#once again i have put too much effort into what is ultimately a silly comic

[thedemonscrawler]

there’s two of you now, maybe you’ve got the security clearance to get the van ending?

---

a silly thing involving my Gregory from Permission Slip and @sleepyjuniper ‘s Gregory from her fic Visions (or Lack Thereof)! If you ain’t read it yet, go do that!

no one ever, ever let me draw a vending machine in a comic again

#fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf gregory #once again i have put too much effort into what is ultimately a silly comic #but thats okay it brings me joy #well the vending machine didn't #but that's on me #took some liberties here like i dont even know if that IS how Visions Greg escaped the mall #also MY GREGORY HAS HIS CORRECT SHOES NOW #i need to update the inventory ref #i also banged your kid up a bit more sorry June #this has been sitting as a WIP since before I posted chapter 5 #if you're wondering it its because of the vending machine goods #you are correct! #art

[fleurmarigold]

I’ve been seeing some talk about communication around lately, and since it’s a topic that’s ever-evolving and gets better and better the more consciousness we raise around it, I’m throwing my hat in! I’ve been both people in this comic countless times and I’m really happy to have learned this toolset to be where I am now, so I hope they can be of some help to someone else out there. 💚💖

❗ EDIT: IMPORTANT CONTEXT - PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING ❗

this post was made in response to another post I saw on communication, that felt really hurtful because it appeared to be placing a very heavy and unfair amount of blame on neurodivergent or behaviourally challenged people who struggle with interacting with others. though I see how it may appear that way given the specifity of the examples given (which are specific and direct responses to the ones shown in the other comic mentioned), my intent here was by no means to do the same: it was to reintroduce the idea of communication being a mutual effort, that requires consciousness, care and consideration from all parties involved.

because once again: I have been both people in this comic.

additionally, this was not written as a “guide” or “instruction on how to friendship” of any kind. it was made to highlight some examples of struggles I’ve experienced while interacting with others, and what specific, practical tools and mindsets I found helpful with overcoming them. not every bond has to look like this, and friendship is not ‘hopeless’ for you if it doesn’t -- but if you are struggling with the things described in this comic, these are just some suggestions on how to navigate them based on personal experience!

lastly, I am not attempting to ‘commodify friendship’ or anything of the sort.  if this all sounds like too much work, way too complicated or just an ‘unrealistic’ standard of communication to you, that’s fine. but having been someone who has experienced (and hence been very damaged by) some very notably unhealthy bonds in my life, I felt it was really, very important that I allowed my experiences a voice in the wider conversation. (which is about the only thing preventing me from deleting this post altogether, given how miserable it has made my notifications tab.)

because while talking about friendship, about how important and natural it is for us to be allowed to inconvenience, trouble and even burden our friends as a token of how much we mean to one another, I feel it is also incredibly vital to keep the context of hurtful and even abusive relationships in mind as we do so, and all of the complications that can arise when we trouble each other in careless, manipulative or even intentional ways -- hence, why it is so important to me that open hearted, compassionate and mindful communication be something that is very transparently at the centre of the conversation, and, whatever form it happens to come in, considered as a vital aspect of ultimately connecting with one another in meaningful and transformative ways.

however, it appears my thoughts on the broader subject may be too nuanced for me to have tried to fit into a silly little comic on the internet... I’m not even doing a very good job of summarizing it here, to be honest. so if I could ask that you, on your end, put this post through a bit of an ‘accounting for the inherent miscommunication of important subjects caused by personal distance and internet driven anonymity’ filter of your own before leaving rude, hurtful, dismissive or accusatory comments or replies in my notifications, that would really mean the world to me as an extremely socially anxious individual.

if, on the other hand, you’ve found this post helpful, insightful or meaningful, I’m really glad, and thanks for reading!! I would really urge that instead of taking my word for it, though, you go read “Nonviolent Communication” cover-to-cover if you’re really interested in the subject!! it does SUCHHH a better job at communicating (heh) this whole idea than I could ever hope to, seriously.

thanks!!

#my art #communication #relationships #boundaries #nonviolent communication #venting #therapy #mental health

[scone-lover]

@findingniamho​

HAHAHAHA thank you so much for this ask!!! ❤️ This is exciting. Honestly the Egghead fight was one of the most entertaining scenes to write. (Coming up with all the puns was an egg-celent time.) Rereading it just now was like an out of body experience 😂 

Link to the original chapter here - passage & commentary below the cut!

So I have to start with how this scene was born. This is a Simon scene. He’s had a couple fight scenes with Vampire, but I wanted to show him off as the superhero of the city. What was he doing before Vampire appeared on the scene? What are his strengths and weaknesses? Despite the scene’s silliness, it’s also one of the first where we start to get a sense of what Mayor Mage is up to. 

So I knew I wanted him to do the typical defending-the-city thing, and showcase him and Penny as the dread companions power duo.

Besides the plot stuff, my main goal was to make this scene as ridiculously, stereotypically comic book-ish as possible. 😂Hence, Egghead the Villain.

Most of the credit for Egghead goes to my friend -- they’re really into DC and helped me with a lot of the plot stuff in this fic and making things semi-realistic. (Every time you read a clever plot point, it was probably them. 😂) For this non-Vampire fight, my friend suggested a gangster who was doing crimes and bribing the police. Hence this exchange--

“Okay, okay, um-- fuck. Did you call the police?” She huffs. “Yes, and I think they’ve been fucking bribed, because they pretended they didn’t even know who Egghead was! Can you believe that?”

I made him a repeat villain because honestly, I just thought it was more compelling that way. They know who he is already, Simon can grumble about him, they have egg-themed quips at the ready, etc. 😂 

As for the name, Egghead. I love how it came together because Simon is a baker, and I was able to work a couple baking jokes in there eventually. But in reality, it was me begging my superhero expert friend (named t below) to help me out with crafting this villain and coming up with some witty exchanges. A transcript of our conversation with the brainstorming and some of the rejects--

t: the gangster has a nickname right? he has to if he’s a supervillain t: make it a gimmick t: like if he has a red outfit call him mr. red or something t: he has a flamethrower and call him dragon (this made it in, later) me: Vampire already has a flamethrower t: they can be forced to fight him together me: Vampire is at home studying bc he’s a NERD t: ok he can be bald and simon can call him egghead me: THANKS I HATE IT t: simon throws him on the ground at the end of the fight - that was over-easy me: I hate you where do you get this shit t: I mean it’s typical superhero stuff t: he wears yellow and white and deals crack me: This fic is so food themed I love it t: that’s your villain. that’s it. t: listen, if the Flash can have an ice skating villain, YOU CAN HAVE EGGHEAD. And he was born.

(And yes, The Flash does have an ice skating villain. AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE ICE POWERS.)

Okay, let’s do this! Warning that this is definitely going to go through more than 500 words of the chapter. 😂 

Men dressed in black suits with bright yellow pocket squares. And larger men around the perimeter, wearing grey and holding flashlights. It looks more like a business transaction than anything; there are briefcases and money being passed back and forth, hands being shaken. “Hey!” I call. There are six men, and they all turn to stare at me, and then make a run for it. The flashlight beams dart wildly and I hear a few of them clatter to the floor. Everyone starts yelling at once and looking for an escape.

I basically watched an episode of Brooklyn-99 and crafted the warehouse drug deal based on that. 

“Don’t move. There’s only one exit,” Penny says in my ear. “And you’re standing in front of it.” I stand my ground, but no one comes near me. The suited guys stay slightly behind the muscular ones. Finally, one of them steps forward. “Mage’s Head Boy. Come to tell us off?”

This scene was also an opportunity to have Penny in Simon’s ear! I wanted them to work together more closely than just talking about superhero stuff - I wanted Penny to be invaluable to Simon’s superhero success and in on the action, too. She’s kind of modeled after Oracle from Batman throughout this fic. 

Mage’s Head Boy is a pretty transparent CO reference. 

There are times when I’m grateful for my ability to just have muscles and growl at people and make them disappear, and there are times when I wish I was witty like Vampire. This is definitely the second. I can’t think of a response to that. Luckily, I have a best friend with a head full of wit. “Tell them to fuck off,” Penny says. Then again, maybe not. What would Vampire say? I get hot and frustrated in the face of danger. He seems to get cooler the higher the stakes get. I fall into a fighting stance. “You wish.” The guy takes a step backwards. “But since I can’t bring you to the police, I suppose I’ll just have to teach you a lesson.” “That was good,” Penny says in my ear.

I obviously had to work a bit of Baz jealousy / crushing into this. I like the idea of Penny being super blunt. She’s smart and sometimes witty, but more often she just says it like it is. “Cooler the higher the stakes get” was a direct reference to the similar line in Carry On. With Simon’s last line - this scene was all about showcasing him as a “typical” superhero that you’d find in a comic, fighting a classic comic book villain. So I gave him one of those cheesy lines.

I’m surrounded. There must be fifteen or twenty of them. Eight huge muscular guys, and the rest in suits. They form a loose circle around me. Almost all of them wield knives, but I don’t see any guns so far.

I knew from the outset I wanted this to be a one-against-many fight. At this point in the story I’d set up a good dynamic for Blade vs Vampire, but not so much Blade vs. other city threats. What makes him a trustworthy hero? Simon’s origin story is that he got news attention by fighting off a group - so putting him in this group fight setting was a chance for him to shine.

A man steps out from the shadows. He’s bald, with a straight, dark mustache, and he’s wearing a pristine white suit and a shirt the colour of an egg yolk. “Egghead,” I say in what I hope is a threatening tone. The name sounds absurd. I’m glad the mask covers my mouth, because I don’t think I can keep a straight face. Penny coughs. Benedict Eggerton, better known as Egghead, is a drug lord who wears yellow and deals… crack. (I know.) (He got into crime early; his parents were poachers.) (Okay, I made that one up. I can’t help it.) I put him in jail earlier this year, but he escaped and fled north.

I was laughing so hard while writing this. You can see in the text exchange above where the suit and nickname came from. I was trying to come up with what his first name might be (my first idea was Sunny). I was so amused when I finally thought of Benedict. 😂 The poachers line is also from my friend T, and the “north” is a reference to Scotland, which comes back later as the Scotch Egg joke.

I draw my weapon, trying to look as menacing as possible. “I remember your blade being bigger,” he says, eyeing my kitchen knife. “Is it too cold for you in here?”

PFFFFFT I LOVE THIS JOKE okay so. I originally made Simon forget his sword because I thought the fight would be too easy - and going back to what I said above, he’s kind of returning to his “roots” with this fight - that spark he has that makes him a hero. And then I wrote the line “I remember your blade being bigger.” TO BE CLEAR, this was not originally intended as an innuendo. 

And then my friend said something like ‘he should turn up the heating in this warehouse then’, and I was like OH DING DING DING PENIS JOKE! 😂I’m oblivious sometimes. I’m glad I realized in time because this is honestly one of my favorite villain lines I’ve ever written.

I really, really wanted to give the “too cold” line to Vampire. It would be perfect for him. But Simon always has his normal sword with Vamp, so Egghead it was. And he instantly became an icon. 😂 

I twirl the knife between my fingers. “I can crack you anyway.” “Good effort,” Penny whispers. “But a bit rough on the delivery. 'Take a crack at you' might have been better...” “Sword or no sword,” I continue, “you’ll be an egg wash by the end of this.” “What?” Penny says. “Is that a baking reference?” Egghead cracks his knuckles, and his men rush me.

Much like Penny does later in the scene, I had a tab open of egg-related words up while writing this. I had to work in the baking reference. But a terrible one. There’s a French term for whisking eggs that basically translates to “beating eggs into snow” - and I wish it was a thing in English, because, you know, Simon Snow. Oh well. 😂 

I Google a list of ways to make eggs. Simon needs to win this fight, but more importantly, he needs to get some egg-themed one-liners in there to show them who’s boss. Chances like this don’t come around very often. 

Listen, Penny is very dedicated. I love the idea of heroes just being quick-witted and coming up with these ridiculous quips on demand. But ultimately, I thought it was funnier - and more in character for Penny - to do this. (Even though her Superhero name is Quickwit, oops.) She has the world of Google at her disposal. Egg puns may not seem important, but superhero image and reputation is half the battle.

Simon is being attacked from all angles, but he fights like a whirlwind. The bulky guys attack first, mostly with their fists. Simon kicks their legs out from under them. He throws them across the floor like they weigh nothing. “Behind you!” I say. Simon spins around and disarms the man behind him, twisting his arm, and I hear a shout through my earbuds. He grabs the guy’s knife and kicks him in the stomach, sending him sprawling. Simon Snow faces fifteen men with nothing but two knives, looking like he’s ready to explode.

I loved writing this from Penny’s POV. I am used to writing fight scenes from the POV of the person fighting, so this was definitely a cool challenge. It’s part of why I brought Penny into the scene in the first place - so I could show Simon in third person. Almost like we’re watching a movie and getting some overhead shots. From his POV, you don’t realize quite how awesome he is. So getting to showcase him like this was really fun.

I still have to wonder how Shepard knew… well, everything. 

Don’t tell anyone but I didn’t know yet either

“He’s Scottish,” I tell Simon. “Scotch Egg.”

I know. This one’s bad.

He’s a blur of gold and white in motion. He throws his knife—I have no idea where he learned to do that—and it embeds itself in one of the men’s legs. He rolls across the floor, picking up two more discarded knives.

I don’t do a ton of plotting/outlining with fight scenes, but one thing I decide in advance is where and how everyone gets hurt. I didn’t want Simon to win the fight too easily, but I did need to injure him somehow. So it wouldn’t be too easy, but also to serve as a counterpoint to the socks thing later.

I watched a lot of action sequences to write this fic, especially with the trickier one vs. many scenes. 

Simon tosses him like a sack of flour.

Couldn’t resist the baker!Simon reference.

“Hard or soft boiled,” I whisper. “Which way is it gonna be, Egghead? Hard or soft boiled?” Simon shouts. He whispers to me, “That was stupid.” Egghead raises an eyebrow. “Last chance to leave us alone, Blade.” I consult my list of egg dishes. “Give up before you get scrambled.” Simon twirls his blades. I love it when he does that; he looks like Deadpool. “It’s your last chance to surrender before you get scrambled.”

I loved the hard or soft boiled line at first. And then I wrote it down and said it out loud, just to check, and it sounded SO DUMB. 😂I almost took it out, but then figured—Simon is probably not going to think this through, either.

Maybe the Deadpool line was a bit on the nose here, but I wanted to give readers some really vivid imagery of what Simon looks like right now with these dual wicked blades kitchen knives.

“I prefer my eggs… poached,” he says. 

Even though Egghead has turned out to be quite a serious villain—there are guns, drugs, and a backstory—he is, after all, original master of the egg puns. He would never turn down this opportunity.

Egghead scrambles (ha) to his feet

I think Penny is just me in this.

“Over-easy,” I whisper.

“That was over-easy,” he says.

Not my best. But it had to be in there.

I’ll skip the serious bits, since the plot there is pretty self-explanatory, to this:

I wish he’d asked what we serve, because I have so many egg puns at the ready. Eggs-ecution. Hash-ing out justice. Karma served hard.  

My beta ashspren gave me this line, and I could not be more grateful. Imagine the chapter without this. It would be a shame.

Here are a few egg puns that didn’t make the cut, SADLY:

You're washed out, egghead

*Egghead gets angry* hey, it was just a yolk

I had to go "beat" some eggs

*uppercut* Sunny side UP!

I'll bash in your Eggnoggin’

Some people are just bad eggs

Sorry this is so long—this has been a purely self-indulgent experience. Thanks so much for this ask, I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you like it! ❤️ 

#ask #fanfic asks #ask game #dvd commentary #holding out for a hero #heroverse #hero fic #superhero snowbaz #the golden blade #hfh #behind the scenes #bts #writing things #hfh behind the scenes

[measurelessdreamer]

New Olivarry fic!

The impossible happened and I managed to write (probably) my last Olivarry fic and I’m actually proud of myself XD If you want, feel free to read it here or down below! <3

Coffee Beans And Cakes, It's You For Whom My Heart Aches

Summary:  Barry Allen thought he was done with love. He had missed out all his chances and if love was supposed to be only unrequited in his case, then what the hell was the point? So he filled his life with routines and small pleasures to keep himself going and convince himself he was okay. He hadn't anticipated one of those routines would eventually sabotage him and turn his whole life around, but sometimes you just need to live in a lie for a while to be able to see the truth. Barry learned that the hard way.

Relationships: Barry Allen/Oliver Queen

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Slow Burn

Words: 13268

It was three o'clock in the afternoon when Barry finally turned off his computer and hurried out of his lab, waving both Joe and Eddie with a smile, silently dodging their offers to accompany him which they both knew were fruitless to ask. It was his habit to stop by Jitters for his favorite kind of coffee and spend a few minutes in solitude just sipping and relishing the bittersweet taste he knew so well and today was no different. Being already twenty-nine, it was only normal to have his life filled with small routines like this that ultimately were the sole reason why he was able to be himself and not just some kind of zombie, struggling to see the point in waking up in the morning. Don't get him wrong. Sometimes, days got rough and he was on the zombie spectrum more than he would actually like, but when that happened, it was small pleasures like this that got him back to smiling and simply enjoying what he was supposed to no matter how much other people considered it crucial.

Nothing new ever happened during his afternoon visits to Jitters. He just loved that where people were usually swarming inside like bees in their hives he could have a peaceful time and think. It was liberating in ways not many people would understand but he didn't care. He just knew he wouldn't change this routine for anything. As hectic as his life sometimes was, this was something he wanted to keep intact no matter what. Too bad destiny had other ideas.

As expected, there were only a few people inside. One man was standing by the cash register, strikingly aggravated by the debate he was having with the barista, which Barry supposed looked more like an argument despite how the man, probably in his thirties, was trying to stay calm. Barry moved to stand a few feet next to him in a queue he just created, patiently waiting for his turn. He absolutely didn't mean to eavesdrop, his parents and Joe had raised him better than that, but he was standing right there and it wasn't his fault the man was apparently losing his patience and raising his voice as the result. Besides, he couldn't simply leave his spot unless he decided to skip the coffee and go home, which in his mind was not an option. Not even some uptight customer would change that, thank you very much.

So he just stood there and listened because what else was really there to do?

"Sir, I apologize, but I've already told you that this cake is reserved for the couple’s menu only. Feel free to choose any other, though. Surely we can come to an agreement we'll both like," the female barista said, doing her utmost best to remain as polite as possible even though Barry could see her resolve was on the brink of despair.

"I don't want any other cake," the man stated. "It's my son's favorite, always has been. We have it every time we're here. It never was 'reserved for a couple’s menu only' before so why now?"

"It's our policy to include some desserts for only specific types of menus and I'm sorry, but I don't make these rules."

"I understand, but can't you make an exception just this once? You'll get your money either way. Besides, it's not like this place is filled with people fighting for this particular cake and you're gonna close soon anyway."

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, sir," the barista sighed and looked genuinely sorry and annoyed by this stupid policy too, but her hands were tied. Her boss probably wasn't one of the kindest people on this planet.

"Of course," the man scoffed. "It's funny, though. Not sure when exactly love of couples started being more important than love for your own damn child." The venom behind those words was borderline outrageous, even more, when Barry noticed how it made the barista slump her shoulders in defeat and shame, but it was probably the thing that caused Barry's life to change so radically that day. While everyone else would most likely judge the man for being too harsh on the woman, Barry focused on this customer's reasoning and intentions that were definitely meant to be good and decided to help out. That was how he'd been raised after all.

"Actually," he spoke, causing the barista to look at him, "he's here with me." What happened next was downright comical as the man literally froze mere inches before the exit door and spun around to gape, unabashed, at this man he'd never seen before, claiming they were a couple.

As tempted as Barry was to burst out laughing on spot, he formed a smile and turned to the barista that was staring him down skeptically. She wasn't stupid. Of course it was obvious he didn't know the man that just made his way back to them, still gaping at him, but then again, it wasn't like they needed some license or document to show they were dating. They just needed to convince her to either believe them or take pity on them. Whichever came first.

"I'm sorry about him," he started again, motioning to the man next to him. "He's not much of a people person, but he means well."

"And he's your boyfriend," the woman summarized, not buying a single word, and glanced at the other man. "Why didn't you say so before? You must have noticed him coming here."

"We usually keep it quiet. He's a bit shy, you know?" Barry clarified, letting his eyes fall on the man and locking them with his on instinct, suddenly finding it nearly impossible to look anywhere else besides the magnificent shade of blue boring into his. He almost forgot he was supposed to make sure the barista bought his little act. "Darling, I told you, you should've waited for me. We would've solved this together and spared your nerves. As much as I like the grey strands in your hair, smiling suits you better."

At this comment, the man openly glared at him, but his eyes, those incredibly pretty eyes, were glinting with amusement that kept Barry's smile intact without him even putting real effort in it.

"I was waiting for you," the man joined in. "for full ten minutes even. It's not my fault you're always late, honey."

"Seems that supertardiness is one of my powers. Glad it didn't stop you from falling in love with me."

"Believe me, I'm questioning myself about this all the time," the man teased and smirked.

Barry couldn't contain the small chuckle escaping his lips and the absolute wonder that this whole charade was going so well despite them having no clue who the other person was. Barry was too old to believe in fairytales, but part of him never stopped being a dreamer. It was probably why this connection between him and the blue-eyed stranger seemed to be almost magical like it wasn't just random luck but a plan in the grand scheme of things. But that was just silly and he was the fool for imagining otherwise when he was probably the only one feeling this.

Once he couldn't face these thoughts without breaking off his act of a loving boyfriend, he glanced at the barista and found her looking at them with an odd expression. Some sort of mixture of amusement and intrigue, probably, but then again he was only skilled in reading criminals per se, so he could be wrong. He put the question of figuring it out later to the back of his mind before he broke the silence that was on the brink of becoming awkward. "Could we have the couple’s menu, please?"

The woman snapped out of whatever trance she was in and beamed at them without any trace of her previous embarrassment intact, taking in their coffee orders and asking for their names, for which Barry was more grateful than ever since it was the most subtle way of finding out who the man was he could hope for.

"Barry." "Oliver." They both said at the exact same time, momentarily stunning the whole party. Barry's eyes once again met Oliver's, already getting lost in them and their spellbinding glimmer as if he had nothing better to do that day than openly stare.

"You seemed to be in real sync," the woman pointed out as she was writing the names right into the huge red hearts decorating the cups that were most definitely ordered for the sole purpose of labeling everyone who proved to be worthy of getting the couple's menu. It was sweet, but all Barry could do was inwardly laugh about it when he noticed how Oliver glared at the cups. "Does this happen a lot?"

"Oh, yeah, all the time. We're practically the same person," Barry answered and saw the tiny smile playing on Oliver's lips from the corner of his eyes for what it was, ignoring how elevated it instantly made him.

"You're really lucky, then," the woman said and smiled so warmly Barry almost started regretting they were so openly lying to her. But only almost.

"Hear that, Ollie? You're lucky to have me," he teased and, for reasons he probably won't ever be able to grasp, bumped his shoulder against Oliver's. He had no idea where this boldness came from, but the man next to him didn't recoil or stiffen and he decided to take that as a good sign.

"You shouldn't encourage him," Oliver said to the barista, shaking his head. "He's insufferable enough as he is."

"Says the guy who wanted to burn this whole place down minutes ago," Barry countered. "Don't you think an apology is in order? You're the one that keeps telling me agreements and rules are here to be followed not broken every time I'm late."

This time it was Oliver who moved closer, not out of fake affection like Barry had, though. Not that it really mattered to Barry's hammering heart once he felt a strong arm hooking around his shoulders and spreading warmth through his whole body as he heard the blue-eyed stranger whisper: "You're playing with fire."

However bewildered Barry was from the whole situation, he didn't let this intimidate him. "Do you want me to tell certain someone we both know that it's okay not to apologize for being a bit of a jerk?"

"I was not-" Oliver began but his words came up short when Barry just arched one of his eyebrows at him. He was probably having too much fun with this, but after having such a boring day at work, this was exhilarating to the bone and he couldn't get enough of it. "Fine," Oliver sighed in defeat and aimed his next words at the barista, who was once again dedicating them that same odd look like before. She smiled after hearing Oliver's apology and waved with her hand, saying she understood Oliver's outrage at the policy she didn't see the point of either.

"See?" Barry remarked and smiled. "Wasn't so hard now, was it?"

Oliver merely chuckled and only then let go of Barry's shoulders, making him involuntarily wonder why it caused a small downfall to his mood not to be so close to the older man anymore.

The barista once again saved him from any more uncomfortable questions his brain was so fond of sending his way when she asked whether they wanted to have the cake packed or not. When Oliver confirmed the former option, she sheepishly asked for the name of his son and wrote down "William" on the pink box covered in numerous hearts of various sizes, which once again didn't fail to make Barry chuckle. He got a glare aimed at him in return, but something was telling him every time Oliver did that, the venom behind it got less and less serious.

Once they had the cake safely in the box and their coffees in their hands, Oliver proceeded to pay before Barry could even get his wallet out. Had things been any different, he would have argued about this, but he figured it made sense that only one of them would pay since they were "together" and besides, he understood it for Oliver's way of saying thank you since Barry was the sole reason he got the cake for his son in the first place.

Barry anticipated they would exchange vague goodbyes after that since the barista was already too busy with another customer to pay them any mind and be on their way back to their lives as if nothing like this happened with the only difference that they now had a hell of a story to tell, but no such thing happened. Barry proceeded to go sit down to his usual spot and Oliver followed, awkwardly asking whether Barry would mind him sitting there with him, to which Barry merely smiled and nodded.

"It's nice to meet you by the way," he said, not raising his hand for a handshake and risking the barista would see. "Circumstances could've been better, but it was fun."

"You made that abundantly clear," Oliver deadpanned.

"Hey, you got your cake, didn't you? So if anything you should be grateful."

Oliver shook his head but smiled at his strained tantrum and Barry felt warm all over because he knew that meant the man was as grateful as he should be and Barry didn't need to hear the words to know that. Somehow just seeing was enough in this case and send his heart skyrocketing for no valid reason yet again.

"Why did you do it, though?" Oliver eventually asked.

Barry could reply with another teasing remark, but he decided to go with the truth instead. "Because you were right. When you said that love between two people who are a couple shouldn't mean more than the love parents have for their child. I'm pretty sure they have a suggestion box here somewhere. We might let them know what we think."

"And see them ignore it and keep doing whatever the hell they want? No thank you."

"Are you always this optimistic or should I just consider myself lucky?"

"It's just been a hectic week for me."

"Central isn't to your taste?"

"Is it that obvious that I'm not from here?"

"Only to people who you're fake-dating," Barry teased. "You're visiting or?"

"I've recently moved in, actually. To stay close to my son."

Weirdly enough, only then did some trivial realizations dawn on Barry. After all, he knew from Iris that a certain person of her interest had moved from Star City to Central recently. "You're Oliver Queen, right?"

"We're already on the full name basis? Here I thought you were one of those people that would take things slow in a relationship."

Barry's eyes widened in amusement after hearing an honest-to-god joke from the man who seemed anything but carefree not so long ago. "I consider our relationship too special for that."

"In that case, you should know it's not fair I don't know your full name."

"Barry Allen," Barry replied, unable to fight off his smile. Exchanging names like this had to mean something, right? If Oliver planned to forget this day even happened, that they met in such a crazy way, he surely wouldn't go through the trouble of staying there, talking with Barry and possibly finding out more, would he? More importantly, what was Barry promising himself to get out of this? What was he hoping all this meant?

"I bet your son is gonna love the box once he sees it," he changed the subject to keep his mind in here and now. "Horrid pink with hearts all over. Who wouldn't love such a creative design?"

Oliver openly laughed at the comment which Barry stored in his brain for safekeeping on instinct. "He's gonna love the story behind it even more."

The conversation didn't cease any time soon after that. Sure, there were moments of silence between them, but they all felt as natural as the times their mouths were overloaded with words. Whoever walked past them, there was no way they suspected Oliver and Barry had just met. It was like the barista said, they were awfully in sync to be mere strangers to each other. Barry could muse about it in his head, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere he liked and so he just kept the conversation flowing as effortlessly as before.

They left the coffee shop together. Oliver thanked him again, with words this time, and after they exchanged goodbyes and smiles, that was it. Barry was on his way home, feeling like the world could collapse and he wouldn't notice because while his legs were moving, his mind had failed to leave Oliver's side just yet. Once he realized it, he chastised himself for keeping his hopes up when the odds of him seeing Oliver again were so close to zero it hurt. Not in a way how hearing Iris and Eddie were getting married did, of course, but it still hurt more than it probably should have considering everything. So he decided to stop thinking about it once and for all and just get on with his life, back to his routines and stability.

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To his utter surprise, he found out that it wasn't even remotely that simple when he walked into Jitters the next day and noticed Oliver waiting for his turn. He politely said hi as he passed by and was stunned to the bone when Oliver not only said it back but engaged him in the conversation before he could get too far. Just like that, they fell right back in whatever force was making sure they felt good in each other's company. And once it was their turn to order, somehow, without either of them confident enough to explain it, they just knew they were gonna drink from the cups covered in love again. It was a silent agreement between them. That day and every one that followed until it became another routine bringing joy to Barry's life.

Oliver rarely decided to take the cake currently on the offer with him home. Instead, he ordered just one piece which they both shared as they were sipping on their coffees and talking. Neither of them minded the charade they had to keep going in order to convince every barista that they were indeed a couple. It wasn't a matter of not wanting to risk someone calling them on their bullshit one day or not being able to live without having their coffees served in the horrid looking colors. The couple's menu was cheaper than getting all of it separate and while that shouldn't matter since the cheapest approach would be paying solely for their own coffees by themselves and not getting any cake, it made perfect sense to both of them when the possibility to spend the time together was on the table. Most of the baristas didn't care about whether they were telling the truth or not either. Only the woman from the first day did even though Barry was pretty sure she was fully aware they were only faking and just kept her mouth shut to keep the game going.

That was probably why Barry was doing it too. It was fun, exhilarating and yet so natural he didn't feel nervous or under any kind of pressure even when he forgot to watch himself and leaned maybe just too close to Oliver's personal zone. Then he remembered that he was supposed to fake they were in love after all and he leaned all the way in, using Oliver's biceps as a pillow or squeezing his shoulder and relishing in how it felt when Oliver returned the gesture.

It didn't take long before these moments in Jitters started being his favorite part of the day. He was no longer questioning the magical vibe between them. It was just warming him to the core that he had a friend who was so easy to talk to. With Iris being busy planning her own wedding, he had every right to miss such simple interactions that were about serious talk as much as it was about merely messing around. Two months of these regular meetings passed and he felt like Oliver could safely compete with both Joe and Iris about who knew him best and possibly come of it as the winner and from what he learned from Oliver, the feeling had to be somewhat mutual.

One day, however, turned out to be different after all when Barry entered Jitters and couldn't see Oliver anywhere inside the coffee shop. His face fell down for a split second before he realized he was being ridiculous, relying on a deal they never had in the first place. Oliver was his own person after all. He couldn't expect the billionaire to come there every day for the rest of their lives. Besides, it was probably a sign that Oliver had grown tired of their silly charade and this was his way of showing they needed to stop. Barry could understand that although he was definitely going to miss the cups where Oliver's name would occasionally be written with a small heart above the letter "i" instead of a dot. Even the mere thought made him smile despite how bitter he was still feeling.

But then the door to the coffee shop opened and there was Oliver with his blue eyes so bright Barry supposed all those magazines were rightfully going mad over them. Not that he'd read any of them, but he knew from all those times Iris' celebrity crush would be showing just a tiny bit too much.

Their eyes fell on each other, making Barry's heart leap in his chest when Oliver dedicated him one of his rare but immensely warm smiles. It was as if this one moment, however brief, was straight out of a romance novel, ending in the most horrid way ever when Barry noticed Oliver didn't come alone that day.

As soon as the blonde woman with glasses and a smile so charming Barry felt his stomach drop, leaving him utterly confused because what the hell, Oliver looked at her and Barry supposed that was that. He watched them interact, witnessing Oliver dedicate her the same smile, and fighting not to visibly squirm. She was really pretty and they looked good together. Barry should be happy for his friend because that was what they were. Friends. They were not together. Never would be. Not because Oliver wouldn't handle being in a serious relationship, Barry knew him well enough to know that was just bullshit the tabloids kept feeding to maintain interest among their readers, but because they were just pretending and that was okay. It was what they both wanted.

But then why did he suddenly feel so hollow?

He didn't get a chance to find out that day when he noticed both Oliver and the woman with him were making his way to him. Shit, shit, shit, what was he supposed to do? To say? What if they noticed him staring and thought he was weird? What if this woman was going to scold him for making the whole coffee shop believe he was dating her boyfriend? What if Oliver no longer wanted anything to do with him?

"No supertardiness today?" Oliver quipped. "Some special occasion?"

"If by special you mean Captain Singh was again in one of his moods, which was worse than usual and made me pretty much run away from there, then yeah," Barry replied, trying to be as nonchalant as possible and hoping to God it was playing off.

"Captain Singh from the CCPD?" the woman asked. "You work there?"

"As a forensic scientist," Barry confirmed and frowned. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Felicity. Smoak," the woman beamed and extended her hand. "I'm only asking because I'm applying for a job there."

"Barry Allen. And really? What kind?"

"Hacking. Not the bad kind, like stealing people's money or anything! Although I could do that, but only if it was meant to do good. Not that I think people should steal. They definitely shouldn't do that. Especially not when there could possibly be another way how to solve their situation."

"I think he gets it, Felicity," Oliver gently pitched in.

"Right, sorry! I'm just... I'm supposed to have my interview tomorrow and I thought I was fine, but now after hearing you talk about Captain Singh I feel like applying was the worst idea I ever had."

"Hey, it's okay," Barry said. "I'm sure it'll go fine. Besides, he's a lot nicer to newcomers even potential ones. Just convince him he needs you and you'll get the job."

"Wow," Felicity gasped and looked at Oliver, "you were right. He really does know what to say to make people feel better."

"I didn't say that," Oliver denied and if Barry didn't know him any better he would think he was blushing, but that was just a silly thought, wasn't it?

"Oh yeah, just like you don't come here every day at the exact say time, right? I wonder, is it because of the coffee or something else?"

"Actually, it's for the cakes," Barry joined and earned himself another glare that made him feel warm all over.

"Of course! I knew I wasn't imagining that there was something different about you. Now I know why," Felicity said, glancing briefly at Oliver's abdomen. But there was no harsh truth behind her words and they all knew it. She and Barry were just messing around. Oliver's torso, chest, basically everything definitely couldn't have been considered to be anything but dreamy not that Barry was picturing it or anything, but he had eyes and it was clear that Oliver was in good shape and that was that. It didn't have to go anywhere else.

"Well, I'm definitely not paying for either of you today, that's for sure," Oliver grumbled and turned to face the barista to order now that it was their turn.

"You're lucky we don't put up with you for your money, then," Felicity remarked, Oliver pretended he didn't hear it even though it was obvious he did and Barry could only stare at how carefree the whole situation was despite him almost bolting out of there mere minutes ago. Felicity's natural light just made it that easy to stay and have a good time. Oliver was really lucky to have her.

The billionaire didn't plan to order the couple’s menu that day, but before Barry could compose himself enough to make it seem like he didn't mind, which he really shouldn't anyway so what the hell, brain, yet again, Felicity cut the billionaire off and asked the barista to give him and Barry the couple’s menu, vouching for them that the man wouldn't find two people more in love in the whole city. Oliver rolled her eyes but let her have it her way, ignoring her every teasing remark about the romance-themed cups coming their way. Barry was too stunned to really pay them any mind as they were making a beeline for one of the tables.

Before they sat down, Oliver's phone suddenly buzzed, making him curse under his breath as he fished it out of his pocket. Barry figured it must be something related to his work when the billionaire just apologized to them, claiming he had to take it and marched outside with his coffee.

"Must be important," Barry pointed out sadly, remembering this wasn't the first time their afternoon got a bit ruined by Oliver's phone.

"He takes his job seriously. It wasn't always like that, but since he's had William, he's a changed man."

"You must be proud of him."

"More than anything."

"How long have you been together, by the way?"

Felicity almost chocked on her coffee. "Come again? Together as in being an item? Because we're not that. We might have been something before, but now we're just friends."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought-"

"I guess that makes sense. He's the guy everyone has a crush on and once you get to know him, it's even worse. I fell hard far too quickly and it was working for a while, but eventually, we both figured we were better off as friends. It wasn't meant to be for us."

"I'm really sorry to hear that." And he really was despite how his heart skipped a beat upon hearing the information.

"Don't be," Felicity shrugged. "It's better now. Really. He needs someone he has no problem to talk to. I wasn’t it for him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a place in his life. And what about you? Do you have someone like that?”

He should've known this topic would turn against him and he had no reason to be upset since his feelings had never passed the “unrequited love” stage. Felicity's obviously had. She'd gotten a chance with Oliver, they'd been happy for some time and then life had decided to take it from them. He'd had numerous opportunities to do something about his feelings and he hadn't. He had no one else to blame but himself. But maybe that was why it hurt so much even after such a long time.

"Nope, it's just me. I mean, I have family and friends, they are everything to me, but I don't have anyone... like that. There was this one person, but I... I never said how I felt and they're getting married next week so... it's just me."

"Oh, Barry, I'm so sorry," Felicity consoled.

"It's fine," he waved off and for the first time ever felt like these words represented the truth in his heart. Even if it was only remotely, he couldn't dwell on this for the rest of his life. He needed to move on sooner or later and it seemed like subconsciously, he'd already begun. "Just wasn't meant to be, but it's better to know that now than find out years later, right?"

"Yeah, it might not mean much right now, but I believe things like this don't work out for a reason. One day we'll both be grateful for it."

He smiled and nodded. "I think you might be onto something, Miss Smoak." His eyes then fell on Oliver who was still outside, talking relentlessly to whoever was on the other side of that call. In the chilly day of November, the billionaire looked barely as if he'd even registered the cold despite the visible puffs of air coming out of his mouth and reddened cheeks. He looked like he belonged there and Barry found it impossible to look away.

"What about Oliver?" he cleared his throat and looked at Felicity who was watching him with an expression he didn't dare to figure out. "Does he have anyone like that?"

Felicity glanced at her friend with a smile. "I don't think so. Not officially at least, but he's been different these past few weeks so I'd say someone has appeared in his life even though it's likely he hasn't realized it yet."

Barry wasn't sure how he felt about that. He considered Oliver a friend, one of the special ones even, so, of course, he wished to see him happy, but just imagining that one day the billionaire would come here to drink from love-themed cups and share one piece of cake with someone else, some beautiful woman probably, it... didn't sit right with him.

He probably got too used to having these meetings in Jitters as a constant in his life. With Oliver being the fundamental part of it. After Iris and Eddie got busy preparing their wedding and he found it goddamn hard to be in their presence, it really made sense that he would need someone new in his life. He had Cisco, Caitlin, Wally and Ralph he was thankful for it every day, but sometimes, you just need something new or to do things differently than you normally would to see everything from a new perspective and ultimately appreciate what you had all along.

His life just seemed so much easier with a cup decorated with hearts in his hands, an indicator that it's essential to find the time to mess around sometimes and to forget about everything else. It reminded him of the times he'd spent with Iris, those little moments when they would just put their feet up and talk about whatever till it was too late to even hope they would get enough sleep that night. And for the first time, he felt determined to reach out to her.

"You look like you just figured out something," Felicity pointed out. "Something good, I hope."

"Remains to be seen, I guess," Barry said but smiled with all sincerity within him.

"That actually reminds me... Are you by any chance free this Friday night?"

"Uh, yes? If this is about Captain Singh again, then I assure you that while he has bad days, he never made me work on Friday night."

"That's... good to know, sure, but it's not why I'm asking. It just so happens that I was supposed to go with Oliver and William to the movies this Friday, but something came up and I don't want the ticket to go to waste. You and Oliver really seem like you hit it off so the ticket is yours if you want it."

"Um, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not? You're Oliver's friend like me and if you're worried about William, he's thirteen and so basically, all he cares about is seeing that movie. He won't pay you that much attention and even if he did, just remember that he puts up with Oliver so you'll definitely be fine."

Barry wanted to say yes. It wasn't even his anxiety caused by meeting William for the first time holding him back from voicing out that one damn word. Oliver had talked about his son enough times for Barry to know William wasn't anyone to be wary of. He was into comics, movies, tv shows, and video games and Oliver was proud of him. It was apparent from every single word the billionaire uttered about his son. That counted for something. Had William been a spoiled brat, there would never be this spellbinding glint of content in Oliver's eyes.

So really, William was not the problem. But then what was?

He eventually settled for "I'll think about it," and maybe got a bit more relieved than he should have when Felicity flashed him a smile and nodded. They both noticed Oliver finally hung up and was now making his way back to them.

"Sorry about that," the billionaire said as he took his seat. "What did I miss?"

"Barry is going with you and William to the movies!" Felicity announced and watched both men gawp at her.

"That's not-" Barry started, but Felicity shushed him with a wave of her hand. "Oh come on, you were gonna say yes. You won’t regret it, I swear. Besides, it will make Oliver immensely happy if you come. Isn't that right, Oliver?"

Oliver stared at her hard, but seeing she wouldn't relent, he sighed and looked at Barry. "Yeah, what she said. But only if it's no trouble for you."

Barry didn't have any other choice than to cave in. Oh, what the hell, he thought, it was ridiculous that they hadn't met one single time outside Jitters anyway. "What movie are we seeing?"

"Ready Player One. Have you seen it already?" Felicity asked.

Barry had actually. The other day he went with Cisco, but it also didn't go unnoticed by him how the corners of Oliver's lips quirked into a tiny a smile as he agreed to go and he found himself ecstatic to see that movie again even though he was fully aware the motion picture itself had very little to do with it.

"No, but I always wanted to. I never pictured you to be into this kind of movies, though," he said to Oliver.

"You're implying I'm getting old?"

"N-no! Of course not! It's just that-"

"Relax, Barry," Felicity chuckled, "that's just your fake boyfriend making fun of you. There's no need to get all flustered for him. It doesn't do his ego any good."

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her and for a few seconds, Barry had the time to look away and at least try to figure out why today everything was so different. Why he was so flabbergasted when he should be just having a good time with Oliver like he always would. Felicity was nice and kind so there was no reason to even consider she had something to do with this, but something did. And why the hell couldn't he get to the bottom of it?

When Felicity and Oliver turned their attention back to him, he formed a smile, hoping neither of them could see how strained it was. It wore off quickly and soon he was back to talking with them like it was that easy. But then they were parting ways and Barry saw Felicity hug Oliver and he felt his insides churning and the bitterness was back. He needed to get his shit together before Friday would come. Leaving the impression he was weird shouldn't be the first thing he does in front of William, especially now when he really wanted to come and spend his Friday this way. So he told himself to suck it up and try to see the bigger picture here. It probably wasn't as big of a problem as he was making it out to be anyway.

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They had agreed to meet outside the movie theater and Barry was actually on time or at least that was what he first thought, but then the main entrance came to his sight and he stopped dead on his tracks. Because there Oliver and William were and he couldn't hear them. They were too far and the streets of Central were as alive as ever, but to him, there was no noise because the whole world fell silent. He just watched, surrounded by the imaginary tranquility, Oliver and William talking.

It looked like William was trying to explain something he considered amazing and Oliver was giving him his utmost attention. The billionaire must have understood something wrong, though, or at least pretended to because the next thing that happened was William shaking his head incredulously and soon falling into a round of laughter, which Oliver mirrored. He had definitely faked it, then, just to get his son to laugh like this. Before Barry knew it, he smiled at the scene before him almost feeling sorry he had to break it with his appearance, but after witnessing this little and yet meaningful interaction between the two, he felt much more relaxed than when he'd left his apartment that night.

"You're late," Oliver told him once he noticed him.

Barry innocently shrugged, not regretting his reasons for violating his punctuality that night. "I didn't want you to feel special, thinking I was trying for you. Your ego is already big enough as it is."

Before Oliver could counter the snarky comment, William snorted and all attention fell on him. "So this is the Barry you've been talking about?"

"He talks about me?" Barry asked, amused.

"Oh yeah, like all the time."

"He doesn't mean that. He's just trying to be funny," Oliver said and Barry smiled as their eyes locked for a brief moment. "I figured. Wonder who he got it from, though."

"Hear that, Dad? I'm just learning from the best like you taught me."

"Just get inside before I change my mind and we go home," Oliver replied, but the way he shook his head with an amused smile he couldn't fight was the only indicator they needed to know his threat wasn't meant to be serious at all. William looked like he wanted to say one more thing but chose to rather stay silent and go inside anyway with Oliver and Barry following behind. Once inside, he sent them to buy some snacks and drinks while he went to the washroom. Barry just found it endearing how Oliver rolled his eyes at his son being so bossy. Still having the moment between Oliver and William that was the reason he'd come late freshly on his mind, he was more than thrilled that he had come here in the end. Hearing Oliver talk about William was something he always enjoyed, it would always uncover this side of Oliver he doubted many people could see. But actually seeing them interact pushed it into a completely new level and he knew he would regret it if he didn't get to find out about that.

"He's cute," he said as they were waiting in the line.

"Don't let him hear you. He would never forget that."

"But it's true."

"He's thirteen. Saying he's 'cute' might as well be an insult to him."

"Oh yeah? And what’s your excuse? Because I remember you being bothered every time I called you cute in front of the baristas.”

“I wasn’t... bothered.”

“You calling me a liar, darling?”

“Nope, just delusional,” Oliver deadpanned and got away with it only because it was their turn to order. Once that was done the man behind the cash register looked at them and asked: “I don’t mean to intrude, but are you, guys, a couple?” Before they could answer he went on. “Because we have this offer going for tonight. We’ll give you a small bucket of chocolate covered cinnamon bears for half the price if you’re a couple.”

Barry had to chuckle at that because really what were the odds of two establishments having such a similar offer, but then another thing shocked him. Both he and Oliver remained silent, no longer trying to say that they were just friends hanging out even though that was the truth. Instead, they looked at each other, reading where they stood from each other's faces without any difficulty. What the hell, William was definitely going to be ecstatic about the extra snack anyway.

"Yeah, we're together and we'd love to have that bucket," Barry said, but there was something different about saying those words even though he had said similar ones so many times he'd already lost count. He saw Oliver smiling at him and that somehow caused the whole world to freeze and mute again, overwhelming him with an unfamiliar feeling of warmth. The next thing he remembered was Oliver handing him the said bucket with numerous brown bears inside and the two of them making their way to William who was already waiting for them in front of the entrance to the auditorium.

"You took your time," William concluded, clearly more intrigued than mad when he lifted his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yeah, that's on me," Barry said. "But we got you this, so all forgiven?"

William took the small bucket and beamed for a split second before he looked back at Barry, all serious again. "You're all good. This time. But I'll be watching you so you don't teach my dad your habit of always coming late. Like I said, he talks about you a lot."

"I believe what William meant to say was 'thank you', right, buddy?" Oliver mildly chastised his son.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," William said and rolled his eyes when Oliver arched his eyebrows at him expectantly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Barry and Oliver said in unison, which made William snort before he took his drink from Oliver's hands and motioned for them to follow him. "We should get inside. It's gonna start soon."

Both men followed him and sat down at their rightful place with William sitting between them, exchanging the bucket with cinnamon bears for the one filled with popcorn with his dad, obviously saving that for later, which made Barry smile for probably the hundredth time that night. It wasn't like he minded, though, when it was making him feel warmer than he ever had. Even when the movie started, his mind didn't completely get the hint it was time to focus on the screen instead of the two people beside him. He was actually glad he had already seen the picture. That way it didn't matter how many times his eyes flew over to Oliver and William to watch them for a few minutes instead because he would still be up to date. He just couldn't help it.

It was clear the screening of Ready Player One was going to end for good soon. Most people had already seen it and thanks to that the auditorium was almost completely empty. Barry had never witnessed anything like it since he'd always been into movies and wanted to see them as soon as possible, but this solitude was really... nice. It gave Oliver and William the room to comment on what was happening on the screen without needing to worry they were disturbing someone else.

William would occasionally brag about how much more pop culture references he could spot than Oliver and no matter what, the billionaire didn't attempt to silence him, to put him down. He didn't get bored, he listened to all his son said and even looked truly immersed by the movie. The sight made Barry so spellbound he couldn't stop staring for several minutes and even when he eventually forced himself to watch the screen and not look away again, his mind stayed there in that magical moment. Everything he'd seen that night convinced him that Oliver was a good father, which was another thing tabloids never got right. Their loss, he thought and kept smiling till the end of the movie.

After they left the movie theater, William excused himself again when he spotted one of his friends from school to go say hi.

"I'm really glad I came with you, guys," Barry said once he was alone with Oliver.

"Even though you've already seen the movie before tonight?" the billionaire asked and chuckled when Barry's eyes widened. "Yeah, I knew the whole time. You might be an amazing forensic scientist, but that doesn't mean you can lie."

"I don't know if I should take this as a compliment or an insult."

"Take it as me showing my gratitude you came anyway, then. I keep hearing it's not one of my stronger suits."

"Oliver Queen is actually bad at something and openly admitting it? Has the world started ending while I wasn't watching or what?" Barry teased and chuckled when the billionaire rolled his eyes at him in that affectionate way he did with William. Then, however, Barry’s phone buzzed, alerting him of a message from Iris. Being reminded he had to attend her wedding and that he still wasn't completely okay with it, his mood fell down so radically Oliver would have to be blind not to notice.

"Hey, you okay?" he gently asked with nothing else but clear concern written all over his face.

"It's nothing," Barry lied, all too aware Oliver could tell and expecting to be questioned about this further, but the billionaire didn't say anything. He just nodded, seemingly content to let the silence stretch out and let this be the way of how this amazing night was supposed to end. Barry should've been grateful that his friend wasn't prying, but for some reason, he decided to clarify regardless.

"You remember how I mentioned two of my friends getting married?"

"Iris and Eddie, right?"

"That's them. And it's happening next Tuesday and I just...," he trailed off, not even knowing where he was going with this.

"You don't feel like you're ready yet," Oliver finished for him, obviously remembering all that Barry had willingly shared with him about his bitter experience with love. If the circumstances were any different, Barry would be touched that Oliver cared so much he listened and remembered all that had been said between them. But like this, he just felt embarrassed to the bone.

"Barry, there's nothing wrong with taking your time," the billionaire said and although Barry believed his words, there was just something odd about the way he said them. Or maybe it was about the special kind of sadness he could see in these piercing blue eyes before him. He couldn't decipher what it meant for anything and it was driving him mad because here he was, bothering Oliver with his problems when the latter could be possibly dealing with something much worse and just keeping it to himself to have this weight solely on his shoulders. Now that was pathetic and for a while, Barry felt speechless until he remembered what amazing time he'd been having every time he'd met with Oliver and an idea popped up in his head.

"Come with me," he said before he could think better on it.

"What?"

"To the wedding. As my plus one."

Oliver stared him down, obviously not buying he was being serious. "You want me to go to a wedding and pretend we're together in front of dozens of people?"

"Why not? We're already pretending and obviously doing a good job."

"You call fooling a bunch of baristas, people we don't know, a good job?"

Barry slumped his shoulders and let his head fall when it occurred to him how ridiculous he was being. Of course pretending in front of his friends and family would be different and honestly, he had no right to ask that of Oliver so what the hell was wrong with him? Was he really so scared of facing Iris and Eddie that he forgot he and Oliver were in this together as equals? Since when was he so selfish?

"You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know why I even suggested it. Just forget it happened," Barry pleaded and looked up only after he heard William making their way to them.

They said their goodbyes quickly after that, which made Barry hate himself immensely more. He just had to ruin a perfect evening like that, didn't he? He wondered what that meant for him and Oliver. Whether the billionaire was upset and would ditch their regular meetings in Jitters or worse, ditch him completely. He got his answer at least partly the next Monday when he went to Jitters and Oliver wasn't there. But honestly, he had no one else to blame but himself so he took the coffee with him outside, feeling the breath of winter embracing him mercilessly and taking it as the punishment for being such a fool as it was and he went home, already trying to prepare himself for tomorrow.

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Surprisingly, interacting with both Iris and Eddie wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. Somehow the bond he had with them found its way to work again despite his disbelief and talking with them felt easy. Even seeing them together, stealing glances, smiling and just being happy gave him this vibe that it was how it was supposed to be. They belonged together. It was as clear as a day when they were both glowing in the most beautiful way there was.

Barry felt happy for them as sincerely as he should have right from the start. It made him realize he had been even more of a fool all this time. He could have honestly enjoyed this wedding, but the way he'd parted ways with Oliver last Friday was all he could think of. He could deny it all he wanted every time someone asked him if he was okay, but it didn't make his pain disappear or him forget about it. The ceremony hadn't even started yet, but he already knew he had to fix this somehow or at least try. He would call Oliver after the wedding or maybe come to his apartment. What if Oliver wasn't home or refused to let him in? What if he didn't want to have anything to do with him ever again?

He was so immersed with what-ifs and maybes that he failed to realize everyone around him turned their attention away from wherever it was to openly stare at something. He got out of his trance only after the voice he knew all too well found its way to his ears.

"Seems that you're already rubbing off me," Oliver said with a smile. "But unlike you, I have a valid excuse for being late. I had to find out which wedding was the right one. Did you know there are two other weddings happening today? It's November. Who gets married in a goddamn November?"

"That'd be us," Eddie said cheerily as he and Iris appeared beside them. "You have to forgive us. We just couldn't wait any longer to make this official. Besides, we had no idea Oliver Queen himself would come by."

"It's such an honor to meet you, Mr. Queen," Iris babbled out and punched Barry on his arm, which finally made him overcome his shock of seeing Oliver there. "Why didn't you tell me you were bringing someone with you when I asked?"

"Actually, that's on me," Oliver claimed. "It wasn't the plan. I just changed my mind in the last second."

"You did?" Barry blurted out as the fool he was, still unable to believe this was really happening.

Oliver looked at him and smiled so warmly Barry thought his heart was going to burst and that was no longer normal. Even in his standards. He knew he was missing something, but figuring it out seemed still so out of reach. "You're gonna introduce me to your friends or not?"

"Right, sorry. Iris and Eddie, this is Oliver," he said, suspecting Oliver was daring him to introduce him as his boyfriend. Barry, however, said or implied no such thing and just left the introduction as it was. With a single look at both Iris and Eddie he could tell they saw them as the couple they weren't. He had no idea why he refused to tell them they were wrong, though.

"How long have you known each other?" Iris asked.

"Just a few months," he replied and somehow the conversation kept going until Iris and Eddie excused themselves to get ready and Barry finally had time to talk to Oliver alone.

"Why did you come? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but... when I didn't see in you in Jitters yesterday, I thought..."

"I'm not so easy to get rid of, Barry, don't worry. Besides, there's booze and cake for free. You know me, how could I say no to that?"

Barry laughed at that and squeezed Oliver's arm in the affectionate way they were both used to by now. "Thank you, Ollie."

Oliver dedicated him another smile and that was that. The two of them never left each other's side for too long during the whole event. They fell into a conversation with numerous people Barry knew, Joe, Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, Dr. Wells, Ralph, all of them obviously suspecting he and Oliver weren't just friends and yet Barry didn't correct any of them because he was having such an amazing time that he thought this would totally ruin it and he didn't want to do that the way he had the last time.

Being with Oliver just felt so refreshing and easy, he didn't feel like the stranger he'd been worried he would be all this time. He was bursting with gratitude and he wanted Oliver to know that because he was all too aware the billionaire had helped him to heal from his unrequited feelings and how they'd broken him. He thought the damage couldn't be erased or conquered, but thanks to Oliver that was exactly what had happened without him knowing all along.

This was what kept him smiling during the whole ceremony as he watched Iris and Eddie exchange their vows. His eyes fell on Oliver's hand right next to his and he had no idea what possessed him right at that moment, but the next thing he knew, he lightly stroked the back of Oliver's hand with the tips of his fingers and before he could freak out, Oliver turned his hand with his palm up and stopped his own hand from retracting. Barry relaxed and entangled his fingers with Oliver's, letting the all too familiar feeling of warmth by now spread and his heart go skyrocketing at the contact.

They didn't let go for the rest of the ceremony and Barry was pretty sure no one was watching them, trying to determine if they were together or not. This right there was just for them and only after they had to stand up and let go, it occurred to Barry to actually wonder whether he knew the answer to the one question of all those people staring at them. He'd been pretending all this time to be in love with his friend. Had it really gotten so out of hand that he failed to notice he stopped faking it somewhere along the way without taking any hint?

Suddenly, he felt like the whole world was going to collapse on him. Remembering all those times his knees went weak upon seeing Oliver smile or when a shiver ran down his spine upon standing so close to the billionaire their bodies were almost touching. Back then, he was too exhilarated that he could still make friends, that he had made a friend as amazing as Oliver and that after all this time he finally felt normal and content and... happy. He'd been healing all this time and he just didn't know, but now it all made sense and the realization was more than just dreadful.

Because how could he expect Oliver to ever feel the same? Oliver Queen whom every girl wanted, who was funny and much more thoughtful than anyone would expect him to be, who was an amazing father who cared about small things and would always do anything to make his loved ones happy. And who, most importantly, was straight. Barry inwardly cursed. He was so screwed he wanted to cry. How had he let this happen? Why couldn't he just stay out of the quarrel the day he'd met Oliver? Why couldn't he just stop going with this play of pretending they were in love so willingly?

Everything was caving in. The world suddenly felt too loud and his head hurt. He desperately needed to get out for at least a minute, so he marched towards the nearest exit, not giving even a tiny bit of damn that it was too cold to stand outside only in his suit. All he wanted was to think in silence and peace, but even that seemed to be too much to ask when he noticed Oliver came after him, all perfect and dashing, making Barry's body wanting to react despite him being all too aware Oliver was the last person he wanted to see right at that moment.

"Hey," the billionaire said with concern written all over his face yet again and Barry wanted to laugh at the irony that Oliver himself was partly the reason for it and just didn’t know about it. "Is everything alright? If it's too much for you to be here, we can leave. Just say the word."

"No, it's not that," Barry sighed, unable to look at him. "Everything's fine. I just needed to get some air and think."

"Alright. Then I leave you to it. Just don't stay here too long. I have a feeling Joe would blame me if you froze to death."

Barry didn't laugh as he was supposed to. He didn't even smile or look at Oliver who turned away to leave. But that was the thing, deep inside Barry didn't want him to leave. Not like he had last Friday and not like he was leaving now, which was why he uttered that question he couldn't let go no matter what. "Why did you come, Oliver? The real reason this time."

The billionaire came closer and spoke after letting out a huge exhale. "Just wanted to make sure you'd be okay."

Barry knew Oliver well enough to know it was true, but he also knew him enough to figure out it wasn't all Oliver had to say. "I was doing okay. You saw that so you could leave any time you wanted, but you stayed anyway. Why?"

"If you wanted me to leave, Barry, you should've said so."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then tell me what's wrong."

Barry took a deep breath, trying to make sense of the mess his thoughts were in and failing to find the right words, growing more agitated with every passing second because Oliver was waiting for him to explain what was going on with him and he so desperately wanted to but found it too hard to even say anything at that point.

"Everyone inside thinks we're together," he finally said.

"So? I thought that was the plan. The two of us, pretending and lying to your family and friends, or did I get it wrong?" Oliver said and Barry knew that was meant to hurt.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Oliver denied but sighed when it was obvious Barry wouldn't let go. "I just find it interesting that lying to those you love is comes easy for you. You could've introduced me as your friend and denied there was more between us, but you didn't."

"From what I gathered you didn't deny anything either."

"Well, maybe because I didn't want to deny whatever they were thinking in the first place. Ever thought of that?" Oliver almost growled or maybe that was what Barry's messed up brain was telling him it was because at this point he really wasn't sure anymore. It felt like the world was trying to fool him, daring him to fall for its tricks just one more time and come of it finally broken for good because there was no way he had just heard that right. Oliver couldn't have said any of that because it just didn't make any sense. Not that it mattered because Barry's brain completely shut down once he finally noticed how close they were standing, looking directly into each other's eyes, unable to look anywhere else.

Barry's heart was hammering against his ribcage, deafening any other sound and most importantly all his common sense from trying to bring him back to reality. He didn't know how to respond, what to say, he just wanted to know what it felt for at least one fucking second and so in a flash, he connected their lips in the most horrible angle he could have and let it all crumble on him, ceasing to care completely whether Oliver would rebuff him, shove him away and never speak to him again. He just needed to know it was real. That he hadn't imagined ever falling for his best friend again and that he didn't wish more than anything to stop pretending.

He got much more, though, because Oliver didn't break away from him at all. Against all Barry's expectations, Oliver fixed their angle like it was the easiest thing on this world and kissed him back as zealously as possible, making Barry feel he could burst any second with pushing it even further and biting on Barry's nether lip, requesting an entrance Barry granted on instinct and moaned at the sensation, feeling his pants rapidly getting too tight to his liking, but he wasn't ready to let it end just yet. It was a dream coming true for him. Who would want something like that to end?

"I knew it! I knew I wasn't hallucinating it," Cisco's voice suddenly came to the surface and broke the trance he and Oliver were in, causing them to jump from the embrace and Barry wanting to die right on spot.

"Cisco, what hell, man? What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you two. It's time to cut the cake and Iris wants you there. Although I'm pretty sure she'd be willing to let it slide if she knew you were this... busy. I mean, Oliver Queen? Common mortals like us weren't enough for you or what?"

"You do realize I'm right here and I can hear you just fine?" Oliver asked, openly glaring at Cisco who backed away immediately. "Right, sorry. I'm just gonna run from this not at all awkward moment and say you're both alright."

"We'll be right behind you," Barry promised and tried to pull off a smile which was probably more strained than ever before he turned to face Oliver with an unreadable expression on his face. "That was..."

"Close," the billionaire finished for him. "It's a good thing he caught us like this instead of us arguing. I can imagine you being questioned about having troubles in paradise is the last thing you want."

"Wait, what?"

Oliver let out a deep exhale and finally forced himself to meet Barry's eyes. "You should go inside before they get too worried. Tell them I'm sorry, but I had to leave early."

"Leave? What are you talking about?" Barry said and grabbed Oliver's hand before the man could get too far.

Oliver glanced at their joined hands and lifted his free hand to gently separate them. "You got what you wanted. They're not gonna doubt anything now. But I'm done." He briefly looked at the ground, clenching his teeth, before looking at Barry again. "This would be so much easier if it just stayed in that stupid coffee shop." And without any more words, the billionaire walked away, not stopping or looking back and making Barry hate himself for failing to prevent this from happening. He watched Oliver leave again and although it didn't make any sense to him at first, after a few more seconds of silence, he realized he was the only one to blame for this. Because Oliver thought Barry had seen Cisco coming and kissed him only to make sure everyone believed they were together and honestly, could he really blame him for it? When he was too chickenshit to say anything to prove him wrong?

He did go back inside after that, but feeling more hollow than ever before, he wasn't a joy to be around anymore and eventually ended up leaving early too, thinking of everything he felt during that make-out session and coming to the most dreadful realization there was. He was in love with Oliver Queen and he just let that man walk away.

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Oliver knew both Felicity and William were trying to make him talk about it, but it was pointless. He was already getting over it, he just needed more time. It wasn't like Barry had ever tried to fool him into thinking it was more than just pretense on his part. Oliver had only himself to blame for suspecting this and now he had to pay the price. It was fine, though. He knew how to handle rejection or... heartbreak even. It wasn't anything new to him despite everyone assuming otherwise considering who he was.

Several days passed since the wedding. Oliver hadn't gone to Jitters at all as the coward he was, knowing all too well the building alone would remind him of Barry enough to make the pain raw again and ruin his whole facade and that wouldn’t help him with getting over this, which was why he turned away the offer of the owner of Jitters himself after he got a phone call from him that night, finding out he had supposedly won some price even though he was one hundred percent certain he hadn't taken part in any competition in the first place.

The man eventually admitted he just made that up to make him come because he had a daughter who, again supposedly, was a huge admirer of Oliver Queen and would die for a photo with him. Feeling too tempted to tell the man to shove it and go to hell, it took Oliver several seconds of silence to overcome the overload of emotions inside and say he'd be right there, already regretting ever going with it the second he hung up, but there was no coming back from it. Besides, there was a chance the man was being honest and in that case, his visit to Jitters would be a good thing, but for some reason, he couldn't help but doubt the man's words. It didn't stop him from leaving his apartment in the end, though.

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It was way past the closing hours, but the coffee shop was still all lit up, leaving an odd impression with how empty it was. There were no... there was no Barry and that was the whole problem. And it hurt just like Oliver suspected it would. But he told himself to shove it and finally pushed the entrance door and stepped inside.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he asked, getting no answer, which was weird because he was expected after all, so what was happening? Was this some kind of prank or a crazy way to rob him?

"You're here," he suddenly heard and witnessed his heart skipping a beat as Barry appeared behind the cash register. He spun around, marching to leave on instinct because this was just too much to take for him, but froze on spot when Barry shouted: "No, wait! Please stay. I just want to talk."

They couldn't talk. They'd lost that ability after the kiss and just being in the same room felt too suffocating, but somehow despite that, the idea of him walking away after hearing Barry beg him to stay without holding anything back seemed... wrong to him. So he stayed and turned around to face the other man, folding his arms and looking anywhere else. "Then talk."

Barry slowly made his way to him, stopping soon enough to leave several feet separating them. "Remember how we were making fun of the owner for coming with the whole menu for couples in the first place? It turned out he's actually a really nice guy. Maybe a bit too trusting since I convinced him to lend me the keys for tonight so quickly, though."

"Where are you going with this, Barry?"

"Just wanted to tell you how much this place means to me. It's not about good coffee or cakes or the whole vibe I get from it, although I love all those things too, don't get me wrong. But there's more to it."

Everything was screaming at Oliver to put an end to whatever this whole thing was and leave this part of his life finally behind, but then there was this small voice nagging at him to stay and listen. Barry was his friend first after all. He owed him to be there and listen when it was required.

"Every time I hang out with friends, we end up going here and we look forward to it. We don’t find it weird at all," Barry went on and took one step forward. "I met you here." Another step. "Out of all the places, this was the one where I felt like I could relax no matter what." And another. "After the whole thing with Iris and Eddie, I thought I would never be the same again. That I was broken and there was no way to fix it. And it took time, but eventually, I healed and let go. Partly thanks to this place too." He took the last step, locking their eyes and smiling before he uttered his next words."And I've fallen in love under this very roof and I was more late than I've ever been to realize it. But I know now and I'm sorry I couldn't say something sooner."

Oliver wanted to believe it. It pained him how much he wanted to believe it, but what if Barry was just taking pity on him? What if he was meant to have his heart broken countlessly worse than he already had?

"You once said," Barry broke his train of thought, knowing him perfectly enough to suspect what was going on in his mind, "that I was a terrible liar and you were right. Then you told me that you couldn't understand why I found it so easy to lie to my friends and family. And, Ollie, you were right about that too because it's one of the hardest things anyone could ask of me. The reason why I made it look so easy is that I wasn't lying in the first place. I wasn't pretending anymore. The truth is I've probably stopped a long time ago and I'm pretty sure so have you."

"But what if it's not real? What if we're just fooling ourselves like we've been fooling others?"

Barry slowly placed both his hands on Oliver's cheeks. "I think it's been real the whole time. We were doomed right from the start. We just didn't know about it. I'm a terrible liar and you could've told me to go to hell the second you got that cake for William the day we met, but you didn't. You just went along with it like I did. All I'm asking is for you to go with it now too if it's what you want. Because it is what I want and I'm sick of getting everything in the way of me saying it."

Oliver smiled before he could stop it and he knew right there on the spot that there was no reason to question what this was between them anymore. He knew what he was feeling, what he had been feeling for a long time now, and he wasn't going to fight it when Barry was right there, promising happiness Oliver was certain he would deliver when he had been doing it the whole time they'd known each other. It was time to stop refusing it. It was time to embrace it instead. And so he did just that when he wrapped his arms around Barry's waist and sealed the deal with a kiss, letting it serve as his yes to the other man's question. Now and every time anyone would ask him again. Because it felt real. Getting another taste of Barry's lips, he couldn't be more certain he was right where he belonged and it no longer mattered to him it had taken him so long to realize it and accept it. He was now convinced he wouldn't let Barry go for anything and that was what was mattered.

"I take that's a yes, then?" Barry asked once their lips parted and they could catch their breaths again.

"What, you didn't find that convincing enough?"

"I'm not sure," Barry replied and smirked. "You're much better at lying than me after all. You might as well keep trying harder to make me fully convinced."

"You're lucky I have no problem with that," Oliver finished and connected their lips yet again, already sure he would never get tired of this sensation because it was tangible. It was real and most importantly it was theirs.

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It was a regular day the next time they decided to meet in Jitters again. Barry still couldn't get over the fact this was officially his life. He'd never been this happy and sometimes there were still days he thought life would decide to take that away from him in the most horrible way possible, but Oliver never left again and that had to count for something, right?

They were waiting in the line as they had been numerous times before and yet something felt different this time. Their eyes were locked, hands always busy with finding countless ways how to stay in direct contact. They were in their own world, immersed and happy beyond belief it was something only the two of them shared. No one could take that away from them because they would be foolish to ever let it go.

"Welcome to Jitters," a barista they didn't recognize brought them back to reality. "What can I get you?"

Barry ordered for both of them and then finished with "By the way, we're together, so we'll go with the couple’s menu if that's okay" and feeling utterly joyful that this was official and as true as it could be.

The cashier, however, apologized instead and said they were no longer serving the couple’s menus because it was stupid to begin with according to their owner and someone had complained the policy implied one kind of love meant more than any other. Barry didn’t appreciate the irony of this at all, but he tried to wave it off even though part of him felt sad that he would never get to drink from the horrendous looking cups again especially now that he was so blessed with love and aware of it. Oliver must have read it somehow from his face as the know-it-all he was because once the barista wrote their names on the regular cups the billionaire asked: "Can I borrow your pen for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," the barista replied and handed him the object in question.

Oliver thanked him and reached for one cup, either writing or drawing something on it and then doing the same thing on the other cup. Barry couldn't tell what it was, though, because Oliver made sure it was indecipherable from the movements of his hand as the smartass he was, handing the cups back to the barista so Barry couldn't see why he needed the pen for as long as possible. Even once their coffees were ready, Oliver took them both and left Barry to pay for it which had been the plan anyway so Barry decided to let it slide and followed his boyfriend, relishing was he could call him that now, to their table. Only then Oliver handed him his steaming coffee with a smile. "I'm gonna miss the cakes."

"We can buy a cake next time we're here and share it like we used to. We don't need some special menu to be able to do that."

Oliver softly chuckled with so much affection Barry had to mirror it. "I guess you're right."

Barry finally turned the cup around in his hands so he could see Oliver's creation and stopped breathing for several seconds in shock and so much love he swore it had to be illegal because there was no way people could feel this good and get away with it. In the end, he decided to be immersed in it instead because that was what it was supposed to be about anyway.

He didn't throw away his cup that day. He took it home with him and for the rest of his life, he would wake up with it in his eyesight, reminding him that dreams could come true after all. He had never imagined a used coffee cup, although he did try to clean it as much as possible without damaging it, with his name in the center of a huge heart struck with an arrow to be the sign of something like that, but then again, he hadn't anticipated having someone like Oliver in his life either and here he was. And here he would always be. No matter what.

#olivarry #olivarry fic #fake relationship #slow burn #my last tribute to this amazing ship #hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I did

[jeonggukingdom]

redamancy (m)

▽ Pairing: Seokjin x Reader

▽ Genre: Romance, Fluff, Smut

▽ Summary:   [’red-a-man-sE] the act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full.

It’s St.Valentin’es Day and as per tradition, you are to surprise your boyfriend with a gift and a chocolate treat. On a whim, you decide to cook an entire dinner for him and bake him his favorite cake: chocolate filling and strawberry and cream toppings. Seokjin is bent down on showing you just how much he appreciated all your hard work for him. 👀

▽ Word Count: 7.144

▽ WARNINGS:  Graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, unprotected sex, body worship, fingering, oral sex (receiving), rim job (receiving), pounding, dirty talk.

▽ REQUEST:  Hi! Could I request Seokjin and 10. Redamancy for the unusual and rare words prompt? I love your writing 💕💜💜 and congrats on the upcoming anniversary!!!  ▽ AN: this is not as proof-read as it should be so if something doesn’t seem quite right, forgive me please, ahah ♥

Sweat gathers on your forehead as you juggle in the kitchen, trying to keep up with all the dishes cooking on the fire, the ones that still need your final touches and the ones you haven’t started preparing yet.

In nervousness, you look up at the clock on your right and try to steady the crazy beating of your heart: you still have an hour and a half left before your boyfriend from two years will come back home from work.

It’s St.Valentine’s day and usually, you’d stick with the basic chocolate treat as a gift and maybe something on the side like a sweater or something. That had been your way to go in every relationship you had been in prior to the one with Seokjin.

This year, you decided to surprise your boyfriend and actually try to make something for him.

Between both of your works, you don’t get to spend a ton of time together and when you do, you usually both lazy around the house basking in each others’ presence and that’s pretty much it.

During the week it’s hard for you to go out to eat because neither of you knows exactly when the other will be home that night. There is always something urgent at the office, or an errand that takes longer than usual or even traffic making it impossible to arrive home at a decent hour.

Today, you were very lucky. Having to work on Sundays as well, you usually get a mid-week day of rest and this week it just happened to be on Thursday.

You have been preparing for this dinner for weeks, now, deciding what dishes to prepare, gathering recipes and ultimately the ingredients you’ll need to make all of this and while you struggle to get everything done, a part of you regrets the impulsive decision you made just because you know you aren’t exactly the cook of the year—more for lack of practice than anything else, really.

But when you think about his surprised face and the sounds of appreciation that would come out of his mouth as he eats the food you so diligently prepared for him, the regret vanishes like a cloud of dust.

A smile stretches on your lips as you spread the oil around the pan to fry your little dumplings for the bibim mandu and quickly eye the kimchi pancake cooking on the top stove.

The nice smell of food quickly engulfs the apartment and you can’t wait for your boyfriend to come home to your—hopefully—pleasant surprise.

You turn around and take the bowl of chicken to mix in rice wine, ginger, salt, and black pepper, preparing it for the moment you will start to fry it.

As everything keeps cooking on the stove you quickly make a sauce to accompany your fried chicken and stop to taste it with your finger. A positive hum escapes your mouth as you thank the heavens because it tastes exactly like your mother’s.

It takes a lot of effort to plate everything nicely and place them on the table in the living room, running through the apartment as your life depends on it.

By the time everything is done and set on the table you are beyond tired and quite grossly sweaty not only from the heat but by the nervousness of doing so many things at once without burning the entire apartment complex down.

You look up at the clock again, something you have been doing a lot in the past ten minutes, and decide you have enough time for a quick shower and a change of outfit.

The dress you have picked up for the night is something you are quite sure will match his taste and secure his gaze on you the entirety of your dinner together.

You smile to yourself as you quickly slip into it and look at yourself in the mirror: the dress enhances your curves and leaves your shoulders completely naked, your legs look more slender with the black heels at your feet and the matching lipstick on your lips makes everything pop a little bit more.

You secure your hair behind your back, fixing a strand of it behind your ear to expose your neck because you know how much he loves to kiss and tease your most vulnerable spot.

You return to the living room just as Seokjin walks inside the house, his expression a bit tight with the effort to come home at a decent hour and you welcome him with a gentle smile on your lips.

“Welcome back, boo,” you say, walking slowly towards him with the sole purpose of making him stare down at you for as long as possible, “Happy St. Valentine’s Day.”

Seokjin wears a baffled expression on his features and it makes your lips stretch into a deep smile as he fixes his gaze on your face and then inevitably glides it over your neck, your shoulders, the enticing curves of your breasts and further down your exposed legs.

He scoffs a little, shaking his head as a little smirk appears on his gorgeous plump lips and he takes the last step between your bodies, his strong arms quickly engulfing your frame to bring you closer to him.

"Happy St. Valentine's Day, baby."

His mouth quickly engulfs your own and you part your lips for him, seeking his tongue with your own and sighing in contentment as he promptly responds to your heated kiss. You have been waiting for this moment ever since you woke up beside him in the morning. You had been planning this for long enough to be giddy with excitement, just like a little kid in a candy store.

"Wow, you are full of surprises tonight, aren't you?" He hoarsely whispers atop your now sleek lips and you nod your head, chuckling a little as you push his hair back from his forehead.

"This isn't the only thing I prepared for you tonight, though." You love to tease and you love to be teased, he is very aware of both of these things and even though he certainly prefers to be the one calling the shots, tonight there is a playful glint in his eyes that tells you he is quite happy to comply to all of your wishes.

You take his hand into yours and guide him through the living room, your eyes stealing glances of his face every now and then.

The nice smell of food lied out on the table for the both of you is what gathers his attention next.

Seokjin is a big foodie, he loves to eat and to taste new things and he is also quite the great cook—which is one of the reasons why you've been nervous the entire day, quite frankly.

As you turn your head towards him, you find your boyfriend completely taken aback, standing there with his mouth hanging open and his eyes bulging out quite comically. It is a sight to behold and it makes you giggle on your spot as you tug at his arm, inviting him to come and join you at the table before the dinner gets cold.

"When did you prepare all this stuff?"

Seokjin lets you guide him to the table, his eyes scanning all the various plates laid before him, some of which you know with certainty are some of his favorites.

"Well, it may have taken me half of the afternoon to finish everything but the look on your face right now is definitely worth it."

You watch his cheeks turn slightly pink as he finally closes his mouth and focuses his gaze on you.

His hands reach out across the table to grasp your own and you gladly interlace your fingers with his own, smiling sweetly at him.

"I love you so much, ______."

It's been years since you and Seokjin started dating and even though he has spoken those words hundreds other times, it still makes your heart jump in your chest and blood rush to your head, nicely clouding up your thoughts as a consequence. With Seokjin, you always feel like a teenage girl with her first crush and it bemuses you every single time the feeling takes over everything else.

"I love you too, silly. Now let's eat, before it gets cold."

You smile to yourself as you let go of his hands, your eyes fixing on the plates to your far left as you diligently pick up a spicy dumpling from the bibim mandu plate and guide it to his mouth.

Seokjin giggles at your antics but opens up his mouth quickly, welcoming the first taste of your food on his tongue.

You watch him savor the dumpling with expectation dancing in your heart and when he emits his first impressed sound of the night, you bask in it and quickly promise to yourself to do this more often for him. There's nothing as magical as seeing your boyfriend so contended, excited and satisfied with you and your food. It's a feeling of accomplishment far different from the social recognition your workplace may provide and you absolutely live for it.

"Wow, this is amazing, I had no idea you knew how to make this!"

You shake your head, sighing at the fact that you cooked so little and not so diverse food for your boyfriend in your relationship that he has no idea what you can do in the kitchen. Which isn't much, you're still mostly a disaster but still, you should definitely put in more effort in the future.

You suddenly turn completely invisible to your boyfriend as he tries to taste everything you prepared for him pretty much all at once, evidently eager to taste your food.

You eat along with him, the smile persistent on your lips and only getting wider with every nice comment he throws your way.

The fried chicken and the bulgogi are the plates he appreciates the most and you make a mental note to prepare them more often for him if that's the reaction he's going to have every single time.

When the dinner is pretty much done you're feeling quite full with food and you have no doubt your boyfriend is feeling pretty much the same but, with a Cheshire-like smile you stand from your seat to bring out the star of the night: your special chocolate filling and strawberry topping cake.

"Is that a cake?" Seokjin looks at you astonished for the third time tonight and you smile widely at him, beaming with happiness and excitement.

"Well, the tradition says I should give you chocolate today so..."

You place your cake in front of him, quickly slicing two pieces for you two to taste but just as you're about to go back to your seat, your boyfriend reaches out for your arm and pulls you into him, making you lose balance so you end up sitting on his lap.

Seokjin takes your chin into his hand and guides your face down towards him so he can kiss your lips anew, savoring your sweet taste mixed with the amazing food you have prepared for him tonight.

His other arm is secure around your hips and you melt into the kiss, sighing deeply for him as he invites your mouth to part for him with the help of his lascivious tongue.

The kiss is tender yet passionate and it turns your skin feverish hot and sensitive to the lightest touch. It feels like your body is sparking up with new life, like electricity awakening in every cell you are made of and just as you are about to lose yourself within the blissful sensation, your boyfriend pulls apart from your lips to look up into your eyes.

You smile down at him, taking in his flushed cheeks and rosy wet lips and you lean forward, brushing your nose against the tip of his own.

Tilting your head to the side, you peel your gaze off of him and reach for a piece of your chocolate cake lying prettily on the small plate in front of you.

Without showing much hesitation you cut a bite-size portion of it and guide it to your boyfriend’s lips, barely concealing the nervousness in your eyes as he savors the sweet treat.

If cooking is not your strong suit then baking is definitely your nemesis but Seokjin’s eyes brighten up in stupor at the taste exploding in his mouth and your heart swells in your chest: tonight has been a success and you couldn’t be more proud of yourself even if you tried.

Seokjin’s free hand reaches for the plate in your hands and cuts another piece of the chocolate treat to guide it to your lips and you happily comply, welcoming the sweet taste in your mouth.

Your smile widens for him and he looks up at you entranced, his eyes unable to focus on anything else that isn’t you. When he looks up at you like this, you always feel like the luckiest and most loved girl in the entire Universe.

“I don’t think you realize how madly in love I am with you,” he says in a whisper, his voice sounding rough as he leans back forward against to steal a quick kiss from your lips.

“Words are not enough anymore,” he continues, his voice softening as you start caressing his face. You understand what he means for, his thoughts are a perfect mirror of your very own.

He surprises you by suddenly guiding a strawberry covered in chocolate to your lips and even if you are startled by the gesture, you still open your mouth for him.

You realize quickly that the strawberry melting on your tongue was nothing but a mean to distract you from his hand, suddenly resting between your legs.

His fingers ghost over your inner thighs and you find yourself opening your legs for him, granting him a nice and easy path to your sex.

Your boyfriend smirks as he approaches the heat of your womanhood and you bite down your bottom lip, your eyes fixed on his face to catch up on the inevitable swift in his features the moment he will realize you aren’t wearing any underwear underneath your dress.

His fingertips brush against your core and you drink up the way his eyes widen at the discovery, his lips twitching into a satisfied smirk.

“Have you been waiting for me to touch you this whole time, baby?” He asks, his lips attacking your neck to bloom roses on the soft skin.

“Maybe,” you sigh out, tilting your head to the side to grant him better access.

Seokjin and his plump lips are honestly a gift from heaven. He knows how to kiss and suck and pull on the tender skin and he is an absolute master in eliciting sighs and whimpers of pleasure from your mouth.

His hand palms your sex and you twitch into his embrace, electrified by the sensation of having him finally touching you where you have been desiring to be touched ever since he walked in through your house’s door.

You can tell how wet you already are and Seokjin only confirms your suspicions by grunting beneath your ear, his eyes closed as he savors the taste of your skin and the feeling of your core dripping for him.

His palm presses down on your sex, slightly rotating upwards to elicit a wave of pleasure from your hood while gathering goosebumps on your skin.

You whimper at the loss of his touch as he retreats from your sex and yelp in surprise as he lifts you up enough to sit you on the table, next to the empty dishes of your consumed dinner.

He kisses away the doubt reflecting in your eyes and you melt into his touch again, letting him take control over your body and your pleasure.

Seokjin hands are always soft on you yet they burn like fire and his touch always leaves your skin tingling in its wake.

His fingers are everywhere on you. One moment he’s caressing your face, kissing your jawline and neck, the next he is pushing the zipper of your dress down to further reveal your naked shoulders and chest.

His lips follow suit wherever he manages to touch you and it makes you dizzy to try and keep up with all the different stimuli of his undivided attention.

The red dress pools down at your lap and you shudder at your sudden nudity in front of his adoring eyes. Seokjin has always had this thing of staring at you as if you were a goddess he was born to serve and that look, the one that is painted on him even at this moment, always awakens butterfly within your stomach.

Your fingers move to touch his hair and push them away from his face, allowing you to stare directly into his eyes a moment longer.

His hands rest around your ribs, his thumbs caressing the thin skin there as he engulfs your lips into another searing kiss.

As you bring him closer to your chest his fingers brush upwards to cup your breasts and you sigh into his mouth, relishing in how good his touch feels.

Years of being together have taught Seokjin what your body likes and wants before you even have a chance to express it. Almost on cue, as you arch your back for him, his fingers start playing with the perky buds of your nipples, working them to turgidity so that he can engulf them with his gorgeous mouth and suck on them.

The mewl that escapes your mouth is nothing short of lewd and the smirk that immediately draws on his lips tells you truly how much he enjoys making you squirm and scream for him.

A shiver runs down your spine as he blows hot air onto your wet skin before moving to his next target. You expect him to keep moving downwards, bring his expertise in kissing between your legs but he chooses to kiss down the length of your arm instead and then each and every one of your fingers. His tongue darts out of his mouth and he licks your digits while staring at you, the look in his eyes making your walls contract in wanton desire.

“Seokjin...” you whimper out, your eyes pleading as he smiles at you, tracing back his course to kiss your shoulder and the space between your clavicles, slowly moving down to your chest again.

“Be patient, my love, I want to make sure I make love to every part of you, tonight.”

His words spark fire in your cheeks and down your core and you arch your back more for him, tilting your head backward so that he can work on your body the way he so desperately desires.

It’s new to be loved like this, to be kissed on every inch of your skin but it feels amazing nonetheless and every single one of his touches elicits pleasure out of you, even when they are focused on part of your bodies you didn’t know could bring such a sensation in you.

The moment Seokjin moves down to kiss and lick your abdomen you whimper for him in utter anticipation.

His hands press on your hips firmly to keep you in place and you grasp the top of his hair in return, unable to control the way your hips buckle forward for him, ushering him to bring his attention between your legs.

“Lie down on your back, baby.”

You promptly follow his instructions out of anticipation, barely sparing a second glance to the plates behind you.

You open your legs for him as you lie down, silently inviting him to explore your sex again but he doesn’t venture there just yet.

He keeps kissing your stomach, licking and softly biting the soft skin until you’re sighing for him, aroused by his every action.

You sense him getting down on his knees and your walls contract on thin air in expectation but again, Seokjin betrays your instinct and focused on your feet, freeing them of your high heels.

The little pecks on the toes tickle and make you giggle but they still seem to build up the desire coiling in your stomach.

You shiver when his hands cup your calves firmly, keeping them perfectly still as he kisses both of your legs in turn, aiming upwards to your thighs.

A trail of open-mouthed kisses is what brings him deadly close to your heat and your hips buckle again for him, making him scoff as his hands push them down, keeping them firmly in place as he resumes his loving teasing up your legs.

Your heart is beating fast in your chest by the time he decides to pull up your dress, pushing it up to your ribs and blow hot hair on your dripping sex.

His hands move from your hips to cup your bottom cheeks as he nestles his head between your legs.

His mouth pecks your sex as he would your lips but the simple touch after so many long minutes of waiting is enough to spark up fireworks within your body.

You sigh for him with both pleasure and relief laced in the simple sound and you can feel him smirk atop your sex before he opens his gorgeous mouth to let his tongue do what it does best.

Seokjin’s kitten-like licks are a maddening tease all around your labia and they have you squirming underneath him in no time.

“You’re so impatient tonight, baby.” He notes, pecking your dripping lips with a smacking sound.

Your legs close around him and he huffs at your retaliation before slapping your ass with enough force to make you yelp in surprise.

“I’m trying to make love to you right, baby, so be a doll and stay still for me, mh?”

His words are like fuel for an already raging fire and you relax your legs around him, arching your back to give him better access and relish in whatever he has in store for you tonight. The tease is torture but the promise laced between each of his licks and kisses is enough to make you behave for him. Or at least, it is enough now.

His tongue returns on its previous jobs and you shudder for him as he moves to your hood, licking around it with his lips spread wide open so that enough pressure is placed on your pleasure spot to make you sigh and mewl for him.

The moment his mouth closes around the sensitive bud your neck arches and you trap your bottom lip under the hurtful wise of your teeth.

“Don’t do that, baby, I want to hear you.” Seokjin whispers those lips without moving from between your legs, his breath continuously hitting your wet core and you whimper out for him, granting him his wish immediately.

He sucks on your hood again, shaking his head a little to add to the pleasure and as you start whispering his name he moves downwards, his tongue darting out to finally intrude your sex.

His tongue inside of you feels heavenly, especially as he starts lapping at your walls, careful to cover every inch he can possibly rich while drawing circles on your clitoris with his thumb.

The pace is slow and it almost feels like torture, making you wish you could rotate your hips for him, forcing him to go faster and milk down your high.

But per his instruction, you stay as still as you possibly can, allowing the pleasure to build deeper and deeper until you are practically begging him to let you come on his mouth.

Seokjin doesn’t only know how to teach you, how to tease you and elicit pleasure out of you, he is also quite accustomed to what you can or cannot handle in the bedroom by now and it’s with that in mind that he quickens his pace, pressing harder on your hood while fucking you with his tongue.

You squirm underneath him, unable to stay still as the pleasure clouds your mind and menaces to come rushing down your core anytime now.

It always happens like this: you feel like you’re going to explode soon and then all of a sudden, before you can realize it is indeed coming, your orgasm hits you full force, making your legs tremble and your mouth morph into the shape of his name.

Your juices gather prettily on his mouth and he makes sure to gulp down all he possibly can before standing on his legs and look at you, your body suddenly turned into jelly and your face looking well-fucked, just like he loves it the most.

You grunt as you take in how disheveled he looks himself: his hair sticking out in odd directions after you pulled on them so hard, his cheeks flushed a vibrant coral, his lips red and swollen, your juices dripping down his mouth and chin.

Answering to your silent desire, Seokjin leans forward and captures your lips anew, allowing you to taste yourself on his tongue as he steals your breath away.

“Bedroom?” You whisper as he draws back, his nose brushing against yours.

“Bedroom,” he says back with a smile, helping you on your wobbly legs so that you can finally discard your dress completely and rush to the comfort of your bed and let him take you again, over and over until you are both beyond exhausted.

You walk down the hallway quickly, albeit your steps being a little unsteady at times and you can hear him giggle under his breath at how eagerly you are moving for him, ready to finally take his cock.

You can also sense his eyes trained on your ass the whole time without needing to turn around to check on the fact. It’s just the way it is: Seokjin can’t resist a single part of you, especially not when it’s so well served for him.

It’s definitely the sight of your naked ass bouncing a little as you sway your hips for him that coax him to grasp your arm and stop you in the middle of the hallway.

You turn around to look at him confused, your eyebrows knitted together as he stares down at you.

“I fear we won’t make it to the bedroom just yet, my love.”

His hands find purchase on your hips, guiding you closer so that you are pressed flush against his covered chest. In this position, you can feel his erection trapped in his pants and it makes your mouth water in anticipation.

“It would seem like I can’t resist the sight of your beautiful ass,” he says, smiling at you as he kisses down your jawline, slightly rotating his hips on yours to create a nice friction on your still-sensitive core.

“I think I didn’t give your ass enough love tonight just yet, what do you think, baby?”

You tilt your head back as he starts kissing your neck and you hum for him because, honestly, whatever Seokjin wants to do with you tonight sounds like a treat you will never forget.

You tilt your head back as he starts kissing your neck and you hum for him because, honestly, whatever Seokjin wants to do with you tonight sounds like a treat you will never forget.

One of his hands reaches down between your legs and you jolt at the sudden intrusion of his digits, pressing hard against your sensitive bud.

You sigh for him as he slowly draws figures eight on your sex, reawakening the desire and the pleasure within you.

His fingers turn restless as you start to pant for him, your legs slightly quivering with your impending release and just as you think you’re about to come again all over his hand, his fingers retreat making you whimper at the sudden loss of his touch.

He bites down your lobe in amusement as you reach for his wrist to forcefully guide it between your legs but he still complies. This time, though, his fingers reach further south than your hood.

The stretch of one of his long digits is nice and you welcome it with a buckle of your hips into his hand, a move that grants you a playful slap on your ass.

Still, your boyfriend must be feeling quite compliant tonight because he doesn’t indulge longer in the teasing, bent down on making you crumble quite fast again.

The second digit that intrudes your sex stretches you wider and your walls contract around him as he scissors you while moving forward, searching for that sweet spot he knows for sure is going to make you melt in his embrace.

The pace he sets within you is not fast enough for your urgent need to come but you do not voice out those thoughts because a part of you loves this prolonged attention. You love to squirm and beg for him and he certainly loves to hear all the little sounds you can emit for him.

It does take you by surprise though when he retreats from your sex to turn you around, forcing you to stretch out your arms to keep your balance against the wall and arch your back for him.

He hums in satisfaction at the sight of your ass exposed for him and your dripping sex awaiting for his touch. Seokjin gets on his knees for the second time that night and you close your eyes in expectation, preparing yourself for the feeling of his tongue on your sex once more.

You jolt in surprise though as his tongue doesn’t quite come in contact with your core but rather with your ass and further down your back hole.

It’s a peculiar feeling at first, definitely foreign to you but as he coaxes you with his fingers on your bud, you start getting accustomed to it.

Seokjin’s tongue feels hot on the thin skin as he circles around its surface with precise swift movements that reveal to you this isn’t quite his first time doing this.

The moment you start giving in to his touch, his fingers find their place within you again, moving at the same pace as his tongue is.

You are surprised by the pants you emit through your parted lips because you know, the excitement building within you is not only due to the work of his hand but mostly from his lascivious tongue, making you discover another pleasure spot within your body.

“Seokjinnn-mph,” you whimper out for him, your hips buckling for him even more in hopes to give him better access and consequently throw you back on cloud nine.

The feeling in your stomach piles up like hot liquid in a pool and it clouds your vision and your thoughts at the same time.

You are barely aware of the mewls and moans that come out of your mouth and the lewd words you pronounce to encourage him further.

It feels as if your body is a chord getting pulled and pulled and pulled until it snaps and breaks and that is exactly what happens when your orgasm comes, soiling his hand and face and the poor floor beneath you.

You are quite sure you have never experienced an orgasm this intense before and it leaves you feeling heavy and disoriented and your boyfriend has to wrap his arms around you to keep you standing.

Your breath hitches in your lungs and you keep panting in his embrace as your heart hammers in your chest.

“Damn, I should do that for you more often, baby, shouldn’t I?”

“Please, please do.”

Your voice slightly trembles as you speak those words and it amuses him further to see you so worked up when he isn’t even done with you just yet.

You find yourself looking into his eyes as he takes you up in his arms, guiding you bridal-style to your bedroom so he can finally attend to his needs as well, something you have long forgotten ever since he has placed his hands between your thighs the first time.

Seokjin carefully lies you down on the bed and you watch him with drunk-in-love eyes as he takes off his clothes, staring down at you with a playful smirk on his mouth.

He focuses on his white shirt first, undoing every button with studied slowness and you eagerly follow the movement of his fingers, entranced by every inch of skin he exposes further by doing so.

When his shirt is completely open you take in his firm abdomen and the way it contracts as he discards his shirt on the floor, stripping his torso completely naked.

You would bloom purple roses on the expanse of his chest now if he were close enough for you to do so.

His naked shoulders gather your attention as he turns around, wiggling his ass a little to elicit a giggle from your lips but even that silly move manages to arouse you.

You’d bite down on his cheeks if you could just to hear him cry out loud your name. The thought makes your mouth water and an impatient sound leaves your lips.

He turns back around to get rid of his black jeans and you lick your lips in anticipation as he finally strips completely naked, disregarding his boxer briefs somewhere far away from the bed.

Seokjin stands in front of you in all his glorious nudity and you push yourself to a seating position to admire every single part of his. You have seen him naked countless times and yet, it always makes your heart beat quicker in your chest whenever you get the chance to witness him like this.

His cock twitches under your scrutiny and you bite down your bottom lip to taunt him further.

There is no doubt he his rock-hard and ready to pound into you when he jumps on the bed, forcing you to lie down on your back again so he can kiss you silly.

Seokjin’s legs intermingle with your own and you can feel his erection pressing hard against one of your thighs and the sensation alone is enough to arouse you more and wet your already abused sex.

“I want you,” you whisper atop your lips and he bumps your nose with the tip of his own, a knowing smirk on his lips.

“You’re so needy for me tonight, baby.”

“I’m always needy for you,” you whisper back before playfully biting on his bottom lip, slightly dragging it down to make him hiss in both pain and arousal.

“Then I should give my princess what she desires the most, shouldn’t I?”

There is no hiding what the nickname princess does to you and Seokjin knows very well how much you love when he says that, how it makes your heart flutter in your chest and your insides clench in what you can only describe as happiness.

Your boyfriend kisses your lips briefly before aligning his sex with your own, slightly pushing forward until the head of his cock is completely engulfed by your more-than-ready womanhood.

Your walls stretch around him and then contract at the sound of the grunt that leaves his mouth at the sensation of having you all around him.

“You’re still so tight, baby,” he whispers, pushing himself further down and you sigh for him, trying not to contract so madly around him when he’s still not completely inside of you just yet.

“Deeper,” you whimper out as he makes you lift your legs and buckle your knees so he can find purchase on them as he pushes inside of you.

“Fuck, you take my cock so well, baby.”

He pushes his chest forward to place a kiss on your temple as he finally slips completely inside of you.

Seokjin doesn’t have the longest cock you have ever seen nor felt within you but the girth of his length never ceases to surprise you.

You mewl for him, closing your eyes as he draws back to push right back into you, stretching your walls even further.

His lips encircle the perked up bud of one of your breasts as he starts moving in and out of you, his teeth slightly pulling on the sensitive skin as he sets a steady pace within you.

Every touch of his hands and mouth tonight is madly intoxicating and it feels like every little thing he does could be enough to draw the last straw and make you come all over him again and again.

He abandons your chest to lift back up and find purchase on your hips, focusing on the steady pounding of his cock inside of you.

You can see the pleasure in his features as you contract around him, squeezing his cock and coaxing it to move inside of you faster.

“You feel so good inside of me, baby.”

Your words of encouragement grant you a long kiss from his swollen lips and you welcome it gladly by opening your mouth for him, allowing him to interlace your tongues and arouse you even further.

When he draws back he pushes your legs upwards, granting himself a deeper reach inside your pussy.

Your calves rest atop his shoulder, framing his head as he starts pounding inside of you with enough force to fill the room with the sound of skin on skin, his balls hitting your ass with each and every stroke of his cock inside of you.

You moan for him and he leans forward, pushing your legs to your chest and as he does so, the tip of his cock reaches and hits your cervix with utter precision, forcing a scream to leave your mouth in the form of his name.

“Ff-fuck yes, baby, right there.”

Seokjin pounds faster inside of you and you think you might come in a matter of seconds if he keeps going like this but he retreats as you’re about to tip off the edge, not quite done with you enough to let you reach your high again.

He turns you around and smacks your ass for good measure, humming in approval as you stick your butt up for him, granting him perfect access to your sweet sex.

His pace is slower this time, his goal to savor this moment for as long as possible and you grasp the bed covers tightly in your hands as you resist the urge to bounce back onto him, forcing your own pace on him.

Seokjin thrusts are rougher now that you are lying on your chest and as he hits your pleasure spot again you mewl for him, begging him to please, go faster.

He slaps your ass a couple of times as he picks up his pace inside of you, pushing you flushed against the bed as you start contracting around him all over again, sending jolts of pleasure on his sex.

“Ugh, princess, you feel so good,” he grunts in your ear as he presses his chest flush against your sweaty back, stealing kisses on your cheeks and mouth as you turn around for him.

“I want to come,” you whimper out and he bites down your earlobe, pushing himself to a sitting position, dragging you up with him.

Your head tilts back to rest on his shoulder and he covers your neck with open-mouthed kisses.

“Fuck me, baby,” he hoarsely whispers in your ears and you do not need him to tell you twice.

You sink onto him until he’s balls deep within you and you set a maddening pace for yourselves as you bounce on his cock, slightly rotating your hips every time you hear him hiss in your ear.

Bringing pleasure to Seokjin is usually the thought that prevails for you in the bedroom, too eager to make him crumble and hear him whimper out your name to care about your own needs. Tonight, though, your pleasures and desires seem to be in sync and it is not much of a surprise that your mewls melt into his grunts as your orgasm approaches both of you.

“Come,” you whimper out, smacking your hips loudly onto his own as you feel your release drawing closer, “Come inside of me.”

Your words seem to be the last drop he needed to shoot his hot semen inside of you, guided not only by your deep thrusts but from your walls, squeezing him tightly as you mewl out your orgasm as well.

You milk out both of your releases until it almost hurts and he hisses in your ears with over-sensitivity.

You turn around to hug your boyfriend and bring him down on the bed to rest your head on his chest and hear the crazy thumping of his heart against his ribcage.

As he turns his head towards you, you wrap your fingers around his cock and guide it to your sex in his flaccid-state.

The feeling of having him inside of you even like this makes your heart go crazy in your chest and you look up at him to kiss away the question pending on his lips.

“Can we stay like this for a little bit?”

Your boyfriend smiles down at you before humming, kissing your forehead while bringing you even closer to his warm body.

Being like this feels like finally finding that missing piece to a puzzle you have been trying to finish for years, it feels like merging your boundaries until you’re one inseparable being. It feels like being the luckiest woman on Earth and you don’t know what you did in your past life to deserve a love like this but it must have been something really great.

“Happy St. Valentine’s day, my love.”

Copyright © 2019 by jeonggukingdom. All rights reserved.

#btssmutclub #hyunglinenetwork #Seokjin-Network #seokjin smut #bts smut #seokjin fluff #bts fluff #seokjin x reader #bts x reader #bts scenario #bts imagine #seokjin scenario #seokjin imagine

[forehead-enthusiast]

A Buncha Tag Games (and yet not all of them)

tagged by: @eggyukhei mwah

tagging: this is a LOT of games so i’ll only tag @atinyphobe @nsheetee and @veonjun for the SECOND (2nd) game. if they or anybody wants to do any of the other games, absolutely go for it and say i tagged you <3 i’d love to see what you guys say!! (also, tk if you felt like you wanted to answer my questions from the second game i’d be interested to see!)

One:

tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

ok SO the song that probably got me into rv 100% (also yes ik this blog is 99% nct but rv is my forever fave no question) was probably ice cream cake!! i had been a casual listener of many groups up until that point and had never really stanned anyone, but icc was so infectious i found myself watching it over and over. i had heard happiness and be natural before but hadn’t really listened too closely, so icc was the song that captured me. after that, dumb dumb only cemented my love for them more, and the red is still one of my favorite kpop albums to date. rv attracted me primarily because of their incredible vocals and their versatility in genres and concepts. i still get so excited wondering what they’ll tackle next!! they’re just soooo unique and have one of, if not the best discographies of any group. i cannot stress enough, I. Love. RV!! also they’re funny and gay so. anyway stream monster once it drops uwu

Two:

rule: answer the ten questions and write your own!

1. what is your favorite song that’s been released during quarantine? ooooo honestly??? probably something off of Sawayama. literally every song bangs so hard i highly recommend that album to anyone!! i can’t pick a favorite off it but who’s gonna save you now is awesome and xs is just,,, chef’s kiss

2. what is your greatest mishap when you tried cooking? (or something you’ve witnessed) one time, while making soup at my late grandmother’s house on her like gas stove, i put a lid on a pot and somehow that led the pot to be engulfed in flames. IN MY DEFENSE i was like 7, and i’m great at cooking/baking now

3. what’s your go-to outfit or article of clothing? oh i love a nice dress. they can be casual or formal, and you look like you put effort into your outfit except i didn’t because i didn’t have to match anything yo!!!! also shorts have trouble fitting me cause i’m a weird body type so dresses tend to be very comfy for me

4. what is your comfort food? am i allowed to say like all food??? eating in itself is comforting,,, that sounds depressing but also i just like eating yummy food. i guess i’d say like my dad’s fried rice?? its my fave and no one makes it like him soooo

5. what singular moment in your life would you like to relive? i couldn’t tell if this meant like, a good moment you want to re-experience or go back in time and redo a moment and fix it. it’s kind of a hard question so i might cop out and go with a bit of a silly answer: i want to relive the hi touch with astro...... i wanna look at rocky’s beautiful eyes and touch moonbin’s hand ok,,,,

6. what is your favorite line and/or character from a movie, show, or book? i got a bunch but a few off the top of my head are genie lo (the epic crush of genie lo), ty lee, suki (atla), klaus, and ben (umbrella academy) 

7. if you could only choose one ice cream flavor and pizza topping/style for the rest of your life, what would it be? ice cream flavor: this very specific one from a local store that is banana ice cream with strawberries and oreo mixed in. it is heaaaavenly. as for pizza topping, i love a breakfast type pizza with an egg on top and like sausage and stuff!!!

8. what is the worst injury you’ve ever had or witnessed? funny enough, i’ve actually gotten badly injured quite a few times, and always on the face!! god hates me. the worst was probably when i hit a metal bench with my face and it took a chunk out of my cheek. i still have the scar! as for “witnessed” i accidentally broke a grown man’s rib once as a child, so i guess that would count.

9. would you rather explore the unknown of space or the bottom of the ocean? oceaaaan!! i answered this in some other game, but i like how mysterious and yet close the ocean is. like proximity wise it’s so near, yet there’s an insane amount we know nothing about. that’s so frightening but so intriguing

10. if you could be any cartoon character, who would you be? my first thought was literally “kirby. eat fast” GOD my followers are gonna think i’m just a glutton and they’re not even gonna be wrong im dying. but uhh idk mulan or smth?

my questions:

what is your go-to feel good movie?

are you the type of person who’s indecisive about buying, or the type to impulse buy once you see something you like?

do you prefer chocolate-y or fruity candy?

what idol do you think is most similar to you? (not your bias necessarily)

do you have any silly dealbreakers? if so, what are they?

what do you do to unwind?

what is a small thing you like to do for people you love? (be it sending memes, remembering their favorite shows, etc)

what’s/who’s your favorite myth/mythological being?

what is a non-typical pet you would want to have?

do you say pronounce data as day-ta or dah-ta?

THREE

rule: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people. 

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see the dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love simply lit dinners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love this chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

FOUR

the ultimate tag: answer whichever ones you want to because there are a lot and then tag a few blogs you’d like to get to know better! 

PERSONAL

name: sarah

nickname: bells

birthday: april 17th

zodiac: aries

nationality: chinese american

languages: english, some spanish, some korean

gender: female

sexuality: baby bi bi bi~

height: 5′10

BLOG STUFF

inspiration for muse: i suppose nct since i write for them the most?? but i feel like sometimes i come up with the idea before i think of a member so sometimes the muse is just my own fantasies oops

meaning behind my url: i made it at a time where loads of idols were getting bangs and honestly i believe most of them look infinitely better without them, thus i was and still am enthusiastic about foreheads.

blog established: like winter of 2018...?? i think

followers: over 2.5k but most deactivated/left during my hiatus lol

FAVORITES

favourite animals: sharks, chickens, snakes, cats, penguins

favourite books: the epic crush of genie lo and then iron will of genie lo, PERIOD

favourite colour: pink and purple!!

favourite fictional characters: lol, again, genie lo, ty lee, suki, klaus, ben, and just a few more: richard and evelyn o’connell (the mummy), dave (dave), michael (the good place)

favourite flower: sunflower

favourite scent: baking chocolate, heating butter, blackberry, wisteria

favourite season: probably spring! i like warmth but not HEAT

RANDOM

average hours of sleep: ugh idek i sleep horribly

cats or dogs: both, but unfortunately i’ve never had either

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: tea but then hot chocolate

current time: 5:29pm

dream trip: go to paris and eat loads of pastries and enjoy the fashions and beauty of the city, and also learn to bake better maybe?

dream job: actress

hobbies: making jewelry, drawing, singing, reading comics

hogwarts house: according to the quizzes, all of them. people who have just met me think slytherin or gryffindor, people who i’m friends with think ravenclaw or hufflepuff, people who know me really well know you can’t box a person into oversimplified archetypes :’) in my assessment of myself, it varies by the day, but i think perhaps gryffindor today?

last movie watched: hot fuzz (a classic)

last song listened to: summer breeze by sf9

no. of blankets you sleep with: like 2

random fact(s): i won lego building competitions as a child, one of my dream roles is anastasia from the musical named after her, i played violin for a very short time, i bake the cakes for all my family and friends’ birthdays, i have strangely strong grip strength

SIX

10 songs i can’t stop listening to:

love me 4 me- rina sawayama

cherry- rina sawayama

in & out- red velvet

crush culture- conan gray

manic- conan gray

the king- conan gray

summer- pentagon

told you now- jeremy jordan (originally sung by sam smith)

fuck this world (interlude)- rina sawayama

someone who loves me- sara bareilles

#these were sooooooooooo fun!! #thank you for tagging me eggy #i feel like i maybe exposed myself for being a gluttonous fool tho #lmaoooo #fr tho try these games out!! so fun #sarah.tmi #tag games

[isaackuo]

Starco Week5 Wrap-up!

This week was really fun! It was nice for someone to actually see the silly comics I draw! Normally, hardly anyone even notices so I rarely put in the effort of a multi-panel comic.

Here are links and explanations to my Starco Week 5 comics:

https://isaackuo.tumblr.com/post/185176588866/awkward

The one that started it all for me! I actually didn’t even notice there was a Wedding prompt later in the week. I just saw a post about “Awkward Dating Moments” and the Kellco shipper in me thought of a cute little comic that MAXIMIZED STARCO AWKWARDNESS.

So I thought, why not? It was only 3 little panels, and it mostly involved me drawing Kelly - who I find easy to draw. And I thought it was freaking hilarious.

EXPLANATION:

This comic refers to Booth Buddies, a “memorable” episode among us Starco shippers. In it, Kelly and Marco are on a wedding date, until Star Butterfly yoinks Marco away to the infamous photo booth. Then things get a little weird. In this comic, Kelly gets back by yoinking Marco to be her breakup buddy “booth buddy”, when Marco and Star are on a “wedding date” ...

https://isaackuo.tumblr.com/post/185223809716/yeah-im-a-bad-boy-princess

This one was the toughest for me, and also the weakest. I don’t follow AUs and I’m not used to thinking in terms of AUs. I tried to study the Bad Boy AU a bit, but I couldn’t think of any funny jokes for it. Honestly, I just went with the first idea I finally thought of which was vaguely funny.

EXPLANATION:

This comic references a few of the “bad” things canon Star actually did:

1) Trash a cop car in Star vs Echo Creek

2) Shoot a cop chopper out of the sky in Sad Teen Hotline

3) Murder the MHC in Cleaved

But “nice” AU Star wouldn’t do that stuff, right? So Bad Boy Marco picks up the slack for her. So ... it’s funny? I dunno, I think my sense of humor is too obtuse a lot of the time. You really need to be in deep with the show to even remember the stuff I’m referencing and make the connections?

I guess either you “get it” or ... oh well.

https://isaackuo.tumblr.com/post/185220760531/starco-snugs

Haha, this one was “controversial”. I mean ... if you read my stuff then you know I think Star was addicted to the thrill of having both Marco and Tom, the same way Marco was addicted to the thrill of two timing with Star and Hekapoo (in Night Life). I think this was cute and tragi-comic, and it’s one of my favorite parts of Star Butterfly’s character. Let her have her distinctive flaws, okay?

But apparently this also cuts a bit too close to home, since it’s one of the things hardcore Tom stans criticize Star for (both the character and the show).

Anyways ... while everyone else was going sweet lovey-dovey, I went a bit freaky. I mean ... I think of this as romantic, but maybe I’m just weird that way. Like ... just imagine. Marco Diaz consoling Star every night for breaking up with Tom, and then he gets hit by “Mind Eraser” so he gets to do it again tomorrow. Isn’t that romantic?

EXPLANATION:

This comic is based on the “Mind Eraser” spell Eclipsa teaches Moon in Total Eclipsa the Moon. It’s one of my favorite spells to make jokes around, because it’s basically the flashy thing from Men in Black.

So I ponder ... what if Star really went all out using “Mind Eraser” and she went completely nuts taking advantage of it on Marco Diaz? Okay, in Here to Help, Star rushed to skip the awkward talky talky stuff and went straight for a kiss first. Maybe she’s used to it because she’s had the confession talk with Marco dozens of times already?

Oh, I also snuck in a joke referring to how Tom didn’t let Star kiss him on the lips after they broke up. As such, the only actual Tomstar kiss shown was the Lava Lake Beach kiss Marco saw from a distance. A bit mean to the Tomstar shippers, don’t you think?

https://isaackuo.tumblr.com/post/185256268271/when-is-this-state-going-to-end-starco-road

Road Trip was a challenge for me. I wanted to minimize drawing effort since my arm was sore, but I also wanted to depict a long amount of time. So I was thinking of them taking turns driving, but I switched to a bicycle based on Honey and Clover. Using a bicycle also allowed posing them in cute ways not available with a car, so it all worked out!

I was also thinking to try and cram in a joke about Star not being able to just use magic - using the Thor reaction gif to Steve Rogers not having the internet to look up the weather meme ... but ultimately it just didn’t fit. Also, I wanted to minimize drawing effort.

EXPLANATION:

Not much going on here - there’s really only one joke. But the cuteness of Star slumping on Marco really sells this one. Apparently, everyone else also thought so, since this ended up being pretty popular.

Oh, I suppose the sheer absurdity of doing an interstate bicycle trip eastward from the California coast is also a bit funny.

https://isaackuo.tumblr.com/post/185303660951/isaackuo-sword-fight-club-xover-double-fight

I initially struggled with this prompt. I mean ... crossover double date? It’s just weird to me. How do they even know each other? How did they meet? It makes no sense?

Well, a classic Douglas Adams writing trick is to take what you’re stuck on and turn it around. And so I did. How do they even know each other? THEY DON’T. It’s just some random “Fight Club App” meetup. Once I had that epiphany, it was a matter of figuring out what couple would be the funniest to fight ...

EXPLANATION:

I’m proud of all the jokes I packed in here. Of course, we start off with the fact that this “date” is a random “Fight Club App” thing. Not only that, but it’s a Sword Fight Club. Like that’s a thing. You’re just going to randomly fight some strangers with swords. Like you’re in freaking Highlander except there’s no Prize or whatever.

But it’s funny because getting into some random fights is indeed the sort of thing Star and Marco would do for a fun date! Same with Steven and Connie, really (although this is more along the lines of Steven and Amethyst wrt Tiger Millionaire).

Then there’s the fact that Marco Diaz wore baby Mariposa to a sword fight. Who even does that? Oh right ... Queen Solaria and Queen Eclipsa. Which fandom didn’t question at all ... we just thought it was cute.

Star’s “We’re fighting kids?” is a reference to Alone Together, when Kevin freaks out that Stevonnie is actually two kids.

Marco is okay with fighting a kid, since his Season 1 karate nemesis was 8 year old Jeremy Birnbaum (remember him?).

The slit eyes Mariposa give Steven are based on the way baby Meteora looks at Marco.

Connie’s right - Star and Marco are 15 ... not all that much older than she is. But Star has been through a lot of serious stuff making her grow up young. She has lost touch with what teenagers even do (as she noted in Cornonation).

Star’s shocked at Steven’s age the same way Connie was shocked when she learned Steven’s age.

Even though Steven’s age disconnect is caused by wibbly wobbly gem hybrid growth rates, Marco assumes it’s because he “Did time in the Neverzone”. I had fun rewording that phrase until it implied something like doing a prison sentence.

The final kicker is baby Mariposa revealing she’s almost as old as Connie. This calls up fandom mixed feelings about Neverzone age ambiguity and what the heck this implies after Gone Baby Gone. And I mean ... you all saw it coming, right? You knew baby Mariposa had to be there for a reason, right? It’s funny because you see it coming a mile away.

Needless to say, this one is the one I’m most proud of. I had so much fun writing and rewriting it in my head until it was perfect! The only bad thing is that you need to be pretty familiar with both Star vs the Forces of Evil and Steven Universe to get all the jokes. But hey ... my sense of humor is obtuse like that.

https://isaackuo.tumblr.com/post/185295564211/the-honey-moon-ball-starco-wedding-prompt

This was another tough one. I already blew my best wedding joke on Day 1, and I didn’t even notice there was a Wedding Day prompt at the time!

I struggled and struggled to come up with anything. So I just latched onto the first joke I came up with. In lieu of good jokes, I tried to sell this one with sweet cute character art showing Tom being dashing and Starco being lovey dovey. Still ... this is one of my weaker ones.

EXPLANATION:

Obviously this is based on the Blood Moon Ball/Curse, but this time Tom’s hitting them with a different curse - the Honey Moon Curse.

As we find out in Curse of the Blood Moon, Star didn’t pay attention to the MC and she thought the Blood Moon light was just a fun party light. So in this comic, she’s just obliviously caressing Marco while he questions what Tom means.

I initially thought of Tom explaining that he was confused about what Marco had previously meant when he said he wanted a “honeymoon”. But then, I thought it would be funnier if it’s simply ambiguous whether or not Tom is being spiteful or a silly practical joker or what. Sometimes it’s funnier when there’s a psychological tension - you don’t know what Tom’s thinking/feeling.

https://isaackuo.tumblr.com/post/185313724836/toy-star-starco-week-5-prompt-au-of-choice

Another one which was initially tough for me. I’m just not familiar with AUs, so I knew I’d have to make up my own. But what? Nothing clicked until ... TOY STORY! After that stroke of brilliance, there were too many ideas. The hard part was paring things down into a manageable short comic.

I’m most proud of the INSANE look of Princess Star tapping her Wand at Diaz. And also the Pony Head box for Princess Star.

Anyway, the great thing about Toy Star is that I didn’t need to fill in much detail in order for the reader to imagine a whole world around it. I mean ... we all know and love Toy Story. It’s part of our cultural consciousness. So it’s really easy to imagine some fun enemies-to-buddies story just from a few suggestions.

EXPLANATION:

The boxed Princess Star bonking Diaz off the bed is actually not quite how it happened in Toy Story. But close enough! (We don’t actually get to see the majesty of a boxed Buzz Lightyear until Toy Story 2.)

Princess Star has ball jointed arms similar to Buzz Lightyear while Diaz is a flexible stuffed doll like Woody. I left off “Butterfly” because “Princess Star” feels more self centered and self important.

Diaz is named “Diaz” just to make Jackie’s line sound more intimate and personal.

Mermaid Jackie is, of course, a reference to the popular fan theory that Jackie was a mermaid. This “Sunny Atlantis” mermaid is a reference to the Pixar short Knick Knack. She’s an aquarium decoration, rather than a toy. This is a reference to how Woody’s girlfriend Bo Peep was also not a toy (she was a lamp).

The mermaid in Knick Knack has shades rather than eyes. So that’s why mermaid Jackie is lifting up shades to look down toward Diaz.

The panel where Diaz is getting out from under Adam’s bed is directly based on a Toy Story screenshot. The original does have a cactus pictured on the bedspread. I thought it would be kinda funny if it’s ambiguous what sort of “cactuses” broke Diaz’s fall.

The “must be some mistake” panel is also directly based on a Toy Story screenshot.

Princess Star immediately trying to Narwhal Blast Diaz indicates she’s even crazier than Buzz Lightyear. Buzz merely shifted around pointing his laser arm at Woody. Oh - the “psycho” look in her face really sells this, I think.

The fact that Princess Star is somehow aware she has to tap the button on her wand to activate it is ... well I think it’s funny. (The button placement, of course, is plainly designed for human use.)

Princess Star requesting a nearby Quest Buy is a reference to Quest Buy, the episode where they go to Quest Buy to buy a wand charger. “Or do you still use Plutonium” is a reference to Buzz’s technobabble “distolic fusion” ... but I thought the use of real world “Plutonium” would give the joke a bit more kick (sort of a Back to the Future reference also).

Diaz answering “we’ve got double-A’s” is a reference to Toy Story where Woody says the same thing.

“Look, new friend,” is something Star Butterfly would say, but with a flat attitude more like Buzz Lightyear. This indicates Princess Star has a bit different personality than canon Star Butterfly. It fits in more with Toy Story, helping the reader imagine how this Starco relationship will play out.

“Multiverse High Command” is a mashup of “Magical High Commission” and “Star Command”. The threat of the multiverse being destroyed is something Queen Moon warns Star in Star Comes to Earth. The spiel where Princess Star explains her mission is similar to Buzz Lightyear explaining his mission. Presumably, it’s written on her Ponyhead box. Again, all this stuff helps the reader imagine how this Starco relationship will play out.

Diaz’s “You’re a toy” is, of course, a reference to Woody trying to explain to Buzz Lightyear that he’s just a toy.

“I believe the term you’re looking for is ‘Magical Princess from Another Dimension’“ refers to a similar Buzz Lightyear line, as well as how canon Star introduces herself to Marco Diaz in Star Comes to Earth.

But really ... there are SO many memorable Toy Story lines that cramming in references is like shooting fish in a barrel. Too easy! But still fun!

Of all the silly ideas I put out there for Starco Week 5, Toy Star is perhaps the one which has gotten some interest. It’s begging to be fleshed out. I welcome anyone to do whatever they want with it!

And again, a big thanks to everyone who read my stuff, followed, reblogged, and such! Especially, of course, @starco-week

#starcoweek5 #starco #svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #Thoughts #myart

[cutegirlmayra]

alright this is super angsty, but would you consider doing a prompt where amy dies? and sonic is holding her in his arms as she loses consciousness and i'm in an angsty mood i'm so sorry

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

WHY!? I mean, don’t you want a happy ending!? I can’t live without closure and this would literally destroy the souls of hopeful shippers, WHY??? (-laughing while crying-) I don’t wanna make people sad with no resolution, oohh….

Trust me, this is gonna hurt me as much as it’s gonna hurt you.

Is it okay if…. I keep something for closure? Just a little smackerel of a something? To lighten the blow?

Y-you’ll thank me later. (hopefully lol I’m just trying to avoid horrific SADNESS. I mean, I know you want to feel human and see Sonic show intense emotion but- COME ON! This is sad stuff! lol)

Prompt:

Amy stared down at the emerald.

Her hammer had rested on it’s tilted tip, lowered by it.

It was the last surviving Chaos Emerald…

Having been fought horrifically over by an alien race and her own planet’s heroes… Amy knew that they wouldn’t stop till they’ve destroyed the very things they feared most.

However, with each Chaos Emerald destroyed, the backlash of Chaos’s uncontrolled fury would erase that individual who destroyed it from existence.

And she meant… all of existence.

She saw the terrifying power above her. Eggman’s forces were parading the skies with an all-out defensive strategy to at least push off the invading alien battleships. It was an armed military, kamikazing down to her planet to destroy their lives to keep anything from overpowering their extraterrestrial empire.

With Shadow having hidden the last… but the earth being rent in the earth, the sky turning black with war, and the land covered in ashes from Chaos’s painful struggle to live…

She looked down at the stone.

Just a piece of rock, housing the most powerful essence in all the galaxies… in all the realms…

If only Eggman hadn’t made contact with them. Asked them to use their astounding tactical intelligence to defeat Sonic… And if only he hadn’t mentioned Super Sonic…

She realized that if the last emerald fell… Sonic and Eggman’s forces could still take down the alien race… they wouldn’t be so focused on keeping ultimate power… and Chaos might just unleash his full fury on the aliens…

Though it would mean sacrifice.

Still…

She looked down at the emerald.

Everyone was growing tried. This silly rock. This stupid piece of stone was ruining her and her friends lives! Everyone who lived here… was suffering because an alien race wanted to harness a power they couldn’t control. Each time they destroyed one, trying to absorb its power into their super-technologies… they would become nonexistent. Forever… doesn’t just mean the future. It can also mean the entirety of the past…

Amy shook her head down. What was she thinking? Sure. With everyone worrying about just taking the enemy down, they wouldn’t put all their efforts into protecting a power source that wasn’t even needed.

Everyone seemed selfish… wanting to keep the greatest power source alive.

But Sonic… he wouldn’t think that way… would he?

She looked back at the dulled edges and sliced curvature of the emerald… it’s green, sleek surface with the scratches of ages…

She hated it suddenly.

Her nostrils flaring.

But then, as she lifted her hammer up, she hesitated.

She squinted her eyes shut and looked away, on the verge of tears.

She loved this world…

She wanted to keep the emeralds too. Even one could help Sonic…

But Sonic didn’t need the emeralds.

She glared back at the cold piece of earth.

Her mouth formed a deep frown of conviction.

He always had the power to do what’s right. Even when no one else could.

She rose her hammer directly over her head and readjusted her legs to stand firmly in front of the fallen emerald.

If Chaos is rampant, Sonic will find a way to defeat the aliens and calm down Chaos. Knuckles can reseal him, like his ancestors before him. He said he could… but it was a last resort.

The aliens would gain confidence once it was gone… but she believed Sonic and her friends could do it.

Even Eggman…

She suddenly started crying.

She didn’t want to die.

She didn’t want to be erased from existence, from the past and the future, and have everyone forget who she was.

When the first emerald broke, no one noticed… it was like there was always 6 emeralds.

Then the second one broke, but no one batted an eye. 5 made sense.

Then 4… to 3… people couldn’t understand why, but the universe felt out of order. Like something was going terribly wrong.

‘…The dimensions split and our friends from other realms came to help us… we were gonna be okay… but then… the aliens began to notice something was off. They couldn’t exactly understand why, but they knew something, or someone, was missing from their folds. If I disappear… does that mean Sonic and the others won’t remember me? But if I don’t exist… or never had before existed… it could be dangerous. Tails warned that the aliens histories must have been changed, and using Chaos control to go back in time and see the emeralds shatter… it was the only way we knew how life was before this happen. Chaos shielded us… when the 2nd emerald broke. That’s how we knew the universe was falling apart. But I’m just simple Amy Rose! If I die… If I die nothing would change… it wouldn’t matter… I can’t lie like this.’

Amy dipped her head and cried. Unable to convince herself that erasing her existence wouldn’t cause any real, significant change.

‘Every life’s important but-!’ Amy shook her head, refocusing. ‘But this life has served its cause! I will do anything to help Sonic! Even if that means..’

‘breaking his heart!’

Her hammer swung true. The world rippled as the sky turned into the northern lights, parallel to each other as all the universes could look through the cracks from the emerald and see one another… each fighting their own version of the catastrophe.

She first saw herselves… all from multiple timelines… different and alternate realities she didn’t recognize.

They all slowly turned, stumbling back as if they’d just been stabbed in the chest, and looked at her with fear and betrayal in their eyes.

Amy couldn’t look at all of them long.

She swung her head away, and cracked the emerald further.

Up in the sky, Sonic could see his classic self suddenly slam down on the spaceship’s surface, twitching.

“Little me!” he cried out, getting down to aid him before looking to see another him slam to the ground.

“Something’s wrong!” The other Sonic called out, struggling to get up. “Gravity isn’t working… ah!” he felt the push fall heavily down on him again.

“What’s going on..?” Sonic got up, looking over the side of the ship.

“Huh? What’s with the light show?” The lights were like a fabric being shaken up and down, lightly trailing the black sky and giving it some color and greater light.

It was hard to tell if it was day or night… but the alien invasion wasn’t holding off much…

Sonic turned to glare at them. “They don’t let up… even when their own realities are shifting.” He felt the surge of impact the ship’s exterior was taking from the alien battleships fire. He kept his balance and grabbed a passing alien fighter-ship. Knocking out the pilot, he tossed him, grunting with the punch. “I’ll take this, thanks!”

‘I gotta find out what’s going on down there… isn’t someone watching the emerald?’

He tried to figure out the odd controls, before lifting his hands, one by one, up and down off the controls to try and figure out the mechanics.

Unable to comprehend, he jumped out of the cockpit and positioned himself like a surfer on the tail-end of the fighter ship till it entered orbit.

That’s when he saw her.

That’s when he saw it.

Her final blow struck the emerald, causing the whole of the different dimensions, universes, and times to crash into one of the triangular planes of existence.

Classic, Boom, Comics,… so many splits that rippled through time and finally fragmented below the main surviving universe…. Modern.

Amy felt her consciousness start to leave her. Small, glowing flakes of her being started to fly off and glow out of sight. Flickering like her life, they made her look like she was softly burning into ashes…

She found the light… strangely terrifying… but also easy to go numb into.

As she closed her eyes, thinking of everything she wished to say to everyone… the emeralds pieces floated up as Chaos’s power began to backlash her.

She felt her body forced to bend back, then arch forward, as it was ripping into her life.

She then heard his voice.

“AMMMY!!!!”

She let her eyelids lightly drift up to see better.

Through the light, she saw Sonic dive down, arms outstretched towards her.

He didn’t look mad.

He didn’t look terribly sad either.

He looked…

Worried.

He was always trying to keep her safe… heh, funny the tables could change so drastically…

“I… I just hope you find someone to love you, Sonic…” She smiled, seeing his body get caught up in the light and float him in his spot.

Realizing the strange shift, he looked down and realized the whole of that spot around them was a pillar of light. Having witnessed through chaos control what happened to the last alien that broke the 2nd emerald, Sonic’s eyes jolted up in absolute terror.

Without voicing anything, he squirmed and tried to move through the light, not voicing any complaint other than his struggles to reach her.

“..A.. Amy!” he finally let something lose, but Amy could hear his voice-crack, and the sound nearly destroyed her before Chaos had the chance to.

She gripped her heart.

“Please don’t… I chose this. Now you can fight the aliens without just playing on the defensive. You can win now, Sonic. You have everything else to protect. They still haven’t won.”

“…Amy!”

She found herself surprised, opening her eyes fully to see his frantic and unyielding struggle to get to her. Through his odd ‘swimming’ of sorts towards her, the light was being manipulated and he was, in fact, moving closer to her.

She shouldn’t be surprised he was fighting to still save her, or maybe even be with her,… but she knew there was no hope of saving her now.

Half her body had formed into light and was being taken up in the pillar… only a half of her face and body were still intact.

“Sonic…” her eyes shook in love for him. “I hope this time… you can find it in your heart to love too.”

“Grrk!” His body froze a second, as if her words penetrated his concentration.

“You’re not going anywhere!” He suddenly cried out, moving faster as his feet sped through the air. “You’re coming with me!”

He tightened his fists and closed his eyes, propelling himself through sheer willpower towards her.

Finally, he got close enough…

“Amy!” He reached out, grabbing what was left of her being.

The second he pulled himself forward, Chaos got disrupted, and a huge lift up captured both of them in its wake.

The world started to fall apart, as Eggman and his other him started to teleport as if time and space weren’t existence to the ground, crashing and looking up to see their spaceship fading in and out of known reality.

“Blast it all!” Eggman cursed upwards, seeing the two other Sonics looking down and start to fade as well. “He can’t die! If he falls, then we’ll all die too! Sonic is the reason we’re all still in this cursed universe!” He slammed his hands down the earth, being on his stomach… “Everything falls on him!”

“… But… wouldn’t it be better if Chaos takes him too? We’d win something for a change!” The other Eggman, his Classic self, looked up after thinking.

Eggman shook his head, his shoulders bouncing as he held back tears. “You old fool… Sonic’s… he’s everything to every world…” his tears started to float upwards.

“This world is dying and falling apart because the central life source of all order is being destroyed. If Sonic goes, the main Sonic, then we’ll all go with it!”

Sonic was plunged down, away from the light source taking Amy, who had already lost consciousness. “S…Sonic….” Only an arm and half her face remained.

“NO!” Sonic grabbed a fragment of the broken Emerald, and zoomed back up through the pillar of light. He jumped into the path of Chaos power, feeling himself rip away and leaving what was left of Amy unharmed.

His eye twitched, feeling memories being destroyed simultaneously as his body began to flake off in little ashes of light.

“He’s halting the process of her being erased… causing all of us to suffer instead of just one.” Eggman retorted as he looked up, seeing Sonic’s mouth open and head dip at the pain.

He then swung his body up, closing his mouth to try and keep it together, fighting against it.

“He’s a fool…” Eggman stated…

“We’re all fools..” Classic Eggman hung his head, seeing the spaceship fail and the aliens start to disappear one by one… then the universes as each emerald shard broke into further pieces and turned into light.

“…We’ve split ourselves to the whims of so many designs and ideas…” Classic Eggman looked over the expanse of all the crippling universes. “Time and time again… loved, rejected, remade. An endless cycle and for what? Trying to look good in front of critics on the small, square screens in their living rooms.”

“What?” Eggman turned to Classic, who laughed and smiled.

“Nevermind, you. First, let’s do what must be done!” He turned to Sonic. “We need that emerald shard!”

Sonic refused to step aside and let the last piece of Amy die, and so, the Eggmans, with the help of Tails, got the emerald from him and got another Sonic to use Chaos control.

With the small sliver of hope left, they used Chaos’s last amount of harnessed energy to go back in time to the exact moment the other Eggman contacted the alien race.

Stopping him, they fled out of existence.

The northern lights whipped and spiraled around Chaos’s ultimate form being unleashed from the now non-existence Master Emerald, and before the entirety of the combined universes were destroyed, they sucked into him and stopped him from his ultimate revenge.

-After the great light that restored balance to the universes-

Sonic was running, carefree as usual through the nature-trimmed scenery and life of his world, before feeling an awful spark of light burst in his chest.

“Ah!” he gripped the area and swerved on his figure-eight step.

He skid to a halt before looking down, flexing his hand and then looking confused.

“…What was…” He felt a profound need to check on Amy… “That..?”

Worried, and with a strange sense of purpose, Sonic burst towards Amy’s home.

As if by no accident, she was home and about to cook something before startled by a fierce set of knocks on the door.

“W-who’s that?” She wasn’t expecting Sonic to impatiently walk in after she opened the door and look around, surveying her home as if expecting trouble.

“Sonic..!” She exclaimed, happy to see him. “….Sonic?” she then lost some of her enthusiasm by his strange behavior. “What-?” she stepped forward before he turned around and embraced her.

“…..Sorry.” he pulled away, and put his hands to his hips, looking away. “That was… strangely involuntary.”

Amy blinked her eyes, so he continued as he tried to hide away his shame at the random action.

“I.. Um…” he fought with the truth, and how much to tell her about the strange burst of light from his chest…

He scratched his nose and hid his whole face, not daring to allow her to see the faint shy pink under his eyes and on the very tips of his muzzle… “I just felt a really deep longing to… to see you.”

“…Pfft!” she tried to keep her mouth shut.

He flinched, and with total embarrassment, refused to turn back and look her in the eyes.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha! Can that happen more often?” Amy laughed, just letting out the pent-up surprise she had felt, before waving to him to stop acting so estranged and look back at her. “Honestly, I thought for a second you had a nightmare or something.”

“…It felt similar to that… I guess.” He looked down at his chest.

“Well! I’m glad you were worried about me. Even enough so to come check on me. Makes a girl feel special, you know? Hehe!” She cutely put her hands behind her, resisting the urge to make a marriage proposal, seeing as he was pretty overcome at the moment…

Sonic moved the couch, faintly hearing Amy mention something about dinner being made anyway, before his mind flashed to a fading memory…

He saw himself holding Amy, his head dipped with tears, teeth grinding against each other. He heard the deafening cry of his head lifting back and declaring her name again and again in hysteria. It was as if he was repeating it to not forget it.

But as the body he clung to disappeared in light, his breath caught off and he closed his mouth, unable to remember the name he was begging not to go away.

The Sonic looked strange, as if not truly himself…

The image faded into light as this Sonic rose his head back into his reality.

The last thing Sonic could remember was Amy asking him if he was spacing out, and him trying to play it off as just a ‘spur of the moment’ ordeal…

Amy bought it well enough… but all through dinner he was silent. Relishing in her voice. Her company soothing him for some unknown reason. And then…

Feeling like a thousand thanks, from small whispers all throughout the galaxy…. We’re thanking him for not stepping aside.

“…Strange.” Sonic finally spoke, still chewing some ham from his sandwich.

“Huh?” Amy peeked up, about to take a bite of her own meal.

“Hmm?” He blinked to her again.

“Ugh… Soooonic… Are you ignoring me again?”

He swallowed, smiling sheepishly.

“Ohhh!!! You really need to learn to listen when you’re so silent! Geez!” she puffed up the side of her cheek. “After bursting in here acting like I had died or something, you’d think you’d act a little more considerate!”

Amy jolted at his chair scooting back with a sharp noise that pierced the air, and his hand smashing down on the table.

“No! Anything but that!”

….The sound rippled through time itself.

Amy stared… “I.. I was just joking.” Her ears bent back slightly…

‘W…Where did that come from?’

Sonic thought as his eyes shook.

Amy then gasped.

“Sonic!” she cried out.

“You’re crying!”

(This coincides with my ‘Sonic universes’ theory and idea I mentioned in another prompt. I’m sorry, but I needed my closure lol! -cries-)

#sonamy #sonicxamy #sonic #amy rose #sonic au #sonamy au #sonamy prompt #sonic prompt

[denimwrites-archive]

Surprise Boiiii

Prompt: I had the idea for dyed cheese balls to look like bath bombs (cause Jared love the cronch) and it kind of evolved into this mess. If you want read some background on your relationship HERE are some headcanons about how you met and why ‘cronch’ is significant

Fandom: Dear Evan Hansen

Pairing: Jared Kleinman X Reader

Summary: You decide to surprise your boyfriend with a party that is entirely dedicated to him and his meme-ness.

Word Count: 2,046

Warnings: Food, memes? Probably cursing?

A/N: Okay so I had this idea and then lost momentum, but then the headcanons I wrote about ‘the cronch’ (here) gave me inspiration again, so here you go. This is further into your relationship and you want to surprise Jared. I do not own the idea of Jared loving bath bombs nor do I know the context it was created, I kind of just winged it. I also don’t know if Jared has a canon birthday or if the time frame works with it, but I’m just going to pretend it does for the sake of the fic.

~~~

“Evan! I need your help,” you said as you approached him in the hall, his locker door open. If you were going to get everything done before the special day, you knew you were going to need Evan’s help. Not to mention that he would probably want in on planning this surprise anyway.

“Uh… S-sure? What d-do you need m-me f-f-for?” You could see the anxiety on his face and rushed to explain what you meant.

“It’s nothing bad, I promise. I want to plan a surprise for Jared’s birthday, and I was hoping you could help me with some ideas or something. Since you two are best friends, you probably know the most about him.”

“Give yourself s-some credit, (Y/N). You’ve been dating Jared for how long? I’m sure you could do it by yourself, easy.” Evan shuts his locker, and adjusts his backpack.

“But planning parties by yourself isn’t any fun, plus I know how handy you are when it comes to DIY’s and baking. I’m going to need those hands of your Hansen.”

“For nothing sinister, I hope.” You whirl around to find that Jared has walked up behind you. Plastering a smile on your face, and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, he lets out a chuckle. “What are you two nerds planning?”

“Just some project for our history class. We get bonus points if it’s 3-D and I know how creative Evan is, so I was hoping to employ his talents,” you reply, with a pointed look at Evan. He nods along when Jared looks to him for confirmation.

“Okay, nerds. While you two are talking about school, I’m going to be getting lunch and drowning myself in pudding as a reward for my B in English. I’ll see you later.” With a kiss on your cheek, he heads towards the cafeteria. Letting out a sigh of relief, you turn back to Evan.

“So, will you help me?” you ask, hopeful.

“Yeah, but I really don’t know what we’re going to do… I mean, what would a party for Jared look like?”

After a moment of contemplation, you both answer at the same time, “Memes.”

Smiling with giddy, you grab Evan’s arm and give it a squeeze. “I’m so excited. I already have a few ideas, can you come over some time this week to get organized?”

Evan nods and you give him a quick hug before heading to the cafeteria to find your boyfriend. You knew it would probably be hard to keep it from Jared, but that wasn’t going to stop you from trying. Keeping yourself composed, a week goes by before Jared asks you if anything’s wrong. You assure him you’re fine, just a little stressed over the history project, and he lets it go.

After two more weeks go by, you find yourself spending more time at Evan’s house working on decorations with the silly internet photos. You try out different recipes for gag snacks, and wrap your gifts with comically relatable paper. You actually kind of get into it a little more than you probably should have, but you wanted it to be perfect.

You put all your effort into it, even if that meant cancelling on Jared a couple times. It was all for him anyway, so after he found out, you were sure he would understand once he saw how much work you put into keeping it a surprise. Jared was a little suspicious about how much time you were spending with Evan, but he knew that you would want to try your best since the project seemed to be important.

The day had finally arrived. You had been planning with Evan for almost a month, and now it was either going to all pay off or all crash and burn. Jared’s birthday was today, and you had wanted to give him the best day you could, since it was the big number 18. He was going to be an adult. Although a scary thought, you knew that you needed to do something special, hence all the work that went into this.

You greeted Jared in the morning with a kiss and a small gift, which also acted as foreshadowing for what was to come. He tore off the normal paper to reveal a pocket copy of the Meme Bible. He let out a small smile and chuckle, before drawing you into a hug and kissing the top of your head.

Taking his hand, you give it a squeeze and peck him on the cheek before heading to first period. When lunch rolls around you sit with everybody and let them know about the party that will be at Evan’s house and decide whose responsibility it will be to get him there. Everyone seems excited, but you hush them when you see man in question making his way over to the table.

Smiling at him as he takes his seat next to you, he grabs your hand before easing into the conversation. About a quarter of the way through lunch Evan leaves so he can start to get stuff ready, but before lunch ends Evan is sending you quite a few texts in a panic over the cake. When you keep checking your phone Jared starts to get suspicious, and is ready to really start questioning you when you leave, but everyone holds him back from going after you.

Arriving at Evan’s house you find him pacing in the kitchen. You lead him through a few deep breath exercises before he calmly explains that the cake he baked last night has shrunk and that the cookies were rock hard. He started rambling about how he made it, going over everything which ultimately led him to start panicking again. Calming him down again, you say that you can just make another cake and no cookies are always an option.

“And if all else fails, we can always go buy one at the store, right? With all of the decorations we made, a store bought cake isn’t going to ruin the party.” Evan sniffles, and nods collecting himself some more. You give him a hug and rub his back a little before pulling away and saying with a confident smile, “Now, what do you need me to do, chef?”

Evan gives you directions and soon enough you have another cake in the oven and have started on the cookie dough. You decide to change the plan a little since you ran out of chocolate chips, and added M&M’s instead. As you lay out the cookies, you get a text from Jared wondering if you want to skip the rest of the day to spend with him.

You think on your toes and say that you weren’t feeling good and went home, apologizing that you couldn’t spend his birthday with him. Jared knew you weren’t telling the truth, but he wasn’t sure how to call you out on it. As the day continued, the voice in Jared’s head continued to point out his flaws and poke at his insecurities. By the end of the day, he wasn’t in the mood to celebrate or see you with how bleak his thoughts were.

When Connor asked for a lift to Evan’s house Jared reluctantly agreed. However, as Jared pulls up to the Hansen house and sees your car in his driveway, Jared’s somber mood turned to anger. He gets out of the car and storms through the unlocked door without so much as a knock. But when he sees the state of the house he freezes.

You turn around at the sound of the door opening and stop at the sight of Jared. Connor steps in after him with a sheepish look on his face. “Connor! You were supposed to text us when you were in front of the house!” you say exasperated.

Jared is still struck still, just staring at all the things that were there. “Sorry, he just bolted out of the car, and I didn’t want to tackle him since it is his birthday.”

You nod your head and move in front of Jared. His eyes finally move from surveying his surroundings to you, and you grab his hands before quietly saying, “Surprise Boi!” Jared still hasn’t said anything and you start to get a little nervous. “Jared?” you ask, hoping he’ll do something.

The next thing you know, and his lips are on yours. Caught off guard you eventually melt into the kiss, until you hear quiet giggling. Quickly pulling away you’re me with Zoe and Alana standing in the entryway looking at you and Jared affectionately. Connor has made his way over to the snack table that Evan just finished setting up. He’s standing next to it, avoiding your eyes with tinted cheeks.

You smile and hide yourself in Jared’s neck. The girls make their way to the snack table too, and you pull away to look your boyfriend in the eye. What you see is pure adoration and you kiss him again, unable to stop yourself from reciprocating.

Jared squeezes your hand and pulls away one last time. “I take it that your project on the history of internet culture went well,” he teases. You give him a light shove before pulling him over to the food table. His eyes light up at all the snacks. From minion decorated marshmallows, to poop emoji cookies. But his eyes are immediately drawn to the multi-colored balls in a bowl.

“Are those…?” he asks, and you nod your head. He bursts out laughing and everyone rolls their eyes at him. When he can speak again he’s able to choke out, “I can finally enjoy the cronch,” before losing himself in another fit of laughter at the dyed cheeseballs. As he tries to recover, you head into the kitchen and grab the cake, lighting the candles.

You carefully maneuver back to where everyone is. When you have everyone’s attention you start to quietly sing ‘Happy Birthday’, with the others joining in. You can tell that everyone is happy to be there when they finish it off with a ‘Happy birthday dear, insanely cool Jared Kleinman. Happy birthday to you’.

As Jared blows out the candles and takes in the majesty of the Pepe cake he can’t help but shake his head as his friends cheer for him. He gives you another kiss as you cut him a slice and lets out a triumphant whoop as he takes his first bite into adulthood.

After everyone eats, you play some games and take some silly photos. Soon enough, the night is coming to an end and you help Evan clean up his house as Jared watches some TV upon your insistence that the birthday boy should not have to pick up his own party. Once everything is put away, you and Jared say goodbye to Evan as you head out the door.

Standing next to your car, Jared holds your hand and gives you another kiss. “Next time you want to plan a surprise though, please let me know about it,” he whispers to you.

“That’s the point of a surprise Jared. You aren’t supposed to expect it.”

“Maybe, but at least plan it with Zoe or Alana so I don’t get unnecessarily jealous of Hansen.”

“You were jealous of Evan?” you ask in exasperation. You get your answer as he shyly looks away. You shake your head at him before pulling him into a long kiss. “I promise that next time I plan anything for you, I won’t put it ahead of you, and that if anyone helps me with it they’ll wear a paper bag over their head.”

He lets out a chuckle. “Well I think that you should be the one with the bag, I mean your good looks are the thing that gets you into trouble.” Giving him a little shove, he chuckles before pulling you into his embrace. Snuggling into him, he kisses the top of your head. “But, seriously. Thank you for a great birthday.”

“No problem, my insanely cool boyfriend. Sorry the surprise wasn’t all that great though.”

“Are you kidding? That was the best Surprise Boi ever and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.”

#jared kleinman x reader #jared kleinman fanfiction #jared kleinman #dear evan hansen x reader #dear evan hansen fanfiction #dear evan hansen reader insert #deh x reader #deh fanfiction #deh reader insert #musical x reader #musical fanfiction #musical reader insert #my writing #fanfiction #reader insert

[girlonfilmmovies]

The Top 25 Films of 2019

25: Shadow (dir. Zhang Yimou)

"Without the real, there can be no shadow. A principle no one's understood."

After a string of terrible films trying to play to Hollywood audiences, Zhang Yimou manages to successfully return to the goldmine he stuck in the early 2000s and craft another absolutely gorgeous wuxia. Here he swaps out the poetic, colorful beauty in favor of monochromatic, surprisingly violent tone poem about deceit. It ultimately works against it, as by the seventh or eighth double cross you kind of just give up trying to figure out who's on what side, but the main action setpiece is so wonderful it deserves a spot for that alone. Hopefully a good sign for Yimou's future, as long as we don't have another nationalist war epic that somehow inexplicably also has a white savior narrative too.

24: Climax (dir. Gaspar Noé)

"...something's kicking in..."

Noe takes us for another plunge into the dark, twisted, vomit-inducing, neon-lit hellscape that is his mind and at least has the common courtesy to put the pleasant parts upfront this time. While it will eventually devolve into the same type of chaos that we all love/hate from him, the first act is kind of a wonderful departure from him. He basically accidently makes a musical for a while, with wonderful and deeply intricate dance choreography as well as a fantastic extended sequence where every character jumps in and out of frame and gets a chance to strut their stuff. That movie would have been a strong top five contender, but alas, the man has his particular quirks that he must abide by. But at least he also strung together probably the best soundtrack and sound design of the year, with the fantastic EDM bangers rumbling through the walls throughout the entirety of the film.

23: Long Shot (dir. Jonathon Levine)

"Oohhh boooy!"

Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen doing a political comedy that manages to be both smart and extremely funny seems like a long shot indeed, but Johnathon Levine finally strikes gold again after a number of disappointing duds. He manages to make a pretty good story about how navigating the political minefield destroys what little hope and dreams high level politicians still manage to have, but then he also happens to make it all absolutely hilarious too. Theron demonstrates a surprisingly strong comic game too, easily matching all the other talent and cracking jokes along with them. It ends up being a charming romance where the woman takes charge in a very pleasant change of pace. And if nothing else, the way Seth Rogen yells "oh boy" in that video is always going to make me laugh no matter what.

22: 6 Underground (dir. Michael Bay)

"Ghosts have one power above all others: to haunt the living. Haunt them... for what they've done."

Theoretical question: what say Netflix gave Michael Bay a blank check and no restrictions, and he turned in the most overblown, dialed to eleven, nonsensical spectacle that he ever crafted and was allowed to put it into almost every American home for free? Now what if I told you that it was actually kind of awesome? Sure, it's basically a child playing with his $150 million dollar GI Joe set, smashing his toys together and making pew-pew sounds, but it's also probably the best testament to the power of conventional effects work over the increasing insistence on CGI for big setpieces. Let's face it: explosions are pretty cool, every one likes exotic locales and bright sports cars, and there's at least someone here to appeal to you (least surprisingly for me, it was Melanie Laurent with bangs wearing a suit). It almost reaches a late Michael Mann kind of abstraction, as both are respectively breaking apart the action movie into stranger combinations. Bay gives plot only because he contractually has to, and even then doesn't seem as committed to characterization as he is showcasing surprisingly brutal ways for the gang to dispatch their enemies. It's nonsense, but the damn best nonsense of the year.

21: Ip Man 4: The Finale (dir. Wilson Yip)

"Is that it?! Is this your Chinese Kung Fu?!"

The finale in the decade-long quadrilogy of supremely silly and borderline racist worship of China finally attempts to tackle America to delightfully amusing results. Scott Adkins doing his best evil R. Lee Ermey impression while slipping in modern neo-con punchlines, neverending Bruce Lee worship, and more nationalism and bad fake American accents than you could ever believe. Yet also a more bizarrely honest portrayal of racism in 1960s America than most movies would ever have the courage to acknowledge. It’s almost fascinating considering how a lot of the non-Asian racism basically serves as set dressing, but they still put more effort there than pretty much every Hollywood movie set in the 60s that isn’t directly about civil rights. But ultimately they're selling you a bill of goods saying "watch Ip Man beat the crap out of racist meatheads" and you better believe they're going to give you what you want.

20: Let It Snow (dir. Luke Snellin)

"Have you ever been with someone, and you stay up until like 4AM just talking about everything, and you're just like, I can't believe I get to exist at the same time as you?"

Okay, so let me explain myself on this one:

So yeah, it certainly is a generic teen romcom where everyone plays into basic teenage stereotypes, half the cast is clearly nowhere near eighteen, and all of the romance is oddly chaste. But there truly is something to be said about representation in a romcom, and after a thousand boring cis, straight, hetero couples falling in love for decades, this movie actually managed to hit a lot of notes that are at best rarely explored in the genre and also manages to probably sneak in some genuine firsts. While both the "tomboy/softboy" and "Latina struggling with her family" storylines have been done before, these are some nice, cute little iterations on those befitting a teen-friendly movie. But the Dorrie/Kerry story is not only legitimately groundbreaking, but also an absolutely perfect encapsulation of the types of problems that queer teenagers struggle with during that time of their lives. It's a queer romance, played by two actually not-straight people, with one of them being a nonbinary actor too. And it's not cordoned off into some bargain bin DIY indie that fell out the back of the truck on the way to an indie film festival; no, this is in a major holiday release, with well-known actors, and as one of the central storylines! Plus, it perfectly captures the woes of modern teen coming out, knowing that everything will probably still be cool, but the fear haunting you as all you can do is look jealously at someone who is out and proud. And it does it without being real shitty and horribly traumatic too. Eat your fucking heart out, Love, Simon!

19. John Wick: Chapter 3 -- Parabellum (dir. Chad Stahelski)

"Si vis pacem, para bellum!"

Another year, another John Wick movie. There's more plot; you don't care, and let's be honest, neither do I. Stahelski is here to serve up more badass characters and incredible action, and no one in Hollywood does it quite like him. It's got familiar action favorites demonstrating why they still remain supreme, with Yayan Ruhian, Cecep Arif Rahman, Tiger Chen, and the ever underrated Mark Dascascos. It's got surprising action showcases for Halle Berry, Lance Reddick, and somehow Boban Marjanović. It's got great character actors doing their thing, from the returning McShane and Fishburne to newcomers Saïd Taghmaoui and Anjelica Huston. It's got Asia Kate Dillon as an awesome nonbinary shadow organization asshole. It has a bewildering Jason Mantzoukas cameo. And above all else, it has Keanu Reeves, still demonstrating not only his incredible physical skill, but also how to perfectly utilize his particular acting style to create an iconic character.

18. Doctor Sleep (dir. Mike Flanagan)

"Man takes a drink. A drink takes the drink. And then the drink takes a man."

While not the most accurate adaption, it might be the only Stephen King adaptation that comes to mind that actually successfully channels what makes him such an appealing author. King's stories have an inherent corniness to them and for as much as you unsuccessfully try to cover that up (look to this year's The Outsider for a good example), it's where the true charm of his work shines. It's what makes this so fun, because as much as an epic, eldritch terror is exciting, it still doesn't have the goofy fun of a bunch of vampiric bohemian drifters led by a Stevie Knicks knockoff in a top hat breathing up souls. Plus, the epic three hour runtime actually allows Flanagan to at least try to cover all the more subtle serious characterizations of Danny Torrance, from his recurring alcoholism to him seeking closure with regards to his parents. It manages to actually make the final act's nostalgia play kind of work, or at the very least get the terrible memory of the Ready Player One version out of my head.

17. Her Smell (dir. Alex Ross Perry)

"I thought you were better than this, but deep down I knew you weren't."

Perry must have had some extra pent-up nastiness in him after having to restrain himself while writing Christopher Robin (by the way, that happened), because he really created one of the nastiest characters in cinema here. Her Smell is the equivalent of being locked in a room with the shittiest person you'll ever meet, as she constant lashes out at everyone and everything with the kind of delirium that the truly demented are cursed with. And credit to Elizabeth Moss where it's due: she really perfectly embodies such a horrible human being and proceeds beat you damn near to death with it during a majority of the runtime. Eventually it slows down and all of the problems become apparent once they script isn't flying by at a thousand words a minute. But Moss literally did her job so well that people fucking hate this movie because of her character, and if that isn't a testament to her acting talent than I don't know what is.

16. High Life (dir. Claire Denis)

"At 99% the speed of light, the entire sky converged before our eyes. This sensation, moving backwards even though we're moving forwards, getting further from what's getting nearer. Sometimes I just can't stand it."

Denis finally makes her English debut with what she does best: nauseatingly uncomfortable sexuality oozing from terrible people doing horrible things. In this case, she takes an innovative detour into sci-fi, setting up a decades-long story of human experimentation, murder, the horrors of space travel, and whatever unholy things are going on inside of the "Fuck Box". It has an appropriately dingy production design too; the clean retro-futurist spaceship design soon dissolves into a torn apart den of depravity, caked in a mixture of filth and dry blood. Pattinson once again manages to be likeable while also being extremely standoff-ish; only playing with his baby daughter do we seem to see him actually enjoy interacting with a human being. Kind of gets lost in the sauce near the end, but at least manages to land some surprising emotional notes considering the kind of horrors that they've shown up until then.

15. The Farewell (dir. Lulu Wang)

"Chinese people have saying: when people get cancer they die. It's not cancer that kills them, it's the fear."

Lulu Wang's followup to Posthumous is such a massive step up in talent it's not even funny. She manages to make such a wonderfully soulful and loving movie about impending death by utilizing near perfect comic timing to defuse a situation that threatens to stray too dark. Not to mention her point of view on modern China from a non state-sponsored eye actually captures a much more accurate shot of the country itself. It's almost as if an Edward Yang movie had set itself more modest expectations -- it's pleasant, goes down well, teaches you a couple of things about Chinese culture, and manages to do it all in only a hundred minutes. And Awkwafina manages to hold her own against far more experienced actors, even if you can tell her Mandarin is still a little spotty.

14. Uncut Gems (dir. Josh and Benny Safdie)

"I think you are the most annoying person I have ever met. I hate being with you, I hate looking at you... And if I had my way I would never see you again."

Adam Sandler's magnum opus performance -- there will never be another character that fully embraces every grating aspect of his style of acting and manages to weaponize them for two anxiety-inducing hours of hell. Sandler's Howard Ratner is an absolute sewer rat scumbag, an untrustworthy coward, and a perennial fuck-up of epic proportions. But he's still so charismatic and powerful on screen that you root for him every time he drives you further up the wall. And the Safdie brothers know how to keep him moving too, never letting the audience catch a breath of air for this movie-length panic attack as the odds stack further against Howard each minute. Whenever you see Sandler phoning in his comedies for fat checks, just remember this performance and how pretty much every awards committee completely ignored this film. No wonder he doesn't bother trying anymore.

13. The Last Black Man In San Francisco (dir. Joe Talbot)

"You don't get to hate it unless you love it."

A wonderfully evocative love letter to a changing city that is so full of life in every way, from the vibrant movement of the camerawork to the bombastic and powerful soundtrack blasting throughout. But it actually plays more like a New Orleans' funeral march, a melancholic chronicle of the original denizens of San Francisco even as the city warps into the caricature that it's slowly becoming. There is a definite feeling that the aggressive gentrification is unavoidable and even the love of the original quirky denizens can only stave off the metaphorical steamroller that paves over the past. It makes for a wonderful counterpoint to the previous year's Blindspotting: both about young black men dealing with gentrification in the Bay Area, but Blindspotting starts as a very angry comic satire that eventually ends on a note of hope and a will to survive the changing tide, whereas this begins as a joyous celebration of the city and ends on a heartbreaking resignation in the face of everything. Both come from respectively very different sides of San Fran culture, but it's rather interesting seeing each have such different approaches to the same topic.

12. The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (dir. Henry Dunham)

"How do we know it's not you?"

A simple "pressure cooker" scenario done to perfection: one empty warehouse, a bunch of hardened standoff-ish militia men, a missing gun, a ticking clock, and a whole lot of suspicious side eyes and probing questions. It helps that the gruff suspects are a perfect who's who of roughened character actors, all previously well-versed in playing suspicious people, and all of them hiding the kind of unspoken rage that makes a man secretly join an armed militia. All of this told with a nerve-wracking minimalism and style as weirdly detached from reality as some of these men are. One hell of a debut for Henry Dunham and hopefully a sign of good things to come.

11. Booksmart (dir. Olivia Wilde)

"How about we play a *rousing* round of J'ACCUSE!"

Profoundly silly and yet also so disarmingly sweet, Olivia Wilde whips a wildly stylized portrait of Gen Z high-schoolers and the many ways that they vastly differ from their older peers. Certainly much more welcoming and accepting of the diversity of teenagers than pretty much any other teen movies from the past, although they still poke fun at some particular brands of modern "wokeness" too. Stuffed to the brim with wonderfully weird characters, between the lovable catty theatre duo of George and Alan, the cringe-inducing desperate rich kid Jared, the endearingly dumb thirstball Theo, the dorky and blissfully unaware queer-bait Ryan, the effortlessly cool and extremely "top energy" Hope, and the absolutely batshit wildness that is Gigi. But mainly it serves as a vehicle for Devers and Feldstein, with both bouncing perfectly back and forth off each other in moments of comedy and drama. Feldstein always pulls off huge laughs pretty much every line and Devers sells a perfect amount of baby-gay awkwardness in one of the sweetest (and heartbreaking) queer romance stories in film. But above all else, it's just so damn fun and aware of what teenagers are actually like than most movies ever have been.

10. Luce (dir. Julius Onah)

*chuckles* "You really think I believe that stuff?"

One of the most wildly uncomfortable experiences in recent cinema history, but not due to any horrifyingly explicit graphic content being shoved in our faces. No, Onah and Lee created something much more discomforting: a constant challenging of all our biases and stereotypes, of us wanting to give chances and have faith in those that we trust. Kelvin Harrison Jr. delivers one of the best acting performances in recent memory because he's able to literally do everything; his Luce somehow manages to perfectly walk the tightrope required for a performance like his. With him behind it, Luce is such a charming, loving, likeable character but there's always just something that seems off about him. And even if Spencer's Wilson has a fixation on him that crosses all sorts of legal and moral boundaries, wouldn't we be cheering her on under different circumstances? In a way, she herself is trying to communicate a lesson about perception too, one that also mires in deep, troubling waters. Even if the film still feels very stage-y due to it's source material, the cold clinical aesthetic only further helps it make us squirm in our seats.

9. Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (dir. Haruka Fujita)

"Nobody wants a letter that cannot be delivered."

An absolutely magical experience that artistically excels over the original TV series it's based off of. The production is still as impressive as any other KyoAni work, but the composition and lighting in particular are outstanding, selling the social isolation of the first half and the childlike wonder of the second half. Beginning with a sublime Victorian romance in the first half, the story eventually morphs into a tribute to the workers of the world, the cogs in the machine. But in the context of the studio's recent history and the horrific arson attack that claimed 36 members of the studio, this instead comes off as a battlecry against the opposition against them. It's a story valuing those who are overlooked in the process of creation, a story about strong determined women, a story of a young girl defining her own future against society. KyoAni as a studio were most known for treating all their employees exceptionally as well as being a primarily female-led studio, both unfortunate exceptions in the industry as well as the target for a lot of unfair online hatred against them (and surely played some sort of role in why the arson attack happened to them specifically). To see the studio make their first post-attack work so proudly emblematic of what made them unique makes this so much more powerful than you would expect.

8. The Nightengale (dir. Jennifer Kent)

"You know what it's like to have a white fella take everything that you have, don't ya?"

The classic revenge fantasy narrative warped into a bleak, cynical portrait of racist cruelty in 1800s Tasmania. Jennifer Kent, improving leaps and bounds from the relatively straightforward Babadook, crafts a searing indictment of the foundations of colonialism and the misogynistic undercurrent of the barbarous society. It's a revenge movie where the vengeance is horrible and unsatisfying -- there's no crowd pleasing murderous money-shots, just brief moments of comeuppance in the face of everything in the world working against our two protagonists. Those who are squeamish should be aware that it is exceptionally graphic and grueling at times, although Kent does manage to keep up a very good pace for the two and a half hours of hell.

7. Transit (dir. Christian Petzold)

"They say that those who were left never forget. But it's not true. They have the sweet, sad songs. Pity is with them. Those who leave, no one is with them. They have no songs."

Hitchcock by way of Kafka -- a classic existential mystery told in a disorienting separate reality not quite like our own. It's a bold move to take a Holocaust set narrative and completely throw out the actual setting itself, but Petzold only enhances the weird themes of the story by taking it to a completely different but still very familiar time. This is a classic tale of becoming the person you say you are but really aren't -- then begging the question of what if you're not the only one also living a false identity. Buoyed by an excellent and very enigmatic lead performance from Franz Rogowski, who displays a tremendous skill for playing somebody so closed off but also very charismatic and watchable.

6. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (dir. Quentin Tarantino)

"When you come to the end of the line, with a buddy who is more than a brother and a little less than a wife, getting blind drunk together is really the only way to say farewell."

Tarantino trades in his B-movie worship and penchant for comical bloodbaths (well, for the most part) to make something I certainly didn't expect from him: a relaxed hangout movie about getting old and falling out of fashion. Exceptional production design whisks us away to the height of Hollywood and three different people all looking at their future careers in very different lights. Leo gets to stretch his wings in all sorts of silly fun ways and Brad Pitt finally lets go of the young superstar image and easily slips into his more natural "hot single dad" swagger, playing the most effortlessly cool character of his career. Tarantino sets aside time to look back on his own flaws as well and playfully reflects on his own particular ...quirks. Easily his best since his 90s prime and the first time in a long time I've felt the maturity that he showcased in Jackie Brown.

5. The Lighthouse (dir. Robert Eggers)

"Damn ye! Let Neptune strike ye dead Winslow! HAAARK!"

Hyper-masculine mania as told through a wonderful blend of dark comedy and cosmic horror and with some of the most lush black-and-white cinematography maybe ever in a film. Eggers' now trademark devotion to absolute accurate period detail in both visual design and dialogue greatly helps this reach transcendent heights. But it's truly the two performances of Dafoe and Pattinson that help it weave a perfect spiral of insanity that also manages to be so oddly fun. Never could there be any other paring of actors that would perfectly showcase these two dirty sea-dogs going stark raving mad at each other so well.

4. Midsommar (dir. Ari Aster)

"As Hårga takes, so Hårga also gives."

(Director's Cut) Every generation deserves their own paranoia-fueled pagan horrorshow, but Aster strikes a much deeper vein in his epic take on the classic territory The Wicker Man had previously claimed. The brutal rituals of the Hårga are only set dressing most of the time, with much more focus poured into the vile toxicity plaguing the relationship between students Dani and Christian. Reynor's Christian is such a perfect portrayal of a terrible influence -- he's charming, fun, and likeable when he's on your side, but the second anybody goes against him his seedy manipulation begins to seep into everything he says. Pugh continues her winning streak too, delivering a broken person desperately trying to put a smile on while falling apart on the inside as she realizes she truly is all alone in the world. While some might be disappointed by the lack of actual "terror" for a good chunk of the movie, Aster has found something much more likely to scar us than these friendly Swedish cultists.

3. Sunset (dir. László Nemes)

"The horror of the world hides behind these infinitely pretty things."

After striking gold with Son of Saul, Laszlo Nemes takes a hard turn into a very different genre but manages to create a wonderfully unique spin on classic detective noir. His signature camerawork powers this yarn, successfully taking the claustrophobic eye of Saul and using it to give a truly immersive sense of place in the tumultuous world of 1913 Budapest, where danger is simmering under the surface and ready to boil over at any moment. After all, noir is always about the eye of the detective, so Nemes' style takes it to a literal degree where everything outside of Irisz' field of vision is incomprehensible. We catch the same shady sideways glances and hushed whispers at the same time she does too. The plotting, like all noir tales, gets a little too complex for its own good, although it's less because of double-crossing and deceit and more from the story slowly dropping its connection to reality to function on a far more allegorical level. But as far as immersive, experiential cinema goes, not even 1917 can stack up to this film's highs, as the enraged lower-class populace eventually comes for the heads of the bourgeoise and Irisz suddenly realizes she is in the very wrong place at the very wrong time.

2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (dir. Céline Sciamma)

"Do all lovers feel they're inventing something?"

An absolutely breathtaking portrait (hehe) of yearning and love, so astonishingly romantic and actually aware of what will make a woman swoon. Every technical aspect is perfect, from the gorgeous locale to the lovely windswept dresses to the soft, classical cinematography. But the true magic comes from Merlant and Haenel perfectly delivering every line of Sciamma's wonderous script. Those two have a sexual tension strong enough to burn down the theater, as their shy glances turn into deep longing stares and both their steely professional reserves give way to poorly suppressed joy at just being able to be with the other. Even their initial terse dialogue melts into pure romantic splendor, as they lovingly catalog all the little gestures the other does when flustered. Their connection during filming was powerful enough to fuel rumors around the two in the press and is currently providing the desire for every thirsty lesbian who finishes this to immediately pull up videos from the press tour and hunt for those same things between the actors themselves. And trust me, they are there.

1. Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho)

"Not 'rich but still nice.' Nice because she's rich, you know? Hell, if I had all this money, I'd be nice too!"

Very rarely does a film come along that actually warrants to be described as "perfect", as in one that literally generates no critiques in any way even if I was forced to pick something at gunpoint to complain about. But Parasite truly does every single thing right. Even Bong's tonal whiplash style, which does grate on me at times, somehow fits perfectly here as the schemes become increasingly madcap and the increasing sense that this will all come crashing down horribly mounts ever higher. Until then, it's an absolute joy to watch in every way, as Bong stacks the card deck higher and all the characters dive further into the sewer for their own benefit. The midpoint pivot works wonderfully too, as it goes to show that literally every person is getting played in the world of Parasite. It's massive success is only surprising to those who haven't seen it: it's the perfect movie for the era it came out in and may as well be the watershed moment for a new age of cinema where Hollywood finally admits that it's not the king of the world anymore.

#top 25 #2019 in film #parasite #portrait of a lady on fire #sunset #midsommar #lighthouse #fuck capitalism

[the-desolated-quill]

Time Heist - Doctor Who blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

Oh God, Stephen Thompson is writing this. No. Worse. Stephen Thompson and Steven Moffat are writing this! Heaven preserve us!

Well everyone can relax. Time Heist isn’t as bad as The Curse Of The Black Spot or Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS. In fact Time Heist is actually surprisingly good. Well... it’s good up to a point, but we’ll come to that.

It’s a great premise. The Doctor and Clara are joined by augmented human Psi and shapeshifter Saibra to rob the bank of Karabraxos. The most secure bank in the galaxy. It’s a brilliant opening with some proper sci-fi in it. (I particularly like the little detail of using your breath to open code locked doors). And then there’s of course the Teller. LOVE it! It’s a great design for one thing and its powers are incredibly scary. It can sense your guilt and turn your brain into soup. Very creepy, although sadly undermined by the image of those people with their heads flattened. Ms Delphox puts them on display as a warning, but all it did was just make me snigger. Come on, you have to admit they do look just a little bit silly.

I also really like Ms Delphox, played by Keeley Hawes. While she does unfortunately get saddled with Moffat’s dominatrix dialogue and persona just like all of Moffat’s other female characters do, Hawes does such a good job in the role and really makes the part her own. She has such an authoritative presence on screen and is clearly having a lot of fun in the role. I particularly like how Delphox isn’t just evil for the sake of being evil. Due to the bank’s ultra strict security system and protocols, if Delphox fails to catch the robbers, she will be incinerated by her boss. It’s something different, which is nice.

Time Heist has a really good pace, Everything zips along very nicely and I was glued to the screen for the most part. I also really liked the characterisation. Top of the class is of course Peter Capaldi. He’s absolutely brilliant in this episode, capturing the Doctor at his very essence. Despite the fact Psi and Saibra know absolutely nothing about him and have no reason to trust him or take orders from him, the Doctor is able to take charge using the sheer force of his intellect and personality. Peter Capaldi is the Doctor. I also loved the scene where he rebukes Psi for accusing him of being cold and emotionless about Saibra’s ‘death.’ The Doctor has always been one to prioritise the job at hand over mourning the loss of someone, but this Doctor really doesn’t wish to be bogged down in sentimentality. Nine and Ten often express their grief with a brief sorry before moving on, whereas Twelve seems to prefer to keep it all to himself and just get on with things. He may seem uncaring, but his face when he’s walking away from Psi speaks volumes. He does care very deeply. He just doesn’t want to express it. The other characters are good as well. Out of the two I think I like Psi more. Johnathan Bailey does a really good job in the role and I like his motive for breaking into the bank. Wanting to reclaim the lost memories of his friends and family. And the scene where he sacrifices himself to save Clara was very effective. Saibra was good too and Pippa Bennett-Warner gives a good performance, but her motivation is a bit weak. Okay, I get the whole thing about shapeshifting every time she touches someone, but what’s the deal with this line:

“How could you trust someone who looked back at you out of your own eyes?”

Wha... What does that mean exactly? It sounds like typical pretentious Moffat bullshit to me.

Also Clara is pointless. Seriously, why is she even here? What role does she play? The Doctor is clearly the leader (and secretly the Architect). Psi is the hacker. Saibra is the shapeshifter. What’s Clara’s role? She’s not even the Doctor’s moral compass like in Into The Dalek. She’s basically just tagging along for the ride. If there was ever an episode that perfectly demonstrated how utterly useless and one dimensional Clara really is, it’s this one.

Yeah, I suppose I can’t put this off any longer. While there are large portions of Time Heist I did enjoy, a lot of the episode is sadly hampered by Moffat and Thompson’s usual sloppiness. Since we’ve just been talking about the characters, let’s talk about the ‘exit strategy.’ Presumably a way for the characters to painlessly kill themselves should the Teller discover them. A very dark idea, but also a completely ineffectual one thanks to its execution. If you’ve seen any sci-fi ever, you’ll know what a teleport looks like, and the fact that the effect we see when Saibra and Psi use the shredders look suspiciously like teleports does negatively impact the tragedy of their ‘death’ scenes because, in the back of your head, you’re wondering where they’ve gone off too and when they’ll be coming back. But even if you didn’t pick up on that, it still doesn’t work because their surprise return effectively undermines their sad and touching deaths in order for Moffat to pull a ‘gotcha’ moment.

Then there’s the Architect. Who here honestly thought he wasn’t the Doctor? It’s such a painfully obvious twist. He’s a time traveller, like the Doctor. He has access to memory worms, like the Doctor. They even chuck in a massive clunker of a clue by having the Doctor outright state he hates the Architect. Since when has the Doctor ever said that about anyone? He can’t even admit he hates the Daleks for fuck sake. The only possible person he could be referring to is himself, at which point you soon realise that this episode isn’t about a bank heist at all. It’s yet another episode that’s all about the Doctor, this time about his self loathing and manipulative tendencies. And it actually reduces the stories of Psi, Saibra and the Teller because you realise that the only purpose they serve is to shine a light on the Doctor. Loneliness bad, companionship good. This is the fifth story in a row that has focused exclusively on the Doctor. Anymore and the show is seriously at risk of disappearing up its own vortex. Why can’t the episode have just been about the Doctor breaking into a bank and saving Mr and Mrs Teller? I like that idea. It’s something different and it’s a very Doctorly motivation for breaking into a bank. Why does everything have to be so inwardly focused nowadays? I don’t mind the odd episode that explores the Doctor’s character (provided it’s done well), but this is taking the piss.

And then there’s all the plot contrivances. For the most secure bank in the galaxy, its security is unbelievably shit. Putting aside the almost comically oversized vents that anyone can comfortably crawl through, how come the guards seem to be searching for the intruders everywhere but near the fucking Vault where the valuables are kept? You’d think Delphox would post a couple at the door or something just in case. And what about the scene where the Doctor and Clara are captured? Before Delphox set the Teller on a random person that was just guilty for a crime he was about to commit. But with the Doctor and Clara, Delphox decides to take the Teller away for a little nap and let the guards deal with them instead. Why? But what really spoils Time Heist completely are the two gaping plot holes at the centre of the narrative. 

The first is the solar storm. This is the only time the bank is vulnerable, but it’s also the only time the TARDIS can’t land. Well... why don’t you just land the TARDIS at a time when there isn’t a solar storm? The Doctor said it himself at the beginning. Robbing a bank is easy if you’ve got a TARDIS. In fact I’m assuming that was how he planted all the briefcases. If he could do that, why not just materialise the TARDIS right inside the Private Vault, grab Mr and Mrs Teller and go? You wouldn’t even need to bother with the memory worms. The second plot hole is Madame Karabraxos (also played by Keeley Hawes). So what sets all of this in motion is a dying Karabraxos from the future phoning the Doctor and begging him to save the Tellers. The entire plot hinges on the Doctor giving her his phone number and then just hoping she’ll miraculously grow a conscience and realise what a horrible, selfish bitch she was when she has no reason to. (yes i know there’s the whole self loathing thing with the clones, but that’s really not good enough. It also doesn’t make any sense. if you hate yourself so much, why would you create clones of yourself in the first place?) It’s also completely reliant on Karabraxos not losing the phone number, except why in God’s name would she keep it? At this moment in time, she has no reason to take the Doctor seriously yet and clearly has no interest in redemption just yet, so why hang on to the phone number? It’s absolute nonsense.

Like I said, there are a few things about Time Heist I liked and I did enjoy it to a point, but what ultimately holds it back from greatness is Thompson’s usual ineptness when it comes to basic storytelling as well as Moffat once again putting more effort into trying to outsmart the audience and prove how clever he is rather than writing something that’s actually satisfying and worthwhile. Overall, good idea, but sloppy execution.

#time heist #stephen thompson #steven moffat #doctor who #twelfth doctor #peter capaldi #clara oswald #jenna coleman #bbc #review #spoilers

[pixelgrotto]

Episodic Dark Knight I plowed my way through all five episodes of Batman - The Telltale Series over the weekend, and last night I played the first episode of season 2, The Enemy Within. And I had a really great time. I’m not one to “binge” TV shows, since I would rather read or play video games than watch much stuff on TV. (This includes that Batman-related prequel show Gotham, which I consider to be a huge waste of potential.) But I could binge these Batman Telltale episodes all day, and I’m currently wishing that this series goes on forever, eventually bringing us Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, Batwoman, Ace the Bat Hound and all the other craziness that exists within Batman’s extended universe. (I don’t think it’ll happen, but I can hope.)

I put off playing Telltale’s take on Batman for a while, since I wanted to wait until all of the episodes had been released. Also, while I’d heard a lot of praise over the years regarding Telltale’s efforts to revitalize the adventure game genre, I’d heard some mixed stuff as well. Their games tended to be buggy and were filled with Quicktime Events, and Telltale’s famous “illusion of choice” was supposedly becoming more and more iffy with each new series. Also, Batman - The Telltale Series was supposed to be another story set in the beginning days of Batman’s’ crimefighting career, and if there’s anything more overdone than the trope of Bats being a tortured, obsessive loner who’s a dick to everyone (see: Batman v Superman and pretty much all of Frank Miller’s recent writing), it’s Year One stories. (Hm, stories that fetishize the Joker might be up there too.) So yeah, I wasn’t in a hurry to play this. But goshdarnit, now that I have, I’m happy to report that despite frame rate drops and silly Quicktime Events, Telltale’s version of Bats might just be the best non-comic book interpretation since Batman: The Animated Series. 

The reason I liked it so much is probably because it shows a Batman who’s heroic rather than an overaggressive bruiser (once again, see Batman v Superman). Don’t get me wrong - if you wanna play through the whole thing like the Goddamn Batman, then you can do that by breaking more bones and being gruff to your allies. But even if you go down this route, the story still tends to portray Bats as more of a noble, willing-to-work-with-others Caped Crusader, kinda like the version established by classic creators like Denny O’Neil and carried on by modern comic book dudes like Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder. This is the Batman that I consider definitive, and it was satisfying to see it finally portrayed in a video game, because the other major games starring Bats - Rocksteady’s Arkham ones - have never done a great job at making the Dark Knight particularly interesting, with one notable exception that I’ll get to in a minute. Sure, they have gameplay far more elaborate than anything in Telltale’s episodes, and I consider playing Arkham City for the first time to have been one of my top ten most impactful gaming experiences. But the Arkham titles always had lousy stories, perhaps even moreso if you’re someone like me who’s read a fair share of comics. Paul Dini might have written the first two Arkhams and pulled off a Clayface twist in City, but he’s capable of much better, trust me. And if you wanna know how I feel about Arkham Knight’s plot, well, you should read what I wrote about it two years ago. 

Going back to Batman, though, in the Arkham games, the Dark Knight was frequently portrayed as a nearly emotionless dude. He’s stone-cold throughout Asylum, City and Knight and so focused on “protecting” the people around him that he intentionally drives them away, completely falling into the “tortured, obsessive loner” trope that I previously mentioned. Some people like this, but I find it such a lazy way of writing the character. It’s easy to script a stoic rock who has no friends. It’s much harder to write a nuanced person who balances light and dark and is actually a hero, which is why I really liked how Batman was portrayed in Arkham Origins, which I know is the unpopular, developed-by-another-company black sheep of the franchise. But its technical issues aside, Origins had the best boss battles in the series and also showed the most human Bruce Wayne, making him into a dude who actually wishes a Merry Christmas to his butler over his radio comm. The game’s plot, while revolving around the Joker and existing in that overused Year One setting, managed to also break stereotypes by offering new looks at underutilized bad guys, as well as a take on Batman’s relationship with the Clown Prince of Crime that ended up being more nuanced than any of Rocksteady’s efforts. (Oh, and it had the best version of Bane, who is treated atrociously in the other Arkham games.)  Batman - The Telltale Series follows in these footsteps by also doing something new, remixing established Batman players like Vicki Vale, the Penguin and Two-Face in ways that are downright surprising. Without spoiling anything, a lot of these characters end up subverting the expectations that have been built up for them after countless media portrayals and stories in 70+ years of comics, and that’s grand, both for the newbie and the longtime Batman geek like me. And the other characters who act in a more expected manner - like Catwoman, for instance - end up being very well written. (It’s worth reading this article from The Mary Sue on how Catwoman’s portrayal in Telltale’s series is leagues ahead of most other stuff she’s been in lately.) Finally, just like in Arkham Origins, Telltale is interested in showing a relatable man under the Batman mask rather than an emotionless rock, which means that the sections where you play as Bruce might even be more interesting than the ones played as his alter ego.

It’s worth noting that not everyone was quite as enthralled as the first season of Batman as I was. A look at Steam reviews seems to indicate that most liked it, but several say it isn’t as good as other Telltale efforts like Tales from the Borderlands or The Walking Dead. I can’t speak on that, since this is my first Telltale game. But judging this effort solely on the premise of delivering a good Batman story, I think that my expectations were blown out of the water, and even though Arkham Knight’s tagline was “Be The Batman,” I felt more Batman-ish after 10 hours of Telltale investigation than I did after 60 hours of driving the Batmobile around and hunting for Riddler trophies. 

Make of that what you will. Ultimately, I’m glad that my favorite comic book hero is making moves in the 2017 adventure game space, and I had a good enough time that I am very, very eager for more. Judging from the first (stellar) episode of Batman: The Enemy Within, it looks like Telltale’s gonna keep delivering, and I’m totally down to see how they continue to develop Batman’s relationship with “John Doe.” (They made the Joker feel fresh again. Would ya believe that?)

Screenshot and concept art courtesy of Telltale Games. There’s some more cool behind-the-scenes art visible here. 

#pixel grotto #now playing #video games #batman #batman the telltale series #batman telltale #arkham #batman arkham

[mst3kproject]

Reptilicus

I defy you to find something in this movie that doesn't qualify it for MST3K.  Giant lizardy monster?  Check.  A musical number that has nothing to do with the plot?  We have that.  Actors who appear to be dubbed despite also appearing to speak English?  The entire cast!  Black and white footage tinted blue in an effort to make it look like it belongs in a colour movie?  You betcha!  Wooden acting?  Beakers of kool-aid standing in for SCIENCE? Foreigners pretending to be Americans?  Toy boats?  Yep, Reptilicus has it all, wrapped up in a bright technicolour package by our old friend, American International Pictures!

It seems tailor-made for the show, and Joel apparently agrees.  I wrote most of this review before I found out that Reptilicus was slated to be the Season 11 debut, and now I’m looking forward to seeing how many of my predictions here come true when the episode hits Netflix on Friday.

SPOILERS: none of them! Not a damned one!

Copper miners on the tundra of Lapland discover a piece of a frozen prehistoric monster in the arctic permafrost (never mind that the scene was shot on a nice spring day in the woods somewhere).  A guy named Sven is charged with bringing the find back to civilized parts for study.  I hope you like Sven, because he's going to keep hanging around for the entire movie, and apparently possesses the same all-purpose security clearance as a Japanese child.  He's still in town when the chunk of monster thaws out and begins to regenerate. Ultimately the regrown beast escapes its tank at the Copenhagen Aquarium and goes on a cartoon-people-devouring, scale-model-smashing rampage.  Because what else is a prehistoric lizard monster going to do with its spare time?

Yep, that's the quality of effects we're talking about here.  I like the windows that appear to be drawn on with crayon.

Being as the movie is set in Denmark, the sign on the building where the monster parts are being kept says AKVARIUM.  I don't know why, but my friends and I used to find that outrageously funny.  Every time it appeared on screen we would all shout AKVARIUM! in obnoxious faux-German mad scientist voices.  Of course, that was years ago.  We're now thirty-somethings with mortgages, children, and assorted professional qualifications – but I bet if we all got back together and watched this movie, it would be exactly the same.  AKVARIUM!

Had the MST3K of the 90s ever seen fit to tackle Reptilicus, I'm pretty sure they would have made some kind of running joke about the AKVARIUM.  I can also imagine them asking Reptilicus if he'd like some coffee with that Danish, the two monsters taking turns on the hexfield to offer competing stories of why Gamera vs Reptilicus fell through, and Dr. Forrester and Frank putting together a 'Visit Beautiful Deep Thirteen' campaign – with or without a lounge act.

It almost feels kind of unfair to attempt any actual analysis of this movie.  Analysis is for movies that have higher ambitions, and Reptilicus really does not.  If I squinted hard enough I might be able to pull something about scientific over-reach or cooperation between nations out of the mess, but whatever I came up with would be sort of a Last Minute 11th Grade King Lear Essay, made mostly out of coffee and bullshit.  All Reptilicus wants is for the audience to have a good time (and maybe to visit Copenhagen), and it does accomplish that even if not quite in the way it wants to.

Rather than talking about what Reptilicus fails at (and believe me, it fails at quite a bit), then, let's talk about how it succeeds.  What we really have here is a very fine example of how having something fun to look at can go a long way towards saving a lousy movie.

When you get right down to it, just about everything in Reptilicus is bad.  The plot is contrived and full of holes – why do we keep Sven around when by all rights he should be back in the arctic doing his damn job instead of hanging around in Copenhagen?  How stupid is just about everybody at the AKVARIUM to let the tail thaw out?  Could they really not come up with a better way to suggest drugging the monster than the old trope about 'somebody offhandedly says I wish we could do Thing and somebody else goes why not'?  How does General Grayson keep forgetting about the monster's regenerative powers so that he starts shooting at it again?

The acting is terrible.  Apparently there's a reason for this – the Danish actors who starred in the production didn't speak any English and had no idea what their lines meant!  That's why everything had to be dubbed over later, which means each performance in Reptilicus is a collaboration between two un-talented actors who were truly less than the sum of their parts.  Worst of all is Carl Ottosen as General Grayson and the uncredited guy doing his voice.  Ottosen almost always looks like he's not entirely sure what he's reacting to, and voiceover guy has only two modes: grouchy grump and solemn declaration.  Sometimes he manages to do both at the same time.  I hate to say it, but the best actor in the movie is probably Dirch Passer as Petersen the Comic Relief Janitor, who has a passable sense of physical comedy.  He almost manages to sell his reactions to things like the electric eel and the microscopic view of his sandwich, even when the jokes themselves aren't particularly funny.

The characters don't have much to them.  Sven is a terrible main character, without charisma or recognizable personality or even any motivation.  He sticks around for the whole movie and spends most of it just standing there watching other people do stuff.  Sometimes he answers phones or acts as a chauffer.  He comes across less as the movie’s hero and more as its administrative assistant.  Grayson's just there to shout orders and complain, but he's still closer to being a proper protagonist than Sven – maybe this is why they have him narrate a few scenes, in an attempt to correct this bizarre oversight.  The professor's two horny daughters never amount to much, and Passer's comedy can't quite save Petersen from being the character everybody most wants to see die (he does not, but at least he's out of the story once the rampage begins).  The Scientists are Movie Scientists, too interested in what they might learn to think about things like consequences and personal safety.

The effects are the opposite of convincing, always drawing attention to themselves as effects rather than contributing to the story.  I've seen some ridiculous movie monsters, but Reptilicus himself (everybody in the movie refers to the creature as male) is right up there in the top ten.  He looks something like a very silly Chinese dragon – a long, skinny, snakelike beast with a forked tongue, a mane of ratty fur down his back, tiny useless legs, and a pair of small wings that are, tragically, never used. Apparently a scene of Reptilicus flying was filmed, but was deemed ‘too unbelievable’ and cut from the film.  The monster's acid-spitting consists of squiggles of green goo that resemble radioactive silly string.  When he eats a farmer, it is represented by an animated cutout of the man in Reptilicus' mouth.

Okay, so I did just talk about how the movie fails, and I could keep doing so for some time.  The comic relief isn't funny. The movie stops for a moment to break into a travel ad.  Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.  The point is, Reptilicus objectively sucks and if it were shot like a modern disaster film, all gritty and gray and trying for realism, it would be insufferable.  Instead, however, it's cartoony and colourful, and while the effects aren't convincing they're always at least creative.  The sets always look like sets, and the models always look like models, but they're elaborate and inspired.  Everything sucks, but movie are a visual medium, so if it's fun to watch the viewers will forgive all kinds of sins.

It's also a perfect example of an important bit of bad movie truth: you can't make a bad movie on purpose, not the good kind of bad movie.  People can try, but they come up with stuff like The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which I couldn't even watch all the way through.  A truly enjoyable bad movie is one that's trying hard to be a good movie and fails in just the right sort of ways – an intentional bad movie is the equivalent of a belabored explanation of a punch line that wasn’t that funny to begin with.  The thing that makes Reptilicus so much fun is the same spark that animates Teenagers from Outer Space, or Starcrash, or even Troll 2 – its sincerity.

Reptilicus is one of the most utterly unapologetic movies I've ever watched.  We've all seen movies that seem a bit embarrassed by themselves – remember Being from Another Planet, which wishy-washily tried to be a Serious Movie about Serious People instead of just embracing the fact that it was about a fucking space mummy?  Reptilicus is the opposite of that. It's not ashamed of anything, even in the places where by all rights it should be.  Its monster is an immobile puppet in a scale model, but the shots linger lovingly on every shoddy detail. Peterson the Comic Relief Janitor ought to be painful, but the script is so earnest that he somehow becomes a meta-joke: the very fact that he's not funny is itself funny.  Somebody thought the movie could be used to sell Copenhagen as a tourist destination, so they have the characters tour the city and talk about what a great time they're having.  The movie never gives less than its all to anything it puts on the screen.

So yeah, I love Reptilicus.  It's never boring and it’s frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and there's nothing in it that's either offensive or scary.  There are much worse ways to waste eighty minutes of your life.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #reptilicus #60s

[the-vaporverse]

Starless Horizon RP File #20

(Vela’s part in italics.)

The first week or so of their travel back to Hesperus was fairly quiet, at least on Vela's part. While she was naturally quiet, she didn't engage as much with Dritz for a time, leaving him to simply talk at her or ramble his thoughts aloud, which she didn't mind listening to, adding what little she felt like when needed.

She had also withdrawn from the intimacy they had shared during the later part of their trip to Trelos, finding herself uninterested and too troubled to even think about it. Dritz never pushed her into anything, as she knew he wouldn't, but she could tell his attraction to her hadn't gone away. Despite what she had said about being hopeful, those first days were ultimately depressing for her as she worried over whether their plans would work at all.

One "morning" found her laying in bed with Dritz after he had just woken up. There were times when she couldn't force herself to do much at all beyond sit and watch him as he went about checking the Nova's engines, but today she felt might be a day to do more.

Without thinking about it much, she ran a hand back through her hair, turning her head to give Dritz a little smile.

Vela had retreated into her own thoughts in a way that might have worried Dritz if he hadn't been able to see that she was working through her thoughts, all of the hope and disappointment and worry and effort she had put into their trip. It must have been exhausting for her, and the last thing she would need would be additional stress from him fussing over her. And so, he kept their conversations, such as they were, bright. He rambled, kissed her gently but frequently, and made her the best meals he could manage. He would try and share her worries as much as possible, but she would need someone to give her perspective, a clear vision.

With a bemused half-smile of his own, he reached up from where he was lounging back on the bed to stroke her face, "Now look at that. It's lovely to see you smiling again, even a little." He propped himself up on one elbow, pulling her close enough that he could kiss her forehead. "How're you feeling, flower?"

After a moment of looking her over with a soft expression, his gaze flickered upwards, and a far more amused smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

[I feel alright,] Vela signed, sitting up and thinking about moving closer to rest herself against him, until she caught his amused glance upward for some reason. It wasn't at anything far overhead...

She reached up to touch her hair, finding there seemed to be a lot more of it than when she'd last looked in a mirror. How long had it been since then? She wasn't even sure. The hair was fluffier than usual, and likely sticking out in every direction and farther away from her face, she had no doubt. Her expression grew somewhat pained.

[Do I look strange? Aurian hair takes a long time to grow, but when it does...] She indicated a distance away from her head as if to show how big it would get. [That's why we keep it short.] With a frustrated exhalation, she attempted to smooth her hair down but could feel it springing right back up again as soon as she removed her hands.

Once Vela seemed to realise what had amused him, Dritz did nothing more to stifle his affectionate laughter, covering his mouth with his free hand as he reached up and fluffed her soft hair.

"You don't look strange, flower. You look cute. So cute," he giggled, apparently particularly enchanted with how her hair seemed defiant, refusing to stay smoothed down against her, "I don't know how I hadn't noticed before. I saw you were getting fluffy bits here-" he tickled the wisps of hair by her ear, "But it didn't seem so obvious that it'd gotten so long."

He tugged her down to lie atop him, admiring the way her hair looked at that moment. It was relaxed, like she was completely relaxed with him. "So cute," he reiterated, grinning.

Vela found herself puzzled at Dritz's insistence that her hair was "cute." She willingly laid down on him, immediately soothed by his warmth, allowing him to reach up and play with the fluffiness of her hair for a little while before she moved again to sign.

[I'm glad you don't mind it, but I'm afraid I don't think the same. It's troublesome - I can feel it - and I don't much care for how it looks, personally.] She shook her head, feeling how it moved against her, and frowned. [I wish we had some sort of scissors or even shears. Unless you do?]

On the topic of hair, Vela inspected Dritz's for a moment before actually smiling again. [Yours is longer too. We've been gone quite a while.] Gently she reached out to pick up some of his hair where it rested against his neck, letting it slip through her fingers. That wasn't something he could do with her own hair. [It looks fine too, but I think even longer... it might be nice.] She indicated a length just barely past his shoulders, tilting her head as she imagined it.

"Oh yeah?" Dritz asked with a wide grin. He'd always kind of fancied growing his hair long, but for one reason or another he had always ended up trimming it again. He relaxed against the feeling of her fingers in his hair, smiling.

"It's a shame you don't like how this looks though," he said, playing with her thicker hair with a slight pout, "Buuut, I think I can help. If I find something to trim your hair with, do you want me to neaten it up for you? I'm pretty sure we could find something nice and sharp to make sure it's neat and cropped again."

Much as he enjoyed playing with the additional length of her hair, he understood the need to trim it. Expertly rolling Vela onto her back with a kiss, he tugged the blanket up to her chin, "Now, you wait here, and I'll see what we have that will take your fluffiness."

Vela had expected Dritz would take her along to find something to cut her hair, but was willing enough to wait. She nodded, feeling a little silly to be covered by the blanket, yet amused at the same time. There was no end to the amusing things he seemed to do, however, which was another reason why she enjoyed his company so much.

She awaited his return patiently, wiggling her toes against the blanket in an absentminded manner. Dritz would probably be able to cut her hair in a way that was satisfactory, or she could show him how if he wasn't sure; she wasn't worried about how it would turn out. She found her thoughts drifting to other things in the meantime, specifically what else she might like to do once they had finished with her hair.

Soon after he left, Dritz returned with his tools, seemingly trying to decide between them with a comically thoughtful expression. He had a heavy pair of bladed pliers in one hand, and in the other hand were a slightly less frightening-looking set of shears. He plopped down next to her, holding them up for her to look at.

"I think one of these will work, if not both. Like, the heavy clippers for getting rid of some of the length, then the little ones to neaten it up?" he asked, holding them up. "You're gunna have to trust me, though, I've never cut anyone's hair before. We'll make this work between us, yeah?" He beamed, gesturing for her to move and sit on the floor by the bed before grabbing a spare blanket from the locker at the other end of the room. "I'll sit on the bed, and you should be at the right height for me to snip."

Vela sat up, the blanket slipping away from her as she studied the tools Dritz had brought. She nodded seriously, thinking that plan should work. [I trust you,] she signed simply, standing up from the bed. [It won't matter so much what it looks like, as long as it's shorter.]

He had spread the spare blanket out on the floor for her to sit on in order to catch the hair clippings as they fell. Vela thought this was a good idea, and also removed the long tunic she had been wearing to sleep in and tossed it onto the bed before sitting down and leaning back against the edge. After all, wearing clothes would mean they might pick up little bits of hair, which would be an annoyance.

[Here. And here especially,] she signed, showing him where to cut most of the hair. [If possible, as close as you first saw it, if you can remember.]

Settling himself down on the bed, Dritz nodded as he was instructed, examining where she was gesturing. Before starting, he leant down and kissed her neck, wanting to relish in the soft fluff for a moment before they parted ways.

He slowly and carefully snipped in what was a seemingly meticulous order, regularly running his fingers through her hair to check the length (as well as to enjoy how soft it always was). The process took far longer than he intended it to, but when he leaned back and stood, coming to crouch in front of her and inspect his work, he beamed. It was closely cropped and, aside from the ends of her hair being fairly blunted from the incorrect tools (the sort of thing that would grow out fine in a week or so), it looked okay.

"Perfect," he said softly, reaching up and brushing some loose strands from her face and neck, his hands lingering on her shoulders.

Dritz was moving slowly as he cut her hair, which meant he was taking the time to be thorough and careful. Yet Vela also got the feeling he was simply enjoying it, with the way he would stop and frequently caress it, though it was possible he was just removing loose pieces that had fallen against her head. Either way it was a relaxing experience, and when he was done and had moved in front of her to inspect it, she smiled at him.

[Thank you. I can tell it will be fine already, I'm never worried about my hair except when it's too long.] His hands brushing across her shoulders felt intimate all of a sudden, and Vela leaned up quickly to kiss him. After a long moment of gazing into his eyes, she glanced away a bit shyly and gestured to the hair surrounding her on the blanket.

[Do you want to keep some?] she signed in amusement, thinking he might if he really did like it so much.

Despite how warm he had found himself feeling. Dritz chuckled at the suggestion of keeping her hair. He stroked against her temple in a way that would have tucked her hair behind her ears were it long enough, and shook his head with a little smile, "I think I prefer it on your head. But... if we were ever apart for a long amount of time, then maybe..." He felt somewhat odd admitting that he'd find the softness a comfort if they were apart for a long time.

He carefully brushed the last few hairs off her as best he could, helping her tidy up. As they were finishing up, he slipped behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing softly at her neck. "I know it wasn't very, very long, but I still like how much more neck there seems to be," he murmured, nuzzling her pale skin.

[Would you miss me that much already, if we were apart?] Vela signed with a smile, thinking the admission was sweet. She knew she would miss him if such a situation arose, having been around him so much of the time now that it was difficult to imagine being without him. [I would give you a bit of hair then. Maybe a piece of my clothing...] Likely she would feel the same, wanting something belonging to Dritz with her, but she didn't want to contemplate a distance between them for now.

They had cleaned up as much of the hair as possible, discarding the clippings and returning the blanket (still mostly clean) to the locker. Dritz enveloped her in an embrace suddenly and Vela felt herself relaxing back against him, enjoying the feel of his lips against her neck. [I'm glad you like it,] she finally signed, turning to face him. For a moment it seemed like she would say more, but she simply felt a longing she hadn't experienced at all in the past week, the need to be even closer to him. She moved to embrace him again, sliding her hands up his back and tilting her head enough to kiss his lips, first softly, then more insistent as her need grew.

There was no hint of embarrassment as Dritz nodded. They had grown close in what, really, was quite a short time, but their close proximity for the extended travel time had facilitated that, and he was nothing but thankful.  "Of course I'd miss you that much. I'd be too used to having you about here for me to cuddle," he said, gesturing to a space under his arm, close to his left side and over his chest.

Once met with her kiss, Dritz returned it with perhaps more enthusiasm than he meant to begin with, but with her hands on his back after little contact throughout their time on the ship, he soon lifted her into his arms, supporting her legs around his waist, deepening the kiss.

Dritz's response to her touch and kiss made Vela exhale softly. It startled her a little when he lifted her up, but her legs almost naturally went around his waist while he supported her comfortably. They continued kissing but at last broke away from each other, near breathless, and Vela nodded to show she wanted to continue.

With the utmost care and gentleness, Dritz set her down on the edge of the bed and leaned over her, his arms resting on either side as they resumed sharing a passionate kiss.

-

The months passed quickly. Vela had many conversations with Dritz as they attempted to sort out their future plans for trying to unite the peoples of Trelos and Aurctas, but they also had many times where they simply lay together talking of nothing in particular, or shared a quiet enjoyment in each other's bodies.

When the day finally came when they would arrive at Hesperus Alpha, they both had a sense of excitement to return. There was something familiar and lovely about the station now, and Vela had a great fondness for it as the place where she had first met Dritz.

They were getting dressed together as Vela found herself smiling wider than she normally might. [I can't wait to get there,] she signed to him, watching as he selected one of the brighter shirts he had brought. [I've had a wonderful time with you, and we did good work on Trelos. But I think of the station as home, for now. I'll be glad to see it again.]

Despite how he enjoyed travel and despite how much he was comfortable in his own company, Dritz had always thought he would grow bored with long stretches in space, but with Vela, it was almost like he couldn't remember having so much fun. They were comfortable together, they talked all the time, even with the very minor language barrier, they taught each other things, and cooperated on the running of the ship. It was, as with takeoff and landing, like they were a well-maintained machine.

Dritz, dropping the bright orange shirt he had been about to put on, scooped Vela into a big hug, lifting her off the ground, happy to see such a radiant smile on her. "I'm looking forward to being back too. It is our home, really! You know the first thing we should do? Get some real food!"

If Vela had the capability of laughing aloud, it was likely she would have just then. But she had to agree with Dritz's assessment of getting "real" food; their short stay on Trelos between two long stretches of space travel had not been nearly enough time to feel they had gotten enough decent food to eat.

After Dritz had managed to get dressed at last, they spent the remaining few hours of their time on the ship making certain everything was ready for a smooth landing, and talking with excitement (and greater detail) about the things they would like to do after arriving. The landing itself was, naturally, just as smooth as always, and they exited the hangar hand in hand with genuinely happy smiles on their faces.

Of course, they had to be practical and return to their room to be sure everything was still there, and drop off the few things they needed to return to it. Nothing was out of order, and they made their way into the bustling streets of the food district with a sense of familiarity that was comforting. Vela let Dritz choose where he would like to eat, as he was the most eager to find something that was, as he put it, "cheap but amazing and, best of all, real."

It turned out that Dritz was incredibly discerning when it came to the first meal after a long time in space, and he led Vela by the hand through lots of streets at a casual pace, perusing the restaurants and freestanding market food stalls they came across until he found a Karpathan place that specialised in lots of small dishes to sample.

Dritz pulled Vela's chair our for her and encouraged her to sit. "Have you had Karpathan food before? It's really nice, but some dishes are quite rich, so you combine them with the softer dishes. I'll show you!"

The dishes were laid out on the table in a pleasing pattern, each plate seeming to be a different colour of a rainbow. One contained what looked like a pale yellow-green grass spiralling into a crispy nest, with shreds of a fine red spice picked out in it, another seemed to be a dark red meat in a heavy, sweet sauce, there was another bowl of thin broth with cubes of white and green vegetables in the centre. All of them were accompanied by a variety of sauces, chopped vegetables and soft, fluffy breads.

"Yes. Now this what I was talking about," Dritz said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. "I hope you enjoy!"

Vela shook her head; obviously she had never had Karpathan food, but she likely would never have thought to try it on her own, either. Everything was so colorful and visually interesting that she spent a little time staring at it before she was finally able to begin to eat. When she did, the combination of flavors and textures was enough to keep her fascinated in a way she had never been with food before.

[It's very interesting,] she commented to Dritz before dipping a piece of bread in yet another sauce to try together. [And it's made me wonder what traditional Aurian food would have really been like. There are a few records but... I think that was largely considered information that was too unimportant to preserve.] The thought was sad, but there was nothing to be done about it, so she didn't focus on it long.

[This was a good idea, though. What is Chrysalan food like?] She may have remembered some of this information from her studies, but she liked to hear Dritz talk about his home in his own words.

Despite how eager he was to dig in to the array of different foods in front of them, Dritz held back so that he could watch Vela enjoy it all first, wanting to make sure she had gotten to try it all. There was such an indescribable beauty to experiencing her expression as she tried new things.

"You seem to be enjoying it a lot, I'm really glad we came to this one in particular," he said, before his expression turned sad. "Maybe the ancient Aurian diet was similar to the Trelosians?" he suggested.

He beamed at Vela when she asked about his own home world, and its food. "Wow, well... It tends to be light and vegetable-based, with... I guess it's a floral taste? It's hard to describe. The Chrysalan tea we make is a good example; the blossoms can be dried and baked with some oil to make savoury snacks, but I don't really like them much, cuz the blossom is too bitter. I'll have to cook you something traditionally Chrysalan sometime, won't I?"

[It must have been similar,] Vela replied thoughtfully before prodding at some of the white vegetables. She wasn't sure how much meat was consumed, but had determined there was at least some, based on what little information she had been able to find.

[I would like that. Your food sounds very interesting, and I do like flowers. But you should eat, you've just been watching me.] She gave him a smile and gestured around at all the plates, wanting him to begin and share the meal with her.

-

A handful of tables away, Orion was enjoying a similar meal. He'd been looking for something new and interesting to try, and Karpathan food was definitely new and interesting. His companion had refused to accompany him, but that wasn't unexpected, and Orion was determined to keep working on him.

The last few months could also be defined as "new and interesting." Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected his life to take this sort of turn, but he was willing to embrace it for exactly what it was.

Finishing up the last of his food, he began glancing idly around the room when he spotted two familiar faces: Dritz and Vela were also enjoying a Karpathan meal, and a slow grin took over his expression as he realized how lucky he was. He had been searching for them for a while now, but the only information available seemed to be that they had left the station for an undetermined amount of time.

The sight of them together was also comforting. Orion had seen many mixed-species couples fail because they simply couldn't reconcile their differences. But he could see these two were devoted to each other from their expressions and the way they interacted, and there was a little something extra in their manner which suggested to him they had grown even closer. He was genuinely glad for them and would likely tell them so shortly.

He did decide to wait until they seemed nearly finished eating before cleaning up his own table and strolling over in what he hoped was a casual enough manner. "Hi there," he offered with a grin, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jumpsuit. "Good food, huh? And it helped me find you at last, which is pretty helpful."

Of course Vela had noticed. Not much went by her, and Dritz couldn't help the grin that took over his face as he started gathering small amounts of each dish to his plate, tasting some together and either scrunching his face up, proclaiming the combination a mistake, or flapping a hand excitedly to encourage Vela to try the same combination of flavours.

They were just discussing their next plan, to perhaps return to the hologarden and see what new planet's season it had taken on, knowing it wouldn't be the same as the fresh and very real plants on Trelos, but making the best of it nonetheless, when Orion of all people approached them. Dritz had stared in delighted awe for a second before leaping to his feet and throwing his arms around the scruffy man, slapping him on the back.

"Ori! What kind of luck is this, huh?" he said brightly, grabbing a free chair from an empty table and pulling it up to their own, "Sit down, sit down! How are you? It's so nice to see you again!"

Dritz's greeting was genuine and enthusiastic, and Orion found himself with a wide grin as he returned the quick embrace and sat down as he was invited to do so. Vela was her usual more reserved self, though she did give the human a warm smile and signed 'hello' along with something else which Dritz translated as her being glad to see him too.

"And it's great to see you both," he said, settling into the chair. He had a feeling a lot of explanations might be on the way. "It really is luck, since I had been looking for you ever since I came back to the station, and it's only when I was minding my own business that I found you. I've been well. I mean, I've had my ups and downs, but... things are going pretty well at the moment." His own explanation seemed complicated to him, so he thought hearing theirs would be best first.

"So what have you been up to the past... well, it's been almost a year, hasn't it? I came back to Hesperus around a month ago, pretty intent to find you and repay you somehow now that I've found my feet again, for the most part. The only information I could get was that you'd left but were holding your room open for when you returned. So I thought I'd wait and see if you might turn up."

Vela seemed to want to respond, facing Orion but signing toward Dritz in order to allow him to translate. Orion watched both her hands and her expression, able to tell the topic was serious, but not much else until the Chrysalan spoke.

Something about Orion's equally warm and bright response made Dritz incredibly happy. While he did have companions on Chrysala, none were ever so... Boisterous as he was, he supposed. It was nice to have a similar response, especially since he had taken to the man so quickly.

He watched Vela's signs with a smile that was unabashedly adoring, almost like he forgot Orion was there for a moment. Gosh, she was the most beautiful in the galaxy, though. Turning back to arguably the most beautiful human in the galaxy, Dritz explained, "We've been looking into helping the Aurians find a new home, and Trelos was the nearest suitable planet. There's some other options, but hopefully we'll be able to work with Trelos. It was sort of spur of the moment, really. We just... Up and left! It was an adventure." He smiled more softly then, looking over at Vela.

"But what about you, my friend? I can't believe you came here just to wait and see us! That's... Wow. I'm really touched."

"Ah, that sounds incredible. What a great thing to do for your people. I hope it works out the way you'd like." There wasn't a lot Orion could say on the subject, but from what little he had managed to discover about the Aurians, he knew they needed a change to their lifestyle. "You're both really admirable for taking on such an enormous task. And I'm a bit familiar with Trelos... Nice place, not too populated. I could see that working."

He leaned back, running a hand through his hair in a way that only made it more unkempt, before giving his usual lopsided smile. The look on Dritz's face as he watched Vela was unmistakable. "And it's good to see you two still together. It can be difficult for two different species trying to make their way together as a couple. And I guess you never know where life's going to take you. You probably didn't think you'd be off on a journey like that, just the same as I didn't think I'd end up romantically involved with royalty from Coronus."

He began chuckling to himself over the very thought, but stopped when he noticed the reaction to his words. Vela was staring at him in concern, her one normal eye wide, before turning a disbelieving look toward Dritz. Orion would have explained further, but their reactions were so strange that it gave him pause.

"Er... what? Did I say something wrong?"

"Yeah, I always figured I'd just end up with someone fr-," Dritz stopped, comically frozen as something occurred to him. He looked at Vela intensely. Somehow they seemed to have a conversation in an instant. Did he just...? Yes. He did? Yeah, I know. Are you gunna...? No. Should I...? One of us has to.

Dritz seemed to lose any semblance of his usual bright, polite and diplomatic self as he began to giggle uncontrollably before spotting Orion's confusion. He turned to the scruffy man, tittering nervously, "Sorry, friend, I thought you..." The expression on Orion's face told him all he needed before he even finished the question. "Oh. Oh... Oh wow. Okay. You're really serious."

They remained quiet for a long moment before Dritz cocked his head. Fera, because it had to be, was not particularly receptive to them, but... he might be different with someone he deemed pretty enough. The Chrysalan smiled more genuinely this time, "That's wonderful. I... really hope he makes you happy. He's... never seemed like the romantic sort to me, but then, I've never been involved with a royal." He gave Orion a wink.

Obviously still baffled by their responses, Orion stared between the two of them. "Of course I'm serious, I... Wait a minute... you know him?"

Vela took over, even though she knew Dritz would have to translate first. Her expression was grim now, as she thought Orion must be very confused to make what she felt was probably a big mistake. [We've made his acquaintance in the past. He is a horrible person.]

"Uh... Dritz, I appreciate that, but... I think Vela isn't too happy about it, from what I can gather. And let me tell you, if we're really talking about the same prince of Coronus here, I completely understand if you're not on the best of terms with him." Orion did look pained then, so Vela thought he must know what he was doing... but why?

Dritz laughed sheepishly again, wincing at Vela's signing. As if he worried that Orion might understand, he reached over and stroked her hands gently. He sort of agreed, in a way, but he wouldn't want anyone to say anything against his own lover, so he wouldn't want to say anything against Orion's. Even if it was, apparently, Fera.

"I think there's only one prince of Coronus," he joked. "See... We blew a resonance tube, and Prince Fera picked up our distress beacon. He..." Dritz gestured vaguely, glancing at Vela, "Wasn't the nicest to us. He was very rude to Vela in particular... but he did help. In the end. But no, you and him don't really see eye to eye, huh?" He offered Vela a slightly apologetic smile.

"Yeah... there is only one," Orion agreed heavily, too distressed to think about how Dritz's statement had been intended to sound. If they already knew Fera, already knew how difficult he could be... In a way, that made things both easier and harder.

"That sounds like Fera," he continued, looking closely at Vela. "From my experience so far, a bit less than a year, he can be rude and abrasive, but like Dritz said, he did end up helping you. Fera has... a lot of issues. That doesn't excuse his behavior, so for now I'll apologize to you, seeing as how I'm sure he never did."

Vela didn't look convinced at all, just nodded stiffly and continued to watch Orion with some mixture of suspicion. He sighed, realizing the difficult path which lay ahead. "Long story short, my ship was destroyed and it was in large part due to our troublesome Prince Fera. Before you get too alarmed..." -because they already looked alarmed- "...I'm fine with it now. Mostly. But of course I wasn't at first, and only hung around him in an effort to get him to pay for it in some way. As more time went by, I got to know him better. And, well... he's not so bad. Needs work though. A lot of work. Underneath that cold exterior, there really is someone vulnerable and... well, pretty wonderful."

With the weakest of smiles, he shrugged. "I'd understand if you no longer want anything to do with me because of my association with him. In fact I'd not hold it against you in the slightest." It was all he could do to explain, but Orion liked Dritz and Vela, and hoped they were willing to give Fera a chance.

While Dritz had been listening intently, his expression had been growing softer and softer, and when Orion even suggested that they might no longer want to associate with him, he looked almost physically pained. He threw himself forward and bundled the human into a huge hug, shaking his head.

"Absolutely not," he said firmly when he finally let the poor man go. "Okay, so... Fera iiis not the easiest guy to be around. He was rude to my flower, and that is not cool, but you're with him. And I think that's more than enough to tell me there's something more to him!" He shrugged, "Plus, I like you too much to not be friends. Right?" He looked over at Vela for her input, smiling hopefully.

Vela watched in some concern, thinking Dritz was being perhaps a little overly emotional about the situation. It was true she liked Orion as well, but her caution meant she simply couldn't accept all of this too easily.

She beckoned at the Chrysalan after apologizing to Orion for the moment and asking him to wait, walking away through the streets a good enough distance so they wouldn't be overheard. Facing Dritz with a little frown, she signed, [I'm not sure. Orion seems to be a good man. But Fera... what if this is some kind of elaborate plan? Even if I'm not sure he has the patience to draw out a plan for almost a year.] That was certainly true. The prince of Coronus seemed the type to lose interest quickly, so remaining with Orion that long might mean he was being genuine in this case.

[I just want to be safe,] she continued, hoping he would understand. [You heard what happened to Orion's ship. What if the Nova...] It was too difficult to complete that statement. It would be an enormous loss not just to herself and Dritz, but to the cause of the Aurians.

As soon as they were alone, Dritz drew Vela close, looking at her with concern. He watched her signing and her expression closely. He nodded, considering her concerns, before cupping her face and kissing her, soothingly stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones.

"I get it," he said softly, "But I don't think Fera would have done such a thing on purpose. He may be a stupid jerk, but I don't think he'd take any pleasure from physically harming someone. Heh, I know that's not especially comforting. What I'm saying is that I don't think you need to be concerned. Orion is a great guy, I think some of his goodness will rub off on our friend, the prince. You like Ori, right? I trust his opinions, and I really think he wouldn't have anything to do with him if he didn't see something good there. I mean, he's friends with us, and we're amazing!" He pulled her into his arms, ducking his head and looking at her seriously, "And if he tries anything, or says anything to you, I'll have words. I won't let anything happen to you, flower. And I won't let anything happen to the Nova. Okay?" He smiled softly, adding, "Cap'n."

As usual, Dritz's tender actions and words broke through some of Vela's skepticism. Her own expression softened as she watched him carefully, listening to what he said and debating the matter in her mind. When he pulled away to let her speak, she nodded first.

[Orion is nice. I think I can trust him. But I won't trust Fera. You can't ask me to, but I will tolerate him... or try.] It was going to be quite a task, but if the prince was going to be rude to her then she thought she was within her rights to act the same toward him. Within reason.

Most of all, however, the reappearance of Orion seemed to make Dritz so happy. Vela didn't want to take that away from him, or the fact she was certain the two could be good friends. That made her happy, in turn. She still felt she owed him so much, even if she wouldn't bring that up. [Thank you. I feel a little better about it now.] One more time she moved to embrace him and they shared a gentle kiss, before returning to where Orion was waiting.

"Hey. Uh... I hope it's all okay. Like I said, I'll understand no matter what." Orion seemed nervous and worried as well, and Vela began to understand that he truly did want their companionship. Maybe he was lonely if Fera wasn't around.

[We'll remain friends,] she signed to Orion, though she had turned toward Dritz so he could see. [I don't know that Fera likes us at all, but I guess we'll have to see if that's changed.]

Dritz chuckled affectionately, shaking his head. "I would never ask you to trust Fera. I think he should appreciate the fact that you're trying at all, after how he's treated you." After a moment's embrace, he added in a softer tone, "I think you're amazing, you know?"

Poor Orion seemed more than a little concerned when they returned to their table, but Dritz smiled at him in a way he hoped was reassuring. He'd taken to Orion's messy, relaxed appearance and kind eyes almost instantly, and he truly wanted to keep their blossoming friendship healthy. However, he did think he would have sided with Vela were she unhappy. Of course he would have. He cared too deeply not to.

"We're a bit worried that Fera doesn't like us much. It just might be a bit of a struggle, yeah?" he said with a shrug. "But we want to stay friends. Maybe we could all... Spend some time together? Could be fun?"

When they finally returned to the table, Orion was able to relax somewhat. He had hoped they would actually come back, though he worried they wouldn't. But Dritz and Vela didn't seem the type to abandon him without so much as a farewell.

"Ah, great. Thank you both. I understand this might be difficult at times, but believe me when I say it's something we can handle and will be worthwhile in the end." At least, he hoped so. "As for whether Fera likes you... well. I can't speak for him. But I honestly think there's no reason he shouldn't. We'll work that out if needed."

He leaned back and blew out a long breath, thinking. "Yeah, actually meeting up is the first step. What about the hologardens? You've been there before, I'm sure? I can't decide if I should tell him about you beforehand. He might not come if he knows. But it would be just plain easier if he doesn't know, anyway. If that's alright... maybe tomorrow evening? I want to give you guys a chance to rest, too."

Pausing, he looked them over with a sheepish smile. "Stop me if I'm trying to plan this all out myself. I guess I'm a little stressed out by wanting this to go well."

Dritz pulled a face, not because of Orion, but because of the unexpected offense he felt at the idea that Fera hadn't even mentioned them, let alone given any indication of whether he liked them or not. Of course the prince would not be the type to do something like that, but Dritz still could not help feeling disappointed.

Nevertheless, Orion seemed to want them all to spend time together, which was nice to know. He knew they would be able to make the effort for him, even if doing so for Fera might be... difficult.

He glanced at Vela, his smile both soft and amused at the same time, "Ah, yes. We know the gardens well. I think that's a great idea, but do you have any objections, flower? And don't you worry, Ori, we will do our best to make this work."

The mention of the hologardens made Vela want to smile but frown at the same time. Of course she wanted to go there, but not with Fera around. Her fond memories of being there with Dritz didn't need to be tainted in the future. Still, it might be their best chance at some sort of reconciliation which, despite everything else, she did want. If they could get along with the prince then it would be for the best... but she couldn't imagine it happening.

[That's fine. We'll meet there tomorrow night.] After deciding on a time, and offering more reassurances that everything would be alright, they finally parted ways, with Dritz and Vela walking together slowly back to their rooms.

Vela didn't say anything for some time, keeping her hand in Dritz's and intertwining their fingers softly. She listened to him ramble a little about the meeting, and how things could have changed in the meantime, but after a while she decided it was better to focus on something else.

[Let's relax for a while,] she suggested to him once they were safely in their rooms. [I'm looking forward to resting while not traveling. Maybe... a bath before we go to bed?] With their new intimacy since their departure, there was an extra delight to the idea now which took her mind off annoying princes entirely.

As they retreated to their room, Dritz happily chatted away to Vela, who remained as quiet as usual, her hand tucked sweetly in his. He wondered idly if, could she speak aloud, she would remain so silent while they were together. It was strange but pleasant to never feel like she wasn't listening, even when she didn't respond. He was learning to take other cues from her body, guiding their conversation even while one wasn't speaking.

Their room was a welcome sight after so long. Of course, they had already dropped their things off, but they hadn't stuck around too long, so finally getting in and knowing they would be staying for the next night, without leaving, was bliss.

Vela's suggestion sounded anything but relaxing, however. Dritz's antennae rose in a low arc as he looked her over with a slight smirk. "Well, what a suggestion! One that I would be a damn fool to pass up," he said silkily, kissing her gently.

From Dritz's reaction, Vela knew her suggestion was very well received. She kissed him back, but wasted no time in leading him into the bathroom, where the clean bathtub awaited them. The staff at Hesperus was dutiful, she noted offhandedly, having already been in to remove the dust that would have accumulated since they left.

Leaning over the edge of the tub, she used the handles to adjust the temperature the way Dritz had taught her, making it hot but not too hot, and adding the mixture for the bubbling soap which she found so enjoyable. She was aware of the Chrysalan's eyes on her, followed closely by his hands, making her turn back to him with a fond but slightly teasing smile.

Slowly she began to remove her tunic, finding he was eager to assist her in the matter. Once her leggings also lay on the floor, she began tugging at his clothes to help him, her hands sliding across his skin in a way that betrayed her own eagerness.

However, at that point she stopped and eyed the tub critically. [How do we get in together?] she signed, not having considered that part yet.

Soon the bathroom was filled with the soft, sweet smell of the soap, and a warm haze of steam. Vela's pale skin shimmered in the light, and Dritz couldn't keep from laying his hands on her shoulders, brushing his fingers around to the small of her back before glancing at the bath as though he was only just noticing the tub.

"Hm. Well..." He hopped in, slipping into the water and taking her hand, pulling her in after him. He arranged her so she was kneeling between his legs, facing him, and brought her to rest against his chest. "How is this, flower? I'm thoroughly prepared to play around until we get it right," he said slyly.

Vela quickly decided there was not much nicer than her current situation. There simply couldn't be. The water was warm, the air itself was warm, and she was resting against Dritz, the softest and warmest individual she could imagine; she wouldn't want to imagine anyone else.

Unable to sign properly, she simply nodded, raising herself up a little in order to put her arms around his shoulders and kiss him softly, bringing a new and even more satisfying feeling of warmth to her body. His hands were brushing down her back again, and the added sensation of the water on them was somehow more pleasurable than she might have imagined. They continued to kiss as she moved again, feeling almost unable to stop herself.

-

The water had cooled off a bit, most of the soap having disappeared, by the time they left the tub. Vela took one of the towels and gently began to work at drying Dritz's body, even though she was currently dripping on the floor, which seemed to amuse him at the same time as he enjoyed it. They were both still a little flushed, she noticed, which was perhaps not surprising at all.

Dritz was chewing on his lower lip as Vela gently swept the towel over him. She seemed to be paying special attention to his stomach, which only served to amuse him. He grabbed another towel from the rail and opened it with a flourish, wrapping it around her shoulders as he kissed her forehead. "You're dripping everywhere," he sighed exaggeratedly, "Whatever will we do with you?"

He scooped her up in the towel, gently starting to dry her off and whispering, "I don't want you to get cold."

With a flirtatious smile, he carried her through to the bedroom, laying her on the bed and carefully drying her hair, following each brush of the towel with a gentle kiss to where it had been.

Vela shivered a little as Dritz spoke to her, though she was not actually cold. It was more of a pleasant feeling, having enjoyed a wonderful time and being sure there was more to come.

He carried her to the bed and set her down with the utmost care, beginning to dry the parts of her hair that had gotten wet, and she smiled as he kissed her at the same time. She would have never suspected this before, but it seemed she enjoyed being taken care of to a certain extent. Once they were both dry and the towels discarded on the floor to be picked up later, Vela lay facing Dritz on her side, though turned just enough so both arms were free to sign.

[We'll take another bath tomorrow night?] Her motions were lazy, as she still felt incredibly warm and relaxed. [I'm sure we'll need one, after dealing with Fera. Is it possible to take too many baths?] She hoped not. Taking her right hand, she traced her fingers along Dritz's collarbone and trailed them lower down his chest, enjoying how vibrant his skin appeared next to hers, as she usually did.

To his own surprise, Dritz let out an involuntary string of happy chirps as he relaxed under Vela's gentle touch. He laced his fingers with hers, smiling lazily.

"There is no such thing as too many baths, flower," he beamed, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing her fingertips. He groaned, which crumpled into a slight giggle, "We're definitely gunna need some serious relaxation after time with our very, very favourite royalty."

He leaned up, propping himself on one elbow and stroked her jawline gently, his gaze trailing over her before he shifted closer and kissed her.

"For now, though, we won't think about that, hm?"

[Good.] Vela returned the kiss before resting on her back, smiling up at him as he leaned slightly over her. [The sounds you make are very... cute,] she signed, changing the subject immediately and trying out a word which was still new for her. [I wish I could say more, make more sounds. I'll practice soon.]

"Driss," she tried softly, thinking the 't' and 'z' were almost there now. [What should we think about instead?] Reaching up, she traced a finger over his lips and then placed it on her own, a form of indirect kiss which could be used when it was too cold to have skin exposed on Aurctas, though she hadn't thought of the motion in a long time. And it was difficult to think of not being able to be unclothed, at the moment.

Dritz shook his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but it was flattering to him that she found the noises he made to be cute. He smiled, further colour coming to his cheeks when she traced his lips.

"I... really like how you pronounce my name," he mumbled, clearly amused by it, but in such a way that it was clear he found it incredibly endearing. Her voice was soft and hesitant, and so pleasant the rare times he got to hear it. With a quick kiss to her forehead, his smile turned more playful, "Maybe we could think about our lovely bath instead."

He leaned down again and kissed her neck where it joined her shoulder, and down to her collarbone.

#rp file #rp logs #file 20 #cute floofy haircuts #returning to the station #finding out ori has a new romantic interest o-o #i should have posted this a while back sorry :p

[tumblunni]

Bwoop! Cathedral tower defense ideas! Havent really made much damn progress on this game since I havent got a design for the protagonist yet, but at least now I have designs for two of the party members. (Thanks @summon-daze!) So for now lets just have some rambling ideas for potential sidequests you could have with these two!

BRIEF SUMMARY TIME Amity: Protagonist. A gruff and badass wandering priestess whose homeland was destroyed in the war. Now she’s joined another church in a foreign land and is dertermined to defend it against the demons, and never let that tragedy happen again! But she has to win the trust of these strangers first, and teach them how to survive... Florin: First and only party member you begin with at the start, deuterogonist, cute sidekick of sass and pep. He’s a plant type demon who’s haunting Amity for reasons unknown, and refuses to leave! Now she’s stuck trying to get rid of him, while he insists on being annoyingly helpful yet comically lazy at the same time. Also, as an incidental fact, he suffers from narcolepsy. Malachi: Optional party member, and the only other demon in the cast. An adorable little choir boy who doesn’t seem entirely aware that he’s become a demon. It’d be cruel to judge him the same as the others, we need to keep him safe! He’s quiet and cuddly and comically oblivious. What do you mean humans don’t enjoy eating rocks??

THUS, SIDEQUEST IDEAS

* Multiple different attempts to get rid of Florin, which all inevitably fail and end up causing him and Amity to become closer buddies. TFW you try to exorcise a guy and end up frolicking through the fields of friendship~! * Similarly, it could be fun to have some silly plans to trick him into being less lazy. Predictably the answer is just gonna be ‘when you’re nicer to him, he actually wants to put in the effort’, but that doesnt mean we cant have some fun shenanigans in the process! * Amity sneaking around trying to spy on Florin and find him doing something evil. He’s GOT to be here to pull off some ultimate plot, right?? Lol, 90% of their friendship is just Amity being suspicious as heck and Florin rudely persisting in being harmless. * A plot where somehow they actually do get separated, and Amity begins to realise how helpful her lil demon sidekick has actually become, and how much she genuinely appreciates him as a friend. Could possibly be that instead of being gone, Florin is ill with some sort of demon sickness and you need to go on a grand quest to save him? or maybe he’s been kidnapped by a villain who wants to use his powers for nefarious purposes, and accuses you of doing the same thing because why on earth else would you pretend to care about this monster? (And then when you rescue him you can have the grumpy excuse that of course you only did it because he’d be dangerous as anyone else’s sidekick. No affection was involved at all!!) * Mysterious flowers are appearing around the cathedral, and Amity starts to suspect that Florin is setting up some sort of evil demon plan. But she actually discovers that this is a sign of how much he’s genuinely begun caring about the other npcs, he’s been paying attention to their troubles and secretly giving them the flowers he thinks they’d most like, without wanting to take any credit for it. So you get a sassy friendship scene of Amity blackmailing him by threatening to reveal he’s been being nice! Thus florin gains the bonus skill of opening a little flower store. (And blushing himself to death every time anyone says thank you) * A conflict between Amity and Florin, where she accuses him of just being lazy as always, but this time he really was trying! He started off not caring about anyone, and only working when it benefitted him, but now he’s working his butt off and has become really self-concious about the fact he’s not really able to keep up with the rest of the party. And so he ends up talking about his narcolepsy problem with her, and if they have enough friendship points she starts being more considerate and trying to help him out with it. And maybe unlocks a longer quest chain of improving the home base’s medical facilities? * Florin hibernates in winter, everyone has to cope without him and realises how much they miss him. Like a repeat of the earlier quest where he’s kidnapped, but this is a new perspective on how Amity feels about it now they’ve been close friends for a while. And also how everyone else around the church feels. Maybe a plot of them all deciding to write down letters for him to read when he wakes up? And maybe tensions getting high when some sort of disaster happens, and Amity is like ‘oh god i dont want to have to tell Florin that this place fell apart without him’. (With it being up to player choice whether you include the bad points in the letter, or try and hide it from him.) * A potential bad ending for Florin, and how things continue afterwards. I think he’d be one of the characters who (initially at least) doesnt die when defeated in battle. If he’s taken out, he’s just near-mortally wounded and recovers after a very tense period where he’s in a coma. And then the plot explores everyone’s feelings at almost losing him, and his own feelings of uselessness now he’s too injured to go back to the fight. And because malachi can become like an adoptive brother to florin, they can still have a happy ending together even if florin has been removed from the party like this. He retires to take care of his lil bro full time, and he doesnt worry about feeling useless when he knows he’s got someone who thinks the world of him. And Malachi can inherit some of his skills and equipment since now Florin can devote all his time to tutoring him into taking up his former place in the army. * Oh, and of course Malachi’s recruitment sidequest! You’d first encounter him as a feral rock beast in a dungeon somewhere, and there’s a conflict between Amity and Florin because she believes this thing needs to be destroyed and he insists that they can redeem it. He can sense it’s a demon, and its got to be corrupted if it’s going wild like this! But Amity believes that demons are inherantly evil, so this one’s behaviour isnt unusual like florin thinks. She’s aknowledged that florin isn’t evil, but she still feels he’s an exception amoung demons! But eventually she’s convinced to take a chance on florin’s convictions, because its rare for him to be so un-lazy about something, and to defend something even at the risk of his own life. So they manage to find a way to purify the monster, and find out that it was a very young child, underneath all that scary rock armour. So if they’d slain it without a second thought, they would have committed an unforgiveable sin... * Malachi’s next sidequest would be convincing him to leave the ruins and come home with them, while exploring the dungeon to try and find out what exactly happened to turn such a sweet kid into a demon. (Not to mention the fact he was absolutely crazed with corruption!) I don’t wanna spoil the ending to this, but I have a lot of Sad Ideas for this charrie, hee hee~ * A potential plotline that once Malachi joins the church base, he could have trouble making friends with the normal human children. I Had an idea of a bully character who’d get redeemed and ultimately become accepted as his friend after a big ol sad apology scene, and then they become this misfit buddies duo. And the ostracization from the other kids doesnt hurt as much when he’s got this tough former-bully lady defending him against her former-comrades. * And he also grows closer to Florin as theyre the only two demons, and florin was the one who saved him. Plus they both enjoy sitting buried in the flowerbed and eating dirt! I think the relationship wouldnt start off this close though, Mal would initially be scared of Florin. Since he doesnt know that he himself is a demon, he just thinks florin is the only demon and he has much the same fears as Amity once had when the story began. But it could be more comical, because its inherantly silly when you have this kid with giant horns yelling ‘ITS A DEMON’ and hiding behind the couch XD And eventually he does grow to love florin like a parent, but he’s still comically oblivious. He just decides that florin ISNT a demon, of course! He’s just... a little more green than other people!! * Possibly a plot of everyone holding a funeral for malachi to cheer him up, since he never had one when he died as a human. But since malachi doesnt comprehend the whole concept, he’s just like ‘when normal people get put in the ground they sleep forever, why did i wake up? is it because i never got tucked in like they did?’ And then it could be funny like bender’s fake funeral in futurama, but also a bit bittersweet and sad and heartwarming. * Sudden panic! Malachi accidentally calls florin ‘dad’, and florin FREAKS THE FRICKLE FRACK OUT! ‘I’m not a good influence, amity! aaaaa!!!’ Worries too much about not being good enough, maybe comically tries to change his personality into a generic sitcom father and malachi is like ‘wtf’ * Possibly a plot about malachi and florin bonding as demons, and figuring out what being demons even necessarily means. I’m thinking florin might be a bit scared by seeing how malachi can sometimes hulk out and run on pure instinct. Its such a huge contrast that this sweet kind child can have such bloodthirstiness inside him, he doesnt understand how malachi seems to enjoy fighting. And he doesnt understand how malachi can think he can control it! He gets a bit scared that this means the fighting side of him is the real side, and the childlike side is just a front, just a lie like everyone says demons manipulate everyone. And does this mean that florin himself is the same? Is he just deluding himself that he can be good? So the resolution is florin being able to accept that both parts of malachi are still malachi, and its completely possible to have both sides without being evil. It is indeed in the nature of demons to fight, but they dont enjoy destruction or evil, its not like holding back some horrible monster who’ll murder everyone you love. And florin has always been holding back this side, he’s been afraid of using his powers too much, worrying he only exists to kill. Malachi helps him accept that his powers have equal potential to heal and to harm, and that it IS possible to control them, that the choice between good and evil is indeed his own choice. At the same time this helps malachi accept that he is indeed a demon, and cope with remembering his horrifying backstory. Knowing that he isnt alone, and that demons dont have to be evil, he’ll be able to be okay, and he has this other demon friend who can help him though it. And they’re able to work out the whole Fearsome Demonic Instincts by doing some playfight sparring together like total dorks XD If you’re worried about your sense of control, then never using your powers wont help! Gotta actually practise! * Possibly florin officially adopting malachi as his son, and its possible for the player to expand out and make more bases once you’ve fully upgraded the cathedral. And maybe florin could become the boss of this new place, and turn it into like an orphange for malachi and others? it could be a big sign of his character development that he’s come this far! Also it could just be hilarious to imagine how baffled travellers would be. “Aaaa there’s a demon and he’s... looking after small children??” “We must rescue the small children from that horrible demon and take them to the orphanage!” *knocks on the door and its florin again*

#cathedral tower defense

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 6/19/19

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 14 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – Well, that didn’t last long. In a series about the heroine singing in a band, when she can’t sing if she’s dating one of the guys she likes, it’s best to end it. Or at least that’s what Momo thinks, anyway. Time to see who wins the battle of self-sacrifices. Elsewhere, it’s dawning on the band that they need to think past high school, and Haruyoshi is waffling about the direction he wants to go next. I won’t spoil how this is resolved, but it’s sort of hilarious *and* touching. And of course there’s Nino’s part in all this, as she has to deal with a breakup as well, in addition to trying to find her voice—again. Anonymous Noise never seems to lack for things to happen, and it continues to putter along smoothly. – Sean Gaffney

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 5 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – Sadly, going to the festival turns out to not happen—again—as Kou is once again being drawn away from Futaba, this time because he’s trying to help a distant friend with personal problems. And also possibly because Futaba is hanging out and chatting with Toma, who’s handsome and nice and also has fallen head over heels for her, something Futaba realizes not one bit. And so much of this volume returns us to the halcyon days of Kou being avoidant and difficult. At least Futaba angsting over telling her friends about her feelings for Kou is quickly nipped in the bud. I do really like the reverse costume cafe they do. (They’re right; Murao does look amazing as a butler.) Will this cliffhanger affect anything? Oh, probably. – Sean Gaffney

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 5 | By Io Sakisaka | VIZ Media – Futaba and Kou had gotten close to confessing their mutual feelings, and he even invited her again to the summer festival they didn’t get to attend in junior high. But then he suddenly cancels and is incommunicado for the rest of summer vacation. When school resumes, it seems he’s actually in good spirits, but is preoccupied with his phone. Eventually it emerges that he’s helping a former classmate get over the death of a parent, and though Futaba thinks this is admirable, she nonetheless feels left out. The fact that this classmate is female is obvious but is held as a reveal until the final page. Meanwhile, a male rival must be introduced too, and so we meet Toma Kikuchi, a boy who Futaba accidentally groped, who comes to like her after realizing she’s perceptive, honest, and not as tough as she might appear. Standard shoujo, but still enjoyable. – Michelle Smith

As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 6 | By Matoba | Yen Press – No one seems to be more surprised than the artist that this series has reached six volumes, which results in a meta gag when Azazel’s assistant Samyaza appears, and they note it’s far too late in the series to introduce someone like him. He bounces off Mullin well, though—perhaps a bit too well for Beelzebub’s taste, as she worries that they’re both too shippable with each other. Elsewhere, the exchange diary between Belphegor and Azazel is actually not a half-bad idea, but too many cooks spoil a bit of the pie. Unfortunately, there’s more Eurynome as well, and trying to indicate she’ll eventually be shipped with Samyaza does not balance out her continued lust for young boys. Read it if you already are. – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 9 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamaji| Seven Seas – As it turns out, the girl that Last Order ran into in the previous volume, despite giving off immense “I am a secret villain” vibes—mostly to Last Order, to be fair—turns out not to be a villain. She is, however, a twin, and it’s her sister who seems to have the villain card as well as the tragic past. It’s also startling to see the princess from the previous book captured fairly easily (possibly as Accelerator is healing so AWOL this book), and the cliffhanger, which involves repeated use of the food/death metaphors that litter the book, is really chilling. That said, if there’s one thing that defines this volume of the series, it’s the big ol’ fight in the middle of it, which is very well done. – Sean Gaffney

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 5 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – I admit I avoided reading this for a while. I still expect it to end with everyone either dead or depressed. I mean, it’s Asano. But as always, when I finally started to read it it was fantastic. The art alone is a main reason to read this. Plus, now that everyone is in college, relationships are allowed to develop more naturally. Unfortunately, in both cases this may end up being a mistake. Oran has bonded with the alien in disguise, and hides him by saying he’s her boyfriend… something that may be coming true. As for Kadode, I was sort of hoping that graduation would mean the end of the crush on her teacher, but apparently it means there’s nothing standing in the way anymore. Will either girl find happiness before the end of humanity that continues to be implied here? – Sean Gaffney

My Solo Exchange Diary, Vol. 2 | By Nagata Kabi | Seven Seas – The sequel to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness ends with the second volume; the conclusion of the series is just as achingly and brutally honest as its beginning. Kabi’s struggle with anxiety and depression continues through its highs and extreme lows. The success of her autobiographical manga ultimately compounds the issue for her as she starts to feel guilty about some of the things that she’s said about family members and has to deal with the consequences of revealing so much of herself to a public audience. A central portion of the second volume of My Solo Exchange Diary is devoted to Kabi’s stays in two different hospital wards—part of her ongoing efforts to get her life back on track. Due to the subject matter of My Solo Exchange Diary, the series isn’t always the easiest to read, but it is still an approachable, compelling, and noteworthy work. – Ash Brown

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 7 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – We’re down to twice a year for this series now, the same as Japan, but it’s making those volumes count. We get lots of Fumi being awesome (toilet brush or no), lots of romantic sizzle between her and Kyutaro, overcoming self-loathing and doubt, and a whole lot of testicle jokes. In case you wondered what all the “golden ball” stuff was. The beauty of this artist is that she’s not afraid to have things get completely silly even in the middle of a dramatic fight, and alternatively have the silliest moments give way to drama. We also get a lot more insight into Kyutaro’s late parents here. But, and the cliffhanger doesn’t quite tell us, will someone finally realize that Fumi + Fuyu = Fuyumi? – Sean Gaffney

Ran the Peerless Beauty, Vol. 4 | By Ammitsu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Ran and Akira are now officially a couple, and this volume features milestones like calling each other by first names, going on a real first date, holding hands, and Christmas. While it cannot be denied that the plot is fairly formulaic at this point, there’s still something special about Ran the Peerless Beauty. Part of it, I think, is that we see just as much of Akira’s emotions as we do Ran’s, and it’s often the case that when she’s nervous or embarrassed or unsure, he confesses that he’s right there with her. Too, Ammitsu’s art is very expressive. I loved a particular smirk of Akira’s (after purloining a strawberry) very much but actually laughed out loud at the panel in which her father finally comprehends that Akira is Ran’s boyfriend. I hope this one gets a print release so it might reach a wider audience. – Michelle Smith

Sweetness & Lightning, Vol. 12 | By Gido Amagakure | Kodansha Comics – I wasn’t prepared for the final volume of Sweetness & Lightning to make me verklempt, but that’s because I didn’t know the final chapter would see Tsumugi going off to college in Hokkaido. Before this, we got a sequence of chapters with Tsumugi at various ages, where we see her growing in independence and culinary skill. And, finally, heading out to experience life on her own. It’s very nice! Too, I really appreciated that nothing about the finale hinges on whether Inuzuka and Kotori might get together now that she’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 30. It’s clear that Tsumugi would like that, but to the end, this is the story of a father and daughter and how they have stuck together after the loss of someone they love. I enjoyed it very much. – Michelle Smith

Takane & Hana, Vol. 9 | By Yuki Shiwasu | VIZ Media – I know it’s contrived and rather over-the-top, but the meddling chairman forcing his grandson and the Nonomura family to live together really works for me. In order to convince Takane to go along with it, Hana has to honestly confess that she wants to live with him, something she later reiterates to Okamon, who is very worried about her whole situation and finally ends up confessing. I’m not sure Hana and Takane are really getting closer—for every sweet study session there’s a misguided, extravagant bedroom redecoration—but the whole setup does at least put a fresh spin on their arrangement and provides, in the chairman’s words, “a place for you two to become certain about each other.” This series continues to be a lot of fun. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

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