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#if it's an animated show for 8-12 year olds that makes me happy
platykool · 28 days
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omg look real aliens !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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agent-cupcake · 5 months
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Flashbang
Chapter 1 - Puppet Loosely Strung
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Spotify Playlist / All Chapters / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 /Chapter 7/ Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 pt.1 / Chapter 9 pt.2 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12
Pairing: One Piece Live Action Buggy x f! Reader
Synopsis: Running away to join the circus doesn’t go exactly as you hoped it would.
Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, murder, generally dark content
Word Count: 13.9k
Disclaimer: I don’t read the manga or watch the anime. This is based solely on OPLA Buggy because Jeff Ward.
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Some quick notes before we start: This is what I've been working on this since October. Originally it was going to be one really big one-shot posted at the same time, but it's big enough that I can justify posting it as a series. I'll add warnings as I go, but this is not a happy story and there will be explicit content later on. The reader character might not be somebody you see yourself in, I had a very specific image of what character I had in mind while writing. To me, reader fic is more of a sort of play acting rather than "oh that's literally me" but I know that's not everybody's cup of tea. A lot of this is cope fic and it shows. When times get rough the porn gets rougher, right?
I had help writing this from an individual who is very dear to me. Flashbang wouldn't exist without her, especially since she was the one who gave me the clown brain rot. And then there has been the hours of brainstorming and spitballing and watching Jeff Ward shows/movies as she continued to feed my addiction. Thank you, my love, and also damn you because this wasn't what I needed.
New chapter every Sunday. Enjoy~
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“Let me put myself in your shoes
As a puppet loosely strung
Around you, they were so confused
That a faulty man could have so much fun”
.
All it took was a little doubt. Through logic or confusion or wishful thinking, you could be convinced that the insignificant person who had parasitically driven you around for the past however many years was a stranger, and now they were gone. Everything that had ever happened fell into incomprehensible dust, and every thought you ever had belonged to somebody else. A cycle of a million memories you didn’t recognize spun through this foggy place, none of them real, none of them familiar. 
Logic, confusion, wishful thinking, or unconsciousness. An endless dream of nothing at all. But as soon as you became aware, it was awareness that those thoughts happened in the past tense, crushed inward by the unrelenting force of existence, and you were shoved back into a body. You—not the real you, the stranger you, the one made of heat and fury and pain, the one you couldn’t recognize—were gasping and thrashing in ignorant confusion, coughing out the sickening taste of blood in your throat. 
Everything, all of it, hurt. And that was all that existed. 
Until it wasn’t. 
Your panicked thrashing made you realize that you were upright, your body straining painfully against the various chains keeping you pinned against the wall in an X. The position put nearly all of your weight on your shoulders and left your head to sag heavily to the side, making the terrible, dizzying headache that much worse. Having suffered more than your fair share of them, you knew that this headache was from more than an uncomfortable position or your old injury. A hot throbbing pain radiated out from the back of your head, shooting little sparks down your spine. It hurt bad enough that nausea formed a tight, heavy ball in your stomach. Gritting your teeth, you forced your eye open, fighting the urge to cringe away from the light as it rolled this way and that. Colors and lights were nothing more than a nauseating smear, but at least you could see. 
Little by little, you became aware of yourself. From far away, you had a vague recollection of leaving, of nerves, excitement, and then of danger. But… no, why weren’t you at home? Doom settled in its rightful place as you realized exactly how little you remembered or knew, slotting into the spot of coherence and reason. Despite the pain, you fought against the shackles holding you in the uncomfortable position, irrationally desperate to be free of them. 
“There she is! Finally,” somebody said from your left. His voice hit like a hammer to the back of your aching head. You strained to look at the speaker, he sounded close, but you couldn’t turn your head far enough to make up for your limited vision. 
Luckily, he didn’t stay out of sight for long. The man’s boots were loud and deliberate as he slowly moved out of your literal blind spot. To your ill-adjusting eye, he was not much more than a blur of white and red and blue, his big smile smudged as you rapidly blinked to focus. A little shock of meaningless recognition in your brain saw the makeup and red nose and said ‘clown’, but the sheer ridiculousness of that made you even more sure that this wasn’t real. 
“Not a fun way to wake up, is it?” he asked. “Keep breathing, let it drain back and cough it out. Trust me, it’s over quicker that way.”
The question you tried to form was, “Who are you?” but all you could manage was a heavy groan followed by a fit of painful coughs, wheezing raggedly in between. Each desperate convulsion rattled the chains and caused the wood to creak, but did nothing to free your bound limbs. The man seemed bored by it, annoyed he had to wait for you to get ahold of yourself. 
Since he hadn’t immediately helped you down, you could only assume that he was the one who shackled you in the first place. Strung you up against a wooden board of some kind in a room you didn’t know. Cramped and windowless, it reeked of paint and sweat and sawdust and sweet salty rot—a unique smell that didn’t help your nausea. Clutter stacked up against the walls. Dense, humid air pressed against you like a heavy coat, paradoxically chilling. Probably because of the fever burning beneath your skin, slicking you up with sweat, soaking into your clothes and the bandana you kept wrapped around your head over the left eye.
Breathe. You focused on your breathing. Panic wouldn’t help you. 
“You done?” he asked. Without any other choices, you turned your head to shamefully wipe your face off on your sleeve before nodding. “Great. Well, now that you’re awake… Welcome!” He threw out his arms with the flamboyant manner of a showman with the greeting, but they wilted right after, his big smile dropping a bit. “Or, at least, that’s what I would say if you hadn’t let yourself in and stolen the opportunity from me.” 
That was bad. Very, very bad. You jerked in an awkward, uncoordinated burst, physically reacting to the danger he presented. 
“No, no, don’t leave on my account,” he said, waving his hands and getting closer as if to stop you. “Oh wait, you can’t! Hah! Yeah, ‘cause of the chains.” He smiled affably, like it was a harmless joke, standing close enough for his gloved fingers to skim along the chain wrapped around your neck. “I guess you’re not going anywhere, huh?” 
You didn’t respond, barely daring to breathe when he was so close. Smiles and melodrama aside, his blue eyes were oddly dead, fixed on you without the slightest bit of humor. And then it finally came back to you, the vital thing that you should have known, that you would have known if you weren’t strung up and suffering such a crippling headache. The makeup, the nose, the hat—
“You’re,” you began to say, but your voice was hoarse and weak, you could barely get it out when he was looking at you so closely, so intently. You cleared your throat, wincing at the metallic taste. “You’re the-that pirate captain Buggy, like on the-the poster?” Right! The clown guy, the red-nosed pirate. You were looking for him. So this was… good, wasn’t it? 
He gave you a flat look, clearly not sharing your weak enthusiasm. “Yes. I am that pirate captain. Buggy, the Genius Jester? The most feared pirate captain in all the East Blue?” He turned with a dramatic flick of his coat, messing with something that had to flash silver before you realized it was a knife. “The man destined to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates. Yes. I am that pirate captain. And,” he paused, checking to make sure you were paying attention, “a very busy, very important man. I’ve got, oh, ten minutes or so for you to decide how this is gonna go. So let’s get straight to it.” He turned back, pointing the knife at you. “Who are you, and what are you after?”
The accusatory tone of his voice took you aback. “Nothing… I’m not anybody,” you stammered out. “And this… this isn’t what it looks like, I swear.”
Buggy, to your surprise, relented after a second of considering your appeal, nodding understandingly. 
There was no transition from his look of sympathy to raising the knife and aiming it at you. By the time you realized he meant to throw it, you barely had a chance to yelp. The blade took a loud, thumping bite into the wood beside you. On your left side, of course. Where you couldn’t see it. You could feel it, though. The air displacement ruffled the fine hairs around your ear. If you had flinched in that direction, it probably would be in your skull. With your dizzy head aching and confused, you had no regulation to your fear or discomfort, your breathing dangerously unsteady and tears pricking the corner of your eyes. 
“Let me try a different question,” Buggy said before you could collect yourself, pulling out another knife. “Who else knows about this place?”  
“Nobody! I swear, nobody else. I was just…” You didn’t know what to say. It was all you could do to breathe the thick, heavy air and fight down the tide of nausea.  
“Just what?” Buggy asked, leaning in with raised eyebrows to show that he was listening intently. You opened and closed your mouth, unable to come up with the right words. Thoughts churned through the thick sludge in your head, getting stuck or lost or confused. 
“I’m so sorry,” you said, the stumbling apology coming out more naturally than anything else, an attempt to buy time while you organized your thoughts. “Please doh-don’t…. I’m so ss-sorry.” 
Buggy sighed, standing up straight and raising his hand to aim. 
“Nonono, please d-” You yelped louder this time, flinching away as the knife streaked through the air and stuck not even an inch away from your right cheek. You exhaled a pathetic little sob, whatever you were bound to shaking with your body. 
“Listen, honey buns,” Buggy said. “Drop the act. Stop the whining. I caught you, red handed, sneaking into my lair.” He pulled something out of his pocket. Not another knife, but a piece of paper which he unfolded, holding it up for you to see. His wanted poster, creased into sixths from the way you folded it to keep it close, to keep it hidden. “I found this in your bag. You know who I am, and you know where you are. You have to, so let’s do away with all the theatrics, okay?” 
You swallowed hard, nodding quickly in the hope that it would appease him. 
“Right now, this is a conversation,” Buggy said, gesturing between the two of you. “A light interrogation, really. But if you keep being uncooperative and wasting my time, it’s gonna go from being interrogate-y to being torture-y real quick. You don’t want that, right?” Although he was unmistakably threatening you, Buggy’s tone was more natural than before. There was a bluntness to it, an honesty. Men like him didn’t idly use words like torture. 
You sniffed, trying very hard to calm yourself down. This was a misunderstanding, so you just had to convince him. Simple as that. He would understand. You would make him understand.
“Right,” you agreed. 
“Fantastic. So,” he loudly clapped his hands together, “who else knows about this place?”
“Nobody, I promise… I’m really sorry I broke in,” you told him, speaking slowly so your words didn’t catch. “I just wanted to meet with you.” 
Buggy’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, the hair hanging out from the sides of his hat swaying as his head tilted curiously. “You’re a fan?” he clarified. “That explains why you’re so pathetic. Well I hate to break it to you, but there’s a reason I only hold meet and greets after shows.” 
“No, that’s not why! I-I want to join your crew,” you said. “I came to ask you to let me join your crew.” 
He blinked twice, staring at you with obvious disbelief. “Excuse me, what?” 
“I want to be a pirate,” you told him, louder. “Please. Please let me join your crew.”
Buggy’s expression didn’t change, but you could see the rippling shift of incredulity, befuddlement, skepticism, and then amusement in his eyes. That emotion burst outward into a loud laugh, making you flinch. “That’s the best you can do?” he asked. “Ask to join my crew?” He looked at you again, laughing even harder. “I don’t know what’s funnier—that anybody would send you to spy on me, or that you’d think I would consider hiring you.” 
“I mean it!” you argued, humiliation and desperation seeping into the thousand other discomforts of your position. This wasn’t at all how you wanted this to go.
“Sweetheart,” Buggy said condescendingly, “even assuming I believe you, this is a pirate crew, not an afterschool club.”
“I know. I know what pirates do, I know what you do,” you told him. “I’ll do anything, whatever you want. Please, please, just give me a chance.”
He nodded, turning to pace as he thought about it. 
“Okay, let’s say that I buy this… this act of yours,” Buggy said. “Do you have any experience? Maintaining ships, reading maps, loading cannons. You know, basic stuff.”
There was a line you had prepared to answer this question, one that would paint you in the most charitable light. You remembered that, but you couldn’t remember the line. All you could give was the truth. “A little.”
He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Thought so. What about specialties? Unique skills? Any sort of talent that I can use in my show—anything at all. I mean other than,” he gestured vaguely in your direction, “that. We don’t need another one eyed midget. They’re surprisingly common.” 
“I’m not a midget,” you told him, nerves fading to incredulity. 
Buggy stepped back to size you up before seemingly conceding the point with a shrug. “And the eye?” He covered his left eye to illustrate. “Is that for a bit or something?” 
Your stomach twisted with a familiar lurch. Disgust. Shame. Phantom light in the dark. “It’s not.” 
“How’d you lose it?” 
“I didn’t… lose it.” 
“It’s still in there?” he asked excitedly, stepping forward and reaching to remove the bandana. “I have got to see this.” 
“No, please—please don’t,” you begged, trying to wriggle away from his hand. Pinned to the board with your hands bound above your head, there was nowhere to go. “Please don’t, please-” 
“Come on,” Buggy said, indifferent to your pleas as he pulled the sweat soaked fabric off of your left eye. “How bad could it be—AH!” He yelled in horror, jumping away as if you’d bitten him. 
The bandana hit the floor, leaving your ruined eye and its jagged scar exposed. You couldn’t hide. All you could do was flinch back, turning your head away. “I’m sorry,” you said, ready to continue apologizing before you realized that his shock had immediately dissolved into raucous laughter. “Why are you… why are you laughing?” you asked, pulling desperately against the chains. 
“I got you good,” Buggy said, his laughter subsiding. “The way you reacted, I thought that you’d be completely deformed. A real sideshow. But this…” He grabbed your chin, forcing it to the side so he could get a better look. “I couldn’t charge for this.”
“Please stop,” you begged, shaking off his grip and staring hard at his shoulder. 
“Ohhh. You’re really embarrassed about it.”
You didn’t say anything, focusing mostly on fighting the tears. 
“Okay, alright, yeah,” Buggy said, stepping back. “I think I’m starting to get why you would risk life and limb to beg me for a job. You grew up as a cute girl in a shithole town like this. A big fish in a little pond, as they say. Then, suddenly, BAM, you’re deformed, and, sure, they all say that it was tragic, but the truth is that they can’t stand to look at you. Even the people who loved you, the people you trusted, think you’re a freak. They abandoned you. So, without any other options, you come to me, pleading for me to give you a place amidst your fellow freaks. That about it?”
You didn’t say anything—what could you say to that?— which Buggy seemed to take as confirmation, nodding thoughtfully. 
“Well, go big or go home, right? As far as a starlet’s breakout role, you couldn’t go any bigger. Thing is, I’m not really looking for new acts. Not to mention your abysmal audition.” He sucked in a breath through his teeth, looking you up and down again. 
You could feel your chance slipping away. Just like that. Go big or go home, that’s what he said. 
“Please, Captain Buggy,” you begged, staring him in the eye despite how disquieting it was, despite how your skin crawled from exposing your left eye to somebody. Addressing him properly, at the very least, got his attention. “I promise that you won’t regret it. I’ll learn, I want to learn how to be a pirate, how to perform, all of it, everything. And if I can’t, I’ll do laundry and clean and cook, I have lots of experience with that. I don’t care what you ask me to do, if you let me join your crew, I’ll happily serve you for the rest of my life.”
Buggy didn’t respond right away. You thought—hoped—that it meant he understood how serious you were, but his expression gave you nothing. There wasn’t much light in the room in the first place, but somehow he found enough to shine unnervingly in his pale blue eyes. Somebody with a bright red clown nose shouldn’t have been able to look so intimidating, but the way he studied you burned with an uncomfortable intensity. It had been a while since anybody looked at you so frankly, so openly, without disgust or pity. 
“Why?” he finally asked. 
“Why…?” you repeated, confused.
“I get that you want to leave this place, and I even buy into your whole wanting to be a pirate thing, but, you know, aside from the obvious,” he gestured to himself, “why should I believe that you really want to serve me? You’re young and cute…ish, don’t you want freedom and empowerment and all those other things girls go on and on about?” 
Your eyebrows furrowed. “Why would I?” 
A moment of quiet that wasn’t quite silence but twice as heavy passed before a slow smile began to spread over Buggy’s face, and then—of all the bizarre, uncomfortable responses he could have—he laughed. “Oh, you’re broken, aren’t you?” he asked, clearly overjoyed by the revelation. “Well, I’m sold. I’ll have to start you on probation just in case you’re secretly up to no good. But, after that, you can audition for real. I’m sure I can find something you’ll be useful for.” 
His reaction gave you whiplash. The word ‘broken’ was obviously bad, but everything else was good. You had succeeded. Only, you didn’t know why. You were still trying to decide if being called cute-ish was a compliment or not. 
“Hey, just one more thing, okay?” Buggy asked, tapping your cheek. Standing mere inches away, he smiled a rictus grin. It wrinkled his eyes, but they were without life or pity or mercy. “If you’re lying to me about anything, I’ll carve some symmetry into your cute little face. You’ll thank me for it too. You won’t want to see what the guys will do to you after I toss you out there.”
“I’m not lying,” you said softly, shrinking back. “I promise.” 
“Great!” Buggy said, his demeanor immediately cheering up. “Let’s get you down.” He walked behind the board you were strung up on, and you let out a shaky exhale. “Brace yourself,” he called. You had no idea what that meant, or how you were supposed to brace yourself when there was nothing for you to brace yourself on. “Three… two…” 
He undid the lock, and the chains keeping you bound to the board went slack. You dropped hard, your limbs as heavy as lead. Luckily, your head was too light to feel anything when you hit the ground with a dull thump and the loud cacophony of rattling chains, spinning and blank and utterly empty. There was a suspended moment of floating, lighter than air itself. And then you were blinking rapidly and nauseous, pain shooting up your arms and knees. 
Buggy dropped a key in front of you, metal bouncing on the old concrete. 
“Unfortunately we didn’t bring any real props with us, so I had to improvise,” he said. With numb fingers, you grabbed the key and worked it into the locked cuff around your wrist. “You lucked out, if this were the real Wheel of Death, you’d be blowing chunks!” He paused, looking down at you. “Can you hurry this up?”
“Sorry,” you said. Your shaking hands kept missing the keyholes, but you finally got the last lock on your ankle open. The cuffs hadn’t broken skin, but your wrists and ankles were rubbed raw, ugly bruises already developing. You’d had worse.
“Alright, upsy daisy,” Buggy said, crouching down to take the key away and grab the only chain you hadn’t gotten out of—the one around your neck. 
It acted as a noose, giving you no other choice but to lurch upward with an unappealing choking sound, your head spinning all over again, the weightless itch tingling all the way down to the base of your spine. You stumbled forward, unintentionally falling against him. 
“Holy shit,” Buggy exclaimed, helping you stand up straight with a hand on your shoulder. “I didn’t know girls came in fun size. Legally, at least. Are you sure you’re not just like… the maxiest midget?” 
“‘m dizzy,” you muttered, swaying despite his support. 
“That’s not really… Ah, whatever. Hey, at least if you fall, you don’t have that far to go.”
“I’m… I’m okay,” you finally said, which was mostly true. Breathing slow, steady breaths helped, and then you shook your head a little. The bump on the back of it throbbed painfully, and you’d have bruises on your knees the size of apples, but you would survive. You were still trying to get control over your body. It was heavy and unwieldy, although part of that must have been the exhaustion. 
“If you need to vomit, make sure to aim away from me,” he said. That was about all the warning you got before he decided it was time to go, dragging you along behind him like a dog on a leash. 
You realized you were leaving your bandana behind, your left eye uncovered, and reared back, trying to stop him. “Wait, I have to grab my-” 
“No time,” he said, talking over you and tugging again at the chain. 
There was nothing you could do but stumble over your own feet to keep up with him as he led you through the cluttered and dark storage area. You felt a tiny bit of relief that you were still in the familiar decaying buildings northside. The old warehouses were dark, dank, and dingy. Easily defended and difficult to navigate, perfect for criminals to hide out in. You knew them very well, and that helped orient you.  
"As I’m sure you noticed, I’m running a bit of a skeleton crew here. The rest aren’t coming ‘til the grand finale,” Buggy said, leading you into the main warehouse space by the chain around your neck like it was completely normal. The awful smell of rot and decay was only compounded by a sickly sweet, chalky scent you didn’t recognize. Gray sunshine flooded in through the broken windows around the high ceilings, piercingly bright. “And after that, we’re gonna blow this town.”
You didn’t respond, growing even more skittish. The two of you drew the attention of the people scattered around. Some were lounging, others were training. All of them turned to look at you, watching with the dark, focused stare of hungry dogs. Colorfully dressed, very dangerous dogs. 
“Ladies and gentlemen, I have an introduction to make!” Buggy called in a loud enough voice to fill the large space. “Crew, new girl. New girl, crew. Make sure to give her a nice, warm welcome." None of them spoke or reacted, watching you with varying degrees of hostility. Buggy pulled you forward a few steps so he could whisper to you. “See that guy?” he asked, pointing to a bald man with square features and an especially dark glare. “That’s Ivo. He was the one who caught you. To be completely honest, I think he’s still a little angry that he didn't get to keep you. If I were you, I’d try to stay on his good side.”
“How?” you asked, your uneasy stomach sinking further, but Buggy was already preoccupied with something else. 
“Oh, hey-” he called, flagging down a woman who was leaning against one of the steel supports. You stumbled behind him, holding the chain around your neck to ease the pressure. “Crina, I have got a very important job for you.” 
The woman slowly looked from Buggy to you, giving you a weighty once-over with dark, kohl-lined eyes. Her clothes were different from the rest, draped with beads and loose and layered in shades of purple. Beneath the mystique, however, you felt the same hardness you recognized in all the pirate’s faces. “You want me to look after the little rat,” she said with an accent you didn’t recognize.
"God, it’s like you can read minds or something,” Buggy said, laughing. “Anyway, yes. Make sure she doesn’t get up to anything naughty while I’m gone. In fact, don’t let her out of your sight.” 
“With all due respect,” Crina said, “why not just kill her?” 
“Because I don’t want her dead,” Buggy snapped, suddenly irritated. If Crina was surprised or off put by the abrupt change of his mood, she didn’t show it. 
“Of course, captain.”  
“I thought I saw some cages over there,” Buggy said, gesturing vaguely and forcing the chain into Crina’s hand. “Stick her in one of those. In the back, away from any prying eyes.”  
“A cage?” you asked.
“As fun as it is to see you all chained up,” Buggy said. “I worry that it might send the wrong message. Out of sight, out of mind—I don’t need you distracting my crew. They’re planning a very big surprise party. If you behave, I might be able to find some time for you later. Sound good?” 
You nodded, almost surprised by how good that sounded. He ruffled your hair before turning away, barking orders to some of the men. 
“Let’s go,” Crina said, pulling your attention back to her. “We have our orders.”
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The cage Crina put you in, one out of several bolted to the floor in the corner out of the way from the main space, had just enough room for you to sit slouched, or lay curled on your side, meant for big dogs or small humans. There was a market for both, and you knew that this warehouse had likely housed both. 
The old, dilapidated buildings had been out of use for a long time, as long as you could remember. Barley Village had been originally built to be close to the mineral deposits, but as those dried up and industry trended towards the water, southward expansion left all of the old buildings empty and rotting. There was always talk about tearing them down, but it was only ever talk. One time you were told that some people wanted to keep the buildings available to people who wished for some privacy. But when you asked your dad if that was true, he got angry, telling you that was a lie, that he would never let that happen. He said it would just be too expensive to take them down, and that there was really no point in it.
But he also told you to never, ever spend time northside. Of all of the rules he gave you, that was the only one you ever truly disobeyed. You had no idea how many times you had gotten in trouble for playing here, climbing up rusted stairs and crossing the support beams up by the ceiling, using rocks to knock out the jagged edges of broken glass from the windows so you could go onto the rooftops. Your health problems made it difficult, and sometimes impossible, but you were patient. Plus, that had been before the accident, when your coordination was still good.
Back then, you didn’t worry about the many dangers that lurked here, and you certainly didn’t believe you could be hurt. You were too entranced by the world you created for yourself. The only thing you worried about was the beatings you earned when you got caught. Dad used to tell you that if you kept disobeying him by going northside, you’d wind up locked in one of these cages—or worse. It took you a while to think of the word, because it wasn’t funny, but it also was. Ironic. It was ironic.
You couldn’t even imagine what kind of reaction he would have to what you had done now, what punishment you would earn. It would be bad. You knew it would be very bad. 
Better not to think about it. Falling unconscious after being hit on the head was the most you had slept for the previous two days. It was the level of exhaustion that you could be staring down the business end of a sword with indifferent, sleepy eyes. Being locked up was bad, very bad, but you were content to lay listlessly on your side.
At some point, you must have fallen asleep because you weren’t entirely conscious when somebody kicked the front of your cage. “Hey, wake up.” Your physical response was to startle, jolting you awake enough to flinch away from the violence. But it was only Crina who crouched in front of the cage. “I have food for you. And medicine for the headache. I’m going let you out, and I suggest you don’t try to run. If the guys get a hold of you, I won’t stop them.”
“I won’t run,” you told her, your voice hoarse, your eyes fixed on what she had brought. A bowl of something that looked like stew and a bottle. More than food, you wanted water. Crina undid the lock and you shuffled out of the cage. Your head spun just as badly as it had when you dropped onto the floor earlier, your vision crawling with darkness and stomach heaving unhappily. She was right about the headache. It wasn’t a pain you ever got used to, no matter how many days you spent laid out from one. After an uneasy moment, you sat on the floor, grabbing the water and eagerly uncapping it. 
“Hand,” Crina said, holding out a glass bottle. You allowed her to shake two capsules into your palm, tossing them into your mouth before taking in a blessedly wet mouthful of water. It soothed your tongue and throat like a salve, although you knew your stomach wouldn’t be quite so happy to receive anything. The stew’s scent alone made your stomach clench and churn with equal parts hunger and nausea. Slow. You had to take it slow. 
“Thank you,” you told her, picking up the bowl. She’d brought a wrapped sailor’s biscuit to eat it with. Not very appetizing, but you hadn’t eaten much more than you slept. It could have been saw dust and you would have been grateful. 
“I have your bag,” she said to fill the silence as you ate, pushing the limp canvas towards you. “They took anything that looked valuable, but your clothes are all there. They need to be washed. I’ll lend you something to wear in the meantime.”
Since your mouth was full, you nodded your thanks.
“While you eat, I’m going to talk. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to,” Crina said. “You don’t strike me as the talkative type.”
She didn’t say that in an accusatory tone, but it still caused your heart to skip with anxiety. The fear had to be irrational, it wasn’t as if you had lied to Captain Buggy, so what did you have to worry about? Besides, only the guilty feared scrutiny, that was a favored line of your dad’s. 
“There’s a man in town asking if anyone has seen a girl. Petite. Missing an eye. Mentally unwell. He’s concerned that she might have gotten lost somewhere,” Crina told you. “From what I gather, her father is a pillar of the community. They’re all very worried.” 
You averted your gaze, anxiously pulling your hair to cover your left eye. Of course Randall would be looking for you, although you had hoped you would have more time before he noticed your absence. It didn’t matter that you left in such a way to raise as little suspicion as possible, or that you were an adult, or that you didn’t want to be found. Your dad asked him to be your keeper while he was gone, and Randall did as your father said. Everybody did. 
“Finish your food,” Crina prompted. “It’s worse when it’s cold.” 
Right. You started eating again, your movements mechanical. She said nothing, and you had nothing to say. 
“Everybody has their reasons for turning to piracy, and they’re not always pleasant,” Crina suddenly said. “Unless it interferes with my own business, I don’t care about who you were and why you ran away. It was a stupid choice, I think you know that. I won’t try and convince you to leave. Buggy seems to like you, so you wouldn’t be able to go anyway. But you need to understand that there will be consequences. The life you had before, no matter how terrible, did not prepare you for the life you’ve thrown yourself into.”
You stared hard at the bowl, thinking about that. It was true, you had to accept that you had blindly stumbled into a world you knew nothing about. But what choice did you have? The things that led you to this point were arranged like the rusty, creaky rungs of a ladder scaling the side of a building. Climbing up had always been the easy part, it was the inevitable descent that gave you trouble. You had to go slow, one rung at a time, blindly feeling with your toes, holding on with sweaty fingers, not looking up and not looking down because once you were on the ladder, you could only keep going. The first rung was spotting the Buggy Pirates, which you only did because you were sulking around the docks after seeing your father off on his trip. You only recognized the crew because your dad kept track of pirate captains with significant bounties. You only had the courage to sneak away from your house because dad was too far away to stop you. You only had the ability to scope out Buggy’s temporary hideout because of how much time you spent northside when you were younger. Those things all connected and followed so naturally and you didn’t know if fate existed, but you knew for a fact that you wouldn’t have wound up here on your own volition. It wasn’t a choice you made, it was the only way to get down from the roof that you had been stranded on for so long.
“I’ll give you some advice,” Crina continued, her tone lighter, “and I suggest you listen. You’re young and pretty, and you wouldn’t be the first to try and use that to get an advantage. It might work for a while, but men will get bored and your looks will fade. Before long you’ll be spat out into a cheap whorehouse with a couple of children you can’t afford and a hell of a rash.” 
The whiplash from your thoughts to the conclusion she had drawn made your stomach twist with disgust. “No,” you said. Was that what she thought of you? Even if the idea was utterly ridiculous, shame rolled uncomfortable through you. “I would never—I could never ever do that.” 
“Don’t be naive,” Crina said, rolling her eyes. “The boys you’re used to are disgusted by that scar, but the kind of men you’ll meet from now on won’t be. If your low self-esteem dictates who you let between your legs, you’ll find yourself in the gutter. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t sleep with men to get an advantage if that’s an option, only that you must be smart about it.” 
You pulled your hair forward again, shaking your head clear of what she was saying. She didn’t understand. It wasn’t the assumption that men would be repulsed by your scar—which they would be, you knew that—but that you didn’t have it in you to invite or manipulate male attention. In so many ways you were already ruined, but to stoop down to letting other men touch you would be too far, it would destroy you.
“Assuming you live past tomorrow night,” Crina continued, “get a knife and figure out how to use it. The men aren’t going to accept you as a member of the crew until you prove yourself. So if anybody gets too close, you prove yourself with blood.” 
“Do you think they’ll try to hurt me?” 
“I think you look like an easy target,” she said. “And I know you have no concept of self preservation or defense.”
“Yes, I do,” you said, frowning. You had made it this far, after all. That was more than anybody would have thought of you. 
“You don’t,” she said plainly. “The tablets I gave you are for treating pain, but imagine if they weren’t. You didn’t so much as ask me to clarify what they were.” 
You opened your mouth to argue, and closed it, shame squeezing your throat. You hadn’t even thought about that.
“It might not matter anyway,” she said, “depending on Buggy’s reasons for keeping you.”
“What do you mean?” 
Crina gave you a long, pitying look and you could tell there was something she wanted to say, something she was holding back. Eventually she shrugged. “That is between the two of you.”
You wanted to push for more, confused by the cryptic answer, but you didn’t. You could tell by the hard look on her face that she wouldn’t tell you anyway. 
“One more thing. The most important thing,” Crina told you, leaning close so she could whisper. “Never, ever mention the captain’s nose. In fact, never mention noses at all.” 
“His nose?” you repeated softly. “Is it… is it real?” 
“What did I just say?” she asked sharply. “He killed a few of the last new recruits for saying something that sounded like nose while he was in a bad mood.”
“He… killed them?” you asked. 
“Buggy is a very temperamental man,” she said, leaning back. “Try not to get on his bad side.”
“It sounds like you don’t like him.” 
“I do, actually. God knows why. Are you finished?” 
“Yes, thank you.” 
“Come on then,” Crina told you, getting to her feet and dusting herself off. “There’s running water on the other side. I’ll keep watch so you can clean up.”   
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Although birds called and the breeze carried all sorts of noises from Barley Village, none of it really reached the northside. A solemn graveyard hush settled heavy between the wreckage of ruined buildings, drafty even in broad daylight. No ghosts hid in the shadows, no historical tragedy marred its name, but there remained the haunted imprint of people who were no longer around. 
Before setting you on your task of the day, Crina had given you a dress of hers to wear while your own clothes dried in the sun. You swam in it, but a sash at the waist made the fit look somewhat intentional and the long sleeves hid the ugly bruises cuffing your wrists. That, combined with having slept the previous night and most of the day, left you feeling oddly refreshed. Sure, all of the sleep had been in a cage and the only ‘bath’ you had was a couple of minutes alone with a spout that spat freezing water and a washcloth, but it was better than yesterday. Better than the day before that too, save for the bruises and big goose egg bump on the back of your head.  
Despite the headache, you were glad to be given something to do. The task wasn’t difficult. Busywork that kept you out of the way. Checking to ensure that everything which would be loaded on the ship was documented, organized, and ready for transport. It wasn’t entirely unlike what you had done in the past and, you imagined, would be doing in the future. It was, however, the opposite way around. The goods were obviously looted, you were creating a list to know exactly what and how much of it had been stolen. 
Vinegar, oil, wax.
You used the end of the pen to scratch beneath your bandana, which Crina had kindly retrieved for you. Sometimes the scar got itchy, like it had when it was healing. 
Twine, needles, thread. 
There was a particular smell to supply crates like these. Something to do with the place they were stored, or where they were made. Even now, years since you had been on a ship, it was overwhelmingly familiar. It made your stomach ache and chest clench, although you weren’t sure which quality of the scent was so unsettling. 
You scratched the scar again.
Vinegar, oil- 
Wait, you had already done that. Annoyed, you crossed out those words and crouched down to get into the next crate. Rope. It was coiled in tight loops like a huge snake, coarse beneath your fingers. Anything that was strong enough to endure the fury of the sea had to be coarse. Good rope was vital on a ship, you knew that even with your limited experience. Touching it reminded you of the time your dad tried to show you how to tie knots, and then subsequently had to treat your rope burn.
What would he think when he returned? Retired Marine or not, he was deeply involved with northside business and law. Missing supplies, missing daughter. Sometimes you felt an acidic sort of pleasure when imagining his reaction to your absence, but usually it was just dread.
Or worse. Prickling paranoia. You could run, for a time. But that was all it was. Running. He used to be a Marine, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find you. When you were younger, the thought gave you comfort. 
But you didn’t want to think about that. Not at all. Not ever again. You stared very hard at the rope, desperate to put those thoughts out of your mind. 
You stared and stared and stared and-
Somebody grabbed you around the bicep, dragging you to your feet and forcing you back to reality. Yelping in fear, you were nearly knocked back down from the bloodrush dizziness of standing up too fast, saved only by the crates. 
“Good god, girl,” the unfamiliar man said, taking a step back, clearly put off by your reaction. “Are you deaf or something? I hollered at you three or four times. Were you sleeping?” 
Putting a hand to your racing heart, you looked from him to the still open crate and the notepad you had abandoned mid-task. You had no idea how long you had been sitting there. Long enough for your foot to go numb, prickling with pins and needles now that you were standing up. 
“I’m sorry,” you told him.
“The captain wants to see you. It’s urgent,” he said. When you didn’t immediately respond, still orienting yourself, he sighed impatiently and grabbed your elbow, physically dragging you away. You stumbled to keep up, trying very hard to avoid falling. “If Buggy asks why you took so long, you better tell him it was your fault.”
“I will,” you said to appease him, attempting to shake off his hand before realizing that it was pointless. “Please slow down.” 
“Not my fault you’ve got stumpy legs,” he said. “Keep up.” 
The unfairness of that stung, but you didn’t have much choice. You had a feeling that he’d keep on pulling you along even if it meant dragging you across the ground. 
“Where are we going?” you asked, embarrassingly out of breath. 
“There,” he said, nodding to one of the waterfront buildings. At least it was close. You never strayed so close to the water, the buildings were too squat to make for fun exploration and too exposed to give cover. 
The pirate released you when you got to the door, leaving you winded and scared. You adjusted your bandana and tried to catch your breath. “Don’t forget to tell him it was your fault it took so long, not mine,” he said, opening the door.
“I won’t,” you promised, the words papery thin on your dry tongue.  
You were in trouble. You had no idea what you might have done, but there had to be something. Why would you be summoned like this otherwise? A very bad feeling pressed against your sternum, but you forced yourself to walk forward. The door shut behind you. Inside, the air was dark and cool and wet, sending a little shiver down your spine. 
Buggy stood in the middle of the room, the only place where the sun found its way between the mangled teeth of glass and steel that used to be windows, his own little spotlight amidst the ruins. There were three other men on the edges of the light, their backs to you. One of them was bound. You did not like this. 
“There she is!” Buggy exclaimed, inviting you forward with his arms spread wide. “Come on, don’t be shy. Especially not after keeping us waiting so long. Your friend over here could hardly handle the suspense. 
Rocks and broken glass crunched beneath your feet as you approached them. Once you got close enough, finally, you could see the faces of the other men. One was the square-featured, angry man Buggy called Ivo. Another, a man you didn’t know. And the third, the one bound with a busted lip and developing black eye—
Randall called your name, trying to escape and rush to your side. Ivo grabbed him, pressing the blade of his knife against his throat.
“See, I told you, they’re working together,” Ivo said, glaring at you. “She tipped him off. No doubt this place will be swarming with the law before long.”
You stood completely still, staring at Randall with the steadily rising tide of panic sloshing in your stomach. After everything you had done to misdirect him, the note you left to beg he didn’t follow, the trouble you had put yourself through to keep from being seen, he was still here. 
“Are you okay?” Randall asked, looking you up and down frantically, concerned in a way he never had looked before. “Did they hurt you?” 
“I told you, she’s fine,” Buggy said with a grin. “I mean, yeah, Ivo over there did give her a little knock on the ole noggin—a love tap, really—but the eye was already like that when we found her.” 
“I wasn’t asking you,” Randall said, glaring at Buggy. 
“Shut up,” Ivo said, pressing the knife close enough to Randall’s throat that it broke skin. 
“No, no, let him go,” Buggy ordered casually, waving his hand. “He’s not gonna do anything stupid.” He threw an arm around your shoulder. “Not when I’ve got her.” 
Ivo reluctantly complied, releasing Randall. He watched you intently, and you knew what he was thinking. How could he save you?  
“Ivo over there thinks that the two of you are working together,” Buggy told you, smiling. His arm was heavy around your shoulders, oppressively so. “He thinks that we should kill you both.” 
“I’m not—I wouldn’t,” you told him. 
“And see, I wanna believe you. I really do. But he’s not talking, and,” Buggy ran his finger over your right cheek, reminding you of his threat from yesterday, “I’m starting to worry you’ve been lying to me.”
“I’m not,” you said, ice cold dread dripping into your veins a drop at a time. You fought your discomfort and forced yourself to meet his eyes, hoping he could see your sincerity. “I promise I’m not.” 
“Then how did he find this place?” 
“I don’t… I don’t know…”
“She used to hide here when we were kids,” Randall answered. “I thought she ran away, not that you freaks had kidnapped her. If I had known I’d find pirates here, I would have come armed.”
“Is that true?” Buggy asked you, pulling you even closer. Close enough to be embarrassing, to give the wrong impression, especially when he was stroking your cheek with a sort of affection that didn’t mesh with the danger in his blue eyes.
“I told you it is. Let her go, clown!” Randall shouted. His voice was loud enough to echo, and harsh enough to make you wince. That sort of rage wasn’t one you expected from him, but it was familiar all the same. 
“Oh, wow,” Buggy said with a laugh, looking up at him. “Is that jealousy I hear? She didn’t tell me she was leaving behind a boyfriend.” 
“He’s not my boyfriend,” you said softly, your insides twisting at the thought. 
“Really?” Buggy asked. He shrugged, and looked at Randall. “If you’re not doing this because you want to have sex with her, why are you here?” 
“I am a dear friend—both to her and her dad,” Randall answered. “He asked me to look after her because she… She’s not in a sound state of mind. And she’s the only family he has left. Without her, he’ll have nothing.” He grit his teeth. “Take me, kill me if you’re that thirsty for blood, but let her go. Please.”
“You’re a real knight in shining armor. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but she came here all on her own,” Buggy said, releasing you to approach him instead. “She begged to join my crew, got down on her knees and told me that she would be happy to serve me for the rest of her life. It was the most adorable thing.”
“No,” Randall said, his face twisting with disgust. “You’re lying. She wouldn’t do that.”
“Ask her yourself,” Buggy invited, stepping aside and sweeping out his arm. All eyes landed on you like a spotlight. Blood rushed in your ears, and you felt dizzy with it, ready to pass out on the spot. When you looked at Buggy, he smiled and nodded encouragingly. 
“It’s true,” you said.
“No. That is impossible,” Randall said. “This is insane. You are mad, you cannot make decisions like this for yourself.” You stared at his feet, your hands balled into fists. You were not crazy. You were not. That had to be true. “Whatever hysterics brought you here, give it up. These are pirates.”
“I’m a pirate too,” you declared, your hands forming fists at your sides. You weren’t crazy, or mad. You were thinking very clearly, more than you had in a while. 
“No, you are your father’s daughter,” Randall insisted, loud enough to make you flinch. “Can you imagine the agony he would feel hearing you say that?”
Your breathing was too fast, rapid enough to make your head spin. You kept shaking your head, tears flying off of your cheek, but you couldn’t recall when you had begun to cry. “I don’t care.” 
“Don’t care…? This bastard has already gotten into your head,” Randall said. “He has poisoned your broken mind with his lies and manipulations, please don’t let this go any further.”
You shook your head again, but there was nothing you could think of to say. You didn’t want to talk anymore, you just wanted this to be over. 
“Believe me, as much as I would love to claim otherwise, I had nothing to do with this,” Buggy said, raising his hands innocently. “You’ve got no one to blame but yourself. Think about what would drive a girl like this into the arms of a pirate. A broken heart, maybe? Was that your doing, lover boy? Did you break her heart? Make her feel like she wasn’t good enough?” 
“Keep your big goddamned nose out of our business, clown,” Randall said. 
The other pirates audibly gasped, and you could feel the sudden zap of tension in the air. Buggy’s taunting smile froze in place, his posture icing over like a statue. And then, a second later, he was rushing at Randall, burying his fist in the other man’s stomach. Randall crumpled onto his knees with a heavy grunt and you waited for something else, something worse. Crina said that Buggy had killed over jokes about his nose, and, right then, you believed it.
Nothing happened. You watched, frozen, as Buggy breathed in deeply, his shoulders rising and falling with it, and then he raised a hand.  
“New girl,” he called, snapping to beckon you closer. You obliged, rushing to his side. He didn’t look angry, not like you feared he would. Instead, he smiled. It was a mean smile, a frightening one. But a smile all the same. “Are you ready for your big moment?”   
“What?” 
“Your audition! I thought of the perfect act for you. Kill him.” 
You looked down at Randall, he was clearly still in pain, his eyes watering as he looked up at you. “I can’t,” you whispered, shaking your head again.  
“You can and will. Assuming you want to remain on my crew. Otherwise I’ll kill him and you’ll have to explain to daddy why prince charming was here in the first place.” He held out his hand towards Ivo. “Knife.” When he got it, Buggy flipped the knife handle first, holding it to you with a flourish. “You’re up, babydoll.”
“She won’t do it, clown,” Randall said through grit teeth. 
“Of course she will,” Buggy said. “For me.” 
As if moving through the dusky haze of a dream, you took the knife, wrapping your sweaty hand around the grip. The way Buggy smiled in response made your heart flutter, something to cling to amidst the horror and disgust. It didn’t feel real anymore. How could it be real? 
“I don’t know what to do.” Were those your words? Your voice?
Buggy laughed. “Of course you don’t,” he said, circling behind Randall. “C’mere, I’ll help you.” 
Randall was shouting and pleading, but Buggy had grabbed a fistfull of his hair to keep him from escaping. 
“You’ve gotta hold him still,” Buggy told you. “Like this, see?”  
“-don’t do this, please. You can’t… I love you!” 
You got a fistful of Randall’s hair, making him cry out in pain. There was no pleasure in the sound, only a roiling sense of disgust. It would be better when he was dead, and then he wouldn’t be in pain. 
“God you’re short,” Buggy said as he adjusted you into place, right between him and Randall. “You’ll be better off going for their ankles.” He wrapped his hand around yours, getting a good grip on the knife and holding it still. 
“-when he gets bored of fucking you. That’s all pirates do, rape and murder. You’ll never be one of them, you’ll just-”
“Start on one side and move to the other, easy as that,” Buggy said comfortingly, resting his chin against the side of your head. 
“-he doesn’t kill you, your dad will. Do you really think you’ll ever be able to hide from him?” 
Moving slowly, through a dream, you put the knife on the left side of Randall’s neck. It was no different from what a butcher did, really. 
Breath in. Pull. You instinctively locked up at the sound of Randall’s screams and the resistance of his flesh, but Buggy forced your hand, pulling the blade deep into his neck and then fast to the side. The knife got caught part way through, stuck in something hard. You tried to saw through it and Randall made an inhuman noise of agony. Buggy had to help you unstick it, to follow through until the knife slashed that horrifying scream short and then there was just a sort of gurgling sound and you didn’t know if it was because he was still alive or if it was an automatic process. 
There was so much blood, and it was hot, burning you. For some reason, you hadn’t anticipated the messy scarlet spray. From the deep slice came more blood. More, and more still. Randall’s heavy, limp body dropped onto the floor into a puddle of it, although you weren’t sure when you let go of his hair. Buggy released your hand, but you didn’t drop the knife, holding it in a death grip as blood streamed like red veins down your hand and wrist, down the blade and all the way to its tip before dripping to the dirty floor. The tang of iron filled your lungs. You shook all over, all the way down inside, your bones and organs shivering. It was your heart. It pounded frantically, like butterfly wings. And your breathing. Wheezing, gasping, gurgling like Randall’s had before he fell.
Your mouth opened to exhale, but there was nothing there. No air, no words. Nothing. Your cold gaze turned to look at Buggy, confused as to what you were supposed to do next. He had led you this far, but now you were lost. He smiled, and laughed, and took the knife away from you, tossing it to the side where it clanged and slid away. 
And then he folded you into his arms, your head pressed against his chest. His heartbeat was firm and steady, and he was so warm. He smelled of gunpowder and salty sea air and greasepaint and the natural warm scent of his skin. You clung to that, breathing in deep to excise the scent of blood. 
“Congratulations, babydoll,” Buggy told you. “Looks like you just got the part.” 
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The first firecracker went off not long after the sun had gone down, kicking off the surprise party with an especially loud zip and then a bang and a bursting sizzle. “It’s a surprise party,” Buggy told you, his face illuminated by the flash of red. “As in, the people who live here are going to be so surprised by the party I’m throwing for my crew. Get it?” 
A chain of firecrackers followed the first, a show that the pirates set off amidst a barrage of explosions, lighting up the sky with brilliant colors and smoke, making the earth tremble beneath your feet. They acted as distraction and lure, drawing people further into the town and inviting the ship that had been lurking nearby to enter the harbor. 
And after that came the chaos. 
Many things happened that you were aware of, if only passively. Leaving the northside and then Barley Village, waiting at the dock, and then boarding the ship as men and women in colorful attire flooded the yard, overtaking the few armed guards. You were told to sit on the deck and wait, so you did. Aware of it all—noxious sulfur and smoke filling the air, thunderous claps of explosives, popping gunshots, screaming voices, roaring fires—but uninvolved. There was a sense of great quiet. Not outside where things were loud and violent and scary, but inside. You were very quiet on the inside. Far away from everything and everyone else. 
Blood flaked off of your skin, caking beneath the nails when you scratched your arm. It would have been nice to wash it off, but you didn’t know where you would go for that, and you didn’t want to get up.
“Yoo-hoo, is anybody in there?” 
A gloved hand waved in front of your face. 
You let out a hoarse scream, nearly tipping backwards from how violently you startled. It didn’t take long for you to realize how overblown the reaction was, Buggy’s laughter made the point quite clearly. 
“What was that?” he asked, almost laughing too hard to get the words out. He stood above you without his coat and hat, although he kept the striped headscarf, and a bottle tucked under his arm. 
“You scared me,” you told him, a hand on your racing heart.
“That noise you just made though,” he said, still laughing. “It sounded like one of those scream-y fireworks.”
“I didn’t know you were there.”
“Your fault, not mine. I was trying to talk to you, but you just sat there. I thought it was your eye that didn’t work, not your ears.”
“I guess I… zoned out a little.” 
“No shit. Ah, that was good,” Buggy said as his laughter subsided. “I had no idea human beings could even make sounds like that.” Letting out a big breath to settle himself, he sat down next to you. Very close, far closer than you would have, almost touching. “Kinda makes me wonder what other kinds of sounds you can make.” 
“I know, it’s annoying,” you said, staring hard at the deck. “I’m sorry.” 
Buggy laughed at that too, shaking his head. “You really have no clue, do you?” he asked. “Is it weird that I’m into it?” 
“Into what?” you asked. “I’m sorry, I… don’t understand.” 
“I know you don’t, and that’s okay,” he said with a mocking sort of indulgence, patting your head. “Anyway, I had a little business in town and snagged this from some rich guy’s house.” He held up a bottle by the neck and swished its contents a little for effect. “We’re going to celebrate.” 
“Wouldn’t you rather be out there?” you asked, the first coherent question that came to your mind as it scrambled to make sense of what he had just said. 
“Between you and me, this,” Buggy said with a confidential hush, gesturing to your burning town, “isn’t my thing. It’s a reward for my freaks, gives ‘em an outlet to express themselves artistically. I prefer a more… performative platform. True art deserves a spotlight and an audience.” He waved that away, smiling. “But this isn’t about me, it’s about you.” 
“Me?”
“You really impressed me earlier. I mean, yeah, your technique needs polish, and you’ve got no stage presence to speak of, but you displayed raw talent. I really think you have a shot at success, sweetheart. Stick with me, and I’ll make something out of you yet.” 
“Thank you,” you said softly, shying away from thinking about earlier. The praise though, that was heady. That made you feel warm. 
Buggy popped the cork off the bottle, taking a drink straight from it and smacking his lips appreciatively. “You like sweet things, right?” 
“I-” 
“You’ll love this then. Here, try it.” 
You eyed the bottle he was proffering to you warily. Alcohol was something you were familiar with, but you could count on your fingers the number of times you had actually tasted it. “I don’t know…” you said, trying to think of ways to reject drinking without seeming ungrateful.   
“You’re a pirate now, so you’ve gotta learn to drink like one,” Buggy told you, pushing it into your hand. “What’s the worst that could happen?” 
You sniffed the open lip, surprised by the sweetness. It didn’t smell as strongly of alcohol as you feared. Not like what your father drank. Maybe it would be okay. Trying to avoid embarrassing yourself, you tipped the bottle back just like he had. That was a mistake. It didn’t smell like alcohol, but you could taste it—feel it, even. Panicked by your body’s natural response to expel it, you swallowed as much as you could, coughing out the rest. Red liquid drooled down your chin, staining the dress that was already ruined with dried blood. Buggy laughed. A little at first, and then a lot. 
Flushing, you wiped your mouth.
“Oh, don’t be like that. That was hilarious,” Buggy told you. You looked away, even more embarrassed. “Your face was priceless. You threw that back with the confidence of a real fire-hazard, saggy skinned, dead eyed alcoholic. You were so serious about it too, and then… Good lord.”
“I didn’t know!” you said, trying and failing not to sound shrill. 
“It’s okay, you’ve got me to help you now. Try it again, but don’t be so greedy. Baby sips.” 
“No, thank you,” you said, holding the bottle back to him. 
“Drink. That’s an order,” he said, pushing it back to you. 
That gave you pause. “Do you mean that?” you asked. 
He nodded, urging you on. 
Your shoulders drooped in defeat. Trepidatiously, you took a small sip. At least you didn’t hack it back up this time. While the taste was sweet, the burn was not. It rose up like smoke into your head, you could feel it.  
“What if I get drunk?” you asked. 
“Oh, you’re going to get drunk, captain’s orders,” Buggy said with a grin. “I can’t stand watching you sit around moping about killing that guy. Besides, you’re a pirate now.”
The little ball of anxiety deep in your gut doubled. This was wrong, you knew it was. Or maybe you were wrong, and Buggy was right. You didn’t know. 
“I don’t want to embarrass myself,” you muttered.
“As long as you don’t jump into the water or shit yourself, you’ll be fine…” You looked at him, horrified. “Joking! C’mon, I’ve taken good care of you so far, haven’t I? You’ll be fine.”
The way he laughed made you want to believe him. He was your captain now. You nodded seriously and, steeling yourself, took another drink. And another. 
“See? It’s good, right?” Buggy asked, holding out his hand for the bottle. 
You licked your lips, cleaning up the lingering sweetness. “It is. Thank you,” you said, unable to keep yourself from admiring the way his throat worked as he swallowed, the view unfortunately obscured by his cravat. 
The perverse thought took you by surprise. Was it the alcohol? Already, your head was spinning, your thoughts a little more disorganized. It wasn’t like the quiet, empty feeling of before. It was warm and distant, it made your shoulders relax, the anxiety and uncertainty of before fading. This was a good idea, you already felt so much better. When he passed the bottle back, you didn’t have to be prompted to imbibe, chasing that feeling.   
“I don’t mean to pry, but when that guy back there mentioned your dad, it really seemed to get to you,” Buggy said. “What, did daddy not love you? Or maybe he loved you a little too much.”
You didn’t want to talk about that. You didn’t want to think about it. You took another big drink. 
On the horizon, the town was utterly ablaze. As the night grew darker, the flames rose higher. Which building was burning so brightly? It belched thick, black smoke into the night sky. Who was in it? Anybody you knew?
“Don’t wanna talk about it, hm? That’s fine,” Buggy said, stealing the bottle back. “With any luck, my freaks’ll kill him tonight, eh? Then you’ll really be free.” 
“He’s gone right now,” you said, your words soft and slurring together. “Out of town.” What would he think of the smoldering ashes? Would he believe you had perished in the flame? Somehow, you doubted that. He would know what you had done. There was no chance of freedom, not for you. 
“That’s even better,” Buggy said.  
Your eyebrows furrowed as you turned to him, both in confusion and disbelief. “How?” 
“Because, babydoll,” Buggy told you, shaking your shoulder to make sure you were paying attention. “It’s good to have somebody to hate—somebody to prove wrong. He tried to convince you that you’re crazy, he tried to keep you from ever being yourself. That pain and anger made you weak. But you’re not weak anymore. Tonight, I showed you how to be strong. It’s not enough to tell those assholes that they’re wrong, you have to prove it to them. That’s what tonight was about, right? You proved to your dad, to everybody, that you’re stronger than they thought. And, hey, you proved it to me, too. I wasn’t sure about you at first, but I changed my mind.” He threw an arm around you, pulling you close. “I like you, kiddo. A lot.” 
“I like you too,” you said, relaxing into the little side hug, very aware of every place his bare arm met your bare shoulders and neck. The alcohol had stoked a nice blaze in your stomach and chest, making your head spin in a way you didn’t mind that much. Smoothing the colors, softening the air, making you want to lean into his touch, made you crave more of it. 
Buggy pulled away, leaving the bottle in your hands. You felt a little cold without him.  
“You know,” he said, smiling at you. The far off flames glinted mischievously in his eyes. The flaring reds and oranges highlighted his cheekbones too, defined the sharpness of his jaw. You were caught off guard by how viscerally you reacted to the thought that he was handsome, your filterless mind caught in an endless loop of focusing on the fact. “Burning down this shithole is nothing compared to what I will do. The towns I’ll raze to the ground, the treasure I’ll steal, the shows I’ll put on. Now that I’ve got a crew, I’m gonna put on a show like nobody’s ever seen. The biggest, flashiest, greatest show ever. Everybody will be screaming my name, recognize my face. I’ll shine so bright that they’ll have no choice but to love me. ” 
Buggy’s intensity made you smile, you couldn’t help it. Alcohol had created a cloudy burst of affection within you, or maybe it was just the floodgates of tension finally collapsing, letting out something that would have otherwise been smothered. Either way, it was as intoxicating as the drink itself. 
“Are you laughing at me?” Buggy asked, his tone filled with steel. You looked to see his dark expression, his narrowed eyes. 
“I’m not,” you said, confused by his rapid shift in demeanor. “I’m… I’m happy. I’ll do anything to help you.” 
He relaxed. “Well, you’d better start working on your act.” 
That made you laugh, a dizzy, bubbly sound. “I can’t do an act. I wouldn’t know what to do.” 
“There has to be something. Let me think… Can you sing?”
“I used to, a little. But not for a really long time.” 
“Come on, let me hear it.”
You were drunk, you knew that for a fact because in no state of sobriety would you offer to sing in front of another person. But, right then, bubbling with alcohol and protected by the darkness of the smoky night sky, you felt invincible. 
“Oh, what do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning? Slash his…um… something, something, captain’s daughter. Toss him in… to… the dirty water…” Whatever coherence you held onto unraveled into a fit of drunken laughter at the awful rhyme. “I’m sorry, I think… I think I forgot some of the words.”  
“Seems like you forgot the tune too,” Buggy said, wincing dramatically. All that did was make you laugh harder. “Hold on a second, let me wipe the blood out of my ears.” 
You swatted his shoulder, although your attempted indignance probably wasn’t very convincing when you were still smiling. “Don’t be mean!”
“That’s a bold way to treat your captain,” he told you, but he was smiling too. 
“Please don’t be mean to me, Captain Buggy,” you said, speaking slowly to emphasize how serious you were. 
“Beg me again.” 
You blinked. “What?” 
“Nothing,” he said, waving it off in a way that made you think he was making fun of you. “Anyway, I’m being nice right now, especially after that performance. The critics would eat you alive for that one. So, singing is out. Clearly. What else have you got?”
“Oh! I know a, um, a rhyme. A joke.” 
He looked at you skeptically. “Really?” 
“What is that s’posed to mean?” you asked.
“You don’t strike me as somebody with… How should I put this… A sense of humor?” 
You frowned. 
“Alright, alright, quit pouting and tell me,” Buggy said impatiently, waving you to continue. 
You cleared your throat very theatrically, sitting up as straight as you could manage. 
“There was a young lass who thought
Very little but thought it a lot.
Then at long last she knew
What she wanted to do,
But before she could start, she forgot.”
Deflating, you laughed, surprised at how clearly you had delivered the words. Especially considering how long it had been since you heard them. 
Buggy didn’t look nearly as impressed. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a clean limerick before,” he said. “And now I know why. I mean, what’s the point of limerick without the ick.”
You blew a raspberry at him. “Fine, you do one.”
“Okay, but you have to prepare yourself,” Buggy said. You nodded encouragingly.
“There was a young plumber named Lee
Who was plumbing his girl by the sea.
She said, ‘Stop your plumbing,
There's somebody coming’
Said the plumber, still plumbing, ‘It's me.’"
Belatedly, you gasped, your hands covering your mouth. That shock dissolved into giggles. “That’s, oh, that’s… that’s dirty.”
“Aw, was it too much for your delicate sensibilities? Now that you’re a pirate, you’re gonna hear a lot worse than that. A looooooooot worse. I hope your unspoiled ears can handle it.”  
“I can!” you insisted, taking a big drink to steel yourself before setting the bottle aside. If you were going to be a pirate, you had to stop getting so flustered. “More. Please.” 
“Okay, okay…” Buggy cleared his throat. “A hooker roaming the East Blue, 
Once filled her vagina with glue, 
She said, with a grin, ‘Well, they paid to get in, 
And they’ll damn sure pay to get out, too.’”
You laughed loudly, as much at the joke as the taboo nature of it. You laughed, and then giggled in a bubbly, drunken way that you knew was too loud and embarrassing. “That is icky,” you told him. “Jeez, that’s…” Your faux seriousness dissolved into a fit of giggles again and you leaned against him for stability. “What would you even do?” 
“Yeah, I don’t know. It sounds like a sticky situation,” he said, nudging you with his elbow. That, of course, sent you into another fit of giggles. 
“I’m sorry, I’m…” you said. “I think I’m drunk.” You looked behind yourself at the town, the glittery haze of joy buzzing in your head fading at the sight. It was horrific, wasn’t it? And here you were, laughing like a fool. You couldn’t really comprehend the magnitude of it all, even if you could acknowledge that it was terrible. “Is it okay?” you asked, looking back at him imploringly. “Everything that happened tonight… I thought I would feel very different after, but I don’t. It almost feels like it’s not even real. You ever get that? When things happen but they feel so impossible that you get confused?”
“If you can think that clearly,” Buggy said, “then you’re not drunk enough. Bottoms up, babydoll.” You smiled at his use of the pet name and the fluttery feeling it gave you. What else could you do but oblige, tipping the bottle back like before. Only, unlike before, you kept it all down. There wasn’t any real burn, just more sweetness, more warmth. 
And then there was nothing left. 
“Woah,” you said, lowering the empty bottle and wiping your mouth. “‘s all gone.”
“And how do you feel?” he asked. 
You opened your mouth to respond, but all that came out was a dizzy sort of laugh. “I dunno…” you said, closing your eye, trying to collect your thoughts. “I’m…” Already things were getting even more fuzzy and foggy. Fabric stuck to your flushed skin, the salty air drying across your chest and cheeks. “I feel… very…”
Making an upset noise in the back of your throat, you pushed your hair back, catching the bandana and pulling it off so you could feel the breeze on your whole face. That helped. Drawing in a deep breath, you looked at him, trying to focus. Only, the second you saw him, all you could do was smile. His eyes were greedy about the light, sparkling with it. Even with the nose, Buggy was handsome. That was not something you could tell him though, not at all ever. Unfortunately you had forgotten what you were saying in the first place. 
“Very… what?” Buggy asked. “‘Cause if you keep trying to be a buzzkill, I’ll give you something to laugh about.”
Were you a buzzkill? You couldn’t remember what you had said or done to earn that title. It was hard enough to comprehend what was happening in the moment. “Like what?” you asked.
“Like… this!” Buggy said, using the sash around your waist to pull you closer so he could tickle your sides. You jumped and squealed, the bottle rolling out of your hands as you tried to fight him off. 
“No no no, don’t,” you cried, trying to escape. You were being too loud, moving too much, acting like an idiot, but you didn’t have enough control to stop. 
“Why not?” he asked. “You’re laughing, aren’t you?” 
It was true, you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing, letting it out in panicked little bursts. Time had a bizarre elasticity to it, everything hitting you at once and fading just as fast. Laughing, sobbing, begging him to stop. It was easy to catch and hold onto one of his hands, but that left the other one free. And if you tried to catch that one instead, you had to release the first. There must have been a better way to do it, but you felt as if, bit by bit, particle by particle, the world was separating, the hot and humid air splitting, your limbs becoming loose, your capacity for rational thought dissipating like mist. 
Lacking any sort of control and with a completely undeserved sense of invulnerability, you tackled him. Buggy let it happen, still laughing. At least he had stopped. 
“God, it’s like being attacked by a drunk, one-eyed toddler,” he said. “What are you gonna do, whine me into submission?” 
“Don’t be mean,” you said seriously, your words ruined by something wavering between a laugh and a sob, or maybe it was just the drunken slur. 
“You attacked me. If anything, I'm the victim here.” 
“No! You started it!” 
“Hold on, are you… crying?” Buggy asked incredulously. “Aw, you poor thing. I mean, you were laughing so much, how could I have known you didn’t like it?” 
“I don’t!” you insisted. 
“To be clear,” he said. “You don’t like this?” He attacked your sides, not tickling so much as just teasing, but to the same effect. You yelped and sat up squirm away, swatting at his hands. 
Rather than laugh like before, Buggy groaned, his hips bucking up against you. A loud, harsh gasp left your mouth, your entire body going rigid from the liquid heat of friction, your thighs squeezing around him. At some point, your skirt had ridden up, your panties being the only barrier left. You didn’t think you had ever been as acutely aware of how achingly empty, electrically tingly, as you were right then. 
Bad. Very bad.
“Oh, there’s another fun noise,” Buggy said, laughing as he propped himself upright with his arms. “I can’t believe that got you.” 
“No,” you said quickly, dizzy from the intensity of your reaction and how close the two of you were. You could smell him, the sweat, the musk, the salt, the greasepaint, the gunpowder. You could see the glitter in his makeup, the fire catching in his eyes. “It jus’... surprised me.” 
“Is that why you’re shaking?” Buggy asked, rubbing your exposed thigh, the fabric of his glove catching the sensitive skin. 
“I’m… um…” Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to organize the drunken slush of your brain. Being so close to him, feeling his body against yours, sent deviously tantalizing tingling sparks through you. And guilt. It was wrong, he wasn’t doing anything to invite those feelings, you were just being weird and drunk and embarrassing and you couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss him. You’d have to tilt your head a lot, although the stubble would be more hazardous than his nose. The last time you kissed someone, you were both young enough that you didn’t have to navigate facial hair. And then there was the matter of the makeup. You tried to imagine what you might look like after, the slash of red and imprint of white. Maybe they’d mix into pink. You tried to force yourself to focus on something else, but you couldn’t meet his eyes either. Nervous and confused and filled with a million different feelings you had no name for, you squirmed again, thoughtlessly adding to the anxious feedback loop of heat and need and intoxicated emptiness. 
“You know, sweetheart, this reminds me,” Buggy said, “there’s still the matter of your physical. It’s standard procedure for new crew. We could get that over and done with while you’re… lubricated.”
“What’re you… talking about?”  
“I’ve gotta make sure you’re fit, healthy… Clean of anything you could pass on to the forty or so people you’re gonna be stuck with in an enclosed space for weeks at a time.”
“How d’you do that?” 
“You’ve been to a doctor, right? It’s kinda like that. I know it can feel a little invasive, so it might be better to do it while you’re drunk.”
“What…” you started to ask, but then Buggy shifted, his hips pushing up against you. The fresh wash of warmth it sent into your core scattered your mind, and you lost the already tenuous thread of thought. Your eyelashes fluttered, although you weren’t sure when you had closed your eye. “Umm…”
“Well, first,” he said, answering the question you hadn’t asked, “you’d have to take off your clothes. Then relax while I have a little look-see. It’s important that you stay as still as possible. I’ll have a hard time finishing if you can’t stop squirming around the whole time.” 
“Do you really have to?” you asked, your brow furrowing. It sounded embarrassing. But maybe if it was him, you didn’t mind? Your dad did all of your past medical check-ups so it wasn’t inherently wrong. But the thought of Buggy seeing you without clothes wasn’t exactly nice, you could only imagine his disgust. That was bad. 
“Depends on if you’re serious about being a pirate or not,” Buggy said.   
“I am serious!” you exclaimed. Your hands went to the sash around your waist to pull the bow free. If you did it quickly, you wouldn’t be as embarrassed. 
“Woah, wait. Holy shit,” Buggy said, “are you seriously—” He cracked up laughing, making you freeze. “I didn’t think you’d actually fall for that.”
“You’re… laughing,” you said, your fingers falling with the slow sink of humiliation. 
“You really were going to strip for me, out in the open and everything.” Buggy laughed harder, rocking forward. “I didn’t expect you to be so eager. Hey, if you really wanna get naked, I’m not going to stop you.” 
“I don’t, I just… I thought…” you said, pulling away from him and trying to get onto your feet to get away, embarrassment lighting the worst sort of fire within you.  
“Woah, calm down, it was just a joke,” Buggy said, his laughter fading. “You’re absolutely plastered, if you stand up, you’re gonna fall right back down.” You didn’t stop, resolute to get onto your feet and put some distance between you and him. “I won’t catch you.” 
“’m fine,” you told him. 
You finally got your footing and braced against your knee to lurch upright. For a second, you were standing up and weightless. And then you were nothing.
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blouisparadise · 4 months
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Today we are excited to bring you the second part to our rec list of exes to lovers fics. You can find the first part to this rec list here. Please note that in some of these fics, they’re broken up before the story begins, and in some of these fics, they break up over the course of the story and then reunite. Happy reading!
1) The Prints Of Your Hands Are Still On My Canvas | Explicit | 4,563 words
Harry and Louis broke up not long ago. Everything was fine until then, problems started with Louis’ heat just around the corner, an important presentation that he could not miss, and a very visible (or more like invisible) alpha that could help him go through his heat. And then Harry shows up. (Again.)
2) Unspoken | Explicit | 5,175 words
Harry and Louis broke up when they were nineteen. They see each other after six years.
3) The Writing On the Wall | Explicit | 6,705 words
When BookToker Louis receives a gift basket filled with all his favorite sweets, wines, and stuffed animals alongside the new Harry Styles book, he’s shocked at the story he finds in the pages.
4) Can I Stand In Your Light, Just For A While? | Mature | 11,875 words
“But like, if they offered you that much money it means they really really want your works.” Niall continued. “I mean I guess, I still don’t get why,” he shrugged. “It's because you’re an amazing artist Lou.” Niall squeezed Louis’ arm. “Also, maybe the CEO guy has some sort of crush on you, and that's why.” “I really hope that's not true.” The man paid for his tomatoes and put them into his tote bag. “Why? Is the guy ugly? Bald?” Niall babbled. “No, Niall…” “Old? I bet he’s old.” “Niall! It's Harry, he’s the CEO guy.” Louis sighed. “What?!” Niall shrieked, probably startling the whole block.
5) Wedding Bells Will Never Ring For Me | Explicit | 14,807 words
After a failed proposal a few years back, Louis gets an unexpected invitation to his ex - Harry’s – wedding.
6) Nothing’s Scarier Than Losing You | Explicit | 15,463 words
When Louis and Harry run into each other at a Halloween party two months after their breakup, they’re reminded of how rude, infuriating, and utterly perfect for each other they are.
7) How You Sleep At Night | Mature | 15,568 words
“-And…this is Louis.” And just that. ‘This is Louis.’ Louis feels like throwing up out of nowhere. So, that’s it then? Is he just a ‘Louis’ to him now?
8) Silk Chiffon | Explicit | 20,122 words
Louis gets a message from his ex making fun of him for pretending to know how to cook on Instagram. They settle on a simple bet, Louis had to be Harry's perfect little housewife for an entire month.
9) Under The Rain Or Under The Snow | Explicit | 20,667 words
Christmas AU where they broke up a month ago but Harry shows up at Louis’ childhood home for the holidays. Louis didn’t tell his mum about their breakup so staying with them is not ideal. Harry stays.
10) My Waves Meet Your Shore | Mature | 23,873 words
When Louis gets an email from his ex - Harry - it shouldn't surprise him as much as it does; they're parents now and it isn't rare to communicate with each other. But this? He wasn't expecting it at all.
11) Your Heart Is Dangled In Front Of Me | Explicit | 27,085 words
Harry Styles prides himself in being one of the best detectives in The 28th Precinct. But if there’s one case he can’t solve, it’s his marriage. At least not on his own. Joining forces with his five-year-old son and a free-spirited murderer-on-trial, Harry does whatever it takes to bring Louis back.
12) Somebody's Got Your Trainers On (It's You) | Explicit | 28,000 words
Louis hasn't thought about Harry since half an hour after the shift started, when Krystle told him that she was binging Gogglebox last night and therefore didn't get enough sleep - a sure reminder of Harry’s temporary Gogglebox obsession. Five hours isn't much without thinking about someone, but that's as long as it gets. Louis came to terms with that two years ago. When Harry walked out the door with his stupid New Balance trainers and never looked back.
13) Last Blues For Bloody Knuckles | Explicit | 34,293 words
Styles was a name everyone knew. It had evolved into something of a fairy tale, a far away problem that normal people didn’t have to deal with. Louis never thought he’d find himself falling in love with him. When he finds himself pregnant with Harry’s child, he knows he has to leave the life, and Harry, behind. For her sake. He never expected Harry to show back up on his doorstep five years later.
14) The Wounds That Scarred Our Souls | Explicit | 35,910 words
Forever was nothing but a lie, Forever was just a ruse for the human heart, it gave you hope and then killed you. Forever was just a myth.
15) Stay Until Tomorrow | Explicit | 36,766 words
There’s a dull ache seeping through Louis’ body as he wakes up; a mild headache from last night’s alcohol intake, a cramp in his right arm from sleeping on it weird and a familiar soreness between his arse cheeks that Louis fully blames on his lousy one night stand.
16) Borrow The Moonlight | Explicit | 37,738 words
Louis and Harry broke up three years ago. The last thing Louis expects to see when he’s sent to help a guest is Harry, 3000 miles away from where he’s supposed to be.
17) The Space Between | Explicit | 39,917 words
Harry Styles is the alpha rockstar who can’t sleep and doesn’t know why. Louis Tomlinson is the omega PhD student who helps him figure it out.
18) Just A Flicker In The Dark | Explicit | 57,204 words
Louis is a struggling witch desperate to prove himself after yet another magic disaster and finds a calling in the haunted house of client Niall Horan. Things get more complicated when he’s assigned a case partner: acclaimed medium and ex-boyfriend, Harry S
19) Dark Doom, Honey | Explicit | 57,801 words
Note: There is also an AU version of this fic, which is also an exes to lovers fic.
Louis lifted one shoulder, lips slightly pursed. “You are acting like an asshole.” Harry’s mouth pressed into a thin line, eyebrows knitting together. “I wasn’t being an asshole, I was following my own rules. The ones I always follow when I’m about to start an arrangement with a new submissive. If you don’t want this or are having doubts, we should stop now. But if we do this, I do want to make something clear, I’ll never do anything you don’t want to, but you have to be aware that I’ll never be sweet, I don’t do sweet, you already saw what I do. If you want something different you can go on dates, this is not that. Are we clear?” It was the perfect way out. Louis could simply say no and their lives would keep on going as they were. So far, nothing was changed beyond repair. But he wanted to be. At some point in his life, way before Harry and the betrayals, Louis lost a little of himself, and had never felt closer to getting it back than in Lair, with Harry. “Crystal.”
20) Men of Steel, Men of Power | Explicit | 58,849 words
“You’ve been watching me,” Styles said. Louis swallowed around nothing. He tried for light. “You’re the newest addition, people are bound to be curious,” he said. “Sure,” said Styles, in a somewhat condescending tone. “I’m not that daft, I do notice the curiosity regarding my clothes. That’s not what you’re doing though, hm?” Styles’ gaze was intense, and Louis could feel it burn on the side of his face, but kept his eyes stubbornly on the coffee cup. “I,” he said, licked his lips. Took a deep breath, tried to look open, confident, dominant. Alpha.
21) It’s Golden, Like Daylight | Explicit | 61,496 words
"I actually think you might be onto something.” Harry’s eyes widened. “You mean…” Louis nodded. “As crazy and insane as this, this might just solve both of our problems.” “Are you saying you’re in?” Harry asked. “I’m in.”
22) Feeling Borrowed, Always Blue | Explicit | 68,214 words
Louis has been dreaming of his wedding since he was young - he just never expected it to happen like this. words
23) Violent Delights | Not Rated | 76,174 words
Prince Harry is arranged to mate Princess Charlotte, but first he must spend a month completing courting traditions which ends in a mating ceremony. When he arrives to the Tomlinson castle, he finds the forbidden North wing holds that which the family has worked hard to keep secret. Mainly: the sickly sweet Prince Louis, who’s rare gender has forced his family to keep him locked away for his own protection.
24) Sink Into Your Sunlight | Explicit | 79,562 words
In the grand scheme of things Louis did believe in love, what he didn’t believe was that he would ever find it in his life time for himself. Low and behold he would find it with someone he didn’t anticipate, now it was just a matter of having it work out the way he dreamed of.
25) Halfway Home | Mature | 103,158 words
Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were improbable childhood friends, much to Harry’s dismay. They were thrown together each summer when Harry was forced to visit Louis’ grandfathers’ ranch in Black Hills, South Dakota. With each passing year, their friendship blossomed into something more. When trail rides turned to stolen kisses, and tragedies turned to confessions until they could no longer deny the inevitable draw they felt for one another. Though life and their future plans soon set them on different paths. Ten years later, Louis is the proud owner of Halfway Home Wildlife Refuge. Harry returns to the ranch to escape the perils of his past in London, and though their memories still haunt Louis, he won’t let that deter him from his goals. However, someone has been keeping a close eye on the refuge, and possibly Louis specifically, and Harry’s return may have unleashed more than just old passions. There’s a hunter lurking in the Hills, someone who’s decided they’ve bided their time long enough.
Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.
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My memory is terrible so I wanted to do a breakdown of my stuff every once in a while. Might be monthly, might be whenever I feel like it.
QL - Currently Watching
🇹🇭1000 Years Old [10/12] - This is dragging and I am incredibly bored.
🇹🇭23.5 [4/12] - This show is incredibly cute and I'm smiling through the whole thing. Aylin is my favourite and I'm hoping against hope for the teachers to become a couple. Make it happen gmmtv!
🇹🇭Deep Night [6/8] - The long shots are killing me but the story is moving fast. There's a surprising amount of good communication and the throuple is almost inevitable a this point.
🇰🇷Jazz for Two [6/8] - This is the first bl show where I read the source material before the show and I wish I hadn't. The changes that were made just don't make sense to me, because I don't see how it serves the story. But putting that aside, the story feels rushed and the pacing is weird. The second couple doesn't read believable with this time frame. Anyway I might edit this post when I watch the last 2 episodes. [EDIT] Completed. Final thoughts here. 🇯🇵Love is Better The Second Time Around [4/6] - Why must you do this again Japan? 6 episodes for this one? I'm not happy about this. This show is so good. I love how the mains communicate, not to mention they are beautiful to watch.
🇯🇵My Strawberry Film[7/8] - I have no idea what this show is about nor it seems does it. Do I care at this point? Nope, not really. Let it be over.
🇹🇭To Be Continued [6/8] - This is getting into The Promise territory and I'm not amused. Another one that is dragging and I like the second couple but they barely have any screen time. I'll finish it because there are only two episodes left but I'll be sprinting to the finish line.
🇹🇼Unknown [7/12] - It hurts so good. The songs were killing me this episode. I really liked the separation, I think it was necessary for them. Yuan seems more mature and it will be interesting to see how it changes the relationship.
QL - Finished
🇹🇭Cherry Magic Th – What a wonderful surprise this was. Tay and New are beautiful together and their chemistry was on point. I really liked how the source material was used here.
🇯🇵Cherry Magic Anime – It was quite faithful to the manga with only a couple of deviations and of course it didn't cover everything but I really enjoyed watching yet another version of these characters.
🇹🇭Dead Friend Forever – It was quite a ride. I specially enjoyed the communal watching of this one and all the theories as more people tuned in. Didn't love the ending but it was better than I thought. Still not over White though. 🇯🇵Although I Love You, and You? - Started great, the middle was meh, and by the end I wasn't invested enough in the couple so even though it ended happy, it didn't make up for the rest of it. 🇯🇵Perfect Propose - Great all the way through. I loved this characters a lot and still think it's amazing how well the time was used here. 🇯🇵Ossan's Love Returns - It's Japan at it's finest. Love, food, chaos, found family and cherry blossoms. What more can I ask for? 🇯🇵She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat - My heart grew.🖤
🇹🇼Anti Reset - This is one of the most frustrating shows I've watched in a while. This started off strange and most of the show doesn't seem to know what it wanted to say about the AI part of it. It drove crazy on a weekly basis. But I thought their chemistry was really good and they are just an adorable couple. These 4 VBL series [Stay By My Side, You Are Mine, Vip Only] were a mixed bag for me. I think Stay By My Side is my favourite overall.
🇨🇳The Spirealm - First of all, Ruan Lan Zhu is absolutely gorgeous and his outfits are always perfection. The visuals are really good. This was definitely not a cheap production. The sets for all the doors are incredible. Talking only about the game, I gotta say the second door was my favourite. The bromance toes the line, but I'm not surprised this was taken down. I think if they'd kiss it would be less obvious than some of their scenes. I'm not going to spoil the ending but if you're thinking about watching here's your warning. A bit after the halfway point it gets incredibly sad and the ending is just heart-breaking.
Dropped 🇹🇭A Secretly Love [3/10] 🇹🇭Kiseki Chapter 2 [2/6] Also haven't started Two Worlds because I'm waiting to know if I should bother. I'm experiencing a bit of Thai bl fatigue so we'll see.
Rose Watches OJBL
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Takumi-kun 1: And The Spring Breeze Whispers (2007) - The editing is choppy as hell and it gets hard to understand the characters motivations. And the acting is not good. Yeah, not a fan of this one. Udagawachou de Matteteyo (2015) - This one is weird. I recently watched Life as a Girl so I admit that the comparison doesn't help this one at all. The idea is interesting but the execution is poor. There's a couple of scenes that are a bit hard to watch. In this particular story I think if we had a bit more insight to the characters motivations it would've helped me connect and feel more invested. In the end, for my particular goal it was fine I guess.
Other - Watched
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🩷Tengu's Kitchen (2023) | Fudanshi Bartender no Tashinami (2022) Formula 17 (2004) | Mars: Zero no Kakumei (2024) | 🩷Joshi-teki Seikatsu (2018)
1 Year of Rose-Tinted Glasses
It's been a year of Rose this month. And it's been kinda great. It took me a while to get over my shyness here and I still feel intimidated but it's gotten better. The people in this space have been really kind to me and I appreciate it so much. Thank you so much for the space.
That's it for right now. As usual my ask box is open for gif requests and any other questions. Happy Easter to all who celebrate.
Have a good week💜
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bluelocksource · 10 months
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Yukimiya Kenyū’s trivia (source: twt & Egoist Bible).
☆ Character's colour: Red orange.
☆ Weapons: Dribbling and gyro shoot.
☆ Nickname: ‘1on1 Strongest Prince’.
☆ Birthday: 28th April.
☆ Current age: 18 (3rd year of high school)
☆ Zodiac: Taurus.
☆ Birthplace: Miyazaki Prefecture.
☆ Family: Mother. Father. Himself.
☆ Current height: 184 cm.
☆ Dominant foot: Right foot.
☆ Visual acuity: Not good, need glasses.
☆ Blood type: O.
☆ Starts playing football: At age 7 (suggested by his mother).
☆ Personal 50M run record: 5.91 seconds.
☆ Team before joining BLUE LOCK: Soranin/ Kūnin High School Soccer Club.
☆ Motto: "Give your all in a single moment."
☆ Favorite food: Blueberries. “They’re good for your eyes.”
☆ Disliked food: Garlic. “I feel like my vision is turning yellow.”
☆ Favorite animal: Penguins. "I think it’s fascinating how they waddle cutely on land but extremely fast when they swim."
☆ Favorite season: Spring. ”Because I like cherry blossoms.”
☆ Favorite football player: Edgar Davids.
☆ Favorite music: ‘Phoenix’ by SEKAI NO OWARI.
☆ Favorite manga: Oyasumi Punpun.
☆ Favorite movie: Evangelion “The older version. Asuka’s sky burial was excellent, wasn’t it?”
☆ Favorite TV show: FOOTxBRAIN (TV Tokyo).
☆ Favorite celebrity: Yo Yoshida. “There’s something pleasant about a cool woman.”
☆ Favorite brand: Oakley (goggle brand).
☆ Ideal type: Someone who smiles a lot and watches over him.
☆ Hobby: Modelling.
☆ Mushroom shoots vs Bamboo shoots: Mushroom. “Because of its cute shape.”
☆ What goes best with rice : Shirasu. "Pickled egg and green onion shirasu rice are delicious. Why don’t you try it?"
☆ What makes him happy: Warm support.
☆ What makes him upset: “Someone beat me in 1on1.”
☆ What he thinks his strength is: The most competitive person in the world, and strict with himself.
☆ What he thinks his weakness is: “I am too strict with myself and not interested in other people’s business.”
☆ Favorite/Best subject: Science, Japanese, P.E.
☆ Dislike/weak subject: Art. “Drawing makes my eyes tired.”
☆ What made him cry recently: “I won’t tell you. It’s embarrassing.”
☆ Usual sleeping time: 8 hours.
☆ What he usually ends up buying from convenience store: Hot eye mask. “To warm my eyes.”
☆ Place he washes first when taking a bath: His forehead hairlines.
☆ Fixation: With ephemeral things like cherry blossoms, sparklers, etc.
☆ Number of chocolates received from previous Valentine: “I didn’t count. I only ate the ones that arrived at my agency, there’s lots of them.”
☆ At what age he experiences first love: At age 10. “With my friend’s 16-year-old sister.”
☆ The first time he got confessed to: “My friend’s older sister kissed me on the forehead. Got embarrassed and ran away.”
☆ What will he do if received 100 million yen: “I don't know. I’m not interested in money.”
☆ At what age he stops receiving presents from Santa: At age 12. “Santa seems to be excluding the middle school students.”
☆ What was his last wish from Santa: Running glasses.
☆ How he spent his holiday: Reading. “I like learning about the lives of famous people.”
☆ What will he do during his last day on Earth: “Thanking my parents for bringing me into this world.”
note: i want to apologize in advance for any mistake made in the translation!
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disciple-of-frost · 2 months
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Okie dokie then... (0 A 0)
Also! I'm just going to be answering these as a comprehensive list and not send out more. I'm really really sorry, I just don't want to send more to people I might have already sent this to. Just know I appreciate each and every one of you and my inbox/messages are always open if you want to chit chat more!
Also Also! I'm just going to be answering 12 things that make me happy, a nice happy medium also cuz my brain like to freeze up whenever I try to think about myself and my interests. (T _ T)
--
1.) My mutuals OCs! Seeing the love poured into each character and the unique takes everyone has done to fit MSQ/character dynamics to them is so cool! I know we aren't all a hivemind and we won't like all of the same characters, but seeing you all uplift and be supportive to one another helped me be more open and post about Ishi.
2.) Coffee. I am a caffeine fiend and I have done my damnedest to recreate a lot of the drinks Starbucks has released at home. And I will say, I make a mean Lavender Cream Matcha. If you think you can't make something like that I'd say don't be afraid to try. You might surprise yourself.
3.) Monster High. I was in high school in conservative, small town nowhere when they first released and my parents didn't feel the need to buy things that weren't necessities. So now that I'm an adult and enjoying things I never got the chance to when I was younger I have 5 Draculauras hanging up in my bedroom.
4.) My cats. I know I said Animals already in another post, but I don't care. I have four fur babies and they are so special to me, I'm currently living in a really small semi-beaten up apartment because any houses for rent where I am have pet limits and I am not going to abandon two of my cat's just so I can live in a slightly nicer but exceedingly more expensive house. It's not a perfect place to live by societal standards, but it's ours and my boys are everything to me.
5.) Music. I am expanding my music horizons, but for the most part I still listen to a lot of the music I did as a teenager. Linkin Park, Killswitch Engage, Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin, etc. But I do try to find more independent artists that emulate a similar sound to my old favorites; Mallavora, From Ashes to New, Aviators, Magnolia Park.
6.) Gonna move away from physical/material things for a sec. That feeling you get when you get done cleaning a room and you sit down, take a deep breath, and just smell the clean.
7.) The satisfaction of finding a new recipe and nailing it on the first/second try.
8.) Seeing people be kind. I know there are horrible things happening in the world right now, but seeing seemingly small acts of kindness get's me teary eyed. A person rescuing goose eggs from a pond and returning them to their nest. A man picking up trash from a forest creek. Somebody getting gifted a plane ticket to go see their family in another country or having a family member show up to surprise them. I'm honestly getting misty eyed just typing this out. I'm just a really emotional/sentimental person.
9.) The fact that I have been able to keep a single plant alive for more than a week. My partner and I got a potted plant at a baby shower for his boss almost a year ago and that little guy is still kicking.
10.) Giving compliments to people when I'm out in public. I never got a lot of positive affirmation as a kid so whenever I see someone being unabashedly themselves and just wearing their style proudly I like to let them know they look good and that they're killing it.
11.) Finishing a game that had me emotionally invested. Lookin' at you Persona 3: Reload.
12.) Seeing my friends in person after not hanging out in a while. Being an adult can be lonely and people have responsibilities in their own lives that they have to put first before leisure and friends. So actually finding time to be together with the people I love and being able to hug them is super important to me.
--
Okay then. That's about it for now, if I do get another one of these I'll try my best to list a few more.
Thank you to @paintedscales, @shadesofblades, @myreia, @draconian-empress, and @corsair-kovacs! 💙
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girlfriendline · 5 months
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15 People 15 Questions
ty for the tag @babygirlboberrey 💛
1. are you named after anyone?
no, but i was very almost named after perdita from in 101 dalmations until my dad stepped in and said absolutely not to the pregnancy hormones. ftr my mother maintains to this day it wouldn't have been a bad name. can you imagine. perdy.
2. when was the last time you cried?
within the last week for sure. it's just such a wonderful time of the year.
3. do you have kids?
nope, and that's never going to change. i neither want kids, nor would be a good mother, and i have a hard enough time looking after myself lmao.
4. what sports do you play/have you played?
i used to competitively swim through high school (although not in the way i think that equates to in the us), and i played football (soccer) on and off. the big one was show jumping, i made it all the way up to competing internationally for gbr. i used to wake up and ride at 5am before school and then again after school which, looking back, was quite frankly insane. i took being the weird horse girl Very Seriously.
5. do you use sarcasm?
more than other people probably appreciate.
6. what’s the first thing you notice about people?
i've honestly never considered this before this question but i think maybe clothes??? or colours of clothes? i'm not sure why either, i never remember them.
7. what’s your eye color?
blue ish
8. scary movies or happy endings?
if i'm alone, happy endings. if i'm with a bunch of people, scary movies. i'm a baby. i need emotional support.
9. any talents?
i'm very good at horses. i've never lost anything when i've been drunk. i can type much faster than i should physically be able to considering i use three fingers total. i can water ski (fairly useless tbh). i'm also very good at bringing animals home from the streets (my family would argue this is not a talent but a curse). i can sing, sort of.
10. where were you born?
uk
11. what are your hobbies?
watching hockey. suffering through f1. reading. running. hiking. swimming. playing guitar (badly). apparently lately building my own furniture. rewatching the same three tv shows over and over again. making gifs when the divine inspiration strikes. playing sims. baking.
12. do you have any pets?
four cats: a grumpy ginger and white old aged pensioner called spike (actually. maybe this is just claude giroux in cat form); loulou, who looks way too posh to have come from the streets; mishka, the love of my life my sweet angel baby darling who never does any wrong; and pasha, demon void cat who followed me home 3 months before i moved countries (and wasn't that a headache and a half) and who's probably going to send someone (me) to an early grave.
two dogs: indy, looks exactly like a fox, found her in the desert outside the rescue centre and they refused to take her in. she's my little mountain dog. and alfie, who we rescued 6 months ago, and who is best described as 'imagine there's a velociraptor in your home but the velociraptor is on fire and also your home is on fire and also you are on fire and also'. he's majority german shorthaired pointer. iykyk.
13. how tall are you?
between 5'8 and 5'9
14. favorite subject in school?
i used to love maths because it required a lot less brain power and subjective answers than everything else. in uni, my forensic science classes, or the only enjoyable thing from my first time round at uni, some fake ass course to build up credits called 'the universe as an art' which consisted of going outside to look at the stars and writing a poem about the moon.
15. dream job.
training horses. which sort of was my job that i had to give up when i moved here :)
i think a lot of people have already been tagged but @yabagofmilfs @amandaleveille @girldewar @tblueger @masonshaws @babygirlspurgeon
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randomalistic · 5 months
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🎬 MY 2023 MOVIE LIST
THIS YEAR I WATCHED:
44 DIFFERENT MOVIES
30 NEW MOVIES 17 REWATCHES
28 ANIMATED MOVIES 16 LIVE ACTION MOVIES
I’ve also linked a few posts with my initial reactions/discussions
MUST-WATCH LIST: at least imo. teehee.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Labyrinth (1986)
ParaNorman (2012)
The Last Unicorn (1982)
Nimona (2023)
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Wreck-it Ralph (2012)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Megamind (2010)
Coraline (2009)
Kung-Fu Panda (2008)
The Book of Life (2014)
Corpse Bride (2005)
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Tangled (2010)
I hope I keep this up !!! Maybe I can watch more TV shows or play more games next year :)
+ SOMETHING COOL TO TRY: Watch 2 similar movies back to back more often. You’ll be able to make interesting connections between them and it's fun!
-- Extended list below --
———————
ABSOLUTE FAVORITE
Watch it!!
Good but had some problems
———————
1-12-23: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) ACTUALLY PEAK FILM. AMAZING VISUALS, EPIC FIGHT SEQUENCES AND VERY HEARTFELT . I love piss in boots. MUST WATCH.
3-9-23: The Steven Universe Movie (2018) (rewatch) Spinel is in this. The songs are amazing. Fun to revisit !!!
3-24-23: Labyrinth (1986) DAVID BOWIE AND INTRICATE PUPPET CREATURES 80s FANTASY MOVIE I AM IN LOVE. Must watch
4-8-23: ParaNorman (2012) hit me harder than I was expecting, really subverts your expectations. AMAZING. MUST WATCH.
4-28-23: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) I watched this on my birthday :) It made the child in me so happy
5-8-23: Tinker Bell (2008) (old rewatch) Pixie hollow is a legitimately communist society. Fun to revisit !!
6-18-23: The Little Mermaid (2023) ew live action remake lol. But it’s one of the better ones. ok honestly i'm mad that i sorta liked it upon initial viewing. maybe its just cuz i havent seen the original (WHAT ARE YOU DOING!????? oh mygod please watch the original one OK FINE I WILL........)
7-17-23: The Last Unicorn (1982) really a product of its time. So beautiful and unique in its own way. Must watch
7-28-23 Run Lola Run (1998) Indie german crime/thriller film that was fun and experimental, I loved the late 90s trance soundtrack and had a good time, it went by quick!
8-3-23 Barbie (2023) ITS BARBIE !
8-19-23 (Most of) Aladdin (1992) (old rewatch) gGenie………. The animation is GODLY. the early CG is a bit rough but hey it was 1992
8-25-23 Nimona (2023) MOST QUEEREST COOLIEST MOVIE I SEEN HITS VERY HARD AND ITS SUPER GOOD OHHHH…. PLEASE MUST WATCH!!!
9-8-23 Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) finally got around to this one, what a special experience. MUST WATCH
9-15-23 The Road to El Dorado (2000) White savior movie but otherwise fun characters. Tulio and Miguel are the gayest straight guys I’ve ever seen
9-15-23 The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) GENUINELY HILARIOUS AND SO GOOFY. It was fun seeing this right after el dorado.
9-21-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (old rewatch) brooooo this moviie sucs I hate it so much i. please watch
9-22-23 How to Train Your Dragon (2010) very powerful music and showcases a very touching relationship between humans and nature/the unknown, must see !!!!!
9-29-23 Little Miss Sunshine (2006) dysfunctional family road trip with chaotic/dark humor. ITS FUNNY I LIKED IT
10-1-23 Elemental (2023) REALLY didn’t deserve the hate, it’s a sweet romance/immigration story. A little cheesy but it’s charming. The visuals are a feat to behold
10-4-23 Napoleon Dynamite (2004) some outdated language/humor but otherwise a Very specific brand of silly/charming
10-5-23 Marcel The Shell (2021) unexpectedly touching and unique movie presentation style - I may have cried
10-7-23 Megamind (2010) (old rewatch) ICONIC and hilarious supervillain film and aged very well. MUST WATCH!!??
10-21-23 Coraline (2009) (rewatch) this movie has such a distinct, creepy identity and it’s enthralling each time. MUST WATCH
10-27-23 Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) has tonal problems and it wasn’t confident enough to go all out all the way through, which is so unfortunate… But AMAZING otherwise. The architecture ??! And Frollo. Evil priest characters you are so cool
10-27-23 Kung-Fu Panda (2008) (old rewatch) Legitimately amazing animated martial arts movie and embraces self love. we all know this. It’s even better on rewatch. MUST WATCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10-27-23 Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) (old rewatch) SURPRISINGLY POWERFUL AND A REALLY GOOD SEQUEL. Hi shen blushes
11-4-23 The Book of Life (2014) this film is such an UNDERRATED TREAT. Absolutely gorgeous celebration of Mexican culture. Incredible world and characters and the style is so distinct. Must WATCH !!!???
11-5-23 Five Nights At Freddy’s (2023) :) I’ve been waiting for this ever since I was 13 and I had so much fun watching it. This was a highlight of my year!
11-12-23 Corpse Bride (2005) Really really good Tim Burton Halloween movie with so much stylization. So much fun to watch!!!! And so ethereal at times. MUST WATCH
11-12-23 Frankenweenie (2012) Very cute but disappointing ending, too safe. It could have been more impactful if they pushed it further. Watched this after corpse bride and the parallels were FUNNY.
11-18-23 The Wizard Of Oz (1939) (old rewatch). The real life abusive filming process makes this movie Hard to Enjoy with peace of mind- but the finished product is truly groundbreaking and whimsical
11-20-23 The Bourne Identity (2002) AWESOME THRILLER ACTION MOVIE EHEHE
11-21-23 Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) unpopular opinion - the movie suffers when you don’t see it in its original intended form (in a movie theater . In 1977.) I SWEAR. I STILL ENJOYED IT THOUGH. ….
11-22-23 Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me (1998) SO SILLY but mean spirited/offensive humor at times. ITS AUSTIN POWERS…
11-23-23 Monsters University (2013) (rewatch) MOST UNDERRATED DISNEY SEQUEL/PREQUEL. FUN AND IMPACTFUL COLLEGE FRIENDSHIP MOVIE
11-25-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (rewatch AGAIN.) haha
12-1–23 Isle of Dogs (2018) Incredibly unique/distinct presentation style. My friend who’s a Japanese major loves this movie. MUST WATCH
12-1-23 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) another silly goofy little dysfunctional family unit, a bit yikes at some parts but overall pretty lighthearted. It was cool seeing this immediately after isle of dogs cuz you could see the inspiration in the visuals between the two
12-8-23 The Mitchell’s vs. The Machines (2021) silly robot apocalypse family road trip movie with AMAZING visuals (everyone in the family is autistic)
12-17-23 Prancer (1989) Unexpectedly heartwarming movie about a little girl helping an injured reindeer. VERY SWEET and great message about the impact of kindness and the wonders of being a child. MADE ME CRY.
12-18-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (3rd REWATCH) get a hold of yourself oh my god ‼️
12-19-23 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (rewatch) classic muppet Christmas movie :)
12-22-23 The Muppets (2011) (old rewatch) SURPRISINGLY CATCHY SONGS and a silly muppet movie. Fun to revisit. Tex Richman my beloved
12-23-23 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) Mediocre writing and mean spirited at times <3 BUT ITS A CLASSIC. so ofc i liked it
12-24-23 Tangled (2010) (old rewatch) I forgot how good this movie was. ACTUALLY PEAK and so fun to revisit. Such a fresh take on a fairytale story, great songs, amazing romance, and also empowering about overcoming an abusive parent … MUST WATCH!!!
12-26-23 Klaus (2019) (rewatch) it’s so great to see a new 2D animated movie come out, and such a great story too. Cute origin story of Christmas and POSTAL WORKER APPRECIATION!!!!!
12-31-23 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) (rewatch) started off the year with this movie and then ended with it! What a treat!! I even wrote a short essay about it 1 semester ago :)
———————
In conclusion, I love movies !!! But my favorite movies are those that are confident in their identities and don’t hold back. Like share your message to the fullest !!!!
I watched a lot of stop-motion movies this year. I wanna watch more studio ghibli movies next year
And maybe I should purposefully try watching bad movies… it might make me appreciate good ones more and easier see what they do right. But also. I really dont wanna watch ralph breaks the internet.
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epicrox · 8 months
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Till The End Of The Moon Thoughts - Episode 2
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
PARTS: 1.1 | 1.2 | 2 |
This is mostly for me to look back on and see the moments that I caught my eye. Nothing analytical. I offer nothing to the table
I'm also a visual person so there's a lot of screenshots x
This is called my thoughts because I refuse to call what I'm writing down as a review. Reviews inform people and this post does nothing for people.
I’ve seen posts on Tumblr calling Tantai Jin a Disney princess cuz he’s being mistreated and talks to animals 🤨
The scenery is so pretty.
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3. There seem to be Chinese subtitles on the right side of the screen indicating that background music is playing but I think they cut it out because I’m not hearing anything. Maybe it’s because I’m watching it on YouTube. I don’t know about other platforms.
4. Yeah, they cut the music now and it just sounds awkward and empty.
5. Omg she’s just leaving him there! Aren’t you supposed to keep him alive?
6. He legit looks like an old man because of the snow.
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7. This man looks so delicate.
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8. Even at the brink of getting hypothermia, he looks like he has a better chance of getting a modelling contract than me.
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9. Disney Princess indeed.
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10. Bingchang looks really sweet. I’m praying she doesn’t turn out evil or two-faced.
11. Wtf is this crow’s voice?!
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12. It sounds like a demonic robot. This further proves my point about this show being sci-fi.
13. The crow’s basically a camera.
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14. Then don’t let him die! That celestial being never told you to kill him and didn’t even mention the evil bone, your dad did. He literally told you that Tantai Jin’s torment and death triggered his demonic powers. All you need to do is prevent that! And what do you mean he deserves this?! He hasn’t done anything yet!
15. Her strategy is irritating me.
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16. It looks like she’s cradling a head. Just the head.
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17. I love that he just had to faint for her to understand the severity of the situation.
18. Wtf is that? His subconscious?
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19. This demonic being reminds me of that demon that trains Luo Binghe after he gets pushed off the cliff.
20. He wants Tantai Jin to give him his soul to allow him eternal peace? Does he want to use Tantai Jin’s body as a vessel?
21. It’s the 2nd episode and we’ve got Xi Wu feeling him up.
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22. Ma’am, how are you sleeping with that on your head?
23. She even got her dangly earrings on!
24. Get over what?
25. Ha! Xi Wu is having thoughts.
26. So am I.
27. She beats him?!
28. Why am I surprised?
29. OG!Xi Wu was an evil person.
30. The fact that she is hesitating about hitting him! Put the whip down! Even though he’ll see you’ve changed and would make him suspicious, at least he’ll be happy about not getting whipped.
31. She cares more about staying in character than changing the past.
32. At least take the gear off before you go to sleep.
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33. After literally TORTURING HIM, you're worried for his health. It seems you’ve figured out actions have consequences.
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34. AHHH!!!
35. Also as an otherworldly being, deity or whatever she is, Xi Wu can be really dense. I’d understand if she didn’t know how some things worked in the mortal world but for someone responsible for saving the world, your strategy is confusing.
36. I know she’s grieving for what had happened but she can prevent tragedies if she were a little smarter.
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37. Is that even comfortable? I’ve always envied my parents for being able to sleep while sitting down because for some reason I can’t.
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38. Awww. I love how confused he is.
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39. He’s so delicate (This man is over 10 years older than me).
40. Yes, she’s possessed.
41. Just like villainess stories, is she hated by her family?
42. Oh no. She seems to be the favourite. Makes sense since the OG!Xi Wu was running around making trouble without much consequence. How can you be punished for your actions if you’re the Apple in your family’s eyes?
43. Also how many concubines does Xi Wu’s dad have? Does Bingchang and Xi Wu have different mothers?
44. It’s very clear from the beginning that the eldest brother is going to be useless.
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45. Ze Yu just vanished. And make Xi Wu apologise to Bingchang. OG!Xi Wu must’ve thought she was entitled to everything. Bingchang must feel ostracised by her own family.
46. Wow, even the kitchen boys are bullying him. They’re probably gonna get beaten by Xi Wu and zapped when Tantai Jin gets into power.
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47. This whole thing must be so humiliating as a prince.
48. How is he working in the kitchens and doing dishes while looking so pristine?
49. Is that ice?
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50. Are they purposefully making him wash dishes in ice-cold water? Or is it something people did historically?
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51. HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET. But he’s going to.
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52. I’m not sure you’re aware of this but you’re in the body of his abuser. Of course, he’s avoiding you. Like didn’t you whip him last night?
53. Also, you haven’t spent long enough in that body to make this statement.
54. Yep. I think they put the ice in to torment him.
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55. This reminds me of a trope you mostly see in isekai mangas/manhwas where the ML is so rude and aloof towards the FL that all the servants start to think they can do it too.
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56. One thing that irks me about these tropes (it irks a lot of other people too) is that when the FL begins to stand up for herself against the servants, she slaps them.
57. Ooh, the music changed.
58. Not only does he speak to robotic crows, but he’s also talking to flies. Or was that a wasp?
59. I was under the impression Tantai Jin would commit murder but he just made the head cook (I think) swallow a fly. His reaction after swallowing the fly would have made you think he was being poisoned or choked.
60. It’s funny that she’s lecturing the staff about how rude they are even though this whole time she kept on saying he deserved it. You left him in the cold and whipped him. You know he’s a captured prince.
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61. She’s putting all the blame on the servants rather than saying that OG! Xi Wu and even herself were wrong.
62. Instead of Xi Wu slapping them, they’re slapping themselves.
63. “If I had dignity, I would’ve died years ago” He really is a Disney princess.
64. More specifically, Cinderella. I saw a video essay from a channel called The Take. They talk about how people victim blame Cinderella a lot for not fighting back her abusers. In one part of the video, they talked about how Cinderella allows the abuse to continue as it is very likely that her stepmother would kick her out if she acted out.
65. Tantai Jin doesn’t know that the Xi Wu in front of him is not the original. So if I were him, I’d be more cautious about what type of food Xi Wu feeds me than the servants. Although, OG!Xi Wu could’ve ordered the servants to poison Tantai Jin’s food.
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66. This man gives me Jin Xixun vibes or Mo Xuanyu’s cousin who died in the first episode of MDZS/The Untamed.
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67. Oh, this is hard to watch.
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68. That guy threw the cake on the ground and then stepped on it. Even if I was hungry I could never take a bite of it. It took me a while to even eat/drink something that someone else touched with their hand or mouth.
69. Is she drugged or drunk?
70. omg
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71. They kissed! And we’re on the 2nd episode. I know it isn’t the FL but still. I count it.
72. Ok, they’re drugged.
73. I remember the two actors were together in a previous drama and there was a make-out scene that everyone freaked out about. So I assume they know what they’re doing in this drama.
74. So someone tried to make Bingchang and Jin Xixun prince spend the night together by drugging them but instead, they both ate it. It was 100% OG! Xi Wu.
75. Oh wait, they actually did it? But they’re clothed.
76. He has every right to be suspicious of you and the food you’ve given him.
77. Gosh. That crow’s voice is terrifyingly comedic. I giggle every time it opens its beak.
78. Tantai Jin is definitely planning something.
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79. At least he’s pretty while doing it. Look at this shot.
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80. This king looks familiar. Wasn’t he the emperor from Ashes of Love?
81. Tantai Jin is definitely ripping his head off.
82. This whole political drama is going to push Tantai Jin to join the dark side.
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waitmyturtles · 2 years
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Drama Accountability Pinned Post!
🏳️‍🌈 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! 🏳️‍🌈 EDITED June 3, 2024: Hello! Thank you for landing here. This blog is devoted mostly to Asian drama and movie reviews and meta analyses, along with your random fashion post and maybe a floating meditation on parenting along the way. This pinned post will help me keep track of where my scattered brain is at with what I’m watching, what I want to watch, and what I have watched.
My major focus regarding dramas is in completing what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC), where I’m learning about the young history of Thai BLs through an expansive list of GMMTV and non-GMMTV dramas, to learn about the genre’s fumbles and improvements, as recommended by @absolutebl in their original post on the topic. I’m also inspired to learn about the development of Thai BL as an art form, complete with tropes, frameworks, and responsive commentaries, as described by @miscellar in an analysis post on Bad Buddy the Series. 
I’m also catching up in general with other classic and/or essential QLs of all other Asian countries, reviews of which you can check out on this tag. 
I tend to go down actor/actress rabbitholes when I’ve watched a drama of theirs that I have fallen in love with; I don’t always watch things chronologically; I LOVE SHOWS ABOUT FOOD AND/OR COCKTAILS, and I’m still new to Tumblr fandoms. But this is my space to absolutely just dump and analyze thoughts, so please, welcome, and thank you for reading!
What I’m watching!
Knock Knock Boys (T, BL, Thursdays) Wandee Goodday (T, BL, Saturdays) (my thoughts here) Cherry Magic (J, BL, anime), and fast-forward rewatches of Cherry Magic (J, BL) and Cherry Magic Thailand (T, BL) GAP The Series (T, GL) (2022) (The Old GMMTV Challenge) 23.5 (T, GL) (my thoughts here) (on pause to finish this until I get to 23.5 by way of OGMMTVC chronology because, bleh and I lost enthusiasm :( )
Past Big Meta
Pain, Suffering, and Narratives in Some Asian Dramas (Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars, Our Dining Table, He’s Coming To Me, Double Savage, Dark Blue Kiss, and more)
Pain, Trust, and Separation in Some Asian Dramas (Bad Buddy, Still 2gether, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Until We Meet Again, I Promised You The Moon, and the movie version of Cherry Magic: 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!)
What’s on deck (generally speaking):
Make a Wish (T, BL)
What’s on deck (The OGMMTVC Project and historic/significant Thai BLs): 1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here)  36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist (part 1 and part 2) 37) Honorable Mention: War of Y (2022) (for the sake of an attempt to provide meta BL commentary within a BL in the modern BL era), with a complementary watch of Aam Anusorn’s documentary, BL: Broken Fantasy (2020) (thoughts here) 38) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 39) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows (review coming) 40) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) (watching) 41) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 42) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 43) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 44 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 45) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 46) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 47) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 48) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 49) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 50) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 51) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 52) 23.5 (2024) (GMMTV’s first GL) (thoughts here) (There are many, many more on @absolutebl‘s wonderful compilation lists that I’ll want to check out eventually, and will adjust this list accordingly.)
What’s on deck (the Jojo Tichakorn/pre-Only Friends playlist):
Gay OK Bangkok (2016) (review here) Gay OK Bangkok 2 (2017) (review here) 3 Will Be Free (T, 2019) (review here) Mama Gogo (T, 2022) The Warp Effect (T, 2022) (review here) Dirty Laundry (T, 2023) (tag here)
What’s on deck (the Fluke Teerapat/Tanachot Prapasri playlist):
YYY (2020) (review here) My Ride (2022) (T, BL) La Pluie (2023) (T, BL)
What’s on deck (the JamFilm playlist):
Khun Chai (To Sir With Love) (2022) (T, lakorn) Laws of Attraction (2023) (T, BL)
What’s on deck (essential non-Thai BLs and other shows): The Gifted (T, 2018) Blacklist (T, 2019) Let’s Fight Ghost (T, 2019) The Gifted: Graduation (T, 2020) Takara to Amagi/Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (J, BL, essential BLs)  Seven Days (J, BL, essential BLs)  Ototo no Otto/Otouto no Otto (My Brother’s Husband) (J, 2018) Summerdaze (Singapore, BL) Guilty: Kono Koi wa Tsumi Desuka? (J) Nee Sensei Shiranai no (J) Kimi wa Petto (2017 version with Shison Jun (J)) Ingredients (T, BL)
What I have watched that I recommend you MUST MUST WATCH FOR YOUR SOUL:
Kinou Nani Tabeta (J, BL) (my writing on KNT) Old Fashion Cupcake (J, BL) (my writing on OFC) Cherry Magic Japan (J, BL) (my writing on CM) Cherry Magic Thailand (T, BL) (my thoughts) Bad Buddy (T, BL) (my mini-thesis on BBS, and my BBS tag) Moonlight Chicken (T, BL) (my writing on MC, my manifesto on khao man gai/Hainan chicken rice/nasi ayam, and my master list of MC Big Themes) A Tale of Thousand Stars (ATOTS) (T, BL) (review here) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x ATOTS (T, BL) (my OS2/BBS tag, my OS2/ATOTS tag, and my OS2/BBS/ATOTS tag) He’s Coming To Me (T, BL) (review here) Make It Right seasons 1 and 2 (T, BL) (review on season 1 here) (review on season 2 here) The Eighth Sense (K, BL) (my writing on T8S) Life as a Girl (Joshi Teki Seikatsu) (J) (my writing on LAAG) She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (TsukuTabe) (J, GL, seasons 1 and 2) (thoughts here) The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (J) (review here) Love For Love’s Sake (K, BL) Drive My Car (J, movie) His (J, BL, movie) Tonbi (2013 version with Uchino Seiyou) (J)
What I have watched that I highly recommend:
Unknown (TW, BL) (my thoughts) (final review coming) I Cannot Reach You (J, BL) (my thoughts) I Feel You Linger in the Air (T, BL) (my thoughts) Be My Favorite (T, BL) (my thoughts) Our Dining Table/Bokura no Shokutaku (J, BL) (my thoughts) The Eclipse (T, BL) (my writing on The Eclipse) KinnPorsche (T, BL) (my writing on KP) Semantic Error (K, BL) (review here) Minato Shouji’s Coin Laundry (J, BL) (review here) Utsukushii Kare/My Beautiful Man Season 1 (J, BL) (review here) Utsukushii Kare/My Beautiful Man Season 2 (J, BL) (my UKS2 tag) Kabe Koji/Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized (J, BL) (my writing on Kabe Koji) Eien No Kino (Eternal Yesterday) (J, BL) (my writing on EY) Kieta Hatsukoi (J, BL) (review here) Extraordinary Attorney Woo (K) (my writing on EAW) Silent (J)  Okaeri Mone (J, asadora) Life: Love on the Line (J, BL) Mozu (J) Wakako Zake (J) (seasons 1-4) XX: Blue Moon (K) Shinya Shokudo (Midnight Diner) (J) Crash Landing on You (K) Like Father, Like Son: Soshite Chichi ni Naru (J, movie) After Life (J, movie) What I really want to watch, but I’m in not a huge rush:
Unmet (J) Fermat’s Cuisine (J) Raise de Wa Chanto Shimasu (three seasons and SP) Kim Ji Young: 1982 (K, movie) It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (K) Again My Life (K) Run On (K) The Tale of Nokdu (K) Little Women (K) Thirty Nine (K) Nora From Queens (US) My Liberation Notes (K) Doom At Your Service (K) Ishiko to Haneo: Sonna Koto de Uttaemasu? (J)
What I have watched, in no particular order (besides the OGMMTVC shows above):
My Precious the Series (T) Living With Him (J, BL) (my thoughts here) Marry My Dead Body (TW, movie) Ossan’s Love Returns (J, BL) (my thoughts) Cooking Crush (T, BL) (my thoughts) Wednesday Club (T) (my thoughts) Double Savage (T) (my thoughts) Only Friends (T, ended up being BL-ish, BLOOP) (my thoughts) Cutie Pie (2022) and Cutie Pie 2 You (2023) (T, BL) The Promise (T, BL)  (my thoughts) SOTUS S (T, BL) Bed Friend (T, BL) (my review of the finale) (my Bed Friend tag) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (T, BL) (review here) Our Dating Sim (K, BL) A Shoulder To Cry On (K, BL) Jack O’Frost (J, BL) (thoughts!) The End of the World, With You (J, BL) (my writing on TEOTWWY) SOTUS (T, BL) (thoughts here) 10 Years Ticket (T) (review here) The Novelist: Playback (J, BL, movie) (review here, spoilers) Ameiro Paradox/Candy Color Paradox (J, BL) (review here)  Dirty Laundry (T) (my posts on DL here) Individual Circumstances (K, BL) (review here) The New Employee (K, BL) (review here) Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo (J) (review here) Cafe Minamdang (K) (review here) Hiru (J) (review here) Ase to Sekken (Sweat and Soap) (J) (review here) Big Dragon (T, BL) (review here) Ichigeki (J) (review here) The Director Who Took Me to Dinner (K, BL) (thoughts here) Two Office Workers Who Are Too Poisonous for One’s Eyes (Me No Doku Sugiru Shokuba No Futari) (J, BL kinda) BL Metamorphosis (J, quick review here) Why Her? (K) Let’s Eat (seasons 1, 2, and 3) (K) Where Your Eyes Linger (K, BL) Kodoku no Gurume (J) Chef wa Meitantei (J) Crisis: Special Security Squad (J) Meitantei Akechi Kogoro (J) Teppachi! (J) The Novelist (J, BL) Mood Indigo (J, BL) Izakaya Shinkansen (J) Sayonara Itsuka (J, movie) Fullmetal Alchemist: The Avenger Scar (J, movie) Hatsukoi (2020) (J, movie) Rinjo (J) To Heal Wounds of the Heart (Kokoro no Kizu to Iu Koto) (J) Hoshi to Lemon no Heya (J) My Husband Got a Family (K) Tony Takitani (J, movie) I'll Still Love You Ten Years From Now (Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite) (J)
What I tried to watch, but couldn’t finish:
Alice in Borderland (J) (I couldn’t do it, I can’t do violence, but Machida Keita’s Karube is really wonderful, and Yamazaki Kento was also fabulous of the bits I watched. Please don’t take my inability to watch this as a judgment of the show, it’s clearly a FANTASTIC show for people who can handle blood and games and killings and fights and stuff) (I will try this again considering so many people like it!) <3
On hold/dropped (permanent or otherwise)
Playboyy The Series (T, BL) (my thoughts) Bake Me Please (T, BL) The Sign (T, BL) Shadow (T) Gokushufudo (J) (on hold) Keishicho Outsider (J) (this is such a good show but I don’t have capacity to watch it, but Nishijima is FABULOUS IN IT, I will watch it at some point) A Boss and a Babe (T, BL)  All the Liquors (K, BL) UMG (T) Wakako Zake (season five) (J) Banshaku no Ryuugi (J) Tokyo In April Is... (J, BL) Minato’s Laundromat/Minato Shouji’s Coin Laundry, Season 2 (J, BL) (my thoughts so far) (on pause) Dangerous Romance (T, BL) Absolute Zero (T, BL)
What I’ve watched that I recommend you please do NOT watch, it’s not worth the expenditure of energy:  The Unusual Family (K) TharnType (T, BL) Step By Step (T, BL) (my thoughts) My Husband Won’t Fit (J) (I could go on and on and on about how I think this show was particularly irresponsible, but I might have a Western bias about my interpretation, sigh) Super Rich (J) (maybe this is necessary if you’re a total Cherry Magic/Akaso/Machida stan, but this show was unbelievably bad and a total waste of their talents -- if you really need some fan service, zoom through episodes three to five and SKIP THE REST)
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whlskr · 1 year
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ASK MEME TIME! Bunnie: 12, 14, 22 Naomi: 4, 8, 27 Kadin: 2, 16, 32 Brook: 1, 18, 35 AND FOR YOU B, C, D about all of them >:D
Bunnie, 12, 14, & 22
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12: How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?
I feel like Bunnie would definitely bother Naomi until she helped. If they were not together, she'd simply be like a bear and scratch against a wall.
14: What animal do they fear most?
They have live-cams on the surface that the residents of the Undursa watch like Old Time Discovery Channel. I'd say they have some sort of unofficial deadliest animal poll going around base that Naomi and Bunnie watch with joy. Bunnie would be all about watching the animals on the surface but for sure has a mental list of one's she would not fuck around with.
I don't have names for a lot of the Cauterized wildlife but the guy on the cover is everyone's least(most?) favorite sharp friend on the surface. Huge green monster that prowls around deep wooded areas. Different residents call her different things but Naomi calls it the Jabberwocky based on a song from her childhood.
22: How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 
Bunnie is for sure a 'I simply won't leave your side' kind of jealous. :) No one else can get too close without also having to deal with her. Possessive, but in a 'I'm taking care of you' way. Having an unrequited crush for 20yrs will do that to you.
She'd never actually get in the way, but she's definitely be making sure you deserve her person and that you're treating them right. And she'd be quick to let you know if you crossed those generally reasonable lines. She totally would not fight you over Naom
B) What inspired you to create them?
Naomi needed a foil and had been one of my characters for years. I was evaluating the team and decided that it needed someone softer to bring it together. This was born Bunnie! And her sister. :) Brook is a more firm character that offsets Bunnie's non-serious demeanor. With Kadin, it created a well rounded team that could play off each other's strengths.
C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?
Bunnie was created to fill in a gap, so it felt like the story always was missing her once I added her in. She brings them together in a way I love and appreciate. Bunnie is the glue to the team, irreplaceable 🙃
D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?
Bunnie went through several rapid design changes. She was loosely based off an old webcomic character of mine named Lo. The blonde hair spilt off to the side comes from that design. When I showed her official design to my brother-in-law, he immediately said she looked like me with blonde hair/no glasses. I sat on that comment and decided to redesign most of my characters to reflect their voice actors. :)
Naomi: 4, 8, & 27
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4: How easy is it to earn their trust?
Naomi isn't a particularly trusting person, though she just keeps herself at arms length from others. She has a small group of people she lives and trusts. If one of those people trusted someone, she'd follow suit however.
8: What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child
Naomi was definitely a 'I will not shut up about my special interests' kind of kid and I can imagine her being told to be quiet often. She was a pretty extroverted child before everything happened to her. I imagine being repeatedly told to hold her joy closer to her chest created an adult version of herself that doesn't talk much about what makes them happy.
27: What causes them to feel dread? 
The smell of smoke and the sound of fire both make Naomi's stomach drop. It makes her scars burn. She avoids fire at all costs, which is thankfully generally easy in an underwater base.
B) What inspired you to create them?
Naomi was actually originally a waterbender ATLA OC. This was VERY short lived because I immediately fell in love with the concept of her character. She's for sure a vehicle for my own daddy issues, though she's got it much worse than I do. Naomi really is a character for working through my own issues at age 19. She's not nearly the self-insert she used to be. I've grown a lot in the last 7 years. Naomi's kinda like the scared kid I used to be. I love her very much, like she's a younger version of myself.
C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?
Nope. The story was designed for Naomi. She's the main character, even if it's mostly told by Bunnie. Everything in Cauterized revolves around Naomi ❤️‍🔥
There was a period where I couldn't make sense of her team as a whole and couldn't figure out how they'd make it on the outside. The team was originally just Kadin and Naomi, after all.
D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?
Naomi's appearance has changed a lot. I think I've changed her skin tone more than anything. Where she was an ATLA OC, her race was originally really ambiguous. When I cast you as her, I decided to rebuild her around your favorite parts of yourself, as you know :') Now, I think she feels like the character she should be. Her core character has never changed, but her outside appearance has gradually shifted.
Kadin: 2, 16, & 32
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2: How easy is it for your character to laugh?
I like to think Kadin has a good sense of humor and laughs easily. I just think it's only around the right people. Kadin's good friends with the engineer Henry Gertsen. Their actors are good friends IRL. They probably get along really well and cut up together.
16: What makes their stomach turn?
Kadin has a sense of justice and seeing someone hurt really makes his stomach turn. He's not always the best at acting on that feeling, but always takes metal note of the underdog. He keeps watch over them for an opportunity to step in. Cruelty makes him sick, though he can be caught in inaction for fear of retaliation from command.
32:  Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 
Kadin, unlike Naomi, actively makes jokes about his burn. "Gotta hand it to him, he had one hell of a grip" type jokes.
B) What inspired you to create them?
Kadin is a really cool character that's hard for me to go into detail about without revealing too many spoilers. He was created to be someone Naomi could rely on. Originally, he was her love interest, though now he's like a complicated almost friend, more co-worker type friendship.
Naomi's kinda scared to interact much with him personally because she wrongly thinks he has some sort of negative feelings towards her over their shared burn origins.
C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?
Kadin was one of the two original main characters, yet I've always kind of struggled with his deeper character. He's got a somewhat cold outer shell, calculating, though he's really a warm person who cares a lot. He's just very cautious and plans or ever move he makes.
Originally he was Naomi's guide on the outside and that's really not changed, he's just not her trainer any more. Funny enough, now Naomi's more his trainer over the bio-raptors at least.
D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?
They were several years younger in the original. Kadin was 23 or something like that. He's 28 now. Naomi was 19, she's 27 now. Honestly, they've swapped skin tones. Kadin got an overhaul when I cast Mitul as him to match him a little(I'm planning on doing a little more, though).
Kadin was also originally trans and in a sense, that's not changed, but he's not trans in a traditional sense. I'd say he's more he/they/it which is as close to spoilers as I can get.
Brook: 1, 18, 35
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1: What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?
Brook is a never sits kind of person. Being forced to be still would probably be torture. She could sit through a lecture or a concert but she'd be totally bouncing her leg the entire time. She'd die after anything longer.
18: What embarrasses them?
Brook would be embarrassed by crushes or by a public slip up during the trials she runs with the bio-raptors. Those, I think, would be hey only two blush buttons.
35:  How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? 
Brook is a very good big sister. She's very protective of Bunnie and looks out for her all the time. Their parents are both scientists in another lab and we're always pretty busy. As the oldest, Brook took it upon herself to fill in wherever needed.
This isn't always a good thing, however. She's not a very big fan of Naomi and could've been a better support to her. She thinks Naomi derailed Bunnie's life. Otherwise, Brook almost can't help taking control of a situation and fixing it. She's over all very supportive.
B) What inspired you to create them?
Bunnie was added for Naomi. In a sense, Brook was added for Kadin. She's a rival, a bright mirror, a foil. I wanted a firm, strong character that would step in when no one else would. She's a very important character to the team.
C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?
She was designed to fill in a gap much the same way Bunnie was. It was pretty easy to let her full the hole in the story she was made for. She's the strong, supportive big sister of the team who's not scared to lay down her truth.
D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?
Brook took a long time for me to settle on a design for. She's the newest character to the show. She's still in her original design as the one painting in doing is the only one I've made so far.
Apart from her place in the team, she's a very self-indulgent 'what I think an attractive woman looks like' + features from my best friend Jess who plays her. I realized after doing most of her character painting that she really just looks like a female version of my husband + a little of my best friend.
Thank you so much for the questions, Izze!!!
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tiny-tokunaga · 5 months
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15 people 15 questions
Thanks for tagging me, @lunar-gl1tch !! Took me a bit to get to it because it's been a busy day LOL
1. Are you named after anyone?
Nope! Just the only name my parents could agree on LOL
2. When was the last time you cried?
Last night lmao, I'm going through a really nasty flare that's making sleep ROUGH, and I throw temper tantrums when I can't sleep lmaooo
3. Do you have kids?
Nope.
4. What sports do you play/have you played?
I played basketball in kindergarten for like. A season? But I did ballet and Irish step dance for about 11 years until I became disabled! I even had pointe shoes for ballet, I miss it dearly.
5. Do you use sarcasm?
A LOT LOL
6. What's the first thing you notice about people?
Their attitude, I guess? Like if they're super friendly, or if you can tell they just want to be left alone or whatever? I try to adjust how I act accordingly, though that means I end up attracting a lot of lonely old people that want someone to talk to LMAO.
7. What's your eye color?
Blue!
8. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings, I'm a wimp and can't do scary movies LOL
9. Any talents?
I'm really good at memorizing when my brain fog lets me. My mom actually asked me if I have a photographic memory once. I don't, unfortunately, that would be really nice!
10. Where were you born?
Pennsylvania, USA. Fun fact: my exact birth time and location is an estimate based on when the paramedic thought to look because I was born in the ambulance on the way to the hospital LMAO.
11. What are your hobbies?
Crochet, translating, video games, watching Japanese shows, doing various other crafty things (just got a button maker and I've been dabbling in card making!)
12. Do you have any pets?
Just one, a 9.5 year old toy poodle named Lexi! She's the neediest dog I've ever known and can be a major brat, but god I love her so much. She's my BABY
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13. How tall are you?
165 cm. The two hospital systems I go to can't agree on if that makes me 5'4" or 5'5" LMFAO.
14. Favorite subject in school?
English, Spanish, any language tbh, music
15. Dream job
I wanna be the person that comes up with the puns while localizing games like animal crossing or pokemon LMFAO. Or just to work on official subs for stuff in general!
As per usual, if you see this and wanna do it, consider yourself tagged by me!!!
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My memory is terrible so I wanted to do a breakdown of my stuff every once in a while. Might be monthly, might be whenever I feel like it. Also there are too many shows on and something is always finishing or starting so a month is a lot.
BL - Currently Watching
1000 Years Old [2/12] - It's silly, and entertaining and makes me laugh. The friend group is delightful and I'm having a good time watching them. Was excited for a minute when Yo suggested a haircut for Pun because I cannot handle that wig. 🤞
Anti Reset [5/10] - This is one of the most frustrating shows I've watched in a while. The show doesn't seem to settle on what is actually trying to say about the AI of it all, and when it says something I'm not crazy about it. Why is it so frustrating? Because they are so fucking endearing when they're together on screen. I wanna love this show so much.
Cherry Magic Th [11/12]– I love them so much. I'm fascinated by the choices that the show is making. As a big fan of the manga and the jbl I came into this with reservations and this show is just blowing my mind. This was the best episode 11 of all time and Tay/New are delivering. My heart is so full with this.
Cherry Magic Anime [7/12]– Another helicopter ride! Yay. The date song was hilarious. We're now getting to the point where they are dating and Adachi is feeling guilty for lying so I'm curious how the show will adapt the next phase of the relationship.
Dead Friend Forever [10/12]– Glad to see we are all on board with Tan's murderous impulses. It's been so much fun having more people join in on the fun. As for me, I NEED White to stay alive. That's really all I want. Getting curious about how Perth factors in to all of this.
My Strawberry Film[2/8] - I feel it coming. I see sadness in my future. But I'm bracing because I'm loving the look of this show. And pining boys are my favourite type of boys. I'm ready.
Ossan's Love Returns [8/9] - The videos messages destroyed me but then that ending made me annoyed. I don't know what to expect in terms of Kurosawa but I hope he's not actually dying and there's a really good reason for all this. Medical mal practice might be the thing. Although as @twig-tea pointed out to me, since it was said in show it might not actually happen. I want happy for the ending anyway.
Perfect Propose [5/6] . Why must I only have them for 6 episodes??? I need more. Kai is everything to me, and that back hug followed by that smile melted by cold heart. Hiro's boss needs something heavy to fall on him from a great height. And please Hiro,sweetie, I need you to eat better and sleep.
Although I Love You, and You? [7/10]- Sakae is letting me down. And by that I mean, the show is letting me down. Sakae needs to put his foot down with Mizuki and go back to being a fool in love with Soga.
To Be Continued [1/8] - It's not amazing. but I'm a sucker for second chance romance and there are two couples so there's a 50% chance I will like this. We'll see. Also, they need to start hiring younger actors for the high school flashbacks. This goes for A Secretly Love too. Having 27 year olds and up playing ten years younger just won't do. It's terrible.
Unknown [2/12] - I'm intrigued. Not completely sold yet but I'm liking it so far. Also nothing would keep me away from watching Sam Lin again.
Also watched the first episode of A Secretly Love and caught up with City of Stars but it's on the 'I need to shut of my brain' schedule so I'm not necessarily watching to weekly.
BL - Finished
Cooking Crush - I will miss all of them. I loved it so much. The whole cut/uncut version thing was annoying and the editing was weird at times but overall this was wonderful. Communication done right. Relationships and character growth was stellar and both couples won my heart. Aungpao really surprised me, considering he was surrounded my pros on all sides. Dynamite was a joy to watch. And OffGun delivering with all the kissing. Everyone should watch this.
The Sign - I mean, what they did to this show is absolutely insane. Not airing the finale like the rest of the show. Having to pay extra for happy ending is ridiculous (although I kinda predicted this and @lurkingshan is my witness. I said as a joke and it turns out reality is a joke.) Then waiting 2 whole weeks for whatever that was. Just the most unsatisfying experience. Go read this from Shan because I agree with everything said there. Also @bengiyo final thoughts here really echo how I felt about this show overall.
Happy Ending - 20 minutes split in 3. Why? No idea. Was it a happy ending? I think so. Was it cute? Sure. Was it great to watch Seong Hyuk again? You betcha. But I didn't love it. I need Choco Milk Shake S2, like, TODAY.
Playboyy - It ended.
Rose Watches OJBL - I feel bad about this. I didn't watch any of the ones I planned to. This might seem like whatever but I've been trying to catch up with awards season films, because since uni, me and a couple of friends always do it and finish it by watching the oscars together and so ojbl was were I dropped the ball. Gonna restart soon though.
Not BL - Watched this month
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Night Has Come Death's Game Shop for Killers
That's it for right now. As usual my ask box is open for gif requests and any other questions. All my gifs are under #rosygifs.
Have a good week💜
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bluelocksource · 10 months
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Otoya Eita’s trivia (source: twt & Egoist Bible).
☆ Character's colour: Bright green.
☆ Weapons: Off-the-ball movement and agility.
☆ Nickname: ‘Ninja’.
☆ Birthday: 3rd December.
☆ Current age: 17 (3rd year of high school)
☆ Zodiac: Sagittarius.
☆ Birthplace: Aichi Prefecture.
☆ Family: Father. Mother. Older sister. Himself. Younger sister.
☆ Current height: 177 cm.
☆ Dominant foot: Right foot.
☆ Blood type: O.
☆ Starts playing football: At age 6.
☆ Team before joining BLUE LOCK: Kirigakure Academy Soccer Club.
☆ Motto: "Step up or step aside." **
☆ Favorite food: Churros. “It tastes great.”
☆ Disliked food: Pickles. “It doesn’t taste great."
☆ Favorite animal: Phoenix. “It is a flaming bird.”
☆ Favorite season: Summer. "Do I need a reason?"
☆ Favorite football player: Minamino Takumi.
☆ Favorite music: He likes listening to neo city pop genre.
☆ Favorite manga: Moteki. “It’s top-tier, no objection.”
☆ Favorite movie: Home Alone. “The unbeatable Christmas movie.”
☆ Favorite TV show: FNS Kayousai & Music Station Special Superlive. “I can get senselessly hyped up.”
☆ Favorite celebrity: Aso Kumiko. “I’m seriously dying!”
☆ Ideal type: Bright and honest woman. (don’t count on it, he’ll change it soon).
☆ Hobby: Tour around TDR (Tokyo Disney Resort). “Riding Tower of Terror at DisneySea is a must!”
☆ Mushroom shoots vs Bamboo shoots: “I only eat the chocolate part of the mushroom. I’ll give the rest to you.”
☆ What goes best with rice : A cute girl. “I like watching girls who eats rice deliciously.”
☆ What makes him happy: Something exciting.
☆ What makes him upset: Something boring/depressing.
☆ What he thinks his strength is: “I forget unpleasant stuff after sleeping.”
☆ What he thinks his weakness is: “I forget important stuff after sleeping.”
☆ Favorite/Best subject: English. “I only take the class seriously because the teacher is beautiful.”
☆ Dislike/weak subject: Other than English “Studying is boring.”
☆ What made him cry recently: He got hit in the eye from being slapped. “Cheating’s not good.”
☆ Usual sleeping time: 8 hours.
☆ What he usually ends up buying from convenience store: Breath care. “Who knows if I’ll be kissing my girlfriend later.”
☆ Place he washes first when taking a bath: Between the toes. “Don’t want to get athlete’s foot.”
☆ Fixation: Scent. “I can tell our compatibility when you hug me.”
☆ Number of chocolates received from previous Valentine: 1. “It’s from a senior I was dating at the time. I was really into her.”
☆ At what age he experiences first love: At age 3. “With Dokin-chan.”
☆ The first time he got confessed to: Happened when he was 5 years old. “I kissed about 95% of the girls in nursery school, and 50% of them confessed.”
☆ What will he do if received 100 million yen: "Charter a night pool party for as long as I can."
☆ At what age he stops receiving presents from Santa: At age 12.
☆ What was his last wish from Santa: New spikes. “With some exciting design.”
☆ How he spent his holiday: "Either hanging out with friends or going on a date. I love the fluttering feelings prior to dating. The feeling wears off once I date the girl, though."
☆ What will he do during his last day on Earth: Enjoy the moment.
** I translated his motto before (link to the post). It was difficult for me to translate it but a user who replied on that post worded it better than mine so I use them here :) thanks @thats-miss-spider-to-you !
note: i want to apologize in advance for any mistake made in the translation!
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shynetyme06 · 1 year
Note
1 - 23 :3
cracks knuckles okay
1. how would you describe your art style? uhhhhhhhh, maybe "safe" is the word rn. whenever I think of my art style, what comes to mind is just how little I've been pushing things with it. I wanna change that ;D
2. what's your favorite thing about your style? I realize I like to use semi-realistic proportions, its cool how comfortable I've gotten with drawing faces and bodies
3. what's your least favorite thing about your style? It's so static man. same thing I said for the first question, I don't think anything really looks bad, but it just is lacking in creativity in comparison to the older art that should be looking worse than what I do now. I prefer my older stuff ;D (looking at you inktobertale2021.. where did it all go wrong)
4. favorite thing to draw? regular ol people. human characters are def more in my comfort zone, which explains why I keep hitting skeletons with the humanization ray (also I prefer to draw feminine characters)
5. least favorite thing to draw? I can't even say I rlly dislike it cuz of how rarely I even do it, but I am procrastinating so hard on learning backgrounds..
6. warm colors or cool colors? cool colors are my fav, but i find it easier to work with warm ones (I used to put a cool overlay over all my warm toned drawings hgdhfg)
7. show us a WIP behold, the wip ever. this drawing... was supposed to be posted on august 2022. and then, it was supposed to be posted on dec 21st, dream and nightmares birthday. (atp if I do end up wanting to finish this idea again, I'll probably just scrap it and start over)
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8. what's the most fun and least fun parts about your process? most fun is flat color and rendering. (though I rarely do the latter anymore) and for least fun, tbh a lot of the sketching part tends to be difficult for me, sometimes its cool tho
9. show us a finished piece alongside the original sketch example from when sketching was fun
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10. how many different sketches do you usually have until your piece is finished? I think I do need to make more of at least thumbnail sketches tbh.. I usually just make one and keep editing it, trusting the process. (and that fails like 70% of the time. woww wonder why sketching isnt fun for me-) 11. show us the last thing you drew, be it a finished piece or a small doodle can this count,,
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12. show us an old drawing first deltarune drawing. here's the redraw I later made of this :3 (also old hsgdhgf)
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13. how long do you usually take one a piece? depends. I'll have like 276478923 wips started, and then I get a random idea that I just have to do right at that moment, and I'll get it done in like 1-4 hours. meanwhile old sketches start to rot and maybe if its lucky I'll revisit it before my motivation dies and my style is too different to wanna continue from where I left off 14. digital or traditional? digital all the way, i've gotten too dependent on the transform tool + liquefy ;D (and many other things tbh but I'd be here all day if I tried comparing them more jhdjdf)
15. if digital, what program do you use? procreate, the layouts on other drawing programs scare me
16. favorite media to work with when drawing traditionally pen on paper (am I understanding this right wdym media-)
17. what do you love getting compliments about? I like when people enjoy the humanizations I come up with, and also original designs in general 18. are you satisfied with the attention your art usually gets? hmmm yeah
19. how often do you draw? very often, I just don't have finished things to share most days
20. a piece from this year that you're really proud of :3
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21. something you would like to improve on the dynamicness (well, the lack of it) of everything, as said before
22. what inspires you? Ink sans and a ton of creators in this fandom (also animated shows and movies, I love animation)
23. what's something you hope people notice when looking at your art? idk tbh, just notice it at all and I'm happy :>
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emmi-kat · 5 months
Text
tagged by @sinfulauthor
1. Were you named after anyone?
Not that I'm aware of, but if I found the right family on my geneology search, my mom almost gave me my grandma's middle name. Not sure though.
2. When was the last time you cried?
The night before Christmas Eve I had food poisoning that triggered my chronic pain to flare up and I was writhing in agony.
Also like daily from watching what's happening in Gaza, but not nearly to the same degree.
3. Do you have kids?
Wow. The aging of tumblr users shows with this one. No, I'm just a 28 year old teenage girl. I'm practically a baby, myself.
4. What sports do you play/have you played?
Fishing counts as a sport, yes?
5. Do you use sarcasm?
Noooooo. Me? Neverrr. (Yes)
6. What's the first thing you notice about people?
Vibes. I can discern pretty quickly when someone is going to end up causing trouble on one way or another.
7. What's your eye color?
Brown, babey!
8. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings. Scooby Doo on Zombie Island is the scariest movie I like.
9. Any talents?
Art.
10. Where were you born?
4th gen Arizona, babey!
11. What are your hobbies?
Since I'm trying to turn my art into a career, I'll say cosplay is my hobby. Also collecting Scooby Doo memorabilia.
12. Do you have any pets?
1.) Koda the Brittany Spaniel
2.) Riley Poo(d)le the cavapoo
3.) Ghouligan P. Blackbeard the longhair tuxedo
4.) Hotdog Cuddlebuns the shorthair brown tabby
5.) Pigeon the feral shorthair tortie
13. How tall are you?
5'6"
14. Favorite subject in school?
History
15. Dream job?
I wanted to be an animator, but tbh the state of the industry depressed me on top of my chronic pain so idk now. Plus everything's up in the air with my long covid. I just wanna make art and survive.
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