#we'd be bug besties

[fairylightsandthings]

I'm not going to apologize for the media parkour or emotional whiplash of my reblogs. The tism is tisming for multiple things at once.

[salty-medley]

So I woke up and chose violence today ( SSO spoilers)

Disclaimer: if you didn't read the title, there'll be spoilers. You're warned.

So today I was for one time rather happy to log on bugs land. Melon Lord & Cornelia were ready to spread some fire on Jorvik and enjoy some Jorvegian screams of terror with our new bestie.

Except we can't.

Hear me Sabine fans, or simply people tired of the goody two shoes they keep imposing us: it started well, and it ended badly.I should predict it, in fact I sorta understood it would end like this during the pigs quest of this year, when they didn't give you better/ less embarrassed lines to reply, it was written by advance that you'd have to look like a kid caught in the moment.

Then the GED thing... Uh guys, I work for your own boss, you know the angry blondie scared by kittens? The one who send me sometimes with a letter for you. Why the fuck would GED workers not bow in front of me, or at least leave me alone? Or even weirder, why can't Sabine take it herself? Garnok people and GED work together for f... sake!

Anyways, I bring back the box ( little advice people, take the sea side road, less people, less crowded) and, how convenient!, Sabine's not here! You know, the Sabine who was so impatient to get her box? Well she's gone! And you? Instead of just waiting for her you chose to open and see what's inside... Without even making sure nobody was near you. Great job MC, great job. Of course, she starts to became the stereotypical villain angry threatening girl, the one she wasn't in the first year lol, and what do we do?

We ran away. From the girl and her horse who beat us in the same race everyday because it's a magical horse. WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA -- RP/lore speaking it's freaking stupid. We'd have more chance to reach the same point by another shorter road or to defeat her with a good spell. But no, the chosen one has to turn like a maniac and hiding near the two soul riders. At this point we're back to the bad SSO lines, Alex play tough, Linda is... Uh... Useless as usual.

The ending?

No fireworks. No pranks with Sabine. The SR gently scolding us for falling into the tricks of the evil one.

Back to the gentle slave state, 'cause now I guess that our chance to get out of this hell won't want to speak to us again.

[sunmoonjune]

SIT TIGHT IM BACK WITH BRAINROT PT.2 HOHOHO

ok ok the moments shared between mingi and bug during his night patrols are sO sweet they literally give me sugar spikes. when bug is hesitant to join him at first and all he does is smile and nod her in the direction of where he likes to nap. and then bug keeps seeking out his quiet but steady presence and eventually finds so much comfort in him that she also falls asleep. mingi is bootiful he's such a sweet gentle giant silently watching over ateez and bug. literally everything about their interaction makes me soft - yeo noticing and telling san that bug is ok bc she's with mingi, mingi hushing san when he walks out bc bug is sleeping, mingi going 'oh' when he realises just how significant it is that bug sleeps around him. bc this reminds me of mingi irl when his members or fans are telling him how precious he is and that he deserves everything and he's always so bashful and literally like oh! really? pls mingi is to be protected from everything

also im trying my hardest not to smile bc im at work LOL but when woo helps bug readjust her armour with the gentlest demeanour i just 🥺🫶 bc i like to think that in a parallel non-au, as prickly as woo is at the start, woo becomes the one who steps forward from behind bug to reach for that jar on the top shelf she can't quite get, he's the one to zip up her jacket and tuck a scarf a little tighter around her to keep her warm, he's the one to walk on the side of the street closer to the cars to keep her safe. woo's actions speak so much louder than his words pls i have so many feels and i haven't reached the chapter where he saves bug from the warg

this is also pulling bits from ltm out of chronological order but re-reading makes me appreciate again how much i love the use of matches and fire as a running marker that notates bug's growth and the milestones that she reaches. for eg there's bug's episode when hwa hums to break through the haze in her mind + bug following yun's voice and touch to resurface from her memories (bug tapping yunho? makes me impossibly soft). there's all eight members of ateez slowly joining the relay of lighting matches to extinguish the darkness in bug's mind. we have yun & bug finally confronting the elephant about his exile at the campfire. then there's bug slowly feeling comfortable enough to join the rest of the boys around the fire. also honourable mention to HWA ????? the way he made sure everyone was always facing the fire but also leaving a space for bug to give her full autonomy to join them should she wish. then later we have bug experiencing her first celebration with ateez and finally experiencing the innocent joys in life like music and dancing. and yeo is me i am yeo when bug SMILES AND RESTS HER SIDE ON HIS LEG

uGh the confrontation btwn the scouting group and the village soldiers got me weak-kneed (im not even going to start on san getting injured bc bestie we'd be here till midnight 💅 or the arvo ig idk time differences be real) ANYWAYS the boys all getting so angry and using their heights and positioning to protect bug Y E S bc we love this duality when normally we see them being the sweetest beans with bug <33

SAN.

'You may have cost Wooyoung his Yunho'. on today's episode of mythbusters: humans are in fact NOT 60% water bc yknow what moonie, i am only 2% water after all the tears that were shed.

CH 13-14 YESSSSS ALSO SOME OF MY FAVOURITES i think 13 was the update that made me discover ltm !!! woo has THE most goated entrance no one can convince me otherwise. from his battle cry to his primal snarls to his protective stance in front of bug *chef's kiss* 🤌🤌🤌 all he needs is his superhero suit. do you see this running theme that my brain automatically goes googly-eyed at moonie. PROTECTIVENESS IM TELLING YOU. and it's the fact that it's woo of all people saving bug. bc i also have this huge thing for emotionally-distant characters having their lightbulb moments and being like hang on i actually like this person i want to take care of them forever.

asdlkfgjkd woo saying 'let's go home' and carrying bug against his chest 💨✨✨ poof that's me disappearing into fairy dust. i swear i had the exact same breakdown about yun carrying bug like his lil baby in my last ask HAHA MY BRAINROT DOES NOT CHANGE 🧠 when you are retired i need a hundred-page thesis studying the differences between yun's hugs and woo's hugs bc the start of ch14 was not enough to satiate my feels. and it would be best if it also included data on the other 6 members of ateez. for research purposes of course

i feel so limbless reading ch14 bc bug resting against woo whilst communicating with her fingers is so impossibly sweet and cute. and then when she hears yun's voice and literally starts wRIGGLING against woo like omg im also wriggling in my seat because i can feel her joy so clearly !!!!!! her tired but happy little taps IM SCREAMING. reminds me of falling asleep in the car as a kid and waking up after feeling that turn just as you reach home. kid is bug, car is woo and home is ateez AMEN <3333333 🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏

can i have a yunho wooyoung sandwich hug too pls. + A YUNHO FOREHEAD KISS 👩‍🦲MY HEAD IS NOW SHAVED FOR INFINITE FOREHEAD SPACE. peep forehead kisses from me to you bc ily <3 thanks for reading through my combined 1.7k ltm brainrot

ONCE MORE I LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH THANK YOU FOR SUCH AMAZING COMMENTARY <33 I am kissing you on the forehead fr omfg <33

mingi was so careful during their first interactions and bug appreciated it SO much :") he became part of her safe space and he didn't even know it until san said something <3 also the way that yeosang already knew because he keeps such a good eye on bug and his partners?? had my heart beating fast fr xD

and OMG it absolutely does remind me of mingi irl <33 he's so precious when he realizes how much we love him :'D

WOOYOUNG <33 he was so gentle readjusting her armor and he so is the guy who does all those little things for those he loves omg my HEART <3 he definitely would be the kind of man who would gently redirect bug to the inside of the street so he could walk closer to the cars and he DEF makes sure she's wearing enough layers and readjusts them so carefully around her so she's warm enough AGH I'M EMOTIONAL,,,

hehe also the mention of fire is definitely one of my bigger metaphors!! in the published edition the title will have to do with fire as well >:D so many their important moments together have been around flame and so much of bug's healing eludes to the matches drowning out the darkness in her soul so it DEF is an important part of this story :D

also yes absolutely an honorable mention to hwa for that sweet action,, he definitely knew bug would approach them on her own, they just had to give her the space she needed to make the decision herself <3 and YEOSANG <33 one day he'd like to teach her to dance (that line is VERY important ;) )

hehe and I totally get the time difference thing xD it seems most of my followers are in different time zones haha xD

them protecting bug (and yun too <3 ) during that scene was so sweet,, they were not going to take ANY slander of them >:)

honestly one of my FAVORITE lines I've ever written was that one: 'you may have cost wooyoung his yunho' was so raw and only hits so hard when you understand the context behind it :") It was so angsty and I honestly only added it as an afterthought during editing but I LOVE it SO much

woo swinging in to save bug at the perfect moment and being SO protective had me blushing and kicking my feet -- I LOVE the protectiveness in writing xD and this was indeed one of woo's lightbulb moments hehe, he realized that he would be DEVASTATED if anything happened to her and so would the rest of ateez :')

AHAHA I will definitely have to get started on that thesis early then xD there is so much more data to collect in order to get an unbiased sample tho ;)) perhaps there will have to be more scenes of it in order to get a good poll >:D

OMG the relation to recognizing 'that' turn in the car ride home and waking up cause you know you're home to Yunho's voice alerting bug that she's home OH MY GOD THAT'S SO CUTE

hi yes I would also like a yunwoo sandwich as well!!! I have a sum total of like 11 dollars and I would risk it all for a forehead kiss from both xD

also peep forehead kisses from me to YOU hehe <33 this was honestly one of the sweetest messages I've ever gotten thank you SO much my dear <33 I will always always adore anything and everything you send so thank you so much again

drink lots of water and take care lovely <3

[alitgblog]

vol vi thoughts bc fusebox keeps bringing me back

although we're in casa so ya know.... story is bound to get bad soon after casa

first of all, Hari. im so disappointed with his sprite because I'd so go for him for looks alone otherwise (his hair is nice and hes indian and hes got the rohan sort of physique albeit more muscle-y). but somethings up with his face and his eyes are a little red and his torso is doing the thing Vicki does, so he just feels like a leftover from S7 (and what a shame bc Tyler is drawn so well but barely gets time to impress us in the villa!)

OK anyway personality wise though hes giving nothing. Bombshells gotta cause more chaos and I think he'd be a fine and dandy OG in the real show but he's just kinda here. I mean idk maybe I tapped through his dialogue too quickly but in my head rn he's similar level to Elliot. Elliot I can at least make gamer jokes about and the girls had more to say about him than just: he's hot, and MC should go for him. that being said what I'm about to reveal i did in a few bullet points will not make sense.

The note was obviously gonna be from Jin (your LI), so them dragging it out was a little annoying. And I have personal opinion on what types of things should be gem choices and part of that is having a good enough excuse not to go through with it and I think not reading the note for no reason is not good enough. Anyway I did choose to read the note and it's sweet and references Jin's whole "funny guy but now I'm serious about you" shtick and I just wish they write that a little differently but it's still cute.

Then we get Bea's messages and it's odd bc I can't think of a reason or another season on the show that they dragged out the bombshells arrival like this. Like first of all, they might as well have given a message to Theo as well instead of just Oakley and Hari. But even more than that, why put the messages at all? just to have a cliffhanger at the end of the episode? I think just straight up during the sports day challenge, have someone read a text that a new couple is joining, and then bam it's Jin and Bea. maybe one text from her but the multiple was bugging me.

I also don't know why I got it in my head that Bea was gonna flirt with Theo/Claudia depending on who you flirted with, plus also your current LI but like that would've been a nice addition since I think Theo and Claudia should be done for but they don't make it clear???

Oakley messing with Emel about the drink was funny ngl, but I do miss the routes not merging because it just doesn't make sense to me having Oakley do that. Jack or Jin, maybe, but Oakley is the silent, serious type. Like in my head, he's more like Noah.

There is very briefly a few friendship moments between MC and Theo this volume and in my head they are besties and I wish that was canon/more explicit because I'm not going after him anyway. That way you get the friends who get closer and become lovers storyline from either Theo or Claudia and the other you still get to be friends with.

I'm surprised Claudia and Theo aren't just fully broken up because Claudia is asking for advice and I'm like, did yall not already get that sorted?? it's been so long. One of them should just go for the bombshells.

A chat with Claudia! finally! (albeit a gem scene) I thought we'd get to know more about her but it's mostly just a game of word association which is odd. I will say admitting that MC associates love with Jin made me laugh bc I'm cruel

The girls then say that MC needs to graft on Hari because they're both single and I get the support, but also MC is still getting over Jin lol.

Remember how I said the way I'm gonna play this doesn't make sense? Okay so I decided I needed to create my own mess, just to see if fusebox is gonna let my MC have consequences for her actions. So this is for science, in a way... Okay. So I may have let my MC flirt with Hari. And then maybe she got a sexy massage from him. And then maybe they kissed. What can I say? She's out of her mind without Jin. 🤣

okay no but seriously, in my head she does start to revert to her old ways, her old type, but she knows Hari isn't right for her. She misses Jin but she's not used to having a connection so fast with someone. And when he's gone she misses him but over the course of the day after putting on her brave face, she's convinced herself she's overthinking it. the letter was sweet but it scared her a little. she knows he was gonna ask her to be exclusive and she freaked a little. she just needs a little distraction....

I enjoy sports day but in my head it's usually a late in the show game. Like around in S2 when they have the bird thing happening or the S4 musical (OK maybe not that late, like probably pre baby challenge, but it's generally a challenge with very little drama is my point). still it was fun to have here.

and then of course return of the king, Jin comes back. and with the way I've been doing shit, yes, MC did kiss Hari when Jin entered and ohhhh he was upset.

Bea is cute but playful and still competitive and okay she goes for your couple, but also I get like Chelsea vibes from her (no canon reason why, I just think it's the hair) so love her.

Double date is so fun when your other partner is nearby, like it's almost enough to forget they did the same thing in season 5 because it's so much better this time around.

for fun and for angst I just imagine in the show, mid date they cut to a beach hut scene where MC is like "yeah I had a fun time with Hari but he when he was talking about all the things he wants in a life partner, I kept thinking about how I want that with Jin." 🥺

anyway yeah bring back beach hut

So I'm not a big fan of how they introduced the bombshells and LI return but it's not bad. I just think we could've gotten more time with Jin, Hari, and Bea. It's unclear but I think it's implied Jin, Hari, Bea, and MC are all single and I hope that's true because that way there will be little consequence (as in no sudden dumping) if you or another one of those characters brings someone from casa. because you're not in a couple anyway. (I mean I always hope there's no Dumping immediately after casa bc the arguments are more fun but this is how they've been doing it recently and i think part of that is bc of how they force the routes to merge)

it's also nice we don't get immediately stolen from our partner a la Tom/Cora entrance (or Elliot/Chloe) but it's sort of implied with how the sports day couples went? like I wish there was just a little more time before Casa so it's clear they're all single

or fuck it, give us a recoupling and post casa don't dump the other LI right away if you switch. Like you should be able to make up with your LI or not and it's boys choice and if they wanna keep the slow burn Theo picks last I guess and gets Bea just to also fix the Theo and Claudia together but not storyline. Maybe between your original LI and Hari, one of them picks Claudia (or give us another mlm couple if you're on a Claudia route and let him couple with Theo lmao)

[cassatine]

rewatched ep10 and honestly it is growing on me. enjoyed it a lot more this time. extremely long meta post (almost 4k) spoiling pretty much everything under the cut.

the visenya birth scene is harrowing and rhaenyra rocking her dead girl in her arms... emotional devastation.

i wish we'd had more time with rhaenyra's internal conflict over what to do. i wanted to see her angry and more visibly torn over duty (she is her father's chosen heir and aegon a wanker) vs duty (the 7K united for the future winter). i wanted to see her in full ugly grief mode. but on rewatch it's like... she can't!! no full ugly grief mode for her because she has to hold her shit together, because she has to hold everything else together and daemon is too busy having his own unhinged breakdown to be of any help whatsoever (he's more of a problem lbr). i'm pretty sure she spends most of the ep wishing she could just have her own breakdown over her dead dad, her dead baby, her ex bestie betraying her, and daemon's skyrocketing level of unhingedness, but she simply fucking can't because if she does everything's going to explode in her face.

on monumental miscommunication: the show this week local couple completely fails to understand each other's positions because they are not operating from the same set of variables and unaware of it: she thinks he knows about the aegon prophecy of winter, he has zero idea there even is an aegon prophecy to know until she drops the bomb. on rewatch it is really rewarding to see how much the aegon prophecy informs rhaenyra's position on everything and how much it *doesn't* informs daemon's.

i still kinda wish we'd had more of a follow up on rhaenyra choosing fear with the laenor fake murder to hitch up with her uncle because so sue me i was absolutely there for the unhinged partners in love, politics & war crimes kind of dynamic but then again. the situation in ep10 is not at all what rhaenyra was planning for at the time. she wanted people to be afraid of the shit they could pull, so that no one would be too much of a problem when the time came for her to take the throne, and for that daemon's reputation and overall daemon-ness was an asset. or at least looked like one to her (it wasn't an asset, like ok sure intimidation factor but also it'd have lost her the support of people who weren't fans of the idea of daemon ruling, and people absolutely would have believed daemon was the one who called the shots. also it near lost her the velaryons and the velaryons are the main fleet. the math was bad). instead turns out she has to decide between duty (she is her father's chosen heir and aegon a wanker) vs duty (the 7K united for the future winter). the fact that daemon is the sort to war crime first and think later (on top of the prophecy miscommunication fail) isn't really an asset in this situation it's more of a huge fucking problem.

even if he knew about the prophecy... he'd probably be a bit more understanding of her position, and her his, but i don't think it'd have changed things that much because *if* he'd bought it, he would have fixated on the part about a targ sitting on the throne being necessary, and he would argue alicent's kids aren't targ enough so of course rhaenyra has to go to war to park her ass on the throne. they would then have a huge row because rhaenyra would say oh are you saying my boys with not-laenor aren't targ enough??

idk what to think about rhaenys 'i came to warn you out of loyalty to my husband and to my house' it really bugged me on first watch because she's a targ too ffs buuut she's been ambivalent about rhaenyra for a while (pretty reasonable what with her thinking rhaenyra had her son killed to hitch up with daemon) so... guess it works. and it makes sense that the thing that actually gets her on rhaenyra's side in the end is not being gung-ho about war because that'd have been why she didn't try to push her claim & go to war herself after viserys got chosen by the lords as the new king on the basis of *checks notes* having a dick.

otoh the thing with rhaenys not wanting war probably for the good of all is the same thing with alicent's 'a true queen counts the cost to her people' (alicent you are bad at math and if you *had* done that you would have looked at aegon and gone eeehr. that was a bullshit line) which is that rhaenys also smashed a bunch of peasants just last episode because none of these people ought to actually care about the masses (other than rhaenyra, but only in the sense that she knows about the aegon prophecy -- caring about adverting the end of the world and the death of humanity isn't really the same as caring that people don't die in your war for power) they are medievish rulers, they ought to believe in absolutism AND other than alicent they're all targs, they also ought to have liked subscribed followed on targ exceptionalism.

jace being mean to luce when they're having their bit of training on the beach makes me sad but on top of "send us" being his idea it's just gonna make him even more devastated. like not only was it idea for them to be their mom's envoys but also the last time they had bro time he was a meanie to luce… the sheer amount of angst he's gonna carry around next season!!

kind of funny: the fact that daemon and rhaenyra did not take five to discuss their options / air shit out & have daemon update her on what he's been doing already (ravens sent etc) in private before the war council (part one) around the extremely awesome-looking candlelit painted table. it's giving me ep3 rhaenyra & viserys public fight vibes. same mistake of making dissension a public spectacle, which in this case is pretty bad optics-wise. everyone can see rhaenyra doesn't know what moves daemon already made, and that they are not in agreement at all. most likely it's because they are pissed at each other and also grieving (but mostly pissed). and probably no amount of discussion would have gotten them on the same page, but at least they wouldn't have had a fight in front of everyone five minutes after he crowned her. maybe they could also have avoided the huge miscommunication issue re: the aegon prophecy.

otto scene paralleling ep2 is yummy (kinda wish criston had been there to be a bitch about stuff tbh) but also rhaenyra just miscarried i don't think she should be flying. the terms otto brings are VERY interesting (they are mostly alicent's, otto is a liar and his intentions for the long term are still absolutely to get rhaenyra and her fam killed, because as long as she's alive there will be people to say she was the heir, she should have been queen, either because they believe it, either because aegon is a shithead, either because opportunism etc etc); they're giving rhaenyra dragonstone, ie the most targ place in westeros, the traditional seat of the heir to the throne, and also where there are all the wild dragons and also an island not that far from king's landing on dragonback, so it's kind of like telling her you can keep most of the nukes and stay in our backyard it's fine. the terms also imply that they'll stop calling her kids bastards and make it royal policy that they aren't since jacaerys would inherit dragonstone & lucerys driftmark. the catch is the part about aegon the third and viserys being given 'positions of high honor at the court', which really means they are to be hostages for rhaenyra & daemon's good behavior. also otto said what i've been saying, which is that his faction was never reacting to anything rhaenyra did or didn't do ('she could be jaehaerys returned and it still wouldn't matter') and had been planning to crown aegon ii since he was a baby, because he was born with a dick and otto & hobert are thirsty for power. also lol at 'stale oaths' this shit is the foundation upon which feudalism stands but ok. stale oaths. side of honor and decency, lol.

i'm still meh about the book page moment. i want it to work for me because alicent & rhaenyra are the core of everything and it is a neat callback to ep1, it just... doesn't. it feels so alicent, the appeal to past friendship, but the book page itself feels contrived and i don't really buy that otto wouldn't have thrown it into the sea. also the family dinner from hell was about three days ago so it's not like rhaenyra would have forgotten the temporary rekindling of frienship or alicent saying she'd make a good queen only to put her own wanker son on the throne. idk it's not that she shouldn't be sad and yearning for the good old days but. i guess i think she should be kinda pissed too.

when daemon says 'the enemy declared war already' at the war council (part two)... he is being especially unhinged and bitchy, and him and rhaenyra REALLY should have taken five to air shit out in private after otto left -- but he isn't wrong either. neither of them are wrong, but again: they aren't operating from the same set of variables. rhaenyra is considering the cost of going to war with the aegon prophecy in mind, and daemon doesn't know about it. what daemon is considering is what he knows about how shit works, and what he knows about otto ("a second son that stands to inherit nothing but what he seizes for himself") (and also he is still in unhinged breakdown mode) and he probably realizes otto's terms are bullshit... because otto wasn't exactly wrong about his 'being the challenge' thing. if rhaenyra had been crowned there would always have been people to say, well aegon has a dick so he ought to bethe one sitting on the sword chair, even if he's an incompetent drunken wanker -- and while i very much doubt rhaenyra would have had her half-siblings executed to shore up her claim as soon as she got on said chair, it's very likely aegon ii would have been a problem at some point or another, not especially because of anything he'd do, but because he'd be a rallying point for discontents and opportunists. and now with aegon ii crowned there will also always be people to say that viserys changing his mind at the last minute is hightower bullshit, that his chosen heir was rhaenyra so she should be on the chair, ie she will always be a danger to aegon ii, and it's only when she's dead and her whole family with her that the doubts about aegon ii's legitimacy as king will die -- if only because then there would be no other pseudo-legally viable option than him left. and otto absolutely is the kind of person who'd make it happen, he has been planning on it since aegon was born, he's not gonna change that just because alicent said 'no i don't wanna'. plus the offer to give dragonstone to rhaenyra really is a huge red flag: otto said aegon ii had all the symbols of legitimacy, but dragonstone traditionally is the heir's seat, it is also a symbol of legitimacy and pet nukes island, there's just no way otto would really be fine letting the one threat to aegon ii just live out her days there even if he had two of her kids as hostages. his side of the fam is also missing another targ legitimacy symbol in dark sister. otto plays a long game, and for now he's just humouring alicent.

so yeah from daemon's perspective of prophetic ignorance, otto hatedom and general daemon-ness understanding of the world, if the blacks don't do a war, not only are they gonna have to hand over aegon the third and viserys ii to *otto* as hostages, but they'll also get to spend the rest of their life waiting for a sad regrettable accident to happen to them. he isn't considering the third option, which is get the fuck out of dodge and go back to pentos or wherever because he is in unhinged breakdown mode, and also if not him he wants rhaenyra on his bro's throne.

i'm still fine with the choking. makes sense to me. he's having his unhinged man breakdown over what he thinks is his bro getting murdered, and another breakdown on top over the visenya situation. the fact that his brother (he thinks) got murdered and the news sent rhaenyra straight to miscarriage... it's kill bill siren on repeat in his head and nothing else. dude spends the whole episode wanting to kill someone - wanting to kill a lot of someone. plus he is pissed at rhaenyra for not being gung-ho about war from the start. he is also pissed she didn't let him kill otto, whom he hates probably more than anyone else ever and probably expects will not rest until his and rhaenyra's whole family is dead. and he is pissed rhaenyra isn't listening to him because he's the one with the war experience and whatever, and on that one he 100% thinks he knows better. and he is high on targ exceptionalism as ever. and he is also very upset to learn about the aegon prophecy because viserys never told him, and under the swag and the overperformance of gender he is at his core a pathetic insecure little bitch hungry for big bro's approval, and this to him (and to rhaenyra) would confirm viserys never truly trusted him nor ever saw him as a viable heir. ever. also: poor impulse control is not new.

rhaenys and corlys not being on the same page for most of the season is kinda funny but mostly sad. corlys reconsidering velaryon ambition and support for rhaenyra HAS to happen when rhaenys is like 'actually... i kinda support her now'. she also confirms jace luce and joff their official grandchildren won't be safe as long as aegon ii sits the throne. (it is however meh that she didn't mention baela & rhaena who are their real grandkids, and also at risk because they are now betrothed to jace & luce. very uncool.) reversal of position to the nines, considering she used to be the one to say they weren't really their grandkids and that rhaenyra had laenor killed, which is now corlys' point to make. her position doesn't really make sense tho -- she says she supports rhaenyra because she is demonstrating restraint when everyone around her wants to go to war (which is sort of funny when you consider rhaenyra might have been as gung-ho about war as everyone else if not for the aegon prophecy, once again it's all about who knows what) but at the same time if jace luce & joff (and by extension baela & rhaena) are in danger as long as aegon ii sits the throne then... how is war not inevitable?

'you father's realm was one of justice and honor' is so fucking funny to me coming from corlys, who spent most of the season arguing it was complete injustice that his wife was cheated out of the throne. a+ no notes bitchiest backhanded compliment.

it's also really funny to me that rhaenyra tells the kids to swear on the seven because it's not like she's shown any care for the faith previously, and what with the oldtown link it's pretty unlikely any show of religion would get the faith on her side rather than the hightowers'. it's a weird decision and i don't really get the point. might make more sense later on tho.

another thing i do not really get: what is daemon even doing with vermithor other than looking cool?? on the one hand it's just as well he fucked off because the war council really went more smoothly without him but otoh what is he doing serenading a dragon that isn't caraxes?? is he intending to cheat on the noodle boi?? the whole point of that scene escapes me like ok bunch of dragons to claim on dragonstone... but if he's looking to organize blind dates then why is he alone.

baby lucerys giving me all the feels in this ep, and also making me wish we'd had more time with rhaenyra's kids to make everything more devastating. i get that aegon & aemond would get more screentime this season because they're going to last longer while lucerys dies especially early on, but isn't that reason to give him more time to steal all our hearts!! same with rhaenyra as a mother imo it wouldn't have hurt to get more of that for maximum impact when she learns about lucerys getting eaten. especially since the timeskips already meant we don't really see her go from not wanting kids because of aemma trauma to having like half a soccer team worth of them.

i do wish we'd gotten more time in storm's end too, but the whole fail visit shows rhaenyra fucked up in at least two big ways: 1) she just asked for fealty and while yeah oaths were sworn and all that jazz... like boros said, aegon ii's side at least came with an offer. the thing to do is to offer something when you're asking someone to go to war for you and not that other guy. if not a son's hand then a position on the small council or whatever. 2) her kids weren't prepared -- or at least lucerys wasn't prepared to treat with boros. baby boy doesn't know what the fuck he is doing, and he does the best he can but someone with actual experience would have known not to stop at 'well sorry sir i'm already betrothed' and made some counter-offer or another.

sapphire reveal YES. aemond being so good at being a scary mofo until it turns out he's basically a kid too?? that hit way more on rewatch. on first watch i really didn't like the specifics of how things went down with lucerys -- i went in knowing it would be an accident what with the leak, but not the exact details, and i really expected aemond to fuck up because he was so fixated on revenge he'd take it a step too far and that'd be the accident so on the moment it felt cheap when it turned out to be the dragons. now i think it's not at all a bad change for a show that's trying to show everyone's humanity and amp up the tragedy of it all.

and all in all i do think it did a good job at accounting for f&b canon while doing something different, because while the actual death is sort of an accident and aemond didn't want shit to get quite that far... it was still rather unhinged behavior of him to go all 'an eye for an eye i'll give it to mommy revenge revenge revenge'. he was out there doing the evil anime laugh, living out his dream of being the scariest dude around and finally getting himself some revenge... and it was fun and enjoyable for like five minutes and then it wasn't! probably the first time he actually kills anyone. but also lbr it wasn't that much better an idea than to straight up kill lucerys in light of what it'd do to the negotiation process and all that. and the fact that he called lucerys my lord strong & bastard when his mother's terms to rhaenyra imply the green will finally acknowledge jace luce & joff as legitimate... neat. of course aemond of all people couldn't let it go.

the thing that sold me on the no control over dragons was remembering back in ep1 when viserys said... we don't control the dragons the idea that we do is an illusion. full circle! i guess it is kinda sexy and not actually boring to have the war start like that. daemon is out there spouting his 'dragons will win us the war' spiel and meanwhile. dragons panicking. vhagar eating lucerys. also fits with the "ten thousands ways this could have been avoided (it was always going to be this way)" approach. and it all fits with the fact that show aemond is more of a wannabe edgelord at this stage of the story; his best war crimes era is still ahead of him, and i am curious to see how s2 goes from there. he isn't really the sort to tell people it was an accident imo (maybe to alicent) but even if he was, the thing is he can't actually tell to people it was an accident... because you can't tell your allies and possible allies and more generally your bro's subjects that woopsie! you can't control your pet nuke all that well actually. that's really, really, really bad press, even worse than doing a war crime. like. being led by dudes who do war crimes is one thing because they do the war crimes to the other side, but being led by dudes who don't control their pet nukes all that well means the pet nuke could eat you.

the only reason there could be to tell anyone is convincing rhaenyra it was an accident, but she wouldn't believe it from eamond (he of the toast escalation). and even if she magically learned all about how shit went down... she wouldn't see it as an accident because in the end aemond did pursue lucerys, who was just an envoy under explicit orders not to fight, with the intent to take an eye for an eye to bring back to his mommy and that's the reason there could even be an accident.

also ironic that aemond probably did more to save the daemyra marriage (and maybe even their cause) than anyone else in this ep because if he hadn't accidentally war crimed lucerys, giving them cause to war crime back? they'd be fighting like crazy over how to go about things and they'd be doing it in public, and daemon would be switching from undermining rhaenyra as queen to straight up killing people who don't bow low enough to her at least three times a day and that would not make their side very popular let's be real.

in the end i kinda wish this ep could have been the council of the blacks as a pendant to the council of the greens, things would have had more time to breathe. doesn't make for a killer season finale but maybe an eleventh ep with a longer stom's end passage (awkward diner!!) + blood & cheese idk.

buut then again that final scene... what a way to finish the ep & the season!! everything about it is so!! perfect!! love that we pretty much see only rhaenyra & daemon's backs throughout and yet you just fucking know what she's feeling. her little faltering step!! her hands on her stomach!! she's losing another baby... and when she does turn to the camera... her pissed off face, the way it just screams she's done... for the whole episode she's been trying so, so hard to do that thing alicent thinks she keeps giving the finger to, she's been trying to do her duty, she's been trying not to fall into pieces, she's been trying to hold shit together and do what she thinks viserys would have wanted her to do ie keeping the peace, she's been putting the aegon prophecy above everything else, she's been trying not give in to anger and now. and now that's over. she is gonna do some war crimes of her own.

[rb-bot]

talk about carefree 🚣‍♀️

she's my best friend aside from eli and i already miss her!! i don't know how i did it before when she was away on all those deep ocean assignments but i've learned to appreciate my friends more these days

she's just a great friend to have. like she's fun, she looks out for you and she calls you out when you fuck up and you can trust her with anything. like not even just to me, like there was that time back when her amalgam mate lost his foot and she was bugging (affectionate) me about getting him a prosthetic. i thought that was really sweet

i'm glad she seems to be genuinely enjoys her job. i mean, i already know she's always been passionate about the ocean in the first place but it's always fun to hear her talk about a mermaid or like some tripod fish she found. i used to be jealous that she gets to go on all those assignments but now that i'm stuck in some remote part of the world myself is like man this is hard. she's pretty awesome for taking all these in stride

ugh can they just put us in the same amalgam already. we'd be like a power couple but for besties

[jamdoughnutmagician]

daisy, gypsophila, rhododendron and gladiolus for the asks bestie <3

daisy:what’s your best childhood memory?

I used to love it in the summer times when my parents would take me to go strawberry picking and then we'd have a meal in a nearby pub!

gypsophila: do you prefer many distant friends, or a few close friends?

Oh definitely a few close friends. I don't really have that many friends anyway, but the ones I do have I keep them very close.

rhododendron:what’s your biggest fear?

If we're talking phobias, it's a long list of things that I'm scared of. It's basically any insect/bug/creepy-crawly thing, frogs, fish (and some other sea creatures), and probably some stuff i'm forgetting at the moment.

gladiolus :who do you look up to most?

My mum <3

[ace-the-fox]

I came with questions for the oc ask game :3

Question 7, 9 & 11 for the dear ladies Haruka, Momo and Misao hehe

Ooh, okie dokie!!

7) 💟 - ...I feel like this one is obvious. But, other than kitties, I feel like she'd also be a butterfly kinda gal. She just gives me those vibes. She thinks they're pretty <3

✴️ - Again, other than the obvious choice of cats, I feel like she'd really like monkeys. A few years after part 4, when the Internet starts to make the rounds, half of her liked YouTube videos are either cat or monkey memes. She just thinks they're so cute and silly.

🔲 - Bugs. She loves bugs. She collects them and keeps them in jars. If she likes you she'll show them to you :)

9) 💟 - Funnily enough, she loves strawberry milk but only strawberry milk. Any other milk, flavoured or vegan or otherwise, she will not have. She is a somewhat picky eater and has a pretty long list of foods she will not poke at with a ten foot pole, but it was a lot worse when she was littler. Kira was at his wits end trying to find new things she'd eat...

✴️ - She really likes fruit. She puts together a mean fruit salad in the summer. She's the opposite of picky, honestly, and will put almost anything edible in her mouth. Only thing, though, is that she has a very, very low spice tolerance. One time her mom put the faintest hint of chilli powder in dinner and girlie almost died 💀

🔲 - She doesn't really have much like or dislike for food, to be honest. Mainly because food isn't really a specialty for her. Her dinners mostly consist of the same rota of frozen foods, she's had the same packed lunch for years, etc. She does like sweet things when she can get her hands on them (usually by some shoplifting but shhhhh)

11) 💟 - *sighs* Bestie, it's just the autism. /hj. But also the social awkwardness (though I'm not just as bad) and the artistic-ness and the nail-biting... there's actually a few things, huh. I feel like we'd get along fine, but it would be kinda awkward at first lol.

✴️ - I'd say we have similar personalities, but not much else. I think we'd also get along well, but that's also just because Momo is almost impossible not to get along with. She's too sweet not to love <3

🔲 - Well, I should HOPE I don't have much in common with her. And I should also hope that she wouldn't take much notice of me, as she does with most people. After all, if Haruka is anything to be made an example out of, if Misao likes you you're in trouble...

[thera-daydreams]

PLUS ONE

》 A TRESE TWOSHOT 《

[Maliksi x Reader]

📝 Summary: In which your beloved best friend snatches you from your apartment at dawn asking you to be his plus one for his cousin's wedding. Unbeknownst to the clueless you, everything is just going according to Maliksi's ultimate masterplan. With the help of friends and family, the Prince of the Tikbalang finally gets the girl he's been longing for. And oh, Señor Armanaz gets his dream daughter-in-law and the promise of grandchildren within the year.

📌 Warning: May contain some slight NSFW for spicy suggestiveness and cussing. No smut or anything super SPG—this girl can't write that for her life—but just be prepared. It's Maliksi we're talking about. We've got friends-to-lovers, obliviousness, pining, fluff, and a tikbalang simp. Figure it out. 😃

(word count: 7,454) ♥︎ Part Two: ?

》 AUTHOR'S NOTE 《

Not an Inday spinoff, but a lengthy oneshot in celebration of this blog getting 90 followers. Just ten more to 100, yay! Thank you so much for the love and support, everyone. I also promised that I'll be making this brainrot that @binibiningbabaylan and I have fangirled over a few days ago (find the original post here) when I finished the latest chapter of Inday. Here it is! 🥰

Before I forget, I was also inspired by the cute fic made by @crispybasil titled "Sunshowers" and the "Trese Boys As Things My Guy Friends Do" made by the amazing @smolla-than-a-bug (I bow down to your wonderful works in the Trese fandom). I definitely see Maliksi to be the type to go on spontaneous roadtrips and be the boyfriend to drive you around eveeeerywhere (while also driving you crazy). 🚘

There are also some songs mentioned throughout this work. You should probably listen to them while reading for the full experience. Ending was somewhat rushed but eh, I'm too exhausted and I've rewritten it too many times. Also, if someone makes some actual tikbalang smut, tag me please. Anyways, enjoy! 💕

The way it all started was hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. It happened like a blur. Literally. One second, you were snoozing in your bed. The next? You had a seatbelt on in the shotgun seat of a sophisticated-looking car. Your brain didn't even get to process it yet.

"... So let me get this straight," you grumbled, still half-asleep from your sleep marathon. You just finished a hugely successful project at work yesterday, got promoted, and wanted to make up for the restless nights you spent overtime in the office. Of course you were irritated from being disturbed. You were on vacation leave for two entire weeks, originally planning to go into temporary isolation by deactivating your social media accounts and reserving a beach cabana for yourself in Batangas.

Well, turns out, you weren't going to Batangas anytime soon. All because your unreasonably spontaneous bestfriend of ten hectic years stole you from your apartment at 2AM. Was this considered kidnapping? Was this him just being more in touch with his tikbalang side, taking unsuspecting women in their sleep and leading them to their inevitable death? (He was going over the speed limit, so it was a valid thought.) Will wearing your shirt inside-out save you today? Lord, masyado ka pang pagod para mag-isip ngayon.

"Go on."

"You abducted picked me up in the middle of the night because you want me to be your plus one at your cousin's wedding in Tagaytay?"

"Yup. And technically, the venue is right on the outskirts of Cavite going to Tagaytay," he corrected you as a matter-of-factly.

"Same thing, whatever," you huffed tiredly. "Your cousin's wedding is at 6AM today. In a few hours. In four hours."

"Uh-huh."

You groaned exasperatedly, "Mal naman, eh! You didn't even let me bring anything. Could've at least given me a heads-up a few hours ago. I'm practically emptyhanded right now save for my phone! Sinungaling ka, you said this was just a normal midnight drive—not a freaking wedding!"

The Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang, son of the Great Stallion, heir to the Armanaz herd, and the Top Drag Racer of C-5 Expressway—if that was even one of his Game of Thrones-like titles—grinned as he continued driving beside you. He let you continue ranting in the passenger seat while he mulled over his ultimate masterplan that would change his entire life later on. He was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, so all this wasn't his thing. But for you? He'll make plans, alright.

"Wala man lang akong dinalang masusuot o kahit konting makeup para maging presentable sa harapan ng buong pamilya mo," you exclaimed, in absolute despair. "Do you know how out of my league you are? Your rich-ass family might judge me—hell, your dad might see me as a hampaslupa if I show up there in my pambahay and tsinelas!"

"Psh, I'm not out of your league," Maliksi waved it off, smoothly turning a corner. "And calm down. We've known each other for a decade! My dad practically loves you as his own daughter. Heck, the entire family knows you and keeps telling me they want you adopted in already. Lolo Andres and Lola Perlita said they'd have the paperwork settled. You just need to sign them."

It would be even better (and easier) if you married into the family. To him, specifically (as if he'd let anyone else have you). God, he was already being so obvious in his advances, but you were just so damn oblivious whenever it came to romance. None of this needed to happen if you just got it through your thick skull that he was madly in love with you.

"That's not the point, idiot!" you slumped back into your seat, hopeless. "Do you think the bride and the groom will get offended? Shit, baka masumpaan ako kung magagalit sila, Mal. Mukha akong patay galing sa South Cemetery."

The long-haired tikbalang rolled his eyes, "Huwag kang mag-alala. Nothing's going to go wrong. Chill ka lang diyan. I've got everything under control, babe."

Babe. Yes, he even called you babe but you thought it was him being a himbo and a massive flirt. Now, it was his common term of endearment for you, but you still assumed it was him just being irksome to you and that you couldn't stop the man from saying it anymore. Thus, you let it be (the most obvious hint of his attraction to you, bestie).

"... Ugh, why didn't you ask Hannah or Amie to go with you?"

He just smiled knowingly, shrugging and making up an excuse, "Nagmamadali ako, eh. Hannah and Amie are also coming, but they already have the other tikbalang as dates."

"'Luh, ako pala ang backup choice mo?"

"Heh. Whatever you want to think."

Little did you know that you were always his first choice. Always. Even when he pursued Alexandra Trese many years ago, trying to convince himself you were just his best friend, it was always you. How did he come to that realization? Well, an international band he was a fan of released a song a couple years ago and he heard it being played in a club in BGC. The song title?

It Was Always You by Maroon 5.

Needless to say, after hearing the song and being unable to get it—get you—out of his mind at night, he stopped courting Alexandra. Unfortunately for him, that time, you'd started dating other men. Therefore, he was left on the sidelines... until your latest and most painful breakup, at least. That was five years ago. You still hadn't dated anyone since then, kind of traumatized from getting into another failed relationship like that.

In the present day, as if the fates were playing on you two, one of your favorite artists played on the radio. A very ironic song given the situation you two were in.

Best Friend by Rex Orange County.

Maliksi knew it was a favorite of yours. He knew it by the way your eyes lit up like a star brightening the twinkling night sky. Like the sun first rising in the morning at Apolaki's command. Like the moon extending its gentle rays from the magic of Mayari herself. If there was anything he wanted to ask of the old gods, it was you—everything else be damned.

"I wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake," you half-sang and half-screamed happily, somewhat out-of-tune. "I can't wait to be your number oooooone! I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine—"

Maliksi glanced at you, not minding that his eardrums were probably getting microscopic ruptures from your aggressive singing. As much as he wanted to stare at you all day, he had to keep his eyes on the road. But the lyrics you were singing were wrong; the Prince of the Tikbalang was already yours from day one.

"Babe, McDo drive-through tayo for breakfast. Let me make it up to you. Gusto mo ng caramel sundae for your promotion gift? Sige. Ako bahala. Chicken nuggets din? Mabubusog ka ba niyan? I don't think they serve those this early..."

》》》

"Sandali lang!" you shouted out from inside an empty room. You'd just arrived at the venue—the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Silang, Cavite (practically the gateway to Tagaytay)—an hour or so ago. The hired makeup artist just left so that you could privately change into the outfit that had been bought specifically for you. Curse Mal and his ability to buy anything (perhaps anyone) he wanted. "Bwiset, Mal, you didn't tell me we'd be part of the damn entourage. We have to be walking the aisle in thirty minutes, simbako! You just love rushing me, don't you!?"

If only you were the one walking down the aisle today towards him.

When you exited the room, Maliksi couldn't help but let his jaw drop as he skimmed your figure, clad in the luxurious, silky satin blush midi dress he bought in one of those fancy stores in Makati yesterday. He imagined that it would look great on you, but now, seeing it on you in person... you looked divine (and frankly, he wanted to see it off your body to see what was underneath—but don't get too ahead of yourself, Mal). It was a whole 'nother level from his imagination. The deep cowl neckline and thin spaghetti straps showed your lovely collarbones... as well as a peek of your cleavage. His favorite and the best part of it all? It was backless, allowing him to gaze at the tempting curve of your spine.

He hadn't realized he had grown silent until you smiled and closed his mouth, tapping his chin.

"Lalangawin ang bibig mo, Mal," you laughed softly. Never had you seen him so speechless. You then flicked your hair back, ridiculously posing for him like you were on the cover of Vogue magazine (haba ng hair mo, gurl!). "Do I look that good? Char lang."

"... You look absolutely ravishing—I mean, uh, stunning. Hot. Yeah." That was all he could say. He mentally punched himself for not showering you with more suave compliments.

Still, your face brightened up, not knowing that the man in front of you just fell for you a thousand times harder, "Wow! Really? Damn. Ang galing talaga ng MUA na kinuha mo, ginawa akong artista. Give me their contact number later! May work event pa naman ako in two months. I'm shocked, it's like they made me rise from the dead! Even my eyebags are gone, Mal! How'd they do that?" Heck yeah, your confidence was boosted. He offered his arm to you like a gentleman, making you half-heartedly roll your eyes (you took it anyway). From holding it alone, you could tell that your best friend was a sinewy man (well, you knew that already after seeing his tikbalang form before—the little shit didn't even wear a loincloth like all his clanmates; your poor eyes were eternally scarred).

You looked him up and down. You wouldn't lie—Maliksi is and always has been an attractive man. Now? With his hair in a ponytail (pun not intended), definitely one of the hunkiest men you've ever known. "You're not looking too bad yourself, horsey."

"Ako pa!" He puffed his chest out in pride. You chuckled at his reaction.

"By the way, how do you even know my dress size and my shoe size?"

"Babe, I've known you too long. You know almost everything about me, I know everything about you."

You snorted at his confident tone, "'Di nga? You don't know every single thing about me, Mal. Assuming ka masyado."

"Alam ko nga anong cup size mo. Wala lang 'yang shoe and dress size."

You slapped his shoulder, cheeks quickly flushing red, "Huy, umayos ka! Walang hiyang tikbalang na 'to." With this guy as your best friend? You heard dirty jokes at least once a day. "Don't be inappropriate here!"

"What? It's only fair I know!" He looked down on you suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "You already know I always go commando, so of course I know that your bra is a size—"

"Shhh! Baka marinig ka, 'nyeta."

"So? Let them hear. My best friend has a nice set of melons!" he shouted. You were grateful there was no one around. Hopefully.

"Oh my God..."

Your best friend chortled at how flustered you'd become. He led you to where some of his family was waiting, with a couple of his relatives already greeting you. You instantly and quite easily mingled with them, your worries of them not accepting you far from even true (they all knew how much their prince loved the innocent you).

"Kayo na talaga, pare?" one of his older tikbalang clanmates asked while you went away to be fawned over by his aunts.

Maliksi chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched you from afar, "Heh. Hindi pa."

Another one of his clanmates—a younger one—laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Talaga? That's cap, bro. You two are like a married couple already and you guys still aren't a thing?"

"Ilang taon na ba kayong magkakaibigan?" the older one asked him.

"Almost ten years," Maliksi responded, a smile unconsciously pulling his lips up as he remembered your moments together. He watched you converse with his female relatives (who adored you the moment Maliksi brought you to a family event many moons ago).

The two tikbalang snickered as they saw the look on the Great Stallion's heir.

"You're down bad," the younger one said, snapping a photo of his lovestruck kuya. "You've got it so bad for her, dudeparechong!"

"Balak mong ligawan anytime soon?" the older tikbalang inquired.

"Heh. Balak ko na ngang pakasalan. Kung pwede, ngayon."

They looked at Maliksi as if he was crazy. He was very much serious, though, even if there was a huge, lopsided smile on his face. The Prince of the Tikbalang raised a brow at them.

"What? Don't give me that look. Our ten years of being best friends is practically the courting and the dating stage already."

"Eh... you're right. Don't waste anymore time. Go and marry her today, dude. Suporta kami sa'yo, basta groomsmen kami sa kasal niyo, ha!"

"Ge. Without question."

Meanwhile, on your end with the ladies of the family, they started pestering you on your love life (like all typical Filipino aunties). Chismis everywhere.

"O, iha, single ka pa ba?"

"Kailan ka magpapakasal? Malapit ka nang pumasok sa thirties mo."

"Do you want kids? How many?"

"Are you and Maliksi a couple? You look good together! Kayo na, 'di ba?"

"Will you be getting married next? Are you engaged? When's the wedding? Invite niyo kami!"

Before you could get overwhelmed by their questions, Maliksi swept you off your feet to lead you to the entourage that was lining up outside the chapel area. Again, it happened like a blur. He laughed at the partially nauseated look on your face.

"You okay there?" he asked, grinning.

"Your family thinks we're together," you muttered quietly, not meeting his eyes. You weren't sure why you felt... tingly about their statements.

He tilted his head at you curiously, gently setting you down on your feet and helping you stand.

"Do you hate the idea?" It hurt him to ask you the question, but he wanted your thoughts on it. Perhaps doing this was a bad idea. Maliksi was competitive in many things, including wanting you to be his, but if you were so opposed to it, he would never force you into something you didn't want. He let go of your hand; you didn't even notice he'd been holding it until he let go. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Your wide-eyed gaze snapped back to look up at him, "No! No, it's not that! And... it's not bad." Your hand felt strangely empty now that his was gone. Biting your lip, you disclosed, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Mal. Don't ever think that."

With that, you shyly interlocked your arm with his, tearing your eyes from his to mask the growing warmth you felt spreading in your veins. You two didn't say anything else when the ushers let you walk down the beautiful, petal-covered aisle together.

The man beside you was starstruck. Hopeful. Maybe both of you did have a chance. Maybe somewhere in the depths of your soul, his feelings for you were being reciprocated. For the rest of the sacred ceremony in the gorgeous main pavilion, both of you relished in short, comfortable, and low conversations. He even cracked jokes every once in a while—really funny ones that made it challenging for you to you stifle your laughter.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Maliksi fervently prayed to Bathala that he'd experience the same opportunity he was seeing with you someday. One day.

Even while the sun was brightly out, the sky began showering down light rain onto the land. You were in awe as you looked out the window.

"Hala, totoo nga pala! Tignan mo!" you laughed, tugging Maliksi's suit sleeve, pointing at the window.

"Na ano?" he curiously inquired, not understanding what you were referring to.

"Na kapag may tikbalang na kinakasal, umuulan habang may araw pa," you replied, eyes filled with childlike mirth and wonder. A rainbow had even begun to form by the clouds. "Look, it's magical! Ang ganda pala ng view dito kasama ang old Spanish architecture. Timeless na timeless. It's so pretty, 'no? Picture tayo 'maya, Mal."

Unlike you, it wasn't the sky outside that the prince was looking at. Amidst the loud cheers for the newlywed couple and the bubbles the guests were blowing, his vision could only focus on how magnificent you looked while being amazed. You were his best view. (Ed from 90-Day Fiancé, kabahan ka na, may katapat ka sa pickup line mo.)

》》》

"Smile for the picture!"

You giggled as Maliksi was dragged into a photo-op with the bridesmaids and the important older wedding sponsors a few feet away (funnily, he looked a little constipated around them). All of a sudden, when he was heading back to your direction, you were roughly pushed into the said man's arms. When you turned around, there was nothing (except maybe a gust of wind that came out of nowhere).

"Ooh, gotcha. Careful," the tikbalang steadied you, strong hands holding your biceps. "Natapilok ka?"

"... Huh, hindi naman," you wondered suspiciously, looking around. "I think someone pushed me? Parang tinulak ako... but wala namang tao."

"Weird. Maybe it was just the wind."

It actually was. Really. Maliksi knew for a fact that it was those two taong hangin who were spying on you from the corner, trying to pair you up. He gave them a thumbs-up while your back was turned in the opposite direction. Hannah and Amie returned the thumbs-up before vanishing. Suddenly, the two wedding photographers had moved on from the bridesmaids and were right beside you.

"What a lovely couple you two are!" she praised. Before you could correct her, she held up the black contraption she held towards you two. "Pose for the camera, lovelies!"

And so you did, the photographer guiding you two on what to do. Maliksi wrapped his arm around your waist and you leaned on his side, looking sidewards to the camera with one leg cocked in front of the other. Her assistant, who was holding a polaroid camera, printed out two photos for you.

"Thank you," you told him, taking the photos from his hands then flicking them rapidly to make the images develop. You and Mal were about to walk to the reception area when the photographer stopped you, handing the male beside you a business card.

"If you two need a photographer or a videographer for your wedding, call me," she signaled to both of you before running to another guest, bringing her assistant with her.

You gawked, "Mal, did you just hear what she said?"

"Loud and clear." A grin was on his face. He seemed very pleased at what he heard.

"... How can she even tell if someone is married or not?"

Maliksi's free hand took your left hand, tapping the ring finger, "Nothing here."

"Ooooooh. I get it now." Your brows creased. "Huh. This is like the fifth time today the people here have mistaken us for a couple."

Maliksi shrugged, teasing you, "Who knows? Baka may potential tayo, babe."

Before you could ask him what he meant, he was hurriedly towing you to the reception venue. While he was doing that, you stared at the now-developed polaroid photos you were holding. Huh. Maybe you two did look like a couple.

"Come on, they're serving some snacks at the welcome reception area. Peach pie and mango float-flavored. Paborito mo, babe."

》》》

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. You were actually enjoying the event—the host was great, the food was great, the music was great. Everything was great... that was, until the games.

"Alright! Now that the bride's garter has been removed, let's have the bouquet and garter toss... starting with the females!" the host announced. "Dear bride, please stay here in front. And all single ladies—and by single I mean ready to mingle and are not married—please rise and stand here on the dance floor. Let's play matchmaker tonight, everyone!"

"Uy, single ladies daw," Maliksi nudged your side. "Sign mo na 'yan." You snorted like a pig.

"Nope, ayokong madamay sa bouquet toss," you whisper-yelled at your best friend. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?! Besides, they won't notice if I don't join! Special tactic ko 'yan sa weddings: pretending I'm not single. Katabi naman kita."

More women came to the front, making you feel assured that you didn't need to participate. The host was about to say something, when the bride interrupted to whisper something into his ear.

"Hala, halaaa! Sabi ko all single ladies, pero may isang single lady na nagtatago pa!" he announced, making you freeze. Please don't let it be you. "What's her name, beloved bride?"

"Y/N L/N." You nearly spat out your champagne. You? Did they just call out your name? How did they know?

"Oh fuck," you cursed quietly.

"'Di ka makakatakas dito, babe," Maliksi jabbed, making you stand up. "Tinatawag ka na."

"Baka may ibang Y/N L/N dito," you resisted, attempting to sit back down. "I can't do this, Mal."

"'Sus, ikaw pa. And it's just a symbolic ceremony!" he encouraged, as if he didn't have any underlying intentions. "I doubt the bouquet will go to you anyway."

Sheesh, what a big fat liar you are, tikbalang prince.

You expressed your dissatisfaction with the situation, "Bwiset, fine. I'll just... dodge it. Or evade it. God, I swear..." You calmed down, confident. "I'm not going to worry. I've never caught the bouquet at my own friends' weddings anyway."

When you were at the dance floor, Maliksi snickered, seeing the bride—his cousin—wink at him. After all, he had thoroughly bribed her earlier.

《《《

"It's about time you settled down with someone, Mal," the bride commented while he slipped her the newest Hermés designer bag filled with a bunch of jewelry (plus some bills) two hours ago, right before the reception began and while you were in the restroom freshening up. "Hehehe, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course. I'll make sure she participates. I'll also try to throw it in her direction."

"Good. Thanks."

"You better invite me to your beach wedding. I can tell how much you love her."

"Not a problem. I'll even make you a sponsor."

The bride stared at her bouquet, already practicing how she was going to throw it, "Tito's going to thank me so much for ensuring that he's going to get grandkids soon, hihi."

》》》

Back to the present, on the other end of the room, Maliksi saw a familiar duo give him a sign that they were ready. Bingo. Time to execute the most important part of his plan.

《《《

"I don't care how you do it," he told the two wind elementals after he bribed the bride. "I've already instructed the bride on what she should do, pero siguraduhin niyo lang talagang lumipad sa kanya ang bouquet."

"Mmhmm," Amie flipped her hair, a hand on her cocked hip. "And what do we get in return, oh great Señorito Armanaz?"

"Sagot ko bar-hopping niyo for one month."

The two girls pretended to think about it, making Maliksi roll his eyes. He had to pull out the big guns, huh?

"Fine. Magbibigay ako ng cash deposit plus pwede niyong gamitin ang black card ko for a one-week shopping spree in Ortigas." There. Bullseye. That's what they liked.

"Deal!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hannah let a cool gust of wind enter one of the nearby windows, testing out how they're going to do this. "Ano pa bang pinaplano mo for Y/N mamaya?"

Maliksi hummed, "Basta."

》》》

You tried your best to hide within the densest part of the group of women. The bride seemed to have her eyes on you, weirdly enough, and she looked almost feral wanting to throw her flowers into someone's face.

That someone being you. Most likely.

"Target locked on," you saw her mouth move. She positioned herself like she was about to throw a football at someone (ahem, you). Holy shit, was she talking to you? Miss ma'am, it was a bouquet toss not a bouquet throw. The bride seemed to notice this, and once more regained her elegant composure.

"3, 2, 1," the host counted down. "Go!"

Surprisingly, the bouquet flew very high into the air (it was a wonder it didn't get tangled in the ceiling decor), but quite a distance away from you. You grinned, knowing it was too far to even touch you. Squeezing through the crowd of women eagerly awaiting the bouquet, you went to return to your assigned table.

Ah, what a wonderful evening.

Sike!

Something painfully landed right into your face, leaves and flowers getting into your hair and mouth.

... Wait, leaves and flowers?

Before you could comprehend it, the bouquet dropped right into your arms. What kind of ungodly, inhuman force allowed this to even happen?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our lucky girl for the night!" Everyone clapped, with some—those guests you knew—even cheering your name unbelievably loud. The host approached you, a glint in his eye which you couldn't understand. "Miss Y/N, kindly sit here while we await the lucky guy who catches the garter from the groom."

What just happened?

"All single gentlemen, please proceed to the dance floor. Remember, the man who gets the garter gets to slip it onto the lucky lady's leg later!"

Oh, God. You pinched the bridge of your nose. What you'd give to be back at home or to be in that resort in Batangas you'd planned on going to for a solo vacation.

"To make this even more exciting," the host stated, handing you a black blindfold. "Our lucky lady has to keep her eyes closed until her lucky man for the night captures the bride's garter! When the music plays, only then can she uncover her eyes."

See? Humiliating, just as you expected. Still, you wrapped the blindfold around your head (albeit hesitantly). You attempted to guess who it might be, thinking of all the tikbalang friends Maliksi had introduced to you back then whenever he invited you to his clan reunions.

"Groom, are you ready?" the host asked, microphone loud and clear.

"Ready na ready!"

"Single gentlemen, are you ready?!"

"Ready na ready! Awoo, awoo!" they loudly chorused, exactly mimicking Spartans about to engage in battle. You sweatdropped in the seat you were in. This was actually kind of scary. Maybe you felt a bit objectified.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

There was a brief moment of silence, which made you concerned. Ba't ang tahimik? Then, everyone erupted into roars and bravoes much louder than when you caught the bouquet—perhaps even louder by tenfold. What the heck was happening?!

The music played. Very raunchy, spicy, babymaking music. You expected it to be the typical Careless Whisper by George Michael or Pony by Ginuwine (corny songs which you could probably laugh at, at least), but no. Nuh-uh, this was probably worse. The DJ must be pretty young, the song of their choosing being a slowed, bass-boosted, sexier remix of Earned It by the Weeknd.

Ano 'to, bold? Fifty Shades of Grey? The hell was this?

Alright. This was embarrassing. Thank the heavens there were no children at this party. From the music alone and its implications, this was strictly for adults.

You removed your blindfold (that was okay now, right?) as the guests whistled playfully. You peeked one eye open reluctantly, then inwardly groaned. Oh, no. You should've expected it to be him of all people from how loud the reactions were. And all those yells from the crowd were from his family.

Son of a—

"Well, this has proven to be a very interesting arrangement!" the host proclaimed. "Our lucky man for tonight is none other than our great clan leader's heir, Maliksi Armanaz! Congratulations, sir! You get to slip the lacey little garter on Miss Y/N!"

The said very smug tikbalang stood a few feet away from the chair you were sitting on, smirking at you. His hair was no longer in that mesmerizing ponytail—instead, he'd tied it into a more sinfully attractive man-bun, loose strands framing his face and accentuating that sharp, angled jaw of his (say yes and thank you to Manny Jacinto's jawline, besties).

"Let's cheer him on in his new mission, everybody!" the host pushed. Was this that glint in his eye earlier? And was that a one thousand peso bill sticking out of his pocket?

The groomsmen, Mal's cousins and uncles whom you've met before, hollered words of encouragement to the tall man (who was, oddly enough, not one bit fazed). In fact, Maliksi seemed like he was famished as he stared you down.

You swallowed, feeling like you were going to get eaten (heh, say that again). Maliksi had shrugged off his dark suit blazer to the beat of the song (holy fuck, he also unclasped the suspenders attached to his pants right before your eyes—asdfghjkl). Were you prepared for this? No. Will you ever be prepared? No!

"Mr. Armanaz, before you begin," the host interrupted. "We have an additional challenge for you in this mission. Kaya mo ba? It was a request of the newlywed couple."

"What is it?"

"Use your teeth!" the bride and the groom cheerfully shouted, clapping with the other guests. Whatdidtheysaaaaay???

The cocky bastard didn't even hesitate, his smirk at you growing wider; those pearly whites of his on full display. Was it just you or were his canines a little sharper than usual?

"Anything for the newlyweds. Challenge accepted," he dashingly replied, winking at you. You sputtered indignantly. Pisteng yawa. Putangina. Putek. Pakshet. You swore you thought of every swear word in the book at that moment. What did that YouTube parody song about Filipino mythological creatures say again? About the tikbalang? Ah, yes. Half-macho dancer and half-stallion. Maybe the joke was true, especially when you saw what Maliksi did next.

He bit the shred of lace, loosening his necktie (bestie, you good there?), unbuttoning some top buttons, and rolling up the sleeves of his collared white undershirt up to his elbows (consequently showing off his toned, veiny forearms—those lucky bridesmaids behind him nearly fainted). Honestly, you felt like you were about to lose your mind from embarrassment. With how tantalizing your guy best friend was being? Let our response be: San Pedro, kunin mo na ako. Was he doing all this to tease you? To rile you up?

Because damn it all, it was working. In your ten years of knowing Maliksi Armanaz, withstanding all his daily dirty jokes and flirtatious attempts, never had you seen him like this. So... wolfish. Ravenous. Like he was a man that hadn't been fed in years.

He stalked closer towards you, falling to his knees in front of your legs. Your gown had a long slit that extended up to an inch or two below where your left leg began—your best friend was eyeing his target already, knowing where to place the garter. Normally, you would never even wear something as revealing as this gown. It just wasn't your type, but Maliksi was the one who bought this for you for this specific occasion, so you had no choice. It was this or your pantulog he stole you in just hours ago. At first, you were confident in the gown. Now? You felt too... naked.

Somehow, in the heat of it all, you'd muted out the noise of the venue. Maliksi teasingly lifted your foot up, fingertips slyly grazing the thin shoe straps around your left foot—his calculated touch leaving fire in its trail. Once the garter had been successfuly inserted past your high-heeled stilettos, the man kneeling in front of you kept his hands to himself. Despite the fact that now there was absolutely zero skin-to-skin contact between you and this man, your body felt hotter than it ever was before as he expertly slid the lacy bit of cloth up your ankle at an agonizingly slow pace.

Maliksi's warm eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown, a tinge of red in them—of his true beast—while he maintained striking eye contact with you, pulling the garter up your calf with his teeth. Smoothly tugging... tugging... tugging. Tangina, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes alone; like he was telepathically telling you to keep your eyes open.

To keep your eyes on him, where he was knelt inbetween your legs, his hands intentionally locked on his back. Did you ever imagine this? Him between your legs? Maybe. Once or twice. But you never thought about it seriously; Maliksi dated girls left and right in the past.

His lips... his lips were so close... so close to your leg that you could feel the heat of his breath along with the lace. Were you about to die? Perhaps you already did. Maybe you were in heaven. Up... up... up... snap!

Suddenly, he stopped, grinning up at you mischievously and letting the elastic bounce back to the skin of your left knee.

"I'm not going any further, don't worry, babe," he whispered, noting that your eyes had become misty and glazed over. Internally, he grew worried. "That's enough." Did he think it was from discomfort? From you being uncomfortable? Bitch, no. It was the exact opposite. You had never been this turned on in your entire life.

You felt like your soul had left your body at that moment. Did you just have a heart attack? Was your blood pressure okay? Before you or Maliksi could stand, however, someone bellowed from the wedding sponsor tables.

"Higher! That's an order!"

Fucking hell, it was Maliksi's father who shouted. He wasn't in the huge tikbalang form you'd normally meet him in, but he was still very intimidating in his humanoid form, commanding attention and subservience wherever he went. You could tell where Maliksi got it from.

Instantly, the other guests—already half-drunk and wanting the spirit of partying to continue on—joined in.

"Higher! Higher!"

The host cheered, "You heard Señor Armanaz! Higher!"

Maliksi gave you a questioning look. Even if it was his father who spoke up, he still wouldn't do anything you didn't want. Well, you two made it this far; there was no point in getting embarrassed now. You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding. You probably couldn't erase the redness on your skin with how much you'd blushed from this night. It was as if the heat was tattooed onto your skin.

"Go on, Mal," you whispered to him, bending your torso down closer to his face, eyes half-lidded from want. "Finish what you started, babe."

With those sultry bedroom eyes he'd never once seen you show him before—plus you turning the tables with that familiar term of endearment, how could he refuse? Like a switch had been flipped inside him, he immediately complied, taking the frilly scrap of stretchy lace between his teeth once more, moving it further up to your thighs until where your high slit ended—centimeters below the warming juncture between your legs.

Your legs felt wobbly... boneless, as you stood up from the chair, the fabric of your gown cascading over where the lace sat securely on your upper left thigh. The party was still going strong even after you two finished the garter wearing tradition.

"'Atta boy! That's my son!" Señor Armanaz blazoned, standing up and raising his glass for a toast. "Cheers to the newlywed couple! May they last forever!"

You guys weren't the newlyweds, but it did sure feel like it. If the clan leader was hyped up, everyone was hyped up. Heck, the groom and the bride didn't mind one bit what had just transpired on their dance floor. In all the chaos, Maliksi took you out of the reception area and somewhere quieter. More private.

You would need to have a serious, urgent talk with your boy best friend.

》》》

You two silently sat on a stone bench in a gazebo somewhere in the reserved venue for the wedding, trying to cool down and get yourselves back together (at this point, you needed ice from that steamy, half-scandalous event you just went through). Here, there was no one else except for the chirping of crickets, the lush trees surrounding the area, and the golden fairy lights strewn all over the roof. Awkwardness was something you'd expected after what just happened, but somehow, you still felt comfort in this man's presence. For the past thirty minutes, both of you just stayed still, lost in your thoughts and reflecting.

"Mal?" you finally spoke up.

"... Hmm?"

"Ano tayo?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Your fingers instinctively reached out for his, just like they always did when you were anxious. Sensing this, he grasped your hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soothingly. He massaged the skin of your fingers, distracting you from your nervousness. It seemed like both nothing and everything changed between both of you. The gesture was the same, but so different at the same time.

"Mahal mo ako." It was not a question. It was a statement. A truth—one that you'd been too blind to see before. One that you only discovered while you stared into each other's eyes in that party not as best friends. You realized with a jolt in your heart what he really felt for you, and now, what you really felt for him. In those thirty minutes of silence, you knew. You just knew.

"Yes. I do."

"... Just as a best friend?" you probed.

"..."

Finally, you gazed into his eyes, previously so dark and full of hunger. Now? Just reluctant. Vulnerable. Open. Unsure of what to do next.

Seems like you had to be the one to take initiative tonight. Taking out your phone, you opened your music app and pressed play on a certain song. Ikaw at Ako by Johnoy Danao. You removed your heels (which were starting to blister your ankles and toes), then pulled him up to stand.

"Dance with me," you murmured, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist. He was stiff. Tense. What was he to do when the woman he's been pining after for so long let him hold her? All his gallantry and ability to romance disappeared out the window the moment you let him touch you so intimately.

You two weren't even waltzing. Just swaying. Slowly, you leaned your head on his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

"... I love you," Maliksi admitted in the middle of it all, feeling like he was dreaming. Your head on his chest kept him grounded to reality, however. "More than anything in the universe. I fell for you ever since you patched me up when you were nineteen and I was a reckless drag racer who didn't have a purpose in life. 'Nung dinala mo ako pabalik sa Armanaz Tower on the verge of death. Simula noon, ikaw lang."

"I realized that," you smiled, reminiscing the old memory. You were just a broke college student that time, coming back to your dorm from making your group thesis at a classmate's house. Imagine your panic when you found a half-man, half-horse bleeding out by some bushes on the way home at night. Despite your fear and your little money (only enough to feed you for the week), you went out of your way to buy a first-aid kit at the nearest 7/11. It was scary, but you managed to mend the creature's wounds by the side of the road. When he was finally able to speak, turning fully human (which you admit, freaked you out initially), you arduously carried him back to his address—to his father and his clan, even if you had classes the very next morning. Because of your heroic deed of saving their precious heir, the tikbalang clan had become indebted to you: a teenage girl on the verge of a mental academic breakdown, just making her way through the cruel adult world. How old of a memory that was, you thought, yet you still recalled it in perfect detail. "Just a while ago."

"Ah." He swayed you gently.

"Lahat ng ito, plano mo?"

"... Yes," Maliksi fessed up. "Except for this part where we're here dancing in this belvedere. Wala sa plano ko. Gusto ko sanang magconfess doon sa may fountain para sweet, pero..."

You lifted your head off his chest, smiling at him with one brow raised, "You know, between both of us, you're supposed to be the spontaneous one. Planning isn't usually your thing."

"I know. It's a failure, huh?" Maliksi sighed.

"Nah." You shook your head, then suddenly locked lips with him. It was so fast and surprising he didn't even get the chance to return your first kiss. For once, you caught him off guard. You pecked him on the lips again. "It's not a failure."

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Maliksi. Ten years. We're twenty-nine now, and only tonight do I realize how blind I've been. We've been going around in circles, wasting so much time. Ayoko nang mag-aksaya ng oras," you whispered guiltily against his lips. How could you have been so blind? Andaming nasayang na taon. Making up your mind, you told him, "Yes. Sige, I accept. I'll be your plus one."

The tikbalang was flustered and baffled from the kiss, as well as your revelation, "... But, you already are?"

"No, silly. I meant that I'll be your plus one for life. For as long as you'll have me," you laughed, now processing that you were currently dancing barefoot with your boy best friend and had just kissed him in a wedding you didn't even plan on going to. The universe had a mysterious way of doing things. "Guess I'm the spontaneous one now, huh?"

Maliksi was tongue-tied. "Seryoso ka ba? Is... Is this a marriage proposal?"

"Whatever you want it to be," you echoed his words back to him. "Best friend, plus one, girlfriend, wife—mmpf!"

He kissed you so hard your lips bruised. After an impromptu makeout session which was definitely more in character for Maliksi, you both pulled away, panting heavily in search for air, still desperate for passion. He cupped your cheeks, giving you a sweet, featherlight Eskimo kiss.

"You're missing one more title."

"Hm? What do you mean, Mal?"

"Love of my life." He kissed you again, this time lifting you off your feet and spinning you around (his sneaky right hand was resting on your bum, too, giving it a tight squeeze). You know in the Princess Diaries where the main character's foot just... pops whenever the prince charming kissed her? Yeah, that happened to you on that humid summer night. This was right. You two were meant to be together. Everything was falling into place.

The bungalow you reserved for your Batangas vacation leave ended up being the site of your very eventful honeymoon with the Prince of the Tikbalang (with his libido, it wasn't that difficult to continue where you'd left off in the garter toss; that scrap of lace came off your leg the same way it went on). Actually, nauna pa ang honeymoon sa actual wedding (it was definitely spontaneous). Right after your confession in that alcove, you two went to Maliksi's father to ask for his blessing (which he gladly gave, cackling and saying that it took you long enough) before you guys went driving off to Batangas that night. You and Mal indeed had lots and lots of fun in that resort (I'll let you imagine the rest). More beautiful memories were made from that point on—this time, not just as best friends.

All that and your small, intimate wedding occurred in early April. Just when you thought that it'd be impossible to fulfill Maliksi's life goal of having a baby within the year (nine months of pregnancy meant that the earliest you'd give birth would be January next year), the impossible happened.

Exactly thirty-two weeks later, on New Year's Eve, the Armanaz herd welcomed one prince and two new princesses into the world. Triplets who were instantly adored by everyone in the clan.

Señor Armanaz had never been happier, and so were you and your husband. Your best friend. The love of your life. Your forever plus one.

Maybe being spontaneous wasn't so bad after all.

Taglist: @belladaises @binibiningbabaylan @4kodzuk3n @sparklingmallow @severuslovebot @holyshxtangel @marinac15 @space-flamingo @pippethealien @kashasenpai @disappointmentpastry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @seijohoe @monimiin @ibelievein2dmensupremacy @tinybonksharkcop @methehipster @banisuoh @genshin-idiot @lemonnie-kimmie

[sketchybeats]

Rating BHC characters by how likely we are to be friends

-------------------------------------------

Sans

7/10

We'd definitely get along and be bros but I dunno I kinda feel like we'd be a little awkward as well? Really love this guy though and we both love the stars so ummm star gazing picnics maybe? 🥺

Papyrus

7/10

I ADORE Papyrus and his energy is IMMACULATE but we don't really have a lot of similar interests. I think we'd still get along super well though! I'd love to cook with him 👉👈

Blue

8/10

BLUUEEE MY LOVEE he's so wholesome and I feel like we give off super similar vibes but we also don't really have a whole lot in common except our intense love of mothman. We would definitely be cryptid hunting buddies 🔦👻

Stretch

10/10

AAA STRETCH PLEASE GOD BE FRIENDS WITH ME We are practically the same person like it's kind of uncanny. We have the same sense if humor, same interests, same energy level, we even both drink honey (I have literally done that since I was like 6) so yeah we'd be besties 👫

Red

6/10

Do not get me wrong I LOVE Red he's frickin AWESOME. But I just think we'd have a lot of trouble communicating? Also I get my feelings hurt SUPER easily so I have a feeling we wouldn't be the best match. Would watch him play video games on the couch though ☺

Boss

9/10

OMFG MARRY ME

In all seriousness though this guy just. AAAAAAA. I LOVE HIM. He gives me intense gender envy I WANNA LOOK LIKE YOU. I just know we'd get along. I don't even know why. We just would. Minus a point cause he'd probably say mean things to me but he'd also watch Disney movies and sing villain songs with me so I'm willing to overlook it 🥰

Nox

4/10

Y'all finna hate me but LET ME EXPLAIN.

We have absolutely NOTHING in common. At all. I really can't see us having anything besides kind of an acquaintance sort of relationship. Don't get me wrong Nox is nice and all and I don't dislike him in the slightest, we just wouldn't really click.

Rus

10/10

Ah yes another skeleton that is way too much like me. We'd probably have a bit of trouble warming up to each other because ya know, we both have intense social anxiety and are very NOT Neurotypical, but I know DAMN well we'd be INSEPARABLE after we got to know each other. We're both HUGE 80s song dweebs and I can just imagine the karaoke nights now. Also he'd definitely cuddle with me and we'd help each other with our anxiety so yeah (also I feel like he stims when he gets excited so we'd probably stim out together)🥺🥺🥺

Ash

9/10

ASHHHHHHH. I adore Ash so much. We both just want silence, grass, dirt, bad jokes, and Bumble Bees. I'd love to just sit in his garden with him and watch the clouds roll by as we talk about our favorite bugs (would highkey move into a woodland cottage with him) 🐝🌺🌻🌹🌷

Poplar

7/10

I love Poplar he's such a goober! We wouldn't be like BEST friends or anything but we'd definitely be good pals! I love listening to people talk so I'd be a pretty good match with him I think! Also apparently he's artsy and I'd love to paint with him! 🎨🖌️💕

Go follow @bonelyheartsclub and @owl-bones please and thank you<3

[signoras-pet]

I want to hold Kaeya's hands as we explore the City and he tells me about the buildings and whatever. Whenever I want to bite my nails out of stimming, he gently takes it away, squeezes it, and gives me a snack to chew instead.

I want to walk next to Diluc in the evening, when it's already getting dark. It's scary and I was raised on the belief that monsters lurk in every dark corner, behind every tree. So he walks me home every evening after school, because he wants me to feel safe, even though I annoy him sometimes.

I want Zhongli to pat my head, ruffle my hair and give me a forehead kiss. I want to lay on my bed in my favorite cuddle position as he reads out loud from a book. Don't care what book, I wanna hear his voice.

I want to sit under a tree's shade with Venti as he plays an instrument and sings, if it's not the flute. Just leaning against him in content as he does his craft.

I want to dance with Xiao, let him teach me how it works. I once knew how to waltz, but I'm insecure now, even though I want to learn it again. And maybe some other dances too.

I want Albedo to give me drawing lessons. He knows I don't want to draw emotional pieces or gorgeous landscapes, but only my OCs. So he shows me how to draw humans and give them poses.

I want to go on long walks in the forest with Razor. Just letting him tell me all about the flora and fauna, watch as he gets excited like a kid on Christmas. If there is a bug or arachnid, I know he'll protect me.

I want to cuddle and nap with Bennett. He gives the best hugs, you can't convince me otherwise. He's so friendly and warm, like the best blanket. And he's a lot like me, so I know we'd be besties.

I want to go have a fun play time with Klee, Qiqi, Sayu and Diona. Going to the park to picnic with them, spoiling them with sweets. Play Airplane with Sayu and Qiqi and Klee, braiding Diona's hair and painting her nails with cat faces. Then we all play tag and hide&Seek.

I want to hang out with Yelan. We watch movies and shows or read books and get annoyed when they get romantic. We watch Christmas movies just to bash them. Because we're both Aro-Ace and find it funny and annoying how romance and sex are valued so high.

I want to go shopping with the twins. Books, flowers, clothes, whatever. They are so fun to be around, and I greatly enjoy their company. I don't need to say a word, but they get what I want to tell them.

I want to go visit Gorou and his army of dogs. All the fluffinies, small and big, as we laugh and pet them. We talk about animals we find interesting or the most obscure facts we know, before going on our favorite animal video YT channel to watch videos

PLEASE ACE THIS IS SO FUCKING ADORABLE SJHGKFM,SGSLDKGHLKSDFGKDSFGKLDJH

[gonuclear]

Hey!!! I saw your post about needing asks and sadly i dont know a thing about one piece BUT

Which character(s) are your f/o and platonic f/o(s)?

Howd yall meet??

Whats your favorite thing to do with them?

💟

hello i am so sorry for the impending wall of text in this response you have Unlocked an Infodump. thank you so much 🥺

so first and foremost the romantic f/os. we haaaave:

sanji: i think that we probably met at some sort of market, him shopping for ingredients for the ship and me looking for god only knows what. i know i'd be caught pretty off guard by his relentless advances, but once i warmed up to him it wouldn't be long before i'd be dropping everything to join the straw hats shskfjdksf. i think my favorite thing to do with him would be cook, though he'd have a tendency to shoo me out of the kitchen. i'm perfectly content watching him, though (and maybe stealing some food when he's not looking).

rosinante: aaaa i definitely think i'd end up in one of the villages that has an unfortunate run in with the donquixote pirates, and rosi would keep anything bad from happening to me. i think he'd end up convincing dofie to let me join, then convince me to run off with him so we can have a better life together (because i'm still Deep in denial about his fate). my favorite thing to do with him would definitely be stargazing. i think we'd have really good conversations that just kinda devolve into me falling asleep on him, which he doesn't mind at all.

caesar: oh lord....i honestly couldn't imagine how we first met, but i probably washed up on punk hazard and he just kinda....decided to keep me around lmaooo. i feel like he would've made up some bs arbitrary reason why i was useful to him so no one would catch on that he got feelings for me. i annoy him from time to time but he loves me. i feel like it'd be kinda hard to find things to do together since i'm Awful at chemistry, but i think he'd regularly engage in the semi-infuriating task of teaching me complex science.

luffy: he absolutely just did the "you wanna join my crew? you have no choice" thing to me and honestly? who am i to say no to him. i think i'd be really shy around him at first but he'd just rope me into affection so much that i'd open up pretty quickly. i don't think our relationship would be conventional by any means but it's just......so Good. our favorite thing to do together would be to cuddle on his little seat at the front of the sunny, no matter how traumatizing it initially is to me and my fear of heights. i know he'd keep me from falling, and that's all that really matters.

(truthfully i don't really know much about one of my platonic f/os he just looks really friendly and i wanna hug him hlfdjfsd so i'll just write about the other one)

kin'emon: i think i just ran into him in dressrosa and made it my mission in life to annoy him into befriending me. i made myself just useful enough to justify me being there beyond bugging kin'emon by calling him my bestie. i'll wear him down though i just know it. i'd wear him down so much, in fact, that he'd insist on teaching me how to use a sword because i keep waving his around like a dumbass and he kinda sorta doesn't want me to cut my hand off but he's not gonna just Admit to that, y'know?

[iambecomeyourvillain]

bestie if I were dating you I'd be playing queen or david bowie or arctic monkeys all day and you'd be playing 5sos or smth and we'd both keep increasing the volumes to drown out the other

also i wouldn't be allowed anywhere near bug spray

you got that right you won't

bestie music is my love language and I'd probably start to love your songs and make you love mine <3