#yourself a favor and watch it if you like drama and romance stories so incredibly sad

[mazojo]

I haven’t watched a romance so romance like my happy marriage in a long time

[whereisten]

The Wedding Singer - Part 3

The Wedding Singer (feat. Taeyong and Yuta)

Summary: You are an up-and-coming singer and songwriter who is thriving in the wedding singer business. When you find yourself singing for your former best friend Samantha Perez and not-so-former crush Yuta Nakamoto, shit really hits the fan. 

Genre: fluff, drama, romance

Multi-part Series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Part 3

Word Count: 3.9k

It was nearing Christmas, which meant there was one week left until the wedding of the century. Samantha finalized the song selections with you. Johnny would be on guitar while Jungwoo would be on piano alongside the rest of the wedding band. Johnny was pretty jazzed because he would see Stella again, rise to the occasion, and ask her out. They met the night you performed at Holy Hell. It was all over for Johnny when Stella genuinely laughed at one of his dad jokes.

Everything seemed to be falling into place these days. Your career was on the rise. Record labels from all over the county wanted to sign you. You were a breakout YouTube star after Jungwoo uploaded your performance of Bad Boy. You were booked for even more weddings that you had to start turning people away.

And best of all, you had the most incredible man in your corner. In the span of months, Taeyong was your best friend and your biggest fan. He showered you with affection in every way that he could. And it seemed like he would never stop.

If only you could find a way to return the favor.

Taeyong was adamant that you did not have to give him anything. He told you that your presence was the present and you had to walk out of his office when he said that to you last week. He’d been spending too much time with Johnny.

You were babysitting Taeyong and Samantha’s little half-sister Sonya while they were away. Her mother was on a yoga treat with her friends. Samantha was doing a photo shoot in New York. She was doing a cover story for Elle Magazine for her success as a fitness model and a celebrity chef. Taeyong was in New York with his father. They were in negotiations to acquire a a very popular restaurant chain that they hoped to bring to Miami.

Yuta picked Sonya up to take her to school before you headed to RCA Records.

“y/n, is there anything you want for Christmas?” Sonya asked you as you tied her hair. She was about to leave for her last day of classes before Christmas break.

You thought about it. As cheesy as it sounded, you had everything you could ever need.

You checked your phone to see if you had any messages and smiled at your lock screen of Taeyong scrunching his nose.

“You’re pink,” Sonya giggled. She watched your reflection.

You shook your head. “Is the AC even on?”

The doorbell downstairs bellowed throughout the Lee estate.

“It must be your future brother-in-law,” you said to her.

Sonya ran out of her room and down the grand staircase of the mansion. She ran past the maid that was about to answer the door.

“YUTA!” Sonya squealed when she saw him at the door.

Yuta gave her a big bear hug.

He was in dark wash jeans and a white tee, looking well-rested. He looked better than you’d last seen him. He’d been up and down about the upcoming nuptials. As much as you wanted to tell him to not go through with the wedding, it wasn’t your place.

“Hey, Yuta,” you said, “How’s it going?”

“It’s going. How are you? Have you decided who you’re signing with yet?” He threw his car keys up and caught them quickly.

“Yuta, what time is it?” You asked.

He frowned as he looked at his Apple Watch. “7:35.”

“Right? I don’t talk about anything serious until after 9:30 so I won’t answer that.”

He laughed as he grabbed Sonya’s Elena of Avalor backpack. “Right. But you’re doing okay right?”

You couldn’t help the smile on your face. “Yeah, everything’s great.”

Yuta mustered his most winning smile as he tried to ignore his truth.

Taeyong and Samantha would be back in time for their friend Sooyoung’s wedding tonight. Because mega pop star Luna had scheduling conflicts and at Taeyong’s high recommendation, Sooyoung hired you a month back. Johnny would join you as a band member and as your singing partner.

;;

After you discussed the set list with Johnny for tonight, you walked back to your car and were surprised when a red tulip was propped on your windshield.

As a woman, you felt joy, confusion, and mostly, fear. This anonymous gift was not to be trusted.

You debated grabbing the tulip because it could’ve been laced with poison. Who would try to do such a thing to you?

Well, Samantha could be above murder.

But was she?

You decided to leave the tulip be so you can get home, grab some gloves, put the tulip in a ziploc bag, and take it to the police station.

It would be awkward to send Samantha to jail a week before her wedding.

You grabbed your keys from your handbag and got into your car.

Your phone rang. You relaxed once you saw who called.

“Hey,” you said, exhaling in relief.

“I guess you don’t like tulips?” Taeyong said, a lace of hurt in his voice.

“That was you?! I thought you were some creep trying to kill me.” Leave out the part where you were 98% sure it was stepsister.

“How would a tulip kill-You need to lay off the Lifetime movies, babe.”

You laughed as you got out of the car and took the tulip in your hands. “If it makes you feel better, it’s the most beautiful flower I’ve ever seen. You took in its fresh scent and hummed. “It smells amazing.”

Taeyong was silent over the line.

“Taeyong?” You asked.

Nothing.

And he hung up when you checked.

You turned back to the driver’s seat and saw him before you with a huge bouquet of red tulips. His big brown eyes were warm and welcoming. You imagined he was beaming behind the bouquet.

You couldn’t wait to kiss him so you pressed yourself against him and the flowers. You pecked him on the lips and almost lost your balance. He steadied you. “Hi,” you said, flustered at being such a dork in front of him.

He wrapped his arms around you for a moment and pulled back. “Mind if I set these aside first?” He didn’t want your flowers to get ruined.

You pulled away from him so he could put the flowers on the driver’s seat.

“Hey, songbird,” he said as he opened his arms wide.

You jumped into his arms and squeezed him tightly.

He’d been gone for a week but you were very clingy.

“I missed you,” you said as you nuzzled into his neck. He smelled of lavender and fabric softener. You wanted to lie in bed with him and snuggle him like a pillow. You were sickening.

“I missed you more,” he said as he kissed the top of your head. “Are you free?”

“I’m free until the ceremony,” you said as you played with the buttons of his baby blue button-down.

“Great because I want to take you somewhere,” he said as he lifted your chin and kissed your lips.

;;

Taeyong took you a pottery painting place. It was called Stella’s. It was located a few blocks from Holy Hell Nightclub. He wanted to bring you here for a while now so you two could be alone in a quiet space and maybe get into a paint fight.

“It’s quiet. Must be a slow day,” you noted, in marvel of the shop. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of figurines to choose from. The paint selection almost brought you to tears.

Taeyong cleared his throat. “Actually, the place is ours for the afternoon.”

You put down a ceramic owl that was too cute for words. “What do you mean?”

“Stella’s parents own this spot and I asked her for a favor.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“Are you mad?” Taeyong asked, worried.

You shook your head. “No...It’s just...You are...Too good to me sometimes.”

Taeyong’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Taeyong was the poster child for the ideal boyfriend. It was amazing but sometimes you felt a little out of your league.

And the way that he endlessly spoiled you. You loved every bit of it but you wondered if you were too greedy. If you weren’t doing enough for him.

You worried that at some point, he would get bored with you.

And you knew you were wrong to think that.

Taeyong almost cried when you gave him a homemade minion sweater for him to take to New York.

He appreciated you for you. It wasn’t his fault that he was disgustingly wealthy.

You two had fun together. Most of the time, you two dated like a healthy functioning couple.

Movies. Supermarket trips. Playing with your two cats Kai and Jax at your place. Late night trips to the beach.

The best nights you had together were when you went to the movies and indulged on popcorn.

But then Taeyong would catch you by surprise. Like today.

You admitted to him, “Sometimes...I feel like I’m never going to be able to make you happy the way you do me. I don’t want to let you down.”

Taeyong moved closer to you. “You could never let me down, y/n.”

You held his hands. “I want to make you happy.”

He wrapped his arms around you. “You have no idea just how much better my life is with you in it.”

You nuzzled into his chest and felt the steady beat of his heart. You loved him.

Soon, you would tell him.

You two settled down and started painting. Taeyong picked out a horse figuring to paint all shades of pink for Sonya. You picked a slice of cake figurine for Taeyong for his sweet tooth.

“So when I got up on the stage, I almost fell on my face,” you said, remembering your junior year of high school. The first time you sang in public was at your school’s annual talent show.

“You were nervous,” Taeyong noted.

“I wanted the earth to swallow me whole,” you said, “If it weren’t for Johnny being beside me of the stage, I never would’ve given myself the chance.” Johnny was one of the reasons why you became a singer. He believed in you. He was your truest friend.

Taeyong added, “He’s a great friend to you. I’m happy you have such good people around you.”

You rolled your eyes to avoid blushing. “You are so...Sweet that I’m about to get a cavity. I saw a dentist around the corner. I gotta bounce and get that filling.”

Taeyong chuckled. “I’m stating facts, y/n. Most of my friends are in LA so seeing you two makes me miss that...”

What about Yuta, you wondered. But something inside you made you decide not to mention it.

“I’m sorry,” you replied, “Maybe we spend too much time together?”

Taeyong froze. “What?”

“Taeyong, your life is basically work, me, and accumulating the best plush Pokémon collection.”

Taeyong gaped. “I resent that. Your life is basically work, me, and accumulating the best Pokémon card collection.”

“To conclude, we’re both nerds that need to get out more,” you said.

“But I love spending time with you. You’re my best friend,” Taeyong admitted.

You grabbed your paintbrush full of dandelion yellow paint and painted his arm. “Shut up.”

Taeyong grabbed his brush full of rose pink paint and painted your nose. “Cringe brings out cringe, babe.”

You painted each other and tried to restrict the mess to your table so Stella wouldn’t blacklisted either of you.

Taeyong traced magenta onto your side bang. You laughed as you finished painting your cake slice.

He just watched you for a moment. The sparkle of mischief in your eye when you stared at each other. The wondrous song that was your laugh. The matching Spongebob friendship rings you bought.

“y/n,” he said slowly. The sound of your name on his mouth sounded so lovely.

“Yeah?” You asked, focused on painting a corner carefully but peeking at his soft expression.

“I-“ Taeyong began.

And then his phone rang. He glared at his phone. He sighed.

He answered his phone, “Can it wait?”

The person on the other line replied.

Taeyong’s eyes grew. “I see. We’ll discuss it on Monday, Doyoung. Okay, thanks.” He hung up.

“What’s up?” You asked. Taeyong’s demeanor was unreadable.

He debated telling you about his latest job opportunity but he wanted to make sure he had all of the details before he brought it up with you.

“Remember how I told you it’s been a dream of mine to start up my own cinema chain?”

He told you on your first “date”. “Yeah.”

“Well, Doyoung and I are planning to lay the groundwork for our own movie theater. We just spoke to our last investor and we got the green light.”

“Your own movie theater?” You gasped. “Tae, that’s incredible!” You squeezed his hand.

He smiled softly and it quickly faded. “The thing is...”

“It’s not in Miami,” you finished, already having a feeling with the way he reacted over the phone.

He shook his head. “It’s in LA.”

“Oh,” you said.

He watched you carefully. “I’m sorry, y/n. I didn’t anticipate our plans developing so quickly. I wasn’t sure if it would happen. I’m so happy here with you. I would never want you to think-“

“Honey, it’s your dream,” you started, “I want this for you.”

“But...would it be too much for me to ask you to come with me? If not, could you handle long distance?” He worried about stressing you out. He thought he had more time.

You thought about it. You had a lot of doors opened for you that you had to consider. “I’m not sure. It all depends on who I sign with.”

Taeyong nodded.

You continued, “Can you wait for me to join you?”

Taeyong was surprised. “What?”

“I want to go with you. I just need some time to get my affairs in order. End things with the agency. Move out of my apartment. Say goodbye.”

Taeyong broke out into a smile, his soulful brown eyes squinting from cheesing so hard. “Really?”

You giggled. “You looking for a roommate?”

Taeyong reached over and kissed you. It almost felt like he said “I love you”.

Honestly, he didn’t even have to say it. You just knew.

;;

Choi Sooyoung’s wedding was in Miami Beach at the Grand SeasideHotel. The ceremony took place at the beach and the festivities were in the hotel ballroom. You began your set with a father and daughter dance. Then, you continued with love songs for the couple and the standard party ones for the whole group in attendance to get on the dance floor. Your rendition of Cha Cha Slide was one no one would forget.

You looked radiant. You wore a silver dress that went down to your heels. The beads gave a subtle rainbow effect that you glowed onstage. You sang Adele’s “One and Only”. A lot of couples slow danced.

Taeyong danced with Sonya.

“Better than Adele, right Taeyong?!” She asked.

Taeyong laughed. “I believed you when you said it the first time.”

He remembered Sonya mentioned the wedding singer Samantha and Yuta hired. Yuta wasn’t the only one who raved. The minute Samantha found your YouTube channel, she started spamming Taeyong with your videos.

Your cover videos were of just your voice. You hid in the shadows to give some mystery.

Taeyong began falling in love right then and there.

And then when he saw you for the first time, it was really over for him.

Sonya ran off to find her sister and Yuta joined Taeyong to watch you belt it out.

“Hey, she’s unreal, isn’t she?” Yuta asked.

Taeyong replied. “She’s...There are no words.”

“I’m surprised she hasn’t signed with a label yet,” Yuta replied.

“Y/n is thinking of joining Epic,” Taeyong adds, “It’s funny, you know. I didn’t even think to invite someone from epic.”

Yuta blurted, “I’m guilty.”

“What?” Taeyong eyed him carefully.

“I invited the Epic Records exec.”

“Oh.” Taeyong is silent. How did Yuta think to invite your dream label and he didn’t?

It turned out that Yuta snuck a peak into your lyric journal that night at Starbucks when you excused yourself to go to the bathroom. He was curious to see what you’ve written. He did find a song about himself dated back 6 years ago. It was your catharsis for letting him go. But Yuta took a photo of the page and has read it over many times. He also found a page of your goals, which included possibly joining Epic Records one day. But Yuta would never admit that to Taeyong.

He wanted you to chase your dreams and achieve them. A phone call to his friends at Epic wasn’t a big deal to him. He wanted you two to be happy. He would simply hold onto the fact that at one point in time, you liked him.

“I have a friend at the label. You remember Kyla?” Yuta asked smoothly.

And with that, they resumed enjoying the party.

You performed “You’re The One That I Want” with Johnny, who went the extra mile and brought a leather jacket just for that song.

As you performed song after song, the buzz about you grew stronger and stronger, much to Samantha’s annoyance.

When you got a break, Taeyong led you to his table. He went to grab you some water and wedding cake. People passed you at the table, praising you and giving you their contact information because they wanted you at their next event.

When that was over, you took a deep breath and relaxed.

“You must be so happy.”

You froze at the sound of her serpentine voice. Samantha sat beside you.

You knew this wouldn’t go well.

“You have my half-brother wrapped around your little finger. It’s because of him, you’re on the verge of commercial success. You could have everything you want. Because of him.” She was very pointed when she said “because of him”. She wore a dark red party dress and her long nails matched. It was like she was out for blood. Yours, probably.

“Samantha,” you started.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re taking advantage of my brother.” She tapped her nails against her glass of champagne.

“Hold on just a second-“

“I wouldn’t put it past you since you never did quite get over your crush on Yuta.” Her hazel eyes turned into daggers.

You stayed silent. Waiting for her to finish her tirade before you ended her.

“I see the way you make those little first day freshman year eyes at him. It was cute, at first. Since he’s a major NBA player and one of the most influential men in the city. You were starstruck. After all, we went to high school with him. But it’s been months now. You’re dating Taeyong. He’s done nothing but shower you with the best. And what do you do? Look at my fiancé when Taeyong’s isn’t looking.”

“Are you finished?” You asked.

Samantha smirked. “For now.”

“I don’t know what gave you the impression that I was sweet on Yuta. I’ll admit seeing you two after seven years brought out old feelings. But they died when I met Taeyong. Ever since I met him, my life has been wonderful and adventurous and I feel like I’m on top of the world. Record deal or not. I’m happy where I am. Taeyong has done a lot for me and I’ll never let that go unappreciated. Is he helping me make my dreams come true? He always has. Since the first time he asked me to play something for him. Look, I haven’t told anyone this but I’ll let you be the first to hear it. I’m turning all of the labels down. Not to prove anything to you. But to prove to myself that I can make it without anyone’s help. So for you to say that I’m taking advantage of Taeyong? Well...you’re lucky to be Taeyong’s family.” Or else you wouldn’t have been courteous.

You got up from the table because you didn’t want to see Samantha’s stuck up face for at least an hour.

“Hey,” Taeyong said as he touched your arm. “Are you okay?” He noticed you looked flushed.

You nodded as you took the glass of water from Taeyong. You gulped most of it down. “My throat was getting dry but I’m good now!”

Taeyong grinned. “I can’t get enough of you, you know that? That cover of Cha Cha Slide is one for the history books.”

You rolled your eyes. “Put the cake down and dance with me.”

You two danced to Miracles Happen by Myra. Sooyoung was a big Princess Diaries fan. Taeyong spun you around and you tickled him when he least expected it. It was one of his weaknesses.

;;

Samantha didn’t realize Yuta heard what she accused you of.

“What is your problem?” Yuta asked.

“What do you mean?” Samantha snapped. “That little wedding singer has infiltrated our lives and I was just putting her in her place.”

Yuta groaned in frustration. “Leave y/n alone Sam.”

“Why are you so concerned about her? I’m trying to save my brother from getting his heart broken by that-“

Yuta dared her to finish that sentence. “I’m gonna stop you right there.”

“Why are you getting so defensive over her? Don’t tell me you still have a thing for her.” But she already knew that.

Yuta remained silent.

“Oh?” She exclaimed, egging him on.

Yuta gave her a pointed look. “Don’t give me that. It was never a secret and you knew it.”

Samantha seethed. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. She told me she loves Taeyong. And, in case you forgot, you’re marrying me. If you know what’s good for you.”

Reality sunk in even deeper for Yuta. He stormed off and hit up the open bar. He was mad he had to marry someone he didn’t love. And for what? Fame and success? An obligation to the Lees and Samantha’s biological father?

A small part of him hurt that the only girl he ever really liked was in love with someone else. That someone else being his best friend.

;;

You finished your set. You were going to meet Taeyong at the photo booth set up for the reception.

You both sat in the photobooth.

“What do you think? Duck faces?” Taeyong asked.

You knew the only answer was yes.

“Wait! I saw some more props closer to the entrance. I’ll be right back,” he said as he kissed your cheek and squeezed your cheeks. “You are so adorable. I think I can die and go to Heaven now.” He was definitely buzzed.

You laughed and then waited.

A few second later someone opened the curtain. You were shocked to see who it was.

“Yuta?” You asked him.

He was drunk out of his wits. His long hair was disheveled and at the sight of you, he ran his hands through it again.

He looked at you in adoration. “Hey.”

“Yuta, are you okay? I-“

Yuta moved in and the flashes could be heard. He kissed you sloppily. You could feel the vodka from his lips. Alarms were going off in your head. You panicked and pushed him away hard.

“Get off of me.” You said as you pushed past him out of the photobooth.

“Y/n, come back! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Yuta stayed in the photobooth, despondent.

;;

Neither you or Yuta realized that you left something very important behind at the photobooth.

But someone else did.

To Be Continued in Part 4

A/N: You thought I forgot. 😉 I had to revise one little detail in chapter 1. Y/N auditioned for Yuta and Samantha in September instead of April! Thanks for reading and especially thanks for waiting. 😭

[alfietelevision]

Sun in Aquarius Tarot Reading Pick A Paragraph

Sun in Aquarius Newsletter

By AlfieTV

Pick A Paragraph

1|2|3|4|5

Pick a Paragraph Instructions:

Close your eyes, breathe in and out, ask for clarity, then select a number between 1-5. That number is the paragraph in which you need to read. If you feel drawn to another paragraph read that too.

Services Available:

(Paypal/Cashapp/Google Pay/Zelle/Venmo Accepted)

$5 - One Card Pull (One Paragraph and Advice

$25 - Full One Question Tarot Reading (Video or 2 Page Article w/Advice)

$15 - Rising, Sun, Moon Tarot Reading (Two Paragraphs per Sign, w/Advice at the end)

This Weeks Special Services (They Don’t Always Exist):

$45 - Full Monthly Newsletter Personalized for You (Week by Week, One Advice Column per Week)

$25 - 7-Day Love Forecast (w/ Advice and Tips for the Week)

(For more services and information, please message me on any social media site with AlfieTV/DiamondsbyLolito)

Paragraph One

This new sun cycle is calling you to let go of lost causes. Things in your life that haven’t been going fair have kept you in a bit of a straight jacket. You feel uneasy, paranoid, and secretive. This could have came from a financial loss, a missed emotional connection, conflict, or a selection of these. But at the end of all this pain is good karma. Something good is comign in to reward you for the hard work that you’ve been put through. This will be a time of peace and harmony, but this comes on the wings of a lot of reflection. Heal your wounds.

Advice: Take a warm bath, really sit there and feel the water, let it massage the pain away. Drink lemon water, and add cinnamon to your morning coffee or tea. Spend three more minutes outside a day than you do, if you’re really feeling that type of thing, spend thirty minutes meditating outside every day. Take pictures. Read more books. Watch romance novels and laugh more. Do something completely out of your routine. Try to be nice to strangers, but use discernment.

Paragraph Two

Past resentments and heartbreak have led you on a path of healing and possibly even on a new emotional adventure. Take this lust for life and turn it to the outside world. Use your voice, and don’t be afraid to clear the air on things that shrowd your vision. Spend more time convincing yourself than convincing the masses. Now is not the time to be fickle, put your feet firmly on the ground and demand your joy. There is good fortune coming for you, so your stamina will be reinforced with the luxuries of change.

Advice: Order in take out. Take your favorite pair of boots out the closet and wear them out on the town. By new sweaters. Do your makeup like you really want to do it. Burp. Walk around and throw your weight around. Meditate three times a day, five minutes a day. Create a quora account and observe intellectual discussion. Watch how to cook videos on Youtube. Think about enrolling in combat classes. Goof around.

Paragraph Three

Where once there was a lot of upheaval, conflict and disaster between two lovers there is now room for peace, joy, and harmony. Eye feel as if there was a lot of high karmic lessons learned between you and another person. Things that made you transform and grow in ways that you couldn’t have experienced any other way in the right way.  There’s a sense of comfort and familiarity in this relationship that it’s hard to shake. Maybe there was a woman in this relationship who was a bit more reckless and dishonest than kind and understanding. This woman is changing, and becoming a bit more stable in her power. She’s learning and growing. Even if this woman is just a part of you and your soul’s story, it’s still something that is being completed. At the handle of this situation, there’s a sense of hell when you dive deep into the past pain, the trauma, and all of that. But there’s a message coming in about there needing to be an end to the victim-victimizer argument. It’s not something that is productive or even stable in this situation and will only cause you more discomfort if it continues. Maybe let go of this love, and if it is a good love, it will come back naturally. Letting go doesn’t mean never talking to this person again, it just means you become a neutral observer and let the energy go, trying not to control it.

Advice: Call your mom or a maternal figure in your life and let them in on your life. Go over to your best friends house and forget about boys and girls for a night. Write a long letter to your past self and congratulate them on getting this far. Say goodmorning to someone you don’t talk to enough. Add a desert to your next meal. Try to go for a walk or run early in the morning or late night before if the neighbourhood is safe (if not, just try to sit outside and meditate.) Drink optimal water. Buy some vitamins for Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Call your sibling and ask them how their day was, and mean it.

Paragraph Four

You’re holding back a lot, and it's keeping you from manifesting your goals and desires as you would like them. There’s this continuous cycle of you always doing just the bare minimum when it comes to a certain goal or project you plan to achieve, and that’s taken a toll on your self-esteem and also on your harvest. If you’d let go of your need to control every little thing that is happening to you, and instead reinvest that energy in creative, reckless, expansion, you’d see yourself growing, changing and being favored in areas you didn’t think were possible. You do not have the bird’s eye view, let your spirit guides help you, calm down, but also, let loose a little.

Advice: Do one extra thing that makes you happy everyday. Whether that means watching your favorite show, painting, sketching, texting the girls, playing football. It doesn’t matter as long as it puts you in a positive vibration. Make a day for self-improvement, on this day, list out all the things you feel are wrong or unresolved in your life, then turn those problems into solutions. Clean your room, start a skin routine, give away used clothes, paint your shoes.

Paragraph Five

The universe recognizes your thoughtful and powerful approach to the conservation of wealth. This has probably taken you years to learn, and it took a lot of pain and missed opportunities. But the truth of the matter is, it’s exactly what needed to happen so that you could feel so emotionally fulfilled now. That’s the power in energy, it understands and validates you as long as you validate yourself. The beauty of this entire thing is that there is a lot of hope and wonder coming your way. Do not be startled by anything or anyone who seems to drop out of your life or seems to be more distant. These things are going to clear the way for new abundance and new prosperity. Your sacrifices are being recognized. Don’t stop dreaming, or praying, or working on becoming the best version of yourself. You’ve already done so much to get here, keep going. You’re doing incredible.

Advice: Go on an adventure. Pack your bags, bring some snacks, and spend an entire day outside. Then after this, take another day off and just meditate and procrastinate (yes, procrastinate) be apart of the moment and that day exclusively, and don’t be afraid to just spend that whole day reading a romance novel or watching a crime drama, it’s okay. The best way to show the universe that you can handle more is showing how you can take time for yourself and enjoy it to. Enjoy yourself! Yes, you can buy that new pair of headphone, but don’t overspend! I don’t have to tell you that though, you’re good with your money.

[jessikahathaway]

Cold Chinese Part I

Oh hey, I’m updating again before a four month hiatus?

This is just a little two part series I wanted to get out. I’ve been working on it for a while and just thought that maybe I’d like it better in two parts.

But, please enjoy this story.

ISSA RIDE LEGGO.

As per usual, pic ain’t mine. 

Pairing: Seokjin x Reader x Jungkook

Words: 7,823

Genre: Sexuality Exploration, Slight Crack, Smut (Oral; male receiving), romance if you squint till you’re blind.

Summary: Jin and you had been friends for a while. Nothing was asking too much, until Jin asks you for a favor. But, how were you to know it was to fuck his boyfriend? 

Honestly, you knew something was wrong when your long time friend Seokjin asked you to a meal... Where he would be paying...

You sat down in the nice cafe at around 10:00 in the morning on a bleak Sunday. You watched the outside as cars passed and rain trickled down the window. Days like today made you really wish your extentric friend hadn’t practically demanded he meet with you for coffee. Which he said coffee but there were muffins in that display case that were going in your stomach whether it was from his pocket or not.

The jingling of the front door bell brought your eyes forward, and you couldn’t help the giddy smile that took over. Jin was there, dressed head to toe in the most comfortable yet chic outfit you’d ever seen. Of course this lil fuck would be looking incredible so early.

Standing up you made your way over before smiling and wrapping Jin in your arms. “It’s so good to see you,” you gushed. Holding onto him you took a deep breath in, smelling his cologne. Jin always smelt so good. Like he’d just gotten done sampling the finest of male scents before coming to hang out.

“It’s good to see you too, you’re really growing up.” He admired your frame and how you were filling out your proportions nicely.

“Nah, I’m just getting thicker for winter. Safety precautions,” you stated, feeling slightly self conscious about your tummy and thighs being slightly bigger than the last time the two of you saw each other.

“You know I like you softer, makes you better for hugging,” he laughed, keeping you trapped in his arms. You blushed and looked at the baristas who were simply grinning at your display of affection.

“If you aren’t careful they’ll think we’re together, wouldn’t want that getting back to your boyfriend there,” you teased. Jin released you as you went towards the front to order your coffee and food.

“Can I please have a white chocolate mocha with two extra shots and coconut milk?” you asked.

“Certainly, what size?” You flushed, knowing that you shouldn’t get the Venti, it was really a lot of calories for right now and since you were heading into winter without excersi-

“She wants a Venti. I’ll have the same with whole milk instead though,” Jin smiled, pulling out his wallet. “Did you want something to eat? Those muffins are tempting me in ways that should be illegal,” Jin commented. He sent you a wink before selecting the carrot cake one with cream cheese frosting and the double chocolate.

“Jinnnn~” you complained as you sat down at your table.

“Yes, you’re welcome from saving you from your indecision,” he teased. You frowned before picking up your drink and savoring the beautiful caffeinated craft.

“Why are you bribing me, Seokjin?” you asked, not looking up from your coffee.

The classic sputtering sound made you grin. You were right, he did want something from you.

“How dare you assume that I only called you to this meeting of great minds-”

“Of a great mind and a slightly above average mind,” you corrected.

“Don’t sell yourself short.” You rolled your eyes. “Anyways, I hate for you to assume that I only call upon you when I need you, but, I have found myself in a smidge of a predicament,” he bites his lip.

“Careful Jin, I’m practically broke,” you reminded,

“No no, dear, nothing like that. I’d never,” he said firm. “Actually, I have a small favor to ask of you,” he tested.

“What kind of favor requires payment upfront?” you asked, lifting your coffee to your eyes. It was bribery coffee... But that didn’t make you enjoy it any less... For now.

“Well my dearest Y/N, you know my boyfriend-like relationship I’ve had for a while?” he quizzed.

“Yeah, of course. You talk about him a lot. He sounds sweet,” you smile. “I have to meet him one of these days.”

When Jin didn’t answer with his usual gushing of, ‘Absolutely!’ ‘Please? He’s going to love you!’, fear settled into your stomach. Looking up from your muffin you found Seokjin’s eyes to be scarily serious.

“What’s with the Cat looking at a Parakeet glare you’re giving me right now? Freaking me out dude,” you said, shifting in your seat uncomfortably.

“His name is Jungkook,” he said.

“S’cute,” you slurred, almost dribbling coffee down your chin.

“He’s gay,” Jin added.

“I figured as much,” you responded.

“But,” Jin said, pushing all the plates and cups aside. “I’d like for him to try pussy once before he dies if he’s up to it.”

It was a shame, you really liked the sweater he was wearing too. The barista’s heads rose in alarm at the sound of your intense coughing as Jin tried to shush you.

After a few moments a cup of water was placed down next to you, a worried looking girl behind it. “Please be careful, miss. The drinks are hot,” she offered before walking back behind the counter. You gulped some of the cold liquid and tried to find relief while you also gave Jin a watery grimace.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, pouting.

“Don’t look at me at all. In fact, don’t talk to me either,” you warned, wiping your mouth and trying to salvage the muffin you soaked.

Jin was quiet as you cleaned up, finished your water and refocused on the prior statement.

“What in the actual fuck are you talking about, Jin?” Your tone was soft but the incredulity behind it was clear as a bell.

“Remember when we were in our late teens and were incredibly horny and just wanted to shag something to get it out of our system?”

You quickly blushed at the memory. You and Jin were a couple years apart to begin with, but you had grown up around and knowing of each other. So, when you both found yourselves at the same party, too much alcohol running through your systems one thing led to another and you kinda fucked.

“We don’t talk about that night Jin, remember it was-”

“You’re first time I know,” he said. “I remember it well.” He winked, unintentionally sending a shock of warmth through you.

“You could barely remember your name the next morning, I’m sure you don’t remember taking my virginity,” you sneered.

“How could I forget such a tight pussy?” His crude words made your face hot and you fanned yourself with a napkin to try to distract from the incredibly inappropriate conversation.

“I remember it Jin, what about it?” Jin smiled before taking your hand in his.

“I want you to be Jungkook’s first girl,” he pleaded. You gaped at him, wondering what in the fuck had gotten into the man in front of you.

“Jin, you can’t just decide if I’m going to be Jungkook’s first girl, what if he doesn’t find me attractive? Do I need to remind you that your partner is gay? Of the homosexual persuasion. Anti Vagina Club that meets in the middle?” you said, taking your fingers and poking at them to mimic male on male sword fighting.

“Really, Y/N? That’s how you’re choosing to mime that?”

“I failed drama class.”

“Anyways, I’ve been watching Jungkook recently and he seems to be interested in females, at least a little bit. The boy saw Yerin dancing and practically begged me to fuck him into the mattress later that night.”

“So he even bottoms? Dude, how do you think he’s going to have sex with a woman?”

“I’d be there to help him, of course,” he said as if you were stupid.

“Absolutely not,” you crossed your arms.

“What? But he’s my boyfriend, don’t want your magic cunt stealing him from me,” he pouted.

“Jin!” you scolded, raising an eyebrow. He seemed to get the hint and cleared his throat.

“Listen, I really think he’d like it. Fuck, I was certain I was gay until I fell into bed with you! After you I came to realize that, sexuality is such a gray area. You can have a general idea of what you like, but forcing yourself to only look at one gender, one space of the plane... It feels too restrictive for me. That’s why I just like seeing who I vibe with. I’m pretty sure if Jungkook got his hands on you, he’d lose it.” Jin smiled.

He was really serious. He really wanted you to fuck his boyfriend... And he wanted to watch. You’d had sex since Jin, but it was all kind of uneventful and sort of boring. You could count on one hand how many people you’d had in the years since the tryst with Jin.

“D-Do you really have to watch?” you asked, rubbing your shoulder and looking towards the windows. Far too embarrassed to look him dead in the eyes.

“I mean if you wouldn't be comfortable with me joining in then no, but Jungkook is always begging for a threesome. However, those are generally with him being the sub and-”

“Great, great, thank you for that,” you complained, rubbing your forehead.

“Listen, Y/N. There’s a party tomorrow night and I want to introduce you to Jungkook. We’ll test the waters, see how you both feel about it, and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”

You rubbed your elbow and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I would be okay with that,” you said.

“Are you sure?” Jin held your hand.

“Yes Jin, I would be okay with that.” He smiled brightly before bringing you in for a delicate embrace.

What had you just agreed to?

* * *

The next night you sat in your living room staring at two dresses with a critical eye. Did you go for your dark burgundy one that shifted to a light purple in the right lighting? It was skin tight, but you weren’t exactly feeling that adventurous tonight.

Jin said tonight was for seeing if either of you were interested. Feeling each other out. Your cheeks flushed at the thought. You’d never even seen a picture of the man in question. Although, if Seokjin was fucking him then he was no doubt gorgeous...

You decided on your shorts and long sleeve black shirt. A choker was put around your neck and simple make up was done. You sighed, looking at yourself in the mirror.

You really had no idea why Jin was set on you being the one to give Jungkook his first ride in a vagina... but you could help but feel moderately inadequate. You weren’t skinny, nor were you athletic. You liked foods that were bad for you and had a nasty caffeine habit...

A knock came from your door. Was Seokjin here?

Heading towards the sound, you opened your front door to see Jin standing with a gorgeous man at his side. “Y/N!” Jin yelled before engulfing you in his arms. You huffed from his attack, giving who you assumed Jungkook a smile before Jin decided to throw you around, making your shorts ride up slightly.

“Jin, my shorts,” You whined.

“Sorry sorry,” he apologized. You straightened yourself out before offering your hand to Jungkook. Jin rolled his eyes before shoving you towards the male.

“Oof!” You gasped as your hit his solid brick chest. This boys was made of muscle. Jesus fuck...

“Y/N, this is Jungkook,” Jin said from behind you.

“It’s a pleasure,” Jungkook said. He helped pull you away from his chest.

“The pleasure is mine,” you said with a soft smile. Jin came up and wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

“You guys ready to party?!” Jin squealed. You rolled your eyes before shoving his arm off your shoulder.

“Smothering me,” you whined. “I’m in it for the booze,” you stated.

“You will dance with me before the end of the night,” Jin warned.

“I might need to be pass out drunk then,” you said. A soft giggle echoed through the air. You turned to see Jungkook giving you both a soft smile.

“Hyung was right,” Jungkook said.

“Hmm?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re really funny,” he said. You flushed and grinned.

“You’re just as cute as he said. Maybe more so,” you winked. Jungkook bit his lip before Jin interrupted.

“Let’s go, I don’t wanna have to park three streets over.”

Jin lead the two of you to his pick up truck. The one that legit has two seats. You scowled. “Kim Seokjin, why did you bring the only vehicle you own that has less than three seats?” You questioned.

“Oh sorry, Namjoon borrowed my car to head home for the weekend. So, truckie here was all I had,” he lied. You sighed and rubbed your forehead.

“You realize it’s illegal for me to sit in the back right?”

“Who said I was going to have you sit in the back? You can sit on Jungkook’s lap.” Jin shrugged.

“Jin,” you started.

“It’s alright,” Jungkook said, heading towards the truck and climbing in.

“He seems to like you,” Jin whispered before going for the drivers side. You blushed before following in Jins wake.

Jungkook was already buckling himself in as you cautiously came forward and looked at Jungkook with hesitance. He adjusted himself and looked at you expectantly. “You can sit down, I don’t mind,” he smiled.

“Jungkook I don’t know I’m really heavy and I don’t want-”

“It’s fine, Y/N, I’m tough.” You nodded and tried to keep your blush under control.

“Pardon me,” you excused. Climbing into the truck you settled into Jungkook’s lap. Jin buckled himself and adjusted the steering wheel.

“Jungkook, if you don’t hold onto her she’s going to fall into the dash,” he teased. You were about to retort when you felt Jungkook’s arms wind around your waist.

“Yes, hyung, I’ll make sure she doesn’t get hurt,” he promised. You licked your lips at the sensation of his strong arms encircling you. Jin looked at you for a second, sending you a quick wink.

“Off we go then!”

Jin hit the gas pedal and you were pressed into his lover’s chest in such a way that made your blood run hot in your veins. Jungkook’s hand was resting right above your hip bone and it made your body shudder with pleasure.

It almost made you feel guilty knowing that you were going to try to seduce this sweetheart... But, if he truly didn’t want to engage in that sort of activity with you, then it was just going to be moderately heart wrenching. Just looking at this guy you knew that he was your type.

Soft cheeks, sculpted jaw... Perfect skin, save for a few red spots that were probably faded acne. And who didn’t get a pimple once in a while? His brown eyes made your heart ache, like they were so full of life and curiosity.

It made you want to watch them light up as you undressed yourself before him. You wanted those adorable brown eyes to be raking over your body with abandon. Hungrily absorbing every inch of your naked skin as he would finally discover the one area on your body he’d never seen in perso-

“Am I uncomfortable or something? Do you need to adjust a little bit?” Jungkook asked, bringing you out of your depraved daydream.

“Oh, no, just... shorts are really short, fabric is kinda pinching a bit,” you excused away. Jin scoffed under his breath, barely hiding his obvious amusement at your pitiful lie.

“Maybe if you just took off the shorts all of your problems would be solved,” Jin suggested, putting his blinker on.

“Jin!” you yelped. Scandalized.

“Hyung tells me you two have been friends for a while.” Jungkook attempted some small talk. Grateful for a distraction from Jin’s not-so-subtle pushes towards intimacy, you accepted.

“Yeah, Jin and I have been friends since around senior year in highschool,” you acknowledged. “I knew him when he had really bad back-ne.”

Jin almost drove off the road.

“You take that lie back right now!”

“I’m not saying you have it now! Jesus, plus I think I was the only one to see your bare back for the first two years out of highschool,” you laughed.

“I like your back, hyung,” Jungkook soothed, rubbing his lover’s shoulder.

“At least somebody in this car appreciates fine beauty,” Jin dramatically sighed.

“I appreciate it too,” you confirmed, turning to look at Jungkook. “I’m appreciating it right now.”

Jungkook blushed and looked out the window, keeping his touch on your body feather-light. Pride filled your stomach at the fact that you had lifted that reaction from the beautiful boy.

The rest of the ride was spent reminiscing with Jin about late night drives out in the country, blaring the most obscene music that no doubt had corrupted some cows. Jungkook was quiet, but he pitched in a witty one liner every now and again.

You began to realize why Jin was really into Jungkook. He was so sweet and would send him endearing looks across the vehicle. And the fact that Jin’s constant self praise was tolerated by somebody was impressive. You loved the guy, but while losing your virginity he cried out his own name after finishing. Hopefully, that action was also quelled by Jungkook.

Sitting on Jungkook’s lap made your heart race. Everytime Jin hit a bump, your rump hit Jungkook’s front. Jungkook was nothing if not respectful. It kinda bummed you out if you were honest. You wanted to feel Jungkook’s hand wander a little lower than what was proper. You wanted his hand to slip into your no doubt damp panties as his lover drove his car.

Pulling up to the party, you were reminded heavily of why you didn’t like these affairs.

Too. Many. People.

Jin parked his car and got out, watching as you delicately slid off of Jungkook’s lap. When Jin came around to place his hand on the small of Jungkook’s back, you couldn’t help but feel a little unincluded. He’d invited you to try to get with his boyfriend after all...

The music was blaring when you walked in, almost overwhelmingly so. The kitchen was full of people doing shots and making poor decisions, as well as someone you recognized.

“Jimin!” you smiled, making your way over to a former tablemate of yours from Anthropology 101. His head turned and an effortless smile took over his features.

“Y/N!” he said, coming towards you. Jungkook and Jin held back, waiting for your introduction.

Jimin smelt incredible as he pulled you into a hug. His arms were warm and it made you miss the contact of another human that wasn’t doing it to be friendly. The underlying sexual tension from the semester still alive in well.

“You look incredible,” he complimented. HIs eyes wandered down to your legs and then made their way behind you to greet your companions for the night. “I’m being rude. Hi, I’m Jimin.”

Jin reached forward and gave his hand a shake and a soft smile. “I’m Jin, friend of Y/N. This is my partner, Jungkook,” he smiled, proudly showing off his lover to Jimin. Jungkook came forward and shook the older man's hand with a firm grip.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, keeping his face neutral.

“Same here,” Jimin agreed easily.

“How do you know, Y/N?” Jin asked.

“Ah,” you responded. “Jimin and I had Anthro 101 together. Mr. Kang was such a hardass, but we managed.” Jimin’s bell like laughter came through your ears.

“No doubt, if it wasn’t for Y/N I wouldn’t have passed. I owe you for that, don’t forget. But, there’s plenty of booze, music, food and people to get your fill of. So, enjoy. And, Y/N?” You turned to face Jimin, getting a soft peck on the cheek in return. “Save a dance for me, yeah?” You flushed and nodded, mimicking Jimin’s smile.

With a final nod to Jin and Jungkook, Jimin headed into the crowd of people. Swallowed up by the sea of grinding that was happening on the dance floor.

“He seems to like you,” Jin said. Knocking your shoulder with his you scoffed.

“Doubtful, Jin. He’s distracted by my obviously incredible legs,” you boasted. Jin laughed and placed a playful swat on your upper thigh.

“Hyung-”

“Jin-hyung?” A deep voice shouted over the innocuous bass. Turning his head Jin’s face erupted in a smile. “Namjoon!”

A silver haired beauty approached, wrapping Jin in a comfortable hug. “Never thought I’d see you again,” Namjoon stated.

“Neither did I man! What are you doing back from the States?” Jin asked.

“Missed it here, wanted to be home for a while before I started another stretch of producing,” he explained. You and Jungkook stood awkwardly behind him as he went on and on about his life.

“Hang on Joon, let me introduce you to my friends here,” Jin commented.

“Oh, shit, sorry. I’m Namjoon,” he introduced, reaching for your hand then Jungkook’s.

“Y/N,” you smiled.

“Jungkook,” he nodded.

“Hey, Jin. I know it’s a bit rude of me to ask for your company, but I’ve got some friends I’d love for you to meet outside,” Namjoon asked, raising a brow. If they were outside they were probably smoking. Something you definitely couldn’t partake in. “Of course you both are welcome to come with.”

“Ah, she can’t,” Jin said. Saving you the millionth explanation, he continued. “She’s allergic to cigarette and pot dude.”

“Oh, fuck... Well then I guess, I-uh,” Namjoon floundered.

“It’s alright, I’ll get a drink and hang out in here,” you said, sensing Namjoon’s disappointment.

“No no, don’t let me ruin your guy’s night-”

“Well, I came with two lovely people tonight. No doubt they can keep each other company while we go outside and catch up?” Jin suggested, looking as if he was pleading with the two of you.

“I don’t mind,” you said.

“Yeah, come on Y/N, let’s get a drink,” Jungkook smiled. “Bye hyung, nice to meet you Namjoon!” Jungkook said, taking your wrist and leading you towards the kitchen.

You both found a secluded section of the kitchen that had a bottle of Vodka being passed between you both.

“Are you okay with sitting in here with me? You don’t have to,” you said. Jungkook shook his head.

“Nah, smoking hasn’t ever been my thing. Hyung doesn’t do it, but it doesn’t bother him either. But I’ve never heard of someone being allergic to it before, that must be hard,” he conversed.

“Well, I have a sort of salve that I can put on in the morning to keep unavoidable exposure bearable. But if someone blows it right into my face then I go into an asthmatic fit and get hives. It’s not a good look, but Jin seemed excited to see him... So I wanted him to have some fun. And, this way, we can get to know each other.”

“There’s perks to everything,” Jungkook smiled.

‘See how you both feel...’

Jin’s words echo in your mind. You also had a mission tonight. To see if Jungkook would be interested in being physical with you. Your mind was made up, you wanted to have sex with him. But it all came down to his consent and what he was comfortable with.

Looking towards the crowd of people dancing, a sensual song came over the surround sound. Your eyebrows lifted in interest. “Do you want to dance?” you asked, looking towards him.

Jungkook shrugged. “I mean, yeah I guess.”

Placing the vodka bottle on the counter, you took Jungkook’s hand and lead him towards the floor. Couples bumped into you and gave you dirty looks before becoming absorbed in one another again. You made it to a more open space towards the back window where you could see Jin outside talking with Namjoon and a bunch of people in a circle smoking.

“How do you wanna-”

“We can do this.” Jungkook said, wrapping his hands around your waist and making you put your hands across his shoulders.

Gently swaying to the seductive chords made your body thrum with excitement. Jungkook’s hands were frozen in their spot and it frustrated you. You wish he would just put his hands on you already...

But, you kept yourself contained. If he was comfortable, he’d make the move. However, the vodka was running rampant in your mind and Jungkook was a beautiful specimen of the opposing sex. You kept your eyes trained on his face as the two of you swayed to the music. Without giving it much attention your sight wandered outside.

Jin was standing there, staring at the two of you with an eyebrow raised. He seemed to be daring you.

‘I bet you won’t.’

As if God was listening, the song changed and a dirtier, more raunchy song blasted through the speakers. Jungkook flushed and you could feel his grip tighten on your sides.

Partners turned around and respectively began to grind on each other. One couple was even swapping spit in the opposite corner to you and Jungkook. He swallowed thick and you saw his discomfort. “Did you want to stop?” You asked, bringing your hands down from his neck.

Jungkook sighed. “I dunno, parties aren’t nearly as fun when you’re sober,” Jungkook complained.

“You’re so cute,” you said aloud. Jungkook's eyebrows shot up. You realized your mistake. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” you apologized. When he didn’t answer you chanced a look at his face.

He had the sweetest smile painted on his perfect lips. “Hyung was right, you really are a great person.”

You floundered. The genuine compliment there you off your seductive game. Horrendously sober you had to think of a response. “Thanks.”

Great fucking answer...

The crowd started getting closer to you and Jungkook, making you a little woozy. Gripping onto Jungkook's hand you swallowed hard.

“You okay?” He asked, sensing your distress.

“Yeah, just, lots of people,” you whispered.

“If you don’t like crowds then a party was a bad plan, especially a dance floor at a party,” Jungkook stated.

“Let’s dance it’ll help me keep my mind off of it,” you declared.

“Sure-” You backed yourself up against his body after one couple got a little too close for comfort. “Oh...”

You turned your head to find Jungkook against the wall and your ass fitted right against the dip of his pelvis. You blushed, but stayed there. Jungkook had a dreamy expression on his face. As if he were confused yet not upset.

“Can I grind on you?” You asked, bringing his hands to your hips. Jungkook bit his lip and seemed to think about it.

“I-I guess? Um, never been grinded on, always been the grinder,” he joked breathlessly.

“Oh, my treat then,” you smiled before pulling him off the wall and beginning to move your hips with the beat. Jungkook kept his pace slow, bending his knees slightly so you were more so sitting on his lap while wiggling your hips. Jungkook wrapped one arm around your waist and pulled you closer to his front.

You were going to say something when you noticed... he was competing with the other couples.

He wanted the two of you to look the best on the dance floor. The thought of it made you want to laugh. It was such a childish competition... but it made your blood boil knowing he wanted to keep going. That he enjoyed being against your body, even if it was just a little bit. Jungkook’s arms tightened around your body and brought you in closer.

Your head lulled back against his shoulder, fitting against the dip of his neck comfortably. Jungkook moved his hands to your stomach, pushing his hands against your soft skin. You squealed and gripped his palms, making him released the tender flesh there.

“You’re really soft,” Jungkook murmured against your head. You flushed, biting your lip and rolled your hips to the sway of the music.

“Mm, you’re a good dancer,” you complimented.

“I have a great partner,” he said easily. You chuckled when you felt something a little different on your lower back. It wasn’t hard per se, it was more of just a poke that you were aware of. Maybe his zipper was a little loose.

“Jungkook, you might want to fix your zipper it’s digging into my back,” you said. Jungkook nodded and moved away to fix his pants when you saw all the color drain from his face. Concern flashed through your body as you held his head in your hands. “Are you alright? Did you drink too much?”

Almost ripping your hands away from his face, he stared at you with scared eyes before running off of the dance floor. You watched as he ran and disappeared into the crowd.

Confusion wrapped around your mind.

Until it hit you.

Jungkook was hard.

The uncomfortable sensation in your shorts confirmed your issue as well.

You were wet, and you really were considering that threesome now...

* * *

The morning after the party Jin messaged you.

JINGLE: Heyoooo!

You: Excuse, I was still sleeping.

JINGLE: Sorry beetch, but just wanted to thank you for riling Jungkook up so bad last night. Boy couldn’t get enough.

You: Brb, gonna drink an entire gallon of bleach.

JINGLE: But seriously, Y/N. I could’ve sworn when he fell asleep after, like, round four or something? He mumbled something that sounded like your name.

You: ....

JINGLE: I saw you two dancing. Ya nasty kids were getting down hard, and y’know, Jungkook got hard too.

You: JIN!

JINGLE: I’m just being honest. Did you feel anything with him last night?

You: I mean, he’s cute...

JINGLE: Did you get wet while you were grinding on him?

You: I’m not having this conversation.

JINGLE: So that’s a yes.

You: OK, but he ran off once he figured out he was hard. He literally looked like he saw a ghost and then bolted. Boy fucking dipped.

JINGLE: I remember being terrified when I woke up the morning after sleeping with you! When you realize that you aren’t certain of something that is already so up in the air to begin with, you sort of spiral into your own thoughts. He just needs some time.

You: Do you think he’ll be alright?

JINGLE: I think he’ll be fine. Just gotta think it out, maybe jerk it a few times to some straight porn.

You: I’m done with this conversation.

JINGLE: Would you be okay with us coming over next week sometime? I don’t want him to think that you hate him. Knowing Kookie he’ll blame himself for running out on you last night.

You: Yeah, and then I had to sit on your nasty lap the whole way home.

JINGLE: EXcUSe mE? MY LAP IS PRIME REAL ESTATE I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW!!

You: There was a housing crash, srry.

JINGLE: Fuck you.

You: You wish.

JINGLE: Actually wanna set you up with my boyfriend.

You: I’m gonna leave you on R if you don’t stop motherfucker.

JINGLE: That’s a new kink.

JINGLE: Wait, holy shit you were serious?

JINGLE: Y/N, are we good to come over next week thought?

JINGLE: Y/N I’m serious.

JINGLE: I’m assuming your silence is a yes, so see you like Thursday night.

* * *

You worked your normal week and found that your boss had graced you with the glorious two days in a row off.

Maybe his new wife was going to make him less of an asshole.

But you had those hopes with the last seven. Lucky number eight?

You got out of your shower after work Wednesday night and stepped into your fogged up bathroom. Reaching for your towel you heard a knock come to your front door.

Oh fuck! Did chinese get here early?

Fuck nuggets.

Maybe if you showed up in your towel you’d get a discount or something. Saying like you didn’t have an extra pocket to hold the cash in...

Creeping out you grabbed a twenty and headed towards the entryway. Opening the door instead of a teenage delivery boy you found a very tired looking Jungkook and an excited Jin standing behind him.

“Hi Y/N-whoa, did you pre plan this for us?” Jin said, licking his lips. You shrieked and slammed the door in their faces.

“WHAT THE FUCK IT ISN’T THURSDAY!” you yelled.

“IT’LL BE THURSDAY IN ABOUT FIVE HOURS CUT ME SOME SLACK, YEAH?”

A few aggressive knocks came from your door and you rolled your eyes, opening the door again. “I don’t want any,” you said.

“Too bad, it’s a two for one special,” Jin grinned. You smiled at the sleepy Jungkook and got a shy grin in return.

“I’ll take the sleepy one for full price, the loud obnoxious one can fuck right off,” you snorted. Jin made a sound of offense before you turned to let them come in.

You went to your room and pulled on some comfortable clothes, next brushing your hair before heading out into the living room with your wet hair framing your face. You found Jin sitting on your couch playing on his phone with Jungkook laying in his lap. You sat down next to Jin and leaned your head on his shoulder, gazing at his memes.

“Bruh, that flaming Kermit meme is my mental state at all times,” you laughed. Jin chuckled and agreed.

Soon you felt your phone vibrating. Picking it up it was the chinese place that you’d ordered your food from.

Apparently their only delivery vehicle had broken down and they were taking half of the price off the meal if you were still interested in coming to pick it up.

“Oh fuck me,” you groaned, resting your head back on the couch.

“Spread your legs then,” Jin answered. You punched his shoulder before throwing your phone on the couch.

“God damn it, my craving for mediocre chinese food can’t be quenched tonight,” you sighed dramatically.

“And why not?” Jin questioned, running his fingers through Jungkook’s hair in a way that made your heart melt.

“Their delivery vehicle broke down and now if you still want your food you have to go pick it up,” you groaned.

“That’s bullshit,” Jin commented.

“Eh, it’s half off but-”

“Wait what the fuck? And you’re not going to go get it?”

“That chinese place is near that fucking intersection that literally fucks you in the ass with no lube and then spits on your mom. No food is worth that kind of pain for me,” you stated firm.

“Then I’ll go get it,” Jin said, already moving to stand up. Jungkook made a whimper of displeasure at being jostled.

“But he’s sleeping Jin, just let the boy sleep,” you scolded.

“Here, scoot closer,” Jin said, pulling you further in.

“H-huh? Why?” you asked. The warmth of his thigh made your head go a little dizzy.

“Here, you just let him sleep on your lap and then I’ll go get the food. Jungkook had a tough day at work today and he’s tired, so you can be his pillow while I’m gone. I’ll even pick up some dumplings as compensation for your thigh going numb,” Jin pleaded.

“Fine fine, yeah, knock yourself out,” you said. Pushing your way in Jin successfully deposited Jungkook in your lap. He gripped your hip and pulled you closer, resting his head dangerously close to your crotch. Jin smiled down at the two of you.

“You look so cute,” he grinned.

“Shut up and get me dumplings before I get mad,” you warned. Jin smiled and headed towards the door.

“I’ll probably be a while, it’s club hopping time at this hour.”

“You’re a brave soul,” you commented.

“Have some fun while I’m gone.” He winked and headed out the door, leaving you with his boyfriend sleeping in your lap.

Grabbing your phone you decided that you would just scroll through tumblr or instagram, finding amusement in the cute dog pictures and cats being startled by various vegetables.

You felt Jungkook shift every once in a while, so you started running your fingers through his hair to ease his fit. He seemed to relax after that.

Time moved rather slow as you waiting for Jin to return. Your stomach wanted food, but Jungkook was sleeping peacefully on your thighs. The Doritos you had sitting on your counter mocked you.

“Mmm,” Jungkook hummed in his sleep. You smiled and continued to play with his hair. A soft whine came from his lips and you watched as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You huffed as his strength pulled the air from your lungs. Also making your empty stomach pissy.

“Jungkook,” you started. However before you could continue Jungkook lifted his face from your lap and buried it in your stomach, forcing you to lie back on the couch. You tried to wriggle away, but to no avail. The boy was like steel bars around you body.

Even though the shift made your heart race, you continued your phone game. You texted Jin and pleaded for him to hurry up.

He merely responded that traffic was stupid but $2 gyoza was worth every penny.

Setting your phone down you felt the familiar pressure in your crotch. You had to pee. Looking down at Jungkook fast asleep on your stomach, you felt uncertainty bubble up.

Surely Jin wouldn’t be too long, and then Jungkook will get up for Chinese anyways...

Right?

Ten minutes later you were certain your bladder was going to make you regret being born. But just as your were about to get up and throw Jungkook on the floor, his head came up off your stomach pudge.

“Y/N? Where’s Hyung?” His voice was so soft it made your teeth hurt.

“Out getting food, traffic is really bad so he might be a while,” you explained. Jungkook blushes when he saw where he was.

“Sorry, I cuddle when I sleep.” You smiled and patted his cheek.

“It’s alright Kook, no harm no foul. But I need to use the restroom, one second.”

You hustled to the bathroom just in time and felt a wave of relief. You pulled your panties back up to feel a harsh cold touching your heated center.

You were wet.

Upon further inspection, you were incredibly wet. Like, needed to be sorted out wet.

You flushed and hurried to clean yourself up to the best of your ability before going towards the sink and washing your hands.

When you opened the door you found Jungkook leaning against the back of the couch, resting his eyes. Was he asleep again?

“Jungkook?” you asked, approaching him carefully. carefully. He appeared so peaceful, as if he had no care in the world. You smiled as you stood before him. His lips stood out to you, plump and pink in the dimming light of your apartment.

When you examined his skin you found there to be no flaws, just two cute moles dotting his rounded face. You bit your lip as you found yourself wanting to get closer, to be closer.

Jungkook’s breathing was soft against your face...

“Noona?” He asked, his eyes peering into yours.

You then realized how close to him you actually were. Perhaps an inch and a half away from his face. You flushed and tried not to make an unattractive sound and bail.

“Sorry,” you breathed, but you didn’t move away.

“Noona... I...”

You licked your lips, flashing him a sign of your desire to plant a kiss right on his pouting lips.

“Jungkook we’re the same age,” you said softly.

“But do you mind if I call you Noona?” He asked.

“I didn’t mind earlier,” you said.

“Noona,” he started. “The other night, Hyung and I were having sex.”

You bit your lip and tried not to imagine Jungkook, bent over and pleading for Jin’s cock. The momentary thought had you clenching your thighs together again.

“Jungkook,” you whispered.

“Hyung was fucking me so hard... but all I could think about was you... kissing you, and you sucking my dick while Hyung fucks me,” he panted. You felt a shiver of pleasure go down your spine.

However, you still hesitated.

Even if Jungkook was interested in you, Jin was his boyfriend. And Jin mentioned that he wanted to be there if the two of you had sex. Although the idea made you uneasy at first, right now you wanted to watch Jin fuck the younger male hard as his face was buried between your thighs. Should you wait for Jin to get back so you all can discuss this? Everything was going rather fast and it made your stomach flutter with nerves.

“I-I don’t know what you-”

“Can I kiss you Noona?” Jungkook asked, staring at your lips. “Your lips look so pretty and pink... So soft, I just want to kiss you so badly,” he whispered.

Hearing these compliments you bit your lip without realizing it. Jungkook found this undeniably alluring. You pulled at your flesh with your teeth and you then understood how desperately you wanting him to kiss you.

“Just a peck... Nothing more than that,” you compromised.

Jungkook wasted no time swallowing your lips with his own. You tried to keep your mind straight while his lips moved against yours.

Pulling back you gasped against his moist mouth. Jungkook moves to kiss you once more, but you placed your hand on his chest.

“I said a peck,” you warned. Jungkook huffed in displeasure.

“Your lips taste so good, please let me taste more,” he begged.

You frowned and tried to reason with yourself. Jungkook was in a relationship and even though his partner already spoke to you... you still couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

“J-Jungkook I can’t,” you whispered.

“Is it because of Hyung?” He asked.

You nodded sheepishly. “It feels wrong when you’re with him. If we talked about it maybe-“

“I’ll call him,” Jungkook said. You made an ugly squeak while he stood up.

“B-b-b-but Jungkook hang on!” You yelled, chasing after him.

“Hyung~” Jungkook’s voice echoed through the house.

“Please Jungkook!”

“I want to kiss Noona is that alright?”

You almost collapsed in embarrassment. The boy was learning things from Jin. You’d have to talk with him about that.

“I’ll be good to her till you get back.”

Hold up.

Till he got back? The fuck did that mean?

“Noona~” Jungkook sang. You bit your lip as he approached you like a panther.

“Y-yes Jungkook?” You answered.

“Hyung said it was okay for us to play, if you want to,” he smirked.

Your foot caught on the edge of the rug and you you sent falling backwards. Hitting the fabric of your couch you noticed your position. Your one leg hooked over the arm of the couch and the other landing against the soft cushions.

Jungkook stated at you before falling to his knees and crawling forward. “Noona, we don’t have to play if you don’t want. But the way you look right now, I’m already so hard,” he whined.

Biting your lip, you thought of the young man coming towards you. Jin did say he was comfortable with the proceedings. And you were in desperate need of sorting out. And looking at Jungkook right now, made you even more desperate.

“I-I want to play,” you consented. Jungkook smiled and crawled between your thighs, moving up to capture your lips. You wrapped your arms around his neck and brought him closer to your frame.

Jungkooks kisses were so needy and deep it made your head spin. You’d never been kissed with such enthusiasm before. “Noona, your mouth feels so good,” Jungkook whined.

A sharp grind into the couch made your body flush with heat. Jungkook climbed up and pushed you back onto the cushions. You bit your lip as he looked down at your body beneath his.

“God I could just devour you,” he moaned, licking a stripe from the hollow of your throat to your chin. You whimpered at the action, making your thighs clench together painfully.

“Hurry,” you pleaded.

“What do you need, Noona?” Jungkook whispered. You looked down and saw Jungkook’s pants tightening over his groin. Your mouth watered at the thought of his cock on your tongue.

“Let me suck you off,” you begged.

Jungkook blushes and bit his lip. “I-i can’t remember the last time I had someone suck my dick,” Jungkook smirked. “You want my cock in your mouth?”

“Yes, yes please let me taste you,” you pleaded.

“Get on your knees,” Jungkook smiled.

Flying out from underneath him you got on the floor. Jungkook sat down on the couch and pulled his zipper down. You were practically humming with desire for him.

It felt like an eternity before Jungkook brought his throbbing cock out before you. Licking your lips you reached forward and took the hot member in your fist. Jungkook hissed and rested his head on the back of the couch.

Watching a bead of precum move down his shaft you quickly licked it up. You smirked as Jungkook tensed at the sensation. Jungkook didn’t strike you as an intense bottom or a dominant top. But Jin more than likely did a majority of the fucking in their relationship.

So, being able to pleasure him in this way made your heart flutter in your chest.

Taking his length in your hand you leaned over his cock and let a string of hot spit dribble over his throbbing tip. Jungkook arched into your touch, keening at your attention. You bit your lip and began pumping your hand up and down.

“Mmm, fuck that feels so good,” he groaned. The compliment made you flush, and struck a chord within you to work harder. Making you want his cum so badly.

Your panties were stuck to your center uncomfortably. You shifted in your seat and Jungkook took notice.

“Are you wet? You should run your fingers over your pretty pussy just to see how wet you are,” he purred.

Obeying, you slowly eased your hands in you pajama bottoms. Jungkook watched with bated breath as you found your drenched folds.

“I’m soaking,” You whimpered, rubbing your fingers over the heated skin of your arousal.

“Are you? Then let me-”

“Yah! Get out here before the fucking food gets-oh...”

Fuck...

[dottiep]

Game of Thrones' watch has ended, Fleabag raised an eyebrow to us for the last time, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend took its final bow, and The Big Bang Theoryfinally fixed that dang elevator. The last 12 months brought fans of some of television's biggest shows the one thing they've been missing: closure.

But even after the conclusion of so many important series, thus rendering those programs ineligible for our ranking of the 100 best shows on right now (words mean stuff!), the caliber of content may be stronger than ever before. In the last month alone, viewers have been able to watch new episodes of GLOW, Succession, Dear White People, and Power, and catch up on beloved series like The Crown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Supernatural, and The Good Fight before their new seasons premiere. And who hasn't gotten sucked into a marathon of SVU or Snapped at least once over the past year? This lineup will only grow in the future, with the launch of Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max, NBCUniversal's streaming platform, and, heck, even Quibi? Quibi! (Say it out loud, it's fun.)

68. Gentleman Jack

Suranne Jones is a star. That much is clear. And Suranne Jones playing Anne Lister — the real-life industrialist in the 1800s whose five-million-word coded diary forever changed the way lesbian history is viewed — is a performance you'd be remiss not to watch. Gentleman Jack creator Sally Wainwright more than does justice to the incredible true story of Lister and her romance with (and eventual marriage to) sheltered heiress Ann Walker (Sophie Walker), but it's the cheekiness and heartbreak Jones brings to the lead role that makes this historical drama so compelling. Do yourself a favor and watch this star-making turn already. -Sadie Gennis

9. GLOW

There's a scene toward the very end of GLOW's third season when Debbie (Betty Gilpin, we stan!) finally explains to her BFF-cum-frenemy, Ruth (Alison Brie), how she pulled off a seemingly impossible series of moves that left Debbie with what feels like true power for the first time (no spoilers, just watch). "It worked. It f--ing worked," Debbie says, barely holding it together, almost unable to believe she was able to thread the needle. It's perhaps the most thrilling moment yet in an absolutely riveting show — and a perfect encapsulation of what makes GLOW so powerful. What started ostensibly as a series about the fledgling launch of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling has become something so much more: a series about what happens when women force change, take what's theirs, and don't apologize for anything. -Christopher Rosen

1. Schitt’s Creek

Schitt's Creek is taking over. The nicest show on television is riding the high of its first Emmy nominations — including outstanding comedy series, lead actress (Catherine O'Hara), and lead actor (Eugene Levy) — heading into its sixth and final season, and there's no time to waste lamenting how long it's taken most American viewers to catch on to this dreamy Canadian import. The Pop TV series, created by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, tells the story of a once-wealthy family inching toward happiness after they're forced to start over in a small town. "What brings so much joy to me in terms of writing this family is that all of these monumental moments for each of these characters are, to most well-adjusted people, totally everyday things. Like saying I love you and being open with your feelings," Dan Levy told TV Guide. Like the Rose family, Schitt's Creek has a knack for reinventing the ordinary. It's a comfortable sitcom packed with so much kindness that it feels brand new.

[kim-lexie]

march favorites.

once again i am insanely late to the party. but still need to keep this up-to-date for memories sake. plus this was a month full of absolutely great dramas and music.

music.

tomorrowXtogether. debut. seriously long awaited/drawn out debut has arrived from the bighit ent. all of the songs are bops. it has a fresh new kid on the block vibes. i love the bright concept, and i shall continue to listen in anticipation of what is to come for this next generation of kpop. p.s. was going to write my top tracks but that would be the album as a whole, it’s been on repeat. (side note i ended up purchasing the album bc i stan these precious beans and i love them. 10 out of 10 would recommend)

‘rooftop’ by N.Flying. this song, just this song! it’s great give it a listen and support this talented band.

‘wakey wakey’ by NCT127. let me just flip a freaking table. this one came for me and my well being. it shall have its own post. bc all my feelings cannot be contained.

also, anything and everything NCT. i have the incredible honor to purchase tickets to see the one and only NCT 127 live when they come to america for their tour. i am incredibly blessed and shall be listening, living and breathing NCT (and their fan chants) until the fated day when our destinies collide. 

“bon bon chocolat” by everglow. this was unexpected. i’m not big on girl groups other than blackpink or mamamoo. but freaking dang. this was great! the track, the lyrics, the choreography! it’s just great all around. go give it a listen and stan these beautiful talented humans.

“gogobebe” by mamamoo. these incredible vocalists have done it again. this is another bop that took over my playlist. 

“photograph” by 1415. touch your heart OST. i hardly ever have OSTs on my rewind but my goodness this group is incredible and this song just hits me like a truck everytime. it is great! here is a link to another one of their songs that just hits you in the feels.

persona. Dang RM went off. it’s old school and all the references are perfect! the lyrics. he’s truly laying it all out there, saying the person you think he is, is only the part he’s choosing to show to help us through life. being that shoulder to cry upon from the lyrics in their songs. dang. it hit hard. i am glad they are finding themselves in their journey as well and if they choose to share than by all means, but if not as long as they are happy with their own growth as humans than that’s all that truly matters. 

dramas & movies. *spoiler alert*

how to publish love. also known as romance is a bonus book. this is such a cute drama with ‘pretty noona buys me food vibes’. i didn’t know how i was going to like this drama but it has grown on me. dan-i is making her way and finding her voice; though at times i feel like she is dulled out by the people in the company trying to shut her down. i wish they would be able to speak up. i enjoyed how all the unknowns unfolded in the last two episodes. really loved and appreciated how all the loose ends were tied especially with ji-yool and seung jin! this was seriously the best drama for lee jong-suk, and i cannot believe that this will be his last drama until he returns from military service. (i’m still in the denial stage.) side note i felt the relationship with her daughter was majorly slacking, and we haven’t been able to see this side of her. overall, a 10 out of freaking 10 would recommend to anyone and their mother, pets. and house plants.

radiant. also known as the light in your eyes. never been this lost with that unexpected turn at episode 10. like my goodness thought i signed up for a fantasy drama but it was really all her reality. this was a remarkable drama that came for my heart and soul. every aspect had me looking toward a new goal or way to fix this mess but in the end it was all her own reality, formed in a way to help her handle this helpless situation. it will make you cry and you will need a box of kleenex. overall a great drama i would 9 out of 10 recommend.

touch your heart. THIS WAS INSANELY GREAT AND LONG AWAITED. EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS OTP FINALLY GET TOGETHER. i loved the carefree relationship that formed between these two. they were absolutely precious, and i loved how dynamic this show was, from the romance, comedy, crime, cop aspects it had everything! i would totally watch this again in a heartbeat. just go do yourself a favor and watch it! seriously 11 out of 10.

this freaking scene. i am weeping just thinking about it. 

finding mr. destiny. my goodness this was a great watch all the way through. i enjoyed the way that the storyline unfolded. i’d like to think the scenes with him in them, were from the future of their own visit to india. they’re precious and i love how both of them grew and developed dynamically through the story. 

one more time. my goodness and unexpected tear jerker brought to you by Netflix. i don’t know what i expected but i am so glad i watched this one. it held goblin vibes and i appreciated that. thought this was a short series that i finished in a day it will truly be lasting. i appreciate how tan developed and grew through this. i had no idea dan in would have been going through such hardships at he beginning. i appreciate how her story unfolded and how we got a hold episode depicting her life events which really turned the page for both our main characters. all the people he impacted by changing a few steps in one day was incredible to see how he went from materialistic gains to ensuring the safety of his love. ahhh the ending really got me. the fact that he sacrificed himself to go with her was deeply saddening but i understand where he was in this moment. and how they came to finding each other there again at a similar spot to how she met him in high school. him busking. and i totally appreciated how it was the first snow fall. it was a really great watch. i give it a 9.5 out of 10.

[varianreviewsanime]

KOTOURA-SAN

After watching all 12 episodes of this anime in a marathon style I can confidently say I enjoyed this anime. While this anime doesn’t redefine or become completely outstanding, it excels at what it aims to do: taking a “what if” premise in this scenario telepathy and setting a story behind what a person’s life would be like in that scenario. Just keep in mind this review is my personal opinion and you will probably have a different experience watching it yourself.

Story 7/10: Set in a familiar high school teenager setting like many other anime, the anime tries to follow a similar slice of life style. This is a tale of the struggles of daily life and acceptance for a young girl with telepathy. The sci fi/fantasy element is used quite well and is the primary motivator for all major events in the plot. Although generally about enduring hardships there are a few main plot lines being romance, mystery and the last major one about fixing the past. As Kotoura makes friends who accept her, it allows her to come out of her shell a bit. The story can be somewhat predictable and often takes a melodramatic approach towards events that shouldn’t be as significant as they are; but, if you can place yourself in the shoes of the characters you can understand how the story events are meaningful to them. Hopefully you’ll enjoy comedy as well since it is often placed numerously throughout the episodes and generally halts or decelerates the storyline in favor of character development. Just don’t be surprised if a few episodes feel like filler for comedic purposes. When drama does get serious, however, you will get deeply invested as I did. For instance, the first episode drags you in with a very dramatic look at Kotoura’s past.

Art and sound 5/10: The sound didn’t really stand out to me, unfortunately. I am one who takes the sound into high consideration. There was no OST in this anime that I would really remember. It was pretty generic. The art is isn’t very original, either. Most of the characters are just your typical character molds. Nothing in particular really attracts any attention. The animation is ok, overall. There are scenes that are really awkward, but not so much so to destroy the atmosphere.

Characters 5/10: As stated above, the character design is very unoriginal. Their personalities are pretty average, as well. Kotoura is the typical self deprecating teenager who just believes she is doomed to be alone. She selfishly locks herself away to avoid hurting her friends. The cliche goes on, as her friends come to find her and won’t leave until she accepts them and decides to go back to school. The main guy Manabe is a typical pervert. He uses his dirty imagination to annoy Kotoura, who can see exactly what he is thinking. Mifune is the senpai who has a dark secret that she keeps from everyone except her best friend Muroto, the equally mysterious quiet guy. The last “friend” is Moritani. She starts out as a bully, ruthlessly harassing Kotoura. Then, when she is told off by her crush, they suddenly become best friends. Because, everyone wants to be best friends with the chick who bullied you for the first couple weeks you knew them.

Enjoyment 7/10: Despite its flaws, the show is quite enjoyable. I was easily able to watch it in one sitting and never got bored of it. Though, there were parts of it that just made me angry, I think it was more of a personal vendetta against the “nice guy” cliche. You know the one. Where the main character welcomes all her bullies into her heart and forgives them… because, why not?

Overall 6/10: This anime was quite good but it just missed the mark in terms of being incredible. While comedy adds to the plot line, some of the same jokes are overused and inserted in awkward places during periods of tension. The ecchi also has good reason to be involved since we're looking into people’s minds and sexual fantasies are normality. However there were many deeper questions to be answered, such as; Is it ok to have private thoughts when others are aware? Is it ethically right for someone to read your mind and judge you for it afterwards? Could such an ability be used for good or will someone always use it to exploit that person? Should Kotoura be able to call Manabe a pervert and punish him for his private thoughts? The quest to find people who will accept you no matter how dangerous or weird you are makes this a heartwarming journey with some laughs along the way.

[wenskexing]

5 REASONS TO WATCH ‘WHEN A SNAIL FALLS IN LOVE’

Recently okay a while ago I finished watching When a Snail Falls in Love, and was left with the emptiness that follows when you finish something that was just that good. I don’t usually venture into C-dramas, but after hearing great reviews from trusted sources, coupled with my undying love for Wang Kai, I decided to take the bite. So here I am—months later—still thinking about this show and all of its amazingness and I just thought that I’d compile a list to convince more people to watch this show and fangirl with me. I feel like not many people venture into C-dramas (as I myself haven’t had in the past either), I still want to make a case for this one because like I said it’s really good and then there’s also Wang Kai of course. 

[Okay but before the list of reasons, first here’s a good synopsis of the show from Soompi.]

When a Snail Falls in Love is a crime thriller/romance drama based on the novel of the same name by author Ding Mo. It stars Wang Kai as Ji Bai, an ace police detective who is in charge of the Violent Crimes Unit, and his partner Xu Xu, an intern criminal profiler played by Wang Zi Wen. The two seem like an awkward pairing, but in reality they’re the best team with an incredible track record in solving crimes. Ji Bai initially intended to fire Xu Xu due to her lack of physical fitness, but she is very talented in profiling. Over time, they become impressed and admire each other’s talents and work ethic, and the pair slowly fall in love in the midst of their investigations (x).  

– THE REASONS –

5.  The cases

I loved that the cases weren’t just a backdrop as some shows do. While I have nothing against episodic arcs, there is a certain weight that is taken away when things are  resolved by the end of each episode too easily. While not exactly my favorite part of the show, as certain parts may feel a bit draggy (especially with the first story arc, but it picks up with the second story arc) it certainly knew when to draw your attention by drawing up the stakes high to full effect. There are two main cases (story arcs) that spill over to many of the episodes. It’s also an intriguing watch and makes for some heart-racing television and it also explores some pretty interesting themes and means pf storytelling. Sorry for the vagueness but I just don’t want to spoil anything. The cases that they characters in this show investigate creates a really nice setting ground for these characters their relationships to blossom in amazing ways. Fair warning though, the show does tackle some weighty topics and it can get quite graphic too. The episodes are also no more than half hour a piece, so the time commitment shouldn’t be an issue :)

4. The side characters

Despite the episode’s length of half an hour each, and with only 21 episodes to its name (I’m still waiting for the news of a season 2 tbh) surprisingly there was still enough time to develop some pretty great characters in their own right. There’s even an amazing female friendship to boot, that not only support one another but are total bad asses in a male dominated field, and are also so brave and wonderful you’ll cry when you think about them (okay you might not, but I still do).

3. Wang Kai is Ji Bai

As much as I love him, I surprised myself by putting him only as number three on this list. Which says a lot. But that just for me goes to show how much this series has going for it, and all the more reasons to why I adore it so much :’)

For me I didn’t think that Ji Bai would be so great on paper as a character. But on the screen with Wang Kai’s incredible acting to show us the complexities of an otherwise flat character, things turn for the best. Ji Bai can be pretty serious and stoic at times but when you have an actor like Wang Kai, everything just falls into place. He really does have this undeniable air about him when he acts, something restrained, that’s simmering just below the surface, and it’s up to the audience to pay close attention and then be completely immersed in his roles. His strong presence and looks may also well be his bane because of something called typecasting, but I like that with every role he takes on (most notably Prince Jingyan the love of my life in Nirvana in Fire, to those of you who haven’t seen it, please do yourself a favor and go watch that masterpiece) he does his best to not fall into that typecasting nightmare by making the character his own. It also just so happens that he constantly makes my heart melt with his face and the beautiful beyond compare voice of his :’)

Here’s a pic of him in a pair of aviators that slay me 24/7 (the navy and black ensemble he’s wearing here also doesn’t hurt either, I suppose).

And here’s him in a very chic athletic-y jacket that’s in the cutest color, and suits him so well. 

Then we have him looking super casual and still hella fine.

Here’s him in uniform.

Here’s him looking super dapper and life-ruining, in a suit that fits him like a glove.

And finally, here’s him in a cowboy-esque hat that he somehow pulls off?? Idk man, I’m no a scientist, I’m an English major so I can’t say for sure why that is the case either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2. Xu Xu as an amazing lead and character

Xu Xu is everything I admire in my lady characters. She’s smart, intuitive, and strong in ways that isnt about physical strength. More than anything I found her to be a greatly empathetic character. By that I mean in the way that she feels for others. She feels emotions as intensely as only someone that truly cared about your well being would and it makes me love her so much. Shes unafraid to show the world that shes intelligent and is irreverant in trusting her spot-on instincts. Sometimes, she does make wrong calls though, and its because shes human. Theres no fault, no ill-intent. But then she isnt afraid to apologize and make amends. I love that about her just so freaking much, Its a trait I dont see enough of and all the more what makes Xu Xu so lovable and amazing to me. And thats all to Wang Zi Wen too. Wow shes just great. 

1. THE OTP AND THE FUCKING SLOW BURN ROMANCE OH MY GOD

LOOK AT THEM !!1!

When it’s all said and done, of course the main seller of this drama, especially if you’re anything like me is the OTP. I love them. SO MUCH.

And once again I don;t have anything intellectual or groundbreaking to say. What I feel for these two is just so strong, and that should tell you a lot. 

But seriously, if you don’t watch for anything at all, watch it for the fucking slow burn. You will not regret it. 

Also they’re the definition of tol and smol…need I say much more?

[dassala]

In Focus

Rated M - Chapter 3/? (Ch. 1, Ch. 2)

Emma Swan’s CEO fiance Graham Humbert has hired a wedding photographer to capture every aspect of the wedding planning process. Killian Jones usually hates these stuck-up, spoiled rich brides he captures on film, but Emma is different.

Disclaimer: This fic contains elements that may be squicky or disturbing to some of the CS audience. I want you to know that both Emma and Killian have sexual relationships with other characters in this fic. They also both get very drunk at different times throughout the story. So if you have an aversion to alcohol abuse (especially as a crutch), and you can’t stand the idea of Emma and Killian being with other people, this may not be the story for you. However, that said, you should know that I never write CS fic without a happy ending. :) So if you can stick it out, I promise satisfaction.

Psst. @awkwardnessandbaseball is an incredible beta! <3 Thank you, babe!

Read it on AO3

Three months into the planning process and Emma Swan was already completely wiped out. She felt overloaded with orders and deliveries and do-it-yourself wedding favors. At this point, she deeply regretted not hiring a wedding planner to do most of the work for her, but she’d considered it a personal challenge. Graham was generally busy with work, so why not throw herself into this particular project?

The week had been taxing, and Emma was not only tired from a combination of work and wedding planning; she was sick. She had wanted to spend some time getting crazy with Ruby to blow off a bit of steam, but the girls’ night out was canceled when Emma’s sniffles and sinus pressure got out of control.

Emma flipped through the offerings on Netflix, clicking past Action/Adventure and Drama, and cruising into the Romance section. On the rare night that Graham was able to sit still for two hours, they leaned toward a Jason Bourne-type flick. Tonight, he was out schmoozing with Japanese clients, and she was relegated to the sofa with a box of tissues and a steaming-hot mug of chicken soup.

As she tapped her way through the romance section, her phone dinged. Emma raised it and opened the video she had been sent.

Killian was singing his heart out on stage. Ruby had keenly placed a few heart-eyes emojis around him in the frame. With a laugh, Emma shook her head and replied with some text and a photo.

Looks like fun. And hearts? Are you telling me this is going past just screwing around? The photo she included was her best attempt at a slightly-less-than-miserable face.

Message from Ruby: He’s an 11 in bed, if you know what I mean. ;) But he seems like something’s holding him back from considering it a relationship. Might be your wedding, but not worried. I’m here to have a good time, and so is he. He’s just fucking gorgeous.

Emma was unable to disagree. She had noticed it the first time she met him. His deep blue eyes were quite alluring. If she hadn’t been an engaged woman...well, she would not have a wedding photographer, so that was just a silly thing to think. She groaned to think about him being good in bed. If he could please Ruby, he could please anyone.  And if she was being honest with herself, she hadn’t been properly pleased in months. The spark had gone out of her love life with Graham. In the past, the fire was hot and it burned quite often. But now there was...nothing. And she was committing herself to a lifetime of nothing.

Enjoy! She sent back to her friend before tossing the phone on the table and cuddling down into the pillows on the sofa.

--

Registry day. Emma was armed with a scanner-gun-thingy and a list of items she wanted from the high-end boutique. Graham was at her side, thumbing texts into his phone and half-heartedly paying attention to her ramblings about china patterns.

“I think the blue on that one clashes with our carpet. I mean, the pattern itself is nice, but the color is all wrong. Why don’t we do like...all white, or something?” Emma turned over a bone china serving platter and examined its size.

“You’re right,” Graham muttered. He tapped a few more words into the phone as Emma went silent and stared across the section. The photographer had just arrived. Killian was hurrying past a stack of over-priced bathroom towels. He smiled at Emma. She felt her stomach do a little flip and swallowed hard, pushing the feelings away.

“Hey, there he is,” Emma grinned.

“Seriously, I’m never taking an Uber again in this city. All Yellow Cabs for me,” Killian chuckled. “Sorry, guys.”

“No, it’s fine. We haven’t really done much,” Graham muttered. He looked up from his phone and finally tucked it into his pocket. “And yeah, I do Yellow. Uber seems...difficult in the city.”

“Indeed,” Killian pulled his camera strap around his neck and lifted it. “Scan away.”

Graham reached for the scanner, taking it out of Emma’s hands. She blinked and watched as he slid around the display, scanning six barcodes without stopping to ask for her opinion.

“Uh,” Emma jumped into his path and held up her hands, “Easy cowboy. Remember, there’s like...stuff we actually need and stuff we don’t. Like those.”

She pointed to a set of fancy, battery-operated, chrome plated salt and pepper shakers that her fiance had just scanned. Graham pursed his lips and looked back at his fiancee.

“What do you mean? I like those.”

“They’re stupid,” Emma sighed. “We have salt and pepper shakers already. They’re very nice.”

“Yeah,” Graham wrinkled his nose, “but I mean the whole point of getting married is so people buy you stuff, right? So why not register for newer, cooler ones?”

Emma’s gaze narrowed and Graham physically stepped backward. “Okay, so not the whole point, but...why not?”

“We don’t need them,” she reiterated, placing her hands on her hips. Killian stood by silently, glancing around the store as if he wasn’t hearing them disagreeing again. “And maybe try asking my opinion before you just...scan everything?”

“Emma,” Graham laughed, “they’re gifts. Just let me scan. Okay? We’ll take back what we don’t want or need. But I want the salt and pepper shakers.”

“Fine. Then I’m getting the all-white China,” Emma conceded, sighing.

Graham halted and cocked his head to the side. “We have dishes. We don’t really need more dishes. They’re good dishes. My Mum sent them from Ireland. Remember? The one broke and we had to get it replaced and it took bloody ages…”

“Let me get this straight, if we have a perfectly good set of something we shouldn’t replace it, unless you want it?” Emma’s eyebrow cocked. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Killian grimace, trying to hide it behind his camera.

“Don’t start,” Graham grumbled and pushed past her. “Just scan things, okay?”

Emma found the scanner shoved back into her hand. Graham meandered away, pulling out his phone once more. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and tried desperately to control her temper, feeling it rising up her body.

“I think they’re stupid, too,” Killian finally chimed in, “for what it’s worth.”

“The plates?”

“Nah, the salt and pepper shakers,” he smirked and snapped a photo of the set. “I’ll file them with ‘ugly things’.”

Emma laughed, shaking her head. He had a way of being able to erase her tension. She nodded and moved to the china set she had been eyeing. With a particular flourish to her movements, she scanned the item, then winked at the photographer. Snap. Brilliant.

--

Another few weeks passed, and Killian spent his time between his place, Ruby’s place, and working a few one-off shoots for publications or private customers. His next appointment for the Humbert wedding was at Graham and Emma’s apartment, where invitations were to be addressed. Graham had assured him it would be just a few photos, and then he could leave, as there was bound to be nothing too exciting about writing addresses.

Finishing off a coffee, Killian knocked firmly on the door to Graham’s apartment. When the door opened, the last thing he expected was exactly what he got.

Emma answered, a glass of wine in one hand. She was in sweats and a baggy t-shirt, and she looked irritated.

“Hey,” she sighed, shifting her weight, “I’m thinking maybe we should do this another time. Graham got called out on a meeting...and...we had kind of a fight about it. I’m not in the best…”

“I can focus on your hands, if you like? And...listen?” Killian shrugged, offering a friendly smile. “Not as your photographer, but...as an open ear? A friend? Or I can bugger off, either way.”

Considering it, Emma gave a nod and stepped back to allow him into the apartment. She closed the door behind him and shuffled to the coffee table, where piles upon piles of laser-cut gold lace invitations were waiting for her.

“I took calligraphy classes to learn this stuff,” Emma said with a bemused laugh. She shook her head, “I mean, I’ve always got time, right?”

Taking a seat across from her, Killian moved the chair slightly closer and put his camera bag aside. “They’re beautiful.”

She nodded and took in a shaky breath. “They never end. The meetings and the calls...It’s like I’m this person with all of these friends and this loving fiance, and...I’m lonely.”

Killian folded his hands and licked his lips before taking a deep breath, himself. “Have you talked to him about it?”

“Yep,” Emma nodded, finishing off her glass of wine before standing, “talking about it is why my mascara is running and I’m day-drinking. Want some?” She wiggled the empty glass in his direction.

“Not on the clock, thanks,” he adjusted the focus on one of his cameras, snapping off a few photos of the invites themselves.

“I’m your boss. You’re allowed to have a drink if I say so,” Emma insisted. “Or are you a beer kinda guy? Because I’ve got some of that, too.”

With a soft chuckle, Killian nodded. “I’ll have a beer then, thanks.”

Emma returned a few moments later and placed a cold bottle on the table in front of him. Her glass was very full of a deep red wine. She wiggled her fingers before picking up a pen from the table. “So how are things with Ruby?”

Killian stammered slightly and cleared his throat. “I don’t...I don’t think talking about Ruby and I is going to help…”

“I mean, I know most of it,” she laughed bitterly and shook her head, “you guys are fucking like bunnies.”

He paused with his beer halfway to his lips and swallowed hard, then took a swig from the bottle. Clearly, Emma had been drinking for a while. She was right, though. Ruby had an appetite, and she could make him forget about Milah for a few hours at a time. She served a purpose.

“C-can you maybe shift to the left a little?” He put the bottle down and picked up his camera, snapping off a couple of shots of her writing.

“She brags about you,” Emma continued. She glanced up at him. For the first time, he noticed how red and watery her eyes were. She was hurting, and it was bad.

“Emma,” he sighed, putting the camera down. “Stop.”

She paused, then dropped the pen. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, covering her face with her hands. “I’m losing it.”

He knew better. He knew he shouldn’t be involved in their personal problems. But there was no way this wedding would be a success if Emma fell to pieces. He pulled the camera from around his neck and moved closer to her. “Come here,” he whispered.

Emma leaned sideways. She fell against his chest. Killian wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Right now, she needed a hug, and he was the only person who could offer that to her. “Will it help if I tell you a story?”

With a sniffle, Emma shrugged. So he began.

“Once upon a time, a young lad from England came to the United States to find himself,” he said with a soft smile, “and when he came here, he met a beautiful woman named Milah.”

Emma turned her head to look up at him slightly, her brows furrowed. Apparently, she had not expected to hear about an ex.

“He married Milah. She was fun and exciting and she had all of the joy he knew he needed in life. They moved onto a boat and made a home for themselves. The lad started taking photos of people, and they made a nice life. Milah loved his photos. She also loved his music. They were passionate and crazy and young and stupid but they did it all together,” he said, his voice steady.

Emma relaxed a bit in his arms.

“One day, Milah came home from work. Her body language was...it was all wrong. The lad wondered if maybe he’d done something wrong, as you know, lads do,” he smirked slightly. “But she told him she’d met someone else. And she wanted a divorce.”

This time, Emma sat up and pulled out of his embrace. She gazed at him for a long moment, her eyes searching his.

“So the lad gave her the divorce, and she married...someone else. And now he takes photos of other people when they get married,” he shrugged. “But she still haunts him. Every day.”

“Killian,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I had no idea. How can...how can you take photos of weddings when your own marriage fell apart?”

He chuckled. “It didn’t fall apart. It abruptly exploded. Because there were apparently things we didn’t say to each other.”

She reached up and rubbed at her cheek, pushing away tears. “So the moral of the story is...I need to talk to him or I’m going to lose it all.”

Killian thought for a moment. He licked his lips and drew in a deep breath. “Yes. You need to be clear about what you want, and what you don’t. For us, I wanted kids. Milah did not. She wanted success and she wanted money. A struggling photographer and musician who lives on a boat is hardly a suitable husband for that kind of woman.”

Emma was pensive. She reached over and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Killian paused, then wrapped his arms around her in return. “I think you guys will be okay,” he said, his voice calm. “You’ve been together a long time, and you can work it out. I know it.”

“Thank you,” Emma breathed. She pulled back and smiled. “Ruby’s lucky to have a guy like you.”

He chuckled. “Nah, Graham is the lucky one.”

The lock to the front door beeped and opened. Graham, looking disheveled and a little put out, stepped inside. He paused as he saw Killian.

“Oh shit, I forgot all about the invitation photos,” he muttered, scrubbing his face with his hand.

“No worries, mate,” Killian stuffed his camera into his bag and stood. He gestured to the spot next to Emma. “I got a few shots. I think, um, I think I’m all set.”

Graham offered his hand and forced a smile. Killian shook it firmly. “Thank you, then. We’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“Aye, sounds good,” Killian turned back to Emma and raised an eyebrow. “Have a good night then, Miss Swan.”

He stepped out of the apartment door and closed it behind him. Emma was officially closer to him than Ruby had been in the past few weeks. Ruby was a romp in the sheets. Emma...Emma made his heart flutter and his stomach twist. But she wasn’t his. She couldn’t be his. And he would never do anything to pull her away from Graham. Not ever.

--

“You’ve got yourself in a right state,” Liam Jones smirked and shoved another pint across the bar top. Killian exchanged the full glass with his empty and nodded.

“After Milah, I’d never...ever think about a woman who was married to someone else. But...what if...I think they’re not right for each other?” He drew in a deep breath. “Do I say something?”

“Do you want to get paid?” Liam raised an eyebrow and wiped his hands on a towel. He threw the cloth over his shoulder and leaned forward. The Sailor’s Inn, the bar he owned and operated near the Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge, was dead this time of night.

“Of course,” Killian sighed. “But is it the right thing to do? Get paid and bugger off and leave her to a lifetime of disappointment and misery?”

Liam shook his head, “Remember, you’re only seeing a snippet of their lives together, and it happens to be a pretty busy and stressful time. There has to be a reason she agreed to marry him.”

“They’ve been together for eight years,” Killian muttered into his glass before taking a swig.

Gesturing with wide open hands, Liam shrugged. “Again, gotta be a reason.”

Killian nodded in agreement.

“Tell me about this Ruby girl,” Liam stood and moved to pour himself a beer. He flipped the switch beneath the counter which turned off the neon ‘Open’ sign near the door.

The younger brother Jones pursed his lips. “She’s hot. Insatiable. But...again, not...what I’m looking for. I think I’m gonna put an end to it. Just hope she’s not crazy enough to fuck up the wedding.”

“Want to kick her my number?”

Killian leaned his head to the side and gave Liam a look of annoyance. “You want my seconds? Sure. I thought you were seeing that girl from Jersey City.”

“Nah,” Liam shook his head, “didn’t work out. Besides, you know I’m more into blondes.”

“Then Ruby is not for you,” Killian smirked. “There is a really beautiful blonde bridesmaid, though. Elsa. No ring.”

“Yeah?” The older man grinned and laughed. “Probably not a chance. These are rich girls, eh?”

After Killian’s divorce, Liam had left his home in England and joined his younger brother in the States. Liam was undoubtedly more successful, but he was more of a working-class type of man than most girls wanted. At 35, Liam had all but given up on finding ‘The One’.

“I don’t know, mate. I think I need a change of scenery after I’m done with this gig. Fancy a trip to Boston?” Killian finished off his pint.

“I, uh, I don’t think that’s such a good plan,” Liam spoke slowly. He was obviously searching for a decent explanation, outside of the truth.

Killian’s gaze narrowed. “Why?”

With a heavy sigh, Liam turned to the back of the bar. He grabbed a tabloid and tossed it to land in front of his brother.

The front page of the supermarket rag was plastered with photos of some Kardashian or another. Killian’s brow raised. Liam flipped open to the middle of the magazine, where a blazing red headline and an accompanying photo made his gut clench.

Billionaire Robert Gold Separates from Wife New Ex Milah Jets to Boston

The photo was of Milah, caked in thick makeup, holding her hand up to fight off the oppressive flashes of the paparazzi. She and her husband Robert were not necessarily of the socialite kind, but Milah knew what she was doing when she left Killian. She had married a man of political and social influence for his money. And now, it seemed, they had separated. Killian wondered exactly why.

“I probably shouldn’t have shown you,” Liam said calmly, taking a sip from his beer. “But I didn’t want you to run into her.”

���No, it’s fine,” Killian reassured him. He pushed the magazine away and shook his head. “She’s his problem now, not mine.”

“Atta lad,” Liam poured his brother another pint and an accompanying shot of bourbon. “Let’s get pissed and forget about the women for the night, eh?”

--

He believed the proper nautical term for his condition was ‘Three Sheets to the Wind’. Roger walked alongside him as Killian meandered down the road to the docks, singing loudly to himself. His companion had a strange sense about him, wherein he usually walked on the water’s edge as if to keep Killian from stumbling into the sea.

Killian pulled his phone from his pocket and thumbed through his contacts. He paused on the docks. Roger whined and nudged him with his nose. The dog couldn’t possibly be warning him against drunk texting, could he? Nah, he was probably hungry.

Did he apologize?

He clicked send. Only then did he notice that it was 3am.

“Oops,” he muttered, continuing down the docks toward his rinky-dink houseboat.

His phone pinged. Blinking, he paused again and looked at it.

Message from Emma Swan: Yes. I think you helped a lot. We really talked for the first time in a long time. He even avoided answering a call in the middle of our discussion. You might have saved this marriage. Thank you.

Drawing in a deep breath, he paused and leaned against a light pole. Fantastic. He was the ‘troubled couple whisperer’. The phone pinged again.

Message from Emma Swan: Tell Ruby I said hi.

He frowned and thumbed a message back to her.

No Ruby here. Just me and Roger.

No response, so he tucked his phone into his pants and wandered back onto his boat, the ‘Jewel’. Once on board, he kicked off his shoes and fed Roger before collapsing onto the bed. He was going to be so hungover in the morning. It also would be a miracle if the spinning sensations stopped anytime soon. He tried the trick of placing one foot flat on the floor. No dice.

His phone pinged.

Message from Emma Swan: Oops. Um, I guess you’re not exclusive then. She said she had a date.

Killian laughed and shook his head. Not surprising.

I had a date with my brother. And Roger. We drank a lot.

I mean Rog didn’t. But I did. Hence the timing of these texts.

Sorry.

Message from Emma Swan: No worries. I like hearing from you. I think we’ll be good friends, after the wedding’s over.

Friends. He wasn’t sure he could handle being friends with Emma Swan...Emma Humbert. With her sexy smile and incredible ass and the way she had access to incredible finery but loved the simple things in life. Not if she belonged to another man. He wouldn’t tempt fate like that. He would NOT be Robert Gold.

Message from Emma Swan: Anyway. Goodnight.

“Goodnight,” he muttered aloud.

--

Emma felt Graham’s bare chest press against her back. She placed her phone down on the nightstand and sunk back against him. He muttered groggily.

“Who you talkin’ to?”

Emma shook her head. “Wedding plans.”

“At three o’clock in the mornin’?” He placed a kiss between her shoulders. “Relax. It can wait. C’mere.”

She turned to face him and gave him a kiss. It felt...hollow. There was nothing there. No longer did she have a spark when it came to Graham. Even when they did make love that night, it was more...out of obligation than desire. Something was off. Maybe it was the wedding. Maybe it was his constant need to do and be the best, despite what she actually needed. Or maybe…

She drew in a breath. “Sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep.”

But he already was. She received a soft snore in reply.

[wonfairywoo]

Lean On Me (Pt. 2)

Mingyu Scenario #1

Summary: Inspired by the K-Drama Fight For My Way. The story of Kim Mingyu, a professional MMA fighter who stopped competing after a particularly nasty injury, and his love. A story of hardship and the stupid things we do for the ones we love

Genre/s: Romance, Drama, Fluff

Warning/s: Mentions of explicit stuff. ONLY mentions.

A/N: PLEASE DON’T HIT ME I SWEAR I HAVE A GOOD EXCUSE FOR UPDATING THIS AFTER A MONTH! Also I am not very good with.... 18+ scenes. I am still learning to write them :’) But do enjoy!

The first thing she felt as soon as she woke up were fingertips brushing across her waist, fluttering against the skin that had been exposed when her shirt had ridden up during the night. She sighed softly, turning around to face Mingyu with bleary eyes. He was laid down on his side, holding himself up with one arm and resting his head against a closed fist.

"Hi." Y/N whispered, voice still rough with sleep. Amusement flashed through her when she saw something pass through his eyes. He did say before that her morning voice did things to him. “Are you trying to imitate French girls with that pose?”

"Did you sleep well?" Mingyu asked softly, choosing to ignore her last comment. His hand that was trailing against her waist moving upwards to brush her hair away from her face before cupping her cheek, his thumb tenderly stroking underneath her eyes where dark bruises were starting to form. "You look tired babe."

"I feel tired." She groaned, unconsciously leaning closer to his warm palm and closing her eyes. "Work's been demanding at the restaurant lately and it's just so draining."

"You have been taking a lot of double shifts lately..." He muttered, his eyes roaming across her face and had her eyes been open she would have seen the guilt written all over his expression. "Maybe you should take a day off today?"

She forced herself to pry her eyes open, knowing that soon she'd have to get ready for another day at work. "I can't." Reaching up to smooth his crumpled brow with her fingers, she smiled up at him reassuringly. "I'm okay I swear. Once my boss finds another hostess I'll go back to single shifts. But these double shifts are good too you know? They pay more."

"Stop thinking about how much it pays. I don’t care about that." Mingyu groaned, leaning down to press his forehead against her temple. "I want you to worry about yourself more, please. You'll get sick if you keep this up."

"I'm fine." Y/N pressed on, bringing a hand up to squeeze his bicep. "Mingyu look at me." She waited until he did, staring deep into his eyes and repeating herself. "I'm fine."

Many thoughts passed through Mingyu's head at that moment. About how he couldn't wait for Wonwoo to find him a proper gig so he could finally get back in a ring; about how good it would be for him and Y/N if he were to win; and about how much he really loved her and wanted to take care of her.

He leaned down once more, pressing his lips softly against hers, expressing the emotions he couldn’t find the words to. It was caressing at first, languid, like water on a gently rolling brook. But then he found he wanted more.

His lips became more demanding, like a forest fire, wanting to taste her, almost desperately. Mingyu shifted so his knees were on either side of her hips, trapping her against the mattress, all the while never breaking the kiss.

When he finally did break it, he took no time at all before moving his lips to her neck and shoulders, smirking when he felt her shudder underneath him. Playfully, he nipped at her collarbone, soothing the sting with his tongue, tensing when he heard a small moan slip past her lips. His large hands sneaked underneath the hem of her shirt, using his thumbs to stroke the sensitive skin of her stomach, feeling it quiver at his touch. His lips continued trailing downward, pausing when he reached the dip of her shirt where a bit of cleavage peeked through.

He wanted more. No-  he needed more. He needed to feel her warm skin on his, needed her to touch him as well, he needed to feel all of her. Raising himself up on his knees, he swiftly got rid of his shirt and laughed when he caught her ogling him. But then the way she bit her lip at made his abdomen clench. Did she not know how gorgeous she looked like that? Hair disheveled, her blush trailing down to her chest, making her look so incredibly tempting. It took everything in him not to ravish her. He wanted to make love to her. Wanted to worship her body in the early morning light.

"Like what you see?" He murmured, lowering himself slightly so he was pressing down against her hips and causing her to buck against him instinctively.

"Mingyu..." Y/N rasped, trying to get up only to fail when he pushed her back down gently, capturing her in another rapturous kiss. She ripped her lips away from his with a gasp, getting a hard nip on her shoulder in punishment. "Mingyu we can't I- I'll be late for work and-"

He muffled her words with his mouth, swallowing them and letting his tongue erase all traces of them from her mind. When he pulled away they were both breathing heavily, faces flushed. "I don't care." He nearly growled, tugging at the front of her shirt. "I just want you out of these clothes now. I want you now."

After 3 years, Y/N was sure she’d be used to this side of him. The side of him that sent heat pooling between her legs as fast as lightning. She thought that after so much time together, that the heat would slowly ease up. How wrong she was.

She looked up at him, lips swollen, heart racing, and found herself nodding, "Okay." She murmured, pulling him back down against her, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Okay."

The loving smile he had given her at that moment was so worth the scolding her boss had given her when she came in for work late, still feeling the pleasurable ache between her legs, and the sting of the mark he gave her on her right hip.

The sound of leather smacking against leather was probably one of the things Mingyu liked about going to the gym. People ran around changing stations every now and then, taking water breaks, music blaring through the speakers at the corner. But Mingyu couldn't hear it, didn't notice anything else. Because when he was inside a ring everything but his opponent was blocked out.

"You know your girlfriend's going to kill you right? Well... after she kills me for actually helping you get back into this."

"You know hyung." Mingyu grunted, blocking a kick that was aimed for his left side and countered quickly with a kick of his own. "For a man standing at what? 182 cm? You're awfully afraid of someone who’s like 20 cm shorter."

"Mingyu dodge! We're doing dodging today remember? Stop blocking and dodge!" Wonwoo reprimanded sharply, making a quick jab to the right. "And this is Y/N we're talking about. She's so protective of you that once she actually threw a dumbbell at me for accidentally causing you a concussion. She's crazy!"

"To be honest you did kind of deserve that. Concussions are a pain to deal with." Mingyu stepped away from his sparring partner, a frown tugging on his lips. "And that's my girlfriend you're talking about, you ass!"

"And my sister." The two men turned around to see Seungcheol walking up to the ring, a towel slung over his shoulder, hair slicked back with sweat as he had just finished his own workout. "But Wonwoo has a point, when Y/N finds out about you quitting your job to get back into active fighting? She's going to flip. And I know my sister, it's not gonna be a pretty sight when she does."

The older man climbed up onto the apron, leaning against the ropes and staring down his almost brother. "You have to be sure this is what you want kid. You have to be ready to face the consequences of your decisions, I’ve always told you that."

Mingyu groaned, flopping down onto the mat and resting his elbows against his knees. Bowing his head, he watched as a bead of sweat rolled down his nose and onto the mat before closing his eyes, thinking back to this morning when he was watching Y/N sleep. Thinking about how exhausted she looked.

Then he thought back to the bills she was trying to shoulder on her on. His heart ached when he imagined her working herself bone-tired just to try and provide for them on her own because she didn’t want him to stress out about it. He remembered the gifts she would give him that he knew cost her at least 2 weeks' worth of lunch.

That woman... That silly silly woman he loved with all his being, worried and cared so much about others that she forgets to care for herself. And even if he was there to take care of her now... It still wasn't enough to repay everything she'd done and was doing for him.

"I have to do this." He whispered, squeezing his eyes tightly and lightly smacking the sides of his head with his gloves. He looked up and met Seungcheol's gaze, eyes conveying his desperation. "I love this sport hyung. This is what I want to do. I'm sure of it." Mingyu sniffled, bowing his head again. "And Y/N is my life. I'm doing this for her. This is the only way that I can give her everything she needs and wants. I want this hyung... And if you're not going to help me then it's fine. I'll still find a way to get back in the ring."

Seungcheol stared at Mingyu's form, silently contemplating his words. When a moments passed and he still didn’t speak, Mingyu moved to get up, thinking of people he could call and maybe call out a favor to find him a match.

But then something smacked against his face, and he caught it before it fell to the floor.

He looked at the towel in his hand blankly before moving his gaze to Seungcheol who was grinning at him. "Take a break then come back to the ring in a few minutes kid." He chuckled, hopping down the apron and strolling towards his office. "We're training you for your match next week."

The grin that spread through Mingyu's face was one of pure elation. He laughed, rolling out of the ring and chasing after his coach- his brother. "Hyung you're the best! I really love you right now!"

"Save your love for my sister you sap."

Meanwhile, Wonwoo was left inside the ring gaping after them. "What happens if Y/N comes after me first?" He called out to the both of them just before the door to the office shut.

"Don't worry man!" Soonyoung, one of the gym's personal trainers, piped up from his station at the weights. "I'm sure your funeral will be lovely. I'll even bring your favorite flowers and write you a nice long eulogy!"

The glove that was thrown hard against the wall beside his head was enough warning for him to stop talking.

FIRST PERSON POV

"Didn't your boyfriend tell you? He paid in full yesterday night, even paid for the next month's rent in advance. Wired it all to me then left me a text. He’s a good kid that boy.”

I took my time walking back to the apartment, repeating the landlord's words over and over again in my head. Not that I wasn’t glad about the rent being paid off, but the question running through my mind was how exactly did my boyfriend find the money to pay it off.

I hoped he didn’t borrow from my brother, because if he did then I’d surely be getting a call to lecture me about not asking for help when I really needed it. But I could have handled it. I was handling it.

I shook my head, opening the door to the apartment and being met with silence. Mingyu was probably still in bed. He did get home late last night. Later than I expected…

I walked to the bedroom, watching his sleeping form for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed. My eyes roamed his face, before moving to his shirt clad torso. He rarely ever wore a shirt to bed.

I could feel my throat growing dry. “He wouldn’t would he? He wouldn’t do that to me again?”

I desperately wanted to be wrong. I wanted my instincts to be wrong. That he didn’t break his promise. I needed to know.

Slowly, I drew the blankets lower and reached for the edge of his shirt. One bruise or one welt on his skin and I would know. "Please let me be wrong."

“Y/N?”

I snatched my hand back, placing it on my lap and clenching it tightly. I looked up to see Mingyu’s eyes half-open, smiling at me blearily.

“Good morning.” He yawned, shifting closer to me and wrapping his arms around me, settling his head on my hip. “Aren’t you up a bit too early?”

I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling slightly when I heard him sigh and lean more towards my hand. “I went to the landlord this morning.” I pretended not to notice when he tensed up. “He told me you already paid for the rent yesterday….” I trailed off, wanting him to explain to me how he was able to do it. I wasn’t stepping on his job, but I knew a pizza delivery man didn’t make much. 

So how?

Mingyu paused, hesitating before he let go of me and sat up, running a hand over his face. “My boss he-uh…” Please don’t lie to me. “He gave me a bonus. He said it was cause I’ve been working really hard these days.”

He never was a good liar.

“You should have told me about the rent.” Mingyu grumbled. “What am I even good for here if you won’t let me take care of you?”

But he was good at changing topics.

Still, I smiled, raising myself up on my knees and wrapping my arms around him in an embrace. “That’s good. I’m proud of you.” I whispered, leaning my cheek against his shoulder. I closed my eyes and willed the tears away, gulping them down and burying the hurt far away inside me to dig up for a later time. “ I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the rent. Forgive me?”

I felt him wrap his arms around my waist, carefully bringing me into his lap, felt him kiss my neck so sweetly it made me quiver. “Only because it’s you.”

After I had finally composed myself, I pulled away, cupping his cheeks in my hands. “I have to get ready for work. Will you be going back to sleep? You got home late last night.”

He blinked a few times before nodding. “Yeah I had to make a few last minute deliveries. I think I need a few more hours of sleep.” He squeezed me gently, puckering his lips which made me laugh softly and lean down to grant his request. “Will you be working late today again?” He murmured after finally ending the kiss, pressing his forehead against mine, noses brushing, his breath fanning against my lips.

“There’s still no replacement for the second shift so yeah.” I slowly removed myself from his hold, smiling when he whined a bit and dodged when he started grabbing for me again. “Go back to sleep.”

“I’ll come get you from work later.” He said, already back under the covers and well on his way to dreamland. “Just text me okay?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

An hour later, I walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind me. My mind in a whirlwind and my heart slightly heavy. He had lied to me. And it hurt. It hurt so fucking much.

I wanted to believe him.

But I knew I couldn’t.

I got into the bus, went to work, and dressed all in a daze. Everything was too much. I loved Mingyu with everything in me but sometimes he really did do stupid things. I needed to catch him in the act. And knew just how I would.

Maybe it was time to pay my dear big brother’s gym a visit.

A/N: YOU GET A PART 3! Please don’t expect it to come TOO soon. I’m nearing finals so... Projects and papers are piling up. Wish me luck!

[thenichibro]

Summer 2017 Anime First Impressions

Well here we are again, four weeks into the season before I finally get around to catching up on the twenty shows I’m keeping track of. Not like anyone reads these anyway. Regarding this season, we can say one thing: at least it isn’t last season. Thus far there’s been nothing super stand out, with a lot of middle-of-the-road shows and a few ones slightly better. Much preferable to the shit show 16 weeks ago. As usual, here’s what I’m watching, with MAL links and original shows marked:

Tsurezure Children (MAL) Starting off, we have a webcomic turned serialized manga turned anime, and for good reason. Tsurezure is a 4-koma romcom focusing on way too many couples in bite-sized happy romance stories. Defined by reaction faces, exclamation points, and yet a surprising amount of exposition, it's a quirky comedy I glad I started reading. One of the main downsides of Tsurezure is that although it has overarching themes, minute-to-minute enjoyment is very much based on the current couple. Personally, I love the Class Prez/Deliquent, Chiaki/Kana, and anything with the Love Master. The problem, then, is that once you find the few you really like, it's kind of a shame you only get so much time with them. A simple art style that matches the manga belies an infectious humor that Toshiya has mastered. This is one short show I wish was longer. Watch this.

Aho Girl (MAL) Continuing the notable increase in half-length shows, we have this half-witted one. Aho Girl, lit. "Clueless Girl," follows Yoshiko, an idiot, and her friends(?), mostly childhood friend Akuru, trying to deal with her idiocy. A suitably odd OP, both in sound and visuals (or relative lack thereof), leads into Yoshiko's introduction through getting a 0 on all her tests. I guess that confirms the title, now doesn't it? Tsukkomis, wild attitude swings, and bananas are the name of this show's game. One thing I love right off the bat is just how blatantly annoyed Akuru gets with Yoshiko's antics. It's not hard to see the "he's supporting her because he does feel something," but that being shelved in favor of faces of disgust is just funny on a very essential level. This show knows exactly what it is, a dumb comedy about a girl being dumb. And yet it's dumb fun all the same.

Isekai Shoukudou (MAL) A somewhat restrained take on the well-worn isekai genre, Shoukudou involves Nekoya, a resataurant that serves fantasy creatures once each week, connecting to "the other world" through the restaurant's front door. Right off the bat, the upbeat OP is coupled with some fantastic visuals. I missed having a food porn show last season, but Shoukudou brings it back in force. Further, throughout each episode the background music keeps pace with events and is a very nice touch to the cool tones of this show. Indeed, this show absolutely exudes cool. The smooth tunes while the last few customers (albeit they being beastmen, wizards, and the like) finishing their orders, Aletta and the Master cleaning tables into the night, it's just so nice. Aletta is the new hire, a demon girl homeless in "the other world" who finds the door to Nekoya by happenstance and promptly gets a job and a new outlook on life. She's real cute. Shoukudou has plenty of the "customer narrates the intricacies of how good the food is" every time a new customer comes in, but it's great all the same. If this show is a slow introduction of new characters to Nekoya for the rest of the run time, I will be more than satisfied. AOTS contender right here. Satisfied with an isekai? What is this season coming to?

Koi to Uso (MAL) Marraige is arranged genetically for happiness at 16, and other love is forbidden. As if there was a premise that lent itself more to a high school romance-drama. I have to say, I am in absolute disbelief that Koi to Uso isn't penned/drawn by the same creator as Scum's Wish. The artstyle and really the whole tone, albeit Koi to Uso being a bit more restrained, I immediately thought it was the same author. Wild. Anyway, we're dropped into a modern Romeo and Juliet, Nejima and Takasaki confess, to each other, just as the government - the external circumstances - are pulling them apart. It's not a new path forward, but I think the latter half of the first episode conveyed the emotions pretty well. The beautiful artstyle helps, and with shaking hands, red cheeks, and streaming tears the ending scene got me into it, despite the expected outcome. ...Is what I was thinking as Nejima fucking fell on top of Ririna (his assigned wife) in the second episode. Why. Why do that? Why have that 6 seconds into the show? At least the girls are cute - Takasaki in a hoodie, shorts and thighhighs was just incredible, but Ririna with her curious eyes and attitude beyond her height, hoo boy - guess I'm rooting for the underdog now. Time to suffer. With Ririna's schemes, Koi to Uso is perfecting anxiety - having something so treasured so close, being trapped by things out of your control, being trapped by things inside yourself - so much anxiety. This show can't go anywhere except emotional turmoil, but if it's already getting emotional responses out of me, I'm going to stay interested. Especially after episode three's ending.

Netsuzou TRap (MAL) Yet another shorter-than-normal show, we have NTR. Yes, that NTR. The "fuck over the caring guy and get off on cheating behind his back" kind of NTR. Just now with lesbians. Even moreso, I dislike Hotaru's archetype so much it just makes me feel bad for Yuma. If you're into that, watch this. If you're not, don't. I don't know why I did. There are better fetishes.

Clione no Akari (MAL) The fourth and last of the short shows, Clione no Akari begins with Takashi and Kyoko trying to help Minori, who is getting bullied. Its muted art style matches this tired premise. I know it's only nine minutes, but the first episode still felt like it dragged on for some reason. Moreover, both Takashi and Kyoko reflect on their weakness and that they want to stand up to the class for Minori, but then in the second episode all of that possible growth just gets passed over. They call out to her after she almost gets splashed by a car, and then Takashi says "After that, Kyoko and I grew so focus on how we could solve Minori's current situation, it was as if it were happening to us." So after they complain about their weak personalities, instead of forcing them to change, they simply get a way to help Minori while not directly standing up to the class. It seems like if it affected them that much you'd see a bit more exposition rather than nothing to "And then, we became super close to her" over the span of fifteen minutes. It might seem like I'm asking for a lot from a 9-minute show, but that's exactly the point - if a show aims to be an engaging drama about making friends and standing up for one another, it needs to have more substance packed into its short timespan, and Clione no Akari does not.

Hajimete no Gal (MAL) And the award for "highest percentage of animation budget used exclusively for cameltoe" goes to... First, make sure you eschew the HorribleSubs release on this one, because the censoring is bad. Not Terra Formars bad, not Shinmai Maou no Testament bad, but it's not great. Now then, this is a very simple decision: you watch for the fanservice, or you don't watch at all. I'm serious when I say the animation goes to Yukana, and to a lesser extent the other girls, because the male characters (even the MC) and everything else looks downright bad. The fanservice, however, is pretty damn nice. Junichi's delusions lead into some steamy scenes that are top tier gyaru action. Other than that, the OP/ED are generic, the other girls are lackluster, and the "comedy" is unfunny. Just skip through the dialogue until you get Yukana being cute, and this'll be somewhat enjoyable.

Gamers! (MAL) A nothing main character spoken to by the cutest girl in school because she's interested in video games and especially his passion for them, despite never talking prior. Wew. Karen, said cutest girl, is attempting to bring back the school's gaming club, where real gamers play games with their gaming friends. These are serious gamers, so serious about their gaming that they forget everything else except the game, like the true gamers they are. Episode one has fantastic lines like "I've been looking for new members who are undeniably true gamers" and "Why did you guys become gamers?," like it's something you have to awaken to. And yet even in spite of this, the glorification of gaming is still going hand-in-hand with the conceptualization of "gamers" as outside normal people. Karen hasn't told anyone about her gaming passion even though she's so popular (and it's foreshadowed she'll lost her widespread respect), and Amano gets the description "Games are his friends." Every character is just entranced with Amano's gaming spirit that they can't help but want to game with him. And just like a good MC, Amano is humble and pessimistic about his own gaming passion, but stands up for the game club and the gamers that make it up. This show feels like an E3 PR rep's ideal anime. The game references themselves aren't half bad, but that's certainly not saving this waste of my time. Guess I'm just not a true gamer.

Made in Abyss (MAL) I was originally off-put by the character designs, but I am glad I finally decided to watch it. A city sits on a massive hole - The Abyss - full of ancient ruins - and our main characters are delvers into the giant void. Importantly, Made in Abyss lets us know right off the bat that it will not be all idyllic landscapes - a close call with a dangerous monster now foreshadows so much better than suddenly changing the show's tone halfway through. Background music and art style both benefit this show greatly - the music rising and falling with he action while the art easily conveys the current state of the landscape - overgrown yet hiding secrets. Riko is a energetic girl at an orphanage guild, known for swiping Relics she finds and generally causing trouble. In the tussle with the monster, she is saved by a robot boy, Reg and promptly takes him back to experiment. Just the first episode sets up tone, characters, and the mystery of the Abyss with precision. The choice of children as main characters is an interesting one, but I almost didn't think twice because the rest of the people in Made in Abyss didn't think anything of it, either. Starting with a premise that has such a clear objective, like the Abyss' bottom, also relatively anchors the show against wild plot swings, which gives me more confidence in the story going forward. All these things combined are making for quite an enjoyable experience, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Ballroom e Youkoso (MAL) Tatara is our typical despondent teen protag, who through a chance encounter is roped into trying ballroom dancing, and in it sees an opportunity to find himself. I picked this up solely on its premise, because I've never seen an anime about ballroom dancing before. It just seems so far from the typical slate that it caught my eye. This show's unique animation style, credit to Production I.G., has its ups and downs. For the most part, the show looks clean, the lines look great, and the motion is good. On the other hand, the actual dance scenes seem to lose a bit, in favor of dramatic freeze frames or showing the top halves of people rather than their legs moving or other intricate motion. I'm certainly not going to yell at the animators, for a show in which Tatara is won over by simply watching a ballroom dancing DVD, to get the viewers interested the motion, the visceral movements of the dance need to be shown, and more often than not they aren't. Oh, and the necks. Why is everyone's neck so long? Apart from Tatara, behind Sengoku's bombast lies a calculated, seriously powerful personality that is the perfect motivator for Tatara. And I don't know about you guys, but Shizuku is cuter in her practice/casual clothes than in a ballroom dress. Just my taste. Anyway, alongside the stalls in animation, I can't honestly say I like Tatara's VA. To me it just gives off the trying-too-hard-to-be-a-teen vibe too much for me to not notice it every time he speaks. While still enjoyable, these two faults are noticeable the entire time you watch the show. However, if you are interested in the premise, and don't mind animation quirks, then by all means, Welcome to the Ballroom.

[ORIG] Princess Principal (MAL) Alt history, 20th century steampunk London, and spies but also superpowers and made-up minerals, this is Princess Principal. Smooth jazz while a loli-ninja wearing a mushroom hat cuts up 20th century cars? Sure, why not? Cavorite, the aforementioned made-up mineral, allows for temporary control of gravity, allowing the girls to make their first daring escape with a VIP. Also, the girls are spying between the Commonwealth, or the West, and the Empire, or the East. Also the Princess herself is a spy. It's certainly a lot to take in immediately, but this show seems to revel in the craziness - echoing the fast-paced, spontaneous action of the spies themselves. Our main girl Ange lies to get through life, and is soft spoken and terse. The others in her immediate crew range from the authoritative onee-san to the cheerful loli. I personally feel like they could have made a perfectly enjoyable spy thriller with just alternate history and no supernatural element Take Joker Game from a few seasons ago - that even went so far as to be historically accurate in its place names and such, and aside from some same-facing was a wonderfully engaging show. While I do feel the personalities more in these femme fatales, I just don't see the "thriller" part as holding up as much. It's really not bad - I just feel my main gripe here is the overpresence of themes that don't need to be there. Still worth a watch if you don't mind it.

Centaur no Nayami (MAL) Having watched both MonMusu and Demi-chan and consequently becoming an Expert™ on monster girl shows, Centaur no Nayami is most certainly more of the former. I'll say at the very least that guys in school also being monsters is a welcome change, rather than including a harem. Hime, the titular centaur, acts just like her name. Nozomi is our sharp-tongued, tomboyish tsundere, while Kyouko (my favorite) is a terse, blonde tsukkomi. We get a surprising amount of world-building right out of the gate - the world is as it is thanks to a different evolution path, and to avoid the discrimination of the past, "equality" is aggressively and strictly enforced. The seemingly dark background behind the otherwise peppy slice-of-life is definitely off-putting, and seems immediately at odds with the tone. If while walking around town the girls maybe glimpsed an abuse or something similar, the aggressive equality mantra might seem like an understandable government reaction. Seeing nothing of the sort while hearing Kyoko not want to ride Hime because that's discrimination and she might get sent to a "correction facility" is more than a bit unsettling. Production-wise, the show looks and sounds great. Quirky music for quirky circumstances, and the motion of all the characters' different bodies is conveyed convincingly. The A/B Parts splitting the episode is something I haven't seen in quite a while, but I think it lends itself well to the SoL part of the show. Overall, this is a surprisingly endearing slice of life with a higher-than-normal amount of kissing, and I just wish they'd lay off the dramatic background. Worth a watch if you're into monster girls or slice of life more generally.

[ORIG] Action Heroine Cheer Fruits (MAL) Last but not least, we have Action Heroine - Heroines (as in those live-acted hero shows) are now super-popular, and the show follows one town that is way behind the curve on popular heroines. Immediately, I like the art. It seems like not too much more than "generic anime-style," but Diomedia has a way of doing soft lines and expressive faces that just looks great. Now I don't pretend to like hero/heroine-type premises, but even I can see this show's got remarkable heart. Spurred by her sister wanting to see Kamidaio, the current most famous heroine, Mikan, an earnest, caring sister teams up with Akagi, an energetic Kamidaio-super fan to put on a small-scale show, and the rest is history. Their first performance is carried singlehandedly by the effort the two girls put into making Mikan's sister's dream come true. Action Heroine gives off the feel of an idol show (he says, having not seen LoveLive nor Idolm@ster), with a diverse cast of girls all trying to be the best for their fans. While I don't think this show is exactly going to enjoy LoveLive levels of success, as I've said - you can see the heart it has. Some individual moments were also very strange - like a flashback where one girl loses a tennis match because a bug flew in her face, and another girl talks to her imagined anthropomorphizations of model trains. If you're into the nostalgia of hero/heroine shows, this plays right into that. Otherwise, it's a show you can pretty easily avoid.