#now they're both back in the forefront of my brain

[ikuhara]

STILL CANNOT BELIEVE OFF SEASON AND MONSTER SEASON ANIME IS REAL

[uchihaharlot]

Hey there! Love your work and if you're still doing requests, I've got one for ya: a hot, sexy threesome between a female reader, Itachi (loooove him) and Shisui. I'm imagining a competition angle where they've both been pining after the same girl for a while and she likes them both too, but can't choose (and I mean, who could, right? Lol). Eventually, someone (probably Shisui based on my own interpretations of his personality) decides that choosing sucks and sharing is caring, leading to super hot sex 🔥

Ooooo deary,

You speak right to my soul. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fantasized being the center of an Uchiha pissing contest. I’ve always felt that love is kind; love is free and love is patient.I’m hikjackjng your request a bit, I’ve had a draft for several months. There is no real competition here, but extremely hot solicited sex and yes. You are correct, Shisui is one hundred percent the purveyor of pleasure.

It will be soo worth it though; there is a second part to this — written by @shisuis-left-nipple, my draft is also beta’d by her as well — thank you my little Shisui harlot. I dream nothing more of being an Uchiha sandwich on a daily basis.

I’ll forefront this by saying there is mentioning of Shiita. Nothing overtly intimate between the two, but it’s undeniably there and at the back burner. Though you are the main focus of this event, I do apologize to the people who haven’t eaten the forbidden fruit.

NSFW; all out Uchiha fuckfest; overstimulation; multiple climaxes; fucked stupid; mild Shiita.

Yea I thought about this for a while. How did you even get in this situation? Probably met at the spring festival and all.

Since, in my au head canon, they foiled the coup. Shisui lives, Itachi rules the coop. Feel free to ask me about exactly what happened — there is so, so much in my one brain cell.

Itachi is now clan leader these days. Shisui is his right-hand man. They've grown out of that phase of just the two of them. I know it's not everyone's cup, but they definitely fucked and now that they're adults and have clan responsibilities, growing out of that phase.… though sometimes they share a girl here or there.

So, here you are at the festival. Looking so gorgeous it's damn near criminal. The spring festival is held in the Uchiha district this year — Shisui called it reclamation day. As part of the planning committee sent by the Godaime, you get to enjoy all the hard work you put into decorating their little corner of the world and Shisui is grateful.

I mean really grateful, his cock thanks you too. Your guys’ budding romance starts out slow.… lol, ya whatever that means in Shisui’s head.

Shisui is the extrovert while Itachi is still a bit shy and reserved. (This might get confusing because Izumi obviously hadn't died, but let's just say well.... I think most of the Uchiha believe in free love. At least the younger progressive ones. It keeps the curse of hatred at bay and sex is free. Love is kind).

Who in their right mind wasn't fucking one another in that gorgeous clan of men?

Everyone was.

This event really turned out, ‘the Uchiha are eternally indebted to you for your hard work' says Shisui. He's the charmer — the concierge of bedroom antics. The proprietor for drawing the women into the sheets.

It doesn't take Shisui long to make fucking shit out of you a habit, upheaving your feels and all. Just casually, no big deal. Starts asking questions after a hot session, of course he came to you during lunch. When he has a craving, the man is insatiable. You mention a few taboo things, maybe binding, nothing too extravagant or out of the ordinary. But he is calculating — ever the entrepreneur, ‘how can I give this girl the most beautiful experience of her life?’ He thinks.

Shisui drops the threesome paper bomb in your lap and you’re like — ‘uhhh….yea, sure. Why not but, with…who?’

‘Well Itachi, of course.’ Just so damn casual like it was a regular Tuesday and he hadn’t spent the last half hour rearranging your guts.

Cue blank screen syndrome, ‘what?’ As if waiting for the room to read itself, ‘is this….something you guys do….regularly?’

‘Yea, sometimes. Just so happened to tell him about this woman who has me in a chokehold. Stealing my soul and that her beauty makes the sun ashamed to shine.’ That sort of Casanova type shit, sick as cancer. Shisui was undoubtedly winning this match.

It serves your desire on a silver kunai. The wet mixture the two of you had created rehydrates and Shisui takes the opportunity to fuck you again, slower — deeper. Asking if you’re interested mid stroke, whispering filth in your ear as you start to come undone. Sexual coercion at its finest. You’re so aroused at the thought of this situation you come hard when he mentions some quip about being a double stuffed bento box.

The good, good Itachi is so prim and proper. He hosts a mini dinner, and you’re sort of sweating, uncertainty beckons you. What the hell is going on here…..it’s mildly unsettling at first, but Itachi refuses to fuck a woman he doesn’t know a little bit about. You all three enjoy Itachi’s over the top meal and the conversation flows. The awkwardness melts away and it isn’t long before Shisui takes off leaving you two alone.

Itachi takes you out to sit on the enagwa for tea. He is such a gentleman to consider you this way. While Shisui preps their sanctum, Itachi’s lips make his first impression, and boy it's hot. Not that Shisui wasn’t the connoisseur of making out himself, but Itachi’s kiss is gentle — light. Soft as petals that feather and cradle yours, making you embarrassingly breathless almost immediately. He wants to make sure you're comfortable with this whole situation and Shisui always finds his chivalry adorable, but you can't talk Itachi out of it. He has to do this. It sets the mood and also lowers any preemptive warnings that you might have, since this is already a new thing for you, there won't be any silly toys. Just pure unadulterated pleasure and free love. Once you spend about a half hour lip locked with Itachi, he's going to lead you around the house. Takes you to a room on the back side that’s dimly lit. Starts kissing you in the room behind closed doors when a small gust of wind comes at your back — Shisui. Always one to make an appearance.

Another set of strong hands are at your back. While one wraps around you from the front, the other from the back. Your senses are already in overdrive, Shisui is the impatient one while Itachi likes to draw things out. Shisui hungrily kisses down your neck and Itachi is just swallowing every soft sigh from your lips. Shisui's hands lift at your shirt, and you thought this through. Some cute lacy see through bra that catches Itachi off guard. Has his sights zeroing in, seemingly devouring you through the material.

Shisui wants the bra off, but Itachi has to remind him who the boss is — using that big ‘fuck you’ energy out of nowhere. Shisui just rolls his eyes, a small glint of the sharingan in an exaggerated attempt to look annoyed but not really — fine, so be it. Itachi can have his portion of you but, either way, a candle can burn from both ends if it's double wicked and there is so much of you to explore, top to bottom.

Shisui kisses down your back as it arches, his hands resting on either hip when he crouches. Itachi is nipping and rolling your nipples through the lacy bra. He absolutely loves the temptation of it and maybe even stole a glance through red spun pearls for later review — yep just know that they are going to be recording this for their own personal collection. (Let's touch on the sharingan for a second, I truly believe that it's emotionally charged. If something feels good, it's out in the open. Big bad and red, like an eye erection or some shit lol. Spinning wildly absorbing collective imagery to database — consider it similar to how pupils dilate when it sees something it likes).

Shisui's already got your pants down. He's so hard, Itachi's exceedingly hard too but he takes forever, so Shisui just starts undressing him too because what are friends for? Everyone needs a little help from their friends. You couldn't be really sure, but you’re positive that Shisui may or may not have kissed the tip of Itachi's cock and licked the excitement off, but all you really could hear was his laugh.

Your pants are shucked and tossed aside, Shisui's got you lifting each leg over his shoulder, he's buzzing and wants to start making you moan. Itachi is just following along for now as long as Shisui doesn’t touch his portion of you. Suddenly, you’re slightly lifted up. Looking down you see Shisui sitting on the ground, his arms holding you up. That shit eating grin filling his face as he peers up at you. Then Shisui’s face at your sex inhaling and exhaling hot and breathy, you sit on his shoulders while he holds you at your lower back. Itachi laughs at the audacity of that man, but he knows how insatiable Shisui is. He wants you dripping down his face, chest and eventually his cock.

Itachi finally removes your bra. The sensations are tantalizing — you got one that's slow and sweet and the other that's too fast for his own good. Shunshin no Shisui never could live life in the slow lane. So just like his namesake you're already one and now a second orgasm deep on his mouth. Your hands, well you didn't know what to do with them. ltachi guided one to his shoulder and the other to rake in Shisui's hair, which instantaneously made Shisui groan on your sopping mound, his nose rubbing in the cleft of your heat and his tongue rolling over that deliriously sensitive patch of nerve within your sweet seam. Prodding you, drinking you in and leaving you full-mouthed whimpering.

Once you've been properly worked in, Shisui stands, leaving you at his mercy high in the air. You yelp and cling to him, so this was the actual strength of a renowned shinobi. He lays you so gentle and sweet like on the bed. And yes this time, you saw what you saw, Itachi languidly strokes Shisui's cock before your eyes and you're like what in tarnation — but it was hot because Shisui bit his lip and looked at you like James Dean with big puppy dog reds. They would tease one another here and there and it would absolutely fan the flame between your legs.

Shisui goes over the many ways this could go down and you're like...

‘I'm just here for the ride. Two against one, does it really matter what I want?’ And they both laugh; how adorable because yea, you're right. They're doing it the way they want and Shisui grabs a few things. Lube, leg spacers etc. but you're like ‘uuhhh leg spacers??’ That's when you end up on top of him turned around, your back to his chest and your legs hung over his knees.

All for your consideration and comfort, he's not one to take liberties, not yet. You’re spread open like the world's finest charcuterie board. Itachi's eyes populate and spin red. 'Gorgeous.’ Cause you are, not a damn thing wrong with you, especially from this perspective.

Shisui's hot breath is at your neck, kissing you all over. Not an inch of skin that his lips could reach is untouched. Neck, ears, shoulders — nipping the space between your shoulder blades. Really a pleasure king for you.

Itachi, this man, may not look like much to the naked eye, but he's that and more. So much more, kneels between your legs and just devours you. Like a fucking goddamn goddess, his lips make praise to your sopping cunt. That damned nose, rubbing it all up in your clit while his tongue is gently teasing your slick. You've never had someone be so attentive to you, and while you're distracted in pre orgasm build up, Shisui is administering a severe amount of lube to Itachi's hand. A grand distraction to addle your mind a bit more.

You've already left your consciousness in the sixth dimension and your soul in the 9th circle to hell. What's something a little deeper? As you climax for maybe the sixth time now this evening, Itachi's slim fingers prod at your uncharted asshole. Oh dear. You've not ever experienced ass play. This is unfortunate but also exciting. You moan treasonously and can *feel* Shisui smirking as he kisses and nips at your back. One of his hands splayed across your stomach. Pressing as you climax hard. Itachi wasn't rough, but he wasn't sincere about knocking on the back door.

‘My apologies' Itachi says when you chirp a little bit over it. Gentlemanly as he is, he's ravenous now. And you can't really be sure, but there is more squelches and a brief motion outside your visual perception.

Shisui says some shit like, ‘breathe for me baby’ through bated breath and next thing you know. Itachi's lubed up Shisui's lovely fat cock and is attempting to breach your second entrance. Oh, mama Kaguya! You were a bit selfish when it came to relinquishing control and Shisui offers you some advice, 'look at me gorgeous.'

It’s in this moment you fully understood what Shisui meant about being a double stuffed bento box, he's only sunk about four inches of his cock in your ass and it's not entirely unpleasant, but new. Your neck is craned in a searing kiss with Shisui, him rocking his hips gently until you're comfortable. Itachi toying with your clit to acquiesce the intrusion. Only when Itachi’s mouth sucks on your bud does it then feel really good.

The intake of air to your lungs as an entirely different type of roaring climax, in a whole new group of muscles, doesn't seem to fill you with enough air to accommodate the salacious inconsolable loud moan that escapes your lips. Shisui gently pioneering slow purposed full-length thrusts into a hole that was once too tight for two fingers.

After that, all he has to do is sit pretty. Itachi takes over after you have a few more orgasms, like what, 9 or 10 now total? If you tried to count, just give up. You're done physically, mentally and emotionally at this point. You've left your soul in their vision for it to never be returned. Completely dominated and owned.

But they're Uchiha. They know the effect they have on people. Itachi puts his hair up a little tighter in a bun. Such a cutie, he slowly strokes himself watching as Shisui has his round. Then the room goes still, all you can hear is Shisui's heavy breathing in your ear, as he’s had to hold back quite a bit. You're so taut around him, he almost busted a nut and unfortunately for him, the second Itachi stretches your weeping and already swelling cunt, Shisui does cum — poor bastard. But his best friend makes sure to angle his slow strokes downwards so that way he gets a little bit of friction and as a double whammy the mere feeling of Shisui pulsating and coming inside of you is like an intermittent vibrator, so you climax, full force. Resting your head on Shisui’s shoulder, he kisses your cheek as your eyes roll shut, and you babble like a cute idiot.

So here you are, hot sweaty and now gagged on Shisui’s fingers as he shoves them in your mouth. Shisui didn't necessarily go soft, the overstimulation of you pulsing and continually on edge keeps a lovely semi at his disposal. Itachi's got your arms wrapped up and set behind Shisui's head, his lips tease at your nipples. He is the slow and steady sensual man. You moan, Shisui moans. Everyone is moaning, it's a cacophony of gasps and sighs. Itachi's is just enjoying being the one in charge of you both, then Shisui starts hitting you with some katon heated dirty talk.

'Such a good girl.’

‘You're choking my cock so well.’

'Another one already?'

Just hot talk and even a bit of teasing. Since he's like buckled down for the ride now, he just gets to experience all the pleasure without much work, but he does make sure to suck at your neck, leaving a few marks on your back too. He's considering that maybe you're the girl for him. With his best friend's approval of course, this is just like a clan initiation at this point. Itachi would let you marry Shisui if he really hard pressed him enough, but Shisui feels deeply, this type of connection only comes once in a life and out of the myriad of females they've shared (which isn't many to be honest) you're this Pandora's box that has so many different things about you he already loves.

Someone is falling hard.

Itachi is of course enthralled with your breasts, they're perky, beautiful and each nipple is gently switched between his lips, pert and sensitive. Though he would turn up the heat and use a little bit of that Uchiha fire to warm them up, only to change the sensation and make you writhe. Slowly pumping himself into you, calls you ‘princess,’ of all things. So old school, Itachi started out quiet but when Shisui is kissing one side of your neck, Itachi is sucking and nipping at the other. All timed of course; right as you orgasm again. Always some sort of over stimulation going on and — hey wait a minute! When did Shisui start playing with your clit? You don't know and don't care because this next orgasm was the most intense yet.

And you squirted all over Itachi's cock, raining down on Shisui's, he couldn't help but start to move his hips a little. The contrasting thrusts sending you even further spiraling.

'Are you ok y/n?' A playful jab at your wavering consciousness by Shisui in a deep raspy whisper. You're catatonic.

An Uchiha flesh-light now. Thank the gods you're on the pill. Just the smell of their musk, power of the gods and that smokey katon heat would one hundred percent have you ending up pregnant and Itachi has big people issues right now, he can't have a kid just yet. You might even just become the wife to both of them. Though Shisui is greedy, possessive with what's his. Itachi has Izumi, but that doesn't mean you couldn’t take part in their secret swingers group.

Here you lie between them, filled up tight to the brim. Shisui has definitely cum at minimum three times, his seed seeping out your little bottom hole. Itachi isn't really that much into multiple, he enjoys perpetually edging the hell out of himself and right when he is about to cum, he slips out. Let's Shisui pound you a few good times and thank gods you have a clean booty hole. Itachi slips him out of his new claimed territory and by gods, there is that lovely Shisui cock filling your warm worn-out cunt. So thick and creamy with his seed, just slips into your tight seam. Slowly thrusting into you, he peppers kisses down your left cheek as Itachi takes a breather. Whispering how much you mean to him, so precious and his. Somewhere down the blurred vision to keep your eyes focused, Shisui is comfortably situated back as your butt plug. Time has escaped you, it all just cascades quickly.

Itachi lifts both your legs under Shisui’s *arms*, oof. Spreading you further, nearly to your ears. Folded like a lawn chair, a personal favorite to both. Shisui locks his hands over your sternum and holy hell this man is strong. You moan when Itachi slips back into your tired cunt. You're still so snug and wet though, the two of them each swing their hips in tandem; you weren't expecting this. All that heavy breathing, encouragement from Shisui and maybe a few a 'good girl’ from Itachi here or there. You're stretched to the limit. Can feel their cocks rubbing against one another through that thin layer of skin that separates your two channels.

Shisui's the first one to bust… again, lucky guy. He's had about five maybe? And Itachi reams his slender hand around your neck. You're so far spent; incapable of an orgasm, beyond belief overstimulated to the point that you're not sure if it's pleasant or not anymore. But it's hot, Shisui biting your shoulder, Itachi's grip tightens a little. He's a bit perturbed you've reached your limit before he could cum, so yea.

Tsukuyomi induced orgasm for you, honey.

Red spun pearls lull and bend your subconscious, all he says in the echo chamber is 'cum.’ Much to your surprise, you do, several times more. All over him as he deposits the hottest load of baby gravy into your cunt, making sure to fuck it in you. Tapping it against your cervix like it was some sort of keg tap. Just knock knock knock genetic coding at your womb. But he apologizes for getting so aggressive once he drops that mild soporific genjutsu and Shisui is trying to not snicker at your disheveled face.

Now honey, you've had a rough night. Let's talk some after care. Lots more kissing, worshipping your amazing body for all the shit it's just been through. Wrapped up like a cocoon and carried off into the main portion of the house.

What do you want? Tea? A movie? A bath?

You can bathe with both of them. Or alone. Whoever you choose. They are definitely going to make sure you are treated with the utmost care and adoration the Uchiha have to offer.

Do you need your leg muscles rubbed? They did go numb at some point. So, you have your bath, Shisui is there while Itachi makes tea. Shisui is such a gentleman though, washing your back. Asking if you want to wash your special areas yourself, he feels like maybe they just violated you, but you laugh out loud at and kiss him softly. 'I got exactly what I asked for.’

And he smiles the full length of his mouth. Such a handsome guy, the bath is rather quick. Itachi's readied the tea, and you can have your own room for the night, but like... ‘what if we all just cuddled and slept in the same bed.' You speak.

‘Hot damn, yes that too,’ Shisui quips. You're like a loaded canon and he is absolutely pulling the trigger finger on that.

Itachi nods and smiles, ‘ok.’

So, you have your tea, maybe even watch a movie but girl you are dead on your ass. You pass out within the first twenty minutes, Shisui finishes your tea and carries you to bed. Gently stationed between them, you just sleep so peacefully and serene.

Yep, and then when the morning comes, it's breakfast time.

[bioexorcizm]

sugarplum.

ship: briarbear -> carm/wednesday (s/I) wc: 1376 summary: briar introduces themselves to carm's coworkers for the first time.

Richie barely looked up from his phone when he heard the door, still recouping from lunch rush. 

Probably some straggler, he thinks, and if they can be late to lunch, he can take a fuckin’ minute to take their order --

“Uh, hello?”

“Yo, what can we --” he pauses, chokes on the ice he's chewing as his eyes set upon them.

Their hair is pulled back, dark; this week it's dyed a deep plum color, ombre with peach that sets a highlight just about their cheekbones, where the few bright colored ends of their grown bangs that weren't tied back lay. The light dye popped especially against the minimal but dark makeup accenting their face, and that black sweater they wore…It was strangely familiar, but Richie could scarcely process the fact.

Had he half a mind, he'd ask if they're as sweet as they looked. But fortunately for them both, he was left utterly dumbfounded. 

“How can, uh, I help you?”

“Is Carmy here?”

“...Carmy?”

“Sorry -- Carmen?”

Richie shakes his head, “Nah, I know who you're talkin’ about, it's just --” he sighs, before turning his head towards the kitchen and letting out a very disappointed “Yo, cous!”

It's a moment before the vaguely annoyed “What, Richie?” comes back to him. 

“Got a minute?”

“Uh, not really.”

“Yeah, well, your services are requested at front of house, chef.”

“...What?”

Richie takes the time to let his gaze linger, stuttering a not-so thoughtful “Er --” before moving closer to the kitchen, or at the least out of earshot of the dining room.

“I mean, there's some hot piece of ass askin’ for you out there. Like, by name.”

“What the fuck -- ?” Carm groans, “Fine. I’ll be right there. Shit.”

He finishes dicing the smattering of vegetables on his cutting board and, then with a sigh wipes the sweat from his brow. It's hard to remember how hot the kitchen can get, and this thought is what claws its way to the forefront of his mind as a million other things begin to unfurl in the background of his brain; He's behind on prep, who the fuck could be asking for him? Gas bill’s due tomorrow. Speaking of gas, he needs to stop and get some on the way home. He’ll be late, he should probably take a minute and text --

He mutters a weak “Corner,” in the second it takes him to approach and round the deli bar doorway, and he tosses the towel he's wiping his hands on over his shoulder. When he peers past the counter though, his eyebrows raise, and he lets out an airy chuckle. 

“‘Scuse us for a minute, would you, cousin?”

Richie nods, shrugs, and barely moves an inch into the kitchen doorway. Carmy rolls his eyes and takes another step beyond into the dining room, head slightly hunched as they speak in hushed tones that the rest of the staff one at a time slowly gathers to strain to hear in curiosity. 

“Little busy, sweets.”

“I won't stay long. Just wanted to pop in, ‘sall.”

“No, I mean, I’m not sayin’ that, it's just…” he trails off, shakes his head, and pivots his thoughts, “I thought you had a thing today.”

“A thing? Like, you mean my job? Like, that thing?”

“Well, it's a thing.”

“A thing, yeah I guess it's a thing, but like, I get paid to do it, so…I mean, like --”

“Well, yeah. But I mean, how did it go?”

“Like an everyday kind of thing...It was fine. It was this morning. So, y'know...Now I’m here.”

They stare at each other for another awkward moment, though the embarrassment seems to lie more in Carmy than it does Briar, almost as if they’re reveling in it. Richie stifles a giggle.

“Anyways, you left without your key this morning. I just wanted to drop it off, in case I’m asleep tonight.”

Carm sighs, watching carefully as they dangle the lanyard in front of him, pooling the fabric into his hand when he finally extends it.

“I’ll be late, by the way.”

“Always are.”

“...Sorry.”

He looks at them. He knows that he should be tucking the loose strand of hair away from their face, telling them they look pretty today, especially in the cute outfit they've seemed to fashion out of his old torn black sweatshirt. He knows he should be making excuses, promising to do better but he doesn't, and he hopes that they understand that it's a promise he can't make, and that he'd rather not make it at all than break it. He knows he should be leaning in, and kissing them and reminding them how much he loves them, that he appreciates how patient they are, how attentive and forgiving they are to his appearing distance, perhaps more now that they lived in Chicago than when they had stayed behind in New York. He recounts every single shortcoming he can muster within himself, not of his own accord, and also dinner starts in about three hours, and he hears the ring of the timer he set for himself to do a walkthrough, and he has to temp all the coolers still and don't forget to check Mikey’s office for the address book in case it has anything in it and he should probably call back that guy about getting the lights in the back alley fixed and has anyone checked the chicken in the past thirty minutes? 

The brush of their skin against his draws him back, and in the moment his eyes dart down to where their hands touch, he realizes the weight of the cigarette carton in his other. He should offer to chat with them while he takes a break. He should take the ends of their hair between his fingers and compliment them, he doesn't want them to think he hasn't noticed it's changed color. He was observant, if nothing else. 

In his mind, he offers a plethora of compliments, “You look gorgeous today, sugarplum. Your hair looks great, pumpkin. I miss you, jellybean.”

The last stings all too well, burned into his memory by having typed it so frequently just not so long ago. 

Instead, he wraps his fingers around the house key, and pulls it gently until it's close enough to shove into his pocket. He searches their face for any sign of understanding, and he finds apology and sympathy instead. 

Because they didn't understand, and perhaps they never would. But they would again and again wait up two, three, four hours past midnight until they heard the front door open and shut, until they felt the warmth of him next to themselves in bed or found themselves otherwise chasing him down to the couch and sleeping there next to him -- Just so they could say they wake up to see his smile every morning. 

He looks down to the key, dangling from his pocket, and back to them.

“Thank you.”

“See you at home, teddy.”

“Seeya.”

“Didn't even offer me lunch? Tsk, damn, I see how it is,” his expression falters for a moment, and he almost begins to speak before they cut him off with a chuckle, “I’m fuckin’ with you, Carm.”

He almost smiles. They flick a stray crumb from his shirt with a wink before spinning and heading towards the door. 

They turn, catching one last glance at him.

“This place is homey, by the way. You should let me do a shoot here, sometime…Oh, and you can tell your friends my name is Briar!” 

They wave their fingers one last time before headed out back into the city. 

Carmy moves to retreat to the kitchen, nerves still burning where they'd touched him, the echoing sound of their voice in his mind grounding him before he can get too deep into his thoughts again. But when he looks back, he sees the mass of chefs crowded, peeking from the doorway. 

“The fuck, guys?”

“Briar's a fun name,” Tina smiles, “Caught a good one, Jeff.”

“Shit, yeah, don't let that one go.”

“Richie --”

“Not quite how I pictured them.”

“Syd -- You know, fuck all of you. Back to fucking work, please.”

The resounding chorus of “Yes, chef,” that greets his ears in reply has never sounded sweeter. 

[fandomfluffandfuck]

S oh my god I’m going bananas

So I’m mainly thinking about TFA Seb who has made it his mission in life to make Chris go crazy. Drawn out, narrowed eyed looks, obscene lips curled for a second too long around the head of a beer bottle, innuendos and dirty jokes all made to make the night last forever.

They’re not even dating! But Seb knows that Chris likes him, and he also knows that Chris is too scared to make the first move. So he makes it absolutely fucking unbearable. It all comes to a point when they realize that it’s easier for Chris to just stay at Sebastian’s rather than take the hour’s drive home. So when Chris asks if Sebastian has any pajamas he can borrow, Sebastian just looks at him with a smirk.

“I don’t usually wear them, so no.”

“Well, what so you sleep in?” He asks, confused.

“Chanel No. 5.” Seb says, a fucking evil smile on his face.

Chris might seriously pass out.

“Unless I’ve got someone over. Then I usually get… preoccupied…” Sebastian continues, and Chris can feel his blood pressure hit the ceiling. It gets worse when Sebastian narrows his eyes and his grin gets bigger.

“You okay, Chris? You’ve gone a bit red…” His voice is innocent and sweet like honey, and Chris isn’t sure this is real.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” His stutter gives him away immediately, and Sebastian giggles.

“You sure?” He asks, getting up from the chair and sitting down next to him. Chris can’t fucking breathe. He just nods. Sebastian puts a hand over his forehead like he’s checking if Chris is sick. They both know he’s not.

“You feel a bit hot… D’you want something to help you cool down?”

This time, there’s no response. Chris is pretty sure his brain has just shut off at this point.

“Oh, I know.” Sebastian gasps, like he hasn’t been teasing Chris for hours now. “You’re flustered, aren’t you?” Sebastian’s eyes are dancing with mischief, and Chris is so lost in them he can only nod.

“Poor boy. You’re all riled up, and you just want someone to help.” It’s not a question. In a split second, Sebastian is straddling Chris’s lap, his arms wrapped around his neck.

“You’re just needy, aren’t you, sweetheart?” He tilts his head, and Chris can see something black beneath his shirt. Sebastian notices his confusion and giggles again.

“You see something? Yeah, honey. I wore something special for you. Wanna see it?” Chris nods dumbly, because his mouth can’t do anything but wonder how Sebastian’s skin would feel under it.

Chris is fucking floored by what he sees when Sebastian pulls off his shirt. Pretty, delicate black lace sits cupping his chest, and Chris can see more peeking out from under his jeans.

“You like what you see?” Sebastian taunts, but is cut off because Chris finally finds his brain. He kisses Sebastian breathless, hands tight on his waist.

“Fuck yeah I do.”

Oh my fucking god

I love this idea! 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Like, viscerally, I love, love, love this. I love flirty Seb. I love playful and teasing Seb. I, as we all know, am very much gone for submissive and sweet Sebastian but am also so fucking down for bratty, daring, and flirty Sebastian.

There's just 🤌🏻something🤌🏻 about him.

I wanna smack him around, and you know he'd like that.

Just having Sebastian flaunt himself, daring and bold and unashamed, he knows he's wanted, so why not? He's just toying with Chris, waiting for him to snap, and that--that moment where Chris resolves shatters, that's the moment Sebastian is looking for. That's what he wants. He wants him to be unable to take it anymore, and then he wants Chris to make him take it 😮‍💨

Christ 🥴🥴

They're too much. What a fucking pair. Complete trouble. I can't believe them. Ugh!

Thank you for bringing bratty Seb back to the forefront of my mind. I will be consumed by thoughts of him once more.

[attackfish]

5 hcs for any Avatar AU, idc which, all of the ones I've read from you are great!

I have chosen my airbender Mai universe. Continued from: [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], and [Link].

1. Azula does not keep Mai and Ty Lee at the Boiling Rock. The Warden is Mai's uncle, after all, and her treason saved his life no less than Zuko's. The two are instead taken to the tower prison at the capital. Azula does not visit them on the journey back to the capital, spent, perversely, locked in their shared well appointed cabin. For all they have committed treason, Mai and Ty Lee are left with the trappings of their noble, privileged childhoods, locked in their room like naughty schoolgirls. It gives them time to think on what will happen to them, on the enormity of the choice they both made. It gives them time to wonder when, if, their trial will take place, whether they will be sentenced to death, what will Azula do? So they wait and they worry, and Azula doesn't come.

2. They are marched up to the prison tower, stripped, searched, Mai's less obvious knives are finally taken from her, and they are handed the prison rags which will serve as their uniforms. Mai's brain is buzzing and spinning with a thousand thoughts, a thousand ways she could break out, shove themselves to the forefront of her mind, nearly all of which would involve airbending. The prison feels like it's made out of paper. But she can't airbend. She doesn't know what is happening to her family. She can't risk them. But she doesn't know what Azula is doing to them. This whole time she has traveled with Azula, the threat that she would hurt them, kill them, if Mai stepped out of line, has hung over her, and now, well, she sure stepped out of line. But she can't escape, because what if they're fine? The prison is made of paper, and Mai has to be careful not to tear it.

3. They are locked in their cell, together, which feels like an oversight. Wouldn't it be better to keep them alone and isolated? But no, they are together. And one room over, that Ty Lee can hear through the window at the back of their cell, are the Kyoshi Warriors. Predictably, Ty Lee starts trying to make friends. With the people who they helped Azula capture and imprison. Of course she does. And because she's Ty Lee, she succeeds. She weathers their anger, and self-righteous well-what-did-you-think-would-happens, and smiles and laughs until they soften to her. She's a wonder, honestly. Mai has no idea how she does it, only that she never would be able to pull it off, not in a million years.

4. Through it all, Azula doesn't come. She stays away, and Mai is glad for it. But she also isn't. It scares her. She didn't expect it. It leaves her on edge. She paces their little cell long into the night. Then, one evening, Azula turns up like a bad coin, disheveled, hair ragged, looking like neither of them have ever seen her, her air of untouchable perfection nowhere to be seen. She yells at them and blames them for everything that happened since she put them in there, her voice more and more... out of control. Her tone, her volume, the pitch, are as wild as her hair and her eyes, and as she rants, she lets more and more slip about the world outside the prison, and Ty Lee tries to soothe her, practically on instinct, and Mai doesn't. She tries to stay quiet and in the back. It's also on instinct. But Azula never mentions their families, and Mai starts to hope that Azula forgot their families exist. Either way, after Azula leaves, Mai feels even more on edge than before. That night, she whispers her secret to Ty Lee. When Ty Lee gasps in the darkness, that soft little sound is as loud as a thunderclap. And then Ty Lee squeezes her, and Mai tries to push her away and tell her she doesn't like hugs, but just this once, Ty Lee holds her, and tells her she will never tell.

5. And then the world turns on its axis once again, and Mai, Ty Lee, and the Kyoshi Warriors are set free, and Ozai takes their place. The prison guards scramble around like termite-ants whose mound have been kicked over, and Mai, Ty Lee, and the rest beat a hasty exit before anyone can change their mind. Mai runs to her family townhouse while Ty Lee goes off with the Kyoshi Warriors to meet Suki, their leader. She stands in her room in an empty house, and washes and dresses as quickly as she can, her hands putting her hair into order with quick, practiced motions she doesn't have to think about. Zuko knows. Zuko is Firelord now, and he knows about her airbending. Zuko's friends know. The Avatar knows. And in a few minutes, she's going to have to walk out the door and deal with that. The metal knob is cold and hard under her fingers as she turns it open.

[grapenehifics]

Making of Monday: Can't Stop the Suns Part 1

(I am thinking SO positively rn that I am calling this part 1, like I will remember to actually write more. YMMV; we'll see how I do.)

I'm hard at work on the concluding chapters of Pick Up the Pieces right now, and working on Pick Up the Pieces means I also need to do a fair bit of rereading An Uncivil War, so it's very much on the forefront of my brain, and also I have yet to participate in a single MoM, so: here's some backstory on An Uncivil War.

Okay I actually need to back up even farther than that, all the way to Solsbury Hill and February 2020. I started Solsbury Hill - it wasn't called that, then; it didn't have a name, just 'weird doc file/outline I'll probably never finish because I don't have a track record of finishing creative writing projects, ever' - and then the very next month I started working from home AND season 7 of Clone Wars premiered.

To get ready for season 7 - and because I was home a lot more during the day, now, and didn't have to commute to work - we decided to do a rewatch of Clone Wars season 1 through 6. And you know how we joke about plot bunnies, and why they're called that? That the hardest idea is your first one and once you have that the ideas just keep multiplying? So, I'm sitting on an outline for what would become Solsbury Hill, and we're watching Clone Wars, and we get to season 5, and the episode with Ahsoka's trial, and I think to myself, huh. That's weird. Why is Obi-Wan acting like that? Why is he not sticking up for our Padawan? If he had, I bet things would have turned out differently. Ahsoka might not have left the Order. Anakin might not have turned to the Dark Side. Clone Wars is full of all these little things that individually might not be enough to push Anakin over the edge, but they start stacking up, collectively...

From there, it was a pretty easy leap to, 'what if Obi-Wan left the Order instead of Ahsoka', and that created this whole domino effect because Anakin would obviously leave with him, right, and Ahsoka was getting kicked out anyway, and now I've got this scenario with three Jedi on the run in the middle of a war.

And that was fascinating to me. Once I started thinking about it I couldn't stop. But I was also getting really into Solsbury Hill, at that point, so this new story needed to take a backseat. I dumped a bunch of notes into a Word doc and went back to my AU.

It turns out, though - and this was the first time I'd learned this about myself - that I liked having both an AU and a canon project going at the same time. Solsbury Hill and An Uncivil War both used such different parts of my brain and required a different skillset and researching vastly different things, and if I got bogged down in one it was nice to be able to switch to the other one and hack away at that one for a while. So I ended up, from early 2020 until August 2022 when I posted the first chapter of Solsbury Hill on AO3, working on both projects nearly simultaneously, although obviously Solsbury Hill (despite being three times longer) got to the finish line first.

For a long time - almost three years - An Uncivil War was just called, An Uncivil War. And it had this expansive outline that I just kept cracking away at, and whenever I came across something cool in another piece of Star Wars media or another show premiered or I read another book I'd think 'Ooh, that's neat! That's going in the fic!' and I'd add it to my to-do list. And at some point I looked at my word count and realized I was pushing 100k and not anywhere close to the end of the story I wanted to tell.

So, I started thinking about sequels, and series. I had (still have) this outline, fortunately, and there was one pretty obvious stopping point at what was then the mid-point of the plot. (I say, 'then' because it has since, of course, expanded. It turns out I'm very bad at guessing word counts.) So I took half my outline, dumped into a brand-new doc, called that one Pick Up the Pieces, and wrote the 'ending' of An Uncivil War, as much as possible, as if it were the ending, just in case I for some reason never got around to writing Pick Up the Pieces.

Because it was important to me that An Uncivil War be able to stand on its own. It's got a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the end calls back to the beginning, and the main threat to the characters is resolved, and they talk about what they're going to do next but even if that was the only story you had, it should still be a satisfying conclusion (or, at least, I hope it is).

But it isn't the entirety of the story I wanted to tell. Because they originally were one big story, I actually had maybe half of Pick Up the Pieces already written by the time I started posting An Uncivil War, so while the first part took me three years to write, the second has technically only taken me a year, but I was definitely not starting from scratch.

I also - and this should shock absolutely no one - was once again wildly off in my word count estimate. Pick Up the Pieces is, right now, already as long as An Uncivil War (120k), and I've still got three chapters left to go...plus a bunch more things in my outline I haven't gotten to yet.

So, in true Star Wars tradition, I'm now plotting a part three! Pick Up the Pieces, like An Uncivil War before it, has a logical ending point, so it will wrap up there, but the plot will move merrily along to the next thing on my to-do list, which is in fact the same to-do list I've had since March 2020. (It's a good thing I love this story so much or I would have quit long ago.) Part Three, at the moment, is tentatively titled Sometimes Fate Steps In, and I'm really, really sorry to have to admit that that's where all the smut is going to be. (I know. It's Solsbury Hill all over again.)

(I do love it, though. I feel like I should...apologize, to my fics, somehow, for having a favorite? I do have a favorite, though. It's this series. I love it so damn much. This is the one thing I write where, if you told me right now that I would never get a single comment or kudos on it, I would still write it anyway, because I just get so much enjoyment out of researching and writing it and re-reading it.)

(Which is not to say you shouldn't comment on it. Please, please do! You will absolutely make my day, week, month, year! But I love it enough to do it anyway.)

[fightaers]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG !!

NAME: bellaaaaaaaaaa. bella for short

PRONOUNS : she/her but they/them if ure unsure is also coolio

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : bad on all front, but discord slightly less so

NAME OF MUSE(s) : god, i have so many. feel free to browse <3

BEST EXPERIENCE : when i first entered the animanga rpc i had a really, really good time from the get-go ngl. for a while, right until my revival in 2024, i was sort of more into the 'western / live action' side of the rp media, and i kept remembering how much of a good time i had in the animanga rpc, which triggered my interest in returning.

my other best experience is basically when i learn from my dearest mutuals then how not to be afraid to project ur muses' voices into their narration, which allowed me to have incredible fun with exercising different mindset and speech patterns and/or different dialects since!

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS : uhhh this is pretty specific to my experience and quite particular — thus i hope to elaborate it well — but i highly dislike when writing partners tried crafting our threads into only benefiting / leveraging their own muse(s) rather than it being a collaborative effort for both our muses' character development. this happened to me only ... twice so far ? so it's quite rare considering i've been writing for ten years, but i'm suuuuper sensitive about this.

so for example right, what usually happens is me and my writing partner would talk about our muses and we see common ground and where we could expand on a point of conflict. both our muses then benefit from this point of thread because the narrative we've written ought to challenge their perspective, and this can be driven with angst, drama, whatever genre this can be explored in etc.

now what i'm pointing out specifically is when the writing partner would only try to have their own muse's emotions and challenges on the forefront of the plot, with no consideration to mine, which i think defeated the purpose of roleplaying in entirety because roleplaying especially is supposed to be a collaborative effort for all writers involved. but no, it's their muse's pain that's significant. it's only their suffering that outweighed everyone else's, and my character typically is became an "affirmation" or a "booster" to their muses' experience.

i have a few turn-off's but this one is definitely one of the highest.

MUSE PREFERENCES: oh maaaan, i've written characters from sooo many ranges. typically it's whoever tickled my brain at the moment <333 but lately i do realise i'm often drawn to

(1) outwardly soft-looking people (2) have crazy dedication value; sometimes absurdly loyal to a cause / person (3) most of the time they're brown-haired and/or dark-haired (4) a lot of them give earthy and/or green vibe

and if it's the opposite, it's either someone struggling with their temper and/or have their viewpoint challenged or exploited. don't believe me, check out my western multi as well to see where i'm ticking the boxes. ( i'm on hiatus there but still. look at the muses. )

PLOTS OR MEMES : fuuuuuuck. i'm super bad with first-time plotting not gonna lieeeee. listen, my attention span's crap. my method is usually this: we plot minimally ( usually to establish the timeline and/or where our muses stand ) and then i prefer winging the first thread, usually to gauge the pace of the writing, ur muses' thoughts and/or reactions so mine could bounce off of yours, and then i'd rain in your IM / discord to yap my way into ur heart 🫶 i looove when my mutuals would yap at me right back. i love substances, and i love context. i love knowing what my partners want to achieve or what they're satisfied / dissatisfied with so we can work around that. so yes, thread > plot > memes.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : wish i'm a short-replier. born a long-replier. working on making my paragraphs more concise though. that's on my 2024 writing bingo for sure!

BEST TIME TO WRITE : when i want to 💀  and i have no idea when. usually when i'm rested enough so if i'm dead tired on friday, there's a chance i'll still be ghosting the dash on saturday. i try not to........ push myself so hard on my availability, which is why it's important i stress out how i am a low-activitiy blog, because i know that even if i push myself when i don't want to, it won't work. my brain would dead-ass refuse to cooperate.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : i'm definitely flawed, which is something i like exploring with my muses, because i think i've tried so hard since i was 15 to be perfect. that isn't to say my characters and i share the same flaw, but unlike in real life, exploring my characters' area of weaknesses and how that can have its consequences is perhaps a catharsis for me since i could safely navigate it within a narrative i could ( somewhat ) control. it's freeing. writing has always been freeing in that sense.

tagged: @dynmghts and @ingen1um ( u sexy people muaah <3 ) tagging: @fighterbound , @bladedhunter , @kiigan , @senjufound and whoever that wants to it !!!!!

[true-blue-sonic]

I’m almost off to sleep but I just had a question pop up that I gotta ask before I forget

I know you’ve already talked about what would happen if Silver and Espio were to get married, and also how the proposal might go, but do you have any ideas for the aftermath of the proposal? How the rest of the friend groups reacts to learning the two are engaged, who cares more than the others, etc.

(Also sorry I cannot recall if I’ve asked this before; I feel like I have, but it’s just not in my brain right now 🫠🫠)

It feels familiar to me as well, but no worries, I'll gladly talk about it once more ^-^ I figure Silver and Espio aren't going to shout from the rooftops that they're engaged now (that's the correct term, right? All my marriage knowledge comes from the Sims 4); they'd rather just let it sink in for a few days and ponder it all over. Silver might be the more likely one who lets it slip in passing in a conversation with Vector and Charmy... who have about zero qualms against shouting things from rooftops, and before noon approximately every person Espio and Silver have a decent enough relationship knows every single available detail. I like to think Amy jumps in and offers to help them with the actual wedding plans, which they'll gladly take her up on. Sure, Amy's a bit bossy and has many wild ideas especially Espio is trying to dampen somewhat lest he loses his mind on the happy day itself, but she's beyond efficient when it comes to making guest lists, gift lists, a whole planning for how the day must go, and all the little details Silver and Espio had not even considered before. And everyone is very excited for them, and more than happy to come attend!

Who cares more... Hmm, Espio and Silver might care the same amount in different ways? Silver strikes me as someone a bit more on the forefront trying to ensure they've told Amy everything they want and such, whereas Espio is more in the back working towards clarity on all the plans and that things do not go out of hand too much. But I think they're both really happy that this is finally happening, and both of them will be buzzing with delight when the day finally rolls around <3

[edelweiss-coffee]

summary: mike finds out the truth about will’s painting.

read on ao3

tw/cw: language, panic

a/n: this was hard to write. i don’t write inner monologue… ever. i felt like we deserved to see inside of mike’s mind. also, he’s a hopelessly romantic poet so just deal with that.

"what painting?"

"the painting of the party fighting dzalmus. the one you commissioned from will, for me. this one," he grunted, reaching to pull it out from underneath the couch, still rolled up and tied.

el took the rolled up paper and removed the string. she unfurled the glorious artwork and her eyes grew wide.

"this is pretty. the dragon is called dizz-allmus? what is commissioned? will painted this for you?"

mike's brain and muscles weren't communicating anymore. his legs shook, and his hands fluttered before he planted himself on the couch.

'you're the heart. and without heart, we'd all fall apart. even el. especially el.'

he skipped confusion and he skipped anger. he was distraught.

'so yeah, el needs you mike. and she always will.'

swallowing tears and unable to focus his vision, he cradled his head in his hands.

"what's wrong?"

mike picks his head up, running his hands through his hair and pursing his lips.

he was sure the world was on pause. what the fuck does she mean, 'what's wrong?'

he stands up, determined to get the answer he needs to hear.

tell me i'm the heart, like will said.

will said you need me. that's why i said i loved you.

"el, i need you to really think right now. like, think really hard. did you ask will to paint this for me?" he pleaded, pointing at the bright red, crowned heart on his coat of arms.

"i did not. it is very pretty, and i wish it was my idea to give you artwork as a gift. but i did not. why?"

mike thought this had to be some sort of prank.

this had to be a sick prank, a little wonder-twin fuckaround that he was on the unfortunate end of.

"okay, el, very funny. you guys got me," he slapped his knee and laughed sarcastically.

"i don't... understand. mike? what's the matter with the painting?"

mike's blood ran cold. he could feel his pulse in his eyes. he felt every semblance of peace leave his body, all at once.

el didn't need him.

she didn't need him now, and she didn't need him that day in the desert. she hadn't 'needed' him for a long time.

that should be fine, but mike is fucked up. he requires co-dependence. he needed el, because having a girlfriend made him feel 'normal'. he struggled with feeling normal, and she gave him a mask to wear for everyone.

she needed him, too, once upon a time. to help her navigate the world, to teach her things.

but not anymore.

mike didn't want to be with someone who didn't need him.

he also didn't know how to go about ending a relationship that was taking a backseat to the flurry of panic in the forefront of his mind.

mike's chest started to feel hot, like a match had been struck directly underneath his heart.

he felt like he would burn alive if he let the feeling sit stagnant a moment longer.

"okay listen, i'm sorry, el, i know you wanted to talk, but i have to go see will. like, right now. we can talk later, okay?" he shouted down the stairs, not looking back for a response.

"mike, i want to break up."

he stopped walking and looked at his feet. he couldn't bring himself to feel the way someone is supposed to feel when they're being dumped.

he didn't feel sad.

and he really didn't want to have this conversation right now.

"o-okay."

she shouted up the stairs, in a friendly tone:

"we can still be friends, right?"

"of course. we'll always be friends, el."

"i think we're better that way. go see will, mike. i'm gonna go visit max."

"o-okay. bye."

it was a lot easier than mike had imagined it being. he always thought that if he and el broke up, that she would hate him, think he was a monster, or be too hurt to want to be friends.

he figured that they both knew it was about time they ended things.

he also figured that he had a much bigger issue at hand here.

he ran into his bedroom, threw on a pair of socks and quickly wet his hair down in the bathroom, and bolted out the front door.

he was pretty sure he broke the time-space continuum. something shifted. no sooner than he put his feet on the pedals of his bike was he outside of hop's cabin, breathless, furious, heartbroken, and burning.

will needs me.

"will!"

he'd meant to ask for will, at the door, but his matchbox heart had other plans, and it was scorching his sternum the longer it took for him to see will.

will needs me, and he always will.

"will!" he shouted louder, barreling toward the door in desperation.

the door cracked open gently, and familiar hazel eyes met mike's.

will looked... afraid. nervous? confused?

mike saw a familiar glint in will's eyes and had to stop himself from getting distracted by it.

only then did mike take a moment to look himself over. his hair was a disheveled mess, his socks didn't match, and he could feel his knees shaking. his eyes flared and his chest felt like it would burst.

breathlessly, he pointed at will.

"you," he shakes. "and me, need to talk. now, please." he moved sporadically, pointing incessantly to emphasize.

"come inside, mike, you look like hell."

the sound of will's voice fed the fire inside of him, and he grabbed his own sleeve, to anchor himself. he closed his eyes slowly to regain his composure.

"no, don't say-- come out here. i want to talk to you out here."

"okay..." will trailed. his voice had a tinge of confusion and a touch of annoyance to it that stung mike.

will walked gently beside him. his tenderness and listening eyes made mike's throat tighten.

"over here," mike sighed, pointing at a tree stump in the clearing next to the cabin.

"mike, it's hot. don't you want to come inside? whatever you wanna talk about, we can do it inside."

"no, we can't. i think i'll throw up if anyone sees me like this. i'm a fucking mess."

mike sat down on the tree stump and cradled his head in his hands again. it was the only thing that was keeping his eyes from bursting out of their sockets, he was sure of it.

"what's going on with you right now? your eyes are bloodshot, you're all unsteady. did you sleep?"

will's needing voice, his kindness and concern, felt like being stabbed in the stomach.

"stop asking me questions right now, will. i really need to ask you something."

he could hear will's breath get caught in his throat, and he could hear him gulp.

"what is it?"

"why didn't el know about the painting, will?"

"m-maybe she just forgot--"

"she didn't forget. she had no idea what dzalmus was, couldn't even pronounce it," mike muttered, muffled by his shirtsleeve.

he looked up at will.

will's eyes were littered with tears, his cheeks pink, lips trembling.

"why wouldn't she know anything about the painting she commissioned, will? can you tell me that?"

"mike-"

"no, listen to this. she looked me in the face, will, and said, 'what is commissioned?'"

he paused, nearly laughing.

"she doesn't even know what that means, will. care to explain?"

he fixed his gaze on will, unfaltering.

tell me the truth. tell me you need me.

"no way out of this, huh? i just have to say it now," will gave.

"that's what i'm hoping for, yeah."

"mike, she didn't commission the painting. clearly."

"i gathered that, yeah."

please don't cry.

mike kicked leaves around, trying to avoid eye contact. no matter how angry he was, if that's what the emotion was even called-- he had never been able to bear will's tears.

seeing will cry triggered something in mike that he couldn't ever explain away. he wanted to protect will from anything that could ever hurt him. anything that could ever make him cry.

the way he was crying right now, because of mike.

he couldn't bring himself to look at him, and it tied his stomach in knots.

"you were talking about how you're not special in the van. you were talking about how you're just a random nerd, and i needed you to see how important you really are."

mike could hear his best friend crying, and it shot through him. it took all of his strength to pull his gaze from the grass back to will's face.

at the sight, mike's eyes welled up too. in that moment, all desire for 'normal' dissipated from his psyche.

"will, please don't cry-- i can't take it. i'm not angry at you. i'm just so confused that i feel like i'm gonna throw up. i just don't understand."

"the tears just happen, mike. there's just-- something else."

tell me you need me. tell me you were talking about yourself.

"what is it? what else?"

will's eyes burn a hole through him. it's always been like this. while everyone who knows mike has looked at him, will has seen him.

"i wasn't talking about el. in the van, i mean. i was talking about me. i need you. i'm different. you make me feel better for being different. i'm the one who would rather lose you quickly than feel like i'm losing you every time we speak," he sobbed.

you'll never lose me.

"and i'm a coward, because i couldn't say any of this to you without using el as a shield. you were ceaselessly throwing stones at yourself, and it hurt as if you were throwing them at me."

mike felt like his brain short-circuited. it was as if will reached into mike's chest and pulled the fire out himself.

he recalled being confused back in the van-- about will's certainty that el needed him, that she 'always would'. she didn't need him. he knew that, even then. but will had emboldened him, put that certainty in his head.

his breath wouldn't catch. it was like the entire town of hawkins sat atop his chest. he felt dizzy. nauseous. his mouth felt drier than it ever had before. he couldn't make eye contact, he couldn't take his focus off the trees ahead of him. he didn't want to move.

"i told el i loved her because of what you said to me that day. i told her that i loved her... because of everything you told me. i didn't even consider...."

he remembers the minute he saw the painting that day. he remembers that he instantly felt better. that he felt like he had will back. he felt like he had his best friend, who will always need him, back. he liked it that way.

but will insisted that it was about el. mike had to accept that, no matter how much he wanted it to be about will.

he wouldn't have overused 'i love you' so flippantly with el if will hadn't bolstered him, pushed him to her that way.

all of this miscommunication, all of this confusion, happened because will didn't feel comfortable being honest with him. he hated himself for becoming so unapproachable.

"will, i'm not mad. let me say that again, okay? i'm not mad."

he wasn't. he wasn't sure what the feeling was, but it didn't feel like anger.

"but can i just ask you something?"

"yeah, sure, of course, anything."

"why didn't you just tell me the truth? did i say something, ever... that made you feel like you can't tell me everything? we've always told each other everything."

he looked through will as cruel memories blossomed in his head.

'it's not my fault you don't like girls.'

"mike, you were in shambles over el. she was all you could talk about. whether or not she needed you. i didn't want to make it about me. you were worried."

mike felt his face burn up. he was sure he had a fever at this point. with an air of bravery and a half-breath, he spits:

"i wanted it to be about you. the painting, i mean. i wanted it to be about us. i wanted it to be special, from you."

he shot a look at will, to gauge his reaction to his half-confession. will's chest fell quickly, and he stifled a sob with his arm against his mouth.

"it was, mike. it was about us. it wasn't about el at all. i have no idea how she feels about you, or how she felt then. i lied to you. is that what you want to hear? i lied to you," he breathed, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

mike sat with this a moment. he should've been mad that will lied to him, but he wasn't. he wasn't at all.

he thought over how to explain his once conflicted feelings. how he was confused, and how he was so excited to have something so personal, so special, from will.

"mike, say something. i just wanted you to feel loved. i said what i said because i had to tell you, somehow-- how i felt, or i was going to explode, mike. i shouldn't have used her name, i know that. i didn't think it'd hurt anything, i'm sorry."

mike avoided will's eyes. he wasn't ready to be at the mercy of will's gaze just yet. he had to get this out of the way first.

"it felt like you were pushing me away from you. like, hard. shoving me in the other direction. i felt confused then, too. i don't know, i felt like nobody existed except for us and then you brought el back up, and i had to, like--"

their eyes met.

"i'm sorry. i just want you to be happy, mike. i thought you loved el. that's what you said. you said it, like, ten times."

"i said i loved her because i thought those feelings you talked about were hers. the feeling i got--when you explained it all--was like, definitely, love. i felt it, in my chest. in my head. everywhere. i just figured, i don't know. i just--took it at face value."

mike leaned forward with knitted brows, thinking over what just came out of his mouth. thinking about how will was going to take that. wondering if he'd pick up on it or not.

"so, what about now?"

will's eyes cut into mike so deeply that he felt like he'd topple over if he wasn't gripping the tree stump so hard.

"what do you mean?"

mike swallowed hard. he knew what will meant. will had picked up on it.

"now that you know it was about me," he turned to face mike head-on. "what feeling is it now?"

"definitely, love."

oh.

everything made sense to mike now.

he wanted to be with will.

no amount of shame could overpower the amount of love he felt in the moment. no sense of normalcy would ever feel better than finally pinpointing the reason will was so special to him.

definitely, love.

he was sure his eyes shone. he was sure that will could see in his face how sincerely and genuinely he loved him.

it was always will.

"you love me? c'mon, mike. that's not funny. can you be serious right now?"

mike laughed aloud.

"will, do i look like someone who showed up here to joke around with you? i'm half-dressed and probably have a fever. my hair is wet and all over the place--el broke up with me on my way out the door, and i basically took it in stride and came here as fast as possible."

"el broke up with you?"

"yeah, it doesn't matter, we're still friends. it's better that way."

a somber silence fell over the two of them, and mike took to breaking it.

"have you ever wondered why it feels like we're pulled to each other? like, seriously-- pulled to each other like, with the strongest magnetic force the world has ever witnessed?"

will froze. his lips quivered like he was scouring his brain for words that didn't exist.

please understand what i'm trying to say.

"y-yeah, i guess. something like that."

will smiled at mike for the first time all morning. warm and inviting, it honestly helped mike relax.

"i think it's 'cause we're supposed to be together. like, meant for each other. do you get what i'm saying?"

don't make me spell it out, i can't breathe.

will covers his eyes and stands up, pacing a bit.

"mike, i feel like i'm losing my mind right now."

mike's chest relaxed then.

"me too," mike bursts into laughter, and will joins him.

laughing with will feels like what being on drugs must feel like. mike is sure of it. the way the tears well up in both of their eyes at the same time, and how they always exhale in sync. it's heavenly.

"will, i love you. i really do."

will shuffled his feet with a smile, looking at the ground.

"are you... sure? do you mean that, mike? like, really mean it?"

"i mean it, will. i think we've both known for a long time, and we just didn't say anything, you know?"

will was silent. it scared mike. a lot.

"i just don't want to be afraid anymore, will. i don't wanna be normal. i don't wanna feel ashamed or scared about how i feel about you anymore. i just want to let you know. let everyone know."

his heart was leaping into his throat, but he used the adrenaline to commit to bravery.

he reached out for will's hand, and locked their fingers together.

"i wanna be with you, will."

will looked at their hands entwined and shot a glance up at mike. a smile broke across his face, and a tear slid down his cheek.

"i wanna be with you, too. i have for... a long time."

will's eyes seeped into mike's, and mike was sure he could write hundreds of poems about the colors in will's eyes alone.

blues and greens and grays grapple for the foreground.

thousands, if not more, about the rapidly alternating shades of will's cheeks as mike leaned closer to him.

lily-white flashes, shell-pink, aflush. blooming.

he was positive he'd find no words to do justice the absolute splendor and ecstasy of kissing the smile on will's face for the first time. he wouldn't dare try.

as he pulled away from the kiss, their very first kiss, he took will's shoulders in his hands.

"my words don't-- i can never say what i'm trying to say, so bear with me. do you wanna do this, will? do you want to be with me?"

mike felt like an eternity had ticked away by the time will opened his mouth, but he couldn't be sure.

say yes. say anything.

"a-absolutely. of course i do."

@i-relate-to-fruity-pebbles, @crazy4will, @paladin-n-cleric :-)

[schumigrace]

At My Worst I Worry You'll Realise You Deserve Better (and at my best I worry that you won't) - MV1+CL16

A Lestappen fic that's been sitting on my brain for a while and I finally managed to write. Totally fictional. Not proof-read.

Part two

The two had never been considered conventional. Long-time rivals, fighting on and off track since they were both old enough to sit in a kart. A simple glance at the other's eyes was all that was ever needed for the internal roller-coaster to begin, an overwhelming wave of every emotion - anger always at the forefront, followed by an unwavering irritation. The adrenaline of simply being near each other enough to turn hurried glances into lingering stares, their bodies feeding off of the heavy atmosphere like a lifeline. The promise of the other's presence shifted inconspicuously from an irritating pain in the back of their heads to an addicting itch at the forefront of their minds.

They never really spoke about it, about how public shoves turned into private pushes. How angry wrist-grabs caught on camera turned into wrists held above heads. How the prying eyes of the media shifted attention away from childhood rivals to he totally just stared at his lips for far too long for it to not mean anything. No, they just accepted it, accepted that it must just go hand-in-hand with their unconventionality. It's not like they were friends or anything, they didn't do conversation, so where would they find the time to talk. Their days were spent behind the wheel of their respective cars - whether that be practising in two separate countries or side by side (a little too close for comfort) - or they were spent pressed against a wall or between sheets with hands wandering to places they shouldn't be (again, a little too close for comfort, if they really thought about it).

And maybe that's why they don't think about it, Max wonders, maybe that's why they don't speak about it. Because if they did, they'd realise how wrong this whole thing was. I mean, they hate each-other, right? It was only ever hate, a way for the both of them to take out the daily frustrations that came with their job, the promise of a back against a wall and legs around a waist was simply a way for them to get through the race without literally forcing each other into the barriers. At least that's what they told themselves.

Max figured now probably wasn't the time to dwell on it, anyway, as he lay in the Monegasque's bed, facing the (only-just) younger man's naked figure, as the other caressed his arm with the back of his hand. He hoped he wouldn't have to dwell on it, at least, but when Charles lips curled around a mumbled "what're you thinking so hard about, Verstappen," without even having to open his eyes, Max knew this wasn't a conversation that the other man would let him avoid.

Max knew he wasn't entirely off the mark when he considered this hate-sex as just that. So why is he realising now, after having spent the past week in the Monegasque's apartment (when his own is a mere five minute walk away), that he was scared of talking to the man. Of admitting that, okay maybe I don't like you, but my god I do like spending time with you, and I don't think I can ever let whatever this is end. The realisation that he can't mask his feelings behind talks of testing and simulators and track limits forever hits Max like a brick wall, and if it wasn't for the firm yet soothing touch from Charles and the fact that he had shifted closer to Max, to the point where they're breathing the same air, and Charles' toned arms fit so damn perfectly in the curve of Max's waist, Max would have jumped a mile and ran from those feelings until he was practically coughing up a lung. But Charles' green eyes have taken on a hint of concern behind their usual happy-go-lucky glisten, and Max decided then and there that he wouldn't have minded if the two never moved again. If they shared their breaths until there was no air left, and their limbs had fused into one, until the two had become an unrecognisable mountain of flesh and bone surrounded by white sheets and sunshine and giggles and an unrelenting history and - shit - love.

If Max was scared of this conversation before he was fucking terrified now. How, after this many years, is he supposed to admit to Charles fucking Leclerc of all people that he has actually gone and fucking fallen for him. He realises that if he admits that this is something he wants, that Charles is someone he wants, then there is a chance the other man won't be on the same page. That he'll realise that they aren't ever going to be conventional, and they'll probably fight too much and fuck too much and Charles deserves so much more than that, so much more than what Max can give, so instead he shuts an imaginary door the whole thing. He's good at compartmentalising, you have to be, to be a racing driver. He mentally puts the whole saga in a drawer and slaps a confidential label on it, and decides that social media's description of them as emotional support rivals will just have to be good enough for now.

"Nothing, Leclerc," he whispers. "Go back to sleep." Schatje nearly slips out at the end there, and he outwardly winces, mentally kicking his imaginary drawer again just to make sure it's firmly closed. Charles doesn't seem to notice, however, pushing his face back into the Dutch's chest, and Max thanks every single God ever that Charles Leclerc is the most oblivious human being on this damn planet.

[roosterbruiser]

Landslide ☾☽ A Special Treat

welcome everyone! this is a special treat to all of you readers out there. here is a snippet of the bonfire scene from Bob's perspective. if you're new here and have not yet read chapter ten, this is your official spoiler alert! and obviously this event is canon but it's just a fun little drabble of how Bob views things :)

☾☽ Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Faye "Clover" Ledger

☾☽ Description: It’s been almost three years since the accident that took half of her, and Faye “Clover” Ledger seems fine, really. She loves her old house, she has a perpetually expanding vinyl collection, she’s got a job she likes on base, and she is only a short drive from the beach. She’s grounded--literally. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw feels like he’s been homesick his entire life. He’s always on the move;  jumping from one squadron to another, living one mission to the next. Somewhere in between losing both his parents and carving a successful career as a Naval aviator, he’s never found himself a home. When a call to serve on a high-priority mission with an elite squadron brings Rooster back to Miramar, he finds that home. Except it’s not a house that he finds--it’s the former backseater that observes and records the mission for the Official Navy Record. 

☾☽ Landslide masterlist

☾☽ roosterbruiser's masterlist

☾☽ playlist

“How many?” 

It’s Coyote that asks her. He sounds like he's about to laugh. He sounds like he's about to laugh.

I can feel Faye staring, doe-eyed, at Hangman from behind me. Fuck, I don't even have to look at her to know that there are fat tears welling in her eyes. She's drunk--I know she's drunk. But she's not drunk enough for it not to matter that he's asking, not drunk enough for it to hurt any less that she's being dissected in front of everyone.

I'm quick to turn to him, furrowing my eyebrows. His eyes are wide, like he's never seen me move that fast before, like he's never seen my face unsmiling.

“That’s not how you play the game,” I say flatly, “Rooster, it’s your turn.”

It's a call to action for Rooster. Do something. Say something. Get the attention off Faye. But he's just looking between Hangman and Faye with a stupefied expression, his eyes glassy and his lips wet. Fuck.

Rooster doesn’t say anything.

My face is hot--and it's not just because I'm so close to the fire and it's not just because my voice is thin as tissue paper. There's something sitting in my chest, something wide and long, something that's wearing my skin. I feel like I'm going to start sizzling in a moment, feel like I'm going to burst into flames that put the bonfire to shame.  

It's tense suddenly in the group--no one knows what to say.

But then Jake speaks. He's grinning.

“Well, now we’re all dying to know,” Hangman says languidly, “c’mon.” 

The saliva in my mouth is thick--so thick that it's hard for me to even swallow.

“This isn’t how you play the game,” Phoenix suddenly defends, turning to Bradley, “Bradshaw, go.”

Even Phoenix is trying to call him into action. Say something. Do something. But Rooster isn’t saying anything.

“What is it?” Hangman says again, still smiling.

His ego is oozing from him, beer-scented. Bile churns in my belly. My fingers are starting to tingle.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Hangman says before winking, the fucking bastard.

I glance at Faye--and fuck, she looks shell-shocked. Her lip is quivering and her eyes are wide and her face is pale, but her cheeks are bright pink. She doesn't know what to do, doesn't know what to say. She's just staring at him, waiting for the kill, unable to stop him from maiming her. I know that if I reached for her hands right now, her fingers would be numb with cold.

It happens before I can stop it--the thought bursting across the forefront of my brain like a thousand tiny shards of glass: is this what she looked like when she found Maggie? This grief-stricken, utterly hopeless, dejected, lost look?

Those warm brown eyes--they're swimming in grief. Pure, unadulterated grief.

“Hangman,” Rooster says softly.

It's not enough.  

“Stop,” I command, voice suddenly louder than the fire, the waves. 

There's a long pause where no one speaks. My cheeks are pink, my throat aching. But Hangman is still only looking at Faye. He's leaning forward, smiling at her. He licks his lips, bites down and waits for her to say something. 

If Maggie were here, she would've already pounced him. She would be tearing into him like a wild animal. She would have him in her grip and shake him until he cried out for his mother. It's a violent image, one that makes my tongue thick with grief, but it's what he deserves right now.

“Don’t be shy,” Hangman finally whispers to Faye, “what, don’t kiss and tell?” 

“Why do you care, Bagman?” Phoenix bites.  

Thank God for her.

“Lay off,” I repeat, harsher than before, “really, man. You’re drunk.”

“Everyone’s fuckin’ drunk,” Hangman spits. 

I turn to Rooster again--he's looking right at Faye. He's grimacing, his face pulled together in an expression that sits somewhere between shock, grief, and disgust. Fuck--I want to just step in between them and take Faye away, take her home. I want everyone to fucking sleep this off, I want Jake to shut the fuck up, I want Rooster to fucking say something.

Faye has not shifted once. She's still just blinking at everyone--utterly frozen.   

“Not judging,” Hangman says, shrugging, “just curious, darlin’.” 

Hangman's looking at her now, watching her watch Rooster. It's all so twisted--him liking her, her liking Rooster, Rooster saying nothing to squish Jake's idiocy.

“Here,” Hangman says, his smirk growing, spreading, “let me narrow it down. What number is Bob, what number is Rooster, and what number will I be?” 

I'm sure that I blackout for a moment. The tips of my ears and my fingers are suddenly vibrating with rage--my throat coated thickly with repulsion. The muscles in my legs, my arms, spring without me even trying. But I feel it--I feel Jake's mouth beneath my curled fingers, feel my knuckles split, feel the cider pooling in the sand at my feet.

Hangman's chair is rocking from the impact. He's cradling his lip, staring up at me dumbfounded. And I'm standing now, staring down at my bloody knuckles, breath hitching. My knuckles are immediately burning, warm from my blood or Jake's blood--which makes me feel woozy. But I don't waver as I stare down at him. I don't even move to inspect my knuckles, don't even move my pupils a centimeter from his.

Oh, fuck.

Hangman's eyes pour into mine, wide and crazed, deep with rage. I'm sure I look different to him right now than I ever have before--my chest is heaving, my ears are ringing, my pulse is thrumming, my fingers are bleeding, my glasses are sitting low on my nose.

No one makes a sound.

I have to clear my throat before I start speaking.

“You shouldn’t talk to her like that,” I say harshly, pushing my glasses back up my nose, “you shouldn’t talk to anyone like that, man.” 

Then Hangman is standing up, stumbling in his drunken stupor to stand nose-to-nose with me. He's puffing his chest out like stupid boys always do when they want to be bigger than me and I, for once in my life, am not flinching. Coyote and Payback are quick to jump in, putting their arms between us. And Phoenix is holding my shoulders, just squeezing me. But I don't move. I just look at Jake, look him right in the eyes.

I want to spit on his pretty face. But there's already a steady stream of blood flooding his chin and neck. Bullseye.

“C’mon,” Phoenix whispers softly in my ear, “walk it off.” 

That's all she has to say. I turn and Faye is already looking at me. She doesn't look afraid, she doesn't look upset with me. She looks humiliated--her face is flushed, her lip quivering, her eyelashes thick with tears. It makes something ripple in my chest, something sharp and jagged; my Faye. My sweet Faye.

If It Wasn’t For The Nights by ABBA starts.

When I hold my hand out to her, the bloody one, she doesn't flinch. She takes it at once. Because this is how we operate--I would do anything for her, even split Jake Seresin's lip. Our hands effectively function as each other's lifelines.

I squeeze her fingers, just once, very softly. And she lets me pull her out of her chair, onto her feet. She's wobbly like she hasn't gotten her sea-legs yet.

“C’mon,” I whisper quietly to her, “let’s go for a walk.”

Phoenix walks with us as we start down the beach. I'm holding Faye, keeping her close, clasping her cold fingers in mine. She's shivering, shaking, silent. But Phoenix is inspecting my knuckles as they wrap around Faye's. 

“Nice form,” Phoenix says softly, the hint of a smile on her lips, “he had it coming.”   

[mdhwrites]

Diane and Kat: My Original Lesbians

Diane and Kat: The Bound Bands (available for free until the end of the 15th! A decision I made while writing this. XD) was my first original story. Released on August 5th, 2016, it was my first book ever released and worked on over the course of four months. Today I just feel like talking about them and what led to them.

So first... Going original wasn't my idea. It was something I was considering but it was actually someone else in the MLP Fandom that first talked to me about how they wanted to do original works. The two of us had tried to work together in the past, they liked my work and I like to attempt to collaborate. By the end of the day, I had the main concept for the two main characters already written up.

Now mind you, I say ATTEMPT to collaborate. I have literally had more success collaborating in the TOH fandom, the fruits of which no longer are publicly available, than I did in five years? of being the MLP fandom. I would always get brought on for a project, have a ton of ideas and write my portion quickly and then NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN. So for about a week the two of us lightly brainstormed and then it just kind of... died. I think maybe the first chapter had been written by me, maybe part of the second, but they never contributed to the writing of it and a lot of the brainstorming was primarily my own because of how fast my brain works.

The big contribution I remember they added was a piece of advice: "Don't make it about their sexuality." It's a line that stuck with me because you can actually see how it manifests in the second chapter. The mayor who is supposed to pay them is presented as a bigot trying to stiff them. However, his prejudice isn't because they're lesbians. It's the idea that couple adventurers get 'distracted' and so potentially did shoddy work, despite them having done the job just fine. A tongue in cheek subversion that also helps make it clear the sort of world they're living in. People will still try to short change and scam you but it's not going to be by sexual preference.

However, due to the collaborative nature of it, the story went fallow for a while. I think this technically first happened late 2015 when it was first brainstormed and my brain kept buzzing about it on and off but, well, I had other things to worry about like my declining mental health. It only really came back to the forefront when in March of 2016, Walmart threatened to fire me and something in me just... broke. I ended up having to quit due to the void it introduced in me and made plans to move to Colorado to live with my parents. At the same time, as a way to potentially try and make up for the lack of a job, I asked my friend if it was okay if I took Diane and Kat and ran with them. They said yes and so their story began.

But who were they? (I actually have character profiles on a doc for them from that original drafting and there was a SEVERE temptation to just copy and paste for this)

Diane Maxwell:

A priestess turned sorceress who was almost killed by templars for having been found out to have incredibly powerful magic in her veins, she has a fairly serious, focused personality. She is mildly sarcastic, especially with Kat, and would be content in life if not for the fact that the teachings she was raised with push her to want to continue doing good. That and adventuring pays the bills. She wears a dress robe over normal leather armor and specializes in lightning and fire magics due to having an affinity to both and being shockingly bad at any form of healing magic, much to her own disappointment. Is awkward about public affection though it's purely a personal thing and has nothing to do with how deep her love for Kat runs.

Kat Wolfcry:

A self proclaimed knight who is the daughter of the chief to a barbarian clan, she is stubborn, enthusiastic and on the face of it what you would expect from a barbarian who is a bit on the shorter side, especially when compared to her tall girlfriend. Her fiery red hair and heritage hide who she really is. She cares about innocents more than any barbarian literally can for the job. She even almost failed the ritual to imbue herself with a wolf spirit because it required her to kill in cold blood a wolf she knew to become one with it. To give her the sort of magical rage a fantasy barbarian has. It was saving Diane from the templars and their lone journey to bring her back home from a failed pillaging raid that made her decide she needed to leave home and at least try to be a knight, even if she still fights like a barbarian. But uh... Just because she cares about innocents doesn't mean she's defanged. She just can't get mad 'for fun'. If you hurt people, expect her to be all too happy to show you why her clan was known for brutal slaughters of their prey, like a pack of wolves on a moose.

So there are your two bases. The classic dynamic of tank and sorcerer, though only the latter can only do field medicine so they need to be careful. Plenty of backstory potential and plenty of just general potential for good fun between the two, with their first book even mentioning old stories I had in mind for them because I was just so enthusiastic about the ideas I had for them.

So... Why only the one book?

Well, that kind of comes down to format? Amongst a lot of other things but something that has always made me nervous is that I conceptualized the series as being stand alone for the majority of the books. One might reference another book but you didn't need to have read it to get a complete story with whichever book you read. The only book that should have ever broken this would have been the final book in the series because it would have been a celebration of what had come first.

That's also why Bound Bands is the way it is. It was just meant to be a fun dungeon crawl that could be a part of a series, but didn't have to be. I literally have the layout listed on that old doc of 2 beginning chapters, four dungeon layers, three night chapters to serve as quieter breaks, then the boss and epilogue effectively. A simple but effective structure that was based on one main premise: A dungeon meant to stress and push whoever came in's bond with themselves and each other hard. I won't spoil why since you can go check it out yourself, at least if you're reading this when it comes out.

BUT this format is also kind of nerve wracking in that it means having to reintroduce a lot of elements of a character each time and avoiding repetition in that, finding new ways to introduce them and what not, is something my brain has hissed at me each time I've tried starting another book of theirs. I actually don't even know how much I have to worry about this since this style isn't actually something I ever engaged much with as a kid. I never read the old Sherlock mysteries as an example. I don't know how much they rely on you knowing who Sherlock is even if each story is standalone. I read series or single books as a kid, never something in this sort of field so it maybe is something I just need perspective on to help me out.

But just for fun, I'll share the immediate pitches for some of the books I'd considered:

Holy Town Mage Tournament: A small church town belonging to the same faith Diane used to be is holding of all things a tournament for black magic users. While normally something Diane wouldn't be a part of, two things push her to join. The first is the one favored to win, a mage who claims to be an archmage, which is no simple feat in this world. Diane should know: She qualifies as one after all due to having mastered the ability to duel cast. The other? A mute priestess who is the final opponent for the winning mage and her mother who are raising money for the town through this blasphemous act and who claim to have been friends with her father, Avatar Maxwell.

A Feral Circus: After a night of hard drinking that Diane skipped but that Kat went out to enjoy, Kat doesn't make it back to the room they were staying at. Meanwhile, the circus in town's beast master claims to have a new wolf as part of his menagerie who he shall reveal to all in one week's time. With it being the closest thing to a lead Diane has, can she infiltrate the circus and find Kat? And why is the beast master waiting so long to reveal his new prize?

(Side note: I always felt like I had an easier time to figure out stories for Diane to be the lead than Kat. *sigh*)

Test of Mettle: In the middle of a town lies a large stone rock with hundreds of nicks taken out of it by various warriors, knights and swordmasters who wanted to test their might against it. When Kat goes to do it though, she is stopped by an old samurai type who says that a barbarian has no place in testing themselves like this. When she tries anyways, she destroys her sword as if it were nothing. That's the last straw and Kat makes it clear they aren't leaving until she's not just hit the rock but shattered it entirely, with this easily being one of their earlier stories.

(Also yes, I watched the anime take on Thundercats. Why do you ask?)

And finally, of course:

Diane and Kat: On her first raid, Kat Wolfcry chooses a monastery on the edge of the lands dominated by the Kesral faith. It's an easy target but one with plenty of loot to make her father proud. She doesn't know that a squad of templars are there, having been brought in to judge Diane Maxwell, daughter of the old leader of the monastery, for her newfound black magic. They throw her in a well cell beneath the monastery as they finish getting the black powder that they'll be bringing back to the capital. Powder kegs waiting to go off and help start these two girls' destinies with a bang.

The one I've tried starting the most often is the holy town tournament one, with their true origin story of meeting and falling in love being the only other one I've actually tried to start. Feral Circus has always been LOW priority because it's the sort of story I'd want to do as like a fifth book since that one genuinely just removes Kat for the entirety of it while at least the holy town one is simply more focused on Diane. I've never forgotten them though. They always come to mind, asking for when their turn will be and I keep just not quite managing to return to them.

UNTIL NO- No. I don't have an announcement like that to make. I might try to sometime soon, and maybe publish some one offs I made for the two on Ao3, including when Diane first cast magic, but for the moment they are just the two lesbians I want to someday return to. As such, if you have questions about them and the like, please, let me know. I'd love to answer what I can and who knows? Maybe it'll help me get more motivated about them.

And since I did in fact decide to make their book free for a bit, a reminder that Kindle e-books do NOT require an e-reader. They are available to be read on literally anything with a browser. So if you're reading this, you can almost certainly pick it up and check out their first story: Diane and Kat: The Bound Bands.

[doverstar]

Hello again! I was the one who sent the question about Chrissy/Jason and I just read your answer.Once again I agree with everything you said, youre so realistic and that's what makes me love your fic so much. What you said about the scene in the woods is so real, something I hate about hellcheer fics is just that, Eddie and Chrissy connecting almost instantly. Eddie caring about her like he's known her his whole life haha. Anyway, can't wait for the next chapter. :)

Hello! Yes, thank you! :D I'm gonna give you some thoughts on that now if that's okay. I totally agree. I've skimmed fics and they are all somewhat approaching it the same way. I'm always eventually like "good writing, sweet idea, but my brain cannot believe that's canon Eddie and Chrissy, it's just not realistic to me" so whatever I'm skimming falls flat. And that's the story of how Doverstar stopped trying to skim any hellcheer fics- Eddie and Chrissy had some natural chemistry in the woods, after they both relaxed, but they didn't become instant buddies or fall madly in love. Realistically, Eddie was being really charming in that scene and Chrissy probably thought he was cute (she's a teenager and human) and she was being vulnerable and sweet and he was definitely being flirty-esque (he's a teenager and human). But if the Upside Down didn't exist and Chrissy was buying drugs to deal with something other than Vecna visions, that one interaction at the picnic table would, realistically, probably lead to very little at first without a catalyst to move their relationship along. Like. They'd probably say hi in the halls after that? Maybe? Each think about the other with the usual hormone-induced flutter that night, maybe, and then forget about it in a week or two. Or they do actually gradually become acquaintances now that they're more aware of the other person/aware the other person is friend material. But it's not a deep friendship or a "he/she is not like other boys/girls and is everything I want all of a sudden" type of thing. And NO, Eddie should NOT care about her like he's known her his whole life! If we're gonna assume the boy had a baby crush on her, a baby crush, since middle school, the most realistic conclusion I can think of is that it became a back-burner crush. It's in the very back of his mind. A little tiny flicker of attraction toward that one cheerleader he remembers from middle school, a tiny sliver of attention spared for her, but Eddie has a life outside of a longstanding crush. He has a band, more than one time-consuming hobby, the man can't graduate high school, he has friends, he has his sheep, he has his uncle, he has drugs to sell. He may have known Chrissy from afar (very afar, socially and relationally) since at least middle school, but that doesn't mean he's madly in love and would die for her here and now. My take is that if Eddie ever had a much-younger crush on Chrissy, it's been on the back-burner of his mind for years, and almost faded out of memory until real, actual interactions with her bring it back up to the forefront. He's literally not done growing as a physical human being yet. He's young, he's busy; she's young, she's busy. One picnic table meetup does not The Notebook make. I don't think it even came close to him quietly pining, somehow noticing who she "really" is from very far away with minimal interaction over the years "when no one else does". No way. Good, real relationships don't work that way. It is cute if he has a crush on her he's nursed for years. A back-burner crush. One he's not slobbering over since he was 12/13. One he almost forgot about but remembers when they interact and it lights up his hormones. A realistic one. But if they're gonna get together, something has to nudge them toward real friends territory, and then to lovers territory. Realistically. Like maybe a whirlwind adventure fighting demons and saving Hawkins. Or something.

[hattythewriter]

Asriel isn't an INFP. He's an ESFJ.

Been thinking a lot about MBTI personality theory today in relation to characters, and most MBTI charts for Undertale I've seen online peg Asriel as an INFP. I presume much of this is due to how INFPs are stereotyped as "sensitive, gentle crybabies." While INFPs can be sensitive, and Asriel is a self-proclaimed crybaby, there needs to be a big misconception cleared up:

Just because someone cries a lot, it does NOT mean they're an INFP.

This has become a pet peeve of mine because while Asriel is kind and gentle (Flowey form aside, at least pre-SAVE button), just because he cries a lot doesn't mean he's an INFP. I've seen that sentiment online a lot and I'm here to give my own contrary opinion.

Asriel's an ESFJ, and in his Flowey form, he enters a bit of a "shadow function" kind of self.

While preparing this post, I did research on how others assign Asriel's personality, and I ended up agreeing with a user named "Pontata". Link to their work and artwork for Asriel's MBTI brain is below: https://pontata.tumblr.com/post/134716317102/its-finally-here-ive-finally-finished-the-mbti

Gotta cite the sources for research, after all. They go into better depth than I could, and credit goes to them for their post on Asriel's ESFJ personality.

In any event, here are my own personal thoughts on why Flowey/Asriel is an ESFJ:

...

We should focus on his top two functions right now, because that's what's at the forefront o a personality in the MBTI theory. Asriel's got dominant extroverted feeling (Fe), which is the 1st place function for both ESFJs and ENFJs. He's known to show love and care for others, and before resurrecting as Flowey (and after being redeemed) he seen being very gentle, kind, and empathetic. He would give up himself to help another, and that's what happens with Chara. That's what happened when he repented of his ways and broke the barrier, freeing all monster-kind. He loves others and wants to be loved, and when Frisk comforted and forgave him, that meant the world to him ("haha...I don't want to let go.") He loves his hugs, but he also loves being loving.

Si also plays a big part. He's *big* on being dutiful. Until breaking bad as Flowey, he wants to do the right thing. He wants to take care of Chara and help them. But, he's also very naive and idolized Chara. He thankfully grows out of that (even when going back to his Flowey form, he doesn't seem obsessed with Chara anymore) but Si is big on duty and if you guilt trip the ESFJ, it's easy to get them to do what you want. While I'm of the mind that Chara didn't mean harm to Asriel/Flowey, they *did* manipulate them pretty effectively, even though I don't think Chara meant to bring harm to their best friend forever. ESFJs are easy to guilt trip, and that's what occurred with Asriel/Flowey when it came to the plan. But, on the positive note, Si is well-utilized when it comes to fulfilling duty and plans the right way. They want to do what's right and what's decent, and if their duty is doing the right thing, they'll fight to be responsible and do so. He's also very focused on his past, for better or worse, and high Si users tend to have very solid memories and tend to focus on the past a lot. That's a clue that Asriel's an ESFJ, since Si would be function number 2 for him.

This is one very good point that Pontata brought up in their blog a few years ago when they wrote about Asriel being an ESFJ, and I completely agree: "Flowey and Asriel are one and the same, and both sides of the coin, even if Asriel tries to deny that part of himself. If Asriel is the light side of his personality, Flowey is that dark side." Not only is this true because canon confirms that Flowey and Asriel are the same person, but it also gives us a clue as to Asriel possibly moving into his shadow function self in his Flowey form.

Post-resurrection and post-learning of the reset button but Pre-Barrier break, Asriel isn't kind nor warm at all, but rather goes cold and ruthless out of boredom and hollowness. While losing his soul isn't his fault, he did choose to abuse the resets and everything that went along with it due to the circumstances. He did choose to improve in the end, but even with that, him being cold, selfish, short-tempered, and maniacal could potentially work as a fit for the ESFJs shadow functions. The "kill or be killed" mantra he picks up before redemption screams that, as an example. Not to mention not being able to love or feel love, it tortured him before he broke bad, for sure.

...

This quick post ended up turning into a bit of a vent and trying to cram in as much broad information as possible without belaboring the point. I do wholeheartedly believe that Asriel/Flowey is an ESFJ, and I just wanted to speak my mind on it because him being an INFP doesn't make sense. 1.) That's based on the "sensitive crybaby" stereotype by and large, and 2.) based on his redemption arc, past sins, regrets, and character strengths and flaws in the game, I doubt he's an INFP. I also happen to write Asriel as an ESFJ (or an ENFJ at times, depends on my mood lol) in the Wholehearted series, since I try to fit character's personalities as close as to how they are in-game (with certain exceptions).

That's all for now; thanks for reading my vent.

I'm planning on discussion what I believe is Frisk's personality type, which will be a little more interesting since Frisk is harder to determine. But, we'll see!

Credit goes to Pontata once again for their Undertale character MBTI art and blog. I admire their work and thoughts.

[lizhly-writes]

!!! ITS FRIDAY!!!! ORV IS FRIDAY ADKS!!!

What's your favorite OrV arc, and what au/wip do you have on your mind for orv??

IT IS VERY LATE AND NO LONGER FRIDAY SORRY but here i am regardless!

hmmm, my favorite orv arc... hard to say! again, i haven't actually seen canon in a while, so i may be mixing things up, but I think I'd put it at either the dark castle arc or epilogue! dark castle has 1) the affection reader 2) that classic "your mother doesn't like me" line 3) drama with lsk 4) a sacrifice that really seems to stick, with SO MUCH DRAMA. ALL OF THE DRAMA. epilogue has ANOTHER SACRIFICE, and the world of zero and just, in general, ties up so many loose ends that you didn't really think were loose ends (or at least i didn't, i'm kinda unobservant lol).

as for orv aus i am currently rotating several in my mind, these are the ones i've sort of put on top priority (whether i'm actually working on them is another thing entirely.)

complex philosophical concept of self love: haha, this thing. i GOTTA FINISH THIS. i am OBLIGATED to finish this, there is art out there that will never make sense if i never get to the scenes they depict. the problem is that i did not realize how very alien this kind of story was to how i usually write until i was too deep in to back out.

empty sky:

look. one day, i ask for prompts on orvcord, like i do, in an attempt to write and upload something orv-related that has no relation to what i'm currently working on. i get stuck with anna croft and empty sky. i take up the ideas channel to bullshit a strange fantasy au, willfully skipping over important plot points, and end up an outline that will not work for the 500 word snippet that i wanted it for. i am prepared to throw outline in the trash.

EXCEPT THEN SOMEBODY THROWS MONEY AT ME. and now i am bound to continue. i have handed them my kofi and thus a key to my kingdom. i am hampered by the fact that i don't actually know how to write anna croft but i am going to hit at least 2k words regardless.

blood of the covenant:

so this was kind of on the backburner but i have to admit i've been guilted enough that it's stuck on the forefront of my mind. i'm probably going to start working on it to procrastinate on working on the other two above.

namgil spiderman au:

yui on twitter has been drawing this same age knw/lgy au in which they're both dumb highschoolers and the dynamic that's been pitched to me is just. so good. i'm so weak to good art. i found someone else on orvcord who was submitted to the same brainrot and together we brainstormed an au where knw is spiderman and repeatedly attempts to throw his identity in lgy's face only to fail repeatedly because lgy keeps thinking spiderman is kdj. we had so much fun with this. there are so many shenanigans.

this was like 6 months ago but i'm telling you this now because RECENTLY YUI DREW A SCENE FROM THIS AU and now i am WORKED UP OVER IT AGAIN and now me and noc might just collab to make it happen. nothing like recursive fanart that you weren't expecting to get the brain juices flowing.

[goth-albino-angel]

Yugiri's smile is everything. She has so many of them and they all mean different things. When she's relaxed, when she's excited, when she's confused, when she has no clue what's going on but everyone else is happy so she's happy, when she's relieved, when she's proud... She has so many different smiles and if Tumblr didn't have the 10 image rules, I would absolutely gush about every single one of them in detail. Unfortunately, if I do that, all of those posts will probably be eaten out of the tag, so instead, here are my top 10 favorite Yugiri smiles so far, images included. (Pre-Revenge episode 9)

10. Season One, Episode 2: The First Smile/ 9. Season One, Episode 10: The Sentimental Smile

Episode 2 is the first time we ever see Yugiri smile. Before this, she seemed relatively nonplussed or generally disinterested in pretty much everything going on. Even though she was in a different time period with complete strangers and a madman demanding her to be something she has no knowledge of, she was fairly calm. Then the first time we see her smile, it's when she sees something completely familiar. Her own face. Not only that, but she directs that smile toward the character that is going to become basically her little sister. The first one means so much and it's so important.

Within the same vein, her smile to Kotaro in episode 10 is one during an emotionally heavy moment. It's the first time he's hit an actual snag in his plans. Sakura's singular focus on the Arpino show rather than on the bigger picture of the group as a whole would have been a massive roadblock had she not realized her mistake.

Yugiri is the only one who properly realizes the reason they were sent into the mountains in the first place. Instead of simply sitting on the information, she's proactive about it and actually goes to discuss the problem with Kotaro. She wants to understand his reasoning so that she might be able to help him. And when she turns toward him, she also gives him the observations she's witnessed throughout her new life. This smile may be low on my list of favorites, but it's still unbelievably important.

...Also, when they released the preview image of this smile, my brain short-circuited for ten minutes, so it had to make it onto the list regardless.

8. Season Two, Episode One: The Professional Smile

This smile isn't much out of the ordinary for what we've come to expect of Yugiri, but it's on here because this was our first look at Yugiri after basically two years of very little. None of us knew how the group would come back, how the writing team had incorporated the unexpected pandemic, how things would play out, or what would be happening. The Promo showed Tae's hand flying off to knock off Sakura's head, but as 2018 displayed, the promos can't always be trusted. This showed that, even in this new world where she's only been awake for a year, she's putting her skills to use and working just as hard as the others. Thanks to the conversation from Episode 10 of the first season, we know she was trained as a geisha which would make service work much easier than it would be for the other girls.

I don't have too much to say on this one, to be honest. I do like that she's in softer lighting, as opposed to the others who were all surrounded by harsh lighting on their season two introductions. The softer lighting lends itself well to the lack of pigment and coloration in the girls' makeup, allowing Yugiri to look like she has some color, even if she still looks somewhat pale and tired. It doesn't give her quite the same sickly look the others have at their jobs. The red dress? 100/10. Perfect decision.

7. Season One, Episode Five: The Proud Smile

SHE. DOES. GYMNASTICS. She has every right to this smile! I did the math for this specific part of the episode and Yugiri got third place. The judges liked her rope aerobics so much, they shot her all the way to third place even though her distance was zero meters. It wouldn't have gotten her interviewed, but it would have at least put Franchouchou at the forefront. I still applaud Tae snagging first place, but Yugiri deserves some praise. She really did go face first into the mud on a bike and said, "Never again." She's so proud of herself. I'll be gushing about the actual gymnastics part in a different post a little later, too, but she definitely deserves to be proud of herself. I'm really gay...

6. Season One, Episode Four: The Cute Smile

Originally, this was just going to be me doing some keysmash version of a squeal or something, but there's something I'd like to draw attention to. I'm pretty sure that, by this point, Franchouchou only knows two songs. Yomigaere, which was supposed to be performed in episode 2, and Mezame Returner, which is what's being performed here. Of these two, Yugiri has more experience with this one, but from what the audience had been shown, it wasn't good experience.

Memorizing the lyrics would have been the easy part for her. It's that a good portion of the dance practice was also spent helping Lily get the steps down and potentially calming her frustrations. Then the performance itself would have been a complete disaster if Junko and Ai hadn't gotten over themselves at the last minute to finally help.

This is the first successful performance of Mezame Returner we're witnessing and it's clear the group's had more practice since then. You can see how excited and happy Yugiri is here because this one is actually going well. They had a bit more time to prepare, the two lead roles were actually involved this time, and the audience also was clearly enjoying the performance. She's so happy and it's just so heart-warming to see. Yes, even with the CGI. Don't @ me, she looks adorable.

5. Season One, Episode Seven: The Sassy Smile

This one also was just going to be a squealing keysmash thing, but again, I have something to point out. Look how much more confident she is now that Junko and Ai have, once again, gotten over themselves. Yugiri sees the effect that Junko stepping in had on the others and just like the rest of the group, her movements are more relaxed and free.

It's more obvious, actually, if you look at the way the other girls are moving directly after Junko helps Ai up in comparison to how Yugiri is moving. She did a spin while waiting for Sakura and Lily to finish their segment, and she could be cheeky during her own. She sensed that the tension had mostly dissolved and because of that, she allowed herself to relax and could properly throw herself into the performance. When she throws out this smile and wink, it's not actually directed at the audience. It's Yugiri telling the others that they've got this without breaking the performance.

4. Season Two, Episode Four: The Gentle Smiles

I put both of these here because Yugiri's just... so... caring? So much of what she does is passive that you don't realize just how much work she puts into relieving the stress from the other girls until long after the problem has been resolved.

In the first, she's speaking to Sakura. No doubt, Yugiri probably noticed how worried Sakura was about Junko. Even though Sakura was trying not to let the others catch on just how anxious she really was, Yugiri still knew that something was bothering Sakura as well as Junko. Yugiri knew that the key to easing Junko's mind lay in placating Sakura first. She's seen what happens to them all when they fall apart and she wants to avoid that at all costs. So, Yugiri lifts Sakura's spirits and gives her back the fire and determination to make a great performance.

In the second, Yugiri is watching Junko eat. Unlike the others, it's clear Yugiri knows that Junko is in much higher spirits than when last they saw her. Junko would likely have still been a stuttering, quivering mess otherwise, but she wasn't stuttering and her actions were purposeful and self-assured. Yugiri is very observant. She would have caught on that something had happened to make Junko feel better. What makes this smile even better is that she's not the least bit disappointed. The reason she made dinner was to help Junko, but she doesn't view the meal as a waste of time. She's so focused on other people, that she's happy Junko is feeling better at all and even offers her different platters to help keep her mood up.

These are high on the list for two reasons. One, they're a show of just how much Yugiri does for her girls. Two, YUGIRI COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HEADCANON CONFIRMED BITCHEEEESSS!!! I GOT ONE RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!

3. Season Two, Episode Six: The Affectionate Smile

I will be completely honest, I have no idea why this one is as high as it is. I admit, I did spend three hours replaying this single thirty second scene because it's really sweet and Yugiri and Tae don't interact very often, so seeing Yugiri not only be worried for Tae, but also be immediately reassured that Tae would be fine was just something my heart didn't know it needed until it had it. The sheer level of affection Yugiri shows toward Tae is too adorable. Especially since Yugiri usually only has moments like those with Sakura and, to a lesser extent, Lily. This smile's really cute, it's in the middle of a wholesome scene, and it made me love both Yugiri and Tae that much more.

2. Season One, Episode Three: The Excited Smile

Once again, an entry that was going to be a simple squealing keysmash until I realized there was something to point out here as well. This is the first smile we ever see from Yugiri that's genuinely enthusiastic. She has plenty of them, especially during her performances, but this is our first time seeing her fully incorporate herself into the group as an actual member and actually look excited to do something with the others. This was an omen of adorable things to come and damn did it deliver.

Honorable Mentions.

I'm only going to touch on each of these briefly because to be honest, there are a LOT of smiles I could've picked.

The first one is from episode 6 when the group is talking about their very first meet-and-greet. Lily asks Yugiri if she's keeping up okay, and Yugiri remarks that she's taking things as they come. This was a small look into the kind of character she is. As I mentioned before, she's very passive in the way she operates, but that's to the benefit of those she cares for. This is her admitting that she doesn't want to be a problem and it's just sweet that even though Lily is worried about her, Yugiri's still highkey thinking about everyone else.

To the right is a shot of Yugiri during Electric Returner. This one is just the squealing keysmash because she looks so genuinely ecstatic, it's contagious. She's NO DAMN CLUE what happened or why they sound so different, but she is absolutely living her best second life.

The next shot comes from the beginning of Yomigaere and is somewhat of a repeat of the above. She's excited to perform for such a big crowd, she's glad Sakura finally agreed to actually participate, and she's living her best second life. Whoever animates Yugiri's CG model? I love you. I want to send you a gift basket. She's always so happy during performances.

Then comes her smile after the group finds out Sakura's memories are back. She's just glad Sakura, her Sakura, has come back to them, that she accepts her crap luck and is still willing to stay. For Yugiri, this goes under the list of Best Possible Outcomes. Her family is whole again and she's so relieved.

Last in the top row is the first full frontal shot we get of Yugiri in the Saga Jihen music video. She's so unbelievably adorable here. I wish I could've gotten her first expression, but the curtain was still rising and without photoshop, I'm not editing an image to the degree needed to get her whole face lightened. Point is, she's cute and everyone deserves to see her adorable face on the first song she got to be center for.

First on the bottom row is Yugiri looking apologetic from episode 8 of Revenge. She's so cute. It was an honest mistake and she had no way of knowing the paper belonged to Kiichi. No doubt, that was probably why she offered to help him rewrite them later.

Next is how cute she looks in big sister mode. She's wiping the mud from Kiichi's cheeks and is taking such care with him. Throughout the entire episode, she treats him like a little kid and it's likely because her role was big sister for so long that she doesn't know how not to treat him that way. It really does shed light on just how kind she is to everyone, though, that she doesn't even think about her dirty kimono and focuses on cleaning him up a little first.

Then we have her smiling at Kiichi as she remarks on how beautiful his dream of reviving Saga is. She even says she hopes it comes true. His dream means something to her. She can't even fully see it, he can't even fully see it, but they don't need to. What Itou didn't understand this whole time is something Yugiri understood immediately just from listening to Kiichi talk. They don't need to see it in their minds, all they need is to feel it in their hearts, and that's something Yugiri knows.

And lastly on the honorable mentions, because this post is already super long, Yugiri smiling while she's cooking for her guests. It was a tossup between this or the pinwheel because it's just really nice that Yugiri can simply enjoy mundane things. I chose this one because it's a direct contrast to how she was at the beginning. Before, she ate with a disinterested expression, but now, she's cooking for guests rather than just for herself. The lift in her mood is obvious, and it's something so small but so heartwarming, I couldn't resist.

I would've put the pinwheel moment anyway, but unfortunately, as a com major, formatting and design are everything and an extra picture on the top or bottom without a balancer would've thrown the whole thing off. Maybe next time.

NOW FOR NUMBER ONE

1. Season Two, Episode Eight: The Softest Smile

This should have been expected. There's something genuinely touching about the fact that Yugiri really does give her everything, even to complete strangers. These girls barely know her, everyone in town barely knows her, but because her dance students suggested Yugiri go out and actually experience, Yugiri gives it actual thought. She doesn't dismiss them, she doesn't deride them, she doesn't make them feel foolish or anything like that. She treats their suggestion the same way she would if it had come from a close friend. And she does actually take them up on it.

Later, we see her come into contact with Kiichi to demonstrate that even full-on strangers aren't exempt from her kind heart, but this means more. All we know is that these girls take Yugiri's dance class, and from the way they speak when we first meet them, it's clear Yugiri has a professional wall between herself and those she instructs. But she still treats them as she would the girls back in Shimabara. It's proof that, even in the past, Yugiri really was just as kind-hearted as in the present. It's a show don't tell kind of thing that just speaks so deeply to the writer in me. I love this smile. It's everything. Her smiles are everything. She's everything.