#let the main couple have their secrets and miscommunications
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An appreciation post for Hia Yi.
Indulgent Daddy Yi is my favorite, and the only reason I'm on this crazy Cutie Pie ride again besides the color-coding and the "Hia" count.
He has clear boundaries like not lying and meddling in his best friend's messy love life and relationship, but will appease his boyfriend by asking his best friend a series of questions to gauge his compatibility in wedding planning with his fiancé (to no one's surprise, they don't align) or snitching that Kuea is performing at the club so Lian isn't worried.
He got Khondiao the most ridiculous dog that continues to bark at him and interrupts the mood each time, but he did it because he wants his boyfriend to be happy.
Yi eats the cake from the spoon giving Foei great pleasure even though Yi doesn't fully understand the energy Foei is radiating
While Lian takes the spoon away from Foei which causes Foei's face to briefly drop from sadness.
Yi gets it. He knows Diao cries to get his way. He knows that Lian and Kuea will figure it out... eventually. He knows serving them cake is giving Foei some strange sense of satisfaction. But as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, Yi is fine entertaining others' whimsies.
Which is why he gladly allows his friends to put him in this outfit.
#Yi is an indulgent daddy#He is here for a good time and to give happiness#Cutie Pie#Hia Yi#Cutie Pie 2 You#Appreciation post for a man who gets it#There is no harm in letting people get their way#let the man feed you cake#He seems so happy about it#let the guy have his dog#let the main couple have their secrets and miscommunications#indulge them
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The Surprise
Hi everyone! We’re answering a request made by an anon today : “First, I thought about this miscommunication fic, where reader and Ben have been together for a while now (and they are living together) and you know they pretty much have a “relationship goals” as their friends like to put it. But lately, reader have started to come home late, and have these secret calls, like she goes to another room whenever her phone rings, always on her phone texting, and well, this is looks suspicious and Ben’s alarms go off and he thinks you’re cheating and he confronts you about it, but it turns out you were preparing this super party for his birthday! And I’m not a big fan of miscommunication but you know sometimes happens and it’s normal.”
Thank you for your request, anon! I hope you like your fic!
I hope you all like this fic! Let me know what you think!
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Pairing: Ben Barnes x reader
Warnings: a little bit of angst and an awful lot of fluff!!
Summary: Despite his love for you, Ben starts doubting you as you seem to be hiding something for him these days. Little does he know that you’re actually preparing a surprise for his birthday.
Word Count: 2910
Ben Barnes’s Masterlist – Main Masterlist
Ben loved you with all his heart.
That was the truth he had discovered over the last few months. He was already head over heels for you at the beginning of your relationship, but he was cautious then. After all, the honey-moon phase was a force to be reckoned with. But the perfect first weeks led to amazing first months and a wonderful first year. Of course, you fought from time to time, and had your struggles, like all couples do. But there had been no real threat in your relationship as your first anniversary came in sight, and so it seemed logical to ask you if you would like to move in with him.
You had moved in a common flat six months before, and if it took the two of you a few weeks to adapt to the other’s habits, it became a smooth voyage again after a mere couple of months. Everything was great. Besides the few annoying moments that were quickly soothed down, all was fine. It was pretty perfect actually. And from being in love with you, Ben had now reached the stage where he was madly in love with you.
He wasn’t expecting to fall even harder for you, but he did. Living with you meant having you around all the time, going to bed every night with you, being certain to wake up by your side the next morning, sharing giggles while you washed your teeth together and hugging in the kitchen instead of making dinner. And these happened every day. And every day it felt like Ben was falling, and falling, and falling, over and over again…
Crazy, really. What was happening to him?
You. The answer was obvious and simple. You were happening to him. And he adored it, every second of it.
Or well, that was what had happened at first, but he was starting to have this terrible feeling clutching at his heart when he came home. He was waking up and a lump formed in his throat when he saw you on your phone at breakfast. He had nightmares about you leaving…
Your behaviour had changed the past couple of weeks. You were coming home late without any real reason, and you clearly lied when he asked you where you were. You moved to another room whenever you had a phone call, and you spent more time than usual texting… he had no idea who…
And it hurt to even think about it. Because Ben loved you with all his heart, but in front of these signs, he was starting to wonder if you truly felt the same.
What if you were seeing someone else?
He didn’t want to be that guy though. He didn’t want to be jealous, and he didn’t want to mistrust you, and he didn’t want to actually ask you about this, because he couldn’t believe that you would ever do something like this to him.
He wanted to trust you. He did. He genuinely did. But then, there was a small voice at the back of his head fuelled by his insecurities, and the occasions on which he had been betrayed before and all the times he was hurt because he loved someone who didn’t feel the same…
And what if you were seeing someone else?
He didn’t want to ask, and make a scene and… and if he were to be honest with himself he didn’t want to ask because he was terrified at the idea of being right…
What would he do then? He was in love with you, in a way he had never felt in his entire life, in a way that made him think about you on the long run. The very long run. A way that made him wonder sometimes if perhaps you were the one…
What if he was wrong? What if he was falling so hard for someone who was playing with him? For someone who didn’t love him that way?
What if he lost you? What if you were betraying him?
It would break him. He knew it. It would break him in a way he had never been broken before.
For almost three weeks, he pondered the question and decided to brush the signs off, and to act as if everything was normal. He didn’t want to have to deal with the possibility that his doubts were true, he didn’t want to take the risk to be right.
But this evening, he couldn’t take any more of this. You were cuddling on the sofa, watching a movie together, and having a wonderful evening. Some nice food, nestled in your comfortable couch and holding each other tight, and commenting on the movie you were watching, and stealing an awful lot of kisses. It was pretty perfect, really… until your phone buzzed; and before Ben could react, you had jumped to your feet, grabbed your phone and hurried out of the room.
Ben remained motionless for a moment. Still sitting on the sofa, the film playing but now forgotten. He checked the clock. It was almost midnight.
Who on Earth could call you at midnight on a Wednesday night?
He kept on staring at the doorway where you had disappeared, he heard you when you closed the door of your shared bedroom.
You didn’t want him to hear the conversation… at midnight?
He could feel his heart speeding up, reaching a pounding rhythm, and his throat tightened. Out of fear. Out of pain. But also out of anger.
He didn’t really think when he got up and followed you, when he slammed the door open, making you jump.
You turned to him with wide eyes, and he hated the look of panic in your eyes.
“Err… I will call you back in a sec, hang on.”
You ended the call, frowning now. Ben wasn’t particularly good at hiding that he was angry, but he didn’t care.
Because it hurt. It hurt not to know, and it hurt to ask this question, and it hurt to even think about this but… he needed to know. He couldn’t go on like this, ignoring what was obviously you hiding something from him. Or rather, someone…
“Who was that?” he asked, his voice colder than he meant for it to be, but he couldn’t help it.
You cleared your throat.
“A friend.”
“Who?”
“A friend.”
“I heard you the first time, I’m asking who was on the phone with you at fucking midnight.”
He closed his eyes tightly. His voice was shaking with anger, and he regretted cursing, because… because he wasn’t angry, not really. He was afraid more than anything else, but he couldn’t show that. It would have made him too vulnerable.
Instead, his voice was deadly cold, and you frowned at the sound.
“Just… no one important.”
“Stop… just answer the question.”
“I…”
But you didn’t say anything. You seemed to be thinking at full speed. To tell a lie?
He couldn’t take this anymore. He crossed his arms before his chest, looked down at the ground before looking up at you again. His voice was shaky when he spoke, but it was still unbearably cold.
“Are you seeing someone else?”
Your eyes grew round at that. You seemed completely panicked, taken-aback too.
He didn’t know how to read through your reaction. What did it mean?
“No, of course not!” you vehemently shook your head.
“Who was on the phone with you then?”
“I… It’s a secret. I can’t tell you. But I promise I’m not seeing anyone else it’s just…”
But you fell silent again.
“A secret? What kind of secret? Since when do we have secrets for each other?”
He had raised his voice now, and you hated it. He could hear in your tone that you were trying to calm him down, but it didn’t work. He was too scared for that, too confused.
“No, it’s nothing serious just… trust me on this, okay?”
“Trust you? Why should I?”
“Don’t say that…”
“You’ve been acting up for weeks now! You leave the room when you answer a call, you spend a lot of time on your phone, you come home late at night… what is going on? Is there someone else? Are you cheating on me?”
“Of course not! Ben, I love you, I would never do that.”
“Then tell me what the fuck is going on because right now… I don’t know. I don’t know anymore…”
He shrugged, trying to refrain the tears that gathered at the corner of his eyes. And he tried to hide them, but when he saw your lips part, and your eyes glimmer with withheld tears, he knew he had failed.
His throat tightened, unbearably so. And he hated it, and he was angry now, at you and at himself, because he couldn’t hide the fact that he was hurting and was absolutely terrified.
Because damn… he loved you with all his heart… You couldn’t simply throw it away.
“Ben… I’m not cheating on you. Of course, I’m not. I promise.”
You walked closer to him, and he hated the fact that he didn’t stop you. That he couldn’t step back. That his body couldn’t walk away from you, and keep its distance. And he hated the way he leaned into your touch when you held his cheek in your palm, your touch tender, loving…
“I’m not cheating on you. I was on the phone with your mom.”
He frowned hard at that.
“What?”
“I was on the phone with your mom.”
“My mom? Why? And why wouldn’t you tell me that?”
You heaved a sigh.
“I’m planning something for you with her, and you can’t know what it is because it’s a surprise.”
You unlocked your phone, and showed him the list of your previous calls.
They were all coming from his mother, his father, his brother, or your own family…
And there were, indeed, a lot of calls from his family.
But a surprise? Why would you prepare a surp…?
His birthday was a month away.
“Oh.”
“I’m not cheating on you, Ben. I love you, baby.”
“Is it for my birthday?”
You heaved another sigh, but gave in.
“Yes, it is for your birthday.”
His worried expression turned into a smile, and slowly, he let his arms fall back to his sides.
“You’re not cheating on me.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You’re planning a surprise.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’m sorry… I just… You weren’t acting the way you usually do and… you were hiding something from me and I just…”
You rushed into his arms, and he held you tight.
“It’s alright. I’m the one who’s sorry,” you answered against his chest. “I wasn’t very good at hiding the whole thing. But with the timezones, it’s pretty hard to get a hang on your family when you’re not around. But there’s nothing weird going on, please, don’t be mad…”
It was Ben’s time to heave a sigh. A painful one. He shouldn’t have doubted you, he felt stupid. But then again, he reckoned that the signs were playing against you on this one.
“I’m not mad, I was just… I was afraid you didn’t love me anymore.”
You looked up at him, shaking your head.
“Ben, I love you. So much. There’s no need for you to worry about that, okay? I love you.”
“I love you too.”
When you leaned up for a kiss, he bent to meet you halfway. He couldn’t help it. He was simply too relieved to think about anything but you. He wasn’t even curious about this surprise of yours, he was just happy that you were still his, and that he was still yours.
“You can call your mom if you want to check with her that I’m not lying,” you added after your lips parted from his, but he shook his head.
“You’ve showed me your phone. I can’t not believe you.”
“Good. But I’m not telling you what your surprise is! Tricia would have my head.”
He laughed at that, and it felt so good to hear the clear sound cutting through the tension that filled the room.
“My mother is the sweetest person on earth, she would definitely not have your head.”
“Perhaps not. But she would take away my special status.”
“Your special status?”
You grinned up at him.
“She said I’m her favourite girlfriend you’ve ever had.”
Ben exploded with laughter, but tightened his hold on you all the same.
“Oh, did she now?”
“She did! I’m her favourite! I have her blessing!”
“Actually… I am not surprised in the slightest.”
“Really?”
“I love you. Like… more than anything, really. So… no, I’m not surprised. My mom must have noticed it, that’s all.”
You pulled him down for a fervent kiss, before pressing your forehead to his.
“I love you too, baby. I love you so much.”
“Can we go back to watching the end of the movie and then go to bed?”
You nodded, but took your phone again.
“Just texting your mom that I’ll call her later.”
“What are you two planning… that sounds like trouble!”
But you shot him a bright grin.
“You’ll see!”
Ben woke up to the sound of your voice whispering something into his ear. Sweet things, after a moment, he could identify the words you spoke. He smiled, despite his fatigue and his longing for a few more minutes of rest.
“Happy birthday, honey!” you chimed, making his smile widen.
He blinked his eyes open, moving to face you. You gave him an awful lot of kisses all over his face, which made him giggle and blush in an adorable way.
“Thank you, love,” he answered, voice hoarse from sleep.
“I know it’s still early, but you need to get up and get ready.”
“What time is it?”
“Eight.”
“So early?”
“Yep! Come on! I’ll prepare breakfast while you get ready.”
You dropped one last kiss on his chest, before getting up. He finally noticed that you were already dressed and seemed to have taken a shower. He couldn’t refrain a groan as he rubbed the remnants of sleep from his eyes.
“It’d better be a good surprise you and my mom have prepared!”
“Oh, it is!”
“Did she send anything from England?”
“I’m not answering that!”
You chuckled, walking out of the room and heading for the kitchen, as promised.
Ben kept on wondering what you had planned as he got ready for the day, but even after joining you in the kitchen, he couldn’t get any information from you.
“I know she sent something from home,” Ben said, taking a bite of his pancake. “The question is: what is it?”
“Hmm… you’ll see what it is in… thirty minutes,” you answered after checking the time on your phone.
“Really?”
You nodded, but hid your phone as you got a text.
“What is it? Is it for my birthday?”
You wiggled your eyebrow.
“The package will arrive on time.”
He grinned.
“I can’t wait to see what it is… I feel like a five-year old waiting on Christmas morning.”
You laughed at that, but didn’t reveal any detail while you finished your meal and cleaned up the table. And Ben was now pacing.
“Maybe she sent food… that would be nice. Or… what could she send from England that we don’t have here? A sense of humour?”
“Very funny,” you deadpanned, making him laugh.
But he didn’t have to wait for too long, because someone rang at the door.
“You can go and open the door to get your package,” you told him, and he heard you laughing at him as he sprinted through the flat, but he couldn’t have cared less.
Nothing could have prepared him for his surprise though…
He opened the door, and remained frozen as his parents and his brother threw some confetti at him.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
“Mom? Dad? Jack? What… what are you doing here?”
You had walked behind him by then, and nudged him gently.
“Told you that you would love your surprise!”
He finally realized what was happening, his brain going back to work, and he rushed forward to hug his family.
“But… how long are you staying?”
“A couple of weeks,” Thomas answered, and Ben finally noticed the luggage behind them.
“I’m so happy to see you!” Ben grinned, hugging his brother.
You exchanged a wink with Tricia, while Thomas was fondly chuckling at his son and moving to give you a hug too.
“Well, luckily Y/N was here to help us plan out everything. Although, she told us that it got her into some trouble.”
Ben blushed fiercely at that, but you merely laughed.
“Yes, well… she was acting very suspiciously.”
You all laughed, entering your home at last. Ben held you back to hold you in a tight embrace.
“Thank you. That’s the best surprise you could have planned for my birthday. But next time, try to actually hide that you’re planning something, okay? Because you displayed some terrible acting skills…”
“Hey, you’re the actor here, not me!”
“Well, lucky for the cinema industry…”
You pinched his arm in retribution, making him laugh.
“Happy birthday, baby.”
He held you a little tighter as he thanked you, breathing in deeply your perfume, enjoying the way the warmth of your body was now spreading through his.
Indeed, he had a very happy birthday, mainly thanks to you…
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Taglist : @reg-arcturus-black @sergeantbuckybarnes @wolfmoonmusic
#ben barnes#ben barnes x you#ben barnes x y/n#ben barnes x reader#ben barnes fanfiction#ben barnes fanfic#ben barnes oneshot#fanfic#fanfiction#writing#oneshot
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David Tennant's Obscure Performances: Sweetnightgoodheart and its time traveling release date(s)
Heya all you David Tennant fans! I'm back with a small thread about a 2001 short film which David starred in called Sweetnightgoodheart (hereafter called SNGH).
SNGH was 9:16 in length. It was written and directed by Dan Zeff and produced by Litmus Productions in association with Bliss.com films for BBC Films. Its original title was Sweetnight Goodheart (with the two words separated) but somewhere along the way, the words were connected.
More about the title, this time from the BFI: "This entertaining short film takes a lighthearted look at the anxiety of modern relationships. The mix up of the title - a play on the familiar WWII song 'Goodnight Sweetheart' - highlights the confusion and miscommunication that is the film's premise."
Now, although I just said it was released in 2001.....if you look at the IMDb entry above very closely, I'm sure you've noticed it says 2005.
This, my friends, is wrong. And I'm about to prove it.
According to the British Film Institute, SNGH was one of the short films which made its premiere in August of 2001 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It was a nominee for Short Films. It also screened at the 45th Regus London Film Festival as part of their Urbania Shorts slot in November of 2001, and was a nominee for Short Cuts & Animation.
Sooooo.....unless David and everyone involved with the project are all time travelers and they somehow filmed the short in 2005 but took it back to 2001 to show at the festivals?....well, you get the picture.
After SNGH's premiere at the two festivals, it was sold to HBO and Cinemax. It was broadcast in the USA (and yes, you read that right!) on Cinemax beginning in August of 2002. It was shown every couple of months or so until July of 2004. It was first aired on HBO beginning in March of 2003 and was broadcast intermittently until June of 2004. Judging by the broadcast listings, it appears both networks used it as short "filler" material in between their full-length movie offerings. And after those two stopped airing it, PBS in the USA then aired it as part of its Imagemakers series in September of 2005. Here are some newspaper blurbs (with the newpaper titles and dates above them) to prove these broadcasts occurred:
Further proof? On Valentine's Day of 2009, the BFI screened SNGH with its other main features. That screening's entry for the short also says it was released in 2001.
I wanted to find out why IMDb would say 2005, so I poked around a bit. Oddly, its release date information specifies "Hungary" (okaaay?), while sources elsewhere have the 2005 date noted as the date of its "world premiere". The Hungary release date might well be accurate, but I'm not sure exactly what world premiere means...besides, it's obviously an error (since we've already shown it aired in the US in 2002 through 2004). So I think we can safely cross out 2005, don't you?
But ohhhh, we're not yet done on the dates, because some sources also give a release date of 2003! This date, however, is much easier to explain. The 2003 date originates from its initial broadcast on BBC2. It aired as a part of a 50-minute program called Ways To Leave Your Lover (hereafter called WTLYL) at 11:20 pm on 25 March 2003. WTLYL featured five 10-minute short films with a common thread - the end of love. in addition to SNGH, the other four films were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine.
So...now that we've taken care of the date mix-up, let's get into the short itself!
SNGH starred David as Pete, and Kate Ashfield - who he would also go on to star with in a 2002 audio drama called The Island and in 2005's Secret Smile - as Juliet. It also starred Diana Hardcastle as Anthea, Cliff Parisi as Colman, and Thusitha Jayasundera as Yasmin. Here is the archived BBC press release for WTLYL before it was aired.
And the plot? Well, if you haven't yet seen SNGH here's a great plot synopsis which might intrigue you enough to chase it down. It's from the 23 March 2003 edition of the Sunday Times: "Dan Zeff's cautionary tale Sweetnightgoodheart observes [how] David Tennant's attempts to ditch his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) spiral out of control." And from the
Here are also a couple of photos!
And while we're at it, here are a number of short summaries - and one longer article from the Evening Standard which includes a photo! - which appeared in various newspapers when WTLYL aired in 2003:
During my research into the origins of SNGH, I've seen the BBC series it featured in variably titled as Ways To Leave Your Lover, and Eight Ways To Leave Your Lover. This discrepancy appears both in print and on the CVs of various actors and crew involved with the project (here's an example). While not confirmed, my belief is Eight Ways to Leave Your Lover was a working title. Five films aired on the program, but I've found an additional two which didn't (which makes me think there was a third whose title I have not been able to ascertain). I believe that at some point in the process, a decision was made to remove three of the films originally scheduled to air, and the name was changed accordingly.
in addition to SNGH, the other four films aired during WTLYL were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine. I didn't find places to watch most of them, but you can see Dog and Dumping Elaine at the links I've provided. Here's what I know about them:
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Stag - written by Ian Iqbal Rashid and starring Stuart Laing and Nitin Ganatra: a bridegroom wakes up on the morning of his wedding in bed with the best man.
Dog - written by Andrea Arnold and starring Joanne Hill, Freddie Cunliffe and Veronica Valentine: a fifteen year-old girl finds the will to stand up for herself when she witnesses a disturbing and violent incident.
Unscrew - written by Clara Glynn and starring Douglas Henshall and Emma Fielding: a surreal short about a guy whose girlfriend unscrews his penis and takes it with her when they begin separating their belongings after their breakup.
Dumping Elaine - written by Peter Lydon and starring Susan Lynch, Matthew Delamere and Dido Miles: waitresses play Cupid.
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SNGH is archived at the BFI on VHS and Beta, and in two master forms (16mm/35mm). You can see it there, but I'll save you a trip: while a 4.35G digital copy was made off the master, there's no access to it. The viewing copy MP4 is only 305MB.
If you've read this far, you're probably wondering how you can see it. There are plenty of ways! If you are a registered BFI Screenonline user - and registration is free for users in UK libraries, colleges and universities - you can watch it here (and perhaps download it, though I'm given to understand it's only available for download during certain times). It's also floating around the webs in various forms and qualities on Vimeo, Dailymotion, FilmNow, etc. All of these aren't the greatest of quality, but it's the best we've got. Ah, for a better quality video file taken off the master copy!
But I'd recommend watching it at Dan Zeff's own website.
And that's it for Sweetnightgoodheart. I hope you've enjoyed reading about it as much as I have writing and researching it!
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im not even a huge fizzarozzie stan, but why are you so obsessed with warping the ship into being this huge dumpsterfire of toxicity that fizz needs to leave in order to reunite with his “soulmate” blitzo?
“Ozzie doesn’t understand him” bruh Ozzie is literally the only person who understands him he said so himself. And even the person who you’re closest toowill be kinda perplexed if the guy you hated for 10+ years suddenly becomes your bestie.
“They’ll be taking some time apart and might take a look at this codependency issue.” - lol no way viv’s doing that lol shes going all in on them being a duo. Like dont get me wrong I think they’re a bit too uwu joined at the hip for me but it’s not this horrible ship where fizz is kept in a gilded birdcage forever.
“I think karma will hit him and he’ll get his own version of what he put Moxxie through. Specifically Asmodeus, Fizz to a lesser extent.” in a perfect world I’d actually hope this would happen but considering Viv portrayed all of Hell as fangirls for them, this is 1000% Not Happening.
”Fizz definitely isn’t his first ever love, if the demonology is anything to go by. The story of Sarah in the Book of Tobit is Asmodeus’ most famous story so to exclude that would be a disservice to the character.” Viv spoils her plot points through Twitter likes, she confirmed Tobit/all demonology stories aren’t canon to Helluva unless directly stated :/ and she’s liked many versions of tweets basically saying Ozzie has never had romantic feelings ever until Fizz and never will again after he dies.
and Blitzø is his own brand of fucked up, even more so than Fizz and Ozzie combined. No way in hell those two would work out without some SERIOUS therapy on Blitzø’s end.
I think you actually clearly are a big fizzarozzie fan? you’re blowing the one time someone criticises the ship out of proportion, getting defensive, and using dramatic words like “obsessed” “warping” and “soulmate” I’m literally the 1% here. There are lots of shipping spaces you can go instead. The way the fandom treats this ship like a fragile gem shows it could do with some looking at. When people refuse to let you critique something that’s how you know it’s hiding some problems.
Who is warping anything by just noticing the events that happen and interpreting them in a way you don’t agree with?
Oz misunderstands him more than he understands. They bicker, they miscommunicate, and in the end they try again. and it isn’t all about blitz, because Oz never understood why he needed to compete in the contest at the start of Oops, he doesn’t notice fizz hiding things from him, he doesn’t listen to fizz when he worries that eyes are around, and confesses his love without Fizz fully agreeing to it. Sure Fizz hugs him or laughs it off but can’t they have some agreement on when it’s a secret and when it isn’t? He doesn’t understand Fizzs identity crisis, his need for approval from mammon, his past, any of it.
Viv also likes Crimson x Chaz fanart, art of ValAngel and Vox being a couple, art of Fizz dying, art of him being immortal, art of characters dating ocs. Art of her own self inserts, art of Blitz shape shifting into a dragon, art of Blitz and Fizz having reciprocated love, art of Alessio being Moxxies stepdad, Etc etc. That’s not enough to go on.
“The first and last time he’ll ever experience love” that is just plain weird. And obsessive. Not to mention bad writing. I’ve never heard anyone talk like that. He’s way too possessive of Fizz. He has to live his entire life with Asmodeus and die in his arms in his tower where’s he’s all alone? I hope not. That’s almost worse than him being made an immortal imp.
“She’s going all in on them being a duo” what are you talking about. Like what does this mean. She also said a main character might die and some of them don’t get happy endings.
What do you mean it’s 1000% not happening? Denial much? It already did in S2E6, with the article, the way the staff negatively react, the fact mammon said he’ll regret revealing it? The people at the show are literally Fizzarolli’s fandom, safe to say they aren’t everyone.
All demonology is not canon is just a straight up not factual statement, she makes constant references to demonology. His design is inspired by it, his apparent disapproval of monogamy is inspired by it, why would his biggest story not be referenced whatsoever? Isn’t it possible that Ozzie had his heart broken before and that’s why he’s afraid? Dang. Chill out.
As for your last paragraph, I think you just hate Blitz, ignore the fact that he’s going through development, and need to chill out. Pump the breaks a lil. Soulmates don’t exist.
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Amity and Luz don't really have alot of episodes dedicated to them being a couple. But during these episodes we can see some glaring flaws:
Luz keeps secrets from her and is incapable of being honest with Amity until the situation she [Luz] created gets so out of control she has to be honest with her.
Now, Luz isn't doing this maliciously - she's doing this because she doesn't want to worry Amity. But the problem is is that Amity has insecurities surrounding being inadequate - Eclipse Lake being the most obvious example. That whole episode was dedicated to setting up their communication problem that persists throughout their relationship.
Amity was frustrated because Luz was giving her a code she couldn't decipher. This frustration opened a doorway to her insecurities surrounding inadequacy - this is why Hunter was able to manipulate her so easily.
But before i get ahead of myself let's go in episode order:
Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's door: They don't start dating until the end of the episode, so there's nothing for me to say here.
Eclipse Lake:... I think it's a really interesting choice to have the first episode dedicated to their relationship establish their miscommunication problem that continues after this episode.
Folly's at the Coven Day Parade: Luz is keeping what happened with her mother in Yesterdays Lie a secret from Amity. This demonstrates that Luz doesn't feel comfortable enough with Amity to be vulnerable with her. Even though moments earlier she was talking sweetly to Amity
... It's like... Luz is comfortable showing displays of affection with Amity, but doesn't feel comfortable being emotionally vulnerable with her. Basically, Luz is giving Amity mixed signals. This bothered Amity so badly she sought out Willow for advice. And whatever advice she gave her pushed her to seek out Luz. Which by they way, if Amity didn't talk to Willow, Luz would have been killed by Terra.
Their talk on the bridge showcases the main problem with this relationship: Amity wants to help Luz, but she can't do it if she doesn't know what's going on. Luz doesn't want to tell Amity what's wrong because she doesn't want to worry her.
I wasn't sure how to squeeze this in earlier but we need to note something: Luz put herself in a dangerous situation, which was entirely of her own creation, because she wanted to distract herself from her emotional issues.
Reaching out: Again, Amity asks Luz if she's okay, knowing that today is a special day for Luz (but she doesn't know why it's special). Luz, again, dodges the question and tells her not to worry about it - it's not even worth talking about - she really just wants to help her out. Even though Amity doesn't actually NEED her help. She's only helping her so that she doesn't have to think about what day it is - the anniversary of her father's death.
Luz doesn't tell Amity that she triggered the alarm on the abomitron. Luz in fact, just straight up lies to her face then takes her back to the ring to fight - to distract herself from her thoughts. Then Alador shows up and exposes Luz's lie.
By the way: Amity's been picking up on her emotional state throughout the episode, and everytime she asks Luz if she's okay, Luz tells her not to worry about it. Again, this shows us that while she's comfortable with giving Amity gestures of affection and sweet-talk she ISN'T comfortable being emotionally vulnerable with her. And you can tell Amity's hurt by this. So much so that she doesn't even want to run away from her father with Luz.
I also need to point out that this day was supposed to be a special day for Amity. She wanted to bring home the Bonesborough Brawl champion belt before she's forced to join a coven. She wanted to bring home this belt as a way to connect to her father - since he has won the same belt in his youth. But because of Luz's inability to be open with Amity she made a bunch of mistakes that ruined this special day for her. AND AGAIN, Luz isn't able to be vulnerable with Amity unless a situation she created get's to a point where it blows up in her face.
Luz says to Amity that "When you told me about the problem with your dad - I don't know. Maybe I was jealous or just needed a distraction. I was dumb. I'm sorry."
Despite Luz telling her all that, Amity still wants to help her pick flowers and do whatever rituals she does on the anniversary of her fathers death.
But can you imagine hearing your partner basically say they only wanted to help you with something you consider really special as a way to distract themselves from their emotional issues. Because for some reason they're too scared to be vulnerable with you? I would have ended it all lol.
Anyways, instead of getting mad, Amity is really gentle with Luz's emotional state - she even helps Luz make a little ritual for her father at the end of the episode... However, this is still a really big problem - Again, for the 4593845th time, Luz can't be emotionally vulnerable with her unless a situation she [Luz] created blows up in her face - like it did in this episode and in FATCDP.
Thanks to Them: I mean... do I really need to specify at this point? Do I need to explain how Luz keeping secrets from Amity is in character for her? And how Luz is able to display gestures of affection but cannot be emotionally vulnerable unless a situation get's so bad she has to tell her?
Okay but I just want to point out how damning this one is - because this is the longest Luz has kept secrets from her. Amity, at this point in the story has proven to Luz that she is willing to listen to her and help her. But Luz STILL doesn't want to talk to her about her emotional issues.
And I think this particular incident will be "a nail in the coffin" for them because of one key difference: Hunter knew about Luz helping Belos. From Amity's perspective it looks like she trusts Hunter more than her. There's no way this wouldn't trigger her insecurities surrounding inadequacy. Of course Amity doesn't know the circumstances in Hollow Mind --- how Luz didn't tell him her secret willingly. But because of Luz's track record of keeping secrets and lying to her face - she's going to have a hard time believing anything she says. There's no way this is going to end happily.
I just don't see how it can because this cycle is just going to repeat itself - the cycle where Amity demonstrates for the 454509th time that she's willing to help Luz if she just tells her what's going on and Luz demonstrates for the 454509th time that she's not comfortable being emotionally vulnerable with her.
#lunter#toh rambles#people will be saying 'oh youre just cherrypicking' and ill say. dude. these are the only episodes we have that focus on their#relationship. you can watch them and see with your own two eyes what im talking about.#sorry if this is weird i am not having a good day. Just TAKE it
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The Cherry Gold Retrospective
In January 2023, I was in the deepest depth of the aftermath of a medical issue that had, for a lack of words, utterly destroyed me. One day, everything was fine and perfect. I had things lined up, things were looking up, all was going to plan, and then, the worst happened. It led to a series of events that involved minor surgery, weekly blood tests and the inability to work, let alone function. I had tried to go to work, but both times resulted in anxiety attacks so severe that it left me sobbing, bent double, wondering what was wrong with me.
I was paired with a therapist near the ending half of January, after my doctor extended my medical leave. I only went to one meeting- I couldn’t bear the thought of pouring myself out and exposing all of my problems- all of my recent traumas, past traumas and past mental health issues over and over and over again to a stranger who said all of the right things.
However, this therapist asked me a crucial question that led to Cherry Gold.
What are you proud of?
I said, my child. I am always proud of him.
But what else?
I wasn’t proud of myself, that was for sure. I was having week-long anxiety attacks because of a blood test for a disease I may or may not have, that could lead to a worse disease. I saw literal children do the same blood test without a single tear in their eyes. How could I be proud of myself? I couldn't work, I couldn’t function, I couldn’t be a good mom, a good partner. Every single day was a struggle and there was no pride in my actions.
Then, I caught up on a few chapters of Bad Thinking Diary.
Like everyone else, I began reading Bad Thinking Diary because the art was beautiful, and well detailed. The characters were a mixed bag- Kang Yuna was cool, obviously, but trying too hard to be so to mask social awkwardness. Kim Minji annoyed me and I disliked her as a protagonist.
But it was Oh Hyera and Cho Minjae that interested me. One was a beautiful, mysterious manipulator with secret intentions out to destroy a budding relationship and the other was a willing pawn in a game, loyal and obsessed.
However, the plot left me wanting. I hated how miscommunication was the main plot device that drove conflict. I hated how the main characters did very little and none of it was satisfying. I wasn’t rooting for Yuna and Minji. I disliked them together.
So I did what everyone else does with an unsatisfying story- turn to fanfiction. I scrolled through Ao3 and fanfic.net but found nothing that scratched the itch that I had.
Then, I did the second thing everyone does when they can’t find what they want on the internet, I became inspired to write something.
Writing had been my escape for years- through all of the hard times, the happy times and the inbetween, I always had a story in my mind, ready to go. I would daydream and fall asleep to all sorts of ideas, then wake up to furiously type them out. Some were original, some were fanfiction. I discovered my sexuality through writing (Hey, I wondered to myself in my early twenties, why don’t I write about straight couples anymore??) and with years and years of practice, I went from writing little stories to winning NaNoWriMo with ease to writing 100k novels for fun. Are any of them good? Beats me. I always wrote for me, and sometimes, very rarely, I would share it with a friend or two. At this point, it had been ten years since I published fanfiction online.
(And yes, I am old. I am in my early thirties)
So, on February first, when I was left alone while the world moved on, I dealt with my problems the same way I did when I was a teenager and as a young adult: I wrote.
And boy did I write. I wrote for hours everyday, losing myself in Cherry Gold, in Minjae’s struggles, sculpting the story I wanted to read so desperately. I wanted to read a story about someone who was broken like me, who relied on the love of others to get by. A story about a young girl who didn’t know better, who was making the best choices she thought she could, hoping it would get better.
My dopamine deprived brain was feasting- writing every single day, only stopping to eat and do some chores. I hadn’t written like this in years- I had been too burdened with work, school, motherhood to write for hours at a time, uninterrupted like I was a teenager, with my first laptop. A joy I hadn’t felt in years. The act of imaginative creation that unlocked a part of me I hadn’t been able to tap in months. I had been in a writing rut for a year, at least, unable to write more than a few pages but not able to continue or finish the story for some reason or another. My eyes strained and so did my wrists. I forced myself to take breaks but I yearned to write. I couldn’t wait for the next day, to write a dozen pages and see where things would go. I was hardly planning. I was just letting the story go where it wanted, planting seeds and seeing how they would grow.
I could feel myself getting better.
It helped that I stopped doing blood tests. My doctor understood why, but urged me to try. I couldn;t. I couldn’t fall back to where I was when I was doing the tests. I was finally happy. I was finally blooming and seeing the light.
And then I decided I would publish Cherry Gold- if I had trouble finding a fic that would satisfy me, then surely others would, too? Maybe my fic was what they wanted, needed, to read, too?
I posted a few chapters. The kudos, the views, the comments came in. It was exhilarating- people were reading my fic! They liked it! They wanted more!
So once Cherry Gold came to its conclusion, I wrote the first volume of side stories, to fill in a few gaps that didn’t fit in the fic.
Then, I came up with a sequel- Midnight Ice. At this point, I was back at work. I was so happy to be back at work- I was given the medical all- clear that I wasn’t suffering from some obscure disease and work was better than ever. I wrote every weekend, sometimes I would wake up at five in the morning just to write before work.
Midnight Ice came from the love of the craft, of the characters, of the feedback. I couldn’t let Minjae’s story end there. I was too attached to her. I couldn't let her fall to despair like she was in the original manhwa. I cared too much. She needed her happy ending. She needed to be okay, with someone safe. I was doing better, and I was going to make sure Minjae would be better, too.
The next volume of side stories were written because I honestly just wanted to write smut and happy scenes for Minjae. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to have everything because in the back of my mind, I wanted to tell Hyera’s story, too.
I wrote so many flashbacks for Hyera, I was getting into her mind. I knew she’d never be satisfied in letting Minjae have her happy ending. I was torn. I wanted to write Hyera’s great revenge. I wanted Minjae to have a happy ending. I wanted her to get married and live in bliss with Yuna. I didn’t want to put her through so much pain.
So I wrote Rose Dust. I won’t go into much detail, since I’m not done posting it.
But I finished writing it and realised that there were other characters who deserved happy endings, too.
I began writing Violet Bones, a spin off of Rose Dust. Go Sunhee, as you will see in the upcoming chapters of Rose Dust, Goes Through Some Stuff and her story doesn’t get resolved. I wrote her story, realised that I didn’t like where it was going, and scrapped half of it.
And then, I realised, I was in a writing rut. I couldn’t figure out Go Sunhee’s story. We were so similar- we suffered the burdens of being the eldest daughter together, doing our best for our families despite the unhappiness in our hearts. Why couldn’t the words come easily to me?
I gave writing a break. It was autumn, nearly winter now. I had been writing nonstop since February and I needed the break. I needed to stop and let myself refill. I posted chapters of Midnight Ice, the side stories and Rose Dust for now.
Then one day, I reread my comments. The flood of love and adoration for my writing and I realised, I wanted to write more. After writing Rose Dust, I yearned to write from Minjae’s POV, so it came to me early one saturday morning- a christmas special.
As much fun as it was to write Minjae again, I was having trouble once more. Too much trouble and in my hurry to make the christmas deadline, I posted chapters without finishing the fic.
Rookie mistake, I know.
I know I will finish the christmas special soon, I don’t have any worries about that. I love this past year and what it did to me creatively. Despite the pain and trauma I had to endure to get to this point, I am proud of what I wrote and posted. Is it my best work ever? No, probably not. Writing is a skill that grows with you and I am sure I have more growing to do. I am excited to see what the next year of writing will bring, if Cherry Gold and Minjae will come back to me, with a new story or if something new or original will spark my creativity.
In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who read and commented on the Cherry Gold series! I say this with every comment because I ardently believe it- thank thank thank you. Without you readers, leaving such lovely comments, I would have given up after Cherry Gold. I would have kept Midnight Ice and the rest of the series to myself, if they got written at all.
After all, for many many years, no one read what I wrote because I wasn’t brave enough to share. Now I am and I am thankful and grateful that I did.
I’m so, so proud of Cherry Gold. I’m so grateful for my readers and I hope that you will all stick around to see what’s next!
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Jungkook: Playdates 1
DDLG × CG!Jungkook × Idol!Jungkook × Little!Reader × Stigmatization × Angst
Jungkook and you have been together for more than a year now. However, as soon as the question drops why you're not living together yet, you both seem to have a broad collection of excuses as to why not. Maybe there's something else going on?
❗Additional Chapter Warnings: Jungkook is a CG stuck in a closet, miscommunication, angst, reader is also stuck in a closet
❓A/N: behave yourselves please. If you're uncomfortable with any of the main Tags, do not read further. Thank you. Also, all chapters are bite-sized but will occur more often than other fics. Please keep that in mind ❤ asks for this AU are officially open!
Next ->
Jungkook and you are a rather odd couple.
Considering the general public opinion and view of him, you're not what people would consider a perfect fit for him. Youre soft spoken, shy and most of all cute - something people wouldn't think jungkook would go for in a girl, considering the fact that people still see him as a mere manchild, innocent and avoiding when it came to women.
The truth however, is entirely different.
Growing up being cared for and babied, jungkook feels as if people don't really see him as an actual man now that he's grown up. Sure, he's sexualized left and right, but only ever if he tries hard to appear that way. As soon as he laughs, or giggles, or simply smiles- he's back to being the nation's baby, cougars licking their teeth and others calling him innocent, submissive and cute.
He's not cute, and he's not innocent.
He'd found out about what his interests were actually called a few years back- having caught Hoseok browsing through his pinterest on his phone, pink collars and cute girls dressed in pastel clothes littering his 'for you'-page. He couldn't help but ask, interest peaked, and ever since then, he couldn't get these fantasies out of his mind. But there's a bad stigma around the whole topic, outsiders calling it the worst things possible and even a crime, or sick- and that's the main reason jungkook has to be careful, can't ever tell you.
He couldn't live with himself knowing you despise him.
But its hard, so so hard when he has to watch you play around so innocently- walking into his kitchen, grabbing for a knife with an eager hand to help him cook, knee high socks decorating your legs. "Come on small fry, let me do the cutting-" he starts, and you playfully argue.
"What, don't trust little me with a knife?" You ask jokingly, and he bites the inside of his cheek, lips in a thin line. Of course he'd never trust little you with anything sharp or dangerous. But he believes you don't mean it the same way he interprets it.
"No, I'm not saying that, you're just too li- you're too-" he stumbles for a moment over his words, tips of his ears red as he tries to paddle back out. "Aish, just let me do it!" He says,chuckling to take the bite out of his words as you give him the knife, seemingly unaware of his struggles.
You sit on the counter next to the cutting board, legs swinging in boredom, heels hitting the wooden doors underneath you. "Baby." Jungkook says, concentrating on his cutting before he reaches out a hand, placing it silently on your knees- stopping your motions.
You wish he'd praise you.
But that's not kook, and that's not what you'll ever get from him you think, as you sigh and simply watch him do his thing in the kitchen. Needless to say you liked that a lot too- watching him cook or play games or work out was something you enjoyed a lot. It made you think and sometimes daydream, no time spent with him ever enough to make you grow tired of him.
If only you could tell him about all your secrets.
Like the toybox in your room at your apartment- a locked suitcase filled with all of your little-things, a case hiding all of the things you need whenever the world gets too much. You don't want to imagine him finding out about it- your ex having already humiliated you enough, causing you to change countries and cut all contact with past friends.
You don't want to imagine what it would be like if he'd laugh at you like this as well.
Or maybe he'd think you were sick in the head, in need of help? Who knows, because there's no way you'll ever try and find out about his reaction. You'll take whatever he gives you, and until he wants to move in together with you, you're safe at home whenever the need to regress hits. You've become quite good at taking care of yourself- you can do most things alone after all.
Maybe you won't need it in the future.
"Hey, baby?" He snaps his fingers in front of you, making you fall out of your thoughts as you see him smile. "I asked if you want to set the table." He chuckles, hand in your knee leaving you. "What's gotten you so deep in thought?" He wonders, and you shake your head, jumping down from the counter to grab some plates and cutlery.
"Nothing." You simply say instead, brushing the topic off like every time.
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For today’s ‘i really, really love kang yohan’ post, we’re gonna be develing into a little bit of emotional intelligence and the fact that Yohan both possesses it while simultaneously doesn’t, lmao.
Yohan is portrayed as a hunter and a shark. He’s said this himself in his own words. He’s read up on dynamics of humans and instincts and basis himself off of a monster for a couple of different reasons, but the main one being the fact that people believed him to be as such instead of coming down to his level as a child to understand him.
This by far, means Yohan was emotionally neglected (physically too, but that’s, in some ways, addressed in my other meta post) by parental figures in his life except for the nanny, possibly, on occasion, and isaac - but even then, we know it must’ve only been to a certain extent. On top of that, yohan’s only true witness to emotions is through those people in the house, and needless to say, one of them was off the walls abusive.
It’s why we get scenes like the choking one because when Yohan is angry, guess how he’s learned to express that? It’s physical, but it ties in emotionally. Yohan lashes out the only way he knows how, but this is also an indicator that he’s lied about being a monster. Why? Because people with extreme reactions to emotionally charged questions (like your associate judge accusing you of killing your brother, for example) can often mean that it’s more than just a sensitive topic; it actually matters to that person. At this point, gaon does not know isaac’s story, but we later learn yohan’s version of the fire, and it’s slowly revealed through Elijah, specifically, just how much family is a tough topic for Yohan.
And fortunately, gaon sees right through yohan’s bullshit when he calls him out about how he should be a victim, not a monster. Which opens up the door to us understanding why Yohan does what he does and says what he says even more because it’s revealed through that conversation that these are specific words Yohan has heard before. So not only has he been emotionally stunted as a child by way of abuse, he’s had so many people in his life look at him as a callous monster. And when that happens, don’t you start to believe it? Don’t you lose a little bit of your humanity and become the very thing people say you are?
However, this is also yohan’s strength in the world he lives in, especially with the intent to seek revenge for Isaac. He can put his emotions aside and think clearly, even in situations that should rile him up. You can actually see him get… amused when someone tries to put him in a corner. Yohan doesn’t rely on emotions because it’s logic, rational and strategy that gets him every single checkmate. It’s what’s got him to the point he’s at now. It’s how he’s able to push gaon into seeing reason because if you look at things from the perspective of philosophy and science (by way of human nature), it becomes easier to see a path and a plan so very clearly to whatever outcome you’re wanting.
The issue that comes into play circles back around with family. Because Yohan did not grow up in a healthy environment, he doesn’t know what family actually means and what dynamic it should look like. The past several years he’s spent with Elijah, he’s lived it logically because it means keeping her safe without taking into consideration the fact that Elijah is not like himself and did not grow up in the same environment he did. Only, Yohan also has a habit of not telling anyone his plans, and that’s where the miscommunication starts. How is Elijah to know why Yohan keeps her away from the world? It’s revealed she’s been kidnapped twice, but does Elijah truly understand yohan’s perspective? No, she’s a teenager, and gaon was right about it not being fair to keep her locked away.
But I digress. Here you have a man with a plan with repressed emotions and then enter one kim gaon, and he’s asked for trouble. One of the reasons Yohan, I believe, has kept gaon around is because he defies the typical. He challenges Yohan, not in an act of dominance, but out of another way of thinking, and that’s a big difference. Things might go over gaon’s head, and he’s not always right, but he’s looking at all perspectives, even if they’re wrong. Multiple times Yohan has been surprised by gaon’s way of thinking. That’s intriguing and it’s different.
Which lead to situations where gaon’s confronting Yohan about himself, holding up a mirror and asking him if that’s truly who he is or if it’s someone he’s trying to be, if he’s listening to what other people have told him or if he’s actually listening to himself. Which is kind of ironic with Yohan only being able to trust himself, but he can’t even do that, can he? He lies to himself in order not to face what he truly feels. And that’s because it’s filled with pain, and Yohan doesn’t have time for that.
But there is also a reason why a lot of his progress takes place in his house and away from the world because a home is meant for vulnerability and while Yohan and Elijah haven’t had that in a while, Yohan didn’t take into account gaon’s ability to see things differently. Yohan saw gaon’s mind for his plan and for the overarching plot to oust the rich, but what he did not consider is how that would translate into his personal life. Which is hilarious because Yohan is the one that brought gaon into his home in the first place and ultimately ended up with a surprise of a man who’s clearly moved in because Yohan never tells him he has to leave.
So, that’s where things begin to unravel. Gaon tests Yohan’s patience and emotions in ways he hasn’t been tested. Again, gaon’s held up the mirror and asked him to consider looking deeper for the actual truth instead of the façade Yohan lets himself believe is real. Gaon is also one of the only other people in yohan’s life that has actually considered yohan’s feelings and, in turn, elijah’s. gaon is also a man of righteousness and it makes sense that he’s not afraid to share parts of himself if it means it’s doing something good.
We see this particularly with Elijah, telling her about his parents, not reprimanding her over her murder plot, lmao. gaon grew up in an emotionally healthy, and most likely, happy household where he could express himself without feeling like a burden. He has patience and kindness imbedded into his being.
So with that dynamic of being in a home where people are not on display in front of the world, with gaon’s ability to emotionally connect with people, and finding out the looming secrets of the kang household, it becomes rife with opportunity to peel back those layers and expose them for what they are and talk about it and instead of hiding it away in the shadows. Gaon gives them all space to have those emotions, and while he prods and he asks questions, it’s generally in the form of a gentle reminder that other perspectives exists than the ones that are within those four walls. Gaon doesn’t get angry necessarily, and he apologizes when he’s wrong. His straightforwardness and heart-on-his-sleeve demeanor actually works in his favor, albeit a bit misguided at times.
And with all of this, it’s how Yohan slowly begins to open up. Gaon might be accusatory from his distrust of Yohan, but it’s from a place of curiosity and determination to understand, ultimately, rather than a motive of punishment. I think gaon connecting with Elijah is also the icing on the cake and driving motivator that yohan made a good choice in keeping gaon around because Yohan notices the change in his niece and how much happier she is. Gaon’s directly pointed fingers at Yohan and he’s spied on him, but he’s also confronted Yohan about what he’s done head on without taking justice into his own hands. So with those two things combined (helping elijah and wanting understanding), and even yohan’s determination to get gaon on his side, means that level of trust has slowly, but surely, grown into something much more than Yohan ever thought it could be.
Because again, Yohan did not think about the intricacies of living with other people at home and how well you get to know them by merely existing under the same roof. Gaon learns little things about Yohan and doesn’t use them to his advantage or as a slight – maybe in the beginning with the spying, if we want to give him any credit at all for that. Gaon sees a problem and tries to fix it – just like he sees a problem with the world and with corruption and uses the justice system to fix it.
With all of that understanding and poking and prodding, gaon learns how much Yohan cares for Isaac and for Elijah and validates those emotions while still giving Yohan a slap on the wrist for how he’s expressed that care. He learns of yohan’s abuse and confirmed and supported the idea of being a victim and how that’s okay, that Yohan needs to learn to accept it for himself in order to truly heal. He’s berated Yohan for not showing more kindness to Elijah, the only family he has left and just how important that bond is, after discovering what Elijah means to Yohan.
And that’s given Yohan agency with his own emotions. He’s cried over the memory of his father abusing him and wishing he could’ve stopped it. He’s admitted that he hates when gaon looks at him like he’s a monster, and he definitely hates it when gaon makes assumptions and dives in head first without actually thinking things through. But that is also an advantage of Yohan: understanding someone emotionally because it means that Yohan has learned so much about gaon and the way he thinks that when in episode 9 he tells gaon about how he reminds him of Isaac with his assumptions, it comes from a place of discussion rather than anger. He’s realized the way to get through to gaon is through talking and physically showing gaon how he thinks (the prison reveal). Granted, he’s been doing this with gaon since the beginning, but it’s become even more pertinent now.
The thing is, Yohan has recognized gaon’s kindness at this point. He’s witnessed it in his misguided understanding of the justice system. But what’s truly interesting is that Yohan understands gaon’s kindness, but he still doesn’t understand the world’s. Yohan has a very different perspective of what kindness looks like because it’s not actual kindness but motivation and ulterior motives. Kindness to Yohan is power play – it’s people using others by any means necessary to get a leg up. It’s self-serving for their own benefit and not for others.
Which is also how that first seed of trust is planted with gaon – when he saved the little girl and the bus driver. And how more seeds are trusted by way of gaon doing what gaon does best – provoking Yohan with different thoughts, especially when it comes to family.
But this also applies to yohan’s understanding and hypocrisy when it comes to Elijah and kindness. At this point and by episode 9, Yohan has accepted gaon’s kindness. He’s let it in, lets Elijah indulge in it because he’s noticed that their home is happier – by way of making gaon come back because Elijah missed him. Yohan believes Elijah naïve for trusting others who show her any ounce of kindness, but the thing is, Yohan has come to trust gaon. He’s witnessed the kindness and the understanding, and yet it’s much easier to continue believing that it’s actually a cruel and ugly thing, especially in the wake of Elijah getting hurt, and that’s his default method of coping. Kindness got Elijah hurt and in trouble. It’s what makes you weak.
And if there is one thing we know about Yohan is that he’s anything but weak, but it’s another lie. Kindness did not get Yohan anywhere in life. Kindness got his brother murdered and his family taken away from him.
But the saving grace from that way of thinking? Gaon, yet again, telling Yohan why he’s wrong. Gaon tells Yohan every human needs someone to rely on as long as they’re human, and I think that was certainly a pain point of remembrance in how Yohan had no one but Isaac and then no one after. only this time, a point is made by way of Elijah because she only has Yohan now and she, unlike what Yohan convinces himself he doesn’t need, actually wants to experience human nature – that innate thing kang Yohan has so desperately read about and studied without taking into consideration that the carnal desires of humanity don’t always outweigh the good found within.
And isn’t that just a little bit ironic how someone so capable of understanding the human psyche cannot simply recognize kindness when it’s so freely given? If he weren’t the skeptic and the hypocrite, maybe he’d see what’s right before his eyes, and maybe he’d see just how far he’s come in allowing someone to see parts of himself he’d always been led to believe didn’t matter.
Kang Yohan is a complex character, but he has so much room for growth, and it’s exciting witnessing that in baby steps – and that’s all because he couldn’t tell his doe-eyed associate judge no. sucks for Yohan, I guess; getting himself into a mess he cannot get himself out of, an issue of his own doing and one we very clearly have seen he doesn’t want to rectify, lmao.
also one more thing..... that dinner scene in ep 9 is also a true testament of what can be done with just a little provocation because there you have yohan realizeing what a happy home can look like if he just tries to be more vulnerable and that it actually, in fact, does matter.
#x#*#kang yohan#the devil judge#look who write 2.3k about yohan bc im a dumbass and just spit out thoughts#this is not in order at all this is me rambling like the dumb b that i am#god i love yohan so much wow i hope this makes sense bc yikes#this is what happens when u have a lot of thoughts and there's so many components s#even after all this i know ive missed some but lmaooo here is this#does any of this make sense i hope it makes sense bc i dont feel like it's fleshed out how i wanted it#nor is it in order but uh yeah food for thought yall!!!!!!!!
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My thoughts on Love, Victor season 2 cause I have too many feelings and I need to talk about it.
Disclaimer No. 1. This has massive Love, Victor season 2 spoilers so pleaseeeee leave if you have not watched it. Also if you do not want to engage with it.
Disclaimer No. 2: This is my opinion on the season so if you don't agree please leave. Don't come for me. I don't mind having proper discussions but I don't want unnecessary arguments so thanks.
There are a lot of unpopular opinions so as I said earlier if you don't want to be respectful, please leave.
I absolutely adoooooooored this season. I think it met its potential quite well and I liked how it panned out. I felt it was brilliantly done. I know a lot of people don't agree with me but I actually saw that it was gonna be an acquired liking but yeah.
THIS POST WILL BE GETTING TO THE MORE MAJOR PARTS OF THE SEASON. MEANING VICTOR, RAHIM, BENJI AND VENJI.
Let's start with individual breakdowns.
Right of the bat we see that this season is gonna deal with Victor with the rest of the world. The first season was very internal and dealt with his own stuff in his own head. We very minutely see his interaction with different people and how that internally affects him. This season was more of how the outward world dealt with him. His intersectionality of being a Queer POC that plays sport really adds to the discussions within the queer community and the sense of being outcasted within the community. I liked how he was able to talk to Andrew about the whole being 'the most non gay gay' and also not being 'gay enough'. It was really nice and I loved that interaction. I also liked the fact that they discussed the whole aspect of being stressed about the first time and such.
I liked the full cabin sequence in terms of his anxiety about having sex for the first time. That too with an experienced gay. It all just makes sense and makes me glad that it was addressed.
I loved him as the 'mentor' for Rahim and the fact that they could relate to each other about being POC with religious parents I think was the exact push needed for the discussions to move forward.
I think his conversation about his queer experience as a POC with Rahim was something I have been waiting for since the first season. He definitely should not have revealed Benji's secrets without talking to him and that was a mistake on his part and something that will affect Venji in a long while. But the fact that Rahim and Victor relied on each other was not surprising.
I am going to address the rest of the aspects of Victor with regards to his relationships with each of them after their individual breakdown.
Now moving forward to Benji.
I know its gonna be a hard truth but I think his character was the one that I liked the least. And this is specific to the fact that his motivations are hidden from us. He is not really open to talk to us (through victor). I had the same problem with him in the first season and was hoping he would be fleshed out more. We only see him as an extension to Victor and just his boyfriend. Even then, we barely see him communicating with Victor or anybody else all through the time. Also, that being said, I have seen a lot of people say he was OOC but I think he was actually not really OOC. The way he reacts to Victor's mom's reactions although they come from a place of wanting better for Victor, he doesn't really think twice about why Victor must not be reacting or doing so subtly. He feels very unsympathetic on many occasions and that is a pattern we see from season 1.
I'm not saying he didn't have any troubles of his. Cause he definitely did. We know that with the drunken driving episode and the AA meetings and the strip club story. They were all awful, but that doesn't excuse him from trying to understand where Victor is coming from. Maybe having a little more context and communication about him would make us understand him and his motivations better.
This season specifically, I actually found him to be very token-ish of a gay guy which is weird because it has two other gay characters (or 5 based on the multiple cameos).
Now getting to Rahim.
I LOVED HIM. He is, I think right behind Victor in my heart. I fell in love with him barely minutes into the episode. His coming out retelling was the most wholesome of all things. I loved the friendship Pilar and him shared. I'm surprised we didn't get a scene with Pilar teasing him about his crush on Victor but I think that was because the writers didn't want to make it obvious. I felt he had a character of his own that was explored more than just coming in between the main couple. The one episode where they skip school we found out more about him and it was intriguing to say the least.
He is a Muslim gay boy who likes to put nail polish and fashion and believes that his parents will not accept him. It is soo refreshing to see this theory get denied and the parents being completely okay with it. Next, Victor and him have an interesting relationship between the two. When victor needs his mind to be taken off of things or talk to, Rahim does just that and when Rahim needs some advice or just some support Victor does that.
NOW VENJI.....
I think this is again... a little unpopular right now, but... their relationship was not that great this season. And I.... kinda expected that to happen. That is for multiple reasons. They spent 50% of their time making out, 40% of it fighting and 10% communicating. Were they flawed? Absolutely and I get that. They had massive miscommunication problems. Trust issues and everything under the moon. It is to be expected especially cause they are teenagers and they are not mature enough. That being said, flaws are not when you are dismissive of your boyfriend's issues because he doesn't fit your ideal gay stereotype. Flaws are not when you say your boyfriend is too much for you to handle and say something like you are the only one taking care of them. That's manipulation. Flaws are not when you don't realise that the context your boyfriend comes from is very specific to himself and if you want to do better you need to be open to listen to where he is coming from instead of getting offended by him saying you are white when you don't get the specifics. You need to understand that by saying you are white, he is not dismissing your experience with alcohol addiction and with your father taking you to strip clubs and shit. He is just saying you don't get where I am coming from. The reason I say I saw it coming is because even in season 1 we see Benji go ahead with what he wants to do instead of thinking about the consequences. Case in point the kiss on Victor's birthday. Victor told Benji that his grandparents are homophobic and still he kisses Derek. Because it is fiction and a teen drama the consequences weren't dire and it came to be a growth point for Victor but just imagine if the consequences were different. If it ended up being something worse, what then. I feel this season we are especially able to see Benji out of the rose tinted glasses that Victor had last season.
That being said I admit that Victor was also not entirely good. He did breach Benji's trust. I don't see how they can go back from there. He didn't communicate from his side as well, but just think of it like this if someone says you are too much to handle would their partner actually be willing to communicate what's bothering them?
The things about Isabelle walking on sex. If it was my house anything remotely sexual, irrespective of the gender would have been met with shame and anger just as Isabelle did. They are 16. The little brother was right next door. In any way whether it is straight sex or gay sex it would still have been met this way I feel.
So yeah as much as they are supposed to be the main star couple of the show they lack in almost every aspect. So yeah...
Now coming to VICTOR X RAHIM
Straight off the bat, I don't know if I watched the same season that others did because I actually felt the chemistry between them was actually more than Venji had in scenes other than the make out ones.
Also, they come from similar backgrounds. They understand each other much better than any white dude could ever understand them. They actually talk and communicate.
Rahim and Victor on the other hand are both new to this whole being gay, out and proud thing and I feel they would understand each other better. I think a big problem people have with them is that the writers fall back on the love triangle trope and stuff but I like it in this instance. It made sense to me.
Why? Because they are teenagers. Also, the gay pool in schools are so small and people are bound to explore. Like Victor said, what are the odds that you end up with the first person you start dating?
Also, regarding the wedding. Benji said he would not come, so I don't think he has the right to question who he came with. It was completely innocent on Victor's part because he did invite Pilar first. I guess it is the whole first slow dance that was the betrayal and as much as their chemistry was palpable I feel Benji should have allowed to here him out. I don't know maybe you all feel different about it but I feel that is not a betrayal on Victor's part. What could have been a betrayal was the kiss. I know it is once again a repeat of the cheating stereotype and I had hoped that the showrunner's did it a bit differently but well it has happened. (But again the chemistry in that kiss!!!)
What do I want to happen next. I definitely ship Victor x Rahim more than Victor x Benji. I would love for it to be Rahim behind the door but it feels unlikely that the showrunners will actually do that so my hope is even if they get together, Benji and Victor realise just how much they don't fit with each other and break up amicably and then Victor x Rahim gets explored and slow burn happens.
I don't want Victor to be the only one apologising if Venji do get together again. For whatever small amount of time. I need them to communicate better.
So yeah..... this was long and what I thought of the main portions of Love, Victor. It's really ironic how people love everyone other than Victor in a story about him and care for all the stories other than him.
#love victor#love victor season 2#rahim love victor#victor salazar#not gonna tag Benji cause I am not too forgiving on him#can you tell author loves rahim?#and victor#and especially loves them together?#Victor x Rahim#we need to come up with an appropriate ship name for them#Vichim? Rator? I don't know just something!#Anywho... Another one coming up sometime about the friends and family#kayblyeeee#first post in ages
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Unfinished Masterpieces - Fic Rec List
Remember the WIP on ao3 you can’t let go? The one that resonated with you? The one that you’d give anything to know how it ends?
While the Berena Creative Project Resuscitation event is all about starting to work again on projects sitting in our draft folders, life can get in the way of finishing a project for a hundred reasons.
These works, posted, but still a few chapters short of ending, are loved though and with this list we’d like to share the love for the unfinished masterpieces one can find in the Berena tag on ao3.
Given the high response we had when we asked to tell us about your favourite WIPs, you’ll find the list under the cut:
Anything Else to Declare? - LittleMissO
“I've personally had sleeping issues since I read LittleMissO's Anything Else to Declare because yeah, I'm still there, breath held and heart pounding like crazy after the most delicious slow burn, and pining, and that outrageously flirtatious conversation over a whiskey.”
that line between your heart and mine - ktlsyrtis
“it is just plain hot but also I love the idea of them writing letters to each other and I also love the exploration of what their relationship might be like with Bernie still being in the RAMC.”
you disappear like your cigarette smoke (now the taste of your kiss is all that remains) - bonnissance
“A wonderful, emotional angst filled fic, looking at how Bernie’s life might still have progressed after Serena left. I loved how it showed her testing her own boundaries to see if it was possible to find another relationship with someone else and when she found that wasn’t something she could do, she accepted it and found other ways to be happy without Serena. I reread it fairly often because although unfinished it doesn’t ever seem incomplete. But the last word “Serena” always leaves me full of a hope that I would dearly love to have fulfilled.”
Secrets in the Dark - Wonko
“I’d love to see this continued!”
For a Good Time Call - Regency
“Young Serena using that pure sex voice of hers to make a little extra as a phone sex operative, and young nervous Bernie taking the first tentative steps in exploring her sexuality. Who better than Serena to help her figure things out? The premise of the fic is ingenious, the writing amazing, the dialogue just outstanding. Hot, sexy, soft and full of compassion and feels. I would sell a kidney to read the next chapter to this – Bernie and Serena meeting years later and recognising each other’s voices.”
you're the only one I never looked for - gutsandglitter
“Never expected I'd enjoy a Baby Boom AU, but I love this fic. Serena hanging out in the country feeling extremely overwhelmed and constantly running into this weird tall, awkward woman named Bernie is a mood. I will forever hold out hope for an update so that I can someday read about them having lots of sex (after an appropriate amount of angst, miscommunication, and unexpected grocery store encounters, of course).”
Things Kayryn doesn't write - Kayryn
“So they’re not exactly unfinished, because they are complete, beautifully crafted, amazingly inventive, head canons, but they’re not completed fic’s so I’m counting them. I actually think that’s one of the lovely things about them, there’s a full story in there but enough space in them to bring your own imagination to the details. The fact that every head canon is spot on and you can completely image it happening is the icing on the cake, and the perfect characterisation is the cherry on top. Canon could have taken lessons from from Kayryn”
I Want to be Your Fantasy (Maybe You Could Be Mine) - Regency
“I just love the concept and the first chapter just pulled me in and I so very much want to know what happens next.”
Notting Hill - Bat_and_Breakfast
“All the “Rom Com idiots in love but they don’t know it miscommunication capers” re-envisaged for Berena you say? Sign me up! I love the way the plot of Notting Hill is absolutely recognisable, but never at the expense of Bernie and Serena’s characters. Everything they do, their responses, the dialogue, is so them. And the cleverly cast Holby regulars as supporting stars - genius. It’s an absolute triumph of transformative work. It’s wonderfully and engagingly written. If you’ve ever got sucked into watching “just a bit” of rom com and found you’ve just lost a couple of hours of your life - this fic does the same thing.”
Follow Me There - troiing
“Full disclosure: I’ve never watched Sanctuary and I know nothing about the characters. But this crossover fic is so good, that it doesn’t even matter.”
hold me closer (tiny dancer) - serenacampbell
“I don’t know why I’m so attached to that fic, but I am. I love the premise of a slow burn fic where the characters still get to do sexy things during the awkward slow burn oblivious period. It’s like the best of both worlds.”
Machu Pechinku - Jrnsaxa
“Forget France and Nepal, what if Serena spent her sabbatical in Peru? The setting in this is beautifully vivid, as is the the delicate ways in which Serena and Bernie start to reconnect after Elinor.”
Hello, Major - lesbianquill
“This is a near perfect Serena being fixated on Bernie in fatigues fic. The first chapter is very insightful, helping us to understand why Bernie might not be happy to accede to Serena’s small kink/obsession. That of course doesn’t last for too long because Bernie loves Serena and she loves having sex with Serena. It was offered as a smutty one shot, but then they rewarded us with an even smuttier second chapter and teased us with the news that a third chapter would be forthcoming. It never happened. Main reason for wishing it could be continued? I enjoy well-written smut.”
In the Spirit of Three Stars - alwayssomethingelse
“Bernie and Serena as Federation officers on Deep Space Nine. Oh, the potential!”
Anatomically Correct - phantomunmasked
“Bernie severely overcompensating for any possible awkwardness in their first time by ordering a mountain of sex toys is a premise that will always delight me. Every time I go back to this one, I ponder what their weekend away would bring with a big grin.”
The Clinic - RexWolfe
“Maybe it’s all the Bramwell we’ve been watching, but this one’s been on my mind lately. Can’t go wrong with a Victorian AU.”
a life in pictures - Regency
"I soooo want to see Serena maybe modelling for Bernie (or at least just how the date goes)”
working up a storm inside my head - sevtacular
“While this isn’t actually an unfinished fic in the sense of chapters missing, the prompt fic collection of Sev can always be added to as far as I’m concerned. Love what has been written so far, hope there will be new chapters with time.”
Body and Soul - ChalkHillBlue
“Possibly the weirdest AU idea ever, this body swap AU makes my brain go crazy with the possibilities every time I read it.”
When We Need One Another The Most - Whispersmummy
“I know this isn’t strictly Berena but it wouldn’t have been written if not for the Berena fandom who love most every conceivable way these two dorks might get together. Very well written (imo) and cleverly constructed fic. Lots and lots of angst and who doesn’t love angst? Only thing missing is a small amount of smut. (Yes I’m back there).”
Ring In The New - fiveroundsrapid
“Fics where Bernie comes to Holby before/during Adrienne’s illness are my kryptonite, and this one is so good!”
Holby One: A Star Wars AAU Story - elitryalittle
“Holby One is my favorite unfinished fic. It’s not just because I came to Berena via Star Wars (a bit of an unusual way, but here I am), but also because I can totally see Serena as a healer and Bernie as a Jedi knight. Kudos for their excellent knowledge of the SWU and this great idea of a crossover fic. I’d give them a limited edition “Looking for Leia” patch and a sticker if they’d finish it.”
to gaze at you, from afar (I sigh, I sigh, I sigh) - bonnissance
“The photographer/model AU you never knew you needed in your life, but you really, really do.”
Heroic Endeavor - Nicolaruth27
“I never would’ve thought I’d be down for a Greek god AU, but this fic has permanent residence in a corner of my brain. Bernie as Athena in mortal form is inspired, and the way the fic is interwoven with canon is a delight.”
what a lovely way to burn - ktlsyrtis
“I just love anything that's weaved into canon but with them being happy and dating and communicating."
Love, Unexpected - Igerna
“Bernie is still married to Marcus when she meets Serena during a conference. They immediately bond and keep in contact, sharing both professional advice and thoughts on their private lives. Love, for them, happens rather unexpectedly. I do love conference fics and slow burns - and this is a good one.”
a little less war torn - kitnkabootle
“The setup for this - in which Serena is the one who goes to help when Bernie is brought to Holby, instead of Raf - is one of my favorite ‘what ifs’ to ponder, and the writing is outstanding.”
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The ZhongXiao Alliance
Summary:
“You requested the bard to get you porn?” Diluc questioned with a skeptical look on his face.
“No!” Aether shouted, waving his hands frantically in front of him. “It’s for…for Paimon!”
“WHAT?!” Paimon screamed off the top of her lungs before spinning around to see the pair of crimson eyes narrowing at her while the blue one twinkled with amusement.
"So he says." Kaeya gestured to the Honourary Knight.
“No! Paimon would never read these kinds of things! It’s adeptus Xiao!!”
“An adeptus from Liyue want you two to get porn?” The disbelief in the tavern owner’s voice was clear.
“This is all for Morax’s sake!” Venti pipped up from behind Aether, as if that would make the situation any better.
“Oh? Morax?” The Cavalry Captain raised a brow. "So it is the Geo Archon that wanted the porn?”
Aether buried his face into his hands. He should have never taken up on Xiao's request. No, before that, he shouldn't have taken Zhongli's request.
This whole mess started when Zhongli confessed to Xiao in the wrong order, starting with sex.
Now, it's up to one traveller, one emergency food, and one bard to make things right...by getting Xiao a guide to sexual intercourse.
Rating: 18+
Genre: Mutual pining, comedy, miscommunication, romantic fluff, smut, yaoi
Pairing: Main Zhongli/Xiao, side Aether/Venti, hint of Kaeya/Diluc and Xingqiu/Chongyun
Story type: Multi-chapter
Beta’d by: Amberowl123
中文 Chinese Translation available by: Yejet
╔ ✦✧✦ ═════════════╗
Available on AO3!!
╚═════════════ ✦✧✦ ╝
◅ PREV MAIN NEXT ▻
CHAPTER 2 - ZhongXiao Alliance, Book!
“Eleven…twelve…thirteen…” Aether counted, carefully plucking the Cecilias and adding them to the basket in his hand.
“Aether! I got five more!” Paimon waved, flying back with an armful of Cecilias.
“Thanks, Paimon!” Aether smiled, plucking two more Cecilias while Paimon added her flowers into the basket. “Perfect, that’s all the flowers!”
“Great! Let’s go back to Mondstadt! Maybe the tone-deaf bard got the thing already!”
“You’re pretty optimistic about that.” The blond raised a brow at her.
“Well…as long as it’s not us who need to find it! That tone-deaf bard seems oddly familiar with these things, don’t you think?”
Aether couldn’t argue Paimon there. Venti was strangely at ease—confident even—when he told them he’d get them the porn. Though Venti was over two thousand years old, and so was Xiao. Perhaps it was due to their long lifespan that they no longer feel embarrassed over things like that?
When the blond thought of it that way, he found himself to be quite immature. If he thought over a bit more, the book was—as Xiao had said—study materials, right? Maybe he and Paimon were the ones over exaggerating and over complicating things.
With that mindset, Aether and Paimon left Starsnatch Cliff. The journey back to Mondstadt took about two hours. By the time they arrived, the sun had already set and the city was quiet compared to the lively nights at Liyue Harbour.
The two headed straight for Angel’s Share where there were already customers seated around on the tables outside, gulping down their drinks. The blond and Paimon greeted some familiar faces before grabbing the door handle and stepping inside the tavern Venti had told them to meet him at.
The first thing the two were greeted with was the sight of Diluc’s irritated face, Kaeya’s amused look, and Venti who was grinning from ear to ear.
“Aha! You see? I’m not lying!” Venti announced, pointing towards Aether who was frozen at the doorway. The blond wondered if it was too late to close the door and pretended that he was never here.
“What’s going on?” Paimon asked, looking between the two men and the archon.
“You’ve joined us at the right time,” Kaeya waved his hand lightly for them to come over.
Having no choice, Aether walked over to them despite his instincts screaming at him to leave. “What happened?” He asked and he swore he saw Diluc’s brows twitched.
What in the world did Venti do this time?
Venti, receiving Aether’s questioning look, shrugged. “Well, Master Diluc, Sir Kaeya and I were just talking about… aesthetics.”
“We were discussing your questionable performance,” Diluc corrected. Even though his voice was even, Aether could tell the man was this close to tossing the bard outside.
“What part of my performance was questionable?” Venti argued back, clearly seeing no wrong in whatever he did. Worried a fight might break out, Aether hurried to step between them.
“The part where you requested the customers to pay you with porn.”
The blond tripped over his feet, his face smashing against the hard wooden floor and his body drawing a line between Venti and Diluc.
“Aether! Are you alright?” Paimon flew over to Aether who had a hand over his reddened nose.
“Hey, I was doing our Honorary Knight a favour! You wouldn’t want to deprive Mondstadt’s saviour his needs, would you?”
Both Diluc and Kaeya looked down at Aether—crimson and blue eyes staring at him skeptically.
“You requested the bard get you porn?” Diluc questioned with an unreadable look on his face.
“No!” Aether shouted, bouncing back onto his feet at the accusation while waving his hands frantically in front of him. “Well, I mean, yes, I did ask, but it’s not for me!”
“Then who is it?” Kaeya inquired with one hand resting on his hip.
The blond’s brain was a mess as he tried to think of what to say. There was no way he could tell them that it was Xiao who wanted the book! He was an adeptus, after all. He also couldn’t say it was for a friend since that would sound like a poor excuse! “It’s for…for Paimon!”
“WHAT?!!” Paimon shouted off the top of her lungs before spinning around to see Diluc raising a brow at her while Kaeya let out a small hum.
“I must say, I would never have expected that from you,” the knight commented with an odd smile on his lips.
“No! It’s not for Paimon!” Paimon shrieked. “Paimon would never read these kinds of things! It’s for Adeptus Xiao!!”
Aether covered his hands over his face, unable to watch the mess unfold.
“An adeptus from Liyue wanted you two to get porn?” The disbelief in Diluc’s voice was clear.
“This is all for Morax’s sake!” Venti piped up from behind Aether, as though that would make the situation any better.
“Morax?” Diluc frowned. “Didn’t the Geo Archon die?”
“Uh…!” Both Aether and Paimon paled.
“Are you suggesting that not only is the Geo Archon not dead, he asked you to get porn?” Kaeya pushed on.
“I…!” Aether looked between the two men, feeling completely trapped with no way out.
“This isn’t the place to talk,” Diluc gestured for them to follow and brought them to the basement where they stored the wine. He shot more than a couple of nasty glares when Venti’s hands wandered too close to some of the wine.
Once they were inside one of the storage rooms, Diluc slammed the door shut and turned to Aether with his arms crossed over his chest. “Explain.”
Having, no choice, Aether began to explain the mess they were dragged into—including the fact that the Geo Archon was very much alive. The blond knew he could trust both Kaeya and Diluc to keep it a secret…perhaps that was also why Venti casually revealed the Geo Archon being alive.
“So Rex Lapis is alive and he has fallen in love with one of the immortals of Liyue,” Kaeya muttered after hearing the full story. “Most interesting indeed.”
“And that adeptus requested you bring…research materials.” Diluc pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a quiet sigh. While he fully understood the situation, he didn’t look any happier than when Aether first saw him.
“Now that we've gotten this misunderstanding out of the way, can I get my books back?” Venti asked with his hands on his hips.
“So…what exactly happened?” Paimon asked again.
“As usual, the audiences loved performances and kindly gifted me their valuable collections, but they were all confiscated by Master Diluc here.”
“You should be glad I didn’t kick you out of the tavern.” Diluc retorted.
“Wait, so you really did get a book?!” Paimon turned to Venti in shock.
“Of course! I did promise I’ll help you guys find one, didn’t I?” Venti bragged and looked back to Diluc.
“What about Kaeya?” Aether turned to the Cavalry Captain. “Why were you here?”
“As one of the Knights of Favonius, it is my duty to oversee regulations. I can’t turn a blind eye to shady dealings now, can I?” Kaeya shrugged.
“How was any of that shady?!” Venti gasped in genuine shock.
“Even if you are lord Barbatos, there are still laws you have to follow.”
“Surely a book or two isn’t that big of a deal!”
“You are correct. A book or two is not a big deal, but…” Kaeya trailed off, his eye shifting to Diluc. Diluc spared a small glimpse at Kaeya before sharply turning away. He looked a little irritated, but stepped out of the storage room and returned a minute later carrying a large bundle wrapped in a tablecloth.
The moment the redhead set the bundle onto the floor, the cloth unwrapped, revealing stacks after stacks of books.
“Don’t tell me���!!” Aether’s jaw fell open at the mountain of porn.
“Did you rob the entire city?!” Paimon shouted.
“Of course not! These were all gifted to me by my faithful fans!”
“So now you see.” Kaeya bent down, picking up a blank cover book and waved it at Aether. “When a large quantity of these suddenly turned up at a tavern, that is something a knight cannot ignore.”
“We’re very sorry!” Aether apologized immediately. He was never so glad that it was Kaeya who caught Venti and not Jean, Lisa or Amber. Aether would never be able to face them again if they were to find out.
“Morax’s happiness is on the line here! Can’t you cut us some slack?” Venti tried to bargain.
“You say that you only need one book, didn’t you?” Diluc finally spoke up. “Take one and return the rest to wherever they came from. That should be fine, shouldn’t it, Knight of Favonius?”
“Certainly,” Kaeya easily agreed.
“Thank you so much, Diluc! Kaeya!” Aether and Paimon cheered while Venti looked disappointed.
“Aww, I have to give all of these back?” He looked at them with teary eyes.
“Were you planning on doing anything with them?” Diluc’s sharp gaze was immediately locked onto the Anemo god.
“Of course not!” Venti laughed before glancing down at the pile of books, then to Aether. “So…which one shall we take?”
“Wouldn’t any one of them work?” Aether asked in confusion.
“Hmm, take this for example!” Venti held out two books. “One is about a woman and a man, while the other is about two men. Which one does Xiao need?”
“O-of course it’s…!!” Aether stammered, taking a look at Diluc and Kaeya before quickly hissing out the last part. “That second one!”
“Then does he want a book with words, or pictures?”
“Huh?”
“Are there any specific positions they want to do it in?”
“T-that’s—!!”
“And what kind of kinks do they—”
“Just something educational!” Aether frantically shouted to stop Venti from talking. He felt like he was going to die from embarrassment at this rate.
When he turned to look at the other two men, he saw Diluc with one hand covering his face while Kaeya was smiling weirdly at him.
Someone let him die.
“Guess we have no choice but to look through them all!”
“How did you reach that conclusion?!” Aether’s shout was so high that his voice ended up cracking.
At this point, Diluc had finally had enough and headed for the door.
“Oh? Are you not going to help our Honorary Knight with his troubles?” Kaeya watched the Pyro user open the door.
“Unlike someone who has too much time on their hands, I have a business to run,” the redhead stated before disappearing into the hallway. The knight chuckled and followed after Diluc. On his way out, the knight grabbed Paimon by her scarf, plucking her off the air and bringing her with him.
“Hey!!” Paimon shouted, kicking and throwing her arms around, but her limbs were too short to reach the man.
“It would be best if you wait for them upstairs. Seems like they will take a while,” Kaeya said, giving the blond a wink and closed the door behind him.
Aether was blushing hard, but Venti was already ushering for him to sit down so they could start looking through the books together.
“Hey Aether, look at this one!” Venti cheerfully opened one of the illustrated Inazuma scrolls right in his face, giving the boy a clear picture of the indecent act being performed…with an octopus.
Aether had to use all of his will power not to scream.
Why was there an octopus?!
“It got an octopus in it!”
“I can see that?! You don’t need to show it to me!!” Aether cried, swatting the scroll away from his face.
“You have such a pure-hearted~” Venti giggled, rolling up the scroll and setting it aside. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s start looking for something you can give to Xiao.”
Aether nodded, still red in the face as he picked up the book closest to him. Since all of these covers were blank, it was hard to tell the contents without looking inside. The moment Aether opened the book, he immediately regretted it as it was a picture book.
Golden eyes rounded upon the sight of a man lying on the bed, his head thrown back with his mouth opened and eyes closed. The look on his face could only be described as ecstasy with spurts of white splattered over his body. With his legs pulled apart, Aether was given a clear view of another man’s appendage, going into the...
The blond frantically snapped the book shut, but the image was already engraved into his brain…
“There’s surprisingly a lot of novels here. Well, then again it might be not so surprising. Some nations have strict rules on the picture ones. This would be good since words can go into details of how it’s done!” Venti mumbled while scavenging through the books and oblivious to Aether’s inner terror.
“We should pick out the ones with males only and put them into a pile!”
“Uwah, this one is a bit extreme, but hey, surely that brute would be into it!”
“Hilichurl? Huh, people sure are imaginative these days.”
“Woah, a Regisvines? Wouldn’t you freeze to death? Wait…did Regisvines have tentacles like these? Oh, they’re roots…?”
“Hmm, as I thought, there’s not too many with only males—oh! Hey Aether! Look at this! This one’s from Fontaine!”
“Aha, here’s another one! Come now Aether, help me out here!”
“Aether? Are you listening?”
“Aether?”
“Aether!”
…They found a book thirteen hours later.
✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧
“Are you sure you guys were finding a book and not gone off to fight monsters?” Paimon asked, hovering over Aether who was lying in the carriage with a folded cloth shielding his eyes from the morning light.
“Ehe, don’t mind him!” Venti smiled. “He’ll be fine after getting some sleep.”
“You two sure took your time! Paimon fell asleep waiting for you!”
“There were too many things to sort through. Besides,” the archon gestured to the carriage they were in. “If we didn’t take an entire night, how would we be able to hitch a ride on the Dawn Winery shipping cart that is heading to Liyue?”
“Why are you so proud when it’s Master Diluc who gave us the ride?” Paimon huffed before looking down at the book the two had taken an entire night to choose. Judging by the hardcover and the form of the book, it originated from Mondstadt. Since there wasn’t anything on the front or the back of the book, Paimon couldn’t tell what kind of content was inside.
“Soooo…” She looked up at Venti with a sly grin. “What book did you guys choose in the end?”
“Hmm, I would advise against reading it. It’s not something for the faint of heart~” Venti winked and began playing music on his lyre. Paimon puffed, but she floated down, sitting in the corner of the carriage and listened to the archon’s music.
The journey back to Liyue was peaceful. Even when there were nearby monster attacks, Diluc’s men were able to fend them off so there was no need for Venti or Aether to intervene. Because the Dawn Winery carriage was heading towards Qingce village, the three had to get off around Stone Gate and walk the rest of the way to Guili Plains.
This time, there was no need for Aether to call for Xiao. The moment they arrived at their destination, Xiao appeared in a flicker of green light.
“Lord Barbatos,” he greeted politely, nodding his head towards the Anemo Archon.
Aether and Paimon stared at Xiao, then to Venti who puffed out his chest with pride. Sometimes, they both forget that Barbatos was a huge deal due to the archon’s behaviour and the little respect the bard named Venti gets in Mondstadt…
“It’s been a long time, Xiao! Almost a millennia, I believe?” Venti greeted.
“Yes,” Xiao responded curtly. “What brought you to Liyue?”
“I ran into our dear traveller here back in Mondstadt and heard about Morax’s proposal to you, so I decided to come along!”
“I see.” The adeptus glanced to Aether. “I trust you’ve brought the items?”
“Yes, here they are.” Aether handed over the basket of Cecilias and the book.
“What are you planning on doing with those Cecilias?” Venti asked curiously.
“They are for the Cleansing pills.”
“Cleansing pills? What’s that?” Paimon inquired.
“Adepti do not indulge themselves in mortal desires,” Venti explained for the pair. “Stuff like alcohol, gambling, food, baths…things human usually need or do for pleasure! While older adepti don’t need to eat because their power is strong enough to sustain themselves, the same can’t be said for the younger ones. To prevent them from having worldly desires or cravings for things they shouldn’t, they created all kinds of special pills for convenience—like pills for hunger, pills for meditations and so on. The Cleansing pills are for when they want to wash their body. Toss one into the bathtub, dip in a viola! You’ll be clean and refreshed in no time! Pretty handy when you’re suffering from a hangover!”
“Wait, you mean they don’t need to eat at all? But Adeptus Xiao ate!” Paimon pointed at Xiao who crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight to his right foot.
“Eating is but a choice for us,” he said before narrowing his eyes at the wind god disapprovingly. “The Cleansing pill purifies the body and soul. It is not to be used to consume more alcohol.”
“You say the same thing as Morax,” Venti groaned. “But if I remember correctly, isn’t the Cleansing pill made with the herbs in Liyue? Why do you need Cecilias?”
“Many herbs have been lost in the flow of time and the changes within the formation of land,” Xiao replied rather patiently, to both Aether and Paimon’s surprise. “Madame Ping has informed me that the properties of Cecilia are similar to the herb I am missing.”
“Ah, Madame Ping! I haven’t seen her since I’ve last visited Liyue Harbour!” Venti nodded.
“If you’ll excuse me, I will take my leave.”
“Hey now! It’s been so long since we last spoke! Don’t be so eager to leave!” Venti hurriedly blocked Xiao’s path. “Even if you read that book, would you even know what you need to do?”
That made Xiao stop. For the first time, his emotionless mask cracked, revealing a lost look on his face as he stared at the book inside the basket of flowers.
“On the other hand, Aether and I had learned quite a lot! I’m sure we can help you with your studies!”
Aether’s head immediately snapped to Venti in disbelief. He opened his mouth to object, but Xiao beat him to it.
“I will humbly take you on your offer, lord Barbatos.”
“Wait, Adeptus Xiao, let’s not—”
“Perfect! In exchange, give us some of your Cleansing pills! Surely you’ll have extras once you are done!”
“I will only require a few. You may have the rest once I’ve refined them,” Xiao swiftly agreed.
“Wait—!”
With that, Aether was dragged away to Wangshu Inn by Venti with Xiao walking at the front and Paimon trailing behind. When the boss of Wangshu Inn saw the green-haired adeptus, she quickly organized the most luxurious room for them.
That was how Aether found himself locked within the room with one adeptus, one archon and one book between them. Paimon had slipped away at some point, no doubt stuffing her belly with food right now.
Aether was sitting there nervously, watching Xiao open the book to reveal the fine texts printed over the white pages. In the end, Aether and Venti picked out an erotic novel instead of illustrated ones. The blond had feared that the picture books would be too…too graphic for the adeptus to handle. At the very least, he couldn’t handle it, so they chose a novel instead with milder tastes.
“Start over here,” Venti told Xiao, flipping to the middle of the book where there was a red bookmark.
Xiao didn’t ask any questions and read from there. With the way those bright yellow eyes narrowed seriously and that pale hand covering his chin and mouth, Aether would think he was trying to decipher some sort of code rather than reading a sex scene.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Xiao said after only looking through the first page. “Why must you prepare the other person?”
“It’s called stretching! It’s so the person who tops could enter the person who bottoms easier!” Venti replied lightly.
“It’s muscles,” the adeptus deadpanned. “It should be the same if you relax.”
“Well, I suppose that makes sense, but it would be bad if anything tears, right?”
“Such insignificant wounds are hardly anything to mention.”
“But wouldn’t Morax mind even if there is a tiny bit of injury? He might feel responsible, you know?”
Xiao’s brow twitched, but he didn’t say anything about that anymore and moved to the next topic he couldn’t understand.
“What of this oil? What is the purpose of this?”
“It’s so your lord could go in easier and let him feel good, of course!”
Xiao nodded and went on to the next one.
Aether buried his face into his hands. After that first question, Venti has mastered the art of explaining things to Xiao—by telling him that everything was for Zhongli’s sake and how it could benefit Zhongli.
“Positions are an important part of sex!! You should let Morax see your face when you guys do it!”
“Why is that?”
“Well, surely he would want to know whether or not you are feeling good?”
“My pleasure matters not.”
“But it will to Morax! His pride will be hurt if you don’t feel good! That’s the same as saying he's bad lay!”
“A bad what?”
“It means you think he’s impotent~”
“…!!”
Aether’s golden eyes shifted to Xiao who looked as though he had swallowed a whole Electro slime, then to Venti who was smiling way too brightly than he should in such a situation. It was obvious that the archon was enjoying this way too much and Xiao was too clueless to see it.
The blond weighed the pros and cons of intervening before deciding to keep his mouth shut. While Aether never had any sexual experiences, reading porn and erotic novels for thirteen hours straight gave him some…insight to things. Even if Venti was seemingly playing around with Xiao, the Anemo Archon was in fact giving Xiao the best advice that could bring him and Zhongli closer together.
“There are also techniques you must master! You also need to know what Morax’s kinks are.”
“…Kinks?” Xiao frowned, clearly not understanding the definition of the word.
Aether’s mouth fell open, gawking at Venti like he had grown a second head.
And so, Venti began a list of every kink that was possible to mankind. Some of which Aether saw in the stacks of porn, but most he never even heard of and was certain the god was making this up as he went!
By the end of Venti’s long rambling, Aether’s jaw was pretty much touching the floor and Xiao…
Xiao was shaking with long bangs falling over his face. With his head dipped low, the blond couldn’t see what expression he has right now.
“I have no idea…that this requires so much skill…!!” Xiao whispered before promptly getting up. “I must request my lord to reconsider. As I am now, I can’t possibly be his partner.”
“Wait! Wait, Adeptus Xiao!” Aether jumped up—or at least, he tried. Distracted by Venti’s rambling, he didn’t even realize how numb his legs were and he ended up smacking into the floor with his hands grabbing onto Xiao’s ankle.
It was a good thing Xiao had stopped when he called out, otherwise Aether can’t imagine what would become of him if he made the adeptus fall flat on his face.
“You haven’t finished the book yet! Why don’t you look through the book first?”
Xiao considered the traveller’s words for a moment before he sat back down and picked up the book once more. Aether secretly let out a small breath of relief before shooting the god an accusing look. Venti responded with a guilty smile while scratching the back of his head, knowing he went overboard. Although the bard didn’t think he was wrong. Who knew what sort of weird kinks that old grandpa would develop after over two thousand years of yearning?
Now that he wasn’t asking questions every other sentence he encountered, Xiao’s reading speed increased a lot. In no time at all, he finished the sex scene and the milder contents inside calmed him greatly.
“I’m sure all those—erm, kinks that Venti mentioned don’t apply to Zhongli.” Aether made sure to shoot another look at Venti. “At least, I don’t think he would want to be tied up and lick your feet or make you lick his feet.”
“I have no issue if my lord asks me to lick his feet,” the Yaksha responded with absolute seriousness. “It’s…I cannot imagine making…making him…” The thought was so terrifying to Xiao that he couldn’t even finish the sentence.
“No, they are equally bad!” Aether wanted to crack open the adeptus’ skull to see what was inside that head of his!! In fact, he also wanted to crack open Venti’s! What in the world was the archon thinking trying to stuff these ideas to Xiao knowing he’ll take them seriously?!
“Calm down, Aether. You’re gonna burst a vein,” Venti laughed and Aether briefly entertained himself with the idea of throwing Wei—the stray cat at the front counter—at the cat-allergic god.
He can’t rely on Venti anymore, so he needed to do this by himself.
“Adeptus Xiao, has Zhongli ever given you anything?”
“The medicine you delivered to me was from him, was it not?” Xiao asked back.
“Well, yeah, but has he given anything that was…infused with his power?”
“…He has.”
“What was it?!” Aether’s reaction was a bit over the top, but he couldn’t help it. With so many things going on, he felt like he was going to die from a headache if he didn’t get one thing sorted out.
Instead of replying, Xiao held out his hand and his weapon materialized within his palm.
This was the first time Aether has seen Xiao's weapon, yet the moment he laid eyes upon it, he found himself thinking how there was no weapon in this world better suited for Xiao than this. The spear in Xiao's hand was by far the most beautiful spear Aether has ever seen. The weapon had an elegant emerald body with the bright green spearhead crafted from the finest jade. There were fix smaller jades—three on each side—spreading out like wings. Even without touching it, the blond could feel power radiating from the weapon much like its wielder.
“Ah, the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear!” Venti immediately recognized the weapon. He then turned to the clueless blond and explained, “it’s a weapon Morax made for Xiao. During the archon war, there was not a single god who did not know of Xiao and the spear he wielded. This close up, I can certainly feel Morax’s energy flowing within.”
“Aside from this, was there anything else Zhongli had given you?” Aether asked. A very bad feeling was creeping up on him, but he didn’t want to believe it…
“No,” the adeptus replied with absolute certainty, crushing what little hope Aether had left.
The last bit of energy left the blond, but he slammed his palms into the floor, stubbornly hanging onto his sanity.
One mystery was now solved.
The gift Zhongli mentioned…it was definitely this Primordial Jade Winged-Spear.
The courting gift Zhongli had given Xiao was a weapon…and of all times he gave it to him, it had to be during a war?!
How could anyone not misunderstand?!
“T-then did Zhongli say anything when he gave that to you?” Aether asked in his last attempt of struggle.
“He said he hoped I would accept,” Xiao’s gaze was distant as he remembered the past. “That was the day, I devoted myself to serving him.”
THUD
“…What are you doing?” Xiao frowned at the human lying on the floor.
“Eh…his legs must be numbed. Humans tend to have this issue when they sit too long, don’t mind him!” Venti waved and picked up the erotic novel. “Let’s continue!”
Xiao nodded and the two went back to discussing the book, ignoring the worldly-outlander slowly withering away on the floor.
✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧
“Hold on…you’re saying that the gift Zhongli gave Adeptus Xiao was his weapon and when he said he hoped Adeptus Xiao would accept…Adeptus Xiao misunderstood it as Zhongli asking if he would serve under him?!”
Aether hid his face behind his hands. Hearing Paimon repeated everything in his head out loud made the situation even more ridiculous.
After getting down the basics of how intercourse works, Xiao needed to work on making the Cleansing pills and left the inn, telling them to come back after three days to give them their portion of the pills.
So now they were back at Liyue Harbour, strolling around the streets since the last time Venti visited Liyue was centuries ago. The archon was running around the street, taking in the sights of the city while Aether explained the situation to Paimon.
“As I thought, this is all Morax’s fault,” Venti sighed all too happily, coming back with a steam bun in hand. “I figured that blundering buffoon couldn’t do a proper confession, but to think it would be to this extent.”
“Where did you get that steam bun?” Paimon asked, knowing full well the archon had no Mora on him.
“The old lady at the stall was nice enough to give me one after listening to one of my stories!” Venti took a bite into the hot bun and let out a satisfied hum. “Hmm! It’s been so long since I’ve tasted Liyue’s delicacies.”
Seeing the joy on the god’s face, Aether couldn’t help but smile and said, “let’s go to Wanmin Restaurant. We can talk while we eat there.”
“Now you’re talking Paimon’s language!” Paimon cheered. “Maybe Xiangling would be there!”
“Oho, I have heard of the name Xiangling. She is quite famous!” Venti nodded, taking another bite of his bun. “Ah, by the way…does this restaurant have any alcohol?”
“I’m sure they do, but…” Aether wanted to point out how none of them looked to be of legal drinking age, but Venti waved him off.
“Come on, you need to learn to live a little or you’ll end up becoming one of those block of rocks that can’t—”
“Oh? That can’t what?” A deep voice came from behind them, causing Venti to turn into the very stone he was mocking.
“Zhongli!” Aether turned to see Zhongli standing behind them with his arms crossed over his chest and those Cor Lapis coloured eyes glaring down at a certain archon.
“Aah, if it isn’t my dear old friend!!” Venti’s tune immediately changed as he spun on his heels and greeted his old friend. “I heard you’re going by the name of Zhongli now, yes? How is the life of retirement fairing for you?”
“How about we talk somewhere less conspicuous?” Zhongli suggested, though he wasn’t talking to Venti, but at Aether and Paimon.
They ended up booking a private room at the Liuli Pavilion with Venti and Zhongli listing out their orders to the waitress. Aether could already hear the sound of Mora leaving his wallet because there was no way these two broke gods would be able to afford any of it.
Once their meals were brought up, the waitresses closed the door on their way out, giving them full privacy. Finally, Aether found the opportunity to speak. He decided to start by telling Zhongli about Xiao asking for him to wait a week—or if he was to count the days that were already lost, to wait for five more days.
“I see,” Zhongli said with a small smile on his lips. “You have my thanks.”
“No, we uh, still haven’t figured out what he likes yet,” Aether said guiltily. To be honest, he had completely forgotten about that part with the porn and everything else going on.
“Wouldn’t anything be fine? That child is blindly devoted to you,” Venti chipped in from the sideline, but was ignored by Zhongli completely.
“It’s alright if you cannot find out. I know that it is difficult to get him to talk about himself.” Zhongli said with a soft sigh. “I have tried in the past, but he never gives me his opinion and only agrees with everything I say…”
“So that’s why you wanted us to ask!” Paimon gasped, finally understanding.
“What did I say? Blind devotion,” Venti lamented.
It was then that Zhongli finally spared some of his time to the other god. “Barbatos, why are you here?”
“Can’t I visit an old friend?” The Anemo Archon blinked those large, forest green eyes innocently.
“Venti was helping us gather some materials for Adeptus Xiao.” Aether quickly explained, not wanting Zhongli to think Venti was here to meddle.
“Materials?”
“Your little Xiao is refining some Cleansing pills so he asked our dear friend here to get some from Mondstadt.”
“Then he must have needed the Cecilias,” Zhongli nodded in understanding. “I should have told him I have already prepared the Cleansing pills. That is an oversight on my part.”
“He just started. We can tell him that you already have it prepared?” Aether offered.
“No, that’s alright.” Zhongli shook his head lightly. “I am happy that Xiao is taking the initiative. Traditionally, it is the one that proposed the courting be responsible for the preparations.”
That’s because he had no idea he was being courted—Aether wanted to say, but held himself back.
“What kind of preparations?” Paimon questioned with a tilt of her head.
“You know how male birds attract female birds by being pretty and all?” Venti cut in when Zhongli parted his lips to respond. “They must also build a nest and prepare the food. If the female likes the home they made, they stay with the male!”
“Barbatos,” Zhongli’s tone dropped and he glared at the other god. “Do not compare the courtship of adepti to that of animals.”
“Aren’t you all closer to animals than humans anyway? And besides, Xiao’s technically a bird.”
“Comparing Xiao to a bird is a grave insult. You say this knowing I am in the middle of courtship with him. Are you testing my patience?”
“I would never! I simply thought our friends here would understand better if I explain it that way!” Venti countered.
“Do not believe in this bard’s nonsense,” Zhongli said to Aether and Paimon. “The act of intimacy is important within our courting traditions. It is the first exchange of our adeptial powers, one cannot take it lightly. Therefore, it must be located in a place where we cannot be disturbed.”
“So…like a vacation home?” Paimon summarized.
“Yes, you can say that.”
“A vacation home…” Aether perked up when an idea popped into his head. “Zhongli, do you already have a place prepared?”
“Yes, I am thinking of Jueyun Karst. It is the only place with few mortals thus we would not be disturbed. I have already informed the adepti living there of this matter.” Zhongli paused when he saw the disappointment on Aether’s face. “Do you perhaps have an idea?”
“Oh no, if you already prepared it then it’s alright!”
“Plans can always change. I want to hear your thoughts on the matter.”
“Well, it didn’t seem like Adeptus Xiao have a home like the other adepti. Even when we sit down to talk, it’s at Wangshu Inn. I thought it would be nice if he could have his own place.” The blond said, scratching his cheeks. When he looked up to Zhongli, the archon was sitting there, staring at him with his eyes wide.
“Yes…that is…” Zhongli mumbled to himself before bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. “It has been a long time since…perhaps now…”
“Uh, Zhongli?” Aether called, successfully snapping Zhongli back to reality.
“My apologies,” the man heaved out a deep breath. “It is only natural you do not know of this, but the Wangshu Inn is established for the purpose of supporting Xiao.”
“Eh?! What do you mean?” Paimon flew up from her seat.
“The Wangshu Inn is created by a secret organization within the Qixing. To be precise, it started with an agent, but it grew and expanded into an organization over time.”
“Then the boss of the Wangshu Inn…” Aether trailed off, remembering the woman always sitting behind the front counter. Now that he thought about it, there was always something strange about her…like how casual she was when mentioning Xiao and even took in ghosts that Xiao brought over.
“If you are referring to Verr Goldet, her real allegiance is to that organization within the Qixing.”
“And the Almond Tofu that Adeptus Xiao loves to eat?!” Paimon gasped.
“The Almond Tofu is also created for Xiao,” Zhongli answered.
“Let me guess, that agent that started the whole thing was you, Morax?” Although it was a question, there was a knowing look on Venti’s face as he grinned at his fellow archon.
“I will not deny my involvement, but the Wangshu Inn is the result of the people’s gratitude towards Xiao.”
“And of course, Xiao is oblivious to all that~” The Anemo Archon sighed wistfully.
“He doesn’t know?!” Paimon stared at Zhongli with wide eyes.
“If he finds out the truth behind Wangshu Inn, he will not go there anymore.” The Geo Archon had a troubled look on his face. “He is a stubborn one and does not easily accept help from others. That is why you must keep this a secret.”
“Of course! Paimon will never tell anyone!”
“Your secret’s safe with us.” Aether nodded.
Then, the two turned towards Venti who straightened under their gaze. “Why are you two looking at me like that? You think I would tattle?”
“True…the tone-deaf bard may be annoying at times, but he can keep a secret!”
“Thank you for your compliments,” the god chuckled.
“Since he got a place already, I guess there’s no need for a home, huh?” Aether laughed lightly.
“Not necessarily. You have given me a better idea.” Zhongli looked at the blond gratefully. “I cannot thank you enough.”
“Oh…I’m glad I could help?”
“I have one more favour to ask of you.”
“What is it?” Aether asked rather cautiously. He couldn’t help it, not after what Xiao asked them to do…
“You say that Xiao is refining the Cleansing pills right now?”
“Yeah, he told us to come back in three days and he’ll give some to us!” Paimon beamed. Even if it wasn’t Mora, it was still a reward for their efforts. Besides, if it was something made by an adeptus, surely it would sell for a hefty price!
“Three days…that leaves two,” Zhongli muttered. “That is plenty enough time. I want to ask you to lure Xiao away from Guili Plains for the remainder of those two days. Preferably somewhere up north—around Qingce village. ”
“But…would he leave with us?” Aether frowned. The whole reason Xiao spoke to them in the first place was because they were delivering his medicine and that he needed their help. As for their time at Wangshu Inn…that was because of Venti. If not for the Anemo Archon, Aether doubted that he would be able to convince the Yaksha to go anywhere with him.
Zhongli was conflicted as well. He knew that his request this time was too much to ask of the traveller. Even he couldn’t think of any convincing ways for them to get Xiao to leave the plains he dwelled upon for so long.
“Ahem!” Venti cleared his throat, letting his presence be remembered. “Might I offer a solution to that? Of course, it will come with a small price~”
“I will give you three gallons of the finest Osmanthus wine in Liyue.” Zhongli was quick to take up the bard’s offer. Putting their many disagreements aside, Venti was still an archon and the one who gave Xiao his Vision. The younger god may be childish, a drunkard, slacks off from his duties and overall a disgrace to the arts…but he was an old friend Zhongli could rely on when push comes to shove.
“Deal!” Venti chirped, snatching up a Lotus Flower Crisp and bit off the fluffy pastry petal.
Aether smiled and raised his chopsticks. “Well then, let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
“Finally!” Paimon let out an exaggerated sigh, picking up her plate and chopsticks with her eyes sparkling as she gazed upon the food. Zhongli let out a small chuckle and joined in as well.
At that time, Aether had no idea what sort of disaster his innocent suggestion was about to bring to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the adepti and the Treasure Hoarders located in Guili Plains.
Likewise, he was also oblivious to the new hell that awaited him at Qingce village…
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#zhongli#xiao#genshin impact#genshin xiao#aether x venti#xiao x zhongli#genshin fanfic#Genshin Impact fanfiction
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Worst Kept Secret- Tom Holland One Shot
Pairing: Tom Holland X Osterfield!Reader
Prompt: Sam gave Tom one job, but Harry and Harrison’s gossip leads to the worst kept secret and the biggest miscommunication in history...
Word Count: 3500
Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex
Based on: “The Ring” from Last Man Standing (absolutely iconic episode)
a/n: sam’s girlfriend’s name is el right? tbh i don’t keep up with sam’s relationship because privacy
Masterlist Tom Holland Masterlist
*Pic is not mine*
~~~
“Okay, what’s wrong?” Tom asked as he sat down across from Sam in the corner of the coffee shop. It wasn’t often that Sam asked to meet with Tom alone; in fact, it had never happened before, and, needless to say, the older boy was concerned.
“Why does something have to be wrong?” Sam rebutted, but he knew there was no hiding his nervousness from his brother. Tom didn’t even need to say anything before he continued, fidgeting with the plastic cup, “I, um, well, I want to ask El to marry me.”
“Really?” Tom’s eyebrows raised in excitement. He smiled proudly at his younger brother, “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.”
“The thing is,” He paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small ring box. He opened it up, showing Tom the extravagant diamond ring, nestled in the middle. “I haven’t asked permission yet.”
“You mean you got a ring and you haven’t even-“
“No, I haven’t. I’m going to talk to her dad this afternoon, but I just- can you hold onto it for me? I feel like El will find it.” Sam closed the box and extended it out to Tom, who carefully slipped it into his pocket.
“Have you told Harry and Paddy yet? They’ll be thrilled. I bet mum and dad were so happy when you told them.” Tom said, his smile growing wider at the thought of his family cheering on Sam’s big announcement.
“I haven’t told anyone yet. I wanted to get her dad’s permission first and then propose. I don’t want anyone else to know because what if she doesn’t say yes? We’re only 21, but-“
“Hey, she’s going to say yes.” He cut off his younger brother’s rambling, his eyes full of reassurance, “El loves you, she’d be crazy not to say yes.”
“Thanks, I just- I’m so nervous over it all.” Sam paused, running a worried hand through his hair, “Have you and Y/N talked about it at all?”
“A little.” Tom shrugged slightly. You two had been together for over two years now and you had been living with Tom (and your brother Harrison, Harry, and Tuwaine) for the past several months, but the topic of marriage wasn’t something that was brought up. Tom knew you were his future, you were all he ever wanted; the thought of actually proposing had just never crossed his mind.
“Y/N can’t know about this either.”
“Of course.” He nodded, “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
And Tom fully intended on keeping that promise. He kept the ring box hidden in his jeans drawer because that was the one drawer that he knew you didn’t even bother looking in. Since you lived together, you both had a “what’s mine is yours” mentality, especially when it came to Tom’s clothes. He didn’t mind that you’d wear his shirts, his hoodies, his sweats or even his underwear sometimes as pajama pants- he loved it when you wore his clothes. But you didn’t wear his jeans, so that made it the safest place to hide the ring.
Or so he thought.
Harry was missing his favorite pair of jeans, and he knew that they had just been through the wash. He also knew that Tom had a bad habit of accidentally taking his brother’s clothes.
“Where are they?” Harry grumbled, digging through Tom’s jeans drawer. He knew you and Tom were out to pick up lunch for everyone, so it was perfect timing for him to scavenge through his brother’s room- as siblings do. He smiled triumphantly as he pulled his pair of jeans from the drawer. Just as he was about to shut it, a little box caught his eye. Curious, Harry picked up the box and shook it a little. When no sound came from the velvet box, he opened it up, just to drop it in surprise.
“Holy shit.” He picked up the ring box again and examined the diamond ring. His heart was racing; he couldn’t believe that Tom was going to propose. He wondered why his older brother hadn’t said anything about it. If Tom didn’t even tell Harry, did he tell Harrison? Was your brother aware of Tom’s plan? He heard the familiar sound of Tom’s car pulling into the driveway and Harry quickly hid the box under the jeans and closed the drawer. Grabbing his pair of jeans, he rushed out of the bedroom and into his room.
“Harry, lunch!” Tom called out for his brother from the kitchen. You sat down comfortably in Tom’s lap at the dining room table, and he gave you a kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist. Harrison fake gagged, sitting across from you two.
“You’re just jealous.” You teased your brother, throwing a small french fry at him. Tuwaine scooted away from Harrison, not wanting to get caught in a food fight between siblings as he continued to eat his lunch.
“No, it’s gross.” Harrison said, eating the fry before taking a massive bite out of the hamburger.
“Yeah, sure this is gross.” You jokingly rolled your eyes at him before biting into your own burger. Tom rested one hand on your hip, eating his lunch with rather large bites just as well. When Harry came downstairs, all he could think about was the ring box hiding upstairs. Seeing you and Tom cuddled up, sharing your food with each other, he felt a sense of reassurance wash over him. You made Tom so happy, and Harry was happy at the thought of you becoming an official Holland.
It wasn’t until a couple hours later when you and Tom left to take Tessa on a walk that Harry worked up the courage to bring it up to Harrison. He was certain that Tom would ask for your brother’s permission before buying a ring, but he was so wrong.
“He what?” Harrison asked, eyes wide. Tuwaine let out a laugh at his best friend’s reaction to Harry’s words.
“He bought a ring. I thought he would’ve said something to you.” Harry said, his eyebrows furrowed. He couldn’t tell how his friend was feeling; was Harrison upset? Angry? Frustrated? Did he not want to give Tom permission to marry you? The main question resting on Harry’s mind was why would Tom keep this such a big secret- you all live together?
“No, Tom didn’t tell me he bought a ring.” Your brother replied. He looked over at Tuwaine, who just shrugged nonchalantly.
“I didn’t know he got one either.” He admitted.
“Look, at it this way, you’ll be our brother officially now.” Harry offered with a small laugh, trying to ease the tension.
“I’m not mad.” Harrison said, running a hand through his blond hair, “I just didn’t expect it. I mean Tom asked me for permission before he asked Y/N out and he made sure I was okay with her moving in. He’s always asked me before doing anything. It’s just weird that he wouldn’t tell me that he bought a ring.”
“It’s a big step, maybe he’s just nervous and wants to wait to announce it to everyone?” Tuwaine suggested.
“Ah, shit.” He sighed, a new thought crossing his mind, “Tom’s taking Y/N out tomorrow night to that really nice restaurant- the one they went to on their first date. He was just telling me about it.”
“He’s really proposing then.” Harry breathed out, a smile appearing on his face. His brother was going to propose to you tomorrow.
“I thought it was because she just got a promotion at work, but guess he’s got other intentions.”
The conversation was cut short as the front door opened and laughter from you and Tom filled the air. Tessa came bounding into the living room, happily seeking pets from Harry.
“Look what we got!” You smiled, proudly, holding up a plastic bag from a store.
“That new candy store down the street finally opened.” Tom said eagerly as you dumped the contents of the bag on the coffee table.
“Ring pops are still a thing?” Harrison asked with a laugh when he noticed the disproportionate amount of ring pops compared to other candy. “You used to eat these all the time.”
“‘Cause they’re good!” You replied, grabbing one of them. The boys helped themselves to candy as you enjoyed your ring pop. You slipped the ring pop on your left ring finger, seeing as that was the only finger that was suitable for the plastic band. You didn’t notice how that simple action was spotted by both Harry and Harrison.
The next day, Tom went out on his morning jog (which he wouldn’t tell anyone that really it was giving Sam the ring back) as you made breakfast for the household in the kitchen. Harrison was abnormally silent when he came into the kitchen. Usually, he’d talk to you about everything and anything while you made food and he drank some tea, but today, something was off.
“Everything alright?” You asked him, looking up from the sausage on the stove over to your brother sitting at the island, hunched over a steaming mug.
“Just thinking.” He shrugged lightly. He didn’t even look at you when he spoke, yet another dead giveaway to you that something was up with your brother.
“What is it? You know you can tell me anything.” You said softly.
“Tom’s gonna propose.” He blurted out. Your jaw dropped at his words, unsure how to process this new information. At your odd silence, Harrison finally looked up to make eye contact with you. He stood from his seat and went over to pull you in for a tight hug, “I’m sorry, I ruined it.”
“No, no, I just-“ You stepped out of the hug and let out a confused sigh before a hopeful smile found its way onto your face. “He’s really going to propose?”
“Harry found the ring yesterday, and with tonight-“
“Oh my god.” You breathed out, realizing the weight of tonight. Why didn’t you see it sooner- Tom insisted on going to a nice restaurant for dinner and that restaurant was the same one from your first date.
“Just don’t say anything before tonight, he’s planned this all out.” Your brother pleaded, and you nodded understandingly.
“I won’t.” You agreed, turning back to the stove to continue cooking.
Later that day, you nervously got ready for your big date with Tom. Sure, you two had date night almost weekly, but he was proposing, it was more than just a date night. You made sure your nails, makeup, and hair was perfect and ready for any pictures. You didn’t want to sound vain, you just wanted to be prepared for the big question.
“You ready, darling?” Tom asked you as he put on his shoes.
“How do I look?” You emerged from the bathroom, a wide smile on your face. You did a little twirl in your little black dress and he smiled, approvingly.
“You’re gorgeous, as always.” He stood from the bed and pulled you in for a quick kiss.
“I just need my shoes.” You said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and putting on your heels. Once you finished, you stood and grabbed his hand, “Got everything?”
“Yeah,” He replied, a little confused by your question. What would he need besides his keys, phone, and wallet?
Your seats in the restaurant were in the far corner, mostly secluded and away from any prying eyes if anyone noticed Tom. It was sweet, having a nice dinner with just the two of you, but you couldn’t help the uneasiness you felt as the night went on. Tom made it feel like any other date night. Was Harrison wrong? What if Tom didn’t want to propose to you?
After dinner and dessert, Tom drove the two of you home and you felt your heart drop in disappointment. Nothing, no question, no ring. You didn’t even see the rest of the boys when you got home, you immediately went to get ready for bed.
Tom was confused himself; he had thought it was a nice night, a great celebratory date night for your latest promotion at work. And now you were abnormally quiet and seemingly rushing to go to bed. There were no passionate post-date kisses that led to passionate post-date sex. He didn’t say anything though, thinking that maybe you were just tired or not feeling well- both of which often made you go quiet. He got changed into his pajama bottoms and climbed into bed beside you. He couldn’t help but frown as you settled for a spooning position with him as the big spoon. He loved to fall asleep with you on his chest; something was wrong and he didn’t have any idea what he did to upset you.
The next day, Tom woke up to you already gone and out of bed. He pouted, getting up to go find you. He found you downstairs, quietly talking to Harrison in the kitchen. When he came in, the conversation dropped and you greeted him with a small, “good morning” before taking a long sip of your coffee.
“Good morning,” He smiled, greeting you and Harrison. He gave you a quick peck on the cheek before fixing himself a cup of tea. “Did you not sleep well?”
“Hm?” You hummed as you got out some eggs from the fridge to make yourself (and Tom) breakfast. You may have been disappointed from last night, but you weren’t going to starve your boyfriend who couldn’t cook.
“You’re drinking coffee.” He pointed out, “You only drink coffee when you don’t sleep well.” You wanted to cry, damn him for knowing your coffee and tea preferences so well, but for not realizing the problem from last night.
“I don’t think the food sat well with me last night.” You explained and he nodded. He looked over at Harrison while you were distracted by the stove and his friend simply shrugged his shoulders and left the room quietly. Tom knew the two of you better than that though; he knew something was wrong with you and he knew Harrison knew exactly what it was.
“So, Sam’s invited us around for lunch today. It’s a family lunch.” Tom stated, trailing off a little as he expected you to come with him.
“I promised Charlotte I’d go out with her today.” You replied, and he held back his frown. He didn’t know you had arranged anything with your sister.
“Oh, okay.” He mumbled, a bit hurt from your separate plans.
Breakfast went on quietly, and you felt bad about it, but you didn’t know what to do. Tom had planned out such a perfect proposal date, and yet here you were with nothing on your left hand. You just hated this feeling of disappointment.
Tom and Harry left later on to go to the Holland house for lunch, and you were left in your own pity. You didn’t want to see Tom’s family, not today at least, and so you had lied about your plans with your sister, and Harrison knew it too, but he wasn’t going to say anything to Tom. He was just about as disappointed as you were.
“You okay?” Harrison asked, his blue eyes sad as he walked into the living room to see you laying on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
“I don’t know.” Your voice was quiet, almost broken, as you spoke. You sat up and your brother came to sit beside you.
“Are you going to be okay?” He changed his question.
“It’s just disappointing, I guess. I mean I want to marry him, but we haven’t really talked about marriage. We’ve only ever just acknowledged that we want a future together.” You said, picking at your nails. You did them specifically for last night, it wasn’t worth it to have them done now. “I love him, though, and it shouldn’t matter how or when or even if we get engaged.”
“Want me to talk to him?” He offered, but you shook your head.
“It’s fine. I’ll talk to him.”
Meanwhile, when Tom arrived at the Holland house, he got pulled aside into the kitchen by his mother away from his brothers. He was asked immediately where you were, your absence didn’t go unnoticed by the matriarch.
“She’s doing something with her sister. It was super last minute.” He explained weakly, still upset over how this morning went.
“Is everything alright?” She asked in concern.
“I don’t know. We went out on a nice date last night, and she just seemed upset afterwards. She hasn’t said much to me since we got home last night.”
“What did you do?” Nikki immediately accused and he held up his hands defensively.
“I didn’t do anything. I pulled out her chair, I paid, I gave her my jacket, I was a gentleman and somehow something went wrong.” He sighed in frustration.
“Talk to her, okay?” She ran a comforting hand on his back for a moment. Tom helped his mother serve the food on their dining room table. His face lit up when Sam and El came into the room, he knew Sam had proposed last night and Tom was more than excited to hear the news.
Before they ate, everyone sat around the table and Sam cleared his throat nervously.
“So, I’ve got an announcement.” He started with an eager smile. He wrapped an arm around his fiancee’s shoulders, “We’re engaged!”
El held up her left hand, which she had been hiding previously, and showed off the new ring on her finger. Various cheers came from Tom, Paddy, and his parents, but Harry’s excitement was lost as he looked at the ring, recognizing it from Tom’s bedroom.
“What the fuck?” Harry muttered, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. The room fell silent as Harry grabbed her hand, eyes scanning over the ring.
“That’s a weird way to say ‘congrats, Sam. Can I be best man?’” Sam joked lightly and his twin turned to Tom, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Tom, isn’t that your ring?” Harry accused.
“You told me you wouldn’t tell anyone!” The newly engaged Holland groaned.
“I didn’t! Why the hell do you think that’s mine?” Tom questioned.
“It was in your room, in your drawer.” Harry stated, and Tom’s face fell.
“You didn’t- you didn’t tell Y/N, did you?” He asked. He swore his heart stopped as he waited for his brother’s reply.
“No. I only told Harrison and Tuwaine. I thought you were proposing to Y/N, so I assumed you told Harrison.” He explained.
“Fuck!” Tom shouted. If Harrison knew then you definitely knew; and if Harrison thought that it was a ring for you then you definitely thought that.
“What is it?” Paddy asked, trying to keep up with the odd drama between his brothers.
“I fucked up,” was all Tom could manage to get out before he grabbed his shoes and took off from the house.
It all made sense to him now. Harrison had told you that he was going to propose, and you thought he’d propose on your date last night. You weren’t upset about what Tom did, you were upset about what he didn’t do. And no wonder he didn’t know you had plans with your sister today because you didn’t really have plans, you just wanted to be alone. Tom hurried home and burst through the front door to find you, laying on the couch, eating a ring pop and scrolling through your phone.
“Tom? I thought you were at lunch.” You said, sitting il and suddenly feeling guilty that you’d been caught in your lie about your sister.
“I’m so stupid, I’m so sorry.” Tom rushed into the living room. He knelt down in front of your spot on the couch. “It wasn’t my ring. It was Sam’s.”
“You mean Sam and El-“ You smiled as he nodded, happy for the now engaged couple.
“He wanted me to hold onto the ring for a couple days and not tell anyone until after he proposed. I didn’t think you or the boys would find it, and I definitely didn’t think that it’d look like I was proposing.”
“It’s okay. I was disappointed last night, and I’m sorry, too. I should have just told you why I was upset, but I love you and I don’t care that you haven’t proposed. I just want to be with you, married or not.”
“But I want to marry you,” Tom held your left hand in his and carefully slid the ring pop off your finger. “Y/N Osterfield, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
“Yes,” You laughed as he put the ring pop back on your finger. He pulled you in for a passionate kiss, the fingers of his right hand intertwining with your left hand, mindful of the sticky ring pop.
“Now I need to get you a ring, one that isn’t edible.”
#tom holland#tom holland fanfic#tom holland one shot#tom holland x reader#tom holland imagine#tom holland x you#tom holland x y/n#harrison osterfield
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TharnType 7 Years: A flashback to the past and A foreshadow of the future aka The truth of TharnType and LeoFiat ;Episode 6
Guess what another Tharn and Type analysis, another repetition of the duality, mirroring, shadowing of Tharn and Type (TT) and Leo and Fiat, but this time it's even more complicated, and every time I analyse these two it gets even more complicated and painful. I'm going to try and write out a full analysis of why Leo and Fiat (LF) are more complicated when you try to compare them to TT. Fiat reminds us of Type in season 1; he's stubborn, immature and problematic and Leo reminds us of Tharn just by longing secretly for Fiat and always putting Fiat's well being first, but that's only on the surface. Leo and Fiat have even more depth than those comparisons, there are times where Fiat is actually more like Tharn and Leo is more frustrating as Type. Confused? Let's go into more detail. Also JUST realised that it’s both episode 6 of season 1 and season 2 that are mirrored this way. That’s incredible.
What I like Mame and her writing for shows is that she loves making sure you go through a journey with her characters. Her villains usually are not just one-dimensional irrational villains, they have depth, in fact, most of the time they have their own love interest later, sometimes we root for them (like Tin from Love By Chance Season 1, and Tul from a chance to love), sometimes we feel upset and angry and frustrated at the actions they do. It's no surprise in a show as explosive as TT we get Fiat, someone who is also very polarising. But you know what? I love that about him. I didn't think this series will make me fall for another couple as much as I love TT, but no I am obsessed with Leo and Fiat, their dynamic, their requited longing that they both don't see and think it's unrequited from their point of views, their love for each other and what they mean to each other.
You can find my previous Tharn and Type posts about how this season is about Misunderstandings, Misreading and Miscommunications from two different perspectives, our couples all have something to overcome since they don't see each other's views, and Leo and Fiat are the same. The most important thing they don't know about each other is how much, how great, how uncontrollably they are with their love for each other. Leo is refusing to show it, and Fiat is more reactive and preventive to it. Both are idiots who can't see something so obvious, but hey that's what makes this trope even more angsty and dramatic, both couples go through drama, pain and we the audience join the ride. And it's funny people complain that this show has no angst as the past season. Still, Leo and Fiat literally are the plotline of the past season, just as angsty, just as passionate (despite no s*x) and just as dramatic and idiotic.
What I love about TT and LF as a couple is that they both are flawed. It's funny because other people always focus on just one of the couples as the most problematic, but no, they are always both all in need of growth and change. Shocking right? It seems like we should feel sorry for Leo, and hate and complain about Fiat's personality, but actually, Leo is just as problematic as Fiat, he's also been a source of hurt to Fiat for so long. The same way in season 1, Type was to Tharn, and Tharn was to Type at the beginning when he didn't know what Type went through. The beautiful thing is seeing how love changes these characters, how needing each other makes them finally become who they're meant to be and how they finally get to their end; confident, happy and satisfied. And we the audience are part of this, we end up crying, and never wanting to let go of the show. Let me show you how:
Tharn Type and Pufai vs Leo Fiat and Type dilemma
Ah yes, I'm sure you've seen the similarities and mirroring to Leo and Fiat with Tharn and Type in season 1 episode 4-7. The introduction of Pufai caused a massive problem for Tharn and Type and almost caused them to end everything. One because it was the most hurtful Type was to Tharn, and two because it was the only time Tharn almost gave up on Type. It's so interesting when you look at what was happening at that time, and then when you look at Fiat and Leo, you see the similarities on a different level. Let me explain;
When Pufai shows up Tharn and Type are unofficial, they call themselves s*x friends, Type ensures Tharn that they're not in a relationship and he shouldn't overstep the line with it. Tharn as always is more believing that he can make Type agree to be his, and everything seems great at that time. Except then Pufai shows up, she's interested in Type and is precisely what he thinks is his type, he also is enjoying getting to know her, and he finds himself intrigued by her flirting with him. Type does not see any problem (though there's guilt) to flirting with Pufai because he's not dating Tharn, they're not official, they are just friends with benefits. Type keeps it a secret; he's seeing Pufai, but Tharn finds out and loses his cool, how could Type do this? Isn't he his? This leads Type to emphasise on the unofficiality of their relationship with a list of rules, they were never meant to be anything. Tharn is accepting of this at first because it's the only way he can stay with Type however the more Type gets close to Pufai, mostly planning to sleep and ask her to be his girlfriend, the more his heart shatters. Tharn proceeds to break down and cry about the futile love he has for Type. He has to move on, but he doesn't know how. Except, Type realises that if there are people like Pufai in his life, there'd be others for Tharn, he doesn't like that; Tharn is his, and so from here we see Type apologise, and TT become official to each other. Their relationship is now deemed unbreakable, no one else is allowed to break it, they've chosen each other as their person. You may be wondering why I have just repeated this whole storyline, but it's crucial, now read through this summary of Leo and Fiat and try and find out why:
Leo and Fiat are friends, but not really. They've been close to each other for 10 years. I say not really because everyone even we can tell there's more to them. Fiat is always trying to cross the line with their friendship; he ensures Leo knows he wants him to flirt and notice him. Leo ignores this and thinks Fiat is fickle and not serious. Fiat then proceeds to sleep with others, and flirt with others to take his attention from that. But each time that happens, he gets bored and returns back to Leo flirting and asking for his attention like a child. Leo is comfortable with this, as long as he's Fiat's main focus, as long as he's able to keep Fiat by his side, then what they have is excellent. Except Type shows up, he's Fiat's type, he's intrigued in getting to know him, and Type pays attention to Fiat more than others do, for Fiat, they have a connection, something feels warm and safe with Type, and wow he wants to pursue what he has with Type. Pause before episode 4 Fiat didn't know Type wasn't single, he just chose to be serious with Type before that, he fell for Type before that.
Leo is uncomfortable; this doesn't sit right for some reason, Type is actually important to Fiat and Fiat is not paying attention to him. Leo tells Fiat, Type is dating, Fiat brushes it off and says he still wants Type. Leo explodes, and Fiat ends up broken-hearted and hurt that Leo would kick him out. More shockingly, he unveils that the reason he's desperate to be with someone like Type is because; Surprise! Leo, and yet Leo isn't thinking about how he feels. Shocker. Leo returns and apologises and takes Fiat inside but now we the audience are confused? What does he mean by that? Why is liking Type for Leo? Why is Fiat so problematic, and why is Leo and Fiat's dynamic confusing?
Did you see the similarities? Let's look at it differently. Let's give roles to Fiat and Leo as TT, who is more like Tharn in the Pufai arc and who is more like Type?
On the Surface and Personalities.
Obviously, the first thing you look at is the designated Uke and Seme role. Who in this story on the surface so far is longing for the other, and who is acting like what they have doesn't matter and is problematic. Well, Leo is acting more like Tharn then. He's longing secretly and hurt because of Fiat's actions with other people, just as Tharn did with Pufai and Type, he's the one showing jealousy and fear of being left. He's not okay with the shift in their unofficial relationship and seems like he wants more. Like Tharn he looks perfect, protective and romantic than Fiat. He seems devoted and loyal like Tharn is to Type. And he's the seme just like Tharn. So he must be mirroring Tharn, right?
And we have Fiat like Type his eyes wander, he's the one who's treating what he and Leo have as nothing, he's problematic and loud and stubborn and childish just like Type was in the arc. Type shouted, was rude, and even punched Tharn remember? He proceeded to keep being nonchalant towards Tharn's feelings because Tharn wasn't the one for him. After all, he was homophobic. Fiat is not homophobic, but he's spoilt, childish and selfish, he's an attention seeker, so he acts like a brat to get attention. When he has the attention, he takes people for granted, and he does things that are problematic for example he doesn't think it's wrong to stop wanting Type after finding out he's not single. Fiat is like because I want it I must have it. And Type was similar; not the same way (trying to ruin a relationship) but he was selfish and cruel to Tharn because he refused to acknowledge what Tharn wanted, he could tell it was killing Tharn, but he proceeded because it didn't mean anything or he was trying to convince himself that it didn't mean anything, he was just as bratty and childish as Fiat was when questioned about his choices. So yeh he's mirroring Type in this situation right?
Except still looking on the surface, mind you; let's look at the mindsets and psychological past of the characters and see who mirrors who here. Bare with me, let me explain.
On Background and Mindsets
Let's look at the background: Tharn is used to getting what he wants, that's why when Type continues to reject him he keeps holding out hope it'll happen, he also is rich, spoilt and manipulative but in a more sneaky way. He knows how to guilt Type into feeling sorry, and he convinced Type to continue what they have. When he realises things aren't going his way, he mopes, rejects it but then goes back to Type until he can't take it anymore. I also want you to notice who ends up crying and heartbroken in this arc it's Tharn this is important for later.
Tharn also felt unlovable and always was seeking for someone to pay attention and stay by his side; he's the middle child who ended up having to grow quicker and be a tiny bit neglected, he also had his heartbroken from the previous relationships; he's always felt left behind, neglected and not taken seriously. Who does that remind you of? Fiat.
Although Tharn's family loved him, so he still ended up okay. Fiat is a worse version of Tharn; in this case, he was just as neglected but even graver because his parents paid no attention to him and only gave him material things (hence why he's spoilt and selfish), he realised that acting like a baby got him attention and what he wants; that's why he's manipulative. He also felt not taken seriously by people, like people didn't get him. Even the person he cared about; Leo, who he was confident was someone he can rely on also made him feel neglected (because he kept ignoring his feelings). Fiat knows how to act like a baby to get Leo to bend to his will, but just like Tharn with Type in the Pufai arc, he doesn't think it's because Leo is 100 % devoted to him. It's also Fiat who ends up crying broken-hearted during this episode. I'll explain later.
Type is different, his mindset is shaped by his past. He doesn't think what he and Tharn could be is right, he's homophobic and determined to keep what they have unofficial. He doesn't want to cross the line, he keeps on pushing away Tharn's feelings refusing to deal with it seriously, and this is why he gets fixated on Pufai. He's desperate to avoid what he feels for Tharn, and he's desperate to keep his walls up no matter what because he's afraid to be hurt. It makes sense. As much as people don't yet see this, same as Leo. Type is protective of his heart, himself and his environment, Leo is the same, he doesn't think crossing the line with Fiat is right not because he's homophobic but because he thinks Fiat's feelings are fickle and not real; he keeps refusing to see that Fiat wants him because he's afraid showing Fiat feelings will make him bored and move on, and ruin their friendship. He's desperate to keep pretence that what they have is friendship, is defensive when people joke about him and Fiat and is repeatedly ignoring anytime Fiat tries to make a move. It's frustrating, and each time he does it, Fiat gets hurt even more.
This is why he's on the stairs crying wondering if Leo ever actually thinks about how he feels in their situation. It's the same way Tharn thought about Type. Leo is determined to not seem vulnerable, in love or weak, he even pretends his selfless actions to Fiat has no meaning even when Fiat prods him for answers he refuses to tell him why he does all the things he does, he claims its because he wants to, he has to because Fiat is crazy, but we all know it's because of three simple words, he loves him. And Fiat has guessed and questioned that just as Tharn assumed that Type also loved him but wasn't ready to show it. Tharn stayed loyal and patient with Type until Pufai entered the picture. Fiat is the same, when Type shows up (a difference because Pufai was for Type) he's desperate to change his loyalties so he can stay by Leo's side without hurting and giving up, on them.
Basically, Fiat is doing what Tharn would have done if Type had not returned to him during Pufai arc, he would have started looking for someone else to take the pain away from not having Type. And Leo is like Type when Type realises he can't keep things unofficial because it means; others like Pufai could come to Tharn, he doesn't like that, and he proceeds to cross the line with Tharn. Leo is becoming that way, the way Fiat wants Type is starting to no longer be a meaningless thing he can avoid, he's beginning to realise that their unofficial status, he so desperately tried to keep has no hold or control over this situation, he's still learning, but soon he'll realise being vulnerable is the only way to remedy this, but he might be too late.
So on the surface, you see how these two mirror each other? Let's look at this even more further. The unofficial list that Type sent Tharn is the same as the determination to keep things unofficial Leo has with Fiat. It's more unspoken, but it's the same rules without the sleeping together aspect. Leo is okay with Fiat being with others as long as they're not interfering with what he and Fiat have. Leo is okay with them cuddling and being close and doing things for each other but never crossing that line. Leo has the role as Fiat's person to everyone, he's the protector, most intimate relationship and the designated 'boyfriend' role to Fiat as long as no one tries and label it. Leo is okay with certain rules and understandings about what he and Fiat have, like rules, and as long as Fiat and others don't try and label it, it shouldn't be an issue. It's the same way as Type.
Duality and Differences of Opinion
The difference here is Leo isn't chasing after someone else, he's not the one with the Pufai. Fiat is. Leo isn't being cruel to Fiat by proceeding to find someone else the way Type does, but he's still doing the same thing Type does to Tharn with or without another person. He's still invalidating Fiat's feelings, he's still preventing the line from being crossed no matter how much Fiat tries, he's still defensive when it comes to others seeing them as more than friends, and he's adamant that what Fiat is saying he's feeling is not right, it's just Fiat being Fiat, and it's not going to last, it's the same way Type thought about Tharn's feelings.
Fiat may be the one who seems like the one invalidating the relationship, but it's actually more complicated than that. In Leo's perspective, he's Tharn; he's the one with the unrequited love, the one with the person who doesn't take his feelings seriously, who sleeps with others cruelly without taking account his feelings, the person he's had to stay loyal and patient with because he's devoted to him entirely.
In Fiat's perspective? He's Tharn, he's the one who's been trying years to cross that line with Leo, he's the one who has been waiting for Leo to take him seriously, he's the one who has to try and search for others to ensure that he's distracted by his rejected feelings so he can keep being by Leo's side, he's desperately searching for someone else like Leo, so he doesn't keep hurting secretly by his invalidation of what they have. For Fiat, he's the one who's loyal, patient and devoted to Leo ultimately; everyone can see it, he even lets Leo know how he feels. But also it's the reason why he keeps on acting spoilt and bratty; it's all for Leo's attention and love. It's the only time Leo shows him affection. Everything Fiat does is for Leo. He wasn't being dramatic when he said it in this episode. So why is he falling for Type then? What's the deal with Type then?
The importance of Pufai
To understand why Fiat wants Type. You have to again return back to the surface similarities he has with Type in season 1. You have to look at why Type decided to give a relationship with Pufai a go despite knowing he had Tharn. The reasons why Type wanted Pufai:
She was right for him
She was his type
She intrigued him
He liked talking and being with her
Let's break this down and compare it to Fiat then:
The right person for him
Type thought Pufai was right for him. One she was a girl, and he was finally relieved he found a girl he liked, someone who was just as into him, as confident and flirty as him, and he wanted that about her. She also showed him she had similarities to him, she mentioned the type of food he liked and found they had a lot in common. She was an ideal girlfriend. For Fiat, Type is not right for him because of the same reasons, but because he found someone who was just like him. Remember Fiat reminded Type of a younger him; Type was inspirational to Fiat, he also was someone who paid attention to him and showed him care and nurture when others didn't understand him. Type showed him the same kind of patience Leo showed him, but he also called Fiat out, and Fiat liked that. He could tell he and Type were similar, and it made him feel safe and happy when he was with Type. Type also was the person who was helping him deal with the fact that he couldn't play basketball, he was involved in the process of healing and assisting Fiat to become stronger to return to his passion. Fiat found that as another reason for why Type was right for him. Finally, there was someone else other than Leo who made him feel comfortable, happy and was determined to help him get to his passion. Type replaced the empty space Leo left when he went to Italy. Fiat embraced that and became obsessed with it.
His Type
In case it's not apparent his type are people who aren't afraid to call him out. People who make him calm down. Remember Fiat liked that Leo was able to be someone who helped deal with his emotional crisis, someone who was able to keep him in control, he trusted and appreciated who he was with Leo. Type reminded him of Leo, just like Leo paid attention but also made sure to scold Fiat whenever he took things too far;Type did the same, Type managed to tame Fiat by just speaking to him and calling him out on why he was throwing tantrums. Type is also good looking, and mature (same as Leo) and calm. We know he isn't generally like this, but this is how he appears in front of Fiat, and Fiat likes that about him. Plus Type is a quest. Or started off as a quest. Type had his walls up remember to Fiat? He was confused why he wasn't giving in to his manipulations, or his charm like others will. The other person who had walls up and didn't give into Fiat's charm was you guessed it, Leo. So Type is a similar copy of Leo to Fiat, someone who makes him excited, giddy, but also someone he can't win over easily. The idea of the chase also ensures that for the first time, he won't be easily bored, he'd always be distracted if he chooses to chase after Type.
Intrigue and Needs
It's that chase that kept Fiat intrigued and wanting to know more about Type. For Type Pufai fascinated him because she did not shy away from him, she flirted and was direct to him. Also, she intrigued him because at that moment, he was dealing with intense internalised homophobia and confused feelings. He was starting to be scared of falling for Tharn, for the way he was feeling for Tharn and how it was beginning to consume him despite his need to try and ignore it.
Fiat is the same. Fiat was falling for a futile relationship. Not falling; was already addicted and attached to the idea of a hopeless relationship that was hurting him. He was realising how much it was becoming a problem for him to be without Leo; it was killing him, and if you watch episode 2 again you can see how much Leo's absence was breaking him. He was realising he had to do something otherwise he would be forever stuck in this cycle. It would ruin the friendship he had with Leo.
Type was intriguing because he was the first person in so long that Fiat wasn't bored of, he was the first person that made Fiat want to do something, to forget Leo, the first person who distracted Fiat from his ache. So Type was like a cure he needed desperately, he needed someone to keep him in denial, to make him forget about the issue with the unofficiality with Leo, to make him stop resenting the fact that his feelings were invalidated. Type did that. It doesn't matter if Type has a boyfriend (the more the chase becomes intriguing for him) because Type is the first person he feels this way for. It has to be Type he chases after, it has to be Type who he ends up with because if not; his choice is to stay stuck in this painful cycle with Leo.
That's why he tells Leo it has to be Type, that's why he breaks down when Leo tells him it can't be because he was now sure he wasn't going to be able to keep being quiet and patient about what he had with Leo. The same realisation Tharn had in the bar with Type and Pufai, it had to end. But for both Fiat and Tharn, the idea of losing their person was a damaging thought, they didn't know how to cope with. Hence Fiat was desperate to find a solution for him; it was Type.
Talking and Being with him
That's another thing Type found out with Pufai, he liked replying to her texts, their flirtations made him smile, and he enjoyed speaking to her despite being in love with Tharn. Fiat is the same, he smiles just at the thought of seeing or talking to Type. He likes learning, and seeing that Type is a good person. He enjoyed observing Type, and how he acted, but also he liked the conversations they had, their discussions were deep even if people don't want to acknowledge it. Type's first conversation with Fiat was about how he understood what he was feeling and how he knew why he was acting the way he was. It was vulnerable, it was inspiring it was deep, not surface level. And Type also opened up to Fiat this episode, about his stress, burdens and others.
Their conversations are actually interesting and important, and they both help the other feel better. It's why Type is okay with showing Fiat attention (despite how he acted when he was angry and stressed) he sees Fiat like a little brother, a version of his old self. And Fiat sees Type as a role model, someone to look up to and learn from and be with. That's why he liked talking to him. But Leo is the person who Fiat loves the most to discuss with, to be with and to stay with. But when Leo can't be an option, Type is a perfect replacement, distraction and copy.
How Pufai affected TT
Tharn: He broke down and tried to accept it, but he was broken-hearted. Similar to Fiat breaking down at the Futility of what he and Leo have. He realised like Tharn there was no way to get over Leo if it's not Type. Hence his determination that it must be Type even if he has kids or a boyfriend.
Type: She made him think others could do the same to Tharn. If he got with her; Tharn would be free to sleep around and find someone else. This is why he runs back; meanwhile, Leo is also finding this out slowly the more Fiat falls for Type. If he doesn't show ownership of Fiat, then he's free to do what he wants. Leo knows that, and he's afraid because he also can see that Type isn't like others to Fiat, Type is a replacement for him. That's what he was angrier about; not Fiat saying Type had a boyfriend, but he'll still chase him, he was mad because this was more serious for Fiat than he wanted it to be.
That's the difference with TT and LF. Type realised that Tharn was the one once he couldn't sleep with Pufai, once he realised what he wanted was Tharn. Leo knows what he wants but refuses to let himself be vulnerable, refuses to try and cross that line and keeps finding excuses why he and Fiat are friends. Fiat is like Tharn; patient, sulky and devoted, but he's also different to Tharn because he had a different environment with family. Fiat is what Tharn did before Type if you remember: he slept around with people desperate to find the one and be loved. Unfortunately, he got bored, left and hurt each time he returned back to his situation and the permanent realisation that Leo was his person. It was futile he wouldn't be able to get over him. Tharn at that moment had given up on the idea of finding love, so seeing Type, he was determined to make it real no matter what. Same as Fiat just not the same way, for Leo he was determined to make it stay the same no matter what so he was determined to find someone else no matter what. If Fiat didn't try to find a way to move on from Leo, he would end up being Long in season 1, he'd be angry and upset and manipulative and determined to ruin whoever tried to be with Leo. But the reason why he tried to move on was that he didn't want to be resentful of Leo, he tried to find a way to stay by his side without breaking each time he did. That's why he's determined it must be Type.
Oh wow. The way I'm obsessed with these two couples dynamic, the way I live every Friday to see more, to uncover more, to know more about them. I live for this trope. I keep repeating it. But it makes me appreciate Mame's genius so much, I know it's forbidden to praise her as a writer. Still, when it comes to TT, Mame is a gift, she's incredible. She ensures that her characters are written with so much depth, and intrigue, their love is so deep it transcends everything, it makes everyone lose their minds, it makes everyone want to keep on watching and obsessing over the stories when she reveals the truth. Fiat and Leo are her reveals and plot twist this season. They're incredible. I hope people see why I love this show so much. I hope it stays this way until the end.
More Tharn Type Analysis: Masterpost Check under Tharn and Type Here
#tharntype 7 years of love#tharntype#tharntype 2: 7 years of love#tharn and type#thai bl#bl series#bl drama#mewgulf#tharntype the series#december#cwg#fvete
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Cabur
Chapter Eighteen
Pairing: Din Djarin x OFC (Aili Verdella)
Warnings: choking (and not the sexy kind), miscommunication (so much of it), cursing, Kuiil attempting help Mando and Aili
Word Count: 4.4k
Also on AO3
Masterlist//Main Masterlist
Summary: The whole gang is on the way to Nevarro, Mando is being weird after a quick talk with Kuiil and Aili is suspicious. Cara and Mando have an arm-wrestle and secrets are revealed about the child which leads to several people putting their foot in their mouth at different times.
They were loading up the blurrg when Kuiil spoke up. “That one is good for you,” he said without preamble as usual. That didn’t make his words any less jarring for Mando to hear as he barely stopped himself from accidentally pulling too hard on the blurrg’s reins. The last thing they needed was for him to piss off the blurrg again.
“What?” was the only thing he settled on saying.
“The smaller angry one, Aili. You two are good for each other, sooth each other’s anger from the past.” Kuiil wasn’t stupid, he had seen too many things during his servitude to the Empire. He didn’t need to know any details to see the similarities and he was sure the Shock Trooper had seen it too.
“We’re not together,” Mando said stiffly.
“That is not what I see when you two are around each other.”
“She doesn’t-”
“I have spoken.” Kuiil said before Mando could even finish his sentence.
Mando didn’t even know what else to say or do after that so he just kept leading the blurrg onto the ship. He was just glad that neither Aili or Cara were on the ship yet. Cara because she would just start laughing at the two of them again and Aili because he had no idea how she would react. As much as he wanted to know, a bigger part of him, the smarter part, didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to hear her own rejection out loud.
They got everything packed onto the ship quickly after that, Mando trying to avoid Aili just a little bit. He almost succeeded but right after Cara and Kuiil went on board, Aili stopped him from heading up the gangway with a hand on his arm. “Is everything okay? Because if this is about the plan, we don’t have to--”
“We don’t have a choice,” Mando said shortly, slightly shrugging out of her grasp and walking onto the ship. Aili stared at him as she followed behind him with Little Green’s cradle floating between them. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion but she quickly schooled her face back into it’s usual passive expression once Cara was in sight. No need to have Cara start asking questions or making teasing remarks any time soon.
She watched Mando from the corner of her eye as she made sure that Little Green’s cradle wasn’t going to be in the way of anyone. He went up to the cockpit and they were soon taking off from Arvala-7 without another word. Weird but whatever, Aili shrugged to herself and went over to where they kept their rations to get the kid something to eat to keep him from starting any trouble.
Whatever Mando’s problem was would work itself out eventually or she could always kick his ass, whichever happened first. She was willing to bet on the latter option though. There was the small lurch that sent them into hyperspace and a minute later, Mando was sliding back down the ladder just as Aili was turning to walk back over to Little Green.
Aili let out a quiet sound of surprise when she barely stopped herself from getting a face full of beskar. “I am getting you a bell once this is all over.”
“None of that, please, there are children present,” Cara called from where she was sitting. She had a smirk on her face as she watched the two of them almost crash into each other. She honestly couldn’t believe the two of them were still acting so oblivious to each other’s feelings, but she was starting to get the impression that it was mainly coming from one more than the other.
“Who, you? I think it’s too late to give you the talk,” Aili bit back, side stepping around Mando so she could give Little Green his snack. Hopefully after that he’d be ready to go to sleep and then he really couldn’t start any trouble before they got to Nevarro.
“Just a little late,” Cara said back, a large grin on her face now. Her gaze slid over to where Mando was still standing stiffly. “Hey Mando, let’s settle a bet.”
“What?” That finally snapped him back into reality and Cara pulled out a few credits, placing them on the crate she was sitting in front of.
“Let’s find out who’s really stronger, me or you.”
Mando paused to think it over before walking over and placing his own credits on the makeshift table. “I won’t go easy on you.”
“Trash talk doesn’t work on me.”
Aili watched as Mando and Cara arm-wrestled out of pure boredom and a need to finally prove who was stronger. Further back Kuiil was feeding the blurrg and Little Green was curiously watching Mando and Cara as well from his cradle. He had just finished his snack and Aili was still trying to decide how much longer to let him stay up. She had given him the snack and moved back over to the other side of the ship where things were a little less crowded.
“I got you, Mando.”
“Care to double the bet?”
Aili rolled her eyes at the two of them, mostly Mando because he had no problem making bets with Cara but he couldn’t have a simple conversation with her before they left Arvala-7. She had no idea what had happened during the time he was loading the blurrgs with Kuiil but if he wanted to act like a child, she’d let him. He had done that to her plenty of times.
Her eyes went wide in surprise as soon as Cara started to choke on nothing. Like something invisible was choking her. She rushed forward when Cara brought her hands up to her throat in an attempt to do something. She didn't even notice Mando staring at Little Green as she tried to figure out what was wrong with Cara.
“No, no, hey, stop!” Mando shouted, grabbing Little Green a little too roughly as the child let out a small squeak of surprise. “We’re friends. Cara is my friend!”
Cara took several harsh breaths. “That is not okay!” She angrily exclaimed, pointing at the kid with one finger while she tried to catch her breath.
“He...has he had powers this whole time?” Aili questioned, eyes still wide in shock. She’d heard rumors of things like this, had seen a couple of girls taken out of the Program with no reason given. But guards always talked and they spoke of weird powers, something the Emperor was always looking out for. Other than that she had never asked for details. She wouldn’t have been given answers anyway no matter what her rank was within the Program.
“Hmm, very curious,” Kuiil said, coming closer to look at the child in Mando’s grasp.
“Curious? It almost killed me!” Cara exclaimed, not even noticing when the kid let out another quiet sound of distress.
“He’s a child and didn’t know what you two were doing,” Aili said harshly, moving around Cara to go over to Mando to hold her hands out for him to hand Little Green over to her. He hesitated for a second before doing so. She barely noticed the way he tensed up when their hands brushed against each other, she was too focused on making sure the kid was okay.
“The story you told me of the mudhorn makes more sense now,” Kuiil said, still looking at the child with surprise in his eyes.
“Mudhorn?” Aili asked, throwing Mando a look of displeasure when she saw the slight tears in Little Green’s eyes. He had obviously gotten scared by Mando shouting at him and Cara yelling at him.
“What is it?” Mando asked, ignoring the look Aili was giving him for now. It wasn’t the most pressing matter at the moment to tell her about the mudhorn incident.
“He,” Aili muttered under her breath, too low for anyone to really hear it. They had both given him enough baths and cleaned his small robe enough times that Mando should know that Little Green was a boy by now. Of course he was probably still trying to act like he wasn’t as attached to the kid as she was.
Kuiil shook his head slightly, “What it is, I don’t know. But what it does, this I’ve heard rumors of.”
“What, when you worked for the Empire? And what about you Aili, you know about this too?” Cara questioned, her tone a little too accusatory for Aili’s taste.
Aili threw a look of incredulity towards Cara, angry that the Shock Trooper would accuse her of something with no proof. “Okay let’s not go there just because you’re pissed off.”
“And you mean when I was sold to the Empire, in indentured servitude,” Kuiil added, his own voice taking on slight anger.
Cara let out a scoff, gesturing towards them both, “Yet somehow, you both walk free.”
“I bought my freedom through the skill of my hands and the labor of three of your human lifetimes. Do not cast doubt upon that of what I am nor whom I shall serve,” Kuiil said, short and to the point but not without quiet anger lacing his every word.
“I had to blow up a whole base to be able to “walk free”, you do not get to judge me or the things I did before then,” Aili stated, staring at Cara with a withering look in her eyes. So much for being friends if this was all it took to cause distrust. She turned around again, her back to Cara now as she muttered to herself, “I do that plenty to myself every day.”
No one noticed Mando making half an attempt to bring a hand up to Aili's shoulder before he stopped himself. With a subtle shake of his helmet, he brought his hand back down to his side, clenching both hands into fists to stop himself from trying again.
IG-11 had walked over to them at the sound of raised voices but stood down a little when he saw Aili was comforting the child already. Mando let out a deep sigh knowing that both Cara and Aili were going to be pissed off for hours now. Not exactly two people he wanted angry on his ship, worse that they were angry with each other.
He turned to Kuiil and made sure to keep his voice even as he spoke, “Tell you what, I could really use your craftwork right now. Any way you can pad this container better so the child can sleep better?”
He knew that even though Aili had agreed to switch out when they used the cot, she spent most of her nights letting the kid sleep on the cot. He had come down from the cockpit more than once and seen her curled up on the floor in front of the cot with nothing but a blanket and one of her bags as a pillow under her head. So if Kuiil could make the kid’s cradle more comfortable, maybe then she’d actually use the cot for once. He knew it wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep but it was better than the ship floor.
“I shall fabricate a better one. Then perhaps this Dropper can see how one can win their freedom with the skill of one’s hands.”
"Thank you. We need to go over the plan again,” Mando directed the last part to Aili and Cara who were still not looking at each other. Cara wasted no time in heading for the ladder, still rubbing at her neck before she went up to the cockpit without another word.
"You two go ahead,” Aili said shortly, keeping all of her focus on Little Green for the moment, rocking him from side to side without thinking about it.
"This involves all of us,” Mando replied, barely holding back another sigh. He knew she was upset but that didn’t mean she could get out of making sure the plan was fool proof.
"Yeah well unless you think Little Green will be able to contribute somehow, someone's gonna have to get him to calm down,” Aili shot back, looking up at Mando and that was when Mando finally noticed the small amount of tears in big brown eyes. He let out another sigh before nodding.
“Okay, but once he’s asleep, come up to the cockpit.”
“Is that an order?”
Mando winced behind his helmet knowing that he had chosen the wrong thing to say if the blunt way Aili spoke said anything. He tried to fix it quickly, “A request.”
“Fine.” Some of the tension in Aili’s shoulders faded away but he could tell she was still angry. Probably would be until they reached Nevarro and then all her anger could be redirected towards the Imps that were in the city. Mando just hoped they could all make it to the planet in one piece. He shook his head once more before heading up to the cockpit, hoping that maybe he could talk to Cara before Aili rejoined them, let her know how badly she screwed up without telling her too much of what Aili had told him.
Aili watched from the corner of her eyes as Mando finally went up the ladder before she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “Stupid,” she whispered to herself before biting her tongue to distract herself and to push away the dumb tears that had come to her eyes. Mando had been nice enough to not mention them, or just smart enough for once. Either way she was grateful.
She watched as Kuiil started to work on a new cradle for Little Green, this one round rather than a rectangle. She was perfectly fine with staying in the cargo hold while Cara and Mando were up in the cockpit trying to come up with some semblance of a plan if everything went sideways. Which it probably would like most of the things that Mando was involved in.
Aili was just trying to get the kid to go to sleep before rejoining them. She knew that was why they had brought Kuiil and IG-11 along but she couldn’t help herself. It had become a habit at this point and she wasn’t even sure if Little Green would let anyone else put him to sleep.
Kids got weirdly attached like that considering he would rarely let Mando put him down to sleep if Aili was there. It had gotten worse after the job on Tatooine which is something Mando had mentioned once and Aili couldn’t disagree with him for once. Waking up with a concussion and not knowing where Little Green was had sent her back to the base for a moment which was not a place or time she liked to think back on.
But she was also okay with any time spent avoiding Cara for a little while, the other woman’s comments had hit a little too close to home for her. The accusations had been worse, the implication that she was in any way still working for the Empire. She had thought she had made it obvious what she thought of Imps.
So to hear the comments come from someone who she had just been joking around with, someone who she had thought was her friend? Had Cara said something to Mando and that was why he was acting so weird now? She let out an annoyed sigh and tried to shake the thoughts away. She didn’t care what either of them thought of her, she knew where she stood and that was all that mattered.
“You and the Mandalorian are good together,” Kuiil stated when he paused for a break, hoping Aili would see more reason than the Mandalorian did.
“Excuse me?” Aili was pretty sure she was hearing things but she didn’t stop her rocking motion aside from a slight wobble.
“I can tell, I saw things during the Empire’s rule. Children, girls not even old enough to walk or talk yet, taken from their parents and never seen again.”
“I--” Aili hadn’t even thought that there could have been girls taken from the workers on gene farms. But it made sense, they were desperate to pay off debts and for not the first time, she wondered about her own parents. She pushed the thought away quickly, it didn’t matter to her anymore, she knew they weren’t workers on some farm. Her file had had that much information at the very least even if it didn’t have the right birth year.
“It’s not hard to spot the hard edges left by the Empire. Both of you have them for different reasons but they are very much the same,” Kuiil continued, not noticing the way Aili was almost lost in thought.
“Yes but-”
“You both round out each other’s edges. I have spoken.” Kuill said before turning back to his work before Aili could even say anything. She stared at the Ugnaught in stunned silence before a quiet coo brought her attention down to Little Green. He blinked his own big brown eyes at her like he understood and agreed with Kuiil.
“Not you too, you little womp rat,” Aili whispered to him. Little Green had the nerve to smile at her before reaching up to reach for a loose curl of hair. Aili let out a deep sigh, adjusting her grip on the kid so his head was resting against her chest and he could wrap his little hand around her hair.
She had no idea why he always had to do that but it was cute regardless of the times he accidentally tugged too hard. To her it was just like when Shaeli and Jaesa were younger and couldn't sleep. If Mando only knew how many times she had slept in the Covert that first year, one or both of the girls piled on top of her so they could sleep soundly to the sound of her heart beat.
It took another couple of minutes before Little Green fell asleep deeply enough for Aili to put him down in the cot, tucking a blanket around him. A couple minutes too long for her to be alone with her thoughts and the comments Kuiil had made. She knew how Mando felt about her, probably felt about her, she corrected herself. It wasn’t like they had sat down afterwards and discussed their feelings but she was sure she had picked up on it anyway. The helmet could only hide his expressions but not his actions or body language.
She just didn’t know how she actually felt about him. It wasn’t like she had any kind of previous relationship experience to fall back on, none of her experience had come from a place of emotion of any kind. She knew she loved the girls but that was obviously different, they saw her as their older sister or in Shaeli and Jaesa’s case as their mother. But romantically? She didn’t know what that would feel like even if it was right in front of her.
With a deep sigh, she glanced at Little Green once more before shutting the hatch and giving Kuiil one last nod, she headed up to the cockpit to help with planning. Anything to keep another child from the Empire’s grasp.
“So we’re heading to Nevarro?” She walked in as soon as Cara asked Mando.
“Have you ever been?”
Cara shook her head, “No, we lost a lot of forces there.”
“You’re not missing much,” Aili muttered as she took her usual seat. “Rocks and lava, that’s about it.”
“Hey, I’m sorry about the shit I said down there.” To her credit, Cara actually did seem sorry about what she had said to Aili. It made some of the anger Aili was still holding fade away, but not much. She knew better than most that things said in anger were things you thought while not angry as well.
“It’s fine,” Aili said with a small shrug before trying to deflect the conversation. “You were saying about during the war?”
“Um, yeah, the city’s dug in pretty deep which I’m sure you both know already. So no cover when you drop in. It stayed in Empire control until the war was over.” Cara explained while continuing to clean the blaster rifle she had chosen from the weapons locker earlier. Aili hadn’t even noticed her taking it up the ladder with her but then again, she had her back to the woman at the moment.
“The warlord we’re taking out was an Imperial officer.”
“What station?” Cara asked. She didn’t know very much about how the Empire worked but she was willing to bet that between her and Aili they could figure it out.
“Hard to tell. No insignia anymore. I took out the safehouse when I snatched the kid. More Imps have reinforced since.”
Cara and Aili shared a quick glance before Cara spoke again, “There’s something more going on.”
“I agree, something doesn’t feel right. Imperial officers didn’t do their own dirty work during the war, why would they now? What was this guy’s name again?” Aili hadn’t known officers that were high ranking that would also do their own work. Even the Emperor had other people to do his bidding, it was the whole reason the Program existed. And she had even heard about some group called Inquisitors but they had a whole different hierarchy and she had never met one before.
“I only knew him as the Client.”
“Hmm, definitely something else going on,” Aili said, brow furrowed in thought now.
“Maybe. We’ll find out more when we land.” The cockpit doors opened before Mando could continue and IG-11 stepped in, stopping right beside Aili and Cara meaning he was right behind Mando. Aili cringed knowing Mando wouldn’t like that at all.
“I have prepared second meal. Would you care to be served here or below?”
Mando slowly turned to look at the droid and Aili could just about see the anger coming off of him before he turned back around. “I’m not hungry.”
IG-11 paused for half a second before backing out of the cockpit.
“Under no circumstances does that thing leave the ship,” Mando said stiffly once the cockpit doors were closed again.
“You’ve got a real thing for droids, don’t you?” Cara laughed, finally done checking over and cleaning the rifle.
“I got a real thing for that droid.”
“Mando, you shot at pit droids not too long ago.” Aili raised an eyebrow that Mando couldn’t see with his back to her but she hoped he could hear the tone in her voice.
“Yeah, I’m not going near that one but the Ugnaught said he rewired this one,” Cara said even as she furrowed her brow at the thought of Mando shooting at a pit droid. Those were the most harmless of droids that she had ever seen. They literally only had one job and that was to help fix ships. If there was one thing the Razor Crest needed, it was pit droids to fix half the things wrong with it.
“That droid was designed to kill things, I don’t care how much wiring he replaced. It goes against its nature.”
Aili knew it was stupid but Mando’s choice of words didn’t sit right with her. Not because she cared about the droid in any way. She hadn’t been around the droid long enough to care about it anymore than she cared about the last blaster she bought. But with Cara’s earlier comments still running through her head, Mando’s comment despite not being about her added to her earlier feelings.
“It shouldn’t be a long job anyway. We take out the head Imp, the rest will run like rats,” Cara grinned wide before getting up to get that meal that IG-11 had made. No point in going into a fight on an empty stomach.
Mando and Aili sat in silence, nothing but the stars of hyperspace passing by them for a long moment. “You were only talking about the droid, right?”
“What?” Mando asked, turning around to look at Aili. Behind his helmet, he was giving her a confused look that she couldn’t see.
“I-nevermind,” she said quickly before pushing herself out of her chair. “I’m going to head down for some food, you sure you don’t want any?”
“Not if the droid made it.”
“Of course, can’t trust food made by a killing machine,” Aili said before walking out of the cockpit before Mando could reply to her. He sat there in silent confusion wondering what he had said now that had made her mad. He went through everything he had said about the droid. The only thing he had said was that it was designed to kill things and no rewiring would change its nature.
“Dank farrik,” he hissed out to himself. Every time he thinks he can’t put his foot in his mouth again, he does. He could understand how she could misinterpret his words especially since he knew how she was raised pretty much since birth. Probably thought that made her no better than a hunter droid sometimes and now she had both Cara and him make comments that made it seem like they thought that of her.
He checked the solar clock on the console and wondered if he had time to fix his latest screw up before they reached Nevarro. He let out another curse when he saw that they had barely any time before they would drop out of hyperspace, maybe a few solar hours. He was about to get up to go find her when there was a knock at the cockpit door but no one came in. With a confused tilt of his helmet, he went to the door to find a small plate of food sitting on the ground.
There was a small bit of flimsiplast laying on top of it with a note written on it that simply said “Not made by a droid, eat it” in handwriting that Mando didn’t recognize. But only one person on board the Crest would even bother with the note let alone one demanding he eat it. He bent down to pick up the food, now even more confused than before but he would admit to himself that he was hungry and he doubted Aili would lie about the droid not touching this food. With one last look towards the ladder that led to the cargo hold he retreated back into the cockpit and after making sure the door was locked, he ate the food she had left for him.
#din djarin x reader#din djarin x original character#din djarin imagine#the mandalorian x reader#the mandalorian x oc
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We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon - Review and Mood Board
About the Book:
Quinn Berkowitz and Tarek Mansour’s families have been in business together for years: Quinn’s parents are wedding planners, and Tarek’s own a catering company. At the end of last summer, Quinn confessed her crush on him in the form of a rambling email—and then he left for college without a response.
Quinn has been dreading seeing him again almost as much as she dreads another summer playing the harp for her parents’ weddings. When he shows up at the first wedding of the summer, looking cuter than ever after a year apart, they clash immediately. Tarek’s always loved the grand gestures in weddings—the flashier, the better—while Quinn can’t see them as anything but fake. Even as they can’t seem to have one civil conversation, Quinn’s thrown together with Tarek wedding after wedding, from performing a daring cake rescue to filling in for a missing bridesmaid and groomsman.
Quinn can’t deny her feelings for him are still there, especially after she learns the truth about his silence, opens up about her own fears, and begins learning the art of harp-making from an enigmatic teacher.
Maybe love isn’t the enemy after all—and maybe allowing herself to fall is the most honest thing Quinn’s ever done.
About the Author:
Rachel Lynn Solomon is the bestselling author of love stories for teens and adults, including The Ex Talk, Today Tonight Tomorrow, We Can't Keep Meeting Like This, and Weather Girl. Originally from Seattle, she's currently navigating expat life with her husband in Amsterdam, where she's on a mission to try as many Dutch sweets as possible.
Review:
I love Rachel Lynn Solomon and that is a hard fact. I love Today Tonight Tomorrow with my entire being so much that I was worried another YA from Rachel wouldn’t live up to that love in my head and in my heart, but man oh man did this one live up to it and more.
Rachel has a deep understanding of her characters and their worlds which can be seen in all of her stories but this one was more gut gripping than usual for me. It’s not secret that I struggle with my mental health, (having been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, OCD, Clinical Depression, AND MORE!) and when I heard this story tackled these topics, I was a little wary at how they would be discussed, however knowing Rachel and the way she commands the use of words I shouldn’t have been. Rachel nailed the feelings and expressions that are so tied to these illnesses with ease to the point that I felt as though I was living inside each of the characters, and even discovering more things about myself that even years of therapy haven’t discovered. Their stories resonate, even if you aren’t an 18 year old cater waiter or wedding harpist (lol).
It struck me how much I was enjoying this book and the characters when I was talking to my mom on the phone today and she asked me such a simple question about reading and this book that I went on a full tangent trying to express my feelings about reading it and even still couldn’t express everything I wanted to say and honestly, this is something that only happens when I read a Rachel Lynn Solomon book. There are a lot of experiences in this book that can be relatable to all or few, but no matter who you are Rachel’s words will resonate and I think that’s just the power of her storytelling.
Some more incoherent thoughts:
I loved that the reader was let in on the miscommunication before the characters were? It was something that had me yelling at the book like “THE BOAT WAS FOR YOU!”
Also the mention of queer couples so passively was exciting to see. I lost track of how many queer couples, and their weddings, were mentioned and that makes me smile.
Judaism is such an important topic to me and Rachel really understands how to incorporate religion and culture in her books without it being the main plot of the story. From casual discussions of high holidays and kosher practices, to finding community and wedding traditions, each mention really connected me with the story because it allowed me to see myself and my families values reflected on paper.
I also think the mention of family relationships is handled so well in this story. From parent and child miscommunication to losing touch with siblings, I felt each emotion as if it was my own family going through the same experience and nothing really gets me more than feeling that I am personally inside of the book which is what I got from this reading experience.
Another point, I think we all need a Maxine in our lives.
Lastly, I’m going to hold firm that Rachel named the character Julia after me and I will not be told (or believe) otherwise.
Ultimately, regardless of where you are in your life’s journey, whether that be discovering yourself, your passions, or even in love, We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This feels like coming home and is a story that I firmly believe will resonate with anyone who picks it up.
Mood Board:
WE CAN’T KEEP MEETING LIKE THIS COMES OUT TOMORROW (06/08/2021) Head to your local indie bookstore and pick it up!
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Hiya there! Just curious but what would be your dream BL? Might take awhile but any dream tropes, dream actors, dream aesthetics, dream character traits, etc. etc.
omfg this is a dream and a nightmare to attempt to explain...
Well, first, I have never had one dream in my life. But we’ll focus on one for now, okay? I promise, I’m being good. I won’t just start designing BL... I mean, I’ve done that? Somewhere back a few months I made up a soulmates BL based on my job at a school and I’ve rewritten H1: Obsessed into a longer show and rewritten the end of MGAYG a few times to be more to my liking... BUT OKAY I’ll be good for this!
Okay. So, first, we won’t be discussing actors because frankly I am SO bad at that kind of thing and I think it’s just for the best that I don’t. But, hey, feel free to cast it yourself if you want? I’d love to see someone else cast my ideas, lol.
So, we’re gonna start with a modern fantasy universe with magic and soulmates. I already wrote up a soulmates BL with the idea of them having the first words they spoke to each other on their arm... so let’s go with a different soulmate AU, one of my personal favorites, dream sharing! So you share dreams with your soulmate your entire life, with the sharing growing stronger as you get older but also much, much stronger the closer you are to said soulmate.
There would be three couples and they would take turns being the main couple (because I like getting together with some softness after rather than getting together DRAMAMAMAMAMAA). It takes place at a university buuuut just you wait!
One is childhood friends to lovers. They’ve known they were soulmates forever but have always assumed it was just platonic, as does happen. But it’s not because it is in fact MUTUAL PINING. Both of them have been in love for years but are scared of being rejected or losing the other person. They’ve even gone so far that they’re interning at the same company, sharing a dorm room nearby and basically together in every way except the way that matters. This is constant jokes where everyone else thinks they’re together and they have to remind them they’re not. Then one finally decides to try to get over and try dating someone else and it’s a NIGHTMARE and they’re both hurt and there’s lots of Quite Pain and Pining and they end up together because being apart hurt so, so much that it prompts a confession. They’re the middle couple of the three, so you get some development of them as friends but we still get fluffiness while the third couple gets together.
The last main couple is, frankly, my mental version of MGAYG. It’s former friends who fell apart and now one has decided to just not do love and the other is determined to help him out... but he sucks at it and just keeps hurting him. An extrovert trying to help an introvert to be more extroverted without understanding what he’s doing. But he LEARNS. This is a good, good slowburn that has PINING and lots of fiery fights and rejection and tons of angst on both sides and character growth and secret gentleness and someone in love doing the wrong things for the right reasons. For them, the dream sharing is actually horrible because they keep having nightmares about each other and seeing just the wrong moments in the dreams. This is all about fixing miscommunication by learning about each other. Now, the big twist here? They’re professors, not students. They had the same high school falling out but didn’t meet again in university. They met again post-university, teaching in their respective departments. One has to be an engineering professor and the other is probably teaching medicine? Although he might be com arts, tbh. But, yes! Professors! I want a professor romance SO HARD.
The first couple we meet is strangers/friends to lovers. They meet, their eyes meet and it’s like a lightning strike. Think AePete, tbh. Soft, protective boy and soft, needing to be protected boy. This is... AePete meets LeoFiat. This is love at first sight, sharing dreams, codependency out the wazoo, lots of hints at a sort of dom/sub relationship between then two, looots of possessiveness. They get together super fast and are just in the background of the rest of the show being goddamn adorable and kinky. They’re mostly there to show how the premise of soulmates work and the ideal for how it works while the other two are Not How To Do It and fixing the problems.
I have no idea about aesthetics. Uh. No one has the same haircut and they all wear lots of different clothing so I can tell them apart easily. (That is not an aesthetic, shhhhh, accept me as I am.)
Obviously, lots and lots and lots of pining in the tropes. The entire show is pining, tbh. Obviously. Lots of piggyback rides, gentle kisses, forehead/cheek/neck kisses, hand holding, portable boyfriends ABOUND, height differences, soft boys being soft, angry boys being soft (But also a bit angry), some really good mutual pining... Hmmm. I mean, there’s more, but like... I could not put everything I love into one show. It’d be so chock full it’d stop working. So this is one. This is an idea. I’ve written others.
Honestly, feel free to send me a premise/job and I’d happily write a BL for it.
#write your own bl#i will write my own bl#lol seriously i've actually done this before#and i may do it again if the idea strikes#or if y'all ask#long ass text post#sorry for the lack of actors and aesthetic#i am useless on both of those
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