#full snippet from last rewatch

[dallasgallant]

“Where’d you get this car, huh?”

“It’s bucks.”

“—don’t dal!”

“I got it”

*Whips across traffic into DQ lot*

“What are you trying to kill us?!

“Hope you guys are in the mood for BBQ, what do you want?”

—

Love how Johnny and Pony both loving being in fast cars but Dally somehow finds a way to scare them both (when they’re actually going down a mountain - can understand.)

Also generally just love the movie having little details I catch something new every time, including dialogue

[blvdheart]

LIKE A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN

→ Sneaking around with your grandparents’ ranch hand during the summer!

CW: x Fem!reader with she/her pronouns, starts with fluff and turns into smut, switch!Leon, dry humping, cowgirl, butterfly (i think that’s the position name?), fingering, short hold the moan snippet, reader wears a sundress at one point, mention of a palm injury via a cut

WC: 1.8k

NOTE: written just for fun to entertain myself during an excruciatingly long car ride, sorry that it’s fast paced </3 title lyric is from ‘tulsa jesus freak’ also i tried my best at a southern accent for him okay

MASTERLINK

You always complained whenever your parents sent you on your annual trip to your grandparents’ place. Mosquitoes ran rampant and a prayer whilst holding hands was mandatory before every meal. Summer was supposed to be a break so you could be lazy in bed all day, but now you had to go help tend to the animals.

Sure, farm animals are cute and all…but gushing over how adorable they are is much different from actually taking care of them. So much for that ‘Charlotte’s Web’ childhood dream of yours, none of the pigs are like Wilbur!

But you had a change of attitude when you went the summer after your freshman year of college. Upon your arrival, your suitcase was hauled by strong skin-kissed hands, like if your packed belongings weighed a mere pound.

Looking up, your eyes met irises that rivaled the beauty of the ocean.

Oh.

You almost had to physically lift your jaw back up to introduce yourself. Then you ran upstairs to bury your face into your pillow.

Leon Kennedy. Would his last name suit your first name? Or vice versa? Jesus.

That first summer was full of fleeting glances and flirtatious conversation. There was something romantic about being in a space far away from civilization. Like you were in your own little universe with him whenever the two of you snuck around. During dinners, you always nudged at his leg with your boot to mess with him, liking the way he cleared his throat to ward off a smile.

And maybe you relied on silly methods to see if your feelings for him were reciprocated.

Pluck.

He likes me.

Pluck.

He likes me not.

Pluck.

He likes me.

Pluck.

He likes me not.

Pluck. Last one.

He likes me!!!

Childish excitement coursed through you, an instantaneous smile on your face. You thanked Mother Nature for giving you the answer you wanted.

You also thanked the Sun every day for gifting freckles to Leon. One day, you held onto his face and tried to count them all. Squinting your eyes, you counted aloud, missing the way he looked at you with nothing but sweetness in his gaze.

The world around you was muted, as if the cows standing behind the fence had stopped mooing just for the sake of your concentration.

“Sure this is gonna work? Listen, I’ve always been an optimistic fella but—“

“Shh, you’re distracting me.” After a beat, you groaned. “Fuck I lost count. Okay, hold still for real this time.”

“Sure, doll.” She’s real cute, he thought to himself.

Or that one time when the Sun’s beams were too hot and made Leon take his hat off so he could pour a fresh bucket of water on his head. You felt so betrayed at the sight.

“You’re shitting me!”

“What?”

“Your roots…” Not very polite, but you pointed at his hair. “I thought you were blonde. Like, born blonde.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” He hid his amusement with a shrug, lowering his head to give you a better look. “Haven’t had time to dye it.”

And of course, you owed the Moon some gratitude for being an audience member to a memory you cherished. If said memory could be physically stored, you’d keep it on a frame so you could rewatch the moment your relationship blossomed.

The confession came when two heartbeats aligned, two bodies snuggled against each other on top of the roof. Leon gazed at you as if you hung up the stars and moon that were beautifully assorted in the sky, the same ones he had admired all alone prior to you coming here. He never thought he’d have a pretty woman wanting to get to know him.

“This is crazy…I can actually see the constellations out here.” Your words were a murmur, the glimmering dots above reflecting in your pupils.

“And ya couldn’t back at home?”

“Pfft. With all the pollution in the city? Not a chance.”

“Yeah? Mus’ be a special night for ya, then.”

It was. But not because of the view, rather, because of the handsome guy holding you close like you were his girlfriend.

“Yeah, it is.”

A hat was placed onto your head. His hat.

You broke your admiration of the stars, turning to look at him instead. The tip of his nose brushed against yours, suddenly his hand was cupping the side of your face. His skin was scarred and calloused against yours, a physical manifestation of how different his lifestyle was from yours.

Books always made it seem like butterflies would be swarming in your stomach at moments like these. But you felt calm. This was fate, it was supposed to happen. And who were you to deny the universe’s pull and Cupid’s arrow?

Leon was a gentleman first and foremost. “Can I…?”

“Mhm.”

Your first kiss was witnessed by the moon.

︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶

You kept in touch through letters. Leon was old fashioned, and very rarely did he pick up his cheap flip phone when you tried giving him a call. Something about his phone always being stored away, he hardly used the thing anyway. He already had the task of picking up the mail, so it wasn’t like your grandpa or grandma would get it.

You didn’t mind much. There was something endearing about sending letters, running to the mail like you were a dog fetching the weekly newspaper. It was hard to imagine his voice sometimes when reading his letters because he wrote all properly, it didn’t match his accent.

“I’m sorry it took so long for me to send another letter. I accidentally cut my hand when fixing up a fence and it took a while to heal, it left a scar. I’m okay though, promise. Just don’t want you to think I forgot about you or anything like that. Your grandpa was real nice about it, he gave me some time off, he’s got a kind heart. And your grandma kept cooking up some soup…said it would help me heal quicker. Not sure if it’s true, but it left my stomach happy and that counts for something.

The entire time I was resting, I found myself thinking of you. Would you have patched my hand up if you were here? Kissed my pain away?

Every time I look at the moon, I wonder if you are too.”

You always traced over his handwriting with an unclicked pen before proceeding to leave a kiss mark on the corner of the page and putting it in your stored pile.

Summer became the highlight of your years. You actually packed cute clothes now, flowy sundresses and some matching undergarments you wouldn’t mind Leon seeing. Of course, you also bought some riding gear, wanting to partake in his hobbies too.

The instant you were back at the farm and the two of you were alone, Leon grabbed you by the hips and pressed you up against the outdoor wall of the house, smiling at you all coyly.

“Missed ya. Shoulda jus’ stayed here with me.”

“Thought you liked me for pursuing a higher education?” Your grin matched his. Maybe after you got your degree you’d join him more often.

“Mhm.” God, that intellect of yours was sexy. He could listen to you ramble about your ambitions for ages. “Wish that college of yers was nearby, though.”

“That makes two of us…I missed you too, by the way.” Your lips inched closer to his. “A lot.”

His cheeks turned roseate, his heart thumping as fast as the hooves of a bronco at a rodeo. “…Yeah?”

“Don’t sound so unsure! Need me to show you?”

“I’d appreciate that, y’know how I am.” Leon wasn’t the most self assured, having been worried you’d find some college guy to get with.

All it took was some more sweet talking and daring touches on your end before he hoisted one of your legs up with your permission, the fabric of your dress lifting and bunching around your hips, the plush of your ass pressed against the weathered down paint of the walls.

He let you set the pace, keeping you steady as you bucked your hips against him, your panties soaking from the friction of his rough denim jeans. Your mouths clashed messily out of pent up desperation.

It didn’t go farther than dry humping, though.

Leon made sure your first time with him was more planned out, not wanting it to be in some confined space or rushed. You rode him until dawn, your knees meeting the soft blanket he laid down against the grass with each roll of your hips.

“Ah ah ah. Slow, sweetheart, slow.” He pleaded in a throaty voice, you were killing him, milking him over and over.

“Fuck…okay.” You slowed your pace, your breaths mingling when you rested your forehead against his.

“That’s it. Like that.”

And after that, there were more spontaneous times.

You wanted to get dicked down on your mattress so that’s what Leon gave you, if only your bed wasn’t so fucking squeaky. He had to put pillows behind your headboard.

“Shh…gotta be quiet f’me.” His hand covered your mouth, muting the moans that almost spilled from your mouth.

Leon wouldn’t live to see another day if his boss found his sweet granddaughter’s ankles hugging his neck and her toes all curled.

You ran your nails against his scalp, turning his hair into a mess, taking advantage of the fact he didn’t have a hat indoors. He bit down on his lip harshly to prevent himself from groaning aloud. Yeah, he had to climb out your window after that.

You almost got caught once inside one of the rundown abandoned stalls that was in need of some fixing. You were sitting betweens Leon’s spread legs, his hand down your pants. His palm gently smacked your clit with every push of his fingers inside your cunt. Open-mouthed kisses grazed your neck, making you loll your head to the side.

If only your granddaddy hadn’t interrupted.

“Son, ya in here?” Some incoherent grumbles before he got to the point, thankfully giving you some time to smack Leon’s hand away, snickering at the expression on his face — like he was about to be put six feet under. “Need yer help with the pipe I was tellin’ ya about earlier.”

“‘m on it.” Leon called out after pecking your lips, but there was a crack in his voice that left you silently giggling as he got up and wiped his fingers on his pants. He seemed so embarrassed, sparing you an apologetic glance and then tipping his hat down to hide his flustered expression from his boss.

But who knows, your grandparents adored Leon. One day he’d muster up the courage to tell them he was sweet on you, or maybe they’d catch the two of you holding hands under the dinner table.

Either way, you were no mere summer fling, and he let that be known by adorning your finger with a shiny promise ring.

[lazy-nae2]

Peak into Dracula’s story as promised…

Goes in hand with the Gabriel x Black!reader.

Author’s Note: I slightly wanted to go be for a Haunted Mansion vibe, 2003 version to be specific with the Edward Gracey and Elizabeth vibe. A dead man still walks the earth, searching for a long lost love, which ends up being reincarnated/ or rather becomes a nightwalker as well searching for the one who their heart calls for.

Count Vladislaus Dragulia ~ Aka ~ Count Dracula

———-/-/——————-

Location: Transylvania, Modern Day

You never imagined that you would be halfway across the world, away from your home’s comfort, with your friends on a journey to Dracula’s castle. You truly didn’t believe it, and begged their white horror movie character thinking behinds not to go, but in the end, they persuaded you because of your slight infatuation with vampires.

You know that they might have used it against you due to your constant rewatching of Sinners, The Originals, The Vampire Diaries etc. You might learn about them and watch ‘em, but that don’t mean you wished to be turned just like ‘em….

Unless that Vampire is Michael B. Jordan (Shoutout Ryan Coogler) Showed you something you didn’t even know that you were missing.

You all got settled into your rooms of a countryside inn before taking naps as the jet lag hit you harder than Klaus did Elena. You later woke from a peculiar dream….

A dream of soft classical music in a ballroom, with soft candlelight hanging from chandeliers shining softly on you, a bronze colored ballroom dress that matched your skin and showed some cleavage, and white heels and gloves included. Your masquerade mask was the finishing detail. Yet your outfit wasn’t the focus of your thoughts in the dream….

Your dance partner was… his thick and heavy Romanian accent similar to the ones you heard earlier as you arrived, but a richer tone, more…elegant and older.

You waltzed in his arms, a feeling that felt familiar yet so foreign as he was, similar to a distant memory. Your footwork matched along with his as a pattern that you’d written or seen a thousand times. In his arms you felt lighter, as if gliding across the dance floor as the softness of the dress twirled lightly with you.

“At long last, you’ve returned dragă (dear/darling)… how my lost soul has yearned for yours to return and fill what was lost with you… We shall be together… soon, as long as you give what was always mine.” He whispered sensually for only your ears to catch, as it seemed only you two were in the ballroom.

He stopped waltzing as he dipped you in front of the mirror with a soft gasp leaving your parted full lips, your neck bared and vulnerable to him as your heart once was, yet that wasn’t his target.

His soft pink lips, lightly trailed from your neck to your collarbone as it ignited a lost yet familiar warmth beneath your skin. It scared you slightly as you didn’t know who he was, or even if you did, you didn’t remember..

He laid a final kiss to your chest….where it lay beneath, what he truly desired to have once again…

Hope you enjoy the small snippet that might end up a one shot, See ya darlin🩶🤎 Lazy-Nae

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Part 29

Masterlist

Golden Hour: Part 2 - Diary Entries:

While we didn't get a clear explanation in Golden Hour: Part 1 Entries as to how Ateez returned to their world, we now get told that they didn't have a choice.

After getting backed into a corner, Z shattered the Cromer which automatically sent Ateez back home, just as it did last time when Yeosang shattered one which tells me one thing:

Whenever a Cromer is destroyed, it'll cause anyone nearby who isn't from this world to be sent back home, bar the one who broke it (otherwise Yeosang wouldn't have been left behind last time).

Following a brief recap of Wooyoung's journey to becoming a flight attendant, we now pick back up where we left off: Mingi and Yunho on the plane with Wooyoung:

Wooyoung: "Huh. What're the odds?" Mingi: "I was supposed to take an earlier flight home after the fashion show in Dubai, but it was overbooked. I needed to get back for our appointment tomorrow, and this was the next best flight I could get." Wooyoung: "And there were only economy seats left? What if someone recognizes you?" Mingi: "I was worried about that, too; but this was the last one open before the weekend. Still, it worked out. Right? I get to see you and Yunho!"

Side-Note: Shoutout to this snippet of dialogue between Yunho and Mingi in which Mingi jokes about crushing on Wooyoung:

Yunho: "Hey, is it really okay for a safety announcement to be this cool?" Mingi: "I know. I fell for him and nearly asked for his number."

The three of them begin chatting about Yunho's career path which gets Wooyoung wondering internally whether Yunho plans on finding another artifact that may take them back to the Z-World.

He doesn't dare to ask about it. The conversation moves on.

Yunho praises Wooyoung's performance, says it reminds him of their shared past as Ateez, which is when we find out they're all planning to gather for a congratulatory party in honor of Hongjoong's successful launch of his novel's sequel.

Mingi: "I filmed [your entire performance] on my phone, so let's all rewatch it together at Yeosang's place tomorrow." Wooyoung: "Hey, it's supposed to be Hongjoong's congratulatory party." Yunho: "Why not? I'm sure everyone will love it. We always end up just talking about the past when we meet, anyway. If anything, I'm worried your video will get everyone too fired up and they'll want to start dancing again." Mingi: "He's not wrong, and you know what? Jongho's a producer now. Who knows, he might just offer you a solo after watching it." Wooyoung: "Cut it out. Stop messing with me."

The dialogue is followed by some cuteness between the three as Mingi smiles mischievously at Wooyoung who fakes feeling hurt while Yunho laughs at them, before we wrap up the section with the devastating line that is:

With silly jokes only they would ever get, they soothed their longing for each other that had long been locked away inside.

We move on to Jongho in his studio where we get some more details about the fight between the young idol group he's now producing for.

He helps them overcome their differences, drawing from his own experience with Mingi before he's left alone in his studio. It doesn't take long before the memories get to him and he begins listening to his first song, the one he recorded with his own members back in the day.

Unable to listen anymore, he went to turn the music off, but hesitated at Yeosang's soft voice. Then Wooyoung's melodic voice followed and Jongho gave up on turning off the music. As Yeosang and Wooyoung, Seonghwa and Yunho, Mingi and Hongjoong, San and Jongho's voices came and went, an image as clumsy as a colorful drawing unfolded in his mind. The members' voices pierced his heart. It felt as though, unknowingly, he had unleashed a certain long-gone and now unattainable past. [... H]e longed for those clumsy but oh-so-beautiful times, and shed a tear.

A fire alarm goes off, ripping Jongho from his memories right before Seonghwa rips open the door, clad in his fire protective gear.

Jongho: "Seonghwa...?" Seonghwa: "Can't you hear the alarm?! Hurry! We need to get out of here!"

Some idiot had tossed a still lit cigarette and set fire to the building's exterior. Luckily, no one got hurt.

Out of concern, Seonghwa still lectures Jongho for a bit while they retreat from the chaos to get a moment of privacy.

Jongho smiled happily at Seonghwa's nagging, which he hadn't heard in so long, and handed Seonghwa a drink. Seonghwa smiled back, as if he had missed these familiar interactions with the group's youngest member.

The two talk for a while about Seonghwa's job, his motivations behind it, and Jongho thinks back to all the people they couldn't save in the Z-World.

He knows it had been hard for Seonghwa, for all of them, to cope with the trauma upon their return, so he's glad Seonghwa found something to help him heal.

He looked at Seonghwa's face in the clear light. Seonghwa stared back at Jongho in the same manner. Jongho, the baby of the group, suddenly looked all grown up. 'Even Jongho's an adult now. It's strange. It makes me feel proud, but also sorry,' Seonghwa thought quietly to himself. Jongho: "You're coming tomorrow, right?" Seonghwa: "Nope." Jongho: "Wait, really? Why can't you come? This'll be our first time getting together in nearly a year." Seonghwa: "It's already past midnight. So yeah, I won't be going tomorrow, but I'll be sure to make the party today. It's Hongjoong's party - there's no way I'd miss it." Jongho: "Oh, come on!"

We skip ahead to the party in Yeosang's antique villa, the one in which they all gathered at golden hour, dressed comfortably as they took their seats around a large dining table and began sharing food, laughing, talking, as if no time had passed, as if they haven't been drifting apart steadily for far too long.

Hongjoong: "How did you manage to look this sexy on a plane? I thought I was watching a performance of Birtney Spears' Toxic or something." Wooyoung: "Hey! I told you guys not to show them that!"

While everyone was still goofing around, feeling right at home, Hongjoong begins handing out copies of the sequel to his first book.

The members all praise him, easily brushing aside all of Hongjoong's concerns, before the topic shifts to Mingi.

Hongjoong's mother is a huge fan of his, as is Seonghwa's boss, so Mingi takes some time to first call Hongjoong's mom and chat with her for a bit before he leaves a little video greeting for Seonghwa's boss who didn't pick up the phone.

As they continue chatting about Mingi's success, Wooyoung's gaze falls on the reconstructed Cromer in an antique cabinet beside the window.

Yeosang had collected the pieces after they'd been forced back to the A-World and, back then, Wooyoung had considered it odd. But now it was him who felt odd for thinking so back then. Of course Yeosang would want to keep such an importan part of their past.

The conversation shifts then:

"Huh? Wait, I think I recognize that. It's that thing Left Eye gave us!" Yunho cried out, looking at a ruby-colored stone in a compartment next to the Cromer. Jongho: "It's that thing! That- He gave it to us saying it was something thrown away at the Strictland Disposal Site along with the voices of the Grimes Siblings." San: "Yeosang, you mean you took this without telling the rest of us?" Yeosang: "What're you talking about? I asked you over and over which one of us should take it." Everyone was shocked by Yeosang's sudden remarks. Yeosang continued, "I asked you all again and again in both World Z and World A, but either you weren't listening or changed the subject on me. I had no choice but to bring back myself." When the members questioned "When? When did you ask us?" Yeosang replied: "Don't you remember me asking you all 'What should we do with Sopro?" Wooyoung: "Sopro?"

They remember then and guilt quickly sets in as they realized they'd forgotten all about it. Absentmindedly, they trace their hands across the stone as they switch topics, their minds drifting back to their time in Z-World.

Jongho begins playing music from their past then, further transporting them back in time as they begin to dance, memories of past choreographies kicking in and getting them moving.

The atmosphere is light and liberating right up until Wooyoung voices what the rest of them don't dare to, not even in jest:

Wooyoung: "Why don't we give it one last try?"

While all other members brush the idea aside "with their usual drunken promises", Jongho responds seriously, saying he likes the idea, that he even has songs written already.

Wooyoung, likely fueled by the words, begins talking about how he feels like they didn't give it an honest enough try last time.

Wooyoung: "Let's do it for real this time. Give it one last go. Doesn't it bother you? To just accept defeat like this?" Yeosang: "I don't consider my current life to be 'defeat'." Wooyoung: "So, then, you think we've all achieved our dreams?" Yeosang: "Let me put it this way: You think any life that doesn't follow your original dream is a failure, then? Something to be ashamed of?

The sudden tonal shift has the other members growing pale.

Yeosang is reminded of Z-World and all he learned there: the importance of emotions, art, dreams, and hope, and how blind belief in anything can get extremely dangerous.

Yeosang: "Grow up. How long do you plan on acting so recklessly?"

The harsh words wipe all reasonable arguments from Wooyoung's mind, leaving him with nothing but jumbled thoughts. Where he wanted to say 'Until we truly fail, I want to keep giving it my all.' or perhaps: '"Making a living" is nothing but an excuse for you because you're scared of confronting our reality.', what instead comes out is:

Wooyoung: "Maybe it's that you don't even have the courage to be reckless. But the others might. Why are you getting in my way without even listening?" Yeosang: "Can't you tell?" Yeosang stood up from his seat as if to say, 'Go ahead. Ask.'. Wooyoung looked at the other members, believing that at least one of them would respond positively, 'Let's try it again together.' But each member only turned their eyes away from Wooyoung's gaze. Wooyoung felt like a fool. Jongho: "Wooyoung, I really did mean it. I want to... but let's organize our schedules first and then..." Wooyoung: "No, forget it. This was supposed to be a celebration, and I messed everything up. I'm sorry, guys. I'm just a little drunk... I'll head out first.." Pressing back his tears, he kicked away his seat and stood up. The members rushed over to comfort Wooyoung and his broken heart, but it was too late. Wooyoung walked away quickly into the darkness.

Sitting alone at the train station at night, Wooyoung contemplates going back and buying some apology snacks before he dismisses the idea, knowing doing so would hurt his pride too much.

Unable to shift his thoughts elsewhere, Yeosang's words and the others' eyes keep dominating his thoughts. He feel hurt, starts getting angry, thinking them spineless, without passion and spirit, and wonders aloud when they all changed so much.

He looks up to the stars, wonders if one of those lights is the Z-World.

And it's then that he notices a reddish star appearing, twinkling up there through the clouds.

Wooyoung: "Sopro."

Memories of ruby-red stone resurface alongside the face of Left Eye so long ago, back when they were on that ship, sailing toward the Android Guardians' bunker in search of the Cromer.

"Sopro is a sort of magical spirit that synchronizes the feelings of those who hold it with those who draw breath around them. According to legend, one of the four priest guardians of Halazia gathered the breaths of all of Halazia to create it. "[...] Why [do you think] was something as precious as this thrown away at the Strictland Disposal Site?" An elder sister of the Grimes Siblings replied to Left Eye: "It must have been swept up and thrown away along with the countless particles of emotion or our voices. I doubt they knew what it was and just tossed it away." Left Eye turned his head to the side and examined the stone which shone the enchanting color of blood. "Legends are just legends. It might be dangerous. Let's only use this as a last resort."

At last, we know what the red object in the bird's mouth was at the end of Crazy Form - it was the Sopro and they used it to sync up the emotions of the people in Strictland to set them free.

After this flashback, we rejoin Wooyoung who is no longer where we left him:

Wooyoung, returning quietly to the villa where the members slept, headed to the living room. He passed a table covered with empty bottles and leftovers, went to the antique cabinet, and picked up Sopro. Wooyoung: "So if I use this... I can sync my and the members' emotions?" Sopro's red light wavered as though in response to Wooyoung's question. Holding the stone tightly in his fist, Wooyoung brought his hand to his heart and earnestly prayed: "It's as though they've all forgotten what it was like to be happy. Reignite our passion like it was back then, and let us be happy together again. Please." Red light spilled from the gaps between his fingers, a ruby aurora dancing throughout the dark room.

[physics-of-one-piece]

I absolutely cannot wait for “I’ll build castles for you, my love”!!! I’m now a sucker for possessive soft, brought to his knees for you Doflamingo. I’m so excited to see how you write the full fic since I’m so in love with the little snippets you’ve written so far! Sending lots of love and writing inspo your way!!! ❤️❤️

Aaaa, I'm excited too, anon! Thank you so much for this lovely message, for sending the inspo my way, and I am sending you all the love! ❤️❤️

I took a bit of a break from writing I'll build castles for you, my love since I went all out and wrote like 15k overall in like a week or two and I've been writing what I call Red Suit Doffy Fic which is set sorta in the same setting, except Doffy manages to get Reader right away before the marines come pick her up so...

I just used it as an excuse because my jaw was on the floor when I saw North Blue Doffy wearing his red suit on Minion Island. Just... On the floor. God, he looks so ✨FINE✨ 😩

Possessive, soft, brought down on his knees for you Doflamingo is def my favourite Doffy to write. He has his soft moments, but he is def also an absolute gaslighting asshole. I always try to keep Doffy... Well, Doffy. For, I'll build castles for you, my love by having that last remaining bit of you as family via your connection to Rosinante, he clings to you a... A lot. He doesn't show you at first, but oh boy, the more times he visits, the more times he sees you, he just... There is a flutter in his chest that gets stronger and stronger with every visit. You're his, your baby with Rosinante might as well be his, too. Forget Rosi. Doflamingo's the better brother - he is the one who walked out of Minion Island alive, after all, and he wouldn't have done that if he wasn't better, now would he?

I think the most fun (read terrifying) thing has been just writing that Celestial Dragon Thought Process™ Doflamingo has, and after rewatching Ep 733 where he explains his view of people to Luffy, seeing on how he treats "humans" depending on his fondness/feelings for them is interesting. And also, Celestial Dragon Traditions which are FUCKED UP. They're 800 years old, so there will be some fucked up practices they consider normal which Doflamingo sticks with - such as the head of the CD family having a right to marry his dead sibling's spouse and taking his family as his own! Isn't that neat? 😊 It's totally normal for Doffy to fantasize about marrying you. Totally normal for him!

Okay, I am now obliged to share a snippet from I'll build castles for you, my love bcs your message made me so happy, thank you for sending it, anon. Lemme just skim and see sth non-spoilery (hopefully)...

***

“Nothing would stop me from coming back to you,” growled Doflamingo, his forehead creased in a frown, his smile gone; he wasn't playing around anymore. “There could be an army of ten thousand in my way, and I’d still come back to you!”

You froze. Your hand went limp in Doflamingo’s massive grip. He was crowding your space, infringing upon your personal bubble without a thought for your comfort, invasive. His tanned hand clutched yours, dwarfing it.

“Why can’t you get that?” he demanded, his face intimately, terrifyingly close to yours. 

***

I need everyone to know Doffy SPEEDRUNS the Grand Line and gets his warlord title a MONTH after Rosi's death in this fic so he can be there for Reader during her pregnancy. You thought Luffy's crew did a great speedrun? Nah, the Donquixote Pirates invented the Grand Line Speedrun.

Thank you for the kind message, anon. Sending all the love to you ❤️

[pancakesanddiatribes]

because the night

i haven't written anything in a very long time, but my recent grey's rewatch switched on something in me, and i could not get this japriet scene out of my head. i hope you enjoy it, even a little bit. i surely did enjoy writing it. i've read so many japril drabbles and fanfics these last few weeks, some of them extremely beautiful. i feel very blessed to share my small contribution. okay, enough rambling... and thank you anyway! 🫶🏼

here's a little snippet:

Harriet rolls out of bed and goes straight to her mom. Her eyes have adjusted to the dark, and she doesn’t have to walk far. When she enters her mommy’s bedroom, though, something is off. Something is different. She squeezes her eyes to get a better look and — what?

because the night

Harriet is scared. Just a little, because it's very dark, the house is completely silent, and the dream she's just had was not nice at all. She knows now it was only a dream, and she’s not really in the park, falling from the red swing over and over: she's in her room (well, her messy room), with her toys (not all of them, of course), and her mommy is surely in the bedroom next to hers. Everything is fine, Harriet. She is fine. But just to be sure, just to be sung to sleep by her mommy’s sweet voice, she decides to go to her and sneak into the big bed her mommy has all to herself. Her mom is taller than Harriet, but not really that tall; and surely not as tall as her daddy. A few days ago, she heard him say with a smile, so much vigour in such a tiny woman. Then her mommy slapped him on the chest - gently. Her daddy wasn’t mad — he was still smiling — and actually, his eyes were even brighter than usual. Harriet didn’t understand why her mom slapped him or what the word vigour meant. Mommy and daddy are silly sometimes, she thought, and then carelessly returned to the new Lego set sprawled on the carpet. Anyway, daddy is right: her mommy is tiny. So Harriet doesn’t understand why she needs such a big bed if Harriet isn’t allowed to sleep with her every night — well, the nights when she stays in her home number one, the messy home with the messy pillows. Harriet rolls out of bed and goes straight to her mom. Her eyes have adjusted to the dark, and she doesn’t have to walk far. When she enters her mommy’s bedroom, though, something is off. Something is different. She squeezes her eyes to get a better look and — what? Does mommy know someone is sleeping in the big bed with her? Did she notice? It wouldn’t be the first time she hadn’t noticed something. Harriet remembers when mommy was taking a shower for so long that daddy had to use his special emergency key to get into the house (Harriet isn’t allowed to open the front door - yet). He brought ice cream to share with them — his two favorite girls, he said— but mommy was taking so long in the shower that she didn’t even realize daddy was in the house, waiting with Harriet in the kitchen! So when she finally came out in her soft lilac robe, her hair all wet, saying Hattie, we should get dressed! Daddy called twice, and for sure he’s on his way here. We don’t want to be late for the mov— Harriet and daddy both laughed, their mouths full of ice cream — she was talking so fast! Mommy looked a little surprised to see him in the kitchen, but definitely not unhappy. I had to use the emergency key - he said - The ice cream was melting, and you weren’t picking up your phone or answering the doorbell — that's emergency enough, right, munchkin? Harriet nodded, focused on the delicious chunk of chocolate brownie she had just found. I was only in the shower for ten minutes! (Daddy raised his eyebrows at her) And you both finished the chocolate brownie! There’s another tub waiting for you in the freezer, mommy! Daddy brought one just for you! So mommy had the ice cream too, and daddy couldn’t help but touch her lilac robe — it really was the softest robe. Because mommy sometimes gets distracted, Harriet tiptoes closer to the bed, her bad dream completely forgotten. She has to tell her mommy — because what if mommy doesn’t know? But first, Harriet has to know herself, because she is a curious little munchkin, after all — her daddy tells her that all the time. Who is this other person?

One small step toward the big bed; another and — "Daddy???" She doesn’t mean to speak out loud — mommy and daddy are both sleeping — but she is surprised. Very surprised. Daddy sleeps in her house number two: the one without the messy pillows. They always see each other now: he drives her to school almost every day, they all go to the park together, and to the cinema, and to Balloon Benny every Sunday, because Sunday is for waffles after church, and Balloon Benny makes the best waffles in the whole universe. But right after dinner, after mommy and daddy tuck her in and kiss her goodnight, he goes to his pillow-free house. She knows that because sometimes she sleeps there too, in her room number two (the un-messy one), while mommy stays here. Did he forget? "Daddy?? Daddy!! Wake up!!" "Sweetheart, what happened? Are you all right?" His voice is groggy and quiet, much quieter than Harriet’s, who’s getting a little excited. "Daddy, what are you doing? Do you know this is mommy’s bed? Did you forget to go back to your home for the night? You have your own big bed, don’t you remember?"

He’s slightly taken aback by the stream of questions in the middle of the night, but he chuckles softly as he says "Sweetheart, isn’t this home too?" After thinking for half a second, a cascade of fast-paced words tumbles out of her. "Well of course, daddy, it’s your home too because we’re here all the time, mommy and me, and you always say home is wherever I am, and I’m here, and mommy’s here, and you like mommy, and you always come here to stay with us and have dinner and play and watch movies, but then you go sleep in your own big bed. Mommy only shares her big bed with me - sometimes. Did you tell her you’re sleeping next to her tonight? You know mommy, maybe she hasn’t noticed, and we should tell her you’re here, so she knows." Her daddy laughs; Harriet doesn’t get why this is so funny, but she laughs too. She loves it when they laugh together — Harriet, daddy, and mommy, of course. She loves them so much, and she knows they love her too — to the moon and back, they always say. "I think you’re right, maybe she doesn’t know I’m here. So we should definitely tell her, and then we can all go back to sleep. Come on, sweetie, come here. Did you have a bad dream?" he asks, reaching out for her hand. "Wait, daddy. Mommy is tiny, and I am tiny, but you are not tiny. Are you sure there’s room for me on the bed?" "There’s always space for my munchkin"

So Harriet climbs onto her mommy’s bed, her mommy still asleep (Harriet, on the other hand, is wide awake now). Her daddy kisses her sweetly on the cheek before settling her between him and her mom. The bed is bigger than she remembered because the three of them fit perfectly. How exciting. Harriet snuggles under the covers and whispers "Daddy, can I tell her? Can I wake her? Can we sleep with our eyes open like fishes do?" "You wake her, Hattie, if you can. I’m sure her eyes are pretty closed though" he says, still smiling with his voice as he strokes her curls. Harriet turns her back to her dad and gently touches her mommy’s peaceful face. This is too exciting. This is the best surprise. "Mommy!! Mommy, wake up!! Do you know daddy is sleeping next to you? Well, he’s not sleeping anymore because I woke him up, but do you know he’s here?? AND IT’S THE NIGHT! I think he forgot he has his big bed in the other home, but it’s okay, right? I don’t really mind. Do you? This is the best bed with the fluffiest pillows" It takes her mom a couple of seconds to register what’s happening. When she opens her eyes — Harriet knows she’s sooo sleepy — she looks at Harriet, then at daddy, and then… she gives her a huge smile and the biggest hug. "This is the best bed, peanut, and it really has the fluffiest pillows. And you know why?" Her voice sounds a bit emotional, but Harriet doesn’t quite get why. It’s just so exciting to snuggle in bed with her two favorite people. Harriet knows what’s coming next; a smirk plays on her lips as she turns to face her daddy again. It’s really dark, but she can see his smile and his eyes so clearly. He knows what’s coming too, and tries to give an unconvincing look of disapproval. "Because mommy and Hattie always know best, daddy!" Mommy and Harriet recite in unison their not-so-secret mantra; it’s their joyful pact of unity. Daddy always pretends to resist, but Harriet knows he loves it.

"Yeah, yeah, you’re the most perfect bubbly duo. I don’t think there’s a higher concentration of stubbornness in the world. Happy, ladies? As usual, you win the argument" "And your heart, daddy?" "That you won a long time ago, sweetheart" "Yeah, but I wasn’t born a long time ago, daddy. I’m a child. You and mommy are old. So mommy must have won it first" Her parents both laugh, gently caressing her hair and her belly. It’s soothing and calming and so full of love. It’s the best feeling for Harriet. It even tops Grandma Catherine’s bedtime stories. She could stay here forever. "See? I have nothing left to add, your honor, this child of mine, who wasn’t born a long time ago, is too prepared” “And on this note, child of yours, it’s time to return to our good night’s sleep” Mommy looks at Harriet, but Harriet’s eyes are already closed; apparently, she can’t fall asleep with her eyes open like fishes do. However, she doesn’t mind now. She’s too comfy. The last image she captures before drifting off again is her daddy’s bright eyes, looking intently at her mom. He’s so focused, and his eyes are so alive. Her mommy looks at him too, and Harriet knows she’s smiling. I know you so well, she thinks, already half-asleep.

“All the planning, Jackson, to weigh the best moment to explain it to her, and then she wakes up in the middle of the night and poof! It’s been over a month since she last woke up in the middle of the night, I thought we were safe! I had a whole speech prepared: Mommy and daddy are already close, but we want to be even closer, so how do you feel about saying goodbye to one of your bedrooms so we can all stay together and—” “Babe, you’re stressing out too much. You know what I think? I think we were so busy talking about how to talk about it, and hiding it from her like she doesn’t have eyes and great observation skills, that we kind of missed her putting the pieces together in her own way. I mean, I don’t think she knew knew, but she did catch us making out in the bathroom. Did she believe you when you said you were sitting on me to pop a pimple on my cheek? Maybe. But she’s five, she’s not stupid. Now let’s all sleep, please, it’s 3 in the morning” Their voices are brisk but hushed, and it’s what lulls Harriet to sleep. Her mom laughs and sighs a little. “This child of ours has outsmarted us once again” Harriet feels their embrace tighten around her; she is outsmarty, isn’t she? — her last coherent thought before sleeping till morning.

[maebird-melody]

Yeah I totally forgot it was closed, that was my bad ^^;

~Ask from @darethshirl~

Both of these are Danny Phantom fics! (Honestly, I fell in deep over the past 18 months.)

Don't Look Back

This one is a sort of a mix of a psychological thriller/found footage fic where Danny is on the run from his ghost-hunting parents when they find out he is part-ghost.

I have the first few chapters posted on ao3, but realized at some point that I would need to rewatch the show between chapters to match up the found footage with what happens in the episodes. The currently-published chapters cover events preceding the show and the pilot episode. I'm honestly totally game to rewatch, I just haven't had the time.

For a taste of the general feel, here's a snippet from the action following the present--

“So, what’s yer name, kid?” Barbra asks while she buses tables from the scattered, late night patrons. Danny sits silent, back tensed. “No name? That’s all right. Where are you parents?” “Oh, not too far, I’m sure.” His fingers twitch on the water cup as he lifts it to his lips. “That’s good t’hear.” Barbra gathers her tray of dishes and carries it behind the counter for washing. “Dangerous being out on the road by yerself at your age.” Danny keeps drinking and doesn’t answer.

And a snippet from the found footage--

“Uh. Okay. So, I’ve never done one of these before, but I can’t—I can’t just—I don’t know who I can talk to about this. My parents?” Danny laughs, though he isn’t smiling. “Not a chance. They’d have me on the dissection table in ten seconds flat.” “Jazz? She'd have a field day if I told her about this. I don’t want her hounding me with all that psycho-babble about how I'm dealing with these changes, no thank you." His gaze slides down to the floor for a moment before he looks back into the camera. "Plus…there’s a good chance she’d tell mom and dad. Not that she’d do it to be mean, but…y’know…” Danny sighs. “Anyways, I—Wait. Wait, wait, wait—!” The camera suddenly lurches sideways and falls to the floor, emitting a muffled thump. The view is now angled at Danny’s feet, which appear almost translucent in the camera’s feed. They start sinking into the carpet. “Ugh. My hand is going hazy again. Hold on a sec.” Static emits from the camera as the screen fuzzes. The last image before it goes black is of Danny, up to his torso in the floor, hand reaching for the device.

Hades x DP

I don't normally write crossovers. In fact, I don't know if I have ever published a crossover fic to ao3. But I really love the Hades video game, and I really love Danny Phantom.

And I especially was intrigued by the idea of Danny accidentally getting sent to the House of Hades post-accident instead of waking up inside the portal.

This fic was meant to be a short romp in Hypnos' POV (my beloved child), wherein Hypnos helps Danny fight his way out of Hades, like Zagreus does every night.

I only got as far as Danny showing up in the house.

The conversation between Danny and Hypnos:

Hypnos had seen this time and again. Shades recalling the moment of their passing as they tried to make sense of their deaths. It was only natural that Danny would be so worked up after dying so suddenly. However, that wasn't what Danny was thinking at all. "Of course! The portal! It works! The portal must have sent me here!" "The what now?" "Listen, I just need to get out of here and back to my dimension. Do you guys have your own portal?" "Nope! Just a boat." "Can I take the boat?" "It's a one-way trip, and I don't think my brother would be too happy if I asked to send you upstream."

I would almost certainly not be writing so many Danny Phantom fics if the phandom weren't so unusually active (and admittedly a bit feral), but the childhood fixation has definitely returned in full force.

[arayeee]

Thoughts on Regina and Zelenas relationship?

I've been dying to answer this question. *cracks knuckles*

Regina and Zelena are such a dynamic relationship. I actually love them. They both experienced traumatic upbringing AND had their memories wiped from that time. Absolutely insane. It wasn't just ONE of them, but BOTH of them. But Zelena learns she has a sister and just goes batshit crazy about it with revenge, when it wasn't even Regina's fault. But I loved it. And then, them becoming close and learning to live with the other in their lives. Regina accepting baby Robin into her little world and vowing to protect her. Zelena protecting Regina and constantly wanting to help her and the others when danger is afoot. It's truly beautiful. I mean when Zelena hit the black fairy with the car, ABSOLUTELY INSANE. I rewatched that like 5 times. Even without magic, she saved Regina because nobody messes with her sister.

Anyways. The whole relationship is chaos, emotional, raw, and fun. Regina basically bringing out the good in Zelena is remarkable. Because she knew how the darkness was, she knew that it came with a bigger price than magic itself and even when she wasn't the biggest fan of Zelena, she still fought for the goodness in her.

Though the whole pretending to be Marian and becoming pregnant with Robin's kid. Just, that was wild. I was shocked. But alas, it happened and somehow it fucking worked for the show. And then when Robin died, Regina still had a piece of him. Which was beautiful. But between Regina and Zelena, I feel like they both just needed a child to prove to themselves that they could be better mothers than their own and they are. Fierce mama bears, I love it. And it proved that they could love and be loved in return without the romantic partner, because their kids were pure unconditional love, the love they didn't experience when they were kids. LOVED IT.

AND I haven't seen the full last season, which I already think is dumb, but I have vowed to watch it simply because of Lana Parrilla (I love her). But, I have seen snippets of the episodes where Zelena comes for Regina and helps her remember etc. And I think that is beautiful. I'll have more thoughts on it when I actually watch the whole last season, but for now and what I've seen, I think I will enjoy their relationship even more.

Also. Side note. During Emma and Hooks wedding, what the hell was that between Regina and Zelena. If I didn't watch the show and ONLY saw that episode, I would have thought they were banging each other! So then of course, if they WERE NOT SISTERS, and just two random characters, I low key would probably ship them.

But ANYWAYS. I love them and their crazy ass sisterhood.

[ariays]

I just want to bring up something which I think was brilliantly written and directed in The Matchmakers. It has something to do with Jung Woo and the Princess.

I remembered that when it was first revealed that Jung Woo has actual feelings for the Princess, people were confused. Some were speculating if he's just faking it to empathize with Soon Deok's dilemma and make her feel better and some were questioning if it was a last minute added story line.

I completely disagree and don't think that it was a randomly added storyline. Seeing as how the show has consistently potrayed Jung Woo to be a man who is enveloped with unfortunate rumors and secrecy, I think that THAT is the whole point of episode 1 and what the show wants US to believe as well when we were first introduced to him.

What we see in episode 1 is basically the rumours about him being played out for us. While what happened were mostly true, a fraction of it were also based off rumors. The point is that he is an isolated figure and people outside of his close circle would only know him through the rumours they've heard about him. Which was why it was directed in a way that us, viewers, would also only know him through those rumours. What we were given were only quick snippets of the events that happened with Jung Woo which doesn't show the full story. What solidifies the director's intention for me was that after we were shown the sequence of time passing while Jung Woo was left to live in isolation after the princess' death, the scene cuts to a group of men outside the gates of Gyeongwoonjae (Jung Woo's house) openly gossiping about him.

Now, what was the purpose of this scene if not to show that the scenes that were played out before this were based on the unreliable gossip made by outsiders? I think this scene perfectly illustrates that idea and most viewers might have overlooked this, including myself haha. It only clicked for me when I decided to rewatch episode 1. & now I'm smacking myself on the forehead for not realising lol.

The Jung Woo we were introduced to in episode 1 is basically the Jung Woo from the rumors and it was directed with those intentions.

& as the episodes go by, we, the viewers, who has only known him based on the rumors and snippets shown in episode 1 and made to believe that the rumours were true, begin to learn more and more about the real him alongside Soon Deok. The director and writer wants the viewers to be a part of the story and journey as well. I guess we can say that we are those people who believed in the rumours about Jung Woo too easily LOL.

I just find this so clever! 'Rumours', in itself, plays a huge part in the story & it also goes along with the running theme within the drama about novels being based on true stories but they can also be turned into rumours because they are not written to tell the exact full story. The show also consistently incorporates the idea of misunderstandings to show that 'not everything is as it seems' and that things are not always what they appear to be on the surface. Like Soon Gu's misunderstanding in regard to Soon Deok's marriage. Jung Woo's misunderstanding of Soon Deok's identity. Lady Park's misunderstanding of what happened with her son. The misunderstanding of the Maeng sisters based off gossip. Soon Gu's initial misunderstanding of Hwarok. Everyone's misunderstanding of Jung Woo, as a whole.

Bravo to the writer and director of this show!

[yana125]

I assume that at least one other person will ask you about the Tao fic (👀), so I'm here to tell you that I'm VERY intrigued in "Bravern - Third Time" XD

Ohohooooh! :D This one is a good one (or would be a good one if I ever finished it X'D). The full title is "Third Time's the Charm" and it's Isami's turn to go back in time. So in the last battle only Bravern/Smith died and Lulu breaks down because she couldn't save everyone. Fast forward ten years later when the time machine is finished and the story is about Isami and Lulu's last day together because wibbly wobbly timey wimey. And the snippet I want to share with you is a flashback:

It was getting darker in the living room as the sun was getting closer to the horizon and soon they had to turn on the light. There were a few empty packs and ice cream cups on the coffee table in front of them, most of them emptied by Lulu. But now even her usual appetite decreased, she only swirled the melted mint chocolate ice cream while she was staring at the TV screen with her head on Isami’s shoulder.

It was past 10 pm and they were only halfway through Spar Kaiser.

“Hey, Dad” Lulu said as the next episode started.

Isami hummed.

The first time Lulu had called him ‘Dad’ was an accident.

It had been two years after they’d moved into this house. Lulu had been making pancakes while Isami had been watching TV in the living room. Both of them had been deep in their own little worlds when Lulu had called out to him from the kitchen.

“Do you want maple or chocolate syrup with your pancake, Dad?”

At first Isami hadn’t even noticed it. He had been debating in himself which one he would prefer when he’d finally realized what Lulu had said.

It had been the moment Lulu had realized it too judging by the sound of something dropping and splashing on the floor.

It hadn’t taken a few seconds for Lulu to appear in the doorway, face flaming red, eyes welled up with tear.

“I’m sorry, Isami! It just slipped! I didn’t—”

In that moment Isami had realized a few things.

First, this hadn’t come from nowhere. Lulu had referred to it as something that just slipped. So it had probably meant that the girl had been thinking about him as her father.

Second, as much as it had shocked him he hadn’t minded it. Something had clicked into its place in his mind because yeah, of course, Lulu had been his daughter for a while now.

And third…

Oh…

He and Smith had a daughter.

He hadn’t been able to say any words. The two of them had huddled together on the couch and had taken turns crying or cried together.

They had considered themselves a family before that, but that moment had really solidified that idea.

And now, years later, they were sitting on this same couch.

“I don’t want to fall asleep.”

But the circumstances were different.

The opposite, even.

Isami shifted a bit so he could look down at Lulu.

“Why not?”

Lulu scooped up a spoonful of melted ice cream and poured it back into the cup.

“Because if I fall asleep it will be tomorrow when I wake up and you’ll be gone.”

Isami closed his eyes as reality finally crashed on him after this perfect day.

A perfect last day.

“Lulu…”

“I just don’t want this day to end, you know?” Lulu cut in. She sighed and put the cup on the coffee table. “I want this day to last for a bit longer. We can’t even finish our Spar Kaiser rewatch together…”

Isami shifted so he could put an arm around Lulu and pull her closer. He rested his head on hers, staring at the TV but not really watching the episode.

“You can’t go back together” Miyu had told them the day she started working on this project years ago. “We don’t know how this time travel works. Is it one stable point in time where everything returns to or it always creates a new timeline? If it’s the former, then Lulu’s original self could erase our Lulu’s consciousness if the two of you ended up earlier in the timeline.”

Miyu had looked into his eyes with so much sympathy and sorrow Isami had wanted to look away.

“I’m so sorry, Isami. But only you can go back.”

And wasn’t that just fucking perfect…

They knew that this day would come. They hadn’t talked about it, and Isami personally had banished the thought of it out of his mind until Miyu had called them the other day.

The machine was ready.

It now only needed Isami to be there.

Breaking the news to Lulu had been something Isami had always dreaded. How would he even tell her? How would she react?

But Lulu had put on a brave face. She’d shown a huge smile to Isami, eyes sparkling.

“Let’s spend tomorrow together!” she’d said.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Be Prepared - thoughts and commentary

Gonna try to just talk about vocals and arrangement stuff here, because I will be doing a VoicePlay Visuals post for this too, but we'll see. I do know the original song very well though - in fact I rewatched the OG like the other day or something after I saw that picture of Layne and Cyndi that hinted at what Voiceplay was up to. Anyway let's go!

(Put below the cut because this is a lot of just me rambling)

OKAY SO SLEEPING IN THE COLD BELOW HAS BEEN KNOCKED OFF ITS PERCH FOR FAVOURITE VP SONG OF 2024

The opening percussion fill thingy from Layne honestly reminds me a lot of the start of the Moana medley, and apparently I wasn't the only one to think that! A few other Patrons mentioned it, and there was even a very brief throwaway joke about it in the BTS! I have since compared the start of the Moana Medley to the start of this, and they're not identical, but there are still definitely similarities, and it's not actually all that common for VP songs to start off with that sort of drum-like percussion anyway.

Trying very hard to not talk about the on-screen stuff here, because I'll be leaving that for Voiceplay Visuals, but I just have to put it out there that Geoff looks amazing here, and the ACTING OH MY GOD. This is like Oogie Boogie 2.0 in terms of how much Geoff is moving around and embodying the character! Alright now back to vocals/arrangement

Okay so next thing that must be mentioned - the rap! According to a snippet from Layne in the Patreon post description, there was some uncertainty as to whether the dialogue should be kept in or not, which was an issue that VP also faced for their cover of Hellfire last year. When Layne asked Patrons what they thought, it was basically a 50/50 split, so not very helpful, rip. So he thought "What if we keep the dialogue but do it in a way that it feels like it's part of the song -> a 'rap'?" So yeah basically Layne wrote that rap section to be a stand-in for the original dialogue, and honestly it works so well!

This song features Mykal Kilgore, who is one of the OG members of "VoicePlay", way before it was called VoicePlay! I'll say a bit more about him in my Voiceplay Visuals post, but basically he was "one of the screaming high tenors" (Patreon post's words, not mine!), and yeah it shows! That high note on "long live the king!" was hella impressive!

(And if you're thinking "man I kinda wish I could hear more of what Mykal sounds like", first of all, he actually did some covers with Postmodern Jukebox like 7 or 8 years ago (and I apparently have seen one of them before? Watched it by total coincedence at some point? A cover he did of Since You Been Gone). And also, a treat for any of you who've read this far - you might be hearing him with Voiceplay again sooner or later...)

This is actually the third time that Geoff has sung Be Prepared with VoicePlay - the second time was of course the 2019 Aca Top 10 Disney Villains video, but the first time was for VoicePlay's "Once Upon An Ever After" album all the way back in 2012. It was part of a Lion King medley track (just audio, they didn't make a video for it), and so it wasn't the full song (honestly the shift is a little weird, because it jumps from "the lights are not all on upstairs" to "the point that I must emphasise is", like there's no rhyme connection!). Furthermore, the lead was shared between Geoff and Earl, similar to how it was for the Aca Top 10 part. Geoff took the opening verse, Earl took the chorus, and they each got a final line at the end.

And MAN has Geoff come a long way in his vocal abilities since 2012, like yeah duh obviously but STILL.

According to one of the Patrons, the lowest Geoff gets in this one is E1 (via subharmonics of course), and honestly the fact that that's basically child's play for him at this point is crazy. Like I literally had a moment of "oh only down to an E1?" because I know he can go lower, and then was like "wait what do I mean 'only' an E1, that's still objectively low!"

Geoff's voice... what the hell do I say about Geoff's voice? Like the timbre when he's in his upper chest range here, the resonance on the low notes, the GROWLS, like yeah okay obviously I adore his visual performance in the video (and visual everything about him), but that all would be nothing if it didn't come with some of the most amazing vocals you've ever heard in your life!

I love how Geoff goes down on the word "upstairs", and the way he does so with the little growl at the end, oooh it gives me happy shivers!

Low-key funny how there's a sudden low drop on "even you can't be caught unawares", because it does, in fact, catch you unawares (or it did with me anyway!)

Also you'd think I'd fully be used to Geoff's low notes by now, but to steal the phrasing of another reactor I recently started watching, the low drops here are potent! Like literally went down to my stomach (and then some) and even made my heart skip a beat the first couple of watches (and obviously the visuals really help give it a bigger impact).

Oh my god that slow slide down on his last "be prepared" line??? Literally that last syllable alone is stretched out for just a fraction under 10 seconds (I timed it with my phone's stopwatch), INSANE.

I cannot WAIT for reaction videos to this - Kaz, DJ, and Mortius are all gonna lose their goddamn minds!! (Also how many reactions/reaction video titles are gonna include "I was not prepared", lol, low-hanging fruit joke but it's so real)

Alright, I'm off to go watch the video for a third time - this is practically my new Hellfire (said with much love for both - I still love their Hellfire cover a whole lot), and we're not even in October yet!!! (though because of the release delay, we're quite close!)

(As of the public release, I've actually watched this at least half a dozen times, listened to the MP3 track, the karaoke track, and watched the BTS video for this twice. I. Am. Obssessed.)

I'll leave you with a comment and reply from the Patreon post that amused me when I saw it: 😄

[waitmyturtles]

Yesterday was an insane day, huh? I can’t wait to see what Only Friends entails -- despite my best efforts to keep cool in dis HEAT, that NeoForce snippet in the car still has me flying. Anyway, I want to pen some quick notes on Minato’s Laundromat, season 2, and note some Old GMMTV Challenge thingies, now that I’m back from this crazy summer trip!

1) I’m fully caught up on Minato’s Laundromat, season 2 -- I was three episodes behind (thanks, OGMMTVC, ha), and thanks to the eagle eyes of @emotionallychargedtowel, I am LOSING MY MIND AT THE THOUGHT OF TAKEDA KOUHEI, AKA NOZUE FROM OLD FASHION CUPCAKE, MAKING AN APPEARANCE IN ANOTHER BL, OMG OMG OMG

GASPING! GASPING!

Because Old Fashion Cupcake is my LIFE, lol. @emotionallychargedtowel and @bengiyo nail it in ECT’s post with the note on this wonderful continuation of clutch actors reappearing in Japanese BLs, like Izuka Kenta from The Novelist going to Candy Color Paradox, and Inukai Atsuhiro from Zettai BL going to Our Dining Table. I love Japan’s easter eggs in these shows. 

But also, regarding episode 5 of Minato: god, I really liked how the tables turned on Minato and Shu. It’s been interesting to have the older characters as the dominant voices of the two central relationships of this show. And of course, this second season is constructed totally around the ongoing nature of both of these relationships. So, we VERY NATURALLY see the “older voice” perspective, because it just so happens that the two older men of these couplings are the ones really setting the tone and pace of the engagements.

And the tables both begin to turn in episode 5, and I think these lines of jealousy between both Minato and Shu, for me, are frankly welcome. We can see Shin getting frustrated, Minato not having the words to respond to that frustration, and Minato just not allowing his door to open on his full feelings for Shin. The theme of this relationship being a dodgy one -- but only in the eyes of Minato! -- deserves to be challenged. And I like how this challenge is being set up in large part in the context of Shin as a student, where he would be learning how to challenge mindsets vis à vis his education anyway.

Anyway -- I utterly love this show so far. As always with the Japanese BLs that I am simping over, I wish I could give them more of my background mind time that’s being otherwise spent on Thailand, but -- soon enough!

2) Speaking of Thailand, HA -- after I published my YYY review for the Old GMMTV Challenge yesterday, I updated my list considerably. On the recommendation of @lurkingshan, @wen-kexing-apologist, and @neuroticbookworm, and because of Jojo Tichakorn’s recent tweets on the topic of what influenced Only Friends, I’ve added Gay OK Bangkok, seasons 1 and 2 to the list and started watching it last night. 

I’m already calling it — GOKB is a MUST WATCH before Only Friends. 

I can’t wait to get HUGE about this in my OGMMTVC review of this show.

Within the first five minutes, it’s already so much more open and honest about sex and queer sex than the VERY HIGH majority of BLs out there. The show is a collaboration between Jojo and Aof Noppharnach, on the lives of six gay men in Bangkok, released in 2016 and 2017 -- nicely placed between Make It Right, SOTUS, and Make It Right 2.

Obviously, I’m going backwards chronologically again, but I think GOKB will be important for understanding specifically how Asian queer male artists in this space view and portray intimacy, and language (verbal and body language) regarding sex. @lurkingshan, you were mentioning yesterday that queer male viewpoints on sex are ones that cishet women like us just may not automatically understand. INTERESTINGLY, BEFORE we talked about this -- I was actually thinking about this while I was watching the last two episodes of A Tale of Thousand Stars in my OGMMTVC rewatch. Tian and Phupha’s continued back-and-forth of frustration and miscommunication: I was thinking -- there’s GOTTA be something about the way Aof GESTATES and DISPLAYS queer male communication that I’m not getting automatically (besides, of course, the patriarchal structures that hold both Tian and Phupha back). I wonder, I think, and I feel that GOKB is going to give me hints about how Aof and Jojo just DO THIS style of communication in their subsequent shows. 

I can only hope that Only Friends will be as LOUD and OPEN and HONEST about the realities of sex and intimacy that GOKB does almost immediately in its first season. Watching GOKB feels WAY more real to life to me than a lot of the romance BLs out there. I feel like I’m talking about sex and love with my queer friends as I’m watching GOKB, and it’s just hewing to real life in an UTTERLY wonderful way. What a fucking show already, and I’m only three episodes in!

3) Finally, also on the topic of the OGMMTVC, I’ve added at least one movie, and am considering a second movie. I’m adding, per the recommendation of @bengiyo, 2007′s The Love of Siam to the list, for the fact that this movie had a clear influence on many of today’s Thai BL creators. I see it has many actors that make support or guest appearances in today’s BLs, and I can’t wait to get to it as an utterly formative piece, both to Thai BLs and to Asian queer cinema.

4) As well -- inspired in part by my notes on Fluke Teerapat in yesterday’s YYY review -- I am THINKING of adding 2014′s My Bromance to the list. I’m not sure, but I’m THINKING about it, and I KNOW I will get poked for it, ha.

A couple of things here. The OGMMTVC has not deep-dived into cinema yet, besides 2019′s Dew the Movie, which aired around the same time as the groundbreaking He’s Coming To Me. 

Yet, referring back to my conversation with @bengiyo about The Love of Siam -- queer cinema CERTAINLY speaks to the creation of the BL genre. Before television BL, what Thailand had in majority by way of queer media were movies. On paper at least, My Bromance fits a couple of bills. 

First, Love Sick premieres on television in 2014 -- but well after the cinematic release of My Bromance. So that already makes 2014 an even bigger year for the development of the BL television genre.

Second, My Bromance stars two homies who have been in these BL streets for a MINUTE -- as I said before, Fluke Teerapat is one, but I did NOT have the SLIGHTEST appreciation for how long Fluke Natouch has been around (and I’m in LUV with Fluke Natouch at the moment. I’m still not over the condo scene in UWMA!). 

So, we have the two Flukes, at least one of them publicly out, and starring in a movie ROOTED in a stepbrother yaoi trope. The comments of my Dew the Movie OGMMTVC review touched upon how taboos may have begotten taboos in early BLs -- that if a piece of art crossed one boundary in being queer, then other boundaries, like stepbrothers falling in love, may have then been seen as valid or “okay” WITHIN that piece of art. I’m interested in possibly watching something so very CLEARLY rooted in yaoi from the cinematic perspective, to engage with and better understand yaoi in developing and current Thai BL, as I haven’t done a real deep dive, analytically, into yaoi and Thailand yet. (As @lurkingshan and I talked about yesterday, TharnType on the OGMMTVC list fits the yaoi stereotypes the best.) And with both Flukes starring in MB, I wonder if I can attribute any influence this piece may have had on their subsequent work (like Fluke Natouch doing blushing maiden so incredibly well in 2019′s UWMA, and of course, the references to yaoi in Fluke Teerapat’s YYY). 

I don’t think @bengiyo has seen My Bromance, but I’m wondering if a few of the other friends from around the way have any thoughts... @absolutebl, @so-much-yet-to-learn, @twig-tea, @solitaryandwandering, @nieves-de-sugui and anyone else -- would love your thoughts if you’ve seen it and think it’s worth of inclusion on the syllabus.

These additions put some air between the next OGMMTVC chronological show in Lovely Writer, but I’ve got a lot of life stuff going on at the moment -- and I do want to give Tee Bundit and Lovely Writer the time he deserves, as I’m about over my anger on Step By Step, ha. 

That’s about it -- I have to still catch up with Tokyo In April Is..., but I’ll get to that later this week!

[sege-h]

New pinned finally let's go

Because a new one was long overdue and I don't want anything relating to that oc showdown blog as my pinned anymore

And I figured it'd be fun if I answered some questions still because I'm sure plenty of people by now have gone;

"Sege I thought this was the Sonic brainrot always blog, what the hell is all this Pokemon Gurren Lagann stuff going on?!?"

At the end of summer 2024 I rewatched Gurren Lagann for the first time since 2011. And then the brainrot took hold. The difference between me in 2011 and me in 2024 is that I can draw humans and anime men now. Which means I can just keep making my own stuff for this anime that's been over for almost two decades--

At the same time my dormant Pokemon obsession finally became active again for the first time in like 2 years. And it became VERY active. So Gurren Lagann did what it does best and combined with the reignited Pokemon hyperfixation rather than being pushed out by it.

It didn't help that I was being enabled via my friend @/riftclaw who's had a long time Pokemon au xe is now writing and went "Kamina and Simon can be canon to my au" (I originally intended for it to be an au of an au)

You should go read the stuff xe has out for the au so far btw I love it and it's part of what threw me face first back into pokemon GO READ IT

Anyway obv these are not my OCs so it's not like I have written out lore here or have OC memes to reblog and answer questions for. So I'm gonna answer some questions under the cut as a sort of FAQ as to what's wrong with me lately and what's going on with these au versions bc I think they'd be fun to answer.

AU FAQ under readmore

What are Simon and Kamina doing in your friend's Pokemon au??

Chilling-- shdHSGDHS. Ok in-univers they're just regular(ish) dudes that were born in that world. The irl reason? My sudden Gurren Lagann hyperfixation happened simultaneously as my Pokemon one. And I'd spent like all year reading snippets of the fic Blake was working on, along with worldbuilding for it.

In that au's lore, a lot of the people in Blackthorn are dragon hybrids. This results in them having naturally occurring bright red hair, or blue hair. They also have some dragon-esque traits like fangs or sharp teeth. The Tatsumi family (Lance's and Clair's family) have red eyes.

The red eyes given are EXACTLY like the ones Kamina has in canon. So while juggling these two hyperfixations I was like "Haha hey Blake you know how Kamina gets drawn with fangs in canon super often, has red eyes, blue hair, and an affinity for capes? What if I made an au of your au where he's Lance's and Clair's brother" and then Blake was like "He's canon TO the au now" and the ball kinda got rolling from there (Thank u Blake)

Simon is also a hybrid tho not a dragon one. There's a town in the au that gets literally wiped off the map because of an earthquake/massive sinkhole. So I plopped Simon in there to keep his earthquake trauma. Even tho they're not from the same town, Kamina and Simon still find each other and Kamina takes him in to Blackthorn after the town's disaster happens and Simon loses his parents in it.

Extra bit of info: Kamina's full name in this au is Kamina Tatsumi, and Simon's is Simon Takashi. I know it's popular fanon to give them the last names of Jiha/Giha since other characters in canon have their last names be the villages they came from. But I don't subscribe to this since they tried so hard to get AWAY from their village I don't think they'd adopt it into their names, so I got Simon a whole new last name even tho this is an au.

Are other Gurren Lagann characters in this AU?

PROBABLY although they would be background/side characters since Kamina and Simon are what I focus on here. They have a whole wide world to exist in so they could be out and about. Like I can't imagine Simon NOT meeting up with and eventually dating Nia. If Kamina gets to live then she should get to live too. She'd probably be a fairy hybrid of some sort because I mean. Look at her.

Kittan might be somewhere out there too as a friend Kamina occasionally meets up with and bickers with, kind of like a rival. I don't think he'd be a hybrid because I think it's funny how in episode 4 when Kamina met him he was like 'SHOW ME YOUR TEETH SO I CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE FLAT AS PROOF YOU'RE NOT A BEASTMAN' like he doesn't frequently get drawn with fangs.

Tl;dr: Yes the other GL characters could potentially be out there even if my focus isn't on them. It's a big world out there and Kamina and Simon are traveling it, so they're meeting all sorts of people all the time.

Ok but Sege you appear to have gone insane over Adaman/Kamina? How did this happen? Is it a crackship?

This is not a crackship-- at least not by the og definition. Nowadays it seems to get used as a term for 'a ship that isn't canon' but the og definition meant 'silly unserious joke ship'.

Adaman/Kamina is canon to the au and is treated completely seriously.

Did I mean for it to happen? Nope! It was another case of 'author does the writing and then the character end up doing whatever they want instead of anything that was planned for'

In this au Kamina is the one that ends up living through the events of Legends Arceus-- except unlike in the game he gets to bring himself and Ingo home after fighting Arceus.

To me Adaman is bisexual af, and I figured he'd have a crush on Kamina. It was meant to be silly-- Kamina is an acearo that hasn't found the words for it because he's just not focused on that. He's focused on Pokemon and battling and traveling the world. He's oblivious to a lot of advances. So Adaman runs into a lot of situations where Kamina's absolutely dense about how he feels.

But then I was like 'well. Adaman is impatient, and he's got no lack of confidence. I don't think he'd keep these feelings to himself for the entirety of Kamina's stay in Hisui'

And things kinda spiraled from there because then we have Kamina, who's been stuck in Hisui for a couple months or so at that point. The Pokemon team he's familiar with-- some of which he's grown up with, isn't there. There aren't even that many dragon types in Hisui for him to speak to and be himself around (he's hiding the whole dragon thing given how the people of Jubilife are around Pokemon alone)

He's been separated from his family and friends. Ingo and Adaman are the people he hangs around the most, and some of the only people that know (save for a few other Diamond clan members that were there when Adaman himself found out)

He's got no people to be around most the time, no one to really let in his personal space. And as someone that's grown up with a bunch of siblings and then gone on to make a bunch of friends, that's a big thing for him.

He's lonely af, so when Adaman confesses by kissing him, he gives in to that. They end up with a sort of arrangement where they both get affection for different reasons. And then it starts deepening beyond that. It's queerplatonic rather than a strict romance, so what that means to them fluctuates through the story. All the while they're keeping it a secret just so it doesn't seem like the guy who fell from the sky is playing favorites with one of the clans over the others.

But by the nature of how Legends Arceus would end if there was an option for the player to go back from wherever Arceus plucked them from, it does mean that they get separated in the end. They know this will happen but they stay with each other until the end anyway.

They move on with their lives, but they do end up reunited even though it's years down the line

Anyway that's why I've been insane lately SHDGSHDHHSD. Will add more stuff if I think of any or get asked

[chvoswxtch]

I’d love to request a documentary about the bodyguard! Any little YouTube-blurb sized snippet, I’ll be thrilled with (but if we’re being honest, I want the full “comes in a dvd box with three discs of editors notes and stories from the cast” size documentary. Like republish the whole movie, make it LOTR extended edition length. I want a 9hr movie marathon about every sentence of every chapter 😅 the bodyguard is a whole book and I’d read a whole second book about your experience writing the first book)

okay so I did try to give you the LOTR extended edition, but apparently there's a word limit on these which is rude, so i'll give you as much as i'm allowed <3

I do have a confession to make. during the first half of the bodyguard, I was straight up winging it. obviously I never expected the request to turn into a full blown series, & I was shocked & elated at how much people wanted a part 2, & then a part 3, & so on. I think around part 3 or 4 was when I was like holy shit this is gonna be a full blown series. but I didn’t have like an actual plan for it. I had ideas, but I didn’t have an outline or anything, so from the request to about…maybe chapter 13, I was just writing each part as it came. like i’d write a part, edit it to death, second guess myself, rewrite it, edit it to death again, post it thinking god this is awful, & be blown away by the response (btw this happens with every single thing I post, seriously). around chapter 15 is where I actually sat down & was like okay where is this going? because technically I could’ve ended it at the halfway point, but it didn’t feel right to me. I knew I wanted to have a huge reveal for her finding out who he was (imagine writing about a feared vigilante & he ends up being your bodyguard & you end up talking about said vigilante while your bodyguard was standing right next to you, that was diabolical of me)

I really liked the idea of two villains but not having them connected at all bc I felt like that was predictable. I LOVE twists in books, especially if I can’t see them coming, but I love them even more when there’s easter eggs planted along the way so that when the twist is revealed, if you go back, you’re like fuck it was right in front of my face. I tried to do that with steven & the defenders of freedom (I hope I did) & obviously with billy, everyone in the fandom knows that twist, & I know some people expected me to make him a good guy in this story, but that man is a backstabbing little bitch & I couldn’t give him redemption, so I made him worse.

when I tell y’all I talk to myself & act things out that I imagine in my head, i'm not kidding, & I highly recommend it to writers. am I insane for having a whole ass conversation with myself? probably. but it works. like okay what would frank say, & how would he say it? how would frank stand, what would he do with his hands, his facial expressions? I do a lot of research when I write (I will spend an hour researching something just to write one line about it) & I rewatched a lot of clips from the punisher & from season 2 of daredevil, keeping track of how frank talks, his dialect & how he pronounces words, his body language & how that gives away his emotions, his mannerisms, etc. obviously i’m not the creator of him & I didn't want to make him a carbon copy, bc there are so many different versions of him, but jon’s is my favorite & I wanted it to be authentic

because I was pretty much writing this one part at a time & basically winging it until the last ten chapters, I didn’t realize how much i’d written until I was done. when I put it all together & looked at the chapters & the word count I was just like holy fuck I actually wrote a book. like I did that. the thing I thought I could never do, I did. I essentially wrote an entire book, in real time with y’all, without even realizing it

publishing my own copy was a pain in the ASS (the first one ended up coming out like a textbook, the one I shared was a second attempt, & it’s still a hot mess, but it’s better). but I had a lot of fun designing the cover & the back, & just holding something I created in my hands was a surreal and emotional moment

the main inspiration with this book is kastle bc we were robbed so I had to do it myself. this is basically me taking the reins & being like no no no, this is what happened, the end. so if born again fucks us over again, at least we have the bodyguard

my copy is sitting proudly on my bookshelf, but I will confess, I have not read it. I don’t read my own work. I did skim through previous chapters when I wrote new ones, bc I have a terrible memory & sometimes I forget what I wrote, but I haven’t sat down & actually read it from start to finish. i’m definitely my own worst critic, in everything I do. but maybe one day I will sit down and read it (although I’ll probably just point out my own mistakes & come up with new ideas & be like damn you should’ve done that instead)

I think the bodyguard will always be my biggest accomplishment & my favorite thing I’ve ever done (even if I do publish an actual book someday) because one, I didn’t think I could do it, & two because of the community it brought me. being in these fandoms has led me to so many incredible people (like you <3) who i’ve been lucky enough to befriend & get to know, & I truly had so much fun reading through all the comments & theories on my own work. I looked forward to it every single time I put a new chapter up. your excitement made me even more excited. & I was overwhelmed by how positive it all was like I was expecting criticism, as there is with everything, but it was literally nothing but positivity & that shocked me & elated me. there are so many incredibly talented authors on here, & I feel so honored that so many of yall consider me one of them

i'm trying to think of specifics to share but talking about this is making me emo & making me all warm & tingly inside so if there was something I left out you wanna know more about i'm happy to answer 🖤

[bigalockwood]

Hey Lia 💜,

I was wondering about 8, 9, 14, 24, 31, 33 and 38 for the fanfic asks.

Please feel free to just pick the ones you want to answer :)

Sophia!! Thanks for all the asks! I love getting as many, don't apologize (I included nr. 19 as well). Ily <3333

8) How slow is a slow burn?

Hm, I'd say it depends on the characters and the situation they're in. A slowburn can be a multichap where they don't get together until the last chapter. It can be them pining for each other for three chapters before they're all in. I think it's all about the longing and yearning the reader feels while reading it.

9) Thoughts on cliffhangers.

Love them if I write them. Love them if someone else writes them- excpet if there's no update for months. That being said I do also think there's a right and a wrong time for them. If every chapter ends on a real, proper cliffhanger I personally find it to get tedious at times.

14) Write and share the first sentence of a new fic. Just that.

The sun was warm on Simon's skin, the waves of the sea a distant lullaby, the gull's cries piercingly loud and the line in front of the ice cream shop stretching out far beyond where he could see, when he looked up into the smiling face of a stranger he'd likely never forget.

(didn't plan on starting this story yet but... here we are I guess)

19) Share a snippet from a wip without giving any context for it.

“I hope you choke on his dick. Asshole.”

24) Thoughts on flashbacks/flashforwards.

Personally never use them because I find that they can quickly disrupt the flow of a story. But if they're well done I don't mind them. Personally I'd just rather tell whatever happened retrospecively from the characters POV.

31) What was the most difficult fic for you to write (but in the end you made it)?

A one shot that's waiting to be published. It replay a lot of canon events and since I'm terrible at remembering details, I had to rewatch scenes a lot, which I'm not made for with impatient I get.

33) Give your writing a compliment.

(this probably shouldn't be as hard as I thought it was)

I can make people feel seen and understood (or at least I hope so).

38) "This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it fics?

I've loved versions of both, but I think I might have a preference for "this happened but" because they deal with the full fall-out and its consequences rather than erasing them.

[kakusu-shipping]

March 13th grows ever closer, and something about this year is making me more emotional than previous rewatches so have a little Self Insert snippet. For me.

You gained us, but lost her

A Koro-Sensei X Self Insert ficlet.

In which they talk,

The students left the field with heavy hearts, cluttered together, moving as a unit, they returned to the school building, safely down the mountain, and went home like any other day, tired and scared and aware of reality, more than they ever had been.

Karasuma was taking Kayano to the hospital the Government had already paid twice to keep quiet when Irina showed up with a broken arm and when an octopus larger than any average man turned a room into a botanical garden in attempts at apologizes. They would take care of her, with or without official documentation, which only now seemed to be a problem, and more importantly they wouldn't ask questions about her injuries, the holes in her neck, the internal burns. They'd fix it, they'd make her comfortable, and they'd keep her safe.

That's all that mattered in the end, that she was safe. She was safe, she'd live, she'd recover, and she's return to E class, and life would go on.

Standing in that field that changed everything, after all the students had filtered out, after Karasuma had taken Kayano and promised her safety with Irina close on his heels, after the fire had died and everyone else had descended the mountain, was Koro-Sensei; a man with a timer hanging over him as prominent as the broken moon in the sky, and the man he'd claimed to love for the past two months, Doctor Emile Hides.

They stood in silence, in stillness, until only the wind rustled the grass around them, until the last of the students had long reached the base of the mountain, until Karasuma's car started and his seat belt clicked.

"Emile," Koro-Sensei finally spoke, low and quiet, looking directly at him, "Is there something you wanted to say to me?"

The man across from him stood small compared to most everyone he knew, with bright red eyes and brighter white hair. Crazy patterned shirts under pristine white lab coats. He gripped a first aid kit tightly to his chest, eyes still wet from tears, glasses fogged from hot emotions pouring from his face.

He started across the field at one he thought of as the love of his life, took a deep breath,

and silently opened his arms to him.

Koro-Sensei paused at the silence from a man who'd always spoken his feelings, no matter how imperfect his wording. He stared, unsure the gesture's meaning.

Truth be told Koro-Sensei wasn't sure of much of anything anymore. He was sure, at that moment, he was tired. His body ached, his limbs shook, and he'd done everything to stand upright and tell his story clearly for his student's sake, and he was tired...

Shakily Koro-Sensei's tentacled limbs reached out for his partner's outstretched arms, almost subconsciously. His tentacles slithered under him to scoot him closer, and then gave out.

He did not hit the ground, as Emile rushed to him and collected the much larger being into his small human arms and hugged him for all he could.

Koro-Sensei's arms wrapped around Emile 4 times each, his face buried into the man's shoulder, and he trembled. He rabidly muttered apologizes, for keeping such a big secret, for putting their students in such danger, for collapsing under the weight of it all, he apologized.

Emile hugged tighter.

"I'm sorry... You lost someone so precious to you..." Emile's words were soft, full of sorrow, and genuine. Koro-Sensei attempted to pull back, and Emile held him closer, tighter, a hand on the back of his head.

"You lost her, and gained us, but you still lost her. She's gone and we'll never replace her," Emile's grip was strong, or perhaps Koro-Sensei's resistance was just weak, "You're allowed... To be sad about that."

Crying came a lot easier to Koro-Sensei sense his mutations began, especially after falling in love, first with Aguri, second with E Class, third with Emile. Crying had come so easy he felt ashamed of it at times. It was juvenile the things that made him cry, and he was well aware how pathetic such things made him look. Truth be told, he didn't care.

So he cried, shaking and clinging to his third love, he cried there in the field where he'd almost lost one of his second loves, and his first all over again, and he cried.

When his tears slowed from sobs to a small stream, and his shaking had calmed to tremors, Emile readjusted his grip and hoisted the 8 foot octopus into a princess hold, and began talking them back to the school building.

(this was not as impressive as it may sound. Koro-Sensei weights significantly less than someone who is 8 feet tall should, and Emile spent large portions of his life carrying heavy equipment to and from various laboratories.)

When they arrived back in the school building Emile laid Koro-Sensei down on the bed in the spare classroom they'd turned into a nurse's office, the one Principal Asano had stabbed the shovel of an excavator through the roof of just last month, made hot tea, and went over Koro-Sensei remaining external injuries with unnecessary gauze and gentle healing kisses.

And when Koro-Sensei eventually succumb to his exhaustion of having his heart figuratively and literally squeezed in a death grip, Emile stayed by his side and slept in his office chair tangled in a loose tentacle hold throughout the night.

The following week was the start of Winter break. There would be no students in the class. Karasuma only called to update on Kayano. Irina called to ask if Emile had gotten home safe, which he reported to not doing at all, and then promptly asked Irina to water his plants for him.

Emile's hands were warm despite the rickety old building, wrapped in his lover's hold. They walked the school grounds and reminisced, they watched shows on Emile's laptop and laughed, they told stories of the past never spoken of before and listened with great care, and most of all, They Talked.

They talked about themselves, about Aguri and Irinia and Karasuma. About the students, the school, the past, the memories, the best and worst times.

They talked about everything,

Except the future.