#i recommend all of them but everyone has their own tastes lol

[lazybug16]

Books I read/reread in the last 3 months of 2022 and recommend (and yes, all apart from two are queer)

Also recommend to check for trigger warnings just in case, this website for books is the one I use, or you can ask!

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Eve Brown is 26 and still hasn't found her passion, so after an argument with her parents she drives off and finds a cute B&B that is hiring a cook, so she takes her chance, not expecting to find out new things about herself along the way

I read this book because there are autistic characters in it and I felt so fucking seen when reading this book (especially by Eve), very very good book and the dialogue is AMAZING, you will definetly laugh! Also just fyi two very explicit scenes and very graphic (all consensual and lovey dovey) but wanted to say it just in case because they use more explicit language than what I'm used to lol 9/10

All That's Left in the World by Erik J. brown

Almost a year after a flu pandemic two boys find each other and help one another on their journey to find help, and feelings might start up on the way to their destination

Started reading it because I love The Last of Us and knew this was going to be sort of that style and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it, I couldn't put it down like... I have no words... wow, one of the best stories I've read! Jamie and Andrew my beloved 10/10

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Two 15 year old boys meet in the summer of 1987 in El Paso, Texas, at the swimming pool where Dante teaches Aristotle how to swim, which marks the start of their friendship and adventures together, and maybe more...

An absolute delight to read and these two boys are just adorable (their parents are also super nice), very easy to read and keeps you wanting to know more about the story 9/10

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Continues right where the previous story ends, we see how Ari and Dante's relationship moves forward while also touching the topic about the AIDS epidemic, internalised homophobia, family and friendship

I really liked the sequel, you get to delve deeper into Aristotle and the people around him, and the ending was just as beautiful as the first one, Aristotle and Dante must be protected at all costs 9/10

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Some children find a door/portal to another world which they eventually consider home, but they eventually end up back in the real world again. It might have felt like years since they left, but it's only been days for their parents/siblings who were in the real world waiting for their return, so they send them to a special school to get better (and also meet others like them who have been through the same experience)

Fantasy and mystery book (a bit of gore too because of murder), very very interesting and fast read, and if anyone deadnames Kade I will deck them 9/10

Heartstopper (volume 1-4) by Alice Oseman

A graphic novel showing the journey of young lgbtq+ teenagers showing their life through high school in the UK, the main characters are Nick and Charlie and we see them grow and fall in love

Just an amazingly adorable lgbtq+ story and beautiful illustrations, you will fall in love with the characters instantly, definetly recommend, especially for someone who might not be a "book" person since it's like a comic/graphic novel 10/10

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

An American girl goes to a school in Scottland for her final year in high school and gets to be roommates with a princess, what could possibly happen...

The slowest of slow-burns, enemies to friends to lovers, and roommates, what more could you ask for? Sort of a mix between Red, White and Royal Blue and Young Royals but wlw. Also Perry my chaotic beloved 7/10

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Angel is a massive fan of the boy band The Ark and meets up with an internet friend to meet them and go to their concert, all the while we also see how Jimmy and his other two band mates cope with fame and fangirls

You think famous people are perfect? You put them on a pedestal? Feel possessive? Ship them together? Then read this book to learn the reality of it all and maybe you can grow tf up 8/10

Lost Christmas by David Logan

A child called Goose lives with his nan in Manchester and does petty thefts for a bit of cash, alongside his dog Mutt, but what he doesn't know is that stealing a certain jewellery will be the first domino to unravel certain events that might just change his life, and possibly a second chance

This book will break your heart and mend it in the most marvelous way, you can connect with every single main character in one way or another, the story is fascinating and the twist is just so unexpected, one of my favourite books that I read as a kid and reread now 9/10

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Georgia and her two best friends just finished high school and are going to the same university, but things start to unravel when Georgia thinks that she has wasted her teens by not having her first kiss yet at the ripe age of eighteen, but soon finds out why she has never had a crush (and wonders why society is so obsessed with sex and love)

I am Georgia and Georgia is me, I felt so seen in this book and I could understand almost all of the main characters thought process and struggles, thank you Alice for writing this book, it means the world to me 9/10

Nick & Charlie novella by Alice Oseman

Takes place about a year after the 4th volume of Heartstopper, Nick is a few months away from going to university and Charlie is worried that a long distance relationship might not be the best idea... But of course, they are Nick and Charlie, so not even that can stop them

Very quick read, angsty and spicy at the same time lol 9/10

Our Favorite Songs by Anita Kelly

Aiden and Kai haven't seen each other since high school five years ago, and running into each other in a queer karaoke bar might be just what they needed to reconnect and get to know each other

If you liked Alex and Henry from RWRB then you will love this, it's fluffy, smutty and angsty and it's just an amazing story, very fast read too and it will get you hooked from the very beginning 10/10

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Takes place about a year or two after Solitaire, following the life of Frances Janvier and Aled Last. They need to start thinking about their future and university options, but before anything is decided, a YouTube podcast called Universe City might be the answer they needed

Oof okay, this was darker than I thought it was going to be, had to take a few breaks because of intense scenes and personal trigger warnings, that's why I lowered the rating by a point, but just like any other Alice's books, very well written 8/10

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

FSOTUS Alex and Prince of Wales Henry have to pretend to be friends, and in doing so actually become friends, and something more (shenanigans ensue)

One of my favourite books EVER! (If not my favourite book that I've read so far) Amazing characters, amazing writing and you feel the emotions so deeply, and Alex is a little shit (affectionate) throughout all of it 10/10

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Takes place in the universe of Heartstopper (around volume 3-4), but this time the protagonist is Victoria "Tori" Spring, Charlie's sister. We get to see her life at school and at home, and how a blog named "Solitaire" changes everything

Much darker that Heartstopper but still an amazing story, you really just want to give Tori a hug 9/10

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

People recieve a phone call on the day they are going to die to inform them of the tragic news, two boys in their late teens recieve the call and spend the last day together, forming an unlikely friendship and something more

I'm so much like Mateo it's INSANE, also very interesting how some of the characters were connected with one another, very interesting concept and part four was my favourite, but also get your tissues ready because you will CRY 8/10

This Winter by Alice Oseman

Takes place about 1-2 weeks before Solitaire, during Christmas day. Written in Tori, Charlie and Oliver's POV

Very quick read, and you get to know the extended Spring family a bit more, also Nick's family a bit 9/10

Volverán a por mí by Josan Hatero & Use Lahoz

"Disobedient" teenagers are sent to an academy in scotland over the summer so that they learn how to be good and disciplined, meanwhile three strangers become friends and find out what really happens in that grey mansion and try to escape

This book is in spanish, I read it for the first time when I was in high school (like 10 years ago when it first came out lol) and instantly fell in love with it, it has the same vibes as Every Heart a Doorway but more dramatic, very cool and easy to read 9/10

Queer rep:

Act Your Age, Eve Brown (pansexual character)

All That's Left in the World (gay and bisexual characters)

Aristotle and Dante (gay characters)

Every Heart a Doorway (asexual and transgender characters)

Heartstopper (gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender characters)

Her Royal Highness (bisexual and lesbian characters)

I Was Born for This (transgender, gay and bisexual characters)

Loveless (asexual, aromantic, gay, lesbian, pansexual and non binary characters)

Nick and Charlie (bisexual and gay characters)

Our Favorite Songs (bisexual, queer and non binary characters)

Radio Silence (bisexual, gay, demisexual and agender characters)

Red, White and Royal Blue (gay, bisexual, pansexual and transgender characters)

Solitaire (bisexual and gay characters)

They Both Die at The End (gay and bisexual characters)

This Winter (bisexual and gay characters)

[ohbo-ohno]

🗑️ Creep Johnny this, creep Johnny that. What I want is a creepy Simon. Like he just walks up to Johnny and is like "I think you buy a new couch" and soaps like wtf are you talking about? And when he's on leave he gets home and sure enough his couch has a broken spring.

Simon sends him the exact amount of money he needs to purchase the couch he was JUST looking at on his laptop- since when did simon get his personal address? Or his bank info????

Then Simon just starts. Saying the weirdest shit. Like "the freckles on your taint are cute." Like what??? Not even going to pretend to NOT be looking? And sometimes he'll comment about Johnny wearing less boxer briefs on missions (how does he know it's not like Johnny strips to his underwear and shows off to his l.t. so how does the man know?) Or how he doesn't like Johnny's shower curtains.

And then Simon sends him a selfie (mask on ofc) of himself half naked in Johnny's home bathroom while the man himself is still on base.

And then shit just gets downright strange. He'll come home from base, and find that half his clothes are stuffed into one side of his closet, the other half filled with shit too large for him to wear, smelling like his lieutenant. There's extra toothbrushes, trinkets lying around, food he doesn't usually like in his fridge.

And then the next day Simon walks in with his duffle bag filled with his stuff and acts like they've been living together forever??? His name is somehow also on their lease??

He tries to talk to his family about it but they're all like "Oh, Simon? That nice fellow who visited us while you were deployed? He mentioned being your boyfriend, he was such a nice fellow."

And Johnny just has to live with it. Because he suddenly got saddled with a giant buff boyfriend who he kinda had a crush on so is it really THAT bad?? In the grand scheme of things, Simon could have been A LOT worse, knowing that freak of nature.🗑️

ghost harassing and violating soap will ALWAYS be famous

there have GOT to be a million fics with this general plot and trashy i would LOVE to recommend them to you but unfortunately i am woefully naive to the ghoap fanfictions of ao3. someone send recs

i love ALL OF THIS & im going to add some of my own thoughts but i'm not like. changing your idea lol (btw i love when you said "then it gets strange" as if the first part wasnt strange lmao)

i looove the idea of everyone else on base being super uncomfortable around ghost but not helping johnny out at all with his very obvious obsession because they're just like "better you than me buddy". they're in a large meeting and ghost literally lifts johnny off of his own chair and sets him in his lap, tucks a hand up under his shirt and gropes his pec, and literally everyone is just like "doo doo doo... nothing happening over there..."

im also obsessed with the idea of ghost not even TRYING to act like he's not stalking soap. he's loud and proud about using johnny's toothbrush after him for just a TASTE of his boy. he's jacking off in soap's shampoo and will mention it in front of other people. ghost will look soap dead in the eyes and say "washed your laundry yet? don't. i want your boxers for tonight" and just WALK AWAY

alssososooooooooo ghost moving into soap's house without asking!??!?!? are you insane!?!??!?!!? just absolutely refuses to leave, doesn't understand why soap's so angry, refuses to acknowledge his discomfort. will kick johnny out of his own bed when he starts being too bad :/ starts changing things to his own preference, just scoffs and rolls his eyes when johnny complains

[earthstellar]

Earth Music on the Lost Light: Human Music That Cybertronians Like

we know for a fact that the Lost Light has access to human media, primarily movies, TV shows, and music-- and we know they generally seem to fucking love most of it, or at least find it interesting

but what would everyone's tastes be, in regards to Earth music?

time to talk about music for a long time!!! strap in, enjoy some tunes

we already know Cyclonus has impeccable taste and enjoys some of the best jams the 80s had to offer.

I can't help but imagine Rodimus being given a media archive of Earth tunes to approve for the Earth Dance would only result in chaos

(it's not like he would say no to anything, he absolutely blanket signed it all, it's just an obligatory thing-- or Ultra Magnus tells him it is, solely to keep him away from Important Captain Things that he would rather handle himself or hand off to Megatron, lmao. the shit that really needs to get done)

and this is how Rodimus discovers the somewhat questionable yet amazing genre of "mid-90s underground techno rave mix tapes"

(somewhat related, I still think Testarossa might as well be Rodimus' theme song, although it's not a 90s track and has more of an 80s synth vibe)

Rodimus would love that "computers are the future, fuck yeah let's make Digital Cool Future Music" mid-90s shit, there is no way he would not. it has the exact energy level that appeals to him and is also cheesy and weird and chaotic. and has like 500 different sub-genres, so his selection is endless, lmao.

he would probably find it cute that this is what humans imagined to be the peak of "digital sound" at the time. like lmao this was the best humans could do when asked to create music that sounds like it was made by robots or other mechanical space future cyber lifeforms--high concept!!! he would probably find it interesting and endearing. this is what organics think non-organic music is like!!

anyone acting as DJ at Swerve's on any given night would be so, so mad that Rodimus keeps requesting shit like "DJ MASSIMO ITALO DISCO BEST RAVE TUNES LIVE FROM LONDON 1995" or "DJ ARMPIT SLUDGE FEST HOUSE-RAVE-DRUMS N BASS SET 1996" for them to play, lmao

not individual tracks. the whole album. entire mix tapes of random, somewhat questionable mid-90s techno house rave bullshit.

that having been said, that good ass early 90s trance techno might send him into a spiral depending on his mood at the time, lmao (it's been known to happen)

but at the same time I can imagine him sharing tracks like Solar Quest - Space Pirates with Drift and they'd both just sit there and jam out, but quietly, thinking about shit while sitting in a port window next to each other (this was peak sleepover party techno, Back in My Day-- many deep conversations were had while listening to stuff like this, lol)

Drift would probably find some of Rodmus' recommended stuff to be pretty good for meditation-- although once he finds out about the human drug culture involved and certain concepts of experimental consciousness etc. that surrounded techno/rave and other related genres, it might cause him to pull back a little bit

(until he finds out about kandi culture, in which case, Drift would love the idea of hand-made unique bracelets and sentimental trinkets being made and exchanged at warehouse shows purely out of Good Vibes and Love for Fellow Beings and it turns out actually he fucking loves this shit, a chill vibes based "expand your mind" kind of music subculture appeals to his Spectralist sensibilities and he likes sharing tunes with Rodimus in return)

Drift picking tracks on his own would likely lead him down more of a classic rock road, but more of the chill side of things, more of the folksy type of classic rock -- I can see Drift really enjoying Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum or California Dreamin' - The Mamas and the Papas. or like, Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock.

I mean, Drift might even go Full Earth Hippie and end up liking Green Tambourine - Lemon Pipers, lmao. in fact I am fairly certain of this.

I can see Drift loving Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In - The 5th Dimension. the whole vibe would probably appeal to him.

he'd quite possibly also like I Need a Dollar - Aloe Blacc, but it hits him in a place that still hurts to think about. so it's in rare rotation.

meanwhile Ratchet would probably be fine with classic rock too, like the good Dad Rock shit, just a lot of tracks from the 70s/80s -- a couple tracks he and Drift could probably agree on would likely lean more into the experimental/psychedelic rock side of things, like White Room - Cream or something like Wheel in the Sky - Journey

Rodimus tries to troll Ratchet by recommending Old Time Rock n Roll - Bob Seger, but joke's on him because it turns out Ratchet loves it, lmao

Swerve would go all out on classic bar jams for the evening playlist. Chill, good shit like Do It Again - Steely Dan.

Megatron would love Sinnerman - Nina Simone; He'd send it to Drift in a command crew level secured data packet, and they would both feel the hell out of this song. They don't need to talk about why. They never mention it to each other.

Megs would also probably love These Old Bones by Dolly Parton (mostly due to the lyrics, rather than the upbeat tune, but he would find it relatively relaxing), as well as 9 to 5 (of course), and similar music. Country from back in the day when country music was more about the struggle of poverty and the working life of rural people. Country music from back when songs told all the untold stories. He can respect that.

He'd listen to You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive by Patty Loveless and it would get him right in the fucking spark. Megatron is the Cybertronian equivalent of an Appalachian miner, god dammit. He understands.

Megatron would also like Johnny Cash; He would overthink Ghost Riders in the Sky and it would depress him, partly because it reminds him of Seekers... sigh.

I think he'd also like Cold War - Janelle Monae. He'd be way into good lyrics; What's being said in a song matters most to him. "This is a cold war, you better know what you're fighting for..." Indeed.

anyway I like thinking about what jams Cybertronians might like from their available selection of Earth tunes

[hopefuloverfury]

could you write something about your first kisses with the bachelor/ettes? I feel like you're the only blog who characterizes them well ugh

Hey, anon. Sorry for disappearing on you, that’s my bad. I hope this is worth the wait. 

Honestly, I try not to look at a lot of other stardew blogs because someone else’s opinion of a character can pretty heavily influence my own interpretations—however—Jo, Beets, Snail and Bom are all great, and I can’t recommend them enough. (Minors do not follow/interact with Jo or Beets, and Bom and Snail don’t want any kiddos interacting with their NSFW stuff, so don’t do that either. Be nice and respect everyone's boundaries.) But besides them, I’ve got nothing. Maybe some good samaritans will drop a few more users in the notes for you? But as always I appreciate the love, anon.

There’s cursing (my fault), a little bit of dialogue, and some suggestive moments (also my fault), but it isn't bad so I’ll settle with a “Minors Proceed With Extreme Caution” warning. I know that some of the bachelors have a proper kiss in their heart events, but I like my ideas more so we’re gonna ignore those lmfao.

Sam

Out of all of the bachelors, he’s the most nervous

Which is ironic, given the “jump-head-first-into-things-with-no-care-for-my-personal-safety” vibe he’s got going on, but whatever

He refuses to touch you, at first—but not because he doesn’t want to

Sam is an extremely tactile person, so of course he wants to touch you—but he also knows he can be a bit much sometimes, and he doesn’t want to chase you off with his greed or his enthusiasm

So he goes for soft, gentle, and perfectly pliant under your touch as you pull him in

It’s honestly a little jarring, because he seems the type to get desperate (true) and not be able to control himself (also very true)

But this boy is exercising an immense amount of self control to not jump headfirst into getting heavy and fast and yanking on clothes too hard

He does a good job keeping himself contained atta boy, buddy

He thought that once he’d finally gotten a taste of you, maybe he’d finally be able to think about literally anything else

Unfortunately, he would be incorrect

And now that he has experienced it, he’s overwhelmed and dizzy with his want

He keeps his eyes closed and basks in it for at least five seconds after you pull away

He is absolutely heaving, wrecked just from the tiniest chaste press of your lips against his

He’s been waiting for you to do that for weeks

His eyes flutter open slowly, and then his gaze flicks up to you

Licks his lips as he tracks his eyes down your torso and back up

His palm is warm against the back of your neck as he pulls you down for seconds

And yeah, this is more like how you thought it’d be

Does not stop pulling you against him, even though you physically couldn’t get any closer if you tried

Your shirt gets rucked up to your waist untintentionally, because he keeps gripping you and yanking you closer

But the moment he feels your bare skin against his palms, he’s flinging himself backward

Blinks up at you with bright pink cheeks and his hands twitching against your waist

Swallows hard and clenches his jaw

He knows he should let go but he really doesn’t want to

If you lean back in, he drags his hands up slowly, and traces the line of your spine with his fingertips

I’ll stop there lol

Seb

This boy. Jesus.

He’s got next to no experience, let’s just get that out of the way now

Is immediately overwhelmed, even before you kiss him

Just the feeling of your palms warm on his jaw as you angle him just so is enough to have him trembling

Stares at your lips through half-lidded eyes until you finally finish closing the distance

Shivers at the slightest brush of your lips against his

He gasps high and can’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed by it

Grabs onto your hips for dear life

He is immensely glad that you decided to kiss him while he was leaning on his bike, because otherwise he would have collapsed at your feet he might collapse anyway

Lord help him if you try to deepen the kiss though

If you do, he might actually pass out

Similarly to Sam, he’s going to get desperate after a minute, but he’ll hold himself back

He’ll have way less success with it than Sam, though

Sebastian definitely holds you a little too tight, and doesn’t give you enough space or time to breathe between kisses

Even if you don’t touch him beyond holding his face, when you pull away, he looks absolutely debauched

Like you could’ve sworn your hands were never in his hair but somehow it’s still ruffled?

Nevermind his hoodie sitting askew on his shoulders and giving a considerable peak at his collarbones

Honestly you don’t know how he managed to do all that, but don’t bother asking him because he is not able to think straight at all

His eyes are hardly open, blinking slowly and zoned absolutely the fuck out while he tries to catch his breath

Homeboy is straight up panting

“Breathe, Seb.”

Whines out a “no” all petulantly, pulls you flush against his chest, and dives in again

Alex

Homeboy spent weeks fantasizing about kissing you before he finally worked up the courage

He wants your first kiss to be special, like something straight off the movie screen

But he’s constantly second guessing himself, convinced that no moment is perfect enough to cut it

He’s hoping that the moment will come when you’re on a date or something, and he’s planning romantic shit left and right with the hopes that something will click and that’ll be it

He’s dropping you off at home after another date, and another failed attempt

He walks down your porch and turns around briefly to make sure you get inside safely

You’re watching him go, a knowing smile on your face as you reach for the handle

“Goodnight, Alex. Get home safe.”

You lick your lips, and turn to go inside

That’s what does it. Because of course it is.

The urge, the determination, the sudden desire thick and pooling in his chest that he’s never felt before—he knows without a doubt that if he doesn’t kiss you right now, he’s going to cry

Fuck perfection, fuck the moment, he just wants to kiss you

Practically stomps up your front steps, breath heaving in his chest as he reaches out and pulls you right against him with a hand on your jaw

Angling you just so, and leaning in to seal your lips together

He breathes a sigh of relief

Finally.

Something like satisfaction settles in his chest, warm like honey dripping into a mug of tea

His touch is firm on your jaw, keeping you perfectly angled for him to kiss you how he wants

You hold onto his arms for dear life, anchoring yourself to him as he kisses you so eagerly that your back actually hits your front door

It doesn’t hurt, but that makes you gasp into his mouth, and oof that sound is dangerous for his sanity

Isn’t really rough about it, but he is firm

Hisses a curse or two between kisses, licks his lips a lot because he can’t get enough

Bringing your hands up around his shoulders, you tangle your fingertips in the short cropped hair on his nape

You run your fingernails over his skin lightly, and he shivers hard

Practically pins you against the door in his effort to get closer

He accidentally presses too close, and the tiniest noise rumbles against his lips from the back of your throat

He knows what that sound means immediately, and alarm bells go off in his head

Tears himself away from you and pants for breath

Drops his forehead against your shoulder and props himself up against the door instead of holding you

“Alex?” 

God, your voice is all hoarse from kissing him and it’s putting dangerous thoughts in his head

“I should go home. Before I…”

You agree, but he doesn’t move away

Your eyes flick down to his lips for a split second, and that’s enough

Just one more, he tells himself, and then you’re swapping the air in your lungs again

With one hand spread against the mahogany and the other gripping your hip, he gives you a few more than just the one

Elliott 

Same dilemma as Alex

Wants it to be special, dramatic, memorable, heart-stopping, all the things

And he tries

He tries so hard

And it almost works. 

God dammit, his picnic by the pond next to Marnie’s almost works

The moment is perfect, you’re smiling up at him with the breeze blowing in your hair and the sun in your smile

Until the sun is suddenly gone and the wind picks up into a howl

In almost no time at all a storm cracks the sky open and you two get absolutely drenched

You run to your farmhouse, practically soaked through as you make it to the safety of your porch awning

The picnic is ruined, and he’s super disappointed because he was so close 

Then he looks at you, and he’s never seen such a beautiful sight

Hair glued to your face from the rain, with a wild grin on your face and your laughter chiming like bells in his ears

He drops the picnic blanket heavy with rain water across the top of your porch bench to dry, and sets the basket down

He needs his hands free if he wants to do this right

He’s stepping towards you, shivering from the rain sticking to his skin

And we all know Elliott is a romantic at heart

Wipes the rain off your cheeks as best he can, all while he smiles softly at you

“May I kiss you?”

You nod quickly, immediately hooking your hands on the lapels of his jacket and hanging on

Kisses you gentle and slow

Cradles the back of your head and neck like you’re made of glass

It isn’t a particularly long kiss—maybe a few seconds at most

Breathes quietly against your lips when you part

Looks at you for a few long moments with all the love in his heart, and doesn’t plan on kissing you twice until you’re glancing at his lips again

Elliott brings his hands to your shoulder blades and presses you close to his chest

But he can’t get close enough

Drags his hands down to your waist and grips you tight

You squeak against his mouth when he does, and that’s when he loses his composure

Starts kissing you a little more firmly, tries deepening the kiss a bit

Shivers and gasps when your fingers tangle into his hair, still stringy and wet from the rain

And he doesn’t stop shivering

You pull away, feeling his shoulders shaking uncontrollably, and then you giggle because his teeth have started chattering

“Cold?”

“Extremely.”

You invite him inside to dry off and warm up

He may or may not kiss you again.

Shane

You’d think your first kiss would be nervous and awkward—no.

Shane holds himself back for at least a few weeks into your relationship, worried out of his mind that one wrong move is gonna shatter everything for you two

So once he’s confident and knows for certain that he’s what you want,

He’s not holding back for shit

Homeboy physically can’t stand the tension anymore anyway, especially with how often he catches you staring at him—at his lips

Pulls you in by the back of your neck and keeps his hand there to hold you close

Even when he pulls away to let you catch your breath, it’s barely enough because you’re still gasping into each other’s mouths

He literally does not let you go more than an inch or two

Your lips are 100% flushed and tingling from how much he nips at them

His other hand is firm on your waist and he does not let you go unless you ask him to

Struggles to choose between looking into your eyes or staring at your lips any time you part

So he does both

His hair is usually a little scruffy looking, but something about a kiss like that has him looking particularly disheveled

Shiny pink lips, bruised and angry red from how hard he’s pressing into you

Eyebrows pinched together and it almost makes him look angry

His hoodie is probably pulling at his shoulders a bit because somehow you managed to push it down his arms

Presses his thumb against the pulse point beneath your jaw, just to make sure he’s not the only one who’s losing it

And he struggles to keep it together when he feels your heart thumping wildly in your throat

Recognizes which direction you’re both going and starts switching to chaste pecks

Rests his forehead against yours as you both calm back down

Gets a little teary while looking at you, and huffs a wet laugh too

He’s so happy with you, and doesn’t know how he got so lucky

Harvey

Softest fucking kiss you’ve ever been given in your entire life

Your noses bump together a little before he’s diving in close

Holds you so delicately, because you’re so precious to him

Gives you a few test pecks before he actually goes for it, and breathes in heavily through his nose when he does

It’s the kind of kiss that has you pulling on each other to get as close as possible

He holds the back of your neck like Shane, but he’s much more gentle about it

Will let you pull away however many times you want, but chases after you every time

His eyes are all hazy and he physically cannot stop looking at your mouth

With one hand on your waist, Harvey will dip his thumb under the hem of your shirt and rub back and forth over your skin

You’ve never seen him as focused as he is when he’s kissing you

Doesn’t move to take the kiss deeper, and doesn’t use tongue—but he doesn’t need to

Just the insistent press of lips is enough to get his point across

If his glasses get pushed up or clink against your face, he’ll pull back to take them off and set them down

The tension is kind of overwhelming

Every time he tries to restrain himself or exhibit self control, it only takes one look at your big eyes blinking at him with a flush on your cheeks and he’s getting right back up in your business

You’ve never heard him curse so openly before, but trying to control himself is nearing painful

Dives in, pauses a centimeter away, swears viciously because he’s failing miserably at controlling himself, and then he’s giving up entirely

Couldn’t resist you even if he wanted to

You’ll have to be the one to put an end to it because Harvey cannot

Don’t call his name while he’s like this though because then he won’t give you a moment to speak again

[msmargaretmurry]

I’ve recently got into hockey fics and it’s completely taken over what little brain space I had left. Do you have any recs for a baby new to this wonderful new world? 💕💕

hello friend and welcome to hockey! i’m sure you sent this ask looking for a nice little list of links but unfortunately because of who i am as a person i’m about to give you way more information than you asked for. 

before we dive in: i have a terrible memory when it comes to stuff i’ve read, and i have a pathological lack of bookmarks, and there is a LOT of hockey fic, so despite a fair bit of crowdsourcing from friends this list is obviously by no means exhaustive. there is SO much good stuff out there that isn't linked here. hockey fic to me has always felt like a very choose-your-own adventure fandom, and i want to empower you to choose your own adventure. there is so much hockey fic, there is truly something for everyone, but of course it’s all also subject to personal taste, so please read on for a little smorgasbord from which hopefully you can find some stuff you’ll love.

a very brief history of hrpf

when i say there is a lot of hockey fic, i feel like it is fun context to know that people have been posting hockey fic on the internet for more than 20 years. i have not been reading it for 20 years, so even having many years of this fandom under my belt, i am still building off the hard work of the beautiful weirdos who came before me. a lot of the pre-ao3 stuff has sadly but understandably been lost to time, but if you’re interested at all in seeing a bit of how we got to where we are now, @lovethygoalie has compiled some links here, and he has an nhl fandom history tag with some more fandom history!

hockey fic, due to the nature of the sport and the inexorable march of time, has always kind of happened in waves/cycles of certain players/pairings/teams being popular in the fandom for a little while, then fading away as new players/pairings/teams become the new hot thing. every time there’s a new wave of a popular thing, new people get sucked into the fandom, which creates this very charming-to-me phenomenon where i can often guess the ballpark of when they joined hockey fandom based on who their faves are, what teams they’re into, even what teams/players they’re NOT into, lol. (but obviously there have also always been people shipping rare pairs and medium-popular pairs and rooting for less popular teams and players, too! it’s a big fandom!)

anyway, that’s something i have found super fascinating to observe over the years and also something i wanted to touch on here to explain why there’s going to be some fic recs in here featuring players who you might never see mentioned the current hrpf zeitgeist. some of the players have retired, some of the pairings have simply waned in popularity, some of the teams are just not currently “in” in hockey fandom, but i still think it’s totally worth going back to dig into older stuff in addition to having fun with the current popular narratives and pairings, etc.

but onto the recs!

(it should go without saying, but please heed the tags/warnings on anything linked here! i’m offering these links mostly without commentary, but a lot of it is going to be mature/explicit-rated, some of it will deal with sensitive themes, some if it might have stuff you just don’t care for! not knowing your personal tastes, i tried to curate a selection of various lengths, types, tropes, pairings, teams, etc.)

i saw you just read my behemoth matthew/leon fic, so let’s start with more of that. it’s a popular pairing right now! very fun characters and narratives to work with! here are a few authors whose matthew/leon stuff i definitely recommend across the board (links go to their ao3 pages; there’s no point in linking individual fics because i would just be linking all of them):

bropunzeling

daisysusan

ohtempora

and some short one-shots that i really enjoyed:

if you handed over your body by photovoltaic (mature, 2.7k)

truce by anonymous (explicit, 2.1k)

and i will not come back the same by void_fish (explicit, 4k)

partly crowdsourced from pals, here are additional fic recs for pairings/players/narratives that are varying levels of currently relevant:

Fragments by heartequals (cole caufield/nick suzuki, explicit, 20k)

wait a year by daisysusan (quinn hughes/brady tkachuk, explicit, 16.8k)

cover love’s bruise by addandsubtract (johnny gaudreau/sean monahan, explicit, 8.3k)

don't ever be a stranger by bropunzeling (jamie drysdale/trevor zegras, explicit, 24k)

For the Summer by gigantic (jack hughes/trevor zegras, explicit, 3.5k)

Lionheart by Aliquis (nico hischier/jonas siegenthaler, explicit, 53k)

All Your'n by jvrcus (mathew barzal/anthony beauvillier, teen & up, 13.8k)

let's make it cinematic by kitnita (mathew barzal/anthony beauvillier, explicit, 13.2k)

@grittyreadsfic is a mostly-hockey fic rec blog! they read much more widely than me and definitely have recs for a lot of currently popular pairings not covered here, as well as rarepairs and more niche stuff.

@postoperation compiled a great list of older-ish hockey fic recs that i HIGHLY recommend, and not just because one of mine is included in there. 😂

more older fics, in no particular order; a once again partly-crowdsourced-from-my-friends list of recs:

so collect your scars and wear them well by addandsubtract (connor mcdavid/dylan strome, mature, 26k)

A Month of Sundays by Kelfin (erik johnson/gabe landeskog, mature, 68k)

Friday Night Arrives Without a Suitcase by marycontraire (danny briere/claude giroux, not rated, 14.6k)

Something Old by uraneia (danny briere/claude giroux, explicit, 13.4k)

if courage is a live wire by redheartglow (adam henrique & taylor hall friendship, teen & up, 15.5k)

Like an Explosion by Dark_Eyed_Junco (nic dowd/derek forbort, mature, 4.3k)

Lions in Arms by xihale (alex ovechkin/sidney crosby, mature, 4.7k) 

Hockey at the End of the World by ionthesparrow (jeff carter/mike richards and tyler toffoli/tanner pearson, mature to explicit, a series of five fics totaling 383k)

@deepbutdazzlingdarkness has a washington capitals fic rec list; i haven’t read everything on there but i have liked what i’ve read! [i am very picky about caps fic because a) i’m a snob about local details and b) i can only read so much smut about dudes i might run into at the jeni’s ice cream in tysons corner. but there is some very good stuff. similarly, a rec i haven’t read but it comes from a friend whose writing i deeply admire and whose taste i trust implicitly:

mouth-deep by saintsideways (nicklas backstrom/mike green, explicit, 30k); the reccer says, “it’s a wild time and coated with an absolutely visionary layer of grime I can only aspire to.”]

@bunnymcfoo also has an extensive rec list, much of which i have not read, but definitely worth checking out if you need more!

anyway, sorry if that was too much, but hopefully it is just enough to get you started chasing your own hockey fic bliss. my ask box is open if you have any questions! ❤

[laneysmusings]

Hello hello! I've recently acquired the Mike Logan brainrot and I LOVE the fics you've written and I ADORE your tags about him!!

SO. I was wondering if you maybe, possibly, hopefully were willing to share any headcanons you have of him? 👉👈 If not then just delete this ask!

Thank you muchly!

it’s my birthday today, and it’s been a terrible one at that, but this ask literally made my face light up. I feel gifted by you — I would be HAPPY to provide headcanons of this gargantuan idiot, this hunk of massive Catholic guilt, my emotional support beleaguered detective

₊˚.༄ Mike Logan Headcanons

₊˚✦ he’s like, an adequate cook? Most likely good at breakfast in the morning and maybe some basic dishes, self sufficient so he doesn’t solely live off of takeout (but it’s like a quarter of his diet). I can’t say he can’t cook because it’s just not realistic. Boy’s gotta’ eat, y’know?

₊˚✦ Mike has trash coffee taste, takes it straight with maybe some cream or a sugar packet but refuses to try other things like blended drinks, will drink a cappuccino or an americano but hates being in a Starbucks

₊˚✦ UNLESS he gets spoilt and used to better coffee but then he’s doomed and cursed to the shit coffee at work and complains even more than usual. Which is a lot.

₊˚✦ I’ve got a feeling that, with being super progressive in his views, he definitely was one of those police officers in the beginning that everyone was shocked by. This little stinker, a raucous trouble maker, an OFFICER? PUHLEASE

₊˚✦ he’s so quick to fight for one (scrappy more like) he’s just got no fit outlet, so work became his outlet (terrible decision really) — but he’s got such hyperactivity and restlessness, probably born from some childhood PTSD and ADHD/ADD, that it just gnaws at him and lets him get too caught up in his emotions

₊˚✦ the boy needs therapy + AND NOT WITH LIZ

₊˚✦ cuddle bug but doesn’t look like it immediately — like sure he’s probably got some weird stuff with intimacy beyond sex (I can do a WHOLE other set of headcanons about this man’s issues with intimacy, both sexual and non sexual)

₊˚✦ but literally a cuddle bug, he will YANK his partner back into bed. he’s a lazy weekend guy and stands by it — it’s when he catches up on sleep and gets to take his time. He doesn’t shave on weekends either so he gets the perfect “I know I’m hot but I make it look effortless” stubble which is damning. Like fuck.

₊˚✦ I think when he works out he does cardio and maybe weight training but not all too much? Like above the minimum since he’s required to like, apprehend people, run chase and whatnot — but he’s not living at the gym if you catch my drift

₊˚✦ snores. he fucking snores look at that man and tell me he doesn’t snore.

₊˚✦ gets nightmares but doesn’t cope well with them — or have much if any good coping mechanisms honestly. Maybe later in life he’ll adapt some better ones, but everything he’d recommend to others, he wouldn’t do for himself.

₊˚✦ definitely not a “decorate his place for the holidays” person unless his partner is, then he’ll play along and get some fun out of it, but I doubt he’s got a box of decorations tucked away in some closet.

₊˚✦ speaking of closets — this man, oh I swear to god, has owned the same damn ties for like, 12+ years. What magic is in that fabric because I know he’s too cheap to buy good quality shirts and ties, maybe decent suits but still like department store, Macy’s suits. Joseph A. Bank maybe? I’m doubtful on Brooks Brothers, like there’s blood and probably brain matter on them all but fuck it, NYC dry cleaning. There’s also mustard stains, canonically, on them. He’s a slob, someone get this man a tide pen.

₊˚✦ lol all I can see now is him trying to iron his clothes in his apartment with the whole board and iron in like, a tank and boxers and mid-calf socks as he gets ready before work. Oh Dick Wolf you had so much promise with this man.

₊˚✦ he definitely has played and probably would play in the police recreational baseball league, it’s mentioned in an episode and he’s passionate about the Yankees. I’m torn between him actually sporting baseball gear or if it’s really casual with jeans and jerseys and baseball caps. (Pls pls pls PLEASE)

₊˚✦ ooh I’m not sure when he changed it but he used to wear a gold crucifix, fuck my life, but stopped wearing it later on and I’m wondering if it’s due to him taking a bigger step away from Catholicism? Like he’s absolutely a lapsed Catholic with terrible experiences in both home and church, it makes sense for him to be conflicted if not repelled from religion. I’d like to think out of habit he may still go to holiday midnight masses, and sometimes on his own for the quiet and the near-anonymity.

₊˚✦ I’m thinking that leather coat of his he wears around all the time, even in the snow like a fucking moron, may have been a gift or one of his bigger purchases for himself. Like something he saved up for or found and just, let himself have the little luxury. Coats like that are expensive and high quality, he wears the same damn one nearly every episode in both the original series and when he was on criminal intent.

₊˚✦ it may just be me projecting, but I feel like he’s got a record collection. Probably some old record player and some nice speakers, milk crates full of records that he has to bend over to sort through, groaning about his back all the while. Definitely a lot of jazz standards and the greats like Sinatra, as he mentions in the series at some point, Martin, Baker, Fitzgerald, Armstrong, Cooke, Davis, etc plus some classic rock, stuff like the typical dad rock™️ — doesn’t peg me as a frequent flyer for concerts but goes for really good shows, he’s a medium venue person not the intimate ones but not the giant stadiums either. He likes Billy Joel but isn’t vocal about it.

₊˚✦ he’s got clutter in his place, a little too cramped but it makes it homey, not decorative but at least lived in. Things are more out in the open than put away, he’s more visual and muscle memory based than having things stored away.

₊˚✦ lastly, a massive sweet tooth. A snacker, keeps things in the drawer of his desk to munch on between meals. He’s got more snacks than ingredients to cook with in his home kitchen and I stand by that. He looks like he would enjoy pretzels a lot, like a lot. And other salty snacks, but definitely an ice cream, eat out the tub kinda’ guy. I’m betting Raspberry, Chocolate, or Strawberry. Maybe a chocolate fudge if he’s feeling a little wild.

Note: I’d literally be more than happy to expand on any of these if not write even more headcanons

[bearsanpancakes]

Mitsuki Izumi White Special Day! Rabbit Chat - Part 1: Work at Panda Nameko Land!

[Note: I am translating from the Taiwanese server of IDOLiSH7, not the Japanese server! Translations might differ from the original Japanese version due to that, but it shouldn’t make too much of a difference overall!]

ㅤ

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

ㅤ

Tsumugi: Thank you for your hard work, Mitsuki-san!

Tsumugi: Our participation in the “White Special Day!” campaign held within Panda Nameko Land has been confirmed, so I wanted to inform you about it!

Mitsuki: Thank you for your hard work as well, manager!

Mitsuki: What is this “White Special Day!” you mentioned？

Tsumugi: From White Day Eve until the end of March, Panda Nameko Land will be decorated to fit the White Day theme!

Tsumugi: The park will contain decorations for attractions that the idols themselves have suggested, a limited-time menu inspired by the idols…

Tsumugi: A scannable QR code throughout the park with a greeting video from the idols, and so on;  it’s definitely something that girls would like!

Mitsuki: I see, this is my first time being presented with the task of redecorating an attraction!

Tsumugi: Yes! I’m excited to see the outcome of everyone’s first redecoration!

Tsumugi: The theme of the campaign is a White Day spent with idols, so you’ll get to perform alongside Re:Vale and TRIGGER during White Day!

Mitsuki: Oh—! That feels quite lively!

Tsumugi: Yup! But there are a lot of preparations to be made as a result of that…

Mitsuki: It’s nice to be able to keep ourselves busy! What’s the schedule like?

Tsumugi: The schedule consists of surveying the park before the campaign starts, suggesting decoration concepts, filming the greeting videos, and taste-testing the limited-time menu.

Tsumugi: You’ll also be visiting the park for the live performance once the campaign begins!

Mitsuki: The surveying is going to be tough, but being able to go to an amusement park makes me happy!

Mitsuki: Are we going to be the ones to decide the recommended food on the limited-time menu?

Mitsuki: The sponsors will choose every idol’s recommended food on the limited-time menu!

Mitsuki: I see.

Mitsuki: That’s not bad! Other than the live performance, the preparations and the challenges make me very excited!

Tsumugi: I’m glad to hear you say that!

Tsumugi: Due to scheduling conflicts, it’ll be difficult for all of IDOLiSH7 to survey the park together… so you will be surveying alongside Yamato-san and Nagi-san.

Mitsuki: Nagi and Yamato-san, huh! Reminds me of the time all three of us went to the amusement park together lol

Mitsuki: The three of us have not been to an amusement park together in a while, so I think it’ll be lively despite being there for work-related purposes!

Mitsuki:

Tsumugi: We’ll be busy once the surveying begins, so if there’s anything you’d like to comment on, please do tell me now!

Mitsuki: Hmm, let’s see.

Mitsuki: How do we decorate the attractions? Are we supposed to draw them out?

Tsumugi: We just have to tell the designers the overall concept, and they’ll get it done!

Tsumugi: The organizers also mentioned that everyone should give the rides a try instead of simply watching it from afar once the surveying begins!

Mitsuki: Oh, you mean the roller coaster…

Mitsuki: I’ll try my best!

Mitsuki:

Tsumugi: Ah, Mitsuki-san, could it be… ><

Mitsuki: I’m not scared, you know!? It’s just that I rarely ever take the initiative to ride the roller coaster on my own, but if it’s for a job or if someone invites me, I’ll still ride it even if I’m scared…

Tsumugi: Will you be alright…?

Mitsuki: It’s okay! If I make girls worried, then I’m not worthy of being called a man!!

Tsumugi: You’ll just be responsible for the decorations, and it’s not mandatory for you to test the rides, so please don’t push yourself too hard…

Mitsuki: Oh, are you worried for me!? Like I said, I’ll be okay! I’ll just give the ride a try, thanks for your concern!

Mitsuki: I’ll just close my eyes if I really can’t take it! I’ll leave the surveying to the other two lol

Tsumugi: Mitsuki-san, I think you’ll just feel more terrified if you were to do that…

Mitsuki: Eh, is that so!?

Mitsuki:

Mitsuki: Then I’ll just shut my eyes really tight! Don’t worry Manager, I’ll be able to handle it!

ㅤ

Part 1 end

[loserloli]

lmao, I used to think proship meant problematic ship. I'm happy tumblr recommended a few proship /anti censorship posts to me. safeshippers are basically saying that dark elements should not exist on the internet.

the worst ones are the ones who say it's to help kids.

while we are a bit responsible for children safety, it doesn't mean we shouldn't make any dang dark content. the world doesn't evolve around kids on the internet who have free access. it's not my responsibility that some kid read my properly tagged dark fic and got traumatized by it.

yeah, personally? I am disgusted by incest and children x adults. eh, ok then. I just don't read them. it's that easy. (safeshippers be like you can't even age up the characters.)

(it still hurts though, the blogs I use for knowledge about my trauma have proshippers in their dni :/ there's like three of them and all are anti proshippers. let me research about my trauma in peace. I don't have access to anything other than these blogs.)

oh and since we got a bit venty, my fav blog was taken down by safeshippers :(( still not over it after six months lol.

- with love, local hidden proshipper for safety reasons.

it sucks how much antis misconstrue what pro shipping and pro fiction is!!! i’m glad you were able to find blogs that were educating when it comes to this stuff. i wish more people would be open to listening to actual proshippers.

it’s totally okay to be disgusted by/dislike certain tropes in fiction! everyone has their own tastes, but like you said, just don’t read them.

i hope everything goes well for you and one day you don’t have to hide being proship! you deserve to have your freedoms in fiction and stance without harassment <3

[illfoandillfie]

#2, hope this is cute lol

running into Ben at a bookshop and he’s flirting and offers to carry your books home but it’s also the day of a big sale there (he has to carry lots of books and it's very heavy even for his muscly self?)

Blurb Advent 2023: Day 9

This is an absolute attack on me, thank you.

Warnings: nothing! it's just some cute flirty fun

Walking into a bookshop invariably lead to you leaving with more books than you’d intended to buy. It was dangerous for your wallet. So you’d made a rule for yourself. You were on something of a book buying ban until your local bookstore had their annual big sale event, at least until you’d read more of what you already owned. Which meant, despite three of your favourite authors releasing new books and a whole lot of FOMO when you saw what everyone else on booktok was reading, you hadn’t really bought a new book in quite a few months. It had been going well, you’d made a good dent in your collection, but it was finally time. You’d seen the bookstore posting on instagram that the sale was coming and had immediately began planning your Saturday around a trip to the store. You mentally plotted out a route through the store that started with grabbing one of their cute wire baskets the supplied and would let you hit up all your favourite genres without too much back and forth. Then you made a physical list of all the titles organised by priority – the titles you needed at the top and ones you were possibly interested in but less sure of at the bottom. And finally, you made the decision to head in early. Not quite at opening but not too long after so as to beat whatever rush might accumulate later in the day.  

Your plan had gone off without a hitch and by about 10 AM you had a basket in hand, four books already tucked into it and a fifth you were slipping back onto the shelf since the blurb didn’t sound as interesting as you’d initially thought. You were just grabbing out another book (not on your list but the title was intriguing) when you heard someone say your name. There, on the other side of the shelf was Ben. Ben who you’d matched with on Bumble and been out with a couple of times. You’d got the distinct impression he was into you, but the timing hadn’t been right and things had sort of fizzled out before they got very far. But seeing him now you felt a little a bad about that and wondered if he was still single.   “Hi Ben, nice to see you,”  He came round to your side of the shelf, and there was a slightly awkward moment where you contemplated going in for a hug but wasn’t sure if it was appropriate. Thankfully Ben saved you from yourself, leaning in to give you a peck on the cheek, “Yeah you too, hows it been?”  “Oh yeah, y’know, work’s been a bit crazy but can’t complain. How’ve you been?”  “Good, just got back from the States a couple of weeks ago where I was staying with a mate, so that was nice. Good to get back home though, even if it is a bit quiet, just me.”   You happily filed that away, much more confident that he was still single and still interested.   Ben nodded towards your basket of books, “Taking advantage of the sale then?”  You glanced down and laughed, “Yeah, excatly. Plus I figure it’s good karma helping out an indie store like this one. More I buy, better for them. I didn’t know you came here.”  “Well it’s a little further than I usually go but I saw they were having a sale and I remembered you’d mentioned this place, so I figured I’d have a look.”  You blushed a little that Ben had remembered the store so long after your date.  He kept speaking to distract from his own slight blush, holding up a book you only recognised by the cover, “My mate’s been recommending me this one so I figured I’d give it a go.”  “Well hopefully he has good taste,” you smiled and then wished you could think of something else to say. You supposed your own imminent purchases would make sense but you didn’t know how to talk about them without explaining your list and your buying ban and really that was too much.  But once again it was Ben to the rescue, “How many more are you planning on picking up?”  You laughed, relieved one of you was good at conversing, “Not sure yet, when they start overflowing I’ll stop.”  “Well, if you need a hand picking them up, let me know.”  All you could do was smile and nod, pleased at the unexpected turn the day was taking.   “Right, well, better let you get back to it then.”  “Yeah, thanks, um, see you around?”  “Yeah, definitely. You’re number’s still the same right?”  “Mmhmm,”  “Cool, maybe I’ll call you sometime.”  “I’d like that.”  Ben nodded, smiling, “Alright, well, see you later then.” He gave you a last little wave as he headed towards the front of the shop.  

You were entirely distracted from your shopping, mostly wondering when he’d call and if you should call him first and if so when. Without meaning to you’d gravitated towards the romance section, entirely out order from your plan, so you shook yourself and focused back in on your list, grabbing out another one you’d had your eye on since you’d watched a TikTok about it. A few times during your shopping your eye was caught by some blonde hair and whenever someone with a heavier footfall moved behind you, you’d look up hoping Ben was back. And then you’d tell yourself to get a grip and stop acting like such a dork. But finally, your basket very full and another couple of books in the crook of your elbow, you decided you were done. You’d found most of the ones you’d wanted as well as a few impulse buys that just seemed interesting, and you were ready to pay for them. Saying as little prayer for your bank account you headed up to the counter, joining the queue behind an older woman who had a Jane Austen themed puzzle in one hand and her purse in the other.  

“Well, this is awkward,” Ben said from over your should and you turned to find him directly behind you in the line.  “Ben! You’re still here.” you’d expected him to have left after your conversation stopped but couldn’t pretend you weren’t pleased to be wrong.   “Yeah, I um, I was going to go but I don’t have any other plans and there were a couple more things I wanted to look for so I decided to hang around. I would have said hi again but I didn’t think you’d want me interrupting your shopping.”  “Are you kidding? We could have done some shopping together, compared books.”  “That would have been fun,” He sounded a little disappointed he hadn’t thought of it, “But something tells me if we had I’d be leaving with more than the three books I found. You sure you got enough?”  "No but I can only carry so much,” you laughed, liking the way he smiled when he teased you.  You were interrupted by the cashier calling you forward, Ben called to the second register a moment later. He of course got through paying a lot faster and you watched him walk towards the exit even while you made polite small talk with the woman ringing up your books, but were pleased to find he was waiting just outside when you were through.  

He noticed the four bags you were grasping straight away, “Are you right with those?”  “I may have gone a bit overboard,” you laughed, “seriously considering getting a cab home.”  “How far do you live?”  “Not that far really. About a quarter of an hours walk.”  “Oh that’s nothing, I can give you a hand. Save you the cab fair.”  “Probably good I don’t spend too much more today. But only if I’m not putting you out.”  “Not at all. I told you, no other plans. So,” he made a give them here gesture with both hands and you gladly handed over two of the bags.   “And the others,” he said, grabbing them before you could say anything. He seemed to have an easier time with them than you did though he grunted a little as he adjusted them in his grip.  “You don’t have to take all of them, I can carry some.”  “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got them. Just lead the way.”  “Well if you insist, but I feel bad about it.”  “You carried them all around the shop, your arms must need a break.” he said, trying to sound natural but failing a little when he had to jolt the bags to readjust them again. 

You had thought that maybe half way he’d have given you at least one of the bags if not two, but when you suggested as much Ben shook his head and asked if it was straight ahead or round the corner. You felt bad every time he shifted the bags, trying to balance their weight more, and every time he made a little grunt at the strain. But you had to admit it was kind of hot, seeing his muscles flex as he strained to hold the bags up, his face flushing more the longer you walked. And it was very sweet of him to offer to help. So you decided that when you finally got home you’d have to invite him inside for a cool drink. And maybe offer to massage his big strong arms too. 

[jake-marshall]

Potion Permit Review

Okay, so. As previously noted, Potion Permit consumed the past two weeks of my life. (This reminds me of when I played Return to PoPoLoCrois, and, same thing - was balls deep in it for 2 weeks bc it made my brain go brrrr). As a fan of most HM games, even the less popular ones, I really enjoyed this overall. So it has a Stardew graphic style mixed with the overworld combat of RF, and this is my review(ish) of the Switch version. Pros.

GREAT controls. I never at any point felt anything was tedious or difficult to engage with (outside of the grow box maybe?) It was very simplistic and stream-lined.

Cute/fun minigames. Nothing gets frantic or taxing. The Potion making is honestly really fun.

Decent Music. It's nice background music the way, I guess, ACNH has nice soothing background music. Nothing is a bop like HM/RF tunes but that's fine.

Good Male romance candidates - I feel like the 4 boys available to romance are all diverse enough to appease most everyone's tastes. Xiao is my husbando but I know a lot of people will go for Matheo or Victor (and I'll probably go for Victor if i ever play a boy file).

Interesting enough side characters. Nothing groundbreaking-ly unique but I did get a sense of community from the town of Moonbury, at least. and wanted to befriend everyone/know their story.

Pretty good pacing. At least for me, I never felt overwhelmed even when taking on numerous side quests. Outside of healing patients, nothing had a timeframe which was nice because it really did let you go at your own pace. CONS

No weather changes? I felt this could have really added to the game in terms of immersion even if it didn't affect anything gameplay-wise.

In that vein, no seasons. Again, it would be something I'd like to see expanded upon if there's a sequel. It would feel more like time is passing and therefore adding to the immersion.

Meh Female Romance Candidates - again, this is just personal taste but I did not like any of the available women - some of them, in fact, I outright disliked (Helene). Leano was the only okay one but she felt a bit too gimmicky with the pirate thing. And I don't even know why Rue was an option. I would have taken Bubble and Runehart happily over Rue and Helene.

Some of the topics presented in the side/character quests fell flat for me. I give PP kudos for trying, for touching on things like eating disorders, anxiety, and DID but the way a lot of it was easily resolved/hand-waved away felt big oof. Like I didn't feel the poor execution was for lack of trying, at least.

Not enough Collin and Moira lol.

Biggest con for me was not being able to romance Lucke. I really hope they make him and the aforementioned girls, as well as Dean and Derrek available... some day...

So overall I would recommend the game if you want something charming to mindlessly put 30-40 hours into. But there's a lot of loose ends that, for me, don't make it as compulsively replayable as RF/SoS. Still, i feel like it's something I might come back to every year or two to revisit, and I'm glad to have met some new blorbos. :)

[daz4i]

you mentioned you own a lot of sex toys and so pls tell me... which ones are your favorite? 👀 (feel free to ignore this ask if i'm crossing some line! fhsdj i'm just curious and i'm thinking about buying something for myself but... there's so many options... idk what... woag...)

ay sure thing bestie 🫡 i gotchu

(sorry for the late reply btw 🥺 hope you end up seeing this tho ahdkfgj)

personally i'm a biiiig rabbit vibes fan, my favorite one is just. large. i got it from lovehoney, if you're european i generally recommend it they're p high quality, and more importantly they're transparent abt their reviews! i mean i think they exist in the us too but i can't vouch for their quality there lol. (best one is from the fifty shades of grey series but it's. so goddamn expensive. but also so strong it'll blow your clit right off like if you can afford to do this one big purchase and you like rabbits i def recommend it)

another vibe i got recently that i really like is a magic wand by mantric, really good for when penetration is not the vibe (ha) lol. the cool thing abt it is it's waterproof bc its charging hole is small enough to be covered. from what i figured all their toys are like this so if that's smth you're looking for i rec checking em out! (will say tho, the first time i tried to charge it i was fighting for my life to find the hole. and bc it's so small it feels so intimate to insert the charger i swear :P so good luck)

another thing i got from lovehoney (and def exists on other sites too, it's p basic and for a good reason) that's relatively versatile is like, nipple + clit clamps attached by a chain. they're not too harsh (i think they're called crocodile clamps? which is a medium variety that you can adjust to pinch less if you want) and if you're into this sort of pain it's a great jolt that doesn't leave you with too much soreness 👍

similarly, sort of like. a pre-game thing. is the triple sucker set by dominix that can get you real sensitive which is great if you wanna do smth long or with multiple orgasms (or for partnered stuff). heads up tho they stick better with lube but then cleaning and drying them is a bit of a pain

this one's not really for me BUT if you're the sort of person who needs or prefers gspot stimulation i rec trying those pulsing vibrators. they're good for a quick session to just rub one out and be done with it. but try looking for one that's not too expensive or get it on sale 🤔

alternatively i heard a lot of good things abt those sucking or yanking vibrators?? idk their exact name but they're v popular lately if you went on any toy site you def saw one. they don't work too well with tdicks from what i know tho so heads up for that 🫡

...i hope this wasn't even more overwhelming ahdkflghj i will say i have a particular taste/needs that may not work for everyone so my perspective is a bit skewed. which is why i offered the last 2 ik others like them, so 🫡 yeah go by what YOU like!! if you have other questions or a more specific direction feel free to hmu and i'll do my best to reply 🤔!

[thomas-jefferson-miku-binder]

cali!! tomorrow will be a long long day for me, so i trust your judgement with the following question: do you have lol fics recommendations on ao3 🥺? i will take literally anything to read at this point in time ngl

omg of course! although i should warn you that im morr of a short fic guy, so most of these will not be very long

this is a rivelia fic that i love very much. angsty but soooo worth it if thats your thing. i would also recommend other stuff by this author, so definitely check that out (they write mostly about akalynn)

another rivelia fic (im obsessed with them). this one mentions self-harm tho so be careful if thats not something you want to engage with

this one is veeeeery heavy. mention of abuse. is basically a character exploration of arcane viktor and his relationship with singed, that it’s read as a sexually predatory one. i cannot express enough how good this is, but i totally get if thats too heavy (although the subject is very well approached by the author imo)

amaaaaazing cassivir fic. 10/10. character study on cassiopeia’s betrayal

this is a very silly one. plot what plot. but its so well written and the smut is chef’s kiss so if thats your thing and if you can bear with the premise its a combination of incredibly funny and nice porn lol

recently recommended this one to @emluckyowl and she absolutely loved it so might as well throw it in. its a renata/seraphine modern setting sugar baby fic and its so good. i didnt finish it because i just dont have time for it lately but i did very much enjoy the chapters i read. its also fine if age difference makes you uncomfortable, because renata is much older than 23 years old seraphine, but the way it’s written its super instigating. also the exploration of the power imbalance is veeeery good. also i should mention theres some minor jilco which i dont like but thankfully its not very significant

talon katarina character study

silly hero/villain vikjayce + tfgraves fic. definitely check morr stuff by this author, they have tons of vikjayce and tfgraves fics, although i havent read all of them

tfgraves

tah has amaaaazing ficlets and i personally love the mfkatarina + quinnsona ones very much. check their work out

-

these are qhat i can think of now going through my bookmarks, but i might add a few extra later. also everyone!! feel free to reblog with your own recs! and ty for trusting me! some of these are very heavy so i dont know if they’ll fit your taste, but i thought it might be good to risk it considering theyre so well-written. wish you the best of luck tomorrow!

[upagainstthesunset]

Batflash, dynamic asks- 15 27 30. Also metron and Orion and 15, 20. Finally Orion and flash (your choice which flash) 32 31 28

Oh heck yeah! Thank you for sending these! Fantastic choices of characters.

Bruce/Wally (batflash)

15. Who has better fashion sense?

Bruce. For fun fanon stuff I like to joke that Wally is a fashion icon, but the reality is he's not. 😂 Bruce has much better taste in fashion.

17. Who would bring home a stray animal?

Wally. And he has! For a while he had a dog that could secretly talk!

EDIT: i just realized you said 27 not 17 🤦 so okay trolley problem. Bruce I'm sure has some airtight plan, and hes laying out all the information needed to solve this, then Wally's like fuck that im just gonna save everyone and runs over lol

30. What's something one thinks the other should improve upon?

Wally thinks Bruce could improve by loosening the stick up his ass. Bruce thinks Wally should take things more seriously, especially when it comes to his own safety.

--

Metron & Orion

15. Who has better fashion sense?

Orion. He can rock 90s jeans and hat. Metron wouldnt care enough to give fashion a single thought unless it somehow furthered his academic pursuits.

20. What's the worst thing about them teaming up?

They would bicker nonstop. Orion would get frustrated at Metron's bossiness, and Metron would rile him up further by being a pedantic jerk. I wonder how long it would take for them to actually start fighting if they were forced to work together on something.

--

Orion & Wally

32. What's a book, movie or song one would recommend to the other?

Wally would have a lot of fun recommending all kinds of pop music to Orion. And every time he'd be like what? You havent heard so and so?? Like its some big shock even though he knows full well Orion isnt from earth. And Orion would be like "is this another one of the 'banger alerts' you speak of?"

31. What's a false conclusion one might jump to about the other?

As much as the Orion rep in JLU wasnt the most bestest, I do think they got right that he'd be skeptical of Wally's abilities as a hero bc of his sometimes lackadaisical nature. But Wally actually takes heroing VERY serious, and i think if they spent any time together, that would shine through.

28. What's a conversation they'd get overly invested in that nobody else would care about?

Hmmm i dont think they'd have a lot in common, so maybe something related to being in a fight. Like a debate which is better, speed or strength.

From hc relationship asks

[beetlebethwrites]

hello hello!! so so glad i came across ur if MUAHAHAH i was looking for more to play and i think i found u recommended by one of the authors of other ifs i adore (also ur taste in ifs >>>>>) but i digress!!!

i love eve so much omg and the dynamics between all of em as friends it's just nice!!! ur writing is nice to read too!! although eve has my heart i am sooooooo tempted to do playthroughs of nearly everyone else!!!!!!!!!

was a biiiiit annoyed (though not unsympathetic) at matt lol but it's really intriguing reading more abt him, a complex and ultimately pretty neat character!! loveee how u write the characters; they're all their own person and it makes for a much better experience!!

anyway take care!! (send eve my love she's the best <3)

I had to keep this in my inbox for a mo because it's such a lovely message!

I'm glad you love Eve how they're all written - my big goal is that I wanted them to feel like a friend group that can exist outside of the MC but is also better for having them along. It would be pretty unbelievable for them all to be friends if there weren't reasons to hang out outside of the MC and I wanted to get that across.

Again, that's exactly what I was going for 😅 Matt isn't meant to be right or wrong necessarily in chapter 2 - although his treatment of Alex is definitely wrong. He was meant to have an opinion that felt accurate to his own priorities and ideals, whether he reacted nicely or not.

Finally, thank you for joining the ranks of Eve lovers. I feel she's a little underappreciated but when people play through her scenes they tend to enjoy them. The moth trap scene is one of my favourites and I can hardly keep her from popping up in most of the chapters just because I want to write her.

I hope you continue to enjoy YLAF 💛

[oedipushansen]

Do you have any good YA recommendations that have actually dark themes or depict teenagers in a way that's even remotely realistic? I never read YA bc it always feels so fake but maybe I'm not looking in the right places

OKAY so. please hear me out bc im abt to recommend u a fanfiction series but i swear to god its very far removed from the source material so u can just like. read it on its own. it’s called twin skeletons (here’s the link), and i’m sure i’ve talked abt or at least mentioned it on my blog before but its just very very special to me !! it rlly feels like ur getting in the heads of these Awful teenagers and all of the subjects r dealt w/ in like. such a raw & unfiltered way in my opinion. it doesnt feel fake or preachy or like the reader is being talked down to or anything. the writing can be messy & imperfect bc its a fic from a couple years ago, but i still think its so so good and so worth it. the characters felt so real to me & it was dark & complicated & frustrating & it managed to stick w me years after reading it & i love it so much. i use it as a big inspiration for how i would want to write teenagers if i ever. like. actually got arnd to writing anything. maybe my own sentimental feelings r making me biased but god i just think its such an amazing coming of age story and the writer just Understands how teenagers think and act so well and u should absolutely read it if u want a realistic YA story

for actual published work, i have more trouble bc u r right! finding published YA that doesnt try to water things down can unfortunately be v difficult & most of these r just books i read in my school’s library or in the Teen Section of my local bookstore a long time ago & particularly stuck w/ me & some of them im not even like. That sure counts as YA i just know that im a Young Adult who read & enjoyed it & it was also abt Young Adults. maybe its cheating but i honestly dont think that whether or not its Officially Supposed to Be YA is that important, im assuming ur just trying 2 find good coming of age stories

these arent in any particular order im just listing off whatever i think

speak by laurie halse anderson

allegedly by tiffany d jackson

forgive me, leonard peacock by matthew quick

dare me by megan abbott

perks of being a wallflower by stephen chbosky

catcher in the rye by jd salinger (uve most likely already read this but it wouldn’t feel right to leave this classic out)

my heart & other black holes by jasmine warga (a little rushed at times but felt like a breath of fresh air after trying to read annoyingly pretentious trainwrecks like fault in our stars & all the bright places. does what those novels Tried to do but manages it well in my opinion)

these violent delights by micah nemerever (not considered YA lol but i asked the author personally & the characters r like. 16-17 for majority of it & its an incredible book that i want everyone to read anyway so! why not put it here)

my dark vanessa by kate elizabeth russell (definitely not supposed to be YA but a lot of it is from the perspective of a teenage girl & i can imagine it being in my school’s library & its very good & relatable so!! again why not put it here!!)

black iris by elliot wake (i think this is considered more new adult than YA but whatever)

fault line by christa desir

forbidden by tabitha suzuma

hell followed with us by andrew joseph white (not sure if u can call this realistic considering its fantasy but its dark & definitely YA & it has body horror & i liked it so it’s going in)

house of hollow by krystal sutherland (again, this is a fantasy, but i thought it was pretty good when i read it & its YA so it’s going in)

i’m somewhat delirious after taking a nap so im srry if this is like 97% of me just rambling or not making sense. i know our tastes r probably not the same so some of these (or just YA in general) may not be for u but i rlly hope u enjoy or appreciate any of these if u ever decide to read them <3

[pedro-pascal]

gruyere is my dad's favorite cheese! he's lowkey a junkie and eats like one pack per week lmao your opinion on gruyere and other cheese? (my new year resolution is trying more stuff ao feel free to recommend lol)

cheese is the only thing that france has done well along bread and butter!!! one thing i have noticed since i'm in poland is that they don't have much cheese but they especially don’t grated gruyère (which is a serious crime vjdhnbkjgdb) even the packed gruyere in french supermarkets are good and tasty even though they're not that great if you compare it to a real gruyère from a cheese shop

there's so many cheese that it's difficult to make a list without writing a whole ass dissertation so i guess get ready qvkjfdnfdkjnvfkdjnb

i personally prefer cow milk based cheese so my faves of all time mostly are cow milk based cheese:

Tête de Moine has been my favorite since I was little because you make funny curly heads with a machine! 

Saint-Félicien because it’s creamy and comforting

Saint-Marcelin is similar to Saint-Félicien 

Rocamadour also similar to the last two cheeses but it’s a little but smaller in size

Emmental is what we think gruyère is but it’s not. Emmental is a cheese with a lof of holes in it and it’s great and you can grate it on whatever you want and it will give it a little extra cheesy kick

Fontainebleau. I thought it was a dessert but apparently it’s a cheese. It’s basically crème fraiche but even more battered which gives it a whipped cream consistency. People eat it with fresh fruits but I prefer it with sugar! Apparently it’s a very specific and kinda secret recipe so you can’t find it everywhere  

Munster but when it’s leaky and creamy and it smells like feet 

Reblochon but you have cook it to make it extra better. My favorite recipe to do with a reblochon is a Tartiflette

Roquefort. It’s a little bit like gorgonzola or bleu and stronger. There’s fungus in it and it’s fantastic in a sauce  

Comté / Beaufort are very very famous cheese in France that you can eat when they are at different age which will give them a fruity to strong taste 

Raclette This should have its own section on its own because it’s so vast. Raclette is a whole ass dish as a whole. There’s also different type of raclette. The real/true Swiss method is to put half of a raclette cheese under a heating machine so it melts. In France (and Germany too), it’s more popular to have a big machine and everyone has their own little melting spatula.You have to make slices of raclette melt in your own little spatula and put in on your potato when it’s done. You also eat it with cured meet. Some people add pickles, tomatoes, mushrooms too. You can use different type of cheese when you do a raclette like this to diverse the thing. Popular ones are smoked raclette, wild garlic raclette, cumin raclette, truffle raclette, wild flowers raclette etc. Everyone eats their raclette differently which what makes it hilarious because I have coworker who just smashes everything together to make it some kind of insane pile lol. Along with fondue, it’s one of the only dish that you can have ‘together’ in France and it reminds me of the vibes you have when you eat Korean BBQ or hot pot   

Gruyère/Fondue Iconic dish. You melt the gruyère and emmental with any type of alcohol. Most of the time it’s white wine but my friends and I tried it with beer and it’s fantastic. Like I said before it’s one of the only dish that you can ‘share’ in France. It’s an iconic dish in France as there’s a very popular movie called French Fried 2 aka Les Bronzés Font Du Ski where in a scene, someone pranks everyone when they put dental file in the fondue because it looks similar to the melted cheese and everyone is enraged by it haha

Halloumi is awesome if you want to replace meet or fish. I just cook it in a fry pan until it’s golden. I usually do it with potatoes for breakfast when I feel like it!  

You probably know those because they are popular but I also like Brie, Camembert, Mozarella (when they are of good quality they’re fantastic), Parmesan

These other cheese are not my favorites but they’re also very good and worth trying if you’re into cheese:  Epoisses, Mont d’Or, Sainte Maure, Pont-l'Évêque, Maroilles, Cabecou, Cantal, Coulommiers, Crottin du Chavignol, Livarot, Mimolette, Morbier, Tomme de Savoie

Also worth mentioning: supermarket cheese. They’re def not the best cheese in the world but you might find them more easily and they have a nostalgic effect: Caprice des Dieux, Boursin, Leerdammer, Babybel (my favorite is the emmental one), La Vache Qui Rit aka. The Laughing Cow