made some mystery bags of some of the ones that are a little more ugly than others. And it was a good time. I was having fun. I was starting to get a little overwhelmed by sound so I had to put Ruby in the other room. And sweet pea was outside so I put crab cake out there too and when I went out to do that sweetie was under the lid drinking the turtle water! I keep telling him it's going to make him sick. So I put a bowl of water outside for him so that he would stop drinking the turtle water.

I would also make a frozen pizza and after I finished my market stuff and putting things away I would eat my pizza outside on my swing and I was just very comfortable and having a very good time and then as I was laying there James came home!

When James got home they jumped right into their own list of chores. They had stopped at the grocery store and Charlotte's apartment to check on her cat little boy. But they were home now and they were going to sand our transom window and work on a couple small things in the kitchen. They had made a peach cobbler and they would warm that up for me a little bit later on. While they were doing their stuff I was hanging out and scrolling on my phone and enjoying how nice the weather was. I was also just really enjoying James's company.

Eventually we would sit together in the kitchen and talk and discuss things. And we were just being silly and having a good time talking. Eventually I would come upstairs and soon James are join me and we would hang out for a long time. I took a shower at one point we were laughing and watching videos and being silly and just having a good time. I'm really glad I came home. I really like staying at camp but I also just love being in my house. I spend so much money to live here and I love it here and I want to be home so I can do things. So it's hard being at camp for hours of doing nothing. The relaxing is good because I struggle with relaxing. But also it's hard to be away from home. I think I'm going to strike some kind of balance between staying home and staying at camp but I'm not really sure what that looks like yet.

Now though I feel very dehydrated so I'm going to go get some water and I'm going to get ready to go to sleep. I've had a really fun night with James and I just feel so incredibly close to them right now. I just think it's a little bit of missing them but it's also them just being very sweet.

Now though is bad. I hope that tomorrow is a really good day with really good kids and I have a really good time. I hope that you will have a really good time too. Until next time. Sleep well

[aksekffhfldks]

만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)

만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막) 링크<<

만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)

만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)

만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)

만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)

만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)

He wrote/composed the lyrics for TVXQ's 'Don't Forget', and composed/wrote/arranged JYJ's representative song 'In Heaven (the title track of the album In Heaven)'. In addition, TVXQ's 4th Korean album 'Don't Cry My Lover', Japanese album's '9095' and '9096' were written and composed, and JYJ's 2n만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)d full-length album Just Us was 'CREATION' and 'LET'. ME SEE', 'DEAR J', and 'BABOBOY'.

He personally produced solo mini-album I and regular album WWW released in Korea, and the most loved self-composed songs in the fandom are 'My Consolation', 'Rotten Love', 'All Alone', 'Paradise', and 'Resent'. .

In 2013, he was promoted to a regular member of the Korea Copyright Association. The Korea Copyright Association promotes only music publishers whose copyright r만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)oyalties exceed KRW 30 million annually for three years to full membership. As of 2021, only a total of 22 idols have been promoted to regular members of the Korea Copyright Association, and Kim Jaejoong is the third idol to be named after Kwon Jiyong and Kangta. His hobby is cooking. He didn't look at the recipe, but looked over his mother's shoulder as if it was a skill he learned. Due to his cooking skills, during TV만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)XQ days, he was seen as a mother and in charge of the kitchen. Incidentally, the apron fits well without feeling out of place.

I tend to cook neatly, so I put the ingredients in a neat order rather than putting them in randomly. So when someo만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)ne comes and stirs it up with a ladle, the rage explodes. You can guess the neat cooking skills with just one picture of the food posted on social media. Soybean paste stew and kimchi stew are basic. Boil meat soup with brisket, cook prawns, and brag about it on social media. He often gives cooking tips to his fans. In 2010, a Japanese broadcaster m만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)ade katsudon and presented it to the drama filming staff.# By the way, Eita was among the people who tasted this katsudon. Aita praised, "The balance of Jaejoong is excellent."

In the drama , there was a scene where the writer cooks in place of Seo Na-yoon (Wang Ji-hye), as if Jaejoong, who played the role of Cha Mu-won, displayed the spirit of service만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막) for the fans. Nayun (Wang Ji-hye), seeing her wearing an apron, cutting a knife, and turning a frying pan with one hand, exclaimed, "Muwon, you have no exit." In January 2013, at his first solo concert and birthday fan meeting held in Korea, he cooked Rabokki and had a corner where he randomly selected and fed fans. I even cooked and served it to my close friends. In Japan, which has a strong patriarchal personality, this is unusual. I have cooked several times on TV and used it a lot as 만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)a story material. When there was a cooking corner on the air, he showed outstanding skills, but when he made takoyaki on channel-a in 2008, he won first place in a fan vote because it looked and tasted the best. In Japan's Space Shower TV's 'Best 10 male musicians who seem to be good at cooking', Jaejoong was ranked 2nd.

In an interview with a magazine called Maison, he introduced his house and showed how to cook aglio olio, and in a program called 'Harvest Trip' produced by his agency C-Jes Entertainment, while Kim Junsu and Park Yoochun struggled to ma만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)ke chicken dishes, As if showing off, he skillfully made chicken stir-fried soup with the skill of an expert. Later, Yoochun and Junsu ate the chicken stir-fried soup made by Jaejoong and couldn't help but admire it. In an interview with NYLON magazine in 2014, he said that he personally wants to get a cooking license and also wants to publish a book. Among JYJ members, he uses social media the most and communicates most actively with fans. It is especially influential in Korea and Japan. In the Korean Twitter influencer ranking, it is maintaining the first place by a fairly large margin. The number of follo만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)wers continues to increase to more than 960,000 in August 2012, and it also won first place in the shorty award, an awards ceremony related to Twitter. Following 2011, it took first place in the celebrity category in 2012 as well. Second place is Justin Bieber for the second year in a row. He gives joy to his fans by uploading his selfies, friends, pet cat, and other small daily life. As such, the speed at which everyday life on Twitter is published has also increased. However, there have been cases where Twitter accounts have been blown up and 만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)reopened due to some vicious hacking issues. Twitter account September 6, 2013 Instagram also launched! Since starting Instagram, she has been diligently uploading photos and videos to provide rain for fans' long rice cake drought. The Instagram account started on Facebook as of April 2, 2014, but it has been removed as of 2015. Overseas popularity is overwhelming, Japanese women voted 'the man I want to be a boyfriend (CDTV 2010 first half/second half)' Ranked 1st and Best Genist (3rd in 2010, 2nd in 2011). (Domestic and overseas total) T만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)hese two votes are among the top 3 voting charts in Japan, and are considered the most authoritative votes as an indicator of popularity. . The other vote is 'The Man I Want to Hug' by the magazine Ang Ang, and considering that it is not currently being held, it can be said to be the most reliable two votes. Kim Jaejoong came up step by step on this chart and eventually took first place, surprising many people. It is the first time in 16 years that a foreigner took the top spot. Most people who know TVXQ in Japan know that 'the kid in the middle is handsome'. After leaving TVXQ, they haven't been able to do overseas activities well, but they are still very pop만달로리안 시즌3 다시보기 1화~8화 완결 (자막)ular. For reference, in the 2011 Japanese Twitter celebrity rankings, she ranked second after the popular Japanese national girl group AKB48, and ranked first as an individual.

Ranked #1 in the K-POP Ikemen ranking conducted in Japan in 2014! Even though in Japan, I was only able to do concerts mainly with existing fans. The reason why it was chosen as No. 1 made many fans sympathize with it.[26]

An overseas fan commented that the reason for his great popularity was not just because he looked pretty, but because he was an entertainer, not just an idol, who gave fans another pleasure through singing and acting, and he garnered sympathy from many fans. .

[artofapeach]

My Helluva Boss Episode Tier List

Most fave to least fave (though I love all the episodes).

Small note, I’m going to avoid saying “well written” and “poorly written”, ‘cause those are misused so often ww Instead, I’ll say whether I like the writing or not!

1. Spring Broken

Absolute favorite! I’ve watched this episode so many times; at LEAST 50, probably more. First of all, it’s when my queen Verosika gets introduced! But I also love the way it’s written?? Like genuinely it could be an episode from a Cartoon Network show! They balanced Loona and Blitzø’s issues, Verosika’s issues, what was going on with Moxxie and Millie, the fish fight, it just flowed well for me!! And no matter how many times I watch it, I always laugh at the jokes (Moxxie high-fiving Millie, my beloved).

2. The Circus

I tried to wait. I did. But I watched the episode 5 times already and I truly think it belongs here. I just, I love Blitzø and Fizz so much in this episode. I know it’s Stolas’ episode and I am proud of him and love him too! But I mainly watch it for Blitzø and Fizz. I love seeing them as kids and seeing their initial personalities before Hell society ruined them. I loved seeing Blitzø just being a pro of making shit up from the spot.

3. Ozzie’s

Is this really a shock? The animation here is STELLAR. And I’m obsessed with Fizz and Ozzie’s relationship. I can’t wait for their episode to come out in season 2. Honestly, I probably watch this mostly to marvel at the animation because it’s THAT good. And I’m in love with Asmodeus’ design! He actually looks like a terrifying but lustful demon! The whole “mark me down as scared and horny!” shebang!

4. C.H.E.R.U.B.

I feel like this episode is kinda underrated; it’s so much fun!! A lot of people complain about the pacing being too fast, but if you ask me, that’s exactly what made it fun! Just quick ridiculous shenanigans. It’s a good episode to chill with after watching the more heavier episodes w I’m not the BIGGEST fan of the writing (some of the convos are a little awkward to me), but you know what? That actually improves it! It makes it seem even sillier and zanier! Kill the idea that writing and animation has to be good all the time to be enjoyed!!

(Side note, I thought the pacing for the show as a whole was fine, but I typically enjoy faster paced stories)

5. Loo Loo Land

Ah yes. My intro to Fizz and my second intro to Alex Brightman. I remember when the episode first came out and so many people were concerned with how much they wanted to fuck the robot clown sjskajak I loved Octavia here as well and I can’t wait to see more of her! Genuinely don’t know why people say the female characters aren’t fleshed out when Octavia’s RIGHT THERE with the whole second episode dedicated to her!

6. The Harvest Moon Festival

I’ll be honest, I expected this to be higher up. I LOVED this episode when it first came out. Striker is SUCH a badass. I loved Millie’s family! The animation is so good! Blitzø looks so fine! I love the writing! I had to pause so often for all the stupid shit Blitzø said www But nowadays I don’t find myself watching it as often as I used to.

7. Truth Bombers

Listen, the animation is absolutely STELLAR. The fight scene and the horror scene was the fuh-reaking best!! I just…wasn’t much of a fan of how it was written? I felt like there was too much focus on Blitzø and Moxxie when it would have been a good chance to let Millie shine. But I get why they did it! Especially with their whole “gotta have at least one song in each episode” rule. Now that their allowing more emotion out of story songs (I forget what they call it; my mind keeps going to diabetic and undiabetic, but I KNOW that’s not it), we’ll get to see Millie’s inner feelings a bit more often. I would LOVE to hear her sing!

8. Murder Family

Not a shock. It was the first episode, they were still getting the hang of things. It’s still good! The jokes hit well, I loved the Zim reference, Blitzø says any old thing. I think the best thing about watching this episode though is seeing how much they improved in the future episodes. They’re doing so well!

9. Pilot

I watch this the least for one reason. The ending where they brutally murder the kid in detail makes me super uncomfortable. I often have to stop the episode before it gets to that point. I remember when it first came out and I wondered if I was going to be able to watch the show or if it would be a bit too much for me (I tend to not enjoy brutal murder and mutilation as a comedy; it’s what immediately turned me off from Rick and Morty). But I decided to give it a fair shot and I’m so glad I did! Genuinely, sincerely, this show is my ABSOLUTE favorite cartoon of all time. And the first part of the pilot is still really good! I think I loved Moxxie the best here; he was such a dork (still is). I remember wondering if Millie didn’t like Loona; she only gave negative looks to Loona at the time. I remember wondering where the FUCK there was an o in Blitzø’s name when he went “the o is silent”. I just, I had a lot of feelings when the pilot came out. I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought I would be like “yeah, that was cool” like with Hazbin, but nope! It’s my entire personality now!

[finoalcielo]

SUMMER FESTIVAL

☆ WENT TO A SUMMER FESTIVAL ☆

>Car 1 KAI (DRIVER): Finally! We've arrived! KOI: Yay~! Finally~!! AOI: Kai-san, thank you for driving us here! KAI: It's been a while I drove such a long distance. It was quite fun. It was like I was listening to TsukiRaji with all the chatter that was happening. YORU: Hahaha, it definitely felt like a live TsukiRaji.

#Summer Festival Memories

HARU: Ahh～(*´Д｀) Finally, I can stretch my legs~ AOI: It must be difficult for you since you have long legs, right? HARU: Yup, yup. I have 300m inseam☆ KOI: Huh? Where's Car #2? RUI: I got a message from You. In the middle of the way, Arata wanted to go to the washroom. So, they had to stop at the service area. They'll be a little late. AOI: Arata... (just how much strawberry milk did you drink?)

#Summer Festival Memories

KOI: Let's see, they say they'll... reach in 5 more minutes. YORU: Isn't that a bit too quick considering they had to stop at a service area? RUI: Dai challenged himself to see how quickly he can shorten the distance with the driving skills he cultivated when he was a SP. AOI: I-Isn't that technique something that shouldn't be used on a public highway? HARU: Well, in that case, let's just wait in the parking lot.

#Summer Festival Memories

HARU: Oh, Kai. Want a drink? You must be tired from driving. KAI: Ah, thank you! Phew... this is refreshing! AOI: Truly. The evening breeze feels really good. RUI: Yeah. You can smell the grass too. YORU: I'm looking forward to THE countryside summer festival since it was recommended by our staff. KOI: I hope Car 2 comes soon~♪

#Summer Festival Memories

☆ WENT TO A SUMMER FESTIVAL ☆

>Car 2 (a moment ago) KUROTSUKI: ~♪ IKU: Kurotsuki-san, you're humming (laughs) KUROTSUKI: It's my day off after all! I'm excited to drive today. TSUKISHIRO: Even if it isn't for work, be careful, okay? We have passengers with us. KUROTSUKI: I know. But my driving's always smooth, right? TSUKISHIRO: I guess so (wry smile)

#Summer Festival Memories

YOU: (yawn)...I'm somewhat sleepy after looking at those endless rice fields. ARATA: I get you. KAKERU: Am I the only one who wants to wear blue clothes and run through those swaying greenery in the rice fields while singing "la la la♪ la la la♪"? IKU: You mean clothed in blue robes, right? (laughs) ARATA: Speaking of symbol of peace, in the back is... HAJIME & SHUN: (asleep)

#Summer Festival Memories

YOU: It's still peaceful. Okay, don't wake them up, or else we'll be in danger, okay? KAKERU: Roger. TSUKISHIRO: Hajime-kun has been quite busy lately, so I'm glad he's able to get some sleep (bitter smile) KUROTSUKI: Shun-kun sleeping is a daily occurrence though. IKU: Let's reach our destination peacefully and quietly. Just like it is now. KAKERU: I agree. ARATA: ...AH!!!!

#Summer Festival Memories

EVERYONE: ... KAKERU: By the way, about the summer festival we're heading to~ ARATA: Kakerun, don't ignore me... TSUKISHIRO: ...Uhm, Arata-kun, what's the matter? ARATA: ...I'm sorry, but my bladder is... unstoppable Six Gravity!♪ KAKERU: Get down. YOU: He does need to be getting down but... (www)

#They're on a highway #Summer Festival Memories

KUROTSUKI: Let's see, the closest service area is... IKU: We just passed it, didn't we... (sweatdrops) Hold on a moment (opens up GPS) ARATA: A sudden wave is surging through my body...!!! KAKERU: Calm down. Calm down~ YOU: Can it be calmed down? (www) IKU: Found it! 10 more minutes!

#Summer Festival Memories

ARATA: Ahh~~~ 10 minutes~~~ I see~~~ Urgh, ah~~ 10 minutes~~ (while shifting his legs) YOU: Hold on for 10 minutes (www) IKU: A side an idol cannot show... TSUKISHIRO: P-Put your mind to it and you can do it, Arata-kun! KAKERU: Anyways, let's aim for that service area! KUROTSUKI: Y-Yeah!

#Summer Festival Memories

☆ WENT TO A SUMMER FESTIVAL ☆

~Though there was quite the drama, we finally arrived~ RUI: Candy apple... KAKERU: Let's have some! HAJIME: Yakisoba. KAKERU: Let's have some! AOI: Ah, there's takoyaki. KAKERU: Let's have some! ARATA: Kakerun, you're eating too much. KAKERU: Super happy!!!

#Summer Festival Memories

HARU: Oh, Katanuki. So nostalgic... YOU: Haru-san, please don't do anything. HARU: But I haven't said anything yet!? Ah, but I do want to try!! Just one time! Ah, it looks easy... lucky! Okay, let's attack from a safe place... (cracks) HARU: ... YOU: I didn't even say anything. YORU: I'll avenge you!

#Summer Festival Memories

YORU: ... YOU: ..You.. to do this for 20 minutes... YORU: Ssh, just a bit more! HARU: Good luck!! (somehow felt whispering was right) (sudden touch) TSUKISHIRO: Woah! KUROTSUKI: Botted Ramune. It's rare, isn't it? Here, have some. TSUKISHIRO: Thank you. KOI: Kurotsuki-san's acting like he's in some romantic comedy!! I want to do it too!

#Summer Festival Memories

(sudden touch) KOI: Woah! HAJIME: I tried doing it like a romantic comedy. KOI: ...I wanted to do it~~ Ah but it suits so much~ (laughs) SHUN: If I freeze everything, do you think he'll do it to me too? KAI: Stop. KAKERU: Shun-san, let's eat shaved-ice! AOI: An invitation that doesn't seem to have any logical reasoning

#Summer Festival Memories

IKU: I heard someone mention shaved ice. Ta-dah. I bought some for everyone~ I had to borrow a tray. SHUN: Woah🌸 IKU: Kai-san gets to choose first since he drove us here. KAI: Melon flavor for me! IKU: Which one would you like, Shun-san? SHUN: Let's se...! EVERYONE: ... (takes a bite) EVERYONE: ! (brainfreeze)

#Summer Festival Memories

ARATA: Hajime-san~ we can see the fireworks from there. HAJIME: Great, everyone let's go. ARATA: Okay♪ KAKERU: I'll gather everyone from that side! KOI: Then, I'll head the other way! 🎆🎆🎆 AOI: I hope everyone has a fun summer. YORU: You're praying? (laughs) AOI: Just felt like it (laughs)

#Summer Festival Memories

HAJIME: The hot days will continue. Everyone, please take care of yourselves. SHUN: Happy summer☆☆ Everyone, make lots of memories, okay~!

#The End #Summer Festival Memories

[goyurim]

ok so I have a few recs for shows with great relationships between women not based on their attraction for men

- (I know you've seen this one already but it's just so good I had to put it there just to remind people it exists) run on (one of the problems I often have with dramas is that even when women are well written, layered and interesting characters there just aren't many of them in the character list - which is the case for some of the dramas in this list - it's like most shows stop at 5 but run on went actually you get around 15 of them bye)

- age of youth : kind of the quintessential "drama about women", it's about young women living together in a shared house, they all have their own lives and struggles (not only romantic ones btw) as they navigate their lives, studies, adulthood and get closer to one another

- 20th century boy and girls : this is one of the first kdramas I've watched so I truthfully don't remember a lot of it but it strongly relies on the friendship between 3 women who've been friends since they were kids, one of them is a celebrity now and there used to be a boy in their friend group and he comes back as an adult, and they all have their own storyline and they talk about all kinds of stuffs and are super close and supportive of each other

- because this is my first life : a bit of a similar set up as the last one (a trio of best friends) but a bit more serious in tone, again i don't remember a lot of what happened in it but I do remember loving the portrayal of their friendship despite the fact that they all had different lives and goals

- healer : this one doesn't have a lot of women and they don't interact that much (but truthfully it doesn't have that many characters either way and they all don't talk that much face to face because it's like a thriller with a conspiracy anyway so a lot of the communication is by distance or hidden identity etc) but because the show isn't centered on the romance and more on the crimes/conspiracy they're trying to uncover the women break archetypes, fill roles rarely given to women (journalist, hackers...) and all face moral dilemmas and great challenges and are never reduced to just one thing and end up mostly working together to save the day (with some men of course)

- father is strange : this is a family drama so the kids (who are all adults) all have their own storyline as well as the actual family's storyline, there are 3 sisters living very different lives and a brother and a man who claims the father is his own father (shocking!) , and wether it is between the sisters, or the children with their parents or in their work place i thought all the relationships were so well written, and layered (and it also has aspects of found family and hiding a tragic past like in hccc so you might like it lol also it's very long so you get plenty of great heartwarming moments and also heartbreaking ones)

- search www : this drama is centered on 3 women working in the "web portal" business and it's very much a workplace drama (and they actually managed to make me interested in all the technical and business details) and the 3 main women do have their own romances but their interactions are mostly centered on a) their work (as collegues or competitors) and their relationship with each other and I thought that was super compelling and again you rarely see women being the leads in a professional field especially in the tech industry so it was cool to see that

- sell your haunted house : this isn't a romcom at all, as the title says it deals with ghosts and things like that and the main cast is very minimalist (it's like 5 people lol) but if the themes of hccc touched you I think this one might too (there's a lot about family, guilt, memories, death and living with it, food and redeeming yourself), and the way it explores the relationship between the main woman, her deceased mother and her mother's friend who's now her secretary is very well done and it's at the core of the show, it starts off mostly as a comedy but all the ghosts stories are quite emotional and then the main characters' story is also sad so it's a mix of tragedy and comedy

- rookie historian goo hae ryung : the show tells the story of the first women historians to be accepted into the royal palace (which of course isn't that well accepted by the men historians and officials at first and so they're thrown into plots and other obstacles) and it's a really great show about who has power over history and how it's told and it's in turn touching and funny and very engaging with (of course) romance and lots of royal intrigues and secrets etc it focuses on one of the historian (hence the name of the show) and a prince hidden from everyone who just wants to live a normal life but there's plenty of great scenes and plot lines between the historians (and again i thought it was really interesting to have a show focused on a job we don't see a lot for women on screen)

that's all I can think of for now but hopefully you haven't seen them all and if you watch at least one , I hope you enjoy it !!

oh my god violette 😭😭😭 thank you!!!! thank you so much for taking out the time to send me such a detailed list 🤧🤧😭😭 there are actually a few dramas on here that i haven't checked out - i didn't watch sell your haunted house when it was airing bc i thought it would be scary for some reason but i didn't know it was a comedy?? so i'm putting that on my to-watch list for now, and this is the first time i'm hearing about 20th century boys and girls and father is strange so i will definitely check them out as well!!

[bukunmiakintola20]

2 week break + Big blog announcement

Hey cuties, did ya miss me (=｀ω´=)

After my 2nd last post about the drama I got into before the break, I was pretty emotionally/mentally exhausted so I went back to Canada and just took a break from everything. Sorry for the lack in posts ヾ(。￣_￣)ﾂ

During the first week I didn’t do too much studying and just kinda relaxed which I very much needed. I watched some shows and movies I wanted to watch and caught up with some friends which was great for me （´υ｀）

Noteworthy watches for me was The Batman, Love and Leashes, and Kotaro lives alone. I could go on and talk about what I enjoyed in detail, but knowing my film nerd self, I’d write like a long paragraph for each and that would make this a different kind of blog www. So I’ll just give the boiled down thoughts for each.

The Batman felt like a real portrayal of Batman, Gotham, and even the villains in it. I really liked the character of the riddler and Batman as it seemed almost eerily realistic and terrifying at points. It also really stroked my film nerd brain.

I kinda just watched Love and Leashes because it popular (and it stars SNSD’s maknae 🥳) and I actually really liked it. I was a bit afraid at the end about it being rushed to resolve the conflict but the pacing was good at least overall.

Kotaro lives alone just made me wanna root for Kotaro with each episode and he was also strangely insightful/inspiring about so many ig “adult” situations. In that way it kind of gave me some fruit basket vibes if you get the gist. It’s pretty good for a nice short heartwarming watch.👍

I also got an interview for a job I applied for at Johnson & Johnson which was exciting and nerve-wracking. I think I did okay, but I’m not sure if I really secured the job… (￣ー￣； Fingers crossed I get that job because I reallyyyyy would like to work there (人・ェ・) For now I’m just waiting to hear back from them so… yeah.

The second week I kinda had to start studying (yeah I know 🙄 no one saw that coming) and I think I’m pretty on track although I kinda have to push for the remainder of the break. In fact I had to take notes on my plane ride back to Ireland today and write part of this blog too🥲 The woes of being a student huh (≖͞_≖̥)

Anyways, it time for the announcement which is…

that…

I am moving to blogger 🥳

At first I was kinda in a dilemma where I could just move completely or stop posting here or continue blogging here and on blogger before moving completely. I’ve decided to choose the second option. Also this allows me to “drive traffic” to my new blog which is like a pretty great bonus 🌝 So for all of you shouting “what’s the new blog link?” it is

https://solaakintola22.blogspot.com/?m=1

Pretty isn’t it 🤩 It took me a bit to customize in a way that not only satisfied my eyes but is also a reflection of my gal style 😎 I also learned some coding in the process so only pros here really 😆 I reallyyyy hope that y’all will give my new blog a visit and maybe even follow me if you want to continue to supporting me. I will probably always be a level of somewhat active on tumblr, even when I completely move to blogger so yeah 💞 Anyways that’s all for now. Gotta go study. Yay 😬

じゃない♥︎

[accioecho]

Lee Da Hee for GQ Korea

"Everything becomes memories in the end. You should always strive to have a positive energy."

Feel free to share this translated interview! Though I would appreciate if you could credit me by linking back to this blog or tagging me on Twitter ^_^

GQ: But... uh, why do you look so happy? You’re looking at me with such a happy expression that I don’t know what to do right now.

LDH: Hahaha. No but if I kept listening with a blank expression, I would come off as cold looking. And you would go: “Are you in a bad mood?” So I try to smile more. Otherwise I would come off as cold looking.

GQ: That’s quite a big difference. I got startled when you pulled a straight face.

LDH: Right, it looks like I’m angry. But I’m not, so this is why I try to smile more. If I don’t smile like this, people tend to think I’m cranky. Of course when I get angry, I have a temper, but I’m not usually like that.

LDH: And it goes both ways, it’s easier for me to open up to someone if that person is smiling instead of sporting an expressionless face.

GQ: You were laughing/smiling so brightly that I was kind of hypnotized.

LDH: Hahaha

GQ: When you appeared in the drama “Beauty Inside”, you weren’t the typical villain wearing a red lipstick but were the kind of villain to wear a new, nude shade.

LDH: Ohh, that’s a very nice way to put it.

GQ: Really?

LDH: A nude tone villain. This is the first time I’m hearing this expression, I like it. Yes, up until then, secondary female characters usually tried to win someone’s heart or because they lacked attention and love, they tended to bother the female lead. But “Beauty Inside” was different. It was a different kind of role. I played a villain but my character wasn’t hateful. She had her own convictions and that’s why she was so interesting.    

GQ: Kang Sara was that kind of character, played by Lee Da Hee.

LDH: This is why I didn’t want to play the typical secondary character, the typical second female lead. Yes she was given a fancy background but I also wanted to try something new, something different. Not something that could be shown through strong makeup, I wanted to add a layer of depth to her style.

GQ: I think we could feel the difference hence why it was so interesting. It was obvious that you studied this role a lot and this perfected style has stuck to you, the actress.

LDH: Well, first of all, I find it fun to radically search for something new. In a way that doesn’t stand out too much, while still being faithful to the character, I try to bring out the best of what I can do. Back when I was younger, I had no clue about all that so I just did what I was told to do. As I matured, I discovered what were my weaknesses, what to cover/hide etc. For example, you might think that I’m skinny, and that all my clothes fit me well. But I have a big bone structure so clothes don’t fit all that easily. But because I know this about me, I’m able to adapt,  know how to find the right clothes to try to keep looking pretty. Thanks to the GQ photoshoot, I got to try out this colorful mascara for the first time. And it’s so much fun. As I experience new things one by one, I’m able to see what’s right for me and what’s not.

GQ: It might be insensitive/rude to say this to an actress who has a career spanning 20 years, but I feel like the name Lee Da Hee has become clearer to me since “Beauty Inside”.

LDH: No it’s not insensitive. I’m really thankful that you remember me from that role. No matter how recent the drama is, the point is that you remember me because I left you a good impression. I really appreciate it. To be honest, a lot of people remember me from my role in Beauty Inside. People actually think I didn’t play in many projects before that.

GQ: But you did consistently star in various projects.

LDH: Yes, but I guess they weren’t memorable roles. I don’t think I played characters that stayed in people’s minds. Beyond the character and the role in itself. A drama can be loved by a lot of people, but beyond that, when I watch a show as a viewer, there are some actors that leave a deep impression in the way they play their characters. I wonder if I lacked that kind of aspect. I kept thinking to myself that maybe there was something missing in my acting that didn’t leave a memorable impression.

GQ: You left quite a strong impression after playing roles like Kang Sara in Beauty Inside and Cha Hyeon in Search: WWW. But more recently in LUCA: the beginning, I feel like you shed that strong image. If you found a type of role that fit you, you could have just kept on playing the same kind of characters, but it looks like you’re not afraid to radically change your image.

LDH: You’re right, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to show a different side, something that differed from the bright roles I usually played. After Beauty Inside and Search: www, I was afraid of being type casted. I didn’t want people to think I always played the same kind of roles. But I think I was was too confident when I chose to play in LUCA. I thought I could do anything.

GQ: You thought you could do anything but it didn’t turn out this way?

LDH: Even my mom thought the same thing. That it wasn’t a really good fit. In a few words, she thought my acting felt a bit forced. Hahaha. That it didn’t really flow well. The main takeaway is that I tried something different. If it turns out to be a good fit, then it’s good and if it doesn’t, it means I can just find something that does.    

GQ: Your mother sounds like the type of person who doesn’t mince her words.

LDH: My mom is very level headed. Just by looking at my back, she can tell if I was focused or thinking about something else. I spent a lot of time with my mom, even more so than with friends, and I also cried a lot in front of her. If I ask her “Mom, what’s wrong with me”, she’ll tell me not to think these kind of thoughts, that whatever I’m thinking is not true. We had a lot of moments like that.

GQ: You looked so cheerful today that I didn’t think you could also have rough times.

LDH: Why wouldn’t I? I went through times of depression when I would think, “Am I charismatic enough?”, “Do I lack something as an actress?”. There were times when my self-esteem was very low.

Since I’m tall, I used to have Directors who always said “you don’t match, you don’t match” (with fellow actors). Since I couldn’t do anything about my height, I thought that I could at least work on my body, make myself smaller. So I worked really hard on my diet. I used to eat rice cake soup that my mom used to make using beef broth, once every day. My mom followed along and did the diets with me. Every time. You can guess what kind of mom she is, right? I used to say: “Mom, should we at least drink soju since we only had one meal today?” And we’d share a bottle.

GQ: Hahaha, I see that you don’t hide your positive energy.

LDH: Everything becomes memories in the end. You should always strive to have a positive energy. And try not to think negatively. This way, you can find more motivation when an opportunity comes along, and this is also how more opportunities come up. I know that if I don’t love myself, I’ll end up being depressed and have a low self-esteem. So starting with myself, I also try to be nice to everyone, to compliment them. Let’s not be hurtful, and let’s try not to say mean things. I try to tell myself I’m a good person, and I project that to others as well. Let’s be nice to each other. Let’s be someone that gives off a good energy.

GQ: Why did you hurt your knee?

LDH: Ah, this? (Points to her left knee). I rode one of those electric scooters and fell as I tried to avoid an electric pole.

GQ: It must have hurt a lot if you fell while riding it.

LDH: I’m okay now. It was a bit concerning at first, but I’m just glad I didn’t hurt my face. It’s too bad I fell while riding it for the first time, but I wanted to try it so I learned my lesson now. I don’t even look at the scooters now. I know they’re too dangerous for me.

GQ: You made a very decisive conclusion based on your experience.

LDH: Yes, I should never try to ride a scooter again.

GQ: I also see a scar on your neck. Do you fall often?

LDH: Hahaha. No, I was washing a necklace. It’s a necklace made with my grandmother’s ring but the edge is a bit sharp. I got scratched while washing it a bit hastily.

GQ: Did you grow up under your grandmother’s care?

LDH: No I didn’t... actually both of my grandparents died in a car accident. They were so healthy so I thought they would live for a long time, but they suddenly passed away. When I didn’t work for a while, they used to say “When are you going to make money”, or “how long are you planning to live like that, without earning any money for your mom and dad”. It hurt me sometimes. But whenever I appeared on tv, they were the first ones to watch, and they always asked me when I would be on TV, on which channel... and when the time came, they always made sure to turn the tv on and watch my shows, and whenever we met, they told me they were proud of me, holding my hands and hugging me. I always think about these times. I miss them. Very much.

GQ: This is very moving. I believe these emotions and feelings make who you are.

LDH: I might sound like a crazy person, hahahah, but I have a picture of my grandma and grandpa next to my bed, and I always speak to them: “Grandma, I’m back”. If I’m upset about something, I say “Grandma, this thing just happened and this is so hard. I miss you.” - that’s how I cope and move on. This is how I try my best everyday. It makes me focus on what’s important. My family, tomorrow (the future) and all the things I love.

[drivingsideways]

Melo is My Nature Review

Well, as usual, I’m late to the party! I picked up 2019′s Melo is my Nature/ Be Melodramatic with some trepidation since I was (am!) still smarting a bit from the disappointment that’s Hospital Playlist S2, and I wasn’t quite ready for another. 

I’m so glad I gave it a chance! While it isn’t a “perfect” series- in the nature of the world *sigh*- its combination of quirky, clever, self-aware humour and heartfelt performances won me over from the first episode. 

More thoughts under the cut (along with some spoilers)

I’m very fond of ensemble dramas that love their characters, and “Melo is my Nature” does that very well. Perhaps a little too well, to the point that you feel the writers letting themselves be more than a little indulgent during the middle stretch of the episodes. But I can’t complain too much, because yes, I know the feeling!  “Side characters” that refuse to stay in the lane and take over the narrative are also my favourites, as a writer and a viewer. I loved, loved, loved Lee Joo-bin as the flighty-but-amazingly-smart Lee So-min; that felt like such a delightful  clap-back against the prevailing sentiment that often goes against young, successful women and the ridiculous levels of expectations of them, in how they need to perform gender and  femininity and smartness. I loved that (like Emma! There’s a lot of Jane in this series!) the writers managed to make her likeable even though they never disregard her flaws or its consequences.

 Another performance/ character that I totally adored was Baek Ji-won as Jeong Hye-jeong, the industry maven who may be (?) a nod to Kim Eun-sook, I suppose! I was afraid at some point that they’d just trash her character, by making her a little too ridiculous in an unkind way, but I found some of the loveliest scenes involved her- like the one where she tells Jin-joo to do the work, but not be too successful. In the end, there was a love and fondness for her, a genuine empathy, that really was core to what made this show so successful. 

Shout out also to two of the weirdest characters I’ve watched, but thoroughly loved- Heo Joon-seok as Director Dong-gi & Lee Ji-min as Nutritionist (?) Da-mi. I absolutely adored that the only wedding in this series is between these two, and they do it in a completely predictably-unusual way. 

Re: the “main” characters, I loved all of them without exception, though some more than the others :) One of the things I love about the show is how real and present the three female leads feel; they feel like whole, entire people rather than caricatures of them, even when the show reaches almost unusual levels of quirky. I love that a through-line of the narrative is how important women’s labour is- to themselves. The work they do, which is acknowledged as a part of their identity rather than just something they do to pay bills (though of course there’s acknowledgement of that aspect too!),  their hunger to do it well and for it to matter- all of that is portrayed in a way that’s charming  but still taken very seriously. And the way you know that its taken seriously is in the things they focus on- how Oh Jin-joo struggles to write alone, and how Han-joo’s learning to be someone’s mentor while struggling with her own insecurities, and how lost Eun-jung feels, when work which was supposed to give her purpose fails her in a time of crisis, and how unmoored she feels without it. 

Re: the romance- I’m someone predisposed to dislike heterosexual romance, especially at the present moment, so it’s always with a great deal of hesitation that I start watching shows that I know have a large romance component. It’s always a bit of a coin toss for me whether the show will end up making me hate the romance or just about tolerate it. I rarely expect to *like * it.  So “Melo is my Nature” was a pleasant surprise!  This is  one of the few series where I felt the writers put in the work to sell the “main romance” of the show. You get to know the Oh Jin-joo and Beom-soo in sharply etched sketches before they move into the romance part (with a lot of tongue-in-cheek meta humour about the formulaic nature of tv romances). I genuinely felt that thrill of  “oh this could go platonic or romantic and I would like either” slowly ease into “oh my god these two are MEANT TO BE”, because the Romance is clearly in the all the ways they are NOT meant to be, but also, very, very definitely are. DELICIOUS. Just my cup of Jane Austen in a different context/ time.

Through most of the show though, my heart was divided between two characters- Jeon Yeo-bin’s stellar Eun-jung and Han Ji-eun’s pitch perfect Han-joo. Jeon Yeo-bin brought edginess, dark humour and a deep, almost- inconsolable grief to Eun-jung. Some of the stand out scenes of the entire series are hers: the moment where she watches herself on video talking to an imaginary person, and the moment she breaks down in front of the psych after talking about her mother. Watching this show, it really felt like- oh, she’s a star. Consider me sold on her for life (though, no, I will not watch Vincenzo unless there’s a Hong Cha-young supercut out there, in which case, please put it in my eyeballs now)

Han Ji-eun, imho, actually pulled off the toughest performance, because I think Han-joo’s strength of character is so often concealed by her “silliness” (in a similar vein to So-min’s), and that often makes her someone you’d overlook or not take seriously.  But god, she broke my heart, from the scene in the first episode where she’s sitting alone at a table after a rough day and watching her horrible ex live his best life to the hilarious and excruciating  “Oppa” scene, to the one where her kid is quite unconsciously cruel to her in the way kids can be. I was disappointed in the way they dropped the “reveal” about whom she’s dating in the last episode- not that I wanted her to be in an romance with Jae-hoon, god, NO- but it felt quite clunky.  This is one of the two complaints I have with the show. 

The second one is that starting from the middle, episodes began to noticeably feel like scenes/ sketches spliced together. Each scene is, within itself, perfectly written and performed, but the seams between the stories began to show. I felt one of the main reasons was that Eun-jung’s trauma tonally felt like it belonged in another show, but instead it had to get stitched into the mostly happy/ frothy storylines of the other characters. Sure, we had Hae-joon and his girlfriend’s terrible relationship, but the show had an easier time integrating that by way of Han-joo.

That said, I love how clever this show is! I love that it loves its own cleverness and can’t resist the urge to show it off- from all the meta references, in-universe jokes, and oh, that entire episode devoted to farting, complete with a song about it,  which I think maybe my fave episode of the series. A great look at the place of performance in intimate relationships (and how the women bear the burden of it more than the men), but coming at it from a place of compassion and humour rather than anger. Love that choice, for the show and us! 

I think @rain-hat mentioned in a comment here or twitter that Melo feels like a part of a triangle of shows along with Run On and Search : WWW.  I’m inclined to swap out Run On for Rookie Historian, or huh, maybe change the triangle for a quadrangle? Rookie Historian dares to imagine a past where our protagonist is (mostly) unshackled by the patriarchy and in the “modern” ending to its main heterosexual romance, reminds us that people have always found ways to find joy and thrive outside the rigid bounds of society. Search: WWW goes about it in the opposite direction- placing us in a present/future where the patriarchy doesn’t  and hasn’t ever mattered. Melo, I think, doesn’t quite do that, but in common with both these shows, it refuses to focus on the trauma of living under such structural violence, and instead talks about how we all (irrespective of gender) can find a way to remain unbroken by it. And while both Search:WWW and Melo do well at queer-platonic relationships as an alternate to the heterosexual project, it’s Run On, I think, which goes furthest there- firstly because though ostensibly structured around a het romance, that romance turns out to be falling in love with yourself/ loving yourself;  secondly because it’s most explicitly queer in the choices that the characters make and the lives that they choose for themselves- Min-joo & May are each others darlings and will be for life, Yeong-hwa and Ki Seon-gyeom are allowed a tenderness in their friendship that feels like an explicit repudiation of toxic masculinity, and of course, you have May being asexual, but not aromantic, and Goh Ye-jun’s whole arc of accepting himself as a gay man, and finding acceptance of that identity from others. 

Anyway! tl;dr would recommend (and have recommended!) Melo is my Nature to anyone fond of women, clever story telling and also ridiculously happy songs.

[lovee-infected]

Alright, this might be a bit too early to be saying this, but ever since Rook's 'betrayal' and those who are hating on him now...I'm kind of worried the same thing might happen to Silver. Since each of the stories take parts from the movies, we know that Silver is twisted from the sword that killed Maleficent. And what if he's forced to defeat Malmal? Knowing toxic people are in the fandom, they might start bashing others for still loving him. That's what scares me. ~🍁leaf anon

I was thinking of the same thing a few days ago www. Well, *sigh* time for another analysis I guess:

Considering what we had to go through after Pomefiore chapter...I thought if it was really just because of how the story ended. But I came to realize something important, the drama wasn't simply because a NRC student voted for RSA, it was because Rook did this, a character who already had a considerably dramatic reputation in the fandom way before Pomefiore was released:

Let me give you a better example, Leona. In savanaclaw's arc Leona was this close to seriously killing Ruggie. We all know that it wasn't intentional, his attack was a result of having his magic stone tainted which soon led to Leona's overblot so his actions/ emotions weren't really under his control at the time.

But still, he almost killed Ruggie but no one ever really started a drama or #CancelLeonaKingscholar tag over it, I'd dare say no one even blamed him either.

Well Leona might not be the best example we can use here but I assure you, if Rook does something really bad, and Leoona does the exacf same thing afterwards, Leona would face less punishment and blame because of his current popularity and clout.

According to the statistics, Leona's currently the most popular dorm leader and most likely the most popular character of the game, doing something absolutely horrible may lead to a mild decrease in number of fans, yet, it'll never, never be as dramatic and horrible as what fans did over Rook.

Look, clout is very important, so if a potentionally popular character does something bad a considerble majority of fans might simply ignore and exucse their deeds, note that as students who have souls of greatest of villains none of them were ever supposed to be any pure either; NRC is a school of villains.

What I'm trying to say, is that the drama was also exaggerated because it was with Rook of all people. Both Rook and Vil are characters who have been looked down on and harassed ever since twst was released, so no wonder why the fandom exploded when Rook of all people made NRC lose the VDC.

-Defending your bias- is something quite common in not just twst but rather each and every fandom all over the world! I'm not saying everyone would just ignore everything horrible their bias has done to defend them, but a huge majority of fans would this soooo when dramas like his arrive, more popular characters like Leona and Malleus have a higher chance of survival while Rook just drowned under the pile of hate comments and posts.

Regarding the Diasomnia chapter, I'd give you an example using Malleus; He is a very important character, dare to say the most important character of the game after Yuu. Why am I saying this? Oh God, can't you all see? The one and only character to be on twst's official poster, the only one who got an official artwork aside his concept art and game cards design; the very last character we're going to have a SSR pick up for and the last dorm leader we're going to meet and also the only character who happened to befriend and get to know Yuu without knowing them much or having a specific chance to meet them in school.

Why is his role so important? We don't know. We don't know what makes Malleus special and that's my point, it can even turn out to be something truly evil.

I love Malleus, but at the same time I don't fully trust him, his "I've got lovely plans to entertain you here" has been giving me chills for so long and if he turns out to be a total contrast to the silly tamagotchi baby this fandom has made of him I won't be the least surprised; yet, even if we get to face a plot twist that changes our entire perspective towards him ( in bad way) I still won't unstan him, not because I think of him as a misunderstood and isolated young boy who is kind and pure at heart no matter how scary he looks on the outside.

Each and every of our characters (except Silver, I'd later explain why) have a dark side to them whether you like it or not, that's a fact. Expecting guys who are supposedly twisted Villains to behave like a prince on the white horse is nothing but a wild fanon fantasy.

I guess Diasomnia chapter is still going to face less drama since most of Diasomnia characters are considerbly popular among the fans, but Sebek's on think ice I'd say, I'm sure that I won't ever see a #CancelMalleusDraconia tag but a #CancelSebekZigvolt tag? That's not too far from mind considering how Rook got shitted on because of a simple vote. I guess almost all of us have already prepared for Silver's possible betrayal as the sword so if anyone ever dares start a drama over something which we already saw coming long ago, that's a matter of immaturity and obvious stupidity.

Long story short, no matter what happens in the future story line, I expect everyone to be civil. Just a boo is all it takes for some dramtic fans to lose their minds again but let me tell you: Even if Malleus DIES(which is logically impossible) in the very end I'm still mature enough to never start a drama over it no matter how badly it hurts.

But...since I know there's never really a way to prevent drama in this fandom, all I can say is to stay silent whenever you see a wave of drama. Don't support the drama, but don't oppose to it either, just ignore it.

I was watching as the wave of Rook drama washed down the fandom and this is the summary of how posts changed under the tags:

12 hours after the release of Pomefiore's final episodes: Memes clowning Rook, mild spams of hate.

12 hours- 4 days after the release of Pomefiore's final episodes: Posts defending Rook, shoutouts, stuff explaining why Rook's vote for RSA made sense, etc.

You see what I mean? The first 12 hours was the main wave of hate spam but this drama was mainly about the spam of posts defending Rook, not attacking him.

Continuing a drama, whether it's by hating a character or defending them just worsens the chaos even as you're totally right and mean good.

The one and only way to truly prevent a drama from being spread all over the fandom, is by not supporting/atracking any posts, ignoring drama and waiting until no one is talking about it anymore.

[mrsalwayswrite]

To Call Forth Love - Chapter 6

Haha, I’m so excited for this chapter. Please let me know what y’all think! Also a huge thank you to everyone who has liked/commented/reblogged. You guys deserve all the love and cookies possible! 

Warnings: swearing, fluff (i think that’s it, sorry if i miss something)

Words: 7300 (i feel like my chapters keep getting longer. oops?)

Tag List: @heavenly1927 @youbloodymadgenius @zuxiezendler @punkrocknpearls​

Series Masterlist

The aroma of coffee surrounded Kari like a warm, comforting blanket. The café was just the perfect amount of busy, there were a few other tables occupied but without feeling cramped or overwhelming. The lunch rush was just beginning, indicated by the number of patrons standing in line to order now. 

 The brunette sipped on her latte as she slowly swiped through the pictures on Gyda's phone. The two were finally meeting up for an early lunch and coffee after a yoga class. Gyda had been gushing about the trip she just returned from to Phnom Penh, telling stories of the week she spent there and letting Kari slide through the pictures on her phone. 

 "These are just gorgeous. Gods, you have the best job, I swear."

 Gyda laughed, picking at the muffin in front of her. "I know. I can't imagine doing anything else though."

 "When do you leave again?"

 "Mmmm…. I’m not sure yet. The company is wanting me to go to Vancouver, British Columbia next. I might wait until the end of September to go. I'm not sure. Either way, it won't be for at least a month. Depends on how soon I want to go visit mom."

 "Why wouldn't you want to go soon?" Kari perked up at the mention of Gyda's mother. She knew the two were close, but all she really knew about Lagertha was from what Ivar told her.

 "I'm not a fan of her new boyfriend. Sorry, she prefers the term "lover". Kalf works for her, specifically with contacts from their Mediterranean partners and overseeing some of the shipments."

 "Why don't you like him?" She swiped to the next image, a stunning picture of the Cambodian royal palace. 

 The blonde waved her hand vaguely, as if swatting a fly. "He hasn't done anything; I just don't like him."

 "That's fair. Does he treat your mom well?"

 "Yeah. She just has shit luck with men and I'm worried how this one will turn out." She sipped on her coffee, gazing out the nearby window for a moment. 

 Kari turned back to the phone, guessing there was more that Gyda was not saying. Not that she needed to know. No, she had enough drama in her life currently and his name was Ivar. 

 Both women lounged in the wooden café chairs, still in their yoga clothes, having come straight from the studio. Except Gyda changed her footwear, losing the sandals for a pair of wedge heels that made her long legs look like skyscrapers. It was hard not to envy Gyda's body, and Torvi for that matter. They both had the perfect hourglass figure, with all the right assets and gorgeously braided, blonde hair. Maybe it was some standard that women around the Lothbroks had perfect bodies. It made Kari wonder why Ivar paid her any attention then. Her body was far from perfect. Her chest side was decent, but she always thought her hips and thighs were too large. Most likely leftover critiques from her mother who not-so-lovingly would say Kari was pear-shaped and needed to focus on losing all that extra or no man would want her. Not that she was trying to get a man. Over the past two years she had finally come to embrace her body and was learning to be comfortable in her own skin. Though some days were better than others. It was still difficult to watch Gyda receive appreciative looks from many of the patrons as they passed by their table and know none of them would even give her a second glance. The blonde was effortlessly beautiful. Perhaps there was a way for her to teach Kari that. 

 Suddenly Gyda zeroed in on the brunette with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Speaking about men…."

 "Are you going on a date?" 

 Gyda snorted, with an amused grin on her face. "Hell no. I'm not interested in a relationship right now. I am perfectly fine being single. Stop changing the subject. There is a little something going around the Lothbrok rumor mill that Ivar took you on a date to Casa mia, Maggiore."

 "Not a date, it was just as friends." Kari clarified. 

 She gave her an incredulous look. "Just friends?"

 "Yes."

 Gyda narrowed her eyes at her. 

 "What? We went out to Casa mia, Maggiore and then I convinced him to go to Masterpiece. After he dropped me back off at home. Nothing happened."

 "Right…." Gyda hummed. "So, it was a date."

 Kari dropped her face into her hands with a groan. "Not a date. Just friends."

 "Whatever you say. Just know Ivar doesn't take just anyone to his favorite restaurant. Hell, I think he only took his ex there once in the ten months they were dating. He usually only goes with Aslaug."

 "Oh? Um, I didn't know…" The brunette hated how she perked up at this new information. It should not matter hearing that he never took anyone, that it really was his favorite restaurant and he wanted to share it with her. In their texting, he made reference to when they went back, what food he wanted her to try next. Something apparently, he was not even inclined to do with an ex. No, none of that should matter. But it did, and the way her heart swelled at the realization only proved that to her. 

 "Clearly he really likes you to take you there. Do you like him?"

 "Sure, he's a good friend."

 Gyda sighed dramatically, tipping her head back. "You're killing me, Kari! Fine! When was this not-date? A week ago?"

 "Eight days, yeah."

 "Have you hung out since then?"

 "Yeah, he picked me up once and we went out for dinner. Another time, he took me out on my lunch break. He had to go on a business trip so I haven't seen him in…. three days?"

 "Right. I'm guessing he's blowing up your phone while he's been gone?"

 Kari took a sip of her drink as she mumbled, "sort of." The truth was they were practically texting non-stop. It was mostly discussions, and arguments on his side, of superficial things like TV shows, the proper time to wake up in the morning and her lack of clothing that was more than yoga attire. Other times they sent memes back and forth or links to funny YouTube clips. Kari never realized how lonely she was before Ivar thrust himself into her life with all the force and subtlety of a rocket. 

 "What does that mean?" Gyda eyed her for a long moment before she gasped and slapped the table. "Oh shit! Is he sending you dick pics?"

 Kari choked on air. After hacking for a couple of seconds, tears coming to her eyes because of the action, she vigorously shook her head. "No! No! Ewww....no! We keep sending stupid memes to each other and talking about where we should go out next. That's it. I promise."

 The blonde laughed loudly at Kari's reaction, who fiddled with her earring, face burning with embarrassment. The two sat quietly for a couple of minutes, sipping their drinks and watching the line of lunch patrons increase. 

 "So…. it kind of sounds like you're dating."

 "No, we're just friends. Why can't friends just hang out?" Kari tried to argue. The beginning tendrils of annoyance creeping in at constantly having to defend their friendship. 

 Gyda stared at her. "Have you made-out?"

 A blush colored Kari's cheeks before she could figure out a good enough lie, giving away the truth. 

 "What?! How often?!" Her enthusiastic friend cried, before waving her hand once again. "Never mind. Listen, he's taking you out to his favorite restaurant. He is clearly going out of his way to spend time with you. He is texting you! You don't realize how big of a deal this is for him! He generally hates people. I'm positive he has murder plans for most of those he is forced to be around. Does he know you're just friends? Because to me, it doesn't sound like it."

 Kari covered her face with her hands, tears of frustration springing to her eyes. Ivar and her could only be friends, that was what she promised herself. If he knew her, the real her…. it would never happen. He would never want her. So it was best to remain friends, to protect both of them from the inevitability that anything more would never happen. Even though their line of friendship was blurring…. and that was the worst part. She found herself wishing to continue to blur that line, even when she knew it would only end in disaster. Taking a deep breath, she could smell his cologne, a scent she had become so used to now. Her mind could easily conjure the feeling of being in his arms, his mouth on hers as she gave in under his touch. She cared for him, deep down she knew more than a friend. Although he could annoy her to no end, she enjoyed his presence, his humor, that vulnerable side that peeked out occasionally, how he made her feel safe and beautiful. 

 Now hearing Gyda pointedly telling her that Ivar was treating her as more than a friend. It left her speechless and wondering if she was making a mistake. 

 Gyda’s tone softened when she spoke next. "Why are you so set on just friends?"

 "I just…. I don't want to date right now. After my last relationship, I just want to focus on myself."

 "That's fair but listen, he isn't going to wait around for you forever."

 "I know. I don't want him too." She admitted, tugging on her earring. Though her statement was the truth, it still tasted bitter on her tongue. 

 "Ok, but does he know that? It sounds like he’s set on you, but I'm going to warn you. Don't break his heart. He isn't the type to recover from heartbreak. His heart is already locked up more securely than Fort Knox but if you break it…."

 "I promise, that isn't my intent. I just…. can't. I like him, more than I thought I would. He is funny and charming and sweet but also infuriating and demanding and I've had more fun with him than I've ever had with a guy friend before. He…. I can be myself around him and I think he can too. But I just…. It can't go further than friendship."

 Gyda mulled over her words. "Alright. I don't fully understand but I get it. It's nice to hear that he's connecting with someone. None of us liked his ex. He only really spends time with family or Floki."

 "I don't want to hurt him." Kari whispered. 

 "I know. You're too sweet to purposefully do something like that." The blonde tilted her head to the side with a slowly growing smug look. "I give it until the end of the year and you'll be naked in his bed."

 "Gods! What? Why would you say that?"

 "He's a Lothbrok. They always get what they want."

 *****

 Kari laid curled up on her full-size bed, her laptop up and watching Downton Abbey. A heating pad rested on her abdomen as she waited for the pain relievers to kick in. Most of her life she was happy with, but the one thing she would easily trade out would be the painful cramps when PMSing. The birth control she took helped out, but there was usually still one day that the dreaded cramps hit hard. 

 Her phone dinged. Languidly reaching over, she grabbed it from beside her pillow and opened it to check the text. 

 Ivar: wat r u doin?

 He texted her earlier that day saying he was returning home from his sudden business trip. 

 Kari: nothing

 Ivar: good. bts. 

 She groaned, slamming her face into her pillow. She did not have the energy to deal with him right now. All she wanted was to relax and eat her body weight in chocolate. After a moment of self-pity, she texted him back, hoping she could get out of whatever he had planned already. 

 Kari: no, I don't feel good.

 Ivar: wat wrong?

 Kari: nothing bad.  

 Sure, they had been talking daily for over a week but that did not mean she wanted to divulge her period issues to him. There were a few things she knew and one was that guys did not like talking about the menstrual cycle. 

 When he did not text back right away, she turned her attention back to her laptop and the TV show playing. Soon enough the magic of pain relievers and hot pads kicked in and her pain was minimal, though she had no intentions of leaving her warm cocoon. Alana was at her night class, so Kari was home alone. Not unusual really, but tonight she certainly felt the urge to lay around and do nothing. 

 After about twenty minutes, she heard a loud knock on her front door. Alana was not home, so it could not be any of her friends. Her neighbor, Erik, never just showed up. He always made sure to text before coming to her door. Maybe there was some kind of emergency? Or a package being dropped off? Though at this time it was certainly getting late for any kind of deliveries. Then it hit her. 

 Ivar. 

 "Ughhhh," she groaned, rolling out of her bed. For a split second she contemplated not answering it, just staying in her warm bed. She knew, though, if she did not get it, he would probably bust the door down. Maybe even set it on fire to make a point. He seemed like the type to light things on fire for fun. 

 As soon as she opened the front door, those intense blue eyes scanned over her body as if looking for some unseen disease. "What's wrong with you?" He barked at her, one hand still on the doorframe.

 "What?" She blinked owlishly. 

 "You said you don't feel good." He gestured towards her, his gaze still searching. "What's wrong?"

 "Um, it's nothing. Just cramps. It's better now."

 "You sure? It's nothing worse?"

 She was touched by his concern, the way his last questions were said in a breath of relief as if actually worried about her health. "Yeah, happens every month. I'm fine."

 "Ok, good. Get changed, Hvitty and I are going to see a movie. I want you to come with us."

 "Ivar, you should hang out with your brother…."

 "I fucking live with him. He's fine with it. Go change."

 She sighed, knowing by now there was no way she was making it back to her warm cocoon and Downton Abbey. Besides, she had missed him while he was gone and found herself wanting to spend time with him. Not that she wanted him to know that, it would only inflate his ego. "I'll only agree to come with you on two conditions."

 "Fucking what?" He growled, though she could see the amusement in his eyes. 

 "First, I'm wearing my comfy clothes." She waved her hand at the pair of soft, black leggings she wore and the thin, slouchy sweater with the word 'beautiful' printed on it. "Second, and this is the most important condition, you have to buy me a stupid amount of chocolate."

 He rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged on his lips. "If that's all, princess…."

 "Oh, give me a minute. I'll think of something else… and it's not princess. It's m'lady."

 "Shut up. Get your shit. I'll meet you at the car."

 She laughed as she raced up to her room to grab her purse, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. The only addition was to throw on a zip up jacket that was a size too big on her. She always found movie theaters too cold to be fully comfortable without a jacket. 

 The vehicle waiting for her this time was a luxury SUV. She stopped for a moment in the driveway, unsure what to do. She wondered what the neighbors would think of her getting picked up in this and how many knew Lothbroks were sitting in it. Hopefully no one was paying attention. The one of the back doors opened so she headed that way. Ivar slid over and she followed him into the vehicle, closing the door behind her. 

 "Took you fucking long enough, m'lady."

 She smirked at the nickname. "Well, you did just show up at my door and told me we were going to see a movie. At least the other times you gave me a heads up to be ready."

 "Ivar, you said you text her we were coming." A man she had not noticed said. He sat across on the bench seat facing them, watching her curiously. It was now Kari noticed how both Ivar and the guy were dressed casually, both in jeans and t-shirts, though Ivar had a light jacket on also. 

 "She said she wasn't doing anything." 

 The flaxen-haired man sighed, before reaching his hand out. "Hi, I'm Hvitserk. This idiot's older brother."

 "It's nice to meet you. I'm Kari." She took his hand, but instead of shaking it like she expected, he turned it over and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of her hand. When he released it, he gave her a quick, flirty wink and leaned back in his seat. 

 Startled by his bold action, she looked at Ivar, unsure how to respond. What was with these Lothbroks and their unabashed flirting? 

 He had his eyes narrowed at his brother, teeth practically grinding. "Fucking touch her again." He snarled. 

 Hvitserk chuckled, a smug look on his boyish face. "Relax, brother. I know you don't share…. even if you're just friends." Either he was purposefully antagonizing his younger brother or did not notice the anger seething off of him. 

 Ivar started to lean forward but Kari wrapped her arms around his, pulling him into her. She was not about to watch a fight go down between the two. "Didn't you just get back from your trip? I thought you'd be home resting." She quickly asked, trying to distract. 

 After a long moment of the brothers staring at each other, Ivar with a glare and Hvitserk looking amused, the raven-haired brother leaned back. He turned his head to look at her as he answered. "You said you wanted to see me earlier, and going to see a movie isn't strenuous."

 "Everything involving you is strenuous."

 As soon as she muttered the words, she wished she could take them back. 

 A devilish grin spread across his face, those blue eyes dancing with something mischievous and forbidden. "I can show you strenuous." He shifted to hover over her, lips dangerously close to hers. "All. Night. Long." He whispered, one hand leaving a trail of fire as it slid from her thigh up to the curve of her breast. A shiver ran down her spine at the low, hungry tone and the naked want in his gaze. "You'll be begging for more of me…. to destroy that pussy and leave you completely undone and hoarse from screaming my name." His tongue flicked at her earlobe, a choked gasp leaving her mouth at the sensation. Her eyes fluttered shut on their own accord, the knot in her core tightening painfully. She both hated and loved what his touch did to her, how it gave her a taste of pleasure otherwise unknown. His nose traced her jawline as he spoke again, tone filthy, making her core ache. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, kattungen?"

 She gulped, her voice coming out far more timid and needy than she wanted. "That's...um, that's nice." 

 Hvitserk's laughter broke the smoldering tension. Her blue-green eyes blinked rapidly as if wakening from a dream, darting to stare at the older brother before returning to the one who still lingered over her, his presence alone keeping her pinned to her seat. 

 "En dag, søte Kari, blir du min." Ivar whispered into her ear, then kissed her temple tenderly. After he leaned back, legs splayed out and arms across the back of the seat. A rapid conversation in that foreign language started, Hvitserk saying something that had Ivar snarking back and rolling his eyes. 

 The whole time, Kari focused on slowing down her breathing and trying to tamper down the warmth radiating from her core. There was no denying it, Ivar did something to her on a primal level. Her body wanted him. Even her mind wanted him. When he directed that sensual, seductive side at her, she melted like an ice cube in June. Her panties were testimony to that. Thankfully, he did not turn that powerful ability onto her frequently. She doubted they would remain 'just friends' for long if he did. 

 Suddenly, Ivar tugged on the sleeve of her fleece jacket, drawing her from her thoughts. "What is that?"

 "Um… a jacket?"

 He hummed then glanced over at his brother. "Sigurd had the same one, doesn't he, Hvitty?"

 "I think so." Hvitserk ran a hand over his braids, a smile on his lips. "Didn't you set it on fire?"

 Ivar waved off the question, still scrutinizing her jacket.  "Whose is it?"

 "Mine now." She replied, wondering what he was getting at. 

 "Whose was it?"

 "A guy friend. He lent it to me years ago and I never gave it back."

 "He's in England?"

 "Yeah…"

 He grunted, rubbing a hand over his mouth for a moment. "Take it off."

 "Wha…. what?" She sputtered. 

 "Take it off. I don't want you wearing another guy's clothes."

 "Ivar, this is stupid. Plus, I always get cold in movie theaters. That's why I brought it in the first place."

 With a deep scowl, he tugged off his own gray, soft shell jacket. When he saw she was not moving, he tugged on her sleeve roughly. She huffed but gave in, not willing to fight him over something so childish. She slipped the fleece jacket off and placed it in her lap. Before she could stop him, Ivar snatched the jacket out of her lap and threw it on the seat to his other side. He dropped his jacket in her lap then leaned back, watching her with a serious expression. This was one of those times she wondered why she put up with him. Who cared where the origins of her clothes came from? It was comfy. Sure, it had some sentimental value but it was a nice, warm jacket. 

 Quickly, she slipped his gray jacket on…. and was immediately hit with his scent. A salacious side of her wondered if he would let her keep it. He always smelled incredible and having his jacket now wrapped around her, enveloping her in that…. her libido definitely woke up, begging for attention. Especially after the tease he just bestowed upon her.  

 "Happy?" She asked flippantly, smoothing the gray jacket down over her and trying not to be obvious with her sniffing it. 

 He grinned. "You look better in my clothes."

 "Ugh. Is he always like this?" She turned to Hvitserk.  

 "I wouldn't know. He's never asked me to take my clothes off. But if you did, I'd happily oblige." He playfully winked at her. 

 She groaned. "You both are unbelievable. No wonder you're brothers." She looked at Ivar beside her. "Can I have my jacket back?"

 He raised a single eyebrow as if surprised by her question. After a second of mutual staring, he slid over and opened the window, maintaining pointed eye contact the whole time. Before she could process what he was going to do, he balled up her jacket and threw it out the open window. Without a word, he rolled the window back up and slid over to her side again. 

 "What jacket?" He questioned impishly. 

 She stared open-mouthed at him. "Was…. was that really necessary? Gods! Why did you do that?" 

 "I don't want you wearing another guy's clothes." He shrugged. "If it's that big of a problem, I'll buy you some new clothes."

 "That's not…. that's not the point! You can't just get rid of something of mine without my permission!"

 "But it wasn't yours, it was some guy friend's."

 She covered my face with her hands. Why should she expect anything different from Ivar? He had a vendetta against her clothes. With a sigh, she scooted away from him. "I feel like we need to make a list of things that are not ok for you to do."

 "I'm not following some fucking list."

 "Alright, I'll stop wearing clothes that belong to someone else if you promise not to throw away my clothes without my permission."

 He yanked on her arm until she was at his side again, despite her half-hearted attempt for space. "You can wear my clothes anytime, especially if I can take them off of you."

 "Ivar, I'm serious."

 He nuzzled the crook of her neck, making her squirm. Sweetly, he pressed a kiss to her neck before leaning back. "Fine." He muttered, tucking her into his side. 

 She glanced over at Hvitserk, having momentarily forgotten his presence. A broad smile covered his face, highlighting his handsome features. 

 "I like her." He declared, meeting his brother's eye with a nod. Next he looked at her, cocking his head to the side. "What are you doing with his sorry ass?"

 That earned a low growl from the youngest Lothbrok, causing Kari to jump faintly and Hvitserk's smile to grow.

 "Well, I didn't have much of a choice. He showed up at my work the first time." She answered honestly, though she mostly did it to tease Ivar. 

 Hvitserk threw his head back with a groan before narrowing his eyes at his brother. "I told you not to stalk her!"

 "What the fuck is this? Gang up on Ivar day? She wouldn't have gone out with me otherwise and afterward she said she had fun, so it's not a big deal."

 Hvitserk's brown eyes met her blue-green ones with true sympathy in them. "I'm sorry, Kari. I would say he isn't normally like this but I'm guessing you know that's a damn lie by now."

 She giggled, "Yeah, I do. Thank you though."

 "You know, we could always ditch him and go to the movie just us."

 "Oh yeah?" She tapped her chin, pretending to think the offer over. "That sounds like fun. Ivar did promise to buy me a stupid amount of chocolate though. It'd be a hard sell to pass that offer up."

 "I'm sure I can come up with something." He wiggled his blond eyebrows, smiling again. 

 "Shut the fuck up, both of you." 

 Kari laughed at the look on Ivar's face. Peering up at him, she changed the subject. "What movie are we seeing?"

 "Ask your new friend over there."

 "Come on, Ivy. You know we're just fucking with you." Hvitserk sighed.  

 Ivar grumbled, looking out the window and ignoring both of them.

 Hvitserk answered her question. "That new horror movie."

 "Oh ok." She hoped she sounded confident but kind of wished she had known before coming. Horror movies were not her thing. As a child, she had watched 'IT' at a sleepover and decided then that purposefully being scared was something she could do without. Though knowing Ivar, he would have laughed and pushed her out the door, saying something about how she needed to watch better shit than she normally did. Maybe this one would be more action-based than real horror. She could only hope. 

 Thankfully, they pulled up at the movie theater soon after. The driver dropped the three off at the door, driving off after to go park and wait. 

 "Ivar, hold on." She tugged on his arm, forcing him to slow his steps instead of walking ahead of the other two. "Give us a minute, Hvitserk."

 The blond brother gave her a quick nod. "I'll go buy some snacks."

 After he walked away, she tried to meet Ivar's gaze, though he pointedly stared over her shoulder. "Hey, we're just teasing. I'm sorry if we pushed it too far. I'm really happy you asked me to come out with you and your brother. It's been years since I've gone out to the movies."

 He remained stubbornly sullen, continuing to stare just over her shoulder as if her presence was a nuisance. 

 With a sigh, she shifted closer, taking the initiative to wrap her arms loosely around his waist. Something she had noticed during the times they had hung out was he liked touching her, not always sexually, but just casual, intimate touches. A stray thought of him being touch-starved crossed her mind. 

 "I also really like your jacket, it's soft and it smells like you." She softly said, peeking up at him, suddenly nervous about her forwardness. 

 "Yeah?" He breathed out, placing his arms around her and tugging her closer. In just that movement, she could feel the hostility drain out of him, the hard tension in his muscles easing away into a softness she was beginning to doubt many people were allowed to see. 

 "Since you threw my other one away, can I keep this one?" She teased, lips curling up at the edges. If he said no, she was inclined to steal it anyway. For emotional damages, of course, not because it smelled good. 

 "Fuck, yes, kitten." He nuzzled her neck, making her squirm in his arms and giggle at the sensation. After a moment, still chuckling, he kissed her neck then laid his forehead against hers. When he spoke, it was with a quiet hint of vulnerability, his voice just above a murmur. "You really are happy to be out with me?"

 "I am." She confirmed with eyes closed, soaking in the heat from his body against hers. This moment felt so strangely intimate that she struggled between prolonging it or tearing herself away. It was in these touches, she found her resolve wavering, a longing rising within her to give in. His arms around her, just holding her, their foreheads pressed together as if grounding one another. It was euphoric and dangerous. 

 He broke the silence between them, tone muffled as if regretting speaking up. "We should go in; the movie is going to start soon."

 "Ok. Hvitserk will probably come looking for us if we don't." 

 "Ah, fuck. He will." 

 They untangled, but as she moved to step away, he snaked his arm around her waist, tugging her next to him. When she glanced up at him, he only looked down at her in wide-eyed, mock innocence. She rolled her eyes but giggled. He was like a puppy afraid to let go of his new toy. 

 As they started towards the doors, she finally paid more attention to his gait. Each step was stiff but powerful. One more than one occasion she ogled him and his swagger that seemed to scream predator, a dark and deadly thing meanwhile also being so enticing. She wondered how he managed so well without his cane but decided not to bring it up.

 Once they passed through the door, Ivar slowed down, pulling his phone from his pocket. 

 "Shit. I've got to take this. Go wait with Hvitty. Oh, here." He pulled out his wallet and handed her his credit card. "Go buy all that chocolate I promised you and drinks for us."

 Normally she would protest, saying she could buy her own stuff. This time she had full intentions of spending his money on chocolate. "Do you want anything to eat?" 

 "Are you on the menu?"

 "Gods, unbelievable!" She laughed though, watching him smile genuinely. After an arrogant wink, he stepped away, bringing his phone to his ear and speaking rapidly in a foreign language. She scurried over to Hvitserk, who stood near the confessions counter. 

 "Everything alright?" 

 "Yeah," she glanced over her shoulder at Ivar quickly, "he just got a phone call he said he had to take."

 Hvitserk hummed, watching Ivar across the lobby with a peculiar expression. 

 While they waited, she ordered her snacks and the drinks for both of them. Though her doubts rapidly spun out of control as she realized she did not know what Ivar would like or want. With a pleading look thrown at him, Hvitserk gave in with a chuckle. Together they picked out snacks and drinks that would have the youngest Lothbrok's approval. Once done, they gathered their stuff and moved over to an open, standing table to continue waiting. 

 "While Ivar is busy, I wanted to talk to you."

 "Ah, sure." She felt a tendril of dread grow in her belly. Nothing good ever came out of a conversation with such an inauspicious beginning. 

 "I know Ivar can be a lot, closer to fucking insane, and not many people can tolerate him." He looked down at her with brown eyes that seemed to see more than they let on. "But you're good for him. You don't take his bullshit. Fuck, he even listens to you. I could count on one hand how many people Ivar actually listens to. What makes you different?"

 "I don't know. I'm just…. I don't know." She stared down at her chipped, teal fingernails, unable to meet his eyes now. 

 "Well whatever you are, we've already noticed a difference since you two started talking. He's not as angry, he doesn't just hole up in his room as often."

 "That's good."

 "Mmmm…. Ivar is my brother and I love him. But I also know his temper can get the better of him and when he is on a rampage, nothing can fucking stop him. He is easily jealous and possessive of things he deems his own…. and he clearly had staked a claim on you."

 "But…. we're just friends."

 "Not to him." He huffed, running a hand over his braids. After checking to make sure his brother was still on the phone, he continued, lowering his voice even more. "You seem like a nice girl so I'll only say this once. Be careful of what promises you make to him…. and if he ever does something to harm you or scare you, I want you to call me. I'll do what I can to protect you. Alright?"

 She nodded, unnerved by his warning. Sure, she knew about the Lothbrok reputation. Yet this was the first time someone point blank warned her with true understanding. She was unsure if she should appreciate the warning or be terrified that he thought Ivar could hurt her. 

 "Give me your phone."

 Silently, she handed it over. He plugged his number in and called himself. With a satisfied nod, he gave it back to her. 

 "Good, don't ever hesitate to call me. Besides, if my brother has his way, none of us would ever meet you. My other brothers want to meet the girl who has Ivar wrapped around her finger already." He winked at her, making her blush. 

 "Hvitty, stop flirting with her!" 

 The flaxen-haired brother grinned, as he watched his brother approach. "I'm not. Just telling her the others want to meet her."

 "Fuck no." Ivar growled, coming to stand between the two. 

 "I'd love to meet your brothers." She commented lightly. "After hearing you talk about them, it'd be nice."

 "Awww, Ivy, you talk about us?" Hvitserk teased, nudged his shoulder with his own. 

 "Not you, asshole."

 Hvitserk laughed, pressing his forehead swiftly to Ivar's. "Come on, the movie has probably started."

 Ivar and Kari followed behind Hvitserk, as he led them to the correct auditorium. Along the way, she handed Ivar a couple of the boxes of candy she bought and the drink picked out for him. 

 "How much fucking candy did you buy?" He grumbled, eyeing the boxes suspiciously. 

 "Enough. If you ask nicely, I might share." She quipped. "I even bought Heksehyl for both of us. Hvitserk said it's your favorite…. and I also got Dumle. Oh, and Guld Barre!" 

 "I did promise you chocolate."

 She giggled. "Yes, you did."

 The three of them found the auditorium and took seats off to the side. Ivar sat in the middle with Kari on his right and Hvitserk on his left. The movie had just started as they sat down, the lights and noise minimal. Though apprehensive about the movie, Kari found herself smiling at just the nostalgic feeling being here evoked. There was something so simple yet profound at being with friends, eating sweets and watching the silver screen. Let alone the darkness of the theater and the nearby munching of popcorn by others and the occasion sound of people talking. She missed this. So, she endowed to enjoy every part of this. Quietly eating her chocolates, she kept her gaze on the screen.

 After some time, Kari felt a large hand on her upper thigh, inching slowly higher and higher. Jolting at the sudden feeling, she grabbed it, trying to stop its further ascent. Immediately, Ivar flipped his hand over and entwined their fingers. She tried to half-heartedly tug out of it, but he maintained a vice-like grip on her hand. In an attempt to glare at him, she swiveled in her seat to gain his attention. Only for him to remain solely focused on the screen. Rolling her eyes, she gave in, shifting back to continue watching the movie. Their fingers remained entangled. 

 Eventually, the chocolate lay forgotten in her lap as the images on the screen became more disturbing and graphic. A few chuckles came from Ivar and Hvitserk and whispered comments made between them. Once someone in the theater screamed as a person on the screen was suddenly killed. The abrupt sound made Kari jump, squeezing Ivar's hand. He laughed, but squeezed her hand back. Not long after, she gave up on watching the movie and just tucked her face against his shoulder. Horror movies were never her thing, the idea of purposefully being scared never appealed to her. And this movie had a thing for people being eaten alive. Not something she wanted imprinted into her brain. The thought crossed her mind that Ivar orchestrated this on purpose, since he seemed to be fully enjoying her cuddling into him. As if without concern, his head lay on top of hers, continuing to hold her hand. If she was not so concerned about having nightmares and trying to block out the hair-raising screams, she might have liked the cuddling. In this instance though, if he moved, she was going to punch him. 

 Once the movie ended, Ivar and Hvitserk argued about the movie- how some of the people should have died or about the graphics of the terrifying creatures. They both became more and more animated as the three of them walked out of the movie theater and towards the waiting SUV. 

 "What did you think, Kari?" Hvitserk asked, taking his seat across from the others, once they all piled in. 

 "She was scared." Ivar answered, leaning back, his arm on the back of the seat and behind her. 

 "That creature was eating that girl's brain while she was still alive! I did not want to see that! I'm going to have nightmares."

 Smirking, Ivar tilted closer, invading her personal space. "Want me to stay with you? I'll keep you safe…. and make sure you dream of other more, pleasurable, things."

 "No, you'd probably try to scare me on purpose." She accused, pushing his body away from her with a pout. 

 "Well, thanks for seeing it with us." Hvitserk spoke up. "Gods, Bjorn would love it. We'll have to tell him."

 The youngest brother nodded before turning back to the brunette by his side. "You coming out with us for drinks now? We always get drinks after."

 "No, I can't. I have to open tomorrow. I need to sleep."

 "Come on, it'll be fine."

 "No. I'll be getting up at 5:30. That's in like…. six hours." This was one thing she was not going to give into. He had dragged her from her bed already once tonight. He was not about to make her lose out on anymore sleep. Not everyone was able to sleep all morning like certain people. 

 "Next time," Hvitserk said with a shrug, a grin on his face as if amused by the interaction across from him. "I'm sure we can all go out again soon. Right, Ivy?"

 Ivar snorted, "Fine. We'll drop you off."

 A discussion about the movie and comparing it to others swiftly captured the two brothers' attention. Finding herself growing tired, Kari just leaned back and listened, her head resting on the back of the seat, and consequently, Ivar's arm. It was different and refreshing seeing him interact with someone he clearly trusted and cared about. His guard was down and even if some of his comments sounded more like sharp barbs, it was said without true malice. The flaxen-haired brother took each verbal jab like water off a duck's back, either making a joke out of the comment or ignoring it. Throughout the interaction, the care and respect for one another was evident, even if on the surface level it appeared dysfunctional. A smile hinted on her lips as she listened to the brothers. She hoped this was not the last time she spent time with Hvitserk. Though his warning still rang in the back of her mind, she liked him. The whole ride back, Ivar kept his arm behind her, sporadically playing with the ends of her hair. 

 At their arrival to her townhouse, Hvitserk said his goodbye to her in the vehicle, surprising her with a swift hug and peck on the cheek. Her face must have been quite flushed if his laughter after meant anything. Ivar grumbled something at his brother in their foreign language as he pulled her out of the SUV. To her further surprise, Ivar walked her to her front door instead of staying with his brother. 

 "Thanks for inviting me out." She said honestly, once they reached the door. 

 "Next time we'll watch something you enjoy."

 Before she could second guess herself, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. Instantly, his arms went around her, pulling her closer. While the hug at the movie theater was sweet and intimate, this hug carried a different tone. It was more urgent and passionate. Her face rested on his collarbone, allowing his scent to envelope her. He laid a soft kiss to the top of her head, resting his chin there after. For a split second, she realized she never wanted to leave this moment. To be safe and warm and comforted and wanted. It was all she had ever hoped for. This was dangerous water they treaded in. With each intimate action, she could feel their friendship sailing closer and closer to the waters of something more. The gentle, easy waters of friendship would not be enough to maintain them. 

 With that thought in mind, she regretfully pulled back. "Goodnight." She murmured. 

 "God natt, kattunge."

 "One of these days, you have to tell me what you're saying."

 A devious smirk grew on his lips. "No, I think I like you being in suspense."

 She laughed, shaking her head. They both hesitated to move, the air tense with something, as if both were waiting for the other to say or do something. 

 "Ok, bye." She finally said, opening her front door. 

 He nodded, taking a step back without removing his heated gaze off of her. 

 Shuddering at the feeling of his smoldering gaze, she let herself into the townhouse and made sure to lock the door behind her. Releasing a deep breath, she leaned her back against the door. What was it about him that tempted her so? He was bad news for her. Yet the more time she spent with him, the more she craved being with him. 

 Glancing down, she stared at his soft, gray jacket she still wore and wondered how symbolic this unintended action was.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 4, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

“hello literally everyone,” the official account of Twitter tweeted this afternoon, after Facebook and its affiliated platforms Instagram and WhatsApp went dark at about 11:40 this morning. The Facebook outage lasted for more than six hours and appears to have been caused by an internal error. But the void caused by the absence of the internet giant illustrated its power at a time when the use of that power has come under scrutiny.

In mid-September, the Wall Street Journal began to publish a series of investigative stories based on documents provided by a whistle-blower.

The “Facebook Files” explore how the company has “whitelisted” high-profile users, exempting them from the rules that put limits on ordinary users. Another article reveals that researchers showed Facebook executives evidence that Instagram damages teenage girls by pushing an ideal body image and that they flagged the increasing use of the site by drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals; their discoveries went unaddressed.

Concerned about declining engagement with their material, Facebook allegedly privileged polarizing material that engaged people by preying on their emotions. It appeared to have encouraged the extremism that led to the January 6 insurrection, lowering restrictions against disinformation quickly after the 2020 election.

Last night, on CBS’s 60 Minutes, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen revealed herself to be the source of the documents. She is concerned, she says, that Facebook consistently looks to maximize profits even if it means ignoring disinformation. Her lawyers have filed at least eight complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees companies and financial markets. Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said it was “ludicrous” to blame Facebook for the events of January 6. Chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg have not commented.

Lawmakers have repeatedly asked Facebook to produce documents for their scrutiny and to testify about the social media platform’s public safeguards. Tomorrow, Haugen will testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security about the effects of social media on teenagers. Her lawyer, Andrew Bakaj, told Cat Zakrzewski and Cristiano Lima of the Washington Post that Haugen’s information is important because “Big Tech is at an inflection point…. It touches every aspect of our lives—whether it’s individuals personally or democratic institutions globally. With such far-reaching consequences, transparency is critical to oversight, and lawful whistleblowing is a critical component of oversight and holding companies accountable.”

Amidst the outrage over the Facebook revelations, technology reporter Kevin Roose at the New York Times suggested that the company’s aggressive attempts to court engagement reveal weakness, rather than strength, as younger users have fled to TikTok and other sites and Facebook has become the domain of older Americans. He notes that Facebook’s researchers foresee a drop of 45% in daily use in the next two years, suggesting that the company is desperate either to retain users or to create new ones.

While the technology Facebook represents is new, the concerns it raises echo public discussion of late nineteenth century industrialization, which was also the product of new technologies. At stake then was whether the concentration of economic power in a few hands would destroy our democracy by giving some rich men far more power than the other men in the country. How could the nation both preserve the right of individuals to build industries and preserve the concept of the common good in the face of technology that permitted unprecedented accumulations of wealth?

While money is certainly at stake in the issue of Facebook’s power today, the more pressing issue for our country is whether social media giants will destroy our democracy through their ability to spread disinformation that sows division and turns us against one another.

When we began to grapple with the excesses of industrialism, lots of people thought the whole system needed to be taken apart—by violence if necessary—while others hoped to save the benefits the technology brought without letting it destroy the country. Americans eventually solved the problems that industrialization raised for democracy by reining in the Wild West mentality of the early industrialists, protecting the basic rights of workers, and regulating business practices.

The leaked Facebook documents suggest there are places where the disinformation at Facebook could be reined in as the overreaches of industrialization were. When Zuckerberg tried to promote coronavirus vaccines on the site, anti-vaxxers undermined his efforts. But one document showed that “out of nearly 150,000 posters in Facebook Groups disabled for Covid misinformation, 5% were producing half of all posts, and around 1,400 users were responsible for inviting half the groups’ new members.” Researchers concluded: “We found, like many problems at FB, this is a head-heavy problem with a relatively few number of actors creating a large percentage of the content and growth.”

“I don’t hate Facebook,” Haugen wrote in a final message to her colleagues at the company. “I love Facebook. I want to save it.”

While most Americans were busy watching Facebook crash—the falling stock took between $5 billion and $7 billion of Zuckerberg’s net worth—drama in Washington, D.C., was an even bigger deal.

Los Angeles Times reporter Sarah D. Wire noted that the rioters who broke into the Capitol on January 6 ran more than 100 feet past 15 reinforced windows, “making a beeline” to four windows that had been left unreinforced in a renovation of the building between 2017 and 2019. They found the four windows, located in a recessed part of the building, Wire wrote, “by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge by rioters.”

The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol will likely look into this oddity.

The committee has begun to take testimony from cooperative witnesses. Observers expect fireworks on Thursday when former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, longtime Trump aide Dan Scavino, Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and Trump appointee Kash Patel must hand over documents. Trump has vowed to fight the release of any information to the committee. Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says the committee will make criminal referrals for anyone ignoring a subpoena.

Finally, today, the debt ceiling fight got even hotter. While Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 3, the issue of the debt ceiling, which stops the government from borrowing money Congress has already spent, remains unresolved. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the government will be unable to pay its obligations after October 18, and warns that a default, which has never before happened, would be catastrophic.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) insists the Democrats must raise the debt ceiling themselves, although the Republicans raised it three times under former president Trump and added $7.8 trillion to the debt, which now stands at $28 trillion. But when Democrats tried to pass a measure to raise the ceiling, Republicans filibustered it. As Greg Sargent points out in the Washington Post, McConnell is trying to force the Democrats to raise the debt ceiling through reconciliation, which cannot be filibustered. Since they get only one chance to pass such a bill this year, this would force them to dump their infrastructure bill.

McConnell is holding the nation hostage to keep the Democrats from passing a very popular bill, and today, Biden called him on it. McConnell complained that congressional Democrats were “sleepwalking toward significant and avoidable danger,” prompting Biden to demand that Republicans “stop playing Russian roulette with the U.S. economy.... Not only are Republicans refusing to do their job, but threatening to use their power to prevent us from doing our job—saving the economy from a catastrophic event—I think, quite frankly, is hypocritical, dangerous and disgraceful. Their obstruction and irresponsibility knows absolutely no bounds.”

When asked if he could guarantee we would not default on our debts, Biden said, “No, I can’t…. That’s up to Mitch McConnell.” If McConnell doesn’t blink and the Republicans continue to filibuster Democrats’ attempts to save the economy, there will be enormous pressure on the Democrats to break the filibuster.

Meanwhile, every day this drags on, Congress does not pass the Freedom to Vote Act.

—

Notes:

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2021/10/protecting%20kids%20online:%20testimony%20from%20a%20facebook%20whistleblower

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/03/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-revealed/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-facebook-files-11631713039

https://apnews.com/article/facebook-whatsapp-instagram-outage-8b9d3862ed957029e545182a595fdce1

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/03/technology/whistle-blower-facebook-frances-haugen.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-says-she-wants-to-fix-the-company-not-harm-it-11633304122

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/04/facebook-instagram-down-outage/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/technology/facebook-files.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-vaccinated-11631880296

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-10-04/jan-6-rioters-exploited-little-known-capitol-weak-spots-a-handful-of-unreinforced-windows

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/01/bennie-thompson-jan-6-panel-subpoena-514940

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/04/jan-6-panel-trump-collision-514979

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/10/04/biden-schumer-debt-ceiling/

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[gameofdrarry]

Wizards Hearts Recs: Amortentia

Wizards Hearts was a four-month-long Drarry reading fest. Players were given a playing deck of 52 tropes, and were asked to find 52 different fics to read and comment on to fill their decks. To prevent the same few fics from being read, fics were restricted to only being used for the game three times before being considered ineligible for further points. The tropes and submissions list can be found here.

Check out the masterlist of fics for this trope below the cut!

📜 Base Notes by Sectumsempra Rated:  Not Rated Words:  4266 Tags: Potions Class, Potions, Amortentia Summary:  Draco is in the potions classroom, brewing something, as Harry reports for detention. ----- He comes close enough to the cauldron – from which smoke now rises in spirals, the surface gleaming like mother of pearl – that this time when he catches the scent, he recognizes it. ”Wait,” he says. ”You're making perfume?” Malfoy looks at him with a raised brow and a strange, lop-sided simper. ”What perfume?” he asks, which seems like an odd question. ”The one you're always wearing, isn't it?” As their eyes meet now, the expression on Malfoy's face, hard to read as it is, makes Harry wish he hadn't spoken. ”No fucking way.” ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Truly, Madly, Deeply by dracoroxy Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  4926 Tags: Love Potion/Spell, Amortentia, Fluff Summary:  Harry’s life has finally settled down enough to be comfortable, but there’s only one problem: he’s the victim of a truly astonishing amount of love spells. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Stop and smell the roses by regencyaus Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  4079 Tags: Fluff, Amortentia, Like the amortentia smells like you but i tried to take seriously?, Hogwarts Eighth Year, also there's an epilogue, you can't stop me from writing an epilogue on a 4k fic lalala, HP: EWE Summary:  Harry really, really needs to start paying more attention. In his defense, he's been having a very long day. Which is why he runs his mouth before he even thinks about why, exactly, the whole potions classroom would be smelling like Malfoy's stupid cologne. "You're the master of not thinking about things, Potter. Half of your hero moments were due entirely to good timing, a lot of luck, and you doing things you didn't think about." Well, okay, but no need to be rude. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love by aibidil Rated:  Explicit Words:  80466 Tags: Auror Harry Potter, Potions Master Draco Malfoy, Politician Hermione Granger, WWW Owner Ron Weasley, Case Fic, Potions, Potions Theory, Amortentia, Love Potion/Spell, Lust Potion/Spell, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Pensieves, Consent, Consent Issues, Enthusiastic Consent, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Wizarding Literature, Legal Drama, Courtroom Drama, Wizengamot, Wizarding Politics, Wizarding Law, Wizarding Traditions, Potions Attack, Politics, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Feminism, Men's Rights Movement, magical university, Magical Internet, Science, Chemistry, Communication, Soul Bond, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Pining, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, Post-Hogwarts, HP: EWE, Dildos, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, Falling In Love, Patronus Summary:  In which a group of wizards' rights activists goes on the offensive after a prohibition against love potions, forcing the magical world to confront the horror of magic's role in sexual assault and the murky legal nature of consent. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Draco are swept together to solve the case, and in the process they're made to confront their own love and lust—with and without potions. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Oblivious by lealam Rated:  Explicit Words:  17387 Tags: love potions, Amortentia, eighth year, Hogwarts, Party Games, Getting Together, Potions Theory, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Explicit Sexual Content Summary:  Harry doesn't believe his Amortentia's scent is correct, and starts questioning the potion and his feelings. Of course Malfoy, of all people, is the one to answer these questions. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Beautiful Meanings in Beautiful Things by cloudings Rated:  Explicit Words:  76932 Tags: Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Amortentia, Voyeurism, Sharing a Room, and they were roommates.., Roommates, Soulmates, Soul Bond, Face Punching, Bruises, Portraits, Quidditch, Humor, Fluff, Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers Summary:  After a cocky comment from Malfoy and a (totally justified) punch in the face from Harry, Malfoy ends up with a bruise on his face that just doesn't seem to want to go away, no matter what is attempted. Harry is confused by his Amortentia smells, Malfoy keeps asking him to punch him (literally and subtextually), and everybody seems to think that they can just tell Harry that he isn't straight anymore. On top of all that, Harry now has to figure out what to do when you find out you've got a soulmate. A fucking soulmate. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Passion Cake by ICMezzo Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  19397 Tags: Love Potion/Spell, Amortentia, Aphrodisiacs, Baking, Chocolate, Birthday Cake, Owls, Desire, Tea, H/D Food Fair 2018, Baker Draco Malfoy, Treacle Tarts, Oblivious Harry Potter, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Asexuality Spectrum, Possible grey-ace character, Anxiety, secondary trans character Summary:  It’s all about desire. (Harry orders a magically enhanced cake from a chic London bakery, and from there it all goes to hell in a cake tin. Also, will someone please tell Harry what Passion Cake is?) ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 I Love You by curlee_cue Rated:  Mature Words:  18210 Tags: Rape/Non-con, Implied or Off-stage Rape/Non-con, Amortentia, Harry starts to lose track of reality, Dark!Harry, kindagoescrazy!harry, blink-and-you'll-miss-it gore Summary:  Harry knows what love is. It’s something that grows. Something that adapts. Something that sometimes needs a little help along the way. (or the one in which Harry loses his mind) ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Nero su bianco by zuzallove Rated:  Explicit Words:  40507 Tags: Epistolary, Slow Burn, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Slash, Angst, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Misunderstandings, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Podfic Available Summary:  September 1997. Hogwarts is under the regime of Voldemort and the Carrows. Finding himself alienated by both his friends and his supposed enemies, Draco puts quill to parchment, and writes letters. He addresses them to the only person he can think of, as Hogwarts rapidly falls into chaos and ruin: Harry Potter. He goes to great lengths to ensure the letters are never discovered, and he’s pretty certain he’s done a great job. Until the day of his trial. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 For All That Ails You by Frayach Rated:  Explicit Words:  16953 Tags: Christmas, Love Potion/Spell, Loss of Virginity, Infidelity Summary:  Voldemort forces Draco to drink a love potion so that he'll fall in love with Harry, and he does - madly. But then Harry does too. When Hermione finds an antidote for the love potion, neither knows who loves who. But then along comes the anonymous poetry contest to save the day. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Banter, Barns and Brunches by jolly_love Rated:  General Words:  1001 Tags: Professor Harry Potter, Professor Draco Malfoy, Potions Master Draco Malfoy, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Harry Potter, Banter, Humor, Amortentia, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Good Draco Malfoy Summary:  DADA Professor Harry just wants to read in peace at the staff table in Hogwarts. Potion's Professor Draco has other ideas. And banter ensues. Featuring Banter between Professors, a barn and food. All the good stuff. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 I bloom (just for you) by Ladderofyears Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  3910 Tags: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Enchanted Flower Business, Amortentia, Flower Shop Owner Harry Potter, Professor of Viking Magic Draco Malfoy, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Harry, Generous Draco, Falling In Love, Wealthy Draco, No Magical Florists Hurt In The Writing Of This Fic, Promise Summary:  Harry Potter is the proud new owner of Potter’s Blooms and Bouquets, the very first enchanted flower business on Diagon Alley. Harry has been tasked with designing and making the bouquets for the upcoming wedding of Draco Malfoy and his mysterious fiancée. There is one small problem though: Harry finds himself falling deeply in love with Draco himself. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 A Real Gem by tackytiger Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  1059 Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Potions, Amortentia, Falling In Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers Summary:  “You’re late. I don’t like to be kept waiting, Potter.” “Hmm, I know, but I like you a little angry.” Falling in love, and not talking about it, and all the nice Amortentia smells. ❤️ Read on AO3

[kateknowsdramas]

Hi! What are some romance dramas that have actual making out scenes? And not just pecking/hovering like dramas that are really good plus they have couples that actually kiss and good chemistry and plot

We are a thirsty bunch when it comes to kisses, Nonnie! Okay, these are some shows that have great make outs/kisses in them. Some of the shows don’t have a lot of kisses, but the quality makes up for the quantity.

Queen Cheorin/Mr. Queen

This show isn’t even over yet and we’ve already had one of the best make outs I’ve seen in a Kdrama. Can you imagine what we’ll get when the OTP are actually making out ‘for real’ instead of it starting out as a ‘fake out’ kiss? Imma gonna get the vapors. I wasn’t sure about the plot at first, but I’m enjoying the OTP being hilarious with each other and I see where the show is going in terms of having the queen and king be together and in love. 

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

One of the best love scenes in a drama and this couple can kiss. It’s Park Seo Joon and Park Min Young and those two know their way around a make out scene. Plus, there’s a lot of them! The story is great and upends so many Kdrama tropes. It’s one of my top shows.

Fight My Way

Man, this show is on every recommendation list lately because it’s just that great of a show. Hilarious and sweet OTP plus their kisses are amazing. Surprise, it’s another Park Seo Joon drama. He and Kim Ji Won are fantastic and believable as best friends to lovers. 

Search: WWW

Strong women in great outfits with their younger lovers. What’s not to enjoy? Terrific show, terrific kisses. 

Suspicious Partner

Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun are fantastic together. It’s a solid show with a lot of great elements and their chemistry is the core of it all. 

I hope that will get you started! @kdramaxoxo has a recommendation list of great drama kisses here that you can check out too.

Enjoy! 💋