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asliceofzosan · 6 months

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in which Zoro takes the blame for not paying for the food at the Baratie (sequel to Sanji witnessing the riceball incident in Shells Town)

Ribeye steaks piled one on top of the other, a massive helping of mashed potatoes with boatloads of gravy, salads, soups, and fancy dishes with names Zoro can't pronounce — all made up the massively long order list that he knows Luffy has not a single Berry to his name to pay with.

Zoro looks around the place, tuning out the story of the giant goldfish that Usopp has told them before, his eyes resting on the blonde waiter flitting about and flirting with every woman at every table.

Sanji was his name. Zoro didn't recognize it. But when he arrived to their table and saw Zoro, it looked like their resident waiter recognized him. Zoro's reputation in the East Blue is not a laughing matter, so it didn't bother him at first. But the way Sanji stared at him, wide blue eyes and with a touch of a smile on his lips, told Zoro that there's something a lot more than recognition swimming in that man's head.

He can't put a finger on what it is exactly though. It's driving him crazy.

"Waiter, can I get a beer and something for my friends?"

Sanji turns to him and nearly steps back in shock. Zoro quirks an eyebrow, confused and a little annoyed. He wore his best clothes today (Captain's orders). And he's pretty sure he even took his mandatory once-a-week bath before they went inside (Nami's orders). Still the waiter looked at him like Zoro had grown a second head. Like he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

"Maybe there really is something wrong with your eye," Zoro muses, crossing his arms as Sanji quickly straightens his posture and shoves his hands into his pockets. "Got a problem with me, waiter?"

Sanji coughs out a laugh. Zoro notes with narrowed eyes that there is the slightest tint of pink coloring his cheeks. Is he blushing? The fuck?

"None at all, sir. I think I was just seeing things." The look in the waiter's eyes betrays his statement but Zoro chooses to say nothing. With a practiced smile, he turns back to Nami and asks her how she'd like her water that makes Zoro stare at him this time like he's grown a second head.

"And um..." Zoro is surprised Sanji hasn't left yet and is once again directly addressing him. "We have a few specialty riceballs not on the menu today. I'll bring them out... on the house."

Without even explaining what the fuck that meant, Sanji turns on his heels and beelines straight for the kitchen.

"I think Nami's boyfriend might be yours too, Zoro." Usopp teases him with a snicker and the glare he gives him is sharper than the blades of his swords.

Now, here Zoro is, letting Ussop's words affect him more than they have any right to as he downs his third bottle of beer.

The specialty rice balls haven't come out yet. Zoro's starting to think it's just a sick joke. But he doesn't let it get to him. Or tries to. Why offer free food when you can't deliver on it? Fucking ridiculous. And no, it's not like he suddenly craved rice balls when the blasted waiter mentioned them. That's not it at all. Bullshit.

"Didn't the waiter said he's coming by with rice balls?" Zoro finally snaps and the conversation his crew was having died down immediately at his statement. Ah fuck. He probably should have just kept his mouth shut because Nami was now looking at him with a shit-eating grin not entirely unlike the one he gave her when he teased her before the meal.

"How would you like them, oh great swordsman?" She teases with a glint in her eye. She cups her cheeks with her hands in delight at the irritated snarl Zoro gives her.

"With or without seaweed?" Ussop chimes in.

"Cubed or crushed?"

"Fuck off," Zoro hisses between his teeth. Nami and Ussop share a look before bursting into laughter. Zoro looks over at Luffy who was swinging his feet and obliviously sipping his milk. When Luffy makes eye contact with him, he just tilts his head with wide blank eyes and it makes Zoro question all his life choices.

"You wanna ask him?" Luffy says, already clamoring over the booth and waving at the object of Zoro's unexplained irritation. Zoro sinks into the seat as Sanji approaches with the bill for their meal.

"Your bill, sir."

"Zoro's asking if you're gonna bring the rice balls you promised." Zoro just stared up at the ceiling and thought of a million different ways to cut a hole into the floor so that the ocean could take him.

There is a headache inducing silence that follows Luffy's question. Zoro can't help but finally look at the waiter and he doesn't know how to explain the feeling that bubbles up when they make direct eye contact. Maybe it's indigestion. It's probably indigestion.

Instead of bringing up the damn rice balls, Zoro just grabs the tray with the bill from Luffy's hand. Just as expected, his annoyingly endearing captain put down an I.O.U for the ridiculously long list of food they ordered. Several possible scenarios could happen from this. And Zoro doesn't want to think about Luffy wreaking havoc in someone else's kitchen.

With a deep sigh through his nose and a knowing look at Nami, Zoro wrote down his own name in place of Luffy's.

"Zoro, what—" Luffy almost took the bill back when Zoro stood up and handed it directly to the waiter, who looked just as dumbfounded as the rest of them.

"If your head chef's got a problem with that, he can talk to me directly. Tell him that for me, won't you?" Sanji takes the bill, reads what's written, and there's a phantom lurch in his chest that happens when Sanji looks up at him and smiles. Zoro doesn't want to describe it. He'll allow himself to firmly believe that it's a side effect of eating too much food. It's indigestion. You're just constipated. Never mind that the feeling is most prominent in his chest and not his stomach.

"Of course, sir." Sanji purrs and the sound runs like a cold river down Zoro's spine. There's a hint of mischief in the gleam of his visible eye. Every instinct in Zoro tells him it's dangerous. He should take his crew out of here, onto the Merry, and run.

But he stays rooted to the spot, wrist limp on the hilt of his sword, as he watches that damn waiter walk away from him.

"WHO THE HELL IS RORONOA ZORO?!"

The steady routine of washing the dishes helps quiet Zoro's racing mind.

It's a very welcome distraction. The clinking of the ceramic against metal utensils provides a cacophonous symphony that helps drown out all of Zoro's waking thoughts. The sooner he starts to think, the sooner he starts to notice how that stupid fucking waiter has just been sitting at the table behind him, cursing Zoro with his mere presence.

Scrub scrub scrub...

"You sure you don't want any help?"

Scrub scrub rinse...

"No."

Scrub rinse dry...

"I really have nothing better to do."

Zoro's eye twitches.

"Good for you."

A long silence follows this and Zoro thinks the waiter finally gave up. That was until...

"Are you still mad about the rice balls?"

"Oh my god!" Zoro nearly slams a pile of dishes onto the floor. He turns to Sanji, who is just casually smoking at the table, and stomps over to him. Once he was right in front of him, Zoro snarls at him, one hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Talk about those damn rice balls one more time, I'm gonna chop your head clean off for them to use in tomorrow's ramen stock."

Sanji blinks, then turns his head to the side to blow smoke away from Zoro. Zoro tries to convince himself that he isn't staring at the way Sanji's lips purse around the cigarette in the process.

"I can still make you the rice balls," Sanji says without a single ounce of fear in his body. "I just couldn't do it while the old man was around." He then stands up and steps around Zoro with a practiced grace. "Are you willing to wait ten minutes?"

"I'm not hungry," Zoro hisses but his stomach betrays him with a loud grumble. He's been washing dishes for so many hours. He probably missed dinner.

Then, as Zoro straightens his posture, Sanji does it again — he smiles and Zoro doesn't know what to do.

"Sit." Sanji gently nudges a chair out with his foot. It lands perfectly in front of Zoro at a perpendicular angle. "I'll have them out in five."

"You said ten minutes." Zoro found himself saying, only to be contradictory. Sanji laughs this time and the resulting smile pierces Zoro's heart with a million cursed swords.

"When someone's hungry, I feed them." Sanji says simply and that's the statement that ends their conversation. Zoro still refuses to sit on the chair, instead finding himself gravitating towards the counter that Sanji was preparing his ingredients at and leaning against the marble.

Before Sanji found them at their table, he brought down a marine and a fearsome pirate with just his feet. Zoro was fascinated by his fighting style even if he didn't want to admit it out loud. But he's always been curious. Especially now, with Sanji whipping out the sharpest knives and using them effortlessly as Zoro would wield the Wado Ichimonji.

"You're good with knives," Zoro says before he could stop himself. Sanji chuckles.

"Of course, I am. I'm a chef. Best one in the East Blue."

"What's a chef doing waiting tables, then?"

"Cause I was kicked off the line this morning. It's a weekly occurrence, nothing special." The way Sanji scrapes his ingredients into a bowl betrayed how he felt about it despite his nonchalance. "I can cook better dishes than everyone in this damn kitchen but Zeff refuses to acknowledge that. It's always 'your food is crap', 'slice those carrots thinner', or 'needs more fucking oregano—"

Sanji throws the knife onto the cutting board, its tip now embedded neatly straight down the middle. It stood perfectly still, like it was afraid of what Sanji could do if he added more pressure. Zoro raised an eyebrow, looking up at the now irritated cook with a smirk.

"Sorry," Sanji mumbles, taking the knife and cleaning it carefully with a cloth. Zoro says nothing. He just props his elbow on the counter and places his chin into his hand as he watches Sanji in his element. Eventually, it's down to just shaping the rice balls with his hands and Zoro asks the question that poked at his mind during Sanji's mini outburst.

"If you're so dissatisfied cooking here why don't you just leave?"

Sanji pauses. His head is down, his blonde fringe obscuring one eye as his fingers twitch against the rice ball.

"It's not about that."

"Yeah?" Zoro leans as close as he could get with the counter between them. Sanji still refuses to look up. "A hot-headed cook who claims to be the best in the East Blue settling down here — where he is not head chef — is as contradictory as it gets."

"You don't know–" Sanji snaps but stops himself immediately. He looks up to glare at Zoro through narrowed eyes. "You don't know why I still stay."

"Enlighten me then, cook." Zoro leans his hip against the counter. "Because really, someone as good as you claim to be has got to have some ambitions. Dreams." Zoro holds the man's gaze. "Do you hate the old man?"

"No!" Sanji counters immediately. "The man fucking raised me. I owe him my goddamn life!"

"Owing him your life isn't the same as giving up your life to work at a restaurant that barely lets you cook."

"You don't know shit!" Sanji nearly slams his fist down on the counter, pointing a finger at Zoro with his face beet red. "This restaurant was his dream—"

"But is it your dream?"

Silence. Total utter silence.

Where color is nothing but a dark void of black and grey, a sea of blue greets him from the pages. Vivid pink skies and tangerine mangroves burst to life. All types of fish swim in his mind's eye but if he reaches out to touch them, it certainly should be real. A phantom breeze kisses his cheeks and water laps at his feet. He's drowning but he swims in delight. He's falling but he feels the clouds cushion him with warmth.

There is a vast ocean out there, one that contains delicacies and species from all four seas. Creatures of every kind, spices that have never been tasted.

The All Blue.

In Sanji's world of black and white — he strives to find the one place that's in screaming color.

There are tears in Sanji's eyes before Zoro could comprehend what was going on. But he wipes them away before he can get a good look at him. The kitchen was quiet around them. The only sound peeking through was the faint music from the bar outside. Though Zoro's heartbeat was louder in his ears than his own breathing.

But he could hear each footstep Sanji takes, the scrape of the plate as it's pushed in Zoro's direction, and the click click of Sanji's lighter as he helps himself to another cigarette. Zoro looks down and sees the rice balls presented in front of him — three heaping helpings, all coated in a different topping, all different flavors.

Zoro takes one.

And it's the best rice ball he's ever had in his life.

"I have a dream," Sanji murmurs, cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. One glance and Zoro could see that whatever his dream is... it still burns like molten lava in the heart of this chef. "I'd just rather give up on it than die searching for mine."

Zoro swallows, turns around, and takes the cigarette from Sanji. The ashes fall into his palm, its embers dimming as he squishes it between his fingers.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Zoro says, looking up to make eye contact with Sanji. He can see it almost immediately — the longing for something that seems near impossible to achieve, the acceptance that it's hopeless — but Zoro sees it, clear as day, that the flickering flame of hope still shines in Sanji's eyes. That he's just waiting for his sign to let it once again consume his soul in a roaring fire, brighter than even the sun could be.

Zoro wants to see him shine.

"Come meet my captain," Zoro instinctively wraps his hand around Sanji's wrist. Surprisingly, Sanji doesn't pull back. "I think he'd really like to get to know you."

Sanji doesn't protest.

Zoro takes the rice balls to go.

Never waste food.

#niki's fics: debt and doing dishes #one piece #sanji #roronoa zoro #opla #zosan #one piece live action #nami #ussop #monkey d luffy #MY GUYS IT GOT SO LONG I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A PART THREE #roronoa zoro x vinsmoke sanji #zoro x sanji #fic series: it all started with a dirty rice ball

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dancinglikebutterflywings · 2 months

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A Pleasant Surprise | Kim Hongjoong

Pairing: Kim Hongjoong x Fem!reader

Request: from anon.

Summary: Hongjoong's growing family visit him on tour.

Warnings: Pregnancy. Wooyoung 'kidnapping' their daughter.

Word Count: 1,003

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“Appa!” Ha-Joon excitedly calls out to her father from her Uncle Yunho's shoulders. The kind-hearted giant gently lifts her off his shoulders and places her on the ground, while Hongjoong turns around upon hearing his daughter's familiar voice. His eyes widen with surprise as she rushes towards him. As soon as she reaches him, he scoops her up in his arms, showering her with hugs and kisses. The three-year-old bursts into giggles.

"I'll give you some alone time," Yunho says, wanting to give the little family some space.

"Thank you, Yunho," Y/N expresses her gratitude and walks over to her husband as he leaves to go back to the rest of the guys.

“Isn’t this a pleasant surprise,” Hongjoong smiles, greeting her with a kiss. “I thought you couldn’t get time off work?”

“I managed to find someone to cover for me,” she tells him. “I just have to get you all to sign her daughter’s album.” She pats her handbag, letting him know she’s got it with her.

“We can do that,” he smiles and kisses her once more. "I've missed both of you," he says, playfully tickling their daughter. Ha-Joon lets out loud giggles as she squirms in his arms.

“We miss-” Y/N's words are abruptly interrupted by Wooyoung’s loud high-pitched voice, echoing through the auditorium as he calls out to their daughter.

“JJoon-ie! Kim Ha-Joon-ie!”

Ha-Joon claps her hands in delight, unable to contain her excitement at seeing her favourite uncle. She loves and adores all her uncles and has a very special bond with them, but there is something extra special about her bond with Wooyoung, which earned him the title of godfather much to the others’ dismay.

“Uncle Youngie!” she shouts back to him as she scrambles out of her father's arms and runs towards her favourite uncle.

“You couldn’t wait five more minutes?” Hongjoong says, annoyed.

“I’ll give her back in an hour or two,” he says and walks away. “Say bye to Eomma and Appa!”

“Bye, Appa, Eomma!” Ha-Joon waves her tiny hand at her parents over Wooyoung’s shoulder as they disappear behind the stage.

“I should text Seonghwa to make sure they don’t get into too much trouble,” Hongjoong says pulling out his phone and sending a message to right hand man.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” she tries to reassure her husband who did this every time Wooyoung looks after their little girl.

"You know how mischievous they can be," Hongjoong replies, his worry evident in his voice.

"I know, but he loves her just as much as we do," she says, trying to ease his concerns. "He always makes sure she's safe and doesn’t get into too much trouble."

“I should also tell them not to eat too much candy. I don’t want her having a sore stomach like last time,” he adds.

“Baby,” she says taking his face in her hands and making focus on her and not his phone. “They’ll be fine.”

Hongjoong nods, reluctantly accepting her reassurance, but he can't help but worry. Being a father has made him more protective than ever.

“You’re right,” he sighs. “How have you been? Has the sickness eased off yet? Has Eomma been helping?” he questions placing a hand on her lower stomach, feeling the small bump that’s now forming.

Hongjoong feels bad that he can’t be with her during this time. After almost missing the birth of his daughter he vowed never to miss any of his other children’s births. Her being pregnant at the start of their tour meant he had more of a chance at being home for this one’s birth. But still, it didn’t make him feel any better that he was missing appointments, feeling and watching her bump form and being there for her during this time.

“It’s eased off a lot. I’m still a little nauseous. Eomma has been wonderful. She’s practically living at our house, helping with the chores, looking after Ha-Joon, making sure we have plenty of food and are eating well,” she assures him. “Your brother has even stopped by a few times to take Ha-Joon to the park.”

“I hate that I can’t be there,” he says with a mix of emotions.

"We're managing, don't worry," she attempts to reassure him again.

"But I do worry," he admits, his voice filled with longing. "I want to be there for every moment. I want to hold your hand during the ultrasounds and see our little moving about,” he continues, taking one of your hands in his. “I want see our child grow inside you and feel him kick for the first time."

She reaches out and takes his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I know, Hongjoong. I want you there too, but we knew this was a possibility. And it’s okay. You’re doing what you love, and I support you all the way."

He nods, understanding her words but still feels a pang of guilt. "I just don't want you to feel like you’re alone and like I'm not there for you."

She smiles softly, eyes filled with nothing but love. “I have never felt that way. And I’m not alone. We have an amazing support system back home and even though we’re not physically together while you’re away, you’ve always been there for me."

“When you go back home, I want photos and videos every day. I want to see the bump grow, I want to see the ultrasounds and everything I’m missing while I’m not there,” he tells her.

“I can do that,” she smiles, feeling herself get emotional.

“Good,” he hugs her and kisses the side of her head. Letting her go, he says, “I think it’s been an hour.”

Confused, she looked at the time, seeing that only 10 minutes had passed. “It’s only been 10 minutes.”

“Wooyoung can look after her later,” he says wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leads her out of the auditorium. “Right now, I want to be with both my girls.” '

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Likes, Comments & Reblogs are welcomed and appreciated.

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chenyann · 1 year

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Kiss me like you mean it!!

All NRC Boys♡

|°Rumor:Seems like you're stuck under the mistletoe with some certain boys~ let's see how this goes shall we? |°Rumor warning:gn!reader, cussing, kissing,suggestive(?) But still sfw,ooc(?),Spelling error and othro is platonic as always. |°Ads:I know I havent done half of the list of the count down! But things down go as planned sometimes. I hope yall enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it! [Countdown list here!] (Also if I hear about how this is one day late I'm gonna steal ur fridge)

Riddle!

He wouldn't be the one to point it out so if you want to kiss him you will have to tell him what yall are standing under.

Once you do tell him, he just blinks.

You're just standing there like a fool.

“Riddle, you don't need to” you muttered as you waited, there is a giant elephant in the room and its that mistletoe. If that mistletoe wasn't there you wouldn't have asked and embarrassed yourself. “Riddle….?”

you were embarrassed okay, I would be embarrassed too if I told someone there was a mistletoe, implying that I wanna kiss them and they just stay quiet. Making me look stupid while I wait for a reply.

“NO.”

Don't think he won't, because after you told him he didn't need to, made it a challenge. He is swallowing his pride and he is gonna kiss you gosh-darn-it!

He is giving the quickest peck on the corner of your lips and bolting away with the excuse that he saw ace breaking rule 147.

(Ace didn't do anything plz go help him)

Trey!

Oh he noticed it

He just stands there not knowing what to do.

Should he give you a kiss??? Should he ask you??? Should he just not?? Guys, is he panicking???

Cater is in the corner just giving him a thumbs up-

Cater isn't helpful at all during this situation-

Then you make the situation worse by pointing it out

Should he just????

He asks if he can kiss you [“omg but i hate tr*y, I would never” I don't wanna hear this grinch haired man slander again]

Once you give him consent he will give you an alright kiss-

It's kinda messy and quick, he kind of kissed more of your cheek than your lips but hey it's a start.

Would 100% move his glasses as a way to play it off. Lucky for him Cater comes by and saves the day before trey embarrasses himself-

“Seems like Cater needs me for something. I'll talk to you later.”

Ace!

The most smug grin is on his face when he noticed the mistletoe.

“Oh, y/n~” Ace teased while pointing up towards the mistletoe. He kept eye contact while he kept joking about his cheek kiss.

He has zero shame.

That is until you actually give him a cheek kiss, how he is as silent as a mouse after you made the move. Until he realized he could have actually gotten a kiss on the lips.

Before you walk away he grabs your hand, omg this is ur main character moment!!

He doesn't say anything.

He just stands there like a little goober^^ (plz have someone help him)

After standing there for five minutes he finally says something,“Another…….” you're there just processing it. Did he really just ask- no…demand another kiss???

Yes. Yes he did. When you comply and give him another kiss he is happy as a claim!

He will tease you ALOT though-

“wow y/n, YOU wanted to kiss me that badly huh” he teased with a giant smile, pink tinted his ears and cheeks but it seemed like he hasn't noticed it yet.

But if you love him enough try not to mind it, it's out of love promise<3

Deuce!

he won't notice? I think ??? It's half-half I'm sure he would but another part of me thinks so-

So for the sake of the headcanon I will say that you noticed before he did!

Once you point it out he is like: Oh! Oh……

That's the best way I can explain it-

If YOU give him a kiss (which you should bc I don't think he will be able to give you one) he will be very happy! He will also say you didn't need to, but deep down he was hoping to kiss you one way or another.

Tells his mom about it, his mom is delighted to hear about how his love life is going!!! Suddenly he has to go bc his mum is calling him.

“Oh, thank you y/n but my mom is calling bye!”

Cater!

Cater will pretend not to notice it.

But if you do ask him first he will pretend that he just saw it.

“Oh! Y/nnie I didn't even notice it!”

I think he would ask you where you want to be kissed and if you wanna be kissed because he is very supportive of consent! (Consent is cool guys)

Makes it the most hallmark type of kiss he can. He will hold your cheek with his hand, maybe even brush some hair away from your face, even go as far to hold your waist???

All I'm saying is he will make you feel like you are the center of the universe. That you are the most special person in this domain.

“Well did you enjoy cay cay's little treat?” Cater teased with his signature smile, he grabbed your hand and gave it a quick kiss before running off. “I HOPE YOU DID, BUT CAY CAY JUST SAW A PERFECT PHOTO OPPORTUNITY BYE BYE!”

Leona!

He actually fell asleep under it. But he still points it out while you're under it- “herbivore, look up.” oh he enjoyed how the expression of your face changed so quickly.

I honestly think he doesn't really care about these things, he just wants to toy with you. So if you were to give him a kiss, he wouldn't care that much about it.

But if you demand a kiss that's when he is a bit cocky and much more awake. “The herbivore is finally getting bold huh?” he teased, with half lidded eyes as if he was falling asleep. Oh he will make you work for that kiss y/n, he will tell you to bring him a drink and maybe some food, trying turning the music down ect ect.

But after all that work he will give you a kiss, but not on the lips tho…

He will kiss the corner of your lips just to play with ya!

If you want a more proper kiss be ready to do more chores though, but hey ruggie seems to like that idea he is already hitting the buffet table!!

Once you do those chores (again) He will give you a kiss on the lips, not too quick but not too long. It wasn't enjoyable when Leona started to pinch you though-

After all of that Leona just goes to his room to sleep because the party is too loud.

Ruggie!

He is doing things for Leona, getting some random loose change that fell off the floor and checking out the buffet– so to put it in simple terms he is busy, but that doesn't mean he isn't observant. Oh he noticed that mistletoe, yes and he has a great plan. *add grinch smile here*

“Y/n! There is a spot right here” ruggie shouts as he sees you wandering around like a headless chicken. “Thanks ruggie” you said as you sat down with him.

He is gonna play off that he didn't just trick you to sit under the mistletoe with him, after sometime of silence he speaks up about the mistletoe.

You're just looking up thinking about how you didn't notice it-

If you give him a cheek kiss he would be okay with it, he won't pester you into giving him a kiss on the lips but he really wished you did.

BUT IF YOU GAVE HIM A KISS ON THE LIPS HOOT DOGGY, he is very happy about it!!! His ears are perked up while he mutters incoherent words.

Then the moment gets ruined by Leona texting him, you can hear a faint “really now Leona” from ruggie yet in the end he complies, but not before giving you another sweet peck on the lips!

Jack!

I don't think he will really notice-

But he does notice it when you walk under it and comment on the decor.

He will actually comment on it now. Like oh! A mistletoe-

After getting some courage he will ask if you want to be kissed but it's somewhat shy, like there will be moments where he goes silent because he doesn’t know how to explain properly.

His kisses are actually very sweet, it's quick yet filled to the brim with love. Jack will also scowl at anyone who makes jokes about you.

I feel like he would want to keep that moment to himself, that is until he heard the not so hushed whispers of a group of first years.

“see, he did it pay up ace” “Epel you cheated!” Ace mumbled by the booth, Deuce looked at those two and back at yall hoping yall won't hear them. “I DONT GET THE PLEASURE PEOPLE GET BY THIS” you heard sebeks booming voice say, Jack sighed as he walked off rubbing the back of his neck.

Azul!

This party is at the monstro lounge. He knows every little thing that was set up here and- WHY IS THERE A MISTLETOE IN HERE!?

Azul avoids it like the plague, he won't take it off mid party because people seem to enjoy it (pretend they're females there too) but it doesn't help when the Leech twins start pestering him about it-

“Azul did you put that up..?” one asked while the other butted in “You should go under it with shrimpy!” Azul felt years fly off his life trying to explain to those two– well, mainly just floyd. But jade wasn't any better!

Now here he is under the mistletoe with you, like he is feeling like he is the center of attention and that there are eyes staring holes through him. When in reality he is just very nervous.

You just point out the mistletoe and then he starts panicking.

(Side note if you want someone to leave you alone just start acting crazy. "THERE'RE IN THE WALLS, CHECK THE WALLS!" They are going to leave you alone, or call the police but at least you're not with them anymore)

You will have to be the one to kiss him. But first, consent- listen this man is literally having a panic attack, calm him down, inform him that nobody is judging him and then ask for consent. Your first priority is to calm him down and your last one is that kiss.

“ummmmmmm……..” Azul said after you asked him, his eyes dart around making sure that nobody is watching him- he kept silent until he slowly nodded.

When you kiss him he kisses back, azul is no longer tense and he is mainly just sinking into the kiss. That was until yall heard a certain pair of eels snickering to themselves and whispering (very loud) to each other.

Azul adjusts his glasses before stomping to them and dragging those two in the vip room. Likely to try to lecture them (he fails)

Azul kissing you was actually quite soft and cute, he was a little timid at first but then got more bold with time.

Jade!

Don't kiss him. Just don't. He will point out the mistletoe but just run away.

“Oh look, it seems we are under a mistletoe” he teased you with a sharp tooth grin, a grin that said he was up to something.

You're just looking around confused.

He would make you kiss him, or maybe he would kiss you if he was feeling nice-

(the short y/ns)

Of course you would give him a little kiss kiss, but he doesn't help one bit. You are trying to kiss him but he doesn't lean down, he doesn't offer you a boost. He won't help you one bit, he just looks down at your suffering with a grin. HE THINKS ITS FUNNY!?

You were just there hopping until you finally gave up, but no. Jade will finally give you a kiss and it's a good one too trust me. He may just nibble your lip to keep you on your toes, he will pull back slightly so you can feel his breath on your lips. Was it worth it though???

(For the tall y/ns)

He will just swoop down and kiss you, again another hallmark kisser. But of course he will tease you, before actually kissing you. When he does kiss you, he will kiss your hand and try to walk away. But if you really want a proper kiss you will have to stop him and demand a kiss, because he won't do it unless you stop him. When he swoops down and kisses you he will also nibble your lip and maybe even hold your wrist for a good measure.

He then walks away before you can say anything, walks away to his little gossip group (Azul and floyd).

But nonetheless that kiss was honestly very nice, short yet nice, perfect but not robotic. Honestly it felt quite amazing.

“jade where were you?” Azul asked with his eyebrow raised, jade puts on his usual business smile while looking back at you still under that mistletoe. “I have no idea what you mean Azul, I was with you this whole time.”

Floyd!

He is definitely the one that points it out.

Another one with no shame.

He is very much demanding a kiss, his mood will change quickly once you say yes-

“Awww koebi-chan you're so sweeettttt!” Floyd said as he slicked his arm around your shoulders from behind, “floyd if you keep standing behind me I can't kiss you” you muttered as you squirmed around in his hold.

(For the short y/ns)

He will be kind and lean down for you, unlike another eel we know. But he will actually pick you up because he was quote-on-quote tired of leaning down.

So now you're just being held, the kiss had ended three minutes ago but floyd just slung you over his shoulder and now you're stuck there.

(For the tall y/ns)

He will look at you waiting for you kiss him and when you do he is enjoying it! His kiss is very greedy and sloppy. He also bit your lip multiple times-

But not when you go and pull away, now that's no fun. He would grab your hand so quickly and pull you back to him, then he hears Azul call for him. He picks you up and throws you over his shoulder and now yall are off to find his boss.

“ah there you are floyd– why is y/n on your shoulder?” Azul asked, “Oh hey Azul, can you tell floyd to put me down” you felt floyd's grip tighten as you asked Azul that. Floyd huffed and sat you down “you're no fun shrimpy”.

Promise to make it up to him later okay!

Kalim!

Oh kalim

The boy that is literally like the sun<3

He didn't notice because he was way too busy buzzing around going place to place greeting everyone! (Actually kalim is the host and he hosted it at the lounge-)

Jamil is somewhere we don't know where tho-

But as soon as kalim sees you minding your own business he goes straight to you, apologizing to everyone he bumped into while running towards your direction.

Oh he just loves seeing you at the parties he throws!

Seeing you at his events gives him such joy that nobody can compare too♡

“y/n! You made it!” kalim said, still quite far away from you. He is practically yelling across the room over everyone but nobody seems to have minded it. “Oh, hey kalim!” you said, watching him run towards you with a big smile. That was until he got hit in the face by a random plant-

…..

You're silent. He's silent…

“Oh y/n it's a mistletoe!” kalim beamed at the small plant. “Would you like your kiss?” you asked. Kalim of course said yes bc like??? Who wouldn't say yes???

He will giggle during the whole process because he is so happy! Once you get close enough he will hold your face in his hands. His kiss is very very sweet. It's like finding a warm sunny spot on a cold day. It's filled with happiness and lots of energy, he still has your face in his hold while yall pull away. But instead of letting go he showers you with little kisses across your face with a big smile on his.

That moment lasts a while until jamil comes out of nowhere-

“kalim I was looking for you” Jamil said after a long sigh, “Jamil guess what! There was a mistletoe and- ” kalim started but before he could finish Jamil cut him off. “We can talk about that later just hurry up and come with me”

He waves bye to you and everything<33

But someone help Jamil tho, he has had to listen to kalim go on and on about you for the past few hours-

Jamil!

Jamil is too busy getting gray hairs to notice a small plant hanging from who knows where.

So you will have to point it out y/nnie<3

If you do catching him on his break of babysitting kalim and just so happens he is under the mistletoe with you then you better speak up fast-

When you tell him he is a mix of embarrassed that he didn't notice it and like what do you mean by kiss?

“jamil look what we are standing under. '' You teased, he looked up and saw a small plant above yall that looked a little too similar to a mistletoe. “is that a mistletoe..?” he muttered to himself as he looked back at you patiently waiting for your little kiss kiss.

He complies after some convincing, his kisses are quite indescribable. It's soft yet quick, cool yet it has a venomous bite to it. There is no telling what he really is trying to convey with that kiss, at first.

After a few moments goes by and he gets out of his shell, his kiss becomes more tender and warm. To the point it felt scalding, not in a bad way, oh no. It felt like the warm sun had blessed you with its touch. You felt him get more bold in the kiss as he grabbed your hand.

That was until his perfect moment got crushed by kalim, he goes on auto pilot and tries to find him before he does something dumb-

Vil!

I think he would notice it, would he go and point it out tho? No, I didn't think so.

But when you somehow teleport near him and point it out that's when he shows interest.

Is this planned..?? Is it that you wanted to kiss him this while time and now was the prefect moment…?? Oh he is very smug now, you just unknowingly gave him an ego boost..

“Vil look we are under a mistletoe” you exclaimed with a smile, he looks back at you with a bit of suspension before looking up at the small plant. Could you have really planned all of this out….yes– just look at you being with joy about getting to kiss vil

“Y/n did you plan this” vil said with a smirk, amused at your attempt to get his attention. (Even tho you didn't even do anything and that you in fact didn't plan this) “no?” you said feeling a bit on the spot, “nonetheless ill play along” he says before gently grabbing your jaw.

He is a great kisser-

Guys we all know it, he is an actor and he sure as hell knows how to kiss someone and make it feel amazing.

He has grabbed your chin, looked deep into your eyes and gave you the most toe curling kiss ever. It made you feel like you are on cloud 9 with the most precious things in life! His kiss felt like the spring of life and you were in full bloom, it was soft and elegant, slow and passionate. It was certainly amazing.

He will tell you to run along after the kiss, it's not that he didn't like kissing you. He enjoyed it alot but what he isn't gonna enjoy are those rumors about him dating you but then again, he doesn't think they're half bad.

Epel!

He noticed it too, he was actually eyeing it for the past 10 minutes.

He is another one to have no shame-

He will see you by that mistletoe and he is sprinting to it just to get your kiss, he didn't want anyone else stealing that kiss.

“Oh hey epel-” you said as you saw him, okay epel act cool like you didn't notice it so y/n can kiss you.“We are under a mistletoe.” FUCK!

You look at him, he looks at you. It's awkward.

“Did you want a kiss?” you asked, epel just nodded and you took it as a yes. You give him a kiss on the cheek and-HOLD IT! don't act like you're about to get away with giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He is grabbing your wrist and demanding an actual kiss.

If you do give him a kiss on the lips he is very very happy

He also brags about it to the other first years but we won't get into all of that now ^^;

He will now ask for another kiss at the most random times just to show off to everyone.

Definitely tells and tries to get advice from his lovely granny<333

Rook!

He sees it, I actually think he was the first one to ever notice it being there. Now he has made it his mission to find out something he has been wondering for a long time.

Are your lips soft?

Listen it's not in a weird way okay, normally he can tell every little thing about everyone just by watching them but you, he just can't for some reason the only thing he can focus on is your lips.

He is like the human version of Pepé Le Pew with that mistletoe around.

So naturally he sets a trap for you like the amazing hunter he is!

“salut trickster! ” Rook says from right behind you, “Oh hey rook” you said as you finally noticed that he was behind you, you turned to look at him only to be met with a cheeky grin. “rook…? What are you up to? `` you asked, “non non mon ami, you wound me because I'm up to nothing!” Rook exclaimed with a fake pout, “mais.. (but) while I have you, I need your assistance with something.”

You knew Rook was up to no good when he asked that, but you agreed. Now here you are standing by a wall while Rook talks to vil about something.

Vil has no idea why rook is suddenly talking about how he reminds him of a peacock but he listens-

After rook is done with his little "chat" with vil he walks back to you but, oh my! Is that a mistletoe!

“Oh mon! It seems like we are under a mistletoe trickster!” Rook gasped, as he put his hand to his mouth. Acting as if he was in shock, he stared at you dramatically.

He feels so excited getting a kiss from you!!!! He is practically buzzing with excitement, his eyes are watching your every movement.

When you kiss him he is very happy.

He will be someone who makes the kiss special, it would be a little long so he can feel the softness of your lips a little longer, he will be the type to hold your chin.

Once yall pull away he is showering you with praise about how soft your lips are.

Then swoops away because he saw epel damaging his beauty-

Idia!

He didn't even come- so there is no headcanons

Well in some reality Ortho pulls out a giant beam and threatened idia to go to the party in person. This is how it would be like!

That mistletoe has to be in a corner because that's where idia has been this whole time. You walk up to him being the kind soul you are<3

He stinks of hot cheetos and energy drinks. I'm sorry yall didn't need to know that-

But nonetheless you wander up to him, that's when you notice it– the mistletoe.

“isn't that a mistletoe” you asked yourself, idia looks up at the plant as his eyes grew wide. “do you know what that means idia?” you teased, but when you looked back at him he was even more pressed on the corner. You noticed how it looks like he was shaking.

“Idia don't worry I was just joking with you ” you tried to calm him down the best you could, but his hair kept on flaming one-hundred shades.

It was tense as you sat in silence in that corner.

He looks at you and you look at him, like does he think you're about to do something to him???😭

Yall just stare at each other.

“Idia…?” you asked as he started mumbling nonsense like “this so isn't a pro gamer move-” “I'm acting alot like Kari from Kairi won't speak because he is shy, yet gets a harem for some reason now someone tells how he did it ” “please I probably look so cringe..” He then went silent for a moment before hardly saying “...but this is my chance to be harmi from romantic hot boys academy club for the rich.”

Does he want the kiss or not???? He is sending mixed signals!!!!

“idia do want me to kiss you or not” Listen, you are getting fed up with waiting, does he want to smooch you or not!?

He just looks around. Is he ignoring you? Kinda. He is just check if everyone is judging him or not, he then speaks: “yeah sure whatever”

That was a quick mood change. You suddenly get close and whoop his hair is now pink again.

You give him a peck and his head just flings away as soon as yall touch lips. “you must have low standards to kiss me lol”

Did he just insult you….?

“So I have low standards for liking you? I have low standards by wanting to kiss you”

He is now just a bubbling mess, his hair is wild pink and it almost feels scalding. He didn't expect you to answer like that. He is muttering incoherent things under his breath as he walked away-

Ortho!

ORTHO IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE PLATONIC

he does notice it and he will tell you.

You give him a little smooch on the forehead and next thing you know he is gone. He is just with idia trying to get him to stand under the mistletoe so he can have a forehead kiss too<3

Actually his battery went up by 13 percent when you gave him that forehead kiss.

[Cue idia being dragged across the room by a small robot boy “Nii Chan, you are going under that mistletoe.”]

Malleus!

Oh he saw it, but he doesn't really know what it's used for? You being the kind soul you are, you explained to him that he has to kiss you.

He isn't saying no

In Fact he will kiss you with no shame.

Another hallmark kisser, but this one brings off more of a black and white 1900s drama kisser. He is holding your chin, looking into your eyes and smiling down at you.

Will kiss you in the most gentle yet greedy way he could, he will pull away once you are out of breath.

“Did I do it correctly, child of a man?” he mumbled not too far from your lips, his eyes had a certain glint watching your every move as you felt your face get hot. “yeah…” you muttered.

Now everyone is looking at yall bc you just kissed THE MALLEUS DRACONIA, *cue a crying screaming sebek*.

He will just be on his way acting like it wasn't a big deal, he doesn't understand why everyone is looking at you and him strange because he thinks that kissing under that plant was normal.

“child of a man, why is everyone staring at us like that?” Malleus asks with a hint of sadness in his voice, “Maybe because you kissed me?” he sat there and thought about what you said for a moment then spoke again: “So I did it wrong.” There was a small frown present on his face, “no Malleus, you didn't do it wrong.. it's just that you're a prince so you can do limited things in public.” you said, Malleus sat there for a moment before speaking “public, so I'll have to kiss you in private?......then meet me in my room in an hour, I'll be waiting for you.”

Would tell Lilia about it even though he was not too far away watching yall-

Lilia!

He knew it was there, because he was the one to put it up there-

Actually he even lead you under it and pretended not to know it was there😭

“Oh my, y/n look at what we're standing under! Fufufu, you know what that means right~”

He gives you the most toe curling kiss, I swear those 100+ years of life gave him some kissing skills.

He will grab your jaw, maybe even play with your hair, he will also let his hand trace your torso to tease you. But not once will he pull away from that kiss, he will likely pull away when you squirm abit too much.

You're just gasping for air-

“fufufu, y/n~! You didn't inform me you can kiss quite good”

He then went off somewhere when you weren't looking, but don't worry he will come back to tease you later.

Silver!

He accidentally fell asleep under it, bless his heart. He was trying to stay up so badly too<33

Lilia had you look for silver because he didn't want him getting trampled-

“ah there you are, sliver- sliver wake up…?” you said as you patted him awake, his eyes softly opened as he looked up at you. “Are you alright?” Silver nodded in response to your question, he sat up and whiped the tiredness from his eyes as he observed his surroundings.

He then finds the mistletoe, I think he is the type to point it out nonchalantly-

Then you noticed it, if he asks you if you wanted to kiss him nod yes trust me you won't be disappointed!

If you do say yes, he will hold you ever so slightly and kiss you. The kiss is long but light, sloppy yet sweet. He will place his hand over yours for a sweet moment.

He then hears sebek yelling for him so he has to go.

“Bye y/n, we will talk later” he said as he kissed your hand and disappeared in the crowd.

Sebek!

He is one to notice it but act like it isn't there. I also think he wouldn't really care about human traditions unless Malleus is actually very fond of them, that's when he showed interest and his surprising vast knowledge of human traditions that his father likely showed him.

But then Lilia points it out (and has to explain the concept to sebek)

He is very loud about the whole thing. "I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO KISS YOU HUMAN" He yelled, making half of the room stare at yall like you're some weirdos for announcing it.

Very bold until he actually has to kiss you. When the time comes he is kinda a mess, but being a knight (in training) of lord Malleus he has to do it (he doesn't) He is under the thought of 'Lilia told me about it so he obviously wants me to kiss this human and follow the tradition.' And he isn't really the wrong, Lilia just wants some drama tonight and what better cup of tea is sebek having is first kiss with the magicless ramshackle prefect<3

Gives you a quite nice kiss on the corner of your lips and bolts away.

“I HAVE TO GO SEE IF WAKA SAMA IS ALRIGHT!”

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wlwinry · 26 days

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could i know more of your thistlecaster thoughts/any hc’s??

YES sorry ive become insufferable about them im gonna list off everything off the top of my head

classic example of fell first/fell harder. after the breakup w zelda gorgug sorta gradually spirals into being in love w fabian but he's very much like "im not gonna put my crush on him, i'll tell him at some point but i don't wanna mess things up" and he's very...not casual but not constantly freaking out about it. meanwhile fabian gets hit by the metaphorical "in love with gorgug" bus and proceeds to be so uncool about it to the point where everyone BUT gorgug notices his crush. it's the "leans against a vending machine and breaks it" scene w mazey but 10x worse

they spar A Lot, because they're the two main melee fighters/the ones who don't rely heavily on spellcasting in combat, which means they work together on the field A Lot. as such they're very good at reading each other's body language

PDA couple alert. not to trackerbees levels there is no 69ing on the battlefield but fabian is constantly holding gorgug's hand or leaning against his side and gorgug is constantly hugging fabian from behind or resting his chin on his head. fabian is touch-starved (hallariel isn't exactly the cuddling type and bill's physical affection tends to come in random bone-cracking bursts) and just sort of melts into gorgug

he also melts into gorgug bc gorgug is very earnest and sweet and fabian "expressing genuine vulnerability is dangerous" does not know how to process this other than by becoming a ball of deeply enamored mush

you've never seen someone give as many gifts as fabian does. even if it's just smth like a coffee or tea when they meet up before classes bc fabian knows that he needs the extra energy. there's big gifts too, like the giant workshop and lab he converts one of the multiple training rooms in seacaster manor into for gorgug to artifice (state of the art, ofc), but also things like a special holster for drumsticks, pillows enchanted to maximize restful sleep, etc.

gorgug retaliates by making fabian Many Things. often accessories. several with tin flowers on them (he also makes the engagement and wedding rings, when it eventually comes to that. and it does. to me.)

fabian gets a little emotional whenever he's offered another flower

fabian is also big on terms of endearment and pet names but "darling" is very specifically never one of them. gorgug's favorite of the bunch is "flower"

gorgug loves watching fabian dance. fabian also loves watching gorgug artifice. there tends to be an admiring onlooker in their various workspaces

the hangman fully offered to throw itself into a ditch so gorgug would come fix it again if that would help fabian flirt w gorgug. fabian refused. the hangman kept asking and was only effectively stopped when reminded that gorgug owns the hangvan

speaking of the hangvan. good makeout spot.

idk i just think they're so in love and they match up so well i think about them always. fabian also goes to so many cig figs concerts with big ol glittery signs covered in hearts and gorgug is always flustered when he sees him in the crowd, much to fig's delight. when gorgug mentions wanting to write fabian a song she is immediately on board and insists he has to do it

fig needs to know details immediately and gorgug is. so bashful about giving them. meanwhile fabian WANTS to gush and riz is like ily im so happy for you i dont need to know all the details. this does eventually mean fig bugs fabian for details and fabian eagerly gives them

unlike his mother fabian knows loving someone with a human lifespan when you're going to live well beyond one means you have to treasure every single moment with them. so he does. and gorgug knows he will love him no matter what plane he's on, living or dead

i have more this is just. what i've got off the top of my head rn. thanks for letting me be completely insufferable

#d20 #thistlecaster #gorgug thistlespring #fabian seacaster #fabian aramais seacaster #fantasy high #fhjy

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happilyfeatherafter · 4 months

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Happilyfeatherafter's ficrec Fridays

Back for my second week of fics I've read and loved recently, as well as a couple of throw backs. If you missed last week's you can find it here for more!

12 January 2024

Altitude by enochianprayer (@chapeldean, art by @hornystiel here and @naughtystiel here) is a wintery delight, in which Dean is a seasonal worker in a mountain lodge and Castiel is a hiker who's passing through. Enchanted by their brief encounter with each other, Dean can't get Cas out of his head, and Cas' questioning leads him to find something holy in the revelations he stumbles upon at the lodge. Sweet and romantic, wild and wandering, cosy and brave.

boy leave your boots by the bed by an_ardent_rain (@alulangel) is a post-canon fix it, a smutty cowboy kink (shh yes this WILL be a recurring theme on my rec lists), wish fulfilment fic for the spn bang bang with one of my favourite tropes of Dean and Cas going on little dates without really realising they're going on little dates, whilst pining. Plus absolutely wonderful banter:

Cas squints and ignores that. “Technically, you could say that this heaven is still ‘in beta’ now,” he says, and he uses the air quotes and it’s so adorable Dean bites the swell of a bottom lip to hold in a fond smile. Cas is, as always, a giant dork. “But we are soliciting feedback.”

“Yeah, you got a heavenly suggestion box? Hotline for complaints? Five stars, would die and spend eternity here again?”

“There are… more than five stars, Dean.”

Sweet Science by emmbrancsxx0, (@valleydean) is now complete, a 12 days of smutmas challenge continuation to the incredible destiel 1930s boxing au Heavyweight. Cas and Dean are on a romantic winter retreat to get out of the spotlight against the backdrop of the burgeoning economic depression in New York, both seeing the boxing world become harder to maintain a living. With Cas secretly planning to retire, and not yet letting on to Dean, can they navigate their future whilst still maintaining their hard fought for trust? I love these guys so much and am so glad to be back in their world.

The Root of this Love by kathscradle is for all the bearded!Misha fans. May he have survived the acrylic paint incident. The very short and sweet and sexy premise: Cas is hairy, now that he’s human. Dean can’t get a grip on himself. (But he sure can get a grip on Cas!) Smutty body hair celebration and body worship.

Just Being and Just Having by Englandwouldfall is the post-canon fic series I drop everything to read every time there's a new update. It delves so incredibly beautifully into Dean and Cas' history of miscommunication and gives them the chance to truly talk things out, finding themselves falling more deeply in love as they do so and understand their own mistakes but also what makes them work so well together when they're no longer under Chuck's thumb. Each chapter feels like therapy and a brain and heart massage! Two chapters left to go of Just Having, dive in now so you can lose your mind with me when it's complete.

Solitudes by ilovehowyouletmefall (@angelinthefire, art by @hawkland) is set in season 12 after Cas is nearly killed by Ramiel. Dean is close to acknowledging his feelings, whilst Cas is weighed down by the responsibility to find Kelly, but he agrees to help out on one more hunt before he leaves. Trapped, they encounter a monster which makes both of their nightmares come true...or so they think. Witnessing each other's despair, this is a haunting and genuinely creepy story that will make your heart ache.

#happilyfeatherafter ficrec friday #destiel fic #destiel #spn fic

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runwayrunway · 2 months

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MISS CONENGINALITY - BRITTEN-NORMAN BN-2 ISLANDER

Remember when the UK made the best airplanes in the world? Me neither, I wouldn't be born for several decades. Anyway, Britten-Norman Islander.

image: Air Seychelles

The last holdout of the UK making really fantastic planes, the Islander is a popular regional airliner and utility plane used for things like skydiving and air ambulance service as well as the typical passenger and cargo flights. At first glance she's a pretty regular high-wing twin-prop that seats 10, but look closer and you may begin to notice things.

Upfront, I love the Islander. (Obviously, or I wouldn't be making this post about it.) My love for this plane isn't solely organically developed, because it does also hold a special nostalgic place in my heart for being the first propeller plane I ever flew on, with Cape Air in 2015 from San Juan to Vieques. (As Vieques Air Link also operates these, they're a common sight down there! The name of the model is, as it were, very apt.)

image: Cape Air This is the exact plane that I flew on!

Now, from this image you can already see that the Islander has some lovely features, from those absolute bollards coming out of the engines to the wildly pointy nose (not the first plane I've discussed that's giving DUKW), but despite looking goofier the closer you look at it this thing is an incredibly beloved and reliable plane.

image: Bonham's Behold, a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander.

Also of note is the Islander's extremely low wing aspect ratio, and I've always thought the tailplane looked a little too small for the tailfin from the side despite looking giant from below. The general ratios on this plane, in every single possible place, look just ever-so-slightly off, and I love it.

image: Mark Harkin I mean. She's just blocks.

Still, this is an incredibly well-designed plane. It's cheap, rugged, utilitarian, reliable, versatile, and remarkably stable in flight, which is why over 1,000 have been built to date. (Personally, I didn't find the cabin to be the roomiest even for an aircraft of its size, but I remember it being a comfortable enough flight.) The Islander is still in production today despite first flying in the mid-1960s, which is something few models can claim. You can use an Islander for basically anything, with their big doors and STOL capability, and it's even used for the world's shortest flight and an entry on my bucket list, the two-minute hop between Westray and Papa Westray operated by Loganair.

image: National Museum of Flight Scotland Despite being shown outside in this photograph, she currently lives in the civil aviation hangar, a top pick on my list of places I would like to secretly live in for the rest of my life.

image: own work, taken inside the civil aviation hangar at the National Museum of Flight, Scotland

In late October I visited the National Museum of Flight, Scotland. It was an incredible experience and I will be discussing it across several future posts due to the sheer variety of preserved airframes they had, including everything from a Puss Moth to a jump jet. (The general museum will probably get a dedicated post as well in the future - suffice to say I had a fantastic time.) Among their preserved aircraft is a BN-2 Islander registered G-BELF, painted a vivid highlighter-yellow which pictures really can't do justice in homage to Scottish air ambulances which serve isolated island communities in the North Sea.

I was absolutely delighted to see her in person. Seven years after I last stepped foot in an Islander, it felt like something of a reunion to just stand next to a mothballed airframe and admire how...really strange-looking these planes actually are.

own work, obvi

I mean, for one thing, they're a lot shorter than you might think they should be. Pictured for scale is a 165cm/5'5" tall human with a PSA Lockheed TriStar for a face. I couldn't get that good of an angle on it, but my head is only a few inches short of the wing, and you can see that I'm well taller than the cabin windows. An entire Islander is shorter than a single Concorde tire.

Plus, that wing chord is so long I could use her as a shelter in the rain.

So, yeah. That's the story of how I met my favorite commuter airliner. I hope to fly on one again someday, but for the moment I'll have to be content with looking at pictures of these weird-looking planes that can fool you for a moment into thinking they're regular.

Also they tried to put propeller shrouds on one once.

#miss conenginality #runway runway travelogues

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longitudinalwaveme · 8 months

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Best and Worst Comic Appearances of the Rogues

Note: Keep in mind that some of these choices are very subjective and based on personal taste. In particular, it's difficult for me to know if the storylines I list as the "best" for a given character are actually the best, or if they're just the ones that appeal the most to me personally. I feel like the "worst" choices are more objective (or at least more likely to be shared by a majority of the fanbase).

I'm also only judging stories that I've actually read for this list.

Captain Cold

Best Pre-Crisis Appearance: While I like his debut story from Showcase #8 a lot, I think my favorite Pre-Crisis Len story is Flash vol. 1 #150, "Captain Cold's Polar Perils". Ayesha, Len's stalkee-girlfriend du jour, is a fun character, and Len's powers are at peak Silver Age insanity, which is always fun. It's really the perfect encapsulation of what Pre-Crisis Captain Cold is like.

Best Post-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 2 #182. This is the famous Rogue Profile issue for Len, and it is legitimately really, really good (even if its treatment of Lisa is frustrating at times). It's a very solid examination of the character and the backstory provides a lot of depth that Len really needed. Basically, if you want to understand modern Captain Cold, this is one of the best issues you can read.

Worst Appearance: Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #10-13. Every character in F: TFMA is poorly written, and Len is no exception. From having a murder retconned into one of the periods where he was supposed to be reformed to letting a teenage speedster take over the Rogues for no good reason, this story just does not understand Cold.

I will also note here that I generally don't like Joshua Williamson's take on Len. I have trouble putting my finger on exactly why, but if I had to take a stab at explaining it, I think I would say that Williamson's Len is too ambitious and too hands-off. Having him take over first Central City's underworld, and then Central City, seems out-of-character for Len, who's usually smart enough to understand that escalating crimes to that level is a great way to attract a horde of superheroes, and having him sit back and organize crimes without going out into the field himself, which Williamson did more than once, likewise seems out-of-character for Cold. Johns' Len wasn't always the best leader in the world, but at least he was always in the field with the other Rogues. Williamson's Len seems a lot more willing to sit back and let other people do the work for him, and he comes across as a worse leader because of it. Effectively, then, I think my problem with Williamson's Len is that his Len seems younger, less experienced, less practical, and less likely to inspire loyalty than any previous version of the character (except the one that was being written around the time of F: TFMA.)

Captain Boomerang Sr.

Best Pre-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 1 #310-311, or Batman #322. The first story has Captain Boomerang getting double-crossed by Colonel Computron and sent back in time (on a giant time-traveling boomerang!), whereupon he has to team up with the Flash to fight pirates. It's delightful, and is made even more so by Digger's determination to save his ex-employer, W. W. Wiggins, from the vengeance of Colonel Computron. The second story features Captain Boomerang fighting---and nearly defeating!---Batman, who narrowly escapes death on Digger's "doomerang". Batman really needs to take Flash's villains more seriously....

Best Post-Crisis Appearance: Suicide Squad #44. This gives us Digger's modern backstory, establishes that he's actually W. W. Wiggins' biological son, and generally serves as an interesting character study of a generally unpleasant character. Flash vol. 3 #7 is a very similar retelling of the same basic backstory, this time by Geoff Johns, and would have been tied with Suicide Squad #44 if not for the gratuitous scene of Digger killing his assumed father (for my money, Geoff Johns is a bit too fond of gruesome deaths).

Worst Appearance: I don't read a lot of Suicide Squad, so I'm not familiar with the terrible Digger appearances that may have happened in the various Suicide Squad runs. Because of that, my nomination for the worst Digger story is Identity Crisis #2-5, the story that killed him (and poor Jack Drake and Sue Dibney) for the sake of earning grimdark edgelord points. What makes it even worse is that the story's scenes of him interacting with Owen are actually pretty good, so we got teased with a really interesting plot for him right before he was pointlessly axed.

Heat Wave

Best Pre-Crisis Story: Flash vol. 1 #266-267, or Flash vol. 1 #312. The first story gave us the first version of Heat Wave's backstory (specifically, it established his cryophobia due to having been locked in a meat freezer as a child), presented him as the main villain of a story basically for the first time (all his previous appearances had him teamed up with another villain), and was full of delightful Pre-Crisis pseudo-science, like heat-seeking fire. It also featured a panel of Mick totally freaking out at the sight of ice cubes. The second story was Mick's first reform, and it was a solid, if slightly goofy, tale of Mick proving that his parole officer was framing him for crimes. It also led to him and Barry becoming friends (and temporary roommates) a few issues later!

Best Post-Crisis Story: Flash vol. 2 #218. It's one of the few Post-Crisis issues that uses him as a lead character, and it establishes his now-iconic tragic backstory and pyromania. Even though it's a bit excessively grimdark (did he really need to burn down the circus where he worked as a fire-eater?), it's a solid story nevertheless.

Worst Story: The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #11-13, or the "Three of a Kind" crossover (Green Arrow #96, Green Lantern #130, and Flash #135). Everyone was terribly written in F: TFMA, and Mick was no exception, as he was portrayed as an idiot and then killed Bart Allen.

In the crossover, Mick teamed up with two random villains that he had no prior connection to, for some reason decided to try to revive Dr. Polaris with them via hijacking a cruise ship, and ended up killing a bunch of people. It really felt like he just got shoved into the story because they needed a Flash villain in it, and they didn't think about which one would actually make sense in the plot. It makes even less sense when you remember that Mick would go back to being reformed directly after this.

Also, the New 52 introduced us to the Hothead McAngryman version of Mick, and it unfortunately took over five years for him to finally get back to normal. Having the character with fire powers be hot-headed and aggressive is probably the most boring choice they could have made, and it hurt Mick's overall character for quite some time.

Mirror Master I (Sam Scudder)

Best Appearance: Flash vol. 1 #126, or Flash vol. 1 #146, or Flash vol. 1 #306, or Batman #388 and Detective Comics v1. #555.

The first two stories are delightful Silver Age nonsense. Flash #126 features Sam traveling to a mirror world where the inhabitants essentially make him their king, but he quickly gets fed up with the fact that he's given whatever he wants means that he has no opportunities for dramatic theft, and he summons the Flash to help him escape from his boring life as king. Flash #146 is the story where the Mirror Master switches his legs with the Flash's legs. It also features Barry and Sam attending the same self-help class without knowing it!

Flash #306 has disco-dancing Sam, and, more importantly, it's one of the very few stories to try to give Sam an interesting motivation: specifically, he's fallen in love with a woman who's trapped in a mirror and is desperately trying to free her. The ending of the story is a sad one for Sam, but it's also surprisingly touching.

Finally, the Batman two-parter features Sam at his overconfident, flashy, hilarious best as he tries to prove that he's a better criminal than Captain Boomerang (incidentally, this is also a great Captain Boomerang story). It features such highlights as Sam freaking out at the sight of Batman, Sam getting freaked out by Gotham muggers, and Sam deciding to rob a bank because it's across the street and he doesn't have any better ideas. The first part of the story also features some of the best facial expressions he's ever made.

Worst Appearance: For a single story, it's either Flash Rebirth #2 or that issue from Joshua Williamson's run where Sam wore his socks and underwear in the hot tub. Weirdly, Flash Rebirth #2 featured Sam only briefly, and in a flashback, but it retconned a murder into his early past in a way that would darken all of his fun Silver and Bronze Age adventures. It's one thing to have the Rogues become more dangerous in the present, and another to retroactively make all of their early, light-hearted stories grim like this. (Geoff Johns was responsible for this retcon, and far too many others like it. I really wish he didn't like grimdark retcons so much.)

The Williamson issue had Sam who was Evan-in-all-but-name-and-accent. At that point, he might as well have not been Sam at all! That being said, this was basically just the culmination of all the problems Sam has had since he was brought back to life in the New 52. I don't know how you make a character as fun and dynamic as Pre-Crisis Sam was boring and confusing, but somehow they managed!

Weather Wizard

Best Pre-Crisis Appearance: Either Detective Comics vol. 1 #353, or Adventure Comics #466.

Watching Mark fight---and actually briefly outsmart!---Batman in Detective Comics #353 is a lot of fun, and this story is full of delightful Silver Age zaniness, including, but not limited to, Mark saving Gotham City from a drought by filling all of its reservoirs just so that he can make a big announcement in the sky about how he did it in thanks for getting to steal three priceless valuables, and in turn use that message to determine what in town is worth stealing.

Adventure Comics #466 is an entirely different brand of delightful insanity, and features the Weather Wizard briefly turning good, stopping a horde of locusts from destroying crops, and saving Blue Valley from a flood because sun spots were messing with his wand, which he somehow managed to telepathically link to his brain. No, really. Sunspots briefly make the Weather Wizard turn good. Reading this is worth it just to see Barry's reaction to friendly happy Weather Wizard.

Best Post-Crisis Appearance: Rogues Revenge #1-3. By far the most in-depth look we've ever gotten at Mark's past, his relationship with his brother Clyde, and his boatload of issues. Despite being one of the more frequently-used Rogues in the Geoff Johns era, it was rare for Mark to get a lot of attention outside of his role as a big threat, and this miniseries was a nice change of pace for him. I just wish it hadn't ended with the pointless death of his baby son, Josh, because seeing Mark develop a relationship with Josh would have been far more interesting (and less grimdark).

Worst Appearance: The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #11-13. The story where the writers replaced the Rogues' brains with rocks, and hoped we wouldn't notice. We did.

Trickster I (James Jesse)

Best Pre-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 1 #142. In which the Trickster steals a little kid's toy detective set, and proceeds to screw around with the entire city, and the Flash, just because he can. It's a great display of the Trickster's inventiveness and creativity, and the story goes out of its way to state that Trickster is more interested in attention and having fun than in getting money.

Best Post-Crisis Appearance: Catwoman vol. 2 #69-71, or New Year's Evil : The Rogues.

The Catwoman story features some of the funniest James moments ever, and it's so much fun watching the two con artists try to outsmart and outplay one another. Catwoman and James have a great dynamic, and it's a shame they've never really teamed up again.

New Year's Evil: The Rogues features James at his most heroic, teaming up with the Pied Piper (and, thanks to some manipulation on his part, some of the other Rogues as well) to save his ex-girlfriend Mindy's son, Billy, from a group of mercenaries who are attempting to overthrow the government of Zhutan. The story also eventually reveals that Billy is James' son, which sadly never went anywhere since for some reason no one wanted to follow up on this awesome plot point.

Worst Appearance: Countdown! Not only does he forget all of his Post-Crisis character development, but he also acts really stupidly for no reason, is a humongous jerk to the Pied Piper (his close friend!) for no reason, and then is pointlessly killed for no reason.

It's also worth noting that his most recent big appearance, the one written by Joshua Williamson, was very frustrating to me. It's not as objectively bad as Countdown, or James' appearances in F: TFMA, but it takes James in an unpleasant, dark direction, and I didn't care for it at all.

Pied Piper

Best Pre-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 1 #307. This story is very important for the Pied Piper, because it not only gave him his full backstory but also gave him an actual name after over twenty years of him not having one! It's also just a fun read in general, full of delightful Pre-Crisis "science" and featuring some great character work for both Hartley and his parents, who are so desperate to preserve their family name that they have a reporter who uncovered the secret kidnapped so they can bribe her to keep quiet!

Best Post-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 2 #19, or Flash vol. 2 #32.

William Messner-Loebs' run on the Flash is underrated, and his work on Piper is a stand-out example of why more people should read it. Even though Hartley doesn't appear a lot in Flash #19 (his first ever Post-Crisis Flash appearance, by the way), but when he does show up, it pretty much single-handedly establishes what he's going to be like going forward; establishing him as an at least mostly reformed Rogue who cares about protecting the homeless and disadvantaged. It's just really sweet.

Flash vol. 2 #32 features Hartley teaming up with Wally to save his parents and his adorable little sister Geraldine from the henchmen of the Turtle and the Turtle Man. It's adorable seeing Hartley interact with his little sister, and it's also nice to see him finally make peace with his parents, even if they'll never be close. I really wish Geraldine had gotten to show up again, because I want to see more of Hartley's little sister. Also, this story features a line that I've always found hilarious for some inexplicable reason:

Thug (in response to Joan Garrick showing up at the Rathaways' mansion): An old woman? Seize her!

A close runner-up is Flash vol. 2 #190, which is a retelling of the origin story from Flash vol. 1 #307, but with more details and from Hartley's POV (the original tale had his parents telling the story).

Worst Appearance: F: TFMA and Countdown (since one led into the other, I kind of count them as one story). In which Hartley totally forgets that he reformed, is involved in the death of Bart Allen, loses about 100 IQ points, gets chased all around the DCU, gets insulted almost non-stop by the Trickster in spite of the fact that they're supposed to be friends, watches Trickster get shot in front of him, and almost goes crazy and dies.

The fact that he gets to blow up Apocalypse with Queen music is awesome, but not nearly enough to salvage this otherwise terrible storyline.

The Top

Best Pre-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 1 #297-303. Roscoe comes back from the dead, possesses Barry's father, spends what appears to be several months living with Barry and pretending to be Henry Allen (while slipping off to visit Lisa on the side), and then attempts to kill Barry Allen and steal his body for his own. It's weird and creepy and unique and perfect for Roscoe, and it features lots of top puns, as all good Roscoe stories should. Also, even though he's generally a huge jerk in this story, his relationship with Lisa is adorable, affectionate, and shockingly healthy.

The most hilarious thing about this story is the fact that at one point in it, Barry thinks to himself that his relationship with his father is the best it's ever been....in response to the interactions he's had with Roscoe posing as his dad. That's right, Barry apparently gets along better with Roscoe-pretending-to-be-his-dad than he does with his actual dad.

Best Post-Crisis Appearance: This is hard. Most of Roscoe's Post-Crisis appearances are pretty bad. The writers of Hawk and Dove didn't do an especially good job with him, Mark Waid's one story with him was a decent Pied Piper story but a terrible Roscoe story, and Geoff Johns seemed to hate the character, so that always affected his Roscoe stories. If I had to pick one, I guess I'd go with @gorogues' suggestion and pick Flash vol. 2 #215-216, since he's really intimidating and cool in those issues. Unfortunately, even those issues are not immune from the curse of bad post-crisis Roscoe stories, as they include the stupid Identity Crisis tie-in retcons that negated a whole bunch of the Rogues' character development.

I seriously don't know what the problem is with the Top's post-crisis stories. All of his Pre-Crisis stories were good, solid fun, and his best story shows that he can be really effective and creepy as a main villain. Why is it so hard for modern writers to write good Top stories? He isn't inherently any weirder or goofier than the Trickster.

Worst Story: Hawk and Dove vol. 3 annual #1, or Flash vol. 2 #120-121. The Hawk and Dove annual features some truly hideous art (I'm sure @gorogues has some scans to prove just how bad it is), and features a badly out-of-character Roscoe, who just seems out-of-place fighting Hawk and Dove.

Flash vol. 2 #120-121 takes the solid idea of Roscoe trying to become president by possessing the body of a senator, and then kind of ruins it by having 99% of the cast treat Roscoe as a total joke (the same Roscoe who once tried to blow up half the world with an atomic grenade!) and by having Roscoe act like an unparalleled jerkwad towards the Pied Piper for no real reason. Before his death, Roscoe generally got along pretty well with the other Rogues, so there was no reason for him to act so nastily here. Worse, I think this depiction went on to influence Geoff Johns' portrayal of Roscoe as the most unfriendly and cruel of the Rogues, which is kind of frustrating as he wasn't always like that.

Golden Glider

Best Pre-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 1 #257. Golden Glider is terrifying and awesome, and this story shows you exactly why. Within this issue alone, she discovers Barry's secret identity (making her the first Rogue to pull off this hat trick), almost kills both of Barry's parents and Iris (as revenge for Roscoe's death, which she blames on Barry), puts up a very solid fight against the Flash, doesn't even flinch when the Flash threatens to kill her as a bluff (saying that she has nothing left to live for now that Roscoe is dead), and, although Barry manages to save Iris and his parents, she escapes without being captured. Pre-Crisis Golden Glider is the best, and it's a shame she never gets written like this anymore.

Best Post-Crisis Appearance: Flash vol. 2 #19. Her interactions with Wally in this story are great fun, and I like seeing her be chummy with her older brother and her fellow Rogues at the party they're throwing. Her interactions with Connie Noleski (Wally's one-time girlfriend) are also pretty funny. This issue is also notable for being one of the last stories that doesn't portray Lisa as a total lunatic, as for some reason, her character got shifted into that direction not long after COIE.

Worst Appearance: As I thankfully haven't read Teen Titans vol. 6 #22, I'm nominating Flash vol. 2 Annual 5. It's a great story for Captain Boomerang, Weather Wizard, and Trickster, but it's a pretty bad story for Lisa, as it portrays her as being completely insane and serves as Exhibit A of how Mark Waid didn't know how to write the character. Golden Glider was scary because she was smart, calculating, and surprisingly composed (given how full of rage she was). Making her violently comic-book crazy undercuts how scary she was back in the Bronze Age.

You know, it really says something that Carey Bates, Lisa's creator, is probably still the best writer she's ever had. And he was writing in the late 70s and early 80s!

Mirror Master II (Evan McCulloch)

Best Story: Animal Man #8, 17, and 21, or Flash vol. 2 #133.

Nobody writes Evan McCulloch better than his creator, Grant Morrison, and these issues put that on full display.

The Animal Man stories introduce McCulloch, establish his weird personality, his freaky powerset, and his strict refusal to kill women or children, and are generally a delight to read. McCulloch has a very distinct voice throughout and is the funniest part of all three stories. Basically, everything you need to know about the character was established in these three issues.

Flash #133 is McCulloch's best appearance in an issue of Flash. He maintains his weirdness, his distinctive voice, and his insane powerset, and he takes the Flash and the reader on a trippy, colorful adventure around the world and through the looking glass. He maintains his generally cheerful and friendly attitude towards superheroes, and he is, once again, the funniest character in the story. Grant Morrison's Evan is a delight.

A close runner-up was Flash vol. 2 #212, the story that gave Evan his backstory (grimdark though it is, it somehow kind of works for him) and established what has become arguably his second-most famous characteristic (after his Scottish accent): his addiction to cocaine. It is a very good story, and I like that we get to learn more about Evan's history, but I will say that Geoff Johns' Evan isn't nearly as cheerful and weird as Morrison's, and I think that the story would have been even better with Morrison's cheerful nutty Evan than with Johns' creepy, sullen version.

Worst Appearance: Flash: TFMA. You know the drill by this point. Stupid Rogues. Pointless death of Bart. Bad writing all around.

Trickster II (Axel Walker)

Best Appearance: Flash vol. 2 #183. There are actually surprisingly few issues that focus on Axel as a lead character, but I've always enjoyed his introductory issue. It establishes some backstory for him and effectively tells you who he is (an annoying brat who might be in over his head) and what he can do (use a lot of crazy trick gadgets and work computers better than the older Rogues). I also like the bit towards the end of the issue where Mark is thoroughly unimpressed by Axel and asks if he's supposed to be their mascot. It always gets a giggle out of me.

I also thought the arc in Joshua Williamson's run where Axel briefly got super-strength was a pretty good story for Axel. It's one of the few times he's been played sympathetically and I thought that it worked really well.

Worst Appearance: Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp. Okay, I haven't actually read this one, but I know enough about it to know that Axel murders 4 teenagers for no real reason, and that's enough for me to list it as his worst appearance.

Also, I can't really think of any Axel issue that I have read where Axel is portrayed really terribly. Writers usually seem to have a decent grasp on his character.

Captain Boomerang Jr.

Best Appearance: The best appearance of his that I've read is in Flash vol. 2 #220-225 (the Rogue War storyline). It's one of the few stories to feature him with the Rogues, and his grief over the death of his father and his relationship with Captain Cold are both very interesting. The story also finally tells us who his mother is (Meloni Thawne) and how she had a kid with Digger (well, sort of. We know time travel shenanigans were involved, at least). That being said, @gorogues says that his appearance in Manhunter v. 3 were really good, and I've heard that the story where he teamed up with Tim Drake was a good one as well.

Worst Appearance: Blackest Night: Flash #3. The story where he was turned into a idiotic child murderer and then was pointlessly killed off!

A close runner up was the Rebirth (I think) issue of Suicide Squad where he suddenly showed up and was inexplicably a snobby criminal mastermind who really hated Digger.

#flash rogues #flash comics #captain cold #captain boomerang jr #captain boomerang #george digger harknesss #golden glider #mirror master #sam scudder #evan mcculloch #heat wave #weather wizard #the trickster #james jesse #axel walker #the top

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thiswaytwoinfinity · 8 months

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Emma’s Epic Bday Multi-Fandom Rec List: Stranger Things Edition

(yes, there will be many parts because oh my god I read waaaay too much fic)

Since it was my birthday recently (and around the 1-year anniversary of when I started actually using Tumblr again after a years-long break) I figured it was only fitting to do a giant master list of all of the amazing fanfics that I have read (and reread) in the past year.

I do my best to reblog as much as possible but sometimes with work and life I miss it so this is my attempt to make up for that and give all of the amazing creators on here the credit they deserve. Thank you all so much for sharing all of your work with us. This year has been a long and difficult one for me, especially mental health wise, and being able to escape into these stories has been so valuable and important to me.

If you read anything on here that you like, please reblog and/or comment on these fics to show the creators some love!

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: While not everything listed here will include smut, many of these authors have 18+ blogs. Please, please, please respect their boundaries and DO NOT INTERACT WITH THEM/THEIR CONTENT IF YOU ARE A MINOR.

Stories marked with ❤️‍🔥 contain NSFW content

Stranger Things:

colors (series) ❤️‍🔥by @loveshotzz — this was my introduction to ST fanfic and hooooo boy what an intro it was. what i wouldn’t give for a steamy, forbidden romance with best friend’s dad!Steve —sorry, Jenny, but he was just too hot to resist — it’s hot and emotional and basically the stuff that fantasies are made of. loveshotzzz is also the creator of the Foxy Lounge series, featuring flirty bartender Eddie and bad-at-fighting bouncer Steve which is also *chef’s kiss*

Time to giddy up, yeah? ❤️‍🔥by @loveshotzz — two words: pornstache Steve. Two more words: mustache ride. Two more? You’re welcome.

As You Wish (series) ❤️‍🔥 by @corroded-hellfire — my all time favorite Eddie series! Ryan and Luke are the most adorable, hilarious kids (i loved their little “scheme” to set their dad up with their babysitter) and the little family that Eddie and his sons form with the reader has just been so delightful to read. (also, for the record, it’s on sight with brittany)

put me through it, baby ❤️‍🔥 by @agentmarvel — PINING EDDIE MY BELOVED! Ugh I loved the slow building of the friendship between Eddie and reader, the angst of him knowing that her boyfriend was trash but not wanting to cross a line, the passion between them. As i wrote when i reblogged it, “Screaming, crying, laughing, smiling, CRYING 😍🥹😭🥵 “

take me higher ❤️‍🔥 by @munson-blurbs — i will never get enough Argyle stories, and bug has written some of my favorites. this is one i reread all the time (i’m clearly a sucker for a good babysitter fic) because i love the way Argyle feels so real in it. The flirtation, the banter, those sweet little moments of awkwardness, it’s all truly 10/10. A special runner-up mention goes to this blurb which features best friend! Argyle and hair pulling and is just … just a dream.

bad idea ❤️‍🔥 by @abibliophobiaa — if i’ve said it once, i’ve said it a million times: Steve Harrington is a menace. Best friend!Steve gets his hands on the romance novel you’re reading and decides to tease you with all of the flirty things he picked up from it. Steve is at peak menace in this, which means i fell hard and fast.

this is gonna sting by @lovebugism — this one was written so, so beautifully. Sweet, lovestruck Eddie afraid to open up and confess his feelings always hits me hard and the imagery in this was just so stunning that i think about it a lot. I aspire to write a sentence as beautiful as “he leaks a bright red truth right across from you and carries everything he feels about you in raging scarlet scrapes.”

Steve Harrington Boat Smut ❤️‍🔥 by @lovebugism — God, what a glorious day it was when those pictures of Joe Keery on a boat in Italy made their way online. Anyway, this is exactly what is says on the tin and exactly what we all needed in that moment.

This story by @pouringmyheartoutforpaper — sweet, sweet lovesick Stevie who is determined that things will be different in this relationship meets reader who has some insecurities about how slow their relationship is progressing. Gorgeous, sweet, fluff that will give you the warm fuzzies.

The Tune-Up ❤️‍🔥 by @roanniom — Issa, queen of smut! This mechanic Eddie story is so hot that it will have you contemplating whether or not you should mess with a few things on your car, just for an excuse to come visit him in the shop. (Also just read all of her stuff. It’s so, so good.)

Happy Mother’s Day, Steve Harrington ❤️‍🔥 by @roanniom — STEVE. HARRINGTON. BREEDING. KINK. WILL MAKE BRAIN GO BRRRRRRR. I rest my case.

The Riddles Three ❤️‍🔥by @blueywrites — You cannot convince me that Eddie “Dungeon Master” “Lord of the Rings nerd” Munson would not try and do a Gollum impression in bed. As a firm believer in goofy, weird bedroom antics, this story is canon and I will hear nothing else about it.

Smoke and Cherry Pop Rocks ❤️‍🔥 by @somnambulic-thing — want to have your heart broken in the best way possible? HERE YOU GO. A gorgeous, tender, emotional story about regrets and moving on and finding the courage to open up, even if it’s a little too late.

Classified ❤️‍🔥by @pullhisteeth — considering the slightly absurd premise — putting an ad in the paper to lose your virginity — this was gorgeously grounded and real. Eddie is so lovely and gentle in this and it was just a treat to read.

monster under the bed ❤️‍🔥by @eddiemunsons-missingnipple — i’m going to be honest: this is monsterfucking. But if that’s something you’re into, you *need* to read this. It will make you go feral.

River Monster! Eddie ❤️‍🔥by @courtingchaos — brb, wandering along the banks of all the rivers near me in an attempt to lure River Monster!Eddie to come out and mate with me. Again, it is monsterfucking, but … come on. It’s so good. (Meg also has some of the best Gator Tillman fics out there. They’re hot and weird and wild in all of the best ways.

My Goyle Fiend ❤️‍🔥by @bettyfrommars — You want monsters? You go to Betty. Trust me on this. Her gargoyle series was the first that I read from her and I was hooked instantly. She’s written werewolves, vampires and is currently working on a brilliant series where Eddie works at the Nightmare Factory and appears in your dreams as all kinds of different ghosts and ghouls. If things that go bump in the night aren’t your taste, her biker! Eddie and Steve series are also great, as well as her beautiful gigalo!Eddie story.

I Can See You ❤️‍🔥by @fairyysoup — I don’t know that there are enough words to express how much I loved this story, The not-so-unrequited affection, the building tension, the way Steve and the reader keep coming together over the years, Steve’s big grand gesture at the end … just so beautiful and moving and steamy. I’ve already reread it like 4 times.

Stranger Things Adjacent a.k.a. Joseph Quinn characters

The Hat Shop Girl (Ralph from Timewasters) ❤️‍🔥by @rehfan — Y’all this story is *so* good. It packs so much into this love story — issues of class, grief, sexuality, power dynamics — in a way that just makes their journey so much richer and more interesting. This version of Ralph is perfect, soft and sweet and well-meaning but also the way his confidence builds throughout the story is delightful and the smut between them is so delicious and delightful. 10/10.

Knight in Shining Armor (Billy Knight) ❤️‍🔥by @rehfan — I’m gonna say it: This is my favorite Billy Knight fanfic of all time. So soft and tender, it handles Billy’s mental health in a way that feels really empathetic and realistic while also letting the audience indulge in the thing everyone really wants: to give sweet Billy all the love in the world.

This Billy Knight Masterlist ❤️‍🔥by @pollenallergie — I could not pick just one of these amazing Billy fics. pollenallergie is, in my mind, *the* authority on all things Billy Knight and she’s got it all. Her writing is soft and steamy and touching all at the same time and I love it all.

Worth It (Ralph from Timewasters) by @wheels-of-despair — Do you want to feel *all* of the delightful warm fuzzies as you daydream about the perfect life with sweet Ralph? This is the story for you. Every chapter is delightful and touching and will make you feel *all* of the feelings. I love it so much.

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isekai-crow · 3 months

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The Witch and the Beast / Majo to Yajuu Episode 1

Overall Score So Far: 9/10

WE'VE GOT A HOTTIE LINE UP OF ALL GENDERS!!

Guideau on the left, Ashaf in the middle, and Genderless Hottie on the right :3

HOW ARE THEY ALL SO PRETTY.

Anime, now with more CROW BAIT. This time it's literal!! :D

OF COURSE the Goth With The Coffin on his back can use CROW MAGIC. AHHHHHHH.

Also, Guys. You guys. Fucking TOSHIYUKI MORIKAWA is voicing Ashaf.

THE VOICE OF SEPHIROTH. GRIFFITH FROM BERSERK. DANTE FROM DEVIL MAY CRY. TYKI FROM D. Gray Man. We get THE KING OF THE DARK AND BROODY SEXY MAN VOICE.

And Guideau is voice by Taichi, You - Jousuke from JoJo, Suphia from TenSura, Saya from Dead Mount Death Play, and Dorothy from Princess Principal!! A great rough and tumble voice perfect for Guideau. (1st Epi Spoiler: I can't tell if she's voicing Guideau's true form.)

More Episode 1 Spoilers Below!

I don't really know what I was expecting except for Hot Goth Dude with a Coffin Boyfriend, and a badass punch-em-up beauty with a nasty mouth from the PV on youtube, but that's what I got and more, and I am so very pleased about it.

I was SO EXCITED ABOUT THE CROWS YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Hottie Mage whips out a spell covered arms and MY BABIES ARE BURSTING FORTH IN A MURDER OF ADORABLE!!! I might have woken up Capybara's deaf elderly neighbors in my excitement.

What I was not expecting was a giant Zom 100 Shark to show up in the middle of the city lmfao.

Zom 100 Zombie shark on the left and Big Buff Giant Shark Dude on the right.

It's just a dude whose turned himself into a shark with magic, who immediately gets dispelled by a witch, and that THIS IS A NORMAL OCCURANCE??? People are like, oh noooo, there's a giant shark, Ione will deal with iiiiit, no worriesssss.

The implications this gives of a mixed soft/hard magic system tho.

I'm really looking forward to learning (or maybe not learning and discovering through negative space) the rules that don't get broken (which is necessary for a magic system), but also hope that they'll be playing hard and fast with what's possible. Cause seriously, wtf is this shark. Delightful, lol.

They mind games played with "Are Witches Bad or Not?" in this episode is fun, because as a viewer going in blind, we could have had some lawful good protagonists or we could have had some chaotic anti-heros, and I would have accepted either outcome. We kind of get both and that's even better!

Trying to include a speech about the morals of getting revenge with Ione as she tries to justify her actions for removing the lock on her grandmother was interesting, but I'm still not sure if her Grandma was the one to cause the fire and people 300 years ago killed her, or if her getting blamed for the fires and then killed just so happened to lock the fire away, but either way...

Along with this I'm not surprised by the coven of would-be witch's nor the attempts by them to claim that witches aren't bad, "you're just like everyone else," when you can tell from the art that the stereotypes in this world hold weight, lol.

However, I don't know WHY I was surprised by said witches getting their hands and feet removed as part of a ritual summoning of hellfire.

How... how is there not blood E V E R Y W H E R E ??!!?? Some heavy duty arteries have been cut, yo. I guess there kind of is but there should be MORE.

Ashaf finally figures out what's going on and gives in to Guideau, letting her go wild, and HELL YES I love it when we get a beast gremlin on a rampage!

Witch Laser Beams! Sure!

I also LOVE when Characters get the shit beat out of them and then Keep. Standing. Up.

The very purposeful listing of the two ways to lift a Witch's spell at the very beginning of the show, True Love's Kiss or A Change of Heart),was such a great Chekhov's Gun that I knew there was probably going to be another (secret) way to deal with it.

Fuck yea, angry kiss!! Let Guideau feast on your soul!!

But the most surprising thing that has me fully on board and ready to rock and roll is Coffin Boyfriend.

What gender is Coffin Boyfriend? We don't know.

However.

Coffin Boyfriend is not a third character like I initially expected.

Coffin Boyfriend is Mother Fucking Guideau Y'all.

Everything makes so much sense now. Ashaf carries coffin boyfriend's true body around in his backpack like it's no big thing.

And Guideau, with all that rage packed into a tiny little body, has to go around kissing witches to switch from her current body back to the original to then proceed to beat the shit out of said witch.

I fucking here for this. I'm so hype.

Hot Bois, Crows, Body/Gender Swaps, Witch and Magic Fuckery. I'm here for it all, y'all.

(I might even go read ahead in the manga for this one cause OH MY GOD MANGA ASHAF IS ALSO VERY GOOD)

This ART STYLE.

But also... Chrollo? Is that you?

Ashaf on the left, Chrollo Lucilfer from Hunter X Hunter on the right.

I love this. I love their vibe. After Apothecary Diaries, this might just end up being my favorite this season. I'll save that judgement for a few more episodes in though.

ep2 ep3 ep4 ep5 ep6 <- these will eventually become links

#the witch and the beast #majo to yajuu #魔女と野獣 #anime winter 2024 #hot anime girl #hot anime boy #chrollo lucilfer #guideau #ashaf

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incalculablepower · 6 months

Text

some fics i've liked lately

it's been a weird year. when i made this list of recs back in january i fully intended it to become a monthly thing, but life happened and then i guess it just kept happening. in early 2023 things were ramping up in my new career, i was practicing and playing a lot with my band to prepare for our first show, i was settling into dealing with depression and anxiety with medication, i was getting over a miserable breakup. then i fell in love. i lost my job (the best and most favourite job i've ever had) abruptly this past may. this is my longest period of unemployment since i was a teenager and while you think it would be the best time to lose yourself in fandom, i felt the opposite. fandom was such a lifeline to me when i had a miserable job and was in a bad relationship and needed an escape but i was very present in my own life this summer. i took my partner to visit my family and spent a lot of time with friends and played shows (and recorded some music... shameless self promo once again) and in between i watched so much star trek on my couch. this is such a long preamble to explain why i haven't been fandoming as much lately and why idk if i'll write anything again anytime soon (let's say, once i have a job i want to procrastinate at) but -- i HAVE been reading fic! not as much as before, but i have been, and there's enough for a fic rest list so that's what i'm giving you today. when times are dire [podfic] - @aibidil

drarry. i have such a soft spot for middle aged draco and harry falling in love, the relationships they have with their friends and their grown children. @aibidil reads her own podfics and it's an utter delight. i usually only listen to podfics or audiobooks when i'm doing work around the house but i can going on walks with my headphones just so i could listen to more of this one.

purple haze by @ashesandhackles

romione. i was so so honoured to see this pop up in my ao3 gifts during @thethreebroomsticksfic pride fest this year. it turns the well tread romione ground of shell cottage and the yule ball over a bit, using them as settings to explore a confusing mix of jealousy and sexuality for ron and hermione. ashes knows i love mess with these and it captures that teenage chaos wonderfully, then lets them laugh at it as secure and settled adults.

crookshanks by @ala-baguette

gen. warning that this is a tearjerker, especially if you've ever loved and lost a pet. i think the pure and simple expressions of love and gratitude from crook's pov here would be a comfort to any pet owner.

at some point this year, i got REALLY into the idea of a one-sided dramione. it's hard to look for, especially since it's such a popular ship but i managed to find a few that scratched the itch until i find the time and/or motivation to write one of my own new years eve by 2daughtersofathena, the guardian angel by mylifebelongstothebbc, and a boy of hans by elixirsoflife. the last one being my personal favourite, a grim take on the hanahaki disease trope.

every mother is a grave by witchofimber

this was recced by @whinlatter in @thethreebroomsticksfic discord (btw i feel like no one on my followers lists needs anyone to remind them to read beasts -- but please read beasts) and when i saw "gillian flynn treatment" in the tags i slammed the mark for later button. this is probably the most balanced and realistic portrayals of molly weasley and her role as a mother that i've ever read in hp fic. it's not weasley family fluff but it doesn't devolve into something so flat as bashing either. molly is regular mother with flaws and strengths like anyone else and how they amplify and shift with love and grief and pain and stress and duty and pressure. every single relationship she has with her children is uniquely expressed and the way it ties the past to the direct aftermath of the war is so well done and a great way to organize this giant, messy family. particular care here went into fred and george, giving them their own identities in a way that can be difficult, given the source material. a favourite line:

“Probably have tried to make us name the twins after them.” He stopped laughing, sucked in a breath. “Do you want to?” For a second she considered it. It would be wonderful, getting to use those names again like living things. But - “No,” she said. “I - if they were alive, I’d have said no, so I’m saying it now. Let the boys be their own people.” The truth was that she didn’t want to lose her brothers. To have their faces erased in her memory, painted over with her sons. To have to say no, not THAT Fab, I mean UNCLE Fab - he died before you were born. Anyway, she liked the names Fred and George. It was easier like this.

the scrunchie by @saintsenara

another fic i've meant to read for ages and finally got around to just yesterday. the background drama of these side characters as a cheap scrunchie from boots floats around them is so perfectly teenage. reminds me of the other series i loved as a teenager around the time HP was coming out: georgia nicolson and gossip girl. i could also compare it to derry girls a little, how despite the environment surrounding them these girls are still being girls, arguing about stupid things and getting crushes on boys and having the absolute most ridiculous blowout fights with your sister (parvati and padma's portrayal here is probably my favourite i've ever read!)

i also can't leave without reccing @saintsenara's wip, one year in every ten. i can't get enough of a good case fic. tomarry/harrymort (both versions of this ship, oddly, apply to this fic) is not something i've ever sought out but i really think the way it's handled here could win over any non-believer. it's sharp and funny in a way that makes it turns into poignancy hit even harder. i screenshotted two full phone screen pages of chapter 27 so i could go back and read them over and over. it might be one of the best things i've ever read from ron's POV (emphasis mine):

It had been a long ten years, with a chair at their table always left empty and a hole in their hearts always unfilled. Grief was exhausting and boring and dully painful, like a slightly sprained ankle which you can still walk on, but which always bothers you a little bit. But there had been love among the grief. There had been love before the grief - indeed love had caused the grief - and there had been love after. His love for his parents and his siblings had changed, the way wine left in a barrel changes and becomes richer and deeper. There was more sorrow in the love, as he threw a quaffle around with George and saw the tired lines at the corner of his eyes. There was more recrimination, more struggle with the mistakes they had all made in the past, as he finally sat down and had a real chat with mum and dad about how a lifetime of corned-beef sandwiches and maroon jumpers had made him feel. But there was more joy there too. And with joy came forgiveness and understanding and hope and fun.

image used is wildflowers (1915) by tom thomson

#hp fic recs #fic recs #fandom thoughts #too personal #i spent like 2 hours on this after applying for jobs so #proscratinating fandom participant is back #at least a little bit

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