#( so it's longer than i anticipated )

[personalshredder]

the most canon accurate I've ever drawn them

[inaconstantstateofchange]

binggeyuan modern!AU based on this prompt where shen yuan and luo binghe live in the same apartment building, but have never met each other. SY is more-or-less his regular shut-in self, and keeps very odd hours, which means that he happens to be wide awake the first time LBH gets back to the apartment building at 3 a.m. after some manner of illicit activity and realizes he doesn't have his fucking entrance key. LBH hits one apartment number after another into the intercom, fully prepared to dazzle his way into getting one of them to open the door for him, but the intercom is old, and people come and go from this building often enough that most people don't bother getting it set up, and he's having no luck.

finally, just as he's about to give up and bully his way onto mobei-jun or sha hualing's couch for the night, someone picks up. he doesn't even remember which specific apartment number it was, he was just entering them mechanically. immediately, LBH pulls on his smoothest affect (sure the intercom has no video, only shitty, garbled audio, but that's no reason to let the universe catch you slipping) and prepares to give the sob story performance of his life. before he can even get a single word out, however, there's a crackly, almost indiscernible "Open!" and he hears the click of the entrance door unlocking before the intercom call is ended. he stares at the intercom for a minute, somewhat wrong-footed, but then shakes himself out of it in time to catch the door before it locks again.

SY, for his part, was broken out of a binge-reading spiral by the intercom call, and fully did not realize how late it had gotten. he assumed he had ordered something that was arriving earlier than expected, and kept an ear out for a knock on his front door from the delivery person for a few minutes, but then got sucked back into the target of his current literary criticism.

the next time LBH gets locked out, he starts in the general number range he remembers striking on the last time, and pays closer attention to the numbers this time. he's curious if his little philanthropist will be so accommodating again. SY orders a lot of packages, okay! the one time he didn't pick up the intercom he had to wait an extra three days for his ultra-rare, limited edition merch, which he will not be going through again. this time, though, when the intercom picks up, LBH is prepared. he starts talking immediately, playing up his stress at being locked out, how sorry he is to be a bother, and how much he really, really appreciates it. SY fully blue screens at this unanticipated display of emotions, blurts something out about how it's not problem and of course he's happy to help out a neighbor in need, then hangs up (after unlocking the entrance, of course). it is perhaps fortunate that the intercom has no video, and thus he can not see the look on LBH's face.

LBH gets more and more consistent pushy with his calls, curious how far this little philanthropist will go for him. he knows his apartment number, of course, he could just knock and introduce himself, but he'd rather let him come to him. LBH starts interjecting little questions here and there, trying to glean any information about his mysterious benefactor. SY, meanwhile, is lighting a daily candle for this poor little bun somewhere in his building, who has truly the worst luck in the entire world! who ever heard of a gang of pickpockets stealing someone's keys not once, but twice in the same week!

LBH gets comfortable with the state of things — as ever, too comfortable. nothing good can last forever. one night, after a long and utterly shitty day, for the first time in ages, he loses his key for real. he's tried to avoid reaching out to SY at any time when he's not 100% in control of himself, but there's nothing for it. he punches in the numbers for the unit he knows by heart at this point, and when it picks up, he sighs tiredly, and waits for SY to speak first. after a moment of silence, the call drops, and the door remains locked. LBH is almost shaken entirely out of his malaise. not even a word? he puts SY's apartment number in again, but this time it doesn't even pick up. he stares at the intercom in unpleasant shock for a few minutes, then punches the wall next to it and leaves. he spends the night on mobei-jun's uncomfortably small couch, staring unseeing at the ceiling above him. at least the other man doesn't ask him any questions.

their easy rapport broken, SY starts to worry when he hasn't heard from his unfortunate little neighbor — maybe he's moved out? hopefully to a place with a more accommodating security system... after a full week, his worry ramps up even higher. he wants to believe his neighbor just found a system to keep track of his keys that works for him, but statistically, it seems unlikely. feeling like the most awkward, overstepping idiot on the planet, he scribbles off a few short notes, and sticks one by the the intercom, one by the mailboxes, and one in the laundry room. his neighbor will have to go at least one of those places, certainly?

to my keyless neighbor - hope you're well! i was worried- if you ever need me, you know where to reach me. you weren't a bother- - XX4

the next time LBH stops by the apartment (he's been avoiding it by couch-hopping as much as possible, to the great aggravation of his friends) he carefully avoids looking at the intercom. as such, it's actually sha hualing who spots the note first. (she bullied her way into an invite to make LBH actually go home.) she crows out a harsh laugh, snatching the note off the wall and holding it up dramatically, cackling about "rom-com shit". LBH isn't really paying attention, until he catches a glimpse of the apartment number at the bottom. eyes flashing, he snatches the note out of her hand, and reads it over once, and then again. after a moment, he turns to sha hualing, and tells her to go home, that he's got plans, actually. she gapes at him for a moment, then scoffs and turns on her heel, flipping him off as she goes. whatever! she didn't want to babysit his mopey ass any longer anyway!

LBH spends a few frozen moments running over his options, torn between calling right now just to see if his philanthropist will pick up this time, and giving himself a chance to freshen up, and maybe make a good enough showing for himself that whatever it was that caused him to be ignored before will never happen again. ultimately, he decides on the latter, but rushes through all his preparations as much as he can while maintaining sufficient attention to detail. he wishes he had the materials to make something truly spectacular, but his apartment is showing his absence over the past week. he settles on a meal that just barely feels sufficient, and finds himself more anxious than he can remember being in years at this point, staring at his philanthropist's apartment door, two levels below his.

he raises his fist to knock, tentatively at first, too quiet to hear, and then once more, louder. a muffled voice comes through the door, and a few moments later, it cracks open to reveal a man just a bit shorter than him, with a rumpled shirt that looks like it has just been haphazardly thrown on and hair that might not have been brushed in days. he's... really cute.

LBH and SY just kind of stare at each other, frozen, for a bit, until LBH proffers the food he's brought, and SY's archaic etiquette subroutines kick in, and he invites LBH in before he can even think about. his immediate wince makes it clear he had not meant to do that, but LBH is not above making a situation work to his advantage, and graciously accepts, stepping into the somewhat cluttered apartment before SY can recover from his slip-up. they still have not exchanged names.

ultimately, they get themselves figured out. LBH introduces himself, and SY follows suit. there's a beat of silence as they both realize that this does not actually clear up anything about how they know each other. LBH finds the words to explain his own part in this are slow to come, so he finally just hands the note, neatly folded, to SY. SY's face colors, but he overcomes it to fussily poke at LBH about how worried he was, when the other just disappeared! LBH stops for a second, hearing that, then slowly responds that it was SY who cut him off first. SY gapes at him, then demands to know when he did a thing like that! he set his intercom call sound to caramelldansen and max volume so he'd be sure not to miss it!

LBH gives him the date, and SY flushes again, then looks away, muttering something unflattering about a "qingge". LBH feels a wash of jealousy, that he's misread the situation and SY is already spoken for, but SY goes on to explain that he had been stuck overnight at the hospital - for nothing major! pretty routine actually! - and the friend that was staying with him must have picked up, then hung up when he couldn't figure out who was calling.

LBH sits back, somewhat at a loss. so it... wasn't because SY was tired of him? SY sputters, waving his hands about. absolutely not! he might be slightly forgetful, but binghe is clearly a wonderful young man and it's not like SY has much else going on in his life!

LBH determines to himself then and there that the only way to ensure such a thing does not happen again is to make sure that he is the one staying with SY the next time he's in the hospital.

[babygirlwolverine]

cas had texted and said he’d be back at the bunker that night, and dean had stayed up until almost 3am waiting for the angel. when cas hadn’t walked through the bunker door, dean had to drag himself to bed before he passed out on the war table.

he didn’t sleep for long though, waking up just after 6am to check his phone. no messages from cas. was it too soon to start worrying?

making his way to the kitchen for a very strong cup of black coffee, dean shuffled past the bag in hallway while he rubbed blearily at his eyes. it took several long seconds before dean realized he’d almost tripped over cas’ overnight bag and he quickly backtracked and made a beeline for cas’ room.

the room was empty, no sign of cas’ current trenchcoat or of the angel anywhere.

frowning, dean wandered the hallways, searching for any signs of cas. but there was nothing. the bunker was quiet. empty. not even sam was awake yet.

convincing himself that the overnight bag had always been there and he’d just forgotten because he was tired, dean trudged back towards the kitchen by cutting through the library.

and he froze, mid-step.

slumped, lying curled up between two of the chairs at the table, was a sleeping angel using his trenchcoat as a pillow against the hard wooden seats.

a sleeping angel who was bundled up under dean’s old hoodie; the clothing item which usually held a permanent place in the backseat of the impala. the same hoodie that had gone missing a week ago.

dean’s heart stuttered in his chest.

his feet carried him gently across the library and he found himself reaching out and brushing a lock of hair off of cas’ forehead. the hood of the jacket was tucked up under cas’ chin, almost as if the angel had been burying his face in the cotton material, but the rest of it was slipping off and threatening to fall onto the floor.

breath catching in his throat, dean softly readjusted the hoodie and wrapped it around cas’ shoulders. cas let out a content sigh in his sleep, and dean suddenly felt weak in the knees.

cas had taken dean’s jacket with him when he’d left the bunker last week. and now, cas was using his hoodie as a blanket. a concept that years ago dean would’ve sworn up and down that cas would never understand because angels didn’t have feelings. yet, here cas was, carrying around dean’s old clothes, wearing his heart on dean’s worn sleeves.

smiling to himself, dean quietly made his way back to the kitchen to make honey tea for cas and a pot of coffee. he was going to need the caffeine courage to show cas that this was mutual.

as the coffee brewed and the tea steeped, dean snuck back into cas’ room and collected the one thing he was missing. wrapping one of cas’ old trenchcoats around his shoulders, dean was finally ready to put his own heart onto cas’ sleeve.

[rustingcat]

Red Lantern Kara and the chaos she lays in her path. A commission I made for the very lovely @umbrellaleg. (And a bonus comic cover)

[funkyplantguy]

for the prompt asks thing: how about scarian as musicians of some sort?

rubbing my hands together. excellent, excellent - featuring: drummer!scar and singer!grian (meet-cute! kinda)

- now, in all honesty, grian had assumed that the showers would be empty at this time of night. i mean, really, who showered at 3 in the morning on a tuesday night? (freaks, that was who, freaks, and a totally normal insomniac who had maybe been up a touch too late working on his latest music project). plus - he'd never run into anyone in the showers at this time before, at least not this semester. he'd been pretty quick to memorize the bathroom routines of the people on his floor - and then use that knowledge to avoid each and every one of them. he wasn't antisocial, per say, just very busy - and plus, if he was going to be wasting valuable time showering, anyway, he might as well make use of the frankly incredible acoustics in the bathroom. so that's how he found himself here, standing completely naked in the showers, his rendition of some old pop ballad tapering off into loud applause from directly outside his shower stall.

"that was really good!" came the voice (one that grian did not recognize - for better or for worse). "wow! you're an incredible singer." the shock of it all left grian speechless - speechless, and frankly a little incredulous at the nerve of his mysterious audience. really - who stood outside of someone's shower stall just...listening to them sing? what kind of stalker behavior was that? was it a fan who had somehow figured out where he went to college? he did have a fanbase, after all - small, but weirdly dedicated. but no, that didn't make sense - they would have had to have a keycard to get into the building, especially at this time of night when there wasn't really anyone coming. then who...?

a few moments and a hasty pair of pajamas later, grian pulled the stall door open to reveal -

oh.

oh.

sitting in front of him was a man - a very handsome man at that, all wide, green eyes and genuine, toothy smile. a very handsome man in a wheelchair, parked patiently in front of the only wheelchair-accessible shower stall on the whole floor - namely, the stall that grian had been using. hot shame rose in his cheeks as he shuffled out of the way, clutching his shower bag tightly to his chest.

"sorry," he blurted, sheepishly. "i...i, um...there's usually nobody taking showers this late at night during the week, and, uh, i didn't know that you...um...that...that anyone ever used...or needed to use...uh...oh god, sorry. yeah. sorry. i'll leave you to it."

he turned to scamper back to his dorm room, already anticipating the scolding he'd get from his roommate when he recounted the experience the next morning, but the man's loud laughter had him stopping in his tracks (and not because it was the most gorgeous laugh he'd ever heard in his life, no, definitely not that).

"it's okay!" the other affirmed, light eyes twinkling even in the dull florescent lighting. "no worries - i'm scar, by the way. i just moved in this week. had a bit of a late start - the university messed up some of my accommodations and originally had me over in schaffer."

"the dorms at the top of the hill?" grian gawked, his own blunder momentarily forgotten. "how do they expect you to get up and down that every day?" "my question exactly!" scar responded. "apparently, they "didn't think about that", so...here i am. a bit behind the curve, but hey, what can you do." "complain to the dean, frankly." "tried that. he didn't seem to care." "jesus. this place sucks." "you're telling me!"

a silence fell over the two, then, and grian shifted his weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling...exposed, under the piercing gaze from the other. he felt like scar was taking him apart with his eyes, studying every visible piece of him and stringing together opinions - conclusions - based on what he saw. fleetingly, grian wished that he'd bought that cute, matching pajama set he'd seen when he'd gone shopping with mumbo the week prior.

"anyway," scar started again, smooth voice cutting easily through the tension. "your voice is really good! i play the drums - we should hang sometime! maybe have a jammy session." "i - a...a what?" "a jammy session! y'know, where you get together and jammy out?" "scar, i think you mean jam out. a jam session?"

"oooooh," scar responded, raising a hand to scratch at his cheek. "yeah, that makes more sense. i thought there was something weird about that, but cub said 'no scar, you're right, it's a jammy session'. i should have known better than to trust that rapscallion." "oh! cub? i know cub! he's dating my roommate, mumbo!" "no way! that's so funny - small world! cub's so annoying about mumbo." "yeah, mumbo's annoying about him, too. it's kinda cute." "definitely cute." they fell into silence once more, one thankfully much less tense than the previous. grian found his eyes darting from scar's eyes to his faded t-shirt, to the small scar above his eyebrow, to the way his long, curly hair fell messily over his shoulder - taking in every aspect of his face, taking him apart in the same way that scar had done to him, mere moments earlier. maybe it was the late hour - maybe grian was more tired than he'd thought - but something about this felt like a dream...like he was going to blink and scar would be gone. he found that he didn't want that to happen. he found that he wanted to wake up tomorrow morning and get to hear that laugh again - that loud, joyful laugh - maybe every day for the rest of his life. "a jam session would be nice," he found himself saying. "maybe you can teach me how to play the drums. i'm really rubbish at most instruments, but maybe drums will be the exception?" "sounds great!" scar chirped back, a warm smile settling on his face. "we'll make a drummer out of you yet. hey - here's my number. text me in the morning, and we'll compare schedules. alright?" "yeah - okay, yeah, i'll do that. goodnight, scar." "goodnight, songbird." it was only an hour later, swaddled in blankets and the comfortable sound of mumbo's snoring, that grian realized he'd never given scar his name. ah well. that could be remedied...at a later date.

[r0tting-rat]

DCA PROMPTOBER 2024

I might have decided to join last minute (I say after finishing crying my eyes out) cuz I'm very brave and confident (I'm not.) I know it's late for day 1 but pls gimme a break :<

Day 1 - Best Friend!

Pairing: Sun & Gender Neutral Reader, can be seen as both platonic and romantic! Warnings: None Words: 1900+ Summary: It's a special day, and you're in for a treat!

Like many other days, you couldn’t understand Sun’s enthusiasm. The daycare attendant had scooped you up the moment you stepped foot in the daycare with your cleaning cart—as you always did every night before closing—then hugged you so tightly you feared for your ribs. As usual, he began to ask you questions about your day, asking if you had eaten anything new or if you had any new pics of your pet to show him, but he completely threw you off guard when he proceeded to beg you to put on a blindfold and follow him out of the daycare, which you refused with a decisive shake of the head. 

-Nuh-uh,- you replied.

-What do you mean “nuh-uh”?!- Sun crumbled to the floor, on his knees, with his hands joined together in prayer and his big, milky eyes staring at you in despair. 

-I mean nuh-uh! I’m not coming with you, not yet at least.- You waved your cleaning rug in front of his face, pretending to wash dirt off his flat head. -I have a job to do! Remember?-

Your “job” consisted of slipping inside the pizzaplex after everyone had left, cleaning off all the gunk children and adults alike left on tables and inside the attractions, then slipping back out before closing time. Very simple, very stressful and equally tiring. You were one of many, your assigned areas were the Daycare and Monty Golf, but the former always took you more time to clean despite having less work to do. The reason behind that? The animatronic before you. You had befriended the daycare attendant, a few weeks before, mainly because you pitied him. Always so lonely, left with nothing to do, with no children to care for and no friends to play with. You didn’t regret becoming his friend, not at all, but it was true that you always spent much more time with the robot than you should have. “Do not talk with the animatronics” was kinda company policy. 

Okay, fine, maybe it wasn’t, but your employment contract did say to not stand too close to the robots and interact with them as little as possible, so you were breaking the rules just the tiniest bit, by letting Sun pick you up, hug you, spin you around and etcetera.

Letting yourself be blindfolded and dragged around was way too much though.

-Friend, please! All you actually have to clean is the security desk!- Sun protested, pouting like a child. He was right. The sunny jester was a bit of a cleaning freak, so he always did all the work for you by scrubbing and tidying the entire play area by the time it took you to finish with Monty Golf, leaving you to clean just the area he didn’t have access to.

You crossed your arms over your chest, indecisive. You didn’t want to be blindfolded, at all, and not because you didn’t trust Sun, the idea of it simply made your skin itch. 

…Shit, but he looked so sad! Oh, curse you and your kind heart! With a sigh, you relented, finally giving the jester a small nod. 

-Okay, I’ll come with you,- you agreed, and Sun literally jumped in the air, as bright as his namesake. 

-Yes!- he shouted, ecstatic.

-But,- you were quick to interrupt him, -You let me clean the desk first. Deal?-

You offered Sun one of your hands, which he shook with so much passion your entire body trembled. All the while, a wide grin had opened on his flat, yellow face. 

-I can’t wait to show you my surprise!- he smiled.

You did the best you could to clean efficiently the security desk of the daycare, cleaning coffee stains, peeling away dried pieces of Chica’s Special & Super Elastic Bubble Gum from under the desk and chairs, throwing away pieces of papers and emptying bins, but to your big surprise you found yourself hurrying to get it done. Were you doing that because you were actually kind of curious of what Sun’s surprise could be, or because you wanted to go home as soon as possible? Maybe both, maybe neither. Who could say? Anyway, you finished with your job faster than usual, satisfied, but the moment you turned around all the color drained from your face. 

Sun had twisted himself in some kind of pretzel-like knot, tangling his limbs and lanky body together to create something which reminded you of a horrifying piece of modern art, but as soon as he noticed you looking at him Sun untwisted himself, returning to his usual height and shape. 

-All done, Friend?- he asked, excitedly, as you struggled to get your heart to start beating again. It wasn’t the first time Sun had done something like that, the animatronic liked to get into weird positions when he felt bored, but each time you caught him like that your heart froze. Sun was a very, very, pricey robot and you were constantly scared of management putting you at fault if something were to ever happen to him. Also, you were his friend, and you couldn’t let something bad happen to someone who was so precious—did I mention pricey?—to you.

-Uh, yes, all done,- you nodded, shaking your head to get rid of the bad thoughts, -We can proceed with the… Do you really have to blindfold me?-

At your question Sun nodded eagerly, stepping close as he took a red ribbon out of his pocket. You sighed but didn’t fight him as he began to place the ribbon over your eyes, making sure it was not too tight but tied firmly enough to not allow you to peek. Once he was done, you heard Sun giggle in delight, looking at his magnificent job.

-Wait,- you heard him say, -Something is missing!-

Before you could protest you heard the animatronic scurry off, leaving you in the dark with no reference points, confused and a little scared. You attempted to take a step forward but were quickly stopped by Sun immediately coming back. 

-Here!- he announced, grabbing one of your hands and turning your palm up, so you could hold something that resembled a box for him. You gently shook it and heard many small, plastic things moving inside of it. 

-Are those…?- you began to ask, even more perplexed than before. 

-Yep!- Sun replied, carefully attaching something to your blindfold, one over each of your eyes. -Googly eyes!- 

You wanted to collapse on the floor and stay there, becoming one with the colorful mats of the daycare, but instead you groaned and stood still, allowing the robot to have his fun.

-Can we just go? I don’t have all day, Sun,- you protested, and finally the jester put the little box away, grabbed one of your hands and began to lead you to the large wooden doors of the daycare, walking slowly and carefully.

-We’re gonna have so much fun, Friend,- Sun said, gleefully. You could almost see his beaming smile, ever the bright, despite the blindfold over your eyes. -I’ve made sure everything is simply perfect!-

Despite how tired you were of Sun’s constant cheerfulness, you couldn’t say he didn’t have any effect on you. In fact, you had been smiling a lot more during the last few days. even your coworkers had noticed your good mood. Just staying with Sun was enough to make you smile and laugh, his presence was good for your mental and physical health. In fact, the robot had been taking care of you whenever he noticed that you hadn’t eaten yet, and for some reason he always knew. You were beginning to think he could read your biometrics data. 

You didn’t walk for too much time, in fact you could almost guess where you were headed, which was probably one of the party rooms around the daycare. You decided to stay silent, just to see what Sun would do, and giggled when you felt the hand you were holding begin to vibrate in excitement. Having a robot for a friend was truly fun, sometimes.

-Almost there, Friend!- Sun told you as he began to open one of the doors to the rooms, careful to turn on the lights before entering—why did he always do that, anyway? Sun always refused to tell you where his fear of the dark came from, but seeing how uncomfortable the topic made him you had long stopped asking him about it. -Here, sit.- 

He guided you to a chair, where you gratefully sat, still obediently keeping your googly eyes-adorned blindfold on. You were eager to see the surprise Sun had planned for you, but something told you not to even try to peek. You felt like it would have made the robot rather mad. 

Sun moved something on the table in front of you, mumbling by himself, then stood back. You heard his steps coming to a stop behind your chair, then felt his hands resting on your shoulders. The cold touch of his metal body made you shiver. 

-You can look now, Friend,- Sun whispered in your ear, lacking the previous joy and sounding more… sly?

Excited to see, you quickly took off the blindfold and blinked, trying to readjust to the lights inside the room, and only after a few moments of total confusion you managed to see something. Before you, on the table, was a plate, and on the plate was a huge cupcake of your favorite flavor. You would have recognized those sweet treats everywhere, they were from the Cupcake Shoppe, on the second floor of the pizzaplex. Many times you had passed the area, looking with envy at the baked sweets being sold there, and even more times you had complained to Sun about the bakery not being on the list of places where you could eat your daily free meal, as per your employment contract. When he had asked you why you didn’t just go and buy one, if you really wanted to, you had laughed. 

“-Come on, as good as they look, they are not worth the price.-” You had told him. Yet there it was, the motherfucking cupcake you had been ogling at for the last weeks, right in front of you, with a little candle stuck on top. 

-I would have lit the candle, if my programming didn’t forbid me from handling matches and lighters,- laughed Sun from behind you. Honestly, you didn’t care one bit about the candle, you were just staring at the sweet treat in front of you, dumbfounded. 

-Wh… Why…? How… I…- You couldn’t speak normally anymore, your vocabulary consisted of single muttered words and syllables. 

-Guess what day it is, Friend,- cooed Sun in your ear. You tried to think, but doing so was hard, so you ended up just shaking your head, speechless. At your cluelessness, Sun laughed. 

-On this day, exactly one month ago, we became friends!- he explained to you, and as he bent over his smiling face entered your field of vision. He looked absolutely gleeful. -Do you remember now?-

Your wide eyes ran from his milky ones to the cupcake in front of you, from the big grin of the robot to the unlit candle, which was slowly slipping down thanks to the melting frosting. One month. You had been friends with Sun for just a month, but for some reason it felt like so much more, like, much, much more. Sun’s hands, which had been resting on your shoulders the entire time, squeezed you gently, and they felt oddly warm against your skin. You looked at the daycare attendant and couldn’t stop a smile from forming on your lips. 

-Happy one month anniversary, Best friend,- he said, and you nodded. 

-Happy anniversary to you too, Sun.- 

[cerealboxlore]

Billy Batson related question, as always! How do you think the League would react to Black Adam knowing who the Captain is, especially when they don’t even know? (The relationship between Billy and Teth doesn’t matter, they could be allies or enemies).

Billy Batson related questions are my personal favorites!

The idea of the Justice League not knowing who Captain Marvel's secret identity is always makes me giggle :D it's the layer of mystery and unknown danger that presents itself behind not knowing who the Big Red Cheese is that keeps them on edge sometimes. They admire their friend, but sometimes they do wonder, are they his friend? What is he? An alien? A human? A monster beneath the disguise of a man? Three kobolds in a trenchcoat? Nobody knows... They do wish to get to know their friend better.

Normally, most league members have their secret identities kept, you know, a secret. With the exception that Batman knows, of course. However, even he remains stumped on this mystery. He doesn't enjoy not knowing who Captain Marvel is behind the boy scout smile he often shines, but Batman is determined to find out one day. There's almost some respect for how well the Captain manages to hide his identity and tracks.

Meanwhile, Billy is surprised he's lasted this long with a secret identity. He's working with a braincell, half an oreo cookie, and a dream.

I got sidetracked, ack! Okay, so the relationship (depending on which version of Captain Marvel and Black Adam you are familiar with) is almost always going to be personal. There's their shared relationship with the wizard Shazam, but the one I'm most familiar with and enjoy is Black Adam being the one to have killed Billy's parents. (Also, I appreciate you separating the identity of Black Adam and Teth!)

It would be absolutely amazing and gutwrenching to see Captain Marvel shake hands with a "reformed" Black Adam, possibly during a public setting with the JL in attendance, fully knowing the truth behind his parents murders and still going through with the painful decision to let him go unpunished.

For Billy, this hurts. On a deep level that scars his heart and soul for allowing his parents deaths to go unavenged. For the years of pain, he spent alone on the streets homeless and separated from his twin sister, none of it can be fully healed no matter how hard he tries to forget. Scars fade over time, but to Billy, time is eternity. This pain will follow him for eternity.

However, as Captain Marvel, he understands that there's more to the situation that he can't control, and fighting Black Adam would only make things worse. With the wisdom of Solomon, he knows he can't justify a fight against the ruler of a nation, no matter what. So he just smiles for the camera and shakes the hand of the man who orphaned him.

It is through holding Black Adam's hand that the thought passes through his mind: the hand he's holding right now was once stained with the blood of his parents.

Then, the heroes are given a moment of privacy to be around each other without the public's eyes or ears to interfere, and that's when **** hits the fan.

Captain Marvel is avoiding Black Adam, understandably, but when Black Adam loudly calls out his name among the other heroes, Billy can't help but feel rage boil inside his divine blood.

"William. I thought you knew better than to ignore others when they're trying to talk to you. Such rudeness, I am most glad your parents were not the ones to raise such behavior in you."

Whispers among the league ensues. Was that the Captain's name? Did Black Adam know Captain Marvel on a personal level rather than just a regular hero and nemesis level? Despite the eyes watching them, waiting and prepared to step in case of a fight, the Captain grits his teeth and, through miserable eyes of a broken man, chooses to smile.

"Yeah, they really were good people, Adam. I may not live up to their expectations, but I do live for them. Every day. I suppose I have you to thank for that."

"Your gratitude is most welcome, William. May one day come where you live for Mary and Frederick, as well. They would appreciate you honoring them."

Through a wicked smile, Black Adam chuckles, turning his back to take his leave back to Khandak. Leaving Captain Marvel still smiling all alone, his fists at his side curled with rage, drawing his own divine blood from the intensity of his own strength.

After that, the league would be in all rumors and whispers about Captain Marvel. From the past, they knew that Black Adam was fond of taunting the Captain with strange and mean words during their harrowing battles, but had it all been a personal dig at him all this time? Did Black Adam have a hand in accidentally giving Captain Marvel the motivation to become a hero?

Superheroes like Batman would immediately be looking into any information they learned from this and try to decipher what is the truth behind the Captain. Or should he say, "William," now having a name to the face of the hero of Fawcett. He would also be investigating Black Adam far more closely now, should the reformed man ever step out of line. If he heard right and Black Adam had indeed killed the Captain's parents, then he needed to keep an eye on Captain Marvel, too. In case of a breakdown or instability in emotions.

On the other hand, heroes like the Flash and Superman would take the time to visit the Captain in his city and check on him. They'd be concerned after seeing how pained Captain Marvel was. If a villain like Black Adam knew who the Captain was and specifically chose not to reveal his true identity to the public and just the Justice League, then perhaps there was more to it. Superman knew as well how painful it was to let a guilty man go free because he was deemed "reformed" in the eyes of the public (Lex Luthor, ew).

Overall, there would be a whole range of emotions after finding out Black Adam knows who Captain Marvel is. And I am here for it!

[cheesomancer]

M for Myconid 🍄 Full art: twitter, bsky

[catdile]

Someone needs to get them some water or something

[jedi-enthusiast]

My [completed] CodyWan Fic Masterlist

This is going to be a very long list of all my favorite CodyWan fics that are completed. Later on today or tomorrow I'll make another list for all of the CodyWan fics I enjoy that are currently ongoing/incomplete (because we, in fandom, need to start supporting authors during the writing process instead of only after, but that's a whole other post).

The fics are gonna be separated by Modern AU, Canon-Divergent/Canon-ish, Crack, and Canon But a Little to the Left. Full Disclaimer: this is going to be a very long list, so the triggers and descriptions will be brief--make sure you read the tags and warnings before reading!

I don't know who these authors are on tumblr, so I can't tag them, but I recommend that you guys tag them if you recognize them--because they deserve all the love <3 and I think, especially now, we need to let fic authors know that we appreciate them.

Modern AU

212th Street Coffee by thosewhowanderwithfire 

Cody runs a coffee shop, Obi-Wan comes in frequently with a different members of his friends/family and Cody learns a lot about his crazy life by eavesdropping.

bury me beneath the tree i climbed when i was a child by stormwarnings 

Obi-Wan's family life is messy, to say the least. Cody and his family work as firefighters/EMTs/etc. and Obi-Wan kinda just gets adopted into the family by constantly needing to call the firefighters/EMTs/etc.

Coruscant Story by TyeDyeBoogers

A mafia AU thing where Obi-Wan and Cody are both in different mafia families, but then they date each other pretending to be regular normal people (bc neither of them know they're in the mafia, much less different families), and then a bunch of stuff happens and drama ensues.

TW: Murder, Violence

cradle my name on your tongue by jynx 

Running from an abusive ex, Obi-Wan and Anakin move to a small town where they set up their tattoo and piercing shop. Obi-Wan quickly falls for Cody, the florist across the street, but bad things happen when Obi-Wan's ex just won't give up.

TW: Violence, Abusive Relationship, Drugging, Attempted SA (this doesn't go into detail, but it's still there)

Foreign Affairs by ro_moray 

Obi-Wan and Anakin come to America as foreign ambassadors, Cody is one of their bodyguards. Both Obi-Wan and Cody fall head over heels quickly, and there's some political drama via Maul.

TW: Violence (I think?)

Hey Bartender by Wxlves 

Obi-Wan and Cody both work as bartenders at Dex's, they become FWB, and feelings ensue.

I've Served My Time In Hell by TheSleepingOne (SleepingNebula) 

There's a zombie apocalypse going on and Obi-Wan is repeatedly fucked over by the universe in the form of being forced to spend time around his ex, Cody, and Cody's very protective family.

TW: Violence, Gore

Liminal Beings by ChubbstheFish 

Cody is the lighthouse keeper in a small town with his family. Obi-Wan and his family move into said small town and become close with Cody's family, but it quickly becomes clear that Obi-Wan and his family aren't exactly what they seem--aka human.

Not Denial by spqr 

Obi-Wan is a PI and Cody is the sorry moron who falls head over heels for him after meeting him exactly once.

TW: Violence

Seeker Prospector by brigitttt

Cody is a bounty hunter looking for his father, Obi-Wan is just trying to study dinosaur bones. The two meet, fuck, and then catch feelings.

TW: Violence, Mild Gore (I think)

We’ll Do This Together by MageOfCole 

Obi-Wan and Cody have a one night stand and Cody accidentally gets Obi-Wan pregnant (of the trans variety, not the a/b/o variety). Obi-Wan tries to hide this from Cody and his family, but Obi-Wan's family doesn't know how to mind their own business. Family hijinks ensue.

What…a sleep over? by Wixiany

Cody's family decides to host a party, but he needs to study, so he heads over to Anakin's brother's house to get some peace and quiet. He wasn't ready for how pretty Obi-Wan was.

You Gave Me the World that I Wanted by Legogirl22 

Cody has to take care of his family, so he swears up and down that he won't fall for the cute bookkeeper he keeps seeing. He fails. Miserably.

Canon Divergent/Canon-ish

A Ghost or a Man by smallandangry 

Obi-Wan makes a life for himself on Tatooine, eventually Cody finds him, and the locals get attached to both.

A New Life by cwiptids 

Rex and Echo hear about a clone on Tatooine...guess who they meet and take another guess as to who they're married to.

end of the road by adiduck (book_people)

Obi-Wan and Cody spar before Utapau and make unfulfilled promises.

Glimpse Of Us by fingerstripesofchaos 

Post-Order 66 angst fic, just like...loads of angst. This is not a happy fic at all, it made me cry.

TW: Suicide Mention/Reference

Haven’t Felt Like This My Dear by Bluebellstar

Cody gets a hangover and is a total baby about it, Obi-Wan is very amused.

little white truths by imperiousphasmid 

Obi-Wan gets injured and only family and spouse(s) are allowed to see him...I think you know where this is going.

Made by Walking by piotsa  

After Order 66, Quinlan finds Cody and then Cody finds Obi-Wan.

not dead yet by keylimemagpie (QuickSilverFox3)

✨ smut with emotions ✨

Our children our future (that we didn’t know of) by Feniksiara   

After Order-66 Cody finds out that the Kaminoans decided to use Obi-Wan and Cody's DNA to make Force-sensitive clones...then the Mandalorian dad genes kick in.

Standard Operating Procedures by galateaGalvanized

A mission goes wrong and suddenly almost the entire 212th is in love with Obi-Wan...except, it appears, Cody. Y'all know exactly where this is going.

all the world in my arms by biscuityskies 

Obi-Wan has nightmares after Kadavo, then shit goes to hell on a mission, and Cody worries--also Anakin and biscuityskies' OC Hex are little shits.

where the fields are painted gold by biscuityskies

The 212th end up crashing in the forest, so Obi-Wan and Cody get some "camping out in the forest" cuddles and also banter.

night spar by cabezadeperro (minigami) 

Obi-Wan and Cody spar at night, and there is a lot of tension. Not of the fun kind, though.

chain of command by cabezadeperro (minigami) 

Obi-Wan and Cody are undercover and eventually have to find some way to keep the people tracking them from finding them. If you've watched Marvel, you know where this is going.

In the Treetops by ebw_writes499 

After a mission on Kashyyyk everyone needs to go to bed, which they do...all the way up in the trees.

Caretaker by ebw_writes499 

On Tatooine, Cody gets sick and Obi-Wan has to take care of him. Obi-Wan is a worrier.

Love Despite the Distance by ebw_writes499 

After the war, Cody and Rex comm each other to catch up. Also Cody became a senator against his will.

Overworked by ebw_writes499 

Obi-Wan and Cody both had the same idea and that idea was "sneak off to take a nap."

Compartment Syndrome by elwenyere 

After a bad crash, Obi-Wan is knocked out and Cody is injured. Cody carries Obi-Wan through all the danger while reminiscing, certain that he'll be decommissioned after due to his injury.

TW: Mild Gore? (of the "description of injury" variety)

Good Soldiers by elwenyere 

A story about Obi-Wan and Cody throughout the War and after Order 66, with a happy ending.

Don’t Worry It's A Very High Threadcount by goldleaf1066 

Obi-Wan uses a blanket to warm up instead of Cody and Cody is very fussy about it. It gets a little angsty near the end, but things end good.

And Our Faces Toward the Sun by goldleaf1066 

The War ends and Cody and Obi-Wan share a kiss.

I'll Bend Your Light Around Me (A Sunrise At My Back) by goldleaf1066   

A sweet little story about Obi-Wan and Cody throughout the war, with a happy ending!

Stepping In, Stepping Out by goldleaf1066   

Cody and Obi-Wan take turns covering for each other when they oversleep.

With Both Our Hands Around It by goldleaf1066

Obi-Wan and Cody discuss their relationship while also participating in some extracurricular activities.

Crack Fics

Compulsive Honesty by afoundling 

Cody, Obi-Wan, and some of the 212th get dosed with truth serum and just have to let it run its course.

Fools and Idiots by BehindBrokenWindows 

Somehow everyone gets it in their heads that Obi-Wan and Padme are fucking, and Anakin is not happy when he finds out. We all know who he's really fucking.

Operation “who’s kriffing the General” by Sweet_bubbs 

Everyone finds out that Obi-Wan is in a relationship with someone, but they don't know who--but boy do they want to find out.

Resignation in more than one sense by BitterChocolateStars   

Obi-Wan tries to resign, Mace is a little shit (affectionate) and says no, and hijinks ensue.

Time to Celebrate by Kurosaki224   

Kurosaki's OC just wants to talk to his superiors after the war and ends up seeing a lot more than he wants to.

Rex finds out by The_neurodivergent_nerd   

Exactly what it sounds like.

The Trickster by The_neurodivergent_nerd  

A long dead Sith lord has a great sense of humor.

Canon But a Little to the Left

closed together by numbika 

Obi-Wan is blind AU where Obi-Wan and Cody get stuck in an elevator together.

I Got My Head Checked by frostbitebakery   

Sith Obi-Wan AU where Cody falls in love with Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan changes the course of the War because Cody and his brothers make him realize he still has his heart.

TW: Violence, Self Harm (of the "making a sith" variety)

Marriage in Disguise by bjjones   

Oops! Looks like to make peace with Mandalore, the Jedi will just have to send Obi-Wan to get married to Cody, son of Manda'lor Jango Fett. They totally weren't dating before this.

We’ll Meet Again by little_dumpling

Obi-Wan doesn't become a Jedi Knight and instead works in the MediCorps and becomes a doctor, then he ends up meeting Cody on Geonosis.

TW: Medical Gore (I think?)

What came after by galateaGalvanized  http://archiveofourown.org/works/29595831 

Obi-Wan has gone full Sith and is on Mandalore, Cody and the 212th go to get their general.

[ask-the-totally-real-peppino]

Wait why would you need to say sorry to Noisette?

Pep: "..."

Pep: "Reh ot deil I... I..."

(Flashback Begins)

Noisette: "Is someone out here? We are open!"

Noisette: "Omigosh, hi there!!! Come in, come in! There's no need to be shy!"

Noisette: "You're just in time for some fresh pie! Not that it was gonna go anywhere, since no one's come in today... But still! If that growl was you, you must be starving!!!"

Noisette: "Now you just sit right here! Don't move an inch! I'll be right back!"

Noisette: "Tada!!! I hope you like cherries! It's on the house!"

Pep: "...?"

Noisette: "Are you asking if it's for you? Of course, it is, silly! D'you see anyone else in here? Now, eat up! There's plenty more where that came from!"

Pep: *happy Pep noises*

Noisette: "Oh, I'm so glad you like it!"

Noisette: "Now, if you don't mind me asking, where did you come from? I haven't seen you around here!"

Pep: "..."

Pep: *uncomfortable gurgling*

Noisette: "Oh, do you not speak...?"

Noisette: "Well, that's okay! Do you know any sign? I'm pretty good at it!"

Pep: "...?"

Noisette: "Oh! I can show you some!"

Noisette: "I-I mean, if you'd like! If you wanna just have the pie and go, that's okay too, of course! Hah."

Pep: "..."

Pep: "...!"

Noisette: *happy squealing*

(Flashback End)

Pep: "Deneppah. Tsuj ti dna dekcinap I, eil ot naem t'ndid I..."

Pep: "Em. Gnieb yb gnihtyna niur ot tnaw t'ndid I, yppah dna dnik os tsuj saw ehs tub, reh llet ot gniog saw I..."

Pep: "'Lamron' eb ot retteb eb d'ti thguoht I."

[macabre-discotheque]

Some Miss Hecate-related Observations about the Pendog Creative Library

Hello you!! So for a while I've been keeping my eyes on this arg! The website has finally launched and I implore you to go take a gander yourself, and even support @withkindereyes and @pendogpuppets!!

okay now let's get into the nitty gritty

Rambling under the cut cause this might be a long one lmao

Miss Hecate. Missy Prissy Hecate.

Out of the characters in the PCL, Hecate here is the one we know the least about, we don't know when she was created, just that she predates Maisy the Mutt (1930's), and any media we have of her is either defaced or a lucky find with strange circumstances.

About The Artists

In almost all of the submissions about Hecate in the Library, the artists are either missing, dead, or unlisted.

Dan Hook & Milton Crane, the artist and writer behind the storybook both have little to no work before the Hecate Storybook and seemed to disappear without a trace.

Robert Webber, the painter behind "Hecate Painting" describes a strange experience that happened just before painting the piece and is listed as having gone missing on the eve of his 75th birthday.

Nathan Bery, the artist behind "Woman in her Thoughts" describes a dream he had that inspired the painting. It is not listed what happened to Nathan but he is referred to in the past tense.

Milford Sykes, the painter behind "Unnamed Work", the piece was only found after his death among his finished works but is the only one that appears to be finished.

There is no artist listed behind Miss Hecate's model sheet, the copyright is blotched out with ink. All we can garner is that this was produced in 1950 and may be one of many model sheets as it's listed as "#28."

This happens again in "Hecate Drawing," as it was received by an anonymous donor who simply claimed it was relevant to the PCL's search for Hecate-related media.

No artist is listed once again for the Hecate Cigarettes ad and it is listed that no artistic depictions of her exist before the 1950s. I tried to identify the font used but if any of you happen to know what it is or if it's a custom font, do tell!!

Image retrieved from the PCL

Ick@ck and the FoundFinders

Ick@ck and the FoundFinders worked with the Pendog Library in restoring and preserving what media they could find of all these characters, there used to be a link for their site but was removed due to an incident we will be discussing later on.

In the Museum Trip update we finally get some more mention about Hecate and how the R.W Winfield Library (presumably anyway) had some information about her. Presumably these were added to the site and then an update where the site was having issues but were promptly fixed for an unknown reason.

"But John!! What's the deal with Hecate and Ick@ack??" I hear you ask? Well, in the description for "Hecate Drawing," where there would be an artist listed and a bit of history on the before and after of said artist. It simply takes a turn into honoring Ick@ck, pointing out how he was a huge fan of Miss Hecate and went to great lengths on finding any media he could alongside FoundFinders about Hecate.

What happened? Well you see, in the update "Exciting News!" Penny M states that Ick@ck and co have managed to recover a lost tape of an original Hecate cartoon, presumably dating many artistic renditions in or after 1950. The team decided to host a party for such a find and to watch the tape, however in the update "Halloween" Penny M was unable to attend the party due to a sickness. In the next updates "Emergency," and "Hiatus", we get some detail on what happened.

On October 31, 2023(?), Ick@ck and several of his friends died under circumstances that were not disclosed to the public. Rumors and speculation have presumably gone around about what happened but Penny M did not wish to share for the sake of not giving these rumors any weight.

Miss Hecate

While we know very little about Miss Hecate herself, the circumstances surrounding her media and what little we can find of her seem to result in strange or terrifying things happening. All the artists past 1950 who either died, went missing, or are undocumented all together, Ick@ck's death.

Her profile especially is very different from the rest. While everyone else has proper profile pictures and even some file to showcase their voices, Hecate's profile is the only one that's disturbed.

With the heavily compressed illustration of her, to the mentioning of the poor condition of her voice line (and the lack of a file but that might be a mistake), and everything else.

Yeah it's kind of a no-brainer, something's up with this lady but realistically, we'd have to wait. Which I personally am more than happy to do!!

If you've got your own theories or observations, feel free to put them down below in the reblogs!!

[limepigeon]

Sunrise, parabellum

[switchingsoftly]

Thinking about stalker x stalkee dynamic again where they're both equally obsessive and possessive 🥺

Stalkee being "ditzy" and "forgetting" to lock their windows and doors before they go to bed; Stalkee being a light sleeper who pretends to stay asleep when their beloved stalker joins them in bed. When the stalker falls asleep, stalkee microchips them with an ease that could only be the product of lots of practice, and the wound is barely there and quick to heal. Stalkee would never want to give their beloved stalker anything less than perfect, and never any discomfort.

After a couple hours, like clockwork, the stalker wakes up and watches the stalkee sleep for a little while (sometimes using their target) before slipping back into the night.

Thinking about the target keeping a cute notebook full of the places their stalker frequents, and when. Laying on their bed with a glittery butterfly pen as they watch their laptop track the stalker in real time, fantasizing about going to these places together, maybe even holding hands. One of the places is a home, and so the stalkee obviously has to make sure their stalker isn't getting.... distracted. So they find who lives there and makes sure it's just a friend. Stalkee is the only target their beloved stalker is allowed to have- the only one their beloved stalker is allowed to obsess over. Sometimes the stalker makes a mistake, decides to get another target. But the stalkee loves the stalker so so so much, so of course instead of getting jealous, they just fix their beloved's... problem. It's what anyone would do for someone they love 💖

And over time the stalker instead just focuses on their one true target, slowly making subtle appearances in their daily life. It takes the stalkee everything they have to not show their excitement when they see their beloved. To not run towards them when they see their stalker across the street. To not hug and kiss them when their stalker pretends to work at the grocery store so they can talk.

The stalkee of course makes sure they always wear the clothes their stalker slowly added to their wardrobe. To have "leftovers" from their favorite restaurants left in the fridge on the nights they visit.

And when the stalker decides to become more active in the stalkee's life, when they become friends, and then significant others... the stalkee just giggles when the stalker talks about how meeting each other was a happy accident, knowing the stalker was thinking about the things they did before they started talking to each other. And responds about how it must've been fate, while thinking about all the things they have done.

Because they were truly meant for each other

[imabillyami]

Oh man, look at Jeys' body language with Roman in the ring. There is so much healing that needs to be done

Most definitely. Buckle up, this is about to be a long one about all the nonverbal stuff that’s going on 😂

What I find extremely interesting/ have found extremely interesting in recent episodes is the blocking of the Bloodline scenes, especially the positioning of all the characters which I’ll get to in a minute.

Let’s focus on last night and start off with the entrances.

First of all Jey’s and also Sami’s entrances are a lot more demure and toned down as of right now. Barely any interaction with the crowd, no posturing, nothing.

But even Roman’s entrance is a lot more toned down from what it used to be. Plus he’s getting his own mic these days. That’s not something that’s done by accident. Of course Paul isn’t there, but even then he could make Jimmy do it. He doesn’t though.

Next: The timing of Jey’s entrance right as Roman was about to do the whole “acknowledge me” spiel. That speaks for itself too.

Sami’s entrance before Roman gets a chance to get a word in.

Then the fact that all their entrances except Jimmy’s and Roman’s are still separate from each other. It worked for this first segment on Smackdown perfectly obviously. And it worked on Monday for Sami, Jey & Jimmy too as a way to structure these segments. But I firmly believe it’s more than that. It’s very telling in terms of the lines that are still drawn and the separation that exists between all of them still, especially Jey and Roman, but also the twins.

I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed now that they’re all reunited (or if it changed progressively over the next few weeks as trust is regained between them and they become an actual team again. By the time WarGames rolls around I feel like they should make their entrance as a united front, just like Solo’s Bloodline does, even if it’s just for one night and they go back to their singles entrances after that.)

As for the blocking/ character positioning in the first segment:

Jimmy is always at Roman’s *left* flank, just like old times, positioned behind Roman at all times, with Roman comfortably having his back to him. There’s deep trust and a bond there and he knows Jimmy will have his back now that he’s proven his loyalty all over again and stuck with Roman through the worst. Jimmy has no problem acknowledging Roman as the leader still and following his command, hence why he’s always at his hip, but still always a step behind him.

He’s also the one who’s trying to make peace between Jey and Roman (though he’s still extremely protective of Roman when it comes to Sami. Sami might’ve proven his boundless loyalty in regard to Jey, but not in regard to Jimmy and Roman and that’s not lost on him), but he’s aware that it’s all very fragile hence why he’s staying at Roman’s flank to have his back if things go awry.

Roman doesn’t see him as Right Hand Man as he did with Jey though, cause again, Jimmy’s position is always still the left flank (except for when they’re watching Jacob’s promo, but by the end of the segment they are back to normal). This could have meaning in terms of how this time around he’s more willing to treat Jimmy (and ultimately Jey and Sami) as actual *family* and not as his lackeys or it could be cause they know they need Jey in that spot to be complete again and intentionally keep it open. Who knows.

Now. Roman and Jimmy are in the ring, Jimmy a step behind Roman at his left flank. Cue Jey’s entrance music and them looking into the audience. But no. Jey comes down the entrance ramp, tense shoulders and body language, none of his usual crowd interaction, laser focused on the task at hand. This is serious business.

Meanwhile Roman and Jimmy now stand with their backs turned to the commentary desk, arms in a similar position to each other in front of their bodies, still somewhat blocking Jey out.

Jey barely turns his back to them, only long enough to get a mic. When he does, Roman stays in position, but Jimmy turns around with Jey, providing both Roman and Jey with a sense of security that they don’t feel with each other yet.

Jey stands sideways, turned half to them, half to the entrance ramp, until he addresses Roman, but his body still doesn’t fully turn towards Roman and there’s still a good bit of distance between them in that ring. When Sami’s music hits he positions himself right back into that half/half position, arm outstretched towards Sami in invitation and encouragement.

Sami, tense and extremely reluctant of course, doesn’t step into the ring until Jey stands fully “by his side” and opposite Roman, blocking him off - physical reassurance that he has his back. And once Sami’s safely in the ring and Roman (or Jimmy) hasn’t done anything stupid he goes in for the hand clap - tummy pat - mic handover combo, before standing sideways between both parties, rubbing his hands, clearly extremely nervous and aware of how much this can blow up any second.

Meanwhile Jimmy has crossed his arms, making clear that he’s still not a big fan of this, but that he’ll let it play out for now.

Roman is just his usual picture of WHAT THE FUCK lol. That man’s facial expressions are everything 😭😭 He also hasn’t taken his eyes off of Sami once.

When Sami starts speaking, he’s hunched over and tense, but he’s looking straight into Roman’s eyes to tell him that he didn’t kick him on purpose. (Flashback to WarGames two years ago when Roman looked into Sami’s eyes for the truth. Roman is big on eye contact and Sami knows it.)

Roman’s barely noticeable nod. Jey’s very obvious shuffling around as Sami continues on. (Meanwhile Jimmy has given up the crossed arms - an off-camera reaction to Sami’s words?)

Sami grows taller, giving up his hunched over position the more he talks about the four of them together, meanwhile Jey is looking back and forth between them, unable to stay still.

Roman’s face is unreadable. Until Sami uses the word “FAMILY”. Then that little snarl is right back on his face. Funnily enough that’s when Jey crosses his arms (god they are so good at this game of nonverbal communication 😭 CINEMA!)

I can’t get over Jey’s little nodding along to “Jey felt it” 😭 (Like… “yup yup the hubby is telling no lies”). Also, notice how Sami’s slowly inching away from the ropes, closer to Jey and therefore closer to the others?

Another facial reaction from Roman at the “I think you love me.” - Blink, blink, look away, look anywhere but not at Sami - Jey saying something off-mic (thanks Carla!!) and looking amused, Jimmy trying not to smile.

“Jey in the backseat hater of the year” - now it’s just a contest of who’s gonna crack first 😭 Jimmy and Jey are smiling already, Roman is desperately trying to keep his composure lol. There’s that old magic again.

“I’m gonna put the ball in your court.” Aaaaand we’re back to serious. Jey’s crossing his arms again, closer to Sami than ever, almost ready to hold him back if he does - in fact - leave.

The crowd says “noooo” and Roman is confused by their reaction. ‘They want this fool with us?’ - But then the little knowing smirk again as the crowd pops. Flashbacks to the Honorary Uce. - The mistrusting eye-crunch as Sami says “I’ll do it.” By now Jey is basically standing by Sami’s side completely as Sami makes his one demand. He’s got Sami’s back on this, no matter what.

“Apologize.” And again, Roman’s face tells you everything you need to know. You see the exact moment where he goes from ‘that’s fucking ridiculous’ and ‘really, Jey? This is what you bring me?’ and ‘he can’t be serious, Jimmy’ to ‘NEVER GONNA FUCKING HAPPEN’

Sami’s surprise at Roman thinking that the apology is for *him* speaks volumes. So do Jey’s eyes and facial expression when Sami makes it clear the apology is for him. That man is SHOOK. He also knows it’s going downhill from here. And so does Jimmy in the background. Just look at their faces. They know their cousin.

You can see it right on Jey’s face that he doesn’t believe for a single second that he’s gonna get that apology from Roman. He knows it even as Roman utters the words “I’m sorry” and Sami smiles. Cause Jey knows Roman best.

“I’m sorry that I ever let you waste my time with this.” That’s not even disappointment on Jey’s face. That’s just plain resignation. He can deal with that. That’s Roman being Roman. He can also deal with rubbing his temples from stress until he reaches brain matter.

What he can’t deal with is Roman insulting Sami like that, turning his back and treating Sami like a waste of time now that Roman doesn’t perceive him as a threat anymore.

What he can deal with even less is Sami walking out on him. He understands and he supports his walking out after what just went down, their connection remains as strong as ever, but he’s not happy with Roman’s blatant dismissal of Sami.

Roman calls out Solo, but Jey doesn’t care. His first priority is making sure Sami is okay. Husbands indeed.

And then Jacob interrupts. At the right time honestly. Telling Roman that he’s no longer “that bitch”. And I do feel like Jey would’ve confronted Roman right there and then and walked out right after Sami if Jacob hadn’t interrupted (if the way he gripping the rope, looking wistfully at Sami who’s looking back, and the way he glowers at Roman in that final shot is any indication).

He’s very clearly not standing with them after this. And he’s royally pissed off.

And then that backstage segment. Roman clearly walked out on them first with Jimmy running after him, but Roman is too irritated to let him catch up. And then Jey steps up to him. And he’s still not willing to talk. His body language is so damn dismissive, he’s had enough.

But like hell if Jey’s giving him a choice on the matter. He’s no longer afraid to put hands on Roman and demand respect and attention, to Jimmy’s and Roman’s surprise. (Thinking back to another ask I answered a while ago about Jey not being the same person he was before he left and Roman & Jimmy needing to accept and acknowledge that or it’ll cause even more tension.)

Roman’s intimidation and entitlement don’t work on a pissed off Jey Uso anymore and the sooner he learns it, the better. Roman is in a position where he needs Jey more than Jey needs him and I think deep down he’s aware of that, even if his own trauma and his ego don’t allow him to accept it yet.

Jey calling Roman out like that was everything to me. I love how protective of Sami he gets, just like Sami gets protective of him. You hurt one, you hurt both. Sami is his ride or die now. (And I know the segment was mainly Jey and Roman, but we shouldn’t ignore Jimmy’s facial expressions either.)

But what I loved about this even more than Jey standing up for Sami? Jey standing up for himself and meaning it! “That’s your one pass, uce!” And then walks off to go find Sami. Not because Roman told him to, but because he *wants* to.

And then Jimmy, oh precious Jimmy tries to reason with him and fix things like he always does and Roman, stumped, irritated, overwhelmed, lashes out at him too, and Jimmy walks (but not in the same direction as his brother).

And Roman is all alone again with his ego.

So he ends up facing Solo alone once again.

Until that last beautiful segment. This is so long already, so I’m not gonna go line-by-line & frame-by-frame on that one, but even with that last shot, there’s still so much that’s unresolved and that needs fixing. These four need to TALK and really TALK.

And Jey needs to get that apology.

Anyways.

I feel like, pretty much as always, the stuff that isn’t said speaks so much louder than the actual words.

I know this wasn’t exactly the point of this ask, but you caught me in a rambling mood and I was just rewatching the show and so here we are 😂

The point: I completely agree. These four are not a unit yet and there’s a lot of healing left that needs to happen before they can truly be that unit again.

[deoidesign]

I've been... Busy 👀

Trying to get all 4 arcs from season 1 into books!

(not available for sale, these are print proofs. I'm planning a Kickstarter early next year!)