#//you might have to just look up a review ^^;

[lilghostiequinni]

Enjoyable Interview?

Main Masterlist Lando Masterlist

Pairing: Podcaster!female oc (Vanessa Van Draak) x Lando Norris

Warnings: Fluffy, 2nd person point of view

Summary: It is the first interview that he truly enjoyed; the result was hours of unfiltered content and also a relationship with the cute interviewer.

Requested: NO / yes

Lando wasn't one to enjoy interviews, much like Max, but he just hides his dislike better than said Dutchman.

The few interviews he does enjoy are the ones usually after a win, especially the ones from after Silverstone.

There are others, and those are the ones that revolve around the fans and fan interactions.

The McLaren team, both PR and Media teams, thought it best to give Lando an interview with you, a podcaster who covers many different topics, after being reached out to by your own team.

You were born in the Netherlands and moved to Belgium when you were just two years old, and you moved even further to Northern France when you were nine, and moved again when you were eleven to Britain.

The British Grand Prix was one race you never missed because it meant something to your father; it was the one race he never missed while he was alive, and you liked to continue the tradition he started.

You started your podcast around the end of September in 2024.

After you had gotten your podcast up and running, it was within weeks that you had gotten a good following, you didn't block one subject off, even going and starting theme days: Homestyle Monday, Crime Story Tuesday, Wednesday's Words of Wisdom, Media Deep DiveThursday, Freestyle Friday, Review Saturday, & Sport Sundays.

Sometimes it got hard to do a podcast episode a day, but there were some that your team had filmed in advance that you could start taking breaks when you needed them.

You also had seasonal and holiday-themed episodes. People came back to your podcast because you gave off this energy that drew people in and made them want to stay and listen.

Your voice was also something people could listen to for hours, with you mostly having a British accent with hints of Northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

The Dutch part of your accent was very slight, but some words sounded very Dutch, especially when you spoke in Dutch.

Your mother told your team, mainly your best friend, who was also your assistant and manager, about the tradition your father held with the British Grand Prix, and looked into who the winner of the British Grand Prix was and reached out to get an interview.

The race was actually about a week and a half before your best friend reached out to McLaren.

McLaren had agreed, not even talking to Lando before agreeing, just telling him to be there because this was one interview he might actually like.

Lando, though, had little to no great expectations walking into this interview, having been given no context for what the interview was about.

He got to the building where you held your podcast and walked in, seeing the receptionist and waving as he walked over to her.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" She asked politely as she looked up at Lando from her desk.

"I am Lando Norris, I was told to be here and I have no idea what is going on," Lando tells her.

The receptionist chuckled at him and nodded as she called for your best friend, who also just happened to walk through the door from the back as the receptionist hit call.

"Hey, Jennie, I got it from here." The receptionist nodded and went back to her work as Lilla turned to Lando, "Hello, Lando, I'm Lilla, if you would follow me."

Lilla then turned and opened the door she had just come out of as Lando followed her.

"Were you given any parameters on what was going to be discussed?" Lilla asked Lando as she briefly glanced back at him as she led Lando down the hall.

"No, I was just told to be here," Lando answered her honestly.

Lilla chuckled then spoke, "So, this is for the Sports Sunday episode set to come out in a couple of days. I don't think that there is any set script or anything. It is more focused on Formula One, more specifically, Silverstone. But it does not have to stay on that topic. You can move it, she can move it. It doesn't even have to be focused on Formula One after your win at Silverstone is discussed."

Lando nods and just follows.

Lilla looks to him and then stops in front of the door, "Just - be yourself."

Lilla then opens the door and allows him through before closing the door.

Lando just stands there for a second and then looks forward and sees you reading through the notes that you have as you sit in the chair. You look up at him after you hear the door open, then close.

You smile at him and stand to greet him.

"Hello, I'm Vanessa Van Draak," You say as you hold your hand out to him.

"Lando, Norris," Lando says as he returns your handshake.

"Ready?" You question as you point to the chair opposite of you.

Lando nods and takes a seat in the chair.

"So, these are the main questions I have and will discuss. After these, we don't have to stay on topic," You tell him.

Lando nods, "Okay, I wasn't told much about what this interview was supposed to be beforehand, so this helps greatly."

After just a few minutes, he nods to you as you look at him, as there is a message coming through from Lilla about being ready to start.

"Hello and welcome to Curated Corner, I'm your host Vanessa Van Draak, and this is Sports Sunday."

Sports Sunday theme music plays through the speakers, making Lando smile at the quirkiness.

"Today I am here with eight-time grand prix winner, with his latest race win in his home race of Silverstone, Lando Norris."

"Hi," Lando said with a smile that could be heard for miles.

It was an interview that was scheduled for only two hours, but you two sat there for over four hours talking about more than just the race win or Formula One.

When the episode was released, you posted to your Instagram about how more than two episodes were needed to hold all of what was talked about, with each episode of the other two episodes coming on Thursday and Friday.

The fans went crazy over the three episodes, saying that you brought out this side of Lando that wasn't seen much anymore. One that was carefree and didn't need to watch himself and what he said around the media.

Within days, there were many edits of the two of you together, from just these three episodes.

Before the season was even up, Lando was in a relationship with you, and fans noticed before you two had even gone public with your relationship, because Lando was happier.

And to think it all started with an interview that Lando thought wasn't going to be enjoyable, but it was enjoyable, probably the most enjoyable interview he's ever done.

A/N: Winner in the 400 Follower Cele This or That poll

Tags: @poppyflower-22 @samantha-chicago @barcelonaloverf1life @tallrock35 @ellen3101 @llando4norris @mcmuppet @issi-loves-dannyric @1800-love-me @barcelonaloverf1life @scopeiguess @01rrdbull @charli123456789 @smashcrabsblog @hadids-world @amz824 @taetae-armyyyyy @watermelonslut @wishesofficial @gigicisneros @hellothere9597

If you want to be removed from a tag list, let me know so I don't keep tagging you. If you are striked through, I don't know if you want to be tagged, but just let me know if you want me to continue or stop

[zurazurax2]

Part 2 of a Mac college AU one-shot I wrote. Had to pull out my previous semester’s statistic notes for this one, though fair warning I might use some terms wrong, let me know if I did! (I’m not a math or science major/minor). I tried writing ‘idiots in love’ but I’m worried I just wrote people with insecurities 😭

Inspired by @veryfruitywriting they planted this seed in my brain, I hope you enjoy the second part, I’m so glad you liked the first part! 🙏

Word Count: 1.8k

__________________________________

It was the next day and you were able to schedule the library’s study room #5 from noon to 2PM. You reviewed almost all your statistics notes the night before and again in the morning, trying to ensure there was no chance of a slip up. You felt yourself getting nervous as you made your way to the room, you stopped by your campus’ coffee shop to get a small assortment of treats, so if you do something wrong at least Mac can say you brought food.

You walked into the study only to find Mac already there, typing something on their laptop, per usual. You knew they were punctual and even though it wasn’t even noon yet, you felt like you were late. You greeted them and place your bag down.

“Hey Mac! You’re early, I brought some sweets and thought I would have some time to properly set them up before you got here, oh well, you can take any from the bag, I brought napkins too”. 

You suddenly entering seemed to have caught them off guard as they slightly jumped and look up at you. You mentally kick yourself for startling them. “Oh, hey there! Sorry I was so focused I didn’t see you. Yes, I decided to come early to get a jump start on the project”. Mac looks at the pastries bag you hand to them. “Woah, thank you, that’s so thoughtful”, they say as they take a napkin and a cookie.

Hearing them say they arrived early to start made you let out an “oh”. Of course, you should’ve expected it, now you have to catch up and make sure they don’t think you plan on letting them do all the work.  “But we haven’t agreed on what we want the project to be on… unless you already have something picked, then I’m fine with going along with your idea and can start doing my part too”.

Mac thought it would look considerate if they started working on the project since earlier you mentioned your other midterms. They tried to gauge what your expression meant, were you simply confused? Or worse, annoyed they started without considering your input? Shoot, Mac thought to themselves, did I act prematurely? “I don’t mean for there to be any confusion. Our project is about choosing a news source and finding 10 examples across their entire archive of incorrect use of statistics. When I said I started working on it I meant I came up with a list of terms that should be applied to the incorrect examples we find. I have a few ideas for which media outlet should be the focus of our project but have yet to choose one, I wanted to go over that now that you’re here”.

Internally, you did a sigh of relief they haven’t made THAT much progress. “Alright, let me see the list you came up with”.

…

You two decided to focus on the Press Agency Times (PAT) for your midterm and were independently going through all the pieces they have ever published, looking for mistakes. You were constantly referencing your textbook, flipping through its pages to remember the difference between response, non-response, selection, voluntary response, and convenience sample bias trying to see if you could find that anywhere. Your eyes occasionally made their way towards Mac, looking at how they rested their face on their hand in concentration, only moving to take a bite of the sweets you brought. The sight made you smile (which you tried to stifle and hide), you could’ve spent the rest of your scheduled time looking at them, but you had to go back to work before they noticed. Mac was also taking occasional glances at you too, looking at how your fingers carefully fliped through the pages of the textbook, silently mouthing experts from it to yourself, then you’d type something on your laptop and repeat the cycle. The sight made their heart beat faster, you looking good while being meticulous and focused, they could not help but stare. This repeated as if on cue, the moment one of you went back to focusing on the project, the other would start looking.

After 40 minutes, you two felt you had enough samples to choose the best 10 incorrect examples from and started going over them together. Mac was right, they did not have much doubt int he first place but it was nice to have confirmation: you were a great project partner, you found so many good examples and explained the errors and how it could have been prevented so clearly; they started to zone out, solely focusing on your mesmerizing face and voice. 

You were going over your sixth example, “… I found PAT violated the key data ethics standards in their 1987 experiment, the researchers did not-“

“—provide enough anonymity and confidentiality for those involved, right?” Mac finished your sentence as they also had the 1987 experiment on their list of examples. Yes we’re definitely working synchronously, Mac boasted to themselves. 

You gave them a confused look, “…no, the researches did not receive the informed consent of every participant before the experiment. I think you might be thinking of the 1989 experiment which was my next example.”

Mac blankly took a look at their notes for a moment, you were right. “C-correct, I must have gotten ahead of myself, sorry”, they responded, quickly trying to recover from their mistake.

“It’s okay, it was— uh, never mind, I mean-“ you were about to say cute but you stopped yourself and tried to keep going, “the rules were set in place by the RSR and yet PAT didn’t follow them, a really big mistake on their part”.

Now it was Mac’s turn to look puzzled, “are you referring to the IRB? The Institutional Review Board?”.

“Oh y-yeah, I guess we both missed the mark and this example huh?” You cringed internally at yourself.

…

After 30 minutes, you two had your chosen 10 examples and started making a slideshow for the presentation portion of your midterm. Mac was speaking to you about visual and pictures you would need to include in your presentation, but in the middle of them talking they took off their glasses to clean them on their shirt. That act alone made your heart do a backflip, you noticed how Mac had dark circles under their eyes, it suits them, you thought to yourself, it fits with their endearing nerdy vibe.

Suddenly Mac’s question cut through your thoughts, “—do you already have any pictures you think we could include in the presentation?”.

Trying to focus back into the conversation you swiftly answered, “I have pictures of the university… if we want… to include… that…”. You just processed what exactly Mac was asking. 

no way. no WAY your answer to Mac’s question about including visual EVIDENCE in your STATISTICS presentation was to include a random ass picture of your university for no reason. You felt yourself die inside as Mac let out a soft laugh in confusion.

“What? I’m not sure our professor would allow a picture of our university to be used as ‘evidence’, maybe we’d get points for school pride but I’m not sure of the relevance of your suggestion”, Mac expressed in between confused laughter. 

“I must have misheard you”, you tried to save yourself, “but I do have graphs I pulled from each example”. You started shifting through your notes to save yourself from looking like a complete fool.

When you two had 20 minutes of scheduled time left, y’all decided to start practicing presenting what you had so far. Mac started setting up the room’s projector, turning it on and connecting it to their device. After putting your presentation on full screen you two stood next to each other at one corner of the screen, facing outward to the empty room and pretending you guys were in the stats II classroom. The introduction and first example went well and you were finishing up with the second example, not noticing Mac enthusiastically watching as you explained what was wrong to the invisible audience. So focused on you they were caught off guard once it was their turn to present the third example. Without thinking they outstretched their arm up and sideways, motioning for the ‘audience’ to look at the graphs and in doing so they accidentally smacked you in the face with their hand.

They immediately moved their arm away and looked at you to apologize, “I am SO sorry, that was not my intention, I didn’t see where my arm was going!”. Mac could not believe they were so careless. They knew they get hot easily and could feel their face was turning bright red. Internally, they were frantically trying to recompose themselves, holding their face in an effort to cool down. 

You won’t deny it kind of hurt being suddenly hit in the face but you had never seen Mac lose their composure like this. The way they looked right now, red and panicked, it was so cute it was all your mind was focusing on. You decided to take the blame to try and make Mac feel better. “It’s fine, okay? I was standing too close anyway, and we should probably be on both sides of the board anyhow”. You moved to the other corner of the screen. “Now we won’t bump into each other, problem solved!”. 

Mac tried taking your word for it, but in the back of their mind they worried their chances of being with you were dropping. They apologized two more times before continuing the presentation. After a few minutes they actually did completely calm down and the redness of their face left. At 2PM, you and Mac had written 8 out of the 10 examples of your presentation. You both decided each would finish one of the last 2 examples independently, next time you see each other in class you would review and make it into a final draft to hand in.

…

After that day, you two started sitting next to one another, under the guise that you were just waiting for the day to present your project together. But, your talks would quickly veer off topic as you two would find yourselves lost in conversation even an hour into the lecture. Still, the day to present came and went (you two got an A don’t worry), but as you both started packing up to leave class that day you realized you no longer had an excuse to keep being around Mac. You wanted, no needed a reason to keep talking to them. 

“Hey Mac…” you started and they turned to face you, “I, uh, have a confession to make…”

Those words immediately caught their attention, Mac was unsure what you were about to say but they secretly hoped it’d be an actual confession and that their feelings were mutual.

“I never actually took Statistics I and find myself lost in class most of the time, would you mind tutoring me?”, you asked sheepishly.

__________________________________

Errmm, college tutor AU Mac anyone? Nah, I’m playing, I don’t think I can write that as I barely passed my own statistics course😔

I didn’t write them getting together because I like the yearning, sorry about that if you were hoping for it 🫣

[er-osion]

Pick-Me-Up

pairing:  Jason Todd x gn!Reader

summary:  Jason Todd works as a barista at your favorite cafe, and starts paying extra attention to you during your finals week.

word count:  5.5k

warnings:  none, fluff

author's note: in honor of the new superman movie, here's a jason todd fic bc i couldn't get the image of jason working as a barista out of my head

⋄∘∗⋅⋆≁≁⋆⋅∗∘⋄

It’s not that he necessarily needed the money, lord knows he’s got enough access to cash; it’s just that, being who he is, the hours spent before patrol can get agonizingly boring.  A man can only train for so long before he gets sick of it, and Jason knows enough about physiology to know that overdoing it would only hurt him in the end.  And there’s no way in hell he’s just going to crash at the manor for some entertainment, even if he is slowly trying to repair some of those relationships.  

Thus, Jason Todd decided to get a job.  Not anything super involved, something to fill the hours; something inconspicuous and inconsequential, something very unlike his night work.  Jason spent weeks searching for a job that he deemed worth the effort and finally came across a cute cafe several blocks from the Gotham University.  

It was perfect.  Close enough to the university that it got decent foot traffic to keep the doors open but far enough that it was never annoyingly crowded.  Jason ended up taking the midday shifts every Tuesday and Thursday, which thankfully, were among their quietest shifts.  People definitely did double takes when they first saw him behind the counter; his big burly stature modestly wearing a plain brown apron, fitted black t-shirt, and jeans.  He was sure the image must be rather juxtaposed; a man who looks more fit for underground boxing rings making soy lattes in a cafe that looks like it just popped out of a Pinterest board, but Jason must admit that he doesn’t really hate the extra glances anymore.  At first, he almost considered quitting; feeling uncomfortable with all of the stares he was getting.  But over time, the regulars cared less and less about how out of place he looked behind the counter and Jason began to warm up to the extra glances from newcomers because he started to recognize the looks weren’t filled with malice, rather quiet curiosity; and Jason was trying to convince himself that that was okay.

Obviously, over time, Jason began to remember the faces of his regulars; which is why he was a little thrown off when you walked through the door one Tuesday afternoon near the end of his shift.

It was nearing finals month for you, and even though finals were a few weeks away, you decided to at least try to be proactive and begin studying early for your harder classes.  You wanted to find a spot you could study comfortably, somewhere with enough white noise and people around to force you to focus, but not so much going on that it distracted or annoyed you.  After some Internet searching, you found this cafe just a few blocks from your apartment; it had great reviews, seemed not to be too popular, and the best part, it had free wifi and outlets to plug your devices into.

It was an abnormally sunny day in Gotham City, the day you decided to try the cafe.  You’d gotten out of your last class of the day and wanted to wind down with a nice drink and a good atmosphere for doing your homework.  When you walked in, the first thing you noticed was how cute the cafe was.  The place was filled with natural light, painted in warm browns and accented with earthy greens.  Everything, from the tables, to the counter, the chalkboard, and the walls were so picturesque you decided you might have to come here even if the drinks were terrible, just to be in this beautiful building.  You were too busy taking in the decor as you slowly approached the counter to notice the man behind it, watching you with a curious and almost suspicious eye.  Your fingers brushed the cold countertop and your attention was redirected to the figure standing in front of you at the register.

Your eyes widened a tad bit as you took in his form.  The man was massive no doubt about it.  His height alone could be considered formidable, and the rest of him had clearly been well refined at the gym.  You blinked, embarrassed slightly that you were sizing this poor barista up before even speaking to him.

“Welcome in.  What can I get started for you today?”  His voice was gravelly in a way that sent your stomach into a frenzy, with his practiced customer service words that somehow still lacked the typical customer service friendliness.

���Uhhh,”  You ran your gaze hurriedly over the menu.  God, everything sounded so good; there were too many tasty options, it was sending you into a spiral.  To be safe, you gave him your usual order; if they couldn’t make your favorite then you might have to reconsider your patronization of this particular cafe, no matter the cute decor.

The man nodded and you took note of his jet black hair with its peculiar stripe of white in the front; his hair looked oddly soft.  You shook your head discreetly, trying to get the thought out of your head, you’d barely just met the guy for God’s sake.

“It’ll be right out.”  He told you shortly after ringing you up.  You barely had time to nod before he’d pivoted and began prepping your drink.

You decided to find a nice place to settle in.  Your eyes found a small booth tucked in the farthest corner of the cafe, against the window but out of the way of the rest of the foot traffic.  You went over and were elated to find an outlet against the wall, this was your spot now.  It was perfect, it gave you an excellent view of the rest of the cafe but was hidden just enough that most people didn’t sit very near, giving you almost the entire area all to yourself.  While you waited for your drink, you began setting your stuff up.  Unpacking your bag, you got out everything you needed to complete your homework, and with perfect timing, you heard the handsome barista’s voice call out your drink order just when you’d finished laying out your final notebook.

Excited to try this new drink and a new found desire to actually do your homework, you give the cute barista an extra sweet smile and utter your quiet thanks as you take the drink from his hands.  You miss the small and tight nod he gives you, you’re too busy turning around and rushing back to your booth.  You take a sip of your drink and almost moan from how good it tastes.  You haven't had a drink this tasty in a while, it’s one of those that makes a bad day better in an instant.  It’s easy to hone in on your work from there, and you haven’t felt this good about studying in a while.  All of your attention is tunnel visioned onto your little work bubble so you don’t notice Jason watching you from behind the counter.  

Anytime someone new comes in, Jason watches them a little extra closely.  One, because his years as a vigilante have instilled in him to recognize when a usual pattern is disrupted, and two, because there’s something indescribably magnetic about you.  He can’t put it into words, can’t even pinpoint what it is that keeps drawing his eyes back to your form, but there’s something about your presence that he can’t fully tear his attention away from.

You sit in the same spot for the entire rest of his shift.  He can’t see what you’re working on from where he’s positioned, but he assumes it’s university work since you seem to fit the profile of a student.  He finds himself wondering what classes you’re taking, which ones are your favorites, and which ones make you want to slam your head through a wall.  Jason feels a rush of disgusted confusion and something akin to embarrassment roll through him at these thoughts.  You’re just a customer, he doesn’t care or take interest like this with any of the others.

He’s almost sad when he has to leave at the end of his shift.  Taking off his apron and walking toward the door, something inside him gets a little upset that you don’t even glance up to see his exit.  When he walks out of the door, he looks to his left, the direction of the window you're hauled up at, but turns right instead, the actual direction of his apartment.

***

Jason sees you again– to his mild surprise and pleasure– the following Thursday.  This time, you give a miniscule wave of recognition and order the same thing you did last time before returning to your previous spot at the corner window.

Unlike last time, this Thursday is unusually busy, so he doesn’t get to watch you for as long, too busy actually serving other customers.  Part of him is uncharacteristically thankful though, that the other patrons seem to not take much notice of your little area of the cafe and therefore are leaving you well enough alone and without distraction from your work.

Again, when Jason leaves for the day, you’re still rooted to your spot, eyes focused intently on the work laid out in front of you; and again, Jason ponders walking to the left to catch a glimpse of you through the window but decides against it, turning once more to the right to take his usual route home.

You’re there at every one of Jason’s shifts the following few weeks, and after seeing you through the window while randomly passing by on a Wednesday, he notes you also show up at least every once in a while on other days of the week as well.  Over the following weeks, you’ve traded little facts and tidbits about yourselves with each other, including your names, so now you know his name is Jason (a name you think about all too frequently these days).  You’ve learned he likes to read, something you were very excited to indulge your mutual feelings about.  You’ve learned he likes to cook and sometimes you ask him for recipe recommendations.  In turn, you’ve told him about your classes, what you’re studying, your future plans, and some of your hobbies.  

Lately, you take frequent “eye breaks” to stare at Jason from across the room, honestly just ogling at how maddeningly beautiful he is.  Your eyes often roam his figure, memorizing the dips and definitions of his biceps, the veins running along his forearms and down his hands, the sharp cut of his jaw, and the way his hair seems to alway fall in a neatly disheveled pattern.  Sometimes, you try to linger at the counter so you can have more time examining his face.  You’re always finding new things, from little freckles here and there, to the slight crookedness of his nose that may signal a previous break, the thin scar the runs curved along his cheek, and of course, the almost unnaturally green eyes that you swear swirl like pool of acid or something alike.  His eyes always captivate you and you have to put a lot of energy into not staring too long, lest you get caught which would be far too embarrassing.

Everytime your conversation ends, you can’t help but feel a little disheartened that all you get are these brief dialogues centered around your patronization of his cafe.  You try to drag on the conversation when there’s no one behind you, and sometimes you get the sneaking suspicion he’s doing the same, but it can only go so far until there’s no more logical reason for you to be standing at the counter and casually chatting it up the barista who is honestly still just an acquaintance.  It’s times like this when you wish he’d just walk over to your booth instead of simply walking out the door at the end of every shift; you couldn’t approach him outside of work of course, you had to draw a line somewhere, and since you did most of the heavy lifting when ordering from him, he’d have to work a little too on his own time.  Unfortunately, he never seemed to want to do that, as, if the conversation was dying, he more often than not let you go back to your seat without trying to keep you and he never ever wandered over to your booth.  So you’re forced to sustain yourself with glances full of yearning and dreams of him that bother you incessantly through the night.  

Jason, on the other hand, was relishing in any amount of attention you gave him.  The first time you spoke to him about something other than your order, a silent invitation to learn more about each other, he felt himself internally perk up like a dog hearing the word ‘fetch’.  It’s like his brain made a separate little compartment just for you, which stored all the little facts about yourself you’d either told him directly or he’d picked up with his subconsciously detective-like brain.  Jason stole glances at you whenever he could.  Sometimes, he’d clean the part of the bar that faced your area multiple times in one shift just so he could get an easier view of you while you worked in your normal spot.  And everyday, like clockwork, he considered striding up to your booth to talk to you before leaving for the day.  But everyday decided against; your booth had become almost forbidden territory to him, and every time he was about to walk over, his body moved him out the door instead, in some sort of deep-seated instinct he couldn’t yet explain.

Jason had become so attuned to you and your schedule that he could pinpoint even the slightest of changes, including in mood.  He could tell if you’d had a particularly bad or good day just moments after you stepped in the store; his eye for details and observational skills never failed him when it came to reading you.  Sometimes, he considered offering words of encouragement or reassurance when he could tell you’d had a rough day, but he also was conscious of not wanting to look like a creep since you never explicitly told him if your day was bad.  He always struggled with this particular dilemma.  He often thought about it while on patrol at night, tossing and turning the different ways his words could be taken by you and the reactions they’d earn.  Part of him sometimes felt guilty for not even trying to cheer you up, but a larger part of him reminded him that that technically wasn’t his job; at the end of the day he’s just you’re barista, you’re not even really friends, or at least, calling yourselves friends would be a big stretch.  Plus, Jason Todd can’t afford to start genuinely caring about some random civilian.  Becoming friends with Jason Todd meant having to let the Red Hood into your life, whether you actually knew about that part of his life or not, because there would always be inherent danger when becoming any way connected with a vigilante, especially one as notorious as him.  It was better like this, Jason told himself, better to stay acquaintances and keep the messiness of his nightlife from ruining the warm glow of whatever this bond was that the two of you had formed.

Jason noticed you were stressing more, honestly, before you did.  The pressure of finals week was slowly and almost imperceptibly creeping into your life.  Your awareness of all the deadlines was growing bit by bit, and thus your anxiety and stress increased in tandem.  You were so focused on the growing amount of large assignments, the dates you had to remember, the grades you had to watch out for, and the studying to get done, that you didn’t have time to notice the way you’d been way more tense lately and how the bags under your eyes had gotten deeper.  

Jason, however, noticed pretty much immediately.  First, from the way you carried yourself when you entered the cafe these days; second by how deflated or distracted your voice sounded when you spoke to him, and finally, the way your conversations had been getting shorter and shorter.  Without even realizing, you’d been spending less and less time at the counter with Jason.  The pressure of your mounting work subconsciously redirected you to your table sooner and sooner as you got closer to finals, effectively cutting your small talk with Jason more and more.

That is what’s killing Jason the most.  He’s reminded painfully of that saying ‘you don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone’ every time you walk away early from the conversations that used to be carried for much longer.  He hadn’t realized how much he looked forward to talking with you, even about the most unimportant matters, until those talks started dying off and he was forced to feed only off of your order and the typical exchange of pleasantries.  And the cherry on top of this growing dilemma was that your visible stress was doing something to him, making him feel not quite upset but definitely agitated or at least not settled and he couldn’t explain why or figure out for the life of him what to do about it.  Jason had gotten this job to fill time, to keep his mind occupied from drifting to dark or uncomfortable thoughts, but here he is feeling a weird sort of anxiety creep into his bones whenever you walk in and he can physically feel the stress that’s silently wafting from your body.

Jason’s been trying for a while now to figure out possible causes of your growing distress, but he doesn’t know your personal life well enough to have any real educated guesses, so now of course, he’s kicking himself for not putting more effort into learning more about you.  The cafe has also been getting slowly busier, more students he’s noticed, and they seem to be in similar states of distractedness.  He figures there’s a pattern there but he can’t quite think of what the root cause could be.

He’s enlightened one afternoon, by overhearing a passing conversation between two students leaving the shop with their drinks and snacks.

“I swear to God, finals is going to kill me.”

“Dude, I know.  If my family doesn’t hear from me during break, it’s ‘cause I jumped from the top of the math building.”

Ah, so that’s it.  Jason feels a little like an idiot for not thinking of finals.  Of course that’s what you’ve been stressing about.  Jason suddenly feels a bit better about the whole situation.  It’s not something to do with your personal life which he knows nothing about, and finals is a temporary stressor, once it’s over, it’s over, and maybe he can actually do something to boost your spirits this time.

It’s a Tuesday afternoon, the cloudy weather casting a muted light through the cafe that’s only offset with the warm glow of the overhead lights.  There’s a noticeable sound of keyboards clacking and papers shuffling and the air is filled with the heavy focus of students trying to cram last minute for their exams.  This is when Jason decides to enact his first plan.  He wanted to give you something; some sort of treat or something just to give you extra energy or encouragement, but again, because of his lack of knowledge about your personal life, he wasn’t sure of whether or not you possessed any allergies or strong dessert opinions and decided he did not want to risk anaphylactic shock when trying to impress you with his consideration of your mental state.  But then, like an angel appearing from behind the clouds, he suddenly remembered a few weeks back when you ordered a sandwich and pastry along with your usual drink, and how, when he’d asked the next day if you’d liked them, you enthusiastically said yes.  Thus, this sandwich and pastry were a safe bet, he knew definitively that you liked them quite a bit and there was no way you would die by possible allergic reaction.

Dipping into his vigilante toolbelt, Jason approached your table as discreetly as possible, not wanting to draw attention to himself because of the suddenly rising levels of self-consciousness.  Jason felt his heart racing widely in his chest, though he didn’t really understand why, it’s not like he’s talking to you or making some grand gesture, he’s just giving you a little treat because you look like you need one and he’s observant; and isn’t his job as a vigilante to look out for the people, including you?  So this was technically within merit grounds of his job, both day and night shift, so it’s fine, it’s not abnormal or extra at all. 

Jason tried following this tight line of reasoning but he still could not get his heart to settle down.

Jason slipped the two plates on the edge of your table quietly, you were too engrossed in your work to notice his presence or that of the plates.  Jason took a moment to observe you in your little habitat.  This was probably the closest he’s ever been to you and from here he could see the way the warm lamp light danced on your hair, the oddly delicate way you held your pen; he could even get the faintest whiff of your perfume from here and it sent his head slightly spinning because the smell was probably the loveliest thing he’d ever smelt and he didn’t know how he knew this but deep down he knew that it was so you.  Quickly though– because he didn’t want to be weird and was suddenly aware of the possibility of cardiac arrest the longer he stood near– Jason retreated back to the counter and tried to look over regularly to see if he could catch your reaction to the food.

It took you several minutes to notice the food, only pulling your eyes from your work when your brain registered a very yummy smell nearby.  Looking around, your eyes quickly fell on the two plates of food you most definitely didn’t put there.  You cocked your head in confusion, brows furrowed but a slight smile pulling at your lips.  Your stomach grumbled a little and you remembered how famished you were, having not had a real lunch between classes today, and you looked around the cafe trying to discern who might’ve ordered these for you.  You took another glance at the plates and recognized them as the same exact treats you had ordered just a few weeks ago; your eyes snapped to the gorgeous figure behind the counter and seemed to have caught him glancing up at you from cleaning the counter at the exact same time. 

Electricity ran up your spine when the two of you locked eyes and you felt your heart flutter; you gave him a small smile as a way of thanks and you could see him struggle to find a way to react or say ‘you’re welcome’ and you almost giggled when he settled on a tight nod before turning around to focus on the other side of the bar.  You pushed your work out of the way and pulled the warm plates closer.  The food was the best you’d had in days.  Maybe it was because you were starving, or because the last few meals you’d had were mediocre at best, or maybe it was because you knew an unfairly attractive barista had special ordered them for you.  You tried to take your time savoring the food, not only was it tasty as all get out but it gave you a valid reason to take a break, which you’re realizing you very much needed.  And, who’s to say you don’t take the opportunity to sneak glances at Jason whenever you can.  He was currently busy helping some customers so there was little chance you’d get caught staring.

A couple of hours later, something in your mind tugged at you to get you to look up and you were able to watch as Jason removed his apron, apparently leaving for the end of his shift.  You watched unabashed as his biceps rippled as he untied the flimsy brown cloth and then hung it up.  You watched him grab his things and walk out from behind the counter toward the door and you were hit with the urge to run up and thank him for the snacks but stayed rooted in your seat, worried you might make yourself look a fool.  

The following Thursday, you approached the counter with a purpose, Jason immediately clocked the minor shift in attitude.

“The regular, today?”  He asked per usual and you fought the smile that threatened to overtake your face at the acknowledgment that he knew your order by heart.

You nodded and got out the payment, “Thanks, by the way,” you decided to blurt out before you chickened out, “for the food the other day.  It was really good, and I was starving.”  You confessed and this time, you let the appreciation shine on your face.  Jason tried to ignore the way your happiness sent his heart into rapid flips.

Jason nodded before finding his words, “No problem,” he then paused, as if weighing whether or not his next statement was the right thing to say, “you looked kind of stressed, thought you could use a little pick-me-up or something like that.”

You let out a breath and a slightly sardonic chuckle, “Yeah, it’s finals right now, so stressed would be putting it mildly.”  You thought the conversation would end there, since that’s usually how your conversations flow, but to your delighted surprise, Jason’s voice continued.

“Do you have a lot of exams left?”  He asked, almost indifferently.

You blinked, a little shocked that he willingly asked something meant to keep a steady conversation going, but recovered quickly, “Uh, no not many, actually.  I’ve already done two so I have three left.”

“Are those the ones you’re most worried about?”

You tilted your head in consideration and hummed in thought, “Kind of?  One of the ones I already did was one of the ones that was stressing me out the most.  Actually, I was studying for that one on Tuesday and took it yesterday, so if I pass then I guess I’ll owe you one.”

Jason’s lips twitched ever so slightly into what you guessed could’ve been a smile, “Well I’m honored to have played such a vital role in your academic efforts.”  Your stomach did somersaults at his teasing tone.

Jason didn’t bring you any snack today, not wanting to overdo it, but when you got your drink you did notice a little message hastily written out on the side of the cup.

lock in, you’ve got this

This time, you couldn’t contain the grin that spread over your face at his scribble and once again, you found yourself searching for his gaze to lock with.  His eyes found yours just seconds after you spotted him, and the light in your thankful smile was mirrored in his brilliant green eyes, even from all the way across the cafe.

When Jason left the cafe that day, he dared a look over to you to find you already watching him leave; you gave him a small wave and he returned it with an additional head nod.  Jason was fighting a smile all the way home.

***

The next time Jason saw you, you looked especially worn out.  Jason could tell you hadn’t slept well the night before, if at all, and had probably had a long day.  

“The regular?”  He asked to try and bring some normalcy to your day.

“Please,”  You replied gruffly, exhaustion seeping through your words; Jason’s stomach churned unhappily.

“Tired?”  He asked teasingly, but you picked up on the concern hidden beneath his question.

You made a noise somewhere between a bitter laugh and a scoff, “Pulled an all-nighter last night and I’ve got a final tomorrow.”

For once in his life, Jason Todd tried to see the positive, “But only two more finals right?”  He totally hadn’t been keeping count of when your exams were.

“Yeah, I guess,”  You shrug, still looking rather glum.  

Jason feels restless, there’s something about seeing you so out of it, so fatigued, that unsettles him.  Today is another day for little treats, he decides, but he’ll have to step up his game this time.  

Jason waited about an hour before bringing you the same snacks he’d brought you the first time.  You didn’t notice him approach this time either, and your reaction when you realized he’d left food on the corner of your table was much more subdued because of your tired and distracted state, but Jason noted the way your eyes sparkled a little when you saw the plates on the edge of the table and that was enough to reassure Jason that he was doing the right thing.  The next part of his plan was to take place when he left for the day.  This was undoubtedly (though he’d never admit it) the scariest part of the plan, as it required breaking one of the biggest unspoken rules: approaching the forbidden territory of your corner.

Jason shrugged on his leather jacket and pocketed his things, trying to maintain every ounce of coolness he could before re-approaching your table.  Again, he tried to be as discreet as possible since he didn’t want to distract you from your work.  Jason slipped a brown paper bag onto the edge of your table along with a napkin and quickly fled the scene.  But this time when he exited the building, he turned left and walked the long way back to his apartment just so he could steal a glance at you through the window to see if you’d picked up the treat yet.  Unlike the other snacks, Jason went out on a limb with this one– well, not really.  He’d brought you a chocolate chip cookie because he knew it was probably the most well liked dessert and was missing most of the key allergens (he was still worried about sending you into anaphylactic shock) so he figured it was a safe bet.

It took you a bit to notice the little gift he’d left on the edge of your table, but once you saw the unfamiliar shape out of the corner of your eye, you pulled the little bag toward you, dragging the napkin tucked beneath it along with you as well.  You smiled lightly when you saw the bag’s contents and then noticed something that looked like ink on the white napkin.  Your lips twitched and your head tilted as you pulled the napkin up to get a better look at it; and in the same handwriting that had been on your cup a week ago was another little message scrawled out:

you’re gonna kick that test’s ass

Something in you lit up at the words, at the smell of the cookie and the snacks he’d picked out just for you; the silent encouragement and faith in you, someone he didn’t even know that well, a stranger he went out of his way to make feel better.  You didn’t want to read too much into his actions but jeez did he know how to make someone feel special.  You tucked the napkin in your bag for safe keeping, intending to stash it where you’d kept the cup he’d written on back at your apartment.  

***

When you next walked into the cafe, Jason instantly clocked the lightness in your step, like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders and his mind immediately told him your finals were over.

“No more exams?”  He asked lightly when you’d approached the counter.

“Nope,”  You replied, popping the ‘p’ happily, “officially done, now it’s break time.”  Jason could hear the joy and relief in your voice, his heart stuttered at the pleasant sound.

“You should celebrate.”

“Oh believe me, I fully intend to do so,”  You assured him merrily.  You then paused briefly, the post-finals high and confidence boost making you say and do things you don’t normally consider, “Are you much of a celebrater, Mr. Jason?”

Jason blinked, and you watched as he processed your question, “I suppose I can be, sometimes, when the situation presents.”

Well, there was room to work with there, so you took in a small breath and pressed on, “What types of situations?  If I may.”

Jason’s lips twitched like he wanted to smirk, “Well you know, the usual; birthdays, retirements, graduations, successful completion of final exams, that sort.”

You tried to suppress the sly grin that threatened to take over your face as you also tried to ignore the mass of butterflies currently going insane in your stomach, “Oh?  So if I were planning on celebrating my completion of my final exams, then you’d be up for helping me in that endeavor?”

“So long as my schedule allows.”

You tried to keep your breathing even, considering how fast your heart was racing, “What does your schedule allow for this Friday at six?”

Jason took a moment to think, probably the most painful and long minute of your life, “My schedule says I’m free,” he paused before carefully adding, “it’s a date.”

This time, you couldn’t contain the smile that broke out on your face and you could tell Jason was struggling mightily with keeping his own grin from showing, “It’s a date,” you repeated jovially.

And that’s how you landed the hottest barista you’ve ever seen in your entire life.

[candy8448]

Reading more comics!

Prev

Ill be honest im only reading this comic skipping past all the plot only to read the pages with damian. To be fair ive read a lot of reviews saying this comic is bad and written by writers who dont understand or respect diana's character so im not really missing anything

Aww its their first couple fight 💖

Oh no he's so traumatised :(

Okay these are just cute (also damian keeps dressing her in bat/robin themed stuff very adorable

Nah these icecreams were taken directly out of binweevils the old flash game, the amount of nostalgia that i was run over with at these icecreams

No comment.

Pretty lil princess 💖

Can i just say the art in this comic is absolutely gorgeous, even though i couldnt care less about the story, the art is so good to look at. Damian's face is so soft with baby fat (he is still so young D:)

This is the pannel i saw that got me to find this comic. My heart

This quote actually goes so hard

Oh my that lighting 0.0

OH MY did they not think about HOW IMPOSSIBLY HARD THIS IS TO READ?!?!

Who thought it would be a good idea to have the words read left to right but each word backwards and restarting my eyesight on every line? It took me forever staring at this pannel to read it for the first time. (Okay though that just might be me because now i think about it it does make sense, ignore me)

Dude idk, this feels way too weirdly cartoony all of a sudden

Back to nightwing!!

Oh i totally forgot it being mentioned in like two fics that slade bombed blud 0.0

He said... something right surprisingly!

Oh boy 0.0

Oh no WHATS GOING ON?!

HUH?!!?!?

JASON?!?!?

BAHAHAHA THE PILL HEAD KWSHAJAGSUWSH 💀💀💀💀

Okay so after the timeskip i got sooo confused because dick just proposed to babs but then suddenly he is sleeping with some other girl ive never heard of before, there is no explination for where he is or what happened to blud (no exposition page), clancy is back (i cant tell if she knows dick is nightwing or not) and everything is different and there is just no indication of what is going on. I had to go to google and reddit told me infinite crisis happens between this gap but there is no indication of this anywhere in the comics. I get that at the time it would have been well known that there is infinite crisis going on but if anyone gets into comics anytime after that without this very nifty handy online resources they would have no idea what is going on. Its the same case for all the little arcs rhat have issues in different comics, if the line you are folling has part 5 of an arc you would have no idea where to start cuz it doesnt tell you. As a new comic book reader this is very difficult. I have a hang of it but its so complicated still without online resources.

Anyway im going to pause reading nightwing for now. I am going to read infinite crisis and the tie ins and everything but before i do that i am going to go back and read all these shorter comic things that i started at the same time before i start on this gargantuant thing of reading all these comics 0.0 ill pause and just read all these shorter things i want to check out

Also i know its all one compant but it is CRAZY how the many issues (400+) that are involved in the crisis spannong over the entirety of the dc comic lines at that time are coordinated. The many writers for each of these stories having to tie in all these stories so they all line up it must be crazy 0.0 i really like that its exciting

[fazfuri]

STAR FALLS REVIEW?

Good morning!

Okay, in response to the previous question, I think it’s finally time to be completely honest about something I’ve been thinking since last year (ever since I first discovered ur AU)

From the very first images and fragments u shared, I was instantly drawn to how u handle the narrative. I've noticed u choose to tell the story through multiple timelines (sometimes past, sometimes present) and honestly (as an average writer myself?), I’d say that’s an excellent technique.

Revealing details little by little, without dumping everything at once, not only keeps the interest alive, but also deepens the mystery of the lore, letting us theorize, analyze, and connect with what ur telling. A lot of us genuinely appreciate that.

So that’s why, when I see certain comments asking for -“more BillFord”- or wondering why Brutus and Deity have so much focus (some even calling Deity just “ur OC” or etc, trying to push the ship), I just want to say openly , at least for me the way u’re developing this story is PERFECT as it is.

I also thought at first that the plot would be something cliché and simple. When I saw the now-famous reference in the book (the one with Bill and the king’s page ). I really thought that would be the whole point. Something really similar to canon, except here Bill’s a god and seemingly his opposite.

But now, wow… I was SO wrong. -The deal? The backstory with the king? That they were lovers? That maybe Brutus is connected to Ford… or actually is him??

Yeah, that’s literally what I thought when I found this AU last year!. But everything u’ve built since then makes it crystal clear this story goes way beyond that.And now that u confirmed that book scene isn’t even canon? I’m just even more intrigued, amazed… and honestly so hyped for what’s coming next. That’s why I wanna ask (or maybe beg a little) that u keep going at ur own pace. It doesn’t matter if u take breaks, try out new styles, or drop random content here and there. What really matters is that u keep developing it ur way, (bc that personal touch is exactly what gives ur AU so much value).The visual storytelling u use (without needing tons of dialogue) is so powerful that we can understand everything clearly.

That’s honestly incredible. Ik everyone has different tastes, but if u feel good with ur current style, then pls keep going! And if one day u wanna change it (in terms of art, tone, whatever), that’s totally valid too. This is ur creation, ur space, ur universe ,(we’re the ones who should adapt to it). It’s okay to take suggestions, but it’s also okay to ignore them if they don’t align with u. As for me, I’m constantly coming up with new theories (maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to share them once they make more sense, lol).

Idk if this message counts as a question, maybe it’s more of a thought. (Edit: Let’s call it a review instead.) I just hope it doesn’t come across the wrong way, (bc I seriously re-read and correct every single word I send u, tbh). I’m very observant and detail-oriented, and always try to be respectful of ur work.I never thought I’d find myself analyzing a story or artwork so deeply… but ur art changed that.

Nothing here is something u just look at once each panel, each expression, every atmosphere holds so much more than what’s on the surface.And this mix of angst, mystery, occasional humor, and a nostalgic yet serious plot? That’s exactly what I’m drawn to.

After all, even if it’s a Gravity Falls AU, it doesn’t have to copy canon, right?Everything will come in due time. For now, I just wanna enjoy the story as it unfolds. (Though if u can, pls drag it out as long as possible, it’s SO addictive.)

Anyway, to wrap this up:

You are amazing. Thank u for creating something this special. (The best gift a random person can get on her bday is ur content, no joke.) ✍️

(And well… I might come back with a fully developed theory soon, hehe.)

CRYING??? I really thought it's gonna be a whole criticism and i was fully prepared to take it but i couldnt be more wrong. Flattered isnt even the word im looking for but I'm so glad people enjoyed this mess of an AU i created i rly appreciate this review Thank you so much 🥺

[alexanderwales]

Movie Review: Superman (2025)

I generally like to take notes, if I'm planning to review something, and I also like to be able to spot check stuff and make sure I didn't read a scene wrong and can get names and stuff correct. Not as much of an option here, so these are my "just out of the theater" thoughts.

Spoilers follow.

One of the things that I've liked about James Gunn's other superhero movies is that he feels free to be silly with it, to bring in 80th percentile weird things from the comics, and then resists the urge to comment on it too much. He keeps "holy cow, a talking raccoon!" dialog to a minimum, he doesn't feel like he's mildly ashamed to be making a superhero movie, he's strategic in his use of irony and the ways in which he lets a joke undercut a moment ... I'm a fan, overall.

Gunn's Superman frontloads a bunch of the weirder stuff. We've got Krypto, the crystalline Fortress of Solitude, a bunch of robots, we're not doing Man of Steel, we're not sanding off the canon cruft that's been built up over time. This is a Superman three years into his career, already established, already in a relationship with Lois Lane who knows his secret, taking a lot of stuff relatively for granted.

One of the highlights of the movie comes early on, where Lois is interviewing Clark-as-Superman, it's a chance for characterization and exposition that genuinely gets to a lot of the relationship between these characters and who they are in this movie. Clark is naïve, he's idealistic, he's hopeful, he's trying to do his best ... and while I liked this, it was also the place where the movie started to lose me a bit.

The background, told via text-on-screen in the opening and then expounded on via this conversation, is that three weeks ago Superman intervened in military action between Boravia and Jarhanpur. We don't get to see any of that military intervention, but we hear about it through Superman's conversation with Lois, and apparently Superman destroyed some tanks and planes, then abducted the president of Boravia, pressed him up against a cactus, and made some threats.

I ... don't really understand why Superman did this, and nothing through the film really enlightened this for me. Like, yes, war is bad, Superman wants to save innocent people. But this is apparently the first time that Superman has done anything like this in his three years as Superman, and as Lois pointed out, it seems that no one knew that he was going to do it. He didn't talk to the President of the United States, the State Department, and it seems like he didn't talk to Lois, or ... maybe didn't listen to her? (This is one of those places I wish I could spot-watch to see exactly what the text and subtext is.) And the weird thing about the conversation is that Lois insinuates that Jarhanpur might be ruled by their own despot, or that this is one reading of the geopolitical situation? But then later in the movie, we're shown peasants and children standing in the way of Boravian forces with no military of their own, so like, what the fuck are you talking about there Lois? And there's a single location that's being used as a stand-in for the Boravia/Jarhanpur conflict, and eventually the Justice Gang comes in to intervene later in the movie, so like ... was this a clear case of the United States soft-sanctioning a clearly unjust war, and Lois was duped? Or why the hell did Clark/Superman act with such surety? Why didn't he talk with anyone and use his soft power first? Surely saying "hey, if it looks like this war is going ahead, I'm going to stop it" would be step one, rather than hopping right to destroying tanks and planes. Not in terms of superhero genre logic, but in terms of superhero genre logic, you're not supposed to unilaterally stop a war and then have people get pissed about it.

Anyway, it turns out that the whole Boravia/Jarhanpur conflict was created by Lex Luthor, who wanted half of the Jarhanpur land for himself to create some kind of technocratic sovereign state and also get all their petroleum to make some money, and it really seems pretty stupid to me for a number of reasons, but not necessarily in such a way that it sticks in my craw.

One of the things that does stick in my craw is that the final villain is Ultraman, who turns out to be a Superman clone, which makes the whole final battle pretty bland.

I guess I had the sense early on that this movie was "about" hope vs. cynicism, with Lex Luthor as the embodiment of cynicism. In this reading, the omnipresence of cameras and social media on Luthor's side is a part of it. Creating a bland Superman clone is a part of it, and with a bit of a stretch, this represents other representations of Superman, the dark and cynical ones. Luthor "knows all of Superman's moves", has seen every fight he's ever done, can call every shot: he's a fanboy, in a sense. Luthor has a whole speech about how he's driven by envy, and yeah, sure.

And I do think this kind of works in the end, because the thing that turns the tide is Krypto the goofy super dog. So in a reading where this movie is about the cultural concept of Superman ... yeah, "dark Superman" is beaten and thrown into a black hole by the bright and colorful, the charmingly goofy.

But on the other hand, it's also just Superman and a clone of Superman punching each other for a pretty long time, and I don't know, I started feeling like it was the end to one of the bad Marvel movies. I was watching the spectacle and feeling a bit of boredom creep in. If it was trying to be commentary, I wanted it more incisive.

One other thing that stood out to me, and it was earlier in the movie, I'm going non-chronological now, sorry: it's revealed that Superman's parents actually sent him to conquer the planet and have a secret harem. Superman's reputation is tarnished, everyone instantly believes it. It's extremely reminiscent of the Viltrumite storyline in Invincible, and played very straight, in a way that does character assassination of Jor-El ... and I think part of the point here, aside from putting Superman in a low moment, is that this is a reaction to the darkness that other continuities have had, a way for Superman to say "wait, that's not me". But I'm less sure on this, I think, it's just my personal reading here.

It did also make me think of Superman as a stand-in for America, and there was something in how Superman was betrayed by these parents he thought he knew that felt like ... a kid who has bought into American propaganda his whole life and then learns about The Bad Shit, and says "wait, no, I believe in the good stuff, the vision, not The Bad Shit" and then has to do some identity reconstruction or something. (If we're reading Superman himself as a stand-in for America, then the military intervention is, uh ... you know. Not historically a great thing for America to be doing! Even/especially when it seems to America like a slam dunk!)

So I don't know, I enjoyed it overall, it was at least unique and felt like it was trying some things. There were several standout scenes that I'm not mentioning here and things that I hadn't seen in superhero movies before, and I'll definitely go see the next one.

[toluene-sister]

Ok, so, I've gone camping to the woods, touched some grass had some beers looked at some ducks and it might have fixed me temporarily, plus I got some really, really n i c e messages from you guys so I'm writing to u from my tent to let u know I've put LISMBWYD back up while I'm feeling relatively sane and a bit drunk. Sorry for the mental illness, friends, it just be like that.

I hadn't deleted the fic, just made it private, so it's back up the way it was, bookmarks and all.

That said, I meant it when I said I'd been thinking abt taking the fic down for a really REALLY long time, and actually finally doing it was kind of a huge relief, kind of heartbreaking all at once. Like, I seriously spent entirely too much time on that thing for my own good, to the point where it's hard for me to be normal abt it, you know? And I really, really did not think anyone was still reading it, but it turned out many people were. I did not take it down to punish anyone for lack of engagement, so it's now back up so anyone who was in the middle of reading can finish it.

That said, pls guys, just fucking comment on fics. It doesn't have to be my fics but just, if you read fics, fucking comment. Take those ten minutes out of your day and tell people what you liked abt their stories, like, say something with a bit of substance, doesn't have to be a whole multiparagraph fucking essay but just fucking t a l k to authors beyond telling them you liked their story, honestly we're all just a bunch of deranged ducks starving for a piece of bread. It's really, really not fucking parasocial to talk to or even make friends with fic authors, that's what most of us actually hope for when we post stuff.

So many of you have told me you just don't know how to put your thoughts and feelings into words and honestly it's heartbreaking that you believe you can't express what a piece of writing means to you bc you don't think you'd do it justice. You're not writing a professional review, bud, you're commenting on a fanfic. Just fucking GO for it. Be messy, be imperfect but t e l l authors what you think, like that's what fanworks are supposed to be all about. You know, sharing thoughts, making a community. Having some fucking fun together.

Like, in these trying times I think it's doubly important for us be a bit more human with each other whenever we can, and sharing thoughts is like one of the most human things we can do.

Thanks again to anyone who took the time to reach out to me, I really, really appreciate it so muchhh you have no idea ❤️

[supernaturalrandomness]

Shit @cynifer, guess I really gotta stop being friends with you since they caught us! Cat's out of the bag now

Anyways, I give your response a disappointing '2/5 stars' review and here's why: 1. You're assuming I have money to pay Misha, which I really don't, since I am just a Uni student currently - Electrical Engineering, if you're curious. God I wish I had the money though!

2. Your essay relied mostly on insults instead of logical thinking and supported arguments. If reading one post from a person is how you determine their intelligence and success, boy, do I have the news for you.

3. I would seriously look into what made you psychologically so angry that you lashed out like that - calling someone 'stupid', 'loser', 'dumb fuck' etc. on the internet is pretty easy when you're hiding behind a keyboard and a screen. Personally, I don't give two shits what you call me, I don't listen to strangers who know nothing about me, especially on the internet. But there are minors in this fandom and specifically on Tumblr, some of them as young as 12-13 years old. There also many people that struggle with mental health issues. You can get your point across without being disrespectful, it can be devastating in some circumstances.

4. I wish Jared nothing but luck on his show in production, whatever said mysterious show might be. He knows and admits (mad respect) he has been unemployed for at least a year now, it's y'all that aren't catching up.

5. There's a Cockles panel tomorrow:) Just a reminder, nothing personal.

So in conclusion, you got 4 stars deducted, but I added 1 star back for the tears you made me cry (from laughter, of course).

And that's all of you Jared stans right now:

It just felt so fitting lol

Also there's this narrative of turning the other cheek when someone does something to you and I'm like ?? Because if my co-star and "friend" was constantly pranking me, and not in the funny type of way, but in the frustrating, harassing, bullying type of way, and that would lead to damage being done to my belongings and my career and my mental well-being, YOU BET YOUR ASS I would get back at this motherfucker.

You can't expect to harass someone at your work place every single day and damage their stuff and outright bully him (almost break his nose with a pie, take nude photos of him on a plane while he's peeing, constantly misgender him (as if being transphobic, sexist and more is funny)) and said person to keep it cool like a cucumber.

Misha really was patient and nice about it, because I guarantee, had he tried to get back at Jared even a little, we would not stop hearing about it and how much he hurt Jared blah blah. Antis love to cling to that phone airplane incident.

If I were Misha I'd knock out some teeth ngl

[f-imaginings]

congratulations on completing the best fic ever written! such a milestone it's insane

do you plan on taking a brake for a while? i assume writing such a huge work must be exhausting, no matter how enjoyable. at what pace are you planning to write the sequel? are you excited to start as soon as possible or do you feel like having some rest?

Thank you 😊 I'm excited to have finished it! It seems like people don't hate the ending haha so that's a huge relief for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I planned on a month's break before writing the sequel but I had a stressful week, slipped and accidentally ended up writing the first four pages of the sequel lmao. Writing has definitely become a stress reliever and comfort for me and towards the end of the fic I kept telling myself "write this hard scene and then you get to have fun in the sequel" haha so I feel like depending on my mood I might write more instead of taking that break. Maybe I'll just write at less of a full on pace this month and see how I feel after. There's no heavy deadline for the sequel, and there's only 16 chapters too so I can take my time with them and just have fun.

Now that the fic is finished though I feel like I'm able to finally read other billford fanfics (I ended up not reading any while writing BC of a bad experience w another author accusing me of plagiarism - all debunked I think they were just young and possessive over the characters and didn't like seeing another human bill fic getting traction) I've made a few exceptions for fics like Theseus's Guide and Statement Abnegation since everyone was reccing them and they both absolutely slapped, excellent reads! And ppl in the kmky discord server have given me a beautiful list of fic recs that I can enjoy so I'll probably write a little, read a little, relax and balance fandom stuff with real life obligations for a while. First on my list is A Human Condition followed by Multiversal Manhunt Moved to Your Backyard, then the Margaritabille fics and then I'll pick through the rest of the rec list! Expect enthusiastic comments from me haha I'm so excited to read what's out there.

As far as a timeline for the sequel goes if I chip away at it like I've been doing it might be finished by the end of next year. It's all planned out, from start to finish and the chapters will probably be as long as the last couple of chapters we saw in kmky. With the exception of the first and last chapters each chapter will cover one week in gravity falls counting down from the start of summer to the end of summer. I hope you'll have as much fun with it as I'm having, as there are good jokes, genuine redemption and lots of conflicted romantic feelings lined up to reunite our on again off again on again assholes, this time with much lower stakes than the end of the world. There will be action, adventure, heists, seances, and a strong emphasis on the power of recovery and self acceptance, in all its many forms. Hopefully it'll make y'all feel light and happy by the end of it, to make up for kmky reaching into everyone's amygdala and continuously pressing the cry now button like a naughty child.

Thank you for checking in 😊 I love interacting w the readers so hopefully I'll have something fun for you all to enjoy soon!

(I also have half of the pride month prompt to finish, but once that's done I'll post it on AO3, a belated pride month gift! Lmao it's pride month all year with me hahah)

[wellnoe]

reading a book that is very interesting in its quantitative analysis but is so weird in its tone!! the place the author chooses to insert emotionality is bizarre and his treatment of mortality of the be all end all of suffering is equally so.

[poisonvdhonvy]

Kyro shrugs, grinning as he glances at Tank, who’s still acting like he’s got a board meeting in five minutes. “I’m not trying to get on Tank’s bad side. Guy’s got more authority than half the people I know. If he says I’m walking you to the car, I’m walking you to the car.” He shoots her a look, half teasing, half genuine, then nods at Dash who’s circling like he’s about to start a flash mob. "Also, Dash looks like he would file a missing persons report if you were gone for two seconds. I’m not risking that kind of paperwork.” He lets out a soft laugh, feeling weirdly relaxed, which isn’t normal for him, not in these situations. Usually he’s counting down the minutes, but right now he’s just… here. “You know, I think Tank’s already got my annual review written up. Probably says I need to improve my bacon distribution skills and stop letting Dash run the marketing department.” He’s not even sure why he’s still joking, but it feels easy. Maybe too easy. He should be more on guard, but she makes it simple to just talk, not perform. 

“I guess I should thank you for not making me do the whole wine list thing. I’d have butchered the names and ended up ordering grape juice by accident. Not exactly the look I’m going for.” He glances at her, then away, not wanting to make it weird but also not really caring if it is. There’s something about this that feels like it could actually work, which is ridiculous, but he can’t shake it. “Honestly, I had a good time. Didn’t expect that. Figured we’d both be counting the seconds ‘til we could bail, but… yeah, this was actually fun.” He catches himself, realises he’s probably saying too much, but it’s out now. “Don’t get used to it though. Next time I might actually try to impress you and end up embarrassing myself. Could be entertaining for everyone.” 

He gives her a crooked smile, letting the silence settle for a second. He’s not sure if he’s flirting or just being honest, but it’s all kind of blending together. “And, if Tank’s adopted me, I guess that means I’m stuck with you. Could be worse. At least you don’t make me sit through endless meetings about territory lines.” His mind drifts for a second, thinking about how easy it is to slip into this back-and-forth with her. He’s not supposed to want this, but he does. Not in the way he’s supposed to, but in a way that makes him want to see what happens if they keep going. “So, next time, you’re picking the place. But I’m bringing the treats. Gotta keep the boss happy, right?” He gives her a look that’s half challenge, half invitation, not quite sure what he’s hoping for but wanting to leave the door open anyway. Maybe this fake thing isn’t so fake after all.

Tank really did look like he was conducting some kind of corporate evaluation, sitting there all serious while Dash flopped around like he'd been personally victimized by having to walk anywhere. "Yeah, Tank's definitely got that whole CEO thing down," she said, watching her chow chow maintain his dignified position. "And honestly, your dog food approach was way better than whatever romantic bullshit most guys try to pull." The lunch had been surprisingly normal, which was weird because nothing in her life was ever just normal. They'd actually talked like regular people instead of two strangers whose dads had decided they should get married. She'd been ready for awkward small talk or him trying to impress her with expensive wine knowledge, but instead they'd made jokes about their dogs running a business together. Tank had scored his bacon like the professional manipulator he was, while Dash kept up his starving artist performance even though everyone knew he got spoiled rotten at home. "We did pull it off," she agreed, meaning it more than she'd expected to. This fake relationship thing was supposed to feel forced and uncomfortable, but sitting there laughing about Tank's hostile takeover plans had felt easy. Like they'd been friends for years instead of barely knowing each other. "Tank's approval definitely sealed the deal. Nobody's going to question us when he's basically adopted you already."

Dash was still bouncing around like they were heading to some amazing adventure instead of just walking to their cars. Her husky had zero chill when it came to anything that involved moving or attention or basically existing. The scene felt weirdly natural, which should probably worry her more than it did. She wasn't supposed to actually enjoy hanging out with her arranged fiancé, but here she was, disappointed that lunch was over. "Rebellion sounds about right," she said, grinning because Dash would absolutely stage a dramatic protest if he thought the fun was ending. "He'd probably throw himself on the ground and refuse to move." They walked toward the parking lot, Tank maintaining his position between them like he was still on bodyguard duty. Dash kept circling back to make sure nobody was getting left behind, his ears doing that ridiculous thing where one stood up and one flopped over. "You know, you didn't have to walk me to the car," she said when they reached the lot, Tank and Dash flanking her like furry security. "I've got these two with me. But thank you for your chivalry."

[dors-ee]

Hmmm. No. I still don't take it as canon. I mean it actually isn't canon or truly official, but even if it was made canon and truly official by Riot, I still would reject it.

(Quickly :I am genuinely happy for those that liked it and love the fact they kissed btw! I'm happy for you you got something you like! Truly!)

I don't think they kissed. Like i reject the MV making them kiss and for me they didn't kiss. I don't think whether it was 1 or 2 days or a few weeks or a month, that they did anything. Not with the situation, not with their past, etc.

I prefer and think it better, where they don't kiss and where they know there's something, the love is definitely there, but don't act on it, in in a very very... idk. Conventionally romantic explicit way I mean. I'd rather have this realism, like in term of psychology, and this... I don't know. It is terribly romantic* too, whilst realistic. (* wide meaning including artistic/literary movement.).

For me, timebomb is romantic (wide meaning. encompasses the artistic/literary movement) and poetic, and not into stereotypical and conventional romantic gestures. Not yet I mean, for the MU. (one can be romantic/poetic and have conventional romantic gestures yes. Those are not exclusive in general. Depends how it's done and the context.) Because that's how it was made in canon and what fits their story and them for now.

Ofc in the future I wouldn't mind kisses and all. Would more than welcome them actually. It depends how it'll be done, but I would really more than welcome them in the future.

But right now, where they were in s2, it didn't fit. Even with notions of poetry and romanticism and conventional romantic gesture and personal preferences and thoughts aside I mean. It didn't fit. (psychology and characters and relationship developments and story and context etc )

We didn't need a kiss. (I can like kisses, and more, in pre war, in purely fanon exploratory stuff. But purely as a "this is imagination and fun to explore". My mind is open to exploration and fun. It's for what wants to pass as canon that I take issues with.)

If I go further and into more personal territory, it actually bothers me that one was made. I get it, for most people kisses are needed as a show of romantic love. Like I get it.

And i do acknowledge this is partially personal, why it bothers me that well. we got a more stereotypical conventional show of romantic love. But it bothers me. It feels like a "you all want a conventional show of love in the form of a kiss so here!" whether it truly works or not... It's what's expected so it's what is given.

and it does feel like fan service a little.

I don't like that there's a kiss and I don't want it and... whatever pple believe for themseleves, like be free of course (and again, genuinely happy for those that liked it), but it isn't canon. Like objectively it isn't, but again even if it was made canon by riot I would still reject it personally.

to summarize : I don't think that they kiss fits -where they were with their relationships, where they were individually in their development, the context of the story, psychology, etc.- and was even needed as a show or romantic feelings, like that is outside of personal taste and preferences and feelings I mean.

And ... well inside of personal taste and preferences I also do not like it. I do have a preference for romantic -wide meaning- poetic and not conventional romantic gestures but the love is still there everywhere type of dynamics. (which the mme mv did do and do so well and it has inspired and pushed me so much.)

Also, for me, where they where in s2, it is tentative. For me there is a knowledge and acknowledgement of feelings but no action. Things are still tentative, there's still an open wound, or several, plus the war looming over. They can't show overt big reciprocated gesture of affection yet. It is there but it can't flow freely yet.

I mean again, everyone is free etc etc. But bc everyone is free, i say nope. Not for me.

I am not saying it is a bad MV. I am saying not for me and I think it doesn't fit timebomb in canon to have kissed pre war. And I also as a personal preference prefer them to not have kissed.

(and yes, as a more general parenthesis and tangent: I will be picky about content. It's not bc we don't get a lot that we have to settle for anything. I saw this opinion recently and like no. No no no. We can be picky, we can expect, and demand quality. Actually we should. We can be grateful for what we got without being doormats. we should ask for quality, or we won't get it, if we just settle for anything.

I'm not saying this specific world collide mv is not quality. I am speaking in general. We can be picky. And we can demand better. We should actually, and not just with timebomb or arcane. Bc this sentiment "be grateful don't ask for more" i've seen it with other medias and outside of it and... no? we can and should ask for more and better.)

also : yes. it's not that serious in the end and it's just fiction. Doesn't mean emotions and opinions about it can't exist. But it's just fictional characters and fiction at the end of the day. I am aware.

And it's just a kiss, i'm aware of that too. Would I be sooo upset if it was made canon? no. Would i still reject it for me? yeah. but I wouldn't be upset.

[bulbabutt]

no offence to people who genuinely enjoyed james somerton and feel cheated but you could kind of tell he didnt give a shit about anything he ever said. there was no passion or personable anecdotes in anything he ever made, and the fact he was constantly posting videos was crazy. like if you watch your more popular video essayists theyre always coming from a point of 1) education in a field 2) passion in a subject and 3) being open about themselves

like , this man hopped on the video essay train because of the popularity of his peers and just tokened himself into "the gay video essayist" as if so many other people werent already doing that? and the lack of care for intersectionality was obvious. i stopped ever watching him after he took it personally that some marvel show was about black exploitation in america and not about two men kissing each other, cuz it became abundantly clear that was the only experience he gave a shit about (his own)

[wewontbesleeping]

nothing more humiliating than finishing a book and not understanding the ending. if i have to google "____ ending explained" i'm killing myself

[nonsensechemicals]

*thinks about cookie9 again* * LOUDLY FLAILING IN MY SEAT*

[bmpmp3]

the really beautiful landscape/skyscape animation in makoto shinkai's works tends to be the big thing i see focused on and that is understandable and deserved like the weather and lighting effects are unREAL but i do think we should also appreciate how absolute insane the plotlines of his original movies get. at least two movies with in universe catastrophes with major ecological implications. the guns and explosions. theres that one movie i havent seen yet with the guy who turns into a chair (?)