#this does not do them justice tbh but i love them so so much forever

[septembersghost]

When did you start to ship Kim and Jimmy on BCS? And why are they one of your favourite tv couples?

seven years is a long time from that first watch, so i'm not sure if i can totally pinpoint an initial when - it could easily be their very first scene in the parking garage, which i love SO much and tells us quite a lot about them with hardly any dialogue (they clearly already have a history and rapport, they don't even have to finish sentences to know what the other means, he doesn't hesitate to casually take her cigarette and there's an intimacy in that, like a prelude to a kiss, she fixes the trash can he attacks without second thought), it's perfectly lit and scored, they look like they've walked right out of a classic noir standing there together. i remember i immediately wanted to know more about her and about their relationship. but if it wasn't that moment, it was in hero. howard is extremely irked and (correctly) calls what jimmy did at the billboard "a damn stunt," and kim, looking up at the screen, back turned, smiles. it's tiny and fleeting, but it says everything. she knows it's a stunt too, but she's not mad about it. she's amused and fond and maybe even slightly proud in a very strange way. it establishes not only how she's his ally, but also that maybe there's a mischievous streak in her too. (this goes very badly for them later but! initially that's endearing and undoubtedly part of the attraction.)

i wrote a little off-the-cuff about them here (HOW did that post get so many notes?!), but something that appealed to me was always how very matched and grounded and REAL they felt. i'm a sappy romantic, i love a love story (happy or tragic), so it's easy to entice me with a dynamic that i enjoy, but something about jimmy and kim was really special in its approach. it isn't necessarily "epic" in that sense of grand gestures and dramatic swells of violins and world shifting kisses (not that there's anything wrong with any of that), it's something i've talked about before with their wedding. it's bare. there's no white tulle, no rose arches. and i'm a gowns and glitter kind of girl in many ways, but their lack of that made them so accessible to me, so...refreshing and honest. the thing that some people (*coughs at bird app*) complain about, the supposed lack of sexual chemistry, i see everywhere, and even prefer in the way they presented it. the way they gravitate towards one another and share glances and brush against each other just to touch, the way they're so obviously at home together. it's not ever objectified in the obvious way that romance is sometimes packaged for us. kim pushing him against the wall in the stairwell, her foot under the table, his hand on her shoulder in the hospital, the way he leans closer in to her, them companionably brushing their teeth and sharing meals and tending wounds, it's all so electric, but also has a sense of ease and tangibility. it's something in the fact that they're such different people on the surface - jimmy exuberant and talkative, kim restrained and listening, and yet underneath so matched and such complements. they have these pieces that fit together perfectly and form a whole. they're both fascinating characters individually, and together that dynamic is so alluring and touching to me. they've both lived with such lonely hearts and then find fulfillment with each other. it's something about it going beyond words and living in their expressions and unspoken language. it's something in always being on each other's side. their friendship itself is so connective that it makes their attraction and romantic love even richer. it's the way she's so loyal to him and wants to help him through pain, and the way he's so admiring of her and wants to give her a safe place to simply be. (and then we learned they would quite literally die and kill for each other and that is epitome, HEIGHT of Romantic, be still my heart.) it's the way no one else in the world truly sees them, for who they are and all they are, for all their good points and their ingenuity and their warmth, and in their flaws and shadows, and accepts and adores them even still.

bob said (of their final shared smoking scene, but it feels true throughout the story): "they can just exist next to each other. something that they very much like to do." there's something so beautiful and affecting in that to me. finding someone who is content simply to exist next to you. to be proud of you and love you, to stand by you, even at your darkest. to take your hand in front of filtered golden light. to lean quietly against a wall and be suffused with love, despite the pain and the trouble and the lost time, and just be glad you're there and alive with them. to spoil it all by saying something stupid like i love you, and then to heal it, and recognize it wasn't so stupid after all. it's another version of a flower blooming in the sands of the desert, even after devastating sacrifice. something true and delicate and alive remains. that kind of love is rare and precious. it's knowing you'll have that love for the rest of your life.

[withleeknow]

HAII! i’m so happy to hear you’re opening requests, your writing is incredible !!

if you remember my idea with the dancing, as you said a short thing, could you write something similar to that maybe?

if not, lee know and yn play truth or dare together one night, “do it, i dare” what happens is free for you to decide 😊

-🍓

devastate me.

pairing: minho x reader genre/warnings: brother's best friend au, mutual pining, kinda fluffy?, kinda angsty?; tbh idek if this makes sense bc my apologies, i finished it at almost 3 in the morning in a delirious state of mind lol, unedited @.@ word count: 0.7k note: hi strawberry!! i chose to do the second one bc i wasn't sure if i could do your original justice with just a quick drabble, but i hope you like this one regardless!! merry christmas heheheh <;33

as always, i’d appreciate any thoughts or comments you may have, and please drop a like and/or reblog if you enjoy reading ♡

navigation › masterlist › ko-fi

what is lee minho?

to many, he's wonderfully charming, handsome, insanely smart and funny to the point that it's almost annoying, because how on earth can someone have it all just like that? he's kind and sweet. honest and gentle. the perfect man.

to you, he's all of those things and more. much more.

he's the person that you've been in love with for as long as you can remember. the person whose name you will forever associate with the longing of first love. it's beautiful, but it's pain nonetheless.

he's forbidden fruit, the one you want the most but can't possibly have.

your brother's best friend.

but...

if that's the case, if he's off limits to you and you're off limits to him, then why does he have a hand on the wall next to your head, looming over your body with the intensity of a predator? why is he caging you between his arms in the middle of a hallway, at a party in a stranger's house, where anybody could walk by and see you? why are his hips pressed against yours, blurring a line that could be never uncrossed if you take that step? why is he leaning in until you could feel the warmth of his breath on your skin, until your lips are brushing, so close and yet... so far away?

you know why, and it's possibly the worst thing that you could ever be aware of.

that as much as you're in love with him, he's in love with you too.

you feel it every time his eyes fall on you from across the room. every time his touch lingers on your skin from the simplest of interactions. every time he softens when you’re around. every time you’re alone together and he bites his tongue, swallowing down the words you wish he would say - the words you wish you could tell him yourself.

your voice comes out as a mere whisper. "what are you doing?"

maybe it's because you both have had something to drink. maybe it's just simply liquid courage.

“when are we going to stop pretending that there’s nothing going on between us?” he asks, voice dropping low, husky. it sounds a little vulnerable, just like you.

there’s no point in denying it. the truth is clear as day.

“we can’t,” you say.

“why not?”

“you know why.”

minho sighs, then clenches his jaw before he speaks next, frustration laced into every syllable. “i don’t care what anyone else thinks. i just want you.”

“min-”

“fuck,” he interrupts, leaning his forehead to rest against yours, his fingers holding onto your waist more tightly. “i love you.”

you place a hand on his chest, meaning to push him away but then you find his heartbeat under your palm instead, hammering against his chest like it wants to escape from his body.

in a split second of weakness, a split second where the logical part of your brain falters, your eyes flicker to his lips.

and minho, ever the sharp observer even in a state of mild inebriation, notices.

“do it,” he mutters, his words a stark contrast to the helpless tone that he says them with. “i dare you.”

a shaky inhale from you, an almost pleading look from him. even when he's practically begging you, he's handing you all control. to say no if that's what you really want. to leave and dismiss everything as just some stupid joke later on, and go back to revolving around each other in secret, like a couple of powerless fools.

your fingers grip his shirt, because goddamn, of course you want it. you've never wanted anything in your entire life more than you want him. you already have one foot in already, half a mind to blow it all the way to hell and deal with the fallout when the time comes.

you catch his eyes once more, and the sincerity in his galaxy shakes you to the core.

fuck it.

you pull him in, obliterating the gap.

i love you, but you’re telling him in a different way.

so, if someone were to ask you again: what is lee minho?

he’s a lot of things. charming, handsome, smart, funny. the person you love, the very one that you can’t have. the answer is pretty much the same.

but most of all, lee minho is devastating.

permanent taglist: @onlyycb97wife @starsandrqindrops @borahae-reads @abbiestearsricochet @cutiespaghetti @anthropologykpopmultistan @moonlinos

all rights reserved © withleeknow. reposting, translating and/or modifying is not permitted by any means. [posted 24.12.2023]

[buckttommy]

JACK! I am deeply curious to know where YOU stand/fall on the poll you posted?

Objectively speaking? Yes, they have endgame potential.

But a lot—and I mean A LOT—of work would have to go into moving that potential from a theoretical possibility to a genuine reality. Some of that work has already been done, what with Tim being intentional about developing a love interest for Buck that's not segmented away from the rest of the firefam, but that's the easy part tbh. They'd still have to 1) establish Tommy's character as a character unto himself, 2) define Buck and Tommy's relationship outside of the shadow of Buck and Eddie's relationship, 3) introduce a character that would be Eddie's endgame (because that's something you'd have to consider now that you're intentionally severing this will-they-won't-they bond between Buck and Eddie), and 4) convince the audience that these are the two endgame ships they should be rooting for without making them feel like they're being convinced, because that would blow the whole thing up in their faces instantly... all in a limited amount of time (9-1-1 isn't going to last forever).

So. Yeah. A lot of work.

All that to say, it's not impossible. I have a tentative idea for how it could work (a thought exercise, if-not-this-then-that)—what kind of character would need to be introduced for Eddie, what kind of archetypes would need to be in place for Tommy + Female Character, what kind of plots and tropes would need to unfold on-screen in order to not just neutralize the die-hard fans, but sway their opinions toward these two ships, etc. all by taking into account 9-1-1's existing and brand new audiences. But the writers/Tim would really need to sit with the decision and decide whether or not it's worth the effort to establish TWO endgame ships for their most popular characters when said characters are already six seasons deep into an accidental marriage with each other.

This is why I say that Buddie is only thing that makes sense. It's the only ending that does the characters and their journeys justice, sure, but it's so much more than that. There are layers—complicated and tangled layers—that would cost (literally!) more money to untangle than it would to just say "thank you" to the writing gods for hand-delivering an endgame ship on a silver platter and just going with the flow. You know? Yes, Buddie makes the most sense narratively. Of course, it does. But technically? It truly does not get much better than this.

You don't have to like it. You know? You don't have to like Buddie at all. But you have to recognize that this is the dynamic that most shows dream of—accidental or not. How they started—what was intended for their relationship—doesn't even matter now. What matters is where they are, and where they are is at a crossroads where they can either go with the flow, or do a complete overhaul that would run the risk of shattering everything. And, I have to give credit where credit is due—if anyone could pull this off, the 9-1-1 writers could. They are incredibly strong and skilled at what they do. But Tim et. al. need to make a choice, and they need to make it now, because if they wait too much longer, the story is going to start to drag. It's going to start to feel lazy. People aren't going to be satisfied with the "Buck and Eddie are getting their shit together so they can be ready for each other" excuse forever.

Now. Me personally? I'm in it for the long-haul. I love Buck and Eddie, I love Buddie, so whatever happens, I'm here for it. I've already said a thousand times over that their relationship could go canon at any point, even in the final episode (though I want there to be at least two seasons of them together before the show ends), and I would be completely satisfied with that. But we're rapidly approaching the point of no return, wherein Tim etc. need to make a firm decision and stick with it. If they've decided Buddie? Great. Good. Can't wait to see it. But if they've decided on something else, they're the ones that need to get their shit together and kick it into high gear quickly.

TBH.

But anyways.

[mixes-archive]

heyyy, i really need a wrench's sfw alphabet 🥺🥺 i love him so so so much and i haven't found any new headcanons of him in a while

WRENCH SFW ALPHABET

I can’t believe we finally got a Watch Dogs fan, I hope you enjoy your stay in the archives!

A = Affection

(How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Shows affection everywhere, all the time and with everything he has. Likes to show it physically and with little trinkets he either finds or makes. If he sees something in a store and it reminds him of you, consider it yours (he did not steal it not at all no of course not he wouldn’t do something like that).

Will cling to you even when you’re fighting about some petty thing, he cannot bring himself to let go of you ever. Probably even got you safety gear so he could continue to hug you when absolutely fucking up a toaster or something of the sorts.

B = Best friend

(What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Stupid. Wrench is a stupid little man with no idea how to properly talk or communicate. Either someone in Dedsec told him to finally ask you to hang out or he was high out of his mind, since he hates talking to new people.

Once’s that’s done though, he’d go with you through thick and thin, acting much like he does with everyone else in Dedsec.

C = Cuddles

(Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

If he ever doesn’t want to cuddle, that’s a clone and you should shoot it immediately. Wrench is down to cuddle whenever, just tell him to take of the spiky stuff first because he will not remember.

Loves to cuddle in the morning or after stressful missions the most, he would cling to you for hours if you let him.

D = Domestic

(Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Not yet. Possibly never. He would probably keep moving around forever if you weren’t in the picture. He’ll try to be a bit more domestic if it’s something that you really want, but Reggie still has a need to do society justice. It’s not like he doesn’t want to settle down ever, but he almost feels pressured to help the ones who cannot defend themselves (please take him to a therapist, he’ll be much more inclined to settle down after that).

He is shit at cooking and who do you think made a mess in the first place? He’ll try his best to help out however he can, but for the love of your stomach do NOT let him near the stove.

E = Ending

(If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Stole your pets if you had them and hacked all your devices to be completely useless. You’d have to really fucked things up for him to actually break up with you, so his reaction is (partially) rationalized.

F = Fiance(e)

(How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Very committed to your relationship. Would be down to get married whenever tbh, he already knows you’re the one anyway.

G = Gentle

(How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He can be a bit brash, but he means well and would never do anything he knew or thought could upset you. Wrench is always very sweet with his words and everything he says, no matter how cheesy or dumb, he means wholeheartedly. Always careful to never upset you.

And if you ignore the spikes and other various pokies from his clothing choices, he is quite gentle. You’d think mans would throw you around however he wants with the way he can swing that sledge hammer, but he’s surprisingly gentle whenever it comes to you, his touches featherlight when caressing your figure.

H = Hugs

(Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Fucking LOVES hugs. Morning hug, getting out of bed hug, brushing your teeth hug, before breakfast hug, breakfast hug, after breakfast hu- I think you get it. Hugging you so much it’s embarrassing.

They’re firm, comforting and can last from a second to a few minutes depending on his mood.

I = I love you

(How fast do they say the L-word?)

Quite fast probably. Maybe on the first date even. He’s not ashamed to admit it.

J = Jealousy

(How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Wrench trusts you with his life, not to mention in the relationship. Buuuttttt…. He would be jealous of a screwdriver if you looked at it too long. He thrives off of your attention and wants it on him as much as possible, so no other person may flirt with you, thank you very much.

Gets really physical when jealous, maybe even lifts his mask a lil to kiss your neck from behind or something. Whatever gets your attention off of whatever he’s jealous of and onto him.

K = Kisses

(What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Dramatic. Would dip you just to give you a tiny little peck on the cheek. Loves to kiss you on whatever skin is exposed on you, whether that be stomach, neck, hands, eyelids, whatever.

He loves to be kissed on his mask in public, but honestly melts every time you kiss his scar(s).

L = Little ones

(How are they around children?)

No, absolutely not. Pets? Yes! But children not so much. He’s scared he’ll be just as awful as his parents and honestly, he wouldn’t be fit to be a dad period.

M = Morning

(How are mornings spent with them?)

Him trying to coax you out of bed to “get a head-start” (even though literally nothing is going on whatsoever). He has very little need for sleep to be healthy/productive/awake, so he just goes to sleep at ungodly times and wakes up even earlier. Will gladly stay in bed and cuddle though.

Since he can’t cook for shit, if he wakes up much earlier than you, he’ll go to a bakery and get you your favorite dessert.

N = Night

(How are nights spent with them?)

Probably watching a shitty movie you stopped paying attention to hours ago in favor of flirting or making out. If you fall asleep, he’d carry you to bed and start working on some tiny project before joining you in bed.

O = Open

(When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

When he opens up to you, most likely a few months after you started dating, he’ll dump everything out at once as not to surprise you later on in the relationship. He’s very open with people he knows and never afraid to speak up when something makes him uncomfortable or reminds him about a worse time in his live.

He’ll also frequently joke about his past trauma, so be prepared for that.

P = Patience

(How easily angered are they?)

Gets mad all the time, but never directs it at you. If you’re scared of yelling, he’ll get you to somewhere you can’t hear him, and then scream his lungs out. Or, he’ll probably just cling to you instead, you make him calm down with your presence alone.

Q = Quizzes

(How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He couldn’t really be a hacker if he was forgetful, so it’s safe to say he very quickly picks up everything you say and do. Deffo memorizes all the names of the people you gossip about.

“So Samantha called her a-“

“Isn’t that the one who broke up with her boyfriend because he was ‘too ugly’?” ?_?

“YEAH!- wait how’d you know that?”

“Babe, you told me like, a month ago.” -_-

R = Remember

(What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Going to the shittiest looking döner kebab restaurant with you and eating without his mask for the first time in public. He can still see how you laughed at him when the white (very sus looking) sauce dripped all over his chin, only for you to start choking on your food, which made him laugh and also start choking on his. You were very quickly kicked out, but continued laughing together until you got home.

S = Security

(How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

So fucking protective of you omg. Scary dog privileges is all I can say.

He doesn’t need to be protected, if anything, you need to protect others from him.

T = Try

(How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Everything comes to him quite naturally, he never goes out of his way to plan something, he’s much more spontaneous. But he still puts effort into making everything as enjoyable as possible for you, but plans aren’t really his thing.

U = Ugly

(What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Beating himself up over not being pretty enough and his rash decision making. It’ll take some effort on your part to get him to think and act differently.

V = Vanity

(How concerned are they with their looks?)

He is a crust punk and wears a mask 24/7, doesn’t really care most of the time unless he’s feeling self conscious about his (very lovable) face.

W = Whole

(Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Definitely couldn’t do without you if you’re apart long enough. You’re his rock and his comfort. Doesn’t like going on long missions anymore, because he’d just miss you so much.

X = Xtra

(A random headcanon for them.)

He is SO GOOD at braiding hair, no matter what hair texture you have or what style you’re going for. Has no idea where he picked up the talent himself, he’s just a natural at it. (Please let him do your hair please please please he won’t even sniff it that much)

Y = Yuck

(What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

A capitalist.

Z = Zzz

(What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Clinging onto you super tight and if you have tiddies, burying his face in them. (He doesn’t need air anyway)

Also a prolific blanket AND pillow thief, you either freeze or buy enough of them to supply a whole army.

A/N: the silly

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Hi! I saw you wanted some JonDami idea sooo:

• First time they hold hands

• First time Damian felt safe enough to fall asleep on Jon

• Discussing baby name when still in high school (which I did lmao)

• Seeking help from their siblings on how to ask the other in a date

• Eloping right out of high school to get married because they're idiots in love

• First kiss!! How did I forget that!!

• During patrol while high on adrenaline or maybe they were at the farm relaxing under the sunset or after playing video games and laughing with each other!

• One of my soft favourite to picture: leaning on each other, forehead against forehead or cheek against cheek, just existing and feeling the other's warmth

I have ton of other ideas and some hc but I think it's enough rn lol

Thx u byye!!

LET'S DO IT. (assume all ages are 16+ I guess, idk does it matter?)

First time they hold hands: pre-romance. Jon's powers shorted out and he fell outta the sky. Damian caught him by his hand just in time, and when he pulled him to safety he just...didn't let go. Jon noticed but didn't say a WORD.

First Time Damian fell asleep on him: Probably right after the relationship started/became official. They'd both had a rough hero week and Damian had been on edge just, forever. So they sit against a wall in the cave and one second they're sitting there in silence and the next, Damian's dropping against his shoulder already konked out. Jon panics for half a second but then Dick sees them and says 'He only sleeps when he feels safe.' and those words shake Jon to his core.

Baby names: This is all Jon. Jon just starts rambling about it one day. "How would we honor both our cultures? Or do we at all? Do we go with an -El name, or a name from your mom's side or just call him Bob?" Damian is endeared for a while but quickly gets so fucking annoyed because every name is more ridiculous than the last.

Siblings help: Jon obviously asks Kon and Kon is SO. JACKED. TO. HELP. He hesitates a little when he finds out it's Damian but, honestly, the kid is at least alright. Damian, much to the Kents surprise, does NOT ask Dick or even Tim. He consults Cass first, who asks Steph to standby as she gives her advice, and Jason, for reasons mentioned in previous asks in that he's a sucker for a classic romance novel so, clearly, he is An Expert.

Eloping: Honestly? Yes. And it happens at the same time one of them (I'm thinking Jon) says I love you for the first time. The other reciprocates (Damian) and one of them (Jon) sarcastically says 'really? well damn let's just go get married right now.' and Damian just goes. "Okay." and.......................they do. Maya officiates, Kathy is the witness, and the only family in attendance is the pets. (Goliath is flower girl)

First kiss: First kiss is at a Wayne Holiday gala/Justice League xmas party not long after they started dating and the end up under mistletoe. They do the hesitant peck thing first but then oh boy they like it and mmmmmm Clark and Bruce might have to rethink allowing sleepovers anymore.

Chillin': Jon gets so entranced when Damian laughs he literally just stops functioning. He will stop and stare and was even caught drooling a little bit once. (by Jason, no less.) If he's with Damian/it's just them, if Damian's laughing, he'll start laughing and just pull Damian as close as he can and they just keep laughing together.

SOFT FOREHEADS: There's some world-ending situation and they've been separated for most, if not all, of it. The day is saved and they're finally reunited on a rooftop somewhere. And they run desperately at each other but when they reach, they know the whole League is watching them and Damian's not big on PDA (and tbh neither is Jon, if only for protective reasons) so they just grab each other's hands and stare deep into each other's eyes until one of them well up with tears and closes his eyes and they just ~gentle forehead touch~

[thunderpetal]

So, I love hearing about why favorites are favorites! Why are Wind and Time your die-for favs?

THANK you for the ask <3

For Wind, I think I first played Wind Waker exactly when I joined the LU fandom properly, and oh my god, I LOVE Wind Waker. It genuinely had such a big impact on me on the first playthrough (and does to this day), and I was still going through all the emotions when I was reading LU and starting to engage with the fandom.

Wind has such a good story in Wind Waker, and I could write an essay about it tbh but I'll save it for another time. I also absolutely adore how he is written in the comic; I think it's perfect. He has the immaturity you'd expect from a 13 year old boy, such as not always being the most tactful, jumping straight into situations without Fully considering them, and having some quite strong almost black-and-white opinions on complicated topics (see the Kings of Hyrule comic). But you can also leverage all of those criticisms at the other boys who are supposedly older and wiser than Wind LOL. What makes him great is how his younger age and strong personality also give him a completely different point of view. Despite having gone through a certain amount of shit on his journeys, he's still optimistic and hopeful for the future and he's fiercely passionate in protecting those he loves... What can I say. He's just a good lad. I honesty feel this messy collection of words doesn't even do him justice.

As for Time, it's sort of opposite reasons? The story of his games and his outlook on life is a bit darker than Wind's. Time has been through so much, and was a broken man for a while... and yet he is the one who has the happily married, domestic life a lot of the boys deep down want. He made it! And it's just so wonderful to see a character like that, one hardened by his experiences but still able to get a happy ending.

And yet. The potential to angst him is still tremendous. We have the Hero's Shade, which many speculate could mean he dies when the kid(s) he has with Malon are still very young. There's the Fierce Deity Mask. The Ocarina of Time. His negative opinions about the Master Sword and the bitterness he's still holding onto. Not to mention all the stuff he went through in the past and has recovered from but you could still explore... Even though Time has this happy life now, he's still such a great complex character to break into. God writing this just reminded me of the massive Time Analysis Glau (Glaucus_Atlanticus) wrote. I don't know where to find it anymore though :(

One last thing as well is that Time and Wind's interactions are also great. I think Time sees a lot of himself in Wind; Wind was forced to defeat Ganondorf young, just like him. But UNLIKE him, Wind hasn't lost everything. He didn't lose his childhood, he has a family, he doesn't have to say goodbye to his home forever. And Wind is obviously doing a lot better in many ways than Time probably was aged 12/13, which is pretty self-explanatory as to why (TERMINA). And seeing that makes Time very happy, it's clear from the way Time interacts with Wind in the comic. But there is still angst potential with Time being the hero who 'abandoned' Wind's world... it's good shit!

To cut a long story shit they're both great and I need to write more fics of them both.

[kimbapisnotsushi]

okay gang buckle up here are the highlights from the notes and mini comics in the back of the english version of "beginnings & endings" let's go!!

(also i know translated images of these are probs floating around somewhere but i have literally never seen these before except in the og jp artbook bc i don't go on twitter so like. this one is for the tumblr gang i guess?? anyways have fun!)

there's a small comic where yamaguchi tells tsukki that he hears hinata has been doing meiso (瞑想, or meditation) every day which i guess is a homophone because tsukki goes "he's been doing meiso forever, what?" (迷走, to stray/act randomly) and pictures hinata always going off on his own and doing random shit LMAAAO

also there's a mini comic where bokuto is wearing a lab coat and is like "omg don't i look good in this?" and komi and konoha are like "yooooo the lab coat is so sick it makes anyone look smart it's so amazing etc" and akaashi is in the back whisper-yelling "IF YOU GUYS PRAISE THE LAB COAT TOO MUCH THEN BOKUTO WILL GET JEALOUS OF THEM"

THERE'S ANOTHER MINI COMIC THAT'S ADVERTISING THE SALE OF VOLUME 33 WHICH KAGEYAMA THOUGHT WASN'T REAL BC "hinata's dig is on the cover!?!?! that can't be right!! that has to be fake!!"

and then he promotes it by saying "it's got hinata crappily bumping the ball on it. hope you'll like it"

another mini comic shows hinata sending a pic of himself and oikawa in rio wishing kageyama, yachi, tsukki, and yamaguchi a happy new year except like. oihina are squatting over a sand sculpture they made that's a replica of the kagami-mochi which is making yachi, tsukki, and yamaguchi lose their shit. kageyama (who is separate from them on a jog) does not seem to realize what it is and wonders why they built a pile of poop

KANBAYASHI SHOWS UP IN ONE OF THE MINI COMICS??? I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT JUSTICE FOR MY BOY LET'S GO

literally he just introduces himself and where he is ("i'm currently standing in front of the men's room at fukurodani high") and explains that today is the final day of a MASSIVE joint training camp and takes us to see how things are going AND THEN WE SEE EVERYONE BURSTING THROUGH THE DOORS AND SUGA YELLING "IT'S PARTY TIME!!!!"

dude i fucking LOVE this one bc like. kamomedai is there. it's at fukurodani so obviously they're there. the ppl that come in are karasuno members (the third years plus tsukki, hinata, and kageyama), kuroo, and oikawa (so we know nekoma AND seijoh are there) so i'm just like. who the fuck else is there. this IS a party. it's THE crossover. THE ensemble cast

tbh i'm a really big fan of thinking that this is the intro panel to that huge colored spread furudate did of all the teams gathered around the nekoma v karasuno match bc it's the only thing that makes sense!! that WAS the final day of their massive joint training day session!!!!

THERE'S A SHORT MANGA IN THE BACK DETAILING FURUDATE'S RESEARCH TRIP TO BRAZIL I'M SO FUCKING EXCITED LET'S GO

furudate used hinata, tsukki, and kageyama to represent themselves and two editors who went with them

apparently local sports sites interviewed furudate bc they wre curious to know about the manga and then furudate. turned around and interviewed them right back about beach volleyball LMAAAO

two of the women's beach volleyball players they met (barbara seixas and fernanda berti if anyone knows them!) did the kamehameha pose and furudate drew them in it

the meal that oikawa and hinata ate together was traced directly from a picture furudate took when they got lunch with the athletes LOL

they also visited barbara seixas's house and got to see all her medals and trophies!!

the next day they went to go interview from the men's side and met bruno oscar schmidt and evandro gonçalves. these guys were funny bc furudate asked them "do you ever clash over opinions or get into arguments?" and apparently schmidt (who is 6'1") pointed at oscar (6'11"!!!!) and went "what, you think i'd pick a fight with him?"

then they visited gonçalves' apartment where he also had a lot of trophies LMAO, and his apartment was used as inspiration for the apartments of hinata and pedro / heitor and nice!!!

keep in mind that furudate has been using hinata, tsukki, and kageyama to represent their team this entire time so it looks like those three have just been hanging out with irl volleyball players LMAAAO

then they went to corcovado mountain to see the statue and, in a rare moment of rawdog honesty, tsukki admits that the view from the top is pretty

ALSO THERE ARE PENCIL SKETCHES/ROUGH DRAFTS ON PAGE 369 OF DIFFERENT SCENES BUT ONE OF THEM BEING THE KARASUNO V NEKOMA SPREAD WITH ALL THE TEAMS WATCHNG

okay from this point we're going to be getting into furudate's work process and office space!!!

furudate's got his own desk in the back corner of the room right by a window. in the center there are four staff desks shoved together divided in half horizontally by a giant wall of tissue boxes. the reason for this is because they meant to buy a desk partitioner but kept forgetting to, and now they've decided that they don't need one bc they have the tissue box wall????

btw the tissue box wall suddenly appeared out of nowhere. like it actually says "the staff members must have felt awkward facing each other with nothing in between, because at some point there was suddenly a stack of tissue boxes there"

also they stuck like. alllll kinds of things to the tissue boxes. notes and diagrams and and sketches and literally anything that would make an easy reference

also furudate straight up admits that the most annoying thing to draw was hinata's head LMAAAO

and apparently inarizaki jerseys were supposed to have a line across the shoulders but everyone decided that was way too much work so they stopped

furudate has a stepping machine under their desk (it's two actually, one on top of the other) that they use while working bc they heard that Google employees do the same. they don't have any lower back pain so i guess it works??

furudate also really likes the fudenosuke brand of thin brush marker pens and goes through quite a lot of them. at one point one of the staff members drew the whole tokyo city gymnasium ceiling with only those pens

idk if you guys want me to go into the whole technique and tool thing if any artist wants to know send me an ask and i'll make a separate post for that bc this is getting really long already aaaaaaaaghhhhhh

furudate keeps a small volleyball whiteboard on their desk and uses magnets of the characters to plan how a game might play out which actually might be MY personal favorite fun fact about them like that's SO cool??? there's also a photo of the christ the redeemer statue stuck on it they got during the brazil trip and also notes about oikawa's and futakuchi's hair parts LMAAAO

they don't finalize the art digitally instead furudate calculates the size of the copy and then prints each piece out and pastes it onto the manga pages

i actually have no idea what that means i mostly copied it word for word but it sounded SUPER interesting

because of that tho furudate made a joke that paper cement was the most important supply in the office

they keep two pairs of volleyball shoes on the desk for reference . . . . it's hinata's and kageyama's shoes . . . .

they have fanart on the wall from not only fans and staff but oda eiichiro (one piece), kishimoto masashi (naruto), and horikoshi kohei (my hero academia). there's also a framed jurassic park poster which is apparently furudate's favorite movie (LMAO?? that explains some things i guess) and it was playing in the background as they drew the final chapter rather than music

they also keep video game consoles and video games in the office, and they'd play the radio during the day and switch to TV in the evening. they play pre-recorded shows or movies when they have to pull all-nighters which, like, mood

and furudate REALLY likes horror movies apparently? they like the grudge, the ring, one missed call, the conjuring, rec, zombieland, and the mist

okay the last few pages from here on out are insane it's furudate's comments on different scenes from each volume or the volume covers and spans like fifteen pages???? i might make a separate post for that one too

also at the bottom of each of those pages are the different hq characters walking and such and i'll probs also post separate pics bc THEY'RE SO CUTE AONE HAS A LIL CAT FOLLOWING HIM

anyways thanks for sticking with me guys!! that was a long one jesus christ

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Hellfire

As IF I was ever going to skip over this video!!!!

Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire was released on the 7th of October, 2023 (being their Halloween upload for the year), and, fun fact, it was the first Voiceplay video I watched after a sort of personal "hiatus" of 1-1.5 years, where they had somehow fallen off my radar for a while (which can happen when A, you weren't originally subscribed to them and mostly just relied on the Youtube algorithm/recommended section, and B, you previously only watched videos for songs you were already familiar with (I know better now though, obviously), plus a few other random factors). Geoff's cover of Jack's Lament was the first from his channel I had seen in quite a while (thank you YouTube algorithm for actually being helpful!), and I stumbled upon Hellfire the following day. And man what a video to bring me back into the fold!

Both video and arrangement were done Layne, and although this is another "guest feature" for J None (he did 5 full-length videos with Voiceplay in 2023!), he's only a backing vocalist for most of this one. Who took lead vocals? Geoff! Apparently Layne was wanting Voiceplay to do a cover of Hellfire for quite a while, and had always envisioned Geoff as the main singer for it, but Geoff, for a long time, said no. I don't know/can't remember what his exact reasoning was; whether he just thought the song was too dark or he thought he wouldn't be able to do it justice, but obviously Layne eventually managed to persuade him (made him an arrangement he couldn't refuse, I'm guessing, because seriously this arrangement is STUNNING), and quite frankly I am forever in Layne's debt for it!

I have no estimate of how long this post might be or how much I'll actually have to say about the screencaps I share, but I'll try to make this worthwhile, and so without further ado, let's get into this!

Pretty "basic"/"simple" visuals here, but honestly that's all that's needed for this one! For one thing, the vocals/arrangement are amazing enough to shine on their own (kinda like with Nothing Else Matters), and for another thing, this may be a Disney villain song, but at the same time it's not really a "Disney Song", y'know? This ain't Friends On The Other Side, or Poor Unfortunate Souls, or Be Prepared; this is a song about deep internal conflict, "burning desire", and attempts to suppress said burning desire, which only leads to more trouble. This is a villain song taken completely seriously, and boy oh boy do Voiceplay nail it!

(I feel like I should also mention that I've never actually watched The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, but I know the characters, I know the story, and this song speaks for itself tbh.)

I mean of course all the guys understood the assignment for this one but Cesar really Understood👏The👏Assignment!👏

I can't believe I'm having one of my "hang on a minute-" moments on freaking Hellfire of all videos, but somehow I never noticed the purple gemstone ring that Eli is wearing here before now! (And Cesar is wearing a red gemstone ring as well, which I only just spotted in a previous shot).

Yep, Layne's got a gemstone ring on as well!

I'm guessing J has got a matching ring as well, but I'm fairly certain Geoff doesn't, because he's got this gemstone necklace instead, which of course helps to further identify him as the lead vocalist/"main character" in this one.

(And even though Voiceplay seem to wear black/dark colours a fair bit (and Geoff does a lot), I still really freaking love the costuming in this video. They all look so good!!!!!)

Yep, there it is! J has a ring as well!

"BURN IT"

((If you've been reading/paying attention to all my Voiceplay Visuals posts, you might have picked up that usually, Geoff is the only one who gets bold font for quotes, but I'm more than willing to make an exception this time, because goddamn))

"This fire in my skin"

The way he looks down at his hands and arms as if feeling himself changing, as if there really are flames coursing right underneath the surface of the skin!!!!

"This burning desire, is turning me to s i n"

Not here to make fun or tease this time, certainly not! Geoff did a fantastic acting job in this one, and his delivery of every single vocal line was just absolutely *chefs kiss*

Everyone else was brilliant in this too, and Cesar absolutely had some attention-grabbing moments of his own! 😄

The "it's not my fault!" section of the song is really cleverly done here imo. (it's technically visual as well! I can talk about it!) It gives other members a bit more of a chance to shine, in a song which (aside from the Latin chanting in the background) is only meant to be a one-man performance. And the video (arrangement included) does this by turning Layne, J, Eli, and Cesar into a sort of Greek Chorus, or more specifically, a "singing chorus" (yes, that's a real thing, which I learned about when I was double-checking to see if I actually remembered the correct meaning of Greek Chorus). Singing choruses are sometimes incorporated into musical theatre and grand opera, and are "used frequently to interpret the mental and emotional reactions of the principal characters, after the manner of a Greek chorus." And while Eli and Cesar are taking over the lead for this bit here, Geoff becomes a little bit more subdued, head slightly bowed, just doing some little self-conducting hand movements as he holds down the bassline (I'm assuming, though I can't really hear him at all in the background until his arpeggios(?) when J takes over (look, sometimes you really can't fully describe/talk about what's happening on screen without talking about the audio that goes with it!!!))

Cesar with the sick air guitar! (Not all reactors seemingly noticed this moment, which is a damn crime tbh (you can actually see him doing it in the group shot just a few seconds before this too, though that part I myself didn't pick up on till just now))

I can't remember seeing a single reaction video (out of the ones I've watched at least) that actually figured out who the Guard was, even though it's in the description of the video! (Though I guess those who were watching from Patreon have more of an excuse). It's Tony! (Also, this means that this video featured 4 "generations" of Voiceplay baritones - Layne, Tony, J, and Cesar!)

I've heard one or two reactors say they wish they could have seen the guard's face, but nah, I don't think it's necessary. He's there to provide Relevant Information for progression of the plot/song/scene, and that's it! His identity is irrelevant!

(But still, shoutout to Tony!)

"what" (hhhhhh)

"I'll find her,"

"I'll find her and I'll find her if I have to burn down all of PARIS!"

(He did so well! <3 <3 <3)

At first when I watched this video I was like "wow I really love this video, but should I like this video so much? Considering the context/meaning behind the song and all that?" That lasted for like maybe a week maximum. I adore this cover and this video and I make no apologies about it!)

*swoon*

Very cool flame effect in the eyes! According to one reaction video I watched, that likely was not easy to do, but it's a great addition to the already-very-awesome video!

The zoom-out on Geoff is done brilliantly for dramatic effect here as well!

Do I even need to say it at this point? 😂😅

Well anyway, obligatory "he's so pretty!" comment

(Here's a slight shot of Cesar's ring btw)

Man I love it when he belts <3

Firstly, the absolute power and feeling that Geoff put into this, like it's absolutely amazing to watch and it delights me to no end. Secondly, I wasn't going to include that third pic above, but turns out Geoff is wearing a gemstone ring as well! (maybe more than one?) I knew he was wearing rings in the video, but I just assumed they were his wedding/engagement rings, as he pretty much always wears them in videos (unless he can't for costuming purposes), one on each hand, but now I wonder if he was in fact wearing them at all in this video?

Excuse me while I just- *muffled yelling into pillow*

As I type this, Voiceplay's cover of Hellfire is just 4,700 views away from reaching one million hits on YouTube! I hope it gets there, it certainly deserves it (and more!). (UPDATE: As of the morning of the 20th of February (AEST timezone), it's now at one million views! Can I hear a wahoo!?!) (SECOND UPDATE: and it's now at over 1.1 million, as of the 25th of March!)

It's not exactly a typical Halloween-type video for Voiceplay, no super-elaborate character costumes or coloured face/body paint, but just like practically everything Voiceplay did in 2023, this was EPIC!

But anyway, I'll be skipping over Whiskey In The Jar, and I'm not doing any posts about Christmas videos (for now), which means that I'm finally onto the first two full-length uploads of 2024! (And I really would have expected there to be a third 2024 upload by this point, but it seems we're just gonna have to keep on waiting.) Stay tuned!

[ink-flavored]

1, 7, 11, 16, 18, 28 & 30 for pride and justice?

EHEHEH i am clicking my little heels together thank you

1. What’s their love languages?

For Pride, it's physical touch and words of affirmation. He loves attention and being told he's very special. And like, after many thousands of years of not having either of those things, I think he deserves it

Justice could be argued for any of them tbh, but I think most of all is quality time and acts of service, sprinkled with words of affirmation. He finds the most fulfillment from being with and helping other people, and luckily for him, Pride needs both of those things so much.

7. Who is the more romantic one?

Justice, no question. In Heaven, both he and Kindness were both very close friends with an angel of Love, so he's had the adjacency to romance for a long time, without ever being able to participate. The perfect recipe to concoct a hopeless romantic. Compound this with his book club friends introducing him to romance novels and like... that's it. He's gone.

He and Pride have a bit of a stumbling block at the beginning of their relationship because Justice is SO ready to buy the roses and go on dates and get the matching pajamas and stuff, but Pride is an exposed wire of raw emotion who can't do much more than give him a haunted stare after the never-before-experienced-vulnerability of admitting he loves someone. It's a process, but they get there!!!

11. What’s a song that describes their relationship? Or, what’s the song that they’ve deemed “their” song?

I'm gonna go ahead and link the entire Spotify playlist [or Youtube], because it took me forever to pick singular song

No Guilt by IRONTOM is one that means So Much To Me, because the only reason they learned to love each other is through humanity and reconciling their differences - and maybe learning that they aren't so different after all. Their relationship isn't just the two of them, it's the culmination of what their friends, the humans that were once so beneath them, taught them about love.

16. What’s their favorite “domestic bliss” moment? Do they cook/clean together? Do they like to go out shopping together?

Their interests don't intersect very often, but one place they do find they agree is art! Justice plays the harp, and Pride gets introduced to painting through his friend Dante. Once they throw down a tarp (because Pride intends to make a mess, always), I like to imagine them hanging out in the living room together, Justice playing music while Pride slaps some paint around.

18. What does a date night out look like for them?

It depends who picked the activity. Justice goes for traditional date night activities -- dinner, movie, some sort of Out On The Town activity they can do together. For Pride, his second and third options are drinking and/or clubbing, but his favorite thing in the world is Bad Movie Night, where he torments Justice with the worst movies he can find. Their "winning" worst movie night ever is The VelociPastor.

28. What’s something that reminds them of their partner(s)? Do they have anything on them daily as a reminder (a photo, phone background, tattoo, clothing/accessory, etc)?

Pride is a clothing thief, so he is more often than not wearing something that was Justice's in the first place. This is especially true on Sunday, when he's at church for most of the morning and into the afternoon.

For Justice, is it usually the bite marks.

30. Free space! Say something about this ship that you want to say!

It should be noted that I am insane about them, and that I am never not thinking about them.

One thing I'm glad I did was lean into the sex/kink aspect of their relationship, because I was really on the fence about including it at the beginning. But it's become such an important part of their characterizations and relationship as whole that I can't imagine not having it now. It's not just sex because hot (although yes), it's METAPHORS. It DEEPENS how you understand them, because now you know the things they want most and are only willing to share with each other.

[send me a ship ask!]

[yisanged]

8 10 orvie

HII ELISEYY my friend. thank you for the ask! and sorry it took so long the sleepies and school and etc. I HOPE COLLEGE IS GOING WELL FOR YOU BTW!!!!!!!

this got so long sorry you know how it is with novels. but hey before i read more the rest of this guys if anyone else wants to send me hater asks you still can... i only got one 🥲 does nobody else want to send asks to their friend nico? i've actually been so dead lately guys that is on me. but i still love you all.......

anyways um 8 is "common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about" and 10 is "worst part of fanon" pretty similar really going for the haterisms here okok. hmmm i honestly don't even interact with the orv fandom that much like most of the orv posts that aren't just art that i see are mine and my few orvie mutuals' which i usually respect i don't see a lot of posts from outside of this orv echo chamber i've created for myself which i'm ok with tbh. but something i see a lot that i don't like is the depiction of kdj as a scammer type like the breed same as cale tcf and others? i haven't read regression instruction manual but like he's a common comparison and such. and it's true that they're all from the similar mold of like "isekai/fantasay coming to real life but i have an upper hand because i read the book it came from nyeheh" and in that specific aspect yeah kdj has his moments where he takes advantage of his knowledge but it seems like some people attribute him being a liar an unreliable narrator etc to that part of the story also and i don't totally agree with that. he's not an unreliable narrator because he's trying to be sneaky and smart the dude is depressed. he's been so depressed since he was like 13 and he's a grown ass man now it's totally changed his outlook and makes him unable to see the world and his interactions with others properly for what it is. he didn't lie to our faces about smiling when he was actually crying because he was trying to be smart and sneaky it was cause he's sad as fuck and can't even recognize it because he's lowkey wanted to kill himself since middle school. i do agree that cale is similar in that he downplays how insane he is almost dying all the time and getting hurt forever but not caring and driving all his friends up the wall with it without even realizing and like he's also depressed as fuck but when people group them together for being self sacrificing bastard scammers or whatever i just feel like it's different a lot of the time. we aren't seeing the same thing there.

i guess that's my soapbox for 8 umm for 10. the way yoo sangah gets pushed aside so often peeves me for sure. she's so everything where did you put her....? and the kids too the kids are so important to me and to kdj but they're never given justice i feel. honestly i think all of kimcom doesn't get enough love most of the time or maybe i've just been bad at finding content that actually does them well it just feels like there's so much joongdok yaoi and not enough friendship and mentorship and everything. jihye and joongdok are so everything but i never see the two of them together ever. heewon and hyunsung also. even if you're not the biggest fan of them romantically like i respect the lesbian heewon grind don't you care that they're the sword and shield.......? and of coures sys and yjh have a lot of interesting potential but no one ever does anything with it. and there's never enough lee gilyoung anywhere i love you gilyoung. yes that's my fanon complaint. too much yaoi focus... there's so much love everywhere it's a main theme but the story ain't a romance there's so much more out there. take my hand we can discover friendship together

[nikialexx]

I am very much looking forward to affairs 2 👀 but since that has already been answered I will ask about the many others that have caught my eye. 6 (R/S traitors) sounds very compelling and I'm quite eager to see what it's referring to (who are they betraying? mmm..). 8 (RWRB) is an AU that is just perfect for r/s and I'm so eager to see your take on it. 9 (dark academia/friends with benefits) sounds utterly perfect. there is so much potential for lovely things there, I'm such a sucker for friends with benefits and there's so much that dark academia could mean. will there be spooky things? creepy things? sexy things. idk!!! but I'm very interested :)

this is three in one I know but I couldn't choose just one! obviously you can pick just one (or none!) to provide more details on... the list was just too good for me to make a single selection 👀

Hi!! I'm so sorry it took me forever to answer this, but I am absolutely thrilled that you asked about the R/S Traitors AU because I really want to talk about it!!

So this one has, technically, already been written, and you can find it here. What this specific mention in my drafts is in reference to however is the much longer version of that same fic. It's canon-divergence and takes place in a universe where Remus and Sirius are both the traitors/spies, and basically follows them from their last two years at Hogwarts and through the war. That little scene I linked is told from Sirius' pov but the longer fic will be dual pov, and I can give you a brief run-down of the plot here, under the cut.

(this is going to seem like i’m spoiling the entire fic but all of this is actually established within, like, the first 3 chapters. it’s just the set-up to the actual fic lol)

basically, Sirius (and the rest of the Black family) were all sent to Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts. When the fic starts at the beginning of sixth year, Voldermort is already a major threat and Sirius has just been disowned by his parents for not siding with them in the war and going against family values etc etc. He moves out and transfers to Hogwarts to get away from his family's influence. 

except none of that is actually true because he's secretly still working with his family and being used as a spy to gather information, a really important job that he was chosen for by Voldermort himself.

enter Remus, who Sirius ends up in a sort-of-but-not-really relationship with (there’s a war happening and they both have Issues and things are complicated ok?). 

After getting close with Remus and convincing him and the rest of the Order that his cover story is actually true, Sirius ends up joining them. 

He starts to feel a bit guilty about it because he actually does like Remus, and Remus is, supposedly, as far as Sirius knows, on the side of the Order... except that's not true either. 

Remus is actually secretly working with Fenrir and the rest of the werewolves who’ve sided with Voldermort. Like, actually working with them.

He's still 'Dumbledore's spy': Dumbledore and the rest of The Order thinks that he hasn't been in contact with Fenrir since he was bitten at age five, but they also know that he is the perfect person to use as 'bait' because of this relationship with Fenrir. 

They don’t know that Remus has actually been working with/for Fenrir for about two years prior to the start of the fic.

so... you asked who they’re betraying? Everyone 😅. 

They’re both spies for the respective sides (or in remus' case, both sides), and they’re both trying to keep their sanity in tact because they don’t even know which side they agree with anymore and, tbh, they kind of hate all of them.

cue family drama, betrayal angst, war trauma, everyone having trust issues, and all that good stuff. 

I have no idea when this fic will be written or, if i’m being honest with myself, if it even will be. I’m crying rn just thinking about how difficult it will be to do it justice. But hopefully, maybe, one day. Fingers crossed 🤞🏾😅

[mr-snailman]

Fanfic Writer Questions

yo thanks for the tag @fruitysalamander1398

tbh I feel a little weird answering these cause I am really NOT much of a writer lmao... but I'll give it my best shot

How many works do you have on AO3?

4

(and less if you're only counting the finished ones ;-;)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

37,236

3. What fandoms do you write for?

generally speaking if I'm gonna write fic for something I just take one google doc and exorcise all my thoughts and feelings in there... so far I've published fic for the Philip Marlowe novels, Footloose, Cabin in the Woods, and the Outsiders. I've got unfinished scraps lying around for Watching the Detectives, the Monument Mythos, Class... and probably a few others.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

uh. well.

Fortunate Sons

2. an honest-to-god star in the age of airplanes

3. Heaven Helps the Man

4. Love is the Thing With Fins

5. Do you respond to comments?

YES. If you leave me a comment I will a) get back to you b) reread it every now and then and c) treasure your kind words forever.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

haha... well.. my track record would indicate that I'm pretty bad at writing endings, period -_- but it's probably The Derivatives of Affection, an unfinished work for Class (1983), a shitty sex comedy in which Rob Lowe runs around in bright-red lace. It's a bunch of sad reflections on falling for your best friend while encouraging him to get laid elsewhere, only for a terrible coincidence to create a rift between you that you'll never be able to close.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Fortunate Sons, hands down.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Never. The whole idea seems really strange to me... like I'm sure it does happen but I can't imagine why someone would bother to leave a hate comment instead of just... clicking the back button?

9. Do you write smut, and if so, what kind?

Not successfully LMAO. I've made a few... attempts... but circumstances always seem to get in the way.

10. Do you write crossovers, and what's the craziest one you've ever written?

Not in a long time. I was... 10 or so? and my best friend and I were coming up with a comic book series that borrowed characters from the edges of a whole bunch of completely unrelated books and movies. Lil bro if you're out there I look back on that fondly + wish you well.

Kind of tempted to do something with The Martian X Good Will Hunting... but that'll probably end up as art if it hits the page at all. Oh, and the unnamed nurse in Fortunate Sons is absolutely supposed to be Margaret Houlihan, but that's never explicitly stated XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no, thank god.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I have done some anonymous translation for other people's work though.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

...yes? I heavily edited aforementioned childhood best friend's Wings of Fire fanfic, which turned into him writing the action and me frantically trying to insert descriptions. good times.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

ah, that's hard. all-time? well... you know what, I'm gonna go with Philip Marlowe/Red Norgaard. first fic I ever published, and I've read everything else in the tag... all five of them XD. It's the tenderness, found in the most unexpected places, it's the jaded private detective finally letting himself fall into the arms of the kindest man he knows, it's a chance meeting turning into the luckiest accident you've ever had.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Heaven Helps the Man... I love you and I'm so sorry ;-; maybe someday! maybe someday I'll finally have the time to do you justice

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good with imagery that feels alive. It's definitely my favorite part of writing. The trick is that I don't invent everything from whole-cloth. It's a boardwalk I've stood on, whispering sharp-edged tallgrass I remember from a childhood trip to the beach, a neon sign I glimpsed through the rain once, the IHOP where I had a panic attack XD ... the rest just sort of builds from there.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

finishing things... I call it the thirty-two page curse :(

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

Never had occasion to do it but it'd be fun for sure! I do think it's fun when the author gives you a thread to follow, something to google in another tab, so you can come back and go ahhhh. It would really be interesting to do something with Spanish, cause I do speak it pretty well. I had an original story about a road trip down the Chilean coastline with spies and mathematicians that unfortunately fell victim to the curse, but maybe I'll dig it out again sometime and see how bad my grammar was XD

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Like, ever? Stan Lee's Zodiac Legacy trilogy. Handwritten in a pocket-size black sketchbook, sometimes in the dark after lights-out, so it's practically illegible in places. My mom read it and said "you should publish this" which is how I discovered ff.net... and the rest is history

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Hmmm... I am really, really proud of Fortunate Sons, don't get me wrong, but an honest-to-god star will always have a special place in my heart. Phil Marlowe as a character is really important to me, and it was so exciting to get to play with Chandler's style.

I... just tagged a bunch of you for something else and I'm kind of shy to do it again so soon. Consider this an open call! If any of you write, go ahead and tag me so I can see your answers <3

[yamanaka-shin]

Atsui and Samui for the Character Ask Game!

Since you think you're so funny...I'm going off format for this because these two are so niche, I can't do them justice with the established meme format, especially lacking images/quotes/songs as it is.

Anyone who knows me knows I despise Samui. She's one of the two characters I can't stand for petty reasons. The other is Hoheto. But I think, if I had to put a pin to the real reason why I don't like her, I'd say she reads to me as waifu bait. Her defining trait is Huge Knockers and beyond that there's not much substance. It's a shame for those who like her, especially given she's from Kumo and collectively the Kumo cast kicks so much ass. But I simply am not invested in her even though she's not done anything actually wrong.

Like you and I discussed before, I do she her as cishet + aro. But tbh, probably not super interested in relationships or encounters at this point in time. Maybe I'm wrong. But I just don't get a vibe from her that getting a man is a priority. It seems she's a Capricorn though, so I can see her preferring men who know what they want in life and aren't the type to play stupid games. Can't fault her for that.

And while I don't love her, I do think she's good at what she does. Earning a Jounin tank is obviously not a joke or something to take lightly. That's higher in rank than half the goddamn Konoha cast members as of Boruto. And she has the trust of 4A, which is an invaluable asset when you're operating on a mission. I may not see the appeal of her but those around her do and that's what will always hold the most weight. Tbh, I do wonder what she and her brother were like as kids and would not mind a view into that time.

Now when it comes to the flamboyant gay He Man brother she has, Atsui, I'm amused by him. He really showed up and acted like a fool (affectionate) then simply was gone forever. I miss him. Hopefully he's got himself a man by now.

There's quite an age gap between them, isn't there? One of the largest that we have confirmation of actually. Gotta wonder if he was perhaps an unplanned child, or maybe she was and their waited a while till they were properly ready and then had him. I'm curious as to the story here cuz 10 years is a notable gap between siblings who are most likely the only two in the family. His behavior also truly reflects the fact that he's just a dumb teenager. Him being 19 also means he's the same age as Chojuuro but somehow I'm more able to believe Atsui was an adult back then in comparison lmao. I love Naruto I'm never leaving.

God bless this ugly little fruitcake I hope he got a nice husband who will praise him every time he does something good and/or cool. And I hope they're a terribly obnoxious in love in public couple. It's what he deserves. Maybe they met in the hospital after the war when both were recovering from injuries and really hit it off since they were put in the same room.

He's another case of how fun it is to imagine a detailed personal life for characters we don't know shit about because there's nothing to say your ideas AREN'T happening. And I do declare, this fruit loop (affectionate) is cool and I hope he's loved.

[writemyaceattorneys]

Not 🐸anon but i love self aware aus and the possibilites that come to mind...

Imagine phoenix always having to keep his thoughts in check because the player does have direct access to them

Ot maybe perhaps payne simply doesnt exist because edgeworth/whatevee other prksecutor there is depending on the game wants more time to be around them.

In the 3d games perhaps theres a lot more sprites per se since a rig is much easier to manipulate a bunch of pixels and conveys a lot more

Handholding. A lot of handholding.

Phoenix cant be left alone akdhaks curses of being the player POV

A lot more court cases. The games not over yet :)

One of my favourite things about slef aware aus is the yandere lads pulling a giffany and taking the player into their world, or perhaps pulling the opposite and entering their reality. Tbh im not quite sure what'd be next after that but it would be certainly quite the event to go to bed and then see characters in person

I really enjoy reading your stuff! I dont tend to go on anon and ask much but just in case may I be 🌌anon? Cheers ^^

Of course 🌌anon!! (I am typing this so while I see the starry night emoji on my phone, its just a milky way on my laptop and I'm forever terrified that the emojis won't translate haha)

Miles/Klavier/Simon/Nayhuta really just up and delete Payne from the game, none of them even get a look in

good, I hate those guys they are all so annoying

Something else I think might happen is you know at the start of cases they have the cinematic bits to show the crime and sometimes reveal who the killer is, I think that someone would censor those bits, who would is up to anyone's interpretation but whoever it is would do it to try and spare S/O's feelings.

And I completely agree that in the 3D games, characters are just going to up and deviate from their set sprites, it must be quite hard to have to move every single pixel when with 3D rigs, as you say its a lot easier because fluid movements are already made for the sprites.

I think that in the 2D games, each character would be able to force themselves into one deviated sprite, so they'd really have to make those sprites count.

Phoenix would be LIVING the life though, but in the rare occasions where we get perspectives from other characters (for example, Maya in Justice For All or even Mia's case or Edgeworth's perspective in Trials and Tribulations) Phoenix would definitely still interfere where he can, just so S/O doesn't forget that he's there (much to everybody else's disgust of course)

AND AGJGHGHGH MORE CASES YES PLEASE, honestly if the cost of a crap ton more cases to play is being obsessed over by pretty much everybody in the game series I really wouldn't complain too much.

No but the idea of half of the characters showing up one day after climbing out of the console is uh 😳👉👈 yes please

Especially if we are dragging literally every character out, I'm talking faces like younger Mia, Feenie and Bratworth. The interaction with their "older" counterparts would also be absolutely brilliant to be honest.

I have no idea what sort of harem I'm building here oh god 😂😂😂😂

I think characters from later games would heavily protest against S/O being pulled into an earlier game, there'd probably be a situation like in that AA6 DLC Court skit special where characters from earlier games would show up in the 3D games.

I mean if Oldbag can do it to try and get to Edgeworth, half of the Ace Attorney harem can do it to get to S/O. For that reason I think that everybody would have to settle with living in S/O's world, otherwise SOJ Edgeworth is just going to end up banishing any old sprites that come through straight to the shadow realm.

[underthestarlitsky]

9 - 12

oooooh ty for the ask bestie ♡

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

oooooh tough but my most hated...probably tim and babs...sorry chloe

Tim, because ughhh he just rubs me the wrong way. the entitlement around being robin (what was his reason for being robin??? some abstract notion of justice??) the general misogyny and know-it-allness also the fact that there's literally nothing interesting about him. I have very specific ideas about tim should have slotted into the batfamily but the way DC executed it all those years ago is just Not It. he's literally just Some Guy (derogatory) like even my friends who are comics geeks + Tim stans agree that if he really doesn't add value to the story

Babs: I understand why she's well liked, and personally I think she's an excellent representation of a realistic woman. however, I just don't like the way she's written - the casual callousness to dick and steph and sometimes even cass, dick especially in the recent ric grayson arc. And I feel like the bitterness that comes across in her older oracle appearances could be justified even if I dont like them (but then there's stuff like when she blamed dick for being kissed by tarantula, or being extremely condescending to steph) but I especially don't like batgirl babs she's so aggravating to read?? like a h*rmione that never matured you know?? I think she's an interesting concept, but brought to life in the most white-feminist way possible

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Generally bits from batman 2016 because Tom King has no clue what he's doing. like the wedding bit where selina leaves him at the altar (which is annoying because I love me some batcat) or ending bit up until issue #80 (I found all of that really stupid there was just too much going on and it would have made more sense for the wedding to happen in issue #50) I feel like with the artists you had on hand and the creative freedom tom king was afforded we could have had something truly brilliant? instead we got "meow" and a bedtime story about cannibalism and alfred dying and bruce calling only damian his son and beating his other sons and abandoning his eldest and interfering for no reason with jury duty? I feel like we could've gotten so much more out of tom king as a whole tbh

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I'd say YJTV M'gann M'orzz tbh I know she's not technically DC comics per se but I loved her character when she was first introduced on the show. I feel like a lot of what she does comes from either a place of love or misunderstanding or hurt, and it's an interesting and complex story that doesn't really get a lot more exploration/is explored in a way that doesn't come off right. I feel like she has a lot of potential beyond being the first-girl-love-interest-character, and we don't get much of her backstory like we do with artemis so it's hard to build sympathy or context for her actions; but then again, eldest-sister first-girl characters are my bread and butter, so.

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Easy. Forever Evil (and what comes after!)

I know plenty of people DESPISE Forever Evil for the things it did to people's perceptions of the Batfamily and the in-universe cascading events that follow, but I adore it personally for those reasons. Naturally DC doesn't follow through on anything that it writes, and the Bats' reactions to Dick being alive are awful, but I think Forever Evil is integral to canon characterization of the story that DC has been pushing in their depictions of Dick and Bruce and the rest in any kind of media - Dick is expendable, and even when he dies/is hurt for his family he's not good enough (which we see again and again with less and less self-awareness each time, especially with the Ric Grayson arc), Bruce has a clear capital p PROBLEM in how he treats those around him (just think of Stephanie and how her treatment is glossed over every time when people try to bend Bruce into a Good Father Figure in fanon) Jason and Tim have problems with their egos and their relationships with Bruce factor into their treatment of their brother (NEITHER OF THEM STOP TO ASK IF HE'S OKAY???) , and how Barbara (again, made out to be SO MEAN here, she's DISAPPOINTED that he's alive??) is often no better than Bruce himself, but she's framed as being right, again and again.

to me it just makes their characters messier and gives the fandom a chance to really dig into the angst behind all of this -- they aren't real, and therefore their pain is catharsis -- all of a sudden, you have a wellspring of well-written anger and sadness and complex relationships and that's why I LOVE Forever Evil - it produces problems that aren't easily solved. It gives us a chance as an audience to dig deeper into a pretty convenient set of 'happy family members' all through some shitty writing + editorial decisions that were not a good idea in-universe to make Batman or the others Good People, but an excellent way of generating emotional interest from the fans.

it also moves the the angst light away from Tim and Jason and onto Dick, because honestly the amount of fiction I've read where it's Poor Jason or worse, Poor Little Timmy being hurt by his Evil Eldest Brother ! makes me want to hurl. It's just such bad mischaracterization of each of them, and Forever Evil gives us a canon-based chance swing things in the other direction for once.

It's also (in my eyes) incredibly in-character - Bruce is a hard-ass on his emotional support eldest son after trauma (in this case, the ESES's OWN DEATH), Dick sets aside his own hurt and trauma to support his family, Jason and Tim are selfish as all hell without realizing that they are being that way, etc.

I just think it's Interesting. I'm also a Dick Grayson fan, so, that's probably why.

[troubatrain]

sober - m. barzal (pt. six)

a/n: so after the hell week we all survived in the good ol’ USA my brain finally decided to let me actually write. tbh i wrote this about four times before i forced myself to just finish it and stop tweaking it.

Five

Mat’s kitchen looked like a tornado had run through it. The usually pristine, absolutely untouched kitchen of the young bachelor was getting more use in the twenty minutes Mat had been awake than it ever had. Truthfully, Mat wasn’t a morning person. Mat slept like a rock, and he thought there was nothing besides the fear of his coach that could get him up earlier than noon, but he was wrong. You had him up before eight, hoping if he could beat you to waking up you wouldn’t have a chance to sneak out on him. He did, opening his eyes to catch you snoring softly beside him. He laid there for a moment, his eyes on you because he almost in disbelief you actually stayed. It was a moment of peace, the complete opposite of the mess you’d both gotten yourselves into. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t debating how he was going to get someone to leave, he was figuring out how he was going to get you to stay.

Mat was an absolute whore, and he didn’t care one bit. Why should he? He was young, he was at the top of his game, and his ego got a little bigger everyday. He was just as guilty as you were when it came to his lack of commitment. Mat had never been able to be a good boyfriend, no matter how hard he tried - so he just stopped trying. His schedule wasn’t made for dating, and he never wanted to put the work in. You were different. Something clicked in Mat when he realized how enraged his body felt hearing DeAngelo talk about you the way he did. He was going to let it go, and in hindsight maybe he should have, but he didn’t want to. That protective feeling took over his body because it was too strong for him to shove back down before it got out.

Mat would have told you he loved you after that game, because he does, but he knew he was playing a dangerous game. The reality of what would happen if this was real scared him, but not nearly as much as he knew it had to scare you. You had something to lose, a life that Mat just wouldn’t be apart of. Mat wasn’t in a position to ask you to give that up, especially for someone who you weren’t even dating. Mat knew if he moved too quickly you’d get spooked and run away without giving Mat a second thought. He’d disappear from your memory like everyone before him.

Mat’s thoughts were broken by the sound of your feet padding into his kitchen, your arms wrapping around his waist while you pressed a kiss to his back, “Hi pretty girl.”

This was uncharted territory, the morning after. You’d always been an expert, leaving yourself enough time to sneak out and leave before anyone would notice you were gone. That kept your heart safe, free from the feelings that were present in this very moment. You couldn’t have left last night, slipping out of Mat’s bed and into a cab in the middle of the night, but something stopped you, “Do you actually know what you’re doing?”

“I thought I’d try to make you breakfast,” Mat admits, a smile on his face while he turned off the stove, eggs forgotten to look at you, “I’ll get better at it, I promise, breakfast can be my thing.”

“Your thing?” You muse, letting Mat gently push you onto the island, standing between your legs.

“Yeah, when we fall in love or whatever, I’ll make breakfast,” Mat chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to your lips.

“You’ve lost your damn mind Barz,” You sigh, leaning your head on Mat’s shoulder while you savored the last few moments of peace you were feeling. You were going to have leave his place, off to a four game road trip where Mat was free to fuck whoever he wanted.

Mat’s finger was gently gliding over your face, “If I’m crazy it’s because you made me crazy.”

“You were insane before I met you,” You defend not daring to open your eyes and meet Mat’s gaze, “And now you’re just annoying.”

“I don’t remember being annoying when you were begging me to fuck you last night,” Mat counters back, hands moving to your bare thighs, the warmth from his hands was a stark contrast from the cool counter, “If I’m correct it sounded something like Mat please.”

“Don’t push your luck Mat,” You threaten, his impersonation of you from the night before stopping almost immediately.

“Would I push it if I asked you to stay until my flight later?” Mat asks, eyes full of hope while he tries to hang onto the moment just a little bit longer.

“If you never talk about it again,” You nod, deciding that the damage was already done. You were so far gone a few more hours couldn’t hurt you anymore.

“We can talk about how fucking good you look in orange and blue though,” Mat teases, a grin on his face. You furrow your eyebrows, looking down and realizing just what shirt he had given you the night before. A bright white number thirteen in the corner, with an Islanders logo present on the front.

“Mat if you don’t take this off of me right this second.”

“You never have to ask me twice to take off your shirt babe.”

***

You leaned your head against the window of the private jet that definitely cost more for one flight than your entire salary, taking a deep breath and a break from the laundry list of emails you were due to answer. You were flying to St. Louis for the All Star Game, your plans of a week long vacation somewhere warm with some of the team and their significant others thrown out the door the second Chris stepped in for Panarin last minute. Not even two minutes later, Charlotte strutted over to your desk to tell you that without a need for someone to translate for Artemi, you were the new kid and that meant you had to suffer through the weekend while everyone else took their vacations. 

“At least pretend to be excited,” Chris mutters next to you, taking a break from his own reading and elbowing you in the side.

“It’s hard to be excited when everyone’s on a beach and we’re flying to Missouri in January,” You snark back, pulling your glasses off your face and rubbing your eyes.

“You either need to start sleeping or stop hanging out with that secret boyfriend of yours,” Chris jokes, but it struck a nerve with you.

Mat wasn’t your boyfriend. Mat. Wasn’t. Your. Boyfriend. He didn’t get to have all of you, because he didn’t deserve it - no man does. Nothing about the very small amount of vulnerability that he got to see after that game meant anything. You left that morning and he went on a four game road trip and the world spun on. You could stop whenever you wanted to, move on with some other dumb boy who didn’t care more about you in clothes than without. But did you want to? That was a debate you’d been having with yourself for days.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” You grumble, gritting through your teeth. Technically, it wasn’t a total lie.

“So you are seeing someone!” Chris points out, as if your deliberate words were going to make it past him. Chris held most of the intelligence on the entire Rangers roster, and there was nothing that he didn’t pick up, “So, What's the deal? He doesn’t want anyone to know about you or you don’t want anyone to know about him.”

“It’s mutual,” You hum, sipping the coffee that had gone cold.

“Are you a sugar baby?” Chris questions, a cautious tone to his voice, “Not that I think there’s anything wrong with it or anything-”

“No I haven’t found a sugar daddy,” You roll your eyes, waiving Chris and sparing him the lecture that there’s nothing wrong with the idea at all, “We’re just in a limbo.”

“For what it’s worth,” Chris says, taking a deep breath before he finished his thought, “You seem happy, you haven’t snapped on Tony in almost a week.”

“Thanks Chris,” You laugh softly, popping a headphone back into your ear so you could finish up some work.

***

Mat was in absolute disbelief the moment he saw you step into the hotel lobby. You weren’t supposed to be in St. Louis, you were supposed to be on some island in a bikini making him wish he wasn’t good enough to be selected for the All Star game at all. Mat scratched his head for an answer as to why you didn’t mention the change of plans, but then the thing that he spent his entire roadie before he left for St. Louis entered his brain at full speed.

You’re not her boyfriend.

Mat owed you nothing, and you didn’t have to tell him anything you didn’t want to. Mat honestly knew about four things about you and all of them related to your job. He was dying to know everything, even the stuff that didn’t matter that much. Hell, Mat would’ve killed to see the inside of your apartment at this point. He just needed one thing, one thing that he could hold onto that you showed him that no one else got to see. He was sure he’d find it, especially after he finally got you to stay at his place, but now he was starting to think maybe he’d never crack you.

You were going to just avoid Mat like the plague. The hotel was swamped with players, their families, and any staff that had tagged along for the weekend. The city was still buzzing from last season’s Stanley Cup win and there was not a chance Mat wasn’t going to be busy all weekend, because Mat Barzal was an amazing hockey player. You hated to be reminded of it, because if you could have Mat feed you stupid compliments and never remind you of his job you’d be happy forever.

hotel sex is on the table

and you look fucking hot today

You roll your eyes, checking your phone while you were standing in line to check in. You look around the room, trying not to draw any attention to Mat who was giving you a shit eating grin from across the lobby. He looked good, a white button up tucked into suit pants that were doing his ass justice. You look at Chris, who was too engrossed in his own phone to even look back at you.

pretend like i don’t exist right now and we’ll talk

wanna play a game?

that didn’t go well for you last time Barzy

if i beat your buddy kreids tomorrow night you give me one night

you won’t

is that a yes?

fine

You turn around, giving Mat one last death stare to remind him you weren’t kidding on your plea to pretend you didn’t exist. Your job was important to you because you weren’t Mat. You weren’t going to get paid millions of dollars to play and then retire with a pretty penny in your pocket. You worked, and the stress of losing your job would definitely break you. Charlotte instilled fear in you like no other boss you ever had could, and if you got caught messing around with someone who played for another team while you were working she’d probably just fire you on the spot. Not to mention the heartbroken faces of your chosen family. Mat somehow existed in both a different and the same world as you. He understood your work life because it was so close to his, but he had his own work family and you had yours. No matter what, there would always be some sort of weird divide caused by that stupid rivalry. For now, it was just going to have to be something you’d worry about later.

***

You turned in the mirror of your hotel room, the lacy black lingerie set fit your body like a glove, and you were impressed with Mat’s taste given all he ever wore was sweatpants. You look in the corner of the room, the last piece of his little gift sitting in the box. Mat dropped it off earlier, a note on top telling you that when he inevitably smokes Chris in the faster skater competition he had something in mind. You weren’t surprised by his confidence, but you were surprised by the gift itself. Folded neatly in the box wasn’t just the lingerie, a bright blue and orange jersey was right underneath it, a shiny white number thirteen stitched into the back. You knew you didn’t have to wear it, because Mat wasn’t going to force you to do anything, but you were wet at just the thought of how animalistic Mat would probably get. You tossed on the jersey, throwing an even bigger sweatshirt and sweats over it before you snuck up to Mat’s floor- hoping Chris wouldn’t catch you leaving from the room across the hall.

You pull out the room key Mat gave you, sneaking into the door and locking it shut behind you. You slipped off your sweats, leaving you in nothing but the jersey and your panties.

“Fuck,” Mat dropped his phone from his hand the second you came into his view, “I didn’t think you’d wear it.”

“I wasn’t going to,” You muse, your confidence boosting while you strutted over to Mat. He had that effect on you, the ability to always make you feel like the sexiest woman in the world - even if you didn’t feel like were, “But then you beat McDavid.”

Mat pulled you between his legs while he sat on the edge of the bed, his hands toying with the jersey while he let the fabric slip through his fingers, “You look so fucking good in my jersey baby.”

“I’m proud of you Mat,” You purr into his ear, playing into Mat’s ego just a little bit. You were proud of him, and for the first time you wanted him to know. You pressed a kiss against his jaw, feeling his own breath hitch in his throat, “Can I show you?”

“Keep that jersey on and you can do whatever you want to me,” Mat admits, slipping his hand under the jersey and tapping your ass lightly.

“I’ll keep it on,” You giggle, pushing Mat on his back and getting to work. Your lips kissed down his chest with every button of his dress shirt you got undone, tossing it in the corner to be forgotten about until later. You unhooked his belt, leaving open mouth kisses just above his pants. You slid off his dress pants slowly, taking his boxers with them to let his cock spring free. Mat groaned at the sight, gathering your hair to pull it back for you.

“Wait,” Mat stops you, holding your hair back to stop you from putting your mouth on him. His finger traced your cheek, a look on his face you couldn’t quite read, “I just want to remember this, you look so beautiful right now.”

You could feel the heat rush your cheeks, Mat had called you to dozens of things but never once did the word beautiful ever slip through his lips, “You’re just saying that because I’m about to blow you.”

“No, baby, I mean it- fuck,” Mat groans, this thoughts halted by your mouth on his cock. His hips snapped up, hitting the back of your throat, “You’re so fucking good princess.”

You moan, hollowing your cheeks and gripping Mat’s thighs a little tighter, giving him the show you so desperately wanted. You head bobbed in a perfect rhythm, taking as much of Mat as your body could handle. Mat pushes your head back, taking a look at the line of spit that was still connected to his dick, your eyes were glassy and your throat was sore but Mat would keep you like that forever if he could, “Let me finish.”

“I’m in charge tonight,” Mat reminds you, the tone in his voice sent a chill up your spine. You knew Mat was rough, and a little demanding but he never crossed that line with you, “On your knees.”

“Like this?” You tease, sitting up on your knees to rile him up just a little bit more.

“More like this princess,” Mat stands behind you, gently pushing you down so your ass was in the air. He was quiet, bunching up his jersey so he could get a full view of the lingerie he went out and bought just for you, “Be good or I won’t let you cum pretty girl.”

Mat’s threat with a light smack to your ass, a moan escaping your lips. He slipped the black lace panties to the side, gliding one of his fingers against your folds while he pressed a kiss to your skin, “So wet for me already.”

“Only for you Mat,” The words tumbled out of your mouth, your eyes widening at your own confession.

Mat was thankful he was behind you, because if you saw the way his gaze changed from your words he’d never live it down. You looked so perfect, spread just for him. His jersey. His number. And in his own fantasy: his girl. He snapped himself back into reality, sliding into your pussy that was practically dripping in anticipation.

“Faster, fuck Mat please,” You whimpered out, trying to move yourself to get Mat to pick up the pace. He chuckled darkly, hips snapping back and forth until the only sound in the room was the string of curses leaving your mouth, “I’m close-”

Mat flipped you over before you could finish, his hand grabbing your chin and forcing you to look at him, “Tell me this pussy is mine.”

“Fuck I’m yours Mat,” You breath out, locking your eyes with his while it felt like time froze around you, “I’m yours.”

“Look at me when you cum baby,” Mat urges, his hand still gripping your chin. He picked up his place, making use of his other hand around your clit, “C’mon princess just for me.”

Your pussy fluttered around him, Mat letting out a groan while he tried to hold onto this moment for just a bit longer. He looked down at you, catching your breath from your own high. You hand snuck down to his cock, pumping it slowly, “Cum on me.”

Mat nods, letting you work on his dick with your hands while he nibbled at your neck. He was going to mark you up, make you remember who you belonged to because he so desperately wanted it to be him. He spilled onto your pussy, head pressed into your neck while he came down from his own high. You both laid there for a moment, your hand gently stroking Mat’s back while you both took a moment to think about what just happened. Mat was possessive in a way he’d never been before, and you ate it up without a second thought - that had to mean something right?

“I need to get back to my room,” you whisper, afraid to break the comfortable silence.

“I know,” Mat nods, finally picking his head up, “Keep the jersey, you might need it one day.”

“Your stupidity is honestly astounding,” You joke, brushing his hair out of his face while Mat’s face turned into a pout.

“Can I take you on a date?” Mat breathes out, hoping he wasn’t reading this the wrong way, “No games, no funny business, let me take you out.”

Say no. Say no and never call him again.

“One date,” You agree against your better judgement, pushing Mat away and looking around the room to find your sweats that you snuck into his room in, “Better make it a good one.”

Mat smiles, teeth on full display while he watched you slide your pants back on, “I’m the best at everything Y/N don’t forget that.”

“Goodnight Barz,” You tease, giving him one more look before you left his room.

The elevator ride down was quiet, most of the hotel’s occupants already asleep or still out partying the weekend away. For your sake, you hoped Chris would be fast asleep like the grandpa he was. You rushed down the hallway, Mat’s jersey still hanging loosely off your frame while you looked in your hand for your room key. Your search was stopped by a throat clearing behind you. You jump, turning around to see Chris’s eyes boring into you.

“You’ve got some explaining to do.”