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#did i do this gif set because i know it's one of the top tier o'hara outfits?

songbirdofthenight · 3 months

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Game Night!

WC- 3092 (oops) Join my tag list- https://forms.gle/pEK2uw4zn2zsvBRv9

NSFW under cut <3

Warnings- so much kissing. so many pet names. Kind of virgin!reader, slight exhibitionism, p in v sex, PROTECTION USED (yeehaw!), swearing, mentions of choking but not used,- Please tell me if I missed anything!

Characters- fem!reader X Steve Harrington

Other- Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley, Eddie Munson

Summary- It’s game night in your shared apartment (reader and Robin), and you decide to tuck yourself away early. Amidst the conversation and card shuffling, Steve sneaks away to see you. One thing leads to another and a lack of clothing later, you find yourselves tangled within each others limbs unable to break away.

Robin and Eddie may have gone a bit overboard. They stood over the end of your kitchen table admiring the stack of board games they somehow managed to carry over.

“Do we really need this many?” Nancy questioned, counting the nineteen tiers of the great game tower. Robin nodded, “we have to have options don’t we?”

After maybe 10 minutes of hearing Steve and Eddie bicker back and forth about which game would be longest to play- turns out Monopoly won. Because of this, Monopoly was not the game of choice. Eventually you had all decided on UNO and little to his knowledge, Eddie learned just how painfully long UNO could be compared to Monopoly. “How long has this game gone on for, we’re only in round one?” Eddie moaned, flashing his hand of 18 cards up for everyone to see, there was no way he was winning. “Uh, maybe half an hour?” Steve shrugged, “it’s not that bad, we could be done within the next few minutes, you never know.” Your turn rolled around as everyone played their cards, very fortunately for you keeping the top card yellow. In your hand you held four cards: two green reverse cards, one red eight, and a yellow skip. Unfortunately for the never ending game, beside you sat Eddie who watched as you placed the skip card onto the pile. “NOPE. I’M DONE!” Eddie shouted, tossing his cards face up on the table showing the group his rainbow of digits and unhelpful cards. “Aw, Eds, did we deal you a bad hand?” you faked sympathy.

“Deal me a bad hand, DUH… I can’t believe I have been betrayed by my best friends, Jesus, what is this? Not a single useful card and I get skipped?!”

“It’s just a game, dude, not life or death.” Robin chimed in.

“Well it could be life or death, this is the crew to have done it all.” Steve said under his breath, earning a little giggle from you. “Okay, well, new game.” Eddie said, gathering the cards from the table. “Anyone up for Monopoly?”

Everyone nodded clearing space for the board to be set up. “I think I might turn in for the night,” You said, picking yourself up from your seat. Robin and Eddie booed as you cleared the table of its empty chip bags and candy wrappers hoping later they would follow just the same. Nancy joined you cleaning the empty cups and putting away the half finished litre of Coke in the fridge. “Did you have fun making Eddie cry?” Nancy laughed. You smiled, placing the cups from her hands into your dishwasher, “yeah, you know it’ll happen next week too.” “‘Night everyone!” you shouted walking into your room as Steve and Eddie put together the game board. “‘Night cheater,” Eddie shouted back. “Come on, Eddie, she didn’t cheat.” Steve nudged him.

“Yeah Eds, didn’t cheat… this time.” You teased shutting your door. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS TIME?” you heard him shout from the dining room. You knew eventually Steve would join you, which either meant he won the game and didn’t want to deal with Eddie shouting about it, or there was no chance he would win and no point in continuing. Between now and then, whichever outcome it may be, you cozied yourself up in one of his shirts- which you lovingly stole- and a pair of shorts. There wasn’t much in your small room, a few band posters of shows you had gone to, a little bookshelf beside your dresser filled with books and VHS tapes you’d been meaning to return, on top of the shelf was a small record player and stack of only the best music of all time. To pass the time you decided to play a record by Modern English. Song after song played while various cheers and disgruntled shouting happened outside your door, you laid on the edge of your bed flipping through the pages of a book you had picked up at the library.

After about an hour, you heard a soft knock on your door. “Still awake in there?” You popped up, opening the door for Steve, “Hi baby, did you win?” Steve shook his head, “No, I was dead last for the past twenty minutes. Then Eddie and Nancy decided to argue over rules for a while and I just slipped away. Think they’re gonna notice?” You giggled pulling him in. Steve kicked the door closed behind him. From the dining room you heard some murmurs of Nancy reading out each rule of the game. “Are you tired, pretty girl?” Steve asked, holding you close. You shook your head, “Not really, Stevie. Happy to see you though,” Steve hummed, pecking your forehead. “What would you like to do then?” “I dunno, Stevie, could go for another kiss though.” You smiled up at him. “‘Course pretty girl.” Steve said, catching your lips with his. You and Steve had been together for a while now, though you’d not really explored intimacy other than a few gentle touches and one-off makeout sessions in his car. Steve broke away after a moment, to your dislike. “We should take this away from your doorway, yeah?” You nodded agreeing. You pattered over to your bed, taking a seat on the edge with your legs spread wide. “C’mon Stevie,” you teased.

Steve’s eyes focused themselves on your figure as he made his way over to you. “Gonna let me take care of you, right baby? Can I?” He sounded breathless just at the sight of you. “Mhm, gonna let you do whatever Stevie,” you smiled at him. Steve dropped to his knees in front of you, reaching for your face. “God, you are so perfect.” You giggled as your lips met again, restarting the small spark you’d had before.

Steve leaned into you, pressing deeper into the kiss. He sucked gently on your bottom lip, letting his tongue slide gently across. Your jaw fell slightly, allowing him entrance. Steve’s tongue swirled around yours, exploring any space he possibly could. For a second you broke apart, each catching your breaths.

“Stevie?”

“Yes, angel?” “Need you.” Steve’s heart nearly pounded out of his chest at your words. “You sure, honey? I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this,” he trailed. You nodded quickly, “Yeah, m’ready Stevie, don’t wanna keep waiting.” Steve pulled himself up from the floor, hovering over you. “You’ll tell me if you’re uncomfortable or need to stop?” He wanted to know that you were serious, and if things became too much or uncomfortable you would tell him. “Yes,” you spoke softly.

Steve leaned down, his cheek pressed softly against yours as he whispered in your ear, “I didn’t quite catch that. Are you going to be a good girl and tell me if it's too much?” His words sparked electricity through every nerve in your body. “Yeah, yes, I’m gonna tell you, gonna be good.” His hands weren’t even on you and you started to become a mess beneath him. “Gotta keep it quiet too, we can’t have everyone else knowing how pretty you sound. They’ll be jealous,” Steve half joked. You nodded agreeing with him, keep it quiet. Lucky for you both the record you had put on prior to this still had a little play time left which allowed some distortion of noise that could cover the soft moans and whimpers you’d likely be letting out. Above you, Steve removed his shirt and tossed it to the side of your bed. His hands wandered to the hemline of yours, pausing for a moment asking for permission. You raised your arms in the air letting him strip you. Your nipples beaded as your shirt came off in the cold air. Steve’s hands carefully floated across your skin, down your chest and stomach, to the waistband of your shorts. You hesitated for a moment and shook your head, “not yet please.” Steve moved his hands back to your hips, “Okay, pretty girl, thank you for tellin’ me.”

Steve knew what some of your limits were, though you hadn’t really explored much other than his hands squeezing at your tits and ass from time to time. You had wanted to explore more, maybe a gentle squeeze around your neck or bringing you just so close to the edge and suddenly stopping anything you two would do. After all, you were curious what it all felt like. It’s not that Steve hadn’t touched you before, in fact, his hand was probably in your panties more than it had ever touched homework when you were back in high school. His curious hands would find themselves sliding down your stomach and fingers quickly finding your clit. As good as that was, it was never enough.

Steve placed his hand gently between your breasts, pressing you back into your mattress. Once you were fully laid back, Steve slid his hand up towards the base of your neck, resting there as you took slow breaths. “Are you still good, honey? Tell me what you need.” “Gotta have you on top, Stevie, need you on top.” You huffed out, pulling his hips on top of you. “Okay, okay, I’m getting there.” Stevie laughed, propping himself up on top of you. In his new position he planted a kiss onto the tip of your nose, hooking one arm under your shoulder and the other pressed into the mattress beside your chest.

“Hi baby,”

“Hi Stevie,”

His hand carefully trailed up the side of your breast, lighting up each nerve ending as his warm skin enveloped your sensitive chest. Steve’s lips kissed their way around your neck, as you squirmed flusteredly beneath him. “You wanna hold still for me, pretty girl? Let me take care of you?” he whispered lowly in your ear. “M’trying so hard, just so good, gotta distract myself.” “Oh? Why is that?”

“Well,” you started anxiously, “I don’t wanna accidentally…”

“Accidentally?” He teased, Steve’s lips pressed themselves to yours, his teeth catching your bottom lip. Steve’s hand groped your chest, his fingers searching for your nipple. As they found it he took his pointer and thumb, gently making circles with your pebbling bud. You let out a soft gasp. Steve’s lips travelled down your neck, landing on your tit, kissing, licking, biting all over. Slowly he moved closer, letting his tongue slide over your nipple earning yelps with each pass. “Stevie…” you whined. Steve’s lips wrapped around the center of your tit sucking with no intent to stop. “Stevie!!!” whines quickly became moans, soft ‘ohs’ spilling from your lips. Steve’s hand flew from your side and slapped over your mouth, he sucked harder, flicking his tongue across your sensitive nipple. Your back arched off of your mattress as he switched sides letting the cool air hit your chest. Steve’s mouth sucked painfully, pleasuring each of your tits as he switched sides, between using his mouth and his fingers to flick your poor abused buds. “N-need you, Stevie.” You tried to speak but his hand muffled the sound. Your hips rocked against his thigh trying to create the friction you lacked. Steve’s leg pressed harder and harder against you equally, poorly, attempting to add friction. With one breath, Steve lifted his head from your chest, readjusting himself above you. He sat upright, beside you, undoing his pants button. “Pants off?” “Pants off, please. Now, gotta do it now, need you.” You urged. Steve stood, quickly yanking his jeans from his body, tossing them to the side. He carefully traced his hands across your sides, slipping his fingers into your waistbands. He paused a minute waiting for a nod of approval, your head nodded fervently. Steve lifted your hips plucking your shorts and panties from your body and carefully placed them close by. Once again, Steve found himself propped on top of you. One hand placed gently beside your head and the other travelling lower and lower until he reached your pubic bone. “Now, pretty baby, you have to promise me you’ll be quiet if you want me to keep going.” “Promise, I promise, swear Stevie.” With that, Steve planted his lips between yours with his fingers easily sliding onto your clit. The new sensation earned a loud whine caught in his mouth. Steve continued, pressing circles on your clit, sucking at your lips to keep you as quiet as possible. You mumbled more in between kisses as his fingers prodded into your soaking cunt. Steve watched as your head tilted further back with each pulse of his fingers.

After what felt like an eternity of thick, pumping fingers in your pussy, Steve finally eased up. He shuffled awkwardly above you, stuffing his sticky fingers into your mouth. “Be a good girl and suck for me.” You nodded, obliging. Steve shoved his fingers further into your throat as you lapped and licked around them.

“Wanna give you my cock, baby, can I?” He sounded pathetic, begging you with his fingers in your throat to stuff your cunt. He removed his fingers from your mouth giving you a moment to breathe and respond. “H-ha, have a condom?” Steve nodded, practically jumping up to grab for his pants, grabbing the condom from one of the pockets. “Gotta keep one on me, just for you baby, anytime you want it.”

With a few minutes of careful consideration and readjusting, you smiled at Steve. “I want this.” His face lit up, “I’m going to be so gentle with you baby, just tell me and I’ll stop okay?” “Okay,” you nodded. “Gotta stay quiet for me too honey. Think you can?”

“Uh huh,”

“Good girl.” Steve’s hand captured yours, pressing it beside your cheek into the mattress. His other, holding his cock as he gently fit the tip into your throbbing pussy. Soft moans spilled from your lips as you adjusted, enjoying the new feeling. Steve pressed further and further into you as each inch of him sank into your soaking folds. “That’s it, honey. Just relax okay? Gonna take real good care of ya.” Your brain was melting into a puddle of pleasure, letting each inch roll into you like small waves on the beach. Steve stopped before fully bottoming out, making sure you had just enough of him to reach the same places he knew his fingers did without overstimulating you. Slowly, he thrusted in and out of your tight hole, earning more and more moans from you with each movement. “God, that's it baby, sound and feel so good.” He moaned in response. At this point you knew words were impossible, he just felt so good. His hand went from holding his cock back to massaging your clit. His face lowered to your ear, huffing hot, whiney, needy breaths. The stimulation and sound combined bubbled in your abdomen presenting a new sensation. Your pussy squeezed around his cock with each thrust. “Oh?” You moaned, though sounding concerned. Steve noticed, “you okay, wanna stop?” You shook your head “nuh uh, think I’m…” you were quickly cut off as the feeling surged in intensity. This was a new feeling. Getting close to cumming was far from anywhere Steve had ever taken you, disappointing then and now extremely overwhelming. You felt your orgasm surge through each nerve in your body, every ending busting like fireworks. Your jaw dropped, body rocking equally with his. You both paid no mind to the rule of keeping quiet as wanton moans filled the silent air around you. Your cunt fluttered around his cock as you cried out. “Cumming, Stevie, oh fuck, fuck…” Your body practically thrashed against the bed, as you came. Steve’s brows knit together, chasing after his own orgasm, moaning hotly in your ear. His pace sped up, fucking you harder through yours. It didn’t take much longer for Steve to come undone. With a soft voice he whined out, “cummin’ honey, so good.”

Steve’s thrusts slowed. His hand pressed slower and slower circles into your clit as he pulled himself out of your cunt. You made a disgruntled sound, unhappy with the sudden emptiness you felt. Steve pulled a blanket over you, picking himself up. He removed, knotted, and tossed the used condom in the trash bin by your door and pulled his boxers back on. You lay out of breath as Steve picked up his shirt and your panties. “Can I put these back on you, honey?” he asked sweetly. You nodded and Steve placed them beside you. “Wait, gotta clean you up first. I’d be a terrible boyfriend if I left my girlfriend like this. Be right back?” You smiled up at him, “okay Stevie.” Steve quickly pulled on his shirt and opened your door. Outside, sat still at the kitchen table was Robin, Nancy, and Eddie staring. “So you both owe me $10. I told you they were gonna do it.” Eddie smirked, extending his hands out towards Robin and Nancy. “Oh fuck you,” Nancy spat back reaching into her coat pocket.

“We did not shake on this.” Robin shook her head. “Well you owe me, soooooo…” Steve shook his head, “you did not bet on us having sex…” “Well we did only after the first hundred or so moans.” Robin laughed. Steve shrugged them off, grabbing a washcloth from your bathroom and running it under the faucet. He stepped out, looking back at the three, “I swear if you say anything to her about this,” Eddie shook his head “nooooo, what, no never.” Steve rolled his eyes walking back into your room. “So they know?”

“They know.”

You collapsed back against your mattress as Steve once again shut the door, making his way back to you. “I’m gonna clean you up now okay?” “Okay baby, be gentle?” “The gentlest.” Steve gently pressed the cloth between your legs. You jumped at the discomfort, slowly easing into the feeling. Steve took his time to carefully clean you up, slowing down with any notions of discomfort. He finished quickly, tossing the cloth to the floor beside your laundry. Steve pulled your panties back between your legs, reaching for your shirt. “No, baby, not yet.”

“No shirt?”

“No shirt. Just not yet?�� Steve laid beside you, pulling you close to his chest. “Anything for you honey, you were so good for me.” You lay curled in his chest, drifting off to sleep. Steve pressed a kiss into your forehead, “I love you.” “Love you too, Stevie.” you mumbled back as you both fell asleep in each other’s arms. Tag list- @micheledawn1975 @asimpforthe80s Join the tag list here https://forms.gle/pEK2uw4zn2zsvBRv9 Anons and Reqs are open! Stop by and say hi anytime!

#songbird singing #steve harrington #steve harrington smut #stranger things smut #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #good lord I love steve

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mindmeltonabun-blog · 4 months

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My Demon: Theories and Analysis for Eps 7-8

Hello Readers!

The episodes this week were top-tier! Some quick thoughts I had about this week's eps: Kwang Chul gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “step on me”. I totally wasn’t expecting this drama to have any blood or gore, but here we are. Did they have to make Gu Won’s stabbing so violent and gruesome?!! Blood was spurting out everywhere! It seriously made me want to vomit.

Other thoughts I had were that all of Madam Ju’s family members should be in prison or at least a mental institution because they're all so freaking crazy. The only good thing about these episodes was that Do Hee and Gu Won finally admitted their true feelings to each other.

I'll try to keep this post as short as possible, but you know me, I still end up writing a shit ton. Anyway, let's take a deeper dive into some of the many mysteries in "My Demon". Time to put on our thinking caps to analyze and theorize!

Demons' Limitations

In Ep 7, we were finally given more information about demons. Specifically, the writer provided us with information about demons' limitations which are quite similar to the limitations of the genie from Aladdin.

For those who don’t remember the rules of Aladdin's Genie, here they are:

1. Can’t kill anyone 2. Can’t make people fall in love 3. Can’t bring anyone back from the dead

There are some minor differences between the two sets of rules. For instance, instead of the rule that prohibits you from making people fall in love, there are rules against interfering with God's work and preventing natural disasters.

I believe the writer is presenting these rules to suggest that Gu Won will eventually break one of these rules to save Do Hee's life (see the section "What's Best for You is What's Best for Me" for more). Something interesting to note is that Netflix didn't translate the whole page in this scene. There is a part of the text that says, "Killing the living, saving the dead, etc are part of God's domain". This means God is allowed to kill the living, bring back the dead, prevent natural disasters, etc. Basically, God can do all the things demons can't. Seeing this translation also made me realize what God meant when she said "turf" in Ep. 7. I'll further elaborate in the section titled, "God/Lady".

Demons vs Guardians

I'm curious about the differences between demons and guardians. When a demon becomes a guardian, do they acquire a new set of powers? Or does becoming a guardian simply mean they return to being human without additional abilities? Based on the information presented so far, it appears that for a demon to transition into a guardian, they must learn to love and be loved in return. Achieving these milestones would essentially enable them to regain their soul and humanity. It would be cool though if, upon becoming a guardian, demons retained their powers but without an immortal lifespan, similar to Lee Yeon from Tale of the Nine-Tailed!

What Landed Gu Won in Hell? Love

Being a demon is comparable to the life of a genie. In both cases, the individuals are bound to fulfill the desires of others. However, for demons, this servitude isn't a mere obligation--it's a necessity for their continued existence. Unlike genies, demons must grant wishes to sustain their own lives. When I think about it, the life of a demon is quite sad because they have to spend their entire existence granting others' wishes without ever having an opportunity for their own wishes to be fulfilled. This got me thinking about what exactly was Gu Won's greatest desire or wish. Side note, y'all should check out the show Lucifer if you like mystery, devil and human romance, family drama, etc.

Throughout the show, we have witnessed that our deepest wishes and desires, can ironically, lead to our demise, sending us straight to Hell, where we are tormented by these very wishes. Take for example, Park Bok Gyu's wish to never go hungry. After he died, he was tortured by creatures with fish heads. Conversely, the mob boss, who sought wealth and power, faces a fate in Hell that, according to Gu Won, would be even more severe. These examples show us the larger the wish, the steeper the cost--meaning that if your wish is significantly large, your soul could end up in far worse places than Hell. But what's worse than even the deepest levels of Hell? Becoming a demon. Unlike in Hell, where you could finish your punishment more quickly and be reincarnated, being turned into a demon means becoming a slave for all of eternity. All hope isn't lost though because as I mentioned earlier, if you learn to love and be loved returned, you can be free of your demon existence.

I'll now provide you with what I think Gu Won's wishes were and the circumstances surrounding his transformation into a demon! Let me just say that Gu Won's wishes were astronomical. They weren't common wishes like wealth or power which would be easily granted by demons. They were wishes only God could grant.

(DISCLAIMER: DO NOT PLAGIARIZE MY THEORIES, I BETTER NOT BE SEEING MY THEORIES ON ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WITHOUT CREDIT).

So, Do Hee and Gu Won were in love, but their societal positions created significant barriers. Being a kisaeng and a nobleman, they faced the harsh reality their love could not flourish in that lifetime. Now, Do Hee was forced to work as a kisaeng to provide for her family.

Due to Do Hee's status as a kisaeng, she was either sold off to someone else or, in an alternative scenario, their forbidden love led to her tragic death (who knows, maybe Jin Star's past self killed Do Hee in a fit of jealousy; maybe they were sisters?). In either situation, Gu Won would've felt a profound sense of insignificance and weakness, unable to protect Do Hee from these tragic fates. Like he must've really hated himself.

In his pit of despair, Gu Won wished he could've saved Do Hee from her enslaved position as a kisaeng or untimely death, protected her, and married her one day. Now, those are some big wishes, and remember what I said? The bigger the wish, the larger the cost. In a twist of fate, God/Lady heard Gu Won's fervent wishes and offered Gu Won a deal. God would fulfill all of Gu Won's wishes if he agreed to work as a demon.

Sometime after this, Do Hee found out Gu Won became a demon because of her and felt immense guilt. Do Hee who was a devout Christian, prayed to God wishing Gu Won would be spared from suffering such an existence as a demon. Now, God mostly fulfilled this request by erasing Gu Won's human memories (I'm going with the Grim Reaper/oblivion tea theme here haha). Since Gu Won's inability to protect Do Hee tortured him deeply, the act of forgetting lessened his emotional pain. I say mostly because God wasn't quite done with fulfilling this request.

Just imagine being God, you would have to shuffle so many things around to fulfill both Do Hee and Gu Won's wishes. Make Do Hee rich so she's not working in a slave position...check...create a situation where the two would meet (i.e matchmaker got the hotel name wrong)...check...create a situation where the two would have to depend on each other (i.e shut off Gu Won's power on the road)...check..... make them get married..check and check.....free Gu Won from his existence as a demon...ongoing. IT'S A LOT Y'ALL.

How do you save Gu Won from a sad existence as a demon and spontaneous combustion? You turn him back into a human by introducing him to the very girl who would be capable of bringing out his humanity through her love. She's the water that extinguishes the Hellfire that is about to consume him. Gu Won freed Do Hee from being an enslaved kisaeng in the past and now she's freeing him from the shackles of his enslaved existence as a demon.

Gu Won and Do Hee are each other's salvation. One cannot survive without the other. If one is killed, the other one will be too. For example, if Do Hee dies, Gu Won would either be stuck as a demon for all of eternity or combust. And if Gu Won dies, it would leave Do Hee unprotected and she would probably get killed. It's like Do Hee said, they share the same fate and are in the same boat.

What’s Best for You is What’s Best for Me...Danger on the Horizon!

On the surface, the quote "What's best for you is what's best for me", said by Madam Ju and echoed by Gu Won may seem sweet, but upon deeper reflection, it reveals a bitter truth: what's best for you is not always what's best for me.

A brief digression: I have a suspicion that Gu Won might be a long-lost ancestor of the Ju family. Why would the writer intentionally give Gu Won similar personality traits as Madam Ju or have him repeat things she said if not to suggest there was a possible familial connection? While shared traits don't always indicate a blood relation, the repetition of the same phrases is highly suspicious. I guess one reason the writer did this was to convey that even though Madam Ju was gone, Do Hee would still have someone similar by her side. However, they could've accomplished this without having Gu Won be the male version of Madam Ju.

Another explanation for why Gu Won and Madam Ju say the same phrases could be that they crossed paths in the past. Maybe Madam Ju heard Gu Won say it or vice versa. Who knows. It would be sweet though if Gu Won were a long-lost Ju family member because then Do Hee would be related to Madam Ju through her marriage to him.

Ok, sorry for the brief tangent, it's my ADHD brain haha. Now, let's get back to discussing how what's best for you is not always what's best for me. Taking the example of the mother and her sick daughter, from the mother's perspective, signing away her soul to ensure her daughter's health might seem like the best thing to do for her daughter. Yet, it wouldn't be truly best for the mother as she would be damned to Hell. Similarly, from the daughter's POV, what's technically best for her (i.e not being sick anymore), wouldn't actually be the best, as she would be fraught with guilt knowing her mother suffered because of her.

When it comes to Do Hee and Gu Won, what's best for Do Hee is to continue investigating the deaths of her parents and Madam Ju. However, this poses a significant risk to Gu Won, who is almost fully human now and no longer invincible.

This leads me to my next point. Gu Won would stop at nothing to ensure Do Hee's happiness. He's well aware that for Do Hee to continue her investigations, she would need to remain alive and safe. For that to happen, he would need to have his powers fully working so he could protect her. What this means is that Gu Won will become a full demon again. I believe this is about to happen soon because, in Ep 8, we see God/Lady looking at the moon which is now a "waxing gibbous". If you recall from Ep 2, Park Bok Gyu hypothesized that they would have to wait until the next full moon to attempt transferring the tattoo back to Gu Won so he could be a demon again. And well, the next phase after a waxing gibbous is a full moon.

I think Gu Won isn't going to tell Do Hee about his decision to become a demon though. He's going to take Do Hee to the beach and make her think it's a romantic outing and she's not going to suspect anything because they’re in a relationship now. Then bam into the water they go! The betrayal she'll feel after Gu Won does this will be astronomical. It goes back to Madam Ju's quote about having someone on your side who, if they stabbed you in the back, you would understand. Even if Do Hee understands why Gu Won did this, it still wouldn't change the fact it would still hurt like Hell.

Would Gu Won doing this be really what's best for Do Hee? Or the both of them? Yes and no. While it would keep Do Hee alive and safe, she would be riddled with guilt knowing Gu Won sacrificed his soul and humanity to ensure she was protected. At the same time, Gu Won would become immortal again and able to protect Do Hee better, but he would no longer be able to feel love for her since demons are devoided of human emotions. Gu Won would simply view her as someone he just needs to protect to keep his end of the bargain.

Following this, I think there will be a situation where either Kwang Chul or Abraxas gets ahold of Do Hee and I think this is where Gu Won’s latest dream will come into play. To save Do Hee, Gu Won will have to kill whoever, and this will force him to break the rule that states demons can't kill. Subsequently, he'll spontaneously combust. Well, that's going to suck. Had Gu Won remained human, he could've killed whoever and not spontaneously combust. However, since he's a demon again, those consequences would apply. Don't worry y'all, I feel like Do Hee is going to wish or pray to God/Lady that she'll take pity on them and bring Gu Won back to life lol.

Abraxas..It's Still Seok Hoon

So earlier this week, I posted on Twitter how I now thought Abraxas was Seok Min or Do Gyeong based on the pillows. However, after thinking through some more things, I'm going back to saying Abraxas is Seok Hoon. That's my final answer.

Seok Hoon is a trickster/magician! He makes things "disappear" including money and people. That's why Madam Ju said in Ep 4, "You killed someone on top of all your dirty tricks?". He even suggested Do Hee let his department buy shares of her company to offset their losses which is a form of trickery since it would appear Do Hee was engaging in stock manipulation or insider trading.

The biggest trick Seok Hoon is attempting to pull on Do Hee is to make her believe he's really on her side and that he's her real guardian. Going back to Madam Ju's quote about having someone on your side means you would gladly let them stab you in the back and understand. When you trust someone completely, it means you would let them stab you in the back because at the end of the day you know they have your best interest at heart so you would understand.

Throughout this show, the writer has made it a point to emphasize how Seok Hoon is the only one on Do Hee's side. Here's the thing though, Do Hee doesn't completely trust Seok Hoon as evidenced by how she doesn't tell him everything. The same goes for Gu Won, but he's not a suspect in the death of Madam Ju.

Between the two men in the show, who do you think is the real demon and guardian? Btw, Abraxas is sometimes seen as a demon in mythology. For me, the real demon is Seok Hoon. Even though Gu Won projects an image that he's a big bad demon, he's actually an angel on the inside. In contrast, Seok Hoon projects an angelic persona, but he's really a devil on the inside. Gu Won is the real guardian who's trying to protect Do-Hee while Seok Hoon is the real demon who's trying to kill her.

One major question I had from earlier episodes was how Abraxas/Seok Hoon knew the identity of Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol Foundation before the wedding news articles came out that said as much? Furthermore, how did Seok Hoon know the Wild Dogs were looking for him? If you remember, the Wild Dogs only found out Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol and Do Hee's bodyguard after Kwang Chul passed the note revealing as much. There was no explanation of just how exactly Seok Hoon and Kwang Chul found out Gu Won was the director of Sunwol and that the Wild Dogs were looking for him. I looked through earlier eps to see if there was ever an instance where Do Hee told Seok Hoon that Gu Won was the Director of Sunwol, but there wasn't. I think Seok Hoon probably found out this bit of info from Secretary Shin. She probably mentioned it in passing to Seok Hoon because she thought Seok Hoon was Do Hee's ally.

I'm sure many of you are probably wondering how Seok Hoon can be Abraxas when we see Abraxas chilling at Seok Min's home. Well, the thing is, we haven't seen Seok Hoon's place for a reason--he doesn't have one. Due to his "hippie" lifestyle, he engages in communal living, meaning he lives with relatives. More specifically, he resides at Seok Min's home, and that's why we see him as Abraxas there. There's a strong possibility that he and Seok Min are probably working together too. Additionally, I'm ruling out Do Gyeong as being Abraxas because I think he's trying to help warn Do Hee in his own creepy way. When it comes to the pill switching of Madam Ju's medications, I suspect Se-ra may have some involvement. According to the info on SBS, Se-ra is the daughter of a leading pharma company. As someone with a background in pharma, I was like wait a minute. While I'm not sure about the rules and regulations in South Korea, in the US, diclofenac is a prescription medication. I'm just going to guess it's the same in SK. This led me to think that maybe Se-ra provided the diclofenac to Seok Hoon.

In Ep 7, Abraxas/Seok Hoon informed Kwang Chul that Gu Won was only a demon when he was around Do Hee. This revelation led the duo to believe Gu Won's access to his powers was somehow linked to his proximity to Do Hee (they just didn't know how close). To test this hypothesis, they decided to separate the two lovers so that they could eliminate Gu Won. When this plan failed, they went back to the drawing board. At this point, the duo remained unaware of the tattoo and its connection to Do Hee and Gu Won's powers because there was nothing in the book about the tattoo transferring or how to get it back. I wouldn't be surprised if the book didn't even say how the tattoo was connected to demon powers.

It was only after Seok Hoon saw Do Hee place Gu Won's hand on her wrist with the tattoo that he realized the connection between the tattoo and Gu Won's demon powers. This is going to be important further down the line.

After realizing this, Seok Hoon messaged Kwang Chul, saying, "There's something wrong with his powers." Although not explicitly shown on screen, I believe Seok Hoon knew precisely what was wrong with Gu Won's powers. He deduced Gu Won was becoming human through Do Hee's love. This is why Seok Hoon chose to tell Gu Won he was the reason why Do Hee was giving up the Chairwoman position and investigation of Madam Ju's death. Seok Hoon strategically revealed this information to Gu Won with the intention it would encourage him to pursue a relationship with Do Hee, ultimately leading to Gu Won becoming fully human through her love. If Gu Won were fully human, he wouldn't have the powers to protect Do Hee, making them both sitting ducks for slaughter.

Seok Hoon's little plan is going to backfire, though, for two main reasons: He doesn't know one can get the tattoo back and he doesn't understand the power of love. Remember, the book doesn't tell us how one gets the tattoo back. Bok Gyu and Gu Won are the only ones who know this bit of information because they figured out the conditions (i.e full moon and ocean) had to be the same as the night the tattoo was initially transferred. Furthermore, Seok Hoon doesn't know the lengths Gu Won would go to protect Do Hee. He doesn't understand that Gu Won would essentially sell his soul and humanity to protect Do Hee (Gu Won's already done it once before in past), meaning he would become a demon again to protect Do Hee.

God/Lady

I don't know about y'all, but I'm quite frankly done with God in disguise figures in fantasy dramas. It's like in every single fantasy drama, there's always a God in disguise character that gives you hints of what will happen in the form of riddles, leaving many scratching their heads to figure out what they mean. We have seen these types of characters in Goblin, Tale of the Nine-Tailed, King Eternal Monarch, Doom at Your Service, Alchemy of Souls, etc. The list is endless.

The latest God in disguise is Lady... who goes around saving "recyclables", more like saving people. Anyway, I've seen many questioning if she’s really God. Y’all if she’s wearing a hat that spells out G-O-D in bold letters and she’s always asking money for Jesus Corporation, what does that tell you??? I don’t know how much clearer it can be that she is God. Instead of questioning whether she is God or not, maybe it would be a better use of our time if we spend it trying to decipher what she says instead.

Let's get to dissecting the many things God has said. Now, I've already gone over most of the things she said from Ep 1-6 either in the previous post or on my Twitter act so I won't really discuss more here. However, the are a couple things I forgot to mention in my last post though. Here they are:

The roulette wheel has 18 odd and 18 even numbers (36 numbers total). (18) 1+8=9 and (36) 3+6=9 all correspond to Gu (9) Won. The sum of all the numbers (0-36) on the roulette wheel is "666" which I already said in the previous post is the number of the beast/devil and corresponds to Gu Won (the combination to his safe is 666). When you flip “666” it’s “999” which is an angel number that symbolizes completion and new beginnings.

In "Divine Comedy", there are 9 realms of Hell + 1 with Lucifer = 10. The same pattern is present in Purgatory and Heaven. Gu Won's soul was in Hell and now it's in the purgatory on its way towards Heaven. Demon-> Guardian. Hell-> Heaven

On a broader level, if 1= new beginning and 0= end, our couple who's represented by the number 10 symbolizes they are each other's end and beginning. They complete each other.

The bill God is holding when she's saying, "I'm betting all my money on the odd numbers", is a 1000 bill. 1000 or "cheon" means "heaven". That scene could be intrepreted as God or the heavens are betting everything on our couple to win. Also, Madam Ju's first name is Cheon which probably means she went to heaven.

The overall conclusion I'm drawing from what God said about odd numbers from eps 1-6 is that our couple will have a happy ending after they go through some shit haha.

Moving onto what God said in Eps 7-8! When Gu Won called God/Lady, "Arabica woman", my mind lit up! Does anyone see the connection? Arabica...Abraxas. Abraxas is 7 letters and Arabica is 7 letters. In some belief systems, Abraxas was viewed as God. So, Gu Won calling her "Arabica woman" could be another hint she's God. The word "Arabica" also sounds very similar to "Abracadabra" which is related to Abraxas. Just so we’re clear, I’m not implying God/Lady is the Abraxas who’s trying to kill Gu Won and Do Hee. Seok Hoon is a wannabe Abraxas while God/Lady is the real Abraxas haha.

I also found it hilarious that God was constantly begging for donations for Jesus Corporation. It made me think about that time Madam Ju said she bribed God through donations after Do Hee said liars can't go to Heaven. Guess Madam Ju bribed God enough to earn a spot in Heaven.

When God says she knows this place like the back of her hand, she doesn't mean the train station, she means the whole world...because you know, God is omnipresent. God then tells them, they've intruded on her "turf" which means they've intruded on her domain.

What's her domain? Matters of life, death, natural disasters, fate, making people fall in love, etc. This was why Gu Won's powers would fail at the most random times or rather not-so-random times. God already has a grand plan for these two and she's keeping up her end of the bargain of the contract she made with them in the past (refer to "What Landed Gu Won in Hell? Love" section). However, these two would interrupt her work so she would shut off Gu Won's powers so that they follow the predetermined path she has planned for them.

Gu Won's power failed in Ep 1 because God was creating a situation where they would depend on each other, get to know each other, fall in love, etc. In the latest power failure, God turned off Gu Won's powers to prevent them from escaping so they could kiss each other. Consider this scenario: If God hadn't prevented them from escaping, what would've happened? They wouldn't have kissed. That kiss set the wheels in motion for the romance between Gu Won and Do Hee. God was just giving them a nudge in the right direction.

The next time Gu Won experienced another power failure was later in Ep 7 when he and Do Hee were attempting to leave Sunwol Foundation. Once again, we should question why God didn't want them to leave at that particular moment. Remember, because Gu Won and Do Hee were unable to leave precisely at that time, they encountered the Wild Dogs, who then proceeded to pledged their allegiance to Gu Won. Based on Ep 9 preview, it appears the Wild Dogs will play a crucial role in finding Kwang Chul.

As Gu Won and Do Hee were leaving, we saw God telling them, "What flickers would eventually go out sooner or later". Many interpreted this scene as God saying Gu Won's powers would eventually go out. Well, duh. I interpreted this scene a bit differently because I noticed God was looking at the clock that was flickering and pointing at 1.

What does 1 symbolize in numerology? New beginning. My interpretation was that she was saying Gu Won's life as a demon along with his powers was coming to an end and that he was about to begin a new life as a human.

Gu Won should really be nicer to God lol. Look at what happened to the Prince from Beauty and the Beast after he wasn't nice to the old beggar lady...she turned him into a beast. Ohhh now I get it....Gu Won needs to learn to love or he'll remain a beast forever aka he'll remain a devil/demon forever haha (666=beast=devil).

Later in the episode, one guy advises the other to let it go and blame it on fate. This refers to an earlier scene where Gu Won was blaming Do Hee (Fate) for losing his powers. God's message is clear--Gu Won shouldn't be blaming Do Hee for his current state; rather, he should be blaming himself. After all, it's not her fault that he's falling in love with her and becoming human. Moreover, there's the possibility that becoming human was one of Gu Won's original wishes in the contract he signed with God.

In Ep 8, we don't see much of God except in the beginning. Many interpreted what God said in the following scene as meaning Do Hee had special powers that allowed her to heal Gu Won. However, I don't believe she possesses any supernatural abilities. Instead, I think she saved him through the power of love, and, perhaps prayers. If you look at the end of Ep 7, you'll notice Do Hee's hands were in a prayer position right before they zoomed in on the cross tattoo. Do Hee likely wished and prayed for Gu Won's salvation, and God granted it.

Regarding the second thing God said, I believe she was referring to the moment when Do Hee was trying to save Gu Won. Seok Hoon witnessed Do Hee placing Gu Won's hand on her wrist, setting off a chain of events that would eventually threaten her life (refer to "Abraxas...It's Still Seok Hoon" section).

Tarot

Whew! We are almost near the end of this post! There wasn't really anything of significance in terms of tarot in this week's episodes. One thing I found interesting was that the social influencer had asked Gu Won if he was a magician. For those who don't know, the 1st tarot card is "The Magician". You can make multiple connections between that, the number 1, and Gu Won, but since I'm tired of writing, I won't be further elaborating on it. I think we'll see a situation in the future where everyone really thinks Gu Won is dead, but he'll show up very unexpectedly and say "Abracadabra, I'm back!".

One last thing I found interesting was the tarot card pulled by Jung Mi in Ep 8. She had pulled the 19th tarot card, which is the Sun. This card usually indicates success, good fortune, happiness, etc. Also, 1+9=10 and Yi Sun...Sun haha. I think this card conveys the same message that everything will be okay after we go through some Hell.

I bet you all that we'll be seeing the following tarot cards in future eps: #1 The Magician, #8 Strength, #11 Justice, #12 The Hanged Man, #13 Death, #16 The Tower, #18 The Moon, and #21 The World!

Other Random Thoughts

Gu Won and Do Hee's red and green didn't refer to Christmas or Battery Charge Status. They referred to the colors on the roulette wheel. There is only one green space on a typical roulette wheel and it corresponds to the number 0. Number 1 is usually red. So 1...0....10 and 1+0=1 completion. Also, odd numbers are usually red and even numbers are black. Oh, I get why Do Hee was wearing a red dress and Gu Won was wearing a black suit now haha.

What determines if one remembers their past lives or not? Why is Park Bok Gyu the only one who remembers his past lives? Will Do Hee ever remember her past lives?

I can't believe Park Bok Gyu compared Gu Won to being a meat eater who ended up becoming a vegetarian because he met a very special pig (Do Hee) that he didn't want to eat haha.

With Madam Ju, is she suppose to be a spirit in limbo or is Do Hee schizophrenic? In Ep 8, it almost feels like she’s a real ghost bc we see her tapping her cane in hesitation after Do Hee said she didn’t know who killed Madam Ju and her parents.

I hope the Wild Dogs or Park Bok Gyu will find the bug underneath Gu Won’s desk when they’re cleaning haha. Did Seok Hoon put bugs in Do Hee’s place?!!

Was Gu Won a prince when he was human?

Do Hee’s birthday is Oct 29 (look at her phone in ep 1) which means she is a scorpio. On the SBS site, it tells about the story of the frog and scorpion. In the story, the scorpion stings the frog who’s carrying it across the river. They both end up dying and the scorpion is basically like oops it’s just in my nature to. Also, on the lovers tarot card (Rider Waite deck), there is a snake which equates to the 8th zodiac sign…scorpio! The other zodiac sign on the lovers tarot card is a lion which means Leo (5th zodiac sign). I guess Gu Won’s zodiac sign is Leo. This would also explain why he likes those lion bookends haha. Oh and lions are considered “apex predators” haha. Leo’s element is fire and Scorpio is water….hahaha Fire and Water…Gu Won and Do Hee. In most tarot decks, the 8th tarot card is justice. In the Rider Waite deck, the 8th card is strength which shows a lion.

The kiss scene with the garden backdrop looks like the lovers tarot card where Adam and Eve are in the garden of Eden. I can totally see people start making theories about how Do Hee is Eve and Gu Won is Adam after reading this post 🤣. And talk about “original sin” and “forbidden fruit”. Good luck haha.

Number 15 is associated with the devil tarot card as well as the full moon (the full moon comes 15 days after the new moon).

One other theory I had for Gu Won and Do Hee was that in the past, they were in so love that it became detrimental to everyone around them. Gu Won was a rule breaker and instead of doing whatever job he was suppose to do (I.e work as a government official), he was always going around “flower watching” aka hanging out with Do Hee. Him and Do Hee forgot about their responsibilities so God punished them. Gu Won’s punishment was to be turned into a demon so he could learn to follow the rules (Gu Won did say the demon manual was a book filled with many threats haha). For Do Hee, maybe her punishment was to always be alone, meaning she would always lose those closest to her. I feel this theory is just meh haha. The other theory aligns more with the many themes in the show than this one. I would be surprised if the writer goes this route haha.

END

Overall, I don't think we'll have a sad ending. I'll definitely let y'all know if I see anything in future eps that would indicate otherwise! I hope in this week's eps, we'll get to see what actually happened in Gu Won and Do Hee's past! I'm dying to know the circumstances that led to Gu Won's transformation into a demon! Alright, that's all I have for now!

#my demon #gu won #do do hee #do dohee #jeong gu won #kim yoojung #song kang #tarot cards #there are probably grammatical mistakes #oops I sound repetitive

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harley-michaels-main · 7 months

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It's been awhile since I did a tier list but I've been into shojo anime and manga recently so I'm gonna rank my top five.

#5: Ouran High School Host Club

Haruhi Fujioka is recruited to join the host club after she breaks a vase!

Ouran is probably one of the best known shojo animes there is. It's funny, light hearted, adorable, and probably is one of the first reverse harem anime to gain a large fan base. And for being made in the early 2000's, the animation still holds up today.

However, the characters do not. There are a lot of things about this show that just did not age well. While I recommend this series I also recommend taking it with a grain of salt. This was made when certain things were socially acceptable that simply are not today.

That is the only reason I would have it at number 5. Other wise, the cast is great. The plot is hilarious. The pacing is well done. Overall, it's a hilarious and feel good show for when you simply don't want to think about what you're watching.

#4 Kamisama Hajimenmashita

After being kicked out of her apartment due to her father's gambling habits, Nanami Momozono must find her place in this world. But becoming an Earth God? How the hell is she supposed to do that?!

This is the first shojo I watched knowing that it was a shojo. I immediately fell in love with the characters and their dynamics. There's complicated back stories as well for those to like to drive a bit more into characters.

Sadly, the anime was rushed to a finish and a lot of the manga was never adapted. While the anime is still great, the ending just feels wrong without having the full story. The manga is completed and I highly recommend reading it. Yet because of the cancelation, I have to put it at number 4.

#3: Yona Of The Dawn

On her 16th birthday, the sole princess of Kouka, Yona, goes to ask her father to reconsider her marriage proposal to the love of her life. Her love had other plans with her father that night.

This is arguably one of the best shojos out there. With an amazing ploy and some of the best characters ever written, your heart is sure to be captured by this.

There is only one season of this however and it sadly looks like there won't be more any time soon.

The reason for this getting third place isn't because of the anime but actually because I just like the other two more. I love the fantasy setting, but I tend to like it more in shounen than shojo.

#2: My Love Story With Yamada-Kun at level 999

After being cheated on and dumped by her boyfriend over a girl he met in a game, Akane Kinoshita sets out to get revenge! By going to an irl game event and make him realize what he's missing out on! If only her luck with shoes was better.

This is a very new shojo with the first season just wrapping up a couple weeks ago. However, the manga has been going strong since 2019 and I have loved every minute of it. Thus has some of the best characters I have ever seen and it just continues to get better. It's also the type of shojo where we get to see the couple progress their relationship as a couple which is amazing.

I will say there are some... spicier bits in the manga so beware of that if it's not your thing. (Nothing explicit is shown)

However we get to see progression from te side characters as well which is also amazing. I love every moment of this and it had me squealing and kicking my feet like a little girl.

#1: Horimiya

The queen bee and the loner realize that maybe they can be their true selves around each other.

This is my all time favorite. I read the manga, watch the og anime, watched the remake, and the missing pieces. I love this story so much.

It portrays realistic relationships and shows that both of the main characters have faults that they work through in their relationship. Not just that, but the side characters get a lot of development as well that makes you rooting for them.

This whole story is so wholesome and it's the perfect thing to unwind to.

#my love story with yamada kun at lv999 #loving yamada at lv999 #horimiya #yona of the dawn #yona of the red dawn #ouran high school host club #ouran host club #ouran #ouran hshc #ohshc #kamisama kiss #kamisama hajimemashita #anime #shojo #shojo manga #shojo anime #romance #romance manga #romance anime

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moaserendipity · 1 year

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My Top 10 BL's of 2022

I am Back with my BL drama top 10, I might’ve been quiet but I have been actively watching BL dramas. Remember this is my opinion and you might not agree with it but I made up my mind and these are my top-tier BL’s of 2022😎❤️‍🔥

10. Cherry Blossoms after winter 7,8/10

This heartwarming BL was something that I needed when I watched it. I wished it was again longer though because it just didn't feel finished yet and was sometimes a bit rushed. Like I would love to see more about them as high schoolers, especially with that bully storyline, and then the College part was also short or the acceptance of his mom, that could've gone better I feel. But other than that I loved the chemistry between our main leads. The tension was there every time, so that was a big plus, and just their whole relationship, it made me feel warm.

09. To My star 2 8/10

We all know what I am going to say...Again way too short, also I was super confused when I started watching. The sudden jump in time and then back. I was so confused and heartbroken as well. Thankfully everything got clear throughout the other episodes but yeah. This BL definitely did not disappoint as sequel and I can't thank them enough for making it because I feel like we finally got real closure and to see them, in the end, being happy together made me feel so warm and for a change, I didn't feel sad when it ended because they were happy and I felt that happiness. These two actors are definitely amazing together.

08. Cutie Pie 8,5/10

I wanted to watch this because of Zee and mainly for Zee but when the first episode aired I was hooked. I love Nunew and his chemistry with Zee but not only them, also the friends were amazing. I fell for Syn & Nuer even though I disliked Nuer at first because he was after Kuea but that changed when his attention went to Syn, and from that moment they had my heart. Of course, we can't forget about Nat and Max who are playing Yi and Khondiao because they were brilliant as well. Now I have to admit that I probably said every single episode that I was in love with Zee, which isn't a lie because this man can act, the way Lian looks at Kuea, I think I drowned every single time. The reason I give this an 8,5 is simply because of miscommunication, also the sudden change from hate to love was like huh? like why you tell him you don't love him but the next day you suddenly do. The purposely hurting your lover just because you want to see who he really is? yeah, it didn't sit well with me but that being said it's still a good BL for sure!!

07. Love Mechanics 8,9/10

The BL that I have been waiting for, for what is it 2 years!! Did I maybe overhype it in my head, yes I did. Now I have to say that I think what they did was brilliant because the NC scene in the first episode wasn't forced anymore, because both were under influence, still not completely okay but it's better than before.. I love Yinwar because their chemistry has always been on point but with this 2-year gap it's nice to see how much they grew and the acting was so much better. Now what I didn't like and this is kind of a pet peeve of mine with BL's is the lack of communication and with this BL that was definitely the case, no one wanted to listen to one and another, which left to heartache which wasn't necessary at all and also the Yeehwa involvement which often led to the misunderstandings, was annoying to me but other than that I loved Yinwar portraying Vee and Mark because together they were brilliant.

06. My Only 12% 9,1/10

When I started watching this, I knew I was set up to cry a lot and that was not a lie the first few episodes, I cried a lot. I really have to give it to Earth & Santa because I was completely invested in their relationship. Earth is really a brilliant actor and knows how to make you cry your eyes out! I think the sudden change in character was brilliantly done. the way the roles were reversed in which Cake was now the one that got treated how he treated Eiw first. I loved that a lot. I think Santa was brilliant in expressing the jealousy he felt as Cake for Eiw and I do think it's good that he actually spoke his mind, even though it hurt Eiw. I love how Cake is there for Eiw even in the most difficult part of life. I just loved it. I just really think this was a seriously good BL.

05. The Eclipse 9.3/10

The Eclipse, another GMMTV BL, which is brilliant. Now I only knew Khaotung as a light-hearted goofy character so I was pleasantly surprised to see him being this badass guy who isn't afraid to stand his ground and then he was paired up with First, who played the brainwashed perfect. This is amazing and I love how they change when they are together. Now I must admit that I am not crazy about their school being this crazy ass cult, I just hate Cults and everything surrounding it, it's creepy to me but other than that this is an amazing BL. I love seeing people fight for what they believe in and their rights, and I am totally on board with it. I also have to praise Neo for his character in this BL, I LOVE seeing him play a serious character, it just suits him so so much better and I love that he is paired up with Louis, they have such great chemistry! I do hope we get more projects with Khaotung and First because they are perfect together.

04. Not Me - 9,5/10

Not me was a surprise to me because I had kind of forgotten about it until I suddenly saw the trailer popping up again. I loved this cast and especially, Offgun & First, Fluke, they really were outstanding. The rest of the cast of course! I love how Off finally played a serious character instead of the goofy player kind of person because he can pull it off so well. I was very impressed with every episode. Gun also was outstanding as Black & White, I love it when he plays characters like this, it really suits him, and also he was playing a twin. Then we have the side couple Fluke and First, they were brilliant, I felt their emotions through every scene and when that scene with Yok in the hospital happened I was a sobbing mess. The reason I gave this a 9.5 is that I already knew who put Black in the hospital and also I felt somewhat disappointed with Grams character, I was so convinced that he was in love with Black but then he suddenly wasn't but other than that this was brilliant and refreshing!

03. Semantic Error 9.7/10

Semantic Error, what a fantastic Korean BL this was. I was hooked from the start and loved the dynamics between the two main leads Park Seoham(Jaeyoung) & Park Jaechan(Sangwoo). I cannot express my love for this drama enough. I was obsessed with it and it's now one of my comfort BL's. I love how Sangwoo's hate changed into Love. It was definitely a battle within himself and the way Jaeyoung stayed patient with him, was just amazing. The reason why it has a 9.5 rating is that for me it was too short but this is always the case with Korean BL's, I do have to admit that I was already happy that the episodes were a bit longer this time around but yeah other than that it was a perfect warm BL.

02. KinnPorsche La Forte - 9,9/10

This Bl was THE BL that I had been waiting for, for over a year if not more and it did NOT disappoint. It took me on a real rollercoaster of emotions. I went in for KinnPorsche and I enjoyed them a lot. I laughed a lot because they might have the worst bodyguards, but who cares. The chemistry between Apo and Mile was amazing and I couldn't help but feel flustered at times....like that scene in the bathroom..but yeah they were amazing. I also fell for KimChay. These two cuties, one that loves too much and one who didn't know how to accept that love, very Taylor swift if you ask me but I loved every second of it and I really hope they will give them their own side story! Now Tankhun..This man was brilliant, I never laughed this hard while watching a BL, I applaud Tong for his brilliant acting! Now the couple that took over this BL and that was VegasPete. The way I fell for them was no joke. I was obsessed and still am. The angst between them and the way they fell for each other and then that scene where Vegas got shot. Everything was perfect. Now you are wondering why 9.9. I think they started too late with VegasPete's story and I want more of KimChay!

01. Love In The Air - 10/10

Love in the Air was THE surprise of this year, at least for me. I didn't know much about this BL until I randomly came across it a few weeks before it would air BUT boy did it leave an impression. BossNoeul & FortPeak did terrific jobs, especially since they are new actors. I have never seen a BL Drama where there was so much love and communication. PayuRain didn't really have a plot but this was not something that I missed because I thought their love story was wholesome. everything was perfect. Their Chemistry was top notch and I just loved everything about them! FortPeak also was amazing. The way Peak portrayed Sky was brilliant; you could feel his pain and how Fort showed how Prapai changed for Sky was amazing. The pain Sky had been through and for Pai to be the one that opened his heart again and even saved him, I have been in awe and pain and in love the entire time while watching this BL, so I think it's fair enough that this BL is at the top of my list for 2022. In my eyes, this was the best one!

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mothwingwritings · 2 years

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There’s Just No One Like You Pt. 2

F!ReaderXTaiju Shiba

PART ONE PART THREE

Yoooo who’s ready for part two of your Taiju adventures?

I am sorry this took so long, and thank you all for your patience! I rewrote the ending like, three times because it was pissing me off lul. Also adult life is lame and you have to do dumb shit that gets in the way of smut writing. And then after years of not getting sick I got a cold that knocked my ass out for 3 solid days. So it goes. L

Anyway, this part revolves around your reunion with Taiju (hence the name Reunion har har). It’s set during highschool, after he became the leader of the Black Dragons but before Mikey beat his ass. I imagine here he is not quite yet at his most powerful, but he’s well on his way there. Also, I just kinda assumed he lives alone with Hakkai and Yuzuha, so that’s how it is in this fic.

Though there isn’t intense explicit sex, there is definitely heavy petting and NSFW themes, mentions, and moments. So please 18+ only for this one gang.

I had a lot of fun writing this one! There will definitely be a part three and most likely a part four. I haven’t yet decided if I want to split up the final part, but that is what I am leaning towards. Like this one, it probs won’t be out for a while, so please be advised. I have some Baki fics in the work I want to get out too, so those will most likely come first.

Thank you for reading!!! (I hope the editing is OK I did most of that while under the weather lul)

Warnings: NSFW, unhealthy relationships, ducob/noncon, yandere themes, extremely heavy petting (but no actual penetration), cry baby reader, virgin reader, obsession, abuse, language, gas lighting, bullying, choking, slight dacryphilia, Taiju just generally being a scary mf.

Tags: @serenity-loves-red @caramelcandescence @mochiswifey @skyoumi

Part 2. Reunion

“I’m telling you, you need to see this guy!”

“Uh huh,” Your response was lackluster in hopes that the friend beside you would finally pick up on your disinterest. You loved her, but her incessant chirping in your ear about this new guy while you were trying to focus on finishing an assignment was driving you to the point of insanity. He was all she had talked about since you had seen her today, and with the way she was going, there was no end in sight to the scandalous rumors she wanted to dump upon you.

“What do you mean ‘uh huh’,” Tomoko pouted, “(Name) this guy is like, the talk of the school right now! Haven’t you been listening to me? Rumor has it he’s been held back a year for failing the year prior because he was in and out of juvey AND he’s the head of some kind of local gang or something. So not only is he a mysterious transfer student, but he’s also like, a total badass!”

“Sounds like a great person,” you mumbled sarcastically, shuffling through various papers, “really top tier crush you got there Tomo.”

“It’s not a crush,” she bumped her shoulder against you. “I’m just intrigued, is all. I mean, our school is so boring normally. Barely anything happens! This rebellious transfer student may just turn all that on its head.” She hummed, shooting you a coy look, “But maybe something is forming in my heart, when I caught a glimpse of him earlier I couldn’t help but think he IS rather cute~”

You playfully rolled your eyes at your friend, shaking your head. Tomoko and you were nearly opposites, where she liked to have a foot in everything and keep up with all the latest happenings, you much preferred keeping a low profile and stayed in your lane. You did your best to avoid the gossip traps Tomoko so loved to fling herself into, finding yourself perfectly content living those scandals out vicariously through your friend.

You laughed, “You are something else you know that? What would you even do with a bad boy boyfriend miss ‘I always go to bed by 9pm and can barely say a curse word without getting flustered’?”

She snorted, “Oh, you’re one to talk! You can hardly look a handsome guy in the face without wanting to run and hide!”

“Look, I’m not the one who is-“

“QUIET,” your teacher’s voice boomed, effectively ending your playful banter, “Everyone, eyes up here! We have a new face to introduce to the crowd.”

The class’s attentions were brought to the front of the room, your jovial demeanor instantly curtailed as you took in the boy who stood beside your teacher. Honestly, man may have been a better word for him, as he dwarfed your teacher in both stature and mass. His height alone was enough to quiet the rambunctious crowd before him, the overwhelming presence he exuded commanding everyone’s instant respect. Oozing ‘tall dark and handsome’, it was impossible not to take note of how attractive he was. His unruly hair cascaded around his face, the varying shades of blue reminding you of waves crashing against a craggy beach. The tendrils framed his severe, scowling countenance, his judgmental stare boring down on the people around him made him appear as if he were searching them for something and was disappointed by what he found. His hands were stuffed in his uniform pockets, head tilted back to amplify the feeling that you were all beneath him.

The stranger’s eyes languidly swept over the class, angular face looking even sharper in the harsh fluorescent lights of the classroom. As you watched his steady inspection of your classmates, you couldn’t help the small shiver that traveled down your spine. In every regard, this man was menacing. (But you had to admit, you were impressed that someone could look so utterly bored and pissed off at the same time, at a class introduction no less.)

“This is Taiju Shiba,” your teacher proceeded. You noticed he stood a bit further from Taiju than he normally did when introducing someone, his eyes shooting the taller boy a quick, leery glance. What did it say for this new face that even your teacher was weary of his presence? “Please make sure to welcome him and assist him if he needs any help.”

A murmur of unenthused recognition spread through your class. The welcome seemed to amuse Taiju, a hint of a smirk ghosting his lips at his reception.

“Oh my god, that’s him!” Tomoko’s voice chimed in, slapping at your arm repeatedly in her excitement. Her floundering went barely acknowledged however, as you found yourself unable to focus on anything but Taiju.

Where had you heard that name before? It sounded so familiar, but you were sure you had never interacted with this man previously. Why would you of? Just one glance and you could clearly see he was a poster child for the delinquents of the world, a group of people you tried at all costs to avoid. The bullying you suffered at their hands in your childhood enough to give you lifelong PTSD. From the looks of him, this person was definitely not anyone you would have any kind of pleasant history with, or even any history at all.

Taiju must have caught Tomoko’s voice over the sound of the crowd, as his eyes were soon to hone in and lock onto yours. Pure ice ran through your veins as he took you in, silted yellow eyes reminiscent of a cat that had just cornered a mouse. He held your gaze with an intensity he spared the rest of the class, a pointed look of surprise flashing across his features that caused his dramatic brow to loosen. You hated that you felt a warmth spread across your cheeks, instant embarrassment hitting you like a ton of bricks as other classmates caught on to his interest in you, shooting you questioning looks of their own.

His lips curled, baring his teeth in what you assumed was his attempt at a smile. You shuddered as his eyes flicked you up and down, openly ogling you in front of the rest of the class. Maybe your mind was playing tricks, but you swore you heard growl come from his direction.

As if being broken from a curse, you finally found the strength to avert your gaze, suddenly becoming very interested in editing the assignment on the desk before you.

“Why don’t you take a seat over there in the corner, there’s an open spot behind (Name)-san.”

Your breath hitched. If there was ever a moment you wanted the earth to eat you alive, this may be it.

“(Name) raise your hand please so Taiju knows where to go.”

Weakly, you raised your arm above your head. Briefly you made eye contact, but were quick to glance away when noting his unnerving smile had grown. You snuck a peek at your friend, who reciprocated with the same dismayed expression you were donning. It made sense he would sit behind you, it was the only seat that was unoccupied, but that didn’t mean you had to be thrilled about it.

Without further interruption, the man sauntered towards his awaiting desk. Your heart pounded as he made a brief stop next to you. Ignoring his stately figure the best you could, you bore holes into the desk before you. If you tried hard enough, maybe you could convince him that you were just some boring school girl overly focused on her studies, not someone worthy of directing any ire or attention. If you were lucky, it would work (however you knew you wouldn’t be so lucky with Tomoko, who most assuredly was sucking up this moment like a sponge to tease you later).

A sudden tap on your desk made you jerk. His knuckles grazed the wooden surface, coming suspiciously close to brushing against your arm. You sat like a statue, a cold sweat pooling on the back of your neck at the proximity of his body. You prayed to every god imaginable that he would get bored of your lack of response and take his seat, hopefully finding you just boring enough that he would leave you alone indefinitely. Your eyes darted to his hand as it crept closer and closer, debating if he would actually go so far as to touch you or not, and if he did, how you should respond.

“Is there a problem, Shiba-san?”

You released the breath you were holding when Taiju withdrew his hand, turning his body in the slightest to glance at the teacher.

“No teach,” His voice drawled. He turned back around, taking the last few strides to his awaiting desk, “Not at all.”

With an exasperated sigh, your teacher shot you a look that almost seemed apologetic before they continued. “Well, now that we are all settled, let’s proceed with class.”

Focusing on learning turned out being easier said than done, what with the feeling of his eyes drilling a hole into the back of your skull. Tomoko nudged your foot a few times to get your attention, shooting questioning glances from Taiju to you. You did your best to nonverbally communicate you had no idea why he was picking on you either, but for your sanity you hoped it would not be a recurring ordeal.

The rest of class dragged by with it being next to impossible to focus on anything the teacher was saying. With Taiju’s stifling presence looming behind you, you felt suffocated. Wriggling in your seat, finding a moment of comfort under his scrutiny was simply out of the question. You could practically feel the burn of his eyes on every move you made, but you were far too unnerved by him to confront him about it. All you had to do was make it through this class and then maybe you could meet up with the teacher later and see if they could put you and Tomoko somewhere else, preferably on the other side of the room.

After what felt like a century, class ended. You had long since bundled up your belongings, ready to bolt as soon as you were able. This was the last class of the day, and the sooner you could get out and away from the constricting aura that was smothering you from behind, the better.

However, fate never seemed to have your best interests in mind. Before you could even entertain the thought of a speedy escape, you heard a deep voice call out behind you.

“(Name).”

‘Great, he’s already remembered my name.’ You flinched, considering your options. Should you just pretend you didn’t hear him? That seemed like a plausible excuse, it was pretty noisy now that class had let up.

“Hey,” he spoke again, this time kicking the leg of your chair enough to jostle you, “(Name), you suddenly deaf or something?”

You gritted your teeth, slowly pivoting around until you were looking at Taiju. He was sprawled out in his chair, obviously in no real hurry to leave for the day like the rest of the class. His feet were encroaching into your personal space, one foot still firmly planted on your chair keeping you from too much movement. His golden eyes, though still intense, had softened considerably as he stared back at you. His wolfish grin had faded too, his face relaxing into a much calmer state. This threw you off. If this man was preparing to verbally assault you, why did he seem so collected now?

“Can I help you?” Your voice came out far less assured than you wanted it to. You frowned as his jaw tightened after the question, displeasure once more twisting his face into a look of cruelty. Your first time speaking to him and somehow you already managed to piss him off.

He snorted, lips curling in a sneer. “Really? That’s all you have to say after so many years apart?”

“What???” Tomoko beat you to the punch, drawing both your and Taiju’s attention. A pink tinge came to her cheeks after her exclamation, and she cleared her throat before continuing, “I’m sorry it’s just… (Name), you know Taiju-san?” Face agog and expression borderline hurt, she eagerly waited for you to spill the details.

The truth was you were just as shocked at his words as she was.

Your gaze shifted back to Taiju, who had since turned his focus back to you. You wracked your brain for any recollection but came up blank, his expectant gaze causing anxiety to mount within you. Just what was he looking for here? Of course you didn’t know him! You come from two completely different walks of life.

“I’m very sorry,” you finally spoke, flicking your gaze between the two, “I think you have the wrong person. I don’t think I’ve ever met you before…?”

Your voice trailed off, growing considerably meeker under Taiju’s study. His frown had become so deeply etched into his face you were concerned it may become stuck that way. His eyebrow twitched, a prominent vein in his forehead bulging in vexation.

“Really, you don’t remember when we were kids? We went to school together, I found you on that playground? None of that rings any bells?”

There was a definite edge to his voice, but you also detected a hint of wistfulness. It was accompanied by a waver in his eyes that if you weren’t mistaken, seemed almost pained. You nibbled at your bottom lip, feeling even worse than you had previously.

“I-I don’t… I’m really sorry, I honestly think you are mistaken-“

“I’m NOT,” abruptly he stood, rattling the furniture around him as his body shoved it askew. “How can you not remember me? Is this some sort of fucking joke, are you tryin’ to piss me off?”

You winced at his words. Feeling cornered, you pushed yourself as far into your desk as you could. At his full height, he stared down at you in your chair, indignation radiating off of him in waves. Remaining plastered to your seat, you found yourself unable to look away from the angered man behind you. Your sweaty, trembling hands gripped the back of your chair so tightly you were losing circulation, and despite still being seated, you felt like you may topple over any second. How did you get in this position? What exactly did you do to set this man off?

Alerted by the commotion, your teacher approached the three of you. His voice had vibrato, but his stance seemed hesitant.

“Shiba-san, what seems to be the issue here?”

Taiju shot your hapless teacher a glare that would make anyone falter, and guilt started to overtake you as the scene escalated. You hated being targeted, but felt even worse dragging people into your messes. You knew you should say something to calm everyone down, maybe even lie and remark that you did remember Taiju just to chill him out, but you hesitated. You had always been a horrible actor, and something told you that messing up now would just make things much worse.

Feeling a hand wrap around your wrist, your eyes trailed the reassuring grasp back to Tomoko. As you made eye contact, her head bobbed towards you in comforting affirmation.

“We’re sorry,” she laughed, bowing lightly to your teacher as she pulled you to your feet, “(Name) and I were joking around and we happened to bump into his desk on accident, I think it messed up something he was writing? It was completely our bad.”

Once you were standing beside her, she gave you a small nudge to help back up her statement.

“S-she’s right,” you bowed deeply in Taiju’s direction, “I’m very sorry Taiju-san. We’ll be more mindful next time.”

“Yeah,” you heard Taiju’s gruff voice reply despondently, “you SHOULD be more mindful next time.”

Tomoko tugged at you forcibly, momentarily throwing you off balance. “Again, sorry for the trouble, but we are running a bit behind now to meet up with some friends. We won’t have any problems in the future, promise!”

You were more or less out the door when you heard your teacher letting out a disgruntled sigh.

“As long as everyone is keeping the peace, I suppose.”

“What the hell was that about?!”

Tomoko wheezed out in between panted breaths. After you had left the classroom, she dragged you behind her in a mad sprint to leave the school premises, neither of you completely stopping until you were at least two blocks away. Exhausted, you both slumped yourselves down against some beat-up vending machines that stood on the outskirts of a small park.

“No idea,” you panted, sweaty head knocking against the cool glass of the drink machine, “but despite my best efforts, I am most definitely a target now.”

Your friend sidled up next to you, “You really don’t know him? Cause he sure as hell seems to know you,” Tomoko laughed, “Who’s the one with the bad boy boyfriend now, huh?”

You nudged her with your knee, shooting her an unamused expression. “I seriously have no clue what that was all about,” you sighed heavily, “I’m pretty sure I would remember if that guy was ever in my life or not.”

Tomoko hummed in contemplation, “True, he does seem pretty memorable… But with the way he was speaking it sounded like he might have known you from when you were kids, so maybe it’s just been so long that you forgot? I know I personally have the memory of a goldfish, so maybe being stuck with ME for so longs has rubbed off on you in the worst ways.”

You turned to your friend, “If both our memories go, does that mean we’ll forget about each other and I will be free of the shackles of this relationship?”

Tomoko threw her head back in a laugh, “HAH! You wish! You are stuck with me till the end, memories or not! It was in the fine print of our friendship agreement we signed, remember?”

“Hmm, don’t recall. Must be because my memories have become so cloudy…” You replied as seriously as you could, fighting the grin that threatened engulfing your face.

“How convenient,” Tomoko laughed again, turning her focus back towards the scenery ahead of you. “All joking aside, there may be a possibility you just forgot him. People are weird. Someone could be the most important person in your life one day and then completely gone by the next. When that happens, no matter how sad it may seem, it’s only natural for the memory of them to fade along with them, right?”

You sighed, slumping deeper against the vending machine. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

For the first time since you arrived here, you truly took in your surroundings for the first time. Though not terribly far from the school, you and Tomoko had gone a surprising distance and ended up in an area you had not ventured to in quite some time, and for obvious reasons.

Even years later, glancing at that dilapidated, sun worn little play house in the corner of this old park sent chills through you. The years had not been kind to it, and you wondered why of all the play equipment in the park that was the one they decided to keep. The entire place had been renovated in recent years and nearly everything besides the plant life had been replaced with something newer and nicer. Yet the playhouse of your nightmares still stood, taunting you to recall the memories you buried deepest within yourself.

You suppressed a shudder. In the darkest corner of your mind you could still hear your pursuer’s sneers through its thin walls, recalling the paralyzing fear you felt as they gained on you, clutching your body so hard your bones ached.

It had been a long time since you let your mind wander to that moment, so long it felt like an entire lifetime had passed. You are by no means a fighter now, but back then you really were a sitting duck, weren’t you? As your mind was further consumed by the ghosts of the past you cringed for your younger self. There were what, three or four boys gaining on you at that point? All of them were in your grade school class and none of them had any qualms over beating on the little new girl, even enjoying your torment. You recalled the leader of their posse was especially vile. He was relentless, refusing to stop until fat tears flooded down your ruddy cheeks. When he was successful in this, he would fling all manner of curses at you in his horrible, grating voice, just to add insult to injury. And then, he would laugh and laugh and laugh, finding your pain and misery absolutely hilarious, until he finally got bored and granted you reprieve for the day.

The day you ended up in this park was a particularly unlucky moment, one little miscalculation and you ended up with the whole herd after you. You didn’t know if you wanted to laugh or cry replaying the fuzzy memory of the slap-stick chase scene in your brain, remembering how ungracefully you skittered into that little house made you shake your head slightly in shame.

The more you mused on it, the more your suppressed memories came to light. It was such a jarring moment from your childhood, but how did it end? You did eventually get out of there unharmed, but how? You sure as hell didn’t fight off those kids on your own…

Surging up from the deepest corners of your mind, it came to you in such a brilliant, violent onslaught that you were left momentarily breathless. Your body perked up as a memory surfaced to the forefront of your brain, one that had long since been buried.

The door being kicked open and the boy that followed. His messy hair, sharp eyes, tall stature, all now displayed in crystal clarity through the visions of your past. Even in his youth his strength was unparalleled, made evident by how easily he beat back your pursuers, returning to your company covered in their blood and grime. At that time, who would have imagined he would become your most cherished friend and trusted companion throughout those childhood days? After he saved you that day, he cemented himself as your own personal hero. How could you forget him?

How could you ever forget Taiju Shiba?

“Oh my god,” the words tumbled from your lips in a hoarse whisper. Dragging yourself to your feet, you were overcome by your realization. You wavered where you stood, mind and body fuzzy from a mixture of sudden movement and the clarity of remembrance.

“What? What is it?” Tomoko was by your side in an instant, grabbing your arm to steady you. There was concern in her voice as she continued, “Are you OK, you look a little wobbly?”

Your eyes darted to Tomoko, snapping you back to reality. Taking a few seconds to compose yourself, you shot her the most convincing smile you could muster.

“Oh um, I just realized I left all my stuff back in the classroom,” you responded sheepishly, not wanting Tomoko to catch on to your realization quite yet. It wasn’t as if you were lying, you did leave so quickly all your belongings had been abandoned back at school, but you also knew how Tomoko could be. As much as you loved her, you needed the time to process this actualization on your own without being hounded by the incessant questioning you were sure would follow your revelation.

“All my homework is still back in the classroom, including a project I really need to finish tonight,” you straightened yourself out, breaking from Tomoko’s hold. Brushing your skirt off, you looked back her way, “I need to go get it before they lock up for the night.”

Tomoko frowned, lightly slapping her palm against her forehead, “Ah, I am so sorry! That was totally my fault! I dragged you away without even thinking about that!” She picked up her own school bag, adjusting it on her shoulder as she took a step your way.

“I’ll come with you.”

“No,” you grimaced at how firm and fast you replied, noting the confusion in your friend’s eyes. “Sorry, it’s just you were telling me earlier that you were really behind on that book report, the one that’s due in two days? If you want to hang out later you better go get working on that.”

You were relieved when her face softened. She sighed dramatically, “As usual, you are right. I guess it’s time to face the music.”

She began her departure towards her home, waving at you over her shoulder as she walked. “I really do feel bad though, so next time we go out it’s my treat!”

You smiled, returning the wave, “I’ll hold you to that.”

You took your time on the trek back to the school, losing yourself in your thoughts along the way. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that the fierce man in your class was once your number one companion, but the more you compared the past and present in your head the more you wanted to kick yourself for not recognizing him sooner. He looked nearly the same, just much bigger and more mature. In your years apart he had definitely grown from that surly little boy you held so dear to a man who was not to be trifled with. He seemed so adult now that thinking back on the way his eyes bore into you in the classroom, the weight of his presence as he stood so closely beside you, it made your face burn. Had you changed as much as he had? Sure you were also bigger now, but compared to him, you couldn’t imagine yourself as being anything but a silly little school girl, weak and nervous.

What else had changed, you wondered? Tomoko had filled you in on the rumors surrounding Taiju, but they weren’t something that you wanted to believe. However now that you had seen him currently, you couldn’t deny he had the swagger of someone who was up to no good, or could even be considered dangerous. Typical people your age didn’t show up to school buff as hell, covered in tattoos, and with a slew of rumors over previous violent exploits following in their wake.

You shook your head to dispel those thoughts. It had been years since you interacted with him, coming to conclusions about his character before even getting the chance to properly speak with him was not something you would allow yourself to do.

That is, if he even wanted to speak with you after you dipped out on him so quickly. Did you even have the courage within you to face him after forgetting your past with him and making such an ass of yourself?

You sighed, stopping to inspect the school yard as you approached the opening gates. A few people still milled about, most finishing up club activities or just getting done with some project or another. You were happy the building wasn’t completely abandoned, but also pleased by the desolation. The last thing you wanted was to run into a classmate who wanted to strike up a conversation while your mind felt like mush.

Still in your fog, you had made it to your classroom. Through the window on the entryway door you could tell the lights had been turned off, the only illumination coming from the rapidly setting sun streaming through widows along the back wall. It was quiet inside, and you breathed a sigh of relief when the handle pushed down, granting you access into the abandoned room.

At least, you thought it was abandoned.

“What do we have here,” a taunting voice startled you, “You lost, sweetheart?”

Before you sat Taiju Shiba, leaning back nonchalantly with his feet propped against your desk. Flanking him stood two equally imposing figures, neither of which you had ever seen before. One was to the right of Taiju, farthest from where you stood. He was the one who addressed you. His body swiveled your way as he gave you a once over, his amusement expressed with a low chuckle. Instinctively you took a small step back as he fully turned your way, which he was quick to take note of with a devious twinkle sparking in his eye. The stranger’s curled black hair cast shadows that obscured his face, but not enough to hide the sly grin that sat upon his lips.

“What the fuck are you doing here,” the blonde to the left of him spoke, his voice sounding much more aggressive than his impassive stare let on. His droopy, cold eyes held firm to you, causing you immense discomfort. You weren’t sure if it was the way the light fell on him or if his face was actually scarred, but based on his general disposition, you were leaning towards the latter. “We’re busy, leave.”

The darker haired boy gave another small laugh, “Damn Inupi, you certainly have a way with people, don’t you? The school is public domain and she’s wearing its uniform, which makes her a student. She has a right to be here,” he shot you a mischievous smile, “It’s just a bit unfortunate that she had to stumble in to this room while we were having an important meeting. Who knows what she could have heard through that door?”

You stiffened, goosebumps peppering your flesh as you now had the two strangers complete attention. The one addressed as Inupi was quick to speak after his cohort. “When you put it that way, maybe she should stay a bit? We’ll make sure she fully understand the importance of whatever she eavesdropped on not leaving this room.”

Before they could continue, Taiju’s firm voice halted them.

“Koko, Inupi,” he commanded. The two boys flinched as their names were spoken, turning a hesitant eye to the man who lounged behind them, “She’s here to see me, you can both leave now.”

A confused moment of silence hung in the air as the two boys looked from each other, to you, back to Taiju. The dark haired boy (or Koko as you had ascertained by process of elimination) was the first to respond.

“Here to see you,” he questioned, staring at you with far more interest now, “During the middle of our meeting? Boss, who is she?”

“My special guest,” Taiju shot back curtly, “Now fuck off.”

So concerned with the new faces, you momentarily forgot that Taiju was even present. However you were grateful when the two boys backed off, immediately deferring to the one who sat ominously behind them.

The boys shot each other one more glance before bowing to Taiju. They made their way to the exit, going around you on either side. You remained still, afraid to so much as breath until they were out of the room. Your eyes trained on the ground as they brushed against you. A small chuckle came from Koko, a shiver passing down your spine at the proximity of his voice.

“Go easy on her boss,” he joked, one foot out the door, “She looks delicate.”

The door clicked softly closed behind them, and you listened as their footsteps and murmured speech faded with their hasty exit.

Now you were alone with Taiju.

He removed his feet from your desk, placing them firmly on the floor. The movement caught your eye, your heart rate quickening as he leaned forward, back hunched as he rested his elbows on his knees. Even crouched he looked big, his solid, unflinching form making you feel a mix of comforted and uneasy. A heady feeling of nostalgia overcame you as his gaze stayed trained on yours, his expression difficult to read. You felt pinned down, unable to move or speak under the crushing weight of his stare and your own emotions.

Before you could stop them, you felt tears pool in your eyes. Suddenly you were seven years old again, standing in that desolate parking lot, staring at the boy who left such a gaping hole in your heart.

“… Taiju,” Your voice cracked when you finally found the will to speak. You took an uncertain step forward, sweaty hand clamped tightly to your side, “I remember. The playground, that day… Those kids were chasing me and you found me in the playhouse. I remember all of it.” Your mind whirred as you contemplated what to say next, the end result coming out in a blubbering jumble. “How could I have… it was awful of me to… I am so sorry-“

You were cut off by your own sobbing, unable to utter another word without a rush of tears. You buried your face in your hands in a poor attempt to mask the intense reaction. You felt ridiculous and confused, wanting to embrace him but knowing it was not your place to. You were more or less strangers now, and after forgetting him, you were sure he was hurt enough that he probably wanted it to remain that way.

Unsure of what else to say, you turned your face away from the man. Your surroundings had become obscured by your tears, the desks and chair encircling you little more than blurred brown blots. You sniffled, rubbing the back of your hand against your tear swelled eyes in a poor attempt to dispel them.

Nearly a decade had passed since you last spoke to him, and it was clear from his overall presentation that things had changed. He had changed. And to be fair, you had too. The reasonable side of you knew that this encounter may as well be considered the first time meeting Taiju, and the differences in your personalities at this point in life may be far too different to reconcile. So on top of making a continual fool of yourself in front of him, from what you saw and experienced thus far, you weren’t even entirely sure you would like the person he became.

It was that realization that made you hurt the most.

But that didn’t stop the desperate feeling that was clawing through your chest, wanting what you once had. Those rose hued days of childhood spent with your best friend, your protector, YOUR Taiju. The admiration and love that you had buried so deep had bubbled up, wracking your body with nervous energy as you stood before him. You wrapped your arms around yourself to quell your quivering, but it did little to get your emotions in check.

You were so caught up in your own thoughts you neglected to hear Taiju move, only becoming aware of his presence as his feet came into view. Your eyes darted up, a sharp intake of breath passing your lips in surprise of how close he had become. This definitely constituted as invading your personal space, his body so close that if you leaned forward even the slightest you were sure to make contact with him. You considered taking a step back to give yourself room to breathe, but the glint his eyes held instantly made you reconsider.

His demeanor was expectant, eyes hungry. There was potency to his stare that made your knees feel weak, his presence domineering as he inspected you. You flinched when he raised a hand, stilling as he gently placed it atop your head.

“You’re still so small,” a taunting smirk tugged at his lips, “How’d you protect yourself while I was away?”

“You scared them enough that they left me alone after you moved away,” you hiccuped, still uncomfortable with his proximity, “I’ve been staying out of trouble since then.”

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, his hand languidly petting down your head till it fell to your cheek. His palm was rough as it cradled you, but you were surprised by how delicate his hold was. His fingers barely ghosted your skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“Such a good girl,” his low voice created an eruption of butterflies in your stomach, “You always have been, haven’t you?”

He paused for a moment, his eye taking on a contemplative look.

“But even good girls can fuck up.”

Your brow furrowed in concern as his grip on you tightened, his hand coming just short of pinching you. Your heart hammered in your chest as he slowly bent down, only stopping once you were eye to eye. His jaw was set and his glare was cold, any hint of amiability far removed.

“You haven’t cheated on me, have you?” The words were sharp as he spoke them. His grip tight on your cheek, keeping your full attention trained his way.

“… Cheated?” Your confusion was palpable, frantic eyes scouring his face for any sign that he may be messing around.

He slammed his free hand behind you, making you jump. His body was now leaned into yours, caging you in between the wall and his broad form.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” he spoke through clenched teeth, “Did you forget about me because you were too busy fucking around with someone else? Is that it?”

The surrealistic nature of the situation astounded you. “I don’t have a boyfriend?” It wasn’t a lie. You had had your share of crushes, sure. You had even had your first kiss, as lackluster as it may have been. But the closest thing you ever had to a true boyfriend was probably Taiju.

Your response only agitated him further, a strained laugh leaving his down turned lips, “Real funny babe, but I don’t remember ever fucking breaking up with you. In fact, I even recall you thanking me for being your boyfriend, or did you forget that too?”

You were dumbfounded by his words, staring at him blankly for a few moments before his eyes began to narrow, denoting that he was awaiting a response.

“I thought…” Your voice trailed off, the ‘you didn’t want me anymore?’ going unsaid. Whatever this situation was turning into, you realized directing any fault back at Taiju was not a good move.

“You thought what?” He spat back. You could feel his patience diminishing by the second.

“You’re right,” your voice came out as little more than a squeak, “we never did end things.” Fear was beginning to course through you when Taiju didn’t back down at your confirmation. If anything, he seemed to grow more heated by the moment. Your mind wandered back to the first time you met, how easily he was able to viciously tear down those other kids, the way he came back to you marked with their blood. If he was capable of that as a child, what damage could he inflict now?

He hummed, “So that makes you my mine,” his hand continued traveling downwards, stopping once it was secured around your neck, “And good girls don’t mess around on their boyfriends, right? My good girl certainly wouldn’t do that to me, would she?”

A feeling of trepidation welled up inside of you. Taiju was wrong. He had no right to threaten you over an agreement made in your youth, and he was the one who ultimately left you in the dust, not the other way around. Whatever twisted narrative he had running though his mind was no fault of your own. However, feeling the gentle press of his fingers on your neck, staring into the manic gleam reflected in his eyes, all you could do was nod your head what little his grip would allow you, hoping the reassurance, no matter how forced, would grant you enough leeway to have him trust you.

“You haven’t left my mind for day,” his voice was deceptively gentle, clashing with the strain your body felt in his grasp, “When I sleep I have dreams about you. When I am around other women I fantasize about you, envisioning the person you had become. My little (name), never once was I not thinking of you.”

With a sharp squeeze, his strong fingers cinched your airway.

“So how the fuck could you forget about me?”

You sputtered in his grasp. Your hands quickly latched to his arm, tugging him in a vain effort to loosen his hold. He studied you for a moment, his expression tumultuous. You couldn’t quite tell if he looked saddened, furious, or just a mixture of the two. Heavy tears rolled down your cheeks as you attempted to croak out his name, your struggle growing more desperate as the second ticked by.

A rogue tear had snaked its way down your cheek before coming to its final resting place atop Taiju’s hand. The barely noticeable sensation seemed to pull him to his senses. He relinquished his grip, a sharp, painful gasp tearing through your lungs with the new found freedom. With little time to recover, his went to grab your chin, forcing his face so close to yours the tips of your noses were brushing.

“Explain it to me baby,” his voice was softer, but it didn’t lose its malicious edge, “because I’m having a real hard time understanding on my own.”

You were shaking so hard you were afraid you were going to collapse. Light headed from the lack of oxygen, your words were punctuated by shaky breaths as you responded. “I didn’t know what to do with myself when you left. When I watched you drive off that last time I felt like a part of me had gone away and was never going to come back.”

Despite the precarious situation, your cheeks burned red at your admission. You were quick to continue, “I-I guess my brain forcing you out was my response to be able to move on.” You looked up at him through teary eyes, “Taiju why didn’t you talk to me? I know you saw me. You were looking right at me and you still just left me behind. I can’t tell you how many nights I stayed up wondering what I did wrong.”

The tail end of sentence came out in little more than a breathy sob as you came to the realization that any blossoming hope for fixing your relationship was down the drain. The boy you used to know had abandoned you, and the man before you was clearly not the same person. Nauseous and embarrassed to be bearing your soul so openly, you squeezed your eyes closed, no longer wanting to face the truth that lay before you.

There were many moves Taiju could have made in this situation. You figured if anything, seeing you blubbering and frightened would just piss him off more, maybe even disgust him. Needless to say you were not expecting the feel of his lips on yours. Your eyes shot open, bewildered by the feel of his supple skin covering your mouth. Uncharacteristically soft at first, it took your brain a few seconds to catch up to what was actually going on. When there was no resistance on you end, Taiju took that as a sign to continue. The gentle caress became needy, eager. His hand released your chin to wrap firmly around the base of your skull, keeping you from any attempts of pulling away. His other arm snaked around your waist, jerking your body flush against his own. His thick arm kept you plastered to him, his hand flipping up your skirt to shamelessly grope your ass.

That broke you from your daze, the severity of the situation you were in hitting you full force. You squirmed in his grasp, but that only made his hold tighter, constricting you to a point of pain. You whimpered when he forced his tongue past your lips, his mouth feverishly working yours until your jaw ached. A groan of approval rumbling from his chest when you, unsure of how else to proceed, weakly began to reciprocate. You were afraid of what he might do if you didn’t.

It was all so invasive, uncomfortable. You felt like you were being devoured.

After some time Taiju broke away, but made no move to distance himself. Panting with eyes blazing, his voice came out husky as he spoke to you.

“I never wanted to leave you behind. Don’t for a second think that was my own choice.” He straightened himself out, pushing your head against his chest. The sound of his rapidly beating heart thrummed in your ear as he cradled you. “I never forgave my father for that. But at that time I was just a kid, powerless to make any moves without his intervention. But know this, no one holds power over me now.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, your neck hurting from a mix of his previous choke hold and the awkward angle he held you in. You remained frozen against him, not wanting to upset the delicate peace that had come over Taiju. He released a breath, his arms loosening their grip on you. When he stepped back, you took the chance to also create some space as well, quickly tidying your uniform and hair to revert back to some semblance of normalcy, pretending that none of this had just occurred.

“You’re forgiven this time, but playing dumb again will award you no favors,” a devilish smirk lit his face, “You’re lucky I love you. That and that you look so fucking hot crying for me like that.”

Any flushing your body experienced increased tenfold with his words. You wanted to run and hide, and this desire must have shown on your face, as it elicited another snicker from Taiju. You made due with folding your arms across your chest, taking in steady breathes to calm your rampant nerves.

This entire evening felt so unreal that there wasn’t a single moment your brain wasn’t plagued with questions. Profoundly concerned with how openly he grabbed you, how quickly he told you he loves you, and how easily he forced himself on you as if he had the right to, you had no idea where to even begin unraveling this moment. You weren’t the same person you once were, how could he so boldly declare these affections to you so soon after seeing you again?

There were voices screaming in the back of your head to run, he wasn’t safe, you should be angry, you should stand up for yourself, none of this is normal, you need to leave now and tell someone what happened.

But the way his eyes held you, a serene sort of affection in them as he smirked down at your flustered form, you couldn’t deny the way it made your stomach flip into a knot of giddiness. Taiju was back. Were you really going to let him slip away again without a proper chance?

He began making his way to the exit door. Propping it open with his foot, he turned back to you and extended his hand.

“Come on,” he called, “We have catching up to do.”

Despite all your reservations you nodded, grabbing on to his outstretched hand.

Today was all about being pushed outside your comfort zone.

It was nearing night time now. You had sent a quick call to your parents to let them know you would be home late, concocting a lie that you had gone to Tomo’s house to study and her parents had invited you to stay for dinner. You didn’t’ always see eye to eye with your parents, and you definitely had your disagreements with them, but they loved you and always had your best interests in mind. There was an unpleasant lump in your throat as the fib spilled so easily from your lips, knowing they had no reason not to trust you. You were riddled with guilt as your dad’s pleasant voice told you to have fun and not get up to too much mischief, telling you he loved you before hanging up the call.

If he knew the house you were really headed to was Taiju’s, would he still be so understanding?

At the time of departure, you weren’t sure where Taiju was taking you. You had asked him of course, but only got a snipped ‘don’t worry about it’ in response. The danger of the situation was not lost on you, but you calmed yourself down by reassuring yourself that people had watched you leave the building with Taiju, you had spoken to your family and they were expecting you home tonight, and above all, Taiju himself wouldn’t do anything to truly jeopardize your safety, right?

You had departed with him on the back of his motorcycle, which was a first for you. Apprehensive to even board the bike, you swore Taiju made a point to drive extra recklessly if for no other reason than to feel your arms squeeze him tighter as you held on for dear life. Woozy from the sharp turns and sudden accelerations, by the time you had parked and got off the bike your legs were so unsteady you were concerned you couldn’t make it inside without stumbling.

If there was a word you would attribute to Taiju’s current home it would be ‘affluent’. Your jaw nearly dropped when he walked you to the front of the towering building, its pristine modern walls glistening in the light of the street lamps. Seeing your expression Taiju smirked, assuring you the whole thing wasn’t theirs. The building itself was a condominium of sorts and housed many families, only about a floor of it belonged to the Shiba’s.

“Oh, so only a floor of the fanciest complex in the neighborhood belongs to your family,” you joked nervously, standing behind him as he keyed in the code to unlock the front gate. “How silly of me. Should I expect a butler greeting me at the door?”

Taiju snorted, glancing back at you as he stepped through the now open gateway. “Get your head out of the clouds and come on. I didn’t bring you here to gawk at the architecture.”

You nodded, blushing a bit in embarrassment. Following closely behind Taiju, you couldn’t’ help but marvel the sleek feel of the place. The spotless welcome desk manned by an equally put together looking hostess, a small waiting area off the lobby housing the plushest furniture you had ever seen, the lustrous hallway housing the stairs and elevator. Even the inside of the elevator itself seemed ornate as you traveled up to his floor.

The elevator stopped at its destined floor, dinging as the doors unfolded. You followed after Taiju who walked a few steps further down the hallway.

“Joke aside, this place really is beautiful Taiju,” you spoke as he slid his key in the door, “It makes me happy knowing you and your family can live in such a nice place.” You didn’t want to come off as judgmental, but based on Taiju’s rough exterior and what you remembered of his situation, you were more than a little concerned with what his life at home may be like.

You couldn’t see what expression he wore as he opened the door, but his voice rang clear as he responded to you.

“I know how to take care of my people.”

You only had a moment to muse on the strangeness of his statement, confused as to why he made it seem like he was the main bread winner in their family. Sure, he may have a part time job of some kind, but surely their father was who ran the household and paid the expenses, right? He may even be remarried at this point, this home certainly seemed like a shared expenses kind of deal.

“You’re home early,” an irritated, feminine voice broke your concentration, “I thought you said you’d be out late tonight?”

Taiju grunted, “Plans changed. (Name), come here.”

You followed his order, stepping into the entryway beside him. The interior was just as nice as the rest of the place, smartly furnished and without a thing out of place. The only disturbance in the décor was a rogue bowl with a spoon inside that sat atop the coffee table beside the couch. The cushions of said couch were in bit of disarray as well, obscured by the girl seated on top of them.

She looked about your age, and despite the fact that her face was scrunched into an unamused scowl, you were taken with how lovely she was. Her copper hair was thrown up in a messy bun, and from the look of her comfy attire, she had already donned her sleep wear for the night. Her eyes were impassive as they bore into Taiju, but you noticed she was giving him her undivided attention, posture rigid as she waited for Taiju to continue.

“Introduce yourself to (Name).” He commanded, placing his hand on the small of your back to usher you in front of him.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Her manners seemed forced, her address to you distant as she gave a brief bow. “I’m Yuzuha Shiba, Taiju’s sister.”

Recognition once again flooded your brain. She had grown, but those clear defiant eyes were unmistakable. You bowed back to her, a smile on your lips.

“I’m (First) (Last),” you righted yourself, “um, it’s nice seeing you again…”

She shot you a quizzical look. It made sense that she wouldn’t recognize you. You certainly would have had no recollection of her if not for Taiju sparking your memory. Regardless, it was nice to see her. You always felt bad for how you left things that day, maybe now you could make amends.

“Are you still having trouble getting doll clothes on?”

The look of confusion that knotted her brow eased with the realization.

“Oh my God,” she spoke, getting to her feet, “You’re the girl who helped me on that play date you had at our house! You said (Name), right?”

You laughed softly, slightly ashamed that she was able to remember you so quickly when you had to struggle to remember her family. “Yeah, that’s me! It’s been a long time. I’m surprised you remember me at all.”

Yuzuha returned your laugh, but you noticed there was a hint of melancholy to it. “Well it’s kinda hard to forget someone when they remain a source of conversation in your household for years.” Her eyes shot to Taiju, her expression instantly falling, “I guess he ended up finding you again, huh?”

Before you had the chance to dig deeper into Yuzuha’s reply, you felt Taiju step up beside you. Looking up at his face, you noted he was giving Yuzuha a pointed look, fists starting to form at his side.

Realizing her brother’s discontent, she cleared her throat, “But yeah, it’s good to see you too.” She shifted her weight on her feet, tucking a strand of rogue hair behind her ear. She was doing her best to ignore Taiju’s steady surveillance of her, the intense monitoring making even you uneasy. It seemed the sibling’s relationship hadn’t gotten any better in the past few years.

“So how did you guys meet up anyway,” she sounded mellow, but her nervous ticks continued, “did you bump into each other out on the street or…?”

“We’re in the same class,” you responded cheerily, attempting to alleviate the uncomfortable gloom that had overtaken your arrival, “I feel horrible, I didn’t recognize Taiju at first, even though he recognized me right away. We had a whole conversation and everything before I realized who he was, if you can believe that. ” You smiled at the man in question shyly, before looking back to Yuzuha, “I’m excited to make up lost time with you guys.”

It was your turn to feel uncomfortable as Taiju inched up closer to you, intertwining his long, lithe fingers with your own. Still unused to such blatant physical contact your stomach flipped as he gave your hand a tight squeeze. Yuzuha’s eyes darted to where you connected with her brother, a dismal look displaying on her girlish face.

It would be easy to mistake her look for one of distaste. In the brief time you had seen them interact, Taiju and Yuzuha certainly seemed like oil and water, but maybe you were wrong about their relationship? It was possible she and Taiju had actually grown tightknit and the thought of some random girl coming in to throw off the balance was nothing but an annoyance to her. Perhaps to her you were an eyesore, and those weird comments earlier about you being a point of discussion were jabs at you that went right over your head.

If it weren’t for the fact that her eyes were filled with so much regret, peering over at you as if she were in mourning for you, that you would be inclined to believe that that were the case.

“Where’s Hakkai?”

Taiju’s question perked Yuzuha up. Her fidgeting ended, her body becoming fixed in place.

“He went out for a little bit, said he was gonna grab some dinner with a friend or something.”

She sounded disinterested, almost emotionless in her response. But partnered with her quick change in posture you got the feeling she was covering for him, and with how trained her response came, it was not the first time she had done it either.

Taiju scoffed, “Well isn’t it a shame that we’ll have to end that little pow-wow early? Call him right now and tell him to come home. It’s rude to leave when guests are over.”

His barked words garnered Yuzuha’s glare, “How could he have known (name) was coming over? You didn’t even know she was coming over! Please Taiju, he won’t be much later, can’t we just-“

“That doesn’t fucking matter,” Taiju growled, releasing his hold on you as he took a step towards his sister, “You both come when I call, no questions asked. Now pick up the damn phone, or I’ll-”

Before you could fully think out a response, you lurched forward and gripped his arm to stop him. His head jerked your way, annoyance in his eyes as words began to rush from your mouth.

“It’s OK Taiju, really,” your voice shook, intimidated as you felt the muscles of his arm flex in your grasp, “I came over here to spend time with you, right? It would be nice to have Hakkai here, but you’re the one I really want to be catching up right now with, you know? I’m sure I’ll see Hakkai some other time when I come over to visit you again.”

His ego was stroked just enough by your words that his demeanor calmed. He was pleased by your response, a slight smile displayed on his lips. Seeing him calm soothed you as well. At least for now Yuzuha and Hakkai were out of the hot seat. You were learning very quickly the best way to handle Taiju’s mood swings.

After a moment’s contemplation, Taiju sighed. “Fine, leave him be. But next time, he better be here to show some respect or there will be problems.”

Without further interruption, he locked your hand in his. Tugging you towards him with a huff, he meandered off deeper into their home, pulling you along in tow.

“Don’t fucking bother us.” He called over his shoulder to his sister, who had once more seated herself on the couch. She shot you one last look, one that conveyed equal parts gratitude and apology.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Taiju’s room, though technically an entirely different room now, was a lot like how you recalled it.

It was much larger than his childhood room, comfortably housing a number of furniture pieces and a sizable bed with room to spare. Everything inside were neat and orderly, save for a few misplaced and tussled items here and there. As soon as you both had entered he made a quick pass through, straightening something here, concealing something there. He told you to sit at a small, low table that sat square in the center of the room. You complied, and as you situated yourself he remarked that he would be right back with something to drink.

You were grateful for a moment to yourself as he slipped out of the door, closing it securely behind him. You released a deep sigh, dropping your head till it was resting flat against the table’s smooth surface. Now that it was just you and your thoughts, worry began to rear its ugly head. Was it really a good idea to be here, or were you just letting fuzzy memories of bygone days cloud your better judgement? The way Taiju had treated you since your reunion… It wasn’t healthy and it certainly wasn’t right. You placed your hand gingerly on your neck, cringing at the sting left by his fingers. He had forced himself on you and took advantage of you in a state of vulnerability. Even his own sister was treated like some kind of foot solider he could order around. If he could treat people he says he loves like that, you’d hate to see how he handles the people he hates.

Your heavy eyes fell closed as your mind continued its contemplation's. For him to push his built up affections on you, feelings that had long since lost the innocence of your childhood day, right after seeing him again after years apart… it was too much too soon. He was already demanding so much of you and was treating you as if you belonged to him. The longer you dwelled on these thoughts, the more despondent you became. You missed your old Taiju, you wanted him back. But was any trace of him left inside that man at all?

You steeled your resolve. If Taiju kept treating you this way, you decided you wouldn’t let it go farther than this. The fate of your relationship hinged on this conversation. You clenched the wrinkled fabric of your skirt in your fist, heart pounding in your tight chest. If you knew it was going to be this hard, you almost wished he had stayed a forgotten memory.

“You didn’t fall asleep on me, did you?”

Bolting upright, your cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He scoffed as he sat down a mug of steaming tea before you.

“Damn baby, if you’re bored just say it. I can liven things up whenever you like.”

You shook your head, choosing to ignore the underlying connotations of his comment, “I’m sorry, I was just taking a moment to breathe. It’s been quite the day.”

You laughed nervously, hoping he wouldn’t misconstrue your words. To your relief, he simply nodded, plopping down across from you at the other end of the table. He let out a long sigh, leaning back on one arm while resting the other on his knee. You noticed he seemed much more relaxed in the comfort of his own room. With no one else around, the air of animosity that enveloped him at all times broke, making Taiju much more approachable. Though never truly loosing its edge, his face had calmed too, placidity over taking it that you wouldn’t think was previously possible with Taiju.

“I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad it’s just us.” Your heart fluttered at how soft his voice sounded as he spoke. Momentarily lost in the adoring look he had captured you in, you found yourself smiling back.

Hope began to bloom in your chest. Maybe Taiju wasn’t a lost cause.

“Me too,” you beamed, blowing lightly on your tea before taking a small sip. It was (fav. flavor), your favorite, though you were pretty sure he wouldn’t have known that. Tea was a gross adult drink the last time you two had interacted, soda and sugary juices reigning supreme. Maybe his choice was a lucky guess, or maybe his penchant for reading you hadn’t changed.

“Maybe I should go say hello to your father,” the thought donned as you as you put down your cup. Your arrival was rather abrupt and you didn’t feel right barging into someone’s home so unannounced. “If he’s home, that is. If you guys were planning dinner or something it would be rude to show up unannounced, you know?”

Taiju laughed, “Always so polite, huh? Don’t worry though, dads gone so much that he has his own place. It’s just me, Hakkai, and Yuzuha here.” Taiju took a drink of his own beverage, “I want you to know you can come over whenever and treat this place as your home. You don’t have to be on edge.”

You waved your hand, “Easier said than done, I’d hate to be a bother to you guys,” you smiled, “But I’ll try. Thank you for the warm welcome.”

A beat of time passed before the rest of his words sunk into your brain. “Wait a minute, you guys live here alone?” The incredulity slipped out in your tone, “Are you guys okay? You aren’t… struggling, are you?”

He closed his eyes in consideration. “If you’re worried we can’t afford it, we wouldn’t be here if that were the case. I told you, I take care of my people.”

You gave a hesitant nod, happy he didn’t take offense to your concern, but still surprised by this revelation. Was Mr. Shiba so wealthy he could afford this place for his children, as well as a place on his own? Or were Taiju, Yuzuha, and Hakkai footing the bill on their own? Regardless, it certainly was not a typical family situation.

“How about you,” Taiju spoke up, “You still living in the same place with your family?”

“Yes, I am. Same house not too far from here, actually.”

You were surprised at how fluidly the conversation progressed from there, with no uncomfortable gaps, weird moments of silence, or forced pleasantries. You found it easy to open up to Taiju again as he listened intently to every story you regaled him with. He was an active participant, throwing you questions left and right, taking every answer to heart. It was refreshing, speaking so freely with him without him snapping in response. He seemed content just to be basking in your presence, reveling in the tales you shared of your life from past to current. The only time his face ticked to irritation would be when you would mention any male friends, so to keep the peace you made sure to keep those stories to a minimum.

You, of course, wanted to hear more about Taiju as well. He reciprocated, answering your questions with an aloof attitude, playing himself up whenever you seemed to take a particular interest in something he said. It would get frustrating at points, especially when you found out Taiju was a master of redirection. Any time he mentioned something concerning from his past he was quick to change the subject, directing new questions your way in hopes you would forget. Even if you tried to come back to a previous subject, he’d shoot you a look letting you know it was best to drop it and move on, to which you complied. You were certain he was omitting certain details from you on purpose, probably because he could see how leery you grew when he spoke too much in a certain direction.

One thing was for sure, you were smart enough to piece together that his ‘well-paying and rewarding job’ was probably something you wanted as little information about as possible, and that his two ‘friends’ you met previously probably weren’t just shooting the breeze earlier when you interrupted their meeting.

Despite your concerns for Taiju and his current lifestyle, you spent the conversation in a state of elation. Now that you knew you could freely communicate with him, the future didn’t seem so uncertain. You could continue to grow together, learn about each other, and he would listen to what you had to say and (hopefully) take it to heart.

After some time had passed, your eyes happened to fall upon a clock Taiju had in his room. You heart dropped when you saw the vibrant 12:32AM glaring back at you.

“Oh no,” you mumbled, pointing to the clock in question, “That isn’t right is it?”

He lazily looked back, “Sure is. God, we are really gossiping like old ladies, aren’t we?”

Without responding to him, you grabbed your school bag that was leaning against the table leg. Rummaging through, it took a moment to find your phone at the bottom of all your belongings. Your anxiety spiked when you saw the numerous missed calls and texts from your parents. The most recent text was from Tomoko, and you instinctively pulled it up to read what she had to say.

(12:17pm) From Tomz:

Hey, can u message me when u get this? Ur parents have been blowing me up asking when u r gonna be home. I figured u had a reason for sayin u would be here so I vouched and said time got away from us and u would be home soon. But now I am just worried bcause ur mom text me again saying u aren’t back yet. L Plz let me know u r OK, I’m worried!!!

As you read her words, you gave a lopsided grin. Good ‘ol Tomo, she was always someone you could count on to have your back. You were lucky to have her in your life.

Your fingers flew as you typed out your reply.

(12:37am) From Me:

Thx so much!!! I am soooo srry I’ll call them right away. I’m fine! It’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it later. I owe u something good for this. <3

Directly after you had hit send, Taiju placed his hand over your phone, enveloping the screen.

“Hey,” you said, attempting to pull your phone away from his iron clad grasp, “Come on Taiju, I have to call my parents! I didn’t realize it had gotten this late. They are worried sick.”

“Tell them you’re spending the night.”

You felt as if all your blood had drained from your body when you heard the provocative tone of his voice. You searched his face for any hint of joking, and when you found no hint of play, a shiver shook your body.

He shifted himself around the table, scooting himself until he was directly at your side. In this apprehensive state, you loosened the grip on your phone. Quick to take note of this, he took it entirely in his hand, tossing it off in the corner of the room. Your body trembled harder as you felt him over you. Not quite touching you, yet close enough to feel his heat, his breath fanned against your hair.

“If they come and try to get you, you can tell your mom my kick has become a lot stronger since the last time she met me.”

“Don’t say stuff like that,” you muttered out, “I told them I would be home later, it makes sense they would be upset. I haven’t messaged them since I left the school.”

“They can get over it,” he countered, “Whoever tries to take you from me now is asking to get their ass beat.”

You scoffed, “Taiju, don’t you think that may be a little unreasonable?”

“I don’t. I prayed for this moment nightly, and my prayers were answered today.” His eyes took on a predatory sheen. “God gifted you back into my life. I’m not letting anyone else take you away ever again.”

You gasped when he hooked an arm around you, hoisting the two of you to your feet. He shoved you upright, the sudden action making you unsteady. Using this to his advantage he stalked closer to you, herding you back in the process. It all happened so quickly you had no time for resistance, the back of your legs hitting the side of his bed caused your knees to give way. You tumbled, your back landing against his plush comforter with a soft swoosh. He was quick to crawl over you, loosening his tie in the process.

“Last time you were on my bed we were too little for me to realize the opportunity I had before me,” his lips hovered over your own, expectant and ravenous eyes scouring your face as he savored the moment. “I’m not going to let it slip by me again.”

He crashed into you, lips furiously working yours as he forced his tongue inside. Finding his power too hard to combat, you accepted his kiss, whimpering when his teeth tugged roughly on your bottom lip. He made quick work of his shirt, nearly ripping it from his torso so that his hands could once again find purchase on your body. You squirmed in his feverish touch, whining as his hands groped up your sides, shamelessly kneading and pawing at your thighs, hips, stomach, and breasts in slow succession. He began to unbutton your top as he forced the lower half of his body in between your legs, sinking you down even deeper into his bed. You jolted as he pressed himself against your core, the unmistakable hardness you felt causing you to tremble beneath him.

Your arms flew to his chest, pushing on him in a futile attempt to shove him off of you. You were already distressed by the situation as is, but feeling him grind against you made you realize things were about to get so much worse.

He growled into your throat, knocking your hands aside to prevent what little resistance you displayed. He shimmied out of his pants before impatiently tearing through the last remaining buttons your shirt, your bra the only article now protecting your modesty. Wasting no time, his lips blazed over you, leaving a scorching trail down your neck and chest that left a pleasant burn on your flesh. His hands continued their ministrations, eliciting small gasps with every valley they traveled. Your nerves were slowly waning, trembles of fear turning into quivers of excitement. Though still scared, you couldn’t deny the pleasant pulse that Taiju was coaxing from within you.

His tongue laved over the skin the spilled from the top of your bra, nibbling and sucking his mark into the supple flesh. He flipped up your skirt so that he could press into your further. You whimpered as he rocked against you, getting a feeling for the magnitude of his length and girth. Wetness seeped from you, mingling with the precum that stained through his boxers.

“Do you feel that,” his voice was throaty, “Do you feel how much I want you? Do you know how much I fantasized about making this pretty pussy mine?”

He pulled himself up, needy mouth returning to your swollen lips in a quick kiss. Momentarily parting himself, he looked you square in the eye. His hair fell around his face, curtaining him off from the rest of the world. Only you could see the state he was in. Draped over you, his chest was rapidly rising and falling with ragged breaths. His golden eyes were blown wide, the perfect accent to his flushed face. He darted his tongue out to pass over his bottom lip, giving your disheveled form a drawn out once over. As he simpered down at you, he wore a look of utter intoxication. Caged in, he had you right where he wanted.

“I hate that you were taken from me.” He leaned in closer, “I hate that in that time some dickhead could have touched you, hurt you. I hate that I had to spend years of my fucking life without you by my side.”

“Taiju…” Your voice came out breathy as you stared into his face. You were taken with how handsome he looked in the moment, wild and passionate, ready to snap any moment and devour you whole. Your panic ebbed, leaning into the large hand that made its way to your cheek. He used his thumb to gently skim under your eye, wiping away rogue tears you hadn’t realized that you had shed.

“You’re mine to protect, mine to love, mine to have, and in turn, I’m yours. Do you understand, (name)? You understand that this is where you belong?”

Without awaiting an answer, his lips once more sought your own. The desperation in his voice and in his touches made your previous resolution of standing up to him fly out the window. Your body melted as he held you, kissed you, loved you. You were both drowning in him and being resuscitated by him at the same time. Your brain was no longer making any sense at it warred and screamed about the situation you had caught yourself in. A nagging voice at the back of your mind was blaring that things were moving too fast, that you need to think this through. But right now you didn’t really care about the finer details, choosing instead listen to your heart as it pumped mercilessly in your chest, struggling violently to reach out to Taiju. It wanted him, needed him, and that was the only thing that currently made any sense to you in this heady moment.

“Yes,” you whispered in between kisses, finally working up the courage to truly kiss him back. No one ever made you feel this way like this before, his touches an experience you wanted to carve so deeply into yourself that you would never forget them. “I’m yours.”

“That’s my baby girl,” Taiju purred. He trailed his coarse palm up your thigh, fingers teasing their way up under your skirt. He stopped once he had hooked a finger through the elastic of your panties.

“You think you feel good now,” his voice was shaking with excitement as he started to tug, “Wait until I fill you up. It’s time to make up for all that lost time together.”

Feeling yourself become slowly exposed broke you from your daze. You felt good right now, better than you ever felt with another boy, and you would be lying if you said there wasn’t a large part of you that yearned to continue. But the truth was that this was your first time, and you were incredibly unprepared. You had barely even made it past first base in the past, and while this was all new and exciting, the thought of giving in and the repercussions that could cause was enough to make you feel sick. Even in a lust filled haze, the cons of where this all could lead was enough to clear up your mind.

“Wait,” your hand latched to his, halting his motions, “I-I don’t think I’m ready for that quite yet.”

“What do you mean,” Taiju responded, attempting to coerce you with soft kisses littered on your shoulder and chest, “Of course you are. I’m going to make you feel good baby, trust me. Haven’t you missed me?”

You fought him as he continued to tug, your grip staying firm, “I did miss you, but you’ve already made me feel good and I’m not ready to go that far. Please, stop.”

In response to your plea, Taiju released a deep sigh.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

In a fluid motion, he yanked his hand from your grasp, relocating it to your sopping folds. You mewled when he roughly shoved his fingers against your entrance, taking his time in trailing them up and down the length of you, giving special attention to when he would pass over your bud. More tears sprang to your eyes as you writhed beneath him, doing your best to create distance between the two of you. He had none of it, laughing darkly at your weak escape attempt. A toothy grin overtook his face as he watched your expressions contort under his forced pleasure.

Though you were fighting it, your body nonetheless began to relax under his touch, the slow, sensual glide of his fingers causing a mounting pleasant ache to electrify your body. Once he was satisfied with his work, he removed his hand. He clucked his tongue condescendingly as you bucked your hips up at him, missing the sensation. With his free hand, he latched onto your chin, forcing your lips apart to plunge his digits into your mouth. Your tongue rolled across his fingers, the bitter taste of your own slick assaulting your senses. After he felt you adequately licked them clean, he ripped his hand from your mouth.

“Taste that? That’s your body begging me to fuck your brains out,” he snarled. Gripping your hair he pulled your head up so that you were eye to eye. His other hand, still wet with your saliva, rested itself in a tight hold around your neck.

“So what now? You feel like being a bitch and lying to me again, or are you going to let me have my way? Either way this is ending the same sweetheart, but I can’t say you’ll much enjoy it if you decide to keep being a lying brat.”

Your mind was whirring, overwhelmed with the stimulus and terror. Were you going to be raped? Is that really how your night with Taiju was about to end? Your head was throbbing, your neck was sore, and your heart once again felt as if it were being shattered into a million pieces.

“Please Taiju,” you begged, “I’m not ready for this!” Your cries continued falling on deaf ears, and you were growing more desperate when his hand left your neck, making the descent back to your skirt.

“Please… I love you, I just… I just want my first time with you to be perfect! I want myself to be perfect for you, please… I want you so bad, but I don’t want to rush our time together!”

Your mind had become such a hazy mess that you weren’t quite sure what words you were babbling anymore. Your body that moments prior was vibrating in ecstasy, was now shaking with sobs. You felt disgusting and betrayed lying on Taiju’s bed, half naked and covered in all manner of bodily discharge. You wanted to ball yourself up so tight no one would ever be able to get to you again, but you remained splayed out, open and vulnerable to the man above you. You sniffled, biting down so hard on your bottom lip it split, the tang of blood spilling across your tongue. It was ironic, you thought. In all the ways you had been hurt today you had yet to bleed until you inflicted it upon yourself.

Being so caught up in your emotions, you didn’t realize that Taiju had stopped his assault. It wasn’t until you felt your body being scooped up, arms wrapped around you protectively as he rested your head in the crook of his neck, that you began to quiet yourself. He pressed his cheek to the crown of your head, running his fingers absentmindedly through your hair. You stared at the curving tattoos that ran along his chest, momentarily stunned by what was occurring.

“Idiot,” he spoke, placing a chaste kiss to the top of your head, “You already are perfect for me, that’s why I want you so damn bad. But when you say cute shit like that I can’t help but listen to you.” He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, releasing another irritated sigh.

“Only you can turn me into fucking sap, you know that?”

You buried yourself deeper against his body to ground yourself, hoping to hide how rattled you were. This was such a close call. He was more than ready to have his way with you whether you wanted to or not, and the whole time you were powerless to stop him.

So why was he being so sweet now?

Why did you feel so comforted in his arms?

You didn’t understand any of this.

“Can I go home?” You choked.

“Yeah, but I’m going to take you,” he remarked, sounding the slightest bit defeated, “Clean yourself up first. I’m sure your parents are already going to bitch at you for this, let’s try not to make it worse.”

You gave a curt nod, and he released you. Scooting from the bed, you wanted nothing more than to get home and get a scalding shower. Maybe if you scrubbed enough, you’d be able to forget the whole night ever happened. The rest of the messy situation could wait till later to sort out.

You had made it to your feet, but before you could take a step forward Taiju’s thick arm draped itself across your shoulder. You stilled, tension gripping your body. He hadn’t changed his mind about letting you go home, had he?

“You better start working on a convincing story now,” his voice was husky in your ear, dripping with barely concealed lust that was enough to reignite your panic. He brushed your hair to one side, placing a lingering open mouthed kiss in the dip of your neck. A shiver rocked you as his lips languidly sucked at your sensitive skin, intent on leaving one final mark.

“Tomorrow I’m not letting you leave. You’re staying the whole night with me.”

His hold was not so tight that you couldn’t pull away, yet you found yourself unable to move. One part of you was begging you to run, get out of this place and sprint down the street without looking back. Once you were in the safety of your own home, he couldn’t get you. Just like with the bullies of your childhood, once you passed the threshold of your house, you were invincible.

But a bigger, bitterer part of you laughed at that naivety. You understood now why Yuzuha had looked at you so forlornly. She knew better than anyone once you were in Taiju’s possession that there was no escaping.

“Yeah,” you were quick to wipe a tear from your eye, taking a steadying breath before you continued.

“I look forward to it.”

302 notes · View notes

blog-name-idk · 2 years

Text

Everything Falls (Into Place) | 24

*Banner by the incredible @bangtansmauyeondan

Pairing: OT7 x Fem Reader

Genre: College!AU, Roommate!AU, Fluff, Humor, Smut

Summary: Your new roommates are unbearably nice and unbearably hot. Good thing you're an adult who is fully capable of platonic friendships with the opposite sex, right?

Word Count: 4469

Warnings: Smut

~~~~~

You J-Hoooope! You're not in your room

Hobi Hi! I went for a walk

You Are you free for lunch today?

Hobi I am, are we all doing something?

You I thought it would be nice if we hung out It's been a while since it's just been the two of us :)

Hobi Um, actually I might be busy Let me check and I'll get back to you

You Oh okay! No pressure I just miss my sunshine ☀️

Hobi I miss you too

Hoseok frowned at his phone, feeling a little guilty about lying to you about lunch plans. But he didn't know if he could put on his usual happy face if the two of you were alone together. He knew the thing people liked the most about him was his cheerful nature, and he didn't want to inflict his sad mood onto you. Even if the wilting leaves in his chest were begging for the sunlight in your smile.

"Hyung, what's wrong?" Asked Jungkook, seeing the storm clouds on his face. Hobi just sighed and handed the younger boy his phone. Jin peeked over his shoulder to read it, then also frowned.

"Hobi, you shouldn't avoid her like this," the eldest urged, setting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah," Jungkook nodded, giving him a one-armed hug. "Wouldn't [y/n] be more sad if she knew you were avoiding her?"

"I don't want to avoid her forever," the dancer protested, feeling a little ashamed that he seemed to be the only one truly upset. "I just… don't think I can be happy in front of her today."

"She's your friend, why would you need to pretend?" Jin asked, crossing his arms.

Hobi sighed. He knew Jin and Jungkook meant well, but they didn't understand. They were honest-to-goodness dreamboats with top tier good looks, intelligence, charm, and talent. Of course they thought everything was going to work out. For them, it probably would.

For all his cheerfulness and good humor, at the end of the day he was a realist. It was why he had gone to college for a degree rather than the capital to go all-out pursuing a dance career. And it was why he had to accept that there was no way someone as incredible as you would so much as glance his way when there were guys like Jin vying for your attention.

He didn't resent the others - how could he, when they were the best friends he had ever had - but it did still hurt sometimes. Still, they were right that avoiding you now wouldn't make things any easier in the long run. He would have to suck it up.

Hobi I'm free!

You Yay! I'm at Mina's now but want to meet up around noon?

Hobi Works for me :)

~~~~~

You fidgeted nervously while you waited for Hobi by your usual taco place. You had somehow managed to slip out of the house to visit Mina without running into anyone, which was a relief because you were still a little embarrassed that basically everyone had heard you last night. You knew you'd have to face them eventually, but a little time would help.

The largest cause of your current nerves was your impending conversation with Hobi. Despite the way Jimin and Tae assured you of his feelings, it was still terrifying to put yourself out there. Still, Jin had asked you to talk to him and he wasn't one to make requests lightly.

A familiar head of hair appeared around the corner and you perked up, waving. He waved back, but when he reached you you noticed that his smile seemed a little dimmer than usual.

When you hugged him hello, his embrace was also looser than normal, and he pulled away almost immediately. You hid a worried frown as your nerves spiked higher and followed him into the small restaurant.

"Is everything okay?" You asked after the two of you sat down at your usual table.

"I'm just a little tired," he replied with a smile that should have been reassuring. You flushed a little at the implication and looked down at the table, feeling awful at having beem that roommate.

"Er, I'm really sorry about that," you stammered in embarrassment.

"No it's fine, I'm happy for you guys."

There was that faux-smile again, and his voice had developed a tight quality that made your heart sink. The others had told you he had feelings for you, but that didn't mean they knew how he stood on the whole house situation. Could he be disappointed in you? Disgusted? Still, you had told the other boys you would do this.

"Oh, um, I was kind of hoping…" You tried to catch his eye, but he avoided your gaze and studied the five-item menu that the both of you already knew by heart. Fuck, this was way too hard, you couldn't do it.

"Um, do you hate me now?" Your mouth blurted instead, making you wince. That caught his attention, and his head snapped toward you, eyes wide.

"What? Of course not," he protested immediately, and it felt like the most honest thing he had said to you all day. He hesitated, looking as if he was fighting an internal war, before taking your hand with a smile that was feeble but genuine. "I'm sorry, what were you saying before?"

"Iwaskindofhopingyoumightactuallybealittlejealous."

He blinked in confusion, and despite your fear your heart fluttered at how absolutely adorable he was. It really wasn't fair.

"Er, I didn't catch that," he said apologetically, and you sighed.

"Um. What would you think if… hypothetically… I also had feelings for you… hypothetically…" You were such a fucking loser. His mouth fell open in a cute "o" and you fidgeted.

"Hypothetically!" You added again, wincing at how awkward you were making this. "So don't worry if-"

"Really?" His voice was a squeak and he was looking at you incredulously. Oh god, he thought you were insane. You had to get out of here.

"Uhh nevermind, I just remembered I have to go do something!" You jumped out of your seat to flee like a coward but his hand shot out to grab your wrist. He immediately let go, looking panicked, then grabbed it again more gently when you turned to leave. He pulled you into the chair next to him and stared at you while you tried to look anywhere but at him.

"You… hypothetically… like me?" He whispered softly, and at his tone you finally met his eyes. There was so much emotion swirling in them that you felt your cheeks flush at the attention.

"Yeah… hypothetically," you whispered back, feeling like you were under a spell. His face broke into a brilliant grin at your admission.

"I would say - hypothetically - that the feeling is mutual."

And then his lips were on yours. You didn't know how it was possible for someone to taste like joy, but he somehow managed it. His kiss made you feel like you were basking in the warmth of the sun and you leaned eagerly into him. You felt the corners of his mouth turn into a smile against your lips and couldn't help but giggle and break away.

"I know you guys are regulars and all but can you save that shit for later?"

The unamused, underpaid high school student who was here helping out his parents stood at the table with his arms crossed. You and Hobi grinned at him apologetically before ordering, and you moved back to the other side. He reached over the table to hold your hand a little bashfully, and his blush was the cutest thing you had ever seen.

"So you're okay with the whole… others situation?" You asked tentatively, though you felt too giddy to be nervous anymore.

"I think so," your friend responded with his more typical chirpiness. "Enough to try, anyway. Is there anyone else other than Tae and Jimin?"

You flushed, suddenly feeling self-conscious again.

"I... kindoflikeallofyou," you said in a rush, just wanting to get it over with. Hobi just smiled and rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb in soothing circles. "The only other one who knows is Jin, though."

"Okay," he said simply, gazing at you with adoring eyes. You internally swooned at how handsome he looked. How many people had you saved in a previous life for you to be this lucky?

The high schooler set your food on your table with a tired sigh before heading back to the counter. Well, you'd definitely saved more than this kid apparently. He sounded even more world weary than Yoongi at his grumpiest.

The two of you finished eating and left with no more incidents, though your cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Hobi was being almost as clingy as Taehyung at his worst and you loved every minute of it. You hadn't realized just how much the dancer had been holding himself back. It just never occurred to you that someone as wonderful as him might feel the same insecurities you did.

You held hands the entire way home, and Hobi couldn't stop himself from pausing every couple minutes to squeeze you in a hug or press light kisses all over your face. At one point he even stopped and twirled you around in his arms like a ballroom dancer. He couldn't help it, you were just so cute and sweet and he had wanted to be able to hold you like this for so long.

By the time the two of you got home, you were both giggly and red-faced. Incredibly, no one seemed to be home and he was selfishly grateful to keep you to himself for a little longer.

"Can we have another sleepover like Festa night sometime?" he asked shyly as you closed the front door. It had been impossible not to relive that night over and over, if not for the feel of you in his arms then for the easy laughs and conversation until you had fallen asleep.

"Jung Hoseok, are you trying to get me into bed with you?" you asked sternly, putting your hands on your hips. Panicked by the implication, he didn't notice the twinkle in your eye.

"No! I didn't mean it like that!" he protested immediately, feeling horrified that it had come off that way. Oh no, did you think that he was some perv that was only interested in sex? Well, he did find you incredibly attractive, but what he really wanted was to wake up with you in his arms again.

"O-oh, you don't want me like that?" you asked sadly, face falling. Again he missed the amusement in your tone and panicked further.

"What?! Of course I do, you're gorgeous, I just-"

He stopped talking when you broke into giggles. You were teasing him?

"You're so mean," he complained, trying to look offended but too enchanted by your laughter to manage it. He still did his best to pout, making you smile and wrap your arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry," you chortled, pressing your lips against his in a sweet peck. "You're just so cute."

"Hmph." That was the best he could do as he tried not to melt completely into you.

"Besides, I wouldn't mind."

He froze as his brain raced to catch up to his ears. Really? Lovely, gorgeous, amazing you really felt that way about him? His mind flashed to all of the half-formed images he had never dared to fully imagine, including ones inspired from the torturous symphony of sounds he had heard the previous night.

He crashed his lips down on yours, suddenly ravenous, and you gasped sweetly into his mouth. Unlike his previous chaste, almost shy kisses, this one was hard and deep.

You tasted so, so good and Hobi thought he could drown in your warmth. He threaded one hand through your soft, fruity-scented hair to deepen the kiss and you gave an approving noise halfway between a moan and a whine that sent shudders down his spine straight to his groin.

He licked into your mouth with hot strokes, only growing more enthusiastic when you reciprocated. One of his hands went to your lower back to bring you closer, and your soft curves molded into him perfectly. He was half on auto-pilot, in awe that this was real and he was touching you and you were enjoying it.

"C-can we go upstairs?" He gasped, pulling away before he lost all of his mental faculties. It was hard to keep himself under control when you looked like this, ruffled and breathless and looking at him like you wanted to eat him alive.

"I don't know, can we?" You asked, blinking up at him as innocently as you rolled your hips against his. He couldn't help but groan at the way you rubbed against his growing erection, and grabbed a handful of your ass to press you harder against him. You gave a cute squeal of surprise that only served to make him harder.

"You're really asking for it," he breathed, his tone full of dark promise. He watched in satisfaction as you flushed pink and your pupils dilated further. It was his turn to be surprised as you grabbed his hand and almost dragged him up the stairs and into your room.

As soon as you closed the door, he was on you, pushing you against the wood as he kissed and nipped the soft skin of your neck to add his own marks to the pretty collection you had acquired. You were pliant and perfect, moaning while grabbing fistfuls of his shirt in weak tugs. You rolled your hips against his again, and he cursed at having picked such tight pants in his rush to leave this morning.

Then, because you were an angel (or perhaps the opposite, but he wasn't very picky at the moment), your hand dipped between your bodies. You briefly palmed the uncomfortably tight crotch of his jeans before clumsily undoing the zipper. Your fingers dove under the waistband of his briefs to wrap around his cock and he groaned into your shoulder. He couldn't believe this was really happening. Then you pulled his length out and dropped prettily to your knees and he wondered if he had died and gone to heaven.

The sight of you kneeling before him, eyes wide and adoring and hungry was almost enough to make him come then and there. When you took him in your hands to guide his tip to your parted lips he thought he had to be dreaming. He had no idea you were feeling a similar awed wonder that you were the one to put such a wrecked expression on your sweet sunshine Hobi's face.

Your tongue flicked to capture the salty liquid gathering at the tip of his cock and he threw his head back with a soft groan. You couldn't necessarily say you loved the flavor, but the stars in his eyes were more than enough to make it your new favorite meal.

You dove in determinedly, spurred by the gasps tearing themselves from his throat, and using your hands to lave attention on whatever you couldn't fit into your mouth. Hobi's fingers threaded into your hair, more for him to ground himself than to direct you, which you appreciated. Still, you couldn't help but want to see what would happen if he lost control. So you teased.

You alternated between pulling off to give kitten licks, to engulfing him back into your waiting mouth with harsh sucks that had him gasping, all while staring up at him with best "fuck me" eyes you could under the circumstances. It seemed to work, because soon he ripped you off of him and tossed - tossed! - you onto the bed.

You barely had a moment to appreciate just how sexy that action had been because he quickly shed all his clothing, leaving you staring and once more.

"You're so hot, it's not fair," you complained, reaching out to rake admiring fingers down his toned abs. Your words brought a flush to his face, but the smirk that tugged at his lips was anything but cute. The glint in his eyes reminded you of the blatant sexuality he had exuded during the dance showcase and you gulped audibly.

"I'd say the feeling's mutual," he murmured into your ear as he leaned down, before giving it a hot, wet swipe of his tongue. You gasped and wriggled against him, and he slid his hand under your shirt to squeeze your breast over the fabric of your bra.

"O-oh, Hoseok," you whimpered when you gave your nipple a hard pinch. A low, sexy growl sounded from his throat and he nearly ripped your shirt and shorts in his haste to remove them.

"I could hear you say my name like that forever," he said hoarsely, taking a second to admire your almost-naked form before descending upon you again. His mouth was hot, wet, and sloppy against yours and his roving hands were everywhere. You weren't much better, eagerly mapping out every inch of skin you had dreamed of since walking in on him in the shower so long ago. You squeezed a handful of his toned ass and he bucked into you, making you both moan as his length rubbed against you.

"I'm assuming Jimin and Tae took care of that little issue you mentioned during Festa night," he rasped as he rubbed his fingers against the cloth covering your entrance. His eyes darkened when he realized just how damp it already was. "If they didn't I'll murder them."

The threatening tone in his voice was unlike anything you'd ever heard, and it made you impossibly wetter.

"T-they did," you managed, wriggling against him in hopes that he would give you more.

"Good," he said simply, though his eyes were simmering. He grabbed the edges of your underwear, slipping them easily off your hips, while you hurriedly moved to unclasp your bra and toss it aside. The way he licked his lips when he saw you in all your glory was nothing short of sinful. It was hard to feel self-conscious when he was staring at you like you were the most delectable thing he had ever seen.

"I can't believe how lucky I am," he groaned, leaning down to take a pert nipple into his mouth. The noise you made was enough to make him thrust involuntarily against you, making you both gasp at the wet slide on your lower lips, but he controlled himself and held his hips back off of you. Your complaint was cut off as he let his fingers play against your entrance instead, collecting your arousal before he slid a digit inside.

You were having a hard time figuring out where to set your concentration. As soon as you focused on the way his tongue was licking flat stripes against your nipple, his finger would give a wicked twist inside of you. When your hips bucked against his hand, he would give your chest a sharp but enjoyable nibble.

By the time Hobi pulled away, he had reduced you to a trembling, needy mess capable only of gripping your sheets and staring at him with glazed eyes. That lethal smirk widened further as he took in his handiwork.

"I think you still need to make up for lost time, though," he purred. Before your overwhelmed brain could understand what he meant, he had buried his head between your thighs and begun licking at you in earnest.

"F-fuck, Ho-seok," you keened as he gave your clit a flick with his tongue. He thought he might get addicted to the way your breath hitched and voice cracked. You tangled your fingers in his hair, whether to yank him off or shove him closer, you weren't sure. All you knew was that he was eating you out like it was his last meal and all you could do was give his hair weak tugs that he seemed to enjoy by the way he was moaning into your pussy. You felt the coil in your gut wind tighter and tighter with each swipe of his talented tongue, and when he slid a finger into you again you thought you might explode.

"H-holy," you choked as he curled the finger inside of you just so. "H-Hobi."

He pulled away from you momentarily, though he never stopped the ministrations of his finger, even slipping another into your waiting warmth.

"Holy Hobi," he teased. "I like it."

"Shut up," you said, halfway between a gasp and a giggle. You gave him a feeble punch in the chest, unable to summon the motivation for anything else in the wake of his teasing fingers. You pulled him in for a kiss, uncaring of the way his lips were still glistening with your arousal. You rolled your hips against his, brushing his dick again, and he groaned into your mouth.

"Want you," you murmured against his lips, bucking up again. "Please?"

How could he deny you when you asked so sweetly? He scrambled up briefly to lunge for his nightstand, making you giggle again, though by the time he had ripped the foil packet open and rolled the condom down his length your eyes were wide with anticipation. God you were so perfect, lying there soft and ready for him. You gave an impatient wiggle of your hips when he took too long admiring you for your tastes, and he felt his heart flutter with joy.

"I'm coming," he assured you, scooching over to line himself up with your entrance.

"Not immediately, I hope," you quipped back with a grin, before gasping and letting your head fall back as he rubbed the tip of his cock against your clit.

"You make it hard, but I'll do my best," he responded impishly as he teased your outer folds. He couldn't wait long either, though, and soon he was sinking into you inch by torturous inch.

"Oh," he breathed as he worked his way in. You were whimpering and giving weak bucks of your hips to help him along, and it was driving him insane. "You feel so good."

Hobi stilled as he bottomed out, just basking in how warm and wet and perfect you felt stretched out around his cock, until you rubbed against him.

"Move, please," you begged, and again he was helpless to deny you a single thing. He began slowly, wanting to savor the moment as he drank in your whines and moans. It was clear you wanted him to move faster, but he was beginning to enjoy the needy, desperate expression on your face.

"You're so beautiful," he groaned, his slow pace torturing himself as well as you. To distract himself, he reached forward to palm your breasts. You whimpered as he pinched your nipples between clever fingers, bucking up again in a futile effort to get him deeper.

"Hobi, please," you begged, your tone going straight to his dick.

"Hm? What's wrong?" he asked in mock concern, knowing he was being a little mean but unable to help it. You were just so sensitive and pliable, how could he not play with his food for a little bit? He slid slowly in and out, enjoying the snug fit and the absolutely frustrated look in your eyes. You couldn't believe this cruel, cruel tease was your sweet Hobi. But fuck if it wasn't hot.

"Please fuck me like you mean it," you managed to choke with another frustrated buck of your hips. His mouth fell open at your brazen request. Then his eyes darkened further and he licked his lips.

"Well, if that's what my gorgeous girl wants."

You barely had a chance to blush at his words before he pulled out of you and flipped you onto your stomach. You were quivering with anticipation as he dragged your hips up so you were on all fours, and he thrust into you with little preamble, setting a hard, vicious pace that had you arching your back against his chest. You couldn't help the squeaks and moans that spilled from your throat as he gave you exactly what you had asked for.

One of his hands wrapped around your throat from behind and you let out a surprised whine as he used his grip to pull you flush against him. He squeezed, not enough to cut off your air but enough to restrict your blood flow, and your vision fuzzed with pleasure. Who was this Hobi and where had he been hiding the whole time?

"You think you can come for me, pretty girl?" he murmured wickedly against your ear as his other hand inched down to rub lazy circles over your clit. You moaned helplessly at all of the sensations assaulting you, locked into place and unable to do anything but enjoy it as he continued to pound into you.

You felt like Icarus, enthralled by the new heights you were reaching, and completely enraptured by your closeness to the sun. Hobi wound your body tighter and tighter as he took you to the brink, and with one final stroke of his thumb on your clit your wings melted and you plummeted into an ocean of pleasure. He swore as your walls spasmed around him, his own pace growing erratic, until he joined you beneath the waves.

The two of you collapsed sideways onto the sheets, already in perfect spooning position, and you sighed in satisfaction as you turned your head to nuzzle his neck gently.

"I didn't hurt you, right?" he whispered, dark bedroom Hobi apparently having gone back into hiding. You giggled at the duality, turning to fully face him even though it made him slip out of you.

"No, I loved it," you confessed, kissing him on his sweaty nose. "Though I think my lower regions are off-limits for at least the rest of the day, I need to recover."

"Should I thank Jimin and Taehyung for leaving enough of you for me today?" Hobi teased, the gentle look in his eyes taking away any potential negative implications of his statement. Still, you pouted and flicked his ear.

"I can make my own bad decisions, thank you," you said primly, making him laugh. "And you guys make it very difficult to be good."

"I don't have a problem with that."

There was that smirk again as his more domineering alter-ego peeked through, and you shivered a little. No, no, you had to calm down or your body wouldn't be able to take it. So you reluctantly pulled away so the two of you could clean up and confront the rest of the house.

Oh fuck, the rest of the house.

~~~~~

Next | Masterlist

Tags: @singukieee @persphonesorchid @xmochiloverx @taestefully-in-luv @meavie @silscintilla @forpunishers @jnghs @avadakadabra93 @thesleepingmoonfox

#bts x reader #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts ot7 x reader #kim namjoon x reader #kim seokjin x reader #park jimin x reader #jeon jungkook x reader #min yoongi x reader #kim taehyung x reader #jung hoseok x reader #jung hoseok smut #bts smut

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heavyelectricity · 26 days

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Gladiators 2024: The Review

Gladiators 2024 is in the books, and we have our first champions in 15 years! The new series started with high ratings and has continued to deliver throughout its 11 episode run, capturing the imagination of the general public so strongly that a second series has already been commissioned by the BBC.

Now that it's all over, I think it's fair to say that the show has been a creative triumph as well as a ratings hit, running much closer to the glory days of the 1990s ITV run than the disappointing 2008-09 Sky One revival. While it's fresh in the mind, it's a good time to take a look at what the show did right, as well as identifying any weaknesses that can be improved next time around.

The Good

First off, I think the overall look of the show is fantastic. One of the biggest weaknesses of the Sky show was the small studio setting, and thankfully Sheffield Arena gives the feeling of a big time event that Birmingham's National Indoor Arena did back in the day. The set retains plenty of elements of the 90s presentation, like the padded silver platform edges and the big imposing backdrop of The Wall, but with great modern touches like additional projection. I never hated the water element of the Sky show but I don't miss it, and the added pyrotechnics are a nice touch. I can't think of anything I'd change, except for maybe a move to a bigger arena – more on why later.

The presenter duo of Bradley and Barney Walsh have been somewhat divisive among fans, and there are definitely criticisms to be made. Having said that, it's clear that they're excited to be involved and I think that they're both totally fine on interviews, with Bradley's natural charisma and rapport coming through well. Guy Mowbray has been good value on commentary too.

The on-screen graphics all look very nice, and the introductory video packages and recaps of previous shows are a nice way to get to know the contenders. Likewise, the Gladiator intros are useful in familiarising the audience with the new cast, although it's very clear that they've been reused from episode to episode. I also really liked the touch of having all of the Gladiators welcoming the contenders into the final.

The selection of events was pretty much dead on – all of the returning games were top tier choices from the classic series, though they weren't all handled correctly. I think all three new events are worthwhile additions to the roster, with The Edge being the highlight and really the signature game for the modern show. I wasn't sure about it at first because the initial contenders were quite tentative, but once they started to sprint across, I was hooked. The scoring was initially too generous, but the revision to the rules in the semi-finals was perfect.

The Ring is very simple, but I can understand the need for that from a TV production perspective – you do need some low-setup, low-tech events to balance out the more elaborate events. Thankfully it is also very hard-hitting, so it's quite entertaining to watch. As for Collision, some people prefer Hit & Run but I actually prefer the new event, thanks to the greater visual involvement of the Gladiators. The need to carry the ball to score also adds an extra wrinkle to the whole thing.

I think the Gladiators this year mostly did a fantastic job in terms of both gameplay and establishing themselves as personalities. For me, there are a few standouts. Nitro is an absolute all-star – he's very charismatic and he seems to be an incredible all-rounder on the events. Legend's heel schtick is highly entertaining, with “There's no I in team, but there are five I's in individual brilliance” being my favourite line of the entire series. I've become a big fan of Fury – she's relentless whether she's on The Ring, The Edge or Powerball, and has a strong sense of fair play. Dynamite's performances stand out as being particularly impressive given that she's not the biggest of the group.

The standard of the contenders was also very high this year. I couldn't pick between Marie-Louise and Bronte for the women's final, and while I did predict the winner of the men's final, it was closer than I was expecting. There were some absolutely cracking close Eliminators along the way, and very few major mismatches. In most cases, even the lowest-scoring contenders managed to pick up points in the majority of their events.

The Bad

I really hate to say this as I'm a huge fan of Bradley Walsh's work on The Chase, but as good as he and Barney are on interviews, their scripted links have been arguably the weakest aspect of the show. Event introductions have frequently made me cringe, with some lame jokes and banter that comes off as forced. They're so much better when they're just allowed to operate naturally, and I hope that if they return, they'll be given room to play things a bit more off-the-cuff.

One aspect of the presentation that winds me up is an occasional lack of information. The clock is displayed on screen for the full duration of every event except The Ring, during which the timer is only shown for the final ten seconds of the game. Why? That's admittedly a small peeve, but I have a far bigger one – the Eliminator times of runners-up determine progression to the quarter-final and semi-final rounds, but we're never shown them. Since this information is so important, it's really frustrating that we never get to see those times, either via a clock running during the event or a leaderboard at the end of the show.

Of course, that only matters because the structure of the competition was a bit unusual – a factor of the 11-week format. I've got to be honest, as good as the action was, I'm not entirely sold on a tournament format that lets you theoretically lose two episodes in a row and still end up in the semi-finals. Also, the criteria for choosing replacement contenders in the case of injury was not especially transparent – lots of people were confused by the addition of Wesley as a brand new contender in the Quarter-Finals, and it's not entirely clear why Matt was brought back from the heats to replace Chung. Hopefully, next time will have more episodes and a simpler single-elimination tournament structure.

Before the series, I never thought that my criticisms of the events would be about the classics. However, Hang Tough was only featured on three episodes – a crazy low number for one of the most iconic events from the original show. I understand it's because The Edge and Hang Tough can't be set up during the same taping, and I get the need to establish the new event, but let's have a better balance the next time. As for Gauntlet, every single woman scored maximum points and most of the men did too – it's just too easy in its current form. I feel like there's no good reason no to revert to the 1994 rules, with five Gladiators, a 30-second time limit and time-based scoring.

I don't think any of the Gladiators were bad value, and I actually believe that people have been rather unfair to Viper in particular – he's been widely criticised for his performance in events, but in reality his performance has been similar to Wolf's contributions in the original run. The problem is that his villain character isn't quite connecting, and I hope he's allowed to show more personality than “silent and grumpy” if he returns. It's also sad to see that Athena has been given very few one-on-one events and very little interview time, so I hope she gets more focus if she comes back.

Further thoughts

Ulrika Jonsson has complained about the loss of the cheerleaders from the ITV show. I don't particularly miss them, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have them? Also, I'm a huge fan of the event music from the ITV version of the show, and not having such prominent tunes did bug me at first. However, over the course of the series I did become used to it and it's not something I'd look to change now.

Jet has mentioned that she and other past Gladiators would have liked to have been involved in the show, providing colour commentary or some sort of insight. This may be controversial, but I actually think that not including them was the right choice for the first series. The problem with bringing the old favourites back from the start is that you immediately run the risk of overshadowing the new cast, as well as pigeonholing the show as nothing more than a nostalgic product – something I think the show has very successfully avoided, as it's hugely popular with both kids and adults.

Having said that, I do think that bringing them in for a second series would be a good move now that the new cast is established. If the production team can bring back additional classic events, the veterans can speak with authority about what it's like to play them, and young fans can get a glimpse of the people their parents keep mentioning. What's more, if someone like Jet were to come back, it would be nice to have a woman as part of the presenting team, as was the case in the ITV and Sky versions of the show.

I have no doubts over the professionalism of everybody involved in the health and safety aspects of the show, and it was good to see stoppages and such when needed. However, I was quite surprised by the number of equipment malfunctions – lost shoes on The Wall, helmets coming off, all that stuff. There were also plenty of injuries – Comet, Sabre, Finley, Dev, Chung, even Finlay forfeited an event due to being banged up. It's obviously a high-impact show, but hopefully the next series won't be quite like this.

Although the arena used was good for the show, I feel like it may benefit from a move to a bigger venue for the next series. Public interest is sufficiently high I don't think you'd have trouble filling out the seats, and it would give the benefit of increasing the space available for the events - especially if a third event requiring ceiling space is added, since The Edge and Hang Tough should both be prominent.

Wishlist for next series

Three new events, two returning/revised and one new (return preferences: Skytrak, Atlaspheres and Danger Zone)

Gauntlet rules revised

Two to four additional Gladiators

Better utilisation of Viper and Athena

More episodes with a simplified tournament format

More transparency about the competitive aspects of the show

Presenters given either less scripting or better scripting

Fewer injuries!

Final thoughts

As a huge fan of Gladiators since the very first series, I was really apprehensive about the show returning. Would it live up to my expectations? The Sky show never managed to match the ITV run for me, even though I had the good fortune to attend a taping for the second series. Would it hit with the public? I've watched enough worthwhile retro revivals fall flat to know that it was by no means guaranteed.

The new series has exceeded my expectations - I genuinely didn't think it'd be pulled off this well, and I'm so happy the show has been given the revival it deserves. Overall I think the entire team has done a fantastic job, and hopefully it's clear that the criticisms that I've made come don't come from a desire to knock their hard work, but are provided with the most constructive intent. The show was great this year, and I'm confident that a few tweaks will make it even better next time around.

Hope you enjoyed this review - let me know your thoughts, and I'll be back soon with some statistical analysis for the series.

#bbc gladiators #gladiators #gladiators uk #tv review

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tmnt-tychou · 11 months

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Hi again!!! 😄 congrats on reaching your milestone!! That’s so cool!

This has been a question I’ve been wanting to ask, mostly cuz I’m curious! If you had to rank your personal favorite iterations of the TMNT based on characters and story, which would rank higher in your opinion? Bayverse turtles can also count!! 😁

Thanks again, and congrats!!! 🎉

I had to marinate on this. It's very hard to pick favorites when there's so many good versions to choose from. And these are just personal favorites, not a hard line on which show/movie is the best ever. No need to tell me what's what if anyone sees this list and disagrees. This is just my personal list.

I think my absolute top tier is still the 2003 version. This is largely due to the fact that this series was allowed to cover all the story lines that it wanted. Granted, not every episode is gold, but it really took advantage of all the things you can do in a TMNT universe and very much set a precedent of other versions to follow. (I do not count Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers in this.)

Rise of the TMNT is second. I think it had the capacity to surpass 2003, but it wasn't afforded the opportunity. With how much world-building and new ground it covered with only a season and a half, I can't even imagine what we would have had with a full five seasons or so if it had been allowed to continue.

Bayverse is my third favorite. Not necessarily because I think it's the "best", but because it's a lot of fun to play in. Some fans take Bayverse very seriously. I just can't. It's my anything-goes universe. I reserve a bit of respect for the other universes, but with Bayverse, I can do whatever dumb shit I want. I can make the dialog as crass as I want, I can explore more mature themes that I otherwise wouldn't put in a TMNT universe. I dunno, it's just stupid and fun. Also, very big turtles. I can't get enough.

Next is the 90's movies trilogy. The 2nd and 3rd are just stupid fun and very enjoyable. The first one, I think is still the best movie script to date and it too set a precedent for future TMNT iterations, including 2003.

I'll sneak in some comics here. "The Last Ronin" is a great read, if sad. Though not as rough of a read as I anticipated. And I really adored the TMNT/Power Rangers second crossover. (I have not read the first.) Of course, the art is AMAZING, but the script was great, too. I don't know a lot about PRs, but I could mostly follow along. And the Raphael/Casey bromance in this was SO GOOD.

Next, I would put the first 5 episodes of the 80's cartoon here. Yes, the show got dumb. They were on for like 10 seasons. But the first five episodes are pretty solid and a really good story. If you haven't seen the 80's cartoon and are overwhelmed with the sheer amount of episodes there are, just watch the first five. That's all you need.

I guess 2012 will go here. It's not my favorite series, though I know it's some fans' absolute true love TMNT iteration. I thought the first season was (mostly) pretty solid and I was really into it when it first came out, but by the end it was just the hottest of messes. Are there some fantastic episodes? Yes. Is this one of the best Splinters we've ever had? Also yes. Are the turtles' designs absolutely freaking adorable? Of course. Is that enough to carry this series for me? Unfortunately, no. This show is one big garbage fire and I didn't even watch most of the last season. Though I did catch that incredibly off-putting last episode.

Turtles Forever goes here. It was a great idea for a movie and I would have put it higher up, but I just watched it recently. It's actually kind of mean-spirited to other iterations, specifically the 80's version. So it goes lower on the scale for me.

The 2007 movie is next. Terrible script. So-so character designs. Some fantastic scenes. Probably one of the best Raphaels we've had.

Bottom tier stuff: Fast Forward, Back to the Sewers, a lot of the 80's show. The Next Mutation.

#ask me shit #lets talk turtles

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fishylife · 4 months

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Fishy's top movies watched in 2023

It’s that time of year again. Time for my movies roundup for the year.

This post includes movies that I watched in 2023, not movies that were released in 2023. I will rank movies based on my personal impression, so this is not an objective post. As well, I sort the movies in tiers as opposed to individual rankings.

From my ‘About’ page, you can see my movies posts from prior years as well as my Dreamwidth blog where I post writeups on movies and other media.

And on with the list!

My Favourite Movies of the Year

These were the movies that had the biggest impact on me. I think of them often.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)

This movie was about a man and his attachment to his childhood house. It was based on the experiences of one of the writers, who also played a fictionalized version of himself in the movie as one of the main characters. I thought the movie was thoughtful in its themes, about gentrification, and people's attachments to places.

Another reason why I liked this movie was because it was very beautiful. I was so in awe of some of the shots and aesthetic choices that the director had made. San Francisco is such a visually distinct city and the director definitely took advantage of that. As well, the colour palettes in this movie were so pretty. I had fun choosing a gif for this movie in my post because there were so many beautiful shots. (My custom Tumblr theme seems to be cutting off some gifs so if you are viewing this post in my custom theme, please click on the above gif to see it in full because it is pretty :3)

Definitely check out this show if you want a visual feast and a meaningful story.

Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (封神第一部: 朝歌風雲) (2023)

I know this is more of a fun action flick but it really did move me. This movie is the first in a trilogy covering the Investiture of the Gods, a famous Chinese historical fantasy and mythology novel. The novel is a retelling of the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty, with mythology weaved in.

This movie specifically followed the journey of Ji Fa, who would be the future King of the Zhou Dynasty (sort of a spoiler though most Chinese audiences will already know who he is). Ji Fa was a hostage son who glorified his captor, Yin Shou, the last King of the Shang Dynasty. Over the course of the movie, Yin Shou’s tyranny was revealed, and by the end of the movie, Ji Fa understood his values and decided he had a responsibility to take down the tyrant. The mythological story line had to do with the immortals seeing that Yin Shou’s rule would be bad for the common folk, and wanting to stop that from happening. It was an exciting movie about war and politics, but it was also a touching story about fathers and sons. I kept rewatching scenes between fathers and sons and brothers and feeling those moments of love for one another.

There have been comparisons between this movie and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and for good reason. The director, Wuershan, took much inspiration from the Lord of the Rings and consulted and hired people who had worked on the Lord of the Rings. Many behind the scenes videos outlined the extensive design process in creating the world that this story was set in. There was also a separate variety show that covered the 8-9 month training camp that all of the young actors attended to hone acting and physical ability. It’s clear that a lot of love went into this movie, and it showed in how rich the movie felt to me.

For some reason, I couldn't find any Creation of the Gods gifs using the Tumblr in-post gif finder. So instead, I looked up specific characters and found a gif from one of the most hype scenes in the movie >3

Check out this movie if you want something fun and fast-paced!

Honourable Mentions

These were also movies that I enjoyed and they made me think. They just weren’t at the top of my list.

The King of Comedy (1982)

The King of Comedy was about a man who was desperate to find fame through any means possible. There were characters in the movie who were fascinated with fame and celebrities in different ways. What was chilling was that some of these characteristics were familiar to us and I was sympathetic to them to varying degrees. I thought the different interpretations of obsession with celebrity were interesting, and relevant even to celebrity culture now.

An Elephant Sitting Still (大象席地而坐) (2018)

This was a drama film focusing on a few main characters living in a town, each with their own battles. One of the characteristics of this movie was its length, nearly 4 hours long, and yet this movie did not feel as long as other long movies I watched. The director Hu Bo naturally had a slow style but it didn’t feel slow. Rather, he captured some of the mundanity of life so instead of feeling bored, I felt that I was accompanying these characters in real time as they went about their day. As mentioned, this was a story about characters and their battles, and I did feel some parts of this story to be somewhat hard to watch. Not literally, but in the sense that I felt bad and I knew I couldn’t do anything for the characters. I know this movie definitely isn’t for everyone given its length and style, but I felt that I could get a sense of what the director was trying to express, about trying to break free of one’s chains.

Movies that were still good

I thought these movies were good and they had messages that would speak to other people.

From Up on Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から) (2011)

This was a movie about young people, young romance, and coming of age. Our main characters were high school students. Through the course of the movie, they learned about themselves, each other, and they learned to fight for causes they believed in. As a story, it was fun. It was cute, but our characters did encounter troubles which I appreciated.

While this movie was animated by Studio Ghibli, it was directed by Miyazaki Goro, the son of Miyazaki Hayao, and there were notable differences in style. I felt that From Up on Poppy Hill was a bit faster paced, but still showed off much of the Studio Ghibli style that we appreciate, in high quality animation and pacing.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

I’m not normally drawn to war films, but I felt that the story line of this movie offered something a bit different. This movie was about a military captain who was assigned to assassinate a defector during the Vietnam War. I think this movie appealed to me because the plot was more of a personal journey of the captain as he tried to understand why the defector had decided to take the path that he did. It offered a different perspective on the horrors of war that I commonly see. I think this is one of those movies that I’ll have to re-watch several times because it was packed with interesting dialogue.

Bullhead (Rundskop) (2011)

This was a solemn drama/crime film, surrounding an illegal market where livestock were injected with hormones. From beginning to end I felt a serious sense of gravity over the main character as he went about his life, and as we discovered his past. I think the appeal of this movie was the style and the character, as opposed to the story. Not that the story was bad, but rather, I think the story was more of a vehicle to show us what life was like for the people in this movie, specifically our main character.

I Am Mother (2019)

I do love a science fiction story that asks questions and makes me think. I Am Mother was about a child who was raised by a robot. Initially, we were only privy to the nurturing of this child. As she grew older, we were shown more about the truth of the world. I liked this movie because it was simple from a story standpoint, but it did raise a lot of hypothetical questions, which is what I love about science fiction stories.

Quest for Fire (1981)

I included this movie on my list because it certainly left an impression on me. To sum up my feelings on it, I appreciated the commitment to the concept. This movie was about a group of cavemen in prehistoric times. They had had a fire, but it was put out, and so the group sent a few members to find fire again. The reason this movie left an impression was because it was very raw. This was a prehistoric time, a time before many of the social norms we were familiar with would have been common among people. Some of it was gruesome, such as violence or just eating habits that were hard to watch, but I appreciated that the movie retained this cohesive style to immerse us in the time period. I’m pretty sure this movie was not historically accurate (for reasons that I won't say because of spoilers) but I think it delivered the story it set out to deliver.

The Heroic Trio (東方三俠) (1993)

If I was 13 years old I probably would have made this movie my entire personality. This was an action-adventure movie starring three icons of Hong Kong and Chinese entertainment (Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, and Maggie Cheung). It was a story about solving crime mixed in with a little bit of the supernatural. It had a surprising amount of backstory, particularly relating to two members of the trio. And of course I loved seeing the women fight in cool action scenes.

Closing Remarks

I’m a little surprised myself that there were some critically acclaimed movies that didn’t make this list. This didn’t bother me in previous years but it did bother me this year. I went into some movies expecting to love them because they were what I would consider my type of movie. Perhaps it was because my expectations were too high, that the parts I didn’t like seemed to stick out more to me. I did do some thinking as to why I didn’t like those movies and I think I still stand by those opinions.

Anyway, that’s it for 2023. Have you seen any of these movies? What did you think of them? Let me know!

Wishing everyone a happy 2024!

#thinking out loud #thoughts #movies

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ares--athena · 4 months

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Christmas Cheer

Robby x black fem! Reader x Tory

Summary- Robby and Tory have no idea what to get each other or reader and reader doesn't think she got them enough. Will their financial problems hurt the situation irreversibly?

Warnings- sorta angsty, fluffy, and the very very slight allusion to smut at the end.

December 5th- 20 days before Christmas (Reader POV)

"I ordered their gifts already." I told my friend Starr while walking down the school hall. "A little early, no?" She asked, it was 'early' for most people but not me I wanted everything to be here for them. "No, I honestly haven't gotten everything yet so I'm still a little behind schedule. It has to be perfect it's our first Christmas together." "Girl, I'm positive that if you gave those two some sand from outside they would cherish it like a million bucks. I think you'll be okay." She laughs making her way inside the classroom.

December 15th- 10 days before Christmas (Reader, POV)

Walking through the isles of the store nothing caught my eye for a good gift for them. I wanted to get Tory and Robby meaningful things and nothing was standing out. The stress of finals had been in both me and Tory stressed while Robby was fixing his relationship with his dad, so we were all white busy. I walked around the entire store twice before something caught my eye. A Lego Batman set, the one Tory's brother had been looking at. I don't think he ever told her because she does so much. So I did what any sensible person would do, I bought it with some gifts I did find for them.

December 20th- 5 days before Christmas (Tory POV)

"I don't know guys, what should I get them. Bills are tight this month and I can't make up for it." I ranted to Miguel and Sam while being in class. "Just talk to them, they'll understand." Sam explained. "But knowing Robby he'll try his best to buy what I want and I KNOW (y/n) will go absolutely overboard with gifts because it's her love language." I ranted more, what was I gonna do? "Then don't buy them anything, They love your cooking, make them Christmas dinner." Miguel suggested. "That might actually be a good idea."

December 20th- 5 days before Christmas (Robby POV)

"What the hell am I supposed to get them?" I asked Eli during practice. "You haven't gotten either of their gifts yet? Dude your real behind." He said. "You are not helping, (y/n) is probably getting me and Tory really thoughtful gifts and I can't think of shit to get for her." I almost yelled. "Okay, one calm down, two just get them both things they like, small stuff, they're both going to like whatever you get them." He said. "Yeah I guess."

December 24th- 1 day before Christmas (Reader POV)

Everything was going wrong, I wasn't finished wrapping presents, my hair wasn't done only being washed, and both Robby and Tory were on their way. "fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck" I mumbled to myself as I finally finished wrapping their gifts and started on my hair. About ten minutes later my hair was in two puffs and someone knocked at my door so it would have to do. "Merry Christmas Eve baby" Tory said with a smile. "Merry Christmas Eve love. How are you?" I asked letting her in. "Great now that I see you." As me and Tory got situated we started home alone, a top tier Christmas movie, to wait for Robby. It wasn't cold in the Valley by any means but we were cuddled under a blanket for the movie. There was another knock at my door, "I'll get it baby, relax" Tory said softly getting up. "Hi pretty girl" Robby told Tory giving her a side hug with gifts in his arm. "Robby what all did you get?" Tory asked. "You will find out tomorrow. Hi beautiful." Robby smiled at me. "Hi hun."

December 25- Christmas Day (Reader POV)

Waking up in Robby and Tory's arms may be the best part of my day already. "Babe, get up." I heard Tory shake me. I groaned and turned around. "Come on beautiful wake up. It's Christmas." I heard Robby from next to me. "I just wanna sleep for a little longer." I mumbled to them. "Come one babe it's already 10 and I finished breakfast.' Tory said softly. "Mm okay." I mumbled starting to get up.

"Thank you love breakfast was amazing." I said taking Tory and Robby's plates and giving her a kiss. "Merry Christmas babe." Tory smiled. "Come on we gotta open gifts." Robby said getting up. "Yeah I gotta get all your gifts from upstairs. I'll be right back." "WHAT ALL DID YOU GET!?" I heard Tory about from downstairs. I didn't reply as I went to my room and grabbed the gifts from my closet. Or as many as I could, I would have to make a second trip. I set the gifts by the stairs and grabbed the other one before making my way back down. "Holy fucking shit what all did you get?" Robby asked grabbing some gifts and putting them under the tree. I moved next to him to put down the ones I had. "I don't think I got you guys enough actually." I said softly going up the stairs to grab the rest of the gifts. "Holy fuck babe." Tory said coming out of the kitchen. "That's what I said. And She said she would've gotten us more." Robby mocked. "More! You would have put everywhere out of business with more." Tory shouted. "Come on just open your gifts." I said sitting by the tree. Tory and Robby both took seats near me. "Tory, what's wrong?" I asked her, "You look like you're going to cry." "I'm sorry I..." she paused to take a breath. "I wasn't able to get you guys anything. Money was really tight this month and Brandon really wanted this gift and I just couldn't. I'm sorry." She finished. "Tory," Robby started before just moving in to hold her. I joined in not long after. She started sobbing, "I just saw how much you spent on us and I'm sorry I wasn't able.." I cut her off, "Tory I don't do this for something in return I get you and Robby gifts because I love you. This is just how I show that. I don't need gifts from you two because you show your love differently this is just all I know how to do." I said smiling at her and wiping her tears. "Tory we know how much you care for us by what you do not what you give us." Robby spoke softly to her. "And Tory there is one gift I really want you to see first." I got up to grab a gift I had stashed away, I say back next to her letting Tory see who it was too. "Oh my god" she whispered. "You got Brandon a gift. This is, I can't even.." she stuttered looking shocked at the package. "I saw him looking at it on commercials and I don't think he ever told you about it, so I got it for him." "This is great. Babe, I don't even know what to say to you" she smiling at me. "I say we open the rest of these gifts. And then show beautiful how much we really appreciate her gifts." Robby smiled.

#poly tory x robby x reader #tory x robby x reader #tory nichols #robby keene #black fem reader #Tory x reader #Robby x reader

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dentedsky · 2 years

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Review of The Untamed

This is one of the only tv shows i have ever marathoned and then immediately watched all over again. I started watching this show on Netflix knowing absolutely nothing about it; i didn't even know it was a gay love story... likewut. I had previously over saturated myself with American sitcoms and so looked for something completely different. Little did I realise I would smack myself in the face with my own love for the characters, themes, costumes, and downright beauty of the thing. I was immediately hooked in when in the first scene the lead character is murdered by his brother, cos I am a real sucker for stories that start out with, "Once upon a time, I DIED!!!" That to me is pure chef's kiss.

If you haven't watched it yet, let me forewarn you: the first two episodes are a clusterfuck of situations and lines and characters you don't give a shit about and have no context for. But push past these into episode 3 and beyond, and trust me, you will.

So here is my review of The Untamed. I'll try to be as spoiler-less as possible.

General premise

Five major clans control majority wealth, power and magic. Teenager Wei Wuxian is from one of these clans, and attends Ancient Chinese Hogwarts with BFFs/siblings Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng. But it's not all fun and hormones; soon after the semester ends they are thrown into war. Despite knowing magic and sword art, they are woefully under-prepared for the carnage and political shitshow that follows. Alliances fray, hearts are broken... and Wei Wuxian dies.

Sixteen years later he is resurrected by a necromancer who wants revenge on his shitty family. Wuxian's crush from magical high school, Lan Wangji, is now a 30-something hottie and a top-tier wizard, and is investigating a sword spirit that's gone apeshit. Since the revenge plot and the sword spirit issue are related, they team up buddy-cop style to solve the mystery.

The Pros

Costume and set design

It's beautiful. Someone in the costume department was having a ball with this one bc every outfit is gorgeous and unique. The long shots of the ancient Chinese sets are eye candy too. I found myself drinking in every little detail of their clothes and swords.

Themes and metaphors

I've seen a couple of Australian movies that talk about asylum-seekers, but I've never watched a show that has brought in the subject quite like this one. No doubt the episodes dedicated to our untamed hero Wei Wuxian saving war prisoners are a metaphor for China's incarceration of its minorities, but for me I was seething, constantly remembering that cunts like John Howard chose to use their power to treat people fleeing oppression like they were nothing but inconvenient garbage. Why governments choose to infeasibly sweep refugees under the rug rather than help them I still don't understand. In The Untamed, it's highlighted that the reasons are all about power - who has power must do all they can to keep it, even if it means torturing people they have never met, and slandering those who don't fall in line.

Cancel culture and mob mentality is a constant theme in the show, shown throughout several episodes from start to finish. Although set thousands of years before the invention of the internet, The Untamed highlights one important truth: internet trolls have always existed in some form or other and they will never change. They don't attack the reputation of others because they honestly believe that person deserves it - they do it because it fucking makes them feel good. If you can't take their shit any more and you kill yourself, it only solidifies in their mind that they were right all along. It's uncomfortable, and is almost impossible to endure. Like Lan Wangji, I wanted to take sweet Wei Wuxian into my arms and whisk him away.

The love story

Hooo boy, da love story. I ofc realise this is the main reason fans love this show. Between them, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji portray all the emotions that have ever existed, and then some. I found myself melting at Wuxian's every smile, looking closely at Wangji's infinitesimal widening of his eyes or curl of his lips. Wuxian is a guy who talks a lot with his mouth and his body but never says the right things, and Wangji is a bloke who says very little but his thoughts are written all over his supremely gorgeous face. And when they're together... woof. Gurrl. Idek. The chemistry is just... something. There is some over-acting on Wuxian's actor's part in some scenes Wangji's actor isn't in, but when these two are in a scene together, they're kind of amazing. The actors put full effort in, and it shows.

The Cons

CGI and make-up

Although the same genre, don't expect the production value of Game of Thrones, or The Witcher. This one runs more along the CGI lines of Merlin and Doctor Who. If you can use some imagination and stomach those two shows, then you can watch this. Similarly, the zombies are not scary, like, at all. But maybe that is less to do with make-up and more to do with wangxian being so overpowered that if this was a jrpg video game, wangxian would be lv 99 by age 17.

Plot holes and side characters

This show is well written and paced. However, there's one episode in the second half that you could quite frankly chuck in the bin and nothing of value would be lost. The side story involves a third-rate villain and three side characters who the villain emotionally and physically tortures for shits and giggles. If you liked these characters, that's great, but the whole thing to me stank of torture porn and added nothing to the main plot or central characters or relationships. The Untamed is not the only show to suffer this; Altered Carbon comes to mind. There was literally a whole ep in that show dedicated to torturing the lead and I'm still flummoxed as to why some stories choose to do this when literally there is no point?? I get that this villain is central to The Untamed plot and that he is a dark reflection of Wuxian's future if he didn't have Wangji as an anchor, but those things could've been shown in other ways without dragging three characters idgaf abt into some flashback that bored me to tears.

Summary and general thoughts

Omg, dis my fandom now. I'm already reading fics and God, look, writing fucking essays. I'm so naughty - I got my bff into it just so I could have someone to talk to. Luckily, her 1st language is Mandarin, and after watching the show, she read the web novel in 4 days, then translated the porn for me. Of what she tells me though - unpopular opinion - I think I prefer this drama. I prefer the idea that Wuxian fell for Wangji love at first sight, and also, I'm not a huge fan of sex while drunk - it's actually kinda triggering for me. That's just personal things tho. Wangxian have some beautiful moments that I like to rewatch and keep cupped in my hands.

6/5 stars.

#the untamed #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #lan zhan #wei ying #jiang yanli #jiang chen #mdzs #mo dao su zhi #wang yibo #sean zhan #the untamed review #i made a thing #stuff #my review #netflix #text

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thotsforvillainrights · 2 years

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Hey!! I love your writings! Could I maybe get a request??

So, how about Chisaki with a S/o who gets pissed at someone, and even at them for some reason is a menace? Like, for example Kai being all bad and commanding like "I rule on this relationship" to pops or subordinates his s/o just straight up glares at him and says without any hint of fear "Sure you rule on this but I am the one who orders you around so shut your trap spoiled brat."

I can just imagine all the hassaikai just staring at them like "do you wish to die?👀" but Chisaki only scoffs and gets like a kicked puppy look like? If you don't want to do this is fine I just thought it would be funny

(This feels like a top tier Imagine and God ya'll know I love dogging on my boy Chisaki lol)

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up

Okay so imagine you have immense amount of control and power over your crew. Imagine you've gained the respect and trust of not just those that follow you but also the only man you could call a father figure in your life. Now imagine feeling that type of confidence that can only come from being a leader AND having a quirk that people feared as well. Okay did you imagine? Now imagine falling in love with someone more stubborn than you. That's Chisaki and his S/O for you lol. The first time he brought his S/O around the base, some of the men began to joke about who wore the pants in the relationship. Not only did his S/O run him, but it seems they also had a hand in the Hassaikai as well. Nobody dared step out of line in front of his S/O because they didn't want to catch whatever was going to be thrown (literally and metaphorically). They had trouble trying to choose who to get behind sometimes. Its been up for debate for a very long time now and Kai was getting tired of it. So he decided to get confident and try to set the record straight in front of everyone (including Pops). "I run this relationship."

…

Uh oh. His S/O overheard him and immediatly stepped forward to put their 2 cents into the situation. "Oh is that so?" He felt a slight shiver down his spine as he turned to look at them. "You may run the Hassaikai but don't forget who runs you. Shut your trap you spoiled brat."

Oh he was never going to live this one down. Half the men were ready to kill for him while the other half began to gossip and joke around about that sad puppy look on his face. Ugh, poor Kai!

#imagine #I think he doesn't stand a chance lol #he needs an S/O like this!!!

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not-close-to-straight · 2 years

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so i've accidentally reread LAL and SSS because i was doing research on kiss scenes (again) and it's been so long since i've actually read them (i don't think i've actually read them since they ended???) but my heart???????? my fucking HEART????????

gods, the flash flood still sends chills down my spine, and so does the fire. knowing what's coming doesn't change that in the least. i so badly wish i had the ability to make gifs and/or videos bc i know exactly what the CMT "next time on: Lassos and Lilies" post-episode thingies would look like and i can't share them and it's a damn shame 😭 the drama, the music, the beautifully cut together scenes...

also SSS still holds my entire fucking heart. GODS its so fucking cute, i need more sugar daddy steve because holee SHIT is it the cutest thing in the world. i love that little world you created. yu talk about such heavy things in the best kind of way, and it's the same characters as always, but i fall in love with them all over again and it's just 😭😭😭 ALSO, also this is my favorite version of clint. i love Fair Game clint, he's perfect and adorable, but SSS clint is just somethin else. you got the humor so perfectly right in this story, balanced perfectly with the shitty reality, it's one of my favorites and i'd forgotten it until just now.

OH and another also before i go: something i'm trying to do with my own story right now is showing/saying "i love you" before they actually say "i love you" and that's another reason i'm doing my research with your writing because gods DAMN you do that so well. you can FEEL how much they love each other before they ever even utter the words, that by the time they do, it just makes sense. it's a "well duh" kinda moment.

okay, i'm done gushing now. i've not had a lot of time to read lately between work and my own projects, but i just wanted you to know that i love everything you do, and that i'm using your writing for research purposes for my own stories because you write romance to a level i aspire to 💖 i hope you have a lovely day!!

You “accidentally reread” almost 400k worth of fic for research?

That’s what I saw when I rewatch Thor Ragnarok for the “plot” 😂

Anyway!

The flash flood and fire scenes in LAL are so intense. I worked so hard on them to bring up those like, classic western/adventure film feelings and vibes while also making it gut punch emotionally brutal for my readers. When I set out to write LAL I thought “we’re gonna hit every western trope including flood fire cattle drives a hanging a rich landowner and a whorehouse— all of it” and by god did I try to deliver on it!

And SSS- I’m not saying this lightly, I think SSS might be one of the best stories I’ve ever written. I’m honestly so proud of it. Of Stonys individual journeys, of their dating and falling in love, Tony’s issues and the way Steve is an actual knight in shining armor, BuckyNat with their own story and dynamics, Omega!Clint and how previously AWFUL he is 😂 I think especially with the pandemic SSS hit so hard on so many levels for us, with the money struggles and the loneliness and the fear and anxiety and inevitable relief… plus baby!peter just stole every single scene he showed up and that was excellent.

Doing your research in my writing is just— you have no idea how cool it is to think my writing helps someone else’s writing?? Especially since 9/10 times I’m pretty sure I have no idea what I’m doing 😂 100/100 top tier compliment, THANK YOU

I DO feel like In any media if we get to the “I love you” confession and we’re surprised/not thrilled by it, then it’s not a good story. Unless it’s an out of the blue strangers to lovers unrequited love situation, the actual love confession should feel like a “oh of course they do” moment and not in a boring sort of “saw that coming” way but in a “I can breathe again” sort of moment?

And I try really hard to SHOW it all in my fics, especially the Omegaverse or soulmate trope cos sometimes the actual love story can get rushed through as a result of the mate bond/fated lover dynamic and that’s not why we read romance! We don’t want to rush through to the love confession we want to see it in all these thousand different ways that makes those three words the most important but also sort of the most irrelevant words in the book. We don’t need to read/see/hear them, we already KNOW and when “I love you” can be honestly answered with a joyful “I know”— I mean, is there anything better than that??

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garethsgreat · 2 years

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[ nico hiraga | cis male | he/him | twenty-four] —— it’s just another typical week in hawkins i guess — isn’t that right, gareth sato? huh, guess they can’t hear me over round and round by ratt playing on their walkman, but it looks like they’re headed to work at chess king. did you know gareth the great has been in hawkins for his whole life? yeah, they’ve been described as a bit frivolous, but i suppose them also being staunch outweighs the negative. i’ve also heard people say they remind them of wearing flannels in the middle of summer, never knowing when to shut up, setting bonfires by the lake, a pocket full of jellybeans … however, that could just be this weeks newest rumor.

STATISTICS

full name: gareth henry sato

nickname(s): gareth the great, freak jr.

age: twenty-four

date of birth: october 30th

star sign: scorpio

place of birth: hawkins, indiana

current location: hawkins, indiana

gender: cismale

pronouns: he/him

sexual orientation: bisexual

occupation: cashier/floor manager at chess king

family: sara sato (mccarthy) (mother), jun sato (father), peter sato (younger brother)

education level: community college (robotics)

financial status: lower middle class

spoken languages: english, basic japanese

BIOGRAPHY

tw: racism, implied parental neglect

Growing up, Gareth was nothing short of hyper. He was the typical rambunctious kid, full of energy and creativity. His parents doted on him, indulging him as best they could in all of his likes and interests. He did puzzles, played board games, built crazy gadgets, and made forts or rocket ships out of cardboard. The sky was the limit for Gareth and his dreams were just as expanse. It wasn’t the easiest home life though and while everything to Gareth seemed totally normal, just the nuclear family unit -- to some people, his family was the opposite of normal.

Being half Japanese in a small town in Indiana didn’t really register with him until he got to middle school, until the kids called him names or made fun of the way his dad’s accent sometimes slipped through. He wasn’t just Gareth the weird kid with the taped up glasses or bad hair cut to them but an outcast for who he was born as, something he didn’t think was wrong at all. He didn’t let it stop him though and Gareth pushed through, sticking to what he loved -- books, D&D, and electronics.

With all the creativity coursing through him, Gareth blossomed into a naturally good student. Not the best in the whole world but that was mostly because he cared more about making things than doing actual homework. This fact didn’t go unnoticed by his father, who pushed him to be better and do better. He wanted his songs to be top tier so that no one could ever drag them down but he did so with a heavy hand. He wasn’t the most nurturing man when Gareth was growing up and he grew to resent how cold his father acted toward him. His father would try to stop Gareth from seeing his friends, from joining clubs, from making stupid robots that would never amount to anything. All because grades and success were somehow more important than what made Gareth happy.

But as always, Gareth kept a happy face on and kept going. He graduated high school with pretty great grades but he preferred to stay closer to home, much to the disapproval of his father. Their relationship only got more strained with everything with Eddie went down a year ago. Mr. Sato already didn’t approve of Gareth’s friends but for his son to stay in Hawkins to only be associated with a cultist group? That was unacceptable. So as Gareth stayed by his best friend’s side and supported him, his parents gathered up all his things and told their oldest son to move out. It was a long time coming and Gareth wasn’t as hurt by it as he should have been but there is the dull sting from it that still lingers.

Gareth doesn’t blame anyone other than his parents for what happened. He knows his friends are good people, he knows what he wants from his life, and he’s going to get it however he can. Because if Gareth is moving up in this world, he’s bringing everyone he loves with him and Hawkins isn’t going to hold them back forever. No way.

#❪ ⋅ ◆ ⋆ — 𝕚𝕥’𝕤 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕒 𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕝 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕚𝕔𝕖┊❛ introduction ❜ ❫#hawkinstm.intro

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hanhowls · 3 months

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🦚 - Are there any queer books/shows/etc. that you would suggest?

Hi! :) Hope you're having a good Saturday, anon.

I'm always reading something. Queer, especially lesbian content was so hard to find when I was younger and if I could, I'd aborb it all lol. Loving all the content coming out now.

Here's my top 5 in queer reading currently...

1. Stone Butch Blues - Leslie Feinberg. Of course it's on the top! 😉 I first read this book as a college reading assignment. And you know how that goes. You drag your feet and finally do the project the very last moment. But I'm glad I did read this one because it left a lasting impact. This book helped me understand my identity and made me very pro-union at the same time lol. 100% worth being read at least once.

2. The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne. Damn, the emotions this one brought up. It's a historical fiction that gives a great perspective on being a gay man back in the 40's up to the 80's when the aids pandemic kicked up. Cyril's struggle with identity will make you both love and hate him 💔.

3. Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult 🐝. I enjoyed this book, loved Olivia and her facts about bees. Lily's side of events was interesting. I liked how the author wrote her interactions with other LGBTQ+ individuals. I do have to say that as much as I enjoyed this book, some of the details and pacing near the end seemed off.

4. The Jasmine Throne - Tasha Suri. This was a sapphic slow burn 🔥 . I loved the world building. Priya is a straight up bad ass. It's a fantasy novel and the author infuses Indian culture and mythology which is so refreshing for the fantasy genre. This is the first book in a series. Be warned though ...The second book will break your heart. I can't say I didn't throw the book lol.

5. The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller. A retelling of the legend of Archilles and Patroclus in the Trojan war. God I love Madeline Miller's books and this one certainly doesn't fall short. Tragic love story that will unlock levels of yearning you didn't realize you had 😵.

The Priory of The Orange Tree is an honorable mention, but jeezus christ what happens just before the romance sets off is disturbing and made it seemed forced.. 😭. If anyone else has read it please vent to me about it cuz wtf!!

As for shows, please watch 'What We Do In The Shadows' and thank me later if you haven't. It's become a comfort show for me and the humor is top tier.

#asks #book reccomends #lgbtq #LGBTQIA books #anon

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