#is it romantic if you only get officially together in like six books or so

[osteichthyens]

idk what to caption this um

[gojowh0rcs]

So Gege answers questions about each of the charas and it further suggests to me with this particular answer that tying Gojo down would have to be an extreme slowburn. Gojo remains flighty and wishy-washy with any sort of woman who has interest in him. Don’t get me wrong, he loves the compliments. He loves being fawned over and cooed at.

There’s even suggestions that he’s a bit of a playboy. But I think he’s mostly an attention whore. It’s all surface level; quick dopamine. It’s spectacular at first, what with his goofy personality usually aimed to annoy both his students and colleagues, compliments are few and far in between—it’s a nice little tickle to get it when he can. He’ll pose and preen himself in the most flattering angles to gain more awe. But when that’s all said and done, it’s nothing that really digs past the surface. And nothing that sticks to his memory. Just like the title of the honorable one, the holder of the six eyes, it just puts him on a pedestal he’s been on nearly his entire life as the strongest sorcerer. Nothing really touching about that, but he does like to hear it for flimsy vanity’s sake.

I think Gojo is one of the most misunderstood characters in the series, and deliberately so. He maintains his persona as to maintain his detachment. To keep others at a distance he can always control. Most attempts by potential love interests to dig deeper than he’s willing to offer will only bend and snap against the steel of his guard. It’s definitely frustrating, and most potentials give up when they realize he’s a bit impenetrable and he never entered the dynamic with serious intention to begin with. That, or he often leaves first when he feels the first nips of suffocation. He maintains that he isn’t looking for anything serious and sticks to those guns, leaving when he feels too pressured. He moves at his own pace, which is probably what gets misconstrued as him being a playboy. He’s simply “insincere”, and romantic dynamics remain fleeting and surface-level because of it. He definitely doesn’t bum off of women like toji, nor does he have a line of illegitimate children left behind somewhere. Nor do I think he’s a cheater or bouncing from one girl to the next. I don’t think he’d risk a child out of wedlock that easily, because that might mean he’d have to settle down and marry, or best (worst) case scenario have a child that probably will inherit the six eyes too. Both cases are unfavourable because of the risk of putting his children through an equally as restrictive and isolated childhood due to high society if the Gojo clan finds out, or putting both his babymama/wife and kids in danger of curse users and curses who have a target on Gojos back. He doesn’t want either scenario, but as he gets older there might actually be some pressure on him to carry on the Gojo name regardless. He doesn’t like to be restricted to rules or to be contained, so his avoidance of sincere romantic relationships can also just be a cause of simple rebellion.

I reckon you gotta let love sneak up on him, not push it onto him. And he himself would never seek it out. And even when he finds it, by complete accident, he may never fully or truly pursue it too. For the simple fact that to love is to eventually lose, and I surmise he loves very deeply—it’s hard to move on, if he ever truly does, and though he can keep it together there always remains a part of him trapped in time. His resources to love and connection is scarce and is only limited to the memories of his youth, when it was easier to connect through a child’s ignorance. Now he’s older. He’s wiser, and a little more jaded and cynical. Love is the most twisted curse of them all, he thinks. To lose someone precious is to lose a part of himself. To feed into something greater than him, and nothing is supposed to be greater than Satoru Gojo.

I also think because he tends to walk to the beat of his own drum, it wouldn’t be completely unlikely for him to fall for a non-sorcerer. Someone completely different from him, that comes from a different world and culture and hierarchy that piques his curiosity. That’s probably why he likes to travel so much too. He likes to learn and explore and expand his knowledge. Learning about sorcery in different parts of the world, Miguel definitely would have had a hand in piquing his interest for knowledge beyond Japan. Someone different from him could teach him something he doesn’t know, with that simple innocent link of connection, love might sneak up on him.

Also a personal headcanon, I definitely don’t think he REALLY knows how to talk to women. Yeah it might work for surface level things, flimsy and exaggerated flirtation, things that don’t require sincerity. But when he’s truly himself, he lacks a certain tact and sensitivity and vigilance when engaging with women that can often offend. He definitely hangs around too much men and boys and is hardened by sorcerer life. A woman’s sensitivity might make him curious, if only for the enigma of it. Like puddy in his hands, he’d want to poke and stretch it to see what it can do, where it comes from, and how it works. He’s used to sorceresses, odd and equally as hardened. But regular women untouched by the horrors of his world? He definitely says or does the wrong things and it’s just another one of those things he has to learn through trial and error. Definitely makes “my wife” jokes for comedic effect if he ever did marry. Has a lot of stupid man moments. Definitely gets shook from time to time when he accidentally (or not so accidentally, since it can be argued Gojo just an equal opportunist and everyone in his mind can get it. Sass king) pushes the wrong button of the wrong woman. He’s just basically an asshole once you get past the grandeur of him being the strongest sorcerer alive.

[jellie-the-aqua-puma]

Hi...if you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hi! Thanks for your ask! This is a good question, and this is my first ask so don’t apologize! Currently my mains are

Dazai/Chuuya aka Soukoku from BSD, I really like their dynamic, just the familiarity they had when they came on screen for the first time together. I think Bungou is really well execute though, so S2 showing that they still can come together and pretty much treat each other the same way / exasperation with no heat? And then the light novels are soo helpful too! I really think they’re sweet for each other, and I just think that’s neat! Plus there’s so much to unpack with their relationship! Yeah Chuuya wasn’t happy when Dazai left, but did he really resent him for it? Did he take it personally? What are they going to do now? All they do whenever they’re together is their best to protect each other.

Gojo Satoru / Geto Suguru from Jujutsu Kaisen, the tragedy! Oh man! It took me a bit to get on board with this, but I’m in for life now. It was the “My six eyes tell me your Geto but my soul knows otherwise.” I haven’t looked back. Gojo so shamelessly admitted that and Geto fighting back? They actually remind me a lot of Soukoku, with the obvious being Gojo = Dazai and Geto = Chuuya, but also Gojo was the one who got left just like Chuuya. So much went wrong for these two when it didn’t have to! If Geto had just took the time to explain, if he didn’t stubbornly try to rationalize his mistake, if Gojo had not taken Geto’s words at face value, if he’d’ve pushed a little more. I really love the impact they had in each other. Geto is the reason Gojo pushes for a better future for young sorcerers (does not seem like it’s going that well) and Gojo was the reason Geto wanted to make the world a better place for sorcerers.

Sun Jing / Qiu Tong from Tamen De Gushi (Their Story), a Chinese manhua. The story is just so cute, innocent, and straight forward. No screwing around, misunderstandings, annoying drama, etc.

Galo / Lio from Promare - this movie was so good! These two are really cute! I’m gonna say they’re semi-canon …

Hua Cheng / Xie Lian Heaven Official’s Blessing. Tragic characters when separated but together work towards their best future! Love it.

Cheng Xiaoshi / Lu Guan from Link Click I watched this on a whim and was so impressed by the characters and story! Im super interested to see where their relationship will take them, especially after what’s been revealed in S2, which I’m still reeling from! I am eagerly waiting for season 3!

I’m curious about yours now! What would you say yours are?

Honorable Mentions in no particular order below the cut

Yeong-sin and Seo-bi from Kingdom (kdrama) even though they don’t interact much, them being the only two survivors of the zombie epidemic in Jiyulheon is really what sets them a part for me although anytime they’re around others they act like they don’t know each oher.

TodoDeku was super cute in a very innocent kind of way. I liked that Todoroki was the first person who wasn’t Izuku’s friend who to saw his potential and see him as competition. I haven’t followed My Hero since S4 tho.

Yoruichi / Soi Fon Bleach; I felt Soi Fon’s devastation, to be joined at the hip and devoted and then abandoned and left behind. Yoruichi is merciless, she didn’t gaf lol.

Speed / Trixie sealed in by the 2008 Speed Racer live actions. They were crazy in the anime.

Astrid / Hiccup from the HTTYD film franchise, what a power couple.

Nancy / Edward from Enchanted, they are wasted by Disney but they’re oh so cute!

Aurora / Phillip from Sleeping Beauty, they are also wasted by Disney.

Goku/Chichi Dragon Ball, Chichi is wasted by Akira.

Steve / Bucky too, from Captain America, the way Steve was constantly ready to raise hell for Bucky got me. I pretend anything Phase 3 and after didn’t happen.

[wasted-women]

ROUND 1B, MATCH 1 OUT OF 8!

NOTE: As Warriors is a book series with limited art, only Storm's portrait is official art. Bumble and Bright Stream's pictures are fan-made from the Warriors Wiki. Thank you for providing these arts, Warriors Wiki.

Cause of Death & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Bumble

Cause of Death: Murdered; Either by a predator fox or a fellow cat

Propaganda:

Welcomed the new cats warmly even when they were extremely rude to her for daring to be looked after by humans. She helped Turtle Tail leave the wild and her controlling boyfriend, and showed her what being a kittypet is like. She told Turtle Tail that her kits will be taken by the twolegs, even though she knows that will make Turtle Tail leave to the wild again. Meaning that Bumble would be alone with Tom (abusive asshole cat who the writers decided can get to cat heaven anyway) and Tom would target her even more because she caused Turtle Tail to leave with his kits. She fled to the wild after Tom was constantly beating her up in a way that the twolegs wouldn't see. She is rejected from the wild cat groups because she is a kittypet and therefore fat and lazy and can't hunt. She tries to live in the wild anyway because she can't live with Tom and her twolegs and dies because the cats are fucking prejudiced. :(

Storm & Bright Stream [Mod's Note: Since the person who submitted these characters was the same and wrote propaganda together, I combined them for this entry]

Cause of Death: (Storm) Killed by Twolegs & (Bright Stream) Snatched by an eagle; assumed to be eaten

Propaganda:

I had to submit them both together, because combined they are the worst cases of fridging in the warriors series. Basically Bright Stream is the mate (essentially wife) of Clear Sky, one of the main male characters of the series, who dies tragically while she is pregnant to make Clear Sky angst and make his turn to villainy tragic and try to get the audience to sympathize with him even when he does horrible things and agree with his brother Gray Wing that he should be redeemed. (Gray Wing is also implied to be in love with her so he gets to angst too). Ok that's bad enough but then in the SAME book (the first book of the series), they introduce Storm, ANOTHER love interest for Clear Sky who Gray Wing was also originally involved with romantically, who ALSO dies tragically (again this is all just the first book of a six book series), because obviously Clear Sky needed double the dead wives to make him double tragic and sympathetic. This does lead to a plotline where Storm and Clear Sky's son (who has no surviving sisters so this is still only about the male characters) is abandoned by him out of grief and Gray Wing adopts him, leading to him having to choose between his two fathers, which COULD HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED WITH JUST ONE OF THE TWO BEING HIS MOTHER AND DYING! Not that that would have been ideal either but the double fridging is just so especially ridiculous. Also both are manipulated/treated over protectively by Clear Sky (he pressured Bright Stream into leaving their home to find a better place with him, the journey on which she gets killed, and then tries to control Storm to keep her from wandering off because of his grief for Bright Stream). This is never resolved with the female characters standing up to him because they just die, and in fact Storm dies apologizing to Clear Sky saying he was right all along to not let her go anywhere or do anything and this proves it, setting up for more Clear Sky justifying a lot of horrible crimes with just trying to protect everyone. Because the abuse they suffer doesn't matter, just how their suffering tragically pushing Clear Sky into villainy. Oh yeah and Clear Sky also has a baby sister who dies tragically of starvation to make his belief in eugenics and the disabled being kicked out for population control "so no one starves" more tragic and sympathetic (just a sister, both of his brothers are fine), because there's only one way the authors know to develop his character.

[metalandmagi]

Hi again....Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

I'm going to split them up between my favorite male and female characters, because there's just too many!

I'll start with the boys:

Laurent from Captive Prince- Laurent is my favorite character of all time. Everything about him just comes together in a perfect storm. His humor. His cast iron bitch attitude. The way he puts up armor to protect himself but lowers it when he's surrounded by people who actually care about him. The way his trauma is handled. And I'm fully aware the reason I love him so much is because we see him through Damen's eyes. We start out seeing a spoiled brat, and we learn the truth of him slowly. I can't even find the words to describe how much I love him and why.

The rest aren't in any particular order:

L from Death Note- The first anime character I was obsessed with, because he was one of the weirdest characters I'd ever encountered but somehow he shared all my habits. He sits like I do. He eats tons of sugar, like me. He's bad at social interaction, like me. And (spoilers!) he was one of the first characters with a death that truly impacted me emotionally. I'm totally showing my age, but I will always love this ridiculous trash panda.

Xie Lian from Heaven Official's Blessing- It might be recency bias, but he has skyrocketed to my top favorite characters list. I have a weakness for characters who have gone through hardship and come out smiling no matter what, and damn if that isn't Xie Lian. He really shows the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows in humanity, but he still believes everyone deserves to be cared for. He's also absolutely hilarious, and I love the dichotomy of having this (formerly) insanely strong martial god be so mild mannered and polite (most times).

Izaya Orihara from Durarara- And so begins my love of absolute shitheads. I don't have an explanation for this. I just love the idea of an information broker in a big city who knows everything about everyone and uses it to stir up trouble. And of course I love his flippant attitude that can change on a dime (and his extremely homoerotic relationship with Shizuo). I appreciate characters who always have something up their sleeves.

Wylan Van Eck from Six of Crows- Similarly to Xie Lian, I love Wylan because of the dichotomy of his character. He can be so mild mannered and shy one moment, and the next he's making bombs and threatening to drown his romantic rival in a river. He's also the only YA character I can think of with dyslexia (aside from Percy Jackson characters, who are technically middle grade), and I'm glad that it never gets associated with him being "stupid." Wylan is smart as hell while also being sensitive and creative.

Magnus Bane from the Shadowhunters series- Probably the funniest character I've ever encountered. A chaotic bisexual warlock who insists he doesn't want to help but ends up helping anyway while complaining the whole time? Sign me up. He's fashionable. He's powerful. He's a father of two and a crazy uncle to everyone else. He's everything. Alec is just Ken 😆.

Jim Hawkins from Treasure Planet- My forever boy. The protagonist that aided in my asexual awakening. I loved having a main character in a children's movie that was dealing with his angsty teenage years in a realistic way AND DIDN'T END UP WITH A ROMANTIC INTEREST WHO SOLVED ALL HIS PROBLEMS. He's reckless, but he's also very smart and cares about doing things right.

Fushi from To Your Eternity- (technically more like nonbinary or even gender fluid, but he mostly identifies as male so I use he/him a lot). Another take on an immortal character that I love! I love that we see him learn how to become human from scratch and how he forges relationships with people throughout hundreds of years. I was debating about whether to put Bon or Kohaku on here instead, but I think Fushi and his journey will stick with me longer.

Nico di Angelo from the Percy Jackson series- This is a character I feel like I've grown up with. He was one of the first canonically gay book characters I'd ever seen (this was back when queer characters in YA were almost unheard of, let alone in middle grade books). But Nico was one of my favorites even before the reveal. I loved seeing how he went from a nerdy, hyperactive kid to a brooding pre-teen to mellowing out the way he is now. I'm a sucker for the mysterious side characters that show up every now and then to make the audience wonder if they're really on our side (especially ones with really dry humor).

Now the girls!

(Uh...spoiler alert I guess) Akito Sohma from Fruits Basket- My favorite anime villain of all time. Part of why I love her is because of the build up. For a long time, we only hear about Akito, and we don't know what to think about her. Then we meet her, and she seems...off, but the characters all have different reactions to her. And then we learn how fucked up she is. She's a great example of a character who does awful things, gets a tragic backstory and a slight hint of a redemption arc, but it doesn't change how the audience views her. Her backstory helps you understand her, but you never really forgive her for the shit she's done. She's manipulative, abusive (in every way you can think of), creepy as hell, and yet I still love her because she's insanely entertaining whenever she's around.

Daria Morgendorffer from Daria- This character was basically me in high school, in both looks and mannerisms. I molded my entire personality after her. I love characters with dry humor and I still quote this show relentlessly to this day. Daria was for all the girls who felt like total outcasts because they spent their time reading instead of making friends, but she also showed that you kind of need other people to...well...not be depressed. Also, it might not be explicitly canon that she's asexual, but there is an entire episode revolving around how she's doesn't want to have sex with her boyfriend...so do with that what you will.

Emma from The Promised Neverland- READ THE MANGA I'M BEGGING YOU! My insanely smart, redheaded mastermind of a daughter is such a great main character. I love having a young girl who is cheerful and optimistic while also kicking ass the same way shounen protagonists do. She's so friendly and hopeful that even though the story is super grim, we want to believe she can find a solution to every problem even when it seems impossible. Such a shame we never got a season two...wonder what that would have been like....ha...ha...ha................

Inej Ghafa from Six of Crows- I was trying to keep myself from using characters in the same series, but I couldn't help it. She's just so well written. She's badass. She's vulnerable. She's smart. She puts so much stock in faith but it doesn't make her weak or evil. She ties the group together so well, and she and Kaz are so ace coded it hurts!

Yona from Akatsuki no Yona- I haven't finished the manga yet, but she's another great example of a perfect character arc. Yona starts out as a typical teenage princess. She was never mean or a bad person, but she was selfish in the way most spoiled teenagers are selfish in that she didn't think about the world outside her palace walls or anyone besides the guy she liked. But when she's forced to run for her life, she sobers up and sees the world for what it is very quickly. And instead of relying on others to do things for her, she learns to fight and helps the people of her country the best she can. She's a character who we learn with and grow to love over time.

Kino from Kino's Journey- Definitely one of the most interesting characters I've ever seen, and I mean that in the sense that we don't know much about her at all (until the end of the 2017 anime at least). She is a great example of a solitary character who still loves interacting with people. She's not insanely smart. She's not a badass bitch (she can defend herself and fight because she has to, but she's not a fighter). She's not magical or the chosen one. She's just an average person who wants to experience as much of the world as possible.

Yuuko from xxxHolic- idk what to say about her, she's just the best. She's got chaotic wine aunt energy for days, but she's also got this hidden Dumbledore-esque wisdom and tragedy under her fabulous outfits. I feel like her and Magnus Bane would be best friends.

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games- People who've only watched the movies will never understand. Her dry humor and rough around the edges personality are just so well written, but so many people relegate her as a stereotypical "girlboss" YA protagonist in a love triangle. She's brave. She's funny in subtle ways. She's kind of an asshole but not in an off-putting way. I like Katniss because everything about her feels so genuine. Her love for her family and the way she deals with the world around her are so...real. And I think that's why so many people connected to the series. READ THE BOOKS!

Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter- I don't care if it's cringe, I was fucking obsessed with her in middle school. Again, I'm drawn to characters that have experienced trauma but still come out smiling. I think Luna helped a lot of people who didn't fit in feel more at home in the world. She's fun, she's kind to the people who need it the most, and she's a great friend who helped save the world!

Linda Belcher from Bob's Burgers- This might seem like a silly pick, but I just love her spirit! She's the ultimate mother figure and supportive wife who also has a distinct personality with wants and dreams of her own. So often, moms in cartoons (or anything really) are relegated to being support or a background character for their husbands or kids, but Linda demands a starring role. She loves her kids and her husband and will go to the ends of the earth for them, but they also frustrate her in a very human way. Episode 1 of the new season shows her breaking down in tears because she just doesn't know how to manage the kids, and I think that's something a lot of parents probably go through. I'm not a parent or a spouse, but her struggles and general mom energy feel so real.

There you have it. I really wanted to put a Vinland Saga character on the list, but Thorfinn, Canute, and Askeladd are all so well written I couldn't decide on one, so I had to leave them out 😅

[ashbelero]

“Why Don’t You Eat Me, My Dear Wolf?” - In Defense of Enjoying Problematic Manga

So, I’m an avid manga collector. I read everything from seinen to shoujo, “Cute girls doing cute things” and “Everyone dies a horrible death” manga, popular and underrated titles and things that are garbage but I love them anyway. I’m a frequent poster on the Manga Collectors subreddit, and I decided to show off the manga I had preordered like six months ago which arrived a month after their official release. When I took that picture, I’d only previously read one or two of these volumes.

Eventually someone will ask in the comments how I liked this volume or that volume, which brings me to this conversation… or it would, if the person hadn’t deleted their side.

The book they asked about was “Why Don’t You Eat Me, My Dear Wolf?”, a boys’ love title with a fantasy setting. This is the book in question. I’d only read one or two chapters when they asked me about it.

When I order manga, I’m typically using the Previews magazine (seen pictured in the corner in the first photo) to check which volumes would interest me. Many times, I’ll order some that I’m not 100% sure of because I get a good discount through my comic book seller and if I don’t like the book, I’ll resell it for cover price or lower. “My Dear Wolf” was one of those I wasn’t sure of. All it gave me was a brief description, the rating, and the cover picture. I’ll be honest, I love fairy tale manga and I’m a rabid monsterfucker. The art is stunning. But when I saw the back of the book, I actually began to worry.

The description was what I saw, but there wasn’t anything mentioning the character’s actual age, and the back illustration made me pause. That’s clearly a child. Not my thing.

However, this isn’t my first manga rodeo. I know from experience that regardless of whether it’s Japan or America, manga depicting overtly sexual scenes of children is NOT commercially published by major companies. Whether it’s Made In Abyss or Loveless, nothing is ever actually explicitly shown or implied to happen to characters at that age. The Previews magazine doesn’t even print ads for straight-up hentai manga in its main book (you have to order the Adult Previews or request it from your local comic shop). Knowing this, I decided to read it anyway.

And there are some questionable scenes. The character is seen nude from the back once or twice, in the context of a bath or something. There are implications of the onset of puberty and the awareness of sexuality when he’s probably twelve or thirteen. A dick is never seen regardless of the character. Nothing overt is shown or said. It’s still slightly uncomfortable for me personally, but it’s nothing offensive. Even if it were, I have the ability to close the book and pop it back on the manga sales subreddit with the others. Someone would buy it.

I gave that person my honest early impressions when they asked me how I liked it. Now that I’m done reading, I actually greatly enjoyed the story and the smut only happens when the character is an adult — still not totally happy with the grooming vibes but eh. And the author did seem to have tried to avert these implications with a “we age more slowly here in the forest so it’s actually been 100 years” line in the last chapter. Maybe a cheap cop out but it made sense for the story and enhanced the romance for me.

But otherwise, there’s not much that I could complain about with this story that couldn’t also be said about two of my other favorite series.

Aside from the more severe romantic undertone, the themes in “My Dear Wolf” are pretty much the same as “The Girl From The Other Side” and “The Ancient Magus’ Bride” together. Both have young protagonists - Shiva from TGFTOS is implied to be about six, and Chise from TAMB is fifteen at the start of the series, where she is explicitly stated to be betrothed to the titular love interest. The way that Uru behaves towards Taro in “My Dear Wolf” is no more explicit than either of these other series, save for the ending. Do I have problems with the story? I mean, yeah. But boiling it down to the core ideas means I would also have to condemn these other two series, which are considered masterpieces.

Even if the themes in “My Dear Wolf” are implied to be sexual, though… so what? Fiction is fiction. It’s a good story, and it’s staying on my bookshelf. My only real complaint is that it’s a single volume and there won’t be any more.

And I wanted to tell that person how much I liked it and how much I would recommend it to those who liked this sort of thing, until I saw that they had deleted their own comments, likely because they feared judgment.

So for that person, and many others, here’s my review. I liked it. And though I would preface it with some warnings for those who need it, it’s still something I wouldn’t mind taking off my shelf to show a friend.

[i-never-even-wanted-to-be-here]

Hi........if you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hey! Sure, I can do that.

In comparison to the big amount of ships I have I only have a handful I'm actually super serious about. So here are a few I like:

Merthur (Merlin + Arthur) from BBC Merlin: This goddamn kids show still has me deep in my feels after all this time. They're doing things to me. It's so sad that the series didn't get the treatment it needed and deserved because it was just for children. It had so much potential! The mutual trust and protection between the two is *chef's kiss*. They're soulmates in the most literal sense and belong together, are canonically destined to be with each other. What more do I need to say? And still, they're not canon. Unbelievable.

Andreil (Andrew + Neil) from the aftg trilogy: they have a super interesting, thrilling story, both the plot of the book and their relationship are fascinatingly fucked up and it draws you in. Despite their many issues and their rocky start they do have a really healthy relationship based on mutual trust, support and protection. I also like the imagine where we add Kevin and make it a throuple.

Mikayuu (Mikaela + Yuichiro) from Owari no Seraph: They're not canon but if they don't get together at this point it'd literally be unspeakably disrespectful because the way they act is so romantic, I've never seen a non-canon couple be so obviously in love. This is the most blatant queer baiting I've ever witnessed. Anyways, you could argue that they have a reason for their feelings, meaning that they're not genuine and only fabricated emotions, but idc, they're still obsessed with each other. Just because they have a reason for feeling the way they do doesn't mean that it's not genuine. Literally made for each other. The other characters also notice their fixation on one another.

Hualian (Hua Cheng + Xie Lian) from tgcf/ heaven official's blessing: I literally just finished this book series and already love them so much. It's a tragic and comedic story at the same time. I love when those genres are well balanced so that one doesn't destroy the other. They have their weird moments, like Hua Cheng being a little bit of a creepy stalker, which is why at some point I was slightly intimidated by him and completely understand why the side characters were terrified of him, but we know he's a great person and would never deliberately do anything harmful. They have a healthy relationship and as you may have noticed that's a really important aspect to me. BUT I do love angst and that's why beefleaf (He Xuan + Shi Qingxuan) from the same franchise are very dear to me as well, even though they wouldn't make a healthy couple.

Kanej (Kaz + Inej) from Six of Crows: badass characters that make me so emotional istg. But they make a power couple like no other. We stan the queen and the king. Again, a healthy couple, even though they're murderers. I just love how profound their relationship is. It isn't easy to cope with that kind of trauma and still want to be together. Also, the other two ships from soc are amazing as well.

Patrochilles (Patroclus + Achilles) from The Iliad: the OG gays. This story takes place 3200 years ago and it still makes me lose my mind when I think about it.

Caitvi (Caitlyn + Vi) from Arcane: I love their dynamic. They are both so cool in their own ways. And I have the biggest crush on Vi. I'm so impressed with this show tbh.

Yumihisu (Ymir + Historia) from Attack on Titan: Although aot/snk doesn't focus on romance at all and I like it that way, I do really like these two and I wish they could've gotten a chance.

Renga (Reki + Langa) and Matchablossom (Joe + Cherry) from SK8 the Infinity: Both are great ships respectively. The whole show is just for shipping and I love it.

Honourable mention: Khunbam (Khun + Baam) from Tower of God: I love colour coded relationships, they're kinda blue and red like Renga and Merthur. It's just funny to me that they don't romantically care about anyone else and their friendship is so intimate, at least from Khun's side, and while I don't think that they're ever gonna be a couple, it'd certainly be funny if the creator just pulled a gay trap on the readers. Reel them in with a battle based shonen webtoon and some straight baiting and then boom actually it's been setting up the queer ship all along. Oh how I'd laugh.

Honourable mention 2: Yoonmin (Yoongi + Jimin) from BTS: I'm sorry. It's just that I loved this ship when I still went to school. I hyperfixated on them because I needed something to obsess over to distract myself from my crippling depression. I don't normally ship real people because I don't want to make them uncomfortable, it's just for fun or as a joke. I am not serious about them, I just projected ship dynamics like grumpy + sunshine onto them and it brought me great joy. I even wrote a ff au when I was 14. Oh heavens, I have sinned.

[share-the-damn-bed]

Strap in, my thoughts are unhinged

I unintentionally have not slept (whoo insomnia) and my head hurts. Alright. So I finished volume 2 and I have so many thoughts. So, so many. I’ll try to keep this post to only Jancy since they are my brand. 

Vol. 2 Spoilers ahead!!

Ultimately, it was mostly what I expected. Except I definitely didn’t expect Argyle to make it back to Hawkins. I thought he was going to stay at that SBP in Nevada and Argyle 2.0 was going to help get him back to Cali. It’s an interesting choice but one I welcome. (But no Nancy introduction or genuine interaction?! booooooooooo)

Also, obviously, there were way more St*ncy moments than I anticipated and though cute and touching, I ultimately feel (as I predicted) the Jancy reunion was unearned (mostly on Nancy’s side). At least with Jonathan we have him looking at their photo and deciding to leave for Hawkins and then, when El reveals major danger for our Hawkins crew, Jonathan tries to book a plane ticket ASAP for El because he is worried. However, the fact that the two of them never really expressed concern or thought of one another irked me. It also irked me that the whole Barb thing went unmentioned. My “irk” list is long and will span beyond this post. 

I did like that Steve acknowledged Nancy’s break up helped him start to move forward in life “slowly,” (his words not mine). I’m sad that Steve apparently does have romantic feelings still for Nancy and all the St*ncy moments made me gag. 

But t he St*ncy --> Jancy switch did feel jarring. To the point where I honestly feel bad for St*ncy fans and can anticipate general fans of the show feeling confused (and unfortunately blame Nancy). Like they continued to have these moments (Nancy looking at Steve, then his lips, and then back into his eyes...) and then they had them actually talk about future plans and desires (granted, only Steve’s) and we even got a love confession (again only Steve’s) and then poof! Nancy sees Jonathan and never looks back. Like at all. I expected with everything that happened we’d get some conflicted look on Nancy’s face but nope! Which, I mean, as a Jancy fan I love, but it feels unearned. It’s genuinely bad writing. 

I still don’t think St*ncy is going to happen. I don’t have the clips yet but I do feel like when Steve was confessing about envisioning a future with Nancy (and their six kids... lol I’m willing to give Steve the benefit of the doubt here and say that wasn’t the point. That seeing the future together was the point) Nancy looked like she was going to shoot him down and even looks like she was about to shake her head. But I’m biased. And I was wrong about a lot of the St*ncy stuff being meaningful for Nancy’s Vecna-ing since it didn’t seem to make an impact. At all.

I did find the line between Karen and Nancy right before the Cali group showed up interesting. Karen hands Nancy a box of old stuffed animals from childhood and Nancy goes “Oh, Mr. Rabbit!” or whatever she called it, and Karen stated “It’s okay if you want to save him, you know?.” and Nancy goes “No, he’ll be more loved in a new home.” 

I took this to be referencing her ‘retreating’ back to Steve and her realizing that she was using him once he started confessing his desire for a future together. And that Nancy ultimately decided to let Steve go and find someone who can truly love him and have 6 kids in an RV. Or, it could be referring to Jonathan. Most likely, it means nothing and it was a throw away line. 

Did you sense that, the snark coming through? Welp, that’s because I very much do not trust the writers of the show any more. Officially. I gave them volume 2 to make sense of everything and they failed. hard. I feel like fans across the fandom even Jancy and St*ncy fans alike have pulled together wonderful theories of why things are happening and it ends up being a coincidence. Also, can we talk about how there was no story development for Jonathan and Nancy as a couple?

Episode 1: They are long-distance and are facing issues that are exacerbated by long distance.

Episode 9: They are facing the same, unresolved, undiscussed issues BUT now they are in the same town. Also maybe StEvE?!?!?

Like, we are back to where we started with Jonathan not being honest about his future plans and Nancy thinking he is planning a future with her. (I know that whole plot point might not matter now since they’re back in Hawkins and I don’t even know if they’re going to get to go to college. It’s unclear.) But I also think this brings up a point for the love triangle which they are obviously leaving room for in ST5 (hopefully the negative feedback will prevent this from happening, please?): Steve sees a future with Nancy. Jonathan is sacrificing what he wants to prioritize his Mom and brother but not Nancy (at least he was at the start of the season. we get NO insight into this by the end). But Steve’s plan doesn’t really align with Nancy’s. Idk. 

A line that made me sad was when they’re repairing the cabin, Jonathan says he’s sorry he wasn’t there, she says “to be honest, I’m kinda glad you weren’t” which Jonathan gives her a confused look and Nancy states that she means that she’s glad he was there for Mike and Will.  It just feels like it chipped away at the core foundation of their relationship which I have repeatedly stated is because they are partners and the fact that Nancy was like “yeah, I’m okay with the fact you weren’t by my side” undercuts a lot of what they’ve shown us through the years. 

Also, I’m very confused if the writers want us to think Jonathan did apply to Emerson and just isn’t planning on going or if he straight up didn’t apply and is lying to Nancy. Because the hopeful part of me thinks their little talk at the cabin does sound genuine and they just need to talk it out in way greater detail. 

But the part of me that is dominating my thoughts is STILL TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE LOVE TRIANGLE! Like Jonathan and Nancy seem like they should be good, Nancy definitely seems very happy to be with him and was misty-eyed and excited to see him when he showed up. And she has shown absolutely no second thoughts or wistful looks off to the side  implying that she’s thinking about Steve. She literally never looked at him again since Jonathan’s been there. I just don’t get why they wrote any of the St*ncy stuff. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

Which leads me to Nancy. I’ve struggled with my feelings with her this season because she has always been my absolute favorite character. I, like many people with favorite characters, identify a lot with her and have always easily understood her, her motivations, her approach, etc. whether it be good or bad. I understood. But this season especially with all the St*ncy/Jancy stuff I had no idea what she was thinking or why she was doing what she was doing. What I’ve come to realize is that I don’t dislike Nancy in ST4, not at all. I just feel a major disconnect from my favorite character and that saddens me. It’s like even though she was there and heavily involved in the story, I miss her and I wish I understood her more (like I usually do).  

In conclusion, ST4 ends with the Hopper-Byers family + Wheelers (the bonus Byers) together for the final showdown.  Jonathan and Nancy are paired off and holding hands. Jancy made it through this season by what felt like the skin of their teeth and are finally together again. And I encourage the Duffer brothers to take all the time in the world to give us season 5 (10, maybe 20 years?) because I do not trust them to not fuck it up but I do trust the many, many talented fic writers in our fandom to do the story justice. 

Anyway, come scream in my asks/comments

[thepropertylovers]

The Book I Brought to the Beach

Whenever we make our way down to the beach, I always try to bring a book with me. As I’ve gotten older I have found I crave sitting in a chair on the beach, listening to our kids playing and the waves crashing, and getting lost in a good book.

I tend to only read a few pages at a time before wanting to get in the water to cool off, but there’s something about being at the beach, away from our ordinary every life, while reading a book that also transports you away from your ordinary, every day life that is just so fun and relaxing.

The book I brought with me this time is called “The Dinner List” by Rebecca Serle. It’s about Sabrina, a woman who suddenly finds herself eating with the five people on her “dinner list”. You know, that list, the one we’ve all made where you could choose to have dinner with five people, dead or alive, just for a night.

Set against the charming and romantic backdrop of New York City, t’s a fascinating tale of regret, love, and the choices we make and the impact they have on not just ourselves, but our loved ones. Sabrina is eating with the likes of her best friend, her ex-boyfriend, her old professor, her father, and…Audrey Hepburn. It’s neat to read the dialogue between Audrey and the other characters and imagine how she might talk and handle certain situations. She’s presented by the author as poised and wise, and the whole time I am reading I imagine myself being in her presence and sharing a meal with her, too.

The book’s official description says:

“When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together.”

It’s a very fun, cozy, digestible novel that is easy to dive into and I just got to the part of the book where a twist is revealed and now I am dying to finish it. If you’ve read it, don’t spoil the ending for me!!!

Overall, I highly recommend it, and at just under 300 pages, it’s the perfect book to bring with you to the beach. xoxo

[moemoemammon]

may i request hcs for a poly mc?

Poly!MC with the Demon Brothers!

(GN!MC as always✌️)

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Lucifer

He will never get over the fact that he's got to share you with his annoying ass brothers. But as the most patient(?) of the seven, he's learned to compromise

And by 'compromise' I mean literally making a schedule for how much time everyone gets with you, to avoid unnecessary fights. They all get you for an entire day, on a respective day of the week in chronological order. (Lucifer on Sunday, Mammon Monday, etc)

Though... we all know he abuses the system by making excuses like "MC, I need you in my office for a moment. I'd like to discuss your grades." and "Come with me for a moment, MC. I'd like you to explain something to me."

Basically he fools everyone by making it sound like you're in trouble, when he literally just wants to hang out with you some more. Maybe he can convince you that all you really need is him..? Jk he respects your decision even if it eats him alive because why his brothers of all people-

"As much as I don't understand your choice, I've lived with those six long enough to know how to deal with them. That being said... I also know how to keep them at bay. We'll have plenty of time to ourselves, hm?"

Mammon

The only brother that can see through Lucifer's ruse, but he can't say anything about it because... come on, it's Lucifer we're talking about.

But that's not stopping him from arguing about that dumb schedule! Why's he got to wait until MONDAY, which is a SCHOOL DAY, just to hang out with you?? Why does he have to go second when he was your FIRST???

Keeps trying to convince you to skip classes with him so you can sneak away and spend the day together. Nobody's got to know, okay?

The whole once-a-week thing teaches Mammon the importance of time management, so he's making the most of the time he's got when you're all his. He's taking you on all sorts of dates and there's no way he'll take no for an answer, got it??

"Oi! What did I tell ya about makin' those goo goo eyes at Levi, huh?! Only look at ME like that, understand? Just you wait, I'll take ya on a date so great, you'll only be able to think about THE Great Mammon! ....Huh? Y-yeah, I want ya to hold my hand."

Levi

Tuesday has officially become his favorite day, for reasons that have nothing to do with the upcoming Ruri-chan themed maid cafe event going on soon-

Tuesday's actually used to be his raid days, when he’d get online with his rpg buddies and do dungeon runs until dawn. But now? He's sacrificed all of that just so he can take the time to enjoy being with you

He may not know much about traditional dating, but don't underestimate the power of an otaku with centuries of dating sim knowledge under his belt-! He'll show you so much moe, your head will pop!!

Just be patient with him, okay? He's seriously trying to be romantic here, even if the thought of holding your hand is enough to make his palms sweaty. But he's not passing up an entire day filled with MC-! Not even his inferiority complex will get in his way!

"Eheheh... I've spent all night coming up with the perfect plan of action! First! We're going to have a TSL marathon of all your favorite episodes! Second! We'll speedrun that game you wanted to play, because I bought it! Third! We'll make a TSL-themed dinner to enjoy in my room! Then, we- ..Huh? What do you mean there won't be enough time? S-seriously?!"

Satan

Wednesday... well, that's right in the middle of the week, so it gives him plenty of time to carefully plan what he wants to do with you when it's his turn to have you. (He also does everything in his power to ruin Lucifer's dates oop-)

We all know Satan's gonna write a whole ass dating journal filled with all sorts of romantic ideas he wants to try out on you.

It's a literal date planner, and he's got things meticulously scheduled just to ensure he makes the most out of your day. You'll have to tell him that you prefer to go with the flow, or he might get a little overzealous-

But having a chance to settle down and realize that it's alright to relax once in a while is a relief. He can't help but feel annoyed when he sees you with the others, and it makes him want to cram even more of himself into your thoughts, so a breather is definitely needed.

"You know, I've been reading more books of the romance genre lately, and it's been giving me ideas for how to spend my time with you. I know you said I shouldn't take live advice from a novel, but... when I read the stories, I can't help but picture the two of us. Shall we read some of them together?"

Asmo

Thursday?? Why couldn't he have a weekend??? Everyone knows there's nothing fun happening on a Thursday night... That being said, Asmo has to get creative!

He's no stranger to improvised romance, so this boy pulls out all the stops and always delivers?? Somehow???? He can plan the perfect date in under thirty minutes-

And the time away from you makes him realize that he actually has to consider the depth of those dates. He finds he's not satisfied with cheap, devilgrammable dates anymore. He wants substance!

So he's taken to staying home with you, carefully and quietly getting to know you, and sharing himself with you. He loves it best when the date leaves him craving more and thinking of nothing but your smile. He hopes you can say the same, too.

"...Aaand that's how you do a cross stitch! Levi taught me that one, and it's saved my life a dozen times! It was a great idea that we should make matching wallets, huh? I'm just FULL of ideas like that! Go ahead and praise me all you want~!❤️"

Beel

Madame Screams does a discount on their sweets every other Friday, when they rotate their stock. He couldn't be happier! Though, he’d be fine with any day of the week tbh-

That doesn't mean he doesn't value his time with you, though. It being close to the weekend means he gets to stay up late with you, the two of you sneaking into the kitchen at night to smuggle away a mountain of snacks

Or he'll take you out into the mountains for a picnic, hoping the view of the surrounding scenery and your face will curb his appetite.

He couldn't be happier to have you for an entire day. A whole day, where hunger is just an afterthought and all he cares about is making you laugh... It makes him happy. He's starting to love Fridays even more now.

"Are you sure you're not tired? We've been hiking for a while....Here, hop on my back. I don't mind it. It's nice when I get to be close to you like this....Hm? My face is red? I think it's the heat.. maybe."

Belphie

Saturday, huh? Perfect. He preps for the weekend by sleeping as much as possible on Friday, so he can stay up all Saturday with you.

And when night falls? That's when his plan really comes into play. He spends the entire day doing the things you want to do, making sure you're thoroughly worn out so when it's time for bed, he has no problem coaxing you into bed with him.

And he's exhausted at that point so once he wraps his arms around you and falls asleep, there's no escape. The longer you're stuck there, the less time he spends glaring at Lucifer for stealing you on Monday.

But really.. the highlight of it all is the big, goofy grin on your face when he watches you indulge in the things you love. Even if it might not be his cup of tea, he's just happy that you're happy. And if he can keep you away from Lucifer, it's a win win.

"If you keep smiling like that, it'll make it even harder to give you away tomorrow. But you know.. we could just run away for a day or two. We could go camping somewhere, and stare up at the stars all night long. It'll be our secret."

[dangermousie]

Mousie’s absolutely subjective, very biased Top 10 web novels list

Please note that this is hardly aiming to be objective, if one can even be properly objective about a work of fiction. It is 110% based on my preferences, which means this list is heavy on the angst and has nothing set in the modern day. It is also heavily danmei-centric, even though I read way more het romance than danmei, because for whatever reason, most of the danmei I’ve read has been insanely good.

10. Return of the Swallow - one of the two non-danmeis on this list. Smart and nuanced and with a large cast of characters. Our heroine is a long-lost daughter of the family that is brought back in and has to cope with familial struggles, crazy royals, court intrigue, invasion et al. It’s SO GOOD! There is romance with the sexy smart enemy general but honestly, it’s the heroine that is the main selling point for me.

9. Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - the only other non-danmei novel on this list, this was my very first web novel and what drew me into this insanity. This is just a ton of fun, probably the lightest novel on this list, not an ounce of angst to be found. But it’s hilarious and features competent heroine and tsundere hero and I will always love it for opening a new world to me. Anyway, our heroine transmigrates into the novel as the female lead. Unlike the original lead though she doesn’t want to seek adventures and angst - she just wants to comfortably live with the wealthy, nice husband heroine has. Alas, said husband is no longer nice since he has previously lived this story where he was betrayed by FL and then transmigrated/reincarnated into the past. Oh well, the heroine opens up businesses and makes friends. And eventually, her husband realizes his wife is way different this time around. This actually doesn’t have much romance, not until close to the end, but this is so fun I don’t care.

8. Lord Seventh - I am only partway through this so far, but it’s already on the list because it’s smart and somehow intense AND laid-back (not sure how this works, but it does) and is honestly just a really really solid and smart period novel, with the OTP a cherry on top of a narrative sundae. Plus, I love the concept of MC deciding he is not going for his supposedly fated love - he’s tried for six lifetimes, always with disaster, and he’s just plain done and tired. When he opens his life in his seventh reincarnation and sees the person he would have given up the world for, he genuinely feels nothing at all. (Spoiler - his OTP is actually a barbarian shaman this time around, thank you Lord!)

7. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS) - oh come on, how are you even on this tumblr if you don’t know MDZS/The Untamed? This was my very first danmei and it’s so much fun! I love everything about it - the unreliable narrator, the looping structure, the main OTP, Wei Wuxian’s laidback, traumatized insouciance, everything. Anyway, the plot in the event you somehow transported here from 2005 is that the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wei Wuxian, was defeated by the righteous sects over a decade ago and fell of a cliff to his death. Only now that same Wei Wuxian opens his eyes in another body and everything that was supposed to stay in the past starts again.

6. Heaven Official’s Blessing (TGCF) - people either love its meandering narrative, picaresque structure and cast of thousands, or find it a detriment compared to much more compact MDZS. I love it even more than MDZS for those very qualities. It does have a rock-solid, darling OTP, but what really elevates it to me are the MXTX trademark combo of snarky/light tone hiding a ton of trauma underneath, the insanely intricate world-building, and what it has to say about the nature of grace and goodness. Xie Lian is one of my top 5 web novel characters and probably in top 10 from anywhere. Oh, and while MXTX’s stuff is not as angsty for me as Meatbun’s or even Priest’s, there are always exceptions, and there is one chapter in this novel that pretty much broke me and sometimes I still flashback to it and feel unwell.

Anyway, what is it about? There is a commotion in the heavenly realm - Xie Lian, the Crown Prince of a long-destroyed kingdom, has ascended to Godhood. That in itself is not so exciting. However for Xie Lian this is the third time (!!!!) as he’s ascended and lost his godhood twice prior. And now, the biggest joke of the divine realm is back, throwing the heavenly realm into chaos. And elsewhere, Hua Cheng, one of the four most powerful demons of that Universe, sits up and takes notice.

5. Golden Stage - my perfect comfort novel. Probably the least angsty of any danmei novel on this list (which still means plenty angsty :P) It also has a dedicated, smart OTP that is an OTP for the bulk of the book - I think you will notice that in most of the novels in this list, I go for “OTP against the world” trope - I can’t stand love triangles and the same. Anyway, Fu Shen, is a famous general whose fame is making the emperor antsy. When he gets injured and can’t walk any more, the emperor gladly recalls him and marries him off to his most faithful court lackey, the head of sort of secret police, Yan Xiaohan. The emperor intends it both as a check on the general and a general spite move since the two men always clash in court whenever they meet. But not all is at is seems. They used to be friends a long time ago, had a falling out, and one of the loveliest parts of the novel is them finding their way to each other, but there is also finding the middle path between their two very different philosophies and ways of being, not to mention solving a conspiracy or dozen, and putting a new dynasty on the throne, among other things. It always makes me think, a little, of “if Mei Changsu x Jingyan were canon.”

4. Sha Po Lang - if you like a lot of fantasy politics and world-building and steampunk with your novels, this one is for you. This one is VERY plot-heavy with smart, dedicated characters and a deconstruction of many traditional virtues - our protagonist Chang Geng, a long-lost son of the Emperor, is someone who wants to modernize the country but also take down the current emperor his brother for progress’ sake and the person he’s in love with is the general who saved him when he was a kid who is nominally his foster father. Anyway, the romance is mainly a garnish in this one, not even a big side dish, but the relationship between two smart, dedicated, deadly individuals with very different concepts of duty is fascinating long before it turns romantic. And if you like angst, while overall it’s not as angsty as e.g., Meatbun stuff, Chang Geng’s childhood is the stuff of nightmares and probably freaks me out more than anything else in any novel on this list, 2ha included.

3. To Rule In a Turbulent World (LSWW) - gay Minglan. No seriously. This is how I think of it. it’s a slice of life period novel with fascinating characters and setting that happens to have a gay OTP, not a romance in a period setting per se and I always prefer stories where the romance is not the only thing that is going on. It’s meticulously written and smart and deals with character development and somehow makes daily minutia fascinating. Our protagonist, You Miao, is the son of a fabulously wealthy merchant, sent to the capital to make connections and study. As the story starts, he sees his friend’s servants beating someone to death, feels bad, and buys him because, as we discover gradually and organically, You Miao may be wealthy and occasionally immature but he is a genuinely good person. The person he buys is a barbarian from beyond the wall, named Li Zhifeng. It’s touch and go if the man will survive but eventually he does and You Miao, who by then has to return home, gives him his papers and lets him go. However, LZF decides to stick with You Miao instead, both out of sense of debt for YM saving his life and because he genuinely likes him (and yet, there is no instalove on either of their parts, their bodies have fun a lot quicker than their souls.) Anyway, the two take up farming, get involved in the imperial exams and it’s the life of prosperity and peace, until an invasion happens and things go rapidly to hell. This is so nuanced, so smart (smart people in this actually ARE!) and has secondary characters who are just as complex as the mains (for example, I ended up adoring YM’s friend, the one who starts the plot by almost beating LZF to death for no reason) because the novel never forgets that few people are all villain. There is a lovely character arc or two - watching YM grow up and LZF thaw - there is the fact that You Miao is a unicorn in web novels being laid back and calm. This whole thing is a masterpiece.

2. Stains of Filth (Yuwu) - want the emotional hit of 2ha but want to read something half its length? Well, the author of 2ha is here to eviscerate you in a shorter amount of time. This has the beautiful world-building, plot twists that all make sense and, at the center of it all, an intense and all-consuming and gloriously painful relationship between two generals - one aristocratic loner Mo Xi, and the other gregarious former slave general Gu Mang. Once they were best friends and lovers, but when the novel starts, Gu Mang has long turned traitor and went to serve the enemy kingdom and has now been returned and Mo Xi, who now commands the remnants of his slave army, has to cope with the fact that he has never been able to get over the man who stabbed him through the heart. Literally. This novel has a gorgeously looping structure, with flashbacks interwoven into present storyline. There is so much love and longing and sacrifice in this that I am tearing up a bit just thinking of it. If you don’t love Mo Xi and Gu Mang, separately and together, by the end of it, you have no soul.

1. The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun (2ha/erha) - if you’ve been following my tumblr for more than a hot second, you know my obsession with this novel. Honestly, even if I were to make a list of my top 10 novels of any kind, not just webnovels, this would be on the list. It has everything I want - a complicated, intricate plot with an insane amount of plot twists, all of which are both unexpected and make total sense, a rich and large cast of characters, a truly epic OTP that makes me bawl, emotional intensity that sometimes maxes even me out and so much character nuance and growth. Also, Moran is my favorite web novel character ever, hands down.

Anyway, the plot (or at least the way it first appears) is that the evil emperor of the cultivation world, Taxian Jun, kills himself at 32 and wakes up in the body of his 16 year old self, birth name Moran. Excited to get a redo, Moran wants to save his supposed true love Shimei, whose death the last go-around pushed him towards evil. He also wants to avoid entanglement with Chu Wanning, his shizun and sworn enemy in past life. And that’s all you are best off knowing, trust me. The only hint I am going to give is oooh boy the mother of all unreliable narrators has arrived!

The novel starts light and funny on boil the frog principle - if someone told me I would be full bawling multiple times with this novel, I’d have thought they were insane, but i swear my eyes hurt by the end of it. I started out being amused and/or disliking the mains and by the end I would die for either of them.

[bukojuiice]

the way of the househusband — levi ackerman

ೃ pairing: (husband! levi ackerman x  ceo wifey! reader)

ೃ  There is the “ideal” nuclear family. The one composed of a working husband with a well-paying 9 to 5 job, loving housewife who cooks and cleans, and adoring children who do well in school. However, that idealization is looong gone. What about you and your family? You are the CEO of a Tech Start-up Company who ain’t no trophy wife, Your husband hails from the last line of Ackermans and who temporarily resigns from being a vice executive of your company (just because he doesn’t want to work with young, feeling philanthropist, and genius GenZers) to become a hands-on househusband, and then there’s your little daughter who has the most inquisitive mind and adventurous heart who idolizes her doting father in every shape, way, and form. A month’s absence in your home (due to a business trip) could lead to many many things. But, your husband randomly publishing a self-help book on parenting and being a househusband is not one of those things. 

ೃ genre and warnings: modern au, domestic fluff, baby au, husband au, 

ೃ  my nav  →  my aot masterlist

ೃ 4k words

ೃ Will be referring to hanji as “aunkling” (a cute nickname that some kiddos use to refer to their non-binary relatives <3) because there are no official non-binary terms for aunt and uncle! + your daughter with levi is named amelia and she is just the most precious cinnamon roll

It’s done. 

The Business Trip is finally over.

A long and painful month of no hugs and playdates with your little princess, Amelia and no time to be pampered with love and affection from your husband, Levi was finally over!

Sometimes, you wonder how you were even able to survive these long-ass trips and conferences. Sure, these month-long trips only happened once a year, but the thought of Amelia getting older and having to miss a day of seeing her grow up and discover the world, really hurt you as all mothers would. Video Calls were enough to satisfy you and give you happy hormones even for just a short while, but still- the longer you’re not with them, the more the yearning lengthens until you’re just riddled with endless thoughts of wanting to get home as soon as possible.

First, let’s set things straight: You are the CEO of a Tech Start-up company who was born into a middle-class family and rose her way up to success. It’s as cliche as it gets but hey! Living a life as if you were in a romantic comedy was the best compliment you’ve ever gotten. 

Along with that, as far as rich families in rom-coms and coming of age movies go, are they all dysfunctional in reality? Not really. Or at least you and Levi promised each other not to end up like that. The Rich Girl meets Poor Boy (with a tragic backstory) cliche however? Yea, that’s a pretty accurate way to describe your love story. Meeting the love of your life in a Coffee Shop is actually pretty common and happens to a lot of people apparently. When Erwin Smith, Levi’s best friend (who is too smart and self-aware to fit the role of a rom-com sidekick by the way) approaches your table to ask if he and Levi could sit with you. (Because of all the days the cafe would be packed, it would be that day.) You said yes of course, and Erwin began oversharing details about the raven-haired man and you were all too invested in learning more about him anyway. Levi grew up in the orphanage after his mother had died and his father was the biggest asshole on the planet for never showing his face, he had to fend for himself after he outgrew the foster system. Starting out as an espionage in an illegal underground gambling empire to a bookkeeper at the Smiths’ bookshop. (Although this is a story for another day)  

Internally swooning over his pretty eyes and resting bitch face...it didn’t take long until the two of you fell in love and... the rest was history!

You come home to your lavish yet homey apartment in 21 West End Avenue Manhattan to be surprised by your father-daughter duo absolutely knocked out on the couch. Amelia was snuggled up to her father, her feet on his lap and a sleeping position you could not possibly comprehend, a Disney movie playing in the background, and both of them were wearing matching Minion onesies whilst yours was folded neatly on the coffee table just waiting to be worn by you when you got home. 

It was a rare sight to see and you can’t help but just stare lovingly at the wonderful scene before you. Not only was it rare to see Amelia asleep before seeing you (or in the case of your business trips, during your daily video calls with them) but it was also rare to see your husband sleeping so soundly and his insomnia not kicking in. 

Amelia hears your footsteps, her eyes are still shut as she tries to predict what you will do next. She finally assesses when she will make her move and surprise you when you place another fleece blanket on top of them and plant a kiss on both of their temples. your daughter’s eyes suddenly flutter open. Her eyes beaming and glowing off the same light that twinkled in her father’s as she jumps off the couch, making sure not to wake up Levi.

“MOMMY!” She screams in the most quiet volume her cute voice could muster. She runs up to you and envelops you in a tight hug, jumping up and down as she does so. “I missed you Mommy! I missed you soooo much! How was sandbox in K-korea!? Was there a lot of sand!? Did you have a lot of pwaymates there!?”

You giggle at your daughter’s enthusiasm, combing your fingers through her hair. “Lili, Sandbox is like the Silicon Valley of Korea. It isn’t necessarily a sandbox like in a playground, baby.”

“OOOH! JUST LIKE SIWICON VAWWEY!” She chirps, tightening her hug and reaching for your hand and squeezing it. “AH WAIT!” She gently pushes you away and makes a beeline to her room. “ME AND DADDY HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU! BUT CLOSE YOUR EYES FIRST OWKAAY?!” She calls out from her room and you shout back a “yes!” to her in between your giggles, unable to contain the sudden rush of serotonin your daughter had given you from her simple yet adorable antics.

Another trope that you can debunk is that rich moms can be a hands-on parent too! After your maternity leave ended and when Amelia had finally reached her toddler years, you absolutely made sure that you were going to take care of her every second, minute, hour and day of your life. As soon as she turned two, she became the inquisitive, smart and ever so curious little girl you and Levi had always hoped for. She had your (h/c) hair and Levi’s icy yet warm and loving milky grey eyes. If the color of Levi’s reminded you of dark and stormy clouds, Amelia’s was gleaming. Like that of the clouds after a terrible storm. She was an absolute blessing and although you weren’t a perfect mother, (spoiling her more than you should) Levi was an amazing father. Growing up without parents was tough for him and he was going to make sure that Amelia is going to have an amazing childhood and be surrounded by the love of two parents that he never had and never got to experience. 

You always and will forever have trust in Levi. There has never been a day where you doubted him. Despite the impressions and assumptions that people have of him. How he was cold, scary, and even calculating. But, you are always quick to shut down those rumors. They don’t know the Levi Ackerman behind the cold and mighty front he shows. He is a man who has gone through so much and yet has so much love and care to give. How he notices and remembers the littlest details, how he never takes anything for granted and how he loves and cherishes everything so wholeheartedly.

When Amelia turned six, you sadly had to go back to work formally. Right timing too because your genius (with very himbo tendencies) younger cousin, Eren, was about to be part of your start-up company and he had a lot of amazing plans that had to come into fruition. Even bringing in a group of his own friends (who all graduated in MIT by the way!) who are willing to contribute so many amazing ideas and hackathons that were just waiting to happen.

The entrance of these youthful and hopeful genius entrepreneurs also brought about the temporary exit of your very own husband from your very own company. Apparently, working with newly graduated Gen Zers (as a millennial) was too much for him. They were nice and they were going to be a very integral part of the company. But, the boomer inside Levi can’t just can’t keep up with this sudden surge of energy and youthfulness within the higher-ups. It was also a great opportunity for him to take care of Amelia even more. So, you didn’t stop him from doing so! 

It’s been a year since he temporarily resigned and became an official-unofficial househusband. Or as your best friend Hanji likes to put it, You are the Girl Boss and he is the Male Wife. Amelia is now 7 years old and she’s currently taking Ballet classes (Levi picks her up during the weekdays, and the both of you pick her up on the weekends) and has developed a hyperfixation over Sanrio Characters and the Disney movie, Frozen. She was growing up to be a wonderful girl and you just can’t wait to hear what she and Levi had done during your absence.

She skips her way back to you, a book tightly clutched in her hands. “SURPRISE!” Amelia gingerly places a book on your hand. You open your eyes and tilt your head in question at the piece of literature she had just given you as you read the title aloud.  “The Way of the House Husband… written by Levi Ackerman.” Your eyes shift to a little circle on the lower side of the cover,  “The husband of (Y/N) Ackerman, the CEO of Survey Corp Tech…!?” 

“Daddy and I made a book while you were away!” She claps her hands together and grabs the book back from you, turning it to the first page. “See there’s even a dedication! To (Y/N) and Amelia! The two brightest stars in my galaxy!”

“Oh that’s too cheesy. No way would your dad write something like this out of the blue, Lili.” You scoff, shaking your head in disbelief. Your daughter looks at you with downcast eyes while you were still trying to process that your husband literally just wrote a whole-ass book while you were away. “Who helped publish this so quickly, Amelia?”

“Uncle Erwin of course!” She’s frowning for one second and now she’s beaming at you again. “Please please read it mommy! Me and daddy worked really really hard on it!” She taps the hardbound cover of the book in rhythms. “This is the Amelia Edition! Daddy said he cut out some stuff so that it would be okay for me to read and for me to give to you once you get home! It’s my come back home gift for you mommy!” She moves the book to your lap and hops up next to you on the loveseat that you were sitting on. Before you know it, Amelia is resting her head on your shoulder and coaxing you to start reading to her like it was a bedtime story. 

You clear your throat and hold her by the waist so that she can feel more secure in her seat. “Okay… okay… let’s begin shall we? In a kingdom far far away…”

“That’s not how the book is like mommy! Read it properly like the way daddy did!”

“I was just joking, honey. Let’s get started. Rule #1 of the House Husband is…”

Rule #1: Fathers, be good to your children. You are the weight of their world.

“One thing I learned as soon as I was at home practically 24/7 is that your child will be more cautious and weary of you. They will observe you because they look up to you. They will watch your every move, follow you around, and will imitate whatever you say and whatever they hear from you. Talk to them, teach them things they need to know, support them in their hobbies, interests, and even if you have to be the extra princess in her tea party, do it.  The thing is, you will leave an eternal mark on the hearts of your children.”

Amelia got even more closer to Levi when he was finally stationed at home. Always grinning from ear to ear and boasting to her classmates how cool her dad was whenever he would pick her up from school. She was proud to tell them Levi’s heritage even if Amelia never got to meet her Grandma Ackerman and Grandpa Ackerman. When Levi would take her out for errands, may they be groceries, cleaning the house, baking, cooking, laundry, or just going on his morning jog, Amelia would be there to accompany him. In fact, she’s gone shopping with Levi so many times that she has memorized the brand names of cleaning detergent and bleach before she could even memorize the multiplication table.

 She’s even caught up with her father’s cynical sense of humor. And because of that, Levi had to tone down on his sardonic jokes around the little girl. Levi wasn’t necessarily physically affectionate but he does soften around Amelia as the little girl never fails to supply him with endless hugs and kisses on the cheek. She may be both a Mommy’s and Daddy’s girl, but the way she looks up to Levi is the kind of father-daughter bond that you hardly see in real life. She aspires to be like him. Even if there were times where she would be scolded by you both, (most especially Levi) she never took that against you.  She sees all the good and positive sides of your husband that others outside of your circle fail to see.

Rule #2: Let your children know that they have other “guardian angels” who they can rely on aside from their parents.

“My daughter has both my wife and I’s best friends to learn from or to look up to. Her kooky aunkling and her blunt uncle have become one of the most precious people in her life. Even the young ins working at Survey Corp Tech have become older siblings to her and get along with her so well. Remember that there will always be close relatives or friends who can and will help them when they lose their way. Let them spread sunshine and love to others.”

Whether it’s a regular trip to Coney Island or your monthly trips to Disneyland, Hanji or Erwin would totally tag along. Amelia absolutely loves and vibes with Hanji’s quirkiness so well. They would wear matching Mickey Mouse ears, ride the kiddie roller coaster that Amelia wanted to ride on a million times per visit, buy her all the ice cream and treats she wants (despite Levi’s warnings and the reprimanding that Hanji has to suffer from the both of you right after.) They just want Amelia to experience all the fun, the joy, and innocence of living in the moment. As a kid, it’s better if she sees how precious life is, how she should cherish it and that she doesn’t have to grow up so fast just yet. 

Erwin on the other hand, brought out Amelia’s intellectual side more. As soon as a new and critically acclaimed children’s book hit the shelves, you bet Amelia has a copy right away. Whenever Levi would take her to Erwin’s bookstore, she wanders around like it’s this huge mysterious archive that can only be accessed by her. The Adults section is forbidden, so were the cheap romance novels in the back, and the books written by youtubers. God forbid she read those. When her Uncle Erwin got her into reading Roald Dahl’s children’s books, you had to watch Amelia run around the penthouse with a little red ribbon tied on top of her hair, wanting to be referred to as Matilda, along with you and Levi having to pretend that she had telekinetic powers for 6 months straight. It was her cutest phase yet and you just know there were many more to come. 

There were also Eren and his friends who loved Amelia dearly whenever she came over to visit. Your little cousin refused to be called Uncle Eren and instead wanted to be called big bro, and in which Amelia happily complied. Whenever it was Amelia’s weekly “Visit Mommy at Work” day, she had her own room in your office where Eren and your other young associates would babysit her. In fact, they would actually take turns in babysitting at your condo whenever you and Levi went out for date night. Amelia was introduced to playing video games like Animal Crossing and Pokemon solely because of them (more specifically because of big bro Jean, big sis Sasha, and big bro connie.) They even ended up influencing her to watch anime when her big brother “Minmin” and big sis “Mimi” accidentally left the TV on and Amelia literally binge-watched half of the existing Studio Ghibli movies to this date. 

Rule #3: Your children will think that you are Superman or Iron Man. Make sure to act like them and never let them down by ruining their innocence and imagination.”

(A little note was attached to this page: Please don’t let Amelia read this. Read her a fairy tale instead while skimming through this.)

“It all started when my daughter found an entire encyclopedia on ancient and legendary family clans around the world. The Ackerman clan was on the very first page after the intro and she read through all 50 pages of it. The look of awe on her face when she read that her dad’s ancestors exhibit physical abilities much higher than the average human. In a 7 year old’s mind and vocabulary, that automatically translates to a superhero akin to that of Superman. 

Ever since then, My daughter has forced me to become more creative with doing very mundane tasks and chores. I pretend to have superpowers. Such as teleporting around the house whilst cleaning. I tell her to close her eyes or else my teleportation powers won’t work. Then when I cook in the kitchen and she watches me intently, I tell her that the salt and pepper have magical properties that only I can touch and hold because to her, at that moment, I was “Doctor Stwange.”

and one time, when I picked her up from school, she was babbling on about how she told her friends and playmates that she had two superhero parents she was very proud of. Then one of the other kids asked if I was a strong soldier who killed huge humanoid monsters using sharp blades. To which I replied that could have possibly happened in a different universe. Her hearty laughs and giggles whenever she sees me using my superpowers makes me anxious over the fact I have to tell her someday that my powers never existed.”

Whilst you were on your monthly trip, you and Levi would have private video calls whenever Amelia was finally put to bed. There, he told you about what happened in Amelia’s ballet classes that week and how the single mothers were more persistent than usual.

They could clearly see that Levi was not interested but apparently the fact that your husband waving his ring finger every single time someone approached him wasn’t obvious enough, apparently the fact that he was married made the risk even more worth it to these prying moms who had nothing better to do. It wasn’t until Amelia had enough and respectfully called them out by saying that his dad was married and he was never going to be interested in Karens (a slang word that she learned from Eren and friends) Since then, the invasion of parent to parent boundaries had finally stopped. Levi was very relieved and at ease whilst telling you the story yet you were laughing your heart out at the ingenious remarks of your very own daughter on top of the irresistible charm and looks of your own husband that made single mothers be damned. 

Rule #4: The most important rule of all: Love your spouse as you want your children to be loved in the future.

“Since my wife is on a business trip right now as I type this and she may or may not know that I had written this book for her to read when she comes home, my daughter came up to me a few days ago and told me how she missed her mom so much. The video calls we had every night were not enough to satisfy her for the remaining days her mother would be gone. She then proceeds to tell me that she loves the way I love (Y/N). My daughter loved how patient I was and how I supported her through every endeavor that her mother had ever thought up with that brilliant mind of hers. She mentioned how I was there for her through every success and failure, through hardships, difficulties and misunderstandings. My daughter was happy because I stuck with her mother through everything. All the pain, suffering, conflicts that we both experienced individually and as husband and wife. Little ears and little eyes are watching and observing the actions and sweet gestures of their parents. Make sure to remember that.”

“What is gravy (grief) if not love persevewing?” (persevering) My daughter had even recounted a quote from the Disney Marvel show, WandaVision just to prove a point to me. That was when I realized something and decided to list down a few things: 

1. The best lovers are the best of friends.

Levi’s relationship with you was rocky at first simply because the two of you didn’t have a lot in common. Your personalities clashed and the two of you could barely make things work in the beginning. He was always well-dressed, on time, and was very prim and proper. However, Levi was cold, strict, and unapproachable. You on the other-hand were quite the opposite. You used to arrive late, didn’t care too much about your style as long as you wore the appropriate outfit, but you were carefree, laidback and friendly. Having to set aside your differences was a process that required sacrifice, time, and effort. It took long and a lot of petty arguments before the two of you fully understood each other, accepted each other's faults and quirks, and became even closer. Both as friends and lovers. You and Levi treat each other not as just the “person I love and I’m married to for the rest of my life”, but also as a best friend for life. Soulmates

2. Their dreams are just as important as yours.

Levi’s dream was to open up a tea shop and start a family with you. That was all he ever wanted. The blissful simplicity of his in comparison to your techy and out of this world ambitions, goes to show how much they weigh as aspirations and wants in life. You have to value your significant other’s dreams and ambitions just as much as you highly value yours. No matter how hard or how simple they are, the both of you can achieve it with the help of each other. The only thing left in your agenda was to open up his long-awaited Tea Shop. You were about to surprise him with the plans of opening one up on the day of his birthday, and you just can’t wait for that day to finally come.

3. You have to let them be free.

Levi absolutely knew what he was getting into when he met you. It was love at first sight when he met you, He drunkenly admitted that one time when he’s had too much champagne on your friday date night. He knew that you were an adventurer. A wandering soul who had a goal and a purpose set in stone. He always knew you were going to reach greater heights and he knew that you would never leave him behind and would always have him go on a ride. He’s always known about your capabilities and your potential and he didn’t want you to stray away from that. And, if the time were to come that you had to leave him behind to soar greater heights, he’d understand that. He’d always let you be free and make sure you don’t fly too close to the sun. That was just how selfless Levi is. The thing is, he knows you would do the same for him. It was a perfect balance. 

4. It is an honor to love and to be loved by them.

To be wrapped in the arms of someone who feels like home or has become the definition of home, To be stargazing with on a chilly summer night in where you talk about your future and your plans, To be sharing a cup of coffee or tea with in the morning and begrudgingly dancing with you against his will, To be watching your child playing in her room and do nothing but look adoringly at the most precious soul to have ever been produced by your encompassing love, and to be spending the rest of your life with someone who has done nothing but be with you through every pivotal moment in your life was such an honor. 

It is an honor to be loved by Levi, as he is honored to be loved by you. 

“...The end.” You close the book with a deep but contented sigh. Tears were welling up in your eyes and you’re trying your best not to break down in front of Amelia. 

“Mommy… are you crying?” She tilts her head in inquiry. “Is it because you’re tired from work?”

“No. baby. These are happy tears, Lili. Don’t worry.”

Before you could speak up once more, you notice Levi had slowly sprung up from the couch, and began to stretch his arms. His eyes widen when he sees you from the opposite couch. “(Y/N)... you were supposed to arrive at 6 AM right? Amelia and I were supposed to pick you-”

Amelia opens her mouth to speak as she jumps down from the couch and crawls up to sit next to Levi. “Daddy! I showed Mommy the book you wrote! She loved it! Right, Mommy?”

“You did?” Your husband perks up from his seat, clearing his throat. “T-that’s not the entire book yet by the way. We had to give back the original copies to Erwin for reprinting. The self-help book is currently rising up the charts to be a New York Times Best Seller.” 

Before Levi could properly react, you move to the free space on the couch next to him. Holding his hand and gazing into his forlorn yet loving eyes, you muttered. “Love, that’s amazing. I’m really really proud of you. Next time though, please do tell me that you’ve written a self-help book and dethroned all those mommy authors from the bestselling charts.” 

Levi stifles a laugh, stroking your thumb and bringing you and Amelia closer to him for warmth. “I will. I will.” 

Amelia looks up at the two of you, squeezing out of the sandwich, so that you and Levi can have your quality time with each other. “Goodnight Mom! Goodnight Dad!” She approaches the two of you so that she can be given her nightly kiss on the cheek as she retreats to her room. 

“What if I write a novel too?” You joke, snuggling up to Levi, your husband wrapping his arm around you. “The title could be… The way of the Wife boss?” 

“That could be a good sequel. A shared book universe. Then, Amelia could continue the collection when we’re old and sour as hell.” Levi mused.

“Pfft. I guess only time will tell. I love you Levi.”

“I love you too (Y/N).”

[maximoff-pan]

l’amore de ma vie | fred weasley

Summary: When Fred invites you to Bill and Fleur’s wedding, your feelings for your best friend are stronger than ever before. What happens when you realize just how much you love him?

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: Fluff...i-is that a warning?? Anyway buckle up for some sickly sweet goodness....

A/n: I know, I’m terrible. It’s been a little while longer than I’d intended but I hope this makes up for it! Feedback is very very much appreciated! I love seeing what all of you think of my writing! Without further rambling from me....enjoy!

Sidenote: This is a total AU. It completely deviates from canon, as Bill and Fleur’s wedding goes smoothly in this version. No violence here haha...only happiness! (I guess what I’m trying to say is, in no way shape or form is this an accurate recollection of the books, this is purely from my imagination...)

• • • • •

“Fucking weddings...” you mutter as you walk through the massive white tent that adorns the front lawn of the Weasley residence. Everything is perfectly displayed, tables meticulously set, with delicate flowers littering the venue.

The romance of it all makes you want to throw yourself into Bill and Fleur’s masterfully crafted, six-tier cake. And watching as Molly rushes in and out swiftly with the brightest smile on her face, it all reminds you of how you should be getting ready right now. But you just can’t stomach that.

It’s not that you’re not happy for Bill....you’re ecstatic and you absolutely adore him. He’s been a role model for you almost your entire life. And it’s not like you’re not an absolute romantic, because you are...but weddings always make things complicated. They manage to dig up feelings that you’d rather not confront.

Feelings for a certain Weasley twin...

That’s why when he (said twin) and George invited you to the wedding, you were reluctant to say yes. It’s hard to pin point exactly when you felt your friendship with Fred (at least on your end), morph into something more, but you’ve managed to keep your feelings for him locked away for the better part of four years. And as far as you’re aware, the only person that’s truly caught on is Hermione...because you’re convinced at this point that she just knows damn well everything.

“Something on your mind?” A voice startles you, bringing your attention back to the bustling world surrounding you.

Turning around slowly, you’re greeted with Bill’s towering figure. You huff out a quick, teasing laugh. “You know, it’s not nice to interrupt a lady’s thoughts.”

“Forgive me,” he chimes with a chuckle of his own.

Bill knows your humour, and he knows you well enough to recognize when you’re using it as a defence mechanism.

“It just looks like you’re about ready to make a run for it,” he continues, “and I wanted to make sure my favourite guest doesn’t ditch me on my wedding day.”

“You know I would never ditch you.”

Bill sends you a look, clearly not impressed by your jokes. You can tell he knows something’s wrong, but you don’t want to be the first one to bring it up.

“I’m fine.” You reassure with a soft smile. “I promise.”

He only nods at you, and he’s not quite sure if he’s convinced, but he’s confident things will work out in the end. “You know, I best be getting ready.” He grins wide. You reciprocate his grin with an additional giggle.

“You best be. Or else Fleur might divorce you on the spot.”

“Wouldn’t that be a shame.” Bill shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I’d have the record for the shortest marriage in wizarding history! Mum would have an absolute shit fit.”

You both burst into a fit of laughter, before you’re nudging him out of the tent and towards his home.

There’s a comfortable pause of silence as Bill thinks to himself. He can see it in your eyes exactly what you’re thinking about. Having been around you for years and Fred even longer, and watching the two of you grow up together, he knows what’s troubling you. Bill Weasley is not a stupid man, and he knows love when he sees it. Better yet, he knows the fear of losing that love that runs rampant in your mind. If Bill has learned anything in his years on this earth, it’s that love allows for the greatest of happiness but it also allows for the greatest manifestation of fear. Unrequited love can be more painful than the relief of returned feelings, but Bill Weasley knows you both well enough to know that these feelings you and his brother share, they’re anything but unrequited.

“I should probably be getting ready too.” You break the silence and remind yourself of the upcoming event as you step through the front door of the Burrow.

You both turn to each other, acknowledging your parting of ways. You hear Arthur shouting for his oldest son from above. “I guess that’s my cue.” Bill simply nods in the direction of the staircase, taking a step towards it. You stand still, just watching him for a moment.

He leans his head over his shoulder for a brief second, already a few steps up the winding stairs. “Oh and (Y/n),” he breathes, “my brother may be an oblivious twat, but to give him some credit, I see the way he looks at you, and I’d be blind to say he isn’t in love with you too.”

In love with you too....

And as soon he’s said it, the cheeky bastard’s disappeared up the stairs, leaving you dumbfounded and completely still.

Fucking hell. Your mind wanders, his words at the forefront....so apparently Bill knows and surely if Bill knows, George must too. Are your feelings for Fred that obvious?

• • • • •

You step through the doorway to Fred and George’s room hoping to find a certain twin. You spot him sitting cross legged on his bed, fiddling with a prototype for the shop that you’re sure you’ve seen him working on before. His ginger hair is messily in his face, his tongue sticking out in concentration. He’s the picture of a working artist....pranking materials being his art. You heave a sigh. Like you, he’s nowhere near ready for the wedding that is going to take place in a few hours.

“Do you know?” His head whips up at the sound of your voice. It’s such a vague question, one in which a normal person would question what it itself is in relation to, but George knows exactly what you’re getting at. But maybe he’ll screw with you a little first....

“I know lots of things love. You’re going to have to be more specific.”

A groan passes your lips. Maybe he doesn’t know....but the way his lips are turned upward, the smirk that seems to be growing on his face tells you otherwise. You’re not blind; you know the games George Weasley likes to play.

“Don’t be coy asshole.” You send him a look that says ‘try me.’ “I know you know. My question is, why haven’t you told me that you know?”

“I haven’t a clue what you mean.” He continues testing the waters of your frustration, seeing just how far he can go before you snap.

“Oh fuck me!” You exclaim, hands thrown up in the air. You point at him, eyes narrowing in his direction. “You’re a prick George.”

His grin only widens. “I’m pretty sure you’ve got the wrong twin (Y/n). Last time I checked, Freddie’s the one you want to fuck.” He says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

And....Bingo. There it is. The exact confirmation you wanted and feared.

You recoil, eyes widening at him. Your voice goes soft, serious. “Why didn’t you tell me that you knew?”

His warm eyes meet yours, a calmness to them that is surprisingly reassuring. “I’ve made a living out of not taking things seriously and meddling in other people’s lives (Y/n), but what you and Fred have, I won’t meddle in that.” He pauses for a moment, his voice softening. “It’s not my business to push you two together. You’ll realize it at your own pace.”

“Realize what at your own pace?” Fred leans his body against the doorframe. He’s dressed in a suit, his hair done up nicely, and unlike his twin, he looks entirely put together. The irony almost makes you laugh. You’ve always known George to be the prepared one, ready hours before he needed to be. And Fred a scambler, leaving everything to the last second, to be fashionably late was his life motto.

“Just how stupid the two of you are going to look all dressed up with no dates.” George answers for you, keeping the true nature of your conversation a secret. “Even Ginny’s managed to catch the chosen one.”

You huff out a laugh. “You’re an idiot.”

“Ah,” George muses. “But I am an idiot with a date.”

Fred grins at the two of you and your banter. “Angelina’s better off without you as her date.” He jokes.

A laugh passes your throat, Fred joining in with you. “Oh, sod off!” George pipes before shoving the two of you out to get ready.

• • • • •

Hours later you find yourself ready on time, a shocking revelation to you and each of the Weasley’s. And George is too. He sits beside you grinning like a mad man. Fred is on your other side, smiling all the same.

The ceremony is wonderful and quaint. You knew the moment you saw Fleur all those years ago, just how beautiful she was, but you never could have imagined just how much you’d grow to think of her like a sister. And it’s funny because you’re neither a Delacour nor a Weasley, and yet you feel like you belong. It’s different from the love you know Harry and Hermione feel for the Weasley’s, because ultimately, they’ll both marry in and it will be official, and as much as you love Fred, you know that will likely never be the case for you. But that’s the thing you love most about Molly and Arthur and their children: you don’t have to be related by marriage or blood to be a Weasley.

And seeing Fleur and Bill smile, seeing the pure happiness that they exude in this moment, it makes you forget why you ever questioned coming. It makes you hope that one day you can find what they have. You’d spent the last few minutes mesmerized by their first dance as a married couple. You’re so caught in a trance that you don’t hear the clapping when they’ve finished and stepped off the dance floor.

Your eyes snap up at the clearing of a throat beside you. George nudges you and you turn to look at him. He points at Fred who’s gazing at you curiously. You must have looked like a daft idiot, an utter love struck expression on your face.

“I’m sorry.” You laugh. “Did you say something Freddie?”

“Dance with me?” He asks.

Fred’s question lingers as you contemplate whether or not to accept his outstretched arm. But then your eyes drift up to his, and you catch the mischievous glint that rests in them. It’s in that moment that you know there is no turning back.

Groaning, you relent into his touch. “One dance.” You say, but you know that if he asked, you’d dance the night away.

The grin that spreads onto his face is nothing short of beautiful. It’s unmistakably perfect the way the light catches his features, his ginger hair glowing in the overcast moonlight, and an ethereal aura glistens from his skin. Fred looks youthful...and he looks undeniably happy.

Gripping your hand, he leads you to the dance floor. You catch a brief glimpse of Bill whose lips are tugged into an encouraging smile. Fred snaps your attention back to him as he pulls you into his body, bringing your arms to rest around his shoulders. You can hear the faint thrumming of the slow and melodic music drifting towards you, but all you register is the sound of Fred’s heart beating against yours. Wrapping yourself in his embrace, you allow yourself one second to believe that he might feel the same.

Your feet move in sync almost flawlessly, and it’s as if you’re reading each other’s movements without any effort. (Despite being known for your clumsy nature). But if you’re being honest, it’s always been like that with Fred....easy that is. Easy to read each other, easy to be with each other. It’s just natural. 

“You’re quite graceful Freddie.” You nudge him playfully, breaking the silence between you. 

“And you’re quite...” his voice drifts softly, “something.”

The half scoff, half laugh you let out rings in his ears. “Are you implying that I’m not a good dancing partner?”

“You’re a formidable partner love, just a shit dancer.”

Your eyes light up in amusement. “Well we can’t all be as graceful and beautiful as you Fred Weasley.”

He plays along happily. “No.” He agrees. “I guess we can’t. But I reckon everything else about you, your beauty, your wit, your affinity for kindness, makes up for your lack of dancing skills.”

It’s that self assured attitude that draws you to him. Yet he’s not the slightest bit arrogant. He simply believes in himself, knows his strengths and his weaknesses, is completely aware of his self worth, and he won’t let anyone tell him otherwise. It’s addicting to be around, and a quality so desperately you wish you could find in yourself.

And when Fred compliments you, you can believe that he’s telling you the truth. He makes you believe things about yourself that you would never dream to think about on your own. As cheesy as it sounds, he makes you feel seen. He makes you feel special. And it’s so strange because for as long as you can remember, everyone has always thought of you as merely the best friend of the infamous Weasley twins. Hardly to anyone had you been your own person with your own identity. But Fred never made you feel like that. You’ve always been someone to him, not just a product of who you chose to be friends with.

“You shouldn’t say things like that you know.” Your voice goes quiet.

Fred notices the change in your body language as you begin to close yourself off from him. “Why not?” He asks. “It’s the truth isn’t it?”

Your eyes catch his and your breath hitches. This feels like something. It feels like a moment, the moment that you’ve been waiting for. You never believed Fred could ever feel the same for you, but the look he’s giving you feels so so real.

“Fred, do you-“ You start, but he cuts in for you.

“Feel it too?” He finishes.

“Yeah.”

“I do.” He replies.

Your heart races in your chest as he pulls you closer into his embrace. This confession of feelings is nearly wordless, and yet it feels perfect. You’ve never needed to say a lot to Fred for him to understand you.

You’ve always just had that kind of connection.

You barely notice that you’re still dancing, your bodies moving on autopilot. And the people around you fade to nothing. Your focus is solely on the man who holds your heart in his hands.

Your movements slow as Fred tilts your chin towards his face. “I’ve been in love with you since we were 11 years old.” He says. It’s nearly impossible for your mind to process it. “I’ve known for so long, I just didn’t want to ruin what we have. But I reckon if there’s ever a time to do it, now seems pretty good.”

A gentle smile rests on your face, your heart warm at his words. “Now is perfect.”

Fred hums softly, his warm brown eyes searching yours for any sign of regret. He sees nothing but adoration staring right back at him.

“Can I kiss you?” This is the first time you’ve seen Fred so timid.

You smile coyly, nodding your head. “Such a gentleman.” You tease, pulling him gently towards you. Your lips meet so softly and briefly that you almost miss it.

But no matter how brief, it’s a feeling you’ll never forget. You both want more of each other, but you also know that standing in front of Fred’s immediate and extended family and friends, you can’t simply put on a show for the world to see, as much as he wants to.

You pull back for a moment only to find yourself wrapped in each other’s arms, swaying to the music. Most people in your situation would say something. Maybe they’d profess their love, or whisper sweet nothings into their lover’s ear, but right here, right now, words don’t need to be used.

You don’t need to say I love you to feel that you are loved. And you know Fred feels the same.

• • • • •

Off to the side, Bill takes a moment to part from his wife, approaching his younger brother with a shit eating grin.

“Bloody hell.” George runs a hand through his hair, spotting Bill striding towards him.

Their eyes lock for a moment and George notices his oldest brother’s lip quirk upward. “You owe me 20 galleons.” Bill states matter-of-factly.

George grumbles, reaching into his pocket to pull out the payment. Handing it to Bill, he smiles. “Get back to your wife you tosser.”

Bill nods, taking a step towards Fleur. He turns to face his brother, eyes glinting with mischief. “Just know, when they get married, I’m telling everyone I won.”

///////////////////

Taglist:

@amourtentiaa

[i-am-bitterly-jittery]

You Can't Spell ROMANCE Without ROMAN (But I'd Sure Like To)

Word Count: 3081

Rating: Teen

Pairings: Analogical, Roceit, Intruality

Warnings: insecurity, pushiness, Remus being Remus (suggestive language, disturbing imagery, minor violence)

~~~START~~~

Roman was the Creative Side (one of them, anyway), he was the Dramatic Side, he was the Dreamer Side, but most importantly of all, he was the Romantic Side.

He loved romance — adored it. With Thomas now in a relationship with Nico, Roman was spending a lot of time coming up with big romantic gestures that Thomas could perform to demonstrate his love. Any ideas he came up with that were too grand or too impractical — Virgil and Logan’s opinions respectively — Roman performed for his love instead.

That wasn’t not to say that Janus only received second hand gestures; Roman came up with plenty of romantic gestures with Janus in mind specifically. Roman may be the Prince, but he would make sure it was Janus who was treated like royalty. Nothing but the finest for his love!

As the Romantic Side, Roman was particularly in tune with the romances happening around him (not that there were many choices in the Mindpalace, it was just the six of them — plus he-who-shall-not-be-named — but still, he knew it when Patton and Remus got together a few months ago). So when it took him two years to realize that Logan and Virgil were in a relationship, he was a little thrown.

He actually learned about their relationship while eavesdropping on one of Janus and Logan’s monthly “wine and whine” sessions (they didn’t actually call it that, but that’s what it was).

Now normally, Roman didn’t spy on his boyfriend (or anyone thank you very much), but Remus eavesdropped on these meetings regularly and he’d told Roman that Janus and Logan only ever spend the whole time complaining about him. Insulted, Roman set out to prove that Janus and Logan complained about other things as well. And he was right! They started out complaining about Roman, yes, but they also brought up Remus, Thomas, Patton, Janus’s cold bloodedness — things other than Roman.

And yeah, maybe Roman should have left once he’d proven that they didn’t just talk about him, but when they brought up Virgil… well, Roman was intrigued.

“And how is Virgil?” Janus asked in his usual slightly condescending tone.

“Virgil is perfectly fine,” Logan replied curtly.

“Really? No complaints? None? You’ve been dating for two years, Logan, surely he’s done something to annoy you in all that time?”

Two years!?

Roman didn’t stick around for the rest of the conversation, he knew at once that he had a certain emo to talk to.

“VIRGIL!” Roman yelled, throwing Virgil’s door open so hard that it hit the wall with a bang!

“Jesus!” Virgil jumped, nearly falling off of the bed. “What, Princey?”

“You’re dating Logan?” Roman demanded.

“I- yeah, why?”

“You need to tell me everything!” Roman planted himself on the foot of Virgil’s bed and stared at him expectantly. “Who asked who out? What was your first date? What cute pet names do you call each other? What kind of gifts do you get him? Is he a good kisser? When did you first tell him you loved him? How-”

“Geez, Princey, one at a time,” Virgil interrupted, wide-eyed and stressed from the rapid-fire questions. “I think he technically asked me out. I don’t think we’ve really been on an official date. I call him L or Lo, but those aren’t really pet names; he calls me starlight. I’ve tried to get him books before, but he always already had them. He’s a pretty good kisser,” Virgil’s neck turned red and Roman had no doubts that if the emo hadn’t been wearing foundation, his face would be bright red. “And I… haven’t yet.”

“You haven’t said ‘I love you’!?” Roman demanded, scandalized. “You’ve been dating for two years! How do you not say ‘I love you’ ever in all that time!?”

“I-I don’t know, I just… haven’t.” Virgil stuttered. “It’s never felt like the right time yet.”

“So let me get this straight — I mean gay — he asked you out, you’ve never been on a date, he has a cute pet name for you, but you don’t have one for him, all the gifts you’ve ever gotten him failed, and you’ve never said ‘I love you’, right?”

“Well, um, it’s… yeah,” Virgil squirmed, throwing his hood over his head.

“That’s sad. C’mon,” Roman grabbed the emo’s hand and pulled him off the bed.

“Where are we going?” Virgil asked as Roman dragged him out of his room and down the hall.

“I’m going to help you!” Roman declared cryptically. He finally released Virgil in the kitchen, in favor of pulling out various bowls and measuring cups. “First step: gifts. Books haven’t been working out for you, so what else does Logan love more than anything in the world?”

“Stars?” Virgil tried, struggling to keep up with the fanciful Side.

“Crofters!”

“So… you want me to give him a jar of Crofters?”

“Of course not, that’s so boring. I’m going to help you make thumbprint cookies with Crofters!” Roman set the flour on the counter, the slightly crazed look in his eyes told Virgil that there’d be no getting out of this.

Look, the thing about baking is… well, let’s just say it wasn't Roman’s thing, and leave it at that. And it wasn’t Virgil’s thing either. In the end, they were left with very hard, very burnt cookies.

“I don’t think these are better than the books,” Virgil said, glaring at the cookies as though they’d offended him.

“No,” Roman admitted. “Maybe we should have gotten Patton’s help with these.”

“Roman!”

“Okay, well we still have the jar of Crofters, you can give him that as a gift for now and I’ll try to think of something better for next time!”

“What do we do with the cookies?” Virgil asked, tapping one against the counter.

“Remus!” Roman summoned, regretting his decision before his twin even appeared.

Remus appeared behind him, swinging his morning star at Roman’s head in greeting. Luckily, Roman was used to this, and ducked the blow.

“Boo!” Remus pouted when his attack failed. “What do you hets want?”

“Do you want these?” Virgil asked, ignoring the jab and offering the Duke a cookie.

Remus made a face. “Sugar and jam? It’s like you guys don’t even know me!”

“They’re burnt to a crisp and hard as a rock.” That piqued Remus’s interest. He bit into the cookie — still in Virgil’s hand — and there was an audible crack!

when he pulled back, the cookie was still intact, but when the Duke grinned, it showed off his broken and cracked teeth. “I’ll take ‘em!”

He held up the end of his tunic to make a pouch and swept the burnt cookies up.

“Patton never makes me cookies as nice as these!”

“But I switched the salt and the sugar!” Patton complained, suddenly rising up next to Remus. “I even decorated them with mustard instead of frosting!”

“You’re right,” Remus said. “Your salt cookies were good, but they would have been even better if you’d added special frosting!” Roman gagged as Remus emphasized ‘special’ with an eyebrow wiggle. “I want to crawl up your ass and live inside your small intestine!”

“I love you too,” Patton laughed. “What happened to your teeth?”

Remus waved a hand and his teeth went back to normal. “Virgin and Virginal are bad at baking!”

“Oh, kiddos!” Patton exclaimed upon seeing their sorry excuses for cookies. “If you needed some help, you only had to ask!”

“Next time, padre,” Roman promised as he grabbed Virgil’s hand once more. “For now, we have other quests to finish!”

Roman sank out with Virgil in tow.

They rose up in the middle of a field in the Imagination.

“What are we doing here?” Virgil asked. In the distance he could see trees and mountains, but the field was completely empty, it didn’t even have flowers in it, just grass.

“This is the next step in my plan to help you fix your relationship!” Roman declared, spinning around.

“Fix?”

“Don’t worry about it. Now, what is Logan’s ideal date?”

“‘Don’t worry about it’!?” Virgil screeched. “Do you know who I am!?”

“Okay, so I may have overheard Logan and Janus talking about you during their bitch session earlier, but don’t worry! We will fix it, and Logan won’t be mad at you anymore!”

“HE'S MAD AT ME!?”

“Now, the perfect date for Logan…” Roman ignored the panicking emo in favor of creating a building perfect for his masterpiece: a date that even a boring nerd would enjoy!

First, what do boring nerds like? Answer, classical music performed by an eighty-piece philharmonic orchestra!

Roman created a large music hall in a Beaux-Arts style that he was fairly certain Logan would appreciate in some of the empty space in the field. He filled the building with an orchestra and audience — every one of them would remain inanimate until it was time for the show (well, until Virgil and Logan entered the building at least, then they’d start moving so that they wouldn’t come off as too creepy). He left a private box open for Virgil and Logan, as well as a clearly marked path from the door to the box.

By the time he’d created a massive garden around the hall — perfectly fit for a romantic moonlit stroll afterwards — Roman realized that he hadn’t seen Virgil for a while.

“Virgil?” He called.

No response.

“VIRGIL?”

Still nothing.

Roman reached out with his mind and found no other Sides anywhere in the Imagination — not even Remus.

Strange. Maybe he went back to his room?

Roman tried rising up outside of Virgil’s room and knocking on the door, but there was no response. The door was unlocked, but Roman didn’t see anyone in the room. Huh.

“Virgil?” He tried again.

Not a single stirring from anywhere in the room.

~~~

When Logan got back to his room after his afternoon with Janus, he knew immediately that something was different.

“Virgil?” He called, thinking that it was his boyfriend’s presence that he was feeling. A timid squeak from the closet confirmed it.

Logan pulled the closet door open to find Virgil curled up on the floor between two boxes. His knees were pulled up to his chest, and both of his hands were fisted in his hair. Logan couldn’t see his face, but he was sure he would find smudged eyeshadow running down his cheeks.

“May I sit with you?” Logan asked, to which Virgil made a vague movement that he interpreted as a confirmation.

He sat on the floor in front of Virgil and started trying to gently pry his hands out of his hair.

“What’s wrong, starlight?” He finally managed to pull Virgil’s hands loose, and he held them in each of his own, rubbing his thumbs along the backs soothingly.

“I’m a bad boyfriend,” Virgil mumbled, his face still tucked into his knees.

That took Logan aback. “Virgil, you are a wonderful boyfriend,” he corrected firmly. “I am very lucky to have you.”

“I’m not!” Virgil protested, finally lifting his head. He had dark stains running down his face from his makeup, and pulled one of his hands free from Logan’s in order to wipe at it. It didn’t help, he now had eyeshadow smeared all over his face and hand, but that was the least of either of their concerns at the moment, and Logan took up the hand again when he was done without hesitation. “I-I don’t add anything to this relationship! You do all the work and I just sit here like an idiot!”

“You add quite a lot to this relationship, actually. Not the least of it being that you add you; it would be rather difficult to have a relationship with you without you,” Logan stated. “And if the only thing you had to contribute was yourself, then that would be more than enough for me, but you contribute far more than that; you make me sleep when I’ve been working for too long without a break, you help me make my vocab cards and don’t even tease me about how hopelessly nerdy they certainly are, you give me the most thoughtful gifts, I could spend hours telling you what all you do for me, and what you bring to our relationship.”

“My gifts are the worst,” Virgil corrected miserably. “They’re always books that you already have!”

“I have hundreds of books, Virgil, I can hardly expect you to memorize them all.” Virgil opened his mouth to protest, but Logan pushed on. “The books you’ve given me have always been some of my favorites. You may not know what books I do or do not have, but you do know what kind of books I would — and do — like; in every book you give me, I can see the thought you put in to picking the right one, I can see the care you put into finding one I would enjoy, and that is more important to me than whether or not I already have the title in my collection.”

“We’ve been dating for two years, Lo, and I can’t even say the L-word!”

“Perhaps you have never said it verbally,” Logan allowed. “But you tell me that you love me every day through your actions; every time you make me tea, every time you lean against me while listening to your music, every time you kiss me, all I can hear is ‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’

“You have trouble expressing your emotions through words — trust me when I say I understand — but that does not mean that you don’t know how to express yourself, nor does it mean that I don’t understand you when you do. I know that you know how I’m feeling even when I can’t put it into words, and I hope you can believe me when I say it goes both ways.”

Logan released one of Virgil’s hands and placed his newly-freed hand on his tear and eyeshadow-stained cheek. “I love you, Virgil, and I know for a fact that you love me too.”

“You say it so easily,” Virgil whined, a fresh wave of tears spilling from his eyes.

“I am Logic, it is in my nature to state facts, and there is no truer fact to me than that I love you.”

Virgil let out a whimper, then launched himself in Logan’s arms, knocking the Logical Side off balance and sending them both toppling onto the floor. Logan didn’t care though, all he cared about was Virgil, who had his arms and legs wrapped around him in an attempt to be as close to his boyfriend as physically possible as sobs wracked his body.

“I love you,” Logan said as he placed a kiss on Virgil’s hair. “And I know that you love me, even without you saying it.”

“You’re not mad at me?” Virgil was eventually able to whimper out.

“Of course I’m not,” Logan replied. “What made you think that I was?”

“Roman.”

“…why would Roman say that I was mad at you?”

“He was eavesdropping on you and Janus, and he- he heard…”

“Ah,” said Logan as the pieces started falling into place. “I see. While I am not in any way unhappy with you, Roman did correctly identify annoyance in my tone — it was directed at Janus, though.”

“Really?” Virgil sniffled, pulling back slightly to look at Logan’s face.

“Yes,” Logan smiled softly. “You see, I have told Janus several times that if I were in any way annoyed with you — which I am not — that I would discuss the situation with you and only you, as I know that thinking people were talking about you behind your back would worsen your anxieties; however, no matter how many times I tell him, he still needles me for gossip.”

“So… you’re really not mad at me?”

“I really am not.”

“Even if I keep asking if you are?”

“I will reassure you as many times as you need, starlight.”

“Okay.” Virgil settled back down, snuggling back into Logan with no intentions of moving any time soon.

After several moments of listening to Virgil’s steady breathing, Logan spoke again.

“May I ask, why were you hiding in my closet?”

“Smells like you,” Virgil answered simply.

Logan felt his heart melt a little bit more. “Well, I know a place that also smells like me, but is perhaps a bit comfier than the floor, would you like to go?”

Virgil nodded. “Carry me?”

“Of course.” Standing was difficult with a full-grown man clinging to him like a koala, but Logan managed, and soon, the two of them were cuddled up in bed together.

“We tried to make you cookies,” Virgil mumbled. “But we burnt them pretty badly.”

“I don’t need you to make me cookies, but if you’d ever like to try again, I am a rather proficient baker.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course. Baking is just chemistry that you eat afterwards, and I do enjoy chemistry.”

Virgil snorted. “You’re such a dork.”

“I believe the saying is ‘it takes one, to know one’,” Logan chuckled.

The two lay there for hours, not quite sleeping, but just drifting comfortably together.

“You know, Roman made a whole date for us,” Virgil piped up eventually. “He put a lot of effort into it.”

“I believe we’ve had enough of Roman’s ‘help’ for the day, don’t you?”

Virgil’s only response was to lean up and place a kiss on Logan’s lips, to which the Logical Side happily returned in kind.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

~~~

“This is so boring!” Roman whined quietly. “These songs don’t even have words!”

Janus rolled his eyes fondly. When he learned that Roman had made an entire orchestra and concert hall that would just be going to waste, he’d insisted that his boyfriend take him to a performance; but Roman had so far spent the entire time complaining — quietly so as to not bother any of the other audience members.

The audience members who were literal figments of the Imagination.

“Roman, you definitely didn’t put this all together, you didn’t choose the set list, and you absolutely cannot change it at any time. I’m afraid we’re quite stuck here.”

“You’re right,” Roman huffed, making no move to change anything about the concert. “I am forced to endure this Hell of my own making.”

I really am dating the biggest idiot, Janus thought to himself fondly as he settled back to listen to Beethoven’s “Emperor”.

~~~END~~

This is the closest to my original idea, but when I first started writing this, Roman started getting really unsympathetic, but I was uncomfortable with it, so I basically started over in order to have well-meaning, idiot, himbo Roman

Taglist:

@royalty-of-all-things-snuggly @pixelated-pineapple @knight-shives @amazon-me-bitches @korruptbrekker @parksthefrog

[kcrabb88]

Queer Movies/Books/TV Shows for Pride Month!

Happy Pride everyone!! For your viewing/reading pleasure I have made a (non-exhaustive) list of queer media that I have enjoyed! 

Movies/Documentaries

Pride (2014): An old tried and true favorite, which meets at the intersection of queer and workers’ rights. A group of queer activists support the 1985 miners’ strike in Wales (complete with a sing-through of Bread and Roses + Power in a Union)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman (or, two young lesbians fall in love by the sea, and you cry)

God’s Own Country: Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path (Seriously this movie is GREAT and doesn’t get enough love, watch it! It’s rough but ends happily)

The Half of It:  When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush (as in she falls for his crush who is another girl. This movie was so good, and really friendship focused!) 

Saving Face:  A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations (this is an oldie and a goodie, with a happy ending!)

Moonlight:  A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood (featuring gay men of color!)

Carol:  An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York (everyone’s seen this I think, but I couldn’t not have it here)

Milk: The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official (the speech at the end of this made me cry. Warning, of course, for death, if you don’t know about Harvey Milk)

Pride (Hulu Documentary):  A six-part documentary series chronicling the fight for LGBTQ civil rights in America (they go by decade from the 50s-2000s, and there is a lot of great trans inclusion in this)

Paris is Burning (Documentary): A 1990s documentary about the African American and Latinx ballroom scene. Available on Youtube!

A New York Christmas Wedding:  As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, Jennifer is visited by an angel and shown what could have been if she hadn't denied her true feelings for her childhood best friend (this movie is SO CUTE. It’s really only nominally a Christmas movie and easily watched anytime. Features an interracial sapphic couple!) 

TV Shows 

Love, Victor: Victor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation (this is a spin-off of Love, Simon, and it’s very sweet and well done! Featuring a young gay man of color)

Sex Education:  A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school (this has multiple queer characters, including a featured young Black gay man and also in season 2 there is a side ace character!) 

Black Sails: I mean, do I even need to put a summary here? If you follow me you know that Black Sails is full of queer pirates, just queers everywhere.

Gentleman Jack:  A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister, who returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home Shibden Hall (Period drama lesbians!!! A title sequence  that will make you gay just by watching!) 

Tales of the City (2019):  A middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she is haunted by something from her past that has long been too painful to share (this is based on a book series and it’s got lots of great inter-generational queer relationships!) 

The Haunting of Bly Manor:  After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry hires a young American nanny to care for his orphaned niece and nephew who reside at Bly Manor with the chef Owen, groundskeeper Jamie and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (sweet, tender, wonderful lesbians. A bittersweet ending but this show is so so wonderful)

Sense8: A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order (queers just EVERYWHERE in this show, of all kinds)

Books

Loveless by Alice Oseman:  Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance (don’t be turned off by this title, it’s tongue-in-cheek. This is a book about an aroace college girl discovering herself and centers the importance and power of platonic relationships! I have it on my TBR and have heard great things)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel (again, don’t be thrown off by the title, it too, is tongue-in-cheek. This book was GREAT, and written by a trans women with a queer-and especially trans--audience in mind)

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein: A gay Christopher Marlowe, at Cambridge and trying to become England’s best new playwright, finds himself wrapped up in royal espionage schemes while also falling in love (this book is by a Twitter friend of mine, and it is a wonderful historical thriller with a gay man at the center).

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer: a very very queer remix of The Picture of Dorian Gray (which was already quite queer), featuring amazing female characters, a gay Basil, and a much happier ending than the original. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: The gay prince of England and the bisexual, biracial first son of the president fall in love (think an AU of 2016 where a woman becomes president). Featuring a fantastic discovery of bisexuality, ruminations on grief, and just a truly astonishing book. One of my favorites!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston:  For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train (This is Casey McQuiston’s brand new novel featuring time-travel, queer women, and I absolutely cannot WAIT to read it)

The Heiress by Molly Greely: Set in the Pride and Prejudice universe, this takes on Anne de Bourg (Lady Catherine’s daughter), and makes her queer! 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters:  Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins (Sarah Waters is the queen of historical lesbians. All of her books are good, and they’re all gay! The Paying Guests is another great one)

(On a side note re: queer books, there are MANY, these are just ones I’ve read more recently. Also there are a lot of indie/self-published writers doing great work writing queer books, so definitely support your local indie authors!) 

[hyungieyoongi]

Epilogue: “Run Away to You” Part 7

To the person who never stopped supporting and loving me, even when I ran away from him – I promise from now on to always run away to you.

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Former Actress!Reader

Word Count: 1.6K

Genre: Angst (if you squint) + Fluff (nobody look at me I’m so soft)

Warning: Brief mention of reader’s panic attacks and mental health

Series Masterlist: Run Away to You

Premise: You ran away from your acting career one year ago, disappearing from the spotlight without a trace. No one from your past life knew where to find you. On the anniversary of your disappearance, your carefully constructed reality is shattered.

Part 6 \\

--- 

One year later...

You stood in the wings to the right of the stage, watching Yoongi stand side-by-side with his fellow members as they took their final bow. The love and energy from ARMY was overwhelming, your heart swelling with pride as you saw the look of pure happiness radiating from Yoongi and the rest of the boys.

BTS had held a series of surprise concerts in the past couple of months, and tonight was the last one in Seoul. Yoongi had made sure you attended each one with him, no matter where it was in the world. He told you he had always wanted to travel with you.

You looked out into the stadium, ARMY bombs lighting up the seats, illuminating the arena with a wash of purple light. You smiled, tears coming to your eyes at the beauty of it all.

As you took in the sight, you couldn’t help but reminisce on the past few months with Yoongi and everything you both went through to get to this moment.

You had been honest with the world in your video, explaining that you had to step away from your career for your mental health. You opened up about dealing with panic attacks and the toxic pressure of the acting industry. You explained how you needed to get your creativity and passion back for new projects by disappearing for a little while. There were so many people who had sent you messages of love and support, welcoming you back with positivity and warmth.

But the other side was picking you apart relentlessly. They accused you of trying to use Yoongi to get back into the spotlight now that you had gotten tired of living the “normal” life. They were saying that the pictures of you and Yoongi were all a ploy to get attention to restart your acting career.

If only they knew how much trouble those pictures had caused you.

You remember how you found it ironic how much the first few weeks of your life back in the public eye were so like your life when you first went into hiding. Moving into a new apartment, donning baseball hats and masks whenever you stepped outside, the threat of unwanted and uncontrolled publicity controlling your every move.

You had to have security with you, especially in the early days. The press wanted to get the scoop on your disappearance and your time with Yoongi, often flanking you with cameras if you popped out to get a coffee or go to the store.

Yoongi’s label put out an official statement to explain away the potential romantic implications of the picture, saying that the two of you knew each other from your time in the business and you were “old friends.” They cautioned the two of you to avoid being seen alone together in public, but Yoongi put his foot down, telling the label that you were not going to be hidden away forever.

Your publishing company was thrilled to hear that you no longer wanted to publish your book under a pseudonym; your name recognition was guaranteed to start a buzz around your upcoming release. Yoongi would often try to peak over your shoulder when you were working together, trying to read what you were writing. You would tease him, telling him he had to wait to read it just like everyone else.

Not to mention you were a little nervous to tell him that the story that you were writing was not-so-loosely inspired by your own relationship with him.

Navigating the public world again was made better by having Yoongi there with you, albeit privately at first. You would often have dinner with the boys or go watch Yoongi rehearse when you weren’t in editorial meetings or writing your book.  

Being in love with him again had been the easy part.

The harder part was the conversations late at night about when and how you wanted to go public. You both were trying to balance the needs of his job as an idol with your timidness over putting too much of yourself back out there too soon. You were attempting to show the world your genuine personality this time around. There was no production company to impress or an acting job that was dependent on your popularity; you were just hopeful that his fans would be more receptive to your relationship if they already felt like they knew the real you. You never wanted to go back to feeling like you were suffocating under the weight of the pressure.

You decided as a couple on a deadline – six months. After six months of dating privately, you had to decide whether you wanted to be together publicly.

Yoongi came to your apartment six months later, looking pale with nerves and a bouquet of your favorite flowers in his hands. You hadn’t spoken over the past two days, wanting to give each other the space to decide what was best on your own.

You told him you had already made your choice the night when you went to dinner with him and the boys at his apartment – you weren’t about to change your mind. He carelessly dropped the flowers on the ground, sweeping you up into his arms.

You both knew that you would face backlash, maybe even some hate, but you were stronger together than apart. He was it for you, and you weren’t going to let him go just like he promised you he wouldn’t. It hadn’t been easy, but it certainly was worth it.

You turned your head to watch as the boys waved goodbye, exiting stage right and stage left. Yoongi walked toward the side of the stage with purpose, eyes alight with adrenaline. You smiled brightly at him, his arms coming around you as he practically collided with you, head landing between your shoulder and neck as he breathed out heavily. Your hands instinctively went to his head, running your hands through his slightly sweaty locks as his heart rate came down from the high of the concert.

“You were amazing, Yoongs,” you told him. He leaned back, placing a firm kiss on your lips, surprising you. When he pulled back you were greeted with a gummy smile. Staff started to flutter around you, dabbing Yoongi with a towel and handing him an open bottle of water. You stepped away to let them through, not wanting to interfere with their jobs. Before you could move too far away, his hand reached through the bodies surrounding him, searching for your own. You wrapped your fingers around his, Yoongi using the grip to pull you back to be closer to him.

The staff adjusted to your presence again, shuffling you both along toward his dressing room. Intertwining your fingers with his, he brought your hand up to his lips, kissing the back of your knuckles. You thought you saw Jin amidst the flurry of activity, hearing a distinctive laugh that you were pretty positive was directed toward the blatant show of public affection between yourself and Yoongi since he got off the stage.

With how lucky you felt in that moment, you couldn’t seem to find it in yourself to care.

---

“Remember, I warned you that you might not like the book. I was dealing with a lot when I started writing it, and I promise I changed the characters enough. Only you or I will even notice the similarities. I mean, the characters get a happy ending and so did we, but…” you were rambling, your newly printed hard copy gripped firmly in your hands. 

A week after his final surprise concert wrapped, you had come over to Yoongi’s apartment to gift him the copy of your book you had promised him, but you were reluctant to actually let it go. Yoongi was trying – and failing – to get it from you, leaning back with an exasperated sigh when he realized you weren’t going to budge.

“We have been dating for over a year now, Y/N, I think I can handle the fictional book version of our relationship,” Yoongi said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“But it might bring up old memories. Bad memories,” you said quietly, averting your eyes. Yoongi propped your chin up with his index finger forcing you to look at him.

“Stop worrying so much. Our past is the reason why we are together now. I’m not scared of it anymore,” Yoongi admitted with a nonchalant shrug. Your cheeks burned, Yoongi chuckling at your pink face before kissing you sweetly. Even after all this time, you still became flustered at his romantic gestures.

You finally handed the book over.

“You should probably check the dedication page first,” you murmured, slightly embarrassed. Yoongi’s lips quirked up in a smirk, slowly flipping to the dedication page in the copy of your book in his hands. His expression changed to something unreadable and soft as he read the words dedicated to him:

To the person who never stopped supporting and loving me, even when I ran away from him – I promise from now on to always run away to you.

I love you.

You held your breath as you watched him read the page twice, your knee jumping up and down in nervous anticipation. Yoongi put his hand on your knee, stopping your movements. He leaned forward, your book still in his other hand. You felt yourself instinctively move closer to him, seeming to melt into his warmth.

“I love you, too,” he whispered into your ear.

He would always be your happy ending.

Part 6 \\

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To everyone who read and followed along with this fic – it has meant so much to me to have people read this little series of mine and interact with it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 

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