#//It's giving 'the world will end when it turns year 2000' vibes.

[kingspuppet]

What the hell is this and how do I make it go away

[holybibly]

Hi Mistress 🥰

I just wanted to tell you that you're incredible and unique, and you effortlessly captured my interest.

I've become addicted to you. When you call us your bunnies, you turn me into a blushing and giggling mess.

Your presence brightens up my day. I love reading everything you give us; they're my treasure. My world is a better, more joyful place with you in it.

Sending you lots of love and positive vibes. You deserve everything beautiful in this world.

Have a wonderful day/night, Mistress.

I love you so much ❤️

I will never be tired of my love for you, my bunnies. You are the thing that makes me unique. My main goal was to create a safe and comfortable space for everyone, I never set out to be a popular writer and have so many subscribers.

My blog is still quite a "baby", my first post was at the end of November last year and look where we are now. We have almost 2000 bunnies and more than 3 of my works are in the top most popular by tag #ateez smut

I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, so I guess we make each other better and help each other.

My hope is that I will always be your favourite.

[amaiguri]

A Brief History of my Fantasy World

As you may have noticed, all my cultures tend to rely pretty heavily on myths and legends to explain their history. You probably want to know the ACTUAL history of the world, right?

Well, congrats -- I don't definitively have a whole world history! I know, shocker: The history nerd doesn't actually have a comprehensive list of all the major empires and developments through history?! Unbelieveable. However, here's a broad overview of developments and eras of history in the world:

Era of Gods (More than 4000 YA)

In the beginning, the Gods made the world or perhaps were made by the world. Asarlai and Damaer were the creators of humanity and did, in fact, give them a nice little home in the alpine tundras of the North, where they taught them to see runes in the Ysse to use as magic. This led to the invention of writing around the same time as cooking, who Damaer taught them.

Humans also invented or perhaps were taught pottery and started befriending animals at this time. Most notably, hunters on the south coast of the North befriended seals. When the Great Abyssal Trench -- the biggest Ysse Spring in the world -- opened up, the seal and human hunter fused in the waters and became the first selkies.

At some point, an ice age happened (maybe caused by this opening?) and some humans traveled south over the sea -- leading to humans being on the isle of Telethens and the Southern Continent. All these different isolated humans led to the start of vastly different cultures. Humans probably invented and improved metals through this time period, with the help of Danvyr, God of the Forge.

Sha Hir'za at this time are just vibing in the desert, not yet sapient.

The humans in the South reinvent agriculture when the ice age ends. It's much easier in the south too, and the population grows quickly and healthily.

The end of the Era of Gods is marked by the very first murder of one of the Gods -- namely, that the God of Endings tore apart the God of Beginnings and made Their corpse into the Demon race.

Era of Demons (~4000 to ~2000 YA)

The Demons, being designed by a God unconcerned with the balance of the world's ecosystems, were -- to be blunt -- a little OP. They quickly began taking over the world, headed by a Demon known as Kivihk. They built a small Empire in the south and started trying to domesticate the humans there -- since Demons require blood and gain magical power from drinking the blood of sapient creatures.

During this time, they domesticated the Sha Hir'za but they became Sapient faster from eating the Demonic dinner scraps. This led to the weaving the of the Fifteenth God, and they escaped back into the desert.

Notably, Demons also made it North during this period but never established an Empire -- instead, they just assimilated into the human cultures there.

Also, at some point, some of the Selkies leave to the elsewhere and starts new civilizations on other continents.

The Era of Demons ends when Yeulia, Seeress of the World, Godling of Dyeus, is born and begins to lead the humans. (Godlings are like... the humansonas of their Gods. Think like the Jesuses of the Gods XD) Yeulia leads the humans to rebel against Demons and invents Monotheism -- establishing the Ecclesia of Dyeus.

Era of Heroes (~2000 to recently)

The Era of Heroes is categorized by the human heroes who rose up to shape the modern cultures around Yssaia today, starting with Yeulia in the South.

The Svanihk cultures that flourished under her religious guidance eventually turned their eyes towards world conquest, starting with Kallipolis and the Isles of Telethens.

This lead to the creation of the first Philosopher King who started to lead a counter-conquest -- before falling in love and then going on a murderous rampage when he was rejected. He was disassembled but the Telethenians swore to make a better Philosopher King one day. And also, the beginning of the Aftokratoria around 400 years ago.

During this time, magic technology is improving significantly, mimicking (in small amounts) some technologies WE have, like fridges, guns, and early prototypes of airships. But we can't mass produce these things yet.

In the North, similarly, there were rising and falling Kingdoms -- passed from King to King (not-gendered) through a tradition called a Trialhall (basically a puzzle box/rpg dungeon designed to pick the next King). One of these Trialhalls was a simple sword in an avil -- if you could pull it out, you became King. Except, no one could -- no matter how strong -- until this 14 year old kid named Riavh Solais, son of Scathach and (allegedly) her Dragon mate, could see the sword's name and just asked it really nicely. He went on to unite the North with the help of the Yeulia of that era, only for him to become depressed and his son ended up tearing the Thuillean Empire apart in a civil war.

Due to his insane propaganda machine, there was a permanent schism in the North — between the Imperial Valley, where the capital became Nouveau Thuille, and the rest of the North, which became the Saegen folk. The divides between these people are blurry and arbitrary, even to this day, as their shared history leads them to have relatively similar cultures.

The Era of Heroes probably can be thought to have ended with the invention of the Assembly Line or the Radio or something. (Radios are just like morse code lights, not actual sound-waves yet.) Something something, industrialization.

Modern Era (Recently???)

Okay, so the War -- What happened?

First, the Aftokratoria successfully ate all of the South. They turn their eyes North and began to conquer the Selkie Isles about 10 years ago. The Selkies ask the Northerners for help, and so the North comes back down and kicks out the Aftokratoria.

The brings us to 3 years ago, when Senator Diacaius then took over as the General. He brought a swift end to the bitter war against the Northern Alliance through strategic island hopping north until finally, nuking Togen Oyer. Though some terrorists (like the protagonists) tried to disrupt the Peace Signings, Diacaius sieged Nouveau Thuille and managed to garner their surrender in a single afternoon.

AND THAT'S THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, I GUESS!

[feral-sock-boy]

TMNT

Info about my iteration tmnt:

Yoshi (Splinter) is from the hidden city, when he turned 25 he went to explore the world above. He gets himself into shit, finds a bunch of baby turtles with goop on them, and becomes a father (btw, bro comes from a pretty shitty household full of generational trauma).

He runs away to raise the turtles, and ends up finding a nice little space in the sewers, to which he builds them a home.

Donnie and Raph are twins both 16 with an hour age difference, Leo is the middle child at 15 and Mikey is the youngest at 14. Casey is a 16 year old transgender bitch and April is a 17 year old Girlflux KRAANG hybrid thing. O’neils mother really just banged a mushy alien thing that can shape-shift into anything in the universe.

Donnie:

Galapagos Tortoises

16 (oldest child, older than Raph by an hour)

Intersex, Biromantic, they/them

Has a dinosaur obsession, likes learning about the human body and other animals, like trains and machines, has probably had a couple lab rats and just didn't tell Yoshi (Splinter). Bro definitely knew.

Usually a bit too big for clothes, so he gets Raph to make most of them to make them bigger. Usually wears "baggy" pants (they ain't baggy on him), long sleeve thermals and flannels.

Raph:

Common Snapping Turtle

16 (second oldest, younger by an hour)

Bisexual, He/ Him

He likes sewing, knitting and painting. Has a massive collection of old magazines, comics, books and other random items because he has a hard to giving stuff up.

Has a little pet turtle named Slusher. He will fight you over food and will bite you if deserved.

Usually wears windbreaker pants, singlets and jackets.

Leo:

Painted Terrapin

15 (middle child)

Unlabelled, Trans Fem, She/Her She likes skating, finding cool bugs and watching si-fi movies. She's not really into horror movies, but can handle them. If you give her the chance she'll talk on and on about her interest in Galactic Heros (similar to space heros). She also really likes glitter.

She'll probably eat anything. Like. Anything.

Usually wears sweaters, leg warmers and tracksuit pants.

Mikey:

Spotted Turtle

14 (youngest)

Aromantic, Agender, usually just uses it/they

They're a very random person, and would probably eat anything and everything. They definitely collect hot wheels and all that stuff. Bro has a 2000s alt fashion mixed with little boy vibe to them, it think it's really cool. They like to express itself with bright colours.

Usually wears beanies, shorts, hand gloves, shirts and ties. Sometimes bracelets too.

Yoshi (Spliter):

Rat Yoki

41 (father of turtles)

Demisexual, He/Him

He's extremely new to parenting even now, has had no idea what he was doing from day one. He's not the best father but he tries. Watches soccer, dramas and soap operas. Gets all their from the thrift store or the bins. Has a bracelet that disguises him as human. Usually wears a band t-shirt and sweatpants or pyjama pants.

April O'Neil:

Part Indian, Part KRAANG

17 (friend of the turtles, has an older brother)

Sapphic, Girlflux (she/her, they/them, she/ they)

She can "shape-shift"into pretty anything as long as they can picture it. It's a defence mechanism of the KRAANG. It's basically camouflage. She's able to hide their ear tentacle things, which are usually used for hunting things down and connecting to other KRAANGs. She's a pretty good fighter, and usually uses a baseball bat. And she usually hides her KRAANG features.

They also play baseball. They moved from Michigan when she was 13. She's into filming, journalism and photography.

Usually wears long sleeves, jeans, converses, cardigans and her homemade necklaces and earrings.

Casey Jones:

Part Mexican, Part American.

16 (friend to turtles, oldest child of two)

Bisexual, Trans Masc (He/Him)

He's a bit of a trouble maker. Especially after he moved back in with his dad after his mother died. His dad had no idea he was trans, but didn't really care, cause he'd always wanted a son. He's a big hockey fan, watches and plays. Never misses practice or a game. He eventually becomes captain.

Born and raised in New York. He's lost a couple of teeth but he's all good. He's broken his nose twice, busted his lip, fractured he's knee, elbow and a couple of his fingers. Did get put on medical marijuana for a bit after he'd been bashed against the barrier, causing him to dislocate his shoulder. He's a pretty good skater, on and off the ice, and really enjoys it. Usually wears jeans, tops and/or singlets and boots.

Renet:

British

18 (friend and allie to the turtles)

Pansexual, Bigender (She/He)

She is a timestress trainee, and works part time at a clothing shop. He likes going to raves and concerts, and has a LOT of merch. She likes skating, surfing and road trips. Moved from Liverpool to New York to live with his grandparents. Very much in love with everyone she thinks is pretty and has an attractive personality. Usually wears tank tops, jackets, flared jeans and a gazelle indoor shoes.

Sunita:

Brazilian

17 (friends with the turtles)

Lesbian, she/her

She grew up with her dad and mother in brazil, until they got divorced, leading her to leave with her dad to live in New York with her dad's parents. Her dad meets Timothy's mother, and they hit it off, leading her to become step siblings with Timothy and his little brother. She's into swimming, sculpting and dancing. she goes to visit her mother every school holidays.

Usually wears lounge pants, shirts or tank tops, jackets, leg warmers and boots.

Timothy:

Korean

16 (friends with the turtles)

Omnisexual, he/him

He grew up with his mum and little brother in a farm house. They moved to New York when his mother gets a job. He's really into basketball, and is pretty good at it. He's kinda like Troy from High School Musical. But gayer and better. His mother met Sunita's dad, they hit it off and he and his little brother become step siblings with Sunita. He likes singing, basketball and books. He has nothing to do with his dad.

Usually wears cargo shorts, long sleeves, jackets and Nikes.

[xojinnie]

hiii, it's yaya (she/her) here with an updated overview of my baby girl, jinnie ! feel free to im me if you want to plot or have any questions.

— welcome to infinite entertainment! it's PARK YUNJIN (JINNIE), who is the MAIN RAPPER of BRAVEHEART. i’ve heard whispers that the 24 year old is pretty BUBBLY but lowkey SENSITIVE. also, doesn’t she remind you of HWANG YEJI?

ABOUT — PROFILE — PINTEREST — PLOTS

UPBRINGING

yunjin was born on march 19th, 2000 in gwanju, south korea, raised by her mother and maternal grandparents alongside her siblings. her father, an alcoholic and a gambler, abandoned the family when she was four years old. the loss of his income forced her grandfather out of retirement to help support the large family. as the youngest of three children, yunjin grew up in a very loving environment. even though their family struggled financially, they were very happy.

soon enough, her mother and grandparents noticed that yunjin had a natural talent for singing and dancing. they decided to take on the extra expense and pay for lessons to help her grow her skills.

she adored music. her favorite part of the day was when she would come home from school, excitedly running towards the family’s old tv to watch the music videos and performances of her favorite idols, both korean and western. she would sing along and do the choreography, much to the amusement of her family who recorded the moments for home videos.

despite being the youngest, yunjin often times served as the peacemaker whenever there were clashes between her siblings and their caretakers. she decided to dedicate herself to the role as the good-natured one to alleviate any more stress on her family. she never saw it as a burden, being the one her family never had to worry about. however, it did place an immense pressure to be good on yunjin at an early age.

as she got older, she fell more and more in love with performing. she wanted to become an idol trainee but her mother and especially her grandfather were hesitant at letting yunjin enter that world. it was her grandma who insisted that they give the girl a chance to do what she loves. so at thirteen, yunjin auditioned for vibe productions to become a trainee,

TRAINEE YEARS

yunjin trained for two years and eleven months. she didn’t really realize it when she auditioned but it soon became clear: she had to sacrifice a real childhood for this. being a trainee was grueling and intense, and she often times wondered if she was meant to be an idol. her love for music meant that she put herself under a lot of pressure to do well. it began to wear on her mentally.

although she auditioned and got into vibe through dance and vocal auditions, the company decided to train her rigorously as a rapper. they believed her sharp features gave yunjin a visual edge that was suited better as a rapper, and not a vocalist, considering the girl crush concept they were planning on.

much to the company's surprise, yunjin adapted to the unexpected position well. in fact, they came to notice that she was well-rounded in rapping, dancing, and singing. eventually, she became known as "the ace trainee" in her trainee circles. she consistently received high marks during monthly evaluations and was always considered a shoo-in for vibe's upcoming girl group.

though yunjin remained humble under such a title, she unfortunately ended up being a target of jealousy and resentment with accusations of favoritism. however those who took the time to actually get to know her realized that she simply had a deep passion for music and performing, and because of that, she worked diligently to possess a strong skillset across the board. she never wanted to give vibe a reason to send her home after her family sacrificed a lot to get here there.

she turned to journaling as a way to relax herself through the intense, stressful times of being a trainee. soon, journaling turned into poetry and then poetry turned into song lyrics. she ended up discovering another way to express herself through music, the place she felt safest.

MUSICAL CAREER — anxiety tw

braveheart debuted on april 14, 2016 and yunjin debuted in the original lineup at the age of sixteen. she chose the stage name "jinnie", which is her favorite nickname coined by her family. her official positions are main rapper, lead dancer, sub vocalist, and maknae. vibe introduced her as the company's "secret weapon" during the group's debut press conference.

right before braveheart's debut stage, jinnie suffered her first panic attack. being sixteen was such a young age to be pushed into this industry, and the hype that jinnie had accumulated since her trainee days applied a lot of pressure on the young girl. she was afraid to make mistakes and was often times harshly self-critical of herself as a whole. she struggled to balance the general public's high expectations and critiques, as well as the insane demands of being an idol. everything about her was open for millions to scrutinize — her looks, her personality, her talent. it was a lot to manage for a teenage girl. she was officially diagnosed with a generalized anxiety disorder six weeks into braveheart’s debut.

while vibe marketed her as a tough, cool rapper type, the public was shocked to learn how endearing jinnie could actually be. she fit the maknae role perfectly, but knew how to turn on the confidence when presenting as braveheart's main rapper. she became known for her duality. onstage, she is a fierce being — born to be on stage. but anywhere else, jinnie is nothing but sunshine. having the two personas felt like the best way to cope with the anxieties and expectations that were demanded of both sides of her.

while she still struggles with her disorder to this day, jinnie has found better ways to manage it, including seeing a therapist regularly and taking medication for her anxiety. vibe discouraged her from being open about her mental health, so she keeps that side of her private. the only ones aware are her members, closest friends, and braveheart staff.

jinnie is all about fan service and making valentines happy. they energize her just as much as they say she energizes them. she regularly does lives, social media updates, and the sorts to keep them happy — even when she's shielding how she actually feels.

despite jinnie having a clear talent for writing, she wasn't granted much opportunity to be a part of the braveheart songwriting process until more recent years. she’s gotten to contribute to a few songs so far but she wants the chance to do even more. she has a notebook full of dozens of songs that she really hopes will be heard one day.

in 2021, vibe productions was acquired by infinite entertainment and as the former company's best-selling group, braveheart made it off the chopping block and was transferred over to infinite. while jinnie holds no animosity against her former company, the change excited her, especially considering that most of her dearest friends would also be a part of infinite. 

TOUR

the infinite world tour was a whirlwind of change for jinnie. she began to carry herself with a more genuine confidence and maturity. while she is still golden retriever that many know and love, this new chapter in her life is encouraged her to adopt more of an adult energy. she’s made a name for herself in braveheart and now it was time to make a name for herself on her own.

tour also allowed jinnie to solidify lifelong connections in this industry. all of that time together gave her the chance to continue to bond with her members, make new friends, and even strike up a relationship with her longtime best friend ahn minseok.

jinnie debuted as a soloist in august 2022 and got the chance to showcase a different, more authentic side of her. it also granted her the opportunity to return to her vocalist roots. the best part was that she had her hand in the concept, writing, and production of the release. doing so made her hopeful and excited to do more of that in the future.

she gained even more notability through infinite mandated subunits and collaborations, such as: a girl group maknae duo with yumi of flora, v!olet ( a pop rock unit with daisy of braveheart and day of tidal ), infinite galaxy ( a hip hop/r&b unit with soloist michelle and daisy of braveheart ), and a constant creative partnership with soloist kaiso.

CURRENTLY

even though the world tour is over, jinnie's still hard at work. she recently released a solo comeback, inspired by her fraught relationship with her father and her homesickness for her family. these new releases will serve as the start of her chapter two within this industry, shedding away the image of being braveheart's sunshine maknae to a more mature, vulnerable, and seasoned idol in this business.

TIDBITS

personality: bubbly, sensitive, empathetic, hardworking, anxious, genuine, clingy, self-critical, compassionate

aesthetics: fresh baked goods, neat handwriting, the color pink, stuffed animals, flowers, fruity perfume, sanrio characters

is a cat mom to a three year old ragdoll named lulu 🥺

uses baking and cooking as a way to distract herself from anxieties

knows how to play the guitar

queen of natural aegyo — think chaewon, sana, chuu, danielle, etc

her love language is touch and she needs skinship to live

FOR REFERENCE

personality overview

komca profile

character study - the stage

viral moments

scandals

more tidbits

[pluralsword]

Femslash February 2023: Resolving Hope

Summary:

Unicron and Functionists vanquished and Cybertronian empire dead, Anode, Lug, Arcee, and Aileron are able to get in contact and of course want to meet… but it's not so easy, at least for Arcee, facing death's door and old pains all over again, knowing that Anode and Lug are facing what has exhausted her. When the four meet, they have some things to talk about and celebrate…

This less than 2000 words story is a tie-in to Addendum, and technically happens after most of the chapters are over, but we wanted to release this now as it's own thing because of wanting to write something hopeful and with closure, and because the next third of Addendum that we're going to write will be difficult for us emotionally, and we want to provide a story on it's own that has the reunion we wish canon had had time for. You can read it here or on Ao3! Text of story below if you want to read it on tumblr:

Metroplex, Earth. December 2018 CE

“I’m scared,” I held Aileron’s hand tightly while staring at Metroplex’s round space bridge ring, every ton of my frame trembling thinking about the graveyard turned home to joyful life on the other side of the shimmering bright blue space bridge portal within the ring. “A world transformed for the better, like here… but with corpses from my time or before…” memories of the photos acquired in recent years ran through my mind, of the fields of dozens of dead Titans from my youth or before that had left me feeling empty and cold to see more confirmed deaths of people I knew. 

Corpses now gone after Infinitus attempted to raise them to wipe out everyone on Cybertron who did not fit his Functionism, desecrator, at least the forces of the Council of Worlds and dear pal Windblade laid them all to rest by fire before Unicron consumed them with my old ‘home’.. . and new life was ignited by the Vector Sigma of- of a monument of defeated genocide still turbulent to rise again-  the green-gray space bridge room and the bridge technician bots around us were out of focus to my sight. Even though we’ve talked over comms when it was all over, knowing that two of the bots I thought corpses are alive and over there…

“Tell me about what you’re feeling, darling,” Aileron stepped in front of me, taking hold of my other hand, her broad rounded chest pressed up on me, big air breathing rocket engine shoulders and back wings still, optics holding my gaze.

“I… I don’t understand how Anode and Lug set up a home on Luna 1… how they could be in orbit of a Cybertron bloated from stolen resources that is still coming to terms with the end of the Functionist regime… the risk to their lives along with those kids they’re raising…” they’re on a moon orbiting Cybertron again, and I’m not there with them to stop them from getting killed because I’d rather be here- “I want to be done with Cybertron for now… I don’t think I’m ready to go over there.” I felt my rage and grief boil in my frame, viscerally remembering the touch and trust of the communities with overlaps of fellow trans folks, gals, and people who cared for us who I had lost to or found traumatized survivors from hegemonic violence of the Cybertronian Civil War, the rise of Functionism, and the Great War after or to organic mechanophobia, and knowing the pains of our splinter universe counterpart survivors who resisted Functionist rule on New Cybertron. 

Crasher won’t speak to me because of what she’s done, Vibes and Shatter are missing, Minerva, Rampage, Phreaker, and Trans-Mutate break down frequently when we visit or they’re alone, Lug’s died once already, and Codexa… my back stacks and hands ached to draw my swords, give up teaching and peacebuilding advisory, to step through the space bridge and wage a personal war against any neo-Functionist in the star system beyond. No- I have to let other people do this fight. My optics stayed on Aileron’s through all of this pressure in me, her yellow optics widening and face falling with sadness.

“You’re really upset, I’ve never seen you like this… but you’ve told me…” Aileron smooched the center of my chest lightly before looking back up at me. “All the hurt over what Cybertron’s done to you, would have done to me and did do to my counterpart from the splinter universe- I know it’s hard to face, I can understand wanting to take that rage out, that it feels like it’s displacing the peace you’ve found in yourself.” she embraced me, smiling so softly and sweetly with brightness in her visage as I murmured at her hands touching the bottom of my back stacks. “I know the love and wisdom in you is very strong, and also frustrated. We don’t have to cross- why don’t you comm them through the bridge and ask them to step through-”

Past Aileron’s dome shaped head, I saw a long beige ankle and brown foot and a shorter gray and red counterpart step through the blue swirl of the active space bridge, the rest of the two bot’s frames coming all the way through-

“Aileron, turn around and follow me-” I beamed as droplets streamed down my cheeks, taking in the sight of lanky and winged green and gray Anode and stout and blocky Lug holding hands, the two’s blue optics quickly looking at Aileron facing them and me in turn, wide grins on their faces-

I stepped around Aileron swiftly, running into the amorously remembered pair with tearful laughter flowing from me, and picked up one in each arm in a tight hug, feeling their arms around me, and smooched Anode and Lug’s cheeks in turn before setting them down, my knees bending a little, leaning on them. 

I cried and howled wordlessly, wheels in my ankles and back stacks whirring at full speed, remembered sensations between holding fragments of Lug’s broken armor pieces and seeing the two’s blood on Luna 2 five centuries ago contrasted with holding the two, seeing them, presently in the glow of their yellow-green and cyan biolights signaling =We love you so much= with dilating luminosity, the two also tearful after placing smooches on my own cheeks. Aileron put an arm around me, and nuzzled next to Lug-

“Oh Arcee…” Anode smiled again, a teeth bared lopsided grin that I knew was her cheeky expression, “are you going to go hit a race track, or are you just that glad to see us while with Aileron? Speaking of wheels, they and this robustness is a good look for you, glad you finally got the bravery and did it, though this is different from your drawings...” she rested her head on my chest, looking up at me. “Very you though.” 

“HAHAHAHAHA!” I stood up and plopped a kiss on her helm while Lug and Aileron chuckled, still pressed up on me. “Oh you, dear, darling Anode…” I patted Lug’s head near my waist before letting my hand fall across the side of her helm to touch her chin. “And sweet, dear Lug… I’ve missed you both so much. I never thought I’d see you again…”

“There were a few times while adventuring with Team Rodimus and co. that we thought we weren’t gonna make it to see you again, but we were glad to hear from Nautica and Whirl that you were doing better last time they saw you,” Lug ran hands up and down my lower back. “Hope we’re not being all too much, I know we broke up but-”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I did this too,” I pulled an arm away from Lug and put it around Aileron’s shoulders, rubbing her right one steadily, spark warm at her warble and chuckle. “Anode, Lug, Aileron, I’m so glad you three could finally meet in person… dearwing Aileron and I bonded over our loss, and distrust of hierarchy while trying to make the best of the agency we had, and we love to sit looking at polities together… I think you’ll all get along really well.”

“Arcee’s told me so much about you two,” Aileron brought her hands around to be between the four of us, with her two palms open towards Anode and Lug. “I have to agree that we’ll get along fabulously.”

Anode and Lug both placed a hand on hers, the three clasping each other together. I think I’m going to melt - the angst in my frame was gone, warmth and excited calm pulsing in every sensor and circuit instead.

“So we going to finally do Conjunx commitment vows, or what? Suppose we have to wait for us all to really get to know each other,” Anode smirked, and we all cackled again.

“In due time, I think, you jokester, you’re right we have to figure out where we all are in relation to each other,” Lug looked up at me. “You two didn’t cross over the bridge sweetspark, we got worried and decided not to wait. Why the hesitation?”

“I had an anxiety attack,” I smiled at my admittance, proud of myself. “I just- the Cybertron we knew was destroyed only a month ago, and I thought that whole tragic chapter was over, and to know it’s there on the other side of that bridge, and having done more harm than we managed to do, and that you two live orbiting it, only a planetary burn away from another post-war mess… It’s just a lot. I have enough to deal with raising a new generation here and advising New Cybertron and Earth both.” 

In my happiness, I put an arm around Anode, and let myself hope: “let’s see how things go. I might need time, and you probably do too, with all the grief we’ve been through together and that I’ve caused, but I want- I want us to figure things out, and know that we can at the very least have a close friendship. I just want you two to be safe and keep in touch, like Aileron and I do. Please? I can’t bear to lose you to violence again…”

“I promise.” Anode and Lug spoke together, and we all hugged quietly for a little while longer.

“Why don’t we get some rust sticks and go sit on one of the outer low towers?” Aileron stepped back, holding my hand and Lug’s, a glimmer in her optics. “Arcee and I found a nice spot to sit with a beautiful panorama of the polity on and around Metroplex, and of the ocean… there’s a herd of blue whales passing by soon, last I heard from our Titan home, and if we have time, introducing you to Marissa Faireborn, Thundercracker, and their dog Buster, and some of our other pals like Windblade, Chromia, Greenlight, and Lancer...”

“That’s a great idea!” Anode exclaimed while Lug and I nodded. Then Anode inclined her head to the side: “What’s a whale?”

[thejacksmit]

First Take: Deadpool and Wolverine - zero Fox given in the long-awaited threequel

Spoiler free as usual. Because the MCU is back.

SYNOPSIS: Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.

Sometimes it takes a full on corporate acquisition - a corpacq, if you will - to speak things into existence. In 2014 the infamous ‘leak’ prompted Fox to greenlight a Deadpool film within the X-Men universe, one which didn’t have his mouth sewn shut. A sequel followed. Then… the void. Covid. The Disney buyout. The downfall of the MCU as the multiverse saga began. But now the self proclaimed Marvel Jesus is back with the happy ending - one which brings the curtain down on a 25 year legacy for certain properties.

Shawn Levy takes the helm of this threequel, following Tim Miller and David Leitch into the universe where breaking the 4th wall doesn’t get you fired for creative differences - and he’s a director who knows Ryan Reynolds’ mind incredibly well having directed The Adam Project and most notably Free Guy. What we get is a 2 hour 8 minute ride that brings the best of the Fox era into the MCU - albeit not as rudely as anticipated… even more rudely. Having co-written the script with Reynolds, veteran Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, along with Zeb Wells, Levy’s input on this film shows a classy understanding of what it takes to pull off a 15 certificate Marvel Studios film, and even with elements of the TVA plotline that viewers of Loki will be very familiar with, this is a film that makes it easier for those who don’t follow the Disney+ shows to understand everything, almost like a full reset of Marvel’s storytelling. It’s shot incredibly by George Richmond (of Kingsman fame - one particular sequence gave me ‘church scene’ vibes) and the score from Rob Simonsen just about does the job, with a cracker of a soundtrack album for good measure.

As for the cast, trying to stay spoiler free is easier said than done - so we’ll give it a damn good go. Reynolds provides the fun as ever with all the self-referential jokes you could potentially think of, Hugh Jackman returns, and boy is it fantastic to see him back with the claws in a way which respects the ending of THAT 2017 solo film, and supporting them is Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams and Karan Soni to represent the Deadpool franchise - with new additions Matthew Mcfadyen and Emma Corrin leading the charge from the old regime into the Feige world. It is worth staying back, as is protocol on these films, as there is a fantastic tribute to the journey which brought us to this major turning point for Marvel’s film output, and ultimately, what could be the last time we see the words 20th Century Fox on a cinema screen. This isn’t just a Deadpool movie, this is the powers that be acknowledging that some storylines backfired big time - and they have heard us. With Comic-Con this weekend, for the first time in a while… I’m excited to see where Marvel Studios will take us.

THE VERDICT

The mad lads did it. A proper Deadpool movie under the constraints of the MCU, and still a lovely 15 certificate. Obviously it does feel a smidge more corporate, but all things considered, it’s the film we all wanted, with a Wolverine we have begged to see on-screen since 2000.

RATING: 4/5

[cathriana]

So, after much consideration, I decided to give a shot at Nanowrimo this year, except I'm not.

Basically, since I'm still in the worldbuilding phase, the amount of work I pour into my project doesn't necessarily translate into words, so it's not going to be the 50 000 words mark that is going to be my mark. The aim this month is to complete this map :

This is the map of the Empire, which you may not have seen me talk about in the past. This is where the main story takes place and I've overalled part of its geography and most importantly, switched to a better PC that can handle a map 10 times bigger and more precise than what I was working with before.

Problem is, that change of scale pretty much fucked up what I had done with the previous one, so I have to start back from the beginning, with the placement of the cities, the delimitations between duchies, as well as some cultural overall since some climates got completely changed. Thus, my goal for that month, is to get get back remake everything that was lost, and more : by the end of this month, I hope to have :

placed every cities and keeps of importance (about 300 in the previous version and I expect many more in this new one thanks to the added detail)

Named each of those cities, accordingly with the local language, which I have yet to really work on outside of their "vibe" (7 non-english languages, but luckily inventing toponymy isn't too hard)

Established a quick lore for each location, with more lore the bigger the location gets : who built it, when, why, what's its current importance, quick description, maybe even a little sketch if it's really important (that is, if I can draw something decent and I can't draw for shit) or at least pictural references (that's why you can see me reblog things with "something-something reference".)

Same thing for the duchies : delimitate 'em, name 'em, determine who rules and/or ruled 'em etc... (about 200 in the previous version, luckily this number shouldn't move too much in the rework)

If by the end of this month I manage to do all that, I'll call that a resounding success, though I do doubt I can pull it off in one month, I doubt a year would even suffice, but who cares, defenitly not me : the objective of the Nanowrimo is to get shit done.

So prepare youself for a heap of random screenshots and detailed histories of a 2000 soul fishing town that has 0 plot relevance and hails from a world you know nothing of, because I count on posting everything I do here : time to finally turn this writing blog into a blog that's actually about writing. If at any point you have questions, curiosities or whatever, don't hesitate, and if to the contrary I'm clogging your dash with those, feel free to block #cat writes.

Wish me luck, and good wishes to anyone who does Nanowrimo as well !

[musicarenagh]

Naia Lika Is Making Waves As An Innovative Artist Through New Single 'Gas Station Bouquet' Naia Lika is an up-and-coming artist who has made her mark in the music industry with her unique blend of R&B and pop. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Lika's early love for musical theatre and her journey through self-discovery have both shaped her sound and her artistry. Growing up, Lika's parents encouraged her passion for musical theatre, leading her to study at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. However, during her time at college, she began to question her own identity and her place in the world. This led to a period of self-reflection, during which she came to the realization that she was bisexual. Leaving college to move back to Los Angeles was a pivotal moment for Lika, as it marked the start of her journey as an independent artist. Throughout the pandemic, she honed her craft and found solace in creating music for the first time, drawing inspiration from artists like Remi Wolf, Dua Lipa, Leon Bridges, and YEBBA. [embed]https://soundcloud.com/naialika[/embed] Lika's sound is a blend of old-fashioned soul, R&B, and pop, characterized by its honesty and passionate delivery. Her debut single, "Gas Station Bouquet," is a testament to her unique style and the emotional depth she brings to her music. As a twenty-one-year-old, Lika is making her mark in the music industry and has already garnered attention for her dynamic sound and raw emotional delivery. In a recent interview, she spoke candidly about her journey as an artist and her hopes for the future. With a bright future ahead of her, Naia Lika is one to watch in the coming years. Her unique blend of musical influences, emotional depth, and undeniable talent make her a standout in the crowded music scene. Who are your biggest musical influences? When it comes to the overall vibe of my music, I love the realm of Remi Wolf, Amelia Moore, Dua Lipa, and Leon Bridges. Vocally, I take a lot of inspiration from Ariana Grande, Beyonce, YEBBA, and Adele. I want my music to be groovy and fun while maintaining vocal health, technique, and agility. [caption id="attachment_46946" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Naia Lika Is Making Waves As An Innovative Artist Through New Single 'Gas Station Bouquet[/caption] What inspired you to write your latest album/song? My latest song, “Gas Station Bouquet” derives from an eight-song project I created with my team last year. Since this is my first project, we wanted to pinpoint eight different, significant aspects of my life that we could turn into their own songs. In this song specifically, I wanted to write about something good in my life. I often focus so much on the negatives and bring much weight to them, but I wanted to give space for the positives as well. What message do you hope to convey through your music? It’s important to honour and validate all emotions: good or bad. I usually put so much pressure on writing things that are extremely emotionally evoking or writing something that has brought me pain in my life and it made me forget to focus on the things that were bringing me joy as well. I think, often, happy songs can be seen as surface-level or dull and I just want to be able to remind myself and my audience that it’s okay to hold space for emotions on every end of the spectrum. They hold equal value. My old teacher used to always say that all emotions are just energy and that “if you numb the bad, you will also numb the good.” I want my music to encapsulate everything that goes on in my mind without valuing one thought over the other. What was the most challenging aspect of recording your latest album? I had just gone through what was probably the worst two years of my entire life. When we went to write all my songs, I was completely shut down. One of my coping mechanisms is to disassociate and essentially numb everything I experience. I co-wrote these songs with 4 others and I remember

on the first day, one of the co-writers (Victoria Skie) asked me to list off ten things I loved, ten things I hated, and ten things that evoked emotion out of me. I couldn’t even get more than five things for each list and even with my answers, I wasn’t connecting to them. I used to be so sure of who I was, so seeing this happen right in front of my face made me realize how lost I was and how much self-awareness I had been sacrificing just to stay alive through the pain I was experiencing. It made me shut down even more for the rest of our writing sessions. I noticed myself feeling cold and unresponsive the first few days, which is entirely out of character for who I always felt I was as a person - only sending me deeper into an identity crisis mode. I am so grateful that they didn’t give up on me, though. They continued to dig and push down the walls I had created. It wasn’t perfect, but I’m not sure anything ever is. I am still so happy with the outcome of this project and I am excited to grow from it and see what’s next. What has been your favorite moment or experience as a musician so far? Honestly, I don’t think anything will ever beat what I used to feel on stage when I was in a choir. Something about the collaboration of tens to hundreds of voices was always super impactful to me. I hope that further down the line, I find the opportunity to do more collaborative efforts and find more people to sing with. No matter how deep I get into modern music, the choir nerd will never leave me. It has established such a strong foundation of harmonies and melodies in me that has allowed me to be where I’m at today. How do you balance your personal life with your music career? I’m really bad at this, honestly. I have intrusive thoughts, which make me obsess over things and start to hype and fixate on them. It’s caused me to become super impulsive and emotionally attached to something, without weighing out the negative consequences. When it comes to music, if I have an upcoming project, I spend every waking moment working on it - whether that’s creating it or promoting it. I lose sleep over it because I wake up in the middle of the night and my brain is immediately swarming with hundreds of thoughts reminding me of all the things I still need to do. I am still learning how to find the balance between working hard and protecting my mental state, which has definitely improved over the years, but it’s a journey for sure. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPz01_ShnVs&list=OLAK5uy_mjSkKssLah7YK4Ee24RhI9S6x9Y6gwYkQ[/embed] How do you handle negative criticism or feedback on your music? My response to criticism is all over the place, which I think can be said for a lot of people. Sometimes it doesn’t bother me; I can understand that music is subjective. But sometimes, there are just people that really know how to dig at you and find that sensitive spot. I am a sensitive person overall, so it’s not very difficult to find that spot with me… But the most important thing that I do now allow myself to feel whatever I want to feel after receiving the criticism - then I let it go. I experience whatever my body feels is necessary, I validate it, and then I let it pass. I try not to dwell on things because my teacher in college always ingrained into my mind: “The body never lies, but the mind always does.” So I let my body tell me what I’m feeling and I let any intrusive thoughts pass on by, or at least I try to. What advice would you give to aspiring musicians trying to make it in the industry? Don’t get lost in the excitement of creating to the point that you sacrifice what you want to be conveyed in your art. I did this a lot with my first project. I went to shoot a music video and was just so excited to be a part of it that I sacrificed a lot of what I wanted to be told in the story. If this does happen as a newer artist, it’s also important to remember to be gracious with yourself - it’s common if you’re just starting out.

With each project, you will learn so much about yourself and who you want to be as an artist, no need to rush the process. Also, having a strong community behind me was something that was essential. I have been gaslighted in the music industry and belittled on multiple occasions by people I felt I could trust. It’s easy to fall into the ideas and thoughts coming from someone who thinks they hold more power than you, especially if you start to believe that they do. Take a step back and breathe before making a decision or before you say something you might regret. Without having such a strong community around me to remind me that I was worthy, I probably would’ve sunk. Some people are great alone, just make sure you have the tools and resources to take care of yourself - whatever that may be for you. Do you have any upcoming projects or releases that you're excited about? Yes! As I stated earlier, there are eight songs that were created along with this release. My next release will be in April and I have a music video as well. I am hoping to be releasing music every one to two months from then on out. Do you have any plans to branch out into other genres or styles of music? For sure. My other upcoming releases are all genre-bending in their own way. I have some synth-pop, and R&B feel songs, while some others are very mainstream pop. I am so new to releasing my own music, so I am still very much experimenting with my sound. I already think I am leaning more towards the synth-pop, R&B vibes of music because I have found more room for my voice to sit and float somewhere comfortable. But who knows, my mind changes every day. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/track/3YIzv9aULJN313ftMAm2MT[/embed]  

[thatonesquintern13]

episode nine - the day the music died:

• “crazy moon tonight, eh?” brady’s not even the canadian 🥴

• the cops driving in the direction of your house is never a good thing

• even worse when they’re there when you pull up

• and of course elliot is already there too!

• “i’m afraid there’s been an accident” COLTON 😭😭😭

• AND BABY KAT REACHED FOR BABY ELLIOT FIRST

• brady is literally right there we love to see him lose

• sorry not the time colton is dead

• present day kat “taking a weekend” as if she’s ever relaxed even for a second since she turned 15

• “you two [kat and dell] are way too similar.” yes alice! i’ve been saying!!

• AND SHES LITERALLY JUST GOING TO ELLIOTS ASKDHAGDJSKA

• just a weekend of kissing and “a little bit of time travel on the side” 🤭

• she didn’t even run this plan by him. how could this go wrong!

• “i won’t believe it until i see [the lady at the funeral] with my own eyes” it might seem crazy what im ‘bout to say…

• baby kat abandoning colton, best dad in the world, for brady??? girl

• ugh so heartbreaking that everyone thought colton ran off the road on purpose. like no wonder dell is coping the way she is!!

• besties present elliot and alice 🫶🏽

• oh spencer from school is catering the theater reopening!

• (do we see this happen? i really don’t remember)

• okay yeah colton walking into a strange woman’s house doesn’t look great

• ohp colton caught present kat lurking

• “weren’t you… in my yard?”

• it’s grief therapy!!

• a man in therapy. can colton landry get any more ideal

• “i don’t know how to be a husband any more, or a dad. my son’s gone… and so am i.” okay so they kinda really didn’t care about kat…

• oldest daughter syndrome strikes again

• now why is present dell taking alice to the pond.

• wait the pond is freezing!!! i forgot about this!

• this also kinda gives ‘dell knows about the pond’ vibes. bc like what does she mean “take a cue from mother nature … and say goodbye to the past.” 🤔

• okay so what i remember from the s2 promo is starting to make more sense lol

• something about colton telling “rose” (present kat) “i can help you get back home.” 😭😭😭😭😭

• and then kat literally just gets to hang out with her dad again 🥺

• elliot always worried about the space time continuum

• i don’t know how it doesn’t click to him that what happened ALWAYS happens so obviously kat going back is PART OF IT

• which is also just. too tragic to think about rn but we’ll get to it.

• why are colton and dell always just standing in the kitchen when alice arrives 🥴

• but also she’s better than me bc if my friend wasn’t home i’d be like “welp guess i’ll be going then” not walking into their house with only their parents home

• granted, it’s literally her house and her grandparents but whatever

• alice is the one who underlines the quote in kat’s book 🥺😭😭

• colton and alice playing the guitar 😭

• HE WAS THE REASON SHE STARTED PLAYING AGAIN IN THE PRESENT!!! AND SHE’S THE REASON HE STARTED PLAYING AGAIN IN THE PAST!!! I CANT DO THIS

• playing dell’s song 🥺

• “those words were written in a better time, but they still hold the truth” they were literally so close to healing and coming back together 😔

• “goodbye colton.” “goodbye alice.” 💔

• and dell being there to comfort her in the present 😭😭

• i think alice and colton are cut from the same soul.

• okay i’ve stopped crying

• “elliot! here for dinner?” “i was hoping to get it to go. for two.” “for two? well, it’s about time.” literally everyone saw it but kat askdhagska

• okay so alice disappears from the past when we see her say goodbye to colton, or soon after he dies bc i think she’s at the funeral (will update this later), but then goes back into the pond at the end of s1… so where does she go!? if present kat hadn’t seen her since she was 15…. how is she in the year 2000???

• guess i’ll just have to watch and see 🧍🏽‍♀️

• mad at kat for leaving her mom but also mad at dell for giving up being her mom yk. like at least see her off to college 🙁

• “be there, el, when i leave.” “kat, i would do anything for you. always.” 🥺

• and he’s true to his word!

• elliot at the harold! why does the harold have the archives and not the library…

• also new guy SUSPICIOUSLY leaving town…. convenient 🤨

• “i don’t think ill be missed around here much” okay what’s that mean

• dell and alice girl’s night!!

• “and i, for one, think you are wonderful, alice. i love you, sweetie. i just love you.” “i love you too, dell… grandma?” “oh. oh. wow that felt good. you have no idea how long i have waited to hear that.” 😭😭😭😭

• the pond wouldn’t let kat jump!

• see idk why elliot is freaking out. if the pond doesn’t want her there, the pond won’t let her there! everything that happened has always happened!

• she’s acknowledging that she turned to elliot first the night colton died 🤧

• “i should’ve kept holding your hand and just never let go.”

• colton is a Man in the sense that he does not notice that kat and alice both always show up with wet hair.

• that would be so annoying to me. would invest in a shower cap immediately.

• more grief therapy. you’d think kat would be like “hey should i…. go to this in my time???”

• oof colton has been sleeping in the basement 🙁

• “i wish you could all meet my daughter. she is everything i wish i could be. everything that dell already is, maybe more.”

• kat getting to tell colton that she has a daughter 🥺 he knows! he loves her!

• and colton giving her advice to cope with his death and that’s literally all she’s ever wanted!!! ugh this show is so so layered

• oop alice knows kat didn’t go away for the weekend.

• elliot, looking through the archived papers, “april, may… where the hell is february, byron?” yeah where the hell IS february, byron!! 🤨

• also “hell” number. whatever

• elliot and kat ALREADY fighting 😭 and he is making great points: you can’t change what happens and we know this, we can’t keep talking about the past. but also god imagine having the questions that have literally haunted you all your life ANSWERED !!! imagine the closure!! (not that.. kat will be getting any but still)

• “i need you here and now, in the present!”

• AND THEN ALICE COMING IN AND SAYING THE EXACT SAME THING OH MY GOD

• also the “i want to talk about our future” followed by alice coming in… okay symbolism

• kat stayed in the present 🥺

• and explained colton’s therapy to dell so she knows!!!

• “dad was trying to heal, mom. for you.” TRAGIC

• “but i’ve been just as frozen…. until you and alice came home and forced me to face the past. open up the boxes and accept it.”

• alexa, play right where you left me by taylor swift

• present dell and past colton dancing 🥺🥺🥺

• “you’re my home, delly. you always have been and you always will be.”

• OH GOD SHE’S REMEMBERING THE LAST TIME SHE SAW HIM

• AND HE PROMISED TO TELL HER EVERYTHING

• BUT HE NEVER MADE IT BACK 😭😭😭

• kat and alice mother daughter time. bc alice misses her as her mom, not as her best friend 🥹

• alice telling her she was the one who underlined the alice in wonderland quote 🥹

• kat doesn’t listen!!!

• girl that pond is gonna freeze on you!!!

• she’s landed on The Night

• SHE’S AT THE SCENE OF THE WRECK BUT IT HASN’T HAPPENED YET

• archived paper, “witness claims to have seen two women running through the woods” me, gasping, “wait why am i gasping i knew that already”

• ONE THING ABOUT ALICE, SHE IS HER MOTHER’S DAUGHTER

• AND THEY’RE IN THE ROAD

• AND COLTON SWERVES TO MISS THEM

• “hey kiddo. i love you, too. my katherine.” 😭😭😭😭

• I HATE

• but the show!! it’s so fucking good at this!!!! it’s so tragic and so complex

• anyways i’m gonna go cry

fin.

📺 | the way home

live blogging a season one rewatch so i can remember everything for season two 🫡

episode one:

• i hope this show goes on forever bc they clearly have a full story planned for this witch hunt

• honestly forgot about this private school situation

• dad’s suck!

• do we learn about the “one hit” orrr

• chyler leigh in glasses. that’s it that’s the thought.

• “fReEs yOu Up fOr sOmE hOmEsChoOliNg” hey why don’t you hush.

• nah bc these two are like… not even divorced yet and his gf already moved in with him? i’d set the fire alarm off too

• oh the one hit was last year’s showcase

• hallmark letting a “damned” into the script. big slay

• i do really appreciate that young dell is just andie macdowell in a dark wig.

• sorry but it’s kinda a dream to have a farm in ‘nowhere canada’ to escape to, alice.

• i love generational mommy issues 😌

• one thing about andie macdowell, that accent’s gon’ be thicc

• wet dog foreshadowing 👀

• moving in the middle of the school year is wild

• omg and a “what the hell” !!

• mystery letter 😈 (i only vaguely remember how it got sent so excited to relearn that)

• the glow-in-the-dark ceiling stars 🥺

• LMAO OKAY dell was wrong for sending her out in her pjs but it was funny hehe 🤭

• ELLIOT!!!!

• “you got a lot in common… what with your divorces.” dell that’s so southern of you

• “and me?” OOF

• dell landry: bee keeping age 😗

• fair that kat wants to talk about her brother and dad but didn’t she also…. like. leave?? 🥴

• “if you ever need to talk i’m here. any place. any… time.” very subtle elliot thank you

• ohp. guess that’s why i don’t remember the bracelet. so rose from titanic of her

• wait that’s literally how she gets in the pond ?? okay that’s on me then.

• baby kat!! (A+ casting btw 🤌🏽)

• i could not imagine sitting on TIME TRAVEL for over 14 years. good on elliot

• elliot and kat better get back together in like the first 2 minutes of s2 🤧

• baby elliot!

• as someone who lost their grandpa when i was really young, alice meeting her grandpa and their whole relationship just hits different 🥺

• no bc the 90s ARE totally back in style.

• “alice will be fine.” “jacob wasn’t.” he was 6, girl 😭

• the white witch 😟 (me: wait why am i gasping i already knew that.)

• the blurry picture is actually very clever!

• elliot just standing over the pond ominously 🧍🏻‍♂️

• idk why but i love that kat called him to yell at him.

• kat, he just knows, okay!!

fin.

[star-anise]

Ok, I'll bite. What *is* the difference between Bridgerton and Jane Austen in relationship to their skirts?

Oh! Not in their costuming, just in their general *waves hands* everything. It's a comment I see a lot about Bridgerton: "Well, it's not much like Austen, is it?"

That's because there are 200 years of literary history between the two, and they have not been empty!

This ended up being 1.5k words, but when I put stuff under a readmore, people don't actually read it and then just yell at me because of a misread of the 1/10th of the post they did read. Press j to skip or get ready to do a lot of scrolling (It takes four generous flicks to get past on my iPhone).

First I'll say my perspective on this is hugely shaped by Sherwood Smith, who has done a lot of research on silver fork novels and the way the Regency has been remembered in the romance genre.

The Regency and Napoleonic eras stretch from basically the 1790s to 1820, and after that, it was hard to ignore the amount of social change happening in Britain and Europe. The real watershed moment is the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where 60,000 working-class people protesting for political change were attacked by a militia. The issues of poverty, class, industrialization, and social change are inescapable, and we end up with things like the 1832 Reform Act and 1834 Poor Law.

This is why later novelists, like Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, are so concerned with the experiences of the urban poor. Gaskell's North and South has been accurately described as "Pride and Prejudice for socialists."

So almost as soon as it ended, people started to look back and mythologize the Regency as a halcyon era, back when rich people could just live their rich lives and fret about "only" having three hundred pounds a year to live on. Back when London society was the domain of hereditary landowners, when you weren't constantly meeting with jumped-up industrialists and colonials.

Jane Austen is kind of perfect for this because she comes at the very end of the long eighteenth century, and her novels show hints of the tremors that are about to completely reshape England, but still comfortably sit in the old world. ("The Musgroves, like their houses, were in a state of alteration, perhaps of improvement. The father and mother were in the old English style, and the young people in the new. Mr and Mrs Musgrove were a very good sort of people; friendly and hospitable, not much educated, and not at all elegant. Their children had more modern minds and manners.")

Sherwood Smith covers the writers who birthed the Silver Fork genre in detail, but there's one name that stands out in its history more than any other: Georgette Heyer.

Georgette Heyer basically single-handedly established the Regency Romance as we know it today. Between 1935 and 1972, she published 26 novels set in a meticulously researched version of London of the late 18th and early 19th century. She took Silver Fork settings and characters and turned them into a highly recognizable set of tropes, conventions, and types. (As Sherwood points out, her fictional Regency England isn't actually very similar to the period as it really happened; it's like Arthurian Camelot, a mythical confection with a dash of truth for zest.)

Regency Romance is an escapist genre in which a happy, prosperous married life is an attainable prize that will solve everything for you. Georgette Heyer's novels are bright, sparkling, delightful romps through a beautiful and exotic world. Her female characters have spirit and vivacity, and are allowed to have flaws and make mistakes without being puritanically punished for them. Her romances have real unique sparks to them. She's able to write a formula over and over without it becoming dull.

And.... well. The essay that introduced me to Heyer still, in my opinion, says it best:

Here's the thing about Georgette Heyer: she hates you. Or, okay, she doesn't hate you, exactly. It's just that unless you are white, English, and upper class (and hale, and hearty, and straight, and and and), she thinks you are a lesser being. [...W]ith Heyer, I knew where I stood: somewhere way below the bottom rung of humanity. Along with everyone else in the world except Prince William and four of his friends from Eton, which really took away the sting. But my point is: if you are not that white British upper-class person of good stock and hearty bluffness and a large country estate, the only question for you is which book will contain a grimly bigoted caricature of you featuring every single stereotyped trait ever associated with your particular group. (You have to decide for yourself if really wonderful female characters and great writing are worth the rest of it.)

So Heyer created the genre, but she exacerbated the flaw that was always at the heart of fiction about the Regency, was that its appeal was not having to deal with the inherent rot of the British aristocracy. I think part of why it's such a popular genre in North America specifically is that we often don't know much British history, so we can focus more on the perfume and less on the dank odor it's hiding.

And like, escapism is not a bad thing. Romance writers as a community have sat down and said: We are an escapist genre. The Romance Writers of America, one of the biggest author associations out there, back when they were good, have foundationally said: "Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." A strong part of the community argue that publishing in the genre is a "contract" between author and reader: If it's marketed as a romance book, there's a Happily Ever After. If there's no Happily Ever After, it's not romance.

It's important for people to be able to take a break from the stresses of their lives and do things that are enjoyable. But the big question the romance genre in particular has to deal with is, who should be allowed to escape? Is it really "escapist" if only white, straight, upper class, able-bodied thin cis people get to escape into it? In historical romance, this is especially an issue for POC and LGBTQ+ people. It's taken a lot of work, in a genre dominated by the Georgette Heyers of the world, to try to hew out the space for optimistic romances for people of colour or LGBTQ+ people. These are minority groups that deal with a literally damaging amount of stress in real lives; they are in especial need of sources of comfort, refuge, community, and encouragement. For brief introductions to the issue, I can give you Talia Hibbert on race, and KJ Charles on LGBTQ+ issues.

Up until the 1990s, the romance genre evolved slowly. It did evolve; Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan's Beyond Heaving Bosoms charts the demise of the "bodice-ripper" genre as it became more acceptable for women to have and enjoy sex. The historical romance genre became more accommodating to non-aristocratic heroines, or ones that weren't thin or conventionally pretty. The first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, was published in 2000, and has that kind of vibe: Its characters are all white but not all of them are aristocrats, its heroines are frequently not conventionally beautiful and occasionally plump, and its cultivation to modern sensibility is reflected in its titles, which reference popular media of today.

This is just my impression, but I think that while traditional mainstream publishing was beginning to diversify in the 1990s, the Internet was what really made diverse romance take off. Readers, reviewers, and authors could talk more freely on the internet, which allowed books to become unlikely successes even if their publishers didn't promote them very much. Then e-publishing meant that authors could market directly to their readers without the filter of a publishing house, and things exploded. Indie ebooks proved that there was a huge untapped market.

One of my favourite books, Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown, is an example of what historical romance is like today; it's a direct callback and reclamation of Georgette Heyer, with a dash of "Fuck you and all your prejudices" on top of it. It fearlessly weaves magic into a classic Heyer plot, maintaining the essential structure while putting power into the hands of people of colour and non-Western cultures, enjoying the delights of London society while pointing out and dodging around the rot. It doesn't erase the ugliness, but imagines a Britain that is made better because its poor, its immigrants, its people of colour, and the foreign countries it interacts with have more power to make their voices heard and to enforce their wills. Another book I've loved that does the same thing is Courtney Milan's The Duke Who Didn't.

So then... Bridgerton the TV show is trying to take a book series with a very middle-of-the-road approach to diversity, differing from Heyer but not really critiquing her, and giving it a facelift to bring it up to date.

So to be honest, although it's set in the same time period as Austen, it's not in the least her literary successor. It's infinitely more "about" the past 30 years of conversation and art in the romance genre than it is about books written 200 years ago.

[franki-lew-yo]

The Romantic (2009, R, Gothic Fantasy/Horror), aka the most forgotten animated film in the world

What if I told you there was a movie under serious threat of becoming lost media with no clear reason as to WHY it's been lost other than no one has apparently watched it besides me and a few people on Reddit? What if I told you that movie wasn't half bad and would no doubt have some interest peeked if anyone DID know about it?

The name of that movie is The Romantic.

It was released in 2009 and it's Rated R for nudity and sex scenes [insert Robbie Rotten meme here], though none of it too graphic. It was a pet project created by animator Michael P. Heneghan, originally starting as a flash project for his animation class before he expanded it into a feature film. The film was inspired by movies such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, but what I see every time I look at it is a touch of Jhonen Vasquez, Tim Burton, and Roman Dirge- the guy behind Lenore the Cute Little Dead Girl. It's flash animation especially remind me of the puppet-rigged toons of the 2000s (again like Salad Fingers or Lenore). It's not bad, it's just not inherently 'feature film' quality flash, nor is it exceptionally artistic like Sita Sings the Blues in it's simplicity. Like, really, if you happen to find this thing it's not the worst animated project at all it's just amateur for a professional production. I've seen worse flash movies. Heck, if The Romantic were released in separate parts on youtube or Newgrounds as a series (ala Homestuck) I'm sure it would have been really successful and totally in it's element. But it wasn't.

Because next to no one has seen it and I'm lucky to have not only ever seen it when it was available for free but have also found it recently (hush hush, I ain't telling you how) I'm going to actually give you all a plot synopsis under the cut. There will be some details I leave out and I think I've spelled some characters names wrong. It's a bit of a surrealist film as well, so you might need some things explained.

Spoilers ahead:

The Romantic is set in an autumnal, surrealist world inhabited by humans and monsters and ruled by three gods; Po the goddess of love; Pik the god of Hate; and Pjorrc the god of time though Pjorrc was made to live inside a pumpkin moon as everything he touched rabidly aged and died.

((Tapestry art featuring the main three gods of the film.))

A young man (called “Romance” or “The Romantic” by the other characters) performs a bull sacrifice in order to summon Abbledepopa, the unseen creator of the other gods and ‘storyteller’ of the world. The sacrifice does not conjure Abbledepopa but, when Romance spares a monster that was ready to eat him, the monster tells him of a profit named Patience. Patience is a foul-mouthed dwarf living alone with an army of babies who points Romance in the direction of Po.

((Romance outside of Patience's house.))

Romance wants the god’s help because he has fallen out of love with his girlfriend. Po grants him his desire and restores his love only for Romance to return home and find his girlfriend with another man. Blinded by heartache and rage, Romance kills her. He then swears vengeance on the gods for ‘making’ him do it. In the midst of this vow, a corrupt prophet called Fat Daddy kills the queen of Vauxhaul (Romance's home) and her guards, and forges a new body for his newborn son with their bodies. Fat Daddy rallies the townsfolk behind him in supposedly finding the Queen’s murder into follow a new religion called "The Poetic End".

((Romance (right) besides the monster he spared at the beginning of the movie.))

Patience accompanies Romance on his quest and tells him to take Po’s mask, which hides her true face, once he kills her. Romance buys Po’s trust by weaving her a tapestry that tells her story: in the dawn of time Po and Pjorrc were in love. However, Pjorrc gradually became distant and Po became resentful when their daughter, Love, earned Po's original title as the god of romance and love.

In the present day, Romance sleeps with Po for over a year before finally killing her and taking her mask. He and Patience return to his home of Vauxhul only to be chased out by Fat Daddy’s personal army. They flee to Marshallton, the town nearest to the god Pik.

((Romance's hometown of Vauxhul. ))

The king of Marshallton, King Crookie, tells Romance of a prophecy he, Patience, Fat Daddy and all the gods are a part of and that the world is soon to change. Romance then fights and successfully kills Pik when he shows the god of hate his reflection in a mirror King Crookie gave him, but not before losing his hand to Pik.

When Romance comes down the mountain he learns from Patience that nine years have passed since his fight with Pik began. Patience reveals to Romance what Pik saw in the mirror that allowed Romance to take the killing blow; after Love had grown up and married, Po asked Pik to tell her where her husband was always running off to. Pik reluctantly revealed Pjorrc was disguising himself as a human and married a mortal woman. Po found Pjorrc and his pregnant second wife, forcing Pjorrc to leave his human family behind, but not before asking his wife to name their son “Patience”. In retaliation for his treachery, Po proceeded to sleep with fifty men and produce the fifty bastard children in Patience’s house.

((Fat Daddy, the main villain.))

Marshallton and the entire rest of the world has fallen to the rule of Fat Daddy, who captures Romance and Patience. Fat Daddy tortures Patience into telling him how to get to Pjorrc but is unable to convince Romance to take part in his ‘new world’ or give him Po’s mask. Romance and Patience escape and leave the village to be torn apart by the fifty babies Po had, now transformed into veracious monsters after Patience didn’t feed them for the past ten years. Romance confronts Patience when he realizes the latter is Pjorrc’s son. Patience calls Romance out on his mantra of vengeance and points out that all his decisions are his own, not the gods, and instructs him to seek Love herself in Po’s basement. Patience then attempts to confront Pjorrc but is cornered and killed by Fat Daddy before he can do so.

In Po’s basement, Romance finds Love nailed to a wall, her face torn off and half eaten by her deformed husband. Love tells Romance that Po ripped off her daughter’s face in rage over Pjorrc’s infidelity and Pjorrc did not intervene fast enough. Po then threw Love into her basement, turned Love’s husband into a monster, and wore her daughter’s face as a mask - which Romance had broken into pieces moments ago after Patience had shown him his face in King Crookie’s mirror. Romance then finds Pjorrc hanging himself. As he dies, Pjorrc tells Romance to take the hand Fat Daddy had cut off and sew it onto himself, which will in turn help Romance defeat Abbledepopa.

Romance traverses the wasteland and does not find Abbledepopa, but instead a golden loom. Having seen all the destruction he and others had caused, Romance sits upon the loom and accepts his fate as the new ‘storyteller’ of the world, as he begins weaving a new one...

---

I mentioned before the animation quality of the film and why maybe that caused people to overlook it. The only other thing I could complain about on a technical level with The Romantic is it's sound design. Some of the voices and music is a little too quiet and so all these key details I had to go through the film a few times to really piece together. But that leads me to the thing I like about this movie and I'm sure others would to: the lore.

It's very hard to create a new fantasy world w it's own customs, religions, history and rules out of the blue as any YA Harry Potter/Hunger Games ripoff book could tell you. The Romantic is so unique in how it handles the pantheon and culture of these three gods and their kin; really only four or five characters throughout the entire story aren't connected to the gods or prophecy in some way, as there's the main three gods, Abbeldepappa, and the prophets Patience, Love and Fat Daddy, who make up your main cast besides Romance. There's a lot that's intentionally left unexplained and other info that must be explained, like Pjorrc and Po's marriage and Romance's feelings towards the gods, if we want to understand the former. The movie is paced pretty well and knows when to follow up on what, it's just that again some of those animation and editting shortcomings might make it hard to understand...but I don't think THAT hard. Look, if someone can enjoy Starchaser: The Legend of Orin or even better surrealist world-building films ((Fantastic Planet comes to mind)), then I say there's no reason The Romantic wouldn't have a following. There's no other way I can articulate why and what doesn't work about the story except just to recommend you watch it yourselves, but before I get into that I want to talk themes...because I love the themes and tone of The Romantic.

I revisited The Romantic a week before I made myself watch Centaurworld and The Owl House for the first time...and what a week that was~! The Romantic has the vibe of those kinds of shows along with Adventure Time and Infinity Train ((so I hear, I haven't watched the latter)). It's surreal and you'll only marvel at 'woooah wut an acid trip' for so long before you get into the vibe of the universe. It also reminded me substantially of the Broadway musical Hadestown and not just because this movie is also a self-contained, somewhat self aware fable about the relationships between humans and gods - it's very raw in how the characters talk. It's very emotional and blunt in how kind and how cruel they can be, and it doesn't make excuses or really worships any one of them. Romance himself is the world's most likable Incel: he murders a woman he thought he needed to love and blames his emotions on the gods of those passions...except the gods AREN'T the manifestations of love, time, and hate - they simply dictate and oversee it in the lives of men. It's a dynamic I really like in religious works where Gods are powerful but not all knowing or puppet masters to everyone's design- they have morality too and there is only so much you can blame and get from them.

"You made your gods into excuses and your excuses into gods!"

-Patience. This here is a cool quote. I like this quote.

No matter what, The Romantic is not gonna be a film for everyone. We all have our tastes - I think I'm drawn to it and accepting because I've come to love these kind of worlds that used to keep me up at night - these trippy 70s inspired fantasy landscapes given a whole Avatar: The Last Airbender degree of worldbuilding and character worth. It also doesn't feel exploitive in it's violence, it's sexuality, it's grimmness - it doesn't feel like it's trying to hard or going over the top because it happens to be an adult animated film, something that I love in movies like 9 or Hair High but really turns me off in stuff like Sausage Party or Wizards. Whatever go watch The Romantic...

if you can.

-----

When I first saw this film in 2016 it was actually very accessible and was even uploaded to youtube by the creator himself. I don't know WHAT happened to Michael P. Heneghan, but simply put, the man's disappeared...like...REALLY disappeared.

Lookit his IMDB. He has The Romantic and a wapping two other projects to his name. His Twitter isn't very helpful either. He last updated in early 2020 and he says next to nothing about The Romantic. It's so odd that he would one day be happy with the film enough to host it on Vimeo and Youtube but then just cop out.

According to a Reddit user: "On Valentines Day 2011, Heneghan released the film for free online through all kinds of platforms including direct download, bittorrent, Vimeo, and even directly through Archive.org. He even joked about releasing a 300 gig uncompressed version.

I know I watched it on Vimeo probably as recently as 2016. Now I can't find it anywhere. The website is dead, the Vimeo video went private, even the archive.org version has been taken down. It really looks like he wanted to wipe it off the face of the internet. His newer website mentions it, but again, the Vimeo link is dead and even that website is closed for business."

It's weeeird. What happened Michael?

And yes, obviously, other people worked on the movie.

No - I can't find out anything about them either.

I'm betting on three theories at the moment: 1) this film is an SCP or some Candle Cove weirdness with only me and a handful of people ANYWHERE remembering it, 2) something weird is going on w Michael Heneghan and it involves too something about this film. It was a scam or a scheme or a hidden agenda weirdness, 3) Heneghan's doing okay he just doesn't like this film anymore and wants it hidden while he takes a break.

Look, I get it Michael! What was once our life's worth can become cringe as you improve as an artist - you're not the person making the stuff you were ten years ago...but you should still have the film kept alive somehow. Someway.

I'm seriously the only person to have ever made fan art of this movie on the internet. That just doesn't happen, and I don't think I like being in a fandom of one. The Romantic is a testament to the power of design and storytelling > animation quality itself. Too often I see people equate good animation with smooth animation, with a budget with squash and stretch. These animations are good but art is diverse and there's so many kinds of films out there, the value of the medium can't just be in one style/form. There's a lot of honestly wonderful pieces of art out there if you know where to look and you're willing to see where it leads you.

Don't let The Romantic be the most forgotten movie of all time. Reblog this post. Show it to your friends. PM the animation community reviewer people like Saberspark and someone who isn't Saberspark and smuggle them a copy.

Keep telling the story...

[davidmann95]

Sooo… Superman and the Authority?

magnus-king123 asked: Your thoughts on Superman & the authority Give it to me...lol

Anonymous asked: Seeing Bezos take his little trip into space the same day Morrison puts out a Superman comic that touches on how far we’ve fallen from the days when we dreamed of utopian futures where everyone explored the stars was a big gut punch. Not used to Superman being topical in that way.

Anonymous asked: What'd you think of Superman and the Authority#1?

This is far beyond what I can fit in the normal weekly reviews, so taking this as my notes on the first six pages, with this and this as my major lead-in thoughts:

* Janin's such a perfect fit for Morrison - the scale, the power, the facial expressions selling the character work, the screwing around with the panel formatting as necessary to sell the effect, the numinous sense of things going on larger than you can fully perceive amidst the beauty and chaos. It's a shame he wasn't around 25 years ago to draw JLA, but I'll take him going with Morrison onto other future projects.

* His intro action sequence is such a great demonstration of why Black actually does have something to offer, and also how he's such a dumbass desperately needing Superman to save him from himself.

* While Jordie Bellaire didn't legit go with an entirely monochromatic palate the way early previews suggested, it's still an effect frequently and excellently deployed here. And glad to see Steve Wands carry into this from Blackstars since there's such an obvious carryover from its work with Superman.

* "Gentlemen. Ladies. Others." Great both because of the obvious - hey, Superman's nodding at me! - and because it's a phrasing that reinforces that this take on him (and let's be real Morrison) is old as hell.

* I'm mostly past caring about whether this is an alt-Earth Superman until it becomes indisputable one way or another, this and Action both rule so what does it really matter? But while there are still a couple signs in play suggesting some kind of division (the Action Comics #1036 cover, Midnighter up to time-travel shenanigans) the "lost in time" quote clearly thrown in after the fact to explain how he could have met Kennedy outside of 5G that wouldn't be necessary for an Elseworlds, the assorted gestures towards Superman's current status quo, the Kingdom Come symbol appearing in Action, and that Morrison would have had to completely rewrite the ending if this wasn't supposed to be 'the' version of Clark Kent going forward as was the intent when they first planned it all say to me that no, no fooling around, this is our guy going forward one way or another.

* Janin and Bellaire making the first version of the crystal Fortress ever that actually looks as cool as you want it to.

Anonymous asked: I like that Superman and The Authority is basically the anti-All-Star; instead of the laid back, immortal Superman who is supercharged, we have a stressed, ageing Superman whose tremendous powers are fading. The former will always be there to save us, but the latter is running out of time and needs to pull off a Hail Mary. Also, he mentions in his monologue to Black that he was "lost in time" when he met JFK, so maybe he is the main continuity Clark. Or he's the t-shirt Supes from Sideways.

* You're absolutely right - the power reversal is obvious and the ticking clock in play seemingly isn't for his own survival but everyone around him as he wakes up and realizes all the old icons grew complacent with the gains they'd made and he's not leaving behind the world he meant to. Both, however, are built on the idea of preparing the world to not need them anymore - it'll still have a Superman in his son, but that'll only work because of the others he empowers and inspires. The question is what happens to Clark if he's not going to live in the sun for 83000 years.

* Clark's 'exercise' here does more to sell me on the idea of Old Man Superman as a cool idea than however many decades of Earth 2 stuff.

* Intergang being noted alongside Darkseid and Doomsday speaks to how much Kirby informed Morrison's conception of Superman.

* This isn't exactly the most progressive in its disability politics but at least it makes clear Black's being a piece of shit about it.

* It's startling how much Clark can get away with saying stuff in here you'd never expect to come out of Superman's mouth. "I made an executive decision" "Privacy, really...?" "You have nowhere to go, Black. Nothing to live for." "There are few people in my life who I instinctively and viscerally dislike, and you've always been one of them." It only works because there's zero aggression behind it, he's just past the point of niceties and being totally frank while making clear none of these assessments preclude that he cares and is going to unconditionally do the right thing every time. He is absolutely, per Morrison, humanity's dad picking us up when we're too drunk to drive ourselves home.

* The story doesn't put a big flashing light over it, but it's not even a little bit subtle having the material threat of the issue be a ticking timebomb left by the carelessness and hubris of generations past.

* Manchester keeps trying to poke the bear and prove his hot takes about Superman and it's just not working. The front he put up under Kelley is gone after decades of defeats, and as Morrison understands what actually conceptually works about him as a rival to Superman underneath the aging nerd paranoia he's exposed as what he absolutely would be in 2021: a dude with a horrific terminal case of Twitter brainworms. I was PANICKED when I heard there was an 'offensive term' joke in this, I was braced for Morrison at their well-meaning worst, but it's such a goddamn perfect encapsulation of a very specific breed of Twitter leftist who uses their politics first and foremost as a cudgel and justification to label their abrasive, judgmental shittiness as self-righteousness (plus it's a killer payoff to a joke from way back in his original appearance). Cannot believe they pulled that off when they're so very, very open about basically not knowing how the internet works.

* @charlottefinn: Manchester Black using his telekinetic powers to force someone he hates to fave a problematic tweet so that he can screenshot it and start a dogpile

@intergalactic-zoo: “Once they cancel Bibbo, Superman won’t be *anyone’s* fav’rit anymore!”

* Friend noted this issue had to be fully the conversation because the whole premise stands on the house of cards of these two somehow working together, and with three 'silent' inset panels the creative team pulls off that turning point.

* So much of this feels on the surface like Morrison bringing back the All-Star vibes with Clark, but when he drops a "That's all you got?" in a brawl you realize what's underlining that bluntness and confidence in the face of failure is that deep down this is still the Action guy too. This dude ain't gonna get wrecked in his Fortress while the other guy chuckles about him being A SOFT WEE SCIENTIST'S SON!

* Bringing up Jor-El made me realize that Morrison already spelled out that this is the final threat to Superman, what he faces at the end of the road:

"Now it's your turn, Superman."

* A l'il Superman 2000/All-Star reference with the Phantom Zone map!

* There's so much intertextuality going on here even by Morrison standards - Change or Die with the old hero putting together a team of morally nebulous folks out to 'fix' everything, Flex Mentallo with the muscleman trying to redeem the punk, Doomsday Clock with the fate of the world hinging on whether Superman can get through to a meta stand-in for an idea of 'modern' comics cynicism, DKR and New Frontier and Kingdom Come and Multiversity and Seven Soldiers and What's So Funny and All-Star and Action and the last 5 years of monthly Superman comics and Authority and probably Jupiter's Legacy and Tom Strong - but none of that's needed. You could go in with the baseline pop cultural understanding of the character and not care about any of the inside baseball shit and get that this is a story about a leader of a generation that let down the people they made all their grand promises to as inertia and day-to-day demands and complacency let him be satisfied with the accomplishments they'd made long ago, looking at a new era and seeing the ways its own activists are dropping the ball. The only thing that fundamentally matters in a "you have to accept you're reading a superhero story" sense is that because he's Superman he's willing to own up to it and listen to people who might know better about some things and try to set things right while he and those who'll take his place still have a chance. And yes, the oldster looking back on their legacy with a skeptical eye and hoping for better from the next generation, hoping most of all that their little heir apparent can fulfill the promise inside of him instead of being a provocating little shitkicker, is obviously also autobiographical.

* The overlaying Kennedy reprisal is such a great visual of a sudden intrusive thought.

* The Kryptonite secret is the obvious "This is going to matter!" moment, but "He lied about his son" is a bit that doesn't connect to anything going on right now so maybe that's important here too? More significantly, the Justice League can't actually be the villains here but that Ultra-Humanite's crew are in an Earth-orbiting satellite makes pretty clear what's up.

* I've said before that between Superman, OMAC, and a New Gods-affiliated speedster this was going to use all of Morrison's favorite things. King Arthur playing a role isn't exactly dissuading me.

* Love the idea that all the antiheroes have their own community in the same way as the capes and tights crew. They definitely all privately think the rest are posers though and that they alone are Garth Ennis Punisher in a mob of Garth Ennis Wolverines.

* Manchester's fallen so far he's gone from trying to convince Superman to kill to convince him to dunk on people for their bad takes and Clark just doesn't get it. Official prediction of dialogue for upcoming issues:

"According to these bloody Fortress scans, the only thing that can restore your powers is an unfiltered hit of dopamine. Don't worry, Doctor Black has a few ideas."

"Hmm. Maybe I'll plant a nice tree?"

"...fuck you."

* Ok I already talked about how great the Fortress looks in here but LOVE this library.

* A pair of pages this seems like the right spot to discuss from Black's original appearance that underlines both his and Superman's inadequacies up to this point:

Responding to the problem of "the government and penal system are hopelessly corrupt" neither of them has any actual notion of what to do about it in spite of their respective posturing beyond how to handle individual outside actors - each is in their own way every bit as small-minded and reactionary as the other. Clark's coming around though, and he's holding out hope for the other guy.

* Superman: Have a lovely mineral water :) proper hydration is important :)

Manchester Black: *Is a dude who can get so mad he vomits and passes out. At water.*

* That last page is the one to beat for the year, and does more to put over the idea of this as an Authority book than that Midnighter and Apollo are literally going to show up. It also feels like Morrison tacitly acknowledging all the ways the premise could go or at least be received wrong - from Superman saying 'enough is enough' to who he's bringing into the fold to go about it - in the most beautifully on-the-nose fashion imaginable. Maybe they'll save us all! Or maybe they'll drown us in their vomit.

[cafeacademia]

Love Between The Pages | Chapter 3

Blaise Zabini x Reader

Chapter Summary: You and Blaise enjoy an afternoon in the warmth of spring with your book club, the two of you becoming closer and your mind terribly aware that it might all end with the end of his detention.

Warnings: Nothing, just fluff, very soft chapter, a tiny bit of romance.

Word count: Approx 2000

A/N: Hi loves, here's the third chapter!! I had initially intended to include a mildly angsty scene in this chapter, but I just couldn't fit it in and maintain the soft vibes I've been going for with this series. I hope you enjoy none the less! The next part will be the last full part and then it'll be followed up by a little epilogue!

The warm afternoon sun and a light, cool breeze made the grounds the perfect spot to enjoy the hour. It was warm, but not too hot and neither was it cold. “If we go a bit further down, we can hear the lake.” Neville said over his shoulder to the rest of the group as Theo walked along beside him, everyone happily following Neville closer to the lake shore.

“It’s pretty out here, isn’t it?” Cho asked, looking over at Draco who just sort of shrugged at her. “It’s alright I suppose.” He replied. “Oh shut up, we all know you like it, you can admit it.” Ginny teased, the girls giggling at the way Draco playfully rolled his eyes at them, too amused to really be mad.

“It really is nice out here.” You said, glancing up at Blaise as you walked next to each other, a little behind the others. “I can’t believe you never thought of it.” He chuckled. And Blaise had been right, it would be lovely to read out in the afternoon sun on a warm spring day, with a gentle breeze and the lapping of the lake against the shore. The birds flitting about added to the ambience, along with the distant cheer and laughter coming from the quidditch practice that was taking place in the distance, the odd giggle and shriek of laughter bringing the grounds to life as a group of first years bounded down to see Hagrid.

Following the others down, you felt the soft brush of Blaise’s hand against yours, the back of his fingers trailing over yours. It made butterflies blossom in your chest, your heart flipping as you glanced down at his gentle touch. Looking up at him, flustered and shy, you could barely look him in the eyes and you hoped, at least for a moment that he didn’t notice what he did to you, that he didn’t realise what kind of feelings you felt when his hand touched yours like that.

Was this more than just a little crush, you wondered. Was it more than just attraction when you thought of someone nearly all the time? Their voice on your mind, their mannerisms and things they would say playing in your mind over and over. Perhaps it was more.

“Here’s a good spot.” Neville sighed contentedly as he pulled his bag off his shoulders and placed it down on the grass below a tree before lowering himself onto the grass, his actions pulling you out of your little daze and your hand parted from Blaise’s.

Theo sat next to Neville, the pair having slowly become more friendly with each other over their interest in Herbology and books. And who would have known that Theodore Nott had an interest in Herbology, had it not been for Neville who saw it in him? Theo seemed to admire Neville’s attentiveness to character, seemed to admire his kind, nurturing nature. Perhaps that was what drew him towards the Gryffindor, and gave him the patience to give the friendship a chance.

Settling down next to Blaise beneath a tree, you pulled your copy of The Hobbit into your lap as he got himself comfortable, leaning back against the old oak tree. “The Hobbit, have you read it before?” Blaise asked as he looked over your shoulder, your eyes going wide with excitement. “Once, yes.” You nodded. “Have you read Little Women too?” He asked as he lifted the copy of Little Women he had borrowed from the library. “I’ve read that too.” You smiled shyly, looking down at your book. “I think it’s nice, it’s sweet actually.” Blaise replied. “What do you mean?” It came out quieter than expected, but not so quiet he hadn’t heard you. “That you read so much, that you know the muggle fiction in the library so well.” He chuckled softly.

Blaise often forgot that your upbringing had not been like his. While he was brought up with the reality of his abilities and those around him, you were unbeknown to the world of witchcraft and wizardry. For you, it was only being alive in the books you read, it was nothing but a fantasy to you. Sometimes he wished he had lived like you, in innocence growing up with nothing more thrilling than a muggle book to delve into, with fantasies he could not fathom. He wondered what it was like when you found out you were a witch and to have the fantasies of magic suddenly become a reality for you too.

Looking over at you, Blaise found himself unable to look away. It was the way you lazily propped yourself up against the tree beside him, one hand on the page of your book while the other gently slid between the soft blades of grass, your fingers idly trailing gently over daisy heads that bloomed beneath the tree. It was the late afternoon light that cast a golden glow over you, highlighting your beauty in every way.

Perhaps it was the way his heart fluttered or the light airy feeling he got when you smiled at him. Or perhaps it was the way you shone so brightly for someone who was so shy and quiet. Whatever it was, a thought crossed his mind in that moment, one he knew only as fact. She has stolen my heart.

It was then that you looked up from your book, having felt his gaze on you. He met your eyes with a flash of embarrassment before he gave you his lopsided charming smile that never seemed to fail in melting you.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked softly.

"Like what?" Blaise countered.

"Like you're-." In love. You stopped yourself, the words unable to roll off your tongue. What if it wasn't love? What if it was just curiosity?

"Like I'm what?" Blaise prompted, his fingers reaching across the grass and gently brushing against yours, rising the warmth through you again. It was confusing, yet exhilarating and so sweet all at the same time.

The words played on your lips, tangible yet out of reach. They clung to you. What if it wasn't love?

"Nothing, I just meant..." You trailed off.

But as you questioned it, you wondered more now; what if it was love?

Between the longing gazes, the need to be near each other, the soft barely there touches and the way you both naturally seemed to look for each other in a room. Maybe it was love.

But as the comfortable silence took over and Blaise gazed at you with a soft smirk, he realised he didn’t need the answer. He knew what you were going to say, what was sitting on the tip of your tongue, too shy to be put into words.

Instead of trying to pry words from you or formulate the ones he was not sure he could just yet, Blaise gently slid his fingers through the soft blades of grass, his fingertips lightly brushing over the back of your hand. You looked up at him, a sweet expression about you, somewhere between curiosity and something flustered, wanting. It was soft, the way he took your hand in his, gentle and sweet as if he thought he might hurt you with the slightest movement, his fingers gently grasping your hand in his, resting in the cool grass.

You gazed up at him, eyes full of something, but they told him everything. The gentle lap of the water on the lake shore, the soft chatter of the birds in the trees and the way the breeze rustled through the leaves. The fresh spring scent, it smelled of green, of flowers, of fresh water. It was the light salt smell of the silt that collected on the bank, the woody scent of the tree that you both leaned against. And then there was the feeling, the feeling Blaise brought you, the butterflies that fluttered through you at the way he smiled, the way he gazed at you as if you were the only one there.

You read like that for a while, with your book in your lap, one hand turning the pages while your other was resting in Blaise’s gentle grasp, his thumb lightly tracing over the back of your hand, your fingers adjusting around his hand now and again, relaxing and becoming more comfortable with the soft touch.

And even when the low toll of the clock tower bell rang to signal the turn of the hour, accompanied by the soft shuffling of pages and clothes against grass, the quiet chatter of your friends as they gathered their things together, you stayed together for a moment longer.

“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your common room.” Blaise suggested as he pulled away from you, putting his book away. And even though you could have spent the whole night out in the grounds by his side, you knew you could not. It would soon be time for dinner and after that you knew you had other things you needed to do before tomorrow for class. “I’d like that.” You nodded, reaching for your bag and tucking your book away.

Blaise got to his feet first, throwing his bag over his shoulder before he held out both of his hands to help you up. And you gently placed your hands in his, letting him help you to your feet, his gentle touch not leaving yours for a moment, even after you were standing.

Taking your bag and adjusting it on your shoulders, you began to walk side by side, your friends having already started walking back up the grounds towards the stone circle. “Last week is your last meeting with us.” You sighed, intending it not to sound as if you were as disappointed as you felt, but Blaise heard the way it hurt to say it out loud, the longing hope that it might not end, especially not so soon. “And we’ll make it the best, won’t we?” Blaise gently nudged your arm. “I suppose we will.” You nodded as you both continued up the hill, your mind thinking up all manner of ideas of what you could do for the last meeting the boys were there for.

You didn’t want them to leave. Of course at first you had been thinking the same as Ginny had said, it felt as if you were the ones being punished for the boys attacking your group. But it quickly became apparent that perhaps the book club was just as much of a safe space for the boys as it was for you and your friends. And you hoped at least, that they liked it enough to stay after their last meeting, but there was no way you could know for sure and part of you was afraid to ask.

You heard a joyful shriek of laughter as you passed through the stone circle, looking up ahead to see Draco and Ginny laughing with their heads thrown back about something that Theo had said, Cho unable to stop herself from giggling. It made you smile. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the same without the boys if they left, at least you felt like something would be missing.

And as you walked up the steps towards your common room, your hands brushing together, fingers linking gently and soft glances cast between you, you became lost in your thoughts.

“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Blaise asked as you both stopped outside of the common room door, his breath catching in his throat at the accidental use of the name. It was true though, you were a sweetheart in every sense of the word, darling, kind, gentle, quiet. There was no other word to describe you the way Blaise wanted to. Meeting his gaze, your smile reaching your eyes with a loving warmth, you shook your head. “Nothing at all.” You lied. He didn’t believe you, but he didn’t mind, they weren’t his to be shared. “Alright, I’ll see you around then.” Blaise smiled, gently squeezing your hand. “Yes,” You paused, the thought again on your mind. What if it wasn’t love? “See you later.” Were your last words before your hands parted and you took one last look at Blaise before you turned away to walk towards the Ravenclaw common room door. And you wondered again; what if it was love?

Blaise Zabini Taglist (OPEN):

@paintballkid711 @megantje123 @chaotic-fae-queen @slytherinwh0re @frecklesandfirecrackers @starofthedawn @mingyuahjumma @dracosaccount @90smalfoy @fuckingdraco @loving-life-my-way @cpetrova @miraclesoflove @struggling-bee @weasleywhore @little-me204 @dreaming-about-fanfictions @eli-malfoy-asf @ur-local-reality-shifter @voidmalfoy @wh0re4blaise @cherie-draco @lazypeachsoul @sistheselenophile @sw33tgirl

[qlala]

Is it cheating to submit a fic request for the pride post you just made? I neeeed the whole thing (I'm on my laptop, but insert the big gay eyes emoji)

fjskdgjslg "big gay eyes emoji" you know what? just for you. just for you i have written this. i'll clean it up and upload to ao3 later but for now: have 2.7k of len dragging a sunburnt, tipsy, and glitter-covered barry back to his apartment, and happy pride!

Len wasn’t the type to begrudge anyone a good time, especially when the good time involved loud music, leather harnesses, and throwing water bottles at cops. Central City’s annual pride parade came as close as it got to challenging that attitude; families, fellow queers, and queens descended on the city waving more flags than the United Nations after a hurricane, all decked out in color combinations that Len hadn’t been able to keep straight since the ‘80s. 

The end result was the kind of crowds that could make a grown man feel claustrophobic in the middle of a city block, and that was without the visible haze of alcohol wafting off the whole event. 

But what the parade lacked in personal space, it made up for with one very important commodity: unattended wallets. 

The flock of sunburnt twinks in denim cut-offs made Len’s job almost too easy—a hand on a sweat-slicked lower back, a flash of blue eyes, and most of them wouldn’t have noticed their wallets going missing if Len had dangled their IDs in front of their faces afterwards. (While there were plenty of women dressed in just as little clothing whom Len certainly wouldn’t have minded getting within robbing distance of, he’d found queer women as a group to be less enthusiastic about uninvited touching and more enthusiastic about wallet chains, even when three sheets to the wind off of canned rosé.)   

He’d taught a dozen visiting suburbanites the importance of not keeping valuables in their back pockets by the time he spotted a familiar profile in the crowd. 

His usual red getup wasn’t much more modest than some of the outfits Len had already seen, but even knowing the shape of that body didn’t prepare Len for seeing Barry Allen stripped to the waist, bright-eyed and flushed and shimmering all over with a fine dusting of glitter. Len noted, on auto-pilot, that it didn’t seem like he’d put any of the glitter there himself; he was standing dangerously close to a drag queen throwing handfuls of the stuff on anyone who got within arm’s reach of her. It set the sun refracting off every dip and plane of muscle across Barry’s chest and stomach. Barry’s hair, already wild and dark at the roots with sweat, was full of it.   

Len’s feet were carrying him closer before he gave himself permission to move. Barry managed to drag Len into his orbit at the best of times; visibly tipsy and dripping sweat, Len would’ve had better luck resisting the turning of the earth. 

Up close, Len could take that Barry had lost his shirt somewhat recently; the slight touch of pink spanning his shoulders and chest had nothing on the serious flush across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. He had a spray of new freckles as well. They were barely distinguishable under the haze of glitter stuck to his skin, but Len noticed them at once, the change unmistakable on an otherwise unchanging face (not a scar to be seen, even after three years of running into burning buildings and jumping in front of bullets; Len was equal parts frustrated and relieved).   

It looked like someone had painted a few strokes of color across one of his cheeks at some point, but it was smudged to hell and back. The back of one of Barry’s hands was stained a tell-tale matching purple, and Len could only guess at what it had been at the start of the day. 

He stepped into Barry’s space as easily as he had the rest, taking care to keep Barry between him and the source of the glitter, and hesitated for the briefest moment with his hand above Barry’s spine. He’d never touched Barry like this, skin to skin; the gloves had never come off between them, metaphorically or literally. Kept things neat. 

Nothing about Barry was neat right now. He turned even before Len touched him, and the movement brought Len’s hand into contact with his side instead. It took everything in Len not to pull it back in a flinch, and he met Barry’s curious glance with a tightly-controlled smirk. 

He’d expected Barry to step back, maybe add a bit of blush to those already-pink cheeks. Instead, Barry’s eyes took a belated second to focus, and then he gave Len a face-splitting grin. 

“Snart!” 

That time, Len did have to pull backwards to avoid Barry dragging him in for a hug. To think he’d been concerned about a hand. 

Barry didn’t seem the least bit put out, smiling loose and easy like Len hadn’t iced him to the door of a bank vault the last time they’d seen each other. He hadn’t taken Barry for such a cheerful drunk—he seemed inclined toward melodrama on a good day—but Len would take it over any of the alternatives. 

“Barry. Fancy seeing you here. And so much of you, at that.” He let his gaze slide down his bare chest and stomach, pulse ticking up at the warm brown of his nipples and the sharp vee of his hipbones that invited his gaze further down. 

“You’re overdressed,” Barry disagreed. He wasn’t quite slurring, but there was a careful deliberation in his tone that told Len it was a near thing. He took a step closer and peered at Len, suspicion evident in those pale green eyes.   “And… sober.”

“I’m not here to score. Perks include keeping my shirt on.” 

For the briefest second, Barry looked almost disappointed. But it was gone in a blink, confusion taking over. He glanced down at himself, puzzled. Then his expression cleared, and he looked up with another easy-going smile.  “I got hot.” His gaze dropped again, to Len this time, and he licked his lips. “Aren’t you… you gotta be hot in all that.” 

Len was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and thin jacket, and it hadn’t hit eighty degrees all week. But he wasn’t in the mood to argue with drunk logic. And besides, another scan of the nearby revelers had made something unpleasant begin to scratch insistently at the inside of Len’s chest, and he tapped Barry under the chin with one knuckle to bring his attention back up. 

The contact startled both of them—Len’s control had slipped, something he could not afford to happen around Barry Allen—but Len recovered first. “Where’s the rest of your team of do-gooders?” 

“Lost ‘em.” Judging by the return of Barry’s crooked grin, it was an accomplishment, not a concern. “Cisco said the shot was too strong, but I didn’t wanna go. He’s the d…” He faltered, brows pulling together as he frowned. “S’the designed. Designinated, superhero, anyway. Shh!” 

He shot a pointer finger toward Len in a movement that Len clocked, alarmingly, as intending to be pressed to his lips, as if he were the one who’d been chatting about Vibe’s secret identity. Len had three years of dealing with the Flash to thank for being able to catch Barry’s wrist in time to stop him, and he glared at him for the attempt. 

But Barry only gave him a crinkle-eyed smile and twisted his hand in Len’s grip to clasp his wrist back. “S’so good to see you here. I didn’t think…” 

“Don’t tell me you had me pegged for straight.” 

Barry made a frankly insulting noise halfway between a scoff and a hiccup and tilted Len a condescending look. 

“Speedster, remember?” he asked, far too loudly, even for a crowd currently screaming along to a pop song that’d been bad enough the first time Len’d heard it in 2000. “I see it when you...” He let go of Len’s wrist to make a gesture with two fingers, parting them in a V and sweeping them up and down Len’s body, the muscles in his forearm shifting distractingly under Len’s hand. God, the kid had to be a hundred degrees. “When you check me out. In the suit.” 

Len smirked. “It’s cute you thought I was being subtle.” 

“You’re cute,” Barry muttered, childish and sulky, and Len took it for the compliment it wasn’t. 

“You had a point, Barry.” 

Barry still looked displeased with him, but his brow was furrowed again when he met his gaze. This close, it was impossible to ignore that Barry had an inch or so on him. “About what?” 

“You didn’t think…?” Len prompted him. 

Barry stared at him blankly, and Len rolled his eyes and let go of his wrist. 

“Get out of the sun, Barry,” he said. “Find a park bench. Wait for your little friends to come find you. Shouldn’t be hard—you’re as red as your suit.” 

Barry either ignored his last comment or didn’t hear it. “Iris is here somewhere,” he said, possibly to himself. “She’s…” He twirled his finger absently beside his head. “Curly, today. And… bikini.” 

Len strongly considered abandoning Barry to his sunburn to go find out for himself. But Barry was beginning to sway a bit, and a man closer to Len’s age than Barry’s was giving Barry’s toned back a speculative look from a few feet away, and Len gave in to the unsettled feeling gnawing at his ribcage. He refused to call it worry. It was annoyance—or, at the very least, the feeling was annoying him, which was close enough.   

“As much a sight for sore eyes as that would be,” he said, allowing a magnanimousness he didn’t feel to color his tone, “I doubt Miss West ran away from her group and got heatstroke. Unlike some people” 

Barry didn’t look the least bit chastened, lips curving up mischievously in a way that drew another couple interested looks. Len needed to get them both out of the crowd before he started breaking noses.

“Tell you what. Give Cisco a call, tell him you went home. My bike’s on Kingsbridge, away from the parade route.” 

Barry’s smirk sharpened. “Trying to get me out of here, Snart? I thought you weren’t here to score.” 

Len gave him a flat look, ignoring the decidedly interested way his body was reacting to Barry’s tone. 

“You can barely stand.” 

Barry’s eyes glittered at the challenge, and Len realized his mistake. 

“Barry—” 

He hadn’t even finished biting out the second syllable when the world spun out from under him, the noise and the heat and the press of the crowd swallowed up in a hair-raising charge of yellow lightning. Exactly two and a half seconds passed in a blur of movement, just long enough for Len to realize Barry was supporting the back of his head with one too-warm hand. Then the world came skidding to a stop around them. Barry’s momentum carried them both forward several feet even after their new surroundings materialized, and they very nearly went straight through a window again before Barry seemed to remember how to stop. 

Len considered pushing him out the window anyway for the stunt. True, he’d been itching to get another taste of that feeling, the ozone snap-drag of Barry’s power like a live wire under his hands, but he’d rather have waited until Barry could pass a breathalizer. 

He realized Barry still had an arm around him and shoved him off. It did nothing to dim Barry’s self-satisfied grin, and Len had to look away or risk giving into the interested once-over Barry was skimming over his body again. 

“Pretty sure the point of a designated driver is not doing that.” 

Barry followed him when he took a step back. Len made a calculated decision, decided the risk of touching Barry again was worth it, and pressed his fingers to the middle of Barry’s chest—right where the Flash insignia would be on his suit, his brain offered unhelpfully—and pushed him backwards, hard. 

Barry unbalanced and wheeled back a step. Then the backs of his knees hit the edge of the couch, and he toppled, satisfyingly, back onto the dark leather cushions. 

It was a nice couch. The whole apartment was nice, actually. Len could’ve drawn a perimeter of possible locations based on Barry’s speed and how long it had taken them to reach it if he hadn’t already known the address. 

“Sit,” he said. And then, with a smirk: “Stay.” 

Barry rolled his eyes. “Gonna have to ask nicer than that if you wanna boss me around in bed.”

The way he threw it out there, easy as anything, almost made Len miss a step as he turned away. He wasn’t going to lay a hand on Barry, not when he was drunk on sunlight and skin and whatever concoction Cisco had apparently cooked up for him. But hearing him say it, like they’d already gotten all of the messy parts out of the way—it set off warning bells in Len’s head, flashing past all the possible off-ramps he would’ve taken if Barry had ever tried to have the conversation in a more linear fashion. 

“You’re drunk,” Len said, which was a coward’s answer, and behind him, Barry made a vague noise of agreement. 

“Probably,” he acknowledged. “You could stick around ‘til I’m not.” 

Christ. Len didn’t trust himself to look at Barry again, not when he knew he’d find him sprawled out and shedding glitter all over what had looked like a very expensive couch. “Stay,” he repeated, and went off to find the kitchen. 

By the time he got back with two glasses of water, the problem had solved itself; Barry was out cold on the couch, his painting cheek pressed to the throw pillow he’d curled himself half-around. He was shivering faintly in the air conditioning, all cooled sweat and goosebumps, and Len resigned himself to the now-familiar impulse to help him that stirred in his chest. He put one of the glasses down on the table and, not trusting his hands, knocked his knee into one of Barry’s where it was bent close to the edge of the couch. 

Barry buried his face into the pillow with a noise of displeasure, and Len said his name again. 

“Last warning,” Len said. “Ten seconds, you find out if I put on steel-toed boots today.” 

Barry groaned, and if the sound hadn’t made Len’s pulse skip, the easy shift of muscles in Barry’s arm as he pushed himself up to sitting again would’ve done the trick. 

“Water,” Len said, unnecessarily, as he passed him the glass. 

Barry took it with the tips of his fingers, as if it were something personally offensive to him, and took a single, polite sip before putting it down beside the other with no small amount of distaste. Then he glanced between the glasses, and up at Len, a dirty spark already lighting behind his eyes again. 

“Don’t get your hopes up. They’re both for you.” 

Barry let out a breath with audible annoyance and dropped back against the couch cushions to glare at him. 

Len felt a modicum of sanity return to him. This, at least, was familiar ground: Barry, frustrated, asking for too much, too soon. True, it had always been about the hero business until now, but Len knew a pattern when he saw one. Give Barry an inch, and he always took a mile. 

Len gave Barry one last, appraising look. He looked ridiculous, all self-righteousness and bare skin. There was only one break in the otherwise even coat of glitter, there on Barry’s side: faint, but unmistakable, the outline of Len’s hand on his waist. The feeling in Len’s chest coalesced into something pleased and possessive. He met Barry’s glare with a slow curl of his lips, then gave him an inch.  

“Call me when you’re sober, Barry,” he said, letting his voice slip into the Cold drawl just to watch Barry’s eyes go dark. “And you can show me how well you sit up and beg.” 

He could see the impatience radiating off of Barry’s frame, the effort it was taking him to stay on the couch instead of closing the space between them. 

“Call your friends,” he reminded him. “Enough people got a look at your face today without the CCPD splashing it on every milk carton, too.”

In the elevator, Len reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the thin black wallet he’d liberated from Barry during their sprint across the city. Two and a half seconds: child’s play. A little extra incentive for Barry to track him down in the morning, not that Len thought he needed it. He flipped it open, noted the deer-in-the-headlights picture of Barry on his driver’s license with amusement, and then thumbed open the bill compartment. 

Len smirked. Barry wouldn’t miss a few dollars; he owed him for the dry-cleaning it was gonna take to get the glitter out of his jacket, anyway. 

[junicai]

Relationship with SuperM

➣ BAEKHYUN ☾ baekaria

before being thrown into a supergroup together, aria and baekhyun hadn’t really spoken 

they’d seen each other around the building, and aria was an avid supporter of exo so of course she knew who he was but she wasn’t expecting him to know who she was 

so when aria walked into the practice room and was greeted by baekhyun waving her over and calling her name

sue her if she was a little stunned 

their relationship was a little stilted at the beginning

between the age gap, and baekhyun not having a girl member in a group before, it took a few weeks for the two of them to figure out their dynamic and where they fit around each other 

eventually though

they settled into a pretty comfortable situation

baekhyun tries to put her at ease as much as possible 

there is 8 years in the difference, but you’d swear that its less than half 

although he’s playful and generous with the teasing like he is to other members 

he’s careful to avoid certain topics when it comes to aria, just out of respect for her and not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable

this came to fruition after kai unknowingly made a small comment on how aria “must have been hungry”, considering how fast she was eating

baekhyun knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but he watched aria slowly put down her chopsticks and reach for the bottle of water beside her instead

he didn’t see her eat for the rest of the evening

did kai get in trouble? no but he did get hit lightly over the head

when aria does something cool - like a spin or a trick - baekhyun is the first to say “that’s my child. i raised her, look how well i taught her” 

ten: “heY-”

tldr: although they’re not the closest, aria’s slowly grown more comfortable around him, and he’s looking out for her all the time 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

200829 Knowing Brothers: when baekhyun brought up the members of superm all showering together to get closer quickly, heechul quickly pounced on aria - the girl slowly moving to put her head in her hands. 

“and where was aria during all of this? don’t tell me you brought her to?”

baekhyun: “well of course we did-” 

aria: “NO I STAYED OUTSIDE HE’S A LIAR DON’T LISTEN TO HIM!”

*cue baekhyun laughing his ass off*

➣ TAEMIN ☾ arimin

aria thought she was going to die

there was absolutely no plausible reason that she should be in a group with The Taemin

he was highkey the reason why she had even accepted her position in sm at the very beginning of her training

this man convinced a fifteen year old to give up the sport she’d been doing her entire life 

his impact  (*¯ ³¯*)♡

please stand by while aria tosses herself off a bridge

she was So Formal at the beginning

he honestly was the member she took the longest time to warm up to - because she had idolized him for so long

will still refer to him as taemin-ssi occasionally, but now its less a formality and more of a tease

this boy was shook when he found out how young aria was - mark and lucas he can deal with because at least they’re 1999, but aria....

“2000??? 2000?” 

he said :O

despite their rocky start, they’re quite comfortable around each other, especially after spending a few nights rooming together over the tour

does aria still look for his validation in a lot of her work? yes, but she’s more open about asking for it now then she would have been 

taemin definitely doesn’t have a favourite kid and it’s definitely not aria no why would you think that

aria really out here collecting parents like pokémon 

gotta catch em all~

he looks out for her a lot during their schedules, mainly because he knows what its like to be the youngest in a group and how it can feel a little like you don’t really have a place there

so he always makes sure to include her where possible 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

sitting in a circle in a waiting room while mark toy-ed around with the guitar in his lap, aria sat curled in the corner, humming lightly to herself as taemin sang softly along with mark playing “view”.

quietly, she began to sing soft backing harmonies along with taemin, her eyes still attached to her phone in her hands.

when she felt the device being tugged out of her hands and her being pulled upright by another hand on her arm, she looked up to see taemin smiling brightly, still singing 

cue the impromptu concert of a lifetime: with god tier vocals

➣ KAI ☾ kairia

so, they met

and kai just kinda went: mine.

and that was that really 

its like a puppy refusing to give up its favourite chew toy 

“nooo but its my turn to room with aria :(”

never really did the whole awkward, getting to know each other phase? 

not that aria had any real say in it

but jongin point blank refused to engage in small talk with her

so they ended up spending their nights on the superm tour talking about stuff ranging from why the sky is blue to why aria stopped ice skating

she started crying and he did not handle it well, bless him

although he’s super chill and fun to be around

he’s also the only non-nct member that seriously scolds her 

when he found her in a practice room lying on the ground (she was Resting, thank you very much) at three in the morning, he dragged her out without a word and brought her back to her dorms in silence 

aria knew he was mad at her, but she thought it was because he had to borderline carry her four blocks down to the nct dorms 

“no you idiot, im angry because you thought that instead of coming to one of us for help with the bits you’re struggling with, you figured hey. let’s pass out instead.” 

he’s so affectionate with her

you know how lucas and kai have Intense Brothers Energy

well aria has that, little sister vibe that makes kai want to wrap her in a blanket and carry her everywhere

she’d hate that, if he tried that she’d scream (he did try that, this is coming from past experience)

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

kai chucking aria like a cannon ball into the pool during the filming of mtopia when she refused his hugs.

“oppa, oppa no im sorry ill give you all the hugs you want, oppa, JONGIN-OPPA NO NO NO NO -”

*sploosh*

➣ TAEYONG ☾ ariyong

taeyong took one look at aria the first time she showed up for group practice and immediately adopted her (not literally but he would if he could)

eomma meets highly protective brother meets life coach type beat?

so so soft for her its sickening 

says he doesn’t have favourites and will then spend an hour cooking for aria because she’s been in the studio the whole day and he knows she hasn’t eaten yet

when aria was given a duet to do for the sm stages, she had to pick another member to do it with and her first choice was taeyong 

she always has said that taeyong is one of the pillars keeping her upright and sane - without him she wasn’t sure if she would have been able to complete her training 

because of all the schedules they share together, if aria isn’t rooming with mark then she’s definitely rooming with taeyong

whenever she does his makeup (more often than you’d think) she point blank refuses to cover his scar, even when he asks her to do so

“please? i don’t like it.” “*gasp* how dare you.”

sleepy aria! snuggling into taeyong’s shoulder when a schedule ran late!

he gets uncomfy when the stylists put her in too revealing clothes, and has spoken to them on numerous occasions about dressing her in age-appropriate attire, no matter how “sexy” the concept might be

he keeps little bags of sugar-dusted strawberry sweets in his bag incase she forgets to eat and feels faint after the last time (they used to be blueberry flavoured but he heard donghyuck throwing out any and all “blueberry-contaminated” food one evening)

taeyong doesn’t tolerate hate towards aria, especially in person, so he always makes sure to sit down the line from her so that he can see when people skip her intentionally 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

taeyong had just been awarded the single bedroom on the last night of the mtopia series, and was staring off into the corner looking rather uncomfortable. aria, who was meant to be rooming with baekhyun, looked over and saw his mouth curled downwards slightly. 

“baekhyun-oppa, is it ok if i room with taeyongie-oppa tonight? i ran out of my tablets, and he has some in his bag..”

baekhyun looked down at her with a small smile and agreed, while the edited captions on the video appeared with the words, “a cute maknae asking to room with a younger member..”

➣ TEN ☾ tenaria

Whipped™

so so gone for her its upsetting actually

yangyang and aria share the position of his baby

except aria willingly accepts the title while yangyang would rather fling himself from a rooftop

ten’s instagram is half his cats, half miyazu aria

he posts her dancing practice on his story a lot, with a variety of captions ranging from “thats my baby  ♡( ◡‿◡ )” to “yah that’s not right…(눈_눈)”

such an enabler for her bad ideas

aria wants to go shopping at 4am? ten agrees, now they’re sitting by han river eating ice cream

pls he’s gonna get her in so much trouble one day

when they walk together, ten likes to take her hand and put it in his pocket

its under the pretense of not wanting her to get lost

he just wants to hold her hand

yes he has lost her in a shopping mall, and NO it wasn’t his fault

ten always complains that they never have schedules together and he misses his baby

“we have superm-” “I NEVER SEE YOUUUU (ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ”

if they’re in the same room ten is either watching her out of the corner of his eye, or is actually wrapped around her like a boa constrictor

hugs n kithes all around

only he is allowed make fun of her mistakes in dancing

anyone else gets deaded. he will fight for her honor how dare you insult his baby

sm give these ttwo a dancing duo video pls

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

the first and only time aria and ten had a duet was during their last concert on superm’s first world tour. during the second half of ten’s solo performance, aria emerged from the left side of the stage, coming to join him in the centre stage. no one had ever seen aria as serious as she was then, both herself and ten becoming completely different people in the moment. midway through, aria spun with her back to ten and leaped backwards into the air - eyes closed - completely trusting ten to be where she needed him to be to catch her.

➣ LUCAS ☾ arihei

besties

please they’re so cute together - tol child next to tini child she barely comes up to his chest :(

bear hugs

he just swamps her in his arms, and when he doesn’t feel like being bent over he picks her up

complains that she’s too heavy but then immediately after will throw her around like a softball

someone tell this man to be careful with her she’s not a barbie doll

singular braincell energy

don’t get it wrong, they’re both super smart

so it’s just - being smort together, but then nearly dying because neither of them remembered that you couldn’t eat raw cookie dough when there are eggs in it

she adores how he’s so confident in the things that he does - like convincing the entire nct fandom that he was fluent in english? king behaviour

so aria looks up to him (literally) but also because she wants to have that confidence some day

lucas says they’re not close and then aria pouts and he takes it all back

nczennies made a 14 minute compilation titled “lucas melting like a popsicle in australia for aria”

and literally what the title tells you, this man goes :(( when he sees her

lucas was actually the person to convince her to go ahead with the [redacted] proposal - and reminded her that it was too good an opportunity to pass up just because she felt like she was outgrowing the boys

he’s so proud of her

and she’s so proud of him

they’re so proud of each other and it makes nczennies want to cry because they never are seen together

sm stop separating the platonic soulmates first markhyuck and now arihei smh

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

during a photoshoot, aria was standing off to the side of the boys, dressed in white suit to contrast the boys’ black ones. the photographer was calling out to her to get her to move closer, but she couldn’t hear him from so far away, and so lucas (who was on the end) just walked over to her, gripped her by the biceps and lifted her vertically and to the left a little bit. 

“luc-LUCAS?”

“you had to move :)”

➣ MARK ☾ mari

½ of the best friend crew

honestly at the beginning, mark and aria weren’t very close, having only really seen each other in passing or with johnny

but after being dropped into training together the two quickly became fast friends, and now they’re borderline inseparable

you thought you knew pain? watch aria’s reaction to mark’s graduation from dream :)

mark’s the reason why aria felt confident enough to pitch some of her lyric ideas to the team, after staying up until 4am to help her make some edits so she was as confident as possible

kinda just, rests his head on her shoulder? and wraps his arms around her waist when he’s tired

mari being confused in foreigner: ???

aria said once in a vlive that she finds mark really comforting to be around - when she feels stressed or worried about something she’ll go to mark’s room and just sit on his bed for a while

aria is so close with his parents - “ahh, how’s my favourite child” “i’m doing great mom.” “no not you, how’s aria?” “wh-hu-MOM?”

you’d swear sometimes mark is younger than her, considering the pout he puts on and how much he whines when they’re not on the same team together for promotions

mark big protecc boi but also little small cuddly boi

they’re so soft for each other ( ╥ω╥ )

in one of the fancams for mark’s solo stage during superm, someone zoomed into aria singing along with him in the wings and dancing to herself with the Proudest Smile™

he’s! so! proud! of! her! constantly! she could be walking and he’d be like “omg get it”

when aria refuses to get up and make herself food (this happens way too often, she just gets into the groove of her work and doesn’t want to move) mark gets her to by threatening to do it himself

consistently caught by czennies just standing behind her and holding her hand in crowded areas - airports, waiting rooms, etc.

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

mark and aria were standing off to one side as the mc explained the rules of the game they were about to be playing. mark looked totally confused, and elbowed aria in her side before looking down and mouthing “what?” to her. aria opened her mouth, before closing it and looking down at the ground, muttering to herself, “결합… 結合….. le chéile…. le… le.. oh oh - combined! we have to put them together, markie.”

and thus, a new confusion meme was born