#2011 leaping over

[snekdood]

Its wild to me that theres probably people out there that think im someone who needs to be educated on misogyny n shit bc of whatever my ex says, as if "snake" the character wasnt intentionally a joke character- like mj picks on him ALL THE TIME for his dumb misogynistic beliefs n shit, and its literally always fucking been that way, lol

[book--brackets]

The Scholomance by Naomi Novik (2020-2022)

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (2006-2010)

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary is one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite...

 Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, powerful forces of evil are unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives, to save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world.

Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan (2004-2011)

They have always scared him in the past--the Rangers, with their dark cloaksand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . . 

Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Geir (2009-2010)

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century...

The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale (2003-2009)

She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste.

Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (2010-2013)

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father—an elusive European warlock—only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. 

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect. 

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Fables by Bill Willingham (2002-2015)

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the ""mundys,"" their name for normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters created their own secret society that they call Fabletown.

From their exclusive luxury apartment buildings on Manhattan's Upper West Side, these creatures of legend must fight for their survival in the new world.

Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (1968-2018)

On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack from a myth that is all too real. Lessa is an outcast survivor--her parents murdered, her birthright stolen--a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat to Pern reemerges, Lessa will rise--upon the back of a great dragon with whom she shares a telepathic bond more intimate than any human connection. Together, dragon and rider will fly . . . and Pern will be changed forever.

Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde (2001-present)

England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Bront 's novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career.

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir (2019-present)

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

[myobsessionsspace]

One of The Narratives That Turned Canon

Why Jungkook not liking Jimin, when they were younger, is NOT true.

Images like this would circulate and be used as 'evidence' as to Jungkook's dislike for Jimin.

The narrative that Jungkook didn’t like Jimin and that Jimin annoyed/harassed Jungkook, always stemmed from cut off footage, jokey pictures or lack of understanding.

It needs to be remembered that the Rap Line joined Big Hit first, whilst the rest APART from Jimin joined in 2011.

Jimin was the last to join the trainees, around mid 2012. Being the last to join such an intense atmosphere of training, competition and comradery, we can understand that Jimin should have been the odd one out, the one that the trainees would have had the least shared experiences with, the least emotional bonds been the one that would have stuck out from the 'pack.'

The order of the members, as they joined Bangtan, with Jimin completing the group to form the 7 that we now know and love.

The Maknae of the group, Jungkook, had been taken under the wing of the hyung of the group, Jin, who protected him, gave him home comforts by taking him back with him to his family home, which was the closest to the dorms and treating him to meals, as the trainees had yet to make much money.

The maknae had also formed a close bond with the second youngest of the group Taehyung, who when he wanted to goof around and feel his age, he could count on him, who was the more extroverted out of the two and so would bring out different sides to Jungkook, that Jungkook couldn't display on his own and who helped in bringing the younger boy out of his shell.

For Jungkook he found cool, minor celeb underground rapper with a genius IQ and tall manly presence in Namjoon. He found the steady, unassuming presence in Yoongi, knowledgeable in the behind the scenes of music production with a pool of general knowledge also. He found in Hobi the cool street dancer who he could learn from and show sides of his self that he couldn't with the other five, a Hyung that by Jungkook’s own words provided him the most comfort before Jimin became that person to him.

Such a cutie!

People have often believed and carried on with an image of a quiet and mysterious, dark clothed, testosterone filled 'Alpha', when it comes to Jungkook.

He has been called out time and time again by his Hyungs and fans in their early days about his blunt personality, tone and delivery.

But Jungkook was and still is the embodiment of a classic shy introvert.

He’s taken several MBTI tests over the years (there are varied opinions on the validity/reliability and truth of these tests). One thing has remained consistent through them all, the ‘I’ for Introversion.

JK was young, introverted and SHY! Look at this BB titled ‘Jungkook Shy, shy, shy’.

Jimin came into the company and with his wonderful personality, amazing talent and genuine nature, he quickly formed bonds that cemented the 7. Though there were likely many misunderstanding amongst the seven young, hormonal men, all in a new and charged environment.

Rainy Day - both accounts

Jungkook DID find a hyung to look up to in Jimin

A person who would take him under his wing and protect him

A person to help and motivate him in his dance

A person he could be young, wild and free with

A person he could be himself with and feel the lowest of the low and the highest of the high with.

Jungkook wanted to quit being an idol to be a dancer???

ENG TRANS: “I will have a nice business trip to the US. Jimin will take good care of me.”

Though Jungkook was and still is, according to himself, an introvert, he gets moments where he leaps out of his comfort zone, not because he has to (like for example, for work) but because he wants to

Though Jimin has INCREDIBLE emotional intelligence *now* it didn't come from birth, it would have been developed and deepened over time.

In the early years of their bond, what we have witnessed third hand, are some of the workings that went towards the development of their emotional understandings of each other, how their bond evolved in front of people, what needed to be said and not said in front of others.

But make no mistake, they BOTH were fond of each other and equally sought out each others presence, for comfort, for fun, for motivation, for advice, for good times and bad.

The myth was that Jungkook didn't like Jimin in the early days and that they weren't close.

The truth is that, they were the closet of the whole group.

��💛

This is a blog version of a twitter thread I did

Interesting Links:

Part 1

Part 2

[solar-sunnyside-up]

Little libraries -

Free little Libraries are a great passive mutual aid project. Originally inspired by DIY projects they are easy to build, are generally low maintenance once established, creative and fun artworks within themselves, and its a great way to introduce a gift economy into your neighborhood!

History-

2009- Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, built a model of a one room schoolhouse. It was a tribute to his mother; she was a teacher who loved to read. He filled it with books and put it on a post in his front yard. His neighbors and friends loved it, so he built several more and gave them away.

UW-Madison’s Rick Brooks saw Bol’s do-it-yourself project while they were discussing potential mutual aid projects. They were inspired by community gift-sharing networks, “take a book, leave a book” collections in coffee shops and public spaces, and most especially by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

2010 the name Little Free Library was established and the purpose of these Little Free Library book exchanges became clear: to share good books and bring communities together.As Bol and Brooks continued to give away Little Free Libraries with wooden charter signs, engraved with official charter numbers, curiosity and demand for more Libraries grew. The acceleration centered on the enthusiasm of early adopters and stewards, who were crucial advocates. Some small grants and informal partnerships began to have an impact on Little Free Library’s ability to keep up with demand.

2011 brought national media attention, and by the end of the year there were nearly 400 Little Free Libraries in existence. That number would skyrocket to over 4,000 Libraries within a year. 

2012  Little Free Library became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the states!

Little Free Libraries have continued to grow by leaps and bounds every year. In 2022 we surpassed 150,000 registered Libraries in more than 120 countries worldwide. Even establishing an online map and app to help people locate the libraries!

How do I do this?

The little library website hosts a bunch of plans and blueprints to make a library or get ideas for locations. Even having ready to order kits if you want!

You will need either land or public approval to establish one however, this can be by the city, neighbours, or other public spaces but they are technically put on private land. You wont find anyone ho would object to their installation but I would not recommend just installing one unless your okay with it being taken down.

Pick a location that has a lot of foot traffic and be highly visible to anyone nearby and is accessible as possible.

Register your library! You can get an official charter sign by doing this step!!

Fill it up with books!!

[wishingicouldfly]

Why I Believe Larry Is Real

It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of my opinion essays. This week I was asked to justify my belief that Larry is real, and that Harry and Louis are together. It feels like it’s time. 

::cracks knuckles::

I’ve thought about how to reply to the demand, which came from someone on X (formerly Twitter). I cannot compel someone who isn’t inclined to believe in Larry to suddenly change their mind. If someone doesn’t want to interpret the signs the same way I do, that’s their prerogative. But that said, I decided to give some thought about how to answer the question. 

I’ve been inspired by IndiaAlphaWhiskey and her recent reply to a similar question. I loved the way she answered by talking about long term love and how it’s steady and doesn't need to have a lot of fireworks visible from the outside. It’s hard to put that into words that make sense to someone who hasn’t witnessed it. Here’s her original reply:

The reality is we do not have solid proof that they were or - as I believe - still are in a relationship. Nor should we. H&L are closeted celebrities who keep their private life private. They are closeted, so you won’t see them admitting to being in a relationship in interviews; that would defeat the point of being closeted. In fact, you may think you’ve heard them outright deny being together. Again, if you’re not looking at the clues, and you only want to take this at face value, you’re not going to see any other possible narrative. Full stop. If that’s the case, you’re not going to agree with me, and that’s fine.

If you really want to go down a rabbit hole, my friend @bkatie617 keeps a running spreadsheet on perceived coincidences in the current era. 

https://x.com/BKatie617/status/1739715223244742755?s=20

I can list out a hundred things that, to me, are coded messages H&L have signaled to either us or to each other. You can debunk/deny/laugh-out-loud at all of them, if you want. You might call something coincidence or debunk one or more of these pieces. And yes, there are things out there that aren’t true, that are completely coincidence or debatable – or wildly unbelievable.

I get that. In fact, I have a whole thread of debunks on my Twitter bio. My debunk thread focuses on factual, hard-proof debunks to help veterans and newcomers keep the story straight.

https://x.com/Rosann_1986/status/1670101749267406848?s=20

But there are a hundred more things that are real. Or at least open to interpretation. At some point, it becomes really, really unlikely that everything is a coincidence over the last decade, and you have to admit that H&L are in collaboration with their messaging. For me, once you admit they are in collaboration in their messaging, it doesn’t take a huge leap to believe they are together romantically. Why else would their teams coordinate messaging to the media and the masses?

Harry even said, in 2022, “There’s not many [clues and tidbits] that get left behind. Most of the time, they usually pick up on pretty much everything, along with a couple of hilarious coincidences that were never meant to be, never meant to be kind of clues in the first place that happen… end up being clues.”

Source: Harry Styles talks to the Morning Mash Up about his new single, 'As It Was', Coachella, and more (siriusxm.ca)

You don’t have to believe any of it. I’m fine with that. But because you don’t believe it, doesn’t mean I’m not completely, unwavering, solidly adamant in my own belief that it’s real. Especially if you’re not providing any evidence to sway my beliefs.

Here’s what I think: I think Harry and Louis met and fell in love during X-Factor in 2010, began dating, and continued to fall while on the X-Factor tour and the recording of the first single and album. I believe they made it official in 2011. Over the years, they went through hard times through career changes, loss of family members, solo career ups and downs, differences in career trajectory, doubts and fears, and then the pandemic. I believe they weathered all that and are together and committed to this day. 

I think they live a private life and have no intention of coming out or going public any time soon. Harry said to Rolling Stone last year that he hasn’t publicly “been with anyone.” I also think, even though they are determined to stay private, they like the idea of some fans knowing and supporting them. Seeing their true, authentic selves. So, they’ve gotten good at messaging their truth to fans who want to see it and support it. 

Due to industry pressure and 'image' clauses in their contract, I think they were encouraged by record execs and management to keep their relationship quiet, but rebelled (as teenagers, young adults, and fools in love will do) by insinuating double meanings in interviews and signaling to those in the know ever since. 

I think the signaling started in One Direction days when fans began to pick up on the signs they gave each other - the secret looks, the thumbs up, their complementary tattoos. 

When they saw fans remaining loyal, despite the idea they might be gay/queer and together, the signals turned more outward and louder, with Harry’s blue bandana, lyrics, the rainbow bears, and more. I think it continues today with graphic t-shirts, even more lyrics, matching merch, intentional mirroring in stage lighting and costumes, and more. 

Evidence Larry are together Now

Understand that there’s no solid “proof” that H&L are together now. So, if that’s what you’re here looking for, you won’t find it. They are closeted still, both portraying a heterosexual narrative in the media.

My lens (admittedly biased) is that they are together and hint to us, but that most of what they do these days is for each other. Little inside jokes from across the world or across the room to show they are together. Despite them being separated for work a lot, I believe these little nods to each other helps keep their connection healthy and strong across the time apart.

What follows is a small sampling of what I think is intentional messaging from H&L, meant to suggest to those following that they are still together. Nothing is a proof. Nothing by itself is anything more than coincidence. But taken together, these along with other examples, show two men who are speaking through their actions, in my humble opinion.

They have strikingly similar patterns in their merch for FITF and HSLOT. 

Harry’s merch looks like it would be comfortable at Louis’ show.

Harry drew H and L on his trainers on May 10, 2022 on a pap walk in Italy. 

Both Harry and Louis used some of the same songs for their pre- and post-show playlists. https://www.tumblr.com/bluewinnerangel/702446259292831744/do-you-see-any-commonalities-between-harry-and

They both had really intentional blue/green stage lights at their shows. For anyone who doesn’t know, blue and green were their respective assigned colors when they were in One Direction. Certainly not a proof on its own but coupled with other things adds to the intentionality.

Complementary stage outfits. See this whole thread by @grete418 on X. It’s tongue in cheek, but it demonstrates what I mean about outfits matching/complementing each other. https://twitter.com/Grete418/status/1536453046611369989

Harry dressed as Danny Zuko at Harryween 2022 (coincidentally, Louis’ one and only lead role in a high school musical). https://twitter.com/UpdateHLD/status/1587297649572585473

Louis namechecked his unreleased song “All Along” in September 2022 (here at about 5:20), which strongly references Harry and a concert they attended together.. https://youtu.be/D9NjoMuz5-s?si=eRB-FwLI9JveMK3N

Louis wearing his 'dancing man' top when the 'dancing Harry' figure is so well known.

Similar visual themes like this. Same assignment, different execution. (Harry’s House/Silver Tongues):

Louis’ new tattoos (2023) appear to be images already seen on Harry’s journal cover and eye motif from HSLOT, plus they add to the existing traditional nautical motif they share. 

T-shirt in Music Video for Music for a Sushi Restaurant reading LT Seniors. 

Louis used fan images of Harry’s tattoos as Spotify cover art in February 2021.

Lyrics that seem to respond to each other, and/or have similar themes

Louis wears a rose (like Harry’s tattoo) on his shirt on 6/26/23…next night Harry wears a very phallic shaped rocket ship that looks a lot like Louis’ dagger tattoo. Seems like a call and response.

Louis singing 7 by Catfish and the Bottlemen, on both his tours. The song begins, “Larry call a load of smoke in…”

Added: (5/29/24). Louis announces his "For Every Question Why" Live Stream event via Veeps on 5/27/24. Two days later (5/29/29), Harry turns up in Florence, Italy, wearing an Elmo shirt with the word Why? via Twitter: (1) Ali ~So Be It! on X: "Just leaving this here. https://t.co/Mdty8DRLDE" / X

So there you have it. I could obviously go on for quite a bit, with many more examples, but I think this is a pretty good sampling. If you’d like to know more, or talk about it, feel free to DM me here or on X (@Rosann_1986). I don’t do this to try to change anyone’s mind. If you don’t believe they are doing these things intentionally, and aren’t curious or approaching this with an open mind, nothing I say will change that for you. 

If you’re new here and you’d like to learn more, there are a lot of places to find master posts. Understand that you have to take everything with a grain of salt and come to your own conclusions. Here are a few places to start:

(2) Be a lover. Give love. Choose love. on Tumblr

It’s a beautiful war 🌈 (tumblr.com)

Great lyric analysis here: it's subjective - My song analyses Last edited December 22nd 2022,... (tumblr.com)

[milligramspoison]

So now the portion of the tour for 2022 is over, l'd like to share my (and fan!) favorite (and iconic) moments from it :)

Sorry in advance for the long ass post :P

Europe:

Live debut of Foundations (Eden night 1)

Disappear for the first time since 2010!

Live debut of Surrender the Night <3 (my first MCR song ever so I FLIPPED when this happened)

Live debut of Boy Division!

Gerard crawling on the floor

Frank moaning in Destroya for the first time in years

FINALLY being able to hear Mikey's line in Vampire $$$

Cemetery Drive for the first time since 2012 (Eden night 2)

Only Hope for Me for the first time since 2012

Tour debut of House of Wolves

Ghost of You for the first time since 2011

Tour debut of S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W

Headfirst for Halos for the first time since 2009

Live debut of Mastas

The first two shows having Gerard in normal dad clothes then the third show has the bloody mess we all know as Meta Man (MK night 1)

Deathwish for the first time since 2007

Saying moan instead of actually moaning during Destroya

Bulletproof Heart for the time since 2011 <3 (MK night 2)

Ray and Gerard kissing after Destroya

“How'd you get that off my closet door”

Rat attack documentary played before the show (MK night 3)

Mikey dedicating Helena to Rowan and Kennedy <3

Cancer for the first time since 2012

Rowan dancing on stage before MCR goes on with the crowd cheering for her <3

Piss and vinegar

Tomorrow’s Money live debut (Dublin night 1)

The “fuck the queen” chant

Frank's moans during Destroya

Frank telling a fan to listen to Gerard

Frank picking up a (fake) rat

Piss on stairs (Dublin night 2)

“These are my best friends”

Fuck the queen chant round 2

Ponytail Ray

The birthday balloons for Bandit's 13th birthday (Warrington)

Gerard dedicating Teenagers to Bandit for her 13th birthday

“My little bee keeper”

Gerard cardboard cut out

Save Yourself for the first time since 2011 (Cardiff)

“I'm just giving myself an ass pat, sorry”

Frank attempting to toss a hat onto his head

Oil Gerard (Glasgow)

Na Na Na being dedicated to Grant Morrison

Sleep being dedicated to Kristan Morrison

“It's time to drink my piss”

Grant getting the drum head from the Glasgow show

Frank completely shredding it

Mikey Mouse shirt (Paris)

MERCI POUR LE VENIN

Gerard taking a leap of faith

Joke about drinking Frank’s piss

Video of the band making pancakes (Rotterdam)

Ray playing guitar with his wine glass

Fans recreating this

Mikey wearing a happy birthday Kennedy shirt for Kennedy's 3rd birthday <3 (Bologna)

The crowd singing happy birthday to Kennedy for her 3rd birthday <3

Gerard stating that they hope it won’t be a long time before they come back :)

SHORTS GATE (Munich)

Discussion of Twilight

The Da Vinki twins went to the show in Budapest

Slow clap moment

“How many of you are MCR Veterans..Trademark”

Na Na Na played a second time in Warsaw but faster

Engagement during Teenagers!!

Gerard taking down Stuart

Heaven Help Us played for the first time since 2008 (Prague)

Another mention of wanting to return

Clown Gerard (Berlin)

Story time about playing in Berlin for the first time

Hearing Frank laugh when he’s nowhere near the mic

“THEY ARE GONNA HAVE TO BURY ME IN THIS MOTHERFUCKING FILTHY CLOWN SUIT! I AM NEVER TAKING THIS OFF”

The interesting drum

Poncho Gerard (Stockholm)

“I went a little hard the other night with filth clown”

Pointing a rainbow out to Gerard

Mikey’s crooked heart <3

Pink shirt Gerard (two nights in a row in Bonn)

Admitting to googling their own lyrics (Bonn night 1)

Ray's hair being half up half down

Coughing during Destroya instead of moaning

Gerard talking about Hayley Williams

Frank watching Gerard perform Cancer (Bonn night 2)

Llama on stage (a toy but a real one would’ve been cool too)

Closing off the European portion of the tour with Cancer </3

North America:

Clown Gerard 2.0 (Oklahoma City)

Gerard laughing with sparkling water in their mouth

BURY ME IN BLACK FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2003

BEST DAY EVER FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2005

Sleep with an alternate outro

The shirt incident

“Lighten the fuck up, buttercup!”

Ray breaking his wine glass against his guitar

HANG ‘EM HIGH FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2011 (San Antonio)

Sleep with an alternate intro and different outro

Second unintentional Frerard moment

Besties moment from Ray and Mikey <3

Iero on the floor

Debut of the Sunshine intro leading into Sorrows

CHEERLEADER GERARD CHEERLEADERGATE (Nashville)

Summertime being dedicated to Kristin, Rowan, and Kennedy <3

Kristin livestreaming the show!!

Everyone (except Gerard) wearing Mikey Fuckin Way shirts!

The World Is Ugly for the first time since 2008; live debut of the studio version

Gerard almost drinking their microphone

Gerard twirling around and Ray cheering <3

Rowan and Kennedy’s drawings make their debut <3

Mikey doing a livestream prior to the show!!

Gerard singing on the floor (Cincinnati)

Frank stealing Mikey’s line in Vampire Money

SHORTS GATE 2.0 (Raleigh)

Gerard's story time about Bandit trying to make advil m&ms

Everybody Hates The Eagles live debut (kinda)

LIVE DEBUT OF BURN BRIGHT

Gerard in a bloody eyepatch

Gerard shushing the crowd (jokingly) so they can take advil

Sleep with an extended outro (Elmont)

Shorts for the second night in a row

Everybody Hates The Eagles for the second night in a row

Weird ass mask debut

Two fans wearing Petekey shirts

And someone else had the Petekey arm notes written on them

Anddddd two other people had matching Frerard shirts

Shorts for the third night in a row (Philadelphia)

Vampires for the first time since 2012!!

Pool Boy at the Vampire Mansion <3

Gerard calling Mikey Lil Mikey

Debut of the mystery shirts

Sunshine intro leading into FLW (Albany)

Shorts for the fourth night in a row

Mikey watching Waterparks perform

Priest/bloody eyes Gerard (Uncasville)

Eagles returns to the setlist

Ray and Mikey brushing their teeth before the show

Sunshine intro but with S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W

Skeleton Gerard (Toronto night 1)

CAUSE IM HER KIND OF GIRL AND SHES MY KIND OF BOY

Mikey wearing the happy birthday Goose shirt (Goose is what he calls his mother in law)

CAT GERARD (Toronto night 2)

Frank attempting to kick Mikey (jokingly)

Black Swan Gerard (Boston night 1)

Wholesome picture of Ray and Christa <3

Ray and Gerard colliding then hugging

Best Day Ever being dedicated to Thursday (Boston night 2)

Mikey blowing a kiss to Kristin <3

Frank wearing a headpiece

Ray rocking out with his sons <3

Crowd singing happy birthday to Mikey!! (NYC night 1)

Mikey dedicating Helena to Rowan and Kennedy again <3

Everyone except Gerard wearing Mikey Fuckin Way shirts for Mikey's birthday!

Drum is a Mikey shrine for Mikey's birthday

“How ‘bout you birthday boy?”

Fans wearing party hats for Mikey’s birthday

Gerard wearing the outfit he wore when he witnessed 9/11 (just a special moment honestly; NYC night 2)

DESERT SONG FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008

Lily pointing Mikey out to Rowan <3

Frank crossing himself during Sorrows

Bathroom photoshoot

Gerard’s story time about running into one of the openers while with Bandit

Frank posting a picture of his ass and getting a ass tattoo (Detroit)

NURSE GERARD

Hey Chris in Detroit

“Lucky for him…I had other plans.”

Crossing out Cancer for Helena (not a favorite or iconic, just offensive lol this is a joke dw)

Hawaiian shirt Way Brothers (St. Paul)

Teenagers being dedicated to Gerard's mailman

Bullet hole makeup

Jackie O Gerard at Riot Fest

Wholesome Jamia moment from the LS Dunes set <3

Wholesome family moment from Frank during Weezer's set <3

Hey Chris at Riot Fest

Frank wearing a bandana around his neck

Frank facetiming his dad just before his set with LS Dunes <3

Mikey watching TBS (Taking Back Sunday) perform

CROP TOP GERARD (Alpharetta)

Teenagers was dedicated to the band's crew

MIKEY WORE EYELINER

First of the hometown shows and Gerard performed with Thursday!! (NJ night 1)

BAT GERARD

I NEVER TOLD YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008

Best Day Ever with Geoff of Thursday

DEMOLITION LOVERS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2004

Frank Sinatra Gerard (NJ night 2)

PLANETARY GO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2012

Teenagers was dedicated to Midtown

Cover of Frank Sinatra's My Way

Cherry taking a pic/recording Mikey :)

Miles getting excited when Frank said “trust me” <3

Gerard performing with Thursday

Gabe being one of the reasons why FOB8 is Pete’s villain origin story (iykyk)

BLOUSE GERARD!! (Firefly)

The entire band signs a mannequin leg

“You'll get this at the end of class”

Ghost Gerard!! (Sunrise)

Gerard took the trans flag during WTTBP <3

Frank going out on stage with HGP

Mikey going out on stage with Midtown

Gerard being unable to pronounce Florida

Ended off the east coast portion of the tour with Cancer </3

Dress in Houston!!

“I thought about wearing a dress in Texas before...but that's a story for another time”

Ray posting a peanut with a penis after the show

Mikey going out on stage with Midtown (again)

The return of dad clothes in Dallas

Teenagers was dedicated to the opening acts

“Get fucked at an airport bar”

Mikey wearing a Midtown shirt

Dad clothes again in Denver

Frank interacting with his kiddos <3

Teenagers was dedicated to Sydney

Adam of Taking Back Sunday said opening for MCR was the only way to get Mikey to return his calls

Ray moaning during Planetary Go

“Just sit back, daddy’s gonna take you where you need to go” Adam Lazzara, 2022 (Portland)

Gerard dedicating Teenagers to Taking Back Sunday

Gerard grabbing their phone to look at something

Tomato soup…hm

“Your turn!”

Meta Man cardboard cut out (Tacoma)

Sign for Gerard’s two cats, Mitch and Lotion

Frank going on stage with Kimya

Meredith and Andy went to the show!!!

“Cause if you think Mikey fuckin Way is coming out here to a cold audience, you’re mistaken”

VACUUM GUY AT THE VAMPIRE MANSION

RAY IN A PONYTAIL AGAIN

Teenagers was dedicated to Panda (Kimya’s daughter)

Gerard simping for Robert Pattinson in Batman

Gerard wearing a Twilight shirt

One of Frank’s kiddos giving a fan a paper set list

Smiley face drumhead! (Oakland)

Cum sign

Idk why someone did this but yeah

“Ray and I’s home state. We’ve lived here for...14 years?”

“I see a lot more flesh than usual. It’s fleshy out there”

Mikey and Frank almost bumping into each other before Skylines

Gerard chasing the tech off stage

Singing happy birthday to Worm

Mikey petting Worm’s beard

Gerard in an all black outfit with a rose (Vegas)

Ray rocking out with his sons <3

Ray patting his son’s head <3

Gerard dedicating Teenagers to Bandit again <3

KRISTIN WENT LIVE AGAIN

The drum was for Bandit <3

Engagement during Helena!!

Mikey having a random book signing (Aftershock)

Crowd surfing a…a sex doll during the LS Dunes set

Frank attempting to do a bottle flip at the end of the LS Dunes set

Ray, Jamia, and Frank’s kiddos watching Frank from side stage <3

Gerard’s shirt saying scabs

Gerard gagging on the microphone

The drum saying choke me which goes perfectly with the point above

A deer running around during WTTBP

THEY SOUNDCHECKED DESOLATION ROW (LA night 1)

GERARD WITH A FLAMETHROWER

CHEERLEADER DRESS IS BACK

“This song is about my favorite fucking human” spotlight proceeds to go onto Frank

Gerard got a haircut

THE SHOW WAS FILMED

Teenagers being dedicated to Quentin Tarantino

DESOLATION ROW FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2011

Mikey with his family during I’m Not Okay <3

GERARD COSPLAYING PRINCESS DIANA (LA night 2)

I Never Told You being dedicated to glow in the dark skeleton man

“DO YOU HAVE THE KEYS TO THE LAMBORGHINI BECAUSE IM GONNA DRIVE THAT MOTHERFUCKER INTO A TARGET”

Dedicating Teenagers to a fan

Frank singing Teenagers to Lily <3

Frank hugging one of the twins prior to encore <3

Frank waving to his kids prior to Foundations <3

THEY SOUNDCHECKED ALL THE ANGELS (LA night 3)

THEY SOUNDCHECKED I DON’T LOVE YOU

THE SHOW IS BEING FILMED AGAIN

Foundations being dedicated to Doug </3

I DON’T LOVE YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019

Teenagers dedicated to a random fan again

KILL ALL YOUR FRIENDS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008

WTTBP being dedicated to Doug’s wife and kids </3

ALL THE ANGELS LIVE DEBUT

THEY SOUNDCHECKED SING (LA night 4)

GERARD IS DRESSED AS DRACULA

Teenagers being dedicated to Bandit for the third time as well as dedicating it to her friends <3

Bandit attending the show with her friends

RAY SLAPPING GERARD’S ASS AGAIN

Ghost of You in the encore!!

Mikey bringing Rowan on stage for Kids <3

Rowan making heart hands at the crowd <3

THEY SOUNDCHECKED SISTER TO SLEEP TWICE (LA night 5)

VACUUM GUY COSPLAYING GERARD

SISTER TO SLEEP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2003

SING FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2012

Teenagers dedicated to the crew

Dinosaur in the pit

GERARD HAS WRITING ON THEIR ARM

FRANK POSSIBLY WROTE ON GERARD’S ARM

LIVE DEBUT OF FAKE YOUR DEATH

Gabe’s son having to be “evicted” during Midtown’s opening set

Ray rocking out with his son during Kids <3

Gerard throwing fake insects to the fans

The final bow </3

Luigi cosplayer comforting emos at the first day of WWWY (cause it was canceled)

Katy Perry welcoming the orphans/emo kids to her Vegas residency show due to the first day of WWWY being canceled

Katy bringing an emo kid on stage with her and starting a mosh

THEYRE ALL IN THEIR REVENGE OUTFITS (WWWY night 2)

FACIAL PROSTHETICS

Opened with I’m Not Okay!

BAT BUCKLE

MIKEY HAS BLOOD ON HIS FACE

FRANK WENT BALD

CONFETTI WAS LITERAL VAMPIRE MONEY

Secretary of Salmonella

Gerard misaddressing the crowd as Utah

First time Foundations isn’t on the setlist since it was released (not a favorite or iconic, just really strange cause we’re all so used to it every night lol)

Frank walking onto the stage like an actual old man

Gerard flipping the crowd off before the show even started

Hayley (from Paramore) mentioning and thanking MCR <3

Person who did their prosthetics last weekend is back! (WWWY night 3)

Adam from TBS sitting on a whole ass person (ik it’s not MCR but it’s too funny to not include)

Foundations returned to the setlist!

Gerard dressed as an army general

GERARD WORE LIPSTICK

OPERA MUSIC BETWEEN SONGS

Mikey wearing the Kristin Fuckin Way shirt <3

GERARD GOT A MEDAL

GERARD BROKE THE MIC STAND AT THE END

Closing off their final US show with Kids </3

Jamia, Kristin, and Christa taking a photo with each other <3

MCR’s first time in Mexico since 2008!

Another sex doll for some reason

“You look good today baby boy” Anthony to Frank during LS Dunes’ set

GERARD IS JOAN OF ARC

Gerard spelt fuego wrong

GERARD SPOKE SPANISH

“WATCH ALL THE SHIT YOU DO”

Mikey winked and smirked at the camera

Gerard playing a telephone sound

FILMING NOTICE BEFORE MAMA

Gerard shouting out Frank and the rest of Dunes <3

NEW INTRO BEFORE FLW

Gerard got an axolotl plushie <3

Ending the North American tour and the final show of 2022 with Kids </3

If you’ve made it this far, first of all, hi! Secondly, ty for looking through this haha.

I’ll probably do this again when they’re in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan next year, so stay tuned! :)

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Fight Like You Mean It (Another Level - Installment 7, Part 1)

Summary:

Gojo froze instantly, his entire body tensing. From how his jaw unclenched, she knew his eyes were widening in shock behind his blindfold. “Did you just-?” Nanami cut his own question off, his laughter a genuine sound that had his shoulders shaking as he dropped his head and pushed his glasses up. “Oh,” he cackled, lifting his eyes to stare straight into hers. “That’s more than I wanted to know about either of you.” She wanted the ground to swallow her.

AN: I fell behind on posting these here because I decided to take this as my opportunity to make some revisions/edits. I also struggled with creating these panels that I feel too committed to making to turn back now 🙃

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Fight Like You Mean It - Part 1 2011

Rinko huffed as her back hit the ground hard, glaring up at Gojo as he grinned down at her smugly.

He still had his blindfold on, which infuriated her more than she’d admit aloud while he easily tossed her around the small clearing they were using to train.

With her solo exam only a few weeks away, she had to be ready for anything. The intense training sessions were pushing her to improve quickly, but they knew it wasn’t enough to match what they knew she’d be facing.

“Fuck,” she rasped, her double straining while it fought. Its view began taking over, and she struggled to stay present in her own body.

“Don’t focus on that,” Gojo ordered, scowling as he watched her lose her grip. He yanked her back to her feet. “Focus on the fight in front of you.”

“Technically, they’re both in front of me–”

He didn’t let her finish her retort, advancing on her swiftly and forcing her to dodge out of the way of his fists. Leaping back, she winced when Nanami slammed her double into a tree. She turned her head in time to see two different views of his wrapped blade slicing the tree in half when her double scrambled out of the way.

“Hey!” Rinko called indignantly, “I thought we said no weapons–”

Her words cut off, the breath leaving her lungs once again as Gojo took advantage of her distraction to haul her off her feet with a kick to her chest.

“Shit,” she gasped, her back hitting the ground hard and her double vanishing. “Timeout!”

“Denied.” Gojo crossed his arms as Nanami straightened and tucked his blade under his arm. “You’re not gonna be able to beat anything with where you’re at right now, forget passing that exam.”

The words stung, but she had no room to argue. She still wasn’t ready for her exam. 

“Get up,” Gojo commanded, raising his eyebrows when she didn’t move. “Curse won’t stop attacking just because you’re tired, Kurisaki. Get. Up.”

A groan of pain escaped when she tried to push herself back up, her body refusing to listen to her pleas. She knew she needed to move unless she wanted to be in even more pain. After a few deep breaths, she managed to roll over and force her shaking legs beneath her to stand.

Gojo bore down on her immediately, drawing a startled yelp from her as she arched under his leg.

“Keep. Moving,” he instructed, not pausing his relentless flurry of blows. “You’d already be dead if I weren’t holding back.”

Narrowly blocking a punch with her forearm, the resounding tremor vibrated through her entire body. This was the strongest holding back. His blows contained almost no cursed energy, but he didn’t need it to force her to stay on the defensive and push her to her limits. The knowledge made frustration boil in her veins as she moved, clenching her jaw and ignoring the looming threat of her legs collapsing beneath her.

Without her double active, Nanami joined the fray, ensuring she had absolutely no chance to escape the onslaught of attacks. She ducked beneath his fist, her breath stuttering slightly when she barely managed to avoid his blade, the dotted pattern a blur as it whooshed past her face. 

“Where’s your technique?” Gojo pressed, sounding irritated as she dropped to the ground to try and avoid his fist. “You’ve gotta use it if you wanna make this a fair fight.”

Nothing could make this a ‘fair fight.’ Not when she had two incredibly powerful sorcerers leaving no room for her to breathe. Even with her double, she was forced to split her attention between both fights, unable to focus entirely on either one.

Rolling out of the way, Rinko growled in frustration at the sight of Nanami’s blade sticking out of the ground where her head had been just seconds earlier.

“We said no weapons!” she griped, whipping around at the sound of Gojo’s tut behind her.

“I said you couldn’t use weapons,” he countered, landing a blow to her shoulder before she could move. “Nanami can use whatever he wants because he’s not the one who asked for help. You need to learn this technique without relying on your knives.”

He was right. She knew he was right. Still, she couldn’t stop the inhuman sound from escaping in response.

“Where is it?” Gojo demanded again, his leg sweeping underneath hers and knocking her to the ground again. “You’re already breaking the rules, Kurisaki. You’re supposed to have it up throughout this entire fight-”

“It’s fucking hard!” she hissed, her lungs burning as she sucked in labored breaths.

His expression didn’t change, telling her she was on thin ice with his temper when he ignored the chance to make a joke he would normally cackle at. He inclined his head, giving her a moment to activate her technique, but she was on borrowed time.

Focusing as she stood, she squared her shoulders and muttered under her breath, “Cursed Technique, Perfect Double.”

Her energy split, her double appearing behind Nanami to level him with a swift kick to his side. The grunt he released sent a twinge of satisfaction through her, feeling smug that she’d caught him off guard. She chose to ignore the fact that she knew the trick wouldn’t have worked on Gojo, which she’d been reminded of hours earlier when she tried switching things up. 

The attack he used to annihilate her double had been filled with so much cursed energy that it glowed bright purple, sending a shockwave through the clearing. He’d looked almost insulted when he turned to face her, sliding his blindfold back into place arrogantly.

“Pathetic,” he’d stated flatly. “You thought that would get me? Really?”

She’d known it wouldn’t, but she had hoped–

“Don’t forget that you aren’t out of this yet,” the said devil-incarnate barked, resuming his attack now that she’d reactivated her technique. “You don’t get to take a break and let it do all the work. If you let yourself drift off like that, you’ll get yourself killed.”

The urge to use her knives grew with each second, and she clenched her jaw while he made a noise that sounded like a hiss.

“Don’t,” he warned, pausing briefly, feigning a break. She knew better than that, though. “You draw your knives, and I quit holding back. Shoko is a good thirty-minute hike away, an even longer drive, and I’m not warping you to her if you really get hurt. So you’d better think before you try to cheat in this fight.”

“The fight is already unfair!” she huffed indignantly, swapping with a duplicate so she could try to surprise him. “Cursed Technique, Shadow Step.” Using her echoes as cover, she continued to complain, “You’ve taken away my strongest–”

“They aren’t your strongest asset,” he cut her off, barely lifting a finger as he dispelled her echoes. “You’re stupid if you think they are.”

Ignoring his comment, she pushed forward, trying to stay on the offense with him while her double did the same with Nanami.

“You don’t get to use them as a crutch,” Gojo asserted, dodging her fists easily. “Your blades are a tool that you should use as such. Not a fucking crutch you get to lean on when things get difficult.”

She hissed at that, feeling her irritation start to rise.

“I don’t–”

“You do,” he cut her off, grasping her arm mid-strike and using her momentum to fling her into a tree. “You’ve got a fucking incredible cursed technique at your disposal, and you choose to rely on your knives instead because they’re easy. Honestly, I expected better of you, Kurisaki. You’re acting weak.”

The impact didn’t hurt as much as she expected, having braced for it just in time. Landing on her knees instead of her back, she growled in frustration.

He was purposefully trying to rile her up, and that made her angrier than the words themselves.

She’d worked hard on her knives, spent the better part of five years charging them with her cursed energy and creating her cursed sheath so she could have them at all times. And she was proud of them.

“They aren’t easy,” she argued, charging him again and splitting with a decoy, letting it speak with her. “They’re helpful–”

“A crutch,” Gojo repeated, his movements speeding up, dodging her kick and kicking her decoy in return. “If you honed your technique well enough, you could have this decoy as a double instead. Think about that, three of you fighting at once.”

She didn’t want to think about that. It sounded like a great way to get her brain to explode from strain. Using her double and a decoy was already enough to drain her energy like a leaking faucet. Her mounting irritation certainly wasn’t helping, either.

Gojo let her stay on the offense, choosing to block with his Infinity just to rub it in. Pushing herself to move faster, she knew what he expected her to do, and focused on her decoy as she moved.

“You’re holding yourself back by whining and complaining about how you think you can’t do it,” Gojo spat, turning to face her as she approached. His fist met her chest, the blow hurling her backward into a nearby tree. “What were you–”

Her decoy landed a hard hit to the back of Gojo’s head, forcing it to snap forward as Nanami dodged her double’s fist, his blade slicing it in half when it stumbled. The double disappeared, her decoy with it, as Rinko slammed into the tree and dropped the ground with a groan.

The world spun as she tried to force herself back to her feet, her limbs shaking violently. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten the decoy to mimic her double instead of her own movement but the amount of concentration it had taken to do it meant she hadn’t blocked Gojo’s punch as much as she should have. Gasping, she clutched her chest with her left hand and tried to focus on taking the deepest breaths she could manage.

“Not bad,” Gojo conceded, humming quietly as he knelt in front of her. “We keep going.”

“I can’t,” she wheezed, her head snapping up to stare at his blindfold. “That was all I–”

“That was just a fraction of what you’re capable of,” he stated, his brow furrowing as his eyes clearly narrowed at her behind the bandages. “If your decoys can mimic your double, then think about how impossible it’ll be for your opponent to keep up.”

“I can’t keep up,” she insisted desperately. Her lungs still refused to accept the air she tried to suck in.

His expression held no sympathy, one eyebrow rising in challenge at her words.

Ignoring her weak protests, he pulled her to her feet and stepped back as she scowled at him.

“Can’t I at least have a short break as a reward for landing a hit on you?” she pressed hopefully, already knowing the answer.

Gojo didn’t even acknowledge the question, crossing his arms when she pouted. Before she could wonder what he was waiting for, Nanami appeared behind her to strike. She flipped over his arm, ducking his second hit, and then smacked into Gojo’s fist when he anticipated her movement.

“Funny,” he deadpanned, not relenting even as she yelped and swapped with a duplicate to avoid his second blow, “this doesn’t look like your double.” His fist glowed with cursed energy, obliterating her duplicate.  “Wrong choice, Kurisaki.”

Nanami’s blade slammed into her back as soon as she swapped, a small smirk on his face at Gojo’s statement.

“You’re getting sloppy–”

“For fuck’s sake,” Rinko cried, tucking and rolling away. She clutched her side once she was back on her feet. Her legs shook, threatening to crumble under her weight as she glared at the two smirking sorcerers. “I didn’t sign up to be fucking gang-banged today!”

Nanami guffawed as he pressed forward, his eyes glinting behind his glasses when she jumped back to run directly into Gojo as he clotheslined her. Her limbs felt like they had weights tied to them, and she knew her sluggish movements were going to force her to take some hits that were going to hurt.

“Give me a fucking break,” she begged, somehow rolling out of the way before Gojo could curb-stomp her. “Come on!”

Her legs collapsed when she tried to push herself back up, her entire body trembling from the strain. Her body was officially spent, and the blood dripping from her nose told her that her mind was, too. 

Neither of her opponents showed any sign of stopping, and panic rose in her throat as they closed in on her, the word escaping before she could begin to think better of it.

“RED!”

Gojo froze instantly, his entire body tensing. From how his jaw unclenched, she knew his eyes had to be widening in shock behind his blindfold. Nanami stopped as well, albeit slower than Gojo, his face cracking into a giant grin.

“Did you just–?” Nanami cut his own question off, his laughter a genuine sound that had his shoulders shaking as he dropped his head and pushed his glasses up.

“Oh,” he cackled, lifting his eyes to stare straight into hers. “That’s more than I wanted to know about either of you.”

She wanted the ground to swallow her.

Her face burned as she turned away, trying to ignore the sound of Nanami attempting to smother his laughter and failing horribly as he gave in. In the ten months since she’d first started shadowing him, she’d never seen or heard him so giddy.

“I–” he snickered, gasping for breath as he continued, “knew you were both crazy, but–”

“Shut up!” Rinko snapped, refusing to look at him as she heard him cover his mouth to quiet the chuckles. “Fuck off, Kento.”

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she fought the embarrassment that made her entire body feel like it was on fire. She was suddenly full of energy as the undeniable need to be anywhere but near the two of them took over.

“I’m done for the day,” she stated, struggling to keep her voice even. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

Or never, she thought as she wiped away the blood that had trickled from her nose.

Her movement seemed to snap Gojo free of his shock because he was right behind her instantly. His hand was gentle on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and darted in the direction of the car.

Faintly, she heard Nanami say something else, and Gojo snap a quick response before she felt him following her.

“Rinko,” he called, catching up with her easily. “Rinko-”

“Nope,” she muttered under her breath.

She wasn’t dealing with him now. She would talk to him when she crawled from her den of self-pity and absolute humiliation. As she walked, she decided she would go to Shoko’s and hide until she inevitably had to face Gojo and Nanami again.

Or she could just hide forever. Fuck being a Grade 1, it wasn’t worth having to face Nanami again after this.

Hell, it wasn’t worth facing either of them again after this.

Reaching the car and yanking the door open, Gojo caught up to her, slamming it shut before she could slide into the driver’s seat.

“Look at me,” he ordered, taking her face in his hands. “Rinko–”

“Don’t!” she snapped, knowing her face had to be red as she tried to pull away. “Just let me–”

“Not until you look at me,” he insisted, his breath hot on her face. “Just let me know you’re okay–”

“I’m fine!” Her voice was strained, still trying to break from his grasp. “Just–”

“Wait.” His voice sounded different, amused. Now she really wanted to disappear, and she fought against him harder. “You’re not mad.”

“Yes, I am,” she argued, clenching her jaw.

“No,” he countered, laughing now. “You’re embarrassed–”

She finally escaped his grasp, turning and opening the car door again, but he pushed it shut easily.

“Oh baby,” he cooed, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards him. “This is new–”

Letting out a growl, Rinko tried to smack his chest, but his arms only tightened until she couldn’t move.

 “Okay, okay, I’m sorry I won’t tease you-”

“Liar,” she grit out when he reached up to grasp her chin and force her to look at him.

His expression was soft, amusement still shining in his now uncovered eyes.

“Rinko,” he whispered, his bright blue eyes positively glowing as they stared into hers. “Gotta admit it’s funny–”

“No, it’s not!” she spat petulantly. “Quit laughing at me!”

“I’m not laughing at you,” he lied, still trying to smother his chuckles. “Baby, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“To you–”

He silenced her by pressing his lips to hers, working his tongue into her mouth immediately.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he murmured when he pulled back, grinning at how dazed she looked. “Really, baby, you don’t need to be embarrassed. It’s a sign of a healthy sexual relationship to have boundaries–”

“Stop talking!” she cried, burying her face in his chest. “Just– don’t say anything.”

His chuckles vibrated through his chest as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.

“Baby,” he murmured, leaning down until his lips were at her ear. “Don’t be upset. It could have been worse.”

“No, it couldn’t–”

“Think about it,” he cut her off, a grin in his voice. “Think about any of the other sounds you could have made–”

“Stop talking,” she repeated, recoiling when he laughed even harder. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” he replied smugly as he took her face in his hands again. “The fact that that was the first time you’ve used your safe word says quite a bit about how much you happen to like me. Or at least how much you like what I do to–”

“You’re such a dick,” she clipped, glaring at him. “This isn’t funny.”

His response now was simply to lean down, capturing her lips in a truly filthy kiss. One of his hands tangled in her hair, angling her so he had full control –as if he didn’t already– while his other hand went down to grope her ass. Sucking her tongue between his teeth, he leaned over further to press her against the car, forcing her to arch into him to keep from falling over. His hips ground against hers deliberately, his erection rubbing against her crotch and drawing a breathy moan from her before she could stop it.

The sound of a throat clearing caused her to yelp as she felt her face flood with heat again. Wrenching her lips away from his, she tried to escape his grasp.

Refusing to let her push him away, Gojo simply turned his head to stare at Nanami blankly. His arms tightened when she tried to pull away again, swatting her ass swiftly when she smacked his chest.

“You can take the car, Nanamin,” he drawled, tossing the keys towards the blond, who caught them with ease. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“What the fuck?” Rinko squeaked, feeling her now empty pockets. “Stop doing that!”

Gojo finally loosened his grasp as he pulled her away from the car so Nanami could open the door and slip inside.

Meeting the latter’s narrow eyes behind his glasses, she felt the flush creep back up her neck when he gave her a knowing smirk.

“I liked it better when you were boring and uptight,” she snapped, glaring at him as he started the car.

“I think I already have a very good understanding of what you like,” he said drily, his smirk growing into a grin. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

He pulled the door shut before she could say anything else, taking off down the dirt road back toward the city.

“Come on,” Gojo said cheerily, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her temple. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

“You’re not hungry?” she asked, immediately regretting speaking. “Don’t–”

“Oh, baby,” he cut her off. Leaning down to press a kiss to her neck, he swept his tongue across her sweaty skin. “I’m fucking starving.”

Gojo’s fingers stroked mindless patterns against the small of her back softly, pulling quiet sighs from her lips. With each sound, his arm tightened, humming occasionally when she let out a whine if he stopped. Feeling her eyes beginning to grow heavier, she snuggled into his side and burrowed her face further into his chest.

“Rinko,” he murmured, his voice serious as she moaned in protest at being kept awake. He nudged her lightly. “Baby, you need to tell me what made you use it.”

Jolting back awake, she tensed against him now. His left hand grasped her right, pulling it up to press a small kiss against her palm.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice sounding small. “I just– I felt like I was about to collapse. But I knew that you weren’t gonna let me stop, and I– I knew that it would get you to stop, or at least listen.”

“Damn right, it got me to stop,” he agreed, his arm tightening around her. “Got my fuckin’ heart to stop, too. I thought I’d actually hurt you for a minute.”

“Right,” she deadpanned, looking up to meet his eyes. “Because the numerous physical injuries I’ve sustained over the course of knowing you don’t count.”

He pulled her closer so she was essentially on top of him, her chest pressed against his.

“You know what I mean,” he said, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “It’s honestly a bit crazy to me that you haven’t used it before.”

When she shrugged, he raised his eyebrows at her and moved the hand at her back to massage her ass softly.

“I think it’s a good thing,” he continued, smiling when she leaned into his touch. “As long as I know you’ll use it when you need to.”

“You haven’t given me a reason to use it,” she replied, moaning quietly when he dipped his finger lower, slipping inside her easily. “I’ve felt safe enough to not need it.”

“You’re still so wet,” he groaned, stroking her slowly. “Good to know, though, sweetheart.”

“I need to sleep,” she whimpered, her hips rocking into his hand of their own volition. “And I don’t think I can cum again–”

He pressed his lips to hers, moaning when she clenched down.“Almost sounds like a challenge, baby,” he murmured, stroking her tongue in time with his fingers. “I think you’ve got at least one more in you.”

-

Fight Like You Mean It: Part 2

[gimmiesophiebaek]

VBPS (Daphne’s Wedding)

Rated: G Staring: All of the Bridgertons + partners Party #1: Daphne and Simon’s Wedding (2011)

Daphne Bridgerton woke up with a start, her heart fluttering in excitement. It was her wedding day, a day she had dreamed about for as long as she could remember. After a whirlwind romance and over a year of courtship, she was finally marrying Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. Her brother Anthony had been reluctant at first—Simon was his best friend, after all—but Daphne’s persistence had worn him down. And now, today, they would all stand together as Simon and Daphne became husband and wife.

As sunlight filtered through her curtains, she couldn’t help but smile. The whole of England’s high society would be in attendance, from commoners to dukes. The only notable absence would be the royals themselves, but honestly, who cared? Prince William’s wedding had been the previous weekend, and she couldn’t exactly compete with that. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t marrying for spectacle; she was marrying for love.

And love was what she felt as she rushed out of her bed and into the hallway. She sprinted down to Eloise and Francesca’s shared room, flinging the door open and letting out a delighted scream.

“IT’S MY WEDDING DAY!” she yelled, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Daphne, for heaven’s sake, it's barely morning.” Eloise groaned, pulling a pillow over her head. 

“Argh!” Francesca merely stirred, blinking up at the ceiling. “An hour more,” she mumbled, before turning over to try to steal a bit more sleep. Both of them had just returned from their respective schools—Eloise from Newcastle, where she had taken her final exams, and Francesca from the Royal Conservatoire in Scotland, exhausted from weeks of preparation.

“I’m getting married! Can you believe it?” Undeterred, Daphne twirled around the room. 

Eloise groaned again, muttering something unintelligible, but Daphne was already halfway out the door. She decided to channel her energy elsewhere and made a beeline for her youngest sister, Hyacinth’s room. Hyacinth was, at the very least, a little more receptive to her excitement. Daphne burst in and bounced on the bed.

“Hyacinth! I’m getting married today!” she practically sang.

“I know, Daph.” Hyacinth, ever the supportive little sister, grinned sleepily. “You’ve only mentioned it a thousand times.”

“Only a thousand? I should be saying it at least a million times! It’s the best day of my life!” Daphne exclaimed, giving Hyacinth a playful shake before leaping off the bed again to continue her whirlwind morning.

Meanwhile, in the downstairs parlor, Violet was a picture of calm, though inside she was anything but. Being both the mother of the bride and the de facto wedding coordinator had proven to be more of a task than she had imagined. After all, Daphne had left most of the planning to her, trusting her mother’s impeccable taste to handle all the details. Violet had arranged everything perfectly: the grand ceremony, followed by an elegant luncheon and dancing at the Royal Museum in Greenwich.

It was going to be beautiful—if everything stayed on schedule.

She sighed as she arranged the final seating chart, the sound of Daphne’s exuberant declarations echoing through the house. 

"It's her wedding day," she murmured with a smile, shaking her head. 

Violet had seen all her children grow up so quickly, but this felt like a new chapter for Daphne. She hoped her daughter would find as much joy in her marriage as she had in planning this special day for her.

“Mother!” Daphne burst into the room, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “Is everything ready?”

Violet nodded calmly, though she felt a twinge of stress. 

“Yes, my dear. The venue is set, the guests are confirmed, and the flowers are being delivered as we speak.”

“And Simon?” Daphne’s eyes sparkled. 

“Simon is already preparing at his townhouse.” Violet smiled, remembering how in love her daughter was with the dashing duke. “You’ll see him at the ceremony.”

“I can’t believe it.” Daphne clasped her hands to her chest, practically floating. “I’m actually going to be his wife. After all the years of dreaming about a wedding, it’s actually happening!”

“You deserve all the happiness in the world, darling.” Violet stood and smoothed her daughter’s hair. “Today is your day.”

Daphne smiled, her heart full, as she let her mother’s words sink in. Today was indeed her day, but it wasn’t just about the grand event or the famous guests or even the beautiful gown. It was about her future with Simon—the man she loved, the man she’d convinced her family to embrace. And in a few short hours, she would walk down the aisle to him, sealing their love in front of everyone who mattered.

As she turned to leave, Daphne called out one last time to anyone within earshot: 

“It’s my wedding day!”

And despite the laughter, groans, and eye-rolls she received in return, everyone who loved her couldn’t help but smile too. Because today was, without a doubt, Daphne’s day.

Read more on AO3

[kiwiplaetzchen]

*sets a plate with an extra large fairy cake topped with a singular shiny, golden candle in front of Nosy's nest*

Happy Mine Day.

You absolute menace.

Happy Mine Day 💚🧁

Nosy was busy adoring his treasures when a shiny golden light suddenly caught his attention. His sparkly eyes widened, fixating on the gleaming beacon of brilliance. Abandoning his current conquest, a particularly captivating silver badge, Nosy scurried towards the source of the golden glow.

There it was - a sight that made his heart skip a beat! A plate adorned with an extra-large cake! Nosy blinked, his small heart fluttering with excitement. A cake for Nosy? A whole cake? For this humble Niffler? The very thought seemed too good to be true. Well deserved, of course, but still so unexpected.

Nosy's gaze darted back and forth between the sugary, creamy delight and Sebastian. With each passing second, the Niffler's excitement grew, and he couldn't contain himself any longer.

His tail began to wag furiously, and with a bound, he leaped towards his beloved wizard. His tiny claws finding purchase as he scrambled up to Sebastian's face to shower him with affectionate pecks and kisses, his happy honking sounds filling the air.

A few moments after his wet display of affection, Nosy gracefully descended from the Niffler Papa, and with a decisive huff, the little master of flames extinguished the golden candle. Time to dig in!

Diving snout-first into the cake, Nosy savoured the sweet taste of victory with each delectable bite. It was so delicious! And yet, amidst his indulgence, a fleeting thought crossed his mind. Pausing for just a moment, the little Niffler pondered before reaching a conclusion.

With a determined glint in his eyes, Nosy carefully selected a sizable portion of the cake, cradling it in his little paws. With purposeful steps, he waddled over to Sebastian once again, offering him the (in Sebastian's hands rather small) morsel with a honk of generosity while still wagging his tail incessantly.

Nosy would always share everything with Sebastian. That's how it always has been, and that's how it always will be.

With a gentle nuzzle of his head against Sebastian's hand, Nosy looked up at him with eyes that sparkled with gratitude and devotion. The two of them had been together for so long now, a constant companion through thick and thin, partners in crime, friends, and family rolled into one.

Every day with Sebastian was an adventure, filled with laughter, mischief, and love. And as he settled against Sebastian's side, Nosy knew that no matter what the future held, he and Sebastian would face it together, forever bound by their unbreakable bond.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦•···················•✦•

Art by the amazing @lil-grem-draws The very first Nosy fan art, and I love it so so much! Thank you once again, Lily!! 💚🌸🥹

[magnusmodig]

rough childhood headcanon qs / @clxscdeyes / no longer accepting !

╰┈➤ 7 . how old was your muse when they realized they had childhood trauma?

||. one whole "today years old" post!ragnarok and hela's reveal. Except, even then, according to the movie, not really because Thor is still in heavy denial about all of it where Odin is concerned. I've spoken a bit (here) about how Thor adores his family; he idolizes them and views them through blinding rose-colored glasses, (especially when they're deceased) and that is especially true of his circumstances.

So, very often times when the truth clashes with the rose-colored view of them (namely: his father), Thor does one of two things: find a way to justify the words or action with the surrounding context of the time to make it make sense (e.g., well he scolded me harshly because i was talking back), or avoid it altogether. (this is his go-to. no talking about it; thor would rather not right now, so he does not.)

Key example being: he would rather focus on how his father changed his ways, and the Odin that he knew and grew up with was a man who had turned away from pursuing war for war's sake, and was instead one who valued peace and life. He would rather focus on that aspect of Odin, and take in the broader picture of Odin's life. REGARDLESS of the fact that what Thor is deeply, personally affected - not with the realization that Odin changed his ways once upon a time - but by the fact that he lied to him, manipulated him, and controlled and shaped every aspect of his being, for Thor's whole life, JUST to avoid another Hela. Someone who Thor is not, could not be farther from, and never knew about, because Odin (apparently) kept the matter of his true first-born a closely-guarded secret and seemingly would have continued to were it not for Odin's death, Hela's escape, and Ragnarok all coinciding at the same moment in time. And this, all because Thor rationalizes it as "well, I wouldn't want to be remembered and judged based on the person that I used to be. I should extend that same kindness to my father, because he too, changed." (x10 because now Odin is dead. And it's in poor-taste to speak ill of a dead man.)

The problem namely being: Thor only talks about things when Thor decides it's time to talk about things ; when he is ready. ...but as this is a topic that ripple effects down to Thor's core, good luck getting him to open up about it, even just with himself.

[f1-birb]

Lando is the first McLaren driver to score 200+ points in one season since Hamilton and Button in 2011.

I'm so proud of him and the season he's had. Imagine what he could have fought for had the car been that competitive since the beginning. Lando fans, don't be sad over missing out on P4, be excited over what's to come!

He is that guy. He is that bitch.

to quote Lando, there's all the "shoulda woulda coulda's" in the world, but I'm just so proud of the team for making these LEAPS in development and we're in such a good position to start next year if we can stay on this trajectory holy shit

the only thing i'm still mad about is the bullshit penalty in canada, he got that (and those 2 points would've gotten him 4th) and then we've witnessed significantly more "unsportsmanlike behaviour" repeatedly go unpunished.... but it's fine :) i'm fine :) i'm fine about it :) it's fine :)

[elwolfen]

Alfred Molinathon Day 8

The Forger (2011)

Everly Campbell

His Role: When I first watched this a while back, I thought Everly was going to be a more kinder man who takes Joshua under his wing... boy, was I wrong. He is so full of himself and thinks his the most hottest artist in that town, which I can't fully say, I don't fully comprehend the intricances of painted works. But I think it looks nice (when he's not copying others). He does take Joshua under his wing, but for more unsavory reasons. Watching him explain the process of art forgery and take such care with this delicate work was very enjoyable, I would like to see him paint his own work.

His lies of wanting to take in ths lost kid just for the purposes of profiting off his artistic gift? Sly and devious, then to over exert this poor, abandoned, literal child? Even more unethical than just forgery. While what he said about his mother wasn't too far off, it was still a hurtful thing to say towards a kid dealing with abandonment.

It's absolutely twisted for him to keep telling everyone (including Joshua) that it's for Joshua's own good, that this will better his life, and how Everly wishes that someone would've been so grateful as to give him that same chance at honing in on his talent and become successful. While Anne-Marie reasonably calls out his bullshit of not nurturing a child from a terrible situation and profiting off his hard work for his own gain.

For Joshua to go from a physically abusive mother to a mentally abusive, possible father figure is a horrible thing for any kid to go through and I'm happy that he's with someone who truly cares about his him.

I very much enjoyed Everly and Joshua's dynamic beginning to end. Especially how it changed when Joshua hid the artwork and Everly started to squirm at the thought of losing this big gig.

Little tidbit: If I were Joshua and suddenly a very imposing man just walks up behind me very fast and knowing he was pissed? I'd leap from fear so high I'd get stuck in a tree during their little walk and talk scene.

And how did our dear Everly fall from grace? Beautifully. Presenting the totally "untouched" work he "found" to be examined to be a true piece at his birthday party!? What could possibly go wrong? Everything. First, Anne-Marie comes up and tears it with a knife she threatens him with and her announcing his crimes that she had help with a long time ago. That's a bad look already, but oh no, the final nail on the coffin? Underneath the paint was a drawing of Dennis the Menace, a piece of masterful thinking from Joshua. He wasn't ever gonna get away with this, and Joshua has no interest of staying any longer.

~~~

The Rest of the Movie: I did think Amber and Joshua were kinda cute, but slow down was right, Amber! 30 minutes, and this is their second scene together and Joshua is already asking for a kiss? Then, forcibly kisses her anyway? Hormones be damned. It gets a lot less cute when his jealous ass can't behave during the party. Look, I get it, I wouldn't have assumed that was her cousin either by how close they were. I wasn't like that with my guy cousins but to still attack someone like that? Jeez. He didn't even hesitate. And him just lying to Anne-Marie about what happened? Goodness.

Ryan (Amber's brother) really was the true wingman in all of this. Even after all the fights.

~~~

The relationship between Joshua and Anne-Marie was sweet. It's understandable why she took him in so quickly, this kid needs proper care and comfort. Then, to find out an accidental fire caused her only surviving daughter to need life-saving surgery; which she funded from her forgeries. Only for her to die not too long after? I'm sure it was overly agonizing for Anne-Marie to go through, something that finally made her quit that art world. Her seeing more of Joshua's dark drawings of his mother's drug abuse was saddening to know that's all he saw of her. Her final reveal at Everly's birthday was a delight, she had zero fucks to give about this art world. But if I were Joshua? I'd be a little pissed that my thunder was stolen, but still, good for her. Good for them! He finally has a home.

~~~

Ms. Reese going out and searching for his mother like that, is an extra step I appreciate. Just for her to find an absolute mess of a person and to later learn she was abusing him was heartbreaking. All she wanted was to help and finds the worst in parenting.

~~~

In that gif above? I swear I have that same exact flannel that Joshua is wearing under his sweatshirt!

~~~

The Poster Situation:

The first poster? Very obvious that whoever made this was trying to cash in the fact that Josh Hutcherson (Joshua) was in The Hunger Games and decided to use that font. Which is hilarious.

The second fits way more with the movie. I like the feeling it invokes.

And the third, I really like it. It slaps hard, but not for this movie.

[callmearcturus]

can i just defend myself and explain why i am obsessed with mission impossible????? please? i know Cruise is a cultist and that is genuinely bad and makes this my ultimate Problematic Fave but also please god i need to ramble about this

ghost protocol, right?

this is a Leverage movie okay? there's a lot of pretty people with interesting motivations and they do ridiculous heists for the greater good.

the physical comedy element is off the chain from the start with the prison break sequence where Ethan Hunt has a nonverbal argument over surveillance camera with Benji Dunn to affectionately bully him into going off-script for the mission, and then blows him a little kiss of thanks.

the Burj Khalifa stunt, which is entirely practical and is not CGI and happened on the actual location, is so fucking bugfuck crazy that it makes my heart race every time, and on top of that it's a GORGEOUS sequence and its funny and it's character-driven and the greatest moment in the movie is Ethan's running leap to propel himself into the window at the end, only to bonk his fucking head and nearly die at the last moment. it's a miraculous sequence.

i love Carter so fucking much, and I am OBSESSED with Mission Impossible and gender. the number of times the expectation I would expect gets inverted is so crunchy.

Jane Carter has the most motivation of everyone, with her boyfriend getting fridged in the intro and propelling her to be more ruthless and reckless than the others. she gets the very dude-coded backstory and role, and it plays beautifully off Ethan because there is never a single moment of the movie setting her up as his love interest, not ONCE and so they have this wonderful equitable relationship where they've both gone through similar trauma and he tries to advise her on how to handle it, and it's SO NEAT

also speaking of gender stuff, the way Carter has to seduce the rich guy at the end but at every turn is being coached by Ethan on how best to seduce the guy, and everyone just accepts that Yep, Ethan Is The Guy To Help You Seduce A Man, mwah, love it, amazing.

also as someone who is Hugely Ambivalent to Jeremy Renner

(MOSTLY BECAUSE I literally know he can act, the first thing I saw him in was the fucking Hurt Locker okay but it feels like his agent is an idiot and keeps netting him Incredibly Generic Roles, but at least in Mission Impossible he's working with the material as much as he can)

ANYWAY I actually like Jeremy Renner in these movies instead of forgetting he exists which I think says something. and it was a small thing in 2011 but the blaise "Next time, I get to seduce the rich guy," moment really does work.

Rogue Nation

Fallout is the best MI movie but Rogue Nation is my favorite MI movie, because it is just a fucking comedy and it's the real start of Ethan's deepening emotional arc and I'm OBSESSED with it

also Ilsa fucking Faust, my god

Ilsa is one of my favorite ladies in these action movies? she feels like a boot to the face of Bond movies, she's beautiful but she's not a young woman, she has genuinely complex shit going on, she's the true fulcrum the movie pivots around, she has a very specific fighting style that stands out, and she's another Not Love Interest?

like, Ethan likes her and there's that moment when she asks him to run away with her, but the way the camera treats her makes me so happy? like if i were in a movie, i would want the camera to look at me like it does Ilsa, does that make sense?

also benji runs this entire movie. i love his growth and his comfort in his work. in Ghost Protocol, Benji was green, but in Rogue Nation he knows what he's doing, he resents being protected, he is reliable and thinks on his feet, and he yells at Ethan when Ethan is being a dick.

in another moment of Huh Gender Stuff, Benji is the one who is positioned as Ethan's Love Interest structurally. he is with Ethan the most, he grounds him but also sparks off him well, he is Ethan's connection to the world and the avenue thru which he shows the most emotion, and when Benji's kidnapped in the third act Ethan completely loses his shit and kidnaps the Prime Minister and basically does whatever it fucking takes to get him back, the degree to with Benji is Ethan's motivation in RN is kind of staggering.

also i love ethan hunt and RN is really where that starts.

Ethan can swing around the Burj Khalifa and do a 100mph motorcycle chase and well i guess the free swim didn't work out Great for him, but when he's not doing superhuman ridiculous bullshit

i'm obsessed with the growing emotional core of Ethan. his fatal flaw begins to emerge in RN, that his job is to save the entire world from certain doom, but his judgement is Fucked.

that goddamn glass box he's locked in. he sees a young IMF agent killed, and it sticks in him like a lodged dagger. he risks himself over and over to try and get Ilsa out of her own fate. he does Batshit Things to save Benji.

I know that James Bond has kind of become a reflection of itself, on how terrible James Bond, about how reprehensible a person he is. the Craig movies I've seen have been pretty upfront about that baggage.

but... he's still a misogynistic bastard who will kill people to finish his mission. and the movie acknowledges all that but it's still the driving force of the movies.

Mission Impossible doesn't just nod at "hey Ethan's kinda fucked up huh" and then keeps doing that. Ethan's flaws are getting worse and causing more and more problems for him and everyone around him.

Fallout

there are a lot of moments i love in Fallout but there is one I cannot dislodge from my brain

wait first: August Walker is amazing and i love him

i love that the movie makes no attempt to hide he's the bad guy. i love how he keeps trying to introduce himself to the IMF team and everyone no sells him, because everyone hates the fucking CIA. i love his arm reload and how brutal his combat style is compared to Ethan's.

he's so fucking FUN.

but anyway, the thing that Fallout does that I cannot for the life of me stop thinking about is Ethan and the traffic cop in Paris.

this mission has been on the knife's edge of disaster from the word go, Ethan has been mocked and pushed around and disregarded, Ilsa is after him, he's just pulled off an extremely treacherous betrayal and an even more dangerous escape, everyone is getting into the car with Lane, and they open the doors and there's someone RIght There. the wrong place, the worst possible time.

everyone freezes. Walker is ready to shoot her, just another piece of collateral damage. but Ethan spends an extended period just stopping and pleading in French for this lady to leave. Please, just go, please walk away, please do not get involved in this.

He could shoot her, or get in the car and drive, hoping she'll get out of the way, or let Walker take her out, or attack her and nonfatally injure her to get her out of the way. They really really don't have time for this shit.

But something in him is fucked because there is a nuclear apocalypse on the line, but Ethan stops to try and keep one bystander out of it.

POINTS

I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS CHARACTER. WITH THE GUY WHO IS LITERALLY GETTING MORE AND MORE COMPROMISED BY HIS EMOTIONS AS THE FRANCHISE GOES ON. THE GUY WHO KEEPS FUCKING UP BECAUSE HE'S NOT WILLING TO MAKE A HARD CHOICE AND LET SOMEONE DIE TO SAVE MILLIONS. THIS IS A PROBLEM, AND IT'S GETTING WORSE.

i love John Wick. I love the beautiful choreography of death. I love the showmanship.

But there's something about how Mission Impossible takes death seriously and the way Ethan tries to minimize harm even when he really shouldn't that captivates me.

also the cinematography is amazing.

THAT'S ALL. I love the Chris McQuarrie Mission Impossibles. It's SUCH a problem.

[bearterritory]

PALO ALTO – California track & field ended its regular season in tremendous fashion this week, picking up a more-than-decisive victory on the men's side at the 129th Big Meet by demolishing Stanford at Cobb Track and Angell Field by a margin of 114-48, its largest point differential since 1992. The men also picked up two meet records courtesy of NCAA leader Rowan Hamilton (hammer, 74.46m/244-3) and the 4x100m relay quartet of Chase Williams, George Monroe, Mason Mangum and David Foster (39.46); both were previously owned by the Cardinal, with Hamilton's surpassing Dave Popejoy's 1995 mark by over four meters.   The win from Hamilton capped off the Golden Bears' first podium sweep of the day, which included Ivar Moisander's second-place mark of 68.29m (224-0) and Michael Gupta's third-place 64.57m (211-10); the latter, a personal-best, moved Gupta up to No. 7 in program history. Cal also scored all nine points in the men's pole vault thanks to Will Siemens (4.77m/15-7.75), Parker Terrill (4.77m/15-7.75) and David Brok (4.47m/14-8), then repeated that feat in the discus, where Justin Wirtz's third-place 52.53m/172-4 followed massive personal bests from Nick Godbehere (53.85m/176-8) and Charlie Dang (53.58m/175-9). The decathlete trio of Seth Johnson, Luke Buddie and Riley Knott also went 1-2-3, in that order, in both the 110m hurdles and the javelin; in the hurdles, Johnson's victory came at a time of 14.86 to Buddie's personal-best 15.12 and Knott's 15.16, while the javelin contest resulted in 54.57m (179-0) for Johnson, 52.48m (172-2) for Buddie and 51.51m (169-0) for Knott. One final men's sweep came in the 100m, where Foster (10.25) led Williams (10.39) and Monroe (10.39) to another nine points for Cal.   Other wins for Cal's men came in the long jump (Mangum, 7.66mw/25-1.75), the high jump (Jai Williams, 2.07m/6-9.5), the 400m (Isaiah Shaw, 46.76), the 800m (Iyan Godwin, 1:54.26), the 400m hurdles (Aiden Baker, 52.97), the 200m (Foster, 21.16 – PR) and the 4x400m (Shaw/Godwin/Johnson/Josh Keller, 3:13.23).   In the women's competition, the Cardinal broke a three-year Cal winning streak, taking the win with a score of 90-72. Senior Amari Turner earned Cal's third meet record of the day in the pole vault, surpassing the 2011 mark set by Stanford's Katerina Stefanidi with a winning leap of 4.35m (14-3.25).

Turner's result highlighted one of three podium sweeps on the women's side, with Kylie Hilton (4.07m/13-4.25) and Ali Sahaida (3.97m/13-0.25) rounding out the pole vault top three. Cal also earned that distinction in the 100m hurdles – with Jazlynn Shearer's 13.52 beating out a 13.53 from Jada Hicks and a 14.17 from Mari Testa – and the women's hammer, where Jasmine Blair's 60.47m (198-4) led Adrianna Coleman's 56.54m (185-6) and Destiny Okoh's 56.47m (185-3). Blair later picked up another win in the discus, where she improved her PR (and program No. 2 mark) by over a meter to 59.60m (195-6).   Cal's women took home three more field event victories. The shot put contest landed in favor of Caisa-Marie Lindfors, who posted a throw of 15.18m (49-9.75) for the win, while Myla Canty out-leapt the field in the triple jump (12.19m/40-0) and Carolina Visca out-threw her competition in the javelin (50.03m/164-1).   "I think all of our kids competed to the best of their ability," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Robyne Johnson said. "Credit to Stanford's women – they were the better team today. Our guys did a really good job, really showed up. I think we can do something special at the Pac-12 Championships."  

[butterflyintochains]

An Achilles Torn Twice

2013, and the lockout is finally over for the league. Kris and Erik have been together for two years now, two ridiculously happy and fun years. But, in one terrible instant, Kris is made to choose between his love for his team, and his love for Erik. All because of someone who - by rights - should not even be on his team anymore after a half-assed coup against his brother in 2011.

In one game, an Achilles is torn twice, and the consequences affect two teams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all happens so quickly, it barely takes a few seconds. But, why does it feel like it takes forever? There are some moments where time itself stands still entirely. The game was going so well, a typical Penguins vs Senators game, a conference rivalry, high energy games. But, this rivalry isn't the Battle of Ontario, or the Battle of Pennsylvania. It's never gotten toxic before, or dirty. Until tonight, that is. Kris Letang feels sick to his bones as he leaps to his feet on the bench, something that could very well be the undoing of their privacy plan. But, he can't help it. The Senators close ranks around Erik, who is yelling in agony, a pained look on his beautiful face as he holds his foot. Kris so badly wants to skate over, and help him, but his jersey is the wrong colour for that. The game is halted entirely for this, medical staff are brought out, and the refs are conversing about what to do. The answer seems clear to Kris at least. Eject Cooke, and get Erik to a hospital. Kris' hands are shaking in anger, Erik is escorted off the ice on one foot, they share a look, Erik is clearly trying so hard to assure him he's okay, but he clearly isn't. Cooke is ejected. The whole world saw that, Kris saw that. But, only he and Erik know the depth of how horrible that was. Never in a million years did Kris ever think one of his own teammates would attack his other half, this isn't how things are done in Pittsburgh, right?

What's the worst thing of this entire, fleetingly short, affair? Cooke just skated on by as though he'd done nothing at all, and had this infuriating shit-eating grin on his face all the way back to the dressing room. Never in his years on this team has Kris wanted to kill one of his own teammates so much... until now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kris is not angry, really, he's not, honest. He's not angry in the slightest right now, thank you very much for asking. Truth be told, he'd give anything in the world to be angry right now, he'd so love for that to be all he's feeling right now, anger is such a simple emotion, right? A quick and simple explosion before one reaches a state of calm afterwards. But, Kris Letang is not angry at all, despite how much he'd like to be. He was angry about half an hour ago, when that bastard's blade caught his partner's ankle, and Erik had to be helped off the ice. He left angry on the rink about five minutes ago, so, no, he's not angry anymore. He's fucking furious. Kris has never been more furious in his life, that was the love of his life, a mere fortnight after their second anniversary, injured by one of his teammates. He gets into the dressing room, and slams his helmet down, surprised it doesn't crack. He's lucky Kris isn't fully in the leadership core, or he'd be in Shero's office and packed to leave in the hour. But, there's no letter on his jersey yet, so he's safe from that... for now at least. Sure, they won the game 4-2, but so fucking what? Erik is still injured. His teammate still injured his Erik. Kris finds he can't unlace his skates, fingers refusing to work in his fury. ''Marc, venez ici, sil vous plait?'' He says to Flower.

Flower, back in his street clothes, comes across the room, and says. ''Quel est le probleme, mon frere?''

Kris points at his skates, and says. ''Aidez-moi, sil vous plait?'' Flower nods, and helps him out of his skates. ''Merci beaucoup.'' Flower nods, and says. ''Pas de quoi, mon frere.''

After a shower, Kris silently changes back into his suit, he storms out of the room, Geno looks confused by how furious he is, but says nothing. It's Cooke himself speaking that sets his blood on fire. ''What's gotten into you, Tanger?''

Kris has to rein himself in from punching him in his stupid face, the team can't afford two suspensions, can it? Even if Ottawa will be down their best defenceman for a while. ''None of your fucking business, Cooke.'' He turns on his heel, and leaves. He goes to ask Jason about Erik, and Jason drives him to the hospital to see Erik. Jason is one of very few people who know about them, you can't hide much from a captain's second in command. The sight of Erik breaks his heart. His leg is in a cast, tears glisten in his dark eyes. ''Erik, Erik, I'm here.'' Kris sits on the bed next to him, trying really hard to calm himself down.

Erik sniffles, and says. ''Hi, Kris. This fucking hurts.''

Kris says, looking at how broken down his partner looks, all because of someone who shouldn't be in this city anymore. ''I know. I'm going to kill him, I'm actually going to kill him.''

Erik takes his hand, looking stricken by that statement. ''He's your teammate, Kris.'' Kris furrows his brows, failing to see why that matters. ''Yeah, and? So is Sid, he'd never do this to you. Why should I care about some bottom-six nobody, when you're right here?'' Erik's mouth twitches into a small smile, he reaches up to run his fingers through Kris' hair. ''Kris, hjartat mitt, listen to me, okay? I'm going to be fine, do not sacrifice your team on my altar. I know you love me, I feel it everyday. Play these games, and win them, for me.''

Against his will, Kris finds himself calming down, somehow Erik always knows how to do this, how to regulate him when he can't do it himself. ''I'm sorry, mon amour, I just... seeing you in such pain, and him looking so proud of himself, I... snapped.''

Erik presses a kiss to his cheek. ''Don't apologize, not to me, not for that. Just, play these games for me.''

Kris asks, the knots of anger slowly coming loose. ''What d'you think I've been doing since we met?'' Erik laughs, there's his Kris, slowly coming back from the red haze. ''You're a sap.'' Kris leans over to kiss him. ''Your sap.''

Erik nods, and says. ''Don't you forget it. I love you, so much.'' Kris says, the simplest fact in his life. ''I love you too.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone in the team knows that Kris is fire made flesh, a wild storm who nobody can tame, an unstoppable force who can play all three positions at once if he feels like it. But, this is a different Kris they're met with over the coming days. This one is ice cold, but only to one person. For some strange reason, Kris hasn't so much as looked at Cooke since the Ottawa game five days ago. He's being his usual amazing self with everyone else, Sid and Flower's beloved brother, Geno's too. Duper and Kuny's annoying little brother as well. Engelland's gossip partner, and defence partner. To everyone else, he's just Kris, the same one they love so much. To Matt Cooke, he's different, cold, silent, and angry. Well, Kris muses to himself after he clocks the weird looks he's getting, doesn't he have the right to be angry? Wouldn't any sane person be furious at a teammate harming their partner? Why should some bottom liner get to skate freely while the reigning Norris winner can't? Why is that fair? This entire thing is just such bullshit to him. The sit down with the core comes after their loss to Philadelphia. Kris rolls his eyes, he was going to call Erik to check in on him. ''Make this quick, please.'' Kris says, sitting back down at his stall.

Duper says, gently, though it's not him this recent angry streak has been directed at, but heaven knows what might set him off these days, he's never seen Kris this angry before. ''Kris, we know you've been angry lately, we would really love to know why.''

Kuny asks him, clocking how Kris fiddles with his tie, always a tell that he's got a lot on his mind. ''What did Cooke do to piss you off this badly, man?'' Here it is, the option to tell everyone about a now two year long relationship, or keep to their privacy plan. Erik's not here, not yet anyway, and he'd have loved to do this with him. ''It's... complicated, Kuny.''

Sid nods, that much has been obvious from the game against Ottawa. There's something hidden deep in his brother's eyes, locked away for who knows how long. ''Then, help us understand, Tanger, what's happened? And, don't say Staal's plot, that was two years ago.''

Kris purses his lips, and leans his head back. Seeing Erik's pained face in his head, hearing that yell of agony again, and not being allowed to throttle the man who hurt him. ''Sid... please, don't make me say this before it's time.''

This confounds Geno, so far only Flower hasn't grilled Kris on this, he knows why Kris is angry, he's known since day one of this little love story. ''Time for what, Legend?'' Kris wants to bolt out of the room, but Duper shut the door. Erik is stuck in Ottawa until at least 2017, and God knows what comes after that, hopefully a move to Pittsburgh and the end of this secrecy. ''Just, know this, there's someone on that team who matters to me, who I'll always choose over Cooke.''

Sid looks intrigued, Kris is loyal to his team, always has been. So, there's someone on the Senators he'd always choose over one of his own teammates? ''Who is it, Kris?'' Kris gets that look in his eyes again, that far away look. ''You'd never believe me if I told you, Sid.''

That sits in the air as the days pass, and they host both Florida teams - winning both games comfortably. After a rough loss to the Panthers, everyone is fast asleep on the bus ride to the airport. Everyone except Kris, he's on the phone to Erik. ''Saw the game just now, alskad, rough one.'' Erik says.

Kris says, looking out his window at the Miami night life passing him by. ''Yeah, mon coeur, it was. I hoped we would get it done, but, shit happens.''

Erik asks him, sounding tired, the painkillers he's on must be exhausting him. ''How's things with the problem Penguin, hjartat? Any progress there?''

Kris says, keeping his voice hushed so as not to alert anyone else. ''Not even a little bit, no. I can barely look at the fucker without wanting to punt him into the Allegheny.'' Kris sighs, and asks. ''How's the ankle?''

Erik says. ''Doctor said I should be back mid-May, recovery is going well. Missing the ice, and missing my jersey.'' This breaks Kris' heart, and further sours him to the asshole who did this to him. Why should Cooke get to lace up when Erik can't? Why should a fringe member of this team get to play games when the Senators are down Erik Karlsson? ''Amour, do you know where I play next?'' Kris asks, remembering something all of a sudden. Erik yawns, and says. ''No, where?''

Kris says, because the universe is evil like that. ''Carolina. Our special place.''

Erik sounds serious, voice dark with passion. ''Then, min karaste, win there. Win there for me, for us, and what we built there.''

Kris nods, and checks to make sure Flower is still out cold. ''I will, mon beau amour, I swear to you.'' Raleigh is their city, and Cooke will not take that from them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The team hits the practice rink in Raleigh once they land. Kris feels this thing hit him, replacing all of the anger he's been holding in. It hits him all at once, a warmth. The same thing he feels every time they come to Carolina. Erik says he feels it too. He knows Sid and Geno get all giddy whenever the team go to Detroit. He never knew that feeling would hit him too, he never once dreamed he'd find someone like they have. He feels the love they found here, and lets it carry him through training. They stop for a breather at the benches, Kris fixes the tape on his stick, Engelland says. ''You're looking happier today, Kris.''

Kris shrugs, and finishes what he's doing. ''Guess this city has that affect on me.''

Kuny nods, and says, having noticed that over the last two years. ''We've noticed that, what's up with that?''

Kris knows why he's asking that, the rest of the core are trying to figure out this whole hatred for Cooke he's gained. Another moment where he's having to choose between Erik and his team, love and duty. He could so easily just come out with everything, but Erik isn't here, and they said they'd do this together, whenever that is. ''Dunno, I just... do, I guess, not everything has a reason, Kuny.'' Except this totally does have a reason, just not one Kris feels at liberty to share right now.

They lose the game, but for the first time since that horrible game, Kris feels calm in himself. Carolina does that to him, it's just a shame he can't come back with Erik every time. Re-live that weird and wonderful weekend. Cooke asks after the game while they're getting ready to leave. ''Y'know, Tanger, if you've got a problem with me, I'd love to hear it. The hell did I do to piss you off?''

Kris looks up from his phone, he was absorbed in texting Erik, but that happy little bubble is fully burst now. ''First, I'm 'Kris' to you, not 'Tanger', and certainly not 'Legend'.'' He asserts the boundary, people who injure his other half don't get the privilege of using his nicknames, especially not the one that Geno gave him. ''Second, as someone who was actually drafted by this team, Penguins don't stomp on the ankles of rival players when they don't get their way.'' Kris knows pulling the 'Real Penguin' card is low of him, but he'll be damned if this is how he needs to tell everyone about him and Erik. He'd sooner never play again than admit the truth like this.

Cooke rolls his eyes, clearly not buying the moral high ground tactic Kris is using to divert attention from the matter of who he injured. ''Oh, so you're trying to tell me there's no red in your ledger, then, eh?'' Kris says, cocking an eyebrow, squaring his shoulders. If it's an argument Cooke wants, he's gonna fucking get one, God knows it's Kris' only real option to avenge Erik's ankle. ''No, I'm not, but there's a hell of a lot less red in mine than there is in yours.''

Cooke says, trying to unravel the barriers a slight, good fucking luck to him on that front, Geno thinks, watching the chaos, knowing it's what Kris needs. ''Would I have the right to be pissy with you over your fights against the Flyers, Kris?''

Kris says, as though the two issues are even remotely similar - which they aren't. ''No, because I don't start those, they do, and I'm protecting Sid - unlike someone else.'' He also knows it's low of him to bring a two year old drama up, but he's come this far, and Cooke hurt two people he can't live without, so fuck it. ''I apologized for that! As for Karlsson's ankle, why does the health of a Senator matter to you so much?''

He's glad Cooke used Erik's surname, he'd have crossed the room if he dared to use his given name. Again, though, Kris is being backed up into a corner of his own making. Alone against an ever-curious locker room, his Erik still injured and hundreds of miles away. ''Because, they need him every bit as much as you need me. Erik and I are... friends, and I hate seeing someone I play with injure someone I care about.'' Friends is putting it lightly, and he and Flower alike know it. Kris and Erik went way past friends. Lovers, partners, soulmates, that's what they've always been, and always will be. But, it's all the peanut gallery are getting until further notice. Besides, does Cooke really deserve to know about them anyway? On second thought, maybe Kris should tell Cooke the full truth of what Erik is to him, his raison d'etre, his soulmate. Not because Cooke deserves to know, or is beloved family who they can celebrate this beautiful love story with. No, Kris should tell him about them to see the asshole humbled, to see that you don't fuck with them. He thinks of exactly when to do it as well, he knows Cooke's contract is up for grabs come summer. The team will be just fine without him, better perhaps. So, when better to do it than the last game he'll play as a member of this team? Nobody on his new team will believe him, right? He clears the idea with Erik that night over the phone. ''Well, amour, thoughts?''

Erik takes a few seconds to think it over. They are nothing if not each other's enablers in things like this. ''I think I like that idea, hjartat.'' Good to know they're of the same mind on this, because Kris was not doing this unless they could to it together. It's a seed of a plan, barely an idea in his head, but they can iron out the details whenever Erik is back to game fitness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The team get off to a roaring start in March, The obvious hatred Kris still has for Cooke seems to be propelling Kris to greater heights. Which, now he thinks of it, is a good thing. He promised he'd play, and win, for Erik. And, that's exactly what he's been doing, even if he's playing on anger rather than love. It still confuses the shit out of Sid, they know now that Kris and Karlsson are seemingly pretty close friends somehow, but this level of anger is not the kind directed at someone who hurt a friend. This feels like how angry Geno got during his time off with that concussion. Kris was angry during that period, Geno was furious. Sid feels like he's on the precipice of some grand revelation, like he's so close to figuring this all out, but there's too many parts missing. Surely, surely, Kris would've said something by now, right? If he had some kind of crush on Karlsson, they'd know by now, right? He brings the issue up with Geno over breakfast one morning. ''Hey, Geno, remember how angry you got during my concussion period?'' He uses that as a good comparison point, even if it's not a complete one-for-one.

Geno nods, sipping his coffee. ''Yeah, not great seeing my partner hit like that. Why?''

Sid takes a breath, trying to figure out how to say this. ''Do you think Kris is angry about Karlsson's ankle the same way you were about my concussion?''

Geno sits back in his chair, and furrows his brows. ''How do you mean?''

Sid re-phrases his question, deciding to just out and say it. ''Do you think Kris has a crush on Karlsson? Is that why he's been so angry at Cooke?''

Geno says, after some time to think over his answer, because it sounds plausible, they've been to two All Star Games together now, and face each other three times a year. Then, there's wherever Kris disappears to during the summer. ''Maybe? Could be true?'' If so, Geno is really happy for Kris that he's finding the love he and Sid have, but good God has it ever come at the weirdest time ever.

Kris gets confirmation from Jason about Erik's return to play while the team are on an unbeaten run a couple of days later. He calls Erik while alone in the team's common area. ''Got the news, I'm happy you're gonna be back to work soon, amour.''

Erik chuckles. ''Me too, been training for a couple of days no-contact. Excited to get back in action, this has hurt like nothing else. Can't wait to beat you guys come May.'' Ah, so he does know when their first ever playoff series game against each other might be, cool. ''We'll see about that.'' Kris says, he'd love to extend this run until the playoffs. ''How's it going with the Problem Penguin?''

Kris sits down at a table. ''You have no idea. Got into a massive argument in Carolina, that was... not fun. But, good thing is, his contract is up this year. Can't wait to be shot of him.'' He's blunt, but he doesn't care anymore, he's made his choice.

Erik says, back to his normal flirty self now that he's cleared to come back for the playoffs. ''You're sexy when you're all territorial, you know that right?'' Kris' face warms up, that's gonna be all he thinks about today, he knows it. ''Well, I bet you'd have found me irresistible this past while, then, huh?''

Erik says, because they're nothing if not down bad for each other. ''Not that I don't already, but yes, from all the stuff Flower's told me.'' Of course Flower has been relaying information back to Erik, at least their network hasn't collapsed amidst all this chaos. ''For what it's worth, I'm glad your first game back isn't against us.'' Kris says, smirking to himself.

Erik feigns offense. ''Why not? What better return for me than against my other half?''

Kris says, feeling more free to flirt now that Erik is back on his feet. ''Well, you'd like to keep your nice red jersey on, wouldn't you? It's no good to anyone on the ice. And, we both know we'd not be able to help ourselves.'' That'd be one hell of a headline, and the cat would be very much out of the bag then, but both teams would be relegated to radio forever after that.

Erik laughs, but is audibly stricken with that statement. ''I love you, in all three of our languages.''

Kris says. ''I love you too, and I always will.'' They hang up, and Kris heads through to the gym.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Penguins finish the regular season in style, and beat the Islanders 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs. They're already a game up on Ottawa before Erik is allowed to return. Kris does briefly wonder how this will affect them, if Pittsburgh win the series against Ottawa. But, one of the promises they made to each other was that games will not hurt this relationship, no matter what happens. Kris does somehow keep to their no-contact policy before the game. Even though everything inside him is screaming at him to find Erik, his other half is mere yards away, back from an injury caused by someone on Kris' team, and Kris can basically feel him. Erik, for his part, is happy to be back in this city, of all the places for his comeback game, there's nowhere better than Pittsburgh. Sure, he's not exactly thrilled that Cooke wasn't fined or suspended for the attack on his ankle, but Kris is here.

The teams take to the ice for wramups, Kris keeps a keen eye on Cooke, who probably only has a handful of weeks left as a Penguin anyway. He's not a Real Penguin, never has been, and never will be. There's only six of those. He finds Erik's eyes across the ice, and skates up to him. ''Hi, long time no see, huh?'' He asks, trying to fight the urge to drop everything and kiss him.

Erik smiles, eyes glittering under the arena lights. ''Yeah, we doing the usual after the game, then?'' Erik finds he needs to force himself to make eye contact, instead of staring at Kris' lips. The playoff beard is not helping matters any either.

Kris nods, and steals a puck from him. ''You bet.'' He goes back to his team, with a wink at Erik, which he returns. Sure, they're being a bit obvious about things, but nobody heard what they were talking about, so they're good, right?

The Penguins come away with that game 4-3 with a hattrick from Sid. After press, Kris is quick to get out of the arena, he's not had Erik over in ages, and isn't wasting any of this precious time they've got together before summer comes. Erik is waiting at his car like he always does. They share an embrace, and a heated kiss. Just this once, they don't give a damn who sees them, they waited ages for this game. Kris drives them to his place, they eat quickly, and get to bed. Forever insatiable with each other.

The teams touch down in Ottawa the following evening, Kris somehow manages to break free of the group to get in Erik's car with him. They've got four days together now, so why not do this properly? Besides, they're eager to pick up where they left off last night. Finally, they can kind of be a couple for a bit. Kris can only imagine the meltdown Sid would have over him shacking up with the enemy during the playoffs, but he's too happy to care right now. ''Wonder if they know you're gone?'' Erik muses.

Kris laughs, kissing him again. ''Oh, probably, but, that's not our problem, is it?''

Erik laughs, and traces the half done tattoo sleeve on Kris' arm. ''Nope, not our fault we can't help ourselves. That's the League's fault for sending both of us to that All Star Game.'' Kris runs his fingers through Erik's sweaty hair. ''Exactly, if the peanut gallery can't find me, they can take it up with Gary.''

Pittsburgh lose game three 2-1 in overtime, the boys noticing how Kris disappears after the game. He's never on the bus with them anymore. The Senators, for their part, notice that Erik doesn't stick around nearly as long as normal after the game. As though he's waiting on something. Sid and Geno, last on the bus anyway, snoop around in the parking lot a bit before the bus leaves. If Kris is hooking up with someone in this city, he'd be with them now. But, nothing. No car, no taxi, nothing. ''How the hell does our defenceman vanish into the night like that?'' Sid asks in bed that night.

Geno covers his eyes with his arm, they're all but certain Kris has a hook up in this city he's not telling them about. ''I don't know! Tanger's sneaky, but not like this, right? Re-trace our steps.''

Sid counts on his fingers. ''We got off the ice. Got done with media. Showered and changed. Chatted as we always do. Then, Kris vanished on us, again.''

Geno groans, not for the good reason. ''And, he's not in the hotel with us.''

Sid says, fiddling with Geno's fingers. ''Nope, he's somewhere in this city, but not here. And, we have no idea where the hell he is.'' Geno just says. ''Never a dull day as a Penguin, I guess.'' That much they do know.

They win game four in epic fashion, 7-3. Kris and Erik are quick to get out of dodge for their final night in Ottawa together. They spend the night loving each other, this comes as naturally to them as skating does. After, they lie together, wrapped in each other as always. ''If we lose this series, Kris, I'm staying in Pittsburgh with you, I miss your house, I wanna see you as a partner for a bit.''

Kris kisses Erik's neck again. ''I'd love that, Erik.'' He asks, after kissing Erik again. ''Do we tell everyone then, or no?''

Erik smirks, plotting in bed suits them so well. ''No, just the Problem Penguin, I wanna see the look on his dumb face.''

Kris chuckles, and says. ''Me too.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pittsburgh take the series 6-2, Kris scoring the series winning goal, and secretly dedicating it to Erik, who was at home watching on TV. They face Boston for the Wales, and get themselves swept. Not the best result ever, but they're happy to have made it this far after the lockout cut the season in half. Especially given the sudden tension in the locker room that nobody entirely knows the reason for in the first place. Kris lingers just a bit longer in the room, having just texted Erik to pick him up, and put Flower on 'keep Cooke around' duty for a few minutes. Under the guise of wanting to leave together to bury the hatchet. Somehow, Cooke bought it hook, line, and sinker. Kris gets the text from Erik he was waiting for, and stands up, buttoning his suit jacket. ''Well, boys, we ready to leave?''

Cooke says, relieved to be finally getting his summer break. ''Lead the way, Kris.''

They head outside, Cooke sees Flower and Kris share a wink, and Flower heads to his car. ''Have a good summer, boys.'' He says. Cooke wonders why Kris isn't heading out to his car, perhaps he's just taking a breather before leaving for summer? He sees Kris' car pull up next to him, and a smile break out on Kris' face, the same one he gets when he's on the phone to whoever he's always calling. An unholy sense of dread fills Cooke's body, feeling like he knows exactly who's in that car, he hopes against logic that he's wrong. Though, it would explain everything. Erik Karlsson, of all people, steps out of the driver's side, and makes his way around the car, flashing a bright smile towards Kris. The glance they share could melt an NHL rink in seconds. ''Ready to go, hjartat?'' Erik asks Kris.

Kris nods, and takes Erik's hands in his own. ''I'm ready, amour.'' To Cooke's horror, they kiss, totally absorbed in each other. Now, Matt knows, why Kris got so angry at him back in February. How did this happen? When did this happen? Cooke runs off to his car, and leans his head back on his headrest, the reality of why Kris wanted to leave together finally setting in. He wasn't burying a hatchet, he was sending a message. ''Don't fuck with us.'' He was saying. He had to have planned that some time ago, and it'd explain why Kris vanished on them for that stretch in Ottawa. He'd tell the rest, but there's no time left, and nobody would believe him anyway. ''Message received, Kris, you win.'' He says to the air, he says it because it's true. He injured Erik, somehow never got punished for it, and this is the consequence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kris and Erik opt to spend summer fully in Montreal, with a short trip to Banff in the plans as well. Erik's ankle is still a bit too tender for the long trip to Sweden. So, they're taking it very easy in Quebec. They've been on a bit of a high since they humbled Cooke, sure they're franchise defencemen, but that doesn't mean they can't be petty when the time calls for it, right? Danny and Jason just laughed when Erik told them what happened after the last game, Victor was begging for video or pictures, but they didn't have any unfortunately. Flower, Duper, and David also burst out laughing when Kris told them what they did. They're just done with an amazing dinner one night, and are trying to settle on a movie to watch, when Kris' phone dings on the coffee table. He laughs, that evil laugh that drives Erik nuts. ''What? What's funny?'' Erik asks.

Kris says, after a moment or three to calm himself down. ''Okay, so. As per the Penguins: Free agent Matt Cooke has signed a three year, 7.5 million dollar contract with the Minnesota Wild.'' Kris sips his wine, a glint in his dark eyes. ''Looks as though our little stunt worked.''

Erik grins, good to know that the good people in this world still win. ''Looks like it did, now will you stop being angry at him?''

Kris puts his phone down, and sits back on the sofa. ''Sure. He's not our problem anymore, now they've got to put up with him in Minnesota. Good luck to them, to be honest.'' Erik smiles, and shakes his head. They truly are a match made in heaven, equally petty, equally chaotic. But, absolutely crazy about each other. ''What?'' Kris asks, scanning his face.

Erik sips his wine. ''Just you, that's all.''

They pick their movie out, and snuggle up on the couch together. Erik's ankle does let him know it's there, still not all the way healed yet. But, the one who did this to him is in a different conference now, he's not their problem anymore, thank God. Kris is glad of it himself, his partner is safe from any further injury, and there's fewer people involved in the coup on the team now too. He makes a mental note to send a gift to Shero for getting the asshole off the team so quick. Kris says to Erik while they're in bed. ''Game, set, match - Letang and Karlsson, I suppose.''

Erik laughs, and says. ''Long may that continue.'' They share a kiss, and get some sleep. Kris is all but certain Sid and Geno are onto them, he'd be shocked if they weren't, but, that's an issue for another time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few slow and quiet days later, they're up early. Kris has had an idea, there's something he's wanted to do with Erik for a while now, but they've never had the time to do it. There's someone he would like Erik to meet, he's never done this with anyone else, he normally goes alone every summer. Kris is kind of nervous to ask this of Erik, especially during his recovery period, and after they received the good news of the problem teammate's departure. But, he brings it up over breakfast, ready to be shot down. ''Erik, can I ask you something?''

Erik nods, and says. ''Always, Kris, what's going on?''

Kris takes a nervous breath, he's never even asked Sid, Geno, or Flower this question. ''You can say no if you want, but, I've never asked anyone else to do this with me.'' He explains, ready for Erik to refuse him, and okay with that if he does.

Erik leans over to take his hands across the table, in some effort to calm him down. ''Kris, what is it? I'm worried now.'' Kris clears his throat, and asks him. ''Would you like to go see Luc with me? I usually go to see him today by myself.''

Erik kisses both of his hands, eyes welling up, falling even more in love with Kris for wanting to share this with him, if it's even possible to fall deeper in love with this man. ''I'd be honoured to come with you, Kris, you've never asked anyone to do this with you?'' Kris shakes his head, relieved that Erik didn't think this was totally weird of him to ask. ''No, just you.''

They get in Kris' car, and pick some nice flowers up from a florist on the way to the cemetery to go with the usual game puck Kris leaves at Luc's grave every year. Kris takes Erik's hand, and leads him to the headstone. 21 years old, a beautiful and bright future ahead of him as a Canuck, stolen in that motorcycle crash. Kris wanted a motorbike for ages before that, not anymore, the things are nothing but death traps. They sit on the grass before the headstone, and put the puck and flowers down nicely, Kris swallows. ''Luc, there's someone I'd like you to meet, this is Erik Karlsson, we've been together for two and a half years.''

Erik smiles, and assures Luc from beyond. ''We're very happy, so don't worry.''

Kris takes a deep breath, and says. ''Yes, we are. I wish you two could have met properly, you'd have loved each other, and annoyed me no end.''

Erik says, smirking, knowing how true that would have been, he'd have loved to have met Luc, just as Kris has met Victor. ''You and Victor can talk, he's taught you all the ways to annoy me. That's Victor Hedman, by the way, Luc. He's my best friend.''

Kris laughs, certain that the four of them would have been dangerous together, if not for that stupid motorbike. He can't believe he wanted one back then, the things are just dangerous for the sake of it, and stole his best friend from him. ''He died the year you were drafted, he was a Canuck. He's the reason I'm a Penguin in the first place.'' He's never told Erik this story before, it felt too personal, but, two years in, there's no such thing anymore. ''The scouts when we were in Val D'Or, they weren't after me, they were after him. But, we were partners, tearing the Q up, so, Kent took on both of us. He became a Canuck, and I became a Penguin. I have a cup because of him, and he never got to see me win it.''

Erik takes Kris' hand, he hates it when Kris gets down on himself, he hates that Kris can't see the him Erik sees, and he's sure those insecurities travel south with him every august. ''That's not true, Kris, one of Mario's guys would have recommended you regardless. You're Kris Letang, you were the captain at the time, who wouldn't take you?''

Kris shrugs. ''I guess you're right. Luc would probably haunt me for speaking like that anyway, he hated when I'd get in my head like this.'' Erik nods, looks like there's something he shares with his partner's late best friend at least. ''That makes two of us.''

Kris turns to the headstone, and says. ''My team recently got rid of the idiot who injured Erik, by the way. I bet you hated seeing that game.''

Erik says, rubbing the surgery scar on his ankle, it'll never go away, but it's faded to pink now. ''Sorry you had to witness that, Luc, it felt every bit as horrible as it looked.'' He says, adjusting his seating position on the grass. ''But, I'm getting better! Kris has helped get me through the pain of it. You should be very proud of the champion your best friend has become.''

Kris promises Luc from beyond, because he feels the need to clarify something. ''You'd have been the first to know about us, promise. You'd have probably been there that weekend too.''

There's a lull in chatter, a comfortable silence taking over the place. With just the breeze rustling through the trees, the sounds of some other visitors milling about, animals going about their days, and birds singing away in their trees. Neither Kris or Erik are talking, they don't really need to. It get easier, this visit, and Kris is just glad he's not doing this alone this time. ''I want to bring Sid, Geno, and Flower here someday, do you think they'd come?'' Kris asks Erik.

Erik nods, and says. ''I think so, they love you, as do I. Ask them the next time you're in Montreal, I think they'd love to come here with you.''

Kris nods, and stretches out his back. ''I think I will, thank you for coming here with me today, amour.''

Erik squeezes his hand, feeling it may be more than slightly inappropriate to kiss in a cemetery. ''I am deeply honoured you asked me to do this with you, hjartat. I've taken you to Vetlanda, now you've brought me here.''

Kris explains to Luc, though he doesn't entirely think he needs to. ''Those are our nicknames for each other, and you're the only person who knows about them now!'' Kris says to Luc. ''I love you, Luc, and I miss you every day.''

Erik says. ''I'm glad to have had this time, Luc.'' They head out, and back to the car, they share a soft kiss now, hoping Luc is happy for them. They head home, and get on with making lunch. The biggest milestone of their relationship so far sitting deep in their souls now. Something Kris had never shared with anyone before, even though Luc's death was so public, and he had to grieve while in the playoffs. He hopes he'll never have to do that again, public grief hurts like nothing else does.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Training camp comes quickly, too quickly really. Summers don't last nearly long enough in their opinions. Erik gets back in action after a quick physio appointment in Ottawa. Kris takes to the ice in Pittsburgh with his brothers, he also gave Shero a nice bottle of French wine for getting rid of his least favourite teammate probably ever. Flower notices the lighter mood Kris is in now that Cooke has been offloaded to Minnesota. He himself is all but certain the team will be far better off without the unnecessary stress Cooke and his crew brought in. The air is different at the training rink anyway, fewer challenges to Sid's captaincy, and Flower is happy Kris' secret love is still secret, and healthy again at that. ''You good, mon frere?'' Flower asks Kris after morning skate.

Kris nods, lacing his sneakers up for lunch, then a couple of hours in the gym. ''I am now, Flower, yes. I've had loads of teammates, but never one so vile as him.''

Flower chuckles, Kris has let it all go now, but he's probably always going to be bitter about what happened to Erik, and the fact that Cooke got away with it. ''I can tell. That little plan you both had, though, that was dangerous. You could've been seen!''

Kris shrugs, stretching his back out. ''It had the desired effect, that's all that matters to us. And, no one on the Wild will ever believe him, either.''

Flower laughs, and shakes his head, partly thankful Erik isn't a Penguin, that'd be unmitigated chaos, what with all five of them together. But, knowing what they're both like when they put their minds together, there's probably some grand plot for that to happen as well, he'd not be surprised if there was at any rate. He says to Kris as they go to lunch together. ''How was he over summer?''

Kris says, rolling his hoodie sleeves up. ''Restless, but I made sure he kept off that ankle as much as possible.'' Flower nods, he can't imagine someone like Erik Karlsson being a good patient. The same goes for Kris himself. They are twin spirits in so many ways. At any rate, Flower is just glad the tension has left the room, that's never good for any team. For Kris, that was one of the more stressful times in his life. The constant stream of questions he doesn't want to answer, the funny looks in the dressing room, the having to choose between Erik and Pittsburgh, not knowing how Erik was everyday, not being allowed to protect him because of different jerseys. He prays that this is the last time he needs to worry that much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the preseason trundles along, the Penguins riding the re-shuffle of their lineup, and the improved morale in the room to only losing two games the whole stretch. Sid is happy that his team is finally in harmony again, he never wants to see that again. It only took his concussion, a lockout, and the weirdest teammate fallout over the strangest thing ever to bring this team back to what it was in 2009 and 2010. But, regardless, Sid is pleased to be leading a team that isn't divided among itself anymore. Geno is the same, he's always hated conflict, but Kris needed to get it all out of his system, so he didn't intrude too much. The quartet have a little sit down over lunch after a training session the day before the regular season is due to begin. ''How are we feeling going into this next season, boys?'' Sid asks.

Geno forks some chicken, and eats it. ''I'm feeling great, Sid, how about you?''

Sid nods, downing the rest of his gatorade. ''Happy there's no more conflict on my team, that's for sure. Flower, anything to share?'' Flower shakes his head, half way sure Sid is asking about the secret he's helping to sit on. ''Nope, just excited to hopefully get us another cup in the spring next year.''

Kris finishes his pasta, and drinks some water. ''I'm just ready to leave last season in the past, and move on with this one. I know you're both wondering about my beef with Cooke.''

Sid nods, and confesses to his best friend. ''Yeah, kinda, what was with that?''

Kris sighs, and says to both Sid and Geno, he can't tell them the full reasons, but he knows that they trust him to regulate himself. ''I can't tell you, not yet anyway, it's not time yet. But, I need you to trust me that I had a good reason for it, okay? Do you trust me?'' Geno furrows his brows, as though that's the stupidest question anyone has ever asked him. ''Of course we do, Legend.'' Sid also nods, what kind of center doesn't trust his defenceman? ''I trust you, Tanger, you're my brother, aren't you?''

Kris nods, feeling a massive weight lifting from his shoulders, a weight he's been carrying since that horrible night. ''Good, thank you, both of you.''

The next day, the team lace up for their first game back. Hosting the Devils, a home opener suits them incredibly well, and they're ready for whatever comes at them for the next seven months. The team file out as they always do, Kuny heads out after Flower. Leaving the trio to go out last. Kris does his stretches, and heads out, Sid behind him, Geno taking up the rear as always. Kris does wonder how Ottawa will get on with their first game, but he'll hear about it from Erik. The petty part of him hopes that whoever Minnesota are playing beat them, but, for right now, there's far bigger fish to fry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, pretty satisfied with this one! I think it could have been longer if I'm being honest, but my wrist has been acting up again, and I was taking a lot of rest breaks in between sprints to get this done. So, I'm impressed that it ended up being this long to be honest. Writing Kris and Erik a decade younger and a decade less domesticated is fun, seeing how much they grow from about 2015 - after Kris' first stroke and Erik becoming Sens captain - and how much their marriage in 2021 calms them both down as people is fascinating. But, if I'm honest, I much prefer the softer and calmer versions of them. I hate writing them angry and unhinged in the bad way. Not my favourite fic for them so far, but whatever.

Also, the title may seem confusing, but here's why I chose it. 'An Achilles Torn Twice' - Cooke tore two Achilles that night, and didn't even know he'd done it! He tore Erik's physical one, the tendon in his ankle. And, Kris' spiritual one, Erik. So, An Achilles Torn Twice!

Enjoy!

Also, I've got another vague idea in my head, but it's gonna require serious brainstorming!