#( but at least like the main ones are out of the way?? )

[kazhanko-art]

(sorry in advance if this was already answered)

so in overall, there are people across Canada of every political sway which all have their own reasons against trudeau. Some of those reasons are legit, some are not, and then there’s the complicated ones where it’s not always 100% trudeau or his parties fault but they also didn’t help things.

but some things to know

Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, left a legacy for Trudeau to follow; both in the sense that Pierre had accomplished a lot as a leader and shaped a lot of what Canada is today politically, but he was and continues to be a divisive figure, particularly in Quebec and the Prairies (that legacy also affects the liberal party overall, at least out here in Alberta, but that whole convo can wait for another time)

So trudeau had some big shoes to fill, and many would say he failed and some would say he only got the leadership position because of his name (I don’t personally agree with this entirely but his name is not irrelevant and probably played a part in it)

Additionally, Trudeau was first elected not long before Trump, and with the US being our closest ally (though the republicans seem eager to undermine that rn) navigating the relationship with trump was going to be a major part of his job, as well as upholding Canada’s foreign diplomacy and relations in general

finally, there have been multiple major economic and political events that occurred around and during Trudeau’s time as prime minister. One of these was a global oil crash in around 2014-15, which hit my home province and other prairie provinces hard, and has had lasting consequences to this day

So for the first point: unlike his father, Trudeau isn’t seen as much of a builder. While he and his party did accomplish some things, they have often been seen as ineffective in many ways. Trudeau was partially elected on the promise of electoral reform, something that could have addressed many of the issues with regionalism and political representation in Canada, but he ultimately declared he wouldn’t, a move which many saw as a self preserving one for him and his party. He also made many promises to Indigenous people, however how that turned out has been mixed, with many Indigenous Canadians feeling let down a betrayed (I believe he intitially had some of the highest Indigenous votes, which is important as if I remember right, Indigenous canadians otherwise tend to have lower rates of voter turn out for a variety of reasons)

That last point gets into the oil crash. You see Trudeau and the liberal party were already by default viewed with skepticism in the prairies, due to a feeling of courting central Canadian concerns over other (and specifically western) concerns. Alberta in particular has a bit of a bone to pick, partially due to a narrative of persecution some albertans have about about equalization payments and the environmental policies like the carbon tax, and some more legitimate reasons. One of the things that happened was that Alberta was struggling to get it’s oil out to the market, and oil was the main thing that kept the Albertan economy alive. With the massive drop in oil prices (I think it went down to like $50 a barrel) Alberta was struggling, with major layoffs across multiple sectors, many businesses leaving or closing, and both the downtown of Calgary and Edmonton being very miserable, often described as full of empty buildings at the time. Prior to that Alberta was providing a lot economically to the other the country and often felt like it was paying for the east (again, complex issue but we don’t have time for Canada’s petty regionalism) Trudeau was seen as unconcerned and unhelpful in this situation, even forgetting to mention alberta when listing off every other province as great, which many took as intentional.

So Alberta pushed for multiple pipelines to get the oil out, however there was opposition from other provinces (I think BC and Quebec specifically) and the pipelines ran through Indigenous territory. That whole debacle was a pretty large political thing but the main thing is that the Indigenous territory was unceded land and that the hereditary chiefs opposed the pipeline, but the RCMP tried to force out the chiefs and protestors. Trudeau was sort of wishy washy the whole time this was going on, but in the end the federal government bought the pipeline, and basically managed to piss all sides of the issue off, as Alberta still lost money and was struggling economically, and the Indigenous people and environmentalists felt betrayed

another thing that happened was the SNC Lavelin scandal. SNC Lavelin is a quebec based engineering firm that provided a lot of jobs; however they also had been charged with corruption for helping (I think it was Gaddafi’s son) escape Libya. The charges would prevented then from taking on some contracts and effected employment. Trudeau basically tried to stop the charges in order to save jobs in central Canada. This involved him trying to give the executive branch over the judicial branch, which undermined the separation of powers in our democratic institution. It also eventually led to Jody Wilson Raybound, who was acting as attorney general and is an Indigenous woman, to resign and then later be expelled by trudeau. That whole period of time was a mess and it’s again, a long and complicated thing, but for people it pissed off:

Prairie Canadians and Albertans specifically once again felt shafted. While it felt like the federal government couldn’t care less about the economies or well being of these provinces, Trudeau actively tried to save a company from legal consequences to save the jobs in other provinces (this was after also helping other job markets in central canada)

Indigenous people were mad because JWR was fucked over along with some disillusionment with the truth and reconciliation the government had promised

there were feminists who side eyed trudeau as he is a self declared feminist and promised a lot in the way of supporting women and having women in his caucus, yet here he was forcing a woman out, making him come across as a closet misogynist who was using the presence of these women in his party for his own gain while not really recognizing their competencies as politicians and leaders

Trudeau also came across as very meek in the presence of Trump. While his team successfully navigated Trump’s first round of tariffs, that was more on Christina Freeland then him. He also had gaffs on his trip to India, who he failed to improve Canada’s relationship with, and arguably worsened by posing in a photo with a terrorist (Canada already had a complicated relationship with India btw)

Trudeau’s government also had a very high rate of immigration. Now that in of itself isn’t bad; Canada has always had immigration and anyone who has moved here can tell you, even under Trudeau it is a long and hard process to become a PR. However many Canadian housing markets were already pricing out residents (Vancouver and Toronto have been bad for a while) and do to a combination of fuck ups between federal, provincial, and municipal governments, along with many Canadians being resistant to high density housing and land being given to firms that would develop luxury instead of affordable housing (and so many other factors) meant that with the rate of immigration, there were a lot of people coming in faster than there were homes being made available. This was one of many contributing factors to Canada’s current housing crisis. Additionally Trudeau’s government repeatedly ran on deficits and added a lot to national debt, and often came across as tone deaf to Canadians struggling with the rising cost of living.

That then bled into the pandemic, which of course had massive political ramifications everywhere, and the freedom convoy which both bolstered growing polarization in Canada (as is an issue across the western world) and was again, an issue where Trudeau came across as an ineffective leader and managed to anger multiple sides.

Eventually we got to now where Trudeau’s own party asked him to step down. He is seen as someone who cannot properly navigate or stand up to trump, was accused by former party members of using gimmicks to win over Canadians while mismanaging the cost of living crisis and economy, and is seen by many as incompetent, self serving, and detached from many parts of Canadian society

There is also way more I could add, but basically, for many what it comes down to is

-he failed on many of his promises that people voted him in for, whether that be electoral reform, truth and reconciliation, or other progressive policie

-he came across as out of touch, dismissive, and even spiteful to some towards many parts of Canada, both regionally and demographically

-he came across as dishonest and two faced, often failing groups and causes he claimed to support

-simultaneously, people who already didn’t like him were given more reasons to dislike him, leading to him feeling like a fence sitter who repeatedly screwed up when he was needed

-he came across as spineless and incompetent as Canadians desired a leader who felt more secure

-he is seen as mismanaging the economy, diplomacy, immigration, and housing and being responsible for Canada’s current issues (although many of those topics are very complicated and are not purely his fault)

-fundamentally, Trudeau has struggled in many ways for the same reason other incumbent liberal leaders globally. While Canada is not as bad as in the US and some European nations in this regard, we have seen a rise globally in extremism and populism, as many have grown disillusioned with more established politicians and parties. But for Canadians, he fundamentally failed to navigate our regionalism, shifting politics, crisis of living, and growing political divide

There’s probably other things. For the record, while I personally don’t like Trudeau (my main reason stemming from SNC Lavelin) I don’t agree with all the reasons I’ve listed, but those are some of the reasons across the political spectrum I’ve seen. This is also more focused on Alberta and the west because that’s where I’m from and lived through, I’m sure other people from across the country could give many of their own insights

[viperwhispered]

Notes on Jamil's speech patterns

I was supposed to just pick out some examples of typical Jamil lines. How he speaks, the vocabulary he uses, things like that. Something I could easily refer to when writing to get the tone right.

But then it kinda blew up, oop – because it’s hard to talk about how a character speaks without also dipping into why they say whatever they say.

Plus then I wanted to get examples of Jamil in different moods, and could not resist some poignant things that were more related to his character or backstory rather than strictly the speech patterns themselves, so… It expanded a bit.

Anyways. Some things I noticed he tends to do:

Sighs (more than I realized)

Snarks

Tch (though could be a more general twst writing choice too)

Stutters when he’s flustered / embarrassed / caught of guard (what a cutie)

Goes ahem like an old man when he’s trying to get back on track in those off-kilter moments

Kinda formal with his manner of speech and choice of words (especially in servant mode) (I always worry I exaggerate this but he sure does do that)

But there’s still some animatedness with the way he emphasises words, for example

(so long-suffering and ready to bark out directions to Kalim oh boy - the way the directness just comes through when he loses it)

sugarcoating his opinions if he doesn’t feel like he can say them plainly (tyrant becomes rigorous, etc.)

sarcasm, sometimes with a side of deadpan, sometimes with a smirk

“Good grief” (another thing I didn't realize was that much of a catchphrase)

Very mild on the level of insults & swears honestly, (I mean, "drat"?) but I imagine this is more of a result of the game's rating (I guess for in-game reasons we can say he's been very conditioned by his upbringing)

I put the screenshots that seemed telling, and some related notes, on to a google sheet. That way one can filter and order it in various ways.

The sheet is probably best viewed on a computer or another larger screen, the screenshots might make it a bit difficult to navigate on mobile.

I did go in with the assumption that Jamil might speak differently pre-overblot (when the servant mask is firmly in place) and post-overblot (at least those occasions where he allows himself to be more honest). Like, there’s the sycophantic (as Leona calls it) flatterer, versus when Jamil’s honestly voicing his own thoughts. Which also shows in how I chose to categorize the screenshots.

Of course events are a bit wibbly wobbly in relation to the main story so can’t be placed in the timeline in the same way, but there are still those occasions where it seems you can tell the difference between the servant mask and a Jamil who’s not saying things just for the sake of appearances.

So, to explain the logic of the sheet:

First column has a screenshot of something Jamil says. The second two columns give the source.

The column for whether or not this happened before or after the overblot is only really used for main story things, since event stories are kinda murky timeline-wise.

Next is whether Jamil seems to be putting on the servant mask or speaking more honestly. This is where get more to interpretation territory, and I’ve not applied it to every screenshot (either because that didn’t seem like the relevant part for that line, or because I couldn’t tell).

The last column of the sheet is where we get most to my personal interpretations. So of course you might read these lines differently than I do, and that’s completely fine, these are simply the aspects that seemed poignant to me. Some notes are simply pointing out specific word choices or style of speech, others delve more into character analysis side of things.

Totally fine if you want to copy this file or modify it to your own needs. All I ask is that you don’t pass off anything I wrote as your own thoughts.

Order of lines is based purely on the order the pics were in my screenshots folder, so guess this is also an insight on the order I played things in, lol.

Tagging some jamil peeps in case y'all find this useful:

@crystallizsch @diodellet @moonyasnow @twstgo @lex752

@majestickitty @viperbunnies

[jinnie-ret]

take a chance with me

lee know x reader

genre: mostly fluff, teeny angst

content warnings: one mention of a stroke (it's not an actual one just Minho malfunctioning lol)

word count: 1.8k

summary: lee know was too scared to express his feelings - lucky you were there to convince him his feelings were mutual

a/n: Umm... hi, lol. It's been a while since I've posted. Hopefully this is a nice surprise hehe

1K FOLLOWERS PLAYLIST 💚🖤

MAIN MASTERLIST

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Waking up early each morning and leaving your home at 06:30am would seem like a chore to most people. For you? It was incredibly rewarding to enter the workplace, opening up the front office for the day. Your friends had questioned you wondering how you did it, but helping your parents manage a cat rescue home soothed a part of your soul you didn't know you needed healing, particularly when dreaming of becoming an astronaut, a bus driver or a world famous actor as a child.

Though the biting winds sent a chill through your bones, the sun shone down upon you, rays reflecting off of the icy pavements on your route to work. The weather really couldn't make it's mind up recently. It reminded you of someone.

"Minho, hi! You're early!" you grinned, poking your head out of your scarf that you had wrapped securely around your neck. He seemed to brighten your day even further, as cheesy as it sounded. It was the way he bantered with you, back and forth, exciting you for what witty statement he'd come out with next.

"Visitor's Day, remember?" Minho simply commented, a cloud of air escaping his mouth as his teeth chattered, hands shoved deeply into his coat pockets.

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" your eyebrows furrowed in concern, your own hands digging around your pockets for the schedule of the day. It was a fortnightly occurrence in which you'd accept visitors looking around, hoping to re-home the cats that deserved a place to feel safe, loved and looked after. In fact, it was how you met Minho.

Two years ago was when he first set foot into the establishment, quiet, demure and unfazed. That was, until he was led to the small huts outside where the cats resided. Sneaking out some treats from his pocket, he fed a gorgeous boy he soon named Dori, feeling an instant attachment (the two of them). He tried to find his way back inside, ready to sign some adoption papers, when he stumbled into what he thought was merely a stack of boxes, not initially realising that you were behind them and trying to haul them inside on your own.

"I'm so sorry!" you had gasped apologetically, immediately grabbing a broom to the side and sweeping the rogue pieces of kibble that had escaped it's confines.

"Eh, don't worry," Minho shrugged, trying to play it cool although he couldn't stop himself from giving you a quick scan from head to toe in case he had hurt you, "at least they're not being starved, it's reassuring," he added on, laughing through his nose as he straightened up the boxes of cat food.

"You should see Gingy, he's a chonky boy," you jokes, brushing your hair out of your face and glancing up at him. All you could think was, and later you berated yourself for it, but the cat that got to go home with this one was certainly lucky.

"Oh? What if he heard that?" Minho teases, wondering if you'd feign the dramatics, or even get flustered at the idea.

"He knows," you shake your head and chuckle, making a smarter decision now in only grabbing one box.

"Oh, sorry did you need any-"

"Did you want some help with-"

Comically, you both fell silent simultaneously, feeling awkward that you had spoken over and cut off each other at the same time.

"I'll grab a box," Minho speaks up, moving to stand beside you.

"Oh thank you! That's a great help, truly. I was just going to ask if you wanted those adoption papers," you practically beamed.

"How could you tell?"

"You've got some blue fluff on you. That's from Lilo's hut."

"Actually, his name is Dori."

And when you found out Minho had two other cats and the reasoning behind the name 'Dori', you melted instantly. On the spot. Like, literally on the floor had it not been for the rational part of your brain telling you to stop falling for a man you had just met. Minho's sweet Dori completed his little cat family, the soft, gentle trio of boys.

To say you were Minho's biggest advocate when he admitted to wanting to help out and work alongside you at the Cat Rescue, would be completely right. You had brought him straight to your parents, informing them of how knowledgeable and tender he was in interacting with the cats and the rest was history.

Although, that wasn't where this story ended.

"Did you also forget the key?" Minho snapped you out of your reverie.

"Huh? What- no, here," you grasped the key and eagerly gave it to Minho, unsure if your fingers would have the strength to unlock the door, locking up from the inhumanely cold temperatures.

"Ah, she did remember," Minho smirked, soon having to catch his balance after you impulsively shoved his shoulder a bit too hard with your own.

"Unlock the door, pudding boy," you joked, Minho rolling his eyes in response. He could never let you have the upper hand for too long, however.

"I prefer jagi," he batted his eyelashes at you in an over the top way, making you groan and cover your eyes as a form of protection. You loved it really, you just weren't sure on if you should show it.

Minho had told you many times before that you wore your heart on your sleeve. Whether it was you recklessly running into the middle of the road to save a kitten from being hit, or spending your savings on allowing a family the chance to adopt a cat into their lives, you acted upon your love for others. On the other hand, he knew he was too scared to show you how he really felt. Banter, jokes, 'fake' flirting was the perfect cover up to distract him from his feelings, as well as the ones he hadn't yet recognised you shared.

Oddly, there was an awkwardness in the air between the two of you by the end of the day. Perhaps it was the elderly pair who commented on your selflessness as a couple, or seeing many young partners enter and adopt their first pet together. It triggered emotions within you both that had remained hidden for too long. You weren't just good friends, but you were made for each other. The love of cats; the gentleness you exuded and he let slip more often than he'd like to admit and the ease in which you both took in pushing the others' buttons.

Minho always thought you were bolder than him.

"Do you ever think we'll find love, Minho?" you yawned, sweeping up the remnants of dirt that had escaped the many pairs of shoes that entered the home today.

"We?" Minho paused, his grip on the mop slipping ever so slightly before he regained his composure, "I'm not really searching."

Of course he wasn't, not when-

"But is that because you’ve already found it? I don’t want to be bold but-" you nearly scolded yourself for daring to speak when your mind was all over the place.

"That would shock me if you weren’t," Minho snorted, easily falling back into his natural self.

"I'm being real, right now, Min," you squeezed your eyes shuts, back facing him and not wanting to face rejection.

"That's good, here's me thinking you were an illusion all along-"

"Just take a chance, Minho! With me. I-if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll still be friends, we’ll figure it out," you glanced over at him cautiously. Whilst your words were rushed and fumbly, your actions were timid.

Minho's brain malfunctioned. Is this what it felt like to have a stroke? Did you just confess your love for him? Wasn't it just another bit of banter?

"We're friends?" he teased, in that tone he always used. It now felt like a painful reminder, that you'd never truly get through to him. Really, he was testing the waters, and masking it as usual.

"I wish you would just be honest with me," you sighed quietly, your posture slightly hunched. Minho didn't like that. He liked when you stood tall, confident, proud.

"About what? I haven’t lied about anything," Minho busied himself with mopping the floor in order to distract himself from you. As long as he could see the shine in the wooden flooring panning across the entrance of the home, it was enough to put the aside the guilt he felt when the sparkle in your eye dimmed ever so slightly.

The days seemed to drag on endlessly after the unspoken rejection from the guy you had been crushing on for years, now. He hadn't opened up with you in a while - that's the shop we're talking about, not Minho and his thoughts and feelings. He hadn't ever really done that with you, minus a couple of short, rare occasions. Your parents had noticed the slight dullness that seemed to tie the two of you together, it taking a lot of convincing from them to you to lead another Visitor's Day with Minho. The only convincing factor for you in that moment had been when you drifted off into your own thoughts, fading away from the lecture you were receiving and instead finding comfort in the fact that it would be a busy day. There would be no time to think when you were working.

But when it came to the end of both of your shifts? Too much time to think, to dwell, to ponder.

"Well, umm, bye," you nodded politely at him and robotically waved with how stiff you felt in looking at him. Yet it seemed to give ample opportunity for Minho to grab your hand and pull you back towards him before you could rush away, just like he had regrettably done all those evenings ago.

"Oh, what's this about?" you questioned, praying that your hands didn't start getting clammy simply from being so close to him in this way.

"We're going on a date," Minho firmly stated, but his words didn't match his actions, his eyes shyly trailing off to the side and the tops of his ears turning red. How endearing.

"No."

"No?!"

"You can look me in the eyes and say it."

Oh, yes, he had definitely gotten lucky with you. Even though his heart pounded in worry that you would reject him too and he would have been too late, he was able to look you in the eyes and throw a one liner right back at you.

"Hmm, maybe I change my mind," Minho shrugged, feigning a carelessness and dropping his hand from yours.

"Hey! Come on!" you pulled him back towards you, chest to chest, an intense amount of love pouring from both of your souls as you gazed into each others' eyes.

"I'm taking you on a date," Minho affirmed, poking your nose to startle you before you realised he too had been on another planet.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

tagged: @skz-streamer @kiraisastay @katzline @kiwihrt @arloo00 @dunno-wut-to-do @splat00z @his-angell @2minstan @skzoologist @lovingchan @atinyniki @writingforstraykids @minholing @lilmisssona @astraysimp @lixie-phoria @theo4eve @linoalwaysknows @royal-shinigami @jolly04 @turtledove824 @yangbbokari @thisrandomgoofy15 @lieslab @hannamoon143 @arumlilyeclipse

[springismss]

ᱬ ࣪𖤐 thoughts of rockstar! sukuna turning into rockstarboyfriend! sukuna.

had this thought while listening to v.a.n earlier when working.

f! reader. as always, reblogs/likes are always appropriated! enjoy ᱬ ࣪𖤐

rockstar! sukuna who stood pouting like a child with his arms folded, not caring to listen to what his bandmate had to say about the tickets currently being waved in his hand.

rockstar! sukuna who’s currently standing backstage at a concert for an new and upcoming band, one that shouldn’t have that many fans but judging by the crowd that was still gathering, he was wrong.

rockstar! sukuna who’s still tuning out his bandmate when they chatter in about how they got the passes thanks to connections and this new band was going to make it big, all thanks to the main star - their lead singer.

rockstar! sukuna who’s now paying attention to what’s said the sending he hears that the lead singer is a girl. things have just gotten interesting, it was rare to have a female in such a male-dominated space, he had to see this for himself.

rockstar! sukuna who’s not impressed when he first sees you walking past his group. you looked so shy and meek while quickly offering a “hello” and a wave. clearly, the idiot was mistaken when he was yapping earlier.

rockstar! sukuna who’s eating his words soon after when he hears the sounds that come out once you open your mouth after getting the crowd going. the singing, the screaming, the growling? you were far from meek.

rockstar! sukuna who watches you carefully, the way you jump around the stage, the bright smile on your face as you enjoy the buzz around you as you continue to perform for your fans - a buzz he understands all too well.

rockstar! sukuna who finds himself tapping his foot to some of the songs your band plays, it’s totally because he’s a musician and not because he’s starting to enjoy himself.

rockstar! sukuna who finds himself clapping along with his bandmates once your set ends and the lights come back on, watching the bodies on the stage filter backstage again. the look of pure joy on your face is cute. wait did he actually think that?

rockstar! sukuna who offers a grunt when you finally take the time to talk to the group, offering a thanks for coming and watching. who doesn’t miss the way you tilt your head and smirk at him before turning your attention to his bassist. he’d strangle the fucker if he tried anything.

rockstar! sukuna who follows behind the big group back to the dressing room for a drink because, let’s face it, it’s the least you could do to thank them for coming along even when they didn’t have to.

rockstar! sukuna who finds himself alone on a couch before you plopped yourself down, offering another drink before leaning back, talking away to yourself about something he couldn’t quite hear.

rockstar! sukuna who leaves an hour or so later with the rest of his band, not before he had your personal contact details and socials in his phone - after all, he might fancy a collab one day with you.

rockstar! sukuna who’s still tuning turns into fanboy! sukuna for a while when he gets home, hopelessly stalking your insta to get a glimpse into your life. who found himself smirking at the picture of you and your new puppy you’d posted a day before he met you, double tapping to lock in that like. of course, it would be from his own private and personal insta and only a few special people would have that account.

rockstar! sukuna who, one night, in his semi-drunk state, might have sent you a message detailing what he would do to you if he had you alone and you were his. not caring that he was being too out there, cause fuck that shit, life is for living right?

rockstar! sukuna who nearly drops his phone at the message you sent back to him, who knew you kinda enjoyed stranger danger? he was way in over his head but he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.

rockstar! sukuna who attended quite a few more of your shows after that message, thanks to bagging backstage passes from you much to his delight, not that he cared to admit that. he did have a tough guy image to uphold after all.

rockstar! sukuna who spent more time talking to you via dms before moving to texts - after all, he was adamant that arranging a collab would be easier that way, not that he wanted a more personal way to talk to you.

rockstar! sukuna who starts adding lyrics that have to do with love and crushes into his future songs, much to the amusement of his bandmates and fans, some loved the subtle changes while others hated it.

rockstar! sukuna who ends up inviting you into the studio to talk ideas and start his band's next single with your help and vocals. he was sure it would be a hit, plus he wanted to spend more time with you outside of the bands. not that he would ever care to admit that to you.

rockstar! sukuna who suddenly feels like a teenager all over again when you get closer to him, lingering touches and looks making his heart thump in his chest - he was a performer yet this is what caused him to grow clammy.

rockstar! sukuna who ends up relaxing on the sofa in the room, you sat in his lap as you hummed out a tune, jotting it down. enjoying your weight on top of him, even if it wasn’t how he’d usually like it.

rockstar! sukuna who grows bored after a while and pulls his phone out, only for you to grab it and take a selfie with him, placing a kiss on his cheek as you capture the pure bewilderment on his face. just a little something to remind him of you when all of this ended.

rockstar! sukuna who starts to find new ways of hanging out with you, when not working on a track together - may have guilt-tripped you into letting him meet your puppy because who couldn’t resist his bad boy charm?

rockstar! sukuna who ended up becoming rockstarboyfriend! sukuna before too long, proudly showing you off to the world the night after you agreed to be his, when the new song debuted and you appeared on stage, taking your place beside him with a cheerful wave to the roaring crowd.

rockstarboyfriend! sukuna who pulls you into him in front of the sold-out arena, planting a wanting deep kiss into your lips before pulling away, smirking at the dazed look before announcing that you were both together, and used to it before the combined roar of the crowd and his band kicked up, the two of you performing the song you’d created together.

rockstarboyfriend! sukuna who now uses every opportunity to show you off to the world as the girlfriend of the man who didn’t want to be seen with anyone else - may or may not have went on quite a few photo dumps on his personal insta with photos of you both and what you were up to in between performing and recording.

let’s not talk about the other folder he has on his phone of pictures of you and the two of you together just yet yeah?

part 2 of rockstarboyfriend! sukuna which will possibly be nsfw?

jjk masterlist | masterlist

[nerdyydragon]

Also notable: I rarely see anyone say this about, like, romance movies (at least in earnest; there are soooo many other discourses about romance as a genre, but this isn't one I've seen).

Nobody says "noooo, don't go into the quaint little small-town café, Miss New York Businesswoman Protagonist! No, you're so goddamned dumb for talking to the guy who literally collided with you walking in the door!! You're so effing stupid for allowing him to pick up the papers you dropped!

Nobody says "Character is ridiculous for not trying to avoid freezing to death by huddling for warmth in the cabin!"

Nobody says "but they should know better!" about romance plots, unless it's some "love thine enemy" thing where logically the character should know better than to fall in love with the tragic, handsome villain who just tried to have them killed/kidnapped/dethroned/etc., but even then. The characters in a romance plot don't somehow miraculously know they're in a romance, they just know that they've encountered a [charming stranger] [mysterious rival] [new understanding of their childhood bestie] [any and all trope pairings that apply] and that, as they go about their day, Shit Happens. Compared to other genres it might be comparably low-stakes because nobody's in danger of getting stabbed (maybe, who knows, it could happen), but they don't posses foreknowledge of the events because they're not aware that this sequence of events is something like "A Duke for the Holidays" instead of "just another goddamned Tuesday".

We know.

We're supposed to know.

While part of me rails against an easy reliance on trope marketing, primarily when it supersedes any and all notions of telling me what the gods-damned book is about, as an audience we are, consciously or otherwise, aware of tropes and trends and patterns. We know, as the audience, that in a small-town romance film Miss New York Businesswoman Protagonist is going to break up with her boyfriend who never has time for her and shack up with the hunky father of two who works as a conservationist for a near-extinct, totally-not-made-up species of butterfly that only reproduces every six years under the light of a falling star, or something*. That's how the plot works.

Half the fun is figuring out how it happens.

Half the scare is figuring out how it happens, because horror, like romance, has a pretty defined end (though it isn't always death, but that's pretty clear from the beginning when that's the case).

I'm a spec-fic author. I'm working on a gothic sci-horror novel that, in its alpha stages, has scared the bejesus out of my reader to the point where she thinks the monster is going to appear in her house. She keeps feeling like she's being watched. We're 2/3 of the way through and she's paranoid to the point where she can't actually read the thing for long stretches of time even if she desperately wants to. I also write fantasy, and there are tropes and expectations that I rely on there, as well. But gods, I'm so tired of people (beyond the half-terror under a blanket "no, don't go in there!!!" response, without acknowledging that it must happen) not applying the same logic to horror protagonists as they do to those of other genres. They're not dumb.

Horror isn't dumb.

It's profoundly, utterly human in its terror.

And to the main point of the post: nothing Jonathan Sims (Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London) could have done would have averted the ending to his story. He's a brilliant mind cracking under strain, attempting to wrangle forces well beyond human comprehension that prey on his being a brilliant mind attempting to wrangle them. The Entities, on occasion, give him what he wants. He learns. He grows.

Until he becomes a monster himself.

There are so many versions of the story, littered with alternate choices and voltas and changes in patterns. "No" instead of "yes" that eventually becomes "yes", anyway, because it has to.

A big-city businesswoman, visiting her aging father for Christmas, walks into a coffee shop and runs headlong into her widowed highschool sweetheart after years away.

A gallant knight, stripped of his armour, raises a sword to protect the princess and slay the dragon.

A PI cracks a cold-case that's been haunting the local police for years after they stumble on new evidence, almost by accident.

Almost by a miracle.

A brave starship captain lays down their life to save an entire planet, millions of lives, because it is right, and at the last second is retrieved by advanced technology created by a society that cares.

Jonathan Sims does the best he can with the information he has, and he almost makes it out in the end.

Until he doesn't.

There is no other version of the story.

----

*I was being mostly facetious in this claim but a part of me actually really wants a low-stakes cozy romantasy in this setting. I can't write that type of stake to save my life (even my fanfiction has to have something life-threatening, so no butterflies for me) so if that prompt strikes your fancy, feel free to steal it and modify however needed. Just... let me know if you ever finish it.

JONATHAN ARCHIVIST IS NOT STUPID SQUAD I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU

[keeryhours]

wildflower chapter seven

Eddie Munson x Henderson! female reader, Steve Harrington x reader

Main Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Eddie Munson Masterlist

Steve Harrington Masterlist

Summary:

Eddie springs something on you, and Steve is not happy.

Warnings:

Angst, fighting

Word Count: 3k

A/N:

I hope you enjoy 💕 Thank you so much for your support on this series!

It had been two weeks without any word from Eddie. You felt terrible after he had shown up and found you and Steve after…well. You knew it had hurt him, which is something you never wanted to do, despite your history.

It was another uneventful day at the diner. You had just delivered a tray of drinks to one of your tables when you noticed Chief Jim Hopper coming in and heading your way.

“Hey, Hop,” you greeted with a smile, sitting the empty tray down on the counter. “Where do you want to sit today?”

Hopper approached you with an uncomfortable look on his face. It made you nervous, your eyebrows furrowed as he got closer. He was carrying some papers in his hand. He called you by your full name as he reached you, which he never did.

“…Yeah?” You said, concerned about whatever he was about to drop on you.

Hopper rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’ve got some papers for you.” He handed you the stack of papers, avoiding your gaze. You’d known Hopper your entire life and he’d never acted like this around you before.

You looked down at the papers. Petition for Establishing Paternity. Signed - Edward Munson.

You looked up at Hopper, eyes wide. “What…what is this?”

Hopper was still avoiding your gaze. “Eddie filed to establish paternity. This is a court order for a DNA sample from both you and Asher.”

Your head spun with this information. Eddie had filed for paternity with the court? You had seriously just been served papers? “What…what does this mean?”

“You’ll have to go to the address on the paper to provide a DNA sample from you and Ash,” Hopper said. “If the DNA proves Eddie is Asher’s father, he’ll be added to the birth certificate and he’ll have paternal rights. He’ll most likely file for joint custody at that point.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Eddie hadn’t even talked to you about this. He hadn’t talked to you at all. Was he really so mad at you about Steve that he’d do this? In this way?

You thanked Hopper for coming out here and he gave you a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before he left. You felt like you were in shock. You couldn’t think of anything else as you went on with your day - you felt like you might cry. This was so much all at once. You never would have kept Asher from Eddie, if he had just asked. But adding him to the birth certificate so soon? And having to go to court?

Your mind was still reeling with this information when Steve and Robin showed up after their shift at Family Video. They could tell something was wrong immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked as soon as he reached you. He placed his hands on your shoulders, looking you over like something had happened to you. “What’s going on?”

An equally concerned Robin stood next to him as you sniffled and wiped your eyes. You reached behind the counter and grabbed the stack of papers, handing them to Steve. “Eddie had me served.”

“He what?” Steve said, grabbing the papers from you and looking over them as Robin gasped. He flipped through the papers, getting angrier by the second.

“Why would he do something like that?” Robin asked. “That’s not like Eddie at all.”

You and Steve exchanged a look - you knew exactly why Eddie would do this. He was hurt and angry. Robin didn’t know about you and Steve sleeping together, and you weren’t planning to tell her, at least not yet. Things had already been confusing enough between you and Steve.

“I don’t know,” you said, looking down. “I wish he had talked to me first.”

Steve was clenching his jaw. He handed the papers back to you, turning and walking out of the diner angrily.

“Where are you going?” Robin called, throwing her hands up. “You’re supposed to be my ride home!”

Steve sped into Forest Hills Trailer Park. His car skidded to a stop outside the Munson trailer, and he killed the engine. Eddie’s van was outside. Steve knew he probably should have taken the time to calm down a little, but he wasn’t thinking straight. He climbed out of his car and slammed the door shut, stomping up to the front door and banging on it.

“What the fuck-“ Eddie said as he opened the door, then his eyes went wide. “Steve? What the fuck are you doing here?”

Steve shoved Eddie in the chest, making him stumble backwards. “What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you do this to her?”

Wayne stood up from the couch in shock as Eddie shoved Steve back. “How could you do this to me? Take my place in my son’s life, sleep with my girlfriend?”

“She is not your girlfriend!” Steve yelled back, exasperated. “You left her! And you all but admitted you slept with groupies on the road. You expected her to just wait for you while you did whatever you wanted and come running back whenever you decided to show up again? Whether you knew about Asher or not, you abandoned her!”

Eddie was at a loss for words. “I- that’s my son. He’s not yours. As much as you want him to be.”

Steve clenched his fist. He wanted to take a swing at Eddie so bad. “She missed you, you know? It took her a year to stop talking about you. I bet you didn’t think about her at all.”

“I did think about her,” Eddie said. “I thought about her all the fucking time.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Why did you fucking sleep with her?” Eddie yelled, the hurt evident in his voice.

“That’s not relevant at all,” Steve said. “She’s a grown woman. She doesn’t owe you anything.”

Wayne jumped in at that point, ever the voice of reason as he tried to defuse the argument. “Eddie, he has a point. Why did you take off and never talk to that girl again? I thought you loved her?”

“I do love her!” Eddie exclaimed. “I love her so fucking much you have no idea.” He pointed a finger at Steve. “You could never even comprehend how much I love her. You could never love her the way I do.”

Steve scoffed. “Yeah, that’s not true, buddy. I’ve been here for her while you were off playing rockstar. I’ve been raising your son.”

It was Eddie’s turn to clench his fist. “That’s only because I didn’t know about him. I love her, and I love Asher.”

“You love her so much you had her served? Instead of just talking to her?” Steve stepped closer to Eddie, getting in his face. “Do you even know how upset she was?”

“Wait,” Wayne said, holding his hand up. “Ed, you had her served?”

“I want to see my son. I have rights.” Eddie said, holding his head up high. He felt like he was completely in the right here, he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. He wanted custody rights, he wanted to be on the birth certificate. He wanted to be Asher’s father.

“She wants you to be in his life, you fucking idiot! All you had to do was ask! All you had to do was fucking show up for once in your life!” Steve was fuming, adrenaline coursing through his body, ready to fight. “She still misses you. The old you, at least. The one that never would have treated her this way.”

Eddie was speechless once again. Wayne walked over, cautiously putting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Eds, you know I love you more than anything, and I’m always in your corner. But you need to grow up before you can be in your son’s life. That poor girl had to grow up a lot faster than she wanted, and she did it on her own.”

Eddie turned to his uncle, his brown doe eyes sad. “But Wayne-“

“No buts. I know the band is important to you, and I know you’ve worked hard. But you need to think long and hard about your decisions. You made a bad call. A petty one. This isn’t about you, or even you and her. It’s about that little boy. You need to be thinking about what’s best for him.”

The words struck Eddie deeply. He always valued his uncle’s advice - he had been a great father figure to him all these years, so he had to know what he was talking about. If anyone knew how to be a father, it was Wayne.

“I just…” Eddie ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve already done it now. I’m going forward with it. If we can agree on custody, we won’t have to go to court. But I’m going forward with getting my name on that birth certificate.”

Steve shook his head, laughing humorlessly. “You’re a selfish prick, Eddie Munson.”

Steve turned around and marched out of the trailer. Moments later, Eddie and Wayne heard his car starting and leaving the driveway. Eddie collapsed onto the couch, his head in his hands.

Maybe he really had fucked up.

Things had been different between you and Steve since sleeping together. You hadn’t done it again, but things were definitely…a little stranger. He had kept his word, and the next morning he drove you straight to the doctor for a morning after pill. As much as you loved Steve, and as much as you loved being Asher’s mom, you weren’t thrilled by the idea of adding another to the mix. The doctor had warned you it wasn’t 100% effective, but it was safer than nothing.

You weren’t ready to jump into a relationship, either. You knew Steve would want that, but he was happy to move at your pace. You weren’t sure what you wanted anymore.

The next day after being served, you had off work so you bundled Asher up and headed to the lab to fulfill the DNA samples. You had been stressing nonstop since you’d been served the papers. You didn’t mind adding Eddie to the birth certificate and giving him partial custody or visitation, but you had wanted to ease into it. He barely even knew Asher still, had only met him the one time. You didn’t want all this to be confusing for him since he was still so young.

You pulled up to the lab and killed the engine, climbing out of the car to get Asher from his car seat. You carried him inside on your hip, walking to reception and handing the paper to the woman working. You were so nervous you felt dizzy and sick to your stomach, like you could vomit at any second.

She asked your name first, then glanced down at the paper. “And this is Asher Henderson?”

“Yes,” you said, the toddler examining the building with curiosity. “It's…not going to be painful, is it?” You hated to put Asher through this at all, but especially if it involved blood work.

“No hon, it’s just a cheek swab,” she said, giving Asher a friendly smile and wave. Asher smiled back cautiously, hiding in your neck as he waved back. “You two can go on back.”

Asher clung to you as you walked to the back, following a nurse to a room. You sat Asher on the table and stood next to him. He eyed the tray with the long cotton swabs, but didn’t fuss since there wasn’t a needle in sight.

The nurse swabbed the inside of both of your cheeks first, showing Asher it wasn’t scary. Then she moved towards him - “Say aaaaaah!” - and you were grateful when he listened. He opened his mouth wide and she got the swabs she needed.

“Great job, little man,” the nurse praised, giving him a high five he happily returned.

You were struck by the most intense nausea at that moment, you almost doubled over and threw up on the floor right there. “Can you watch him?” You asked quickly, before you were sprinting from the room and to the bathroom down the hall, which was mercifully empty. You fell to your knees, emptying the contents of your stomach.

When you were done, you were in shock. You wiped your face with some toilet paper, flushing the toilet and leaning against the wall. You had been worried sick over the thing with Eddie, but you didn’t think it was that bad. It was getting to you more than you thought.

You straightened yourself up and hurried back to the room, where the nurse was letting Asher play with a stethoscope. She turned as you walked in and gave you a reassuring smile as she stood.

“I’m so sorry,” you said, picking up Asher. “Thank you for watching him. I don’t know why that happened.”

She gave you a reassuring squeeze on the arm as she headed out of the room. “It’s okay. I got sick ten times a day when I was pregnant with my daughter.”

“Oh, I’m not-“ You began, but she was already out of the room. You furrowed your brows, thinking maybe you needed a trip to the doctor in case you had the stomach flu. It was about that time of year.

It was also nearing Asher’s 2nd birthday, and you had a party to execute this weekend amongst all this drama. You wondered if you should invite Eddie or if that would be awkward. Ultimately you felt like you should at least extend the invitation - be a bigger person, and all that.

You had planned his birthday party at your mom’s house, since he was still too young for friends the entire guest list could fit comfortably. You’d already ordered the cake, and sent invitations to everyone.

Despite how angry you were at Eddie, you figured he at least deserved to attend his son’s birthday party.

You waited until Asher was tucked safely and cozily into his crib before you reached for the phone. You dialed the number you never forgot, even after all these years.

“Hello?” A voice greeted, familiar and missed.

“Hi Wayne,” you said. “How are you?”

“Well!” He responded, sounding significantly happier once he recognized your voice. “I’ve been alright. How have you been? How’s that little boy?”

“We’re both doing just fine,” you smiled over the phone. “Is Eddie there?”

“Sure is,” he said. “Do you want to talk to him?”

“Please.” You twisted the phone cord around your finger, the nerves creeping up in your stomach again. You’d already thrown up one more time since you’d been home, you didn’t want to do it again.

It was a few seconds of shuffling over the phone before you heard breathing. “Yeah?”

“Hey, Eddie,” you greeted awkwardly. Since you hadn’t spoken to him in so long, not since he caught you with Steve and not since being served, you didn’t know how he felt about you or the situation.

“Oh,” he said, sounding surprised to hear your voice. “Uh…hey.”

“I, uh, just wanted to ask you something,” you began. “Asher’s birthday is coming up and we’re having a party at my mom’s this weekend. I was wondering if you and Wayne wanted to come? The guys are invited too, of course.”

“Oh,” he said again, sounding shocked at the question. “Yeah. I mean, yeah, of course, I would love to go. I know Wayne would, too. I’ll talk to the guys.”

“Okay, cool,” you said, feeling extremely awkward. An equally awkward silence filled the air. Finally, you decided to address the elephant in the room. “I got your papers.”

“Oh..yeah,” he said, and you could practically see the uncomfortable expression on his face. “Yeah, Steve came to, uh…talk to me about that. Listen, I’m real sorry. I didn’t mean to spring it all on you like that.”

“It’s…okay,” you reassured him, although you really didn’t feel like it was. You were still kind of hurt about it. “I mean, you could have just asked.”

“Yeah, yeah, I…I know. I’m sorry.”

You were quiet for a moment. “We went and did the DNA samples today, so I guess that ball is rolling. They said it usually takes two days. And, well, you and I both know he’s yours.”

Eddie laughed lightly. “Yeah. He’s definitely mine. I didn’t have any doubts about that…kid’s my twin.”

His words made you laugh, too. “He sure is. I’ve seen your face every day for the past two years.”

It was silent again as your words hung in the air. Finally, Eddie spoke. “I’m…I’m really sorry. About what I did. Disappearing on you and never calling and all. That was…it was shitty of me. I admit I got caught up in the band and the fame. And I don’t know if you can ever forgive me - hell, I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t. But I’m sorry, and I just want you to know that.”

Tears welled in your eyes, a couple escaping and falling down your cheeks. You wiped them away with a sniffle. “Thanks, Eddie. That means a lot…for you to say that.”

“Well, I mean it,” he said. It was quiet again as neither of you knew what to say.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you this weekend at the party,” you said. “I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah…talk later.”

You hung up the phone, the lack of an ‘I love you’ feeling odd for the end of a phone call with Eddie. You remembered the nights laying on your bed at home and hogging the phone all night while you chatted with Eddie, totally in love, giggling and kicking your feet as you talked to him.

You still felt sick, so you felt like you should get an early night. You headed to your room, took a quick shower in your en suite bathroom, dried your hair and did your nighttime routine, then got cozy under the blankets. Your mind swam with thoughts of both Eddie and Steve, as you fought off the nausea. Finally, you were able to fall asleep, and get some rest from the mess that was your life.

tag list

@awkward00noodle @american-idiot-jpg @georgeweasleyslostearhq @fandom-princess-forevermore @emxxblog @hopesicle @hellv1ra @whimsiwitchy @avalon-wolf @kellsck @toomuchbucky @sashaphantomhive @losingmygrasponreality @the-disaster-in-waiting @eddiesgirl1944 @ashcal99 @richardsamboramylove55 @ilovetaquitosmmmm @allhailtheslothoverlord @micheledawn1975 @browneyes528 @costellation-hunter @taccobelle @hellmastereddie @siriuslysmoking @princessadriana4-blog @littlemissholy @punkrockmlchael @sadiea20 @seeigotyoubaby @heyyimmisunderstood @xplrnowornever @fandomsearcherforcuntymen @alhaithmss

[megumimania]

A silly ask and I'm kinda surprised no one has done this yet and I like your writing so I'm sending it to you but basically fem reader and toji on an episode on maury :3

WHO’S YOUR DADDY? — toji fushiguro

pairing: toji fushiguro x fem!reader

a/n: the way this has sat in the drafts for well over a year, loved writing this btw, thanks anon!

it’s no secret that toji has his doubts about whether megumi is his.

but you’re officially over going back and forth with him. especially when he still owes you child support that he refuses to pay until you show him valid proof that megumi is his son.

and what better way to give him that confirmation that he desires than on the messiest show on daytime television, in front of a live studio audience.

“for those who have joined us after the break, today we are joined by y/n, who claims that her ex boyfriend toji is pretending to act like he isn’t the father to their two year old son megumi so he doesn’t have to pay child support.”

the camera pans to you and toji sat a few feet away from each other. you can tell that he thinks this whole thing is a joke from the way he’s slouching in the chair and the constant sarcastic replies he gives maury each time he’s asked a simple question.

“maury how do i know she’s not tryna hustle me outta my hard earned money, huh?” he asks, seemingly thinking that he’s caught you in a tight spot. “besides have you seen the kid? his hair is spiky as fuck, nobody in my family has that hair type.”

the laugh that threatens to leave your lips is almost sickening, using hair as reason to not claim his child was absurd.

it was almost as wild as trying to accuse you of being a good-for-nothing money hungry vulture. which was rich coming from him. considering that your job was practically funding his lifestyle, aside from the large dose of cash he received from his 'work trips’ that cropped up once in a while.

the cash did nothing for you as he spent it as fast as he received it. rather than putting it towards megumi’s trust fund or college fund, he squandered it all on drinking and gambling, especially when it came to the races.

it turns out his charming looks and smiles do not work on the biggest gamble of all time: betting on damn race horses.

but in the rare instance he had some had some heart he contributed towards the bills and groceries. yet that still wasn’t enough.

“when was the last time you paid for megumi’s diapers or his formula or anything related to the apartment, hm?”

you retort, revelling at how all the fight and bravado he once held was slowly seeping out of him, as if he had all of his blood sucked out of him. the host looks expectantly at toji, awaiting a response.

the audience sets off in a chorus of ‘boos’ before toji even has a chance to respond to clear his name. he feels ambushed, the humiliation of admitting to be a terrible father on television creeping up on him.

but what did he expect? he always pushed too hard and now he’s paying the price as you unsurprisingly pushed back even harder.

and of course in the sea of 'boos', there’s a few cheers in the crowd from people who are more interested in getting into his pants instead of the main reason to why you were here in the first place.

“oh and maury if you think i’m lying, i’ve got invoices, bank statements and receipts spanning the last three months.” you add “i can tell you for a fact that this man doesn’t spend a dime on anything—he might as well put on a diaper and sleep in our son's crib.”

"and so what?" toji shrugs, ever so nonchalant. to the degree it pisses you off, he could at least try to act like he cares in front of the camera and the audience.

“i still make it up to you though, don’t i?” he replies, a teasing edge to his tone that has implications that you don’t want to unpack on national television, which was ironic since your business was already out there anyway.

the look on your face is almost murderous, and luckily maury manages to pick up on before this turns into a bloodbath. he quickly perks up as he holds up the manilla envelope that was going to make or break your day.

“In here we have the results of the paternity test, come back after the break!” he says clasping his hand together as you head to the commercial break. immediately you head backstage, grabbing megumi from the staff member who seemed smitten with him.

he latched onto you as you doted on him, before he waddled off to play with his firetrucks that you brought with you in your bag. “he’s getting so big.” a familiar voice says and you turn to see him in the doorway.

“megumi look! daddy’s come back with his tail between his legs because he knows he’s about to be publicly embarrassed on tv!” you say in a mocking voice, pointing out to where toji is standing and he toddles over, smacking his arm as he adorably glowers at his dad.

“bad daddy!” he says and you stop him before he gets out of control and starts to barrel toji with his kicking and slapping. you pull megumi onto your lap trying to calm him down whilst biting back a laugh.

“we don’t hit megumi, unless people deserve it like your daddy.” you tell him softly but you doubt he’s retained any of what you said anyway.

megumi is nestled into your lap, his focus back onto the firetruck that he’s playing with. for his age the kid is incredibly perceptive to the point where it spooks you out.

and if toji feels more like an idiot now, he doesn’t say so.

—

“and we’re back! for those who have just joined us, y/n claims that her ex boyfriend is denying that he’s the father of their child to avoid child support payments.”

the clips of the past half hour play back as you sit down, the manilla envelope in your eye level making your heart race slightly. deep down you knew that he was the father so why was the anticipation making you doubt that?

the crowds cheering and whooping comes to a close once maury grabs hold of the manilla envelope, he opens it, dragging out the grand reveal for dramatic purposes as the suspense builds in the room.

“when it comes to two year old megumi fushiguro, toji… you are the father!” he announces setting off the crowd in a series of cheers. you look over at toji and notice the red flush that covers his neck and ears, a sure tell sign of embarrassment and guilt.

“all i gotta say is that i fucking told you so, hell i didn’t even have to say anything you should’ve known!” you said to him, as he did nothing but take the well deserved lecture from you.

toji felt really fucking stupid, like really stupid but he didn’t want to add to your tirade already, he already wanted to melt of pure embarrassment under the hot studio lights. he really underestimated the lengths you’d go to prove him wrong.

“it’s time to start scrimping and saving, old man. food, clothes and diapers aint cheap. I’m sure your poor race horses will understand right?” you said teasingly, biting back a laugh as you clapped his shoulder.

toji let out an annoyed huff as the sound of your laughter ricocheted in his head, the high from your victory lap still present. he couldn’t be more of a fool if he tried. “haha very funny.” he said drily, despite his head burning, now he owed you and shiu money over his stupid antics.

he knew that as long as the internet and tv were still around, he was never going to live this day down, knowing you’d use this moment to embarrass him and deservedly so.

“i’ve been your host, maury! come back tomorrow where we have suguru and satoru. two former best friends and alleged lovers with satoru claiming that suguru’s affair with the kfc worker ruined their relationship!”

[yummymitzy]

Hii, I have a request. Could you do natasha romanoff? And about the song, i'd want "need to know" by Doja Cat. Pleasee

Need to Know

Pairings- Bodyguard! Natasha R. x Singer! Reader

WC: ~1500

Sypnosis: Releasing a glimpse of your new music video caused an uproar, but what if it doesn’t go in the way you expect it?

A/n : i’m skimming through my rq’s right now. Studies have been a pain in the ass.😭 I have another one on the way!! This one has way more plot than lyrics🤦‍♀️

ᨖᨖೱᨖ⧗ᨖⴵᨖ🕷️ᨖⴵᨖ⧗ᨖೱᨖᨖ

Being in the spotlight seemed to be everybody’s dream. This wasn’t always your dream though. You imagined your future to be anything but that, hell you even assumed you’d be in the military.

You didn’t dislike being in the spotlight though, knowing the positive effect you have on a crowd with an appearance. But the resulting effect wasn’t always positive; stalkers and overly touchy fans were the main thing that kept you alert in public.

You didn’t have much to worry about once your manager introduced you to a bodyguard as beautiful as can be. Natasha Romanoff.

Getting to know Natasha was difficult, she never left time for pleasantries, always focusing on her main tasks. You couldn’t help but try to get closer to her, at the very least to be friends.

It took you at least a month to get a glimpse of her, not her work personality, just her carefree.

Two months after that, you felt weirdly attracted to the redhead. She was like a a siren, an insisting one, one you couldn’t get out of your mind no matter how hard you tried.

You felt safe with Natasha, going past professional boundaries, you just felt safe in general around her.

That all takes you here today, in a studio found in New York. You were accompanied by your friend, with the idea to collaborate together for a music video to a recent song you had released, Need to Know.

Originally, you weren’t planning to go all out for the video, until your friend proposed an idea.

Adjusting your fitted dress, you took one more glance at yourself. You wore an off the shoulder dress, the hem falling dangerously high on your thighs. You had assumed it was perfect for the music video.

Walking out of your dressing room, you were quick to spot your friend, Bucky. The same person that you were collaborating with.

Bucky was your closest guy friend, you cherished your friendship with him, grateful it hadn’t turned out to be any more. Although that didn’t stop fans from assuming the both of you were together.

He was clad in a dark suit, neatly worn, without a wrinkle in sight. Bucky’s eyes brightened at the sight of you, his smile brightening as he rushed over to you.

“You look beautiful, Y/n.” He winked, as his gaze playfully trailed up and down your figure.

“You clean up very well too, Buck.” You smiled, hoping you wouldn’t regret having chosen him as your co-partner in this project, silently wishing you had the choice to choose Natasha.

Your eyes slowly drifted off towards the redheaded woman in question as you pictured her in a beautifully tailored suit; black with maroon accents that would complement her hair and fiery nature. She would look flawless as she always does, but you knew she wasn’t present to be your co-star, only bodyguard.

“Let’s head off?” You questioned, your head tilting towards the set of where your music video would be filmed.

“Of course. After you.” Bucky angled his body, letting you pass through the doorway and leading the both of you towards the set.

Unsuspecting of the glare that a certain redhead sent towards the back of Bucky’s head, or the anguish that flashes through her eyes as she trailed behind you.

-

The lyrics of your song echoed throughout the set as you and Bucky rewatched the complete take.

You couldn’t help but still think of Natasha though. Imagining how she would caress you in a gentle manner despite her calloused hands, how the moment would feel more intimate.

Without a thought, your eyes found Natasha’s figure from across the room. The set lights casted upon her perfectly, as if she had just came out of a movie.

Her chiseled jawline, the way her red hair glistened in the light with shades of red, her eyes that sparkled every time the light met with them.

Shaking your head, you sighed, the exhaustion of the day wearing over you.

Turning on your phone, you had instantly been met with photos of you and Bucky. Remembering that you had taken a few funny photos with Bucky during the filming.

The thought of these photos made you think that they were great for promoting the upcoming video.

It hadn’t taken long for you to tap onto your Instagram profile, posting the photos, accompanied by a caption. “Can never get tired of shooting with this bum.”

Feeling proud of the post, you turned your attention away from your phone, setting it down.

Your gaze traveling towards the person that occupied your thoughts, her eyes were surveying the room with a hardened gaze. It was usual for Natasha’s features to be stern, but this time it seemed more… upset?

-

You were currently sat in front of your vanity that the hotel you were staying at provided, Natasha was stood guard at the door per your request.

The buzzing of your phone was consistent as you fixed up the makeup you previously wore.

Stealing a glance towards Natasha, you reached a hand towards your phone, skimming through the notifications.

“you and bucky are so cutee!! need more of you two!”

“i lowkey wish i was bucky😔”

“Yall looking real cute!! Wish you guys were together!����”

Wow. You had expected comments on the photos, but these were past an extent. Did you two really look like a couple? You clearly made it clear before that you guys were close friends.

In the midst of a sigh, an idea formed in your head. Would starting a live clear the air? But how would you go about this?

The moment of hesitation made you pause in your tracks, the what if’s drifting through your head at 100 miles per hour.

Noticing the moment of pure silence, Natasha spoke up. “Are you feeling well? We don’t have to go to the interviews if you aren’t, I’ll call your assistant to postpone them.”

Snapping out of your thoughts, you were quick to rush out an answer. “I’m okay, Natasha.”

“Are you sure? The interviewers won’t be mad about postponing.”

“I promise you, I’m okay. I just got a little stuck in my thoughts. Thank you though, Natasha.”

A flicker of confusion flashed in Natasha’s green orbs, her eyebrow twitching up as she silently waited for you to continue.

You sighed before adding on, your eyes meeting hers as you asked, “How do you feel about going on a live with me?”

-

The viewer count to your live was quick to multiply, the chat flooding with comments about your previous post with Bucky. Your song was softly playing in the backround as you stared at the camera with a soft smile.

You peered at some comments pointing out Natasha’s appearance before you stole a glance at her in the corner of your eye.

You did your best with answering questions as they flew past the chat, avoiding certain ones commenting about you and Bucky’s relationship with a quick “Me and Bucky are just co-workers, we have nothing going on.”

But you certainly got a little sick of seeing the comments flooding in with more comments about the pictures. You appreciated Natasha’s gesture for swiftly changing the topic your music, but it hadn’t done much.

You’re exciting, boy, come find me

Your eyes told me “Girl, come ride me”

Whispering the lyrics, you turned to Natasha, a glimpse of uncertainty with a hint of something else lingered in your eyes.

“Are you okay with this?” You whispered, out of earshot from your phone, as your face inched closer to hers. You felt her hot breath mixing with yours as you looked in her eyes for a confirmation.

It hadn’t took long for it to click for Natasha, her facial features softening as she whispered out the word you wanted to hear the most. “Yes.”

The moment your lips touched, it felt like fireworks, her lips were softer than you imagined as her breath mingled with yours.

Fuck that feeling both of us fighting

Could he try me? (Yeah) most likely

Reaching a hand up towards your neck, you deepened the kiss, relishing the feeling of her lips on yours. Her lips were hot on yours, slightly chapped but you didn’t mind one bit.

Unbeknownst to the both of you, the comments were flooding with various reactions from your crowd. Some of disappointment, some of shock, the rest of excitement.

Tryna see if you could handle this ass

Prolly give his ass a panic attack

Sorry if I gave a random erection

Prolly thinkin' I'm a telekinetic

Oh, wait, you a fan of the magic?

Pulling apart from her for air, you felt like you were on cloud nine. The both of you remained in a close distance, resting your foreheads on eachother.

You noticed the emotions swirling within Natasha’s eyes, her thoughts put to a pause while she stared longingly at you.

The live was long forgotten as you and Natasha shared unsaid words through the connection you two have made. Words that the both of you have been wishing to say, to preach, but scared of the what if’s.

This moment was one you knew that you would cherish forevermore, knowing you had found your equal, someone you could call your lover.

[yardsards]

this next part is just me bitching but. the main interaction that lead to me making this post (combined with just. all of the incidents of me saying my current job and whoever i'm talking to goving me wayyy too much kudos for just Doing This Job and me feeling sooo weirded out bc like bruh it's not community service it is a Job that i am getting paid for. and this job is easier and pays better than my past job as a cashier but no one gave me kudos for being a cashier.):

during a work holiday party me and a couple coworkers were talking about this pair of clients we shared

and someone brought up how the husband was nice but the wife was a grouch (in my case, she was a little sour to me at first but actually became quite sweet once she got to know me. apparently she had not similarly warmed up to any of my coworkers. which, by the end of this conversation, i realized Exactly Why). no screaming or hitting or any other kind of abuse, not even direct insults, just generally being a bit impatient and condescending and grumpy.

and then my (already least favourite, lol) coworker was like "i straightup told her she couldn't be talking to me like that. that i was there to provide help and if she was gonna treat me like that then i wasn't gonna help her anymore."

and all of our coworkers there, INCLUDING OUR SUPERVISOR, were congratulating her for "standing up for herself" or whatever???

and like see if she was a cashier or housekeeper or whatever i would've been like "hell yeah, get their ass, demand respect on the job" but in the context of this job it really just rubbed me the wrong way because like.

1: we have a significant power over our patients that most other professions don't have over their customers

2: i question if she would have said that to a customer if she was a cashier or housekeeper, or if she only felt emboldened to do this/deserving of a certain degree of respect BECAUSE of the power we have over our patients

3: while we absolutely shouldn't tolerate outright *mistreatment* on the job (as i said above, we're employees, not fucking martyrs), i think we need to be a little more discerning over what constitutes mistreatment than many other professions do. like we gotta be able to think "yeah this woman is in constant physical pain, knows death isn't far away, and now has to pay money to have total fucking strangers coming into her house to do tasks for her that she used to be able to do by herself. it's actually pretty understandable for her to be huffing and eyerolling here and it's not a personal attack on my ego"

4: the way my coworker talked about being there to help like she was providing a FAVOUR rather than just... doing the job that she is getting PAID to

AND THEN this mf had the gall to be like "it's funny that she's planning on checking herself into a home in the next few months. they aren't gonna tolerate being talked to like that there and she's not gonna be in charge there like she is at her house." and like??? idk man i just don't think we should be treating losing power via institutionalization as a justified punishment

i wish i could say that i had some eloquent retort about disability rights and whatnot to stand up for that lady but i was just too fuckin dumbfounded to say anything

i think i've said it before but. as a professional caregiver it rubs me the wrong way how our field (and pretty much any field that involves caring for vulnerable people) is venerated

like don't get me wrong i am all for appreciating blue collar type professions, employees that are underpaid and overworked and vital for how our society functions

but it's a specific flavour of treating us like martyrs that doesn't show up when people appreciate construction workers or garbage truck drivers or janitors or fry cooks or whatnot.

it's a specific flavour of acting like we're doing a huge selfless favour for our clients that doesn't show up when people appreciate customer service workers or housekeepers or whatnot.

what's really ironic there is caregivers have far more power over their clients than customer service workers or housekeepers have over their clients.

and it just leads to so much shittiness in the industry. it's bad for patients cuz they don't feel like they can speak out when a caretaker is mistreating them (or even just doing something they don't like, even on accident), cuz they're expected to feel grateful for what the caregiver is doing for them. and it enables some shitty caregivers to get a complex about how their patients owe them gratitude for doing their jobs. isn't good for non-shitty caregivers too cuz sometimes the good ones then feel obligated to overextend and sacrifice themselves to be worthy of that gratitude.

just like yeah idk appreciate us but don't appreciate us any differently than you should appreciate any other worker i guess idk

[rhowena]

The core problem of Campaign 3's god debate is that the only real support offered by the anti-god side is "some people are mad at the gods" and no one -- in-universe or out -- seems to realize that the mere existence of people who dislike the gods isn't sufficient to make "should the gods stay or go?" into a hyper-complex morally grey debate, any more than the mere existence of global warming denialists is sufficient to make the factual reality of climate change into a hyper-complex scientific debate. "People who are mad at the gods exist, therefore the current system is broken somehow" is the mentality of people-pleasing: if someone is mad at you, it proves that you're a bad person who did something to make them mad, and you are now morally obligated to internalize everything they say about you and devote all your energy to appeasing them.

I am, personally, of the opinion that it is vitally important for people in positions of power to maintain a healthy awareness of their own fallibility and cultivate lines of feedback from lower down in the chain the way software developers provide bug report forms; however, the reality I encountered when I accepted a forum moderation position years ago is that, if you're an Authority Figure™ of any stripe, for every person with a good-faith criticism of a poor ruling you made while overtired or an outdated policy that needs to be revised, there are a dozen who shake their fists at you because they want someone to be mad at. And when you look at the actual substance of the complaints being made (nearly all of which display a fundamental refusal to grapple with the scale the gods operate on and how that affects their decision-making) and ask "what, if anything, could/should the gods have done differently?" and "is getting rid of the gods actually a viable solution to this problem?", they're all firmly in that latter category.

To go down the list:

Vecna: If we're treating "people who are mad at the gods" as a Marginalized Group™ whose grievances are Good Points™ and Worth Considering™ simply because they are grievances with The People in Power™, then Vecna is part of said Marginalized Group™, seeing as he holds a massive grudge against the gods who helped banish him beyond the Divine Gate and per the campaign books his ultimate goal is to eliminate the worship of all deities other than himself. One can only imagine how hard he's kicking himself for failing to find out about Predathos before his own ascension.

Ludinus: His parents will still be dead whether he succeeds or fails, and preventing the same thing from happening to others is what the Divine Gate is for. Killing the gods would not only not prevent similar tragedies, it would, at least in the short term, actively make things worse: assuming Tharizdun doesn't just eat everything, how does he expect Lesser Idols like Uk'otoa to react to a glorious new age where there are no gods to keep them in check and millions of newly deity-less clerics are stuck watching people die whom they could have saved if they still had their spells? Moreover, what happens when people discontented with his glorious new era swear vengeance on those they blame for taking their gods from them, as Ludinus swore vengeance on those he blames for his parents' deaths, or start idealizing the lost age of the gods and looking for ways to somehow bring them back, as Ashton does with the Titans? Does the perspective of people who like the gods then become Worth Considering™, if they've gone from being Privileged™ to being a Marginalized Group™ who have been collectively traumatized by the loss of something precious to them?

Aeor: One of the major takeaways from Downfall was that Aeor was extremely decadent, corrupt, stratified, and generally dystopian at its height. Their main reason for wanting the gods dead seems to be not liking the existence of anything more powerful than them, and anyone arguing that the gods are Too Powerful To Exist needs to explain why the tiny cabal of mages at the tippy-top of Aeor's societal pyramid, wielding power that 99.9% of Exandrians will never have access to, were not themselves Too Powerful To Exist, especially given their evident imperialist ambitions.

Dorian: I won't downplay the genuine grievance there, but a. Opal was victimized by one of the Betrayer Gods, and what to do about them is a question that Vespin Chloras and Cassida Previn, for all their hubris, approached with considerably more nuance, and b. per the post linked in the previous bullet point, if your ultimate goal is to prevent all ill-advised deals with powerful entities and the unpleasant consequences thereof, where exactly do you stop?

Tuldus and Hearthdell: Plenty of irreligious people across Exandria are living their best lives unmolested, so the whole "you must be religious OR ELSE" isn't something the gods themselves are demanding in a systemic way, and getting rid of them wouldn't prevent all oppression any more than it would prevent all cataclysms and mass deaths. (It might not even stop the oppression committed by those specific religious people; per 'personality predates ideology', the ones who are in it to bully others and feel righteous about it will simply look for a different excuse to do so if their current one is taken from them.) There's a genuine debate to be had about how much responsibility the gods bear for their followers' actions and one could, more reasonably, accuse them of having become too lax and needing to be more stringent about telling their priests to cut that kind of shit out (though that in turn opens the question of how much they can micromanage their followers' behavior before it becomes genuinely smothering and oppressive), but it runs counter to the "the gods have too much control" narrative the Vanguard is pushing.

Liliana: Every parroted accusation she levies at the Exandria's pantheon is something Predathos and its worshippers are far, FAR more guilty of, but Predathos doesn't present itself as a caring, benevolent entity in the same way the Prime Deities do, and she expects us to believe that it admitting that it's bad somehow makes it good. (There's a Slacktivist quote that I think sums up the underlying logic here: "Once you've decided that the Most Important Thing is to avoid the wolf in sheep's clothing, your safest course of action is to embrace the wolf in wolf's clothing.")

Ashton: Essentially blames the gods for refusing to micromanage reality on their behalf and, in focusing so much on his own pain, hasn't stopped to ask what the world would look like if the gods actually felt obligated to micromanage reality on behalf of everyone who petitioned them that way, not just him personally. My dad is an agnostic and specifically doesn't believe in a god who answers prayer because what's a god to do when there's a baseball game and both teams have fans praying for their victory (or when there's a war and both armies include adherents of a given faith)?

Bor'dor: It's one thing to say that the gods have certain obligations to their followers and quite another to say that that the gods are supposed to keep their followers swaddled in bubble wrap 24/7 and prevent them from experiencing any consequences for their own actions whatsoever, and arguing that the Wildmother should have somehow stopped Bor'dor's family's suicide charge from resulting in their deaths is the latter.

Vox Machina: Continue to hold a grudge against the Matron for taking Vax away and would like to believe her being gone would make him mortal again, but when you stop to think about Vax as a person with his own feelings and opinions about his relationship with the Matron, instead of as a passive object to be fought over, the "what if Predathos eats the Matron?" scenario looks a hell of a lot bleaker. There's also the question of whether or not Predathos would consider Vax himself edible; a mere celestial might be one of those half-crushed potato chip fragments at the bottom of the bag in comparison to a god, but when you've been trapped and starving for thousands of years...

Zathuda: Objects not to being told 'no' but to the existence of forces who could potentially tell him no, which to me reads as an asshole whining about how unfair and oppressive it is when people see his assholery and tell him to cut it the fuck out.

[fictionadventurer]

People Jane could have asked for help when she wanted to leave Thornfield, instead of just running out into the wilderness with a piece of bread and some money that she spent entirely on bus fare:

Mrs. Fairfax: Didn't know Rochester was married, would understand that Jane wants to leave. Could possibly provide a loan to help Jane travel to where she needs to go, or at least direct her to other people who could help.

Mr. Eyre/Mr. Mason/the lawyer: Sure, her uncle's dying, and his employees just left her there, but they might not be that far from Thornfield. Could be nearby, or could be reachable by letter if inquiries were made.

Mr. Rochester: He owes Jane money. She could demand it and ask for a reference. If he refuses, she could always pull the "you want to lock two wives in the attic?" card. Risky option, because Rochester is volatile, he's already shown signs of violence, and Jane might cave if she faces him again. I don't blame her for not taking this option, but it was there.

Bessie and Robert: They like her, and they have a house separate from the main house. If she can find a way to travel there, they'd probably house her.

The priest: You know, the one who was going to marry them in the church that's literally walking distance from Thornfield's front door. He knows Jane's story, knows that she's innocent, and knows exactly why she needs help. In the perfect position to provide aid.

The Lowood school: She's been gone for less than a year. I'm sure they'd take her back.

[corviiids]

"i suck at summaries": a dubiously helpful list of tips for how to do a summaries

by no means am i an expert. but in the hopes that this is helpful.

fic summaries have two main purposes:

tell a reader what the premise of your fic is in one glance, and

provide a 'hook' that convinces them to click on it.

based on those two purposes, here's what you should aim to do:

pack the key information into something that can be read while scrolling, and

make your fic stand out.

how do you do that. there are many different ways. ymmv. here are some starting points which may help if you are really, truly stuck.

details under the cut. in summary:

know your premise

keep it short and sharp

demonstrate your style

1: can you describe your premise in maximum three lines?

fewer is better. im not saying your summary has to BE fewer than three lines, you just need to be able to describe the premise as concisely as possible. not the whole fic. not everything that happens. just your premise.

being able to condense your ideas this way will improve your understanding of the work and make it easier to summarise.

sometimes it's a bit hard to isolate what exactly your premise is, especially if you were just writing into the void. so here are some questions you can ask yourself to figure it out:

what was the idea that spurred you to write the fic?

what is the climactic action in the fic?

if the fic is an au, canon divergence, what if, etc - what is the point of difference between this and canon?

if the fic is based around a trope, a genre, a particular device - how did you apply it, what makes the work familiar, and what makes it different?

this is important, because:

2: brevity is the soul of wit

now that you know your premise, it's time to jazz it up. turn it into a one-liner or similarly catchy pitch. give it a makeover.

it doesn't have to be literally one line. however, do not make your summary super long. do not make either your summary or your tags a massive block of text. the reader is scrolling. they have not yet decided to invest time in your fic.

the ideal summary is stylish and concise. your reader should be able to take it in without pausing for too long. it gives them a good impression of you: you know how to be economical with your sentences, which means your writing is probably easy and enjoyable to read.

and on that note:

3: including an excerpt is always an option

an optional option. but if you're stuck, it's a free card to play.

readers want to know that your writing style matches what they like to read. showing off your style can help you stand out to an interested reader.

try and find a few lines which are representative of the premise, representative of your style, and sufficiently intriguing. an excerpt is a try before you buy. you just wrote a whole fic. you want people to read the whole fic and enjoy your work. so show them what you have to offer.

what is an example, postmaker

look im not more qualified to give this advice than anyone else, but here's what i do if it helps. i typically pick out a short excerpt and include a short pitch underneath it. that way the reader knows what i sound like and what the fic is about.

here is a baldur's gate 3 fic summary

shadowheart says, “kill l–” “not lae’zel, darling, it’s too obvious. in fact, both of you are banned from killing each other.” astarion thinks for a moment. “in the game, at least.” -- the gang plays fuck, marry, kill.

this fic has a basic premise and hinges on dialogue, so i picked some sample dialogue to demonstrate what my grasp on the character dynamics looks like and then added one line to explain what the fic is about.

here is a death note fic summary (death note spoilers) (i guess)

The night Ryuzaki dies, L appears in Light's bed. -- (every night when light goes to sleep, his dreams place him in a romantic relationship with his newly-dead rival. it makes him sick.)

this fic has a more abstract premise, so i picked a short excerpt to demonstrate what the tone of the fic is (a bit mysterious). then i added two lines: just enough information to explain what the catalyst of the fic is, but no more than that, so that the reader will be intrigued.

here is a persona 5 fic summary

Ren grins. “You want me to date Goro?” “Pretend-date Goro,” Ann corrects. “And make his crush jealous.” “This is not going to work,” Goro says. “Sure, I’ll do it,” says Ren, still grinning. He does his own rendition of Ann’s eyelash bat. “Go out with me, Goro-kun?” “I’m older than you, so show me a little respect,” Goro says crossly. “Our relationship is off to a bad start, Ren-kun.” -- (or: what not to do when you're fake-dating your real crush.)

this fic is based on a premise everyone knows well (fake-dating trope), so i picked dialogue that samples the tone of the fic and of the key relationship so that readers can decide if i write the dynamic in a way they personally vibe with. then i added a line to tell them what the trope is, so that fake-dating trope enjoyers know that's what it is.

anyway. hope that helps

[bi-dykes]

I used to think it was ironic in a bad way but it’s now eerily beautiful.

The MCU started out beautifully and then over time drove itself into the ground with rushed, unrealistic CGI and inconsistent writing.

Star Wars was impeccable decades ago and now “Anakin blew up the Death Star!!!1!” and Rey is the chosen one and the Acolyte has force born children. With every single movie they spit on Darth Vader’s grave, and then CONTINUE to pump out lunchboxes and t-shirts and action figures of Vader bc why not?? The writers nowadays never do him service yet thrive off of his legacy and ngl it’s gross.

Seinfeld had so many dynamics that couldn’t… really be concluded yknow? Like how do you even tie it up in a bow? I would love to give constructive criticism but I’m afraid I don’t even know how I’d end that show. And to this day many fans are not satisfied with the ending. Perhaps it would’ve been better if they never did a special event finale episode at all and just let it fade and end on a regular episode.

Arcane S1 is about standing up for what’s right and Arcane S2 is about dying for the upper class who hurt you apparently.

Monster High, the sister series to Ever After High, kept getting rebooted and the quality dropped for g3 and it recently got cancelled.

Ever After High godsdamn escaped.

Epic Winter isn’t perfect at all but yall it’s GOOD. It’s cute. The main characters were still likeable and there were many funny moments and it was so beautiful. They never contradicted or butchered any beloved characters. They gave us more depth to Faybelle and Briar’s relationship that we craved in the previous seasons lol. The magic in the last episode was great. Apple and Daring are still not each other’s true love and he’s the beast now and she’s hanging out with her true love, his sister Darling, at the end of the episode. Maddie is her hatastic self. Raven never went bad and will never be her mother. It’s such a good note to end the show on.

The show that EVERY EPISODE ended with “the end is just the beginning!” The show that had like 10 main characters. The show that had such an extended universe that was pretty consistent with one another to the point that one of the book series authors is a character in another ever after high book series.

I believe that Ever After High was not originally going to end. That it was going to Barbie its way around. New content new content new content new dolls new dolls and decades go by and-

Y’all this could’ve been Ever After High.

We escaped.

Raven escaped.

They never went poof. Over 8 years and the show is still on Netflix to be rewatched (in Canada at least) and so many ppl cherish this show that I see new fanarts with thousands of likes years after the show ended.

They just finally got to rest.

it is actually so incredibly ironic that the show about destiny and the fear of not correctly following your stories beacuse you might quote “go poof” got cancelled.

[lover-of-mine]

Okay, I've been meaning to make this post and I never make it, but I'm rewatching s1 and the thoughts are in my head so, what better time than now. Like, I made this point before but I never went into detail.

The thing with 911 and love interests and the way none of Buck and Eddie's love interests ever stood a chance, is because in order for you to make a relationship work on a tv show, you need to make sure your audience cares about both parts. Obviously, getting 2 mains together, madney or bathena, works very easily because both characters exist on their own, so you're already invested in all parties involved, it's a lot easier to make the relationship work because you don't need to spend time making people care about anyone individually, you're just making them care about the relationship. But then you have the issue of making people care about a relationship when one of the parties is only there to be a love interest.

So let's take Henren. For all intents and purposes, Karen only exists to be Hen's wife, so if they didn't put in the work Karen would be very whatever, because as viewers, our loyalty in most cases will be biased towards the character we see the most. And considering we are introduced to Henren already established, they are already married with a child, which another thing that makes people be less invested, not seeing how it happened, the odds are stacked against Karen, which is bad if the show ever decides to use the character more heavily. But the show introduces her in a perfect way to avoid that happening. For starters, we meet Eva first. And we meet Eva while Hen is making up problems that aren't really there because of the ghost of Eva. We have Athena state how bad for Hen Eva is, we have the conflict Hen herself is feeling, we have her lying by omission. And yes, the whole thing leads to something a lot of people view as unforgivable, cheating, but during that whole storyline, we are siding against Hen, because she is letting this idea of rescuing Eva is making her step out on her family, so we are taking Karen's pain, we are taking Karen's side, and that makes us care about Karen, and therefore we end up invested on them together. And something else is how this all happens while we are still getting to know Hen, so there aren't any preconceived notions of how a relationship for Hen should go.

And the show knows how to work that concept in, but when we are talking about love interests for both Buck and Eddie, is that every relationship is introduced with something that's gonna make us side with them and ignore the other person. Shannon never stood a chance because she was written to be fridged, but leaving Chris is an unforgivable act, Ali isn't around and she fundamentally can't handle who Buck is, Taylor is introduced as willing to hurt Buck's family, Ana isn't around and Eddie is literally panicking about that relationship and even before that, the Christopher of it all, him getting hurt, not wanting Eddie to date, makes it so we're not the biggest fans, Natalia was only interested in Buck's death and since we were watching the damage his death did to everyone, it makes it hard to root for them, Marisol just didn't exist for the audience at all, and Tommy's past plus the circumstances they get together aka Buck hurting Eddie makes it very 😬.

And all of these happened while Buck and Eddie's partnership is continuously shown as getting stronger, so the relationships are fighting against two main characters who have a strong relationship, so it is really hard to establish something that will replace the idea of Buck and Eddie because they're fighting against 7 seasons of partnership. The thing that makes buddie is time. It's everything that happened to them (I mean, the actual thing that makes them it is Christopher but that's a different post). So for a relationship to actually replace them, you need to separate them and then give the new relationship at least half the time buddie had to establish themselves. Audiences generally don't get invested in relationships they didn't see happening, and usually when it's this far into a show and there is another option of paring 2 main characters, it's really hard to make a character likable enough to replace that. People just generally don't end up caring for a character that only exists to be a love interest.

The show knows that, see the way Karen was introduced, so that makes the way they handle Buck, Eddie, and love interests that more pointed.

[reesespeanutbutterfuck]

"pinky promise?" caleb x reader

promises are just... always meant to be broken.

pairing: caleb x GN!reader

cw: short fic, comfort, communicating with each other, mentions of light injuries, very short angst toward the end

—

The sound of crickets are all that could be heard in the neighborhood as you limped your way home. You don’t usually come home this late at night. It’s just you fully intended to avoid Caleb at all costs. Every time, after your mission ends, let’s just say, sometimes when luck is on your side you end up unscathed, other times—well, more often than not, you don’t.

Today was just one of those unlucky days. And even more so that it completely went past your head that it was the first day of Caleb’s day off and you were more than certain he was home. It took a lot of effort just to stand and walk still. Looking at yourself in a puddle, you were reminded of the fact that you looked like shit right now. Like a ragdoll that got tossed around. Those wanderers really did you dirty.

You did everything you could do to pass the time and make sure Caleb is asleep and you won’t run into him looking like this. Staying at the headquarters hours overtime and sitting on a convenience store bench staring at nothing. When you opened the door to the house, being as quiet as possible, you looked around first to see if the coast was clear. You almost heave a sigh of relief seeing that the lights are dim and Grandma or Caleb were nowhere to be seen. 

Almost.

“You were out late, Pipsqueak. Finally you remembered you have a home.”

Caleb's tall figure emerges from the kitchen door. Your shoulders hunched up upon hearing the seriousness in his voice. Shoot. You cursed yourself in your head. You composed yourself and did your best to stand up straight.

“Why are you still up? Aren't you tired from travelling all the way here from Skyhaven?”

“I just finished washing the dishes. Gran was worried sick about you all night. If I hadn’t put her to sleep she’d be up waiting for you ‘til sunrise.”

He closed the distance between the two of you and you almost flinched when he stood there right in front of you. You averted your eyes and tried your best to act normal. You were thankful at least that the main lights were out and only the dim lit ones were on. You pray he doesn’t see your wounds and bruises all over.

You cleared your throat, not minding your aching limbs. “I just went drinking with friends. It’s been a long day and I’m really tired.”

“Really…” he lifts your chin with the side of his finger. “Do you always come home with a busted lip when you drink with your friends? 'Cause if you do, I might have a little chat with them.”

“I… How did you see…?” You cover the corner of your wounded lip with your hand. Does he have night vision?

“20/20 vision is required in the field of aviation.” he motioned you to sit on the sofa. You would’ve protested if your legs didn’t feel like it was about to give out any time.

You sat yourself down on the sofa. You hear Caleb fumble something from the cabinets before he follows behind and sits by you. He pried your face towards him while holding your chin and looked closely at the wound at the corner of your lip, his expression remained stoic.

You tried to read his mind, but the thoughts behind his eyes were far too difficult to decipher. He started cleaning the wound with a gauze pad and putting antiseptic ointment from the first aid kit.

Still avoiding eye contact, your voice shook while trying to find the words to say. When you opened your mouth, that's when everything went off like a word vomit. 

“Caleb, I’m sorry for worrying you. I can take care of myself. I’ve been a really heavy burden to you and I know you’re already tired enough as it is. I really, really don’t want to cause you any more problems.” you uncomfortably shifted, removed his hand on your cheek and turned your head away from him. “Believe me, I tried so hard to get off without a scratch. But I’m also really not in the mood for nagging right now, you can tell me off as much as you want tomorrow morning, just not ton–” 

You were cut off when your childhood friend silently cradled your cheek with a gentle touch and made you look at him. Your mouth gaped when you saw how somber his expression looked, the shine of his eyes reflecting the dim lights that illuminated the living room. 

“Do you really feel that way?” Caleb’s voice cracked.  “You’ve never been a burden, nor will you ever be.” his sapphire eyes looked apologetic as he reassured you.  “And I'm sorry about the nagging. I didn't mean to. I... just don’t want to see you in this state, ever. I would never want you to feel like you’re always being interrogated and scrutinized. I know you’re doing your best and you’re exhausted. You shouldn't feel guilty about something you don’t have any control on, and I’m very sorry for making you feel that way.” he brushes his thumb comfortingly on your cheek.

“I…” you paused, not knowing what to say. You held his hand on your cheek. Your lips quivered before you finally went for it and hugged his torso. Your arms wrapped under his arms and around him, the side of your face pressed up against his chest, inhaling his cologne. It felt like a sanctuary to be in his arms. 

Caleb looked down at you, immediately reciprocating the affection, wrapping his arms around you too.

“Hmm? What is this?” He caressed your hair.

“I’m just lucky to have you.”

“What, because I’m the only one you can talk to?” he jokes.

You looked up at him. “You’re the only one.”

The way you said it caught him off guard. He quickly pulled it together. “Yeah, yeah enough with the flattery.” he dismisses but he doesn’t mean it, wrapping his arms tighter around you and comfortably resting his chin atop your head. “There, there. I’m sorry again for making you feel like you’re always walking on eggshells. I know well that you can't control the nature of your work. It was insensitive of me. If there’s someone I want to be, I want to be someone whom you can trust.”

You’d trust him with your life, anytime, anywhere.

You melted in his arms. You felt secured for the first time in forever you didn’t think you’d end up in your childhood friend’s arms tonight. God, you missed him so much.

You were completely oblivious to the fact that Caleb was just as head over heels to see you back at Skyhaven that he stayed awake tonight because he can’t wait to see you. There's not a single day he didn't yearn for you while he was away. Of course it pained him to see you hurt.

“Promise me you’ll try not to get hurt as often.” Caleb’s large hands rubbed your back.

“Sure, in one condition.” you withdrew from the hug and faced him, feigning a serious face.

He chuckles, “You haven’t changed at all, Pipsqueak. What would that be? Don’t worry about the chores and cooking. You can count me on that.”

“No, not that.” you broke your composure for a second before returning to your dead serious face. “Promise me you won’t abandon me, ever. I want to see you everyday when I come home. I would crumble if you vanished suddenly without a trace. I’ll bite you if you leave me.”

Caleb paused before he smiled warmly. “...Okay. I promise I’ll never leave you, you can never get rid of me, anyway.”

Caleb ruffled your hair and lifted his pinky to further swear. You stared at his pinky and immediately got the cue. You connected your pinky with his as a pinky promise.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

You held onto his word with every fiber of your being.

You shouldn’t have.

***

[skemford]

Jinx & Caitlyn were supposed to be Arcane S2 character foils/parallels but i don't think that show did a good job at fully accomplishing what it planned.

We got a lot of themes that weren't explored enough outside of visuals and i cannot stop thinking about what could've been.

Under the cut I'll share my thoughts about Jinx and Caitlyn being 2 sides of 1 coin and how Ambessa and Sevika are the opposites (mentor figures,if you'll)

What we see in Act 1 of S2 is a direct consequences of what happened in S1. Both Jinx and Caitlyn are "the monster that you created".

Jinx is a victim of systematic oppression: her biological parents were murdered by the enforcers and her sister (a teen) was arrested without anything that resembled a court. Zaun's system was fleshed out by Piltover's oppression which made people (like Silco) exploit its citizens from the inside. Silco loved Jinx but their relationship was still unhealthy which is almost impossible to avoid in Zaun, to be fair.

Caitlyn is a part of the oppressive society. S1 presents her as someone who wants to make a change. After she visited Zaun with Vi she says that people deserve better & acknowledges that council failed everyone. Despite the way she raised she was portrayed as empathetic and tries to "call out" her mother who's a councilor.

At the beginning of S2 both Jinx and Cait experienced a turning point. Both of them were challenged by their grief — Jinx lost her father and Cait lost her mother. These events are directly interconnected and happen after Jinx's "tea party".

Both of their worlds lost colors which continues to culminate through first 3 episodes of S2.

They deal with grief differently:

Jinx is more numb to everything around her. She feels lost, alone and acts reckless. Silco's death reminded her that she's a JINX and there's no one who'd deny this or comfort her.

Caitlyn focuses on her main goal (catching Jinx) through tunnel vision. She makes destructive decisions which affect both Zaun and her relationships with other characters, especially Vi.

The middle of season 2 puts them on two different roads:

Jinx wanted to fix certain things because "she can" and Caitlyn let her anger take ahold of her morality.

This leads to them getting closer to two other characters: Sevika and Ambessa.

Sevika is an unlikely ally to Jinx. After sharing mutual hatred for years they decide to talk about Silco's "disappearance" right at his office. Jinx and Sevika were vulnerable even in the way they sit: they didn't kept an eye contact which would require at least some amount of trust. Nonetheless, they both felt lost and no one would've understood their grief as much as they did together.

All decisions that Ambessa made were to protect her family. Her search for power and weapons was always connected with it. Mel was Ambessa's "anchor", her disappearance blinded Ambessa and pushed her to ruthless decisions. In some way, she can feel Caitlyn's grief too. They both feel as if they failed their families. Medardas and Kirammans do have a reputation to uphold.

So...where did it lead us?

We know that Ambessa was teaching Caitlyn how to fight during the timeskip (luckily, we even got one demonstration on the screen). They spend time together and Ambessa tried to "replace" Caitlyn's mother which can be noticed by the way she calls her "child" and gives lessons from her own experience. They both participated in Zaun's occupation ("paint the town blue" montage) with Caitlyn questioning why violence is always seen as a solution.

During the timeskip Sevika tried to push Jinx toward action and convince her to lead the revolution which Jinx refused to do. One important change is how Jinx introduced Sevika to her hideout and second one is allowed to walk in without any invitations. They seem to be more comfortable in the presence of each other and Jinx freely jokes with Sevika (who's annoyed but doesn't makes a big fuss out of it).

Ambessa and Sevika are on the opposite sides of Piltover vs Zaun conflict. They're defacto "leaders": Ambessa used her warriors to control Zaun and Sevika tried to organise rebellion by getting onboard as many people as possible. But they're not participating in these events by themselves, Caitlyn and Jinx represent them.

Reasons for why this happened differ too: Caitlyn was chosen by Ambessa while Jinx was chosen by people. Jinx is a symbol of freedom and her position as revolutionary (even though only as a concept) fully reflects the difference between oppression vs oppressed.

Sadly, after episode 4 we never got more in-depth look on mentioned dynamics. Caitlyn was quick to abandon Ambessa despite all the risks, Sevika disappeared and never had lines again, Jinx was going through a lot and Ambessa decided to trust Viktor (for some reason).

Caitlyn vs Jinx were a pillar for Piltover vs Zaun conflict in Season 2. They represented two different societies that were shaped by Piltover's ignorance and classism.

When writers decided to resolve their tension in a couple of small scenes,they also decided that oppression can be easily forgotten. I still think that putting Sevika, 1 zaunite, on the council seat while not letting her say anything either wasn't a perfect solution to decades of oppression